Her Return

Chapter Eleven

"Ten days?" Aya repeated. "She's being awfully generous." Aya blinked looking to the side then down at Dende. Dende was kind of shaking in his shoes. Areiko was still standing in front of Goku. She turned around looking at Dende.

"Dende," Areiko started, "I'm assuming that you know that she's going to try and kill you correct?"

Dende nodded, staying silent looking into Areiko's eyes.

Areiko then nodded her head, "then the best thing for you to do is to stay in the lookout at all times. No matter what alright?"

Dende nodded again. Aya placed her hand onto his shoulder and lead him into the lookout to the main room where everyone was located. Goten and Trunks were chasing Bulla and Pan around with them screaming and shrieking in delight of the game. Videl was sitting on the floor with her back pressed up against a pillar watching her daughter play with her cousin, her cousin's best friend, and her own best friend. Chichi was seated next to her sitting Indian style with her hands resting in her lap watching the kids. Bulma was standing leaning against the pillar that Videl had her back pressed against. Her feet were starting to hurt so she leaned herself against the pillar.

When Aya entered the main room with Dende, Bulla and Pan glomped the cute little Namekian. To Bulla and Pan, they believed that everything was completely fine. But to everyone else, they were well aware about what was going on. But Dende played it cool around the girls and decided to join them in their little game that they were playing. Aya glanced over to the side spotting Bulma, Videl, and Chichi by the pillar. Aya walked herself over with her arms crossed over her chest kind of looking like Vegeta while doing so.

Bulma smiled a little, "Aya," she started trying to lighten the mood, "you look kind of like Vegeta when you do that."

Aya stopped in front of her mother blinking a few times. She glanced to the side. "Um…" She then turned her eyes back to Bulma, "is that a good or bad thing?"

"Well it all depends on how you take that," Chichi replied leaning forward looking past Videl and at the standing Aya.

Aya looked at Chichi and nodded, placing a grin onto her face. "Then I'll take that as a good thing."

Bulma kind of laughed shaking her head a little bit looking back at the kids who were playing. "What's going on?"

Aya blinked, she also turned looking at them all playing; watching with her arms still crossed over her chest, "Kira's giving us ten days to get ready."

Videl turned her head looking at her. "Ten days?" she repeated. Aya nodded. Chichi sighed standing up then wiping off the back of her skirt of any dust or sand.

"That doesn't seem like much," Chichi murmured a little bit.

"Well," Aya sighed, "it feels that way. But Kira promised us that she wasn't going to do anything to the city during those ten days. And she'll come back to the lookout in exactly ten days at the same exact time she got here."

"Yikes." The women said looking at Aya. Aya smiled watching as Pan tripped and was about to cry because of her scraped knee. But Dende got down next to her, held his hands out to her knee and began to heal the scrape stopping Pan's tears.

"Yeah I know." Aya turned her head looking at them all. "We're going to get started. I only came in to inform you guys about what's going on." Aya turned and started walking away. She then blinked, stopped, turned and looked at Goten and Trunks. "Hey, Goten. Trunks."

Goten and Trunks stopped in their tracks turning to look at Aya who was standing by the entrance of the main room. "Yeah?" they called in unison.

"Protect Dende." Aya ordered nudging her head at Dende. "We don't want anything happening to him." she then walked out, leaving them all a bit confused.

Right when Aya exited the main hall then stepped back onto the platform of the lookout, she instantly heard Goku, "I'm going to go stop by Master Korin and pick up some senzu beans for our training."

Aya came up with this sudden thought, "I'll go with you." Goku turned looking at her as she approached him, Vegeta, and Areiko. "Me and you will go see Master Korin, and Vegeta and Areiko can get started on training."

Vegeta and Areiko looked at each other. Their eyes met for about five to ten seconds, but then they instantly looked away ignoring each other again. Goku looked at the two of them, knowing what Aya was thinking. She thought that if she would leave with Goku, Areiko and Vegeta could train to see if they could get along. Goku wasn't to sure if the plan was going to work, but he agreed with it silently pretending that nothing was going to happen.

"Alright," Goku approached the side of the lookout. "Let's go Aya."

Aya rushed over standing next to Goku. She turned her head looking over her shoulder at Vegeta who was standing parallel to Areiko. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he kind of scowled at Aya, knowing what she was planning for him and Areiko. Aya placed a small smile onto her face.

"You said you were going to try and get a long with her." Aya began with telepathy. "And here's a great way of getting started on that."

"I told you that I was going to try to get a long with her… not try to make friends or training partners."

Aya shrugged her shoulders ignoring Vegeta. She turned then leapt off of the side of the lookout following Goku.

Areiko watched them. She then turned her eyes onto Vegeta who was still looking in Aya and Goku's direction. "Let's get started." Areiko headed for the lookout building.

Vegeta turned his head looking at Areiko as she continued speaking, "we'll train in the Time Chamber for ten days. That way, we'll get ten years worth of training."

Vegeta rolled his eyes and growled a little. He really didn't want to do this. But he decided to go a long with Aya's plan to try and get along with Areiko.

Goku and Aya flew downward towards Korin's Tower. When they got there, Goku landed on the floor and Aya seated herself on the railing watching Goku glance around.

"Master Korin? Yajirobe?"

"Who's there!" came a rash voice from down the hallway, then appeared a big around chubby looking man with a sword at his hip and dressed in an orange and black stripped gi. "Oh, hey Goku. Hi Aya."

Aya waved and Goku grinned. "Hey! Is Master Korin around?" Goku asked him. Yajirobe nodded his head.

"Yeah, he's watering the senzu bean plant," he answered. Goku nodded his head turning to look at Aya.

"I'll be right back." He said to her walking off deeper into the tower. Aya blinked a few times. She assumed that Goku had a very important question so she stayed where she was sitting. But, if he did have something to ask Master Korin, what was it?

Goku entered a small little room. He found a little white cat with a weird looking walking stick at the other end of the room watering a small little plant that was underneath a lamp. Goku grinned as he walked over to the cat standing next to him.

"Hey there Master Korin." Goku greeted. Master Korin turned looking up at the tall saiyan placing a smile onto his cat face.

"Hey there Goku," Korin greeted back, "what can I do for you?"

"Well I came here to pick up a few senzu beans." Goku replied. "Did you hear that Areiko's back?"

Korin nodded, "yeah I did. And I also know what's going on with her and her sister Kira." He answered plucking some beans off of the plant.

Goku nodded. He then took the bag of senzu beans from Korin. "Thanks Master Korin… I got a question for you."

"Shoot."

"Do you know anything about… Areiko's wild side?" Goku asked tying the bag around his sash. Korin looked at Goku and then nodded.

"I know a little bit, yes." Korin replied.

"Out of what you know… is there anyway that we could remove it?" Goku asked. Korin stood there thinking for a minute.

"Hm…" he then looked back up at Goku. "There is one way to do it." He said to him. "You could always try the Purification Ritual."

"What's that?" Goku asked raising an eyebrow.

"It's purifying the soul of a tainted one." Korin answered, "but if might not work on Reiko, since her soul isn't tainted."

"Isn't tainted?" Goku repeated. "Have you seen what that side of her can do?"

"Yes Goku, I have. But that side of her isn't a soul, it's actually part of Reiko. It's part of who she is." Korin explained. "You could try it if you want… but the tainted part of the soul would want to be removed for the ritual to actually work."

"Master Korin… you lost me." Goku stated blinking a few times.

Korin sighed, "have a seat on the floor Goku." Goku listened to the talking white cat and seated himself onto the floor with Korin plopping himself down in front of him. "Sometimes a tainted soul can be another person, like split personalities. If the tainted soul wants to be removed, the Purification Ritual will be successful."

Goku thought about it for a minute. "And what if it fails?"

"If it fails it fails." Korin replied. "The tainted soul could become so tainted that it becomes evil."

Goku sat there in front of Korin thinking about the information that was being supplied to him. "But with Reiko, it could be a little different."

Goku looked up at Korin as he continued.

"There are so many things that could wrong in the ritual with Areiko." Korin began, "when Areiko loses it, it takes her awhile to gain her reality back, like there are two of her living inside one body."

Goku blinked. "Two?"

Korin nodded, "yes two. So I'm not completely sure if the Purification Ritual will work on her. Like I said, for it to be successful the tainted part of the soul would want to be removed."

"Who conducts the ritual?"

"Well, Dende of course." Korin told him crossing his stubby arms over his chest. "Since Dende is Kami of the earth."

"But does he even know how to do it?" Goku asked, "I mean he is just a kid."

Korin nodded, "he should know how to do it. And if not, Areiko's stuck with that side of her for life unless some miracle happens and its removed for good."

Goku nodded and then stood up placing a smile onto his face. "Thanks Master Korin."

Korin nodded standing up holding his walking stick in his right hand, "no problem Goku."

Goku turned around and went to walk out till Korin called him, making him come to a stop. He turned his head looking over his shoulder at Korin. "If you attempt to do the ritual… be careful, VERY careful."

Goku nodded, "I will Master Korin don't worry about it."

Goku walked out of the room waving goodbye to Korin and retrieving Aya. The two of them took off into the air flying back up towards the lookout. Goku was silent the whole way there, which was weird to Aya because he's usually talkative.

"Did you get the senzu beans?" Aya asked trying to strike up some sort of conversation. Goku turned his head looking at Aya smiling then nodding.

"Yeah I did. Just enough to split in between the four of us for ten days." Goku replied. Aya grinned then nodded her head. Goku looked away from her looking straight up into the air.

The only thing on Goku's mind right now was this Purification Ritual. He finally decided that he was going to ask Dende about it when he had gotten up to the lookout. If Dende did know how to perform the ritual, he was going to ask him to perform it on Areiko to help her.