Chapter Two______________________
They arrived at Capsule Corp. an hour and a half later. Videl and Gohan climbed out of the back and Gohan pulled Pan, fast asleep, out and held her close to protect her from the rain. He hurried inside with Videl close behind him. He was greeted with the relieved faces of Bulma, Tien, Bra, and Trunks, and the stoic face of Vegeta. Pan stirred slightly as Gohan sat her down in the nearest chair.
"Gohan, dear, what is wrong? Why did you just have me drive us up here so suddenly?" Videl asked her husband.
"Because I asked him to," said a woman's voice from behind them. They turned as Android Eighteen walked through the door, soaking wet from flying over in the rain. "It's.very important to me," she finished. She wore the same clothes as when she had met the Z Fighters many years ago, looking the same as then except for her hair.
Bra noticed Pan laying mostly asleep in the chair. She walked over and shook her awake. "Hey! Wake up, something important is going on!" she said as Pan looked around at her surroundings.
Vegeta stepped forward. "If nobody else is going to say it I will, I'm tired of standing here and accomplishing nothing."
Bulma walked in front of him and glared into his eyes. "This is important to her! Give her a minute to rest and relax, if you don't then you can help me in my lab instead of training all day. Understood?"
Vegeta snarled slightly, but he couldn't refuse Bulma. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and looked up to glare at Eighteen. "Wasn't your daughter supposed to be here too?"
Eighteen brushed her damp bangs out of her eyes. "I intended for her to be here, but with the sudden storm I told her to stay home," she said. She sat down in a chair and sighed.
Pan walked over to her. "What about Kurillin? Won't he be coming?"
Eighteen sighed. "Kurillin is.he's missing,
she said, her voice slightly strained. She brushed away a tear with her hand and continued. "He disappeared while on a trip to North City, that was a week ago. I figured he'd just stopped calling to save some money, but then today I got this," she said, producing a wet letter from her denim jacket.
Tien stepped forward and took it from her, all three of his eyes scanning it intently.
We have your husband. He is serving our purposes well. If you wish to save him then give us the Guardian of Earth. We advise you to hurry, failure to meet our demands could possibly endanger your husband's life. Capture the Earth Guardian and we will contact you with further instructions. Here is a bit of your husband to prove we're not lying.
He clutched the paper tightly, right below the writing were three bloodstains. ".Kurillin.Dende."
Pan walked forward. "What's wrong Tien? What's it say?" she asked. She could tell by the look on his face that it wasn't good. "Is Kurillin alright?"
Tien lowered his head and nodded slightly. "He's alright, I think. The note says that he's alive."
Gohan run a hand through Pan's raven-black hair. "Then we're going to have to look for him. We can't turn Dende over, no matter what," he said. Pan climbed up on Gohan's shoulders and raised a fist in the air. "I'll help!" she said enthusiastically, lightening the mood.. "Let's go help Kurillin! We can do it!" she said.
Bra stepped forward, smirking like her mother. "I'll help too. I bet I could be a big help after the training father gave me!" she said
Vegeta crossed his arms. "Fine, then me and the boy will go too. Someone has to take charge now that Kakarotto isn't here," he said.
Trunks gave a nod in agreement that he would go. He crossed his arms just like his father, appearing much the same in the same blue training suit, just with a happier-looking smirk on his face. "You can count on me and father," he said.
Gohan nodded his head. "I'm going too, ever since I was a kid Kurillin has always been there for me, always watching out for me when I needed him to. He may have turned tail and ran whenever he had the chance but he's always been there when it was needed. I owe him so much."
Vegeta fixed his glare on Gohan. "And your job? You can't feed a family on adventures."
"Look who's talking." Bulma muttered, just low enough that Vegeta couldn't hear.
Gohan looked at Eighteen, who had her head buried in her hands and crying. "I can't just leave Kurillin. So, no matter what, I'm going," he responded.
Tien smiled softly and nodded.
Bra smiled and climbed up on her dad's shoulders, just like Pan. "It's settled then. We're all going to find Kurillin!"
They arrived at Capsule Corp. an hour and a half later. Videl and Gohan climbed out of the back and Gohan pulled Pan, fast asleep, out and held her close to protect her from the rain. He hurried inside with Videl close behind him. He was greeted with the relieved faces of Bulma, Tien, Bra, and Trunks, and the stoic face of Vegeta. Pan stirred slightly as Gohan sat her down in the nearest chair.
"Gohan, dear, what is wrong? Why did you just have me drive us up here so suddenly?" Videl asked her husband.
"Because I asked him to," said a woman's voice from behind them. They turned as Android Eighteen walked through the door, soaking wet from flying over in the rain. "It's.very important to me," she finished. She wore the same clothes as when she had met the Z Fighters many years ago, looking the same as then except for her hair.
Bra noticed Pan laying mostly asleep in the chair. She walked over and shook her awake. "Hey! Wake up, something important is going on!" she said as Pan looked around at her surroundings.
Vegeta stepped forward. "If nobody else is going to say it I will, I'm tired of standing here and accomplishing nothing."
Bulma walked in front of him and glared into his eyes. "This is important to her! Give her a minute to rest and relax, if you don't then you can help me in my lab instead of training all day. Understood?"
Vegeta snarled slightly, but he couldn't refuse Bulma. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and looked up to glare at Eighteen. "Wasn't your daughter supposed to be here too?"
Eighteen brushed her damp bangs out of her eyes. "I intended for her to be here, but with the sudden storm I told her to stay home," she said. She sat down in a chair and sighed.
Pan walked over to her. "What about Kurillin? Won't he be coming?"
Eighteen sighed. "Kurillin is.he's missing,
she said, her voice slightly strained. She brushed away a tear with her hand and continued. "He disappeared while on a trip to North City, that was a week ago. I figured he'd just stopped calling to save some money, but then today I got this," she said, producing a wet letter from her denim jacket.
Tien stepped forward and took it from her, all three of his eyes scanning it intently.
We have your husband. He is serving our purposes well. If you wish to save him then give us the Guardian of Earth. We advise you to hurry, failure to meet our demands could possibly endanger your husband's life. Capture the Earth Guardian and we will contact you with further instructions. Here is a bit of your husband to prove we're not lying.
He clutched the paper tightly, right below the writing were three bloodstains. ".Kurillin.Dende."
Pan walked forward. "What's wrong Tien? What's it say?" she asked. She could tell by the look on his face that it wasn't good. "Is Kurillin alright?"
Tien lowered his head and nodded slightly. "He's alright, I think. The note says that he's alive."
Gohan run a hand through Pan's raven-black hair. "Then we're going to have to look for him. We can't turn Dende over, no matter what," he said. Pan climbed up on Gohan's shoulders and raised a fist in the air. "I'll help!" she said enthusiastically, lightening the mood.. "Let's go help Kurillin! We can do it!" she said.
Bra stepped forward, smirking like her mother. "I'll help too. I bet I could be a big help after the training father gave me!" she said
Vegeta crossed his arms. "Fine, then me and the boy will go too. Someone has to take charge now that Kakarotto isn't here," he said.
Trunks gave a nod in agreement that he would go. He crossed his arms just like his father, appearing much the same in the same blue training suit, just with a happier-looking smirk on his face. "You can count on me and father," he said.
Gohan nodded his head. "I'm going too, ever since I was a kid Kurillin has always been there for me, always watching out for me when I needed him to. He may have turned tail and ran whenever he had the chance but he's always been there when it was needed. I owe him so much."
Vegeta fixed his glare on Gohan. "And your job? You can't feed a family on adventures."
"Look who's talking." Bulma muttered, just low enough that Vegeta couldn't hear.
Gohan looked at Eighteen, who had her head buried in her hands and crying. "I can't just leave Kurillin. So, no matter what, I'm going," he responded.
Tien smiled softly and nodded.
Bra smiled and climbed up on her dad's shoulders, just like Pan. "It's settled then. We're all going to find Kurillin!"