Rurouni
By: Lady Jaye
Chapter 3: Yahto
"No Goku! I won't have it!" Chi Chi bit her lip stubbornly and stomped her foot as she glared up at her husband. Goku threw up his hands in defense.
"Look Chi Chi, it's not like I'm taking both of the boys. Goten's staying here with you." Gohan gave his crestfallen little brother a sympathetic look.
"I'm not going to let our oldest son go traipsing around some strange universe!!"
"But Chi Chi…"
"NO!!"
An approaching Ki caused the couple to break off their argument. Chi Chi turned to see that Lo-Pei was standing next to her.
"Yes?" Chi Chi asked, irritated. The Dei-sho hid a small smile of amusement as she addressed the human.
"You are brave, very few mortals have ever dared to take that tone of voice with me." Chi Chi gave a slight gasp as Goku tensed. He carefully positioned himself in front of his wife. This time the Dei-sho gave a real smile as she bowed respectfully to the shocked duo.
"I know this causes you grief little one and I know this is not the first time your family has been in danger. You are a strong woman to have faced such trying times. Your sons have great potential, but not all of their strength comes from the father. I sense the heart of a warrior in you as well." The Dei-sho straightened and looked into the face of the shocked Chi Chi before continuing. "I do not wish to give you any more pain, but there is very much at stake here, I know you realize that. I also know that you don't wish any harm to come to your family. I respect that very much, but your son is very much needed. I pledge to you that I will do all in my power to keep him and your husband from harm. And…" Her white eyebrows shot up as she gave another rare grin, "…the pledge of a Dei-sho is no small thing My Lady."
Chi Chi stared at her wordlessly as she fought an internal battle. Finally, impressed by the quiet dignity and the promise of the Dei-sho, the daughter of the Ox-King inclined her head to the other woman. Goku breathed a sigh of relief and made a mental note to thank Lo-Pei later.
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It was nearly nightfall when Kibitoshin called the gathering together again.
"Have you made your decision?" The Kaio-shin asked. Lo-Pei stood silently at his side. Goku grinned as he indicated himself, Gohan, and Vegeta.
"The three of us are going." Vegeta gave a grunt of agreement.
"As am I," Piccolo said. The Namek joined the three Saiyans. Kururin and Tienshinhan exchanged looks before joining the group.
"I'd like to come Goku," Tien said, "But will we have enough defenders for the Earth?" Vegeta snorted and replied.
"The brats should be enough….and that woman of Kururin's," he added as an afterthought. Eighteen glared at the Saiyan prince.
"I have a name you pompous bastard!" Kururin groaned as he tried to calm her down, which wasn't easy. Videl was glaring at Vegeta too.
"So I'm not a good enough fighter, huh?!" Gohan immediately appeared at her side and tried to soothe her ruffled feathers. Yamcha also glared at him for being left out. Kibitoshin caught their thoughts and addressed them.
"I believe that Yamcha, Videl, Eighteen, and the children will suffice. If need be, I have several volunteers in heaven who are willing to be brought back to life for a day if Earth needs help." Goku looked at him, intrigued.
"Really? Who?"
"Well, two of them would be your friends Olibu and Pikkon."
"Pikkon and Olibu! Really?! Wow!!" Goku instantly felt better, knowing that the two dead warriors and their friends would be willing to defend his home.
As the warriors said their good byes, Bulma and Chi Chi each grasped hold of their sons before they could make a last ditch attempt to join the others. The boys gulped as their mothers glared down at them.
"Is everyone ready?" Lo-Pei asked. The six warriors nodded as they stood next to the Dei-sho. The albino closed her eyes as she closed herself and the others off in an energy bubble. Then, with a flash, they vanished from Kame's Lookout.
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"So this is Yahto huh?" Goku asked as he looked around with wide eyes. The way station was huge. Enormous arches held up even larger white, stone columns as long hallways stretched underneath in every direction. Had the six been on their own, they'd have become hopelessly lost without Lo-Pei for a guide. Even Vegeta was impressed, the royal palace on his planet wouldn't even have compared to this.
The six warriors were waiting in a long line to see the Magistrate of Interdimensial and Time Travel. They couldn't yet see the Magistrate, but they could make out a huge desk in the front of the room. Lo-Pei had left them to seek out of Kando, another Dei-sho. The warriors felt her approaching with three other people. They didn't know who two of them were, but the other…
"Trunks!!!" Gohan yelled. Vegeta stared at his adult son. It was indeed Mirai Trunks, the one who'd come from an alternate future. Trunks grinned and waved at the group as he followed the three Dei-sho.
"Trunks! What're you doing here?!" Gohan yelled happily. Trunks grinned, glad to see the younger version of his mentor and father figure.
"Hey Gohan, you're older now."
"Yeah. Hey, how old are you now?"
"Twenty-four." The half-Saiyan felt a presence next to him and turned to it.
"Hello Father," he said. Vegeta gave a rare half-smile. So these Dei-sho had gotten him involved as well. The Saiyan prince was secretly pleased with this.
"Hello Trunks." The others welcomed the new addition to their party as the three Dei-sho stood silently. Piccolo eyed the other two, a man and a woman. Apparently Lo-Pei had fetched an additional Dei-sho instead of just one. The others slowly became silent as they turned to the trio.
"This is Risha, the Dei-sho of Trunks's universe," Lo-Pei said as she indicated the woman. Risha bowed her bald head to them. Kururin couldn't help staring at her. This Dei-sho had red skin and six arms! Risha grinned at the human, revealing a set of fangs. As Kururin jumped, the other Dei-sho starting laughing.
"Don't let Risha scare you," he laughed deeply, "She's not as mean as she looks!" Risha scowled at him before replying.
"This coming from the man who looks like one of those lions from Earth." He did truly resemble a lion, but his fur was jet black, instead of tan. Long, black fur trailed down from his head like a shaggy mane and two lion-like ears were perched on top of his head. Jade green eyes glared out from his face as he gave a bow.
"My name is Kando, I am the Dei-sho of the universe we are about to visit." Kando stood up to his full height, which was even above Piccolo's. He and Risha wore similar clothes to Lo-Pei, except that the colors were different. While Lo-Pei was decked out in a deep red, Risha wore a white tunic and golden earrings that hung from her pointed ears. Kando himself wore a dark amber colored tunic.
It was then that Goku noticed that each Dei-sho had a weapon strapped to each of their backs. Lo-Pei noticed the Saiyan looking at hers.
"Would you like to look at it?"
"Sure!" She unstrapped the weapon and handed it to Goku. The Saiyan was surprised by the heaviness of the weapon. It was a long black staff with a sharp spear on one end and a crescent shaped ax on the other end. He looked curiously at a clump of red feathers that hung down by the spear point.
"What's the feathers for?"
"It's for distracting your opponents." Goku gave it an experimental twirl before handing it back to her.
"That's a mean looking weapon you have there Lo-Pei."
"Aye, it is." Trunks and Tienshinhan were admiring the weapons of the other Dei-sho. Kando carried a great broadsword while Risha had several cutlasses. Tien had no doubt that the six-armed woman could be deadly with the blades. The Dei-sho put the weapons away as they neared the front of the line. Ten minutes later, Piccolo caught a glimpse of the Magistrate.
"You've got to be kidding me." Vegeta floated up to see what the Namek was talking about. It took all of his self-control to keep his temper in check.
"Are you insane?! A bloody child is the Magistrate?!" A heavy book seemed to appear out of no where and smack the Saiyan in the head.
"SILENCE!!" Vegeta rubbed his head and glared up at the Magistrate. It was their group's turn. The others stared in wide-eyed disbelief up at the huge chair that easily rivaled King Yamma's….and in it sat an irritated child behind a stack of paperwork.
"A toddler's the Magistrate?!" Trunks yelled. A flying book hit him in the head as well.
"I'M NOT A TODDLER!!" The Dei-sho flinched nervously in front of the enraged toddler. Risha cast a warning glare at the group. Kururin's mouth was still hanging open as a speechless Tien reached over and shut it for him. The small child gave a hrumph and leaped onto the desk.
"My name is Koenma, the Magistrate of Interdimensial and Time Travel, and I'm much older than what I appear. You will address me as Lord Koenma, so give me respect!!"
"….."
Goku felt a bead of sweat drip down his head. Oh boy.
Koenma settled down and picked up a piece of paper.
"So," he said, "We have six travelers from the Seiden universe, and one from the future in the Imeidun universe. So you are the warriors that will be accompanying the Dei-sho to the Eiden universe then, correct?" The seven warriors gazed dumbfounded up at the toddler. Lo-Pei whispered to them.
"Nod your heads," she said. Gohan stared at the Magistrate.
"Uh…"
"Yes?" Koenma said.
"Uh…does every universe have a name?"
"Does every universe have a name? Don't ask stupid questions! Of course every universe has a name! We have a whole library that lists just the names of every universe!!" Gohan fell down in shock. Oh Kame…
An irritated Koenma coughed to get their attention.
"Are you ready yet? I don't have time to just stand here all day!" Vegeta growled and was ready to hurl a retort when Goku gave him a pleading look. The Saiyan prince muttered and swallowed what he was going to say. The sooner they were out of here, the better. Besides, he didn't fancy getting hit by an oversized book again.
The little Magistrate filed through a stack of papers before finally handing them to the Dei-sho.
"You need to leave through Portal 1004-B."
"Of course my Lord," they said and bowed. The Dei-sho led the group out of the room.
"Hey Goku," Kururin said. "How do you think this universe is different from ours?"
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Eiden Universe: The Past
Goku lay on the ground as he stared up at his best friend.
"Hey Kururin, dying sucks." Kururin stared in dismay as he saw his friend slipping away.
"GOKU!!!" he cried in anguish.
Meanwhile, Piccolo stared down at another dying Saiyan. Even as a team, the two longtime enemies had barely beaten this alien. The Namek couldn't help but wonder at how the man looked exactly like Son Goku. Of course, the Saiyan had said he was Goku's cousin.
Turles looked bleary eyed up at the green man and chuckled ruefully to himself.
"By the Gods," he said, "this planet must be a curse for my family." Piccolo gave a start.
"What do you mean Saiyan?" Turles had a pained look on his face.
"Nine years before Kakarott came and lost his memory, his older brother Radditz was sent here as well. I have no idea what happened to him. And now his younger brother and cousin have also met their end on Earth." Piccolo gave a wry smirk at that.
"The end is hardly the fate for Son Goku. His friends will use the dragonballs to restore him to life."
"Dragonballs?"
"They have the power to grant any wish, even to return the dead to life."
Turles started to chuckle with his last breath.
"Thanks for telling me, because I just transmitted the information to my two partners in space. And they're even stronger than me."
Piccolo felt a stab of fear. "Two warriors, even stronger?"
"When?" Goku managed to ask.
"One year," his cousin answered. Turles looked up at Piccolo.
"How do you like your chances now, creature? They will exterminate this entire planet!" Piccolo gave a cry of rage and killed the Saiyan with a blow.
"Still laughing? Indeed I thought not…"
"GOKU!!!" The Namek turned to the other Saiyan. Son Goku had just died, but what was more surprising was that his body disappeared.
"WHAT?!" Kururin, Roshi, and Bulma cried.
"I sense," Piccolo said, "That cursed Kame's doing is in this. He must have plans for Son Goku." Then the Namek reached over and picked up the unconscious Gohan. "This whelp will require training if we are to have any hope of defeating these Saiyans." Then the Namek took to the skies and left the stunned trio.
"What are we going to tell Chi Chi?" Master Roshi moaned.
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Meanwhile, on Gaea…
"It is time for your death Battousai." The swordsman stepped into a fighting crane stance as he stared intently at the black haired Imperialist opposite of him.
Kenshin raised his sword and crouched in anticipation. Master Hiko had been upset with him for getting involved in the Fanel Revolution. Seijuro had called him a stupid pupil for leaving. The Saiyan hadn't understood his master's views. A sword was a weapon to fight people, and he was fighting to put Emperor Fanel back in power. The Emperor had promised to unite everyone and to end the oppressive system governing the people of Gaea.
His opponent lunged swiftly at the Saiyan, but the Battousai sidestepped it. He was doing the right thing, being involved in this war, wasn't he? The Saiyan formerly known as Radditz sometimes had his doubts, but always reassured himself that the war was necessary.
The blonde haired fighter caught the Saiyan off guard. Kenshin reacted with surprise. He had never seen a technique before that could match his style. This swordsman's strength and skill were on par with even him!
The two warriors battled desperately for several minutes before a quick flash of the other blade struck at the Saiyan. Kenshin barely avoided it, but the sword managed to slash his left cheek. Angry, the Saiyan powered up and used a secret, deadly technique to dispatch his opponent.
As the Saiyan stared down at the dead man, he felt a brief flash of guilt. Was he doing the right thing? Could peace really be won with blood? Not for the first time the Saiyan wondered if perhaps his master had been right all along. His hand gingerly touched the deep cut on his cheek. It would definitely leave a scar.
Kenshin wiped his blade on the grass. After a moment of deliberation, he blasted a hole in the ground with his energy. He picked up the man he killed and laid him carefully in the ground. He then used his Ki to pick up the dirt and lay over the grave. Kenshin stuck the other man's sword into the ground as a marker. He said a quick prayer and left. Was he doing the right thing?
The Saiyan took to the air and flew through the night. He paused a moment to stare up at the moon and the Earth. He would keep fighting until the Emperor had been restored to power.
Author's Note: I don't own Koenma from Yu Yu Hakusho. I suppose I could have created a character for the Magistrate, but I thought it would be funny to have Koenma as him. I haven't updated as quickly as I've been wanting because of studying for finals.