Dragon Ball Altered Worlds: General Mazu Ep. 2

Hours would go by.  Soon…the Saiya-jin opens his eyes.  Quickly sitting up, he suddenly groans as he holds his ribs.  He slowly looks around, staring at his strange surroundings.  He soon whispers with a gruff voice.  “W-wha?  Where…am I?”  He frowns, then blinks as he looks around, seeing that the infant is gone.  His eyes become wide.  “Mazu?”  He stands up, limping across the room.  “MAZU!?”  The Saiya-jin freezes as he could hear the loud, shrieking cries of an infant.
Down the hall, Roshi blinks as he holds the infant Saiya-jin in his arms, the child crying loudly.  “I dunno what to do!?  I don’t know what you want!!!”  The messy haired child continues to scream and cry.  She grabs hold of his beard, yanking on it as he yelps.  “Stop that, you little rascal!!”  Krillin seemed to be enjoying himself, laughing loudly as he sat beside Roshi.  The infant’s tail suddenly slaps Krillin across the face, knocking him across the room, Roshi blinking.  “Wow…..you’re strong.”
The infant soon stopped crying, looking to Krillin who was now stuck in a wall headfirst.  She then started to giggle, clapping her hands gleefully.  Roshi chuckled.  “Well…you’re a scrappy little thing!”  He tickled her under the chin, making her giggle once again.  
Roshi soon looked back, ducking as a fist punched through the wall, the male Saiya-jin crashing his way through.  “WHERE IS SHE!?”  The Turtle Hermit blinked before standing up.
“CALM DOWN!  THE BABY IS FINE!!!”
The Saiya-jin began to growl, holding his hands out as he coughed.  “G-give me….my daughter…..now.”
The old man soon gave a nod before approaching the Saiya-jin.  He soon holds out the infant, the tiny girl cooing as she reached out for her father.  The man gently takes her into his arms, weakly smiling as he looked to her, kissing her forehead.  Roshi frowned a bit.  “You are still injured.  You need to be resting.”
The Saiya-jin looked to Roshi.  “I’ll rest when I am dead, old man.”
Krillin finally popped his head back out of the wall, rubbing his dome before laying eyes on the man in front of them.  He suddenly squeaks before hiding behind his Master.  The Saiya-jin lifts a brow.  “W-where am I?”
Krillin looked to the Saiya-jin, shivering from fright.  “Y-y-y-you’re on Earth.”
He cocked his head back.  “What?  The coordinates on the pod said E-Arth!”
Roshi laughed.  “I believe it may be a mispronunciation.”  The Saiya-jin shrugged before Roshi slowly approached him.  “What is your name, stranger?”
He slowly took a step back.  “My name is Takeno.”  Takeno shifted his gaze down to his cooing infant child.  “And this is Mazu….”
Soon, a thunderous voice broke out behind them.  “Why are you here, Saiya-jin?”
Takeno quickly spun around, Piccolo standing in the hole in the wall.  He narrowed his eyes as he backed up.  “A Namekian….”
Piccolo began to step forward.  “You will answer my question, Saiya-jin.  If you don’t….I will be forced to destroy you and your child in order to keep this planet safe.  And with your injuries…you’re in no shape to fight.”
Takeno narrowed his eyes.  “We are refugees from Planet Vegeta.”
Piccolo frowned.  “Refugees?  You’re lying!”
Takeno shook his head, protectively holding his daughter.  “I am not lying!”  The infant began to whimper, Takeno looking down to her before gently rocking her.  Piccolo lifted a brow, seeing how Takeno is with the child.
“You’re different from other Saiya-jins.  You’re kind usually breeds and goes off to fight more…having little to no affection with your children.”
Takeno looked to him.  “I care for my child….her mother could care less…But I care for her.”
The Guardians gaze began to soften a bit.  “What happened?  Why did you leave Planet Vegeta?”
The Saiya-jin slowly sat down.  “I was one of the King’s soldiers…under the command of General Bardock…whom he answered to King Vegeta directly..  Soon….we had orders to kill any child born with defects or handicaps…being deemed useless for the Empire.”
Krillin slowly approached him, looking to the infant named Mazu.  “Well…what’s wrong with her?”
Takeno slowly shook his head.  “Nothing for now….but our technology scans every child that is born…able to map out their genetic sequence and discover any defects.  It is estimated that Mazu will be close to 10 years of age before she loses her hearing.  To King Vegeta…a Saiya-jin who can not hear anything is worthless and a liability.”
The bald headed child soon frowned.  “Your people are not very nice…are they?”
Takeno slowly shook his head before looking to Piccolo.  The Namek slowly approached him.  “Who did this to you, Takeno?”
Takeno frowned.  “The King, himself, did this to me.  I openly defied him.  He tried to make an example of me….”  The Saiya-jin soldier soon gave a smirk.  “…but not before I messed up his ugly, royal face.”
Roshi smirked.  “I like this one, Piccolo.  He should be allowed to stay.”
Piccolo rubbed his chin, his eyes drifting to the infant in Takeno’s arms.  Takeno soon frowned.  It was a few, very long moments before Piccolo sighed.  “Fine….but you live by our rules, Saiya-jin.  You give us any trouble…I will destroy you.  Understand?”
Takeno gave a nod.  “I understand.”
Roshi grinned.  “Good!  Now….who’s hungry?”
On the way to the Kame House, Krillin blinked as he stared at Takeno, whom was flying on his own.  The Saiya-jin looked back to him, tilting his head with Mazu sleeping in his arms.  “What are you staring at, kid?”
Krillin pointed to him.  “How do you fly?”
Takeno blinked.  “You mean you don’t know how?  Huh…and I thought you two were just lazy.”
Roshi looked to him as he growled.  “Flying is overrated!!!”
The Saiya-jin just rolled his eyes before looking to Krillin.  “I may teach you, someday.”
Krillin grinned.  “Sweeeeeeeeet.”
At the Kame House, Roshi would open the door.  “Launch!  We have some guests!”  
Soon, there was a sneeze from the kitchen, a small squeaky voice of a young girl.  “ACHOO!”  The Turtle Hermit suddenly screamed when he ducked down, a barrage of bullets flying over his head with the sound of a thousand thunders.  Krillin dodged to the right.  Takeno, whom was behind Krillin, quickly spun around, shielding his daughter with his body.  Powering up, he created a barrier of ki around him, the bullets deflecting off the field of energy.  From within, the sound of a very angry young woman echoed through the house.
“YOU OLD BASTARD!!!  YOU BRING GUESTS HERE WITHOUT CALLING FIRST!?  I ONLY MADE ENOUGH FOOD FOR THE THREE OF US!”  Standing in the hallway was a young woman.   She was wearing a light, lime-green tube top, held up by red suspenders over her shoulder.  Her shorts were of a yellow, khaki style, the cuffs ending mid thigh.  Her hands had red, fingerless gloves that gripped a black, UZI MP-2 with collapsible stock.  The barrel was smoking.  Her hair was blonde, long and wavy with a red ribbon tied around towards the back.  Her green eyes narrowed as she grit her teeth, her red tennis shoes clacking on the floor as she stepped forward.  Takeno looked back at her, his eyes becoming wide.  Launch stopped, tilting her head.  “THE HELL ARE YOU LOOKING AT!?”
Takeno batted his eyelids towards her.  “Uh…um….heh…”  He turned his body towards her, the infant not even have stirred from the gunfire.  “Just….amazed by your beauty, is all.”
Launch tilted her head, her cheeks becoming a deep red.  “You make a move on me….you get a bullet in the head…”  She looked to his swaying tail.  “….monkey man.”
He smirked before looking down to his daughter, the tot slowly and tiredly opening her eyes.  She looks up at him before yawning and stretching.  The Saiya-jin smiles as he lifts her up, kissing her forehead, hearing her giggle.
That evening, Roshi stood outside as he puffed on his pipe.  Krillin joined his side, soon tugging on his sleeve.  “Master Roshi…where did the scary guy go?”
Roshi smirked.  “Fishing.”
The bald child tilted his head until he looked out to the water.  Soon, something flew out of the sea.  Krillin watched as it soared high into the air.  He then screamed and rushed behind Roshi.  Slamming into the sandy earth with a tremendous quake, a large, thrashing, gray shark snapped away at them.  The massive teeth mash together in front of them as the body thrashed back and forth.  Roshi seems unfazed.  Soon, Takeno comes crashing down onto the shark’s head, feet first, with a squelching crunch, the beast ceasing to move.  Krillin yelps as he backs away.  “Y-y-y-you killed that shark without weapons!”
Takeno looked to the young pupil and smirked.  “Yep…and now I have dinner for me and Mazu.”
A few minutes would pass before Takeno would enter, carrying a large slab of shark steak over his shoulder, Mazu in his other arm.  “WOMAN!  I’M GOING TO USE THE KITCHEN TO PREPARE THIS MEAL!!”
A soft-spoken voice would enter his ears.  “Okay…just clean up after you are done!”  Takeno paused, blinking before he turned around.  The woman named Launch entered the kitchen, giving a soft smile.  Her hair was now a dark blue, as well as her eyes.  Watching her, she heads to the fridge to grab a can of soda before heading back out to the living room.  He seemed confused by this person.  Roshi soon entered, The Saiya-jin looking to him.  “Who was that?”
Roshi chuckled.  “I forgot to tell you!  There is two sides to Launch.  In that oh so pretty head of hers….are two different personalities.  Strange thing is that her sneezing can trigger the switch.”
The warrior frowned a bit.  “This is a very strange planet.”  He turned to the stove, looking it over before turning it on and slapping the slab of meat onto all four burners.  Roshi leaned on his walking stick.
“What is your plan, Takeno?”
The Saiya-jin looked down to his daughter as she gnawed on her own hand.  “I suppose we shall stay on this planet.  Based on what I have seen, so far….we’ll be able to blend in easily.  I’ll build us a home.”
Roshi smiled.  “Then you shall stay here as long as you need, Takeno.”  The elderly man then looked to Mazu.  “She is strong.  Perhaps you and I can train her?”
Takeno glanced at Roshi.  “Train her?”
He nodded.  “Yes…to fight.  It will teach her discipline…and to become stronger.”
He chuckled.  “Well…I don’t see why not.  She is a Saiya-jin, after all.  We are bred to fight.”
Roshi looked to Mazu.  “And in case those you fought decide to follow you.”
The warrior laughed.  “I highly doubt that!  They wouldn’t waste their time on hunting down a Saiya-jin like me.”
 Three years would pass since their arrival on Planet Earth.  Never letting his guard down, Piccolo has kept a close eye on the two Saiya-jins from day one.  He watched, the infant soon becoming a scrappy toddler.  The tiny girl wore an orange dogi, her shoes black as her tail swayed back and forth behind her.  Her eyes were narrowed, glaring at Roshi.  The old man stood with his stick behind him, just staring back at her.  With a shout, the tiny terror rushed forward, throwing a punch, Roshi dodging right and suddenly tripping her.  She yelped, hitting the ground before sweeping her legs, Roshi hopping over them.  She springs up and delivers a spin kick.  The Turtle Hermit snags her foot with his right hand before hitting her over the head with his stick.  She yelps again, falling back.  Takeno stood and watched, his arms crossed with narrowed eyes.  Krillin, now 8 years old, blinks before looking to Takeno.
“How come you never get angry when Master Roshi kicks Mazu’s butt?”
Takeno just stared on before he spoke.  “Who says I don’t get angry?”
The bald child laughs.  “Well…you don’t look like it.”
The Saiya-jin looks to Krillin.  “Trust me…every time he lays a hand on her…I want to beat him to death.  But…this is all part of her training.  She needs to learn to fend for herself.  I won’t always be around for her.”
Krillin blinks.  “I see.  So…tough love?”
Takeno chuckled.  “You could say that.”
Mazu suddenly gave a low growl, now on her back.  She had a bruise on her cheek.  Roshi chuckled a bit until Mazu suddenly hopped up.  She rushed him again.  Roshi spins with a kick, and then pauses to see her gone.  He blinked behind his sunglass lenses.  In an instant, Mazu was behind Roshi, suddenly kicking him in the rear end, launching Roshi high into the air.  “BWAAAAAAAAAAH!”
Krillin followed Roshi on his trajectory, Takeno clapping.  Roshi seems to disappear in the sky.  Krillin tilted his head, and then heard the scream on the way back down.  Looking to the water, Roshi splashes down.  Mazu grinned in triumph.  “Beat you, Master Roshi!”  Takeno laughed as he approached her.  Scooping the tiny Saiya-jin up in his arms, he gently nuzzles her.  Mazu giggles before hugging him tight.
The next morning, Mazu sat in the living room with a massive plate of food in front of her.  Tearing into the smorgasbord, she stares at the screen, watching a Martial Arts Tournament, only a regional division.  She tilted her head, watching a fighter.  The fighter was a female, wearing black trunks and a pink tank top.  Her fists were wrapped, a yellow headband around her scalp.  Her stance was one Mazu has never seen before.  The woman’s fists were held out in front of her at eye level, one foot forward.  Receiving a strike, she blocks with both arms while raising her forward leg, successfully blocking.  Mazu watched in amazement before standing up, mimicking the stance.  The fighter throws a punch, a quick forward jab.  Mazu mimics it.  Her eyes stay on the screen, seeing this woman fight.
Later in the day, Mazu was sparring with Roshi again.  Roshi delivers a blow to the back of her head, Mazu suddenly hitting the ground with a groan.  Roshi sighs.  “Mazu…you are not getting any better.  You can use cheap tricks like before…but that does not mean you are a skilled fighter.”  Mazu frowned, slowly standing up.  She then makes her stance, both fists out in front of her at eye level, one foot forward.  Roshi lifts a brow.  “That is not Turtle style, Mazu.  What is that?”
Mazu smirked.  “I saw it on TV.”
Takeno smirked as he crossed his arms, watching her closely.  The old man laughed a bit.  “Just because you saw something and copy it does not mean you know it.”
Mazu grinned.  “Prove it, Master Roshi…”  Roshi tilts his head, then nods.  “…and don’t hold back!”  Her sensei blinks, then removes his shirt and drops it.  Krillin cowered behind Takeno.
“Crap….when he does that…it means he’s mad and is going to teach her a lesson!”
Takeno looked down to him, then to the pair about to fight.  Roshi was thin, but still had some tone and muscle mass, even with his old age.  Roshi takes his stance, staring Mazu down.  Mazu grins.  Roshi suddenly rushes forward, throwing a palm strike, Mazu blocking with her forearms before delivering a forward kick.  Roshi jumps back, Mazu throwing a punch, Roshi blocking with his hand before dropping to sweep her feet out from under her.  She hops up, throwing another punch.  Roshi goes to block, but Mazu switches the position of her arm, soon striking his ear with an elbow as he grunted.  Mazu goes to follow up, grabbing him by his head, starting to deliver knee strike after knee strike, each one blocked by Roshi’s hands.  He shoves her back, hopping up to deliver a kick to her head.  She blocks with her shoulder, delivering an uppercut with the other hand.  Roshi slaps it away before returning with a strike to the stomach.  The child lifts her leg, blocking it with her knee before head butting Roshi in the chest, sending him back a few feet.  Relentless, she rushes towards him.  The old man frowns, getting into position.  Mazu quickly hops up into the air, quickly coming down with a kick.  Roshi suddenly grabs her ankle, swinging her and slamming her into the ground.  He backs up, watching as the toddler groans, standing up.  Mazu narrows her eyes, quickly running towards him.  Roshi lifts a brow.  She quickly drops down, sliding between his legs.  Once behind him, she flips onto her feet, only for her face to collide with his fist.  Frozen, she groans before falling back, hitting the ground.  Roshi sighs before shaking his head, walking away.
Takeno sighed.  “Damn it.  She got too cocky.”
Krillin nods.  “Don’t get cocky with Roshi.  He may be old….but he can still whoop your butt.”
The Saiya-jin approaches his daughter, kneeling down and picking her up.  “C’mon.”

Will Mazu ever master the Turtle Hermit style...or this style in which she self-taught?  We shall find out in the next episode of Dragon Ball Altered Worlds!!