CHAPTER 31 – Straight and Narrow
Vegeta smirked at Goz's assumption. On the contrary, he knew exactly where he was going. He was going home. But first he had to find the landmark. Vegeta briefly closed his eyes and found the memory that would show him the way. Then his smirk widened into a full smile. His eyes shot opened and he surged forward, leaving a trail of ki behind him.
Vegeta reached the Amusement Park and hovered next to the Ferris wheel. He studied its surroundings. The wheel had stopped moving and Vegeta noticed that two puffy souls sitting in the top bucket seemed to be watching him. He glared at them and growled, "What are you looking at?!" They made a high pitched whining noise, irritating the Saiyan. Balling his fists, Vegeta turned to face the souls in a threatening stature. The cloud like puffs jumped from their seats and floated to the ground whimpering. The Prince grunted, smirked and took their seat. Crossing his arms, Vegeta closed his eyes and focused on recalling the rest of his memory of Gohan's bedtime story to Trunks and Goten. Instantly, he found himself leaning against Kakarot's house under Goten's opened bedroom window.
Having Trunks and Goten's undivided attention, Gohan continued to tell the story of his father's adventure in HFIL. "Both ogres were very nervous about this. They have never shown a single soul what they were about to show Dad. But Dad had won fair and square. The red one--"
"The red one's name was Mez, right?" Trunks was pretty keen on getting every detail straight.
Gohan was sitting cross legged on Goten's bed. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what Dad called him, why, Trunks? Are you planning on visiting him?" Both Goten and Gohan began to snicker.
Trunks smirked, "Knowing Goten, he'll probably follow in his Dad's footsteps, literally! And then I'll have to bail him out as usual."
Gohan chuckled, "Yeah Goten, maybe you should pay more attention to the details."
Goten looked confused, "I-I don't get it."
Gohan and Trunks laughed out loud. Goten looked to his brother with a narrowed brow. "Hey-" Suddenly he was hit up side the head with Trunks's pillow.
Trunks snickered, "Don't hurt yourse-" Smack! Goten had returned the pillow back to its owner.
Laughing, Gohan tried to return order, "Alright, alright! Do you want me to finish or not?"
Pouting, Goten murmured, "I still don't get it."
"Ah, don't worry, Bro. Nobody in this room is going anywhere. Anyway, having promised to show Dad the Secret Passage Way, Mez had no choice since King Yama's men could only speak the truth."
"That sure was a sucker's bet. Wasn't it Gohan?" Vegeta couldn't help but smile at his son's observation. More than one sucker was involved here.
"What's a sucker's bet?"
"Mez made a bet he couldn't win, Goten. Now are you guys going to let me finish?" The two boys settled back down into the covers and quietly waited for Gohan to continue.
"Ok, so from the end of the Go-Kart track they led Dad across a barren wasteland. Ahead rose a cold wall of sheared rock that spanned across as far as the eye could see. As Dad came closer, he grew concerned. Certainly, they didn't expect him to climb up and over the ominous cliff. Pointing up at the top, Dad asked, 'Is that the way out?' The blue ogre, whose name was Goz (winking at Trunks) laughed at him, "Nooo."
"What's ominous mean?"
"Big and scary."
"Was Daddy scared?"
"No, not really. Dad always looked for challenges. But his concern was short lived. He didn't see it at first but when the three of them stopped, the way was revealed. In front of them appeared what looked like a cut in the wall. It was perfectly straight, as if a gigantic knife sliced down the center. The ogres told him it was called Hairline Gorge. With Mez leading, the three of them walked single file. At the end, Mez stepped out into the open and moved aside to allow the others to exit. They came out onto a small desolate valley. Again Dad asked, 'Is this it?' both orges looked at Dad and answered, 'Nooo.' Mez pointed across the valley and at about fifty meters, there was another rock wall that spanned as far as the eye could see. 'It's over there.' Dad wasn't sure what he was looking at. 'Where?' Then Mez pulled Dad over to stand in front of him. The ogre leaned down and with his face next to Dad's, he pointed again in front of him. 'There.' Following his direction, Dad looked closer and there it was."
"What! What did he see?"
"A tunnel!"
Trunks rolled his eyes, "Big whoop. This is boring. When is he going to fight, the evil monsters that try to stop him?" Vegeta's eyes remained closed but he smiled. His clever son was right about the evil monsters in this place. He felt the Ferris wheel begin to move but continued with his memory.
Gohan ignored Trunks and went on, "A huge monstrous face was carved in the wall. Its teeth framed the entrance. Both Ogres walked on either side of him, guiding him to the opening. There they said their farewells but stopped Dad before entering and told him not to stray from the path. You see, the path was between dimensions and if you lost your way, you would be lost forever. They say, only trusting souls could make the journey. Well, you know Dad, if anyone could make it, he could and he did."
"Did he find monsters along the way?"
"Yeah! What about the monsters?!"
"No, no monsters. In fact, all he said was that there were lots and lots of steps, always going up, up and up." Gohan got off the bed and walked over to the light switch. "But you know King Yama was very surprised to see him come out of the Secret Passage Way." And in a low voice he added, "Very surprised indeed." Off went the light and Gohan shut the door behind him leaving the two in darkness. Vegeta could hear the two boys giggling and making scary monster sounds to each other.
He was about to open his eyes but hesitated when he heard Bulma's voice around the corner of the house. She was leaving, walking out onto the front walk.
"Thanks again for the wonderful dinner, Chichi. You always outdo yourself. And thanks for keeping Trunks too. I don't know what I will do with myself tomorrow."
Chichi teased. "I know what I'd do if it were me and Goku."
Bulma sighed, "Well, I probably won't see his highness now for days. You know he'll want to pay me back for dragging him over here. Oh well, he won't know what he missed and I guess I won't either--"
Vegeta stepped forward, he would show the onna what she would miss but suddenly he was in the air flying away from her. His eyes jerked open and he frowned. Vegeta remembered. He did just as she had predicted. He took off in a huff and didn't return for a week. Vegeta sighed. What he wouldn't give to have that day back.
Looking around, Vegeta realized the Ferris wheel had stopped and his bucket was stationed at the unloading ramp. Several souls had gathered meters away; watching with curiosity. The Prince grunted and got out of the bucket, adjusting his gloves as he walked down the ramp. He had to push his regrets aside and move on. He spat on the ground. It was time to go back. His onna had not seen the last of him. He will see Bulma again, he would make damn sure of it.
Taking to the air, Vegeta spied the race track that Gohan spoke of and flew to the far end. In the distance he could see the endless cliff wall and rocketed to its base. He sped along the cliff, trying to find the cut. Realizing he had probably passed it, he turned around and at slower pace, retraced his flight. Yet the opening continued to elude him.
Did Gohan get it wrong? Not likely. Did Kakarot make the whole thing up? Definitely not! Vegeta hovered a moment and looked back to the amusement park in the distance. He attempted to surmise which way the ogres took Goku. His conclusion was simple; the shortest distance between two points. He landed on the ground where he thought point B would end.
Nothing. Looking straight up, he studied the cliff for a moment, rubbing his chin as he did so. Then he began to take steps backwards to increase his line of sight. When he was about ten meters away he had to blink twice. Suddenly, there it was; a slit in the wall. He took another step backwards and he thought the opening widen slightly. Amazed, he widened his stance causing his line of view to shift slightly to the right. Now the opening seemed wide enough to walk through. Vegeta jumped in the air to fly through but stopped. The entranced disappeared again. "What the?" Quickly, his head jerked about looking for his tracks on the ground. Spotting them, he landed were he had stood. The passage was back. Slowly he walked towards it, careful to adjust his direction with any visual alterations of the opening.
Reaching the beginning of the gorge, Vegeta stepped into the narrow gap and found it was cold inside. The air was unmoving save for the cold mist that was formed when he exhaled. Curiously, he reached over to touch the rock that towered on each side of him. As he did so, the opening at the other end disappeared and he immediately pulled back and returned to the middle of the path. The Prince whispered reassuringly, "Stay the course." He continued to walk, never taking his eyes off the narrow pillar of light that lay ahead.
Vegeta came to the end of Hairline and cautiously looked out not daring to move from the path. Gohan was correct again. A desolate valley spread left and right and on the other side was another endless towering rock wall. He was not surprised that he could not see the tunnel. Remembering Mez had pulled Kakarot aside; he took a step out to his right and scanned the far wall. No luck. So, he took two steps to the left. There it was, plain as day. The Secret Passage Way. "Alright, straight and narrow, Vegeta." He frowned and clamped his mouth shut. It wouldn't do for the Prince of Saiyans to be found talking to himself. He had a growing suspicion he would not be alone for long.
Carefully, Vegeta made his way until he was face to face with the menacing dark opening. Fearing he would lose sight of the entrance, he did not look back but walked in and the darkness engulfed him. The Prince didn't move and waited for his eyes to adjust. Soon he could make out narrow steps leading up. There were no rails or walls on either side, only emptiness. Not wanting to waste anymore time he took a step, then another and another; watching for some sign of a designation. There seemed to be no end to the stairs but there was something else. Twinkling. Tiny sparks, reflections, or miniature lights flashing, he wasn't sure, but they floated all around, hinting to the vastness of this mysterious realm.
Unconsciously, Vegeta had stopped his ascent, poised with one foot on the next step. The darkness along with the spectacle of lights was mesmerizing. Then he could hear Gohan's voice almost as if he stood right in front of him. "--only trusting souls could make the journey."
Vegeta grunted in reply. The only thing he ever had faith in was himself. He pondered his choices. He could go back to the Entrance Hall and be at the mercy of those two blundering idiots. Smiling he thought, 'or better yet, lead HFIL's occupants into a revolt, become ruler of the Afterworlds and take charge of this botched crusade or,' Vegeta grimaced. He didn't even want to think the last alternative. He growled to himself, his mind just wouldn't stop. 'or put my trust in another.' He couldn't take it and blurted out, "Grrr- Why must it always be you Kakarot? Why?! It is not enough for you to surpass me in strength! No, you hid it from me! You have stolen my honor, crushed my pride and now--" He looked down at his clenched fists and whispered, "and now you want my trust?"
Out of the silence came an answer from behind him, but it was not from Kakarot. Someone had fallen upon the stairs and proceeded to curse them—in several familiar languages. First starting with Universal, "GODS-" followed by Saiyan, "SHIMATTA," and she polished it off with what the Prince suspected was in Tsufuru. "FY FAEN SATAN I HELVETE!"
Vegeta smirked at Goz's assumption. On the contrary, he knew exactly where he was going. He was going home. But first he had to find the landmark. Vegeta briefly closed his eyes and found the memory that would show him the way. Then his smirk widened into a full smile. His eyes shot opened and he surged forward, leaving a trail of ki behind him.
Vegeta reached the Amusement Park and hovered next to the Ferris wheel. He studied its surroundings. The wheel had stopped moving and Vegeta noticed that two puffy souls sitting in the top bucket seemed to be watching him. He glared at them and growled, "What are you looking at?!" They made a high pitched whining noise, irritating the Saiyan. Balling his fists, Vegeta turned to face the souls in a threatening stature. The cloud like puffs jumped from their seats and floated to the ground whimpering. The Prince grunted, smirked and took their seat. Crossing his arms, Vegeta closed his eyes and focused on recalling the rest of his memory of Gohan's bedtime story to Trunks and Goten. Instantly, he found himself leaning against Kakarot's house under Goten's opened bedroom window.
Having Trunks and Goten's undivided attention, Gohan continued to tell the story of his father's adventure in HFIL. "Both ogres were very nervous about this. They have never shown a single soul what they were about to show Dad. But Dad had won fair and square. The red one--"
"The red one's name was Mez, right?" Trunks was pretty keen on getting every detail straight.
Gohan was sitting cross legged on Goten's bed. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what Dad called him, why, Trunks? Are you planning on visiting him?" Both Goten and Gohan began to snicker.
Trunks smirked, "Knowing Goten, he'll probably follow in his Dad's footsteps, literally! And then I'll have to bail him out as usual."
Gohan chuckled, "Yeah Goten, maybe you should pay more attention to the details."
Goten looked confused, "I-I don't get it."
Gohan and Trunks laughed out loud. Goten looked to his brother with a narrowed brow. "Hey-" Suddenly he was hit up side the head with Trunks's pillow.
Trunks snickered, "Don't hurt yourse-" Smack! Goten had returned the pillow back to its owner.
Laughing, Gohan tried to return order, "Alright, alright! Do you want me to finish or not?"
Pouting, Goten murmured, "I still don't get it."
"Ah, don't worry, Bro. Nobody in this room is going anywhere. Anyway, having promised to show Dad the Secret Passage Way, Mez had no choice since King Yama's men could only speak the truth."
"That sure was a sucker's bet. Wasn't it Gohan?" Vegeta couldn't help but smile at his son's observation. More than one sucker was involved here.
"What's a sucker's bet?"
"Mez made a bet he couldn't win, Goten. Now are you guys going to let me finish?" The two boys settled back down into the covers and quietly waited for Gohan to continue.
"Ok, so from the end of the Go-Kart track they led Dad across a barren wasteland. Ahead rose a cold wall of sheared rock that spanned across as far as the eye could see. As Dad came closer, he grew concerned. Certainly, they didn't expect him to climb up and over the ominous cliff. Pointing up at the top, Dad asked, 'Is that the way out?' The blue ogre, whose name was Goz (winking at Trunks) laughed at him, "Nooo."
"What's ominous mean?"
"Big and scary."
"Was Daddy scared?"
"No, not really. Dad always looked for challenges. But his concern was short lived. He didn't see it at first but when the three of them stopped, the way was revealed. In front of them appeared what looked like a cut in the wall. It was perfectly straight, as if a gigantic knife sliced down the center. The ogres told him it was called Hairline Gorge. With Mez leading, the three of them walked single file. At the end, Mez stepped out into the open and moved aside to allow the others to exit. They came out onto a small desolate valley. Again Dad asked, 'Is this it?' both orges looked at Dad and answered, 'Nooo.' Mez pointed across the valley and at about fifty meters, there was another rock wall that spanned as far as the eye could see. 'It's over there.' Dad wasn't sure what he was looking at. 'Where?' Then Mez pulled Dad over to stand in front of him. The ogre leaned down and with his face next to Dad's, he pointed again in front of him. 'There.' Following his direction, Dad looked closer and there it was."
"What! What did he see?"
"A tunnel!"
Trunks rolled his eyes, "Big whoop. This is boring. When is he going to fight, the evil monsters that try to stop him?" Vegeta's eyes remained closed but he smiled. His clever son was right about the evil monsters in this place. He felt the Ferris wheel begin to move but continued with his memory.
Gohan ignored Trunks and went on, "A huge monstrous face was carved in the wall. Its teeth framed the entrance. Both Ogres walked on either side of him, guiding him to the opening. There they said their farewells but stopped Dad before entering and told him not to stray from the path. You see, the path was between dimensions and if you lost your way, you would be lost forever. They say, only trusting souls could make the journey. Well, you know Dad, if anyone could make it, he could and he did."
"Did he find monsters along the way?"
"Yeah! What about the monsters?!"
"No, no monsters. In fact, all he said was that there were lots and lots of steps, always going up, up and up." Gohan got off the bed and walked over to the light switch. "But you know King Yama was very surprised to see him come out of the Secret Passage Way." And in a low voice he added, "Very surprised indeed." Off went the light and Gohan shut the door behind him leaving the two in darkness. Vegeta could hear the two boys giggling and making scary monster sounds to each other.
He was about to open his eyes but hesitated when he heard Bulma's voice around the corner of the house. She was leaving, walking out onto the front walk.
"Thanks again for the wonderful dinner, Chichi. You always outdo yourself. And thanks for keeping Trunks too. I don't know what I will do with myself tomorrow."
Chichi teased. "I know what I'd do if it were me and Goku."
Bulma sighed, "Well, I probably won't see his highness now for days. You know he'll want to pay me back for dragging him over here. Oh well, he won't know what he missed and I guess I won't either--"
Vegeta stepped forward, he would show the onna what she would miss but suddenly he was in the air flying away from her. His eyes jerked open and he frowned. Vegeta remembered. He did just as she had predicted. He took off in a huff and didn't return for a week. Vegeta sighed. What he wouldn't give to have that day back.
Looking around, Vegeta realized the Ferris wheel had stopped and his bucket was stationed at the unloading ramp. Several souls had gathered meters away; watching with curiosity. The Prince grunted and got out of the bucket, adjusting his gloves as he walked down the ramp. He had to push his regrets aside and move on. He spat on the ground. It was time to go back. His onna had not seen the last of him. He will see Bulma again, he would make damn sure of it.
Taking to the air, Vegeta spied the race track that Gohan spoke of and flew to the far end. In the distance he could see the endless cliff wall and rocketed to its base. He sped along the cliff, trying to find the cut. Realizing he had probably passed it, he turned around and at slower pace, retraced his flight. Yet the opening continued to elude him.
Did Gohan get it wrong? Not likely. Did Kakarot make the whole thing up? Definitely not! Vegeta hovered a moment and looked back to the amusement park in the distance. He attempted to surmise which way the ogres took Goku. His conclusion was simple; the shortest distance between two points. He landed on the ground where he thought point B would end.
Nothing. Looking straight up, he studied the cliff for a moment, rubbing his chin as he did so. Then he began to take steps backwards to increase his line of sight. When he was about ten meters away he had to blink twice. Suddenly, there it was; a slit in the wall. He took another step backwards and he thought the opening widen slightly. Amazed, he widened his stance causing his line of view to shift slightly to the right. Now the opening seemed wide enough to walk through. Vegeta jumped in the air to fly through but stopped. The entranced disappeared again. "What the?" Quickly, his head jerked about looking for his tracks on the ground. Spotting them, he landed were he had stood. The passage was back. Slowly he walked towards it, careful to adjust his direction with any visual alterations of the opening.
Reaching the beginning of the gorge, Vegeta stepped into the narrow gap and found it was cold inside. The air was unmoving save for the cold mist that was formed when he exhaled. Curiously, he reached over to touch the rock that towered on each side of him. As he did so, the opening at the other end disappeared and he immediately pulled back and returned to the middle of the path. The Prince whispered reassuringly, "Stay the course." He continued to walk, never taking his eyes off the narrow pillar of light that lay ahead.
Vegeta came to the end of Hairline and cautiously looked out not daring to move from the path. Gohan was correct again. A desolate valley spread left and right and on the other side was another endless towering rock wall. He was not surprised that he could not see the tunnel. Remembering Mez had pulled Kakarot aside; he took a step out to his right and scanned the far wall. No luck. So, he took two steps to the left. There it was, plain as day. The Secret Passage Way. "Alright, straight and narrow, Vegeta." He frowned and clamped his mouth shut. It wouldn't do for the Prince of Saiyans to be found talking to himself. He had a growing suspicion he would not be alone for long.
Carefully, Vegeta made his way until he was face to face with the menacing dark opening. Fearing he would lose sight of the entrance, he did not look back but walked in and the darkness engulfed him. The Prince didn't move and waited for his eyes to adjust. Soon he could make out narrow steps leading up. There were no rails or walls on either side, only emptiness. Not wanting to waste anymore time he took a step, then another and another; watching for some sign of a designation. There seemed to be no end to the stairs but there was something else. Twinkling. Tiny sparks, reflections, or miniature lights flashing, he wasn't sure, but they floated all around, hinting to the vastness of this mysterious realm.
Unconsciously, Vegeta had stopped his ascent, poised with one foot on the next step. The darkness along with the spectacle of lights was mesmerizing. Then he could hear Gohan's voice almost as if he stood right in front of him. "--only trusting souls could make the journey."
Vegeta grunted in reply. The only thing he ever had faith in was himself. He pondered his choices. He could go back to the Entrance Hall and be at the mercy of those two blundering idiots. Smiling he thought, 'or better yet, lead HFIL's occupants into a revolt, become ruler of the Afterworlds and take charge of this botched crusade or,' Vegeta grimaced. He didn't even want to think the last alternative. He growled to himself, his mind just wouldn't stop. 'or put my trust in another.' He couldn't take it and blurted out, "Grrr- Why must it always be you Kakarot? Why?! It is not enough for you to surpass me in strength! No, you hid it from me! You have stolen my honor, crushed my pride and now--" He looked down at his clenched fists and whispered, "and now you want my trust?"
Out of the silence came an answer from behind him, but it was not from Kakarot. Someone had fallen upon the stairs and proceeded to curse them—in several familiar languages. First starting with Universal, "GODS-" followed by Saiyan, "SHIMATTA," and she polished it off with what the Prince suspected was in Tsufuru. "FY FAEN SATAN I HELVETE!"