Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Z.

Author's Notes:  It feels so good to finally get this chapter out.  I mean it.  I was so frustrated lying in bed, too weak to get up, and staring across the room at my computer.  I wanted to write.  I finally had the time.  I just didn't have the ability.  It just wasn't fair.  Thankfully, I am over my sickness.  Unfortunately, part of my time is now being taken up with work.  There must be some sort of conspiracy against me.  But, despite many obstacles, I am providing my faithful readers with the next chapter in my saga.  Hope you enjoy.

Thanks to all my reviewers:  Dark Wolf (Thanks for reviewing both stories.  And I have checked out your new story.  It's… awesome, in a word.), Silver Warrior (Welcome to the story!  Hmm, I'm getting to how they're going to deal with the voice.  It may not be the type of fight you're expecting…), saiyen (Thanks!  Yeah, sometimes a part of FF.Net will screw up.  Murphy's Law, and all that.  Hope you enjoy the rest.  I think you stopped reading when it started getting really good.), tim333 (I knew you'd appreciate my buddy Tint.  The more I read into original Dragonball, the more I like it.  I'm starting to see why you're a manga purist.  There's a certain quality of humor that just doesn't get translated into the anime, even the original Japanese.  Oh, and I included the response to this review in the last review of Only Human.  If anyone is curious, check there.), Omega (Oh.  I hope you can keep up with this one.  I truly do enjoy seeing your review for every chapter.), and aqua-illusion (I blame it on all of our heroes who blew up the arenas for every single Budoukai they participated in, i.e. Goku, Tien, Piccolo, Vegeta…  Oh well.  And I think you're exaggerating Jiten's power a bit.  I think there'd be a certain amount of paranoia if even Goku would have to stifle each sneeze for fear of destroying the world, seeing as how a sneeze is an involuntary violent loss of control.  I mean, Jiten can't even go Super Saiyan yet.  Of course, there's a reason for that…).

And my evil genius multiplies exponentially with this chapter.  Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 34: The 33rd Tenkaichi Budoukai

Jita awakened from a shudderingly real dream.  Not a dream – a nightmare.  They were all the same.  Had been for years.  Voice tormenting her, the familiar and safe twisted into the frightening and demented…  They were all the same.  She'd tried to fool herself, saying that she'd gotten used to them and that they didn't really bother her anymore.  At least she didn't have any near-irresistible urges to kill her brother.  The Voice had pretty much figured out that it didn't work anymore.  She was too jaded against it.  Instead, he used her husband and son against her.  But the sting was going away from those taunts.  She was coping.

At least, that's what she told herself.

Jita shoved some of the covers off her uncomfortable clammy skin.  Being cold-natured, she usually piled quilts on her side of the bed, no matter what the season.  Even now, during the muggy heat of late spring, she had a heavy red and white quilt folded over double on her side.  But now, she couldn't stand it.  She just couldn't breathe.  The quilt ended up in a pile of clothes by the side of her bed.

She looked at the red numbers of the clock and groaned.  She only had fifteen minutes before she had to get up, wake everyone up, fix a quick breakfast, and see to it that everyone was ready to go.  And then there was traveling to the island, which would have to be done on a plane since some of the younger children that would be participating in the junior competition could fly, but it would use up too much of their energy.  And she wanted to keep an eye on everyone, especially Jiten.  She knew Jiten would give her the slip the first chance he got.  He was still extremely angry about not being allowed to participate in the Budoukai.  As the fuzziness of sleep and nightmare left her head, the bad feeling the nightmare gave her stayed, quickly joined with the worries and overwhelming plans of the day.  It seemed the quiet before the storm, and her stomach was already twisting in knots just from the anticipation.

A strong arm draped over her from behind.  "Just another fifteen minutes," Goten mumbled.  Unconsciously, Jita snuggled into his embrace.  She didn't know why Goten wasn't like her, always worrying about something.  He could happily go through life without a worry, and everything worked out all right for him.  Of course, that wasn't fair.  He did worry, but he didn't let it get to him like she did.  He didn't let it spoil the good, carefree times, like being snuggled in a warm bed with the person you love before the day's hectic schedule.  Jita smiled and closed her eyes, pulling closer to Goten, who kissed her head lightly.  Just a few minutes more…

ENNNGGG-ENNNGGG-ENNNGGG-ENNNGGG-ENNNGGG

The lightning-quick reflexes of a Saiyan weren't enough to spare the two entirely of the obnoxious electronic sentinel.  Jita's hand whipped out to put an end to the noise, reminding herself at the last minute to stay her frustration and not break the alarm clock.  Goten and Jita rolled out of bed simultaneously and started throwing on clothes, having both taken showers the night before.  Jita was thankful that she didn't wear any makeup.  From what she'd seen of other females, the meaningless ritual could take up to an hour.  The two fought over the sink, though – Jita tried to brush her teeth while Goten was attempting to shave.  Their morning hygiene out of the way, and not even bothering to make their bed or put the strewn clothing into hampers, they moved out into the hallway.

"You get everyone up while I fix breakfast," Jita mumbled, still not truly awake.

"Gotcha," Goten replied to Jita's retreating form.  Walking a little ways down the hall, he bellowed, "EVERYBODY UP!!"

"I could have done that," Jita mumbled irritatedly.  But then she smirked.  She had actually gotten the easier of the two jobs.  It would take much more than that to get all those kids up.  Hopping down the stairs, she began preparing massive amounts of toast and scrambled eggs.  Nothing too fancy that day.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Jita's prediction was a reality.  Goten's wake-up call was answered by a few sleep grumbles, but nothing more.  Goten frowned and crossed his arms.  If any of them were Saiyans, the promise of breakfast would be enough to get everyone downstairs in a heartbeat.  None of them were Saiyans, however, so he would have to use different tactics.

He pulled open the door to a large room with four cots.  The boys' room.  Goten shook his head amusedly.  He could understand the three younger boys, but even Pecon was ignoring his sensei and opting to sleep.  Well, none of them had gotten much sleep that night.  Too nervous.  Too much to do.  But, of course, they'd have to get up.  He walked over to Pecon's cot and shook the monk gently.  "Hey, Pecon.  Get up, man.  I need your help."

Pecon blinked his eyes blearily, but reluctantly got out of bed.  Goten watched his face amusedly as the boy slowly realized what day it was.  His face went from sleepiness, to confusion, to thoughtfulness, then white with shock and slightly green with realization and nervousness.  But the boy quickly collected himself and nodded to his sensei.  He began to rouse the younger boys as Goten walked across the hall to the girls' room.

Goten tentatively knocked on the door.  He didn't really want to walk in on the girls, not knowing what state of decency he'd find them in.

"I'm up!  I'm up!" shouted a very irritated Darjili.  "Don't come in!"

"Well, hurry up!" Goten yelled back, relieved that they had woken up.  "All of you have fifteen minutes, or you won't have any breakfast."

Goten smiled at the sudden flurry of bumps, yells, and bitten-back curses.  He was about to relax (That wasn't so hard) when the doorbell rang.

"Goten, would you get that?!" Jita yelled.

Still rubbing his eyes, Goten practically flew downstairs and tore open the door.  A whole group of students had shown up at the same time, headed by the other two in the advanced class, Danton and Krianan.  He beckoned them all in, while stopping the parents from entering along with their children.

"But I just wanted to make sure she was all right!" one worried-looking mother complained.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Caly," Goten replied in his most reassuring voice.  "Teema will be just fine.  You can get her right after the junior competition."

Another mother pushed past him, yelling for the children headed for the living room.  "Pran!  You forgot your sun-block!"

An eleven-year-old boy turned back, blushing furiously.  "Thanks, mom," he mumbled, trying to avoid her attempt to give him a kiss on the cheek.

With a firm yet apologetic hand, Goten escorted Pran's mother and the rest of the parents out of the house.  "I'm really sorry, but we have to get them focused now.  You'll see them at the Budoukai."

THUMP

"OW!!  STOP IT!!"

Goten slammed the door and ran back upstairs.  He prayed that no one was injured or killed, or worse… that the bathroom had been wrecked.  "What's going on up here?!" he yelled.

"He snapped me with a towel!" cried an eight-year-old girl named Cinty.

"Well, she pushed me down!" Bo, a preteen boy, answered in turn.

"Neither of you are ready!" Goten bellowed, silencing them both.  "Bo, hang up your towel and get dressed.  I want you downstairs the second you get your shoes on.  Cinty, you get in line for the bathroom next.  If I hear anything from either one of you, you'll be doing laps instead of fighting in the Budoukai.  Understand?"  The two nodded.  "And that goes for the rest of you," he turned on the sniggering audience of the other live-ins.  You all have ten minutes."

Brain-damaged.  They're all brain-damaged, Goten thought wearily.

"Whoa!  Ow!"

Goten looked down and realized that he'd just plowed right into a fully dressed Darjili.  Thankfully, her hair was blue.  Not that it mattered much these days.

CRASH

Goten groaned.  "Darjili, you get downstairs and get some breakfast.  While you're at it, try and help Danton and Krianan keep the peace downstairs.  If you answer the door, don't let any parents come in."

Darjili sprang up.  "Yes, sensei."  She twirled around and bounded downstairs, sneezing on the way.

"Hey, it's my turn!  Goten-sensei said!"

Goten's patience was quickly wearing thin.  "Videra, let Cinty go in before you."

"But she takes too long!" the fifteen-year old girl complained.

"Cinty, you've got two minutes and counting.  One…"

The door to the bathroom slammed in a heart-beat.

"Where's my gi?!" one of the boys, Kirk, yelled.

Goten sighed and made his way to the boys' room, preparing to solve yet another minor catastrophe.

Trying to drown out the din from upstairs, Darjili made the rest of the way downstairs in time to answer the door.  Another ten students stood outside, collectively being fussed over by their parents.  Darjili felt a pang of bitterness, but quickly suppressed it.  "Hey, everyone!" she said as brightly as she could muster.  "We're all in the living room."  The students followed her in.  Thankfully, this set of parents remembered the agreement to leave their children as soon as they dropped them off.

"Good luck, Momed," one mother yelled out.

"We'll be up in the stands, Tim!"

Closing the door on the well-wishing parents, Darjili escorted the children into the living room.  Her sharp eyes investigated the crash from earlier.  A sculpture of Goten and Jita had dropped from the television.  Darjili remembered that it was unbreakable, though.  The crash had probably come from the kitchen.

"Hey, Darjili," Krianan greeted her fellow student.  "Isn't this crazy?"

Darjili gave a forced laugh.  "That's an understatement.  I almost got impaled with a comb this morning."

But Krianan was looking closer, past Darjili's light façade.  Darjili wasn't usually this cheerful as a blonde.  In a soft voice, she asked, "Hey, Darjili.  Anything wrong?"

"What do you mean?"  Darjili was still forcing the corners of her lips upward.

Krianan gave her a look and folded her arms.  Darjili sighed.  "It's just…

"Just what?"

"I'm… Dad's not coming."

Krianan pulled Darjili down to sit on the couch and put her arm around her friend.  "I know it's hard, but you know he loves you."

Darjili gave a weak smile.  "Yeah, I know.  But it's been years since Mom died.  He hasn't been himself since then.  I just wish he'd wake up.  I mean… he never was that affectionate, but it's like he can't even look at me."

"Darjili!  Could I have your help in here?!"

The girls jumped at Jita's voice.  "I guess I'd better go help Jita-sensei," Darjili said weakly.

"It'll be all right, girl," Krianan tried to reassure her.

"Yeah," Darjili replied, already taken up in the current of the other live-ins pouring into the kitchen.  "I know."

"Hey, is she all right?" Danton pushed through the other students to Krianan.

"Yeah," the girl answered.  "She's just a little bummed.  The usual."

Danton nodded.  "Well, maybe she'll feel better once the Budoukai really starts.  Nothing like good competition to make you feel better."

Krianan smiled.  "For once, Danton, I agree with you."

As Danton and Krianan tried to keep the peace in the living room, the kitchen was in utter chaos.  As Jita set the table with heaping plates of toast and eggs, Darjili was trying to eat, get a few of the live-ins to only take their fair share, and keep the non-live-ins from eating.

"Palla, you've already had breakfast!" she took a piece of toast away from a little nine-year-old girl.  "Now get back in the living room.  You need to be in there for roll call."

"But I'm still hungry," she whined, struggling against Danton, who was pulling her back into the living room.

Jita closed her eyes against the headache that was taking full root.  If she'd known that it was this hard…  She shoveled another few bites of food while the rest of the toast was cooking.  She knew this would probably be her only chance to eat in the near future.  She washed it down with a quick slug of orange juice and handed the rest of the food to Darjili.  Turning around, she was pleased to see that Goten had brought the rest of the live-ins downstairs, and they were obliterating breakfast as fast as they could.

"Listen up," she caught the attention of the live-ins.  "As soon as you're finished, put your plates in the sink and go to the living room.  We're having roll call in five minutes."  She did a quick head-count as she gave a thankful Goten a huge plate with his breakfast.  "You all right?" she asked.

"Yeah," Goten answered in a haggard voice.  "Thank Kami it's a full three years before the next Budoukai."

Jita gave a sharp laugh.  "Don't even mention the next one.  I'm not even sure we're going to survive this one."  She frowned as she only came up with nine people in the kitchen, including herself.  "Where's Jiten?"

Goten suddenly choked on a bite of toast.  "Oh, Kami, I forgot about him."  He began to put down his food, but Jita knew he'd never see it again if he left it unattended.

"No, I'll go up and get him ready.  And I think there's another live-in up there."

Goten nodded gratefully.  He suddenly felt like a horrible parent.

Jita pushed aside a clump of students and bounded upstairs to her son's room.  She allowed a moment to smile at the peaceful sleeping countenance on Jiten's face, knowing it wouldn't survive a rude awakening.  Flicking on the lights, she softly prodded the six-year-old boy awake.  "Hey, Jiten.  Time to get up."

Jiten grumbled and turned over.  "Power to kill them…" he mumbled.

Jita froze, her insides turning to ice.  That didn't sound like her son.  That didn't sound like her son at all.  "Jiten.  Come on, baby, wake up."

Jiten's eyes opened suddenly.  He was trembling in a panic.  Jita recognized the same wide-eyed look she had every time she looked in the bathroom mirror after a voice nightmare.  But it couldn't be.  It couldn't be what she was thinking.

Jiten looked over at the clock beside his bed.  He jumped off the bed as soon as he saw what time it was.  He'd forgotten to set his clock, and he was late.  "I'm up, I'm up," he mumbled hoarsely to his mother, not even noticing the look she was giving him.

"Jiten," Jita grabbed the boy.  She thought of how to phrase the question.  She didn't want to freak him out, or make him worry unnecessarily.

"Yes, Mom?" he said uncomfortably, knowing he needed to be getting ready.  Like his parents, he'd taken a shower the night before.  But he still needed to brush his teeth and stuff.

"Do you… hear things?" Jita asked tentatively.  "Or have weird nightmares?  With a… voice?"

Jiten shifted uncomfortably.  "Of course not, Mom.  I'm not crazy."

Jita regarded her son worriedly, but realized that she would have to talk to him later about this.  She just didn't have time at the moment.  "OK, Jiten.  Let's get to the bathroom."

Jiten grabbed his gi and followed his mother.  The bathroom door was closed, and the sound of someone retching could be heard through the door.  "Hey," Jita knocked on the door.  "Are you all right in there?"

There was a pause, and then the sounds of a flushing toilet and a faucet running.  The door opened and Pecon walked out, looking sick and exhausted.  "I'm fine," he said, slumping downstairs.

Jita shook her head with pity.  Well, at least he wouldn't want any breakfast, because there probably wasn't any left.  She pushed Jiten into the bathroom.  "Be downstairs in a few minutes."

When she got downstairs, the last of the live-ins was finishing breakfast.  She spotted Darjili trying to force a piece of toast on Pecon, who looked ready to pass out.  Danton was breaking apart a shouting match between Sahn and Kiba, the other two live-ins from Jita's youngest class.  A group of ten-year-olds were fairly immersed in a complicated card game dealing with various fantastic-looking monsters.  That would have been all right, but now two of the boys, Spatn and Link, were arguing very loudly over how a magic card would affect the defense of one of the effect monsters.

Goten spotted Jita and smiled.  "ROLL CALL!!" he bellowed in relief.  That got everyone quiet.

"Danton ("Here."), Krianan ("Present."), Darjili ("Here."), Pecon ("Yes, sensei."), Pan (…) … Where's Pan?"

"Remember, she's going with her parents to the Budoukai," Pecon said weakly.

"All right," Goten continued.  "Videra ("Uh-huh?"), Kirk ("Yo!"), Janice ("I'm here."), Topela ("That's me."), Nikki ("Yes, sensei."), Pran ("President."), Bo ("Vice-president."), Sahn ("Here."), Kiba ("Not here."), Gwen ("Present."), Teema ("Hi!"), Spatn ("Huh?"), Link ("What?"), Puririn ("Put the cards away, it's roll call.  Oh… here!"), Robin ("Boys… here!"), Momed ("Here."), Palla ("There."), Toni ("Everywhere."), Franz ("Yes."), Jainy ("Bueller."), Cinty ("Stop it… here!"), Tim (Present and accounted for, sir!"), Maurer ("Shut up, Tim… here!"), Joe ("Yeah."), and Sahli (Last, as usual.")." 

Goten looked around, not believing his eyes.  They were all here.  They were actually all here.  They may have been smart-alecks, but they were here.  Goten and Jita shared a look that spoke of absolute relief.  They had gotten this far.  "All right, everyone," Goten continued, jolting them out of the low mumbling that was already beginning.  "You've all got everything?"

"I forgot my gi!" Franz shouted. 

Before the words were even out of his mouth, Jita tossed a gi to him from a rather large box labeled 'forgotten items'.   "Anyone else?"  There was a silent chorus of headshakes.  Jita raised her eyebrows and capsulated the box.  She was taking no chances.  "All right, we're ready to go.  Get with your… buddy…" she gave an exasperated look to Goten, who merely grinned and shrugged his shoulders, "and let's get on the plane."

There was a confusing clamor, but within a few minutes everyone had their duffels and was marching to the makeshift landing pad, herded by Goten and the advanced class.  Jita looked at the time, and couldn't believe they were only five minutes later than planned.  She had allowed for a good twenty minutes.  Despite her dark premonition of the day, things were going relatively smoothly.  Perhaps I will live through today, she thought hopefully.

Making a quick run-through of the house, she disregarded the dishes in the sink.  "I'll do them tonight or tomorrow.  Whenever."  In fact, the house was the messiest it had been in a long time.  "Well, that will just have to wait."

She gathered up the leftovers that were amazingly left behind and filled up a child's cup with orange juice.  "Jiten!  Are you ready yet?!  We're leaving!"

Jiten ran down the stairs, still tying on his belt and combing his hands through his hair.  "Ready, Mom," he said breathlessly.

"Good.  I've got your breakfast, but you'll have to eat it on the way." 

Grinning, Jiten ran across the living.  In his eagerness, he didn't notice the ki statue that had been knocked to the floor.

CRASH

The sound of breaking crystal filled the room.  Jiten stopped dead in his tracks at the pile of broken shards on the floor.  He gulped, his mind screaming in frustration.  Why couldn't he stay out of trouble?

Jita surveyed the mess in regret, and then shook her head.  "It's ok, Jiten.  It was an accident."  She grabbed his hand and guided him out of the house, turning off lights and locking the doors.

"Hey, Mom."

"What is it, child?"

"I'm sorry about the sculpture."

"It's ok."

"Can I fight in the Budoukai today?"

Jita shook her head wearily.  "You know the answer to that, child.  Of course you can't fight in the Budoukai.  It's part of your punishment."

"But I've learned my lesson," he whined.

"Apparently you haven't since part of the lesson was to learn to take responsibility without question."

Jiten's face screwed up in an intense glare, but no one saw it, not even when they got on the plane, a plane they'd borrowed from the Briefs.  Jita shoved Jiten into Goten's lap, who was doing a last-minute roll call, gave the boy his breakfast, and strapped herself into pilot's seat and took off.  It wasn't but a few minutes when the noise of all the children cooped up in a plane started.  She sighed.  It was going to be a long flight.

                                                          *****

"Everyone stay together!" Jita shouted over the din.  It wasn't easy, though.  Not only did she have to keep up with thirty kis, keep a death grip on her son, make sure each person got to their respective preliminary matches, and find her family to leave Jiten with, she also had to yell over the noise of the crowd of warriors and spectators.  No, it was definitely not easy.

Doing what felt like the hundredth head count of the day, Jita and Goten quickly divided the students into junior and adult competitions.  Jita's youngest class of preteens grumbled.  They considered themselves above the babies that Goten taught, but the age limit was fourteen.  They couldn't compete as adults.

Goten herded the younger ones together, led by wide-eyed guide who looked like he'd rather be anywhere but there.  "See ya in a bit," Goten said, giving Jita a peck on the cheek.

Jita smiled slightly, relieved to be rid of the younger ones.  She felt bad about leaving Goten with the biggest and most difficult group, but she didn't feel bad enough to take his place.  Now she only had to take care of ten, and five of them were her advanced class – old enough to take care of themselves.

"There they are!" Jita heard the familiar voice of Kakarrot.  She shook her head, truly thankful for the impossible turn of luck.  She turned around and spotted the very people she was looking for – Goku and Chichi, Vegeta and Bulma, and Gohan, Videl, and Pan.  Pan immediately joined her fellow students, giving her mom a quick hug.

"Looks like you had a rough morning," Chichi said, taking Jiten's hand from Jita.

"That's an understatement," Jita said wryly.  "I'm not sure if I'm going to survive today."  Then she crouched to eye level with Jiten.  "Now, I don't want you running off, Jiten.  You stay in the stands."

"Yes, mom," Jiten said grumpily, not even looking in her eyes.

Jita gave the boy a wary look, but conceded.  She would talk to him after the Budoukai.  Then, she would get everything straightened up with him.  It would all be fine.

"Don't worry," laughed Bulma.  "We won't let him out of our sight."

WILL ALL THE PARTICIPANTS FOR BOTH THE JUNIOR AND ADULT COMPETITIONS PLEASE REPORT TO YOUR RESPECTIVE PRELIMINARY RINGS

Jita surveyed her students.  "I guess that's us.  Pecon, go ahead and take everyone over there – to ring one.  I'll catch up."

Pecon nodded and they all walked on ahead.  Then Jita took Vegeta aside.  "Listen, brother, make sure you keep a sharp eye out on Jiten."

He looked at her quizzically.  "Why would you say that, child?"

"Because I…  I've just got a bad feeling, that's all."

Vegeta nodded.  "All right.  You'd better get to your students."

With that, the small group disappeared in the crowd, leaving Jita alone with her worries.  But not for long.  Jita quickly turned around and headed for the adult preliminaries.  She wasn't walking long, though.  Her students had apparently stopped not far ahead.

"Daddy!" Jita heard someone scream.  Thinking that she would have to tell a parent off, she ran ahead, trying not to push too many people out of the way.  When she could see clearly, a strange sight greeted her – Darjili was being picked up and hugged by a large bald older man with… three eyes?

Daddy.  Of course.  That would have to be Tien.  I thought she said he wasn't coming, Jita thought.

"He changed his mind," a high-pitched voice came from behind her.

Jita turned and smiled slightly.  "Hello… Chosu?"

"It's Chaotzu," the small man replied.  "I'm sorry if this is holding up everything, but…"

"No need to worry," Jita dismissed the apology with a flick of her hand.  I'm glad that Tien is here."

Chaotzu smiled.  "Hey, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine," Jita said firmly, not wanting to bring up the circumstances under which she had met Chaotzu before.  Chaotzu seemed to understand her wishes, and backed off.

"I wish I could spend more time with you, Daddy, but I've really got to get to the preliminaries," Darjili said sadly.

"It's OK," Tien answered.  "I remember how the Budoukai is.  I'll be watching you up in the stands."

"Hello, Tien-san," Jita said respectfully, though the man was only two years her senior.  "I am Jita.  If you wish, I believe the one you call Son Goku is headed that way."  She pointed into the crowd.

Tien looked slightly taken aback.  Apparently he hadn't expected such politeness from Vegeta's sister.  "Thank you."  Then to Darjili, "I'll see you after the Budoukai.  Good luck."

"Thanks," Darjili called out excitedly behind her.  Jita smiled.  The girl was practically skipping.

As soon as the group got into the large room that the adult preliminaries were being held, Jita merely sat back and watched.  She was tired of taking care of everyone, and these could pretty much take care of themselves.  All they had to do was follow the referees' instructions. 

Despite stiff competition from many older warriors, she was pleased to watch Pan, Darjili, Pecon, Danton, Topela, and Kirk qualify for the semi-finals.  She was glad that senseis were now being allowed in with the warriors.  She wouldn't have missed the fight between Krianan and Pecon for the world.  And the fight between Videra and Darjili…  Jita started considering moving Videra up to the advanced class.  The fight had been extremely close.

The group walked out of the building, congratulating each other or bemoaning their own mistakes.  Up ahead she saw Goten struggling with a bunch of children and a gaggle of parents.  Finally allowing mercy for her bedraggled husband, she led her small group to join the rest of the Spider school.

"Ten of them got in," Goten greeted her excitedly.  "Pran, Sahn, Kiba, Teema, Link, Puririn, Palla, Toni, Tim, and Maurer."

"Good job," Jita said to the excited warrior children.  "The others that qualified are Pan, Darjili, Pecon, Danton, Topela, and Kirk."

There was a general cheering all around.  The older ones smiled, while Danton couldn't resist the urge to make a flashy bow, earning a hit on the back of the head from Pan.  Jita ignored this.  "Have all the parents come by?"

Goten nodded.  "Everyone, even Cinty's and Bo's parents.  They're going to spend a little time with their parents."

"That's great.  Speaking of parents… Darjili's father came."

Goten's eyes widened.  "Tien?  That's great!  Where is he?"

"Up in the stands with our family.  Great job, girls," Jita reassured Janice, Nikki, and Videra, whose parents were taking them away."

THE JUNIOR COMPETITION WILL BEGIN IN TEN MINUTES.  WILL ALL PARTICIPANTS PLEASE REPORT TO THE STADIUM WAITING ROOM.

"OK, guys, this is it!" Goten gathered up his students.

"We'll be watching in the stands," Jita yelled after them.  "All right, everyone," she said to her own students.  "We're going up in the stands to watch the junior competition.  As soon as that's over, I'm going to have to go do that… exhibition match… with Goten.  You can watch that in the stands, but as soon as it's over, leave and go directly to the stadium waiting room.  There's not a whole lot of time between the exhibition match and the adult competition.  Everyone understand?"

"Yes, sensei," came the collective response.

"Oh, there's my parents," Krianan said happily.  "Bye, Jita-sensei.  Bye, everyone.  See you tomorrow."  But before she left, she whispered to Darjili, "See?  I told you it would work out."

Darjili nodded and smiled.  She would have to believe Krianan's predictions from now on.

                                                            *****

Jiten sat next to Vegeta, fairly sulking as the junior competition stretched on.  He just knew he could beat everyone out there, if only he had the chance.  He'd tried to sneak away, but Vegeta had caught him before he'd gotten ten feet away.  It just isn't fair, he complained silently.  I deserve to be out there.

you deserve to be out there…

Jiten shook his head violently.  He was getting tired of his imaginary friend, because he was getting a bit too old for it, and he knew it.  He just couldn't find a way to get rid of it.  It didn't occur to him that the voice wasn't imaginary.  He didn't know of anyone else who had a voice speak in his head.  Sure, the voice helped him out whenever he needed an excuse or a really good comeback, and it told him how to do lots of different techniques.  It even told him what other people were thinking sometimes, though not very often.  Just when it was useful.

But it also wouldn't leave him alone.  And it sometimes got him into more trouble than he bargained for.  And it was starting to get pretty bossy… telling him to do different things.  The thing was, Jiten was finding it harder to ignore the voice, and its orders.  The things it told him to do and say were getting more and more appealing.

Jiten sighed.  The voice helped him out, so it had to be friendly.  Maybe the voice knew what it was talking about.  Jiten sure hoped so.  He'd been listening and following the voice's advice for as long as he could remember.

uncle vegeta and aunt bulma are having an argument.  now's your chance to give them the slip.  no one's looking.  just keep your head down and you can get into the stadium unnoticed

Thanks, Jita thought to the voice.  Quietly, he slipped under the stands and was gone.

                                                                 *****

"And the junior world champion is… Kiba!"

The crowd burst into applause as the announcer Tint Rayban proclaimed the victory of the twelve-year-old girl.  Kiba was smiling wearily as she pulled her opponent, Puririn, to his feet.  Puririn grinned, glad to be in second place.  The two walked off the stage together, proud that they had just brought honor to themselves, their families, and the Spider School.

As soon as they entered the waiting are, they were smothered with hugs and congratulations.  Even a few who weren't from the Spider School joined in the celebration.  But the high point had to be the looks of approval they got from Jita.  Jita was slow to praise, so a simple 'good work' had more effect on the two, and all the other competitors, than any prize they could win.

Jita smiled as she watched each student walk away with their parents, even the most reserved talking a mile a minute in the excitement.  She almost regretted not having any of the younger classes, but she knew that she wouldn't feel that way once the adult competition started, and her own students started fighting.  She was glad that one of her own students – Kiba – had won.  She looked over at Goten and smirked.  No, she wouldn't let him live that down any time soon.

"Well, I guess it's our turn now," Goten said, waving goodbye to the last of the students leaving the waiting area.  Jita sighed in frustration.  Of course.  This stupid match.  Well, she thought, at least we'll have it out of the way so I can properly enjoy the adult competition.

The voice of the announcer reached them just as the two drew closer to the large sign in front of the entranceway to the ring.  "If you liked the kiddie group, wait'll you see the big dogs!  All righty, then!  But before we start the adult competition, we've got a special treat for you.  You've already seen what some of the students of the youngest attending dojo, the Spider School, can do.  Now you can see the Spider Masters themselves, in a match between husband and wife!  I've heard of lovers' quarrels, but this one takes the cake!"

Jita growled under her breath.  "Remind me again why we're doing this."

"Because we promised," Goten said wearily.  "Besides, we already said we're going to do this our way.  Things are going so great, so let's just keep it that way and go with the flow."

Jita smiled, and realized just how much she'd smiled recently.  Yes, things were going great.  Despite the minor annoyances, and the few niggling doubts about her son, she'd never felt happier in her entire life.  Taking her husband's hand, she walked out in the blinding sunshine to face him in the arena.

                                                                  *****

It was a good thing that a few people sitting around the Saiyan families in the stands had left, because the group just kept getting larger.  No only was Goku, Chichi, Gohan, Videl, Vegeta, and Bulma watching the fights, but Tien, Chaotzu, and Trunks had joined the group, along with the competitors for the adult tournament – Danton, Pecon, Pan, Darjili, Kirk, and Topela.  The older ones had begun to reminisce on past Budoukais, thoroughly entertaining the young students.

"…so it ended up being just a matter of who hit the ground first," Goku said cheerfully.  "I was about to win, but I hit a van first, so Tien won."

"But why didn't you try to fall in ring?" Pecon asked.

"I kind of blew it up," Tien laughed slightly.  "I could fly, and he couldn't, so…"

"Oh, look," Pan interrupted.  "The match is starting."

Interest in the stories of the 22nd Tenkaichi Budoukai died as the group watched Jita and Goten take the ring.  The cheers from the crowd were deafening.  Anticipation for this match had grown since the performance of Spider students in the junior competition.  Even from this distance everyone could see the cocky smirks of the two masters as they faced off, not even bothering to take a proper fighting stance.

The opening move was too fast for normal eyes to follow, but the next thing anyone knew, the two were grappling in close combat while slowly rising in the air.  Dust began to obscure the two fighters as they gradually powered up.  Knocking each other away, they shocked even more people – they powered up to Super Saiyan.

"I didn't know it was going to be that kind of battle," Gohan commented.

"Neither of them have ever been ones to pull their punches," Trunks grinned.  "Hey, Jiten, are you…"  He trailed off, not finding the kid anywhere.  "Hey, Dad.  Where's Jiten?"

Vegeta's head snapped around disbelievingly.  That little brat…  He'd given him the slip.  As the rest of the group began to realize what was going on, they searched among them.  He was nowhere to be seen.  Vegeta cursed under his breath.  Jita was going to kill him.  She'd warned him.  Of course, Vegeta thought she was worrying too much.  If she kept worrying about that kid all the time, Jiten was going to be the death of her.

Goku broke into the confusion with a laugh.  "That little rascal.  He's in the building over there," he pointed to the waiting area, "trying to hide his ki.  Something must have surprised him, because I felt his ki jump."

"I'll go get him," Pan volunteered.  "I see those two sparring all the time, anyway," Pan indicated the ring with a nod of her head.

"Don't be gone too long," Videl called after her.

                                                                    *****

Jita grinned in fierce determination.  Despite the agreement to make this a serious fight, the two were playing with each other.  Even in Super Saiyan form they weren't being very serious.  It wasn't that they were pulling their punches.  They weren't.  There was just no serious edge to the fight.  And Jita didn't want there to be.  She was having too much fun.

"Hey, you awake over there?" Goten taunted.  "I know how older people find they need more rest."

"As do small children," Jita retorted.  These were not new taunts.  They often joked about their technical age difference.  She dodged a few ki-blasts, all pointed safely to the sky.  "I'll be sure to get your strained peaches for lunch, if you're hungry."

"Just as long as you don't leave your dentures lying around."  Goten phased behind her and double-fisted her to the ground.  She lay still, so he landed in front of her, only to have her leg sweep under his feet.  He jumped… straight into one of Jita's fists, which cut his lip.  He grinned wiped the blood off, then looked up quickly to judge his next attack.

Jita saw the lapse, and took full advantage of it, coming at him with one of her fists again.  If this one hit him, she knew she'd never let him hear the end of it.  He, of course, caught the fist at the last minute, but something made her halt her plan of attack.

Goten was staring upward at a point behind Jita.  His eyes were wide, and his face bloodless.  "Jita," he said in a strangled whisper.  "Look."

The cheering crowd had gone silent, and even the dedicated announcer had halted his commentary.  It was so quiet, in fact, that Jita could hear a low chuckle behind her.  The dread that had hung in the back of her mind finally took shape as she turned around and looked up. 

There was a tall man with silvery hair floating several feet in the air, wearing a strange type of leather armor.  He looked to have many holsters for weapons, all of which were empty.  The man did have a weapon though – a long, wicked-looking knife, just short of being a sword, with an ornate handle and beautiful etchings on the blade.  Jita was not admiring the weapon, though.  She wasn't even trying to get the measure on this strange personage who was floating above the Tenkaichi Budoukai arena.  She was focused on one thing, and one thing alone.

That knife was but a few centimeter's away from the throat of her son.

"Jiten," she whispered.  There was a rush of air as Jita and Goten started in tandem to the grinning man, but the second they moved, the sharp smell of blood tinged the air.  Good as their eyesight was, they hadn't been able to see the knife move from Jiten's throat to make a shallow cut on his arm.  It was far from fatal, but it was enough to make the two freeze in their tracks.

"I – I didn't even see the blade move," Goten stammered.

But Jita was already working on strategy, desperation bringing a sort of calm upon her.  "I'll teleport behind him and hold him.  That should take care of the knife.  Then you get Jiten."

Before the words were out of her mouth, Jita had disappeared and reappeared behind the man.  She grabbed for him, only to come up with handfuls of air, and then a punch to the stomach that sent her flying to the ground.

"I'd suggest you power up a bit more."

The voice of the man reminded her instantly of slime.  She wasn't sure how a sound could resemble a substance so much, but she'd come to appreciate the power in a voice.  This voice was dripping so in slimy power that she felt drenched in it from a single sentence.  Her stomach lurched at the thought of the owner of that voice holding her son in his arms.

Jita joined Goten in powering up, both reaching the limits of level two.  Jita was still worried.  Jiten was unconscious – all his defenses were down.  That knife would cut into him just as easily as it would a human child.  Jita raged at the thought, looked into Goten's eyes, and knew he was feeling the same.

"Perhaps if I got rid of this pesky knife," the man said, "you would stand a chance.  I'm getting frightfully bored just standing here waiting for you to decide to attack."  The man put the knife in its holster, looking down.  That was as much of an opening the two Saiyans needed.

The two attacked together, each going for a side.  Attacking was difficult while trying to avoid hurting Jiten, but it wasn't impossible.  Goten managed a blow to the head, while Jita repaid him for the punch to her stomach.  While the man maintained his death-grip on the boy, he was certainly feeling those attacks.  He grunted in pain, unable to dodge as the two went through another set of attacks.

Goten grinned.  There was nothing to worry about.  The man – whoever this man was – had made a fatal mistake in giving them the opportunity to attack.  They were definitely more than his match in power.  He was going to lose, and then they'd possibly question him before killing him.  He'd certainly pay for threatening Jiten.

But why was he laughing?

"Goten, stop," he heard Jita say.  She had halted all her attacks and was backing away slowly.  Confused, he pushed another attack.

"I think you should listen to your wife," the man taunted, looking none the worse for wear from all the blows he'd suffered.

Goten backed up, noticing for the first time.  He cursed himself for being so cocky.  He should've known there was more cause for the strange man's confidence.

"As you've finally noticed," the man continued, "I'm not the only one suffering from your attacks."  The man pointed to his own split lip, and then pointed to a cut on Jiten's lip, mirroring his own.

"How could you…" Jita started disbelievingly.

"It's a spell, binding the boy to me.  It's simple.  I hurt – he hurts.  I die – he dies.  He feels every pinprick that I feel.  It hardly goes the other way, but it doesn't have to."  The man pulled Jiten closer to him and smoothed the boy's hair. 

Jita's mind screamed in violent frustration.  She fairly shook with it, but she couldn't find a way to channel it.  Stall, she told herself.  Just stall.  "Who are you?" she growled, amazed that her throat was even working.  "What do you want with our son?"

The man chuckled and shook his head.  "Oh, I've been watching this little one for quite a while.  Let's just say he has potential – a certain je ne sais quoi.  It's just what I need.  I'd take you, of course, Jita, but you're a bit old.  I like 'em young.  Oh, and do stop trying to break the barrier, you tiresome Saiyans.  It's linked to the boy as well, so you're doing more harm than good."

For the first time Jita noticed the dull shimmering of a ki barrier surrounding the ring, the summit of the dome reaching a few feet above the man's head.  The ripples that were coursing through it abruptly stopped as the Saiyans on the other side of the barrier ceased their attempts to cut through.  All of them – Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, and Trunks – looked pissed enough to spit nails.

"So now that you've shielded yourself and blocked us in," Goten spat out, "what the hell do you plan on doing?"

"Always cutting to the heart of the matter, Goten," the man laughed.  "I like that.  Pertinent question, too.  What do I plan on doing?  I'm afraid, though, you won't be alive long enough to be interested in my long-term goals, so let's just, oh, cut to the heart."

The blow seemed to come from out of nowhere.  It didn't have the power to do too much damage to Goten, but it was certainly unexpected.  Goten took it, and forced himself not to counterattack.  He had never felt such rage and frustration in his entire life.  All he could do was dodge.

Jita tried to use the opportunity to snatch Jiten from the slimy man's arms, but what the man lacked in power, he made up in speed.  He turned on her without missing a beat in his attack on Goten.

Needing to keep both of the Saiyan parents busy, the man switched to purely ki attacks, only moving to change he direction and orientation of each burst of energy.  Jita hissed in pain as she was a split-second late in dodging one blast.  While his physical attacks had not been all that powerful at all, his ki attacks were fairly deadly, and more abundant than Jita ever would have guessed.  And vaguely familiar, for that matter…

"That's Jiten's ki," she heard Gohan gasp.

Jita's eyes widened, then narrowed.  So, he was using the boy's energy.  Well, two could play at that game.  Letting Goten keep the man's attention for the moment, Jita began manipulating the bits of ki within the confines of the man's ki barrier.  Starting behind him and gradually working around, she weaved a ki barrier around the man, careful to move the ki with his movements.  It wasn't easy.  His speed was unbelievable.  Little by little, constantly reminding herself to have patience, she perfected and strengthened the barrier.  Almost there, she thought.  This is actually going to work…

Jita was thrown back suddenly as she felt some of the ki she'd been manipulating slam into her, knocking her off her feet.  She looked over at Goten, and realized that the man had forced most of her ki barrier to him.  Goten was lying flat on his back, stunned for the moment.

The slimy man began a slow clap, maneuvering his hands around Jiten's small body.  "I must say, I'm impressed.  You adapted well to a very different kind of fight.  It probably would have worked, too, if I hadn't been waiting for you to try that.  Who do you think I learned the art of ki barriers from?  Ever since I found out about you, I've been watching you and your spawn.  I must say it was educational.  But you know what they say about good times, don't you?"

Jita's fists were clenched and shaking.  Tears were leaking unbidden out of her eyes.  All the ki tricks and training in the world couldn't save her and couldn't save her son.  She was useless, and alone, and a failure, and…

YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THIS DAY WAS COMING.  SEE YA IN A FEW MINUTES.

The ki blasts came, and Jita dodged, but there was no fire in the fight.  For once, her eyes reflected the state of her soul – vacant and dead.  She was going on pure reflex, just out of habit.  She recalled what she'd taught her students – that a fighter without hope is doomed from the beginning.  Well, this would be an objective lesson.  Don't be like me, she thought.

As her reflexes failed and she was enveloped in a searing green light, and she heard the scream of her husband, her last conscious thought was, Poor Goten.  I hope he forgets me..

The man turned around to the screams and exclamations of surprise and grief.  The loudest, of course, was the newly widowed demi-Saiyan within the barrier.  He chuckled at the comical surprised expressions all around him.  You'd think they'd never seen anyone die before.  He adjusted the boy in his arms and waited, savoring his recent kill.

She's gone.

Goten had awakened just in time to watch the beam of light and ki bear down on his beloved Jita, wiping her from existence.

She's gone.

Goten vaguely heard the shouted threats his family threw at Jita's killer.  He could see their mouths moving, but no sound reached him.  No sound that wasn't drowned out by the painful thumping of his heart and the sly chuckle of the abomination that stood before him.

She's gone.

The monstrosity that had sent his wife to hell, from which she could not be retrieved.  The thing that even now held his son. 

His wife… his son…

Something within Goten snapped, sounding for all the world like breaking crystal.  His power flared wildly, bringing him to the barriers of level two, and then exploded as the level three transformation overtook him.  An inhuman scream of fury echoed through the air, threatening to shatter the barrier around them – and threatening the life of his son. 

But Goten could no longer reason.  He had shed everything that made him human.  If he'd ever gone through the Oozaru transformation, he would have recognized it as such.  As it was, all he could comprehend was the desire to kill the thing before him.  He couldn't even hear the cries of warning from his family.  He was completely out of control, and there was no hope for return.

In a burst of fury, Goten charged.  He had no attacks planned, and there was no grace in his style.  He just flew at the man, screaming an unearthly scream.

kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL

Thunk

            "Cutting to the heart…" the man whispered in Goten's ear.

The world snapped back into focus just in time for it to fade again.  Goten looked into the man's eyes, and knew from the triumph he found in there.  Cautiously, his hand found his chest, his gi becoming soaked with blood and the handle of a knife sticking out from its new sheath.

Goten's eyes widened in slight surprise.  He opened his mouth to say something, but all that came forth was a shallow cough.  Blood spattered the boy in the killer's arms.  Goten reached out, desperate to retrieve his son, but at that moment the death-agony overtook him.  Without a sound, Goten fell from the sky, reverting back to normal form just as he hit the ground.  A black cloud overtook him, and Goten knew no more.

                                                     *****

Ears filling with the screams of grief, Vegeta did not join in.  He was in too much shock, and too… angry.  He wanted to tear that creature limb from limb.  They were gone.  Jita was…

He floated beside Goku, whose face had become bloodless as he watched his son fall.  Goku was practically growling in pent-up rage.  Vegeta understood.  They'd tried everything short of fusing to get in that barrier, but nothing had worked.  Goku dropped the two fingers that had remained forgotten on his forehead.  Teleporting through the barrier had failed.  And even if it had succeeded, they couldn't raise a hand against the man.  Not with Jiten linked to him.

The man floated over to face the Saiyans, but addressed Goku and Vegeta in particular.  "Strongest in the universe…  Helpless to do something so simple as save a little boy.  I must say, I'm disappointed."

Goku snarled.  "Stop hiding behind Jiten then, if you want a fight.  Believe me, I'll give you a fight."

The man nodded.  "All right, it's a deal.  But not now.  I'll allow you to prepare, while you allow me to prepare.  Let's say… one year?  That should be enough."  He hugged Jiten closer to him.  "Oh, and since the boy has been untimely orphaned – so unfortunate – I think I'll take him with me."  The man shed his whimsical air.  "One year, don't forget.  I'll definitely be stronger, so I suggest you muster all the power you can.  Then we'll see who's the strongest in the universe."

With that, the man vanished.

Goku swooped down as soon as the ki barrier dissolved.  As the others searched around for any sign of the man, Goku landed next to Goten's prone form, touched him, and immediately teleported away.  The chaotic Budoukai ring dissolved before Goku's eyes, and reappeared to reveal Kami's Lookout.

"Dende!" he screamed, his voice holding a rare note of panic.  He ran to the other side, pushing past a shocked Mr. Popo.

"I'm here, Goku," the young kami spoke up.

"Dende, I need you to…"

"I'm afraid it's too late, Son," the low voice of Piccolo interrupted.  "He's gone."

Goku whirled around.  Where Goten had once been lying on the white tile of the Lookout, now only a shallow pool of blood and a knife remained.  Goten had disappeared.