Dragon Ball: Makafushigi Adventure
By Reid M. Haynes
Disclaimer: Dragon Ball and all characters within are the property of Akira Toriyama, TOEI ANIMATION, and various other companies. I am using them without permission, and I am making no money off of them. BR
Legend:
( ) Denotes thoughts.
Tale 6: Let's Try Try Try Makafushigi, Part 2
*****
Yamcha stepped onto the stage calmly. He sized up the crowd. There were easily over a hundred persons crammed into the medium sized building, all glaring up at him with glassy, fish-eye stares. Not to mention he was flashed with enough lighting to make any lesser man flinch in nervous terror.
But he was confident. No little crowd and twinkly lights were gonna scare him away. Especially when he was prepared with the most awesome song in the entire known universe. Yes, with this song, and his voice, he could easily make the top-ten list right here!
"Ladies and Gentlemen" The TBA announced to the crowd. "Straight out of the Diablo Desert, it's Yamcha, the Desert Bandit!" The crowd cheered cautious, not knowing what they were in store for.
"Like some of our other challengers, Yamcha is a new face in karaoke competition." he continued passionately. "So let's see if this Bandit's a prince in disguise!" Finished with the announcement, the TBA flicked on the karaoke machine, then quickly stepped out of view. "Song #1, BEGIN!"
The opening guitar licks sounded, and the beat slowly defined itself. Putting the mike to his mouth, Yamcha smiled eagerly, ready to blow them away. And then, with the crowd cheering him on, he began to wail his song…
Yamcha:
"Dragon Ball Z! YEAH!
Dragon Dragon! Rock the Dragon!
Dragon Ball Z!
Dragon Dragon! Rock the Dragon!
Come-get-ME!"
During the loud, overly obnoxious guitar solo that FUNimation thought would be just a swell idea, Yamcha began to play air-guitar. Grinning overbearingly, he jammed on his imaginary instrument, jumping up and down with all the enthusiasm of Axel and Slash. He kicked down imaginary speakers, and yanked continuously on an imaginary wammy bar in a crazy, testosterone induced hilarity.
Yes, he was indeed awesome. No one could even think about competing with his greatness. Through some remote part of his brain still connected with the outside world, Yamcha heard the solo wrapping up. So, unheeding to the crowd's stunned reaction, Yamcha took another breath, and burst into the next lyrics.
Yamcha:
"Dragon Ball Z! YEAH!
Dragon Dragon! Rock the Dragon!
Dragon Ball Z!
Dragon Dragon! Rock the Dragon!
Come…a-come-get-ME!"
As the guitar solo commenced once more, Yamcha took a glance at the crowd. And, sure enough, the crowd was indeed blown away. BR
Unfortunately for Yamcha, the crowd was blown away by how utterly horrible the song really was. The booing had already began to take over the majority of the crowd, and some of the more courageous ones were palming large, saturated fruit, calculating trajectory angles.
And, just as Yamcha was whipping out the air-guitar, the first one made contact, impacting straight onto Yamcha's jaw. "Enough!" the thrower protested "We don't want to hear anymore!"
"Yeah!" another said, shaking his fist. "Go back to the desert, you tone-deaf jerk!"
"Yeah!" a third joined in.
"Get lost," and another…
"You suck!" and another.
"Loser!"
"Dope!"
"Ass!"
"Let's get him!"
"H-hey!" Yamcha stammered, throwing his hands in front of his face. "What's the big idaAAOOOWWW!!!" A gourd cut off his phrase, splattering gunk all over his head. "Can't you just…hey OWW!!!"
"No more talk!" A woman screamed, climbing onto the platform. "Kill now!"
And, as the rest of the song finished up unattested, Yamcha was run off stage, permanently.
Kareoke Machine:
"Dragon Ball Z. YEAH!
Dragon Ball Z. YEAH!"
*****
After Yamcha's utter humiliation, Oolong and Puar hopped onto the platform, Puar with an expression of sadness at watching his master get humiliated, and Oolong with an expression of glee at watching the idiot get humiliated. But both of them were ready for the trial ahead.
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" The TBA announced, while wiping of the stray tomato blots that had landed on him during the earlier fiasco. "From the Western Shape Shifting Academy, it's Oolong and Puar!"
The crowd did nothing this time but gape at the strange little creatures. Both of them only came up to the average spectator's thigh, and they both looked very, very weird. But they refrained from booing. After all, no one could be as bad as that other guy, Yamchuck or whatever his name was.
"And now, without further ado, they will be performing their version of Kageyama-sama's number one hit, 'We Gotta Power!'"
The crowd suddenly applauded, and Oolong raised an eyebrow. Apparently, "We Gotta Power" was still very popular with the masses. But, although they had chosen a good song to sing, it would also be that much harder to live up to.
Once again, the TBA has quickly slipped off stage to activate the karaoke machine. "Song #2…" he started slowly, preparing for a slick finish. "…BEGIN!!!"
The soft opening strings played, accompanied by a light brass hit, contrast to the hard-core wailing about to ensue.
"Hope we do alright," Puar said to Oolong, keeping his voice low.
"Relax," Oolong muttered quietly. Then a sneer twisted onto his face. "At least we'll be better than that loser before us." he cackled. BR
"Hey, watch what you say about Lord Yamcha!" Puar threatened, shaking his "fist" warningly. But all further argument was cut off as the lyrical section approached. So Oolong and Puar took a deep breath and, just as the measure ended, Oolong started off with all the courage he could muster.
Oolong:
"Hachamechaga oshiyoseteiru
Naiteru baai janai
wakuwakuo ippykubain ishite
Pa-tei-no shuyakuninarou."
Puar:
"Muchu-ninaneru monoga
itsukakimio sugeyatsunisurunda"
Oolong/Puar:
"NO-TEN P-KAN sorawa harete
IPPAI OPPAI bokugenki
toraburuto asobe yancha bo-i
WE GOTTA POWER! Doragonba-ru zetto!"
The guitars screamed, and the strings blared as the next measure prepared itself for Oolong and Puar. So far, everything was going decently well, in that no one has thrown anything at them yet. A definite plus. And a definite reason for a confidence boost, which allowed Puar to ease into the next lyrics with smooth transition. BR
Puar:
"Bikurino katamari okeri
Miraihe go-ru sasero
Hecharano hanaosa kasete
Minnao warawa sechae."
At this point, a clear reaction was present within the crowd. Their eyes were widened with interest, and several had inched closer to the stage. A couple of them were even making yelps of approval. Oolong was energized by the public support, and therefore went into his next lines with renewed gusto.
Oolong:
"Itazurazukina kiniga
Yumeokisou raibaruninarunosa"
Were they actually cheering now? Yes, there was indeed a large, positive reaction from the crowd. Huge grins were pasted onto their faces, and they were reeling with excitement. Strange, it almost sounded like…
Crowd:
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
…laughter. They were laughing at them. Laughing at them, their silly little bodies, and their yippie little voices trying to sound all big and dramatic. Apparently, the whole thing had been some sort of tremendous joke to them, and they wasted no time in hooting and pointing at the embarrassed shapeshifters.
Puar looked like he was on the verge of tears. His eyes were watering up, and his lip quivered involuntarily. But, instead of letting loose with sobs, he let loose on Oolong. "See!" Puar snapped, pointing his finger in blame. "I knew we should've changed into Sting!"
"Ah, shaddap!" Oolong muttered, gripping his head in the contortions of a massive headache.
Both of them proceeded off the platform in utter shame, with the evil, mocking crowd voicing their jeers around them. BR
*****
Trunks slowly walked onto the stage, his breath suspended tight in his throat. He took the steps one at a time, trying to delay his arrival as much as he possibly could. Then, he increased the time he took for step climbing to about two seconds per step. Unfortunately all these precautions did not stop him from eventually reaching the platform, so he was forced to stand up there anyway…in front of everyone.
His eyes shifted back and forth, scanning the crowd for reactions. Most stared on with black expressions, completely neutral to the young man. Others looked slightly relieved, glad that another pair of stuffed animals hadn't been called up. A couple of giggly teenage girls swooned over his wiry build, chatting loudly about the potential sexiness of his voice. However, all of them had one thing in common, one thing that they were all doing, regardless of whether they realized it or not.
They were staring at him.
Yes, that's what they were doing. They're staring, staring and analyzing, just waiting for him to make one mistake, one little mistake that would give them the excuse to start the laughing, or booing, or whatever the torture for today was.
All of them, staring at him. Burning gazes tearing through his skin like hot flames on candle wax. Burning, searing, burn…
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" The TBA had chosen this moment to introduce the reluctant performer. "From the Western Capital, it's Trunks Briefs!
The crowd let out a huge cheer, and the teenage girls yelped their approval of the contestant with blown kisses. Trunks did his best to smile and wave, but it had only the sincerity of a high-school yearbook photo. But the girls were impressed anyway, thinking, of course, that he was looking at them.
Trunks really wasn't looking at anything now. He only felt the blaze of stares, crushing his skull like some sort of psychic vice. The pressure persisted, and he struggled to recall the words of his song, which were already being squeezed out his brain.
The TBA was saying something else now, causing the crowd to cheer out. Okay, cheering is good, I guess. Then he was going to a machine, and flicking a switch. Then, he was screaming something else, something that sounded like…like…
"Song #3…BEGIN!!!"
(No, not yet!) he wanted to scream. But Trunks only had a small moment to breath in before his cue came. And he was left to wing it out, alone.
Trunks:
"Dan dan kokoro kihareteku,
Dan dan…uh…dan dan…uuuhhh…"(thump)
Falling flat onto his face, Trunks was let into the world of silent, blissful sleep.
*****
Within the confines of the audience, set up at a round table over to the side, the Dragon Ball gang discussed the outcomes of their short-lived singing careers.
"Man, you all really suck!" Bulma spat, disgusted at the shoddy performances. "I bet Kame Sennin could sing better than you."
"Oh shut up, Bulma!" Oolong growled, stirring his drink angrily. "At least we stayed on stage the entire time. Unlike a certain other contestant I know."
"Oro…" Trunks groaned, a large bathtowel draped over his forehead. Bulma, saying nothing, replaced the cloth with a fresh one, making sure it was damp enough.
"They were so mean, Yamcha!" Puar cried out, once again clutching to Yamcha's vest. "I tried my very best to sing, and they laughed at me! WaaAAAHHH!!!!" A waterfall of tears burst from the cat's eyes, saturating his face, the table, and a great deal of the audience in salty water.
"Yes yes, I know," Yamcha half-patronized, patting his friend on the back. "We'll show them. Let's see how funny they think they are when they have a Souki-dan crammed up their ass…!" Yamcha was almost snarling at the end of his sentence, remembering the crowd's lack of respect for good music.
"And to think, Tao Pai Pai still hasn't gone yet," Goku said to himself, scratching his head. "I wonder what he's gonna sing?" No one answered Goku's question, though, for the TBA was already heading up to give his next announcement.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," The TBA said, more somberly than usual. "I have…some bad news. Due to a sudden case of strep throat, out returning champion Tao Pai Pai is unable to defend his title."
A large roar of disbelief fell though the crowd, horrified at very idea of their favorite not performing. Some of the more enraged persons snapped their "Kill You!" signs on their knees in frustration, while others yelled death threats at the TBA, who was beginning to sweat heavily.
But not all is lost!" The TBA bellowed, cutting off the crowd before they could make good on their threats. "For I have already recruited a replacement: three talented singers from the far west. And, if they sing as good as they talk, we're in for as much of a treat as if the Number One Assassin was here himself!"
The fickle crowd cheered once again, easily manipulated by the sly announcer's wiles. With a smile once again on his face, the TBA continued on. "We'll be taking a short ten minute intermission, so hang on for the rest of our performers." He left for the back room, probably to splash his face with some cold water, along with taking about three bottles worth of anti-stress pills.
"Gee, how about that?" Goku said, turning to the others. "Wonder who these news guys are."
"Wonder no more!" A mysterious voice spoke from the crowd. All of the group, save the comatose Trunks, whirled to the sound...and came face to face with Pilaf, Mai, and Shu, all of them smiling with cocky glee.
"You?" Bulma said, shocked.
"That's right, you wusses!" The wannabe Emperor bubbled with glee, clenching his fists in enthusiasm. "And now you'll finally see who the real Dragon Ball hunters are!"
"Our master has been hard at work." Shu spoke out with a confidence normally unknown to him. "He's been getting us ready for this very moment."
"As soon as we're on this stage, we'll blow the crowd away," Mai calmly stated matter-of-fact like. "Then, the ball is ours!"
"But how did you know that the mystery prize was a Dragon Ball?" Goku asked them.
"We've been spying on this place for the past two-hours," Mai said. "As soon as we heard that the D-Ball was the prize, we signed up right away."
"We've even managed to spike Tao Pai Pai's punch," Shu blurted. "You know…to even the odds a bit."
"Quiet fool!" Pilaf hollered at him. "Do you want to destroy everything we've worked for." He strangled the dog-ninja by his scruffy neck, causing the other to gag.
"So it was you guys!" Bulma pointed at the culprits. "You lousy cheaters! I have half a mind to turn you guys in!"
"All's fair in love, war, and Dragon Balls hunts," Mai said, folding her arms philosophically.
"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Bulma snarled, glaring at her. Mai took offence to this remark and glared at the blue-haired one, who glared right back.
"But what song are you going to sing?" Goku asked, not affected in the slightest by the raging females.
"Heh heh!" Pilaf chucked, turning away in a expression of arrogance. "You'll see…" Mai and Shu followed their master's example, and turned away from the Dragon Ball gang.
"Well how about that?" Goku smiled cheerfully, uncaring about the Pilaf Crew's treachery. "Wonder what they're gonna do?"
The rest of the group gave him a cold look, then stared back at the stage.
By now, the ten-minute intermission was over, and the TBA was returning back to the stage. He climbed up on the stage, amidst the renewed cheered, and grabbed the microphone from the bandstand.
"Ladies and Gentleman, we're back!" The TBA yelled, putting on his best TV face. "And we're ready for the next act. Replacing the absent Tao Pai Pai, from the depths of the West, it's Emperor Pilaf, with his associates Mai and Shu! Guys, come on stage!"
"That our cue," Pilaf smirked, motioning to himself with his thumb. "Watch and learn, chumps!" Pilaf, Mai, and Shu then headed up to the stage, while the others looked on, curious about what the sneaky group had up their sleeves.
*****
Up on stage, the Pilaf Crew was preparing for their song, each member getting ready in his or her own way. Pilaf was rubbing his hands with greed for his soon-to-be-acquired Dragon Ball. Shu was wiping his sweaty brow, gripping his sword like a security blanket. Mai simply folded her hands over her front, unblinking. But all of them were very ready for their performance, more than anyone would ever know.
"Okay!" The TBA said. "The Pilaf Band has asked me not to mention the name of their song. However, they did say that this would be the best song performed yet!" The crowd cautionary applauded, not wanting to give their full approval. After all, this group was as hodge-podge as they came, perhaps even beating out those Oolong and Puar freaks.
The TBA assumed his position at the kareoke machine. "Song #4…BEGIN!!!" he flicked it on, then darted off stage
The Pilaf crew whipped out three microphones from the stand, smoothly putting them to their mouths. They eyed each other quickly, and smiled confidently. After this little ditty, the others better quit right now. 'Cause no one was gonna be able to top this.
The beats of the drum started off the song quickly. And, a half-second later, the song began.
All: "DRAGON BALL!!!"
Pilaf: "Gotta find that-"
All: "DRAGONBALL!!!"
Pilaf: "Don't stop until you've got 'em all. The seven magic balls."
"It's all you gotta do to have your-"
All: "Wish come truuueee!"
All: "Get that DRAGONBALL!!! DRAGONBALL!!!"
"The greatest task of all is to find that seventh baaalll…!"
All: "Danger all around you!"
Pilaf: "Villains everywhere!"
All: "Evil lives around you!"
Pilaf: "Keep on searchin'…but bewareee!"
Mai/Shu: Goku! He's gonna show you!"
Pilaf: "He's gonna help you find the waayyy!"
Mai/Shu: "Goku! He's gonna show you!"
Pilaf: "He and his FRIENDS are GONNA save the DAAAYYY!!!"
All: "DRAGON BALL!!!"
Pilaf: "There's always evil lurkin' 'till the-"
All: "DRAGON CALLS!!!"
Pilaf: "You won't believe the magic in those-"
All: "SEVEN BALLS!!!"
Pilaf: "Everybody's searchin' for the-"
All: "DRAGON BALL!!!"
*****
Every member of the Dragon Ball Gang was struggling to handle this strange turn of events. Goku just stared straight ahead in shock, as did Bulma and Puar. Yamcha's mouth hung open as he gaped like a fish. Oolong's mouth was quivering, his snout taking in large snorts of oxygen. Trunks…well…he was just regaining consciousness, so he didn't have much to say.
But there was really only one thing to say.
"They're good," Bulma said, here eyes wide open. "They're actually good."
The crowd was roaring, shouting out chants of "PILAF, MAI AND SHU! PILAF, MAI AND SHU!" The Pilaf Crew, local celebrities now, were in the process of signing autographs to their adoring fans. Even the giggly teenage girls were impressed, pestering both Pilaf and Shu for dates, much to the annoyance of Mai.
To put it short, Pilaf, Mai, and Shu had just sung the most preachy, annoying song in the history of music.
And the crowd loved it.
"Beat that, fledglings!" Pilaf, Mai, and Shu all laughed at the stoned expressions on the groups face as they retreated back to their own table, supremely confident in their performance.
"Well, that's it then," Oolong put his fist to his cheek, slumping onto the table. "We lose, we suck."
"That one performance beat out everyone," Puar squeaked, hanging on top of Yamcha's head. "They've got almost the entire crowd on their side!"
"I say the crowd was rigged," Yamcha clenched his fist and growled. "I mean, how could anyone not like 'Rock the Dragon?'"
"Yeah, considering they liked that song," Oolong agreed, joining Yamcha in fist clenching and growling.
"But now, we don't have anyone to stand up to them," Puar moped sadly. Yamcha and Oolong nodded solemnly, and for a minute, all was quiet between them, a general acceptance of defeat evident around their area.
"Wait a minute!" Bulma jumped up out of her seat, gripping onto the table determinedly. "I still haven't sung yet."
"Huh?" Yamcha eyed her lazily, not impressed. "Don't tell me you're going to wow the crowd."
"Well, we're running out of options!" she persisted. "Face it, I'm all you've got."
"And you really think you can do it, all by yourself?" Oolong muttered sarcastically.
"Not alone…" she trailed off. Then she grabbed Goku's hand, and hoisted him up. "Goku's coming with me!"
"Huh?" Goku's eyes just got a bit wider, if that was possible. He stared in confusion at her. "Why me, Bulma?" he asked.
"Because, you and I are the only ones who haven't sung yet!" Bulma yelled out. "C'mon, let's go." And she dragged her wrangled partner down to the stage, with him whining and complaining all the while.
Once again, the others were staring blankly. Gee, this kind of thing is a running gag in this story, ne?
"This won't end well," Yamcha sighed.
*****
The crowd was ready once again for a performance. After Pilaf's little number, they were raring for another show stopping performance. Considering that many of the performers had quit, anyone with the guts to compete against that must have a really good song in their arsenal. They had damn well better.
Bulma hauled Goku through the crowd, pushing people aside. She had already signed up both her and Goku on the list, and they would be performing in just a few short moments. That is, if her partner would stop complaining…
"But Bulllma!" he whined, trying to go in the other direction. "I don't wanna sing! Let's just forget this, 'kay?"
"Don't be such a wuss!" she snapped, motioning a man out of their way. "If you can survive a fight to the death on an exploding planet, you can last four minutes of a stupid song!"
"But I don't know any songs!" he persisted, contemplating on how to slip out of her grasp. Maybe if he used Instant Transmission, he could get out of this mess. Nah, she'd just end up getting transported too. Damn.
"You'll know this one," she said, edging through two people "I used to play it on the radio all the time when we're on the hunt."
When she leaned up and whispered the title to it, his frown turned into a grin.
"Oh…that one," he said, his memories spurred. "Yeah, I guess I can do that."
"I thought you'd agree," Bulma smiled, continuing to pull him along. Goku's fading reluctance made it infinitely easier, and so she guided him onto the stage, and there they waited for their number.
Goku's heart was pounding rapidly. He'd never done anything like this before. And he'd done a lot of strange things. But singing? In front of a bunch of people? That was beyond him.
But oh well, too late to do anything about it now. He'd never let a new challenge overwhelm him anyway. Who knows, it might be fun!
Bulma, despite her confident shell, was also feeling the weight of nervousness. She fully expected a lot of strange things to happen on this Dragon Ball hunt. Singing a duet with Goku, however, was not one of them.
But it didn't matter anymore. This was their last chance to claim the Dragon Ball for themselves. And, though she'd never admit it, she felt a lot more confident with Goku up there with her, if only for someone to take the fall with her.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have two new challengers!" The TBA announced to the jubilant crowd. "From the East and West, it's Son Goku and Bulma Briefs!" The crowd cheered at them. Yamcha, Oolong, and Puar raised their cheers highest of all, while Pilaf, Mai, and Shu booed, giving them both the finger.
"Goku and Bulma have a special treat for us," the announcer continued. "Together, they will be doing a song not performed seven years. And now, here's their rendition of Takahashi Hiroki's underground hit, 'Makafushigi Adventure!'
This got a big reaction out of the crowd, and their cheering increased, except for the Pilaf Crew, who resorted to using two hands to flick them off.
Goku and Bulma flinched at this massive reaction, intimidated a bit by the raucous attitudes of their viewers. They turned to each other, gauging each other's reactions, hoping the other had more confidence. Upon finding themselves mutually nervous, they turned back towards the audience. Unconsciously, their hands had clasped together, drawing in as much support as ten fingers could relay.
The TBA had drawn back to his machine, ready to switch it on. "Song #5…" he started slowly, as always. "…BEGIN!!!"
He flicked the switch.
The opening synths bumped Goku and Bulma back to reality. Bulma looked down, and finally noticed her hand closed around his. She looked back up at Goku in confusion, but he just smiled reassuringly. So their hands remained tied together, and they remained ready for the song to fully begin.
The lyrical section was approaching fast, leaving them no more time. So, when it finally reached them, Goku took his mike, and began to sing.
Goku:
"Tsukamou ze! DRAGON BALL
Sekai de ittou suriru na himitsu
Sagasou ze! DRAGON BALL
Sekai de ittou yukai na kiseki
Kono yo wa dekkai takarajima
Sou sa Ima koso adobenchaa!"
Bulma took a brief look at Goku's face. His mouth was wide open, heavily annunciating every syllable like kais from a kata, as if the whole thing was some sort of martial arts training.
She giggled. Goku was terrible! His high-pitched voice strained through the mike's speaker, echoing the song all over the place. But he was also really trying hard to do his very best. So why shouldn't she try just as hard?
So, as Goku's part was coming to a close, she joined in.
Bulma:
"Mune waku-waku no ai ga GISSIRI
Iro tori-dori no yume ga DOSSARI
Kono no yo doko ka de hikatte 'ru
Soitsu mitsuke ni yukou ze BOY
Youkai henka mo buttobashi
Kumo no mashin de kyou mo tobu no sa!"
Goku glanced at Bulma, and smiled warmly. She was putting her whole heart into this song. Of course, her voice was infinitely better than his, but who cared about that anyway. This was fun! He hadn't had this much of a good time in a long while.
Psyched up, he met with Bulma's eyes as she stretched out the last word. Her eyes were filled with smiles as well, clearly enjoying the moment. And, when her part was done, their voices joined together into their song.
Goku/Bulma:
"Let's try try try Makafushigi
Sora wo kakenuke yama wo koe
Let's fly fly fly Daibouken
Fushigi na tabi hajimaru ze!
With hands and eyes locked, Goku and Bulma sung their souls into their mikes; primitive outlets for the heart going into it. Their voices synchronized perfectly with each other, even though both met 'soprano' on the musical scale.
By now, both had completely forgotten about the contest, or the Dragon Balls, or anything else. All they heard was the beats of the drum, the blare of the brass, and the sound of the other's voice. They just didn't care anymore. All other thoughts had been driven out by the song's chants of adventure, mystery, and companionship.
And that's all they needed.
Goku/Bulma:
"Te ni irero! DRAGON BALL
Sekai de ittou degowai chansu
Oikakero! DRAGON BALL
Sekai de ittou ikashita dorama
Kono yo wa dekkai takarajima
Sou sa Ima koso adobenchaa!"
A lengthy musical interlude interceded between them, and gave Goku and Bulma a small time to catch their breaths. Both of them had excited looks on their faces, the energy between them sparking with fury.
Goku leaned in close. "Gee, you were right, Bulma!" he whispered quickly, favoring her with a wink. "This is a blast!"
"Let's keep going, then," she responded, winking back. Goku smiled and nodded.
They turned back to the crowd. The interlude was wrapping up, and the series of brass hits initiated the cue to start up again. Goku and Bulma met this head on, and burst back into the song as if they had never left.
Bulma:
"Karada ippai yuuki VISSIRI
Hitomi ippai egao NICCORI
Gokuu wa MUJAKI na chousen-sha!"
Goku:
"Da kedo pawaa hanpa ja nai ze
Janken-panchi ni KamehameHa
Donna teki demo kanai wa shinai!"
Goku/Bulma:
"Let's fly fly fly Makafushigi
Niji no burijji kugurinuke
Let's try try try Daibouken
Fushigi na yume wo mi ni yukou!"
Goku/Bulma:
"Tsukamou ze! DRAGON BALL
Sekai de ittou suriru na himitsu
Sagasou ze! DRAGON BALL
Sekai de ittou yukai na kiseki
Kono yo wa dekkai takarajima
Sou sa Ima koso adobenchaa!
Tsukamou ze! DRAGON BALL
Sekai de ittou suriru na himitsu
Sagasou ze! DRAGON BALL
Sekai de ittou yukai na kiseki
Kono yo wa dekkai takarajima
Sou sa Ima koso adobenchaa!"
With a final beat on computerized drums, the synthesized brass uttered its last words, bringing the song to a close. For a very brief moment, all was silent in the karaoke bar. Then, the entire room was screaming with applause. They waved their hands in the air, hooting and chanting for the duo.
Both Goku and Bulma goggled at this reaction. During their number, they were so caught up with the music that they neglected to scan the audience's reaction to it. But, upon realizing that it was all positive, they raised their linked hands above their heads, prompting another wave of applause. Their mouths were upturned in huge grins as the crowd kept cheering for them.
Goku and Bulma's eyes met for just a brief moment. They twinkled with an excitement and glee that only they knew of. Then, they faced the applause once more, which just kept coming, and coming, and coming…
*****
The recently recovered Trunks stared at the two winners on the stage. He still felt a little woozy from his fall, and it didn't help that the giggly teenage girls had seen it fit to "check for injuries"' Luckily, he managed to convince them he was a quick healer, so they let him go, grumbling all the way.
Trunks had come to right before "Makafushigi Adventure." He had missed the Pilaf Crew's performance, so Yamcha had to fill him in. He wasn't very familiar with "Get that Dragon Ball," but due to the amount of support it got, it must be an insanely good song.
Whatever it was, it was nothing compared to the song that his mother and Goku performed. Together, they had brought the entire crowd onto their side. Even the TBA was energized, bouncing back and forth, stopping when people were staring at him.
They had won. The Dragon Ball was theirs.
"Hey Trunks, care 'fer a victory drink?" Yamcha shakily held up a small glass of sake, obviously drunk. "All of us 're doin' it." He waved a lazy hand to his left, where Oolong and Puar were dancing on the table, pouring sake all over themselves in some sort of idiotic ritual.
"I'll pass," Trunks politely dismissed him, leaving the others to their drunken games. Instead, he turned back to the stage, where Goku and Bulma were singing, just for fun this time.
It was better anyway that he didn't have a bunch of alcohol in his system. Right now, he had to have as clear a head as he could.
Because he had some serious thinking to do.
His memories scanned back to the time of their song. True, Bulma and Goku's voices were harmonizing perfectly, even though it was probably not intentional. True, they had chosen a very popular song to sing, even though that wasn't intentional, either.
But it wasn't their singing, or even the song that had won the crowd over. It was their unity, the supreme togetherness they shared, that touched the audience. The song wasn't hitting their eardrums, it was hitting their hearts, even though many didn't even know it. They didn't see the spark of companionship pass through their fingertips. They didn't see the twinkle in their eyes meant for only each other. They didn't see it; perhaps Bulma and Goku themselves didn't see it
But Trunks saw.
Ever since the trip had begun, he had analyzed Bulma and Goku's behavior around each other. Sure, at first it seemed perfect normal the way they acted. Then, as time went on, and he was better able to read into their words, his suspicions started growing rapidly. But it wasn't until tonight that he was positive.
(Yes.) he thought. (It's just as I feared.)
He turned back to the stage, watching them sing. Their untrained voices warbled through the remainder of the song, laughing as they flubbed their lines time and time again.
(I knew it.) Trunks put his index to his lips in hard concentration. (Damn it, I knew this was gonna happen.) He had hoped it wouldn't be this way, that he'd been mistaken somehow. But there was no denying it now. It was all pretty clear. And now, they all would have to deal with it.
He sighed. "This will make things more difficult," he whispered silently to himself.
Authors Notes: Gee, this chapter sure had a bunch of cameos in it.Anyway, about my little intrusion into my own story. Yes, I know I could've just used the Copy and Paste option for the guy's name. But, frankly, I just felt like running in and saying something stupid. Let me have my fun, alright?
I'm going to cut down on the Authors Notes for a while. The story is now developed enough for it to stand on it's own, and my relentless chattering will eventually end up spoiling the mood. By now, you're probably sensing what direction this story is going in. All I have to say about this is: hey, I told you it was gonna be different!
Additional Disclaimer(s): Ho boy, this is gonna take a while…
"Makafushigi Adventure" belongs to Takahashi Hiroki, and to all other artists who contributed to this song.
"We Gotta Power" belongs to Kageyama Hironobu, and to all other contributors.
"Dan Dan" belongs to Zard, and to all other contributors.
"Rock the Dragon" and "Get that Dragon Ball" belong to our good friends at FUNimation, and to all others that dared to contribute to this songs. (Apologies to any 'Rock the Dragon' fans I might have offended. Cause, to tell you the truth, I kinda like these songs. -_-;
"Oro" was stolen directly from Rurouni Kenshin, because I like the sound of "Oro."
Until next time, Ja ne! ^_^