Three Rivers of Justice

Chapter Eight

It was mid morning when Rideria woke up again. She was alone in her room, both the other beds were made and the lights were dimmed. Slowly and carefully, she got up and walked to the bathroom. The mirror spoke clearly of how close she had come to death. Her face was bruised around the temples, as if she had been beaten. There were dark circles under her eyes and they were still glassy.

Rideria stripped and prepared a warm bath. After almost an hour of soaking and trying to rid herself of the tension she felt, she dressed in fresh clothing and headed to the training chamber, knowing that is where her family would be.

Almost shyly, she peered through the door of the training room, seeing her father with both Rikola and Rhyne. It appeared that they had been going at it for hours. She wasn't sure if she should approach her father at this point, but decided to plow ahead.

She opened he door, causing the gravity machine to deactivate.

Piccolo stopped and glared at his oldest daughter. "You feel up to this?" Piccolo asked her.

Rideria nodded. Well, at least he had not yelled at her for interrupting them. "Yes, sir. I am fine."

Rhyne and Rikola gladly sat on the sidelines, feeling they had endured more than their share.

Piccolo looked at Rideria carefully. "The gravity machine is off. We'll spar for a while without it. If I feel you can handle it, then we'll start slow."

Again, she nodded and took a fighting stance.

For over an hour, they sparred. Piccolo remained cautious of his daughter's condition and did not push her. He could tell her body was still not completely healed. But, Rideria was determined and relentless in her attempts to prove her worthiness to her father.

"That's enough." Piccolo said as he saw her beginning to tire. "I think it's time we all found nourishment. I'd like to check with Bulma on the progress of the ship as well." As he left the room, he reminded them. "Don't touch the controls."

Piccolo went to the control room to find Bulma and the girls stayed in the chamber.

"Wow." Rikola said. "You sure know how to stir things up." She smiled lightly.

"Yeah. I've never seen Father like that!" Rhyne said, her eyes wide and innocent. "He was gonna kill Kaizer right there on the spot!

"I didn't mean for any of it to happen." Rideria said sadly.

"I figured Father would pound you himself for disobeying!" Rikola added. "But, I guess he knows it was not intentional. I mean, you did almost die."

"Why you would choose to train over rest, I don't know." Rhyne got up to leave. "I'd much rather lay in these nice soft beds! Wish we could take them home with us!"

"Yeah." Rikola said. "I wouldn't mind that either!" She took Rideria's hand. "Let's go."

"Nah, I'm gonna sit here for a while." Rideria said. "And don't worry, I can barely move, much less train." She smiled. "I'm sorry I scared you."

"No biggie." Rikola said happily. "Just remember, we're on a mission. Gohan's life depends on us."

They left Rideria sitting in the chamber alone. She lay back on one of the mats, admiring how the lights from the various controls danced on the ceiling. Rideria was almost asleep when she heard the chamber door open. She glanced up to see Kaizer walking in.

"I thought I'd make sure you weren't doing anything you shouldn't." He said smiling.

"Kaizer, I'm so sorry about earlier." She said, trying to get up. "I never meant for any harm to come to you."

Kaizer reached his hand out and helped her up. "Ah, your old man is ok." He said jokingly. "I'd have done the same thing if you were my daughter." He could tell Rideria was still in some pain as she moved. "Let me help you." He put an arm around her shoulder and helped her walk out into the hallway.

"I can make it from here." She said. "Can't risk you being in my room again." They both laughed heartily. "My father has never done anything like that before."

"Like I said, I understand." Kaizer walked her to the door of her room. "If you need anything, I'll be in the chamber. Gowan is coming in a while and we'll train….until Piccolo kicks us out!" He smiled one last time and left, jogging lightly down the hallway back to the training room.

Rideria crawled back into bed, pulling the covers over her head.

Likewise, on Frieza's ship, father and son were training. Goku was attempting to show his son how to ascend to the level of Super Saiyan, which was now a feat he had perfected.

Frieza was in an extraordinarily good mood, as they were just over a day from landing on New Namek. All of his soldiers, with the exception of his two finest, were ordered to their rooms for complete rest. He wanted to make sure each and every fighter was prepared and in the best possible condition for the upcoming battle with the fighters from Earth. Frieza smiled, thinking of Vegeta. He would have his revenge on the renegade Saiyan, ripping him limb from limb. Vegeta had been Frieza's number one warrior before he turned against the Ice-Jinn. Now, he'd pay for his error in judgment.

Bulma informed Piccolo they were about ten hours away from New Namek. They should arrive sometime during the night, which would mean darkness, since the new planet had a typical sun and moon allowing for the varied day and night.

Satisfied, Piccolo went to try and reach Gohan one last time. Again, he met with nothing but a brick wall. Yet, there was something there. Piccolo could not quite put his finger on it, but cursed thinking that if Kami were here, their combined minds might be able to penetrate.

He considered trying his girls' but did not want them to drain all their energy learning a new mental technique on such short notice. No, he would just wait. Perhaps, Gohan had been acting, trying to hide his real intentions from Frieza. Could Frieza have used some kind of mind control? Was that it? There were simply too many questions for Piccolo to spend his time in speculation.

Bored and irritated, Piccolo went back to the training chamber, only to find Kaizer and Gowan. Both Nameks stopped their sparring session and prepared to leave, but Piccolo stopped them. "I need a partner." Piccolo said in his deep voice.

Gowan's eyebrows went up. "Ah, sure, sir."

He looked at Kaizer, seeing him step up. "I'll have a go at you." Kaizer said, frowning.

"I meant both of you." Piccolo said, smiling in his own way. "Separately, you are not a workout, only an annoyance." Immediately, Piccolo shot through the sky, fists drawn. Kaizer and Gowan moved swiftly, dodging the attack, but knew it was not going to be so easy next time. Indeed, it took every effort for the two younger Namekians to stay in one piece. When their session was over, Piccolo grumbled. "Still not a good workout."

Ten hours later, Bulma informed everyone to prepare for landing.

As soon as the ship was on the planet, Kaizer and Gowan took charge. "First, we need to retrieve the others." Kaizer said. "They need to know help has arrived."

"Wait." Piccolo said. "We don't know for certain that Frieza is not yet here, or perhaps left some of his men behind the first time. Therefore, we should move carefully."

"Correct." Vegeta said. "Frieza wouldn't have left the planet completely unprotected."

"Fine." Kaizer said. "Then, how do we proceed?"

Vegeta frowned. "I know Frieza. He will be aware that we are here, one way or another. Therefore, we need to attack from all angles."

"You mean, separate?" Piccolo asked.

"Yes." Vegeta answered.

THANKS FOR READING!! PLEASE REVIEW!!

A/N: I'LL BE WRAPPING THIS PART UP PRETTY SOON! BUT DON'T DISTRESS…..I'VE GOT A GREAT THIRD PART COMING SOON…..!! WHERE THE GIRLS ARE MORE GROWN UP! OH, MAN…..JUST WAIT….PICCOLO WITH BABIES……THEN GIRLS…….WHAT ABOUT-------TEENAGERS? HEHEHEHE!