AN:
I was really happy to get all your reviews this morning, so I decided to postpone my pie making and put up a chapter instead, thanks for the feedback you guys.
Disclaimer: Dragonball/Z is addictive, be warned, I don't own it though!
Chapter 14: The demon is an alien
Videl sat on the luxurious couch chewing on the soft flesh encasing her finger-nails. Bulma Briefs had sent one of her 'bots', to fetch her some clothes. She was at least comfortable now, in an oversized t-shirt and a pair of sweats. The bot hadn't thought to bring her shoes though.
Bulma and Gohan had been arguing about what to do. Gohan was adamant that they could make this surgery work, he wanted to replace his mother's organs with new ones, going as far as volunteering his own, but Bulma kept shaking her head.
"We can run a liquidized sensu bean through a drip throughout the procedure Bulma, it would supplement the energy and make sure that her wounds are healed instantly" Gohan insisted
"Gohan, you have to stop and think rationally, it's not just the lungs, or the kidneys that are failing, it's everything…" Bulma argued
"But right now, it's just the kidneys and the lungs, right now, those are the two organs we have to worry about, if I'm not compatible, I'll find someone who is" he declared
"Gohan, the organ waiting list…"
"I don't give a damn Bulma, this is my mother, we have to save her" he shouted
"It's always someone's mother, or father, or brother or child, Gohan please…" Bulma tried to reason
"I know, I just…" he began fisting a hand-full of his hair
"Look, Gohan, even if we did replace the organs, the root of the problem will still remain, in no time at all, the virus will spread on to them as well, you have to take a breath and think rationally" she reasoned
"I can't just do nothing Bulma, I should have spent more time with her, I should have…" he began to pace, pulling and tugging at his hair
"We'll keep her on dialysis and ventilation for a few hours, just until the level of impurities in her blood has subsided, then we'll bring her out, you can spend time with her then" Bulma said soothingly, the last thing anyone wanted was for Gohan to go over the edge, the situation to get…explosive
Just then Goku re-appeared with two alien looking individuals. Videl's heart jerked temporarily, but she was slowly getting used to this appearing and disappearing act of Gohan's father. She eyed the newcomers closely, there was no question, they looked very much like mushrooms.
Gulping, she curled up her feet and tucked them underneath her bum, wrapping her arms around herself protectively. Just who the hell were these people?
"Dad…anything?" Gohan asked hopefully, at the sight of his father and the Yardranians
"These are my friends from Yardrat, they are going to try something" he said, his voice grim
"Greetings" the Yardranians bowed, formally
"Welcome to earth you guys, so good to meet you" Bulma greeted, trying to be cheerful, she had encountered too much weirdness in her life to be phased by their mushroom like appearance.
'Oh God,' Videl thought nervously, 'welcome to earth? not only do they look like aliens, but they are aliens.' She moved her knees up to touch her chin, 'Videl, what have you gotten yourself into now?' she wondered bleakly
"Hello" Gohan said, he was too bleak to try to appear cheerful
"May we?" the Yardranians enquired, their voices soft and musical, leaving a bit of a melodious linger. They each moved to either side of Chichi.
"Give them some room you guys" Goku said, beckoning Bulma and Gohan away from the bed
Videl's heart jumped in fright, when they each reached out with long golden tendrils that leisurely grew out of their hands and began to wrap and slowly coil themselves around the dying woman's hands. The web they were forming around each hand making her think of spiders. A warm glow and soft humming began to surround her body, lifting it lightly into the air.
Videl chewed harder and faster on her fingers, it was the only source of comfort she could find.
She stared at the aliens and the floating woman, watching intently as beads of sweat began to form on the mushroom heads. She had no idea what was going on, but whatever they were doing, was obviously taking it's toll, their knees started to buckle, ultimately forcing them to support themselves by leaning on the bed for support.
Eventually though, in perfect synch, the aliens slumped to the floor, their long and creepy tendrils coiling rapidly back into the stumps on their hands. The glowing and the humming stopped, and Gohan's mom dropped back on to the bed.
The man Son Goku, rushed to their side and helped them up. Gohan rushed to his mom to look her over, he frowned, there was no change that he could see.
"Anything?" Goku asked hopefully
The two aliens shook their mushroom heads sadly.
"It is impossible" the aliens declared
And Gohan covered his face with his hands in despair.
"Our khaya cannot destroy the blackening organism without destroying her organs as well, we were able to paralyze it, temporarily, that will buy you a few days at best until it recovers, we are sorry, dear friend" they spoke, addressing Son Goku
"Thank you for trying" Son Goku said, his voice cracking
"We will make our leave, the air here…" they said
"I understand" Son Goku said
And Videl watched as they moved their hands to their heads, and promptly disappeared.
Bruno Hospital…
"Rita Kahn please" Erasa said to the receptionist
The woman didn't even look up as she made the search
"Hey!" Erasa yelled, banging her hand on the wooden desk, pissed by her attitude
"Second floor, room 12" the woman said, not at all moved by the other blonde. She had been doing this job for years, nothing moved her anymore
"Bitch" Erasa muttered as she hurried to Videl's room
Elewhere…
"Ladies and gentleman, we already have three scores over ONE HUNDRED!" the announcer guy yelled excitedly, he was stationed at Satan Square, where they were expecting the biggest number of competitors to show up for the punching machine elimination round.
"YEAHHHHHHHHHHH!" the crowd cheered
There were other designated spots across the globe, for those who lived too far to make it to Satan Square, but the biggest crowd and the most publicity was at Satan Square.
Vendors of all sorts had already shown up to take advantage of the spectacle. Videl dolls were going at an elevated price.
"The question on everyone's minds is WHERE IS THE OX PRINCE?"
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOH!" the crowd cried, none of them felt that this 'Prince' was deserving of their heroine, they had yet to see him in action.
"Could it be that he's too SCARED!" the announcer guy rattled
"YEAHHHHHHHHHHH!" the crowd cheered
"Oh…Oh…Ladies and gentleman, ladies and gentleman, listen to this, I've just received word that two contestants have scored OVER 200!"
"SATAN! SATAN! SATAN!" they went wild
"Ladies and gentleman I give you Spopovitch and YAMU!" he roared
"YEAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"SATAN! SATAN! SATAN!" they began to chant
The announcer guy sweat-dropped, why were they cheering Satan?
Capsule Corp…
Bulma had finally convinced Gohan to take a break and see to his girlfriend, she hadn't failed to notice how pale she was, the girl was obviously freaking out, and Bulma couldn't exactly blame her.
"I'll stay here with your mom son, I'll let you know when she's awake" Goku encouraged, he realized that Gohan had more than enough on his plate.
"Videl, what have you done to yourself?" Gohan asked concerned, at the sight of her fingers. She had bitten herself raw and bleeding! The wound on the back of her hand, from where the drip had yanked out violently when she had attacked him at the hospital was also taking a nasty turn.
"It's nothing" she shrugged, a bit dazed, not really feeling it, yet
"Come, let's get that cleaned up, and then we can talk" he said, taking her arm.
Videl just followed him, what else could she do?
"That stings" she said, as he dabbed the tips of her gingers, and the back of her hand, ever so gently with…whatever that stuff was.
"This is extracted from some very special beans, it will heal those up quiet nicely, you don't want them to get infected do you?" he asked, putting away the cotton and covering up the little raw flesh with miniscule plasters.
"It will be fine, it's nothing" she said again, inching further into yet another luxurious couch in another lounge in the massive Capsule corp.
"I can organize some food, I'm sure you haven't eaten" he said, his nerves coming to the surface now that they were alone.
"I wish you'd stop stalling" she said softly, removing the blonde wig, which was starting to make her itch.
She may have still been upset with him, but in light of all that had transpired, she couldn't find it in her to yell, he looked like he had been through more than enough
"Right" he said, intertwining his fingers in a nervous gesture
"Let's see where to start…" he sighed, starting to pace around the room.
"You can start by telling me what your are" Videl pointed out
"Right. right. Let's see….well…my father you see…he's…he wasn't born here, on earth" he began
"So he's an alien," she summed it up "…figures, like his friends with the mushroom heads" she said, feeling queasy at the implication, no wonder the doctors were spooked, the sight of a mushroom headed baby with all those slimy tendrils…
"Not like the guys you saw Videl, those guys come from an entirely different planet, besides…we look nothing like them" he elaborated
"My mom, she's as human as you, so I'm kind of half-half you know?" he said expectantly, watching her face
She didn't react, not at all, she just played with the plasters on her fingertips, her other hand scratching at and peeling off, the fake acne she had stuck to her face.
It was a bit disturbing for him to watch.
"And that's the whole truth Videl, I'm not some kind of demon, I may have some alien genes in me, hence the inhuman strength, the transformations, but…otherwise, I'm just a regular person, just like you" he said
"Regular people aren't bullet proof Gohan, regular people don't just change their form at will, regular people are just that, regular and people, but you…you are NOT!" she said heatedly, her tone accusing, her slight form trembling
"Okay, so I'm not regular, but I'm still…I still have my humanity Videl, I still have my humanity" he said bleakly
"I know about your mom, she used to be a fighter, the only woman to make it to the quarter finals of the world martial arts tournament, the Ox Princess, I read about her…is that why you picked me Gohan, because I'm a fighter, is that what your kind does, pick the strongest of our species? Like how your dad picked your mom?" she asked him, looking up into his face for the first time
"I…picked you, picked you for what Videl?" he didn't like the implication of that question
"For this breeding thing" she said quietly
"Would you STOP with that already!" he said, frustrated "There is no breeding thing Videl, my mom was sick, dying as you've seen for yourself okay…" he ran his fingers roughly through his spike, his throat going dry
"… and Piccolo, who is also another type of alien by the way, thought, he thought…he could distract me from the loss by…he thought if I had a family of my own, that it wouldn't be so bad, that I wouldn't flip out like I did when my dad died…" he swallowed, his brown perspiring just a bit as he paced nervously
"…So he orchestrated this whole thing, he cornered my little brother into giving him a name, a girl's name, and it just so happened that your name came up, I used to talk to him about you, how we fought crime together, how you wanted to unmask me, how…how fascinating, and brave and…pretty you were, I used to talk to my little brother every day after school, and that's how it happened, that's how he, not me, he picked you!" he blurted
"Oh God" she said, holding up her palms against her ears as if to prevent herself from hearing any more, rocking herself to and fro, to and fro.
Oh God, Oh God, Oh God she thought, trying to quell down the bile rising in her throat
"I had nothing to do with it Videl, I would never, I could never…I had nothing to do with it" he said quietly, the sickness he had felt after discovering what Piccolo had done, coming back ten-fold at the sickened expression on her face. How in Dende's name did he ever think that this whole thing would turn out okay?
"I think I'll go home now" she said, ever so quietly
"I can't let you do that Videl, I'm sorry" he said, equally as quietly, his voice laced with regret
Didn't she have anything to say about everything he'd just said. All his confessions, all his secrets?
"I'm not asking for your permission Gohan, I want to go home NOW!" she insisted
"I'm sorry" he said
"I'm going" she said, rising from the couch determinedly
"Videl, I'm begging you, please, don't make me force you, I…I can't let you leave, not now, not until…" his voice cracked
"Not until what Gohan, not until what?" she shrieked, her resolve to remain calm and understanding crumbling
"I just…I have to know that you won't try to…that you won't try to do something to the baby" he faltered
"Of course, we wouldn't want to endanger the species now would we?" she said bitterly
"I wish you wouldn't talk like that, it's just an innocent baby Videl, your baby, my baby, a little miracle we created together, a little life…don't you…don't you have any feeling for the baby at all?" he choked, didn't she have any feelings for him?
"You ask too much of me, don't you see how much you're asking of ME?" she cried
Gohan took a step towards her and dared to embrace her, he held her, keeping her close, as close as their bodies would allow with his chin resting on the top of her head.
"I know it's a lot to ask, I know it is, but I'm asking…I'm begging you, have this baby, give me this one thing…please" he whispered, kissing her forehead, wiping the tears from her eyes.
Videl could feel the opposing tugs on her heart, Gohan pulling her one way, and her resolve pulling her the other way.
She was torn.
Bruno Hospital…
"I left her right here with her brother, they must be somewhere in the building, there is only one way out this hospital Miss, and the cameras would have caught them" the doctor defended
"Urgh!" Erasa exclaimed angrily, stomping her foot. What kind of incompetent imbeciles would lose an unconscious patient!
Pulling out her phone, she dialed Gohan
Come on, pick up, pick up…she paced nervously
Capsule Corp.
Goku was sitting in the room with Chichi, watching her as the dialysis machine pumped her blood out of her system, filtered it, removing impurities, and pumping it back into her system.
Her chest was rising and falling as the machine attached to the tube stuck in her throat and taped to her face did the breathing for her.
He had never been more lost, never felt more useless.
Just then, a pair of feet materialized before him
It was Supreme Kai, and his otherworld friends, Pikkon and Olibu.
"I'm sorry to intrude Goku" Supreme Kai said, his voice low and respectful "…but I thought you might want to know, Babidi has made his move, three of his warriors have suddenly come out from hiding" he said
Olibu and Pikkon just stood, staring at Chichi. How could this be? She was fine just a few days ago, giving them hell, and now…
"Right" Goku said, rubbing his temples. This would have been an exciting time for him, an opportunity to kick some bad-guy ass, but as things were…he could only nod in acknowledgement.
"I'm not sure what his plan is, but they'll be looking for pure energy, you might want to warn your son, they seem to be gearing themselves up to participate in the tournament being held for the earth girl" he told him solemnly
Goku cursed, this was the last thing Gohan needed right now.
"Can you tell the others about this, Piccolo and Vegeta? I just…I just need a bit of time" he said, keeping his eye on Chichi
"I don't think they'll do anything before the tournament, but…we may very well need you Goku" he said preparing to leave
Pikkon and Olibu just patted their friend on the back, what could they say really? His wife was dying.
A few seconds later, they disappeared
Satan Square…
"Ladies and gentleman…this is incredible, OVER 500!" the announcer guy roared
"YEAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" the crowd cheered, they like this contender. He was polite, cute, and clearly very strong.
The girls swooned, as he flicked his long black hair out of his face and walked off nonchalantly, his chain-belt rattling.
"Ladies and gentleman, I don't know about you, but if I was the Prince I would HIIIIIIIIIIDE!" he exclaimed dramatically
"SATAN! SATAN! SATAN!" they chanted
Pui-Pui stood to the side watching as the young teen disappeared into the crowd. He had yet to go to the punching machine, he hadn't decided on how much strength to utilize, but with the exception of this last guy, things were looking rather dull.
He grinned; it was obvious that the guy hadn't even been trying. Perhaps they'd found the one the master was looking for after all.
He would hold out until the very end, and then he'd see…
Capsule Corp…
"Maybe you should get that" Videl said, shrugging out of the embrace when his phone began to ring incessantly
Gohan sighed, letting her go, it was a miracle that she'd let him hold her for as long as she had
"Erasa, hey" he answered
"Nuh…she's not, she's right here, she's fine" he calmed the hysterical girl down
"Really?" he faked his surprise "…maybe their cameras were malfunctioning, but yeah, I guess we did leave without arranging for payment" he said
"Err…maybe later, she's…um…sleeping, gotta go!" he said hurriedly, lifting his phone, preventing Videl from grabbing it.
"You're really starting to piss me off Gohan, I'm not your damn prisoner!" she huffed, outraged at his audacity
"Just promise me that you won't do anything hasty, just promise me that, and I'll let you go home" he pleaded
"I won't" she told him
His heart dared to hope, just a bit
"You'll…have the baby?" he asked hesitantly, brushing the long strands of her from her face.
"I wish you wouldn't pressure me into making a decision, I need time to think…I promise, I'm not about to do anything" she said, trying to be honest about her feelings
"I can fly you home if you want, it will be quick" he volunteered
Videl sighed, relieved, for a second there, she thought she might have been stuck in this place
"That's okay, you should be here, with your mom…I'll call Kitty, she'll arrange something for me" she told him.
Gohan felt disappointed somehow, she hadn't said anything much about his heritage, she seemed to just want to get away from him. It was disheartening.
After making the necessary arrangements, Gohan escorted her outside to the Capsule Corp. landing pad where a limo service was scheduled to pick her up.
Videl was glad to see the hover limo finally arrive, glad to escape the awkward silence that now existed between them.
"I'm still the same person Videl!" Gohan found himself shouting after her, when she practically sprinted to the limo, she didn't even look back.
Satan Square…
"You made it" Sharpner said dryly at the approaching Erasa
"Yes, I made it, Bruno's really far you know!" she said irritated
"So, how's Videl, everything cool?" he asked, trying to hide his concern
"She's fine, it was just an undercover thing, you know…" she lied
"See, told you there was no need to go racing to that poor excuse of a city" he said, flicking his hair back
"Whatever Sharpner, so…how'd you do? Did you make the cut?" she asked him
"Phh!…like you even have to ask" he said shrugging
"Cool, I still think you're being a dick about this whole thing" she said, glancing around to see if there were any cute guys to be gawked at
"And I still think you're being a bitch about this whole thing, who the fuck is brains to you anyway, we're practically family Erasa, and yet, you're taking his side over mine" he stated sourly
"He's Videl's choice, and as her friend, I'm being supportive, you should try it sometime" she told him
"I've trained for four years to get a shot to go out with Videl Erasa, as a friend, you should try to be supportive of that" he said irritably
"Even if you do win this farce of a tournament Sharpner, what's gonna happen after this one flimsy date ha? You think Videl will give up Gohan just because you won the right to take her out once?" she tried to reason with him
"Let me worry about my date, if I were you, I'd be worried about brains, he still hasn't shown his cowardly face to put in a punch" he said smugly
"He'll show, don't worry" she said, wondering if everything really was okay with Videl.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah…we'll see" he said
Capsule Corp.
"She'll come around son, don't worry about it" Goku tried to reassure Gohan.
"These things take time Gohan, she's been through too much, in too short a time" Chichi offered from the wheelchair Bulma had insisted that she utilize from now on.
"I'm just glad your up and about mom" he said, squeezing her hand
"I think it's time we let Goten in on what's going on, whatever those alien friends of yours did Goku, it was good, I feel a bit better, but…like they said, it has only bought me a few days at best, and then…" she didn't get to finish
"Don't talk like that Chichi, we have to stay positive" Goku insisted
"Goten has to be told, he has to come to terms with this before it's too late, besides, I think now would be a good time to break the news, a dose of bad news, and a dose of good news, just to balance things out" Chichi insisted
"What good news?" both Goku and Gohan asked simultaneously
"What do you mean, the baby of course, Goten's going to be an uncle!" she beamed
Satan Mansion…
An alien, an alien, he's an alien, an alien, I have an alien growing inside me, an alien, an alien…
She agonized, over and over again.
The image of the mushroom duo and with their long and twirling tendrils running shivers down her spine.
Aliens.
First she finds out that the alien, Vegeta was still on planet, then the mushrooms appear out of nowhere, apparently the demon is an alien as well, and now…Gohan…
Gohan with his sweet smile, Gohan with his innocent expressive eyes, Gohan with his spiky hair, Gohan with soft lips that sent her blood boiling…
Lovable, adorable Gohan…
"She can take one of mine, cant she? I don't need two kidneys, just get in a surgeon and I'll give her one of mine" he said desperately
Heartbroken Gohan…
" I couldn't even think straight, couldn't even strategize properly on the battlefield, having you there, trapped in that bubble, it was like having my guts wrenched out by a sickle, I couldn't ignore my feelings anymore"
I want to believe you, I want to believe you, but I…so many lies, so many secretes.
So he lied, I lied, I used him, blatantly, to free my father, I…I seduced him, slept with him, lied to him, I didn't tell him about the pregnancy, I didn't tell him about the demon, well, he knew, but still, I wasn't exactly the picture of honesty either.
So we're both liars, I suppose, he had his reasons, I had mine. BUT HE's AN ALIEN! Well, sort of, half-half, I guess the real question is…does it change how I feel about him?
Gohan had caught her, bridal style.
"Told you I'd catch you" he said, grinning from ear to ear
Heart pounding, eyes wide, she stared at him
And her heart fluttered
And when she was with him, like she had been with him last night, securely wrapped in his arms, she found that she had wanted for nothing, nothing at all.
Who was she kidding, Saiyaman or delivey-boy, gold-fighter or the Ox Prince, alien or human, it didn't really matter. She had fallen for him, the person he was inside all those shells. Which is why it was so hard, why it hurt so much, knowing that everything they had shared, from word go, was shrouded in so many lies.
Yet still, despite it all, she couldn't deny the truth, she loved him.
If I'm not honest with myself now, then the madness will never end.
I should be there for him, there with him, instead of adding more stress to his already stressful life. I should just suck it up, just let it go…just let it go…
Capsule Corp…
"It's late, we should really get going" Chichi said tiredly
"Chichi, I really think you guys should stay, we'll do some more treatments tomorrow" Bulma adviced
"Mom, Bulma's right, we should just stay here, Bulma has all the facilities we might need in case of an emergency" Gohan added
"It takes your father a second to get from Mt Paozu to here Gohan, don't be so dramatic" Chichi told him, she really just wanted to be in her own home
"Hon, maybe…"
Bulma's buzzer went off
"Yes?" she said tiredly
"Miss Satan's here to see Mr Son mam, we escorted her to the gray room" the voice said
Gohan confirmed with his senses, it was Videl!
Oh God, I hope she hasn't changed her mind about the baby!
"Go Gohan, go…" Chichi tried to push him excitedly, she knew it, no woman could resist her baby boy!
Goku gave him a thumbs up, grinning
"Well…" Bulma stood, watching him expectantly
That's all guys, I'll try to put up more tomorrow or something, please be kind enough to leave a review
Ru: thank you for your review.
Yukiraking: Yeah, everybody knows everything now, well almost everything, it's not easy but…being the girlfriend of a super-hero never is. I'm sure Chichi can testify to that. Lol
A-man: Glad you enjoyed it
Mr Blue22: Looks like that might just be Goku's only choice, lol, the question is, is he up to it?
Gamarabi: Yeah, I know, lol,
DabigWilliG: glad you enjoyed it!
MrSuperSaiyan: I guess it's safe to assume that you're not much of a Chichi fan, lol, I cant help myself, I really like Goku and Chichi, weakness of mine
Z-Dawg: I know, I feel so bad for him, but hopefully things are beginning to turn around now?
Cody545: I'm so glad
Johncorner: Nope, but I think things have finally turned around for him
I like cimanon: Hi, I'm so glad that this story is still attracting new readers. It's really encouraging, so glad that you're liking it so far, and thank you ever so much for taking the time to review, there's nothing like getting a review alert to brighten one's spirits!
HollyAnne87: Hi there, thanks again for the review, I tried to think out the plot as much as possible, but sometimes the story doesn't always turn out the way one plans, I'm glad you're having fun reading this.
HalloKillerMatt: I don't know if she's been unreasonable or not, I'd probably freak out a lot more than she did, lol, I just hate lies, but Gohan had his reasons after all, and it's not like he was the only one with secretes, lol, thanks for the review, hope you enjoyed this little chappie as well
Nameless: lol, sometimes I wonder if you even like this story at all! I love pregnancy stories, I just love little babies, they're just so cute and clueless, kinda like the Son men, lol, thanks for your review
Esaria: Looks like the Yardranians were not able to do much but buy a little time, , poor Chichi
Zfj: Hi, thanks for dropping those two reviews. Yeah, all that information, all at once, it's a lot for anyone to take in, luckily she already knew some stuff, about her dad not defeating Cell and all that. But yeah, it's nice to have everything out in the open, now it's just time to heal and build back the trust I guess…
MysticGohan87: things are definitely out in the open!
The0Blind0Writer: Was there really a lot of angst? Lol, poor Gohan, but on the bright side, things are finally turning around in his favour, yay!
Damex: Hey there, thanx for those reviews, always nice to see someone new who seems to be enjoying the story, it's really uplifting. Hope you had fun with this little chapter as well, thank again!
Alex: PAN out, lol, though I had the scene in my plot notes, I wasn't so sure that I was going to include it in detail, but then I thought, I really want to give this little Saiyan addition a personality of it's own, and it would really be interesting to see him fighting for survival. Glad you had fun with those last few chapters, things are really starting to wind down now, I'll be sorry to see this story end, but then again, I still have all that backlog with my other ones *sweats*, thanks for the reviews!