DBZ FF - The Avatar

[SA_Gohan]

Hello all, taking a short respite from modelling and turning some attention to writing. That being so, I've written up this fanfic/roleplay. Most of the character's used in this story are of my own creation, but some are not (not including the z fighters we all know and love.) When I make a post that contains a name or material that I didn't come up with it, I'll state it at the head of the post.
Well, that's about it. I hope you find this an enjoyable read. Any crits or comments are welcome.
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1. Discovery of darkness

That morning, I'd never dreamed that I would die. In fact, death was the farthest thing on my mind. I was happy, rested, and for once, I didn't have to wake up with an empty stomach. I guess this is just an example proving that life, and death, can crop up at any time.

- Kerius Jarein
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There had been a time in my life I when I got the idea into my head that I could do anything. I had been young then, barely 4 years old, and my world had still been colored by what my parents did and did not shelter me from. Looking back know, I suppose that such beliefs were silly, even from a child's standpoint.
But when the time had come for me to let go of my childhood . . . I had still kept those perceptions.

Those same perceptions, that so differed from what every other person saw, had ultimately driven me to take up the martial arts and set my self against those who would bring harm to those I loved and the world I lived on. For years I had carried that knowledge of self within me, knowing in my own heart that I could do anything I tried hard enough to do, and that is what had made me possibly the best fighter on the planet Earth.

After almost twenty years, I was only now beginning to realize that perhaps I had been wrong . . .

I could barely stand now. My face felt flattened and battered, and the coppery taste of blood filled my mouth. My arms hung heavily at my side, weighed down by fatigue and injury. Clutched in one hand was my final defense against the creature I was facing. The sword Nilliu. Its tip lay rested on the ground, a slight gouge in the sand trailing out behind me to show where I had dragged the weapon. The blade seemed to shimmer in the scarlet-orange light of day's dying sun, reflecting momentary shards of light onto into the surrounding area. Such brilliance could not hold off the approach of night. Once the disk of the sun fell beyond the horizon, it would mark the end of my life and the beginning of a darkness that might never end.

My eyes locked back on to the short and muscled body of my opponent. I could barely see him. One of my eyes were swollen shut, and it was all I could do to keep the other open. It didn't help that alien stood silhoutted against the ever darkening skyline.

Kanlei. The name blossomed into my mind with little urging. It was one of the very few things that I could still remember. I couldn't even recall how or why I had come here to face this being who now held my life in his hands, I could barely even remember my own name.

Kerius . . . Kerius something . . . Kerius Jarein? Yes, that was it.

Why was I here?

The words seemed to drag themselves from a long way, slowly coming into existence in the darkness of my mind. I had to stop him, Kanlei. No matter what happened. The why however was something I could not remember, even with all of my mental facilities working towards it. I struggled within my own head to bring forth that which did not wish to come, forcing the memories of pain and shock to once again erupt. I gasped lightly when they finally did, my remaining eye fluttering closed for a moment as the half-remembered blows delivered against me ran played out in my mind's eye.

My recovered knowledge of the past, however, did not give me any insight into the future. Even with what I once again knew, I was no closer to coming upon a way to defeat Kanlei than I had been before.

The past few minutes of intense fighting played in my head as if in slow motion. The countless attacks I'd thrown against my foe, and his almost casual countering of every move I'd had made. Even the weapons formed of pure energy had had no effect on him. And now I had nothing left to give, nothing left to try.
My body was almost completely thrashed. The only reason I was still standing was through sheer force of will. When Kanlei next chose to attack me, and he would, it would certainly be his final time . . . and the end of mine.

No matter which way I looked at it, death was coming for me, and there wasn't anything I could do to forestall its arrival, not any longer.
I supposed that the end of my existence didn't frighten me, didn't even intimidate me. I had been prepared to die for a long time, years even, for the cause of defending my world, had expected that my life would end through fulfilling my service to mankind's protection . . . and here it appeared I would die. But my death would serve no purpose, I would be merely the first in an almost certainly long line of casualties.

I had put forth everything at my command to destroy Kanlei, all my training, all my experiences culminating into a spear head of force that would have destroyed any normal adversary, but then again, Kanlei could hardly be reffered to as normal. He was not even of this world.

Hopelessness flooded through me as Kanlei finally decided that I realized my end was imminent and began walking towards me, slowly, maximizing his intimidation.

I backed up half a step, my body protesting at the movement, but no more. There was no where I could go fast enough to avoid what was coming against me.

I wished with all my might that I was stronger, that I was more powerful, that I had the energy left to defeat this alien freak pitted against me. But my wishes might have been made to the wind, for nothing happened . . .

Forcing my abused muscles into action, I lifted the Nilliu up into guard position, my arms trembling from the strain of holding it in place. Normally weilding the weapon was child's play. The sword had been made by a masterful blacksmith, and was perfectly balanced. When held, it was as light as air and quick as lightning if used correctly. Now though, it took all I had to keep it upright.
And for all the good it did. I could barely keep hold of it, let alone swing it. When Kanlei attacked, I would be able to hold off an attack for maybe a second extra, and then it would be over, and I would be gone.

Slowly, acceptance of my pointless demise filtered through my body, and my mind began to drift. I guess what people said of death was correct. Ones life does flash through before their eyes at the approach of death.
From the earliest moments of my life, to everything leading up to this moment, every single second popped into existence before my eyes in random order. First fight, first kiss, first injury . . .

Then my eyes widened as the moment I'd received the Nilliu appeared, and everything else seemed to fade from existence as I remembered the words that had been given to me from its protector.

Kerius, we give this weapon to you for you have proved yourself beyond doubt that you are pure of heart and soul and wish to make a difference in the fight against evil. But be warned, the powers within the Nilliu are unlike anything ever tapped by a mere mortal, even one as strong as you. This weapon has the power to change the very fabric of space and time around us, to warp it into something other than what it is, and beyond that, it can amplify your own power far beyond what you'd consider possible. Master it, and even the limits of your perceptions could stretch and twist to your bidding. Because of this, weild it with care, for misusing the magic of the sword can destroy not only yourself, but all around you . . .

Those words given to me more than a decade ago hadn't really meant much to me at the time, after all, I had been in my mid-teens at the time. But now their importance was undeniable.
Time seemd to stretch out as the impact of this fully hit me. Over the years, some amazing things had happen to me. During battles, I had been able to perform acts that pushed the limit of possibility, defeated opponents whose strength was greater than my own many times over . . . and it was all due to the Nilliu. Only now did I realize just how limited my understanding of the weapon was. All those acts had been accidental, brought upon by immense stress, anger, and desperation. If I had taken the time to truly master this weapon, the power at my command would have been phenomenal, and perhaps things would be different at this very moment.

I had taken to heart my benefactors warnings of course, and had treated the weapon with a respect and care that would have been well received by any person. In retrospect I now also realized that perhaps it was this unwillingness to risk anything that had contributed to my not learning anything else about the weapon I commanded. But not anymore. There was no time for care, no time for caution any longer.

Time resumed its normal flow, and with what remained of my dying strength assumed a ready stance, my feet shifting to move from a guard position to one of attack. I let my arms fall slightly, and brought the tip of the Nilliu down until it was level with my chin. The small spot of ki that rested at the center of my body began to pulse slightly as I called upon it, letting the warmth flow down my arms, and into the blade of my instrument, something I had never done before, and something that would have vaporized any other sword.

The weapon began to give off a faint glow as my energy mixed with its magic, and a low humming filled the air around me.

I remained totally focused on what I was doing, completely ignoring the powerful figure marching towards me. This required total concentration. If I made an error in my task, then I would truly die for no reason.

The Kai's had said that the Nilliu could amplify my own energy to a point beyond what I was normally capable of. But I had used up all I had to fight with already, and it wouldn't be enough. That being so, the only power left for me to draw on was that force which kept me alive.
A faint sheen of sweat broke out on my forehead as life drained out of my body, and fatigue began to pull at the corners of my mind, urging me to give into the eternal sleep that was death, by I refused it and retained my focus.

Though I couldn't see it, my skin slow drained of its color, and my hair began to lose it's dark brown hue. I was commited to this course of action now, there was no way to turn back. But this was what it would take, so I walked willingly into the embrace of death with a smile on my face, and all the while, the energy within the Nilliu began to build up, crackling up and down the length of the now saffire blade and cooking the air with its intensity.

Kanlei stopped a few feet in front of me, confusion obvious on his face. No doubt he'd never seen anything like what he was witnessing now, which wouldn't have been surprising. After all, how many warriors were willing to sacrifice themselves for their world? How many were willing to use their very life force to destroy an enemy? Not many was the answer.

After a moment however, the alien shrugged off his wordless question and smirked. "I do not know why you are attempting another energy attack," he rumbled deeply, "I was certain I proved to you before that it was futile."

Indeed he had, but instead of answering, I flashed him a grin. Just wait a little longer, and we'll both find out if this is futile.

My body began to pale further and I trembled as I grew weaker with each passing second. My skin, hair, even my eyes, now just a shade above total white, and the hum that had filled the air was now a penetrating whine. I was almost ready.

"Fool, you waste you last moments trying to hurt me when they would be better spent making final peace with your gods. No matter, the choice was yours to make, a pity it was the wrong one. You will die now."

"I agree." My grin faded as I finished my task and the death I had called to me finally arrived to spirit me away.
With the last of strength, I pointed the Nilliu towards the ground and shoved the shining blade down as far as I could.

And then the energy I had amplified was unleashed, and everything in my vision vanished in a flash of white.

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Years before . . .

"Push . . . Push!" The nurse shouted. Terriz Zarin pushed as hard as she could, fighting to get her baby, her son into the world.
Just hours ago, (oh, god how it felt like eons!), she had been lying down for a nap when her water broke. At the time, her husband, Kale, hadn't been home, and she'd been forced to call an ambulance for herself.
She could have just flown to the hospital, but for a woman in her condition, the possibility of falling from the sky and harming her baby had been to great to risk it. And besides that, the doctors and nurses might just think it a bit strange to see a flying pregnant woman enter their offices.

She'd begun to fear that she might have to deliver the baby right there in her own living room without any help, but thankfully the ambulance had arrived and whisked her away to Pepper Town Medical Center. She'd entered labor shortly after arriving and had been in it for the past 7 hours.

Child birth was quite possibly the most painful experience she'd ever endured, (and back in the day she'd been through some of the most intense battles in the universe).
The woman let out another scream and pushed harder. Her son was going to be born now!

***

From above the table, a man floated, completely invisible even to the senses of the saiyajin lying beneath him. He watched this woman as she screamed once again, and the battle between mother and son intensified.

The man's name was Kerius, a human who had lived over 4,000 years before. During that period in galatic evolution he had been one of the strongest protectors of all that was good and right in the universe, fighting evil and injustice on many worlds in dozens of galaxies.

But his time as an active protector had long since passed. He had died in a battle against the darkness countless eons ago and had been in other world quietly monitoring the universe, trying to determine just what destiny had in store for it. That had proved impossible, after all, the sentients that brought about change were hardly logical or predictable in their actions. Ultimately it didn't matter. Since the time of the great warriors like Goku and Vegeta the evil in the universe had been strigently repressed, hidden from sight and out of mind. Until recently.

Two years ago he'd come upon a startling revelation. The return of evil was close at hand.

It had been the belief of him, and even some of the higher level gods that Goku had put a hole in evil that would never be sealed after Buu had been defeated. But like him, like goodness, evil was meant to exist forever. And the approaching storm was greater than anything that he previously fought or even imagined, so great even that it required immediate action.

And so, for the past 48 months he had spent every second of time searching for a person, a host that was powerful, someone who was innocent and would be completely free of evil at birth. There had been billions of candidates across the millions of worlds scatter around the universe, but only one of them had proved to be perfect.
This child who was about to be born, right here, right now.

He knew the boy's name by heart. He had long since memorized it, after all, it was written in the Book of Time (an ever continuing story that records the events taking place in the universe now and in the future). This boy was special. Out of all of them, he would be the Avatar, the one who would turn right from wrong, and the one who would bring hope where there was none.

This child, Rael Zarin, would be the greatest of champions for good.

"I can see the head!" A nurse shouted.

Kerius made a smile as Rael's head emerged from his mother's womb. It was almost time for the story to begin.
The rest of his body became visible only a moment after that, soft, dripping fluids. The nurse took the boy up in her arms and wrapped him in a blanket. She turned him over and patted his rear lightly, clearing his lungs and letting him take in the first breath of his life. It only took a second for him to begin wailing like only babies do.

The nurse turned him back over and handed the screaming child over to his mother. The father entered a second later, a broad, proud grin on his face as he stared down at his baby boy.

Then Rael opened his eyes and looked up, stopping his crying as he did so, as if he could sense the presence of something. His eyes didn't rove the room as they searched for the source of this strange feeling, they locked straight onto Kerius as if he were no more transparent than a brick.

Kerius returned the child's gaze and favored him with a smile again. This boy was definitely the one. The ancient spirit floated downwards and entered the body of the baby, and instantly all of the spirit energy that had previously been available to him became nothing. It was to be expected however. He would have to wait until the boy became strong enough to allow for him to communicate subconsciously. Until then, Rael would grow up an ordinary child. But on his sixth birthday, everything would be destined to change . . .

[Jakut]

OMG!!
How long did u type that??

[SA_Gohan]

about an hour and a half more or less. Is it too long?

[Engar]

Very cool, keep writing. :)

(Still hoping for a seperate Fan-Fic board on the forum.. ;))

[Hibiki]

hmm if we get more i might suggest that to masta and greg

[mr. roshi]

im sure their good....but im just never inclined to read them

[SA_Gohan]

[oos (out of story): Thanks for the comments, and I do hope that more people start writing fan fics here so we can get a section of the forum just for that :)]

Terriz spent a few more hours in the her room recuperating, the monitors at her bedside beeping normally and the lines running across their screens showing that all was well with the new mother.
With the sleeping Rael in one hand, Terriz reached out and hefted a bag she'd brought with her from the house. She fuddled around inside of it, slender hands searching for the device she knew was there, then smiled as her fingers found the scouter and she pulled it out.
It was a Mark II power reader, it's design dating back a good 20 years. By most standards it was incredibly outdated, but the machine had a sentimental value to her, it reminded her of the life she'd left behind . . . and besides that she really had no need for fighting these days, so keeping up on the leading edge of scouter technology really wasn't necessary.

With skill born of long practice, Terriz fitted the device over the left side of her face and turned it on.

As was the practice at the birth of most saiyajin children, someone, usually one of the mid-wives, checked the power reading of the new born to see how fit they might be to take part in the warrior's side of Vegeta 2's culture, and in the dark days of Freeza's reign, power level readings had been of a dual purpose.

To see how likely it was that the child might one day stand up to the tyrant and defeat him.

But wartimes were long since passed, and the reading of a child was really no more than a tradition, and one that Terriz was set on following.

The saiyajin shifted her head slightly, letting the green hud fall over the form of her sleeping child. The scouter whirred as its circuitry kicked in, ascertaining the fighting level of the small being before it, then it beeped once and Terriz's jaw dropped open in total astonishment.
That can't be right, it's not possible! "KALE! COME IN HERE NOW!"

Her husband, who had been talking to one of the doctors outside of her door looked up from his conversation, a question on his face. He motioned for the man to hold on a second, then went to see just what the problem was.

Not explaining anything, Terriz instructed the scouter to get a reading on Kale. It beeped once again, easily reading the human's lower power level of 15.

"What is it? What's wrong?" He asked.

Terriz looked up at her husband, the shock of what she knew almost like a punch in the face. "Rael's power reading is ninety-five hundred!"
The amount of saiyajin children born with a power level that high could be easily counted on one hand . . .
She looked down at the baby cradled in her arms, and smiled. She'd known this before as only a mother could, but now she had something that would prove it to everyone else as well. Rael was going to so very special.

***

Years passed, and Rael slowly matured from a healthy baby into a wide eyed and curious six year old. During these beginning years of his life, his parents had opted to keep him at home and teach him themselves, afraid that the boy might accidentally release the incredible power within his small frame and bring harm to someone.
No, they would wait until he'd grown up, (they being Terriz) and could be schooled in the way of the martial arts, and therefore gain control of the energy contained within his body. Until then, they raised him as any other Earth child at his age would have been raised, never once letting him know about the saiyajin aspect of his heritage, or the hidden powers at his command.

But even without that knowledge, his ki grew daily, increasing in depth and bredth every second of his waking, and doubly so when he slept. It was an enigma. How could someone become so much stronger, and not even spend an ounce of their time in training? Neither of Rael's parents knew, especially not Kale, who wasn't much of a fighter to begin with, and not Terriz, who had never even heard of such a phenomena . . .

It was on his sixth birthday, a day that marked the start of several rare universal events, that his powers reached a point that allowed Kerius to awaken from his dormancy. It only took him a moment to reassert himself in the realms of the realities, much faster than he had previously anticipated, and he came to the boy in his dreams that very night.

[Jakut]

Do u have nothing to do? This is super ultra mega big :shocked:

[Engar]

Keep going SA, it's really good. :)

P.S: It's just a tiny little crit, nitpicking really but I had to say something to stay on topic. Goku's original power reading was between 1 and 10, he was sent to Earth in order to become stronger. Doesn't matter really, Vegeta and Broli did have that sort of power from birth so you're absolutely right about that. Just thought I'd say.. don't mean to annoy..

[SA_Gohan]

Thanks

@Jakut: No actually, I've been permanently fused to the chair in front of my computer, os what else is there to do? j/k :p :D
Seriously though, I just have a lot of practice typing fast.

@Engar: Don't worry about nit picking, every little bit helps :)
I didn't know that Goku's birth power level was around 10, I'd never heard it mention, but I did read a fan fiction sometime back about his reading beings altered by Bardock so he wouldn't draw anyones attention, so that's where that came from. Edited.

Hopefully, this is now of a comfortable read length :)
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The Meeting

A faint glow surrounded Rael's form as Kerius awakened within him. The sheets around his small body warmed, then rose into the air, held there in place by the physic energy in use.

***

Rael found himself standing in the middle of a vast white plain. He slowly spun around, taking in his new surroundings. The bleak eternity seemed to stretch forever, moving from horizon to horizon where it met the clear blue sky, and as far as he could tell, the whiteness continued on far past what he could see.

The boy wondered why it was that he was here. He couldn't remember his parents bringing him here, and if they had, then why? The last thing that he recalled was of his mother tucking him into bed, everything after that was a blank.
He scratched his unruly black hair in confusion, trying to bring answers from his mind that just weren't there.

For awhile he just stood there, gazing off into oblivion, trying to find some flaw in the monotonous landscape, some break, some reference point he could use to find his way home, but failed.
He couldn't very well just keep standing there forever, he would have to find someone. Nodding to himself, the boy started walking off in a random direction in search of civilization.

"There's really no point, this entire realm is empty."

Rael spun around at the sound of the voice, startled, but not afraid. He found himself face to face, (so to speak, as the tiny saiyajin only reached up to the other's knee caps), with a man.
He wasn't scary looking, despite his towering form. Whoever he was, he was dressed in a gi colored all in white's and light gray's, and appeared to be about 25 years old, with black hair and hazel colored eyes. He flashed a smile at the young boy before him, revealing a mouthful of perfect teeth.

"Who are you?" Rael asked politely.

The stranger squatted down to Rael's eye level and extended a hand, his smile growing broader. "My name is Kerius."

Rael shook the man's hand, though his own palm was dwarfed by that of the other man's. "My name is Rael, it's nice to meet you. Where are we?"

Kerius stood up and looked around, stretching a hand to encompass all that could, or perhaps couldn't, be seen. "We are in a place that you have never been before, that few people even consciously visit while they are alive. This, is called the Spirit Plane, a place where those who have passed on to the next dimension can interact and converse with those who have not."

[SA_Gohan]

"So I'm dead?" Rael asked curiously, believing that the deceased party was himself. The thought of being dead didn't frighten him in the least, as he'd been raised to believe that if the good someone had done in their life outweighed the evil, death was merely a continuance of one's existence on another plane.

Kerius shook his head. "No, hopefully you will not die for a long, long time. You're just asleep. I have brought you here."

"Why?"

The older male motioned for Rael to follow him as he started walking off in a random direction, careful to keep his pace slow enough so that the boy wouldn't have to struggle to keep up.

"Rael, I brought you here to talk to you, as I am doing now. You see, I am actually a spirit, and a very old one at that. 3,900 I think, but I lost count sometime ago so that's only a rough estimate. You might recognize me from 6 years ago to the day. I was the only one who entered your body."

The young boy stopped and looked up at Kerius for a long moment, then opened his mouth in a small o of realization. "You were the man who was floating in the hospital room," he stated.

The spirit nodded. "Very good. Not mant people can honestly say that they have memories going back that far."

Rael had always thought that memory a bit strange . . . well, just another curiousity to ponder later on.
"So you've been in my body all these years since I was born?"

"Yes, well, not your body exactly, but you're conscious mind. You're a special boy Rael, one who is destined to make a huge difference in the battle of Light and Darkness for this generation, and the size of that difference that you will make is so large and critical that I and some of my . . . 'colleagues' . . . have decided that I should see to your training personally and make sure you stay on the right path."

"How come you never showed yourself before? I dream all the time."

"I was unable to because doing so requires the host I choose to have a certain stability and strength in their ki. If I had tried before now, me, and possibly you, would have been destroyed. But now, your powers have finally advanced far enough on their own for me to present myself to you without risk."

Time passed, and over the next few hours Rael and Kerius talked on the empty spirit plane about the fight of good and evil, and the part Rael might play in this forever ongoing battle. Kerius told him of the information he'd discovered years earlier, and he told him of how it would affect the boy and his family. And with some difficulty, Kerius told him that his mother and father would die.

[SA_Gohan]

Rael looked up at him, this time confusion and concern was mirrored in his depthless brown eyes. "Why?"

The spirit looked down at him sadly. "Young one, the same power that has allowed me to appear to you, your power, has attracted the attention of an evil force. In two hours in the real world, this force will destroy your home, and family, and attempt to kill you. You must not be here when he arrives."

The boy shook his head, not quite believing that anything could possibly harm him or his family, even with all that he and the spirit had talked about. "No, Mommy is the strongest fighter in the world. I've seen her, she can protect us."

"No Rael, I'm sorry, but the coming evil is more than capable of overwhelming your mother, and quickly. If you stay here, you will die, and your destiny will be lost."

"Then why don't we run away?"

"That is also . . . beyond my powers. I can only mask the life force of one person, you. To anyone monitoring this house through a ki channeling, it would appear you are still sleeping, so our departure will go undetected. If your parents came with us, then we would be found instantly and destroyed."

Rael opened his mouth to suggest another idea, but stopped again, his eyes beginning to water from what he was hearing. He understood every bit of what was going on, and Kerius had convinced him of his importance in the greater scheme of things. But this knowledge of his destiny did not bring him any consolation, for the decision facing him was not one that anyone could ever expect a child to find an answer for.
After a time, he wiped his eyes and stared straight back at the man he'd only just met. "I don't want to go."

"I know, but you must, or you'll go down a path that was never meant for you."

The two figures stared at each other, one large and one small, trying to find a measure of truth and solidity in the others eyes. It was Rael who spoke first, tears springing to his eyes aknew. "Can you warn them?"

Kerius prepared to tell him that it was impossible for him to do so, but the pitiful look on the child's face was enough to give him halt. He was asking this little boy to leave his family . . . the very least he could do was honor his request.
"I will try," he said instead, and meant it. "But you must wake up and prepare for us to leave . . . now."

Rael nodded reluctantly. Oh, how easy it would be to remain in this dream world forever, at least then he would be able to avoid the decision he'd been pressured into making. But in the short span of time that was his life, not once had Rael ever been encouraged to avoid the few problems that he might be confronted with. And so, he began to rouse himself . . .

[RedSaiya]

sa_gohan you realy crazy!

how much did you write ?!do realy think that someone will read all of this? :rolleyes:

[SA_Gohan]

*scratches head in confusion*
Well, I thought about that, but I thought people might get annoyed if I posed the story one sentence at a time :p

Seriously, what is a good length for fan fic posts? Should I measure the length in character count, or amount of paragraphs or something?

[Engar]

If you read some of the Fan-Fics in http://www.fanfiction.net you'll find a lot of the Fan-Fics have longer chapters but that doesn't make them bad.

In fact some (the ones I love) have chapters which can last up to half an hour but that would probably be bigger than a post could take. :)

Anyway, I'm reading and I'm liking. I assume some people who can read books beyond 'See Spot Run' would be able to read this much as well so keep writing.

[SA_Gohan]

[oos: Yeah, wow those are long. The could make a book out of some of those. Thanks for the link Engar :) ]

The Departure

Rael came awake from the dream world slowly, his mind muddled with confusion as new information struggled into his conscious mind. His journey into the spirit world slowly manifested it self in his mind, growing in strength and clarity with each passing second, and yet he still wasn't entirely sure of what had just happened. On the one hand, the experience he'd just had could have been something created by his mind, a hallucination brought about by too much studying or candy.
And then there was the possibility that this entire thing was in fact real.

That was confirmed when Kerius's sounded in his head. Hurry boy, time is very short. You have to be out of here before your parents receive my warning, or we'll all be lost.

Rael nodded assent. How do I communicate with you, by thinking?

Yes. Now get get a back pack or something to hold clothes in, then go downstairs and find some food. I don't expect that many people will be willing to help you.
The young boy did as was instructed, retrieving an old camping pack in his size from his closet, and efficiently packed away a small store of clothes, then rushed down stairs and filled his backpack pocket with a half dozen granola bars.

Is this enough? He asked silently.

It will have to be. Hurry Rael, you parents are waking up!

Rael nodded and started for the front door. He paused between the threshold, to forces within him battling for surpremacy. He wanted to stay here with his parents forever, to know that he and they would be safe for all the days to come and dismiss the voice in his head as something of his imagination. It was natural, it was what any child wanted, the knowledge that they would be protected.
However, want, need, and what was so were three different things.

He couldn't stay here. He didn't know why, but he just knew he had to leave, regardless of the consequences.
As the boy shut the door behind him, tears gathered in his eyes.
"Bye mom, bye dad . . . stay safe."

[oos: I'm kinda of tired now but the next part will be bit longer]

[VegetaBlaZe]

good job it musta took some thinkin :]

[SA_Gohan]

[ooc: sorry for taking so long to reply. Been busy this week]
Kaosu: A demon race of incredible power specializing in flare and fire based attacks. - Race concept and creation by Thanatos

In the shadow of almost complete darkness, Kirin stood up from his chair, his movements appearing indistinct and ethereal because of the low light level. Beside him, one of his many servants, the Seer he was called, countinued his report.

"This is the same ki signature that you have sensed my lord, and it has grown far larger than that of any normal human being on this world. Currently it is not strong enough to challenge our own, but given time, and training, this person could become a danger. My recommendation is to destroy it now before this person, be they man or child, blossoms into their fullest potential."

Kirin stepped away from the shadows, a frown on his face as he thought upon the same thing.
Like Kerius had feared, Kirin was one of many of the evil forces present on Earth who would like nothing better than to destroy any and all goodness on Earth and forever plunge the world into night. And if that goodness was contained in the body of a small child, then they wouldn't be at all reluctant about snuffing out his life.
The man's light grey skin became mottled as he thought over this growing situation.

He had two options concerning this person. One he could outright kill them. That would be the fastest and simplest solution to his problem, and possibly enjoyable as well.
Or two, he could try and convert him. A power like this one, while nothing at the moment, could easily become a great force of influence on the side of evil. With the right training and a few suggestive pushes, whoever this person was could easily become his new servant.

The Kaosu demon known as Kirin pondered this for a moment, then shook his head. No, he had enough servants as it was, and all of them were far stronger than any mortal could ever hope of becoming. In this case it would be best to take the simple solution.

"Master, the power has disappeared once again. He is asleep."

Master nodded to apprentice. He didn't know the identity of this potential he was sensing, but he did recognize the ki signature of a person he or she lived with. It was that of a saiyajin warrior he had encountered many years ago, back in a time when the galaxy was a much more . . . rowdy . . . place. Terriz.
Back then, he would have had reason to fear the power of the woman whose power he recognized, but now it seemed as if her energy was a mere shadow of its former self. That being so, there was no one to stand against him.

The evil one smiled. They would be eliminated.

"I trust you wish to handle this yourself, master?" The Seer asked.

Kirin shook his head after a moment, still amused at the workings of the universe. "No, there is no reason for me to reveal myself to such a . . . peon. Alert Niir, tell him I want this new person destroyed, and make it clear to him I don't care about any 'collateral' damage."

The Seer nodded and went to carry out his instructions.

[SA_Gohan]

With orders to eliminate everything, Niir sped towards Pepper City, a purple aura burning around his body as he streaked through the sky the following morning.

His mind was focused towards the completion of his task. It didn't much matter that it was work that he would be conducting, and that "work" and "fun" should never be used in the same sentence with one another. He would revel in the deaths he would cause to his target and those who got in his way, and because he had a Carte Blanc
from his master concerning his actions, he would do anything he wanted after that.

And if that meant a few hundred . . . thousand --humans had to loose their lives for his enjoyment, then tough cookies for them. He'd kill them and have a smile on his face while he was doing it.

***

As the warrior Niir made his way towards Pepper City at the speed of sound, Rael began his journey away from home to a destination he was not yet aware of. The first few hours of that journey were the hardest on the boy. He had never been out on the street alone, his mother and father had always been there to shelter him from such hardships. That being so, he felt very unsure of himself and tried to shy away from other people whenever possible to avoid a confrontation.

Kerius counciled him gently, telling him that he was doing fine and that nothing bad would happen to him. Despite these urgings, curiousity got the better of him after only an hour of walking.

"Kerius, where are we going?"

People who were within hearing distance of Rael's question turned to look at the boy strangely, but said nothing themselves and continued along their way.

The spirit's reply was long in coming. Finally he did, apparently at great cost to his better judgement. Centuries ago, Rael, the primary forces who carry the fight of good against evil made a pact with a warrior family of that age. The house of Tijen-riu it was called. The house, as I said, were a family of warriors comprised of some of the best fighters on Earth, and their students often became some of the finest fighters in the known galaxy.
Now, back in this time, the universe was a much darker place and less trustworthy place, and we needed people like them, who were skilled and of good heart to train the chosen paladin for our cause in each succesive generation. So we . . . I . . . made a deal with them. I would show them the secrets of ki fighting, an art previously unknown to them, and they would agree to train our paladin's. I have long since fulfilled my part of the agreement, which was signed in blood, and they have down their share over the centuries.
You know that you are this generation's paladin, Rael. We're going to the house of Tijen-riu so that you may begin your training."

Rael thought on this for a moment, before nodding seemingly to himself. "Oh, okay, I understand know. Um, what's ki?"

Even though Kerius was invisible, Rael could feel the man's warm smile. You will know in good time, Rael. For now, merely be patient."

***

Hours of travel passed quickly, and Rael soon discovered that he rather enjoyed the freedom of walking without his parent's presence (despite the circumstances this freedom had been brought about). It made him feel older, and soon confidence filled his steps. BUt as evening approached and the sky darkened, confidence was replaced with exhaustion and foot pains. Kerius instructed the boy that now might be a good time to find a place to lie down and rest.

They had long since cleared the outskirts of Pepper City, so finding a secluded but relatively open spot proved easy. He sat down on a hill over looking the city and hugged his knees to his chest.
Kerius was quite impressed with him. The child had made it all this way without complaint and almost no breaks.

The sun began to set, it's huge orange disk setting the horizon afire with bright purples and oranges, and the spirit found he was glad at heart. It had been far too long since he'd had the privilege of watching a sunset.

Even the city seemed bathed in orange, and parts of it flickered with the brilliance of the sun. He smiled, such amazing things could be seen when nature and the constructs of man could be combined.
Within a few seconds though his happiness bled away as he realized that the flickering of the lights came not from the sky, but from within Pepper City itself. Fire light. The city was burning!

[phrack50]

wow, this is a great story. keep it going. :laff:

[Engar]

Indeed, getting better and better. :D

[SA_Gohan]

. . . minutes before . . .

Terriz and Kale had been out all day long in a desperate effort to find their son with the help of a few family friends and the police. They scoured every single area of the city a boy of Rael's age could possibly have walked in the time alloted to him, then started looking in places where he might have been taken forcefully. All this had turned up nothing. So the Zarin's had gone back home in despair, hoping that magically their son would be in his bedroom where he had not been before.

That's when he arrived.

Niir's approach was hardly subtle to anyone with the gift of ki, but Terriz didn't sense his presence until the first energy blast tore through downtown Pepper City.

The saiyajin woman spun around in her mid-air perch as she surveyed the area, eyes glazing over as she thought out possible hiding places Rael could be, and confused as she heard the explosion. At first she thought it might have been somekind of natural disaster that had caused it, but it only took her half a second to realize that wasn't so.
Her eyes widened as for the first time she detected Nerak's huge ki nearly dead center over the town. Several more ki attacks followed that first, shooting off in directions that most people would have thought of as random, but not to a saiyajin eye. Whoever this guy was, he was using a standard flush and attack search pattern. She had used it all the time to ferret out resistance pockets when she'd been part of the saiyajin eilte corps.

The energy bored through several more buildings, causing them to burst into fire and collapse. The people in them and on the ground didn't have a chance at survival, and their screams could be heard from where Terriz floated over her house
She just stayed where she was, stunned by the mindless destruction being wrought open the place she called home, then she grimaced as she realized whoever this guy was, he had sensed her now.

From below, Kale walked out of the house, unaware that anything was amiss, other than his son being absent of course. He didn't posses any sort of fighting abilities or ki talents and certainly not the incredible hearing that Terriz possesed, so how could he?

The power began to shift towards them as it realized they were the objective of his search, and Terriz switched into combat mode, her mind working through things faster than before as she assessed her situation.
She hadn't gotten more than a few seconds into this when a beam lanced out from ahead and far away and struck her home. It exploded violently, tossing burning fragments in every direction. Kale spun around only a second before the explosion, and caught the full force of it head on.

The fireball picked him up and tossed him away as if he were a rag doll while sharp bits and pieces of his own home punched through his body. The man was dead before he slammed against the wall of their neighbors house.

Terriz didn't even realize she was screaming her husband's name until she was flying towards him at full speed, caution and concern for the city thrown to the wind. But she came up short when a figure blurred into existence in front of her.

The woman hung there for a moment, tears clouding her vision as she stared blankly at this new person. He was a man, of that she was certain, though just what kind of one she wasn't sure. He was taller and infinitely more muscular than her and wore a dark grey shirt and trousers. The cut was old style by current standards, but Terriz recognized it all the same. It was similar to the training gi's fighters wore a century before.
His clothes were hardly his oddest or most noticeable feature however. That would have been his skin, which was pink, and the long tentacle that stretched down from the top of his bead to mid-back.

"Hi," the man said in a husky voice.

"Who are you?!" Terriz demanded, her own voice quavering in mixed fear and anger.

"My name's Niir . . . oh, and yeah, I am here to kill you."

Anger pulsed through the saiyajin as she heard the proud and uncaring admission form Niir. This man! He had killed what must have been hundreds of people only moments ago, and he was respnosible for the death of her husband. What was he? Didn't he even have a conscience?!

A crack of lightning split the darkening evening sky and the hair on Terriz's forehead wafted upwards as the energy in her built.
Rage and hatred was plain on her face as she looked at her husband's murderer. A brilliant white aura burst around her as she brought forth all her ki, and the area around the soon coming battlefield was bathed in its clear light. Niir would die, Terriz vowed, and he would wish that he were dead a long time before it was actually so if she had anything to say about it.

She did her best to force back the emotions that threatened to overwhlem her. Grief, pain, anger, all of them vied for supremacy, but she pushed them all down, all but the anger. She let that wash through her and burn away everything else in her mind. For the first time in almost two decades, Terriz, Destroyer of Worlds, returned.

[Vegeta_Master]

1) Great story, keep going.

2) Poor Rael, i mean his dad dying at the age of 6.

3) Whats that grandal or whatever bar you where talking about.?

[SA_Gohan]

1) Thank you :)
2) Yeah, even sadder is that he might never know . . .
3) Grandal? O_o

[Vegeta_Master]

It was Granola bars (near begging on chapter 'the departure'.)

[drevilz4l]

Wow that is friggin awesome. Keep it up. Reading this makes me want to read a little more Fan Fic.

[Fenumeher]

I am being amazed to know that there is a person that spends more time at the forums then I do! Nice story to but I think I read it before. can that be?

[SA_Gohan]

@Vegeta_Master: Ah. Well, it was just a little something for Rael to eat. I thought I'd at it as a detail

@drevilz4l: Thanks :)

@Fenumeher: Don't worry, I don't think I've beat out your standing for time on the forum :p
Yep, it's definitely possible you've read this before depending on what forums you visit that is. This is the first part of my Gekitou rp, albeit this version is a bit buffed up from the last one. That might be why you find this story a little familiar.
Gekitou's down atm, but I was Temporal over there.

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Gold rippled through her aura for a moment as rage pushed her energy to new heights, and the woman shot forward at the pink monster. The dark emotions had given her a whole new level of speed and power, and she used them well, zanzokening at the man before he had a chance to react. Before a second had passed she'd slammed dozens of kicks and punches into his body. With a scream of loss, Terriz let rage overpower her mind and she finished him with a spinning knee strike to the neck.

During all this, Niir had simply floated there in mid-air, his body giving some as blow after blow connected against him, and with the last attack he floated to the side a few feet, a grimace on his face as pain shot through him.
After a minute he stopped himself, then looked back up at the woman who had so bravely attacked him, and smirked.

Terriz's jaw dropped open slightly as she realized that the man was still conscious. "What the hell?" She murmured.

The pink man floated back up to eye level with her, his smirk still in place, and the indents in his skin that showed where he'd gotten hit seemed to reinflate themselves.
A chuckle escaped him as he easily regenerated his damage.

The saiyajin woman's breath quickened as she also realized she was fighting a foe unlike any that she had ever encountered before. "That's . . . that's not possible . . . " she breathed in disbelief.

Niir cracked his neck from side to side, enjoying the negative physcological effect his regeneration was having on his opponent. "What's the matter, haven't you ever heard of a Majin Demon?"

With the sound of that name, Terriz's heart skipped a beat. Ever since she was a child she had heard of the Majin Demons. They were a race of . . . things, artificially formed from the spirits of evil people who been sent straight into hell. These people were so evil and full of anger that over time, their emotions shaped them, changed them, into the freaks of nature like the one she now saw before her.
The most reknowned Majin demon was Buu. Unlike all the others Majins, he had been totally created from scratch to be pure evil. He hadn't been the first Majin demon by far, but the stories of his battles and exploits were legendary across the galaxy.
If Niir is anything like Majin Buu . . . She let the thought trail off as her face hardened. If Niir was anything like Buu, then he would be tough to beat, but Terriz herself was tough, she'd had to be to get through the early years of her life. She would kill the demon, and make him suffer before he died for what he'd done to her husband. That, or die in the attempt.

In an effort to throw back the grimness of her situation, Terriz cracked a smile. It was tight and edged, but still it was something. The aura billowing around her body swelled slightly and she took up a fighting stance, waiting for her opponent to make a move.

Niir casually cracked his knuckles and shook his head at her. "How about you just give up girly? I promise, it will be so much less painful if you yield now, and faster too. If you don't however . . . then you'll have to pay in the way of some extra pain for my annoyance."

Terriz sneered at him in response, then jetted forwards, fists tightening as she did so.

This time Niir was all but prone in the battle.

The saiyajin attacked first, using her smaller size and high speed to her advantage, and tried to slam a blow into the Majin's stomach. Niir blocked the attack easily, his own hand blurring into position before Terriz had even completed the movement.
Suprised but hardly discouraged, she spun off him and lashed out with a roundhouse kick to the side of his head. That too was blocked with a forearm, and this time Terriz smirked. This guy wasn't an amateur.

The two hovered their in the sky for a second before vanishing from sight as they pushed their fight up a notch.
For those still left alive in the city, the low rumble of thunder could be heard tracing its way across the sky as the speed in which Terriz and her foe battled caused sonic booms. They reappeared to the naked eyes every so, fading apparitions engaged in a fight to the death.

Niir zanzokened backwards to avoid a punch to his face, but not quite fast enough as the saiyajin blasting after him teleported and slammed a kick into his jaw that sent him spinning straight up into the air.
Without a second thought, the woman directed her hands right at the sky her opponent occupied and let loose a beam of saffire energy.

Taken by surprise the Majin Demon's eyes widened in surprise as the energy quickly grew in his vision, then passed straight through his stomach.

[{-S-T-S-}]

i dont even wann start reading :) sorry but i dont like to read stories. i bet its gr8 but im just not into it. but u r a PSYCO! how can u write that much?! where do u get all this from??

[RedSaiya]

i'm gonna ask something stupid what is FF??

[Vegeta_Master]

Many things here, Final flash, Final fantasy (ok,so like the word final). Here it means fan fic, a story writen by fans of a certain subject, which here is DB/Z and is loosely based on the subject useing some of the things from that subject e.g here he/she uses the saiyin race which is from DBZ.

[SA_Gohan]

oos: Thanks Vegeta_Master, described perfectly :)
Hmm, I probably should have put FanFic in the topic header though, instead of an abbreviation that could mean anything to someone just casually glancing over topics.

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Breathing beginning to get hard now, Terriz smirked triumphantly. He was finished, there was no possible way for even a thing like him to repair damage like that. Even a Namek would have been hard-pressed to pull that off.
And it was a good thing too, fighting at that level had taken almost all her focus and determination to sustain, and now her body was paying for it, and greatly. She could distinctly feel the effects of all that lost ki also, and the burning in her muscles told her that she might have over done it a bit.
But then again, how could one over do revenge?

She looked up at the pink demon floating in the sky, clearly able to see the stars that were beginning to come out from the hole in his stomach.

"Well, what do you know, it's dounut man!" She taunted from below. "I'd like to see you regenerate that."

Niir held the sides of his stomach as if afraid he would pull apart at any second, and dropped down to eye level with Terriz. Oddly enough though, he was smiling.

"Ask, and you receive!" Niir laughed, and suddenly the trash can sized hole in his abdomen sealed itself.

Terriz's jaw nearly dropped as that happened, but then she gritted her teeth in anger. Nothing could have been expected to survive a hit like that, nothing! For him to have been able to live through it, then that would have to mean that . . . he was immortal.

She shook her head. This-he's not possible! He's alive, he must be! And that means he can be made dead as well! Frustration and fear beginning to overtake her, Terriz let loose everything she'd had in reserve before, and her ki responded acordingly, flaring wildly around her being and blowing back the clouds gathering in the ever darkening sky. The air temperature around her jumped up from 75 to over 400 degrees as she prepared for a final assault against the monster who had taken her husband from her.

Amused by the light display, but otherwise unimpressed, Niir cackled maniacly, revealing for a moment the true nature of his savage being, then he shot out a fist from a good 10 meters, allowing the arm to stretch beyond what a fully solid being would have considered possible.

Taken aback by the unexpected manuever, Terriz folded over his arm in pain, the aura about her dying away as she lost concentration and agony filtered through her nerves.

Niir withdrew a second later. "Ow, I bet that smarted just a bit . . . here, you should lie down!"
Before she could recover, the Majin Demon teleported behind her and slammed an elbow right on her spine. There was a resounding snap as cartilage and bone gave way under the pressure of the blow, and Terriz blasted towards and into the ground, comkpletely destroying was was left of her neighborhood in the resulting explosion of kinetic energy.

Dust roiled upwards into the nightsky, only partially visible in the fading sun and rising moon, and rained down on the city far below, tiny particles resting on any surface.

Niir waited patiently for a strong breeze to blow it all away, and one did come and do that, clearing the wrecked field of battle and allowing him to see the battered and broken body of the saiyajin that had only moments before proudly stood against him.
He set down beside her, laughing inwardly at her feeble attempts to stand on her own. But that wasn't going to happen again . . . not in this lifetime at any rate. Even if he had been inclined to let her live, which he wasn't, her spine had been shattered. It was amazing she hadn't passed out from the pain.

With casual ease, Niir reached down and pulled her up by the hair, letting satisfaction show on his face as she moaned with additional pain. "See? Now didn't I tell you it would hurt alot less and be alot faster if you just surrendered? Of course that would have ruined the slight workout I got from our fight, but at least I could have said to someone that I showed a modicum of mercy to at least one being in this sad city.

Terriz was only half listening. The pain and grief roiling through her mental and physical being had taken up almost all her conscious mind, it was all she could manage to maintain her tentative hold to reality.
Tears coursed down her face as she fully realized her defeat and what it meant. Death for her, an unavowed death for husband, and certain doom for her son. Sobs were racking her now frail body at the thought of her baby boy, not even able to defend himself in this world. That, was by far, the most torturous thing she was experiencing.

[Maxim]

Great stuff, keep it up.

[SA_Gohan]

thanks :)
-------------

Niir shook her slightly, making sure she stayed awake. "Now, what was it I was saying before . . . oh yeah, time for tax collections!" He announced, an edge of sadism clear in his voice. Then, with hardly an effort on his part, the demon tossed his helpless prey into the sky and shot after her, fist extended . . .

Blow after blow connected against Terriz's frame, one following the other with hardly a split second's gap between each. Niir seemed to be everywhere at once, his speed just so incredible that it appeared there were dozens of him banging her around.
The pink man's arm snaked out and wrapped around her neck, then, with a whip motion, tossed her towards the ground. She stopped only a second later, as she landed on top of Niir's other fist, which had plowed straight out of the earth and into her midsection.

She let out a gasp as new pain shoved it's way through her defenses, then screamed aloud as her discipline broke like sand against water.
From Terriz's aspect however, the pain was somewhat detached, as if from a place that was becoming increasingly distant. She was dying.
She fought against the feeling with every scrap of will she had, bringing everything she had to bear to stay alive. But it wasn't enough, not by a long shot. The damage to her body was far too extensive, and her spirit energy was almost gone.

Seeing that she was all but done with, Niir let her fall to the ground like a bag of refuse, then teleported and lifted her up once again by the hair. She whimpered slightly, but did no more, couldn't do anymore. Her body was totally thrashed. Not even a senzu bean could repair this kind of damage.

Niir placed a hand against the side of her skull and began to collect energy into it's palm. A sadistic grin was plastered on his face as he watched her final moments of life dwindle away before his eyes. It was always so good to see a mortal soul pass on to the next dimension, especially when the passing was bridged by pain.

A low whining filled the air around her, and Terriz's life began to flash through her eyes, from the earliest moments she could remember, to her joining the ranks of the Saiyajin Elite Corp . . . marrying Kale . . . Rael's birth . . . now . . . The decision's she'd made in the past 35+ years of her existence flickered into her mind one after the other, and more tears poured down her face. Not for herself, never for herself. She was a warrior, and had always expected that she would die like this, albeit she'd thought she would have died a good deal younger.

No, these tears were for her family, and the destruction and lost destiny's she'd visited upon the only other people in her life she could say she loved. All those years gone by . . . if she'd just stayed on Vegeta 2, then she would never have asked Shenlong to take away the awesome power she'd once had at her command. If she hadn't done that . . . this would all be different . . . so different. Perhaps none of it would ever have happened even . . .

She couldn't do anything about her decision's now. They were locked away in the still frames of time that were regarded as the past, forever lost to her grasp, immutable, unchangeable. She had only one question though, one thing that she had to attain if she was to receive some tiny semblance of peace in the next dimension.

"Why?" She croaked, her ravaged throat almost making the word come out as something else entirely.

Time sped back up, and the energy ball near her head began to crackle with dangerous intensity. Niir shrugged. "Oh, no real reason really. We just have to make sure that the population of good ki on Earth stays a minority, get my drift? And if that means killing off you and your husband, sucks to be you.

We? He'd said We. Who was we?

Terriz had no time to ask anymore question, no more time to breathe, no time to even blink. "Nothing personal," Niir whispered in her ear as his energy ball was completed, "but we do have to make sure your line ends here." And then he fired.

***

Rael watched the battle from a distance so great that they appeared to be fireworks, and he smiled at their beauty, completely ingnorant of the life and death struggle his mother was engaged in at that very moment.

Kerius saw the entirety of the battle through his own second sight however, which was uninhibited by the range and detail limitations of human sight. He saw it, and yet was unable to do a thing about it. Perhaps, several millenia ago, when he'd still had his own body he would have been able to help. But not now, and not in Rael's body.
An immense sadness filled him, not directed at himself, or even at Kale and Terriz, but at his host, which had lost his parents at such a young age . . . and would never know.
He couldn't, not now anyway. If Kerius told him what had happened, Rael would be destroyed. This was information that at the very best of times should be given when the boy was wiser and stronger, and old enough to understand the way of things in the universe.

With an inaudible sigh, Kerius spoke to the boy. Let's go Rael, we need to get to Tijen-riu holdings as soon as possible. If we can do this, then we will have nothing to fear for a long time to come.
The little saiyajin nodded, seemingly to himself, then stood up and began his journey aknew. At that moment, Kerius admired him more than anytime before.

***

As time passed and stretched into years, Rael's memories of his parents became cloudy, distorted, and faded . . .

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oos: I think this will be it for a few days . . .

[Maxim]

*snifs* that part almost made me :cry:

[Vegeta_Master]

1)Nooooooooooooooo

2)Again, poor Rael

3)Heres a suggestion, instead of the granol bars, give him canine chew, the treat that dogs love!

4):cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

[SA_Gohan]

I'll post the second part to this later, If I get the chance.
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Over the course of a week, Kerius directed Rael in how to navigate from town to town so that he may get to the ocean, across which lay a Tijen-riu land holding.
It was a difficult task because Kerius himself was not totally sure of the path in which they needed to travel to get their the fastest and easiest, only the general direction. That being so, the journey took them longer than it might have otherwise.

It was particularly hard on Rael, who, while adapting quickly to the circumstances, was still only a six year old boy. He'd already walked farther in the past 7 days than he had during the entire course of his life, and it was wearing on him. He woke up every morning, feeling exhausted, and quite frequently would have preferred to just lay there until the sun was high in the sky. But that wasn't an option. The places that were safe for him to sleep in the night, were open to the public in the day. At his young age, if he were found, then it was likely that someone would call the authorities and put a permanent end to his quest.
Instead he roused himself as best he could and plodded onwards, completely masking the fatigue dragging at his spirit.

Enough rest was hardly his only problem though. One was the fact that he'd run out of food a few days ago. He'd just woke up one morning, intent on making a meal out of a granola bar, and up-ended his backpack, only to find it was empty. That in itself had been disconcerting. Not once before in his life had he ever gone without breakfast or had to worry about having enough food. His parents had always made sure he had enough to eat, and the right things to eat to, and now . . .
The memory of having to leave his parents brought a sharp pang to his heart, one that caused him to burst into tears. When he'd regained control of himself, he stood up, wiping the liquid from his eyes and cheeks. He would have to take care of himself.

Kerius helped him of course, which was a necessity since Rael had no idea of how to go about taking care of himself. The spirit instructed the boy into a marketplace and there Rael aquired the food and water that he needed. He didn't resort to stealing though, first and foremost because he'd never been introduced to the concept and so did not think of it, and secondly, because he didn't have to.
He had no money, he didn't even know what money was, so he figured that his parents had always received goods by asking. And that's what he did.
The owner of one particular food stall in the market was fairly kind. She would never be mistaken for a saint, but when Rael walked up to her stall, his eyes wide as he took in all the new surroundings and items she had for sale, and asked for some food, she couldn't help herself. The little boy charmed her completely with his innocence and polite language, elements of human personality that were totally lacking in a lot of the current generation of children.

As Rael left the market place, his camping pack full of enough fruits and breads to last him a good week and a half, the woman shook her hear in pleasant wonder and murmured, "what a remarkable child."

[SA_Gohan]

Not everyone in the world was as good a person as the woman in the market, in fact most were a quite a distance from the center of that invisible "morality scale", and they weren't tipping towards the end of kindness either.
A perfect example of such a person was Oron. He was, by all standards of the world, a thug, a bad man, a plague that would be better off cleansed from the face of the Earth and sent straight down into the deepest depths of HFIL.

The man smiled as he watched Rael walk down one of the more abandoned and desolated streets of New Ginger Town, the boy completely oblivious of the dangers that surrounded him.
He scratched at the short hairs on his chin and cheeks, looking the child up and down as he quickly went through just what he could do.

The kid was wearing fairly fashionable clothing. A long-sleeve white buttoned shirt that stretched down to his knees, and black pants that seemed as they had once been pressed to a pleat, but were now dirty and rumpled. And even more important than that, there were no adults with him.

Oron's smile broadened to an ugly grin. This was going to be easy. He need only whack the kid on the head once and it would over. Once the boy was unconscious Oron would take whatever valuables he possessed, then sell him into slavery. There were plenty of workhouses unknown to authorities for the children who "lost their way" and this kid seemed fit enough. He'd likely be worth a bundle.

There really wasn't much for him to think about. He usually relied on his second sense of things, sort of like the one that told him when to strike and defend in a fight. It wasn't logical, there was no scientific explanation for it's accuracy, but for all the 39 years of his life, it hadn't once been wrong. And right now, the sense was telling him to take this kid in.
The thug withdrew the night stick resting at his his belt and hidden under his shirt, and began to slowly shift out of the alley, only his fading shadow giving away his position.

It was almost night-time again, and in the growing dark it was unlikely the kid, or anyone else, would see his approach, not that it would have mattered at all if it were the middle of day.
Oron was a trained killer. Well . . . not professionally trained, but he had been forced to practice stealth daily as a child living in the workhouses, (where getting a break depended on your ability to hide from slaver droids and overseers). That, coupled with his fighting abilities, which were formidable, made him near impossible to detect and difficult to defend against.

He was almost to his target now, his well worn sneakers not making the slightest sound on the pavement.

This entire stretch of street was little uised in the day and was left almost completely abandoned at night, so it came as no great surprise to Oron that no one else was here but him and the boy. That was why he always camped out here. It made the perfect place to ambush little children, and even ones that weren't so little if they didn't look wary. Afterall, here in New Ginger Town, orphans made their way to Endline Street (his nickname for this block of his turf) at some time or another.

He was within reach now, and still Rael had given no indication that he'd sensed the man. Oron grinned.

What an idiot! What does he think? That he owns the world?!

Well, no matter. He didn't care what the kid thought, as in a few seconds he would be incapable of conscious thought for some time.
The man raised his night stick over his head, readying to deliver a blow that would certainly knock the boy unconscious . . . and then brought it down in a swift arch . . .

[drevilz4l]

OMG!! don't leave me hanging...O_O

[phrack50]

OMG this story is sooo good!
/me eats fan fiction, up with a spoon

Hurry post more!

[SA_Gohan]

Sorry I haven't posted lately. The completion of a book report has been taking up the majority of my computer time, but hopefully I'll be able to continue this project soon.

[Brim]

and i got so excited when i saw in my user cp that you had posted :(

[SA_Gohan]

oos: sorry all, sorry Brim
---------

. . . minutes earlier . . .

It was a fairly bright night. The sky was a clear deep blue, almost black, and the stars shone overhead, hundreds of thousands visible, and millions more so far away that no human could hope to gaze upon their glory.
The glowing balls of gas shed a pale blue light down upon Earth, making everything appear unreal and eerie. Buildings, wrecked and rusted cars, even the few people in the street and huddled under the overhangings of crumbling buildings, had an ethereal quality to them on this night, but Rael paid no mind to the strange lighting.

It had been two days since his march away from the market with the friendly lady in it, and the time spent travelling in this period was continually wearing him down. Each of his steps dragged over the ground, just barely, but a noticeable difference in his normal gait. His once black pants and white shirt were beginning to look more and more like each other, stains from the rain, and dust he encounter all throughout each of his days beginning to turn them to shades of gray.

The heavy bag on his back, saddled with food that had only barely been used, did little to help him. It seemed to want to drag him to the ground more and more with each step he took, and failing that it wanted to make his shoulders completely numb of feeling, which they were.

Despite all this Rael refused to rest at all. Even though his muscles were aching from exhaustion and his feet were sore and probably forming blisters, he didn't allow himself to halt, or even slow down. It was at the latter end of the year and night came sooner at this time than at any other, meaning the sky was a poor for measurement of time and he still had much more walking to do.

Rael didn't sigh in acceptance, didn't make a sound to show his discomfort, just plodded onwards, doing his best not to show what he was really feeling.

From a plane that wasn't wholly real, Kerius nodded his silent approval at the boy's solid will and strength. Rael was setting a pace for their travels that most adults would have been hard pressed to keep up with. At 22 miles of walking a day, the child was pushing the limits of his spirit energy and body, bringing himself to the edge of collapse each day, each moment . . . but never tumbling over. Why it was possible was beyond the knowledge of the ancient spirit, but how? How was another question.
Perseverance. If Rael had anything, he had that in spades. It was what drove him, made him continue despite the difficulty and hardship, despite the sudden and total change in his lifestyle. It went beyond the need for survival, or even curiosity to find his destiny . . . it was simply who he was.
How many others on the world could claim to having such a steadfast desire to succeed?
Kerius sighed. Too few was the answer. If there had been more people with Rael's drive and goodness, then perhaps . . . perhaps there would never have been a need for there to be chosen one. Perhaps even, evil never would have existed . . .

[SA_Gohan]

The spirit extended his senses through that of Rael's, enhancing them for his use while leaving them in their "normal" state for Rael. It wasn't an act or precaution he'd usually have taken, but this wasn't usually.

He didn't like the neighborhood in which he and his companion were travelling. It had obviously seen better days. The dark shadows and narrow alley ways, the wrecked hulks of damaged and abandoned vehicles, the plain desolation of the tight packed buildings . . . add in a few skeletons and the place would have looked exactly like the place it was. The home for the dead, dying, or worse.
This entire stretch of New Gingertown reeked of hopelessness and despair. The sheer squalor in which the people who made their homes here lived was unbelievable.
Why wasn't anyone doing anything about this? Were the people of Earth completely blind? Here he was, a spirit dead for better than 4,000 years, coming into a section of town in which these humans had known about for what must have been decades. Even him, out of date as he was could see the desperate straits these people lived in, didn't anyone else? Couldn't they?

The Spirit shook himself. He was getting upset over something in which he had no control over. He had no body to himself, and little in the way of physical power to speak of. What could he do? The answer: Nothing.
He began to shut himself out from the world again, no longer wishing to monitor this dead stretch of city. It was pointless. What would he hear but the cries of desperate men, women, and children as they struggled to survive?
And he almost missed it.

A low whistling, that seemed to have come out of nowhere. Time slowed down as he directed his "eyes" through Rael's skull and saw the club streaking down towards them with deliberate and deadly intent. No time for words, no time to do anything but react. He sent the alert speeding through Rael's neurons at the subconscious level, and the boy responded in kind, though he wasn't sure why . . .

***

A split second before Oron's nightstick connected with the kid's head, the boy ducked under the blow smoothly and continued walking without even turning around, completely unaware of the danger he was in and the attack he'd barely avoided.

Surprised and irritated at once, Oron struck again, aiming a quick and deadly swipe at the child's head once more, but Rael dodged to the side so deftly that the thug missed his mark, spinning around on his axis once before he managed to catch his balance.

Oron's anger began to rise at this. This should have been over by now. At this instant he'd expected to be fingering the boy's body for any valuables then tossing him over his shoulder for a quick trip down to the workhouses in the sewers. It should have been easy, but he'd slightly under estimated the amount of effort he'd need to put into this project.

"Hey you, kid!" He snapped. "Stop where you are, you're coming with me." With a movement made swift through years of practice, Oron released the knife up his sleeve and let it slip into his hand. "Don't make a sound. If you try and call for help, I'll kill you, honest to god."

[Vegeta_Master]

You sure do like those cliff hangers, but great job and keep it up.

[Hostile]

SA, your story is absolutely amazing :o I love it! The story itself is very intriguing, the characters are great, the writing is fantastic, and I just love the concept of a pure good person, and also the majin demon :D congrats! Keep it going!

[SA_Gohan]

Before Rael could take another step, or even turn around to see the speaker of the threat, he found his pack ripped from himself, then he himself was grabbed from behind, one strong arm wrapped around his waist while the free hand kept the point of the knife at his neck.

"You heard me child, no sound," Oron hissed in his ear, then began to make his way back to the alleyway cautiously, his head swinging left and right constantly to spot anyone that might see the kidnapping in progress.

Rael had both his eyes focused on the blade in front of him. He didn't dare move. One jerk of his attackers hand and . . .

They were almost into the enfolding darkness of the alleyway now.

Quelling the panic over the situation that was rising in him, Kerius allowed his mental presence to increase in the boy mind. For the love of god child, we have no time for this, break free of this hooligan at once so we can be on our way.

The boy nodded inwardly, then frowned. How?

The spirit mentally rolled his eyes. He'd forgotten that the child's parents hadn't taught him a thing about martial arts. After all, there would have been plenty of time for training when he was older, right?
His lack of knowledge though didn't really matter though. Rael's raw, mostly untapped strength would be more than enough to make the clown holding him pay.
It was all up to Rael however, to defeat this man. If he couldn't call upon the powers that lay at his command and use them very, very soon . . . no, best not to think about the consequences such a failure would mean for him, Rael, and possibly the entire universe.

Just follow my instructions and you'll be alright. Relax your breathing, feel it flow through your veins and filter into your muscles . . . good, let the breath swell inside your muscles, hardening them, strengthening them.

Rael followed the instructions of the man co-inhabiting his body, somewhat doubtful, but curious as to what this would accomplish. Suddenly warmth seemed to flood through him, streaming down his arms and legs, giving him a heady rush. Pure power pulsed throughout his entire body, and the young boy barely had the will to control it all. His small form let off a faint white glow as the ki seeped through his skin, warming, and then burning the air around him, and, consequently, Oron.

He cursed in pain and dropped the child mere steps from the entrance to his safe haven, his entire shirt front browned and smoking from the heat it had been subjected too.

Rael landed lightly on his feet, confused at the man's sudden move, and Kerius nodded, pleased at Rael's easy manipulation of his own internal energy, then focused and formed his thoughts into coherent words. Excellent, now give him a gentle shove, so that he knows that we don't want to go anywhere with him.

Rael did as he was instructed, walking up to the tall figure who was just beginning to recover from his light burns, then the boy shoved against his stomach with both hands, sending the much older and much larger man flying across the street. Oron landed in a heap on the other side, rolling to a stop next to an abandoned and graffitied grocery store and lapsed into unconsciousness. He had no final coherent thoughts on his mind at this moment, only a feeling of utter disbelief.

Unconscious of the supernatural feat he'd just accomplished, Rael gazed at the man piteuosly for a moment, then retrieved his fallen backpack and resumed his journey.

-----------------------
oos: Thanks Hostile

Vegeta_master, yeah, thanks for pointing that out. Sometimes I just run out of the will to write, but I'll try to make sure a section of the story is complete before taking a break from now on.

[Vegeta_Master]

Originally posted by SA_Gohan
Vegeta_master, yeah, thanks for pointing that out. Sometimes I just run out of the will to write, but I'll try to make sure a section of the story is complete before taking a break from now on.

No, you don't get it I like the cliff hangers they make you come back to the therad more and more, but you don't need them to make me come back this is a brilliant story, how do you do it (not expecting answer it's a compliment). Yea sometimes I run out o...

[drevilz4l]

:-0

[Hostile]

I want more cliffhangers! This story is intense! But I want short cliffhangers goddamnit! CONTINUE THE STORY! :O

[SA_Gohan]

Finally. 3 more days of hard travelling had paid off.

Rael sat on the edge of North City harbor, his eyes focused on a spot far in the distance, his legs hanging over the side of the artificial shore.
He had been in the same spot for hours, searching the horizon for nothing in particular, completely ignoring the seagulls that flew over head, and the swarms of gnats that seemed to be irritating everyone else but him.
He was in a state of focus that came from the problem he was faced with, one he had yet to come up with a viable solution to.

Directly ahead of him, more or less, was his final destination. Another two to three day's travel and he would reach Tijen-riu holdings and safety. The only problem was the 150 miles of ocean separating him and the island. Now, for an adult, this would have presented only a small problem, after all, it was only 15 dollars to rent a boat for the day.
But not for Rael, as the harbor master said that renting a skip would require something called Zenni, which Rael didn't know about and therefore did not have. And besides that, the old and crusty seaman had said the child was too young to handle the oars anyway.
Sneaking aboard a ship simply didn't occur to him, and even if it had it wouldn't have mattered. None of the small fishing trawlers and tugs cruising about the harbor were going in the direction he needed to travel.
So here he was, trying to come up with some options, and there he would stay unless he learned to fly within the next few hours.
After that, he would have to leave this spot, for certainly some responsible individual would see him and call the police when they noticed that he had no guardian.

Even now people were staring at him as they passed. It was 8 o'clock in the morning presently and there were a few people about, mostly young teenagers in boy/girl pairs. They strolled along the shoreline, looking out over the beautiful vista of the sun dawning over the ocean without a care in the world, until they saw Rael of course. A six year old child just sitting there, staring out into space as if he'd lost his puppy or some other familiar.
Some almost walked up to him to see if he was alright, they were considerate and responsible individual's and were worried about a child so young by himself in a place like this. But in the end they decided to hold off any action for now.
There were also those who were content only to wash a curious stare over him before continuing on their way, completely uncaring of other peoples fortunes of problems.

Time passed, and the sun rose higher over median between sea and sky, spreading it's yellow-white glory across the surface of ocean. It wasn't until 10 o'clock that a smile spread across Rael's face as he came upon the solution to his problem, the one thing he'd yet to think of but was so obvious he was slightly embarrassed not to have realized it sooner. He could swim.

No. Kerius said as soon as his host finished the proposition. There is no way that you may swim across the ocean. The distance separating here and our destination is too great, even for a boy such as you Rael! It's hundreds of miles to Jurey Island. (Tijen-Riu house location)

"But you said I have to get there to fulfill my destiny. It's even the reason you wanted me to leave my home."

Yes, but there are other ways, safer ways to get to where we're going. What if you get tired and drown? What if the journey is simply too long? What will happen to your destiny then? It will be lost forever! Kerius knew that if he couldn't dissuade the boy from his present course of action, instill in him the great dangers and trials on the energy of one so young, all his patience and that which they'd been through in the past few days would be for naught.

"I won't get tired," Rael declared, "And I'm not afraid of dangers." And he really wasn't. He was still to young to believe that he couldn't do anything, that a task given to him was beyond his reach. Most times such a innocent determination would have been highly valued and coveted my many individuals. Now however, it presented a dangerous block in the path of logic and reason.

Kerius tried to object again, but Rael was no longer listening. Not really anyway, he could hear the spirit's voice saying something, but the words seemed distant and indistinct. The boy stripped off his backpacks and clothes down to his boxers then climbed up the railing ringed around the concrete shores of the bay, cooly eyeing the dark blue waters before him.

Heads all over the beach swung around to the child, surprise, concern, and distant interest reflected in varying levels in the eyes of all, but before anyone could make a move, Rael nodded to himself, set on his objective . . . and jumped into the ocean.

[Maxim]

Must... have... more

[SA_Gohan]

This most recent leg of the journey started off rather well.
The morning sun beat down warmly on Rael's body as he scythed through the deep blue waters of the ocean, arms and legs pumping rythymically as he powered ahead. He felt alive and free on a level that just wasn't possible on the land. It was almost as if he were flying. And the solitude he experienced out here was so total and complete, he couldn't help be feel calm, at ease.

It had only been an hour since he'd left shore, and he felt lighter than air and stronger than steel. He didn't know why this was. He'd swam before when he was younger, the previous year on his last birthday, and had gotten tired after a few minutes of treading water in the family's backyard pool. And yet know he had travelled a distance that even an olympian would not have been able to accomplish, and at a speed that only some speed boats could reach.

Still, this was the beginning of the journey, and much had yet to happen. After all, only a few dozen miles had been covered

Kerius had become quiet as soon as the shore of the main continent had faded into the distance, having been unable to persuade Rael to return to land, he was now forced to accept the boy's decision for better or worse. He had faded into the periphery of Rael's mental senses, silently urging on the boy's efforts.

Three more hours passed, and Rael's feeling of buoyancy soon faded. His body, which had before been almost feather light now seemed as if it were being brought down by weights. Exhaustion pulled at him like never before, so great and acute that he was beginning to find it difficult to concentrate on the task at hand.
His arms were soon beginning to feel like lead, and it took every bit of his will power to force them to paddle.

After a few more minutes Rael stopped, his breathing somewhat labored. He couldn't fall asleep to regain his lost energy for he hadn't brought anything to keep him afloat in the water. Instead he treaded the water, using the smallest of movements necessary to keep his head above water.

That's when a blast of thunder roared from the northern horizon, directly behind him.

Kerius came to complete alertness in an instance, and danger flared in him and Rael at the same time. A storm was approaching quickly, the black mass travelling over the ocean at a speed that Rael couldn't possibly match even while rested. Lightning flashed at it's fringes, the deadly glowing hands stretching down to the water at some points, electrocuting whatever fish were unfortunate enough to be in the area at the time of the strike, and alarm flared in Kerius's host.

The young saiyan turned back towards the south and began swimming aknew, forcing himself to use calm, measured strokes, instead of wearing himself out with frantic and in the long term, wasteful ones. He also forced himself to remain calm, though he didn't consciously realize he was doing it.

He couldn't keep ahead of the bad weather however, not for long in his condition, and the sky began to turn dark as clouds gathered over head.
Cold rain started falling soon after that, pelting the ocean and the lone child swimming through it with increasing frequency and size.

[Hostile]

Oh jesus! :o poor Rael! Swim buddy swim!!!!!!!!

[drevilz4l]

Boy he just can't get a break can he! poor kid.

[James Madison]

Originally posted by drevilz4l
:-0

;/

Spam.

[Brim]

Originally posted by Sonic Boyster
;/

Spam.

:S

spam

Great work on the story SA_gohan...keep it up, and even though i know you wont kill him off now...Please don't!!!

[GhostfaceKillah]

Uh Sonic, just because your a mod doesn't mean you can spam...

[Hostile]

Wouldn't that suck for an ending?

"Rael ran out of energy, got hit by lighting, drowned, evil ruled supreme, the end"

Post! Post! Post! Post!

[Phazor]

Must have more of this awesome story..... can't wait untill the next part gets posted O_o O_o O_o
(and of course you can't kill him now..... That wouldn't be fair to us who reads it)

[SA_Gohan]

For a time Rael was able to ignore the cold that was seeping through his skin and down to his bones, but not for long. His breathing came out in quick, steamy puffs as he continued along, and a worried expression crossed his face as exhaustion supplanted bravery. His energy was fading fast, and his limbs felt as if they were separate, and very heavy.

That was when the main part of the storm came overhead.

Sleet and tiny pellets of hail fell from the sky, sweeping across the surface of the ocean in a flash, and thousands of the tiny icy cold pellets impacted against Rael's small body.
At first the intense cool rejuvenated him, completely waking him and temporarily restoring his tired muscles, but it soon became a detriment. His movements became slow and less powerful, the exhaustion he'd been feeling before intensified, then faded away, replaced by a sudden sleepiness, and the boy found it difficult to maintain a clear thought in his head.

"Kerius, what's happening to me?"

The spirit's reply seemed to come from a long, loong way off, tiny and weak, as if being funneled through a lengthy and narrow pipe. It's called hypothermia, Rael.

Rael thought back through the book his mom had schooled him with, one of the ones on science and biology, and suddenly he remembered what hypothermia was.

"I'm freezing," he stated, his voice ringing with incredulity.

Kerius refrained from saying the words "I told you so", but only just barely. That would only hurt Rael's feeling and confidence and do nothing to help them out of their situation. Yes. I'm sorry it had to end like this, it shouldn't have. I was certain we could have reached Juery island, albeit through another means, but now it looks as if that will be impossible.
The spirit sighed, his words tinged with regret. Everything is impossible now. There's no time left for the finding and training of another, you were our last hope for dealing with him, but soon . . .

Rael frowned. "Him? Who are you talking about?"

Kerius shrugged in the boy's mind. It doesn't matter now, nothing will soon enough. I've failed you, and in doing so I've failed the universe, and I deserve to be sent back.

"What are you talking about?"

Soon your body will fail, and we will both appear in otherworld, the place I came from before joining with you. There's nothing I can do. The regret in Kerius's voice seemed so thick that Rael could almost feel it in the air around him. If we'd had more time, if we hadn't had to leave you parents home so quickly, there were things I could have . . . taught you that might have . . . avoided this situation and . . . many other . . . unplesantri-

Kerius voice was suddenly silenced as Rael's energy fell below the level in which communication between them was possible. Seconds after that happened, Kerius felt the world around him shrink, then disappear entirely as he was forced into dormancy, the energy that had once sustained him now dragging him downards into insensibility.

Alone now, and getting colder and weaker by the moment, Rael's speed slowed until he was barely capable of lifting his arms out of the water. Death was the only thing that was left to him, and as his body gradually shut down, his mind sunk into the darkness.

----------
oos: sorry for taking so long to post, internet was down here for a few days.

[Phazor]

don't leave us hanging like this...... it's rude

[drevilz4l]

OMG...that is the best cliffhanger yet!!!! keep it up!

[Hostile]

very true drevilz! I cant believe he's outa energy! POOOST!

[Phazor]

he can't kill rael now..... he hasn't fullfilled his destiny yet

[SA_Gohan]

oos: Thanks for the comment Phazor, I just learned something from it. Next time I do something like this, I'll have multiple characters to follow, so that if something happens to one of them, one can't be sure whether or not they're part in the story is vital :)

----------

The beginning lights of day spread their fingers over the eastern horizon of the sky, a plethora of pinks, reds, purples and oranges that ran together and formed something beautiful. The stars slowly vanished in their glory, fading away like memories until the darkness let them shine once more.

On Jurey island, the sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon, the bright orange disk casting growing illumination across the ocean landscape.

Korren Jaican Tijen greeted the day as he usually did, standing on a low ridge overlooking the sea. Waves crashed against the beach, his beach, washing up on shore and taking away the mud and silt that lay there, while also giving some back. He breathed in the morning air deeply, completely relaxed and oblivious to the goings on in the rest of the world. And uncaring as well.

Korren, one of the few remaining members of the Tijen-Riu house, had lived out better than half of his life on this island, day in day out. For the past 28 years he had stayed here, isolated from humanity, responsibilities, and the general troubles of the world, only leaving when he found that their was something he needed that he couldn't already create here, by himself.

Some ways off, a few hundred yards behind, stood his dwelling. It was an impressively large construct, built following the tradition of ancient Japanese architecture. He had created the house himself, planning it's every corridor and enclosure. It contained dozens of rooms, passageways, and areas specially designed for his "unique" type of martial arts training.

There was nothing else alive on this island, save the trees. He had no pets, no wife, and no children. Nothing here to interrupt his daily contemplatings, to intrude upon his solitude.

Most men his age would have been married, if things were different, he would have been married. He was 47, hardly all that old, and most ladies several years his junior still would have found him handsome. He stood at 6 feet 2, with dark shoulder length hair and a relatively fair complexion that didn't tell much of his lifestyle by the ocean. Wrinkles creased his forehead and the corners of his eyes, only having recently shown themselves. He wasn't overly muscular, but definitely no slouch in the strength department, and besides that, he was entitled to quite a bit of wealth.
This being so, he could have had his pick to a fair number beautiful maidens, but he wanted nothing to do with women, or any member of the race that had rejected him. Humans.
They were all the same at heart, how couldn't they be? They were weak, insecure, and fearful of anything that was different, and Korren was different.

The difference hardly mattered know however. He'd left his family home long ago, leaving behind his tormentors, and his family, from which many of his social problems had stemmed.
He kept in contact with them of course, every know and again he would send out somekind of message through pigeon, or when circumstances allowed, he would visit his childhood home in person. But such times were few and far between.

So now, after years of ignoring the world and all it's troubles, he found himself virtually alone in it. Just as it was destined. Just as he wanted it.

Korren nodded to himself and closed his eyes, letting memories from long ago fade back to where they belonged. No point reflecting on things that would never change.
Turning away from the dawn, the man made his way down the ridge side towards the golden beach of his island. It was time to start his kata's.

[Phazor]

I think that's a good idea.... you'll never know what's gonna happen when someone dies or gets seriously wounded....

[phrack50]

Now I really wanna find out what happens with Rael, this is getting really good. Keep me coming back for more. :laff:

[Phazor]

we need a new post in here

[EaRSH0T]

Ok give us the next chapter cmon


BTW GREAT STORY JUST U NEED TO POST :)

[SA_Gohan]

I'm reworking some stuff, and the amount of time I can spend on the internet at home is seriously reduced, so it'll be a little while longer before I can post. l8er

[Phazor]

That´s too bad man.....

[Hostile]

I think Rael's a great character, and that fight at the start with the majin demon was brilliantly written. If you're gonna continue at this level of quality, i'm willing to wait as long as it could take.

[SA_Gohan]

what interesting new forum features :shocked:

Anyway, I made some additions to my first post in this topic that will hopefully add more depth to Rael's character later on. It's not complete yet, but I think it's good for now. ATM, I haven't edited the older stuff, so reading the additions and then original beginning might will seem odd.

[SA_Gohan]

oos: This is an updated version of the story post on this page.
-------------------------------------

The beginning lights of day spread their fingers over the eastern horizon of the sky, a plethora of pinks, reds, purples and oranges that ran together and formed a sight that was pleasing to the eye and awakened happiness in the heart. The stars slowly vanished in their glory, fading away like memories until the darkness would let them shine once more.

On Jurey island, the sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon, the bright orange disk casting growing illumination across the ocean landscape.

Korren Jarein Tijen greeted the day as he usually did, standing on a low ridge overlooking the sea. Waves crashed against the beach, his beach, washing up on shore and taking away the mud and silt that lay there, while also giving some back. He breathed in the morning air deeply, completely relaxed and oblivious to the goings on in the rest of the world. And uncaring as well.

He had come to hate humanity and their general lack of caring towards their fellow man over a short period of time. But the length of his instruction in this feeling didn't matter. It's intensity did. After all, they were a substantial part of the reason he was here, that he, a 30 year old man lived as a hermit on a forgotten island.

As a gust of moist, salty wind blew past him, his mind began to drift backwards through the years into the still frames of time that were his life. He never consciously made the decision to think back, for the memories of times gone past were hardly what one could call pleasant, but they came despite this when he had a quiet moment to himself.

As always, his first thoughts were of his childhood in North City. Back in those times, life had been good, at least when considered from his current standpoint. Carefree, loved by family, and secure in the knowledge that the few things that could hurt him, his parents would protect him from. All he'd had to worry about was getting up each morning and learning something new. Whether it was in the martial arts or in a school setting didn't much matter, gaining new knowledge had always pleased him.

Then the years would flit ahead to his late teens, when he was just completing his schooling of mind and body and readying himself for the leadership position in the House of Tijen that was granted to him by blood. That had been a happy time for him, truly the best years of his life. He had been fit, confident in his cause and alignment to good, and had just met a young woman he would have been happy to spend the rest of his life with.
Then he had looked upon his world without fear, knowing for a fact that his extended family was there to protect him as he was there to protect them and the Earth.

This had been the turning point in his life, the single space in time that should have heralded yet another age of peace and prosperity on Earth, but instead had instituted a change in his existence that had taken him to where he was today. Here, hiding in the last bastion of Tijen power, alone.

All perhaps because of his first and only apprentice. Gant.

Korren shook his head, physically bringing himself out from his past. There was a place he did not want to dwell for too long. Thinking about him always brought a combination of darkness and sadness to his features.

What a loss he was, Korren thought, blinking tears of regret from his eyes. What a loss I made of him.

The sole surviving Tijen turned out of stiff breeze and made his way back down the rise and towards the beach. No more thoughts of the past. It was time for him to worry about the present and the future.

Korren undid the fastenings on the cuffs of his sleeves, then began the graceful, powerful motions of his katas.

[SA_Gohan]

It wasn't long before he was going through the forms with the speed borne of a lifetime of practice. He changed from one form to the next within the course of a few minutes, his body moving like fluid as he executed the graceful, powerful strikes and blocks. Even after all these years, it required all of his focus to maintain the proper postures, and deliver the necessary power, and he felt his mind calming and the ki begin to pulse more freely through his veins.

He continued like this for an hour, completely oblivious to his surroundings, until the sun rose above the horizon and the morning dew began to evaporate from the various plant life on the island.

When he finally did cease his training, he felt at peace once again, and the darkness from the past didn't threaten to overwhelm him as it did before.

He turned away from the ocean, gi billow lightly in the now gentle breeze, and began to walk along the shoreline, eyes cast downwards, half closed. His heart rate, which had been slightly above normal before, began to lessen. He had maybe gone a half a mile around the beach when he stopped where he was, and a confused frown creased his face. Here was an interruption to his daily routine unlike anything before.

In the sand before him lay a young boy with a tail who couldn't have been more than 7 years of age. The child's clothes, which were tailored to his unique anatomy and seemed to have once been pressed to pleats, were now soaking wet. His shoulder length, braided black hair was arrayed around his head wildly, and various objects of the ocean were stuck in it. Korren just stood there for a moment rooted to the spot, having yet to break the hold of surprise, then he blinked, and kneeled before the child's form.

The boy's dark skin had an unhealthy tinge of blue to it, and his leg was bent at an impossible angle. Korren lifted one of the boy's eyelids, peering into the lifeless brown eyes. He then lifted his slender wrist, ignoring the unpleasant coolness of his skin, and felt for a pulse. Nothing.

The Tijen sighed slightly. Whoever the boy was, he was quite dead now.

Almost unconsciously, Korren reached out with his sixth sense, the one that allowed him to feel the energy within another person, and just barely he felt a small, weakening ember of light from the form before him.

Surprise didn't override him this time. Korren lifted the child up, the small body barely registering as weight in his arms, and rushed back towards the castle. He might have hated humanity, but he would not have the death of a child on his conscience.

***

Korren lay the boy down against the bed in one of the castle's extra rooms and then started piling sheets on top of him.
He contemplated what he might be able to do bring the boy back from the precipice of death. His options were limited on the matter. He had no knowledge of medicine, and his medical supplies here on the island were all but none existent. No state of the art rejuvenation pods for him, just a simple first aid kit meant for the treating of small cuts. And that would hardly be adequate for the current situation.
So that left only one other choice, besides letting the kid die.

He scowled, the last thing he wanted to do was give up one of his senzu beans. They were hard to come by and even harder to grow. But in this case, the alternative to not using one was unpleasant enough to induce him to go to the closet in which he kept the jar holding them and remove one.

The green bean seemed to glow with magic as he held it in his hand. A thing such as the senzu could save someone suffering from otherwise mortal wounds, and restore their energy to what it had been before injury. Not only that, but the beans could keep a man full and without need for sustanance for ten days. Truly the beans were a miracle to the world, their magical properties a well kept secret among those few whose task it was to protect the world.

Korren rushed back to the guest chamber, grabbing a mortar and glass of water on the way. He crushed the bean into a fine powder, and mixed the contents of the mortar into the water. There was no way the child would be able to swallow anything solid in his condition, or even chew for that matter.

The man knelt beside his guests low bed, grimacing for a moment, then he tilted the boy's head and let the healing liquid flow down the his throat.

The affect of the senzu bean was not immediately apparent. In this case, the damage was less noticeable from the outside, but within a few moments his leg started to mend at an accelerated rate, and what must have been the boy's regular skin tone began to return as his breathing eased back into a normal rhythm.

It would be a little while before the child's healing would be complete, but the senzu had taken him most of the way. All the he would require now was a few hours of rest.

Korren looked down at the boy, slightly ticked at having to relinquish one of his rare senzu. Precisely how and why the boy had come to wash up on his shore was beyond him, but when his guest did awaken, he expected he would find out.

I'd better.

Frowning again, Korren turned and left to fix breakfast.

[RedSaiya]

OMG...that is the best cliffhanger yet!!!! keep it up!

agree, indeed.

[SA_Gohan]

Dreams floated through Rael's head as he slept within the castle, his body cloaked in warm blankets. Though completely healed of his physical injuries, there were other, deeper wounds that the boy had sustained during his journey from home. Wounds that had nothing to do with his physical self. Whether or not they were permanent was a question of how well they would be healed over time, time that Korren granted the child.

Rael lay in bed the first week of his stay in the stronghold, totally oblivious to everything outside him. Over the course of this time, his dreams shifted from ones incredibly peaceful to those that were mildly disturbing in nature. Sometimes he would turn fitfully in the bed, his face displaying pain or horror, but after awhile, he would quiet once again, and pleasant memories would come to him once more.

All throughout this time, Korren maintained a watchful eye on his visitor, checking on him in between breaks in training and reading. A fairly simple job as Korren didn't much have to worry about Rael's well being for the moment. Because of the senzu bean, the boy wouldn't need anything to eat some days to come.
Some measure of sympathy showed in his expression as he watched the boy confronted by whatever ephemeral demons plagued him, though. The man had never been an overly emotional person so it wasn't much, but Korren was not so cold hearted as to be unaffected by the suffering of a child. Despite this, there wasn't much of anything that he could do. Whatever the child was facing, it was in his mind, a place that mi