The Power Within

Hey guys! I'm finally back...AFTER A MONTH AND A HALF. This is upsetting, even for me. I've got to admit it was pure laziness that prevented me from working on this often (although there was a lot of work I had to do). So anyways, enough of the pity party...let's get on with the story!

Edit: This story has been edited (yes, in the same day) because I needed to add a couple of things and fix some mistakes. You may need to reread the chapter (especially the paragraph at the end).


"Thank you, mom."

"You're welcome. If you need anything, anything at all, just holler, okay?"

"Okay."

Chichi set the glass of water on Gohan's side table and the heated wheat pillow (see bottom of page for info) on his head. After making sure that he was all tucked in bed (to the hybrid's slight annoyance; he wasn't a baby), the housewife headed downstairs. Gohan closed his eyes and groaned.

The headache was back.

He'd noticed it immediately that morning, when he woke up to a stabbing pain in his temples as if someone was repeatedly slamming a hammer on his head. That was immediately followed by stomach pain and nausea, which later caused him to throw up. Which made his headache worse.

"Ugh…" he groaned again, turning around and reassembling the wheat pillow on his forehead. "This really sucks…"

What made everything a million times worse was that the young half-Saiyan knew that Shadow was bound to attack any day now. This was bad, because he was in a state of vulnerability right now and any attack from Shadow would be fatal. The hybrid was jumping at every noise and watching every power level in the area, two acts which made him very restless. He'd even begun to hallucinate, seeing movement in various places such as his mirror and the corners of his room. It was beginning to scare him; the hallucinations seemed so real.

And Piccolo…

He stopped that thought right there. There was no need to worry himself over what others thought of the situation right now. Gohan needed to focus on his own well-being if he ever wanted to be ready to face Shadow. He hoped he wouldn't have to cross that bridge any time soon.

'Man, all of this thinking is making me dizzy…' he thought to himself, massaging his temples. 'I think I'll take mom's advice and sleep for a little bit.'

With that, the hybrid pulled the blankets above his head and drifted off into a fitful sleep.

(In his dream)

You need this.

With creation, must come des—

Destroy! Destroy! De—

Need it like the blood in your veins.

I need to kill. To murder. To—

Destruction, pain, and misery; these are—

Why?

Madness. Insanity. This is what—

Because if you kill me, you will kill—

Why won't you let me escape?

Gohan's eyes snapped open. Something woke him up out of his sleep. He sat up and looked around, fully awake now, and felt the air behind him hug his shoulders. A sense of dread and anxiety pooled in his stomach; was there something in the room? The black-haired boy listened closer.

A sound. It was slowly getting louder. Gohan's heart pounded in his ears, but he struggled to listen closer.

It sounded like…someone throwing up?

"M-mom?" Gohan hoarsely called out after moment of hesitation. "Are you okay?"

More coughing and gagging noises ensued, then, "Y-yes, honey, I-I'm okay." A couple more minutes passed before Chichi entered Gohan's bedroom, looking pale and drowsy. She was grabbing onto the doorframe for support, which worried her son.

"Are you sure?" he asked again. Chichi smiled weakly.

"Yes, I-I must have caught w-whatever you have, that's all," she said, clearing her throat. "Say, I feel horrible right now and I'm pretty sure that you feel the same way. What do you say we head over the doctor's to get checked?"

Gohan managed a weak smile back and slowly pushed the blanket away. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea."

Lethargically, mother and son got ready for the doctor's. Since Chichi was feeling nauseous, they decided against using Nimbus. The doctor's house was located near the base of Mount Paozu anyway, so they decided that walking would be the best option.

"It's so nice today, don't you think, mom?" Gohan commented, as he walked with his mother down the path. Chichi nodded.

"The fresh air certainly is refreshing," she agreed. "Although I'm still feeling sick."

"It's okay. We should be reaching the doctor's house soon."

Mother and son were quiet for a few more minutes before Chichi broke the silence.

"Gohan, honey…I haven't heard you play the piano in a while. I thought you loved it!" she said. "Is there a reason why you won't play it anymore? You know you're supposed to get your credit, right?"

Gohan chewed the bottom of his lip for a while, contemplating his answer. He stopped playing piano because he knew it was the key to Shadow's escape. Even looking at the piano creeped him out. But he couldn't tell his mother that; there was no way. So, he stuck with the same excuse he'd been using for a while now.

"I've…just felt too sick to play, that's all," he said. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the truth either. 'It will have to do,' thought Gohan.

Chichi frowned. "I know you better than that, sweetie. There's another reason, isn't there?" she asked. Gohan opened his mouth to respond, but then noticed the doctor's house up ahead. Grateful for the distraction, he gladly pointed it out to his mother, who immediately dropped the topic.

They walked up to the front door and knocked. The old, weathered door was quickly answered by a middle-aged woman with frizzy, brown hair and a pair of spindly glasses placed on her nose. She wore a long white robe and a stethoscope around her neck. On her waist was a small pager.

"Oh, hello, Chichi!" she greeted, warmly inviting them inside the house. "And hello to you, too, Gohan. My, you've grown! The last time I saw you, you were only a few months old!"

Gohan blushed. "Aw, you think?"

"Of course! You're a young man now, aren't you?" she said, gesturing for them to sit on the chairs in the small living room, which had been converted to an office. "Now, what brings you here, Chichi?"

Chichi smiled at her. "Hello, Dr. Elaine," she replied, taking a seat. "Gohan here's caught the flu, and I think I've gotten it from him. We're both feeling really bad right now."

Dr. Elaine nodded and sat down on a chair in front of a large, oak desk.

"Tell me your symptoms and when you began to notice them. You first, Miss Chichi," she said, all business now. Chichi gave her a small smile, though her eyes reflected her true grief.

"Please don't call me Miss Chichi. I'm still Mrs. Son," she corrected. "My husband may have…passed, but that doesn't mean I'm single."

The doctor's eyes widened, realizing her mistake. "Oh, I'm so sorry!"

Chichi simply waved it off, coughed, then straightened her back. "A-anyways, my symptoms," she began. Dr. Elaine got her pen and pad ready. "I've recently, every since last week, begun to feel fatigued and…numb, like everything was a dream," she explained. "Today, though, I threw up, and my stomach is killing me. I just feel really out of it, and I'm constantly hungry, and I've gained a bit of weight, and…"

Gohan listened absently to his mother's symptoms, focusing more on trying to ignore the blinding headache he had all of a sudden. It seemed that focusing on ignoring it wasn't doing any good at all. Soon, something caught his attention by the door, and he peered over his mother's shoulder to look at it. What he saw almost made him reel back in shock.

Shadow.

'B-but how!? I thought he was supposed to be inside my mind or something! This guy is everywhere!' Gohan thought, panicking. He stared transfixed at the door, Shadow's bright red eyes boring straight into his soul.

He couldn't turn away.

Dr. Elaine wrote everything that Chichi had said on a small pad and ripped it out. "Alright. Now, Son Gohan?"

Gohan stared at the door, a blank and slightly scared look on his face. Chichi raised an eyebrow.

"Gohan? Sweetie, the doctor's asking for your symptoms," she said. When he didn't respond, she tapped his shoulder. "Gohan?"

He jumped in his seat. "H-huh? Oh, sorry…just blanked out a little, s'all," he defended, waving it off.

"Really?" Chichi questioned. "You looked like you'd just seen a ghost."

The hybrid chose not to reply, instead sparing one more glance at the door. There was nothing there.

'Must have been another hallucination, then…' he thought, relief washing through him.

Dr. Elaine cleared her throat, signaling for him to go on. Gohan blushed a little and spoke.

"Well…I woke up in the morning yesterday and felt like my head was splitting open. I was feeling dizzy and tired as well," he explained, trying to shake off the feeling of being watched. "Today, when I woke up, it escalated; the pain in my head grew and I threw up 'cause I was feeling nauseous. Other than that…" He placed a finger on his chin. "Uh, I don't think there's anything else," he lied. It was best not to mention the hallucinations, like the one he'd had just now; he didn't want to be sent off to a therapist or anything.

The medic quickly jotted everything down and ripped the second sheet out. "Okay," she said. "Follow me, I'll examine you two."

Gohan and his mother followed the doctor to another room, where a cot was neatly placed against a wall and a tray of medical supplies was placed on a table in the corner. On the wall beside the cot were some more necessities. Dr. Elaine gestured for Gohan to sit on the cot and he did so, albeit a bit nervously. His father's fear was needles, and although Gohan didn't necessarily fear examinations, he didn't like being examined one bit.

After a bit of poking and prodding, Gohan was free. Chichi sat on the cot once her son got off and was examined next.

"Lie down and lift your shirt so I can see your stomach," the doctor instructed. Chichi lay down and slightly lifted her shirt, conscious of her son sitting on the small chair next to her. Dr. Elaine felt around her stomach for a bit. She must have discovered something, because her face lit up and she smiled. Chichi sat up and looked at her with a questionable expression.

"What is it? Did something happen?" she asked. The medic looked at Gohan.

"Do you think you could wait for your mother in the waiting room, Gohan? I need to ask her some questions," she requested. Gohan nodded.

"Bye mom," he said, leaving. Dr. Elaine turned back to Chichi, seemingly excited.

"Did you do anything with your husband before he passed?" she asked, careful to use the polite term for death. Chichi raised an eyebrow.

"Do anything? What do you—oh…" She blushed in recognition. "W-well, um, yes…but—"

"And have you been feeling sick ever since?"

Chichi shook her head. "Only about 3 months later, which is now."

The doctor's smile didn't leave her face; if anything, it widened. She turned around, opened the drawers below the table, and pulled out a small box, which she placed into Chichi's hands.

"I think you should take this," she said. "You know, just to be sure."

The housewife glanced at the box in her hands and blanched.

It was a pregnancy test.

"Y-you…think I might be pregnant?" she squeaked.

"It's plausible," the doctor replied smoothly, "and the most possible diagnosis. I'm sure I'm right, but that box there's just for confirmation." She winked. "You know I'm right."

Chichi's face lit up at the prospect of having a second child, but then she frowned. Memories of raising Gohan with Goku filled her mind, and she unconsciously placed a hand on her stomach.

'How will I raise this child without him?' she thought worriedly, biting her lip. 'I'm still just recovering from the blow of his absence, and then this...this child will grow up without a father…'

As if sensing her thoughts, Dr. Elaine placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, dear. You have your son and your friends to help you through this. Don't you ever think that you're alone," she reassured. Chichi smiled, feeling a bit better.

"Thanks," she replied. "I think I'll go see Gohan now."

"Oh!" the medic exclaimed. "I almost forgot." She turned around, opened the drawer, and shuffled through some medicine. After finding the one she needed, she turned back to her patient.

"This medicine is for Gohan. It's just an antibiotic. Make sure he takes it three times a day, with eight hour intervals in between. It will help cure his flu," Dr. Elaine explained. Chichi took it, thanked her, and left the room to see her son. She found him leaning his head against the wall, sound asleep. His head lolled back and forth, and drool dripped from the side of his mouth. Chichi laughed and shook him lightly.

"Honey, wake up. We have to go home," she said. Gohan opened his eyes and rubbed them groggily.

"Hn? What?" he mumbled. Then, awaking, "Oh, mom. You're done?"

She nodded. Gohan got up and stretched like a cat after a nap, letting out a loud mewl as he did so. Once that was done, he wiped the drool off of his face and looked at his mother.

"Okay, let's go."

They exited the house, Chichi holding the medicine bag. Dr. Elaine waved goodbye to them.

"Bye! I hope I don't see you here again!" she called. Chichi turned back, slightly shocked.

"What? Why?" she asked. The doctor smiled and winked.

"'Because that means that I didn't do my job properly," she replied. The housewife simply smiled.

"Come on, Gohan," she said, nudging him. He arched an eyebrow at her and they continued walking home, oblivious to the dark energy which slowly began to swell within the child.

I shall see you again soon, my dear Gohan.


Salty ocean tides slowly traveled across the surface of the water, making their way towards the sandy coastline. Their mist filled the air with a light fog, creating a blanket for the sparkling ocean. A rock suddenly broke the calm surface. Krillin sighed and threw another rock.

'Man, what's wrong with me?' he thought dejectedly, gazing thoughtfully at the water. 'There's gotta be somethin' wrong with me if Android 18 rejected me so bluntly.'

He quickly found another rock and threw it as well, the rock joining the other rocks that had sunken to the bottom of the ocean. Resting his head upon his knees, he thought, 'Damn, life just isn't fair!'

His sulking was interrupted when Piccolo tapped down right in front of him and crossed his arms. Krillin gazed blankly at the Namekian, still lost in thought. He suddenly realized who he was staring at and crawled back, letting out a cry of fear.

"Holy shit, Piccolo! Don't just drop in like that!" he exclaimed, standing up to more comfortably speak with him. With him being short and the Namekian being tall, talking from the ground wasn't a good idea.

"I do what I want," Piccolo retorted curtly, holding eye contact. Krillin gulped. 'If looks could kill…'

"So, what brings you here?" the monk asked cheerfully, trying to make conversation to break the awkward silence. Piccolo huffed and broke eye contact, opting instead to gaze at the ocean.

"Have you noticed anything weird about Gohan lately?" he asked. Krillin thought about that for a minute.

"Uh, not really…just that he's been a little less childish. Seems like the Cell Games really took its toll on him…that, or he's matured," he mused. "Why?"

Piccolo's eyes snapped back to meet Krillin's. "Has he told you anything suspicious?"

"Suspicious?" the bald-headed man repeated. "Of course not. I-Is something wrong? I mean, Gohan—"

"It's none of your business," Piccolo interrupted immediately. Then, his eyebrows contorted into an expression of thought. "Actually…"

"Actually what? What's going on?" Krillin asked, concern etched in his voice. Piccolo was jumping back and forth between things, something that the Namekian rarely—if ever—did. The monk had never seen Piccolo in such a state of panic before. Not that he was panicking, oh no…Piccolo had too much pride for that. He just seemed much more jumpy than usual.

Piccolo thought for a moment. "I suppose you should know…" he mumbled. "Gohan's been acting up lately. His power has this strange aura to it, and—"

"What? Strange aura? B-but I haven't sensed anything," Krillin interrupted. Piccolo shot him a look.

"Would you just shut up and let me finish?" he growled. Krillin backed away.

"Okay, okay! Man, I already have Bulma yelling at me all the time, I don't need another," he complained. Piccolo glared at him then continued.

"As I was saying, he's been acting like Vegeta lately, even beat the bastard up. He's been cocky, arrogant, and thinks he's the strongest in the universe."

"B-but he is—"

"I said thinks! It shows he's being narcissistic."

An awkward silence filled the air as Piccolo took a break from speaking. Krillin, not very good with situations like these and pretty sure the tall warrior would snap at him any minute, twiddled his thumbs nervously and stared at the water, the sand, the house, and everything in between. Piccolo just gazed at the water, his facial expression and posture clearly indicating that he was disturbed.

"That's not all," he said, voice cold. "He killed five innocent campers. Maimed their bodies like they were toys."

Krillin's mouth fell open.

Killed?

"T-there must be a mistake! Gohan's not like that! The little buddy didn't even want to kill Cell, never mind some innocent people!" he exclaimed. Piccolo's expression didn't change, though he gave a sort of side glance to the bald-headed warrior.

"When he went Super Saiyan 2, he wanted Cell to suffer," he said. "This is the same situation. He wants innocents to suffer. He blew away three forest areas already, killing animals in the process. Gohan's defiance and immorality is slowly progressing. We need to do something about it, and fast."

Krillin simple stood there, mouth open wide like a fish in water. Piccolo turned fully towards him and growled.

"Why am I even telling you this?" he wondered aloud. "It's not like you'll do anything about it. I should have known better than to come here asking for your help."

"N-no, wait—"

It was too late. With a swish of his cape, Piccolo was gone.

Krillin face-palmed himself. 'Stupid, good for nothing…can't even give a proper response, can you, Krillin? Can't really do anything, can you? First Android 18 rejects you, and then Piccolo yells at you. What's next?"

He immediately shook his head to get rid of those thoughts. The self-pity could wait. Right now, he needed to see if his little friend was all right. Krillin felt his heart ache at the thought of Gohan. Was everything that Piccolo had said true?

He really hoped not.

The only way to make sure was to check on him, he decided. Maybe Piccolo was wrong. Gohan wouldn't kill people. He was too innocent. He saved the world from Cell. He was a hero, not a villain. He loved nature. He loved his friends and family. He—

'Damn it, Krillin, you're jabbering to yourself again,' he told himself, shaking his head. The monk sighed and headed inside Kame House to get changed. It was time to pay a long-awaited visit to the Son house.


Gohan found himself lying sick in bed for the umpteenth time, another heated wheat pillow positioned on his forehead. His antibiotic was sitting on the side table beside him along with a glass of water, a spoon, a book, and a box of tissues.

'This is starting to get really boring…' he thought to himself, staring blankly at the ceiling. The hybrid was beginning to get restless. He'd been sitting in bed all day and all night for the past two days and longed to move around and play. Hell, he even missed his studies. Anything was better than nothing. He wouldn't even mind sparring with Vegeta, which was usually a pain in the neck. Literally.

Another hour passed. Gohan thought about math. He thought about science. He thought about plants and animals and nature. He thought about sparring, and killing.

Math…sparring…killing…animals…

Sparring…killing…animals…

Killing…animals…

Torture…

'What?'

Gohan jolted himself out of his thoughts. 'Where did that come from? I must be losing my mind…' he thought. Then, 'Oh yeah, I already am…to Shadow!' The young child gave a humourless chuckle. That chuckle became a light giggle, which soon became a loud, guffawing laugh. Once he calmed himself down, he turned around to reach for the book on his side table to keep his mind busy. With nothing to do, his thoughts constantly drifted, and he found them slowly becoming scarier and scarier. His first thought was that it was because of Shadow, which was logical and probably the truth, but as time progressed he decided he didn't want to believe that anymore and shifted the blame towards his flu. Stupid flu was driving him crazy.

He stared at the cover of his book. Nature: Survival of the Fittest. Good read. All about plants and animals and the food chain. He opened the cover and began reading.

The clock ticked as he read, mocking every second he lay sick in bed. The half-breed flipped through the pages, currently reading about the French Lop, which was a type of rabbit found in France. It came in a variety of different colours, was fairly large but weak, and had a soft coat of fur.

Weak. Soft. Easy.

Gohan suddenly found himself very edgy and restless. He tossed and turned, trying to find a comfortable position to read in. When he couldn't find a good position, he sat up and threw the book away like it was some sort of plague. It knocked over the glass of water on its way towards the ground. The hybrid's eyes were darting back and forth across the room, feeling like something was going to jump out at him any second.

'What is wrong with me?' he thought, rubbing his face. 'I…I need some fresh air.'

He crawled out of bed and walked over to the window, taking care to open it quietly so his mother, who was taking a morning nap on the couch downstairs, wouldn't hear. She still hadn't told him what the doctor said about her symptoms yet, and that worried him. What if it was something worse than the flu?

No. He wouldn't allow himself to think like that. It was probably something so insignificant that she had no need to tell him.

He stepped outside and took a deep breath of fresh air. The grass tickled his feet as he walked around and the sun shone brightly, burning his already sweaty skin. He decided to head into the forest towards the river, where he could cool off. Chichi would throw a fit if she knew that he was taking a swim while still sick, but whatever. He felt a bit guilty for disobeying his mother, but what she doesn't know won't hurt her, right?

As usual, the forest was welcoming. Flowers stretched their petals into the sky, reaching for bits of sunlight, and animals loped around the area, looking for food. Gohan felt his skin crawl and his fingers twitch at the sight of the animals. He felt restless again, jumpy, as if he had to do something really important but time was running out. His breathing was laboured and his chest felt funny. He felt as if something was trying to rip its way out of him.

Rip its way out of him.

Gohan's eyes widened and he clutched his chest. 'Oh, crap!'

I shall see you again soon, my dear Gohan.

Shadow.

'Why didn't I notice it sooner?' Gohan thought with growing alarm. 'Shadow was taking advantage of my weakness and trying to break out! He's…he's…'

He swallowed hard. 'He's escaping!'

Sure enough, Gohan felt another tug inside of him, and his head began to ache. His vision span and he grabbed onto a tree beside him to stop his fall. The forest animals around him filled his vision.

Killing animals.

Weak. Soft. Easy.

Torture.

His blood boiled. Just thinking about the animals, his hands on their necks, warm, fragile creatures, slowly squeezing…dragging out the pain…

Destroy! Destroy! Destroy!

'No! I won't let Shadow win!'

Gohan stumbled in the direction of his home, hands clutching his head. He could feel the monster clawing its way out of him, reaching for the outside world. Shadow's madness filled him, his desire to kill filling all of his senses. He wanted to destroy. He wanted to hurt.

He wanted Shadow to get the hell out of his head!

The black-haired child managed to break through the forest and reach his home. He staggered towards the house. Closer…closer…

He tripped and fell. Shadow's whispers filled his head.

'Let me escape…'

'With creation, must come destruction…'

'I want to murder. To destroy...'

'Why are you holding me back?'

Gohan closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to ignore the creature's words. He needed to be brave, but he couldn't find that bravery. The young warrior felt like a kid again. A kid who desperately needed the warm embrace of his mother.

"M-mom…!" he croaked, crawling towards his home with the little strength he had left. "C-can you hear me? Mom!"

Shadow's presence filled his entire being. He felt his world staring to darken.

'I'm coming out, Gohan. You can't stop me!'

Pain. Pain everywhere. He felt as if his skin was being slashed open.

"Mom! Piccolo! Someone! Help me!"

He passed out.


Krillin tapped down in front of the Son house a couple of hours later, a plate of rice in his hand. Chichi's temper was worse than Bulma's, Piccolo's, and Vegeta's anger combined, and he wasn't about to fall victim to it. So, he made the rice to make her happy and get on her good side. Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself for her fierce personality and knocked on the door. Surprisingly, no one answered. He knocked again. This time, the monk could hear loud footsteps, as if someone were running. Then, the door was unlocked and opened.

"Hi, Chichi, what's—are you okay?"

Chichi's eyes were red, as if she had been crying for a long time, and she looked utterly defeated. Krillin gulped and took a step back. When Chichi was sad or angry, all hell broke loose. Unexpectedly, she simply sighed and looked at him sadly.

"Hello, Krillin," she greeted quietly. "I suppose you want to see Gohan. Come in."

He quietly followed her in and took off his shoes. Holding out the rice, he said, "This is for you and Gohan."

Chichi took it and set it on the table. "Thank you," she said, her voice hushed. Krillin raised an eyebrow; what was going on?

"Uh, did I…miss something?" he asked, scratching his bald head. The housewife said nothing. She simply walked towards the stairs. Krillin followed her, still confused. When they reached Gohan's bedroom, Chichi stopped and gave the monk such a heartbreaking look that he almost reeled back in shock.

"Chichi, what happened? Is…is he okay? Don't tell me he sparred with Vegeta and broke a couple of ribs or something," he joked, but on the inside worry filled him. He remembered the conversation he had with Piccolo and inwardly frowned.

'Was he right after all?' he thought to himself. 'Is there something wrong with Gohan? But if he was right…that means that Gohan killed…'

"Now you listen here," Chichi whispered, interrupting Krillin's thoughts. "Something happened a couple of hours ago. I went to check up on Gohan and give him his medicine for his flu, but he wasn't in the room. Do you know where I found him?"

Krillin shook his head.

"I found him lying by the edge of the forest, unconscious. His skin…" She choked up. "His skin was horribly bruised, Krillin. I…I don't know what happened. After I brought him inside, he stayed unconscious." She brushed her bangs away from her face, a poor attempt at unnoticeably trying to wipe away her tears. "He's still unconscious. Please, Krillin…please try to wake him up. He's not waking up. I couldn't even feel his heart beat. I…"

Krillin put a comforting hand on her arm, hoping to comfort her. He shouldn't even have tried, because she jerked her arm away from him. "I don't need comforting," she snapped. "Just…help him out. Please."

She was begging him. How could he refuse?

"Don't worry, Chichi, I'm sure he'll be fine once I'm done with him!" he tried to joke. All it got him was a glare from Chichi and a warning, telling him that if he did anything stupid she'd personally kick his butt. He scratched his head and waited until she was gone before turning to face the door.

'Okay then, I guess it's time to see how the old buddy's doing,' he thought, opening the door. 'Hopefully, well."

Krillin opened the door and stepped inside. There, on the bed, was a figure—presumably Gohan— wrapped in blanket. A strip of white cloth was placed on his forehead, and a bucket of water was placed by the bed. On the side table was some medicine and a glass of water. It seemed like a normal sight for a sick person. He took a deep breath and walked up to the bed. Looking from above, he could only see part of Gohan's face; the rest was covered by blanket and cloth.

'I hope your sleeping well, kiddo,' he thought. 'But I hope even more that what Piccolo said about you was wrong.'

Krillin sat down on the edge of the bed. "Hey, Gohan. It's Krillin," he said.

No answer.

"Doesn't look like you're doing too well," he continued. "Being sick sucks, doesn't it. Man, I hate colds. They stink!"

No answer.

"I remember this one time when I got sick, and I was coughing all the time and my head hurt badly and Master Roshi couldn't understand what I was saying 'cause my nose was stuffy, and it was funny because…"

He trailed off. Gohan still refused to respond.

"Ah, I guess you're not in the talking mood." He scratched his head, then thought about what Chichi said.

"I found him lying by the edge of the forest, unconscious. His skin…" She choked up. "His skin was horribly bruised, Krillin. I…I don't know what happened."

Krillin frowned. It was time to stop babbling and time to see how his friend was doing. He scooted up a bit and grabbed the edge of the blanket.

"Gohan…" he said softly, shaking him a bit. He got no response as expected, but still…it never hurt to hope. The monk slowly peeled off the blanket and gasped at what he saw.

Gohan's skin was bruised, just as Chichi had said. He had small bruises and big bruises running up and down his arms, neck, and chest. What was worse, though, was the large slash running across the top of his chest. It was thin and didn't look life-threatening, but it still stood out from the rest of the small injuries. Krillin's mind immediately began to work.

'Wh-who…who could have done this!?' he thought. 'It can't be Freeza; he's not capable of this kind of damage. Besides, Gohan could cream him, Super Saiyan or no Super Saiyan. Not Garlic Junior; he was sent back into the Dead Zone. It doesn't look like androids…'

It suddenly hit him.

'C-Cell! It has to be Cell! That means that…that Goku and Gohan never killed him! He's still alive!'

Krillin's hands began to shake. "C-crap!" he swore out loud. "Why does this stuff always have to happen to us? I couldn't even touch him in his semi-perfect form! Oh, man...why me?"

The monk grabbed Gohan's shoulders and shook him, vaguely aware of how scorching hot the child's skin was.

"Hey! Hey, kid! Wake up!" he shouted, shaking harder as he got no response. "Who did this to you? Huh? Gohan, was it Cell? It was Cell who hurt you, wasn't it? Gohan, wake up!"

"You must be stupid if you think it's Cell."

Krillin whipped his head towards the window and was surprised to see Vegeta standing there.

"Seriously!? First Piccolo, now you! What's next?" he sighed exasperatingly, then turned back to Gohan. "What is it? I thought you decided to stop fighting, or whatever."

Vegeta "hmphed" and turned away from the window. "I felt a huge power level in the area, by the woods." he said quietly. "I thought…that Kakkarot would be here."

The bald-headed monk didn't respond. It wasn't surprising that Vegeta would fly to wherever he sensed Goku's energy. The guy had been pretty bummed out after the Cell Games, and everyone knew that it was because of Goku's death. He seemed to have lost his drive to fight without the Earth-raised Saiyan to test his strength against. His obsession with the pure-hearted fighter was laughable in Krillin's opinion, but he didn't dare say that in front of Vegeta. He liked his head where it was, thank you very much.

"Hey, baldy, are you even listening?" Vegeta snapped, jolting the monk out of his thoughts. He looked up at Vegeta and frowned. "What?"

The prince jabbed his thumb outside in the direction of the forest. "Didn't you feel that large spike of energy?" he asked, like he was speaking to a five year old child. Krillin ignored the obvious insult in his tone of voice and instead stood, checking one more time to see if Gohan was awake. No such luck; he was still unconscious.

"If it's not Cell," Krillin began, referring to his earlier statement. "then who is it? I mean, it's not like it could be Freeza or anything."

Vegeta grunted. "Probably a new enemy who wants to test out my power," he said, smirking. His smirk quickly fell off of his face a moment later. Probably remembering his vow at the Cell Games.

"Well, in any case, I think we should check it out," Krillin suggested. The flame-haired Saiyan stared at him with a look of disgust and disbelief.

"And why the hell should I come?" he spat. "It's not my problem. Go do us all a favour and get killed, not like anyone will care anyways."

He ignored his comment and climbed out of the window, choosing to stand a few feet away from Vegeta. Hopefully Gohan would be okay; he was only planning to check out the power level and come back.

"Hey! With Goku gone, someone's gotta look after Earth, and it's gotta be us by default," he said firmly. Vegeta simply 'hmphed' and turned away.

"…Fine," he mumbled. "Not like I have anything better to do. But if you get your ass kicked, I'm going to laugh at you, and then I'm going to help the enemy finish you off."

Krillin's eye twitched, but he chose not to say anything. It was decided: they would go. Hopefully Chichi wouldn't find out that he'd just left her injured son lying on the bed unattended (there goes his head...). Without further conversation, the two warriors took off into the forest, bracing themselves for the power they might have to face.


"Man, it's scorching hot out here!"

"Yeah, it is!"

The desert bandit Yamcha and his long-time cat friend Puar trudged through the heated sands towards a town not very far away. They needed to pick up some supplies and there were no stores around their area. Currently, Puar was resting on her friend's shoulder while Yamcha was walking with a small backpack on his back full of water and food. Puar got up and flew around Yamcha's head.

"Hey Yamcha! We should visit our friends soon! We haven't seen them in a long time," she said, pausing to float right in front of the bandit's face. Yamcha laughed.

"Yeah, that seems like a good idea," he said, smiling. His smile dropped instantly, however, and he suddenly became more alert. Puar looked at him with an expression of concern.

"Y-Yamcha? What is it?" she asked. Yamcha didn't respond; his gaze was focused and fearful at the same time.

"Puar?" he said suddenly. Said cat tilted her head to the side.

"Yes?"

"I-I think...I think we'll be seeing our friends sooner than we thought."

The floating blue cat raised her eyebrows. "Huh? But why?"

A drop of sweat dripped off of Yamcha's chin. "I felt a large power level spike up suddenly in a city near a forest," he said, his voice shaking. "And thousands of small power levels just disappeared!"

Puar gasped. They both knew what this meant. Yamcha nodded as if he read Puar's thoughts.

"That's right, Puar," he said grimly. "A new enemy. One more powerful than Cell."

They both fell silent after the statement as the full seriousness of the situation hit. Despite the fear and anxiousness Yamcha was feeling, he couldn't help but think, 'Other World, here I come.'


Note: A heated wheat pillow may seem like a weird thing to put on a sick person's head (were you expecting a white cloth?) but whenever my head hurts, my mother warms up this pillow full of wheat and puts it on my head. It really works!

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll really try not to take so long on the next one. Again, it's been edited, so I hope you reread it! 'Till the next!