AN: Finding song themes are hard. Lol. I was debating whether I should use "Hero" by Enrique Iglasius as one of them, but I decided against it. "I'd Come for you" by Nickelback is another one I'm looking at. It seems like I can use it for this chapter. ^^

By the way, for those wondering, last chapter was "Call to Arms" by Angels and Airwaves.

I'd fight for you, I'd lie, it's true. Give my life for you, you know I'd always come for you.

Sidenote: Anything in Italics is a flashback. =)

Soldier's Creed

I'd Come for You

Any other day, it would be a good day. Just to see his usual smile, to see him excited and happy to be home. Today was not one of those days. Videl had resolved herself to the fact that Gohan was going to be overseas for sixteen long months, a year and then some. It was an unreal prospect, one that she didn't care to think about. Her daughter needed him, her child needed him…she needed him. She could live her life without him, but she didn't want to, and she'd sworn that their vows said she'd never have to.

"Gohan," Videl asked over the dinner table. Pan had been trying to feed herself, but the attempt was not in vain, as she upended her bowl of rice on the table in front of them. Videl ignored her for the moment, continuing with her previous sentence. "Do you have to leave so soon?"

"Be glad they're not arresting me, Vi." He was grading papers, eating rice at the same time. He knew how much it aggravated her when he did that, perhaps that's why he was doing it. "I'm ready for anything they can throw at me. Its just bullets, it won't kill me."

"No, I suppose not." The young bride gathered the grains of rice and dumped them into the trash, getting Pan another bowl. This time, she decided to help her with it, instead of allow her to ruin her father's work again. "I should know by now about your reckless indifference to human life."

"It's not a god complex," He put his pen down and glared at her. "Videl, I'm not leaving by choice. If you haven't noticed, that letter you destroyed is what's making me go. There is no choice about it. However, given the opportunity, I'd probably take the option."

"You'd rather leave us behind for some petty war you're not even a part of?" Videl was furious. She nearly bent the spoon, that's how hard she was holding onto it. "So you're saying your family means nothing to you?"

"Videl, I've looked at the statistics. If you were to bring our troops home now, at this moment, the war would be dragged onto our soil. How can you even imply that I don't care when I'm trying to prevent you and our children from dying?"

"Hah! Our children have nothing to worry about. As you said before, time and again, bullets can't hurt you." She wasn't sure where her anger was coming from, but it was evident that she wasn't about to listen to him make excuses. To her, this seemed like he was being unfaithful. "Pan is a demi-saiyan, and like you, she can handle anything. This child is a demi-saiyan as well, and is just like Pan. The only one you need to worry about dying is me. Or have you forgotten that I'm not immortal?"

He knew she was a human, he knew she was at risk. He also was aware that she was speaking out of anger and hormones at the moment. "Vi," He didn't want to say what he was about to say. "I know you're mortal, but we're mortal too. It just takes more to do any damage to us. I'm going out there to fight for you…for Valise."

"Valise," Videl hadn't considered the fact that Goten was over there. In fact, she was only considering her own worries. "How is Valise taking this?"

"She's scared." He muttered going back to his papers, only this time, he'd forgotten about his rice. "Much like you are. She doesn't want to accept the initial fear of her loved one being over seas. Even if we are nearly immortal, we still have hearts. You know that."

"I don't want your heart to be blackened by this. It's not even your fault, Gohan. You shouldn't be there. You shouldn't be taken away from us, from your family. We love you, we care about you." Videl tried to drive the point home, but it wasn't working for her as well as it would for Chichi.

"I've seen anger and deceit. I doubt a human battle could affect me much more." He knew that wasn't true, but he didn't want her to get the upper hand on him. He had weaknesses, much like humans did.

"Oh, is that true? Gohan, think of Buu, do you remember what happened, how you reacted, when you found out that innocent people had died?" She was grinning like a bird fed cat now, only satisfied to have trumped him.

His pen snapped in half as he considered what she was saying. "It's not about you. It's not about Pan. It's not even about Valise anymore." He abandon his papers and stood, shoving the chair in. "Its about the fact that innocent people are being called out there, they're dying for a cause that they don't believe in. Why should I be any different than any of them? Why should I be spared from having to die?"

"Because you're different than them!" She was on her feet as well, anger rising in her voice as she began to wonder why he was so upset. "You don't have a death wish like them!"

"It's a draft, Videl! They have families too! They have people the care about, much like you and I do. Valise…poor Valise doesn't even know how to live without Goten, but you're more worried about yourself."

"I'm not thinking of me, Gohan! I'm thinking of our children, who will grow up without a father." She wasn't trying to push him; she knew he was stressed from work, and the thought of Valise panicking over Goten not contacting her. It was a combined effort. "I'm thinking of your son or daughter that may never get to know you. The child that you created, but don't want a part of."

The thought of what she was saying angered him even more. For just a brief moment, his green eyes flashed to a darker shade, a more sinister shade. She hadn't expected it. "What makes you think that I would abandon my children? What makes you so sure that I would let two innocent lives get caught in this crossfire? That's what I'm going out there for. To protect the innocent lives that were already taken." He let out a low growl as he stared indignantly at his wife. "You're just being a greedy little princess."

Videl couldn't believe he'd said that, but it didn't seem like she was talking to her husband anymore, to her it seemed like a darker side she'd never seen before. She'd pushed him to a point that she'd only ever seen once, when he was fighting with Buu. A point she had hoped would never arise in him again, but here she was, staring at the face of danger, with no way to apologize for the damage she'd done. "I'm…not a princess, nor do I want to be treated like one."

"For not wanting to be one, you sure act like one. It's not unlike you to realize someone's weak points and drag them to the surface, is it? After all, it's how you analyze your opponents." Gohan was just getting angrier, and at this point, he was beginning to get her tension mounted as well. "Because all you want in life…is for you to be happy, and no one else, is that it? You're allowed to find happiness, but as soon as it's taken away, no one else is allowed to be happy? Videl, I can't bel—"

"Papa," Pan shouted from her high-chair. It seemed to be enough to snap Gohan from his anger, as Pan was his little angel after all. Seconded only to Videl. "Papa goes?"

"Papa has to leave for a little while," He knelt to Pan's level, trying to figure out how to explain it to the young two year old. "Papa has to be a soldier, and fight for people who have babies just like you." He paused and thought about it. Baby wasn't the right word. "—children, just like you."

"Papa comes home?" Pan was as worried as Videl. In the two years she'd been alive, Pan had really come to love her father, and it was only fair that he'd stay to see her third birthday.

"I'll be back. I promise." Gohan kept his promises, nearly always, when he had the chance. His family came first, but as a soldier…the citizens came first. It was a concept he had to face. "I swear to you, I'll come home and see you go to school, and grow up, and be a woman."

Pan seemed satisfied with his answer, as she began to hum. He picked her up and cradled her softly in his arms. "You'll always be my reason to come home. I promise that I'll never let my princesses down."

He seemed calmer now…more serene, Videl noted. It was almost unbelievable because of how he'd acted only moments before. She gently placed a hand to her stomach and the other behind her back. She wasn't sure how to accept his anger. Would this be a common occurrence now that he'd be seeing death? It wasn't as if he was afraid of death, but he was as human as anyone else. After so much chaos, death, and destruction, he couldn't take it as well as most people.

"I…I'm sorry." Videl's frail voice came to his mind, breaking the silence the room had fallen into after the argument. She seemed like she was in pain, mentally or physically. It was hard to tell with her, she hid it when she had the chance.

"For what," Gohan asked as if nothing had happened. He didn't even realize he blacked out while he was arguing with her. Had he hurt her? "Videl, what's wrong?"

"N-nothing," She said forcing a smile. Her tears were forcing themselves to come, but she refused to let them spill. He was by her side in moments, his hands on her shoulders. "I just…got a little upset at what I said, that's all." She would never tell him the real fact, that he had hurt her. It would just make things worse on them.

"Are you sure that's all? You seem different, like, you're hurting." That's when he had realized what he'd done. It wasn't hard for him to put two and two together when he had been paying attention. "Is it the baby? Is he hurting you?"

"Y-yes, but its nothing, I can handle it." She offered him a smile, a brief one, before cringing. "He's just excited, that's all."

"What do you mean?" Videl removed her hand, and gently placed his in its place. He could feel the faint motions, the kicking, and wriggling. The things he'd missed out on with Pan, and was going to miss out on with his son, too. "Does it hurt?"

"A little," She said smiling as she placed her hands on his shoulders, him dropping to his knees and placing his ear against her swollen tummy. "What are you doing?"

"I want to hear him. They talk you know." She looked at him with a glare, wondering if he'd lost what little sense he had left. "Babies can talk in the womb. Its just giggles and hiccups, but its enough to know they're alive."

"I see…" She let go of his shoulders, and took his hand, pulling him up to her eye level. "Gohan, what did he say to you?"

"He said he wants you to stop worrying, that everything will be ok. He wants you to be strong for him and Pan, because they're going to need you. And he wants you to remember I'll always love you. And if anything bad happens to me, he'll remind you of me." Gohan wasn't sure if she believed him, but he could only hope.

"He said that?" Videl asked, kissing Gohan gently on the lips. He met her kiss with an even hungrier one, almost forcing her against the wall.

"In not so many words," Gohan answered when they pulled away to breathe. "In baby talk he said 'gurgle glop'."

Videl liked seeing him childishly. It was a refreshing change from the constant seriousness he held at work and even more of a contrast from his abusive demeanor earlier. She could get used to this, even though she put on a serious act, she wanted him to be childish, to help her be a friend to their children.

"Videl, you need to be strong. The children need you, more than ever. I swear I'll do whatever it takes to return to you. Even if it means sawing off my foot, I'll find my way back to you. Make sure you always remember that."

"I will. I promise I will." Her thoughts were interrupted when she let out a yawn and smiled a little. "I should be getting to bed…are you coming?"

He nodded, shuffling his papers together and placing them in his study. He looked at the table and shook his head. "You go on up to bed, I need to clean up this mammoth of a mess."

She nodded and smiled, picking up Pan and starting up the steps. "See you in the AM."

"Will you be alright?" Gohan's question shattered her revere as she considered the consequences of answering. She turned and stared at him, wondering what he'd meant. "Will you be alright? You're pale, you're in pain, you're not talking to me like you used to. Will you be alright for tonight?"

"I'll be fine," She said taking Pan into her room. Shortly after putting the young demi-saiyan to sleep, she went to her room and fell asleep.

Lights were on all over the house. Videl had been unable to sleep; she was restless, and wanted to do something. Even though she was four months pregnant, she wanted to find something to do to ease her troubled mind. Her footsteps were soft, but still echoed mercilessly through the hall. She'd awoken to no Gohan, and started to wonder if he'd already left. It wasn't like him to leave without saying goodbye, was it?

She meandered through the house, turning off lights as she went. Why were all the lights on? She blinked when she heard a muffled 'where is it, where is it!' from another room. The woman peeked into the room to see a very panicked Gohan searching through boxes. Whatever it was he was looking for, it was in that room they never used. She leaned in the doorway, placing her hand gently on her stomach as she watched him.

"I can't believe I lost it, she's going to kill me!" Gohan was frantic now, boxes turned upside down, inside out, and things getting carelessly thrown across the room. Whatever he was looking for, it was more important than their memories. "I can't let her see I lost it…she'll never forgive me."

"What did you lose? Maybe I can help you find it." Gohan paled and looked over his shoulder at his wife, allowing a small laugh to escape. His hands buried themselves into the box before him, trying not to let them show. "You said 'I can't let her see I lost it, she'll never forgive me'. What did you lose?"

"My…" He started to think of an excuse, but nothing came to mind. Instead he let out a deep sigh and stared at his wife. "…my wedding band. It's somewhere in the house. I remember I had it on when I was…doing…the…dishes."

"You…dropped it down the drain?" If it was possible, her blue eyes turned a dark shade of black. She was venomous. "Gohan Son! How many times must I tell you to take it off when you do the dishes?"

"I know, I was just so…side tracked. I was trying to get all of my papers together, for you to drop off at the school on Monday, and the rest of my things together…I got so wrapped up, I forgot all about it."

"Well, good luck." She said turning on her heel and going downstairs to get some orange juice. It wasn't like him to be so out of it, something had him distracted. He'd never let her know that it dawned on him that he was leaving his wife and children. It wasn't a reality he'd likely face.

After disassembling the sink, and dumping the u-bend pipe out into a pan, he began to dig through the muck that was water, until he found it. It was tarnished, the lacer well worn off. The words inscribed inside it were barely legible anymore. At one time, when it was brand new, it had read 'through any distance', and hers read 'forever and always'. The jeweler had told them that they could only fit twenty letters on each of them, so they tried to think of something meaningful. He cleaned the ring off with a towel before looking at it again.

"Gohan, I don't like these, they're too…flashy." Videl pressed her nose against the glass case, staring at the many hundreds of rings. Engagement rings, wedding rings, friendship rings, purity rings, all rings that he was looking at. He wanted the perfect ring for his girlfriend, but it was hard to find one that didn't outshine her beauty. "How about this one?" She pointed to a small set of silver bands, one had a cross on the front, and the other had a heart. They looked like something from an Italian maker.

"I don't know, they seem a little…plain. Do you like them, Videl?" He watched for a reaction, but didn't get one right away. His hands were folded behind his head, as he walked around letting her make the decisions. She was the woman, and this was her thing. "Videl?"

"I like them, in fact the point of a ring isn't to outdo your wife. So I think we should go with this set." She was keen on getting the set she'd pointed out, since she was right about what she said. She didn't want him spending a whole lot on her, since he didn't make much on a professor's salary.

"Would it be possible to get them engraved?" Gohan asked the man behind the desk. The man nodded and smiled. It was an option most young couples chose, and it only cost twenty dollars extra for each ring. All in all it would run him to about three hundred dollars. The man explained that each ring can have no more than twenty letters, so they had to think carefully. "I'll have to think about that…it's hard to decide. There are so many combinations that sound good."

"Through any distance," Videl answered. It was a shock to Gohan that she'd already decided what to write in his. "…Because you're always away from me…fighting your battles somewhere else. I what you to know I love you, no matter where the world takes you."

"Wow, Videl…that's deep. I don't think I can match that." He put his finger to his lip, staring at the ceiling defiantly. "Oh, I know…Until the end of time. No matter how many times we get separated, I will love you until the end of time. Oh, but wait, that's twenty one words…how about…Always and Forever…I like it."

The ring had seen better days, and today was not one of those days. It was six in the morning, and he had yet to sleep. Videl had gone back to sleep a little over an hour ago, and he had to finish packing his things for the trip. He sighed and scratched the back of his head, digging out his old training gi from in the boxes in the back. He'd need it for now, since he didn't want to go looking like the professor. Packing carefully into the bag, he only took what he needed. The very last thing he placed in the bag was a photograph.

"I'll miss this place," he said staring at the empty halls, where his family lay asleep in their rooms. It was hard to believe that today came so suddenly. "Well, I guess it's time to say goodbye."

His feet reluctantly took him upstairs to Pan's room, where he knelt next to the bed and said his goodbye's too her. After tucking her in, and kissing her forehead, he made his way over to Videl's room. She was restless; it was obvious by the way she was thrashing under the covers. He placed his hand to her abdomen to feel the frantic movements of the baby. Using a technique his father had taught him, he used a very small amount of ki to calm the child down. "Be good for daddy," he said before kissing his wife on the lips. "Mommy's going to need you to be good for her; she can't handle you both on her own. I'm going to need you to be strong for her, don't cry a lot."

He knew the baby wouldn't respond, but he was speaking anyway. He was quiet for a moment as he watched his beloved wife sleep. She was calm now, since the baby wasn't keeping her awake. He sighed and brushed back her hair, kissing her again, tenderly on the lips. "Be safe for me, Videl. I'm counting on you to keep our babies safe." He wanted nothing more than to stay with them, but it wasn't an option at this point. "I'd fight for you, I'd lie, its true. Give my life for you, you know I'd always come for you. No matter what gets in my way, as long as there still lights remain, no matter what remember, you know I'll always come for you." He brushed her hair back again and frowned. "Stay safe, my love. I'll come home to you; just tie a yellow ribbon on that old oak tree."

With the last thought, and the last tie to humanity, he turned and picked up the sea-bag, heading out into a world he'd never thought he had to face. Times were darker now, brightened only by the thought of being home again. His wife, his beloved wife, was all he could think about on his way to the base.

It's a little rushed, and I'm horribly sorry for that. I just want to get to the next chapter. ^^