Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Their Assignment ❯ Chapter 14

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

"Hey! We're here!" 18 came through the door, followed by Krillin. Everyone had agreed that they all needed to talk and Bulma had volunteered her house as the meeting grounds.

" 'Bout time!" Chichi flopped down on Bulma's bed next to Goku who was raiding the tiny refrigerator next to her bed for munchies. Vegeta was straddling the chair at the desk, watching everyone else in the room and Bulma stood looking out the window of her bedroom.

"Well now we're only missing Radditz!" Goku gave them a happy smile before taking a large bite from the sub sandwich he managed to make from the fridge's contents.

"Oh yeah? Why's your brother coming? And why exactly did we all have to meet here rather than discuss this before school like usual?" 18 asked, tucking a blond strand behind one ear.

"Because he already knows about everything and it's too important to discuss in the school yard," Bulma answered without turning around. Before anyone could say anything else there was a knock on the door before it opened, allowing Radditz to step through. Everyone, with a single exception, was surprised when the new guy Mirai stepped in after him.

"What's he doing here?!" Vegeta demanded surging to his feet to glare at the lavender haired young man.

"I invited him, cuz'. Get over it, since you'll want him to be here and it's his right to join us," Radditz informed him, waving him off.

"His right? Exactly who is this guy?" Bulma turned around to ask, raising a brow at the intruder in the group. He seems so familiar…

"Mirai. Let's just leave it at that until we decide what to do about Goku and Chichi's problem. Once we have that figured out, we can move on to less important matters."

"Please. I don't want to bother you, but I might have something to contribute to the group that might be useful. I'd like to help," he added to soften Radditz's rather arrogant announcement. He looked everyone in the eye, waiting for the group's reluctant acceptance before sitting down quietly against the wall beside the door. Or at least as much acceptance as he was going to get since Vegeta just hmphed and returned to the chair, suspiciously watching Mirai who ignored the eyes he felt on him, instead settling into a meditating position so that he could relax while listening to everything that was happening around him.

"Alright," Bulma said slowly, still watching the stranger. "This is gong to sound really weird but let me say everything before anyone interrupts with questions ok? Here's how things stand." She quickly outlined the conflict between Heaven and Hell, explaining that both were taking an interest in Earth and that she and Chichi were angels while Goku, Vegeta and 18 were demons. Then she went on to explain about the dreams in the mirror realm and the problem with Chichi and Goku mating under the circumstances.

"Did everyone get that?" she finally asked. Silence met her question as everyone finished digesting the information she had provided and were deciding on how to respond to that.

"Alright. That is totally wild," 18 stated. "But let's go with the idea that you aren't insane and pretend for a moment its real," she added quickly when her friends seemed about ready to try to convince her some more. "That means if Chichi can't live in Hell for too long without dying and can't go back to Heaven that she actually needs the Earth. But what'll happen to Goku if he doesn't carry out his mission to help Vegeta?"

"Are you asking me?" Goku's brother cut in smoothly.

"Ya' know I think she was Radditz," Krillin jumped in with a very pointed expression at his girlfriend.

"Uh sure. Radditz?" 18 she said, giving her boyfriend a questioning look that he didn't see cause he was giving their newly returned member a big grateful grin. Radditz returned a slight smile before his face grew serious.

"Well for one thing, he won't be allowed back into Hell. Not that big of a deal unless you were dead set on being the Duke of Astarothia. Of course they might send someone to try and kill both of you guys," he addressed the rest of this to the couple sitting beside each other on the bed, "But with your skill as a fighter, again it's not that big of a deal."

"So all we have to do is not destroy Earth and everyone's cool right?" 18 pointed out triumphantly.

"Maybe. And maybe you weren't asking the right question," Radditz informed her looking at her steadily.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Chichi burst out, glaring at her brother-in-law.

"It means he's the Keeper of Hell. As such he's required to answer anything posed to him by a demon, but not permitted to tell them the question," Mirai supplied helpfully from his place by the door. Everyone was reminded of his presence once more and they all rounded on him talking at once.

"He can answer questions but only if we ask them?"

"The Keeper? What's that?"

"How do know that?!"

"Does that make you a demon too Radditz?"

"That's it! I want to know who this guy is and why he knows so much!"

Finally Bulma raised her hand and shouted, "Stop! Everyone just chill out for a second. First of all, we're not likely to get any answers from Mirai at the moment. We know however that we will get answers from Radditz so let's take a moment to reflect on the importance of this fact. What's more reasonable? Shaking answers out of someone who won't or can't answer us, or taking advantage of someone who will? Second of all, even if we can get answers we wouldn't be able to hear them over that clamor. Lets try to take this from the top. Radditz, exactly what is a Keeper?" Radditz remained silent only giving her an apologetic shrug in response.

"He can't tell you," Mirai explained politely.

"And why not?" she demanded.

"You're not a demon. As the Keeper of Hell he's only permitted to answer the questions of demons." Bulma growled as Radditz nodded weakly in agreement, his mane sweeping along the floor.

"I see. Vegeta, would you be so kind as to ask him the question?"

Vegeta gave her an evil smirk. "What's in it for me?"

"Aside from information? Nothing. Goku would you please ask him that question?"

"Um sure Bulma. Which him and what question though?" he asked trying to decide if she meant to ask Radditz about the Keeper thing or ask Vegeta to for once in his life be agreeable.

"Radditz are you a demon as well and what's your function as a Keeper?"

"Thank you!"

18 just rolled her eyes in response to both Bulma's appreciation and her prince's glare.

"Yes I'm a demon and my function as a Keeper of Hell is to serve as an advisor to any demons involved in this conflict."

"How does the new guy know everything he does?" she pressed on before anyone else could ask a question or demand that someone ask him a question.

"I can't really tell you."

"What?! I thought you had to answer their questions!" Chichi yelled at him, causing all of the demons to wince.

"I can't answer that question yet as his role is undecided! If you'd wait a couple of seconds before going off the handle then a person could finish his statement. Sheesh," the poor porcupine haired guy muttered, crossing his arms in annoyance.

"Wait a minute! If you're the Keeper of Hell and all then what's Krillin?" Bulma suddenly thought to ask.

"Me? Ooh is that a me question?!" he asked eagerly. Bulma and Chichi both nodded at him. "Heh heh, I'm the Keeper of Heaven of course!"

"Let me guess you work the same way as Radditz does?" 18 asked fluffing her hair. He just looked at her with a small grin and a slight shrug.

"So Krillin, you're an angel correct?"

"Yup! Although I gotta tell ya, since Radditz forgot to tell his crew and this is kinda important, I'm not like you guys."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bulma asked frowning.

"Well you see, the Keepers aren't allowed to actually get involved in the conflict. You're only allowed one real capacity and you have to stay in that slot regardless of what you see happening or what you could do to effect a situation. You guys can't suddenly say, 'Oh I think I'll be a Keeper today' any more than I could say 'I think I want in on this assignment'. See what I'm saying?"

"Hey wait a minute! Why do they get 3 demons and we only get 2 angels?" Chichi demanded.

"Well you both get three agents. Your third member will probably start waking up soon…"

"That's lovely, but we're all getting way off subject here. We'll get back to all this later. The original purpose of this whole get together was to figure out what to do about Chichi and Goku," Bulma rubbed her temples.

"Yeah but Radditz was hinting something was wrong with not carrying out the mission to destroy Earth," Vegeta reminded them.

"Oh yeah. What was wrong with not carrying out my orders bro?" Goku asked, rubbing his hand reassuringly along his mate's arm. "I mean if nothing's going to happen to me or Chichi then what difference does it make?"

"The difference isn't about what'll happen to you if the Earth isn't taken out. It's about what'll happen to Vegeta. And since Vegeta was a very popular prince, what will happen to any of the denizens of Hell who have befriended him in any way, or supported anything he's done, or expressed approval of the idea of his ascension to the throne. At the moment that is somewhere around 63 percent of the population of Hell, which is about the population of Earth multiplied 50 times, who will all be punished for insubordination to the king in favor of a rogue demon."

Everyone was gone, but they had all promised to work out a way around Chichi or Vegeta getting killed, and the people of either Earth or Hell from getting harmed in the bargain. They had tossed around possible solutions for hours before everyone had agreed that they were getting nowhere fast. It was a bigger problem than they had all anticipated. Especially since Radditz had informed them that even if they did come up with a plan there was no way to guarantee that any of the demons wouldn't loose control and destroy the Earth anyway.

Bulma was now standing back at the window, watching storm clouds gathering. Lightening forked through the sky in the distance, an afterimage burning into her eyes as she stared at the place it had been. The treetops bent as the wind picked up, beating against her panes as the first drops fell, as if the sky itself was weeping for the hard choices they would have to make. Bulma shivered at the thought.

Two strong arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her back into a comforting embrace.

"Well that ended on a hell of a note," Vegeta observed wryly, his breath tickling her ear.

"Didn't it though?"

"I thought you were the Grand Kai's daughter."

"Well I thought you were the Prince of Hell," she shot back. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"I don't know. Can't you ask that Chichi still be allowed into Heaven if we destroy the Earth or something?" his reflection in the window frowned at her.

Her reflection sighed before it responded with, "I can talk to him about it but I can't guarantee anything, especially since I'm supposed to be focused on my assignment." They were both silent after that, each thinking of the role they were going to have to fill and still unsure of exactly what that was. "Truthfully though, I don't want to talk about it anymore tonight. I don't even want to think about it!"

Vegeta gave her a sly smirk and whispered huskily, "I bet I can keep you from thinking about anything for the rest of the night."

"I'm not taking you up on any bets. I don't know why Chichi agreed to that wager; she should never have agreed to tell Goku everything if she lost. You tend to forget how smart Goku can really be because he's always so easy going, but then he pulls something like that..."

"What difference does it make? They both got what they wanted out of the deal."

"Yes, but they also complicated an already messy situation, and- Excuse me but what do you think you are doing?" Vegeta grazed his teeth over her neck as he ran his hands along her sides, over her hips and back up until his hands brushed the sides of her breasts.

"Picking up where we left off. Go on, I'm listening," he assured her kissing the sensitive spot beneath her ear.

"Uh huh. And I believe you completely." He couldn't resist chuckling at her breathlessly sarcastically tone. But then he grunted as a sharp pain shot up his spine and his arms tightened convulsively around her ribs. She cried out, pain and surprise mingling in her voice and he quickly released her so that he wouldn't risk hurting her anymore. Another pain followed the first one and he fell to his knees, Bulma's shaky voice asking what was wrong barely registering. The sharp jolts running up and down his back quickly built into a wave that crashed over him.

Bulma caught his body as he slumped, half unconscious from the pain. "Vegeta?! Vegeta, what wrong?!"

Wow! I made a long chapter and worked in some B/V action towards the end! I'm very proud of myself! Aren't you proud of me? You know you can tell me how proud you are if you press this little button…

|
| (Heh, heh, I like my cheesy shameless self promoting, so there!)
\ /