Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z, or any of its characters. They belong to Akira Toriyama. I own this plotline, however.

AU plotline: What if Chichi had died having Goten, and Gohan blamed himself for everything?

Note: The school system will *not* be Japanese, meaning they will move to different classrooms, not have the teachers come to them.

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THE SHADOWS OF MY HEART

Chapter Three-Enter: The Golden Warrior
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He felt short. That was strange. What had happened to his last seven years of growth? Gohan opened his eyes in confusion and promptly screamed.

Littering the ground all around him were bodies. Not just any bodies, though that would hardly have been better. There was Yamucha, his arm twisted at a strange and unnatural angle. A random Cell Jr. appeared out of nowhere and grinned maliciously at Gohan. Then he picked up Yamucha's mutilated arm and started kicked him in the side.

There was Kuririn, trying to push himself up weakly but always being beaten back down. High, trilling laughter from seven different places sent chills down Gohan's spine, and a deeper chuckle, menacing and delighted, dripped with threats of pain.

There was the young man from the future, Mirai Trunks, who was doing better than Kuririn and Yamucha, but it wouldn't be enough to save him in the long run, Gohan knew. He watched helplessly, screaming, begging Cell to stop, desperately trying to claw his way to his friends, but the way was blocked.

And there was his father. He was so drained from his fight with Cell that he could barely managed to put up a fight, but he did what he was capable of. Each time he hit the dirt, the air would leave his lungs in a soft, wheezing *whoosh* that sank tendrils of despair into Gohan's heart. Each time Gokuu was struck to the ground, he managed to somehow turn his head towards his son and smile, oh so painfully, with so much love and faith shining through his onyx eyes that Gohan was terrified, and he became a sobbing four-year old all over again, wanting to help his daddy.

He had to help his father- he *had* to! He couldn't watch those trusting eyes dim in death, lose the sparkle that held his life together. It was unthinkable, it just couldn't happen. But every time the air left Gokuu's lungs, it was a second closer to happening, and Gohan was terrified. He *had* to do something- but how, how, how?!

//Think, you worthless piece of-!!// Gohan cursed himself. If he was so smart, if he was so strong- oh why did his father think he was so strong?- why couldn't he do something?!

Abruptly, Gohan wasn't scared any more. He was numb. Cell was in front of him, bloating and still laughing horribly. Cell was growing and growing, and Gohan simply shut down, because he had failed. Again. Gokuu's faith had been misplaced. He had betrayed his father's trust. And because of Gohan..everyone would die. His knees hit the dirt, as if he couldn't support his own weight.

Then he looked up, and those eyes were gazing at him so lovingly, with so much pride that Gohan nearly couldn't take it. //Why are you proud of me?! Why do you look at me like nothing I've done matters?! I've failed! I've failed, I'm worthless, I didn't listen! Why must you still love me when I hate myself for what I've done to you, to everyone else?!//

"Goodbye, my son."

And he put a hand on Cell's side. //W-why would he do that? Why is he looking at me as if to memorize every detail? We'll be together in the Other World.Why does he sound like he's apologizing when everything, everything is my fault?//

And then Gokuu disappeared, just as the impact of what his father had done hit Gohan. His eyes widened in shock, and the cries of the other Z- senshi reached him. Then, even his knees couldn't hold him anymore, and his hands scrabbled at the dirt desperately, then pounded on it.

His father, the pillar of strength and love in his life, was gone. And in vain, though he wouldn't know that until later. Gohan screamed as though his heart had been shredded to pieces in his chest.

"DAAAAAAADDYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!"

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"DAAAAAAADDYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!"

Gohan shot bolt upright in bed, his throat constricted and hoarse from screaming, his legs tangled in the sheets, and his whole body drenched with sweat. He panted and shuddered as he fell back on the mattress, his eyes wild and panicked for a while, until the throes of the dream had subsided.

His whole frame convulsed with dry sobs, but he wouldn't let the tears fall, instead biting the inside of his cheek viciously enough to draw blood. When he had finally quieted, he sent a thanks to Dende that Goten slept as if dead. He had never once woken when Gohan was in the grip of his nightmares, which had always been often enough. He had had this dream about once a week.up until a month ago. Then it started coming nearly every night.

Gohan lay very still for a few moments, then got up and walked out to the window of his second story room. He hadn't moved into the master bedroom when Chichi died- no, that stayed untouched, and the door unopened except for when Gohan was exceptionally depressed, and wanted to drown himself in memory.

He now resided in the guest bedroom, down the hall from the master. Goten slept in Gohan's old room, except for during thunderstorms, when he crawled into Gohan's bed and wouldn't budge until his brother slid in next to him with a sigh and let the small boy snuggle close into the protective embrace.

Gohan watched how the shadows and moonlight played across his bare chest, then looked out to the night sky pensively, and saw that the moon was full. But that was okay, he reasoned, since Goten's tail had been removed at birth, and he himself had been missing the appendage for some time. The full moon posed no threat now, nothing posed a threat anymore, but Gohan kept on guard, anyway.

Sighing, and knowing that he wouldn't be able to get to sleep for some time, the demi-saiyajin padded silently across the room, out the door, and down the stairs, until he stopped with his hand on his brother's door. It wasn't closed all the way- Goten had always liked for it to be open just a little, so that some light could spill through when Gohan was up late studying. That way, he could always reassure himself that he wasn't alone.

Gohan pushed the opening wide enough so that he could slip through and watch Goten sleep. The small warrior child had his head lolling at the foot of the bed, one foot on the pillow where his head *should* have been, and the other leg hung off the bed. His mouth was wide open, and he was.not exactly snoring, but breathing very, very loudly.

The tall figure of his brother looked him for a while, mystified with the innocence that he saw there. //I was that innocent,// Gohan thought wistfully. //All the way up until Dad died. Even after Radditz and the other saiyajin, Garlic Jr., Furiiza, and the androids.All the way up until Cell.// From this point on his thoughts darkened, and he left Goten's room, not wanting to soil the pure atmosphere of the tyke's abode.

He reflected on these thoughts over a cup of hot milk in the kitchen, turning them around and looking at them from every angle. He was so preoccupied that he almost- *almost* -didn't notice the familiar presence hovering just outside.

Struggling hard to wipe his face clear of emotion, Gohan called out, "You might as well come in, Piccolo. I was going to come see you tomorrow anyway."

There was no click of the door, but suddenly Gohan heard the rustle of that white cape right behind him. He didn't know how the namekjin had gotten in without use of the door, but he didn't mind, so he didn't pay it much attention.

"Why were you going to do that?" the gravelly voice inquired, sounding neither upset nor impatient. It was simply Piccolo's voice, as it always had been, and for some reason that eased Gohan, just the smallest bit.

The youth chose not to answer the question directly, since he knew that Piccolo would derive his meaning no matter what he said. He knew this was true, even though they hadn't talked formally in seven long years. But the years didn't seem to matter.

"I'm starting school tomorrow," Gohan stated, glancing up to see what his old sensei made of this. Would it ruffle the enigmatic man? "High school, that is." No outward reaction, other than the slight twitching at the side of Piccolo's mouth, and Gohan didn't know if it was intended to be a smile or a frown.

"Bulma's idea, was it not." It wasn't a question, and Gohan frowned, //Hey.//

"You're cheating," the young saiyajin said abruptly, a slight scowl marring his flawless features. "You were supposed to be all surprised when I told you, but you've been hanging around Dende, lately, haven't you? He's been keeping you up to date on everything that's gone on, hasn't he?"

"He *is* the God of Earth, you know," Piccolo said, and the twitch of his lips was most definitely a smile, this time. Or maybe a smirk. "All seeing, all knowing, that sort of thing."

"That little sneak," Gohan muttered, without malice. He looked down at the floor, then sighed, and looked up again. "Well? Are you going to say anything?"

Piccolo didn't, for a few moments, while he leaned against the cupboard behind him.

"A bit pointless for you, isn't it?" he allowed finally. Gohan smiled, a genuine smile that was so different from the half-hearted, bitter ones he usually gave.

"Yeah." And he left it at that. They just stayed like that for a while, in a comfortable silence that didn't seem at all awkward, despite spending so much time completely cut off. His mentor wasn't pressuring, blaming, or accusing Gohan of anything, though the boy felt that he deserved it.

"Goten's gotten really big, hasn't he?" Gohan broke the silence. He wasn't really thinking about what he said. His brother was always on the edge of his thoughts, and so it seemed only naturally to bring him up.

"Yes. And he's quite powerful, too," Piccolo said, nodding slightly. "I've sensed you sparring from time to time. Although I've seen nothing that indicates that he has a hidden power like yours, he has great potential."

A tremor ran through Gohan at the mention of his secret, terrible power, though he didn't know why. He used the transformation often enough, had even almost transcended beyond it. Maybe it was because the last time he'd used it in Piccolo's presence had been during the Cell Games.

"You plan to keep training him, of course?" The question brought Gohan from his reverie.

"Y-yes. Definitely. Until I have no more to teach him, or until he surpasses me," the boy said quietly, looking someone morose.

Somehow, Piccolo got the feeling that Goten wouldn't ever surpass Gohan, but he wasn't about to say so. It wasn't the sort of thing that Gohan would take comfort in.

Instead, he just said, "Hmm," and the subject seemed closed. A few more minutes ticked by in silence, broken only by a loud gargling sound coming from Goten's room, but neither of them paid any attention to it. Gohan was again the first one to speak.

"Are you angry with me?" he asked, forcing himself to lift his head and look Piccolo straight in the eye, even when he was trembling with unjustifiable fear at his core. What if Piccolo was angry? What if he wasn't forgiven? If Piccolo couldn't forgive him, then how could Gokuu ever?

"Why should I be angry?" Did he- did he actually sound *amused*? Was that a good thing or a bad thing?

"Because I avoided you- everyone -after Mom died. Because I've never tried to talk to you after then. Because I was so selfishly caught up in my own grief that I forgot about everyone else." Piccolo was surprised at Gohan's level tone, and the steadiness of his voice, but also deeply proud.

"Those are not reasons," he said, shaking his head. "It was-a horrible thing that you went through, Gohan, even in our world of horrible things- I.would have made it worse if I'd tried to make it better. What you needed most then was your own way to make it through alive, not the advice of someone else. Grief is personal."

Gohan nodded, surprised at his normally reserved teacher's eloquence. He hadn't realized that before, but.yes, it was.

"But now you're ready to start living again, for yourself and others, and I hope you have the best of luck. Rest assured that you will be seeing more of me now, whether that should be your wish or not." And with that, Piccolo clapped his hand on Gohan's shoulder, and was gone in a whirl of white cape.

Gohan blinked, then half-smiled and said, "Show-off."

Then he realized that it was four-thirty in the morning, he had had almost no sleep, and that his first day of school started at eight o'clock. Further, he had to take Goten to Capsule Corp. beforehand, and get to school at least fifteen minutes early to get his schedule.

"Shit."

-------oooo000oooo-------

".and stay out of Vejiita's way, don't try to blow up the gravity room, don't touch any of Bulma's inventions, ask before you get food, don't just raid the refrigerator, and *don't* let Trunks talk you into any crazy stunts like last time, ok, gaki-chan?" Gohan finished, eyeing his brother severely.

Goten looked up, his cheeks stuffed with food, his eyes wide and innocent. "Huh?"

Gohan slapped his forehead and groaned. He really needed some more sleep. "Just, just don't get into any trouble, please?" he sighed.

"Of course not, Ani!" Goten said, nodding vigorously, and if Gohan hadn't known better, he would have thought the little devil was being absolutely sincere. As it was, he just ran his hand through his hair for what must have been the hundredth time since he'd woken the hyperactive kid up and grimaced.

"All right, gaki-chan," he frowned. "Two minutes, then we're going." At this announcement, Goten began shoveling food into his mouth more frantically, trying to cram as much in as he could.

Our young hero sighed again. Because he'd wanted to get as much sleep as possible before his first day, he'd decided to use the adaptation of Gokuu's Instant Transmission that he'd come up with a few years back to get him to Bulma's place. Normally, he didn't like using it because of the memories it incurred, so as soon as they were in the city he'd go about getting to places in the normal way.

"Time's up, Goten," Gohan said, knowing that it hadn't been two minutes yet and smiling at his younger brother's indignant splutters. He couldn't get much out, though, because his mouth was stuffed, so Gohan just grabbed his arm and concentrated.

-------oooo000oooo-------

Bulma hummed happily, zipping about in preparation for Goten's arrival. Vejiita was closeted in the gravity room, per usual, but Trunks was bouncing on the balls of his feet impatiently.

"When's he gonna get here, Mom?" he complained finally as they headed to the living room.

"Not long, dear," Bulma said absentmindedly, then rounded on her son unexpectedly, sticking her finger in his face.

Trunks eeped.

"Now you listen to me," the blue-haired inventor said viciously, "You will *behave* yourself during the times Goten is over-there will be *no* leaving Capsule Corp. grounds unless I give you permission, and for Kami's *sake* don't bother your father. Do. You. Under. Stand. Me?"

"Yes," Trunks said, nodding vigorously and staring apprehensively at the finger still pointing threateningly at him. Several years later he would marvel that she had been able to make him feel so small, even though he was many times more powerful than his mother.

"Good," Bulma nodded, satisfied, turned around-and immediately screamed as Gohan and Goten appeared in her living room, right where she'd been about to step.

"Gah! Don't do that to me Gohan!" she shrieked, a hand over her heart. "You gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry about that, Bulma," Gohan said blithely, not in the least bit guilty- he even offered her a smile that she wasn't sure was genuinely apologetic, or just smug. Now that he was really going to school, he was feeling a bit resentful, and actually felt gleeful that he had startled Bulma. //Serves her right, springing this high school thing on me.//

He watched as Goten scampered over to Trunks and then they disappeared around the corner. "Tell me if Goten gives you any trouble, all right?"

Composing herself, Bulma said sweetly, "No, I'm sure he'll be a perfect little *angel*," smoothing her hair, and obviously under the impression that Goten was exactly like Gokuu, and that since she'd known Gokuu, she could well handle Goten. Gohan's face twitched. Oh, would she learn some things in the next few hours.

"You just go off and have fun now," Bulma said, shooshing him toward the front door.

Gohan's expression soured, then he thought about what Chichi would be doing if she had been there to usher him off to his first day of school. The slightly amused, slightly exasperated look on his face twisted into a grimace, but he managed a dry, "I'm sure," so as not to worry Bulma.

He headed towards the door, slightly annoyed when Bulma followed him, and actually pushed him out the door.

"I'm going, I'm going, yeesh," he said irritably. "If I didn't know better I'd think you thought I was going to chicken out." Gohan saw the sheepish look on her face and scowled.

"I-am-*going*," he said finally, emphasizing it as if it would erase her suspicions. Then he moseyed down the sidewalk slowly, just to make her squirm.

-------oooo000oooo-------

Gohan set a brisk pace, fairly confident that he'd be early enough to get his schedule, but not wanting to chance it. He sighed, running his hand through his hair. //Is this really such a big deal to Bulma?// he wondered, and knew the answer before the thought was even completed.

//Oh, well, if it gets her off my back.// Gohan stuck his hands into his pockets and frowned. He had been prepared for Bulma to set conditions on bringing him 'back to life,' but wasn't high school a little much? //But if anything.weird happens, I swear by Kami I am so out of there,// he thought crossly.

Feeling annoyed with himself at how temperamental he was being, Gohan smoothed his features into a careful mask of indifference, just in case any morning risers caught him with his guard down.

Gohan noted with detachment that he was walking down Cherry Avenue, and that he really ought to get out the directions that Bulma had scribbled down. Doing so, he discovered that he was halfway to school, and it was only seven-forty. Gohan nodded to himself. That left five minutes to get to school so he could get his schedule.

Something like a smirk crossed his face. Simple. //I could have had five more minutes' sleep,// he thought, with a touch of irony.

After a few minutes of walking leisurely along, Gohan slowed and frowned. There was no one else on the sidewalks, and no cars in the street. It looked, to be honest, utterly deserted for a mainstream street. His eyes narrowed warily, and his frame tensed.

//It's way too quiet,// he thought tersely. //It may only be seven-thirty, but there should still be plenty of people around.//

It was then that he heard the noise.

His head swiveled to glare intensely down the street. What was that? He listened carefully, straining with his saiyajin enhanced senses. There! Gunfire, down the street. It was pretty faint.but it was gunfire, all right.

Immediately, Gohan blurred out of sight with his faster-than-the-eye-can- see speed, and was at the scene in seconds. It was a bank. A bank being robbed, to be more specific. He'd arrived just in time to witness the black masked robbers coming out of the bank.

The demi-saiyajin swore viciously, ducking behind a building, mind instantly zooming along several potential courses of action. He had to get in there, now, before anyone got hurt. It wasn't exactly his area of expertise, being far lower on the criminal scale than the mass genocide that he usually prevented, but he was *right there*, and he couldn't let anything happen without another load on his already heavy conscience.

Making a split second decision, Gohan flared easily into super saiyajin-it was so easy, now, horribly easy to make that transformation from calm black haired warrior to aqua-eyed, gold licked demon with explosive, destructive anger simmering just below the surface.

Just as he was about to go flying into the fray, he realized- he could be recognized by the badge on his shirt. Biting off a curse, Gohan concentrated on a trick he had adapted from Piccolo, and a light shimmering- not from his aura-fell over his body instantly. He thought of the first things that popped into his head-his father, and his saiyajin heritage.

When the glow faded, barely a second later, he was wearing a black bodysuit under new-style saiyajin armor, the kind Bulma had designed those years ago, white gloves, and a red strip of cloth tied around his forehead. But also, he had on baggy orange pants, and black boots. All in all, he was clothed as a traditional saiyajin on his upper half, and like his father on the other half.

A frown flitted across his face, halfway bewildered, halfway sad. //What weird combo,// he thought, then decided, //But I like it.// And he dashed around the corner, scarcely two seconds after arriving on the scene.

The thieves were loading their loot into a getaway truck, keeping the police at bay with machine guns while civilians huddled behind squad cars and in alleys fearfully. Someone who looked like the officer in charge was yelling into his walkie-talkie over the sound of occasional gunshots. Gohan didn't pay much attention to any of that, though-he leapt over the police cars and immediately his elbow collided with a burglar's face.

He paused for a moment, smiling with satisfaction at the crunching sound, and watched as the man dropped unconscious to the pavement. There was silence for a second, then-

"Holy shit, who the hell is that guy?" It was a small man in black at the driver's seat of the truck.

"Who cares, shoot 'im!" someone else yelled, and a barrage of bullets was loosed on the half-saiyajin teen. None of them hit, and the police as well as the thieves were blinking in confusion at the empty spot where the youth had stood a second before.

"Wha.!"

"Where'd he go?!"

"Peekaboo." Gohan reappeared in front of one of the thugs, hopping nimbly over a discarded sack of money and gracefully kicking him into the bank wall, ten feet away, hard enough for it to crack. //If it weren't for the audience, this would be almost.fun,// Gohan thought.

"He's just a kid you idiots! Shoot him! Shoot him!"

Another robber recovered from his shock and threw a punch, while the rest of his cohorts either cocked their guns or hurried into the truck. Gohan smoothly turned his head, and the fist flew by a scant centimeter from his ear, before he almost disdainfully cracked his knuckles on the man's chin. He went flying, and didn't get up.

There was a slight hesitation from the four remaining thugs, so Gohan reached out a hand and motioned to them. He allowed his eyes to narrow and his mouth to tilt in a dangerous smile.

"Come and get me," he crooned, his blood singing. Without of waiting for them to do just that, he flew into their midst and started letting loose. When he dropped the last one to the ground, he noticed that the truck was speeding away rapidly, swerving in panic.

Gohan's face twitched in disgust. //How could they leave their friends behind?// his human side wondered. Filthy cowards! his saiyajin side crowed. They abandon their comrades! It will mean their blood dripping on my hands! Kill them all!

Instead, Gohan lifted his arm and yelled, sending a pulsing chi-wave after them. When it impacted, the men inside screamed, and the truck crashed end over end, finally skidding to a stop, upside-down and completely totaled.

Though his human side was tsking at him for wasting energy, his saiyajin side was near in hysterics with glee at causing another being bodily harm. Ignoring the little angel/human and devil/saiyajin running around on his shoulders, Gohan turned around and eyed the police and the huge crowd of civilians that had gathered. //Don't those cops know to keep people away from a dangerous area?// he thought with annoyance.

"Wow." someone said in awe, echoing the sentiments of everyone gathered there. Gohan sweatdropped, then saluted, and shot off into the air.

-------oooo000oooo-------

...... "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! OH MY KAMI!!! I'M LAAAATE!!!!!"

-------oooo000oooo-------

Videl sprinted down the street, her heart pumping wildly as she approached the police chief. //Oh my god, there's a huge crowd, did anybody die?! Oh my god!// She pushed her way through the crowd hurriedly, ("Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me.LOOK, will you GET out of the WAY?!") and stopped apprehensively by Police Chief Warren, who was jotting something down in his notebook.

"What happened, Chief?" she asked. "I see you don't need my help.Did anyone get hurt?"

He turned around carefully. "Nobody but the burglars got hurt, Videl," he assured her.

"Then what's wrong?" she inquired, confused.

"Well.it's just that." he paused. "There was this kid, okay? He looked somewhere around your age. He just popped out of nowhere, dodged bullets, beat the crap out of the thieves, and.when he yelled as the truck was getting away, it just flipped right over. It was incredible. Impossible." He motioned towards the wreck, where ambulance sirens were going off. "And then he *flew* away!"

Videl stared blankly. "Let me get this straight," she began slowly. "He could dodge bullets, beat up a bunch of martially trained criminals, and make the truck crash when he wasn't near it? And fly?" She made little fluttering motions with her hands. Chief Warren nodded, looking kind of sheepish.

"I know it sounds unbelievable, but everyone in this crowd saw him, ask anyone," he said defensively. "This guy was amazing. If I didn't know better, I'd say he could fight almost as well as you."

Videl rolled her eyes, //yeah, right,// then she rubbed her temples. "Well, who was he?" she asked crossly.

"Nobody knows," Chief Warren told her. "All that I can tell you is that he was dressed really strangely; some kind of armor and orange pants. Looked like some kind of weird warrior. And he had green eyes, and his hair.it was gold."

"Blond, then?" Videl said, raising an eyebrow.

"No," he said uncomfortably. "Gold. And it was glowing."

"Glowing gold hair," Videl repeated. Then she buried her face in her hands. "Great. A vigilante freak. Just my luck."

//I don't believe this!// she thought angrily. //If they don't go for being a criminal, they have to be a superhero! I have *enough* to deal with, and now I'm going to have to track down some weirdo in tights who thinks he's up to saving the world!! .Okay, so not in tights, but same diff!//

Videl turned away from the scene with a scowl etched on her face, and began heading towards Orange Star High. //He didn't even approach the police about working with them! He could have been endangering people's lives! And what's worse, he didn't even talk to me! No consideration! Yellow bellied coward! Couldn't stand up to the pressure of facing Videl Satan! He *should* be scared! Encroaching on other people's territory, *that's* what this is..// ::grumble, grumble, grumble::

She was nearly late by the time she got to school, but she hadn't been in any particular hurry. Everyone in school knew about her activities with the police, so she was granted special license by her teachers. Or maybe it was just because she was Hercule Satan's daughter.

When she entered her English classroom, she was shocked to learn that the news about the mysterious vigilante had already spread to the school. In fact, she thought, if it was already at the school, it was probably all over the city by now.

"This is sooo awesome! The Golden Warrior! It's a perfect romantic setup!" Erasa gushed enthusiastically, the only one in the room who was safe from Videl's dangerous expression, and could therefore ignore it. "I mean, if he's a fighter, he's bound to be hot! And a superhero, too! Can't your just *imagine* being saved from some peril by him at the last instant?! Being swept away in his arms?!"

Everyone in the room sweatdropped, and Videl snorted, the thought utterly incomprehensible to her.

"Yeah, *sure*," she yawned. "I don't *do* the damsel in distress routine. I'd just beat up the bad guys and go home. Or beat up the bad guys, then beat up the knight in shining armor for assuming that all girls are weak and need to be saved, and *then* go home."

Everyone minus Erasa sweatdropped once more, but Erasa simply brushed this off airily. "Yes, of course that's what *you'd* do, Videl, sweetheart. But other girls aren't fortunate enough to be the daughter of Mr. Satan." She winked at Videl. "Besides, this way, you get to spend your crime fighting time working with a hot guy!"

"Oh, please!" Videl scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I will *not* be working with him. I'll be chasing him down to try and find out who he is and turn him in. I don't allow vigilantism in my city."

Erasa huffed, but left the subject be. At least, she didn't say anything more about it to Videl. Instead, she immediately turned around and began discussing it with several other girls in the class.

A motion caught Videl's eye, and she turned her head to see Sharpner holding out a mirror and preening. She raised an eyebrow appraisingly. Sharpner worked out at her father's gym a lot, *and* he had blonde hair. No matter what the Chief said, Videl just didn't believe that glowing hair existed.

"So, Sharpner," she said casually, leaning toward him. "You wouldn't happen to be the Golden Warrior, would you?"

"In you dreams, babe," Sharpner laughed. "I don't have time for to be a superhero when I could be at the gym. And just *think* what the stress would do to my hair! It could go stringy!"

//Well, *that* question is answered,// Videl thought, giving a mental sound of disgust and leaning back into her chair. //Where in the world am I going to start looking for this guy, anyway? He could be anywhere, and I really don't know much about what he looks like. Hell, I don't even know how *old* he is! I could be looking for a guy in his fifties!!//

She thought for a few moments more, ignoring the noisy chatter around her like a person who tuned it out often. //The best thing to do is to wait until he shows up again,// she decided finally. //People like him just can't give it up. I bet, the next crime I go to he'll be there. All I have to do is make sure I get there first. Simple enough.//

That settled, Videl smiled confidently. It was only a matter of time.

Then she, along with the rest of class, was startled to the edge of her seat as the door opened loudly and a total stranger walked in.

-------oooo000oooo-------

Gohan fingered his schedule, scowling. The goddamn principal had chewed him out for being late, saying how this was "the finest available academy for high school learning around", and he "should be ashamed of himself", and did he "want a bad record on his first day?", and "you're going to give the school a bad name!" Gohan himself was usually quite punctual-which just made it all the worse to sit and have to endure the ranting.

"Note to self," he muttered. "Avoid all further confrontations with principal." Not to mention that, since the man had taken a disliking to him, he had been detained further to undergo an entrance exam. Gohan rather thought that the guy had slipped him a *college* entrance exam, but it didn't matter. The stuff was child's play, really, and he had finished it quickly, passing it with 100% in every subject. And after that, boy, did the principal change his tune!

Giving a little sigh, Gohan focused on finding his classes. It should have been no problem, but damned if the school wasn't shaped like a maze.

"Room 206, room 206." So intent was the demi-saiyajin on his quest that it was a few minutes before he did a double-take and realized that he'd already passed the room. There was chattering inside, and Gohan glanced once again at his impossible schedule. First period- English. //Oh, right, like there's anything in this class I don't already know,// he scoffed, tacitly leaving out that he was at school to work on his social skills, not his education.

//Maybe Lime will feel sorry for me and enroll, too,// he thought wistfully for a moment, then shook his head. No, he was being stupid. Even if he was fairly sure that she would join him if he asked, he was uncomfortable with the thought of having an ever-present friend, and he wouldn't wish this hell on her, anyway. That he was even thinking about it showed he was desperate, and he did *not* like being desperate, so he knew that he wouldn't ask her when he saw her again.

Wiping his face perfectly smooth, and clearing his mind of troublesome thoughts, Gohan pushed the door open with a bang and entered the classroom. There was a sudden hush as everyone took him in, and then whispers flew across the room. Gohan nearly cried when he saw a girl with short-cropped blond hair sitting near a largely muscled boy with long blond hair.

//Why, oh why are *they* here?// Gohan cried to mentally. //Oh, I get it. Dende, this is your sick joke to get back at me for not visiting more often, isn't it? Isn't it?!//

"Oh, hello, you must be the new student," the teacher's polite, clipped tones intruded into his thoughts, and Gohan was pulled back into the present.

"Sorry I'm late," he said quietly, walking over toward her and handing her a note that the principal had given him. "I got lost."

"That's quite all right," the lady said with a friendly smile, and Gohan took a closer look at her. She was a rather petite young woman with dirty blond hair pulled back in a loose ponytail, and squarish, green glasses perched on her nose. When she smiled, a small dimple appeared in her left cheek. All in all, she looked pleasant enough, Gohan concluded.

"The principal phoned me while you were on your way," she informed him, sliding him an awed look. Then she turned to the class. "Everyone, this is your new classmate. You could learn a lot from him, he got *perfect* scores on the entrance exams." More furious whispering among the students.

Gohan offered her a hint of a sheepish smile-the best he could offer-unused to the praise. He was taken aback when she blushed furiously and cleared her throat, looking away from him. Gohan frowned again.

"I am Ms. Azriel, Mr. Son. Why don't you introduce yourself to the class and tell them a bit about yourself, hm?" she said hastily, sitting down at her desk and burying her nose in some papers, her cherry red forehead the only part of her face still visible.

"Okay," Gohan said, sneaking an suspicious glance at her. Why had she blushed when he smiled at her? Then he slapped on his indifferent mask and switched on his don't-get-close-to-me forcefield before turning to the class.

He opened his mouth, and was momentarily put off when that girl-what was her name, Ersera? Erasa? that was it-along with a few other girls, burst into fanatical giggles. Gohan winced and automatically shot her a sort of unpleasant look, but he couldn't help it! The high pitched shrieking just wasn't good for his ears. She didn't seem to notice, anyway, but the black- haired girl sitting next to her definitely did.

She fixed her blue gaze on him in open, insulting challenge and Gohan bristled under her hostile, scorning stare. He didn't like being looked at that way; it was the way enemies looked at him when they only saw a small boy they could readily crush.

Gohan subconsciously began to snarl-to reveal his rather sharp canines-but remembered himself at the last moment. Instead, he settled for flicking his eyes away from her disdainfully. He felt a small spike in her chi, and was satisfied that she knew he'd snubbed her. The whole encounter took about five seconds.

"I'm Son Gohan," he said bluntly, removing any inflection from his voice and crossing his arms in an unconsciously antisocial gesture. "I live out near the mountains, and have been home-schooled up until this point."

He pulled up his mouth in a way that was more like baring his teeth than a proper smile. Several people shivered, from a thrill of excitement or an elusive fear.

He snapped his gaze quickly up to that impertinent girl again, and was perversely pleased when he saw she was scowling.

He stretched the not-smile a little wider. "Pleased to meet you."
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RaliNeoBlade: Finally, the Golden Warrior makes his appearance, and the plots gets off its lazy ass and starts to move. IMPORTANT!!!!--Saiyaman will NOT be appearing in this fic. Gohan will remain the Golden Warrior, or just 'Warrior'. I consider the Great Saiyaman an embodiment of the non-AU Gohan's geekiness, and am therefore doing away with him entirely.

Rali: I'm extremely sorry that this took so long to update. You're probably all sure that I'd abandoned this completely, but I haven't. Actually, I had half of this chapter done AGES ago, but I've been quite uninspired since then. I'm really sorry. I'm sort of a sporadic writer-I can only write when I get inspiration, so it'll probably be a while before the next chapter, too.(sigh) I'm really sorry. School's been hectic, too, but that's no excuse.Anyway, thanks for all your lovely reviews on the previous chapters! ^_^ Read and review.