Chapter 17: The Saiyaman Saga! All nicely wrapped up into one chapter.

Nice character info in the AN section below.

/

"Hey, look!" Trunks pointed his cereal spoon at the small television set on the kitchen counter. "A golden fighter in Satan City? Sounds like Gohan's takin' a page outta your book." The eight-year old smirked at me before spooning more of the colorful puffs into his mouth.

I glanced up at the TV cassette, a spoon of oatmeal in my right hand, my left hand holding the page of a human anatomy book. Watching for a moment with narrowed eyes and an arched eyebrow, I listened to what the newscasters had to say about a group of apprehended bank robbers.

There was a young man with golden hair, estimated five-foot-ten, an Orange Star High badge, and eye witnesses claiming he toppled over the robber's truck just by yelling at it.

I smirked, snorting softly in amusement. "Sounds like it," I mumbled, continuing to eat my blueberry oatmeal.

"But I bet the 'Golden Fighter' would be no match for—" He suddenly raised his arms above his head, flexing. "The NIGHT STALKER!"

I rolled my eyes, nearly ripping the page as I flipped it aside. "Please… you know I hate being called that."

"But you gotta admit it sounds waaay cooler than Golden Fighter."

Staring at the image of an X-rayed hairline fracture, I shook my head slowly, eyebrow still arched. "They named me after a serial killer and I'm wanted by the West City police as a dangerous vigilante." I spooned some more food into my mouth, chewing and swallowing. "Nothing cool about that…"

"But those big dummies wish they were doing as good a job as you are!"

At that I struggled not to smile, as it was mostly true.

…

That afternoon we were in the gravity room; my brother, nephew, and I. And while Vegeta was training by himself on the other side of the chamber, I was teaching Trunks the proper way to execute a high speed dodge. Preferably to teleport behind the aggressor and catch them off guard.

After that, I'd hand the boy off to his father and train by myself.

"Like this!" I ducked, Trunks' fist going over my shoulder as I disappeared and reappeared behind the stumbling boy. "I could hit you since you're wide open, but…" I trailed off, laughing softly.

"Hit the boy!" Vegeta's deep, demanding voice sounded from across the room. "He will not have the motivation to improve if you go easy on him!"

Not taking my eyes off of the target, I rested my hands on my hips. 'He does have a point…'

Trunks then turned, glaring in determination, and my lips slowly curved into a smirk. "You have one more time," I stated quietly.

Trunks knew not to take my soft tones lightly, and fell into a fighting stance.

I remained in the same position, waiting until he made his move.

"Hi-YAH!" He leapt towards my face again with one fist cocked and I easily flitted behind him. But, unexpectedly—

I blinked—Trunks had teleported behind me and was about to strike, but, being older and much faster, I managed to easily outmaneuver my spunky nephew, zipping behind him again and landing a square kick to his back.

He went crashing into the floor and skidding noisily across the room, stopping just beside his father's boots.

I landed easily on my feet, hands never having left my hips.

Inhaling deeply, a pleasantly surprised look took my face. "Well, not bad!" I called over to him.

Trunks was getting up with a bit of difficulty. I could hear him grunting. "Not fair…" I heard him mumble.

Vegeta paused his punches without looking down—"There is no 'fair' in becoming a great warrior."—then went back to striking his invisible opponent.

The light, airy contentment of a perfect day was settling in my chest. Training with these two, especially when Vegeta's temperament was decent, was everything to me. The sparring, the teaching, the process of becoming familiar with each other as fighters (more so with Trunks); all of it.

'But I wonder when Trunks is going to let Vegeta in on his little super secret…' My lips poked outward just a tad as I watched my nephew rise to his feet and return.

…

Oddly enough, Vegeta and I always conversed during our post-workout showers. Over stalls, of course.

"Keep working with him on his agility, Toma. It seems to be his weaker area right now," Vegeta said from the other side of the wall.

"Yes… though his progress is astounding... I don't think I was able to control my energy that well at his age." I idly scrubbed the body wash around my chest as my tail worked on scrubbing my back with a brush. The cool water felt very nice after increased gravity and sweating for hours.

I heard him chuckle. "I'm not ashamed to admit that I was much weaker at the time," Vegeta replied a moment later. "Hand me the scrubbing brush!" He then exclaimed loudly, as if I'd misheard the first time.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm right here…" I replied in an exasperated tone. "I can hear you perfectly…" I reached my tail up and over the wall, which stopped at my eye level, and held the long brush out for him.

I could see the top of his hair moving, then the brush slid from my tail's grasp. And not a single utterance of gratitude.

Annoying…

But as I remembered what Trunks and I were keeping under wraps, my mood infinitely improved. 'I really hope I'm there when he reveals it to his father…'

Heh…

Vegeta and I exited the newly improved "locker room" area together to be met by an unexpected, though welcome surprise.

'Well, for me,' I thought humorously. "Hey, handsome." I tipped my chin to Gohan, who stood from a slightly bent over position while conversing with Trunks.

"Oh, hey!" Gohan, seventeen, had turned out to be a tall and handsome young man—of course.

But the teen's friendly grin ceased when my brother brushed by me, his stern, usual glare set on Gohan.

"Good afternoon, Vegeta…" He seemed hesitant, and definitely stiffer than seconds before. "Long time no see…"

Vegeta stopped next to Gohan and gave a short hmph, staring down the taller male for a moment. "…Well, well," the prince responded, facing away. "Aren't you looking dull?"

I had to battle down my rising mirth, turning to the mirror Trunks occupied and pretending to give a damn about how my sweatpants looked.

"A true warrior should be ready, even in times of peace." Vegeta made his exit on that lovely piece of advice.

"Right…" Gohan answered back to the retreating prince in a slightly more timid voice.

I breathed out a short laugh once the door shut behind my brother. "Are you intimidated by him?" I questioned, making my way closer. "After all this time?"

"N-NO! I'm not intimidated!" he replied loudly, as if completely taken aback by my question. "I mean… it's just been a while… and he's just… Vegeta!" He held his hands up at waist level; body language that said don't blame me!

I placed a hand on my hip, tossing the half saiyan a knowing look. "Mhm. And you just have to show the utmost respect to his highness, right?"

Gohan pouted, his eyes narrowing as he slumped forward a bit. "I really wish you wouldn't make fun of me…"

I shrugged nonchalantly. "You make it so easy, I can't help myself sometimes." I reached out and slapped his right shoulder playfully before he could protest. "Now come on, let's get back into the house."

"Yeah!" Trunks piped up. "Let's go have some fun!"

Gohan seemed more jovial with Trunks' invitation. "Sure!" he replied, smiling again.

And so the three of us spent the next hour in the bio dome, playing catch. Or rather, Gohan played catch with Trunks while I stood next to the teen, conversing.

"First day of High School and already a popular boy…" My eyes traveled with the path of the ball, back and forth between the two over casual, long distance throws. "On the big news stations at that."

Gohan sighed. "Yeah, but nobody actually knows it was me since I was a Super Saiyan." He caught the leather ball with ease, throwing it clear across the dome where Trunks was standing near a pond. "They all think I'm this wimpy book nerd… I'd kinda like to keep it that way…"

I chuckled, showing a bit of teeth. "Well you might want to do a better job at disguising yourself if you plan on making this crime-fighting thing a permanent deal."

The teen clicked his tongue at my words. "You say that like you haven't been doing the same exact thing I did…"

I slid my hands into my pockets, shrugging again as I stood momentarily on my tippy toes. "At least I'm a bit more discrete than jumping into the middle of a gun fight… in broad daylight…"

Gohan laughed in good nature at my casual snipe. "True… You must be doing something right if all you wear is a hoodie and they don't even know where you live after all these years."

My nose scrunched in humor, lips stretching into a large, cocky smile. "I know… I'm so good, right?"

Gohan briefly faced me with an amused, though incredulous look. He laughed again before turning back to throw the ball once more.

…

The sun was nearly down when we met Bulma in a small waiting area for the crime-fighting costume that Gohan had commissioned earlier in the afternoon.

Bulma, in a green mock-neck dress, handed the teenager a large wristwatch. "There you go, Gohan." She smiled at her latest invention while the teen checked it over.

"So I just press this red button to make it work?" He inquired, tapping lightly on said switch.

"That's it."

Trunks' smile was near gaping at the sight of the neat invention. "Awesome! Hey, can I have one too, mom?"

Gohan then pressed the button, and holographic outlines surrounded his body before the (rather flamboyant) outfit appeared on him.

My eyebrows rose considerably. "Wow… you've outdone yourself on this one, Bulma." I couldn't laugh, not with the second-hand embarrassment I was feeling.

But Gohan laughed in amazement as he took in his new helmet, cape, and spandex under a short green robe. "This is just amazing!"

"Does it fit?" Bulma asked, as if she hadn't just turned Gohan into the butt of a joke.

"Yeah!" He jerked his arm forward, causing the red cape to flap. "Why, it's a super fit!" The teen exclaimed, having taken a deeper, more heroic tone.

I tried to cover my mouth and advert my eyes nonchalantly. It was too much. 'Kais... I had no idea he was this corny…'

Trunks blinked, and I knew he felt the same way I did. "No, mom… I don't need one," he quietly decided.

Within a few minutes Gohan was on his way, using the "Flying Nimbus" cloud that had belonged to Goku. He seemed as happy as could be though, with his tights, and cape, and antennaed helmet…

"I'll see you guys later!" he called from about thirty feet up and counting. "Thanks again, Bulma!"

Gohan began turning away from us, about to take off when Trunks waved both arms with fervor, calling back— "BYE GOHAN! COME BACK TO PLAY WHENEVER YOU WANT! LIKE, TOMORROW MAYBE!"— even as the teenager shot off into the darkening sky.

...

...

A week passed and guess who was all over the news? A self-proclaimed "Great Saiyaman"! All over Satan city, stopping reckless drivers, saving hijacked buses, burning buildings, you name it.

"Log onto our new website and let us know how you feel about this new hero!"

The news then cut to pedestrians, some giving eyewitness accounts, and some of them…

"I wanna see the Great Saiyaman take on the West City Night Stalker!"

"I bet the Great Saiyaman is the Night Stalker. They prob'ly just got caught and reinvented themselves!"

"Dude, the Night Stalker is way more powerful that the Great Saiyaman. I saw 'em toss a wanted gang member clear across the city—still on his bike!"

"Yeah but the Great Saiyaman can stop bullets with his bare—"

I snickered, turning the living room television off and continuing about my day. This wasn't the first time I'd seen or heard people inciting drama between the two vigilante heroes.

'And I'm pretty sure they still think I'm a man… maybe I should wear something a little… different…'

Flight 336 had taken severe damage to the left wing, and the plane was falling fast. Passengers screamed and wailed in woe as the wing fell right off. Below, the citizens of Satan city ran for their lives. The blaring alarms and torpedo-like whistling of the plane careening to the ground would be last things the pilots heard…

That is… until the Great Saiyaman arrived!

Maneuvering quickly, Gohan swooped underneath the falling plane and caught it, just in the nick of time—mere seconds from impact. People on the streets would have become red paint splatters otherwise.

The Great Saiyaman's face was shown over every large screen in town as the main news broadcasters arrived. Even a large crowd had gathered as the super hero of Satan City stood proudly in front of the stationary plane.

"Please, sir!" The lead newsman held a microphone out to Gohan. "Can you tell the folks at home about who you are and why you came to our city?"

Gohan breathed in deeply, absorbing the flashing cameras, attentive news crew, and clamoring crowd. 'This is the moment!' He decided he needed to make it count. "You bet—sure!" he replied in his regal, alias voice.

He would make it the coolest thing to hit Satan City since MC Hammer pants.

Leaping atop the cockpit of the plane, Gohan began a series of poses, heroic stances in his mind. "HIYA-HO! HERE WEEE GO!"

Suddenly the boisterous crowd began quieting.

"I'M THE MAN WITH THE PLAN—TO UPLIFT THE GOOD! AND ROOT OUT THE BAD!" In Gohan's mind, his lack of rhymes was compensated by his grooves. "SO WE'RE LIVING LIKE WE SHOULD! HIYA!" The disguised teenager held his arms out as if to say now what?

"WHOA-HO, UH-HUH. NOW YOU UNDERSTAND THAT I'M THE~" He turned slowly, flexing both arms to show off his muscles. "Mhm—mhm—GREAT SAIYAMAN!"

Needless to say, the townspeople were stunned. Saying the crowd was speckled with disturbed faces would have been a gross understatement as well.

And through the trickling murmurs a hearty laugh rang out, causing Gohan to lower his arms in surprise.

"Hey, who's laugh—WH-OA!" Gohan teetered from side to side until he was forced to hover as the plane was knocked over onto its side. Thankfully without any kind of explosion. The teen growled, turning around. "WHAT'S THE DEAL, HUH?!" His narrowed eyes then widened behind the tinted visor.

It was Midori, floating in midair not far from him, hand lowering from where she'd pushed the abandoned aircraft over.

Naturally, Gohan knew it was Midori. But, with her hooded sweatshirt covering her womanly figure and what looked like a pair of old pilot's goggles, nobody else would recognize her… IF they knew her to begin with.

"Saiyaman!" the hooded female called out, "I came all the way from West City to find you!"

An immediate uproar surged through the surrounding crowd. "It's the Night Stalker!" more than a few shouted.

'Midori…' Gohan gulped, trying to seem at ease. 'What's she up to..?' The teenager knew he could trust Vegeta's sister. They'd been friends for seven years. But… he also knew that she just didn't care about human etiquette sometimes… a LOT of times!

Like tipping over a plane to get his attention…

She then dropped casually to the sidewalk below, a confident smirk present. Looking up to where Gohan was still floating, she called up, "What's wrong? Aren't you going to say anything? I came quite a way's to have a word!"

The traveling part was a lie, as it only took her a second to move from her bedroom to the current location, but the good people of Satan City didn't know that.

Underneath the cover of his helmet, Gohan deadpanned. After a moment he sighed hard, deciding to land as well. Placing one hand on his hip, he pointed straight at his older comrade. "WHOEVER YOU ARE, THIS ISN'T FUNNY! LEAVE THIS PLACE AT ONCE, BEFORE I'M FORCED TO ACT!"

His declaration seemed to amuse the hooded saiyan, who tipped her head back while resting her hands on her own hips. "Alright!" she responded nonchalantly. "But only after you accept my challenge!"

Another clamor in the surrounding mob arose. Cameras snapped and flashed with renewed vigor.

But Gohan's brow furrowed in disbelief. 'Really? Darn it… she's really up to something..!' He then cleared his throat. He knew he had to make a good show of it, or they'd be saying all kinds of unflattering things about him… "I ACCEPT YOUR CHALLENGE, STRANGER!"

The teenager mentally kicked himself. 'I didn't ask what kind of challenge! Gah, stupid!'

Midori nodded, her calm smile easily recognizable to Gohan.

"I'm glad to hear that, Saiyaman! Tomorrow, at four! Meet me back here!" The female saiyan tugged on the side of her goggles a bit. "I'd just like to show the world who the baddest man around is…" She trailed off, her mouth curving into a large, devious grin; one that accentuate her naturally more feral canines.

"THEN… FOUR IT IS!" The Great Saiyaman replied, though not quite as assertive as before.

Midori brought both of her hands to the leather straps of her goggles and began walking towards Gohan, who watched with a wary eye.

Once she was standing close—very close— Midori lowered the obscuring goggles just enough for Gohan to be able to see her eyes. "And stop by before then, why don't you?" She asked quietly, winking up at the taller male. And just like that, she'd disappeared from sight.

Gohan was left with the shouting and cheering crowd, grinding his teeth. 'WHY DOES SHE HAVE TO BE SUCH A TROUBLE MAKER?!'

The entire Western hemisphere was buzzing about the fight to occur; Clash of The Titans, one headline had read.

It was almost time for the Great Saiyaman and Night Stalker to face off. An hour until then, to be exact, and I was ironing on large white letters to a sleeveless, crop-top T-shirt.

Bulma and I were in one of the labs, where she was testing a new prototype for a sporty hover-cycle.

"BULMA?" A hurried, male voice echoed through the halls. "MIDORI!"

I glanced up from the ironing board. "Almost thought you wouldn't show!"

Gohan strode into the room, cape billowing behind him, helmet under one arm and Trunks trailing.

Bulma raised a hand in casual greeting. "Hey Gohan."

"Hi Bulma," he greeted back distractedly. "Midori!" Gohan stopped next to me, seeming very uptight.

I placed the hot iron aside, then turned to face the fidgeting teenager. "Yes?"

"You're not going to totally embarrass me out there today, are you?"

The corners of my mouth twitched. "Gohan… I'm just looking for a bit of fun—"

"PLEEEASE DON'T EMBARRASS ME, MIDORI!" he cried—borderline begged—loudly.

My eyes widened and jaw dropped as I fought back a smile (to no avail). "Re-lax! It'll just be some friendly sparring!" I laid a hand on his shoulder, giving it a quick squeeze.

He let out a deep breath, as if I'd just reassured him that the world would keep spinning.

"So," Bulma interrupted. "I heard you were going to take part in the World Martial Arts Championship."

I let my hand slip from Gohan's shoulder as I sent him an expectant stare. "Oh yeah?"

"Uh, yeah." The teenager still seemed a bit out of his wits.

And still tinkering with the motor cycle, Bulma said, "I must say I'm a little surprised, Gohan. It's not like you have to prove yourself or anything."

"I know, but Videl Satan discovered my secret—" We all turned to Gohan at those words. "She's blackmailing me into it!"

He explained who exactly the girl was. The one and only, Hercule Satan's daughter. A bull-headed girl from his description, but with her head in the right place. A fighter, just like her father, only fighting for the city's safety. But again, stubborn as a bull and wanting to beat Gohan in a fight.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to compete, but they don't allow head protection in the tournament," Gohan continued. "So I need to come up with a new disguise." He stared down at his helmet as if some great disappointment had occurred.

"Ah..." Bulma held a newly lit cigarette between two fingers. "What a shame. You don't see super heroes wearing helmets very often."

I flapped the hot-ironed T-shirt once to loosen it up. "There's probably a good reason for that…" I mumbled.

"Hey," Bulma laughed. "I think it's a nice touch."

Trunks spoke up for the first time, not bothering to be quiet. "Actually it's kinda stupid."

Gohan pouted somewhat at the bright, antennaed helmet. "Videl did call it a trashcan…"

My brother's mate blew some smoke from her lips and laughed softly, admitting that maybe her tastes were a bit dated.

And so it was time for the reconfiguring of Gohan's facial disguise.

I slipped out of the room unnoticed, ready to change into the clothes I would be wearing for our little show-off.

"Darn it..." The button on my fitted, black jeans was a bit difficult to close while wearing leather welding gloves, but I managed. I proceeded to stomp the heels of my cowboy boots lightly until my feet felt adjusted enough. "And now… for the hard part…" I murmured, pulling the old-fashioned aviator goggles back over my head.

When I got a good fit over my eyes, I pushed them back up onto my forehead and decided to make a small ponytail. 'And the shirt turned out nicely,' I thought, smiling at my handy work in the bathroom mirror.

The black shirt was simple; cropped, with the capitalized letters NS on the front.

When I reentered the room, thick heels clunking, Gohan had done a one-eighty, and was loudly rejoicing over his new head gear; a head wrap and sunglasses.

"NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL STYLE!" Gohan turned to Trunks. "Hey! Whad'ya think, Trunks? Pretty cool, huh?"

I watched silently as my nephew dropped the soda can he'd been drinking out of, the expression on his face indescribable. "Yeah… it's great…" he responded in a monotone.

I knew what he was really thinking… heheh.

Bulma took that moment to remind Gohan that he was the one who truly had to like it in the end, because it was going to be his face plastered everywhere after he won the tournament.

And as if on cue, my brother strolled into the room, hands in pockets. "Who says he's going to win?"

Bulma flicked her cigarette, arching a finely sculpted brow. "Who could possibly beat him?"

Vegeta walked past me, barefoot and smirking. "Yours truly, that's who. If you'll enter, I'll enter."

My eyes lit up with excitement at the prospect. "Make it a party then, because I'm not going to pass this tournament up now."

Gohan lifted his shades up, blinking at the two of us, slack-jawed.

Vegeta briefly glanced my way, his cocky though anticipating expression steadfast. "Listen," he began, directing his speech at Gohan. "You were a lot stronger than me when we fought Cell… but while you've been hanging out in the library and going out on dates, I've been doing nothing but severe training the entire time. Toma, as well."

Gohan's weary eyes shifted from Vegeta to me, then back to the prince.

"It's true…" I added smoothly, observing the teenager through half-lidded eyes.

Bulma folded her arms, suddenly in a foul mood. "Yep, true that all you two do is train all day and hardly ever bother to take out the trash or mow the lawn!"

But Trunks was pumped. "Ah, this is so cool! Dad, Midori and Gohan are gonna fight—wow!"

"I think I'll enter too!"

We all froze, our gazes shooting to the ceiling.

My breath caught in my throat. 'It's—'

"Gohan!" the familiar voice exclaimed.

The teenager gasped and questioned back in a lighter, hopeful tone, "Is that you dad? Please tell me that it's you!"

My eyebrows became slightly scrunched as I smiled, heart beating faster. 'It is him…'

Vegeta cocked his head to the side. "Hmm? Kakarot?"

"It's you!" Gohan held both fists up in relief. "Dad, it's really you!"

"Hi son, it's great to hear your voice again…"

'He sounds so calm…' My mind began drifting back through the memories I had with the deceased saiyan. 'The Dragon Balls, Cell, my son, kissing him on the cheek…' I let loose a small, content sigh.

"Yeah! I'm allowed to come back for one day!"

I snapped out of my reverie, blinking my enlarged eyes. "You're serious?" I blurted out without thinking.

Of course he was serious, he said he wanted to enter the tournament!

"Yep, Baba checked it out for me! It appears I have a little credit!" He paused for a moment, then continued. "I'm excited! I can't wait to see everyone. Gohan, tell your mom that I'm coming back—for a whole day!"

My eyes wandered across the ceiling, smile slightly faltered. At least Gohan was celebrating loud enough to distract from my slightly off-put demeanor.

Even Vegeta seemed to be in a genuinely good mood. "Yes, even I'm excited, Kakarot—at having another chance to defeat you."

Hah, of course.

"Mmhm, we'll see." I could practically hear the smirk. "I guess anything's possible. Miracles do happen!"

"Miracles, huh?" Vegeta shot back. "Oh I can't wait." He laughed devilishly, sights still rested above him.

When Goku's voice no longer echoed down to us, we all regarded each other with determined looks.

"Brother…" I folded my arms, leaning to the side as I looked at him. "Don't assume it'll be you and Goku in the finals. Like you said, I've been training with you the whole way…"

Still smirking, Vegeta closed his eyes. "That may be, but I've always been a bit stronger…" He then cast me his own sly look. "And I still am," the prince finished in a low tone.

My lips parted to make a comeback, but instead I blinked slowly, returning the look he was directing at me. 'Well, we will see…'

Gohan suddenly snapped his fingers. "Hey, you two! If you're competing you should wear a disguise!" He pinched the cape ends at his shoulders. "Something like mine."

I immediately turned away, though not before catching my brother's completely scandalized face.

"UGH, NO WAY! I WOULDN'T BE CAUGHT DEAD IN THAT THING!" he yelled in detest.

… ...

There were five minutes left, and Gohan had yet to arrive. But at least I wasn't waiting alone. There were news people… and regular people, all of whom had question upon question for me.

Like, "How old are you?" and "How many super abilities do you have?" and "How do you avoid conflict with the West City Police?"

I gave vague answers to each of their inquiries, my mind still very much wrapped around the fact that I'd be able to see Goku one more time.

Turning my back on the humans, I pulled the side of my hood over my mouth, no longer able to fight a large grin. 'I can't believe it…'

One would have thought that after his death my feelings would have subsided. But, somehow, seeing him again and knowing he was taking care of my son… I just couldn't get Goku out of my head after seeing him that last time.

And that had been five years ago…

Blinking in surprise, I looked up to where Gohan was dropping down from the sky, landing directly in front of me.

"Gosh, I'm sorry! I got caught up in this whole movie thing—I—" He paused, turning slightly towards the cameras and people. His now visible eyebrows rose considerably. "I mean—HARBINGER OF JUSTICE AND PEACE—THE GRRREAT SAIYAMAN HAS ARRIVED!" He took up a side lunge position and held both arms in a diagonal parallel, shaking his hands in a jazzy manner.

"Right…" I lowered the hood of my sweatshirt, and in one swift movement whipped off the over-sized jacket and flung it aside.

The drifting article of clothing incited numerous gasps, and waves of "I knew it!", "I told you she was a woman!", and "The Night Stalker's a chick!" rolled across the crowd.

I cracked my glove-clad knuckles and rolled my shoulders. The wind fanned my loose top, moving the boldened NS over my chest. My tail was looped snugly around my waist.

The police were surrounding the borders of the street, where citizens chanted, "FIGHT, FIGHT!"

"You ready, Saiyaman?" I did a few side lunges of my own, hands on my knees, my black jeans stretching comfortably with each movement.

In response, Gohan jumped back a few feet, striking several more of his poses. "PREPARE YOURSELF, MADAM!" Gohan exclaimed, pointing at me. "BUT MOST OF ALL..."

I stood up slowly.

His serious expression turned to an easy, though competitive smile, and his pointing finger was switched for a thumbs up. "LET'S GIVE THESE PEOPLE A GOOD SHOW!"

I bent my knees slightly, holding one fist out before me and the other near my head. "MY SENTIMENTS EXACTLY!"

Bulma was removing her vest when she passed through the living room, where she found her son and parents watching live news coverage of Gohan and Midori's fight.

"Oh?" She made her way closer, leaning against the arm of the couch. "Look at them go," she commented airily, rolling up her long sleeves.

Trunks was laying directly in front of the large television screen, kicking his legs. "But they're fighting sooo slow! What gives?"

Bulma snorted at her young son. "For you maybe! For us humans it looks like an intense battle!"

Trunks mumbled under his breath, "Yeah right…" as he continued to watch his aunt and friend spar on live TV.

I shot a fist at Gohan's shoulder, who easily brushed it aside and dropped low for a sweep kick. Jumping at the last second, I retaliated with a kick aimed for his neck, also easily brushed aside.

We continued on for a few minutes, dodging and blocking each other's attacks. It was equivalent to a warm up; one I would have had with Trunks while in the gravity room… at about 50 times Earth's regular gravity.

So, in other words, we were moving slowly. It was all for show; mostly acrobatics that they were eating up…

But… heh… it seemed after a while I began to block out the crowd and…

Ducking a punch to the face, I instinctively tapped into my energy and hooked my teenage opponent in the face with a hard right.

Gohan was sent flying and crashed into the side of a building.

"OOHHH!" Erupted the throng of people behind the barriers.

I froze, eyes widening in shock. "Oops…" I whispered, arm still outstretched.

We didn't exactly have free range to fight… only a eight-lane road stretching for five blocks that were barricaded to keep people from getting too close.

Realizing that we were located in about the center of this area, I apologized to Gohan as he trudged back towards me, a hand rubbing his cheek.

Eyes repeatedly glancing towards the news cameras, Gohan ground out through gritted teeth, "I thought we were gonna take it easy."

"I just got a little carried away," I breathlessly replied, a sheepish look on my face.

I had learned my lesson about causing damage to cities the hard way… Seven years on this planet had turned out to be more of an adjustment than I thought it would be. This wasn't the "Wild West" anymore. I couldn't just do as I pleased… all the time.

"Yeah, yeah," he mumbled back, adjusting his dark sunglasses. "Just watch it, please?"

"Alright."

We went back to exchanging jabs a moment later, until something mischievous passed through my mind.

'But he asked me not to embarrass him,' I thought, back-flipping away from his attempted grab-and-throw technique.

My mischievous thoughts soon translated into a smile of the same character.

Gohan quickly lunged at me, but in the last split second I jumped clear over the boy, pivoting my body to perform a perfect twirl. And as I turned upside-down, watching his turban pass underneath me, I snatched his sunglasses clear off of his face.

And while landing into a squat behind the teenage super hero, he was already wailing ridiculously.

"MIDORI!" Gohan was using his forearm for cover.

I stood casually, looking away from the cameras so I could push my goggles down and slip his glasses on.

My eyebrows met in a furrow.

"Damn!" I exclaimed, looking around. "…How do you see out of this shit?" Maybe it was because I wasn't used to sunglasses... but it was too damn dark.

Hmm?

I could hear shouting in the background about The Great Saiyaman's identity possibly being revealed.

"GIMME BACK MY GLASSES!"

My eyebrows rose as Gohan grabbed at me. I simply jumped back, landing single-footed on a nearby parking meter.

"This isn't funny!" he hissed loudly, turning in my direction. "These people can't find out who I am, Midori!"

I scratched the bit of my tail that was wrapped around my stomach. "Mmm, I gueeess you're right…" I replied lazily. Pushing myself into the air with the one foot, I landed squarely on both feet.

At the clunking of my boots, Gohan turned more accurately in my direction, facing me fully with his arm still covering his face.

I slid my goggles back up, removing his dark specs from my forehead and placing them in his other outstretched hand.

"Thanks." He spared no sarcasm in his voice.

"We could take this up a notch, you know…" I offered.

Despite having his sunglasses back on, I could tell he was wary of the idea.

I attempted my best innocent look. "Just one, tiny notch, Gohan…"

The teen was silent for a moment, as if genuinely considering the proposition. Then, much to my surprise, Gohan shot his hand forward, firing a small blast at my feet.

I jumped up and away from the smoking asphalt, vision somewhat clouded, when a sharp pain suddenly spread through my back—Gohan's elbow between my shoulder blades—and I was sent rocketing back to the floor.

"—Ugh!" I landed hard on my elbows and knees, the dark road cracking underneath me.

Suddenly there was a swooshing sound—Gohan's cape. I quickly rolled out of the way, narrowly missing his boot. I then found myself on my back, and said boot was lodged in the ground when I craned my neck to look up.

Pushing myself up, I swung my legs around in a helicopter motion—deflected another small blast with my left boot—and used the momentum to get back onto my knees.

Satan City was going wild.

Kneeling, fingertips pressed lightly into the street, I winked at Gohan.

He breathed out a short laugh.

Both of us flitted high into the air.

"HAAA!"

"—AAAH!"

Our gloved fists collided, causing an invisible energy burst— windows shattered— car alarms blared.

It was on.

I smashed my fist into his face—he slammed his knee into my gut. Each attack echoed like a sonic boom.

Soon we were throwing flurries of punches at each other, dodging, ducking, and swinging fists. But I got the best of him, naturally, knocking the half-saiyan back down to Earth.

Literally.

As I pursued the grounded teen, he released a small volley of shots up at me, easily deflected, each blast bursting into sparks with a solid swat.

I righted my body at the last moment, going in for a drop kick—he vanished a millisecond before impact—my heels skidded across the street, leaving chalky streaks. "Urg— shit!"

I then stiffened up, realizing he wasn't around. 'No… he's trying to trick me!' It would have been a waste for me to use my eyes with the way he was zipping around me, but… 'He knows better,' I thought smugly.

Raising my hand, I blasted the air at my relative three 'o' clock, where Gohan appeared—

"Gah!"

—shot down.

But of course, a moment later, he was up on his feet again.

A breeze blew, prompting me to inhale deeply; it refreshed my adrenaline-heated body. I then straightened my posture, standing normally.

Gohan eased his stance as well.

"Saiyaman," I started, tone serious. "I'm ready to finish this!" Glancing down to my right I noticed that we were closer to the crowd; close enough for them to hear us.

Bringing my gaze back up to Gohan, I then winked purposefully, no amused expression attached.

His eyebrows momentarily lowered under his large shades before he nodded.

'Here we go.' I smirked, jogging straight towards the caped teen, and he proceeded forward in the same manner.

When we met each other in the middle of the street, I growled loudly for show as we locked hands, pushing against one another.

I made sure we remained evenly matched, both of our energies slowly climbing from the standstill, wafting around our ankles and drifting upwards.

But before either of us would start powering up for real—

"Now kick me," I told him, glad that my back was to the humans.

"Huh?" He lost some of his concentration.

"Kick… me… Do it now! Towards the crowd!" I gripped his hands tighter and began pushing forward, eliciting a hiss of pain from Gohan.

"Fine—HAAA!" His ki suddenly erupted, startling me. He then lifted a foot and kicked me square in the chest.

I let my body fly backwards, gritting my teeth; it had been painful… But the second my back thudded against the floor, I let out a loud, exaggerated, girly moan, throwing my forearm over my forehead.

"Saiyaman!" I exclaimed dramatically. "He has… defeated me!" Squinting one eye open, I saw the faces above me, and all their gaping mouths.

The people of Satan City suddenly roared to life, cheering, whistling and screaming Gohan's alias.

"SAI-YA-MAN! SAI-YA-MAN!"

The sound of cameras clicking was almost as rapid as rainfall.

My lips twitched in a desperate attempt to keep from smiling. I decided to count to ten in my head, then sit up.

"Oh..." I blinked in surprise, not bothering to stop the next smile.

Gohan was standing in front of me with his hand held out. I grabbed it graciously, letting the younger male help me to my feet.

"Hehe, thank you… Saiyaman." I gave a nod of appreciation. "That was fun."

Gohan took a step back, grinning as he folded his muscular arms over his chest. "THE GREAT SAIYAMAN WILL NEVER BACK DOWN FROM A CHALLENGE AND IS ALWAYS HAPPY TO OBLIGE!" He offered another thumbs up.

I returned my own thumbs up, giving an approving hum.

…

The steadily brightening sky was painted with pretty pastels; blues and purples, pinks and oranges, and tints of grey, as the sun peaked over the surrounding mountain ranges. Nocturnal life was gradually soothing. Owl hoots died down, and small creatures scurried back into the brush.

However, this was at the bottom of the small hill. Before me stood only a large Ginkgo tree to keep a flower-laden tombstone company.

"I see Gohan stopped by," I murmured softly, hands clasped in front of me. I then breathed a short laugh. "He has surprisingly good taste in flowers, too…"

I was no florist, or botanist, so I couldn't name anything other than the roses I'd placed down moments before. But, a beautiful bundle of fresh wildflowers had been sitting there upon my arrival, most likely from the previous evening.

I closed my eyes for a moment, my softly emitted sigh mixing with the morning, summer breeze. "You would have made the best big sister to Goten… He's such a sweetheart."

I seated myself after a few minutes, deciding to meditate. That's what I did most of the times I visited Samantha's grave.

When I eventually opened my eyes it was close to noon. Gaze shifting to rest on her grave once more, I offered a tiny nod and smile before standing and placing my fingers on my forehead.

Appearing at my destination, I lowered my hand to see the entire Son family eating at a table in the yard, one guest included.

Goten was the first to notice me, gasping loudly. "DORIIII!" He leapt up from his seat and ran around his mother, latching onto my legs.

"Yes, my heart! How are you?" I bent over to cup his cheeks, only to retract my hands. "There's… rice… all over you…"

"Yeah, cuz Gohan spit all over me!"

I turned to look at Gohan with an arched eyebrow.

The teenager (appearing a bit stressed) shrugged, bowl and chopsticks in hand as he laughed a high-pitched, sheepish laugh.

Alright then.

"Midori, what brings you by?" Chi-Chi asked, leaning towards us to brush Goten's face off with a napkin.

"Oh, just thought I'd see if Gohan wanted to spar for real this time."

Chi-Chi sent me a sly look. "Trying to scope out the competition, I see."

I smirked. "Trust me, I'm not worried one bit."

"Um, excuse me—" The rest of us turned our attention to the other person. "I don't mean to interrupt, but am I the only one that seemed to notice that she just… appeared out of nowhere?" The girl, with bright blue eyes and long, black pigtails, was staring at me as if I'd grown a second head.

Knowing not to open my mouth, I looked to Gohan again, as did Goten and Chi-Chi.

He was gaping. Sweating, too.

"U-um, well, Videl, Midori can fly too!" He laughed nervously. "Midori just likes to drop in sometimes, haha! Right? Literally!" He stared up at me with large eyes and an odd smile.

I stared back at him with an even expression before glancing from side to side. "Yeah. Sure."

Thankfully, our answers seemed to suppress the girl's suspicions.

'This Videl girl can know that I fly, but not use instant transmission?' I followed Goten back around the table and squeezed in next to him. 'Wait… Videl… Videl… Videl… Satan?'

The girl that was blackmailing Gohan.

"Are you a relative of Gohan's?" She continued to ask.

A bowl of rice was slid in front of me and I nodded briefly in thanks. "No," I answered. "Just a family friend… who's also entering the World Tournament." I watched the girl's expression change from light to attentive.

"Oh? Are you strong?"

Goten pulled back from his bowl to exclaim "YEAH! SHE'S SUPER STRONG!"

I chuckled softy. "What he said."

"Well—" Videl seemed pleased. "This tournament's going to turn out to be very interesting."

"Oh yes," I agreed, then turning my sights to Goku's older son. "Think you can make it into the top four, Gohan?" I asked coolly. That would be counting three full-blooded saiyans and then the half-blood teenager.

"Yeah!" He seemed a bit more at ease. "Assuming I don't fight you, dad, or Vegeta before then, I think it'll be a cinch—the four of us in the finals!" And with that last word his eyes suddenly bulged, and he looked like he'd seen a ghost.

I sat a bit straighter at his odd behavior. "What's wrong?"

"Uh— nothing!" He laughed that fake, high-pitched laugh again, waving both hands.

Glancing over at Videl, I noticed that she was watching Gohan with a rather stern eye… 'Ah… she probably thinks her and her father are going to take the victory…'

And Gohan wasn't being truthful about what he (or we) could do. I'd gathered that much from his weeks of super hero activity before and after school, and now, lying about my arrival.

Videl, blue eyes narrowed, asked, "You guys do remember that my father will be in the tournament, right?"

Eyebrows slightly risen, I focused on my food, pushing the fluffy rice into my mouth with a pair of chopsticks. Gohan could answer that question.

"Um, yeah, Videl! I'm just really excited, and um—we've been making bets, that's all! Silly bets!"

I shook my head, unamused, until Goten elbowed me lightly in my left side, snickering. I smirked down at the boy, still chewing.

Yes, one of us would have to face the awesome Hercule Satan. I needed to remember that.

Hah.

/

Author's Note: Character information and choice voice actress

Choice Voice Actor: I'm sure 17 chapters in you all have picked out a voice in your head for Midori and maybe Lattice and Samantha. But in the many years I've been writing this I've always imagined Midori to have the voice of Elizabeth Pena (Mirage from The Incredibles, Detective Johnson in Rush Hour). She's got that kinda deep voice, and a slight accent like Vegeta does (did) in the early Funimation dub. However, if I had to pick from the Funimation roster, it would have to be Christine Auten, voice of Izumi Curtis from Full Metal Alchemist.

Character development: In short, Meedo-Ree (mispronounced as Midori for the rest of her life after leaving Yardrat) was a restless, mischievous, though caring girl; at times a bit more serious and wiser than a human child her age would be. Over the years she spent with Paragus and Broly she became extremely cautious, at times ruthless, and later suffered from depression as a result of the oppression and senseless violence. Starting life on Earth allowed her to heal some old wounds.

Through Vegeta's eyes, Midori (as an adult) is easy-going, with the occasional mischievous streak, but is generally a "play no games" type of person. He appreciates her usual calm demeanor and takes pride in her strength and willingness + ability to keep up with him. They relate very well in terms of heritage, life experience, and fighting. Their arguments/fights are usually over petty things (like food, or awkward adaptation to human inventions/ideas/etc, usually because one of them made fun of the other).