Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Z.
Author's Notes: Well, summer vacation is here. The bad news is… I cannot downlo ahem BORROW anime from my computer. I am also not at as much liberty to browse fanfiction with this dial-up connection. The good news is… I can now scrounge up enough time to write. Isn't that amazing? I can actually finish this story this summer… if I don't slack off too much. Anyway, I apologize for the mucho typos that has been pointed out to me in the last few chapters. By the time I finished each chapter I just didn't want to edit. I'll probably go back and fix them. Or maybe I'll wait until I finish this story. As you can tell, it's heading toward the finale. But enough stalling. On with the show.
Chapter 42: Loyalties
Goten turned the dagger over in his hand, twirling it, catching the light ever so slightly, which shone a pale red in the blade.
Goten looked again at the sky. He still didn't understand where the light came from. There was no sun on the planet – no real source of light. There was a time of dimness on the planet, but it only lasted for around two hours. It just didn't seem natural, not when he'd felt so tied in with the natural rhythms of Earth. Goten wondered if his father had felt the same way, having lived even closer to nature for so long.
Goten shook his head violently, trying to clear his mind. He'd been meditating with the dagger for hours now, and he was getting restless. Pikkon had said that he would have to master the dagger… whatever that meant.
Goten had glibly told him that he'd never been trained in fighting with blades, but Pikkon had given him that look – the one that made Goten feel like an idiot. Goten had no trouble believing that Pikkon was thousands of years old. Everything spoke of wisdom and antiquity in Pikkon… including the stern looks.
"You aren't concentrating, Goten," a deep voice came from behind him, making him drop the knife in his lap. Goten recovered it carefully. Instead of feeling sheepish as he had been the first few times Pikkon had chastised him, he was bordering on frustration.
"What exactly am I looking for again?" Goten asked Pikkon in a tight voice, without even looking at him.
Pikkon sighed. "I've already told you. You'll know it when it happens."
Goten began flipping the knife in the air, seeing how many times he could flip it and still catch it by the handle. He knew how much Pikkon hated for him to treat the ancient relic so lightly. "You didn't use this dagger when you fought leeches. You didn't even have it. And how many leeches have you killed again?"
Pikkon crossed his arms. "Thirty-seven. But one killed me. One is all it takes. And I kill those leeches by first killing their disciples. I believe we've already ruled out that course of action."
Goten clenched the handle of the dagger grimly. "Tell me, Pikkon. Did you ever have to tell the parents of those children what became of their son or daughter?"
Pikkon stood over Goten, looking down on him. "Often there would be no parents. Either killed by the leech… or even the child. Certainly by the time I got there the child had already had time to kill enough." Pikkon's gaze hardened slightly. "Sometimes people are beyond hope, even children."
Goten glared right back up at Pikkon. While he respected the green alien, he didn't like him. Goten often challenged everything that Pikkon said, sometimes just for the sake of contradiction. He was impatient with Pikkon's sometimes smug wisdom.
Goten was about to stubbornly retort that no one was ever beyond hope, a belief he'd held his whole life, when the words stuck in his throat. He angrily looked away from Pikkon as images of Jita flowed once more before his vision.
It had been almost a year of training, and he still missed her so much it hurt. The thought of never being able to see her again paralyzed him in sorrow. It was getting more difficult to push his sorrow away. Of course, it never went away, but it ate up inside of him, just below the surface, taking away his sleep, his appetite, his very reason for living… or existing, as the case was. Even after he killed the leech and got his son back, all he could look forward to was an entire existence without Jita.
Jita wasn't just dead. Jita was more than dead. Jita was gone.
Goten noticed that Pikkon had walked away again, leaving him in his obvious misery. Goten was for once grateful to Pikkon.
Goten knew that he was being unnecessarily difficult, but he just couldn't help it. Everything irritated him. He couldn't stand the happiness of other people, or his own. It made him feel angry when he was hurting so much. He could only contrast the happiness of life with the torment he knew Jita was going through, and would always go through.
But even so, he still felt angry to be hurting. He was angry at himself… his father…
Jita…
Yes, he was angry at his wife. It was something he didn't like to admit, especially to himself. He loved Jita. Loved her more than life itself. But still… he couldn't help but feel that she had abandoned him. She had used and abandoned him, and he was alone with his feelings.
And it was really all her fault.
There was no way around that. What had happened to her she had brought on herself. She was the one that had sold her soul to a person who was obviously evil. She was the one who got involved with Goten and everyone else, even as she knew that she was a damned soul who would only cause heartache for the ones who grew to love her.
And she had left him alone.
Goten would be alone for the rest of his life… for the rest of his existence. It was something that he couldn't seem to come to grips with. Sure, he had Jiten, unless his son was dead, but eventually the boy would leave him for a wife or job… to build his own life. Just like Goten had when he'd dramatically cut ties with his family by going out alone in the wilderness. Just like his mother, he would have no one.
Jita died and isn't coming back. Just like Dad did to my mother before I was born. She was alone for so long, and me and Gohan couldn't have been enough for her. I thought that we were at the time, but…
He wiped away the burning from his eyes and fell back, leaving the dagger in the grass by his side. In the distance he could see several planes leaving for various part of the afterlife, souls going to their own version of heaven.
Goten's mouth quirked up in a sad smirk. If I ever do go to heaven, it won't be heaven for me. Heaven was with Jita, always has been, always will be.
He took deep breaths, trying to come to grips with the rage in his heart that came whenever he got on that track of thought. It angered him that he could so easily compare his wife with the father that had caused him so much pain.
Goten swallowed back the bitterness and sat back up, holding the dagger in front of him once again. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to turn himself completely inward.
For ten months Goten had trained in ways to harness and control his ki, making it difficult for a leech to steal his energy away. Pikkon had said it had taken him years to master the skill and attain endurance against a leech. Having had essentially a crash course in the skill, Goten wouldn't be able to attain the type of endurance that Pikkon possessed. The plan was that Goten would have to face the leech while it was still relatively weak, before it could draw much energy from other people, and then end the fight quickly. No real playing around. If he used the dagger he could break the link between the leech and Jiten, thereby preventing Jiten from becoming a leech afterwards. Fighting the leech was still a great risk, but Pikkon was fairly certain it would work. He was even more certain after he'd seen how well Goten had learned to guard his ki.
Goten had been greatly encouraged, but that was before he'd found out that that had been the easy part. Now he had about a month and a half to master the dagger, and it involved nothing of ki. To Goten's horror, it required mental strength.
He wasn't worried about intelligence, of course, since Goten was fairly intelligent, but this required psychic power to work with the magic of the blade. Pikkon had told Goten that he had the potential, since both Saiyans and humans had the potential to be fairly strong telepaths, but Goten had never had the practice. He knew that his father, Jita, Gohan, and Vegeta could all send and receive telepathically, and that Goku and Vegeta could read people's minds if they concentrated enough, but Goten had never had any practice at it. It wasn't until they were much older that Goten and Trunks had learned about that potential ability, and it had been hidden from them to keep them from getting into more trouble together.
Goten had to admit that he and Trunks would have conspired plenty of mischief together, and he would definitely have had lots of practice with the ability to speak telepathically, had the other Saiyans not been so cautious with it. Goten wasn't even sure if he was going to tell Jiten about the ability, knowing Jiten's propensity for trouble.
While never using his mental abilities in childhood had certainly kept him out of trouble, it was an inconvenience now. The others had developed their abilities during battle, out of sheer desperation and necessity, but there was no real dramatic incentive for Goten now. All he had was a deadline that was quickly creeping up and the pressure from it, making the job even more difficult.
He felt a hand close on his shoulder, jarring him out of his reverie. He whirled around with the dagger out of reflex when a green hand stopped his arm.
"Dammit, Pikkon, why do you have to sneak up on me?" he growled in frustration, not even looking up at his trainer.
"Your ki-sense has grown dull here or I wouldn't be able to sneak up on you," a deep voice growled back.
Goten's eyes widened. That was definitely not Pikkon
"Piccolo?" he said in surprise. "What are you doing here? You're not…" he trailed off.
Piccolo smirked and let go of Goten's arm. "Of course I'm not dead. But I was Kami, after all. I'm still allowed certain privileges. And I'd like to see anyone stop me from entering the Otherworld."
Goten smiled and relaxed. He was certainly glad to see a familiar face. "Give it a couple of months and you might have someone forcing you into the Otherworld," he said sardonically.
Piccolo smirked. "It seems that way. Are you progressing in your training?"
Goten's eyes widened, and he affected a wobbly smile. "Uh… kinda," he said brightly.
Piccolo lifted an eyeridge. "What is giving you trouble?"
My wife is dead and in eternal torture, my son is in the clutches of my murderer, I'm being trained by a Piccolo-look-alike who's been dead so long that he doesn't even know what it means to be alive, I'm angry at everyone, and, oh yeah… I'm dead. Goten's shoulders sagged as he bottled everything up and went for the most immediate problem. "It's this dagger. I'm supposed to master it or something, but Pikkon, my trainer, won't tell me how. He says it has something to do with telepathy, but I suck at that."
Are you talking about this? Goten heard Piccolo's deep voice in his mind.
Yeah, Goten spat out, and then paused when he realized that he hadn't spat it out, or even moved his lips at all. He gave Piccolo a surprised look.
Piccolo merely gave him a knowing look. "It is much simpler when you don't think about it – when you don't try. Both Son and Gohan developed this during battle. Do you think they were putting real conscious thought into it at the time?"
Goten tried to use the telepathy again, but couldn't. "I guess not," he said finally.
Piccolo smirked and sat down in front of Goten, assuming his familiar meditation pose. "I'm not quite sure how Saiyan or human telepathy works, but from what I've seen I know you need to let it come naturally. And you can't let anything – any thoughts – distract you," he ended with a pointed look.
Goten looked away. He couldn't seem to be bitter with Piccolo like he could with Pikkon. "I know she's gone," he said in a small voice. "I'm trying to forget…"
"Don't," Piccolo interrupted him.
Goten looked up abruptly, confusion plainly written on his face. "What?"
Piccolo shook his head slowly. "You should never forget the ones close to you. The more you do, the less you feel, and the more you lose yourself. Jita wouldn't want that, and she certainly wouldn't want to be forgotten. You just have to use her memory, instead of letting it destroy you."
Goten shook his head. It was smart advice, but he felt like it couldn't help him. "I've tried it for months," he said slowly. "I've tried everything for months. Nothing helps." He took a breath. "Maybe when I'm alive again, and I have Jiten back… ah, who the hell am I kidding? It'll still hurt."
Piccolo captured Goten's gaze with his eyes. "Then maybe it's in your lot to suffer. But it's not your suffering that's causing you the most problems. It's your anger. You have to rein it in and achieve some sort of peace."
Telepathy…
Goten's eyes widened as he realized what had just happened. Piccolo was much more telepathic than he was. Did… did he read Goten's thoughts?
Goten's eyes then narrowed as he searched the Namek's face. As usual, Piccolo's face remained stony and impassive. After a moment, Goten laughed at himself. He doesn't have to read minds to tell what I'm going through. I'm as spastic as an anime character… lately I've shown every emotion to everyone.
Piccolo, not being a complete mind-reader, didn't really know what was going on in Goten's mind… at least that's what Goten figured. So Piccolo seemed to think that Goten was making up his mind to continue his meditation with the dagger. Piccolo gestured to the dagger and gave a nod.
Goten nodded and straightened from his slouched position. Unfortunately, he also nicked his thumb with the point of the knife.
Cursing softly, he automatically brought his thumb up to his mouth. The blood touched his tongue, and suddenly he felt like a violent seizure had slammed into him, except he couldn't move. He was paralyzed in that position, thumb against his tongue, as visions more real than reality swept over him.
"And what about any of your other family?" Sarah asked him, regarding him with cold eyes – cold eyes that he had failed to register at the time.
"That's pretty much all," he'd said blithely. Then he smiled slightly. "You know I love you."
Sarah had grown older before him, into the Jita he knew. "Yes, I know. That makes you useful," she said, and turned to continue plucking the grass from the ground, one blade at a time.
Chichi stood behind him, cutting his hair. "Are you sure you want this?"
Goten clenched the sides of the chair in the hot kitchen with both hands. He could feel the cold blades snap close to his ear. "I just don't want that little kid hair anymore. Besides, I look just like Dad."
Gohan looked up from across the table. "But what if Dad dies again? I can't take his place. I'm too busy studying." He beamed at Chichi, who absently tossed him a cookie. Gohan caught it with his mouth and showered crumbs all over his books.
"Good boy, Gohan," Chichi said in a sugary voice. She gave one final snip and then a pat on Goten shoulder. "There. All done."
Goten looked at the mirror in front of him – one that took up almost the entire wall of the living room. He was now wearing a bowl cut, and donned Saiyan armor.
"There. Now you look perfect," Chichi whispered in his ear.
Goten smiled and kissed Jita, instantly tangling the sheets between them as they moved closer together. He felt rather than heard his name rumble in her throat as their bodies pressed flush with each other. The sheets and blankets around them felt oppressively hot and restrictive, so he threw the sheets to the foot of the bed.
Suddenly he felt Jita stiffen against him. He pulled back in surprise, only to find her face drained of all blood and eyes dilated from panic.
"What the hell?..." she whispered, wriggling away from him. Then she screamed.
As Goten covered his ears, he looked down. Instead of the expected state of undress, he was still wearing that armor.
"You're just like them…" Jita said in a hysteric daze. "You're just like all of them…"
The two Trunks' sat across from each other in the inside garden of Capsule Corp with Goten slightly to the side next to the younger version. They were all drinking grapefruit juice.
"I never thought about it," Mirai Trunks continued absently, "but I guess I am gay, since you are. After all, we're so much alike… except for the hair."
Chibi Trunks nodded thoughtfully. "But your hair is gayer. Except… I guess you should wear this." He handed Mirai a band for his forehead. Mirai gratefully stuck the thing in the middle of his forehead. "That's better," Chibi said with some satisfaction. "Don't you think so, Goten?"
Mirai looked at Goten curiously. "I never had a Goten. I had a Gohan, though, but he got kinda broken."
Chibi grinned. "You want to borrow mine? I've got tons of paperwork to do anyway." He lifted Goten by his shoulders and set him beside the waiting older version.
Goten walked out of the dojo after teaching his middle class. Intent on getting something to drink, he was thoroughly surprised when Jita stomped across the yard, holding a blood-covered Jiten by the shoulder.
"Look at what your child did!" Jita said furiously, and then squeezed Jiten's shoulder harder. "What do you have to say for yourself?" she demanded of the child.
"Sorry, Mom," Jiten said perfunctorily, trying to wipe the blood off of his hands using his pants.
Jita huffed, exasperated. "OK, I get a call from the principal, and this child was massacring the entire school, one by one. By the time I got there, the damage was done. Not a person left alive – not even the principal. Goten, we need to do something before it's too late. Plus, he ruined his clothes."
Jiten looked away. "They were pickin' on me. What was I supposed to do?"
Jita looked up at Goten. "Could you handle this, Goten? I just don't feel like it. And I have a class." Turning on her heel, she left Goten with his mass-murdering son.
Goten trailed after his mother's skirt, determined not to get lost in the crowd. For once, Trunks was avoiding him and following after his father in an effort to impress. Gohan was talking animatedly to everyone around while absently scanning the crowd for any sign of his dead father.
"Isn't this exciting?" Bulma commented to Chichi. "Goku back from the dead. Now we won't need Goku Jr. around to remind us of him."
"My name is Goten," Goten tried to say, but the words were muffled and seemed not to get past his lips.
Chichi nodded in satisfaction. "Only for today though. This is a great set-up. He'll stay for a day, win me money, and leave. If I play my cards right, I won't even have to cook for him."
The two women laughed voluptuously.
"There he is!" somebody shouted.
From the parting crowd came the figure of Goku. He was walking stiffly, and had to pause every few seconds to rearrange the skin that was rotting off of his bones. His eyes were hollow sockets. Only his hair and his gi remained the same.
Baba floated up behind him, shaking her head sadly. "Shouldn't have used the monkey's paw."
The zombie Goku suddenly turned to look at Goten, who was trying to hide behind his mother's leg. "Look, Chichi," he said in a dead slur. "There's a little me behind you."
Chichi smiled pleasantly and moved aside, pushing him gently forward. "Go on, Goten," she said quietly.
Goku started to slump forward, shedding skin and body parts as he went.
Goten shook, holding the knife in a death grip, the blade near the hilt biting into his fingertips. The confused images and crazy ideas, all melded together in a kaleidoscope of pain, left him only guessing to the meaning. However, somehow, he really did understand.
These things had never happened.
These things had only happened in his mind, he realized in a flash of clarity between visions. They were a mesh of dreams and fears and plain weirdness, all going into…
"…my own stupidity…"
His father was not a zombie. His wife was not afraid of him. His mother had never forced him to be anything.
And the Trunks thing was just a weird dream.
He didn't have to gain control of the dagger. The dagger was just a sharp melding of metal and wood. It had not killed him. The leech had.
And there was no way to gain control of substance. All he could master was…
"…myself…"
Goten forced his mind into the magical essence of the blade, pushing aside the nightmares and visions. Those were only illusions anyway.
"Show me something real!"
Jita stood in the shreds of her gi, the white pallor of her skin interrupted only by the purpling bruises and the angry red streaks of fresh blood. But even through her grotesquely wounded appearance, she looked beautiful.
Now able to use his arms, Goten quickly scooped Jita into his arms for an embrace.
"How touching," the Voice tried to say in a mocking tone, but His voice was too ragged. He was starting to sound more like the demon that He actually was.
Goten rolled his eyes. "Isn't it time we left? I've had just about enough of Him."
Goku folded his arms, his eyes shadowed. "I agree."
Jita pulled away from Goten and smiled into his eyes. Keeping one hand on Goten's arm, Jita put her other on Vegeta's arm, seeming to draw reassurance from both. With a look that eerily resembled an apology, she jolted her energy through both of them, rendering them unconscious.
But Goten could still see, his perceptions drawing to the side.
Goku stepped back a bit, stammering, "B-but… what? What are you doing?"
Jita smiled at him, one of the few times she'd actually smiled at him. "Kakarrot, I cannot leave here."
He scratched the back of his head. "The Lord of the Lower Realms isn't stopping you. From what I've seen, you're beyond His power."
Jita shook her head. "It sure seems that way, doesn't it. I don't blame you for not seeing it, Kakarrot. After so many years, I've just now understood. He's… manipulating me. I'm doing exactly what He wants. Otherwise, I wouldn't even be coherent at the moment."
Goku's gaze hardened. "Jita, why do you need to stay?"
Jita glanced hatefully over at her Master. "Because if I set one foot beyond that seal, well, pardon the triteness of the expression, but all Hell will break loose. That seal is the only thing that's keeping the Voice at bay. If I cross it now, a second time… He wants to be free. He's using me." She lowered her head. "He's been using me all along."
Goku was speechless. Jita looked up at him and smiled again. "I… I did that to them because I didn't want them to see what I have to do next. I-I can't let them see me. They won't understand. But you…" Jita nodded to him. "You'll understand. The hero always understands fool self-sacrifice."
Goku ignored her comment. "You're going to stabilize the seal. You're – going to surrender yourself."
Jita nodded. "Don't make a big deal out of it. It's just something that has to be done. Just – get them out of here. And don't tell anyone. Make up anything. Just nothing too heroic." Jita smirked. "Want to make it believable. It's just – I – don't want anyone to know."
Jita turned her back to Goku and walked slowly up to the Lord of the Lower Realms of Hell. He sneered and backed away slightly. She kept walking until she was four feet away from the Demon and…
Her legs seemed to give out on her. She hit the floor hard, her neck bent and her eyes averted. She raised her hand submissively – palm-up. All her concentrated power flowed from her hand to the shocked master before her. After she had fully surrendered her ki, she tore down her mental barriers. Finally, she found her voice.
"I pledge my will and loyalty to You, my lord."
Goten found himself on the wet green grass of the familiar Kai planet, his hand clutching the handle of the dagger convulsively. He felt wetness on his face, and knew his tears were running unchecked. A few gasping breaths brought him into a semblance of control. He tried to pull himself off the ground, but found that he could barely move. And he heard voices.
"Is he awakening?"
"Yes. What did you do to him?"
"I did nothing. It was the knife. Apparently you haven't even cautioned him about the dangers of this dagger."
Two green forms slowly came clear before him, and Goten realized that Pikkon and Piccolo were talking, both looking quite irritated. The lighter voice of Pikkon seemed more indignant, while Piccolo's deeper voice was – well – the same as it always was, but with concern and anger roughening the edges.
"He is my pupil now," Pikkon's voice became stronger in Goten's ears. "I did not ask you to meddle with him. I was teaching him in my own way."
"You've never trained a Saiyan before," Piccolo answered in kind. "They don't do well with abstractions and vague instructions, even the smartest among them. They learn best by example or desperate situations. You can't just hand one a dagger and vaguely tell him to master it. They'd be using it as an eating utensil before anything else."
Goten finally got his voice back, and used it to laugh. "You've hit it on the head, Piccolo."
The two turned to look at him. Both pulled themselves straight and crossed their arms, and Goten couldn't help but laugh at the mirror imagery. "Are you well, Goten," Piccolo said abruptly.
Goten got up gingerly, the feeling in his limbs coming back slowly. "Yeah, I'm alright… I think. I – I think I've figured it out."
"You've mastered the blade?" Pikkon said in slight surprise.
Goten smiled faintly at Pikkon. "Yeah. That's it."
Pikkon nodded. "Very well. We will begin the final phase of the training tomorrow."
It seemed the Pikkon sensed that Goten needed to be alone for a minute, and Goten was glad to see him go.
"What did you see?" Piccolo asked him after Pikkon was well out of sight.
Goten shook his head a little and smiled. "Some of the weirdest stuff I've ever seen in my life… mostly nightmare stuff, with everything mixed up together. And then…"
Goten laughed a little. "I wasn't kidding when I said that I had mastered the blade. I have. I just had to know the truth, and it was revealed to me."
Piccolo stared at Goten, and Goten just stared back, not revealing anything that he had seen. He thought about it, but frankly it was none of the Namek's business. He just had to be alone and think, and remaining silent was the best way to make anyone give up and go away.
Piccolo, at that moment, must have been a mind-reader, because he actually did what Goten was screaming in his head. He left Goten alone.
Goten stared down at the blade, watching his own blood drip down the shallow gutter along the edge. Or was it the red light from the sky? Goten couldn't tell. His mind was too occupied with his most recent vision.
He didn't know what to feel, really. He knew that the vision was the truth. It even made sense. The only way Jita would still be down there is if she volunteered. Even the Lord of the Lower Realms of Hell would have trouble actually making her do anything she didn't want to do.
Goten gritted his teeth. He knew it. Jita HAD abandoned him. He didn't care how childish it sounded. He didn't care about any blither about "noble sacrifices." When had a noble sacrifice ever done him any good? His father had nobly sacrificed himself and stayed away for seven years… and Goten had gotten the worst of that. He'd gotten knocked out and yelled at as a child just because Vegeta had nobly sacrificed himself. What did noble sacrifices do? They just made people hurt… and at the same time feel guilty about hurting, and then angry at the person who made them hurt.
You could call it noble sacrifice all you want, but Goten knew the truth. Jita had done the worst thing possible to him. She had made a conscious decision to leave. She had left him… for another man.
Goten wiped his eyes with his wrist, tempting fate by using the hand with the knife. He really didn't care if he slit his throat. If it would just end the pain… maybe he could just end his own existence. Would he simply disappear? Or would he join Jita in the lower realms? Was it worth it to find out?
Goten again stared at the blade, remembering the man who had "given" him the blade. He tried to remember the man's every feature… the rage that he had felt when the leech killed Jita.
All he could see was the little boy in the leech's grasp.
It made him sick to think about what Jiten was going through at the time. Half the time Goten even forgot about the kid. That was unforgivable. But it was true.
Was Goten thinking about Jiten when he plunged himself into hell after Jita? No. He wasn't thinking of what would happen to the boy if he found out that not only were both of his parents dead, but also irretrievable. Did Goten even wait around to see if Jiten was going to be joining him in the Afterlife? No. Goten didn't even think of the boy. He just ran blindly after his wife.
How would Jiten react if he knew that? What would Jiten think of me? What if he knew that I was just sitting here, relying on what people told me, instead of trying everything beyond my power to rescue him as soon as possible from a murdering kidnapper?
Am I not abandoning him?
And what had Jita thought about when she sacrificed herself? She sure didn't think of the universe as a whole. What has she ever done that? It's not in her nature. What if… she was sacrificing herself… for Jiten…
…and for me…
Goten tried to hold on to the picture that had filled him with rage – the one where his father and his wife had talked almost smugly of heroic sacrifices. The two who had thrown him by the wayside for their own quests and fights. He tried. But he just couldn't seem to gain back the rage.
Goten closed his eyes, picturing Jita's sacrifice once more in his head. Playing over it were the angry words he'd said to every person since then, starting with his father. He seemed to turn away in shame. "She was better than I ever was," he whispered.
Jita woke up slowly and got up and stretched even slower. There was just something about the Kai's world that made someone want to forever be lazy. The kais could easily materialize food and clothing, so that was never a problem. It never precipitated, and it was always a balmy 75 degrees. She never had to cook or teach any classes, and she could easily keep away from the pervert.
Best was, the Voice never bothered her. She had her soul back. She was free from him, forever.
All this went through Jita's head whenever she woke up, from the first day until that morning, months later. She always got up before anyone else so that she could go to the lake and bathe without worry. She never had to wash her clothes, since Shin could just materialize her more clothes just as easy. Since it was a bother telling Shin what she wanted to wear, she had taken to wearing the same variation on the kai outfit every day: with the tunic sans poofy or bulky shoulders and without the skirt part.
Jita went down to the lake, undressed, and stretched leisurely in the water. It was temperate – not too hot and not too cold. Just the perfect water for swimming or bathing or whatever. It was so clean that it seemed to magically clean her, even without soap. On Earth, and even before then, Jita had bathed efficiently in showers, never lingering and most of the time taking within five minutes. Now the time sometimes stretched into half an hour. After washing off, she floated on her back and closed her eyes, enjoying the good feeling of everything…
…until a faint chuckle reached her sensitive hearing.
In movements that were too quick for anyone but the strongest of Saiyan, Jita was out of the water, dried, clothed, and now directly behind a certain old kai.
"Where did she go?" Rou Dai Kaio-shin muttered in confusion. Slowly, as his senses kicked in, he became aware of a very angry presence behind him. Gulping, he turned to face the Saiyan woman.
Jita merely smirked at his fear and gave him enough of a stare-down to tell him that she was on to him, and flew off. She wasn't even upset about it any more. There was nothing the kai could do to her, and it was never in malicious intent. Besides, she'd made peace with her past.
And she'd be free of him in just a couple of months anyway.
Jita was pleased to find that her clothing had already been changed out and the smell of breakfast was in the air. She wandered over to Shin, who was absently materializing the rest of her food while reading a book. She had inadvertently gotten him hooked on Earth literature when requesting some books to read when she got bored, so he had decided to read every single piece of literature from Earth. He had finished Hemingway the day before, and now he halfway through a collection of H. G. Wells. Even though she tried to direct his readings in a logical order, he rarely paid attention and continued to read in a haphazard order. She supposed he would be reading I Ching or The Canterbury Tales next.
"Are the Martians using their Heat-Ray now?" Jita asked casually as she sat to her meal.
Shin didn't take his eyes off the book. "The Time Traveler just saved Weena."
"Just never watch the movie of that," Jita said between mouthfuls. "It sucked."
Within ten minutes the meal had been decimated and the Time Traveler had gotten the time machine back from the Morlocks. Before Shin had a chance to start on The Island of Dr. Moreau, Jita decided to grab his attention.
"Have you figured out anything on why I can't access my transformation? Or have you been too preoccupied with Earth lit."
Shin raised his eyes from the volume and frowned. "I do not just hold the title of god. I can think of more than one thing at once."
Jita crossed her arms. "So what have you come up with, oh Great and Mighty Kai?"
Shin put a bookmark in his book, realizing that this was Jita's way of saying she was ready to get down to business. "I still think that the best way is recreating the emotional state of your two previous transformations."
Jita's head fell in frustration. "Shin, we've already tried that. It doesn't work. It just leaves me exhausted, frustrated, and emotionally spent. Plus it takes a long time, and drawn-out transformations are not good for the battlefield, especially around someone who doesn't wait around. Transformation time is really vulnerable."
Shin looked at her with a blank face. "I don't know what else to do, Jita. Your ability is somewhat unique, as in you're the only person dead or alive who has it. I'm just following the logical course for any transformation."
Jita folded her arms tighter and glared.
Shin smiled slightly. "How about this? We'll try my way once more, and if it still doesn't work we can brainstorm another way. I've thought of some new ways to inspire you anyway."
Jita sighed, admitting momentary defeat. "All right. Let's just get this over with."
Jita walked to a remarkably unblemished patch of grass and stood, holding her limbs loose and yet at attention – her preferred fighting pose. It was better than those ridiculous artistic-looking poses that some of the humans used. That was her fighting style: no pretensions.
"You've done this twice before," Shin's voice slid into her hearing, a contrast to what visions were playing in her mind. Her room at the royal palace on Planet Vegeta… the familiar depths in the Lower Realms of Hell…
"What were you feeling then? Forget Saiyan stoicism and just be honest."
Fear… anger… desperation…
"Good. Now we begin."
Jita sucked in breath as the familiar visions exploded before her eyes. Again Frieza's ball of energy was burning through her planet. Again the Voice was laughing at her, pushing her to her limits.
But it just didn't bother her anymore. She was at peace with all that.
Now she saw her husband stabbed through the chest. Now she saw her son being held by the killer.
But it couldn't seem to reach her. She knew Goten was alright, and she knew Jiten would be alright.
Again the visions pushed, and again she pushed at her own boundaries, but to no avail. She couldn't bring herself to feel like she had all her life. It just was not forthcoming.
Finally, after several hours, they both gave up at once, and collapsed gasping on the ground.
Regaining her breath first, Jita pushed herself up into a sitting position. "Got any more bright ideas, kai?" she asked wryly.
Shin pushed himself up. "I don't understand. The Lord of the Lower Realms of Hell was able to push you. Why not me?"
Jita smiled. "If you really want to know, it's this place. It's just too peaceful here. I feel like I'm stuck in a pastoral poem. All we need are swains."
"But with the visions…"
"I've lived half my life with visions," Jita cut him off. "They pretty much have no effect on me. I know what's real and what's not, and no matter how realistic you make them, I still distance myself."
Shin slumped in tired exasperation. "Well… stop it."
Jita laughed. "Can't. Too well balanced. Anything else?"
A high-pitched, dry cackle interrupted them. Knowing it was the old man reading his manga (mostly stuff that Jita would never let Jiten touch), she tried to ignore it.
Shin, however, seemed to have other plans. "You know, Jita," he began, "my honored elder does have a wealth of knowledge to which I have never had access."
"That's nice," Jita said blandly, staring at him in challenge.
Shin cleared his throat. "Well, he might know something about…"
Jita rolled her eyes. "Are we already at last resort time?" she asked plaintively.
Shin looked in the direction of the laughing man. "I'm afraid so."
In unison, the two rose from the ground and walked slowly toward Rou Dai Kaio-shin, walking as if they wanted to put meeting him off as long as they could. It was no use. It was a small planet, and the old man was not that far away. Too soon they were facing him. Jita tried to ignore the numerous copies of manga featuring winking cat girls and scowled.
"Honored Elder," Shin said abruptly as the old kai was turning a page.
"Eh?" Rou Dai Kaio-shin said irritably, raising his head from the manga. "What's up, young 'un? Got finished with those boring books and want to read one of mine?" The old kai kept Jita in the corner of his eye, making sure she wouldn't take the opportunity to hit him with anything.
"Uh, no, Honored Elder," Shin said nervously. "I have come seeking advice."
Jita noted again the change in Shin whenever he addressed his "Honored Elder." He was far from the god who had stalked into the Lower Realms and faced off with the Voice. Around the old kai he was always nervous and stuttering, always saying stupid things. It was like an adult around his or her mother. It was always just so awkward.
Rou Dai Kaio-shin didn't make it any easier either. "Advice? The Supreme Kai, the one who sealed the Lord of the Lower Realms of Hell, needs advice? What brought this on?"
Shin winced. The older kai had offered his advice on the very first day of training, but Jita had still been uncomfortable around him, so Shin had put him off. Now he was going to rub it in his face, it seemed.
After a breath, Shin continued. "Honored Elder, we are having difficulty with Jita's transformation, and…"
"… and you'd like for me to tell you what to do or do it myself, is that it?" the older kai cut in.
"Would you rather a leech come into power?" Jita said coolly.
Rou Dai Kaio-shin raised an eyebrow, considering this. He'd lived through enough leeches, but leech-slaying had become a lost art with the supposed extinction of the species. And this leech would have access to the most powerful beings in the universe. Of course he didn't want that. Jita could practically see him thinking all this through. She was sure that he was going to say yes.
"What's in it for me?" the elder kai said unexpectedly.
Shin looked taken aback. "Well, I can't think of anything to give you that you can't just materialize…"
Jita fixed the old kai in an angry stare, and her voice was smooth and dangerous. "You get to not have me kill you, kai."
Rou Dai Kaio-shin shook his head and grinned. "A-ah. You don't get to me that easily. Even if you could kill me, then where would you be? Doing mental exercises with boy wonder and getting nowhere?"
Shin looked slightly affronted at the reference to him, but said nothing.
Jita threw up her hands in frustration. "Fine! What do you want, kai? You have all the manga and porn you need, and that seems to be the only thing that makes you happy!"
The old kai stood up, toeing aside said manga and porn. "Why should I tell you? The last time I helped an Earthling I was promised something in return and I didn't get it. So why should I even help you?" He stuck his tongue out at her and turned his back.
Jita couldn't help but see in the old kai every recalcitrant child to ever attempt to study in her dojo. She decided to try to reason with him like she – or, alright, Goten – would reason with any child.
"If you'll tell me what the Earthling promised, then maybe I can fulfill that promise," Jita said calmly, entirely missing the warning gestures Shin was giving her.
"Really?" Rou Dai Kaio-shin said, looking back at her over his shoulder.
Jita tried a smile. "Really."
Shin threw his arms up in the air, giving up the battle. Jita could take care of herself, anyway.
The old kai turned around fully and gave her a calculating look. "Because I do know how to help you with that transformation. You've been going about it all wrong. So will you fulfill that promise?"
"What is it?" Jita asked.
"Will you fulfill it?" the old kai demanded again.
Jita rolled her eyes. "Yes! Now what is it already?"
The old kai cackled. "Everybody heard her! She can't deny it. I'm holding you to enforce it, young 'un."
"Honored Elder, this isn't what I'm thinking about, is it?" Shin asked in exasperation. Really, Jita was on to something with comparing him with a child.
"Will someone tell me what it is already?" Jita asked impatiently.
Rou Dai Kaio-shin grinned triumphantly. "A little over twenty years ago I helped a young demi-Saiyan become a Mystic. Went by the name of Gohan. It was to help fight Buu, but I still wouldn't do it for free. Who was I to play the hero? The boy's father promised me a kiss from a certain Earth woman named Bulma. I never got it. She's probably gotten too old anyway, but you're still young, and you're from Earth, and…"
The air became charged around Jita as she inadvertently powered up. "You do realize that Bulma is my brother's wife, don't you?"
The kai thought for a moment. "Yeah, it did seem like that short Saiyan was a little upset when he found out what Goku promised…"
"And you realize that you are the most disgusting thing to ever slide through this reality, don't you?"
"That's off the subject, gorgeous," Rou Dai Kaio-shin said, still grinning.
"You call me that again and I'll kill you," came Jita's quick reply.
The old kai smirked. "Again, you and boy wonder."
Jita's eyes widened. She looked like she was going to press the subject, but then she suddenly stalked off, leaving the two kais alone. Shin looked defeated and nervous. The old kai looked triumphant and excited.
After a few moments Jita walked back, looking very much like her brother – full of pride and anger. The old kai almost backed off, but he felt he had to stand his ground. He wasn't going to do something for nothing again, not when a nominally pretty and definitely young girl had been living on the lonely planet for the past several months.
But still, he was nervous as she steadily advanced on him, ignoring all else. What happened next happened so fast that no one, not even Shin, could tell what had happened.
Rou Dai Kaoi-shin was on the ground, rubbing his purpling cheek. Jita was glaring frankly at him. "Now give me my training," she demanded with a hint of disgust in her voice.
The elder kai took a moment to collect himself, and then began laughing triumphantly. "WOW! What a kisser!! I'll show you whatever you want!"
Jita held her hand up, looking even more disgusted. "Just the training… in my transformation," she clarified quickly.
"W-what just happened?" Shin asked unsteadily.
Jita looked at him frankly. "Promise fulfilled, but on my terms. Remind me to kill Kakarrot if I ever see him again."
Rou Dai Kaio-shin laughed. "All right. Down to business. And, believe me, you're going to transform and transform back before the day is out."
"I'm ready," Jita said belligerently.
The old kai's smile dropped. Now he really was down to business. "Step over there where you usually do this," he ordered.
Jita cocked her head and then shrugged as she walked to the same patch of grass that she'd claimed as her training ground. The two kais followed her. "Now what?"
"Relax," the old kai said, "and don't think at all. Which shouldn't be such a stretch for you."
Jita glared at the man, but complied. She fell into the familiar relaxed training pose, eyes open and steady, and blanked her mind just like any other meditation. She'd almost been expecting more visions, but none were forthcoming.
"Now," the kai continued, "you already have a sort of connection with nature in drawing its life energy for ki. Do that to yourself."
If Jita had even been thinking, she would have been struck by the stark simplicity of the instruction. But she wasn't thinking. She had gone into the state of mind that is so natural for Saiyans. All time in the present and the immediate future. Nothing there but your body, your opponent, and the battlefield. Nothing to do but experience and react and anticipate. But she wasn't fighting. This was something slightly different, but just as natural.
Just when she felt a flicker, she pulled back.
Rou Dai Kaio-shin's face fell. "What did you stop for? You were doing it?"
"She was?!" Shin exclaimed. "You succeeded?!"
Jita acknowledged him with a nod. "Yes, I was doing it. And now I know how to do it. There is no need to do the full transformation."
"But what if you can't go all the way?" the old kai yelled.
Jita looked at him frankly. "When and if I need it, I'll be desperate enough that I will be sure to transform. But I won't now. It's a last resort anyway."
"Why is that?" Shin asked, completely mystified.
Jita gritted her teeth. "You know the nature of the transformation. If I go in, I may never come back out. I'm not going to risk it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get some real training done. This planet is making me lazy."
Rou Dai Kaio-shin threw his hands up in exasperation. "Why do I ever put up with you Saiyans? You're nothing but trouble!"
Shin was left alone by the two others. He certainly was troubled. He would have to find a way to convince Jita that she could come back and get rid of her inhibitions about using the transformation – quite possibly the only thing that could stand against the leech – before it was too late.
Jiten pressed himself against a large boulder in the extra-dimensional forest, stilling his breathing and reaching out with his senses. Not the senses that his parents told him to use, but a sort of extra sense that seemed to come from both without and within. Jiten didn't question, though. He just did.
He saw the other boulder crashing toward him and dodged up just in time, lashing out with a foot at the figure he already knew would be there. Jiten caught Hoja in the mouth, and then followed it up with a small blast to blow him back. As Hoja was flying back in the air, he threw a blast of his own straight for Jiten's head.
Jiten watched calmly as the blast cut toward him and concentrated his mind and energy. As Hoja had taught him, he kept his eyes open and focused on his opponent. His mind and senses were going everywhere at once, and he felt in control of everything.
The blast failed to hit. It wasn't that the aim was off or that Jiten dodged. Jiten stood his ground. But now the blast was seeping inside of him and he was incorporating it with his own ki, feeling the renewed strength and vigor. Jiten took a few calming breaths to come down from the high.
Hoja floated closer to Jiten and was pleased to note that Jiten was still at the ready for any attack. Hoja flew right up on Jiten, and the boy never even flinched. Hoja grinned.
"Very good, Jiten," the leech said proudly. "Your technique for absorbing energy blasts has become flawless."
Jiten smiled and then frowned. "No thanks to my mother," he said bitterly.
Hoja sighed and shook his head. "Let's just forget about her. I'm sorry that you've had to live in such horrible conditions, but it's time to put that behind you. In a few months, you can do whatever you want. No one can deter you from anything with what I've taught you."
Jiten nodded, but still looked a little worried. "Can we go over those moves again? I want to make sure I have that absorption thing down."
Hoja noticed the worried look, but decided not to press it. "Of course we can. Do you need to give some energy back?"
Jiten considered, but then shook his head. "Nah. I'm going to expend a little energy anyway, and I can handle plenty more."
Hoja grinned toothily as Jiten turned his back to walk away a bit. "Good."
Hoja waited until Jiten had disappeared and hidden himself, and then went after him. They'd played this game of Hide and Seek many times before. Hoja found it easier to teach Jiten with familiar games. Thankfully this was a common game around the universe, with very few variations. Hoja grinned at the principle of the game. Hunter and hunted. Just the sort of game that he could really get in to – that he could even live.
"Ready or not," the leech whispered as he sensed out the boy, first checking his previous hiding place. Of course, he didn't use that trick anymore. The boy was nothing if not inventive.
Hoja then put out feelers all around the forest, and even to the house. Jiten had once hidden in the house so that Hoja would have to get in close for an attack, not wanting to destroy the house. That time the boy had also cut off all his escape routes and left himself open for a close pummeling.
Hoja had never met any child like Jiten. Even children from the most warrior-like races tended to be reluctant and unpracticed at fighting. Jiten had come with outstanding strength and superb training, especially for his age, and a fierce love of fighting. He supposed it was a Saiyan trait.
If there had been more Saiyans around during the leech's time of power, they would have made prime disciples, and would have probably become the only kind of leech out there. They live for the fight – would do anything for it. I've never seen anything quite like it… THERE!
The leech let loose a blast to the lake, only to find that Jiten was already behind him. He turned just in time to block and counter a punch the boy had aimed right at his head. Hoja smirked, thinking the boy had fallen into routines. He had a mixed surprise when he felt the boy's small foot jab into his stomach, sending him flying to leave an imprint in the ground below. He quickly absorbed the ki blast that Jiten sent his way and then sent one of his own, putting more in there than Jiten had ever swallowed.
Hoja smiled as Jiten absorbed the energy with seeming ease. The boy floated down toward him fairly crackling with all the excess energy, keeping a calm expression on his face even though the leech knew that the energy was becoming too much for Jiten. Almost imperceptibly, Hoja absorbed back a little of the energy. Jiten slumped slightly in relief.
"You're going easy on me," Jiten grinned, mopping his bangs out of his face.
Hoja cocked an eyebrow, pulling himself out of the Hoja-shaped crater. "You really think so?"
"Well… yeah," Jiten said, rolling his eyes. "You've got to be stronger than this. I'm not even Super Saiyan yet and I'm a match for you."
Hoja couldn't miss Jiten's pronounced frown. This time he did not ignore it. "What is it, Jiten?"
Jiten folded his arms. "Why am I not a Super Saiyan? I'm strong enough."
Because your soul's not pure, child, Hoja felt like saying. But that would get him nowhere fast in consolidating loyalty.
"It's too soon," the leech answered. "Let it come naturally as you grow. It's not healthy to acquire too much power too fast."
"What are you talking about?" Jiten asked incredulously. "My dad became a Super Saiyan when he was at most seven. Trunks and Gohan were the same way."
Hoja regarded the boy patiently. "And how do any of those rank in power now? Both Gohan and Trunks reached their prime long ago and are now more interested in civilian life. Your father is extremely powerful, but has no clear conception of how to use that power. The Saiyans who developed their power more slowly are better fighters than those that just kept gaining power as quickly as possible."
Jiten looked sulkily thoughtful. "I guess I can see that."
Hoja put a reassuring hand on Jiten's shoulder. "Don't worry, Jiten. You'll transform soon enough. Right now with your absorption techniques you'll be able to take on any of the Super Saiyan. Plus, you're small and quick enough to make an extremely hard target."
Jiten smiled. "Hey, is it lunch time?"
Hoja laughed. "It can be, you bottomless pit. Race you!"
Jiten laughed and chased after. They both reached the house at the same time, so they quickly divided the work. Jiten always poured the drinks and got out the plates and napkins – work that was irksome when his mother compelled him to do it, but seemed fair and natural while living with Hoja.
Their meal was simple, sandwiches and chips, eaten over their usual mealtime banter. Jiten marveled at the closeness he felt to Hoja, like no one else in his life. Hoja expected, yet never pressured. Hoja instructed, but never scolded. Hoja sympathized without lecture.
And Hoja taught him how wrong his parents were.
Jiten realized that his parents were affected by something that defined most Saiyans: jealously. They were jealous of his potential and abilities. Hoja had explained everything, and Jiten had heard enough from others to know that enough of what Hoja said was true. Saiyans had sent babies off-world because of jealousy. Saiyans had been known to hide abilities from children because of jealousy. Jiten had certainly been surprised when Hoja had made him aware of his ability to speak telepathically and read people's minds. Jiten was as yet sporadic and untrained in such abilities, but he was getting better.
The voice inside his head had told him as much before, of course. But the Voice just never seemed as real as Hoja. Hoja was there to teach him and to play with him. Hoja had even thrown him a birthday party. Hoja was just too real and too nice to lie. The Voice had always gotten him in trouble, and seemed pleased when he did. Hoja would never do him like that.
"Well, it's only a few more months," the leech said absently. "Won't you be glad to get back into your own world?"
Jiten's brow furrowed. His own world, where he would again be trapped with his parents who would continue to control him and hold him back. He'd been thinking about that a lot lately. He'd long ago shed the image of his parents in wild joy at his homecoming. That was a little kid's dream, something he'd imagined months ago. Now he saw the bare naiveté of it and was ashamed that he'd confided it with Hoja. Instead he saw fierce punishment when he came back, and rather than scaring him, it annoyed him. What right did his parents have to punish him? It wasn't as if they were perfect anyway.
The thought of going back home had become unbearable.
"Um… Hoja?"
Hoja put down his glass. "What is it, Jiten?"
Jiten almost gave up on it right then and there, but the horrid thought of what he faced if he went home urged him on. "I… It's just… I really don't want to go home," he finished in a rush.
Hoja stared at him frankly. "Well, I certainly respect your decision, but what made you decide this? Where will you go? You must have a plan, Jiten?"
Jiten shifted uncomfortably. He didn't really want to tackle the question on why he wanted to stay away from home, for fear of any possibility of sounding whiny, but he had an idea about what he really wanted to do. He cleared his throat. "Well, in the past you've said that you used to take apprentices and train them. I – I thought I might ask you to take me."
Hoja went through a great show of considering. "Are you sure, Jiten? It's a lot of responsibility. You'll have to completely give yourself over to me and follow my every command… for any of my training to make any difference."
Jiten grinned. He wasn't turning him down. "I'm ready, Hoja. I could become your apprentice now. There's nothing stopping us."
Hoja nodded. "All right, I'll take you on."
Jiten jumped in the air with a loud whoop. He hadn't realized that it would be so easy.
"Alright," Hoja said laughing. "Calm down. There are a few ground rules."
Jiten came down and focused on Hoja, listening eagerly and intently.
Hoja smiled. "Since you are the apprentice, then I am the master. You will have to call me as such."
"Yes, Master," Jiten said eagerly.
Jiten didn't notice an imperceptible strand of energy between them, linking them.
"Next," Hoja continued, "you'll have to agree to learn and master all of my techniques. That'll be more of the same of what we've been doing, only far more difficult."
Jiten felt a thrill of excitement at the prospect of more training, and therefore more fighting. "Yes, Master," the phrase rolled off his tongue.
A second thread linked them, just as imperceptible as the first.
"And finally, we'll have to share a mental bond," Hoja finished off with a satisfied gleam in his eye. "It's a bond of loyalty, and we'll be able to speak telepathically through it. If and when we do leave this dimension, it'll make communication much easier just in case we get separated."
Jiten almost hesitated at the thought of another voice in his head, but his doubts were easily assuaged just be looking at Hoja. This man would never bring him to harm. "Yes, Master," Jiten agreed finally.
A third thread joined with the other two, and Jiten was finally able to see it. He didn't panic, though. He finally heard Hoja's voice in his head, telling him that everything was going to be all right, and he believed him. The bond was calming and relaxing, and soon Jiten was dozing asleep.
As soon as the boy was asleep, the leech nearly whooped in glee. He began sending waves of hatred to the boy, making Jiten pull further from his family and his old Earth life. These waves would continue for some time, until Jiten actually hated everyone except for him.
Then, thought the leech, I can tell Jiten about our battle against Earth, and all his former loved ones. The leech smiled at the thought.
He looked at the sleeping boy. And, finally, I can have a son of my own.
Thanks to all my reviewers:
Dark Wolf: Actually, it was a long and tedious chapter to write. But I had these chapters that I had barely developed, and I felt the poor Spider students were cheated. Plus, I really wanted that battle with Taopiepie. He really is an awesome character, and really done wrong in his cameo in the Cell Saga. Plus, I really enjoyed writing a battle between humans. I mean, it was so classic Dragonball. I sometimes get tired of the "power-up-transformation" battles of DBZ. It gets to be, like, what ridiculous transformation can the hero and the villain come up with. Ah, I know. Super Saiyan level 4! (ha-ha) Anyway, I enjoyed writing a battle that didn't involve a lot of flying and ki-blasts.
Yorun: Thanks for reading! Especially if you're liking the early chapters, which, as I've said before, really aren't as strong as the later chapters. Anyway, you asked me how they could have a picture of Kakarrot. Now, this is just me pulling an answer out of my butt, but I figure that Goku stayed on Planet Vegeta long enough to get at least one baby picture taken. I mean, he had obviously had a little time to grow before he was shipped off. And Raditz possibly had time to pick up a baby picture. Anyway, that's the assumption. Take it or leave it. And thanks for reading. Hope you make it up to this chapter.
Crazed fanatic anime fan: It's really hard not to make Goku pure good. That's what the show and Toriyama wants you to believe. But once you get a little past the surface, Goku is a mystifying character, and really compelling. The approach I usually take with him is remembering that he spent the first twelve years of his life with absolutely no contact with civilization, and therefore with limited experience in dealing with relationships and his own feelings. Anyway, enough of me rambling. I'm glad to have you as a reader. You give really good reviews. I look forward to hearing from you again.
