The Color Of Blood

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Champion of the First Annual Orange County Martial Arts Tournament, teen division! Eva Stone!"

Eva tried not to grin too widely as the announcer raised her arm up and the crowd cheered. However, she found herself lost in the moment. She even went so far as to rest her foot on the battered and bruised Goten. She was on such a natural high that the next thing she clearly remembered was changing out of her orange Gi into a tan sun dress. Coming out of girls' locker room, she found her father talking with Goku, Goten and Trunks. She then slipped into a habit she had yet to outgrow from her early childhood.

"DADDY!!"

Brick looked up just in time to see his pride and joy dive at him. He quickly braced himself and therefore was only knocked back a couple steps when Eva collided with him and hugged him tightly. "Congratulations, darlin,' " he said after the wind returned from being knocked out of him.

"Pathetic. Your teenage daughter has more strength than you. And you call yourself a Saiyan."

The group turned toward Vegeta, who had apparently arrived within the last thirty seconds. Also apparent was the fact Eva was quite happy to see him.

"UNCLE VEGGIE!!"

While Brick was able to brace for impact, the Saiyan Prince wasn't, and was knocked flat on his back as Eva glomped him.

"You were saying?" Brick asked, smiling.

"I said shut up Rokkon!!"

"He was admitting how he underestimated that girl of yours Brick," Goten said rubbing his chin. "She's got a mean left hook."

Eva immediately bolted to her feet and held Goten's hands. "Oh, I'm sorry Goten. I didn't hurt you too bad, did I?"

"Naw, not really," Goten said, giving her a smile. "Just my pride."

"What pride?" Trunks said, doing an impressive imitation of Vegeta's trademark smirk. It could be scary how much he resembled his father at times.

Goten just waved his friend off. "Oh, your just upset I finally got you back for cheating back at that other tournament."

Trunks rolled his eyes. "Jeez, are you still going on about that? What were we, like seven?!"

"And we agreed before we even got there not to go Super Saiyan!"

"You did it too!"

"...That's not the point, and you know it!"

"You're right. The point is you're a total wimp that got beaten up by a girl and can't let go of a stupid grudge!!"

"This 'wimp' beat the snot out of you! What's that say about your combat skills?!"

"Shut up! If I could've gone Super, I would've kicked your ass!!"

"So you admit you cheated!!"

"All right guys," Goku said as he put a hand on each of the young half-Saiyans' shoulders. "Break it up. I think we can still catch Pan's last match."

"Yes, let's go," Vegeta said, leading the march toward the junior division of the tournament. "Perhaps Kakarott's brat's runt will provide some decent entertainment." The others eventually followed, Trunks and Goten still arguing. Eva listened to them, and laughed.

The three teenage demi-Saiyans had grown inseparable over the ten years since they first met. Trunks had grown up into a mirror image of his future self. At first this seemed to upset him. He claimed it was because it meant that he wasn't in charge of his own destiny. However, when he found out Future Trunks had been a "total badass" (based on what all the others told him), he no longer had any problems with it. In fact one could say he was imitating himself, right down to the Capsule Corp. jacket and even shopping at Swords Online.

Goten had grown into a teenage version of his father in terms of physical appearance. There were times when it seemed he had his father's level of maturity as well, but for the most part, he acted his age (17). Which meant, video games, comics books, (mass quantities of) junk food and hanging out with Eva and Trunks. He liked to fight of course, but it was just a hobby as far as he was concerned. It seemed he enjoyed arguing with Trunks much more than actually sparring with him.

Of course, Eva had changed the most noticeably out of the three of them. She was almost as tall as her two friends and had a full figure. She had started training almost as soon as she and her father were "adopted" by the Sons, and therefore acquired a modest but impressive physique. She was also quite bright, having been taught by Bulma and Chi-Chi, rather than the Satan City school system. Like Trunks and Goten, she also acted the way one would except a teenager to act. However, there were times (as we just saw), when she still had the energy and hyperactivity of a five year old.

"Granpa Brick!!"

Brick just sighed and allowed himself to be glomped by the youngest demi-Saiyan, Pan. She had grown into a strong young girl of ten. While she normally wore an orange Gi for tournaments and the like, she was now dressed in her regular attire: red short sleeved shirt, faded blue jeans with a chain connecting two of the belt loops, black sneakers with matching fingerless gloves, and, finally, a bright orange bandanna around her head. She had big, bright, black eyes and black hair that came down to her neck. While Trunks had inherited the Royal Smirk, Pan had gotten the Son Grin.

"Oomph!" he muttered when he hit the floor. "Hey, Pan," he wheezed as he returned her hug. The girl grinned again and ran off to brag about her victory to her Granpa Vegeta and Auntie Eva.

"I swear Goku," Brick muttered as he got up and dusted himself off, "I'm like some sorta genetic, tackle-magnet!"

Goku grinned. "I guess kids just like you Brick."

Before Brick could respond to that, he was tackled by two teenagers.

"Yeah, you know we love you Brick!" Trunks said in a teasing tone.

"Love ya whole bunches!" laughed Goten.

"Get the hell off of me!!" Brick shouted, lifting them both by their shirt collars as he stood up yet again. "Neither of you are too big for an ass kickin'!!"

He gave one last glare to their grinning faces before setting them down on the ground. He then turned his glare to Goku, who looked like he was about to pass out from laughing so hard.

Trunks, however, stopped laughing quick when Vegeta suddenly grabbed him by the shirt and started to drag him away.

"Boy, you are royalty!" the Saiyan Prince growled to his offspring. "I'll not have any son of mine going around saying he loves another man!"

"Dad, it was just a joke."

"Then it wasn't a very funny one!"

"I think they'd disagree with you on that," Trunks replied, gesturing to Goten, Goku and Brick, who were all on their backs, laughing.

Vegeta saw all this, and a smile slowly spread across his face, making Trunks very nervous.

"Very well. Let's see you make a joke out of one hour of training in the gravity chamber." He then began to drag his son out of the arena.

"What?! A whole hour?! Just because I lost?!"

"That's right you did lose, didn't you? Better make it three hours."

Trunks slapped himself on the forehead.

Vegeta saw this and his smile grew. "What level are you at, boy?"

"550...."

"600 it is!"

Not long after Vegeta had flown away with the protesting Trunks in tow, Gohan and Videl finally arrived to congratulate their daughter.

"MOMMY!! DADDY!!"

"GOHAN!!"

If you need to know who shouted that, you haven't been paying much attention.

Videl kneeled down to intercept Pan's hug and Gohan outdid Brick by only being knocked back one step by Eva.

"Eva, darlin', why do you go so easy on Gohan and not your dear old dad?"

"It's not my fault, Daddy," Eva giggled. "You're just too old. Not like Gohan. He's young and strong..."

Gohan blushed slightly and looked at his daughter. "Sorry we couldn't meet you right away, Panny. Reporters ambushed us, asking if you would sign up for the next World Tournament, seeing as you're the granddaughter of both the former and current world champions..."

"It's okay Daddy!" Pan said as she let go of her mother, pushed Eva aside and hugged her father. "Did you see me win?"

"You know we did!" Videl said proudly. "In fact, why don't you and me go over to the training area and you can show me that flying kick move you did!"

"Sure thing!"

With that, Pan took Videl's hand and practically pulled her toward the designated area.

Gohan watched his wife and daughter go off, and turned to Eva. "Congrats on your win, but that fight with Goten was a bit sloppy on your part."

Eva looked confused. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

"You left your right side wide open."

"Oh," Eva said, trying not to giggle. "That was just for fighting Goten..."

Now Gohan was confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well, ya see, Goten couldn't have taken advantage of that without hitting my right breast..."

Everyone glanced at Goten, who was trying hard not to look embarrassed. Of course, since he was flourescent red, it wasn't working.

"I don't see what the big deal is though. It's not like he hasn't touched both of them before."

Everyone's eyes shot back to Eva like the crack of a whip.

"That was for Dad," she grinned.

"I'm not listening!" Brick shouted, not fooling anybody.

Eva giggled and then clung onto Gohan's arm. "Don't worry, Gohan. My heart belongs only to you..."

Gohan blushed again and fidgeted a little. "Uh...thanks...."

Eva suppressed her grin in order to pout. "But how come you didn't wear your glasses? They make you look so sexy..."

"Eva, I'm married..."

"It's okay Gohan."

Both Eva and Gohan jumped and looked straight ahead to see Videl standing there, smirk on her face and Pan in her arms. "Videl, I can explain--" they both started.

Videl's smirk changed to a smile. "I said it's okay. Gohan, if you really love Eva, all you had to do was say so. I just ask that you give me visitation rights for Pan."

Eva squealed and glomped onto Gohan's torso, nuzzling into his chest.

Gohan just started to stammer out a series of unintelligible sounds, until he saw Videl was trying hard not to laugh, and failing miserably. "That's not funny," he muttered darkly.

This caused Eva to promptly let go of him and fall onto her back and laugh as well.

Gohan just stormed off. After both of the girls stopped laughing, a very confused Pan poked Videl on the shoulder and asked "Mommy, are you and Daddy getting a divorce?"

"No Panny," Videl said, giving her daughter a reassuring smile. "Me and Auntie Eva were just messing with Daddy's head."

"Oh," Pan said, but it was obvious that she wasn't fully convinced.

"Yeah Pan," Eva said, taking the girl from her mother's arms. "I'm not gonna split you guys up! I love yas too much to do that! It's just a game I like to play with Gohan." She tossed Pan up into the air and caught her. "Now, why don't we all go grab a victory ice cream cone!!"

"ICE CREAM!!" Pan cheered, all troubles long forgotten. She jumped from her Auntie Eva's arms and started to skip away, happily chanting "Number 1!" over and over.

Eva grinned and soon followed suit. Videl shrugged, and then joined in as well.

"Number 1! Number 1! Number 1! Number 1! YAY!!"

Meanwhile, Gohan leaned against a wall, and slid down to the floor, plopping down next to the still bright red Goten.

"Women," Gohan muttered.

"Tell me about it," sighed Goten.

A few hours later, Eva and Brick finally arrived in their fully rebuilt home. After he recovered enough from the events of ten years ago, Brick had set about restoring his property, including rebuilding the house almost exactly the same as it had been. The only difference was that he made Eva's room bigger. To Brick's surprise Mr. Satan again paid for everything. Whatever Gohan had on the man must've been something big.

"That was awesome!" Eva grinned as she dropped down onto the couch, looking up at the ceiling. "I didn't know participating in a tournament would be this much fun! I have got to sign up for the World Martial Arts Tournament next time!"

"You were careful, right?" Brick asked as he hung up his leather jacket on a coat rack by the door.

Eva tried not to roll her eyes. "Yes, Dad. I was careful. I only cut loose when fighting with Goten."

Brick chuckled. "Yeah, I'm sure he appreciated that."

She giggled. "Hey, it's not my fault! I gave him the perfect opening! Not my fault he's too polite to take it. Manners will get him killed in a real fight."

He laughed. "You sound like Vegeta."

Eva glared at her father, her face twisting into a scowl. "And what," she asked, her voice suddenly deep and gravelly, "pray tell, is wrong with sounding like the Great Vegeta? That is no way to speak of your Prince, Rokkon!"

Brick stared at her daughter, open-mouthed. Eva tried to keep her face as it was, but one look at her father caused her to burst out laughing. Brick shook his head and mock-glared at her.

"Don't ever do that again."

When she was able to catch her breath, she pouted. "Aw, why not?"

"Because that was perfect and quite unsettling."

She beamed with pride. "Say, what's up with Uncle Veggie calling you 'Rokkon' all the time anyway?"

Brick sighed and shrugged. "I have no damn idea. He started calling me that shortly after I destroyed Darcon. I think it's a Saiyan name, but I still don't get it."

"Well, he always calls Goku by his Saiyan name."

"True, but he didn't make up names for Gohan, Goten or Pan."

"He calls them brat, fool and runt respecitivly. And I guess Bulma found a way to convince him that Trunks was acceptable for Saiyan royalty."

"I'll bet she did..."

Eva grinned. "Next time he calls you Rokkon, just call him Veggie. He loves that."

Brick was about to respond to that when none other than Kakarott appeared in the Stone's living room.

"GOKU!!"

Of course, Goku out did everybody and wasn't moved an inch when Eva suddenly attached to him. He did, however, drop the box and envelope he was carrying to hug her back.

"Hey there Eva!" he grinned. "Heya Brick!"

"Hey Goku," Brick said with a smile. "What brings you to our humble abode?"

"Chi-Chi asked me to give this box to Eva and this letter to you," Goku replied, bending down to pick up what he dropped. "She said Yui left it with her with directions to give it to you two when Eva hit a certain age."

Brick stiffened at the mention of Yui's name, while Eva grew even more excited. She quickly grabbed the box from Goku and savagely tore off the plain wrapping paper.

"When did she leave this with you guys?" Brick asked as he took the letter from his friend.

"The week before we went into the Room of Spirit and Time," Goku replied. "More specifically, when we were out training Eva and not around to know about it."

Brick nodded and just stared at the envelope, which simply had his name written on it in beautiful handwriting.

Goku placed a hand on his shoulder. "If you ever need to talk..."

"I know," Brick said with a nod. "I'll see you tomorrow at the chamber for our spar."

Goku grinned again, the seriousness of the situation apparently forgotten. "Great! Can't wait! Congratulations Eva! See ya!"

And with that, he teleported away.

Brick sighed, shook his head and ripped the envelope open. Inside was a tri-folded letter which he unfolded. Recognizing Yui's handwriting, he read the letter to himself:

"My dearest Brick,

If you're reading this, it means you've done the right thing and destroyed Darcon. It also means you've no doubt learned the truth about where I came from. I know this knowledge has hurt you dearly, but I want, no, NEED you to understand that I love you, and that love is real. I also love Eva, my pride and joy, which is my reason for this letter and her gift.

Darcon no doubt swore revenge in the form of his "Angels." They will not attack right away, but you must be prepared. Please Brick, you have to trust me. I may have been wrong in keeping this from you for so long, but you needed time to recover from the truth. Eva will learn quickly, it's in her blood, but only if you let her.

Let her Brick. If not for me or yourself, then do it for HER.

Love always,
Yui"

Without realizing it, Brick crushed the note when his hand suddenly clenched into a fist. His eyes started to darken, but he closed them and forced himself to calm down. He looked toward his daughter, and was suddenly very afraid.

The gift from "Yui" had been two things. The first was a long, silver, and very sharp lancer with a black grip handle. Eva was standing as if a trance, and carefully trying it out, slowly moving it and twirling it around. Indeed, it did seem she was learning how to use the weapon quite quickly just by making these simple motions.

Seeming to vanish, Brick appeared next to Eva and snatched the lancer out of her hands.

"Hey!" she cried, snapping out of her daze as soon as her new gift was no longer in her grasp. "Gimmie!" She tried to grab it back, but Brick held it above his head and out of her reach, as if she were a small child. She tried to get it back by floating into the air, but Brick followed suit, flying high and away from his daughter.

"Back off, Eva," he growled, letting his eyes turn black for effect.

Eva remained floating above the floor, but crossed her arms and glared at her father.

When he was sure she wouldn't try anything, Brick finally turned his attention to the second part of the gift. It was a strange sort of body suit. It was mostly black, but the hands, lower legs and chest were purple. It seemed to be some sort of body armor, but was draped over the couch as if it was made of fabric. (Evangelion fans, think plug-suit.)

Brick turned back to Eva, who had landed back on the floor, but was still glaring at him. He had his eyes return to their normal color as he asked "Do you know where these came from?"

"They're a gift from my Mommy," Eva said coldly.

"And do you know what your mother was?"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, for God's sake Dad! It's been ten damn years! Let it go!"

"Answer the question."

Her glare intensified. "She was my mother. Mommy would never hurt me."

Brick dropped back down the floor with a sigh. She had him there. Yui, whatever she was, had never done anything to hurt their daughter. Still, he wasn't quite comfortable with his little girl using weapons from her. Not without precautions.

"Your not using any of this stuff until Bulma checks out every inch of it. You got that?"

"Fine," she spat. "I'll take it with me when I go for my lessons tomorrow."

Brick nodded, and gently handed the lancer back. Eva made a point of being extra overly cautious as she took it from him, folded it in half, and placed it in a scabbard that had come in the box. She then gave a sarcastic bow to her father and flew off to her room.

"By the way!" she shouted as she reached her destination. "If you hate her so much, why do you still wear your hair in a ponytail?!"

She then slammed her door loudly.

Eva loved her father with all her heart, but there were times when she really didn't like him.

The next day:

"This thing is incredible," Bulma said quietly as she looked over Eva's new lancer. She turned her attention back to the computer print out she held in her hand. "It's designed so you can charge it with your Ki, the blade seems sharp enough to cut through just about anything, and this metal is like nothing I've ever seen. Definitely not from the same galactic neighborhood. Eva?"

Bulma turned to her student, only to find she wasn't listening at all. Eva was staring, again as if in a trance, at the small red crystal that was attached to a gold chain and hung from her neck as a necklace. The crystal was an odd shape and encased in gold trim. Seeing this, Bulma realized that while Eva had worn that necklace as long as she could remember, she had no idea where the girl had gotten it.

"Hello? Ground control to Eva Stone!"

With a start, Eva returned to reality and looked up at the older woman. "Sorry Auntie Bulma. I was just thinking..."

"About what?"

Eva seemed to grow a bit sad. "About my Mom..."

Bulma sat down in a chair next to the teenager. "She's the one who gave you that necklace."

Eva nodded. "Auntie Bulma, does Daddy talk about my Mom at all?"

"All the time."

"How does he talk about her?"

"What do you mean?"

"Does he insult her? Refer to her as 'it'?"

Bulma couldn't help but laugh a bit. "Not when I'm around. Hell, just the other night, me, him and Chi-Chi were talking about whose wedding night was the most awkward."

Eva's curiosity got the better of her. "Who won?"

"Chi-Chi. Apparently Goku didn't know how to consummate the relationship, if you catch my drift."

Eva giggled.

Bulma smiled at her. "Look, kiddo, you gotta understand where your dad is coming from. If you can. Your mom dropped the mother of all bombshells on him."

"I guess. I just don't understand how he can be so cold towards her at some times, and then others act like nothing ever changed between them. I mean, she's still my Mom. I've got human in my DNA and I sure as hell didn't get it from him."

"He's just confused."

"For ten years?!"

"I should think so! Imagine if you found out the Trunks and Goten you know now aren't the same kids you met when you were five. I think Brick is handling this quite well, all things considered."

Eva sighed in defeat. "I still don't like it..."

"No one said you had to. Now let--"

Bulma was cut off when Vegeta suddenly came crashing through one of the lab walls from outside. As they watched the Saiyan Prince slide across the floor, they barely heard Brick yell something about "beating the living shit" out of someone.

"Make fun of Daddy's name again, Uncle Veggie?"

"Silence brat!" Vegeta spat as he picked himself up, rubbing his chin.

Bulma giggled. "Honestly Vegeta, would it kill you just to call him Brick?"

Vegeta grimaced. "Brick is not a name fitting of a Saiyan warrior! And you!" He pointed and glared at Eva. "If you must address me in such an informal matter, you will simply call me Vegeta!"

"Yeah sure," Eva said, nonchalantly. "Whatever you say Uncle Veggie."

Bulma laughed out loud.

Vegeta shot a warning glance towards his wife before turning back to the teenager. "Look at you. Wasting your time with books and numbers, just like Kakarott's brat! You can't even use your Ki properly!"

"I can fly and increase my strength," Eva said, not bothered by Vegeta's apparent frustration with her, "and frankly, that's more than enough. I may not be able to fire power blasts, but that means I don't have to worry about blowing up the city when I lose my temper. Unlike some people I know."

Bulma tried not to laugh again, but failed horribly.

Vegeta didn't even look back at Bulma this time. "You are a Saiyan, girl! Ki blasts are as natural to us as breathing! You may be putting yourself in danger of--"

"I am Madar," Eva interrupted, sticking her nose up in the air proudly. "We are much more elegant and graceful than you Saiyans. Our energy is more easily controlled and can be expelled in peaceful, non-destructive ways."

Vegeta crossed his arms and looked away from her, as if in shame. "With that attitude, how do you ever expect to reach your full potential? You could be a Super Saiyan!"

Eva couldn't help but grin evilly at the Prince. "So Uncle Veggie, you reach Level 3 yet?"

Vegeta looked up at the girl in shock, but then his expression slowly changed to an evil grin of his own. "No, not yet. But as soon as you're done with your lesson and Kakarott and Rokkon are done with my gravity chamber, you're going to help me reach that level. Aren't you, brat?"

And with that, Vegeta left the room.

"He's gonna kill you for that one," Bulma sighed at Eva.

The girl simply shrugged. "Spars with him help me think on my feet, not to mention give me one hell of a workout. How do you think I was able to beat Goten? Now, tell me about this armor my Mom gave me..."

About 2 hours later:

"See, what I don't get about your Dad is his sovereignty. If you were him, wouldn't you be glad when Frieza blew up Vegeta-sei? I mean, you'd be king at that point."

"My grandfather was dead before they blew up Vegeta-sei, so shouldn't he have been king already? Shouldn't he be king now?"

"Aw, this whole universe is flawed! Like the whole Super Saiyan thing! We turn it on and our power level goes yay high. How's it know when to stop?"

"Um...Ki?"

"Man, that's your answer for everything."

Trunks and Goten were outside the Capsule Corp. main building, doing what teenagers do best: stand around and just take up space.

"Look," Trunks sighed. "If you don't like my answers, why don't you ask your best friend."

Goten blinked. "Huh? Who're you talking about?"

"You know, black hair, female, chest almost as big as her attitude."

Goten stared blankly at Trunks, who rolled his eyes.

"She beat the crap out of you yesterday?"

"Eva?!" Goten shouted. "You're nuts man! She's not my best friend!"

"Then who is your best friend?"

There was a long pause as Goten considered this.

"Crap! How'd that happen?"

"Hey guys!" Eva called suddenly, seeming to appear out of no where. "What's up?"

"Nothing!" Goten shouted. Too quickly.

Eva quirked an eyebrow. "Really?" She limped over to him and looked him straight in the face. "What are you hiding from me, Son?"

"Nothing Eva. Why would I hide anything from you?"

"Don't make me kick your ass again," she growled.

"When did you kick it the first time?" Another pause. "Oh, right..."

"He was wondering how the hell you became his best friend, Eva," Trunks replied.

"I hate you," Goten said, glaring at the young Prince.

Eva smirked. "So, you're wondering how you're fortunate enough to have the great Eva Stone as your closest and dearest friend, huh?"

"Now you've done it," Goten said, again glaring at Trunks.

"You brought this on yourself, dude," was Trunks' reply.

Eva continued, apparently ignoring the two boys. "Well, I'll tell you! Who stayed up late all night, helping you study when she could be out having her way with all the cute guys at the clubs?"

"Hey, I didn't even ask you to do that!" Goten protested.

"That's right!" Eva shouted, bopping him on the head with her fist. "I did out of the goodness of my heart!"

"You mean that black thing between your boobs?" Goten grinned.

She narrowed her eyes and bopped him again. Harder.

"Ow!"

"Or what about when you hit puberty in a really bad way?" Eva asked. "Who bailed you out of that awkward moment when you blurted out a proposal to Miss Katsuragi?"

"By telling her I was in Special Ed!"

"Hottie Katsuragi?!" Trunks asked in shock. "Our old math teacher?!"

The other two ignored him

"And who plugged nose before it bled all over your homework when she leaned forward to show you how your calculator worked?"

"She wasn't wearing a bra that day..."

bop!

"OW!"

"Who taught you how to kiss?!"

Silence.

"You never taught me how to kiss," Goten said finally.

"That's right!" Eva shouted. "And if you keep up this ungrateful attitude, I never will!" She then wacked him hard in the back of the head with enough strength to make him kiss the ground. "And you!" she shouted, turning to glare and point at Trunks. "You just keep your mouth shut, Brief! I'll have you know your father said he actually felt my blows today! Don't you dare say one word about what time of the month it is!"

She looked back down at Goten, muttered "idiot" under her breath, and limped off.

"With friends like these," Goten grumbled as he got back on his feet.

Trunks grinned. "You get your ass kicked daily."

Brick winced slightly as he sat down on a bench in the Capsule Corp.'s massive indoor garden. "I have the highest respect for Goku," he muttered. "He's a great man and a hero. But it's really hard to like a guy when he insists on beating the crap out of you every week!!"

Gohan, sitting underneath a tree, looked up from the book he was reading. "Oh hey Brick," he said, adjusting his glasses. "The spar with Dad go okay?"

"For him," Brick replied, shooting a glare towards the younger Saiyan.

Gohan just chuckled and produced a Senzu bean from his pocket. He flicked it to Brick, who caught it and quickly popped it into his mouth. Upon swallowing it, his wounds healed.

"Thanks Gohan," he said as he stood up. He took his leather from the back on the bench and put it on.

"No problem. But I've been meaning to ask you, what exactly is that on your jacket?"

Brick glanced over his shoulder and chuckled. "Oh, that's some character from that cartoon...what was it called? Oh yeah! The Powerpuff Girls. Eva bought it for me 'cause his name is Brick. Speaking of my daughter, does she know you're here?"

Gohan was confused by this question as he watched Brick walk toward the garden's exit. "I don't think so. Why?"

The answer came in the form of Eva's high pitched squeal, followed by Gohan's cry of surprise and the sound of two bodies colliding.

"No reason," Brick grinned as he left the garden.

After leaving the garden, Brick went into the living room and plopped down onto the couch. He turned on the television and started flipping through the channels, soon coming upon an episode of "The Powerpuff Girls." In fact, it was the episode that introduced his "namesake." Chuckling, he decided to give it a try. He was actually finding it quite funny, but about halfway through, it was pre-empted with a special report. Cursing softly, he was about to change the channel, but stopped when he saw exactly was being reported.

"GUYS!!" he yelled. "Get in here!!" He then raised his Ki to a level that would be sure to get everyone's attention.

Soon, Goku, Gohan, Goten, Trunks, Eva, Chi-Chi, Bulma, Vegeta, Pan and Videl all had their eyes glued to the TV screen. They all watched as a massive green monster, the size of a skyscraper, tore through Satan City, destroying property and terrifying the civilians.

"I repeat," the reporter said, "a strange green monster, not totally unlike Godzilla, has appeared out of no where and is destroying Satan City, heading in the direction of the Capsule Corporation. We have been unable to reach Mr. Satan and have had no contact with the Great Saiyaman or Saiyagirl. The army reports that they are on their way, but won't be here for 20 minutes at the very least. So far, there have been no deaths reported--"

"Goten," Brick said softly. "Please kindly take my daughter home and keep her there."

"Hey!" Eva protested. "I'm not going anywhere! Especially if you're gonna go off and fight that thing!"

Brick undid his ponytail and tossed his jacket onto the couch. "It's heading here," he said flatly. "I don't want you anywhere near here when it arrives."

"But what about me?" Goten asked. "I wanna kick some big ugly monster ass too!"

"Yeah!" Trunks added.

Goku shook his head. "I think me, Gohan, Vegeta and Brick can take it by ourselves. But in case we can't, you two should stay in reserve in case we need to summon Gotenks."

"Fine," the Saiyan teens sighed in unison.

"C'mon Eva," Goten sighed, taking the girls hand and walking her outside. Trunks followed.

"You're actually going to go off and fight that thing?" Chi-Chi asked. "No, not again Goku. This has to stop!"

"Relax woman," Vegeta scoffed. "I'll make sure Kakarott doesn't get killed. When he dies--"

"It'll be by your hand. Yeah, yeah," Brick groaned. "We got it Veggie."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at the Saiyan/Madar hybrid. "And after I kill him, you're next Rokkon!"

"So what's the plan?" Gohan asked, rejoining the group after saying a quick-but-heartfelt goodbye to his family. He took off his glasses, revealing a determined look on his face.

" 'Plan'?" Vegeta echoed. "The 'plan,' brat, is that we go meet that thing and blast it into oblivion!"

Vegeta crashed into a building after the creature swatted him like fly. Brick watched as the Saiyan Prince eventually came out the building's other side and created a small crater in the sidewalk below. "Ugly and powerful," he mused as he turned his attention back to the monster.

It was an awkward looking beast. It's main body was oddly proportioned, it's bulk somehow being supported by legs that looked way too skinny to do so, while the arms were long, strong and ended with three fingers. While most of it was a dark shade of green, it did have a few white, bone-like parts on it, including its face. The face was round, except for a sharp point that pointed directly down, and had two blank, black dots for eyes. Other "bones" included protrusions on its shoulders, spikes on its back, and a set of "ribs" cradling a huge, bright red sphere in the center of its torso.

(For those who want a visual reference, this is Evangelion's Third Angel. And for those who, like me, have trouble keeping all the numbers and (strange) names straight, it's the one from the very first episode.)

Brick snapped out of his thoughts when the creature turned its attention to him. With a flash, he Ascended and flew higher into the air, out of its range. Or so he thought.

The creature raised one of its massive arms and pointed it at Brick. A beam of red energy shot out and pierced his shoulder, coming out the other side. Cursing and clutching his wound, he crashed into the sidewalk. He sat up and saw Goku fly up into the creature's face.

"Energy blasts, huh?" the Super Saiyan said, aiming his palm at the creature. "Here's one from a pro!!"

He fired a series of golden energy attacks, but they all deflected harmlessly of its green hide. The beat's eyes flashed white and Goku was suddenly hit with a blast and sent spiraling out of control.

Determined, Brick got back to his feet and strange white energy ball formed in his left hand. "Let's see how this trick works in a real fight!" he shouted before hurling the attack. It hit the ground at the creature's feet, and exploded into the shape of a tall, white cross.

The monster was knocked back, but not off its feet. Like a spring, it shot back into the upright position and looked down at Brick. Again, its eyes flashed white, and the area around him exploded into white fire.

"DADDY!" Eva cried in horror.

She, Trunks and Goten were in the Stones' living room, watching the events unfold on the television. Upon seeing her father consumed by the energy attack, she bolted to her feet, but Goten gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"He's fine," he said softly. "Look..."

The smoke around Brick was blown away when he unfurled his energy wings and stood up straight. Through his black eyes, he watched as Goku and Gohan flew around the monster, blasting it like mad. Finally, a massive golden beam from Gohan not only knocked the creature down, but sent it skidding down the street for several blocks. The father and son continued to blast the creature until they could no longer see it through the smoke.

Brick flew up to join them and powered up an attack. However, when the smoke cleared and the monster stood back up, Brick saw it differently through his Transcended eyes, and was horrified.

"No," he whispered, getting the attention of the two Sons. "That thing...it's an Angel!"

"Say what?!" Goku shouted.

"You mean this is the revenge Darcon swore?" Gohan asked. "How can you tell?!"

Brick shook his head. "I don't know...but since I'm Transcended, I can see this aura around it. The same kind I saw surrounding Darcon..."

"Well, that's good to know," Goku said as the beast stalked toward them. "But what do we do now that we know?"

"The core!" Brick shouted suddenly. "All of us charge our most powerful attack and aim right at that red circle in its chest!!"

Without another word, all three did just that. The Sons each fired a Kamehameha Wave while Brick launched the same attack that destroyed Darcon ten years ago. It looked like the plan would work, and that the core would be hit and destroyed.

That is, until they all bounced off a strange hexagonal pattern that suddenly appeared in front of the "Angel" and destroyed a building instead.

"SHIT!!" Goku screamed in rage. All of this was costing innocent people their lives, but they couldn't afford to be careful.

"Do we have a plan B?" Gohan asked as the beast continued to slowly walk toward them.

"Goku," Brick said with an eerie calm, "how long would it take you charge all the way up to Level 3?"

The other two Saiyans stared at him, while he stared ahead at the monster, who was still getting closer by the second.

"I haven't done it in years," Goku replied, "so about a minute."

Brick nodded. "Gohan, do you think you can keep Fugly over there busy long enough for your dad to do that?"

"I think so," Gohan replied. "Mind telling us what you got planned?"

"I think that as long as I'm Transcended, I can rip through that force field, leaving the core vulnerable. If I can, Goku, you hit it with another Kamehameha."

"Okay, but why do I need to be at Level 3 to do that?"

"Insurance. I don't know how much power'll be needed to break the core. And in case I can't rip the field, you'll need all the power you can get to break through yourself."

"Then let's do it!" Gohan shouted, shooting back at the Angel at his top speed and knocking it back down.

With a nod, Goku started to scream and power up. The energy surges of the process caused more damage to the surrounding buildings and fried all broadcast equipment within a mile radius.

Brick waited patiently, calling as much power as he had and channeling as much as he could spare into his hands. Sensing that Goku's transformation was almost complete, he let loose what sounded like a roar and bolted toward the Angel, and more specifically, the core.

Hearing and sensing Brick coming, Gohan quickly got out of the way. Again, the Angel sprung back upright, doing so just as the Transcended Madar arrived. As he expected, Brick collided hard into the force field, but he ignored the pain and immediately tried to sink his fingers into it. He experienced pain he hadn't felt since Darcon's annual draining of his Ki, but didn't falter for a second.

"For Eva!!" he cried. His fingers finally sunk in and with a cry of both rage and triumph, ripped the field apart.

Just as Goku finished his transformation.

"NOW GOKU! DO IT NOW!"

"Ka...Me....Ha....Me...."

As if understanding what was happening, the monster's black-bot eyes blinked. It then quickly grabbed Brick with one of its huge hands and started to deform. Soon, it had transformed into a large, floating, tightly wound sphere, with Brick inside.

Goku and Gohan stared at the sphere, unsure of what to do. Goku lost the Wave and was about to ask for Gohan's opinion, when the sphere suddenly flashed bright white...

...and exploded.

Father and son crashed hard into the pavement below and watched in horror as more buildings were destroyed and more civilians vaporized. As the smoke started to clear, they both stood up.

"What happened?!" Goku demanded, returning to his normal form.

"I think it self-destructed," Gohan replied softly.

"Brick! Where's Brick?"

As if to answer the question, someone weakly stumbled through the remaining smoke and fell painfully onto his knees. Both turned to see the new arrival.

It was Brick, though they hardly recognized him. All traces his clothes were long gone, atomized, and almost his entire body was horribly burned and scarred. His hair was scorched, even missing in some spots and his eyes were bleeding. His left hand was missing.

"Holy shit," two voices from behind whispered in unison.

Goku turned to glare at Goten and Trunks. "What are you two doing here?"

"We bolted here as soon as the TV signal went out," Goten replied. "It looked like you needed the help."

"Yell at us later!" Trunks shouted. "We gotta get him about 20 Senzu beans! Can you--"

Trunks was cut off when Brick, very hoarsely, managed to speak.

"My daughter," he croaked. "Goku...don't let them get...my daughter!"

Brick then fell face first onto the ground, and the four Saiyans watched in horror as his body dissolved into smoke and blew away in the wind.

Later:

Goku froze in mid air as he approached Brick's house. Eva was outside, sparring with the air. He was suddenly unsure he could go through with this. While she was now in her early teens, Goku still saw the little girl that Brick loved so much.

How do I tell her that the most important person in her life is gone? he thought sadly.

Of course, he was forced to think of a way fast as Eva suddenly looked up and saw him floating there.

"Goku!" she called happily, stopping in mid-kick as he forced himself to land. "Hi! Chi-Chi called as soon as the TV signal came back and we got the all clear. She wanted to know if you were okay and when you were coming home." She then noticed that the Saiyan was alone. "...Where's Daddy?"

Goku opened his mouth, but closed it again, finding it unbearably dry. He couldn't find the words.

"Goku," she said, sounding a little angry. "Where's my Daddy? Where's Brick?"

Again, Goku tried to speak. Again, he failed. However, his silence spoke louder than any words he could ever find.

"No," Eva whispered. Tears started to stream down her face as she repeated that one word over and over, getting softer each time.

"Eva..."

Goku was suddenly cut off as the girl started to scream in anguish. He had to look away. Is this how Chi-Chi felt each time I died?

He risked a glance at Eva. While unable to bring himself to look at her pained face, he saw her fists were tightly clenched. So much so that her nails were drawing blood from her palms. And she was still screaming, stopping barely only to catch her breath.

This continued for almost a minute before Goku finally noticed something. Her Ki, he thought. It's not just increasing...it's skyrocketing! Oh my God!

He looked back at her face, just in time for her Ki aurora to suddenly flare and see the girl make a terrifying transformation.

Her hair, normally jet black, exploded into a bright, fiery red, her aurora changing to a similar shade almost instantly. She opened her eyes to reveal the pupils and irises had become pale yellow circles. She stopped screaming, her fists opening and closing in a steady pace. She was breathing heavily, and Goku could almost touch the pure rage and hate radiating from her form.

What the hell is going on?! he thought, too shocked to speak. Did she just go Super Saiyan? But...our hair is supposed to turn gold, not red. And the aurora...it's different. Crimson? Scarlet?

"No," he said aloud, barely above a whisper, his face turning grim. "It's not any of those.

"Blood. It's the color of blood."

"Fighters fight the fight
For their home and their heart
We fighters will win or die
Forever we are the Brunnen G"
–The Lexx Theme (translation)

Preview Of Next Chapter:

A father is someone you look up to no matter how tall you grow.
They are the strongest person in your world.
Your hero.
But what happens when your hero falls?
Does your world crumble with him?
Do you cut yourself on your shattered dreams,
or pick them up?
Do you avenge his memory and do him proud?
No matter your choice, you must become aware that he is just a man,
and a even a great man can be broken.

Daddy's Little Girl