A few days later, Val met outside in the sunny, thankfully dry morning with Bulma, Moori, Freight, Hull, and Loader. Bulma flew in a small contraption while the five of them flew on their own. Val was surprised at how high up in the sky they went and for how long. They landed on the top of a large, spacious half circle. The ground was stone with a few sparse trees around the area. The air was cold, crisp, and dry up so high far above the Earth. Val looked down from the edge below, seeing clouds far down below where they belonged. She followed after Bulma, leading the way for the five of them. She also introduced them to Kami and his assistant, Mr. Popo. Val hung back in the group, quietly looking over at the older Namekian, finding him strikingly similar to Piccolo, but in a much older look about him.
Bulma left not long after that, saying she had to get back to Capsule Corps and that she would see them all later. Moori stepped away to speak privately with Kami and Mr. Popo while Val and the other three waited outside. Val looked around at the garden area, impressed at how well it was taken care of the tree up her looked so far from the ground. The ones she was looking at had bare, brown trunks and green leaves fanned out overhead. She saw Freight step up next to her, seeming impressed himself by some of the trees growing up here.
"How do they get them to thrive in this thinner, drier air?" Freight asked.
She looked up at him, shrugged, and shook her head. "Perhaps they were made, not created as well," Hull commented quietly, with Loader nodding in sentiment.
Val frowned at the comment, but did not say anything. Freight looked over at him and shook his head warningly. "Equal to her," he commented covertly, nodding down at Val.
Loader shifted, commenting back, "we know where she comes from and what her intentions were from the get go."
"Neither of the brothers reared on Earth are Katas or had anything to do with the Cataclysm," Freight echoed Moori's reminders.
Val shifted on her feet, stepping away and over to another set of trees growing nearby, noticing how they were different from the other trees. These ones had pines for leaves, and covered the tree. It looked hardier, stronger, and more determined to survive up here on their own. "I like these ones better," she commented out loud.
"They're much more suited to the climate," she heard a voice say behind her. She gasped, having not sensed anyone so close. She looked down to see Mr. Pop coming up to her with a drink in hand. "Sorry, did I scare you, Miss Val?"
"No, not really," she answered. "Just a little surprised was all." She smiled up down at him, unsure what to say. "Do you grow them yourself?"
He nodded up at her. "Nature on this planet is hardier than most other ones. Much more enjoyable. Not to mention more rewarding to watch it grow." He reached his free hand over to some of the pine needles, checking them over. He plucked one off a brown needle carefully, not disturbing any of the other healthier green needles. He turned back to her saying, "oh, Kami figured you might be thirsty up here. Other humans and human like visitors to here tend to be. The air is drier than down on the planet."
He offered her the drink, and she took it, realizing she did feel a bit thirsty. "Thank you," she said simply. She studied him, sensing off him an ancient, other worldly vibe from him. She took a sip from the drink, finding it refreshing. She enjoyed the taste, taking a bigger second sip.
"Would the rest of you like a tour of the lookout while your Great Elder speaks with Kami?" Mr. Popo asked.
"Certainly," Val answered for them. The three others nodded in agreement.
They followed after him, her sipping from the drink once more, caught in the desire to finish it quickly, but also to drink it slowly and savor it. The building overtop was larger than she expected as they entered it in the ground level. It was interesting to walk around inside of. It was a peaceful, quiet place. They went back outside underneath the bright sunlight. Val blinked as her eyes adjusted.
"What is below?" Loader asked. "Below our feet, sir?" He tapped his feet on the stones beneath them.
"Hmm?" Mr. Popo hummed. "The Shinsenkai. It is a sacred area where past Earth guardians go to rest. And where the winds of the world start. It's best I don't take you down there for your own safety."
"Sounds best," she answered, nodding, feeling a chill go through her when she tried to sense what was down below her feet. She shivered, stopping the sensing. She took one last swallow of her drink, holding onto the glass as it chilled her hand.
"Have you finished your drink?" Mr. Popo asked, offering his hand up to take the empty glass away.
"Oh, yes. But I can take it," she said, stepping away from the group before he could take the glass.
She went to the kitchen they had been shown, cleaning the glass herself. She stepped away from the kitchen and went back to the others, stopping abruptly when she saw, of all people, Piccolo, standing near the other four. She sensed the tension, hardly able to miss it with how stiffly everyone was standing. Hull, especially. She stepped into the group, adding to the already tense atmosphere. She reached up and pulled at the collar in front of her shirt. Her tongue felt stuck to the roof of her mouth.
"I said, what are you all doing here?" Piccolo asked. "I sensed the old man behaving oddly. Thought I'd check before he tried something stupid."
"These five Namekians are here to visit Kami," Mr. Popo answered for them.
"Don't you mean four Namekians and an anthromorph?" Piccolo corrected.
"She's one of ours," Hull answered gruffly.
"As is he, and the Earth's guardian," Freight reminded, repeating words Val had heard Moori say before. "Besides, they're still bonded," he added frankly, nodding at Val and then Piccolo.
"What?" Piccolo asked, caught off guard.
Val felt the blood drain from her face. She shook her head, not sure how to find the words to explain it or anything.
Freight continued, "she was bonded with Nail, so when the two of fused, you inherited that, along with his memories, strength, and abilities."
Val felt her face and hands grow hot, almost burning. She froze still, resisting the desire to shake out her hands in a stronger desire to not move at all, not to draw attention to herself at all.
"Is that what she told you?" Piccolo asked, looking right up at her.
She shook her head, trying to swallow unsuccessfully.
"It's what our new elder told us," Freight answered, looking back over at her. He gave her a concerned look. "Sister, are you alright?"
She shook her head harder, hands burning now. She shook them out in an attempt to expel the heat. She heard the others gasp as flames shot from her hands and licked against the stones beneath her feet. They burned brightly before burning out. "Don't... don't come near me..." she fumbled out before she backed away from them, not sure where to go or what to do.
"That bond doesn't exist anymore," Piccolo stated, watching her cautiously.
She avoided his gaze. Her hands burned unpleasantly. She shook them out again, not sure how to get them to calm down, nor how to calm herself down. Freight stepped closer to her. She bit her lip to keep from saying anything and shook her head.
"I will go get the Great Elder," Freight decided, side stepping around her and into the building.
"But Nail, he was noble. To the point where he gave his life to defeat Frieza. He would have-" Loader started.
"At no point did he mention her, even with that goal in mind. I only found out about her after the fusion," Piccolo explained. "How was that noble?"
She shook her head, scared to meet his gaze. She nearly brought her hands to her face, but halted when she saw the yellow flames over her hands. She tensed up, trying not to feel or let them feel painful. She shook her hands out again, glad there was nothing flammable, especially none of the trees, nearby. The others were too close though, especially if she spoke or said anything. The flames hit the ground and slowly burned down into nothing. She loosed a temperamental groan when she saw her hands and now up to her wrists were still burning. Her skin was starting to turn pink beneath them, making her more nervous, and thus more emotionally charged. 'Stop,' she thought down at her hands, trying to not think about what happened back there. She shook her hands out once more, trying to force all of the flames out and to go away before she got anymore burn marks on her arms.
"Val?" she heard someone call her name. She turned to see Moori and Kami peering down at her. "Val!" he exclaimed, seeing her hands. He came jogging over to her. She saw Kami mimic his movement, moving surprisingly fluidly for such an older looking elder.
Moori got to her first, reaching up for her hands. "No!" she shouted, pulling her hands away and then biting her tongue to keep herself from talking on the off chance even just being near her could lead to her accidentally cursing either one of them. She held her hands up, feeling her emotions kick up. She shook her head and held her hands up in a gesture to warn both of them off. Her hands felt overheated and dry, but now she dare not shake them out in case she risked either one of them so close to her.
"This is the one you told me about. The anthromorph that had been bonded to the last pure bred Demon Clansmen," Kami said knowingly. She blinked up at him, feeling anxious when he risked stepping closer to her. She backed away, but there was not much more room behind her in the are behind the building.
"Old man, stay back," Piccolo growled out in warning. He moved closer, but Kami raised his hand up.
"It is alright," Kami soothed, still stepping closer to her. She shook her head, too scared to say anything. He seized her hands unexpectedly. She hummed, biting her lip to keep from saying anything. She froze up, too scared to speak or move away. The flames nor the heat seem to bother him. "This magic, it is different, but not too different from Namekian magic. Emotionally triggered though."
His hands slid down her wrists to the bottom of her forearms. His grip tightened up, but his nails did not touch her. He yanked both of his hands back and up over her forearms, wrists, and hands. She gasped as she felt a surge of energy shoot through and out of her, following his hands. She felt suddenly winded and cold, and unexpectantly calmer. The embarrassment seemed to linger though. She shuddered as a cold sweat broke out over her skin. He held two flames in his hands, fireballs tall enough that it stood from the height of his hands to his shoulders. He shook his hands down to the ground. She flinched back away from them, scared to be burned by it. She watched the flames burn out on the ground, leaving two charred black marks.
"How did you do that?" she asked him once she was not afraid to talk.
"Years and years of magic usage," he answered. "You cannot control it, but you also fear it. Fear it because the last time you used it, you think it contributed to the Demon Clansman's demise. The one you were bonded to. I cannot guarantee anything, but I can try to help you learn how to control it," he offered.
She hitched her breath, not trusting her voice. She nodded shyly. "And that bond is gone," she rushed out, feeling embarrassed to admit it in front of the others, but afraid to let the false assumption go on any longer. "And it isn't the last time I used whatever that was," she added, looking down at her hands.
Moori joined into the conversation, claiming, "no, the bond was just passed to Piccolo when he fused with Nail."
She shook her head. "No, he ah, we uh..." she tried to start explaining it. She took a deep breath. "He ended it," she forced out. She looked down at her hands again, surprised they were still cool, only a little pink in a few spots was all. She did feel emotionally winded.
"He what?" Moori asked, thrown off by the statement. He looked around her at Piccolo, much to her chagrin. The other three were looking at him harshly as well.
"He ended it," she repeated, feeling tired now more than anything else. She felt a bit chilled.
Moori looked up at her sternly. "I'll talk to him-"
"No," she rushed out. "No, please don't," she added a bit more calmly. "We've already talked about it and it's not... not something..." she hummed, trying to explain it honestly, but tactfully as possible. "Don't, it's okay, just don't," she rushed out, not sure what to do or say to defuse the situation.
"It's alright," Kami answered. "He came nosing, probably sensing me sharing my magic with your elder here."
She heard Piccolo grunt. "If she kills you, she kills me," he warned. "She can't control her magic. No one on this planet can teach her that."
"I can." Kami gave him a patient look. "We're not on the planet, technically anyway, but high above it."
She blinked over him, feeling a mix of relief and some shame. "Oh, that's... good...," she answered. She pulled her hand up to her collar, feeling shy and withdrawn. She felt her hand rub against her shirt, stinging ever so slightly.
Piccolo shook his head. "You harm him and I do the same to you," he warned her, looking her dead in the eye. She flinched away from his gaze, but watched him leave as the others did.
"Good riddance," Hull muttered.
Kami nodded at her, sounding amused. "He's changed a bit. The old him probably would have escalated the tension between him and the other three into an all out fight." He sighed, looking at her hands and then the burn marks on the ground. "Tell you what, come up here when Moori does, and I'll train you as well, the best I can at least. See if we can't figure out what would be the best way for you to harness and control it."
She looked at him, mouth slightly gaping at the genuine offer of help. She nodded, saying, "thank you," in relief. She looked down at her hands, feeling her face flush in a mix of emotions.