Gohan's Moving Castle
Meet the Family
Morning…
Up North at the ports of Haven, a massive military movement was underway. The ports of Haven were playing host to an entire naval armada, made up of super-dreadnaught class battleships, heavy cruisers, medium cruisers, heavy destroyers and Nevada-class battleships. Packed with the largest caliber guns ever, these high powered war machines had their sails set for the oceans to the South where they planned to attack the advancing Southern armies. The presence they had was both intimidating and fierce. No one would dare strike an entire convoy of super-class war machines like these.
Horns sounded and music bellowed over the ports as the ships left port. Along the decks crowded hundreds of sailors with triple the amount of soldiers. The battleships were also escorting freighters that carried thousands more of the nations soldiers, including tanks, horses and other armored vehicles. The citizens of Port Haven were amassing at the docks and jetties to see the mighty ships off. They cheered on their nation's armies and naval forces as they parted for the furthest reaches of the world. Most people would consider war as an adventure. They knew very little of what they were going up against, but they were going to enjoy it none the less.
As the powerful dreadnaughts sailed into the horizon within the hour, the crowds cheering and shouting began to silence. Soon enough, the battleship convoy was gone, leaving the port with only patrol boats to defend it. Still, everyone could see that it was very peaceful here.
Now that the ships and the battle ready armies in the region were gone, the people of the port town began going about their business once more. With their flags lowered down and the mood of celebration out of their system, it was time to head back to work. In their hundreds, people headed on home. The normal sounds of the day returned, the swooshing of the sea, the squeaking of the seagulls and the chugging of the fishing boats moving about port. It seemed as though there was no war going on at all.
With the majority of soldiers gone off to war, it left the homeland rather undermanned. But there were still signs of soldiers on guard here. Regular army troops who were ordered to stand guard over the city were marching about bored out of their minds. There were also marines too, their soul purpose here being lookouts. Aside from the law enforcement, there were a couple of tanks, anti-aircraft crews at their posts and cavalry guardsmen. It was too quiet for their taste, what with their comrades gone off to war.
Now that the commotions had settled, the mayor of the town was free to move about. Carrying on with his daily tasks, he began hiking up one of the steepest hills in town. The streets were virtually empty up here, which was a good thing, but the flamboyant, suit wearing old man was still finding it hard to get up the hill. Escorted by two North Kingdom regular army soldiers, the mayor approached a double-story store. It was a little run down and certainly didn't look like much. Even so, this was definitely his destination.
Stopping in front of the chipped door, the mayor fixed up his suit and knocked on the door. Above the door's frame was a worn out sign, but it clearly read 'The Great Wizard Jenkins'.
After knocking on the door, the mayor waited…
The other side of the door…
Videl was silently sleeping on the couch, still wrapped up in her cloak and jacket she wore last night. Some strands of black hair hung delicately over her face as she slept; her breathing normal and ki relaxed. She hadn't slept so long in ages. It must have been from her exhausting ordeal yesterday. Whatever the case, the girl continued to sleep even though bright sunlight hit her face, shooting through the open windows.
After some more time had dragged on, there was a knock on the door. The sound failed to wake Videl from her slumber. It was only the second, longer time to knocking went on did it finally get to her. With the echoing of the door forcing her out of her dream sequence, the raven haired girl's eyes fluttered open and she slowly lifted her head off of the comfy couch arm she was nestled against.
Videl adjusted to the light of the room, with things still a little fuzzy. She really wasn't used to waking up like this, especially this early after a long day of walking. Shaking her head to clear it, Videl finally caught the sharp sounds that had woken her in the first place. Her head and eyes turned towards the door of the castle, falling on the stair shaft just someway across the room. The knocking kept on coming, making the girl blink.
Memories of what happened yesterday flooded back to her, making her think. Wasn't she on a moving castle? If so how can there be someone knocking on the door? Was it the postman?
Before she could think anymore then from the point she reached, the girl heard the sound of footsteps overhead and gasped. Turning round, her eyes lay centered on the stairs. Through the small gap somewhere round the ceiling where the staircase disappeared, she saw a pair of legs dashing down the stairs. If this was the owner, he or she would sure be mad to see her here. She had to come up with something fast in order to avoid interrogation.
Unable to think fast enough, the girl did the quick and simple. She rested her head back on its original placement and closed her eyes, pretending to still be asleep. She did this in the nick of time too. The owner of the small legs came into view, rushing down the flight of stairs and appearing in the room quick haste. The instant the boy entered the lounge room he spotted the girl lying on the couch and rushed over to her. Leaning over, he took a closer look into her face, his eyes widened with surprise and curiosity.
"Hey, who's this lady," the spiky haired boy asked. He looked over at Calcifer sitting calmly in his fireplace. "Never mind…what door Calcifer?"
"Port Haven door!" the flickering fire answered. The spiky, black haired boy nodded before running over to the dining table. Along the way he could help but ask himself how that girl got into the castle. As soon as the boy left the side of the couch, Videl's left eye opened and followed the little scamp. She stopped faking her sleep-breathing and just went on to regular breathing. She believed it was convincing enough.
From then on in, Videl watched the boy rush around, getting ready to open the door. All the while, she wondered what the fuss was about. Anyway, the spiky haired seven year old made a grab for what looked like a small cloak lying on the table. Tossing the stuff off of it, he pulled it free and flung it on. It covered him completely, including the money sack he had tied around his belt. With the cloak firmly fastened, the boy then pulled the hood over his head. When he lowered his hands, he pulled them over his face, where he pulled off an amazing trick. A grey, silvery beard dropped down to his waste, covering his face from the nose down. The skin around his eyes also aged many years, making him look like a small, old man. Because of the cloak that covered his body, you couldn't tell that he was really a young boy.
As soon as his disguise was pulled on, the boy or…uhh…old man scampered down the stairs and stopped in front of the door. When he reached it he said, "Stand by," before twisting a door like knob above the actual door knob. When he did that, a dial overhanging the door suddenly flipped. It was divided into four quarters, each one color coded. The four colors were: red, green, black and blue. When the boy turned the knob, the dial flipped to blue. As soon as he did that, stronger beams of light shot through the windows, lighting up the room all the more. With that done, the boy gripped the door handle and pulled it open.
When the door swung open, more light gushed in front the outside and standing on the other side was a man Videl had never seen before. He was fat, wore a suit, bow-tie, top hat, and had a big yellow mustache and a big smile. He was also escorted by two Northern army soldiers. At the sight of the soldiers, the raven haired girl grew more concerned about herself. Did they know she was here? Have they come to get her? Well…all of that remained to be found out. She listened in intently from where she lay, looking down the stairwell toward the exit to the castle.
The disguised boy bowed to the gentleman before looking back up. "Mr. Mayor, good day," he said, covering his voice with an old man's tone.
The Mayor nodded curtly in return. "Good afternoon sir, would the great wizard Jenkins be at home?"
Videl raised an eyebrow. So the men weren't here for her. Hang on…Mayor? Where the hell was she? Surely she was still inside the castle. While she questioned her confusion she continued listening, at the same time sitting up to get a better look down the stair shaft.
"I'm afraid my master is out at the moment, I speak for him in his absence," the boy replied, continuing his cover up. The Mayor nodded in understanding before holding out towards the boy a yellow envelope with the seal of Port Haven town and the royal seal stamped beside it. The young boy took it from him carefully, as if it were something vital.
"An invitation from his Majesty the King, the time of war is upon us. Wizard Jenkins must report to the palace immediately. That is all," the Mayor stated. The boy nodded affirmatively to the Mayor and smiled underneath his lifelike beard.
"Thank you sir, I'll be to inform him when he returns."
Having heard enough and was certain the boy knew she was awake; Videl got up and stretched out. Her furry tail swung lazily behind her, happy to be able to move freely again. After tossing the cloak off of her, along with her jacket, she walked over to the fireplace, letting out a yawn. Needing to feed more fuel to the fire, she grabbed another to blocks of firewood and tossed them onto Calcifer. He accepted them without a fuss, seeing that his previously placed wood was turning to ash.
Hearing about the news of war, the raven haired girl shook her head, placing her hands close to the fire and rubbing them. She needed to warm up. "War…sounds terrible…gees…I can't believe it's come down to this…"
Along the way over her fireplace venture, she heard the door slam shut and the footsteps of the boy coming up the stairs. When the still disguised seven year old appeared again, he eyed the girl suspiciously and raised an eyebrow.
"And what do you think you're doing here miss? Did you get lost or something?" he asked, still using his old man voice. He suspected the girl hadn't seen his real face; unfortunately he was out of luck.
Videl smiled over at him, gesturing down at the orange fire. "Calcifer said I could come in," she blankly replied, using this as her excuse. Calcifer's face formed in the fire and he rose in protest.
"I did not! She just wandered in here from the wastes!" he shouted. The boy blinked in surprise, looking at the girl more curiously.
"She's from the wastes?" Waving his hands over his face and removing his hood, the boy dropped his disguise. The beard disappeared and his once old face morphed back into its original youthfulness. Shaking his head, he looked over at Calcifer before walking over to the dinner table with the letter in hand. "How do we know she's not a witch?"
Videl giggled. The boy looked quite sweet, and his persona matched that easily of a very naïve, kind hearted child. He had orb, black eyes, spiky black hair that stuck out everywhere and boyish features underneath. Underneath the cloak he wore a blue, purple and yellow lined indoor top with purple trousers and indoor shoes. A yellow belt was strapped around his waist, which also held the money bag. It was a nice outfit, especially for his age. Calcifer shook himself from side to side, as if shaking his head, seeing that he didn't have one, really…
"Do you really think I'd let a witch in here, Goten? Seriously…" As soon as he finished, the bell to the door rang, alerting his and Videl's attention. Calcifer turned to the boy. "Port Haven door again!"
Goten blinked, having just recently opened up one of the large books lying on the dining table under heavy piles of clogging mess. He shrugged, placing the letter on one of the pages and slamming the book shut, a cloud of dust rising. "Must be a customer…" Once more the boy pulled his hood over, his disguise morphing instantaneously.
Cluttering down the stairs like before, Goten said loudly, "stand by," and then opened the door. The dial was already turned to blue so there was no need for him to change it. The door swung open, light from the outside entering the dark mists of the castle. Now standing outside the door was a little girl. She wore a red and pink dress and had orange hair. She had to be no more then six.
Goten greeted the girl cheerfully. "Yes my dear child…"
She nodded to him and gulped before speaking. "Umm…my mom sent me to pick up a spell…"
The young boy nodded in understanding and bid her in, going up the stairs first followed by the girl. The door closed slowly, all thanks to Calcifer's doing. "Ahh yes, of course, do come in. It's the usual I presume…" The young girl nodded as they walked up the stairs before stepping into the lounge or, in this case, business room.
"Yes…"
"Wait right here please." Videl watched as Goten walked across the lounge and towards the shelves behind the dining table. It was here where a lot of vials, flasks and bottles sat, glimmering with all sorts of liquids. They were obviously potions, used in combination with vials of dust, powders and glitter. It was something Videl expected to see in a moving castle. A lot of magic was going on around here.
The girl saw Videl standing by the fireplace and so, focused her curiosity on her. The raven haired girl saw the girl staring at her, but ignored her. Figures… out here in Port Haven the population knew very little about her and her father. Besides, a war was going on; they had little time to think about such petty matters. It had been years after the Cell games anyway.
Deciding to paste her attention onto something else, Videl began wondering about the sudden upbringing of customer's top the castle. With her curiosity getting the better of her, Videl walked over to the nearest window, which happened to be by the stair shaft and adjacent to the potion's shelf. While Goten was at work with filling in the girl's order, Videl gazed out the window, expecting to see masses of hills and wide open landscapes. She got a real big shock when she saw a wide expanse of town and beyond that, over the horizon a sparkling blue sea. Seagulls flew about, squawking and making a natural noise for the Port city. Odd…
Videl blinked in disbelief. "It…it's not the wastes…"
The girl, finally able to buck up more courage stepped forward towards the raven haired girl a spoke. "Excuse me miss, are you a witch too?"
Videl, hearing this, turned around in response. She smiled over to the girl and shook her head. "Oh no, you have me mistaken. I'm just the cleaning lady…" The girl smiled and nodded.
"Oh, OK…I see," she exclaimed.
Moments later, Goten returned to the girl with a paper bag. He handed it to the girl who took it with a glimmer of happiness. She paid for it, handing the boy the money.
"Just sprinkle this powder on the boat and the winds will favor her," Goten stated, being sure to point out its use. The girl smiled up at him.
"Right, thanks," she said politely. With a final nod, she turned around and headed out. The door opened with a swing, Goten walking over to the shaft to make sure she found her way out right. Videl joined him at his side, watching the little girl leave.
"Farewell child…" When he finished, she was gone, her 'fair-well' return managing to fit through the crack of the door just as it closed. When the door shut itself, Goten looked up at the raven haired girl with a disgruntled scowl underneath his beard. "Could you please not interact too much with the customers, people aren't supposed to know too much about what goes on in here…"
Videl looked at him with perplexity. "Hmm…what about you, you're wearing a disguise?"
Goten nodded affirmatively, putting the money in the pouch under his cloak. When he did, he pulled his hands over his face, removing the hood and his facial disguise. "I have too, I'm practicing my magic. Plus my big brother told me too." There was another doorbell ring, all eyes present in the room turning towards the door down the stairs. Now it was Calcifer's turn to cut in, his voice reaching their ears.
"It's the Kingsbury door!"
Following his duties to answer each doorbell ring and/or knock, Goten pulled over his disguise and marched down the stairs hastily. Videl stood by, not wanting to be seen but also curious to see what was going to happen next. She had so many questions popping up in her head already.
Once again Goten said, "Stand by," before he reached the door. Instead of swinging it open, the spiky haired child reached up for the rusty knob. He twisted it round, the dial flicking to red this time with the sound of a chime ringing when it did. With the destination set, Goten swung open the door. Light flowed in, only to have it overshadowed by a man standing in front of the door. It turned out to be yet another Northern army soldier, only this one was different. It wax clearly an officer dressed in a full red, officer's outfit. He had gold linings, buttons, laces, black combat, calf high boots and yellow epaulettes with the rest of his uniform red. He had a red cape drawn over his right shoulder and under his arm nestled a steel helmet with a golden spike on top. The man was around his thirties, with a brown goatee and thin mustache.
The officer smiled friendlily down at the short man who answered the door. "Good day, would this be the residence of the great wizard Pendragon?"
"It is," Goten replied withy a nod. The soldier was really pleased to hear this, knowing that he had found the right place.
"I bare an invitation from his Majesty the King. Please inform Mr. Pendragon that all witches and wizards are to report for duty at the palace," handing a yellow paper envelope with the King's seal of approval stamped on it. Goten took it with no hesitation, nodding to the officer curtly. Videl, recognizing the uniform design, walked down the stairs slowly, peaking through the open door towards this man.
Before she could get there, Goten was already bidding good-bye to the messenger. "I will inform him right away. Thank you for stopping bye," Goten replied, rehearsing his practice lines. The officer bowed in respect before straightening up and walking away. By this time, Videl had reached the door. When she saw what was outside the castle, she could not believe her eyes.
As the officer who had delivered the message drove away in his black, silver barred Rolls-Royce, the raven haired girl was able to get a good view of her new surroundings. Beyond the door was a world of unimaginable royalty and wonder. Stone-cobble roads lay built with palace like buildings, hotels, houses and shops standing stories high into the sky. A castle stood some ways down the cityscapes, this being the most recognizable landmark in the entire city. To add to it, even the people dressed nicely. They wore classical dress wear of shining colors suited from the 1800's to the 1940's. They definitely blended into the scenery. When Videl looked up into the skies, she was surprised to see how clear it was. However, it was currently occupied as a Northern military air force squadron was on patrol. The one-manned, streamline like planes flew high above the ground, flocking like birds but maintaining one course.
Videl's eyes continued scanning the outside world, awe struck and astounded. Goten took no care or notice of Videl's gob smacked expression and just headed on inside, standing by the door and readying to close it. Videl gulped. "T-This is the royal city isn't it…Kingsbury? Wow! I've never seen such extravagant artwork buildings and design in my life!"
Goten shook his head. "MOVE IT LADY or you'll lose your nose!" Goten shouted, warning the girl that he was going to close the door.
Videl took the hint and slowly backed up. Soon she was indoors again, the door slamming shut thanks to Goten. When it closed, the young girl was left standing, rooted to the spot. As she continued to stare at the door where the glamorous world once stood, Goten turned on his heel and left her, walking back up stairs to put his cloak away.
"Now stop wandering around!" Goten said one last time in warning. He really didn't know her that well yet, so it was understandable by the way he was acting. Videl glanced over her shoulder, seeing the chibi disappear somewhere up in the lounge room.
Curious as she ever was, Videl decided to test how this door really worked. She had seen the boy use it, she was sure she could operate it. Looking back to the door, she reached out for the knob above the actual handle and gripped it. With a twist to the right, the colors in the dial shifted immediately so that the color was green. Then, taking the door handle, she pulled the door open with a click. As soon as she opened the door, a cold rush of wind blew into the castle, rustling her clothes and making her cringe at the low temperature.
Peaking out the open door, Videl began examining these new surroundings. It was foggy, wet and chilly; not to mention the wind was quite fierce. After careful examinations of the outside world, she figured she was in the wastes again. The castle hulking back was hanging above her with the hind legs propped on the ground on either side of the giant machine. The raven haired girl was surprised to see that the castle wasn't moving anymore.
For several seconds she continued taking in the misty world beyond the door. When it got too cold for her and she had had enough, Videl pulled her head back in and closed the door. Starting to have more fun with this strange door, Videl turned the knob again and changed the color of the dial once more. This time, she flipped it to blue, the color she had seen Goten use previously. When the dial chimed, signaling its change, Videl pulled opened the door.
Light gushed into the room, accompanied by a rush of warmth. Instead of just staying indoors for this one, Videl walked out onto the porch, looking left and right. The familiar outside street of Port Haven was lit up before her, with the town extending out onto the horizon with the sea stretching the rest of the way, sparkling like a wide valley of sapphires. The buildings around the street and the building she had just walked out of were all similar in design and color. It matched the atmosphere and time slot really well.
Right now, people were bustling about, getting on with their day to day activities and chores. An advertisement stand had been set up across the road where a North Kingdom soldier stood selling newspapers and pamphlets about the war. A lot of people happened to be flocking around the stand, reading the news with wide eyes. Bickering seemed to flow to Videl's ears, cutting into the peaceful sounds of the seaside.
After a few seconds outside in the Port Haven air, Videl turned around and walked back inside, being sure her tail followed her. Closing the door behind her, the girl went on with her explorations of the dials. She chuckled mischievously as she twisted the knob, seeing the colors flip by quickly. Just as she was about to switch it back to the red one, Goten appeared above her, leaning over the stair shaft's boundary railings.
"Leave it alone lady, I'm getting angry!" Goten stated with a tight scowl. Videl smiled, looking up at the spiky haired boy glaring down at her. Even when he was angry he looked sweet. She took note that he had already deposited his cloak on one of the couches.
"This is a magic castle isn't it?" Videl guessed. The only answer she got out of the seven year old was a groan of annoyance. The raven haired girl turned around even more, looking up at Goten all the more curiously. "Hey, where does the black one lead?" The chibi Saiyan sighed and stomped off, steaming.
"Only my brother Gohan knows that. Anyway, I need some breakfast, I'm starved…"
The half Saiyan child marched over to the kitchen part of the lounge room. Of course, it had already been established that the desks and shelves were jam packed with all sorts of articles of food. They ranged from fruits and vegetables, bread, eggs, meat products etc. By adding up the food supplies, Videl presumed you could live in here without restocking for quite some time. For now, Goten didn't decide to feast on a proper meal. Instead, he made a grab for a loaf of bread and a plate carrying a huge chunk of cheddar cheese. To add to it, he also collected a couple of old China glasses and a bottle of milk from the rock insulator. With his arms and hands full, the child then marched over to the dining table.
Videl, returning to the floor of the lounge room passed Goten by heading over to the kitchen shelves. After quickly looking over the food piles, she pulled over the basket of eggs and a silver platter covered by foil. Lifting the foil she saw several huge slices of bacon piled underneath. They looked very fresh and tasty. The girl raised an eyebrow and looked over at the boy. Goten was shoving stuff off of the table and away, making space to sit the stuff he had in his hands down.
"Don't you want to have some bacon and eggs? I can whip up some backed beans as well," Videl said, taking a bowl of refrigerated beans in sauce, the basket of eggs and the platter of bacon. Goten shook his head, sliding onto the seat and making do with the bread and cheese, as well as the milk.
"Yeah, but we can't use the fire, my brother's not home," Goten replied, collecting some forks and knives.
Chuckling, Videl took the stuff she held and walked over to the nearby wall beside the fireplace. There were kitchen utensils hanging off of the wall, ranging from all shapes, sizes and types. There were four frying pans hanging as well, each designed to hold different things. Seeing that the breakfast she had in mind required a large dish to be cooked on, Videl grabbed the largest frying pan with the longest handle. She was sure Calcifer had a bad temper and would attempt to blow her away, but she had a few tricks up her sleeve. She had taken home economics, as well as serving herself when her father or the maid was away.
Taking a large wooden spoon, Videl smiled and walked over to the fireplace. "Don't worry, I can cook. I'll have this done in no time…"
Goten looked over at her, blinking in surprise. Maybe he didn't make himself clear enough. Just in case, he decided to rephrase what he had said. "It doesn't matter if you can cook. Calcifer only obeys my brother…"
The fire demon nodded, his flickering form becoming fiercer. "That's right lady, I'm not taking any orders from you!" He made a raspberry sound, poking fun at the girl.
Videl didn't mind his offenses. As soon as she stopped in front of the fire sheath and set her stuff down, she twirled the frying pan by the handle in between her fingers and caught it in a firm grip. The girl grinned evilly down at the fire and cracked her neck, as if warming herself up.
"Alright Calcifer, lets get cooking…"
This, the fire demon didn't take a liking too. "I DON'T COOK! I'M A SCARY AND POWERFUL FIRE DEMON! RRRAAAAGGGGHHH!!!!" Calcifer roared in outrage, sticking an orange-yellow tongue out and waving it about in a menacing way, but just did it to get his point across. Videl smirked, her eyes glinting.
"How would you like a bucket of cold water in your face?" the raven haired girl asked. She then thought of something else. Leaning forward, she raised her hand so to block it out of Goten's earshot range and began whispering. "Or maybe I should tell Gohan about our bargain…"
Calcifer looked taken aback. He groaned in irritation and muttered under his breath. Now he was stuck in between a rock and a hard place. "…doh…stupid me…I NEVER SHOULD HAVE LET HER IN HERE!!!"
Videl smiled, placing the frying pan over him. Calcifer attempted to stop her by holding two fiery hands up and pushing the frying pan's base back up. He resisted magnificently. "So what will it be?" Videl asked, applying more pressure.
Just as she thought Calcifer would continue to resist, the fire eventually gave in and shrunk down to size. The frying pan flattened him and a nice, cold blue flame replaced him, forming a circular base to fit the frying pan's size. Videl nodded with a proud smile, reaching over for the platter and pulling up one of the slices of bacon. She tossed it onto the pan, letting it sizzle.
"That's right, that's a good fire…"
Calcifer's face appeared in the blue flame, a very disgruntled look edged on his expression. Despite being quite featureless, except for the fact that he was the element of fire, he did make excellent looks to show his displeasure etc. He glared up at the girl tending the bacon on the frying pan sitting on his head. "Here's another curse…'may all your bacon burn'…" he muttered in disgust.
Goten was watching with amazement. His eyes were widened at the sight of the raven haired girl taming Calcifer. He had never seen someone do that before accept his brother, even he was never able to get Calcifer to do anything. The chibi Saiyan blinked in disbelief.
"Calcifer is doing what she says…" Goten whispered.
Videl smiled, glancing over her shoulder toward the spiky haired child. "I feel like some tea…do you have a kettle?" Goten nodded affirmatively, shaking out of his state of shock.
"Sure," Goten replied, hopping off of his chair and dashing over to the sink. Calcifer heard Videl's proposal to make tea, as well as the word 'kettle'. He began shouting more protests, completely befuddled by what these people were doing to him.
"Hey-hey-hey! What are you doing!? Don't get the kettle…whose side are you on anyway!? Hey Goten, Goten…wait a second…HEY!"
Looking through the piles of dirty dishes, Goten began seeking out the clean kettle. He found it among the depositories, picking it up out of the pile of dishes and checking to see its condition and state. Fortunately it was clean enough to use.
Just as Goten was examining it, the chibi Saiyan picked up a chime on the wind and looked up. Sensing a familiar presence entering his mists, Goten turned around toward the stair shaft behind him. He saw that the dial was flipped to black and the windows were no longer playing host to any beams of light. Outside the castle, it was all dark now. He immediately knew who was coming.
Seconds after he heard the chime, Goten saw the door open and…emerging from the unknown depths of the dark, outside world beyond the black door came his brother. Wearing the same outfit as he had worn countless times before, the 18 year old half Saiyan shut the door behind him and walked up the stairs slowly, obviously exhausted. Goten was delighted to see his brother. As soon as he began marching up the stairs, he rushed over to the railings and began talking to him.
"Gohan, you're back! Hey, the King's messengers were here! They said you had to report to the palace as both Pendragon and Jenkins!" Goten informed. Gohan looked up, registering to his younger brother. The older Saiyan smiled kindly and nodded affirmatively.
"Thank you Goten, I'll be sure to read the messages," Gohan replied, continuing up the few steps left before taking to the lounge room floor.
Hearing a third party member nearby, Videl turned away from her cooking to see who Goten was addressing. She got quite a shock when she saw the familiar, blonde haired, mystery man who had saved her days ago. She stared at him only momentarily before she went back to work, tossing the bacon around so that it was done properly.
An awkward silence dawned on the room as Gohan approached the fireplace. He had spotted the girl working by the sheath and making breakfast. He was definitely surprised to see the raven haired guest working with Calcifer, especially since he was following her orders. Stopping beside her, he saw that she was continuing to work, even though he was standing beside her. She was really devoted to her work. Still, he was happy…like always.
Gohan smiled at the blue fire burning around the base of the pan. "Calcifer…you're being so obedient," Gohan said in a soft voice. His tone, though as mature and battle-hardened as it was, he was still just as kind as ever.
The blue fire responded to his master in kind. Turning its original orange color, the demon's face appeared. From the look of it, he was very distressed. "Not on purpose, she bullied me!" Gohan chuckled in amusement. His friend's hysterics always made him laugh.
"Not just anybody can do that," Gohan added. He then turned to the unexpected guest, seeing her still working away. "…and you are…who?" he continued.
Videl grinned and then turned to the spiky, blond haired Saiyan. A streak of red crossed her cheeks as she smiled happily up at him. "Uhh, my name is Videl. I'm the new cleaning lady I just started work today. Heh-heh," she exclaimed. Gohan smirked and floated down to her.
"Why don't you let me handle that," he said, gently taking the frying pan from her and the spoon she held. Videl was hurried aside, the girl watching with great interest as Gohan took the wheel of the stove. He tapped the bacon, the piece of meat sizzling on the frying pan's hot surface. He nodded to it with satisfaction.
"Nice work, now if you please, hand me two more slices of that bacon, and six more of those eggs. The beans can wait," he stated. Guiding the pan over to the girl, he held it out, waiting for the other articles of breakfast to be placed on it. Videl, quickly making do with the required pieces, picked up to more slices of bacon and placed them on the pan. They sizzled as soon as they touched the surface. Gohan then pulled the frying pan back over the fire and continued on with the work. The raven haired girl helped as best she could; handing him one egg at a time. The young Saiyan cracked the shells against the side of the fireplace's side before opening them above the pan, the egg's contents spilling out onto it. They sizzled as soon as they stuck. Gohan disposed of the empty shell easily, throwing it into the fire. This was a good thing for Calcifer. As soon as the eggs were tossed at him, his face appeared along with his mouth. It opened up, accepting the egg shells. He moaned in delight, feasting on the broken egg shells.
Videl handed Gohan his six eggs individually with Calcifer feasting on the shells. While the two of them worked together on the breakfast, Gohan's curiosity about the girl grew. He clearly recognized her as the girl from a few days ago whom he saved. But how she got here was a real mystery. Glancing at her briefly, he took a quick peak at her ki and appearance. He may not have noticed this before, but the girl's features have defined slightly, making her much more beautiful. She also had a power surge, as well as a spirit lift. Inspections of both outer appearance and inner appearance ended quickly, but not without the young Saiyan spotting out a brown, furry tail waving casually behind her. He deduced it as a spell of some sorts.
Looking back to his work, Gohan decided to ask her a few questions. "So…who hired you to clean?"
She responded to this instantaneously. "Uhh…Calcifer did, he's disgusted by how dirty it is in here," Videl replied, handing him one last egg. Gohan nodded. After a few more seconds of letting their breakfast cook, he looked over at Goten and bade for his assistance.
"Hey sport, get the plates!"
The chibi Saiyan immediately got to work, gathering cups, plates, forks and spoons. He had to make even more room on the table, pushing stuff aside with some of it falling to the floor. There were exactly three seats and three spaces for the castle group. Gohan finally finished making breakfast, and with a ginger nod, he walked over to the table. Videl watched dazedly as the handsome Saiyan headed over to join his brother. Calcifer was outraged.
"Wait a second, you're all going to eat while I do all the WORK!!!" he shouted, sparks flying and his form growing larger with his anger. Goten looked at Videl and waved her over.
"Come have a seat Videl!"
Videl smiled and walked over, her tail waving happily. Calcifer scowled as he watched her walk away. While everyone's backs were turned he stuck his tongue out at them before subsiding to muttering and glaring. Videl took her seat on Goten's right side along the length of the table while he sat at the width end where he made space. Gohan sat across from the raven haired girl, evenly distributing bacon and eggs to each person present. Videl was rather confounded by the dust on the table. She had to push it away, the amount of dust lying on the surface forming a pile beside her. She sighed in content. When the plate of bacon and eggs had been pushed in front of her and her tea had been poured, she heard a clutter of utensils and looked up. She saw Goten holding out two spoons and one fork, the child grinning wildly.
"Which do you want? You only get one because the rest are dirty!" he exclaimed happily. Videl took one of the spoons, wiping it with her hand and using the corner of her shirt as a cloth. She muttered under her breath.
"Looks like I've got my work cut out for me…"
Gohan was now slicing bread for his friends and family. He handed the first slice to Goten, seeing him take it eagerly. "Bread, Goten…"
"Thank you, big brother!" Goten exclaimed.
Gohan smiled and sliced another large piece, handing this one to Videl. She gasped when her attention suddenly glued to it. "Videl…" he said softly. The raven haired girl nodded and took it gently.
"Yes…thank you…"
After cutting a piece for himself, Gohan then raised his cup of tea and smiled to the pair sitting before him. "So friends…enjoy, 'bon appetite'."
"Bon appetite!" Goten exclaimed, raising his cup. Videl did so too, both of them lowering their drinks in unison. The chibi of the group couldn't help but feel delighted. "Man, I can't remember the last time we had a descent breakfast…"
As quickly as it was made, Goten began gulping down the food with haste. The sound of him ingesting the stuff on his plate was one of slurping and growling. Well, the growling was like that of a hungry person who hasn't eaten in months. Videl took it even more lightly. She scowled at Goten. Even though he was cute and naïve, he still had bad habits.
"Even the manners are a mess in this house…"
Gohan hadn't even gotten into his food yet. After drinking his tea, he sensed a tinge of something in the air and looked up. He found that it had come from Videl's very person, something he wasn't really expecting but took it in stride instead. He smiled up at their guest, his teal eyes glittering (he was still in Super Saiyan form). "So…what do you have hidden in your pocket Videl?"
Just as Videl was about to take another bite out of her egg, she stopped and lowered her spoon. She blinked a few times in confusion before reaching down for her black, bicycle shorts and checking the pocket there. She felt something there, a paper or cardboard of some sorts. Strange, she didn't feel it there before. Reaching into her pocket, she grabbed it by her fingers and pulled it out. As soon as it was out, she saw what it was. It was a folded up piece of red paper. The girl tilted her head at it as she examined it.
"What is this?" Gohan raised a hand towards her, his palm tipped upwards.
"Give it to me…" Videl shrugged and nodded, wondering how Gohan knew she had such a thing.
As soon as Gohan's fingers came in touch with it, the piece of paper suddenly came alight and both Videl and Gohan pulled away sharply. Videl emitted a shocked gasp while Gohan moved away in anticipation. The piece of paper only sparked and didn't do anything further as it floated down to the table's surface. It was during that spark did strange black lines appear on the paper to suddenly form a picture. Within seconds it made contact with the table, and a moment after that, the paper seemed to sink into the table but was clearly burnt away, disappearing into a whiff of smoke. It was this burning did the piece of paper leave its initial mark into it. The black lines that had appeared on the paper were now burnt into the table. Goten and Videl leaned over to inspect the damage. The mark was burned right in the middle of the table. Goten gasped and looked up at his brother.
"Scorch marks, Gohan, can you read them?" Videl looked up at Gohan as well, seeing his intended reaction. Gohan was smirking, his right eyebrow rose. To accompany this his teal eyes were glittering strangely again; that same glitter Videl had seen countless times before.
As he stared down at the burn mark, he spoke. "That is ancient sorcery…quite powerful too…" Goten tilted his head up at his brother.
"Is it from the Witch of the Waste or Babidi? Those two are mean…!" Both Videl and Goten then returned their eyes to the mark in the table, while listening Gohan read it. He leaned in close, seeing the marks as clear as day.
"'You who have been torn apart by pain and suffering, oh heartless man…who have been cursed with a binding contract; your heart shall burn, as it does now and forever more! Monsters are formed of evil and those torn by heartache'. That can't be good for the table…" Gohan read, translating the picture burned into the wooden surface. He added his comment with very little pity toward the furniture. He sighed and held a hand out, placing it just beside the mark. Then, slowly and with light concentration, Gohan dragged his hand across the table. As his hand scratched across the mark, sparks flew and more smoke rose. The burning sensation lit up the faces of all those watching. Videl and Goten were awing the sight while Gohan was smirking confidently in a weary glow. Calcifer had been watching and listening too, and was very worried about what Gohan had said.
Seconds later, Gohan had smoothed his hand over the mark and pulled it back up. Hot smoke lifted and the light vanished. The table no longer bore the mark. Goten gawked at this and leaned over again, getting out of his seat.
"Wow…it's gone!" Gohan rubbed his ash ridden hand, getting rid of the stain smeared on it.
"The mark may be gone, but the spell is still there," Gohan stated. Then, taking up his plate, Gohan stood up and nodded to his brother and guest respectfully. "Excuse me, my friends, please continue your meal." Ending it with a friendly smile to Videl, the young Saiyan walked over to the fire place where Calcifer sat and burned away. Videl couldn't help but blush after that smile.
When Gohan reached the fire place, he raised the plate over the sheath and spooned his food into the flames. Calcifer opened his mouth wide to accept the falling breakfast. He feasted on it hungrily. "Calcifer, move the castle 60 miles to the West," the Saiyan instructed, placing the plate beside the sheath. After setting the plate down, Gohan walked over to the stairs leading up to the second floor of the castle. Videl and Goten watched Gohan walk away and head of the stairs. Before he could disappear, Gohan stopped and peered through the railings towards Calcifer.
"And while you're at it, make hot water for my bath," Gohan said. Calcifer groaned as Gohan vanished up the stairs.
"Fine, like moving the castle isn't hard enough," the fire demon replied, setting to work.
After seeing Gohan disappear and overhear Calcifer's mutter, Goten turned to Videl and stared at her rather suspiciously. His scowl attracted her attention, the teenager looking at the chibi with curiosity. "You're…not working for the Witch of the Waste are you?"
Videl took this into instant consideration. Almost four seconds after Goten had said that, Videl growled and tightened her fists in anger. She was sure shocked. "I would never work for that witch, she's the one who…" she couldn't finish. Just as she was about to say that it was the witch who had cast that spell on her, her mouth clenched tightly shut, and the girl tried with all her might to let the words slip out of her. She tried tricking herself, but the spell was effective enough to block her from saying it. After frustratingly trying to speak, in so doing failing time and time again, Videl finally lost it.
Fisting her fingers tighter, Videl got up before sharply dropping back down to her seat, sending her fists into the table. Her fists formed marks in the table, in so doing making everything on top of it lift two feet off of the surface before it all came back down. Tons of it fell from the table, with Goten reacting fast enough to save his breakfast. Videl's little impression was matched by her outburst. She got back up and glared straight ahead of her with fury burning in her eyes. Calcifer seemed to cringe under her glare, fearing she would take it out on him. Fortunately for him, she was not in the mood for picking on anybody today.
"IF I EVER GET MY HANDS ON THAT WITCH I'M GOING TO WRING HER FAT NECK!!!" Videl roared in anger, her voice echoing through the entire castle and raising the roof at least a few inches. Goten cringed just like Calcifer, not from her anger but from the volume of her voice. It was amazing how far she could raise it. She reminded him of their mother, who was currently back at their old Mount Paoz residence, living with Grandpa.
After taking a small breather, Videl sat back down and glared at him momentarily. "Finish the breakfast!" she ordered. Then, as if she had nothing left to lose began shoveling her food down just like Goten before her. The chibi Saiyan was still very shocked. He was unable to eat just yet as he was still gawking at Videl, who was now eating faster then anyone he had ever seen eat before.
Hey, what can you do? She was a Saiyan now…
TO BE CONTINUED…