Dragon Ball © Akira Toriyama, Shuheisha, Inc.

Chapter 29: Family Heirloom

Kame House, Master Roshi's house was a tiny hut located on a small island in the middle of the vast sea. The house was painted in screaming pink, blazing red roof, and "KAME HOUSE" displayed prominently on the front part of the upper story. The hut could conveniently be turned into a capsule and strong enough to withstand a tsunami. She heard stories about her father who used to live here along with Krillin during his apprentice day with Master Roshi.

The house still existed in the future; sometimes either she or Trunks were tidying things up and trying to keep the place where their parents shared their fondest memories. However, it wasn't as lively as the moment she opened that door, to see real people welcoming her. Master Roshi excitedly greeted her, then her family was relieved to see her back.

It had been three days since the androids and Cell made their appearances. Piccolo and Yamcha decided to stay to defend the house with her while waiting for her father to wake up. So far, the days went by so peacefully that one would forget what had transpired, the threat they were facing. Here she was, sitting on the windowsills while watching the sea with the twin babies sleeping in the baby crib beside her while her mother cooked for lunch. The aqua-blue blanket was glimmering under the reflection of the sun. The squabbling seagulls flew overhead while the voice of the sea waves soothed her soul.

During lunch, she finally got to ask Piccolo about her ability. Though the Namekian had an idea about how to develop her ability, he didn't know why she got it in the first place. She was curious, but at the same time, she was afraid to find the truth…

That she might not be what she thought about herself…

"Tenten."

She turned around to see her grandfather enter the guest room where she sat; softly laughed when the giant man accidentally hit his head on the door because he had to adjust his height in the small hut.

"Everything is too small for me here," he said while rubbing the small bump that grew on his head.

Tenten was laughing amusedly. "Of course, Ojī-sama. You shouldn't compare this house to your castle."

He laughed. "After we're done with all of this ordeal, how about staying in the castle? You never stay there, right?"

Tenten shrugged. "I might be when I was a baby, but I don't remember. Okā-san never stepped into the castle since you… passed away," she trailed off at the end of her sentence; hate to bring up the painful story. Ox King noticed the drop in her expression and sat beside her, patting the girl's back.

"This question might be sensitive to you but… how did I die in the future?"

"Uhm… the village was under attack and Okā-san had to run away carrying me and Goten. The androids were targeting her when you jumped before her and took the attack." Tenten tightened her lips.

"I see…" To her surprise, he smiled at the story. "I would do the same if this happened in this timeline. I won't regret it if it means protecting my family."

"D-don't say that, Ojī-sama. That's the reason we're here." She scratched the side of her face. "The villagers built the statue to commemorate you and celebrated the day as a National Hero Day."

He burst into laughter at this. "My, my! This is too much! They shouldn't do that!"

"But you did deserve it, Ojī-sama. I mean… you died protecting us all anyway. After Goten and Onī-san's death, they never came anymore. I think they were assuming the strongest in the area no longer exists, so… that's probably the reason they are no longer interested in Mount Paozu."

"But you're still alive…"

She sighed. "After Goten's death, Onī-san never allowed me to fight them because I'm… losing my focus a lot of times." Tenten pulled her knee and rested her chin on it. "The only threat for them is… Trunks." She sighed, slightly exasperated by the fact that the androids didn't see her as a threat as much as Trunks. It was expected. Everyone said that was what she had to accept when she was born as a girl.

What could she do to overcome that?

"I see." He gently rubbed her back as if he noticed her distress on being overlooked by the androids. "Then how about your daily necessities, Tenten? Are you living well?"

"Well, I never have to worry about it. Money is no longer an issue since the national border has been blurred along with the apocalypse. The villagers always gave me food and fresh vegetables, thanks to what you've done for them in the past. Also, I'm living with Bulma-san now."

He seemed to be satisfied with her answer. "Say, does my castle still exist in the future?"

Tenten nodded. "Yeah. Fortunately, it remains unharmed from the Androids' attacks."

Ox King smiled as he searched for something from his pocket. He took out a golden key and put it in Tenten's hand. It took her a moment as she scrutinised the dragon detail that was wrapping around the key; its green eyes, made of two tiny emeralds were staring back at her. She was looking at the key and glanced back at him in question.

"This is…"

"The spare key to access the treasure chamber where I store all of my treasures. I want you to sell them if necessary."

Tenten shook her head. "Nah. As I said, money is no longer an issue."

"Well, I haven't reached the most interesting part yet." Ox King smiled knowingly. "All my treasures… including all your mother's wedding dress are all stored in this chamber." Tenten widened her eyes.

"T-that dress is still there?" Tenten couldn't forget the first time she saw the dress in her parents' wedding photo as a kid and admired every detail in it. She even wrapped herself in a white blanket, imagining herself in it as she always dreamt of wearing it.

"Of course. It's a family heirloom anyway." Tenten's smile had never been so wide at the chance of seeing the dress in person. "It is said to bring happiness for the wearer, and so far…" he sighed in contentment, "…it has proven to be right. My mother, my wife, and Chichi—they're all happy. Unfortunately, Ranran never got to see how your mother grew up inheriting her beauty, and you too."

"I'm pretty sure she can see it, Ojī-sama." Tenten rested her body on the couch as she smiled at her grandfather. She then raised the key to her eye level. "So, what do you want me to do with this key?"

"You're the owner of everything inside it, Tenten. And since you're my heir, I want you to continue the tradition and wear that dress on your special day."

"M-my special day?" she stuttered, making Ox King laugh.

"I wouldn't be there when the time comes." He patted her head. "But I, your grandmother, and your parents, we all want to be there in the presence of the dress. We want you to be happy, Tenten. We want to be there for you always."

How one should react to this kind of emotion?

For long, she had shielded her heart from any kind of emotion. Even when Trunks kissed her so passionately, she stopped before her emotion started to overwhelm her, yet at that moment, she could feel something burning behind her eyes, for the warmth of her grandfather's hand seeping through her system as if he was expressing that he truly meant it when he said that he wanted to be there for her—always.

"M-may I ask permission to hug you, Ojī-sama?" She couldn't word out her feelings so she asked the only thing that crossed her mind.

He snorted in response. "Why are you being so formal, Tenten?! Call me Ojī-chan and hug me as much as you want!" Tenten threw her arms around his large neck, making him laugh as he patted her back.

"Thank you, Ojī-chan… Thank you so much…"

"Live and be happy for us, Tenten."

"I will, Ojī-chan." She lifted the key she just received and scrutinized the beautiful dragon ornaments on top of it. She was so happy her grandfather gave her the honour to wear their family heirloom. "So… Since we're at it, can you tell me the story of when my parents got married? I heard from Mother that there were commotions before they married in your castle."

Ox King laughed at the question. He told her about the accident that happened right before he celebrated Chichi and Goku's marriage. The castle was once again engulfed in fire. Ox King and the staff were trapped inside the castle and they had to search for Bansho Fan to put the flames out, but Master Roshi accidentally threw it out somewhere and they couldn't figure out how to make it since it was written in a foreign language. They finally found the fan in Mount Frappe, but it was still not enough to put the flames out. But Goku and Chichi found the source of the problem and managed to put out the fire, narrowly saving his life.

"And after that, they got married and lived happily in your current house. Having Gohan brought joy to our house, not to mention when you and Goten came together," he finished his story and gently poked Tenten's head with his finger.

She smiled at this, feeling like she was having a sweet dream of having a nice talk with her grandfather. She lifted the key she just received and scrutinized the beautiful dragon ornaments on top of it. She was so happy her grandfather gave her the honour to wear their family heirloom.

"I wonder what kind of person Grandmother is…" she asked, didn't waste the time finding out more about her family history.

Ox King's gaze softened at the question as his mind wandered to his wife. "She was a great martial artist, as stubborn as your mother, but a gentle woman at the same time. It's too bad she passed away not long after your mother was born. She used to be the owner of the Bansho Fan, but I gave it to Master Roshi after her death due to her request. By the way, do you know how I married your grandma in the first place?"

Tenten shook her head.

"She said she would marry anyone who could withstand the whirlwind she created with her fan. And I happened to be the one who stood still after she blew all the men away," he grinned.

Tenten laughed at this. "You have a lot of advantages with your body, huh?"

"Yes, I never regret having this body. Everything happened for a reason you know? With this body, I won the most wonderful woman on this planet and was even able to protect my family with it," he proudly stated. But she couldn't smile at his statement; instead, she had her eyes fall to the ground. She had told him about how he bravely died for Chichi, Goten and her; and she felt bad to be the only one alive after having so many people she loved had died for her sake.

"I'm sorry, Ojī—"

"Ssh! I'd do the same in this timeline if I had to. Believe me that it's a privilege to be able to protect my loved ones," he said, "Like your abilities, for example, you were born with wonderful gifts to protect the people you love. I believe you were born for something big, Tenten."

She slightly gaped when her grandfather coincidentally lifted her spirit over her identity issue. She hugged Ox King again. "Thank you, Ojī-chan…"

Ox King patted her head. "You're welcome, Tenten."

She had a nice talk with Ox King about their family history until she heard the commotion in the living room. She peeked through the door along with Ox King to notice that both Piccolo and Yamcha were caught on guard when they saw the news about Cell attacking South District 48.

"Damn it! He's finally making move!" said Yamcha.

"We should stealthily approach him. I don't want him to notice our movement by our Kis," suggested Piccolo.

Kuririn nodded. "Yeah, let's approach him by plane."

Gohan stepped forward. "I'll go too."

"Okay. Tenten, you stay here and watch this house. We're going now. Please be careful."

"You too, Piccolo-san… And everyone too."

And with that, they were boarding the plane and headed straight to South District 48 along with Tienshinhan. Tenten furrowed her brows, staring at the sky as the plane got smaller with each second passing.

Would they win with all of these threats looming over the world?

They had no way but to wait and see, not realising the subtle movement of a finger of someone who had been sleeping for days in the other room.

Happy holiday, readers!

I'm so happy to see some readers still come and read this story because I haven't updated for like… forever? XD Anyway, thank you so much for your supports for all of my stories!