Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Swarm Saga ❯ Of Things That Go Missing ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I am nothing. I am writing this simply for my own pleasure and am not making any money from it. Dragonball Z and its characters are the property of Akira Toriyama and other various and associated peoples.

 

A/N: Cleighm, my awesome beta reader, told me that I needed to include the following: “conversation in italics” = speech in Saiyago. Personally, I know my readers are smart enough to figure that out, but…

 

Chapter 5: Missing

 

“WHAT? Are you nuts? Please tell me he's lying.” Gohan searched his father's face first and then Vegeta's for confirmation of the truth. He then turned to survey the others looking for their reactions. Surprise marked the faces of everyone. Even ChiChi had stepped back to look accusingly at her husband.

 

The Saiyan prince gave Goku a small salute. He should have known that Vegeta would get him back for dragging him around like a lost puppy. Goku just sighed and dropped his head. Suddenly that spot on the back of his neck began to itch again.

 

When he looked back up he smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, Gohan she is still here.”

 

“Why?” The question had come from more than one corner and everyone stilled in expectation of the answer.

 

“Because, she's really not a threat.”

 

“Not a threat?” Kuririn walked forward almost pushing Gohan out of the way. “She almost killed Marron.”

 

The woman in question's head popped up and she looked at her father. “But she didn't.” The girl's voice was quiet before gaining confidence and authority. “I'm fine. That ki blast didn't hit. Besides, it was my fault. I tried to grab her tail.” Under her breath she mumbled, “Kinda what I get for trying something underhanded.” Marron raised her hand and began chewing on her thumb nail only to have Eighteen slap her hand back down into her lap.

 

“She's got a point cue ball. Second class Saiyans usually don't train their tails the way I did.” Vegeta was honestly surprised that the little blonde had tried it. It must have been her mother's influence. Her father was too much of a goody goody to teach her things like that. Perhaps he should encourage Trunks in that direction after all. `Or not,' he thought as he saw the storm clouds gather in the android's eyes at the suggestion and idly wondered if it would have been wiser just to keep his mouth shut.

 

“Marron, it certainly was not your fault. A girl who underwent extensive training, the way Vegeta says Saiyans do, should have had better control.” Eighteen just blinked at the Prince and smiled to herself as his countenance darkened. She wasn't able to beat the crap out of him any more but it still felt good to get a dig in every once in a while. She saw him open his mouth to respond and defend his “subject”. He evidently thought better of it, however, when he shut his mouth with a snap and just continued to scowl at her.

 

Marron grit her teeth against the embarrassment her parents were heaping upon her. She was old enough to take care of herself, for crying out loud, she was twenty four. She had a college degree, a job outside of her parents B&B, and her own apartment in South City. She no longer needed her parents to take care of her anymore, especially with Trunks standing right there.

 

She shot a glance at the man whose attention she had finally earned that day. However, he did not appear to be listening to the conversation at all. He just stood there, his hands by his side unknowingly causing the shirt to stretch over the planes of his chest, worrying his lip. Occasionally his head would stretch forward on his neck in the direction of his father and he would sniff the air.

 

Unaware of the scrutiny, the lavender haired demi Saiyan observed his father. There was nothing to suggest the same tension that was riding him in the hallway of the main building. He could still smell the hint of fear in the air but it seemed to emanate from the others gathered instead of the short, flame haired, man whose face he had inherited. He supposed it was possible to have misread the signal. After all, Goku had said the girl was harmless. His father seemed to agree with the assessment. He had to have sensed wrong. Vegeta was the last person he ever expected to show fear.

 

Then Trunks noticed it. At the end of the exchange with Eighteen, Vegeta pulled up on his gloves and tightened the strap over his wrist. He then rubbed his forearm looking for the fabric from the gauntlet which was not there. He had always worn gloves in public. When Trunks was attending middle school, his friends used to tease him about his father's “Renaissance gloves.” Ten years ago, he had finally managed to convince Vegeta to set aside the cuffed gloves in favor of a more modern driving glove. The gesture was not noticeable to anyone who did not spend large amounts of time with the prince. The only reason Trunks noticed was that he had tried to wear gloves at one time in a short lived bid to be even more like his father. No, the shorter man wasn't afraid but he was not happy with the current situation.

 

Trunks shot a glance at Goten who just shrugged and rolled his eyes in that “you know they like to keep us out of the loop” expression he had perfected sometime during high school. He rolled his own back in silent communication and just smiled to himself as the knot of tension finally eased up in his stomach.

 

“The problem is not what happened during that fight. The problem is that we have an unknown Saiyan on this planet and we don't even know why she is here.” Piccolo was beginning to get annoyed with the petty bickering. He looked between Vegeta and Goku. “Do we know why she is here yet?” The tall saiyan grimaced and continued to rub the back of his head.

 

His partner-in-crime's smirk just got bigger because he realized that, for once, the rest of Earth's defenders were going to agree with him instead of Kakarrot. “Kakarrot decided that we didn't need to ask her questions.”

 

“She wasn't going to answer them Raditz. She was too mad; and you know that.” Goku deliberately added emphasis on his brother's name causing Vegeta's smirk to transform into a glower and the others to look at him oddly. He then turned to the rest and answered Kuririn's implied question from earlier with the same argument he had given the Saiyan prince while standing outside the main building.

 

The Namek crossed his arms over his chest, the green and pink contrasting with the deep indigo of the fabric. “I don't like it. I agree with Vegeta; this can't be put off for long and certainly not because the girl is having a bad day. But I will defer to your judgment for now.”

 

Bulma looked between her mate and her best friend to gauge their reactions. Something was off with the exchange between the two. Goku's deliberate use of the wrong name did not improve the situation any. The two seemed more annoyed with each other than with the situation at hand. Annoyance was par for the course with her husband, but seeing exasperation on the face of Goku was a new experience. She blinked, not quite sure it wasn't just a trick of the light.

 

Static further broke the tension within the small group as it crackled over the loud speakers throughout the small island. The tournament committee announced that the stadium was safe to return to and that the award ceremony would begin within the hour.

 

Marron heard the announcement and looked down at her tattered clothes. If the girls at work saw her in this… She began to start giggling before her parents threw her the parent glare, guaranteed to make children throughout the universe tremble in fear. “If it's going start soon I guess I'd better get changed. I want to look presentable.” She grabbed her extra clothes capsule, brushed herself off as she stood up, and began toward the main building. She chose to ignore the appalled look in her father's eyes. She did, however, note his relieved sigh when Goten quickly stepped in.

 

“Marron, why don't I walk with you?”

 

She just nodded her assent. She would have preferred that he were Trunks but her father was happy so she guessed he'd do.

 

Gohan stayed quiet and stared at nothing in particular while he pondered the day's events so far. He was overanalyzing again and he knew it. Lately that seemed to be the thing he did best. Dr. Gohan Son: overanalyist at large. Just once he wished he could have his dad's disposition. Everything always came up smelling like roses around his father, whether it really should or not. Videl and Goten would tell him he just needed to lighten up and not take things so seriously. `One little slip up won't be the end of the world. That comes from big ugly aliens.'

 

Perhaps they were right. Perhaps his dad was right. But then again, she was an alien from the same race that spawned Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz.

 

He looked up to watch his brother walk away with Marron. He smiled to himself. It had just dawned on him that his baby brother was all grown up. After being not only a brother but a surrogate father as well for so long he wondered how he had missed it. Why it surprised him he didn't know. He was more than happy to let his father take over those duties upon his return; actually basking in the fact that he got to be the son again. Besides he now had a wife and child of his own to raise.

 

He swiveled his head around looking for Videl when he suddenly realized that she was missing. He pushed out a little of his own ki and waited for a response from hers. After a few seconds of waiting, there was nothing. He pushed his ki out again, stronger this time. Again, he received no response. He tried a third time, this time centering on the girls' ki. Both Pan and Bra would have kis strong enough to detect easily. He still could not find them. It was as if they had vanished.

 

“Um… Bulma, Pop? Where did Videl go?”

 

Both Bulma and Hercule turned, speaking at the same time. “What do you mean where is my little girl?” “She said that she was taking the girls someplace safer.”

 

Gohan struggled to remain calm. The last thing he needed to do was overreact, especially with Hercule's face turning unnatural shades and his eyes bugging out. “Bulma, where did she take them?”

 

“I don't know Gohan. Something about a bunker. I'm sure she's on her way back after hearing that announcement.”

 

“Bra is with her?” Vegeta's ki radiated outward from his core in the form of a strong wind that swept the island looking for his daughter.

 

Both men turned toward Hercule. Gohan, seeing the look on the Saiyan Prince's face, forced his mouth to catch up with his thoughts before things got out of hand. “Pop, do you know what bunker she might have been talking about?”

 

It took Hercule a few minutes to process the fact that he had just been asked a question. “There's my old room under the stadium but I thought they tore that out. It was pretty secure,” he boasted, “We used a special type of brick to build it.”

 

“Quiet fool! How do you get there?”

 

Hercule began to sputter and looked around to see if anyone was looking. It simply would not do to be seen cowering from this short little man. He may be retired but he was still “The Champ.” “You go… You go down the stairs at the back… at the back of the main building. It's the only room down there.”

 

The next instant both fathers were gone.

 

Gohan looked around the room. It was spartan with a long sofa, a table, a microwave, and a radio. Along one wall were mops and cleaning equipment. “Well, they were here.”

 

“How do you know?”

 

He picked up the Jenga block from the floor and handed it to Vegeta. “It's Pan's. Goten gave her the game two years ago. Said it would teach her fine muscle movement and how to find the center of gravity.” He turned and exited the room. “That and I think he just wanted to give her something she could build stuff with.” As the door closed behind him he felt Vegeta's ki disappear and then quickly reappear.

 

“What's wrong boy?”

 

“Nothing, I just lost your ki signature for a second there.”

 

Vegeta stepped back inside the room and looked at the walls. He then aimed a punch and a ki blast a one of them. Neither created a scratch. “No wonder. The brick is a CC product. It's the same brick that's lining the gravity room. Your father could be down here at Super Saiyan three and we'd never know it.”

 

The compact Prince sent out another flare of searcher ki and was already on his way upstairs when the boy stated the obvious. “They're on the first floor.” He grunted an acknowledgement and gave him the `I already knew that look' that always had Kakarrot giggling and scratching the back of his head.

 

Videl sat just outside the doorway to the inner sanctum of Marron's dressing room talking to the blonde and watching her brother-in-law playfully wrestle with the two girls. On their way back up to the arena she had met up with the couple and decided to join them while they caught her up on what was happening.

 

She started when Gohan and Vegeta stormed into the room, both a little wild eyed. “Gohan? What's wro…” Her husband walked up, pulled her into the most crushing hold he had ever used, and silenced her questions with his lips. Not that she minded. He was usually so gentle, so considerate. It was almost a welcome change.

 

She wasn't sure what caused this but she felt the tears on his face and the panting in her ears when he finally broke their kiss. Outside of the protection of his arms she heard Goten's exclamation of surprise, Bra's squeal of “Daddy!”, and felt the hit as their own daughter collided with the two of them, hugging just above the waist. Gohan never released her but did move one of his arms from around her to Pan's back.

 

Marron entered the outer chamber and looked around. “I don't know what's going on but there are too many people in my dressing room.” She had changed into a clean well tailored gi and had let her hair down so that the blonde waves spilled over her shoulders.

 

“We just came to get Videl and the girls. We're leaving now.”

 

“Good. For a second there I thought I was going to get the kind of show Muten Roshi would kill for.”

 

Goten began rolling on the floor in uncontrollable laughter when both members of the married couple turned scarlet. His brother shot him a withering look as they left the room.

 

Vegeta stepped into the light outside carrying his daughter on his back. He had tried to get out of the undignified position, but Bra had just batted her mother's blue eyes at him and begged him `pretty please with a cherry on top.' It bothered him that he, the Prince of all Saiyans, could be brought low by a pair of blue eyes and a childish voice. She prattled on about what she had done since the tournament ended, beating Pan at Jenga and killing Uncle Goten. Vegeta just smirked. `That's my girl.'

 

“Look Daddy. It's the girl who won. She sure is dressed funny.” The problem was walking with one of the monks. Like Marron, she had cleaned up and taken her hair down. It fell just to her shoulders in a mass of black spikes. Unlike Marron, however, her clothes were neither fashionable nor trendy. They were obviously off planet in both fabric content and design and put together with the sense of color and functional design that typified most Saiyan clothing. Vegeta almost found the look pleasing and nostalgic.

 

The problem looked over when she heard Bra's comment and sneered at the child. “I assume she's yours Raditz?” She then ignored him and addressed Bra. “Well aren't you the ugliest little ape I've ever seen. Just look at that hideous head of hair. Really Raditz, you should have killed her at birth. I'd be ashamed to have whelped such an ugly, disfigured child.”

 

Vegeta was glad to hear his native tongue. It meant Bra was spared from the comment. He gave her to Gohan, who had already pushed his own family behind him, and advanced on the other saiyan. He wanted to rip her head from her body, fry the pieces, and then perhaps even feed them to that pet dinosaur of Gohan's. Unfortunately, his daughter was watching. The last thing he wanted to expose her to being “Daddy” killing the “girl who won.” His ki flared upward enough to bring Kakarrot, Piccolo, and Tien to the scene. He felt the answering flare from Trunks, who thankfully had enough sense to stay with his mother.

 

When the ki flare alone failed to intimidate the girl he realized that she could not sense his power level without a scouter. He has assumed that since she could mask it she could sense it. Apparently, he was wrong. Time to use old fashioned intimidation. He invaded her personal space, bared his teeth, and growled.

 

“Girl, your second class status means nothing here. The only reason you are not dead yet is because you are the only one left to ask questions of. If I were you, I would stop pushing my luck. Otherwise, not only will I take your tail, but I'll blow you into pieces so small they'll be floating around the stratosphere for decades.”

 

Vegeta enjoyed the smell of fear that entered the air.

 

The monk had wedged himself between them. “Sir we're about to start the award ceremony. You all need to take your seats.”

 

Goku wasn't sure what had just happened, but was glad it ended peacefully. He glanced at his son as he stood there; ready to protect what he loved. The boy's eyes were flat, every sense sharp, as the rocked onto the balls of his feet. Gohan had always been a timid fighter, always questioning his own power level and skill; his very ability to fight. Goku remembered the look of fear that crossed his son's face when he first could not find Videl. Now his oldest son stood there with that same feral readiness that was displayed from the men in the dressing room earlier. He stood poised, drawing on his power and wrapping it around him in a testament to his will to fight anything that threatened those he held dear. He didn't relax until the saiyan girl walked away. He reached behind him and brought his family to him. For the first time, Goku saw the man he had become.

 

The award ceremony passed uneventfully. The girls collected their prizes and checks then shook each other's hands while the crowd cheered. When it was over, the crowd again rushed the field to congratulate them both. When Seloli noticed Goku and Vegeta heading her way she smirked at them and allowed the crowd to swallow her.

 

After several hours of looking, Yamcha found Goku. “She's gone.” In his hands was the leather jerkin she had worn to the award ceremony. “One of the merchants claimed that when he returned to his trailer his clothes were strewn about and some were missing. It included his favorite hat. This was on the floor.”

 

When everyone had gathered back in the box, Yamcha told the others. Goku had never felt as heavy as he did at that moment. He still felt that they could handle anything that she would try though.

 

“You don't think she'll actually try anything, do you?” Uub had stayed quiet most of the day. He really didn't understand what the problem was. Weren't both Goku and Vegeta Saiyans?

 

“No.” Gohan spoke up. “At least not now. Vegeta scared her earlier. She'll wait until the other four bring reinforcements.”

 

The group of friends fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts. It seemed that the idea of even more Saiyans had not really occurred to them. They had always just faced one foe at a time.

 

“There is one other thing, Kakarrot. Now she has money.” On that note, Vegeta packed up his family to go home. The others followed in a mass exodus, hugging and congratulating Marron on their way out and promising to be at her victory party next week.

 

TBC

 

A/N: Whew!!! All done. I hope I made up for the long update time with that nice long chapter. 3455 words. The semester restarted so the updates will probably not be twice a week, as it was with the first four. We'll see. Don't give up on me. Did you see my MM hit count? 111 visits!!!! WHOOP!!!! And only 4 of those are me checking to see if the chapters uploaded correctly. When I saw it had gotten to 86, I felt guilty, got off my butt, and began working harder on this chapter. I was really having trouble with it. If any of you wonderful readers feels the need or urge to leave a review, give into it. While I write the story for me (although my BR thinks it's for her), I like reviews just as much as I like seeing my hit count go up.

 

Bardockgurl - I'm glad you liked the lines. If I managed to write something that even resembles a line of yours I must be doing something right. I felt the same way you did when I was writing that scene. I took some major arguing with myself to get that scene out. I really wanted Vegeta to go Super Saiyan and kick Aspa's ass but there was a reason he did not (nothing to do with the fact that I have a plot line to advance). I had the most trouble with him using Raditz' name though and am kinda surprised that I didn't get called on it. I'm not a big ChiChi or Videl fan either but I also don't want to disrupt the cannon couples so...

 

Satans Widdle Hellper - I got it up! (Not that way! Get you mind outta the gutter.) I posted! (Better?) Glad you like this. Yeah it's just over a month I know I know. But in my defense, there are two schedules I'm working around. Both my BR and I are Grad Students working on our theses.

 

Evil-Bunny-Leader - I'm glad you are enjoying. Let me check Baba's crystal ball. Yes, it's predicting that there will be lots of Vegeta in this fic.

 

majin sue - Yeah!!! Thank you!!! (gushes) Yeah it took a month but… at least its out now. I felt guilty. OMG!!! I'm on your recommended reading list!!!! Have you checked out my list yet?