Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ For the Love of a Child ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 3 )

"For the Love of a Child"

Disclaimer: Blah blah blah. DBZ doesn't belong to me, the copyrights are owned by TOEI animation or something like that...

*Chapter 4*

I had known that eventually Bulma would track me down, she is not only very smart but very tenacious about getting something she wants. She got Vegeta didn't she? I'm just surprised it has taken her this long to find us. We've been here at Capsule Corp for three days now and I already long for the peace and quiet of home. Bulma seems sad and slightly frightened of me, which I can only imagine is because I'm not the little boy she remembers. Vegeta is much the same, he insisted we fight so he could test my skill and when I refused he accused me of slacking off and betraying my warrior roots. Book worm, I believe is what he called me.

I could care less what Vegeta thinks about me, I have very little use for his arrogant posturing. If it weren't for Goten I would have left two days ago, but I'm still here, walking the streets of Satan City of all places while he gets to know his `cousin' Trunks. For some reason he's completely taken to Vegeta. For his part, `Uncle Vegeta' doesn't seem to know exactly what to do about Goten and puts up with him far more tolerably than I ever would have given him credit for. In fact they're all off somewhere together right now. Vegeta mumbled something about zoos before they left after lunch but they were talking about Lions, spears, and warrior tattoos while eating so I have a feeling they went a bit farther than the local zoo. I just hope Goten doesn't come back with some tribal tattoo all over his face, I'd have a hard time explaining that one to his teacher.

I was doing some work on my laptop earlier but Bulma's mother kicked me out of the house. So now I'm banished to the streets of this city named after a man I can't stand. Hercule Satan, what an ass. He can keep the glory for all I care, I just feel sorry for the pathetic people that have no other option but to look to him as their hero. Weaklings all of them.

Listen to me, I'm beginning to sound like Vegeta, now there's a scary thought.

Chuckling maliciously at this, I pause at the window of a bookstore. I'm always fascinated by what other people choose to purchase as their reading material and study the display of the most popular books of the time. I'm slightly amused to see some of my own fiction on display. I had researched carefully before I started writing and discovered that the general public enjoyed reading books about `the young hero' most of all. So that's what I write about. Pretty ironic since I was basically a `young hero' almost all of my life.

I was starting to move on down the street when I heard shouts coming from a building across the street. It was a jewelry store and from what I could tell, it was in the process of being robbed. I crossed the street to get a better look, curious as to how normal humans deal with this sort of thing. Apparently nothing actually. The lady behind the counter was crying while another man cowered before a gun that was being held up to his face. There were only two robbers from what I could tell, the one shouting and waving the gun around and the other who was busy shoving jewelry into a sack. Firing some shots into the wall above the crying and shaking couple, the two ran out of the shop laughing. There were other people watching from the street and some in their doorways but like me, nobody did anything. I was about to turn away in disgust when a girl suddenly came around the corner, saw the two men and took after them. I watched, curious again, she looked to be about the same age as me and either she was incredibly stupid or incredibly brave. Considering that she was just a human teenage girl, I'd say incredibly stupid. She did manage to kick the guys' gun away and then knock them out, though, so she was at least stronger than most. The police had arrived by this time and thanked her before hauling away the two wannabe thieves. Bored with it all, I turned and was walking away when the girl marched over to me.

"Hey you! What are you doing? You have to stay so the police can take your statement."

I turned to stare at her. "My statement? There weren't enough people here already? I've got better things to do with my time." I started to walk away again when I was grabbed roughly by the arm. This time it seemed to belong to a large man who had been standing further up the street.

"I don't know where you're from young man, but this here is Miss Videl Satan and she's the local hero. If it weren't for her, you could be dead by now. I suggest you drop the attitude and show her a little respect, do what the lady says."

I shrugged the man's grip off my arm stared at him coldly. "I wouldn't touch me again." Transferring my gaze to the girl I stared at her for a moment.

"Would that be any relation to Hercule Satan?"

She shrugged and nodded. "My father." I could tell she was expecting me to gush or something but I just nodded.

"You have my sympathies."

The bystanders jaw dropped and the girl, Videl was obviously furious.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" She practically spat in my face. I just sneered at her and didn't respond. Her watch beeped suddenly and she looked at it in obvious frustration.

"Damn, I'm late for class again." Suddenly she looked at me with eyes narrowed. "What are you doing out here anyway? You should be in school right now. There are laws against truancy you know."

I didn't bother answering such a stupid question, as if it were any of her business either way. Turning around I walked off back towards Bulma's house. I'd probably been gone long enough to satisfy her mother's idea of `getting some fresh air'. I could hear that girl Videl yelling at my back as I walked off but I just ignored her and turned the corner, leaving her behind.

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Videl was so angry she practically saw red. The nerve and arrogance of that guy! Acting like he could do whatever he wanted. He was obviously skipping school, wandering around as if he owned the place. She had never seem him before, so he didn't go to her school and she briefly allowed to herself that he had been very cute. He had looked about her age, no uniform, but dressed casually in loose jeans and a black tee-shirt. His black hair had been short and messy, she'd seen guys in her class try to style it like that and she wondered how much time he spent in front of the mirror getting it to spike up. Shaking her head she ran off toward school, tucking away the mysterious guy to the back of her head to think about later.

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I got back to Capsule Corp and amused myself by tinkering with some things in Bulma's workshop. She had asked me to take a look at the specs for some modifications to Vegeta's gravity training room after I had told her about building my own. I had spent some time in Vegeta's, though not working out with him. Trying to fall asleep was even worse here at Bulma's and so I continued to push myself until I passed out every night.

Vegeta didn't know I was using his room, I'm careful to erase the record of my session every night, but I think Bulma suspects something because she keeps giving me these worried looks. Overall Bulma's modifications were good, I made a few suggestions of my own before Goten came racing in looking for me. I studied him closely looking for strange tattoos or markings but didn't see any. He was extremely excited, I'd been correct in my assumption about not visiting a zoo. Apparently Vegeta had taken them to Kenya so they could experience the real thing.

"And Dad, they use the coolest spears to go hunt with and Zambo had lots of warrior marks on his face, dots and swirls and stuff. And a necklace made out of lions teeth! I wanted to get some warrior marks too, right here" he pointed to several spots on his forehead and cheeks, "but Uncle Vegeta said I was a Saiyan and a true warrior. He said Saiyans didn't need special marks to prove their strength and ability. Trunks and me were still kind of disappointed, those marks are really cool Dad! Uncle Vegeta says we already have our own special Saiyan marks. He says they are so special you have to be really really strong to get them. And he showed us too. He powered up like you do sometimes and made his hair turn gold. Trunks and I did it too and he seemed mad at first but then he was really pleased. So I get to have warrior marks after all!" He ended this all in a rush and I promised myself to go thank Vegeta for not letting my son have tattoos put all over his face.

"It sounds like you had a really fun time Goten! Did you seen any other animals?"

The sunlight faded from the room as I held Goten in my lap while he rattled on about the African savannah. This is what is important to me. This bundle of energy and joy sitting here in my lap. What little I have left to offer of myself to this world, I offer to him willingly. I don't like it here, I'm uncomfortable staying here with Bulma, and I find the daily life of the people living in Satan City to be tedious and dull. But I'll stay the week because it means so much to Goten. It's going to be a long week though.

TBC

*I know, this is my shortest chapter so far, but more is coming. I promise. So I brought Videl in. Can you tell I'm not a huge fan? Well I won't go and do a total bashing of her, and I'll admit I did make Gohan rather...rude?*