I have discovered that having no time at all is really great for the inspiration. Something about truckloads of homework really drives an author to write write write. Must be one of those you-always-want-what-you-can't-have things…you can always write when don't have the time…^_^ Luckily for you guys I got my priorities wrong! Thus chapter 11 is proudly sponsored by Threat of Impending Exams Stress…bringing you nervous breakdowns since 1503.
Chapter 11()-()-()-()-()-()-()
Goten sat cross-legged on his bed, staring at his sleeping brother on the bed beside him. Morning rays of sunlight peeked through the curtains and the forest outside was alive with the sounds of birds greeting the new day.
He had been told by his mum to wake his brother up for breakfast. The only problem was Gohan wasn't waking up. After performing the standard test of tickling his brother's nose with a feather, and receiving not even a twitch in response, Goten concluded that big brother was still at Nightlife.
With a sigh he crawled over to sit on Gohan's chest, and curled up so that his ear was directly over Gohan's heart.
"Mr Bert? Gohan needs to wake up for breakfast now. Is that okay?" Goten asked in his most polite voice. He grinned slightly as he felt an affirmative reply. He would never be able to explain how he knew that Bert had heard him. He wasn't one for big or expressive words like Gohan. He just knew.
Just like he believed the stories Gohan told him from time to time about the place called Nightlife. He knew they were real, not made up. He could always tell when people made stuff up. For that reason Gohan was always very careful not to lie to his little brother about anything.
Goten smiled in relief as Gohan started to stir. He didn't like it when his brother was still at Nightlife when he woke up in the mornings. At night was okay, but in the light of day it seemed wrong somehow. He was always so frozen still that Goten felt the need to check he was still breathing before doing anything else.
It was being silly because Gohan always woke up. But despite telling himself this, Goten always worried until Gohan was awake. Only then was everything sure to be fine again.
()-()-()
Gohan had his back pinned against the door. He fumbled for the handle, only to realise that the door opened inwards. Oh well.
"Mmf. Kat?" He cupped her face with his hands and gently pulled her lips from his. "I really have to go."
She sighed in disappointment. "Curse you early risers."
He gave a lopsided grin and moved them both away from the door so that he could open it. "It's not exactly early. Look, the sun's completely above the horizon already."
Kat didn't bother to follow his gaze across the meadow of room eighty-eight. "A good morning kiss then?" She asked hopefully.
He chuckled, combing through her hair with his fingers. "I gave you a good morning kiss ten minutes ago."
"You did?" She asked innocently, a trick she'd picked up from him.
He murmured an affirmative, moving closer to her again, but the soft click of the door handle turning made them both freeze.
"Ah Gohan, Kat, there you two are." Bert said, walking over to join the two teens innocently admiring the sunrise.
"Nice room isn't it? Only discovered it the other night." Kat said sweetly.
"Yes it is one of the better ones." Bert agreed amiably, scanning the grassy field dotted with little flowers, and the mountains in the distance. It was mostly all an illusion of course. But a pretty illusion.
Gohan and Kat shared a look, knowing that they'd almost been caught out.
"So, what are you doing here Bert?" Gohan asked to break the silence.
"Not that we don't enjoy the pleasure of your company." Kat hurriedly added.
Bert chuckled. "Likewise. However the reason I've deserted my station is to inform Gohan that his breakfast is ready."
Gohan gave a guilty start. "I almost forgot. I'm late! Bye!" He ran from the room, catching Kat's eye in a silent apology just as the door shut behind him.
Kat laughed. "Can't you send people home yourself Bert?"
"Yes." Bert replied dryly. "But if he wants to make a spectacle of himself racing through the club I won't try to stop him."
Kat laughed again, this time rather evilly. Bert smirked, but then froze in shock as he realised what he was doing. Or rather, what she was doing to him. Warily he turned his head to critically examine her.
"Miss Kat, if I'm not mistaken you've developed somewhat." He stated.
Kat blinked and looked down at herself. "Oh, not much really. This is a push-up." She replied, snapping her bra strap.
Bert carefully allowed no expression on his face. "I was meaning you have developed into your power."
"Oh!" She exclaimed, as though she'd never before known what he had been talking about.
"If I don't get the chance Miss Kat, I'd like you to know that I shall always remember you, as you are now…with some fondness."
"How come?" She asked in confusion. When he laughed at her she grinned and amended, "I mean, are you going somewhere Bert?"
"Not me."
"Then…" She frowned, concerned. "You've seen something. Where am I going? Am I going to be kicked out of Nightlife?"
Bert scratched his chin as he considered what she'd said. "I haven't had a vision no. I merely assumed you wouldn't want to come here anymore, once…"
"Once what?" She fairly pounced on his dangling sentence.
He deliberately didn't look in her direction. "You'll find out soon enough."
Kat crossed her arms in annoyance, but didn't press him. She knew from experience he was a tough nut to crack. So she tried a more subtle form of attack.
"I'll always want to come to Nightlife." This was delivered in a tone challenging in its defiance.
"Why on Earth, or above Earth for that matter, should you want to keep coming here?"
Kat pursed her lips and willed the heat in her cheeks to recede. The reason for her hot flush was because the minute he'd asked, she knew that the only answer was for Gohan. Without him there really was no point in coming. Sure there was the chance to pressure Herc into giving her more lessons, but for some reason he seemed to be avoiding Nightlife. He hadn't been in weeks.
Plainly after six years Nightlife was dull. If it weren't for the pleasure of seeing Gohan she would just turn away every time she saw the glowing beacon shining through mist.
"How do you know that something more interesting won't come along to keep you busy in your waking life?" Bert continued, seemingly not noticing her unresponsive silence.
Trying not to become too excited at the possibility, Kat felt the need to check, "If, hypothetically, something interestingly drastic did occur in my life, I'd still have the choice to come here wouldn't I?"
Once again Bert rubbed his chin. "Well I suppose so. Unless…"
When he didn't appear disposed to finish his sentence Kat prompted, "Unless?"
Bert shrugged. "Unless you did something heinous and got expelled of course." But Kat had the distinct impression that that wasn't exactly what he'd been going to say.
"Heinous? Who me?" She again employed the standard tone of innocence. Useful thing that.
With a chuckle Bert replied, "If I didn't know you any better Miss Kat…"
"But you do." She winked at him.
"Yes. I do. And now I must abandon this lovely view and return to my post."
"Oh Bert! You're making me blush!" She giggled childishly.
"The meadow Miss Kat. The meadow." Bert said dryly, before taking his leave.
()-()-()
Bert sank thankfully into his chair on the front porch of the Nightlife club. With a groan he immediately immersed himself in a deep meditation, with his focus turned almost completely inward.
Why hadn't he noticed it sooner? Kat…she'd changed before his very eyes. But then again he hadn't been watching. Even in the five or so months since her birthday her core power had grown so much that it was starting to seep out and affect the environment around her. It was her influence that had caused him to withhold his offer of sending Gohan home himself. The most disturbing thing about that was the fact that he hadn't even noticed it at the time.
He sat in his meditation, scanning his thoughts and feelings for any Dark influence, and scouring the faint traces of temptation he found lurking from his mind, body, and soul. He would never neglect his defences when near her again. He considered himself lucky to have caught himself in time this time.
Purification complete he slowly eased out of his meditative trance. Unconsciously he shuddered, drawing out and wrapping his Light energy around him like a security blanket.
Her power was strong, but it was more than that. The brief glimpse he'd allowed himself was puzzling, and he turned his thoughts now to analysing exactly what it was he'd seen. Normally, with an untrained being, one such as himself could see right to a person's very core, and assess the power housed there. But Kat's power seemed to lie in layers, shielding its true strength so that he could only guess by the generous amounts seeping out as to what level she was at.
Perhaps it was just that her natural talent lay in defensive manoeuvres. Perhaps it was a sub-conscious bluff on her part, and she wasn't really much stronger than the next darkling. Or perhaps she was far more powerful than anyone could have foreseen.
Bert swallowed thickly. If so, was six years of 'good' influences enough? Was Gohan's influence enough? He ground his teeth in apprehension. What if Gohan hadn't been strong enough to influence her and still protect himself at the same time? Sure he had a near unlimited potential, but he was untrained. Even with years of experience and training Kat's influence had managed to taint him without either being aware of it. And that in a matter of minutes. So how could not Gohan remain unaffected?
A sudden weariness seemed to descend upon him. Bleakly he removed his hat and scratched his fingers through his thin strands of hair. He replaced his hat with a resigned sigh, and out of habit tugged down on the brim of his hat so that he wouldn't have to look at the blank shroud of mist that stretched before him in every direction.
He could only wait and watch, while the people concerned came to the same conclusions as he had. The Manager of Nightlife would soon be informed, but not by him. He prayed that Destiny, wherever she was, looked to them before that happened. The balance set was delicate, and The Manager had a reputation for being heavy handed.
()-()-()
Kat sighed as she wandered aimlessly around the main room, searching for something to amuse her. It was peak hour, about one o'clock, when most people had finished tossing and turning and finally fallen into a deep enough sleep for their spirits to free themselves to roam Nightlife.
Gohan had left minutes ago to calm his brother after Bert had intruded upon them with the message that Goten was having a nightmare. Good thing they'd only been dancing at the time, but then Gohan had half expected an interruption. Apparently he'd sprung Trunks holding a wide-eyed Goten captive with ghost stories in a cave earlier in the day. One day she was going to meet this Trunks, and then would she have a ghost story for him!
If she had been any less caught up in her contemplations Kat might've wondered at the rowdy atmosphere that seemed prevalent amongst the Nightlifers tonight. And if she'd looked behind her, she might just have noticed that there seemed to be a trail of disruption in her wake. People at each other's throats, turned over chairs, smashed glasses, all for no apparent reason.
But rather than look back and notice this interesting phenomena she instead looked up to see a group of vaguely familiar people sitting around a table in one corner of the main room, and thus largely removed from and unaffected by the rest of the action.
"Yo! Guys!" Everyone except Ranma and Clark, who were engaged in a furious arm-wrestling match, looked up at her shout. Two of the three she didn't know looked politely confused, while the third was leaning so far back in his chair she couldn't tell what he looked like. All she was able to see was that he had little pitchforks on the soles of his shoes.
The last two were a girl whose name was of the tip-of-the-tongue variety, and Van, who greeted her as she sat down upon a recently swiped chair. "Hey! Long time no see."
Kat laughed in agreement. "Indeed." Then she grimaced and peered closely at the girl. "Don't I know you?"
The girl smiled. "Well, we only met for one night ages ago. I'm Mia."
"Mia…" Kat repeated slowly. "Yes, I remember. We played truth or dare together didn't we?" At Mia's enthusiastic affirmation Kat grinned. "Where have you been hiding all this time then?"
Mia scrunched her nose. "My dad doesn't like me coming to Nightlife." Then, wanting to change the subject, she quickly asked, "Where's your 'friend'. Gohan?"
Kat stuck her tongue out at her. "He's gone home to tend to business. So Van, what're the stakes here?" And she waved a hand in the direction of Ranma and Clark.
"Why, merely the thrill of being named winner." Van replied airily. She arched her eyebrow at him, making it clear she didn't believe that for a second. He shrugged. "The usual. Personal servant for the rest of the night."
"Ah. Next question then. Where's Joey?"
Once again Van shrugged. "Too busy for us anymore. He and Sharon almost came to blows a few weeks back. Did you know they're enemies during their daylife? I didn't either. Apparently the rebel movement to which Joey belongs is violently trying to overthrow the governing aristocratic society to which Sharon belongs."
"Well you know how it goes. Opposites attract." Kat replied with an impish grin. A loud thump close by made her start, as the guy who she knew only by shoe size dropped his chair back down on four legs.
"Yet can two people so different ever coexist peacefully?" The mysterious guy smirked.
Kat felt her breath catch in her throat as she beheld his face. He was gorgeous. Her eyes lingered on his perfectly straight pearly white teeth, which contrasted nicely against his richly tanned skin. Noting the charming dimple on his left cheek she travelled up his finely sculptured cheekbones, past the long bangs of onyx coloured hair, and lost herself completely in his warm golden brown eyes.
Rolling his eyes Van said with reluctant courtesy, "Kat this is Damon, Damon this is Kat." However he did doubt as to whether she heard him or not.
"Pleased to meet you." She muttered, holding out a hand. Some small part of Kat's brain that wasn't suffering from overload managed to be surprised at how breathless her voice sounded.
"The pleasure is entirely mine." His vibrantly sweet alto voice seemed to flow around her, drawing her irrevocably closer to him. He took her offered hand, but rather than shake it he brought her knuckles to his lips.
In complete and utter awe Kat murmured, "Why haven't I seen you around here before?"
He laughed. What a laugh! It sent her already racing heart pumping so fast she was sure her ribs were going to crack. "Because," and he paused to flash a roguish smile, "this is my first night."
"Oh." She took some time to fully digest and understand his answer, as her head felt strangely light and dizzy. "Maybe I could show you around a bit then?"
He leaned close so that she could hear his whispered, "I'd like that."
Despite the shivers crawling up and down her spine Kat fully intended to stand and follow him to the ends of the club right then and there, but paused as Mia swiftly cut into the conversation.
"Why don't you ask him about his daylife Kat?"
Damon took his eyes off her to send a withering glare at the girl. Kat blinked, and shook her head slightly. "Oh okay. What do you do in your daylife?"
"Just administration stuffs. Boring really." He flicked a lock of hair behind one ear to dismiss the matter, and Kat's eyes widened as she saw how his ears rose to a neatly tapered point.
"Why don't you ask him where he works? And who for?" Mia practically demanded. Kat saw Damon practically snarl at Mia, and felt justly irritated at the impudent girl.
"No, I don't think it really matters." She said to Mia in her most condescending tone.
"Where do you work?" Van asked curiously.
Damon paused, glancing once again at Mia, before replying with pride, "As the Fifth Son of The Satan, Supreme Overlord of Hell, I am naturally part of the high elite of my father's workforce in the Hellish Domains."
"Hell?" Van repeated dubiously, and with just a little trepidation. Kat laughed in delight.
"Really? That is so cool!"
"Cool?" Mia scoffed. "I hear the Home for Infinite Losers is usually rather warm this time of year."
"Don't call it that you little brat!" Damon snarled at her, half rising from his chair.
"That's what Gohan calls it too." Kat mused cheerfully, before blinking and frowning in a confused sort of way. Damon's head whipped around to look at her so fast you could almost hear a crack.
"Gohan? Who is this Gohan?" He demanded.
"Wha-? He's just…a friend." She stuttered, but her frown deepened. "No, I mean…he's…" Van, along with Ranma and Clark who had reached a mutual decision to call a draw, looked at her in disbelief, as she seemed to struggle to get the words out.
Moving swiftly Damon took up her hand again. "It's okay." He said soothingly. "You don't have to worry about him any more."
She looked up into his eyes and said in a small voice, "I don't?"
"No." He smiled charmingly, and guided her to her feet. "Why don't we go somewhere more quiet? Would you like that?"
Upon hearing this Clark frowned in indignation, and started to rise from his chair, but Ranma put a hand on his arm and with a subtle hand gesture brought Clark's attention to the front door of the club, where Gohan stood surveying the main room, clearly confused as to the disorder Nightlife was in.
Damon and Kat were already moving rapidly towards the hall doors, and in all the commotion Clark wasn't sure that Gohan was going to even notice them. Narrowing his eyes Clark burnt a small hole in the wall behind Gohan with his laser vision. So precise was his aim that Gohan could feel the heat of the laser pass his cheek without it actually burning him.
Instantly Gohan's eyes locked onto Clark, who pointed urgently at the figure of Damon as he lead Kat through the main room. Gohan easily saw them, but turned in Clark's direction. That is, until Damon had the audacity to put an arm around Kat's shoulders, and draw her indecently close.
With his enhanced vision Clark saw Gohan freeze, and a slow scowl appear on his face. Smiling in satisfaction he sat back down in his chair.
"Hope he doesn't get suspended." Ranma commented cheerfully.
"Or at least, doesn't get suspended until he's ripped that Damon guy apart with his bare hands." Van added. Clark nodded in agreement, and all three turned to watch the action.
()-()-()
Gohan's surprise was rapidly giving way to hard anger, and he paused only to take an ineffective calming breath before quickly stalking towards the couple recently pointed out to him. So focused was he on the two that he didn't even notice the various people he bowled over as he went. They noticed him, but one look at the fury etched into his features was all it took to convince them that he was not someone to be messing with.
He was only a couple of meters away when he saw the enemy lean his face closer to his girlfriend, and tip her chin upwards in order to kiss her on the lips. His step faltered for a fraction of a second. Not wanting to think about why she wasn't pulling away at all, he lunged half blind with rage and sent the bastard flying with a well-placed punch to the jaw.
Whirling on Kat he yelled, "What the HELL do you think you're playing at?!" He was shaking with the effort of containing his power, and wasn't sure if he could prevent himself from bursting straight to level 2 sometime in the very near future.
Kat looked up at him, and the shock of realising she was close to tears managed to cut through the haze of fury colouring his thinking. "Gohan, I'm so glad you're here!" Her voice broke and she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck.
Automatically wrapping his own arms around her he was shocked once again as he felt her trembling. His anger at her instantly melted away, and the guy picking himself up out of the wreckage of the hall doors was similarly forgotten.
"What's going on?" He asked weakly.
"I don't know." She forced out between sobs. "He did something. I don't know. Just keep him away from me." Her last sentence came out almost as a plea. In response Gohan tightened his hold on her.
"It's okay. I won't let anything happen to you." He went to place a kiss on her forehead, but she lifted her face so that he could kiss her lips instead.
They stayed like that, completely oblivious to the club around them, before Gohan's senses finally picked up movement behind them. He stiffened. In an instant he spun around, keeping Kat protectively at his back.
"Well well well. What do we have here?" Damon sneered, as he looked them both over. His golden eyes glinted malevolently. "A little hero's come to protect his ladylove."
"Who are you?" Gohan demanded coldly.
"I," Damon answered with a sinister laugh, "am a recruitment officer. And you," his pupils narrowed to tiny slits, "are in trouble." With that he disappeared in a puff of black smoke, just as a small army of guards charged through the wall beside the hall doors.
Still wondered at what Damon had meant about who he was, Kat and Gohan found themselves surrounded by black uniformed burly men, each standing head and shoulders over Gohan.
"Son Gohan, Katina Satell-Lune, please come with us." The tallest and beefiest of them grunted.
"Like hell we will!" Kat yelled, trying to step around Gohan to confront them. He put a hand out to stop her, but felt pleased that she seemed to have regained her composure.
"Of course. Lead the way." He replied evenly.
"Will she come willingly?" The leader asked him.
Gohan raised his voice over her disgusted refusals. "Yes. She will." At that she turned on him.
"Stop that! Why should we go quietly?"
"Because it looks better for our defence as the wronged party." He whispered firmly.
Kat gave him a look that said she didn't believe it would work, but she'd trust his judgement anyway.
And so they went, surrounded by the Nightlife Security Guards, through the temporarily insubstantial wall to be presented before The Manager.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
As always thanks to those gorgeous people who reviewed!
Min – Thanks for the offer of using your Chaos…as you can see I didn't use him this time round but I'm hoping the offer still stands for future chapters…
Cacia Rhalewyn – hehe…would you believe that scene had also crossed my mind?
Al – thanks for the suggestions! Unfortunately I don't know either of those characters…where are they from?
Beest In Yur Mind – Ooh sounds evil all right…too bad I'm not a computer gaming person…I'll put it on my 'Things to Do Once There's Time to Get Addicted' list…
Thanks to EVERYONE actually reading this…