GIFTS, FROM THE HEART
Part: 1 of 2

"Opening Scene"

"Alright!" Krillen exclaimed excitedly throwing in his last five poker chips into the already big pile, "If this doesn't beat you then nothing will." All three saiyans looked on unimpressed by the whole act. It was a very good attempt, although everyone instantly realized the obvious triple bluff.

Krillen looked at his cards with a phony confidence, then at the others across the table. Goku was smiling innocently as usual, Vegeta looked agitated and scary, opposed to the cool unwariness of Gohan as he took a chip, one that equaled Krillen's five, and threw it into the pot.

"Uhh ok," Krillen said now very shaky seeing that his bluff had no affect to Goku or Gohan. "Read `em and weep," he said in a very unconvincing tone.

All the cards were on the table now. Krillen, hoping to confuse his opponents had a pair of tens to which he faked to be something unbeatable, in the hopes that the tree saiyans would think he bluffed purposely to make them think his hand was poor so that they would suspect his card of being actually high. As you'll see his plan failed compared to the three master strategists.

Gohan was pretty safe with a full house of jacks and sevens. Goku, who really isn't all that good at poker at all, had nonetheless achieved a very impressive straight flush purely by trusting his instincts. Then there was Vegeta, who seemed to have been having trouble during this hand, he laid his cards on the table; no frown, no smirk, just one raised eyebrow as the others saw his spade royal flush.

Gohan and Krillen had their jaws on the table as Vegeta took the liberty of sweeping as many of the chips in the middle of the table as he could to his corner. Goku started laughing hitting his forehead with his palm.

"Aww man, you and Bulma are just the same, how did you two always to win like that?" Vegeta separated his chips arranging them in red, blue and white columns.

"Hmph, who do you think taught her?" He smirked then, retrieving all the cards to redeal. Then with all the skill and finesse of a Vegas dealer he cut and shuffled and rested the cards back on the table. By the time he was finish he'd remembered the exact order of the whole deck. He looked to the others.

"One more hand?"

With Krillen out of the game they decided to call it a night. So they put the cards away and went upstairs to the CC kitchen to get something out of Bulma's fridge to eat. Or at least that was what the majority wanted. Of course they very well had to do something to keep themselves busy while their wives were out shopping.

They all sat at the table now munching on food, Krillen staring in awe as the three saiyans before him devoured a years worth of any kind of meat you could imagine. The refrigerator was stocked with capsules filled with vast supplies of food and one after another a pile of empty capsules formed in the center of the table. A half an hour later their pace slowed to a mere snacking speed and Krillen was already full. The evening was winding down and Goku decided to ask the other husbands about what they were going to get their better halves for this upcoming saint's day.

"The Bet"

"Hey, so does anybody have any special plans for Valentines." Goku blurted out after swallowing a chunk of chicken. Gohan looked up from his drumstick.

"What do you mean?" Krillen then joined in the conversation. Goku leaned in toward the center of the table and the other two who were listening did the same in response.

"Well, what do you guys plan on getting your wives, I mean, I was thinking I could surprise Chi-Chi with a some kind of romantic Valentines Day gift. You know something original, something from the heart." Krillen was the first to oppose.

"Uhh, I don't know Goku, I usually just get 18 the usual flowers and candy and maybe a teddy bear. I'm not taking any kind of chance with something else."

"Yeah," Gohan agreed, "that's what I do with Vidal." Goku was shaking his head.

"Well, that's exactly what I'm talking about!" Goku exclaimed emphasizing his words with a piece of ham, "that's just what I do too, what I'm saying is that we surprise them with something genuinely heartfelt." Krillen was already shaking his hands in protest.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. When did this suddenly become WE? Whatever you decide to do Goku is none of our business. Right Gohan." Goku turned his head to his son.

"He's right dad, what if we get them something and they hate it." He was imagining the outcome of a disappointed 18, Chi-Chi, Bulma and Videl. He shivered at the mere thought of it.

"Come on you guys. Just imagine if they love it. Wouldn't that be ten times better then getting something they already know they'll get." By the looks of things the two were not going to yield. Then he looked to his side at Vegeta. "Hey, Vegeta back me up man, you agree with me right?" Up until now he had been trying to avoid getting into this discussion, but now Goku was directly addressing him. There was only one thing to do.

"You're an idiot, Kakarot." Typical response, but Goku was far from giving up.

"Aww, where's that adventurous spirit of yours. Huh Vegeta?"

"I dropped it in a well, why don't you go find it for me?" Goku brushed off the comment.

"No, really." Goku said, as if Vegeta wasn't serious to begin with. "We should do this, and we'll even have a dinner, all eight of us. Then we'll present our gifts there. We'll meet somewhere an equal distance from each of our houses then after dinner we all take moonlit walks home alone with our wives. We can't lose if we just search our hearts for what they truly want. Right?"

"Look Kakarot, Bulma is the richest woman in West City. What makes you think anything I get her is gonna be so special that she can't just go out and buy ten of the damn things the very same day." Krillen and Gohan were nodding their heads. Goku was surprised; it means that Vegeta has actually thought about this before.

"He has a good point Goku." Krillen shrugged his shoulders. "Its just too risky."

"Yeah dad, you haven't convinced us, sorry." Goku slumped down on his chair.

"Well, I guess I'm beat." Goku said sadly, "If you guys don't want to do it then I can't make you." But he still had a trump card to play. "Although…well…ya know, I bet I could have gotten Chi-Chi the best gift out of all of the gifts any of you could of given your wives." The three whom he addressed, had all paused at the remark. The reaction was most prominent in Vegeta.

"What was that?" Vegeta asked, the thought of Goku being better then him at anything made his hairs stand. Goku knew the moment Vegeta uttered those words that he and the others were in. "Are you suggesting that what you give your wife would be better then what I would give Bulma." The other two watched, Goku's words still ringing in their heads. "I, obviously, would have the superior gift to present." His words were aimed at Goku but Gohan intervened.

"Hold on Vegeta. Your telling me that I can't get my Videl a gift that would knock her socks off?" Vegeta hadn't fully understood that last part but he understood enough to know he was being challenged.

"No halfling, I didn't say that, what I said was that my gift would be the best." Krillen was now revved up.

"Wait just a Minute. What would two saiyans know about what to get human women? Its obvious that I am the most qualified, and that my gift would be the most appreciated."

"Shut up, cue ball." Vegeta shot out.

"Yeah! 18 isn't even human!" Gohan Blurted out.

"Watch what you say newbie!" Krillen spat back to Gohan.

"Yeah amateur, get back to us when your kid can drive a car." Vegeta said now aiming at Gohan.

"What!? I've been married for 15 years now, and Pan just turned 14. But I worry about her hanging around Bra. She such a BAD influence."

"WHAT did you say?!" It continued like this for a while, with names such as "old man", "midget", and "mama's boy" flying about. But Goku decided to stop while things weren't too much out of hand.

"Then it's a bet." Suddenly all three turned to him.

"IT'S A BET!!"

Things cooled down if you can believe that. And everything was settled with no hard feeling. The winner would have the satisfaction of knowing that his gift was truly from the heart, and with the four who were competing it was bound to be a very interesting evening when they would all reveal their gifts.

Goku sat in his chair with a grin, impressed with his work. 'Ha,' he thought, 'divide and conquer.'

"The Perfect Gift part I: Symbolic"

The winds were calm and warm there on Master Roshi's island. As of now Krillen had the place to himself. The old Master and the girls went into the city to buy some groceries. Krillen asked to stay behind so he could have his thoughts to himself, but really he stayed to think about the perfect gift for 18.

He was lying on the sand at the bank of the beach just under the shadow of a palm tree. Many options ran through his head, things she liked, things she didn't like, things she might like.

He already asked his daughter, and she was about as helpful to him as a napkin is to a feasting saiyan. So he decided to stay true to himself and his wife by looking within for the answer.

Sitting up from the sand he focused on the enormous brilliance of the sea. The sky and the sun were being reflected off of the blue shimmering ocean, but he could still see the hints of the many creatures as they roamed around just underneath the surface.

Feeling the sting of the bright sun he decided to take a swim. Without needing any preparation he stood up, ran a bit, then jumped into the sky, arching his body. He cut straight thought the water as naturally as a seal.

As he dived he could feel the cool water rushing past him, he could see a school of fish jerking away from him, as they swam off. The ocean was filled with all sorts of colorful fish and exotic sea dwelling creatures, and these all seemed to inspire him. These were nature's gifts. He knew he couldn't afford anything like fine jewelry, or expensive over-the-top lingerie, but he could surely think of a great gift down here with all these wonderful animals. And then he realized what Goku was talking about; he realized that if his gift was indeed from the heart that 18 would absolutely love it.

Right after his epiphany he saw something at the very bottom of the sea. He squinted and swam a bit closer but his oxygen was beginning to fail him. At that moment, looking down at this object, so simple yet so beautiful, it came to him, the gift, the way to present it, the message, everything.

He swam up and broke the surface. He climbed onto the island breathing in oxygen in gasps, smiling all the while. He sat facing the ocean again, and imagined the look on 18's face as he presented his gift. He brushed back some of his hair as it fell on his face and he let out a sort of laugh. He looked at his watch, then at the sky. Then he ran back into the water and dived in once again, this time letting out a very exited "YAHOO!!"

"The Perfect Gift part II: Direct"

REMY'S FINE JEWEL SHOP, that was the name of the small building along downtown West City. It was pretty much a low profile shop but it didn't seem that way from the inside. Its facade hid the true elegance of the store, and of course kept dumb jewel thieves away.

As they opened the door a bell at the top corner of the entrance sounded and almost instantly the shopkeeper appeared before them. He looked like a very trustworthy old fellow. He had a nice suit and polished shoes. You could tell immediately that this was good old Remy himself.

"May I help you, young man?" he asked very politely. Gohan could not help but smile as he pushed up his glasses up with one hand and held out the other offering a handshake. The old man accepted.

"Yes, thank you." The shopkeeper nodded his head. "I'm looking for..." he stopped as he saw his young daughter dash around him to stare at the selection of jewelry kept in the glass cases. "Pan, be careful. You shouldn't run in here." Before he could go over to her, the old jeweler stopped him. "But she…"

"Its quite fine, no need to worry," the old man assured him. "I know what you're here for." Gohan stopped and looked at him curiously. "Trust me, I've worked in this business a long time and I think at least I could tell what people need just by looking at them." Gohan was intrigued, so he would test this man.

"So tell me then, just what do I need." The old man smiled and looked at him as if to read his type.

"Hmm?" he began. "You have a ring and a teenage daughter, so I'd have to surmise that you have been married for at least ten years." Gohan nodded but was still unimpressed. "Now, Valentines day is coming up so I know that you're shopping for that occasion, but it's rare for someone to search for a gift so early during the month. Usually it's a box of chocolates and flowers a day before Valentines, but your different. You're searching for something special. Am I right?" Gohan laughed, he was right, but lets see if he really knew what he needed. "Please come this way."

The man led him to one particular booth, Gohan saw as they past all kinds of extravagant jewelry. Some studded with diamonds and connected to long chains of gold and platinum. But the booth before them wasn't anything like that. Gohan looked in the glass and saw very beautiful gold and silver rings, however these rings seem very different. Each had a different design and a different look, and what's more is that there seemed to be only one of each type.

"How do you like them?" the man asked seeing the amazement of his customers face. "They are of my very own design." Upon hearing this Pan ran to see the rings along with her father.

Gohan viewed one ring after another and noted the uniqueness of each of them. He could hear Pan suggesting what rings he should get, gasping in delight as her eye caught the sight of an even better ring then she suggested before. He wasn't listening thought, he was thinking about his gift. The old man was right, he wanted to get something special and if he got one of these rings his gift would surely be special, but he was still missing something. Then he realized that despite the exceptionality of all these rings none of them stood for what he wanted them to stand for.

The old shopkeeper noticed as Gohan's face signaled that he had come to a decision.

"Well," he asked. Gohan looked up from the glass case, "have you decided?" he nodded.

"Yes I have." He told the man and was about to enlighten him when he suddenly went back behind a door.

"Very good, wait here I'll get what you need." Pan looked up at her father, he just shrugged his shoulders, as he was just as confused. They waited for a moment but then he came out carrying a small lavender bag and a black ring box. He put them on the counter before Gohan and Pan; they looked at the items curiously. Gohan was sure that he didn't want any of the rings but he wondered nevertheless what kind of special jewel the man put in the box. "I told you that I knew what you needed and here it is."

The father and daughter looked at each other, then at the small ring case, though paying no particular attention to the bag.

Gohan picked up the box and began to open it. Pan leaned in closer to have a better look.

"There's nothing in it!" she cried. Gohan then looked up at the bag that the shopkeeper also brought with him. The old man folded his arms as Gohan took the bag and untied the string. He reached inside and felt what seemed like two rocks. He froze, it couldn't be. As he removed the two items from the bag his jaw dropped. Pan was amazed as she realized what they were.

"How, how did you know?" The old man just smiled at his customer and punch in a few buttons on his cash machine.

"That'll be 150 dollars. Thank you." Gohan was still in awe as he put the raw gold and silver nuggets back into the bag. He reached in his back pocket for his wallet that was stuffed with a bunch of hundreds that he expected he would have to cough up. Instead he gave the shopkeeper two hundred dollar bills and got fifty dollars in change.

The bell once again sounded as they exited the store, the old shopkeeper showing them the way.

"Come again sometime." The shopkeeper said from the door as they walked down to their car.

"Thank you very much." Gohan and Pan waved goodbye, "Uhh, its Remy right?" The man smiled.

"No, the name's Daimone, Remy is my father's name." He waved back. Then closed the door behind him. Leaving the two to drive home.

As Gohan drove Pan noticed him looking at the bag of precious stones smiling. It made her smile.

"The Perfect Gift part III: Honest"

"Just two weeks, yup, that's about how long until 'the day,' but I guess I shouldn't be so worried. I mean at least I won't be alone in my endeavor. Yeah! I still can't believe I got those three to go along with this whole thing. Oh and of course there is the matter of our little competition. Ha! That's where I've got the advantage. I got my gift for Chi-Chi weeks ago; I can still remember when I first saw it. I knew I just had to give it to her. I was totally lucky I found it too, but thanks to King Kai I managed to get my hands on a rare organic metal while visiting his world."

His hand clutched the silverish pendent made from this other worldly metal. An intricately designed chain spilled from his palm as he opened his hand. He stood up from the summit of Mt. Kajika, the air around him swirling from the power that radiated inside him. One last time he looked at the pendant in his hand, he opened it, smiled and closed it back again. Then he put it safely back in his pocket.

A puff of foggy air escaped his mouth as he sighed and put two fingers to his fore head.

He disappeared in a flash, creating a tiny vacuum as he suddenly left a pocket of unoccupied space were he had just been. As a result the thick vapor swirled around in very organic designs, they blew his footprints away, erasing any record of him being there. Just like always… Earth's unknown champion.

"The Perfect Gift part IV: Unexpected"

There was only one week to go and Vegeta, like the other guys, was burdened with finding the perfect gift for his wife. And it didn't help that wherever he went he saw the little hints she left all over the place. In his bathroom, hidden in his clothes, hanging from the bedroom door, and even all over his gravity room. It was just too much pressure for anyone to handle.

"Damn it all!" he said ripping the pink hearts taped to the back door of the house, his daughter snickering with amusement from the couch. "Don't laugh girl, I now you had a hand in this. Where is she, where is your mother?" Bra's snickering turned to full out laughter. She did her best to hold it in but it proved to be too much to contain. He shook his head in defeat and took a seat beside his little girl on the couch. He sighed looking at the mangled pink pieces of paper in his hand, one of which was still intact. He flipped it open reading the contents of the card. Bra saw a little smile come to his face, the same smile she saw whenever she knew her father was genuinely happy.

"Dad," Vegeta turned suddenly to her, "you haven't asked me yet." He looked back at the pink cards, then an instant later he crumpled the whole mess into a ball.

"Asked you what?" he said getting up and walking to the door to the back yard, opening up the screen with an annoying squeal.

"What I think you should get mom for her gift." Vegeta stopped suddenly.

"How do you know about that?" After considering the question he stopped her from answering. "Never mind." Then he leaned in the opening of the door and crossed his arms the way he always did and… "So, what do you think is the perfect gift for your mother?" Bra cleared her throat and got her thoughts together; she wanted to say this right.

"Well, I do think I know the perfect gift, but..."

"But what?"

"…But I don't think I should tell you what I think is the perfect gift. I think… its better you realize the gift yourself. That way it will be that much more special, don't you think?" She closed eyes and braced herself for an "I can't believe you wasted my time on that" speech. But after a while, when all she heard was silence she opened them up to see that her father looked like he was really deep in thought over this. She was exited that she actually got through to him, that he was seriously thinking about this. Finally he looked at her and he had little smirk on his face, then…

"I can't believe you wasted my time on that." Nervous laughter was all that came from her mouth. "Besides I already came up with the perfect thing. That was just a bunch nonsense you spewed into my ears." He said shaking his head. The screen door closed behind him as he walk to outside to his G-Room. Bra leaned over the couch looking through the door.

"I love you, daddy!" she yelled in a sugary sweet apologetic way.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry about it princess." He said in fading voice.

Bra watched until he was gone, then she just shrugged her shoulders, and smiled, the same smile she smiled whenever she knew her parents were genuinely happy.


Author: Thanks for reading, please tell me what you think, and if you havent already check out my other fic, "If Love Was a Cat" or visit my website and check out Remys Art, thats me.

Disclaimer: Hello, Dbz ain't mine