Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Lost In Your Eyes ❯ Stand By Me ( Chapter 3 )

If the sky should tumble and fall and the mountains should crumble to the sea, I won't, no I won't shed a tear just as long as you stand, stand by me.

~ Ben E. King, Stand By Me

The small green child-like alien in the russet and white gowns strode past a gaping Jennifer, who closed her mouth and looked from him to Piccolo, who had entered behind Dende in wonder. He has antenna. Jennifer thought, How cute! The little one, Dende, she remembered, seemed like a little kid, she wanted to reach out and hug him. But for some odd reason she knew that that would have not been the proper thing to do. She had the feeling that he was much more important than she knew and thought that she would be way out of line if she acted on her instincts.

"I'm sorry I arrived so late, Guys," Dende said, "I felt her energy all the way from The Outlook and I am positive that she is being possessed by…"

"A creature from the lower depths…" Trunks said, almost to himself, "How could this have happened? I thought we had protective barriers up!?"

"We did!" Dende cried, looking down at Chi Chi's still form, laying on the bed with her hands folded under her chin. She looked peaceful enough now, expect that her breathing was a bit raspy and the room had grown almost as cold as it was outside. They could see their breath when they talked or breathed. "We had. It seems something found a loophole and slipped through to infect Chi Chi."

Just then a mountain of a man, with a dark beard and a horned helm entered the room, Piccolo moved aside for him to pass, and he knelt down next to the stricken woman. He reached over and swallowed her small hand up in his own larger one. He sniffled and Jennifer could see tears welling up in his eyes, "Oh, My poor Chi Chi!" He cried, wiping at his eyes with the back of a ham-like fist, "My poor daughter! Why did this have to happen to you?"

"Don't worry, Ox King," Dende said, placing a hand on the giant's back, "She'll be all right. I promise."

"T-thank you, Dende," The Ox King sighed, sniffling, "I just worry about her so much…"

"We know." Dende said, "We'll figure this out, I give you my word."

"The word of a namekian is good enough," The Ox King said, "The word of The Guardian of the Earth makes it unbreakable."

Dende smiled and the giant hefted himself up and trudged sadly out of the room.

Namekian? Jennifer thought, looking from Dende to Piccolo, who did, indeed seem of the same race, Guardian of the Earth?! What was he talking about?! This just gets stranger and stranger. I'm glad Trunks is here…

"…has to go down there and figure out what's going on…" She tuned back into the conversation between Dende, Piccolo, Trunks and Goten.

"I'll go." Goten said, "She's my mother, it's my responsibility."

"Your not about to go alone, Goten!" Dende cried, "You don't know what's down there!"

"I do." Piccolo said softly, but almost too softly. Jennifer glanced warily at him. What were they talking about now? Go down where?!

"No, Goten," Piccolo went on, "You have to stay here and guard your mother while your father is…" He paused and looked at Jennifer, "Gone. Trunks, you have to get this girl home before her mother starts to worry. I'll go. It's not like I haven't been there before."

"Wait! Stop!" Jennifer cried, finally speaking after holding her tongue for so long, "What are you people talking about? What is this guardian of the earth stuff and who are you?!"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Dende said, bowing to her, "My name is Dende and I am the Guardian of the Earth…eh, don't ask, it's a long story."

"Why can't you just heal her, Dende!?" Goten cried, looking very much afaid.

Dende looked at Goten and shook his head sadly, "There is no wound." He said, "I cannot heal a possession, Goten, you know that."

"Piccolo's right," Trunks said to Jennifer, looking at her as if he wished he could tell her something different, "I have to take you home. You don't belong her, Jennifer."

"No!" Jennifer said, "I won't just be dropped off and forgotten about! You brought me into this when you grabbed me and flew off! I'm here now and Goten seems like a nice guy and I want his mother well, too!"

"But, Jennifer…" Trunks tried, but she had turned away, folded her arms and looked out through narrowed eyes. It was a look his own mother was talented at and he knew exactly what it meant. There would be no getting this girl to change her mind. What the hell had been going through his mind when he brought her here? He mentally kicked himself, Have I lost it? What's wrong with me? This could get…

"…Dangerous, Jennifer!" He tried again, "You could really get hurt if you hang out with us!"

"I don't care." You'd never let anyone hurt me, Trunks, I know, I can see your soul through your eyes, She said, "You can't make me change my mind."

"We're wasting time!" Piccolo snapped, "Let her stay! It's her decision. I have to go soon to get the information we need…"

"Piccolo," Trunks said, "You can't leave either. You have a responsibility up here, don't you remember your new student? The little Elven child, Ryven?"

Piccolo looked down and back up at Trunks, "No, I haven't forgotten her. She's okay until I return…"

"She's just a child, Piccolo!" Trunks said, knowing the little one was probably asleep somewhere in the house, as she was almost constantly tugging on Piccolo's cape or silently moving about wherever he went. "She looks up to you and you need to be here for her!"

Just then, as if she had heard them talking about her, a very small child with thick blonde hair and huge blue eyes appeared in the doorway. Jennifer noted her pointed ears as the child moved over next to Piccolo, :"Was' going on, Sensei?" She said in a sleepy voice, Jennifer remembered that it was still rather early, the little girl rubbed at her eyes with her fists.

"Nothing, Ryven," Piccolo looked down at her sternly, but, Jennifer saw, with more than a hint of fatherly concern, "Get dressed and meet me outside in thirty minutes. Time to train."

"But.."

"Don't argue with me, Ryven!" He said, "Just hurry up. Oh, and eat something first."

"Yes, Sensei!" The elf child bowed and ran out of the room, after glancing curiously in Jennifer's direction. Cute kid, Jennifer thought as Piccolo said to Trunks and Goten; "There's no other choice then, Trunks, you must go."

"Go where?!" Jennifer asked, "Would someone tell me what's going on here?!"

"Chi Chi's been possessed by some lesser form of evil, Jennifer," Trunks said to her, "I have to go to the source of all evil to find out what, exactly it is that is inside of Goten's Mom and find out how to get it out of her, understand?"

She nodded, as his words took form and shape in her mind her eyes became huge as comprehension flickered, "Y-you mean your going down…" She started, shocked, "With the fire and the little pokey pitchfork things…and the brimstone…?"

He just nodded, "And you can't come with me, Jennifer." He said, "It's too…"

"Don't start with me, Lavender boy!" She said, her voice a warning, "Remember what I said about me sticking with you?"

He shook his head, : "No, I believe you said…"

"Just forget what I said!" She looked up at him, lost in his beautiful eyes, Eyes that seemed to go on forever and ever, "I want to be with you, Trunks…I…"

"Your wasting time!" Piccolo said, interrupting them, "Take her with you, Trunks! If she gets killed it won't be your fault!"

"You really want to go with me?" Trunks asked her, She looks so pretty right now…Wait! Where had that thought come from?!

She nodded.

"Well, it won't be fun," He warned her, "And you'll probably wish you'd never laid eyes on me afterwards…"

"I could never wish that."

"Let's go then!" He said, but smiled secretly at her words and the way that she had said them.