Chapter 110
"Here's a glass." Popo chirped, holding a crystal cup in his hand. Dende took it.
"Thank you, Mr. Popo." the guardian held the glass firmly in his hand and looked at Genji. "A bed has been prepared for you. Follow me." He headed inside the palace. Genji took lead as everyone followed Dende inside.
Yume whimpered as she walked by Genji's side, and he patted her flank in comfort. Momiji and Murasaki both gave Genji worried looks as they walked behind him. Trunks, Goten, and Piccolo took up the rear, all three looking rather confident that everything would be alright.
Soon, Dende showed everyone into a fancy, huge, circular bedroom with a bed and canopy in the middle. Half of the wall appeared to be missing, but looked replaced with evenly spaced pillars. The missing wall looked down on a spacious garden one story down.
Momiji and Murasaki "oooohed" and "awwwed," while Genji frowned.
**What do I look like?! Sleeping Beauty?! I don't wanna be in this fru- fru!**
"You........don't like it here?" Dende blinked. "What's wrong with it?"
Genji had a little trouble trying to say what he wanted a moment, but managed to say a couple things.
**It's......too sheltered! Too unnatural! Too.......how do I put this.....?**
"Feminen?" Murasaki pitched in for words. Genji shook his head.
**No, not exactly.......Formal! YEs, that's it! Too formal!**
"Formal?" Dende blinked. "But, Genji, you're a guest of honor. You've done great, respectful things. You deserve the best."
Genji shook his head again, but more fiercely.
**I don't want the best! Only the neccesities!**
"Dende, understand." Piccolo said to the young Namek. "Genji has lived a simple, selfless life with no extravegent rewards or luxuries. Fancy is just not his style."
"Oh, I see." Dende nodded, then he smiled at Genji. "Well then, Genji........where would you prefer to lay down?"
Genji quickly looked down at the garden ward below, seeing a large area of well-cared-for flower assortments. He could see lots of dasies, lilacs, dandylions, and assorted posies as well as some shading trees.
He smiled and pointed down in the garden.
**Right there looks nice.**
/|\
Genji layed out the blankets on the marble ground and set a pillow on them. Everyone gathered around the boy while Dende poured the small amount of potion into the crystal glass. Genji laid down on the blankets, pulling another one over his lap.
Everyone took their turn saying farewell.
"Oh, Genji," Murasaki moaned, hugging the boy's right arm, "I'm so scared for you. Be careful, Genji-chan."
Then, Momiji hugged Genji's left arm, mimicking Murasaki.
"Ooooooh, Genji!" Momiji cried dramatically. "I luv yu soooooo much! Pleeze, dun't find anatha girlfriend in th' laan ove th' dead! I culdn't bare it!"
**Girls........please......** Genji moaned. Ryu pried the ladies off, then patted Genji's head before mussing his hair a little.
"That's not our afterlife you're going to." Ryu warned. "Remember, that's part of a whole different set of beliefs. There's an Enma-sama, ogres, ghosts, and assorted weird stuff like that."
**I know. And I'm ready for it. Thanks, Ryu. Take care of everyone while I'm gone, okay?**
Trunks and Goten were next.
"Keep it cool, Genji." Trunks insisted, giving the boy a thumbs up.
"We'll be rooting for ya, Genji!" Goten insisted as well.
Genji replied with a nod.
Piccolo knelt next to Genji.
"There are many people in the afterlife who know most of our fighters, and will be happy to help you. If you can, seek out Kaio-sama of the West, or go see Daio-Kaio. They may be able to help you find a cure themselves."
**Thank you, Piccolo-san. I will remember that.**
As Piccolo stood back up, Yume leaned her head down to Genji's chest. He hugged her muzzle tightly.
**Aw, Yume! I'm going to miss you!**
"Come back soon, Genji! I hate it when you leave me like this! I'll never leave your side while you're gone, I promise."
**That's a good girl.**
Then, Dende walked to Genji with the cup.
"One last warning." Dende said to the boy. "After you drink this, and your spirit goes to the afterlife, none of us here will be able to help you in any way. The good side to this is that the demon won't bother you in your travels."
**Dende-sama, please give me the glass.**
Slightly astonished, Dende handed Genji the glass.
The boy held his glass in toast......
**To my health, and the good health to those my demon has harmed!**
"Genji....." Murasaki was about to stop the boy........
.........Genji downed the potion in two gulps.........
.........light as water, sweet as honey..........
.........his body instantly went limp in relaxation........
.........before he fell onto the pillow in a death-like sleep.
Piccolo pulled the covers up to Genji's shoulders as Yume laid by his side.
"Two days from now," Piccolo announced, "we'll give him the senzu and he will wake up with no harm. All we can do now is wait for those two days to pass."
Genji's chest barely went up and down as he softly breathed, the color started draining from his skin, and his heart slowed to the point of almost stopping.
Another journey had begun.
((Author's Note: Genji drinking the potion is my small tribute to the great Greek philosopher Socrates, a genius and a poet by all standards. He was sentenced to death for supposedly being a "bad influence on the youth." He was to die by drinking a cup of hemlock, and he complied, deciding to die for his cause. He actually toasted to his friends and pupils (one of them being Plato), before drinking. I hoped to memorlize a passing on like Genji's to be like Socrates, surrounded by friends and drinking a lethal potion.
((On another note........wow, one-hundred and ten chapters! Even I can't believe it! Uh.....sorry if I grossed anyone out in the ending of the last chapter......that had to happen, the moment is going to be important later on in Genji's travels.
((One more note, I have decided which girl Genji will end up with, thanks for your votes, everyone!))
"Here's a glass." Popo chirped, holding a crystal cup in his hand. Dende took it.
"Thank you, Mr. Popo." the guardian held the glass firmly in his hand and looked at Genji. "A bed has been prepared for you. Follow me." He headed inside the palace. Genji took lead as everyone followed Dende inside.
Yume whimpered as she walked by Genji's side, and he patted her flank in comfort. Momiji and Murasaki both gave Genji worried looks as they walked behind him. Trunks, Goten, and Piccolo took up the rear, all three looking rather confident that everything would be alright.
Soon, Dende showed everyone into a fancy, huge, circular bedroom with a bed and canopy in the middle. Half of the wall appeared to be missing, but looked replaced with evenly spaced pillars. The missing wall looked down on a spacious garden one story down.
Momiji and Murasaki "oooohed" and "awwwed," while Genji frowned.
**What do I look like?! Sleeping Beauty?! I don't wanna be in this fru- fru!**
"You........don't like it here?" Dende blinked. "What's wrong with it?"
Genji had a little trouble trying to say what he wanted a moment, but managed to say a couple things.
**It's......too sheltered! Too unnatural! Too.......how do I put this.....?**
"Feminen?" Murasaki pitched in for words. Genji shook his head.
**No, not exactly.......Formal! YEs, that's it! Too formal!**
"Formal?" Dende blinked. "But, Genji, you're a guest of honor. You've done great, respectful things. You deserve the best."
Genji shook his head again, but more fiercely.
**I don't want the best! Only the neccesities!**
"Dende, understand." Piccolo said to the young Namek. "Genji has lived a simple, selfless life with no extravegent rewards or luxuries. Fancy is just not his style."
"Oh, I see." Dende nodded, then he smiled at Genji. "Well then, Genji........where would you prefer to lay down?"
Genji quickly looked down at the garden ward below, seeing a large area of well-cared-for flower assortments. He could see lots of dasies, lilacs, dandylions, and assorted posies as well as some shading trees.
He smiled and pointed down in the garden.
**Right there looks nice.**
/|\
Genji layed out the blankets on the marble ground and set a pillow on them. Everyone gathered around the boy while Dende poured the small amount of potion into the crystal glass. Genji laid down on the blankets, pulling another one over his lap.
Everyone took their turn saying farewell.
"Oh, Genji," Murasaki moaned, hugging the boy's right arm, "I'm so scared for you. Be careful, Genji-chan."
Then, Momiji hugged Genji's left arm, mimicking Murasaki.
"Ooooooh, Genji!" Momiji cried dramatically. "I luv yu soooooo much! Pleeze, dun't find anatha girlfriend in th' laan ove th' dead! I culdn't bare it!"
**Girls........please......** Genji moaned. Ryu pried the ladies off, then patted Genji's head before mussing his hair a little.
"That's not our afterlife you're going to." Ryu warned. "Remember, that's part of a whole different set of beliefs. There's an Enma-sama, ogres, ghosts, and assorted weird stuff like that."
**I know. And I'm ready for it. Thanks, Ryu. Take care of everyone while I'm gone, okay?**
Trunks and Goten were next.
"Keep it cool, Genji." Trunks insisted, giving the boy a thumbs up.
"We'll be rooting for ya, Genji!" Goten insisted as well.
Genji replied with a nod.
Piccolo knelt next to Genji.
"There are many people in the afterlife who know most of our fighters, and will be happy to help you. If you can, seek out Kaio-sama of the West, or go see Daio-Kaio. They may be able to help you find a cure themselves."
**Thank you, Piccolo-san. I will remember that.**
As Piccolo stood back up, Yume leaned her head down to Genji's chest. He hugged her muzzle tightly.
**Aw, Yume! I'm going to miss you!**
"Come back soon, Genji! I hate it when you leave me like this! I'll never leave your side while you're gone, I promise."
**That's a good girl.**
Then, Dende walked to Genji with the cup.
"One last warning." Dende said to the boy. "After you drink this, and your spirit goes to the afterlife, none of us here will be able to help you in any way. The good side to this is that the demon won't bother you in your travels."
**Dende-sama, please give me the glass.**
Slightly astonished, Dende handed Genji the glass.
The boy held his glass in toast......
**To my health, and the good health to those my demon has harmed!**
"Genji....." Murasaki was about to stop the boy........
.........Genji downed the potion in two gulps.........
.........light as water, sweet as honey..........
.........his body instantly went limp in relaxation........
.........before he fell onto the pillow in a death-like sleep.
Piccolo pulled the covers up to Genji's shoulders as Yume laid by his side.
"Two days from now," Piccolo announced, "we'll give him the senzu and he will wake up with no harm. All we can do now is wait for those two days to pass."
Genji's chest barely went up and down as he softly breathed, the color started draining from his skin, and his heart slowed to the point of almost stopping.
Another journey had begun.
((Author's Note: Genji drinking the potion is my small tribute to the great Greek philosopher Socrates, a genius and a poet by all standards. He was sentenced to death for supposedly being a "bad influence on the youth." He was to die by drinking a cup of hemlock, and he complied, deciding to die for his cause. He actually toasted to his friends and pupils (one of them being Plato), before drinking. I hoped to memorlize a passing on like Genji's to be like Socrates, surrounded by friends and drinking a lethal potion.
((On another note........wow, one-hundred and ten chapters! Even I can't believe it! Uh.....sorry if I grossed anyone out in the ending of the last chapter......that had to happen, the moment is going to be important later on in Genji's travels.
((One more note, I have decided which girl Genji will end up with, thanks for your votes, everyone!))