Chapter 18: Seals and Arms
"Do not trust your memory; it is a net full of holes; the most beautiful prizes slip through it."
-George Duhamel
1st Round:
Kaio Shin Vs. Tsuki
Victor by Knockout- Kaio Shin
2nd Round:
Son Gohan vs. Kaio Kabito
Victor by Knockout- Son Gohan
3rd Round:
No. 18 vs. Jewel
Victor by Knockout/KO- No. 18
4th Round:
Son Goku vs. Briefs Vegeta
No Victor- Disqualification
5th Round:
Briefs Trunks vs. Krillen
Victor by Knockout- Briefs Trunks
6th Round:
Taiyo vs. Satan Hercule
Victor by Disqualification- Taiyo
7th Round:
Satan Videl vs. Killa
Victor by One Hit KO- Satan Videl
--End of Preliminaries--
"Wow. Can you believe it!" Krillen smiled after brandishing the piece of paper in everyone's faces. "We are already onto the Semi Finals."
The room's occupants returned the smile kindly. It being only Gohan, Videl, and 18 there for him to torment.
18 smirked at her husband's quirkiness and leaned back in the chair provided for her.
"I am in the Semi Finals," 18 reproached. "Not you, Krillen."
Krillen's bountiful smile weakened. He shielded his disappointment with the tournament layout's white backing.
"Well, yeah. You didn't have to go against a Sayian the first round," grumbled the human. "You'd be singing an entirely different tune if you had."
"He was eight," 18 smiled, cocking an eyebrow.
"You're not going to drop it, are you?"
"Not planning to."
"Don't worry about it, Krillen," interrupted Gohan; hoping to save the man from total humiliation. "No one blames you for losing to Trunks. He is considerably stronger then normal humans. It was a feat to stay in the ring as long as you did with him."
Krillen's smile returned.
"Thank you, Gohan," He bounded back upon his wife. "See! Gohan believes in me!"
"That's because he didn't see your match," 18 snapped heatedly. "Trunks needn't have touched you. You practically ran out of the ring."
"It's called dodging…" Krillen grumbled, knowing he haft been burnt again.
"Gohan," Videl stated with certain demanding.
She yanked on his sleeve, a rather pleading look in her eye, and nodded to the exit. Giving a short goodbye, both Gohan and Videl left the quarreling couple alone in the Tournament's Waiting Room.
"What's up, Videl?" Gohan asked curiously once they were out of ear shot from the door. "Is something wrong?"
"Kind of…" Videl muttered slowly.
Her face was pained. Almost worried. Gohan felt for her.
"Is this about Killa or your Otousan?"
Videl chuckled. She had accidentally sent her opponent to the hospital. Videl could have been a bit gentler. But her built up agitation from her father's disappearance and the frustration from being unable to understand a word coming out of her contender's mouth had somewhat of a negative effect on Videl's punch.
He would be fine, she was sure. Killa only suffered from a minor concussion and a few broken limbs. Nothing she, Videl, hadn't lived through before.
But her father…
"They've searched everywhere for him," Videl cried, obvious distress coating her tone. "The committee are assuming the worst."
"What's the worst?" asked Gohan, without needing much of a reply.
"They think… they think that someone in this tournament might have disposed of him beforehand."
Videl bowed her head. She expected Gohan to be a flurry of protest; try immature ways of cheering her up. Be his usual Gohan-ish self.
Gohan surprised her. He, instead, wrapped his strong arms around her midriff. The sayian pulled her close and let Videl rest her head upon his shoulder; his warm soft shoulder. The aurora around him was intoxicating. Like an extension of his arms. He held her completely.
It was unlike him. He usually got so embarrassed.
Videl cried softly into his shirt. Wet rings were left where her eyelids had pressed into the fabric. It was comforting. She didn't want him to ever let her go.
There was a silence. No one in the hallway to disapprove. Videl held him closer. Gohan didn't pull away.
His breath with hers. His thoughts with her loss. They all has assumed the worst. What had Gohan thought?
He loved her. He wouldn't say, would he?
"I'm sure- that Satan is fine."
That's the Gohan, she knew.
Videl sighed and brushed away just a few tears.
"Thank you, Gohan."
Gohan blushed. Videl didn't mind. It meant he did care. And that was all that mattered.
"Satan Hercule has been missing for nearly 18 hours now," Goku murmured, eying the food in his lap lazily. "They won't continue the tournament until he returns. Or at least until they find reason for his absence."
"This isn't good," Bulma frowned. "I have a bad feeling about this whole budoukai."
She turned about to face the empty stadium ring before them. The one denture grinned up at them sinisterly.
"Maybe Taiyo set this whole thing up. Maybe he killed Hercule…"
"How would he profit from that?" Vegeta snapped, snatching a nacho from the unprepared Kakarot. "With Hercule gone, the tournament would be postponed. The one thing we know about Taiyo is that he wants the Tournament to continue at all costs."
He licked his lips and fingers free of the cheese and continued, "Taiyo may not care about disposing life, but if his tournament was cancelled so would be his plans on humiliating and eliminating Gohan."
Goku frowned, either from the loss of one of his nachos or the predicament at hand. His eyes shown darkly in the early morning light.
"I guess it's time you all know… exactly what we are dealing with."
Chichi leaned the back of her chair to glare at her husband, "You know something, Goku?"
Goku didn't answer and instead gave off his own question, "Where's Gohan?"
None of the group seemed to know. Master Roshi and Turtle shifted slightly in their seats so that they could get a better view of Goku. Vegeta shrugged indifferently. Piccolo's cold stare was obvious enough. Pretty much everyone else was clueless.
At Goku's glance to her, Chichi straightened.
"I saw Gohan hanging out with Krillen earlier in the waiting room. Why?"
Goku's expression remained solemn but she could sense a bit of anxiety rising in his eyes.
"I think we- better all stay together from here on out. Could someone go get Gohan and the rest of them?"
"Goku- You were about to tell us something…" Bulma started.
"Nevermind. I'll do it myself."
He rose, dropping all the nachos on the ground much to Vegeta's irritation, and headed off to the dark stairwell. His stadium chair bopped at his exit.
"He was going to tell us something about Taiyo."
"Yeah. Not us. Gohan."
"Gohan."
The demon's lips licked the word up and swallowed it lustfully. His fangs dug into the bottom lip, tearing bits of flesh off in their hunger. Blood trickled from the small patches of opened flesh.
Vengeance for killing those which he wished to kill. Blood would spill. He would make this Gohan die…
"You annoying little brat. This is what you get for meddling in Master Babidi's plans."
"Master Babidi, eh?"
The fiend swirled about in the darkness. His breathing cut into pained wheezing. He wasn't expecting anyone to be here. Who dare scare the King of Demons?
A figure stood before him, draped in a velvety black cape that hid his façade and his purpose. Even his hands were covered in thick leather to prevent estimates on age or sex. Dabura glared irately at the interloper in his shadows.
"And you would be…?"
"I would be a worthy addition to your master's collection. My heart is as black as coal. My soul as dank as an Egyptian's tomb."
The Demon King frowned at all the analogies. It took him awhile to find a way to respond.
"Are you mocking me?"
"No. Quite the opposite, Lord Dabura."
"How do you know my name?"
He took a step backward from the cloaked figure. The being took no offense.
"I have certain ways," The lipless voice continued. "I know you want Gohan. And I know of a certain way you could do it."
Dabura scowled at the request.
"I can defeat him without help."
"No, you can't. Not in the way you want to," The creature continued. "You want heads to roll and blood to pour. You want them to fear you like they did before Master Babidi stole all their fear from you. You want to be free from Master Babidi. I can do that for you."
"You lie."
"If I were lying you would know it," Dabura could hint a bit of amusement in it's voice. "You want Gohan dead? I will give you Gohan dead… one way or another."
"How… Who are you?"
The being did not respond right away.
When he did respond, his voice seemed to slither up from the night itself.
"Call me Dea."
Gohan held on to Videl's hand tightly as the headed out to the tournament ring. The obvious bit of blush still remained on Gohan's face. Videl smiled at it.
"You get this worked up over a hug… How will it be when you kiss me, Gohan?"
He just glowed brighter, unable to look his girlfriend in the eye. As if he feared she might just try… She thought about doing it just to see Gohan's expression.
He's way too easily manipulated…
They made it around the corner just to narrowly miss a young man who had been trudging the opposite way. Gohan drew back in shock.
"Taiyo…"
The boy gave him a slightly strained glare. The darkness that had once covered his features seemed to be lifting. He appeared human… or as human as a hybrid could be.
"Gohan-san…" Tayio replied.
Gohan was unaccustomed to the complimentary term- at least coming from someone as crude as Taiyo. As crude as Taiyo seemed to be. Gohan held the air in this throat.
"Gohan-oniisan…" repeated Taiyo with a faint smile on his lips.
Gohan made a guttural sort of gasp. Videl felt the tension in his grip rise. But she had long since become just a bystander.
"Don't call me that," Gohan frowned. "Not yet."
"Hn…"
Taiyo cast a side glance to Videl before turning back to the demi-sayian before him.
"So you know. That's good. It will be easier to tell you this then," Taiyo took a deep breath. "The budoukai has just changed."
"Changed?" Gohan repeated dully.
"Hai. Now you face everyone… alone," Taiyo looked somewhat disturbed with the idea.
He touched Gohan's shoulder kindly.
"I still hold subliminal concern for you, Gohan-oniisan."
His hand moved away. Gohan remained unflinchingly before him.
"Know this," Taiyo spat. "I will be the one to kill you, Gohan. Only I. Don't you dare die before then."
"Hai. I understand," Gohan nodded. "I'll wait for you Goten-otoutousan."
"Hn," That smile returned. "Goten's dead."
With that he left them alone again. Gohan's grip loosened.
"What the hell was that about?" Videl snapped wrenching her hand free.
Noting Gohan's despairing expression, her irritation softened, "Gohan?"
"When was it that you realized…"
"I kind of knew it all the time… Gotencouldn't have been dead. I would have felt better if he had-"
"I see…"
Goku leaned back on one of the hard benches. The wall held his back straight. It wasn't comfortable but it was better then standing.
Gohan wouldn't look at his father.
"Gohan? Daijoubu?"
"…anou."
He stood there, back rigid with worry- and he refused to look at his father. Goku felt the dread began to rise in his chest.
"Nee, Gohan?"
"…anou." said Gohan again.
And the conversation ended there. Goku filled with anxiety and Gohan with depression. The cheers of the stadium reached their sensitive ears. Gohan was being announced.
Do you plan to die by your brother, Gohan?
"I'll see you after the match, otoutousan."
"Otousan," Goku corrected.
"Otousan. That's what I said," replied Gohan grumpily.
There was a empty sort of echo as the door slammed. The room felt so hallow. Goku watched his knees.
"He said, otoutou…"
"And now for the Semi Finals of this year's Tenkaichi Budoukai!"
The cheers that rose from the stadium were near-deafening. The announcer couldn't be more thrilled. He didn't hesitate to add an extra flourish to his wave as he motioned to the next combatants.
"Kaio Shin! And Son Gohan!"
The two somewhat mismatched opponents both climbed up the same opaque marble steps towards the center of the arena. Gohan's expression had softened since his conversation with his father, but the deepening despondency still remained in his eyes. Shin couldn't help but be slightly in the dark.
I guess all the secrets are out in the open now.
When they both stood opposite each other, the announcer waved his hand up. The drums sounded. They started low and soft increasing with the heavy tension. The stadium stifled their cheers as so they could hear the announcer's words.
"Kaio Shin versus Son Gohan. Let's hope for a good match!"
The kai and sayian bowed to each other in response.
"And g-"
"MATTE! MATTE KUDOSAI!"
The announcer stopped in his proverbial raising of his left hand, hushed by the shout. He turned just as monk rushed to the ring's side.
"Matte kudosai," The monk repeated. "I have a important announcement."
The announcer scowled and pushed back his gelled hair, "Can't it wait?"
"No. No sir," The monk stammered. "It's about Mister Kaio, sir. You see… He's been suspected for cheating."
"What!" Shin spat before the announcer could get his word in. "What the hell is this? How could I cheat?"
Gohan blinked uncertainly.
"Did you cheat, Shin-san?"
"Iie!" Shin cried, casting a angry glare at the monk. "You know I didn't Gohan-kun!"
His eyes widened. Gohan was moving away from the kai.
"Did you, Shin-san?"
"… demo…"
Shin's face darkened. Gohan was glaring at him.
Of course. That binding spell.
"Did you?"
"…shimatta."
To Be Continued…
Please R & R!
Guck. I hate this chapter. But I'm not holding it back any longer…
-TRANSLATIONS-
demo: "but" or "however" [course I'm not sure if I used it right… ::sheepish grin::]
shimatta: I know the dubbing company at Funimation likes to change this word to "damn" but I read a story recently that said it was more of "crap"
Matte/ Matte Kudasai: Wait/ Wait please.
Otousan: Father. Can also be Tousan or just Otou. I think O and san are more formal ways of saying it.
Otoutousan: Little brother.
anou: A stumbling of words. Like ummm or errr.
Daijoubu: Are you alright?
Nee: A way to get someone's attention. Like "Hey".
Most of these I got from a DC Writer by the name of Sakura no Tsubasa. So the translations are credited to her. I just felt like adding a bit more Japanese in this chapter like I had in others.
Don't expect my other stories to have this much Japanese dialogue. :insert bewildered face
Thanks for your time. Please review!