Disclaimer: I don't own DragonBallZ.
Thank you very much once again to everyone who has taken the time to be reading, and most of all reviewing! You reviewers are just awesome, so thank you so much! Here's to Katana Midori-Fading Shadow, Trugeta, animeprincess1452, and Western Master 3!
To Katana Midori-Fading Shadow: No, I don't believe that the preliminary fights for the main guys are going to be on the same day. It's going to be more random, I think. Thank you once again!
To Trugeta: Well thank you! And I'm glad you liked the development, too! Also, like I told you earlier, I believe, these glasses are too fun to get rid of, even though I'm not in any immediate danger! Maybe they'll save me from Chain, who's currently in a really foul mood with me...
To animeprincess1452: Thank you so much for the compliment! And, well, Chi-Chi, Bulma, and Videl all deserve some nice treatment, don't they? So they get good service.
To Western Master 3: Yes, very soon. Well, it's getting closer, anyway. Thanks a lot!
Here you go...
Bra, Chain, Gohan, Goku, Pan, and Vegeta all made it to the anteroom where they were, to say the least, very impressed. The practice rings, comfortable chairs, and restaurant next door were definitely going to come in handy later on.
It wasn't very long before they found Demi, Goten, and Trunks over across the room. Goku waved to catch their attention. "Hey, guys!"
They all turned their attention to him as he and the rest of the group joined them. "Hi, Trunks. Long time no see."
"For sure. Hey, Bra. How's it going?"
"Not bad." Then, she smiled at her brother's good friend. "Hi, Goten."
Goten spun around to reply, but stopped, and stared at Bra for a long moment. He hadn't seen her in quite some time, and expected to see the same fashion-conscious young girl he knew from several years ago, but got the surprise of his life. Here stood a young woman brimming with confidence, not to mention beauty. 'Wow.'
She scowled at him uncertainly. What was his problem?
"Hi, Bra..." Goten could feel his palms go sweaty and his stomach squirm uncomfortably. 'Kami, don't let my face go red. That's all I need,' he thought.
Vegeta scowled in Goten's direction suspiciously, until a sudden remark made him turn.
"Chain, what the hell happened to your face?" Trunks asked her without really thinking.
"Guess," she told him shortly.
'Oh yeah. I should have,' he thought unexcitedly, looking up at his father.
"What?" Goten's attention turned swiftly from one of Vegeta's daughters to the other, and he saw the thick gauze pad on Chain's cheek. "Oh man, what did happen to your face?"
Chain growled at them, clenching her fists. "Stop saying stuff about my face! Like you've never gotten hit before!"
"Sorry," Goten replied quietly. 'Boy, that girl's got one heck of a temper.'
All the while Vegeta remained silent.
"Why don't we go see what's taking so long?" Demi suggested, and the others nodded in agreement.
At the opposite end of the anteroom, Dea, King Kai, and Sena were all seated in three comfortable chairs. They were fairly silent, until King Kai spoke up. "Why don't we go ahead and brush up before the matches begin?"
"We, or just me and her?" Sena asked darkly.
"Er, never mind..." He glanced over to his right to see Trunks and the others approaching unknowingly. "Well, I should have known they'd be here."
"Who?" Sena then saw her sister, Demi, heading straight for them. "Oh...yeah..." 'Awkward...' she thought to herself. 'Here we are, dead, competing in a tournament...and of all the people to show up, it's got to be her...'
Dea knew fully well that her only living kin was heading straight for her without realizing it. She didn't speak, and she didn't move. She was indifferent as to what they would say to her, but she couldn't help thinking humorously to herself, 'Busted...'
Inevitability. The two groups caught sight of one another, but what followed wasn't exactly a warm welcome for the 'dead' visitors.
"Wha...?" Goku couldn't even complete a single word as he stared at the three halo-bearing participators with wide eyes and a dropped jaw.
"What's wrong?" Gohan inquired, until his eyes, too, nearly popped out of his head in shock when he saw them.
Soon, everyone took notice of them, and in their own manner, allowed some sign of surprise to light up on their faces.
"Hello, Goku," King Kai greeted him anxiously.
The stunned Saiyan couldn't bring himself to reply. Odd that King Kai was here, and even more so that two of his former enemies were, also!
"What's going on?" Gohan rather demanded than asked.
"Oh, these two. Yes I had suspected that you'd be less than thrilled to see them again."
'Got that right...' Demi glared at Dea, who had chosen to ignore her with her usual veneer of apathy.
King Kai proceeded to explain everything to the (part-)Saiyans, including how they mysteriously ended up at Hurricane Archipelago and their abrupt decision to partake in the event.
"You mean to say they're...not as evil as we thought?" Goku wondered, still looking at the two sisters.
"That's for you to decide," Sena told him, shrugging.
Vegeta kept a wary eye on them before grunting in his revulsion of their presence. Of course, they hadn't chosen to be here, but that didn't change the fact that he was most seriously displeased.
"Yes, anyway. Uh, good to see you guys again...I guess..." King Kai was nervous at what might happen if they stayed around the two girls for much longer. "Goodbye."
It was quite some time before anyone actually moved, though. Finally, Vegeta turned, his arms crossed, and walked away, soon followed by a confused Chain. After he'd headed off, the others found it to be a bit easier to leave, Bra being next to go while Goten, Trunks, and Demi stayed close behind her.
At last, when Goku, Gohan, and Pan disappeared into the crowd, Sena glanced over at Dea and asked, "You okay?"
Without opening her closed eyes, she nodded.
"That was close," the short instructor sighed, wiping his brow in relief...
Well, that was the other chapter. I hope it was okay. Review!