Chapter 11: One of the Z's

I opened my eyes, and I was standing right where I had been under the pendulum. I looked over, blinking, and saw the others were all alright. Even though I knew it wasn't real, it had hurt all the same.

The others started to talk, but I was deaf to them as I stared at the very interesting point on the pentagram at my feet.

Krillen risked his life for me… Yamcha died… Tien died… Choazu died… yet Krillen and I were last and he still was brave enough to try to save me…

I looked up to the others. They were all relieved to be alive.

And those two Saiyans… not all Saiyans have trouble with their instincts… but I do… now what do I do?

"Do you understand that all of this was an illusion?" Kami asked.

"What? But the pain…"

"The two Saiyans coming to earth will be twice as strong." Kami added.

I knew that… but still, why does my chest hurt from fear? I know Vegeta and Nappa will be strong… it's because… it's real now. This isn't television…

"Kami, can we do that again?" Tien asked.

"Yeah, we need all the practice we can get." Yamcha agreed.

"Very well, if you wish to go again, you may."

"I'll pass…" I said, walking back toward the outer rim.

"Hold up, guys." Krillen said. I heard his footfalls behind me, but I didn't slow down or stop, "Katie!"

When he called I stopped. I didn't turn to face him, I just stared at the floor.

"Krillen. I have to go back with Piccolo and Gohan."

"Did you learn anything from those Saiyans?"

"…Nothing. Nothing that helps." I said after finding the right words.

"Then why don't you go back with us? Try again?"

"Gohan and Piccolo need me." I replied. I looked up to the bright blue sky, a contrast to the dark planet we had just visited and to my heart.

"Will you get control?" he asked shakily.

"I swear, one day I will. I just don't know exactly…"

"Oh… okay."

"Why did you do it? You should have left me back there." I stated. I was choking back tears. I wasn't a crier, I was a fighter now.

"Even if you aren't Goku's sister, I saw how you two got along. You are as much his sister as I am his brother. That means we're siblings too. Besides, Goku would have killed me if I didn't do something." He was trying to make light of the subject. It wasn't working.

"I'm no different from those two who just tried to kill us." I said in a hard, cold tone. He just stood there, and I was about to start off again when he spoke up.

"You are very different from those two monsters. You don't want to be a monster. That makes you better." Krillen was totally serious this time.

"Krillen… I want you to keep that promise. If I ever go completely… feral, I want you to kill me. If you're not strong enough… find a way, no matter what, okay?"

"It will never come to that."

I took that as a reluctant yes. I turned to face the room once more.

"Tell them I said bye. I'm going back to the wilderness to train with Gohan and Piccolo." I started off again.

"Remember, Katie, you're one of us now! The Z Senshi! Don't forget!"

I looked back and smiled. Somehow I knew he was right. I nodded and jumped into the air, back to my yearling home of the wilderness.

XxX

I landed only feet from Gohan and Piccolo that night. They looked up and Gohan ran and grabbed my legs. He was happy to see me.

"Aunt Katie, where ya been? You just disappeared and left me alone!"

"Yeah kid… sorry… but… I guess I have to tell you both." I sighed.

"Tell us what?" Gohan asked. I knelt down so I was eyelevel with him.

"Gohan, I'm a full blooded Saiyan, like your dad and Raditz and the two guys coming here. Your dad is special, but the rest… we're animals by nature. I left you alone because I was afraid I might hurt you."

"That's what Mr. Piccolo said, but I don't care!" he said, a little angry.

"Yeah, I realized that." I replied, ruffling his hair as I stood back up. Piccolo stood up and walked over to me, his arms to his sides.

"Katie, what is your mission?"

"To defeat the Saiyans. To protect earth."

"And…?"

"And… to gain control of my instincts."

"Now that that's settled, get some sleep. We start training tomorrow." Piccolo turned around and went inside the nearby cave. I looked down at Gohan.

"Gohan?"

"Yeah?" his bright eyes made me feel so guilty.

"I want you to fight your hardest with Piccolo. You have to become strong. There may not always be someone to protect you or to help you. One day you may be in a fight all alone. Do you understand?"

"I've been living out here for a few months all alone, I think I get it."

"I'm sorry I left you, Gohan. But I was afraid I would hurt you. I… I attacked Piccolo."

"I understand." Gohan let out a large yawn, and I copied him.

"Come on, kid. We better get to sleep." He headed into the cave, but stopped when he noticed I wasn't following him.

"Aunt Katie, aren't you coming?"

I looked up to see that the moon was gone. Piccolo had blown it up.

"No… I'm gonna sleep out here." I said, walking toward the nearest tree.

XxX

"Alright Katie, show me what you can do. Watch closely Gohan, you're up next." Piccolo said, standing in his trademark pose.

"I'll warn you, I'm better than you think."

I copied his lead with a pose and looked him over. He still had his cape and turban on, so I knew he wasn't at full power. He was also masking his Ki, so I couldn't read his full power.

I'm at least Raditz's level by now… lets see if Piccolo has trained as well as he thinks…

I was faster than I really realized when I came up behind Piccolo and hit him. He seemed surprised, but he didn't try to show it. He turned and kicked me, but I ignored the pain as I got back up and charged him again.

This happened quite a few times in a row, then Piccolo punched me hard in the stomach and I fell back. I held my stomach and coughed up blood.

My first real internal injury… now I really am one of the Z Senshi…

"Mr. Piccolo, that isn't fair! You're not supposed to hit girls that hard!" Gohan screamed. I laughed at the irony.

"Gohan, the Saiyans won't care if she's a girl or not in a fight, so neither do I." Piccolo called.

I thanked Piccolo internally as I took my pose again.

"Gohan, I'm alright." I called to him, then I turned back to Piccolo.

"Do you see why I was able to hit you so hard?" Piccolo asked.

"No, not really…" I admitted. He let out a frustrated sigh.

"You were repeating the same attacks over and over, and you left yourself wide open at that particular moment. Since you're still learning I was trying to give you a chance to see that on your own, but you never did."

"I get it… alright, let's go again."

Piccolo cocked his eyebrow as I charged him, jumping up and trying to axe-handle him, but he side-stepped me and blasted me at close range, sending me back.

"I have to admit, you're not as bad as I thought you'd be. But you still have lots to learn!"

"Well then, let me show you one more trick, Piccolo." I left an after image and got behind Piccolo, then kicked him in the back. He stumbled forward and I flipped back.

"Damn you, girl!" he hissed.

"Ka… Me…" I started to form the energy into my hands.

"What!"

"That's my dad's attack!"

"Ha… Me… HA!" I fired the blast at Piccolo, and he fell back as he tried to block it. He was succeeding in blocking the Kamehameha Wave. Finally I exhausted the Ki I had stored and I fell to my knees as the Ki vanished.

I saw a familiar brown boot in my sight as I looked up. Piccolo didn't look happy. I felt my heart start to crawl up my esophagus as I looked into his dark eyes.

"Like I said, you did better than I expected." He held out a hand for me to take. I decided if he was going to offer it to me I might as well take it, "But you still have a ways to go. Gohan, get over here!"

XxX

That night I sat by the fire and thought about all of this. Did my parents give up on me yet? Would I ever go home? If I did, would I be like this, or human?

I looked over to Gohan's sleeping form. He and Piccolo were in the cave, and I was in a tree outside, looking toward them. He was exhausted, and so was I, but my mind was too full for thoughts of sleep to register.

I looked over to Piccolo, who was also exhausted, but like me, thinking. He was acting like a guard, I thought, sitting up to watch over the kids, the future. He knew Gohan and I could stop the Saiyans if he couldn't, if we were strong enough.

"Piccolo, why did you bring me out here?" I asked, the thought leaving before I had time to realize what I had really asked. He got up and walked out, standing under the tree.

"I already told you, if you're related to Goku then you must be strong."

"I don't totally believe that."

"You don't? Why not?" Piccolo was getting angry, but I kept my cool.

"You're afraid you're going to die fighting the Saiyans. You want to pass on your knowledge before that happens. The more people that know, the better. I'm glad you chose me as one of those few to know."

"You think so? How could you have known?" Piccolo asked, nervous.

"I know what you are. You, and you father, and Kami." I said, jumping down. Piccolo and I sat down under the tree as we talked.

"We're demons-"

"No, you're Namekians. Aliens."

"What!" I had shocked him.

"I thought you'd rather hear this from me than Vegeta."

"He's one of the Saiyans?"

"The stronger one of the two." I said, drawing in the dirt with a stick. It was a Dragonball, and I used rocks for the stars to make it the 7-star ball.

"What else can you tell me about them?"

"They make Raditz look like an insect. In my… visions, they killed you. I thought you should know."

"And without the Dragonballs I can't come back."

I didn't say anything. I knew I had already said too much.

"Katie… do you feel that?" Piccolo asked suddenly, standing up. I stood and looked to the direction he was looking.

"What is it?"

"It's Kattalia… and Mychal…" I realized that if he could sense them it must not be a good thing. I cleared my cluttered mind and looked in the same direction. I felt them now, and their Ki was low.

"Something's wrong." Piccolo said.

"I'll go with you. We'll be back before morning, right?" I asked, looking at Gohan. I hated to think what he would do if he woke up and both of us were gone.

"Come on." Piccolo took to the air, not responding to my question. I started after him quickly.

"Piccolo… what could be attacking them in the Demon Realm?" I asked.

"What else? Other demons. There are two clans of demons, and Kattalia and Mychal are the last of their clan. The other clan is few in numbers as well, due to the feuding of the clans and demon hunters."

"Why are they at war?" I asked.

Piccolo didn't answer as we flew faster we got to the doorway and passed through. The sight on the other side was awful. I thought the place was creepy before, but now it was even worse.

The ground was charred black and the sky was filled with the scent of smoke and blood. The cabin was collapsing and on fire.

Piccolo stopped near one of the bodies and his eyes grew wide. He ran into the house as I followed. There were bodies everywhere, and as I passed them I recognized Mychal in the count.

No… Mychal… no, it isn't fair!

I felt my heart skip a beat as I went on past him, trying to find Kattalia. That's why Piccolo had stopped.

Piccolo had run into the house, screaming Kattalia's name. I ran up after him, in the doorway. I saw a shadow pass by me, and it was Piccolo carrying something in his arms.

Piccolo ran to a safe distance from the house as I followed behind him. I felt so lost and useless, and then the thing in his arms started to cough as he put it down.

The form was burn and cut, the pink hair all messy and charred. It was then that I recognized that the form was Kattalia. Her Ki was almost gone as I knelt down next to her.

"Pipe… kitten… I'm… I'm glad I get to see you once more…"

"Who did this! Kattalia, what happened?" Piccolo asked.

"The… the Yarest clan attacked us… we to-took care of them… but they… too many…" Kattalia had blood dripping out of her mouth, and I could hear gurgling as she spoke. Her Ki was dropping steadily. I knew this was death, a real death, and I was a witness to it. I felt anger rise in my chest.

"Are there any left?" I asked.

"I… I don't know…" she said, "I'm… ss-sorry you have to see this, kitten. Innocence… you had so much innocence when we first met…"

"Kattalia, please, save your strength." I said.

"You know… it's too late, kitten." Kattalia moved her arm from her chest and I saw the wound. It looked like a Ki blast, or possibly a horn, or weapon of some kind had gone right through her body.

"Kattalia… no." Piccolo said, taking her hand.

"I'm sorry… little pipe… you've grown into quite the man and fighter…"

"If I had been here-"

"No, you would have… died as well…" Kattalia said. She let out a breath and then she didn't take in another one. Her Ki was gone.

"No… not her…" I looked up at Piccolo. He was… crying.

"Piccolo?" tears ran down my cheeks as I looked up at the Namekian. His cheeks were streaked with tears. I never would have expected him to cry.

"She was like my mother… she… she cared for me… it's my fault…"

"No, you couldn't have done anything-"

"Dammit! You don't get it! You could never get it!" Piccolo roared. I didn't budge, he was grieving, and I was the only one around he could confide in.

"Try me, Piccolo. I cared for her too." I said calmly.

Piccolo looked over at me, shocked at my tone. In fact, so was I.

"… All of this is because of me. When Kattalia and Mychal first found me and brought me here, the rest of our-" he stopped and sighed, "The rest of their clan was fine with me. But the Yarest clan didn't approve of me because I was different. They said I was no different from the hunters. So the war started… because of me."

"That's why you hate humans so much? Because your father told you they would hate you because you're different?"

"Yes… Kattalia and Mychal took care of me. But I saw so much…"

"Piccolo… you don't have to feel that way anymore. Gohan and I accept you, and I know the other Z Senshi will in time. But you have to let go of all this hate."

"I'm not sure I can." He said, wiping the tears away.

"You'll learn." I said, placing my hand on his shoulder. He smacked my hand and stood up.

"We have a few hours until sunrise. Let's go back. There is nothing left here."

Piccolo turned and looked back at the house before leaping into the air. I looked back too.

This was his home… no one else would give Piccolo a chance because he was different. I'm different now too… but I found friends… and I know Piccolo will too…

AS22: well there's another chapter down. Next week, Vegeta and Nappa arrive, so you better review or I might make you wait.