So the time goes

Humans have very low ki signatures altogether - something that would not be so if more people were aware of what ki is and how it works. Everyone has ki and everyone can use it with the proper guidance and training, but I'm not certain if I should be the one offering such guidance and training despite my extensive understanding of the concept. Bulma has brought up her interest in learning more about Ki and has been asking me more and more questions as the days went on and at one point I had taken the time to sit down and write down everything I know. I explained it all on that same day, gave her the journal, and helped her understand it better. She has a fast comprehension and had gotten a grasp of it quite quickly, which led to another curiosity that led to her partaking in my early morning routine three days every week. She's not a morning person, so the first few weeks had been a struggle for her. Coffee helped her wake up so I would make her some - Panchy had to teach me how to make the stuff - and she would be good to go.

Bulma's ki is nothing remarkable and she had come to understand that when I had explained how humans tend to have very weak signatures. She's not a fighter so she didn't understand how she could change this and had seemed skeptical when I just told her to do my morning routine with me each every week. The change happens slowly and she's not conscious of it until she's become aware of her ki.

It hadn't been easy to inaugurate her to meditation. Bulma doesn't like when the silence has been going on for too long and she struggles to clear her mind when she constantly has something to think about. It took quite some time, but she had gotten a hang of it and admits that it makes her feel better. Heh, finally she understands.

"I can feel it, " she had said after one of our sessions. It was not something she could properly put into words - frustrating thing to Bulma - but she did not need to. Some days later she had gotten more attuned to the feeling and we continued our morning routine.

"Did my ki grow?" she asks me today when we're in the backyard having a quick breakfast.

"It did"

A smile forms at those words and she appears proud of herself. She should be, she's been committed to our mornings.

It didn't grow by a tremendous amount, but the transition was discernible. Kakarot had made an offhand comment on it when he had accompanied me back the other day, noting that Bulma's ki's no longer as low as humans' tend to be.

There is no need for hardcore training, as Bulma's no fighter, and I doubt she plans on being one. However, her interest in ki is a good thing in my opinion. Trouble seems to find her whenever she's around the lot of us so it would be great if she could at least power up a ki ball to defend herself. It doesn't have to be the Kamehameha and it doesn't have to be overly powerful, just good enough to buy her time to escape should she need to. Her growing ki is a good thing as well, as it would make locating her easier than it would be with her lower signature. I've gotten used to her ki, but if I'm not nearby it can be lost in the sea of others.

Today I'm demonstrating a straightforward and small ball of ki above my hand and Bulma watches the process as she would a terrific discovery. While still a weak thing, she does have enough power to attempt such a skill. It's good practice as well and it's best to introduce the concept to her now.

"Would you like to try?"

Never one to back down, she nods, eager and determined. She's not sure how to, but she's willing to try.

"Remember what I told you?"

She nods and places one hand over the other, palm facing palm, and releases a slow deep breath. Knowing the idea of it would not help much, it likely doesn't help her much either, but it's something that reassures her.

Steady breaths, relax, and focus. If she's tensed and anxious she won't make any headway - or she could hurt herself. It might not work on the first attempt, might not even work on the second or third. I've told her this so she's not disgruntled if she can't do it the first couple of times. It's new to her after all, it takes some practice and getting used to.

"Relax, " I press a finger between her brows when they've creased and she eases up a bit.

Seconds turn to minutes with nothing happening and Bulma doesn't let it bother her. It appears that she's developed some forbearance over the past few weeks. I'm not sure if she'll achieve anything today - it's a possibility, not a certainty. She's a quick learner, has a fast comprehension, and dedicates herself to anything that interests her. I won't be surprised if she pulls it off today - so I will sit here with her all day if a must.

Minutes pass, the sun stands higher in the sky, casting a low glow over us. I'd be leaving for the lookout around this time, I'll be a bit late today.

Some more minutes and there's the flux of ki and a small glow between Bulma's palms. Her joy is instantaneous, but she steadies herself as to not lose it as soon as it had appeared. Steadily, it swells and molds itself into a small sphere, just the size of a golf ball and fluctuating as Bulma learns to steady the ki she's releasing.

"I did it" grinning, she raises her hands together and looks right at the small ball with shining eyes and a bright smile.

Huh, she did it.

"Great job" it took her a while, but she's done it and that's all that matters.

She's unwilling to let it fade away, holding on to it for a good minute before relenting and releasing. It fades away as suddenly as it had appeared, but Bulma's smile remains.

"What would you like to eat today?" I ask, standing.

She looks at me, brows raised, "Cooking for me?"

"Yes"

"You have places to be, you know?" a reminder now it appears I'm not sticking to the usual morning.

"I can be a bit late today" I've been on time every day since this arrangement has been made and coming in late wouldn't kill anybody. And it's not like Kami's the one who set the time. My mornings start early so I leave early and I'm a person of habit, so I always arrive around the same time.

Bulma is quiet for the few minutes it takes for us to put everything away into the small basket we had brought and it is only when we enter the house that she speaks again, delighted and rather surprised.

"You realize that you're basically putting a god on hold for me, right?"

A simple nod is my response and Bulma lapses into silence once more eyes ahead and smile on her face.

"I feel like this is the highest compliment anyone can get," she says with a lopsided smile.

"Seems you're quite pleased"

"That I am"

~~~~~~~~~~~

Over the weeks I've steadily been working on the android - Android Zero as my parents dubbed them - and while it would appear as if I had made zero progress, what with the lack of parts and nothing but the schematics and the single memory chip, I have indisputably made several steps in the right direction. Before anything can be done, I must understand the workings of the mind and what exactly had been done to create such a thing. The chip is nothing but codes and implications and orders that were almost confusing the first time I connected it to a computer - my computer as Doc had so graciously corrected for me. Coding is a bothersome thing that I fully understand and after some hours of going through it all, I've come to understand certain things. It's not like most of the stuff I've seen and even Bulma had been a bit surprised. A couple of sleepless nights later and my workstation is covered in papers containing scribbled phrases, a mess of numbers and words, and some sketches that would confuse many.

"Your handwriting is something else" is the comment made when Bulma picks up one of said papers and she cuts my reply off by handing me a bowl of some creamy pasta. "It's so neat, even when scribbled"

My mouth is full when she looks at me and she rolls her eyes, drops the page, and pulls over another chair to join me. It's late, as it often is when I set out to further my progress. My days are spent training with Kami, Popo, Kakarot, and sometimes Chichi and the others. My nights are spent over a desk that never stays sorted with an isolated language on the computer and random foods to ward off hunger. A glass of iced juice is slid safely into a corner and Bulma takes over for the time being. My keyboard is pulled over to her side of the desk and the room fills with the tapping of keys and shifts of paper.

"This is gonna take a while" she announces when going over what we've done so far, looking through the scattered pages and the writings on the screen.

"Yup" currently we're attempting to mirror the mind - it's far easier and simpler to say - and our progress so far is likely five percent, maybe seven if we're being generous. Having come to understand how it's been put together means we could attempt to reproduce it. And should that work, we can advance to developing more diverse minds and things can go on from there. Android Zero is the blueprint to it all.

After this - which has already taken weeks of my time - we'll have to move on with the body which already seems like a headache. I prefer starting with the head first and see if I can get Zero talking and interacting while I finish up the rest of them. As for the material needed, I've handed Doc a list of things we would be needing and he has promised to have them all within a short period. Apparently, he has some connections who can take care of this for him.

The other day Kakarot asked me why I couldn't just wish for Zero to be built and I've never been more offended than on that day.

I'll go to Shenron when I need to bring someone back to life or some other thing I cannot do on my own. As long as I can make it happen there is no need to visit Shenron. Bringing Zero to life will take time and effort, but it's nothing I need Shenron for. And the dragon doesn't even like me, why would I ask him to help me in this situation?

Speaking of the dragon, I wonder what Kami plans on doing should Piccolo resurface. He has made it very clear that he wants us to put an end to him once and for all, but that would mean the death of Kami as well. If he's gone there are no dragon balls which is a bad thing overall. For one we don't know if Kakarot will have his parents back by then and even if he does I don't think losing the dragon ball is a good idea. But how do we kill Piccolo without killing Kami? Could he wish for the connection to be severed? Kami hasn't told us what he has planned and he does not want us to concern ourselves with the matter. You don't reveal that you could possibly die and then expect us not to worry over the issue, I don't think he understands that.

If I come to learn that he has no such plans to preserve himself and the dragon balls, I'll have to keep Piccolo alive. He'll have to be subdued and restrained and likely sealed again. Should that be the case then I'll keep the container safe and secure at capsule corp.

Note to self - work on creating an unbreakable safe

~~~~~~~~~

"What are you doing here kid?"

Korin never seems happy to see me and I understand it must be quite a bother to interact with a trifling mortal when he could spend his time doing far better things. On the other hand, it doesn't look like he has much to do with his time and he could discreetly be happy to have my company. I'm jabbed with his walking stick, an action that has become more of a greeting than a scolding at this point. I sit myself down near his small table and place a capsule on the table for him, a present.

"What's this?" He asks, suspiciously and carefully takes the capsule in his paw.

"A gift"

"Do you need something from me?" he follows up.

"Yes I do and this is not a bribe, you're free to turn me down" I make sure to clarify as I realize what this might look like without context. "Kakarot and I went fishing the other day and caught some nice healthy fish. Today I cooked some of it and decided to bring you some"

He looks at me - faces me since he always has his eyes closed - and then at the capsule which he then places on the ground and presses down on. Moments later a container half his size sits in front of him and he opens it to procure a bowl of rice and fish. I've made varying dishes today and I brought him a serving of each and the container it's in makes sure it all stays warm.

"You just assumed I loved fish?" He asks now as he sets the bowl down on the table, opens it, and splits his chopsticks.

"That's all I've seen you eat, so yes, I assumed you loved fish" anytime I catch him eating, he's eating fish. So naturally, I'd assume he loves fish. And he's a cat - a godly one perhaps, but a cat all the same.

"You want me to teach you how to plant senzu" he now gets to the point and I ignore the small purr coming off him once he began eating. He's a cat.

"I would appreciate it, yes" That way I don't have to constantly bug him for the stuff. "I've been learning to use my magic better over the past few months. I'd like to try to plant the beans"

"It's quite simple," says Korin and he would demonstrate had he not been eating. "You must plant them in some magic-infused soil and from there you treat them like any other plant. Water, sun and patience"

It does sound simple, but how much magic must the soil contain? Must I steadily add magic to the soil for the beans to grow properly? What if the soil doesn't have enough magic, will they die?

"You'll know how much is enough, kid" he waves off my concern, and a single ear twitches on his head. "Add some more every month and that's about it. It takes a year for ten beans to grow"

That just makes me wonder how long he had been planting the things because he has a massive vase of the magic beans in the backroom. He must've been at it for centuries since he only has one pot that he grows them in.

"Here" I don't know where he got them from but he places five beans on the table for me. "You should be fine"

"That's some confidence"

"You seem to know your way around plants" is his reasoning, which makes perfect sense. I do know my way around plants and I can take care of one when I put it in the ground. I used to grow my own tomatoes in my backyard after all.

I'm actually growing some in the corner Panchy gave me right now actually. These senzu will be potted since they don't get too big and they won't be bothered by the other plants.

"Thanks for the help Korin" I bow, he pats my head. "I'll make sure to bring you something else next time"

He doesn't say anything but I'm sure I read a small smile on his lips as I leave. See, I knew he liked having me around. He's not as grumpy as Kami and he's an adorable creature. I should bring Doc's cat to meet him just to see how that interaction would go.

It takes no time for me to return to capsule corp and I don't bother going into the house. I have a couple of flower pots sitting outside, two or three and I start gathering some soil for inspection. I'm not sure if this counts for senzu since they rely more on the magic in the dirt, but beans grow better in slightly acidic to neutral soil.

Placing some in a flower pot, I circle the house to the front door and quickly make my way to the lab.

It takes a short time for me to get the answer I wanted and I've got the perfect soil for planting beans. It's another trip to find one of my capsules and another to get back into the yard and add three pots to the two I had in the yard. Each is filled nicely with some good dirt, I infuse each with the same quantity of magic. Adding until something nags at me to stop and placing a senzu snugly within. Just like that, I have five poted senzu and I must now take very good care of them for the next year. I'll have fifty if I'm lucky and then I can plant ten pots and have over a hundred within the next year and I'll have more the year after that.

And with my growing supply, I'll be free to do some research on them and see if I can create some meds using their influence. They cannot cure diseases and I wish to overcome this. It would be amazing if we could make something that could cure any disease, new and old.

"Hey!"

Looking up I see Bulma leaning out the window just above me. Her hair is wet, she likely just got out of the shower and she's looking at me in disgust.

"Did you not think to change out of your white clothes before you went and played in the dirt?!"

No, I did not, actually. It completely slipped my mind and a look at myself tells a nasty story.

"You're like a child, I swear" Bulma admonishes and glares when I shrug. "Mom made pie and I won't let you get any if you don't get in the shower!"

Okay, time for a bath.