fate 16

"Queen Milena will be happy to know that we have found them," High Priest Rademar said as he looked out of the view screen of the ship that carried him at unimaginable speeds towards the planet Earth.

"You're right, High Priest," one of the men flying the ship said, "Etair and myself are lucky you're here or else we never would have found them. We're just here to kill them; you're here to guide us. You do know where they are, right?" The man sitting next to him, Etair, pushed his short blond hair out of his eyes and looked at his partner in killing.

"Valand, don't worry about that. Let the High Priest Rademar guide us. He'll find them for us. We just have to deliver the message and kill who we're supposed to kill." Valand shuddered, his brown eyes holding a look of fear in them for a person of his size.

"I don't know how much I like delivering messages to Saiya-jins. Aren't they supposed to be some of the most powerful creatures in the universe?" Valand asked.

"You have nothing to worry about," Rademar said authoritatively, "You two surpass the strength of even the strongest of the Saiya-jins. The only thing you two would have to worry about is if they were Super Saiya-jins, but that is only a legend. The last Super Saiya-jin lived more than 1000 years ago and I have never heard of another one since then. And there will never be another Super Saiya-jin.

"The planet, Vegetasei, was destroyed by a tyrant named Freeza and his father, King Cold. Never again will Saiya-jins have the opportunity to take over the universe." Valand and Etair sighed in relief at the news. Etair smiled.

"Now we have nothing to worry about, Valand," Etair said with a relieved sigh. Valand shot Etair a reprimanding look.

"Just because they aren't Super Saiya-jins doesn't mean that we don't have to be on guard while completing our mission. Confidence creates negligence. We still have to be careful," Valand said. Etair sighed in dismay.

"By the end of this mission, the queen shall have her sacrifice. And we shall all reap the benefits," Rademar said, an evil smirk spreading over his aged features, "Lets go get those two women, gentlemen."

Chi-Chi struggled to juggle the numerous bags in her arms as she and Bulma wandered down the main street in Satan City.

"Aren't you glad we came out shopping today?" Bulma asked as she walked next to Chi-Chi, struggling with the same amount of bags that Chi-Chi was. Chi-Chi heaved a sigh of relief as she set down her packages on a bench they came upon.

"Yeah, I am, I just wish we had someone like Gohan with us to help us carry all of our things," Chi-Chi said. Bulma nodded, setting her things down as well.

"I know what you mean. Chi-Chi, you may be strong, but not as strong as Gohan. He could easily carry all of our things for us if we asked him to."

"I guess that just comes with him being a half Saiya-jin," Chi-Chi said, leaning against the arm of the bench, taking weight off of one foot. Bulma rolled her eyes.

"Dende bless and curse that race. They have saved us countless times from the evils of the universe, but the pride that comes with it...I wouldn't wish that on anybody." Chi-Chi giggled.

"Well, that's what you get when you marry the prince of the lot of them. I was lucky enough to have Goku." Bulma glared at her best friend.

"You lucky-ducky. I may love Vegeta, but his pride, arrogance, and temper get in the way, making him intolerable most of the time. I'm lucky enough to be able to put up with him. But, he has his moments. I guess he just grows on you."

"I'm surprised you've been able to put up with him for so long," Chi-Chi admitted, "You must really love..." Chi-Chi trailed off as a bad feeling hit her in the pit of her stomach. Taking on a defensive stance, she glance around the area, her eyes narrowed as her calculating glance swept over the busy street. Bulma noticed the look on Chi-Chi's face and put a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder.

"I don't know. There's something not right; something weird is going on. I can feel it in the pit of my stomach." Bulma sighed.

"Warrior instincts. I swear, you get it from being around Goku for so long," Bulma said. Chi-Chi shot Bulma a fierce glare.

"Bulma, I'm serious. There's something that's not right about what's going on and whatever it is, it spells trouble. I've learned when to trust this feeling and, more often than not, I'm right. Just trust me on this." Bulma felt her heart pick up in pace as Chi-Chi's words sunk in.

"I don't know. Whatever it is, it's not good," Chi-Chi said, her voice down to a fierce whisper. Bulma looked around the area as well, looking for something out of the ordinary, thinking that if she looked hard enough, she could find it. Neither of them noticed the two men approaching them from behind until they were a couple of feet behind them. Chi-Chi, feeling the presence behind her, whirled around and threw a punch one of the men. Etair smiled maliciously, throwing up his arm to block Chi-Chi's blow.

"Who are you?" Chi-Chi asked, bringing up her leg to kick him in the mid-section. By this moment, Valand had already grabbed Bulma and was pressing a knife up against her throat, his hand covering her mouth, preventing her from screaming. People were already looking at the situation and one person rushed to call the police.

Etair grabbed Chi-Chi's leg and flipped her over, causing her to hit the pavement hard. Chi-Chi screamed out in pain as she made contact with the ground. Etair yanked Chi-Chi up by the collar of her dress and pressed her up against the shop window behind her, his forearm pressing up against her windpipe, cutting off her air supply. He clucked his tongue at her and shook his head in a reprimanding way.

"That was a very naughty thing you just did. I wouldn't try something like that again if I were you." Chi-Chi clawed at the arm at her throat, trying her hardest to force him to let up the pressure.

"To kill you. You're death will serve a higher purpose," Rademar said, walking up the group of four. Chi-Chi's eyes flashed towards the aged High Priest, a look of panic in her eyes. She then glanced over at Bulma, who was just as scared as she was; she, too, heard Rademar's words and immediately panicked. After giving the two women an unpleasant grin, he turned around and faced the crowd that had gathered.

The crowd gave the group a wide berth as they stared in worry at the two people who had the world's richest woman and her friend in captivity. Etair, before Rademar started to speak, had covered Chi-Chi's mouth with one hand and turned her around so that he could press his hand against her mouth and the knife in his belt against her throat.

"I want you all to listen to me," Rademar said, "I want you to bring me the Saiya-jins." Valand shot a look at Rademar.

"I've been given orders by the queen to alert the Saiya-jins attention to what was happening. She knows about their existence on this planet and wants to make them feel helpless as they realize that they won't be able to stop her." Rademar turned back to the crowd.

"How can we bring these things to you if we don't know what they are?" a girl yelled. By that moment, the police had shown up, Videl leading them. Bulma, who spotted Videl, pulled Valand's hand away while he wasn't paying attention.

"Videl! Get out everyone out of here! You don't know what you're getting into!" Bulma yelled before Valand covered her mouth again. Videl glared at Bulma.

"I won't leave. These three thugs are trying to kill you and Chi-Chi. I'm not leaving until the threat is neutralized." Turning back to Rademar, she pressed him about Saiya-jins.

"Saiya-jins aren't things, miss; they're beings. Saiya-jins are one of the strongest beings in the universe and I know for a fact that several of them reside on this planet. Now, bring them to me or I shall be forced to kill you."

"How am I supposed to know where they are? They could be anywhere on the planet. You're asking the impossible!" Videl exclaimed, her voice rising to a yell. Rademar only glared at her.

< What am I going to do? If I don't find these Saiya-jins, they're going to kill Chi-Chi and Bulma, > Videl thought angrily. She heard gasps from the crowd behind her and turned to find something glowing behind her. Seeing what it was, she gasped as well. < Kami save us all, > Videl thought as she stared.

< Where is she? We were supposed to get together and go see that new action movie at the Satan City Cinema, > he thought, his eyes scanning the area. He spotted a bench next to the water fountain and went to sat down. He checked his watch and found that Videl was 15 minutes late.

< Where could she be? She's never late. I wonder if something's wrong, > Gohan said to himself. He suddenly gasped as he felt a familiar ki rise in distress. His heart clenched in fear as he recognized the ki as his mothers.

< Mom! > Gohan thought with panic, < There has to be something wrong and she has to be close. I've never felt mom this scared before. > Standing up with a rush and checking to make sure that no one was around, Gohan rushed to turn into a Super Saiya-jin, the power rushing through his veins, his hair turning golden from the rush of power. Gohan took off into the air and flew the short distance to where his mother was.

The moment he landed, he spotted Videl standing several yards away. People gasped as they saw his glowing form and Videl spotted him seconds later. Gohan paid them no attention as he focused his attentions on the three men in front of them. His fist clenched in anger as he spotted his mother and Bulma being held at knifepoint.

"What do you want with them?" Gohan yelled. The man in the long brown robes looked at him with surprise and horror; obviously, he knew what Gohan was. Gohan grinned evilly. < Good, he has a right to be scared, > Gohan thought. The man in the brown robes spoke.

"I thought Super Saiya-jins weren't supposed to exist. I thought it was just a legend. There was no way that they could still exist." Gohan smirk deepened.

"Well, think again. And I'm not the only one," Gohan said, "There are a couple more of us. I guess it was just the right time for us to appear again. What do you want?" Rademar's shocked look faded into a controlled look of confidence.

"We're from a distant planet called Cresilia from another galaxy. And my queen has a message for you and the other Saiya-jins. But, since you're the only one here, I guess I can tell only you. She wants to give you a warning. Watch the people of this miserable planet carefully. One of them is going to disappear and her power used to rule the universe."

"DON'T YOU DARE!" Gohan yelled, "You do one thing to harm them and I'll kill you so fast, you won't have time to realize it." Rademar only chuckled.

"Well, by then, the two of them will be dead and nothing will be able to stop my queen from reaching her goal." Turning towards Etair and Valand, Rademar gave them a command.

"Kill them," he said simply. Etair and Valand simply grinned as they roughly slit Chi-Chi and Bulma's throats. Gohan watched wordlessly as blood gushed from the two women's throats. Etair and Valand let go of their now dead prisoners, their bodies sliding down to the ground. Tears ran down Gohan's face at the sight of his mother dead, blood spilling from her throat, mixing into a puddle with Bulma's. Rademar laughed, his tone wicked.

"What are you going to do about it, Super Saiya-jin?" Gohan ignored Rademar's words as he stared at the two bodies, lying motionless on the pavement. All eyes were on him; Gohan could feel everyone staring at him.

Suddenly, Gohan let out a loud scream, his voice echoing off the buildings surrounding him. His power, reacting to his despairing emotions, rose sharply, causing the ground to shake violently. Videl braced herself as the ground shook, looking at Gohan with shock, but now knowing that it was Gohan in front of her.

< Who is he? What is he? What's he doing? He's going to kill us all! > Videl thought. She watched wordlessly as the area around him glowed, his power radiating off of him, forcing all close to him through the air. Videl noticed the tears running down his cheeks. < He must be really distressed over the deaths of Chi-Chi and Bulma. Why? He couldn't possibly know the two of them. > Videl gasped as she realized something. < Oh, poor Gohan! How am I going to tell him that his mother was killed? >

Several minutes later, the ground stopped shaking; Gohan's turquoise eyes opened and focused on Etair and Valand, who were shaking with fear at the sight of the enraged Super Saiya-jin; he was powered up to the second level and ready to get his revenge.

< They are going to pay for killing my mother! > Gohan thought as he wordless rushed forward and grabbed Etair by the throat. To everyone watching, Gohan moved to fast for them to see his movements, so it looked like he disappeared from one spot and reappeared several yards away in less than a second. Gohan lifted the blond man into the air, stopping at least 100 feet in the air. Everyone on the ground struggled to see what was happening and Videl was breathless.

< He's just like the guys from the Cell Games! My father said that it was just a trick, but now I don't know if I believe him anymore, > Videl thought as she stared up at the air.

"You're going to pay for killing my mother," Gohan whispered fiercely as he threw Etair to the ground. Etair flew through the air, landing in the middle of the street with a crash. The force that Gohan threw him with caused his body to form a crater in the street. Etair, who was barely still alive, tried to move among the pile of broken asphalt, but found that movement was impossible. Gohan dropped to the ground next to the crater and looked down at Etair.

"And this is where you die," Gohan said, his voice menacing. Holding out his hand, Gohan sent a flurry of ki shots at Etair, burning up his body instantly. The last sound made by Etair was a loud scream as the powerful energy hit him full force before he died, his body incinerating with the force of the ki blasts. Once Etair was dead, Gohan turned around and focused his energy on Valand. Valand noticed and took off in a run, moving swiftly down the street. Gohan gave the assassin a look of pure contempt before pulling his hands back, cupping them as he did so.

"KAME..." Gohan yelled as power began gathering in his hands. People who were in the way saw the power and immediately moved out of the way, knowing that the power could be no good.

"HA!!" With an explosion, the large blast of energy surged forward, racing towards Valand. Unfortunately for Valand, he wasn't fast enough to escape the force of the attack and found himself being swallowed by the energy. Valand didn't even have time to scream out in pain before his body was ripped apart by the force of the blast. Gohan let go of the attack, allowing it to run its course.

< Lucky that wasn't very big, > Gohan said to himself through his anger-muddled mind. He turned around to face Rademar and when he started to take several steps towards him, he froze. Gohan tried to move, but to know avail; something was holding him back. His eyes frozen on Rademar, he saw the older man laugh at him.

"Thought you could kill me, did you?" Rademar said with a sneer, "You wouldn't even be able to get near me. I can see your question in your eyes. How could I, an old man, stand up against a Super Saiya-jin? I'm not Queen Milena's High Priest for nothing. I command magics you can't even begin to comprehend, you ignorant fool." Gohan used all of his effort to look past Rademar, where he could spot Vegeta flying in.

< He must have felt Bulma's death and my energy. He doesn't look very happy, > Gohan thought, < Not happy at all. > Rademar continued on with his monologue, but Gohan wasn't listening; he was too focused on Vegeta's rapid approach. Rademar didn't even feel Vegeta's presence until it was too late.

"BIG BANG ATTACK!" Vegeta cried out, holding his hand out, his palm facing Rademar, as he shot a huge energy bolt from the sky, sending hurdling down towards the ground. Rademar turned around to see the attack rapidly approaching, but could do nothing to prevent it from hitting its target. With a tormented scream, Rademar was engulfed by the attack. The energy hit the ground and exploded on impact, causing everyone, including Gohan who had been released from Rademar's magic, to duck to dodge the flying bits of asphalt.

Once the cloud of dust had settled a reasonable amount, Gohan looked up to see the only other Super Saiya-jin on the planet. Vegeta's fierce hair was glowing gold with his rage and power, his turquoise eyes shining with tears as he settled down on the ground. Vegeta's eyes flashed over to Gohan.

"Yes," Gohan said softly, "I got them. They didn't have much of a chance against my power." Vegeta nodded before walking over to Bulma's dead body. Turning Bulma's body over, Vegeta took in her blood-matted hair and her empty eyes with an emotionless look in his eyes. Gohan watched Vegeta carefully, shock playing out on his face.

Suddenly, Vegeta did something Gohan had never seen him do before: he cried. His body slumped over in anguish as sobs wracked his body. Gohan could feel tears running down his own face as he surveyed Vegeta's grief.

< Poor Vegeta, > Gohan thought, < He loved Bulma more than I thought him capable of. > Vegeta looked down at his dead mate, feeling the emptiness inside of him.

< Why did you have to go? How could you leave me here? > Vegeta asked Bulma in his thoughts, hearing no response and knowing that she could give none. The crowd watched as the other blond-haired man dissolved into tears. Even Videl was speechless.

< Who are they? They look so familiar... > Videl thought as she looked at the two Super Saiya-jins. Gohan walked over to Vegeta, an idea coming to mind, and he put a comforting hand on Vegeta's shoulder. Kneeling down, Gohan spoke in hushed tones.

"The Dragonballs," Gohan said simply, "None of them have died before so all we have to do is find the ones that are on this planet. We will have them back by tomorrow." As the idea soaked into Vegeta's mind, his gaze turned from troubled to overjoyed.

"Well, brat, let's get to it. We don't have all day. We have to find the Dragonball radar from the lab at home and then we can be off. The sooner we get started, the sooner we can have them back." Vegeta looked around, his eyes settling on a familiar face. Pointing at Videl, he spoke.

"You! You will look after these two bodies until we get back. If anything has happened to them, it will be your life." Gohan shot Vegeta a warning glare.

"Don't threaten her. It's not her fault those men got them. Don't take it out on her." Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest before he harrumphed; he was quickly returning to his old self and Gohan could tell.

"I will watch after their bodies. You have nothing to fear. I won't let anything happen to them," Videl said. Vegeta nodded at Videl before looking at Gohan.

"Come on, brat, we've wasted enough time here as it is." Vegeta took off into the air, racing back to Capsule Corp. Gohan threw a grateful glance at Videl.

"Thank you," Gohan said before taking off in to the air. Videl only watched the two retreating figures, wondering how in the hell they could fly through the air and create energy blasts like they did.

< I'm convinced; those were no tricks. Dad lied to me. Why would he lie to me about that? > Videl asked herself. Shaking her head in an attempt to force the questions out of her mind, she looked back at the bodies of Chi-Chi and Bulma.

Videl yawned; it had been almost 24 hours since the two blond men who did unimaginable and impossible acts disappeared in the search of something they called "Dragonballs". Videl took a glance back at the sheets that covered the bodies. They hadn't been moved at all just in case that one blond man got angry with her. Instead, she had the police make the area into a police area with police patrolling the edges of the boundary. Videl leaned back in the chair the police had provided her, wishing that the two men would show up.

< And soon. I don't know how much longer I can stay here. I'm tired and I want to go to bed. Gohan must be worried sick about his mother. > Videl choked on gasp as she thought about Gohan. < Oh damn! We were supposed to get together yesterday! I completely forgot about that. With all of this going on, he just slipped my mind, > Videl thought with panic as she tried to come up with a way to confront Gohan about everything. Just as her mind wrapped around an idea, the two blond men appeared out of the sky, landing stealthily on the ground, scarcely three feet away from the bodies.

"Good," Vegeta said as he removed the sheet from Chi-Chi and Bulma's bodies. Opening a bag that Videl hadn't noticed before, Vegeta pulled out three orange balls, about the size of baseballs that had stars on them. One of them had two stars, the other five, and the last one six. Gohan, in turn, opened his bag and pulled out the other four, setting them down on the ground. The 7 Dragonballs pulsated with power.

"You can do the honors," Gohan said to Vegeta. Vegeta nodded and spoke the words that would summon the dragon. The skies darkened with ominous black clouds and lightning rippled through the sky, flashing proudly as thunder soon followed. Videl watched speechlessly as a huge, green dragon appeared in the sky. Shenlong looked down at the two Super Saiya-jins, recognizing them as the people who summoned him, and spoke, demanding to know what their wishes were.

"We wish to bring these two women back to life," Gohan spoke in a loud voice. There was a slight pause before Shenlong spoke.

"Granted," his deep, booming voice spoke. Gohan and Vegeta watched with hopeful eyes as Bulma and Chi-Chi began glowing. The dried blood disappeared, leaving the two of them spotless, as the slits on their throats closed up, leaving no traces of scaring. Slowly, the two women began breathing, their lungs pulling in air, as they opened their eyes and sat up.

Both Gohan and Vegeta rushed for the two of them, Gohan pulling his mother into a hug while Vegeta did the same with Bulma.

"I thought I lost you forever, mom. I don't think I could deal with that after losing dad." Chi-Chi nodded understandingly.

::Don't ever do that to me again, woman. I don't ever want to experience that again,:: Vegeta said as he crushed Bulma's body against his. Bulma sent reassuring, loving thoughts towards Vegeta.

::Don't worry. I won't. I don't ever want to cause you pain ever again.:: Vegeta pulled away and looked at Bulma, drowning in her clear, blue eyes.

"I love you, too," Bulma said, her voice constricting with tears. Vegeta smiled at his mate before kissing her again. Videl stared on with amazement at the two women.

< They're supposed to be dead. How did that dragon bring them back to life! > She saw the police staring as well and understood their amazement. As the blond men were celebrating over the revivals of Chi-Chi and Bulma, the dragon spoke once again.

"Name your second wish," Shenlong commanded. Gohan and Vegeta looked at each other with shock and confusion; they had forgotten that Dende had altered the dragon to grant two wishes instead of one.

"Thanks a lot," Gohan deadpanned as his mind wracked over what to ask Shenlong for. Finally his mind found it. Looking at Vegeta, Gohan smiled.

"I wish for the two of us to have the power to do the Instant Transmission," Gohan said, indicating himself and Vegeta. Vegeta looked surprised and pleased as a light surround himself and Gohan.

"Granted," Shenlong said before disappearing. Videl watched as the 7 Dragonballs rose into the air before flying off in 7 different directions.

"Well," Gohan said, feeling the knowledge of the new power inside of him, "looks like it'll be another year until the Dragonballs can be used again." Vegeta walked over and slapped Gohan on the back in congratulations.

"Excellent wish, brat. I couldn't have thought of a better wish myself. You've proved yourself to be a true Saiya-jin: always looking for ways to improve your ability as a warrior." Gohan smiled; Vegeta had never paid him a compliment.

"Thanks," Gohan said simply, knowing not to express his gratitude too much in fear of causing Vegeta to think him weak. Grabbing Chi-Chi's hand, he smiled at his mother.

"Come on, mom, let's go home," Gohan whispered, making sure that Videl couldn't hear him; he didn't want Videl to know about him being a Super Saiya-jin, much less a Saiya-jin. Chi-Chi nodded.

"Yes, let's," she whispered back, "But, we have to carry my things home that I bought yesterday." Gohan and Chi-Chi walked over to the bench and Chi-Chi pointed out which bags were hers. Gohan held them all in one hand as he wrapped an arm around his mother's waist.

"Off we go, mom," Gohan said as they lifted into the air, flying home at a fast pace. Vegeta and Bulma watched the two of them fly off.

"Well, woman, I think that's our cue to leave." Bulma nodded and proceeded to hand Vegeta her bags. Vegeta gladly held them in one hand; he was just happy she was alive and well again. In a manner much the same as Gohan, Vegeta wrapped his other arm around Bulma's waist, holding her possessively against him as he took off into the air. Videl could only stare as Vegeta and Bulma flew away.

< I'm going to get to the bottom of this, > Videl thought, < I will find out who those two men are if it's the last thing I do. Something about them is just too familiar... > Videl shook her head dismissively as her mind realized the uselessness of the situation. < If I sleep on it, maybe the answer will come to me. > Videl walked up to the police captain, who still wore a look of shock on his face.

"Chief, I'm going to go home and get some actual sleep. Sleeping in that chair wasn't actually resting at all. Don't call me if anything happens because I won't be of any help until I at least get a day's rest."

"No problem Videl," the Chief said with his gruff voice, "You go home and rest. I'm sure that we can handle things without you." Videl smiled gratefully.

"Thanks Chief. I'm sure you can, too." Videl pulled out a small capsule out of her pocket, the same capsule that contained her jet plane. Pressing the button on the top, she threw the capsule to the ground and watched as her jet plane appeared. Climbing in, she waved at the police chief as she stared up the plane and took off into the air, barely navigating her way back to her house to receive the rest she badly needed.