Don't own anything!

Hey everyone, sorry for the late update. It took me forever to write this, and I know you won't be disappointed. As I promised, Vegeta and Goku fight, but there's a tiny surprise at the end of the chapter. ^_^

Gah, school starts next week and I still have to read two books for school, not to mention I have walking pneumonia right now and my grandfather died and I'm missing soccer practice every morning…

Oh, everyone, go to my new web site! It's called "Anywhere The Wind Blows" If you go, make sure you check out my teaser for a new fic called "Killer Queen" that I'm working on! (visit my bio to get the link, I can't put it up here, or it'll screw up the chapter.)^_^

And before I forget…

*hands strawberry daiquiris to all the reviewers*

Okay, enjoy the chapter, and remember to review!  

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Chapter 6

"And I'm still here, waiting now, to catch you if you fall. I don't know why I care so much, when I shouldn't care at all."

   "Goku?"

   Silence

   "Goku?"

   She was met with a few yawns and a cough. Ms. Shima sighed heavily, "ChiChi?"

   ChiChi seemed barely alive at her desk. Her arm propped her head up, which was slowly slipping on the hard wood. Her eyes were halfway shut, and a blank expression greeted anyone who passed by her. She covered her mouth as she yawned—she had been up all night. All night…

   Thinking about him. Thinking about the guy staying at her house—the one who she never wanted to talk to again. Her former best friend…

   Goku

   To her, it was his entire fault she was up all night. He just had to ask. That damn question rung in her ears as clearly as she had first heard it.

   "Why did you leave me?"

   She could not answer him. She just…could not. Something inside her froze, and she could not come up with a reason. She sat in her bed all night, just trying to think of a possible answer. Her mind seemed numbed by that question. No matter how hard she thought about it, she came up with nothing. Maybe she never wanted to answer that question. Maybe there was something deep down inside that she never wanted to admit to herself…

   She yawned again as her head drooped lower. Sleep…a nice comfortable bed would be really nice right at that moment.

   "CHICHI!"

   ChiChi's head snapped up. She rubbed her eyes sleepily as she looked up at Ms. Shima.

   "ChiChi, are you here?" Ms. Shima asked.

   "Sorry, I had a rough night."

   "Yeah! With Goku!" A boy at the back of the room yelled, "She had a real rough night with him, if you know what I mean!"

   ChiChi turned around, now almost fully awake, "You need to shut the hell up!"

    "And what are you going to do about it?" The boy asked, pulling a blonde bang out of his eye, "Are you going to get Reject to help you?"

   "Alan…" ChiChi growled. She was not happy with this. The jerk…he had the nerve…

   "Yes, ChiChi?" The boy Alan said, practically mocking ChiChi. He gave her a sarcastic smile. His eyes shone with amusement.

   "Shut up, before I beat you down. I promise, it will hurt." An evil look entered ChiChi's eyes. She hadn't fought in a long time. Not since…

   She pushed that thought as far away as she could.

   Alan put his hands up in defense, "Oh, I'm really scared. What, did Goku teach you a few moves from one of his dumbass street fights?"

   ChiChi gave Alan a small smirk, "Of course. Goku's a genius when it comes to street fighting." She paused for a moment. Did I just defend Goku? ChiChi thought. Oh well, too late to turn back now.

   "Let's see it then." Alan jumped out of his seat, and rolled up his sleeves. ChiChi did the same, and dropped into her fighting stance. She was ready to go. God, the last time she felt this alive…

   Yet another thought to tuck at the back of her mind.

   Damn it ChiChi! Stop thinking about him! You're not even supposed to be defending him! She screamed at herself. She pulled her fist back, and prepared to attack Allen.

   "CHICHI!" Ms. Shima screamed. Everyone was quiet as ChiChi turned to Ms. Shima. ChiChi had a handful on Alan's shirt by the time she intervened. Everyone forgot the teacher was there, too.

   ChiChi let reluctantly Alan go, and turned to Ms. Shima.

   Ms. Shima shook her head, "From all people…" She muttered, "ChiChi, Alan, go to the office and see Mr. Zenigata."

   ChiChi and Alan both nodded slowly, and headed to the office.

   "So, ChiChi. I never expected to see you in here." Mr. Zenigata peered at ChiChi from behind his desk. Mr. Zenigata was a middle-aged man with brown, thinning hair. It was rumored that in his younger days, he worked for the police, and was sent to chase after to most notorious thief of all time.

   The rumor went that Mr. Zenigata could not catch him, so the police force let him go, and now he is a high school principal. Well, obviously, he's a high school principal…

   "I'm sorry Mr. Zenigata," ChiChi said quietly. She looked down at her hands, ashamed at her behavior. Well, at least one half of her was ashamed. The other half of her was fired up. It was such a rush when she was about to fight. She belonged in the ring, competing with raw strength. She wanted and needed it.

   "Well, ChiChi. Apologizing isn't going to get you out of this. You know that fighting is forbidden. You'll have the rest of the day suspended. If you ever do this again, I'm suspending you for a longer length of time, okay?"

   "Yes, sir." ChiChi looked at Mr. Zenigata in the eyes. He nodded to her as a signal to leave. Without smiling, or giving any sign back, she stood up and left.

~*~ 

   "Look, isn't that Son Goku?"

   "Yeah, I think it is. Isn't he good or something?"

   "Only the best. He's never lost a battle. Hell, he's never had to work hard to win."

   "You think he can beat the Lighting Baron?"

   "I don't know man. Goku's good, but the Lightning Baron seems better. Whom do you bet on?"

   "Twenty bucks on Goku."

   "Okay, I put twenty on Lightning Baron."

   Goku smirked as he listened to the conversation. Having great hearing was a definite plus to being a Saiya-Jin. Half the people were on his side. It was extremely good that they knew his name. That way, he could have some needed support. Fighting Vegeta and winning was not going to be an easy task that is for sure.

   "What are you smirking at, kid?" Vegeta asked Goku. 

   Goku chuckled, "You can hear them as well as I can. The crowd is split fifty-fifty, Vegeta."

   "Is that something to be happy about?"

   "Yes, it brings in more money."

   "Interesting. If I beat you, I get more money?"

   "If you beat me."

   "When I beat you." Vegeta crossed his arms, and smirked.

   "Tell me something. Why do you need this money?"

   "That's my business, and my business only."

   "And I'm taking it that Bulma doesn't know about this, and that's why you use a lame alias?"

   "Yes, and it's not lame." Vegeta rolled his eyes, "Can we just get on with this?"

   Goku dropped into a fighting stance, "Fine with me."

   "Okay, let's go."

   "Ready? Fight!"

   As the bell sounded, Goku and Vegeta circled each other. They stayed on their toes, both prepared for a first move from the other. Goku smirked as he leapt off his right foot towards Vegeta. As fast as lightning, Vegeta's left hand sprung across his body, catching Goku's hand. Smirking, Goku brought his left leg back, and prepared to take a swing at Vegeta. Vegeta responded quickly by blocking with his knee. He let go of Goku, and jumped backwards.

   "So kid, you have some speed there." Vegeta smirked, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

   "I don't like to brag about it." Goku also smirked. This was going to be so much fun…

   "Okay, let's see if you can keep up." As soon as Vegeta finished, he vanished into thin air. No one could tell where the Lightning Baron was. Little glimpses of his muscular body would appear from time to time, leaving nothing but after images of himself. Vegeta's tactics would baffle any opponent.

   Not Goku though. He smiled, and quickly spun around. Bringing his hand in front of his face, he blocked a kick from Vegeta. On the defense, he backed up, blocking rounds of punches and kicks from Vegeta's mid air attacks. Soon, Vegeta touched the floor of the ring.

   "So, I see this is a warm up for you. You're doing better than I expected, Kakarott."

   Goku shrugged. It was really nothing to be proud of, really. Fighting was just something that he loved to do, and if he could find a challenge, he would take it in a heartbeat.

   "Okay kid, let me show you a little secret of mine." Vegeta pushed off into the air. A flare of gold ki surrounded his body as he powered up. Soon, rocks from the ground were surrounding him as his hair started to flicker a vivid gold. Not long after, his hair stood on end, energy crackling around him. He floated down, and stood before Goku.

   "How's this, kid?"

   Goku smiled, "Well, that's nothing new." He watched Vegeta's smirk turn into a frown. Goku smiled, and transformed. His black, wild hair turned upwards into gold spikes, looking much like Vegeta's. A single bang hung loosely over his forehead. His smile grew wider as Vegeta's frown grew on his face.

   "How? How can you transform? You're nothing but a…"

   "Low class?" Goku finished for him. He knew about the Saiya-Jin caste system. His father was a "Low class" Saiya-Jin, resulting in his own social status. The only thing was that Vegeta-sei no longer existed, so the caste system no longer applied.

   Vegeta grunted at Goku's response, "Yes, a low class. How the hell did you achieve this? How long have you been able to do this?"

   Goku tapped his ring finger on the side of his head, "Well, to be exact, I've been doing this for…two years. Yeah, since I was sixteen."

   Vegeta gritted his teeth. He had only been able to transform for about a year. Damn, how could a low class transform before him? It was mind-boggling…

   "Okay Vegeta, now that we have this whole Super Saiya-Jin thing going on, can we get on with the fight, and give these people a show?" Goku asked, the anticipation of the real fight shinning in his eyes.

   "Okay, warm up is officially over."

~*~  

   ChiChi wandered down the streets of West City. What was she going to do with her time now? She would be in so much trouble if her father found out that she had been suspended for the rest of the day. Damn Goku, it was his entire fault, really. Actually, it was Alan's fault…

   She flowed with the crowd, letting them take her to random places. After aimlessly wandering for five minutes or so, she stumbled upon a match taking place. There was an eerie silence over the crowd, as if they were hypnotized by the match taking place. ChiChi looked at the golden figures in the ring. They gracefully moved around, more as if they were dancing rather than fighting. Her mouth hung open as she too, was sucked into the fight, seeing it more of an art form than anything. She watched as the punches were thrown at high speeds. Neither fighter seemed fatigued in any way, A fight this magnificent rarely came in amateur fighting. What a great day to get suspended…

   Goku crossed his arm in front of his face as he blocked Vegeta's fists. Bruises covered his arms and legs, yet no cuts seemed to appear yet. On the defense, Goku fluently moved his hands to block Vegeta's punches. He patiently waited for the best time to counter attack, which seemed to be coming very slowly…

   Vegeta gritted his teeth, frustrated that he could not get a good hit on Goku. He was not nearly as badly bruised as Goku, but somehow, his reflexes had gotten better throughout the fight. Switching up his strategy, Vegeta threw in a kick to Goku's stomach, sending him against the ropes. Flying towards Goku, he grabbed onto Goku's shirt, and started to furiously punch Goku in the face. Goku grunted as he took the beating, unable to stop it. Vegeta did not stop until a clot of blood went flying from Goku's mouth. Finally, he had broken some skin.

   Goku gave a small cough. Leaping forward, he started to unsuccessfully punch at Vegeta. The last beating seemed to take a toll on him. Stumbling forward, he felt pressure from his back as he fell I the ring. Swaying rapidly, he struggled to stand up. Vegeta flew forward, and elbowed Goku in the face. Goku stepped backwards and tried to regain his composure. He had never lost a fight…he could not lose now.

   Vegeta stepped back, "Give it up kid. You can't beat me."

   Goku flashed his eyes up at Vegeta, "I can, and I will." Goku stood up tall, and screamed. The energy raging around him, he sprung off one foot towards Vegeta. He rapidly punched Vegeta in the face, sending him backwards. A kick to the stomach sent Vegeta's against the ropes. Goku flew at him, and started to kick him in the stomach, ending with an elbow to the face.

   In a flash, Goku went flying backwards. It seemed that he was gaining the upper hand, and then something happened. Vegeta coughed up some blood, and walked towards Goku, who was now lying on the ground. He smirked, and put his hand up, palm facing forward.

   "What was that bit about beating me? You never had a chance from the beginning, and you know it. The determination and courage is commendable, though. I'll give you that much credit. Here's my last attack for you. I know the crowd will love it."

   ChiChi pushed forward to get a better look at the fighters. Who ever they were, they had incredible energy. She had to see who they were. As she pushed up to the first row, one of the bodies became familiar to her.

   Goku…losing?

   She watched as the Lightning Baron powered up a ball of energy in his hand. She gasped as something flashed through her mind. Goku was far too tired to block it, and it would put him in critical condition for sure. Out of nowhere, she found herself climbing the ropes of the ring. She ran out in front of Goku, outstretching her arms so that Goku seemed fully behind her.

   "Stupid girl, what are you doing?" Vegeta let the ball of energy disappear.

   "You can't attack him anymore. You'll kill him with that attack you were going to use."

   "What do you know about fighting?"

   ChiChi stared at Vegeta in the eyes, "I know my share about fighting. I could feel that attack. You were putting more power than you meant to into that attack."

   Vegeta crossed his arms and smirked, "Now was I? Aren't you the one that hates him? Would it be so bad if he were dead?"

   "I…" ChiChi was lost for words. She suddenly recognized that the fighter was Vegeta, Bulma's new boyfriend.  She had heard that he was a ruthless fighter.

   Vegeta raised his hand again, "Get out of the way, or this is going through you, too."

   ChiChi shook her head, and remained in front of Goku. I'm crazy, she thought, why the hell am I doing this?

   "ChiChi, get out of the way, Vegeta and I need to finish this." Goku said in a raspy voice. ChiChi turned the upper half of her body so she could see Goku.

   "No, you're going to get killed, and I can't let that happen." She promptly turned around and look at Vegeta again.

   Vegeta sighed, "Kakarott, what are you going to do about this woman?

   "Vegeta, I give up. It's very uncharacteristic of me, but I give up. She's probably right anyway. I'm in no shape to fight any longer." Goku closed his eyes, and accepted his defeat. It was painful, but it had to be done. He would just have to train and get stronger. Those days not training during the week were taking a toll on his strength.

   ChiChi sighed a breath of relief as she dropped her arms. Spinning around, and helped Goku to his feet.

   "Don't take this as if I like you or something. I'm doing this to save your ass like you did for me." ChiChi whispered to Goku.

   "Not taken the wrong way."

   The crowd watched in shock as they carefully left the ring. Goku had never lost, and suddenly, he was giving up. What a disappointment to his fans.

   "Well…that was…interesting…" The announcer said to a silent audience. She cleared her throat to get everyone out of their daze, "Let's hear it for a undefeated champion, the Lightning Baron!"

   Goku and ChiChi could hear the crowd screaming for Vegeta as they left. Goku sighed heavily as they walked further away from the fight scene. Defeat was an ugly thing that is for sure.

   "So, do you feel bad for giving up?" ChiChi asked.

   "Yeah, I never give up, you should know that. You were right. His last attack would have killed me. I could feel it, too."

   "Uh, Goku, I never felt that. I was bluffing…"

   Goku looked over at ChiChi, "What?"

   A small smile tugged at ChiChi's lips, "I told him that so I could stop him. You think I've trained enough in my life to be able to do that?"

   Goku laughed softly, before wincing in pain, "Yeah, I guess that's true…"

   ChiChi nodded, and there was a pause of silence.

   "So, tell me something," Goku said, clearing his throat, "Why were you there? We had school today."

   "I got suspended for the day."

   Goku gave ChiChi a disbelieving glance, "You? Suspended? For what, not doing your homework?"

   "Very Funny. It was for almost fighting with Alan." There was a certain look in her eyes as she said that, almost as if she were proud, "It almost made me want to pick up martial arts again."

   "Wow…fighting. That so uncharacteristic of you now a days."

   "Yeah…" That proud look turned into a distant look, as if she were reflecting on long forgotten memories. Goku and ChiChi walked in silence the rest of the way home.

~*~

   A few bandages circled around Goku's arms that night. As he read a magazine, he carefully turned the pages, making sure that he did not hit any of his vulnerable spots. Flipping another page, he heard a door slam in the house. ChiChi had a date that night with her boyfriend, so it must have been her. He heard a crying noise, and another door slam. Goku put down his magazine, and headed to ChiChi's room. He was not going to listen to her cry without knowing what was wrong.

   He tapped softly on the door to her room, "ChiChi? Can I come in?"

   "Go away!" ChiChi screamed back through her sobs.

   "Are you okay?"

   "I said go away!"

   Goku sighed, and opened the door, "ChiChi, you have to talk to me."

   "I thought I told you to go away." ChiChi wiped the tears from her eyes, as she tried to give him an unwavering stare, "everything's okay."

   Goku walked in a crouched in front of her, "No, it obviously isn't. Maybe I can help you. What's wrong?"

   ChiChi stared at him for a second, before crying again, "He…he broke up with me." She said, almost collapsing onto Goku. Goku moved from his crouching position to sitting next to her on her bed.

   "I'm sorry." He wrapped her arms around her, and gave her a hug.

   "But that's…that's not it. He…he tried to pressure me into sleeping with him. Said if I truly loved him I would. I wouldn't though, it goes against everything I believe in." A few more sobs escaped her throat before she continued, "then he said he never loved me, and that I'm ugly. I'm not ugly, am I?" She looked up at Goku, her eyes red from crying.

   "No, you're not ugly. He doesn't deserve you." Goku unwrapped his arms, and let them hand loosely by his sides.

   ChiChi grabbed his arms, "You're so warm." She wrapped his arms around her, "Do you think there's someone out there, waiting for me?"

   Goku paused before answering, trying to find the perfect words, "Yes, of course there's someone out there for you. Everyone has a soul mate." He was silent after that. He was wondering how he could barely talk to her days before, and now he was sitting on her bed comforting her. Life was so strange sometimes.

   "Goku?" ChiChi said after a while.

   "Yeah?"

   "What are you thinking about?"

   "Nothing…I should really go now…" He made a move to get up, only to be stopped by ChiChi.

   "Don't go. Stay until I fall asleep. I like having you here. It's comforting."

   "Okay." Goku tightened his grip around ChiChi as she laid her head on his chest. Not long after, Goku could hear ChiChi's soft breathing. He looked down at her, and moved a strand of hair that fell over her face. She looked to peaceful when she slept Goku yawned, and rested his head on ChiChi's. Soon, he too fell asleep.

   "Hey ChiChi have you seen—" Bardock stopped when he entered ChiChi's room. Smiling at the scene, he quietly backed out and closed the door. Goku and ChiChi had always looked cute together. Really, you would think that he would worry about Goku taking advantage of ChiChi, but Bardock had enough confidence in himself that Goku would never do that. Besides, it would be weird for them anyway.

   ChiChi opened her eyes. Looking up, she saw Goku sleeping with a serene look on his face. As she looked at him longer, something Bulma had said to her a few days earlier entered her mind.

"He's practically a man now! He's strong, good-looking, and incredibly sweet. He'd never hurt a fly, nevertheless another innocent human being. He's the perfect guy! I'm surprised that someone hasn't already snatched him up."

   Oh my god, ChiChi thought, the damn woman was right. When the hell did he get so good looking?

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