A/N: Okay, Gohan's battle in this chapter isn't as long as I wanted it to be, but I hope you enjoy it, nonetheless. And before I forget, I would like to ask your opinion... would you like me to go detailed on the World Tournament or not? Because I have plans on the matches, to make things more interesting... Anyway, read on, and please leave a review!

DRAGONBALL Z: RENASCIMENTO
Rebirth of the Future's Only Hope
by Kaz Valkyrie

Chapter Two: Ice-Blue Eyes


"I've been waiting for you, Son Gohan."

Those were her words as the 18-year-old demi-saiyajin landed on the ground before her; his dark, ebony eyes stared murderously at her. However, she did not flinch, no matter how hard Gohan glared at her. They regarded each other with just their eyes for a few moments, until Gohan broke the silence and took up a fighting stance.

She merely raised an eyebrow, her arms still crossed over her chest. She was tall, and slightly muscular in build, just like female warriors Gohan encountered before. However, her aura radiated in a manner different from humans or saiyajins. She had long, golden brown hair and striking ice-blue eyes that seemed to pierce through Gohan's soul.

Never had anyone looked at him like that, except his own mother... and Videl. And this woman, was the third one to do so. Gohan felt himself slowly panic as the warning bell at the back of his head rang fiercely, but he pushed that fear aside as he pulled himself together to talk to her. After all, maybe they could solve things the diplomatic way. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"Your life," she answered in a cold voice, as cold as the way her eyes looked. "And the life of all the other saiyajins in this planet. We've received orders to eliminate all of the saiyajins, and that time has come. At first we didn't want to take the mission since one pureblood and three hybrids are too simple a task, but we were offered a good price in exchange for our service. How could we refuse?"

We..? Gohan thought as he began to pale. There's more of them?!

As she saw the confused looked on Gohan's face, she smiled. "I am Matilda Adanaeur, commander of the assassin group Fraulein," she introduced herself cooly. She then took a black contraption from the belt of her suit. It was small, small enough for her to hold it properly; it was rectangular and it had a button. "So, are you just going to stand there, or are you going to fight for your life?"

"WOMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN! GET THE DAMN DOOR!"

Bulma Briefs-Vegeta heaved a sigh as she walked out of her lab and towards the front door of Capsule Corporation. Their guest, unfortunately, was very impatient, for she had been ringing the doorbell continuously already, while there was no one around to get the door. Mr. and Mrs. Briefs were out shopping, while Trunks and Vegeta --- together with Trunks' best friend, Goten --- were all in the gravity room, sparring.

"Yes?!" Bulma asked in a slightly annoyed tone as she opened the door, but she backed off as she saw their guest. She was of average height, with bluish-white hair and seemingly frozen silver eyes. She wore some kind of armor that Bulma hasn't seen before, and she certainly did not look friendly.

"Vegeta, Saiyajin no Ouji. Is he around? I wish to speak with him about important matters," the stranger said coldly in an accent that Bulma hasn't heard of in her entire life.

The prince's wife took her time to peek inside, and then she turned back to the guest with a stern look on her face. "I'm sorry, but he's busy right now. He's training our son and our son's best friend, and he certainly doesn't want interruptions. You can either wait for him, or just tell me your message."

"I'm telling you, woman, this matter is important, and must be discussed between me and him alone. And I would like to clear out this matter, woman, that I don't have time to wait for him, he must attend to me right now," she demanded in the same cold tone.

How impolite and demanding. She should learn some manners, as well as the value of patience! And she called me woman! Only Vegeta can call me that, only him, and nobody else, she thought to herself as her eyes narrowed significantly. "Really? How important is that matter --- and how confidential is it --- that the Prince's own wife may not know about it?"

Their eyes met as they glared at each other, in a battle that did not involve ki, or even words. However, it didn't take long for one to overpower the other. As the stranger's lips formed a sly smile, Bulma screamed.

It was a sword, although how it worked and came to be was simply complicated. All it took was a tap on the button, located on the upper part of the black contraption, and a red blade came soaring out of the edge. It wasn't an ordinary blade though, for it had a ki-signature.

"Marvelous, isn't it?" Matilda asked as she lifted her sword and put it in front of her. "This is what you call a ki-saber, a sword with a blade that you can ignite and disable whenever you feel like doing so. The blade is ki itself, which is channeled through the handle to form a razor-sharp blade."

His eyes narrowed significantly as Matilda shifted her weight to her other foot, for she looked as if she was preparing to strike then and there. However, the blow Gohan expected did not come. His opponent was looking at him intently, and then, with a snap-hiss, she shut off her saber. "I heard you're a pretty good warrior, so I'm going to give you a chance. I'm going to fight fairly. No ki-sabers, no telekinesis. Just martial arts and ki blasts."

"T-telekinesis?!" Gohan stuttered in disbelief. She's not only capable of martial arts and using ki, she doesn't only have an extraordinary weapon, she's also skilled in psychic techniques! This isn't good at all...

"Shocked, saiyajin? That's not all I can do. I can also pilot a starfighter, fix up machines, heal myself in case of injuries, and I can very much use elemental magic," she said, and when she felt Gohan's aura flicker in fear and uncertainty, she smirked. "Don't be too shocked, that's not really much. I cannot turn super saiyajin, you know."

She paused to look at a contraption on her wrist, which Gohan presumed to be a watch, and then, she turned back to him. "Well, I guess that's enough talk. I've wasted a lot of time explaning things to you already. Get on with your highest transformation so we can get the ball rolling."

Trunks stopped in the midst of their sparring session with Goten. Goten, on the other hand, had built up too much energy that he was unable to stop his attack. His fist went flying right at Trunks' face and it knocked the older demi-saiyajin to the floor.

However, Trunks didn't seem to mind that attack which caught him off-guard, for his mind was at other matters at that moment. Goten noticed that his sparring partner was distracted, so he stopped and asked, "What's wrong, Trunks?"

"I don't know... I'm not sure who it is... but I feel a power level nearby. A strong one at that. It's not familiar too... and it's... on the same location as your brother," Trunks explained to his best friend.

Goten stopped to examine it too. "You're... right. It is a strong power level. I wonder who could that be... I mean, that couldn't possibly be my dad, right?"

The lavender-haired saiyajin merely shrugged. "I don't know, I haven't met your dad, you know. And if it was your dad, everyone else would be flocking around him right now, with him saving the world before and all," he said, then he turned to Vegeta. "Do you feel that, dad?"

He merely nodded, although the two chibis could tell that he was thinking about checking it out. And they were right. A few seconds later, Vegeta began to walk towards the exit of the gravity room, when a loud sound made him stop in his tracks.

It was Bulma.

All three of them were frozen for a second, but once that second passed, they quickly scrambled out of the gravity room and towards the living room, as their senses told them that Bulma was there. Indeed she was there, although she was lying on the couch, clearly unconscious.

Standing in front of the scientist was a warrior from a race they have never seen before, and the two demi-saiyajins immediately took refuge behind the Saiyajin no Ouji the moment they saw her flashy and cold silver eyes.

Looks like I don't have to go around looking for the rest of the saiyajins! Here they are, huddled like little ducks. Looks like this mission will be easier that we expected.

Vegeta shoved the two scared saiyajins aside, and he walked up towards the guest with a murderous look on his face. He took her by the neck and growled, "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY MATE?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?! TELL ME, NOW!"

"I just told her what I wanted with you, that's all," she answered cooly as if she wasn't hurt with what Vegeta was doing to her. "She refused to let me see you because, according to her, you're busy and you do not like to be interrupted. When I told her the importance of my mission and what I really wanted with you, she just screamed and fainted."

He let go of her and folded his arms in front of his chest. "Well? What do you want? I don't like my time being wasted, woman! So spit it out, or else I'm going to send you to the next dimension! And if this matter you want to talk about will just end up wasting my time, then I will send you to the next dimension! Do you get me?"

"Of course this matter is very important, dear prince," she replied as she continued to look deep into his eyes. "After all, your life is very precious, isn't it?" she said with a smirk, although she could tell that Vegeta's patience was slowly running out. "Well, then, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sonia Ivanov, second-in-command of the assassin group, Fraulein. Our commander is currently dealing with a certain Son Gohan, and she gave me orders to dispose of you quickly. And since the other two saiyajins we're after are here as well, so I better get my work started."

"You will not touch the brats," Vegeta hissed in reply as he put his arm in front of Goten and Trunks protectively. He knew it was a move that clearly reflected how soft he had become, but he told himself that at the moment, it was best to put away his pride and just do the right thing. "If you want to get them, then you will have to defeat me first."

Sonia looked at the kids, then back at Vegeta, and then, she laughed. "How heroic! I thought that you never cared, Vegeta? I thought that you were a weak, soft-hearted warrior, like that Kakkarot so many people speak of."

"SOFT-HEARTED?! WEAK?!" Vegeta roared with a scowl. "I don't think you know who you're crossing, woman! Allow me to tell you, then. I am Vegeta, PRINCE OF THE SAIYAJINS, and I, am the strongest warrior in the universe! You picked on the wrong person, weakling. And I'm going to make you pay the ultimate price for doing so!"

"Prince of the saiyajins, hmph," Sonia snorted as she glared back at Vegeta, and then shifted to a fighting stance. "And I don't think you know who you're threatening, your majesty. I'm going to say this once, and I hope you keep this in mind. No one crosses Fraulein and lives to tell about it."

The look on Gohan's face was undescribable, however, it did not fail to sing out his state in their battle. Despite his determination, he was losing. He stood on one end of the battlefield, breathing hard, gasping for air. His opponent, who was on the other side, merely stood there with a contented smirk on her face.

"I do not understand why I am putting up with you, saiyajin," Matilda spat as she pushed away a stray lock of hair from her face. "To think that there's someone that would be more of a challenge than you. I should have let Sonia take care of you, from the way things are going now, Vegeta's holding off better than you. Where's the power you used to defeat Cell? Your victory spread far and wide, even to the deepest parts of the universe, and so many people were frightened by your power. But now that I'm here, fighting you... I think the rumor had become way exaggerated."

Gohan screamed, then lunged at her, although what drove him to so, he was unsure. He began to throw one attack after the other in desperation, however, Matilda just blocked and dodged every single one of them as if she was sparring with a child.

The strength of his attacks slowly began to increase as he continued to punch and kick like he was mad. With a yell, he threw his fist straight at the assassin's face. However, Matilda merely caught it with one hand, and she hit Gohan in the gut hard with her knee.

Excruciating pain shot through him continuously, for Matilda did not stop after that attack of hers. She threw Gohan high up in the air, and before he could move away, she slammed her hands on his back with such a tremendous force that he shot straight to the ground like some rag doll. Dust and sand began to scatter around them, which was a disadvantage for Gohan, who was sprawling on the ground --- face down --- at the moment.

He got back up to his feet, but the sand stung his eyes badly that he was forced to keep them shut as Matilda lunged for him this time. He tried his best to block every single attack, while clearing his eyes at the same time, but she was too fast and too unpredictable for him.

Gohan tightened his frontal defense as he put his arms in front of his face to shield himself, but as he did so, he felt her aura flicker. He tried to turn around to block the blow that was going to hit him from behind, but he was a second too late. With him caught off-guard, Matilda took the opportunity as she threw punch after punch at the teenage warrior.

And in no time, Gohan was once again down on the ground.

Cerulean eyes filled with fear and worry, Videl rushed to her copter as fast as her legs would allow her. It had only been a few minutes since Gohan left, but she knew --- somehow --- that Gohan was in grave danger. Sometime during her rescue operation, she felt two strong forces at a distance, and the power levels were so strong, they frightened her greatly.

Almost instantly, she felt fear and worry fill her, because she knew that one of those power levels belonged to Gohan --- and the other, to the enemy. And she wanted to help him badly. She wanted to be there to help him out in any way possible.

But... what can I do to help him out...? I'm nothing. True, I am the daughter of Mr. Satan, and I am as strong as he is, but who am I kidding?! I... I'm just a weak little girl, and I barely know how to fly. I am nothing compared to Gohan, to those people know have been using ki for years, to monsters like Cell... and possibly that person Gohan is fighting now, or to those golden-haired warriors. I stand no chance. I'm a warrior yes, but I'm just a girl. What can I do to help out? I'd just get in the way...

She froze. One power level was beginning to drop to a low level, and right then and there, fear jolted through her in an even greater intensity. It wasn't fear for herself, or for the world, but for Gohan. Her Gohan.

She had never cared for someone as much as she did for Gohan. She had never admired anyone as much as she admired Gohan. She had never loved anyone as much as she loved Gohan --- although she refused to admit it, but it was obvious in the way she acted towards him. Actions speak louder than words, and her actions were enough to prove to the world that she loved him dearly.

And because of that, she felt the need to be there. Maybe she would not be able to help him win the battle by fighting by his side, but perhaps, she would be able to help him win by giving him the strength and encouragement to fight to the fullest.

You can't lose, Gohan... You must not lose... Hang on, Gohan... I'm coming for you! I... I don't want to lose you, Gohan. Please... for me... hang on...

"Why are you doing this?!" Gohan asked as he looked at Matilda with a look as if he was ready to give up. "Why do you do such horrible things?! Don't you have a heart?! Or have you just completely lost your mind?!"

She shook her head with a smile, amused at how innocent Gohan was. "I don't think you'll ever understand, young one. But it's our job. We kill, we get paid, and we're happy. That's it. However, it doesn't mean we don't have hearts. Of course we do. There are reasons --- personal reasons --- why we took this job in the first place. But it's a matter that would be too complicated for one as young as you are."

"Try me. I might be able to," he said as he attempted to strike a conversation with the assassin. He knew that there was still goodness in her, just as there was goodness in Android 18, buried somewhere under her cold and uncaring facade. After all, he heard Matilda's tone change somewhere in her explanation, and that was proof that she still had feelings.

However, his efforts were all in vain, as she exclaimed in a harsh tone, "You have no right to pry on my personal affairs, saiyajin! That's it! I'm tired of putting up with your behavior! I'm going to end this---" her voice trailed off as she saw a helicopter fly towards their direction. She then turned to her prey with a smirk. "Oh? You called for reinforcements?"

Damnit... Videl... What do you think you're doing?! You're going to get yourself killed! he thought to himself as Matilda took out her saber and ignited it for the second time that day. This time, however, she brought it out not for a demonstration, but for what it was really for. For killing. Although he could tell that she wasn't aiming to finish him, but his ally who was coming to aid him.

Gohan was desperate. He knew he had to do something, something that would keep Matilda's attention away from Videl. Then one thought came to his mind, and even though he was running low on energy, he decided to do it, nonetheless. He cupped his hands together, and yelled, "KAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!! MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!! MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!"

It worked. The assassin spun around and looked straight at him. "What took you so long to start up that technique?" she teased as she disabled her sword, tucked it back to her armor, and put both of her palms out, facing the saiyajin. She started chanting softly in a foreign language, and balls of fire began to appear around her. "HOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! JUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!! KUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!"

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!"

"RENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!"

Their blasts clashed; it was Gohan's Kamehameha against Matilda's Honoo-Jukuren. At first Gohan seemed to have the upper hand, but in a swift movement, she clasped her hands together, and her beam dissipated to several smaller ones.

That move caused Gohan to put his blast to a stop and fly away from the fragments of the Honoo-Jukuren, but Matilda's speed gave her the upper hand. She flew behind Gohan faster than he could blink, and with her palm pressed firmly against Gohan's back, she yelled, "HIHAKURYOKU!"

Gohan could only scream as the flame began to eat his flesh, and excruciating pain filled his body in a slow yet agonizing pace. It didn't take long for him to fall limply to the ground, worn out, and barely able to hold on.

He looked up, and she was flying above him, another blast charged up in her hands. She then raised her hands high above her head as she bellowed, "The time has come to finish this job! You're times up, saiyajin. Goodbye, Son Gohan. HI-NO-A-RA---"

"GOHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!"

Matilda, a cold-blooded assassin who showed no fear, no weakness, immediately paled as a black-haired human ran towards the nearly unconscious saiyajin. Their eyes met; Matilda's that was as cold as ice, and Videl's that was as bright as the sky, full of love and concern, which was quickly replaced with hatred and thirst for vengeance as she held Gohan's battered body close to her.

No... It... It cannot be... It's her... She... She's the one! she thought wildly as fear overtook her, shortly followed by panic and uncertainty. In fact, the ki that was charged at her hands died down completely.

She did not know what to do. There was nothing else in her mind now, nothing but the thought to leave and escape immediately. Trembling, she took out her transmitter, and in a voice full of fear and panic, she relayed her order.

"Sonia, return to the ship. Abort misson. Abort mission now."

Advertisement: Pay Attention by VegetaGokuLover, story ID = 698092. Chichi and Bulma get ignored by their husbands, but when they go missing, Goku and Vegeta prove that they really care by going out to look for them. But that's just the start of the chaos...

Next chapter: Looks like Videl has some secrets of her own, but what they are, she herself doesn't know. Meanwhile, the World Tournament is closing in, and so is Goku's one-day visit from the Afterlife. Will Goku's return make all hell break lose?