Disclaimer—If I owned it, I wouldn't be taking out loans for this semester! Dragonball/Z/GT is the sole and exclusive property of Akira Toriyama and whoever he chose to represent him.
A/N—Okay, I KNOW this has taken forever. Just let me say that the great majority of that time my computer has been broken. First the motherboard fried and then the modem refused to work correctly! I think we ended up reformatting three times, and in the process, I managed to lose half of this chapter, which had to be re-written. Okay. Hope that's excuse enough! Don't know when the next update will be, I'm starting classes on Monday, but I'll try to get it out in the next week, that is if anyone's still reading this *sweatdrop* Anyway, gomen nasai for this chapter's lateness, and poor quality -_-;
A/N 2—This chapter has been edited—I found the original text for the first scene which I liked a lot better than the new stuff, and the second scene has integrated material.
________________________
**A short recap since everyone's likely to have forgotten what the heck is going on. Mirai Gohan (if you don't remember him, I'm afraid I can't help you) has come to this universe and kidnapped the drunken Dende—what does he want? Videl of course! All evil villains want the girl! To sweeten the deal, he's kidnapped Sharpener and Erasa. Currently, our heroes are on Kami's lookout trying to figure out just where the heck Mirai Gohan is! A list of those present on the lookout is as follows: King Vegeta, Bardock, Prince Vegeta, Goku, Mirai Trunks, Super Trunks, Chibi Trunks, Bulma, Chi-Chi, Gohan, Goten, Piccolo, Krillin, Marron, 18, and of course the every loving Mr. Popo. Characters who do not make their presence known are conveniently minding their own business, and not making mischief at this time. Alright then, on with the chapter!**
After a rather lengthy discussion with Bardock and King Vegeta, explaining just who Evil Mirai Gohan was, and just what exactly he wanted, the z-senshi now sat scattered around Kami's lookout, varying expressions of thought and concern decorating their faces. Bardock and King Vegeta, feeling that they had nothing to add to the group, sparred with Chibi Trunks and Goten, across the lookout.
"So, you're telling me you don't even have a clue as to what he's talking about?" Gohan asked Piccolo, trying to jog his mentor's memory, "I mean, he SAID you'd know where he was talking about. You don't even have the faintest idea?"
Piccolo glared coolly down at Gohan, "If anyone should know, it should be you. You ARE him after all," he added pointedly.
"Hey, Piccolo, that's not fair!" Gohan whined, "I'm not evil!" Looking around frantically for corroboration, he spotted Prince Vegeta lounging against a potted plant, usual disdainful sneer decorating his face. "Hey, Vegeta! Tell Piccolo I'm not evil!"
Vegeta merely raised an eyebrow and turned his face away from the pleading teen. As much as he hated to admit it, Mirai Gohan had an admirable level of evilness.
Gohan bit his lip in frustration and turned his eye on the elder Trunks' who sat sipping at grape sodas. "Hey, Trunks!" he called out, "I'm a good guy, right? You know me in the future, tell Piccolo I'm not evil!"
One Trunks stood up and glared angrily at Gohan, "Oh you're evil all right. In fact, you're the lowest, sneakiest, rottenest, most completely and totally evil person I've ever--"
"Argh!!!!!!! Not YOU," Gohan growled in frustration, stomping over and shoving Mirai Trunks roughly out of the way, "YOU." He said, leaning over Super Trunks and grasping him by the shoulders, "YOU. Tell Piccolo I'm NOT EVIL!"
"Well, actually Gohan," Super Trunks muttered a bit wide-eyed, "You're acting awfully evil right now…"
Like a child caught swiping frosting from his birthday cake, Gohan guiltily yanked his hands back from Trunks' shoulders to see the assemblage staring at him with varying levels of amusement and concern. The only sounds that broke the tense silence were the crashes and thumps caused by the sparring pairs across the deck, along with the occasional pained grunt as Bardock and King Vegeta learned (the hard way) just how strong their grandchildren actually were.
"Well," Videl broke the silence, much to Gohan's relief, "what are we going to do now? I think that as the bait, I have a right to know!"
"What? Videl, honey, just what are you talking about?" Chi-Chi exclaimed, hurrying over to the dark-haired girl's side. "There's no way we'd let you get involved in something like this, it's much too dangerous! I won't have Gohan's future bride going off and getting herself blown up!"
"But…" Videl sweatdropped, trying to extricate herself from the other woman's grasp, "This other Gohan specifically said he wanted me! If I don't go, then Dende might be killed!" At the blank stares of the surrounding company, the sweatdrop rolling down Videl's head grew discernibly larger, "You mean…you didn't catch that…?"
Walking calmly over to the little picnic table where the letter lay, Videl picked it up and read, "I want YOU to bring me Videl. She was MY wife, MINE. Why did they all turn against me Popo? …Bring me Videl, Popo, or Dende'll end up in so many pieces he'll spend the next ten years trying to regenerate."
Blushing just the tiniest bit, Videl looked up, "See?"
Gohan sat wide-eyed, the colors of Christmas written alternatingly across his face as he attempted to flush red and green simultaneously.
Krillin stood beside him, finally back to his old self, not saying a word, just smiling hugely.
Chi-Chi was gone, concern for her future daughter-in-law vanished in a hail of rice and bridal bouquets as she hummed along to the strains of the bridal march played by a itty bitty quartet residing in her inner ear.
"Well," 18 cleared her throat, "Isn't that amusing."
"No, no!" Gohan shook his head frantically, not quite sure why he was still denying it, prompted perhaps by some primal male instinct specifically designed for avoiding commitment, "I-I--*OOOF*!"
"Ugh," Bardock groaned dazedly, picking himself up off the now prostrate Gohan and rubbing his shoulder, "The boy's…strong…" he wheezed, stumbling back towards chibi Goten who awaited his grandfather with an eager and slightly evil smile on his face.
A barely audible moan emitted from the flatted Gohan, "Why me?"
Piccolo, who had watched the scene silently, stood suddenly, cape flaring dramatically about his shoulders as he turned to face the others, "I've got it! I know how we can find out where Mirai Gohan is hiding!"
_______________________________
Hercule Satan itched uncomfortably at the gauzy white bandage decorating his rear-end. He wished he could take the stupid thing off, but it was supposed to be a badge of pride. Besides, the doctor had threatened to release the recording of the procedure if he didn't leave it on the requisite amount of time. Hercule grimaced at the thought of his fans getting their hands on those tapes.
It wasn't that he minded showing of his posterior. In fact, as with every other part of his body, Hercule Satan couldn't be prouder of his behind. No, the part that worried him was BEFORE the operation had begun.
Hercule had, as usual, neglected to read the release forms he had signed before the procedure, and had thus been unaware of the cameras, which he had agreed to let capture the momentous occasion on tape. Those same cameras had captured the mighty Hercule's screams of fear as the doctor entered the room, his pitiful pleading that 'he didn't want to anymore' and 'he'd changed his mind.' It had taken three red lollypops and a shot of thorazine to calm him down sufficiently to proceed.
Hercule shuddered at the thought of his fans seeing him as anything less than the perfect and brave being he was. It just wasn't right! After bribing everyone from the doctor to the anesthesiologist and a passing priest for good measure, Hercule still had to worry about those tapes!
"Mr. Satan!" a voice called out shrilly from the doorway, "Mr. Satan it's an emergency!"
Hercule's eyes widened and he grabbed a nearby blanket, pulling it over his head and cowered underneath, "Err….The World Champion isn't here…." He replied in a high falsetto, "It's me….er…..Videl!"
Much to Hercule's dismay, the door finally banged open and a diminutive man with a head of balding gray-brown hair rushed in, "Mr. Satan! You ARE here…" he looked around in confusion, "but where's your daughter? And why did she say you weren't in?"
Hercule grunted imperiously, shaking the blanket down around his shoulders like a cape, "Because I don't want to be disturbed! What do you want?"
"Oh, Mr. Satan!" the man exclaimed, "We're here because of the tape--"
"IT'S NOT TRUE! IT'S A FAKE! A FORGERY! I'M GOING TO CALL MY LAWYER IMMEDIATELY TO STRAIGHTEN THIS--"
The other man continued bravely, despite being blasted by the champion's breath, "Sir, I don't know what you're talking about—a citizen turned in a video tape of two teenagers being KIDNAPPED by one of those aliens you were talking about! He had a strange ship and everything! The police chief sent me down here specifically to find you, sir!"
"Oh. Is that all?" Hercule smirked confidently, shrugging the blanket from his shoulders, "Lead the way man, hurry up!"
Walking through the cavernous door of the Satan mansion, Hercule was confronted by the cheers of a huge crowd which had gathered shortly after the evening news had aired the footage, all intent on seeing the great Hercule Satan depart to rescue the two kidnapped teens.
Smoothing his moustache importantly, Hercule Satan nodded approvingly at the adoring crowd surrounding him, "Well, you were right to call me. Don't you worry, I'll get those kids back faster than you can say 'Satan Super Punch!'"
"Satan Super Punch!" Some prankster yelled from the back of the crowd.
Mr. Satan smirked in satisfaction as several of his fans turned on the heckler and introduced him to the pavement, then a nearby fire hydrant, and finally a parking meter before Mr. Satan called them off, "There, that's enough now."
As the heckler stared googly eyed at the sky, limbs twitching, Mr. Satan continued on with his speech, "As I was saying, this guy here just told me that some kids were stolen away by those aliens right in the middle the day in downtown Satan City. No where's safe anymore!" Several of the crowd gasped at this point and clutched their children close. Mr. Satan, satisfied at the reaction continued boastfully, "After saving the world from Cell, these stupid aliens with their dumb light tricks are a piece of cake for someone like me, so fear not! I, Hercule Satan will get those kids back!"
The day grew twice as bright as hundreds upon thousands of flashbulbs went off at once, and Hercule struck mighty poses for his adoring fans, thinking all the while how much money he could make off of autographing said photographs.
Hercule posed and waved arrogantly to the crowd, "Fear not! I, Hercule Satan will—ERP!" Hercule was cut off as his guide abruptly shoved him into a preprogrammed shuttle. "We've isolated his location at a nearby amusement park," the police officer shouted over the roar of the jet's engines, "It's been evacuated so don't be afraid to go all out, champ!" Punching a flashing button on the panel and slamming the door shut, Officer Yorscrewd missed the look of utter terror that flickered across Hercule's face, and the champion's pathetic protests were lost in the roar of the crowd as Hercule flew off to save the world once again. What a man!
__________________
Gohan pouted poutily. 'Damn, where are they? I know Piccolo knows where I am,' the crazed Mirai Saiyan thought petulantly.
'Gohan,' A voice echoed in his mind. Speak of the devil!
'Piccolo!' Mirai Gohan exclaimed merrily, 'Where are you? Why didn't you come?'
'Umm, Gohan,' Piccolo's voice echoed in the demi-saiyan's mind, 'I'm afraid I don't know quite where you are.'
*Don't know?!* the mind-voice was hurt, *But…* Mirai Gohan glanced at the now empty carnival ground. Erasa and Sharpener each sat tied to a snorting carnival horse, which bobbed up and down, still spinning with merry glee, much to the nauseous dismay of their occupants, *but Piccolo, we had our best times here! The roller coasters, the spinning cups, the ferris wheel,* Mirai Gohan pleaded, *Remember the ferris wheel Piccolo!!!*
"Yeah Piccolo," Krillin snorted, "remember the ferris wheel! How come you guys never invited me along?"
Piccolo just glared sarcastically before continuing, *Look Gohan, we have Videl. Is Dende safe?*
Mirai Gohan thought for a moment to continue the argument with his mentor's counterpart—Piccolo, not remember the carnival indeed!—but decided that regaining Videl was the ultimate priority, *Yes Piccolo, he's sound asleep and well on his way to a hangover.* Smirking over at his other captives, Mirai Gohan added, *And I've got another pair just to sweeten the deal. Tell your pitiful excuse for a Gohan that I've captured Sharpener and Erasa, and if he ever wants to see them alive again, then he'd better comply with my demands.* Satisfied with that final comment, Mirai Gohan cut off the mental link and chuckled to himself in amusement. Looking around at the still active carnival rides, he perked up—perhaps there was time for a round on the ferris wheel before Videl arrived!
__________________
"…and if you ever want to see them alive again, you'd better comply." Piccolo finished delivering Mirai Gohan's message to his counterpart.
Gohan's eyes grew amused. "Well, that solves THAT problem then. He said if I ever want to see them alive again. As far as I'm concerned…" catching an arch glare from Videl, Gohan continued smoothly, "we have to rescue them. Obviously."
Videl nodded, satisfied and Piccolo shook his head sadly at
Gohan's submissive state. *INCREDIBLE
COSMIC POWER….itty bitty leash.* "Fine
then. Now Gohan, the first thing to do
when you arrive is suppress your ki. If
he has a clue as to how powerful you are, he might just kill Dende and the
others out of desperation. And
remember, we have no dragonballs for the next year. This is what we're going to do…"
_______________
From out of the shadows, a creature struck. A loud slurping noise was followed quickly by a bright flash of light, a second sun overtaking the deserted fairgrounds. The only witnesses to the event had fainted, as they had a tendency to do when encountering stressful situations, before the light had completely dimmed. As the sunspot resolved into a single form, the creature smirked. One down, one to go.
Walking quickly across the fairgrounds, Mirai Cell, with a belly full of Buu, stalked his next target: Mirai Gohan.
_______________________
As the assemblage on Dende's lookout planned and plotted his rescue, Dende himself was just coming to, still in alcoholic paradise and looking for his Pina Colada.
"Whazzat?" Dende mumbled, rolling over to flop off the bed to the floor of the time capsule. Not finding his delicious beverage of choice close at hand, the still-drunken Dende stumbled heavily across the time capsule, tripping as he found the door and bending his rather sensitive antennae as he landed on his head.
Cursing, Dende lurched to his feet and wandered across the fairground, entering a building where he thought he faintly glimpsed the fairy-white shine of his beloved drink, complete with pink umbrella. The shimmering sheen of the mirror seemed to giggle as Dende staggered from room to room, becoming more lost and confused with every turn. Had Dende's god-senses not been blurred by alcohol, he might have had a chance. As it was, Dende walked deeper and deeper into the shiny place, becoming yet another victim of that devious hell-trap so innocently named the 'House of Mirrors.'
_________________
Meanwhile, Mirai Gohan laughed giddily as the ferris wheel spun erratically at five times its normal speed. He remembered with joy the times that he and Piccolo had come here when he was a child, how Piccolo had been redirected to the clown tent by mistake, and the funny explosions that had followed!
Clambering down out of the seat, Mirai Gohan was so caught up in old reminisces that he failed to notice Mirai Cell standing behind him until the very last instant. Mirai Gohan blinked, then glared up at the green monster, "Hey, what the hell are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be guarding the prisoners?!"
Mirai Gohan noticed that Mirai Cell's body had taken on a slightly chubbier appearance and his normally green skin had a faintly pinkish hue, but decided to ignore it, "Cell, get back there right now! If any of those prisoners have escaped, I swear you'll live to regret it you overgrown insec--" Mirai Gohan's eyes widened and he never got a chance to finish his sentence as a round tube-like object fixed itself around his head.
***SLUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURP***
Mirai Cell belched politely into a convenient handkerchief as he finished his second meal of the day. That had been easier than he'd thought. Buu had been a bit chewy, but he'd been so beaten down by Gohan that he was barely a challenge, even for someone like Mirai Cell who was much weaker than him. All he had done was cower. And Mirai Gohan. That'd been a surprise—Cell smirked. That's what he got for underestimating him. There hadn't been a transformation the second time, but Cell knew. He knew that NOW he was the perfect being.
A small, niggling doubt whispered in the back of his mind that 'wasn't that exactly what he'd said LAST time.' Like any good super-villain he quickly dismissed this tiny voice of caution. That didn't matter anymore. This time he was PERFECT! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
_________________________
Gathering Videl in his arms, Gohan prepared to take off from Kami's lookout. Stepping to the edge he tried to ignore the flush of guilty pleasure he felt from having Videl in his arms…feeling her breath on his neck…her arms grasping his shoulders…her tail wrapped tightly around his waist…Gohan jumped as Goku tapped him on the shoulder, "Um, son? Can't Videl fly?"
Gohan's eyes widened guiltily. He'd been hoping that everyone would forget that. Setting Videl down, Gohan steeled himself against the snickers and glanced at his girlfriend to see her blushing as well. Stepping to the edge once again, they prepared to take flight, when a powerful voice resounded through the minds of the entire gathering.
*Too late for that now,* the Supreme Kai sighed.
Gohan, predictably, had an adverse reaction to the 'voices'. The others ignored his writhing and twitching and looked curiously into the sky. Who was that?
Piccolo's eyes widened dramatically, "No, it can't be! The Supreme KAI?!"
The Kai's mental voice held a perceptible smirk, *Yeah, that's me.*
"Oh," Bardock nodded, "You mean that short guy; the one who sent us down here?"
"Yeah, the one with the freaky hair-do," King Vegeta added.
Choosing to ignore the irony of the statement for the moment, Piccolo gazed into the heavens, "Why have you contacted us, Supreme Kai? Is this matter REALLY serious enough to merit your personal attention?"
The Supreme Kai's voice was casual, "Nah, not really. I'm kinda bored. Anyway, as I was saying, it's too late for you to enact your plan. The situation has changed. I'm afraid that your opponent is far more powerful than you could imagine now." In classic fashion, the z-senshi's faces were reflected shock and horror, faint but dramatic music playing in the background. "I'm afraid you only have one option now," the Supreme Kai continued, reveling in the attention, "And that is why I brought Bardock and King Vegeta to earth. Only they have the power to help you now. Had Goku stayed in Otherworld a bit longer, perhaps he would have learned it, but as it is, they are the only ones who can instruct you in this technique."
Bardock paled, "Oh no…not…."
The Supreme Kai nodded and King Vegeta groaned into his hands in horror at the embarrassment to come. "Yes. Bardock, King Vegeta, you must once again become Vegetock, and instruct these warriors in the technique of fusion! The universe may very well count on this," he added sternly. Smirking he thought, *Not to mention my day.* After all, it had been a very boring day in Otherworld, and even the Supreme Kai needed a bit of amusement now and then.
***If the scene with Hercule being shoved into a shuttle sounds familiar, indeed it is! Movie nine, Bojack…my favorite! And yes, your eyes did not deceive; you did see a quote from the original Aladdin movie by Disney…talk about scraping the barrel. R&R please ^_^***