Roshi's Story Time Part 2

(A / N: Thanks to RayKale for his title suggestions!)

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''After our fight with Piccolo, I traveled the world, looking to perfect my martial arts and myself. During my travels, I came across the legendary Korin's Tower!''

''Korin's Tower? What is that?'' Mimi asked curiously.

''The Korin's tower, dear Mimi, is a tower so tall it can touch the lmit of the sky! And in the top of the tower, lives Korin, a great sage and a master of Martial Arts! The Legend said that whoever climbed the tower would have the right to be taught personally by Korin!''

''And how people go up, grandpa? There is a stair or something? They need to climb countless steps of stairs like a test of perseverance?''

''Hm, you're right about being a test of perseverance, Mimi. But there is no stairs or supports for people to climb. If one wants to climb the Tower of Korin, he must climb to the top on their own!'' Roshi answered.

''Eh? Wouldn't that be suicide?!'' Mimi said dumbfolded.

''Hohohoho! Don't think of it as suicide, but as a challenge of perseverance, willpower, strength, and courage! Only the best of the best will be able to climb the tower!''

''Don't tell me, you tried to climb the tower?'' Mimi said, guessing what would come next.

''Oh yeah! Not only did I try to climb the tower, I was the first person to climb to the end!'' Roshi responds with a laugh.

Mimi looks at Roshi with bright eyes, ''You did?! And then? Were the legends true?''

''Yes, my granddaughter. The legends were true! After climbing the tower, I had the right to be personally trained by Korin!'' Roshi said as he smoothed his beard, ''Korin is truly the best martial arts master. After training with him for three years and getting the rewards and fruits of the training I had done, I had surpassed my master Mutaito many times over!''

''So after Master Mutaito and Master Korin passed away, you became the strongest Martial Arts Master?'' Mimi, who was engrossed in the story, asks.

''Hm, after I finished my training with Korin, I had certainly become the strongest. But you see, Mimi, Korin is not dead!'' Roshi says with suspense.

Mimi tilts her head in confusion, ''Wait, I'm confused.....you said you're the strongest but now you say Korin is still alive, wouldn't that make him the strongest?''

''Hohoho, dear Mimi, there is a big difference between being the Strongest Master and the Best Martial Arts Master! While I can defeat anyone, I can't train anyone as well as Korin can! Remember, a master is not just someone who masters something, it's also someone who must know how to teach, and at teaching, Korin is still the best.''

''And how are you and he still alive? Didn't this all happen like two to three hundred years ago?''

''Just wait, Mimi, I'm getting there. And if you want to know more about Korin, you should one day climb the tower and meet him! It wouldn't be fun for me to just say everything, would it? Hohoho!''

Mimi turns her face and clicks her tongue in frustration, '' Tsk, petty old man!''

Roshi chokes on his granddaughter's gibberish; he doesn't know where she learns these things, maybe he should stop paying for the internet? But if he did that, he would no longer be able to access his favorite sites, he thought, torn in such a dilemma.

''Ehem! Moving on! After training with Korin, I continued my journey, and in that, I ended up finding a magical forest!''

Mimi sighs, thinking about what would come next.

''Don't tell me, were there unicorns and fairies in the forest? Maybe dragons?''

''I really wanted it could have been that way, Mimi, but no. That forest was an evil magical forest! I named it the Forest of Terror! It's a special forest that exists between our world and the world of the dead! The special characteristic of that forest is that it uses the fear of those who enter it, to create real illusions to prevent anyone who enters, from leaving.''

''It really sounds like a shitty place.'' Mimi comments.

''Hohohoho! It really was a shit place! But that's where I found the Paradise Herb!'' Roshi responds with a husky voice, trying to make the history more suspenseful.

''Paradise Herb? Do you mean Marijuana?'' Mimi says with a giggle.

''What? No!'' Roshi bonked Mimi again with his cane, and she grunts in pain.

''The Paradise Herb is an herb that only grows in the Forest of Terror. It's an herb that can increase a person's longevity, and I've consumed it. That's why grandpa is still alive even after more than three hundred years!'' Roshi explains in a scolding tone.

''It's easier to believe that it was Marijuana....'' Mimi whispered softly, so Roshi wouldn't hear.

Roshi continued, ''After all these adventures, I had decided it was time to stop and relax. I looked for a good place to settle, and this little island where we live is exactly what I found! After building my house and living for years in isolation, I met Umigame, as well as Pillow, your grandmother.''

''Grandmother? Does that mean I'm not adopted?''

''Of course not! Where did this idea come from?! And also, where did you learn that word and its meaning?! I don't remember teaching you that!'' Roshi said, dumbfolded.

''Grandpa, don't get me wrong but....it's extremely hard to imagine that a woman would be interested in a damn pervert like you; and I learned about it on the internet, obviously.'' Mimi replied dryly, as if it was something that should be obvious at that point.

An arrow hit Roshi right in the heart as he heard his granddaughter call him 'damn pervert'; that was the strongest blow he received in centuries.

''Hahahaha! She has a very valid point, Roshi!'' Umigame, who was silent until now, laughed heartily at what Mimi said.

Roshi struggles to his feet and sits down again; he wipes blood from his mouth caused by his granddaughter's mighty blow, and continues, ''R-Right, let's forget about that..... anyway, it was after finding this little island and building my house that I met Umigame and your grandmother.''

''I still remember that day.....your grandmother was a beautiful woman with long black hair and blue eyes, she had fishing as her favorite pastime, we met when she came to fish near my house.''

''She wasn't very old, she was only eighty at the time. Ah, I remember her slender and beautiful body as if it were yesterday!'' Roshi said longingly, and Mimi stared at him in disgust.

''Yes, she was a beautiful woman.'' Umigame comments with a nod.

Mimi looks at Umigame strangely, 'What do you mean by that?! You're a damn turtle!' She thought.

''After inviting her to my house, we got to know each other better, and as time went on, we got into a relationship, and after a few years, she became pregnant with your mother, Mina.''

Roshi paused for a few seconds, and Mimi noticed the sad and lonely expression her grandfather made as he mentioned her mother.

''Your grandmother was a great mother. I wanted to teach Martial Arts to Mina, and during her childhood I taught her some basic things, but as she got older she wanted to follow in her grandmother's footsteps and become a model.''

''When Mina turned fifteen, Pillow died of old age. Her death had devastated me, but your mother, Mina, persevered even more in becoming a famous model, to make her mother proud. When she turned seventeen, she left home and went exploring the world.''

A tear leaked from Roshi's eyes without him noticing it, and seeing this, Mimi's heart clenched in sadness.

''I didn't hear from her mother for several years, all she would send me were a few simple letters, and then one day she called me, saying that she had given birth to a child, and that the father was Kaoshi, a boy from school who had been friends with her for years, he was a good boy. I ran to where your mother's house was at the time, wanting to see my granddaughter. But that day, just before I arrived, thieves broke into your parents' house. Not only did they try to steal, they murdered Mina and Kaoshi in cold blood.''

'So that nearly dead woman I saw when I first opened my eyes was really my mother.' Mimi concluded.

Roshi started to shake and he clenched his fists tightly, ''Unfortunately, I didn't make it in time....but I managed to save you.''

He takes a deep breath to calm himself, and looks into Mimi's eyes, ''And this is my story, as well as the beginning of yours.'' Roshi finishes.

Mimi and Roshi were silent for a few minutes, and Umigame, sensing the heavy atmosphere, also kept silent.

Then after minutes of silence that felt like an eternity, Mimi breaks the silence.

''Why did you tell me this? Isn't it too heavy for a seven year old kid?''

Roshi smiles and pats Mimi's head, ''Hohoho! We both know you're mature enough to hear this story. And I told you all this, because I wanted to give you this.''

Roshi takes the book he brought at the beginning and places it in front of Mimi.

''What is this book about, grandpa?'' Mimi asks, looking curiously at the book in Roshi's hands.

''This book, Mimi, is a compilation of all the techniques I created, as well as the original style of the Turtle school. I wrote this book for your mother. She never used the book but she kept it with her until the day she died. You can think of it as a memento of your mother.''

Mimi takes the book and hugs it tight to her chest.

''Thank you, grandpa!'' Mimi gets up from Umigame and hugs Roshi.

'I didn't get to know you, Mina. But I'm sure you would have been a great mother. I am grateful that you gave me birth and put me in this world. I will take care of this memento with all the love in the world!' Mimi thought as she hugged Roshi.

Without her realizing it, tears also fell from her eyes.