And here is the draft of part 1. The title is still just a working title
and I'm very open to suggestion about it.

Of course, C&C is as always very welcomed.



The characters depicted here belong either to Akira Toriyama or Studio
CLAMP.



POWER ISN'T ALL.

Part 1 : "As players gather..."

*********************************

The DreamSeer was dreaming. And she had dreamt this part of the prophecy
before. She was a small, beautiful woman. The whiteness of her hair, the
only indication of her age, matched her regal clothes. 

In this dream, she knelt inside a sphere of crystal, the Earth. With her
blind eyes, she saw destroyed cities. She saw a desert surrounding
everything. Coming from everywhere, she heard the sound of a brought
down world. Her vision then centered on the Tokyo Tower. It stood among
ruins, its foundations covered with sand.

Getting closer, she saw seven tall figures standing on it, one clearly
separated from the others. To protect themselves from the sand, they all
wore long, dirty white cloaks that hid their every features. She slowly
got nearer to the lone figure who seemed to notice something. He raised
his face toward her and she was at last able to see his face. He was a
handsome teenage boy of about sixteen. His raven hair partially covered
piercing blue eyes that seemed to cross hers.

"Has he noticed me ? How could he, in his own dream... Can he see me
traveling the dream..."

She was suddenly cut short as the young man attention was attracted
toward the horizon. Looking up, she saw a bright star flaring for a long
time in the sky. It then fell down and hit the ground with a tremor that
shook the Tower. A silent wave of bright golden light began to spread
forth in all directions, washing over and destroying everything. The six
figures threw themselves in its path, gathering powers. Whether from the
sky or from the Earth, they were the Dragons. She knew they were seeing
how they tried to stop the destruction coming their way. And yet, the
wave swept them away like ants in a storm.

At last, Kamui, for it was the young man's name, let his cloak go. Doing
so, he revealed two great wings sprouting from his back. One was an
angel's, and the other a demon's. Bringing forth the great sword he held
in his hands, he sent a slash of power toward the source of the light.
This slash could have destroyed a world, for it was Shinken, the Holy
Sword. It had been made for this day and nothing born on of this world
could have stopped its might. 

It was as if a tear had fallen into an ocean.

As the Seer saw Kamui being reduced to ashes, as she witnessed Shinken
melt away, she heard the laughter. It was a mad, hysteric laughter that
covered every sound. It was the laughter of a child.

****************

The first thing Goten became aware of was the pain in his head. Seichiro
had the surprise to suddenly see him sit in the grass, holding his head
with both hands.

"Ow, ow, ow, ooowww !! That hurts," said Goten, paying no attention to
where he was.

Quickly regaining composure, Seichiro bent over him. "Are you okay ?"

Looking up, Goten finally noticed the man that was towering over him. To
him, he looked like he was as tall as Piccolo. But there stopped the
resemblance. He wore a suit with a long dark trench coat over it ; his
eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses. Furthermore, he was looking at
him with a friendly smile.

"Do you understand what I'm saying ? Are you all right"

Forgetting his pain, Goten stood up. "Yes. Thank you. I'm okay."

His mother had always told him to be very polite when he talked to
people he didn't know. She had also said something about not talking to
strangers. That had convinced him that mothers weren't very logical. He
had also figured that if he was polite, he could speak to anybody.

"Seeing you lying there, I was wondering if you were hurt".

Looking over to the tree, Goten noticed nothing was out of the ordinary
now. "No, it's all right. I think."

"Okay. Were you playing by yourself ? I haven't seen any other kid
around." Asked Seichiro. This kid wasn't normal, that much he was sure
of. He had to know if he was related in any way to the wave of power he
had witnessed.

"Yes." He extended his hand. "I'm SonGoten. I was training with my dad
but he's taking a nap now."

Seichiro was surprised by the forwardness. <His dad...> He took the hand
and, shaking it. "Well, hello SonGoten. I'm Sakurazuka Seichiro." 

<Who is this kid. His hand... It's like living stone. >

<#FEAR#>

<#DANGER#>

The Tree desperately screamed to his mind.

<#CHASE HIM#>

<#KILL HIM#>

<#MAKE HIM GO AWAY#>.

<BE QUIET! >

"Tell me Goten, were is your father ? I don't think I have seen him
around." <There is no way that salaryman is the father of the kid. >
Thought Seichiro.

"Oh ! That's because he's further away. It's close to a river." Goten
stopped short for a second. And, frowning. "That's weird. I can't feel
him."

"Feel him ? What do you mean ? " Asked a slightly bewildered Seichiro.

<A river. The closest is about three kilometers south. >

"Oh ! It's ... er..." <OOPS! 'Ni chan told me we mustn't show what we
can do to other people. >

"It's nothing" began Goten, a big smile on his face and one hand rubbing
his head. "We just... er..." He was hesitating when he suddenly noticed
the sun was going to set. 

"OH NO ! It's the end of the day ! I'm going to be late ! Mom'll be mad
again."

Forgetting everything, he summoned his Ki, creating a protective field
around him. He was already levitating a few feet above the ground.

"Sorry. I gotta go," he yelled over his shoulder.

Bemused, Seichiro watched him disappear almost instantly into the sky, a
quickly dissipating trail of light the only mark of his presence.

He blinked several times, not believing his eyes. "Well, that was
surprising, to say the least."

He turned over to the Tree.

"There is a lot I'll have to learn, old friend." His icy tone had none
of the cheerfulness he'd displayed moments before.

****************

 Goten wasn't a tall kid. In the park, he hadn't noticed anything
unusual. But now he was high in the air, he could see the landscape
below him and he knew something was wrong. He had never seen this kind
of building before, but it didn't really mater. However, what did was
that there shouldn't have been building around in the first place. He
clearly remembered a forest being there, not too far from the mountain
standing in the background.

He decided it was too late to care. The same way a pigeon would have
with the natural magnetic field, he took his bearings on the Earth Ki.
Assessing the direction he thought his home was, he departed with a
burst of power, flying as fast as he could.

***************

The JSDF air patrol was on its way back when a white light shoot by
them, with a speed a tenfold superior to theirs.

"What the fuck was that ?" Said one of the pilots as a regained control
of his plane in the not so gentle air stream the thing had left in its
wake.

"I don't know. Control, this is Falcon one. Have you got a lock on this
? "

"Falcon one, control here. What do you want us to have a lock on ? "

"Huh ? On the... er. Well on the... er. Say, Hiroshi, you've seen
anythin' ?"

"If I've seen something. Nooo... Why, should I have ?"

"Oh !.. Never mind, control, it was just... er. A bird. Yeah ! That's
it. A bird..."

***************

"Hello. What is it ? I'm rather busy at the moment..."

"Good afternoon, Kanoe-san."

The icy voice stopped her short. This one didn't call without good
reasons.

"What can I do for you, Sakurazuka-san ?"

"Nothing at the moment. However, you should tell Satsuki to look for
events and people in relation to car crash that happened an hour and a
half ago. We have a new... Concern."

**************

It had been three days. Three days since he had begun looking for his
house. Three days that he was lost. Three days that felt like an
eternity to the child.

Goten was a courageous kid. A reason for this was his unimaginable
strength. Others were his cheerful nature and the optimism he'd
inherited from his father. Yet, there are limits after which a kid can't
go on. He had looked for everyone, and everything he knew. But he
couldn't find neither his family nor any of his friends.

Therefore, hovering high in the air above the Sea of Japan, an exhausted
kid was looking around, wondering what else he could do. Silent tears
rolled down his cheeks.

"Mom, Dad, Oni-chan were are YOOUUUU !" His cry reverberated through the
air, but no answer was given.

His head hung low, as his voice reduced to a whisper. "Why can't I find
you ? "

And then, he sensed it.

Since he had begun his search, he twice had felt small burst of power.
But they were weak and he couldn't recognize anybody he knew, so he had
dismissed them. This one wasn't particularly stronger or more
recognizable, but he didn't know what to do. So, mustering all the speed
he could, he went straight to it, leaving a golden trail behind him.


***************


In a Tokyo suburb area, not far from a Shinto temple, a beautiful blonde
girl was strolling along the street. She wore a light vest over a
corsage and a dark skirt. She was the very image of delicateness. 

Deep in thought, she stopped in front of a torn down gate without paying
attention to the two workers who busied themselves in a long gash made
in the street, a few meters behind her. On the other side of the gate
was a small empty house.

<He lived here, in this house>

Her face went from cheerful to melancholic. She rested her hand on the
fence wall.

<Kamui...>

Oblivious to the world, she first didn't notice the two retreating
workers behind her.

"WHAT !.."

"The cables... YAAAAAH !"

Only when she heard the scream did turned over, startled. She then saw
electric cables sprouting from the gash. They seemed animated with a
live of their own.

"LOOK OUT !" yelled one of the workers.

She didn't have time to move as all the cables sprung toward her and
caught her ankles.

"KYAAAAAAAAA !!"

She was dragged beside a shaking electric pole and held there. After a
few seconds, it began to fall on her.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHH !!!"

She had closed her eyes and found her breath suddenly cut short. She
opened them to find herself held tightly into the arms of a tall dark
haired man, ten meters from were the pole had crashed.

"Are you okay miss ?"

He wore army briefs, a black leather jacket and had a burly look.

Still in his arms, she looked at him with a bewildered look on her face.

"Wh.. Who are you ?"

"But... Nobody important."

Again, he began to make seemingly impossible jump to dodge the poles
that were falling one after the other. Amazingly enough, he managed to
retain his hold on both her and her hat.

"I'm just passing by."

Ten poles went down before things seemed to settle down. He let her on
her feet, putting her hat back on her head.

"Are you unhurt, Miss ?" He asked, smiling.

"Ye... Yes. LOOK OUT !"

The next pole suddenly fell. The man, however, seemed ready for it. He
spun, and dropping to one knee, raised both his hands while yelling.

"SHIRAA... Uh ?!" He blinked.

The falling pole had suddenly stopped in mid-air, two meters above him.
A small figure with wild blond hair was holding it, one handed! He
actually could see a flaming golden aura.

When electric cables began to come, again, over the girl, the young boy
casually released the pole. With a flick of his wrist, he sent a tiny
flake of light toward their source. It strolled almost casually... And
burst in a tremendous explosion. 

Speechless, the only thing the man could do was to steady the teenage
girl in his arm while the dust settled. Slowly, the side of the house
nearest to the blast began to crumble down.

***************

In a room, deep under the Diet, was a custom made computer only
referenced as "the Beast" by its maker. Said maker was now hooked to it,
many electric wire piercing her skin without any kind of apparent
discomfort. The only other person in the room was a tall, handsome blond
man wearing a clear coat. His back on a wall, he was waiting.

Suddenly, sparkles began to run along the flank of the machine in front
of him. Before he could begin to really do anything, part of it moved
aside, and Satsuki was able to get away from it, landing gracefully into
his waiting arms.

"Satsuki, what happened ?"

Looking up to meet his gaze, she smiled.

"I've found and attacked the girl Kanoe talked about. But I was stopped
and chastised."

"Somebody stopped -you- ? It must have been a one of the Seals..."

"Not necessarily," interrupted Kanoe from the door. She entered the
room.

"Well, I don't know about the first man," said Satsuki, "but I don't
think the child who stopped me was any of the dragon." 

She freed herself from Taki embrace. Her face became stern. "Kanoe-san,
I think that child is Sakurazuka-san new concern. He's right. This is
very serious."

***************

For a few moments, the only sounds came from the falling debris and
Goten's aura. Thankfully enough, nobody was in the wrecked house at the
moment.

He finally turned over to look at the man and the girl cradled in his
arms. They seemed in perfect shape.

"It's over. I don't feel anything anymore. I think what attacked you is
dead" He told them.

Recovering, the man gently pushed the girl aside.

"Who are you ? How did you do that ? How can you stay up there ?"

Looking down, Goten realized he still was a few meters from the ground.

"It doesn't matter" he replied with a sad smile.

<It's still nobody I know...>

He felt like crying in a way he had never before. A tear rolled down his
cheek. His face in his hands, he sprung away, leaving them fast behind.

"Wait !" yelled both the girl and the man.

The man jumped to the roofs, trying to follow Goten.

She ran for a few seconds, but quickly lost sight of her first savior.
Out of breath, she stopped panting.

"Wait... I'd like to thank you. I'd like to thank both of you..."

She looked up, but she could only see a few roofs across the pure azure
sky.

***************

The Japanese high school system is one of the stricter there is. Having
a neighborhood cop bringing back seventeen years old students to their
high school is not that uncommon an occurrence. This doesn't mean the
average Japanese teenager never cuts school. They just are more cautious
about it. The two teenage boys who had just avoided a local police
station were a good example of this. 

"I told you it wasn't a good idea to get away for the day, Toshio," said
the glass wearing one to his tall companion.

"I must find a gift for my beloved Kotori-chan, so I can declare my
eternal love to her." 

"Yeah. Well, for starter, we shouldn't have stayed in an area where the
cops can recognized our uniforms. And..."

"We MUST remain close from the school, for I want to have time to speak
to her today," cut the lovestruck fool.

"And second, how exactly do you think you'll get past her brother Fuuma
? " Continued his companion, unfazed by the interruption.

"Ah, but my heart is pure. When he'll see the strength of our love, I'm
sure her mighty brother will be compelled to consent to it.

"Well, I still think you're going for a world of pain. I much prefer
admire her from afar. Much safer... Hey, look! It's her."

Said object of undying love was indeed slowly crossing the street,
further away.

Kotori Monoh had been wandering aimlessly for a couple of hour now, her
routine check up completely forgotten. She couldn't help but think about
what had happened close to Kamui house. The man was special enough by
himself, but she could understand him as some kind of martial artist.
After all, the mangas were full of such people. She was sure her brother
could have made the kind of leaps she witnessed.

The little boy, however... Had he been a woman, she'd had thought
Amaterasu had come down to Earth. And yet, his face was so sad when he
had looked down.

"I'm sure he was crying when he flew away," she softly told herself.

She was so lost in her thought she almost didn't notice, on the
playground she was walking by, the lone figure that sat on the swing,
moping. Almost.

The hair was an unruly black mess, not a flaming mass of white gold. But
the face and the way he was dressed gave him away. Hesitantly she
approached him.

Paying more attention than the last time she saw him, she noticed the
grime that stained his face, his clothes. And, most important of all,
she saw the tears that slowly streaked down his face. His sight on the
ground, he didn't seem to know she was here, when she could have touched
him.

"Excuse me. Do you need help ?" she asked him.

Startled, he raised his face to meet her eyes. As he did so, she could
dark rimmed eyes in a face that should never have looked so tired. He
held his gaze on her for a few moments, and then resumed looking at the
ground.

"I can't find my mom." His answer was a tired whisper, almost inaudible.
There seemed to be no energy left in him.

"I can't find mom. I can't find dad. I can't find 'Nisan. I can't find
anybody." He then broke into tears.

Since Kotori had seen him, she wanted to thank him. But she had expected
to meet a godlike being. It was a surprise when she found herself
hugging a crying little boy. 

" Come on, come on. I'm sure we can do something to find them. I'm going
to help you look for them."

Bleary eyed, he took a step back to look at her. "Really ? You'll help
me ?"

"Of course," she replied, a warm smile on her face. "After all, you
helped me when I needed it. It's the least I can do. You look like you
could eat something. Do you want to come to my house so I can fix you
something ?"

Sniffling a sob, he nodded.

"Come along, then. My home isn't far from here. And I'm sure my brother
will help you too." She said, getting up from her kneeling position.

She brushed her skirt a bit and. "Oh, I almost forgot." She bowed to
him. "My name is Kotori." 

"Uh... I'm Son Goten," he answered, bowing in turn

***************

"I can almost feel him. But... Something is blocking my senses." Told
SonGoku to his family.

Chichi was going from despair to utter rage. "SonGoku, you must find my
baby !"

Gently, Goku removed his wife's hands from his collar. "I can't teleport
to him. We'll try another way. I'm going to see Bulma." 

***************


End Part 1