Dragonball Super Z
http://hometown.aol.com/juuhachigouda/dbszfic.html
By: Juuhachi-gou <juuhachigouda@aol.com> and MiraiBulma
Dragonball Z

Dead Man's Party:
Part Two
"It's Only Me"


All dressed up with nowhere to go
Walkin' with a dead man
Waitin' for an invitation to arrive
Walking with a dead man
Walking with a dead man

~*~

	The morning sun shone brightly on Papaya Island, where the walls 
of the newly-reconstructed battle stadium gleamed with fresh paint and 
lacquer. At the signup board, Videl stood in a red-and-white patterned 
kimono with a black obi--suitable for a young married woman. On her 
back, Pan slept in a gaily-patterned sling.
	"Everyone choose your numbers!" she directed the assembled 
warriors. There were only sixteen slots this year--it was the first 
Budoukai in twenty years, after all, and they'd had to scrounge to find 
even that many warriors, even with the arrival of Goten-tachi--but the 
empty slots had filled up quickly enough.
	"I wanna fight," Bra pouted, leaning against a gate-post, her 
arms folded.
	"You're too young," Vegeta told her. "You can fight in the next 
one, three years from now."
	"Three years is forever!" she protested, stamping her foot. "I'm 
almost thirteen now!"
	Vegeta looked at his daughter. Though she'd only been part of his 
family for a handful of months, he had bonded with her almost at once, 
and he found it annoyingly hard to refuse her anything... not when eyes 
that held his will and Bulma's fire combined looked his way. Much like 
his first-born, so very much. The best of both their parents. He 
understood better these days why Kakarott looked at his children with 
such pride and happiness. Still, a warrior without discipline was 
nothing. He showed her his fiercest scowl, which made even Bra take a 
step back. "Stop whining," he ordered firmly. "Or I'll kick your butt 
right here and now and send you home with worse than a bruised ego."
	Her tiny hands clenching into tight fists, Bra turned on her heel 
and stormed off, her pale blue topknot bouncing furiously with every 
step. Vegeta chuckled dryly to himself. *Oh yes. When she is old enough 
to fight, her competitors won't stand a chance*
	"Weren't you a little too hard on her, Papa?" Trunks asked, 
looking after his retreating sister.
	Vegeta turned his black glare on his son. "She's still conscious, 
isn't she?"
	Juuhachi-gou selected a number and turned away to allow Goten his 
turn at the number selection--and came up short as a pair of burning 
eyes met hers from behind a cold, gloss-white, expressionless mask. 
	"Excuse me," she said politely. The masked stranger did not 
respond. He stood perfectly still, absolutely unmoving, neither 
blocking her way nor moving out of it. If it hadn't been for those 
unnervingly intense eyes, she might have thought he was a statue.
	She half-smiled, mildly embarrassed, and still received no 
response. She couldn't tell what emotion was behind that unrelenting 
stare, but whatever it was had to be incredibly strong. Hate or 
worship, anger or fear, it caused her artificial heart to skip in its 
beating. Trying not to seem too hurried, she stepped around the 
stranger, who only then moved, to watch her pass with his steady, 
unblinking eyes.
	Something bumped into the masked stranger from behind, and he 
whirled around at once. His hand went up to clutch at the weapon slung 
across his back, but in mid-motion he froze.
	"Sorry," Marron said, flashing him a bright smile. Her wide blue 
eyes sparkled in the early sunshine, and as she bounced past him, the 
short white-gold twin ponytails bobbed saucily atop her head like two 
silken tassels. He stood staring after her, unable to take his gaze 
from her, his eyes now focused with a very different sort of attention.

~*~

	"It's nuh-not fuh-huh-hair!!!" Bra sobbed into her mother's 
shoulder, sounding every bit the child she refused to acknowledge 
herself to be. "I wanted to fight so bad! I'm just as good as Goten or 
Marron or anybody! I can't help it I'm only twelve!!" 
	"There, now, sweetie, don't cry." Bulma petted her daughter's 
hair. "Don't be in such a hurry to grow up too soon. There'll be plenty 
of other tournaments, I promise."
	"Buh-but I wanted to fight today! Goten gets to, and Marron. It's 
not fair!!" Bra sat up and wiped at her eyes, sniffling furiously. 
"What's age got to do with it any--huh?" She blinked her wide blue eyes 
as a shiny red candy apple seemed to appear in front of her.
	"Will this help?" a soothing young male voice asked. "I hate to 
see such a pretty girl crying."
	"Excuse me," Bulma began, and looked up--
	And gasped.
	Before the seated pair stood a young man, surely no more than 
sixteen, his lean, sculpted fighter's form backlit by the morning sun. 
The light picked out blue lights in his glossy mane of black hair, the 
same color blue as his deep, friendly eyes. 
	"Thuh-thank you," Bra stammered, taking the apple shyly, her 
tears forgotten as a soft pink blush colored her cheeks.
	"That's better," the youth said approvingly. "Oh, I brought one 
for your sister, too--" and he held a second candy apple out to Bulma.
	"Oh, I'm--uhm..." Bulma coyly crossed her legs and fluffed out 
her shining hair. "Why, thank you!" she giggled, allowing her fingers 
to brush the young man's hand as she accepted the gift. 
	"That's my moth--" Bra began.
	Bulma cut her off quickly. "Don't talk with your mouth full, 
little sister," she giggled, dredging up every memory she had of being 
sixteen and cranking up the cuteness factor as high as she could 
manage. *Oh, he's beautiful! What a killer smile, and look at that 
body! Wrap him up, I'll take him home with me!* "Thank you very much, 
Mister...?"
	"No 'mister'. Just Chamuya." He took Bulma's hand, bowed over it, 
and graced her knuckles with a light, courtly kiss that made her giggle 
even more. 
	"I'm Bulma, and this is my little gi--sister, Bra."
	Chamuya gave Bra the same gesture of gallantry, which made the 
girl blush even brighter, though she was smiling big, her lips tinted 
candy-apple red.
	A gong sounded, and Chamuya glanced up. "Excuse me, ladies, but I 
have to go down to get my match assignment. I hope to see you both 
again later, though..."
	"Sure!" Bra piped.
	"Good luck," Bulma said, giving him a thumbs-up and a quick wink.
	Chamuya grinned, winked back, and headed down the stadium steps 
two at a time.
	"Oooooh," Bulma crooned, "what a hottie!"
	"Daddy's gonna be mad," Bra warned from behind her apple.
	"Oh, pooh! What your daddy doesn't know won't hurt him," Bulma 
said, waving her hand dismissively. "Besides, what's the good of being 
young again if you can't flirt a little bit? It's harmless."
	Bra didn't reply, but she saw her father peering from around one 
of the bleachers, watching Chamuya head towards the locker rooms with a 
look that promised pure murder. He'd seen everything, and it was plain 
that he wasn't going to let it slide past him.

~*~

	The opening match of the First Memorial Mr. Satan Tenkaichi 
Budoukai was probably the shortest meet in the history of the 
tournament. 
	On the podium above the ring, Videl checked the cards in her hand 
and looked around at the crowd. The small stadium was packed, but she 
was able to pick out her mother-in-law, and waved. Pan was settled in 
ChiChi's lap, leaving Videl free for her hosting duties. The toddler 
crowed and flailed her chubby arms gleefully at her mother.
	Videl smiled and spoke into the microphone. "Welcome, everyone, 
to the Tenkaichi Budoukai! All our competitors have been briefed on the 
rules, which I'm about to summarize here. No weapons or foreign objects 
are allowed; neither are eye jabs or, ah, 'low blows'. A competitor 
loses the match by touching the ground outside the ring, by being 
pinned by the shoulders to the mat, by losing consciousness, or by 
submission. This is only a competition; any fighter that kills his or 
her opponent will be disqualified and banned from any future event for 
life.
	"Enough with the preliminaries, let's get ready to rumble!" Videl 
threw her arms up as the crowd cheered in wild anticipation. Then she 
extended an arm to the main entrance, and the crowd immediately 
quieted.
	The first competitor had obviously trained long and hard at his 
fighting ability; tanned and muscular, he ascended the stairs with the 
air of a born champion.
	Videl checked the cheat-card one last time. "Introducing--
Commando!"
	Cheers rose from the crowd, and Commando nodded, his stony face 
set in a granite-hard sneer that approximated a smile. He raised his 
arms and flexed them, showing off bulging muscles, and several girls 
shrieked appreciatively. His oiled, perfect skin glistened in the sun.
	"He will be facing..." Videl shuffled the cards to the next 
listing. "Piccolo!"
	A few gasps from the crowd, but mostly curious murmurs. Commando 
smirked, obviously not recognizing the name.
	A cloaked and turbaned figure emerged onto the field, approaching 
the ring with a casual but determined stride. He mounted the steps and 
approached his opponent, stopping a bare arm's reach away.
	Commando's grin faded as he looked up into Piccolo's fathomless 
eyes, set in a sharp-planed green-skinned face. As the musclebound 
fighter stared, the Namekseijin's lips curled into a mocking smile, 
parting to show the barest tip of one gleaming white fang.
	A hush fell over the assembled crowd. There was a breathless 
pause during which time seemed to stand perfectly still, waiting for 
something to happen.
	Videl slowly raised her arm, opened her mouth, took in breath to 
announce the beginning of the match. "Ready...fi--"
	She was cut off by a dull, resounding thud! from the ring as 
Commando keeled over and fainted dead away at Piccolo's feet.
	Videl paused, blinking, then lowered her arm. She watched Piccolo 
nudge his opponent experimentally in the ribs with one foot, turning 
him onto his back. Commando was out cold, his handsome face frozen in a 
mask of pure terror.
	"Um..." Videl spoke hesitantly into the microphone. "The...first 
match goes to Piccolo...by...pass-out."
	The audience erupted into laughter and jeers for the fallen 
Commando. Piccolo shook his head, eyes narrowed to slits. 
"Flattering," he muttered, "but pathetic." With a toss of his cape, he 
turned on his heel and stalked out of the ring. Commando was carried 
off by the medical staff to recover his senses and the last shreds of 
his dignity in private.

~*~

	"Our second match: Marron versus--" Videl squinted at the 
card--"Kamen!" 
	A chorus of cheers and whistles accompanied Marron to the ring, 
mostly from young men who appreciated the beauty of the Budoukai's 
first female competitor. Her spirits buoyed by the attention, she waved 
at the assemblage as she mounted the steps. She stopped in her tracks 
when she saw her opponent--the tall, masked stranger she'd bumped into 
earlier. 
	"Hi," she said, nodding. "Fancy meeting you here."
	No response. The stranger--Kamen--simply bowed stiffly, then 
straightened into a preliminary stance.
	"Not much of a conversationalist, huh?" Marron responded in kind. 
"That suits me just fine."
	"Ready..." Videl dropped her arm sharply. "Fight!"
	Marron warily circled the white-clad figure, wishing he wasn't 
wearing that damned mask--it was almost impossible to read him behind 
it. When he darted at her, she made it out of the way barely in time, 
dancing to one side and swinging a countering kick at his legs. He 
jumped over them, turning a careful backflip and landing just out of 
reach. *He's good, whoever he is*, she mused, balancing on the balls of 
her feet.
	Good, indeed, he was--but only human, for all that. If nothing 
else, she could outlast him, but as the match progressed, he showed no 
sign of tiring, countering her experimental punches and kicks, blocking 
her at every turn. To be fair, Marron was equally successful in 
avoiding being hit, but things weren't progressing fast enough to suit 
her.
	*Time to crank the volume--* She launched herself into the air, 
leaping over Kamen. He paused to watch her, and before he could turn, 
she landed behind him and delivered a solid kick to the small of his 
back. He shot forward, knocked squarely off his feet, and fell off the 
edge of the ring. The crowd gasped, and several cheered--
	Black-gloved hands clamped onto the edge of the mat, and Kamen 
swung himself back up into the ring. The cheers stopped, and surprised 
murmurs rose from the bleachers.
	"No ground contact," Videl confirmed. "The match continues!"
	The unreadable eyes focused on Marron. "You're good," their owner 
muttered, not without appreciation.
	"So you can talk." She matched his steps, circling him as he 
circled her.
	"When I choose. I prefer to speak with action, however." As he 
said this, his fist flashed out and connected sharply with Marron's 
chin. An ordinary girl's jaw might have been broken, but Marron was 
anything but ordinary. Even so, the blow snapped her head sharply 
around. When she looked back at him, a thin trail of blood trickled 
from the corner of her mouth.
	She smiled sweetly at him. "Now you're talking my language."
	Kamen hesitated, startled by the scarlet stain on the rosebud 
lips. "I--I'm so sorr--" He broke off as the girl before 
him...vanished.
	In the next instant, he felt his feet leave the ground, and he 
was rushing upward, towards the sky. He felt two small hands fisted 
into the back of his gi, and twist though he might, he couldn't pull 
free.
	"Happy landings," Marron told him joyfully, and hurled him 
earthward from about five meters up. He struck the ground with a solid 
thunk that made the whole ring shake and knocked the breath soundly 
from his lungs. For a moment he hovered in a gray daze, wondering 
whether he should just give up and pass out, when his opponent swooped 
down on him from above and, with a well-placed punch to the jaw, made 
the decision for him.
	"Marron--the winner by knockout!"
	"Marron--yattaaaaaaa~!" Bra cheered from the bleachers, her 
misery forgotten. Marron waved back at her friend before descending the 
ring steps. She cast one look over her shoulder, wondering briefly if 
Kamen was as cute behind that mask as he sounded.

~*~

	The morning passed quickly, with each match beginning only 
minutes after the preceding bout. The majority of the newcomers fell 
quickly--Juuhachi-gou's first opponent, a Chinese-style fighter calling 
herself Sham-Lee, proved to be completely ineffective without her 
weaponry and went down in less than a minute. Trunks and Goten, to the 
latter's great joy, faced each other, and Goten didn't even mind losing 
to his best friend. Gohan's opponent, Fanny Savois, nearly overcame the 
girl-shy Saiyajin with her bouncy body and brief costume, but with 
Videl shouting encouragement from the podium, he managed to prevail. A 
disco-themed fighter, Buster Moves, faced another newcomer--a small-
statured youth with a wild bush of hair and a cocky laugh named 
Rinriku. Though Buster had three heads' height and half again his 
weight on his opponent, the quick-footed Rinriku managed to cut the 
taller fighter down to size. 
	At last Vegeta's turn came. There was only one opponent he was 
truly interested in, but he felt sure that he would face his one true 
rival eventually. It was inevitable that he and Gokou should meet, and 
that he, Vegeta, would finally vanquish the upstart lowborn for all the 
world to see, finally proving who was truly the mightiest survivor of 
Vegetasei.
	But first he would have to fight at least one other. Not that it 
would be a problem; he knew he was the match and more of any warrior 
except, perhaps, Kakarott himself. A warm-up could only benefit him in 
the one match to which he aspired.
	But when he saw the face of his opponent, he chuckled wickedly to 
himself. *So, it's the one who dared to speak to Bulma. Let's see how a 
little rearrangement affects his pretty face.*
	"Good luck, Chamuya!" Bulma called.
	"Huh?" Bra blinked at her. "Mom, you're rooting for the wrong 
guy!"	
	"Oh, not really, honey..." Bulma sighed. "I'm just sympathetic. 
Vegeta's going to clean the place up with him."
	"...Oh."
	At first, Chamuya thought he was doing pretty well. He allowed 
his thoughts to drift back to the pair of pretty ladies he'd met up in 
the stands. *They're both cute, but I'm pretty sure the little one's a 
tad too young, even for me--fourteen'll get you twenty, like the Master 
says. Her older sister, now...she has definite possibilities. If I were 
the spiritual type like Rin is, I'd think she was my girlfriend in 
another life or something. As it is, I'd really like to get to know her 
better in this one.*
	Gokou watched the bout with interest. *Ano, Vegeta's holding back 
a lot. He's letting that guy think he's gonna win. I feel kind of sorry 
for him...*
	"He's good," a voice said behind him--wavering, heavy with the 
burden of ponderous age. "Of course, he's going to lose, but he's 
young, he's got plenty of time to improve."
	"Nanda?!" Gokou spun around and found himself confronted by the 
figure of a wizened old man with a long, snowy beard, wearing 
sunglasses and a loud Hawaiian shirt. 
	"Long time no see, Gokou m' boy," Master Roshi greeted him. 
"How's life treating you this time around?"
	"Kamesennin!!!!!!" Joyfully Gokou scooped up his first sensei, 
hugging him tight. "I didn't realize you were still around! Of course, 
I didn't see you up in Heaven, but then again I figured you might have 
gone the other way."
	Nonchalantly Roshi brought up the heavy staff he always carried 
and clonked Gokou soundly on the head. With a yelp Gokou dropped the 
old man, who landed squarely on his sandaled feet. "Mind how you talk 
to your elders, boy," Roshi scolded mildly. "It's good to see you alive 
again."
	Gokou rubbed the bump on his head and laughed. "Good to see you 
too! You haven't changed much."
	"After three hundred years, I figure I've done all the changing 
I'm going to--eh?" Roshi looked down as something furry and soft 
brushed his bare leg. "What's this?" He reached down and caught hold of 
a roughly plush tail. "Ah, so you grew this back, didja?"
	"KYAAAA~~!" Gokou wailed in pain and fell face-first into the 
dust. 
	"And still as tender as ever, I see," Roshi continued, unruffled, 
and released it.
	Gokou scrambled back to his feet, dusting himself off, gasping 
and wiping the tears of pain from his face. "Ha...hai."
	"Mm?" Roshi adjusted his sunglasses. "I think Cham's about to 
learn the hard way that size doesn't necessarily matter."
	"Ano?" Gokou turned around in time to see the tall, lean-muscled 
youth catapulted out of the ring. Chamuya soared skyward in a graceful 
arc before plummeting earthward. Gokou stepped aside as the young man 
slammed face-first into the ground at Roshi's feet.
	"The winner," Videl announced from the podium, "Vegeta!"
	"Ah, well, better luck next time, Chamuya," Roshi murmured. 
"Meantime, I'd like you to meet one of my older students. Son Gokou, 
this is Chamuya. He's been training at Kame House for 'bout five years 
now."
	"Hajimemash'te," Gokou said, bowing to Chamuya's twitching, 
upended legs.
	"Come on, boy, let's get some antiseptic for your ouchies." Roshi 
grasped the orange shirtback and pulled Chamuya's head out of the 
ground, slung the unconscious youth over one rawboned shoulder, and 
headed off the field with him.
	"Bai bai!" Gokou called, waving merrily. "See you later, Roshi-
sensei!"
	"Next match," Videl announced, "Son Gokou versus Tarantula!"
	"Aa! That's me!" Gokou bounded towards the ring, looking forward, 
as he always did, to another fight.

~*~

	"Yaaaaay, Papa!!" Bra cheered as her father landed beside her. 
She jumped to her feet and flung her arms around his neck. "I knew 
you'd beat 'im! --You didn't hurt him too bad, did you?"
	"He'll live. I doubt he'll be foolish enough to go sniffing 
around another man's woman anytime soon." He gave Bulma a significant 
look, and when she folded her arms and pointedly looked away, he 
stiffened, cocking one arched eyebrow. "What?!"
	"Whoever said I was your woman--or anyone's but my own?" Bulma 
demanded haughtily. "It's not like I have 'Property of Vegeta' stamped 
on my butt."
	"That can be arranged."
	She sniffed. "That wouldn't change the fact that you have no 
claim on me. A few...um, hundred...rolls in the hay does not a 
relationship make!"
	"But, Mama!" Bra protested. "Papa's your husband!"
	"Husband?! Hah! As if I'd marry such a--an arrogant creep! Not 
that he's ever asked me. He's probably afraid I'd turn him down. And as 
long as I'm a single woman, I'll see whoever I choose and I don't have 
to answer to any man until--unless I get married to one!"
	Vegeta's eyes narrowed to black slits.
	"Ut-oh," Bra muttered, her own eyes wide.
	Bulma felt herself slung over a hard muscled shoulder--hardly an 
unusual position for her to be in, but never before had Vegeta dared to 
treat her so in public. "Hey! Put me down!"
	"You're loudmouthed, ugly and have a fat butt," Vegeta muttered, 
almost absently.
	"That is not what I meant! Listen, you, you'd better let me go 
right now or I'll--yeep!" Bulma squealed as she found herself suddenly 
fifty meters up and still ascending. With a tiny gasp she grabbed hard 
onto Vegeta's neck.
	"Hey, wait for me!" Bra called, launching herself into the air 
after her otherworld parents.
	"Hmm," ChiChi murmured as she saw the trio fly past overhead. "I 
wonder where they're going--Gokou's match is about to begin."
	Gokou's opponent was a hooded black figure with a band of cloth 
obscuring the lower part of his face. 
	"Oi," Gokou said as he quick-cracked his neck to one side, then 
the other, "how you see out of that stuff anyway? And with all that 
wrapping, how you gonna move?"
	"I am Tarantula," the figure intoned, taking an elaborate stance. 
"I am descended from generations of mystic ninja warriors. From what 
lineage do you descend?"
	"Me?" Gokou blinked and pointed at his own nose. "I'm a 
Saiyajin!"
	"I know not that family. Prepare to meet defeat!"
	"Well, you could say I'm not from around here...okay, we gonna 
fight now? Sukei!" Gokou leapt eagerly at Tarantula and delivered his 
first experimental punch.
	"The winner by knockout," Videl announced, "Son Gokou!"
	"....nani...?" Gokou looked at his fist, then at the unmoving 
figure at his feet. He gently nudged Tarantula's ribs with one foot. 
"Oi, get up! That was just a warm-up!"
	No response.
	"Che..." Gokou sighed and took a step over the fallen foe. "I 
need a snack."

~*~

	"You realize," Piccolo told Marron as they faced each other in 
the ring, "I'm going to kick your butt."
	Marron showed him a cool smile the mirror of his own. "You're 
welcome to try."
	"No." Piccolo chuckled, amused both by her confidence and her 
defiance. "I'm going to kick your butt."
	Marron winked, blew the Namekseijin a kiss--and vanished.
	So did Piccolo.
	Ten thousand eager eyes scanned the ring, trying to catch sight 
of the two fighters. At ground level, the Son family males, and Trunks 
and Juuhachi-gou, followed the action that was too fast for untrained 
eyes to witness.
	A sharp cry, and a slim female form seemed to fall out of the air 
and land hard on the mat. She lay where she was and didn't move. 
Juuhachi-gou took an automatic step forward, but brought herself up 
short at once. She was sure of the outcome of the match, but she had to 
wait for the announcement to make it official before going in to help.
	"The winner," Videl announced as the tall green form reappeared, 
standing still in the ring, "Piccolo!"
	Juuhachi-gou immediately dashed ringside and retrieved her 
daughter from the fighting area. "Good try," she encouraged as Marron 
came slowly to her senses, cradled in her arms.
	"He's...good," the younger woman admitted feebly.
	Juuhachi-gou nodded once. "So are you. Next time you'll show 
him." She carried Marron over and set her down carefully beside Trunks. 
"Look after her," she told him. "My match is next. Since your father 
took off to parts unknown, he's out of the tournament. That means you 
get a bye into the third round." She kissed him briefly before heading 
back towards the ring. "See you there."
	Sadly, it didn't quite work out that way. Juuhachi-gou faced 
Master Roshi's other student, Rinriku. As she did in the first round's 
match against the Chinese fighter, Juuhachi-gou deliberately held back 
against Kamesennin's student. That proved to be a serious 
miscalculation on her part. Her guard was down, and she didn't react 
fast enough when Rinriku suddenly leapt at her--and kissed her full on 
the mouth. Caught by surprise, the jinzouningen fell backwards--and 
Rinriku pinned her shoulders firmly to the mat.
	"Ecch-CHI!" Juuhachi-gou shrieked, in an unconscious echo of 
Bulma at her finest, and kicked the grinning Rinriku solidly out of the 
ring--but it was too late.
	"Winner by pinfall," Videl affirmed, "Rinriku!"
	"Nanda?!" Trunks bellowed, outraged. "He cheated! Videl-san, that 
wasn't fair!"
	Videl looked sternly at the youth. "There's no regulation against 
kissing your opponent," she told him. "Rinriku won fair and square."
	Trunks grumbled and gave the retreating Rinriku a death-glare 
worthy of his father. "Just you wait till the next round," he rumbled. 
"I'll teach you to keep your hot lips to yourself."
	Slowly recovering, Marron sipped one of Trunks' health drinks and 
giggled to herself.

~*~

	"Oi, Gohan," Gokou grinned. "I don't expect you to hold anything 
back. Give it your best!"
	"Hai, tou-san! I won't make it easy for you," his son promised.
	The two fighters in the ring could have been brothers--the same 
wild black hair, the same broad, almost manically cheerful grins, even 
the same burnt-orange shogi--only those who knew that these two were 
father and son appreciated their true relationship. Gohan gave Gokou a 
good fight, never giving an inch, asking for no favors and granting 
none.
	Videl lowered the microphone to cheer for her own personal 
favorite. "Gohan! Gambatte yo!!!"
	"Hai, Videl-chan!" Gohan paused to strike a heroic pose for the 
love of his life--and left a wide opening for his father, who took full 
advantage of same. 
	Gokou gave Gohan a firm push, and the younger Son stood 
cartwheeling his arms on the edge of the ring, then launched himself 
into the air. "You don't get me that easy, Otou-san!" he warned, 
raising his arms.
	"Saa, so it comes to this? Yosh'!" Gokou cupped his hands to one 
side. "Ka...me..."
	"Masenkoooo..." Light fluttered around Gohan's fingers.
	"...ha...me..." A globe of white brilliance formed between 
Gokou's palms.
	"...sappo!!" 
	"...HAAAAA~!"
	Both warriors thrust their hands forward in unison, and two 
glowing beams shot forth, one from each, to meet between them. 
Spectators cried out, shielding their eyes from light that was brighter 
than the noonday sun. 
	For long tense moments, the beams spat and sparked hotly at one 
another, blue against white gold, now surging towards the airborne 
Gohan, now hissing back at Gokou, who stood on the ground, feet planted 
apart, teeth bared in a grimace of concentration.
	"Gohan-san's going to win!" Trunks exhorted, eyes shining, his 
earlier fury forgotten in the excitement of the contest. "He's more 
powerful than ever--more powerful than anyone! Na, Piccolo-san?"
	"Hrm." Piccolo squinted against the hot glare from the ring. 
"This isn't just about raw power. It's a battle of wills, and I don't 
think any creature in the universe has more willpower than Gokou."
	As though to prove the Namekseijin right, a long spiraling kiai 
echoed as the blue-white burst of the Kame-hame-ha suddenly erupted 
upwards, a fountain of pure ki, and hungrily enveloped Gohan's blast 
and Gohan himself. The beam arced upwards, then slammed down into the 
arena, scattering bystanders as it drove the younger Son into the 
freshly-painted brick wall just below the grandstand.
	"Ge..." Gohan fell to the ground, leaving a Gohan-shaped 
impression in the brick.
	"ThewinnerisSonGokouGOHAN!!" The microphone bumped and squealed 
as Videl dropped it. She leapt from the podium and was at her husband's 
side in a moment. "Gohan!! Are you all right? Speak to me!"
	"Saaaa..." Gohan sat up, rubbing at the back of his head and 
shaking brick dust from his spiky hair. "I'm okay, Videl. Otou-san, I 
almost forgot how hard he hits, even when he's playing!"

~*~

	"Okay," Piccolo grinned at the diminutive fighter who faced him 
at the beginning of the third round of competition. "So you beat the 
tin girl. Not bad. But you won't find me so easy to beat, and if you 
try to kiss me, I'm going to reach down your throat, grab your kintama 
and turn you inside out." 
	"Heh-heh-he," Rinriku chuckled nervously, hand behind his head. 
"Don't worry, I gave up kissing big green guys for Lent."
	Piccolo's taloned hand lashed out to catch hold of Rinriku and 
toss him from the ring, but the small man ducked between Piccolo's long 
legs and pushed him hard in the rump. Piccolo crashed face-first into 
the mat. Before he could get up, Rinriku jumped on Piccolo's head, 
slamming his face down again, and then leapt clear.
	"Cute," Piccolo muttered, clambering to his feet. "Real cute." He 
delivered a roundhouse kick, but Rinriku leapt above the blow, landing 
on Piccolo's outstretched leg, then jumped to the big alien's shoulders 
and pulled his turban down over his eyes.
	"HEY!!" Piccolo made a wild grab for Rinriku, who dropped off, 
landed on his hands, and gave a hard double-footed kick to the back of 
Piccolo's legs. The Namekseijin lost his balance and toppled. 
Temporarily blinded, he was unable to right himself before he hit the 
ground outside the ring.
	"Rinriku is our winner!" Videl giggled, trying not to laugh 
outright as Piccolo stood and yanked off his turban.
	"Smart-aleck," he muttered, but he was half smiling. "Not bad. 
Better than I would've expected from a human. Next time I won't wear 
the weights and we'll see who ends up on the ground on their butt."

~*~

	"Oi, I don't think we've sparred before, Trunks-kun," Gokou 
grinned as he and the younger man circled one another.
	"We have, Gokou-san," Trunks replied, smiling gently, "but not in 
this time or place."
	"Nani? Whups!" Gokou ducked under a quick sweep-kick. "Good 
going, Trunks! Don't let up!" He grabbed Trunks' swinging leg and 
tossed him towards the edge of the ring. 
	Trunks quickly righted himself in mid-air and came around to face 
Gokou. His arms wove a complicated pattern in front of his torso. 
"Burning Attack!" he shouted as a blast of ki shot towards Gokou.
	"Kame-hame-HAAAA!!!" Gokou responded, meeting Trunks' power with 
his own. Leaping into the air, Gokou pressed forward, still firing, 
until he was within arm's reach of Trunks. Then his fist drove through 
both beams and clipped Trunks squarely on the jaw. The youth fell like 
a stone and landed hard outside the ring.
	"The winner is," Videl announced, "Son Gokou!"
	"Cheer up," Juuhachi-gou smiled as she helped Trunks to his feet. 
"There's always three years from now."
	Trunks stood and rubbed his aching jaw. "Ano, I think I'll become 
a cabbage farmer."
	She snorted, dusting off the back of his jacket. "As if."

~*~

	"It all comes down to this, ladies and gentlemen," Videl said, 
restored to her podium as her husband sat with the "retired" fighters 
and gave her a thumbs-up. "The winner of this match will be the 
champion, and will face the winner of the next Budoukai in three 
years' time. To my left, the favorite, Son Gokou!"
	Gokou waved in response to the cheers and whistles and applause. 
"Ossu, minna!"
	"And to my right," Videl continued, "the challenger, from the 
Kame school, Rinriku!"
	"Hiya!" the shorter man greeted as he jumped into the ring. "It's 
good to see you, Gokou!"
	"Ano...?" Gokou blinked, peering at the young man. "Have we met 
before?"
	"Yaah! Umm...no, nothing, forget I said anything, he-he-heh." 
Rinriku waved his hands violently in front of his face. "Let's just get 
started fighting, okay?"
	Gokou grinned and nodded once. "Yosh'! Only...don't fall over the 
first time I hit you, okay?"
	"Deal." Rinriku jumped up in the air, did a neat somersault, and 
landed squarely on Gokou's head, where he did a quick tap-dance before 
hopping back off.
	"Owowowowow!" Gokou laughed, rubbing his head. "Okay, that's 
pretty good! Let's have some fun! Ikusho!"
	He charged forward, grinning hugely, and closed with Rinriku, who 
met him punch for punch and block for block. It was fascinating to 
watch these two men; rather than snarling and cursing one another with 
every blow, they laughed and shouted encouragement to one another, just 
as if they were two old friends having an amiable spar rather than 
first-met strangers competing in a worldwide tournament.
	A brief flash caught Gokou's eye from the area around his 
opponent; he paused, then tossed an experimental ki-ball at Rinriku. 
Reflexively the other fighter flared his aura and the ball of energy 
bounced harmlessly off.
	"You can use ki attacks? Yosh'! Now we're really going to have 
fun!" Gokou crowed.
	"You want to see a ki attack?" Rinriku's black eyes flashed; 
carried away with the excitement of the match, he forgot himself, 
forgot the secret he'd vowed to keep, forgot everything except the 
testing of his skill. He raised one muscular arm, and a yellow glow 
formed above his upstretched palm, roiling and flattening into a discus 
shape. "Check this out! KIEN ZAN!" He hurled the buzzing energy disc 
directly at Gokou.
	The Saiyajin stood rooted where he was, eyes wide, blinking in 
stunned amazement. "Kien...zan...?" he echoed faintly.
	"Gokou!" Juuhachi-gou shouted. "Look out!"
	"Otou-san!" Gohan and Goten chorused. 
	"Abunai yo, Gokou-san!" Trunks yelled.
	"Gokou, you idiot monkey, duck!!" Piccolo bellowed.
	"Huh--?" It was only when the Kien zan was close enough for him 
to feel the first prickling of energy at his forehead that the 
momentarily jammed gears of Gokou's brain finally re-engaged and began 
to work again. By that time it was too late to move out of the way.
	"GOKOUUUUUU!!!!!" ChiChi screamed.
	Gokou had just enough time to raise two fingers to his brow. 
"Shuken Idou!" he yelped--and vanished just as the Kien zan tore 
through the air at what had been Gokou's eye level.
	"Whoaaaa..." Rinriku's legs gave way, and he sat down hard in 
place.
	"Gokou!!" ChiChi shouted.
	"It's okay, ChiChi," Gokou said from where he now stood beside 
her, "I'm right here."
	"The winner is," Videl shouted over the microphone, "Rinriku! 
Rinriku is the Budoukai champion!"
	"Nani?" Gokou looked down at his feet, then to the ring, where 
Rinriku was getting to his feet. "Aaa--chikushou! I disqualified 
myself!"
	ChiChi shook her head. "I don't care about that, Gokou, are you 
all right?"
	"Gomen, ChiChi--I gotta talk to somebody--chotto--" And he 
vanished.
	Rinriku, laughing with relief and the heady rush of victory, was 
waving his hands and grinning hugely at the crowd. Suddenly a shadow 
fell over him from behind; puzzled, he looked around. "Who--ahhh!!"
	Gokou stood over him, his dark eyes glaring intently. Then the 
taller man's hand shot out and fisted in Rinriku's shirt. The next 
moment, both were airborne, shooting straight up far out of eyesight 
and earshot of the gathering below.
	"Hey, lemme go! Jeez, Gokou, you didn't used to be this sore a 
loser! --UH! I mean, um, that's what I heard...from people...you know, 
like Master Roshi...and stuff...uhm...he-heh?" Rinriku trailed off, 
noticing for the first time the glimmer of tears in Gokou's wide dark 
eyes.
	Softly, so softly, Gokou spoke one word. A name. "...Kuririn...?"
	Slowly a smile played across the younger man's narrow lips. 
"Whups," he said, "I'm busted."
	"KURIRINNNNN!" Gokou shouted, throwing his arms around Rinriku 
and hugging tight. "You're alive! I never could understand why you 
didn't go to Heaven like the rest of us, but Dende-sama said some stuff 
about the 'Wheel of Life', and I didn't get it too good--"
	"Go...kou..." Rinriku started turning blue in the face. "Ease 
up...couldya...?"
	"Ack! Gomen!" Gokou let go. "De mo...it's so good to see you!"
	Even as he gasped for his breath, Rinriku grinned, looking more 
like his former self than ever. "Good to see you too, Gokou. I knew you 
were back, but I didn't know...I mean, it's kinda hard, you know? I 
used to be a monk, I can take all this reincarnation stuff in stride, 
but it's not so easy for a lot of other people to wrap their minds 
around."
	"Sou...my brain don't stretch that far anyway." Gokou laughed. 
"Ano...where's your dots?" he asked, pawing at the shock of longish 
hair that fell over Rinriku's brow.
	"They weren't genetic, dumbwipe." But Rinriku was still grinning 
hugely. "I didn't get tattooed this time around because I was born as 
just a regular guy. Enma-ou let me keep my memories from my past life 
so I'd retain all the skills and power I'd learned, and have a whole 
other lifetime to sharpen and increase them. When I was old enough--
fourteen, in fact--I went to find Master Roshi. He recognized me right 
away, I think, but he's never said anything and I haven't told him. 
It's a little hard to bring up in conversation."
	A flicker of memory glimmered at the back of Gokou's mind. 
"And...Chamuya...?"
	Rinriku nodded. "Yep, that's Yamucha. He doesn't remember, but 
he's more powerful than ever for all that."
	"Aa." Gokou reached out, ruffled the wild stripe of dark hair 
bisecting Rinriku's head. "I think this is better than being a bald 
monkey, ne?"
	"Look who's talkin' about monkeys! You've got your tail back, 
huh?" Rinriku made as if to reach for it, and Gokou instantly drifted 
out of reach, chuckling. 
	"Um, excuse me."
	"Wha?" Rinriku looked down, and his eyes went wide. "Oh...uh, hi. 
Heheh..." He waggled his fingers in a bashful wave at the cool blonde 
who hovered in mid-air a meter or so below the two men.
	Gokou followed his friend's gaze. "Oi, Juuhachi-gou!"
	"I don't mean to butt into a private conversation," the 
jinzouningen intoned, "but I threw paper in the jan-ken-pon and got 
drafted to come up here and ask if you two were ready for the victory 
celebration."
	"Oh--sure!" Rinriku showed his most winning smile and drifted 
down to Juuhachi-gou's eye level. Still smiling, he held out his hand 
to her. "Listen, I didn't mean to make you mad during the match. You're 
really strong. I hope you won't think badly of me. I'd like to be 
friends, if we could."
	Juuhachi-gou arched an eyebrow. "If I'd been mad, you would have 
known it. No hard feelings." She reached out, shook his hand, then let 
go and dropped swiftly back down to the ground, her long blonde hair 
billowing up around her face as she went.
	"Wowww..." Rinriku whistled, watching her. "What a babe. I'm glad 
she didn't kill me a second time. I'd sure like to get to know her 
better."
	"Ano..." Gokou scratched his head. 'I dun' think Trunks would 
like that too much, Kuririn."
	"Trunks?! Aw, man..." Rinriku's shoulder slumped as he watched 
Juuhachi-gou drift down into Trunks' waiting arms. "Figures. I never 
get the pretty ones, do I?"

End Chapter Twenty-Two