Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos
chapter-2177

(A/N: I'm not feeling well so I'm just lazing about with my leg propped up. Since I didn't want to focus too much on the actual plot, I decided to write a one-off to post on my patty later. Hope you enjoy it.)

With the meeting coming to an end after a short discussion regarding potential allies, Vahn left the conference room to find Sarina sitting out in the hallway.

Plopping down next to her, Vahn gently nudged her shoulder with his own, asking, "What's up? Did you get in an argument with someone...?"

Exhaling a sigh, Sarina shook her head before resting it against Vahn's shoulder and answering, "I tried sparring with Mash and Lotte..."

"Ah..."

Understanding what the issue was, Vahn grasped Sarina's left hand with his right before planting a kiss atop her head and saying, "You're not weak, Sarina. You just need time. Mash might appear to be around the same age as you but she has been training ever since she was a very young girl. As for Lotte, she is several thousand years older..."

Though she nodded her head in understanding, Sarina's mood hadn't improved as much as Vahn would have liked. The core issue wasn't that she was weak, it was the fact she was weak in spite of being the Vice Leader of the Sage Dragon's Hearth.

"Hmm..."

Sensing the internal conflict in Sarina's mind, Vahn's immediately kicked into overdrive. There were actually a number of solutions to the problems currently plaguing her. One was a prize that others competed for, so, after a moment of deliberation, he asked, "Would you like to try spending some time in an Actualized World? We can go together and I can support you while you assist others in saving the world..."

Perking up the moment she heard Vahn's words, a radiant smile developed across Sarina's face as she exclaimed, "I want to go to Dragon Ball! If I learn how to control and manipulate Ki, I can easily become stronger...!"

Resisting the urge to point out more than half the members of his harem could teach her how to control and manipulate Ki, Vahn just nodded his head, saying, "Sure thing. Is there a specific point in the timeline you wanted to start from?"

Understanding this was her opportunity to spend a lot of alone time with Vahn, a mischievous smile developed across Sarina's face as she answered, "I want to start from the very beginning. Back when Bulma and Goku had first met."

Though he didn't actually mind, Vahn couldn't help furrowing his brows, asking, "Are you sure? At your current level, you could easily defeat most opponents prior to the Z timeline. If we arrive near the beginning of the series timeline, it'll take upwards of thirty years to reach the events in Super..."

With an even bigger grin on her face, Sarina replied, "I know. To close the gap between me and the others, I need at least that much time. Besides, I'd rather start early so that we can change a few of the things I didn't like about the original series. Like, how did Bulma end up with Vegeta? He wasn't that bad by Super but the guy was a complete nutjob throughout the Android, Cell, and Majin Buu Sagas...!"

Resisting the urge to point out there was a Vegeta among his Templates, Vahn just issued a light chuckle before squeezing Sarina's hand and saying, "Well, if that's what you want..."

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Opening her eyes with a start, waves of surprise washed over Sarina's mind as he found herself lying beneath the canopy of an abnormally colorful tree. Its leaves were slightly bluish-green, and, despite resembling normal leaves, they were far more vibrant than normal. The same could be said for her surroundings, almost as if the entire world had been covered in some kind of filter.

Rising to a seated position, the first thing Sarina noticed were the richly colored hills, mountains, and plateaus that seemed to stretch infinitely in the distance. The second thing she noticed was the fact that her body was much, much smaller than she remembered.

"No...I haven't really gotten smaller. It's like my proportions have changed..."

("That's due to the influence of the System Template. It allows you to bypass the Law of Normalcy and perceive Actualized Worlds from the perspective of an outsider. If you want to experience what it's like to be a true native, you can turn it on whenever you want.")

Having become accustomed to telepathy, Sarina wasn't surprised to hear Vahn's voice in her head. Her only concern was whether this was the voice of the actual Vahn or the System he had given her prior to her 'transmigration' into the Actualized World of Dragon Ball.

Appearing next to her, Vahn helped Sarina to her feet as he said, "In the end, the decision is yours to make. I don't mind journeying alongside you but we both know how that will end. The question is, do you want to try and resolve things on your own or do you just want to have fun exploring this world together...?"

Though she knew exactly what he meant, Sarina just giggled as she linked her arms around Vahn's neck and said, "I'm not going to complain about sharing when you've basically agreed to spend the next 30 years with me. So long as you don't go building a massive harem, I don't mind if you entice a few key figures along the way..."

Understanding the futility of trying to deal with Vahn on her own, Sarina had already formed a list of potential scapegoats. Bulma was a dead given, but, depending on how things progressed, she wouldn't mind adding people like Kale, Caulifla, or even Cheelai into the mix. She had seen a spin-off series with Broly as the main character, and, while the inordinately kind Saiyan treated Cheelai exceptionally well, the green-skinned alien ended up becoming a cripple shortly after giving birth.

Sensing Sarina's thoughts through their mental link, a wry smile developed across Vahn's face as he said, "If you want to fly across the Universe saving people, you'll need to increase your strength. We didn't come here so I could 'fix' things. I'll definitely step in if something happens but you'll need to handle most situations on your own..."

Resisting the urge to chortle in amusement, Sarina was about to call Vahn out on his inability to ignore people in need when two sounds, one high-pitched and one abrasive reached her ears. Tracing the sounds to their origin, she noticed a remarkably short youth with wild black hair running in their direction with a fish more than ten times in size in tow. At the same time, further up the dirt road, a compact, bluish-white car with the words turbo written on the sides could be seen barreling towards the little kid without slowing down.

"Oh, wow. I almost forgot that the vehicles at the start of the series actually traveled on wheels..."

Though it hadn't been that long since Sarina watched Dragon Ball, it was easy to forget details from the earlier episodes when there were literally hundreds of them.

Nodding his head in affirmation, Vahn resisted the almost instinctual urge to step in and pull Goku out of the way as he explained, "Bulma, her father, and Dr. Gero are nearly as intelligent as Android 21. They just need a little push and they're able to develop technologies that can revolutionize, not just their world, but the galaxy beyond. Earth really is the lynchpin of this reality..."

As those words left his mouth, Vahn watched as Goku, somewhat surprisingly, evaded the car that Bulma was driving. The Actualized World he had entered was chosen at random so even he didn't know the exact course of events that would take place. He could easily find out by taking a sneak peek into the future but where was the fun in that?

Though she was the one that had nearly run someone over, it was the young, blue-haired woman behind the wheel that leaned out her window to shout, "Hey! What's the big idea you little brat!? Get off the road...!"

In response to the remarkably shrill voice, the inordinately petite youth adopted a fierce yet heroic expression on his face as he adopted a wild stance and shouted, "This is my fish! get your own...!"

Without further discussion, the youth charged toward the bluish-white car before planting his foot in the metal bonnet covering the engine. To the shock and horror of the blue-haired girl sitting in the driver's seat, the engine was completely totaled as the car was sent skidding backward for tens of meters before ultimately flipping onto its side. It was fortunate she was wearing her seatbelt, as, without it, she may have been flung from the car.

Fearing for her life, the blue-haired woman emerged from the passenger-side window of her car with what appeared to be a Walther PPK-L Pistol in hand. Then, with surprising accuracy, she began to unleash the entire clip into the black-haired youth while screaming her lungs out.

Having never encountered a firearm before, the inordinately petite youth was quite surprised when the slugs impacted his skin. He was durable enough to jump from cliffs and resist the biting force of massive dinosaurs, yet, in spite of this, the fly-like projectiles were able to leave painful indentations against his face, neck, and chest.

Though he did his best to cover his face and eyes using his arms, the youth still received a number of bruises to the more sensitive areas of his skin. There was even a trail of blood running from just above his left brow, so, the moment the woman's clip had emptied, the youth lowered his guard to reveal a remarkably incensed expression on his face.

"You're gonna pay for that...!"

Screaming even louder the moment she heard the youth's words, the blue-haired girl continued to fire futilely as he leaped towards her like a wolf pouncing on its prey. Fortunately, just as his fist was about to impact her face, a hand wrapped around the youth's wrist as a soft voice declared, "That's enough."

Surprised by the sudden appearance of a third party, the blue-haired woman was about to scream even louder when she noticed who, or, more specifically, what her would-be savior looked like. The fear on her face immediately morphed into an expression of zealous glee. Then, as if she hadn't just experienced a life or death situation, the ponytailed blunette declared, "Holy cow! You're, like, super handsome! Want to be my boyfriend!?"

Though he offered a polite smile, Vahn didn't immediately reply to the woman's words. Instead, he flung the struggling youth in his grasp away before saying, "Calm down, kid. This woman isn't your enemy."

While others might be more difficult to convince, especially after having an entire clip unloaded in their face, the wild-haired youth immediately relaxed when he heard Vahn's words. Then, much to the surprise of the blue-haired woman, he scratched the back of his head and asked, "Really? Then I guess I should apologize, huh?"

Without waiting for Vahn's affirmation, the black-haired youth politely cupped his hands towards the befuddled blunette and said, "Sorry for attacking you. My name's Goku. What's yours?"

Recovering from her shock, the blunette's first instinct was to complain about the state of her car. The presence of Vahn, however, caused her to think twice, as, no matter how she tried to events in her favor, the incident was clearly her fault.

"Uh...don't mention it. As for my name...well..."

Pointing towards the words imprinted across her chest, the blunette blushed ever so slightly when she noticed Vahn's eyes following her movement.

"My name's Bulma. Bulma...Briefs..."

As the name Briefs was among the most famous in the entire world, Bulma was relieved to see that neither Vahn nor Goku had an obvious reaction to her name. She hated people treating her as if she were special due to her heritage, so, seeing the informal and authentic expressions on their faces, a smile developed across her own. Unfortunately, the moment she was about to ask Vahn's name, the presence of a fourth party promptly made itself known...

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'I'm not jealous...','I swear I'm not jealous...','Okay...maybe just a little...')