What now?

My everything hurts.

I had been numb for some time, my body blissfully unsuspecting of the pain, and while it did return it feels a thousand times worse now. It's to the point I'm afraid to take a deep breath because that is exceptionally painful. I really want it all to pass so I can get out of here and continue living my life. There's a lot I have to do still, much I have to accomplish. I need to climb Kami's tower in hopes he'll accept Kakarot and I now we're stronger. Then I have to somehow convince him to become stronger so the dragon can have more capabilities, which I'm sure won't be easy. I've never met him, but seeing as he's the god of earth I'm assuming we can't just make demands and hope for the best. Aside from that, I have a promise to keep to Bulma and I'm really hoping she still gives me that tour. Next to that, I'm now bound to her every word for the unforeseeable future. Not something I mind much, just another thing on my list of things. It's almost been a year since we summoned the dragon last so there's that. I'm not sure if we should venture out to find them before heading to Kami or not.

And most importantly; I need to be healed up as soon as possible.

Some sort of healing magic would be very useful right now. Note to self; research the possibility of healing magic, preferably one that allows me to heal myself as well as others.

I'm hungry.

"Durian!"Kakarot practically kicks the door down with his sudden appearance. The boy is holding a tray of food, grinning as if he had read my mind. "I brought you food"

"Finish your match already?" He had left for his match some time ago and I had been left here to listen to the spectator. Bulma stuck around until she was chased away, though not before speaking her mind about being kicked out.

"Yeah, it was not as one-sided as I had expected" he informs while handing me my food. He scurries to climb onto the bed with me, almost falling right off in his struggle. "Namu is a great fighter"

I can only nod as my attention instantly goes to my food. There's a commotion outside that I ignore in favor of the steak on my plate and I thank the gods for the meal because I am famished. I'm pretty sure I hear Bulma and Chichi yelling at someone before Krillin comes falling through the door in a mess of limbs. Kakarot and I only watch as he gets up as if nothing had happened, dusts himself off, and approaches us. Soon Bulma and Chichi appear, both seeming less than happy

"Can you believe them?" Bulma scoffs.

I'm reckoning the two have an issue with not being allowed to come see me. Frankly, I find that rule to be very stupid because why would I not be allowed visitors? Am I supposed to sit here by myself and wallow in pain? Some company offers a great distraction.

"Durian did you hear?" Krillin is at my side, ignoring the fuming Bulma and Chichi. "Kakarot is the winner of the tournament since you can't fight for now"

"This is not a true victory" Kakarot grumbles. "But I'm not going to complain, I can fight you anytime"

Thank god, I was starting to think he would drag me out to fight in my sorry state. I wouldn't last thirty seconds the way I am now.

"Uh, hey" there's an awkward voice I recognize as Yamcha, the older boy poking his head through the door opening with this anxious smile. "Um I wanted to see how you're doing and all that, if that's okay"

There's a long silence as we all stare at him and I do believe we have the same thought in mind when seeing him now. Yamcha has not been my priority since Master Roshi manhandled him in their fight. The guy is a bit forgettable and I feel bad for thinking that way about him now. He's pretty nice now and hasn't tried to steal anything so far. And he seems very genuine here.

But still.

"I forgot you were here" Chichi expresses the thought on all our minds. "I'm sorry"

He laughs nervously, rubbing his head in a sheepish manner and telling us that it's okay. He himself admits that he's quite forgettable these days as we aren't likely to think about the bandit who tried to rob us. At least he understands.

"So how are you feeling?"

"I'm in terrible pain, but I have some food" I can't even remember the last time I had eaten. The thing is that I eat quite a lot while I don't at the same time. I can survive off an apple in the morning until afternoon arrives, that time of day my appetite seems to grow into something that can rival Kakarot. It's especially bad after a good fight and while I had failed to acknowledge my hunger as soon as it appeared, now I know of it, I really need to eat. This that Kakarot brought me will not suffice.

"I'm surprised you hadn't left yet" Bulma admits with a side-eye glance. "You just disappeared"

"I was in the waiting room with the others"

"You were?" Chichi and Krillin don't seem to recall seeing him in the waiting room.

I can't recall either, but I do remember hearing his voice.

"The tournament is over, Kakarot's the winner, so I guess we each go our separate ways?" Yamcha rambles. "I for one am going to try and strike out on my own, can't stay with Bulma forever"

"I think I'll just go back with Master Roshi and continue my training," Krillin says. "I need to keep up with you guys"

"I'll go see my father, after that, I think I'm with Krillin," says Chichi, thoughtful. "What about you Kakarot?"

"I'll go see my grandfather and give him the money I won, I have no idea how to handle it" he reveals. "After that?"

He looks at me when he asks this and I realize he's asking about Kami.

"Not yet" we're stronger now, but could get stronger. I'm not sure this level is enough to get his approval. Then again, he may not turn us down as we are so we should probably just go. "We'll train some more"

"Okay then, I guess I'm with Chichi and Krillin for now, maybe I'll train on my own until the time comes" he ponders. "What about you?"

"Ah well" I need to train, and I will, but I want to visit the city and explore capsule corp. "I'm going with Bulma"

This confuses all safe for Bulma.

"Why?"

"I promised? And I would really like to explore capsule corp" I admit. "You know? Marvel at all their cool technology and unearth the science behind the capsules, those things are amazing and I have quite a few theories on them. It could be compressed space or molecular blueprint or quite possibly atomic compression. Of course, it could also be a case of miniaturization, which is the most obvious thought, but it seems a bit too simple, then again, simplicity can prove to be all that's needed"

The capsules are truly something to be marveled, even my parents adored Dr. Brief for such a genius creation and have tried to copy it themselves. I don't know if they succeeded though but I fully believe they could have done so, they were incredibly smart. To think that our technology isn't even the best it can be yet. The things we could do if we had advanced technology, something out of this world and so developed it can change the world forever.

Wait a minute we do have something like that. Kakarot's space pod. I should ask him for it.

"He-"

Everyone's staring at me, okay.

"You're all staring at me" I point out but that doesn't stop the wide-eyed looks. "What?"

"I realize you said you were an engineer but I did not think you would be anything impressive, but I stand very corrected right now" are the words that come out of Bulma's mouth as she breaks the silence that had been growing between us. "You're full of surprises"

"I have no idea what you just said, but it sounded smart," Krillin says honestly.

"You are an engineer then" Chichi sounds surprised.

"Had you not believed me?"

"No, it's not that, it's just hard to imagine is all" comes the admission. "You're a fighter, a very skilled fighter and quite frankly a genius in that field and while your not battle crazy Like Kakarot, martial arts seems to be your life so it was unexpected when you revealed you're an engineer"

"Yeah" agrees the battle-crazy Kakarot.

"Oh well, my parents are scientists and engineers and have been teaching me their ways for a long time" I can't even remember when I started following in their steps. "Hey, I even built a hoverboard, I think I still have it somewhere. I completely forgot about it"

I'm sure I have it in one of my capsules. I can't believe I forgot about it.

"Oh, Kakarot" the pod, I need the pod. "Your spaceship, can I have it, please? The technology is out of this world, literally, it would be amazing to study it. And if capsule corp had it I'm sure they could harness your tech in the blink of an eye"

"He has a spaceship?" Bulma is baffled. "You have a spaceship and you never told me?" She grabs the boy by the collar, making him laugh.

"I didn't mention it?"

"No, you did not"

"I have a spaceship"

Bulma scoffs and drops him, annoyed, but I'm sure she's happy about this.

"So, can I have it?"

"Yeah sure, I don't mind" he waves me off casually. "It's just been sitting there for years and hardly works. And if you take it apart and learn to use the technology, you can just build me another one, a bigger one maybe"

I would celebrate if my body didn't protest.

"You will not regret this"

~~~~~~~

"A week?"

I'm bedridden for a week, seriously? I can't be in bed for that long, I need to be up and moving. I'm still in pain but for some reason, I feel far stronger than I was just a day ago. As if all the energy that had left has returned twice if not trice as potent. It's an odd sensation yet quite amazing. I've never had something like this happen before and the development is something worth noting. Perhaps it's the drugs they injected me with to dull the pain. Though I doubt it would make me feel strong, but who knows.

"Yes, your body needs to recover and for that, you will have to remain bedridden for a week"

I also have pills I need to take, ointments I need to apply to skin that is burned, and bandages that need to be reapplied. My skin is burned in certain places, some muscles are damaged and need time to recover and I've got blue bruises all over my body. I understand that I need to follow the doctor's order here, but I really would like to be allowed some movement. A little activity to keep me busy and keep my body alert. I stretch every day and suddenly I'm not allowed to do so anymore. That doesn't sit well with me. It feels odd not to do my morning ritual. However, it has given me more time to myself and that time is spent meditating whenever I can.

Still, I would like to move around

"Is she allowed to leave?" Bulma is still here while the others had run off somewhere. She has nothing better to do, she had told me. She also said I should be grateful she's giving me attention. She's very sardonic.

"Yes actually, but she has to follow our orders"

"Yeah, she will, do you have a wheelchair?"

Bulma is handling the situation for me, so I can just relax for the moment.

"I'll take you with me, you can recover at my place" Bulma informs. "Unless you have to go home or something?"

"I have no home to return to" unless we count Master Roshi's place as my current home.

Perhaps I should not have spoken so casually about not having a home as it just makes Bulma eye me up in concern as well as curiosity.

"You have no home?"

"No?" I'm not sure how to proceed here. "I haven't in some years"

"Years?" She's baffled now. "How old are you?"

"I'm fourteen" I'll be fifteen pretty soon, actually.

"How long have you not had a home?"

"Three to four years," I say shrugging. Bulma has her brows furrowed in an expression that's both worry, and slight outrage.

"Where have you been living then?"

"Nowhere, everywhere? I never stayed in one place" had I not ran into them I would still be wandering the world right now. "I roamed the world, a nomad you can say"

"Why don't you have a home?" She's pulling up a chair to sit with me, determined to understand why I'm homeless.

It's a long story, however.

Well maybe not, but not one I have had to tell anyone before.

"Because I left" the answer is that simple and Bulma seems surprised and disbelieving. I understand why she would feel that way, after all, who just ups and leaves their home behind? Why leave everything you cared about in favor of wandering the world with no end? It seems illogical, and it is. It is completely and utterly unreasonable to do such a thing. It could be stupid even.

"Why did you leave?"

Why? There are multiple reasons I'm sure. I had multiple reasons. I had convinced myself that it was best I go. I would be better off on my own, things would be better if I just renounced everything I had and everything that was left to me.

"My parents are dead. My master is dead" I have said this so many times, casually even, mentioning it as if it were not some tragedy. "After losing them I just couldn't stay there any longer so I packed the essentials and left"

I was alone in that house, my home. Without them, it felt foreign, unrecognizable, alien. It was a terrible feeling, one that tormented me for as long as I remained there. My mother was no longer there to drag me out of bed so I can have breakfast. Dad wasn't there to tell me terrible jokes that were only funny because he laughed at them. And the old man wasn't there to tell me all those ridiculous stories.

"That was four years ago, I think" I don't keep time, feels pointless.

There's a sort of anxiousness that festers when I'm met with silence, a terrible, awkward feeling that bites at the back of my mind the longer Bulma remains silent. It's fear, I realize quickly, though I find it to be illogical fear. Why should I be afraid? I just told her about my family dying, it's not like she'll distance herself from me now she realizes I may not be okay right now, no it's not like that's going to happen. It's definitely not like I ruined a friendship that barely even started. She wanted to know, didn't she? And I told her, so there should not be a problem.

Insecurity and anxiety

It's been a while since I've experienced these emotions.

She sighs, finally making some sort of sound.

"I'm sorry for prying" she apologizes with this guilty look in her eyes.

"It's fine" I'm relieved all of a sudden. "It's fine"

"Is it?"

"Yes, it is" it's fine. I chose to tell her when I could have kept my mouth shut, so it's perfectly fine.

"If you want you can stay with me" she offers, hesitant as she fidgets with her belt. "I don't think my parents will mind and we have plenty of room and you can study all the tech you want to"

"You're really sweet for a rich kid," I say, thinking out loud and realizing too late. She doesn't get mad or annoyed as I expected her to, instead she flushes just a bit and fidgets more. "You're acting nervous"

"I am for some reason"

"I would be too if I offered a home to a traumatized kid after hearing of their tragic past and not knowing what to say"

"That's very specific"

"Am I wrong?"

"No"

Victory for me then.

She releases a very drawn-out sigh and slumps in her chair looking very defeated.

"I don't know Durian, I don't know what to say to make you feel better and stuff" she admits. "I just feel terrible about you not having a home, so why not offer my own?"

I understand her plight, I wouldn't know how to comfort another person either. When Kakarot was so rudely turned down by the dragon and left on the verge of tears I had no idea what to say to him, so I made a joke about the pig. I relate to him somewhat so I suppose it made it easier for me to understand and in that matter offer some sort of reassurance later on. That's not the case for Bulma. She can't understand. She hasn't been through the same ordeal, she hasn't lost her parents. It's good she doesn't understand, it's good she can't relate.

"You don't have to comfort me, I'm fine, well I'm not but I'm well enough and your offer is very heartwarming in all honesty so I suppose that's comfort enough" really, I'm surprised she's even making such an offer, nevertheless, I'm quite happy to have been given such an offer.

"That's good to know," she says and I can hear the relief in her voice.

The door is opened before I can try to poke some fun at Bulma in an effort to lighten the mood. One of the monks enters with a wheelchair as had been requested and is dutifully trying to help me into it.

It's a painful endeavor, but I suffer silently until I'm seated comfortably in the chair and can relax without worry about the pain that was shooting through my body.

That is until I feel a sneeze coming up and cannot stop it.

The sneeze just brings back the pain, the terrible terrible pain that's all over my body. I curse that old man for using such a dangerous move on me but pat myself on the back for pushing him to use it. It means I was a challenging - if not worthy - opponent and it also means he believed I was strong enough to survive.

Bulma thanks the Monk for his help, gathers my meds - and whatever the doctors want me to use to better my condition - before swiftly rolling me away.

"We're gonna get the ship on our way to the city," she tells me.

"I think we should bring Kakarot along" I suggest. "He can do the heavy lifting"

"Oh yeah," she agrees. "Where is he anyway?"

"Probably eating"