A look of pure confusion crossed his face.

"Huh?" was all he could manage to say. "What the…" Gohan overlooked his unbelievable surroundings with a sulking heart and a tattered soul. There's no way all of this happened over night…Buildings were knocked over, people were scattered either dead or wounded badly along the broken streets. He was at this very same spot the other day…what on Earth happened? He needed the answer to his haunting question…and fast, before destruction like this could spread anymore. He stared uneasily at the dark gray sky above. He flared his pure golden aura around his body and took to the sky, heading back to his small, secluded house in the mountains.

"Gohan!" a young boy of the age 7 ran to his older brother as he landed in front of the house, "Did you bring me anything back?"

"Sorry Goten, I didn't. Something bad—"

"Gohan what's wrong with you? I thought I told you to buy groceries!"

"Mother! The city was destroyed overnight, alright?! I need to find out what's going on…" Chi-Chi stared at Gohan.

"Destroyed?"

"I wanna see!" Goten jumped up and down and shot up into the sky, stopping a few 20 feet above the ground to get a good view.

"GOTEN! Get down here! This is serious!!" He ignored his brother and shot off in the direction of the city, his aura's tail trailing and fading off momentarily.

"Damn, he never listens, does he?"

"Well get inside, maybe the news says something about it…" Chi-Chi stepped back inside just as her father stepped out, looking confused. Gohan took a turn and locked his attention to their television, immediately turning to the news channel.

'This is frustrating, not knowing what's going on…'

"Gohan, what are you doing back so soon?" no response, "Gohan?!" Videl looked to the TV and listened.

"There has been an odd disturbance in Cella City; a giant explosion wiped out every building, home, and so far we have found no evidence of who has done this miraculous destruction. More later."

"Ugh, that doesn't help me…Wait!!" Gohan pressed to the screen, narrowing his focus in on something…or someone. "What…who the hell is that, standing by the news reporter…?" A strange-looking man, of about 5'10'' tall, stood fairly close to the reporter with a dark coat with his hands fit casually in his pockets. His face was completely covered…odd. He was just standing there.

A loud explosion was heard from outside.

"AHH! GOHAN SAVE ME!" Goten came flying, and tumbling through the front door, followed by large amounts of smoke and flames. Gohan caught his brother and set him back on his feet, running outside, and gaping in awe. There was that same figure; his coat flapping gently in the wind caused from the explosion.

"Do me a favor and keep that kid out of my business. Thanks." The man nodded his head, and disappeared totally from view, leaving Gohan in complete shock.

"That little…it was him! I had to've been…but I couldn't sense him at all."

"Gohan, that evil mad man was trying to kill me!"

"What on Earth?!" Chi-Chi ran outside almost immediately after the man disappeared. "GOTEN! Are you alright honey?" She hugged Goten, then pushed him a little while having a firm grip on his arms. "Never wander off like that AGAIN! You hear me??"

"Yes Mother…"

"Good. Now get inside." Goten passed by the Ox King and hurriedly ran inside the house. "Gohan, what is the meaning of—" Gohan was gone, "…this." The wind blew gently through the tall grass as she stared, wondering what on Earth was going on…



:: :: :: *

"Trunks, dear! Trunksy-poo! I need some help in here, if you don't mind," Bulma's mother, Mrs. Brief called out in a happy, ringing voice. Trunks suddenly appeared before her with his hands held comfortably behind his head.

"Yeah, Grandma?"

"Would you mind folding these clothes for me? I have some errands to run in the city, and your mother is too busy fixing the old microwave. Be a dear and help me out?" Trunks smiled and willingly nodded his head.

"Sure thing! …Ehh. How do I fold clothes?"

"…Uh. Here, I'll show you…" Mrs. Brief showed Trunks rather fast; too fast for him to even follow…almost as if someone had pushed the fast- forward button. "There! Understand now?" before Trunks had a chance to speak, she cut off his chance, "Good! Bye," then left.

"But…I…I…ugh." He stared at the pile of clothes on the bed. "Now how the heck do I do this?"

:: :: :: *

A punch. A kick; and a spin to the left; extending a leg to the wall. Vegeta trained in his personal training capsule pod, which he'd been doing all afternoon. He was dripping in buckets of sweat; his heart pounding and his mouth dry from breathing so quickly. Another swift kick to the training dummy and it broke into several pieces, landing on both feet in a crouched position, one hand upon knee. He stood up and wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead.

Trunks threw the clothes into one giant pile on the floor.

"What do I fold first…" He smirked slightly while looking at his mother's underwear. "Rubber duckies?!" He blinked. "Hah—"

A violent shake of the ground beneath his feet caused him to collapse to the floor, into the pile of clothing. "ARGH! Dad probably blew up the capsule again…"

The dust clouded up around the property and drifted back down gently, creating a hazy line surrounding Vegeta's figure. His clothes, shredded, and his hair sticking out even more so; he wiped a bit of blood from his cheek and forehead. He looked up into the sky with his charcoal black eyes…what? An unfamiliar feeling, a strange sense shrouded him almost as if the dust had done.

"VEGETA!!" He stumbled backwards after being surprised from behind by his wife, Bulma. "How many times have I told you to keep the pod in one piece?! That's the 17th capsule pod I've built for you! No more! Go train elsewhere, buster!" He only stared uneasily at her, his arms held obediently at his sides. "…Vegeta?" He stepped over to her, through the rubble, and placed a hand on her shoulder as he leaned to her…his expression was priceless.

"I'm sorry, Bulma…" after saying that he made his way back to the house, leaving Bulma in slight shock.

:: :: :: *

Mrs. Brief stopped by a window along the street, looking over a pretty dress hanging up on display.

"Oh, wow—I have to look at that…" Hurriedly she pushed the little shop's door open, disappearing inside without a trace. Just a few moments later she came running back out, shouting at the owner. "$500?! You really think anyone in their right mind would pay that much for a lousy dress?! You have to be NUTS!" She high-tailed it down the sidewalk, bags in hand, heading back to Capsule Corporation.

A strange fog covered the city. Drops of crystal fell gently onto the paved streets, causing the few people wandering the streets to move indoors. Mrs. Brief turned down another sidewalk just as it had started to rain. Grumbling, she covered her head with her hands.

"Darn it! This wasn't in the forecast…" She stopped at the next stop sign, and waited for the bus to come. "Hrmph…" In the distance, thunder rumbled and the sky lit up momentarily afterward. She waited longer, her eyes glued to the road farther down. "Stupid bus system…" She sighed to herself, collapsing onto a bench. Realizing that it was wet and soggy she stood back up. "Bah! I'm walking home. Oh well—it's their loss."

:: :: :: *

Gohan lay back on his bed with his hands resting behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. The fan was spinning in a hypnotizing way. Gently, he lulled into an awkward sleep, his eyelids falling slowly. He remained motionless for the next few moments until his mother knocked on the door.

"Gohan! Get up. It's time to get ready for school."

"…School?! Are you kidding me? It's only 10—" he stared at the clock, "…6:35. Man…where did that time go?" Gohan grumbled and slipped out of bed, watching as Chi-Chi left the room. "What's wrong with me?" He turned to the mirror…there he stood, looking just like his father. He brushed a hand through his hair and watched it fall right back into place. A sigh of exasperation slipped through his pale rose pink lips. "Oh…well…" A picture of Goku and himself as a little boy sat on his dresser, catching his attention. "Boy, do I miss you, Dad…" He slowly left the room.

"Chi-Chi, look at the news! Something bad happened…another city disturbance!" the Ox King sat at the kitchen table with his attention at the TV.

"What?! Where?"

"Shh…listen."

"Another odd disturbance has been reported from a new location—East District. Just last night, the city was attacked, and left in ruins. Many deaths have been reported. So far, we've found no living citizens…who is doing this?"

Gohan grit his teeth as he watched the TV.

"This is messed up…Mom, I have to figure out who's doing this!"

"No you don't, Gohan! It's off to school you go! Don't worry yourself."

'She's not the least bit worried…all she cares about is my education.' Goten jumped atop his brother's shoulders abruptly.

"Gohan, Gohan! Are you gonna take me to school today?"

"Yeah…c'mon." Gohan picked up his brother and walked out the front door.

"Remember, Gohan…stay OUT of trouble! Have a good day, boys." Gohan called for his father's flying Nimbus, and hopped aboard, Goten sitting on his shoulders. "Good-bye!" They shot off into the sky, leaving behind a pale yellow trail of cloud dust.

:: :: :: *

"So glad you could join us, Son Gohan," Gohan's teacher spoke in an irritated voice as he overlooked the incoming student.

"…Yes, sir." Gohan ascended up the stairs to his regular seat next to Videl and the blonde girl. He sighed and rearranged his belongings, placing his books on the desk in front of him as Videl steadily looked him over.

"Gohan…" she spoke quietly, "you don't look too good. You okay?"

"Huh? Yeah…it felt like I didn't get any sleep at all."

"…As I was saying." Gohan abruptly sat up straight and put his most idiotic smile on his face.

"Psst, Gohan…"

"Huh?"

"Do you know anything about the disturbances?"

"Uhh—"

"Gohan, Videl. If you're trying to hold a conversation in the middle of my class…why don't you leave?" spat Mr. Richard, twitching his nose irritably.

"Sorry, Mr. Richard." Videl grasped Gohan's arm and led him out of the room while the class watched them.

"…Anywho."

Outside…

"Gohan, we have to figure out who's doing this. If we aren't careful, we could be next…"

"Yeah I know, Videl." Gohan leaned on the lockers with his hands fit comfortably in his pockets. "I have an idea, though…who's doing this."

"Really?! Tell me!"

Gohan glanced down the empty hallway and then back to Videl, his eyes fixated on hers. "The other day after the first disturbance, I was watching the news…and just behind the news reporter I saw a strange clad-in-black man…just standing there. The next thing I knew there was a loud explosion just outside, and Goten came bursting through the door. Outside…was that man. He disappeared without a trace…"

"…That's a bit odd, don't you think?" Videl folded her arms in thought. "Gohan…"

He watched her steadily as he quirked a brow. "Yeah?"

"…My father disappeared last night."

"Wh-What?? What do you mean, 'disappeared?'"

"After I went to bed, I heard the front door open and shut a few moments after. When I woke up, my father was gone. By the door, there were scrapes on the floor, and black footprints led out the door. That's why I needed to talk to you…"

"What the hell would anyone want with Hercule?" He pulled his hands from his pockets and turned them into tight-balled fists. "Darn it…Videl, tell Mr. Richard that I had to leave."

"Gohan—what? Why? Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna find him. I'm going to track him down…and make him wish he'd never messed with me—or my brother…"

"Let me come with you!"

"No, Videl…" he watched her face; full of confusion and anger, "Just…do me this one favor, alright?"

"Fine…be careful." Gohan nodded and took off down the hallway. Videl let out a sigh, and retreated back to class.

The chilled wind brushed against his face as he ran out the front doors of Orange Star High, his gaze up at the baby blue sky above. Back and forth his glanced about, and took to the sky, heading West; his aura's tail fading off…



:: :: :: *

Pure white cotton clouds drifted about aimlessly as Gohan rocketed through the crystal blue sky, a look of determination plastered on his face. He didn't exactly know where he was headed – he just knew that if he sensed anything unusual, he'd be the first to check it out. His slate gray eyes wandered about the land below – he flew over lively cities and calm, collected towns; the rest was beautiful untouched lush green land – pure, natural countryside. He took a deep, well-needed breath of air – and immediately choked on some sort of exhaust, or smoke.

"Huh?! What the…?!" He could only gasp at a growing mushroom-shaped cloud rising from below. "Oh great…a fire." He plummeted down along the cloud to figure out exactly where it was coming from.

The sound of screaming voices and hurried footsteps grew harsher and louder as Gohan lowered himself into the horror-stricken town, his mouth gaping momentarily. He grit his teeth in anger while folding his hands into tightly wound fists…caught totally off-guard, a young child ran into Gohan's leg and fell backwards, letting out a shriek of surprise.

"Hey--!" Gohan knelt down and picked the small boy up to his feet again, "Are you alright, little guy?" The boy wiped his eyes and stared up at this stranger, blinking.

"Mama? Where's Mama?!"

'Oh no…he's lost his mother in all of this commotion…' "I'll help you find your mom." Gohan picked the toddler up and hovered up into the sky to get a better view on things. "Gosh darn it…" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a quick flash of some kind of black blur shooting up past him and into mid-air, disappearing altogether before Gohan could get a second look. Beads of nervous sweat slipped along his forehead…waiting to see if the figure would show itself again. Looking down to the child in his arms he snapped back into his original train of thought, and he scanned carefully over the city down below. The sound of something snapping caught his attention. He shot down toward a ten-story building falling in the direction of a main street where people fled from in terror. "Wait here!" Gohan set the boy down in a safe spot on the sidewalk, then running and leaping up into the air – just in time to catch the falling building. Gently he set it back down on the side of the road. Shouts of happiness were heard echoing throughout the building – they weren't dead! People from inside came pouring out into the street, jumping into their cars and high- tailing it home. Gohan headed back to the boy on the sidewalk – what was this? In the place of the boy was a black figure with slanted red eyes and a smile so cruel and evil, even Gohan was beginning to shake uneasily.

"Hey! Who are you?!" No response – just the same twisted expression glaring back at him. "Answer me!" The breeze turned into a chilling one as it swept through the empty streets. "You…you're the one causing all of this, aren't you?"

"What a wise assumption." That voice! This was the same guy he'd encountered before – the day after the first attack. Gohan turned his hand into a tight fist, his brows furrowing while his eyes flashed angrily.

"Tell me this, then…Why do you do this? What purpose does it serve?!" The man shook his head slowly, the smile still remaining.

"Demanding…aren't we? Heheh…Well, if you must know…I guess I will have to show you."

"Show me? What the hell are you up to?"

"Heh…heh…" His voice echoed off just as his image did, only to leave his red eyes hovering there – in time they faded off with the rest of him.

"Grrr—What!" The wind began to pick up again while he stood there, his head jolting back and forth, searching…

"You'll never catch me…"

"You bet I will!" Gohan lifted up into the air, his eyes glazing over in pure determination and filling with hunger – hunger to stop this nuisance.

"Oh, Gohan. You don't know what you're getting yourself into…heheheheh…"



:: :: :: *

"Gohan? Gohan! Son, are you all right? GOHAN?!"

"Huh—What!" His eyes flashed open as he gained full consciousness again. Goten and the Ox King stared oddly at him while they say around the dinner table.

"Gohan…what's the matter? You fell asleep at the table and you were twitching and shouting out things…what were you dreaming about?"

"I…" Gohan looked down at his empty dinner plate in front of him, "…I…"

"You what?!" Goten demanded impatiently.

"Goten, leave you brother alone. It's okay Gohan, don't worry about it…just serve yourself some food." He sat there with his eyes fixated on his plate…that was not a dream; there's no way. Wincing suddenly he realized his arms had several severe cuts and bruises. A surprised look shot over his face.

"Mom—what are these from??"

Chi-Chi put her chopsticks down and looked strangely at Gohan. "You…don't remember?"

"No…"

"Goten found you knocked out unconscious in the middle of a street…he was looking for you since you weren't there to pick him up at school."

'Knocked out unconscious?! How the hell did that happen? …Oh my gosh. It must've been that guy…grrr…' "So that's what happened…he attacked me so fast and so hard that I didn't even notice!!…Gosh, this guy isn't going to be easy to get rid of…" he stopped as soon as he realized that everyone, once again, was staring strangely at him.

"What guy?"

"Umm…Nothing you need to concern yourself with, Goten."

"I'd like to know just what you're talking about, Gohan." Chi-Chi placed her hands on the table and leaned into Gohan's face, staring him down. "Well, mister?!"

"Uh may I be excused? Thanks!" Gohan darted from the table and out the front door, leaping into the sky and flaring off into the darkening sunset.

"That boy has no manners!" Chi-Chi complained, folding her arms.



:: :: :: *

He landed on the lawn of Videl's house and ran up to the doorstep, peering in through the windows to make sure there was someone home before ringing the doorbell.

"Well hello Gohan…didn't expect to see you here anytime soon." Shocked, he leapt backwards. A camera sat a little above the door, focusing on the visitor.

"Uh, yeah, Videl…I need to talk you…Could I come in, if you don't mind?"

"Come right in. The door's unlocked."

Blinking, Gohan turned the handle to the door and stepped in. Videl stood right in front of him.

"Gah! How do you do that??"

"Never mind that—what is it that you needed to tell me?"