Disclaimer: There is a small, yet obvious reference to Lord of the Rings. It was one of my favorite parts in the whole movie, and I couldn't resist using it.
Part Seven
King Kai and Baba stood on Snake Way, watching Chi-Chi and Misai trek their way through Hell via Baba's crystal ball. "How much longer until you think they'll get there?" King Kai wondered.
"It doesn't look like much longer," Baba said. "They're almost to the other side of Hell."
King Kai sighed. "Do you really think that Chi-Chi has a chance against this Sita character?"
Baba shook her head. "She's a powerful sorceress. Even with that girl helping her, Chi-Chi will be lucky if she even survives this. And if she doesn't…"
"She'll be gone forever," King Kai finished her sentence. As he stared at Chi-Chi's image in the crystal ball, a sudden idea occurred to him. "Even if she can't do it, Goku's there. He'll be able to help them fight Sita."
"I doubt it," Baba said grimly. "When I saw him in my crystal ball… well, let's just say that he was in no condition to stand, let alone fight."
King Kai looked worried. "What has Sita been doing to him?"
"I don't know, and after what I saw, I don't think I want to know," Baba said with a shiver.
"That doesn't sound good. Do you think he still exists in the afterlife? I mean, Sita hasn't finished him off yet, has she?"
"There's only one way to find out," Baba replied. She waved her hands and started chanting under her breath. The images of Misai and Chi-Chi transformed into an image of Sita's fortress.
Baba peered closely into her ball, trying to see inside the fortress. Her eyes widened, and she let out a gasp of horror. "Oh Kami!"
"What is it?" King Kai asked anxiously. "Did you see Goku?" He shoved Baba aside so that he could look in the ball. Then he saw what Baba had seen.
"Is --- is he…?" Baba asked faintly. "I mean, he looks like he's…"
King Kai shook his head. "No, he isn't. But he's getting close." He walked to the edge of Snake Way and concentrated. "I have to contact Chi-Chi right away…"
***
"How much further is it?" Chi-Chi wanted to know.
"We're almost there," Misai grunted, trying not to slip on the rocks.
They were climbing a large, steep mountain. According to Misai, Sita's fortress was located over the mountain. Chi-Chi was glad that the journey was almost over; traveling in Hell was not a pleasant experience. But a part of her dreaded at what she'd find at Sita's lair.
In order to keep herself from going insane with worry, she had to convince herself that if Goku was strong enough to survive torture for twenty-five years, then he couldn't possibly have just given up now. Perhaps it was because he had been fighting most of his life, but Goku had a high endurance for pain --- unless, of course, it concerned needles.
I hope she hasn't been using those on him,
she thought worriedly. Oh, don't be silly, Chi-Chi, she's a witch. If she has as much powers as everyone says, why would she waste time using needles?A sudden voice in her head interrupted her thoughts. "Chi-Chi, this is King Kai. Can you hear me?"
"Yeah, I can hear you," she said, trying to keep her voice down and her grip on the rocks at the same time. "What's going on, King Kai?"
"How far are you from Sita's place?"
King Kai demanded."We're almost there," Chi-Chi answered, trying to climb the mountain. Misai had just reached the top, and was looking over the edge, waiting for Chi-Chi.
"Listen, I don't mean to put any pressure on you, but you need to hurry!"
King Kai said urgently."Why? What happened?" Chi-Chi asked in alarm.
Baba just used her crystal ball to find Goku again, and… and…
"And what?" Chi-Chi asked. The tone of his voice frightened her; it sounded as though he had just witnessed something awful.
"What happened?" she asked again in a louder voice.
Unfortunately, Misai had heard her. She stared bewilderedly at Chi-Chi. "Who are you talking to, Princess?" she asked.
Chi-Chi didn't even hear her. "King Kai, tell me what happened!" she shouted, terrified of the answer.
"You just need to hurry, all right?"
was King Kai's only response before he ended the transmission."Oh no…" Chi-Chi whispered. She felt cold all over. Something had happened to Goku, she knew it…
In her distress, she reached out to climb further up the mountain, but her hand slipped. Chi-Chi screamed, about to fall, when fortunately, Misai quickly grabbed her hand, pulling her to safety towards the top.
"You need to be careful!" Misai warned her as Chi-Chi caught her breath. "If you'd fallen off, you would have been killed --- again." She took note of the scared look on Chi-Chi's face. "What's the matter with you?"
"We need to got to Sita!" Chi-Chi cried, stumbling to her feet. "Now!"
"Whoa, take it easy, Princess!" Misai exclaimed, holding up her hands. "Why are you in such a rush, all of a sudden?"
Chi-Chi considered the girl for a moment, wondering if she should tell her. Since Misai had opened up about her past, there was no longer suspicion between the two of them. Although Misai was bitter, smart-alecky, and cynical, Chi-Chi thought that she wasn't such a bad person. Besides, she already knew about her life, she might as well tell her the whole truth.
"Goku's old master, King Kai just contacted me," Chi-Chi explained shakily. "I think that something bad just happened to him!"
"Well, we're almost there," Misai assured her, pointing to the land on the other side of the mountain. In the distance, Chi-Chi could see a tower. "That's Sita's fortress. As soon as we get down this mountain, we'll be there."
"Good," Chi-Chi said in relief. The sooner they got to Sita's the better. Then she'd be with Goku again...
"You know, I'm surprised that Sita hasn't finished Goku off already," Misai remarked as they started to climb down the mountain. "He must be really tough."
"He is," Chi-Chi agreed, nodding, "but I'm still worried."
"Don't see why you should be," Misai said flatly.
Chi-Chi rolled her eyes. Oh, great, not this again! she thought irritably. "Misai, I know you've been hurt in the past," she began calmly, "and I know you don't have a very high opinion of men, but Goku's not like your brother or Amar."
"No, of course not," Misai said scornfully. "He never beat you or betrayed you, so that automatically excuses the fact that he abandoned you!"
"He didn't abandon me, I told you that!" Chi-Chi protested.
"You don't call leaving to train a little kid abandoning you?" Misai retorted.
"You don't even know what you're talking about!" Chi-Chi said vehemently. "My husband's a good man!"
"Oh, really?" Misai asked dryly, raising her eyebrows. "If he's such a good person, then what does Sita want with him?"
"I… I don't know!" Chi-Chi snapped, privately wishing that she knew the answer. "But he didn't do anything wrong, I know it! He's a good man, and once you meet him…"
"I already told you that I'm only here to take care of Sita!" Misai snapped. She paused. "I don't think I'll succeed though," she added quietly.
"Why not?" Chi-Chi asked.
"Why not?" Misai repeated incredulously. "Sita's an all-powerful witch! I wasn't even a warrior! It isn't just her powers that make her strong either --- she's very manipulative. How else do you think she convinced most of the women on Vishnu that she was on their side? Her powers help her get what she wants from everybody."
"You mean she can hypnotize people?"
"She probably could, only it's not her style. She creates illusions --- making you see things that aren't really there. Her specialty is shapeshifting; not only can she change into different people, but she can also make you believe that it's really the person she's changed into. Her powers allow her to see everyone and anything in the universe so clearly that as long as she knows how a person looks, acts, or thinks, she can be anyone she wants…
"She does this is to make a person angry or upset, so that they're vulnerable. Then she can just mold them to her will. Remember when I said that she reminded me of how awful Amar treated me? She didn't just talk about it; she actually changed into Amar, and started talking about how good it had felt to take advantage of me and how worthless of a girl I was. It made me so angry that I took her offer, which was just what she wanted."
"Well, that wouldn't work on Goku," Chi-Chi said, trying to convince herself. "He can sense a person's ki…"
"That won't help," Misai explained. "Sita can imitate any other person's ki too. When she changes shape, she does a thorough job of it. So it wouldn't matter if you knew whether or not it was really she. Her performance is so convincing that you'd end up reacting the way she'd want you too.
"Oh," Chi-Chi said, feeling intimated by this.
"So if Sita was supposedly able to take done the strongest fighter in the universe, I think you and I are pretty screwed," Misai summarized darkly.
Chi-Chi looked at her disapprovingly. "You know, it's a good thing you aren't my daughter. If you were my daughter, and you used that language around me, I'd make you wash out your mouth with soap!"
Misai laughed emotionlessly. "My mother probably would have agreed."
"There's one thing I still don't get," Chi-Chi said, confused. "If you know that you don't stand a chance against Sita, then why are you still going to her lair?"
Misai shrugged. "Even if I get blasted into oblivion, it's better than rotting away in that prison. I'd rather be destroyed than spend eternity in this place. But I hope you know what you're getting yourself into."
"I do," Chi-Chi said quietly. Deep down, she was starting to feel worried. Before she had known all this, she hadn't been sure if she could defeat Sita. Now it seemed as though she didn't stand a chance.
Chi-Chi took a deep breath to calm her nerves. I have to do this, she told herself. If I don't help Goku, who will?
***
They reached the bottom of the mountain and quickly headed towards the direction of Sita's lair. Before Chi-Chi knew it, they were standing in front of it: a tall, stone tower that was strangely unguarded.
"Aren't there any guards to protect the tower?" Chi-Chi asked cautiously.
"Sita doesn't need any," Misai replied grimly. She glanced at Chi-Chi. "You ready?"
"Yeah, I'm ready," Chi-Chi said bravely.
Together, they walked up to the door of the tower. Misai reached out for the knob and turned it. It opened.
Chi-Chi and Misai glanced at each other with surprise. "Something strange is going on here," Chi-Chi muttered. "Even if she doesn't have guards, a witch isn't likely to keep her door unlocked. It's almost as though… she were expecting us."
Misai didn't seem deterred by Chi-Chi's suspicions. "Fine," she said coldly. "If she wants us to come, then we'll come."
They stepped inside a dark hallway, illuminated dimly by torches. At the end of the hall stood two large, winding staircases that led up the tower. Chi-Chi squinted, seeing numerous dark figures lying on the steps.
She and Misai approached the two staircases. As they did, a disgusting stench hit Chi-Chi. "Oh Kami, what is that smell?" she muttered, holding her nose. She stopped dead in her tracks, seeing what the dark figures were, and let out a shriek.
Bodies of men were lying all over the steps. It was almost as though a war had taken place, judging from the weapons and armor the men were wearing. A few of them were decaying, lying in what looked to be their own dried blood. Many of them had obviously been killed years ago, and were nothing more than rotting skeletons.
"Oh Kami…" Chi-Chi croaked, feeling as though she were about to be sick.
"Sita's been very busy over the past few centuries, hasn't she?" Misai said gravely. She bent over one of the corpses and unfastened a sheathed sword that hung around his waist.
"What are you doing?" Chi-Chi hissed.
"Looking for weapons and armor," Misai said shortly. "If we face Sita unarmed, we'll be dead faster than you can say 'good-bye.'"
"Oh… good point."
Misai pulled out the sword from its sheath. She grinned. "It's been a long time since I've held a sword." She swung the sword in the air a couple of times. Then she sheathed it and tied it around her waist. "Okay, Princess, which staircase should we use: the right one or the left one?"
Chi-Chi thought for a moment. "Um… let's try the right."
"Fine," Misai replied, walking down the steps. "Then I'll go left."
Chi-Chi nearly fell over in surprise. "What?"
Misai turned to face her. "I said that I'd get you to Sita's tower, and then you're on your own. I never said I'd help you look for your husband. Oh, and speaking of whom, I'd try looking among those rotting carcasses. He's probably one of them," she added nastily as she walked away.
Chi-Chi was furious. "Fine! Good riddance!" she shouted bitterly. She turned on her heel and stormed up the stairs, careful to step over the bodies.
The nerve of her! she fumed silently. I feel sorry for her, I really do, but that does not give her the excuse to say those horrible things about Goku! She doesn't even know him!
Well, there was nothing more she could do to help Misai; if she wanted to be acrid for the rest of her afterlife, that her choice. Right now, she needed to find Goku…
Chi-Chi proceeded up the stairs, where more corpses lay. What if Misai was right? she wondered fearfully. What if Goku is lying here somewhere?
She forced herself to look at the bodies. She couldn't see Goku anywhere. This was a good sign. Baba had seen Goku being tortured in her crystal ball less than four days ago. That meant if Goku had just been killed, he wouldn't have started ---
Chi-Chi cut off that morbid thought, appalled that she would ever think such a thing. "Goku?" she called out frantically. "Goku? Are you here?"
Her only response was her own echo, reverberating off the stone walls.
"Goku?" she tried again. "It's me, Chi-Chi! Say something!"
Silence. "Oh Goku, what if you're hurt and can't hear me at all?" she muttered worriedly.
She gazed upward. She could see nothing except more flights of stairs, and even more bodies sprawled on the ground. The only possible way she could think of was to go keep going…
A corpse bearing a sword and a shield caught her eye. She cringed. It was the last thing she wanted to do, but Misai was right; she couldn't help Goku if she was unarmed. Slowly, she grabbed the shield and undid the sheath, trying not to touch any part of the body…
She heard the sound of creaking bones behind her. She looked around, thinking that Misai had returned. Yet the girl was nowhere in sight.
I must be hearing things, she thought, shaking her head.
She went further up the stairs until she spotted a door at the end of the staircase. Goku must be here! she thought excitedly.
Just then, she felt something extremely sharp poke her back. "All right, Misai, quit playing games," she started to snap, turning her head. "I know it's ---"
A tall skeleton stood behind her, pointing his sword directly at him. The still corpses began rising from their places. They silently advanced towards Chi-Chi, their bones creaking as they walked.
Chi-Chi tried to scream, but she couldn't make a sound. The one nearest to bared its decaying teeth in a hideous smile, and raised its sword.
NO! a voice in her head screamed defiantly. I didn't come all this way just die again!
Suddenly aware of the sword in her hand, she swung it, knocking the skeleton's head clean off its bony neck. She kicked forward, sending it tumbling down the stairs, where it shattered to pieces.
Another zombie tried to stab her with a dagger, but she quickly put the shield in front of her, blocking the blow. She swung out her sword, hitting as many she could. She was able to take down at least two or three, yet still they kept coming at her.
Chi-Chi tried not to panic. She was outnumbered; there were at least thirty of them. She couldn't possibly defend herself against all of them without help…
Just then, she got an idea. She threw the shield down and jumped onto it. She skillfully used it to slide down the stairs. It was a bumpy ride, but she held her arms out to keep her balance. She slid by the zombies so fast that her outstretched sword was beheading as many of them as possible.
Finally, she landed on the ground floor, where she saw at least a dozen more zombies surrounding Misai. Misai merely stood there, her face filled with determination. Her body was poised, ready to attack.
Chi-Chi quickly got off the shield and ran to stand next to Misai. "What's happening?" she cried.
"Sita," Misai replied poisonously. "She's using her dead victims to kill us."
"How can that be possible?" Chi-Chi shouted as more zombies emerged from the staircases. "They were already dead to begin with! I thought once you killed someone in Other World, their souls would vanish forever!"
"They do," Misai answered. "These men are all dead; Sita's just using her magic to move their bodies like her own personal puppets."
The zombies were drawing closer, advancing on them. Chi-Chi clutched her sword tightly. "We have to destroy the bodies," she said, thinking fast. "That way, Sita can't use them against use."
"Right," Misai agreed, nodding. "You take the ones on the left, I'll take the ones on the right."
They charged forward, swords drawn, and leaped at the zombies. Chi-Chi swung her sword out from all directions, cutting off whatever parts of the bodies the blade could touch. It was difficult to fight a whole group of zombies at once; while she was trying to dismember one, another crept up behind her, striking her with its sword. Luckily, she dodged out of the way so that it only cut her arm.
Misai, on the other hand, seemed to be handling herself well. She slashed her sword left and right, ducking neatly whenever a zombie tried to stab her. Chi-Chi was impressed; the girl really was good with a sword. Piles of bones and other body parts were starting to form all around her.
"Is this all you've got, Sita?" she bellowed out arrogantly as she mutilated her last zombie. "Come on, I know you can do better than this!"
She looked towards Chi-Chi, grinning in triumph. Her expression quickly changed to into one of horror. "HEY, LOOK OUT!" she screamed, rushing to Chi-Chi.
"What ---?" Chi-Chi turned around just in time to see a zombie, about to cut her head off. Misai quickly jumped in front of Chi-Chi and cut it in half.
Chi-Chi barely had time to thank her because the last ten zombies attacked them. The two stood by one another, tearing apart the zombies… until there was nothing except dismembered body parts scattered all over the floor.
Elated by their victory, Chi-Chi let out a whoop and jumped up and down. "We did it!" she exclaimed. "I don't believe it --- they outnumbered us and we defeated them!"
Misai squealed and surprised Chi-Chi by giving her a high-five. "You were incredible back there, Princess!" she said breathlessly. "You were sliding down the stairs, killing zombies like crazy! You have got to teach me how to do that!"
"It just popped up in my mind," Chi-Chi admitted modestly. "Wow… I wonder what Gohan and Goten would have thought if they saw me like that…"
It took a few moments for her to calm down. Then she remembered: "I saw a door up the staircase I took. I think Goku's there." She turned to go.
"Wait, I'll come with you!" Misai said quickly, hurrying to catch up with her.
Chi-Chi looked at her in disbelief. "You are? I thought you didn't want to help Goku…"
"I didn't," Misai said awkwardly. "Still… after the way we handled those ogres… and the zombies… well, you and I make a pretty good team. I mean, we just kicked some serious zombie ass… after all, somebody has to watch your back. Besides, Sita might be up there as well."
Chi-Chi smiled. Maybe Misai was starting to change her mind after all!
"Okay," she nodded. "Let's go."
The two ran up the stairs and reached the door. Misai tried to turn the knob. "Damn!" she snarled. "First door in this place that's actually locked!"
"We'll force it open," Chi-Chi instructed her. "On the count of three. One… two… three!"
They rammed against the door. Since neither of them was very big, they had to ram against it two other times before it finally burst open. It led into a large, dark chamber with gray, stone walls and filthy, dank floors. The appearance and coldness of the room was reminiscent of a dungeon.
"Reminds me of my prison cell," Misai said sardonically. She plucked a torch off the wall and shone it around the room. "I don't see anyone in here. Maybe we should we check the other staircase…"
"What --- What's that over there?" Chi-Chi faltered, pointing a still figure lying at the far end of the chamber.
"I hope it's not another zombie," Misai muttered, shining the torch to where Chi-Chi was pointing. She squinted. "I can't see very far… let's go for a closer look."
As they approached the figure, Chi-Chi could make out something gold hovering over the figure. It almost looked like --- like a halo…
"Oh Kami!" she gasped. Ignoring Misai's yell to wait, she broke out into a run. The pounding of her feet on the ground almost sounded like her own heart racing. She dropped to her knees next to the figure and turned him over.
It was Goku.
But what in Kami's name had happened to him? Half of his shirt was torn off, revealing severe cuts and burns all over his arms and his chest. And that wasn't the worst of it. His right arm was twisted at an odd angle, along with the fingers on his hand, which were bleeding fervently. His head was caked with dried blood that came from a deep gash on his forehead.
"Oh Goku, what did that monster do to you?" Chi-Chi sobbed, horrified to see him in this condition.
Misai had finally reached them. She pointed the torch towards Goku so that she could see him. "Is this him?" she asked quietly.
Chi-Chi nodded, tears streaming down her face. She turned her attention back to Goku. "Don't worry," she whispered, stroking his cheek. "I'm here now, I found you! I've missed you so much…"
"Oh… my… goodness," Misai gasped, taking a closer look at Goku. "His arm… his hand… his fingers… they're all broken! You weren't kidding when you said he was being tortured! Sita sure took her time with him!"
Chi-Chi was shaking in rage. "When I get my hands on the sick, psychotic…"
She froze, glancing at the top of Goku's head. Something strange was happening. One minute, Goku's halo was transparent, slowly vanishing from sight. The next minute, it reappeared as though nothing had happened.
"What's going on?" Chi-Chi asked hoarsely.
"I don't know," Misai replied, looking at it curiously. "I've never anything like this before..."
Chi-Chi turned pale. He's fading, she realized, stricken. He's going to die again. And remember what King Kai said: once someone dies in Other World, there is no coming back. He'll be gone forever…
"Goku, wake up!" she cried desperately, shaking him by the shoulders. "Please… please wake up…" But Goku continued to lie there unconscious.
"Don't bother," a voice said coldly. "He won't wake up… I've made sure of that."
Misai and Chi-Chi whirled around. A woman had suddenly appeared a few feet away from them. In her hands, she carried a tall staff with a glowing crystal attached to the top. She was dressed in diaphanous, turquoise robes and her long, black hair was pulled back into a plait. Her face was pale and emotionless, yet strangely beautiful.
"Sita," Misai breathed.
Sita glanced at Goku. "I thought that I finished him…" She shrugged. "No matter. From the looks of it, he'll dead in a few minutes anyway."
The sorceress approached them casually. "Well, well," she said, her eyes gleaming wickedly. "If it isn't Misai. How are you doing?"
"How am I doing?" Misai spat, her face twisted in anger. "You threw me in Hell, you bitch! How do you think I'm doing?
Sita shrugged carelessly. "You asked me to."
"I didn't ask you to throw me in Hell!" Misai yelled bitterly. "I can't believe that the women of Vishnu thought of you as our savior; we never should have trusted you! I wish we'd banished you to Hell before the men did!"
Sita rolled her eyes. "Obviously, Hell hasn't broken your fiery temper."
She looked at Chi-Chi. "I've been watching you ever since you came to Hell," she said quietly. "I must say, I didn't think you'd make it this far. In fact, I didn't even think you'd come here at all --- at least not for him," she added, indicating Goku.
"You!" Chi-Chi said angrily, rising to her feet. "You --- you did this! You killed him and you brought him here to suffer?"
"It wasn't my doing," Sita replied smoothly. "At least, not entirely. I merely did what was asked of me."
"What was asked of you?" Chi-Chi repeated, unable to believe her ears. "WHAT WAS ASKED OF YOU? NOBODY ASKED YOU TO KILL HIM! NOBODY ASKED YOU TO TAKE HIM AWAY FROM HIS FAMILY!"
Sita raised her eyebrows. "Took him away from his family? It was my understanding that he left you first. And yes, I was asked to do this."
"Who?" Chi-Chi demanded furiously. "Who asked you do this?"
Sita smiled evilly. "Why, you did."
To be continued…
A/N: I know, I know, a lot of you saw this coming. And for those who weren't expecting it --- Surprise! *ducks knives, swords, and flames thrown at me* Don't worry, there will be a logical explanation for all of this in the next chapter. Just trust me, I know what I'm doing. Fair warning: I guarantee those who have been screaming for Sita's death will have more of a reason to hate her in the next chapter, so be prepared...
I am looking forward to the weekend because I'm going to my first prom with a group of friends. Yippee! *squeals* I hope the rest of you have a good weekend as well. See you next week!
I won't tell: Yes, Sita got swallowed in her own bitterness. How I came up with the DBZ comparisons was because of my Literature teacher. He was describing Hanuman and the monkeys, when all of a sudden he asked, "How many of you have seen Dragon Ball or Dragonball Z?" I freaked, yelling, "Ooh! Ooh! Me! Me!" He explained the similarities of the monkeys to the Saiyans. After reading the story, I came up with even more comparisons. I wonder if Akira Toryama ever read it. I know that DB was originally inspired from a Chinese folktale.
Carrie2sky: Women who kick butt rock! *High-fives Carrie* I think you'll want Sita's butt to be kicked even more now.
Woman of Dunedain: Yeah, poor Misai. Thanks for complementing my writing style; it means a lot to me, since I want to be a writer someday.
Keebler-Elmo: You don't like Misai? Well, you're one of the minorities…
Caryl Mc: Misai is wrong about Goku, but you can't blame her for being judgmental. She grew up in a place where most of the men were abusive jerks, and she has a history of being hurt by men. I agree, women are not weak, but women aren't the main heroes on DBZ because it's a testosterone type of show… ironically, I'm a girl, and I like it! Launch and Chi-Chi do kick butt in Dragonball, which is good. Goku is now in the story, and there will be more of him in the next chapter. I like romance too; I think I'm getting a little sentimental with my age… either that, or I just like G/CC fics. LOL!
Candy the Duck: Yes, Misai is good.
Misao: Misai is very strong-willed, just like Chi-Chi. It was brave of her to go through what she did without taking the coward's way out, but going to Sita wasn't the brightest choice either.
Mujitsu: No, Goku's not brainwashed. Hmm… maybe I'll use that idea for another fic *ducks rock Chi-Chi throws at me* But compared to getting the crap beaten out of him, brainwashing might have been a little more merciful. Chi-Chi found him though… that's a good thing, right?
Arain Rowan: Okay, you were right from the beginning, only I couldn't tell you because it would be giving it away. I will tell you that you're also on the right track with Chi-Chi's outburst… you'll just have to wait for the next chapter to find out how it happened. If you exclude the fact that he left several times (to save the world, I might add), Goku's not a bad husband. He's sweet and has a sense of humor. That's got to count for something, right? That's just my opinion.
Jessica C: Unless you count Chi-Chi finding Goku hurt as romantic, you're going to have to wait for the romance. You got some action though :)
Kakkabrat: I updated!
Some guy: Thank you!
Lady Athena X: Thank God, Misai isn't a Mary Sue! *hugs Lady Athena* I worked hard to make her as real of a person as possible. Misai does have an attitude, but she's starting to like Chi-Chi. She just can't understand why Chi-Chi would risk everything to save some man who kept leaving her. I totally agree with you on the subject of wife-abusers and rapists. I can't believe men would actually do that. Then again, most of the guys at my school are awful, although not to that extent…
You know what? Misai is kind of like Videl! Both are tough, stubborn, defensive, but they have an amiable side as well. In fact, I didn't really like Videl because of the way she acted to Gohan, and the fact that she was Hercule's daughter (I really don't like him). But she was nicer later in the saga, and she grew to be one of my favorite characters. I thought that the catfight between her and Chi-Chi was pretty funny, LOL! Misai and Chi-Chi are partners, despite Misai almost leaving her to go fight Sita herself. I'll bet their interaction reminded you of Goku and Vegeta working together inside Buu…
Lady Gwenlian: Thank you!
Sadako: It would suck to live on Vishnu. I kind of got inspired for the idea of the planet from reading about those Middle-Eastern countries where women have no rights and are married off at young ages. I really am a feminist, aren't I? Yes, Misai and Chi-Chi are still partners, despite the conflicting emotions (i.e. Misai not liking Goku).
Lady Thundera: *glances behind me where Chi-Chi is fuming* LOL, I guess I am on her bad side now… but you were on her bad side when you wrote "The Past Returns." I have appealed to Chi-Chi to wait and see what happens, which has kept her off my back for the moment… which probably won't last long, considering what happened to Goku. Gohan was mad at Goku, but you'll hear more about that in a later chapter. As for your theory about the flashback, you'll have to wait and see. I myself have a catapult that I long to use on my little brother and those stupid boys at school…
