Legacy of Chaos

Chapter 8

Mr. Satan was not one to panic over the well-being of his offspring. He was more than sure she could take care of herself. She had demonstrated enough times that she was far stronger than her old man. But at the moment, he couldn't help feeling worried. She had not returned home since she had left with Dune earlier that afternoon. This had Mr. Satan pacing back and forth across his spacious living. The last time he had done anything remotely like this was when Videl had been training how to fly with Gohan. But at least then, she hadn't gone into a strange half-hour coma, which had followed her previous unknown screaming. If that wasn't enough to make even the most stable father concerned, then he didn't know what would.

The front door creaked open and in walked the afore mentioned daughter. She looked tired, even depressed.

"Videl!" Mr. Satan called, glad she had come back at long last. "I've been so worried! Where have you been?" Videl stormed right by, as if she hadn't heard him. "V…Videl? What's wrong?"

"Stop calling me that!" she screamed before running upstairs to her room. Stunned and speechless, Mr. Satan stood in the living room, watching the staircase his daughter had just run up.

Something was more than wrong. What had that Dune girl done to his little girl?

*~*~*~*

Dende nodded as he received further instructions from a disembodied voice. He nodded his head one last time before the telepathic connection was severed. Piccolo stood off to the side, watching intently.

"What did she say?" he asked hesitantly. Dende turned to him, quickly masking his worried face.

"She's coming here," the young god replied. "She says she needs to tell the Z Warriors something in person that I can't deliver. And she also mentioned that she has to dispose of the threat herself." Dende let out a heavy sigh. "Why can't things on Earth ever be peaceful?" Piccolo grinned.

"Because we have the luckiest Saiya-jins living here," he joked, trying to lighten the dark mood. Dende tried to smile, but he was more than worried.

"I suppose."

*~*~*~*

"Are you sure this is wise?" Kaioshin asked the beautiful Supreme Kai. "Why can't you relay the message through Chikyuu's guardian? It would be much easier." Sukoshin shot his an honest glance that said, 'You should talk.' She turned back to the realm door.

"I don't seem to recall you 'staying behind' when Majin Buu was on the verge of a release," she said with a smile. "You didn't give the message to Dende-sama and sit back, waiting for results. You went to the source. You fought along side them. As will I. Staying back is something I've never done. I will not…in fact…I refuse to be held back! It's my fault to begin with. Dear Kaioshin, you'll have to chain me down with your most powerful titanium shackles to keep me from leaving." Kaioshin had to admit, she was bold. Nothing could hold back a woman like her, full of so much determination. He admired her for that reason, for that quality. And for that, he stepped forward with his own proposition.

"If you're going…" he began. "Then I'm coming with you." Sukoshin was slightly surprised.

"Are you sure that is wise?" she asked, mimicking his early comment. She chuckled lightly. "I suppose that will be fine. But if I tell you to leave because it becomes more dangerous, you must obey. You are the universe's protector. We are one of the few Kais left in this once large universe, before the days of Buu. The last thing we need is for its protector to be killed."

"It's my universe too, Sukoshin-sama," Kaioshin stated firmly. "And I will fight to the death for it." Sukoshin sighed and gave her best smile. She thought what he was doing was foolish, and yet it was the noblest thing anyone she knew had ever done.

"Right," she agreed. She waved her hand over the realm door, summoning it open. "We'd better hurry." The two gods walked through the heavenly gate and all became silent on Kaioshin's planet once the door was shut again.

*~*~*~*

Tuesday morning, Gohan woke up feeling very much miserable from yesterday's turn of events. He was so sure that he would have everything cleared up about Saturday's incident. Instead, everything blew up in his face. Videl hates him now.

"How could I let this happen?" he asked himself.

It never even occurred to him that the dreams he was having were trying to forewarn him about what was to come.

He didn't want to bring himself to go to school. The only problem was convincing his mother to let him stay home. She knew saiya-jin didn't get sick. There was no upcoming tournament to train for. He couldn't think of an adequate excuse.

"Gohan!" said her faint voice from outside his room. "Wake up! Time for school." Gohan groaned. Her voice was getting louder. He looked towards his window and saw a couple birds flying around. Then an idea popped into his head. She didn't have to know he ditched school. Hell, he had done it hundreds of times before when aiding Videl in crime fighting, and Chi-chi had never found out once. He let out another groan when he remembered that he had a test in Language Arts class. A major test that he couldn't just miss, or else he'd need a doctor's note. Oh well. So much for that idea. He hauled himself out of bed, strapping his Saiyaman watch on.

*~*~*~*

Vegeta threw a punch at an invisible enemy that only he could see. He felt the need to train intensely every since he had found that "Armageddon" file. If what was in that document was true, he'd be needing the extra strength. If it was true, then the universe's biggest threat was right here on Earth, for Kami knows how long, sitting in a goddamn statue.

He hated to admit it, but he really needed to inform every one. It'd be unfair if he was the only who got time to prepare for the upcoming threat. And he needed to tell Gohan about their plans for a 'host' or whatever, before they found whoever they were looking.

Vegeta grunted as he threw another punch.

He had the strangest feeling he was too late.

*~*~*~*

Gohan looked back and forth, scanning the school premises for any signs of…well, anyone, basically. The last thing he wanted was for people to start screaming and taunting him. All he wished was that everything could go back to the way things were when he had first started school. Back when he was a nobody, no one wanted to hang out with, no one picked as a target. He just wished it would all go away and vanish. If he could do things differently, he would've never become Saiyaman. That way, he would have never become mixed up with Videl and Buu and everything that followed. But then again, he couldn't deny that there were ups and downs with the whole…everything. After all, deny all he wanted, he had developed a crush on Videl. He didn't really think anything of it, though.

But things had come crashing down all around him. Now she hated him with all her heart for something he didn't even think he did.

But why should she believe him?

He was positively sure that Pearl had set him up. All the Armagen sisters had set him up. The only thing he couldn't figure out was why? Why would they go through all the trouble to break up his and Videl's friendship? Maybe they were jealous. But even jealousy wouldn't drive a person to go through so much planning. He had already come to the conclusion that one of them had sent the GGS club to his house for witnesses. That he had figured out when he remembered Dune's early comment about how they were going to be there a while.

Gohan cautiously entered his first period class, which happened to be Language Arts. He figured he'd get the test done with and skip the rest of his classes. No point in going to the rest since most of this work was child's play.

He checked his watch, glad that he was ten minutes early, so he sat at his desk and covered his head with a book. Only moments later, he heard the class door open and someone came storming in, sobbing. Gohan peeked from under his book and spotted Erasa of all people. He figured it was safe to come out since she was one of the few people who didn't hate him. Erasa paid him no attention as she buried her head in her arms and wept for an unknown reason. Warily, Gohan tapped her shoulder.

"Um…Erasa?" he said softly. "What's wrong?" She stopped crying and looked at him slowly.

"Something's wrong with her…" she whispered. Gohan had no idea who she was talking about.

"Who?"

"Videl…" Erasa sniffed as she wiped away her tears. Gohan panicked slightly. There were a million possibilities running through his head of what might be wrong with Videl. It could have been her freak episode yesterday, it could have been Dune after she took Videl away, it could have been… "She's so different." Gohan released the breath he had been holding. So that was it. Just a little personality change.

"How so?" he asked, once he regained some composer.

"I was…worried about her after what happened yesterday…" Erasa began. "So I gave her a call last night. Her dad said she wasn't home yet. I didn't think much about. I called her again this morning and she was home, but…she sounded kinda different. It was like her voice had no emotion. I asked if she was okay, and she just…started screaming and yelling at me! I didn't know what to do. She basically summed it up by saying 'Leave me alone', except in a much more colorful choice of words, one which began with F." Erasa let out a low, quiet whine. "I didn't say anything to her to upset her. I just…I don't know." She buried her head once again and continued to weep.

Gohan was completely speechless. That didn't sound like Videl at all. Of course, Erasa could be testing him. Then again, she couldn't fake a cry attack. She only cried when she felt her friendship was in danger.

The only Gohan could do was gently rub her back, trying to sooth her tears away.

The early morning bell rang out loudly, making Erasa groan in resent towards it. She had developed a headache from crying too much. Students walked in, each and everyone one of them, except Sharpner, throwing Gohan an evil stare. Sharpner, instead, gave Gohan a look of pity. His attention was drawn to Erasa.

"What happened?" he asked quietly. "What's wrong?" Erasa retold the story to Sharpner, also leaving him wordless. "We'll talk to her at lunch." And he left it at that. They currently had a test to worry about now. Erasa looked to her right, expecting to see Videl, but the raven-haired fighter was nowhere to be found. Instead, Videl was sitting in the back row along side the Armagen sisters. Realization dawned on Erasa as she put two and two together. She gave the sisters a dirty glare before turning back to the front.

"Okay class," Ms. Brady said loudly. "I'm gonna give you about ten minutes to study for the test, then I'm handing them out and I want complete silence afterwards. You may chit-chat with your neighbors if you need a study partner or need help. But please, try to keep the talking to a minimal volume so I can hear myself think. And I better not hear a single word that isn't related to Japanese class or history. Got it?" The class nodded briefly. "Then go!" Immediately, the class practically burst into chatter. Erasa took this time to confront Videl and find out if her suspicions were right.

"So Videl," Erasa started. "Where were you last night?" Videl stared a piercing hole through the blond.

"Didn't I tell you off this morning, Cry-baby?" she spat. Erasa felt her heart sting, but pushed it aside. At this point, Gohan and Sharpner turned around slightly to see what was going on.

"You were with them, weren't you?" Erasa growled, referring to the sisters, who were watching with interest. Videl didn't reply. "Why won't you tell me?" Erasa demanded. "I'm only trying to help you! I thought we were friends!"

"You were actually thinking?" Videl scoffed. "That's a first. Maybe there is actually brunette hair under all that blond."

"Stop it, Videl," Sharpner ordered gently. "If you know what you're saying is hurting her, why are you saying it?"

"Stay out of this, Pretty boy!" Videl barked. "If I wanted your opinion, I'd beat it out of you. And you know I would." Sharpner backed out somewhat. "Anyone else want to be a hero?" She turned her attention to Gohan. "And what are you staring at, Saiya-nerd? Got something to say, then say it!" Gohan looked away from her heated glare. "Oh what's this? The peacekeeper is actually backing out of a fight! Isn't it your job to butt in where you aren't needed? You seemed to do that a lot when we first met. Remember?" Gohan refused to speak. He didn't want to start an argument in front of the whole class. "C'mon! You know I'm right. Sticking your nose in places where it didn't belong! Well now Mr. Big Mouth has nothing to say. What a shame. I guess since you're off limits, I'll just go back to pissing off Erasa then."

"Stop it!" Gohan yelled, unable to stop the anger inside him from rising. "Just leave her alone! Haven't you tormented her enough?" Videl back off, pretending to be shocked.

"My, my, my," she snapped. "It speaks! And rudely, I might add. I thought your mother would have taught you better! Considering it was just her raising you since you killed you dad 8 years ago." Gohan gasped and choked on his own breath. "Oops, did I let that slip?" Videl snickered cruelly. He was fuming, by far angry.

This was not the same Videl he knew. Erasa was right. There was something wrong.

Not letting his Saiya-jin side conquer, he turned around and paid attention to his books.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Rice," Videl said sarcastically. "Don't go away angry! Just go away!" Gohan shut his eyes tightly, blocking out her voice. This was not the same Videl indeed. What had those Armagen sisters done to her? Videl would never say those things. She was usually very cautious when talking about his father…but what she had just said was unforgivable.

"Time's up!" Ms. Brady announced. "I hope you all studied well because this is going towards your overall mark. It's worth roughly 10% of your final mark." She handed out the three page test to everyone in the class. "Now take a second to put your name at the top and briefly flip through to get a feel of this test." Gohan looked through the test and came to the conclusion he'd be done in a few minutes. "Okay, relax, breathe, and…begin!" The teens opened the booklet and began writing. Within 2 minutes, Gohan was half done. But even so, he couldn't concentrate after Videl's outburst.

The class was rudely interrupted when Videl's wrist watch went off.

"Videl!" said the chief of police through the communicator. "There's a hostage situation going on at the Satan Casino. Videl! Videl, are you there?" Videl slammed her pencil onto her desk and pressed a button on her watch.

"Shut your trap, will ya?!" she screamed into the communicator. "I'm trying to write a test! Kami, why can't you ever deal with anything on your own?"

"Videl, we need your help!" the chief practically pleaded. Gohan peeked over his shoulder to see Videl ignoring the communicator. He finally couldn't take anymore.

"Ms. Brady!' he called, raising his hand. "I need to go!" Ms. Brady raised an eyebrow.

"Look, Gohan," she said, slightly miffed. "I know you're Great Saiyaman job is calling to you, but this is a very important test. I'm afraid you can't just leave! Videl's the only one who has permission from the police force to leave class." Gohan looked from Videl, to his test, then back to Ms. Brady. He scooted out of his chair and to the front of the class.

"Ms. Brady," he whispered. "Videl can't leave right now…she's not feeling well. I think it's…that time of the month." Ms. Brady's frown wore off.

"Oh…" she said, also quietly. "Alright, I suppose. But get a note from the chief of police, okay? I'll let you finish the test after the March Break." Gohan grinned and said his thanks before running out of the class.

Once he got to the roof, he switched to Saiyaman mode and took to the skies towards Satan Casino.

*~*~*~*

Landing soundlessly beside a barrage of police cars, he confronted the police chief, Daniel Newman.

"Saiyaman!" Chief Newman exclaimed happily. "Thank god you're here!" Daniel looked around Gohan. "But where's Videl?" Gohan hesitated with his answer.

"She's a bit under the weather," he replied. "She's not really herself today." That was the truth. Chief Newman accepted this answer and decided to fill in Saiyaman with the details.

"About five men have taken civilians and Satan Casino staff members hostage. Apparently, they were asked to leave because thy were causing quite a stir, but the men rebelled and pulled out guns, ordering everyone to get down. Now they're demanding for a helicopter and safe passage out of the country." Gohan nodded and turned to the scene.

"Do you have any snipers set up?" he asked. Chief Newman nodded. "Call them off. Leave these terrorists to me." With that, Gohan took into the sky and landed on the casino roof. It seemed really weird without Videl by his side, but he brushed off the feeling and carefully made a hole in the sun roof with a small ki beam. He slipped in and hovered above everyone where they couldn't see him. Spotting the five men, he created five small energy balls, enough to stun the men. He let them go and they found their intended target, knocking out the men before they knew what hit them.

"Too easy," Gohan muttered as he flew back out to inform Chief Newman of his accomplishment.

"Great job, Saiyaman!" the chief cheered. "I'm glad you're on our side! If there's anything you need, anything at all, just let me know." He checked his watch. "I bet if you hurry, you can make it back to school for second period." Gohan grinned goofily.

"Thanks," Then he remembered Ms. Brady's warning. "Oh, almost forgot. I need a note from you explaining where I was."

"Yes, just a moment…" Daniel quickly scribbled a note down and handed it to Gohan. "Thanks again, Saiyaman." Gohan levitated above the ground.

"Right, I'll see ya around, Chief Newman!" he said before leaving. 'Right, as if I'd want to go back to school.' He figured this was just the break he needed, so he flew to the outskirts to find a nice place to meditate.

*~*~*~*

Chi-chi hummed softly to herself as she washed the dishes. She placed the clean plate in the drying rack and moved on to the next dish. A moment later, there was a knock at the front door.

"Goku!" she called. "Could you get the door?" Not a second later, Goku was at the door, opening it and greeting the visitor.
"Vegeta!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" Chi-chi poked her head out of the kitchen and indeed saw Vegeta at the door.

"Where's the brat?" he asked Goku.

"Goten?" Goku replied. "He didn't get into trouble again did he-"

"Not that one!" Vegeta huffed. "Your first born."

"Oh! He's at school. Why?" Vegeta growled and looked towards the horizon.

"He's not at school. Tell me where he is!" he said calmly. Goku scratched his head, confused.

"Vegeta, I'm pretty sure he's at school. I saw him leave this morning." Then Chi-chi came around the corner at the mention of Gohan not at school.

"What do you mean he's not at school?" she asked quietly, not intending to interrupt them rudely.

"I sensed him leave the high school earlier," Vegeta replied. "I wasn't sure where he went, so I came to see if he came home."

"He ditched classes!" Chi-chi huffed. "Well, I'm sure it's because of his Saiyaman thing. So why do you need to see him?"

"I need to deliver information," Vegeta replied, turning slightly. The thought of actually helping Kakorrot's spawn sickened him. But he did have some respect for the demi-saiya-jin.

"Information?" Goku asked. The shorter saiya-jin sighed in frustration. He was going to have to tell them what was happening.

"Kakorrot, come with me. Shrew, stay here, and don't try to eavesdrop." Chi-chi sent him a daggering stare. Vegeta and Goku took to the skies and flew far from the Son's house, landing in a nearby forest. "Look, I'm only going to tell you this once, so listen carefully." Goku nodded, now in serious mode. "Your son has stumbled upon and pissed off three of the most dangerous people in the galaxy." Goku's eyes shot up.

"He did?! What didn't he tell me?" he exclaimed, surprised.

"Because he doesn't know! Baka! Has he told you about any new kids in his class?"
"Uh...yeah, three new girls."

"Those are the Armageddon Sisters, feared because they hold the key to annihilating the entire universe. I found a document describing the acts they've committed. Here's the kicker. They've been around for well over 10, 000 years. Doom, Crisis, and Pearl are their names. The reason they are feared is because their mother, Chaos, created a woman consisting of pure evil and power, capable of destroying anything in her way. Her name is-"

"Apocolypse." Goku and Vegeta turned to the source of the voice and spotted Kaioshin standing next to a strange woman dressed similar to a Supreme Kai. "Thank goodness you are aware of some of the circumstances," the purple-skinned woman said smoothly. "It saves me a good deal of explaining."

"Who are you?" Goku asked.

"My name is Sukoshin," the woman answered, bowing deeply. "I am a Supreme Kai, one who was around even before the Armageddon Sisters were even born, before Buu, before Apocolypse." She paused. "We need to find your son, Goku-san. It is imperative that every fighter be informed that they'll be lending their fighting skills in one week exactly. Apocolypse is coming."

*~*~*~*