~*~*~*~
~~The Next Day~~
Tatsuo walked into class the next morning with his books in his hand. He hadn't a bag like all the other students. He preferred less bulk. But much like the other students, he wore a wide smile on his face. Slowly closing the door behind himself, he looked to the back of the room, where he had seen Ami and her friends gather the day before. And sure enough, as he had figured, they were there again, huddled in their own little group. Even Usagi was there, and there was at least ten minutes left before school. Part of that was due to her mother, who had forced her to get up a half hour earlier than the day before so she would leave for school without having to transform into a Super Saiyan.
Tatsuo's smile grew more devious as he set his books down at his desk, which was the closest one to the door, and began walking to the back of the room. He still wanted to know more about these girls. He wanted to know all about them, their power, their weaknesses, their strengths. He wanted to absolutely EVERYTHING.
Usagi was the first to notice the advancing boy. She welcomed him with a warm smile and a soft giggle. She remembered the conversation with her father from the night before, how he thought that she had liked this boy. That was a joke, he wasn't the type she could like. At that point in her life, she wasn't sure what type of boy she liked, she wasn't even sure if she liked one yet. Well, no, she couldn't say that. Not quite. "Hi Tatsuo!" She chirped.
The perverse element of his smile faded away, leaving only a friendly smile to be seen. He said nothing as the girls turned to face him, all of whom welcomed him with their own 'hellos'. Just as he was about to welcome them back, his eyes were diverted to Usagi's chest. In the center of the bow on her uniform was a strange broach of some sort, one which he had failed to see the day before. He figured it was because he was New. He was trying to acclimate to his New surroundings. But there sat a pink and yellow broach upon her chest, as clear as day. His mind was suddenly erased of anything he had planned to say. His thoughts were now replaced with questions of what the purpose of this suspicious looking broach. "Usagi...?"
Usagi nodded to acknowledge him. "What?"
He pointed at her broach with a look of question. "What's that?"
Usagi didn't respond to that right away. She wasn't sure how to answer it. She looked up to her friends, who were as equally questioning. They didn't seem to know how to answer. She quickly looked back to the inquisitive Tatsuo. She didn't want to wait too long to answer otherwise he may become suspicious that she's hiding something, that this broach means more than the eye can tell. "Well... it's ... it was a gift from my mother." She blurted out, not knowing of anything else to answer with. It wasn't a lie, in fact, it was far from a lie. It was in fact from her mother. Her Moon mother, that is.
Tatsuo nodded, his suspicions growing even more by the tone of her voice. "It's pretty." He said as he reached for it. "Can I see it?"
Usagi wrapped her hand around her broach and pulled away. "No." She complained. She could never let anyone touch it, not even her parents. Her mother had once inquired about it, she only replied that it was a present from a friend, nothing more. She kept her hand over her broach.
Tatsuo frowned as he pulled back a bit as well. "Why not?" He reached for it once again, only to find Makoto pushing him aside. He looked up at the brunet, his eyes narrowed further. "What's the big idea?"
Makoto frowned down at Tatsuo who was about three inches shorter than her. "She said no." She said with a glare.
Tatsuo stood erected and glared back into Makoto's eyes. He raised his fist, only to quickly drop it back down again. "You don't have to be stubborn, gees. It's not like I'm going to break it." He said as he moved his head to the side in order to look at Usagi.
Usagi grasped the broach harder. She couldn't let it get into the wrong hands. She hadn't even let her friends touch it. "I'd rather not. It's really special and I'd kill myself if it got broken."
Tatsuo dropped his composure and shrugged. He seemed to accept the answer given to him. "Alright. You don't have to show me if you don't want to." He narrowed his eyes into a frown once again, and, while eyeing Usagi's hands which were over her broach, he turned away only to pause in his step. "Are we still on to meet at your house after school, Usagi?"
Usagi nodded. "I...I guess." She stammered, still not sure what to do, or even what to think.
Tatsuo smiled to himself. "Good. I'll see you all at lunch then." With that, he made his way to the front of the room to his seat, leaving the girls to ponder over what just took place.
Usagi backed up and allowed herself to lean against the back wall. Her legs felt like wet noodles beneath the weight of her body. She let out a deep sigh of relief as she slowly uncovered her broach. "That was close."
Ami nodded as she eyed Tatsuo in his seat. He looked to just be sitting, staring blankly at the empty blackboard. "I told you he was strange."
Minako slightly frowned at that. "I think you're wrong, Ami. He's different than us, yes, but he's acting petty normal to me. He just wanted to see the broach. He was curious. It's a normal, healthy thing for people to be curious about things, right?"
Rei, too, found herself glaring at the boy. She wasn't sure if she completely agreed with Minako on that one. Sure, he was acting normal whenever Usagi and Minako were around, but the day before in the lunch room he acted stranger than anyone she had ever met. "I say we keep an eye on him."
Usagi sighed. "You guys are always jumping to conclusion."
Rei frowned as he turned back to Usagi. "Well think about it, Usagi! We've already been through so much. All Saiyans were attacked by Kiro during the tournament. Then Cell, then Beryl. And this doesn't only date back to us, you know. Your family and their friends have been fighting strong threats for their entire lives. It's like a tradition that we fight off all threats. Even us, it's our destiny. It's your family's destiny to fight, and it's ours to protect you, the Moon Princess. "
Usagi rolled her eyes and she pulled away from the wall. "Yeah, so what. What does this have to do with Tatsuo? He hasn't given me any reason to think he's an enemy. Strange maybe, yes, but that's because he's only just moved here."
Rei sighed. It was obvious she wasn't going to listen, not until she was proved that he was weird. "I have a feeling, alright?" And it was true. Tatsuo gave off strange vibes to her, ever since she had first met him and held a conversation with him the day before at lunch. It's not that they were evil. She didn't quite know what they were. She couldn't put her finger on it, but it was just strange, something to watch for. Ever since she was little she would get these feelings, it was the same with Kiro. Although, in that situation, she actually had visions. She knew that they were evil. But, what really WAS up with Tatsuo?
Usagi couldn't quite argue with that. Rei was known for knowing things the others hadn't. She had learned to trust her early on in her life, and would not defy her feelings. "Ok." She said, almost defeated. "I'll watch out for any strangeness. I'll watch my back and make sure nothing happens."
Makoto nodded to show that she agreed it was a good idea. "Thank you." She looked up at the clock, they had three minutes before class would start. "Class is gonna start soon."
Ami turned her head to the clock for confirmation, then let her eyes wander down to the head of Tatsuo, which hadn't moved an inch since the last time she had looked at him. She shuddered at the thought of having to go through four periods of him acting like a drone. That was it! He would act like a machine again during class, Usagi wouldn't be around so he wouldn't have to act normal. As she thought about it harder, a question came to mind. Why DID he act so normal around the blondes, yet not around the others. He seemed exceptionally interested in Usagi, more so than Minako. Maybe it wasn't about Minako. Maybe it was only Usagi. After all, everywhere that Usagi went, Minako wasn't too far behind. "Usagi," She began as she turned back to her friend, who was already starting out for her seat, "Watch him during class today. He'll act like a robot."
Makoto nodded as she too looked back to Usagi. "And try to listen to anything he says. He says some strange thing that no normal human says."
Usagi nodded. Maybe there was something wrong with him. Her friends, after all, weren't known to try and pick things out that were wrong with others. Or maybe he had just been that out of society for so long that he was naturally strange. That was the case with her father. He had lived in the mountains with his grandfather until he was about eleven. He hadn't had any outside contact, and then when Gohan had died, he was all alone, with virtually no contact. She had heard many stories from Bulma and Yamcha about how strange he was, with all the weird things he would do. He hadn't even known what a machine was. He thought they were monsters at first, and took Bulma for a witch. She even heard about all the times he would go up to women and try to feel around their bodies to decipher whether they were actually women or not. But, eventually her father had integrated into society, but had always kept his immaturity and some strangeness. It wasn't until about fifteen to twenty years ago when he REALLY started to act like a person of society. Maybe it would just take some time for this guy to integrate himself as well.
In any way, she couldn't promise that she would be trying to listen for anything he said. She would be trying to juggle her own conversation with Minako and listen to the teacher's lectures at the same time. Of course, her Saiyan hearing would allow for better eavesdropping. "Ok, I'll listen for anything strange."
Ami smiled. "Good." The girls dispersed from their gathering and made their way to their seats when Mr. Sakaguchi walked into the room, ready to start the day's history lesson.
~*~*~
Over the course of the next four hours, Usagi set aside any conversation she would have liked to had with Minako, as well as what the teachers were lecturing about. She tuned in solely on Tatsuo and anything that he would say, which was virtually nothing. Once or twice he had asked Ami for a pen and paper, but nothing out of the ordinary. But, she would continue to listen for anything funny, not because she thought Tatsuo was a suspicious character, but because she respected her friends' word.
By the time lunch rolled around, nothing had happened. Tatsuo stayed completely quiet. He hadn't even moved an inch, which Usagi found sort of weird, but nothing to be alarmed about. She figured that he was just really interested in what was being said. She had even found herself so intent on listening to what was being said that she hadn't really moved or said anything once.
~*~*~
Class was once again dismissed for Lunch after fourth period. Minako and Usagi, as usual, were the first to zoom out into the hall. They had been almost late to lunch the day before, but today, they planned on getting to be one of the firsts in the snack line.
The others were soon to trail, with Tatsuo following closely behind. But by the time they were out in the clear, Usagi and Minako could no longer be seen, only felt. Tatsuo cocked his head to the side in confusion. Never had he seen anyone with such speed. Not anyone normal, at least. "Why is it that we were short to follow those two and now they are already so far ahead?"
A normal question for a normal human being, Makoto thought. "That's a result of our training."
Tatsuo's composure dropped a bit as he turned to Makoto in surprise. "You can all do this?"
Makoto nodded. At least now he was asking valid questions, instead of why his stomach felt strange when it was empty. "Of course. We've all been training since we were five. But, none of us, not even Usagi are nearly as strong as Goku. He can transform to the third level of Super Saiyan."
Tatsuo groaned for a reason unknown to the girls. But he wasn't about to tell their curious faces why. "Why do you people wish for this power?"
Rei frowned. What was with this guy? He was always so full of questions, so nosy. And here they were knowing nothing about him. "He protects the earth, simple as that."
Tatsuo had nothing to say at that. He just went on with a smile, anticipating his meeting with Goku even more. He wanted to see if this Goku was anything compared to Mr. Satan, who was proclaimed to be the savior of the Earth by many books he had read. He wanted to know exactly WHO was the strongest, which would determine only one thing.
~*~*~
And so the day went on. Lunch was a normal proceeding, one the girls had become accustomed to over the years. It was a time of relaxation and a time to goof off before the ending periods of the day. And, much like in the classroom, Usagi watched Tatsuo very carefully, finding not a single flaw with him, except for the way he ate his food. He just kind of picked a handful of it up and stuffed it into her mouth, sort of like her father, but more animal-like.
~*~*~
~~Son Household~~
Chi-Chi walked into her daughter's room holding a blue laundry basket. Although it wasn't her job to do so, she constantly found herself picking up her daughter's dirty clothing day after day after day. It was Usagi's responsibility to do so, but like most pre-teens, she neglected it.
In the background, she could hear her husband lurking around, which wasn't normal for him. Normally, during this time of day, he would be out somewhere either doing something recreational by himself, or sparring with either their sons or his friends while he waited for Usagi to come home from school so they could go out and do something. Of course sparring was considered to be a recreation when Goku was being talked about. But still, she couldn't help but wonder why he was home at this time of day.
Thinking that he was hiding something from her, as he always behaves strangely when he's hiding something from her, Chi-Chi backed out of her daughter's room just in time to see her husband walking from their room and to the hall. She dropped the laundry basket, causing it to clank against the wooden flooring and gaining Goku's attention. She frowned suspiciously as she put her hands around her waist. "What are you doing home? First you get me accustomed to you not being home during the day and now here you are, home. Make up your mind and stick with it."
Goku gave his wife a carefree smile. "Usagi's bringing home a boy."
Chi-Chi's frown disappeared and was replaced with a prideful smile. Finally, her daughter had found a boy she liked. Not that she was going to approve a relationship at such an early age, but it was nice to know. "Really? A boy?" Her eyes dazzled for just a moment longer when it hit her. Goku was acting strange for her bringing home a boy. "Now just hold on a second, bud. YOU allowed her to bring home a boy?" She grinned as she walked forward to get in closer dialogue range with him.
Goku nodded, still with a smile on his face. "Yes."
Chi-Chi stopped and laughed. "You? Of all people. You're the one who doesn't want her to get interested in boys."
Goku once again nodded, throwing his wife into even further confusion. It was true, he didn't want her to get interested in boys. Not only because she was his little girl, but because he knew exactly what boys would do to her, and exactly what they were interested in. He had seen the troubles Gohan had had when Pan hit this age. They weren't pretty. Pan was always brining boys home. Poor Gohan and Videl didn't know if she actually liked him or what half of the time. And then there were the times she would overhear Chi-Chi and Videl talking about Pan's latest boyfriend who had once again thrown her into "depression" because they broke up. And then the other times one would try to push Pan into something she didn't want to do. That was one phase Goku wasn't looking forward to going through, which was creeping up on him. That was why he was so protective over Usagi. He hadn't wanted her to go through that, but it looked almost inevitable. But luckily, Usagi had assured him that she wasn't interested in the boy she was bringing over that day. "Who said anything about being interested? She just wants me to show him that I'm stronger than Mr. Satan."
Chi-Chi sighed with a face fault. She too hadn't quite wanted Usagi to go through the troubles of dating, but it still would have been nice to know she was finally maturing. "You've corrupted my daughter, Goku."
Goku snorted arrogantly. "Me? Corrupt her? You're the one that keeps telling her it's perfectly normal to like boys at her age."
Chi-Chi frowned. "Well it is!"
Goku; "It may be normal, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. I've seen what those little brats want to do with girls."
Chi-Chi's frown almost immediately faded away with a smile appearing in its place. At least she knew he wasn't just trying to be selfish and keep her a little girl all her life. "True, but Usagi is mature enough not to listen."
Goku; "I'm not worried about that. I have complete confidence in her, but I don't want her to have to put up with that crap."
Chi-Chi nodded. That was something she could most definitely agree with. "True, but you know, there are worse things than her going out with some random boy."
Goku groaned. He didn't even want to think about that. Going out with just anyone was bad enough. What could possibly be worse? "Do I even dare to ask?"
Chi-Chi grinned. The idea even made her queasy. "If she was ever insane enough to go out with Mamoru."
Goku's face turned green with nausea at the thought. "I'd kill them BOTH. Mamoru for having the gal to go out with MY daughter after all the crap he's pulled, and Usagi for being insane enough to EVER do something so stupid." He chuckled to himself, and soon, Chi-Chi joined him with giggles of her own. Neither of them could ever picture that pairing happening.
~*~*~
After lunch, the school day was pretty laid back for the gang of friends. Usagi continued to listen for Tatsuo, but heard nothing, as usual. Even the other girls had opted to watch for strange behavior, but they hadn't see anything either.
Now school was finally over, and the awaited hour had Tatsuo in a fit of excitement. He would finally meet Goku, the supposed strongest person in the world. He met the girls just outside the school, who had all decided to go the day before to keep an eye on the situation. But he hadn't known that. He figured that they were just getting together as friends often do, which was how they wanted to keep it.
Minako was the first to notice the character meandering toward them. She turned back to her circle of friends with a smile. It had been a while since they had gotten together at Usagi's house. They usually just met in the city and hung out at random locations. "He's here."
Usagi looked up with a smile. "Good. Now we can get going."
Rei, Makoto, and Ami exchanged looks of concern. If he was going to try anything, if was truly a new opponent, he would most likely try something now since he knew Goku as the strongest character on the planet.
Tatsuo stopped in front of the girls with a huge smile on his face, as it had been the entire day. "I'm ready!"
Usagi nodded. "Ok. Normally, we'd fly for exercise, but I don't want to keep my dad waiting. He's probably chomping at the bit right now."
Tatsuo turned his head onto its side. "Why?"
Usagi grinned. "He doesn't really like the idea of me bringing home a boy right now, even if it is for something as innocent as this."
Tatsuo smirked with an impish tint. That was an interesting bit of information. Her father was very protective, which must mean that he loved her quite a bit. "Let's go then. Wouldn't want to keep a man of his stature waiting, would we?"
Usagi reached out and grabbed his hand and put her forefinger and middle finger on her forehead like her father had taught her all those years ago. She motioned her friends to do the same, which they did. In a quick flash, she concentrated her energy to her father's as did her friends, and just like that, they were gone.
~*~*~
~~Son Household~~
Usagi and Tatsuo appeared in front of her house along with the other girls. An excited chocolate brown dog came running for them with its tongue hanging out of its mouth. Usagi smiled as she kneeled down to welcome the kind animal. "Lucky!" She squealed.
Tatsuo looked at the dog with a frown. "Such an inferior creature."
Ami found herself frowning at Tatsuo. She hoped Usagi had heard that. "Dogs are smarter than we humans suggest."
Tatsuo ignored the blue-haired girl and continued to stare at the dog, who was now sniffing around his feet. "I don't like dogs."
Usagi reached down and grabbed Lucky's collar and pulled her away from the boy. "Sorry. She likes meeting new people." She pushed the dog away. "Go on."
Tatsuo kept his eyes on the dog, still with a frown implanted deep in his eyes. Makoto, who was equally frowning at him, pushed forward, motioning for him to follow. "The house is this way."
Usagi smiled as she grabbed Tatsuo by the wrist and began guiding him forward. "Yeah, my house is this way. My dad's waiting for you." She yelled excitedly as she led her new friend to the front door. Ami, Rei, and Makoto followed close behind, watching his every move. She placed her hand on the knob and slowly pushed in. "Mom? Dad?" She called in as she motioned for her friends to come in.
The girls acted pretty normal as they had been here thousands of times before, but Tatsuo hadn't. He was looking eagerly around as if he had never seen the inside of a house before this day. He examined absolutely everything. Even the wooden flooring.
Usagi turned to face her friends. "I'll be right back." She looked down at Tatsuo, who was on his knees currently examining the phone. For the first time, she quirked a brow, thinking that this was somewhat strange behavior. "I'm going to go get my dad." She said as she slowly backed away, keeping her eyes on the curious Tatsuo.
She turned down the hall and then into the living room. Her mother was sitting on the couch reading some adult magazine, something which she was definitely interested in. "Hi mom."
Chi-Chi smiled as she turned around to her daughter. She knew who she was looking for. "Your father is in our room. I think he's preparing himself."
Usagi giggled. "He's so silly sometimes."
Chi-Chi grinned. "All the time's more like it."
Usagi nodded with a wide grin of her own. "I'm afraid of what he's going to do when I actually try to bring a boy home who I like."
Chi-Chi; "I don't think you have to worry. Your father would only freak out if the boy did something to you."
Usagi sighed. "I guess."
Chi-Chi's grin was quickly wiped away as she looked back to her magazine. "Change out of your school cloths before you do anything. I don't want them getting dirty or ripped."
Usagi nodded. "Yes mom." She turned around and walked into her room. Then, after changing, she would retrieve her father.
~*~*~
Goku had heard the voice of his daughter echoing from outside his room, where he had actually been preparing. Not because he thought Usagi actually liked this boy, but because he had to tell himself over and over that she didn't.
Chi-Chi looked up from her reading again when she heard the door of her room opening, and out came Goku dressed in his usual orange Gi. "Usagi's getting changed."
Goku nodded. He knew that for he had heard Chi-Chi telling her to get changed. He wasn't all too concerned with that. "Is he here?"
Chi-Chi nodded. "I'm guessing so. But," She looked up with a warnful eyes, "don't go out there until she's ready to bring you out there. That could be tragic. Always let the girls make the first move."
Goku groaned. That sounded too much like dating advice. "Gotcha." The squeaking of his daughter's door soon caught his attention. "Usagi!" He said as he waved his hand to greet her.
Usagi smiled as she emerged from her room in a new set of cloths. More like her Gi. She planned on sparring with her father later when Tatsuo and her friends left. "Hi daddy! Ready to go show off?"
Goku grinned as he walked around the couch. "Sure."
Usagi wrapped her arm around her father's and the two walked down the hall and into the family room together, where Tatsuo seemed to have calmed down in regards to curiosity. Now he just sat with wide eyes as he took in the entire structure of the house. But, he soon let his eyes fall upon the father and daughter duo and smiled.
Usagi let go of her father and walked to Tatsuo. "Tatsuo, this is my dad, Son Goku." She said, very politely. She turned to her father with a huge grin. "Daddy, this is the boy I was telling you about, Tatsuo. And I know what you're thinking so stop it."
Tatsuo jumped to his feet and stood before Goku with a wide smile. He was about shoulder height on him, while Usagi only reached to his lower stomach. "Hello, Son Goku. I am Tatsuo." He looked back to Usagi, noticing that she had changed and was no longer wearing her broach she held so dear to her heart earlier.
Goku looked down at the boy, though he didn't have to look far. This was such a change from all of Usagi's friends who were substantially shorter. "Hi, Tatsuo!" He said in a chipper voice. The two extended hands and went in for a handshake.
Usagi smiled. They had gotten through the handshake. "Good, now that you two have met, let's get this show on the road."
Minako grinned. "Yeah. Tatsuo, you're finally going to see the true hero of earth in action."
Rei found herself smiling. "He's better than us, not that you've seen us fighting before, but just know, he's better than us."
Goku blushed slightly as he pulled back his hand. "I can't take all the credit you guys. Don't forget, Gohan beat Cell, and then Usagi, you showed Kiro that Saiyans here aren't bad. And in the past, you five fought and defeated Cell. And then there are the Senshi, our most recent heroes." Tatsuo perked up at the word 'Senshi'. Why, no one knows, but he seemed interested by the word.
Usagi sighed. "Yeah, but you beat Cell the second time he came to earth. And then all those other guys you beat. Piccolo, the red Ribbon Army, Raditz, the people who invaded Namek, Freiza, and Buu."
Tatsuo looked up to Goku with a blank expression. His eyes told of his deep fascination. These people had been through so much trying to save the earth it was insane. "Why do you fight to save everyone? That's crazy. You should let them fight for themselves."
Goku decided to take that question for he knew best. "I don't know about everyone else, I fight for everyone I love. My family and my friends mean everything to me." He wrapped his arm around his daughter's neck. Just the thought of anything bad happening to her made him angry. "But part of my mind tells me to fight for those who can't fight back. They don't deserve to die. Most of these enemies have even killed some of us off. Technically I shouldn't be here because I've died too many times."
This struck Tatsuo as strange. How could someone die, and then be standing here alive as ever? "Excuse me, but, are you telling me that you're dead?"
Goku chuckled. "No. I'm very much alive." He could see the boy falling into even more confusion. "You see, we have these things called Dragon Balls. They allow us to make two wishes. We will usually bring back anyone who has died of an unnatural cause. That means, anyone who dies in the process of our fighting will be brought back. But that wasn't the case with me. I died twice and am only allowed one time. But, I was given someone else's life for the good of the earth when Buu came."
Ami cleared her throat, basically telling Goku to shut up. She hadn't yet had a chance to tell him about this boy's strange behavior, that they didn't trust him enough to be telling him about the Dragon Balls. But, he didn't get the hint. He was obviously too much like Usagi to understand.
Tatsuo smiled at the mentioning of the Dragon Balls. They could be very useful. "Dragon Balls, eh? Where can I find them?"
Ami frowned. She didn't like the sound of that. She looked at Usagi, pleadingly, as if asking her to stop Goku now. But Usagi wasn't paying attention to her. She was more paying attention to her father and Tatsuo.
Goku; "Normally, I keep some here, and one belongs to Usagi."
Usagi smiled. "And I'm still waiting for them to return to normal so I can have mine back!"
Tatsuo; "Stone?"
Goku nodded. "After we use them, they turn to stone for a year so we don't have unlimited wishes. They also spread themselves around so we don't know exactly where they are at the moment."
Tatsuo hunched his shoulders. "That sucks."
Goku grinned, thinking that Tatsuo was referring to the fact that he couldn't make a wish right now. "Maybe we'll let you make one when they turn back. It should only be about four more months."
Tatsuo sighed. "Ok." He looked up into the eyes of Goku, who seemed to be completely comfortable with the boy. "Before you show me how strong you are, can I use the restroom?"
Usagi nodded, taking the place of her father. "Sure. It's down the hall and around the corner, second room on the right."
Tatsuo smiled. "Thanks." He pushed past Goku and Usagi and followed Usagi's direction.
Usagi looked up at her father with a wide smile as she pulled away from his grip. "See? I told you you'd like him! Isn't he nice?"
Goku nodded. "I only like him because you don't like each other."
Usagi giggled. "You're silly, daddy."
~*~*~
Tatsuo stood in the living room where he could see a woman sitting on the sofa in the middle of the room. This room was completely different from the other room from which he had just come from. In the middle there was a big, black box just sitting here. He figured it was a T.V. for he had seen many in the books he had read. "Hello." He said as he walked around the sofa.
Chi-Chi put her magazine down and looked up the unfamiliar voice with a smile. "Why hello, you must be Usagi's friend." If this were anyone else, someone she knew well she would have been down their throats already. She was getting tired of being interrupted.
Tatsuo nodded. "I'm Tatsuo, Mrs. Son."
Chi-Chi; "Oh, I'm sorry, my name is Chi-Chi."
Tatsuo smiled. "Nice to meet you. Your husband is a very nice man. I am looking forward to seeing his strength."
Chi-Chi grinned. She wished Usagi had liked this boy. It wasn't everyday you find such a young man so nice. "You're in for a show. Just don't let him talk you into fighting him if you don't want to."
Tatsuo nodded. "I will keep that in mind. I have to use the restroom."
"It's right there." She said pointing the door to the left of her daughter's door.
Tatsuo turned around and confirmed his destination. "Thank you."
Chi-Chi smiled warmly. "You're welcome."
As Chi-Chi went back to her reading, Tatsuo walked to Usagi's door, which he had pinpointed as her room when he first walked into the living room. In fact he had not needed to use the restroom. He only used that as an excuse to gain access to Usagi's room. He looked over his shoulder at Chi-Chi. She seemed too busy with what she was doing to really notice that he was going into the wrong room. He smirked. "Bingo." He whispered. He slowly began to push the door in, and, once he was inside completely, he closed it behind himself.
The room was dark, but that didn't much matter. On the girl's bed lay his target. Her school uniform lay folded upon her bed. In the middle of the bow was the sacred broach. His suspicions would now be fulfilled. He slowly walked to the bed and pulled the broach off of the school uniform. "Let's see who you really are, Son Usagi."
He pulled the heart broach close to his face and examined it. It seemed to be your everyday broach, except for one thing. It seemed to open up at the bottom. His eyes grew wide as he ran his finger along the opening. This was it. He used his strength to pry the lid off, and when he did, the room lit up with a bright, silver light. He had to cover his eyes from the intensity of the light, but he didn't have to see it to realize what it was. Whatever was inside, when unleashed, gave off the most powerful aura he had ever felt in his life. His suspicions being fulfilled, he quickly closed the broach and placed it back on top of Usagi's school uniform. He would have to vacate the room if he wanted Usagi to continue thinking that he was only using the restroom. But, he knew the truth now. That had not been the first time he felt that aura before. It had been eight months since he felt that power, and now, he finally knew who it belonged to.
(Hmm.... Interesting... very interesting... I hadn't expected the chapter to be this long... oh well! Tis still ok. I guess I'm done for today. Sorry I didn't get a chance to get anything out last night. Cya tomorrow then! )
~~The Next Day~~
Tatsuo walked into class the next morning with his books in his hand. He hadn't a bag like all the other students. He preferred less bulk. But much like the other students, he wore a wide smile on his face. Slowly closing the door behind himself, he looked to the back of the room, where he had seen Ami and her friends gather the day before. And sure enough, as he had figured, they were there again, huddled in their own little group. Even Usagi was there, and there was at least ten minutes left before school. Part of that was due to her mother, who had forced her to get up a half hour earlier than the day before so she would leave for school without having to transform into a Super Saiyan.
Tatsuo's smile grew more devious as he set his books down at his desk, which was the closest one to the door, and began walking to the back of the room. He still wanted to know more about these girls. He wanted to know all about them, their power, their weaknesses, their strengths. He wanted to absolutely EVERYTHING.
Usagi was the first to notice the advancing boy. She welcomed him with a warm smile and a soft giggle. She remembered the conversation with her father from the night before, how he thought that she had liked this boy. That was a joke, he wasn't the type she could like. At that point in her life, she wasn't sure what type of boy she liked, she wasn't even sure if she liked one yet. Well, no, she couldn't say that. Not quite. "Hi Tatsuo!" She chirped.
The perverse element of his smile faded away, leaving only a friendly smile to be seen. He said nothing as the girls turned to face him, all of whom welcomed him with their own 'hellos'. Just as he was about to welcome them back, his eyes were diverted to Usagi's chest. In the center of the bow on her uniform was a strange broach of some sort, one which he had failed to see the day before. He figured it was because he was New. He was trying to acclimate to his New surroundings. But there sat a pink and yellow broach upon her chest, as clear as day. His mind was suddenly erased of anything he had planned to say. His thoughts were now replaced with questions of what the purpose of this suspicious looking broach. "Usagi...?"
Usagi nodded to acknowledge him. "What?"
He pointed at her broach with a look of question. "What's that?"
Usagi didn't respond to that right away. She wasn't sure how to answer it. She looked up to her friends, who were as equally questioning. They didn't seem to know how to answer. She quickly looked back to the inquisitive Tatsuo. She didn't want to wait too long to answer otherwise he may become suspicious that she's hiding something, that this broach means more than the eye can tell. "Well... it's ... it was a gift from my mother." She blurted out, not knowing of anything else to answer with. It wasn't a lie, in fact, it was far from a lie. It was in fact from her mother. Her Moon mother, that is.
Tatsuo nodded, his suspicions growing even more by the tone of her voice. "It's pretty." He said as he reached for it. "Can I see it?"
Usagi wrapped her hand around her broach and pulled away. "No." She complained. She could never let anyone touch it, not even her parents. Her mother had once inquired about it, she only replied that it was a present from a friend, nothing more. She kept her hand over her broach.
Tatsuo frowned as he pulled back a bit as well. "Why not?" He reached for it once again, only to find Makoto pushing him aside. He looked up at the brunet, his eyes narrowed further. "What's the big idea?"
Makoto frowned down at Tatsuo who was about three inches shorter than her. "She said no." She said with a glare.
Tatsuo stood erected and glared back into Makoto's eyes. He raised his fist, only to quickly drop it back down again. "You don't have to be stubborn, gees. It's not like I'm going to break it." He said as he moved his head to the side in order to look at Usagi.
Usagi grasped the broach harder. She couldn't let it get into the wrong hands. She hadn't even let her friends touch it. "I'd rather not. It's really special and I'd kill myself if it got broken."
Tatsuo dropped his composure and shrugged. He seemed to accept the answer given to him. "Alright. You don't have to show me if you don't want to." He narrowed his eyes into a frown once again, and, while eyeing Usagi's hands which were over her broach, he turned away only to pause in his step. "Are we still on to meet at your house after school, Usagi?"
Usagi nodded. "I...I guess." She stammered, still not sure what to do, or even what to think.
Tatsuo smiled to himself. "Good. I'll see you all at lunch then." With that, he made his way to the front of the room to his seat, leaving the girls to ponder over what just took place.
Usagi backed up and allowed herself to lean against the back wall. Her legs felt like wet noodles beneath the weight of her body. She let out a deep sigh of relief as she slowly uncovered her broach. "That was close."
Ami nodded as she eyed Tatsuo in his seat. He looked to just be sitting, staring blankly at the empty blackboard. "I told you he was strange."
Minako slightly frowned at that. "I think you're wrong, Ami. He's different than us, yes, but he's acting petty normal to me. He just wanted to see the broach. He was curious. It's a normal, healthy thing for people to be curious about things, right?"
Rei, too, found herself glaring at the boy. She wasn't sure if she completely agreed with Minako on that one. Sure, he was acting normal whenever Usagi and Minako were around, but the day before in the lunch room he acted stranger than anyone she had ever met. "I say we keep an eye on him."
Usagi sighed. "You guys are always jumping to conclusion."
Rei frowned as he turned back to Usagi. "Well think about it, Usagi! We've already been through so much. All Saiyans were attacked by Kiro during the tournament. Then Cell, then Beryl. And this doesn't only date back to us, you know. Your family and their friends have been fighting strong threats for their entire lives. It's like a tradition that we fight off all threats. Even us, it's our destiny. It's your family's destiny to fight, and it's ours to protect you, the Moon Princess. "
Usagi rolled her eyes and she pulled away from the wall. "Yeah, so what. What does this have to do with Tatsuo? He hasn't given me any reason to think he's an enemy. Strange maybe, yes, but that's because he's only just moved here."
Rei sighed. It was obvious she wasn't going to listen, not until she was proved that he was weird. "I have a feeling, alright?" And it was true. Tatsuo gave off strange vibes to her, ever since she had first met him and held a conversation with him the day before at lunch. It's not that they were evil. She didn't quite know what they were. She couldn't put her finger on it, but it was just strange, something to watch for. Ever since she was little she would get these feelings, it was the same with Kiro. Although, in that situation, she actually had visions. She knew that they were evil. But, what really WAS up with Tatsuo?
Usagi couldn't quite argue with that. Rei was known for knowing things the others hadn't. She had learned to trust her early on in her life, and would not defy her feelings. "Ok." She said, almost defeated. "I'll watch out for any strangeness. I'll watch my back and make sure nothing happens."
Makoto nodded to show that she agreed it was a good idea. "Thank you." She looked up at the clock, they had three minutes before class would start. "Class is gonna start soon."
Ami turned her head to the clock for confirmation, then let her eyes wander down to the head of Tatsuo, which hadn't moved an inch since the last time she had looked at him. She shuddered at the thought of having to go through four periods of him acting like a drone. That was it! He would act like a machine again during class, Usagi wouldn't be around so he wouldn't have to act normal. As she thought about it harder, a question came to mind. Why DID he act so normal around the blondes, yet not around the others. He seemed exceptionally interested in Usagi, more so than Minako. Maybe it wasn't about Minako. Maybe it was only Usagi. After all, everywhere that Usagi went, Minako wasn't too far behind. "Usagi," She began as she turned back to her friend, who was already starting out for her seat, "Watch him during class today. He'll act like a robot."
Makoto nodded as she too looked back to Usagi. "And try to listen to anything he says. He says some strange thing that no normal human says."
Usagi nodded. Maybe there was something wrong with him. Her friends, after all, weren't known to try and pick things out that were wrong with others. Or maybe he had just been that out of society for so long that he was naturally strange. That was the case with her father. He had lived in the mountains with his grandfather until he was about eleven. He hadn't had any outside contact, and then when Gohan had died, he was all alone, with virtually no contact. She had heard many stories from Bulma and Yamcha about how strange he was, with all the weird things he would do. He hadn't even known what a machine was. He thought they were monsters at first, and took Bulma for a witch. She even heard about all the times he would go up to women and try to feel around their bodies to decipher whether they were actually women or not. But, eventually her father had integrated into society, but had always kept his immaturity and some strangeness. It wasn't until about fifteen to twenty years ago when he REALLY started to act like a person of society. Maybe it would just take some time for this guy to integrate himself as well.
In any way, she couldn't promise that she would be trying to listen for anything he said. She would be trying to juggle her own conversation with Minako and listen to the teacher's lectures at the same time. Of course, her Saiyan hearing would allow for better eavesdropping. "Ok, I'll listen for anything strange."
Ami smiled. "Good." The girls dispersed from their gathering and made their way to their seats when Mr. Sakaguchi walked into the room, ready to start the day's history lesson.
~*~*~
Over the course of the next four hours, Usagi set aside any conversation she would have liked to had with Minako, as well as what the teachers were lecturing about. She tuned in solely on Tatsuo and anything that he would say, which was virtually nothing. Once or twice he had asked Ami for a pen and paper, but nothing out of the ordinary. But, she would continue to listen for anything funny, not because she thought Tatsuo was a suspicious character, but because she respected her friends' word.
By the time lunch rolled around, nothing had happened. Tatsuo stayed completely quiet. He hadn't even moved an inch, which Usagi found sort of weird, but nothing to be alarmed about. She figured that he was just really interested in what was being said. She had even found herself so intent on listening to what was being said that she hadn't really moved or said anything once.
~*~*~
Class was once again dismissed for Lunch after fourth period. Minako and Usagi, as usual, were the first to zoom out into the hall. They had been almost late to lunch the day before, but today, they planned on getting to be one of the firsts in the snack line.
The others were soon to trail, with Tatsuo following closely behind. But by the time they were out in the clear, Usagi and Minako could no longer be seen, only felt. Tatsuo cocked his head to the side in confusion. Never had he seen anyone with such speed. Not anyone normal, at least. "Why is it that we were short to follow those two and now they are already so far ahead?"
A normal question for a normal human being, Makoto thought. "That's a result of our training."
Tatsuo's composure dropped a bit as he turned to Makoto in surprise. "You can all do this?"
Makoto nodded. At least now he was asking valid questions, instead of why his stomach felt strange when it was empty. "Of course. We've all been training since we were five. But, none of us, not even Usagi are nearly as strong as Goku. He can transform to the third level of Super Saiyan."
Tatsuo groaned for a reason unknown to the girls. But he wasn't about to tell their curious faces why. "Why do you people wish for this power?"
Rei frowned. What was with this guy? He was always so full of questions, so nosy. And here they were knowing nothing about him. "He protects the earth, simple as that."
Tatsuo had nothing to say at that. He just went on with a smile, anticipating his meeting with Goku even more. He wanted to see if this Goku was anything compared to Mr. Satan, who was proclaimed to be the savior of the Earth by many books he had read. He wanted to know exactly WHO was the strongest, which would determine only one thing.
~*~*~
And so the day went on. Lunch was a normal proceeding, one the girls had become accustomed to over the years. It was a time of relaxation and a time to goof off before the ending periods of the day. And, much like in the classroom, Usagi watched Tatsuo very carefully, finding not a single flaw with him, except for the way he ate his food. He just kind of picked a handful of it up and stuffed it into her mouth, sort of like her father, but more animal-like.
~*~*~
~~Son Household~~
Chi-Chi walked into her daughter's room holding a blue laundry basket. Although it wasn't her job to do so, she constantly found herself picking up her daughter's dirty clothing day after day after day. It was Usagi's responsibility to do so, but like most pre-teens, she neglected it.
In the background, she could hear her husband lurking around, which wasn't normal for him. Normally, during this time of day, he would be out somewhere either doing something recreational by himself, or sparring with either their sons or his friends while he waited for Usagi to come home from school so they could go out and do something. Of course sparring was considered to be a recreation when Goku was being talked about. But still, she couldn't help but wonder why he was home at this time of day.
Thinking that he was hiding something from her, as he always behaves strangely when he's hiding something from her, Chi-Chi backed out of her daughter's room just in time to see her husband walking from their room and to the hall. She dropped the laundry basket, causing it to clank against the wooden flooring and gaining Goku's attention. She frowned suspiciously as she put her hands around her waist. "What are you doing home? First you get me accustomed to you not being home during the day and now here you are, home. Make up your mind and stick with it."
Goku gave his wife a carefree smile. "Usagi's bringing home a boy."
Chi-Chi's frown disappeared and was replaced with a prideful smile. Finally, her daughter had found a boy she liked. Not that she was going to approve a relationship at such an early age, but it was nice to know. "Really? A boy?" Her eyes dazzled for just a moment longer when it hit her. Goku was acting strange for her bringing home a boy. "Now just hold on a second, bud. YOU allowed her to bring home a boy?" She grinned as she walked forward to get in closer dialogue range with him.
Goku nodded, still with a smile on his face. "Yes."
Chi-Chi stopped and laughed. "You? Of all people. You're the one who doesn't want her to get interested in boys."
Goku once again nodded, throwing his wife into even further confusion. It was true, he didn't want her to get interested in boys. Not only because she was his little girl, but because he knew exactly what boys would do to her, and exactly what they were interested in. He had seen the troubles Gohan had had when Pan hit this age. They weren't pretty. Pan was always brining boys home. Poor Gohan and Videl didn't know if she actually liked him or what half of the time. And then there were the times she would overhear Chi-Chi and Videl talking about Pan's latest boyfriend who had once again thrown her into "depression" because they broke up. And then the other times one would try to push Pan into something she didn't want to do. That was one phase Goku wasn't looking forward to going through, which was creeping up on him. That was why he was so protective over Usagi. He hadn't wanted her to go through that, but it looked almost inevitable. But luckily, Usagi had assured him that she wasn't interested in the boy she was bringing over that day. "Who said anything about being interested? She just wants me to show him that I'm stronger than Mr. Satan."
Chi-Chi sighed with a face fault. She too hadn't quite wanted Usagi to go through the troubles of dating, but it still would have been nice to know she was finally maturing. "You've corrupted my daughter, Goku."
Goku snorted arrogantly. "Me? Corrupt her? You're the one that keeps telling her it's perfectly normal to like boys at her age."
Chi-Chi frowned. "Well it is!"
Goku; "It may be normal, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. I've seen what those little brats want to do with girls."
Chi-Chi's frown almost immediately faded away with a smile appearing in its place. At least she knew he wasn't just trying to be selfish and keep her a little girl all her life. "True, but Usagi is mature enough not to listen."
Goku; "I'm not worried about that. I have complete confidence in her, but I don't want her to have to put up with that crap."
Chi-Chi nodded. That was something she could most definitely agree with. "True, but you know, there are worse things than her going out with some random boy."
Goku groaned. He didn't even want to think about that. Going out with just anyone was bad enough. What could possibly be worse? "Do I even dare to ask?"
Chi-Chi grinned. The idea even made her queasy. "If she was ever insane enough to go out with Mamoru."
Goku's face turned green with nausea at the thought. "I'd kill them BOTH. Mamoru for having the gal to go out with MY daughter after all the crap he's pulled, and Usagi for being insane enough to EVER do something so stupid." He chuckled to himself, and soon, Chi-Chi joined him with giggles of her own. Neither of them could ever picture that pairing happening.
~*~*~
After lunch, the school day was pretty laid back for the gang of friends. Usagi continued to listen for Tatsuo, but heard nothing, as usual. Even the other girls had opted to watch for strange behavior, but they hadn't see anything either.
Now school was finally over, and the awaited hour had Tatsuo in a fit of excitement. He would finally meet Goku, the supposed strongest person in the world. He met the girls just outside the school, who had all decided to go the day before to keep an eye on the situation. But he hadn't known that. He figured that they were just getting together as friends often do, which was how they wanted to keep it.
Minako was the first to notice the character meandering toward them. She turned back to her circle of friends with a smile. It had been a while since they had gotten together at Usagi's house. They usually just met in the city and hung out at random locations. "He's here."
Usagi looked up with a smile. "Good. Now we can get going."
Rei, Makoto, and Ami exchanged looks of concern. If he was going to try anything, if was truly a new opponent, he would most likely try something now since he knew Goku as the strongest character on the planet.
Tatsuo stopped in front of the girls with a huge smile on his face, as it had been the entire day. "I'm ready!"
Usagi nodded. "Ok. Normally, we'd fly for exercise, but I don't want to keep my dad waiting. He's probably chomping at the bit right now."
Tatsuo turned his head onto its side. "Why?"
Usagi grinned. "He doesn't really like the idea of me bringing home a boy right now, even if it is for something as innocent as this."
Tatsuo smirked with an impish tint. That was an interesting bit of information. Her father was very protective, which must mean that he loved her quite a bit. "Let's go then. Wouldn't want to keep a man of his stature waiting, would we?"
Usagi reached out and grabbed his hand and put her forefinger and middle finger on her forehead like her father had taught her all those years ago. She motioned her friends to do the same, which they did. In a quick flash, she concentrated her energy to her father's as did her friends, and just like that, they were gone.
~*~*~
~~Son Household~~
Usagi and Tatsuo appeared in front of her house along with the other girls. An excited chocolate brown dog came running for them with its tongue hanging out of its mouth. Usagi smiled as she kneeled down to welcome the kind animal. "Lucky!" She squealed.
Tatsuo looked at the dog with a frown. "Such an inferior creature."
Ami found herself frowning at Tatsuo. She hoped Usagi had heard that. "Dogs are smarter than we humans suggest."
Tatsuo ignored the blue-haired girl and continued to stare at the dog, who was now sniffing around his feet. "I don't like dogs."
Usagi reached down and grabbed Lucky's collar and pulled her away from the boy. "Sorry. She likes meeting new people." She pushed the dog away. "Go on."
Tatsuo kept his eyes on the dog, still with a frown implanted deep in his eyes. Makoto, who was equally frowning at him, pushed forward, motioning for him to follow. "The house is this way."
Usagi smiled as she grabbed Tatsuo by the wrist and began guiding him forward. "Yeah, my house is this way. My dad's waiting for you." She yelled excitedly as she led her new friend to the front door. Ami, Rei, and Makoto followed close behind, watching his every move. She placed her hand on the knob and slowly pushed in. "Mom? Dad?" She called in as she motioned for her friends to come in.
The girls acted pretty normal as they had been here thousands of times before, but Tatsuo hadn't. He was looking eagerly around as if he had never seen the inside of a house before this day. He examined absolutely everything. Even the wooden flooring.
Usagi turned to face her friends. "I'll be right back." She looked down at Tatsuo, who was on his knees currently examining the phone. For the first time, she quirked a brow, thinking that this was somewhat strange behavior. "I'm going to go get my dad." She said as she slowly backed away, keeping her eyes on the curious Tatsuo.
She turned down the hall and then into the living room. Her mother was sitting on the couch reading some adult magazine, something which she was definitely interested in. "Hi mom."
Chi-Chi smiled as she turned around to her daughter. She knew who she was looking for. "Your father is in our room. I think he's preparing himself."
Usagi giggled. "He's so silly sometimes."
Chi-Chi grinned. "All the time's more like it."
Usagi nodded with a wide grin of her own. "I'm afraid of what he's going to do when I actually try to bring a boy home who I like."
Chi-Chi; "I don't think you have to worry. Your father would only freak out if the boy did something to you."
Usagi sighed. "I guess."
Chi-Chi's grin was quickly wiped away as she looked back to her magazine. "Change out of your school cloths before you do anything. I don't want them getting dirty or ripped."
Usagi nodded. "Yes mom." She turned around and walked into her room. Then, after changing, she would retrieve her father.
~*~*~
Goku had heard the voice of his daughter echoing from outside his room, where he had actually been preparing. Not because he thought Usagi actually liked this boy, but because he had to tell himself over and over that she didn't.
Chi-Chi looked up from her reading again when she heard the door of her room opening, and out came Goku dressed in his usual orange Gi. "Usagi's getting changed."
Goku nodded. He knew that for he had heard Chi-Chi telling her to get changed. He wasn't all too concerned with that. "Is he here?"
Chi-Chi nodded. "I'm guessing so. But," She looked up with a warnful eyes, "don't go out there until she's ready to bring you out there. That could be tragic. Always let the girls make the first move."
Goku groaned. That sounded too much like dating advice. "Gotcha." The squeaking of his daughter's door soon caught his attention. "Usagi!" He said as he waved his hand to greet her.
Usagi smiled as she emerged from her room in a new set of cloths. More like her Gi. She planned on sparring with her father later when Tatsuo and her friends left. "Hi daddy! Ready to go show off?"
Goku grinned as he walked around the couch. "Sure."
Usagi wrapped her arm around her father's and the two walked down the hall and into the family room together, where Tatsuo seemed to have calmed down in regards to curiosity. Now he just sat with wide eyes as he took in the entire structure of the house. But, he soon let his eyes fall upon the father and daughter duo and smiled.
Usagi let go of her father and walked to Tatsuo. "Tatsuo, this is my dad, Son Goku." She said, very politely. She turned to her father with a huge grin. "Daddy, this is the boy I was telling you about, Tatsuo. And I know what you're thinking so stop it."
Tatsuo jumped to his feet and stood before Goku with a wide smile. He was about shoulder height on him, while Usagi only reached to his lower stomach. "Hello, Son Goku. I am Tatsuo." He looked back to Usagi, noticing that she had changed and was no longer wearing her broach she held so dear to her heart earlier.
Goku looked down at the boy, though he didn't have to look far. This was such a change from all of Usagi's friends who were substantially shorter. "Hi, Tatsuo!" He said in a chipper voice. The two extended hands and went in for a handshake.
Usagi smiled. They had gotten through the handshake. "Good, now that you two have met, let's get this show on the road."
Minako grinned. "Yeah. Tatsuo, you're finally going to see the true hero of earth in action."
Rei found herself smiling. "He's better than us, not that you've seen us fighting before, but just know, he's better than us."
Goku blushed slightly as he pulled back his hand. "I can't take all the credit you guys. Don't forget, Gohan beat Cell, and then Usagi, you showed Kiro that Saiyans here aren't bad. And in the past, you five fought and defeated Cell. And then there are the Senshi, our most recent heroes." Tatsuo perked up at the word 'Senshi'. Why, no one knows, but he seemed interested by the word.
Usagi sighed. "Yeah, but you beat Cell the second time he came to earth. And then all those other guys you beat. Piccolo, the red Ribbon Army, Raditz, the people who invaded Namek, Freiza, and Buu."
Tatsuo looked up to Goku with a blank expression. His eyes told of his deep fascination. These people had been through so much trying to save the earth it was insane. "Why do you fight to save everyone? That's crazy. You should let them fight for themselves."
Goku decided to take that question for he knew best. "I don't know about everyone else, I fight for everyone I love. My family and my friends mean everything to me." He wrapped his arm around his daughter's neck. Just the thought of anything bad happening to her made him angry. "But part of my mind tells me to fight for those who can't fight back. They don't deserve to die. Most of these enemies have even killed some of us off. Technically I shouldn't be here because I've died too many times."
This struck Tatsuo as strange. How could someone die, and then be standing here alive as ever? "Excuse me, but, are you telling me that you're dead?"
Goku chuckled. "No. I'm very much alive." He could see the boy falling into even more confusion. "You see, we have these things called Dragon Balls. They allow us to make two wishes. We will usually bring back anyone who has died of an unnatural cause. That means, anyone who dies in the process of our fighting will be brought back. But that wasn't the case with me. I died twice and am only allowed one time. But, I was given someone else's life for the good of the earth when Buu came."
Ami cleared her throat, basically telling Goku to shut up. She hadn't yet had a chance to tell him about this boy's strange behavior, that they didn't trust him enough to be telling him about the Dragon Balls. But, he didn't get the hint. He was obviously too much like Usagi to understand.
Tatsuo smiled at the mentioning of the Dragon Balls. They could be very useful. "Dragon Balls, eh? Where can I find them?"
Ami frowned. She didn't like the sound of that. She looked at Usagi, pleadingly, as if asking her to stop Goku now. But Usagi wasn't paying attention to her. She was more paying attention to her father and Tatsuo.
Goku; "Normally, I keep some here, and one belongs to Usagi."
Usagi smiled. "And I'm still waiting for them to return to normal so I can have mine back!"
Tatsuo; "Stone?"
Goku nodded. "After we use them, they turn to stone for a year so we don't have unlimited wishes. They also spread themselves around so we don't know exactly where they are at the moment."
Tatsuo hunched his shoulders. "That sucks."
Goku grinned, thinking that Tatsuo was referring to the fact that he couldn't make a wish right now. "Maybe we'll let you make one when they turn back. It should only be about four more months."
Tatsuo sighed. "Ok." He looked up into the eyes of Goku, who seemed to be completely comfortable with the boy. "Before you show me how strong you are, can I use the restroom?"
Usagi nodded, taking the place of her father. "Sure. It's down the hall and around the corner, second room on the right."
Tatsuo smiled. "Thanks." He pushed past Goku and Usagi and followed Usagi's direction.
Usagi looked up at her father with a wide smile as she pulled away from his grip. "See? I told you you'd like him! Isn't he nice?"
Goku nodded. "I only like him because you don't like each other."
Usagi giggled. "You're silly, daddy."
~*~*~
Tatsuo stood in the living room where he could see a woman sitting on the sofa in the middle of the room. This room was completely different from the other room from which he had just come from. In the middle there was a big, black box just sitting here. He figured it was a T.V. for he had seen many in the books he had read. "Hello." He said as he walked around the sofa.
Chi-Chi put her magazine down and looked up the unfamiliar voice with a smile. "Why hello, you must be Usagi's friend." If this were anyone else, someone she knew well she would have been down their throats already. She was getting tired of being interrupted.
Tatsuo nodded. "I'm Tatsuo, Mrs. Son."
Chi-Chi; "Oh, I'm sorry, my name is Chi-Chi."
Tatsuo smiled. "Nice to meet you. Your husband is a very nice man. I am looking forward to seeing his strength."
Chi-Chi grinned. She wished Usagi had liked this boy. It wasn't everyday you find such a young man so nice. "You're in for a show. Just don't let him talk you into fighting him if you don't want to."
Tatsuo nodded. "I will keep that in mind. I have to use the restroom."
"It's right there." She said pointing the door to the left of her daughter's door.
Tatsuo turned around and confirmed his destination. "Thank you."
Chi-Chi smiled warmly. "You're welcome."
As Chi-Chi went back to her reading, Tatsuo walked to Usagi's door, which he had pinpointed as her room when he first walked into the living room. In fact he had not needed to use the restroom. He only used that as an excuse to gain access to Usagi's room. He looked over his shoulder at Chi-Chi. She seemed too busy with what she was doing to really notice that he was going into the wrong room. He smirked. "Bingo." He whispered. He slowly began to push the door in, and, once he was inside completely, he closed it behind himself.
The room was dark, but that didn't much matter. On the girl's bed lay his target. Her school uniform lay folded upon her bed. In the middle of the bow was the sacred broach. His suspicions would now be fulfilled. He slowly walked to the bed and pulled the broach off of the school uniform. "Let's see who you really are, Son Usagi."
He pulled the heart broach close to his face and examined it. It seemed to be your everyday broach, except for one thing. It seemed to open up at the bottom. His eyes grew wide as he ran his finger along the opening. This was it. He used his strength to pry the lid off, and when he did, the room lit up with a bright, silver light. He had to cover his eyes from the intensity of the light, but he didn't have to see it to realize what it was. Whatever was inside, when unleashed, gave off the most powerful aura he had ever felt in his life. His suspicions being fulfilled, he quickly closed the broach and placed it back on top of Usagi's school uniform. He would have to vacate the room if he wanted Usagi to continue thinking that he was only using the restroom. But, he knew the truth now. That had not been the first time he felt that aura before. It had been eight months since he felt that power, and now, he finally knew who it belonged to.
(Hmm.... Interesting... very interesting... I hadn't expected the chapter to be this long... oh well! Tis still ok. I guess I'm done for today. Sorry I didn't get a chance to get anything out last night. Cya tomorrow then! )