CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE: WAKING UP

Gohan awoke with the dawn. The little half-Saiya-jin boy got up out of bed, looked around and stretched a little, then decided to play a game of Hop on Daddy and Wake Him Up.

Gohan won the game.

he ran up to Gokou's angelic, sleeping form, and slammed all of his kiddie weight down on his belly. Why he did that was unknown. It was just something that little kids do, although Gohan did it because Gokou was usually up by then. Chichi had always taught Gohan not to let people oversleep, so he decided to be a good boy and hop on daddy!

Gokou looked at him with bleary, red-rimmed eyes.

"Why don't you go play with Piccolo?" he asked in a monotone.

"Okay!" Gohan yelled, scurrying off to go to Piccolo's room.

Gokou sighed and went back to sleep. He had stayed up way too late with Bardock's friends the previous night. They had had great fun, though. So much that nobody noticed the fact that Bardock and Seripa were missing until it was very, very late. When Gokou asked why, Panbukin just gave an incredibly huge, evil-looking grin, and Toteppo simply stared as usual.

Gokou pondered the strangeness of this for a moment before he dropped off again.

***

Piccolo was busy meditating when Gohan came in, basically bouncing off the walls.

"MR. PICCOLO! MR. PICCOLO!!! GOOD MORNING!!!"

Piccolo glanced back. "Why don't we do some training today, Gohan. You look like you need the exercise."

And so Gohan's day in Hell began.

***

Bardock woke up and, for about three seconds forgot where he was. the ceiling didn't look like his hotel room, the bed was much larger, and for all the world it sounded like someone was sleeping next to him.

Oh, yeah, that's right. Seripa.

He smiled in spite of himself. Bardock was not one to act rashly like this normally, but somehow this seemed to be a long time in coming. A very long time.

"How long, really," he muttered to himself as he sat up in the bed.

"How long what?" Seripa asked from beside him.

He turned toward her. "How long until we're official."

"Hm?"

"Saiya-jin marriages don't count until the female gets pregnant. I was just wondering how long it'll take before we're official, that's all."

"You're a good liar," she said, still half-asleep. "If you're really thinking that, then being with Kakarotto's done more than change you. A lot more."

Bardock smirked and got up.

"You know, I really should be getting back to the others. They probably think that I'm dead."

"Let them," she answered from right behind him.

Bardock smiled again, and turned to embrace her.

"You know that you'll never replace Sash."

"I love you with all of my heart, too," she said, and leaned on his shoulder.

He smiled yet again.

"I really should be getting back to the others, you know," He repeated. "They'll probably be meeting with king Vegeta soon. I need to know when." He started to pull away from her. Seripa pulled him back with surprising force.

"Let them. King Vegeta has a power level of five million. I don't think he needs you too much."

Bardock started and pulled back. "A level of WHAT?!?"

"Five million," she repeated. "Didn't you know that?"

He thought for a moment. "Yeah.... i guess I did. It just didn't hit home until now. Hoe did he do that?"

"I don't know," she answered. "He just gained the power all of a sudden, as if for no reason at all. I don't know, I just serve him."

"Do you serve me, too?" He asked, holding her again.

"You come up with the lamest lines," Seripa said, snuggling against him again.

Bardock smiled for the umpteenth time that morning. Life was good.

***