Last time on Nightlife: And so they went, surrounded by the Nightlife Security Guards, through the temporarily insubstantial wall to be presented before The Manager.
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The wall didn't so much as ripple as they passed through, and then found themselves in a neutral coloured corridor with doors situated at odd intervals.
"What is it with this place and never ending corridors?" Kat muttered, craning her neck to try and see past the guards blocking her view. Gohan didn't answer. His whole body was tensed in anticipation, should they need to fight their way out.
"This way." The leader growled, turning left. They marched down the hall in single file, with Gohan and Kat sandwiched between two lines of grim faced guards.
After about five minutes of monotonous marching Kat tapped Gohan on the shoulder to get his attention.
"D'you notice something weird?" She murmured. Gohan frowned and looked around.
"None of the doors have handles?"
Kat blinked and peered at the nearest door as they passed by. "Hey, you're right. They don't."
"What were you going to point out?" Gohan queried.
"Oh, I just thought it odd that I can only hear our footsteps."
Gohan's jaw dropped slightly, but after a while he nodded as he noticed it too. "Why aren't the guards making any noise?"
"I dunno. Maybe they're ghosts."
"Secret spy stealth shoes I reckon."
Kat snickered. "Okay. Whoever's closest gets to make the next call."
"What? No fair." Gohan pouted, though she couldn't see it as she was walking behind him.
"Fairer than fair. You decided we'd both come quietly. And if you're right about the special shoes then I'll continue to abide by your decisions. Do we have a deal?"
"Kat, I don't think this is the time…"
"Fine. Next call's mine then."
Gohan grimaced. "All right. You've got a deal." Kat grinned triumphantly at the back of his head. "What if we're both equally wrong?" He questioned.
"Uh…we're screwed?"
"I was thinking we'd remain undecided myself." He replied in an amused tone.
"To decide to remain undecided is a decision." Kat pointed out smugly.
Gohan laughed. "We let whoever's in charge decide our fate then."
Kat blew a strand of hair out of her eyes. "Risky."
"Better hope one of us is more right than the other then."
"I guess so." They continued to march, with only two sets of footsteps echoing down the hall. "You nervous?" Kat ventured casually.
"Nah. You?" Truly he was more cautious than nervous. He devoutly hoped he'd be able to convince whomever they were being sent to see that a lengthy suspension was uncalled for.
"Not any more."
"Ah the joys of meaningless banter."
"Indeed." Then she groaned. "Are we there yet?" In front of her Gohan jumped to see over the heads of the guards before him.
"I think I see something." He jumped again. "Yes. A door. At the end of this passage. Guess it's not never-ending after all."
"How deceptive of it."
"A hall after your own heart." Gohan quipped. "Speaking of which…what actually happened between you and that guy back there?" He tried to sound as nonchalant as possible.
Kat wrinkled her nose. "It was like he'd drugged me or something. I couldn't think straight. All I knew was that I should do whatever he wanted me too.
Though angered that someone would try to take his girlfriend, Gohan couldn't help but feel secretly relieved that Kat hadn't been acting of her own accord.
"Can't leave you alone for one second can I?" He teased, dancing forward to avoid the kick aimed at his heels. "Do you know who he was?"
Kat blinked as she remembered. "Holy shit. He called himself the Fifth Son of The Satan. Which would make him Hercule's big brother…"
"What?!" Gohan yelped.
"Eww gross!" Kat cried, and gave a compulsive shudder. "That's so totally wrong!"
"Quiet you two." The guard behind Kat barked as they all came to a halt. Gohan obediently bit his tongue on what he wanted to say, and Kat settled for spasmodically twitching.
The guards in front of them moved to one side, so that they could see they had arrived at a giant sized pair of double doors. The doors opened soundlessly, and one of the guards shoved Kat from behind, ramming her into Gohan who staggered forward but managed to prevent them from both kissing the floor.
Taking the hint they walked forward together, and found themselves in a large room. Neither of them noticed anything particular about his room, as from the moment they stepped through the doors the figure opposite them commanded their entire attention.
He was large, perhaps thrice the size of the Ox King. His skin was a muddied aquamarine, and he had a trimmed black beard. The look on his face was of a gentleman who'd just smelt something unpleasant, which crushed the sub-conscious hope Gohan had felt in comparing him to his kind and jovial grandfather. Two horns protruded from the top of his head.
Gohan gulped and risked a glance at Kat. She looked a little paler than usual. His hand found hers, and she gratefully squeezed his fingers in response.
"Approach!" A voice commanded, and they noticed the workforce of smaller horned people arranged around the desk the giant sat behind. Mutely Gohan and Kat strode forward until they had to turn their heads uncomfortably high to see the face of their adjudicator.
"Who would've thought that Nightlife was run by oni?" Gohan muttered.
"Silence!" A baby blue coloured oni snapped. "You have been brought before the honourable King Unma, appointed Manager of the Nightlife Establishment. Son Gohan you are charged with aggressive action against another member, and Katina Satell-Lune you are charged with the malicious disruption of the order of the club. How do you plead?"
"Not guilty." Gohan replied firmly.
"Definitely not guilty." Kat added in confusion.
"State your defence."
Gohan took a deep breath, grateful now for those mindless hours spent in front of daytime TV watching law and court dramas. Choosing his words carefully, he addressed King Unma rather than the assistant oni. "I am not a violent person, Your Honour." A hint of pride was seen in his self-assured stance. "But I am protective of those I care about. I perceived a threat to my…friend, Katina, and acted accordingly."
Kat didn't dare look at him at that moment, but she felt distinctly impressed by his smooth selection of phrasing.
"By accordingly Majesty," a peach skinned oni holding a clipboard piped up, "my report shows that he struck the victim and sent him flying into the hallway entry/exit doors, with force enough to splinter them."
Over mutters from the rest of the small oni Gohan spoke, "Your honour I contest the use of the word victim. The proper term for the man in question would be antagonist. Neither do I believe him to be a 'member' of this fine club."
"To whom does the first defendant refer?" King Unma spoke for the first time, and Gohan winced at the volume of his deep voice. Flipping through pages the peach oni answered hastily,
"One Damon Satan, Majesty. You approved his entrance into the club for this night only, sir, in order that he remove the disruptive influence of, er, the second defendant, sir."
"You what?" Kat shrieked. Luckily her outburst was covered by the sound of the double doors across the room being thrown open. Whirling around, it took Gohan a while to recognise Bert striding towards them with a vigorous energy never seen before in Gohan's six years of acquaintance with him.
"Honourable King Unma, please excuse my interruption." Bert said without a semblance of apology. Even his voice, though still dry and hoarse, seemed to vibrate with energy. "I would be extremely grateful if you would allow me to speak on behalf of the defence."
"Very well. And who is your associate?" King Unma replied, drawing the attention of the room to Mia, standing nervously behind Bert.
"A witness, your honour, who wishes to remain anonymous."
"I see." Clearly King Unma was not pleased with this at all, though he was unable to do anything about it. "And to what does the witness wish to testify?"
"That the Mr Satan involved used unethical methods to carry out his directive." Bert answered for her. "From my long association with the second defendant I know that if he had merely offered her the chance to enter into Hellish Domains he would have met no resistance. On her part that is." He added, with a side-glance at Gohan who had frowned in disapproval at this.
"What type of 'unethical methods' are we referring to here?" King Unma questioned. "You Light are oft keen to label many methods unethical."
"Debauchery, your honour. A charisma matrix so solid I doubt she could tell you what colour his eyes were."
"Debauchery hm. Would you care to affirm this allegation Katina Satell-Lune?"
"Well at first I thought his eyes were brown. But now I'm thinking they were kinda gold-ish weren't they? As for the charm matrix, if it works to take away all free will and impede clear thinking then yeah, that's what happened." She replied rather nonchalantly for someone who'd just been subject to emotional manipulation.
Uncertain whether this was enough to convince the Manager Gohan added, "He was about to kiss her, your honour, when I uh, intervened."
"I see." King Unma scratched reflectively at his beard. "Very well. I rule that his method was indeed unethical."
Immediately Bert reasoned, "In which case, Honourable King Unma, it is clear that Miss Katina was also in danger and thus Son Gohan's actions were warranted."
As King Unma sat back in his chair to mull that one over Gohan noticed activity amongst the little oni. One mauve coloured oni swiftly climbed a ladder that ran up one side of the giant desk with his clipboard clutched between his teeth. After receiving consent from his King he climbed up Unma's shoulder to whisper something in his sizeable ear. Mutterings of, "Yes…" and, "I see…" reached the group standing below.
"Very well." King Unma said in his loud voice after dismissing the purple oni. "Son Gohan is cleared of the charge against him." Gohan sighed in relief, and grinned at Kat who wore a light smirk.
"However, both defendants have also been charged with perpetration of an illegal alliance." Kat and Gohan's expressions morphed into ones of dismay. "As citizens of separate dimensions it is Nightlife policy to prohibit all non-platonic interactions. Were you or were you not aware of this law?"
"Well, it's not…" Gohan started.
"No. We had no idea you like to place restriction on a person's emotions and free will." Kat sneered, with just a suggestion of sarcasm.
"Why were the defendants not informed of Nightlife procedure?" King Unma bellowed accusingly at Bert, whose job as doorman was to lay down the law for each new member.
"I was directly ordered to withhold any information that could cause an obstacle in their perusal of a relationship, should such circumstances occur. Your Honour." The last seemed tacked on as an afterthought.
"Ordered by whom?" King Unma was clearly affronted that anyone would have the audacity to give orders to his staff.
"The ones with whom my allegiances lie." Bert replied evasively, eyes flickering briefly to Gohan and Kat. "In their absence, Mia here will gladly also attest to their involvement in the matter."
King Unma leaned forward to peer at Mia who, to her credit, stood her ground well. Some emotion, perhaps a faint recognition and consequent surprise, managed to soften the angry scowl on his face. "Approach please." He said in the most unpretentious tone he'd yet used. Mia looked to Bert for guidance, and he nodded at her. Hesitantly she walked towards the colossal table, before taking to the air to fly to the desktop.
She was halfway up when the double doors opened once again, and a man wearing dark glasses and a white bandanna ran across the room towards them, jumping up to accompany Mia into the confidence of King Unma.
Glancing at Bert for reassurance Gohan saw that he looked both surprised and relieved at this development. Hopefully then this new guy was going to vouch for them, though how he could do that when he didn't even know them was beyond Gohan's knowledge, a rather dangerous place to be as years of academic investigations had given him a penchant for seeking out that which he did not know.
"Bert, who is he?"
For some reason Bert chuckled. "Someone whom you know intimately, whilst not knowing him at all."
"I don't associate with anyone who wears a sheet on his head." Kat muttered snidely, causing Bert to laugh all the more.
They all waited impatiently, though Bert hid his anxiety for the outcome to be revealed better than Gohan or Kat, or even the little oni who were just starting to get restless when King Unma answered the joint contentions of Mia and the new guy for all to hear.
"Very well. But inform your superiors that if they are going to use my club in their schemes they are required to request permission from this council first."
Mia and the other guy dropped back down to take up positions behind Bert. Though it was hard to tell behind the sunglasses, Gohan thought that their supposedly known ally looked highly affronted at King Unma's reply. This made him wonder whom exactly this guy worked for, what job he did, and why he had been ordered to help them. There wasn't time to properly consider all this however, as King Unma was speaking once again.
"All this does not however suitably contest the charge against the second defendant of malicious disruption of the order of the club."
"Your Honour, Miss Satell-Lune was not aware of her emanations of Dark energies, and thus unaware of the disruption she was causing to the Order carefully maintained here at Nightlife."
"That was all my fault?" Kat stuttered in surprise, and before anyone could stop her she cried, "Cool!" Then, noticing the expressions of dismay on the people around her she sobered and said, "Uh, I mean, noooo…?"
Cringing Gohan, with Bert, Mia, and the mysterious 'I know you but I don't' guy looked up at the face of King Unma, which was rapidly turning purple with rage.
Slamming a large courtroom type hammer down on the table with enough force to shake the room King Unma roared, "By your lack of either shame or repentance for perpetrating such a atrocious act against the noble Establishment of Nightlife I hereby find you GUILTY!"
The little oni all cheered.
"You are henceforth permanently expelled from this establishment."
Gohan turned a panic-stricken look on her. Her expression was of someone who'd just been punched in the stomach. However she quickly regained her composure and straightened her posture to look defiantly up at the giant oni.
"Well that depends doesn't it?" She said coolly.
"On what?" King Unma glared patronisingly down at her.
"On how come your security team doesn't make any sound marching through the halls back there." She smirked, a vicious twinkle in her eye. Gohan's eyes widened slightly, and he restrained himself from the impulse to call her to task.
"To what does she refer?" King Unma demanded of his oni team.
"I think, sir, she's referring to the fact that the security men are hired in body as well as soul, sir." A pale green oni answered him nervously. When he wasn't contradicted by his peers he added, "As Nightlife is a spiritual plain, and they are in the flesh, they resonate at a different frequency to their surrounds, and thus do not come into direct contact with any inanimate object."
"Kind of like ghosts then, only the other way around?" Kat asked cheerfully of the green oni. He nodded. "Well Gohan, looks like I won that one."
"I'd say so." Gohan replied evenly, contradicting his tense frame.
"You do know what we shall now do then, don't you?"
"Boogie?"
"Exactly."
Instantly flames of energy burst around him as he transformed to super saiyan level one. Before anyone in the room had time to react he'd scooped up Kat and fled from the room.
Some seconds later King Unma jumped to his feet in outrage, the force of which caused all of his attendants to fall over. "Apprehend them!" He thundered.
"Fate's not going to be pleased about this." Fate's disguised messenger muttered sourly, sliding into a fighting stance.
"Where's Destiny?" Bert desperately asked Mia, forging his energy into his own brand of delaying attack.
"Family reunion." Mia groaned. "Grandma's been monopolising her and she couldn't get away. I was able to sneak out."
"Would I be right in thinking that we should try to help them get away? Not that I presume to know the plans of Fate." The Messenger added somewhat sardonically.
"I agree. It's not as if she wouldn't be able to find them easily again anyway." Bert answered. "You going to join in the fun Mia?"
"I don't think-" The bandanna wearing messenger started to say.
"My father you are not." Mia snapped at him.
"Well technically…" He grinned, but didn't pursue the matter in the interest of blasting into the teams of security guards streaming into the room.
"Try not to get hurt." Bert beseeched Mia. "A man my age can't afford to suffer the wrath of Time."
"He'll understand." She assured him. "It's in my blood after all."
With that they split, Mia to add to the offensive and Bert to guard the doors, in order to delay as many guards for as long as they possibly could.
()-()-()
It took Kat a while to reign in her bearings. She was having a hard time comprehending the speed at which they were flying down the hall. After a brief struggle she decided just to accept the fact that a biological being could achieve practically warp speeds and move on.
Shifting in Gohan's arms she peered over his shoulder for any sign of pursuit, though she doubted those dim witted dolts had even realised what had happened yet. As she suspected there were no guards on their heels. In fact, she couldn't even make out the giant double doors as they were so far away.
Gohan slowed to a halt and landed, setting her on her feet, though not letting go of her entirely.
"I hope," and he was only slightly out of breath, "you have a plan."
"Well we can't go anywhere in the club where they won't find us." Kat stated.
"A logical assumption." Gohan agreed.
"Bleck, all that formal language has invaded your brain." She stuck out her tongue in disgust.
"The plan?"
"Oh right. Well since we can't stay, we'll have to leave yes?"
"Uhuh…" Gohan affirmed sceptically.
"And you know Hercule, he just comes and goes as he pleases. In fact remember when Backslash told us Herc was 'in the flesh'?"
"Nope." He admitted.
"Well I was paying attention. And I reckoned Herc, like those guards, has some way of transporting not just his spirit but also his body into Nightlife. So I've been experimenting."
Gohan stiffened in shock, backing away to get a better look at her. She grinned proudly and placed her hands on her hips in triumph. "Last night, I finally got it one hundred percent right."
"How do you know?" He questioned, even as his searching senses picked out subtle differences in how she felt.
"Set up a vidcorder. I've been recording myself while I sleep. And three nights ago, at eleven thirty, my body shimmered and vanished right before the camera's eyes. The difficulty now is getting my body back at will, rather than falling asleep or walking out the front door."
"So, your body just follows your soul back to your own dimension when you fall asleep here?"
Kat frowned. "Well, it takes a little concentration to keep myself here. I can feel the slight strain at the back of my mind. As far as I can tell when I loose consciousness my body automatically returns to my bedroom, and my spirit automatically returns to my body. But now I think I know how to will myself home."
"Alright. But then what? What should I do?" Gohan asked, checking the hall for pursuers.
"You're coming with me."
"What?!" His head snapped back to her.
"You heard me. I can do it."
He swallowed audibly. "But, surely…" He stiffened as his energy senses picked up powers converging on their position. Not at all convinced that this was a good idea, he looked helplessly at her.
"Don't you trust me?" She quickly utilised the classic line, coupled with a injured expression, to get her own way.
"Well yeah, but-"
"Good." She stepped up to him, placed her hands on his shoulders, and concentrated. The first line of guards was just coming into view when both Kat and Gohan disappeared from the Nightlife plain.
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Hey don't all look so surprised…I'm the same author really I am…I just happened to be inspired enough to get this chapter written in a week…ONE WEEK…I should have exams more often ne?
And because I'm full of thank-goodness-it's-Friday warm fuzzy feelings I'll not only say a general THANKS GUYS to those who reviewed, I'll also leave individual comments…^_^
Min – hey thanks! Just wait til you meet the rest of Herc's family…
Deadly Secrets – does this chapter answer your question? ~_^
Frying Pan of DOOM – well, I could write it either way…I was kinda thinking of doing a poll for that one…but we shall wait and see.
Rose Vaughn – wish granted! What? Didn't you believe I could write on command? : P
Gaull – byes to you to!
15153 – that's my motto…
Oh and I guess I should say that I don't own the title of this chapter either…it probably does have a copyright or something on it doesn't it? Anyway, til the next chapter…
~_^