Eleven – Confusion
Goku's nerves were over tensioned as he sat in the van, his fists were lying on his laps and his gaze was basically melting the wall of the vehicle. His wound still hurt, but he ignored it. The doctor had wanted to give him some painkillers but he had declined the offer, as the pills were slowing down his concentration. And he needed all of his concentration right now.
"Relax, Goku." Yamcha whispered over and over again to him, but he just couldn't.
"Yamcha…" Goku said at some point with a low voice. "How come you can stay so calm when you know Chichi could be in any kind of state? And we are unable to protect her right now. Furthermore your head is targeted as much as mine; so how should I stay calm when the possibility of us dying today is given?"
A low chuckle in his ear took his attention as Krillin through the in-hearing had to laugh. "I never believed I would ever say that to you, but you're thinking too much, Goku."
"Well, sorry for being worried but it is circulating around my head ever since!"
"Don't worry." Tenshinhan raised his voice as he looked out of the window, his arms crossed in front of his chest. "We're going to get the little miss and the both of you back safely."
"You sound awfully sure." Goku commented but couldn't help smirking. This guy was somehow his taste: optimistic, a strong will and had a goal before his eyes. Somehow he reminded him of himself.
"The only one who's going to fall today is Vegeta." Suddenly an unfamiliar voice echoed through the back of the van and four pair of eyes landed on the black person sitting there. That was the first time Picollo said something, ever. But he was silent as fast as he had talked. Yet Goku couldn't help it but think the same way this guy did after he only said those few words.
"We're here." Yamcha took all of them back and punched his left fist into his right palm. "Let's go."
xXx
Bulma was walking up and down inside of her room, her thoughts always circulating around Chichi who was just about to face her own personal doom. Ever since she had brought her back to her room she couldn't help but hope Chichi would take her advice and fake an illness. She had pressed her ear every now and then on the wall, trying to hear something but she did not. And when she had tried to speak to Chichi she got no response.
Bulma's nails were suffering the whole day as she couldn't stop worrying and chewed on them permanently.
And she had become even more restless when she had heard the door from Chichi's room being opened and a shocked "No!" from Chichi herself.
Only then Bulma knew: Chichi hadn't taken her advice. God damn it!
And if it wasn't making her angry enough, her door was thrown open too and a young man Bulma had only seen twice stood there with his hand on his gun, alerted.
xXx
"Two men in the front, three in the back, one on each side of the roof, cameras everywhere. How are we going to get into the areal?"
"Chao Zu." Krillin adviced through their in-hearing. "Is there a good lookout for a nice sniper job?"
The small man looked from one side to the other while the others stayed hidden in the dark. Goku thought how Krillin actually had the time to do all of those operations – and he sounded as if he did that often – when he had told him years ago he was engaged and his fiancée wanted him to have more time. He shook his head lightly. If he was a mystery, then Krillin was even a bigger one.
"Found one." Chao Zu suddenly whispered out and with quick movements landed on a high bushy tree and vanished for everybody else. Even Goku had trouble searching for him.
"He's an elite when it comes to a sniper job." Tenshinhan grinned. "This is going to be quick."
"Alright." Krillin adviced further. "Take down the men on the roof first, I'm going to hack into their system and open the big door in the front. Once the others are inside, those in the front are next. I'm taking care of the cameras was well."
"What about the ones strolling around?" Chao Zu wanted to know while he already readied himself to shoot.
"I'll take them." Picollo said and Goku couldn't help but think this guy was smiling while saying this. In the blink of an eye the door suddenly clicked and swung to the right and the left, the men on the roof were falling to the side and back without the littlest noise. The rest of the group hurried inside and hid behind a grey Hummer while listening to the men wondering about the door that just opened.
"Hey! The system's broken again and the door just opened. Can somebody check this out?"
"That's the third time this week, who installed this shit?"
"Should we tell about the problem now?"
"No…wait till tomorrow, it's just a technical fault anyway….Damn it…I hate this system-like-bullshit!" His steps leaded away only to end into a bloody gurgle as Picollo already took him down. When he came back he stood there with his knife that dripped a dark substance to the ground.
Goku frowned. He knew this guy was an assassin and he knew he was just on a revenge trip and killing those people was somehow good but did they really have to kill everyone? Was this worth it? It was worth killing Vegeta for Chichi. But what about the others? Weren't they just sad poor guys without the chance of a better future? Furthermore…he knew some of them and grew fond of them actually. It was silly thinking this, but Goku couldn't help but feel miserable.
"Chao Zu's finished." Krillin informed them. "Get in."
The front door closed behind them silently and they looked into the great hall of the villa. Typical, Goku snorted inside of his head. Looking like a prince was Vegeta's top priority, just the red carpet was missing.
"Well then, here we are." Yamcha said with a low voice while he took his gun into his hands.
xXx
"Who the hell are you?" Bulma blurted out as it wasn't normal for one of the guards to just storm into her room. It wasn't even normal for anyone to storm into her room except for Nappa who took her to those kind of sessions with Vegeta.
The young man looked over his shoulder shortly before he entered the room completely and closed the door. Bulma's heart beat to her throat as she backed away from him.
"What do you want?" she demanded from him. He took away his gun and held up his hands.
"Don't worry, I'm nobody you have to suspect. My name's Toshi, and I'm here to get you out of here."
"Me?" this sounded too good to be true. She narrowed her eyes. "Don't tell me you're the one who wrote this little note to Chichi?"
He nodded and couldn't move away from the suddenly furious woman as she slapped him across the face.
"You! What kind of bodyguard are you! Have you even thought about her situation? Why did you just wrote this note? She needed help the last four days! You…you…" her face got pale as she gulped down hard. "Goodness, why are you even with me if she's with him right now! If you want to save Chichi you have to get her now!"
"I have orders I need to follow."
Bulma exploded. "Orders? You have your orders? But she needs help now and not some orders! Why are you here with me you dumbass? I don't have anything to do with this!" A hand landed on her mouth as the man called Toshi pressed his palm on her face, trying to silence her.
"Shh! Be more quiet or we're unable to save anyone of us! My orders are clear and I would like to fulfill them. Now, if you could follow me silently I would very much appreciate it!"
"But Chichi…!"
"I know very clear in which state she might be in! And I now we have to hurry, so stop fussing around and come with me!"
He looked at his watch after releasing her and muttered something to himself before he opened the door and signed her to follow her him. Quietly. He looked startled, she thought. Maybe it wasn't planned that Vegeta would take Chichi tonight?
Bulma brushed her hair out of her face as she glimpsed into the hallway and tip toed behind Toshi. Her mind circulating. When both of them stopped to look around a corner she whispered.
"Could it be you didn't know Vegeta wanted to take her tonight?"
He answered her without looking at her. "It's four o'clock in the morning. Of course it wasn't planned. I don't know why he suddenly came up with the idea now."
"Is that the reason you're so late? Because you weren't suspecting this?"
"The only wise solution with Vegeta is to be on guard at anytime. Suspecting would bring absolutely nothing."
Bulma analyzed the back of his head and tried to read his mind. "You never had orders to take me with you, am I right?"
She didn't know why she suddenly guessed that. Maybe it was her damn intuition. But she wasn't dump either. Nobody knew she was still alive, nor did anybody know where she might be if she was still alive. His back tensed up a little before he looked at her with a facial expression full of regret.
"You know where they are."
Bulma didn't need anymore information and just nodded, trying not to burst into tears. Unbelievable enough her hope hadn't died up till now, but to actually awaken it after so much time only to shatter it down in seconds….she didn't know how to describe that empty feeling.
xXx
Chichi's head hurt. That was the first thing she recognized while her eyes flattered open. Second was the pain in her abdomen. The tears were rolling down her cheeks already before she came up into a sitting position. She leaned her back on the wall as she sniffed into her hands. She felt so used.
Trying not to break down entirely she looked up. Her tears were making the scene before her blurry but she was able to see enough. She was alone again. Her clothes hung on her like ripped paper and she could see her own nakedness. She felt ashamed of herself when she stood up slowly, ignoring any slight pain and pulled her trousers up with shaking fingers.
She couldn't even close the button and hiccupped into the night. Touching the wall she made her way to the door, water constantly dripping on the ground. Her pants were still open, she just couldn't close it. She didn't care either that she maybe wasn't allowed to leave the room. She didn't even care somebody might witness her state. She just didn't care. It couldn't get any worse than that.
Had her father known this had to come? Was destiny that cruel to her? If all of her life was just a preparation for this then she rather wouldn't live at all.
Finally finding the door handle she opened it and with slow little steps walked through the darkened hallway. How was she allowed to even step in front of Goku? Her right hand constantly scratched over her stomach while she thought about the man she dreamt about. She had no right anymore to think about him. She had no right to look him in the eye anymore. She had no right….
When she heard some footsteps her head snapped up automatically, alerted, afraid.
"Chichi?"
xXx
The smirk he had on his face was as arrogant as ever. Goku growled.
"Well, if this isn't our long lost friend Bardock." He sneered into Goku's face, only to make him angrier. They didn't came forward enough to actually leave the hallway. The staircase looked like an explosion, and the whole room was one big hole of destruction. Picollo was the only one who got further up and in. Tenshinhan and Yamcha had their own troubles in handling more and more substitutes. No sign of Nappa or Vegeta.
Goku stood right in front of Radditz just before he wanted to walk down the west wing of the building.
"I have no time for you." Goku tried to hold his anger in as good as he could. He always had one problem when he was furious: trying to not lose his mind. He was unstoppable once he saw red.
One reason more why he didn't want to wear weapons.
Radditz smile faded. "Well, you're not going to get more time after I'm finished with you."
"You want to fight?" Goku spat out, already knowing the answer. Radditz teeth shone darkly in the dimmed hallway.
"I want to kill."
xXx
Picollo stood face to face with the man he who brought him the hell of an amount of money. Vegeta's hair looked even more bewildered than usually, and the state he was in was – Picollo's eyes wandered back up….clear to see. Picollo supposed he had been just in the middle of something as he glanced to the door Vegeta was just coming from. The flame-haired guy looked darkly at the intruder and scanned the hallway for his subordinates.
Why hadn't anyone come? Where was Nappa? He was the one in charge for taking care of…intruders. Vegeta had only let go of Chichi as he heard quite a rumble from downstairs. And that just before he was able to finish what he had started! He had let her there on the ground unwillingly, additionally because she just got unconscious and was finally quiet. And now he stood face to face to this man in black.
"Are you searching for something?" Picollo's deep voice echoed through the atmosphere. Vegeta growled.
"I suppose your aim is me." The smaller one ignored Picollo's question and straightened his back. He had learned enough to help himself, he didn't need others to protect him. But it was always less exhausting letting others do the dirty work.
xXx
"Did you hear that?" Bulma asked her new-made guard as she glanced behind her shoulder. She thought she had heard noises from downstairs for a while now. Toshi's body was clearly tensed, but he didn't answer her question. His face was proof enough for her to know she was right. Something was amiss here.
"Do you know anything about this?"she asked him, not willing to lead him further if he didn't answer her question.
He sighed. "I think they have successfully invaded the mansion...Earlier than expected."
"They?"
"My disciplinarians."
xXx
Radditz was slowly getting irritated. Bardock was tough. He was tougher than he had thought. Why didn't this man – nothing more than a lousy bug to him – vanish from his vision? Was it the girl? Was this fool as stupid as to actually treasure his life for her life?
"If you think you can save her, then you are greatly mistaken." He pressed out, tasting his own blood and ignoring the pain from his wound. Bardock looked at him angrily. He was not like the man Radditz thought he ought to be. He was stronger than him, and his mind was determined.
Radditz spat some liquid on the ground before he grinned a bloody smile. If he was to die now, then he wanted to pain Bardock at least psychically. He had to admit, he never liked this psycho-trip-thing of Vegeta or Nappa, but it had its own…agreeableness. Bardock's brow was twitching as he grabbed Radditz by his neck.
"Where is she?"
"As far as I can remember, she is with him. And if the both of us try to think a little we can guess what they are doing right now."
"I really would like to break you neck right now. But you will lead me to her or I'm going to…" his speak was disturbed by Radditz laugh who couldn't hold himself back anymore. Bardock? Forcing him?
"You really think I'm afraid of dying? Honestly, I would welcome to die in a fight. Also it disgusts me to be killed especially by you. But try me. Force me. But even this is not going to help the girl – !" he stopped speaking as he widened his eyes in shock. Bardock himself looked with a surprised look at the material that suddenly shot through Radditz' rip-cage.
Warm blood hung on his cheek and tripled down his face as a familiar voice spoke.
"Don't waste your time with him." And Tenshinhan drew back the blade of the sword from Radditz chest.
xXx
Bulma had to hold in a yell as she suddenly saw dead bodies lying around like a red carpet. Her skin prickled uncomfortably and walked up and down her spine. This scene was pure horror! Who was capable of doing something like this? As if Toshi had heard her question he whispered "Picollo…" before he motioned for her to keep on going.
It was nearly impossible for her to move even one little toe. She had the urge to vomit as the iron smell overwhelmed her senses. Who would do something like this?
xXx
Picollo was impressed. Not to say very impressed. He never had once had a person as an opponent who was as good as Vegeta. But unfortunately Picollo was somebody who finished his work. Always. Without a further discussion.
Striking down his hand to finally end this, he halted just before the critical moment as he listened to Krillin through the transmitter.
"Don't kill him. You know your orders."
"…"
"We still need him. Killing him will bring us nothing."
"Very well…"
xXx
Goku ran. He ran so damn fast from one room to the other, yelling for Chichi's name that the others had trouble keeping up with him. His heart beat to his head and he was actually afraid to find her. To see the state she might be in. How would he react? How would she react?
It didn't matter to him, though. He wanted her back. More than before. Although it pained him to repeated Radditz word's in his head.
Vegeta was with her? He violated her? He touched her? He….Goku couldn't finish his thoughts. It made him sick. And furious.
As he walked past a blue-haired woman he stopped and turned around to her. She looked startled and like someone who just had emptied her stomach multiple times. He almost regretted looking so intimidating. The guy behind her was familiar. He had been one of the newer guys. He narrowed his eyes.
"What are you doing here?" He questioned unfriendly as his nerves were about to break.
Toshi stood up proudly before he bowed a little. "Sir, I'm on the same side as-"
But Bulma interrupted him, suddenly connecting two and two, knowing who was standing before her.. "Don't Sir him! We have no time for this! Listen!" she turned to Goku. "You have to get further upstairs, third floor, east wing, last door. You are basically running towards the room she's in. Hurry!"
He needed nothing more to hear. With a short nod he eyed the blue-haired woman and turned around.
Nothing was going to stop him now.
xXx
Her legs were trembling as he stood before her. She was absolutely silent after he had said her name, almost unbelievingly. The way his eyes roared over her shivering figure was enough to kill her soul. Sinking to the ground on her knees she held her head low as not to see how he looked at her.
With fast footsteps he was right before he, stretching out his arm to touch her, to finally feel her again but she stopped him with a whispering voice.
"Don't touch me…please…don't touch me…"
"Chi, it's alright, everything's ok. I'm here now. You don't have to be afraid anymore." His hand wandered towards here once again. She backed away from him.
"Don't please! Just don't touch me, don't look at me…don't….don't…he did….you…just don't…" she wrapped her arms around herself; a small try to shield herself. His voice got desperate, it almost sounded as if he wanted to cry himself.
"Chi, please…don't deny me. Don't reject me. I'm here for you. You don't have to shoulder this on your own…" She looked up at his face and saw the pain lingering behind his eyes. She cried.
"How am I allowed to let me touch you! I'm not worth of anybodies warmth! I'm not worth it. I've always been alone and I'm now, I….feel…."
"That's not true!" he desperately tried to calm her down and finally grabbed her shoulders. Feeling her again was like pure bliss although the situation wasn't really given for a rather romantic atmosphere. "You have never been alone! You're not alone."
"I am!" she yelled in his face. "Why did my family abandon me? They gave me away only to take me back 2 years after for what? This? My grandfather never searched for me…everyone was just using me! I'm just …an unwilling victim…a nobody…."
He grabbed her face forcefully yet gently and cradled it in his hands. "No, no, no! You don't understand, it's all wrong!"
"What is there to not understand, Goku? What?"
His eyes looked sorrowful at her tearstained face and it pained her even more to see him hurt than feeling hurt herself.
"The thing with your family and the adoption was all just a scheme to confuse Vegeta! You're not a nobody….goodness, you never could be!" his thumb started to brush her tears away from her face, one after another while his face filled itself with all the love and affection he held for her. "Especially not for me…"
She closed her eyes as she just couldn't accept the things she heard from him also it was just exactly what she wanted to hear from him! It was vexing! Oh if only she weren't who she was!
"I'm not the same as before, Goku…." She hid her face in her palms. "I'm not the same…cannot be the same…I don't know what to do from now on! If or if not I'm going to bear a child, I'm still not the same as before!"
"I don't care about what happened!" he now roared and took her hands into his own which she just let happen. Seeing her so desperate pained him endlessly.
"Although we don't even know if he actually…" Goku couldn't talk further. The possibility was one to thousand Vegeta didn't take his chance…and Chichi knew so too. He couldn't help it anymore and pressed her form against his chest tenderly. Chichi just let it happen. She didn't know what was wrong or right anymore. She just wanted to feel…accepted. If not from herself, then from anyone.
"I don't know what to do." She sniffled into his chest and didn't care about the iron smell his clothes emitted. "Everything is just so confusing, I…."
"It's alright, Chi. It's alright." He kissed the top of her head instinctively and closed his eyes as one lone tear escaped his eye. They were going to find a way. Any way. For sure.
