Disclaimer: Insert standard disclaimer here I do not own dragon ball Z etc.

Author's notes: Revised version! Here is the second chapter these first two and a bit are a prologue. I haveno idea if any one is reading this (never mind what they think) so please read and review! This will get better the rest of the characters are on their way. Please note this chapter has been revised. Please read and review.

Glossary:

Ohayo Good morning

The grass was brittle all life had been drained from it. It disintegrated at the softest blow, sending clouds of brown confetti into the hot still air. The dead plants left their eerie monuments in sepia hues against a murky colourless sky. Without the trees it was hard to breathe, it seemed all the air had disappeared. Bodies lay twisted and frozen among the other dead things gazing up at them in voiceless reproach. In this lifeless, colourless place it seemed they were the only living things.

Son Gokou was uncharacteristically frightened, the eeriness of the place bothered him. He gazed around in total disbelief. 'What had happened to this place?' It was the air was very heavy, hot and vaguely humid. The whole place made him feel uncomfortable, the smell of death was strong. In many places dead animals and humans lay twisted together largely undisturbed. 'Kami-sama was right something dreadful had happened here, but what?' He could not be sure.

"What . . .?"

"Don't waste your breath." Gokou was surprised by her swift response and unsure of her intentions. 'Was she angry or just conserving her energy? She was fit and agile so maybe….' The track curved sharply to left, but Maya shifted off to the far right between two large long dead trees that leaned in against each other. Out of nowhere came the sound of footsteps. Many footsteps all deadened to dull thuds. Maya grasped his hand and glanced around in great agitation. In a heartbeat before he had a chance to think, they were down crushing the dry grass to powder beneath them. Gokou's heart hammered against his chest even as Maya drew him back through the death and dust. Finally, they came to rest between a pile of large rocks and a large, crumbling, fallen tree. Her slender fingers still held his wrist, in a grip as strong steel. Through the thin skin on the inside of Maya's wrist Gokou could feel her rapid pulse. While she watched with growing urgency for things he could not see. Down on their bellies, eyes straining through the colourless world. And then eerie silence suddenly seemed filled with a deep metallic vibration like nothing he'd ever heard. Fear held them in a tight embrace. Through the dead brown trunks a dull gleam sliced. Maya held her breath and remained perfectly still. Gokou copied her wondering what was going on. They stayed where they where until long after silence had returned. Until the oppressive heat drove them out.

Son Gokou and Maya moved cautiously through the under growth. It was safe. They ran down the steep lope into a dry creek bed. For a long time they ran following the creek bed through the sepia trees. Here and there bodies lay groping amongst the dead under growth. Maya lead Gokou up the creek bed, which came progressively more rocky until finally they were forced back out into the open.

There was only a faintly discernible track visible through the under growth. It seemed they'd been running for hours when finally she slowed to a walk. Maya leant against a tree red in the face, her long honey gold plait flopped over a shoulder.

"It's not far now." Gokou watched for a moment.

"What happened to this place? And what were those things?" She looked up at him her eyes dark and troubled.

"An apocalypse among other things." Came the answer accompanied by an ironic tone and wry smile. Gokou just looked stunned, he didn't know what to make of this strange woman who was old enough to be his mother. A woman who looked at the world in a sarcastic and ironical manner that he did not understand. Maya sighed, stood up and pushed her long plait over her shoulder.

"See that building over there?"

"Huh oh, yeah!" Son Gokou replied gazing through the trees.

"Well that's where we're going."

"Oh, okay." Soft faintly hesitant.

They headed towards an old stone barn with a curved corrugated iron roof. Maya with Gokou behind her, paused at the edge of the trees for a long moment trembling ready to run. As they ran across the open paddock each was alert for any sign of danger. When they stood with their backs against the old wind smoothed sandstone breathing hard, Gokou stared at what must have once been a beautiful panorama of sweeping hills, deep valleys and beyond that the sea.

"Oh, it's beautiful." His eyes wide astounded.

"It was." Maya responded her eyes sad and far seeing. For a long time they stood in companionable silence, each with their own thoughts.

Gokou was even hungrier than usual and had no trouble consuming most of the food in the Capsule Corp capsule. Maya quite frankly was amazed. In fact, most of Gokou's activities had amazed her, the little capsules that could hold just about anything had been the cause of her greatest astonishment. Gokou settled down in a chair eyes half-closed thinking about his wife. Maya feed her animals, which as far as he could gather consisted of; a large demanding Siamese cat, an assortment of dogs and four horses one of which had a foal. Gokou wondered idly where Kami would put all those animals before going back to thinking about Chichi. Maya padded back into the room, which had originally been a wine cellar for a homestead that no longer existed, Gokou opened an eye and watched her. She hummed softly rinsing the collection of buckets under the tap attached to the under ground rainwater tank.

"We should start packing don't you think?"

"Hmm. Most of my things aren't here their on the Island."

"Hmmm. Oh okay, why aren't they here?"

"This isn't always the safest place so we spent most of our time on the island only the horse gear is here."

Gokou wasn't sure what Maya meant by we but he had a feeling that it would be stupid to ask. Gokou didn't think he'd ever seen quite so much stuff. He felt impatient all this horse gear was packed and now they had to go to this stupid island. He wanted to get back to his wife not belt around the countryside with a weird middle aged woman.

By the time they left Gokou was unusually restless. The island turned out to be a small one consisting all most entirely of granite in the middle of a large sheltered bay. Separated from the coast by a kilometre of clear shallow water. The blackened remnants of a causeway poked out of the water at regular intervals. Now at low tide you could almost walk the whole way across. Maya walked out into the water still clothed until it was deep enough to swim. Gokou followed having to hurry to catch up.

The Island was the perfect fortress the only way left to get in was by a tunnel that started in the granite cliff face near the sea bottom. The water there was surprisingly peaceful. Slowly, so slowly, Maya edged towards the opening grabbing Gokou's hand and pulling him with her. They surfaced in a small space perhaps two meters square with a high ceiling and steps cut out of the granite. Maya swum to the large shelf at the base of the steps and pulled herself out of the cold water. For the briefest moment with the soft light filtering down behind her, she looked beautiful, young and with out worries. Gokou gasped a bit at the vision 'or was it' and followed her up onto the shelf.

"Sorry about dragging you like that; the opening's a bit hard to find, thought you might miss it." Maya said ringing water out of her clothes'.

"That's okay. " He was still wondering. Maya set of up the steps which shelved further and further back into the rock so that now they were travelling diagonally into and up the rock. For several minutes they travelled steadily upwards. 'Was it really so long a go that someone other than me walked up these stairs. Is it really fifteen years since we first came here? Two years since Ren died' she sighed one hand on the wall rubbed smooth by many hands. The stairs finally stopped and became a smooth level hall. By this time Son Gokou was tired, unaccustomed to this constant unrelenting movement. Kami had told him to stay with her and keep her out of trouble. He had a feeling that it was the other way a round. Ahead of him Maya stepped in to a room he followed her expecting another cold colourless room. Maya lit the small oil lanterns.

The light danced across the granite walls making them shine and glitter in multi coloured rainbows. Gokou gasped it was odd to find something so light and beautiful in such a dark devastated place. The whole place was better set up here than at the other place. There were several bedrooms, a bathroom, lounge, and a kitchen, once a very long time ago it had been a military outpost. Maya cooked dinner for each of them, leaving Gokou to his meal she went for a walk. For a long time she wandered a round aimlessly and then heavy of heart she turned up towards the highest hill.

A couple of hours passed before Gokou decided he had better check up on Maya. He followed the path up and eventually outside, he was surprised at the winds' force it was so strong it felt that he would be blown off his feet. He walked slowly towards the highest point on the Island in the hope of being able to see her. Gokou did not have far to go on top of the hill was a large stone that stood on its end like a rough obelisk. Here and there in neat rows were large flat pieces of granite. Seated on the ground with her arms thrown across one of these large flat pieces of granite was Maya fast a sleep. Suddenly in a flash of comprehension he realised he was looking at a graveyard. Cautiously, careful not to wake her, he walked over to the obelisk he ran his hand over the smooth surface carefully inscribed in a langue he could not understand.

"Here we lie.

Beneath the sun.

Beneath the sky.

Once we lived,

Once we loved.

As young and free,

As any.

Now here we lie.

We fought .

For freedom.

For our lives.

We who lie,

Here have given,

Our all,

Our lives.

Here we lie.

Beneath the sun.

Beneath the sky.

Beneath our native soil."

Gokou looked around Maya was sitting up watching him. Her sad eyes looked into his.

"Let's go pack." She said.

(2002)