So saying that does anyone have a particular hero or character they'd like to see appear in this fic? Unfortunately I'm limited to those I know, but you wouldn't believe (or maybe you would) the mental block I'm having right now on tragic (or even not so tragic) heroes…so I'd love some suggestions! And they don't have to be restricted to anime characters either…Nightlife spans many dimensions…though for some strange reason doesn't quite reach as far as our own.
On with the story!
Chapter 4()-()-()-()-()-()-()
Gohan opened his eyes and looked around. There was mist all around him. He knew that if he looked down he would see his feet standing on a path.
Quickly locating the dim glow of the lamp Gohan ran towards the Nightlife entrance, a broad grin on his face. He jumped up onto the porch.
"Good evening Bert!" He said cheerfully.
" 'Evening Gohan." The old man replied from underneath his cap. "Congratulations."
If possible Gohan's smile widened. "Thanks. Where's Kat?"
"Dressing room." Came the muffled reply. "Can't decide which look she wants tonight."
Gohan snickered. "I'll go help her out then."
He went through the door and had to laugh at the theme. Tonight they seemed to be going for a beach party theme; there was even a layer of sand on the floor.
He employed stern self-control not to run straight through to the dressing room, and casually strolled past the dance floor (which on closer inspection was actually made of glass with water underneath) and tables and chairs, waving to the people he passed, until he reached the hall and the end of his patience.
A second later he was walking down the corridor of the dressing room.
"Hey." Kat said as he walked up to her, not even looking at him. "Should I go with the pink or the blue?"
Gohan glanced at the photos she was looking at and scrunched up his nose. Bikinis and shorts that gave new meaning to the word short.
"How bout that?" He said, pointing to a different picture of knee-length board shorts and a tie-dyed purple tank top.
"Oh, okay then." Kat shrugged and touched the picture. Then she looked at him.
"Why are you smiling like that?" She asked suspiciously.
"Oh, no reason." Gohan replied flippantly, wandering further down the hall to find some clothes of his own.
"Tell me!" Kat demanded, chasing after him.
"Let me get changed first." Gohan answered, still grinning foolishly. Kat made an exasperated noise. Gohan meandered down the hall, taking his time, until he saw Kat start to tap her foot.
Flashing her a grin he chose the closest outfit of shorts and a T-shirt, no shoes.
"Now will you tell me?" She said, arms crossed. Gohan pretended to consider for a while.
"Hmm, no. Let's get a drink first." He started heading for the door.
"Take one more step and I'll scream, I mean it." Kat threatened. He turned to look at her, one eyebrow raised.
"Tell me!" She cried, pleading now. "I can't take the suspense. TELL ME!" The last she yelled while gripping his arms in supplication.
"Okay okay!" Gohan laughed at her attempts to shake the answer out of him. He put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye, grin still firmly in place.
"I'm going to be having a little brother or sister." He whispered covertly.
"No way!" Kat whispered back.
"Way!" Gohan answered at normal volume. Kat laughed in delight. Then she stopped.
"Who's the father?"
Gohan smacked himself on the forehead. "My dad duh! Mum's almost three months along but she only just realised. She's been a little…preoccupied lately." Gohan grimaced.
Kat put a hand on his shoulder. "Sorry. But that's still really cool. C'mon, lets go celebrate!"
"Yeah!" Gohan replied, finding his smile again.
()-()-()
Gohan blushed slightly and smiled his thanks as yet another stranger came up to pat him on the back and congratulate him on his coming sibling. The whole club now knew after Kat ran up to the stage and borrowed the singer's microphone to announce the news.
A barman had even given him some strange tasting fruit juice, which Kat had taken most of.
"Congrats kid." A somewhat louder than necessary voice said behind him.
"Thanks Hercule." Gohan replied, twisting slightly to look at the man standing now beside him.
"Boy or a girl?" The large man asked after ordering a drink.
"Dunno yet. But Bulma's going to do the tests as soon as feasible."
Hercule nodded, taking a sip of his drink. A little while later he choked slightly and spluttered, "Bulma? As in Bulma Briefs the richest smartest most beautiful woman in the world Bulma Briefs?!"
Gohan burst out laughing. He was laughing so hard that tears came to his eyes. "If you mean Bulma Briefs of Capsule Corporation then yes. Under different circumstances I think she'd like you Hercule." He replied, wiping his eyes.
"You think so?" Hercule replied, sitting up a little straighter. "Well I mean, of course she'd like me. Who wouldn't? Ahahaha." He added rhetorically, visibly starting to preen.
Gohan rolled his eyes. "Yeah but not after the way you stole the credit for beating Cell from one of her closest friend's son."
"Oh." He coughed, deflating again. "Right, of course. Know her well then do you?"
"She's practically family."
"Oh." There was an uncomfortable silence. "Those papers come through okay?" Hercule asked indifferently.
"Yes. A while ago now." Gohan answered in the same indifferent tone.
"Good. That's good." The conversation died once more. Just as Hercule opened his mouth to say something else Kat bounced up on Gohan's other side.
"Hey Herc!" She giggled. "Gohan, do ya wanna dance?" Gohan raised an eyebrow and looked closely at her. Her eyes were bright but her cheeks and the bridge of her nose looked slightly red.
"Uh, that's okay. I think I'll just stay here."
"Oh c'mon! The conversation isn't that riveting is it?" She said impatiently. Gohan glanced at Hercule, who was pretending to ignore them. Kat gave one of her little frustrated growls and pulled him off his seat. Muttering unintelligible things she practically dragged him by the wrist to the dance floor.
Gohan looked back longingly at his bar seat. Hercule winked at him and gave him the thumbs up.
Refusing to even think about what that might mean Gohan braced himself for a long night.
()-()-()
Gohan opened his eyes and looked around. There was mist all around him.
"Please Dende. Please!" He whispered to himself.
He looked down and saw through the fog that he was standing on some sort of path.
"Oh thank Dende." He sighed in relief. He took off into the air with a flare of his aura and landed smoothly on the porch. Bert tipped his hat up to look at him in surprise.
"Gohan? You know you're not supposed to be here." He gently reminded the fraught looking boy.
"I know. I'm sorry. I just couldn't stand it any longer. He's four days overdue now you know. That's four nights in a row of nightmare after stupid bloody nightmare. Once in a while, I can deal, but there's no telling when he'll be ready to be born. It could be weeks!"
On the outside there was no sign of emotion amongst the wrinkles, but inside Bert honestly felt sorry for Gohan, who was so stressed out and wound up he was almost pulling his hair out by the handful.
"Alright kid. I'll come get you if need be. But be prepared with an answer when your mother wonders why it took you so long to wake up."
Gohan sighed in relief. "Thankyou so much." He pulled the door open and stood in the doorway for a moment, savouring the chaotic atmosphere of the Nightlife club that meant you didn't have to worry or think about anything but having a good time. With a sigh of relief he walked through, closing the door gently behind him.
Outside Bert shook his head. He was concerned for that kid. The psychological damage done to his sub-consciousness was taking longer to heal than it should have been. Even after all these months the boy was still having nightmares every night he stayed home.
Bert settled back in his chair and slipped into a deep trance with the ease of one who's had a lifetime of practise. He skimmed through the different dimensions and worlds of the people currently enjoying their Nightlife, before stopping on Gohan's. After a quick search he found what he was looking for.
Chichi was asleep, but only just. The discomfort of being heavily pregnant prevented her from falling into a deep sleep, so Bert carefully eased past her restless consciousness and stopped before the juvenile one of Gohan's little brother. He sent out a very slight probe and got a baby tremor in response. The child was extremely sensitive then, but apart from that he didn't seem to have any exceptional qualities. Then again, maybe he didn't need them.
Bert pulled back and gazed down through astral eyes at the little boy who would come to be known as Goten. "You'll look after your big brother wont you little one?" The thought drifted around for a while, before going off to wherever it was idle thoughts go.
Yes, Bert thought, languidly greeting someone entering the club, Gohan wouldn't need to rely on Nightlife so much once his brother was born. Once his waking life stabilised they'd probably be seeing less of one Son Gohan. Hopefully that is, for his sake.
()-()-()
Kat stepped up onto the porch.
"Hey Bertie. Is Gohan coming tonight?" She asked merrily.
"I don't know." The answer came as always from underneath the brim of Bert's hat. "Last I checked he was pretty tied up with his new baby brother."
"His brother's been born? Excellent!" She clapped her hands in excitement. "Hope he does get here tonight."
"And why would that be Miss Katina?" Bert's coarse voice was laced with amusement.
"'Cause everyone will buy him drinks of course. He won't mind if I nick a few." A mischievous sparkle glittered in her eyes.
"Kat dear, one day men will hear your name and shudder." Bert replied dryly.
"Really? Do you know that or are you just joking?" Kat demanded of him. Bert just made a non-committal grunt.
"Oh poo. You're just grumpy 'cause you never get drinks out here." Kat sniffed and swept through the door.
Outside Bert chuckled to himself.
()-()-()
Gohan opened his eyes and looked around. There was mist all around him.
"Score." He muttered to himself, running towards the light.
"Hi Bert." He greeted as he stepped onto the porch.
"'Evening Gohan. How's your brother?" Bert replied.
Gohan grinned and rolled his eyes. "Always hungry. I haven't been able to fall asleep enough to get here since he was born. But it all caught up on me and I was probably asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow tonight."
Bert gave a hoarse laugh. "Ah well, it'll be worth it then. Miss Kat's been after you. She's only just in herself."
"Oh okay. Thanks Bert."
"No problem Gohan." He answered as Gohan went through the door.
Almost as soon as Gohan had shut the door behind him a shout went up from the other side of the main room.
"Hey big brother!" Gohan grinned and waved, making his way to where Kat was sitting.
"Long time no see." He greeted her, sliding onto the stool on her right.
"So, what's he like?" Kat asked eagerly, resting one elbow on the bar top.
Gohan gave a small laugh. "He looks just like my dad; he has his hair that's for sure."
"But he can't be more than a few days old!" Kat protested.
"Saiyans are born with a full head of hair." He shrugged.
"Oh I'm sorry. I always assumed you were human." Kat blushed.
"I'm half." He replied, waving off her apology. Kat's eyes widened and she gave him an incredulous smile.
"Wow, mum would have a fit if she knew I knew a human hybrid." She gave a slightly evil laugh.
Gohan made a confused face. "Does your society have something against inter-species breeding?"
"They might," Kat answered airily. "If it was possible that is." Gohan's questioning expression encouraged her to elaborate. "In my dimension we haven't found any species compatible enough with humans to successfully reproduce. My mum's human but my dad's not so they adopted me." A grimace flickered across her face. "Actually they adopted Charlene…they found me."
Gohan's eyebrows raised in interest. "Really? Where?"
A small blush graced her cheeks. "A cryogenics pod." She muttered.
"You mean you were frozen?!" Gohan blurted in surprise.
Kat gave a small cough. "They called it 'The most tragic example of infant curiosity to date.' Apparently I had been in suspended animation for sixty-six years. My parents were dead, I had been an only child, and had no known relatives. I was six and a half, give or take six decades."
"Whoa." Gohan breathed, a hint of a smile on his face.
"Yes, well." Kat demurred.
Gohan laughed. "And I thought I had had a strange life so far!"
"So, your brother reminds you of your dad?" Kat quickly redirected the conversation, cheeks still rosy.
"In face and appetite yes." Gohan agreed. "But, I don't know. He's definitely his own person. Quite a mischievous character actually." He said, remembering a nappy changing incident.
"I should meet him then. I'm sure we'd get on like a house on fire." Kat replied, eyes sparkling.
Gohan rolled his eyes. "Hide the men from the women and children." He answered sardonically and Kat laughed.
"C'mon. Let's go tell that bartender the good news." She said, spotting a likely target minding his own business behind Gohan.
Gohan groaned. "Kat! Last time you fell asleep in the middle of the dance floor. I had to carry you out with everyone staring and Hercule giving me strange gestures."
"Oh it can't have been that bad!" She protested with a giggle.
"You drooled on my shirt." He stated. Kat had the dignity to look slightly embarrassed.
"Well, he'll probably only give us one to share anyway." She waved him off.
"Yeah, which you'll hog all of." He muttered to himself.
"What was that?" Kat immediately rounded on him.
"Nothing." Gohan replied, waving his hands about to prove his innocence.
"Tell me!" Kat demanded.
"It was nothing! I swear." Gohan insisted. Kat gave him a suspicious glare before hauling him off to help in her latest alcohol-acquiring endeavour.
()-()-()
Gohan opened his eyes, squinting against the bright sunlight that was pouring through his window onto his face. He stretched and yawned, which ended in a giggle. Soon that one giggle turned into uncontrolled laughter as he remembered his dream. Frantically he tried to muffle the noise with his pillow, until his laughter subsided.
Unfortunately now that he was more awake the details of last night were slowly slipping away. All he could remember was Kat doing something incredibly embarrassing. He thought it might've had something to do with singing, but he couldn't be sure.
He hoped he'd be able to remember when he next went back to…wherever it was he went. The consistency of his nightly escapades had long since led him to believe that they were more than some weird product of his sub-conscious. More than mere dreams.
And besides, why would he be now planning to blackmail Kat if she was only a figment of his imagination?
With a sigh of resignation he lay in bed, timing how long it took him to forget. As the last few details slipped inevitably from his mind he glanced at his clock. Five minutes. Not bad.
He slowly got out of his nice warm bed and padded over to his wardrobe. He opened the doors and stood there on the pretext of picking out something to wear. But his mind wasn't really concerned with daily attire at that moment.
"What do you do when you don't want to forget?" He asked the clothes hanging on their coat hangers. Unsurprisingly they didn't respond.
"You write it down don't you?" Gohan answered for them. "I wonder…" His audience didn't get to hear what he wondered however, as he abruptly turned from his cupboard and dropped to his knees to peer under his bed.
He started pulling out boxes, and soon the air was thick with dust that danced in the rays of the morning sun.
Some contained old toys and picture books. He put them to one side to show his mum later. Most of them could probably be resurrected and given to Goten.
One box was opened to reveal his long forgotten rock collection, compiled in those short innocent years before the arrival of Radditz. With a fond smile he shoved that one back under his bed, where it bashed into another box that was hidden in the very far corner.
With a slight frown Gohan tried to remember what that box contained. He wriggled under his bed and returned with the mystery box, getting his pyjamas dirty in the process. He blew the dust off of the lid to reveal words written in childish but neat handwriting on the lid.
I HOPE I NEVER NEED THIS AGAIN.
The actual aim of his quest was to find his old school books, and hopefully discover one that still had empty pages that could be turned into a kind of dream journal. Somewhere where he could record his night time experiences before he forgot them.
This message could be from his younger self not wishing to study anymore, if this were the right box. But somehow, Gohan didn't think so.
He started to open the lid, and just before he saw what was inside he remembered. Frieza. The armour. But the action that had been started needed to finish, and the lid was completely removed to expose the only thing he had brought with him from the old planet Namek.
He gently ran one hand over the fine fabric, that even after all this time showed no signs of degeneration.
Shaking his head to snap himself out of it he replaced the lid and returned the box to its original position.
His ears pricked as a faint wail reached him from his mother's room. Goten was announcing to the world that he was awake and hungry.
His eyes widened slightly and he sent out a desperate silent prayer to whoever might listen. 'Please, don't ever let Goten go through anything like what I did.'
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
AN: Lol…when my brother read the part about the armour being the only possession that survived the trip to Namek he said, "Those poor hairdryers!" D'you guys remember that? All the stuff Chichi and Bulma packed…haha! Didn't Gohan take like a computer and (this is a quote from Chichi I think), "…his favourite bowling ball," as well as textbooks…oh yeah, and "extra hair-gel"?
|'-_-'|
Sometimes you really hafta feel sorry for 'lil Gohan…