-- Disturbance, Book 3: Endurance --

Chapter E10 - Zzyzx Rd.

Disclaimer: The fun about this sentence is that by the time you realise it doesn't say anything, it's too late to stop reading it. Also: See first chapter.

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-I don't know how else to put this-
-It's taken me so long to do this-
-I'm falling asleep but I can't see straight-

"No..." Goku's voice left him in a breathless whisper, as he sank to his knees defeatedly. "Gohan... Goten... They're... all gone..."

The scowl on Vegeta's face wavered, as the deceased prince forced himself not to show his pain at the loss of his son. His fist clenched tightly, a single word slipping past his lips; "Trunks..." Pain quickly turning to anger, Vegeta stormed over to the two recovering Kais, picking the muscled one up by the front of his vest and shouting, "You blithering idiot! You bumbling fool! In trying to save your own sorry skin you left over half of the greatest warriors in the universe to die!" He slammed his fist into the Kai's face, sending him sprawling across the planet.

Fist clenching and unclenching, Vegeta tried to force himself to calm down. He knew what came next. He knew, deep in his bones, that Majin Buu would find them. He would find a way to reach them, and he would end this battle forever. He was going to need to save his strength if he ever hoped to defeat the monster.

"So what do we do now?" Dende's voice was small and frightened. It was never more obvious that, for all his power, Dende was still a child himself, not truly prepared for such horror.

To Vegeta's surprise, Goku answered before he could, his voice colder and emptier than the prince had ever heard from the nigh-eternally cheerful fighter. "We prepare for battle. Majin Buu will find us here, and when he does, we are going to end this." Goku and Vegeta would eternally be rivals; the 'human' trying not to be Saiyan, and the Saiyan trying not to be 'human'. Despite that, for the first time ever, Vegeta felt camaraderie with his rival, the two united in their grief, and thirst for revenge.

"But how are we going to stop him?" Shin asked worriedly.

Kibito's voice questioned next, "Should they use those fusion earrings Master Elder?"

The same thought seemed to run through both Saiyan's head: 'If it gets the job done'. Elder, however, shook his head, commenting, "Did they teach you people nothing? The Potara earrings would only make things worse in this case."

"Worse?" Dende parroted, almost scoffing. "I don't see how things could possibly be worse!"

"Then allow me to point out two facts for you then," Elder shot back. "One: Goku is alive while Vegeta is dead. Two: Goku is good, while Vegeta is evil. Do you really believe combining these two into a single warrior will actually make the situation better? At least like this, there is a chance that Goku could sever Majin Buu from his power source."

"And what would you have me do?" Vegeta sneered.

Elder waved him away. "What you do best: as much damage as possible."

With a nod, the two Saiyans walked off to begin their preparations, stopping only when Dende called out, "Do... Do you really think you can win?"

The rivals spared a glance at each other, before Goku replied, "If we don't, who will?"

-My muscles feel like a melee-
-My body's curled in a 'u' shape-
-I put on my best but I'm still afraid-

The mood on the Icebreaker was sombre, first as the people on board gave a moment of silence for the lost planet Earth, then as they realised just how close the two young men were to joining it. The mood was irrevocably broken when Pi tackled her mate to the ground in a massive Saiyan-style glomp, moments before Kat and the twins dog piled him. Goten clearly wanted to do the same with his brother, but he held back, observing the almost identical looks on his mother and Videl's faces.

Both very clearly wanted nothing more than to rush over to the demi-Saiyan teen, throw their arms around him, and never let go, yet both seemed to reach the conclusion that the other had as much right to it as they did. In the end, it was Gohan himself who broke the tie, running over to Videl and picking her up in his arms, even spinning her around a little before setting her back on the steel floor, his arms wrapped tight around her lithe body, and hers around his muscular one.

The look he gave his mother over Videl's shoulder was apologetic, yet clearly said, 'She needed it more.' Chichi understood that well; were it her Goku standing there, she would beat anyone who stood in her way black and blue, family or otherwise.

A smile broke out on her face, before Chichi sighed dramatically, exclaimed, "My little boy's growing up," and collapsed backwards in relief, being quickly caught by Bulma and her father. With everyone's eyes on the over-dramatic mother, almost no one noticed the two couples slip from the room.

They had just survived a very real brush with death. They deserved some alone time.

-Propped up by lies with promises-
-Saving my place as life forgets-
-Maybe it's time I saw the world-

A brisk walk deep into the Icebreaker, hand in hand, found Kaen and Pi in their old room. The room they shared during their many months in space. The room in which they first became one; Kaen felt a nostalgic smile come to his face.

Settling on the bed he leaned back, folding his hands behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. There were so many things he wanted, needed to say, whether she knew his thoughts or not, that he couldn't settle on any one. After a few moments consideration though, he remarked, "It's been a while since we've been alone, you know. Me and you." He sighed a little. "I guess we need to take the time to, sorta, catch up, and figure out where we are, you know? I mean, with everything that's happened, we gotta find where we are, together."

There were a few moments of silence before Kaen sat up again, curious as to why his mate hadn't responded, only to find her naked as the day she was born, with the slightest of smirks on her face. He had all of a moment to gape, and to mouth the word 'beautiful', before she caught him in a kiss that took his breath away.

Several pleasurably exhausting moments later, Kaen lay with Pi against his chest, his fingers running through her hair, as he smirked. "Or that. We good?"

"We're very good," she purred, listening to the sound of his heartbeat, thumping in perfect time to her own. It was true, what many people said, that actions speak far louder than words, and more than enough words had been spoken more than loud enough to drown out anything but the peace and serenity the two felt in each other's arms right now. There was no force in the 'verse that would separate them, not any more.

Sliding out of the bed, stifling a disappointed moan at the loss of the heat he provided, she strode over to their private bathroom, looking over her shoulder at him as she inclined her head suggestively. "Round two, and then we get something to eat?"

"Oh hell yes." He needed no further encouragement, moving behind her quickly and wrapping his arms around her, as she herded him inside.

-I'm only here for a while-
-But patience is not my style-
-And I'm so tired that I gotta go-

Gohan and Videl found themselves a room far secluded from the others on the ship, Gohan having led her there silently, and closing the door; he didn't know whose room it was, only that it was empty, and would provide them with much needed privacy. Sitting down on the bed he tugged the shorthaired girl onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Videl was completely stunned with joy at seeing him again that it took her a good minute to realise that he had taken her to a private room of their own, and not long after that she found herself blushing severely from both her position, and the sensation of Gohan now nuzzling her neck softly, just below her ear. Trying to push the rising feelings aside, and chalking his actions up to just Gohan being affectionate, she remarked timidly, almost in a whisper, "I knew you weren't dead."

He smiled, replying, "I know. It was close, but I have a few too many things to live for to die now. My mother, Goten, my school work..." She tried to scowl as he trailed off, and tried not to grin and giggle like a school girl when he added after a deliberate pause, "And a very pretty girlfriend who would do very unkind things to me if I left her with a grave to tend."

Despite herself, Videl couldn't help the laugh that came out, before she swatted Gohan away from her neck; it was somewhat unsettling, though not unpleasantly so, but it made it very hard to stay mad at him. "You're wrong you know," she remarked, staring deep into his midnight eyes, "Unkind doesn't even begin to describe the things I would do to you if you even thought of leaving me so soon."

-What am I supposed to hide now?-
-What am I supposed to do?-
-Did you really think I wouldn't see this through?-

He laughed a little himself, replying, "Well, you do have a tendency to bite off more than you can chew." 'Videl would make a great Saiyan.' Where that thought came from he didn't know, but he found he couldn't refute it.

She gave him a wry smile. "That's just because I fear nothing. I even took on Buu when he arrived at the Lookout."

His eyes widened slightly; no one had informed him of that. "Really?"

Her smile turned amused. "Yeah. Didn't work out all that great, considering he could, and would have, turned me inside out, but what can I say, I fight for the things I love."

Gohan just smiled back at her. "Typical Videl. Headstrong, reckless, and nothing but sheer courage."

A smile still on her lips, Videl shook her head, before resting it on his shoulder, facing away from him. "That's just a nice way of saying I was stupid and ineffectual."

-Tell me I should stick around for you-
-Tell me I could have it all-
-I'm still too tired to care and I gotta go-

"True," he acceded, "But you're my girlfriend, so I need to be nice to you."

She turned her head to face him, craning her neck to look into Gohan's eyes. "So you would have insulted me if I wasn't?"

Smirking back, he remarked, "Of course not. I'm a nice guy, and I'd still be trying to get into your pants, so I'd be nice anyway."

The human girl just giggled. "Funny Gohan, but you're not in my pants now."

He slowly ran a hand down along her lower back, his fingers leaving goosebumps on her skin. "Closer before at any rate."

-I get to go home in one week-
-But I'm leaving home in three weeks-
-They throw me a bone just to pick me dry-

Videl suddenly became very aware of the position she was in with Gohan, and exactly where his hands were on her body. A very definite blush filled her cheeks, and the shiver that ran down her spine was far from unpleasant. With a shaky pair of hands, she grabbed the hem of her shirt, slowly raising it to reveal the delicate flesh beneath, but she was stayed by a rough pair of hands. "G-gohan?" She questioned, looking her boyfriend in the eye again. "I-I thought-"

"Videl," he cut her off, a gentle smile on his face. "Believe me when I say I want this, want you, more than words can express. But I want this to be special, something tender, and slow. I want to do this without fear, when all that matters in this world is you, me, and the love we share." Pressing his lips against her forehead, he added softly, "We'll make it through this. I promise."

With a feeling of relief, and a slight pang of regret, Videl let the shirt fall back into place with a soft sigh. She knew they weren't ready, but still, part of her she'd been ignoring for far too long had wanted this; she was just glad Gohan had more self control than she did. That thought slipped away, her sigh turning into a shudder of delight, as his hands moved again, one sliding beneath her shirt to stroke the smooth skin beneath. Looking into his eyes, now twinkling with mischief, she remarked, "I thought you said you wanted to wait?"

"Of course I do," he replied smoothly, an innocent look on his face. "That doesn't mean we can't have a little fun." His eyes turned predatory, and she had a moment to gasp and smile as he started to kiss her neck again.

The smile on her face could have lit up the room, as she threaded her fingers into his hair, dragging him up briefly to kiss him. Some things were definitely worth the wait.

-I'm following suit and directions-
-I crawl up inside for protection-
-I'm told what to do and I don't know why-

It was a good hour, at least, before the two couples returned to the control room, incidentally both arriving at the same time. It seemed the hour was more than enough time for the others to not only notice their absence, but to reach a conclusion about what they'd been doing; the lecherous looks on Krillin and Yamcha's faces was clear enough indication of that. Putting the humans out of his mind, Kaen turned to his father, asking with the airs of a commanding officer, "Status report?" He promptly kicked himself for acting like that, but the older Saiyan merely gave him one of those 'explain later' eyebrows.

He did, however, respond in kind, replying, "Buu's regenerating steadily. I'd say we have maybe another half hour until he's whole again if we're unlucky, an hour if we're lucky."

Pi scowled slightly, remarking, "Doesn't leave us much time to recover does it?"

It appeared Krillin could no longer hold his comments in, blurting out, "I guess all of that 'End of the world' sex wouldn't have helped much eh?"

Pi's scowl deepened, and she was half a heartbeat from beating the short man black and blue when Kaen laid one hand on her shoulder and replied, "You use that sort of language around your daughter? What sort of example are you trying to set you pervert?"

It seemed Yamcha's control was the next to break as he added, "Don't try to deny it; you're both clearly freshly showered and dressed." That much was true, as both Kaen and Pi had chosen to don a new gi before coming out, though that could just have been because their old clothes had a date with Mr. Incinerator after what they'd been through.

Now, Kaen could have been honest about what had happened, but quite frankly it was none of the weakling's business, so he replied dryly, "In case you hadn't noticed, but in the space of forty-eight hours we've been in several climactic battles, nearly killed each other, became coated in our own and each other's blood, I actually sweated blood at one point, then had to spend some time in that rejuvenation liquid, before being swallowed by Buu, which was an experience in and of itself. If we want to freshen up, and burn those old clothes, that's our right, and quite frankly, none of your goddamn business."

-I'm over existing in limbo-
-I'm over the myths and placebos-
-I don't really mind if I just fade away-

Thankful that Krillin and the others had homed onto Kaen and Pi first, and had been derailed before either of them could direct their attention his way, Gohan asked the room, "How goes prep work for our counter attack?"

"We do have one advantage," Kellre threw in, thankful for a new topic; sometimes, those humans just got on his nerves. Quite frankly, he'd be glad to see them off his ship. "Despite whatever abilities this new Buu may have, he can't find us here."

"Which means he's going to go after Goku and Vegeta," Kaen interpreted with a nod, before asking, "Will he be able to find them?"

With a helpless shrug, Avarrdo nodded. "With enough power to the scanners, I can find them. The mass deaths on Earth, coupled with the destruction of the entire planet, and the frequent trans-dimensional hops in the past few days have destabilised the barriers between this world and the next."

The four teens shared a look, before directing their gaze at Truniz to translate, and he didn't disappoint. "Buu ripped a bigass hole into Otherworld, so once he's whole again he'll have no prob trackin' down Vegeta and Kakarott."

"How are we going to get there?" Pi questioned. "Because I'm pretty sure Otherworld is outside the range of our teleporter."

"I can get us there," Gohan remarked. "Though I may need to plug into your scanners to find the place."

"That's that sorted then," Kellre nodded, like he'd always expected that answer. "Now, the question that remains is, what are you going to do when you get there?"

-I'm ready to live with my family-
-I'm ready to die in obscurity-
-Cause I'm so tired that I gotta go-

Kaen could tell that question was directed at him. He'd chosen to act like a leader, so he would have to accept a leader's responsibility. He closed his eyes, clearing his mind of all distractions, before replying, "Okay, I have an idea."

He laid out his plans clear and simple, making sure everyone understood one part before moving on to the next. By the time he'd finished, he couldn't help but notice the looks of mild awe on some people's faces, and the respect shining in the other Saiyan's eyes. Truniz was the first to comment, remarking, "Damn boy, where'd you learn to do that? I still remember a time when you couldn't plan for shit, just a few months back."

Kaen waved one hand dismissively, remarking casually, "When you've been two Generals, one King, and one Ruler-of-all-he-surveys, you pick up a few things." He hurried on before anyone could question that statement. "Everyone understand their job?"

"What do you want us to do?" Trunks piped up, indicating himself and the other children.

"Stay the hell off the battlefield," he replied with a shrug and a semi-stern glance; a glance that couldn't hide the concern in his eyes. "Not to insult your abilities, but we need to concentrate to the fullest out there, and we won't be able to do that worrying about you four."Goten and Lime pouted, and Trunks and Oran both looked like they wanted to complain, but decided not to, merely nodding defeatedly and sitting down against one of the consoles.

Kaen sighed to himself; he'd tried to spare their feelings, he really had. "Besides," he added, "We're going to need a reserve force should the first wave fail, and there's no one I'd rather have than you guys." Okay, that was a half-truth, but if it made them feel better it was worth it; the slight grin that managed to break through Oran and Trunks' tough guy images was proof enough of his success in that regard.

-Where am I supposed to whine now?-
-What am I supposed to do?-
-You still don't think I'm going see this through?-

Looking concernedly between the three Saiyan teens from her position by Gohan's side, discretely holding his hand, Videl asked, "Are you guys gonna be alright to fight?" When they turned to her curiously, or in Kaen's case amusedly (when was he not alright to fight?) she clarified, "I mean, Gohan went toe to toe with Buu alone for a while, and the two of you used a tonne of energy while you were fused so... I just want to make sure we're giving this every chance to succeed we can..." She trailed off at the end, feeling foolish for having spoken, but the reassuring squeeze Gohan gave her hand made her feel a little better.

Shrugging slightly, Pi replied, "Well, Kaen and I aren't 'full', but we've got plenty of energy to spare. In our base form we've probably got enough energy left to last maybe four days, so at full power we'd have... Hmm, two hours. Give or take." Shrugging again, she amended, "Well, Kaen would have two, I'd have four, because I can't reach the third level yet."

Kellre quirked an eyebrow. 'Just how much energy do they have?' He mused to himself. 'Once this is over, I must run a few tests and collect their data.' "Nevertheless," he interjected, "now is probably a good time to try out a little experiment of Avarrdo and I, something we whipped up for just such a situation." Reaching under the workstation near him, he absently lobbed three cans, one to each teen.

With a sigh, Kaen rolled the can around in his hand. Somehow, deep inside, he knew that neither Gohan nor Pi would try this... whatever it was before he did, but if he was going to be a guinea pig again he wanted to know what he was in for first. "An energy drink?" He asked wryly, giving his old man a wan look, but Avarrdo just smiled knowingly. Shrugging, Kaen popped the top and downed it, sculling the entire can. And was almost floored when he felt his energy return in a massive rush.

"Nice, huh?" Avarrdo grinned at the look on Kaen's face. "We had help making them. From a certain cat god that lives near the top of the world." That was all Gohan needed to hear, knocking his back, with Pi soon following; if Korin not only helped make it, but was willing to admit involvement with it, then it had to be good. Bulma had tried to get him to help her synthesise senzu beans a while back; it didn't work out to well, and he's disavowed the whole thing. "They won't heal wounds," there was a clear unspoken 'yet', "but they'll restore energy to full in an instant. Should be worth a mint on the market." The other Saiyans just rolled their eyes at him.

Crushing the empty can, Kaen remarked, "Alright people. We've got maybe ten minutes until Buu wakes up again, more if we're lucky, but don't count on it. Let's make ready."

-Tell me I'm a part of history-
-Tell me I can have it all-

Sitting around, playing cards with the other Kais, Shin could almost believe things were back to the way they were before Buu existed, but a quick glance to his right shattered that feeling instantly. Underneath one of the many trees nearby sat Goku and Vegeta, perfect opposites of each other, quietly meditating, and the Kais respected that sense of quiet, keeping noise to a minimum as they played.

With a grimace, Shin folded, turning his attention entirely to studying the two meditating Saiyans. Goku and Vegeta, as opposite as night and day, even to what they wore, with Goku's vibrant orange, and Vegeta's sombre blue. Goku, his hair wild and spiked, looked like a 'lower class', a commoner, while Vegeta, with his hair rigid in it's crown formation, looked every bit the prince he claimed by birthright; not that Shin would ever admit that out loud, least of all in Vegeta's earshot.

Even their meditation strategies were different. Whereas Goku sought to calm his mind, to clear his thoughts of all distractions, Vegeta fought to focus his anger, to bind it to his will, to strengthen him. Whereas Goku polished the sword, making it gleam to perfection, to remove all barbs and make it slip through flesh and armour easily, Vegeta sharpened the blade, to better tear through those that stood against him.

Shin would've probably continued to compare and contrast the two Saiyans until the next game started, had Elder now shouted suddenly, "Buu's coming!"

"No," Goku intoned calmly, the first he'd spoken in what felt like hours now, "He's already here."

A slight whistling noise, sounding much like the very air around them screaming in pain, was all that heralded the cold, empty face that haunted the Kais. Glancing between those assembled, the monster beat his chest before leaning his head back and screaming his war cry to the heavens. "BUUUUUUUU!!"

The fight had begun.

-I'm still too tired to care and I gotta go-

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Author's notes:

Alright then, we're on the home straight now. And now, for the boss battle. :D