Three Rivers of Justice

Chapter Two

In a short period of time, all the warriors of Earth were gathered together. Krillin, Tien, Chiaotzu, and Yamcha had scoured the valley while Piccolo and his girls searched the mountainous regions.

There was no sign of Gohan.

Angry and worried, Piccolo headed to the Lookout. There, he found Kami pacing nervously.

"Old man." Piccolo barked. "If you know anything, you damned well better tell me now!"

Kami shook his head. "As much as I'd like to be able to watch every inch of Earth at all times, it simply is not possible." The Guardian said sadly. "The whereabouts of the boy are unknown to me."

Piccolo cursed louder under his breath. "He did not just vanish!"

"No." Kami said. "He did not." He walked forward, leaning on his staff. "I believe someone has kidnapped the boy."

Piccolo's eyes went up in surprise. "You mean, removed him? From the planet?"

"Yes." Kami said. "I was in meditation just now, until your arrival. The boy's ki is not on this Earth. Either he is gone….or he's…"

"SHUT UP!" Piccolo shouted, clinching his fists so tightly he thought he would explode. "Gohan is strong enough to defend himself against anything on this planet!"

"What if it were not of our world? We must assume that it was an invader, someone with a specific agenda regarding the boy." Kami surmised.

Piccolo wanted desperately to see past his rage, hoping to make sense out of this situation. "Then….where do we go from here? You are Guardian! Right now, you are worthless to me unless you have a plan!"

Kami held his head up high. "Oh, I do have a plan. But, you will need to calm down in order for it to work."

Piccolo did not like the sound of this. "What is the plan, you old fool?"

"You taught Gohan how to communicate with you, telepathically. I assume you have already tried to reach him." Kami said, not waiting for another hateful response from his counterpart. "Therefore, I would assume that either the boy is unconscious or has left this dimension. Either way, if we put our minds together in a joint meditative state, we should find the answers we seek."

Piccolo frowned. "This won't be permanent?"

"Of course not. Only temporary." Kami assured him. "Contact the girls. Let them know you will return to them in a few hours. Perhaps they should continue looking."

"If there is an undetectable force on this planet, I'd prefer that they come here. For their own safety." Piccolo said, trying not to sound too protective.

Kami knew better than to smile or make a comment on Piccolo's nurturing instinct. If the situation were not so grave, he would have jumped at the opportunity. "As you wish. Mr. Popo will find them suitable arrangements."

Leaving, Piccolo hurried back to the valley. He informed everyone to keep searching while he and the girls went to the Lookout to help Kami come up with a solution in finding Gohan.

They agreed and left.

Rideria was grumbling. "We should keep looking, Father." She said. "Those idiots will need our help." Rikola and Rhyne stepped back, not sure if their father would take a swing at his strong willed daughter.

"When you are older, you can make your own choices." Piccolo said firmly. "But until you are fully trained and old enough to handle the power you have been given, you will do as I say without fail." His tone was deep and menacing. Knowing he did not have to say anything else, they headed back to the Lookout.

Gohan was alone. He heard a small humming noise, but nothing more. Slowly, he opened up his eyes to see a faint light in front of him. Was it a candle? He wasn't sure. Rising up on his arm, he felt a sudden and debilitating pain surge through his entire body. Gohan was unable to maintain consciousness, falling back onto the floor.

Unknown to him, the ship pressed on. It's destination a heavily guarded secret, even among the vast number of fighters onboard.

In the hallway, a man's footsteps silently paced. He knew they had acquired probably the most powerful fighter ever just this past night. And he was only a boy. How could an Earthling be so strong? He wasn't sure. But, soon, his assets would be harvested. Yes, a great reward was awaiting the man when the ship docked. Just one week away.

The girls stayed with Mr. Popo, while Piccolo and Kami began their meditation. Facing each other, legs and arms crossed, they closed their eyes and focused. Kami had explained that in order for their minds to join it might take several hours. Piccolo was impatient, but knew this might be the only hope to find Gohan.

And he would find him. Or he would die trying.

Outside, Rideria was also impatient. "Father has been in there for over two hours!" She said. "How much longer?"

Mr. Popo knew the girl was a female version of Piccolo, thus making him feel uneasy. "This process takes time, my dear. We must give them the space they need to make this work."

Rideria grunted loudly, crossing her arms. "We should be out there searching!" She said angrily. "Not standing here twiddling our thumbs!"

"No." Rikola said. "We will do as Father as requested." She looked directly at her older sibling.

"She's right." Rhyne added. "Right now, finding Gohan is all that matters."

Rideria was about to verbalize more opinions when they suddenly felt an increased ki level several miles away.

"That's Krillin? Right?" Rikola asked.

Rideria nodded. "Yes. And the others as well. There is a fight going on." Her childlike voice sounded eerily like her fathers.

"Oh no!" Mr. Popo said. "Should I alert Piccolo?"

"No." Rideria said. "We can handle this."

"What are you thinking?" Rikola pushed her sister's shoulder, forcing her to make eye contact. "You know if we dare to seek out a fight, Father would have our heads!"

"What do you want us to do?" Rideria shouted. "Sit here? What if Krillin has found the people responsible for Gohan's disappearance?" She looked around at Rhyne. "What if Gohan needs our help NOW?"

"We have to try." Rhyne said. "Father will just have to understand." Neither of her sisters expected such a brave and almost non-concerned statement from the younger girl.

"Then, let's do it!" Rideria said. "They need our help!"

Mr. Popo had no chance to talk them out of it. They leapt off the Lookout and shot through the sky and quickly vanished.

THANKS FOR READING!! PLEASE REVIEW!! Also, I have some great pics, drawn by a great friend, PiccolosDragon. She drew the characters for me. So if you want to see what the girls look like, let me know!!!