To Catch a DragonBall
Chapter 17
In The Air Again
Disclaimer: See previous chapters for whining. ^_~
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"What do you mean?!"
"It's just what I said. I don't know how to explain it."
"There's got to be something you can do about it!"
"I've tried everything I can think of. It's very strange."
"Well keep trying. I'm really worried about her."
"She's my daughter, do you think that I am not also worried?"
"Sorry Dr. Briefs. I know you're worried. We'll go out and keep watch. Come on Goku."
"Ok. Bye Dr."
"Good bye Goku."
The voices ran round and round her head, slipping away and refusing to stay anywhere where she could catch them. She recognized the words, barely, but they refused to make any sense to her. She knew that she should also recognize the voices but she couldn't quite place them...
She was still in the darkened forest, but she could no longer tell if the man was following her. In fact, the whole place was silent, except for the voices. She was getting entirely too sick of this place. She wanted to leave it, but didn't know how. She didn't even know how she had gotten there and the droning voices that seemed to be next to her ear, though there was no one there, were starting to give her a headache.
She had long ago given up running and found a seat on a tree stump. Wrapping her arms around her drawn up knees she leaned her head down to sleep.
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Dr. Briefs stood by his daughter's bedside for some minutes, listening to the quiet beeping of the machines he had hooked up to her. As far as he could tell she was simply deeply asleep, but he wasn't going to take any chances of her vital signs dropping without notice. Nothing he could think of could account for what was happening. No one had been able to wake her up; she didn't even make a sound when Goku had jumped up and down on her bed, calling loudly to her to get up.
The poor boy was worried, that was plain to him and the concern of both Yamcha and Goku was something he appreciated. His daughter had managed to make some very good friends on her journey, despite the fact that she could be one of the most impossible women on the face of the planet. Her hair fanned out behind her on the pillow and she breathed deeply, sucking in air through her mouth and blowing it out her nose with a cute little whistle that he didn't have the heart to find annoying at a time like this. Of course, if she were to wake up she would protest wildly to the very suggestion that anything resembling a snore came from her in her sleep.
She never had believed that she used to talk in her sleep when she was little. It had never been difficult for he and his wife to find out anything that was bothering their little girl, all they had to do was sit up and listen to her while she slept and she eventually told them everything. He only wished that she would do that right now; any small sign that she had resumed normal sleeping patterns would have cheered him up greatly. But alas, as long as he stood there, all through the long night, no sound was heard.
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Yamcha strolled the perimeter of the Capsule Corps immense grounds walking counter clockwise while he had Goku on the other side of the compound, walking clockwise. Most anyone that saw them would have thought it strange, a young boy and a young man walking in circles around the grounds, acting like watch dogs. But no person sitting on the outside would have been able to know that these two young people were not ordinary in the slightest.
It was taking a major amount of restraint on his part to keep from rushing inside to check on Bulma, even though he knew that Dr. Briefs would call him if there had been any change. He had been walking around the balconies of the CC building when he heard the unmistakable noise of a grappling hook connecting with the railing that ran along the building. He had rushed over just in time to scare the man away, although he had wanted to catch him. That man deserved to be shoved over the railing and to crack his head on the ground.
It was Vegeta's dark-haired toady; he had recognized him, since he had spent so much time in the man's presence when he was stuck in Vegeta's prison. Yamcha also knew exactly what he had come for. It was most likely to steal Goku back and capture Bulma. Other men would have sent him to kill Bulma, but Vegeta would want to see her death himself, she had embarrassed him too many times to get away as easily as she thought she had.
He circled the yard and passed by Goku again. He didn't really worry about the man getting Goku. After all, he's Goku. But he worried about Bulma. Despite her successful campaign against Vegeta, she wasn't really capable of protecting herself. Especially right now. He couldn't help but wonder what was happening to the young woman. When he had first met her, as he was escaping from Vegeta's, he hadn't taken the time to look at her, or to do as she asked and help her out. It had all been about him. And it still mostly was, but being around her was giving him a desire to help her when she needed him. And she most definitely needed him right now.
He had to laugh at the irony of the situation. When he finally found someone who inspired some feelings of selflessness in him, he can't do a damn thing to help. All he could do was sit by and see if she would wake up, and keep her from being kidnapped in the meantime.
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In the dark shadows outside of the mansion slash science lab, the dark haired man crouched and watched his target. It wasn't the small child or the girl this time; it was that idiot who chased him away. He could have gotten the girl at least and if not the child, well, he could always come back. The one he needed the most right now was the girl, since she was likely to be the noisiest and to attract the most attention to him. He was happy concealing himself in the shadows but soon enough he would have to make a dash for the walls of the compound and get back inside. Once there he would head directly for the small window on the ground floor with the lights shining brightly through them.
There was something wrong with Bulma, that much he could tell by the frantic rushing about that had gone on as soon as he was out of the complex, Yamcha and the girls father had carried her from her bedroom and down the stairs into this room, which he could tell right away from looking through the harshly glowing windows was a medical room. Her father hooked her up immediately to several machines and then stepped back to watch her, exchanging several heated comments with Yamcha. He really hoped she wasn't on life support, because taking her was sure to be hard enough without the equipment having to go with them.
He would have to time his rush perfectly for the time when neither Goku nor Yamcha were on this side of the complex. As he watched from his position Yamcha passed out of his sight, ten seconds later the child also moved out of his sight. He waited, 5 seconds, ten seconds, fifteen seconds after they both passed from his sight he raised himself from his position and ran at a breakneck pace to the walls around the CC. He reached the gates and placed his feet carefully on the wrought-iron bars, scrambling easily to the top. With hardly a pause he moved along the wall to where a tree overhung from the gardens and ducked under its branches, effectively hiding himself from any prying eyes, especially those of a very unusual child and a certain young fighter.
A long twenty second wait, another pass by Yamcha and Goku, another fifteen seconds spent in tense anticipation, then he clambered down the wall and dashed to the building. He ran into the side door he had watched the two come out from earlier and proceeded down the semi-dark hallway. He paused outside the door just briefly, checking the timing of the 'guards' on his watch. They would just be passing by the window of the room, he couldn't afford one of them looking in and spotting him, so he'd have to wait...again.
Five seconds, six seconds, seven seconds, eight...he counted down silently with the ticking of his watch then dashed into the room, slipping a small dart into the palm of his hand as he went. He threw the dart roughly in the direction that Dr. Briefs was in...or he thought he was in.
He had dived into the room when he opened the door, prepared to quickly take out its occupant and then grab the girl, but that plan didn't seem fated to work out. 'Damn!' was his last thought before he crashed into a table of medical devices, knocking some down upon himself on his way to the floor. When he looked up next his last thought quickly changed from 'damn' to 'shit!'
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Dr. Brief's moved over and patted the young man softly on the shoulder.
"That was a great job. How did you time it so perfectly? I didn't think it would actually work."
Yamcha smiled at the older man's praise, looking at his feet and laughing a quick self-satisfied laugh.
"It wasn't hard Dr. Briefs. I may not be trained to sneak around and kidnap people but I know enough about scum to know that they don't give up so easily. I just set up some things, waited, and made my move when he made his. He never thought that I might anticipate this. That's why I made certain that Goku and I passed each other, outside THIS specific window, every thirty seconds, and I just guessed he would give himself a few seconds time after we were gone to move. I'm guessing by how well this worked that I could have done this job for him if I'd wanted."
The dark haired man, Yamcha STILL didn't know his name, was lying unconscious on the ground at his feet. With the help of Dr. Briefs Yamcha had set up special equipment that linked to his watch and told him exactly when the man made his jump over the wall. After that he watched as the man ran for the building and ducked inside, stopping outside the building and waiting. By the time he had readied himself Yamcha had snuck through a side entrance and was waiting inside the room. Once the man came charging in, throwing his little sedative dart where he thought someone would be standing, Yamcha made his move. He didn't know what he would have done if the man had had a chance to realize that no one was standing there.
Once the man had slid into the table, carefully placed where Yamcha was certain he would fall to, he had moved over and had gotten his own little revenge. He had made Dr. Briefs prepare a sedative, a strong one, just because he wanted to be able to keep the man out for long periods of time if he had to.
"How long will he be out Dr. Briefs? I want to get into the interrogating..."
Yamcha cracked his knuckles and grinned in anticipation, much to the worry of the older man standing next to him.
"Now Yamcha, you're not going to hurt him are you?"
"Don't worry Dr. Briefs. I won't hurt him too much. I just want to get some information from him...and maybe let him see what it feels like to be interrogated in that fashion."
Dr. Briefs shook his head and just sat down next to his daughter.
"I don't see payback as the best thing to do. You should learn to let things go."
".....you're probably right, but that's a lesson I'd rather learn a little later on, if you don't mind...."
"Well, you're not my son and you're old enough to make your own decisions, so I can't say anything to stop you, just make sure you don't go too far."
"I'll make sure not to hurt him too badly....I just want him to feel some of what he gives out."
To this statement Dr. Briefs decided not to reply. It wasn't like his comments were going to make any difference to the young man, he'd clearly already decided that this was the course he wanted to take.
As Yamcha stooped to drag the man from the room Dr. Briefs sighed and looked at his daughter again, hoping that somehow they would find out what was wrong with her and get everything straightened out...it seemed that her adventuring had brought bigger consequences than just his getting well.
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In the darkness that they left him in, the darkness he usually loved but had no use for this time, he struggled against his bonds. This was not the end he had envisioned for himself. How could the young idiot have figured out how to catch him? It just didn't make sense. He was the best at what he did, no one managed to catch him. True, he'd been having an off month, what with that tailed little brat always interfering, but that was hardly his fault...and besides, it didn't reflect on his capabilities at all. It only reflected on all the incompetent people under Vegeta's employ.
Lost in these thoughts he didn't hear the clip of boots walking down the hall and stopping outside the room he was in. Once the door creaked open and the beam of light sliced across his face, making his eyes flinch despite his determination not to let them, he shook himself from his thoughts.
Speaking of the devil, there was his captor. The thought of him having a captor rang so wrong in his head that he was temporarily distracted again. His distraction didn't last long.
A few more footsteps ringing in the room , a large crash, and he was lying on the ground, still strapped to a chair, his head ringing from the blow to his cheek and from knocking it back on the ground.
"So, you're going to get a little payback huh? No wonder you were able to catch me, we're really a lot more alike than I would have ever thought."
Yamcha sneered down at the man and resisted the urge to kick him in the ribs for that comment.
"We aren't a lot a like. I've just learned what the value of inflicting pain and just what it can get for you."
"Ahhh...then this must be my shining moment.....brought down by my own unwilling student. I feel so proud."
His eye was starting to swell up now and his cheek throbbed, but he didn't allow any of the pain to show through his face as he sneered back up at the man standing above him, his voice dripping with sarcasm and scorn.
"Oh you should. But let's not get bogged down in this pointless chitchat. Tell me why Vegeta wants Goku."
"Oh? No concern for the girl? I'm surprised at you Yamcha, caring for a small child rather than a girl. In fact, I'm surprised you care for either of them."
"I know what Vegeta wants with Bulma. I want to know what he wants with Goku. They helped me out when they didn't have to, even though I didn't deserve their help, so the least I can do to repay them is to find out why Vegeta has been causing her so much grief."
His dark laugh echoed eerily in the otherwise silent room and he could see the anger bubbling to the surface of Yamcha's emotions, his face had always been an open book for what he felt. Maybe if he...
"You can't figure it out? You really are as dense as I always thought you were. I had hoped for a few brief moments that your skills at capturing me had shown me your intellect finally, but I was wrong. Well, there's a first time for everything, isn't there? A first time for you to do something right and a first time for me to be wrong."
Yamcha's eyes narrowed the tiniest bit in anger and he clenched his fists to his side, unwilling to give into the man's taunting.
"Either tell me what I asked or shut your mouth. Unless of course, you'd rather I shut it for you."
Damn, this didn't seem to be working, but he couldn't give up now, he knew what would happen to him if he couldn't get away. Oh, the young fool might play like he was going to hurt him, pretend that he wouldn't get out alive, but he knew, that after he told everything he knew he'd be handed over to some policemen and thrown in jail. Not what he called a nice all expenses-paid get-away.
"And if I do tell you?"
"Then I'll make sure you don't suffer too much when I beat the crap out of you."
Well that was blunt, but there was never much tact or finesse to the young man's ways of thinking. And of course, he was right, he'd get the crap beaten out of him, he deserved that from this man, but then he'd still get his ass thrown in jail.
"You might as well tell me. The outcome is going to be the same either way, and we both know it."
After a long deliberating pause he conceded. It was true, the outcome would be the same whether he gave his information or not. And despite all his loyalty to the man, he knew that Vegeta wouldn't send anyone to help him out, so why be loyal?
"Fine. Vegeta wants the child because for years he thought he was the last of his race, and now he's found the child. He wants to bring out the bloodthirsty side of the child, make him more Saiyajin like. And if it means to make him more like himself than Vegeta's got a way to go before he can turn that child into such an evil bastard."
The surprise at his easy acquiescence was something he had to laugh at. If Yamcha thought he would get the satisfaction of roughing him up longer, then the idiot clearly didn't know him very well. It didn't surprise him, he liked it that he was so hard to understand, it was the image he created for himself.
"Fine then. I made a promise that I wouldn't hurt you much, since you cooperated I'm willing to forget about the 'interrogating' but only because I know how amusing you'd find it."
"You're right, I'd be laughing the whole time."
Yamcha's eyes narrowed again at the man, to his thinking the man was clearly delusional, but he had promised, and he wouldn't go back on his word. Not when it was being trusted for the first time in his life.
He turned from the room, his boots making a hard clicking noise on the ground, and as he walked down the hall to make his call he knew that for once he was learning something valuable.
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1 YEAR LATER
"Hurry up Goku! You're going to be late!"
"I'm coming! Don't leave without me!"
"As if I could..."
The dark haired young man shook his head and laughed as his 'little brother' came running from the house, tying his Gi tightly about his waist. The Brief's walked slower, also laughing to themselves at their adopted sons antics. Mrs. Brief's wiggled up to them, her face teary and hopeful. She gave each boy a quick hug and kiss and then walked back to the door, stopping to stand outside on the porch and watch.
"Well boys, I'm going to wish you the best of luck on this trip, you know what it means to us both that you succeed. I know, it means a lot to you as well, but it means more to us."
Dr. Briefs smiled once at each young man and then handed Yamcha a small white box, which he knew were filled with capsules containing everything they would need. Once he had shaken both of their hands solemnly he walked back to join his wife. The last sight that Goku and Yamcha had of the Breif's was them standing on their doorstep, waving them off with the same exact expression of hope mixed with anxiety.
As he piloted the small jet through the air Yamcha felt a small smile tugging on his lips. They were finally heading off, looking for the dragon balls. Unfortunately, Bulma had not awoken in the whole last year and her father had been unable to determine what as wrong with her. Neither had any of the hundreds of specialists that had been called to see her. They had determined that it wasn't head trauma or any other of a million diseases or sicknesses that it could have been. The best they could determine it was some brand new sickness never seen before, but there was no proof of that either. And so Goku and Yamcha had agreed to set off to gather the DragonBalls and wish her better with them. After all, Goku couldn't enjoy having a new family if his new sister was unconscious the whole time.
So much was resting on whether they could bring her back that he didn't like to think too much on the wish they'd be making, he had to simply concentrate on getting the mysterious orange balls. And with that thought he dug out his capsules and clicked open the one holding the small radar, the piece of technology that Bulma had made with no thought that it would ever be used to help her. Goku was staring out the window of the jet, his tail waving sporadically, which he knew meant that the child was also feeling some anxiety. He had become adept at telling Goku's feelings in the last year he had spent with the child and his adopted family.
"Relax kid, this will be a piece of cake. Nothing can go wrong. We'll have Bulma back in no time."
"Yeah! We have to wake her up, she's missing too much sleeping her way through life."
He had to laugh at that. Goku's idea of missing too much was missing a meal, and Bulma had missed plenty of those, so no doubt she really was missing a lot in Goku's mind....although he agreed...she would miss so much of her life if she stayed in that sleep for much longer. He just hoped that what he said was correct, that nothing really could or would go wrong....
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Many miles away from the Capsule complex, where a young blue haired woman had been in a strange sleep for over a year, a large building stood. One wall of this building was so obviously new compared to the rest of the walls that it brought a lot of speculation as to how that happened...but only to the people who were passing through. Those who lived there could guess what had happened and didn't like to think about the building and its inhabitants for too long a time.
Inside one specific room in this building there was a small nail pounded into the wall, and on that nail hung a calendar. It wasn't anything fancy; there weren't any cute kittens or puppies; no scenes of nature or of the sea, nothing. It was just plain paper with days on them. But on this particular month that the calendar was open to there was one day with a large red circle drawn around it. That day was the same particular day that Yamcha and Goku were setting out on their journey. That day also had writing within the circle. There wasn't a lot of writing, nothing seemingly important.....just two words, two simple words.
Dragon Balls
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AN: I know! I'm horrible!! I've taken sooo long to update and I ought to be smacked for it...but don't worry, I know someone who'll be chasing me with a broom and will smack me as soon as she catches me. Hehe Now, in my defense just let me say that I have actually been busy and very distracted from writing. I'm also not done being busy, but I'm taking this time to update. Believe it or not, but during your Senior year you don't get to slack off and do nothing....well at least I don't. Maybe it's all those college level classes I'm in that give so much homework and so many projects right now. You think? ^_^ hehe Well it is, I'm given no days off and right now I'm having to spend lots of time preparing for some big three hour tests...which can really help me out in college, so I hope you'll all understand and be patient with me. ^_^ Thanks.
And remember, if you want to be on my ML just send an e-mail to hibari_heza@yahoo.com If you're going to send me an e-mail tell me which story you're requesting, because I use that ml for all my stories. ^_^ Or, you can simply leave your e-mail addy in a review and I'll add you to the list.
Chapter 17
In The Air Again
Disclaimer: See previous chapters for whining. ^_~
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"What do you mean?!"
"It's just what I said. I don't know how to explain it."
"There's got to be something you can do about it!"
"I've tried everything I can think of. It's very strange."
"Well keep trying. I'm really worried about her."
"She's my daughter, do you think that I am not also worried?"
"Sorry Dr. Briefs. I know you're worried. We'll go out and keep watch. Come on Goku."
"Ok. Bye Dr."
"Good bye Goku."
The voices ran round and round her head, slipping away and refusing to stay anywhere where she could catch them. She recognized the words, barely, but they refused to make any sense to her. She knew that she should also recognize the voices but she couldn't quite place them...
She was still in the darkened forest, but she could no longer tell if the man was following her. In fact, the whole place was silent, except for the voices. She was getting entirely too sick of this place. She wanted to leave it, but didn't know how. She didn't even know how she had gotten there and the droning voices that seemed to be next to her ear, though there was no one there, were starting to give her a headache.
She had long ago given up running and found a seat on a tree stump. Wrapping her arms around her drawn up knees she leaned her head down to sleep.
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Dr. Briefs stood by his daughter's bedside for some minutes, listening to the quiet beeping of the machines he had hooked up to her. As far as he could tell she was simply deeply asleep, but he wasn't going to take any chances of her vital signs dropping without notice. Nothing he could think of could account for what was happening. No one had been able to wake her up; she didn't even make a sound when Goku had jumped up and down on her bed, calling loudly to her to get up.
The poor boy was worried, that was plain to him and the concern of both Yamcha and Goku was something he appreciated. His daughter had managed to make some very good friends on her journey, despite the fact that she could be one of the most impossible women on the face of the planet. Her hair fanned out behind her on the pillow and she breathed deeply, sucking in air through her mouth and blowing it out her nose with a cute little whistle that he didn't have the heart to find annoying at a time like this. Of course, if she were to wake up she would protest wildly to the very suggestion that anything resembling a snore came from her in her sleep.
She never had believed that she used to talk in her sleep when she was little. It had never been difficult for he and his wife to find out anything that was bothering their little girl, all they had to do was sit up and listen to her while she slept and she eventually told them everything. He only wished that she would do that right now; any small sign that she had resumed normal sleeping patterns would have cheered him up greatly. But alas, as long as he stood there, all through the long night, no sound was heard.
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Yamcha strolled the perimeter of the Capsule Corps immense grounds walking counter clockwise while he had Goku on the other side of the compound, walking clockwise. Most anyone that saw them would have thought it strange, a young boy and a young man walking in circles around the grounds, acting like watch dogs. But no person sitting on the outside would have been able to know that these two young people were not ordinary in the slightest.
It was taking a major amount of restraint on his part to keep from rushing inside to check on Bulma, even though he knew that Dr. Briefs would call him if there had been any change. He had been walking around the balconies of the CC building when he heard the unmistakable noise of a grappling hook connecting with the railing that ran along the building. He had rushed over just in time to scare the man away, although he had wanted to catch him. That man deserved to be shoved over the railing and to crack his head on the ground.
It was Vegeta's dark-haired toady; he had recognized him, since he had spent so much time in the man's presence when he was stuck in Vegeta's prison. Yamcha also knew exactly what he had come for. It was most likely to steal Goku back and capture Bulma. Other men would have sent him to kill Bulma, but Vegeta would want to see her death himself, she had embarrassed him too many times to get away as easily as she thought she had.
He circled the yard and passed by Goku again. He didn't really worry about the man getting Goku. After all, he's Goku. But he worried about Bulma. Despite her successful campaign against Vegeta, she wasn't really capable of protecting herself. Especially right now. He couldn't help but wonder what was happening to the young woman. When he had first met her, as he was escaping from Vegeta's, he hadn't taken the time to look at her, or to do as she asked and help her out. It had all been about him. And it still mostly was, but being around her was giving him a desire to help her when she needed him. And she most definitely needed him right now.
He had to laugh at the irony of the situation. When he finally found someone who inspired some feelings of selflessness in him, he can't do a damn thing to help. All he could do was sit by and see if she would wake up, and keep her from being kidnapped in the meantime.
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In the dark shadows outside of the mansion slash science lab, the dark haired man crouched and watched his target. It wasn't the small child or the girl this time; it was that idiot who chased him away. He could have gotten the girl at least and if not the child, well, he could always come back. The one he needed the most right now was the girl, since she was likely to be the noisiest and to attract the most attention to him. He was happy concealing himself in the shadows but soon enough he would have to make a dash for the walls of the compound and get back inside. Once there he would head directly for the small window on the ground floor with the lights shining brightly through them.
There was something wrong with Bulma, that much he could tell by the frantic rushing about that had gone on as soon as he was out of the complex, Yamcha and the girls father had carried her from her bedroom and down the stairs into this room, which he could tell right away from looking through the harshly glowing windows was a medical room. Her father hooked her up immediately to several machines and then stepped back to watch her, exchanging several heated comments with Yamcha. He really hoped she wasn't on life support, because taking her was sure to be hard enough without the equipment having to go with them.
He would have to time his rush perfectly for the time when neither Goku nor Yamcha were on this side of the complex. As he watched from his position Yamcha passed out of his sight, ten seconds later the child also moved out of his sight. He waited, 5 seconds, ten seconds, fifteen seconds after they both passed from his sight he raised himself from his position and ran at a breakneck pace to the walls around the CC. He reached the gates and placed his feet carefully on the wrought-iron bars, scrambling easily to the top. With hardly a pause he moved along the wall to where a tree overhung from the gardens and ducked under its branches, effectively hiding himself from any prying eyes, especially those of a very unusual child and a certain young fighter.
A long twenty second wait, another pass by Yamcha and Goku, another fifteen seconds spent in tense anticipation, then he clambered down the wall and dashed to the building. He ran into the side door he had watched the two come out from earlier and proceeded down the semi-dark hallway. He paused outside the door just briefly, checking the timing of the 'guards' on his watch. They would just be passing by the window of the room, he couldn't afford one of them looking in and spotting him, so he'd have to wait...again.
Five seconds, six seconds, seven seconds, eight...he counted down silently with the ticking of his watch then dashed into the room, slipping a small dart into the palm of his hand as he went. He threw the dart roughly in the direction that Dr. Briefs was in...or he thought he was in.
He had dived into the room when he opened the door, prepared to quickly take out its occupant and then grab the girl, but that plan didn't seem fated to work out. 'Damn!' was his last thought before he crashed into a table of medical devices, knocking some down upon himself on his way to the floor. When he looked up next his last thought quickly changed from 'damn' to 'shit!'
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Dr. Brief's moved over and patted the young man softly on the shoulder.
"That was a great job. How did you time it so perfectly? I didn't think it would actually work."
Yamcha smiled at the older man's praise, looking at his feet and laughing a quick self-satisfied laugh.
"It wasn't hard Dr. Briefs. I may not be trained to sneak around and kidnap people but I know enough about scum to know that they don't give up so easily. I just set up some things, waited, and made my move when he made his. He never thought that I might anticipate this. That's why I made certain that Goku and I passed each other, outside THIS specific window, every thirty seconds, and I just guessed he would give himself a few seconds time after we were gone to move. I'm guessing by how well this worked that I could have done this job for him if I'd wanted."
The dark haired man, Yamcha STILL didn't know his name, was lying unconscious on the ground at his feet. With the help of Dr. Briefs Yamcha had set up special equipment that linked to his watch and told him exactly when the man made his jump over the wall. After that he watched as the man ran for the building and ducked inside, stopping outside the building and waiting. By the time he had readied himself Yamcha had snuck through a side entrance and was waiting inside the room. Once the man came charging in, throwing his little sedative dart where he thought someone would be standing, Yamcha made his move. He didn't know what he would have done if the man had had a chance to realize that no one was standing there.
Once the man had slid into the table, carefully placed where Yamcha was certain he would fall to, he had moved over and had gotten his own little revenge. He had made Dr. Briefs prepare a sedative, a strong one, just because he wanted to be able to keep the man out for long periods of time if he had to.
"How long will he be out Dr. Briefs? I want to get into the interrogating..."
Yamcha cracked his knuckles and grinned in anticipation, much to the worry of the older man standing next to him.
"Now Yamcha, you're not going to hurt him are you?"
"Don't worry Dr. Briefs. I won't hurt him too much. I just want to get some information from him...and maybe let him see what it feels like to be interrogated in that fashion."
Dr. Briefs shook his head and just sat down next to his daughter.
"I don't see payback as the best thing to do. You should learn to let things go."
".....you're probably right, but that's a lesson I'd rather learn a little later on, if you don't mind...."
"Well, you're not my son and you're old enough to make your own decisions, so I can't say anything to stop you, just make sure you don't go too far."
"I'll make sure not to hurt him too badly....I just want him to feel some of what he gives out."
To this statement Dr. Briefs decided not to reply. It wasn't like his comments were going to make any difference to the young man, he'd clearly already decided that this was the course he wanted to take.
As Yamcha stooped to drag the man from the room Dr. Briefs sighed and looked at his daughter again, hoping that somehow they would find out what was wrong with her and get everything straightened out...it seemed that her adventuring had brought bigger consequences than just his getting well.
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In the darkness that they left him in, the darkness he usually loved but had no use for this time, he struggled against his bonds. This was not the end he had envisioned for himself. How could the young idiot have figured out how to catch him? It just didn't make sense. He was the best at what he did, no one managed to catch him. True, he'd been having an off month, what with that tailed little brat always interfering, but that was hardly his fault...and besides, it didn't reflect on his capabilities at all. It only reflected on all the incompetent people under Vegeta's employ.
Lost in these thoughts he didn't hear the clip of boots walking down the hall and stopping outside the room he was in. Once the door creaked open and the beam of light sliced across his face, making his eyes flinch despite his determination not to let them, he shook himself from his thoughts.
Speaking of the devil, there was his captor. The thought of him having a captor rang so wrong in his head that he was temporarily distracted again. His distraction didn't last long.
A few more footsteps ringing in the room , a large crash, and he was lying on the ground, still strapped to a chair, his head ringing from the blow to his cheek and from knocking it back on the ground.
"So, you're going to get a little payback huh? No wonder you were able to catch me, we're really a lot more alike than I would have ever thought."
Yamcha sneered down at the man and resisted the urge to kick him in the ribs for that comment.
"We aren't a lot a like. I've just learned what the value of inflicting pain and just what it can get for you."
"Ahhh...then this must be my shining moment.....brought down by my own unwilling student. I feel so proud."
His eye was starting to swell up now and his cheek throbbed, but he didn't allow any of the pain to show through his face as he sneered back up at the man standing above him, his voice dripping with sarcasm and scorn.
"Oh you should. But let's not get bogged down in this pointless chitchat. Tell me why Vegeta wants Goku."
"Oh? No concern for the girl? I'm surprised at you Yamcha, caring for a small child rather than a girl. In fact, I'm surprised you care for either of them."
"I know what Vegeta wants with Bulma. I want to know what he wants with Goku. They helped me out when they didn't have to, even though I didn't deserve their help, so the least I can do to repay them is to find out why Vegeta has been causing her so much grief."
His dark laugh echoed eerily in the otherwise silent room and he could see the anger bubbling to the surface of Yamcha's emotions, his face had always been an open book for what he felt. Maybe if he...
"You can't figure it out? You really are as dense as I always thought you were. I had hoped for a few brief moments that your skills at capturing me had shown me your intellect finally, but I was wrong. Well, there's a first time for everything, isn't there? A first time for you to do something right and a first time for me to be wrong."
Yamcha's eyes narrowed the tiniest bit in anger and he clenched his fists to his side, unwilling to give into the man's taunting.
"Either tell me what I asked or shut your mouth. Unless of course, you'd rather I shut it for you."
Damn, this didn't seem to be working, but he couldn't give up now, he knew what would happen to him if he couldn't get away. Oh, the young fool might play like he was going to hurt him, pretend that he wouldn't get out alive, but he knew, that after he told everything he knew he'd be handed over to some policemen and thrown in jail. Not what he called a nice all expenses-paid get-away.
"And if I do tell you?"
"Then I'll make sure you don't suffer too much when I beat the crap out of you."
Well that was blunt, but there was never much tact or finesse to the young man's ways of thinking. And of course, he was right, he'd get the crap beaten out of him, he deserved that from this man, but then he'd still get his ass thrown in jail.
"You might as well tell me. The outcome is going to be the same either way, and we both know it."
After a long deliberating pause he conceded. It was true, the outcome would be the same whether he gave his information or not. And despite all his loyalty to the man, he knew that Vegeta wouldn't send anyone to help him out, so why be loyal?
"Fine. Vegeta wants the child because for years he thought he was the last of his race, and now he's found the child. He wants to bring out the bloodthirsty side of the child, make him more Saiyajin like. And if it means to make him more like himself than Vegeta's got a way to go before he can turn that child into such an evil bastard."
The surprise at his easy acquiescence was something he had to laugh at. If Yamcha thought he would get the satisfaction of roughing him up longer, then the idiot clearly didn't know him very well. It didn't surprise him, he liked it that he was so hard to understand, it was the image he created for himself.
"Fine then. I made a promise that I wouldn't hurt you much, since you cooperated I'm willing to forget about the 'interrogating' but only because I know how amusing you'd find it."
"You're right, I'd be laughing the whole time."
Yamcha's eyes narrowed again at the man, to his thinking the man was clearly delusional, but he had promised, and he wouldn't go back on his word. Not when it was being trusted for the first time in his life.
He turned from the room, his boots making a hard clicking noise on the ground, and as he walked down the hall to make his call he knew that for once he was learning something valuable.
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1 YEAR LATER
"Hurry up Goku! You're going to be late!"
"I'm coming! Don't leave without me!"
"As if I could..."
The dark haired young man shook his head and laughed as his 'little brother' came running from the house, tying his Gi tightly about his waist. The Brief's walked slower, also laughing to themselves at their adopted sons antics. Mrs. Brief's wiggled up to them, her face teary and hopeful. She gave each boy a quick hug and kiss and then walked back to the door, stopping to stand outside on the porch and watch.
"Well boys, I'm going to wish you the best of luck on this trip, you know what it means to us both that you succeed. I know, it means a lot to you as well, but it means more to us."
Dr. Briefs smiled once at each young man and then handed Yamcha a small white box, which he knew were filled with capsules containing everything they would need. Once he had shaken both of their hands solemnly he walked back to join his wife. The last sight that Goku and Yamcha had of the Breif's was them standing on their doorstep, waving them off with the same exact expression of hope mixed with anxiety.
As he piloted the small jet through the air Yamcha felt a small smile tugging on his lips. They were finally heading off, looking for the dragon balls. Unfortunately, Bulma had not awoken in the whole last year and her father had been unable to determine what as wrong with her. Neither had any of the hundreds of specialists that had been called to see her. They had determined that it wasn't head trauma or any other of a million diseases or sicknesses that it could have been. The best they could determine it was some brand new sickness never seen before, but there was no proof of that either. And so Goku and Yamcha had agreed to set off to gather the DragonBalls and wish her better with them. After all, Goku couldn't enjoy having a new family if his new sister was unconscious the whole time.
So much was resting on whether they could bring her back that he didn't like to think too much on the wish they'd be making, he had to simply concentrate on getting the mysterious orange balls. And with that thought he dug out his capsules and clicked open the one holding the small radar, the piece of technology that Bulma had made with no thought that it would ever be used to help her. Goku was staring out the window of the jet, his tail waving sporadically, which he knew meant that the child was also feeling some anxiety. He had become adept at telling Goku's feelings in the last year he had spent with the child and his adopted family.
"Relax kid, this will be a piece of cake. Nothing can go wrong. We'll have Bulma back in no time."
"Yeah! We have to wake her up, she's missing too much sleeping her way through life."
He had to laugh at that. Goku's idea of missing too much was missing a meal, and Bulma had missed plenty of those, so no doubt she really was missing a lot in Goku's mind....although he agreed...she would miss so much of her life if she stayed in that sleep for much longer. He just hoped that what he said was correct, that nothing really could or would go wrong....
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Many miles away from the Capsule complex, where a young blue haired woman had been in a strange sleep for over a year, a large building stood. One wall of this building was so obviously new compared to the rest of the walls that it brought a lot of speculation as to how that happened...but only to the people who were passing through. Those who lived there could guess what had happened and didn't like to think about the building and its inhabitants for too long a time.
Inside one specific room in this building there was a small nail pounded into the wall, and on that nail hung a calendar. It wasn't anything fancy; there weren't any cute kittens or puppies; no scenes of nature or of the sea, nothing. It was just plain paper with days on them. But on this particular month that the calendar was open to there was one day with a large red circle drawn around it. That day was the same particular day that Yamcha and Goku were setting out on their journey. That day also had writing within the circle. There wasn't a lot of writing, nothing seemingly important.....just two words, two simple words.
Dragon Balls
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AN: I know! I'm horrible!! I've taken sooo long to update and I ought to be smacked for it...but don't worry, I know someone who'll be chasing me with a broom and will smack me as soon as she catches me. Hehe Now, in my defense just let me say that I have actually been busy and very distracted from writing. I'm also not done being busy, but I'm taking this time to update. Believe it or not, but during your Senior year you don't get to slack off and do nothing....well at least I don't. Maybe it's all those college level classes I'm in that give so much homework and so many projects right now. You think? ^_^ hehe Well it is, I'm given no days off and right now I'm having to spend lots of time preparing for some big three hour tests...which can really help me out in college, so I hope you'll all understand and be patient with me. ^_^ Thanks.
And remember, if you want to be on my ML just send an e-mail to hibari_heza@yahoo.com If you're going to send me an e-mail tell me which story you're requesting, because I use that ml for all my stories. ^_^ Or, you can simply leave your e-mail addy in a review and I'll add you to the list.