In Darkest Knight

Vegeta watched Brolli and Radditz spar below, unable to keep jealousy from coloring his thoughts as they each powered up, manes going pale gold as they did their best to beat the tar out of each other. /I suppose I should join them at some point, but I don\'t feel right about being their Prince and yet their inferior in power./ He swallowed and looked away. /Is this what my father was afraid of? Of not being powerful enough to rule?/ His hand closed into a fist, causing the metal of the rail to creak.

A few minutes later saw him into a training suit and entering the wide gymnasium; the brothers immediately stopped, alert to his entrance. \"Train me. Make me powerful.\"

\"Ouji-sama...\" Radditz began, uncertain.

\"You wanna kick the out out of your old man, don\'t you?\" Brolli queried.

The regal head cocked slightly. \"That\'s part of it, yes.\" /Perceptive youth. But then, he\'s only five years my junior.../

Brolli looked to his older brother. \"You want to start him off?\"

\"That\'d be the smart thing, I think. You\'d probably leave a prince-shaped grease smear on the floor after one exchange.\"

\"Now wait just one damn minute--!\" Vegeta began, outraged.

\"That\'s a good point, but you\'d probably be too soft on him.\"

\"Take turns?\"

\"Certainly. After you, brother.\" Brolli stepped out of the way as Radditz leapt at the smaller male with relish.

Vegeta had exactly half a second to regret his request for training before the battle was joined.

***

\"And what exactly did you two mostri do to him?\"

\"He asked for training, so we decided to give it to him.\"

\"Your way?\"

\"Of course. We\'re Saiya-jin, aren\'t we?\"

Bardock groaned and rubbed his forehead, ignoring the little winces and hisses that Vegeta was trying not to let out as liniment and salve were applied to various bruises and scrapes on his royal personage. \"What you two are is hopeless. You knew he wasn\'t as powerful as you are, but you still treated him like an equal.\"

\"Of course. He wouldn\'t have tolerated anything less.\" Brolli said logically.

\"Brolli, it isn\'t polite to read someone\'s mind without their permission.\"

\"Tousan, I didn\'t have to dig any for that. It was right on the surface, just begging to be read.\"

Bardock looked at his eldest. \"We\'re going to have to teach His Highness how to shield his thoughts.\"

\"I\'ll work with him on it later.\"

\"Ow! Fucking hell!\"

Bardock bit his lip to keep from laughing as Brolli turned, not being able to resist a little dig. \"Sting, does it?\"

\"The injury is a bit deeper than anticipated,\" the medic supplied helpy why while Vegeta growled threateninglyIt wIt will require stitches, I\'m afraid.\"

\"If you need someone to hold him still...\"

\"I don\'t need anyone to hold me still, thank you very much.\"

Brolli smirked, but didn\'t comment. \"Doctor, move back...\" The large Saiya-jin murmured, and the medic stepped away as Brolli reached out and lightly pressed two fingertips into the skin alongside the deep gash. Vegeta let out a hissing growl, first from the pain of the wound being stretchthenthen at the intense and horrible itching that followed. Fortunately, it was brief, and the big man retreated. \"All done.\"

The medic examined the area, and nodded, smiling, while Vegeta glared at Brolli, lifting a hand to his face. \"What the hell did you... do?!\" He felt smooth skin. Not even a scar.

\"Just a little trick I learned. Nothing much.\"

/\'Nothing much\'?! If this gift is \'nothing much\', I would hate to see a true effort made.../

***

Meanwhile, on Earth, Hal sat in the stands with several other members of the Justice League, watching the combatants below. \"I can\'t believe I\'m doing this...\"

\"Doing what, Hal?\" sighed a light voice next to him. \"Watching grown men beat the tar out of each other?\"

\"Partly,\" Hal replied. \"I can\'t believe I\'m keeping an eye on Bardock\'s son.\"

\"This\'s so barbaric...\" She plopped her cheek into her hand and frowned.

\"I know how you feel, Ice, but I was asked to keep my friend apprised of his youngest birth-son\'s development.\" At that moment, the crowd erupted in excited cheers as one of the two men was driven from the ring. With such force, in fact, that he was slung against a far wall. A referee determined that the man was still alive, but unconscious, and Son Goku was declared the winner. \"He could have very easily killed that man, but he didn\'t.\"

Ice blinked. \"He held back?\"

\"Exactly.\"

\"Bah,\" said another clad in green, popping his knuckles. \"I say he\'s a *chump*.\"

Ice narrowed her eyes. \"Stop it, Guy. Unless you think *you* could do better...\" She bit her lip just then. Did she really just suggest that?

\"It would be a waste of time for me to go down there,\" the other Green Lantern smirked.

\"Not to mention a violation of the Code.\" Ice pointed out tartly, folding her arms across her chest as she glared at her on-again-off-again boyfriend.

\"Code, shmode, I don\'t need a ring to mop the floor with that guy!\"

\"Both of you, calm down,\" a low voice said firmly from Hal\'s other side, and both turned to stare at J\'onn in surprise. The disguised Martian ignored them as he turned his eyes towards the Green Lantern. \"Perhaps it is time that you spoke with Mr. Goku, Hal. It will be less of a shock when his father and brothers arrive if you warn him first.\"

\"I suppose you\'re right. Will you be joining me?\"

\"No. I have another matter to attend to.\" That said, he rose from his seat, scooted to the aisle, and started walking up towards the exit.

***

\"You\'re saying my father is an alien, and he\'s a Green Lantern like you, *AND* I have two brothers?\" The tall man in the orange gi asked, completely floored by all that Hal had told him.

\"I am.\"

\"I guess that just leaves me one question...\"

\"Go on.\"

\"... can I call you \'Uncle Hal\'?\" Goku grinned, then blinked his wide eyes as the Green Lantern sweatdropped.

***

Meanwhile, J\'onn touched down at a smallish Shinto shrine in nearby Tokyo, looking around at the blooming cherry trees. It was quiet, but then, most sacred sites had a peculiar hush in the atmosphere. The only person he could see was a young woman patiently sweeping the cobblestones. \"Excuse me,\" he called as he approached. The girl was oddly jumpy, springing back several feet, holding her broom like a polearm. \"I\'m sorry to bother you, but I\'m looking for one Hino Rei.\"

She shifted her hands on the staff of her broom, glaring at him warily. \"I am she.\" /You aren\'t human... I can see the skin beneath your skin.../

He nodded faintly, affirming her telepathic observation. \"I need to speak with you on a matter of grave importance.\"

She weighed him with her eyes, lips pressing into a thin line, then she straightened and nodded. \"This way, sir.\" She lead him into the meditation chamber close by, the sacred fire leaping a little as she crossed the threshold. She stood with her back to the fire as he quietly slid the door closed for privacy, every muscle tense. \"What is this about?\"

\"Do you recognize this object?\" He held out a short wand, which she took with fingers that were suddenly trembling.

\"Its a henshin wand... where did you get this?\" She asked cautiously.

\"Its owner was killed twenty years ago. She entrusted her knight with ieepieeping immediately before going into the last battle of her life. As for how it came into my possession... I suppose you could say that a family friend handed it down to me.\"

\"Why you?\"

\"To find others of her caste, and to make sure that they would find someone worthy enough to use it.\"

The priestess sighed softly. \"Its not really up to us to decide if a person is worthy... He or she must be the reincarnation of a previous wielder... but I don\'t recognize this symbol. What planet was this senshi from?\"

He shifted cautiously. \"It is a very long story...\"

***

\"When can I expect my father to arrive?\" Goku asked Hal around a mouthful of cheeseburger.

Used to Bardock\'s appetite though he was, the young man\'s eating habits still nearly caused the Green Lantern\'s eyes to bug out. \"A few days. A week at the most.\" He winced as he faintly heard Guy and Ice arguing outside. Finally, Guy stormed away, while Ice entered the restaurant and flopped down alongside Hal, swiping one of Goku\'s burgers. \"Bad one

\

\"If I never see him again, it will be too soon,\" she panted, tearing a large bite out of the sandwich. Hal shook his head; he didn\'t need to be an empath to know that the young woman was almost in tears.

Goku looked at her, his expression softening as he swallowed, then reached over to lay one large hand on her arm. \"It\'ll be all right.\" She looked up at him, light blue eyes welling with unshed tears, her pretty face looking even younger with a ketchup smear at the corner of her mouth. \"Promise.\" He smiled, and offered her a napkin.

She sniffled, swallowed, and accepted the napkin as she set the burger down. \"Thank you.\" She wiped her mouth delicately.

Hal was briefly reminded of a much-younger Brolli, when the young Saiya-jin had managed to calm a wounded Scolarian lynx long enough for the animal to be tranquilized, and wondered idly if all Saiya-jin were possessed of the same empathic gifts or if it was limited to those bearing the Super-Saiya-jin gene. He sipped his soda as he watched the two eat and talk quietly, a powerful bond of friendship forming in a few heartbeats, and fervantly hoped that Guy wouldn\'t do anything stupid.