Disclaimer I do not own Dragon ball Z. I only own Maya!

"Double quotations indicate conversations."

'Single quotations in italics indicate thoughts.'

Glossary :

Ohayo: Good morning

Baka: Idiot

The sun left faint rainbow hues in its wake. On the newly polished white tiles dozens of coloured bands shone and danced in time with the slow moving clouds. Which fanned across the sky, thin and drawn out like a bride's white wedding veil, soft vaporous and unsullied.

Yajarobe watched Maya with irritating scrutiny, as she sat on the tile of Kami's tower polishing her newly sharpened blade. She slid the chamois over the sword in smooth repetitive strokes, allowing it squeak on the downward stroke. She breathed deeply drawing as much of the thin air in to her lungs as was possible, trying to ignore the various aches and pains of sore muscles and thinning bones. Quietly, she was quite pleased with herself after today's sparring session; Yajarobe was a good fighter when the mood was on him and a truly brilliant swordsman. She was not at all surprised at his apparent dislike of danger, there was after all nothing wrong with being cautious one certainly lived longer that way.

"Who taught you to fight like that?" Yajarobe's voice was rough without being demanding. Maya peered at him from under her lashes frankly she'd rather not think about it, she was not very beautiful or very bright, she was just what she was, and what was past was past, learn from it what you could then leave it be.

"Circumstance." She kept her tone level, firm. Maya did not wish to be rude she liked Yajarobe and his quiet dignity. However she wished to discourage this particular conversion, it was not welcome. Yajarobe was no fool, he understood that Maya didn't want to talk about her past. But that did not mean he was with out curiosity.

"How long have you been training for?" He asked in the same gruff voice, only a little bothered by what the answer might be.

"Twenty four years or there about." This statement greatly surprised him; her skill and precision even after her enforced break were outstanding. He'd never thought a woman of her age would fight never mind fight with such expertise and well restrained violence. He looked at her wondering if there was something he'd missed. At her age she should have had a few grown children, most women did, but then she wasn't like most women. Certainly Maya was unlike any woman he'd ever met. Yet he found himself respecting her for traits he hadn't seen, traits he knew she must have, to have gotten this far. Curiosity made him blunt and tactless.

"How come you haven't got any kids?" Maya's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, but it was enough for Yajarobe to see her hurt surprise, he immediately regretted asking. She bowed her head closed her eyes and swallowed. The fragmented images filled her with vague and vivid impressions. Memories that still had the power to drag her back into the nightmare. Open wounds, which were still painful and probably always would be.

Yajarobe watched with growing distress as Maya attempted to school her expression. He mentally kicked himself, by rights he should have known better, hadn't his mother told him that it was rude to pry. Maya sighed inwardly, shoulders bowing a little further. Tension filled the air to such a degree that it seemed filled with static electricity. Her mind ruminated over the question heart refused to answer.

"I . . .I had a daughter . . .once. . I"

" What about some food Yajarobe?" Never in her life had she been so pleased to see anyone. She had stubbled over the words her tongue seemed unwilling to pronounce. And was vastly relieved when Korin interrupted.

The deity and the samurai left, leaving Maya on her own with only Socrates a gargantuan Siamese tomcat. He was a gentle kindly cat but far too interested in food to be comforting. Socrates being Socrates followed poor Popo a round in the hope of getting food, he didn't suit his name at all.

Maya really had no interest in facing Kami now, shaken to the core as she was.

She wished only to curl up under the pale coverlet and hold herself safe against the onslaught of dreams and memories that would assuredly come.

Red and gold

The burning sun haloed,

By dust and ash.

Bare floating remnants,

Of all cultures,

Final end.

No more do shattered things,

Scream out.

Assaulting tired ears.

For none remain.

No life exists.

Here.

Beneath the dust the rising gloom,

Our long dried blood remains unseen.

The world has turned in on itself,

In desperate wounded grief.

Where mankind's folly,

Has condemned us all,

To here lie fathoms deep.

'The air is hard to breathe thick heavy and hot. Sweating in only my nightgown my long hair strangely pale, my hands and skin, white and skeletal. Slowly images come into view all terrifyingly disjoined and confusing, deeply shrouded in shadows. A long gloomy hall illuminated by some light far a head. Both soft vaporous and some how disconcerting. The warm ground yields, a piece of carpet in the gloom its colour is impossible to discern. The walls oddly slick, bleeding, the vague light far a head reflecting grotesquely off the brilliant crimson. Heart pounding unnaturally fast. Dull fear sliding its way up my throat, distantly a baby's screams unrestrained vibrate off the hard gritty walls. Now I run seeking the source of the noise.'

Maya slept for along time, nightmares ran rampant through her mind but she did not wake. Often she groaned a word or phase that could not be understood. Normally a ridiculously light sleeper she was now nearly impossible to wake. Her nightmares were of such a vivid nature and were so close to fact that they were less dreams than memories replayed in her sleep.

She woke only when the full moon, shining blue and white, had well begun its dissent. She found her way out in to the open, clothed in only an ice blue ankle length nightgown. The air was very cold, yet it did not trouble her. Even the violent force of the wind was nothing.

The wind tore past, unrestrained, buffeting the small blue and ivory figure. Flinging her loose hair behind her, like a banner illuminated from with in. Icy shining satin fluttered about in a strained fashion, tightening across her bust and the sharp jutting curves of her ribs and pelvis. The moonlight gave every thing a soft blue or ivory glow, even the sharp white tile and her pale, pale skin. Only her hair and her bright troubled eyes remained as their true selves. The wind slashed at her skin making it prickle and sting. Wild and natural as it was, an element older and stronger than she it cleansed her soul, set her free.

Kami from his solitary post watched her a faint smile on his lips, 'akin to the wild wind the birds of the air, animals of land and sea, are thee.' He waited a while longer giving Maya her privacy. Then old green man pushed himself out of his throne. Fighting against the force of the powerful wind, 'being old is not all it's cracked up to be.' He moved quietly to stand beside her, long robes tore around in the wind.

"How are you feeling now?" he asked her voice soft. Maya finding him beside her crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well I've been better, but I can't complain." She responded the faintest of humour in her voice. Kami was not entirely convinced that she was all right, her humour was more ironical than sincere.

"Even after Yajarobe's some what ill advised questions?" He peered at her, she did not flinch. Instead with a barely audible sigh she responded albeit ruefully.

"Well I must admit, it did shake me up a bit." Kami looked at her, amused at her determined dignity. It seemed strange that some one so deeply traumatised by her past should be so determined to maintain her dignity.

"Well I wonder if you would like to join the senshi?" Her eyes widened in disbelief.

"As much as I hate to admit it I'm probably past it." She really did smile this time.

"Well I could fix that you know." She regarded him half suspicious, half amused.

"You shouldn't play with peoples minds Kami-sama, it's not nice." Maya chided him, completely deadpan. Kami tried rather helplessly not to laugh; 'few have ever treated me as an equal, even fewer as a child but Maya, dear Maya some how you manage to pull it off in the most flawless manner.' He couldn't be angry and he wasn't.

"I could give you, your youth back." Kami said wondering why he felt so silly.

"The hounds of Hades would pursue you to an early death."

" I mean it." Maya looked at him her face sober.

"Even if you could that wouldn't make it right." Kami smiled inwardly she was right of course but for her such rules did not apply, that was something all his superiors agreed with.

"No not normally but your's is a special case." For along time she remained silent staring out across the horizon. 'Ahh. Such pagan ideas Kami. My father would be rolling in his grave, if he had one!' Her thoughts became even more chaotic. Her heart thudded against her ribs in frantic melody at the temptation of it 'No more aches and pains and joy of joys another chance to be a mother!' She'd been hard on her body and now was well in to a menopause, which had been accelerated by lack of food and far too much stress. 'Then there was the down side it was wrong to meddle with things you had no right to, or knew nothing about. Oh hell the straight and narrow was no fun! Was it wrong? Wrong to slap opportunity in the face? More to the point was it an opportunity at all or another of fate's traps for the unwary.' After along time Maya turned back to Kami.

"What's the catch?"

" There isn't one, all your knowledge, memories, skills and experience will remain you'll still be however old you are now with the physical body of someone much younger." Maya considered this her eyes troubled if she did this she'd live a lot longer, and more than anything she wanted to live. If she stayed the way she was she doubted she live much longer than a decade, already the wear and tear on her body was causing problems. 'If only . . .'

"The gods see nothing wrong with it so why do you? You were brought here for a reason and I would like you in the senshi, but as you say soon you'll have trouble keeping up." She had her misgivings, but if it had to be this way then maybe.

"Alright."

Kami placed his hand on her head, just gently, focussing his energy and strength. Already the faint, warm tendrils of her ki where rising, with startling vigour and strength. Slowly the two, the tall green namekseijin and the diminutive human woman began to glow. At first the light was faint but slowly it grew into a bright, warm, white light as bright as a distant star. Maya felt her body filling with a tremendous amount of energy that seemed to flow inexhaustibly in and out of her. The sweet sensation of life growing strong and vital again infiltrated every pore. Her mind ceased to call out its disapproval.

Far in the distance each of the senshi sensed someone's ki rising. In the distance a light so bright the breaking dawn seemed insignificant was visible. Of one accord they rose into the sky and flew towards the source. In the wilderness Piccolo sensed his counter part doing something he could not remember him doing before. By the time the Z senshi arrived at Kami's tower Maya had disappeared. Only Kami remained looking decidedly smug.

Maya still in her nightgown had sensed the impending arrival, and had cut and run. In the mirror she had glimpsed a strange young woman and now stood staring at the change. Her eyes seemed ageless. In her now young face, they seemed strangely out of place with their haunted depths. She changed, glancing at her reflection now and then with fascinated amazement. Finally reasonably attired she walked out to the senshi with some anxiety. Moving as lightly as a cat and with a light and easy grace. Light headed from adrenalin she walked towards the group. Gokou's reaction was comical; everyone else coped with varying degrees of dignity and confusion but not Gokou. Gokou leapt about exclaiming loudly.

"Oh man Maya! I mean that is you isn't it?"

" Of course it's me you nit wit! Really the way you go on you'd think I grown horns."

Gokou went varying shades of white and green before passing out at Kami's feet with a resounding thud.

(2002)

Well how's that? It's been revised so it's better (I hope). If you notice something wrong with my very poor Japanese please say so!! Please r & r.