I want to thank my friend Courtney for editing this chapter, as well as the last chapter, for me! Thanks a bunch!
Chapter 11
"I don't know, sire. He's locked himself in his room," muttered a green skinned alien, looking very much like a Namek, "but he only seems to come out when the infant begins to scream its lungs out."
A smirk displayed on the emperor's highest advisor's lips. "Is that so?" rasped out the deep male voice.
The advisor nodded slowly, "Yes, however, we (as in the board and I) are very pleased that you have taken the time to come out. Please try and knock some sense into him; there are some serious issues that we need to talk to him about."
The advisor nodded briefly before he turned on his heels. His gold tipped boots tapped lightly across the new tile floor.
This space 'base' was brand new. It was top notch. It had every type of security system on it and around guarding it from any unwanted villains or debris from destroyed planets...
The emperor's living quarters weren't too far from the meeting room that the man just left. It was two doors down. Yes, the ruler of this part of the universe was quite displeased that they created his room about five times larger than the original room he received in the last ship. He would have rather taken one of the soldier's rooms instead of this one, which was built for him.
Standing before the door, the advisor brought a gloved palm up to the door, and lightly knocked on the wood.
Would you ask?
It was by the request of the emperor so anyone who was trapped in his room would be able to escape or get him at any time when needed. Anyways, wood was always replaceable... more replaceable than the almost-impossible-to-make saiyan proof doors that were first created for the old base.
"Come in!" called a voice from inside the room.
The advisor's face dropped to a frown when he placed his hand on the doorknob below and turned it. The door was unlocked, giving him easy access to the room.
Gohan was sitting on the floor cross-legged as a seven-month old ice-jin child played with blocks on the carpeted ground. The teen glanced up, and smiled as he waved to his friend.
"Hey Vegeta! What brings you here?" questioned Gohan cheerfully as he noticed the infant try to climb on the block tower it created only to tip it over.
The saiyan prince walked in and closed the door behind him. Taking off the cape that was fastened to his royal armor, Vegeta set it down over a chair. "I came to see if you still lived. No one had heard from you on earth. Your mother and father are getting worried. Same with your brother, who recently had a birthday." The saiyan prince raised an eyebrow to the emperor in an accusing way.
Gohan looked up to Vegeta with a frown as he looked down to the infant. "I didn't realize his birthday passed already. I was planning to come visit-"
"And many others on the planets you are under are becoming worried that you don't exist any longer. You haven't updated them in MONTHS."
The hybrid saiyan's shoulders sunk lower as the infant began to crawl over to where his adoptive father sat. "Well... I've been kind of busy-"
"Taking care of the son of an enemy."
Gohan's eyes darkened as he glared to the saiyan prince. "This child, whom you speak of, is the son of Videl."
"And also the product of a ra-"
"I don't want to hear it," snapped the emperor angrily. His eyes started to flash turquoise in a warning manner as he looked back to the young child; the infant was curiously looking up to the one who he was beginning to think was his papa. Gohan's eyes immediately softened as he looked to the child, and shook his head picking up the young child carefully.
"I'm sorry you had to see daddy this way, Hizashi," stated Gohan apologetically. There was a sympathetic smile sent to the young one. The baby, in return, smiled back and gurgled.
Gohan began to laugh and he slowly threw the child lightly in the air. A loud laugh was heard from the delighted child.
Vegeta shook his head as the watched the display of a bond between the two. Gohan looked like a new father taking care of his new son. It was a shame though, that this child wasn't exactly what the citizens of the universe wanted to see at this time.
The very father of this child took over the land that was to be Gohan's...
"I didn't only come here to accuse you of not taking your duty as emperor, but to inform you of the upcoming Martial Arts Tournament on Earth. This year, the tournament is dedicated to Videl."
Gohan paused as he looked down to the infant. The emperor's lips were in a thin line as he watched the young child. There were only two things that set Hizashi from his father. It was the child's blue eyes it inherited from his mother. The second was the sweet yet fiery spirit, also another trait noticed from the mother.
Why did she have to die?
"You are going to be entering the competition," stated Vegeta as he crossed his muscled arms and looked down to his emperor.
Gohan looked up to Vegeta, looking smugly at the prince. "I thought you weren't suppose to order your ruler around."
Vegeta rolled his eyes. "This whole 'ruler' thing between you and I is almost a complete oxymoron. I should be ruling over you because you are of saiyan blood, yet, you are the ruler over this entire galaxy."
Gohan laughed as he set the child down to play with the blocks once more. "I guess you're right. It is a brain sore when you think about it. But..." Gohan's eyes became just a bit colder, "I am not leaving this base... even if it's in remembrance of her..."
Vegeta looked to his emperor with humor in his eyes. "I seriously don't think you have a word in this," replied the prince of the saiyans as the door opened revealing Goku, Raditz, Nappa, Zarbon, and young Trunks. All looked to the hybrid saiyan with a smirk plastered on their faces.
Gohan's eyes widened as he tried to grab the infant that was crawling away from him. It headed right to Trunks. The lavender locked teen looked the baby in the eyes, picked him up, and he smiled. "I have the baby!" exclaimed the young prince-in-training. The older men, however, took that time to jump on the emperor. One of them pulled out a thick steel rope, another pulled out duct tape.
And only in a matter of moments, their invincible ruler was hogtied on the floor of his room; the steel rope was tied painfully tight around the teen's legs and wrists along with duct tape covering the balled fists of the emperor and the feet being bound together also around the steel rope with duct tape. Let's not forget the finishing touch. There was a fat piece of the silver-looking tape covering the mouth of the young saiyan.
Before everyone else was gone, Trunks held up his camera phone and took a quick picture, sending it to all his friends and family at home. He also quickly saved it on the phone before he put it away.
"I guess we should get going!" exclaimed the father of the emperor as he grabbed the bound legs of his son. Raditz looked down at the horrified eyes of his nephew and smirked widely, carrying the upper body weight of his nephew, as they all passed down the halls. The saiyans and main advisor briefly walked in the room, carrying the emperor, with smirks plastered on their faces.
The aliens at the meeting looked to their feared warrior in surprise, some tried to hold back laughter.
Zarbon stepped forward as he looked to all the warriors. "Since the emperor needs some time to be home... I think for obvious reasons..." Gohan's eyes were now pleading as he tried to get out of his bindings. The aliens in the room began to laugh softly at their emperor's poor attempts to escape. They knew he could easily get out if he truly wanted to. "I'll be taking his place until after the Martial Arts Tournament on is home planet."
Zarbon paused as he pulled a roll of duct tape from his pocket, turning about ninety degrees before tossing it to Nappa. "I think you guys will be needing it more than I."
Goku nodded as he and Raditz began to back out of the room. "You better have this empire in one piece once we come back!" shouted the father of Gohan.
That comment alone made Gohan whine.
¦±¦
It was dusk.
A beautiful sunset was out.
This land, it made one think of her; the one he lost...
Gohan was walking in the downtown region of West City. It was soon to be renamed 'Satan City' after Videl's father.
This made Gohan's heart ache even more. She seemed to be everywhere on this planet; he could see her walking down the streets on her way to a crime that just broke out; he walked by his old high school earlier...
It was repaired...
But it still held the memories.
He swallowed down a lump that formed in his throat. The first planet that Gohan arrived on after Cold was defeated was Planet Namek.
All who were killed because of the evil king were wished back... but Videl.
She COULDN'T be wished back, claimed the dragon. That alone made Gohan go through the roof, and almost lose his sanity.
What later came to him after they made other wishes from the dragon was to ask it WHY they couldn't wish her back. Never mind that now... there was nothing he could do...
A few gunshots were heard in the distance and some people screamed.
Gohan's ears perked up as he glanced to his side. Many people were scattering away from the direction he was heading. He was currently on his way to the bank to withdraw some cash; he wanted to purchase his 'son' a few new things to play with along with a blanket and a soft toy of some sort. The child wasn't destructive with his stuff. No, he was the complete opposite.
Dashing across the street, Gohan noticed all the police cars that littered the streets. Many already had holes covering the doors from the bullets. This action alone gave the emperor of the universe a small idea of just how aggressive these earth criminals were.
A police officer turned his head to Gohan, and the older man frowned. "Sir, I'm going to ask you to back up! It's too dangerous of a situation for a pedestrian to be here!"
Gohan blinked for a moment at this officer's protest. Dangerous? That was a laugh to the new adult saiyan. He too had a birthday not long before, finally reaching twenty. It was a shame though that this officer didn't recognize him as the feared emperor. Gohan looked down to his clothing; he had drawstring cotton pants on along with a black tank top. He didn't LOOK the part of the emperor... maybe he should have kept a set of his 'royal' uniform on this planet...
Oh well.
Gohan shook his head side to side as he looked up to the criminal. The masked man was currently changing out his gun as another began to fire off his M16.
"Don't worry about me, sir. I should be able to unarm them in no time," replied Gohan confidently as he began to walk to the crime scene.
The officer grabbed the emperor's arm with a deep frown clearly seen on his face, "Who do you think you are, the emperor?"
Gohan's lips turned to a smirk as he nodded his head. "That's exactly who I am-"
"WATCH OUT!"
Gohan turned his head in an almost painfully slow manner as the gun was shot; bullets zoomed towards Gohan's head.
He felt his body shoved to the ground.
He snapped his head up.
The body of a person stood in his place.
He had to shield his eyes as the sunrays made part of the boy's body shine from the sides.
Quickly jumping up from his current position on the ground, Gohan almost jumped at the person as he noticed the bullets heading towards the young boy. This case, alone, brought painful memories back... this was most definitely like salt being poured on a fresh wound. He expected to see this short human fall once more in a manner as Videl did on the ship... but his feet remained in place.
The surprised looks from the person, who shot the gun, was clearly noticed when the boy dropped the ten metal pellets to the ground.
He snatched them out of the air! He must have had great speed!
Gohan noticed this short boy use one of his petite hands to pull a black hat on his head over his short black locks of hair. The boy turned his head to the side. Dark glasses were noticed covering his eyes as he smirked.
Gohan turned back to the villains and he powered up, "Thanks, Kid. I owe you."
The boy turned back to the crime scene just as a few of the criminals began to cuss up a storm from frustration.
Both saiyan and human leaped into the fight.
¦±¦
"Thank you so much, Sire!" exclaimed a few police officers that shook the hand of Gohan. "We are so glad to see that you have made a visit to our planet! We are all honored!"
"Yes! And thank you for keeping it safe thus far!" exclaimed another officer as he patted Gohan's shoulder.
The hybrid saiyan adult gave a light chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head. "I'm doing the best I can-"
"And we are very glad for your efforts!" exclaimed an officer with the emperor's response.
Gohan noticed, out of the corner of his eye, the boy from before dashing down the road. It seemed that this human wanted to be away from the publicity... and attention. Excusing himself, the hybrid saiyan began to run after the human.
Gohan used his senses to feel for the person he was looking for... it was a sneaky person... Gohan could feel that; it was now a known fact to the saiyan.
Down this street...
The emperor made a sharp turn on his heel as he continued to dash after the kid. Why was it that this kid was in such a rush? Was he afraid of what others might think if his identity became public knowledge? That was what Gohan felt when he first went to Orange Star High School. He didn't want for others to judge him because of the high position he earned... or because of his power. The side that the students saw, at first, was his gentler and more playful side. Many of the students thought he was very naïve; bookworm or 'brains' could also be in that category of names he was known as... but now... he would forever be named Emperor.
In the alley...
Gohan noticed the person he was searching for. The kid was currently panting heavily as they leaned carefully on the brick wall. Sweat rolled off of the person's face as the oils of the skin mixed with the perspiration; it seemed to create a shine on the person's partially exposed face.
"Why did you run off like that?" The emperor's voice was soft, almost calming in its unique way. But to this person, it made shivers crawl around their body. Their head snapped up; the sunglass covered eyes and hat covered head was most definitely noticed when the young one came into a small stream of light.
"Why did you follow me?"
Gohan's eyebrow rose. Was... that a woman's voice?
"Do I need to ask you again? Are you deaf or slow so I have to repeat myself!" snapped the person once more.
Yep. It was a woman. A very angry woman at that...
"Um," Gohan remained in the place he was at. He didn't want to ward off this girl; he knew she suspected him. If only she knew that he was emperor over this planet, and universe...
"I wanted to thank you for stopping those bullets for me," he stated sincerely as he shoved his hands in the cotton pants he wore. He began to kick some small rocks that were randomly sitting on the ground. "I didn't realize they were heading towards me..."
The frown displayed on the girl's lips turned to a small smile as she leaned her body against the wall that stood beside her.
"It's all in the job, sir," she replied with a bit of cheerfulness in her voice. "Just make sure to keep yourself from those dangerous situations. We don't need any more victims in this world."
Gohan lowered his head and sighed.
He made the same mistake. Not once... but twice. If it weren't for this female... he would have been dead from some Earth weapon... the same situation happened back at the ship a few months before... but he lost the one he truly loved so he could remain safe...
"Well, I thank you greatly for protecting me. I and my whole kingdom."
Gohan winced as he heard those words escape his lips. He was indeed the emperor over this universe... he hated his job for it. If people he loved or people who were under his protection died... he would be absolutely crushed.
I guess that's how cruel life was.
"You... and your kingdom?" questioned the girl as her lips remained in a firm line. "I thought the emperor was still at his ship, wallowing in self pity."
Gohan's eyes lifted to gaze at the female. A glare was clearly noticed. "You... you know nothing of the situation."
The girl shook her head, as she stood completely no longer having the support from the wall. She was finally getting her strength back. "No? I've heard that you haven't exactly done anything PRODUCTIVE for this universe. It sounds like you have just become a love-sick fool who can't accept life and death."
The female walked up to the emperor, looking up to his cold stone eyes. They were emotionless.
"Just remember, there is always someone who keeps their eye on your back. I will be that person when you're in town by yourself. You need to learn to move on; sometimes the ones you love, even though have passed on, will watch over you." The girl raised her head up to the saiyan. She was very much a head shorter. "They will be with you, here." She placed her hand in the middle of Gohan's chest over the beating muscle. His heart.
She took her hand away and began to walk out of the alley.
Gohan watched, his eyes following her every movement.
"Wait."
He heard his voice speak once more.
She turned her head around raising her eyebrow. It was noticed when raised behind the glasses.
"Please," started Gohan as he remained in his position, "tell me who you are."
She lightly smiled to him and shook her head. "I can't give you my true identity; I don't want reporters to end up on my front porch."
Gohan took a step to her, "I won't tell them."
She shook her head as she looked back to the entrance of the alley. "I can't tell you... because allies have ears... and eyes too. But I can tell you that I am known as the Great SaiyaGirl while in full uniform."
SaiyaGirl...?
Gohan nodded his head, "Do you know when I could have the pleasure of meeting you again?"
A blush was staining her cheeks. "I don't know... Well..." She looked up to meet his eyes, "I was planning to participate in the World Martial Arts tournament. They're having a tribute to Mr. Satan's daughter."
The emperor's eyes turned to disappointment. "Yeah... I kind of know that..." A sigh escaped his lips, "I'm not going to fight in this tournament. I was planning to sit in the stands with the other people and watch."
The girl released a heavy sigh. "Thank you!" she wiped away some invisible sweat from her brow. "I was thinking that no one of this planet would have a chance! You are, after all, the strongest being on this planet."
Gohan chuckled lightly. "I guess so..." He took his hands from out of his pockets to cross his arms. " Should get going," muttered the emperor as he gave a small sigh. "I need to get a few things for Hizashi."
"Is that a relative... a friend?" she questioned softly.
He shook his head, "Hizashi is my son."
"Oh..." the girl had quickly turned her head away from the man before her. "I should leave. Good luck..."
With that, she dashed once more out of the alley and down the street.
¦±¦
Goten looked to his older brother. This confused the young saiyan. Why was his brother smiling like there was no tomorrow?
The young teen snapped his fingers before the young adult to snap him out of this trance-like state. Nothing. His brother was just grinning even wider.
Goten scrunched his nose up and frowned lightly. Why was his brother not responding? He wanted to tell Gohan something important!
That was about the time that the father of both boys walked in. Raditz was on his tail; the two older full-blooded saiyans were badly bruised and beaten up. They obviously came in from an intense sparring cession. Goten looked to his father and uncle, a pleading expression was noticed.
Goku began to pull off his battered shirt and weights. "Is there something wrong, Goten?"
The youngest son of the saiyan nodded slowly. "Gohan won't talk to me," and while stating that, the youngest pointed to his older brother.
Both saiyans turned their heads in the direction, which the youngest pointed. And sure enough, the emperor's smile made their eyes widened to the size of saucers. "Whoa," muttered Raditz as he walked towards his nephew. "We really need to call the press! This is a first. My nephew, Gohan, is actually smiling!"
And it seemed that this quote brought the emperor out of his trance. Gohan, with folded hands resting on the table looked to his uncle and father. "What was that you were saying?"
Goku smiled as he patted his son on the back, "I didn't know another woman caught your attention!" The look on Gohan's face became priceless as his lips became a thin line; his cheeks became a bright pink from embarrassment. His eyes became just a bit wider also. Goku laughed joyfully as he patted his son's back, "I guess you do get a chance to have your own children!"
"Come on dad... you know Videl was the only one for me," muttered the emperor as he closed his eyes. They were starting to burn; he could no longer cry for her.
The father of Gohan smiled brightly as he slapped his son's back, "You know that can't be true!" Gohan almost lost his breath when his father 'lightly' slapped his backside. "I can see it in your eyes Gohan. And you need to move on; it's good for you. Look how young your are!" exclaimed the full blooded saiyan, "You're at the age of marrying, then starting a family. Your mother and I were around the age of eighteen when we married."
"But you didn't know what marriage was," muttered Gohan as he smirked to his father. "You basically promised your life away when you were twelve... or from what mom tells me. She said you thought marriage was some kind of food."
Goku laughed loudly. "Yeah! That's when I was always thinking through my stomach."
"And you don't do that now?" questioned Raditz with a snort.
The younger brother of Raditz frowned as scratched the back of his head, "I'm not as bad! I've started to control my hunger! You know that!"
Gohan rolled his eyes as he continued to lean back in his chair. This was how it always was between his father and uncle. Because they never grew up together, they used these years to become close with their bickering, as they would have if they were younger. It was quite amusing at times.
But now... his mind wasn't focused on the meaningless squabble on what fruit tasted better that his uncle and father had just gotten into. His mind was filled with only one person, that mysterious crime fighter.
Who was she?
How did she become so... experienced in martial arts, even to the level of the Z warriors?
Was she even human? There was a possibility that she could have been alien... she could have just so happened to be one of the few races that looked much like humans.
It was a mystery.
"I think I want to enter the tournament."
That comment alone brought both full-blooded saiyans to a halt. Dumbfounded, they looked to their relative.
"Are you serious?" questioned Raditz as he frowned slightly. "Just earlier this day you were whining about having to even set foot on the premises of this 'fighting arena'."
Gohan shrugged, "So? Can't a person change their mind? Can't I also enter to keep up my skills? Or maybe participate for a good warm up or workout?"
"You are one strange kid," muttered the uncle of the emperor.
Gohan rolled his eyes, "Watch your tongue Raditz; you might have to watch behind your back. We could be the one's paired up for this completion."
"Oh yeah?" questioned the saiyan, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, emperor, but you will be going DOWN at this competition. You haven't been training these past few months as I and my brother."
Gohan chuckled lightly, "You might have trained to try and surpass me, but there is one detail that you seem to miss. I'm just that much more powerful than you! I can easily go into Super Saiyan Three! I was on the verge of level four when I fought Cold. Thank Dende he's dead," muttered Gohan to the side with a sigh in his voice.
"Then I guess we'll have to test you to make sure you keep to your words, NEPHEW. How about a quick spar?"
Gohan smirked as he stood from his chair, "You're on old man."
