Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Facing it Together ❯ Stronger Than You Think ( Chapter 23 )

Disclaimer: Thanks for having so much faith in me, but I still don't possess the power to own DBZ. But give me a set of Dragonballs. . .

Quick Note: Here's the next chapter of the story. It took about three attempts to get this one out. But nonetheless, I have finished the chapter, so here it is:

Facing it Together

Chapter Twenty-Three: Stronger than You Think

Bulma looked at Chi Chi, wondering how she possibly be so as collected as she was. She wished she had the same will to fight as she did. This Nappa guy looked like a big fellow, and she wasn't used to fighting giants. 'Leave that one to Chi Chi,' her mind reasoned, reading the glint of amusement sparking within her best friend's eye. The other members of the group did not look as massive as Nappa.

Chi Chi curled her hands into fists, anticipating the next move. She hadn't really fought or trained much since she had got here, and she saw it as a perfect opportunity to hone her skills. A bunch of Saiyans, huh? Well, if they were as good as she kept hearing about during her stay, then she supposed she would be getting a challenge.

Nappa stood behind the advancing men, a smirk on his face. 'The bastard thinks he's already won,' Chi Chi noted as she planned the quickest route around the others to get to the oversized freak. It was going to have to fast, one swift strike against the incoming group and speed right through. Hopefully Bulma could handle the ones she would fail to knock out of the way.

Her eye caught Bulma's and the other woman nodded. Chi Chi turned her attention back to her plan, and decided to take action.

Nappa's eyebrow raised as the dark haired bitch charged through the barrier of men in a fury of punches and a few well-executed trips. It was almost in a blink of an eye, just like the popular materialization techniques that many of the powerful warriors knew, but she hadn't even disappeared. One second, she was in her defensive mode, and in the next, she was standing in front of a stack of fallen warriors, an almost delicate leer plastered on her face. She dropped back into her stance.

"Ready when you are."

Bulma breathed out a sigh of relief when Chi Chi ran through the blockade, beating down almost half of the men in the process. Less work for her. She ducked a swing intended for her and followed up with a knee to the groin. 'Always gets the desired response . . .' She almost smiled.

They stared at each other for a couple of minutes. "I'm not going to fight you. A woman ain't even worth my time," Nappa taunted.

Chi Chi snickered. "But killing us is?"

"I said I'm not. I never said anything about them." He gestured to the group of three men fighting Bulma. "Fighting a woman, not even a Saiyan is below me."

"Good. That'll make my job even easier." She threw a punch at his head, but he dodged it, avoiding the next one that was aimed for his neck. Her leg flew up, her knee intending to give him a blow to his stomach, but Nappa managed to gain hold of it and pushed her away. Chi Chi landed on her back, but not for long, since she quickly flung herself off of the ground in a flip.

Nappa chuckled. "You're a fast one, aren't you, bitch?" He removed the chest plate of his armor and tossed it to the floor. "Maybe I could use a good warm-up, after all."

The woman frowned at his implication, resuming her stance. He was like a brick wall, she doubted that she could do any real damage to him. And that meant reaching into her bag of dirty tricks.

Nappa saw the look in her eye and didn't like it one bit. He could only wonder what she was thinking, and prepared himself for the worst.

'One down, two to go. . .' Bulma swung her blade in an arc, causing the pair to jump back to avoid it. She moved quickly, slicing one of the men on his arm, making him grip his shoulder from the wound. The other one picked up his pace and was able to shove her back a few steps, but she regained her posture and thrust her weapon at him in an attempt to cut him in his shoulder. Her aim was perfect, but the injury was not deep, just enough to cause her opponent to halt and lean forward passing out in shock that such a woman could land such a blow. She had no intention of taking their lives, only a surrender.

Chi Chi rushed forward and managed to get herself into a crawl in an effort to trip the giant down to her size. Nappa, however was ready for this and slammed his foot down on her back, smashing her body into the ground with a broken cough.

"Chi Chi!" she heard Bulma cry out.

"Did you honestly think that you could ever hurt me, little bitch?" the man over her snorted, crushing his foot against her spine once again. Chi Chi gritted her teeth together as she tried to think of a way out. The man's foot was heavy and she doubted that she would be able to flip over and twist his ankle. How was she going to do this quick enough before Nappa broke her back?

The pressure lessened and gave her an opportunity to accomplish the idea that she had thrown out. She rolled over onto her back and grabbed his foot. In the corner of her eye, she had seen blue, which more than likely meant that she had some aid in the feat.

Her hands rotated the flesh in her hands and soon the colossal man fell. He tried to get up, but a blade's tip was held at his neck.

"You were saying something about killing us . .?" Bulma asked, her brow raised in amusement.

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'Where is this fool hiding?' Vegeta asked himself for the hundredth time as he rounded yet another corner. He didn't think that his palace was so big, but now he couldn't help but notice. He had no intention of continuing this wild goose chase, and he was very eager to end it.

"Ou-sama."

Vegeta cringed at the tone. That slightly high pitched voice could only belong to. . .

"Radditz." Vegeta said, turning. "So you are in this pathetic little gathering too?"

With a smirk, Radditz nodded. "Oh, you bet. This planet has been corrupted by the way you're running it. It's time to return it to the state it was in before you were born!"

Vegeta yawned. "Very well. Let us get this over with. But I can only spare a couple of minutes." The king gave the other man his own classic smirk. "But what am I saying? You can't even last a full second against me in our sparring matches."

Radditz growled and lunged forward. Vegeta was well prepared for his attack and threw up a ki shield to knock him back. Radditz stumbled a few steps and had only seconds to block before his opponent went on the offensive.

Through a haze of kicks and punches, Radditz saw an opening to land a strong hit to Vegeta's chest, ramming him back a few feet. He swung a leg up that followed up the blow and struck the king hard at his abs.

Vegeta swayed back, his hands faster than the rest of his body, cupping and summoning a blast of energy.

The taller man spun at the impact of his attack, blind to the king for only a second. A second that Vegeta took to drive his foot into his lower back, grinning evilly when he heard Radditz' cry of pain.

"Radditz!"

Both men turned at the sound. The brunette and the very woman he had chased were standing at the doorway, eyes wide. The female Bulma called Chi Chi stood a few steps ahead of the blue haired woman, her mouth still open from her shriek.

"Chi. . .Chi," Radditz said, his face still in the wall.

Bulma looked at her friend. "Chi Chi, do you know him?"

The other woman nodded. "He's Kakarrot's brother."

Bulma gasped. "What? Vegeta, why are you--"

"--He is also a part of Turles' team. You should know all of the facts before accusing me of anything." Vegeta kicked the man again. "Grant me a few minutes to dispose of him, and I will find the real coward that behind all of this."

"No! He's Kakarrot's brother!" Chi Chi exclaimed, earning a raised brow from the king and a 'you-think-I-don't-know-that?' look. "Kakarrot loves him, and he doesn't have any hatred towards you. He wouldn't let Radditz go against you like this!"

A whisper escaped Radditz' throat. "Kak. . .arrot."

"Regardless of the blood coursing through his veins, he has decided to up rise against me. A crime punishable by death."

"Radditz. . .why? You know that this would hurt your brother. Why are you doing this?" Chi Chi walked towards the man, wanting to hear his answer.

"I don't love that fool! Why the hell should I care?" His voice was harsh, but his eyes said what he didn't want to say. He did care. A lot. 'So why is he doing this?'

"Radditz," Bulma spoke up. "You have some time to think this over. Right now, he's fighting off Turles, and if you think that Turles is able to defeat Vegeta--" she ignored the king's snort. "--then he's in some real trouble. If you don't have any feelings for him, then at least honor his blood enough to save him."

Vegeta removed his foot and watched the man rise from his position. Why was he even considering allowing this moron to leave with his life in tact? His dark eyes met Bulma's blue ones, instantly understanding. Great. He hoped that having her around would not make him soft. He did not want to kill the one thing he found that he cared about most.

Bulma couldn't guess what he was thinking for the life of her. But some intense emotion had filled those dark depths, and she could feel a pleasant chill running up her spine. What was going through that complex mind of his?

Radditz shifted, bringing both of their attentions back to him. The tall man's back remained faced to them and a long silence packed the room. Finally, he turned and stared at Bulma.

"Well, let's go help Kakarrot."

Author's Note: Well, folks, what did you think? Things are wrapping up and the loose ends are being tied together. . .or, people being tied up, for that matter. . .

Angry Reader: *holds ice pack to his cheek* I still can't believe that you let them hang me from that tree.

After what you've done, be grateful I didn't let them use you as a piñata.

Angry Reader:Right, because I'm sure you would have taken the first swing.

Uh. . .*hides wooden stick in a closet* Why, of course not! But anyway, folks thanks for reading, and as always, I hope you'll review!