DragonBall Z
Through the Looking Glass
By Ashe-chan
Disclaimer: DragonBall Z is owned by Funimation and some other guy or company or something. I don't own it, I just choose to play with it for a bit.
Warning:
This story contains violence, death, explosions, gratuitous destruction of evil dimensional planar beings, and of course the use of Gohan as a sex object. Okay, then again maybe not. You have been warned.
Through the Looking Glass
by Ashe-chan
Chapter One
Cheshire looked over her shoulder at the mirrored door blocking the way out. She was tall for her species, but still was short for a human woman. Human she was not. Cat ears protruding from a long-flowing mane of orange hair and a long tiger-striped tail gave that away immediately. Her outfit hid any of the subtle curves beneath or the power that her small body contained. Formidable in battle, Cheshire's wicked smile did little to hide her personality and demeanor.
A tubby figure inched up behind her waddling. Dressed in what appeared to be a clown suit, Tweedle was laughable at best. Cheshire had chosen him for his combat abilities however. What he lacked in appearance he more than made up for in power. His murder rate nearly rivaled her own, but he disgusted her immensely. He was sloppy, but he was part of the key to breaking the mirror that held the Queen and her army back. Soon the barrier that Kami had erected so many years ago would be broken and a new world would be made in the Queen's image.
"Are we going soon?" whined Tweedle. His voice reminded Cheshire again how much she loathed him. Her tail twitched angrily.
"Hush Tweedle. Queen Shinzo knows what she's doing," snapped Cheshire. "You are here for back-up muscle, not that I need it initially anyway. I do not care to answer your questions or get your opinions, so keep quiet!"
Tweedle backed away from Cheshire in a submissive stance not looking for a fight. He hadn't known that she would be in such a mood. Soon, the mirror would break and they would be unleashed on the world that Kami loved. How fitting now that Kami was no more. He had under-estimated the power of Wonder and the seals were weakened to this plane and slipping every second. A small crack appeared in the mirror and began to split the dimensional wall in two. Tweedle smiled as the mirror cracked further.
"Through the looking glass we go," cackled Tweedle as he hopped from one foot to the other. "Another world awaits us!"
***
Gohan stood atop the Nimbus cloud that was flying him to school and smiled broadly, enjoying the wind rustling through his short, dark hair. He'd been taking Nimbus a lot lately, mainly to ease his body of some of the pain his last outing had dealt him. Gohan was almost recovered, but he didn't want to push it. He had his super hero career to think about.
The young Saiyan closed his eyes and let himself go on the little cloud, feeling out familiar energy patterns around the world. He could sense Vegeta nearby as well as Piccolo. He knew Piccolo had been out here training, but Vegeta rarely left town. He had time before school yet and was about to change course when another energy signature reached out and knocked Gohan off his feet. He fell off the back of Nimbus and towards the Earth, but the cloud quickly turned around and dove to catch him.
Gohan landed with a light whump on the cloud and sat up holding his head.
"What was that?" he asked no one in particular. "It felt like some kind of evil power entering our world. I haven't felt something like that since…since Cell. Nimbus, turn us southeast. I have a feeling this isn't going to be good."
The little cloud faithfully turned in the direction Gohan had indicated. The Saiyan brought himself back to his feet and began looking around the tree line below for anything out of the ordinary. That's when Piccolo pulled up alongside Gohan. The older Namek's green skin glistened in the light of the sun, his white cape flying out behind him. His purple and white turban did little to protect his head from the harsh wind created by their flight, but its purpose was to help him train, not work as headgear.
"Piccolo," shouted Gohan. "I take it you felt that too?"
"Yeah," grunted the Namek. "I don't like the way it feels. Too powerful for my tastes and it feels like it's got a bad attitude."
"You sure you're not just picking up on Vegeta?"
Piccolo chuckled. "No, that's a whole different kind of attitude. And I picked him up before this. Whatever it is, its worse."
Gohan nodded and urged Nimbus to pick up the pace that Piccolo was setting. They arrived at a clearing and found Vegeta floating above it, golden Super Saiyan flares cascading off his body. Vegeta slowly descended to the ground below him and cut his Saiyan abilities down to nothing, revealing his short body in a pair of black jeans and a pink shirt with the words "Badman" stenciled in black on his back.
Piccolo and Gohan followed suit. After jumping off the cloud to the ground below he sent Nimbus away. No sense getting the little cloud involved in a major fight if it came down to it. Vegeta didn't even bother to turn and face the two new arrivals. He knew who they were from his long experience on Earth.
"You think you could have bought a decent pair of shoes by now Piccolo," said Vegeta adjusting the pink collar of his shirt. "I could hear the pitter-patter of your little green feet as you landed."
"And you have room to talk? Did Bulma dress you before you left the house again?" chided Piccolo ready for Vegeta's verbal battles this time.
"Hey you two, heads up," interrupted Gohan. "I think that dark energy we were all sensing is about to come out of that hole over there."
In a hillside at the edge of the clearing, a natural cave had formed. It had been covered over by grass until just a few moments before and the clumps of dirt and grass lay spread out into the clearing. There was an eerie glow coming form the back of the cave and it seemed to Gohan like most of the energy was emanating from there. What caught his attention however were the two figures that were coming out of the cave. One looked like a bizarre mix of cat and human, the other like an overweight carnival clown that had been out of work for a long time. The three Z Fighters figured out quickly that these two were stronger than they looked, but Vegeta felt the need to taunt them just the same.
"Well, well. What do we have here? Earth's greatest threat is from a hole in the ground now? Maybe I should round up some catnip and a few midgets with a fire hose."
Cheshire peered at the trio with a look of disgust on her face. Two monkeys and a plant. She sighed and shook her head. Kami would find someone to replace him, she didn't think he'd be desperate though. Something seemed odd about the Namek. Cheshire was sure she recognized him, or at least part of his aura. Had Kami merged with the being now before her? If that was the case then this might actually be a challenge.
Tweedle made his way past Cheshire and out onto the open field. A wicked smile creased his face. He was glad to see the Namek here. He'd wanted to take a little vengeance out on something that bled purple. He giggled in his annoying way and twitched with anticipation. He knew he'd have to gather up some energy before his first attack and waited patiently.
After he finished gathering his energy, Tweedle wanted some fast results and figured the youngest looking member of the group was also the weakest. Gathering everything he'd collected into one attack, Tweedle let loose with an energy blast at Gohan. The ball of green energy flew quickly across the clearing at the unsuspecting Saiyan.
"Look out!" yelled Piccolo, leaping in front of the blast and knocking it to the side. It flew up and over the Z Fighters and took out several trees behind them as it exploded.
Piccolo glared at the fat man and took off the weighted turban on his head as well as his cape and shoulder pads. Piccolo smiled, exposing his fangs and cracked his knuckles.
"Good to see you're out Tweedle," said Piccolo cracking his knuckles. "I was getting worried that we'd be out of a job around here as Earth's Champions."
"You know this guy, Piccolo?" asked Gohan, taking a cue from Piccolo and removing his school uniform to reveal the black body suit that Bulma had made for him.
"I don't know him personally. Kami had a run in with these two and a bunch of their friends awhile back. I'm guessing that energy surge we felt was the barrier he created being destroyed. The fat man is Tweedle. He's stronger than he looks. So is his partner, Cheshire.
"They both come from the Dimension of Wonder. It used to be a fantastic place of magic and mystery. A few years back, a young girl named Alice read about this dimension in one of her father's research books and was so moved by it that she gathered up the Dragonballs to go there.
"Her wish was easily granted, but ended up in a nasty twist when she met Cheshire off the bat. Cheshire and a few others were working to get into power there. They work for a cybernetically enhanced monster known as Queen Shinzo. Her lower half resembles a spider, and the top half is that of a beautiful silver woman. Don't let her fool you. She is as nasty as Freeza ever was. These two work for her. They killed Alice and used her blood to create a dimensional portal to our world. Kami found out about it and erected a seal around their portal, trapping them inside. We both thought that they'd be trapped there. I guess we were wrong."
"Neither of you could do anything right, Piccolo," said Vegeta in an annoyed tone. "Now we have to clean up the mess. Hardly worth my time."
"I assure you," hissed Cheshire. "We will be more than a match for you, monkey."
"I am no monkey!" Vegeta shouted, clenching his fist. "I am the Prince of all Saiyans!"
"We shall see. Tweedle," ordered Cheshire. "Eliminate them."
"With ple-asure!" cackled Tweedle, launching himself at the Namek.
Piccolo pushed off the ground as well and flew one-fisted at Tweedle. Before he got to Tweedle directly he launched himself up and over him, landing a fist in Tweedle's back. Tweedle turned quickly and punched Piccolo in the face, knocking him back a few feet. The fat man laughed and lunged for Piccolo again, but Piccolo was ready and was into the air before anything could connect. Tweedle chased after him.
"Go Piccolo!" shouted Gohan, stepping up beside Vegeta. Vegeta looked over at Gohan as if to say something and his eyes went wide.
Vegeta stared at Gohan in his black body suit, his mouth agape. "You wear that all the time?"
Gohan smoothed out a wrinkle in the fabric. "What? It's comfortable. And it's not like I wear the whole outfit under my school clothes. You're the one who likes to go out in pink."
Up in the air, the blur of motion that was Piccolo and Tweedle continued. Neither fighter was really getting ahead of the other and they appeared to be matched. Tweedle sized up Piccolo again and pushed away from him, floating about 15 meters away.
"So Piccolo," whined Tweedle. "I see you know a lot about fighting. How much do you know about winning?"
"Enough to stop the likes of you," rasped out Piccolo, one bead of sweat running down his face.
"We shall see," Tweedle said, his fingers extending out to twice their size. His nails grew out to half an inch in length and gleamed in the sun. The fat man launched at Piccolo again, his new talons flying madly about the Namek. Piccolo managed to fend off most of the attack, but several cuts appeared on his chest, arms and legs. Piccolo kicked the twisted clown away from him, purple blood staining his pants a darker shade.
"Piccolo!" shouted Gohan.
"Relax kid," said Vegeta. "I think the plant can handle it."
Gohan frowned at Vegeta but turned back to the battle in time to see Piccolo moving in for an energy attack. The Namek held up his index and middle finger to his forehead, gathering energy there to release on his attacker.
"Makkankosappo!" yelled Piccolo pointing his hand at Tweedle. The blast knocked him back to the ground at Cheshire's feet. Piccolo descended back down to where Gohan and Vegeta stood.
"Is that the best you can throw at him? If I'd have known you were going to do so poorly against this guy I would've called Trunks out here to fight!" snarled Vegeta. "He may be young and weak, but he could have taken that idiot Tweedle out in under a minute!"
"Will you relax?" snapped Piccolo. "I know what I'm doing. He won't be able to keep this up for long. Besides he has a few surprises that I can remember."
"Oh really? And what might that be?" asked Vegeta. "He's not that strong at all! I wouldn't even have to go Super Saiyan to take him out!"
"I think we're about to get an idea," interrupted Gohan pointing across the clearing. "Look!"
***
Tweedle was pulling himself out of the small impact crater his large mass had created. His clothes were a bit rumpled, but otherwise he looked perfectly fine. A small trail of blood oozed from the corner of his mouth but he wiped it away quickly.
"No weakness," Tweedle giggled.
"What's taking you so long?" chided Cheshire. "You should have finished that Namek off already!"
"I'm handling it my own time, Cheshire! I don't see you out there!"
"Eat your damned bean and get it over with!"
"Very well…master." said Tweedle in a highly annoyed tone.
Tweedle pulled a bottle from behind his back with the words "Eat Me" stenciled on the side. Reaching a pudgy digit into the bottle to pull out a twisted black bean. Tweedle smiled knowingly at Piccolo and popped it into his mouth. He quickly capped the bottle and returned it to its place on his belt.
***
"What was that?" asked Gohan.
"That was a dark Sensu bean," answered Piccolo simply. "They get twisted by the Queen who rules the other realm. If fed to someone with a dark heart it makes them stronger."
"And what if that person isn't dark?" asked Gohan, not sure he wanted the answer.
"It turns them evil, drives them insane and makes them stronger than imaginable."
"Right. Don't eat the dark beans. Dark beans bad. Got it," said Gohan.
A dark flame popped up around Tweedle, it's edges absorbing the light surrounding him. He smiled wickedly and walked slowly toward Piccolo and the others. He flexed his clawed hands, drawing blood from his own arm as the nails scratched his skin.
"Come on Piccolo. Let's see what you've got now," taunted Tweedle.
Piccolo's eyes narrowed as he looked upon his opponent. He cleared his mind and planned out his next move. Tweedle was even stronger now, but the brains behind that strength weren't there. Brute force wasn't going to work here. Piccolo knew he'd have to play it smart. Piccolo smiled at Tweedle.
"Come on if you're not afraid," taunted Piccolo, taking a few strides away from Vegeta and Gohan.
"Piccolo, what're you doing?"
"I can handle this Gohan. Just stand back," said Piccolo re-assuredly.
Piccolo closed his eyes for a brief second and suddenly five copies of him spread out to surround Tweedle. Tweedle looked at each, trying to maintain some sort of order as to which was the original.
"Stop that! It's not fair!" cried Tweedle.
"Stop what?" said one of the Piccolos.
"Fair? Who said anything about fighting fair?" asked another copy.
"And he calls that handling it," snorted Vegeta.
Tweedle shied back a step from the three Piccolos in front of him. All six of them smiled at the same time and rushed Tweedle. He cried out and tried to leap up but didn't get out of the way in time. The fat man disappeared under a sea of green and purple.
Tweedle's cries of pain could be heard through the punching mass of Piccolos. He wasn't too happy about his situation, and after a few brief minutes of pounding, the multiple copies were thrown off of Tweedle as he let out a primal scream and releases much of the dark energy that had originated in the dark Sensu bean. Blood and dirt stained Tweedle's face and clothes, his arm hung limply at his side. Wheezing could be heard through cracked ribs, and yet the fat man was still smiling at them. Piccolo recalled his multiples and readied himself. Tweedle wouldn't fall for that move again.
"So you like to fight in gangs, eh?" questioned Tweedle, his scratchy voice gurgling from the blood mixing in his lungs. "Two can play!" Tweedle let out an ungodly scream forcing Piccolo and Gohan to cover their ears. Vegeta and Cheshire simply looked on as the fat man split in two, much like Piccolo's previous move. The twin Tweedle's looked to be in much better shape then they had before the split, only minor abrasions and contusions graced their flesh and bone. The dark flames flared up and seemed to suck in even more light around the twins.
"Gentle-beings," started one of the copies. "May I…"
"Introduce ourselves," finished the other. "I am…"
"Tweedle D," the first bowed.
"And Tweedle M."
"How quaint," said Vegeta. "They've split and now we have to deal with Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dumber. Get this over with Piccolo or I'll finish it for you!"
"Why? You got somewhere to go Vegeta?" asked Piccolo. "Bulma going to pick out some more clothes for the week for you?"
Vegeta clenched his fists and glared at Piccolo, his left eye twitching. "We both know who'll win that fight, Namek. Don't think I won't demonstrate how much stronger I am than you."
"Will you both knock it off?" interrupted an annoyed Gohan. "I think we have bigger problems on our hands here. Those two look like they're getting stronger by the minute."
"Hardly a worthy match in this fight, Gohan," said Vegeta. "A Saiyan needs more than this rabble to keep him amused."
"I'd watch your language," said Cheshire in a menacing tone. "They are more than a match for you. I'm amazed the Namek could hold his own."
"Unless they are as strong as a Saiyan, I highly doubt it. They look like a pair of over-stuffed clowns to me."
"Vegeta," whispered Gohan. "I think you'd better stop. They're twice as strong split, can't you feel it?"
"Boy, there are times I think you are as weak as your father. Watch this."
Vegeta sneered and threw up his right hand. Light gathered there quickly and formed into a large ball of energy that Vegeta launched from his hand, roaring towards Tweedle D and M. The two sidestepped the oncoming attack quickly. It continued its fast pace onwards to Cheshire. Lifting her left hand, Cheshire blocked Vegeta's Big Bang Attack causing the ball to deflect up and over her, landing on a section of forest. The energy released in a large explosion as trees, smoke and dirt came pouring down from what was sure to be a crater in the forest.
Vegeta's eyes went wide, his mouth hanging open. Very few people had ever resisted that attack, Freeza and Kakkarot to name a few. That this small female was capable of such a feat not only intrigued Vegeta, but it also scared him. "Could this be the challenge I've sought out since Kakkarot left? Can this woman be the one to push me to my limits once again?" Vegeta asked himself. He moved into a proper fighting stance and clenched his fists attempting to look more intimidating.
"So, the great Saiyan Prince wishes to fight me?" asked Cheshire. "I find that fact alone amusing. If it's a fight you want, little man, then be prepared for it."
Cheshire crouched to the ground like a cat stalking its prey and launched herself at Vegeta. She covered the ground between them in less than 5 seconds, leaving Vegeta little time to prepare. The Saiyan leapt from the ground to fly over his assailant. Sending down some energy blasts at Cheshire, Vegeta sought to gain an upper hand. Cheshire sensed the attack and disappeared before the attack hit the ground. Vegeta scanned the area looking for her when he heard a soft laughter from behind him followed by a sharp elbow in his back that sent him flying.
"She has instant transmission!" thought Vegeta. He regained his stability in the air and found she had disappeared again. Wheeling about, Vegeta met her glare just in time to dodge a clawed strike attack. He stood to the side fingering the cuts in his shirt. Letting out a guttural cry, Vegeta pointed at the smiling villainess.
"That was my favorite shirt, woman! You will pay for this! I am not going to sit still and be made a mockery of! Kakkarot could not best me in a fair fight, and neither will you!"
"Who said I was going to fight fair, Prince Vegeta?" Cheshire let the word Prince roll off her tongue so that he knew she was mocking him.
"I can hardly claim to playing fair either," Vegeta sneered. Golden flames erupted from around his body, his hair turning long, blonde and gravity defying; his shirt rippled from the illusionary wind. "Let's see what you've got!" Vegeta flew down to Cheshire like a bolt of lighting. Under-estimating the Super Saiyans speed, she had no time to use her instant transmission. The two fighters went at it in the air, fists flying so fast the normal eye could not see.
Vegeta smiled as the fight wore on. Here was something he could do. Here was something he was made for.
***
Gohan stood on the ground below, marveling at the battle above. He still couldn't believe the speed Vegeta had when he wanted it. It had been awhile since he'd seen anyone as fast as a Saiyan, and yet there she was, quick as lightning and just as agile. It was in this state of amazement that Gohan missed the movement in front of him as the fat twins moved in to strike him, nearly as fast as the cat-girl above.
Tweedle D and M under-estimated the Namek yet again as Piccolo leapt in to save Gohan. Shoving the young half-Saiyan out of the way, Piccolo took the brunt of the attack. Gohan slid across the clearing to end up in front of an old willow tree. He jumped up and ran out from underneath its tired branches to see Piccolo, Tweedle D and Tweedle M locked in a flurry of motion. Gohan concentrated on the fight like Piccolo had trained him and immediately wished he hadn't.
"Piccolo! Get out of there!" shouted Gohan. He could see that Tweedle D and M were too much for the Namek. The claws of one sunk into his flesh when he dodged the other, his purple blood spilling out onto the ground. Gohan's eyes were a tale of pain as he looked on. "This is my fault," thought Gohan. "I'll make it right Piccolo. I swear to you."
The Namek put up a great fight, but in the end the tag-team Tweedle was too much for him and he was thrown from the fight into a bloody heap at Gohan's feet. Gohan sank to his knees, cradling Piccolo in his arms.
"Piccolo! No! You can't be dead! Piccolo!" Gohan couldn't detect a heartbeat on his fallen friend and teacher nor see his chest rise and fall. Had they killed him? Was he too late?
"No!" screamed Gohan. "You killed him! You killed Piccolo!"
"Tut," said Tweedle D.
"Tut. Shouldn't but in," started Tweedle M.
"On a fight you can't finish," finished Tweedle D.
Gohan's eyes narrowed as he looked upon his new foes. He positioned himself into one of Piccolo's classic stances that the Namek had taught him so many years ago out in the wilderness. The young Saiyan clenched his fists, his fingers digging into his palms hard enough to draw blood.
"Vegeta is right," said Gohan. "Enough playing around. This is more than personal now. I'm making it my goal in life to stop all of you. Piccolo will be avenged!"
"And just how," started Tweedle D.
"Do you plan to accomplish that?" finished Tweedle M.
As if in answer to the twins' question golden flames erupted from around Gohan, his hair turning blonde and rippling in the wind, the piercing gaze of his eyes glossing over green. Gohan moved into another stance and released a bit of the energy he contained, creating an indent in the ground underneath him. Rock and stone floated along side his Super Saiyan form, an early sign of the battle about to come. The golden flames flared brighter and moved faster about his body. The young Saiyan used the pain and anger he felt and channeled into his Super Saiyan ability and flew at Tweedle like a guided missile.
Tweedle D and M swirled about the Super Saiyan, claws striking out at him. Flying up above D, Gohan's fist connected with his head, knocking him down. While D was recovering from his hit, M launched another attack on Gohan. Fists flew at and around the head of the young Saiyan as he dodged the incoming punches with ease. Finally Gohan had enough and raised his hands above his head gathering energy there and releasing it the way Piccolo had taught him as the Masenkou. The blast knocked both Tweedles away from Gohan and gave him a moment to gather his own power again. The twins regrouped in the air not too far from their new opponent, the dark energy still flowing about them. They had started to break a sweat now, but as far as they could tell, not a single one of their attacks had hit Gohan.
Gohan eyes the twins intently; fists still clenched at his side. His green eyes did little to hide the rage that had welled up inside him. Piccolo still lay on the ground below, his body unmoved. That simple fact did little to calm the storm that the twins had unleashed. Gohan pulled his right arm back behind him, his hand cupped slightly crossing his left arm over his body just over the right and started gathering energy.
"Kame Hame Ha!" shouted Gohan releasing the energy that he'd collected into a forward thrust at the Tweedles. The blast hit the twins and they fell to the ground, small smoke trails coming from their clothes. Gohan screamed and flew at them on the ground with amazing speed, his Saiyan powers allowing him to crash into the countryside and cause mass amounts of upheaval in the earth around the twins. Turning to face them and fight some more he instead found shards of broken glass strewn across the ground in the Tweedles image. The young Saiyan was so stunned he took a step back and his golden aura faded.
"Is that the fate of the people I fight from the Dimension of Wonder?" asked Gohan aloud. He shivered at the thought. His attention was soon taken from his thoughts as the sound of crashing trees behind him brought him back to reality. Gohan turned to find Vegeta struggling to get up from a blast crater he'd made after being punched to the ground by Cheshire. She stood next to Piccolo, grinning a wide, evil grin and then picked up the Namek's body and launched away from Vegeta and towards the hole in the ground. Gohan was so shocked he barely put up a defense as she dashed by, knocking him off his feet. He turned towards the fleeing Cheshire and reached out his hand as if he could stop her.
"Piccolo!" he cried. "No!"
Gohan got up to pursue, but it was too late. Cheshire and Piccolo had disappeared down the rabbit hole. Gohan punched the ground below him, sending a shockwave that spread out for a quarter mile. He stood, his breath coming in short bursts, tears falling down his cheeks. A hand fell on Gohan's shoulder and he spun to face his attacker when Gohan realized it was Vegeta. Several cuts adorned his face and his prized shirt was torn from the fight with the denizen of Wonder.
"I'm sorry, kid. She got the best of me in a moment and made off with the plant," said Vegeta.
"Piccolo is not a plant," Gohan said with affirmation. "And we're not going to let them have him or the Earth. We're going down there to stop this Queen Shinzo and get Piccolo back!"
Vegeta looked at him seriously for a moment. "Don't you think we should go back and get some of the others? These people are dangerous."
Gohan looked Vegeta in the eye with such a torrent of rage that Vegeta nearly took a step back. "We're going down there. Just you and me, Vegeta. We're going to get Piccolo back and with the Dragon as my witness we'll make Cheshire and this Queen Shinzo pay."
Vegeta half smiled and snarled. "That's the most intelligent thing I've heard you say all day!" Vegeta clapped him on the back and ran for the entrance to the Dimension of Wonder. Gohan clenched his fist and followed.
"We will get you back Piccolo. I swear it," mumbled Gohan under his breath.