An invitation to a very long day [Jie Shan/ask]

(Thread PL: 213,460. Base Form: 426,920/213,460)

Jie Shan, as he was wont to be, was in a perfectly pleasant mood. The Councilor was sat on the ground outside of his spaceship, humming some Earth tune that had caught his ear while he had been out and about in one of Earth's many cities. He did not know the name of the song, but it was catchy and it had a certain... pop to it, a kind of feeling that the young halfblood appreciated. And it was the tune that was on his mind as he cheerfully and almost absentmindedly sat there, tending to his sword. Jie Shan ran a cloth over the blade, leaving a streak of fine oil over the steel as he worked. It was almost meditative. This work, it was so different from the responsibilities of being a Councilor, so relaxing, so automatic, it was as if the rest of the world and his worries were so far away right now.

But such idyllic times would not last forever. It was not long before a presence came crashing into his mind, a boundless, furious ball of ki that was wound up like some kind of bomb, prepped and ready to explode. And Jie Shan knew just who it was. He had felt this energy before, plenty of times. And usually, he was on the receiving end of its fury; It was the young Komatsu, coming for him like a speeding bullet.

With a groan, Jie Shan rose from the ground and swiftly put the blade back in his scabbard. What in the world could the kid want now? Nothing good, he imagined. Every time they met, it only led to fighting. Jie Shan frowned as he remembered their introduction: an arena match, put on for the pleasure of the people of Natto and to determine who would fill the last Councillor position. Jie Shan had won, of course, but if this energy was any indication, he had been left far behind...

The young Saiyan slammed into the ground nearby, a tremor working its way through the earth beneath them. Great, he thought, somebody is in a good mood. Or rather, they were not. Jie Shan was curious, at least partially. He had not seen the young Saiyan since Komatsu had gone ape. And even then, he was unsure how it ended: that monstrous Namekian and his freak liege lord had interfered with the fight before long. All he knew is that when he had last saw the boy, it had been when the golden ape had been trying to destroy the city: an attack that Jie Shan had been on the other side of and deflected.

Needless to say, the halfblood was not happy with the Overseer's little brother. Jie Shan walked towards the boy, hand raised in greeting. "Well, well," he said, an edge in his voice, "I hardly recognized you, Komatsu. I got so used to imagining you as a raging monkey, I forgot that wasn't your normal state."

The Councilor offered a smirk. "What brings you out here?" He asked, "Last time I saw you, you were trying to kill a whole bunch of people."

Jie Shan frowned. "No," he said, "I don't think it will make me more comfortable. I seem to remember you shouting 'I'll kill you' last time you saw me." Of course, that had been said under the influence of the moon, but what surprised Jie Shan is the fact that the boy could not control his Great Ape form. Or perhaps there was more to it than that, though Jie Shan did not spare it much thought. The Great Ape form was outside of his area of expertise and even outside of his preference; He much preferred the humanoid Super Saiyan state or even that strange power he'd tapped into time and time before.

Jie Shan raised an eyebrow. He had not heard that. Well, he thought, there went all his plans for a little rest and relaxation. But he so loathed to be stuck behind the desk again. But he loathed being the last to hear of everything more. Why did no one see fit to tell him these things before? Was it so hard to send him a message? What of a courier? Damn, he thought, no one around here knew how to talk to anybody. Of course, he tempered, he was oftentimes guilty of the same thing. But hypocrisy be damned, it was annoying.

"Well," muttered Jie Shan, "This is news to me. Figures, really, I'd show up just in time for that monkey business, but be forced to leave not much longer after."

He gave a small, short bark of laughter and something of sneer. Well, he thought, it was the Earthling's planet. It was their right to want people gone, and he'd not be the one to force the matter. It wasn't his way. For now, he'd let it be. It seemed there were far more pressing matters at hand. "You need my help?" Asked Jie Shan, "With what? Smashing up another town?"

Jie Shan laughed, but quickly shook his head. "Sorry," he said, "Alright, I'll hear you out. Never let it be said I turn away someone who needs my help."

Jie Shan shrugged it off. Sure, he could appreciate someone not being able to control their Great Ape form. Hell, he thought, most Saiyans could not. It took a lot of self-control and will power to actually be able to chain the beast inside, and not everyone had that kind of power. He could not imagine trying to control ten of them at once, so if what the young Saiyan was saying was true, he could almost kind of sympathize. Of course, Jie Shan was still not keen on the whole almost destroying a city thing, but at least the boy has the balls to apologize to him for it.

"Well," said Jie Shan, "I don't think that I'm the one you need to apologize to, but I appreciate it anyway." No, he thought, there were people who had gotten much worse from the young Saiyan. Strange, he thought, the super powers of the world like himself and Komatsu, they had all these world shaking battles, battles that fundamentally changed the shape of the world, battles that could end in millions, billions, or even trillions of deaths, and at the end of the day, how many of these superpowers cared? Not many, he thought with a frown. But that was not the point, at least not at the moment.

And then Komatsu seemed to grow angry once again. He asked Jie Shan about his own control of the Great Ape, if he'd always been able to control it. And Jie Shan sighed, as if to match the huff of exasperation that now escaped Komatsu's lips.

"No," groaned Jie Shan, "No, Komatsu, I have not been able to control my Great Ape since day one. You and I both know how ridiculous that notion is; It takes a lot of effort to be able to control it, and many Saiyans won't ever be able to control it. But you know, that doesn't mean we should throw up our hands and say, 'Ah well, nothing we can do about this. Might as well just let the destruction go on'. Even when we still can't control it, we still have a responsibility. Mistakes happen, but damn Komatsu, a rampaging Great Ape is a big mistake. I get it, you didn't know, you didn't think it would be that hard, but look, there's a certain responsibility we have to assume each and every time we do something like this, even if we can control it. Komatsu, we're stronger than like ninety nine percent of the entire universe's population. We can destroy entire worlds like they're nothing. It might be normal for us, but for the rest of the world? It's the end of their world, the worst thing to ever happen to them. And that goes for more than the Great Ape form. Even when we're just going Super Saiyan, we're putting out world changing amounts of energy."

Jie Shan frowned and stopped to take a breath. Damn, he thought, he'd not meant to give a speech. "Look," he said much more softly, "All I'm saying is: just be a little more careful, okay? You've got the power to change the whole world if you wanted. Just think before you go and do something like that."

And after he finished his speech, Jie Shan was finally ready to respond to Komatsu's request. "I'm sorry, Komatsu, it's just the way I am," he explained, "I'm grateful you think highly enough of me to choose me for this, and I'd be happy to help you. But, uh, I have to ask: are you for real? Because the notion of some magical room where a day turns into a year is kind of out there to me."

Jie Shan sighed. "Not that I don't believe you. Hell, I've seen weirder things I guess, but that's kind of strange still, don't you think?"

Jie Shan raised an eyebrow. At least he was trying to make amends. But if Jie Shan knew one thing, sometimes it was not enough. But still, maybe the boy would surprise him. Hell, the boy already was: he'd not expected the kid to try and help the Earthlings rebuild. If he was telling the truth, the boy had already surpassed Jie Shan's, admittedly low, expectations. Though it seemed Komatsu had missed the point of his speech entirely. It was not about knowing, it was not about remorse. It was about making choices in the moment. Even if one can control their Great Ape, thought Jie Shan, that did not mean the transformation was without risks. It was about making choices, choices that concerned others.

"Well," sighed Jie Shan, "At least you're trying. I don't suppose I can fault you for making an attempt."

Jie Shan listened to Komatsu's story with vested interested. Well, he thought, it seemed that the world contained wonders he had yet to see. But there was one thing that irked Jie shan: the mention of this 'Jarvis', the mention of war. Jie Shan shook his head.

"I see," muttered Jie Shan, "Well, I won't give you a lecture on your little bout. I already gave you one about responsibility. You don't need another one, 'course. I just hope you keep your head on straight."

"But war? Damn, I'd like to avoid that," he said with scowl. But that would be something to talk to Nasu about.

Jie Shan shook his head. "Well, Komatsu, I'm up for this special training of yours. Thanks for the opportunity. Let's not squander it."

But damn, thought Jie Shan, a whole year? The boy was going to drive him crazy in a year. Perhaps he ought to bring a book.

End word count 1,958

Sorry Jie but im turning this in >_< PL for me please.