Disclaimer: Do not own DBZ or its characters. They belong to Akira Toriyama but wished to be owned by the rest of us. I also do not own Miyuki or her kids. That's already known.
Claimer: I do, however, own Cheena and everyone else mentioned in this story.
AN: Hey everyone: just wanted to say thanks for the reviews. Loved reading them and seeing what you thought. Here is Chapter 16, enjoy, and see you at the end as always
*~Chapter 16: Objective's Made~*
Floating over to ocean, staring into its deep blue waves as it moved slowly against the wind, Castine chuckled lightly to himself as he closed his eyes. Allowing the cool breeze to blow over him, relaxing him and giving him time to clear his head after one hard fought battle.
"As comforting as this breeze is to me now it doesn't compare to what I have inside of me" he said to himself as he placed his hand on his chest. "I've taken over fifty souls in my day and they have served me well but nothing compares to what I have now…what is apart of me right now" A slight smirk flew upon his face as his eyes opened up, allowing him to view all before him in a new light, a powerful light. Casting his eyes back, he frowned as he saw his four workers staring at him.
"What are you four doing here?" he asked, keeping his back towards them. Rojo, Blanca, Azul and Dorado looked at one another wondering who was going to speak. Shoving each other lightly, the three men quickly pushed Blanca out towards Castine, her being the only female and all. Glaring at the men around her, Blanca cleared her throat as she stared at her leader.
"W-well sir, we were waiting to see what our next plan of attack would be" she said, floating behind him in stride. Staring at her through the corner of his eye, Castine chuckled lightly.
"Our? Did I just hear you say our?" he asked as he folded his arms across his chest. Keeping her ground, Blanca nodded her head, not backing down but wondering what he was getting at.
"Yes sir, I did say our. What is our…" she started to say before Castine interrupted her.
"I'm sure you didn't say our because there is no "our". There is only me and me alone" he said. Blanca stared at him confused as did the boys behind her.
"Sir, I don't understand" she said as she slowly floated close to him, unsure if she should circle around him or remain where she was. Castine quickly answered her thoughts by turning towards her. Staring into her white eyes he frowned quickly.
"You four are a disappointment. You were supposed to stall those fools long enough for me to do what I had to do" he said as he glanced back at the guys behind Blanca then to her directly.
"Sir, we did stall them. Just like you said" Azul said as he slowly floated forward.
"Yes sir, you told us to stall them long enough for you to get the girl's soul, did you get it?" Rojo asked. Castine's eyes narrowed sharply as he disappeared, appearing in front of Rojo.
"First rule, do not question me. After the pitiful performance I sensed from the four of you, you have no right to ask me a damn thing" he yelled as he pulled back his arm and quickly punched Rojo in the stomach. Blanca, Azul and Dorado all watched as Rojo wrapped his arms around his stomach and doubled over. Castine smirked as he grabbed Rojo's chin and lifted his head up, staring into his red eyes. "How did that feel?" he asked.
"…p-pain-ful…s-sir" Rojo slowly said as he tried to regain his air that was lost from the blow. Castine laughed as he let go of Rojo's face. Floating backwards, he kept his eyes on his henchman while Blanca, Azul and Dorado all got out of his way, not wanting to feel a blow like Rojo did.
"That, my questionable boy, was just a taste of what I've acquired from that pathetic girl. I've taken her abilities as well as her thoughts, as sickening as they are" Castine said as he patted his chest.
"Sir, if I may ask, did the girl put up a fight at all for you to gain her soul?" Dorado asked, hoping against hope he wouldn't end up in as much pain as his friend and fellow partner.
"The girl did put up a decent fight, gave me a good amount of damage as you can see by my broken armor and torn clothes. I will give her credit, slim credit. She still failed and now she is apart of me. I only wish I would have known about these saiyan's before. This power is indescribable" Castine said as he slowly powered up. His laughter rang out as his white aura slowly faded in and out, changing into a yellow one. His black hair now glowed a familiar gold color before returning back to normal.
"Sir, are you…?" Azul asked, already knowing the answer but wanting to hear it from himself. Castine folded his arms across his chest while his head slowly moved down then back up.
"If you're asking if I now possess the power of the famous super saiyan, then yes, yes I do. That girl has given me more power then I could have ever imagined and yet, yet I want more" Castine said as he reached down into what was left of his armor and pulled out a few sheets of paper. Unfolding it, he smirked as he looked at the names. "Four down and so many to go, whose soul should I make mines next?" he asked himself as he scanned through the list.
"How about one of those saiyan's we were fighting earlier? They have great power" Dorado said as he stared at the sheets of paper in his leaders hands.
"Yes, Goten and Trunks, I could go for them but right now I need to allow this new soul to settle inside of me. Once she is happy with her new home I will go out and grab someone else's" Castine said as he looked over the papers. Scanning along the list, a smirk flew across his face as he reached the last page. "Oh…what do we have here?" he questioned himself as a slight laugh escaped his lips.
"Sir…?" Blanca asked as she looked at him, as did the rest, curious as to what brought on his slight change of behavior. Looking at the four before him, Castine nodded his head as he folded the papers in his hands.
"It seems I have fount someone and this time, I won't even have to fight to get what I want" he said with a smirk. Rojo, Azul, Blanca and Dorado all stared at their leader in confusion, wondering just who could possibly just give up their soul and not fight back. Castine on the other hand knew the answer to the question they pondered and could only laugh to himself as he continued to think about one of the easiest souls he was about to take for his own collection.
~Son Household~
Standing in front of a room door, Bulma and Chi-Chi both sighed as they debated on whether or not they should venture inside. Closing her eyes, Bulma slowly reached for the knob to the door, ready to open it up.
"Bulma, wait!" Chi-Chi yelled slightly as she grabbed her friend's hand. Pulling her hand away slowly, Bulma stared at Chi-Chi.
"We have to talk to them Chi-Chi. We can't let them sit up here upset. We have to say something" she said. Chi-Chi sighed as she nodded her head.
"I just hope they understand. This is hard enough on all of us as it is, let alone three small children" she said. Placing her hand on Chi-Chi's shoulder, Bulma smiled slightly.
"All we can do is hope that they understand what we are about to tell them. These kids are strong, at least I hope they are" she said, hoping her words reassured her friend. Chi-Chi nodded her head once more as she took in a deep breath. Watching Bulma place her hand on the doorknob she looked up as the door slowly opened up. Looking in, the two women looked to see the kids before them. Kiseki was lying on her bed, her face buried in her pillow while Li and Alex both hand their backs turned, staring out the window. "Kids, can we talk to you?" Bulma asked as she and Chi-Chi walked inside, slowly pushing the door slightly close behind them. Lifting her head, Kiseki wiped her eyes as she saw her grandmother enter the room.
"Grandma, where's my mommy?" she asked as she sat up in a kneeling position. Walking over to her granddaughter, Chi-Chi picked her up and embraced her in a hug.
"She's in her room looking in on Kaze. You want to see her?" Chi-Chi asked as she lightly ran her hand over the young girl's hair. Kiseki nodded her head as she pulled back, staring into her grandmother's eyes.
"I want to see my mommy. I want to give her a hug and tell her that I love her" the small girl said. Chi-Chi smiled as she set Kiseki down on the floor. Nodding her head, she watched as Kiskei slowly pulled the door back and walked out. Hearing her footsteps down the hall, Chi-Chi smiled as she looked at Bulma.
"I think she's going to be ok" she said. Bulma sighed as she kept her eyes on Li and Alex, both that still had their backs facing their grandmothers.
"At least she's ok, now let's see about these two" Bulma said as she walked towards the boys. Standing their ground, Li and Alex both frowned as they heard someone approach them.
"Don't come near us" they said together stopping Bulma in her tracks. Chi-Chi remained still as well as she stared at her grandsons. Taking in a small breath, Bulma exhaled it out as she reached out for her grandsons.
"Li, Alex, I know that this is hard on you but…" she started as she watched Li and Alex turn towards her and Chi-Chi. Staring at them, she was left speechless by the looks on their faces. They both had water forming in their eyes, her guess, forbidding even a drop to fall down their cheeks. She glanced down at their hands; excuse her, fists, as they shook seemingly at the exact same pace. Closing his eyes, Alex looked to the side while Li stared into his grandmother's blue eyes.
"…don't say you know because you don't know grandma!" he yelled as he glared at her. Bulma was taken back slightly at the sound of her grandson's voice. It was filled with anger and pain. Something she never heard from him before. Chi-Chi frowned as she walked over and stood beside Bulma.
"Li, watch that tone. We know that you are upset. Don't you think the rest of us are?" she asked in a stern yet caring voice. Looking over at her, Li shifted his eyes from side to side before dropping his head. Looking at Chi-Chi, Bulma nodded her head as she crossed in front of her and stood before Alex. Dropping down in front of him, she extended her arms out towards him.
"Come here Alex" she said; ready to accept him into her arms. Opening his eyes slowly, Alex turned his head and looked at his grandmother. He looked at her arms then looked at her face to see her staring back at him.
"I want my mom" he said as he took a step away from her. Placing her arms at her side, Bulma sighed as she looked at the young boy in front of her.
"I know you do Alex, we all do. Your dad, your brother, all of us. We all want her back and we will get her back" she said. Li scoffed as he looked at Bulma. Chi-Chi frowned as she looked down at Li, clearly not happy with the attitude he was showing.
"What is wrong Li? Talk to us" she asked as she placed her hands on her hips. Li kept his head down, staring at the ground. Bending down in front of him, Chi-Chi quickly pulled him into a hug. "It's going to be ok" she said. Frowning, Li quickly pulled away from his grandmother's grasp and stared at her.
"Why is my mom dead? Why couldn't someone help her? Why didn't dad help her? Why couldn't we help her? We sensed it and you said we shouldn't. Why couldn't we help her? Why?" he asked all at once. Closing her eyes, Chi-Chi held back her tears as she rested her hands on her lap.
"Li…" she started as she opened her eyes. "…there are a lot of questions that we can ask. I would like to know what happened out there as well but I don't know. I was here, with you and everyone else. It's hurting me to think of how I just saw my daughter but it hurts more knowing I couldn't do anything to help her" Chi-Chi said slowly. Li stared into his grandmother's face, seeing water form in her eyes.
"We know it's hard on you. Imagine how this is for your father? He was out there and not even he could help her. Don't blame him for this. It's not his fault" Bulma said as she looked at Alex. Looking at his grandmother, Alex nodded his head as he walked towards her, wrapping his arms around her neck. Watching his brother, Li frowned as he then turned to Chi-Chi.
"Is dad going to bring her back?" he asked. Chi-Chi nodded her head as she reached for Li's arm, pulling him into a hug. Unlike his other half, Li kept his arms at his side as he looked over his grandmother's shoulder.
"Your father, uncle and grandfather's are all going to bring her back. Don't you even worry about that" Bulma said as she lightly pulled Alex away from her, brushing his hair to the side. Alex frowned as he looked at her, something that caught Bulma off guard.
"I'm going after that guy who hurt mom and then I'm going to hurt him" he said as a smirk grew on his face. Bulma stared at him, at the smirk that reminded her so much of her own son. Li laughed slightly as he pulled away from Chi-Chi's arms.
"We're going to make him dead too" he said. Chi-Chi frowned as she shook her head from side to side.
"You two will do no such thing. You will remain here and let your father, uncle and grandfathers handle this" she said.
"But grandma, we want to help" Alex said as he looked at Chi-Chi. Shaking her head, Bulma looked at Li then at Alex.
"We know you do, we want to help too but we can't and neither can you" she said.
"Why not!?" Li asked, not liking how things were going. Chi-Chi stared at him, noticing how quick his temper could rise out of nowhere, just like her daughter.
"Because you'll only get in the way. Your father already lost your mother; do you want him to loose you too?" Bulma asked.
"Dad's not going to loose us. We can fight. Grandpa taught us and dad did too" Li said. Alex nodded his head as he looked at Bulma.
"Mom taught us too. We are good" he said as he raised his arm in the air. Chi-Chi smiled as she ruffled her hand over Li's head.
"There is no way I couldn't believe that you two are good. Being trained by Vegeta, Trunks and Cheena should make you two great fighters but I'm afraid not even that's enough" she said.
"She's right, it's not enough. Your mother is/was a great fighter. When she was just a few years older then you she helped out when the entire world needed help. She always gave it her all in every fight she had and you can believe she gave it her all this time, it just didn't turn out to be enough" Bulma said. Alex sighed as he lowered his head while Li turned his head to the side. Standing up, Chi-Chi looked at Bulma then at Li.
"Just stay here. I already lost my daughter, I'm not going to loose my only grandson's" she said. Standing up as well, Bulma nodded her head.
"Chi-Chi is right. You see, she had her granddaughters Pan, Kiseki and Kaze as well as you two but I don't have granddaughters. You two are all I have and I'm not going to loose you to some…some creep" she said. Li and Alex remained silent as they heard the words of their grandmother.
"Promise us you'll stay in this house" Chi-Chi said as she folded her arms across her chest. Li and Alex both nodded their heads but kept them down. Bulma and Chi-Chi smiled slightly as they turned towards the door. Taking one last look at the twins, the two ladies slowly walked out of the room. Hearing their footsteps down the stairs, Li and Alex both raised their heads, looking at one another.
"You still going?" Li asked as he looked at his brother. Alex nodded his head as he walked towards his brother. Climbing up onto his shoulder, they both turned towards the window. Smiling, Alex slowly lifted the window up, feeling the breeze against his face. Hearing a knock at the door, the two boys quickly stood still, as a figure walked into the room.
"Is Grandma and Mrs. Bulma gone?" Kiseki asked as she slowly walked into the room. Li and Alex both exhaled as they watched their cousin walk towards them.
"It's just Kiseki, let's go Alex" Li said as he turned towards the window. Nodding his head, Alex quickly floated up and sat on the windowsill. Placing her hands on her hips, Kiseki frowned as she looked at the twins.
"Where are you two going?" she asked as Li floated up and sat beside his brother.
"We're going to find that guy who hurt our mom and hurt him" Alex said as he held onto the side of the windowsill. Kiseki mouth opened slightly as she walked closer to them.
"You two can't do that. You'll get in trouble" she said. Li smiled as he jumped down, standing in front of her.
"We can't stay here while our dad is out there by himself. He needs help and we're going to help him" he said.
"But my dad is with him and so is our grandfathers" Kiseki said. Li shook his head as he turned his back on his cousin.
"I don't care. My dad is going to need help and we're helping. That was our mom that was killed…" he said as he looked at her through the corner of his eye. "…not like you understand" he finished saying.
"I do understand. Some guy hurt my Aunt Cheena. He should hurt too" Kiseki said. Shaking his head once again, Li turned towards her, a frown on his face.
"You gave your mom a hug and told her you loved her. I want to do that too" he said. Kiseki looked down at the ground, the thought of her hugging her mom playing in her mind.
"We will help our dad, c'mon Li' Alex said he floated out the window. Raising her head, Kiseki looked at Li quickly.
"I want to come too" she said. Laughing slightly, Li folded his arms across his chest.
"Why?" he asked. Frowning, Kiseki folded her arms across her chest as well.
"I want to help Uncle Trunks and my dad too" she said. Looking out towards his brother, Li shrugged his shoulders as he turned back towards Kiseki.
"Fine" he said as he grabbed her hand. Before Kiseki could say a word, she was pulled off the floor and soon fount herself floating outside.
"Can you fly?" Alex asked as he looked at her. Shrugging her shoulders, Kiseki looked up at Alex then at Li.
"My dad was teaching me but I'm not that fast. I just learned" she said. Li and Alex looked at one another and sighed. Floating in front of her, Alex turned his back to her while Li placed her arms around her brother's neck.
"For now he can carry you" Li said. Kiseki frowned as she released her arms from around Alex neck and floated behind him.
"I know how to fly" she said with a huff. Alex and Li shrugged their shoulders as they looked at her.
"Suit yourself" they said together as they quickly took off into the sky. Watching them go, Kiseki sighed as she followed after them.
"Wait for me" she yelled as she did her best to try and catch up with them.
~The Lookout~
Dende and Mr. Popo stood in the outskirts of the lookout, staring before them, just as Goku, Vegeta, Goten and Trunks appeared before them.
"Goku, we've been waiting for you" Dende said as he slowly walked towards his friend. Placing his arm at his side, Goku sighed as he stared at the guardian of earth.
"So I guess you know of what has happened" he said as he glanced over at his daughter's limp body in her husband's arms. Dende nodded as he glanced at Cheena then looked back at Goku.
"We sensed the battle from up here. Gohan, Pan and Uub brought Krillin, 18 and Yamcha. They are lying just over there" he said as he turned around and started to walk off, Mr. Popo following. Goku, Vegeta, Goten and Trunks remained silent as the followed after them. Turning a corner they looked to see Pan and Uub sitting on the floor, in front of them the bodies of one 18, Yamcha and Krillin.
"I can't believe this. They didn't deserve this" Goten said as he looked at 18 then over at Krillin. Trunks remained silent as he walked towards 18. Pan and Uub sighed as they looked up at Trunks.
"It's sad, isn't…" Pan started before she noticed her aunt in her uncle's arms. "…Uncle Trunks what happened to her?" she asked as she stood up. Trunks refused to answer her as he laid his wife beside the one time destructive android. Staring at her aunt, Pan turned around and looked at her grandfather and uncle as they looked at her. "What happened?" she asked again.
"Pan…he got her too. She's gone just like Krillin and the rest" Goku said, dropping his eyes down towards the floor. Pan seemingly looked to be in shock as she heard the words of her grandfather. Uub growled as he made his way to his feet.
"There has to be something that we can do? Can't we wish them back or something?" he asked.
"That's what we were hoping we could do. I realize that I've used the black star dragonballs to wish myself back to my normal form but what about the other dragonballs?" Goku asked as he quickly turned his attention to Dende. Dropping his head, the young Namekian shook his head from side to side.
"That won't work" he said slowly. Goku, Uub, Pan and Goten looked rather shocked from his response while Vegeta and Trunks seemed angry by it.
"Why? Why won't it work? It should work" Goten said.
"Goten, the dragon can only bring back people who are not of this world. Thos who have passed on into other world" Mr. Popo said, speaking up for the young guardian.
"I'm not getting it. Look at them, they're gone so we can wish them back" Goten replied. Shaking his head no, Mr. Popo looked at the bodies before him.
"They are not dead, that is to say, they are alive. Their souls are alive just not in their body. With that in mind, the dragon cannot do anything to help them. The best we can do is wish for those that were killed today back but there is nothing we can do for Cheena, 18, Krillin and Yamcha" he said. Goten shifted his eyes from side to side as he dropped his head in anger. Closing his eyes, Trunks slowly turned away from the sight of his wife. Taking a few steps to the side he stood on the edge of the lookout, looking down into the clouds below.
"Well if we can't wish them back then we'll just have to defeat Castine and get back the souls he stole" Goku said. Vegeta scoffed lightly as he looked at Goku.
"How do you suppose we do that Kakarot? Go to him and ask for them back? He's not just going to give them to us" he said.
"We'll fight for them Vegeta, you know that. We are not going to let Castine get away with what he's done. We just need to devise a plan, something to catch him off guard before he strikes again" Goku said. Vegeta nodded his head, agreeing solemnly with what was just said. Glancing to the side, Goten noticed his friend, who remained in the same position, looking down at the clouds below. Rubbing the back of his neck, Goten slowly walked over to him. Standing beside him, he cleared his throat, hoping to catch his attention.
"Hey…you ok, man?" he asked dropping his arm to his side. Blinking slowly, Trunks kept his gaze on the clouds below. Shaking his head, Goten raised his right arm and placed his hand on his friends shoulder. "Listen, I'm sorry about earlier…"he said as Trunks pulled his arm away.
"…not now, ok?" Trunks said as he glanced at Goten through the corner of his eye.
"Trunks, I'm only trying to apologize for what I said earlier. It was wrong, I know that now" Goten said. Trunks laughed slightly as he turned his head and looked at his friend.
"You see that now, now that I'm not pounding your face in. Glad you do. Look…" he said as his laughter died down and his expression turned serious. "…you're forgiven. I understand that you were just upset, as was I. I'm sorry for, you know, beating you into the couch" he said. Goten laughed as he looked at Trunks.
"I wouldn't say you beat me into the couch but you did give my jaw a nice feeling. Don't even worry about it. I was upset, just like you. You know I care about my sister and I want to get even with that jerk just as much as you do. We'll get him…" he said as he replaced his hand on his friends shoulder. "…we'll get him" he said. Trunks nodded his head as he turned back towards the clouds below.
"I know we will, you can count on that" he said, his determination growing with each passing second.
"Hey Pan?" Goku asked as he looked at his granddaughter before glancing around. "Where is your father?" he asked.
"I don't know grandpa, he just left" Pan said. Furrowing his eyebrows, Goku could only wonder where his son could have possibly have gone.
"He just said he had to go. That's all he said" Uub said as he folded his arms across his chest. Nodding his head, Goku slowly rubbed his chin as he looked at Vegeta.
"I wonder where he ran off to?" he asked in general, receiving silence as his answer.
Castine smiled as he glanced around him. He could only laugh to himself as he folded his arms across his chest.
"This is just perfect. I'll have my next soul and it will be the easiest soul I've ever taken" he said with a smirk on his face. Standing behind her leader, Blanca glanced around then at Castine.
"Sir, why are we here? What is here?" she asked. Chuckling lightly, Castine turned and looked at the young woman behind him.
"It is here Blanca that I will gain my next soul. I've sensed her here. She will be mine" he said as he turned and looked at the house before him. Blanca nodded her head as she looked at the house before her.
"So what are we looking at here? A young woman? Teenager?" she asked. Castine shook his head no as he walked towards the house.
"Not even close. What we have here is a young baby" he said as he stood in front of the door. Blanca stopped in her tracks as she stared at the man in front of her.
"A…baby, sir?" she asked in disbelief. Castine nodded as he turned towards her, a devilish smirk on his face.
"You heard me right, Blanca. I've decided to stick it to Goku yet again" he said. Blinking slowly, Blanca stared at him quite confused.
"I-I'm still not understanding" she said.
"Then let me make it clear enough for you. I've already taken his daughter's soul…now I'm going to take his granddaughters and there isn't a damn thing anyone can do about it. Just do your part and we'll be out of here soon and don't you dare screw this up" he said as he turned towards the door. Raising his hand he slowly knocked on the door, awaiting an answer with a bright smile on his face. "Kaze Son…allow me to show you to your new home…the last home you'll ever want or need" he said as he prepared, for what he believed, would be the easiest soul he's ever taken.
AN2: There you have it, finished. You can figure out what house he's at so I won't have to say it. I hope to update as soon as I can. I start school next week but I'll try to update on weekends or when I have the time. Until then check my profile for any sign of an update. Now do me a favor and leave a review, I'd love that. Thanks. ^_^
