Disclaimer: You already know this one.
The Portal to Beyond: Chapter XIX
"Are you all set?" Nathell asked. It was the next day and all ten people stood in his front entry hall. "You know you really don't have to send everyone. I could use some people here to help me out..."
Gohan smirked almost evilly as he raised his hand slightly.
"I'll stay--"
"NO YOU WON'T!!" the other man shrieked as he opened his door and started to shove people out into the hallway of his apartment building.
"Hey!" Trunks called back. "If you're so big in the crime world and you know a lot, how come you live in such a crappy house?"
Nathell shrugged. "I observe my surroundings and I never said I was rich." He slammed the door shut and the throwing of several locks could be heard.
Goku sighed and shook his head. "Your mother is going to kill me when she sees you acting like Vegeta. Your the last person anyone would suspect threatening people."
Gohan shrugged. "It's harmless and besides, I still don't like to hurt people. He was the one who pushed me too far in the first place. You know what usually happens when someone does that."
"Yeah!" Goten chimed in. "People die! I've heard what happened to Cell!"
Gohan blushed slightly in his modesty. "That was nothing..."
"Nothing?!" Trunks asked. "You really vaporized 'em!"
"That was only because he caused Tousan's death and because I felt guilty."
"Don't forget Frieza," Vegeta spoke up. They were walking down the side walk to the place that Nathell had specified. "I couldn't believe that little brat had so much ki!"
"I'm not a brat," Gohan muttered. "I wasn't one then either."
His protest went unheard of as everyone enthusiastically started to discuss previous battles.
"To me, the best battle ever was the one against Frieza!" Goku said excitedly. "Did you know how many jokes I came up with about him?"
"That fight was nothing!" Vegeta loudly interrupted. "The battle against you was pretty good. I would have won if that stupid brat hadn't of transformed..."
"I AM NOT A STUPID BRAT!!" Gohan shrieked.
"Vegeta, I think that you better be quiet," ChiChi hissed.
"I agree with ChiChi. We don't need another beat up baka on our hands," Kakarott mentioned.
Vegeta opened his mouth to say something else when Goku slapped his hands over it. The smaller saiyan struggled but he was no match for Goku's strength. When he went super saiyan, so did Goku, matching him level for level. Finally Vegeta stopped and glared fiercely.
"Are you calm now, Gohan?" ChiChi asked.
"If he calls me a brat one more time..." the boy let that threat hang in the air as he slowly lowered his ki.
"Niichan," Goten asked with his very best innocent expression in place on his face, "why are you so eager to attack everyone?"
Gohan didn't answer instead he shot his little brother a look that promised death by a blunt object if he said another word. Goten wisely decided to stay quiet.
By this time they were walking up Perot Drive about to approach the traffic light to cross.
"Wait a minute!" Nappa held up a hand to halt the procession. "These streets are deadly!"
"That's right!" Raditz added. "Nappa almost got flattened the last time. After Vegeta-ouji threw him in the middle of the street of course."
Vegeta snorted and strode foreward. "You weaklings are pitiful! Scared of some stupid motor vehicle." He held his head up high and marched across the street at a leisurely pace.
As soon as his feet hit the pavement, a huge semi-truck came around the corner doing at least 90.
"I can't watch!" Nappa and the rest turned their heads fully expecting to see Vegeta splattered across the roadway when they looked again. After hearing no sound for several moments, Goten's curiosity got the better of him and he peeked between splayed fingers.
It seemed as if the driver of that semi had slammed on the brakes at the last second sending him careening toward a nearby lampost where he proceeded to fly through the windshield at a very fast speed. There was blood and broken glass everywhere but the most shocking thing was that Vegeta was still directly in the middle of the road with a strange smile on his face.
He blew on his fingertips and buffed them against his t-shirt. Giving an extremely self-satisfied smirk to the quickly gathering crowd he said in a proud filled voice:
"Hn. Still got it."
***
Gohan pounded on the warehouse door with the fervor of a desperate man as soon as they had reached the alley of Cherry Blossom Street.
A small slot slowly slid open. Immediately a gravely voice spouted the first part of the password:
"The Lolla Frogs seem to be thriving this year," halting the man waited somewhat impatiently for the rest.
"but the.... but the...." Goku frowned in concentration.
There was a faint sound of guns being cocked in the distance.
"Remember what we told you on the ship," the younger Vegeta whispered harshly, "They have ki supressors! They're really easy to come by if you know where to look."
Goku's frown became fiercer as he started to argue with Vegeta. "I don't see you helping!"
Gohan glared at the two. Sticking a hand in his Tousan's pocket, he pulled the piece of paper out and began to read from it.
"but the Kuchi Bird is becoming extinct."
Goku grinned sheepishly, one hand behind his head. "Oops?"
Before Gohan could start yelling, the door creaked open and they were ushered inside.
***
They were led directly to a man who looked like he should belong in a gangster movie.
White pin-striped suit, black shoes, a black and white hat, and he was flanked on either site by some burly looking guards who looked as if they could kill you several different ways. And even then, they could probably be creative.
The man behind the desk was yelling into a phone when the group arrived in his office.
"I don't care *what* you have to do! Your people are expendable, my woman is not." He slammed down the receiver without saying goodbye, took a deep breath, and turned to his guests outwardly calm.
"Yes? You're reason for being in my presence is?"
The king Vegeta looked down his royal nose at the audacity of the wannabe godfather.
"We only require two things of you," he glared harder, hoping to break the man. He had no such luck. "One is to let Wu Fong know we require his services and the other is to tell what the test is."
The man looked them over silently for a second before he started to crack up. Sharing the laugh with his men, everyone in the room started to laugh heartilly.
"Did you hear this guys? They want to see Wu Fong!"
Vegeta frowned in annoyance and slammed his hands, palm down, on the table, leaning over it.
"If you don't let that man know we want to see him and tell us what that damn test is you're going on a ONE WAY TRIP TO HELL!!"
The man, apprently unconcerned, motioned over his right shoulder.
"You know that was your first test, don't you?"
He only received blank looks.
Chuckling slightly he picked up the document that one of his men had left behind. "I was testing you to see how bad you wanted Wu. Whoever told you of me had to of told you that you must prove that your worthy." Scanning the page he pulled out a pen. "By the way, I'm Aniirin[1]."
Pushing the form toward Vegeta, he motioned at the lines on the page. "All of you have to sign this first."
"Why?" ChiChi asked.
Aniirin smirked. "It just states that in case of problems, injury, or death you will *not* blame it on any of us. That you take full credit for whatever happens to you out there."
"We must confer about this first, you understand." Vegeta said.
"Of course." Aniirin shrugged. "Just don't take too long. I'm a busy man."
They formed a ten person huddle and began to discuss the situation.
"I don't believe we have a choice," Kakarott said. "We don't have time to look for an alternative way."
"I agree. Besides, we can handle whatever comes our way, right?" ChiChi asked.
Nodding, they all turned to face Aniirin.
"We accept your terms," Vegeta informed him.
"Good. Just sign on the dotted line and next to your name put what planet you're from."
He received weird looks.
"I know your aliens. I can't just say your address', can I?"
They all signed, one after the other, and Aniirin leaned back in his leather swivel chair.
"Now, this is what you have to do..."
Cruel, aren't I?
[1]: This name is from a Dragonlance book (Defenders of Magic, vol. 3 to be exact). I'm not sure on the correct pronunciation but in my fic it's "An - na - rin".