AN: So I totally forgot to put my disclaimer on the Prologue, but here it is on every chapter now on. I should add, this story is a throwback to the first FanFic my sister (princessSiyaka) and I wrote 12 years ago, but never published. It's gone through several alterations since then, but this is the first one where we have a plot and a plan (so far into Dragonball Super). And after Xenoverse, I saw an opportunity for this story to be fairly awesome and almost canon. ALMOST. So, a bunch of the new DBZ stuff is going to be brought in, starting in the last leg of DBZ. I hope you all enjoy, and please remember to review!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything Dragonball related. That's owned by Akira Toriyama.
Majin Saga
Chapter 1
I Know What You Are
Mia sat in the back corner of the class, her usual spot away from Videl and her friends. It made things easier to stay away from her, and everyone who attended Orange Star High School. Since they were little, Mia and Videl never got along. And because Videl was the most popular girl in the school, thanks to her father being the one who defeated Cell and being the World Champion, Mia didn't have a lot of, scratch that, any friends that Videl hadn't tainted with her rumors and hate for the young Saiyan girl. But over the years, Mia had learned to become the bigger person. She never forgave Videl for how she had been treated over the years, but she had learned to ignore it. Mia had always done better in school than her anyway, so at least she had that going for her.
It was her Calculus period, which was before her last period, gym. The class would be split for a thirty minute lunch break, towards the end of the period, the one thing Mia looked forward to in this period. As she sat back, she listened to the other students gossiping about the Gold Fighter from this morning's robbery. She hadn't seen a kid even remotely matching his description, but her first two periods were AP Classes, Genetics and Literature, classes she actually enjoyed. So it was likely that she hadn't been in class with him yet, as her AP classes were small, consisting of five or six people. Calculus however was one of her bigger classes, because it was the average class for their grade.
The professor stood in front of the class, trying to calm the class down to quiet clamor. The professor announced, "Now most of you know by now that we have a new student." Mia looked up, seeing a boy walk in wearing red pants, a white shirt, with a black vest. Exactly what the Gold Fighter was said to be wearing. Mia focused on him, black hair; dark brown, almost black eyes; and peachy skin. He was tall, well to her. He had to be around six feet compared to her five foot two. "Class, this is Gohan, as most of you know by now. Gohan, take your seat." He nodded and walked towards the seat next to Erasa on the other side of the room, near Videl.
Mia was transfixed. Even though he looked like nothing in the muscle department, he had the grace of a fighter in his steps. If he were a Saiyan, that would explain the Gold Fighter. She narrowed her eyes as she watched him. His hair was black like the Saiyans, and his eyes were the same dark brown as every Saiyan. However, it was impossible to know for sure unless she saw either his tail of if he went Super Saiyan. But, if she remembered correctly, the Saiyans from the Cell Games had gotten rid of their tails, and if that was the case, she couldn't know officially unless she saw him transform. Unless …
"Mia, why don't you come up and solve the equation?"
She looked up, away from the new kid, Gohan, and back to the front. There was no equation on the board, leaving her nervous. "Uhm, what equation, Sir?"
The professor glowered at her while a few of the students chuckled at her expense. She shot a furtive glance to Gohan. The whole class seemed to be focused on her, but Gohan's face was the most pitiful and worried. "Page ninety-six, first problem of the work section."
Mia licked her lips nervously. "On the board?" The professor nodded curtly, an annoyed expression on his face. She swept up her book and walked up to the board, flipping the pages until she found page ninety-six. She grabbed a piece of chalk and began to write on the board. Her handwriting was always scratchy and hard to read, but on the board, all of its imperfections were magnified. Once she reached the answer, she stepped aside, putting the chalk down.
The professor looked at her, then gestured to the class, "Now explain your process, Ms. Jicama."
She let out a small huff as she explained her step by step until she reached her answer. The professor nodded, and gestured back to her seat. Mia nodded, going back to her seat. The new kid eyed her as she walked to the back of the class. She could tell he was impressed by her. She sat back down and went back to note-taking with a smile on her face. Saiyan or not, maybe she could sway him from Videl's hateful clutches, and convince him to be her friend instead.
Siyaka dropped the file in front of her perp from this morning's robbery. "As far as I'm concerned, this is an open and shut case." Siyaka sighed as she crossed her arms, leaning back against the back wall. "Well, for you, at least."
"I want my lawyer," the guy growled, not looking at her.
Siyaka let out a laugh. "You were caught red-handed. Nothing much your lawyer can do to help you," she stated, shaking her curly haired head. "You're looking at thirty-five years in prison just for the robbery, unless you give me some information about the other charges."
"I ain't sayin' nothin', chick!" he snapped back, spit flinging from his lips onto her face.
She cocked and eyebrow at him, paired with a disgusted frown as she gently wiped the spittle away with one finger. "That's fine. I'll just tell you what I know, and if you feel like chiming in to reduce your sentence, that's fine too." With a sigh, she opened her file and read, "Upon booking, we acquired your finger prints, which just so happened to match a set of prints in an unsolved murder case from a year ago." She shot him a mock surprised smirk, "How fortunate for us." She turned back to her file, pulling out a photo of a discarded bullet casing, and laying it out in front of him to look at. "This bullet casing was recovered at the crime scene of DA Curtis's murder with your print on it. However," she added, through pursed lips and a sassy shrug, "the gun it was shot from was traced back to the Red Shark Gang's higher up, Louis 'Rig-em-up' Rigby.
"Now," she leaned in, clasping her hands together, "DA Curtis was trying a case on Louis Rigby, and got the closest anyone ever got to locking him up. That gives Louis motive, unlike you," she sighed, "whose only connection to the late DA is the fingerprint on the bullet casing from the shot that killed him."
He chewed the inside of his lip before shrugging and leaning back. "So?"
"So," Siyaka stated, a twitch in her lip. Kami, he was annoying. "As of right now, that murder is pinned on you. Your fingerprint on the bullet casing, and I'm sure if we dig further, we'll find a match for the carpet fiber found in our victim's hair will match the carpet in your car's trunk, which matched the car style and license plate we recovered of the car the DA was crammed into when he was last seen alive." She got up, leaving the file in front of him open as she leaned lazily against the double-sided mirror, adopting the criminal's coolly confident stance. She frowned shaking her head as if disappointed. "Tsk. This is damning evidence, and would drive your sentence up to life, and possibly even death row."
There was a pregnant pause as the criminal focused on the open file in front of him, full of pictures of a dead body lying out in a pool of blood on the pavement. This information was sinking in slowly, but Siyaka could tell he was the type of gangster that could easily be turned into a rat for the cops. "Now, Ricky," she smiled seductively, leaning over the table, giving him a good view of her cleavage. She was a woman after all, and knew how to use her wiles. "I can call you Ricky, right?" He didn't answer, so she shrugged, continuing as she strutted around him, her finger lazily tracing along the table. "You can change your fate from permanent jail-time if you help me with this." She stopped in the corner opposite him, looking at him waiting for an answer. When he didn't give one, refusing to even look at her, she nodded. "Alright. Have a good life, I guess," she added as she walked to the door.
"Wait, wait wait," the guy pleaded. She stopped, her hand on the door knob. "Louis wanted him dead," Ricky stated with a gruff tone. "I was working my way in, and that was my ticket to the next rung up in ranks."
"Your ticket?" Siyaka asked curiously.
"Yeah," Ricky sighed. "I already had the recommendation, but that was my initiation to the next rank. For each rank you have to prove yourself, from entering to making boss."
Siyaka quirked an eyebrow. "Must have been a high rank for such a steep initiation."
Ricky shrugged. "It varies. But yeah, initiation is generally submitting to being the fall guy for someone in the next rank. They usually protect you when shit starts to stir, but…"
Siyaka tapped her finger against her elbow, and asked, "Would you be willing to sign a confession for a plea deal?"
Ricky nodded. "As long as I don't get the chair. They aren't worth that much trouble. I only got into it because it was easy money."
Siyaka smiled and tapped the mirror with her fist, gently. "Alright, I'll get the DA." She stepped out of the interrogation room and was met with raucous applause.
"Detective Jicama bags another one," her partner laughed, clapping a hand on her shoulder. Detective Rito, her partner, always had the tough guy act going. His ex-military background had given him some tough guy stories to go with his chiseled looks and scars. He was only a couple inches taller than Siyaka, but he had packed on muscle under his civilian clothes over the years. His favorite hobby was hitting on women, and most melted under his intense chocolaty smolder. All except Siyaka. "This must be a record," he joked, as he guided her back to her desk. He laughed. "It must be that intense womanly glare." She shot him an odd look. "Hey, it's sexy. Own it," he shrugged, his hands up in surrender. She frowned at him in disapproval, and he grinned, pointing a finger at her. "That's it."
"Did you want something, Rito?" Siyaka sighed, returning to the other file on her desk, flipping it open.
"Just congrats," Rito smiled genuinely, leaning back in his chair. "It's not every day we detectives get a good hit landed against the mob."
Siyaka shook her head. "We wouldn't have gotten a hit without the Burglary Unit just happening to bring in our murderer. That's luck, not skill. And I don't like relying on or getting congratulated for good luck." Rito pursed his lips and looked away awkwardly.
"You know, they got Al Capone with tax evasion, not murder," Rito offered hopefully after a short pause. When she didn't look at him, just shake her head at the file on her desk, he asked, "What's in the file?"
She clicked her tongue and frowned. "Just evidence the Satan City Police Department has gotten lazy," she stated, tapping the file with her finger. "We've got another vigilante in the city. Unvetted."
Rito frowned, reaching over for the file. "The Gold Fighter. He's the one who apprehended the robbers and our guy? And he wasn't arrested?"
Siyaka nodded, scratching her temple frustratedly. "When did we start turning a blind eye to vigilantes? Doesn't it say in our laws that no citizen is allowed to take the law into their own hands?"
Rito sighed in agreement. "I guess we forgot when Mr. Satan's daughter took an interest. Still, he should have been arrested."
"Yeah, well, Ms. Satan's actions have opened up opportunities for other vigilantes to step in. And mark my words, we will be out of a job without pension or pay if that happens," Siyaka sighed. "But I guess there is a line drawn with the vetting process, setting aside the lawful and unlawful vigilantes," she added sarcastically.
"What does the captain want you to do with this 'Gold Fighter'?" Rito asked.
"The captain wants us to bring him in, as he technically committed assault and damage to property in front of police officers. Even if it was against some scum criminals."
Gohan came out of the Gym locker room, sweatpants on with a blue t-shirt. He honestly felt more comfortable in this than the outfit his mom had bought for his first day of school. He followed the rest of his class outside to the baseball diamond. "Don't show off your powers," he could hear his mother nagging in the back of his mind. In the classroom, that wasn't a hard direction to follow, but this was Gym class. A class devoted to physical fitness. He chewed on the inside of his lip nervously as he looked at some of the students stretching.
"Hey, Brainiac," Sharpner called, waving Gohan over to him, Videl and Erasa. He walked over, his hands in his pockets. He wasn't sure what to think of their group so far. Erasa was nice and bubbly. Sharpner seemed like he could be a bit of a jerk, but Gohan could tell it was an act to impress Videl. And Videl seemed overly critical of Gohan, ever since their first class that morning. He prayed she wasn't able to figure out it was him that morning at the bank.
"So, do you know how to play baseball?" Sharpner asked, an eyebrow cocked and a smirk on his face.
Gohan shrugged and replied, "Well, yeah. I've read about it?"
Sharpner laughed before turning to Videl. "You can have him."
"Gee, thanks," Videl growled at the blonde before looking over Gohan speculatively.
Erasa put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Oh, come on Videl. He might not be that bad," Erasa stated with a smile. "At least Sharpner has Mia."
Gohan's brow furrowed. "Who's Mia?"
Videl laughed, "You're right, Erasa. At least we don't have Mia."
Gohan shot both of the girls a confused look as they laughed. "Oh, she's the one who sucks at every sport," Erasa explained, waving her hand. "She's a … bit of an oddball."
Videl let out a scoff. "Oh, that's what we're calling her now?"
"Well, he doesn't know the story," Erasa stated defensively.
Videl shook her head with a laugh. "Whatever. Gohan, Erasa, you're in the outfield."
Erasa nodded, grabbing Gohan's wrist and dragging him to the outfield. "Wait, what story?" Gohan asked as he let Erasa drag him.
Erasa sighed, dropping his arm. "Well, back in ninth grade, Mia notoriously slept with a ton of guys in our class," she explained with a blank look. Gohan's jaw dropped a little, his eyes going wide. He hadn't even had his first kiss yet, and kids his age were doing that? Erasa shrugged as she continued. "It broke up a lot of couples, including Videl and her then sweetheart, Sharpner." Gohan let out an awkward cough as he tried to process this. "I know," Erasa scowled, looking towards the batting team, "it's disgusting. How a girl can just mess with people's hearts like that? It's horrible."
"Yeah," Gohan muttered, not sure what to say.
"It's probably because she never knew who her dad was," Erasa added blankly.
There was a thud at their feet, and Erasa jumped up with a squeal as the baseball rolled to her feet, clinging to Gohan for protection. "Hey guys! Look alive!" Videl called to them with a scowl on her face. Erasa separated herself awkwardly from Gohan with a blush before she picked up the ball and lazily threw it to the second baseman as the runner landed on the base.
As the play stopped, the second baseman passed the ball back to Videl on the pitcher's mound. Gohan watched as a somewhat shorter girl walked up to bat. Her black hair pulled back messily in a braid. She wore a short sleeve hoodie over a tank top showing off her ample sized chest. Her rolled-down navy blue shorts showed off her toned legs and very exposed midriff. He recognized her from the math class he had before this. "That's her," Erasa hissed.
As the girl put the bat over her shoulder to swing, Videl called out, "Everyone, scoot in!" The infield and outfield players, except Gohan walked toward the batter. She scowled at the other team as her grip on the bat tightened. Gohan noticed something off about her. Even though she didn't look it, Gohan got a sense she had a deep well of untapped power that his classmates would have no clue about. She was stronger than she looked, stronger than most humans, which was strange.
"Now, Mia, actually try to hit the ball," the coach said with a hopeful smile.
"No promises," she replied with a sarcastic smile.
Videl fired up the pitch and threw. Mia swung and missed, the bat below the ball, and her team groaned. Gohan looked at her curiously. If he was sensing her correctly, she should be able to hit the ball, no problem. Maybe he was wrong. His classmates did say she was horrible at sports. Well, they said a lot of things, but maybe they weren't all wrong.
"Strike One!"
"Don't count the strikes this time," the coach ordered.
"Sir?" the catcher asked.
"Mia, you are not leaving the batting area until you hit the ball. In all your years at this school, you haven't hit the ball once," the coach stated plainly. A wave of snickers and chuckles went through the class at that. "Since this is your last time playing before graduation, you will hit the ball once, and you will not sit down until then. Understand?"
Mia gritted her teeth as their classmates began to complain. "None of us are going to play," someone groaned. "Do you have a tee or a tennis racket?" she asked with a nervous laugh.
The coach pursed his lips and replied, "I'll give you ten strikes. But if you don't hit the ball, I will have to fail you this grading period." The class oh-ed dangerously at the prospect. "I don't want to do that, so hit the ball." When Mia didn't say anything, the coach signaled Videl for the next pitch.
Videl pitched another four times, and with each strike, the class groaned, and Gohan felt his shoulders sinking with boredom. "Come on, slut," someone called out from the infield. Suddenly a chant began. "Slut! Slut! Slut! Slut!" And Gohan grew uncomfortable. These kids could be mean. And he suddenly understood why his mother made him promise not to use his powers. Videl revved up her pitch again as the chant got louder. Gohan noticed Mia's eyes gain a focus they didn't have before, and she swung. With a loud cracking clang, she made contact with the ball, and it soared out with a speed Gohan hadn't witnessed in an inanimate object before. The class stared at the sky with wonder as Mia started running to first base, second base.
"The Hell are you doing!?" she snapped at the student on third staring dumbly into space. Her sharp tone brought the runner's attention back to the game as he ran to home base, Mia following close behind.
The gym teacher smiled at her as she jogged in. "You passed," he stated as she landed on the home plate. "Have a seat." She nodded and sat down, grabbing her notebook and writing.
A couple more batters ran through as Gohan contemplated exactly how to play without giving away his super powers. Anything was better than being considered different. Certainly not playing at all would look bad for his reputation. He didn't want to be like Mia, where the other kids complained about his inability to play any games at all, but at the same time, he couldn't show that he could fly, or throw a boulder with ease. As Sharpner approached the bat, Gohan decided to try. As Sharpner hit the ball, Gohan watched it, jumping into the air gently to catch it. Seeing the runner at third off base, he threw it gently to the baseman, floating down to the ground. With those being the last two outs, that meant it was his team's turn to bat. As he landed, he was met with gazes full of shock and awe, and his stomach plummeted. He overdid it. He tried to laugh it off as his classmates' eyes followed him.
"That was great, Gohan. You must have jumped twenty feet in the air," his coach stated blankly.
"Oh, no, it's the shoes," Gohan replied sheepishly. "Yeah, with the air cushions. They really make a difference." As he went to sit down, a classmate asked, "Hey aren't you first to bat?" Gohan gulped as he grabbed a bat. "I guess." He lined himself up in the left hand batter's position, even though he and everyone else just saw he was definitely right handed. Left handed, would dampen his batting power at least. He prayed he didn't make another mistake in showing his power.
"Uh, son, that's the left hander's spot," the coach stated awkwardly.
"Yeah, is that bad?" Gohan asked blankly.
The coach stared at him dumbfounded. "No … no it's not bad. Just, right handers tend to bat from the other side."
Gohan looked at the coach awkwardly. "Oh," was all he could think to reply with before turning back to Sharpner on the pitcher's mound. Gohan understood the mechanics of batting, but he had chosen left handed batting on purpose. Sharpner made his pitch, an evil glint in his eyes. That's when Gohan saw the ball heading straight for him. Perfect. He stayed still, letting the ball hit his hat, knocking it off his head. Sharpner gawked at him in shock as Gohan let out a relieved breath. "Hey, Coach, if I get hit, that means I walk, right?" The coach nodded, his shock on his face. With a grin, Gohan walked to first base, a skip in his step. He didn't have to show his powers, and he still got the chance to score a point.
The rest of the class passed without any hitches. Gohan made sure not to jump or dive for balls, and picked up a trick he saw some of his classmates use at the bat, called bunting, which made his second time at the bat so much easier. The bell rang, signaling the end of the day, and they all ran into the locker rooms. As a few guys talked to him as they walked into the locker room, asking him about his shoes, talking about his jump and catches, Gohan felt something brush against him. He looked around only to see a sea of students and ignored it. He followed the flow into the locker room, finding his locker.
He reached into his pockets to find the combination to his gym locker to change when his hand brushed a large folded piece of loose leaf paper. He pulled it out, opening it and his heart plummeting as he read it.
"I know you're a Saiyan. Meet me on the roof after school."
His mind started racing. How did they know he was a Saiyan? Who could possibly know this at this school? He had to know. He could ignore students saying he looked a little like the Gold Fighter. But Saiyan? That wasn't something a normal person would know. Not about the race, much less that he was part Saiyan.
"Hey, Gohan, what's that?" Sharpner asked as he threw on his shirt.
Gohan shook his head, balling up the paper. "It's nothing," he said, unlocking his locker and pulling out his regular clothes.
Sharpner finished tying his shoes as he gave Gohan and odd look. "Whatever. See you later, dude," Sharpner grunted, getting up from the bench and heading out of the locker room. Gohan nodded in response, and quickly got changed. He had to find out who knew what he was. He shut the locker with a divisive click and left to grab his backpack and books from his main locker.
"Where are you in a rush to?" Videl asked over his shoulder, seeing him practically throwing the textbooks into his bag. Her tone was so skeptical.
"Give him a break, Videl," Erasa giggled. She winked as she added, "He has an extra-long ride home, so he's probably just trying to make sure he gets home in time for dinner."
Gohan laughed. "Actually, yeah. Dinner," he lied, nervously.
Videl eyed him with slight disbelief, before muttering, "Come on, Erasa."
Erasa blushed, and with a wink and a wave, added, "Have a safe ride home, Gohan."
Gohan nodded awkwardly as he shifted his bag onto his shoulder. As soon as they were gone, he made his way to the stairs, and started climbing. It wasn't long before he reached the roof's red door, and he swung it open. He walked out, seeing no one there. How? Who left him the note if no one was here?
"I see you got my note, Gohan, son of Kakarrot," a voice purred behind him. It definitely belonged to a girl, but it wasn't high and bubbly like Erasa's, nor was it gruff and abrasive like Videl's. If anything, it reminded Gohan of Android 18's silky soft voice. The same calm, yet dangerous tone. And yet, her tone sounded more flirty and calculating.
Gohan turned around and was surprised who he saw in front of him. It was the short girl from his math and gym class, Mia. Her hair was still pulled back in a messy braid, a few whisps falling in her face. Her hands were on her hips, and a smirk on her face as she eyed him. Her lips were full, and her onyx eyes held a fiery spirit he recognized, but couldn't place. She had high cheekbones, giving her a regal look. She wore a green tank top that still showed some midriff, with a black leather jacket over it. Her jeans were ripped, but at least their waistband was higher than her gym shorts. And lastly, black combat boots to tie the whole tough look together. She was pretty, in a kickass sort of way that made Gohan's heart beat a pace faster. "So, the delivery boy from the Cell Games is all grown up and going to school," she smirked playfully. "Who'd have guessed?"
"How do you know about Saiyans?" he asked nervously, ignoring the part about how she knew about his part in the Cell Games. It was clear to him she knew more intimate details than his ability to go blonde at the drop of a hat.
Her smirk grew. "How about how do I know you are one of them?" When he didn't respond, only frown at her, she sighed. "Geez, you're no fun." Mia reached into the back of her pants, causing Gohan's eyes to go wide as she slowly drew out a long, furry brown tail. "As you can see, I too am a Saiyan." Gohan's gaze followed her tail as she dropped it, and it started to wag in the air. He instantly put up his fists. Every other Saiyan that had come to Earth had plans to destroy it. "Oh, there's no need for that," Mia sighed, putting her hands up open palmed as if in surrender. "I don't want to fight. You're just the first – well, other Saiyan that I've ever met, other than my Mom."
Gohan eased up, but stuttered out, "Y-your mom?"
"Yeah," Mia answered.
Gohan had a confused look on his face as he sputtered out, "Your mom's a Saiyan."
Mia laughed, "Yeah. And she can go super like you." When his face remained blankly confused, she got a weird smile on her face. "What, you didn't think female Saiyans could go Super Saiyan?"
"No," Gohan answered blankly, "I didn't think female Saiyans existed." Mia frowned before beginning to laugh so hard, she had to clutch her stomach. "What?"
"J-just," Mia gasped between chuckles, "how did you think the Saiyans had progeny? Like we'd split like cells? Or or, like flatworms, with penis jousting."
Gohan frowned. "No … just …" he decided to drop it, and switched the topic to, "how do you know I'm a Super Saiyan?"
Mia smiled. "Finally, the right question. Now, you don't have a tail, but you are the only one at school wearing what the Gold Fighter wore this morning, and the only way that's possible is if you're a Super Saiyan. Which if you were one of the Saiyans at the Cell Games, I'd say that's likely." Gohan couldn't speak, couldn't move. How did this Saiyan girl know so much about him? How did this Saiyan girl exist? He, Vegeta, Trunks, and Goten were the only Saiyans left alive. Yet, Mia was his age, which meant there were more Saiyan's around that Vegeta hadn't known about. "I'm guessing by your silence you're confused." Gohan merely nodded. Mia sighed, "How's a good way to put this?" She tapped her chin with her finger as she contemplated how to start explaining her existence.
"How about you start with who you are and where you came from?" Gohan asked suspiciously.
Mia frowned, before replying, "My name is Mia Jicama, and I came from here, Earth. Born and raised."
"Here?" Gohan asked, his eyes wide. "So, you're half earthling, too?"
Mia gave him an awkward smirk, and said, "No. I'm a full-blooded Saiyan. I was just born on Earth." Then what he said hit her. "Wait, half earthling? You're a half human hybrid? That's possible!?" Gohan raised his eyebrows and nodded. "Wow!" she laughed. "That's crazy that alien races', like humans and saiyans, DNA would be close enough to … you know … procreate." When she noticed he was a little lost, she shook it off. "I'm a nerd for genetics. Sorry. Anyway, no. All I know is that my mother found out she was pregnant with me, and found a way to escape some intergalactic Napoleon named Frieza, who would have had her executed. But she escaped by going on a fake mission to find another saiyan, I'm guessing your father, Kakarrot. She faked her death, so they wouldn't follow her. She had me a couple weeks after landing here on Earth, and we've been hiding out here ever since."
Gohan let out a laugh. "Wow, Frieza. I haven't heard that name in forever."
Mia's eyes went wide. "You know him? Is he still looking for us?"
"I'd say no," Gohan smiled, scratching the back of his head. "He's been dead for almost ten years."
"He's dead?" Gohan nodded with a slightly proud smile. Mia let out a small, "Oh. Well, that's good." There was an awkward pause before she asked, "So, who killed him?"
Gohan frowned. "I-it's a little complicated to explain," he stated with a nod, thinking about future Trunks's first arrival. He frowned as he looked at her. "You said you are a full-blooded saiyan?" Mia nodded. "Well … uhm," Gohan started, pursing his lips as he thought about how he should put his question.
Mia seemed to catch on, and asked, "You're wondering who my father is?"
Gohan pursed his lips, and nodded with a small, "Yeah."
Mia shrugged. "I've never met him, but I know what he looks like," she explained. "If you were at the Cell Games, you would have met him."
Gohan's eyes went wide. "Vegeta?!" Mia nodded, and he started seeing the resemblance. That familiar spirit in her eyes. Some of her facial features. Her proud stance. He wasn't sure what he expected a daughter of Vegeta to look like, but it wasn't a pretty girl like Mia.
"You know him?" Mia asked, some excitement entering her eyes.
"Yes," Gohan laughed, "I know him. But he never mentioned a – a daughter."
Mia nodded with a shrug. "That's because he doesn't know." Gohan shot her a confused expression. Mia shook her head and rolled her eyes as she explained, "My mom never told him. Never told me why, and she refuses to introduce me to him." She shot him a mischievous look and offered, "But maybe I can get someone else to introduce me."
Gohan raised an eyebrow. "Who, me?" he asked, pointing to himself with shock.
"No, Santa Clause," she said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "Yeah, you. Why not? I can help you, you can help me!"
Gohan laughed, "What can you do to help me?"
Mia scoffed. "Clearly, you suck at pretending you're normal, or we would not be having this conversation," she pointed out with a smirk, one he was surprised he hadn't recognized earlier.
He became defensive as he frowned at her and responded, "Hey. No one noticed anything weird about me today … well, except you."
"Bull," she laughed. She pointed to the side of the school where the baseball diamond was and stated, "No human can jump fifteen feet in the air, even on a good day. And I know for a fact that Converses," she pointed to his feet, "don't have air cushions in their shoes, as does most of the normal world. Also, normal humans don't throw a baseball at almost a hundred miles per hour, unless they are in the major leagues." She put her hands on her hips proudly, as if she had already proved her case. "Not to mention at lunch, you ate enough for five people, and clearly you aren't fat. And lastly, everyone knows what the Gold Fighter was wearing today and that he had the Orange Star Badge on, meaning he goes to school here, and only you wore that outfit." She let that sink in before adding, "If Videl doesn't figure you out by the end of the week, she's dimmer than I thought."
Gohan opened his mouth to defend himself, but as those facts sank into his mind he realized he'd been careless. More careless than she pointed out. She placed a hand on his chest, causing him to flinch. "It's ok," she sighed, looking up to him and giving him an intelligent yet sweet smile. "I can teach you how to blend in, so you won't stand out at all." She tapped a finger on his chest as she added, "Just introduce me to my Dad. And we have a deal." When he didn't respond after a few minutes, she added, "Please."
Gohan was at a loss for words as his heart pounded. He had never been so close to a girl like she was now, her face so close to his, and her eyes seemingly hypnotizing him. He didn't know what it was about her that he felt drawn to. He'd met bubbly girly girls like Erasa, and tough tom boys like Videl. But Mia was different. He wasn't sure where to put what the other classmates said about her, if they were just rumors or if there was some fact to them. He was inclined to dismiss it as rumors with all the knowledge about her that she just willingly gave him.
He could tell she was tough like him. And smart, which was refreshing after seeing most of the girls at school today who acted dimwitted. But she was sassy, and guarded. Yet at the same time, she seemed vulnerable, as if telling her no to introducing her to Vegeta would actually crush her. It was odd, because he had never been intrigued by someone else like he was with her. Most people, he could tell what they were like on the surface. But Mia was a puzzle. And he liked puzzles.
But if he said yes, how would Bulma feel knowing Trunks had a half sibling? How would she handle knowing Vegeta's old flame was still alive, and on Earth? How could he do that to his father's oldest friend? How could he afford not to? He couldn't survive high school if his classmates found out he wasn't normal. And as Mia just pointed out, he was piss poor at seeming normal. "Fine," he sighed.
"Great!" Mia exclaimed, jumping up excitedly. "Alright, how about tomorrow after school, I'll go to your house, and I can start showing you some of my tricks?"
Gohan frowned awkwardly, before replying, "Yeah, sure."
"Ok," Mia smiled, a sincerely happy smile. "So, where do you live?"
"The Four Thirty-nine district, at the base of Mount Paozu."
Mia's face fell with a frown. "Please tell me I'm the only one at this school who knows this."
Gohan gave her a worried face and shook his head. "No, Erasa asked me earlier today …"
Mia pinched the bridge of her nose, something Gohan had seen Vegeta do once or twice when Bulma had said something off-putting. "Ok," she sighed, "ok, we can fix this."
Gohan laughed heartily. "What's wrong with where I live?"
Mia gave him a look he had seen Vegeta make towards him many times, as if they were asking him if he really just asked that with just an expression. It was also one he had seen his mother give his father many many times whenever Goku had asked if Gohan's education was really "that important." "Well," she started, "it's easily a five hour drive even if you are speeding. This is also given that there is no traffic when you are driving, which actually bumps your time up to six hours each way. That means if you are a normal student, you are waking up before two o'clock in the morning, granted it takes you thirty minutes or so to get dressed and ready, just to get here to school on time at eight. It also means that when school gets out, three thirty, you aren't getting home until around ten at night, given traffic. That leaves three hours total to eat dinner and breakfast, do your homework, and sleep. If you were a normal human being, you would either be visibly tired, or an insomniac, meaning you'd have very visible bags under your eyes, which you clearly do not. Do you see where I'm going with this?"
Gohan frowned as he said, "In this too, I've failed at appearing normal."
Mia nodded. "Bingo." She paused, again tapping her chin with her finger as she thought. "Alright, the best we can do is say you're staying with a family friend in the city during school, and you go home on the weekends."
"So, lying," Gohan sighed with a slight scowl.
"Well, yeah," Mia scoffed. "How else did you think you'd survive high school?" Something buzzed and Mia tapped her pants' pocket, pulling out a cell phone. "That's my mom, I've gotta go." She looked up, away from her phone and pointed at him. "Keep your answers short and sweet until we get into the details of being normal tomorrow. The best lies have the least details to unravel." He watched her blankly as she kicked off the roof into flight, giving him a two-fingered salute before leaving.
Gohan let out a sigh he didn't know he'd been holding. Trying to be normal in high school with the Saiyan prince's daughter as a coach… this was going to be difficult.