Chapter 6
The tiny pink man cried out in frustration, throwing the music box in his hands on the ground, slightly in hopes that it would finally break open. It remained the same; stained, cracked, but firmly shut.
He screamed, "Why won't you just open? I already have one half. I just need the other. I will do anything to get this open."
"…anything?" A voice hissed in his ear.
A sharp, startled cry escaped his lips as he gazed around frantically, "Who-who's there?" He hastily picked the music box back up. "What do you want from me?"
"Want? Why, I want to grant you a wish," The dark voice continued to hiss. "I can feel your desperation. Let me help you."
He wasn't an unintelligent man, but he needed to open the music box to take over the world. By any means necessary, he thought to himself.
He huffed, his voice wavering, "Please help me. I wish to open the music box and to control the monster."
A bright light enveloped the music box as the voice boomed, "Your wish has been granted."
"Welcome, everyone, to the Satan City Festival. We hold this festival every year for our savior and champ Mr. Hercule Satan who not only saved us from the tyrannical Cell but from the evil Buu as well. We…"
"It always amazes me how famous Gramps is here," Bardock mentioned as he walked with his family and friends through the festival. While he did love a good festival since they always carried a variety of different and delicious food, the rides and the carnival games always left something to be desired considering they could fly and shoot beams from their hands.
But it was for the kids. It was all for the kids.
He glanced over at his dad and smirked slightly at the sight of Little Pan on his shoulders, whooping at every ride she saw and Little Bardock in his arms, staring in awe at the bright lights around them. Yep, it was that childhood wonder and innocence he so desperately craved for in times like this.
Videl snorted, glancing back at her future kids, "Dad's not as famous there? That must be a relief for your Videl."
Bardock chuckled, "He's famous for winning the world tournament but not for anything else. No one knows who defeat the androids or Kid Buuly. Some people just think it was all a nightmare. Gramps never tried to steal any credit."
"I think it has to do with the fact that he's much older there than he is here," Pan supplied. "He may be in a slightly younger body from being dead so long, but mentally, he went through a lot and he doesn't really care for fame that much."
"The differences in the timelines are jarring," Gohan hummed thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "To think that I didn't even become a scholar like Mom hoped."
Mirai Gohan laughed, shifting Little Bardock in his arms, "Oh, she was mad about that, all right. She screamed for about an hour when I told her I had no drive to continue that life. I was afraid she'd disown me."
"If she disowned him, she disowned us," Bardock pouted. "Luckily, she realized how different the world was after the androids."
Before the conversation could continue, Pan shrieked excitedly, pointing at the rollercoaster just down the way, "Daddy, Daddy! Look! I wanna ride that."
Gohan grinned nervously, glancing at Videl, "Honey?"
"She can fly, Gohan. She'll be fine," Videl smiled amusedly. She gazed at her children in her husband's counterpart's arms, "Stay with Mirai Gohan, okay? If you run away, we're leaving the festival before you guys get to eat anything."
The children grew frightened at the possibility of losing the opportunity to eat the enormous amount of food that only came once a year. They gave their mother a stiff nod before Mirai Gohan walked over to the rollercoaster with them. Gohan soon followed, his nervous aura wafting off him.
The twins laughed with their past mother. Videl then went to find the others while Bardock and Pan went to find rides that served their meaning of fun.
It wasn't until 2 rollercoasters and a handful of carnival games later that everyone met up where all the food stands were. The Saiyans almost caused every stand to sell out of food thanks to their appetites they built up before they came. The others watched with slight disgust at the amount of mix matched food they piled into their stomachs.
Trunks and Goten introduced those of the past to Minako and Rei, their girlfriends. Those of the past knew of Minako and her friends, but they never expected Rei to be the one with Goten. Especially considering how solemn she usually was in their timeline.
Still, they greeted everyone kindly and the group expanded as they walked towards the rides once more. The kids were happy to get back to it. Trunks and Goten separated from the group with their girlfriends. Krillin and Yamcha made jokes about how young love was beautiful. Bardock, Pan, and Mirai Gohan longed to see their significant others despite it only being 3 days since they've been away.
The sun began to lower in the sky. It was then that Bardock felt it.
The scar on the back of his neck stung sharply causing him to twitch. He placed a hand on the back of his neck, wincing at the pressure building up behind his eyelids. The pain in his neck bloomed into his skull as his eye sight was slowly taken over by images he had only seen in his dream.
It was of a giant monster terrorizing the city, an alien looking man with a red mohawk and a sword attached to his back, blowing into an instrument, and of himself on fire as he stood in front of his fallen friends.
Kid, breathe. You're gonna pass out.
His twitching got the attention of his family. Mirai Gohan set Little Bardock down as he approached his son carefully. "Bardock, what's wrong? Are you alright?" He stepped towards him cautiously so as not to startle him.
Bardock gasped, holding the back of his neck tightly, "It's-" He took a step back and turned on his heel only to be slammed into by another body.
The two hit the floor roughly, but the motion was enough to throw Bardock back into the world of reality. He breathed frantically as he clumsily tried to get himself back up.
His heart stopped in his chest when he saw red hair and green eyes. He swallowed roughly, "Who-who are you? What are you running from?"
The red haired man shook his head, glaring, "It doesn't matter who I am. And what I'm running from is something you need to be running from too." The glare in his green eyes receded as horror painted his face. "It's coming. Hirudegarn."
As if on cue, the ground shook with an intensity Bardock had only felt when he turned Silver Saiyan. Everyone in the vicinity gazed up at the darkening sky and screamed in fright at the monster looming over them.
"Crap baskets," Bardock, Pan, and both Gohans cursed.