The last time I checked, DBZ wasn't my property (if it was, I wouldn't be
in the financial fix I'm currently in).
Thanks to all the usual suspects: Holly O., Serina, and Jenny C.! **************************************************************************** ** Battle of the Heart by NansJns
Ch.3
The sky was growing lighter as dawn approached. Kami's Lookout, which always felt the dawn first, slowly filled with the warm, red-golden light. Piccolo gazed around at the paling skies with a quiet scowl. They'd all been searching for most of the night, but no trace of Goku's wife had been found. Goku hadn't slept at all, and was now sitting in a chair in Kami's Lookout with his head in his hands with his elbows propped on his knees. His face was pale and sweaty, and he was visibly trembling a little. Close by his side, his sons had fallen into fitful dozes, and Vegeta had gone home to rest for a bit and to let Bulma in on the current turn of events. Krillin, too, had gone home, for basically the same reasons--to rest, and to inform his wife, as well as Master Roshi, of what had happened. Dende was with Mr. Popo preparing something to drink and eat for Goku to help him calm down. Piccolo wasn't sure what to think of Goku's condition. It was a little disturbing to see the Saiyan falling apart like this. Piccolo let out a tense sigh; he didn't quite comprehend the whole 'love' thing. He understood caring for people, for he himself held a deep attachment to Gohan, but love between mates was utterly alien to him. Being asexual, there was nothing in his genetic make-up to induce such emotions. Man/wife love was simply beyond his ken.
"Wait a minute!" Goku said, his head suddenly snapping up. Piccolo spun to face him.
"What? Have you thought of something?" Piccolo asked quickly.
"Maybe. . .I'm not sure. . .but I just remembered. . .right when Chi- Chi disappeared, there was a scent in the air that wasn't there earlier. . ." Goku said thoughtfully.
"What kind of scent? Did you recognize it?" Piccolo pressed, eager for any clue that could lead to a resolution.
"No. . .yes. . .maybe! It was familiar, but at the time, I was so focused on Chi-Chi that I didn't pay that much attention to it!" Goku rubbed his head in frustration. "It was gone by the time we returned, blown away by the wind!"
"Great," Piccolo muttered. "Try to think, Goku. You said the scent was familiar; try to narrow it down. Was it a person? Or an animal?" Concentrating, Goku went silent for a few moments.
"A person, I'm sure of that," he said with quiet assurance. "Kami, who was it? No one I know well. . . but it _was_ someone I'd met. . ."
"Goku, I have your breakfast," Mr. Popo said in a kindly voice as he entered the room, carrying a tray heaped with food. Dende followed close behind, holding a steaming cup between his two hands.
"And I made some tea to help you calm down. It's brewed with special herbs containing some mild tranquilizing properties," Dende added, offering the cup in his hands. Goku glanced at their offerings for a moment, and then shook his head.
"I'm not hungry," he said quietly, and the two nearly dropped the tray and cup in their shock. Piccolo felt his own jaw fall open in surprise, when he abruptly pulled it shut again. This, more than anything, confirmed just how upset Goku was. Even when the Cell Games were looming, he continued eating like always, his remarkable appetite unfazed by the impending battle with the super android. Dende and Mr. Popo put the food and drink to one side, just in case he changed his mind.
"Goku, I know you're upset, but you still need to take in some nourishment. . ." Dende gently coaxed, still not believing he even needed to prompt Goku, of all people, to _eat_.
"I know, I know. . .I'll eat in a bit," Goku waved him off impatiently and then dropped his despondent head back into his hands. Dende and Mr. Popo continued in their efforts to try to get him to eat, but he didn't listen. At the moment, he felt too sick at heart to eat anything. He knew if he tried to eat, he wouldn't be able to keep it down and it would just come right back up shortly afterward. The silence in the bond was maddening. From the moment they'd conceived their firstborn, Gohan, he'd always felt Chi-Chi just a little, and had he been aware of it sooner, they'd have been fully bonded a lot earlier. At that time, they had shared the start of the bond but had yet to experience it to its fullest extent. Once the full bond had been realized, he'd treasured it since getting it, as he knew she did. Through it, they spoke to each other constantly, and sometimes, they'd just let their feelings speak for them. Goku suppressed a rising sob, wishing that he could feel Chi-Chi's love for him touch his mind. He would've given anything, everything, just to feel a little trace of her. Something to tell him she was alive. ((Chi-Chi. . .Sweetheart. . .my love. . .my life. . .)) the tears broke free before he could stop them. After a few moments, he quelled his tears and forced his mind to focus on the scent he'd noticed so briefly when she vanished. ((Who is it? Who is it? Whoisitwhoisitwhoisit? Someone I've only met once, maybe twice. . .I know that smell, but only just. . .someone I've met in person, but don't really know. . .who, who, who, who, WHO?!?!?)) He racked his brain, forcing it to go over all the scents of people and things he recognized. Then something strange happened. His weary mind was on the verge of simply breaking down for a while when he suddenly remembered the smell of a certain type of flower. . .of violets. He froze for a moment as he processed the teasing memory. The violets' scent in the air, now that he thought of it, reminded him of a person. . .not because this person's scent was flowery, but the two things were somehow connected. He wondered for a moment how that could be, when the realization suddenly struck him. ((Could it be. . .?)) he thought, and then jumped up from the chair. "I need to check something! I'll be right back!" Goku shouted, and suddenly flew off at breakneck speed.
"Wait! Goku! What are you going to check?!" Piccolo yelled after him. Startled by the noise, Gohan and Goten woke up, and blinked in surprise at their father's rapidly departing ki trail.
"Hey, what's going on?" Gohan asked as he stood up and stretched his arms over his head.
"Did you find Mom?" Goten asked of the taller Namek.
"No. . .Goku just went to check something," Piccolo said with a sigh. "He didn't say what. Why don't you two have some breakfast while we wait?" He motioned to the food that had been brought for Goku.
"Yeah, sure. . ." Gohan said with no enthusiasm whatsoever.
"Okay," Goten sighed, as though he couldn't care less. They ate slowly and with heavy hearts.
"After I'm done, I'm going to check on Videl," Gohan said suddenly as he picked up an apple.
"Why?" Dende asked.
"Just in case. . .we still don't know _why_ Mom was taken. . .if it was to force us into something, they might try to take Videl for even more leverage," Gohan answered. His heart twisted at the very thought of anything happening to Videl. He needed to make sure she was safe to have a little peace of mind while looking for his mom. He didn't need extra worries.
"I didn't know you and Videl were so close," Dende said with a teasing grin. Gohan startled a little and turned red.
"Ah, well. . .yeah," he admitted, smiling and laughing in embarrassment.
"I just want Momma back," Goten said softly, his large eyes shining with beginning tears. Gohan gave his little brother a quick, reassuring hug around his small shoulders.
"We'll find her, Goten. Don't worry," Gohan promised gently, and mentally added ((I just hope it's soon. . .)).
Vegeta hadn't really gone back to sleep that night. He'd dozed lightly, holding Bulma tightly to himself, inwardly afraid she might disappear the way Kakkarot's mate had. Bulma began twitching a little in her sleep as his fear seeped to her through the bond, and she snuggled into him for comfort, pressing her head under his chin and into his throat. Vegeta did not object to the closeness, and just held her a shade tighter, as his fingertips stroked across her upper arm. He truly understood how Kakkarot felt; if Bulma were to just vanish in the middle of the night, and the bond was silent. . .he shuddered quietly at the thought, and reflexively frowned a touch at the show of weakness. He then discarded the ingrained dismissive thought of weakness aside. It had taken several years, but he had finally come to understand that emotions didn't make him weak; still, old Saiyan ideas and habits die hard. Goku's words kept ringing through his ears as he gazed down at his slumbering mate, (("I didn't see _anything_, don't you understand?! Nothing! She was in my arms, and I was saying 'I love you', and then she was gone before I finished speaking! I never took my eyes off her! She just disappeared!!")), and Vegeta swallowed dryly. He wanted to know who had taken Kakkarot's mate almost as much as Kakkarot did, in case whoever it was went after all of their mates. His turbulent thoughts cleared a little as he felt Bulma stir in his arms. She stretched a bit and looked up at him with a sleepy smile.
"Good morning," she said as she yawned.
"Morning," Vegeta answered, leaning down slightly to kiss her. When they broke off the kiss, she gave him a bewildered smile.
"What was that for?" she asked. "Not that I'm objecting," she smirked a little as she pressed into him. She blinked when she noticed the concern swimming in his dark eyes. "What is it? What's wrong? Does it have to do with what Goku was doing last night?" Vegeta let out a soft, tired sigh and nodded.
"Kakkarot's mate disappeared last night, right out of his arms. Dende and Mr. Popo think someone used some kind of magic to freeze time to take her," Vegeta explained, and Bulma sat up with her blue eyes wide with anxiety.
"Chi-Chi disappeared?!" she half-cried. "A spell?! This isn't. . ."
"No, it's not Babidi! We don't know who it was. Her ki isn't anywhere on the planet and Kakkarot is falling apart," Vegeta told her.
"Whoa, whoa, wait - her ki isn't on Earth? No wonder Goku was upset. . .is there anything we can do?" Bulma asked as she jumped out of bed and started pulling clothes out of her drawers. Vegeta also got up and dressed.
"All we can do is help look. And I want you close to me at all times," Vegeta answered. Bulma paused as she felt a cold chill go down her spine.
"If Chi-Chi disappeared right out of Goku's arms. . .and a time- freeze spell was used. . . what good will staying close to you do me if whoever did it comes after me?" she asked with a note of worry in her voice. The next moment Vegeta was pressing her against his chest in an unbreakable grip. He didn't say anything, and Bulma stayed unmoving in his fierce embrace. They were both more afraid than they'd like to admit. If Goku, the strongest fighter in the universe, could have his mate kidnapped right out of his embrace, then the second-strongest didn't stand much of a chance against this unknown enemy, either.
Videl awoke to an insistent tapping on her window. She rubbed her eyes and stretched, gently pushing the covers down as she did, and sat up to see what the source of the noise could be. She blinked in surprise and felt the remaining shreds of sleep fall from her mind as she saw Gohan floating outside her third-story bedroom window. She got up and padded barefoot over to the window, wondering why he was there so early, and why his face was so pale. She noted, as she opened the window, that he had dark circles under his eyes, as though he hadn't slept well, and there was an agitated air about him.
"Good morning, Gohan," she smiled at him in hopes of distracting him. "What brings you here so early?"
"I, uh. . .listen, Videl, is everything okay? Have you seen anything strange lately?" Gohan asked quickly.
"Strange? Like what? Is something wrong?" Videl leaned a little ways through the window to look into his troubled eyes. He was really upset about something.
"Well, _anything_. . .strangers hanging around? Weird lights?" Gohan didn't know what she could have seen, but he needed to know if she was safe. Videl arched an eyebrow in confusion and shook her head to the negative.
"Huh? No, nothing like that. Gohan, what's happened? And to who?" Videl reached out and gently touched his face, and felt a shock slip through her system as she realized his usually warm skin was clammy. Gohan lowered his eyes for a moment.
"Last night, my mother disappeared," he said.
"Disappeared?! How?" Videl jumped back in alarm.
"We're not sure; Mr. Popo thinks someone cast a time-freeze spell. All we know was that literally one second she was in my dad's arms and the next she was gone. I'm worried whoever took her might come after you," Gohan explained. Videl drew in a slow breath. Ever since she'd met him, she'd been introduced to a side of the world she'd never even thought could exist before, and the idea of a time-freezing spell didn't shock her now like it might once have. Either way, Gohan was clearly desperately upset; without the knowledge of why his mother was taken, they could only assume others they cared for were in danger.
"I haven't seen anything out of the ordinary, Gohan - except maybe my boyfriend floating outside my third-story window," she offered the small joke to him, and was rewarded with a small smile flickering across his face for a second before it died out again. "Gohan, don't worry - if someone has captured your mother, I'd be more worried for them than her! She's no weakling, and she has the temper to back it up! And so do I!" Videl smiled devilishly then. "Man, I really pity anyone dumb enough to kidnap me and Chi-Chi! We'd make mincemeat out of them and then force them to apologize!" Picturing the way the two feisty females usually handled themselves, Gohan smiled again, a little stronger this time. "Look, I have things to do today, but I'll be very careful, okay? You work on finding your mom," she told him, and leaned further forward. He met her upraised face with his own and they tenderly kissed. When they pulled back, he looked at her with a faint hint of worry. "I'll be fine!" she said confidently, and he nodded.
"Okay. But keep your eyes open, all right?" Gohan heaved a small sigh and flew higher.
"Right!" she nodded as she watched him fly back to Kami's Lookout.
Goku landed outside his house with a little more force than he normally would have. The ground sank around his feet a little, but he didn't pay any attention to it. He walked up to the door quietly, the lingering, familiar smells of home silently welcoming him, along with the lone alien one. Goku exhaled slowly, then sniffed the air carefully. His sensitive Saiyan nose swiftly picked out the one scent that didn't quite belong; the one that was lightly mixed with the violets' delicate aroma. Goku gritted his teeth as his eyes filled with fire. ((I _knew_ it! It _is_ the same smell! That man who was courting Chi-Chi, Davin! It was _his_ scent that was suddenly in the air when she vanished! That's why it seemed familiar, but I couldn't quite place it! After all, I only met the guy once!)) Goku slowly began to seethe with anger. Davin had stolen her. Unable to win her fairly, he'd stolen her away. Rage burned a path through Goku's heart, and he realized he was ready to snap Davin in half for this. He inhaled several calming breaths (though they didn't calm him much) and forced his mind to clear. ((Davin is from Chi-Chi's village. Someone there might know where he is.)) he reasoned. ((I should tell the others what I've found, first. . .if I can wait that long.)) he added, and locked onto Piccolo's powerful ki. Placing the first two fingers of his right hand upon his forehead, he then teleported back to the Lookout.
When he materialzed in front of them, Piccolo and Goten ran up to him.
"Daddy! Did you find anything?" Goten asked hopefully.
"What did you go to check, Goku?" Piccolo inquired right after the little half-Saiyan.
"The smell that was in the air when Chi-Chi disappeared was Davin's," Goku answered curtly, and Goten's little face screwed up in anger as Piccolo only looked all the more confused by the news.
"Who's Davin?" Piccolo asked.
"You mean that guy that kept asking Mama out while you were dead?" Goten said, ignoring the Namek. Goku nodded at his little son, then turned to address Piccolo.
"He came by our house yesterday. I went back to our house, and his scent was still on the front step and front door. It was the same one I picked up on when Chi-Chi vanished. He must be the one who cast the time- freeze spell and took her," Goku said slowly, struggling to keep his rising anger in check.
"Your harpy of a mate had another suitor?" Vegeta's sarcastic voice caught his attention, and Goku looked up to see his Prince land lightly with Bulma in his arms.
"Vegeta!" Bulma hissed at her mate as he set her down. Then she turned with apologetic eyes to Goku. "Chi-Chi never said she was seeing someone else."
"She wasn't," Goku shook his head. "This guy Davin kept hounding her, but she always refused his advances. And now, he's taken her." His hands balled up into fists, and Vegeta protectively nudged Bulma to stand a little further back from the infuriated Goku.
"Kakkarot, try to remain calm until you find this man - then you can let him know what happens to any fool who crosses a Saiyan," Vegeta said lowly. Goku gave a small nod and forcibly made his tense, battle-ready body relax. Then Gohan returned and landed by the group, Krillin and 18 a short distance behind him.
"What's going on? Has something come up?" Gohan asked as he looked at them.
"Daddy figured out that Davin took Mama away!" Goten blurted first.
"Davin?! Are you sure?!" Gohan turned to his father for confirmation.
"Who's Davin?" Krillin asked Bulma, and she whispered the answer to him.
"Yes. His scent appeared in the air when she disappeared," Goku told his oldest son.
"I _knew_ there was something odd about him! Damn it!" Gohan growled to himself.
"Ease off, son. No one could have guessed he'd try and pull off this kind of a stunt; it's not your fault. Now, I'm going to Chi-Chi and Davin's village to see if anyone _there_ has any idea where he is," Goku said, and raised his hand to his forehead. After a few moments, he mentally focused and locked onto the Ox-King's ki, then teleported away.
"Hey! Wait for us, Dad!" Gohan shouted anxiously after him, as he and Goten flew off in pursuit of their father.
"Well. . ." Bulma said with a slow breath. "One upshot is now we know no one else is under threat of kidnapping." Vegeta gave a small, affirmative grunt, and reached over to squeeze her hand gently.
"Yeah, that's something, at least. . ." Piccolo shook his head, still slightly confused. ((Davin stole Chi-Chi. . .just to have _her_?)) The Namek was still trying to come to grips with the concept.
"That's good for the rest of us, but it doesn't help Goku much, does it?" Krillin observed, holding his own wife's hand.
"At least he knows who did it now," 18 answered calmly. She'd never admit it, but she'd actually been worried for her own safety for a while there. She also knew it was safer for everyone if Goku knew who was responsible for kidnapping his mate; he had someone to focus his hate and anger on now.
Ox-King was just waking up when Goku suddenly appeared at the foot of his bed. Ox-King half-jumped at the unexpected arrival of his son-in-law, then grabbed his glasses from off a nearby nightstand and put them on.
"Goku? What are you doing here so early?" Ox-King began his greeting cheerfully, but stopped when he saw how upset Goku was. "What's wrong? What's happened?"
"Davin kidnapped Chi-Chi. Where does he live?" Goku said brusquely, cold fury making the spoken words harsh and his body rigid. Ox-King stared back at him in shock.
"Wh-what? Davin? That's. . . how could he possibly. . .that doesn't make sense! He isn't physically capable of forcing Chi-Chi to do anything! She'd kick his. . ." Ox-King said, trying to wrap his mind around Goku's accusation.
"He got his hands on some kind of magic and he used it to freeze time in order to take her- now, where does he live? Do you know of anywhere he might have taken her? I can't find her ki, but he might be using his magic to hide it. Where is he?" Goku snapped, in no mood for further useless conversation.
"Froze time?" Ox-King's eyes grew wider in surprise. "Where could he have learned magic? Oh, never mind. Let me get dressed, and I'll take you to his house." Goku growled under his breath; he didn't want to wait that long. Ox-King, sensing Goku's growing impatience, dressed quicker than he had in years, then led Goku out of his house, and down the street. As they walked along with an increasing sense of urgency, Ox-King studied the Saiyan's face out of the corner of his eye. He had never seen him so angry and tense before, and it made him a little nervous. Concern for his daughter only served to increase his discomfort. Could Davin, of all people, really have gotten his hands on time-control magic, and kidnapped her with it? Ox-King mulled it over mentally until they both reached Davin's house, a few blocks away from his own home.
"Good morning, Ox-King! Good heavens! Goku?!" said an older woman, who started to pass by them and then froze in her tracks.
"Um, hi," Goku said, mumbling his greeting.
"Good morning, Mrs. Watabi. Have you seen Davin this morning?" Ox- King inquired brightly, giving the impression that nothing was amiss.
"Davin?" Mrs. Watabi said slowly, still staring at Goku's stormy expression. "No, I haven't," she shook her head and looked back at Ox- King. "I haven't seen him since he came back from Chi-Chi's home yesterday evening. Looked downright. . .frightening, to tell the truth. There was this strange light in his eyes, and the way he held himself. . .why?. . .what has he done?"
"He kidnapped my wife!" Goku snapped, his patience having reached the breaking point. He grabbed the doorknob and pulled Davin's front door off its hinges.
"Gracious!" Mrs. Watabi gasped, clasping her hand up to her bosom in fear. Goku marched with purpose into the house, ignoring everything and everyone else. Mrs. Watabi turned to Ox-King. "Did Davin really kidnap Chi-Chi?" she asked fretfully.
"Goku is certain of it, and he's never been one to jump to unwarranted conclusions. I'd better help him look, because the mood he's in now, he's liable to overlook something important," Ox-King answered, and followed Goku through the broken front doorway into Davin's house. It was a bit of a tight fit for his bulky frame, but he managed it, nonetheless.
The house was empty of life, and by the looks of it, had been unoccupied for some time. Dust laid, thick and gray-brown, on most of the furniture and the carpet in the living room. A cursory search through the rest of the house revealed that all the rooms were in the same unused condition. On the dust-laden carpeting, they found a single set of footprints leading from the front door to the middle of the hall, where they unexpectedly ended. The unplugged refrigerator was empty and the few dishes sitting in the cupboards were just as dusty as the furniture. Except for the mysterious footprints, there was no sign anyone had lived there for a few years. Though it was hard to smell anything other than dust, Goku noted absently that there was no trace of Chi-Chi's scent there, and Davin's own scent was faint, its traces lingering only in the living room and hallway.
"I don't understand this," Ox-King said aloud, trying to make sense of it all. "Davin is seen regularly in the village, coming and going from his house; if he disappeared for long periods of time, I most certainly would've noticed, or someone from the village would have mentioned something to me."
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Goku fumed impotently. "There's nothing here! Except. . ." Goku motioned down to the footprints in the dust. "These stop in the middle of the hallway. . .they don't turn into a door, they just stop smack in the middle of. . .damn, is he able to teleport, too?" ((If he was living somewhere else. . .and if he was making regular appearances in the village simply to keep people from wondering about him.and he took Chi-Chi to that somewhere else. . .)) Goku pressed his hands to his throbbing temples in frustration. All the villagers believed he still lived here amongst them; Davin had gone to great pains to assure that. So where was he now?! Sick at heart, Goku felt ready to throw up again; the silence in the bond tore at him, he could hardly think straight. He let out a thin wail of fury and smashed his fist through the wall.
"Goku!" Ox-King jumped a bit at the Saiyan's show of frustration. "Calm down, son! We need to keep level heads if we're going to figure this out," he said soothingly. He was worried and upset, too, but Goku was obviously on the brink of having a total breakdown. Goku dry-heaved a few times, while choking on the dusty air, and coughed before pulling his fist free from the wall and turned around. "That's it, deep breaths. That's. . .what is that?" Ox-King had glanced at the newly made hole in the wall and spotted something tiny and shiny inside it. Goku turned his attention back to the hole and saw the small glint as well. There was something sewn into the insulation and, whatever it was, the stitching around it had begun to pop. Goku, desperate for any kind of clue, tore the stitching the rest of the way open, and a small gold key fell out. Before it hit the floor, Goku easily caught it and stared at the shiny object in his hand. It was two- thirds the length of his pinky finger, fashioned with a diamond-shaped head with a thin sliver of red crystal in the center. The body was straight, with three small teeth.
"Why would he hide a key in the wall?" Goku asked slowly.
"Goku, let me see that," Ox-King said nervously. Goku handed it over, puzzled by the Ox-King's reaction. The key looked even tinier in the Ox-King's big hands. The large man's face went totally white, staring at the key with revulsion, as though it were the most horrible thing in the world. "Oh, oh no. . .he _can't_ be using _that_. . .how did he find it?! I hid it so well!" Ox-King moaned softly, the terror vivid in his voice.
"What? He can't be using what?!" Goku demanded. "What does that key open?!"
"This key opens a lock on a box that's hidden in a secret room of my mansion, and that room can only be reached through a secret passageway," Ox- King answered slowly. "How the devil did he find it? What possessed him to try and use it?"
"Use what?! What's in the box?!" Goku barked, infuriated by the runaround Ox-King was giving him. Ox-King sighed softly.
"I need to check this. Come on, Goku, I'll tell you all about it on the way," he began to explain, as the two of them departed Davin's house. "You see, Goku, what should be secured inside that box is a book of magic spells. It's been in our family for generations, and we've kept it well hidden from the world. The incantations written in it are very powerful, and very dangerous."
"So that's where Davin learned magic. . .but where was it before you built your mansion?" Goku said, forcing himself to be calm and rational.
"I hid it in my old castle. After Roshi destroyed Frying Pan Mountain, I found the box still intact among the ruins. I was a bit upset, to tell you the truth. I had sort of hoped it had been destroyed along with just about everything else that had been in my castle, but the accursed thing refuses to be destroyed so easily. It's almost as if the book possesses a will of its own, and seeks out someone to use it. The magic slowly becomes addictive, and the spellcaster eventually loses control. When Frying Pan Mountain fell, as upset as I was at losing my home, I felt a small happiness and a huge sense of relief that Chi-Chi and her children wouldn't have to carry on the burden of safekeeping that book. But like I said before, it survived, and I took great pains to hide it again, but. . .apparently not well enough." Goku slowly digested Ox-King's story.
"And the book's been in your family for generations?" Goku repeated. "Did one of your ancestors make it?"
"I don't know," Ox-King admitted, ruefully. "Its earliest history is lost. Whether one of us made it, found it, or stole it, all that's known is that we've had it and hidden it from the world for the last four centuries."
"Oh," Goku said, the word a breath. This new level to the mystery only made things worse; if the magic was so dangerous and addictive, there was no telling what Davin might do. ((What he might do. . .)) Goku froze in the middle of the street, ten steps shy of Ox-King's front door. He had been so focused on the fact that he knew Davin had Chi-Chi, he hadn't stopped to think what Davin might do with her now that he had her in his clutches. Davin could force her to do anything with his magic. Goku's frantic mind filled with images too horrible to describe. The biggest, most vivid image was of Davin using some kind of spell to rape Chi-Chi, and her begging him to stop; or even worse, him using a spell to make her completely willing. Without warning, Ox-King was abruptly blown off his feet as Goku went SS2 in his fury. "If he lays one hand on her, I swear I'll rip him APART!!!" Goku bellowed to the sky, as pieces of broken pavement flew around him. Ox-King scrambled away quickly, not wishing to be caught in Goku's enraged line of fire. Goku growled and cursed for a few minutes, and then forced himself to calm down; now determined, more than ever, to continue checking to see if Davin had the book. He stepped out of the crater he had made, and entered his father-in-law's mansion ahead of the Ox-King. Ox-King followed nervously, then took over the lead as they came to where the hidden hallway was.
"It's over here," he said, taking a tall painting off the wall and then laying one hand flat upon the wall. He pushed hard into the surface, grunting at the effort, and the wall sank back, then was pulled sideways by a strange mechanism in the floor. Ox-King headed down the comparatively narrow hallway with Goku right behind him. The hall turned right, then slanted downward, then turned right again, then forked.
"More precautions?" Goku asked tersely, noting that his father-in-law traced his steps with a practiced familiarity.
"Uh-huh. Choose the wrong path, and you wander through an underground maze for a while before coming out in the dining room," the Ox- King explained. "If you ever come out at all." he added, and went down the left passage. Goku followed, his battle-hardened muscles tensing and relaxing in little waves. The left passage was shorter than the rest, with one turn leading straight to a door. Ox-King opened it and entered the room, Goku still behind him. The room was high enough for the Ox-King to stand up straight without his head touching the ceiling, but still more narrow than a normal room, and the only thing inside it was a table, on which was a box with a lock. Ox-King let out a tense sigh and pulled the tiny key out of his pocket. Muttering a small prayer under his breath, he went up to the box, inserted the key, and twisted it. The lock popped too easily. "Not good. . .it's been oiled sometime in the last few months, and I know I haven't been down here in years," Ox-King said fearfully. With shaking hands, he lifted the lid, and he and Goku looked inside. "Damn it!" Ox-King swore hotly, letting the weighty lid slam back down. It was just as he'd feared; the box was completely empty.
"So he does have the book. . .and my Chi-Chi, as well," Goku said, growling lowly. "We need to find him _now_!" But where the hell was he?! That question hung heavy and unanswered in the air, as Goku fled the secret room and back through the secret hallways' twists and turns, with his head pounding in time with his desperate heart. What _was_ he going to do? Chi- Chi needed him, and he didn't know how to help her. He ran pell-mell out of Ox-King's mansion, and into the street in front of it. He strained every one of his senses to its limits, struggling to feel something, anything, but there was no trace of Chi-Chi or Davin anywhere on Earth, or in the immediate system beyond. "Where are you, Davin?! Where?! Chi-Chi, Sweetheart, hold on. . .I'll find you! I swear it!" Goku cried, then fell onto his knees in a trembling heap, unable to stand anymore. "Somehow. . ." **************************************************************************** ** Oooh, poor Goku! I'm so _mean_ to him! And it's only going to get worse, too. Keep an eye out for chapter 4.
As always, comments of most any sort are welcome! NansJns@aol.com!
Thanks to all the usual suspects: Holly O., Serina, and Jenny C.! **************************************************************************** ** Battle of the Heart by NansJns
Ch.3
The sky was growing lighter as dawn approached. Kami's Lookout, which always felt the dawn first, slowly filled with the warm, red-golden light. Piccolo gazed around at the paling skies with a quiet scowl. They'd all been searching for most of the night, but no trace of Goku's wife had been found. Goku hadn't slept at all, and was now sitting in a chair in Kami's Lookout with his head in his hands with his elbows propped on his knees. His face was pale and sweaty, and he was visibly trembling a little. Close by his side, his sons had fallen into fitful dozes, and Vegeta had gone home to rest for a bit and to let Bulma in on the current turn of events. Krillin, too, had gone home, for basically the same reasons--to rest, and to inform his wife, as well as Master Roshi, of what had happened. Dende was with Mr. Popo preparing something to drink and eat for Goku to help him calm down. Piccolo wasn't sure what to think of Goku's condition. It was a little disturbing to see the Saiyan falling apart like this. Piccolo let out a tense sigh; he didn't quite comprehend the whole 'love' thing. He understood caring for people, for he himself held a deep attachment to Gohan, but love between mates was utterly alien to him. Being asexual, there was nothing in his genetic make-up to induce such emotions. Man/wife love was simply beyond his ken.
"Wait a minute!" Goku said, his head suddenly snapping up. Piccolo spun to face him.
"What? Have you thought of something?" Piccolo asked quickly.
"Maybe. . .I'm not sure. . .but I just remembered. . .right when Chi- Chi disappeared, there was a scent in the air that wasn't there earlier. . ." Goku said thoughtfully.
"What kind of scent? Did you recognize it?" Piccolo pressed, eager for any clue that could lead to a resolution.
"No. . .yes. . .maybe! It was familiar, but at the time, I was so focused on Chi-Chi that I didn't pay that much attention to it!" Goku rubbed his head in frustration. "It was gone by the time we returned, blown away by the wind!"
"Great," Piccolo muttered. "Try to think, Goku. You said the scent was familiar; try to narrow it down. Was it a person? Or an animal?" Concentrating, Goku went silent for a few moments.
"A person, I'm sure of that," he said with quiet assurance. "Kami, who was it? No one I know well. . . but it _was_ someone I'd met. . ."
"Goku, I have your breakfast," Mr. Popo said in a kindly voice as he entered the room, carrying a tray heaped with food. Dende followed close behind, holding a steaming cup between his two hands.
"And I made some tea to help you calm down. It's brewed with special herbs containing some mild tranquilizing properties," Dende added, offering the cup in his hands. Goku glanced at their offerings for a moment, and then shook his head.
"I'm not hungry," he said quietly, and the two nearly dropped the tray and cup in their shock. Piccolo felt his own jaw fall open in surprise, when he abruptly pulled it shut again. This, more than anything, confirmed just how upset Goku was. Even when the Cell Games were looming, he continued eating like always, his remarkable appetite unfazed by the impending battle with the super android. Dende and Mr. Popo put the food and drink to one side, just in case he changed his mind.
"Goku, I know you're upset, but you still need to take in some nourishment. . ." Dende gently coaxed, still not believing he even needed to prompt Goku, of all people, to _eat_.
"I know, I know. . .I'll eat in a bit," Goku waved him off impatiently and then dropped his despondent head back into his hands. Dende and Mr. Popo continued in their efforts to try to get him to eat, but he didn't listen. At the moment, he felt too sick at heart to eat anything. He knew if he tried to eat, he wouldn't be able to keep it down and it would just come right back up shortly afterward. The silence in the bond was maddening. From the moment they'd conceived their firstborn, Gohan, he'd always felt Chi-Chi just a little, and had he been aware of it sooner, they'd have been fully bonded a lot earlier. At that time, they had shared the start of the bond but had yet to experience it to its fullest extent. Once the full bond had been realized, he'd treasured it since getting it, as he knew she did. Through it, they spoke to each other constantly, and sometimes, they'd just let their feelings speak for them. Goku suppressed a rising sob, wishing that he could feel Chi-Chi's love for him touch his mind. He would've given anything, everything, just to feel a little trace of her. Something to tell him she was alive. ((Chi-Chi. . .Sweetheart. . .my love. . .my life. . .)) the tears broke free before he could stop them. After a few moments, he quelled his tears and forced his mind to focus on the scent he'd noticed so briefly when she vanished. ((Who is it? Who is it? Whoisitwhoisitwhoisit? Someone I've only met once, maybe twice. . .I know that smell, but only just. . .someone I've met in person, but don't really know. . .who, who, who, who, WHO?!?!?)) He racked his brain, forcing it to go over all the scents of people and things he recognized. Then something strange happened. His weary mind was on the verge of simply breaking down for a while when he suddenly remembered the smell of a certain type of flower. . .of violets. He froze for a moment as he processed the teasing memory. The violets' scent in the air, now that he thought of it, reminded him of a person. . .not because this person's scent was flowery, but the two things were somehow connected. He wondered for a moment how that could be, when the realization suddenly struck him. ((Could it be. . .?)) he thought, and then jumped up from the chair. "I need to check something! I'll be right back!" Goku shouted, and suddenly flew off at breakneck speed.
"Wait! Goku! What are you going to check?!" Piccolo yelled after him. Startled by the noise, Gohan and Goten woke up, and blinked in surprise at their father's rapidly departing ki trail.
"Hey, what's going on?" Gohan asked as he stood up and stretched his arms over his head.
"Did you find Mom?" Goten asked of the taller Namek.
"No. . .Goku just went to check something," Piccolo said with a sigh. "He didn't say what. Why don't you two have some breakfast while we wait?" He motioned to the food that had been brought for Goku.
"Yeah, sure. . ." Gohan said with no enthusiasm whatsoever.
"Okay," Goten sighed, as though he couldn't care less. They ate slowly and with heavy hearts.
"After I'm done, I'm going to check on Videl," Gohan said suddenly as he picked up an apple.
"Why?" Dende asked.
"Just in case. . .we still don't know _why_ Mom was taken. . .if it was to force us into something, they might try to take Videl for even more leverage," Gohan answered. His heart twisted at the very thought of anything happening to Videl. He needed to make sure she was safe to have a little peace of mind while looking for his mom. He didn't need extra worries.
"I didn't know you and Videl were so close," Dende said with a teasing grin. Gohan startled a little and turned red.
"Ah, well. . .yeah," he admitted, smiling and laughing in embarrassment.
"I just want Momma back," Goten said softly, his large eyes shining with beginning tears. Gohan gave his little brother a quick, reassuring hug around his small shoulders.
"We'll find her, Goten. Don't worry," Gohan promised gently, and mentally added ((I just hope it's soon. . .)).
Vegeta hadn't really gone back to sleep that night. He'd dozed lightly, holding Bulma tightly to himself, inwardly afraid she might disappear the way Kakkarot's mate had. Bulma began twitching a little in her sleep as his fear seeped to her through the bond, and she snuggled into him for comfort, pressing her head under his chin and into his throat. Vegeta did not object to the closeness, and just held her a shade tighter, as his fingertips stroked across her upper arm. He truly understood how Kakkarot felt; if Bulma were to just vanish in the middle of the night, and the bond was silent. . .he shuddered quietly at the thought, and reflexively frowned a touch at the show of weakness. He then discarded the ingrained dismissive thought of weakness aside. It had taken several years, but he had finally come to understand that emotions didn't make him weak; still, old Saiyan ideas and habits die hard. Goku's words kept ringing through his ears as he gazed down at his slumbering mate, (("I didn't see _anything_, don't you understand?! Nothing! She was in my arms, and I was saying 'I love you', and then she was gone before I finished speaking! I never took my eyes off her! She just disappeared!!")), and Vegeta swallowed dryly. He wanted to know who had taken Kakkarot's mate almost as much as Kakkarot did, in case whoever it was went after all of their mates. His turbulent thoughts cleared a little as he felt Bulma stir in his arms. She stretched a bit and looked up at him with a sleepy smile.
"Good morning," she said as she yawned.
"Morning," Vegeta answered, leaning down slightly to kiss her. When they broke off the kiss, she gave him a bewildered smile.
"What was that for?" she asked. "Not that I'm objecting," she smirked a little as she pressed into him. She blinked when she noticed the concern swimming in his dark eyes. "What is it? What's wrong? Does it have to do with what Goku was doing last night?" Vegeta let out a soft, tired sigh and nodded.
"Kakkarot's mate disappeared last night, right out of his arms. Dende and Mr. Popo think someone used some kind of magic to freeze time to take her," Vegeta explained, and Bulma sat up with her blue eyes wide with anxiety.
"Chi-Chi disappeared?!" she half-cried. "A spell?! This isn't. . ."
"No, it's not Babidi! We don't know who it was. Her ki isn't anywhere on the planet and Kakkarot is falling apart," Vegeta told her.
"Whoa, whoa, wait - her ki isn't on Earth? No wonder Goku was upset. . .is there anything we can do?" Bulma asked as she jumped out of bed and started pulling clothes out of her drawers. Vegeta also got up and dressed.
"All we can do is help look. And I want you close to me at all times," Vegeta answered. Bulma paused as she felt a cold chill go down her spine.
"If Chi-Chi disappeared right out of Goku's arms. . .and a time- freeze spell was used. . . what good will staying close to you do me if whoever did it comes after me?" she asked with a note of worry in her voice. The next moment Vegeta was pressing her against his chest in an unbreakable grip. He didn't say anything, and Bulma stayed unmoving in his fierce embrace. They were both more afraid than they'd like to admit. If Goku, the strongest fighter in the universe, could have his mate kidnapped right out of his embrace, then the second-strongest didn't stand much of a chance against this unknown enemy, either.
Videl awoke to an insistent tapping on her window. She rubbed her eyes and stretched, gently pushing the covers down as she did, and sat up to see what the source of the noise could be. She blinked in surprise and felt the remaining shreds of sleep fall from her mind as she saw Gohan floating outside her third-story bedroom window. She got up and padded barefoot over to the window, wondering why he was there so early, and why his face was so pale. She noted, as she opened the window, that he had dark circles under his eyes, as though he hadn't slept well, and there was an agitated air about him.
"Good morning, Gohan," she smiled at him in hopes of distracting him. "What brings you here so early?"
"I, uh. . .listen, Videl, is everything okay? Have you seen anything strange lately?" Gohan asked quickly.
"Strange? Like what? Is something wrong?" Videl leaned a little ways through the window to look into his troubled eyes. He was really upset about something.
"Well, _anything_. . .strangers hanging around? Weird lights?" Gohan didn't know what she could have seen, but he needed to know if she was safe. Videl arched an eyebrow in confusion and shook her head to the negative.
"Huh? No, nothing like that. Gohan, what's happened? And to who?" Videl reached out and gently touched his face, and felt a shock slip through her system as she realized his usually warm skin was clammy. Gohan lowered his eyes for a moment.
"Last night, my mother disappeared," he said.
"Disappeared?! How?" Videl jumped back in alarm.
"We're not sure; Mr. Popo thinks someone cast a time-freeze spell. All we know was that literally one second she was in my dad's arms and the next she was gone. I'm worried whoever took her might come after you," Gohan explained. Videl drew in a slow breath. Ever since she'd met him, she'd been introduced to a side of the world she'd never even thought could exist before, and the idea of a time-freezing spell didn't shock her now like it might once have. Either way, Gohan was clearly desperately upset; without the knowledge of why his mother was taken, they could only assume others they cared for were in danger.
"I haven't seen anything out of the ordinary, Gohan - except maybe my boyfriend floating outside my third-story window," she offered the small joke to him, and was rewarded with a small smile flickering across his face for a second before it died out again. "Gohan, don't worry - if someone has captured your mother, I'd be more worried for them than her! She's no weakling, and she has the temper to back it up! And so do I!" Videl smiled devilishly then. "Man, I really pity anyone dumb enough to kidnap me and Chi-Chi! We'd make mincemeat out of them and then force them to apologize!" Picturing the way the two feisty females usually handled themselves, Gohan smiled again, a little stronger this time. "Look, I have things to do today, but I'll be very careful, okay? You work on finding your mom," she told him, and leaned further forward. He met her upraised face with his own and they tenderly kissed. When they pulled back, he looked at her with a faint hint of worry. "I'll be fine!" she said confidently, and he nodded.
"Okay. But keep your eyes open, all right?" Gohan heaved a small sigh and flew higher.
"Right!" she nodded as she watched him fly back to Kami's Lookout.
Goku landed outside his house with a little more force than he normally would have. The ground sank around his feet a little, but he didn't pay any attention to it. He walked up to the door quietly, the lingering, familiar smells of home silently welcoming him, along with the lone alien one. Goku exhaled slowly, then sniffed the air carefully. His sensitive Saiyan nose swiftly picked out the one scent that didn't quite belong; the one that was lightly mixed with the violets' delicate aroma. Goku gritted his teeth as his eyes filled with fire. ((I _knew_ it! It _is_ the same smell! That man who was courting Chi-Chi, Davin! It was _his_ scent that was suddenly in the air when she vanished! That's why it seemed familiar, but I couldn't quite place it! After all, I only met the guy once!)) Goku slowly began to seethe with anger. Davin had stolen her. Unable to win her fairly, he'd stolen her away. Rage burned a path through Goku's heart, and he realized he was ready to snap Davin in half for this. He inhaled several calming breaths (though they didn't calm him much) and forced his mind to clear. ((Davin is from Chi-Chi's village. Someone there might know where he is.)) he reasoned. ((I should tell the others what I've found, first. . .if I can wait that long.)) he added, and locked onto Piccolo's powerful ki. Placing the first two fingers of his right hand upon his forehead, he then teleported back to the Lookout.
When he materialzed in front of them, Piccolo and Goten ran up to him.
"Daddy! Did you find anything?" Goten asked hopefully.
"What did you go to check, Goku?" Piccolo inquired right after the little half-Saiyan.
"The smell that was in the air when Chi-Chi disappeared was Davin's," Goku answered curtly, and Goten's little face screwed up in anger as Piccolo only looked all the more confused by the news.
"Who's Davin?" Piccolo asked.
"You mean that guy that kept asking Mama out while you were dead?" Goten said, ignoring the Namek. Goku nodded at his little son, then turned to address Piccolo.
"He came by our house yesterday. I went back to our house, and his scent was still on the front step and front door. It was the same one I picked up on when Chi-Chi vanished. He must be the one who cast the time- freeze spell and took her," Goku said slowly, struggling to keep his rising anger in check.
"Your harpy of a mate had another suitor?" Vegeta's sarcastic voice caught his attention, and Goku looked up to see his Prince land lightly with Bulma in his arms.
"Vegeta!" Bulma hissed at her mate as he set her down. Then she turned with apologetic eyes to Goku. "Chi-Chi never said she was seeing someone else."
"She wasn't," Goku shook his head. "This guy Davin kept hounding her, but she always refused his advances. And now, he's taken her." His hands balled up into fists, and Vegeta protectively nudged Bulma to stand a little further back from the infuriated Goku.
"Kakkarot, try to remain calm until you find this man - then you can let him know what happens to any fool who crosses a Saiyan," Vegeta said lowly. Goku gave a small nod and forcibly made his tense, battle-ready body relax. Then Gohan returned and landed by the group, Krillin and 18 a short distance behind him.
"What's going on? Has something come up?" Gohan asked as he looked at them.
"Daddy figured out that Davin took Mama away!" Goten blurted first.
"Davin?! Are you sure?!" Gohan turned to his father for confirmation.
"Who's Davin?" Krillin asked Bulma, and she whispered the answer to him.
"Yes. His scent appeared in the air when she disappeared," Goku told his oldest son.
"I _knew_ there was something odd about him! Damn it!" Gohan growled to himself.
"Ease off, son. No one could have guessed he'd try and pull off this kind of a stunt; it's not your fault. Now, I'm going to Chi-Chi and Davin's village to see if anyone _there_ has any idea where he is," Goku said, and raised his hand to his forehead. After a few moments, he mentally focused and locked onto the Ox-King's ki, then teleported away.
"Hey! Wait for us, Dad!" Gohan shouted anxiously after him, as he and Goten flew off in pursuit of their father.
"Well. . ." Bulma said with a slow breath. "One upshot is now we know no one else is under threat of kidnapping." Vegeta gave a small, affirmative grunt, and reached over to squeeze her hand gently.
"Yeah, that's something, at least. . ." Piccolo shook his head, still slightly confused. ((Davin stole Chi-Chi. . .just to have _her_?)) The Namek was still trying to come to grips with the concept.
"That's good for the rest of us, but it doesn't help Goku much, does it?" Krillin observed, holding his own wife's hand.
"At least he knows who did it now," 18 answered calmly. She'd never admit it, but she'd actually been worried for her own safety for a while there. She also knew it was safer for everyone if Goku knew who was responsible for kidnapping his mate; he had someone to focus his hate and anger on now.
Ox-King was just waking up when Goku suddenly appeared at the foot of his bed. Ox-King half-jumped at the unexpected arrival of his son-in-law, then grabbed his glasses from off a nearby nightstand and put them on.
"Goku? What are you doing here so early?" Ox-King began his greeting cheerfully, but stopped when he saw how upset Goku was. "What's wrong? What's happened?"
"Davin kidnapped Chi-Chi. Where does he live?" Goku said brusquely, cold fury making the spoken words harsh and his body rigid. Ox-King stared back at him in shock.
"Wh-what? Davin? That's. . . how could he possibly. . .that doesn't make sense! He isn't physically capable of forcing Chi-Chi to do anything! She'd kick his. . ." Ox-King said, trying to wrap his mind around Goku's accusation.
"He got his hands on some kind of magic and he used it to freeze time in order to take her- now, where does he live? Do you know of anywhere he might have taken her? I can't find her ki, but he might be using his magic to hide it. Where is he?" Goku snapped, in no mood for further useless conversation.
"Froze time?" Ox-King's eyes grew wider in surprise. "Where could he have learned magic? Oh, never mind. Let me get dressed, and I'll take you to his house." Goku growled under his breath; he didn't want to wait that long. Ox-King, sensing Goku's growing impatience, dressed quicker than he had in years, then led Goku out of his house, and down the street. As they walked along with an increasing sense of urgency, Ox-King studied the Saiyan's face out of the corner of his eye. He had never seen him so angry and tense before, and it made him a little nervous. Concern for his daughter only served to increase his discomfort. Could Davin, of all people, really have gotten his hands on time-control magic, and kidnapped her with it? Ox-King mulled it over mentally until they both reached Davin's house, a few blocks away from his own home.
"Good morning, Ox-King! Good heavens! Goku?!" said an older woman, who started to pass by them and then froze in her tracks.
"Um, hi," Goku said, mumbling his greeting.
"Good morning, Mrs. Watabi. Have you seen Davin this morning?" Ox- King inquired brightly, giving the impression that nothing was amiss.
"Davin?" Mrs. Watabi said slowly, still staring at Goku's stormy expression. "No, I haven't," she shook her head and looked back at Ox- King. "I haven't seen him since he came back from Chi-Chi's home yesterday evening. Looked downright. . .frightening, to tell the truth. There was this strange light in his eyes, and the way he held himself. . .why?. . .what has he done?"
"He kidnapped my wife!" Goku snapped, his patience having reached the breaking point. He grabbed the doorknob and pulled Davin's front door off its hinges.
"Gracious!" Mrs. Watabi gasped, clasping her hand up to her bosom in fear. Goku marched with purpose into the house, ignoring everything and everyone else. Mrs. Watabi turned to Ox-King. "Did Davin really kidnap Chi-Chi?" she asked fretfully.
"Goku is certain of it, and he's never been one to jump to unwarranted conclusions. I'd better help him look, because the mood he's in now, he's liable to overlook something important," Ox-King answered, and followed Goku through the broken front doorway into Davin's house. It was a bit of a tight fit for his bulky frame, but he managed it, nonetheless.
The house was empty of life, and by the looks of it, had been unoccupied for some time. Dust laid, thick and gray-brown, on most of the furniture and the carpet in the living room. A cursory search through the rest of the house revealed that all the rooms were in the same unused condition. On the dust-laden carpeting, they found a single set of footprints leading from the front door to the middle of the hall, where they unexpectedly ended. The unplugged refrigerator was empty and the few dishes sitting in the cupboards were just as dusty as the furniture. Except for the mysterious footprints, there was no sign anyone had lived there for a few years. Though it was hard to smell anything other than dust, Goku noted absently that there was no trace of Chi-Chi's scent there, and Davin's own scent was faint, its traces lingering only in the living room and hallway.
"I don't understand this," Ox-King said aloud, trying to make sense of it all. "Davin is seen regularly in the village, coming and going from his house; if he disappeared for long periods of time, I most certainly would've noticed, or someone from the village would have mentioned something to me."
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Goku fumed impotently. "There's nothing here! Except. . ." Goku motioned down to the footprints in the dust. "These stop in the middle of the hallway. . .they don't turn into a door, they just stop smack in the middle of. . .damn, is he able to teleport, too?" ((If he was living somewhere else. . .and if he was making regular appearances in the village simply to keep people from wondering about him.and he took Chi-Chi to that somewhere else. . .)) Goku pressed his hands to his throbbing temples in frustration. All the villagers believed he still lived here amongst them; Davin had gone to great pains to assure that. So where was he now?! Sick at heart, Goku felt ready to throw up again; the silence in the bond tore at him, he could hardly think straight. He let out a thin wail of fury and smashed his fist through the wall.
"Goku!" Ox-King jumped a bit at the Saiyan's show of frustration. "Calm down, son! We need to keep level heads if we're going to figure this out," he said soothingly. He was worried and upset, too, but Goku was obviously on the brink of having a total breakdown. Goku dry-heaved a few times, while choking on the dusty air, and coughed before pulling his fist free from the wall and turned around. "That's it, deep breaths. That's. . .what is that?" Ox-King had glanced at the newly made hole in the wall and spotted something tiny and shiny inside it. Goku turned his attention back to the hole and saw the small glint as well. There was something sewn into the insulation and, whatever it was, the stitching around it had begun to pop. Goku, desperate for any kind of clue, tore the stitching the rest of the way open, and a small gold key fell out. Before it hit the floor, Goku easily caught it and stared at the shiny object in his hand. It was two- thirds the length of his pinky finger, fashioned with a diamond-shaped head with a thin sliver of red crystal in the center. The body was straight, with three small teeth.
"Why would he hide a key in the wall?" Goku asked slowly.
"Goku, let me see that," Ox-King said nervously. Goku handed it over, puzzled by the Ox-King's reaction. The key looked even tinier in the Ox-King's big hands. The large man's face went totally white, staring at the key with revulsion, as though it were the most horrible thing in the world. "Oh, oh no. . .he _can't_ be using _that_. . .how did he find it?! I hid it so well!" Ox-King moaned softly, the terror vivid in his voice.
"What? He can't be using what?!" Goku demanded. "What does that key open?!"
"This key opens a lock on a box that's hidden in a secret room of my mansion, and that room can only be reached through a secret passageway," Ox- King answered slowly. "How the devil did he find it? What possessed him to try and use it?"
"Use what?! What's in the box?!" Goku barked, infuriated by the runaround Ox-King was giving him. Ox-King sighed softly.
"I need to check this. Come on, Goku, I'll tell you all about it on the way," he began to explain, as the two of them departed Davin's house. "You see, Goku, what should be secured inside that box is a book of magic spells. It's been in our family for generations, and we've kept it well hidden from the world. The incantations written in it are very powerful, and very dangerous."
"So that's where Davin learned magic. . .but where was it before you built your mansion?" Goku said, forcing himself to be calm and rational.
"I hid it in my old castle. After Roshi destroyed Frying Pan Mountain, I found the box still intact among the ruins. I was a bit upset, to tell you the truth. I had sort of hoped it had been destroyed along with just about everything else that had been in my castle, but the accursed thing refuses to be destroyed so easily. It's almost as if the book possesses a will of its own, and seeks out someone to use it. The magic slowly becomes addictive, and the spellcaster eventually loses control. When Frying Pan Mountain fell, as upset as I was at losing my home, I felt a small happiness and a huge sense of relief that Chi-Chi and her children wouldn't have to carry on the burden of safekeeping that book. But like I said before, it survived, and I took great pains to hide it again, but. . .apparently not well enough." Goku slowly digested Ox-King's story.
"And the book's been in your family for generations?" Goku repeated. "Did one of your ancestors make it?"
"I don't know," Ox-King admitted, ruefully. "Its earliest history is lost. Whether one of us made it, found it, or stole it, all that's known is that we've had it and hidden it from the world for the last four centuries."
"Oh," Goku said, the word a breath. This new level to the mystery only made things worse; if the magic was so dangerous and addictive, there was no telling what Davin might do. ((What he might do. . .)) Goku froze in the middle of the street, ten steps shy of Ox-King's front door. He had been so focused on the fact that he knew Davin had Chi-Chi, he hadn't stopped to think what Davin might do with her now that he had her in his clutches. Davin could force her to do anything with his magic. Goku's frantic mind filled with images too horrible to describe. The biggest, most vivid image was of Davin using some kind of spell to rape Chi-Chi, and her begging him to stop; or even worse, him using a spell to make her completely willing. Without warning, Ox-King was abruptly blown off his feet as Goku went SS2 in his fury. "If he lays one hand on her, I swear I'll rip him APART!!!" Goku bellowed to the sky, as pieces of broken pavement flew around him. Ox-King scrambled away quickly, not wishing to be caught in Goku's enraged line of fire. Goku growled and cursed for a few minutes, and then forced himself to calm down; now determined, more than ever, to continue checking to see if Davin had the book. He stepped out of the crater he had made, and entered his father-in-law's mansion ahead of the Ox-King. Ox-King followed nervously, then took over the lead as they came to where the hidden hallway was.
"It's over here," he said, taking a tall painting off the wall and then laying one hand flat upon the wall. He pushed hard into the surface, grunting at the effort, and the wall sank back, then was pulled sideways by a strange mechanism in the floor. Ox-King headed down the comparatively narrow hallway with Goku right behind him. The hall turned right, then slanted downward, then turned right again, then forked.
"More precautions?" Goku asked tersely, noting that his father-in-law traced his steps with a practiced familiarity.
"Uh-huh. Choose the wrong path, and you wander through an underground maze for a while before coming out in the dining room," the Ox- King explained. "If you ever come out at all." he added, and went down the left passage. Goku followed, his battle-hardened muscles tensing and relaxing in little waves. The left passage was shorter than the rest, with one turn leading straight to a door. Ox-King opened it and entered the room, Goku still behind him. The room was high enough for the Ox-King to stand up straight without his head touching the ceiling, but still more narrow than a normal room, and the only thing inside it was a table, on which was a box with a lock. Ox-King let out a tense sigh and pulled the tiny key out of his pocket. Muttering a small prayer under his breath, he went up to the box, inserted the key, and twisted it. The lock popped too easily. "Not good. . .it's been oiled sometime in the last few months, and I know I haven't been down here in years," Ox-King said fearfully. With shaking hands, he lifted the lid, and he and Goku looked inside. "Damn it!" Ox-King swore hotly, letting the weighty lid slam back down. It was just as he'd feared; the box was completely empty.
"So he does have the book. . .and my Chi-Chi, as well," Goku said, growling lowly. "We need to find him _now_!" But where the hell was he?! That question hung heavy and unanswered in the air, as Goku fled the secret room and back through the secret hallways' twists and turns, with his head pounding in time with his desperate heart. What _was_ he going to do? Chi- Chi needed him, and he didn't know how to help her. He ran pell-mell out of Ox-King's mansion, and into the street in front of it. He strained every one of his senses to its limits, struggling to feel something, anything, but there was no trace of Chi-Chi or Davin anywhere on Earth, or in the immediate system beyond. "Where are you, Davin?! Where?! Chi-Chi, Sweetheart, hold on. . .I'll find you! I swear it!" Goku cried, then fell onto his knees in a trembling heap, unable to stand anymore. "Somehow. . ." **************************************************************************** ** Oooh, poor Goku! I'm so _mean_ to him! And it's only going to get worse, too. Keep an eye out for chapter 4.
As always, comments of most any sort are welcome! NansJns@aol.com!