Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or its characters and make no profit from the writing of this fic. I proudly claim Aiden as my own character.
Chapter 2: The New Girl
"Gohan. Hey! Earth to Gohan!"
"Huh?"
Slowly coming out of his dazed state, Gohan shook his head and looked down at the perky blonde standing beside him. She narrowed her eyes and gave him a knowing smile. "I bet you were thinking about Videl, weren't you?" Erasa teased.
"Um...yeah," Gohan mumbled distractedly.
But that's not was his mind was on at all though. It should have been. Videl was his girlfriend of almost a year now. She'd been on a vacation in Africa with her mother for the past two weeks and would be returning sometime in the middle of September. He should have been missing her, thinking of her, wishing she was there. But he wasn't.
All day he had been preoccupied by unfamiliar Ki signature. It was weak, almost as if the owner of it were dying. But at the same time it was unique. So unique that he couldn't stop thinking about it. He wanted to find the person, help them if they needed it. It was distinctively Sayian. There was no doubt about that. A fact which excited him, yet worried him at the same time. Hopefully whoever it was didn't pose a threat at all. He didn't think they would, or even could for that matter.
"She'll be back soon Gohan, don't worry. Just a couple more weeks," Erasa chirped, her hand alighting upon his arm.
Gohan opened his mouth to reply when something caught his attention. Through the mass of students crowding the halls of SCU, he caught a flash of dusty lavender. Trunks? What was he doing here? He was supposed to be in class at the high school. A second glance proved that it wasn't Trunks though. It was a girl. She moved through the crowd, head bent, and lavender hair a few shades darker then Trunks' cascading down her back. Half of it had been pulled back and a light feathering of bangs brushed her forehead, hiding her eyes from view. She wore a simple, navy blue sweatshirt with the sleeves pushed up and a pair of faded flare blue jeans. Gohan couldn't manage to tear his eyes away from her.
He watched her stop in front of a locker. She lifted a hand to the combination lock, and then paused in the action, her head lifting. She turned and her crystal blue gaze met his. Light pink stained her cheeks and a tiny smile pulled at her lips.
Gohan's breath caught. She was beautiful. Not in an obvious way but her eyes – they were so startling and framed by a perfectly shaped face that was a little on the pale side, but gorgeous none-the-less. He shyly returned her smile and the adorable pink flush darkened slightly.
"Gohan? Gohan!"
Startled, Gohan turned back to Erasa. "Huh? What?"
Erasa tossed her short blond hair and gave him a disgruntled look. "What is your deal today? You've been acting like a zombie all morning!"
"Maybe his mommy didn't leave him a note in his lunch bag," Sharpner spoke up. He'd been lounging against the locker beside Erasa, looking over his meticulously manicured nails in a bored manner. He tossed his head a little to force the long strands of blond out of his eyes and grinned maliciously. Gohan ignored him and glanced back at the girl, but she was gone. Disappointment filled him as he stared at the spot she had once been. Who was she, he wondered.
"Gohan, you have to snap out of it. We're going to be late for class."
"Sorry Erasa," Gohan said with an apologetic smile. He turned his full attention to her. "I guess I'm just really out of it today."
The blonde nodded in understanding. She probably thought he was still thinking about Videl. Not even close. He cast a final, longing glimpse down the hallway, wishing he could at least catch one last look at the mysterious girl, but she was nowhere in sight. With a sigh he followed Erasa to their next class.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
The bell for class rang; its shrill toll echoing down the emptying hallways.
"This is wonderful. First day of class and I'm late. Why did I not see this coming?" Aiden muttered under her breath. She looked down at her schedule. Room 201. Where in god's name was room 201? She moved down the hallway, from one door to the next door and finally breathed a sigh of relief when she found her destination only moment into her search. Feeling a little nervous, Aiden opened the door and slid inside. Heat immediately infused her face as each set of eyes focused on her.
"Miss Aiden I presume?" The professor, a kind looking man in his mid thirties asked.
Aiden offered a half-smile and swallowed her apprehension. "Yes sir. I'm sorry I'm late. I had trouble finding the class," she murmured. She self-consciously tucked her hair behind her ear.
The professor smiled. "That's fine. I got lost on my first day too. Please, have a seat. I believe there is one left next to Mr. Son." He pointed to a row in back and Aiden followed the gesture. Immediately the shyness returned. It was him - the man from the hallway that had been staring at her.
Aiden nodded her thanks and slowly made her way up the steps thinking over and over in her mind please don't trip, please don't trip, please don't trip. Journey successful, she wordlessly sat down in the empty seat. Was he looking at her? Should she see if he was? Aiden folded her shaking hands in front of her and stared straight ahead.
"Okay, now that everyone is present and accounted for why don't you all take out your books and turn to chapter one."
Aiden groaned softly, resisting the urge to pound her head in frustration on the desktop. She had been too busy the entire week, finding a cheap but suitable, furnished apartment, a job, buying everything but schoolbooks. How could she forget?
"You can share mine," a voice said softly beside her.
She turned and for the second time that day found herself lost in deep pools of ebony. Was it even legal to look that good? "Th-thank you," she managed, with a light smile.
The man smiled back and pushed his book closer to her. "My name is Gohan, by the way."
"Aiden," she murmured, looking down at the book and following along as the professor read.
Minutes into the reading, Aiden forgot that she was sharing the book with the incredibly handsome Gohan. She went to turn the page at the same time as Gohan and their fingers brushed. Something passed between them, something deep and exhilarating. Aiden's breath caught. She raised her eyes, not at all surprised to see Gohan staring intently back at her.
A trace of a smile crossed his features, shy and uncertain. Slowly, his fingers brushed hers again, moving up over her knuckles in a soft caress. Aiden sighed. She suddenly wanted to lean closer to him. What was he doing? A better question, why was she reacting so strongly to his touch? She didn't even know who he was!
"Mr. Son. This is English/Lit. Not palm reading 101," the professor warned in an amused voice. Many students snickered and Gohan and Aiden jumped apart, swiftly looking down to hide their embarrassment.
After her face had cooled considerably, Aiden risked a curious, sideways glance at Gohan. He looked just about as confused by his actions as she was. His brows were drawn low over his stunning, dark eyes. His lips were turned down in a small frown of concentration.
What are you thinking Gohan, she wondered.
The bell rang, effectively interrupting her thoughts. She quickly gathered her things and pushed her chair back. It would be wise to get out of there now before she did anything stupid. She couldn't think straight. It was him. Something about Gohan caused her to feel things she had never felt before. It was a little frightening. She stood, the legs of her chair scraping the floor. "Thank you for sharing your book with you Gohan," she said with a kind smile. She turned away and quickly made her way down the steps.
"Aiden, wait!" Gohan called, but she ignored him and practically ran out into the hallway.
The walls seemed to close in around her as she pushed her way past the mass of students. Panic started to seep through the edges of the confusing emotions already running rampant within her. Maybe college had been a bad idea. She wasn't used to so many people. The school she had gone to had been small and only a few students had gone there. Like Aiden, they had mostly kept to themselves. But here, there were so many people. Too many.
She decided right then to take the rest of the day off and return to her apartment. She didn't have her books anyway. What was the point of staying? After running into yet another person, she reminded herself to look up while walking. Two teens walking towards her immediately commanded her attention. Hers and every other girl they happened to pass though she was sure she was the only one feeling intimidated.
One of the teens had spiky black hair and eyes of the same color. He wore simple jeans and a white shirt that clung to his torso like a second skin. He looked familiar. The other was slightly taller. His lengthy lavender hair hung down over penetrating blue eyes. He was just as built as his companion, wearing jeans and a black shirt under a blue jacket. They both moved quickly, their movements and faces clearly reading agitation.
Aiden ducked her head as she passed them. Her arm brushed against the taller teenagers arm. Something happened and although she didn't understand it, she felt it – thick charge, straight from his arm into hers. She staggered to a complete stop, whipping around. The boy did the same. His eyes narrowed as he studied her, then went wide in disbelief.
"Trunks! Are you coming or not?" his friend asked in a near shout.
He hesitated, taking one step toward her, then turned away. Beyond what she would consider confused, Aiden started down the hallway in the direction she had been going - away from the two teenagers, away from Gohan, away from her classes. She pressed a hand to her forehead. Who was that boy? Why did she feel as if she knew him? Could she possibly ask herself any more questions today?
Too immersed in her own thoughts, Aiden didn't notice that the crowd of students had thinned considerably, leaving behind only a group of young men loitering by the lockers near the restrooms. One of them, tall with shoulder length, straight blond hair glanced up and grinned, purposely stepping in front of her. She ran right into his solid chest and gasped. "I-I'm so sorry," she stammered, taking several steps back.
"You're the new girl right?" he asked. He pushed his hair back and assessed her with cold eyes. "Why aren't you in class new girl?" His friends laughed at the question as if it were the funniest thing they had heard all day.
"I'm going home. If you'll excuse me-."
She tried to move around the group but the others shoved away from the lockers and formed a wall, blocking her way. Her gut twisted painfully and a wave of apprehension slammed into her. She looked behind her, but the hallway was empty. Her heart sank.
"You might as well stick around, new girl," the blonde drawled, eyes roaming over her. "Be sociable. Meet my friends."
Aiden didn't even have a chance to cry out for help before he wound an arm around her shoulders and clamped his hand over her mouth.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
"Gohan!"
Closing his locker, Gohan looked up, seeing his younger brother Goten and their friend walking toward him. "Goten, Trunks? What are you guys doing here?" He waved to Erasa, letting her know to go on without him. "Shouldn't you be in school?"
Goten smirked. "You used to skip out of class all the time, Mr. Saiyaman. Didn't you think we were capable of playing a little hooky? Besides, you know why we're here." Goten's cheerful disposition quickly slipped away.
Gohan nodded. "Do you think we can trust them?"
"Whoever they are, they're dying. We need to at least try to help them."
"It was her," Trunks spoke up, coming to a stop beside Goten.
The two demi-Sayians turned to look at Trunks. "Her who?" Goten asked.
"The girl in the hallway. The one I ran into with the long purple hair."
"Aiden." Gohan muttered a curse under his breath and started down the hallway. It was relatively empty, most students already in their classrooms. "Are you sure it was her?"
"Yeah." Trunks followed closely behind Gohan and threw a worried look at Goten. "I could see it in her eyes when she looked at me."
"What exactly happened?" Gohan did not slowing his pace. He moved faster, feeling panic settle in the pit of his stomach as the familiar feel of Aiden's Ki flickered dramatically. If that was in fact Aiden's Ki signature he didn't want to waste a second getting to her. She was weak, much too weak.
"I'm not sure how to explain it. Her arm brushed mine and we both turned at the same time. We were staring at each other. I felt...I felt like I should know her somehow." Trunks shook his head. "It was strange."
"Sound like it," Goten muttered.
Gohan focused in on Aiden's Ki signature, alarm filling him when he realized how much lower it had been then before. Hang on Aiden.
Rounding the corner, Gohan cursed again upon seeing Sharpner and his buddies crowding the hallway. Great, that was the last thing he needed right now – Sharpner and his attitude. He was about to turn away when he heard a feminine whimper come from somewhere in the middle of the group. "Aiden."
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
Choking on her fear, Aiden struggled against the hands holding her. It was Ed all over again. Ed multiplied by ten. She kicked out blindly at one of the young men and he went flying back against the lockers on the opposite side of the hall, denting the heavy metal and falling unceremoniously to the ground. Unfortunately it was only one. There were still others surrounding her and her energy level was running dreadfully low. Tears burned down her cheeks. They only amused the cruel group of jerks.
I think it's time to give up dear, Her mother's voice echoed insensitively in her mind.
A sudden harsh cry broke through the callous laughter of the men and Aiden looked up, relief flooding her. Standing before her, in the place where the crowd of men had once stood were Gohan and the two teens from earlier, bodies sprawled unmoving around them. Sharpner still stood, his hand gripping her arm tightly.
"Let her go, Sharpner. Now," Gohan demanded, his eyes dark with the promise of pain.
"Christ, man. I was just having fun with her. She's fine." Sharpner released her and Aiden slumped to the ground. "See?"
Unconvinced, Gohan growled and drove his fist into Sharpner's face. He slammed into the wall of lockers directly behind him, the sound ringing dully in the hallways, then slumped to the ground.
"I've wanted to do that for so long," Gohan muttered. He stepped over Sharpner's unconscious form and crouched next to Aiden. "Are you okay?" he asked, reaching out to the trembling girl.
Aiden jerked back and immediately blushed. "I'm sorry. I..I didn't mean to-."
Gohan offered her a tender smile and gently placed his hand on her arm. She was freezing. "It's okay."
Clumsily getting to her feet, Aiden started to move back away from her rescuers. Her eyes darted nervously over her attackers as if she expected them to make a quick comeback and finish what they had started.
"I have to go," she murmured. She made it a foot, then gasped and fell back to the floor, clutching at her stomach and dragging in quick, panicked breaths.
Gohan was next to her as soon as she fell. His arm went around her. "Aiden, you have to let us help you," he said, tilting her chin so that he could look into her eyes.
Aiden shook her head. "I don't need help. I'm fine." She tried to stand up again and cried out. The flushed color quickly drained from her cheeks and she reached out, grasping at Gohan's arm.
"No , you're not fine," Gohan murmured. How was he going to make her understand? The straightforward approach wasn't at all what he wanted to resort to but at this time, it didn't seem like he had much of a choice. "Aiden…you're dying. You have to let us help you."
She jerked out of his grasp and stared at him with wide eyes. Shaking her head, she tried to push him away. "Why…why would you say something like that?"
"Because it's true. We know what you are. You're a Sayian. You're like us. We can sense your power Aiden. That's how we know what you are. That's why you need to let us help you."
Aiden looked up at the two teenage boys standing on either side of Gohan. Both of them nodded their agreement to Gohan's words and Aiden's eyes filled with tears. "No!" She screamed, forcing herself to get up despite the mind numbing pain. "I am NOT dying!" She moved away from them, gritting her teeth. How far could she make it? Deep down she knew they were telling the truth but still, her first instinct was to deny them, to live despite the fact that her body was shutting down on her.
Gohan got to his feet and watched her cautiously. "Aiden-," he tried once more.
"NO!" She yelled. And that was the end. Her energy drained from her so fast that it made her head spin. She collapsed, hitting the tiled floor hard.
Once again, Gohan was there, collecting her tiny frame in his strong, capable arms. "I can help you," he whispered, catching one of the many tears streaming down her face with the pad of his thumb.
She resisted him for only a moment. Her eyes closed, her head lolled to the side. Trust him…don't trust him. She didn't have many people in her life that she could trust. And Gohan…he was so nice. Looking up at her hero, Aiden gave him a sad smile. "But I...I just got here," she said, working the words out past the lump in her throat.
"And you'll stay here if I have anything to say about it." Gohan cradled her small body against him and looked at Trunks and Goten. "We need to get to Bulma's. Fast."
They offered small nods of agreement. Wasting no time, the three quickly exited the school and took to the skies. They were at Bulma's in record time, throwing open the door and marching inside.
Bulma came out of the kitchen and her aqua eyes widened. "Why aren't you boys in school? And who is that?" she demanded, perching her hands on her hips.
"No time mom," Trunks said, gently taking a hold of his mother's hand and pulling her down the hallway to the lab. "The girl is sick. She needs your help."
"Why didn't you take her to the hospital?"
Goten shrugged. "We couldn't really."
"Why not?"
"Because she's a Sayian," Trunks said, trying to keep up with Gohan.
Bulma gasped and yanked her had free. "What? How is that possible?"
Goten once again shrugged. "Your guess is as good as ours. All we know is that she needs help. She's dying Bulma."
That was all it took to get the beauteous scientist to jump into action. She hastened to the front where Gohan was, carrying the pale female in his arms. "What happened to her?" she asked, placing a hand over the girl's forehead and then checking for her pulse.
"I'm not sure. She's new at school. I've been sensing her Ki all day but I wasn't sure what to do about it. I couldn't tell it was her right away. Trunks is the one that figured it out. When we found her, she had lost most of her strength. I don't know what happened to make her so weak." Gohan looked down worriedly at the half conscious woman in his arms.
Bulma frowned. "I can tell you what's wrong," she muttered, opening the door to the lab and ushering everyone inside. She motioned for Gohan to set Aiden down on the bed in the corner and immediately started prepping an IV. "She's severely malnourished. That's why her body is giving up on her." Bulma gently brushed lavender hair away from the girl's eyes. Lids opened to reveal a startling shade of blue and Bulma had to smother a sudden gasp. Those eyes...they were so familiar. "Honey, I need you to tell me something, and be honest." The girl nodded. It was obvious that the simple motion wasn't an easy one for her to make. "Do you have an eating disorder of any kind?"
A slight frown marred Aiden's brow. "No. It-." She swallowed hard. "It's nothing like that."
Bulma nodded. She wasn't going to try to pry any more information out of the child. Not until she was well again. She carefully inserted the IV needle into the girl's hand and placed a strip of tape over it to secure it.
"Is she going to be okay Bulma?" Gohan asked.
Sighing, Bulma looked up at the handsome demi-Sayian. Just like his father - worrying about everything. "It's hard to say right now Gohan. I'm sure she'll be fine though. You said she was a Sayian, right? If she is, then healing shouldn't be too much of a problem. I'm sure she'll be fine after we get some food in her and get her healthy again."
A small beep sounded and the lab door whooshed open, revealing a very annoyed Sayian Prince. Striding into the room, arms crossed over his chest in a well-known, arrogant pose, Vegeta walked up to Bulma with every intention of demanding yet another gravity room when he saw the girl. He stopped, staring in shock at the brown appendage hanging over the side of the bed and swaying sluggishly back and forth. "You've got to be kidding me." He muttered.
Once again Aiden opened her eyes. She stared at Vegeta for a moment then a small smile curved her full lips. "Hello father," she whispered before fully giving in to unconsciousness.