A/N: Sorry for the delay, everyone! I kinda got writer's block. ^^; It's evil, isn't it? Anyway, I won't hold things any longer, here's a brand new chapter for this really angsty fic of mine! I hope you'll like it! So... RRP! Read, review and ponder.

DRAGONBALL Z: Fueled by Anger, Driven by Despair
Chapter Three: The Joke of Truth

"What an adorable little boy!" Chichi Son exclaimed as she lifted up her grandson and cuddled him with much glee. "I can't believe he grew this much in just less than two years! And look at those cute blue eyes! Looks like he got everything from you, Erasa."

The young, blonde lady blushed noticeably. "No, that's not true... maybe he got his eye and hair color after me, but I think he's more like Gohan deep down. I mean, he's a very strong little boy, a very strong little boy indeed. I'm sure Gohan's very proud of him."

"We all are, Erasa. We all are. And we're very proud of you and Gohan too. So many harsh times, yet you both surpassed them all. I think you were indeed destined together... although I must admit, I thought Gohan would end up marrying that Videl," Chichi said, then she sighed. "I'm just glad he didn't fall for her, because his life would have been a living hell. I wish she and Sharpner are rotting in hell right now, for all the things they have done to you and Gohan."

"I wish so too," Erasa Son muttered bitterly, although she managed to smirk without her mother-in-law noticing.

He froze as he heard the young lady utter her name, and the dark orbs hidden beneath his glasses stared at her with expressions that she could not read. Disbelief? Recognition? Confusion? Relief? Uncertainty? "Did you just say... that your name... is... Videl...?"

The emotions in his voice did it, and almost instantly, she knew. Indeed, he was Gohan, although why he could not remember her, or why he was here right now, she did not know. But she did not care. If Gohan's memory got all wacked up, then she'd just help him put them back together --- which was most probably what happened.

But what about Erasa...? Videl asked herself as she continued to ponder about the situation. Maybe he was just forced to marry her, but then he tried to escape from her to get back to me... And Erasa, that scheming wench, did something to him that made him lose his memory and all... Looks like the future for me is bright after all!

When she noticed that he was looking at her intently, she flushed as she replied, "Yes. My name is Videl. Videl Satan." And in her mind, she added, Oh Gohan... Please remember me...

"I don't know why... but I think I've seen you somewhere... Then again, maybe it's just my imagination... Oh, and by the way, I'm Eiyu. Eiyu Nakasone," he replied as he took her hand and shook it firmly. When they pulled away from each other, his lips parted into a smile that was too familiar for the young slave. "Strange, isn't it? We've been together for a few hours now, and yet we haven't been properly introduced. Well, then. Let me tell you some things about myself."

A young boy, around his pre-teen years, with spiky black hair and equally dark eyes stood by a vast meadow that spread in front of the Son mansion. He seemed to be in deep thought, for he kept looking at the sky and kicking the dirt on the ground at the same time. Before long, however, his comtemplating features livened up a bit as another boy around his age came running towards him. He was tall, with lavender hair and mischievous blue eyes that seemed to be filled with evil plans of his own.

"Hiya, Goten!" the latter greeted as he skidded to a halt beside his best friend, a wide grin on his face. "Oh my God! You're actually thinking!" he exclaimed as he gasped mockingly.

"Shut up, Trunks," Goten Son replied with a scowl, but then he smiled, although the smile was obviously superficial. "So, how's it going? Thought up of a good one yet?"

Trunks Briefs-Vegeta sighed. "It's no good, Goten. Even with all these pranks running about in this brain of mine, nothing seems to fit. But enough with that, let's talk about you. You have a problem, I know it, and you suck at trying to hide it. So what is it? Got a crush in school or something? That's something I could help you out with my eyes closed!"

The black-haired pre-teen did not say anything.

"Okay, if it's not girls, then what IS your problem? It looks like you've been thinking for years!"

"For years, alright."

His best friend's expression immediately softened. "It's Gohan, right?"

The other nodded, and then added, "He has changed too much, Trunks. It's like... after his marriage with Erasa, he has become a totally different person. Nobody else notices that though. They're too busy with the baby. That's all they ever think about. The baby."

"If I don't know you as much as I do now, then I would think you're jealous of the baby. But seriously... you're right. Gohan has changed a lot. I noticed that too. And I thought he loved Videl."

"I thought so too. But you heard him during the wedding, didn't you? He yelled at her, as if they never shared anything special. Until now, I still don't understand what happened. Before he got into that accident, he told me about his plans to elope and all, to run away with the woman he loved, but when he recovered from his coma, he immediately insisted on marrying Erasa because he impregnated her. Isn't that strange?"

Trunks folded his arms in front of his chest as he thought it over. "Now that you mentioned it, that DOES sound strange."

"So you don't remember any else?"

Eiyu shook his head sadly. "Nothing else. It's really hard to bear, considering the fact that I've lived for so many years, yet I only remember so few events. I don't know where I'm from, how old I really am, or if I even have a family..."

I know who you are! You're Gohan, you're the man I love! Videl thought wildly, although for some reason, she could not bring herself to say it out loud, even though she wanted to do so badly. She wanted him to remember her, and remember all the things they did together... and she wanted him to tell her why he married Erasa and what really happened to them.

"Don't worry, you'll remember in time," Videl said instead, and then she added, "But if you had my past... I'm sure you would want to forget everything..."

Those words caused him to stare at her intently, and then he sighed. "I suppose. I mean, this is not the first time I adopted a slave, and I've heard so many stories about how awful they are treated. I wonder how you withstood it all... I know quite a handful who didn't make it, because they killed themselves to escape the pain."

"I don't know," Videl admitted. "I swear I lost hope so many times already. Yet, somehow... somehow I manage to get that hope back. The assurances of love, perhaps . Or the assurances of a good life after getting revenge..." she said in such a tone that made Eiyu back off a bit. When she noticed that, she sighed, and then began telling the story of the life she had never wanted to live.

"Once upon a time, I had friends. Three of them, for that matter. One was the utterly obnoxious yet adventure-loving Sharpner, the shy yet witty Erasa, and the third one was the man I loved dearly. His name was... Gohan," she said stressing the name, hoping to see a trace of recognition on her master's face.

Nothing.

"The three of us were friends ever since we were born, although we occassionally got into fights when we grew up. But then those fights were just simple feuds between friends that were easily resolved. However, when our teenage years kicked in, things began to get complicated. Not meaning to brag, but I was beautiful then, and both Sharpner and Gohan liked me, they both had feelings for me. Feelings deeper than friendship," she narrated, and then the sad look in her eyes returned. "But I never knew that... that matter would be the start of my suffering."

She continued to talk without looking at Eiyu, who just stood by her side, patiently listening. "I loved Gohan, and we started a relationship that caused trouble among our little group of friends. I didn't know that Erasa liked Gohan as well, and when she found out about me and him, she was hurt. She didn't tell me about it, however. She chose to tell Sharpner instead. Time flew, and I didn't realize that they already began their plots against me. They were both rich, and they both had the power and control over the lives of people, and they used that advantage to suit their desires."

"My relationship with Gohan wasn't smooth either. His family never approved of me, because I came from a poor family, just like them. My father was divorced, and my mother took away our property until we were left with almost nothing. Gohan's mother didn't want a poor girl to be her daughter-in-law. She wanted Erasa, because she was rich and had everything they would ever need. So Gohan came up with a plan that would set us free. We..." she paused as a smile crept up to her face. "We planned to elope."

"The plan seemed flawless, just perfect! However, that night was disaster. Gohan never made it to our meeting place. It was Sharpner who came instead, and he dragged me away so he could use me for what he wanted me for. I... I don't know what happened all those time. Because I just fell asleep... and when I woke up, I was in some attic. My entire body ached terribly, my clothes were torn... I was a mess."

"Then the police came, as they were led into the attic by my best friend herself. She pulled off a necklace from my neck --- a necklace that I never had, I never touched, in my entire life. She accused me of stealing her property, and I was taken away," she stopped as tears began to fall. "My father was there. He saw me being taken away, but he didn't do anything. He just stood there and did nothing. He... he abandoned me."

She wiped away her tears as she silently urged herself to be strong. "When I was in jail, repeatedly hurt and tortured by the abusive guards, I never knew the reason why Gohan didn't make it. Until I received a letter from Erasa. I didn't want to open it at first, but my curiousity got the best of me. Now, I wish I didn't open it."

Videl bit her lip as she blurted out what was one of the most painful experiences in her entire life. "It was a wedding invitation. An invitation to... Gohan and Erasa's wedding. And I felt like I just died. A feeling of anger overcame me then and there. Gohan promised to love me for all of his life, and yet, I was holding the invitation to HIS wedding to Erasa, and not to me! And then... I knew. He tricked me. He used me, then threw me away like I was some garbage. All he wanted was pleasure. He was part of Erasa's plan all along. I refused to accept it, although it was obvious. He USED me. He never really loved me..."

And she began to cry. She cried so hard that it took her quite some time to notice that Eiyu took her into his arms in his attempt to comfort her. He began to stroke her hair softly, although he wondered why he felt so attached to her all of a sudden. They had been together for just hours, and yet here he was, taking her into his arms. He had never done that to anyone else before, except her... and a woman he could not remember, but he was sure he loved her dearly. Could I be... Could I be the Gohan she's talking about...? And could she... could she be the woman... I loved before? I'm confused... it doesn't look that way... but it certainly feels that way... Heaven help me, I don't know what to do...

"One... day..." Videl continued to narrate even though she was still crying. "I escaped. I... I don't know... how I did it... But I managed to do so. It was the day... of his wedding. I didn't know where... to go... but my heart guided me. And I... I found the church. I... I ran inside to stop the wedding... but I was a second too late..."

She looked up at Eiyu and said in a voice full of pain, "I got the chance to talk to Gohan, and you know what he told me?! That he HAD to marry Erasa because he accidentally impregnated her! And don't you know... how hurt I was then?! The man who said he loved me, had an affair with my best friend, and he ended up impregnating her?! I lost control... then I slapped him, with all of my might, and spat every insult I could muster, right at his face. While everyone else... laughed at me," she blurted out as she looked away sadly. "The police came to arrest me again, but I didn't care. I didn't give a damn any longer. My life was finished."

"I was stuck in prison for as long as I can remember. And when a bunch Temerjin merchants came to Earth for some business, they immediately sold me, spearheaded by Mrs. Son herself. And so I was a slave for around a year... until you came and..."

Videl found herself unable to finish her sentence. She didn't know why her master did that in the first place. However, she quickly blushed as she realized that she was still in his arms, and she pulled away almost immediately, her face as red as a tomato. She had so many to ask of him, and she found herself doing it. "Why... Why did you do that? Why did you... buy me, when you could have just left me in Temer-sei to be passed around by one merchant to the other?"

"I don't know," Eiyu replied as he stood up and smiled. "I just... felt like doing so. You see, I almost instantly had this attachment towards you. It's strange, really. I don't understand it myself. Forgive me for talking about this topic, but do you believe in soulmates?"

"I used to, but not anymore," she replied bitterly, and then she moved her head up to gaze at him silently for a few moments. "Unless of course, your name is Gohan, and you're here to tell me that Erasa just forced you to marry her, and that you've come to finally take me into your life," she added in a joking manner.

"Now that's better," he said in response. "Now I know why a lot of men liked you. You're everything they could ever want, and you have a killer smile too."

She felt herself flush at that comment, but then she remembered what all those men had done to her, and her smile was replaced with a scowl. "They liked me because they wanted to use me. And afterwards, they just threw me away like some garbage. All the men who liked me did that. I want to make them pay for their treachery, but how could I? I'm... I'm just a girl... I have nothing, I have no one..."

"Revenge, eh?"

"Exactly."

Eiyu looked out of the ship's window thoughtfully, and then he started talking. "There's one detail I left out in my story earlier. When I was stuck in the asylum, I befriended this young man who became my closest friend in the long run. Like me, he was sent there for reasons he did not know of, even if he was not really insane. When he was dying from this disease, he gave me this paper, and told me to see his mom when I get married to show the paper to his mother. I found out that the paper... was his last will and testament. He left all his riches to me, and I just realized recently, after a few investigations, that he was very rich. And so..."

"And so, what's your point?" Videl asked, confused on why he was telling her all this.

"My point is," he said as he spun around to look at her. "If I'll inherit everything that he owned, I will not only be rich, but I will be famous and powerful. He came from a powerful aristocratic family, a family with a lot of associations all over the universe. And if I will have that wealth and power then I can help you with your revenge."

"You will... help me...?"

Eiyu smiled. "Why of course I will. A woman such as you deserves to be treated like royalty and not be thrown around like some garbage," he muttered with a smirk. "However, I will need your help to attain our revenge."

To Videl's surprise, Eiyu got down on one knee and took her hand gently, as if he was holding the most fragile object in the universe. And with a soft voice, yet full of love and compassion, he asked, "Will you marry me?"

Advertisement: Thoughts Within by my best friend, Avalon Elf Princess, story ID 660035. A really kawaii Goten fic, where Goku goes back to Earth to be with Goten and save the world at the same time. However, it turns out that his second son is the strongest person in the universe after all...

Next chapter: Huh? What next chapter? LOL Actually, I still don't know. Usually, I think of what will happen on the next chapter AFTER you guys review. So please review and tell me what you think! Reviews really help, and I'm serious. ^-^