Disclaimer: I don't own: dragonball z; Leann Rimes or her song 'Can't Fight the Moonlight.' I do own Mikayla. No stealing now!
Author's Note: THREE YEARS LATER: Gohan - 31, Mikayla - 30, Trunks - 21, Goten - 20, Pan - 10, Bulma, Chi-Chi, Vegeta, Goku - Still Ancient. Part IV and V are song fics and are more for fun than for anything else. Part VI will be getting back into the action.
"Okay, class, on Monday we will begin our new segment on Greek mythology. Your weekend assignment will be a three page essay, typed/single-spaced, on your favorite Norse deity. I have last week's essays on Norse heroes graded and ready to pass out. You may leave as soon as yours is collected. Have a great weekend and see you all Monday."
Gohan is a teacher at his old high school, Orange Star High. His subject is World Mythology and he is among one of the favorites around the quad. He is firm, yet kind, strict, yet gentle, and very, very intelligent. He often helps students during study hall with other classes.
He began searching the rest of the world's myths and legends for answers to questions on his own race, trying to seal the gaps Vegeta couldn't, or wouldn't. The solidarity he felt brought him to where he is today, handing out essays to students hopeful of earning praise from their respected teacher. They tried genuinely hard to please him. And in the process, they learned more than they knew.
Each student always took a moment to read his private comments to them before they bolted to the door, usually ecstatic that Mr. Son had been generous or lenient. But he hadn't been. His kids were just deserving.
As the last student left the classroom, he sat at his desk and began to work on grading the previous day's assignments. He had just started when his beautiful daughter came bounding into his room, followed by an exasperated Goten.
"Daddy! Daddy! You're NEVER gonna guess what!!"
"Pan! Slow down!"
"Jeez, Goten, you are becoming such a little snail!"
"Pan! That wasn't nice! Apologize to your uncle!"
"All right! All right! Jeez! Sorry, Uncle Goten, now show him the thing!"
"What thing?"
Goten place an extravagant looking invitation in front of him. The envelope was light purple, and printed on the front in black script read, "The Son Family: Goku, ChiChi, Gohan, Pan, and Goten." As he picked it up and opened it, Goten added, "it was hand delivered by a man with five black boxes. Each box had one of our names on them. Dad's and mine were black and purple suits, mom's was a very tasteful and expensive looking dress, also black and purple, and Pan's was..."
"These cool black pants with a purple belly shirt and bandana, and a long black jacket, with black boots!" Pan interrupted.
"We didn't open yours."
Gohan pulled out the purple card inside. The front piqued his interest ten notches higher than it had already had been raised. It read, "The Fighting Stance." He opened it and scanned through the printed information. Grand Opening. Date and Time. Martial Arts. Music. Live House Band. Dancing. Cyber-Bar. The handwritten info on the top stated the Son and Brief Families were to be special guests with a place of honor and a promise of royal treatment.
"Now read the back." Gohan glanced questioningly at his brother as he flipped the card over. He saw this cryptic poem:
For Black and Blue, their love divine
And Black and Black a night to dine
Against Black and Purple, who will win
When Green and Red shall meet them all again
"Hmmm..." He opened the card again and noted the date this time. Aprill 22. Bulma and Vegeta's Anniversary. It was also a Friday. That day marked the end of the 3rd quarter of school so he knew it well. It was a day off.
"We can go, right, daddy? PLEASE?"
Gohan was very intrigued. "What did dad say?" he asked Goten.
"He said it sounded like fun. I think it'd be great too. Mom... was suspicious. Then she saw her dress. Since then, her and Bulma have been on the phone talking non-stop about it... their dresses, make-up, hair, things like that."
"Well... looks like we're going."
Pan jumped up and down, did back flips around the room, much to her dad's dismay, on the tables. She was doing what Goten could only describe as, "hootin' 'n hollerin'."
Gohan decided it would be a good break. For the last three years, he'd been searching the internet for any trace of any kind of a paper trail that Mikayla might've left behind. Nothing. It was as if she didn't exist. He couldn't even find her energy. After all her training it was much stronger and he couldn't even find a hint that it existed.
She couldn't simply have vanished. But he knew they belonged together. He wouldn't give up. One night off wouldn't hurt his search.
The big night fast approaching. A week before the event a man showed up, the same one as before and requested their RSVPs. Both families responded their delight to attend and they were told a limo would pick them up at 6:00 on that night.
April 22nd. Friday night.
The limo passed the long line of people waiting to get into the new club and pulled around to the back. It was a three story building with a giant purple neon sign on top. The Fighting Stance. Everyone in the car was on edge with excitement.
Gohan looked at his mom. She hadn't yelled all day. She was, however, bouncing in her seat giving her husband, sons, and granddaughter a "manners test." For once her family wasn't complaining. The car stopped, and the door opened. Goku stepped out and held his hand out for his wife. Goten followed, then Gohan, holding his hand for Pan. They stood a moment when someone familiar opened the back door. Someone green.
"Greetings, Earthlings," he grinned. The shocked expressions on their faces was what he had been waiting three years for. And there was still more to come.
"PICCOLO!" they all exclaimed.
"What are you doing here?" Gohan was really excited now.
"I own the place, kid."
"No way!" Goku was about to jump out of his suit.
"We need to join up with Vegeta before I give you the grand tour."
Everyone just stood and gaped at him. This was too much. They all found their voices. At the same time.
"How did you do all this?"
"Where'd you get the idea?"
"I didn't know you were interested in night clubs!"
"How did Bulma get Vegeta to agree to be here?"
"No wonder our suits fit perfectly!"
The Namek smirked. "Hold all questions until the end of the tour." He looked directly at Gohan. "I guarantee a night of surprises."
Piccolo was dressed in a suit similar to the Saiyans' and wore a purple bandana, like Pan's, to hide his antennae. He looked sharp. Gohan never thought he'd see his mentor so dressed up. He wished he'd brought a camera. Piccolo might've killed him but it would've been worth it.
The Sons followed him through the door, and into a large room with couches. Chi-Chi saw her best friend sitting on a couch, annoying her husband, and ran to greet her. Piccolo let the two families chat amongst themselves before he cleared his throat.
"It's time to start. The doors will open to the public in an hour and the show will begin shortly after that." Everyone had quieted down and was intently listening to him. "To my left are the bathrooms, an elevator, and the security room. We have cameras in every part of the club from the bar to the training locker rooms."
"Training locker rooms?"
"We?"
Piccolo just grinned and continued on. "Follow me." He turned to the right. The group followed. "Here we have two of five dressing rooms." He turned left down a short hallway. "Complete with bathrooms. This last room is the Med Center Room. To attend a fighter's injuries." He stopped at an elevator just past the Med room and pressed the up button. The doors opened and everyone stepped in. Piccolo pressed the button for the second floor.
"Gohan. Goten. We will be entering the kitchen soon and I want you to restrain your dad." Goku just giggled. They reached their floor and left the elevator. They saw more couches as they stepped forward and turned left around a corner. Goku started to sniff the air and drool. Taking that as their cue, each Son son grabbed a giggling Goku's arm.
Piccolo smirked again. "You will be well fed soon. Dinner is not ready yet. To your left is the other three dressing rooms." He turned to the right. "And up ahead... the kitchen." They headed through the kitchen where there were no less than 10 five star chefs busily preparing a feast. It took some effort, but Goku was finally tugged back out the kitchen through the waiter's doors without him so much as getting a crumb of food.
As they left the kitchen they stood in silent awe. There appeared before them an auditorium environment. They barely glanced at the bar to their left and the pool tables in front of them. They were staring down to the stage below. Piccolo's voice was heard then.
"This is the second floor up here. The stage in the corner of the building down there is on the first floor. We have three tiers of tables with four columns of stairs going down to the performance area and dance floor in front of the stage. Beneath the second floor is the garage and storage area and in the front corner is the stairs coming up to this level from the front door. There are 60 tables and 8 pool tables. Now follow me to your tables. It's time for dinner."
Even Goku was silent as they were led down to the front center tables. The three long tables were combined into one long table with place cards. Facing the stage, they sat (from left to right) Vegeta, Bulma, Trunks, Goten, Chi-Chi, Goku, Gohan, and Pan. As they sat, plates and plates of food appeared before them from a fleet of waiters. Bulma noticed the computers on the tables and started fiddling with one.
"The computers are to place orders to the bar or the kitchen. You make an order directly onto the computer and it is sent to its respective destination. The order and your table number is received and when it is completed it is sent to your table by a waiter. It's called our 'cyber-bar' as all communique is done via the internet. There are also other internet windows available for use, for a fee of course, to go 'surfing.' There is also a 'panic button' if a problem should arise. Someone in our office is constantly monitoring the network to make sure there are none. But if a customer should make a mistake, it can easily be fixed or the system rebooted on a single machine from his location.
"Everything you need is on the house tonight, compliments of me and my partner."
"Partner?"
"We are celebrating a multitude of things tonight. An anniversary, our opening, a reunion... and a decision that's been a long time coming."
"What decision?"
"You will all find out soon enough. Now eat, and if you need anything, just ask. I will be back stage and keeping an eye on you all." With that thought, he headed across the dance floor and up the stage. They noticed then, the band that was warming up and doing some last minute revisions to the stage set-up.
Gohan started doing some thinking. What the heck is going on here? This is so not like Piccolo. He mentioned a partner. I wonder who it is? This kinda looks like something Krillin might get into. Hmmmm.
About an hour later, the tables around them were completely filled and Piccolo had come onto the stage, taken a cordless microphone into his hand, and began to speak.
"This is The Fighting Stance. The dance floor is closed right now but will be open after the martial arts performance later. I have a special treat tonight for my friends and special guests. The opening acts are dedicated to them." Piccolo walked down off the stage and to the front tables, pulling a chair up between Gohan and Pan.
"Piccolo... how are you gonna be able to handle the noise?"
Piccolo said nothing put pulled out a pair of earplugs from his ears and replaced them. Gohan chuckled.
"Gohan... I have a surprise for you. And no matter what you see... you have to stay in your seat."
"Huh? What's going on, Piccolo?"
Piccolo chuckled, bowed his head and closed his eyes. He let go of the shield he was keeping up for the last three years, hiding his energy... and that of another. Goten, Trunks, Vegeta, and Goku tensed up and glanced around the room looking for the sudden power surge they felt... a familiar one at that. Gohan on the other hand, could never forget the feel of that energy... no more than he could forget the color of her eyes.
He jumped up and yelled for her. "Mikayla!"
As if on cue, she walked out on the stage, microphone in hand. Piccolo jerked him back down to his chair. "You have to contain yourself! She has a show to do! You will have a chance with her later."
Gohan couldn't take his eyes off of her. Her hair was longer, a little past her shoulders. It was straight and beautiful, it looked so soft and he was aching to touch it, touch her, hold her... and blast her into the next dimension for leaving him. She was wearing black pants, and a dark plum top, with sheer black sleeves, and lacing up the front.
Pan was bouncing in her seat, waving her arms, and yelling for her.
Mikayla waved back and spoke into the microphone. "Pan-baby. I told you I'd be back. I missed you." Pan looked away, blushing, as the crowd chuckled. Gohan just glared at her. When did they talk??
Goku, Goten, and Trunks were all laughing, while the women were chatting excitedly about Piccolo and his partner. Vegeta was, well... Vegeta. He just sat there smirking.
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. I heard you met my business associate, Mr. Piccolo. I am Ms. Mikayla, but please, call me 'Mik.' Before we get started let me explain how The Fighting Stance works. I'm going to open the show tonight with some music, no dancing or martial arts yet. Just some dedication pieces. Then we'll have a 15 minute break, then move on to our highlight of the night for another 45 minutes.
"I have personally selected masters who want to share with you my vision. They are talented, quick, and excited to get things going. They have a lot of energy they are going to be sharing with you tonight. All performances will be done to music, courtesy of our house band, Defensive Block. All fights are real. No holds barred. Only two rules. One, no one hits my face." A few chuckles were heard. "And two, men will not be hit in 'sensitive manly' areas." More chuckles. "After another 15 minute break, the floor will be open to dancing for another 45 minutes. And that is how the night will continue. Fights. Break. Dancing. Break."
Mikayla went on to explain the use of the cyber-bar, the pool tables, club hours and days, and all the other skematics. Some nights might feature celebrity bands. The Fighting Stance web-site. When she was done, she paused and looked around a moment, taking in all the customers. They were packed. And anxious.
The house lights dimmed. Mikayla spoke. "For black and blue, their love divine, and black and black, a night to dine. Against black and purple, who will win, when green and red shall meet them all again."
Another pause. "Son Gohan... this is for you." She walked down the three steps of the stage and the music started up. She began her song.
Under a lover's sky gonna be with you
And no one's gonna be around
If you think that you won't fall, well just wait until
'Til the sun goes down
Underneath the star life, starlight
There's a magical feeling so right
It will take you in tonight
She made her way to in front of Gohan and danced for him seductively.
You can try to resist, try to hide from my kiss
But you know, but you know that you
Can't fight the moonlight
Deep in the dark, you'll surrender your heart
Don't you know, but you know that you
Can't fight the moonlight
No, you can't fight it, It's gonna get to your heart
She moved on, dancing around for everyone else, but her gaze kept falling on him.
There's no escaping love
Once a gentle breeze weaves it's spell upon your heart
No matter what you think it won't be too long, till you're in my arms
Underneath the star life starlight
We'll be lost in the rhythm so right
It will steal your heart tonight
You can try to resist, try to hide from my kiss
But you know, but you know that you
Can't fight the moonlight
Deep in the dark, you'll surrender your heart
But you know, but you know that you
Can't fight the moonlight
She finished her song in front of Gohan again. As the last chords of music died out she waited for the crowd's reaction. It only took a moment before everyone was cheering and applauding. It had been a good starting song for them, but by the glazed over look Gohan was giving her, she wasn't so sure it was for him.