Chapter 01
Lost child so deep within me I call to you.
Now’s the time to relearn love
and forget Pain and hate.
For I now understand how to give you ease.
Little child sitting in corners so dark and drear,
I call to you my internal, yet long lost friend.
Lost child, Littlest child, My Soul inside of me
I know we can find happiness for it is a great gift,
that life does bring to those who answer.
Removing the dust of disuse,
Clean out the ashes of despair!
Take back the home through self love
Clear your sight!
learn the willingness to fight for what is right,
For the body is your great temple.
“Return of the Soul”
Original published poem By J. Oden
Copyright retained by author.
***
The dark cloak of nightfall had claimed the back yard by the time he reached home. Home, the only one he’d ever known, once torn and broken, newly refurbished and lit by the warm glow of electricity again. It was strange to see the light shining through the upper stories, like beacons breaking through the gloom of a despairing world now renewed, Trunks thought as he landed in the back yard. All of his life had been spent creeping in shadows of dead buildings and rubble, hiding from the androids until three short years ago when he had returned with the power at his command to destroy them once and for all.
He grinned as he moved towards the back door, saying a quick prayer of thanks to the Gods that he was so well hidden from so many pairs of prying female eyes that he knew always awaited his return. He dreaded this part of coming home, so rarely returned home before the darkest of shadows had fallen over the Capsule Corporation headquarters to help disguise him.
That was the only time the trespassers would be unable to see his arrival from above, as they watched for him every day. He smirked silently as he successfully wound his way past several of the makeshift, temporary shelters that some of these determined husband hunters had erected in their near frenzied attempts to snag him for a personal trophy.
Trunks didn’t mind the stealth he had to use to evade the horny women around his house at the moment, since it bought him some time before he would have to listen to his mother’s grumbling about how he had filled up too much on Aunt Chichi’s cooking. He knew she wouldn’t really mind if he helped to clear the table and get things into their new dishwasher.
There would always be need for a midnight snack after all, and leftovers always worked better than his trying to make something from scratch at two in the morning he would reason if she was unusually grouchy over some invention not doing what she had desired the first time around.
Bulma was waiting as he knew she would be. He could see the need to know everything Aunt ChiChi and the Ox King had said to him today. Mother always craved news of her long time friend. She was still miffed though, that ChiChi and Ox refused to come and live with them in the city, Trunks knew only too well. In short he had been sent over to the Son household today to try his best to get the elderly pair to come and stay with them once again.
His mother wasn’t a young sprite any longer either, he realized as he walked into the kitchen, a shy, but relieved smile on his face as Bulma came rushing up to him, her silvery blue mane swept up in a messy bun, a thousand questions whizzing past his ears as she decided to take the initiative since Trunks hadn’t yet jumped onto the topic she most wanted to hear about, even though he had barely managed to skulk through the door.
“Well what did they say? Did you have any better luck convincing them to come and stay here than I did a few weeks ago? When are they coming? Did you try the wheedling technique I told you to use? Answer me. Darn you Trunks!” Her voice rose quickly as he raised a placating hand to stop her tirade before it got to the point of making his overly sensitive ears bleed. Only his mother and aunt ChiChi had managed that particular feat, but he was not about to repeat a three week hiatus of deaf living again when he could counter it with answers.
“Mom, settle down. I’ll tell you everything if you just give me a minute.” He waved her towards their new kitchen table as he walked to the refrigerator and grabbed some juice from the top shelf. He snatched a glass from the glistening new cabinets on his way back to the table, where he would let her know all about his visit today.
Bulma sat at the table, fingers drumming, while she tried to curb her impatience. “She won’t come, will she?” Bulma fired off with her normal aplomb and fire.
“She said she would visit if we wanted, but only for the winter. She feels she needs to stay at her home the rest of the year. She said everything she is, and has ever loved, is in her own home. She just can’t see giving it away or leaving it behind, especially not now that she has the new kid around.”
“New kid? What new kid?” Bulma’s eyes grew round with excitement.
“Some young woman that grandpa Ox rescued a couple weeks back. She’s pretty badly beat up, but from what he said, and from the looks of the big axe and sword she had with her that he showed me, she apparently decided to be a pretty tough customer for a pack of very hungry velociraptors.” Trunks smirked at his mom with a distinct touch of merriment as he settled in to spend the rest of the evening telling Bulma about what was known of the hot headed, nineteen year old girl, ChiChi had decided to saddle herself with.
