()-()-()-()-()-()-()
Kat had barely opened her eyes before she was running, heading towards the light. Leaping up the step she rushed past Bert without a word and flew through the Nightlife entranceway.
After the gust of wind left in her wake had passed Bert muttered, "'Evening Miss Kat." The muted silence of mist swirled and settled, looking mildly confused in a misty sort of way. "I don't know, but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough." Bert mumbled, and pulled his hat more securely down over his eyes.
A hasty glance around the main room secured the location of Sharon, Joey, Ranma and Van, but no Gohan. With hardly a pause she sprinted over to her group. Joey was closest, so she targeted him.
Spinning him around chair and all, to achieve optimum effect, she demanded, "Where's Gohan?!"
Wide-eyed, Joey stared at her. She looked as though some god had empowered her with a mission. Her eyes blazed, her loose hair streamed around her, and her chest heaved from her extended flight.
This image was ruined however as she clutched her side and whined, "Stitch stitch stitch! Oh dammit to HELL that hurts!"
"Calm down Kat. Breathe." Joey said, guiding her to a chair. Just as she was about to sit she jumped up again.
"No! I've got to tell him something. Where is he?"
"He's training with Clark." Van answered. "I think they're in-"
"Thanks!" She cut him off, and half ran half staggered towards the hall.
"Wonder what that's all about." Joey said on behalf of the group.
"She probably just dumped another guy again." Sharon sniffed, inspecting her nails. Joey looked doubtful but shrugged it off.
"So, what's this about a new technique?" Joey asked Ranma. Ranma grinned in pride.
"Well, it's called Hiryü Shöten Ha, and it's very strong…"
()-()-()
Kat burst through the door of their usual training room, so chosen because of its large size and general lack of furnishings, and zoned in on Gohan.
Gohan, and so then Clark, paused in their exercise. Gohan was at that time coaching Clark in how to perform a simple kata to improve his accuracy and skill.
"Guess what!" She cried, grabbing Gohan by the wrists and jumping up and down in excitement. Neither noticed as Clark made a discreet exit, assuming they'd rather be left alone.
"What?" Gohan asked with a smile, anticipating some good news.
"I think I blew something up today!" She delivered her reply triumphantly, and then ceased jumping because it was making her stitch worse.
"You think?" He asked, automatically balancing her enthusiasm with logic. "What exactly happened?"
Kat flopped down on a nearby sofa and Gohan sat down beside her, crossing his legs and turning sideways on the couch to face her.
"Well, I was just walking around…though maybe stomping is a better account cause I was in a pretty foul mood…and I went past this shop that displays all the latest fashions and stuff. And as I went past I looked at the front display, which was a vid of this really ugly hat, and I thought something like 'shit someone should torch that hat and put it out of its misery'. And then I heard a muffled cracking kind of sound so I looked back and the image panel that had been displaying the hat was totally stuffed, split right down the middle, and emitting smoke and sparks and stuff!"
"That could've been a coincidence." Gohan reluctantly had to point out.
"That's what I thought." Kat grinned, having expected a rational response like that from him. "So I kept on walking, stomping, whatever, and inevitably ended up back home, which is what really sucks about living in a spherical station, and in the little entranceway behind our front door mum has this large antique vase. I thought the only reason she put the monstrosity there was because it looks expensive so it can impress visitors." She snorted distastefully.
"But I hate it. And I'd convinced myself that the hat display was a coincidence like you said, so I was back to being in a crappy mood. So I told it to 'go to hell', and the next thing I know, CRASH! Bits of china and dust everywhere!"
"And you didn't see anything hit it?" Gohan asked hopefully.
"Nope. Which was great and dumb at the same time 'cause then I had to actually lie to mum when she came in screaming at me. First I was yelling that I hadn't touched it, which is the truth, but I realised that if I didn't come up with a plausible explanation I'd be double grounded. So I made up some crap about a little black box sitting next to the vase and exploding the minute the sound vibrations from my voice reached it. I don't think she believed me even though I swore blind I hadn't touched it. Bitch. How was I meant to know her granddad's ashes were in there? Who keeps ashes in their houses these days anyway?"
"Then you can understand why she'd be upset." Gohan reasoned. Kat made a rude noise.
"Hardly. It's not as though I was the one who killed him. He was already dead for the love of rabid monkeys! No offence."
Gohan rolled his eyes, refusing to rise to her jibe. "So have you tried blowing anything else up?"
"Naturally. First thing I did when I got upstairs was to try and detonate my sister's bedroom door. But I think it's probably one of those things that wont happen when you want it to. Bloody temperamental powers."
"Must reflect the personality." Gohan was quick to reply.
"Ooh you'd better be watching your back." She poked him in the chest. "But not yet. I need you to help me practise."
"Practise what?" A loud voice said from the doorway.
"Blowing me up." Gohan answered Hercule.
Kat laughed. "Or maybe not. I think I like you better in one big rock hard piece." She knocked her knuckles playfully against his chest. He grinned and grabbed at her wrist, pulling her forwards onto him when she tried to shake him off.
Hercule's eyebrows shot upwards in an attempt to join forces with his hairline. Unfortunately they didn't quite make it, but they did an impressive job none the less. Though when the teens in front of him started kissing he had to settle for laughing in disbelief, as it was physically impossible for his eyebrows to climb any higher.
"Well what do we have here? A pair of rebels? Who would've thought?"
Realising they had an audience Gohan hastily broke the kiss and flushed deep red. "Sorry about that." He murmured.
Shaking her head that anyone could be so bashful Kat said, "Can it Herc. What're you doing intruding on our training anyway?"
"Training? Is that what you youngsters call it these days?" He grinned broadly as Gohan coughed twice in an attempt to alleviate his embarrassment. "I merely saw you charging through the club and thought something interesting must have happened. Where's the fire?" He then proceeded to guffaw noisily at his own joke.
"No wonder they kicked you out of Hell." Kat muttered with a sweatdrop. "We think I'm finally developing some powers." She told him once he'd stopped with the laughing.
"Powers?" Hercule repeated nervously.
"I believe you call it 'tricks' Herc." Gohan said dryly.
"Opium of the masses boy." Hercule waved off the comment. "So what kind of power is brave enough to answer to you girl?"
"Kind?" Kat frowned at the question. "I don't know. I just blew some stuff up."
For some reason Hercule looked relieved. "Oh that's just first level stuff then. Manipulation of the natural dark energies in objects. Excite them enough and they break free, destroying whatever had held them. Usually takes some teaching to do though." Hercule rubbed his moustache in a vaguely troubled way. "How'd you do it?"
"I told it to go to hell. But I can't do it if I actually try."
"Probably not magical then." Hercule gave his moustache one last rub before shrugging free of his contemplations. "Welcome to the ranks of the Hellish Folk girl. Remind me to buy you a drink sometime." And with that he turned and headed for the door. Kat immediately leapt after him.
"Wait! You can't just leave. You hafta show me how to do this dark energy manipulation stuff! And how do you know I'm not magical? Have you seen my power? Am I strong? What else can I do? Answer me!"
By this time she was practically hanging from his arm in supplication.
"Haha. Depends on what you can do for me in return girl. Information don't come free these days you know."
"I'll uh…" Kat cast her eyes around for inspiration. Her eyes landed on Gohan, as they had gotten into the habit of lately. She smirked triumphantly. "I'll promise not to blow you up when I get control of my powers."
Hercule snorted. "You couldn't if you tried. If it's one thing I know, it's how to create a solid immortality matrix for m'self."
Kat poked him experimentally in the arm. "So, you can't die?"
"Nope. Not from outside attack at least. Though that doesn't stop me from feelin' the pain." He winced, remembering his very brief bout in the ring with Cell six years prior. Since then he preferred to stay away from substantial rock formations.
Gohan blinked. Why hadn't he realised before that as the son of the Supreme Overlord of HFIL Hercule would have demonic powers?
"What else can you do?" He asked curiously.
"A magician never reveals his secrets. And neither does a demon!" Hercule started laughing again, but stopped as Kat tugged at his trademark brown top to get his attention.
"Just tell us how strong you are then." She demanded, inwardly congratulating herself for averting more headache-generating guffaws.
"Well let's just say that Cell would've found himself in some difficulty if your lot hadn't been around." He said smugly to Gohan, fists planted proudly on his hips.
"Yeah right." Gohan couldn't help but snicker. "Prove it."
"All right then." Hercule said defensively, searching the room for a likely target. A decorative vase of fake flowers stood in one corner. "Ha! Watch this." He puffed out his chest, pointed a finger at the vase as though his hand was a gun, and said, "Bang."
Nothing happened.
With a panicked glance at his audience Hercule yelled, "Explode damn you!"
Gohan felt the hairs at the nape of his neck prickle. The vase shattered into 999,999 pieces, and the flowers toppled to the floor.
Hercule took a deep breath, and let it out again. "There, see. Told you."
Gohan snorted. "I could do that when I was five. Or something to the same effect."
Kat was slightly more impressed. "You have GOT to teach me how to do that!"
Hercule looked down at her eager face. She tried a pleading pout but he was used to such things from his daughter and so it had no effect. He was about to brush her off and go find something more interesting to do when he noticed the warning look in Gohan's eyes.
A small tremor of fear ran quivering down his spine. He'd seen the raw power this boy could wield. He'd never forget the terror he'd experienced as he watched an untrained boy of eleven years overwhelm a being such as Cell. From the way his well-honed survival instincts reacted to the boy Hercule knew that if he chose Gohan could do the same to him, immortality matrix or not. Neither would advantages of bloodline do him any good against one such as Gohan.
Which meant that he now had no choice. He'd have to teach the girl and hope that she'd only develop as a minor player in the scheme of things. Because if not the guilt would be horrific when they ended up killing each other.
"Fine girl. I'll teach you. Call off your hound-dog boyfriend already." Hercule yielded derisively. Kat shot Gohan a quizzical look, which he answered with an innocent grin and a shrug.
"Sit." Hercule commanded, pointing at the couch. He smirked as they both immediately complied. "Now to make an object detonate, you basically just need to overwhelm it with dark energy. When the power builds up to the point where the dark energy is stronger than the prevalent light energy that holds the object together it will break free, damaging what had held it. Dark energy doesn't like being confined you see. The more Dark energy breaking free, the greater the damage. Understand?"
The two nodded.
"There are two ways…well, two main ways of making an object explode. Most demons you meet will be able to tap into the natural reserves of Dark energy within themselves and send it out to overwhelm an object or a living thing. This will deplete their reserves of power, which magic or rest can replenish. A strong darkling however will be able to command dark energies outside their body to combine within the target and ultimately overwhelm it. This doesn't affect their own reserves of power greatly, though naturally you would be affected from sustained intense concentration."
"I'll do it that way then." Kat said determinedly. Hercule laughed, causing Kat and Gohan to cringe.
"Perhaps I didn't make myself clear. Only a strong darkling has authority enough to control foreign energy. Base energy, Dark and I suppose Light too, verges on being sentient in itself. For example Dark energy recognises a strong core power and will willingly comply with whatever the person containing that power commands, as long as the amount of energies called is not greater than the core power attracting them. In that case the foreign energy will take control of the core energy, break the bonds holding it to a body, and draw the core energy out to combine with the foreign in the environment."
"So then, what happens to the uh…darkling?" Kat questioned, already suspecting a grim answer.
"What do you think?" Hercule smirked.
"Boom?"
"Exactly.
"So Hercule," Gohan said innocently, "you really are smarter than you look."
"Anyone can be smart on the topic they know." Kat waved off his comment.
Hercule blinked, and then scowled. "Some thanks. Do you know how much crap I'd get if HFIL Headquarters found out I'd been associating with your type?" This comment was directed at Gohan.
"Me? Why?" He asked in surprise.
"Not only are you the enemy, you're a prime offender against our glorious Dark side! And I doubt they'd like you poisoning the mind of a rising one of ours either."
Gohan and Kat glanced at each other. "You mean Kat?"
"Me? Why?"
"Case proven." Hercule nodded and crossed his arms. "See, you already follow him."
"I follow no-one!" Kat protested.
"Nope. Wrong move." Hercule returned. "That's the attitude which gets you eternity as a fluffy white cloud. You follow whoever is stronger than you, until you either find someone else even stronger to follow, or you become stronger yourself. But there is always someone stronger."
"That's illogical." Kat pointed out. "There can't always be someone stronger. There has to be a limit. Right Gohan?"
He didn't answer.
"Gohan?"
"Theoretically yes. But…"
"But?"
"I don't know! From personal experience what Hercule's saying is right. There's peace, then someone stronger comes along, and we have to train and become stronger ourselves to beat them before peace can be restored."
"Which bodes the question, was there ever peace to start with?" Hercule asked slowly, seating himself so that they were at equal eye level.
"Of course there was." Gohan answered, dismay at his own confusion lining his features. "Wasn't there?"
"How does a fight generally end?" Hercule asked instead.
"When someone wins."
"But from the other point of view…"
"…someone loses." A ray of understanding shone in his eyes. "So though the conflict has been resolved, for the loser there can't be peace."
"If both sides have equal incentive neither side will give up until they win. Therefore there can never be a true peace."
Kat looked from one to the other, not a little freaked out by the change the turn in conversation had made on the two. They were both so serious, it was if the very atmosphere around them was affected and made heavy. Gohan she knew was inclined to deep thoughts, but Hercule?!
Unable to take it any longer she cried, "Too deep! Cut it out already! You're making my brain hurt."
Hercule looked at her and raised an eyebrow, but by Gohan she was completely ignored. Kat hated being ignored. She rose on the couch to knock him on the head or something, but hesitated at the last minute. Instead of hitting him she waved a hand in front of his eyes.
"Yuhoo Gohan? Anyone at home?"
There was a frown of concentration marring his forehead, and he seemed to be focusing very hard on something she couldn't see. Something deep inside of him.
Kat slowly sank back down to her former position. With an uncomfortable fidget she turned to Hercule.
"Since when were you so philosophical anyway?"
"Since my preconceptions went for a tailspin. Since I started questioning the 'truths' drilled into me since birth. Since I Changed." Hercule answered solemnly, casting a thoughtful gaze over the silent Gohan.
"What made you 'change'?" Kat asked with a little shiver of apprehension. He resolutely kept his eyes on Gohan.
"I don't know."
Kat blinked, and concentrated on the man she'd labelled a buffoon. Her sight blurred and she saw the dark smudges of energy that wafted around his body. Excepting the fact that his energy was Dark, and Gohan's was Light, there was something different again about Hercule. His energy seemed to cling tentatively to the outside of his body, as though having been freed it didn't know what to do. It was like an old faithful dog, unwilling to leave its master, and yearning for the chance to be accepted back in again.
Hercule hesitantly looked at her and she gasped. She could see it. He was scared; scared because he felt lost and isolated, and, above all else alone.
Unconsciously she reached out a hand to him, but the perception of Gohan shifting beside her reinstated her senses.
Coming out of a self-induced trance at the same time Gohan and Kat looked each other in the eye.
"There needs to be a way for both sides to win." Gohan murmured.
"Well duh." Kat replied, more automatically than from having actually arrived at the same conclusion herself. She had in actual fact just about forgotten what they had been discussing. Gohan shot her an amused smile.
"Man I'm parched." Hercule interjected, standing up too forcefully so that the chair he'd been sitting on tipped over backwards. "It's been interesting, but next time you kids want help from The Champ you'd better have something decent to offer in return. Got it?"
"Sure Herman." Kat drawled. Something close to intense aggravation flashed across Hercule's eyes, but was covered so quickly it could've been a trick of the light.
He turned to leave them, but Gohan quickly called out. "Hercule?"
He paused. "What?"
"Thankyou."
Hercule glanced over his shoulder at the two on the couch. "Don't mention it kid. Oh, that's right. You almost didn't." This earned a laugh from Kat, and he was finally allowed to leave the room, closing the door firmly behind him.
He stood in the empty corridor, breathing deeply. Without warning he slammed his fist into the wall opposite. Yelling in rage he hit it again. And again. He kept on punching until his furious roars became roars of pain.
Cradling his knuckles against his chest he leant his forehead against the abused wall.
Stupid girl. This was all her fault. Looking at him like that, somehow stripping him emotionally naked. How had she seen past his buffer? Humiliation!
In that room, under her piercing eyes, Hercule the World Champion had been dissolved to reveal Herman Satan, Ultimate Shame of HFIL. A disgrace to his father, his name, his race. A traitor. And because he was a traitor he belonged to The Dark just as much as he belonged to The Light. Which was not at all.
Over his ragged breathing he didn't hear the soft footsteps approaching until Destiny spoke.
"You're not alone Herman."
He jumped as though her words were an electric shock. Angrily swiping the tears from his eyes he glared at her.
"I hate you."
"How do you know? You don't know me." She laughed softly.
"I know of you. And I know you're responsible in some way. For something."
"Interesting way to put it. But you're wrong. I'm just here so people like you have someone tangible to blame for the events that drive them forward."
"Forward?!" Hercule exploded. "You call THIS forward?!" He gestured to himself, where both could see the dark energies that twirled swiftly around him, excited by his anger.
"It is but the first step." Destiny answered cryptically.
"What if I was fine where I was?" He growled in response.
"Without movement there is stagnation. And movement without direction is meaningless." Her form started to fade. Panicking Hercule shouted,
"You said I wasn't alone? Who is there then?"
Destiny's image smiled. "Often the answers we seek are right before our noses."
"Our noses?" He tried to look at his nose. "I don't get it."
With a sigh that sounded a little bit annoyed Destiny said bluntly, "Your daughter Herman. Your daughter." And she left.
"Videl?" Hercule asked thin air, somewhat taken aback. He swallowed convulsively. After all, what parent wouldn't feel nervous when discovering that Destiny has noticed your child?
He clenched his teeth. "You leave her alone! Do you hear me? Don't you dare touch my Videl!"
There was no response.
"Shit."
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Hey guys! Been a while ne? I'd offer you an excuse or two but it'd probably turn into a major english essay style bluff…i.e. meaningless crap. Which I think we can skip don't you?
Here's the thing. I have the basic plan for chapter 11…but it has one major hole. I need a catalyst, a character to shake things up a bit so this story can 'move forward'. Nightlife is a great place in that nothing ever really happens there. That's why it's so great for people who have too much happening to them all of the time.
- insert subliminal 'read this' message here -
So dear READERS I was hoping that people would be able to give me IDEAS about a suitable CHARACTER. Someone that people can really HATE. If you have any IDEA at all, even if you think it's stupid, I'd LOVE to hear it. You never know where you'll find INSPRIATION. Trash and treasure I say.
That's all from me for now. Hey, I should be a newsreader when I grow up! A HUGE THANKYOU to those who've REVIEWED. Specially to Min Farshaw, SS2 Megami-sama (is your account up yet?), camarts, Hurricane Chris, and last but not least, Exarikun!
~_^