Author's Note: Eh, this was a hard chapter to write. I would have updated sooner, but the computer lab on campus was closed during the holiday weekend.

Rurouni

By: Lady Jaye

Chapter 2: Dei-sho

Gohan yawned and stretched as he rolled out of bed. The smell of cooking food led the half-Saiyan out of the room and down the hallway. He walked into the kitchen and was greeted by the sight of Mr. Popo and Korin cooking breakfast as a hungry Yajirobe waited eagerly at the table.

It was a little over a year since the fight with Majin Buu. The teenager had arrived at Kame's Lookout yesterday for a visit and had ended up staying the night. He and Dende had talked long hours into the night.

"Did you sleep well Gohan?" Mr. Popo asked as the half-Saiyan took the offered plate and piled on the pancakes. He nodded his head before digging into the huge stack of food. Yajirobe grinned as he too inhaled his breakfast, starting an unofficial race between the two of them. It ended with Gohan patting his stomach and breathing a contented sigh before asking.

"Where's Dende and Piccolo? I can feel them close by." Korin answered by pointing his staff in the direction of the courtyard.

"They went outside Son Gohan," the ancient cat said. Mr. Popo nodded before adding.

"They seemed concerned over something Gohan, they said something didn't feel right. They've been outside for nearly two hours already."

Gohan blinked in surprise as he downed a tall glass of orange juice. He was cleaning up his place when he heard a voice in his mind.

"Everyone please come out here immediately!" Dende's urgent voice called out to them. The four of them, including a puffing Yajirobe, hurried outside. Gohan felt shock from the Nameks as he ran up to them. Dende and Piccolo stood rooted in shock as they stared wide-eyed at the sky.

"Look!" Dende pointed a finger up. Gohan's eyes followed the direction of the finger and gasped. On the opposite side of the moon shimmered the image of a strange planet.

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Anxiety flowed over the Earth. "What was going on?" people asked. Children pointed excitedly up at the planet while their elders scratched their heads. Many simply stood and stared while others sat glued to their television sets at home.

"This is Glenn Nasser of ZTV News. I'm at the West City Astronomical Center. Scientists here are puzzled as to the appearance of this strange planet. However, according to Mr. Satan, we have nothing to worry about. Isn't that right Mr. Satan?" The camera zoomed in on Earth's "Savior", who was currently strutting for the camera.

"That right Glenn! If any slime balls from that planet try to come here and cause trouble, they're in for a big surprise. HAHAHAHA!! You can bet that I, Mr. Satan, will be here…to…save…the…day!" he exclaimed as he jutted out his immense chin and pumped his arms as he struck up a dramatic pose. He then pointed a finger into the camera.

"I, Mr. Satan will…" Yamcha clicked off the television set.

"Yeah, I just bet he will," he muttered. Everyone was gathered at Kame's Lookout. Yamcha, Tienshinhan, Oolong, and Roshi had been watching the television that Bulma had set up.

"That guy's such a joke," Oolong said, making sure to say it quietly enough that Videl wouldn't overhear.

"Hey Tien…" Yamcha trailed off as he looked past his friend. For a moment, he saw the faint image of himself and Kururin walking toward him, but the image seemed disjointed and blurry. The pair stopped and stared at him before pointing. Then it seemed as if the image closed up on itself and disappeared.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?" he yelled. Tien and Kururin jumped up and looked in the direction he pointed.

"What happened!?" Tien asked. The others came running into the room after hearing the commotion. Yamcha still stared where he'd seen the images.

"I…" He explained what had taken place. Vegeta sniffed disdainfully at him.

"That's just your imagination human." Yamcha glared heatedly at the Saiyan prince, but a voice interrupted them.

"No it wasn't Vegeta." Everyone whirled around to see Kibitoshin and a strange female companion standing in the midst of the group. The fused Kibito and Supreme Kai introduced himself to those who'd never seen him before, then he introduced his companion.

"This is Lo-Pei, the Dei-sho for our universe." Lo-Pei bowed to the confused gathering. She was about Chi Chi's height, but wasn't human. She was an albino, with pale skin, short white hair, and had red eyes. The strange woman had pointed ears and wore a simple dark red tunic and pants. A dark gold sash was tied around her waist and a strange gold emblem emblazoned the front of her tunic. The same symbol that was on her tunic also glowed in gold on her forehead.

"What's going on Supreme Kai?" Goku asked. The Kaio-shin sighed deeply before replying.

"Perhaps we should all sit down, this will take some time." Everyone looked at each other before settling down in the courtyard of Kame's Lookout. Chi Chi and Bulma glared at Goten and Trunks, warning them to keep still. Kibitoshin and Lo-Pei each thankfully took a cup of tea from Mr. Popo. The Kaio took a sip before speaking.

"What you saw Yamcha was a glimpse of an alternate universe." He held up a hand for silence before continuing. "We are not the only universe in existence. There are other, alternate universes that are similar to our own."

Goku scratched his head as he and several others exchanged confused looks.

"What does that mean?" he asked. Bulma answered him.

"What he means Goku is that each universe is different, depending on the choices we could have made." Kibitoshin nodded his head.

"Yes Son Goku. In one universe, the only difference may be that you wore blue pants today instead of orange. Or in another one, it may be that you were never sent to Earth as a child, or…" he looked at Vegeta, "…or your planet might not have been destroyed by Frieza."

Bulma listened thoughtfully before asking.

"What does this have to do with what Yamcha saw?" He smiled grimly before answering.

"The barriers between alternate worlds are breaking down….and that is an extremely bad thing."

"Why?" Gohan asked.

"I want you to think of it as a spiderweb, Gohan. Imagine that each strand of webbing represents the barrier of a universe. When you start breaking the strands, what happens to the web?"

"It collapses," the half-Saiyan answered.

"Exactly. Each universe is connected in ways you can't even imagine. Not only do the barriers separate the universes, but they also act as a sort of skeleton, holding them together. We call the barriers Dei. Each Dei, or barrier, has a Guardian watching it, whom are called Dei-sho. The Dei-sho exist outside of the universes and watch the barriers. Lo-Pei here is the Dei-sho for our universe."

Everyone looked at the woman in surprise and with newfound respect. Lo-Pei took up where the Kaio had left off.

"The barriers have begun to weaken," she said. "Right now, they're at the point that you can only look into another universe. But soon they will degrade to the point that others can pass through the openings into another universe. We don't know why yet, but we suspect sabotage."

"But why would someone sabotage the barriers?" Dende asked. Kibitoshin answered him.

"Imagine, if you will, having to fight a Frieza from another universe. Conquerors like him would love to try to take over another universe. If the barriers fail, then you could very well have to deal with two Friezas, ten Cell's, or even a hundred Buu's!" That made everyone, including Vegeta, sit up and take notice.

Bulma stared silently up at the strange planet, thoughts churning in her mind. "So," she asked, "Is that planet up there from another universe?" Everyone turned his or her attention to the planet.

"Not exactly." Kibitoshin answered. He felt the unspoken questions. He opened his hand and brought forth a piece of paper. "Think of this paper as our universe." He folded it into a sort of 'W' shape. "Our universe has different levels, or dimensions if you will. The Kaio's planet is part of our universe, but you can't see it from space or even take a ship there. That planet," he pointed up at it, "is called Gaea. It's on a different level in our universe than the Earth. You can't see it or simply take a space ship there, but it still exists. You can't see the planet from Earth, but you can see the Earth standing on Gaea."

"But…" Bulma said, "That doesn't make sense. We can see it now."

"Yes," he answered. "But you were right, that is from an alternate universe. That's not the Gaea of our universe. A large breach in the Dei has formed there for some reason; that's why we can see the planet. But it's not our Gaea, it's the Gaea of another universe." No one spoke for several minutes until Lo-Pei made her request.

"We of the Dei-sho require help. The Supreme Kai of this universe has told me that the strongest and most dependable fighters are on Earth. Namely, you."

Kibitoshin took up where she left off. "We don't know if the ones responsible are in this universe or in another, but we need help. Some of you need to stay here in case the Earth would need to be defended, but I would like some of you to go with Lo-Pei." The Dei-sho spoke again.

"I have spoken with Kando, the Dei-sho of that Gaea's universe. He will meet us at Yahto."

"Yahto?" Someone asked.

"Yahto is their name for way station," Kibitoshin answered. "It's similar to the check-in station after you die. You have to stop at the way station before you can travel properly to another universe."

Lo-Pei spoke up again. "I realize this is much to ask, but I implore your help. The Supreme Kai has expressed the utmost confidence in all of you. But considering the weight of my request, I will give you until nightfall for an answer." Her red eyes gleamed as she regarded the group. The Supreme Kai stood up.

"We will remain here if any of you feel you have questions," he said.

"I have one, Kibitoshin," Dende asked.

"Yes?"

"Well sir, since we can see the Gaea of that universe. Does that mean that they see two Earths in the sky instead of one?" The Kaio-shin's eyes widened in surprise.

"I had not considered that," he said. "But yes…I suppose they do."

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The man looked up at the twin Earth's in the sky, wondering why there were two of them. A sudden gust of wind pulled at the cloth of his dark blue shirt and white hakama pants. Had his long, black hair not been tied back in a low ponytail, it too would have blown wildly in the wind. Any creature that may have looked at him then would have wondered about the cross-shaped scar on his left cheek. He idly fingered the hilt of the sword hanging at his side.

"Kenshin, what's going on?"

The Saiyan swordsman turned to the human woman who had come up beside him.

"I don't know Miss Kaoru, that I don't." His ebony eyes stared up at the new Earth, wondering what it all meant.