Chapter 15

Krillen Head...

Goku frown at the sight of the smoldering town that once thrived with life. Most of the buildings had caved in and ashes caked the ground and death filled the air. All the soldiers were disturbed by the scene; there was bodies scattered about the street some sliced in pieces, but the one that disturb them the most was two little kids hugged together tightly with a piercing through each heart from a sword.

A few soldiers couldn't stop the tears from falling at the wicked sight. Goku separated from the crowd at the sight of fresh foot prints that trailed towards a large house. The house was caving in, the only sturdy thing about it was the frame of the door. Goku entered the house cautiously glancing around in the darkness.

"Is anyone in here?" said Goku as he entered.

The silence was his only reply and he proceeded further nearly tripping over something unknown. He laughed as he started to pull himself up only to be knocked back by some unknown force. "If you come back to kill me I'll kill you first" came a shaking voice.

Goku rolled to the side and was quick to his feet and ran to the light. He was nearly there when he felt someone jump on his back hitting him again with some type of bat. Goku yelped in pain as he tried desperately to grab whom he suppose was a child. "Stop it kid!"

Another hit to his head this time sent Goku over edge and by instinct he jumped backwards connecting with the wall of the house and falling straight threw on top of the kid. Quickly Goku begun to roll the kid clinging tightly to his back as the roof came crashing down and they were both out of it in time. It wasn't until he heard a groan that Goku remembered the kid and quickly got up.

The soldiers had rushed over at the sound of the fallen house, and just in time to see Goku back on his feet. "Hey I'm sorry Kid bu-"

"I'm not a kid!" yelled the small man.

Goku scratched the back of his head in confusion and the rest of the soldiers were just as perplexed. "Of course you are your pretty short to be anything else" said Goku, casually.

"I'm a grown man! A living breathing grown man and I can take any of you" shouted the little man.

The soldiers looked over him carefully and after a few seconds broke out into laughter. They thought he was trying to humor them, and with the juvenile fit he was throwing it added more to the humor.

"Stop laughing! My name is Krillen Head and I'm a man" shouted Krillen enraged.

"Krillen Head! Stop it! Stop kid you're too much!" said one solider as he held his stomach tightly from all the laughter.

Krillen was enraged with every word to the point his face was now beet red. He had been teased many times when he was a kid for his height but no one ever denied he was an adult. He would have killed all the soldiers if he could with how cruel they were especially the one with the crazy hair that started the entire thing.

"Soldiers at attention!" said David as he pushed through the crowd of them. All the laughing men stopped at once and fell into formation and David looked to them with a frown. "We have come to a town slaughter and you find humor out of mocking someone?"

David made his way over to Krillen and with an extended hand shook his. "I'm captain David King and this is the army of Ox. We came looking for an army and we thought this town could help us, but we never knew that it had been massacred."

Sorrow fall upon Krillen's face and he looked to the floor as he begun to remember. "Soldiers came two nights ago and they said they needed somewhere to stay till the next day and they'd be on their way. They drunk and drunk, all my family, friends gone."

"Do you know who did it?" asked David.

Krillen shook his head brushing a way a few tears he looked up to David. "I thought they were you they wore the same colors and uniform you do."

"Impossible!" exclaimed David. They had altered the design of their uniforms to be able to stand out from the unknown army. How had they found out their latest design? Someone had tipped them off and David hadn't the slightest idea. It couldn't be any of his soldiers for he didn't discuss with them any of the alterations until the day they departed and only a select few knew. "What direction did they leave?"

"I …I don't know. I ran, I took off as soon as they started to burn the houses. I saw them kill children like they were nothing, and loved ones and I didn't stop. I was chicken" cried Krillen.

David placed a hand on Krillen's shoulder reassuringly. "Sometimes we have to run to survive- don't worry. You will have your time to avenge them."

"I can join?" he asked hopeful.

"We will certainly need your help to understand what we are up against. Gerald report" commanded David to a nearby solider. The solider hurried before David saluting him his head held high eager of David's command. "Report back to the king alone and tell him that there is a spy in the royal office. Tell him we need to change uniforms again and return to me with word from him we will wait nearby here till you return."

"Yes sir" Said Gerald and quickly left from the crowd of soldiers.

"At ease soldiers and please welcome our newest recruit! We need to find all we can to help us." Someone was trying to bring down the Ox Kingdom and he wouldn't allow it if he had any say in it.

Goku made his way over to Krillen rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I'm sorry about calling you a kid; I really thought you were…"

"It's good! Just know the next time I'll have to give you a good beating if you say something about my height again!" kid Krillen.

Goku laughed and gave Krillen a hard pat on the back knocking him over. "Aw...sorry" Goku cried again as he tried to help Krillen up but he slapped his hand away. "I guess I got to watch my strength" said Goku between laughter.

"You can say that again" groaned Krillen as they begun to survey the burnt town.

(Seven Days Later)

Ox King watched ChiChi intently as she laid soundlessly beneath the deep red satin sheets. He was frightened for his daughter's health because he could lose her at any minute. Although the physician had said her fever broke and she was in much better condition than the night before he was still afraid. His wife had suffered many of the same symptoms and when he thought she was well she slipped away.

Ox King's ear twitched at the almost silent shuffle in the room and immediately he knew someone else was in the room. "Show yourself "said Ox king.

Out of a dark corner in the room emerged Gerald the army's messenger and as soon as he seen the King look to him he bowed his head. He balled his right hand into a fist and placed it over his heart.

"What are you doing in here? How did you get in here?" inquired Ox King.

"David has sent me with a message sir, and told me to tell you alone. I've arrived a few days back but I could never get close enough to you without someone seeing. However I learned that the princess was sick and I snuck into her room once I seen it was the only place no one followed you. There is a traitor amongst your royal council, Sir."

"Traitor? That can't be!" exclaimed Ox King. What gain would any of his trusted companions receive in becoming a traitor? Why would David even think that any of them would betray him and the kingdom? "What is the reason for his accusations?"

"We came across the town nearby the location our soldiers were ambushed and it was completely destroyed. Every person dead save for one man that they didn't know got away and he thought we were the same men. He said all we wore down to the smallest detail those soldiers wore as well. General David said he told no other man about the design but you and your royal council. Someone is a traitor and he told me to inform you right away." Gerald hoped that the king would listen.

"I see" Ox King was troubled by the news he looked over to his daughter who still looked peaceful in her sleep. He trusted every man in the council and he thought all dear to him. Who could have been the traitor? "I will have a tailor meet you tomorrow morning at the edge of the city to revise every uniform. Tell David to revise all tactics I've discussed them with the council and that I will work diligently on my end to find the leak. If you are in need of anything to let me know and it shall be done."

"Yes Sire" said Gerald and with a bow he disappeared into the darkness of the room.

Ox King was in turmoil at the discovery and fearful of whom it could be. The most hurtful fact was that he would lose a friend soon. "Why this now? It seems every minute I'm losing someone." He leaned over and kissed ChiChi's forehead and left the room. "Good night sweet heart."

Gerald hurried to the spot Ox King had instructed him to wait for the tailor. However he didn't see anyone and he wondered if something had gone wrong. He looked around and walked over to the large tree for shade while he'd wait for the tailor. He leaned against the tree, crossed his legs and folded his hands over his chest.

His eyes started to close with every second that past and when they were nearly closed he heard a rustle. Before he could brace himself for an attack a blade stopped inches from his neck holding him in place. "Who do you look for?" came the raspy voice Gerald could feel the person's breath against his skin.