A Dragon Ball Odyssey: BOOK II
By Min Farshaw
Disclaimer: I own nothing. No DBZ and certainly not the odyssey, nor do I own any of the translations of the odyssey. Thank you.
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'The old maid stores
The voyage cheers
The ship leaves shore
Minerva Steers'
- Chapman's Odyssey
DAWN CAME to the son household particularly early for Gohan. He blinked the overbearing sun out of his eyes and stumbled out of his bed in order to greet the morning properly.
With a cup of coffee
He stumbled down the stairs to his kitchen to find his mother where she was every morning, bleary eyed, clutching at her coffee, staring morosely over the table at Goku's favorite spot. There were eggs cooking on the stove and Gohan gave them a few unenthusiastic flips before taking a seat across the table from his mother.
" Mum, you'll have to let him go eventually" Gohan said taking her hand in his.
" I know dear, but I keep thinking, 'one day he'll come back, and save me from this hell that has become my entire life' but then I wake up and face the reality. Gone for 15 years he surely must be dead . . ." She sniffed a bit at the air where the scent of burning eggs could be smelt. Suddenly she burst into tears and fell into her son's strong arms. " I just wish that he never left" She choked between sobs. Gohan made soothing motions on his mother's back, silently crying with her over the loss of his father and the loss of his eggs.
" Shhh mum. It will be okay dad will come back soon. I'm sure of it." He said, thinking back to the odd conversation that he had with king kai.
"You go upstairs and change dear. I'll see about breakfast." Chichi told him wiping her eyes dry. As Gohan left she turned to the mundane everyday task of cooking, trying to keep her thoughts away from her dead husband.
Gohan retreated to his room and adorned his favorite fighting GI, in orange and blue, reminiscent of his father. He put on his boots and dragged a comb through his unruly back spikes, grimacing as the plastic teeth snapped rather then tame his mane. He sighed. That was the third this week. He extricated the small pieces of plastic and prepared to face the horror that comprised his living room.
Slowly he cracked open the door, only to be assailed by the fumes of drunkenness. Pushing open the door more, he saw that most of the men had declined to go back to their homes that night. They were sprawled all over the couches and most groaned in their alcohol-induced slumber. Gohan began the unpleasant task of dragging them out of the house by their ankles, lining them out on the front lawn for relatives to claim.
He returned to face the unpleasantness of that room, and cringed as he saw the amount of cleaning to be done. Instead of getting out the mop and bucket, He jumped over to the telephone and pressed the speed dial button marked 'MAID'.
" Hello, AAA cleaning service! How may I help you?"
" Hey Ellen. It's me again," Gohan said grimacing over how much the bill would be this time. He was however relived that Ellen answered the phone, as she was one of the few people that he actually liked at that place. She also happened to be the owner.
" Oh no, poor dear. They were after your mother again? I'll send some of the girls down straight away. And this time make sure that you have those awful men pay for the bill! I can't abide their rudeness . . ." muttered the aged Ellen. She was 63 years old and had heard no such thing as 'Retirement' She was a constant fountain on motherly advice for Gohan, and had a definite view on the suitors.
" Thanks Ellen, I will. Bye"
" bye Dear!"
Gohan hung up the phone, then, he could smell the heavenly sent of breakfast breaking through the stench on the living room. He raced out of there into the kitchen, where Chichi plopped a platter covered in bacon, eggs, noodles, toast, jam, waffles and every other breakfast delight in front of the hungry half sayian. As Gohan began to wolf it down. Chichi heard the sounds of 'Wow mom, this is really good!' mixed in there. She looked sadly at the tornado of food that was quickly disappearing into her son's stomach. It reminded her of Goku, as most things did.
" Thanks mom! That was great! I'm sorry I can't help you clean up this morning, I've got some stuff to do in town, I hope that you don't mind! I called Ellen by the way, for some help in the clean up" This was said very fast as Gohan prepared to exit out the door, blowing his mother a kiss before leaping into the air.
Chichi sighed. " Boys will be boys"
****
Gohan relished the cool air blowing over his face as he flew towards the town that they lived near. Over to soon his journey took less than 5 minutes. He landed a scant 50 meters away from the town and made to hike the rest of the way. He knew that if his plans were to be successful then he would have to keep his departure secret from his mother. First he went to visit Ellen.
Her office was situated in the down town core, in small shop/ warehouse. He opened the door, which rung a bell, letting its tinny chimes resonates throughout the store.
" Ellen?" He asked cautiously " Are you here?"
" I'll be out in just a second! Hold your horses! Oh Hello Gohan!" Said Ellen, coming around the corner.
" Hey Ellen, Um, I was wondering if you could keep a secret for me?" He asked, shifting his weight nervously. If this didn't go right and she refused, then his whole plan would be ruined.
" Sure Hun, anything." Replied Ellen curiously
" I'm leaving home to look for my father, and I don't want you to tell my mom unless she asks you where I went." HE said in almost all one breath. He hesitated looking at her shocked expression. " Please, I really need you to do this for me. Mom will never let me go if I tell her." He gave her the infamous Son puppy dog look. She instantly caved, victim to his charms.
" Okay, But why are you going to look for Goku now? Hasn't he been gone for like 14 years?"
"15" He corrected. " Thanks Ellen, I really appreciate this!" He yelled running out the door.
Ellen simply shook her head and retreated back to her office. She really hoped that the boy knew what he was doing
****
Melvin, the owner of a prosperous pizzeria down town, (Prosperous mainly due to the business of the suitors) was strolling by when he heard:
"I'm leaving home to look for my father, and I don't want you to tell my mom unless she asks you where I went" coming from the open door of AAA cleaning service. However when he leaned towards the door to hear better, he was knocked over by the tornado commonly known as Gohan.
Wait a minute! If the kid was going to look for his father that meant that the suitors would get kicked out and that would mean.. . . Melvin felt all the blood drain from his face NO MORE BUISSNESS FROM THE SUITORS! This must be stopped!
He quickly flipped out this brand new cell phone and dialed the first number of his long list.
" Hey Anthony I've got big news for you. . .
****
Gohan strolled down the streets of the little town of Ithaca, casually observing the sights and sounds. He knew that in a distant way, He owned the land that the town was built on, even if most of its citizens ignored the fact that the land they lived on was actually part of the Ox kingdom, and Gohan liked it like that. He stopped by the nearest grocery store, well stocked out of the habit of its owners. They knew who shopped there, and always tried to keep their shelves full.
He pulled various food items off of the shelves, those that could be easily stored and eaten on the go, most requiring minimal cooking, and didn't have much packaging. He pushed his heavily laden cart up to the register.
The check out lady began to run the items through. Gohan stood with impatience, wishing that the system could be faster.
" So I hear that you're going to go to find Goku," Said the girl casually, running a particularly irksome packet of beef jerky over the scanner again. Hearing the beep she moved on to the next item
" WHAT! Where did you hear that!" Gohan said in complete shock that news of his journey had spread so quickly.
" You kidding me? It's all over town. Some guys are telling everyone that your gonna go look for the guy" She said popping her bubble gum.
"These guys, they have names don't they?" He asked innocently, silently freaking out.
" Sure, Umm lets see, there's Amad, Peter, Eugene, Evan, and Anthony, I think. I could be wrong. Hey what's up with you?" Gohan was currently seeing his carefully thought out plan fall to pieces before it had really begun. His mother would find out and then forbid him to go.
He waited as the cashier rung in the last of his purchases. He paid with his grandfather's credit card, (Which the ox king had given him for emergencies) and capsulated the food items quickly. He ran out the door to find all five of the foremost suitors confronting him. There were quite a few of the more casual ones as well. They were all lined up in a semi circle preventing his escape from any direction but up, and Gohan felt that flying out of this mess would just cause more problems than it solved.
" What's this we hear about you leaving to find Goku" Cried out Anthony who formed the center of the ring. "The man's been dead for 15 years. Give it up already and let one of us marry your mother!"
Gohan felt a rage build inside of him akin to no other he had ever felt before. The men around him nodded their agreement to his statement.
" And why should I do that?" His voice rang among them, making them quiet for once. " You have shown no respect for my family or my property. You are all scoundrels, that cannot accept that we can still cling to hope that My father, the great Son Goku will one day be back. Do you have no respect for my mother's grief? Can she no weep for her husband? Besides you seemed to have forgotten that of Goku is still alive, that he is the king of this place? That in his absence that I rule?" Gohan visibly shook with that statement. I had never occurred to him before that in Goku's absence, he was technically the ruler of the country.
" Yah, we know all about your mother's grief. I can still hear her pleading for us to leave her at peace while she wrote her husband's memoirs in a biography of the man. She would write all day, and for three years we believed her. But do you know what the bitch was doing?" Anthony asked the men around him, " Every night at midnight she would get up, take her papers and burn them in the fireplace! If it weren't for Evan here going around one night to press his favors we would have never know how that woman was cheating us. Respect for her grief indeed!" He finished in a huff. There was another round of general agreement.
Gohan sighed, knowing that it would come to this. The slump of his shoulders was visible, but he straightened up to his impressive 6-foot height and squared his shoulders, as if waiting for an attack.
" Fine. Since you will not be sated with my plea, then maybe a promise will suffice. I'm going to leave this place and search for my father. If I learn that there is a possibility that he still lives, then I'll stay searching for 1 year. If I learn that he is dead, then I'll return here, and after we can hold a funeral, I will give my consent to allow my mother to marry, whomever she pleases." Gohan hated to speak those words, but knew that they had to be said. " If I do not return at the end of the year, you can assume that I have failed to find him, and then I think that Chichi can manage her own affairs." There was a roar of approval among the suitors.
Suddenly in the sky appeared a ray of light that illuminated Gohan, making him look like some heavenly deity. A Man with three eyes stumbled out into the center of the semi circle and cried out:
" Beware all you suitors! For the eve of Goku's return is at hand! Leave behind your wicked ways or face his wrath!"
One of the suitors, Eugene snorted in contempt. "Keep your prophecies to your self you three eyed freak!" A few of the other men jeered in contempt of him as well. The man simply stalked off muttering that the idiots didn't know what was coming for them. Gohan tried to fight his way through the crowd in order to consult the man, but was driven back. The next he looked, he was gone.
****
Later that same day. . .
" Okay, the kid is obviously lying. There is no way that he could find Goku, and he knows it. He going to go get legal aid and sue our Asses off for destruction of property." Claimed one suitor , by the name of Eugene
" Yah, That or get a bunch of toughs to help him throw us out!" cried Evan
" Come on, these are modern and civilized times! He wouldn't just beat us up so we got out of his house. He has to be seeking Legal action!" Said Amad
" Okay, Here's what were going to do. . ."
****
Gohan carefully closed the door of his bedroom behind him, wincing with every minute squeak that the hinges yielded. The wood floor made a small groan as he shifted his weight to close it fully. He pushed the door into the frame, his breath catching in his throat, waiting for the click.
Click
He exhaled slowly. He turned on the ball of his foot, and eased his way down the dark hall, wincing with every creak that the floor emitted. He padded down the stairs, and grabbed his coat, trying with the utmost care not to let the fabric rustle. He approached the front door, and eased back the bolt, and unlocked it.
Shtick Click
He stepped over the threshold and shut the door behind, him, realizing too late the sound it would make upon impact with the frame.
Bang
He cringed as the sound met his ears, Frozen solid, he waited for the tornado of his mother, to come bearing down on him, screaming that her baby was leaving her.
It never came.
Gohan released the breath that he didn't know he was holding, and stepped towards his freedom.
That's when the trap was sprung. With a great twang the trip wire caught his leg and send him hurling to the ground with a yelp. A net fell from the eves of his home and enveloped him in it's confining embrace. The yells of several other men were hear, most running along the lines of " Hey we got em!"
Panicked Gohan thrashed at the net, only succeeding in entangling himself further in its clutches. He rolled off his porch, and into the dirt, narrowly escaping a vicious kick. He sprang to his knees after another foot had been aimed in his direction. He rolled to avoid another fist. He blasted sections of the net off his body, cursing himself for not thinking of it earlier. He dodged several more poorly aimed feet and struggled to his feet, still fighting the pieces of the net. His unseen assailants began to attack him afresh, but he dodged their blows easily. Almost without thinking he caught their leader with a powerful blow across the jaw, sending the unfortunate man flying into a tree. The others took one last at him and scattered.
Gohan threw off the rest of the net and blasted off into the sky.
" I Wonder what that was . . ." He said to himself as he flew bye, troubled thoughts growing in his mind.
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End A/n: Not much to say here, except:
Lil songbird: Thanks for your review; I hope that I didn't offend you with my shameless begging for reviews. They are kind of like a drug, you get hooked easy, and you always want more, and then you go into withdraw without them. (At least that's the way I feel. I'm sure some people couldn't care less if their story got 5 reviews or 500. It's just nice to know that someone out there cares and feels that your story is worth their time to comment on) Gwad, I made a speech again. * stop it Min Stop! *
Nightelf: erm, Your Welcome, English essays can be a bummer, but good luck! LOL the inspiration for this story came from having to read the Odyssey for English, then writing my other fanfic when ever I couldn't stand it any more. Then my brain made the connection without me somehow…
Anyway, since no Kicking of Min seems to be necessary this time, I'm going to ask you if you'd like to review?