High up in the air, over the large blue ocean, a green plane flew. Inside said plane were Mai and Shu. They had been flying over the ocean for a few hours now, yet the dog in the ninja garb still whimpered from the pilot seat. Mai, who had the task of spotting from the co-pilot seat, absently spoke to Shu as she stared through her telescope.
"Try taking you mind off it," she stated helpfully, "and keep your eyes up. I'll be driving on the way back so you don't have to worry about it."
"S- sorry." Shu muttered, and decided to hum to help keep himself calm. "I- is there any sign of the island yet?"
"Negative." Mai responded, only to pause before she changed her mind. "No, an island just appeared dead ahead. I'll check our coordinates."
With a click, her spyglass folded in on itself until it was a tube no longer than her hand. Mai stashed the device away in it's holder attached to the side of her chair (it looked like a cup holder, only slimmer to fit the spyglass snugly) and turned her attention to the plane's dash.
"This is it," Mai confirmed with a nod, and looked over at Shu. His paws shook on the yoke, which in turn made the entire plane tremble somewhat. "Go ahead and cut the engine. We're far enough away that no one should have heard us yet. There's only the one house there that I saw and we're coming up behind it. We'll be able to sneak onto the island easily enough."
"Right."
Just as requested Shu cut the engine, effectively making both of their ears ring with the sudden silence. Despite his fear, Shu still managed to show his expert flying skills as he gently guided the plane down to the water. There was a slight jolt as the plane's water rudders made first contact, only to be followed up with the gradual tug against the plane's momentum when it began to glide in the water smoothly.
Up ahead the island came into full view. It looked no bigger than a single city block with a two story house sat directly at it's center. There was a small circle of grass that was in an even ring around said house, before it gave away to sand and gradually joined the water. From what they could see, there was also a single palm tree present on the left side of the house with a lawn chair directly in it's shade.
"Wow." Mai said, impressed. "Nice house for a Turtle Hermit."
"Yeah, I wonder if he's hiring..." Shu mumbled.
At that Mai scoffed, "right. I'm sure he'd have a lot of uses for you, being a Hermit and all."
"I'm sure he'd like the company every once in a while!" Shu defended as the plane slowly came to a full stop. "Or even someone to get groceries for him, maybe once every two weeks..."
"Well, I'm sure you can ask him when we meet." Mai sarcastically indulged with a roll of her eyes. Unbuckling herself, she got up from her seat. "Common, we're on a job for our current employer."
With a sigh, Shu followed her off the plane. They landed ankle deep in the water, something Mai had no problems with due to her boots, while Shu let out a soft whine. Socks and sandals were not ideal for water.
"Shu, you're up." Mai whispered to him as she pressed up against the back wall of the house.
"Coming!" Shu responded, making his way over on squeaking footwear. Every other step he kicked out his feet somewhat in a vain attempt to get rid of some water.
"You'll just have to take them off." Mai tried to solve for him, only for the ninja to pin back his ears in dislike.
The anthropomorphic dog simply shook his head at her before he too pressed himself against the wall. Ears now at attention, Shu carefully maneuvered himself around to the side of the bubblegum pink house. Mai followed him closely, allowing for his better senses to judge when to move.
They came up to a window and Shu blinked in surprise at how it was simply left open. He motioned for Mai to wait with a wave of his hand as he peeked over the ledge to see inside. There was no mosquito screen, even though the window seemed to lead right into the lounge room. An empty couch was placed with it's back against the front wall of the house, another open and screen-less window just above it. Through that second window Shu could make out the closed front door and most of the front lawn due to his angle. His ears twitched but he couldn't make out any noises that indicated that someone was home.
Shu relaxed, "there's no one here."
"Really?" Mai questioned, surprised.
"Yeah, the scent's two hours old, at least. Not to mention, I can't hear anyone in here either."
Mai peeked into the house from beside Shu and sniffed, "how irresponsible, leaving the windows wide open like this. Someone could just waltz right in and steal his stuff."
"Well it's good for us, since that's exactly what we need to do." Shu admitted, "...think the door's unlocked?"
"Probably." Mai responded plainly, then began her trek around to the front of the house. She blinked at the large block letters stating 'KAME HOUSE' in the same shade of red as the roof, within the A frame above the door.
Since she stepped up to the door first, Mai reached out an tried the handle. There was no resistance as the green door simply swung open.
"He really didn't lock it." Mai stated with a disapproving sigh. "I'm sorry Shu, the Hermit probably would need you. Especially when he's this irresponsible. I hope he doesn't have anyone to teach his bad habits to."
"He does live on an island in the middle of nowhere." Shu stated as he walked in after Mai and glanced around. "Maybe he doesn't really need to lock his doors cause no one is supposed to know which island he's on. Who would actually want to come all this way just to steal from some old Hermit anyhow?"
"That's a solid point Shu." Mai nodded, then directed him to the stairs. "Let's start our search now- I'll cover down here."
Back at the beach, Goku and Ruko were having a blast. They were flying. Their little yellow cloud took them anywhere that they wanted.
Laughing like idiots, the two rode the cloud as though it were a roller coaster ride. There were loop de loops and zigzags, sudden drops and high inclines. For a moment the cloud turned them upside down before it twisted right side up again, but the tailed children had impeccable balance and hadn't even flinched from the motion. Eventually the Nimbus took them down to the ocean, only for the water to splash up in their faces. They laughed in delight despite the cold sensation, neither having expected it nor minding the phenomenon. When they reached the shore again the Nimbus took off at new speeds, sending them on another loop.
"Whopee~!" Ruko yelled out.
There was just enough room for her and Goku to stand beside each other as they flew. They stood with their bodies facing one another, their hands out to either side. Both stared ahead, determined to stay on their ride as their hair whipped back in their eyes. Occasionally their tails would move from one side to the other, always in the optimal position for balance.
Not only were they going twice as fast as Bulma's motor bike, but the cloud was much quieter to!
"Hey down there~!" Goku yelled out as they passed over Roshi, Bulma and Turtle who were watching them from down on the beach. They yelled out in glee as the Nimbus then took them on one last loop before stopping in front of the group that was waiting for them down below.
"Wow! That was great!" Ruko breathed with a huge smile on her face. Her eyes practically sparkled from the rush, demeanor positively gushing satisfaction and joy.
"Yeah!" Goku agreed readily, barely keeping himself still from the bundle of nerves and pure adrenaline that now coursed through him for Ruko's benefit (there would be no gain from knocking her off the cloud accidentally). Eyes wide and bright, he turned to face Roshi enthusiastically. "Thanks a billion!"
"You guys fly that thing like you've had it your whole lives!" Roshi commented, a little shocked. The kids laughed together giddily before turning the Nimbus away from the group.
"See ya!" Ruko barely remembered to call out as they shot off again. Bulma looked suspiciously at the turtle and the Hermit.
"Say..." She started, and put a smile on her face when she knew she had his attention. "What about me?"
"Huh?" Roshi questioned eloquently, his confusion easily perceived through his voice despite his eyes being covered with his sunglasses. She pointed at herself innocently.
"Aren't you gonna give little ol' me a gift too?"
"...what do you say, Turtle? Did this young lady help you as well?" Roshi inquired and turned his head down to Turtle. The turtle shook his head and waved a flipper.
"Nope." he answered blandly. "It was just the two boys."
Frowning, "hey! What about that sea water I gave you?!" Bulma reminded indignantly. Roshi pet his beard as he fully turned towards the turtle.
"Hmmm... I think I'll have to side with Turtle on this one. Buuut..." Roshi smirked to himself, a look that wasn't nearly as subtle as he might have thought it was. "I could be persuaded to change my mind. For instance... if a... you were to let me... see your underwear."
Bulma blushed and backed away quickly, eyes wide and nose scrunched like she'd just smelled something exceedingly offending. Not really noticing the reaction, Roshi begun to laugh to himself in a creepy way. Turtle meanwhile, had plain disappointment on his face. It was directed at the Hermit with enough force that it should have been possible to be felt from miles away.
"You... y- you wanna s- see... my...! My underwear?!" Bulma asked incredulously, her eyes wide as she scurried away all the more, leaving plenty of distance between them.
"Master!" Turtle barked in a scolding tone. "What are you doing?!"
"You can't be serious!?" Bulma yelled out again, her eyes somehow even wider than a moment ago.
"Un huh!" Roshi hummed his determination, his face red as he nodded.
"Have you forgotten your code master?!" Turtle reprimanded angrily, "please! That's wrong! Dead wrong!"
"Oh! Hush up!" Roshi gave a glare down at Turtle that could be felt even through the sunglasses on his face. "Can't a master take a break from training and have a little fun?!"
"Now I understand why you couldn't ride your cloud!" Turtle accused, upset. He turned away from the master and rested his head on his front flippers as he sulked.
"Bite your tongue!" Roshi yelled back, spinning to whack the poor sea creature over the head with his staff with just enough force to make a solid thump. While Turtle's eyes teared up with pain and Roshi huffed indignantly, Bulma's eyes grew wide as she spotted the orange orb that blended in so well with the old man's outfit. It had moved just enough with Roshi's quick turn to draw her attention.
Mind working a mile a minute, the bluenette wondered how she could retrieve it peacefully. Only for the solution to have already been presented. Silently Bulma clutched the end of her skirt, her face now cherry red, as she took in a fortifying breath. She would get what she wanted.
"This is so embarrassing..." Bulma stated, looking up slightly. Though she had spoken out loud mostly for herself, it was still enough to gain Roshi's curious attention. "I... I cant believe I'm... d- doing this."
The blue haired girl took in another deep breath. She gathered all of her courage. And stood spread eagle as she lifted up the skirt of her nightdress high for anyone to see! Roshi yelled out in surprise and broke the top off his staff. Turtle gawked, having had whipped his head around in alarm when he'd heard Roshi's scream.
"TADA!" Bulma yelled out, doing her best to be proud.
"There! Done. That's it!" Bulma stated and put down her skirt. She turned her back to the old man and Turtle, her hands flying up to her red face in embarrassment. Then to herself, "I can't believe I just did that...!" she breathed out.
The Turtle Hermit quickly looked down at the sand, covering his 'slightly' (read: gushing) bleeding nose. Turtle looked as though his eyes were going to pop out of his head.
"Oh my eyes..." Roshi moaned, and held his head as though he were suddenly afflicted with a head ache. "I think I'm blinded...! I'm... about to faint.."
At the sound of that, Turtle recovered from his shock and embarrassment enough to turned to his master crossly. "It serves you right!" he hissed.
Eventually Bulma turned back around, doing her best to act as though nothing had just happened, and held her hands cupped together in front of her. With a smile, she faced the pair and looked between them for her prize.
"Alright! I did what you wanted. Can I have my gift now?"
"What?" Roshi asked, and looked up at her. "Huh? oh.. Right! T- the gift! Well... I have one in mind..." Roshi proceeded to scratch his head. Then he began to think out loud, but only for him and Turtle to hear.
"Now lets see, I could give her the... No not that, the wheels fell off. Well what about the-"
Only Bulma quickly cut the old man off, not wanting him to give her anything but the one thing she needed. What she'd just thrown her modesty away for.
"Stop! Stop! I already know what I want!" Bulma announced, eyes now glued to the orange stars and hardly noticing Roshi's inquisitive look. She went up to him, almost trance like in her walk, ready to snatch the thing as payment if needed.
"Yeah? You do?" Roshi asked hopefully, watching as the teen approached him with bright, wanting eyes. "What would you like?"
"That! I want that!" Bulma pointed to Roshi's necklace, where the orange orb hung just above his heart. "That thing that's hanging around your neck!"
"What? This old thing?" Roshi questioned incredulously as he held it up. Sure enough, it was the three star Dragonball. He shrugged it off and held it out to her. "You sure you want it? I found it washed up on my island one day, a very long time ago."
"It's beautiful! The three star ball." Bulma spoke in almost a coo as she held the ball close. All thoughts of her humiliation and loss of modesty thrown to the winds the moment that it's won weight rested in her hands, willingly given. With a small happy squeal, the blue haired teen twisted quickly and called up to the sky loudly, triumphantly. "HEY! Ruko! Goku! Come here! I have something to show you guys!"
Up on the Nimbus, one of the kids let out a sad sigh when they heard the call. Then they both shared a look before the cloud was turned and directed towards the beach again.
"On our way Bulma!" Ruko called out, and they flew over to her.
"What?" Goku asked and Bulma held out her hand, showing the three star ball.
"Look!" Bulma preened happily, especially when the two tailed children blinked in surprise at what they saw. "It's another Dragonball!"
Ruko took it from Bulma and held it between her and Goku so they could see it better.
"Huh. It sure is, isn't it!" Goku acknowledged with a nod, and Bulma bent her knees a little to stare at the Dragonball closer. She looked at it as though it was her new born baby.
"Our fourth Dragonball..." Bulma gave a happy sigh.
"Dragon... What'd you call it?"
"Aren't you glad we decided to help out Turtle after all?" Ruko grinned mischievously at Bulma while she stated this, unknowingly ignoring the old Hermit who had tried to ask them a question.
"It sure payed off!" Goku pointed out, and Bulma smiled at the two.
"I sure am, kids!" Bulma chimed and held up a finger at them. "You were so right! Side quests can have hidden treasure, apparently!" She giggled to herself happily, "and now, just three more then- wish time!"
"Yeah!" The two on the cloud happily cheered in sync.
"What?! That thing grants wishes?!" Roshi spluttered in his surprise, eyebrows up so high they'd have disappeared into his hairline... if he had any hair to begin with.
"What a great day!" Ruko declared, and gave the Dragonball back to Bulma.
Hugging the orange orb to her heart, Bulma spin on her heel to finally acknowledge Roshi again. "Thank you so much!" she beamed.
Both Ruko and Goku watched from their Nimbus with smiles on their faces, behind Bulma. It was nice for them to see their grouchy friend suddenly so happy.
"We really love our gifts, your a kindhearted and generous man! Thanks so much!" Bulma continued to blubber, her back to the kids on the somersault cloud, only to be swiftly cut off.
"I never said you can have that ball!" Roshi suddenly exclaimed, breaking the mood.
"Uh oh." Ruko whispered. Only Goku heard her and tensed in response.
"But you said that you would give me a gift! Can't I have it? Please?" When Roshi said nothing Bulma sighed. "Aww, come on! I payed you and everything!"
With a red face, she let out a sigh but pulled up the front of her skirt again. Ruko and Goku shared a puzzled look. Why would lifting your clothes help?
"There! Ah?" Bulma gave a nervous laugh as she continued to put down her skirt then lift it up again. Roshi's nose started to bleed, and blood ran down his white beard before he yelled out in surprise. Quickly he pulled a handkerchief out from behind him and placed it over his nose.
"I give up! You can have the stupid ball! It's yours- take it!" Roshi caved, voice somewhat muffled and nasally. Then, to himself; "she's trying to kill me!" he whispered incredulously.
Ruko wasn't sure why it worked, but somehow it did. Bulma had gotten Roshi to say yes, and now they had another Dragonball.
Jumping up and down in joy, Bulma vibrated nearly as much as the kids had a few moments ago after being treated to a triple air loop. Deciding not to bother with the why Ruko instead decided to just be happy for the usually unhappy girl, along with Goku.
Once Roshi had cleaned his face and Bulma had calmed back down, Roshi climbed back onto Turtle's shell. Bulma got on her bike while Goku and Ruko sat happily on their cloud as they waited. They all waved after the Turtle Hermit and his sea turtle.
"Goodbye!" Ruko yelled waving her hands high.
"So long!" Bulma called.
"See you later!" Goku added.
Goku and Ruko then stood up on the cloud together. Bulma took off with her bike and they easily urged their cloud to follow after her.
In comparison to their trip to the ocean, it didn't take them nearly as long to get back to the capsule house. But then again, Ruko and Goku had goofed off most of the trip over. They were much more interested in their new cloud and hardly noticed the time fly by. Bulma sighed happily as she got off of her bike and went to the door.
"Man! I never thought that things would be going this well!" Bulma exclaimed. "We only need three more Dragonballs! I guess it was meant to be kiddos!" As she turned to go into the house, she called over her shoulder how she needed to get ready to leave now.
Goku and Ruko happily layed down on their cloud, shoulder to shoulder, and settled to wait for Bulma. Goku put his hands behind his head, letting Ruko rest on the crook of his elbow in lieu of it staying in her face, while Ruko laced her finger over her stomach. They both gazed up at the white clouded blue sky, companionable silence between them comforting.
"Wow!" Goku giggled after a moment, "who knew that Bulma knew how to laugh?!"
"It sounds much better than her yelling, that's fer sure!" Ruko snickered, "think that was the first time she's ever done it?" and the comment quickly caused Goku fall into a fit of giggles with her, while nodding his head in affirmation. When they'd calmed somewhat, the girl let out a sigh. "Gosh, I wish Grandpa could see us now!"
"We're both much stronger than we were back then, Ruko." Goku stated seriously, causing the girl to turn and look at him. Noticing her turn, he locked gaze with her and smiled assuredly. "I'm sure he'd be real proud."
"Yeah," Ruko agreed after a moment, returning his grin easily. "And he'd love Nimbus too!"
Before Goku could answer, a piercing scream sounded from inside of the house.
"Bulma?!" Ruko yelped in alarm as she and Goku bolted upright. When there was no immediate answer (other than the continued yell), both kids hopped down from their Nimbus and ran towards the house.
"Hold on, we're coming!" Goku called, and Ruko kicked the door wide open. It slammed against the inner wall loud enough to get the attention of the screaming Bulma as the two kids stopped at the threshold to the bedroom. Bulma shook, her wide eyes staring right through them. Both took the moment to look around but they couldn't spot anything that could be so alarming as to warrant a scream like the one she'd loosed.
Goku blinked at the lack of danger. "What's going on in here?"
When the boy got no answer, the girl took a cautious step forwards. "What's wrong, Bulma?" Ruko asked, and the two of them looked up curiously to their blue haired friend.
The blue haired teen held a pair of underwear in her hands. There was a look on her face that suggested the garment might have come from outer space.
Voice trembling, "m- my underwear was here on the floor...! I- I'm afraid to look..." The two kids watched her curiously as Bulma put her hands around her hips and felt them through the fabric of her nightgown. "THEY'RE NOT THERE?!"
Ruko and Goku took a step back, watching her oddly as Bulma felt herself up. Maybe they had been wrong this morning. Maybe Bulma only misunderstood them and now was the time that she found out on her own that they were missing. Maybe what they found that morning was not how you could tell if a person was a girl or not.
Ruko and Goku shared a look. The girl nudged her head in Bulma's direction. Goku shook his head minutely, eyes wide and face pale with worry. He had brought his hands forward as though in preparation to block something painful from happening. Swallowing, Ruko stepped forward sadly to try and comfort their companion.
"It's okay, Bulma." Ruko tried and patted the blue haired girl's hand. "Ya'll get used to it. It's not so bad..."
"W- what are you talking about?!" Bulma stuttered, her face cherry red. She stepped away from Ruko's touch as though she'd been burned. "This is very bad!"
Ruko looked at her with a hurt expression, not expecting Bulma's reaction and then looked down at her hand. Had she done something wrong? Maybe it was just the shock of finding out. It had taken Ruko and Goku a while to get used to the fact that she was different from him. But Ruko could also see that since Bulma was only different from today on, it must be a very big thing to get used to- especially with that scream she'd done when she found out.
"Hey!" Goku warned, not liking how Bulma had pulled away like she had. But Ruko just gave him a sad smile.
"It's okay, Goku. She just needs the time to get used to it." Ruko stated sadly, stopping Goku from going to her defense.
"Ya sure?" the boy questioned, and shot a glare at Bulma, who wasn't even paying them any mind anymore. She'd turned around, hand to her pale face, and began to pace while she muttered to herself. Ruko nodded, just glad that Goku didn't pull away from her too.
"Don't worry Bulma, maybe they'll grow back or something!" Ruko nodded thoughtfully, gaining Bulma's attention at the sound of her name. "If you had them to begin with then... they should come back to you!"
"What are you idiot's talking about?! I don't need anything weird to grow on me! I'm completely fine!" Bulma seethed and then held up her underwear. "This is what I'm talking about!" she shook the garment a bit to emphasize her point. Screeching, "why were these on the floor?! I was supposed to be wearing them!"
Both children took a moment to blink long and slow at her. Then Ruko's brow furrowed while Goku smiled.
"Oh, is that all?" the boy asked, relieved.
"Gosh Bulma, we thought something really bad had happened!" Ruko berated with a shake of her head. Looks like it wasn't about what makes boys 'boys' and girls 'girls' at all! The relief felt from this was uplifting for her.
No longer sad, "well it should all be okay then, Bulma!" Ruko continued with a happy nod.
"What?" Bulma said, looking down at the kids. "What are you talking about?"
"Ya picked them up from right where I put them." Goku explained casually, but when Bulma kept her blank face he saw fit to continue. "After I took them off this morning."
Blanched, "are you saying... that you took my underwear off -while I was sleeping!- this morning...?!" Bulma asked, properly horrified.
"He sure did!" Ruko confirmed as Goku's witness. He nodded his head along fully admitting it.
"This pair of underwear?!" she waved the garment around again, just to make sure. They were starting to look at her funny, and shared a quick glance that practically screamed 'can't she understand their language?', but they nodded again nonetheless.
"Yes." Ruko reaffirmed.
"The very ones." Goku did the same.
Suddenly the aura around Bulma became very cold. Dropping her precious underwear, the girl passed them by to enter the kitchen and open a long cupboard. From within it she pulled out a shot gun, then marched over to the living room again, snatching the TV remote. Curiously the two kids followed her out into the living room, stumped by her actions.
"Uhh..?" Ruko questioned, trepidation only growing the longer this went on. Bulma looked as though she were on a mission, and Ruko wasn't sure if she wanted to find out what the teen intended to do. "What are you doing...?"
"Bulma?" Goku asked as Bulma pointed the remote to a spot beside the bathroom door.
A piece of the wall she'd pointed the remote at sunk in, revealing a secret cupboard that had a safe within it. The teen put down her remote and went to open the safe.
Tails waving behind them nervously, Goku and Ruko shared a concerned look.
"Bulma?" Ruko asked again when the safe door opened, "are you mad...?"
There was a click as Bulma finished with loading the firearm, and the teen finally turned to face them.
"Mad?" Bulma queried, nearly silently. The kids flinched at the look in her blue eyes. It was a glare that could have melted a glacier. She held up the loaded weapon with the barrel pointed towards them. "I'M FURIOUS! HOW DARE YOU UNDRESS ME IN MY SLEEP!" she screeched and shot at their feet.
They yelped as they jumped back in effort to not be hit, but the small pellets bounced and some managed to hit them anyways. It felt like a swarm of bees had come to attack them, only these bees had weight and bite to their sting.
With a loud huff, Mai turned from the messy kitchen to face the thoroughly searched lounge room. So far she's had no luck in the search for a Dragonball, a testament proved with the state she's left the house in. Chair's flipped, cupboards emptied, wardrobes moved or fallen over. From the sounds of loud bangs from above her and lack of triumphant noises, Mai could only assume that Shu has had the same luck.
Hands covering her face, she let out a low frustrated groan. "Someone tipped off the informant didn't they? We came here for nothing."
"Oh, I really hope not..." Shu's nervous voice replied, causing Mai to look up. Shifting from one foot to the other and ears pinned back, "Pilaf wont be happy about this. Not at all." he stated unhappily, tone nearly a whimper.
There was a weary look on Mai's face at that, acknowledging. "We just need to find something-"
"Quiet." Shu cut off, ears suddenly perked as his head snapped towards the lounge window. Although irked at being cut off so suddenly, Mai stayed silenced, recognizing how out of character demanding her to be so was for her ninja partner along with how serious he looked. In a low whisper that she could only just hear, "something just arrived."
With fascination Mai watched as Shu seemed to melt into the shadows cast throughout the house, footsteps completely silent despite the small water stains that she could clearly see him still leave in his wake. She didn't dare move, not wanting to give Shu away if who he approached had hearing as sharp or sharper than his. Instead Mai would have to wait for the appropriate signal from Shu that told her whom or what they were up against.
Ears twitching with attentiveness, Shu held up a fist for Mai, silently telling her that he could hear a voice. Whoever it was, they were more sentient than a mere animal. As he carefully approached a window, Shu got his first glimpse of the island visitor. Dark green scales covered the being from head to toe, colorful swimming trunks and a tube of sun screen in their paw enough to tell Shu exactly what the long snouted anthropomorphic thought of the island even without the lounge chair they were now on, under the shade of the lone palm tree, dark sun glasses on their face and merry tune hummed under their breath.
Glancing back at Mai, Shu loosened his fist until it looked like he held an invisible pencil in his hand, holding the sign for just a few seconds before slowly widening the distance between his thumb and index. Nodding, Mai approached silently and Shu returned his full attention to the sunbathing crocodile outside. Only when the scaled anthropomorphic looked completely at home and relaxed under the the heat of the sun did Shu take a moment to get Mai's attention again.
Pointing at her, Shu made a motion as though he were knocking on the air before he pointed to himself and quickly rotated his fist in a full circle once. 'You question. I'm around with back up' was the message.
Mai answered back by rotating her fist downwards before flicking up her index finger by her temple, as though she'd just gotten a bright idea. 'I understand.'
As Shu disappeared within the house Mai silently hoisted herself out of the screen-less window barely making a sound when she touched the ground. With light footsteps- though not nearly as light as Shu was capable- Mai approached the unaware crocodile from behind. She kept herself within arm's reach of the being's snout in case it came to something like a wrestle match, put on a smile and spoke just loud enough to get it's attention as she came within it's peripheral view.
"Lovely weather isn't it?"
Not even flinching, one of the croc's eye ridges rose and Mai could just spot it's closer eye roll in her direction behind the sunglasses before it turned it's full attention to her. "Perfect to get a tan going." he agreed, voice the deep bar tone of male. "Shedding season, ya know?"
Nodding along Mai kept her smile polite. "Do you know when Roshi is supposed to return?"
Raising a scaled paw, the croc scratched at the underside of his long snout, a few scales flaking off as he did so. "Hmm, hard to say. Turtle came around few hours ago, (haven't seen that bloke in forever. Almost thought he was dead.) talking about needing him to go somewhere with him. I wasn't told how far away this place they were headed was, so no clue lady. Could be only a few minutes more. Could be a few more hours."
"I see," Mai replied, letting her frown show.
"Maybe I can help you out," the croc continued after a moment, "Roshi isn't taking on students unless they really impress him. Since Turtle disappeared he got me to help him with that (though I can probably leave now that he's back) so I have an idea of what he's looking for in students. You up for it?"
There was a pause as Mai took a moment to process what the crocodile said, and he waited for her answer, before she shook her head. "Student? Sorry, I'm not here to study under the Turtle Hermit."
He stared for another moment, "then what are you here for?"
"I'm looking for something." Mai cupped her hands in front of her to show a specific size. "A orange sphere about this big. There are stars inside of it. Have you seen it?"
"Hey, Master Roshi!" the croc yelled out, causing Mai to spin half way around in order to see the area behind her. Her hand had gone to her hip (where her pistol waited under her coat) in preparation of a sneak attack on reflex, but Mai quickly forced herself to relax and seem non threatening especially when she spotted the old man in vacation clothes stepping off a large sea turtle's shell and onto the island's dry sand. "This girl here is asking after your star orb necklace!"
"Girl?!" whipping his head over in their direction, Roshi's eyebrows rose in surprise.
"He was wearing it before he left," the croc added helpfully before he relaxed further into his seat and let out a breath of air.
"Thanks," Mai responded lightly before she approached the old man and gave him the bare bones of a bow in respect of the elderly. "Greetings."
"Oh... I suspect that dreary old coat is hiding things; got potential this one."
"Master!" the turtle reprimanded, though Mai felt as though it were something that happened often with the old man.
Carefully she kept a strained smile on her face, wondering about her luck. "I'm sorry?"
"Oh! Uh, hello! I don't think we've met?" Roshi answered quickly, sorely missing his wooden staff in that moment- he had no idea what to do with his hands and eventually settled on a light wave of hello.
"We haven't," Mai responded, trying to bring something other than monotone to her voice and failing. "I've come to inquire you about a small orange orb with stars in it. It'll be about this big." once again Mai cupped her hands to show the size she meant.
"Hmm... Oh yes, that old thing? I just gave it away." Roshi responded casually, then began to shake his head slowly, "girl was so persistent, she nearly killed me over it. I was lucky to have gotten out of there with my shirt and sandals!"
"As deserved, acting like you do..." the turtle muttered bitterly, shaking his own head in disappointment.
"A girl has it?" Mai quickly asked, not wanting to be done just yet. "What does she look like?"
"A pretty little thing; light blue hair like a lagoon, porcelain white skin and smooth looking long legs ta boot!" Roshi giggled, "she's a looker now, imagine in just a few short years!"
"Master!" reprimanded the turtle again, though the tone was completely ignored.
"I see. Where was the last place that you saw her?"
"Ah? Oh, just over on Hateno Beach. A little over two hours swim from here... are you planning to go there?"
"Yes. Thank you for the information." Mai responded, giving a bow that was just a little deeper than the first one as she began to turn in the direction of the sea plane.
"She couldn't have gotten too far." Shu stated as he appeared by Mai's side as soon as she turned the corner of the house. Mai nodded as they both got back into the plane.
"Let's go."
Just as they were about to start up the engine, Roshi's voice reached them. "She's got two tailed kids with her! You can't miss them!"
Freezing up, Mai and Shu didn't do anything for the better half of a minute. Then, slowly, they turned to meet the other's gaze.
"You don't think...?" Shu questioned quietly.
"...It's highly improbable." Mai responded. "Besides, these ones have- wait, tails?"
Nodding, "yeah, tails." Shu confirmed.
Mai let out a sigh and turned on the plane's engine.
High in the air and safe upon their cloud, Goku and Ruko stared over it's edge down at the rounded mouth of Bulma's 'house'. They had been quick to run out of the house at the first presented opportunity- when Bulma had to reload- and had peeked back inside to see if all was well shortly after. That had been a mistake as more bee-like shots were fired, but only lasted as long as one of them showed their faces. Now with tense bodies, they waited for any sign that told them if it was safe to approach the trigger happy teen again, all senses alert.
"Why'd Bulma get mad ya think?" Ruko questioned quietly, voice barely heard in order to not completely break the silence.
"Dunno," Goku replied, just as quiet, "but I'm not touching 'underwear' ever again."
Mutely Ruko nodded. Then, "I'll remind ya if ya forget."
"Don't think I can, even if I wanted ta."
A distinct 'click' came from within the building and the duo flinched, hunkering down further into their little yellow cloud together. When nothing but the subtle sound of metal clinking together followed, Goku became the first to check over the edge of the cloud once more.
"Gosh, I don't like those bees Bulma can command." Ruko commented, relaxing somewhat the longer that Goku looked and didn't get in trouble for it.
"At least they don't have poison like normal bees..." Goku tried weakly, but grimaced at his own words. He then let out a short breath before taking in a deep one, "Bulma!" he called loudly, leaning forwards so that most of him was hanging off Nimbus but not so much that he'd be in danger of falling. "Are ya done being mad?!"
A quick succession of stomping, "I'm going to get changed now and we're going to leave in a bit." Bulma responded when she appeared in the doorway's threshold and peered up at him. "I don't see any reason why either of you should need to come in until then."
The door slammed closed.
"...Was tha' a no?!" Goku asked again in a loud yell, still not sure about the answer for his question.
"Hey, ya hear that Goku?" Ruko asked, perking up somewhat beside him. He went still, focusing on his hearing, but soon shook his head. "It's comin' from over there." she pointed in the direction of the beach that they had left not long ago, "Bulma's probably gonna take forever again. Lets go see."
Even if he had wanted to protest there hadn't been any time for it. Within seconds Ruko was directing the Nimbus where she wanted it to go, sitting up fully, immediately adjusting so she could sit in the butterfly stretch with the base of her feet pressed together. Goku automatically (and absently) copied her habitual stance. They flew for only a few moments before he made a curious sound the moment that they had gotten close enough for him to hear the noise that Ruko was following.
"Oh, I think we've heard that before..." Ruko stated slowly, then grinned as she realized where. "It's the same noise that big bird made that other night!" Her stomach grumbled at the prospect.
"This one sounds a little different," Goku noticed, tilting his head as his own stomach growled. "I think it's a little smaller than that other one we took down."
"Oh! Goku! We're flying this time!" Ruko practically squealed as giddy excitement took over.
He let out a gasp as he came to the same reasoning Ruko did, a wide grin growing to match hers on his face. "We can catch it before it falls and make sure it doesn't land somewhere it can catch fire!"
"Exactly!" Ruko agreed readily.
Their cloud sped on, nearly as quick as when they'd been playing around earlier in the day. Together they leaned from one side to the other as they weaved through the taller of the rocky spires that littered the land, ignoring altogether the road that lazily snaked between said rock formations in favor of their straighter path above.
"Wow, look at that!" Ruko exclaimed when the sand shores of the beach came into view for Goku, ocean round and full on the horizon. "Only a little smaller than the other bird, but still plenty for us both and Bulma!"
Goku hummed, then. "We can't have it flying away on us."
"Nimbus is faster than a bird." Ruko dismissed with a scoff.
"But we don't have to chase after it." Goku pointed out. "Just need to slow it down."
Eyes suddenly glinting, alight with an idea, "no!" Ruko decided determinedly. "We'll take out it's wings."
As the two began to converse on how they'd execute their plan, just under forty miles or so away now, Shu made an inquisitive noise.
"What is it?" Mai questioned from the pilot seat, glancing at her partner sidelong.
Scope now away from his eyes, Shu rubbed them as though to clear them of sleep. When he felt satisfied that his eyes were indeed clear, he put the spyglass back up and peered through the scope again.
"...huh."
"Shu."
"Sorry." The ninja cringed, ears falling flat as he finally put the far-seeing device back in his lap in order to give Mai his full attention. "There's a... well, to be frank, there's some kids on a cloud heading our way..."
Silently Mai stared ahead and Shu started to squirm in his seat.
"They uh... the 'do on one of them reminds me of the kids from the other night..."
Finally, "it's probably just some big bird that you haven't ever seen before. Or someone's weirdly modified aircraft, Shu. Kids don't just hop on clouds and fly off. Nor are the two from the other night stalking us." Mai stated. "Look again, are they still there?"
Nervously Shu lifted the spyglass and peered through the scope again. His shoulders relaxed. "Huh. They're gone." With a small chuckle he looked at Mai again, relieved. "I guess I really did see wrong. The air is clear and we're steadily approaching Hateno Beach."
Mai nodded, "see Shu, you shouldn't get so nervous. You'll work us both up one of these days and we'll both get in trouble for it. Now see if you can find that blue haired gir-!"
Their plane jolted. They both rocked forwards, seat belts slamming against their chests to keep them in their seats while the plane began to careen into a downward spiral. Yelping, Mai and Shu both looked to the wing on their own sides of the plane, only to spot a tailed child on each of them. Eyes wide and disbelieving, they watched, metal screeching in their ears, as one child began to rip into the metal of the wing while the other pulled up on the rigid limb and with the ease of tinfoil, bend it completely out of shape. It was only by some unknown factor to them that either child managed to hang on at all.
"No, no, no, no!" They chanted together vigorously, alarm mounting with a vicious pace. By chance one of the children looked up, green eyes widening as the two were spotted.
Although somewhat muffled, the shout the green eyed one made was loud enough to be heard through the metal. "There are people on it's back!"
"Okay! Get ready to catch us all!" Came the replying shout, much to Mai and Shu's confusion. Suddenly the green eyed child disappeared, allowing themselves to be taken by the wind, leaving a sparking and smoking wing behind.
Almost completely flat against the bent out of shape wing, the second child inched their way over to the layered plexiglass that protected the cabin from the high winds and helped to pressurize against hypoxia. Once close enough, they peered inside, dark brown hues instantly locking with Mai and Shu's frightened gazes.
"I- I recognize him!" Shu whimpered in disbelief. "And the o- other one t- too! Those bright green eyes!"
With the ground spiraling closer by the second, Mai and Shu could only watch, horror possibly toppling over their alarm, as the brown eyed boy dug an elbow into the windshield. Minute spider webbed cracks appeared, splintering across the once clear pane. A second blow had the window looking like a shattered mirror. The third blow had the glass bend inwards, like a hole about to be poked through a soft plastic. Unheeded by the thought of injury the boy dug his fingers into the center of the dent in the glass he'd made and pulled, only to loose his grip on the plane with the sudden rush of air that exploded out of the cabin at the loss of pressure.
Mai gasped as the immovable force of the seat belt around her chest fought with the sudden air current, stealing the breath from her lungs before she could really do anything. For Shu a similar problem was happening, only he had more resilience than Mai and soon his survival instincts kicked in. Claws dug into the plush of the seat beneath him as his other hand dipped into his shirt to pull out a small kunai knife. With it Shu cut away his belt, just enough for him to slowly release himself from it's grasp. He stuck the kunai handle in his mouth as he maneuvered out of the belt and painstakingly crawled towards Mai's seat. As soon as he dug his front claws into Mai's backrest, Shu turned and used his foot to hit the eject button for his seat.
It left with a loud bang, blowing out the rest of the window with it's force, quickly disappearing somewhere up in the air and behind the plane. Another bang sounded and the tip of the plane's nose jolted upwards as though it was hit from below, somehow adding a new spin to the plane as air caught in the opened window and flipped it nose over tail but also slowing the decent somewhat. Dizzy and now a little more panicked Shu did his best to claw his way around Mai's seat so that he was in front of her before using his kunai to slice at her belt. Her body had slacked into unconsciousness sometime when this new spin started and Shu did his best to keep her head and neck from moving too much. There was a sickened twist to his stomach as he watched the window flash between the blue of the sky and the slightly darker blue of the water and could only hope that one was still better than the other. No longer able to tell which was which or how close or far the ocean was, Shu simply took a leap of faith as he cut the last bit to Mai's restraint and hugged her tight as they dove out the window.
Air rushed about them, whistling in ears, coating like some thin blanket that kissed their skin and tore at clothes. Above and below pieces of the plane seemed to float in jagged dangerous pieces, falling just a little faster than them. Suddenly everything came to a halt as something snagged Shu at the back of his shirt just under his arms, the jolt of it nearly had him loose his grip on Mai.
"Gottcha!"
Then everything was moving again, only sideways. It took a long moment for Shu to realize that he was no longer falling. Blinking, he looked back over his shoulder and met the dark brown eyes of his rescuer. Just behind said rescuer was the other child, green eyes glancing over anxiously while simultaneously looking forward- steering the cloud that they stood on.
That was when Shu noticed their tails- one belonging to the boy that held them was around the waistband of the other as though in anchor, while the green eyed boy's tail was rigid behind him, bending only slightly to counteract air currents when battered against them- and began to tremble. He was certain who these two were now, even though the darkness had obscured most of their features the last that they had met.
Solid ground was suddenly under Shu's feet and his knees gave out. Sand dug through his clothes into his legs, getting between his toes stuck in his socks. Mai was gently set on the sand in front of him, and all three watched as the plane finally hit the water with enough force to make it split from the impact. Water rose with the impact, the splash two stories tall at least.
"Whoa.." the tailed duo breathed out, in awe of the impact.
As the water settled and large waves began to lap up at the shore, Goku gasped as though waking from a dream. "The bird!"
They both hopped back up onto their cloud, speeding over to the wreckage to take a look at what was left for them to salvage. Shu watched from shore for a good five minutes before he felt that he could walk again without too much issue. Still shaking, he did his best to lift Mai's larger and heavier body as he skedaddled away from there.
"Something's wrong with it," Ruko stated as she lifted another rigid piece of broken wing. It was too stiff under her fingers, as though it had been dead for a full day already instead of just killed. Goku hummed his agreeance from beside her, having leaned down to pick up another piece to inspect for himself.
"Should we check the main body?" Goku questioned, eyeing the whirlpool forming as the main body sunk into the water faster than expected. Soon all that was left as evidence of the crash was the swirling water. "Looks as strong as under a waterfall."
"Yeah. But we should still make sure." Ruko agreed. She took a moment to slip off her shoes, suck a deep breath in and dove in head first.
Following her lead, Goku took off his own shoes. "Stay here Nimbus." he commanded, and took in a big breath to hold before he jumped in after her.
Water enveloped him, warm temperature barely dropping as he used the downward current to help him catch up to Ruko faster. Light began to dim, most of it being blocked by the sinking debris, yet he was able to spot Ruko easily. She had caught up to their prey, circling it as she rapped her knuckles on it's surface at various places. When Goku finally arrived at her side he too circled the bird, rapping his knuckles against it's hard sides and listening to it's dull ring through the water. Soon he spotted the point where the nose broke from the rest of the body and peered inside.
Live wires sparked dangerously in the dim lighting, looking like constant flashes of lightning in a dark stormy sky. Jagged pieces of exoskeleton gave away to veins of wires entangled together, black blood spilling from some and bubbling upwards like plumes of toxic smoke. Insides perfectly smooth with the exception of a sole seat and a spot directly beside that looked big enough to fit a second one without any trouble.
Rounding the side, Ruko appeared, looked inside just as Goku had before locking eyes with him. They both swam back, away from the sinking thing, now fighting the current to not be sucked under any further. The strain of it proved to be too much, their bodies starting to protest as the weight of the water became too much, lungs starting to burn with stagnant air.
Soon Ruko pressed herself to Goku's side, immediately getting his attention. She gestured to his tail, using her own to wrap around his waist tightly, before grabbing his right wrist with her left hand and moving their arms in sync above their heads. Slowly he got her idea, and let out a few bubbles from his nose for them to follow as he wrapped his own tail around her waist.
Together they beat their legs, arms stroking at the water with new determination. With their tails locked around the other's waist they helped pull one another up and slowly they began to break free of the current.
Tiredly the two swam up, and up, and up. It seemed like forever before the light in the water began to clear, no longer dark and dim. Their heads broke the surface, the two gasping for breath, clinging to one another as much as they treaded the water to keep afloat.
"Nimbus!" Goku called weakly, spotting the yellow cloud several feet away from where they were now. It happily zoomed over, lowering itself for them to climb on easily. Identical sighs of relief left the two when they'd finally made it aboard, Ruko on her stomach and Goku on his back, disentangled. "Take us... back to Bulma."
Starting slowly, the cloud lifted up into the air gaining speed the further from the ocean it went. Ruko sighed contently, patting it's side. "Good cloud."
Goku had already closed his eyes, sparing only a little more effort to dig his and Ruko's shoes out from under his back, before he relaxed in the feel of the cool breeze cocooning him and the warmth of the sun on his front.
"...'Ku," Ruko called softly, rousing him from the spell he'd been put under. He let out a noncommittal hum. She continued, only moving the barest amount to get her point across. "It was dead a'fore it hit the water."
Slowly Goku opened his eyes, staring at the bright blue sky above with heavy lids. "Had black blood." he agreed. "Days and days old."
"So how did it fly?" Ruko asked, "...stay up in the air?"
That question dangled in the air between them like a thread that they were asked to catch. Silently they mulled it over.
A solid click caught their attention then. Ruko opened her eyes, finally forcing herself up onto her elbows to see properly while Goku let out a quiet groan as he rolled onto his side and propped an arm underneath of him. They both blinked dumbly, spotting Bulma opening the door to her capsule home, having not noticed when Nimbus had come to a halt.
The blue haired teen barely spared them a glance, a new device hung by a string on her wrist, and magic pouch once more strapped around her waist.
"Okay, you two, ready to head out?"
Ruko looked up to the sky, noting the position of the sun. "Bulma. It's just after lunch."
A loud growl came from two empty stomachs at that declaration. Goku's groan became a loud protest. Bulma eyed them, then out of her pouch she pulled out her capsule case.
"Which is why I packed a lunch to go." she stated firmly, picking out a tiny capsule and holding it aloft for them to see as though it were a prize to be won. They stared, unimpressed.
"That's barely a nibble for you." Goku pointed out, and frowned at the eye roll he'd received as an answer.
"Remember how I can make things appear out of these things? Well the food's in this. And there's enough for all three of us, including a whole suckling pig- based on how much you two stuffed down yesterday."
While Goku's eyes widened at the prospect of that much food, Ruko's held a glint of renewed interest.
"Really?" Goku questioned, awed. "Can we have it now?"
Bulma closed her fist around the capsule, hiding it from them. "Only if you've actually learned your lesson."
They blinked, recovering minds slow on the uptake.
"Oh. Don't touch underwear." Goku replied dutifully.
"NO!" Bulma shrieked, causing the two to flinch at the sudden shrill volume. "YOU DON'T UNDRESS ME WHEN I SLEEP!" She took a breath, red fading somewhat from her face until it settled in her pale cheeks.
"So ya don't care about yer underwear now?" Ruko clarified, scrunching her brow in confusion.
Bulma huffed, "don't touch that either!" A hand went through her immaculate bangs, ruffling the straight strands as she tugged at her scalp, eyes closing for a moment as she muttered mutely under her breath.
Suddenly a lot calmer, "the lesson is to not undress me in my sleep. But that doesn't mean I want either of you snooping in my drawers and grabbing my things, especially not my bra's and underwear." Bulma recited before staring them both down. "Agreed?"
"Sure." Ruko shrugged.
"Yup!" Goku agreed enthusiastically. Then he eyed Bulma's closed fist. "Can we have our lunch now?"
Another roll of the eyes was passed before Bulma clicked her capsule, throwing it towards them. A cloud of smoke appeared with a bang, causing the two to yelp with surprise. Nimbus puttered backwards just enough so that nine large boxes wrapped in colored cloths fell short of their laps, landing on the ground beneath them instead. Bulma picked up the only blue and white colored one, it being much smaller than the other ones present, chuckling at them and their reaction.
"Chill out you two, it's just boxed lunches. Take as many of those as you like, this one is mine." She held up the one that she'd picked up, then went and put it on the back of her motor cycle that was still parked where she'd left it that morning.
Not wasting another moment to complain, the children hopped down from their cloud and gathered up the boxes.
"Wow! Ya tied it just like grandpa used to!" Ruko remarked as she stacked some onto the Nimbus.
There was a pause in Bulma's stride as she walked towards the capsule house's front door again, but she quickly shook her head. "It's just the standard knot kiddo. I'm going to put the house away now. Are you two ready this time?"
Standing just outside of the house, Bulma didn't bother to look over at them as they froze. Nimbus floating just above their heads, now stacked with food boxes, they needed to get up without said stack toppling over.
"Presto!"
Bulma pressed a button on the side of the Capsule house and it disappeared before everyone's eyes. The kids yelped out in shock, still not used to Bulma's witch craft.
"Now that's what I call house cleaning!" Bulma joked, and the kids looked at her in exasperation.
"Don't scare us like that, Bulma!" they said together. Ruko had her arms crossed and Goku had his hands on his hips.
"Hey, I did give you a warning!" Bulma pointed out, then rolling her eyes that them. "Guys I can just put the boxes back into the storage capsule. You don't need to do that."
"How can we eat them if they're in yer witch bomb?" Ruko asked, appalled.
For a long moment Bulma stared and Ruko waited for her answer. Goku carefully climbed up onto the Nimbus, sitting butterfly as he leaned forwards, using his chin on the top of the stack to help keep balance when it wobbled at his touch, before gently dragging the stacked food boxes to be in the center of their cloud.
A long sigh, "yeah, I guess." Bulma finally relented, frowning at her bike before making her way over and mounting it.
"Okay Ruko," Goku called, still holding the stack of boxes carefully. "Real slow like, 'kay?"
Watching the stack that Goku held as though they might jump out at her, Ruko carefully maneuvered herself up onto the Nimbus. Gently she sat herself butterfly across from Goku, leaving just enough room between the both of them to cut the stack in half and pile them a little more securely for flight.
Bulma's bike roared to life and she turned her attention to the device on her wrist. She took the strap off, instead tying it to her handlebar, before she pressed a button and turned a dial until sounds could clearly be heard over the motor.
"What's that Bulma?" Goku asked, looking over despite unwrapping one of the boxed lunches.
"It's making weird sounds." Ruko added, but only gained a glare for the comment.
"It's my walkman!" Bulma explained, "it's playing some of my favorite songs, which I recorded just for this trip before I left home. This one is by Whitney, called 'Wanna Dance With Somebody'!"
When she received only faces stuffed with food and looks of disinterest, she huffed. "Common you guys, this is cool! I even made it so that you don't have to take out the cassette to listen and record the songs! All the other walkman need to have headphones to listen to their songs!"
Ruko simply nodded along as though she understood while Goku redirected his focus back to food.
With a sigh, Bulma set off down the road. Nimbus followed diligently as the children became distracted with their meal.
On the road again; Bulma, Goku and Ruko have once again entered the main quest to reunite the seven magic Dragonballs! Or will they be derailed by yet another side quest and sooner than they expect?