Author Notes: Ahhhhhhhhh (for real do not hate me; just trust me; okay, so maybe I've got a problem of mixing my romance with my action drama but that's kinda what I love about watching DragonBall in the first place so ~ also all those old movies my parents had me watch when I was younger, probably a cause; anywho...I should have another chapter out by Friday this week and yes, I'm updating this one earlier than planned)

Pairing: Goku x Chi-Chi

Words: 4,496

AU Setting: High School

~!~Just Another High School Romance~!~

~!~Part 12: I Searched For You (Section 2)~!~

Eating a fast food burger on top of a metal jungle gym had been the last thing on his plans for the evening. But hunger called, as it always did. Of course, Goku would have much preferred to be sitting at home with Chi-Chi, or at least knowing that Chi-Chi was safe. Too bad he couldn't have what he wanted.

The tension of the day was beginning to physically affect him. His shoulders ached a little from being unable to relax all day. He'd already removed his jacket, set it off to the side, let it hang over one of the metal bars. If it fell it would be a pain to retrieve it since this particular jungle gym was one of those circular types. Like a giant half-sphere of metal dug into the ground. Thankfully, his jacket showed no signs of slipping to the ground below, but such a small thing was no relief from the tension.

Krillin stood on the ground, leaning back against the awkwardly curved metal bars, near where Goku rested his feet. Hands were in his pockets, staring out beyond the abandoned playground. Well, he wasn't focused on the food. For now, Goku was and he had to be or else he'd go insane with worry.

The playground was empty except for them and still no sign of Tien, though sunset was fast approaching. Walking through the place had almost been a hazard on its own. Overgrown weeds. Fallen branches from nearby rotting trees. Crushed leaves. Moss and vines crawling around the playhouse and its two plastic slides. That thing didn't look stable enough to sit on, a reason Goku had chosen the spherical monkey bars instead.

Oh, there was a swing set, too, and a little merry-go-round and some semblance of a sandbox off in the corner. But none of those made good places to sit. Well, the swings might be okay, but he wasn't in the mood to test the strength of those.

A sigh came from his friend as Krillin kicked a rock into a patch of weeds. "Hey, Goku?"

Since he had food in his mouth, Goku grunted in response. "Hm?"

"What are you gonna do when they get here?"

Ah. The big question. He chewed the last of his food, swallowed, and then crunched up the wrapper into a ball before tossing it at his friend's head. The trash landed perfectly, rolling around on the brim of Krillin's cap as his buddy turned to look at him. The wad of a wrapper eventually fell to the ground and the both of them stared at it in silence, as if unsure what to do, watching the wind take it for a trip through the abandoned playground equipment.

After he'd had enough watching the little trash ball, Goku sighed. "I wish I had an answer, Krillin, but I really don't know what I'll do until I see what this set up is all about."

Krillin grimaced. "Yeah, and by then it may be too late."

"Not much I can do at this point," Goku shrugged, crossing his arms and laying them across his knees; he was trying to be nonchalant about the situation, trying to keep the worry from eating him up. "As long as they have Chi-Chi there's just not much I can argue with at all."

His friend grunted and hummed in passive agreement. Both of their eyes moved toward the city. This playground was in an abandoned part of town, a place that was typically expected to be off limits, but now it was simply the side of town where the gang life could run rampant, apparently. A poorer section tied to the abandoned half-collapsed buildings. A place that had been hit hard by a storm and never repaired by the city.

It was depressing being out here for so long. There weren't any lights. No crowds. No activity. But smoke was an ever present smell, at least to him. As well as that foreboding sense of being watched from the darkness. He was a little shocked they hadn't been approached by any adults, well meaning or otherwise.

As the sun reached closer to the horizon, the sound of a motorcycle engine revved through the air. Goku perked up as the noise came closer. Had they finally decided to show up? Was the waiting over?

A sliver of disappointment hit him when the bike and rider became visible. Dark hair didn't fit anyone in Tien's gang. And as rare and unexpected as it was to see him on a motorcycle, it also wasn't the first time Goku had seen his friend riding one either.

Krillin was the first to voice the name, even as the rider pulled up in front of them. "Yamcha?"

Their friend stepped off the motorcycle, propping the vehicle up by its kickstand as he moved a pair of goggles up to his forehead. "Hey, sorry it took so long."

Goku blinked, then laughed. "Hey, no problem, Yamcha. I wasn't expecting you to show up anyway."

"Aw, Goku, I'm hurt," Yamcha said, hand to his heart. "I always try to be there for my friends."

With a shrug, Goku grinned, welcoming the help even as he teased. It felt nice to joke around a little, to relieve some of the tension at least. He hadn't expected Yamcha to show up because of what had happened in the past. While help would be nice, he could understand Yamcha wanting to avoid Tien at all costs.

But here he was anyway. Goku would have come out here on his own without a problem, but it was nice to see his friends ready to back him up.

"All right," Krillin said into the dying tension. "So what took you so long anyway? I figured something kept you from leaving the school, but -"

"Yeah, covering your asses, honestly," Yamcha quipped. "But that was the easy part. Trying to convince Vegeta was the hard part."

Goku blinked. "Vegeta's coming?"

Yamcha sighed, hand going behind his neck. "Well, no, but I did try to convince him to help. He said he didn't want any part in your gang fighting. Something about it being petty and beneath him and how Chi-Chi was your responsibility anyway."

A sick feeling hit Goku's stomach, like an untimely punch to the gut. Chi-Chi was his responsibility, huh? Yeah, he could agree with that… and he'd messed up. He'd failed her. After all these months working to keep her safe from this exact sort of thing…

He gave an uneasy chuckle and scratched at his cheek. "Ah hah, yeah, I guess he has a point."

A jarring kick to the metal bars sent a shiver running through his legs as he glanced down to Krillin. "Yo, Goku, don't worry about him. Whatever happens tonight, we're gonna fix it all and you won't have to worry about protecting Chi-Chi ever again."

While Goku could understand his friend's sentiments, understand that Krillin was really just trying to ease his fear, he couldn't help but laugh again. "Heh. Yeah. Well, I think I'm always gonna worry about her."

Before he could continue the conversation, Yamcha cleared his throat. Both Krillin and Goku turned attention to their other friend. Their other friend who was leaning against the motorcycle that they hadn't really expected to see in his possession, come to think of it. Well, he'd seen Yamcha with a bike before, but nothing quite so extravagant or nice. It almost looked, well, new.

"Anyway," Yamcha said. "The important thing is I also talked to Bulma."

Krillin snapped his fingers. "Oh, so that's where you got the bike!"

Goku blinked, raising an eyebrow, giving a half-hearted grin because he had missed something. "Wait. What? What's so important about Bulma?"

With a roll of his eyes, Yamcha met his gaze. "For one, yeah, she gave me the bike out of her father's garage so it's temporary. But more importantly, she's gonna talk to the police."

"What?!" Springing off the jungle gym, Goku landed in front of his friend, unsure whether he actually wanted to glare or not. "Chi-Chi could be in danger. You can't call the cops until we know she's safe!"

"Right, right, I know," Yamcha said, hands up defensively. "But trust me. By the time Bulma gets them to act, we'll have Chi-Chi back and hopefully manage to stop them before they can do anything too terrible with this trap they have planned or whatever."

Giving a sigh, Goku ran a hand through his hair. "I hope you're right."

"Don't worry," Yamcha went on, putting a hand on his shoulder and giving a squeeze. "Just think of it as insurance."

Releasing another breath, Goku cracked a weak smile. "Thanks, then. I guess."

Yamcha nodded. "See. Relax. Everything will work out. Now we just need to wait for Tien to show up."

Heh. Right. Wait. So much waiting. So many hours wasted of sitting around and doing nothing. Goku was tired of waiting.

And yet still he had no choice in the matter. All he had left to do, was wait.

~!~

Thankfully, he didn't have to wait much longer at all. When the sound of more motorcycle engines filled the air, Goku narrowed his eyes, gaze focused on the playground entrance. He stood next to Krillin, having just managed a laugh at some light-hearted joke from his friends. Only now the laughter died as three motorcycles pulled into the scene. Three bikes that revved their engines, plowed through the overgrowth in the playground, and then basically surrounded them, leaving the metal jungle gym at his back.

"Well," Krillin whispered. "Here we go."

Goku nodded slowly, eyes searching the bikes for Chi-Chi. At first he couldn't see her at all. There was Tien, shirtless, wearing only his dark green pants, a red sash of a belt, arm bands, and oh, of course his boots designed specifically for fighting, too. The third eye tattooed on Tien's forehead normally seemed ridiculous, but now the symbol added an intimidating quality to the image.

Behind Tien, Chiaotzu grinned, looking like a happy child with a painted face. Most wouldn't have known that Chiaotzu was actually a high school student as well, just a kid that couldn't grow beyond the child body. He was mostly a rival for Krillin, probably slated to be in the tournament as well.

On the second bike, one rider, Launch. Her blond curls bounced around her shoulders and as soon as she stopped in place, she lifted her trusty weapon. Great. So the gun was going to be present after all. What was their deal? Why all this fuss?

Goku swallowed something that tasted a little like worry and a little like the harsh tang of fear as he glanced to the third motorcycle. Brad had joined the crew, apparently. Newly initiated or important or something because of the cargo he carried behind him, draped all over his back, knocked out.

He stepped toward her on instinct. "Chi-"

Two pairs of hands snatched him back from either side, keeping him steady in place. "Hold on, Goku."

Though his heart demanded he rush toward her now, Goku had to swallow the urge and nod again. His eyes stayed on her, though, checking for signs of breathing. She was clearly passed out and there looked to be a little dried blood reflecting in the dimming sunlight from the top of her hair, but otherwise she looked to be fine. Perfectly...fine...and still in that martial arts uniform, too. That was a good sign, right?

"Goku," Tien said, pulling his attention. "I'm surprised at you."

Glaring at the leader of the Crane Gang, Goku lightly shook his friends off. "Why?"

"Hm, because," Tien said as he stepped off his bike and gestured toward him. "You're still wearing your school uniform. A little bit of disadvantage for a fight, don't you think?"

"Don't care," he snapped. "The jacket's the only thing really constricting movement anyway. Let Chi-Chi go."

Fists shook at his side. Adrenaline was beginning to pump through him in anticipation of his fight. He had to force it down, control it, but that was so hard to do with Chi-Chi unconscious and laying across Brad like that. At least that guy's smug face had already been smashed enough to be sporting bruises. Released tension without true results – only a temporary relief.

Now his focus was Tien, though he spared a glance for Chiaotzu and Launch. She always had her gun, usually to fire it in the sky for a scare tactic or signal. So why was he nervous about seeing it now? Oh, right, they'd set a trap.

Dark eyes slid back to Tien as Goku frowned. A trap...but what?

"I think we've done enough standing around," Tien announced. "Time to get down to business, huh?"

Taking a deep calming breath, Goku spared a glance to Chi-Chi, then focused back on the person who had taken her in the first place. "What do you want, Tien? Just a fight? Let Chi-Chi go and I'll fight you all you want."

"Hmm...temping and I do realize you're one of those trustworthy types, but no," Tien stepped closer, coming right up in front of Goku, causing Krillin and Yamcha to both take up stances on either side of him. "I'm not giving the order to let her go until after our fight. You're never this worked up in a tournament match. It's usually all fun and games for you. But this – this is like tasting your raw power. Raw raging energy. Give me a fight with your rage. It's going to be my only chance for this kind of fight with you. So give me this – and then I'll give your girl back to you."

Through clenched teeth, Goku gave his hissed answer. "Fine."

Dark eyes glared up at the gang leader. They were close, so much closer than they would have been at the start of a tournament match. But this wouldn't be a tournament match. Not anything like it. He wasn't sure what Tien was trying to prove, what trap he was trying to pull, but after waiting all day to see Chi-Chi safe again...Goku simply didn't care.

He didn't care about keeping his adrenaline in check. He didn't care about the rage bubbling up from the core of his being. He didn't care about the danger of the situation.

All he cared about was getting Chi-Chi back and making Tien pay for stepping so far out of bounds.

"Krillin, Yamcha," he snapped, a quick call behind him. "Try to keep an eye on Chi-Chi for me."

Yamcha's reply came first. "Right."

Then Krillin's. "Uh...I'll try...but if Chiaotzu tries anything..."

Oh, right. There were other gang members and Krillin usually kept tabs on Chiaotzu in these tense situations. Those honest answers would have to do, then. He needed to focus on Tien. Hopefully, his friends would be able to handle the others. It was a little mismatched, but – well – it was the best they could manage.

With a slight nod to his friend, Goku turned attention back to Tien just in time to see the gang leader taking a stance. Bending slightly. Prepared to spring. Goku grit his teeth and fell into a defensive position. As much as his rage urged him to push forward, the simple, habitual motion helped calm his mind enough to keep him steady.

He took a breath, let it out…

And then the tension snapped.

The first move came not from Tien or even Goku, but the scream accompanied by a childlike figure jumping high over Tien's bent form. Like a little animal making a surprise attack. Only Krillin sprang into action before Goku could react. Tackling Chiaotzu to the ground off to the side, Krillin successfully stopped the distraction in its tracks.

Of course Goku was still putting together the pieces of what had happened, but his mind and reactions caught up in time to block Tien's first punch. Brushing it off, he dodged the next one with ease. Moved side to side as he avoided each straight forward attack in those flurry of punches. He stepped back, too, trying to create the distance he needed to launch his own attack, but Tien kept pushing him. Insistent. And persistent. Very much so persistent.

Hard, cool metal pressed into Goku's back and he yelped, glancing over his shoulder to see the spherical jungle gym. A quick decision and he turned, climbing as fast as he could before turning his body back around to block another punch from Tien with his arm just in time. Balance became a new factor as he ducked and raced around the metal playground equipment. But training and a cool head kept him focused and steady.

Fighting was like a familiar dance to him. Every move had a purpose. Every breath well controlled. He still needed to reach a point to push himself onto the offensive, but for now the tense rage was well under wraps.

An idea hit his mind and he went with it almost instantly. Springing away from the jungle gym, Goku flipped backwards through the air. He landed with his feet on solid ground and then kicked his way backwards some more with another quick jump.

Just as Tien was coming down to meet him. With a bit of a grin, Goku changed the momentum of his quick spring backward and rushed right toward Tien instead. As the gang leader's boots brushed with the earth, Goku's fist connected hard with the unprotected muscle of Tien's abdomen. A forceful hit right to the gut – one that sent Tien stumbling back into the jungle gym where he slumped against the metal bars.

Perfect. Caught him off guard and off balance. Goku stood tall, feeling a grin form on his face, only to drop it at the reminder of why he was fighting. This wasn't a tournament stage to spend time gloating in front of a crowd. This was a personal fight in an abandoned playground.

He glared at the groaning gang leader before him. "Let Chi-Chi go."

Tien glared back at him, but then dropped the glare for a knowing smirk instead as he called out. "Launch!"

Tilting his head at the odd display, Goku raised an eyebrow, about to question. The gunfire distracted his attention, pulling his gaze over to the other side of the spherical jungle gym. Krillin seemed locked in his own fight with Chiaotzu. Yamcha was clearly winning against Brad. Launch had her gun raised, pointed toward the sky. Chi-Chi was…

...on the ground.

"What?" He exclaimed. "What did -"

A sudden impact to his stomach choked the words out of his mouth. Followed by a clean cut to his jaw and then a harsh kick to his chest that sent him flying back, hitting the ground and sliding from the force and speed of the blow.

Tien appeared above him, a boot ready to crush down on him, but Goku saw the move with enough time to roll away. Roll and get his bearings as he did so, crashing through twigs and patches of weeds and overgrown vines that snagged on his uniform clothes. At least he had removed his jacket long ago, but now when he sprang up to his feet he was covered in the little brambles and stickers that he had rolled through.

Whatever. His focus here was still Tien. And the gang leader was still after him.

Goku wiped at his face, feeling the blood trickle from a busted lip. Thanks to Tien's earlier sucker punch to his jaw. He'd almost bitten his tongue, too. Or maybe he had. Hard to tell. Either way, it almost felt like the fight was even now.

Eyes narrowing, he watched as Tien rushed toward him and Goku met him full force this time. Not just blocking punches but throwing his own out there as well. A kick swiped through the air and he had to jump to avoid it, taking the opportunity to spring back again. He liked keeping his distance from Tien. The guy was a good close range fighter and hard rushes were easier to predict than all those fast movements up front.

As expected, Tien charged toward him. A glance over his shoulder allowed Goku a small smirk, though. He jumped back off to the side to break away from the rush, but literally tilted his body sideways so he could let his feet hit the side of the playground's playhouse. Bouncing off the rotting wood wall, Goku managed to get himself behind Tien in record time, which then allowed him to grab the guy from behind, an arm pressing hard into his neck.

They struggled in that position and Goku growled as he held Tien as still as possible. "I'm only gonna say it one more time. Let Chi-Chi g-ah -"

Somehow Tien managed to escape his hold and soon Goku found himself caught in the other position, this time with Tien harshly twisting and holding his arm behind him. "What was that?"

Beyond being a good close range fighter, Tien was also a little taller, bigger and bulkier than Goku. Enough to make a difference here as he tried to break free of the hold against him. That twisting of his arm was sort of painful, making his eyes twitch, forcing him to grit his teeth as he fought against Tien's grasp.

He slid his feet along the ground, trying to test if another angle would work better for him. No new angle gave him relief, but at the very least he noticed a decent sized branch sitting in the brush. A glance to Tien, another quick glance around to judge angle, and then a half-shrug as he stepped on the edge of the tree limb. To his luck, the branch snapped up, smacking directly into Tien's kneecap, which caused the gang leader to release his hold on Goku.

As soon as he was free, Goku bounced into action. Slamming his elbow into Tien's jaw and then hopping back a little to grin. Only, he couldn't gloat for long, finding that Tien was quit to recover and retaliate. Hands grabbed at either side of Goku's face and then a head smacked hard into his, releasing him in time to allow the force to carry Goku backwards.

He stumbled and fell into the plastic slide behind him, hearing it creak a little before collapsing entirely under his weight. Rubbing his head, he groaned, then blinked, seeing Tien charging for him again. A quick flip back and he was on his feet, at a distance, and...Tien stopped?

Having fallen into a stance, Goku blinked, tilting his head as he stared across the way at his opponent, curious as to the delay. "What are y-"

The gunshot rocked through the air. Only this time, his world froze in response. Pain came in response. White hot pain flooding through his body, slowly filling everything else. His heart pounded and pain accompanied the pumping of his blood. His mouth fell open with a gasp, finding it hard to even locate where that strange sensation was coming from. What could it -

And then Tien was in front of him. He tried to move away, only to feel one of his legs absolutely refuse to cooperate. A whimper escaped his mouth at the rush of fire that filled him at the attempt. He didn't have time to question, though, as Tien was already taking advantage of his slow reaction. A knee to the gut and he bent over, still agonizing over that flood of heat trickling in from his leg.

His leg was on fire…

And then he was on the ground, rolling, being kicked in the side, curling up to try to block it out, eyes closing, voice screaming as it all coalesced into one agonizing feeling. Too much. It was too much. He couldn't breathe. He could barely hear himself. Or the words being spoken above him.

When the extra pain stopped, he still wanted to curl up. That feeling in his leg was impossible to ignore. So many times he'd brushed over twinges and aches and hits, but this was something entirely different, entirely new. His extremely high pain tolerance could only mask so much.

Over the foggy haze, he finally heard the words being spoken to him, words from Tien. "I bet that spot in the National Team just opened up."

Words that didn't make any sense. Why would he bring up the national team? He knew Tien was jealous of the contract Goku had earned but – why -

And then other voices. Krillin. "Goku, buddy, are you okay?"

"Shut up, Krillin, of course he's not okay," and that was Yamcha. "Look, we gotta stop the bleeding. The cops are coming. They'll help."

"Goku, hey, don't know if you can hear, but we're gonna roll you over a little, okay?"

Not that he could understand, but he nodded, hissing as they did just that. His vision swam and he tried to move his leg again, only to end up screaming and watching his world go dark. Temporarily at least. He came to, feeling his arm shaking as he tried to reach for something, seeing more people around him. Adults. Police? When had they -?

"All right, son, you've lost a decent amount of blood now, so just stay with us," heh, one of those kinds of adults. "We're gonna move ya onto this stretcher, and then you won't have to move anymore."

He tried to give some kind of response, some kind of nod, or mumble an okay. Maybe a nod. But all that came out was something else on his mind. In all this haze, he was still worried about her. "Chi-"

Krillin was by his side, snatching and holding his hand. "Don't worry about Chi-Chi. She'll be fine. They'll take care of her. She just seemed to be passed out, okay? Nothing serious. They'll flush the drugs out of her system and she'll be right back to normal. You'll see."

"Heh."

"And you'll be fine, too," Krillin continued. "Yamcha and I have to stay with the police and answer some questions and all. But – uh – I'll see you at the hospital later, all right? I'm not sure where you got shot exactly, but it shouldn't be too bad...even if that is a lot of blood...but hey, you bounce back from all kinds of stuff. You'll be fine."

He didn't understand. Shot? Was that what…?

Oh. Launch had shot him...all the mocking talk of how he needed to be in school...the trap...they'd planned to shoot him all along...oh…

Well…

At least Chi-Chi was going to be okay. At least he had something to smile about as they moved him and that red hot fire rushed through him again, vision swimming until he blacked out. And this time, the black out wasn't temporary.

A/N: Uh. Have a fun week? See ya Friday? Please don't kill me.