Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or Tamora Pierce books, duh. Gods, don't u
already know that? Tamora Pierce books belong to (who else?) Tamora Pierce
and DBZ belongs to Akira Toriyama. That's is, I suppose. Read the fic, now!
Oh yeah, P.S Thank to the reviewers. I wrote all little separate thingies for you, aren't you happy?? Here goes...
Jon25me - Thank you! Anyways, they're all going to be there, with maybe an exception of Gohan. Adult Gohan is very boring, if you haven't noticed. All he does is study, all goddamn day long! He was so much cooler when he was 11 against Cell, or even when he was in high school against Majin Boo. The only time I usually read ffs about him is when Videl dies and he goes and gets with Bra, cuz I like weird couples! So sue me! ( Thanks again!
Kai - Did you really think Trunks was OOC? Well, if you say so. And Vegeta is going back, you can all kill me now. *grins sheepishly* And with Numair, I might have him conveniently come back from the dead... just an idea. I can't promise anything about not killing the others off though. I might have to, to get one of the Saiyans into a rage, blah blah blah, you get the pic.
Jarna Hill - OMG, thank you! I've never been anyone's favorite author!
Werepanther - yes, Goku and Vegeta will do some butt kicking, but I'm not sure yet whose. I may have Alanna kill Roger for what now, the third time? (
That's it. I'm surprised I actually got 4 reviews on this. Like I said, it was totally out of the blue... Alright, enough babbling. On with the story!
When Worlds Collide - Chapter 2
Son Goten had possibly had the worst day of his life.
First, after much grief, his girlfriend of three years, Paris, had broken up with him. She had mumbled something about a football player with a rich father or something like that; it really wasn't too important.
Then, by sheer and complete accident, he had stumbled into the girl's locker room. Take note, this was when they were changing for gym. He had been violently tarred and feathered by half the ninth grade girls, then thrown out of the locker room when everyone was changing classes. That meant that the entire student body population had seen him, Son Goten, ladies man of the senior class, being thrown out of the girl's locker room. Talk about the single most embarrassing thing that could happen right about then.
To top off the day, his psychopathic mother, Chi-chi had just happened to be heading home from the grocery store when school had been dismissed. Waving frantically, she had rushed up to him, planted one big wet kiss on his cheek, and shoved the grocery bags under his arm. Another one of those fun moments.
Goten had thought of calling Trunks, who had just recently gotten an internship at Capsule Corp. while he was getting through college, but shot down the idea when his secretary hadn't picked up the phone. He had tried calling the building itself, but no one had answered. That was rather odd, considering the building was usually as active as Master Roshi was when he was "reading" one of his "men's interest" magazines. 'How queer,' Goten thought as he flopped onto his bed, sighing.
He had been seeing less and less of Trunks lately; his job and college was taking up most of his time. Goten missed his best friend in times like this, he had to admit. So what if he was a little too attached to his best friend? They had been practically brothers since they were little, and had grown accustomed to sharing everything with each other. A slight knock on his door interrupted his chain of thought.
"Yeah? Who is it?" Goten rolled over and pulled out a book, in case it was his overly uptight mother.
"Its me." Goku's voice, clear and crisp as an autumn breeze, sounded through the door. Goten let out his breath.
"Come in, then."
Goku opened the door and walked in quietly, a slight smirk on his face. (A/N: NO! Nothing like the Vegeta smirk! Goku is not cool enough to have the Vegeta smirk! Yes, I do love Vegeta more than Goku. What can I say? () He was wearing that same orange gi he always did, with a blue tee underneath. His hair stuck up in odd places, yet never wavered from its original position. Black eyes, warm and inviting, sparkled in the light of the room. Goten raised an eyebrow appraisingly.
"Hey, Goten. Listen, I was wondering if you wanted to train a little later on, you know, get in some father-son time? I figure it will be fun." Goku smiled and walked over to his son. They had grown slightly distant over the years. Goten was near the end of that independent stage that all teenagers went through. Goku was always out with Vegeta, training. The breech of their relationship had had taken a toll of the father-son duo.
Goten mulled the idea over. "Maybe, dad. I guess so, later on. I have to finish my homework first, though." Goten held up the book he was intending to show to Chi-chi if she had come in unexpectedly.
Goku pursed his lips together, then smiled. "Sure, son. That homework is always a priority. You go ahead, and-"
Abruptly, both Saiyans snapped their heads to the right. An approaching power was coming steadily from the east, advancing quickly. 'Trunks,' Goten thought. 'What is he doing here?'
"Hmm." Goku looked up to the sky. "I suppose Trunks wants something. Well, I'll tell Chi-chi to make something up for him if he wants anything. You want to come greet him?" Looking up, Goten saw expectancy in his father's eyes. He nodded his head.
"Sure dad. I'll come along."
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Alanna squirmed in Trunks' arms. "Would you hold still? I can't carry you if you're fidgeting every five seconds," he snapped, his tone agitated from flying a few hundred kilos with a twitching woman under his arm. 'I thought knights were supposed to be more disciplined than this.'
"Well, sorry," she huffed. "Are we almost there?" Trunks looked down at his surroundings and caught a glimpse of the familiar home that housed Goku, Chi-chi and Goten.
"As a matter of fact, yes," he breathed, relieved. "And there's Goten," he said as he brought them down in front of the house. Goku and Goten greeted him, both grinning.
"Trunks! Good to see you! Been busy, haven't you?" Goku welcomed him.
Trunks returned the smile. "Hi Goku, Goten. This is Alanna. She's-uh-well, she'll tell you. I really don't understand it myself all that much. Let's go inside." Shaking his head, Trunks headed inside the Son residence. Shrugging, Alanna followed him wordlessly, leaving Goku and Goten outside. They glanced at each other, and followed the pair into the house.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
"So you're saying that you're from a past where this Roger guy came and killed everyone and he supposedly came back from the dead and he did it for revenge and so he could gain the throne and now you want us to go to the past and help you?" Goku asked, taking a breath after his sentence. Alanna backed slightly away from the Saiyan, then snapped at him.
"Well, yes, weren't you paying attention?" Moaning, she rolled her eyes and took a sip of water that Chi-chi, the ever-gracious hostess, had poured her.
"Humph. So how do we get to the past, anyway?" Goten voiced, frowning slightly. 'Well, at least I'll be out of school for a while. Although I doubt they'll all forget. Still, it's an excuse to slack off'(
"I have a spell that will transport us back. I am the most powerful mage in all of Tortall now, I suppose." She said gently. Pursing her lips together, she narrowed her eyes at the scene in front of her. She could see that the older one, Goku, could hold his own in an important fight. He had the build of a fighter; muscles swelled from under his shirt. The other one, however, Goten his name was, he was a slightly small kid. Not much of a build, but then again, he might be able to prove his worth. Trunks she had seen could hold his weight just by the way he had handled her when they were flying. Only someone decently strong would be able to hold Alanna when she fidgeted. She smiled in spite of herself.
"So, when are we to leave? Are there any more magi that we can gather together for this fight?" she asked the group.
Goku looked uneasily at Trunks. "Well, there's always Vegeta-"
"No, no, absolutely not. He is NOT coming along." Trunks eyed him jittery. "My father is a mad man! If he doesn't to kill us all before we even start fighting, he'll at least destroy half of Tortall in the meantime- "
"But he is one of the strongest in the history of the universe, and we need him," Goten spoke up. Trunks looked at his best friend in horror and animosity. He was about to speak up, but Goku caught him.
"We need him Trunks, whether you like it or not. He's coming."
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Vegeta's crisp laughter sounded through Alanna's ears.
"Let me get this straight. You want me - ME (!) - to go and help your puny backwater people? You have something else coming to you, whore-"
Alanna's clenched fist drove straight for Vegeta's nose, knocking his head back. For a second, no one said anything. Slowly, Vegeta's head came back to its normal position. He was smiling, his smirk perpetually implanted on his face. Alanna's face was purple from rage. Trunks and Goten backed up a bit, partly from Vegeta's reaction, and partly from Alanna's. Goku was standing near the two, ready to break up the fight in case it got out of hand.
Vegeta laughed again.
"Woman, how strong are you in your world?" Alanna clenched her teeth together.
"Strong enough," she hissed, and pulled her fist back to punch again. Vegeta grabbed her hand before she had the chance to propel it into his face a second time.
"Well, if that's the case, I'd say that this will be quite an easy problem to solve," he whispered mockingly. Alanna pulled back from him, releasing his grip, and glared.
"So I take it you'll come." Alanna massaged her sore fingers.
"Humph. I never turned down a fight before." Vegeta continued to smirk evilly (A/N: OMG, I love that smirk! He works it so well!). "So when are we leaving?"
"As soon as possible," Alanna retorted, glancing at the three other Saiyans. "I suggest you finish whatever needs to be done and we'll meet at Capsule Corp. tomorrow. Trunks, I'll stay with you?" He shrugged.
"Sure, why not. We have plenty of extra rooms here, and my mom will at least be happy she can show someone else her experiments." Trunks smiled faintly.
"That sounds great, but Goten and I really have to be getting back home. We still have to convince Chi-chi to let us come." Goku smiled sheepishly, while Goten scratched his head and sweatdropped. Alanna raised an eyebrow.
"Ha! That woman of yours is still bossing you around? If it were me, I would have put her in a space capsule and sent her to Namek years ago!" Goku glared at Vegeta, but dismissed it. Goten shared the same reaction; they were all used to Vegeta's antics by now. Alanna, however, was appalled by Vegeta's comments.
"How dare you! That's his wife and mother you're talking about!" She turned to Goku and Goten. "How can you let him get away with this? He point blank insults your family, and you just stand by and watch? Is that how you're going to treat my people if they're in danger? Just stand by and watch?"
"Alanna, please-" Goku started, but she had already stormed off.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Trunks found Alanna in the garden, outside. She was practicing some sort of movement, "a battle technique," he brooded. He came closer and watched her; she must have been a damn good knight, to have that kind of concentration. Sweat rolled down her forehead; they had left her alone for a while now. If anyone, the Saiyans know best to let someone cool down before they go storming in. A leaf crunched under his feet; Alanna whirled around to rest in a fighting position. Seeing it was only Trunks and not his bigoted father, she relaxed.
"You have good technique," he mused out loud. Alanna glared and returned to training, still perturbed from the fight. "You don't want to lower you left elbow so much though, it'll make the delivery harder." Alanna mumbled something under her breath. "I know what you're thinking," Trunks said "I know that you think that we're either opinionated, self centered beasts or cowards who won't stand up for themselves or others." Alanna's routine slowed down a bit halting ever so slightly. "But you're wrong. True, my father is a bigoted, self-serving ass at times, but we're used to it. It would be pointless for Goku to have gone and started a fight with him when one, we knew we would have to fight tomorrow, two, the entire house would most likely be destroyed, and three, we knew it would be just pointless. Sometimes, you just don't fight."
Alanna halted in her training to look at the boy. "Doing nothing isn't my style." Trunks raised an eyebrow appreciatively, and looked to her.
"All right, let me ask you something, then. When Tortall was at war in the past, which I'm guessing it was, what did you do then? Wars are a constant cycle of waiting for orders, plans, and everything in between. What did you do then, Alanna?"
Alanna was flustered by his question. He was right of course; wars were just a repetitive bore after a while. Unexpectedly, she had a flashback of the Tusaine-Tortall war, when Jon had kissed her for the first time...
"At least I can be part of the planning then," she snapped, even as she gave a defeated sigh. She was a bit too tired to fight right now. Night had fallen; the only light shining from the artificial beams that hung suspended in the air. She had trained for what seemed like hours until Trunks had came. Her body might have been young now, but her mind, on the contrary, was not.
Trunks, seeing that she had given in, closed the remaining distance between them and started to lead her to the house. "Well, you can be the commander, then. But can you please be the commander in the morning? It's quite late, you know." Yawning, Alanna realized that she had to be up early tomorrow if she wanted to get a head start on that spell. It would take all of her concentration, and even the tiniest distraction would set her off. She needed to be fully rested to even think of performing the spell.
"Right," she said quietly and headed inside the darkened house.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Alanna woke early in the morning, completing her exercises in a sleepy half-conscious state. Her night had been restless; dreams of Roger laced her thoughts into uneasy and excited thoughts that made her body queasy.
Her thoughts of Numair and Jon had been worse.
Trunks had knocked on her door a few minutes earlier that morning and told her that whatever preparations she had to be made needed to be done now; they were leaving in an hour. Alanna had hurriedly finished after only a short half-hour and settled into the bath that Bulma, Trunks' mother had showed her. The contraption was odd; strange levers and valves were used to turn the water on and off. Bulma had shown Alanna how to use the bath, although the knight-errant wasn't quite sure if she was quite certain how to use it. After a substantial amount of water was emptied into the bath, she lowered a foot into the tub.
Alanna shrieked in alarm and jerked her foot out of the tub. The temperature of the water was colder than ice; it numbed her foot so suddenly that she had to bite her lip to keep from making any more noise.
Slowly turning one of the other levers with her fingers, still biting her now coppery lip, she felt the water start to heat up in the tub. Alanna wiped her face with the water from the basin. Cupping her face in her hands, she rubbed her eyes as hot liquid flowed out of them. She hadn't cried in a while now, swearing that she wouldn't mourn for the losses suffered in Roger's killing spree until they were avenged.
That oath had been broken, and she wept.
After her bath, Alanna left her room, looking for Trunks and the rest of their mismatched group. Bulma had assigned her a room close to the kitchen, so no matter where she was, she would always find someone close. In this case, it was Bra, Trunks' little sister.
"Hi," Bra said cheerfully as chubby fingers poured cereal into a bowl. Alanna wondered what this strange type of food was, and took the liberty of asking just that.
"It's cereal. Would you like some?" Bra held out the box to the red head, which she took reluctantly. "I'll get you a bowl." Bra ran to the cupboard and took a large, brightly coloured bowl from the sink. "Here," she said, handing the bowl to Alanna. "Pour yourself some."
Alanna looked at the bowl and box of cereal in perplexity. Alanna took the bowl, and, setting it down on the table, poured cereal inside of it as she had seen Bra do. Then, albeit some questionable thoughts, she took a handful from the bowl in her hands and began to eat.
Bra met her with a questioning stare as Alanna tasted the cereal. It was... oh, so sweet! Similar to chocolate, it was delicious! Bra stuttered when she saw Alanna begin to dig in.
"Um, Miss, Alanna? Why are you eating it like that? I was just about to get you a spoon, but if you, um, want, to eat it like that, then you're welcome, I suppose..." Bra forced a weak smile, and Alanna blushed in embarrassment.
"Oh. Uh, ok, a spoon would be nice, I surmise." Alanna's face was as crimson as her red hair.
"Sure. Do you want milk with that?" Bra asked.
"Is that how you usually have it?" Alanna smiled helplessly. This new world was very different from Tortall, its customs rather severe. She should have studied more before she came here.
"Well, yes, usually," was Bra's answer.
"Then of course I would like some." Bra got a spoon from a nearby drawer and milk from the refrigerator. She poured the milk for Alanna, just in case she didn't know how to use that, much to Alanna's supreme embarrassment. Then, giving her the spoon, Bra returned to her seat. They ate in silence until Trunks came in, fully dressed and ready to go.
"Hey guys. About ready, Alanna?" Alanna nodded, putting the spoon to her half eaten cereal down and rising out of her seat.
"Goodbye, Bra. Thank you for the cereal." Bra smiled happily as Alanna left the kitchen, following Trunks to the living room.
"Goku and Goten are already here. My father is still training; he'll be down in a few minutes." Alanna grinned.
"He's so worried he has to train to the last minute?" Alanna said with satisfaction.
"He usually always does this. It's not much of a change for him. You could say he's a slight training fanatic." Alanna's smile slightly faded, her ego deflated.
The two made their way to the living room and exchanged a greeting with Goku and Goten. They waited for a few minutes, and exchanging even fewer words. Finally, Vegeta was seen striding proudly into the room, smelling about as sweet as a stormwing. Alanna wrinkled her nose in disgust, but said nothing.
"Well, wench, are you ready?" Alanna glared and ground her teeth together before speaking.
"Of course. I've committed the spell to memory, all you have to do is stand in a square around me. Now, Trunks, you go over there, and Vegeta, stand by the box with those moving pictures on it. Goku, you go by the chair, and Goten, uh, right over there will be good," she said, pointing at the computer. "Now, all I have to do it say the words in the language of the Ancient Ones, and we'll be there."
"Well, then do it woman! And be quick about it!" Vegeta snapped impatiently. He had folded his arms over his chest, in a typical Vegeta position and was looking perfectly bored. Alanna glared again, and began the incantation.
"Eth Solarus oth Mithras, a thenos ath Nadar, Enimos en al Jonarus..." This particular incantation went on for another few verses, and light surrounded the purple eyed mage. Purple colored magic wove around the five warriors, and they were gone.
(A/N: Yay! I'm done after much procrastination! Ain't it great! I know it was a bit angsty, but jeez, give her a break! Almost everyone she loves is dead, including Jon and Numie, and it would be wrong if she wasn't a bit depressed! The line Eth solarus oth Mithras doesn't belong to me, it belongs to whoever created that line in the Dragonlance books. It means "My honor is my life" in Solamnic. I really recommend that you read some of them, they're truly awesome books. Ah, any ideas, criticism, flames, whatever, are welcome. You know the drill. Oh, and I have a handy form of blackmail on my side: You no review, I no write! Aight? R&R my adorable little reviewers! (
*~Kaori~*
Oh yeah, P.S Thank to the reviewers. I wrote all little separate thingies for you, aren't you happy?? Here goes...
Jon25me - Thank you! Anyways, they're all going to be there, with maybe an exception of Gohan. Adult Gohan is very boring, if you haven't noticed. All he does is study, all goddamn day long! He was so much cooler when he was 11 against Cell, or even when he was in high school against Majin Boo. The only time I usually read ffs about him is when Videl dies and he goes and gets with Bra, cuz I like weird couples! So sue me! ( Thanks again!
Kai - Did you really think Trunks was OOC? Well, if you say so. And Vegeta is going back, you can all kill me now. *grins sheepishly* And with Numair, I might have him conveniently come back from the dead... just an idea. I can't promise anything about not killing the others off though. I might have to, to get one of the Saiyans into a rage, blah blah blah, you get the pic.
Jarna Hill - OMG, thank you! I've never been anyone's favorite author!
Werepanther - yes, Goku and Vegeta will do some butt kicking, but I'm not sure yet whose. I may have Alanna kill Roger for what now, the third time? (
That's it. I'm surprised I actually got 4 reviews on this. Like I said, it was totally out of the blue... Alright, enough babbling. On with the story!
When Worlds Collide - Chapter 2
Son Goten had possibly had the worst day of his life.
First, after much grief, his girlfriend of three years, Paris, had broken up with him. She had mumbled something about a football player with a rich father or something like that; it really wasn't too important.
Then, by sheer and complete accident, he had stumbled into the girl's locker room. Take note, this was when they were changing for gym. He had been violently tarred and feathered by half the ninth grade girls, then thrown out of the locker room when everyone was changing classes. That meant that the entire student body population had seen him, Son Goten, ladies man of the senior class, being thrown out of the girl's locker room. Talk about the single most embarrassing thing that could happen right about then.
To top off the day, his psychopathic mother, Chi-chi had just happened to be heading home from the grocery store when school had been dismissed. Waving frantically, she had rushed up to him, planted one big wet kiss on his cheek, and shoved the grocery bags under his arm. Another one of those fun moments.
Goten had thought of calling Trunks, who had just recently gotten an internship at Capsule Corp. while he was getting through college, but shot down the idea when his secretary hadn't picked up the phone. He had tried calling the building itself, but no one had answered. That was rather odd, considering the building was usually as active as Master Roshi was when he was "reading" one of his "men's interest" magazines. 'How queer,' Goten thought as he flopped onto his bed, sighing.
He had been seeing less and less of Trunks lately; his job and college was taking up most of his time. Goten missed his best friend in times like this, he had to admit. So what if he was a little too attached to his best friend? They had been practically brothers since they were little, and had grown accustomed to sharing everything with each other. A slight knock on his door interrupted his chain of thought.
"Yeah? Who is it?" Goten rolled over and pulled out a book, in case it was his overly uptight mother.
"Its me." Goku's voice, clear and crisp as an autumn breeze, sounded through the door. Goten let out his breath.
"Come in, then."
Goku opened the door and walked in quietly, a slight smirk on his face. (A/N: NO! Nothing like the Vegeta smirk! Goku is not cool enough to have the Vegeta smirk! Yes, I do love Vegeta more than Goku. What can I say? () He was wearing that same orange gi he always did, with a blue tee underneath. His hair stuck up in odd places, yet never wavered from its original position. Black eyes, warm and inviting, sparkled in the light of the room. Goten raised an eyebrow appraisingly.
"Hey, Goten. Listen, I was wondering if you wanted to train a little later on, you know, get in some father-son time? I figure it will be fun." Goku smiled and walked over to his son. They had grown slightly distant over the years. Goten was near the end of that independent stage that all teenagers went through. Goku was always out with Vegeta, training. The breech of their relationship had had taken a toll of the father-son duo.
Goten mulled the idea over. "Maybe, dad. I guess so, later on. I have to finish my homework first, though." Goten held up the book he was intending to show to Chi-chi if she had come in unexpectedly.
Goku pursed his lips together, then smiled. "Sure, son. That homework is always a priority. You go ahead, and-"
Abruptly, both Saiyans snapped their heads to the right. An approaching power was coming steadily from the east, advancing quickly. 'Trunks,' Goten thought. 'What is he doing here?'
"Hmm." Goku looked up to the sky. "I suppose Trunks wants something. Well, I'll tell Chi-chi to make something up for him if he wants anything. You want to come greet him?" Looking up, Goten saw expectancy in his father's eyes. He nodded his head.
"Sure dad. I'll come along."
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Alanna squirmed in Trunks' arms. "Would you hold still? I can't carry you if you're fidgeting every five seconds," he snapped, his tone agitated from flying a few hundred kilos with a twitching woman under his arm. 'I thought knights were supposed to be more disciplined than this.'
"Well, sorry," she huffed. "Are we almost there?" Trunks looked down at his surroundings and caught a glimpse of the familiar home that housed Goku, Chi-chi and Goten.
"As a matter of fact, yes," he breathed, relieved. "And there's Goten," he said as he brought them down in front of the house. Goku and Goten greeted him, both grinning.
"Trunks! Good to see you! Been busy, haven't you?" Goku welcomed him.
Trunks returned the smile. "Hi Goku, Goten. This is Alanna. She's-uh-well, she'll tell you. I really don't understand it myself all that much. Let's go inside." Shaking his head, Trunks headed inside the Son residence. Shrugging, Alanna followed him wordlessly, leaving Goku and Goten outside. They glanced at each other, and followed the pair into the house.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
"So you're saying that you're from a past where this Roger guy came and killed everyone and he supposedly came back from the dead and he did it for revenge and so he could gain the throne and now you want us to go to the past and help you?" Goku asked, taking a breath after his sentence. Alanna backed slightly away from the Saiyan, then snapped at him.
"Well, yes, weren't you paying attention?" Moaning, she rolled her eyes and took a sip of water that Chi-chi, the ever-gracious hostess, had poured her.
"Humph. So how do we get to the past, anyway?" Goten voiced, frowning slightly. 'Well, at least I'll be out of school for a while. Although I doubt they'll all forget. Still, it's an excuse to slack off'(
"I have a spell that will transport us back. I am the most powerful mage in all of Tortall now, I suppose." She said gently. Pursing her lips together, she narrowed her eyes at the scene in front of her. She could see that the older one, Goku, could hold his own in an important fight. He had the build of a fighter; muscles swelled from under his shirt. The other one, however, Goten his name was, he was a slightly small kid. Not much of a build, but then again, he might be able to prove his worth. Trunks she had seen could hold his weight just by the way he had handled her when they were flying. Only someone decently strong would be able to hold Alanna when she fidgeted. She smiled in spite of herself.
"So, when are we to leave? Are there any more magi that we can gather together for this fight?" she asked the group.
Goku looked uneasily at Trunks. "Well, there's always Vegeta-"
"No, no, absolutely not. He is NOT coming along." Trunks eyed him jittery. "My father is a mad man! If he doesn't to kill us all before we even start fighting, he'll at least destroy half of Tortall in the meantime- "
"But he is one of the strongest in the history of the universe, and we need him," Goten spoke up. Trunks looked at his best friend in horror and animosity. He was about to speak up, but Goku caught him.
"We need him Trunks, whether you like it or not. He's coming."
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Vegeta's crisp laughter sounded through Alanna's ears.
"Let me get this straight. You want me - ME (!) - to go and help your puny backwater people? You have something else coming to you, whore-"
Alanna's clenched fist drove straight for Vegeta's nose, knocking his head back. For a second, no one said anything. Slowly, Vegeta's head came back to its normal position. He was smiling, his smirk perpetually implanted on his face. Alanna's face was purple from rage. Trunks and Goten backed up a bit, partly from Vegeta's reaction, and partly from Alanna's. Goku was standing near the two, ready to break up the fight in case it got out of hand.
Vegeta laughed again.
"Woman, how strong are you in your world?" Alanna clenched her teeth together.
"Strong enough," she hissed, and pulled her fist back to punch again. Vegeta grabbed her hand before she had the chance to propel it into his face a second time.
"Well, if that's the case, I'd say that this will be quite an easy problem to solve," he whispered mockingly. Alanna pulled back from him, releasing his grip, and glared.
"So I take it you'll come." Alanna massaged her sore fingers.
"Humph. I never turned down a fight before." Vegeta continued to smirk evilly (A/N: OMG, I love that smirk! He works it so well!). "So when are we leaving?"
"As soon as possible," Alanna retorted, glancing at the three other Saiyans. "I suggest you finish whatever needs to be done and we'll meet at Capsule Corp. tomorrow. Trunks, I'll stay with you?" He shrugged.
"Sure, why not. We have plenty of extra rooms here, and my mom will at least be happy she can show someone else her experiments." Trunks smiled faintly.
"That sounds great, but Goten and I really have to be getting back home. We still have to convince Chi-chi to let us come." Goku smiled sheepishly, while Goten scratched his head and sweatdropped. Alanna raised an eyebrow.
"Ha! That woman of yours is still bossing you around? If it were me, I would have put her in a space capsule and sent her to Namek years ago!" Goku glared at Vegeta, but dismissed it. Goten shared the same reaction; they were all used to Vegeta's antics by now. Alanna, however, was appalled by Vegeta's comments.
"How dare you! That's his wife and mother you're talking about!" She turned to Goku and Goten. "How can you let him get away with this? He point blank insults your family, and you just stand by and watch? Is that how you're going to treat my people if they're in danger? Just stand by and watch?"
"Alanna, please-" Goku started, but she had already stormed off.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Trunks found Alanna in the garden, outside. She was practicing some sort of movement, "a battle technique," he brooded. He came closer and watched her; she must have been a damn good knight, to have that kind of concentration. Sweat rolled down her forehead; they had left her alone for a while now. If anyone, the Saiyans know best to let someone cool down before they go storming in. A leaf crunched under his feet; Alanna whirled around to rest in a fighting position. Seeing it was only Trunks and not his bigoted father, she relaxed.
"You have good technique," he mused out loud. Alanna glared and returned to training, still perturbed from the fight. "You don't want to lower you left elbow so much though, it'll make the delivery harder." Alanna mumbled something under her breath. "I know what you're thinking," Trunks said "I know that you think that we're either opinionated, self centered beasts or cowards who won't stand up for themselves or others." Alanna's routine slowed down a bit halting ever so slightly. "But you're wrong. True, my father is a bigoted, self-serving ass at times, but we're used to it. It would be pointless for Goku to have gone and started a fight with him when one, we knew we would have to fight tomorrow, two, the entire house would most likely be destroyed, and three, we knew it would be just pointless. Sometimes, you just don't fight."
Alanna halted in her training to look at the boy. "Doing nothing isn't my style." Trunks raised an eyebrow appreciatively, and looked to her.
"All right, let me ask you something, then. When Tortall was at war in the past, which I'm guessing it was, what did you do then? Wars are a constant cycle of waiting for orders, plans, and everything in between. What did you do then, Alanna?"
Alanna was flustered by his question. He was right of course; wars were just a repetitive bore after a while. Unexpectedly, she had a flashback of the Tusaine-Tortall war, when Jon had kissed her for the first time...
"At least I can be part of the planning then," she snapped, even as she gave a defeated sigh. She was a bit too tired to fight right now. Night had fallen; the only light shining from the artificial beams that hung suspended in the air. She had trained for what seemed like hours until Trunks had came. Her body might have been young now, but her mind, on the contrary, was not.
Trunks, seeing that she had given in, closed the remaining distance between them and started to lead her to the house. "Well, you can be the commander, then. But can you please be the commander in the morning? It's quite late, you know." Yawning, Alanna realized that she had to be up early tomorrow if she wanted to get a head start on that spell. It would take all of her concentration, and even the tiniest distraction would set her off. She needed to be fully rested to even think of performing the spell.
"Right," she said quietly and headed inside the darkened house.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Alanna woke early in the morning, completing her exercises in a sleepy half-conscious state. Her night had been restless; dreams of Roger laced her thoughts into uneasy and excited thoughts that made her body queasy.
Her thoughts of Numair and Jon had been worse.
Trunks had knocked on her door a few minutes earlier that morning and told her that whatever preparations she had to be made needed to be done now; they were leaving in an hour. Alanna had hurriedly finished after only a short half-hour and settled into the bath that Bulma, Trunks' mother had showed her. The contraption was odd; strange levers and valves were used to turn the water on and off. Bulma had shown Alanna how to use the bath, although the knight-errant wasn't quite sure if she was quite certain how to use it. After a substantial amount of water was emptied into the bath, she lowered a foot into the tub.
Alanna shrieked in alarm and jerked her foot out of the tub. The temperature of the water was colder than ice; it numbed her foot so suddenly that she had to bite her lip to keep from making any more noise.
Slowly turning one of the other levers with her fingers, still biting her now coppery lip, she felt the water start to heat up in the tub. Alanna wiped her face with the water from the basin. Cupping her face in her hands, she rubbed her eyes as hot liquid flowed out of them. She hadn't cried in a while now, swearing that she wouldn't mourn for the losses suffered in Roger's killing spree until they were avenged.
That oath had been broken, and she wept.
After her bath, Alanna left her room, looking for Trunks and the rest of their mismatched group. Bulma had assigned her a room close to the kitchen, so no matter where she was, she would always find someone close. In this case, it was Bra, Trunks' little sister.
"Hi," Bra said cheerfully as chubby fingers poured cereal into a bowl. Alanna wondered what this strange type of food was, and took the liberty of asking just that.
"It's cereal. Would you like some?" Bra held out the box to the red head, which she took reluctantly. "I'll get you a bowl." Bra ran to the cupboard and took a large, brightly coloured bowl from the sink. "Here," she said, handing the bowl to Alanna. "Pour yourself some."
Alanna looked at the bowl and box of cereal in perplexity. Alanna took the bowl, and, setting it down on the table, poured cereal inside of it as she had seen Bra do. Then, albeit some questionable thoughts, she took a handful from the bowl in her hands and began to eat.
Bra met her with a questioning stare as Alanna tasted the cereal. It was... oh, so sweet! Similar to chocolate, it was delicious! Bra stuttered when she saw Alanna begin to dig in.
"Um, Miss, Alanna? Why are you eating it like that? I was just about to get you a spoon, but if you, um, want, to eat it like that, then you're welcome, I suppose..." Bra forced a weak smile, and Alanna blushed in embarrassment.
"Oh. Uh, ok, a spoon would be nice, I surmise." Alanna's face was as crimson as her red hair.
"Sure. Do you want milk with that?" Bra asked.
"Is that how you usually have it?" Alanna smiled helplessly. This new world was very different from Tortall, its customs rather severe. She should have studied more before she came here.
"Well, yes, usually," was Bra's answer.
"Then of course I would like some." Bra got a spoon from a nearby drawer and milk from the refrigerator. She poured the milk for Alanna, just in case she didn't know how to use that, much to Alanna's supreme embarrassment. Then, giving her the spoon, Bra returned to her seat. They ate in silence until Trunks came in, fully dressed and ready to go.
"Hey guys. About ready, Alanna?" Alanna nodded, putting the spoon to her half eaten cereal down and rising out of her seat.
"Goodbye, Bra. Thank you for the cereal." Bra smiled happily as Alanna left the kitchen, following Trunks to the living room.
"Goku and Goten are already here. My father is still training; he'll be down in a few minutes." Alanna grinned.
"He's so worried he has to train to the last minute?" Alanna said with satisfaction.
"He usually always does this. It's not much of a change for him. You could say he's a slight training fanatic." Alanna's smile slightly faded, her ego deflated.
The two made their way to the living room and exchanged a greeting with Goku and Goten. They waited for a few minutes, and exchanging even fewer words. Finally, Vegeta was seen striding proudly into the room, smelling about as sweet as a stormwing. Alanna wrinkled her nose in disgust, but said nothing.
"Well, wench, are you ready?" Alanna glared and ground her teeth together before speaking.
"Of course. I've committed the spell to memory, all you have to do is stand in a square around me. Now, Trunks, you go over there, and Vegeta, stand by the box with those moving pictures on it. Goku, you go by the chair, and Goten, uh, right over there will be good," she said, pointing at the computer. "Now, all I have to do it say the words in the language of the Ancient Ones, and we'll be there."
"Well, then do it woman! And be quick about it!" Vegeta snapped impatiently. He had folded his arms over his chest, in a typical Vegeta position and was looking perfectly bored. Alanna glared again, and began the incantation.
"Eth Solarus oth Mithras, a thenos ath Nadar, Enimos en al Jonarus..." This particular incantation went on for another few verses, and light surrounded the purple eyed mage. Purple colored magic wove around the five warriors, and they were gone.
(A/N: Yay! I'm done after much procrastination! Ain't it great! I know it was a bit angsty, but jeez, give her a break! Almost everyone she loves is dead, including Jon and Numie, and it would be wrong if she wasn't a bit depressed! The line Eth solarus oth Mithras doesn't belong to me, it belongs to whoever created that line in the Dragonlance books. It means "My honor is my life" in Solamnic. I really recommend that you read some of them, they're truly awesome books. Ah, any ideas, criticism, flames, whatever, are welcome. You know the drill. Oh, and I have a handy form of blackmail on my side: You no review, I no write! Aight? R&R my adorable little reviewers! (
*~Kaori~*