Yesterday marked the ten year anniversary of my first posting of a story. It'd pretty hard to believe after all this time, I'm still enjoying to write stories and furthermore publish them on this site. I never thought I'd do more than one honestly, but here I am 30 plus stories later. I'd like to thank everyone who's encouraged me over the years because without them, I wouldn't have continued as I have. I'd also like to thank each and every reviewer because your feedback as been tremendous. I don't know if I'll keep doing this for another ten years, but it's worth a try.

Thank you and enjoy.

It had taken some—make that a really long time—for Gohan to recover from…that. Many times he had calmed down, only to have a stray thought of that which shall not be named, and once again begin screaming. Not-Piccolo had taken to reading a book through the many screaming fits. It was not a proud moment for Gohan.

"Are you done?" Not-Piccolo asked. It was somewhere between the sixth and ninth time he had asked that. Like the others, he didn't seem bothered by what was sure to come.

"Yes, I'm done," Gohan said weakly. Somehow he had not lost his voice despite the harshness of his screams. There was a slight raspy quality to it, but that could be ignored, unlike—

"Ahhhhh! Ahhhhh—"

"Alright, that's enough of that." Not-Piccolo made a gesture and suddenly Gohan found he was unable to scream. That didn't stop him from keeping his mouth wide open, his neck flexing over and over as he continued to attempt to scream.

"I swear, if I have to scrub your memory away, I will," Not-Piccolo growled. Apparently his patience had finally been used up. "Now, I'm assuming you came here for a reason."

At this, Gohan nodded.

"If I give you back your voice, will you talk like a normal person?"

Again, he nodded.

Not-Piccolo didn't do a thing. Gohan, on the other hand, became well-aware of his own panting breaths. He coughed to clear his throat, wincing from how raw it felt. However, when he spoke, there was no sign of hoarseness to be heard. "What do I call you?" he asked.

The Ruler of the Underworld raised an eyebrow, or at least the muscle that was where his eyebrow should have been. The real Piccolo didn't have a hair on his head after all. "Pardon?"

"Your name, I mean. You're not Mr. Piccolo and I can't call you by that name. It's a…respect kind of thing."

The man stared at him before he tilted his head forward in acquiescence. "Very well." There was a hint of approval in his voice.

He then closed the book in his lap. The movement drew Gohan's attention, his eyes staring right at a familiar cover. Is that Mr. Piccolo's story book? It had been a long time since he had seen that book, along with its...pictures. However, his attention was soon diverted as, right before his eyes, the man seemed to age. His healthy green skin took on a darker tone; the pink patches along his arms became a dull yellow. Wrinkles marred his face and an aged look shone form his eyes. "My name is not something that mortals should know about," he said then, his voice deeper. "In fact, if you thought my real form was bad, if I told you my name, your head would implode, followed by your body exploding. It took quite a few mortals for everyone to figure that one out."

Gohan gulped. Perhaps it was best to move on then.

"However, you may call me King Piccolo."

"Alright, King Piccolo it is," the young man agreed quickly. "So, I'm guessing you know why I've come."

"Not really, no."

Gohan stared at King Piccolo. It had been so long since he had been in this bizarre world, he had practically forgotten why he had come here. Scratch that, he had forgotten. A sickening feeling welled up in his stomach.

Geez, now what did he do? Before this being that controlled the Underworld, he had all sorts of…strange help. The white rabbit was chief among them, but considering it was nowhere to be found he would have settled for just about anything. He would've taken the Sharpner Cat at this point.

"The Cheshire Cat has no power here," King Piccolo said, causing the youth to jerk his head up. There was an amused smirk on his face, his eyes dancing with mirth. "Your thoughts are an open book to me, child," he explained. "Though potent, the Cheshire Cat would not dare set foot on this plateau. He lost control of his mind the last time he did and, though he is now clearly insane, he won't risk losing the rest of it."

Now that was scary. In fact, if he had anything in his colon, he would've lost them right then and there. Except…there was one thing that bothered him.

"You're all-powerful here, right?" Gohan asked King Piccolo, who inclinded his head in the affirmative. "Then isn't it possible you created the Sharp…the Cheshire Cat the way he is?"

There was a moment of silence before King Piccolo's small smile grew wide. "You're rather quick," he complimented him. "Not like the first time you came here."

A jolt shot up the young man's spine. "First time?" he sputtered out. "You mean I've been here before?"

The green man's smile softened. "Perhaps that's why you've come here. You wished to know about what happened."

"Bideru! My baby girl!" the boisterous voice of the king rang out. Clothed in maroon robes, the tall man crossed the room with his hair arms wide open.

Gohan watched as this man with the head of black curly hair enveloped Videl in a hug, the small girl practically vanishing in his arms. "Daddy," she whined, her face wincing. "I…missed you…too…

"But can you…put me…down?"

"What did you say?" Demon Head Hercule questioned as he all but dropped his daughter, the young woman somehow staying on her feet. "Do not tell me you cannot receive a hug from your dear father!"

Gohan just watched all of this in amusement. Videl had warned him of what would happen. In fact, it was all she had talked about leading up to their arrival at the Palace. The two of them had been summoned by a messenger of the Demon Kingdom, though the invite was mostly for the dark-haired princess. She had been quite insistent that he come with her, though.

Apparently, Videl's father had someone obtained the crown of the fallen kingdom and had spent many years restoring it. It was only recently that he had summoned his daughter to his newly-acquired court, only to realize the castle he had left her in was empty save for her pet dragon.

"Do you know how worried I was?" Demon Head Hercule practically shouted. "I thought that pet of yours had eaten you. Why, if it was not for all the fire-breathing it does, I would have had it opened to make sure!"

"Daddy!" Videl screamed in outrage. "You did not hurt Icarus!"

"Like I said, I would have, but every time I tried, it burned someone up. I had to settle for digging around its dropping for a month!"

The image of the king digging around in fecal matter was not one Gohan wished to think about. Unfortunately, said king suddenly turned his blue eyes onto him and the look on his face changed from happy and excited to a scowl that threatened instant death. "And who do you think you are?" he demanded in a deathly tone.

"Greetings, your Highness," the young man greeted. It had been something he practiced with Videl the entire day yesterday. "I am—"

"I do not care who you are! You better not have violated my daughter, you scrawny peasant! If you have, I will have you flayed right here, right now."

Gohan was pretty certain that such a thing would happen if he did not say the correct words in the correct way. "I did not touch the princess in any way, shape, or form," he said confidently.

Demon Head Hercule leaned in close to his face. "Is that so?"

"Yes, your Highness."

What felt like an hour passed by before the Demon Head pulled away. "I will take your word for it," he grumbled before he raised his voice, "but do not think I trust you. One lingering look, one tiny touch of your crap-covered hand on her delicate one, and you will be disemboweled before the day is over. Understand?"

"I understand."

"Good." Demon Head Hercule turned away and began to walk back towards his throne. Videl slinked up next to him, causing the young man to lean his head closer to her.

"Well done," she whispered to him. "Even I almost believed you."

"As I recall," Gohan whispered back, "it was you who violated me."

A moment passed before Videl turned her head to glare at him. "Ha, ha," she growled.

Gohan blinked his eyes. Gone was the throne room of Demon Head Hercule and in its place was the dark Underworld. King Piccolo hadn't moved from his seat, but he was watching the youth with a critical eye.

"What—" Gohan stopped to clear his threat before trying again, "What happened the first time?"

"Oh, nothing much," he shrugged, even as his green skin began to pale, dark hair rising out of his head like a flame. "Your soul entered the Underworld like everyone else's."

"Entered? Whoa, what?" The youth couldn't wrap his head around it. His soul had been here? How? When? Why?

Well, maybe not why. The only way he could have gotten here was if he—

"You died," Monkey Head Vegeta interrupted his thoughts, his stern facial features replacing King Piccolo's.

"Gohan!" Videl hovered over him. Her hand gripped his tightly, so much so they were practically white. "Hold on, okay? Just hold on. I can heal you. Just—"

Gohan coughed, blood coming out of his mouth. A large trickle trailed form the corner of his mouth and down the side of his face. Pain seared through his stomach, the result of a sword runned through him.

He couldn't talk. He wanted to so badly. Videl was frantic, her eyes searching all over his body to figure out where she should start when it was clear it was unnecessary. It was far too late. Though she knew some basic healing spells, none of those were powerful enough to reverse what was clearly happening.

So he stared at her as long as he could hold out, right until she finally locked her blue eyes onto his. "No," she whispered hoarsely. "No! Don't you give up on me! Gohan! Gohan!"

It was strange. He hadn't known these things had happened. Couldn't have known they happened. Yet, it seemed…right that he did.

"I don't…remember…" he said softly.

"Of course you wouldn't," Lord Vegeta responded. "Death isn't an easy thing."

Gohan didn't hear him. Well, he did, but the man's words didn't really register. Pieces were connecting in his mind that hadn't before. "Do you know anything about this?" he asked then, finally focusing on the Underworld's king.

He nodded, even as his body seemed to become slimmer, his face softer and more feminine. "I know many things."

"Then tell me everything."

"You have to go," Videl said, her eyes wide in fear.

"Videl, you know I didn't do this," Gohan replied desperately.

"Of course I know, you idiot. But everyone else doesn't. You know as well as anyone just how strained relations are between the Monkey and Demon Kingdoms. And considering what happened at the Head House, things are going to get even more out of hand than last time. Not everyone here agreed with your decision, you know, and they'd be willing to believe anything bad about you without a shred of proof."

That much was true. Gohan sighed. "So you're going to stay?" he asked her.

"I have to. I'll buy as much time as I can for you to get back to the Monkey Kingdom." The dark-haired couple looked into each others before they closed the distance between each other and kissed.

"Now go," she told him.

"There's really not much to say," the familiar, friendly voice of Launch told him. Curly blue hair replaced the sharper, dark strands of the Monkey Head until the woman had completely replaced him in the throne. "Do you have any idea how many souls come here? Countless. To know everything about one of them is neigh impossible."

He was hiding something. Gohan could practically smell it. "I get the feeling you would though. As you said, countless souls come here. I'd imagine all souls come here."

Launch nodded in agreement. "You would be correct."

"But I returned to the…uh…upper world? Normal world? I'm not sure what you call it, but I returned there. If I had died, there's no way I could have."

He received a grin for that. "You are sharp," the blue-haired woman said proudly.

"How did that happen?"

"The girl."

The world was strange. There was no way around it. What was up was down and what was down was not necessarily up. Black and white may as well have been blue and green, yet they weren't. Flowers could talk, but they weren't all that interesting.

A white rabbit was, though.

In front of him, a rabbit was hopping along. It round, fluffy tail wiggled behind it as it kept ahead of him. Every so often it would turn its head to look at him, a pair of long ears flopping about as it did so.

Faintly, the rabbit's face seemed to change for some reason. Instead of the fluffy, cute features, he could almost make out a different face. A girl's face. One with blue eyes.

Then it would turn and hop further away from him. He didn't give up chasing it. He felt compelled to follow it. Not even the teasing of the hair-brained cat could distract him. Into a temple and down some stairs he followed until he reached a dock. He came up short of its edge as something about the waters seemed to warn him.

The rabbit was looking at him, sitting on its haunches. For a moment—only one—the image of a girl in pure white stood in its place. Her dark hair was tied into pig tails that emerged high on her head, almost as if they were rabbit ears.

"Stay with me…" her voice whispered softly, comfortingly. He had to wonder if he had actually heard it, but something in him told him he had. For some reason he didn't want to leave her.

And then the rabbit returned just as a rickety boat and a ferryman in a black robe approached the dock.

"She came for your soul," Launch told him softly, pulling Gohan out of his reverie. "She begged, pleaded, and wept for me to return you. So we made a deal."

"A deal?"

Launch's hair began to recede back into her hair until she was completely bald. Her womanly features became bulkier, masculine, even as a third eye appeared on her formerly smooth forehead. "If she could find your soul and bring it here, I would let you return to the Mortal World," Tien replied calmly. "As you can tell, she was successful."

The young man had to admit that was correct. Yet, something lingered in the back of his mind. "If you did restore me though, why couldn't I remember?" he questioned. "I traveled around for who knows how long without any memory of who I was, or who other people were."

"That was part and parcel of the deal," the bald man answered. "You see, the world does not run in absolutes. No one receives one hundred percent of what they desire. A farmer grows food year-round, but how much of it is he able to successfully harvest? A merchant buys a shipment of goods, but doesn't always recoup their investment. A king commands his subjects to war, but not everyone answers his call."

Which meant that even if Videl had managed to retrieve his spirit, there was no way she could bring all of him with her. "Your woman had two tasks ahead of her," Tien continued. "The first part she accomplished, as we have determined. The second part was to take you back to the entrance she had used to enter the Underworld. As you're well aware, that path is not the safest."

"So she had to pay for a safe passage," Gohan surmised. How else would the two of them get out of here in one piece after all? That made sense to him.

"Close, but not quite. You see, she had weathered the dangers in this world without weapon or defense to bring you to this island. You, on the other hand, had given up nothing. That price was your memory."

"Are you okay?" The voice was gentle, hesitant even. Coughing, the young man could not stop, even as his chest began to hurt.

Then he looked to the source of the voice and his next cough was caught in his throat. A veritable angel looked down on him in worry. One of her hands reached out to carress his cheek, offering a warmth that was thawed the coldness of his skin.

"Lay down," she said soothingly and he did as he was told. The dirt he laid on was solid, though there were some bumps from what felt like roots. He was faintly aware of a cave, but for some reason he couldn't focus on it.

In the meantime, the girl stayed at his side. Her legs coiled underneath her as she looked down on him. Curiously, tears began to well up around her eyes, falling onto him as they dropped. "It's all okay. Everything is okay now."

And he believed her.

"You're sure that was all that had to be paid?" Gohan continued to press. If it was truth that his memory was all that needed to be taken, then there was no reason why Videl couldn't have just told him everything from the start. Instead she had kept this entire adventure quiet.

Tien chuckled, even as he began to shrink in stature, black hair emerging out of his head even as his nose vanished. "If you must know, no," Lord Krillen responded. "The girl had to swear that she could not tell you any of this. If she had, your soul would immediately return to the Underworld where it belonged. As you can imagine, that was a mighty powerful incentive."

"So why are you telling me all of this?" he asked then. "If she couldn't tell me, why can you?"

"Because I'm not bound to that oath. Even though I took your memory, your woman is a crafty one. She made sure that if you discovered anything about this on your own that it would not violate our agreement. She argued for that with all the tenacity of an elder statesman. I was impressed as you can tell."

And as it turned out, Gohan had learned these things, albeit most of it through yet another near-death experience. However, there was still something else. "Do you know why I was killed?"

The man had come out of nowhere, yet stood there as if he had always been there, much like the trees around them. The youth wasn't sure when the man moved, but in an instant he was on him. Still, Gohan had been able to draw his sword. Awkwardly he swung it to a side, just in time to block the sword stroke that had been slicing towards him.

The clang of steel echoed throughout the trees. A man with black hair pulled into a ponytail immediately pulled his sword back, only to maneuver into a stance with the weapon's tip pointed right at him. Lunging forward, he thrust his sword at the young man.

Gohan ducked to a side even as he brought his own sword up, blocking a potential side sweep. Unfortunately, the forest floor was uneven and he stumbled.

This man, this assassin pressed on his advantage. Flicking his wrist from one side to the other and back, he beat Gohan's sword, pushing it around as if it were a leaf in the wind. Gohan tried to regain his footing, but couldn't quite do it as he also scrambled backwards. Gritting his teeth, forced his sword in front of him, holding it tightly.

Then he went on the offensive, pushing forward as he lifted his sword above his head before swinging it down. The assassin blocked the strike and parried, going low.

And then he felt it. The assassin's sword slid right through his stomach and out his back. Gohan's breath caught in his throat.

"Too easy," the man said with dissatisfaction. "I expected more from a Monkey Prince." He then released his sword, which allowed Gohan to fall to his knees. The world seemed to slow down as the assassin turned his back on him, a braid of his black hair swaying behind him.

He then fell onto his side, unconsciously rolling onto his back as the sword stuck out of him. So this was it; this was how he would die. He could feel something wet gathering at the corner of his mouth, something that tasted of copper.

"That I don't know," Lord Krillen admitted. "Nor do I care. The matters of the Mortal World mean little to me."

For some reason Gohan's stomach hurt; it was as if he had been stabbed there. The young man even glanced down to make sure that wasn't the case and found no sign of bleeding, or that he even been sliced open. It was a strange thought to have at that moment.

However, the Underworld's Ruler's words began to haunt his mind. "You said that if I was to find out about all of this, I'd be brought back here," he slowly began. "Does this mean I'm stuck here?"

"If only," Lord Krillen chuckled. He then began to grow, his black hair seeming to grow longer even as the strands moved into a bun. The taller form once again became more feminine, the face the proper, stern, and demanding face of his mother. "The agreement was that she couldn't tell you, not that you couldn't do anything to find out. Seeing as I'm not restricted by the terms, I can tell you all I want."

"So why are you doing so? Won't you…lose the agreement?"

"I rarely lose. All souls come to this place eventually, it's just a matter of when, not if. So what if I can't reclaim your soul now? By telling you these things, perhaps I've hasten your death. You seem the type to throw yourself into danger so it's very likely. Or maybe you'll retreat to a place of solitude and prolong your life longer than I thought possible. We will meet again, I assure you of this."

Well, that was certainly one way to look at it. Gohan felt that there was little more he could learn in this place. However, this did lead him back to his original purpose for coming here. "Umm, before I go, I understand the waters of the River Styx can grant invulnerability. Is that true?"

Lady Chichi stared at him for a long time. "What fool told you that?"

"Well, there are all these stories about people bathing in its waters and being able to do incredible things."

"Have you met any of these people?"

"Umm, no?"

The Underworld's ruler sighed. "Then let me tell you a secret: there's a reason those are only stories. Anyone that steps foot in the waters of the River Styx is trapped for all eternity. They will waste away, becoming a ghost that haunts the river. Sounds fun, right?"

Gohan gulped. So, apparently there were quite a few misconceptions about this place. Considering this was the place where dead people went, perhaps it should have been obvious that a river that ran through it would cause something quite horrible. "I see," he stammered after awhile. "So, mind telling me how I can find my way out of here?" he asked hopefully. Maybe he'd have better luck if he tried to leave the Underworld rather than become a tenant.

Lady Chichi smiled then, but it was not the small one she or the other forms had been using. Instead, the smile was wide and eerily similar to the Cheshire Cat's. "Oh, I may know of a way, but why tell you that? There's still so much fun we can have."

Uh oh…

Standing up, the dress of Lady Chichi appeared much different than her usual wardrobe. Reds and blacks mingled together, looking much like a checker board. A ring of hearts formed the bottom of the skirt as it covered her from waist to feet. Then out of nowhere, a long, cruel-looking axe appeared in her hand. "This is my favorite game," she said eagerly, even as she held the axe above her head with both hands.

"Off with his head!"

Dende sat on ground, his eyes staring at the cave opening.

It had been a long time since Gohan had entered the cave. The sun had moved quite some distance through the sky, causing the shadows to swing in different directions. The witch Baba hovered over the dirt on her large crystal ball. She seemed indifferent to everything around her.

"He's been in there a long time," she suddenly spoke, her ancient eyes flickering over to the young demon.

"He has," Dende agreed evenly. "What do you suppose is going on in there?"

"Who knows? That cave only shows what lays in a man's mind. Their thoughts and feelings shape the world within and are reflected back at them."

"I thought you said this was the portal to the Underworld?" Dende protested.

"What else would you expect that world to be like?" she countered.

The witch had a point there. Since Dende had never been in that place, he didn't know what lay there. As he understood it, Gohan had been there before so he wondered just what it looked to him. Was it a paradise? A tower of torment?

A bizarre world of illogical creatures leading him in every direction yet no direction with no discernible logic?

Dende paused at that.

Nawww, it couldn't be that.

Suddenly, his ears picked up on a sound. His head perking up, the little green demon listened carefully until a small smile appeared on his face. Those were footsteps he was hearing and they were growing louder with every step that was taken. Praise be to Kami.

And then Gohan appeared. His appearance…was not how he looked prior. If Dende wasn't mistaken, his clothes seemed singed and ripped. The Monkey Prince's face was marred by burns and shallow cuts, his hair more wild than ever. He even seemed out of sorts, as if he had seen things he rather not have seen.

Dende stood up. "Welcome back, your Highness," he greeted him.

Gohan's head jerked towards him. "You're really Dende, right?" he asked, his voice desperate.

"Yes, yes I am."

Suddenly, Gohan was right in front of him, his hands patting down the bewildered demon. "You are real," he said breathlessly before he cried out in happiness. At least he tried to; his voice came out wheezy and weak.

"I see you've had a fun time," Baba remarked as she floated towards the two young men. "Did you find what you seek?"

Suddenly, Gohan's eyes sharpened. "I'm being framed."

"Really? For what?"

Gohan then looked to Dende. "Someone has gone out of their way to make it look like I killed the late-Demon Head Hercule. They sent an assassin after me and killed me to make sure I couldn't prove it false."

"Oh, is that all?" Baba looked wistfully at that. "I was framed for the exact same thing once."

That earned her the attention of the youths. "What did they frame you for?" the Monkey Prince inquired.

"That I turned some sniveling lord into a frog. It wasn't a frog, it was a newt."

"Oh. I guess we all have our problems."

"Preaching to the choir, sonny boy."

However, a sly smirk appeared on the witch's face, a shadow growing over his face due to the brim of her hat. Dende didn't like that look one bit. "What makes you think you were framed? Are you sure you aren't seeing what you want to see?"

Gohan held himself confidently, ignoring her definition of wrongly accused. "I am. I had a bunch of memories shown to me, but the only way they make sense is if I was framed. I know I didn't kill the Demon Head; I rarely left Videl's side in Dabara, so she knows it too. Then there was the assassin that hunted me down. He was waiting for me in those woods, as if he knew I'd be coming through. No way does that happen unless he was in on it."

"So now what do we do?" Dende asked, trying to ward off anymore doubts the witch could muster. "You've become invulnerable like you planned, yes?"

An uneasy smile appeared on the young man's face. "Not quite. Turns out those stories were just that—not to mention flat out dangerous. For now we need to get proof of this frame job and there's only one person that has the answers we need."

"And who is that?"

"Tao Pai Pai."

Dende stared at him. "Umm, did he not kill you before? What makes you think you can apprehend him and learn what he knows?" His words were not meant to be taken negatively. They were said in a matter to convey curiosity. He wanted to know how this young man planned to make a hardened killer admit to a conspiracy.

"We're going to need help," Gohan replied.

"A lot of help," Baba muttered under her breath. "Preferably at an asylum."

Gohan ignored the remark. "We need to get word out to people aligned with our cause."

"There's not that many people out there," Dende responded. "Most of the Demon Kingdom wants you hanged, aside from my tribe. The same could be said about the Ribbon Kingdom."

But then Dende realized there was a place that was wholly invested in keeping the young prince alive. If they knew of his predicament, they'd send whole armies to protect and assist him.

"I believe I can trust you with this part of our quest," Gohan said, clasping a hand onto Dende's shoulder. "In the meantime, I need to find Tao Pai Pai. We don't have much time to do this, I'm afraid."

"He's not going to appear because you want him to," Baba pointed out.

"Don't worry, I have a plan for that."

"And what is that plan?"

"We have to draw him out with live bait."

The Alice in Wonderland concept for the Underworld is actually inspired by megaminoeien's DQZ Down the Hole Sketch. I had liked the idea of going into Wonderland in DQZ, but it didn't fit with that story, not to mention at best it may have been a dream sequence that didn't really contribute to the story's overall plot. So when Ms Videl Son and I were brainstorming for this story, I was adamant that we use Wonderland. That's when MVS came up with the idea of making it the Underworld and this is where the rest of the story grew out of. While we had other ideas with this concept, they all didn't come to fruition, but of the ones that did, I rather like how they came out. I do wish we had gotten some more of our other ideas, but Life has a way of throwing a monkey wrench into things.

To Zerolink100: I hope the interaction was what you hoped it would be. It was quite interesting to write.

RyRy tested; MaMa approved