AN: This story is an entry for the SweetestIrony January Contest: The Future
NEW HOPE
The building was crumbling to pieces, a few walls had collapsed, windows smashed, doors broken in, there was mildew and moss everywhere, gardens where overgrown and invading the house. Despite all of this you could tell that it had once been a nice building. Despite the appearance the building was still lived in. The owner of this crumbling mansion was 15 year old Videl Satan who had become head of the now crumbling household four years earlier.
The two people that where responsible for the position that she was in now where 17 and 18 or as people now commonly called the androids. These twin humanoids had popped out of nowhere, they had destroyed cities and killing many people in the process. When no one could stop them they came to her Campion father and ask for his assistance. The World Martial Artists Champ Hercules went in and did what was asked of him.
Videl was so naive and believed that her father would beat the pair with ease and would be home in time for dinner. Videl sat glued to the TV as soon as her dad left the house and was so excited to see her dad get to the arranged battle site half an hour later. She saw the twins that didn't look all that deadly standing there as if they were bored out of their mind. She watched her dad make a speech that she was not able to hear and making several attempts to attack the twin monsters none of them even touching them. A smirk appeared on 17's face the still haunted Videl to this day and watched in horror as the android karate chopped the top of her father's afro head, going through her father's hair and not stopping as it hit his head. Videl was horrified as she watched to halves of her father fall either side of the ground and a hearing a loud pitched scream that she would remember for the rest of her life. Videl was told later by her nursemaid that the horrible screaming came from the young heiresses own mouth.
From the time of her father's death Videl had vowed that she would one day kill those monsters and trained every day, night and day until she was 13. She had been on a break from her training for a meal so that she could keep up her strength. In the reflection of the microwave she saw the two beasts that where responsible for her father's death. Without a word Videl attacked and like her father was not able to touch the two machines.
"Miss Videl get out of there?" her old nursemaid yelled.
"I don't want interference" 17 said a powerful blast coming from his hand which blasted through the wall behind the maid and continued on through several other walls and then the back wall. Videl watched at the maid screamed and ran towards the newly created hole in the wall, only to have a section of the second story floor fall on top of her.
"You could have at least waited till I asked where she got her clothes before killing her" the blood android said obviously pissed at her brother.
"I didn't kill her, I simply blasted the wall and then the roof fell on her" the dark haired android replied.
Wanting revenge more than ever Videl rushed the androids while the where distracted, only to hit them head-on, almost breaking her neck, but causing no injury to the androids whatsoever.
She looked into the blue eyes of 17, thinking that if there looks alone could kill, she would be dead already. On the floor she accepted her death and knew that noting she could do could stop the android from attacking her. She sat counting down the seconds till she would see her dad who had died two years earlier and her mother who died when she was 7 years old. Just as she thought her life was going to end a battle scared boy who could be no older then her flew through the house destroying a few windows and knocking down a wall. He ploughed into 17 and 18 actually knocking the cyborg through the kitchen bench and into the sitting room.
Videl had heard rumors of the boy only known as Gohan who often attempted to rescue people from the androids. She watched as he engaged in battle with the two machines, standing up knowing that she had to get into hiding, or there would be no purpose of him coming to rescue her. She wanted to stay and watch the outcome, but knew that she could not afford to.
She turned back for one last glimpse and watched as the androids slashed his face, blood spraying over the white carpet. She wanted to help but knew that she would not stand a chance and ran to her hiding place.
Videl followed secret passages in the mansion that only her father, herself and a few of her father's most trusted employees knew about. The passage lead to an underground bunker that was the size a of three bedroom house. She looked at the possessions that where down there and saw that her father had photos and a few possessions of her mothers and a couple of her old toys. Videl picked up her old Teddy and the photo album and a blanket and sat in the darkest corner of the room, watching the door incase the androids found where she was now hiding.
It felt like hours had passed when she saw the silhouette of a person in the doorway and almost screamed out in fear. She noticed that the person was too short to be the androids and watched as the person took a couple of steps into the room before collapsing on the floor.
Knowing that he was most likely the teenager that saved her, Videl ventured closer to see if he was in fact the boy Gohan that rescued people. Using all her strength Videl turned her rescuers body over, not recognizing his face through all the blood from his wound.
Videl immediately went to work in cleaning the stranger responsible for her life up, finding the medical supplies and glad that her father made her take basic first aid on more than one occasion after her mother died and helping him with his self inflicted injuries from training and learning how to attend to her own injuries as well.
Videl looked at her handy work that she had performed on the face of her rescuer. She had attempted stitches satisfied with the job that she did and hoping that the young man would not hate her for the scar that her would have latter on.
Sitting on the table of the underground shelter was a small meal that Videl had prepared from the emergency rations. She was quiet pleased with herself and glad that she had learned how to cook from the cooks after her father had died. She noticed her guest stirring and was glad that she was able to finish preparing the meal in time.
Videl and the young stranger stared at each other for a few minutes. "Thank you for rescuing me" Videl replied in a quiet and shy voice.
"You're welcome" the young boy replied sitting up and looking at his feet "Thank you for patching up my wound."
"I am sorry that I was not able to do as good job on your face as a doctor or a nurse" Videl said quietly.
"That's, ok. I am sure that you did an excellent job" the teenager replied smiling for the first time which made Videl doubt that he was actually older then her like she first thought. "My name is Gohan by the way."
"I'm Videl" the daughter of Hercules answered, excited that her life had been saved by the boy who challenged the androids and still managed to live "And I made you some dinner, I am sorry that it is not much, but I am not sure how long I need to make the food last for."
"No one knows how long there food needs to last for, thank you for sharing some with me" he answered.
"You're welcome" Videl said showing Gohan to the dinner table.
The pair started there dinner eating in silence for a few minutes till Gohan spoke "Have you ever considered becoming a doctor?"
"A doctor, I don't really have that option anymore. There are no schools anymore so I would never be able to get my degree."
"No I mean like now, you did a great job patching me back to health."
"But I am only 13 I can't be a doctor" Videl shouted.
"This society is different to the one that we were born into Videl. Most of the doctors and nurses have been targeted by the androids, so survivors and people that have been sick are not able to get help. So untrained people and underage people are now stepping into the roles"
"So who normally patches you up after you fight with the androids?"
"My mum or Bulma Briefs. They both get really worried when I go out, that I will never come home again."
"The Briefs family used to be one of the richest families on the planet before the android attacks, much like my own family" Videl answered.
"What did your parents do?" Gohan asked.
"My dad was a martial artist and the last world champion, he was asked to fight the androids when this all began and died without even getting to touch them. My mum died when I was seven she was a florist, even though we where rich she still liked working and talking to all of the people that would come in. What about your parents?"
"My dad was also a martial artist and former champion and most likely the champion before your dad. He was really sick the year of the last world tournament and was unable to attend. My dad died the day after the tournament finished. My mum was the princess of the Ox kingdom and also a martial artist. I think that she still holds the title of Women's World Martial artist because no other women made it to the finals the year that your dad won."
"I guess that makes your dad Goku Son and your mother Princess ChiChi" Videl said.
Gohan nodded "And your father Hercules Satan, but I am not sure who your mum is because I don't know what a florist is."
"Florists sells flowers silly" Videl answered laughing at the Son boy, something she had not done since before her dad died.
"Why would someone sell flowers when you could pick them from fields or gardens before the androids attacked?" Gohan asked.
"For people that can't go out and pick flowers because they lived in the city, or don't have time to pick flowers or want different flowers then what they are able to pick" Videl answered, wishing that she could see flowers again that her mum used to bring home after work if they had not sold in time.
"I have to be getting home now, my mum will be really worried about what is taking me so long, and I will properly have a hard time trying to rescue people for the next week because mum will not want to let me out of her site when she sees this" Gohan said pointing to his face. "It has been really fun talking to someone my own age again."
"How old are you? You know my age"
"Like you I am also 13" Gohan said "And you should really consider becoming a doctor, I could bring over some books for you on the subject and help you study if you like. My mum has me studying to become a doctor as well in case the fighting ever ends."
"So I will get to see you again" Videl said really hoping that she would get to spend time with someone around her own age again.
"I can't promise anything, but I will try to come again" Gohan said walking out the door. "Oh and I am sorry to give you bad news but I was unable to save the lady that was crushed. I buried her in your backyard before I came down here."
"Thankyou" Videl said feeling like it was her that was crushed.
Videl had in fact got to see Gohan again on a fairly regular basis. It was not uncommon for him to come to Videl for treatment for his wounds. Over the years Gohan had bought over many people that he had rescued that needed medical attention. Not all of the people that Gohan rescued survived, one of those people being an old school friend Sharpener. Videl was sad to watch her friend slowly die but was glad that she had the chance to say goodbye to someone that she cared about properly.
Videl sat on the edge of the old fountain, familiar arms wrapped themselves around Videl's rounded stomach. "You know that it is not safe to be outside for too long?"
Videl looked at the scarred face teenager that had his arms wrapped around her finding it hard to believe that it had only been two years since they had meet. "Of course" She replied "but the baby needed fresh air and I will be safe as long as you are here with me."
Gohan smiled at his pregnant girlfriend "Do you think that it was a wise idea to bring a child into this type of world."
"No" Videl answered bluntly. "Do you think that we would be having a child now if the androids had never happened?"
"Properly not, we are living in this world we were forced to grow up and be adults before we even hit puberty and don't even know if we will live to adulthood so made rash decisions in some of the things that we have done. If the androids had never happened I would properly still be getting home schooled by mum and her insisting that I don't do martial arts."
"But if the androids did not happen, I guess I would be at school just trying to pass." Videl said wondering what her life would have been like "I think my dad would be turning in his grave if he knew that I was going to be a mother at 15, I am really scared as well."
"I don't know how to tell my mum, I think that she would be over here in a second if she knew, she has always wanted grandchildren" Gohan said.
"Why don't you tell her?"
"I guess because I am scared of her reaction and think that you would be safer away from mum, Bulma and Trunks. I have started training Trunks in Martial arts. He is our only hope if something where to happen to me."
"What about our baby, it will be another hope won't it?"
"Yes, another reason to keep the baby and Trunks separate" if something happens to one of them there is always the other to emerge and help."
"I guess we should go back in" Videl said looking at the darkening sky.
Videl and Gohan returned to the shelter and settled in for the night. Videl waking up the next morning not knowing when the next time that she would see the father of her child or in fact if she would see him again at all. Picking up of the books Gohan had given her years before, Videl turned to a section about 'Pregnancy and child birth preparing for the delivery of a baby'. Living by herself she and not knowing anyone out there or when she would see Gohan again she knew that it was highly possible that she would be doing this alone.
She sometimes thought that attempting to survive was hopeless and sometimes wished that she could curl up and die. She had long ago accepted that she would not be able to get revenge for her father like she had trained herself for. Her hope was that Gohan would be the one to stop the mechanical beasts. If he failed there only hope would be Trunks, the five year old son of Bulma Briefs who she had never meet Videl and Gohans unborn baby.