Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ The Beast and the Beauty ❯ Lord Seru's Secret ( Chapter 6 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

The Beast and the Beauty
Part Six
By Maria Cline

The sun rose as Goku opened his eyes and stared down at the beauty in his arms. The sunlight hit her dark hair enough for it to shine. Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked up. "Goku?!" She screamed and Goku let go of her.

"Sorry... I was just watching you sleep..." Goku confessed and he looked down.

"No... that's okay... I was just stunned that you were holding me like that." Chi Chi confessed as her cheeks turned red.

"Glad to see that you two are finally awake." A figure grunted as Goku and Chi Chi glanced at the bed to see Piccolo lying on his side.

"Piccolo." Goku growled as he and Chi Chi stood up. "I see you are awake now."

"Yeah... I am." Piccolo commented as he rolled out of bed and put on his cape and turban. "I better get going."

Goku glared at him and asked, "Will you at least tell me why Lord Seru wanted your head?"

"None of your business." Piccolo argued, "All I can say is that you two better leave while you can." He went to the door and then Chi Chi ran in front of him.

"Hold it! We did not sneak around, bring you back here, and let you sleep in our bed for nothing!" Chi Chi ordered as she looked up, "Tell me... why does Lord Seru want to kill you?"

"Revenge?" Goku guessed, "Or are you two after something that one of the fighters have?"

"No!!!" Piccolo boomed, "It's nothing like that!!! Lord Seru is evil... he's worse than the Saiyans!" He clenched his fists and added, "And far more powerful..."

There was a knock at the door.

"Who's there?" Goku asked as Chi Chi went out to change back into her armor.

"It's us!" Krillian said, "Are you two decent?"

"Come in, we have company." Goku admitted as he glared at Piccolo. "You won't hurt Vegita again, will you?"

"Nah... I want to conserve my power for Lord Seru." Piccolo admitted.

Krillian, Eighteen, Vegita, and Bulma entered the room and facefaulted to see Goku, Chi Chi, and Piccolo there.

"PICCOLO!!!" Vegita boomed as a bright aura flared around him. "I'LL KILL YOU!!!"

"Hold it!!!" Goku insisted as he went in front of the sorcerer. "Piccolo knows about Lord Seru and he might be our common enemy."

"I won't use my power against you right now or against your friends." Piccolo promised, "I have bigger fish to fry."

"Lord Seru." Eighteen said, "Why is he so dangerous?"

"More dangerous than the Saiyans?" Vegita asked almost disgusted, "No way!"

"Unfortunately, yes." Piccolo said as he frowned, "Okay... I might as well tell you. Lord Seru has a dangerous power. He can absorb living things and gain their abilties. He is called 'The Cell' because of all the people he imprisoned in his armor." He glanced at Eighteen and said, "That mystical armor you're bonded to is similiar to his. He will be much stronger if he absorbed you. He will be much stronger when he absorbs all of you." He warned as he pointed at all of them.

"If Lord Seru is so interested in getting us, why not just ambush us in our sleep?" Bulma asked as she crossed her arms.

"He is picky. Lord Seru wanted to absorb only those who have the greatest strength or the greatest minds or the greatest magic... so he's holding this Tournament to weed out the weak from the strong." Piccolo explained as the group just stared.

"We have to warn the others." Chi Chi muttered, "We have to get everyone out of here."

"No! Lord Seru has this place surrounded and if anyone tries to get out, he or she will die." Piccolo warned.

Goku glanced at Piccolo. There was still something that the sorcerer didn't reveal. "Why are you after Lord Seru? How do you know so much?"

"You won't let me leave if I don't tell you, right?" Piccolo guessed.

"Yes." Goku answered as he growled slightly.

"Well..." Piccolo looked down and said, "Do you know Lord Seru is green?"

"Not really..." Krillian admitted.

"One of Lord Seru's first victims was my son, Dende." Piccolo said as he clenched his fists. "He ambushed us and I did my best to stop him... I nearly suceeded but I lost Dende anyway... he's a sorcerer like me but specializes in healing... he's a healer and one of the few Namekian sorcerers left! He was only a boy! And Lord Seru took him body and soul." Piccolo trembled as he turned away and crossed his arms. "I tried to stop him many times... but I keep on failing... this Tournament could be my last chance to destroy the armor and free Dende's soul! Okay, I've bared my soul to you, now let me out!!!"

Goku and the group stared at the sorcerer. Piccolo seemed sincere in his explaination. Was he telling the truth? Somehow, it made sense. Lord Seru did seem powerful and have that odd seductive feeling about him. "You can stay with us." Goku said as he stepped aside.

"I'm a loner. I'd rather do it myself." Piccolo said as he went past the group. "You better watch yourselves and don't touch Lord Seru... you'll regret it."

With that, Piccolo rushed out of the door and vanished. Krillian was the first one to speak. "Okay... that guy gives me the creeps."

"But, it could very well be true." Eighteen figured, "Lord Seru seems very powerful and he would want to absorb me and my mystical armor."

"What should we do? We can't run." Bulma moaned, "And we can't call for help."

"There's only one thing we can do." Goku said as he crossed his arms. "Fight."

"I fully agree with you, Goku." Vegita said as he smirked, "Lord Seru is a powerful being and I am itching for a fight."

Bulma and Krillian shook their heads as the fighters started preparing for battle. They both know that their chances of survival were little to none but they will stand by their friends.

*****

Hours rolled by and the group arrived at the Tournament grounds. It was large with many towers. "Oh man... all these fighters..." Krillian gulped, "Can you imagine that guy taking all these people?"

"We will have to find a way to defeat Lord Seru." Goku said as he looked around and saw the registration booth. "There's the booth." Goku pointed out.

The group went up to the registration booth and a pair of monks stared at them. "Are you fighters?" One of them asked blankly.

"All of us are fighting, except for her and him." Goku pointed to Krillian and Bulma.

Krillian gritted his teeth and said, "I'm fighting too."

"Huh?" Everyone asked.

"But... I thought you didn't want to fight." Eighteen said, concerned as she knelt down to her husband.

"Ohhh... I can't let you fight by your own." Krillian explained, "I know that I'm just a mere monk and not a great warrior like you guys but... well... I won't stand by and let Lord Seru take you, Eighteen. You... well... it's just not nice."

Eighteen gasped as she looked down. "I... I don't know what to say..." She gently kissed the monk on the head and whispered, "Thank you."

"You'll do great, Krillian." Goku said as he did a thumbs up. "Okay... Krillian's fighting too!"

"Just sign your name right here." The monk at the booth said as he held out a paper.

One-by-one, Chi Chi, Krillian, and Eighteen signed their names.

"Is that your real name?" The monk asked the bodyguard when he noticed that all she wrote as a number.

"I have twenty brothers and sisters." Eighteen explained, "My parents couldn't think up any more names after Sixteen was born."

"So, that explains it." Krillian muttered.

Vegita signed his name. It was a strange symbol involving a giant dragon around a circle. "That's your name?" Bulma asked as she looked over his shoulder.

"We Saiyans use symbols instead of letters." Vegita replied. "That is my name."

"But what should we call him?" The monk asked, "We can't read these symbols!"

"How about Vegita, the warrior formerly known as the Saiyan Prince?" Bulma smarted off. Vegita glared at her. He may be one of the last Saiyans alive, but he's no 'former'. The title sounded ridiculous.

"Okay." The monk said not noticing Vegita's rising anger.

"Hey!!!" Vegita screamed as the monk wrote down the title to be used for announcements.

"It's not that bad." Bulma giggled slightly as Vegita turned bright red.

"My turn..." Goku said as he picked up the pen and it fumbled in his massive paws. "Hey! Hold still!!! I hate doing this!" Goku growled as he tried to hold the tiny object to write. The others glanced at him and Goku held up his giant hands. "Heh heh... I can't write."

"Here... let me..." Chi Chi said as she picked up the pen and wrote clearly 'Goku'. "There you go..."

Goku sadly stared at his hands. He still couldn't help but feel helpless. A simple task like writing was impossible for him now as a beast but he rarely had to write so it was no big deal. To rely on his fiance to write for him was hard for his pride. "Thanks." He said softly as he smiled at her.

"No problem." Chi Chi said as she turned red and wonder why she did such as task for her beast.

"Just go this way... except for her, she has to be in the audience." The registration monk said as he pointed to Bulma.

"What?! Why not?!" Bulma screamed, "I don't want to be left alone!"

"Lord Seru is only interested in fighters..." Goku reminded gently, "Don't worry, just stay to the side and don't do anything dumb."

"I don't do anything dumb." Bulma pouted when she glanced at Goku again. **Wait... why does that sound so familiar?**

She remembered back to when she was younger and had a Kame knight bodyguard named 'Kakarot'. It was the last time she saw him and they were surrounded by a band called the 'Red Ribbon Army', due to the red sashes on their arms.

The knight was exhausted and wounded and Bulma was scared. It was her fault that they were in this mess. She was out looking for a group of mystical artifacts that could grant a wish. She wanted to use the wish to get her boyfriend and the army attacked them for the artifacts. "What should we do?!" Bulma screamed.

Kakarot smiled at her despite his injuries and said, "Don't worry, just stay too the side and don't do anything dumb." He turned away to fight the army face on and then he looked back and flashed a peace sign. At that moment, she knew that everything will be fine.

**End Flashback**

"How does he... nah..." Bulma shook her head and watched the group walk away. Goku turned around, flashed a peace sign and left.

"He... no... can't be..." Bulma stuttered as she remembered that Kakarot was a saiyan by birth and Piccolo could've had his revenge. "Oh my god... that beast... those eyes..." Goku was so nice and noble like Kakarot. The two loved food and Kakarot had vanished several months ago. Surrounded by strangers, a flash of brilliance radiated in her mind. "KAKAROT!!!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.

To be continued...