Chapter 3

A year's time might seem long to some, but to Keikan and Miyabita Touten, a year passed like it was a day. Keikan had only made a few trips to his work in the town, leaving his slow business to a close friend of his that he trusted and respected. His time now was devoted to his family, and especially now cramming as much quality family time as possible as the day drew near.

Miyabita had never been the same cheerful woman she was before the day Dai Kaioshin appeared at their front door almost a year ago. Every day she put Migikai to bed, crying as she kissed him goodnight, knowing that she would never see her son run and play with other children, go to school and come home excited with new knowledge, or a chance to see him become happy with his own wife and children.

Migikai had grown, but his features remained the same. Miyabita could only imagine the handsome young Kai that he would become in later years. Although still young, Migikai understood everything that was said to him. His laughter was a constant reminder that both Keikan and Miyabita needed to live the day at present rather than dwell on the upcoming future.

"Moma! Moma! Look!"

Miyabita looked up from her cooking to see Migikai come stumbling in from the sitting room, holding up a picture he had drawn with paints, and quite obviously made a mess doing so. "That's beautiful, Migikai!" Miyabita said taking the picture from her son's small hands and looking at it over.

"I draw you, Moma," Migikai said going over to the counter and reaching for a cookie, although he wasn't quite tall enough to reach the plate.

"And I love it very much," Miyabita replied as she went over to him and held the picture out. "Why don't you go show your father and I'll get you the cookies and some milk."

"Okay!" Migikai said merrily as he trotted off back to the sitting room to where his father had been watching him paint, although he hadn't had a chance to see the work of art before Migikai darted off to the kitchen.

"Keikan, could you clean him up please?" Miyabita called into the other room. She smiled as she heard Keikan telling their son that he was a mess and that he needed to wash. The instant cry of, "Why?" made Miyabita laugh.

Unfortunately, the time spent together at every possible moment ended much too quickly as the final day arrived and the hour approached. Migikai had finished his meal and had a very small piece of his birthday cake, (although his birthday was still a month away). Miyabita and Keikan held off cleaning the dishes, knowing that this would be the last chance they'd have to look upon their son.

As if a timer had gone off there was a knock on the door. "Oh no…" Miyabita said covering her mouth with her hand and standing up slowly.

"We've talked about this," Keikan said as he slowly made his way towards the door. "We can't stop it."

"Moma," Migikai said as his mother picked him up, his arms instinctively wrapping around her neck.

Keikan opened the door to see the same site he had seen one year ago. "Dai Kaioshin," he said with a courteous bow. "Welcome back."

"Yes, thank you, but I know you're not happy to see me, Keikan." The god walked in, followed by Derikaikay, neither looking any different than when Keikan and Miyabita saw them the first time.

"Miyabita, my deepest and most sincere apologies once again," he said warmly. "At least this time you managed to finish your meal before it got cold."

"You're welcome to anything we have in the house," Keikan said offering his seat to the great god.

"Thank you, but no thank you, Keikan," Dai Kaioshin replied. "Sadly I can't allow you to buy more time. The quicker this is, the less painful, I assure you."

Miyabita hugged Migikai tightly, although the boy did not fuss. He knew something was happening, but wasn't sure what that something was. "Dai Kaioshin, please….Perhaps there's another way? If we hide his powers…if we teach him not to be act so strong…."

"I only wish that were the case of my taking him, Miyabita," Dai Kaioshin admitted. "I'm afraid he must leave. You've been a good mother and he's enjoyed his time with you. But you must say goodbye now."

Keikan went over to his son and looked at him. "Be good, son," he said softer than his voice normally went. "You'll be in good hands. Behave yourself and listen to what you're told."

"Doda," Migikai said, trying to smile, but found that he couldn't when his parents weren't smiling back.

"I love you, my little Migikai," Miyabita said as she kissed his cheek several times. "You're my little hero."

"Its time," Dai Kaioshin said.

Miyabita reluctantly went over to the large Kai and let her son be pulled from her arms for the last time. "Moma!" Migikai called, reaching his small hand out towards his mother.

"May you have a good night," Dai Kaioshin said as he turned with Migikai in his arms and headed towards the door.

"Moma! Doda!" Migikai cried, tears falling down his small cheeks as he struggled in Dai Kaioshin's arms and looked at his parents over the mighty shoulder of his holder.

"You mustn't cry," Dai Kaioshin said as Derikaikay opened the door.

"Migikai…" Miyabita said softly, taking a step forward, but being stopped by the arm of her husband around her waist. "Keikan, our son…"

"I know, my darling….I know…." Keikan replied, now taking his wife into his arms and holding her tightly.

"Moma! Moma!" Migikai cried once outside the house. "Doda!"

And then they were gone. Miyabita would never forget her son crying for her, or his sad face that was unusual for him as he was carried out by the greatest of gods.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Migikai hadn't stopped crying when Dai Kaioshin teleported them from the Kai planet and instantly appeared in a similar, yet much more relaxed and serene location. He wiggled about in Dai Kaioshin's strong arms, crying out that he wanted his mother and father.

"Leave it to a boy destined like he is to not notice that he's already on a different planet," Dai Kaioshin said to Derikaikay as they headed over the hill towards the large mansion the gods' called home there on Kaioshin-kai.

"Moma! I want Moma!" Migikai screamed as he stopped struggling as he had tired himself out from doing so.

"You will never see your mother again," Dai Kaioshin said finally to the young Kai. "This is your home now. And it will be your home for eternity."

"I want Moma!" A small blue glow started to appear along the outer limits of Migikai's little body, his strength seeming to return as he struggled once more to free himself from the god's arms.

"Determined little guy, isn't he?" Dai Kaioshin asked his servant as they entered the large white house.

"No! No, no, no!" Migikai yelled as loud as he could, the blue light growing brighter. "I want Moma! I want Moma!"

And then all at once, the blue light vanished and there was silence from the young boy. He had completely worn himself out, and had fallen asleep.

"Well, that lasted longer than I thought," Dai Kaioshin admitted as he handed the boy over to his servant. "You know where to bring him, Derikaikay."

The Kai bowed and headed up the large splitting staircase, heading towards the right and down the hall. Almost to the very end of the hall he entered a room where there was a large king-sized bed where Migikai was laid to rest for the night.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The next morning, Derikaikay had rushed into the same room he had left the young boy in the night before. Dai Kaioshin had heard a constant cry all the way from the other end of the mansion, and sent the servant to tend to the helpless boy.

"He'll be over his fussing by tomorrow," the god had promised Derikaikay.

At an average height and lanky build, Derikaikay looked like he could barely handle a tray of food, let alone a two year old crying boy who was most certain to be jumping on the bed.

But the servant was most surprised. Migikai had been sitting up on the pillows, looking as if he spent the entire night crying, his face completely soaked with tears. He could see there was an instant when Migikai stopped crying, thinking and probably hoping that it would be his mother or father entering through the bedroom doors. However, he quickly started up again, calling for his moma.

"You'll not find your mother here," Derikaikay said as he entered the room and opened the curtains. "You're with the Kaioshins now, and you're here for a special purpose. You should be honored."

"I want my moma…." Migikai said, although he was much calmer than he had been only seconds ago.

"You can't have your moma," Derikaikay replied patiently. "You're going to go see Dai Kaioshin today and learn what you need to know. But first, we must bathe and feed you."

"No," Migikai replied and moved away when Derikaikay came closer.

"Please don't make this difficult," he said as he moved closer, only to be avoided more. "Migikai, you're not going to get your way. You'll soon learn that you can't have what you want."

"Go away," Migikai said and jumped to the other side of the bed.

"Don't!" Derikaikay said as the leaned over and the young boy jumped again.

"Away!"

"Get over here right now!"

"No!" Migikai shouted, only with much more enthusiasm, getting a kick out of seeing this man jumping after him. But his efforts were soon defeated when his arm was snatched and his body brought down.

"Now you will have your bath," Derikaikay said sternly as he carried the young Kai to the bathroom, only to return an hour later with a clean and neatly dressed young boy.

After a short breakfast, Derikaikay brought young Migikai to the meeting room, where four men and one woman sat around a large rectangular table. One of these men Migikai had seen before; Dai Kaioshin sat at the head of the table and then four other unfamiliar faces sat in twos on the sides.

"Ah, you finally made it," Dai Kaioshin said, all eyes turning towards the arrivals.

"Forgive me, sir," Derikaikay started. "We had some issues this morning."

"No need for explanations," Dai Kaioshin said happily.

"Is that my replacement, sir?" an elderly Kai said as he leaned over and adjusted his spectacles to see the little two-year-old as he held the hand of the servant, Derikaikay.

"He is indeed. Small but mighty in many ways."

"He's still so young," the woman, (who too was older than the other three males that occupied the room with her), said with surprise. "Even South and North Kaioshin were older than that when they were brought here."

"Not that we remember," North Kaioshin, a small and chubby lavender Kai with a gray mustache and Mohawk said to South Kaioshin, who sat to his left.

"Please," Dai Kaioshin said. "He's the best replacement for East Kaioshin. We haven't the time to wait for him to get older. As it is, he was very attached to his parents and it'll take some time to clear him of their memory. But I feel that he can handle the work. We'll teach him the basics now and train him in combat when he's older."

"He's no more than a toddler!" the elderly East Kaioshin exclaimed. "Look, he clutches to Derikaikay's hand as if he was his father instead of that young wiper-snapper back on the Kai planet.

"Trust me, East," Dai Kaioshin assured him.

"Dai Kaioshin," the woman began with patience, "you couldn't possibly wait as long as you did for North and South to finish his training. East is long since past his retirement."

"Yes, I'm aware of that, West Kaioshin. He'll be at least twenty by the time we're done with him. He couldn't handle the responsibility before that."

Dai Kaioshin turned in his seat to face the young boy completely. "My boy, you are about to embark on a great and very long journey. When we feel you're ready, you'll be made into a god, like us. Until then, your name will be Shin. You will no longer go by the name your parents give you. You shall forget that name and any other name you were given."

Already, the tears in the boy's eyes were started to weld up. "I—"

"You're mother and father are gone. You'll never see them again, do you understand me, Shin?"

The boy, now called Shin, looked at Dai Kaioshin sadly, his heart sinking to his small feet as the serious voice reached his pointy ears. "Yes…"

"Derikaikay lets start Shin off in the right direction. The more he looks the part, the better he'll feel the part," Dai Kaioshin said with a nod.

Derikaikay bowed and led Shin out of the room, still holding his hand. Shin looked over his shoulders at the gods behind him, all five pairs of eyes on him as he turned the corner out of the room.

"You never know," East Kaioshin said getting to his feet slowly. "Perhaps he'll be ready before Shina, West."

"I doubt it," West Kaioshin said crossing her arms.

Derikaikay led Shin into a large and overwhelming bathroom on the second floor, after climbing the large split staircase. The tub was like a pool built into the floor, the shower was the size of three normal showers put together, and four sinks lined the wall. Shin felt almost excited upon entering the room, but his mood soon changed when Derikaikay told him to sit on a stool and then began to take out several different pairs of scissors.

"Don't worry," he told the frightened looking Shin. "I'm just going to give you a new haircut."

Shin sat quietly as he watched his hair being cut, shaved, and styled to match the fashion of the Kaioshins. He thought he looked funny, but he felt so sad that he remained silent. Soon after his haircut, Derikaikay brought out a set of clothes that looked very much like the ones the gods wore. A plain white shirt, white pants, and a dark blue vest that hung down further in the back and stopped at a point by the backs of his knees.

"There. Now you look like you're going to be a Kaioshin."