War of Worlds

By B_Chan

Chapter 2: Fame and Fortune? Who needs it!

"Gohan! Gohan, are you still there?!" shouted Bulma’s voice from the phone. It had slipped through the demi-Saiya-jin’s fingers once the blue haired woman had told him the events that had just taken place.

"Dead...." whispered Gohan. He was parked in the driveway of his house. He’d just gotten home when his car phone had rung.

Dead…his father-in-law was dead.

Gohan picked the phone back up. "I’m sorry, Bulma, I’m still here," he said, his voice sounding distant.

"I’m so sorry, Gohan.... I can tell Videl if you want me to," said Bulma’s sad voice.

"No.... she should hear it in person. I’ll tell her when she gets home from work."

"I’m really sorry, Gohan," said Bulma.

"It’s all right, Bulma. There was nothing you could do," said Gohan. "I’m going to go now."

"Will you be okay?"

"Yes, I’ll be fine."

"...Okay. Good bye."

"Good bye," said Gohan, hanging up the phone. He leaned back in the driver’s seat and looked up at the sky. It would be dark soon. "Why...? Why can’t we ever have peace? What good will all this fighting ever do? Children lose parents, parents lose children. Win or lose, fighting brings nothing but pain."

Gohan unbuckled his seat belt and went inside to wait for his wife to come home.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Vegeta spun in a tornado kick, landing lightly on his feet. The white undershirt had become almost transparent under his arms and on the front of his chest from sweat soaking it. Even his black slacks clung to his butt and thighs. He should have changed into a pair of sweats or a training suit, but his mind was preoccupied. He wasn’t taking this invasion business as casually as he was letting Bulma believe he was. What was a warship doing so far out? Earth was practically the middle of nowhere, the only reason the Saiya-jins had once set their sights on it was because it was a top class planet that would have fetched a high price in the planet trade. The invaders looked well organized, they had issued uniforms and weapons, and it appeared that they even had ranks. Whoever that dark skinned alien was, he couldn’t have been that high up. Just how powerful was the combined force of earth’s attackers? More importantly, would they send another ship to try and take over the planet again? Vegeta snorted as he threw a round of lightening fast punches at the air in front of him. Whoever they were, they had better give up. He wasn’t the hero type, but he was waiting for Kakarot to return for their rematch, and it was easier for that bumpkin Saiya-jin to find him if he stayed in one place. Of course, there was also Bulma and the kids. It’s not like he could just pack up like he once could and leave this pathetic backwater planet.

Vegeta stood up with a pant. He ran his forearm over his sweaty brow and sighed. "Kakarot... where the hell are you? How long are you going to keep me waiting?" he asked the empty gravity room. As expected, no answer came. With another sigh Vegeta picked up a white towel and rubbed down his sweaty body; he was going to need another shower. He tugged at his pants, trying to get the fabric to quit sticking to his ass in a rather uncomfortable way. Yes, this was a bad outfit for training thought the prince. He let the towel hang over his shoulders, and grumbling to himself, walked over to the door. He pressed a large flat red button on the side of the door. It turned green and the gravity returned to 1g. Then the door unlocked.

"That woman better have fixed me something to eat by now. I don’t know how much longer I can last on an empty stomach," he said, pulling the door open. A million bright flashes assaulted him all at once. For a minute Vegeta thought someone was using the Solar Flare technique on him. The prince blinked the spots out of his vision-then a stunned look crossed his face as he saw just what was happening outside his gravity room. People, lots and lots of people, were gathered outside the round structure, all shouting and waving things in front of their faces, trying to get his attention.

They started moving forward to try and get inside the gravity room. Thinking quickly, Vegeta backed back into the room and slammed the door shut. Still with a shocked look on his face, he leaned against it as if to brace it, like he thought they were going to try ramming it down. A sweat drop ran down the side of his head.

He crept over to one of the windows and peered out. He was surrounded! Since the room was sound proof, he hadn’t heard them closing in for the killing.

"Well, this is just great!" growled Vegeta. His stomach growled back. "Uh... feeling weak," muttered Vegeta. He’d really gone too long without a meal and fighting always made him hungry. "Shouldn’t have skipped breakfast...ggggrrrrrrr."

"Maybe I can just go out their and fry all the ones that get in my way…no, Bulma would yell. She’d turn as blue as her hair if I did that." The prince sat down in the middle of the room and rested his chin on his hand in thought. With a huff he flopped back to lie on his back. "Too hungry to think of anything but food. Kami, I’m start to sound like Kakarot." The prince waved a hand in front of his face. "It’s even starting to get hot in here." He draped his arm over his face. "What a way to go, starved to death while being trapped by a bunch of pathetic humans in my own gravity room. Oh, the injustice of it all."

* * * * * * * * * * *

Bulma finished putting together a giant sub and wiped her hands clean with a kitchen towel. "Better go get Vegeta before he really does decide to eat me." She walked over to the back down and pulled it open.

"Vegeta! Lunch is-" she paled as hundreds of people turned their heads to look in her direction.

"Mrs. Briefs!" they all shouted and started running towards her.

"Eek! Never mind!" shouted Bulma slamming the door shut and locking it. People plastered themselves to the glass door, faces getting smashed up against it, muffled shouts carried through to her ears.

Bulma pulled the curtains so she won’t have to see them.

"Oh no! Vegeta!" she said, looking out a window at the gravity room that was completely surrounded by reporters. It didn’t take long for reporters to block her view again as they spotted her and moved to take pictures and shout questions at her.

"Go away!" shouted Bulma, closing the window curtains. "This is just great! I wonder how long it’s going to take before Vegeta goes ballistic and starts killing them." She glanced at the clock-it was close to five. "I hope Vegeta’s okay. Last time I didn’t feed him lunch I found him passed out in the gravity room."

Bulma picked up the phone and dialed the police.

"Police office, how can I help you?"

"I’ve got a mob of people parked out on my backyard," said Bulma. "Can you get them off?"

"Where is your house ma’am?"

"I live at Capsule Corps," said Bulma.

There was along pause on the other end of the phone. "Are you Bulma Briefs?"

"Yes," said Bulma.

"Oh Mrs. Briefs! Wow! You are truly an amazing woman! I watched the news footage where you got up to try and defend poor Mister Satan. OH!" squealed the police operator. "Your husband’s an alien?!!! Wow, my Kami, that’s incredible. How on earth did you ever find an alien stud like that? Um.... can I ask you a question. How’s he in bed?"

‘Click’

Bulma growled down at the phone. "Some help you are!" She shouted. "What am I going to do now? Um.... think, genius…" Bulma lifted her hand and scratched her chin in thought. She glared at the phone as it began to ring. "If it’s that police woman, I’m going to scream," said Bulma, picking up the phone. "Hello?"

"Mom?" asked a female.

"Bra! Oh Bra, sweetie, you’re okay. I was so worried. Is Trunks okay? Where’s your brother? Can I speak to him? Did he get out of New York before the blast hit?"

"Whoa! Whoa! Mom, calm down," said Bra. "One question at a time. I’m okay, so is Trunks. He left his meeting early so he wasn’t in New York City when it was destroyed. You can’t talk to him right now, because he flew Pan to a hospital after she was hurt in the shock wave."

"Pan got hurt?" asked Bulma.

"Yes," said Bra. "But, she’s strong, I think she’ll be okay. Are you okay mom? Me, Marron, and Goten are at Chi-Chi’s house. We’ve been watching the news. In fact we’re watching the outside of the gravity room right now."

Bulma sighed. "Yah, I know." She moved over to the window and peeked out the curtains.

"Hey mom, you’re on TV," said Bra.

Bulma sighed again and dropped the curtain. "They’ve got your father completely trapped, I’m afraid he’s either going to starve to death or kill them all."

"Won’t that make a great story," snickered Bra. "Alien monkey saves world only to go insane and kill news media."

"Bra!" snapped Bulma. "That’s not funny, I’m really starting to worry about him. You know Saiya-jins, you’re father’s going to drop dead at this rate."

Bra giggled into the phone. "Maybe me, Marron, and Goten can help you out."

"I’m listening," said Bulma.

"Here’s my plan-…"

* * * * * * * * * * *

"Are you sure about this, Bra?" asked Marron, peeking around Capsule Corps at the mass of news media.

"Come on, Marron, you trust my intelligence to pull us through, don’t you?" said Bra.

Marron gave her a skeptical look.

"I’m hurt," said Bra, faking a pout. "Don’t worry, Marron, I know what I’m doing. You ready, Goten?"

"Yup."

"Okay, here I go," said Bra. She brushed herself off and walked out into the backyard.

"It’s Miss Bra Briefs!" shouted one news reporter. Soon, mobs of people were running toward the blue haired demi-Saiya-jin.

Bra let out an eek! And ran the opposite direction of Marron and Goten.

"Okay, the blue haired cat’s out of the bag. Time to raid the pressure cooker before the dogs return," said Marron.

"What?" said Goten scratching his head. "Are we taking a break?"

Marron slapped her face. "Come on," she said, pulling him towards the gravity room. Marron reached out to try and open the door. "Damn, it’s locked. Goten," she said, motioning towards the door.

Goten grabbed the door and ripped it off its hinges. They peered inside to see a comatose Vegeta lying on the floor.

"Man, you Saiya-jins really do get weak without food," said Marron, looking down at Vegeta. She’d never seen him like that; he didn’t look half as scary when he was out cold. "And, this is the second strongest man in the universe," said Marron, leaning down. "He kind of reminds me of a house cat right now, for some reason."

Goten reached down and threw Vegeta over his shoulder. "I think I hear them coming back."

"Retreat!" shouted Marron, running out of the building, Goten not far behind.

They ran towards the back door where Bulma was waiting for them. She locked the door once they were in. "What happened to him?" asked Bulma as Goten dropped him on the couch.

"Went too long without food," laughed Goten. "You have no idea how many times that’s happened to me."

At the mention of food Vegeta cracked an eye open, and grumbling, he sat up. "Am I dead yet?"

"No, Marron and Goten rescued you," said Bulma.

"And Bra," added Marron.

"Bra?" said Vegeta, looking around. "Where is she?"

As he finished saying that Bra ran by the glass door, a horde of news reports behind her.

"That’s like her third time all the way around the building," said Bulma, looking out the window.

"What you mean?! She’s just running around in circles!" said Marron. "That was her great plan?!" Marron shook her head.

"Actually it was pretty effective," said Vegeta, getting up. He walked to the glass door and opened it.

"Vegeta! What are you doing?! Don’t open that!" shouted Goten.

The prince snorted and snatched his daughter in mid-run, dragging her inside. He closed and locked the door before the reporters could get in.

"Dad!" chirped Bra, hugging him. Tons of flashes assaulted the two. Both father and daughter snorted and pulled the curtains shut.

"This is all your fault, woman," said Vegeta.

"My fault!" shouted Bulma. "How is this my fault!"

"If you hadn’t gotten up on that ring, I never would have had to go get your sorry butt, and this never would have happened!" growled the Saiya-jin, waving at the closed curtains.

"Well sooooo sorry Mr. I’ll-Fight-Anything-That-Moves-I’m-An-Alien-Prince, let’s tell everyone on national TV! I don’t need this, first the world blows up, I can’t get your sorry butt on the phone, my kids are Kami know where, that guy pulling on my hair-!"

Vegeta clamped his hands over his ears as Bulma continued to list off all the horrors she’d been though today. Goten, Marron, and Bra looked on with wide eyes.

"-Broke a nail, and I even made you a sandwich! But what do I get?!" Bulma blinked, as Vegeta was suddenly not in front of her. She turned around to see him eating the sub.

"Keep going, I’m listening," said Vegeta, sub half-way to mouth.

"Ahhhhhh! No you’re not!" shouted Bulma, tugging on her hair.

"You’re right, I’m not," said Vegeta, taking a big bite.

"Bra, your parents are weird," Marron whispered to Bra.

Bra sighed. "You haven’t seen anything yet."

* * * * * * * * * * *

Gohan turned his head and watched as Videl entered the house and hung up her coat.

"Gohan," she said with a smile. "What’s for dinner?"

Gohan got up and pulled her into a hug.

"Gohan? What’s the matter? Is something wrong?" asked Videl, returning the hug.

"I’m so sorry, Videl," Gohan whispered into her hair. "I’m so sorry."

"Gohan...?"

"Your father, Videl…he’s dead."

Videl froze. Her eyes grew larger, and her hold on Gohan tightened. "How did he die?" she asked.

"Fighting a new enemy. Vegeta got rid of the monster and his soldiers, but he didn’t get there in time to save your father. I’m sorry."

Videl trembled and buried her face in Gohan’s shirt, trying desperately to hold back her tears.

"Go ahead and cry, Videl, it’ll make you feel better," said Gohan, stroking her hair.

"No," whispered Videl, dabbing at her eyes. "He won’t want me to cry. He won’t want me to cry..." she whispered into his chest, nails digging almost painfully into his back. "I won’t cry." she whispered.

Gohan held her tightly, once again cursing the fates. Why? Why can’t we ever live normal lives? Why can’t we just grow old and watch our children grow up in peace. That’s all I want, all I’ve ever wanted.

The telephone rang loudly in the silence between them. Gohan hesitated to pick it up, but Videl pushed herself away and looked at him with a strong blue gaze. "You’d better get that," she said, rubbing her eyes.

Gohan gave her a squeeze on the shoulder and went over to pick up the phone.

"Son residence, Gohan speaking."

Gohan’s eyes grew wide as he listened to the phone.

"Gohan?" asked Videl, going over and touching his arm.

"Yes, I understand. Thank you," said Gohan, hanging up the phone.

"Who was that, Gohan?" asked Videl.

"Videl, get your coat on, we’re going to the hospital."

"Why?" asked Videl.

"Pan’s been hurt."

* * * * * * * * * * *

Trunks walked down the white halls with a bunch of white roses, reading the room numbers as he went. He stopped and watched as a nurse ran out of one room, another nearly falling out after her.

"What?! What do you mean I have to stay for 24 hours?!" shouted an angry and familiar voice.

Trunks smiled to himself; he’d found his room. He walked towards the room and was stopped by one of the nurse that had run out.

"Stop, sir, don’t go in there! She’s a mad woman. Wait until till we get some sleeping pills in her or something!"

Trunks laughed and pushed her aside. "Don’t worry, I’m used to this, she’s my girlfriend," said Trunks, walking into the room.

"How did a loud girl like her ever get a dreamy guy like that?" said one nurse.

Trunks blinked at the scene before him. Pan was standing on top of her bed breathing steam down on a frail old doctor. She was dressed into one of those white with blue polka dotted hospital gowns. Many tubes and wires were attached to her, hooked up to all kinds of machines.

"You let me out of here right now!" growled Pan, grabbing the poor doctor by the collar of his white lab coat.

"Miss Son!" protested the doctor. "It’s true that you’re making a remarkable recovery, but you should really stay the night so we can be doubly sure."

"Doubly sure!" Pan shouted in the man’s face. "I know my body better then any doctor and I feel just fine!" she screamed.

Trunks couldn’t help but laugh at his fiery girlfriend. She made quite the picture standing on the bed, holding that little old man up by his coat, in that outfit.

Pan blinded and looked over at him. "Trunks!" she shouted, dropping the doctor, who ran out of her reach. "Trunks, tell them to let me out of here," she demanded. "Or I’m going to break out!"

Trunks laughed again and turned to the doctor. "You can bring me the papers, I’ll sign for her."

"Are you sure?!" said the man, staring at Pan. "I don’t think she’s completely aware of what she’s doing."

"What did you say?!" Pan growled.

Trunks gave the doctor a push towards the door. "I’m sure, doctor, and if you don’t want your hospital destroyed, I suggest you go get those forms."

The doctor all but ran out of the room, yelling for someone to bring a set of release forms. Trunks laughed low to himself again.

Pan plopped down on her bed and began trying to untangle herself from the wires and tubes. "One little bump on the head and they hook me up to every tube and wire they could find," she muttered.

"That wasn’t a little bump, Pan, you had a concussion," said Trunks, going over to her. "You’re lucky to be okay."

"Shut up and help me out of these things!" snapped Pan, holding up her arms which were covered in wires and tubes.

Trunks smiled and took one arm, carefully untaping a tube. "Jeez, Pan. Would you have really broken out of the hospital if I had come any later?"

"Damn right I would have, what with all those old men poking and prodding me. If I didn’t escape this place, I’d probably end up on 12 different drugs and have a hospital bill the size of a toilet paper roll."

Trunks finished freeing her, Pan jumped up and flexed her muscles. "Ah, good, let’s get out of here." she said. She turned around when Trunks didn’t follow, to see him with a wide grin on his face.

"I think I like those hospital gowns," he said with a wink.

"Eh?" Pan looked behind her to see the back of the gown was wide open. "Ah, Trunks, you hentai!" she screeched, grabbing the back of her gown.

"Hey, you’re the one that wanted to walk out of here like that," teased Trunks. "At least wait for them to bring you your clothes."

"Alright," Pan pouted, going back over and sitting down on the bed.

"Oh yah, that reminds me," said Trunks. Digging in his pocket, he pulled out an orange square of cloth.

"My bandana!" Pan cheered, getting up and hugging him. "Why do you have it?" she asked, taking it. She started combing her hair with her fingers.

"They dropped it on the way to the Emergency room, I didn’t think you wanted to lose it." Trunks watched as Pan smoothed out her hair then tied the familiar orange bandana on top. He signed and put his hands back in his pocket. One hand closed around a small smooth box. Oh yah! thought Trunks. He gulped. "Um, Pan?"

"Eh? What, Trunks?" said Pan, flipping her long hair back.

Trunks went over to her and took her hand. "Um Pan...." On your knee, stupid…! shouted a part of his mind. Trunks started to get down on his knee when someone came charging into the room and knocked him right over on his face.

"Pan! Oh sweetie!"

"D-dad!" squeaked Pan from within a bear hug.

Videl soon followed, stepping on Trunks. "Oh, Pan honey, are you all right?" she asked, going over to her daughter and husband.

"Mom!" smiled Pan. "I’m fine, really."

"That’s good," said Videl, petting her head. She turned and looked at Trunks still on the floor. "Trunks? What are you doing down there?"

"Why me?" muttered Trunks, his face pressed to the title floor, foot print on his head and back. He got up and tried to dust himself off.

"Trunks, I’m sorry. What were you about to say?" asked Pan, with two-concerned parent hovering over her.

"Um...." said Trunks, eyeing Gohan and Videl. "Nothing, I’ll tell you another time."

* * * * * * * * * * *

Vegeta’s eyebrow twitched as the phone continued to ring madly on the hook. With a growl he fired a ki blast at it and destroyed it.

"Vegeta! You can’t keep killing all the phones!" said Bulma, going over to the smoldering remains of the phone.

"Then get them to stop ringing for two lousy seconds!" barked the Saiya-jin. "If I’d known every stupid human on this planet would want to bug me I never would have saved it. I would have gladly died with them!" Vegeta groaned and flopped down on the couch, grabbing a pillow and hiding his head with it.

Bulma sighed; she would have felt sorry for him, if it wasn’t for the fact that she herself was being hounded as the wife of the new savior of the world. "I never realized just how much we needed Mister Satan." She walked over to her miserable husband and sat down next to him. Her hand reached out to stroke his tail. "I never thought I’d ever agree with you that my kind could be so annoying." She watched as the muscle in his back slowly started to relax at her gentle touch.

"Vegeta?"

"Hn?" grunted the Saiya-jin.

"Thank you." whispered Bulma.

The Saiya-jin prince pushed the pillow away and looked up at her. He sat up and pulled her against his chest, fingers going up to stroke her hair. Bulma buried her face against his chest and her frame shook with ragged breaths. She was exhausted after what had happened.

"I felt so lonely, I thought I was going to die by myself today," she muttered into his chest.

"Baka woman," whispered Vegeta, leaning back against the couch. "Baka," he repeated, putting his face down to breathe in her scent.

They stayed like that for a long time, just holding each other.

"Do you think it’s over?" asked Bulma. "I mean, could there be more of those ships out there? Do you thing they’ll come back to earth?"

Vegeta sighed. "I don’t know. I really don’t know."

Bulma shivered against him and he tightened his hold on her. "Baka woman," said Vegeta yet again. "You know I’ll never let them take you from me. You’re mine and if I have to put up and protect this mud ball of a planet to keep you with me I will."

Bulma looked up at him with misty eyes. "Do you mean that?" she asked.

"Yes," he reached down and took hold of her chin, lifting her face up. Bulma closed her eyes and leaned up as well. Vegeta froze as he heard several soft noises.

Bulma kept leaning forward and fell over as Vegeta suddenly got up.

"Hey?!" she said, pushing herself up.

Vegeta’s eyes darted around. He walked over to one of the air vents on the wall and ripped it off to reveal a man stuffed in there with camera.

"Yikes!" yelped the man, trying to retreat. Vegeta grabbed him by the collar and dragged him out. "What the fuck are you doing in my house!" roared the prince in his face.

Bulma stared on with wide eyes.

Vegeta seemed to hear something else, his eyes scanned around the ceiling. "Woman, I think the house is infested with these," he said, holding the cameraman off the ground.

Bulma groaned and rubbed her forehead. "You get rid of him and I’ll go put all of Capsule Corps’ security systems on." She got up and walked around a corner. Her head popped back around. "And, don’t kill him Vegeta."

The cameraman paled.

Vegeta cursed under his breath as he dragged the man to the front door. He opened it and booted him out with a drop kick right into several other reporters camped out on his front porch. Vegeta dusted off his hands and walked back inside.

He smirked as he heard an electric buzzing sound in the air vents followed by a scream. Vegeta chuckled to himself. His mate maybe weak, but she could take care of herself. He laughed harder as there was another buzz followed by an even louder scream.

*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 1 / Bulma’s Hideout / Chapter 3