Disclaimer: None of the things you recognize belong to me. DBZ and everything involved with it belongs to Akira Toriyama. Anything you don't recognize belongs to me.

Warnings for this chapter: None.

Note: Thanks to Anne Becker I am able to upload this chapter, by tricking the system as she put it, lol. Thanks so much to her.

Chapter XXXV: The Tournament: Junior Division.

775 A.D. May the 7th.

The qualifying rounds of the tournament consisted of a punching machine. Those with the highest scores would advance. Each contestant's name was called and they would step forward to punch the machine. Hercule Satan was the first to use the machine and he got a score of 137, which he appeared to be very proud of.

The other normal competitors all got scores between 80 and 110. Android 18 merely tapped the machine and got 775. She then did it again and got a lower score. The other z-fighters got scores around 200 by using a lot of self-control. Then it was Chiara's turn.

"Remember, Chiara," Piccolo said. "Try to get a normal score."

She nodded and stepped forward towards the machine, trying to ignore the whistles and cat-calls of some of the macho fighters.

"Hey, baby," one of them called. "Do you need me to punch for you?"

Gohan growled and Goku scowled as some of the macho fighters laughed until Chiara hit the punching machine, with a little more strength than was really necessary and got a score of 410. She walked back, the cat-callers strangely silent, and stood next to Piccolo, who was looking down at her in disapproval.

"That's as normal as I get," she simply said.

Vegeta was up next, and having had enough of the whole thing, he wrecked the machine with a single punch. Everybody stared in awe as Vegeta walked back. Goku slapped his forehead and shook his head.

"You break, you buy, right?" Gohan quipped.

Chiara chuckled as she proudly watched her Senpai.

"I'm giving up," one of the warriors standing near them cried. "That guy would turn me inside out."

Videl probably heard none of this, she was staring in slackjawed awe.

"Nice, Vegeta," Gohan said, a small smile on his face.

Videl started at that, and she turned to Gohan with a frown.

"Wait, you're not in the least bit surprised?" she asked. "Didn't you see what he did to that machine?"

"Oh, I saw," Gohan said lamely, a nervous smile on his face. "Surprising."

"I don't understand it," Videl said. "It's like they're all in this group together, and they can all lift cars and buses. They're all scoring in the two hundreds and my dad only got a 137."

"Yeah, how weird," Gohan agreed, still smiling nervously.

"You know," Chiara cut in before Gohan could say anything else. "Maybe it's just not for you to understand."

Videl turned to Chiara as if noticing her for the first time. "You're one of them, aren't you? You got a score of 410, you have to be one of them." Videl turned to Gohan and said, "Does that mean you're one of them as well?"

"No, of course not," Gohan said quickly, holding up his hands. "And neither is Chiara. Her score was just a fluke."

Chiara raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Hmm," Videl said, not looking at all convinced but willing to let it go, for the moment.

At that moment the man in charge of the machine announced that they were experiencing some 'technical difficulties' but that they would be getting a new machine and they just had to stick around. Videl looked on as Goku, Vegeta, Android 18, Piccolo and Krillin came their way.

"Just look," Videl said with a scowl. "See how they walk. So tough."

"Hello there," Goku said, a friendly smile on his face. "So, you're the girl I keep hearing about."

Videl started at his friendly tone. She glanced at Gohan and saw that he was smiling. Then she glanced at Chiara and saw that she was scowling. What was that all about?

"Introduce her, will ya?" Goku said to Gohan.

"Yeah," Gohan said. "She's…she's my friend. Videl."

Chiara snorted. "Friend," she whispered.

Vegeta heard and smirked but still scolded her. "Behave yourself, runt."

Chiara nodded. "Yes, Senpai," she said softly, but couldn't resist adding. "But let's face it. She's not his friend. She's his girlfriend."

"Chi," Gohan protested. "You're embarassing me."

"Sorry, Gohan," Chiara said, smiling softly. "I didn't mean to." She then turned to the others. "Shall we go now? We don't want to be late for Trunks and Goten's matches."

"Yeah, let's go," Goku said. "It was nice meeting you, Videl."

"Good luck, Gohan," Krillin said.

"Bye," Gohan said.

The small group walked off, leaving Videl and Gohan behind.

"So, Chiara is one of them," Videl said, before turning to Gohan. "And so are you."

Gohan looked a little sheepish at that. "Yeah, I'm sorry for lying, but we're supposed to keep a low profile. The man wearing the orange uniform, he's my dad."

"What?" Videl cried. "I thought your dad was with another woman."

"Oh no," Gohan said. "Just dead. Didn't you see the ring floating over his head?"

"Um, I think I need to lie down," Videl said, looking rather faint.

---

Before the Junior tournament got on the way, the announcer announced Hercule, the champion of the world. Everybody watched as the man came charging in, slipped in the middle of the platform and fell flat on his back. The crowd was ecstatic to see him and didn't even notice as he rolled around in pain.

The z-team had positioned themselves on a balcony to watch the junior tournament and they watched Hercule make an idiot of himself.

"He's even worse than he was seven years ago," Chiara commented.

"Yeah, really," Krillin concurred.

When the crowd stopped cheering, Hercule bounded up and announced that he wasn't hurt and he had been joking. The crowd bought it and they all started cheering again.

"You have a great sense of humour, Hercule," the announcer said.

"Thank you," Hercule said.

The organizers proceeded to air a very embarassing clip of how Hercule 'defeated' Cell. It was a completely made-up clip with people dressed like the z-fighters and even Hercule seemed embarassed by it. While most of the z-fighters were annoyed, Goku said that it was harmless and that they just had to consider it a joke.

"Yeah, but it's not a joke, is it?" Chiara snapped. "These people actually believe all of that."

"Maybe they do, but it doesn't matter," Goku said. "We know better."

Chiara merely huffed and turned away, annoyed with the clip and annoyed that her father didn't seem to be even remotely sorry that he'd been gone for so long. She ignored the urge to just forget everything and crawl into his arms, and scowled. How dare he? Her thoughts were interrupted when the Junior Division began its tournament.

"So," she said as Trunks and Idaasa headed for the middle of the tournament grounds. "We're in for a boring tournament."

"Yep," Krillin agreed.

"At least until Goten and Trunks face eachother," Piccolo spoke up, from where he stood watching.

"And that won't be long from now," Chiara added and they all chuckled.

As predicted, it didn't take Trunks long to beat Idaasa and before they knew it, it was time for Goten's first match.

"Where is Gohan?" Chiara asked, frowning. "I know it's not exciting but it is Goten's first match. I would have thought he'd want to see it."

"He's still in line for the punching machine," Goku said. "They're still trying to fix it."

Chiara looked at Vegeta, who looked anything but sorry for breaking the punching machine, in fact, he looked downright smug.

"Well, they better hurry," Chiara said. "Gohan won't want to miss Trunks and Goten's match."

Again as predicted, Goten beat Ikoose easily and after a few more matches, it was time for Trunks vs. Goten. Gohan just barely managed to make it in time.

"What did I miss?" he said as he and Videl arrived.

"Everything and nothing," Chiara said and then explained when he looked confused, "Everything in that all the matches but one have been fought, and nothing in that…nothing happened. It was boring. Trunks and Goten just steamrolled their way through the tournament."

"Like we all knew they would," Krillin commented.

Chiara nodded, her eyes scanning the crowd at their own accord. He still wasn't there. He had promised that he would be. She frowned. If only she could sense him, then she could go and find him.

"Chi?"

Chiara started and turned to Krillin. "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" Krillin asked. "You looked like you were looking for somebody."

"Looking for somebody?" Chiara repeated, trying to look indifferent. "I wasn't, I was just looking around."

"Don't try to fool us, Chi," Gohan said, a teasing smile on his face. "You're looking for your boyfriend."

Everyone, except Vegeta and Gohan, looked surprised.

"Boyfriend?" Krillin asked.

"Yes, I have a boyfriend," Chiara all but snapped, her cheeks bright red. "Is that so unbelievable?"

"Runt," was all Vegeta said, but Chiara understood the warning.

"I'm sorry, Krillin," Chiara said sincerely. "I just don't see why it's so surprising."

Krillin accepted her apology with a friendly nod, before saying, "It's not surprising, you're a pretty girl."

Chiara blushed again, and the smile on her face was genuine, but Gohan couldn't help but feel worried.

'I just had to open my big mouth, what if she's mad at me?' he thought.

'Don't be silly, Gohan,' Chiara thought back. 'Turnabout is fair play, I teased you about Videl.'

Relief washed over Gohan and he smiled at his sister before they turned to the platform where the match between Goten and Trunks was set to begin.

---

Seizing the opportunity to study his children while they weren't looking, Goku first turned his attention to his eldest son. Son Gohan. He really had turned into an impressive man, all muscle and power. Yet, he had a gentle heart, the way he treated his 'friend' Videl was proof of that.

Goku wondered how Gohan was doing in school and what he wanted to become when he finished, but he knew this wasn't the place to ask. He probably wouldn't be given the chance to ask at all. It was because of these things that he lamented having been gone for seven years, but he knew in his heart that he had done the right thing by staying away. Or did he?

At this, his attention turned to his only daughter. Son Chiara. She wasn't like most girls. She wasn't a sparkling young chit of a girl, with blonde hair and big blue eyes. Brooding and dark. Wild, coal black hair and onyx eyes. That was Son Chiara. She was beautiful.

Perhaps he was biased. He was her father after all. She was also very strong, he didn't need to be biased to feel that, and he mentally thanked Vegeta for doing what he could not during those seven years.

'He obviously trained her well,' he thought.

A scowl came to Goku's face when Vegeta warned his daughter off, simply by calling her 'runt'. He felt anger well up in his chest. He wanted to yell that that was his daughter he was talking to, that she had a name and he should use it, that he had no right to try and take Goku's place.

Goku's scowl turned into a frown at that. Now where had that come from? He wasn't…jealous, was he? Of course not, why should he be? Vegeta wouldn't try something like that. His thoughts were taken away from his twins and to the platform where his youngest stood as the last match of the junior tournament began. His heart swelled with love and pride for the young boy fighting Trunks, but somewhere inside, a gnawing feeling remained, a feeling that wouldn't be addressed until some time later.

---

The match between Trunks and Goten began and the z-fighters loved it. It was the first really exciting match of that day. Goku was obviously proud of his little boy, and, although he didn't show it, Vegeta was proud of his son.

In the end, Trunks beat Goten through cheating, though Goten cheated during the match as well. Goten was upset at first, but after being offered three of Trunks' toys, he was happy again. When they came to congratulate Trunks on his victory, Goten happily chattered to Gohan and Chiara about what toys he was going to choose.

As was a custom at the tournament, the winner of the Junior Tournament was then allowed to take on the World Champion. Trunks easily punched Mr. Satan's lights out, but, inevitably, the crowd believed Satan let Trunks win.