Hey there, thanks everyone for your support. I checked this chapter a thousand times. Not sure it was enough though.
Chapter 11 – Small talk in a messy kitchen.
"You're looking upset, is something wrong?" Goku asked his son.
The child was sitting opposite from him at the kitchen's table and sulking over his untouched soda. He looked up at his father with a slight frown. His pout told Goku that the kid was indeed bothered by something special.
Gohan averted his eyes away from him and he contemplated the room they were sitting in for a while. "Your place is always so messy, Dad. I wonder how you can live there."
Goku was surprised by the statement. His son didn't hardly blame him for anything, even when he might have good reasons to. Besides Goku didn't figure out why the child would care for the tidiness of his apartment considering he scarcely set a foot in the place. Truth was the sink was overcrowded with dirty dishes while stack of papers were piled up on the ground in lack of space anywhere else. As a matter of fact, it was nothing near Chichi's spotless house. "I guess you're right, son, but I'm pleased that way. I don't spend much time here anyway," Goku replied with a shrug.
Gohan looked down back at his soda, some annoyance displayed on his face. "I know. You stay at home with Mum most of the time. She says you're unable to take care of yourself. Why don't you just move back with us, then?"
Goku pressed his lips together in embarrassment. "Maybe one day, I will. Why not?" he uttered blankly.
Gohan replied with a disbelieving grunt which twisted Goku's guts even more. The kid stared once more at the surrounding chaos. "Meanwhile, you should at least pay someone to clean a bit, don't you think?" he resumed.
Goku was disturbed by his son's behavior. First, the kid had come to visit him completely out of the blue while he hardly ever came to his father's place. He'd showed up with concern on his face and he'd been silent most of the time. Goku knew Gohan well enough to understand he needed to talk about something but couldn't bring himself to do it. Now that Goku had been able to draw some words out of him, Gohan was lecturing him as if father and son had switched places. This wasn't Gohan's usual self and Goku was pretty sure the kid hadn't come to debate about the cleanliness of his house.
Goku rested his chin on his palm in a patient stance. "I don't want to have someone nosing around in my stuff and I told you I'm fine that way. Does that bother you that much?"
He was watching his son's reaction with care. When Gohan met his eyes, the child's features softened a bit and he smiled. He shrugged. "No. I don't really care as a matter of fact."
Goku smiled back. "So? You said you had something to tell me," he insisted although Gohan had never really hinted such thing.
Hesitation was still gleaming in the boy's eyes. "I'll be part of a Junior local tournament next week. Will you be there?" he claimed.
"Sure. I wouldn't miss that." Goku confirmed.
"We're meeting the North District's club. They have really good fighters there and you remember they beat me two years ago. I can't let them get away with it," Gohan explained.
"Of course, you can't. I'm sure you will win this time," Goku claimed.
"Will you train me on Friday evening?" Gohan asked with pleading eyes.
"Huh, I'll do my best. I'll pick you up around 7 if Mum's okay with that."
Gohan nodded. "I'll ask her and let you know."
The boy's mood went back to silence. Goku was aware that the tournament still wasn't the true reason of his son's visit. In normal times, it was something worth a simple call. There was something else. Something serious enough to annoy the kid and Gohan wasn't a nature easily annoyed. Gohan's reluctance to talk to him filled Goku with a dull panic but he did his best to hide it. "Tell me, kid," he murmured.
Gohan gave him a quick glance. He started to toy awkwardly with his glass. "There's a new girl training with us at the club."
Goku repressed a grin as relief washed over him. A girl. That was a fair subject to make his boy nervous. "A girl? A pretty girl?" he repeated mischievously.
Gohan looked up at him in bewilderment. As he saw his father's knowing expression, he frowned. "Dad, this nothing about me being in love or anything gross like that," he grumbled.
"Falling in love is nothing gross," Goku argued.
"It's nothing interesting either and it's definitely not my type anyway," the child grunted.
"Why not? You're ten now, so I guess this is something to be expected soon enough. When it will happen, you won't find it gross or uninteresting, believe me," Goku says as he was trying hard to silence his chuckle.
"It won't happen to me. I really don't see the point if this is about -" Gohan interrupted himself and Goku felt something painful clenching his heart.
The kid looked down back at his soda and sighed. "Whatever," he resumed, "This girls is Satan's daughter. She's very good at fighting and all. I can say she's constantly checking my performance because she knows I'm your son and - I don't know, it's like she wants to beat me because her father hadn't the opportunity to win on you."
"You know it will never happen. I'm sure you're much better than her. Is it what bothers you?" Goku replied calmly.
"I know I'm stronger than her. That's not the point. The point is I feel bad because some kids make fun of her because of the picture we took the other night when her father was walking his dog."
Goku blinked. "Why should you feel bad about that? She doesn't even know who took the picture. Did you tell her?"
Gohan stared at his father with a frown. "Of course not. It's just - I feel like everything is somehow my fault."
Goku raised his eyebrows. "Your fault? Why should it be your fault? Were you the one to pick up these awful pajamas for Satan? Were you the one to put this silly smile on his face? You weren't. The picture we took shows him exactly like he is and fact is it's a bit different from what he likes to pretend to be. It's just his true self for all to see," he explained.
Gohan's face turned thoughtful as he was pondering about his father's speech. "But Dad, Videl has nothing to do with it and some kids are really mean with her," he insisted.
Goku shrugged. "Then, those kids are the ones to blame if they're stupid enough to put the blame on the daughter for the father's flaws. What does that have to do with you? I'm sure this girl is used to enduring her father's fame either way. You shouldn't bother about it."
Gohan nodded but his father could read a stubborn uncertainty on his features. "Still. I feel bad for her and I was thinking that if I have to fight her one day, I'll let her win. Like an apology."
Goku gaped in astonishment. "Gohan, it's ridiculous, you can't do that!" he exclaimed in disapproval.
The kid lowered his head sheepishly at his father's reaction yet Goku still wasn't sure if it meant Gohan agreed with him. "You can't," he repeated as if trying to hammer the idea into his son's brain.
Gohan stood up by grumbling something Goku didn't grasp. Then, the boy grabbed his bag. "Thanks for the advice, Dad but I have to go now. My lunch break is about to end," he announced.
"Wait. You don't think anymore about allowing this girl to beat you, do you?" Goku asked once more as he didn't trust the scowl on his boy's face.
"I don't know Dad. Would it be so shameful?" he retorted while strapping his backpack.
"That's not the point, Gohan. Let's talk about that later again,"
Gohan gave him half smile. "Whatever you want. I have to go now. Don't forget Friday around 7." He waved at his father and exited the apartment.
Goku sighed in concern as soon as he was gone. Gohan was still young and naive and yet he was starting to consider things in a more personal way. Goku wouldn't mind considering it was the natural process of growing up, but allowing anyone to beat him in a fight was something too shocking for the former Champion's taste. It could only be a thoughtless idea and he truly hoped Gohan would give up to such madness. The more Goku pondered about it, the more he felt that Gohan would change his mind provided he found the right words to convince him. Gohan wouldn't disobey him, would he?
As he was mulling over his talk with his son, Goku's eyes fell on the papers he'd been working on before Gohan's arrival. His concern disappeared instantly as he reached out a small note with a phone number scribbled on it. Shienhan's personal phone number. Priceless. His mood cheered up at once.
Goku's net was closing in on the Heiress. He realized that his first attempt to track her down had failed because of his stubborn will to work alone. He could catch an ordinary prey alone but she wasn't exactly an ordinary prey. However, she wasn't an uncatchable prey either. Provided you had a valuable help, she wasn't unreachable and Goku had all the necessary help.
Most of his hope were resting on Vegeta and he prayed that the Saiyan would make it being hired as bodyguard, but beside him Goku was blessed with the temporary secretary and Lunch. Lunch was an insane cost but she was the hell of an efficient investigator. No surprise he'd been tricked by her by the time he was a Martial Artist. He hadn't stood a chance then.
She had been the one to get Shienhan's personal number. Goku didn't know exactly how she made it but she did. She just told him he would receive a phone call from Shienhan's phone and he shall just register the number.
Thus, Goku had a call from a girl claiming to be Lilly the day before. If it hadn't been for this name which was Lunch's alias when she worked undercover, Goku wouldn't have been able to recognize her voice. He'd played the role she offered him very professionally, pretending to be worried for her and asking where she was calling from. A nice guy lend me his phone.
Yeah. Goku could say Shienhan was a nice guy - too nice for his own sake and too nice to withstand Lunch's basic tricks. He was even so nice that Lunch claimed afterward that she might have further contacts with him in case Goku needed more than a phone number.
Goku had no doubt what "more contacts" might mean. Lunch was an attractive woman though not exactly the reporter's taste - especially since her attempt to dye her hair into black had turned into an awful dark blue - and she knew how to handle men. Shienhan was really a nice guy but it didn't prevent him from being a fool.
Goku didn't mind the way as long as she was able to keep an eye on him. He paid her well and hinted that she would get even more if she was able to get more information. She'd winked at him by pocketing the money but did no promise.
Now Goku was wondering about the best use he could have of Shienhan's number.
Bulma Briefs would only trust three people. Her personal secretary, which was seemingly out of the race for health reason. Tien Shinhan, whose number was now stored in Goku's phone. And the dumb little Chiaotzu who wouldn't make a move without Shienhan's approval. Chiaotzu knew nothing valuable or if he did, his talk wouldn't be reliable. Furthermore, Shienhan would always watch him so it was hard to go close to him. For that reason, Goku had given up to use him for his investigation.
A harsh knock at the door snatched him out of his meditation. He recognized the careless brutal way as Saiyan. "Come in, Vegeta. I'm in the kitchen," he answered.
The Saiyan stepped in. He was still wearing the suit he'd slipped in for the interview with the Heiress and Goku froze at the sight. Vegeta looked sort of classy but rather the dreadful icy type, more like a killer than like a top-model. Goku remembered what the waitress had said back at Nappa's club. A Prince.
"Any beer in your goddam fridge?" the newcomer asked as he was rummaging the mess in the fridge.
"In the bottom drawer. Help yourself," Goku replied absently, his eyes locked on his visitor.
Vegeta walked to the table by loosening his tie and dropped on the chair Gohan had just sit on minutes before. He pushed the kid's untouched soda to Goku's side and took a sip of his beer.
"So? How did it go?" Goku asked expectantly.
"They hire me," Vegeta stated.
Excitement washed over Goku and he beamed. "Great. How was it? Did you meet her?How is she for real?"
Vegeta stared at him coldly. "She's quite common, rather vulgar to be honest. Bitchy and self-centered like only millionaires can be. You'd be disappointed."
Goku pouted and shrugged. "Weird. I always figured out that she would be somewhat special but it doesn't matter. Pilaf isn't expecting us to write an article about her personality. We got the story already but we need pictures by now. Tell me how you think we can do it."
Vegeta took another sip from his can and sighed. "It won't be as easy as we hoped. She's the hell of a paranoid, you know that. The rules imposed on me as bodyguard are completely crazy. Set aside the fact that I can't display my boss' identity, I'm not allowed to keep anything personal with me while on duty and I'm not informed about anything in anticipation."
Goku was listening with great interest. "Does that mean you won't be able to tell me ahead about her schedule?" he grumbled.
The Saiyan nodded. "Exactly. I'll never know where we're going and what for. I'll always start and end my duty at the Capsule Corp's building. That's all they told me. That, and they'll take my personal phone away and give me a professional one for my working time.
Goku grabbed a pen and toyed with it while pondering about Vegeta's explanation. "Maybe we could talk through that phone, pretending you keep in touch with your family. We could agree about a code and-"
"Personal calls won't be allowed with that phone. Shienhan told me it was a caution to prevent anyone trying to use me to locate the Heiress. I think we should be careful to respect these rules. I have no doubt they will check my every move and I wouldn't like to screw up. It would be very bad for us," Vegeta cut off.
Goku frowned, his eyes still glued to the pen he was fidgeting with. "A bug, then? You could keep a bug on you. They won't check some of your intimate places, I guess," he suggested.
Vegeta glared at him. "This could be an idea but for now, I'd rather be cautious. I wouldn't like to get caught before I could know anything interesting. I'm starting tomorrow evening. The duty lasts 48 hours. I'll see how it turns and after that, we can have a better view on the best choice to make," he replied.
"48 hours?" Goku whistled by looking up at him, "That's a long time to watch her closely. I bet you'll get spicy details we didn't even hoped for."
Vegeta gritted his teeth. "I'm not too pleased about spending so much time with her but I can't deny that it might make things easier for us."
"I'll have to keep in touch with you though. We need pictures. Pictures are the most bankable things," Goku reminded.
"I'll do my best to give you a call if I can but you'll have to react in real time. Furthermore, I suspect they will investigate on me, so I think it best if we avoid direct contact for a while," Vegeta offered.
"Lunch could be our messenger if needed."
Vegeta scowled at the name. "Her again? I don't trust this woman," he grunted.
Goku smirked. He'd always thought Lunch and Vegeta were somehow alike and it was the reason why they wouldn't go along very well. They were both his most precious partners though. "She's reliable, believe me. She was able to get Shienhan's personal number for me and she's working on getting even more information from him. As long as I pay her, she'll be our most efficient ally."
"Shienhan?" Vegeta growled in surprise.
Goku gave a nod. "He's the heart of the Heiress' security. I thought it would be interesting to have more than the information you'll have access to. I'll take care of the baseball player. How does it sound?"
Vegeta's gaze was dark. Goku could say he hadn't expected him to be so well-organized and it filled the former champion with pride to let him know that he was always the one ahead. "Don't forget our deal, Goku, you're supposed to share everything with me. Don't try to fool me," the Saiyan resumed with a sharp voice.
"I won't, don't worry. All you have to do is open your eyes and ears and figure out the best way to settle a little shooting of the lovebirds. I'm sure, it won't be difficult for someone like you," Goku replied with cheers tinging his voice.
Vegeta sipped the rest of his beer without a word. He looked unaffected by all the good news but Goku suspected him to hide the fact that he was impressed by his partner's work. The Saiyan wiped his mouth with the back of his hand when he was done with the beer. "I wonder if this sweet love story is much of an interesting story though," he uttered.
Goku was taken aback by the statement. They have been working on it for the past weeks and now Vegeta was questioning the usefulness of their efforts. Goku assumed the Saiyan's pride was rather hurt by the realization that Goku had been the one to make up all their plans. "It's enough to fill Pilaf with awe and our pocket with dough," Goku cracked.
"Certainly but Pilaf is Pilaf and the readers are something else. Maybe another topic would break Snapshot's sales record better than a lame romance and I remind you that we're supposed to get a part of the issue's benefits," Vegeta replied calmly.
Goku rested his chin in his palm in a disbelieving stance. "And what would it be, if I may ask?"
Vegeta toyed nervously with his empty can likely musing over what he should answer. "Never wonder about who would like to kill her?" he asked.
Goku raised his eyebrows. "Well, it could be anyone considering her fame. A maniac, a competitor trying to scare her or even some of Yamcha's crazy fangirls, who knows? Do you even have a hint about that? Why do you bother?"
Vegeta was watching blankly at the can turning between his fingers. "When I met her, there was something bothering me. She's not scared. At least, not as scared as she should. I'd say she's mostly 'nervous' and it's not natural."
Goku rolled his eyes. "I didn't know you were an expert in human feelings but whatever, what do you have in mind then?"
The Saiyan stopped playing with his can and gazed at Goku. "I might not be an expert in human feelings but I'm an expert in fear, trust me. This woman knows something about the killer after her and that's why she isn't as scared as she should be. I'm not sure of myself but I'd say that she hired the sniper herself."
Goku gaped at the idea. He remained speechless for a moment. "But… Why would she do that? It doesn't make sense."
Vegeta shrugged. "I have no idea but I'd like to know."
Goku shook his head. This talk was going nowhere. It was all about Vegeta's instinct and they didn't need theories and assumption, they needed pictures and heartbreaking stories. "No offense but what you tell me sounds crazy. Why not keep going on with the baseball player and whenever your hear something useful about that killer, we can see if there's anything interesting we could drag about it?"
As a reply, Vegeta's fingers drummed on the table while weighing up his partner's offer. Goku feared he' irritated him, but his story was insane. Goku had to admit he would eagerly buy any details about the person willing to kill the Heiress. Yet, finding out who this person was was a much tougher work than investigating on the Heiress' love life and Goku knew Pilaf would pay well enough for the romance.
"Okay," Vegeta sighed. "We'll do as planned. Just keep an eye on Shienhan, he might have information about the sniper."
Goku was relieved to hear the Saiyan's speech back to reason and he gave him a beam. Vegeta didn't return the smile. Instead, he stood up in order to leave. Once again, Goku was taken aback by the way he looked with his black suit and his mind went back to the waitress' confession some days before. He'd thought about it a lot. He'd even checked out the History of Vegitasei in search for pictures. Yet, the scarce photos of the Royal family he'd found were blurry and old and he hadn't been sure if Vegeta could be the kid on them. He needed to ask him.
"I heard something weird about you, back at Nappa's club" he stated hesitantly.
Vegeta froze and had a questioning frown. His features formed a warning sign as not to ask any questions but Goku wasn't the type to care for warning sign. "Someone told me you were a Saiyan Prince, or should I say a Saiyan 'Sen'."
Vegeta blinked. "So what? Do you intend to bow on my way? I would love it if you ask."
Goku had a shrill. "So, that's true. Are you indeed the little Prince?" he whispered.
The Saiyan's eyes flared in anger. "Don't you dare calling me that name," he hissed.
Goku was caught off guard by the dull rage in his voice. Vegeta grabbed the back of the chair before him and he clenched his fists so hard on it that Goku thought he was about to break the chair apart. The Sayian leaned forward to him and resumed. "If you knew Vegitsei's History, you'd know that this was how the Ice-Jinns named me as a way to mock me and my people."
Goku felt abashed. "I… I gave a look at Vegitasei's History but I didn't keep that in mind. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you," he stammered sheepishly. Truth was that the few things he remembered of Vegitasei's History were endless wars with the Ice-Jinns ending with a dirty bomb causing the bloody disappearance of the Saiyan people. It was what most people had in mind when you mentioned Vegitasei. The bomb.
Vegeta cocked an eyebrow and for some reasons, Goku's confession seemed to soothe his anger. "So, you gave a look at Vegitasei's History. You should give it a closer look. If I were you, I'd study especially the life of a certain general. His name was Bardock. I'm pretty sure his story will interest you."
Goku nodded stupidly as he was mostly relieved to see Vegeta back to a calmer mood. "Was he some relatives of yours?"
Vegeta gave him an intense look and sighed. "No, he wasn't. I just thought… Forget about it. Let's just focus on our work. I need some rest before I take my duty tomorrow. Let me know if you learn anything new by then."
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