Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ.

Chapter 66

Ding dong*

"Man, I can't wait till mom gets back." Bulma griped as she went to answer the door. "Answering the door myself is such a pain. Too bad she won't let me make a robot butler. 'Oh, sweety, but I just can't let a machine open the doah." Bulma imitated her mother's high-pitched voice and accent. "How would that make owa guests feel? Besoides, what kind of housewife would I be if I didn't greet them personally?' You'd be a rich one, mom! The richest woman in the world shouldn't have to open her own stupid door!" By the time she had reached the door, Bulma was so worked up that she flung the door open and was about to rip her visitor a new one. However, when she saw the dark-haired young man behind the door, her frustration was replaced by panic and she slammed the door shut.

"Oh no." She backed away from the door as fast as she could, sweat pouring down her terror-stricken face. "Oh no, oh no. I didn't think he'd be here this soon. Chichi said she was going to ground him. I thought for sure he'd be grounded long enough that he would cool down! Chichi couldn't have let him off this early, could she?"

Her back hit something solid that felt too muscley to be a wall. She slowly turned her head, and nearly screamed when she found herself looking into the face of a scowling Gohan.

"G-Gohan!" She forced a smile. "H-hey kid, how's it going? Man, have you gotten taller?"

The teen maintained the scowl, and Bulma suddenly felt very small. She started to fidget and she rubbed her hands nervously.

"Did… Did you get a tan? Those Namekian suns, huh? Wish I'd gone there myself. Thanks again for wishing Vegeta back too. Boy, what an adventure, right?"

Seeing the woman cower, Gohan's scowl suddenly turned into a smile, though his eyes maintained a dangerous glint. "Adventure? Yeah, you could say I've had a bit of an adventure. Would you like to hear about it?"

"Oh, yeah…" The smile seemed to frighten Bulma even more. This was certainly not the cute little kid she had traveled to Namek with all those years ago. "Er, actually, I've got a ton of work on my plate at the moment, so I really should be getting to it. Maybe another time or…" her voice died in her throat before she finished her thought.

"Well, I wouldn't want to distract you from your work." Gohan laughed. "I know the life of an inventor must be challenging, what with all the things you make up. I mean, the things you come up with. So creative! You must have some imagination."

"Oh, well… You know… It's a gift. Hehe."

"A gift huh? Well, I can't say I have the imagination you have." Gohan shrugged casually. "Maybe it's because I prefer nonfiction. But I still think I could tell a pretty good story. Like this one. Turk, you remember Turk, right? Zangya's brother. Well, he and his friends were in a bit of a pickle, so me, Zangya, and Broly went to help. Through a series of crazy and dangerous events, or an 'adventure', as you might say, we wound up on Namek. Well, after rescuing my brother and your son from some murderous Saiyans, you knew about them, right?" The surprise on her face told him that Trunks may not have told Bulma yet.

"Well, I'll tell you the full story some other time." Gohan continued. "Anyway, after bringing an end to an intergalactic conflict, bringing your husband and Krillin back to life, and rescuing the kids, of course, I returned home. Imagine my surprise when I found that my mother was under the impression that I was the one that took the kids on the dangerous adventure to begin with. See, Piccolo had told her that I was off handling an important, possibly life and death, situation, which is what I was doing. But apparently, someone else told her that I had begged a certain blue haired woman to take the boys to Namek for a bit of fun. Now, this couldn't have been the same woman that I went out of my way to bring her husband back to life for, could it? Surely she wouldn't just toss one of her friends under the bus, right? But who could have led my mom to believe such a thing." Gohan put a hand to his chin. "Any ideas, Bulma?"

Bulma didn't have to be a genius to know that the jig was up. She looked to her left then her right, and upon realizing that she had no escape available, she clapped her hands in front of her, closed her eyes and bowed at a ninety degree angle.

"I'M SO SORRY, GOHAN!" She yelled as loud as she could.

Gohan folded his arms. "Really? For throwing me under the bus? Or for the fact that my mom didn't ground me for long enough to cool down?"

Bulma's eyes bulged as her own words seemed to seal her fate. "I'm sorry I threw you under the bus, but you know how your mom is, right?" Bulma looked up with pleading eyes. "If she found out I let Goten go to space without permission, she'd kill me! Literally! I've seen her in action, kid, and I do not want to be in the ring with a mad Chichi! But she's got a soft spot for her little scholar, right? I figure if she thought it was you, she wouldn't mind as much."

Gohan raised an eyebrow and Bulma continued. "I-I'll make it up to you!" She shouted in desperation. "Hey, how about the R lab? I know you've been wanting in there. I could give you a tour, maybe get you on an internship or something."

Gohan maintained his stern expression, but inside he had to admit he was interested. He started out just to mess with Bulma, but now he decided to see exactly how much he could get out of this. "I don't know Bulma. Mom was pretty mad."

"How about I, uh… Oh! I could design you a special communication device for you and Zangya. That way you can fight crime and… talk about other things? I'll even make it a holoprojector." She took a chance and winked.

"Hmm… Ok." Gohan nodded, not unpleased by the idea. "What else?"

"Um… A new and improved gravity chamber? Your own dragon radar? Top of the line sports car? A robot assistant? Name it kid, I'll do anything!"

"Hmm…" Gohan pretended to think about it. "Well, I guess since you are one of my oldest friends… I'll take all of those things. Throw in your old college notes and a hetap and you've got a deal."

Bulma's eyes widened. "Oh, absolutely kiddo! But…" she suddenly looked puzzled. "Wait, why do you want my old college notes?"

"No reason." Gohan shrugged. "Just wanted to see what I'm in for this year."

"This year? Wait… Oh my gosh, Gohan!" Bulma looked genuinely happy for the teen. "Are you seriously starting college?"

"Full ride at West City." Gohan couldn't help but grin. "I got approved for early graduation earlier this week. Mom's throwing a party day after tomorrow. You guys are invited by the way."

"Holy… Well, no wonder you aren't grounded right now!" She said with a laugh. "Wait a second! Was she even mad at all?" Based on this news, Bulma suspected the kid had been messing with her all along, but was dispossessed of that feeling when she saw his face.

"Oh, she was mad, and I really don't appreciate being made the scape goat. I'm holding you to all that stuff you promised." Gohan said in a serious manner.

"Well, I guess it is the least I could do after all you've done." She gave a submissive shrug, then gave the boy an appraising look. "You know, you're pretty scary when you want to be. Guess you got that from your mom."

"I may have picked up a few things." Gohan gave half a smile. "People trying to slam a door in my face tends to bring that out, you know?"

"Ehehe…" Bulma laughed nervously. "Fair enough. I won't do that again, as long as you never go full Chichi on me. Have a seat. I'll go get you that hetap. Although…" She gave him a mischievous grin. "Now that you're a college boy, you sure you don't want something stronger?"

"Just the hetap, thanks." Gohan chuckled.

"Suit yourself." Bulma walked out of the room and Gohan went to the sofa, quite pleased with the result of his little act. In truth, he'd made up his mind that he would forgive Bulma once she apologized, but free stuff was free stuff. He rested his head on the squishy back cushions, smiling when he sensed a presence attempting to stay hidden.

"Not planning a sneak attack, are you?"

"Ah!" Behind a door frame, Trunks gasped in surprise that Gohan noticed him, and ducked further away from the entryway. After getting over his initial surprise, Trunks adopted a war face before walking boldly into the next room.

"I don't need to pull a sneak attack in my own house." The small boy told Gohan once he was standing in front of him.

"Good." The older Saiyan nodded. The two stared at each other for a moment in silence. Finally, Trunks decided he needed to speak.

"Thank you." Trunks said. Gohan was slightly surprised by this, and let a trace of it show on his face. Trunks continued. "For saving us on Namek and stuff. And for wishing my dad back."

The older boy offered a soft smile. "Trunks, I know I'm probably not your favorite person right now, but even if we aren't exactly related, you're just as much family to me as my little brother. Pulling you kids out of the fire is what I'm here for. You never have to feel like you owe me something for that."

Trunks looked down, suddenly finding it hard to look Gohan in the eye. "Dad told me not to hold what you said about him against you. It was something between Saiyan warriors."

If Gohan had been surprised by the apology, what he'd just heard completely floored him. "What!? Vegeta said that!?"

Trunks nodded, still not looking straight at him. Gohan shook his head, dazed by the information. Not only had Vegeta acknowledged Gohan as a warrior, but he even told his son not to hold a grudge. 'Wow! Maybe Vegeta really is trying to change this time.'

"But that doesn't mean that I forgive you for all that stuff you said!" Trunks continued, bringing Gohan back to reality.

Gohan thought about this for a moment. When he spoke, his tone was gentle. "I wish I didn't have to say that stuff in front of you, Trunks. Like your dad said, there's a lot that's happened between the two of us as warriors. But if I had to do it again, I wouldn't change anything."

Trunks stared at the floor, and Gohan could sense a lot of conflict in the younger boy. He still didn't think he needed to apologize, but he couldn't help but remember how he felt all those times Vegeta had disparaged his father, and he was powerless to do anything about it.

"You know, whatever issues I may have with your dad, I've always respected him as a warrior."

"You do?" Trunks turned his gaze upward, though not meeting Gohan's eyes just yet.

"Yeah. I do." The teen nodded. "The same goes for you."

At this, Trunks finally made eye contact.

"Anytime you want to have it out with me, I'll be waiting." Saying this, Gohan raised his fist and extended it to Trunks. The younger hybrid looked from Gohan's eyes to the offered hand. His eyebrows furrowed, and he nodded. He made a fist and bumped it against Gohan's.

"You better watch out Gohan." He said with a firm resolve. "Someday, I'm gonna kick your butt."

Gohan grinned. "Bring it on."

Break.

The Spaghetti/Big Gete star.

"And to this day, that planet still can't produce a shred of life, even at the microscopic level." Beerus drawled before taking a bite of a succulent seafood dish. He looked over at the seat next to him to see what kind of reaction the occupant had to his story.

"Oh, wow lord Beerus!" Cheelai spoke with a mixture of awe and respectful fear. "Truly you are the most ruthless and powerful being in the universe."

"My, how kind of you to say." Beerus leaned back with a smile, placing his arms behind his head. For the past week, the destroyer had been relaxing on the Spaghetti star with the some of the most delicious food he had ever tasted. The chef, a Heeter girl, kept trying to outdo herself, muttering something about needing it to be better than chili or some such nonsense. Whis and Beerus weren't complaining, and were happy to enjoy the results of whatever trauma this chef was going through. Of course, the best part for Beerus was the charming green girl who seemed to hang on his every word. Cheelai was an excellent listener, and she ooh-d and ah-d in all the right places, and always managed to tell Beerus how great she thought he was.

Cheelai, however, was trying her best to maintain her character.

'Man, does this guy ever shut up? I mean, at first he was legit scary, but now I almost wish he'd just blow me up so I can get this visit over with. You're a god, cool, but at least show a little courtesy and let other's talk for a little bit. And does he seriously think that talking about all the worlds he's destroyed will impress me? I can't wait till he's gone and I can go on vacation.' She paused her thoughts for a moment to offer a smile to Beerus. 'I wonder what Broly's up to.'

"Here's another story you might enjoy." Beerus started talking again. "It's about the time I sealed a supreme Kai into a sword."

On the other side of the table, Whis coughed and Beerus shot him an annoyed look. "Is there a problem, Whis?"

"Oh, no problem lord Beerus." The angel replied cheerfully.

"I see… I suppose a bit of fish bone just got caught in your throat."

Beerus had barely finished speaking when a haze of blue burst into the room. Macki frantically started to dissect the fish, searching for any trace of bone.

"There can't be a bone, I know there's not a bone, how could there be a bone?" the Heeter spoke rapidly, somewhat panicked by the insinuation.

"You can rest easy, chef Macki." Whis assured the woman. "Everything was perfect as usual. Whatever this 'chili' is, I am sure your dishes have far surpassed it."

"No, not yet. Still not there. Not chili, not yet. Gotta keep trying. You'll see. I'll show her." Macki's eyes were wild as she left the room, muttering all the way back to the kitchen.

Watching the chef leave in this manner, Whis chuckled lightly, then stood up. "Well, lord Beerus, as much as I would enjoy tasting the chef's next creation, I believe it is time for us to be going."

"Going?" Beerus asked, with an edge of annoyance. "What do you mean, Whis, we were just getting comfortable."

"Yes, I know, it has been rather a lovely stay." Whis acknowledged. "Unfortunately, duty calls. Remember you have a certain matter to attend to, and we wouldn't want to keep young Gohan waiting, would we?"

The destroyer scoffed. "I doubt he minds us lengthening his life a bit. But I suppose you're right. No point in delaying the inevitable."

Beerus and Whis made their way to the door, the destroyer turning a last look on Cheelai. "Until next time, my dear."

Cheelai gave a nervous smile, and he left the room. Upon his exit, she let out a long sigh. "By all means, take your time."

Break

A party was in full swing at the Son house. Tables and chairs had been set up on the picturesque lawn, with all of Gohan's favorite dishes loaded on what had to be the longest buffet display in existence. Chichi and Zangya had seen to it that the celebration was as perfect as it could be. All of the family friends were present, and a few of Gohan's newer acquaintances made it as well.

"So, any chance I get to see this maid costume?" Kress smiled lasciviously at Chokly.

"Drop dead, you perv." Chokly rolled her eyes at the taller Saiyan. "And it's not a costume, it's a uniform. Maybe if you got off your tail and got a job, you'd know the difference."

"Why does everyone keep harping on that!?" Kress said in exasperation.

"Sorry Kress, we just don't want you disgracing our race is all." Nazz shrugged. "More than you already do, I mean."

Soga snickered at the other end of the table.

"Shut up Soga!" Kress yelled at his friend with red cheeks. "And maybe I just don't want a job at some lame bakerMPHHMMM!"

Before he finished his sentence, a blue hand had shoved his face into his massive plate of food.

"Whoops." Zangya said while examining her fingernails. "Guess I slipped." She let Kress back up for air. "Are you ok?"

"What was that foMPHHMMM!" His head slammed back into his food.

"Oh, clumsy me." Zangya shook her head with a smile. "Here, let me help you up!" At her last word, she hurled the Saiyan boy straight into the sky, a light twinkling as he disappeared from view. Zangya walked away without another word.

Nazz, Chokly, and Soga looked at the woman with thoughtful expressions.

"You know something? I'm starting to like her." Nazz said.

"Yeah, no kidding." Soga nodded, trying not to drool.

"Tch. Speak for yourselves." Chokly folded her arms and looked away.

At another table, Heiya and Lomen, were joined by master Roshi and Ox king.

"Hooh boy, you Saiyans are lucky to be traveling with those bodacious space babes!" Master Roshi said with a great deal of jealousy.

"It aint all it's cracked up to be, old man." Heiya said with his chin resting on his hands.

"What are you talking about!?" Roshi yelled. "Just look at em!"

"Oh, I see em." The Saiyan sighed. "Two kids that are young enough to be my granddaughters, Nira's married, and Sesamy and Kalif are… well, anyway, from what I've seen, earth women are more my speed anyway..."

"That's quite the compliment for our planet." Ox king chuckled. "Of course, I know the women on this planet are hard to beat, but you guys must have seen some real lookers out in space."

"Yeah, that's right!" Roshi nodded. "What kinda space babes are out there?"

"Heh, you're asking the wrong guy." Heiya jerked his thumb at Lomen. "This guy's the real legend."

"That was a long time ago, Heiya." Lomen said before taking a sip of punch. When he set down his cup, he saw that Ox king and Roshi were both looking at him expectantly. After a moment of thought, he smiled. "I don't suppose you gentlemen would care to hear about my visit to a little beach planet called Cob-acapana?" He leaned in conspiratorially, and the others did likewise. Within minutes, Roshi's nose bleed blasted him backwards off his chair.

While the old men were discussing past exploits, two slightly younger men were trying to make some exploits of their own.

"Hey, that's a pretty cute scar you've got there." Yamcha gave Kalif his most winning smile. "I've got a few of my own, as you can see. Hey, we kind of match, don't we? Almost like destiny or something. Hahaha!"

"So, you're like, a super warrior babe from space, right?" Hercule came in from the other side. "I gotta say, I aint never met such a pretty fighter like you. See, I'm something of an expert on evaluating warriors. Some might even say I'm Earth's greatest champ, ya know?"

"I thought Gohan was Earth's Greatest champion." Kalif swirled a cup of punch idly, only vaguely listening to the two men.

"Oh, well yeah…" Hercule rubbed the back of his neck. "But before him, it was me."

"You were more like earth's greatest chump." Yamcha scoffed.

"You got somethin' ta say, pretty boy!" Hercule got up in Yamcha's face.

"I already said it, you big fraud!" The former bandit growled right back at him. Before either of them threw a punch though, Kalif set her cup down, stood up, and walked away. Yamcha and Hercule were stunned at such a blatant blow off, then their surprise doubled by what they saw next. The Saiyan had sauntered over to where a blue haired Launch was, sat next to the girl, and started to chat with her while playing with her hair and smiling.

The two men's eyes widened, then they looked at each other, then back at the scene in front of them.

"Uh…" Hercule started. "Is it weird that I'm not at all upset about what's happenin'?"

Yamcha shook his head in stupefaction. "Are you kidding? No offense to Tien, but this could be awesome."

As the two became lost in a shared fantasy of what might come to pass between Launch and Kalif, Sesamy passed behind them, looking left and right, trying to find someone. "I know he's here somewhere." She muttered. "That Popo guy said he came here with Dende. Aha!" She started running towards the back of a figure that was taller and more muscular than anyone else at the party. She grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. "I gotcha! Oh…"

She looked disappointed when she saw the man's face. He had glasses, a big nose, a curly mustache, and a pointy goatee. "Sorry, I thought you were someone else. You don't happen to know a guy named Broly, do you?"

The mustachioed giant just shook his head and Sesamy sighed. "Oh… Well, if you see him…" She left to continue her search.

Broly let out a relieved sigh, then Piccolo and Dende walked up to him. "You know, If I didn't know Goku, I wouldn't have believed that just worked." Piccolo said.

"Why are you trying so hard to avoid her?" Dende asked. "She doesn't seem that bad. Doesn't she just want a good fight?"

"For one thing, I can't give her a good fight, and for another, I'm pretty sure she wants more than that from me." Broly remembered his encounter with her on Namek and shuddered.

"Would that be so bad?" A female voice asked.

Broly jumped when the newcomer spoke. He looked down to see Erasa, smiling sweetly up at him. Broly relaxed. He hadn't spent much time with this girl, but she seemed like a nice kid.

"Or is it just that she's not your type?" The blonde girl asked nonchallantly.

"I guess you could say that." Broly shrugged.

"Soo…" Erasa did her best to sound casual. "What is your type?"

"Well, I don't know that I have a type." Broly replied, thinking the girl was just making conversation. When he saw that his response was lacking in her estimation, he decided it may sound impolite if he didn't offer something else. "Short I guess."

"You like short girls?" Erasa had a hard time keeping the eager tone out of her voice.

"I guess so." Broly nodded. "With lots of spunk. Short hair is nice, and big…" he coughed, realizing that particular traits shouldn't be said around young ladies. "Big personality."

Erasa looked down at her chest and smiled hopefully. As far as she could tell, she was developing a rather large personality herself. Her hopes were dashed with the next item on Broly's list.

"Green skin." The giant said absently.

"Green skin!?" Erasa cried in dismay.

Broly shrugged. "I don't know. I like Green. I guess it just calms me."

Dende and Piccolo looked at Broly with uncomfortable expressions and started inching away.

"I didn't mean you two!" Broly clarified loudly with a red face, realizing how his words could be construed. "She's a completely different shade!"

"She?" Erasa whimpered, and walked away with her head hung low.

Broly noticed and wasn't sure what he'd said to upset her. "Hey, kid, are you ok?"

Zangya passed Erasa as she hurried away from Broly and sat next to Gohan, who was engaged in a type of eating contest with 18. The contest seemed to be who could create and eat the weirdest combination of food. They were both winning.

"Omnom, Pass the sriracha and peanut butter Gohan." 18 said between mouthfuls.

"Oh, great idea 18!" Gohan passed the items while chowing down on a jelly donut covered in wasabi. "That'll go great on the calamari."

"Gohan, can I have some spaghetti for my chocolate sauce?" Goten asked.

"Me too please." 18 asked.

"Remember to pace yourself, honey." Krillin said while rubbing 18's shoulders. "You don't want to upset the baby."

"I wouldn't be upset if I were in 18's belly." Goten said after slurping his chocolate pasta.

"Me either." Gohan agreed. The teen paused and looked up at his girlfriend, who was staring at him with a raised eyebrow. "That came out wrong, didn't it?"

"Yeah." Zangya nodded. "You're just lucky I'm too nauseated to care right now." The Hera sat down. "You know, I used to take pride in you preferring my cooking. After seeing this, I don't think your taste buds are to be trusted."

"Don't knock it till you try it." 18 said before downing a glass of milk mixed with pickle chips.

"You're whack taste is temporary. My boyfriend is just weird." Zangya's disgusted expression lasted for a few more minutes before it turned into a smile. "I'm proud of him though."

Gohan tilted his head. "If this makes you proud, just wait till I get to the main course."

"Not the food, you goof." The blue girl rolled her eyes. "I meant about the school thing."

"Really?" The hybrid asked in surprise. "But I thought you thought school was a waste of time."

"Well, for me it is." Zangya shrugged. "But you're doing something you love. Even with all the other stuff you have going on, your still making time to fulfill your dream of being a great scholar. I may not get school, but I think that's amazing. Just like everything else you do."

"Wow…" Gohan didn't know what to say to that. "Thanks Zangya."

"Get a room you two." Krillin teased, ruining the mood before it got started.

"Seriously." 18 nodded. "You're starting to make me nauseous."

"You guys aren't gonna start making kissy face, are you?" Goten asked, hoping the answer was no.

Zangya put her hands on her hips and grinned. "Aw, are you feeling left out? How about I make kissy face with you?"

"Noooo!" Goten jumped out of his chair and started to run away, with Zangya giggling as she chased him around, making fake kissing sounds.

Gohan laughed at their antics.

'Gohan! Gohan, can you hear me!' A panicked voice sounded in the teen's head.

'Towa?' Gohan thought. 'I didn't know we could communicate like this from so far away. What's the max range of demon thought communication anyway?'

'Never mind that now! There isn't much time, so just listen to me. I'm coming to transport you to the demon realm.'

'What? Why? What's going on?'

'Beerus the destroyer is coming!' The woman was practically shouting. 'He wasn't supposed to wake up for another few years, but he's coming, and you can't be around when he gets here!'

'Beerus, huh? I was wondering who that power belonged to. I guess that explains why it came out of nowhere.' Gohan thought for a moment. 'Well, thanks for the heads up Towa, but I'm good.'

'What do you mean you're good!?' Her voice echoed in his head.

'Well, I haven't had dessert yet.'

'DESSERT!'

Gohan held his head and suppressed a groan of pain. 'Ow! Don't do that!'

'Are you seriously risking a confrontation with a god of destruction for some dessert? I thought you were intelligent!'

'Is he really that strong?' Gohan asked with a curious excitement. 'I can feel that he's suppressing his energy, but I can't tell how much.'

'You don't stand a chance as you are now.' Towa answered gravely. 'Our only hope is to pull you into the demon realm. I'm sure you are his target, so if you are nowhere to be found, he will leave.'

'Or, if he is trying to find me, the destroyer god will destroy my home until I come back.'

'That is a chance we have to take if you want to survive.'

'It's not a chance I'm willing to take.' Gohan thought firmly.

'Gohan, you can't beat him!'

'See you in class Monday professor.' The teen said cheerfully.

'You stubborn fool! I won't let you do this!'

"Too late." Gohan said out loud with a smile. "He's already here."

A bright light flashed, drawing the attention of the entire party. A cloud dissipated in their midst, revealing the forms of the god of destruction and his attendant.

Break.

The party goers stared at the two divine beings, most of them unsure of who they were. Vegeta dropped his fork and his mouth hung open as his memories flashed back to the scene of his father's humiliation at the hands of the god.

'I-it can't be…' horror and shock filled his countenance. When the blue man spoke, he confirmed Vegeta's greatest fears.

"Well, lord Beerus. It almost appears as if they were expecting us. Quite the lovely gathering."

"Yes, well, I suppose this planet's cuisine must have improved since I was last here. How do you think it will compare to Cooler's spread?" The purple cat asked.

"I'm not sure." Whis replied with a finger to his cheek. "I suppose we'll just have to see, won't we?"

"Right." Beerus nodded. "But since I just had lunch, I think we can wait till after our business is taken care of."

"My, how out of character for you my lord." Whis chuckled. "I didn't realize you'd be this eager."

"Not eager, exactly." Beerus shrugged. "In any case, which one is Son Gohan?"

"He's the one with black hair." Whis answered.

Beerus scanned the crowd filled with Chichi, Hercule, Yamcha, and all the Saiyans, and he scowled. "Are you trying to be funny, Whis?"

"I try at nothing, lord Beerus." The angel replied calmly.

Beerus growled, but any retort he was about to throw out was stopped by the appearance of Chichi.

"Excuse me," Chichi began with her hands on her hips. "But I don't remember inviting you to this party. Are you friends with my Gohan?"

"Something like that." Whis replied with a smile.

"Your Gohan? Tell me, woman," Beerus asked. "Which one here is your little demon spawn then?"

"What did you just say!?" Chichi yelled. "How dare you insult my little boy like that! Just who do you think you are, huh!? And what business do you have with my son that brings you barging into his party like this!?"

"I'd watch your tone if I were you." Beerus narrowed his eyes on the earthling. "I am the god of destruction. You may call me lord Beerus. As for my business," he adopted a smug grin. "I've come to destroy your son."

The crowd was absolutely quiet at this declaration. Such a threat brought the fun atmosphere of the celebration to an end as everyone was processing the threat. Of course, only those who knew of the destroyer understood the full magnitude of the situation. Even Chichi was speechless for a moment. But like a receding wave, her voice and anger were about to rush back in with greater force.

"You MONS-"

"Oh, you poor thing!" Zangya popped up between the mother and the destroyer with eyes full of pity, shocking Chichi and Beerus enough for both to take a step back.

"H-Hera!?" Beerus stammered.

"Er… Yeah, that's my race." Zangya answered with a little confusion. Then she brought her hands to her cheeks in a sympathetic manner. "My, just look at you, you're all skin and bones! Don't you feed him?" She addressed this question to Whis, and carried on before the angel could reply. "Come on, Mr. kitty, we'll set you up with a nice meal." Grabbing his arm, she started dragging Beerus to a table.

Coming to his senses, Beerus yanked his arm free and glared at the girl. "If you think that you can save Son Gohan by distracting me with food, you are sorely mistaken."

"What?" Zangya tilted her head. "No, I wasn't trying to distract you. It's just, heheh." She let out a laugh as she folded her arms. "If you're challenging my Gohan, I figured you should at least get a final meal."

Whis held his hand over his mouth to cover his amusement, while Beerus made no effort to hide his very negative emotions. "You may not be who I thought you were, but you're just as annoying as she was." He raised his arm and let a backhand fly toward the unflinching woman. Before it landed, a hand caught the cat's thin wrist inches away from Zangya's cheek. Beerus looked to the side to see the fierce smile and deadly gaze of Son Gohan.

"You know, I didn't mind you coming here to destroy me all that much." The teen said casually. "But what you tried just now?" His smile became a snarl. "Well, let's just say you're gonna regret it."

End chapter