Welcome to chapter 2.
DBZ belongs to Akira Toriyama and FUNimation.
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Dragon Ball Z the Movie 14 The Lady Kari by NansJns
Ch. 2: The Hypnotic Music Box
Piccolo sat in a room at Kami's lookout, in a meditation pose, lightly sleeping. His eyes cracked open as a soft, sweet sound seemed to pass him by. It sounded like little bells, playing out a ten-note tune over and over again. He glanced in the direction it seemed to be coming from under half-closed eyes. He sensed the strange ki he'd been picking up off and on all day, and his eyes opened more. ((There it is again. Whose is it? Not anyone I know.)) he thought, and stood up. ((Maybe I should investigate.)) He almost smirked at the consideration, and went outside to get a better feel for where the ki was. He looked around for a few moments, then focused on one specific spot.
"Gotcha," he said in a low tone, and flew off.
"Piccolo?" Mr. Popo looked out a window in time to see him go. "Now, where could he be flying off to in the middle of the night? I'd better tell Dende," he decided, and went to Dende's room.
The music drifted around, carried by the wind, until it reached the Son house. The sweet, ten-note melody seeped through the windows and under the doors, and laid over the sleeping Saiyans like a blanket. Goten's eyes flickered open as the music box's song reached him.
"Hmm? What's that? It's. . .nice. . ." Goten blinked, and then his eyes became cloudy as his mind filled with fog. He got out of his bed and went to the door. Gohan woke up more from the sound of his brother's voice and movement than from the strain of music. He rubbed his eyes and rolled over in time to see Goten leaving.
"Hey! Goten! Where do you think you're going?" Gohan got up and followed him, and suddenly noticed the playful ditty that seemed to fill the night air. Goten opened the front door and walked, entranced, toward the woods. "Goten!" Gohan started to run after him, when he abruptly stumbled, feeling something grab hold of his free will and cast it aside. His eyes faded just as his little brother's had, and the two of them continued walking to the trees.
Goku was snoring away, completely unaware of what was happening to his sons. He made a funny mumbling noise, and moved a little closer to Chi- chi, who was sleeping soundly with one hand on his chest. Goku twitched when he heard Gohan's voice, and then the music filtered into the room. Goku's eyes batted open.
"Huh? Chi-chi, do you hear that?" Goku asked sleepily. Chi-chi moaned softly and yawned.
"Hear what?" she asked as she snuggled a little closer to her husband and wrapped her arm around his chest.
"That music," Goku rubbed his eyes and inclined his head to hear it better.
"I don't hear anything. You were probably just dreaming. Go back to sleep," Chi-chi yawned again, and rested her head by his shoulder. Goku was still listening when he picked up another sound. Two sets of footfalls heading away from the house. He identified them easily as his sons', he could tell from the patterns of the steps. ((What in the world. . .?)) Goku wondered. He slid out of bed to check.
"Goku. . ." Chi-chi looked at him pleadingly. Goku suddenly went rigid, and his eyes became blank. "Goku? Are you all right?" Chi-chi sat up and studied him closely. Something was definitely wrong with him. Without a word, he walked out of the room, and then out of the house. "Goku?! What is it?! Goku, where are you going?!" Chi-chi ran after him, and suddenly saw her sons were gone as well. "Goku! Gohan! Goten!" Chi- chi ran out of the house just in time to see Goku vanish among the trees.
The music continued floating until it reached the city. Most either didn't hear it, or ignored it. The ten notes repeated themselves over and over again, and spread like a mist to the Capsule Corporation. It infiltrated as easily as it had at the Son house, rousting Trunks from his sleep. He sat up and yawned, glancing at the window. ((Funny. . .I think I hear music outside.)) he shuffled out of bed and went to the window.
Trunks opened the window and tilted his head a bit. He had been right, there was music playing outside. It was a simple, pleasant melody that seemed to call to him. He jerked a bit as he felt his free will slip away. His eyes clouded, and he turned from the window in a zombie-like fashion. He walked out of his bedroom and headed down the hall. Vegeta and Bulma were asleep in their bed, spooning. Vegeta had one arm stretched out over her, and his nose was buried in her hair. Bulma sighed a bit in her sleep, and Vegeta twitched. The soft melody reached his ears, but he didn't register it. A different sound came to him, and Vegeta opened his eyes. Small footsteps in the hall. ((Just Trunks. Probably going to the bathroom, or getting a drink of water.)) Vegeta groggily reasoned. ((Or maybe he's sneaking down to the gravity room for some secret training.)) He gave a short chuckle at that, and started to drift back to sleep, once again enjoying the sweet scent of his mate, when he heard the front door open and close. Vegeta sat up and got out of bed.
"Hm? What is it?" Bulma rolled over and rubbed her eyes as Vegeta went to look out the window.
"I just heard the front door," Vegeta answered, now wide awake. "What the. . .? Trunks?" Vegeta started to jump out the window, then stopped and threw on some pants. ((Damn human modesty. . .it's rubbing off on me.)) he thought in annoyance. "I'll be right back," he said over his shoulder to Bulma, and then he was out the window. He ran after Trunks over the cool grass, and grabbed his young son's shoulder. "Trunks, what the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded, but Trunks didn't answer. Becoming more angry than before, Vegeta turned his son around. "Answer me, Trunks! Trunks. . .?!" Vegeta jerked back as he looked into Trunks' eyes. They were completely empty. There was nothing in there. Vegeta suddenly winced as the strange melody he'd been hearing seemed to grow louder. "Trunks, what's wrong with you?!" Vegeta gave him a firm shake, fear starting to rise in his heart. Something was seriously wrong with his son. His concentration was skewed, however. The music was crashing over his senses now. What in the five Hells was it?! He felt like something in him was sliding away. "Trunks! Trun. . ." he started, and then the music filled his head completely, blocking out all thought and control. His grip on Trunks went slack, and they walked down the street together, completely oblivious to everything, including Bulma's panicked cries.
Bulma ran out of her house, and watched her husband and son suddenly take to the air. "VEGETTAAA! TRUUNNKS!" she screamed after them, but they made no indication that they'd heard her. She ran back inside to get a capsule air ship.
Piccolo flew over the tree tops and scanned the forest floor below. The strange new ki was nearby, but so were a pack of others that he knew only too well. He came to a grinding halt in midair when his eyes fell upon the soft lights coming from the spaceship nestled among the trees.
"What the. . .?!" Piccolo grumbled and dropped low so he could get a closer look without being seen himself. He crept over to the ship and looked around a tree. Two women stood in front of an open door, one dressed in armor, and the other holding a glowing music box. The one in armor was medium height, with dark green hair, violet eyes, and deep blue skin. ((Definitely not human.)) Piccolo concluded. The other one he wasn't too sure about. She was very tall, with hip-length white-blonde hair and green eyes. She was rather muscular, and wore a dress with a gold belt. The belt appeared to be made of dozens of gold bands side by side. It looked just a little odd. This didn't hold Piccolo's attention for long, as he suddenly realized the blonde woman was the source of the strange ki he had been looking for. He was about to move forward when a familiar trio suddenly came walking up to the ship. ((What the hell?! Gohan?! Goku?! Goten?! What are THEY doing here?)) Not only had they just walked up to these strange women, but they were dressed for bed. Piccolo moved around a bit so he could get a better look at them, and realized something was wrong. Their eyes were cloudy and their expressions blank. The blonde woman smiled.
"I don't believe it," the blue-skinned woman observed.
"Hm. What did I tell you? No one with Saiyan blood can resist the box," the blonde woman answered as she gently cupped Goku's cheek, then gently touched Gohan's face, and ended with giving Goten a small pat on the head. "Magnificent. Now, where are the other two?" she looked to the sky and smiled. "Ah, here they come."
Piccolo snapped his head around, and watched as Vegeta and Trunks dropped out of the sky. Their eyes were just as blank as the Son family's, and they moved up to the woman in the same trance-like state. She smiled down on both of them, being taller than they were, and turned to the ship.
"All right, everyone into the ship," she motioned to the open door, still holding the open music box, and they all moved forward. Piccolo dove out of his hiding place and grabbed Gohan's arm.
"Gohan! What do you think you're doing?! Wake up!" Piccolo barked at the young half-Saiyan. Gohan didn't react to Piccolo's voice at all. He continued to try to move forward onto the ship. Piccolo gave him a brutal slap across the face. "I said snap out of it, Gohan!!" Piccolo snarled louder. He stopped when he realized the blonde woman's eyes had fallen on him. "I don't know who you are, but you are not taking these people," Piccolo said in a low, threatening voice. ((I can't believe I just said that. It sounded so corny! Oh well.)) Piccolo refocused his mind. The woman hadn't said anything, and hadn't moved. She made no sound or motion as her ki rose, and a sudden wave of power hit Piccolo so hard it sent him flying. He smashed through several large oak trees backwards, breaking their trunks with his back. He could feel bones break, and internal bruising and possibly bleeding start, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. When he finally managed to gain control of his momentum and stop his movement, it was too late.
The hypnotized Saiyans boarded the ship obediently, and the door closed behind them. The ship then rose into the air, just as Chi-chi and Bulma arrived. They watched the ship rise up to the stars at an incredible pace, and then fly away.
"Do you think. . .they were on that?" Bulma asked softly.
"Yes, they were," Piccolo walked up to the two women as straight as he could, despite his pain. He'd had worse. "They were under some kind of mind control. There was a blonde woman with a weird music box."
"Music box? Wait - Goku said he heard music right before he started acting weird and left," Chi-chi observed.
"But who would do this, and why?" Bulma started to contemplate, when she latched on to something else Piccolo had said. "Blonde woman? Did you say blonde woman?" He nodded. "Was she pretty tall? With really long hair and green eyes? Full figure? In a dress and a gold belt?" Piccolo nodded again.
"Yeah. How did you know?" Piccolo asked.
"Vegeta, Trunks, and I saw her earlier today in a department store!" Bulma answered quickly, feeling her blood boil.
"Actually, that sounds like the woman Goku and the kids helped this morning," Chi-chi offered. Piccolo and Bulma looked straight at her, and she continued. "They said her name was Kari, and that she was lost in the forest. Apparently, Goten accidently crashed into her, so Goku helped her find her way out of the woods to apologize. Their description is the same as yours," she looked to Bulma.
"Kari, huh? Well, she's gonna pay for this! Let's get the guys and track her down!" Bulma declared. "No way is she going to get away with kidnaping my husband and son!"
"Right!" Chi-chi agreed.
"I'm going to Korin's tower to get some senzu beans. Just in case. We'll meet back here in an hour, all right?" Piccolo couldn't help but smirk as the two enraged wives nodded in agreement. Not too long ago, they would have run off at the sight of him, now they were all working together. ((When did we stop hating each other?)) he wondered as he flew off. He needed to eat a senzu bean before going off to fight this Kari person. No sense going into battle already injured.
Piccolo was greeted by a half-awake Korin and Dende, who had somehow known he was going to end up there. Piccolo ate one bean quickly, then grabbed a bag of them and tucked it into a pocket.
"Piccolo, what's going on? Who took the Saiyans? Did you recognize them?" Dende inquired impatiently. He had felt the Saiyans' kis leaving the planet, and had seen the ship from the lookout.
"I don't know, I don't know, and no," Piccolo answered in order. "All I know is her name might be Kari."
"Her?" Dende blinked in surprise, and Korin tilted his head in a wondering gesture.
"It was a woman?" Korin begged clarification.
"Yeah, it was a woman. So?" Piccolo arched an eyebrow.
"Nothing. It's just. . .I dunno. How could one woman kidnap five Saiyans? And Super-Saiyans, at that," Dende answered. Piccolo grunted.
"They were hypnotized. It had something to do with that music, I'm sure of it. Either way, woman or no, she's incredibly powerful and dangerous. The more important question here is: What does she want with five Super-Saiyans?" Piccolo gazed at the starry sky and gave a small growl.
Krillin was rudely awakened by the loud ringing of the telephone. He grabbed the receiver, nearly breaking it in the process, and held it up to his ear. At his side, 18 rolled over and tried to ignore the noise.
"Hullo?" Krillin mumbled into the phone.
"Krillin? It's Chi-chi. . ." Chi-chi's voice answered. Krillin blinked.
"Chi-chi? Why are you calling? It's the middle of the night!" Krillin hissed low into the phone, striving not to wake his wife anymore than she already was.
"I'm sorry, Krillin, but this is an emergency!" Chi-chi's voice sounded urgent. Krillin sighed and rubbed his eyes.
"It had better be," he muttered, and listened as Chi-chi explained the situation at hand. "WHAT?! I'll be right there!" Krillin put the phone down and started dressing rapidly.
"Huh?! What?! What is it?!" 18 was up like a shot, turning her full attention to her husband.
"The Saiyans have been kidnaped!" Krillin answered quickly.
"Say what?" 18 was certain she must have heard that wrong.
"Apparently some woman hypnotized Goku, Vegeta, and their kids! We're mounting a rescue mission!" Krillin explained as he finished pulling on his shirt.
"Well, wait for me! Marron can stay with Roshi for a while," 18 answered as she threw the covers back and got up.
At the same time, Bulma had called Yamcha, who had reacted in much the same way. He dressed quickly, and he and Puar took off for Capsule Corp. Piccolo tracked down Tien and Chiao-Tzu, and the unusual trio flew off at top speed. Anyone who could capture all of the Saiyans would need a lot of power to take down. The group met up at Capsule Corp, and went out into the night.
"All right, here goes. I hope that ship hasn't gotten too far, or we may not be able to track it," Bulma observed, worried. She pressed the top down on one of her capsules, and threw it into the air. There was a puff of smoke, and then a good-sized space ship appeared. It was large enough to hold them all comfortably, and they climbed aboard. They strapped themselves down into their seats, and Bulma hit the activation sequence. There was a low rumble, and the ship blasted off.
"Man, I can't believe this! Every time we have a little peace, someone comes along and ruins it!" Krillin grumbled.
"Humph. I can't believe I'm trying to save Vegeta," Yamcha muttered even lower so Bulma wouldn't hear. ((No, I'm not going for Vegeta. . .I'm going for Goku and his kids. This Kari woman can keep Vegeta.)) Yamcha sighed inwardly. He had never liked Vegeta, what with him letting the Saibaman kill him and all, but when Vegeta took Bulma from him, it sealed a deep level of mixed hate and envy into Yamcha's heart. He still remembered, with perfect clarity, how he first learned they had become a couple. . .
He had sent Puar over to Capsule Corp. to see if Bulma had calmed down and was ready to talk. Puar had returned in a panicked frenzy, jabbering nonsense about Bulma and Vegeta.
"Yamcha, it was terrible!! Vegeta. . .Bulma. . .he. . .she. . .they were. . .!!!" Puar kept trying to relay his message, but got nothing coherent out.
"Easy, Puar! Calm down! What about Bulma and Vegeta? Did he hurt her?!" Yamcha had grabbed the small, cat-like creature, and given him a shake.
"WORSE! They. . .were. . .KISSING!" Puar had finally wailed, sobbing. Yamcha froze.
"You're. . .you're kidding, right? Bulma would never. . ." Yamcha backed away from his friend, shaking his head slowly.
"They were, they were!! I SAW them! Oh, Yamcha, this is just awful! She's not coming back!" Puar continued crying. Yamcha kept shaking his head.
"No. . .you have to be wrong! We'll go there tomorrow, and you'll see. . .they hate each other! They couldn't be. . ." Yamcha knew he was right - Bulma would never fall for an ass like Vegeta. The next day had proven him dead wrong. He had snuck into the Capsule Corp's backyard, pressing his ki down so low it almost hurt, and slipped up to a window at the sound of Bulma's voice. She was in the middle of a fight with Vegeta. Something about abusing equipment. Yamcha had sighed deeply in relief. And then the impossible had happened. The two fell silent, and stared at each other for a moment, and then Vegeta had walked right up to Bulma and caught her chin.
"Hm. Are you done, Woman?" Vegeta asked. Bulma met his stare unwavering.
"Yes," she had answered.
"Good. Now, we both know that somewhere deep inside, you kind of like the challenge of keeping up with me. And I can't slack off in my training, now can I?" he had smirked then as Bulma shook her head no.
"Just. . .be a little more careful until we can build some new ones, okay?" she smiled at him coyly then. "I know you can be gentle."
"Hmm, only with you. Cold steel doesn't deserve it," his voice was slightly muffled as he was leaning in to kiss her. The scene was frozen forever in Yamcha's mind. It was clearer than a DVD image - Vegeta holding and kissing Bulma, Vegeta's hands trailing over her body and feeling her attributes. Bulma enjoying his touch. Yamcha had felt a giant jumble of emotions: hate, heartbreak, anger, guilt, sorrow, loss, and a large wave of nausea. He had left CC as soon as he could make himself stand straight. He had spent the following day in bed, too sick to get up and train. He had cried until he had no tears left. Bulma wasn't coming back. _And it was all his fault._
((I still kept hoping that she'd break up with him. Then I heard she was pregnant. And six months after the Cell Game, I got that invitation to their wedding. I almost spoke when the preacher said, "If there are any who can see reason why these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace." I _would_ have, except. . .except she looked so happy. I didn't want to spoil it for her. Well, it's over now, and I have more important things to worry about. There's a woman out there who has five Super Saiyans under her control. The entire universe could be threatened.)) Yamcha brought himself back to the now, and stared out the window at the stars.
"I'd sure like to know who Kari actually is," Tien muttered.
"I'm more interested in what she wants," Piccolo answered. ((She's incredibly powerful, that's for certain. I've never met a person who could use ki without physical movement and vocalization before.)) He still wasn't sure how she'd done that. He knew one thing, though. She was going to put up one hell of a fight.
And across the vast vacuum of space, the two ships streaked, a soft, ten-note melody filling one, mutters and worries filling the other.
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Next up, Chapter 3: Battle on Kari's Ship - Wake Up, Saiyans!
E-mail at NansJns@aol.com! All comments accepted!
DBZ belongs to Akira Toriyama and FUNimation.
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Dragon Ball Z the Movie 14 The Lady Kari by NansJns
Ch. 2: The Hypnotic Music Box
Piccolo sat in a room at Kami's lookout, in a meditation pose, lightly sleeping. His eyes cracked open as a soft, sweet sound seemed to pass him by. It sounded like little bells, playing out a ten-note tune over and over again. He glanced in the direction it seemed to be coming from under half-closed eyes. He sensed the strange ki he'd been picking up off and on all day, and his eyes opened more. ((There it is again. Whose is it? Not anyone I know.)) he thought, and stood up. ((Maybe I should investigate.)) He almost smirked at the consideration, and went outside to get a better feel for where the ki was. He looked around for a few moments, then focused on one specific spot.
"Gotcha," he said in a low tone, and flew off.
"Piccolo?" Mr. Popo looked out a window in time to see him go. "Now, where could he be flying off to in the middle of the night? I'd better tell Dende," he decided, and went to Dende's room.
The music drifted around, carried by the wind, until it reached the Son house. The sweet, ten-note melody seeped through the windows and under the doors, and laid over the sleeping Saiyans like a blanket. Goten's eyes flickered open as the music box's song reached him.
"Hmm? What's that? It's. . .nice. . ." Goten blinked, and then his eyes became cloudy as his mind filled with fog. He got out of his bed and went to the door. Gohan woke up more from the sound of his brother's voice and movement than from the strain of music. He rubbed his eyes and rolled over in time to see Goten leaving.
"Hey! Goten! Where do you think you're going?" Gohan got up and followed him, and suddenly noticed the playful ditty that seemed to fill the night air. Goten opened the front door and walked, entranced, toward the woods. "Goten!" Gohan started to run after him, when he abruptly stumbled, feeling something grab hold of his free will and cast it aside. His eyes faded just as his little brother's had, and the two of them continued walking to the trees.
Goku was snoring away, completely unaware of what was happening to his sons. He made a funny mumbling noise, and moved a little closer to Chi- chi, who was sleeping soundly with one hand on his chest. Goku twitched when he heard Gohan's voice, and then the music filtered into the room. Goku's eyes batted open.
"Huh? Chi-chi, do you hear that?" Goku asked sleepily. Chi-chi moaned softly and yawned.
"Hear what?" she asked as she snuggled a little closer to her husband and wrapped her arm around his chest.
"That music," Goku rubbed his eyes and inclined his head to hear it better.
"I don't hear anything. You were probably just dreaming. Go back to sleep," Chi-chi yawned again, and rested her head by his shoulder. Goku was still listening when he picked up another sound. Two sets of footfalls heading away from the house. He identified them easily as his sons', he could tell from the patterns of the steps. ((What in the world. . .?)) Goku wondered. He slid out of bed to check.
"Goku. . ." Chi-chi looked at him pleadingly. Goku suddenly went rigid, and his eyes became blank. "Goku? Are you all right?" Chi-chi sat up and studied him closely. Something was definitely wrong with him. Without a word, he walked out of the room, and then out of the house. "Goku?! What is it?! Goku, where are you going?!" Chi-chi ran after him, and suddenly saw her sons were gone as well. "Goku! Gohan! Goten!" Chi- chi ran out of the house just in time to see Goku vanish among the trees.
The music continued floating until it reached the city. Most either didn't hear it, or ignored it. The ten notes repeated themselves over and over again, and spread like a mist to the Capsule Corporation. It infiltrated as easily as it had at the Son house, rousting Trunks from his sleep. He sat up and yawned, glancing at the window. ((Funny. . .I think I hear music outside.)) he shuffled out of bed and went to the window.
Trunks opened the window and tilted his head a bit. He had been right, there was music playing outside. It was a simple, pleasant melody that seemed to call to him. He jerked a bit as he felt his free will slip away. His eyes clouded, and he turned from the window in a zombie-like fashion. He walked out of his bedroom and headed down the hall. Vegeta and Bulma were asleep in their bed, spooning. Vegeta had one arm stretched out over her, and his nose was buried in her hair. Bulma sighed a bit in her sleep, and Vegeta twitched. The soft melody reached his ears, but he didn't register it. A different sound came to him, and Vegeta opened his eyes. Small footsteps in the hall. ((Just Trunks. Probably going to the bathroom, or getting a drink of water.)) Vegeta groggily reasoned. ((Or maybe he's sneaking down to the gravity room for some secret training.)) He gave a short chuckle at that, and started to drift back to sleep, once again enjoying the sweet scent of his mate, when he heard the front door open and close. Vegeta sat up and got out of bed.
"Hm? What is it?" Bulma rolled over and rubbed her eyes as Vegeta went to look out the window.
"I just heard the front door," Vegeta answered, now wide awake. "What the. . .? Trunks?" Vegeta started to jump out the window, then stopped and threw on some pants. ((Damn human modesty. . .it's rubbing off on me.)) he thought in annoyance. "I'll be right back," he said over his shoulder to Bulma, and then he was out the window. He ran after Trunks over the cool grass, and grabbed his young son's shoulder. "Trunks, what the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded, but Trunks didn't answer. Becoming more angry than before, Vegeta turned his son around. "Answer me, Trunks! Trunks. . .?!" Vegeta jerked back as he looked into Trunks' eyes. They were completely empty. There was nothing in there. Vegeta suddenly winced as the strange melody he'd been hearing seemed to grow louder. "Trunks, what's wrong with you?!" Vegeta gave him a firm shake, fear starting to rise in his heart. Something was seriously wrong with his son. His concentration was skewed, however. The music was crashing over his senses now. What in the five Hells was it?! He felt like something in him was sliding away. "Trunks! Trun. . ." he started, and then the music filled his head completely, blocking out all thought and control. His grip on Trunks went slack, and they walked down the street together, completely oblivious to everything, including Bulma's panicked cries.
Bulma ran out of her house, and watched her husband and son suddenly take to the air. "VEGETTAAA! TRUUNNKS!" she screamed after them, but they made no indication that they'd heard her. She ran back inside to get a capsule air ship.
Piccolo flew over the tree tops and scanned the forest floor below. The strange new ki was nearby, but so were a pack of others that he knew only too well. He came to a grinding halt in midair when his eyes fell upon the soft lights coming from the spaceship nestled among the trees.
"What the. . .?!" Piccolo grumbled and dropped low so he could get a closer look without being seen himself. He crept over to the ship and looked around a tree. Two women stood in front of an open door, one dressed in armor, and the other holding a glowing music box. The one in armor was medium height, with dark green hair, violet eyes, and deep blue skin. ((Definitely not human.)) Piccolo concluded. The other one he wasn't too sure about. She was very tall, with hip-length white-blonde hair and green eyes. She was rather muscular, and wore a dress with a gold belt. The belt appeared to be made of dozens of gold bands side by side. It looked just a little odd. This didn't hold Piccolo's attention for long, as he suddenly realized the blonde woman was the source of the strange ki he had been looking for. He was about to move forward when a familiar trio suddenly came walking up to the ship. ((What the hell?! Gohan?! Goku?! Goten?! What are THEY doing here?)) Not only had they just walked up to these strange women, but they were dressed for bed. Piccolo moved around a bit so he could get a better look at them, and realized something was wrong. Their eyes were cloudy and their expressions blank. The blonde woman smiled.
"I don't believe it," the blue-skinned woman observed.
"Hm. What did I tell you? No one with Saiyan blood can resist the box," the blonde woman answered as she gently cupped Goku's cheek, then gently touched Gohan's face, and ended with giving Goten a small pat on the head. "Magnificent. Now, where are the other two?" she looked to the sky and smiled. "Ah, here they come."
Piccolo snapped his head around, and watched as Vegeta and Trunks dropped out of the sky. Their eyes were just as blank as the Son family's, and they moved up to the woman in the same trance-like state. She smiled down on both of them, being taller than they were, and turned to the ship.
"All right, everyone into the ship," she motioned to the open door, still holding the open music box, and they all moved forward. Piccolo dove out of his hiding place and grabbed Gohan's arm.
"Gohan! What do you think you're doing?! Wake up!" Piccolo barked at the young half-Saiyan. Gohan didn't react to Piccolo's voice at all. He continued to try to move forward onto the ship. Piccolo gave him a brutal slap across the face. "I said snap out of it, Gohan!!" Piccolo snarled louder. He stopped when he realized the blonde woman's eyes had fallen on him. "I don't know who you are, but you are not taking these people," Piccolo said in a low, threatening voice. ((I can't believe I just said that. It sounded so corny! Oh well.)) Piccolo refocused his mind. The woman hadn't said anything, and hadn't moved. She made no sound or motion as her ki rose, and a sudden wave of power hit Piccolo so hard it sent him flying. He smashed through several large oak trees backwards, breaking their trunks with his back. He could feel bones break, and internal bruising and possibly bleeding start, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. When he finally managed to gain control of his momentum and stop his movement, it was too late.
The hypnotized Saiyans boarded the ship obediently, and the door closed behind them. The ship then rose into the air, just as Chi-chi and Bulma arrived. They watched the ship rise up to the stars at an incredible pace, and then fly away.
"Do you think. . .they were on that?" Bulma asked softly.
"Yes, they were," Piccolo walked up to the two women as straight as he could, despite his pain. He'd had worse. "They were under some kind of mind control. There was a blonde woman with a weird music box."
"Music box? Wait - Goku said he heard music right before he started acting weird and left," Chi-chi observed.
"But who would do this, and why?" Bulma started to contemplate, when she latched on to something else Piccolo had said. "Blonde woman? Did you say blonde woman?" He nodded. "Was she pretty tall? With really long hair and green eyes? Full figure? In a dress and a gold belt?" Piccolo nodded again.
"Yeah. How did you know?" Piccolo asked.
"Vegeta, Trunks, and I saw her earlier today in a department store!" Bulma answered quickly, feeling her blood boil.
"Actually, that sounds like the woman Goku and the kids helped this morning," Chi-chi offered. Piccolo and Bulma looked straight at her, and she continued. "They said her name was Kari, and that she was lost in the forest. Apparently, Goten accidently crashed into her, so Goku helped her find her way out of the woods to apologize. Their description is the same as yours," she looked to Bulma.
"Kari, huh? Well, she's gonna pay for this! Let's get the guys and track her down!" Bulma declared. "No way is she going to get away with kidnaping my husband and son!"
"Right!" Chi-chi agreed.
"I'm going to Korin's tower to get some senzu beans. Just in case. We'll meet back here in an hour, all right?" Piccolo couldn't help but smirk as the two enraged wives nodded in agreement. Not too long ago, they would have run off at the sight of him, now they were all working together. ((When did we stop hating each other?)) he wondered as he flew off. He needed to eat a senzu bean before going off to fight this Kari person. No sense going into battle already injured.
Piccolo was greeted by a half-awake Korin and Dende, who had somehow known he was going to end up there. Piccolo ate one bean quickly, then grabbed a bag of them and tucked it into a pocket.
"Piccolo, what's going on? Who took the Saiyans? Did you recognize them?" Dende inquired impatiently. He had felt the Saiyans' kis leaving the planet, and had seen the ship from the lookout.
"I don't know, I don't know, and no," Piccolo answered in order. "All I know is her name might be Kari."
"Her?" Dende blinked in surprise, and Korin tilted his head in a wondering gesture.
"It was a woman?" Korin begged clarification.
"Yeah, it was a woman. So?" Piccolo arched an eyebrow.
"Nothing. It's just. . .I dunno. How could one woman kidnap five Saiyans? And Super-Saiyans, at that," Dende answered. Piccolo grunted.
"They were hypnotized. It had something to do with that music, I'm sure of it. Either way, woman or no, she's incredibly powerful and dangerous. The more important question here is: What does she want with five Super-Saiyans?" Piccolo gazed at the starry sky and gave a small growl.
Krillin was rudely awakened by the loud ringing of the telephone. He grabbed the receiver, nearly breaking it in the process, and held it up to his ear. At his side, 18 rolled over and tried to ignore the noise.
"Hullo?" Krillin mumbled into the phone.
"Krillin? It's Chi-chi. . ." Chi-chi's voice answered. Krillin blinked.
"Chi-chi? Why are you calling? It's the middle of the night!" Krillin hissed low into the phone, striving not to wake his wife anymore than she already was.
"I'm sorry, Krillin, but this is an emergency!" Chi-chi's voice sounded urgent. Krillin sighed and rubbed his eyes.
"It had better be," he muttered, and listened as Chi-chi explained the situation at hand. "WHAT?! I'll be right there!" Krillin put the phone down and started dressing rapidly.
"Huh?! What?! What is it?!" 18 was up like a shot, turning her full attention to her husband.
"The Saiyans have been kidnaped!" Krillin answered quickly.
"Say what?" 18 was certain she must have heard that wrong.
"Apparently some woman hypnotized Goku, Vegeta, and their kids! We're mounting a rescue mission!" Krillin explained as he finished pulling on his shirt.
"Well, wait for me! Marron can stay with Roshi for a while," 18 answered as she threw the covers back and got up.
At the same time, Bulma had called Yamcha, who had reacted in much the same way. He dressed quickly, and he and Puar took off for Capsule Corp. Piccolo tracked down Tien and Chiao-Tzu, and the unusual trio flew off at top speed. Anyone who could capture all of the Saiyans would need a lot of power to take down. The group met up at Capsule Corp, and went out into the night.
"All right, here goes. I hope that ship hasn't gotten too far, or we may not be able to track it," Bulma observed, worried. She pressed the top down on one of her capsules, and threw it into the air. There was a puff of smoke, and then a good-sized space ship appeared. It was large enough to hold them all comfortably, and they climbed aboard. They strapped themselves down into their seats, and Bulma hit the activation sequence. There was a low rumble, and the ship blasted off.
"Man, I can't believe this! Every time we have a little peace, someone comes along and ruins it!" Krillin grumbled.
"Humph. I can't believe I'm trying to save Vegeta," Yamcha muttered even lower so Bulma wouldn't hear. ((No, I'm not going for Vegeta. . .I'm going for Goku and his kids. This Kari woman can keep Vegeta.)) Yamcha sighed inwardly. He had never liked Vegeta, what with him letting the Saibaman kill him and all, but when Vegeta took Bulma from him, it sealed a deep level of mixed hate and envy into Yamcha's heart. He still remembered, with perfect clarity, how he first learned they had become a couple. . .
He had sent Puar over to Capsule Corp. to see if Bulma had calmed down and was ready to talk. Puar had returned in a panicked frenzy, jabbering nonsense about Bulma and Vegeta.
"Yamcha, it was terrible!! Vegeta. . .Bulma. . .he. . .she. . .they were. . .!!!" Puar kept trying to relay his message, but got nothing coherent out.
"Easy, Puar! Calm down! What about Bulma and Vegeta? Did he hurt her?!" Yamcha had grabbed the small, cat-like creature, and given him a shake.
"WORSE! They. . .were. . .KISSING!" Puar had finally wailed, sobbing. Yamcha froze.
"You're. . .you're kidding, right? Bulma would never. . ." Yamcha backed away from his friend, shaking his head slowly.
"They were, they were!! I SAW them! Oh, Yamcha, this is just awful! She's not coming back!" Puar continued crying. Yamcha kept shaking his head.
"No. . .you have to be wrong! We'll go there tomorrow, and you'll see. . .they hate each other! They couldn't be. . ." Yamcha knew he was right - Bulma would never fall for an ass like Vegeta. The next day had proven him dead wrong. He had snuck into the Capsule Corp's backyard, pressing his ki down so low it almost hurt, and slipped up to a window at the sound of Bulma's voice. She was in the middle of a fight with Vegeta. Something about abusing equipment. Yamcha had sighed deeply in relief. And then the impossible had happened. The two fell silent, and stared at each other for a moment, and then Vegeta had walked right up to Bulma and caught her chin.
"Hm. Are you done, Woman?" Vegeta asked. Bulma met his stare unwavering.
"Yes," she had answered.
"Good. Now, we both know that somewhere deep inside, you kind of like the challenge of keeping up with me. And I can't slack off in my training, now can I?" he had smirked then as Bulma shook her head no.
"Just. . .be a little more careful until we can build some new ones, okay?" she smiled at him coyly then. "I know you can be gentle."
"Hmm, only with you. Cold steel doesn't deserve it," his voice was slightly muffled as he was leaning in to kiss her. The scene was frozen forever in Yamcha's mind. It was clearer than a DVD image - Vegeta holding and kissing Bulma, Vegeta's hands trailing over her body and feeling her attributes. Bulma enjoying his touch. Yamcha had felt a giant jumble of emotions: hate, heartbreak, anger, guilt, sorrow, loss, and a large wave of nausea. He had left CC as soon as he could make himself stand straight. He had spent the following day in bed, too sick to get up and train. He had cried until he had no tears left. Bulma wasn't coming back. _And it was all his fault._
((I still kept hoping that she'd break up with him. Then I heard she was pregnant. And six months after the Cell Game, I got that invitation to their wedding. I almost spoke when the preacher said, "If there are any who can see reason why these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace." I _would_ have, except. . .except she looked so happy. I didn't want to spoil it for her. Well, it's over now, and I have more important things to worry about. There's a woman out there who has five Super Saiyans under her control. The entire universe could be threatened.)) Yamcha brought himself back to the now, and stared out the window at the stars.
"I'd sure like to know who Kari actually is," Tien muttered.
"I'm more interested in what she wants," Piccolo answered. ((She's incredibly powerful, that's for certain. I've never met a person who could use ki without physical movement and vocalization before.)) He still wasn't sure how she'd done that. He knew one thing, though. She was going to put up one hell of a fight.
And across the vast vacuum of space, the two ships streaked, a soft, ten-note melody filling one, mutters and worries filling the other.
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Next up, Chapter 3: Battle on Kari's Ship - Wake Up, Saiyans!
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