Never Let Go (Part One)

Somewhere off in the vast canyon wastelands somewhere between the North and East capital. A certain green person was off training in the vacant space. His main goal was defeating the man who killed his previous life and father, King Piccolo. He had to get stronger and finally exact his revenge on his oldest and only rival, Goku. Goku is an unusual man who took down King Piccolo when he was only a small child and years later defeated him in battle at the World's martial arts tournament. Strangely this naïve man spared him then but Piccolo would make sure he regret his mistake. However today he was training farther from his usual space in the lush forest near Korin's tower. This type of training he was doing now would level the forest and draw too much attention from the city. Here there was no one around and he could train in complete privacy. Or at least that is what he had thought.

During his training for a new move he was perfecting he sensed an unusually high power level. This power level was strangely powerful, almost as powerful as Goku's. Stranger still this power was constantly fluctuating and each time it rose and fell the power level only got weaker. This fluctuation of power had definitely peaked his interest. What could be causing such massive power surges and who could have this much power? Piccolo decided to follow the energy signature and find out who exactly had enough power to match Goku and why they were flashing it around. The power level was distinct but got weaker as time went by. Flying around the canyon he saw no signs of obvious life, as far as he could see this place was void of life. "Damn it. Where could that power be coming from?" Piccolo muttered to himself as he floated closer to the floor of a narrow stretch of canyon. He was about to give up this pointless searching until he heard something coming from behind the wall of the rock canyon next to him. Thanks to his super sensitive hearing he could hear the unusual sounds coming from inside the wall. The sound of machinery working away, soft murmurs of people going in and out, and the distinct screams of someone in complete pain.

As the screams grew closer together the fainter they became and the lower the power level dropped. Whoever was screaming in there was definitely the source of the immense power Piccolo was searching for. There was only one way to find out just what was going on behind these rock walls and why anyone would be out here in the middle of no where. Piccolo smirked to himself as he removed his weighted turban and cape and cracked his neck. This would only take a moment for him, barely a warm up exercise. His real fight would be with the source of such a strange power level. Gathering up his ki into his palm he aimed the blast directly at where he heard the noise coming out clearly. Without much effort his blasted down the hidden door to the lab inside this hallowed canyon wall. Inside there were many weak humans running around in a panic at the destruction he had caused. Most were not fighters, many wore lab coats and various uniforms of differing services. Those that did fight shot various weapons at him in an attempt to kill him but their efforts were merely in vain. Without much effort or even remorse he wiped them off the plane of existence, all that was left was various machine parts with barely recognizable logos on them. The double red flag of the once infamous Red Ribbon Army.

However the source of the power he was looking for was not in this room, it was coming from farther inside the mysterious lab. He flew across the vast, now empty space to the far side of the lab until he came across a set of big metal doors. As with the main entrance he blasted the doors down to reveal a much smaller lab containing a handful of panicked scientist and someone strapped down to the far wall. This person from what he saw had long jet black hair and wore a tattered hospital gown, various wires protruding out of their limbs and their head bent down low in exhaustion. "What have you done? Do you realize just the years of testing you have interrupted? The progress you........" one of the belligerent scientist yelled up at him as if he had no fear at all. A mistake that would gravely cost him for his naivety. Piccolo had no interest in any of them as he turned to the man yelling at him. Without even a blink of an eye he destroyed him and any of the fleeing scientists trying to make it out alive. Now all that was left was the person strapped to the wall in front of him.

As he floated closer to the person he was surprised to see the person he thought was a man suffering from malnutrition was in fact a woman. Her long hair hung limply down over her face as she panted from a mixture of exhaustion and excoriating pain. Her arms and legs that were strapped to the wall were not only covered in various wires but many bruises and cuts. The hospital gown she wore was in tatters and covered in many stains, most of which looked like dried blood. Her muscles that he could clearly see were weary and there was barely any body fat on her, evident by the bones he could see peaking out of her skin. The woman struggled to lift her head up to face him, confusion as well as exhaustion filling her eyes. When her eyes met his Piccolo was surprised to see dark blue irises looking up at him, not in fear but in such desperation. The spark in them was dim but it still shown through her weary gaze. Her voice came out as barely a whisper no matter how much she struggled to amplify it. What she asked of him shocked him to his very core. "P....p-please, kill......... me." she whispered out to him as a small tear came out of her eye.

Piccolo looked at this woman in utter disbelief as the last of her strength finally left her and she lowered her head, passing out from the pain. Her breathing was definitely labored and her body sagged in the restraints refusing to let her fall. She had asked..... begged him to kill her? What had these people done to her to make her wish for death? He obviously couldn't ask her what they had done to her now that she was unconscious. He steadied himself as he raised his hand to do what he had planned to do. Against his better judgment and his usual manner he did not aim the blast to end her miserable life. He instead shot small ki blasts at the restraints holding her to the wall and as she fell the many wires that pierced her body detached. Before she fell too far he caught her in his arms and kept her from hitting the ground. This woman couldn't possibly be the one putting off that massive power he sensed earlier but there was no other explanation for the situation he was in now. As soon as this woman had passed out the power he sensed before had vanished. He looked down at the woman who was now resting gently in his arms, studying her being. When he shifted her weight around to keep a firm hold on her a small furry object fell limp behind her. He grabbed the small furry thing only to realize it was a tail. Half a tail to be exact, the top half of the tail was cut clean off. Now this explained things a little more. This woman, was just like Goku in more ways than one.

Though he had a vendetta against Goku he had no quarrels with this woman. The only thing he had to do with her was nothing but whatever whim he saw fit. He didn't want to nor cared for dealing with her, the only ones he could think of to take her in would not appreciate his presences. Seeing no other choice though he decided on the best possible and least headache inducing person to bring her to. The old man better be willing to take her in, because Piccolo wasn't giving him a choice. He carried her in his arms as he flew out of the cold desolate lab and into the now soft moonlit night outside. It was far later than he expected it to be but appreciated the secrecy the night held, it would make things far easier for him to remain unseen. Once they cleared the top of the canyon sheer wall he took off in one solitary direction. Climbing the sky he soared far above the cloud lines to the only place floating far above the view of any below, Kami's lookout. He slowed his speed when he started getting close to the rim of the floating island and as lightly as he could he lowered himself into the main plaza area of the island. Making sure no one was awake or saw him he gently laid the sleeping woman down in the middle of the plaza that was facing the door to the main building. This is as far as he would go, she was on her own from here on out. Without turning back he took off into the night leaving the sleeping woman there. Never making a sound or even letting his power show he left as silently as he came.

As the sun began to rise slowly into the sky the inhabitants of the lookout started to stir. A rather large person whose skin was as black as tar, puffy red lips, and unusual attire opened the door of the main building to go about his morning routine. However when he opened the door he was shocked to see a woman lying there in nothing more than a tattered hospital gown and covered in various bruises and scratches. This was definitely not normal even in by his standards. "KAMI!" he yelled out as he closed the door and ran back into the building to retrieve the one he called Kami. "What is it Mr.Popo? What has you so excited this morning?" an elderly voice asked him from inside the building. "There is a strange woman left at our door and she is severely injured!" Mr. Popo said to him with a hint of worry. There was a small pause before the elderly voice spoke again. "Well we better bring her in. There is no telling why she is here until we ask her." the elderly voice spoke again. "Yes Kami." Mr. Popo said to him.