A/N: I hate school. I really do. . Anyway, here's another chapter for you! Despite the fact that I didn't get any reviews in the previous chapter. ^^;

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

Chapter Three: Hidden Agendas

"Commander, what happened?"

Matilda took off her helmet as she sat down on the co-pilot's chair, still pale and full of fear --- and that fear was evident in her blue eyes that were no longer ice-cold, not like how they used to be. "She was there," she said in a trembling voice that sounded as if she wanted to break down. "She was there, Sonia. Standing right in front of me. She was... so close..."

Her second-in-command came up behind her and squeezed her shoulders reassuringly. "Calm down, everything's alright. I mean, no harm was done, right? So just calm down and compose yourself."

"We have to leave."

The two other members of Fraulein --- Rui and Francine --- just looked at each other in silence, then turned to look back at their commander and Sonia, who was a bit exasperated with the way the other woman was acting. "Matilda, be reasonable. We can't leave. We can't because our mission isn't over."

Matilda buried her face in her hands as she snapped, "I don't care! We can't stay!"

"Then why did you accept the mission in the first place?!" Sonia snapped back in a frustrated, and at the same time, threatening tone which made Rui and Francine freeze in shock and fear. Only Sonia had the guts to speak that way to Matilda. Only the former Admiral Ivanov of Sabrea who chose self-exile after her empress was dismissed from the throne had the guts to use that kind of tone on their Commander.

"I never knew she had connections to those saiyajins! I didn't know she knew our target. It was such a bizarre thought, to think that she knew them. But no, I was wrong."

Sonia knelt by Matilda's side and wiped away her tears. "There's no need to be upset. What's done is done. We'll flee to the farthest star system, away from here and from our client, and everything will be alright." As Matilda nodded, Sonia took her place on the pilot's chair and said, "Francine, Rui, to your stations. We are leaving for," she paused to look at the small-scale navigational map. "... Chifuku."

"Chifuku? The hidden base of the intergalactic rebel alliance? Do you think they'll let us in?" Francine inquired. "With our reputation and the firearms we're carrying---"

"They have been wanting my alliance for years. They've been waiting for Sonia Ivanov to join their alliance, thanks to my reputation during the pre-Callistian Era. And now, the time has come to put that advantage to use. It's showtime."

Rui raised an eyebrow at Sonia questioningly. "Why don't we kill our client? Why waste time hiding? I mean, it's not like we can't beat him, right? We're four of the best assassins in the whole universe --- don't tell me we can't make that client of ours fall?"

"We're not hiding because we failed. We shall get those saiyajins when our commander is prepared for a second strike," Sonia said with a finality in her voice. "To your posts, ladies. We shall enter hyperspace in three minutes."

:: ONE WEEK LATER ::

Goten Son was squirming at the back of the helicopter. He was told by his mother and brother that today his father would return to be with them for a day. Chichi had always reminded him that he looked so much like his father --- hair, eyes, face and all. Except for age, height, body size and super saiyajin level, Goten was just like Goku himself.

His best friend, Trunks, sat down beside him though his anxiety was brought about by a different kind of excitement. He was finally going to compete in a tournament to test his skills, though his father, Vegeta, told him not to have too high expectations on the competitors. Goten might be his only match.

But Trunks didn't think of it that way. Goten was far younger, far weaker than he was. And he was sure to bring home the title as World Champion for the Junior Division. After all, he was sure he was stronger than Goten, and if Goten showed threatening signs there's always toys and candies he could offer in exchange for a victory. Not that Trunks thought Goten was that low a warrior, but that was just a mere safety precaution in case his strength fails him.

The two kids watched in awe as they stepped out of the copter and saw seas of people all over the place. They have never seen so many people in their lives, not even Trunks, the richest kid in the world.

As they walked towards the registration table, Goten looked around uneasily. Where could daddy be? I want to see him already...

"Name please?"

Goten looked up at the registrar. "Goten Son."

The registrar took it down, called "Next!" and a heavily-built kid shoved Goten aside. Goten did not attempt to strike back --- not even when Trunks told him to, but he just went away instead. Trunks tried to follow his best friend but was instantly blocked by a couple of tough-looking kids, who were three to four years older than him.
"What do you want?"

One of them ruffled his hair and grinned. "You're joining the Budokai, little one? What a pity. Your nice lavender hair will lose its gleam once your match is over."

Trunks just stood there, arms crossed over his chest, and then raised an eyebrow. "Really? I wouldn't bet on that if I were you. I could send you to the moon and back if I wished."

"Why you---"

The rest of the kids rolled up their sleeves, ready to defend their egos from Trunks' insults, courtesy of his ever-sharp tongue. "Boy, you have no right to insult us. Let's teach this kid a little lesson," one of them, the biggest, meanest-looking one, said, and took Trunks by his shirt.

Trunks merely smiled, and his fist went flying towards the boy's face, sending him meters away from Trunks. "Oops. I think that was too hard. I'm sorry," he said, turning to the others with a smirk.

They all scurried away in fear, in no time.

"Geez. What cowards. Now, where'd Goten go?"

A pair of bright blue eyes darted around the area as Videl and Gohan walked around the venue for the Tenkaichi Budokai, in search for something. She didn't know what that something was, but Gohan said it was a surprise for her and she wondered if it was a good or bad surprise.

However, she could not help but feel very uneasy. After what happened the past week, how could she put her guard down? Gohan was nearly killed by this alien assassin. Gohan, who she found out to be the Golden Haired Warrior who beat Cell, who she found out to be one of the strongest people on Earth, was heavily injured and nearly exterminated.

By a woman who, Gohan admitted, to be a whole lot powerful than Cell.

She was told not to worry for he'll start rigorous training once again to keep up with the years he lost in not training, but she could not help but worry. If she did not arrive, Gohan would merely be a memory in her head.

But what confused her was what she had done. She did nothing, but the assassin ran off like some scared kid. She only looked into the enemy's eyes... and the once cold eyes she looked into were suddenly occupied with intense fear. She trembled... yes, the enemy trembled in fright! But there was nothing else Videl did. Just that one moment when their eyes met, and then, it was over. The enemy was gone.

Panic filled her thenafter. Gohan was bleeding and was in a severe condition. She was about to take him to the hospital when he told her to fly to a certain direction until she reaches this tower, and ask senzu beans from the person in the tower named Korin.

And to her shock, Korin was not human, he was a talking cat who walked on two legs.

She brought the beans back to Gohan, and after eating one, he was restored to full health. Was this one of the tricks his father meant when he narrated about the idiots that attempted to fight Cell? But Gohan told her it was no trick. And when Gohan realized how he looked, he immediately powered down and his hair and eyes returned to their usual color.

But it was too late. Videl knew his deepest secret, and he had to explain everything in detail. And so he did.

Saiyajin. Gohan was half-saiyajin. And because of having such powerful blood, Gohan was an extremely powerful warrior. After all, the Saiyajins were a feared, if not, a dreaded, race.

She glanced at Gohan. Happy, goofy Son Gohan who was actually a toughie deep down inside. Gohan, who she knew as fun-loving and plain cheerful, had actually some sort of intense rage deep inside, and that rage gave him the power to defeat Cell.

Gohan expected her to fear him, but she didn't. Instead, she felt closer to him than ever. Knowing his secrets was like becoming a part of his life. But was she? She considered Gohan special, but did he feel the same way for her? And the surprise, what was it? Would she finally be his?

Videl shook her head. This wasn't the time to think about her feelings. It wasn't the right time. Or maybe she just didn't want to think that Gohan did not feel anything for her. After all, he was flirting with that Kauri just before the assassin attacked.

Are you jealous, Videl?

"Shut up," she snapped to the voice inside of her, forgetting that Gohan was just walking right beside her. When the saiyajin inquired what was her outburst all about, she merely smiled. "It's nothing, Gohan. I'm sorry. I was just thinking of something. So... where's your surprise?"

"In a while, Videl. In a while," Gohan replied, when he stopped. He blinked for a couple of moments, as if trying to analyze something, and then, he turned to the confused Videl and smiled widely. "He's here! Let's go meet him!" he exclaimed as he took Videl by the hand and they ran.

"Is that him, Goten?" eight-year-old Trunks asked his best friend who was hiding behind Chichi's skirt and staring at the tall, muscular man who stood in front of them. The man had spiky black hair and equally dark eyes, and he was wearing an all-too-familiar fighting gi that made Trunks gaze from Goten to the mysterious man, and back to Goten. "Yup, that must be him. He looks just like you."

With that confirmation, Goten hid behind his mother's skirt even more, terrified and embarrassed at the same time. On the other hand, Goku was too occupied with all the welcome backs from all his friends and comrades --- even a word or two from Vegeta himself --- to notice his youngest son.

Then the time came for Chichi to introduce Goten to his father. However, before they could do so, they heard a loud yell and all eyes turned towards Gohan, who was running towards his father who had been gone for seven long years. "DADDY!" Gohan exclaimed as he let go of Videl's hand and rushed towards his father to encase him in a hug. "I missed you so much! It's been so long!"

"Gohan, my son!" Goku blurted out as soon as they hugged. When they pulled away, he ruffled his son's hair and said, "My, you've grown up a lot!"

"I know. After all, dad, it's been seven years," the younger Son replied with a smile, and then he brightened up even more as he turned towards Videl who was staring at Goku at the distance. "Umm... Videl... this is my dad, Goku. Dad, this is my classmate, Videl."

Videl had a very confused look on her face as she continued to stare at Goku. She was interrupted, however, when Gohan waved his hand in front of her face and once again introduced her to Goku. Once he finished, however, she said, "Y-You said your father was... dead?"

A sheepish smile crossed Gohan's lips, and then he said, "Y-yeah, that's right. That's why he has that ring over his head, see?" He pointed towards the halo that floated on top of Goku's head. "It's a halo."

"What is the deal with you people?"

"Don't worry, Videl, you'll get used to it in time," Krillin pitched in with a sly grin. "Although Gohan must give you lessons on what to look out for first, lessons which you'll have to take when you're going to part of the family soon."

Both teenagers flushed noticeably at Krillin's statement, and when Gohan noticed that his little brother was still hiding behind Chichi, he knew that he would be the perfect distraction at the moment. "Hey dad," he called out as he turned away from the others who were now looking at him and Videl teasingly. "Have you met Goten?"

"Goten?" Goku asked, apparently confused. "Is he your new pet dinosaur, Gohan?"

Before Gohan could reply, however, a piece of metal banged powerfully against Goku's head, and he was rubbing the painful lump that was sitting on his head in no time. On the other hand, Chichi had a murderous look on her face as she snapped, "Goten's your son, dummy!"

Goku's eyes darted towards the little figure that crouched behind Chichi, who was trying his best to hide from the mysterious man who was actually his father. However, when he heard his name, he peeped from behind Chichi's skirt, only to see the man staring straight at him. Once again filled with embarrassment, Goten resumed hiding behind his mother, but then he was overcome by curiousity.

He moved a bit to peep at Goku once again, who, this time, had his arms wide open. Their eyes met, and those were all Goten needed to prove that the man was indeed his father. With a wide smile, he yelled, "DAAAAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDYYYYYYYY!!" and ran towards his father's arms, arms that offered much love, protection and care.

"Goten, my son..."

"I missed you so much, daddy," Goten chirped as Goku positioned Goten on his shoulders. "And I love you so much!"

"So do I, Goten. So do I. I'm sorry if I haven't been around for you, but I want to let you know that I love you very much and I just want the best for you."

Chichi looked at Goku, then at Goten, then to Gohan, and then, to Videl. Afterwards, she turned to her father and a sly smile crept up to her features. Gyuu Mao was very confused at the way his daughter was acting, so he asked her what she was up to. Proudly, Chichi replied, "The family's complete, with Gohan's future wife to boot!" She paused to look at Videl and Gohan, and one thought that made her even happier popped into her head.

Grandchildren!

"Now this is strange," a man in a business-like overcoat blurted out softly as he stood alongside a young woman, his blue-black eyes darting around uneasily. "Kaioshin and Kibito are nowhere to be found, so are Yamu and Spopovitch. Could it be that... Babidi isn't here?"

The young woman looked at him and shrugged. "I don't know, but how could it possibly happen? He is supposed to be here, right? Unless our arrival triggered something, and now Majin Buu will never be released, which is a good thing."

"The question is... how? How could our arrival change the fact that Babidi is supposed to be here? We didn't encounter him in space or anything, and we didn't get to kill him either..."

"Maybe Fraulein did," Kauri pitched in helpfully. "I mean, I never knew that she became an assassin, all I know is that she was exiled by Callista. Nothing more, nothing less. And since she founded a terror assassin group, she might have met up with Babidi in space and exterminated him before he even got here. I mean, things changed..."

Lucius Levenheit folded his arms in front of his chest and nodded. "Perhaps. Let's just hope that---" he abruptly stopped as he and his daughter both spun around towards the long line of competitors trying their luck in the punch machine. "Did you feel that?" he asked keeping his guard up.

"If you mean the split-second flicker of dark energy, then yes," Kauri replied as she looked around uneasily, examining every suspicious face and figure. "It's too familiar, and that's the scary part."

"Then we have no choice," he muttered with finality in his voice as he took off his formal overcoat to reveal the fighting gi he was wearing beneath. "If to check it out we'll have to join the tournament, then let's do it."

Quickly, as if in total excitement, Kauri removed her overcoat as well, and with a smirk, she told her father, "You just don't know how excited I am to participate in this tournament, dad! I sure am glad you changed your mind." She then followed her father's lead as they walked towards the long line of competitors, and when she spotted Videl waiting for her turn patiently, she smirked. "See you in the arena, Videl."

The Z-Team, on their way to watch the Junior Division matches, stopped to look at the results of the elimination round for the Senior Division that had just been posted on a bulletin board outside the arena. The rest of the competitors came to look at the results as well, but most of them were disappointed because only 16 made it --- and most of them were from the Z-Team.

"Dad, did you do something to tweak up the results?" Kauri asked as she looked at the results with her father from a distance, with a contented smile on her face, looking rather pleased. "You picked the right people for us to fight against!"

Lucius chuckled to himself, then said, "I wish I did, but I believe you are the psychic power person, not me." He then paused to look at Videl, then he turned back to his daughter. "However, are you sure you picked the right opponent? In my opinion, Juuhachigou would be a more worthy opponent for you --- among the women, that is."

"Come on, dad, I know what I'm doing," Kauri replied with a smug grin on her face, folding her arms at the same time. "I told her that I'm going to see her in the arena, and so I will. Besides, there are some things we need to settle, and those matters could possibly be settled during battle. In short, I'm going to have one very interesting match."

"And so will I," her father muttered in agreement, as a sly smile crept up to his lips when he saw who he was up against at the result board, which read:

25TH TENKAICHI BUDOKAI
Senior Division - Quarter Finals

Match 1: Videl Satan VS Kauri Levenheit
Match 2: Schulen Zander VS Zurko Kirkis
Match 3: Goku Son VS Gohan Son
Match 4: Mighty Mask VS Hercule Satan
Match 5: Krillin VS Piccolo
Match 6: Jubun Yuuki VS Riou Nakatsugawa
Match 7: Vegeta VS Lucius Levenheit
Match 8: Juuhachigou VS Akuma Birodo

When Lucius saw the competitors for the eighth match, however, his smile immediately flipped upside-down into a frown, and his eyes narrowed significantly as he whispered, "We better watch out for Akuma Birodo, though... I have a bad feeling about him..."