Disclaimer: I don't own nothin'...SO BACK OFF! o.O; Well, I do own SOME of them, but none of the Dragonball Z characters. *Sigh* -_-
~*~
The next day after the whole diner incident, after everyone was rested and minds were cleared--to a point. Jack announced that this was the day that they would do the brotherhood acceptance..thingy. (o.O; ) After many interviews in a dark room, a bright spotlight on the one being interviewed, the others all present...in the darkness, hidden from sight. Who knows which one would strike next with a question of EVIL...and doom. (o.O; Jk)
"What would you do if your girlfriend didn't approve of you joining this frat?"
"Uh...well, she was actually the one that suggested I join one."
"...That doesn't answer the hypothetical question." -_-;
"Oh...well, I'm practically ruled by my girlfriend, so I guess I wouldn't join here." ^_^
"Well then, I guess you will just have to GET OUT!"
o_o "Wait--I didn't mean-"
"OUT!!!"
-_- "Aw, damn."
"NEXT!"
Someone else sat down in the chair, squinting against the light.
"Okay, now, if one of your brothers were in trouble with the authorities, what would you do?"
"Well...Uh..I guess I'd call mama for help!" ^_^
"Ugh...Idiot. You're outta here. NEXT!!"
Another person sat down. "Man this light is frickin' blinding!" x_X
"What would you do if one of your brothers--as in NON-BLOOD RELATED BROTHER, Frat brother,-- got drunk in a public bar and passed out, what would you do?"
"I'd be his designated driver back to the Frat!" ^_^
"Good. Now...What would you do if you found out one of your brothers had weed hidden somewhere?"
"TIEN!" Another guy yelled, "You ass, you know that we don't allow drugs in here!" -_-;;
"In that case," The guy being interviewed said, "I'd tell Jack and get his ass busted! Muahahaha!!"
"Good enough...NEXT!"
And so, the interviews went on, and the frat members number was dramatically decreased. Man, that interview was tough! Get one wrong answer and you get kicked out. This is a high-maintenance frat, right here. Luckily, all of the gang got in! Yay! (Thanks to me, or else there wouldn't be much of a fic, now would there? ^.^; )
So, everyone was happy as could be. Well, except the people that didn't get in. They went through living hell getting back home, being at home and getting yelled at by parents, then being forced to live with them for the next 6 years of their lives! But, that's another story!
All the remaining and now official frat members then learned the official frat handshake, which was very complicated and long. There were work sheets, tests, and hours of study on this long and hard hand shake. On the final test, they were all required to do it right. And they did. It took about five minutes to do completely, and by the time they were done they were short of breath and sweaty.
After the long training of the handshake, the pledge was learned.
Frat Pledge
When things get tough,
And things get bad,
And everthing's rough,
I'll do my best to not get mad.
And if I do,
And shoot someone,
It will be to,
My brothers I run.
For I know that when I'm in trouble,
They'll be there to save,
With a shovel,
To help dig an unmarked grave.
Beers and chicks,
Trouble and cops,
We'll get our licks,
And drink some shots.
But through thick and thin,
And all through that stuff,
We'll have been,
Brothers, strong and tough.
Now we say goodbye and farewell,
And shall end this rhyme,
Not a single soul you shall tell,
Or you'll get your ass kicked in no time.
And so, the pledge and handshake embedded and drilled into their minds forever, they were ready to be good frat brothers. School started next week, and they would go through it together. Just like in the pledge, they were devoted together, and if they needed, they would help bury a body. Hopefully, it didn't come to that.
(It's hard thinking like a guy. -_-; )
~*~
Classes had started, and finally the gang was somewhat used to the campus after the first week. Goku had kept getting lost, running into lockers or people when he turned a corner. Everyone had kind of been confused as well, after all, the school WAS huge. The halls were wide and gleaming from the excellence of knowledge, of education, of--the janitor's floor buffers!
Piccolo was getting less distracted about Karina as the homework piled up, but at night, when the only sounds were Vegeta's and Goku's snoring and disturbing noises from Jack's room, he would get lost in thought. He didn't sleep much anymore. He would stare at the ceiling, being on the top bunk, Goku on the bottom, and think about the past. He hated the past. (A/N: On the other bunk bed on the other side of the room, Vegeta was on the top bunk and Krillin was on the bottom)
The girls were doing alright in the sorority. But Claire and 18 were always at each other's throats, making whity remarks and sneering at each other every chance they got. They rolled their eyes so much at one another, you'd think they'd be stuck spinning in circles. Otherwise, class was going pretty good, except for the homework. Bulma, being Miss Brains, was taking the hardest classes in the categories of well, everything. Vegeta sometimes worried about her not getting enough sleep, though he didn't let anyone else know that.
Sometimes she fell asleep in the middle of a conversation with him on the phone, or when she was awake and around them, she would be wired on caffeine and would be freakishly hyper. And giddy. It made Vegeta want to shoot her, she was so annoying. Of course, he'd never really do that, but he was getting really irritated. Finally, he talked some sense into her, with the help of 18 and Chi-Chi, and she cut down on some classes and was now on a regular sleeping schedule.
So already the first few weeks of college had flown by, and were now on a steady track. Jack had been trying to get Piccolo to come with him to the bar every Friday, but the Namekian refused each time. He had better things to do. Lately, after he'd take a shower, he's sit on the floor, towel around his waist, cross legged. He left the shower running. The sound of water calmed him. He closed his eyes and went into silent meditation of thought and also concentrating his power. He accidently broke the glass of the mirror once with an electric shock that flew from him during meditation. He had told Jack he had been angry and threw a shoe at it. Jack wasn't too mad.
Still, Piccolo didn't feel right. He still didn't feel a sense of release from Karina. He kept blaming himself. If only he had walked with her. And she had wanted him to so baldy, and like a selfish ass he had said no. He cursed himself in the night, and sometimes had to go outside and yell in rage. He only went outside to prevent from waking the whole fraternity up. Vegeta and Goku's sensitive saiyan ears picked it up though. And they woke up, unlike Krillin, the amazing Mr. Log. They would sit up in the darkness and glance at each other, then, w hen hearing Piccolo in the hallway, would lie back down and pretend to be undisturbed. They listened to him getting it bed. More then once they heard sobs choking his throat.
~*~
It was Friday afternoon, and Piccolo was in one of his tougher classes. He didn't know quite what he wanted to major in yet, so he was experimenting around with all different varieties of fields. This one, which was an advanced calculus class, was soon becoming one of his least favorites.
He used to just cheat mostly in high school. Until he was a senior. He had a good teacher then that was kind and not a slave driver, and also was just a plain good teacher. He had been able to teach in a way Piccolo understood easily, and he had found out then that he was actually very good in math, he just hadn't learned how to do it correctly until now. But this class, this class was very hard.
While trying to figure out a seemingly endless equation he sighed, running a hand over his bald head, smoothing his antennas back. They sprung back forward once his hand was no longer upon them, and he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. The shock of him being green, big, and pointy-eared with antennae had long passed for his classmates. They didn't even really notice that much anymore.
Of course, Bulma was in this class, and she breezed through her problems as if they were nothing. Oh yes, he hated her sometimes. But she also helped him, and she wasn't that bad of a tutor. Vegeta and Goku, of course, were way too stupid to be in there. They were focusing on majoring in mostly physical careers, but also had to take a few core classes. Just not as hard ones.
All students were at quiet work, when suddenly the silence was pieced by the sound of breaking glass, followed by a womanly scream as heads all over the classroom shot up and looked around. The window of the classroom was broken. On the wall across from it, a knife was now embedded in the wall, a folded paper pierced by the knife and now trapped between the wall and knife's hilt. On the letter was a single word.
Piccolo.
In panic, most of the students stood and started filing out of the classroom, as constructed by the obviously shock-struck teacher. Piccolo just sat there, staring at the letter with his name on it, pinned to the wall by a blade. Bulma ran to him, putting her hands on his shoulders. Her voice was high pitched and full of worry, "I'm scared."
He swallowed and stood up. "Don't be. Go find Vegeta and the others, and I'll meet you guys at the frat." She watched him and when he didn't move, she nodded quickly, running out of the classroom. Once she was gone, Piccolo walked to the knife and lifted his arm, grabbing the handle and pulling it free from the wall. He took the letter off of the blade and unfolded it slowly, then held it open, reading.
As he read further his heartbeat increased like crazy, and his eyes darted from one side to the other as he began to read faster. His hands gripped the sides of the paper so tightly it began to rip down the middle. He finished, and reread it a few times. Trembling, he shoved it in his pants pocket and shot out of the room.
Looking one way then the other, he took the left, taking flight and flying past the walking students. He knocked over a guy carrying a lot of books, and papers flew into the air. A trail of swirling papers followed after him as he flew down the hall, people shouting out angrily or from shock. Teachers scolding shook their fists and yelled, but he ignored them. He landed suddenly at an exit, which was an open doorway of two connecting doors. The papers his speed had dragged along, as well as dust, burst out before him. He looked around quickly before sprinting across the grass of the campus toward the frat.
~*~
Vegeta passed the piece of paper to Goku after reading it thoroughly. Everyone was silent in the living room of the fraternity. Of course, Bulma had gotten everyone together easily, telling the teachers that they were to be called to the office. That was a big lie, but no one would find out. Piccolo sat in an armchair, most of the others on couches before him. They were passing the stabbed, half torn letter around, since Piccolo couldn't bring his voice back to read it aloud.
Goku's pupils contracted as he read.
Dear Friend,
Goku slowly set it down, and gulped, swallowing the bile that had rose in his throat. His eyes wandered to Piccolo, who stared forward, his hands gripping the arm rests of his chair so tightly, it looked as if his nails were about to pierce the fabric.
"But...what do we do now?" Bulma asked quietly. "There weren't any instructions."
"I'm guessing that," Piccolo finally spoke, his voice surprisingly strong, but troubled, "There will be more."
"More letters?" Goku asked.
"No, more letters." Piccolo said growling slightly.
^_^; Goku rubbed the back of his head, "K!"
Piccolo was irritated at his lack of seriousness in this situation, but Goku soon became serious and somber again. Like everyone else. It had been a pretty long time since Karina's disappearance. It was hardest on Piccolo, of course. But next, it was on the girls. The guys, like Vegeta, hadn't known her incredibly well, but they still knew she was a very nice girl, and amazing person. They had also been saddened when hearing of her disappearance.
"So I guess all we can do is wait, and hope." Chi-Chi sighed. The others nodded in agreement.
Piccolo did not nod, however. He buried his face in his hands, leaning forward, his elbows on his knees. "This isn't happening..." He mumbled.
~*~
Piccolo somehow made it through to the weekend without having a mental breakdown. He kept glancing over his shoulders, held his breath every time he opened his locker, and everyone in his math class kept glancing uneasily at him then the duct-taped window.
However, no other knife-thrown notes were believed. So now, Friday night, Piccolo felt like he was going to be climbing the walls soon. The others could tell and felt sorry for him, but they didn't know what they could do. Jack watched him, and noticed something was up as well. He watched the other guys trying to comfort him, and scratched his chin in thought.
"Piccolo, ol' buddy," He said, having walked over, slapping him comfortingly on the shoulder, "I can tell something is eating you, man. You wanna talk about it?"
"No." Piccolo mumbled.
Jack suddenly looked panicked, "You aren't in trouble with..." His eyes shifted from the right to the left and he whispered, "the authorities are you?"
"No," Piccolo looked at him like he was crazy, sweat dropping.
Jack let out a sigh of relief, "Good." He seemed cheery now.
"There's not way I'm going to tell you, and even if I did you couldn't help, so you might as well bug off."
Jack faked an offended look, then smirked, "I'm sure there is some way I can help. I can help get your mind off whatever the situation is."
Jack smirked as Piccolo looked at him, his eye-ridge lifting curiously, "What do you mean?"
"I mean," He said, patting his shoulder, "That I can take you somewhere to help you feel better."
"When?"
"Soon."
"Whata bout my friends?"
"Bring 'em along."
"Are you up to something?"
"No, of course not. I'm just being your big brother, helpin' you out."
"...Fine. Where are you taking us?"
"To Bob's."
"Bob's?"
"Bob's."
"...Bob's?"
"Yes, Bob's."
"...Who is Bob, exactly?"
Jack glanced at the TV then blinked, and smiled as if pleasantly surprised. He grabbed the remote off the couch side table and turned the volume, "See for yourself.."
Piccolo and the other's all turned their heads to the TV as the volume increased, and blinked as a familiar tune, with different words, played.
On the TV, a cheery looking black guy was in front of a bar, dancing all black-style to a re-mixed, jazzy, rap-like version of..
*Annoying People Singing:*
"BOB the tender, can he mix it?"
The scene flashed to the black guy, this time behind a bar, mixing a drink.
"BOB the tender, Yes he can!""BOB the tender, can he fix it?"
The black man held up the newly concocted drink and winked with a huge smile.
"BOB the tender, Yes he can!"
It showed the outside of Bob's Bar again, this time devoid of the black man, or Bob, and an announcer's voice said quickly: "Wedonotownanymaterialusedbythekiddieshow"BoBTheBuilder,"wejustsimplyusedthecatchytuneforourownadvertisingneeds.Onthecorneroffifthandmain.
Jack turned the TV off and grinned at them, "So, whatcha think? Ready to go?"
Vegeta stared at him like he was an idiot. "Are you on drugs? We aren't 18! We can't get in there, much less drink!"
"You are so naive," Jack snorted. "Ever heard of fake ID's?"
Vegeta narrowed his eyes at him. Jack waved him off, walking into the hallway. He came back, a small camera in his hand. "Everyone against the wall and look pretty." He grinned.
They all stood side by side, back to the wall, while Jack got up close and took a shot of their faces staight on, one at a time. (Vegeta, Goku, Piccolo, and Krillin) instantly, little pictures about an inch wide and inch and a half tall were spat out of the side of the camera. He took them into a room. The others waited quite a while before he came out again, smiling broadly.
They watched and blinked as he handed them each a card, an ID card, with fake names and ages, but their pictures placed as if real ones in the proper spot. They lifted them to the light and examined them, but couldn't find any flaws.
"How did you...?" Krillin asked, blinking.
"I have my ways." Jack smirked, "Now, let's get out of here."
~*~
I was going to make this chapter longer, but I decided this was a good leave off point, to keep you all in suspense. =D Cruel really, because I am going out of town for a week, and will not return until next sunday. Sorry folks. Upon my return I will begin the fast-pace(hopefully) production of chapter 6! untill then, read and review.