Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ A Light in the Darkness ❯ To Be or Not To Be Super Saiyan ( Chapter 67 )

A Light in the Darkness - Part 67: To Be or Not To Be Super Saiyan
by Mia Skywalker & Wataruo

 

PAIRING: Yamcha/Hakusai
RATING: PG
WARNINGS: None
C&C: Please! ^_^
DISCLAIMER: Neither of us owns any of the DBZ characters or anything about DBZ, but we both wish we owned the Saiyans. All of them. At least all of the ones with hair. And yes, we're including Yamcha and Ryouga in that, now you know. Dragonball Z and the associated characters are owned by Toei, Viz, Akira Toriyama, and FUNimation. Ranma 1/2 and the character of Ryouga Hibiki are owned by Viz, Rumiko Takahashi, and some Japanese studio I don't know the name of. We do own what we've written here, and our specific storyline, just not Dragonball or Ranma 1/2 themselves. We make no money off of any of these guys, nor off this fic. We just have fun writing it. Oh, I guess we do own Hakusai and Serori. But I doubt anyone cares. ^_~
SUMMARY: Hakusai attempts to turn Super Saiyan with disastrous results.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Thank you to TwoMoons, Lady Lark, Selenity Jade, W-chan, and klewis for the beta.

 

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The five Saiyans landed at Capsule Corp. a few minutes later. Yamcha's face lit up when he saw Hakusai waiting for them. “Hi!” she greeted Yamcha, her face brightening. “What kept you?”

 

Yamcha blinked at her, his smile fading. “Kept us? Nothing. We headed straight over.” He looked at her in confusion. Hadn't she known that? Did she believe he was avoiding her? “Are you feeling all right?” he asked her cautiously, trying to figure out what was wrong.

 

Hakusai gave him an embarrassed smile. “Sorry,” she apologized. “I just...” she shrugged, “missed you.”

 

He smiled at her again. “I missed you too. You were sleeping,” he added unnecessarily. “I guess you must have been tired. Are you all right now?” She had slept for a long time. He wondered if the trip had worn her out, or if it was something else.

 

“Yes,” she replied, stepping off the porch to meet him. “The first trimester is like that.” At Yamcha's blank look she giggled. “The first four months are usually the toughest. I'll be sleepy and subject to mood swings.”

 

“Mood swings?” He smiled at her nervously. The only `mood swings' he was familiar with were Chi-Chi's and Bulma's. Hakusai had always struck him as being mellower than either of them, but if she turned into the kind of virago those two could be....

 

“Don't look so worried, Yamcha. I am not going to go into bursts of rage and kill people. Most likely I'll be weepy.” She walked over and wrapped both of her arms around his waist and leaned her head against his stomach. “And I'll probably want to cuddle a lot.”

 

“Oh.” Yamcha's arms automatically wound around Hakusai, and he smiled in relief. “I guess I can handle that,” he informed her.

 

Goku scratched his head curiously, unable to understand what the two were talking about. “Hey, Hakusai! We wanted to see if you could help us figure out how we go Super Saiyan. Do you think you could manage to do it now?”

 

“Right now?” she asked from the vicinity of Yamcha's chest. “I don't know.” She looked up and frowned over at Goku. “I haven't been that angry in years.”

 

“I see.” Yamcha sounded disappointed, but at the same time he was a little relieved.

 

Gohan was watching them curiously, and he smiled slightly at Hakusai's comment. He suspected he knew the one thing - or perhaps the one person - who could irritate Hakusai enough. He slipped away from the group and headed towards the gravity chamber where he sensed Vegeta training.

 

He looked at the entrance, wondering how to lower the gravity inside. He shrugged, deciding not to worry about it, and opened the door to step inside. He didn't have any problems staying upright, although he wasn't entirely sure he would be able to move in this sort of gravity. He wondered how Vegeta managed it. He looked over to where Vegeta was training, curious about what he did in here all the time.

 

Vegeta was in the middle of his 978th pushup when he heard someone enter the gravity room, and looked up to see Gohan studying him. “What do you want, brat?” he snapped at the little boy, annoyed at the interruption.

 

“I wanted to see how you trained in here,” Gohan explained with a shrug. “My daddy and Hakusai are here. Hakusai's going to show us how to go Super Saiyan.”

 

“She is going to show you...” His voice trailed off as he glared at Gohan. “She is, is she?”

 

Gohan nodded, keeping an innocent expression. “Yeah, my daddy and Hakusai think I'm close to being able to go Super Saiyan. They want to show me how to do it.” He was deliberately baiting the older Saiyan, although he wasn't letting that show on his face.

 

“Is that a fact?” Vegeta got to his feet and passed Gohan on the way to the door. “Now this I have to see.”

 

Gohan frowned. Vegeta didn't seem nearly irritated enough to fight or argue with Hakusai, or at least not seriously enough to make her angry. He shook his head slightly. He had been hoping to goad Vegeta into a rage so he would attack Hakusai, either verbally or physically. It wasn't that Gohan was a disruptive or vicious child, but he sensed this was the only thing that would work. He knew they wouldn't kill or even seriously hurt each other; the others - Bulma particularly - would stop them before it went that far.

 

He followed Vegeta from the gravity room. “Do you want to see what it looks like for someone to become a Super Saiyan?” he asked the Saiyan Prince curiously.

 

The only evidence that Vegeta was annoyed by Gohan's inquiry was the clenching of his jaw. “That is if she can even do it,” he snapped. “Which I very much doubt.”

 

“Oh, she can,” Gohan stated confidently. “She says she's done it before. I'm sure she can do it again.” He was watching the older Saiyan very carefully. It was hard to gauge Vegeta's reactions, but he had the feeling he was getting angrier than he would admit. Gohan smiled when they saw the others, and he waved. “Hi, Hakusai! Vegeta wants to see you go Super Saiyan, too!”

 

Vegeta snorted. “That is if you can even do it,” he taunted.

 

Hakusai tensed in Yamcha's arms when she heard her younger brother's jibe. “Jealous, little brother?” she asked moving away from Yamcha's embrace. She could feel his worry as she did so, but did not let it stop her as she exchanged glares with a certain Saiyan Prince.

 

Vegeta laughed. “Of you?” He smirked at her. “Of course not.”

 

“But you are jealous of power, are you not?” She noted the way Vegeta's fist clenched.

 

“I don't believe you can do it.”

 

“Are you calling me a liar?” she asked. Hakusai was trying to keep a rein on her temper and was losing.

 

“Yes,” Vegeta replied, smirk widening.

 

“Why you pompous, arrogant, overbearing...” she sputtered. “How dare you?” Her hands clenched into fists at her side as she fixed her brother with a glare that alarmed the others. Goku had never seen her this irate before. She looked on the verge of wanting to kill Vegeta.

 

“Then why don't you do something about it? Or are you so weak you forgot what being a Saiyan is?” he taunted her.

 

With a speed that surprised even Goku, Hakusai launched herself at her brother, foot connecting with his abdomen, sending him backwards into a group of hedges.

 

“Having problems?” she sneered as she watched him get to his feet. Vegeta's only reply was to blur, and then reappear above her, bringing his fist down against her back. Hakusai avoided the blow at the last moment, and she reached up, grabbing the Prince by both wrists, and threw him overhead.

 

Vegeta landed on his feet, surprised that Hakusai had been able to counter that blow, and he began to draw in his own power. “Not bad,” he told her. “Let's see how you deal with this. Gallic Gun!” he shouted as he released the blast.

 

Serori looked more than a little alarmed at the amount of power that he was drawing. Was her older half-brother trying to kill her sister? She frowned and moved over to Yamcha. “Is he actually trying to kill her? I mean that's a lot of power.” Tiny fists clenched at her sides as she looked up at the tall man she could now call her brother. “`Cause I won't let him hurt her!”

 

Hakusai's eyes widened at the strength of the attack, and she automatically threw up a shield, blocking the incoming blast. “Kisama!” she swore. “Who are you trying to kill?” She glared at her brother. The force of the blast could have seriously hurt someone. The thought that he could have killed someone - Yamcha or even Serori - made her furious. That was simply unacceptable. Without hesitation, she began to pull in her full power.

 

Yamcha was watching the fight with something akin to horror, too shocked to reply to Serori. All he could feel was terror. Hakusai could be hurt! She was pregnant; who knew what this might do to the baby! He wanted to stop them, but as he moved forward Gohan put a hand on his arm, stopping him. He glanced down at the small Saiyan boy, and was surprised when Gohan shook his head, looking at him with a serious expression.

 

“What...?”

 

Gohan spoke telepathically - a trait he knew Saiyans possessed although he had never attempted it before - to reassure both Serori and Yamcha. ::They have to do this. It's the only way to make her angry enough to go Super Saiyan.::

 

Serori looked like she was about to cry. ::But she could get hurt!::

 

Yamcha was worried as well. He didn't care about her going Super Saiyan if it meant Vegeta might hurt her. ::We have to stop them. I'm not going to let her get hurt!:: He was concerned about their unborn child as well, but that was more distant; the baby wasn't real to him yet, but Hakusai... he didn't know what he would do if he lost her.

 

Gohan smiled then. ::I don't think he can hurt her. She's a Super Saiyan. If she goes Super Saiyan, he won't win. Besides, we'll stop them before it happens. Bulma will stop them.::

 

His thoughts were confident, and Yamcha looked down at him blankly for several seconds before he nodded his acceptance and went back to watching the fight. But he knew that if things got even slightly dangerous, he would be there in an instant, even if Vegeta killed him for it.

 

Vegeta blinked, then frowned. She didn't even realize what she was doing. He watched, fascinated, as her aura changed color; from green, to blue, to an angry red. He had no idea if this was what it felt like when someone went Super Saiyan, but he could definitely feel the power being drawn in. ::I'll be damned. She has the power to do it,:: he thought, slightly in awe of it. That awe changed quickly to concern. Something was wrong. He watched her expression, the labored way she was breathing, and the fact that her heart rate had shot up. He knew she needed to stop immediately, or somehow it would hurt her.

 

Hakusai was becoming somewhat concerned as well. ::What the...?:: She had the power she needed to become a Super Saiyan, she had the trigger, so what was wrong? And she was fast realizing she was losing control of it.

 

This was going to be one hell of a blast, she thought wryly. ::Better move it, Vegeta. I don't think I can control this one.::

 

Vegeta obligingly stepped out of the way as Hakusai released a blast that missed him narrowly and demolished a mountain in the distance. The others had to dodge for cover when the debris came raining down on them.

 

“Well at least I didn't blow up your house,” she said with a sheepish grin before passing out.

 

Yamcha was there in an instant, his face contorted in fear. “Shimatta!” he cried out. “What happened to her?!? What did you do to her?!?” he shouted accusingly at Vegeta. “Look what you've done to her! Hakusai! Please be all right!”

 

“Oneesan!!!” came Serori's startled cry as she rushed to her sister's side. “Oneesan!!!!” Violet eyes filled tears as she looked up in anger at her half-brother. “What the hell did you do?!?” she yelled at him, startling the older Saiyan by the force of her fury.

 

Vegeta's eyes narrowed as he gazed on his half-sister. “Nothing,” Vegeta said mildly as he looked down at the two demi-Saiyans hovering protectively over Hakusai. “She did it to herself.”

 

He brushed some of the dust off of his armour and looked back at Yamcha, his expression softening for an instant. He fully understood the torment the other man was going through. If something had happened to Bulma....

 

Vegeta snorted irritably, although exactly what he was irritated about was hard to tell. “She gathered more power than she could handle. If she had not released it, it would have killed her.”

 

Goku frowned. “That's weird. She has the power for it, but couldn't do it.”

 

“Maybe it's because she's pregnant,” Bulma said, stepping forward. She had been watching the fight for the last several minutes, but hadn't been concerned until she saw Hakusai pass out. She hadn't known what the fight was about, but then again, with Saiyans, did there ever really need to be a reason? After all, Goku and Vegeta sometimes fought just for the sake of fighting. Maybe this was something along those lines. “We should probably get her to bed for a little while.”

 

Yamcha looked up at Bulma, his face stricken. “Should we put her in the regeneration tank?” He was terrified of losing her, and almost as terrified that she would lose the baby.

 

Bulma shook her head. “No. That's the last thing we should do. She's carrying your child, so she has its DNA in her as well. The tank wouldn't be able to take a proper template, and who knows what the results of that might be?” She smiled reassuringly as Yamcha lifted Hakusai gently in his arms. “She'll be all right, she just needs some rest now.”

 

“I'll go with you.” Serori insisted, still sounding upset. “I want to there when she wakes up.”

 

Yamcha shook his head. “She needs rest, squirt. And you're just... a little too energetic to be restful.” Several of the others sweatdropped at Yamcha's understatement.

 

“Serori,” Gohan cautioned. “We should leave them alone. I'll... I'll stay with you. I mean...” He shuffled one foot on the ground, looking apologetic. “It's probably a good idea if we stay away.” He hoped she didn't hate him for what he had done, if she even realized it yet.

 

“Why?” Serori asked him, turning her head to watch Gohan. The little girl appeared to be on the verge of tears. “But what if she needs me when she wakes up?”

 

Yamcha shot Serori a strained smile. “I can take care of her, little one. I'm not going to let anything happen to her. And I don't know if you'd have the patience to wait around while she's sleeping.”

 

Bulma shook her head. “I agree with him. Serori, it's best to leave them alone right now. Hakusai will be fine. She'll let Yamcha know if she needs anything.”

 

As Yamcha took his mate into the house and to their room, Bulma glared around at the others indiscriminately. “Now. Who wants to tell me what that was all about?”

 

“She tried to go Super Saiyan and it backfired on her,” Vegeta answered, watching Yamcha disappear with the Saiyan woman.

 

“You mean she couldn't go Super Saiyan?” Bulma frowned. “But why were you fighting in the first place?”

 

“It was my fault, Bulma-san,” Gohan piped up, almost tearful with chagrin, not lifting his eyes from the ground. “Hakusai told us she hadn't been angry enough to go Super Saiyan in years, so I thought that if we made her angry....” He looked apologetically over at Vegeta. “I knew you were the only one who could get her mad enough. I didn't want to get you mad - I mean, I did want to get you mad, but only so you'd get her mad.” He trailed off, looking confused. “I'm sorry I made you angry, Vegeta-san. I wouldn't have done it if there had been any other way. I just believed she could do it, because she said she could....”

 

“Let me get this straight.” Vegeta's eyes narrowed at the little boy. “You pissed me off on purpose?”

 

Gohan looked at Vegeta uncertainly, shifting from foot to foot nervously. He nodded once, and then began to speak quickly. “It was the only thing I could think of. Yamcha and my daddy wouldn't have done anything to make her angry enough, but you could if you were angry enough first.”

 

To the surprise of everyone Vegeta started to laugh. “Kid, you have more brains than your father, that is for sure.”

 

Gohan blinked, too surprised at Vegeta's reaction to reply for a moment. Then he smiled, somewhat uncertainly, and blushed lightly. “I'm sorry I made you angry, Vegeta-sama.”

 

“Hmmm,” Vegeta said sounding somewhat distracted. “I owe you for that.”

 

“Owe me?” Gohan blinked in confusion. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

 

“I could take it out of your hide,” Vegeta clarified with a smirk.

 

“My hide?” Gohan looked startled. He had heard his mother say that before, but it didn't seem to make sense coming from Vegeta.

 

“You do want to train some more, don't you? Maybe I can beat some sense into you.” Vegeta looked down at the little demi-Saiyan with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

 

Gohan was confused by that statement, but he didn't object, since he liked training with Vegeta. “Can Daddy train with us, too? And Serori?”

 

Vegeta rolled his eyes. “I suppose so.”

 

Gohan couldn't help feeling a bit relieved that Vegeta wasn't angry with him. After all, if he wanted to train, he had to be in a somewhat good mood. At least, that was Gohan's assumption, whether it was accurate or not.

 

He grabbed Serori's hand, wanting to distract her from her anxiety. “Let's go train!” he shouted enthusiastically. He took off for their usual training grounds, without waiting for a reply from any of the adults.

 

“Why are children so loud?” Vegeta wondered as he watched Gohan take off. “Come on, Kakarotto. Let's go, I want to get back before dinner.”

 

Goku's face lit up, like it usually did at the mention of either fighting or food. “Wanna come along, Ryouga?” he asked.

 

Ryouga nodded, looking back where he had seen Yamcha go into the house with Hakusai. Part of him wanted to be there to support his half-brother, but the other half knew that Yamcha might want to be alone with his girlfriend. Ryouga sighed, torn between the two desires, before he looked back to the two men in front of him. “Sure,” he said, with an uncertain half-smile. He followed the others as they took off, still getting used to being able to fly.

 

Bulma watched the Saiyans leave with a frown. Trust Vegeta to leave without even saying good-bye. But she knew he wasn't demonstrative in public. He was the sort of man who would show how he felt about her only in private, and in public he would be his usual surly self. She didn't really mind, now that she had gotten to know him. She was finally feeling secure enough in his affection that as long as he was still passionate towards her in private, she knew that he still loved her. She headed back to the work shed again, sighing wistfully when she realized that once again she hadn't had a chance to see if Hakusai would recognize Yamcha's mother.

 

When the others arrived, they found Gohan and Serori already waiting for them patiently. Vegeta couldn't believe Gohan had gotten him angry on purpose. He watched Gohan tackle his father in an enthusiastic hug. ::That brat is going to be stronger than all of us one day.:: He was annoyed by the thought, but yet somehow contented with the fact that Saiyans would still be the strongest in the universe.

 

“So, Ryouga,” Goku asked as he put his son back down on his feet, “what would you like to practice?”

 

Ryouga blinked, and looked at all of them. “You know things I can't even imagine. I don't know. What do you think I should learn first?”

 

“You know how to use ki already,” Gohan said, much to Ryouga's surprise. Ryouga didn't believe he knew all that much about using ki; the only ki attack that he had was the Shishi Hokoudan, and he could only control that when he was extremely depressed. “I suppose you need to learn how to feel someone else's ki, so enemies won't be able to surprise you.” He smiled. “Piccolo-sensei trained me by throwing me into mountains when I was four. I don't think we need to do that to you, because you said you've already done that.”

 

Ryouga looked at him, startled, feeling that must have been harsh training for one so young. “If you say so,” he agreed. “How do I learn that?”

 

“It isn't that difficult,” Gohan told him. Goku simply smiled at him and Vegeta grunted, which Gohan took as confirmation. “Anyone can learn to do it. It's just practice.”

 

He began to explain how to sense someone's ki, raising and lowering his so Ryouga could feel different levels, with Goku interjecting occasionally and helping out. Serori listened attentively as well. She had never learned how to do it, and was surprised such a thing was even possible. Vegeta watched with grudging curiosity for a while - he had learned to do it on his own, but it was interesting seeing how someone else did it and how it might be taught - but eventually Vegeta got bored with the inactivity.

 

“Kakarotto, are you just going to stand there and be lazy, or are you going to fight with me?” he snapped at the other full-blooded Saiyan, powering up and levitating slightly.

 

Goku smiled innocently up at him before lifting off and powering up as well. He didn't go Super Saiyan; it wouldn't have been a fair fight since Vegeta hadn't yet reached that state. The two Saiyans began exchanging blows and moving at speeds Ryouga couldn't even follow, and he gaped in astonishment.

 

“Man,” he breathed in awe. “Your dad really is the hero of Chikyuu, isn't he?”

 

Gohan beamed at him proudly. “My daddy is the strongest in the universe! I want to be just like him someday!”

 

Goku and Vegeta amused themselves for quite a while by trying to pound each other senseless. Neither seemed to gain the upper hand, and it looked as if the two were evenly matched, even though this was not the case.

 

::Gohan why don't you spar with Ryouga and Serori for a while?:: Goku sent to his son, dodging a well-placed punch from Vegeta. ::They might be feeling left out.::

 

::No, Daddy,:: Gohan contradicted Goku, surprising him. ::I don't think Ryouga's bored, I think he's....:: He struggled for the word. ::Frustrated.::

 

He was right, Ryouga was getting frustrated at his inability to learn the trick of sensing and recognizing ki, something he felt must be innately simple. Gohan knew it wasn't as easy as Ryouga thought; it had taken him almost a full year to learn how to do it, and his father had taken even longer. Of course, no one had `taught' any of the Zed warriors how to do it, they had simply all figured it out on their own. But it did seem to be something innately part of the Zed Senshi training, it was just something that took time to develop.

 

“Don't worry, Ryouga,” Gohan said, approaching the other boy and placing a hand on his shoulder. He levitated in front of him so that they were eye level. “Don't worry. It's not as easy as it seems. It took me almost a year to learn!”

 

Ryouga frowned at him, then up at the two adult Saiyans that were still sparring. “Really?” he asked curiously. “That's OK I guess, then.”

 

Vegeta snorted. “It does take awhile to learn. I wouldn't worry about it. Some things will come naturally,” he said as he took a break from trying to beat Goku up.

 

Goku nodded his agreement as he touched down next to him. “That's true. Don't let it bother you.”

 

Ryouga blinked at Gohan, and the small demi-Saiyan smiled back at him. “Do you want to spar and take a break?”

 

Serori stretched. “I guess I'll just watch awhile. Besides, I can learn from watching too.”

 

Gohan noticed that she didn't seem to be angry with him, and he was relieved. In that self-centered manner of extremely young children, he had assumed she would be upset with him over how he had inadvertently caused her sister's collapse.

 

Ryouga thought that sounded like an odd sort of break, but he did like sparring. That was, although he would never admit it, part of the reason he sometimes sought out Ranma. Ranma was the only person he knew who gave him any real challenge to fight, and that was something he needed.

 

He nodded, almost curious about what Gohan was capable of. He was very young, and he was afraid he might hurt the boy.

 

“I'll take it easy on you,” Gohan promised, startling Ryouga.

 

Goku placed a comforting hand on Ryouga's shoulder. “Don't worry. Gohan may be young but he's been through a lot. He's much tougher than he looks.”

 

Ryouga was startled, and glanced at Gohan sheepishly. “All right. Why don't we spar, then?”

 

Gohan smiled encouragingly at Ryouga before deciding he was going to stick to the basic martial arts form. It didn't seem right to use ki blasts when Ryouga hadn't gotten the hang of it yet. “Ready?” he asked. And at Ryouga's nod, Gohan charged at the older boy, taking him by surprise with his speed. One small fist connected with Ryouga's jaw and hurled him backwards into the nearby mountainside.

 

“I thought you were going to take it easy,” Vegeta commented, watching as the impact stirred up dust.

 

“Oops,” Gohan said, hurrying over to the bandana clad teenager. “Are you all right?”

 

Ryouga stood up, apparently completely unscathed from his encounter with the mountain, although there was a very deep Ryouga-shaped hole in the side of it. “That's okay,” he said with a smile. “The mountain was softer than the boulders Shampoo's grandmother used to slam me into when she was training me.”

 

Gohan blinked at him, looking surprised. “Huh?” He hadn't thought Ryouga had any sort of Zed training, but that sounded somewhat similar to the way he had been trained by Piccolo, and he knew his father and the other Zed Senshi had had similar training. “Really?” he asked curiously, realizing he might not have to hold back as much as he had thought.

 

“Oh, I'm OK,” Ryouga reassured him, brushing dust off his clothing. He levitated in the air again. “But I wish I could manage to go as fast as you do,” he admitted. “If you move that fast, I don't think I'm ever going to be able to get a hit in.”

 

Gohan appeared to ponder this for a few minutes, and then smiled up at him. “Then we need to figure out a way to increase your speed.”

 

Vegeta nodded his approval. “I would agree with that. It also works the other way. If you move fast enough your opponent won't be able to touch you.”

 

Ryouga thought about his fights with Ranma, and couldn't help but agree. Those fights were often speed vs. strength battles, with Ranma usually winning because Ryouga simply couldn't hit him. Ranma usually couldn't hurt him since Ryouga was amazingly invulnerable, but sometimes he would get a lucky shot in. Generally they would end in a draw, but if Ryouga could manage to learn how to handle that sort of speed, then maybe he would actually be able to defeat his nemesis, even once....

 

“All right!” he said eagerly. “How do you teach me to go that fast?”

 

The four other Saiyans attempted to show and teach Ryouga certain tricks to increase his speed, and he seemed to pick up on a few things, although he wasn't yet able to incorporate anything into his own moves yet. After a while, Ryouga, Serori, and Gohan decided to do some practicing on their own, while the two older Saiyans fought one another eagerly. It was obvious that Goku had the upper hand most of the time and was holding back, but during part of their fight Goku got distracted by something Gohan did, and Vegeta slammed a fist into his jaw, plastering him into the ground harder than the larger Saiyan expected.

 

“Ouch.” Goku stood up and winced at the pain that shot down his shoulder to his fingertips. “That hurt.” He sounded almost petulant as he shook his arm.

 

“Oh, come on, Kakarotto. I haven't even started to warm up yet,” Vegeta scoffed, watching Goku brush himself off. “And another thing...” The older Saiyan's voice trailed off when he noticed something swishing behind his long time adversary. “Kuso,” he breathed in annoyance.

 

“What?” Goku said, still aching from the pain in his shoulder. ::It feels dislocated. Chi-Chi won't be happy about this.::

 

“Your tail grew back, baka,” Vegeta snapped at him.

 

“It did?” Goku looked behind him to discover that Vegeta was right. His tail was indeed behind him, swaying back and forth and he grinned. “I guess you are right.”

 

“Baka,” Vegeta grumbled under his breath.

 

Ryouga looked startled at their conversation. “Does that happen a lot?” he asked curiously. “Tails falling off and growing back, or something?”

 

“Your tail will only grow back in extremely emotional or physical pain,” Vegeta commented, glaring at Goku. “Your shoulder is going to need to be looked after.”

 

Ryouga thought that was very strange. He didn't understand everything they were telling him about being an alien, but it did seem that there were some strange things going on.

 

Goku looked up at the sky, noticing the sun was starting to go down on the horizon. “That's all right,” he agreed with a shrug, which made him wince as pain shot through his shoulder. “Yeah, let's go home. I'm hungry.”

 

Vegeta rolled his eyes, but when Goku headed towards Capsule Corp, he followed behind. The three children looked at each other for a moment, then trailed after them as well.

 

To be continued.....

 

~~~~~*~~~~~

 

And in the next exciting episode of DragonBall Z: A Light in the Darkness... Hakusai recovers, and it's Goku's turn to demonstrate going Super Saiyan.