[Quest] Ben Weeks redwizardb@yahoo.com ------------- Chapter Three ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Kakarotto!" Gokou opened one bloodshot eye blearily, sucking in the drool on his pillow and looking at his glaring red clock. 2:17 AM. He closed his eyes again, pulling the cover up over his head. "Kakarotto!!" "Uhnnn......." "KAKAROTTO!! WAKE THE FUCK UP!" "Leeme lone...." Vegeta stomped into Gokou's room, ignoring Chi-Chi's cries of indignation, and kicked Gokou's bed, making it shake violently. Gokou ignored his wife's yell of anger as she fell off the mattress and stuffed the pillow atop his head. "Goway..." Vegeta reached down and jerked Gokou out of bed, bringing his tired, half-asleep face directly two inches in front of his blazing eyes. "KAKAROTTO!!" Gokou groaned angrily. "What!!??" "SOMETHING BAD IS GOING ON!" Gokou shrugged Vegeta off and fell back on his bed, groaning. "So what?" Vegeta growled in frustration. He was about to kick Gokou in the area where kicking a man should be illegal, but then was suddenly struck with an idea. "Kakarotto, they didn't want me to tell you this, but there's a truck full of cookies outside; it was sup..." Vegeta trailed off as he noticed Gokou's conspicuous lack of presence. In fact, he was nowhere to be seen. The only figure in the room was Chi-chi, who was cursing and spluttering and telling Vegeta to go do something not only disgusting, but actually physically impossible. Vegeta ignored her and turned around, walking outside the door, looking around perlexedly. "Kakarotto....?" As he entered into the den, he saw the object that he was seeking. The dragonball. Moonlight reflected off it's orange glassy surface in a pleasant, soft red luminous glow that sheamed in the darkness. The area around it was clean of dust and other dirt particles, as if the God's themselves were protecting this most sacred of objects. Vegeta walked forward to it, breathing in relief to see it's safety had not been compromised. As he moved to touch it with his gloved hands, he felt rather than heard Gokou move back into the house. "Hey, there's not truck full of cookies out there! You lied to-" "Shut-up, Kakarotto. I see your dragonball hasn't so much as been touched." "Uhuh, Chi-Chi is really protective and she cleans up around it all the time and everything.." Vegeta smirked. So much for the Gods... "Well, I'm glad, Kakarotto, because mine's been stolen!!" Vegeta whirled to see Gokou's expression. It wasn't much to see; in fact, Gokou wasn't even looking in Vegeta's direction. His head was lolling slightly to the left, drool dripping down his lip and collecting on his chin. The object of his desire was an old, moldy piece of chicken stuffed on top of the over-filled trashcan. "Kakarotto!? Did you hear me!?" "Oh....what?" "THE DRAGONBALLS ARE BEING STOLEN!" That got a satisfying gasp out of Gokou, but then his face roamed back over to the piece of chicken. "KAKAROTTO!" "I heard you! Geez.." "I SAID THEY ARE BEING STOLEN! AS IN, GATHERED! BY AN UNKOWN PERSON WHO PROBABLY HAS LESS THAN HONORABLE INTENTIONS!" "Ooohh....." Gokou nodded his head, simulating comprehension. After a few minutes, when the silence in the room (except for Chi-chi's suprisingly rude and graphic curses) became uncomfortable, and Vegeta seemed to be waiting for some sort of response, Gokou blinked. "And that would mean.....?" "YOU FUCKING MORON! SOMEONE'S TRYING TO WISH FOR IMMORTALITY!" Gokou blinked again, finally comprehending what Vegeta was telling him. "What! But who!??" "I have no fucking clue! DIDN'T YOU JUST HEAR ME SAY THAT!?" "CALM DOWN, VEGETA!" "DON'T YOU FUCKING TELL ME TO CALM DOWN YOU SONOFABITCH!!" "WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO!?" Vegeta's mouth dropped in amazement. As Vegeta's eyes bulged in suprise, Gokou took that opportunity to swing down and grab the chicken piece in one swift motion, popping it into his mouth and chewing with much relish. Finally, Vegeta shook his head. "I want you to get dressed first, for one thing.." "Oh...okay.." Gokou walked back into his room amidst wild cursing, and exited again with Chi-chi in trail, her barely-covered body steaming in anger as her bloodshot eyes blazed. Gokou cowered under her as Vegeta watched her berate Gokou mercilessly. Finally, she screamed out some choice curses, and then slammed the door behind him, stomping into their bedroom. Vegeta arched an eye. The strongest saiya-jin in the universe, ruled by a woman? How pitifully ironic. "Well? Are you going to get her written permission to come? Are you sure you can stay up this late, hmm? Or is it past your beddy-time?" "Shutup.." Vegeta laughed as he walked over grabbing the dragonball, placing it under his armpit and striding outside. Gokou followed, his booted feet clamping on the soft green grass, his face growing grim as Vegeta gave him the basic gist of what had happened. Vegeta looked up into the night sky, storm clouds gathering on the horizon, the blood red moon glaring fiercely upon the mortals below. A gentle breeze blew their hair around as they stood quietly outside, searching the horizon for one of the other dragonballs. The sounds of night life, of owls and crickets, forming the gentle serenade of peace, had disappeared, replaced by the silent watchfulness of fear... Gokou closed his eyes and outstretched his hand, pointing it into the distance and scrunching his brow in concentration.... He couldn't.... THERE! Gokou's eyes suddenly opened up, and he tightened his Gi with grim determination. Vegeta snapped his head towards the distance mountains, and keeping his grip on the dragonball tight, he lifted into the air. Gokou did the same, the two last surviving saiya-jins bending all their power, all their forces, all their cunning and determination, towards a small, empty plateau nestled inside the southern tip of the Swiss Alps... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Chapter Three --------------------