The next day, Usagi found herself walking the streets of the city with her friends following close behind. They were all discussing the Pros and Cons of having the Rat Pack go to the Mr. Satan's camp to interact with the children who would be attending for the two weeks. Though it looked like she was off in a world of thoughts of her own, she was actually very intently listening to everything that her friends were coming up with. Though she saw Makoto's points that Mamoru and his friends would be a bad influence around the younger group, she also knew that the Rat Pack, as they were lately referred to, had the power inside them to change. She knew that no one else, well maybe Minako, saw the potential, but it was definitely there. To her, everyone had the potential to be compassionate; it was just a matter of being allowed to bring it out. The Rat Pack had just never been given a REAL chance to change. That was something she was determined to give them, which was why she had come to the decision that she had.
She wanted to know exactly what her friends thought, even though she was going to do it regardless of what they wanted to do or not. It wasn't fair for the Rat Pack to keep them from this opportunity. She was positive that if she was in with the Rat Pack that her father would do the same for her.
"So what do you guys think?" Usagi stopped walking forward, she didn't turn around...she just stopped.
Makoto frowned as she looked up to Usagi. She wasn't mad at her friend, just upset that she had to choose from two limited choices, but she knew what the right choice was. "I guess we're going to have to do it, aren't we?" She asked with teeth clenched.
Usagi's blank face turned to a frown as she turned back to Makoto. "I'm not asking you what we're going to end up doing, I'm asking you what you think."
Shocked at her friend's obviously troubled reaction, Ami decided to intervene before the two girls got into an argument over the tone of voice used. "You want to know if the odds are against us, right?" Usagi stayed silent as she slowly nodded. "I think we should go ahead and do it. While there are many reasons to believe that things will fail and the pack will turn against the campers, we will be there to help in those cases." All the other girls, except for Makoto, nodded to add their agreement.
Makoto sighed as she began to feel left out from the group with her feelings on the situation. "It's not that I don't want to help them. I just fear for what the Pack will do. You know their anger and how they react to when they're forced to do things they don't want, and you know very well what will happen when Piccolo tells them."
Seeing that Makoto was obviously having conflicting feelings about the whole thing, Hotaru walked to her and wrapped her arm around her waist. "Don't worry, Makoto. Like Ami said, we'll be there. I'm sure they won't try anything."
Makoto looked down to the smiling child and couldn't help but crack a smile herself. "I know, I know. But I'm still allowed to have my doubts." She looked up to Usagi and around to her friends. "I guess I'm in."
Usagi, who had already turned around and began walking away for she knew what Makoto's answer would be. That whole morning she had been unconsciously leading them to Satan City. "Great." 'They all agree...why do I still doubt this?'
~*~*~
"Are we sure we want to ask HIM for help?" Makoto asked as she stopped with her friends just in front of the door of a very large mansion in the middle of Satan city.
Rei approached the door with caution, hoping that a security guard or dog wouldn't just lash out at her for trespassing. "Well, it is his camp you know. Not only do we need his permission, but also he could be a big help. He knows more about the attendants than we do. He can run the other gang over some rules on how to act, what to say, how to treat others there."
Minako sighed as she sat down on the front step with Hotaru. "But after all that happened at the tournament, do you think he'll WANT to help us?"
Usagi grinned as she rushed past her friends and rang the doorbell. "There's only one way to find out."
"Hey we need to think this through Usagi before we go jumping into things. We have to figure out what we're going to say." Ami tried to grab Usagi's hand away form the doorbell before she had a chance to push it in all the way before it could have a chance to actually be heard throughout the house, but by the time she had reached out, it was too late.
Usagi giggled as she backed away from the door so she wouldn't be in the way when it was opened, hopefully by Mr. Satan. "Relax, Ami. All we have to know is what we want out of him first. We can make up a speech as we go. Trust me."
Minako pulled Hotaru up as she, herself, stood to her feet. "I'm with Usagi. Even if we did have something planned you know me, I'd probably end up saying half of it wrong anyways."
Makoto was about to add to Minako's statement, but didn't get anything out of her mouth before she heard the squeaking sound of the front door being slowly opened. 'He must still get people coming by to harass him about his lies.' "Come out, Mr. Satan, it's just us. We mean you no harm." She stopped to snicker. "Unless you feel like fooling the entire world again. Then we'll sick Usagi on you again."
Mr. Satan growled with anger, as well as embarrassment. "What do you want?" He asked in a firm, harsh voice.
The girls turned serious once again as they remembered what they had come there for. They needed his help, as they were to ask, none of them knew. They wanted to do it in the most planned and strategic way, though Usagi hadn't left much room for that with just ringing the doorbell. At that moment, both Rei and Ami were trying to find the most polite way to ask him, a way that wouldn't make him angry.
But again, Usagi didn't allow for that. She had a habit of just blurting things out the way there were without trying to think of a way to say it that might even make more sense than the way she said it. "We need your help."
Rei rolled her eyes with annoyance as she sighed. "Usagi!"
The towering figure before them looked at them in shock and did the only thing that he could have possibly thought of doing after hearing something like that. He fainted. Both sighing, Usagi and Ami bent down and effortlessly picked up the sleeping giant.
Hotaru giggled as she looked down at his face. "I like him. He's funny."
Usagi matched Hotaru's giggled as she and Ami began to carry Satan into the massive mansion, which he liked to call his home. "Yeah. He's all right, I guess. When he's not lying."
Makoto walked on the side of the man to make sure he wouldn't fall off, and if he showed any signs of falling, she would be right there to stop him. "He's just a big loveable oaf."
Ami, who balanced the man on her shoulder, turned things more serious. "I just hope he'll agree to let us have the pack work at the camp."
Usagi's face started to turn pale as she was struck with realization. "You're right. I really hope that he doesn't see things the way Makoto sees them. No offense to you or anything, Makoto."
"None taken. I'll just find a way to repay the favor, that's all."
Usagi smiled just as she and her friends entered the living room of Mr. Satan's mansion, where his daughter, Videl sat with a packet of papers in her lap with a cup of coffee to go along with them. "Thanks Makoto." Usagi stopped short of her next step when she saw Videl, causing her portion of Mr. Satan fall onto the ground, waking him up immediately. "Videl?"
"WHAT'S THE DEAL!?" Mr. Satan, who the girls were suddenly fussing over, sat up and grabbed his throbbing head. "You BRAT! Just wait until your father hears about this!"
Usagi cringed as she took her attention from Videl and focused it all back onto Mr. Satan. "I'm SO sorry. I didn't mean to. Please don't tell my parents." 'Knowing mom I'll be grounded for months to come. I know exactly what she'll say too...*Don't be so absent-minded. Learn some responsibility.* Blah blah blah blah.'
Usagi bent over and give Mr. Satan a quick kiss on the head. "There, all better now." 'YUCK! What does he use in his hair? Grease?'
Mr. Satan scowled as he looked up to Usagi and refused any help up by the other girls. "You better watch yourself kid." He struggled to stand back to his feet as the girls backed away from him. He wasn't too sure of what kind of sick sadistic joke Usagi was trying to pull on him, but he was certain that he wasn't going to fall for it.
Videl stood from her seat, placing the packet of papers as well as her coffee on the table before her. "Father, what's wrong?" She turned to Usagi. "Usagi? Why are you and your friends here? Is something wrong?"
Before a single child in that room could answer the question, Mr. Satan pushed Usagi aside and ran to his daughter. "They're trying to toy with me. We should throw them out."
Videl could hardly believe such a silly reply like that. "Daddy, please tell me what's going on. I'm confused."
Mr. Satan glared at the children, who stood on the other side of the room. "You're not going to believe this. It's utterly outrageous. I think we should punish her! Goku's let her run wild far too long. Videl, get your husband on the line! NOW!"
Videl crossed her arms as she glared at her father. "Come on, daddy. She's a good kid. They all are. Remember? She stood up for you, now; will one of you PLEASE explain to me what all the fuss is about? I'm dying to know what's got my poor father all worked up."
Mr. Satan sat back in his chair, not taking his eye of Usagi once. He could have cared less about the other kids for they had never really expressed a hate for him. Though, what his daughter said was true, she did stand up for him at the tournament, but that was beside the point. "They want MY help. Can you believe it? Not only does she show the people of the world that I lied about beating Cell, but she also has to come here and mock me. Well I've got news for you, Usagi, I've been training with your bother and Videl and I think I've become quite good at this Ki-Jitsu stuff so far. So you and your little friends just run along."
Videl rolled her eyes in shame for her father. "Stop it daddy. They wouldn't be here if it weren't for something important. I know these girls very well. I know that they wouldn't try to make a mockery of you, beyond the point that it has already been. Let's see what they have to say alright?" Videl hardly thought that Usagi was capable of trying to make fun of someone. It just wasn't in her nature to do so. She knew Usagi better than her father, which was why she was not in the least bit shocked that Usagi had come to him in seek of help."
Getting a nod from Videl stating that it's ok to go on, Usagi looked back to her friends, who didn't seem to be trying to think of any special way to ask. "Well?"
Rei frowned at her friend. "You seem to just want to dip into things. Why don't you go ahead and just come right out with it?"
"You always did know just the right things to say, didn't you Rei?" Rei just grinned without adding any of her own words. "Fine." Usagi turned back to look at her sister-in-law as well as Mr. Satan. "Well, I'm pretty sure Gohan must have told you that me and the girls WERE training Mamoru's gang for a while. Piccolo and Yamcha wanted us to try to get them to learn a few things about respect but none of the adults have any patience for them. And well..." Usagi dropped her head and became quiet as she started digging the front of her foot into the floor.
Mr. Satan, who couldn't believe that anyone would rely on her with the training of others in regards of respect for to him, she didn't have any. He obviously didn't know the real Usagi. "Go on, child."
Minako looked up in a grin. 'Time to try out some Usagi logic.' "Mamoru and Haruka blew her arm off."
Usagi bolted her attention over to the now laughing Minako. "Hey. That's my line." She turned her head over to the pale faced Videl and Mr. Satan, who looked to be frozen in their place from the shock. "Yep. It's' true. They blew my right arm off." She reached out and pulled Hotaru in close to her. "But if I weren't for my friend Hotaru here, I wouldn't have my arm back today. She and all my other friends helped rebuild it with her healing powers."
"But that's not what we're here for, Usagi."
Usagi frowned at Rei. "I realize that."
"Then get on with it already."
"Fine!" Usagi looked back at the dazed adults. "Anyways...as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted..." She looked back to Rei and stuck her tongue out at her, who immediately did the same, which was only the beginning of a tongue war between the two.
Ami sighed in embarrassment. "I'll continue where Usagi left off." She said to the two laughing adults. "Apparently, we aren't going to be working with them anymore since Piccolo and Yamcha banned them from using any kind of Ki power or fighting knowledge at all. But, that doesn't stop us from trying to reform their hateful habits. But, we need Mr. Satan's help to do that." Hearing that caused the two bickering girls to quiet down.
Mr. Satan puffed out his chest and grinned. "Well of course you do little girl. I'm a world-renowned trainer. None surpasses my skills. Why when I was your age..."
Giggling at the thought of Mr. Satan being young, as it oddly struck her as being hilarious she kept picturing a mini Mr. Satan, mustache and all. Usagi rapidly interjected. "Not with training, but with something else."
Confused and a little put off, he glared at the child before him. "What?"
"Well, they are having a really hard time figuring out how to be nice. Truthfully, we've tried everything that we could think of. We've been nice to them to show them how it's done and to let them know that we aren't going to beat them up when they do something bad. We've told them how to act, but all it's gotten us is punishment from them that we really don't deserve. Then daddy told us about your camp, about all the poor sickly people who go there."
"Yeah," Makoto interrupted, though not making Usagi in the least bit angry. "Those kids are the real heroes, ones that fight every day of their lives."
"That's all they really need. At least," Minako added, "That's what we think. We want them to see that they aren't the center of the universe. We want them to grow in character and see that other people's feelings count just as much as theirs do."
Mr. Satan smirked, but soon turned it to a frown. "Girls, I would love to help out with this, but these kids don't need abuse from others. They get enough of it just surviving as it is. Those kids are just plain rotten to the bone."
Usagi sighed as she looked down to the ground. 'I knew he was going to say that.' "Well what if we promised to stay there and make sure that they get treated good. What if we made sure that Mamoru and the others didn't get into any trouble?"
Mr. Satan pondered over Usagi's statement with care. He didn't want to let her down, but then again, what was worse? Letting Usagi down or having a bunch of kids being beaten by the counselors? "Are you positive that you can keep them under control?"
Videl sat next to her father and looked upon the anxious faces of the kids. "Daddy, if the girls say that they'll take care of it, then there's no need to worry about it." That got a nod from all six of the guests.
Mr. Satan sighed. "If any of those guys decide that they want to beat on any of the campers I'll take them on myself. I'll be there the entire two weeks. I don't want them causing any type of trouble. One problem and their out."
Usagi smiled down at him with respect, perhaps for the first time. "Thanks Mr. Satan. You won't ever forget this."
"Ok, it starts on Monday, you do realize that, right?" Usagi nodded. "Ok, I'll prepare bunks for you kids. I take it you don't want to share with each other's group?"
"No way!" Makoto shouted before any of the other girls could respond. "We won't get ANY sleep that way. We'll just stay up fighting all night."
Ami thought about that for a moment and came up with the same conclusion. "I concur."
Minako gave Ami a strange look. "Ok, yeah. Whatever that means, I go along with it."
Videl giggled at Minako, as well as Ami. "Ok. I'll make sure daddy gets two different bunks for you guys."
Usagi turned back to her friends with a grin. "See I told you. You don't always need to plan out what you're going to say."
Rei and Ami just frowned as they turned to walk away. "Remind me to get her back for that, Ami."
"Will do."
Usagi grinned. "I know you don't mean that. I know everyone loves me!" Usagi laughed as she ran to her friends and put her arms around their shoulders.
Hotaru ignored everything that her friends were doing and walked to the tired old man. "So you'll really do it? You'll really let us all come?"
Mr. Satan nodded. "Of course. I said I would and I'm sticking by it. I just hope what you want to happen, does. Otherwise it's a big waste of time."
"Hotaru..."
Hotaru looked back to Minako, who called to her. "Coming." She took one look back at Mr. Satan and Videl with a smile. "See ya later. Oh yeah, Videl, can you thank Gohan for all that ice cream that he bought us?" With that, she turned around and skipped off to join her friends.
Videl curiously watched the Saiyan depart from the living room. "Ice cream? He never told me about any ice cream. He told me that he was taking them to the park when they left the house after the tournament... WAIT A MINUTE. He better not have spent a ton of money on those greedy little kids!" She lifted herself from her chair and stormed out of the room to find a phone.
Mr. Satan just laughed at ALL of the girls as they left the room. "Females will always boggle my mind."
~*~*~
Outside the mansion, the girls still had a full day of convincing left. They still had to ask each parent of the girls, which would be cake. The only thing that they were worried about was the situation of Piccolo and Yamcha. They were still angry with their students for what they had done, and who could really blame them. They had blown off a child's arm without a second thought.
"So, Usagi, Miss 'I don't need a plan to get my way', how do you suggest that we ask Piccolo and Yamcha?" Rei asked in a taunting tone.
Usagi rolled her eyes in annoyance as she took to the air. "Just how we asked Mr. Satan. A spur of the moment kind of thing. I'm telling you, it works every time. You don't have to be so organized about everything."
"I'm with Usagi." Minako exclaimed.
"Me too." Hotaru added as she jumped into the air to be with her friends. "I just hope he isn't in a bad mood right now."
Usagi got a big grin on her face as she proceeded to move forward. "Well, like I said before, there's only one way to find out." Without any further conversation, the six friends took off at their fastest speed into the mountains, where they would hope to find Piccolo and Mamoru.
~*~*~
Mamoru sat in his room with literally nothing to do. He never knew how boring life was without being able to fly and train. On a normal day, he would wake at sunrise and spar with his father for a few hours and have breakfast. Then he would fly into the city to see what trouble he could cause with his friends. Now, he was left to sleep in as early as he pleased, which he wasn't particularly complaining about. He couldn't spar with his father, meaning his fighting skill as well as power would go down. He couldn't even go to the city since it was much too far to walk to, which left him stranded in the mountains, for the rest of the summer until school started up again. At least then he could finally see his friends. He had no real human contact besides his father, who was most often gone. 'Is this how I'm to spend the next year? In these cursed mountains with no one to talk to?'
He still couldn't believe how ridiculously unfair his father was being about this whole situation. It was not as if he had actually wanted to rip the girl's arm off, it was more of an accident than anything. Yet, his father didn't seem to care, which left him in his current situation. He just hoped that his punishment would ware off before it was meant to end.
Outside, he could hear his father and Yamcha engaged in a fierce spar. He was so put out with his father's decision that he didn't even wish to watch that for it would only make him want to fight as well. "If Odango would have only left her big nose out of my business none of this would have happened. Why does she always have to be in my way?" He perked up when he felt the power levels of his rivals approaching his home at a rather fast speed. "They'll be here in a matter of five minutes. They're probably here to try and give me their damned pity. Well screw them. I won't even listen to them. I'll just tell them to get out. I don't need them."
~*~*~
The girls landed about 100 meters from the spar, which was coming to an end due to their presence.
Dodging a punch to the face by Yamcha, Piccolo managed to momentarily glance over in the girls' direction. "What do you guys want? Haven't you created enough hatred in my kid?"
Beating her friends to any sort of response, Makoto was ready to lash out at that comment. "We didn't create that hate and you know it! You're the ones who came to us because you said that we could cure them of their habits!"
Piccolo elbowed Yamcha in the spine, throwing him to the ground. "We're through here, Yamcha." Piccolo landed onto his feet and cracked his neck. "Fine, you're right, ok? You don't have to rub it in." Makoto lightened up her frown as she tried to let out a smile.
Usagi looked around to her friends, whom were all staring back at her. "Oh now because I came up with the theory I have to be the one to test it out?" She got a bunch of zombie nods from her friends, who tried to make it look as if they were mindless. "You guys are nerds." That earned her giggles from all around.
Usagi looked up to Piccolo, and over to Yamcha, who was climbing back to his feet. "We still want to try to get the pack to become more respectful, if you don't mind. We have this really awesome plan on how to get it to work too."
Piccolo shook his head back and forth with a frown. "No more training."
Minako smirked. "Ah ha! You said no more fighting training, you never said anything about their training on learning how to respect others."
~*~*~
Mamoru walked to his bedroom window and pulled open the shade to eavesdrop on his father and his rivals."
~*~*~
Piccolo growled at the child. "They will NEVER learn. They don't have the will to. They are just going to be lowlifes for the rest of their lives."
~*~*~
Mamoru's face became heavy as his emotions started to kick in due to his father's harsh words. 'So that's all he thinks about me? I don't need his pity either!' Mamoru dropped the shades and went back to sulking, alone.
~*~*~
Usagi frowned at Piccolo in shame, as well as disgust. "How can you say that about your own kid, Piccolo? If my parents had that attitude I might not be who I am today and you know it. I could be just as hateful as Mamoru. I probably wouldn't even like my parents, let alone love them, if I ever heard them talk about me like that, like they have no faith in me. I know you're trying to change, but there was a lot of damage already done before you changed your point of view."
"Oh don't be shoving this on me, Usagi. You know nothing about parenting that kid. You only know of what he does to you, which isn't as bad as trying to parent him. Believe me, I've tried to reform him."
"The question is how you've tried. Children learn from that too."
"We're not here to try and knock you or him, Piccolo." Ami interrupted before any more harsh words could be spoken. "We're here to ask you for your permission to have him and all of the rest of your students to go to Mr. Satan's camp, the one that works with kids who have Muscle Dystrophy. We believe that once they see the troubles of these other kids that they will begin to realize how wrong they really are. They will, hopefully, learn some compassion towards others."
Piccolo snickered. "Are you nuts? Those kids will have a beating frenzy if they go there and see helpless kids. You know that."
Rei frowned at his lack of cooperation, and Yamcha's unwillingness to interject. "This is a chance for them to learn to care about others besides themselves. To see that there are all types of strengths and that caring isn't a weakness. They still believe that power gives them the right to do anything, and that's entirely too wrong."
Piccolo looked back to his fellow trainer for help, but he seemed to want to stay quiet. 'A lot of good he is.' He looked back down to the eager faces of the children. He knew that they were right; this was a wonderful opportunity for the kids to learn how to care for others. "Fine. But you guys can tell them yourselves." He smirked as the girls just gave him a glare, letting their disagreement be known. Piccolo violently turned away from the group and proceeded to walk back to his house to fetch his son.
Yamcha looked down at the girls, Usagi in particular. "So, your arm ok?"
Usagi nodded. "Yep. It's as good as new. Hotaru and the others did a really good job on it."
Sighing, Yamcha began to warm up to the girls after one short question and answer. He wanted to make sure that they weren't going to lash out at him for brining the Americans over. "How did your mom react? Knowing her she had a cow and went on about how if anyone else hurt her baby she would have their head served to her on a silver platter."
Usagi giggled. "Something like that. More like if they tried it again she would personally go over there and rip their limbs off and leave them there to fend for themselves."
Yamcha chuckled at Chi-Chi's predictability. "She always did have a knack for overprotection."
"Odango! So nice of you to drop by and pay and old pal a visit." Mamoru smirked as he and his father walked towards the group, though that little remark earned him a slap in the back of his head from his father causing the girls to all frown.
"Shut your trap."
Mamoru scornfully scowled up at his father. He wouldn't soon forget what he had heard from him not even fifteen minutes before. "What do they want? Isn't she the reason why I had my training rights revoked?"
"It's was your own fault. Now pay attention. They have something to tell you. They have an excellent idea about your next training."
"I thought we weren't under them anymore."
Piccolo sighed. "Not physical training you aren't, but as for learning to appreciate others, they've still got you on the hook."
'Always gotta butt in. Never learns her lesson. This kid is more stupid than I thought.' Glaring at Usagi, Mamoru asked, "What's this training? Having us walk over hot coals?"
Frowning, Usagi took the reigns. "No, this is to strengthen your soul. You'll be training with true heroes. Stronger then even our parents and trainers. They have no equal. To learn this we will all go to camp for two weeks and be helping them in any way possible."
Mamoru looked down to the younger child in curiosity. "Camp?"
Ami let out an almost silent laugh at that. Mamoru's stunned face was completely priceless. "Yes, camp. We'll be aides at the Mr. Satan camp for Muscular Dystrophy."
"NO WAY. I WON'T DO IT! YOU CAN'T MAKE ANY OF US!"
"ENOUGH." Piccolo roared. He was tired of his son always having to get the last word in. "The decision has been made, you will do this. All of your little friends will too."
Yamcha smirked evilly as an idea came into his head. "You think you're bored now, well think about how bored you'll be if we decided to discontinue all of your training for two years instead of just one."
That pretty much got no protest at all from a distressed Mamoru. He just dropped his head in irritation and sighed. "Fine. We'll go to your stupid camp, Odango."
~*~*~
When Usagi arrived home that night, she was unusually greeted by her father, whom had the look of concern planted on his face. "What's wrong daddy?" She asked as she looked up to him while he led her to her room.
"I wouldn't suggest talking to mom right now. She's still upset about yesterday and has been wired all day. It's like walking on thin ice around her. She just lashes out about every little thing."
Usagi giggled. "I understand." She sure didn't want a replay of what had happened the night before.
"I think it's best if you just stay in your room until she calms down."
Usagi nodded. "I think you're right, daddy."
Just as the Saiyan duo turned into the living room, Chi-Chi emerged from her room with a sudden look of relief. "USAGI!"
Fearing for their lives, both Goku and Usagi froze mid-step. "Yes mom?"
Chi-Chi ran to her daughter and pulled her away from Goku's grasp and hugged her. "My poor baby. Is all the emotional trauma gone?" She kneeled down in front of her and pulled on her right arm. "Your arm hasn't fallen off or anything, has it?"
Groaning, Usagi thinks a few weeks away from home will be a good breather.
She wanted to know exactly what her friends thought, even though she was going to do it regardless of what they wanted to do or not. It wasn't fair for the Rat Pack to keep them from this opportunity. She was positive that if she was in with the Rat Pack that her father would do the same for her.
"So what do you guys think?" Usagi stopped walking forward, she didn't turn around...she just stopped.
Makoto frowned as she looked up to Usagi. She wasn't mad at her friend, just upset that she had to choose from two limited choices, but she knew what the right choice was. "I guess we're going to have to do it, aren't we?" She asked with teeth clenched.
Usagi's blank face turned to a frown as she turned back to Makoto. "I'm not asking you what we're going to end up doing, I'm asking you what you think."
Shocked at her friend's obviously troubled reaction, Ami decided to intervene before the two girls got into an argument over the tone of voice used. "You want to know if the odds are against us, right?" Usagi stayed silent as she slowly nodded. "I think we should go ahead and do it. While there are many reasons to believe that things will fail and the pack will turn against the campers, we will be there to help in those cases." All the other girls, except for Makoto, nodded to add their agreement.
Makoto sighed as she began to feel left out from the group with her feelings on the situation. "It's not that I don't want to help them. I just fear for what the Pack will do. You know their anger and how they react to when they're forced to do things they don't want, and you know very well what will happen when Piccolo tells them."
Seeing that Makoto was obviously having conflicting feelings about the whole thing, Hotaru walked to her and wrapped her arm around her waist. "Don't worry, Makoto. Like Ami said, we'll be there. I'm sure they won't try anything."
Makoto looked down to the smiling child and couldn't help but crack a smile herself. "I know, I know. But I'm still allowed to have my doubts." She looked up to Usagi and around to her friends. "I guess I'm in."
Usagi, who had already turned around and began walking away for she knew what Makoto's answer would be. That whole morning she had been unconsciously leading them to Satan City. "Great." 'They all agree...why do I still doubt this?'
~*~*~
"Are we sure we want to ask HIM for help?" Makoto asked as she stopped with her friends just in front of the door of a very large mansion in the middle of Satan city.
Rei approached the door with caution, hoping that a security guard or dog wouldn't just lash out at her for trespassing. "Well, it is his camp you know. Not only do we need his permission, but also he could be a big help. He knows more about the attendants than we do. He can run the other gang over some rules on how to act, what to say, how to treat others there."
Minako sighed as she sat down on the front step with Hotaru. "But after all that happened at the tournament, do you think he'll WANT to help us?"
Usagi grinned as she rushed past her friends and rang the doorbell. "There's only one way to find out."
"Hey we need to think this through Usagi before we go jumping into things. We have to figure out what we're going to say." Ami tried to grab Usagi's hand away form the doorbell before she had a chance to push it in all the way before it could have a chance to actually be heard throughout the house, but by the time she had reached out, it was too late.
Usagi giggled as she backed away from the door so she wouldn't be in the way when it was opened, hopefully by Mr. Satan. "Relax, Ami. All we have to know is what we want out of him first. We can make up a speech as we go. Trust me."
Minako pulled Hotaru up as she, herself, stood to her feet. "I'm with Usagi. Even if we did have something planned you know me, I'd probably end up saying half of it wrong anyways."
Makoto was about to add to Minako's statement, but didn't get anything out of her mouth before she heard the squeaking sound of the front door being slowly opened. 'He must still get people coming by to harass him about his lies.' "Come out, Mr. Satan, it's just us. We mean you no harm." She stopped to snicker. "Unless you feel like fooling the entire world again. Then we'll sick Usagi on you again."
Mr. Satan growled with anger, as well as embarrassment. "What do you want?" He asked in a firm, harsh voice.
The girls turned serious once again as they remembered what they had come there for. They needed his help, as they were to ask, none of them knew. They wanted to do it in the most planned and strategic way, though Usagi hadn't left much room for that with just ringing the doorbell. At that moment, both Rei and Ami were trying to find the most polite way to ask him, a way that wouldn't make him angry.
But again, Usagi didn't allow for that. She had a habit of just blurting things out the way there were without trying to think of a way to say it that might even make more sense than the way she said it. "We need your help."
Rei rolled her eyes with annoyance as she sighed. "Usagi!"
The towering figure before them looked at them in shock and did the only thing that he could have possibly thought of doing after hearing something like that. He fainted. Both sighing, Usagi and Ami bent down and effortlessly picked up the sleeping giant.
Hotaru giggled as she looked down at his face. "I like him. He's funny."
Usagi matched Hotaru's giggled as she and Ami began to carry Satan into the massive mansion, which he liked to call his home. "Yeah. He's all right, I guess. When he's not lying."
Makoto walked on the side of the man to make sure he wouldn't fall off, and if he showed any signs of falling, she would be right there to stop him. "He's just a big loveable oaf."
Ami, who balanced the man on her shoulder, turned things more serious. "I just hope he'll agree to let us have the pack work at the camp."
Usagi's face started to turn pale as she was struck with realization. "You're right. I really hope that he doesn't see things the way Makoto sees them. No offense to you or anything, Makoto."
"None taken. I'll just find a way to repay the favor, that's all."
Usagi smiled just as she and her friends entered the living room of Mr. Satan's mansion, where his daughter, Videl sat with a packet of papers in her lap with a cup of coffee to go along with them. "Thanks Makoto." Usagi stopped short of her next step when she saw Videl, causing her portion of Mr. Satan fall onto the ground, waking him up immediately. "Videl?"
"WHAT'S THE DEAL!?" Mr. Satan, who the girls were suddenly fussing over, sat up and grabbed his throbbing head. "You BRAT! Just wait until your father hears about this!"
Usagi cringed as she took her attention from Videl and focused it all back onto Mr. Satan. "I'm SO sorry. I didn't mean to. Please don't tell my parents." 'Knowing mom I'll be grounded for months to come. I know exactly what she'll say too...*Don't be so absent-minded. Learn some responsibility.* Blah blah blah blah.'
Usagi bent over and give Mr. Satan a quick kiss on the head. "There, all better now." 'YUCK! What does he use in his hair? Grease?'
Mr. Satan scowled as he looked up to Usagi and refused any help up by the other girls. "You better watch yourself kid." He struggled to stand back to his feet as the girls backed away from him. He wasn't too sure of what kind of sick sadistic joke Usagi was trying to pull on him, but he was certain that he wasn't going to fall for it.
Videl stood from her seat, placing the packet of papers as well as her coffee on the table before her. "Father, what's wrong?" She turned to Usagi. "Usagi? Why are you and your friends here? Is something wrong?"
Before a single child in that room could answer the question, Mr. Satan pushed Usagi aside and ran to his daughter. "They're trying to toy with me. We should throw them out."
Videl could hardly believe such a silly reply like that. "Daddy, please tell me what's going on. I'm confused."
Mr. Satan glared at the children, who stood on the other side of the room. "You're not going to believe this. It's utterly outrageous. I think we should punish her! Goku's let her run wild far too long. Videl, get your husband on the line! NOW!"
Videl crossed her arms as she glared at her father. "Come on, daddy. She's a good kid. They all are. Remember? She stood up for you, now; will one of you PLEASE explain to me what all the fuss is about? I'm dying to know what's got my poor father all worked up."
Mr. Satan sat back in his chair, not taking his eye of Usagi once. He could have cared less about the other kids for they had never really expressed a hate for him. Though, what his daughter said was true, she did stand up for him at the tournament, but that was beside the point. "They want MY help. Can you believe it? Not only does she show the people of the world that I lied about beating Cell, but she also has to come here and mock me. Well I've got news for you, Usagi, I've been training with your bother and Videl and I think I've become quite good at this Ki-Jitsu stuff so far. So you and your little friends just run along."
Videl rolled her eyes in shame for her father. "Stop it daddy. They wouldn't be here if it weren't for something important. I know these girls very well. I know that they wouldn't try to make a mockery of you, beyond the point that it has already been. Let's see what they have to say alright?" Videl hardly thought that Usagi was capable of trying to make fun of someone. It just wasn't in her nature to do so. She knew Usagi better than her father, which was why she was not in the least bit shocked that Usagi had come to him in seek of help."
Getting a nod from Videl stating that it's ok to go on, Usagi looked back to her friends, who didn't seem to be trying to think of any special way to ask. "Well?"
Rei frowned at her friend. "You seem to just want to dip into things. Why don't you go ahead and just come right out with it?"
"You always did know just the right things to say, didn't you Rei?" Rei just grinned without adding any of her own words. "Fine." Usagi turned back to look at her sister-in-law as well as Mr. Satan. "Well, I'm pretty sure Gohan must have told you that me and the girls WERE training Mamoru's gang for a while. Piccolo and Yamcha wanted us to try to get them to learn a few things about respect but none of the adults have any patience for them. And well..." Usagi dropped her head and became quiet as she started digging the front of her foot into the floor.
Mr. Satan, who couldn't believe that anyone would rely on her with the training of others in regards of respect for to him, she didn't have any. He obviously didn't know the real Usagi. "Go on, child."
Minako looked up in a grin. 'Time to try out some Usagi logic.' "Mamoru and Haruka blew her arm off."
Usagi bolted her attention over to the now laughing Minako. "Hey. That's my line." She turned her head over to the pale faced Videl and Mr. Satan, who looked to be frozen in their place from the shock. "Yep. It's' true. They blew my right arm off." She reached out and pulled Hotaru in close to her. "But if I weren't for my friend Hotaru here, I wouldn't have my arm back today. She and all my other friends helped rebuild it with her healing powers."
"But that's not what we're here for, Usagi."
Usagi frowned at Rei. "I realize that."
"Then get on with it already."
"Fine!" Usagi looked back at the dazed adults. "Anyways...as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted..." She looked back to Rei and stuck her tongue out at her, who immediately did the same, which was only the beginning of a tongue war between the two.
Ami sighed in embarrassment. "I'll continue where Usagi left off." She said to the two laughing adults. "Apparently, we aren't going to be working with them anymore since Piccolo and Yamcha banned them from using any kind of Ki power or fighting knowledge at all. But, that doesn't stop us from trying to reform their hateful habits. But, we need Mr. Satan's help to do that." Hearing that caused the two bickering girls to quiet down.
Mr. Satan puffed out his chest and grinned. "Well of course you do little girl. I'm a world-renowned trainer. None surpasses my skills. Why when I was your age..."
Giggling at the thought of Mr. Satan being young, as it oddly struck her as being hilarious she kept picturing a mini Mr. Satan, mustache and all. Usagi rapidly interjected. "Not with training, but with something else."
Confused and a little put off, he glared at the child before him. "What?"
"Well, they are having a really hard time figuring out how to be nice. Truthfully, we've tried everything that we could think of. We've been nice to them to show them how it's done and to let them know that we aren't going to beat them up when they do something bad. We've told them how to act, but all it's gotten us is punishment from them that we really don't deserve. Then daddy told us about your camp, about all the poor sickly people who go there."
"Yeah," Makoto interrupted, though not making Usagi in the least bit angry. "Those kids are the real heroes, ones that fight every day of their lives."
"That's all they really need. At least," Minako added, "That's what we think. We want them to see that they aren't the center of the universe. We want them to grow in character and see that other people's feelings count just as much as theirs do."
Mr. Satan smirked, but soon turned it to a frown. "Girls, I would love to help out with this, but these kids don't need abuse from others. They get enough of it just surviving as it is. Those kids are just plain rotten to the bone."
Usagi sighed as she looked down to the ground. 'I knew he was going to say that.' "Well what if we promised to stay there and make sure that they get treated good. What if we made sure that Mamoru and the others didn't get into any trouble?"
Mr. Satan pondered over Usagi's statement with care. He didn't want to let her down, but then again, what was worse? Letting Usagi down or having a bunch of kids being beaten by the counselors? "Are you positive that you can keep them under control?"
Videl sat next to her father and looked upon the anxious faces of the kids. "Daddy, if the girls say that they'll take care of it, then there's no need to worry about it." That got a nod from all six of the guests.
Mr. Satan sighed. "If any of those guys decide that they want to beat on any of the campers I'll take them on myself. I'll be there the entire two weeks. I don't want them causing any type of trouble. One problem and their out."
Usagi smiled down at him with respect, perhaps for the first time. "Thanks Mr. Satan. You won't ever forget this."
"Ok, it starts on Monday, you do realize that, right?" Usagi nodded. "Ok, I'll prepare bunks for you kids. I take it you don't want to share with each other's group?"
"No way!" Makoto shouted before any of the other girls could respond. "We won't get ANY sleep that way. We'll just stay up fighting all night."
Ami thought about that for a moment and came up with the same conclusion. "I concur."
Minako gave Ami a strange look. "Ok, yeah. Whatever that means, I go along with it."
Videl giggled at Minako, as well as Ami. "Ok. I'll make sure daddy gets two different bunks for you guys."
Usagi turned back to her friends with a grin. "See I told you. You don't always need to plan out what you're going to say."
Rei and Ami just frowned as they turned to walk away. "Remind me to get her back for that, Ami."
"Will do."
Usagi grinned. "I know you don't mean that. I know everyone loves me!" Usagi laughed as she ran to her friends and put her arms around their shoulders.
Hotaru ignored everything that her friends were doing and walked to the tired old man. "So you'll really do it? You'll really let us all come?"
Mr. Satan nodded. "Of course. I said I would and I'm sticking by it. I just hope what you want to happen, does. Otherwise it's a big waste of time."
"Hotaru..."
Hotaru looked back to Minako, who called to her. "Coming." She took one look back at Mr. Satan and Videl with a smile. "See ya later. Oh yeah, Videl, can you thank Gohan for all that ice cream that he bought us?" With that, she turned around and skipped off to join her friends.
Videl curiously watched the Saiyan depart from the living room. "Ice cream? He never told me about any ice cream. He told me that he was taking them to the park when they left the house after the tournament... WAIT A MINUTE. He better not have spent a ton of money on those greedy little kids!" She lifted herself from her chair and stormed out of the room to find a phone.
Mr. Satan just laughed at ALL of the girls as they left the room. "Females will always boggle my mind."
~*~*~
Outside the mansion, the girls still had a full day of convincing left. They still had to ask each parent of the girls, which would be cake. The only thing that they were worried about was the situation of Piccolo and Yamcha. They were still angry with their students for what they had done, and who could really blame them. They had blown off a child's arm without a second thought.
"So, Usagi, Miss 'I don't need a plan to get my way', how do you suggest that we ask Piccolo and Yamcha?" Rei asked in a taunting tone.
Usagi rolled her eyes in annoyance as she took to the air. "Just how we asked Mr. Satan. A spur of the moment kind of thing. I'm telling you, it works every time. You don't have to be so organized about everything."
"I'm with Usagi." Minako exclaimed.
"Me too." Hotaru added as she jumped into the air to be with her friends. "I just hope he isn't in a bad mood right now."
Usagi got a big grin on her face as she proceeded to move forward. "Well, like I said before, there's only one way to find out." Without any further conversation, the six friends took off at their fastest speed into the mountains, where they would hope to find Piccolo and Mamoru.
~*~*~
Mamoru sat in his room with literally nothing to do. He never knew how boring life was without being able to fly and train. On a normal day, he would wake at sunrise and spar with his father for a few hours and have breakfast. Then he would fly into the city to see what trouble he could cause with his friends. Now, he was left to sleep in as early as he pleased, which he wasn't particularly complaining about. He couldn't spar with his father, meaning his fighting skill as well as power would go down. He couldn't even go to the city since it was much too far to walk to, which left him stranded in the mountains, for the rest of the summer until school started up again. At least then he could finally see his friends. He had no real human contact besides his father, who was most often gone. 'Is this how I'm to spend the next year? In these cursed mountains with no one to talk to?'
He still couldn't believe how ridiculously unfair his father was being about this whole situation. It was not as if he had actually wanted to rip the girl's arm off, it was more of an accident than anything. Yet, his father didn't seem to care, which left him in his current situation. He just hoped that his punishment would ware off before it was meant to end.
Outside, he could hear his father and Yamcha engaged in a fierce spar. He was so put out with his father's decision that he didn't even wish to watch that for it would only make him want to fight as well. "If Odango would have only left her big nose out of my business none of this would have happened. Why does she always have to be in my way?" He perked up when he felt the power levels of his rivals approaching his home at a rather fast speed. "They'll be here in a matter of five minutes. They're probably here to try and give me their damned pity. Well screw them. I won't even listen to them. I'll just tell them to get out. I don't need them."
~*~*~
The girls landed about 100 meters from the spar, which was coming to an end due to their presence.
Dodging a punch to the face by Yamcha, Piccolo managed to momentarily glance over in the girls' direction. "What do you guys want? Haven't you created enough hatred in my kid?"
Beating her friends to any sort of response, Makoto was ready to lash out at that comment. "We didn't create that hate and you know it! You're the ones who came to us because you said that we could cure them of their habits!"
Piccolo elbowed Yamcha in the spine, throwing him to the ground. "We're through here, Yamcha." Piccolo landed onto his feet and cracked his neck. "Fine, you're right, ok? You don't have to rub it in." Makoto lightened up her frown as she tried to let out a smile.
Usagi looked around to her friends, whom were all staring back at her. "Oh now because I came up with the theory I have to be the one to test it out?" She got a bunch of zombie nods from her friends, who tried to make it look as if they were mindless. "You guys are nerds." That earned her giggles from all around.
Usagi looked up to Piccolo, and over to Yamcha, who was climbing back to his feet. "We still want to try to get the pack to become more respectful, if you don't mind. We have this really awesome plan on how to get it to work too."
Piccolo shook his head back and forth with a frown. "No more training."
Minako smirked. "Ah ha! You said no more fighting training, you never said anything about their training on learning how to respect others."
~*~*~
Mamoru walked to his bedroom window and pulled open the shade to eavesdrop on his father and his rivals."
~*~*~
Piccolo growled at the child. "They will NEVER learn. They don't have the will to. They are just going to be lowlifes for the rest of their lives."
~*~*~
Mamoru's face became heavy as his emotions started to kick in due to his father's harsh words. 'So that's all he thinks about me? I don't need his pity either!' Mamoru dropped the shades and went back to sulking, alone.
~*~*~
Usagi frowned at Piccolo in shame, as well as disgust. "How can you say that about your own kid, Piccolo? If my parents had that attitude I might not be who I am today and you know it. I could be just as hateful as Mamoru. I probably wouldn't even like my parents, let alone love them, if I ever heard them talk about me like that, like they have no faith in me. I know you're trying to change, but there was a lot of damage already done before you changed your point of view."
"Oh don't be shoving this on me, Usagi. You know nothing about parenting that kid. You only know of what he does to you, which isn't as bad as trying to parent him. Believe me, I've tried to reform him."
"The question is how you've tried. Children learn from that too."
"We're not here to try and knock you or him, Piccolo." Ami interrupted before any more harsh words could be spoken. "We're here to ask you for your permission to have him and all of the rest of your students to go to Mr. Satan's camp, the one that works with kids who have Muscle Dystrophy. We believe that once they see the troubles of these other kids that they will begin to realize how wrong they really are. They will, hopefully, learn some compassion towards others."
Piccolo snickered. "Are you nuts? Those kids will have a beating frenzy if they go there and see helpless kids. You know that."
Rei frowned at his lack of cooperation, and Yamcha's unwillingness to interject. "This is a chance for them to learn to care about others besides themselves. To see that there are all types of strengths and that caring isn't a weakness. They still believe that power gives them the right to do anything, and that's entirely too wrong."
Piccolo looked back to his fellow trainer for help, but he seemed to want to stay quiet. 'A lot of good he is.' He looked back down to the eager faces of the children. He knew that they were right; this was a wonderful opportunity for the kids to learn how to care for others. "Fine. But you guys can tell them yourselves." He smirked as the girls just gave him a glare, letting their disagreement be known. Piccolo violently turned away from the group and proceeded to walk back to his house to fetch his son.
Yamcha looked down at the girls, Usagi in particular. "So, your arm ok?"
Usagi nodded. "Yep. It's as good as new. Hotaru and the others did a really good job on it."
Sighing, Yamcha began to warm up to the girls after one short question and answer. He wanted to make sure that they weren't going to lash out at him for brining the Americans over. "How did your mom react? Knowing her she had a cow and went on about how if anyone else hurt her baby she would have their head served to her on a silver platter."
Usagi giggled. "Something like that. More like if they tried it again she would personally go over there and rip their limbs off and leave them there to fend for themselves."
Yamcha chuckled at Chi-Chi's predictability. "She always did have a knack for overprotection."
"Odango! So nice of you to drop by and pay and old pal a visit." Mamoru smirked as he and his father walked towards the group, though that little remark earned him a slap in the back of his head from his father causing the girls to all frown.
"Shut your trap."
Mamoru scornfully scowled up at his father. He wouldn't soon forget what he had heard from him not even fifteen minutes before. "What do they want? Isn't she the reason why I had my training rights revoked?"
"It's was your own fault. Now pay attention. They have something to tell you. They have an excellent idea about your next training."
"I thought we weren't under them anymore."
Piccolo sighed. "Not physical training you aren't, but as for learning to appreciate others, they've still got you on the hook."
'Always gotta butt in. Never learns her lesson. This kid is more stupid than I thought.' Glaring at Usagi, Mamoru asked, "What's this training? Having us walk over hot coals?"
Frowning, Usagi took the reigns. "No, this is to strengthen your soul. You'll be training with true heroes. Stronger then even our parents and trainers. They have no equal. To learn this we will all go to camp for two weeks and be helping them in any way possible."
Mamoru looked down to the younger child in curiosity. "Camp?"
Ami let out an almost silent laugh at that. Mamoru's stunned face was completely priceless. "Yes, camp. We'll be aides at the Mr. Satan camp for Muscular Dystrophy."
"NO WAY. I WON'T DO IT! YOU CAN'T MAKE ANY OF US!"
"ENOUGH." Piccolo roared. He was tired of his son always having to get the last word in. "The decision has been made, you will do this. All of your little friends will too."
Yamcha smirked evilly as an idea came into his head. "You think you're bored now, well think about how bored you'll be if we decided to discontinue all of your training for two years instead of just one."
That pretty much got no protest at all from a distressed Mamoru. He just dropped his head in irritation and sighed. "Fine. We'll go to your stupid camp, Odango."
~*~*~
When Usagi arrived home that night, she was unusually greeted by her father, whom had the look of concern planted on his face. "What's wrong daddy?" She asked as she looked up to him while he led her to her room.
"I wouldn't suggest talking to mom right now. She's still upset about yesterday and has been wired all day. It's like walking on thin ice around her. She just lashes out about every little thing."
Usagi giggled. "I understand." She sure didn't want a replay of what had happened the night before.
"I think it's best if you just stay in your room until she calms down."
Usagi nodded. "I think you're right, daddy."
Just as the Saiyan duo turned into the living room, Chi-Chi emerged from her room with a sudden look of relief. "USAGI!"
Fearing for their lives, both Goku and Usagi froze mid-step. "Yes mom?"
Chi-Chi ran to her daughter and pulled her away from Goku's grasp and hugged her. "My poor baby. Is all the emotional trauma gone?" She kneeled down in front of her and pulled on her right arm. "Your arm hasn't fallen off or anything, has it?"
Groaning, Usagi thinks a few weeks away from home will be a good breather.