Title: The Invasion Saga
Author: AstroKender
Warnings: Some gore...some angst...some sap.
Spoilers: None.
Notes: Takes place between the Cell and Buu sagas. Gohan centric.
Feedback: Welcome. Please review
Disclaimers: DBZ belongs to Akira Toriyama and Funimation. This fic is for entertainment purposes and is not in any way meant for profit. Don't sue me.
In the last chapter of Dragonball Z, Gohan received a device from Bulma that will help him sleep. Finally the nightmares that have been plaguing him will be banished. But what if it's not just Gohan's subconscious that is causing the young man's unrest? What if it is something infinitely more sinister?
Ch 3: Invasion
Gohan called his brother in and told him that it was time to head home. Goten protested loudly, since he hadn't yet gotten the meal Bulma had promised him, but one glance at the lines of pain that creased his older brother's face silenced his complaints.
The flight home was a strained and silent trip. Goten watched his brother anxiously, it seemed like it was all Gohan could do to stay in the air. Biting his lip, the young boy wished he knew how to fly so he could help his brother. But for now, all he could do is wrap his arms around him in a gentle hug. Gohan looked down at Goten in surprise and then smiled gently, tightening his hold on his little brother. They arrived home to find a worried ChiChi hovering in the doorway.
"Gohan!" The dark haired woman cried in relief. "It's almost dark! What took you so long?"
"I'm sorry, Mother." Gohan landed and stumbled slightly, his brother quickly steadying him. "I'll try not to let it happen again."
"Well I should hope not," ChiChi huffed. Looking closely at her oldest son's face, her brows contracted with worry. "Honey, you look exhausted! Why don't you go to bed early and get some sleep?"
Gohan straightened and stepped away from Goten, but not without ruffling his brother's hair in thanks. Patting his shirt to make sure Bulma's device was still there, he nodded to his mother. "That's exactly what I plan to do."
The half-Saiyan made it to his room only through a supreme effort of will. Collapsing onto his bed without even bothering to remove his shoes, his shaking hands grasped for the Nap 'O' Matic. He stared at the device for a long moment before shaking his head.
"I don't really have a choice. Let's see..." He turned the dial carefully. "I think I'll set it for only about two hours, just to test it out." Taking a deep breath, he lifted the device over his head.
"Here it goes." Gohan placed the machine around his head and darkness overtook him.
***
Gohan stared around numbly. A dark gray landscape surrounded him on all sides, as far as he could see. The sky was a strange shade of orange that gave little illumination to his surroundings. The air smelled horrid, something in between rotting vegetation and burning sulfur. The young man stiffened as he sensed someone appear behind him.
"Hello, Nephew..."
Whirling around, Gohan's eyes widened. "Radditz!"
The longhaired Saiyan sneered. "Ah, I see you remember me." The dark Saiyan gave Gohan a sinister smile. "Then I suppose you'll remember that I owe you a bit of payback from when you attacked me all those years before. You see, if it wasn't for that hit, your father would have never been able to hold me long enough for that Namek to blast us both to the next dimension."
"Piccolo...he killed my dad?" Gohan stared at Radditz in disbelief.
Radditz laughed. "You mean after all this time, he never told you? That's rich. Your father was stubborn about keeping a hold of me till the end, but that Namek 'friend' of yours didn't seem very upset about the fact that he killed us both." He stared down at Gohan's tense form. "After all, he did get to take Kakarot's son. What better revenge on your worst enemy than to warp the mind of his offspring?"
The young man shook his head. "No.... I won't believe it!" Teeth clenched, Gohan faced his uncle angrily. "Take it back!"
"Believe what you will kid," Radditz shrugged. "But it seems your friend Piccolo is no better than I was."
"NO!"
Shouting, Gohan lunged at the tall Saiyan, only to have him dissolve into thin air. The young man stumbled and looked about wildly. "Take it back, Radditz! Piccolo is nothing like you!"
"You're right there, kid." A deeper voice rumbled. "Radditz couldn't hold a candle to that green iguana. But of course," the voice laughed. "I made sure to fry the little lizard real good."
A massive figure moved out of the shadows. Gohan fell back a step as Nappa stalked closer. The dim orange sky reflected dully off his hairless head as he stood there, grinning. Gohan felt a growl bubble up from his throat. Smirking suddenly, he flicked his bangs out of his eyes.
"Some big shot you were, you were killed by your own partner." Gohan taunted as he slowly took a fighting stance. "I never did thank Vegeta for that."
"Why you..." Nappa's face turned crimson and his meaty hands clenched with rage. Roaring, the giant charged towards him. Gohan's eyes narrowed and he slowly raised his hands to his forehead.
"This time you should stay dead!" The black haired boy shouted. "Masenko.... Ha!"
A bright beam of light shot from Gohan's hands and enveloped the bald Saiyan, before exploding in a cloud of smoke. The haze slowly cleared showing not even a trace of Nappa's remains. He had been completely vaporized. Gohan's hands fell to his sides as he looked around, not even winded.
"Who's next?" He asked the darkness. "Frieza?"
"Heh... very impressive, brat. How did you know it was me?" Frieza's eyes glittered in the darkness like rubies as his tail twitched back and forth in anticipation. Gohan slowly turned to face him, determined to hide his surprise.
"Call it an unlucky guess." Gohan spat. "Why are you guys coming back from the dead? It this some sort of an illusion?"
Frieza floated closer and a smirk curled his black lips. "This is no illusion, my pint sized chimp. This is your dream. And in this dream..." Frieza was enveloped in light as powered up and he vanished, only to appear right behind the half-Saiyan. "YOU CAN DIE!" A powerful fist came down like lightning and smashed Gohan into the ground.
Coughing, Gohan struggled to his knees as a clawed foot collided with his midsection, sending him flying into the air. Gohan twisted like a cat and fired down at the alien. Small blasts struck Frieza with the consistency of rain and had just about the same effect. Laughing, the space tyrant skillfully dodged most of the blasts as he flew towards the half-Saiyan.
"It's time for you to die with the rest of your miserable race." Frieza flashed behind Gohan and fired a blast at his back, sending him hurtling to the ground. Gohan rose feebly from the small crater his body created and Frieza laughed.
"You never were a match for me, boy." Raising his finger, his pointed the glowing digit at Gohan's chest. "You'll always be a second rate Saiyan."
A red beam shot towards Gohan and the young man finally screamed, not in fear but in rage. His black hair rose into the air as it changed to gold. Green eyes watched the oncoming blast calmly as the air around him crackled with energy. Just as the beam reached him, the half-Saiyan batted it aside effortlessly.
Gohan stared up at Frieza's stunned figure. "I may have been no match for you then, Frieza," he stated. "But I am more than your match now."
Quicker than an eye could follow, Gohan flew to Frieza, fist drawn back. As Frieza lifted his arms to block, the half-Saiyan changed tactics and his boot slammed into the alien's side. Never slowing, Gohan continued with his punch, his fist smashing through Frieza's chest. His hand still immersed inside of the enemy, Gohan concentrated his energy towards his fist in a devastating blast that blew Frieza to pieces. Panting, he slowly floated to the ground as small bits of Frieza rained down around him.
Gohan stared at the ground as he struggled to catch his breath. He had to get out of here. If this was a dream, he had to wake up before then enemy overwhelmed him. If what Frieza had said was true, he could die here. But Gohan didn't know how to wake up if he was still under the influence of Bulma's sleeping device. Clenching his fists, Gohan tried to think as he slowly became aware of a glowing light to his right.
The ground below him began to split and crack as the light came closer. Growling at the interruption, Gohan turned. He placed his wrists together and drew his arms back behind him. Before him, Cell's gigantic energy blast hurtled towards him.
"You will die this time!" The android shouted.
"Not in my dream." Gohan growled. "Kamehameha!"
The two blasts collided and the ground heaved as even the air shook with the pure force of the collision. Shouting, Gohan concentrated harder and his power flared towards Cell. The android slid backwards slowly, his violet eyes widening in disbelief.
Gohan's eyes blazed as rage overtook him and carried him to a level beyond a mere Super Saiyan. His blonde hair stood up in spikes as his muscles bulged and expanded. Smirking, the young man raised one hand insultingly in goodbye as the beam of power overtook Cell's outclassed form. The android was evaporated until not even a single molecule remained.
Gohan's power faded slowly and his hair fell, once again turning black. His shoulder's slumped slightly as he heard someone applaud mockingly. Eyes that were once more the color of obsidian gazed dully at the figure that stood before him.
"Congratulations. You took care of those idiots so efficiently and still, you're hardly winded. You always were a survivor. But tell me, don't you think your luck may be running out?"
"What do you mean?" Gohan asked.
"It is your fate to die, boy." The figure grinned. "Look at facts. Radditz was killed by Piccolo, who died in the fight with Nappa. Nappa himself died at the hands of his partner, Vegeta. Frieza killed Vegeta later on Namek but Vegeta's son, Trunks, chopped that idiot into bits. Trunks died himself though, ruthlessly killed by Cell. And of course Cell was destroyed..."
"By me." Gohan whispered.
"Yes!" The figure laughed. "You see how history repeats itself? Soon, you too will die. I wonder who will kill you, Gohan? If I were a betting man, I'd say it would be..." The figure made a point of seeming to think the question over thoughtfully. "Me."
Gohan laughed. "You? I've already beaten you twice, and I was a still a kid both times. I really don't think I'll have a problem beating you now."
Garlic Jr. glared at the half-Saiyan before relaxing into a grin. "Silly boy, I don't intend to fight you here. To tell the truth, I won't need to fight you at all. You will destroy yourself far more effectively. And if I'm lucky, you might just take out your meddling friends with you."
Gohan glared at the small demon. "I think you're crazy. I have no intention of destroying myself or anyone else for that matter. Why don't you go back to the Dead Zone where you belong?"
But Garlic ignored him. "Oh really?" he cackled. "You've done a good job of killing your own family. First your idiot father and now your mother and baby brother."
Gohan's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?" his voice wavered uncertainly.
"That's right, Gohan. You killed them, killed them with your own uncontrollable power." With a snap of his fingers, Garlic Jr. disappeared, leaving the bodies of ChiChi and Goten lying in his place. Staring at them, Gohan began to shake.
"M-mom... Goten..." Gohan fell to his knees.
A haze of red covered his eyes as he threw his head back and screamed.
***
Gohan's eyes shot open as the Nap 'O' Matic exploded. Smoke filled the air and the young man coughed violently. Stumbling from the bed, he started as he realized the smoke wasn't coming from the broken machine, but from his house. Around his bed the ground was scorched and his walls were charred black and crumbling. Flames licked at the ceiling above him, threatening to bring the whole roof down on his head.
His eyes watering in the smoke, Gohan frantically called for his mom and brother. He was just about to charge through the flaming house to look for him when a blast knocked a gaping hole in the wall. Krillin stood in the opening and immediately began coughing.
"Gohan! Are you all right?"
"Krillin!" Gohan shouted. "Where are Mom and Goten? I have to find them!"
The shorter man ran up to him and began tugging on his arm. "They're fine, Bro. Now let's get out of here before the whole place goes up in flames!"
Reluctantly, Gohan let himself be dragged out of the burning house. The two stumbled out of the smoke and in to the front yard where everyone stood, staring at them. Chichi ran over in relief, barefoot and in her nightgown.
"Gohan! Thank Kami you're okay!" His mom hugged him tightly.
Gohan gratefully held his mother close before gently pushing her back. "Where's Goten?"
"He's over there by Bulma and Trunks."
Gohan thanked he and walked quickly across the yard to where Bulma was examining his smaller brother. The blue-haired woman was prodding the young boy's arm gently and Gohan watched him wince.
"It's only a small burn but you may want to ask Korrin for a sensu bean just in case. Does it hurt a lot?"
Goten shook his head. "I'm fine."
Bulma smiled and rubbed his head affectionately. "Well, you were a very brave boy to save your mother like that. Your father, Goku, would be very proud if he was here."
Gohan watched as his little brother swelled with pride and turned to talk with Trunks. Sighing, Gohan stopped, unable to face them. Turning around, he began limping back towards Krillin.
Wait. Limping? Looking down, Gohan examined himself for the first time. His body ached and still bore the bruises caused by Frieza in his dream. Shuddering, Gohan shook his head.
"He was telling the truth..."
"Man, that fire nearly seared off all my new hair!" Krillin groaned. Looking up, his black eyebrows drew together in concern. "You okay, Bro?"
Gohan stared at him. "Krillin, how did you know the house was burning? And how did you get here so fast?"
"Shorty here was begging for table scraps after that android wife of his kicked him out of the house." Vegeta spoke from underneath the shadow of a tree. "As for the fire, we didn't know about it. I had felt a surge of power so strong I thought Cell himself had returned." The Saiyan prince turned to stare at him. "Turns out it was just you."
"We flew over here as fast as we could." Krillin added. Looking around, the shorter man whistled. "Man, Gohan, what got you worked up enough to cause this?"
Gohan took a step backwards and then another. Wide eyes stared at the heap of burning ruin that was once his home. "I... I caused this. I...I nearly killed them both..." Taking another step away, his back ran into Vegeta's powerful chest.
"I want to know what's going on, Runt. And don't give me any of that bad dream crap."
Gohan looked up at Vegeta, his eyes pleading. Suddenly, a small form tackled him from behind. Goten clutched his brother's leg anxiously.
"Gohan! You're all right! I was worried that you wouldn't get out of the fire! I wanted to go back in and get you, but mom wouldn't let me."
Surrounded on all sides by his friends and family, Gohan suddenly began to shake. Goten and Trunks looked at him curiously, while Chichi, Bulma and Krillin gave him looks of concern. Vegeta stared at him impassively but Gohan caught a flash of fear in his eyes. Even Vegeta was afraid of his power.
Tears welling up in his eyes, the young man gently pushed Goten off of him and backed away. "I'm sorry everyone... I'll make sure that my powers won't ever be a danger to anyone, ever again." Turning, Gohan jumped up and flew away, disappearing into the night sky and leaving his friends and family staring after him in shock.
What drastic measures is Gohan planning on taking? Was Garlic Jr. right in saying that he will destroy himself? What about his friends? Will they be enough to stop him? Will they want to? Find out in the next chapter of Dragonball Z!
In the next chapter of DBZ, Gohan flies to Kami's Lookout, where Piccolo awaits him. Gohan asks a favor that Piccolo is beholden to perform, and he gives Gohan a Dragonball. But Gohan's wish may not be granted as the story takes a more deadly turn. Stay tuned for the next chapter of Dragonball Z. Chapter 4: The Struggle.
Author: AstroKender
Warnings: Some gore...some angst...some sap.
Spoilers: None.
Notes: Takes place between the Cell and Buu sagas. Gohan centric.
Feedback: Welcome. Please review
Disclaimers: DBZ belongs to Akira Toriyama and Funimation. This fic is for entertainment purposes and is not in any way meant for profit. Don't sue me.
In the last chapter of Dragonball Z, Gohan received a device from Bulma that will help him sleep. Finally the nightmares that have been plaguing him will be banished. But what if it's not just Gohan's subconscious that is causing the young man's unrest? What if it is something infinitely more sinister?
Ch 3: Invasion
Gohan called his brother in and told him that it was time to head home. Goten protested loudly, since he hadn't yet gotten the meal Bulma had promised him, but one glance at the lines of pain that creased his older brother's face silenced his complaints.
The flight home was a strained and silent trip. Goten watched his brother anxiously, it seemed like it was all Gohan could do to stay in the air. Biting his lip, the young boy wished he knew how to fly so he could help his brother. But for now, all he could do is wrap his arms around him in a gentle hug. Gohan looked down at Goten in surprise and then smiled gently, tightening his hold on his little brother. They arrived home to find a worried ChiChi hovering in the doorway.
"Gohan!" The dark haired woman cried in relief. "It's almost dark! What took you so long?"
"I'm sorry, Mother." Gohan landed and stumbled slightly, his brother quickly steadying him. "I'll try not to let it happen again."
"Well I should hope not," ChiChi huffed. Looking closely at her oldest son's face, her brows contracted with worry. "Honey, you look exhausted! Why don't you go to bed early and get some sleep?"
Gohan straightened and stepped away from Goten, but not without ruffling his brother's hair in thanks. Patting his shirt to make sure Bulma's device was still there, he nodded to his mother. "That's exactly what I plan to do."
The half-Saiyan made it to his room only through a supreme effort of will. Collapsing onto his bed without even bothering to remove his shoes, his shaking hands grasped for the Nap 'O' Matic. He stared at the device for a long moment before shaking his head.
"I don't really have a choice. Let's see..." He turned the dial carefully. "I think I'll set it for only about two hours, just to test it out." Taking a deep breath, he lifted the device over his head.
"Here it goes." Gohan placed the machine around his head and darkness overtook him.
***
Gohan stared around numbly. A dark gray landscape surrounded him on all sides, as far as he could see. The sky was a strange shade of orange that gave little illumination to his surroundings. The air smelled horrid, something in between rotting vegetation and burning sulfur. The young man stiffened as he sensed someone appear behind him.
"Hello, Nephew..."
Whirling around, Gohan's eyes widened. "Radditz!"
The longhaired Saiyan sneered. "Ah, I see you remember me." The dark Saiyan gave Gohan a sinister smile. "Then I suppose you'll remember that I owe you a bit of payback from when you attacked me all those years before. You see, if it wasn't for that hit, your father would have never been able to hold me long enough for that Namek to blast us both to the next dimension."
"Piccolo...he killed my dad?" Gohan stared at Radditz in disbelief.
Radditz laughed. "You mean after all this time, he never told you? That's rich. Your father was stubborn about keeping a hold of me till the end, but that Namek 'friend' of yours didn't seem very upset about the fact that he killed us both." He stared down at Gohan's tense form. "After all, he did get to take Kakarot's son. What better revenge on your worst enemy than to warp the mind of his offspring?"
The young man shook his head. "No.... I won't believe it!" Teeth clenched, Gohan faced his uncle angrily. "Take it back!"
"Believe what you will kid," Radditz shrugged. "But it seems your friend Piccolo is no better than I was."
"NO!"
Shouting, Gohan lunged at the tall Saiyan, only to have him dissolve into thin air. The young man stumbled and looked about wildly. "Take it back, Radditz! Piccolo is nothing like you!"
"You're right there, kid." A deeper voice rumbled. "Radditz couldn't hold a candle to that green iguana. But of course," the voice laughed. "I made sure to fry the little lizard real good."
A massive figure moved out of the shadows. Gohan fell back a step as Nappa stalked closer. The dim orange sky reflected dully off his hairless head as he stood there, grinning. Gohan felt a growl bubble up from his throat. Smirking suddenly, he flicked his bangs out of his eyes.
"Some big shot you were, you were killed by your own partner." Gohan taunted as he slowly took a fighting stance. "I never did thank Vegeta for that."
"Why you..." Nappa's face turned crimson and his meaty hands clenched with rage. Roaring, the giant charged towards him. Gohan's eyes narrowed and he slowly raised his hands to his forehead.
"This time you should stay dead!" The black haired boy shouted. "Masenko.... Ha!"
A bright beam of light shot from Gohan's hands and enveloped the bald Saiyan, before exploding in a cloud of smoke. The haze slowly cleared showing not even a trace of Nappa's remains. He had been completely vaporized. Gohan's hands fell to his sides as he looked around, not even winded.
"Who's next?" He asked the darkness. "Frieza?"
"Heh... very impressive, brat. How did you know it was me?" Frieza's eyes glittered in the darkness like rubies as his tail twitched back and forth in anticipation. Gohan slowly turned to face him, determined to hide his surprise.
"Call it an unlucky guess." Gohan spat. "Why are you guys coming back from the dead? It this some sort of an illusion?"
Frieza floated closer and a smirk curled his black lips. "This is no illusion, my pint sized chimp. This is your dream. And in this dream..." Frieza was enveloped in light as powered up and he vanished, only to appear right behind the half-Saiyan. "YOU CAN DIE!" A powerful fist came down like lightning and smashed Gohan into the ground.
Coughing, Gohan struggled to his knees as a clawed foot collided with his midsection, sending him flying into the air. Gohan twisted like a cat and fired down at the alien. Small blasts struck Frieza with the consistency of rain and had just about the same effect. Laughing, the space tyrant skillfully dodged most of the blasts as he flew towards the half-Saiyan.
"It's time for you to die with the rest of your miserable race." Frieza flashed behind Gohan and fired a blast at his back, sending him hurtling to the ground. Gohan rose feebly from the small crater his body created and Frieza laughed.
"You never were a match for me, boy." Raising his finger, his pointed the glowing digit at Gohan's chest. "You'll always be a second rate Saiyan."
A red beam shot towards Gohan and the young man finally screamed, not in fear but in rage. His black hair rose into the air as it changed to gold. Green eyes watched the oncoming blast calmly as the air around him crackled with energy. Just as the beam reached him, the half-Saiyan batted it aside effortlessly.
Gohan stared up at Frieza's stunned figure. "I may have been no match for you then, Frieza," he stated. "But I am more than your match now."
Quicker than an eye could follow, Gohan flew to Frieza, fist drawn back. As Frieza lifted his arms to block, the half-Saiyan changed tactics and his boot slammed into the alien's side. Never slowing, Gohan continued with his punch, his fist smashing through Frieza's chest. His hand still immersed inside of the enemy, Gohan concentrated his energy towards his fist in a devastating blast that blew Frieza to pieces. Panting, he slowly floated to the ground as small bits of Frieza rained down around him.
Gohan stared at the ground as he struggled to catch his breath. He had to get out of here. If this was a dream, he had to wake up before then enemy overwhelmed him. If what Frieza had said was true, he could die here. But Gohan didn't know how to wake up if he was still under the influence of Bulma's sleeping device. Clenching his fists, Gohan tried to think as he slowly became aware of a glowing light to his right.
The ground below him began to split and crack as the light came closer. Growling at the interruption, Gohan turned. He placed his wrists together and drew his arms back behind him. Before him, Cell's gigantic energy blast hurtled towards him.
"You will die this time!" The android shouted.
"Not in my dream." Gohan growled. "Kamehameha!"
The two blasts collided and the ground heaved as even the air shook with the pure force of the collision. Shouting, Gohan concentrated harder and his power flared towards Cell. The android slid backwards slowly, his violet eyes widening in disbelief.
Gohan's eyes blazed as rage overtook him and carried him to a level beyond a mere Super Saiyan. His blonde hair stood up in spikes as his muscles bulged and expanded. Smirking, the young man raised one hand insultingly in goodbye as the beam of power overtook Cell's outclassed form. The android was evaporated until not even a single molecule remained.
Gohan's power faded slowly and his hair fell, once again turning black. His shoulder's slumped slightly as he heard someone applaud mockingly. Eyes that were once more the color of obsidian gazed dully at the figure that stood before him.
"Congratulations. You took care of those idiots so efficiently and still, you're hardly winded. You always were a survivor. But tell me, don't you think your luck may be running out?"
"What do you mean?" Gohan asked.
"It is your fate to die, boy." The figure grinned. "Look at facts. Radditz was killed by Piccolo, who died in the fight with Nappa. Nappa himself died at the hands of his partner, Vegeta. Frieza killed Vegeta later on Namek but Vegeta's son, Trunks, chopped that idiot into bits. Trunks died himself though, ruthlessly killed by Cell. And of course Cell was destroyed..."
"By me." Gohan whispered.
"Yes!" The figure laughed. "You see how history repeats itself? Soon, you too will die. I wonder who will kill you, Gohan? If I were a betting man, I'd say it would be..." The figure made a point of seeming to think the question over thoughtfully. "Me."
Gohan laughed. "You? I've already beaten you twice, and I was a still a kid both times. I really don't think I'll have a problem beating you now."
Garlic Jr. glared at the half-Saiyan before relaxing into a grin. "Silly boy, I don't intend to fight you here. To tell the truth, I won't need to fight you at all. You will destroy yourself far more effectively. And if I'm lucky, you might just take out your meddling friends with you."
Gohan glared at the small demon. "I think you're crazy. I have no intention of destroying myself or anyone else for that matter. Why don't you go back to the Dead Zone where you belong?"
But Garlic ignored him. "Oh really?" he cackled. "You've done a good job of killing your own family. First your idiot father and now your mother and baby brother."
Gohan's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?" his voice wavered uncertainly.
"That's right, Gohan. You killed them, killed them with your own uncontrollable power." With a snap of his fingers, Garlic Jr. disappeared, leaving the bodies of ChiChi and Goten lying in his place. Staring at them, Gohan began to shake.
"M-mom... Goten..." Gohan fell to his knees.
A haze of red covered his eyes as he threw his head back and screamed.
***
Gohan's eyes shot open as the Nap 'O' Matic exploded. Smoke filled the air and the young man coughed violently. Stumbling from the bed, he started as he realized the smoke wasn't coming from the broken machine, but from his house. Around his bed the ground was scorched and his walls were charred black and crumbling. Flames licked at the ceiling above him, threatening to bring the whole roof down on his head.
His eyes watering in the smoke, Gohan frantically called for his mom and brother. He was just about to charge through the flaming house to look for him when a blast knocked a gaping hole in the wall. Krillin stood in the opening and immediately began coughing.
"Gohan! Are you all right?"
"Krillin!" Gohan shouted. "Where are Mom and Goten? I have to find them!"
The shorter man ran up to him and began tugging on his arm. "They're fine, Bro. Now let's get out of here before the whole place goes up in flames!"
Reluctantly, Gohan let himself be dragged out of the burning house. The two stumbled out of the smoke and in to the front yard where everyone stood, staring at them. Chichi ran over in relief, barefoot and in her nightgown.
"Gohan! Thank Kami you're okay!" His mom hugged him tightly.
Gohan gratefully held his mother close before gently pushing her back. "Where's Goten?"
"He's over there by Bulma and Trunks."
Gohan thanked he and walked quickly across the yard to where Bulma was examining his smaller brother. The blue-haired woman was prodding the young boy's arm gently and Gohan watched him wince.
"It's only a small burn but you may want to ask Korrin for a sensu bean just in case. Does it hurt a lot?"
Goten shook his head. "I'm fine."
Bulma smiled and rubbed his head affectionately. "Well, you were a very brave boy to save your mother like that. Your father, Goku, would be very proud if he was here."
Gohan watched as his little brother swelled with pride and turned to talk with Trunks. Sighing, Gohan stopped, unable to face them. Turning around, he began limping back towards Krillin.
Wait. Limping? Looking down, Gohan examined himself for the first time. His body ached and still bore the bruises caused by Frieza in his dream. Shuddering, Gohan shook his head.
"He was telling the truth..."
"Man, that fire nearly seared off all my new hair!" Krillin groaned. Looking up, his black eyebrows drew together in concern. "You okay, Bro?"
Gohan stared at him. "Krillin, how did you know the house was burning? And how did you get here so fast?"
"Shorty here was begging for table scraps after that android wife of his kicked him out of the house." Vegeta spoke from underneath the shadow of a tree. "As for the fire, we didn't know about it. I had felt a surge of power so strong I thought Cell himself had returned." The Saiyan prince turned to stare at him. "Turns out it was just you."
"We flew over here as fast as we could." Krillin added. Looking around, the shorter man whistled. "Man, Gohan, what got you worked up enough to cause this?"
Gohan took a step backwards and then another. Wide eyes stared at the heap of burning ruin that was once his home. "I... I caused this. I...I nearly killed them both..." Taking another step away, his back ran into Vegeta's powerful chest.
"I want to know what's going on, Runt. And don't give me any of that bad dream crap."
Gohan looked up at Vegeta, his eyes pleading. Suddenly, a small form tackled him from behind. Goten clutched his brother's leg anxiously.
"Gohan! You're all right! I was worried that you wouldn't get out of the fire! I wanted to go back in and get you, but mom wouldn't let me."
Surrounded on all sides by his friends and family, Gohan suddenly began to shake. Goten and Trunks looked at him curiously, while Chichi, Bulma and Krillin gave him looks of concern. Vegeta stared at him impassively but Gohan caught a flash of fear in his eyes. Even Vegeta was afraid of his power.
Tears welling up in his eyes, the young man gently pushed Goten off of him and backed away. "I'm sorry everyone... I'll make sure that my powers won't ever be a danger to anyone, ever again." Turning, Gohan jumped up and flew away, disappearing into the night sky and leaving his friends and family staring after him in shock.
What drastic measures is Gohan planning on taking? Was Garlic Jr. right in saying that he will destroy himself? What about his friends? Will they be enough to stop him? Will they want to? Find out in the next chapter of Dragonball Z!
In the next chapter of DBZ, Gohan flies to Kami's Lookout, where Piccolo awaits him. Gohan asks a favor that Piccolo is beholden to perform, and he gives Gohan a Dragonball. But Gohan's wish may not be granted as the story takes a more deadly turn. Stay tuned for the next chapter of Dragonball Z. Chapter 4: The Struggle.