Previously, Goku and Ruko decided to team up with Bulma- the girl who is on a quest for her wish. They search for the remaining four Dragonballs together. As their adventure continues, they speed head on into the unknown.
"Bulma, stop! I think I just saw a snake!" Settled down behind Ruko on Bulma's motor bike, Goku pointed to something hidden in the grass that they sped by. This bike was different compared to the previous one, as this one didn't have a glass dome for a windshield. Instead, it only had a small windshield at the front, which it did very little against the wind. Bulma had even complained loudly, as a bug hit her cheek once.
"Yum! That should hold us until dinner!" Ruko commented with a lick of her lips. She looked to where Goku had pointed, eager to catch reptile he had mentioned, even as it was long out of sight by now.
"That is so disgusting you guys!" Bulma exclaimed, and shook her head in dismay so she wouldn't have to look back at them. After they had managed to get Bulma down from the cliff safely, she had changed into a white tank top and grey pants, with a grey jacket to keep warm as the evening cooled.
"Really...?" Goku questioned, disappointed. He really liked to eat snakes though...
"If you don't want to gross people out, your going to have to stop eating frogs and snakes and things!"
"What about lizards?!" Ruko asked quickly, eyes wide in surprise. Bulma had just listed most of their favorite snacks that she and Goku ate all year around.
"Nope! Eating lizards is nasty too, kid." Bulma dismissed as she addressed Ruko. Ruko and Goku both whined, upset with the idea of giving up lizards too. Bulma heard and shook her head some more, "your just gonna have to toughen up, you guys!"
The sun began to dip in the sky, and Bulma glanced up. Then the bike began to slow and the duo perked up some.
"Did you change your mind about the snake?!" Ruko asked eagerly, and tugged on the back of Bulma's jacket lightly.
"What, no! Gross, is that all you guys can think about?" Bulma scowled, and Ruko let her hand drop from Bulma's clothes sadly. The teen pointed up to the sun, which had painted the sky in various shades of orange as it began to descend behind some mountains in the distance. "We're stopping here for the night. It'll be dark soon and lost of things like to come out at night."
The kids hopped off, and took a quick glance around the area. It was mostly flat land just beside the road, but it eventually became a forest that bordered the small mountain range Bulma had pointed towards.
"Yeah! This looks like a good place to camp!" Goku said, and Ruko nodded absently as she walked forwards to make sure they were the only ones around. They wouldn't want something big to come along to try and steal Bulma away again, now would they?
"There's no need to live outside like savages!" Bulma sounded almost affronted as she spoke, and got off of her bike too. She gave the two kids a look as she waved her tin box for them to see. "I have my Dinocaps, remember?"
"Huh?" Goku asked as he turned towards her.
"Don't tell me..." Ruko muttered and began to back away from the teen. She didn't like the sound that the Dinocaps made at all.
"You have a tent in one of those things Bulma?" Goku questioned, a little weary.
"Well no... not exactly." Bulma spoke slowly as she pulled out a capsule from her tin box. She closed her box and put it away in her bag as she stepped forward.
"I don't like those magic witch bombs..." Ruko told them as she crossed her arms and frowned in disapproval.
"Grandpa told us to never use magic, unless it's to help someone." Goku nodded as he pointed a finger at Bulma, but she only smiled at herself.
"Oh, I'm helping someone!" Bulma snickered, and clicked the button on the capsule. "She's pretty and has blue hair!"
Ruko and Goku quickly ran in the opposite direction- a sight which made Bulma smirk.
"What's the matter? Not afraid are you?" She taunted, then threw the capsule hard. It exploded in the distance, and Ruko hissed in distaste. Goku watched with shock as a white, round house had appeared out of the smoke from the capsule. It had a large round door with two square windows on either side of the door frame.
"There we go, now doesn't that look cozy?" Bulma complemented as she walked up to the door. Ruko and Goku watched in horror.
"NO!" They yelled out in union and ran forwards. Goku got the Power Pole out and waved it at the house as Ruko held Bulma back, prepared to grab her and run out of the way if the thing decided to attack.
"Stay away from it's mouth Bulma!" Ruko cried, pushing herself in front of Bulma. "Your magic went wrong!"
"We'll protect ya from this monster!" Goku declared, and stood in front of the girls in a protective stance with his staff raised.
"Thanks, that's noble of you kids..." Bulma said as she gently pushed Ruko aside and casually walked past Goku. Maybe Bulma was braver than Ruko had given her credit for. "But, it really isn't necessary. It's just a house. See? Nothing happened that shouldn't have."
Goku and Ruko's eyes widened in wonder as Bulma suddenly made it bright on the inside of the house. They gasped, and stepped forward cautiously. Seeing no teeth, or tongue, they went inside and looked around in wonder. It was very different from the small red hut that they grew up in.
"Bulma...!" Ruko gasped as she looked around the space with wide eyes. "Ya made it light, when it's still dark outside!" Ruko then began to run back and forth by Goku as she made her statement, as though she had to check to make sure her words stayed true.
At the door's threshold, Goku chose the simply option. He twisted his entire body to see the difference between the outside and inside of the house, as though he couldn't quite believe what he saw either. Bulma smiled as she put her belt that held her bag (a bag which the kids had noted was also magic and held everything) down on a white table.
"Chill out guys. It's just a little something called electricity. Were you guys transported from the Stone Age or what?"
The two kids still looked around in wonder, their eyes wide as they started to wander the inside of this house. The room that they were in was fairly simple. It held a dining table in the very center, a kitchen off to the left side of the house while the right side of the house seemed to be dedicated to a living room. The living room had a cathode ray tube TV that was tucked in a book case, with a three seater couch that was placed with it's back towards the kitchen and dinging room.
At the far right corner of the house from the front door, were two more rooms. One led to a bedroom while the other to a bathroom. And to the left far side of the house, just beside the fridge in the kitchen, was a third- and final- door, which led to the laundry. A washer and dryer was in there, along with a good sized shelf to stack clothes and towels.
"Woah..." Goku admired.
"W- wow!" Ruko added, "this place is amazing!"
Bulma smiled, and covered her mouth as she noticed how close they both had wandered to the TV. With a mischievous smirk, Bulma picked up the black remote for it, and turned it on. Goku yelled out in fright, and stumbled back from the sudden noise the TV made. Ruko instantly went down on all fours and growled menacingly as her tail poofed up behind her and went ram-rod straight- in a very similar way to that of a startled cat. Bulma choked on her laugh behind them, but neither tailed child noticed. With their attention solely on the new object, they quickly discovered that it wasn't about to hurt them. Slowly, they approached the TV, where someone with gelled up hair was playing the guitar.
"Oh no..." Goku placed a hand on the screen and furrowed his brow in worry. "That persons trapped!"
"And they're trying to break the glass by making that horrible noise!" Ruko added as she stood up beside her friend to get a better look herself.
Suddenly the picture changed, as Bulma snickered behind them, and the two kids took a startled step back. Now there were two people that were standing in front of one another. The taller one was holding the shorter one by their shoulders. Wind seemed to be blowing at them harshly in the background; it blew their hair about so erratically that it caught in their eyes easily. Slow music began to play in the background, and ever so slowly, the two people started to close their eyes and lean in to one another.
Lost with what they were witnessing, Ruko and Goku looked at one another questioningly before they glanced over to Bulma. She seemed to be completely engrossed in what was happening on the screen, and was walking towards the TV with an excited look. The tailed duo could practically see hearts in her eyes.
Ruko grabbed the black remote from Bulma's hands as the blue haired teen passed and took a close look at it. "What is this thing?" Ruko raised her brow in question as she turned the black remote in her hands, and Goku leaned towards her to have a better look at it himself.
Curiously, Goku pressed one of the buttons on the remote, and both he and Ruko looked up at Bulma's surprised yelp. They laughed at her, seeing her odd expression. There was now a fire-breathing lizard in the TV. It destroyed many buildings in the background as tiny people ran about like ants at the lizard's feet.
"You... be quiet..." Bulma grouched from her spot on the floor. The kids stopped laughing and looked at her.
"Hey, are you hungry Bulma?" Goku asked and rubbed his stomach.
Seeing Goku's action, Ruko was reminded of her own stomach. She looked up at Bulma pleadingly. "Yeah, do you have any food Bulma?" she questioned.
The teen opened her mouth to reply, but her face quickly squished into a disgusted frown. "Ugh! Goku, Ruko, you need a bath!" She exclaimed unhappily, and the two kids glanced at one another before looking back at Bulma.
"What's a bath?" Ruko asked, and Bulma shook her head.
"No wonder you need one...!" She said and her face scrunched up in a frown. "I guess I'll have to show you..." she sounded rather reluctant, but waved her hand for them to follow her nonetheless.
Wandering into the single bedroom first, Bulma went to the large dresser and rummaged in one of the drawers for a moment. She pulled out two large shirts- one green and the other purple- then handed one each to the duo. Goku and Ruko accepted the shirts silently, and stared at the fabric for a moment.
Bulma walked past them and led them both into the bathroom, the door left open behind her. The kids trailed in slowly, Ruko unfolded the purple shirt to see just how large it was, and then watched as Bulma pulled two towels off a rack. "Alright you two, strip. Your dirty clothes go in that basket right there. Those shirts you can wear after the bath, until your clothes are clean again." She pointed to a basket that was against the wall. Bulma then gave them a towel each before going to the tub. Goku looked over to Bulma with a frown as Ruko got undressed, then put her clothes in the basket as they were told.
"But Bulma, grandpa once said that Ruko and I shouldn't be completely undressed together." he stated and Ruko's eyes widened in recognition. She nodded her head as she walked over to Bulma.
"Goku's right, grandpa did say that." she confirmed.
"What? Why?" Bulma questioned as she felt the temperature of the water. The kids hummed and shrugged their shoulders as an answer, and Bulma sighed. "Well, whatever. Just do it for now, okay?"
Ruko looked back at Goku over her shoulder, and shrugged. The boy scratched his head, then turned to get undressed himself. As he did that, Ruko looked to the towel in her hands and began to examine it in curiosity, the shirt that she had been given was left on the floor near the basket of dirty clothes. Bulma noticed Ruko's curiosity and rocked back on her heels in front of the tub.
"We civilized people, call that a towel." Bulma explained with an even tone, and let out a small sigh through her nose. "Lets just get this over with...! Hop in!"
Bulma had gestured to the tub, and the kids looked at it skeptically.
"This... is a bath?" Goku asked, as he walked up beside Ruko with the towel in one hand, and inspected the tub.
"Seems like it..." Ruko confirmed with a small nod. She placed her hands on the edge of the tub, one hand still clutched around her towel, and began to lift her leg to get in.
"Look at you!" Bulma suddenly gasped, and both kids looked over at her. "You're supposed to cover up the front!"
Ruko and Goku looked at their towels again. Ruko held up her towel in front of her face, and Goku decided to follow her lead.
"Like this?" They asked at the same time.
"No! W-wait..." Both kids put down their towels and looked at Bulma curiously. Her face had gone white, as she stared at Ruko in disbelief. "Y- you're a girl?!"
A small gasp left the girl, and her eyes widened in shock. "Woah, how did ya know that all of a sudden, Bulma?!"
Bulma spluttered, her face rather red and looked between both children quickly. Both looked at her in awe, rather bewildered that Bulma had suddenly found out that Ruko was a girl, especially since she had been calling Ruko a boy since they met.
"I- I just do!" the blue haired teen finally managed to say. Flustered, she gestured between Ruko and Goku. "G- girls and boy's look different after all. Didn't the two of you already know this...?!"
They both shook their heads and Bulma made a weird strangled noise as the two of them turned towards one another, now obviously trying to find differences in their appearances. With reflexes the children had no idea Bulma could have, the teen had suddenly yanked the towel out of Ruko's hands and held it between the tailed duo before they could see one another properly.
"What's wrong Bulma?" Goku asked as he looked at the teen's very pale face. Ruko leaned forwards so that she could get a better look at Bulma too.
"You two can't take a bath together!" Bulma exclaimed, and shook her head rather violently. Ruko and Goku looked at Bulma as though she had sprouted a second head.
"Why?" They asked at the same time.
"Why?! Why?!Because your a girl, Ruko, and your a boy, Goku! Girls and boys don't take baths together!"
"But Bulma, you've been callin' me a boy all day. And ya said just a moment ago that it was okay." Ruko pointed out and tilted her head. Then she blinked and straitened as her expression went serious. "I'm not so sure I wanna be a girl right now, anyways. I think I wanna be a boy, at least until I'm older."
"Wha- what...?" Bulma asked, now simply stunned. Goku also tilted his head in confusion from Ruko's words.
"Well, if that's what a girl is supposed to look like, I don't want to ever be one." Ruko explained as she gestured to Bulma with one hand. Then she crossed her arms in a defiant way in front of her, mind clearly made up. "I am strong, and fit. I wont be weak and scrawny and look as though I need to be fed! So, I think I'm gonna be a boy until I'm old enough to be a woman, that way I won't have to suddenly become so fragile-lookin later and I still get to do that thing only women can do."
Goku nodded his head, a solemn understanding look on his face, while Bulma looked completely out of it. The teen looked down at her lap and blinked a few times.
"I- I'm not entirely sure what you just said." Bulma started quietly, then gave Ruko a fierce look and took in a big breath. "BUT I DO NOT LOOK LIKE I NEED TO BE FED! I AM JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF SKINNY: THANK YOU! Also! Every person looks different as they grow up; you'll keep your strength if you keep working at it, no matter what! You don't have to be a boy to be strong. SO DON'T GO INSULTING MY LOOKS- I'M PROBABLY THE PRETTIEST THING THE BOTH OF YOU WILL EVER SEE!" Bulma panted as she finished her shouting, and the kids stood far away from the blue haired teen, startled from the loudness of her voice as it easily echoed in the bathroom space.
Slowly, Bulma got her breath back, then let out a loud calming sigh. "Alright. Now Goku, I want you to wrap your towel around your hips- got it?"
"Huh?"
"Please just do it! Then go stand over there with your back towards us." Bulma pointed towards where the toilet was and Goku frowned as he looked up from wrapping the towel around himself.
"What?! But I didn't do anything bad!" he protested loudly, and crossed his arms in front of himself. His towel fell down around his feet, but he didn't bother to pick it up.
Bulma looked over at him, her expression rather tired. "It's not a punishment. I just want to keep an eye on you while I give Ruko a quick wash, then it'll be your turn."
"Why can't we do a bath at the same time, Bulma?" Ruko asked curiously.
"Yeah, Bulma, why?" Goku quizzed.
"Because girls and boys don't take bath's together! The only time girls and boys would take baths together is if they're girlfriend and boyfriend or married!" Bulma exclaimed exasperatedly, practically pulling out her hair.
"Girlfriend?" Goku asked at the same time that Ruko asked "Boyfriend?"
They looked at one another over the towel Bulma still held up, trying to see what the problem was.
"Well Ruko is my girl friend." Goku pointed out obviously. Bulma herself had just confirmed that Ruko was a girl after all. Plus Ruko was a great friend.
Ruko nodded. "And Goku is my boy friend." Goku is a boy and he is her friend. Ruko looked at Bulma who looked as though she had just seen a ghost.
"WHAT!?" Bulma burst out, startling the kids. They took another step back as Bulma put her hands on the side of the tub, trying to catch her breath. Bulma felt like she was just hit by a truck going full speed. "But aren't you two related or something?!"
"No." Ruko shook her head.
"Grandpa adopted us at different times." Goku explained, then pointed at Ruko with a smile. "Ruko was living in the woods for a while, because the monkeys had stolen 'er away!"
"Yup!" Ruko confirmed, not in the least bit unhappy about that fact. "I still visit them with gifts sometimes- for taking care of me for so long."
Shaking her head Bulma gestured to the tub.
"J- just get in, and face away from each other too." Bulma sighed. She was done with them. Done with the situation. And Bulma wanted to get it over with as though nothing had just happened.
Seeing how upset Bulma was, the kids turned, hopped in the tub, and obediently faced opposite from each other as they then waited for the teen. Bulma let out another sigh, but choose Ruko first and tugged the girl closer to the edge of the tub where she knelt. Ruko flinched as Bulma made the warm water go over her head in order to get her hair and body soaked, then Bulma let Ruko go back to one end of the tub and tugged Goku over to do the same thing. Once they both had been thoroughly soaked, Bulma got some soap and poured it in her hands. She started with Goku, since he was closer, and rubbed it in his hair. Ruko glanced over her shoulder and giggled at the faces Goku made as this happened to him. Then the girl turned just enough so that she could grab some of the white bubbles that had formed on his head as Bulma washed his hair.
"Hey Bulma, why are ya putting this white stuff in Goku's hair?" Ruko asked, and Goku grabbed some of the white bubbles to inspect for himself.
"It's called shampoo and I'm putting it in his hair to clean it. You're next, missy so don't try and get away." Bulma warned and looked over at Ruko sternly. "I don't do this very often you know." The shower head was lifted over the boy's head and washed the bubbles out of Goku's hair before Bluma moved on to washing Ruko's wild mane. "You guys should consider yourselves lucky. And no wonder your hair stands up, it's never been washed!"
Ruko and Goku rubbed at their eyes as Bulma put more water over their heads, getting all of the bubbles out. After a moment they could see again. More soap was then poured over a scrub brush and Bulma turned Goku around as she began to scrub his skin. The girl blinked however, when she noticed the black tattoo between his shoulder blades.
The first thing the tattoo reminded the teen of was a spider, but when she looked at it closer, she could see that it resembled two inverted horseshoes, with a line through the center that followed along the top of the boy's spine. A second line started from the point where the two horseshoes interconnected, and spanned the boy's upper back, ending with a small curve under his shoulder blades.
"When'd you get this?" Bulma asked skeptically as she began to rub Goku's skin again- just to make sure it wasn't actually mud or something. "It's weird looking."
"Huh?" Goku looked over his shoulder, trying to see what Bulma was talking about. Ruko had crouched down to watch the soap suds twirl down the tub drain, but glanced over at Bulma's question.
"Oh, Goku's always had that." Ruko answered as she saw what the teen was speaking about and Bulma gave the girl a disbelieving look. "It's true! Grandpa says it's a mark from where we came from."
"Oh yeah? And where did you guys come from then?" Bulma questioned with a light roll of her eyes. She turned Goku the other way and reached out for Ruko.
"Mmmn, dunno!" Ruko chimed happily, and stood as Bulma pulled on the girl's arm, starting to scrub her down too.
"Grandpa wouldn't tell us, but it's not anywhere near here!" Goku said excitedly, but looked over his shoulder in concern as he heard Ruko let out a yelp of pain.
"Wha- what in the world?" Bulma said, and tried pulling on Goku's tail next. "How do these things stay on? I thought they were attached to your pants or something. What do you do? Super-glue it to your butt?"
Ruko and Goku hissed and yelped as Bulma started to pull at their tails consistently.
"W- what are you doing?!" Ruko yelled, turning away from Bulma and crouching down safely to protect the base of her tail. With her eyes closed tight, she rubbed the sensitive area tentatively. Goku wasn't lucky enough to get away from Bulma's pulling yet and suffered as the teen tugged harshly at his tail.
"Stop! It hurts!" Goku cried, and soon joined Ruko in rubbing his sore backside.
"Well, I'm trying to get those things off so I can wash your back properly." Bulma huffed, putting her hands on her hips.
"Oh, is that all?" Ruko said, and smiled. "Don't worry we can wash our own backs!" With that Ruko's tail moved to grab the scrub that Bulma had been holding in her hands. Then her tail started to wash her back with the scrub.
"See?" Goku spoke with a smile. "It's easy!" His tail then grabbed the brush from Ruko and began to wash his own back.
Bulma looked from the tail on Ruko, which was swishing on its own, to the tail on Goku that was washing his back. Then all of the information that she had learned today seemed to crash down on Bulma all at once. What did she do? She screamed bloody murder.
Both kids flinched violently from the sudden onslaught of sound. Bulma scurried away from them as fast as she could, a look akin to horror on her face as she slammed her back against the far wall. When Bulma was done her screaming, she looked between the two as though she couldn't decide which one to yell at first.
Instead, the teen scrambled to her feet and ran out of the room completely. Ruko and Goku glanced at one another worriedly. Goku got out of the tub first, his tail dropping the scrub as he went, and swiped a towel off the floor as he called after Bulma cautiously.
Quickly washing her back from the soap, Ruko then hopped out of the tub herself. She wiped her body dry with the towel Bulma had given her and then let the damp thing fall to the floor in a heap. Just as she was about to follow Goku out of the room, she spotted the shirts that they were supposed to wear and slipped the purple one over her head.
Out of the bathroom Ruko went, and found Goku and Bulma in the bedroom. A stricken look was on Bulma's face as she stared blankly in front of her. Goku had his towel over his head as he tried to dry his hair and get Bulma to tell him what was wrong at the same time.
"Here, Goku." Ruko said as she came to a stop beside him and presented the green item to him.
"It's ... Its real... Real..!" Bulma muttered to herself. She had wrapped her arms around her legs and rocked back and forth. Goku muttered a 'thanks' as he took the shirt, and they both stared at Bulma oddly. Had she gone insane?
"G- Goku... R- R- Ruko... Why do you each have a tail growing?!" the teen finally asked, and turned her attention to them.
"Why?" Ruko questioned with a tilt of her head.
"We don't really know why..." Goku spoke as he put the towel on the floor and began to fiddle with the shirt.
"But we do know all boys have one!" Ruko said.
"But your a girl." Goku pointed out. He had turned the shirt inside out, and paused to speak before he turned it right side out again.
"Oh yeah." Ruko remembered, with a nod of her head. She thought hard about the loop hole that Goku had presented her with. After a moment of thought, she smiled, "then I'm something no one has ever seen, since not all girls have one." she pointed in Bulma's direction.
Goku smiled, "sure!" Then he turned back to Bulma who's mouth hug open at the interaction that she was seeing. He shrugged, "it's no big deal. It's just the way we are."
"M- maybe your right..." Bulma mumbled to herself, and looked down at her feet. "I've never actually seen a boy take a bath before... So I guess I cant be sure... Maybe they keep it tucked in their pants or something? How bizarre..." After a moment she gasped. "I can't believe I'm a teenager and I'm just now finding out?!"
"Well, we shouldn't say that it's all boys either." Goku amended thoughtfully. Ruko blinked.
"Oh yeah," she said after a moment. "Grandpa didn't have a tail."
"See? See?" Bulma spoke quickly, latching onto the loop hole they suddenly presented in their statements. "It's normal not to have a tail! Or your grandpa would have had one too! And, and Ruko has one, even though she's a girl like me but I don't have one, now do I?!"
"But our Grandpa was a very odd fellow, you know?" A crooked smile appeared on Goku's face as he stated this, and Ruko laughed at that.
"Oh yeah, he was!" she agreed, still laughing. Goku then began to pull the shirt over his head, but it got stuck somehow.
"What the-" came his muffled voice as he took a step backwards. Ruko looked over, amusement clear in her face as she watched him struggle. But then her eyes widened in shock, and her laugh cut off into a choked scream as her eyes drifted lower.
As though she were suddenly electrocuted, Ruko jumped back from Goku and plastered herself low against the wall.
"Ruko?!" Goku asked in alarm and roughly yanked the shirt down over his head, not even noticing the tear that he had made in the collar by doing so.
Face pale, Ruko stared at Goku with her green eyes blown wide with shock and fear. As soon as he saw her, Goku's face turned something fierce as he began to look about the room frantically, body tense in a fighting stance, and having no idea what had scared his friend so badly.
"What is it?! What's wrong? I promise to get rid of it for ya, Ruko!" he declared bravely, even as his own expression wavered some at the prospect of facing something that could scare his friend like that.
Bulma blinked once, twice, then began to laugh boisterously. The noise was so loud and unexpected, it got both Ruko and Goku to look at her blankly. Arms curled around herself, Bulma leaned so far forwards her forehead brushed against the comforter of her bed.
"Oh my gosh, it you guys who are the real odd balls!" Bulma exclaimed breathlessly when she managed to calm down enough to speak. It took a moment more before the teen could finally look up again and notice the identical stares she received from between the two. She gave Goku a smirk, "this I know for certain; although rather noble in thought, Goku, you don't know what your saying. You won't want to get rid of it, and probably wouldn't be able to- not ever- even for Ruko." Then her smile turned sympathetic as she looked to Ruko, "and don't you worry about it Ruko, that's normal- it's what makes him a boy."
"What? What make's me a boy?" Goku asked as his eyes went wide with curiosity. Bulma just shook her head, slipped off her bed, and headed to the bathroom to take a bath of her own. "Bulma? What is it that make's me a boy?!" he called after her.
When he still received no answer, Goku pouted. "Why won't Bulma answer me?" he complained, then looked back over to Ruko. Her tail was no longer all frazzled, and she had sunk to floor slowly. Brows furrowed, Ruko stared at her hands on her lap rather intently.
A small frown made it to Goku's face as he stared for a moment. Then he walked to the wall and sat down beside her. Something painful twisted in his gut when he noticed her tense slightly at his actions, and wondered for a moment if he had done something wrong. When Ruko didn't move away or protest to his being there, Goku decided that he could ignore the odd feeling.
His tail curled at his side for a moment before he directed it pet hers gently. The girl shifted some from the contact, as though taken from her thoughts, but didn't look his way.
"Ruko... are ya okay?" Goku asked after the silence had continued. He had tilted his head to one side ever so slightly to try and see her expression, and frowned some when he noticed that she still hadn't relaxed.
Hands clenched in her lap, Ruko then slowly looked over at Goku. Her eyes scanned over him silently, from his feet to his torso, and he felt odd for it. It wasn't a look Ruko typically gave him, and he didn't quite know what to make of it. So he sat completely still, and waited patiently for her eyes to meet his own. Goku watched as Ruko's shoulders finally began to release their tension and her eyes softened from her intense look when she finally looked at his face.
A small nod of her head was then given, and then he felt her tail intertwine with his own. The very gesture was rather comforting, even as it never failed to send a pleasant shiver up their spines, and Goku smiled widely. Glad to know that Ruko was alright now, the duo sat in comfortable silence together, content to simply listen to Bulma moving about in the other rooms of the house. They sat only a few inches from one another, but only their tails shared touch.
"Remember when grandpa was alive, he'd sometimes bring scrubs with him when we went to the water?" Ruko's voice was soft as she spoke, and Goku looked over at her curiously. He gave an affirmed hum, so that she knew he remembered too. "He'd send one of us to go get dinner all by ourselves, then try and scrub the one who stayed with him down. It always became a game with me, and sometimes I was too fast for him, and barely got touched by the time you'd come back with food. Then I'd get dressed and go tend to cooking the food while you got to play with grandpa in the water."
A small smile came to Goku's face at the memory. "That was probably a bath, huh?" he giggled, and Ruko nodded.
"Yeah, it probably was." she said, the tilted her head. "Oh hey, isn't Bulma in the bath now? We could help her scrub her back!"
Goku's expression brightened, "yeah, great idea! She's going to need the help, after all, she doesn't even have a tail!" he snickered, and the duo stood up. Tails loose from one another once again, they walked towards the bathroom.
"Exactly!" Ruko agreed, and smiled brightly.
When they entered the bathroom, they watched as Bulma hummed happily to herself and stretched out in the bath. The water seemed to be full of the white bubbles that she had put in their hair and it covered her body from view. Bulma turned her head lazily in their direction and opened her eyes. After a second, recognition flashed across her face and she gasped in shock. The kids blinked as she dived under the bubbles, only to poke the top of her head out of them a moment later.
"What are you two doing?! Can't you see I'm taking a bath?!" Bulma yelled, her body turned away from them as best as she could as she yelled over her shoulder.
"Yeah." Ruko said, answering her question with a nod.
"We were going to help ya scrub your back." Goku explained matter-of-factually.
"Ya know, since ya don't have a tail to help ya?" Ruko pointed out.
"No way, I can scrub my own back! Now shoo, shoo!" Bulma waved her hand in attempt to get them to leave, but they didn't budge.
"Gosh, I don't get it Bulma." Ruko said, and her brow furrowed in confusion. Goku crossed his arms beside her and nodded his head.
"Yeah, ya were gonna to help us scrub our backs!" He complained, and motioned between himself and Ruko.
"Goku, you guys are just little kids. I'm practically a full grown woman! There's a big difference!"
"There is?" Ruko asked and Bulma huffed.
"Yes! There. IS!" Bulma emphasized, then glanced over at Goku then back at Ruko. Her face went red as she then looked down at the bubbles around her. "But we're not going to get into that right now..."
"Hey, ya don't have to be ashamed!" Goku said, shaking his head.
Ruko gasped then shook her head, "of course ya don't! No. Way." Ruko added, trying to be helpful.
"What in the world are you two talking about?! I happen to be one of the most beautiful girls that you will ever see! Now what do I have to be ashamed of?!" Bulma shouted, and glared between the two children.
"That you don't have a tail." They deadpanned in union. Bulma looked defeated as she let out an all-mighty sigh and closed her eyes.
"That's it. Get lost." Bulma stated, tired of the conversation.
"But we want to help!" Ruko pushed, her head tilted to one side.
"Get. Out."
"Oh, come on!" Goku encouraged, his hands on his hips. But Bulma had had it. She picked up the closest thing she could find and threw it at the both of them. They yelped in surprise and scrambled to get out of the way as random bathroom products were thrown.
"That's it I can't take it any more! GET OUT OF MY BATHROOM AND STAY OUT! AND FOR THE LAST TIME, I DON'T WANT A STUPID TAIL!" Bulma shouted, and a shampoo bottle hit Goku on the forehead while a towel rested over Ruko's eyes. Slowly, the towel fell off of Ruko's head and onto the floor.
The two kids stared- shocked- at the bathroom doorway, unsure of what to do now. They looked at one another, then back at the bathroom and sighed. Ruko and Goku made their way back to the bedroom and layed down on the bed. They kicked out their feet at the end of the bed, and watched their tails boredly, as they waited for Bulma to get out of the bath. Ruko and Goku's stomachs rumbled as they layed there, which made them both groan.
"Fooooood...!" Ruko complained loudly, and Goku nodded beside her in agreement. They needed to eat. Eventually the noise of the bathwater finally being drained got their attention and the kids perked up as Bulma entered the room wearing a pink night gown. She sat on a chair in front of a mirror and started to brush and blow dry her hair at the same time.
"Finally, I get some peace!" Bulma muttered angrily to herself. But both kids had hopped down, off of the bed and stood behind her with their stomachs rumbling loudly.
"Bulma!" Goku whined, and Bulma looked at the kids reflections angrily.
"We're hungry...!" Ruko cried sadly. Bulma slammed the hairdryer and her brush harshly onto her desk, (which made a loud bang) and stood abruptly.
"The two of you!" She yelled out in frustration.
Beyond a mountain range, far in the West, the land had become cold. Rarely the sun shone here, as there were often too many clouds in the sky for it's warm rays to penetrate through. No trees could properly populate the area, what with the little sunlight that showed up here, leaving a spare amount of moss to cover the soft ground. So instead, it was mushrooms that took the place of the trees, and grew large enough for their tops to go unseen by anyone who walked below.
Mist was also a constant here. It often grew to be so thick that it was like moving through a dense wall that had no solidity. Any travelers that ventured this way were often warned about the mist, how demons and monsters liked to snatch away any prey that dared to wander within. It was only on the rare days where there was no mist that anyone could travel through safely.
And hidden in the heart of this place, was a castle. The worn old stone that made up the foundation were cut larger than a small hover car. Moss crawled up the damp walls, deeply rooted within the crevices of stone, and marked just how old this castle was. Tall towers were built all around the castle, each to resemble the large mushrooms that surrounded the building, their rooves completely domed.
Despite it's location, and contrary to it's looks, this castle was far from deserted. Small creatures patrolled the outer walls, their eyes reflecting any light that came their way. Two wooden cast's sat to either side of the large wooden doors that served as the entrance, had mounted skulls as torch heads, which cradled bright orange flames that seemed to chase away the mist.
Inside the partially crumbled walls of the castle, the halls were illuminated by skull torches that lined the walls- deteriorating skin still attached to some. Carpets that were once red and lined with gold now had moth ridden holes, and were almost black in color from the lack of care through out the years. Entrances to rooms were mostly empty arches, but there were some that had wooden doors half hung on their hinges, ready to fall if they were not wedged firmly within their frames.
At the end of the main hall from the entrance, behind two large wooden doors that scraped against the flags, boisterous laughter and loud yells could be heard. It was the great hall of the castle. Four long tables were placed throughout the room, filled to capacity with food, and the benched seats occupied by goblins and imps. The goblins were large creatures, their bodies clunky and the stink of mold that grew within the folds of their skin was malodorous. In almost perfect contrast were the imps, their bodies were rawboned, fingers almost skeletal in structure and the only odor they produced was from the rotting substance that caught between their incisors.
In a corner of the room was single set of stairs. It lead to the high balcony that went around the entire area of the great hall, and to the second floor of the castle where more rooms were located.
Around the edges of the high-ceilinged room, carefully watching the chaos that was in front of them, were anthropomorphic dogs. They stood completely still, arms behind their backs, and ears fixated forwards attentively. Their clothes were that of a ninja's, the only visible weapon on them being a long sword or a fuma shuriken that was strapped to their backs.
Walking amongst the chaos in the great hall were lutins, transformed as female humans, who had trays of food in their grips. They would fill in glassed with a thick yellow substance and retrieve empty plates to make room for more. Lutins who had done their fair share of work had reverted back to their thumb-sized forms, their troll-like faces showed off their sharpened teeth as they flew amongst the goblins and imps, and latched onto the largest of the goblins to eat away at the mold on their bodies.
Directly across from the double doored entrance of the great hall was a throne. The back of it colored a rusted gold and at least five feet tall. Just behind the throne was a moth-eaten curtain, which the lutins disappeared behind with empty plates, then reappeared with full ones. In front of the throne was a regular sized dining table, it's surface also filled with food, and it's four occupants ate with as much gusto as their brethren throughout the hall.
In a chair to the right of the throne sat a goblin, easily the largest of them all. It leaned back in its chair heavily, not a single space on the seat unused, and the armrests bowed out some from the weight. To the left of the throne sat an anthropomorphic dog, it's right eye closed due to a wound done long ago, the fur gone from around the scar. It was the only ninja present who carried a large claymore with them, the dark hilted sword rested against it's chair and well within arm's reach. A single seat to the left of the ninja and opposite of the throne sat a human. He wore a formal suit with a blue necktie and had his long black hair slicked back. Posture completely straight, he barely touched the food in front of him and had his back towards the double doors.
Sat on the throne, with several pillows underneath him for height, was Pilaf. The little blue imp ate away at the food in front of him while speaking to his two companions, his red and blue hat hung on the corner of the throne's backrest.
"Sakyo, I trust that you find your sustenance is adequate?" Pilaf questioned with a raised brow as his beady eyes rested on the human in front of him.
"Of course." Sakyo replied calmly, and took a handkerchief out of his sleeve with a flick of his wrist. He dabbed at his mouth, then let the hand he held the handkerchief with fall to his lap. "But I'm afraid I ate on my way here."
"Then you won't mind if I take that from you, you would you?" the goblin at the table spoke, it's voice distinctly feminine despite having no other obvious distinction from the males of her species.
"By all means," Sakyo invited, and swept his hand palm up over his dish. All too quickly the dish was snatched by the goblin's greedy hands, and pointed teeth immediately began to tear through chunks of the nearly red meat.
"Careful Keibe, if you keep going like that, you soon wont be able to move at all." Pilaf snickered as he bit a chunk out of his own food. The goblin woman snarled, and food was spat across the table as she spoke.
"Watch it, imp. You may be the emperor's heir, but that does not mean you get to insult me." She glared and her fangs seemed all the more prominent in the light of the torches. "I could just as easily remove my forces from under your care, and without my technology your little toys would all disappear."
"And then you and your brethren would suddenly find themselves without a home, and at the mercy of humans." Pilaf bit back with a snarl of his own.
"You don't seem to mind humans so much, Pilaf, if you've invited them to our table." the ninja spoke then, voice rather calm. He examined a long bone with his one good eye for a moment, before he snapped it in half to get at the marrow.
"I've invited myself tonight, actually." Sakyo spoke out then, before another comment could be made. The human sat back leisurely in his chair, folded one leg over the other, and laced his fingers over his lap. Dark blue eyes opened, and stared purposely towards Pilaf. "I have come as a representative of the Black Black club. We simply wish to see the operation that we have helped fund."
Pilaf stared Sakyo in the eyes, completely silent while his companions continued with their meals. "You don't have any need to see it." was the imp's only reply.
The human let out a sigh, as though he were bored of the conversation, and looked away casually. "Hmm, yes, your quite right. There is no need for us to know." he nodded his head slowly, and his eyes lazily met Pilaf's. "But you see, there were those in the group who believed it a waste to keep up the funding, especially since we hardly know anything of what is done with the money. I, of course, came all this way to prove that it was a worthy cause, however if your that certain of your answer..."
Sakyo moved to get up from his seat, but stopped when he heard the imp growl. "Fine." Pilaf bit out. "What is it that you want to see?"
"Your operation, of course." Sakyo replied pleasantly, and leaned back in his chair once again.
As though summoned, the curtain behind the throne shifted, and Shoe appeared. The anthropomorphic dog knelt between Pilaf and the dog at the table, his head down respectfully.
"Sire, I have a report from the Eastern sectors."
Pilaf glanced down at Shoe briefly, then excused himself from the table in order to speak to Shoe in private. Behind the curtains, Pilaf let a lutin pass by into the kitchens before he looked to Shoe. "Well? Did you bring me a Dragonball, Shoe?" he demanded, voice just above a whisper.
"No sire... Nothing has been found yet and I.. I- I got real hungry... so, I came back." Shoe replied sadly.
"You imbecile!" The imp whisper-yelled, making the poor hungry dog jump in fear. Pilaf took in a breath, as the same lutin passed again, only with food to hand out on a tray with them this time. "You wont get so much as a bone if you don't bring me back the Dragonballs!"
"But sire!" Shoe implored, worry on his face. "I'm so hungry, I can't even think!"
"That's a good thing, Shoe." the imp replies darkly. "You'll have to trust me on that." With a shake of his pale blue head, Pilaf crossed his arms angrily. "The Dragonball that I have is only one piece to the puzzle! I have to have those other six Dragonballs! And before my father is informed of their existence."
"But... Why sire?" Shoe asked, a little hesitant. When the imp looked over at him slowly, Shoe was even more reluctant to speak. But the imps silence implored him to. "...Isn't one... enough?"
"Of course one isn't enough!" the imp snarled. Shoe took a frightened step back, alarmed. "If I pulled out all of your teeth but one, would that one be enough to chew with?! NO! If I cut off all of your paws except one, would that one be enough to run with?! NO! Do you see my point now, Shoe?! I can't rule the world with only one Dragonball! Can you understand that?!"
There was silence. Several lutin's had the time to come by with empty plates and leave again as Pilaf caught his breath and Shoe worked up the courage to speak again.
"Yes... I think so..." Shoe replied quietly, then looked at the imp sheepishly. "But isn't the world an awfully big place? How can one person rule the whole thing?"
The imp turned to one side, his hands behind his back as he stared out into nothingness.
"Well, you have to be able to delegate Shoe." the imp finally said, and a smirk grew on his face. "And I've always been good at telling other people what to do. Bossing people around is one of my many strong points!"
"Right... That's true sire." Shoe commented with a nod.
"There are other requirements Shoe!" the imp ground out, with a glare in the dog's direction. "You have to be able to think big, not small. Big! Although small in stature, I think very big!"
The imp stopped for a moment then looked down at his hands, smirking to himself. "I have all the qualities needed to rule the world! What I don't have are those other six Dragonballs, you dolt!"
"Emperor Pilaf!"
"Hmm? That sounded like agent Mai." the imp muttered and glanced up. Both the imp and the dog watched, as a woman with raven hair fell from the ceiling to land beside them.
"Yes, sir." the woman replied, and kneeled before the imp. "Sire, agent Mai, reporting as ordered."
Pilaf walked over to Mai, his hands behind his back.
"Hmmm. Well, whats the news? Did you bring me back another Dragonball?" Pilaf asked.
"No sire, but I do have some valuable information."
"Is it about the Dragonballs?" Pilaf asked, his eyes narrowed. "Well?"
"Yes." Mai confirmed and looked up at the imp standing before her. "A deep cover agent landed his plane in a place known as Skull Valley. Just before he left to spy for us, he reported seeing a mysterious light with a bright glow."
"Was the light a Dragonball?" Pilaf asked, beady eyes bright with excitement.
"We don't know sire." Mai shook her head, her voice monotone. "Our informant disappeared. We never heard from him again."
"Hmmm... Take Shoe with you." Pilaf decided, a hand on his chin. "Go and see if there's a Dragonball over there."
"But sire, I have obedience school tonight!" Shoe pleaded.
"Well, never mind that!" Pilaf glared, and the dog whimpered in defeat. "We need a disposable agent like you on this mission Shoe! Now go fetch me a Dragonball!"
"Yes, sire." Mai and Shoe said together.