-Important note!-Ewe… Another full day of editing. I really slacked off this time, I only had half of this written Friday night. I'm shocked I actually got it done. Just for the record, I want to assure everybody that this is story *is not* going to become a crossover of any kind, and is going to strictly stay DBZ. At the most there might be a brief mention of another anime somewhere down the road, but that is it at this point and time. In other words, don't be scared away because you think it might turn into one because it's not. Any of you that might've read review 116 will probably know what I'm talking about. Anybody who might want to ask me about it feel free to. I just wanted to make that clear. Anyway, here's chapter twelve and enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ, or any of the characters featured below. I merely borrowed them for use in this story.
Chapter Twelve
"All hail Prince Vegeta!" a voice boomed to a rumpus crowd.
Vegeta looked confused as he walked down the long hallway of the palace, eyeing everything around him suspiciously. It almost looked as if he were back on Vegeta-sai, but that would've been impossible. It was destroyed some time ago… Vegeta smirked as he looked down at his fellow Sayians kneeling down in homage all around him. "Humph… I must be dreaming. I'll have to say that my subconscious's detail is quite impressive."
As suddenly as they appeared, the people around him vanished leaving him surrounded by nothing but darkness. Vegeta growled softly as he began to move around in that unfamiliar domain until the outline of a large figure began to appear in front of him. Slowly, the figure became clear, and Vegeta's jaw nearly fell off his face. "Father! What is this?… Why are you here?"
"Like you said yourself my boy, this is a dream. I'm here to tell you how proud I am of you, and the mighty Sayian warrior you've become."
"Father…"
"What was that number?… 125 successful purging missions. Over thirty of them before your eighteenth birthday!"
Vegeta smirked slightly. "Something like that yes."
"That makes 125 planets you've destroyed." Vegeta's smirk immediately faded as his father said that. "And that comes to somewhere around 200 billion lives you've ended. That's an awful lot of blood on your hands my boy."
Vegeta growled, and lowered his head. "I…"
"What's the matter son? You should be proud of all you've accomplished! If I didn't know you any better I'd have to say you looked almost ashamed of yourself… Then again, I guess I can't blame you. You have grown rather soft after the past few years… You have a wife and kid now as I recall. I'm surprised you still have the mettle to live with yourself. You've almost gotten as bad as your rival Kakarott and his son."
"I am nothing like that clown Kakarott, or his brat!" Vegeta shouted. "Kakarott was an incompetent fool who has no clue of what it means to be a true Sayian warrior. He wastes all his time worrying about fighting for his family and friends, and that mud ball of a planet he calls home now! He knows nothing about what it's like to fight for pride and honor, and his brat has grown up even worse then he is! I am nothing like them!"
"Oh really now… You speak so ill willed of what he fights and stands for, yet both he and his boy are still stronger then you. While you train and fight for self-gratification, they fight to protect what's most dear to them… Maybe they're on to something Vegeta."
"…"
"Think about it son. What exactly do you have to fight for?"
Vegeta groaned softly before sitting straight up in his bed. His breathing slightly harder then it should've been, he wiped a small buildup of sweat off his forehead. He looked over at his wife who was still sleeping comfortably at his side. With a slight humph he tossed the covers aside, and sat up out of bed. He decided to stand out on the terrace a moment or two to collect his thoughts. It wasn't exactly a nightmare as some might call it… Disturbing yes, but not really a nightmare. He found himself looking up at the moon, and wondering how the hell it was back up there all of the sudden. He assumed Gohan or one of those other fools must've wished it back with the Dragon Balls.
Kakarott… Why does that name still haunt me?! No mater how hard I train my body, he's always one step ahead of me! Even in death as it seems… But how can this be? I was once the pinnacle of what a warrior should be! Strong, ruthless, void of emotion, and free of petty distractions… Everything Kakarott wasn't and yet… He still managed to surpass me in every way imaginable! My way was right wasn't it? Strength first over useless ideals… But how the hell?!… There's no way his brat can still be stronger than me! I've trained none stop over these past seven years, while he's wasted time reading books and gallivanting around with those useless human children… Or can he still be? I guess it doesn't matter either way. When he was eleven years old he reached a level of strength I'm still breaking my back to reach all these years later…What is their secret?! How can they… I stayed on Earth to study Kakarott to discover the secret of his power, and then the fool went and died on me… To save the lives of everyone on Earth… Including mine… What am I missing? Has it really been right underneath my nose all of this time?
"Vegeta?" Bulma said groggily, rubbing her eyelids as she walked out onto the terrace.
"Huh?" Vegeta mumbled, as his head turned slightly to see he wife walking up to him. "Oh, it's you woman. What are you doing up at this hour? Go back to bed."
"Don't tell me what to do," Bulma yawned. She wrapped her arms around Vegeta's waist, and rested her head on his broad back. "You know full well I can't sleep when you're like this. I can feel what you're going through, and you've got me worried… Your problems are my problems, and you know you can't hide them from me so don't bother trying."
Vegeta grunted, and continued to stare up into the sky. "Tell me something Bulma… You say you love me right?"
"Of course I do… Do you think I would've put up with you all this time if I didn't?"
"Would you mind telling me why?"
Bulma's eyes widened, and she raised her head off of Vegeta's back. "What? What kind of question is that?!"
"I was just wondering why…" Vegeta continued. "You know full well about my past Bulma… How many lives I've destroyed. How many planets I've purged. The numbers would startle you. Knowing all this you still married me?… Are you comfortable with what I am? You seem to act like it's nothing now. Like nothing ever happened even. I can't see how you don't see me as anything but a heartless murdering monster. Truthfully, I wouldn't have wasted a breath ripping your head off back when we were on Namek, but now… How Bulma?"
Bulma looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, I'd be lying if I didn't say all that bothered me at least a little Vegeta, and that I did see you as nothing but a bloodthirsty monster at one time. But things have changed now… You've changed Vegeta. When's the last time you've killed somebody that wasn't trying to threaten you or innocent people? When's the last time you've destroyed a planet? You can't help what you were raised to be Vegeta. It was even more of Frieza's influence then your own Sayian heritage. You deserved a second chance to live your life the right way just like everybody else. The way you never got a chance to do before. I accept and love you for what you are now, not what you were so many years ago. That doesn't matter to me anymore."
Vegeta stayed silent for a moment before a rare smile crossed his lips. "So I see… Thank you Bulma… I feel a little better now."
"Am I going deaf, or did you just call me by my name?! This must be a special occasion!"
Vegeta snickered softly. "Don't get used to it woman."
"Well, it was fun while it lasted." They both snickered softly, and spent the next few minutes staring up at the stars.
********
"I am so screwed Ryo, I don't know what I'm going to do!" Gohan ranted, as he paced around the grassy noel in front of the school. "I can't believe this! The Gold Fighter?! Sure I saved her in my Super Sayian form a couple of times, but she was down right rude to me! She pretty much told me to drop dead, and now she claims she's in love with him! Ah, my head's about to explode!"
Ryo leaned back against the brick of the school, trying his damn best to hold back his snickers. He wondered if Videl knew just how well her little scheme was working. "Umm Gohan… Need I remind you…"
"I mean jeez! She's known me for how long?! Six months now, but she's going gaga over some blonde hotshot she's seen like what, three times! This doesn't make any sense! What' so great about him anyway?!"
"Uh, Gohan…" Ryo frowned a bit, feeling his friend was toning him out.
"I know!" Gohan exclaimed with a smile. "Next time she's in trouble I'll save her as good old Gohan instead of the Gold Fighter! I'll show her I can do anything he can do if not better! I…"
"GOHAN!"
Gohan blinked a couple times, and looked at his friend who was now staring him in the face looking something that bordered along the lines of irritated and amused. "Huh? Oh hey Ryo, what's up?"
Ryo sighed, and put his hands on Gohan's shoulders. "Before you decide on doing anything that would make a total ass out of yourself allow me to remind you that… YOU ARE THE GOLD FIGHTER!"
"I know that and you know that, but she doesn't!" Gohan countered after Ryo finished shaking him. "I'm worried she'll be disappointed if she finds out it's me… Do you have any idea what kind of strain that might put on our relationship?! I'm knee deep in more messes then I can count right now Ryo…"
Ryo took his hands off Gohan's shoulders, and shook his head. "Did you ever stop to think that she might already think you're the Gold Fighter Gohan?"
"Well no…" Gohan looked thoughtful. "But if she did, why would she tell me she was in love with him instead of just telling me straight out?"
"To drive you nuts! She's a female Gohan, it's what they do! It's kind of a hobby of theirs."
"Maybe but… I'm not so sure about that… I just don't know how to handle this! My only hope is that the Gold Fighter doesn't have to make an appearance anytime soon. I need some time to figure out exactly how I'm going to act when I have to save her as a Super Sayian…"
Ryo sweat dropped. "Ah…."
Gohan face faulted. "I just jinxed myself didn't I?"
"Probably so... Videl is going to run into some trouble this evening sometime after sunset… I'm not sure where exactly, but from what I've seen it's a rural area."
"I'm not ready for this…" Gohan whined before a thought occurred to him. "Hey! Maybe I can help her out without transforming! That way I wouldn't have to face her, and maybe…"
"Gohan, think about this for a moment," Ryo interrupted him. "What are you going to do if you have to fly, or use some of your power in some way? How exactly are you going to explain that to her? You'll have two options after that. You'll either have to admit you're the Gold Fighter anyway, or you'll have to start lying to her, which I don't think you'd want to do. So, the way I look at it is that you have to decide whether you want to wait it out and let her find out who you are for herself, or come straight out and tell her."
Gohan appeared to think it over for a second. "So in other words, you're telling me I have to choose between lethal injection and the electric chair?"
"Pretty much… Look, why don't you just say the hell with it all together, and just tell the girl how you feel about her?! What are you so afraid of anyway? Aren't you the same guy who at six years old stood up to a maniacal tyrant named Frieza, and at the tender age of eleven defeated a ruthless monster named Cell? You're a 2nd level Super Sayian who also happens to be one of the strongest fighters in the universe, and you're going to stand there and tell me you're afraid of a teenaged girl who has her hair pulled back in ponytails?!"
Gohan looked Ryo straight in the face without changing expression. "Well… Yeah, she's a lot scary then they were. I'd rather face Frieza or Cell again any day rather than having to deal with Videl when she's mad!"
Ryo nearly fell over in typical anime fashion. He managed to stay on his feet with the support of a handful of Gohan's shirt. "I guess I'll give you that one… I suppose your fears do change as you get older… How about we find some sort of distraction to get your mind off of Videl before you worry yourself bald. Why don't we kill some time by trying to talk some of your friends into joining the Tenkaichi. It wouldn't hurt us if we had the deck stacked against whoever it is we're up against, and the tournament might not be all that bad with some decent competition in the mix."
"You know, that's not a bad idea…" Gohan admitted. "I know just who to ask first! Vegeta would join up just for an excuse to beat the hell out of me… Why don't we go talk to him? Bulma's been wanting to meet you anyway… And so has Vegeta… Sort of…"
"Ah…I've got nothing better to do at the moment, so why not? Okay let's go then," Ryo said, as he smirked. "You know, if you're that jealous you can always go Super Sayian. I'd be happy to hold you down while you beat the crap out of yourself."
Gohan frowned. "Shut up and fly!"
The boys took to the air, and it wasn't long before they landed in front of Capsule Corp. Gohan took a minute to prep Ryo on just what he'd be in for once he walked through that door. "Bulma's pretty cool, but she can get kind of cranky sometimes for something as simple as a bad hair day. Vegeta is another story all together… Just try to ignore him, because I'm sure he's going to try his best to get under your skin. He's convinced you're some sort of evil space alien who's secretly plotting to take over the Earth behind my back or something."
Ryo blinked a couple of times and then smirked. "Like he wasn't?! First of all I'm not an alien, I'm human. Second, what good would it do me to rule the world when I can't even get my own sister to listen to me!"
"Don't worry about it Ryo, I know you're one of the good guys," Gohan laughed. "Still I'm serious, don't pay too much mind to him if he threatens or acts hostile towards you. Just try to watch your mouth around him. He is as mean as he looks, but he won't actually do anything to you unless you provoke him… At least I don't think he will."
"You've made me feel so much Gohan," Ryo jeered. "Don't worry about me, I think I know enough about Vegeta to handle myself around him without too much trouble."
"I hope you're right Ryo, but I'm warning you… Well, you'll see soon enough."
It was true that Ryo did know more then he would've liked about the Prince of the Sayians by way of several visions staring Vegeta. Granted they weren't anything compared to what he'd seen of Gohan and Videl, but he was still confident he profiled this Vegeta fairly well. Still, he'd take Gohan's advice, and try to ignore the Sayian Prince if he could…
They were greeted at the door by a woman Ryo recognized as Bulma, and a young boy at her side that caught Gohan's friend off guard. Ryo knew it had to be her and Vegeta's son, but that was about all he knew about him. He hadn't observed too many visions of these people since the Cell Games, there wasn't much need to he figured, so Trunks along with Goten were still a bit of a mystery to him. Bulma seemed rather cheery and legitimately excited to see him. Of course this made the young man rather uncomfortable… He didn't like being the center of attention even if it was for as few as one or two people. Or in this case three, and the man that was really causing his heart to race. The man known as Vegeta. It wasn't the man himself that was bothering him, but the unscrupulous look Vegeta was giving him from time to time. Kind of like he was dissecting him, varying from a slight interest in the boy to general unconcern that Ryo was even breathing. Gohan sure wasn't kidding when he warned him about Vegeta… He tried to hide behind Gohan hoping to fade away, more from Bulma then Vegeta, blushing slightly as she and Gohan chatted. He could tolerate the staring, but not the attention from this strange woman he had never met before. However, Bulma just didn't seem willing to forget about the boy.
"So you're Gohan's friend hey Ryo?" Bulma greeted cheerfully. "He's told us an awful lot about you."
Ryo's face fell in mock horror. "He has?! It's all lies I swear!"
"Relax, it was nothing bad," Bulma snickered. "Now, what did you boys come all this way for? You must have a reason."
"Actually, we came to talk with Vegeta," Gohan told her, prompting a look of surprise from the man's wife.
"Vegeta? That's a first…"
Vegeta grunted, and looked up at Gohan. "Speak with me? Fine, just make it quick boy, and this better be good if you're going to waste my time."
"Don't worry, it's quick," Gohan assured him. "We just wanted to ask you if you wanted to sign up for the Tenkaichi Budokai next month."
"Why would I want to compete in that ridiculous human sideshow, when the entire field of fighters consists of nothing but pathetic human weaklings?!"
"That's kind of why we wanted you to join," Gohan continued, knowing just how to goad Vegeta into agreeing. "Ryo and I are signing up, and we wanted to recruit some people that are actually worth fighting. My dad did win the thing a few years back, so if you're afraid you can't do the same then…"
Vegeta growled, and slammed his fists against the table as he stood up. "I can do anything that clown father of yours can!"
"So I'm taking that as a yes?"
Vegeta grunted before smirking, and slowly sitting back down in his seat. "Fine then. I'll fight in your little tournament.. Personally, I think you've gone soft since your father's demise boy. This could be my chance to beat some sense back into you before you become an embarrassment to the Sayian race! Especially after that pathetic display against your human friend over there I had to subject myself to!"
"What?!" Gohan's jaw dropped. "You saw us fight?!"
"Almost the entire thing, and I have to say I'm dismayed to see one of the last members of our race is barely able to defeat a human! I was attracted there by your energy, hell you two gave off enough to power this backwater city for a month! I can't believe you didn't sense me! Have you let your senses dull that much in this peaceful times?"
"Well, we were kind of busy!" Gohan defended himself.
"So, I saw," Vegeta smirked. It wasn't rare for a Sayian to get caught up in fight, especially a good one, and pretty much forget the rest of the world around them. That was one area Vegeta was proud of Gohan in… Of course he'd never let Gohan or anyone else know that. "Truthfully, I'm looking forward to maybe taking a crack at your human friend over here, or so he claims, now that I know he can actually hold his own in a fight. I'd like to see myself just how far this *human* can go, and why the great Kakarott's brat here had to go super to defeat him!"
"Umm… I assure you sir that I am human…" Ryo said shyly.
Vegeta grunted, and turned his head away. "Sure you are… Too bad for you I'm not as gullible as that son of a clown standing next to you! I'll find out what you're up to… One way or the other."
"Nice to see you never change Vegeta," Gohan sighed, as he turned to Bulma. "Well, we better be going. I have a few other people I want to talk to before sunset. I'll see you guys later okay?"
Bulma and Trunks wished Gohan and Ryo farewell while Vegeta just grunted. Trunks frowned as soon as they were out the door, and looked up at his father. "That's Ryo huh? I don't see what's so special about him. He doesn't seem that strong to me."
"Humph, you are still a boy aren't you?!" Vegeta snorted. "Otherwise you'd be able to tell he's holding back his power, because from what I saw the other day he's stronger then you! On the outside chance he is actually a human, then you better start working hard because no son of mine is going to be weaker then any human! I don't care how old you are! What are you standing there gawking at me for?! Get to work boy!"
Trunks grimaced, intimidated into a panic. "Yes sir! I'm going, I'm going!" Trunks stammered, as he sped off towards the gravity room.
"That family certainly was interesting…" Ryo commented as he and Gohan exited the Briefs estate.
"You don't know the half of it. That was just your first impression, just wait until you get to know them. Vegeta actually behaved himself sort of…"
Ryo cringed. "Vegeta was pretty much everything I expected him to be… You know, what Mr. Rogers would be like in one of those evil parallel universes. I wish he wouldn't have stared at me that way though… He really can't believe I'm just a human?"
"Once Vegeta has something set in his head there's no chance on changing his opinion without clear and disputable evidence, and even then it might take weeks afterwards before he'll except the truth. Don't ever expect him to admit he was wrong though, or you'll be waiting until you're in your grave. Plus, I think he just down right hates the thought of any human being even remotely powerful compared to a Sayian."
"I figured as much…" Ryo trailed off. "So he wants to fight me huh? Do you think I out to be worried."
"Nah, Vegeta's days of killing people just for the hell of it are long over. Don't expect him to go easy on you though." Gohan smiled after that statement. "Actually, if I were you I might feel honored right now. It's a rarity for Vegeta to ever give anybody credit for there fighting ability let alone a human! What he said to you back there was Vegeta's way of paying a compliment, or the closest thing he'll ever get to it anyway."
"I'm jumping for joy," Ryo mumbled sarcastically. "So where are you headed next?"
"I think I'm going to head off towards Master Roshi's island, and talk to Krillen and Eighteen," Gohan replied. "I think that's really the only place close enough for us to fly to and back before sunset."
"Go ahead then. I've got someone in mind I'd like to try and talk into competing with us while you head to Roshi's. I guess I'll see you later then."
"Okay then Ryo. See you soon." Gohan waved good-bye to Ryo, and took to the air speeding off towards the turtle hermit's island. In his haste, he failed to hear Ryo's final words before he took off himself to some undisclosed location.
"Sooner then you think Gohan."
********
"Wah-ho!" Gohan whistled, as he did loops in the sky. Maybe he was overdoing it a bit, but he couldn't help being excited. Not only was this tournament shaping out to be one of the greats, it might just turn out to be a day to remember for the rest of life. So far it was going to be himself, Ryo, Vegeta, Krillen, and Eighteen all involved in the Tenkaichi, and yes… Goku, his own father. He was coming back, if only for a day, a man he thought he might never see again was coming home. For the first time in seven long years…
He'd have plenty of time to be excited later though, there were more important matters to attend to at that time. The sun was setting, and Videl could be running into trouble at any time now. He locked onto Videl's Ki, and isolated her location to a lush wooded area just outside of the city. A rather busy part of highway that cut through the forest was a bit of an eyesore, but the scenery was otherwise breathtaking. Gohan quickly located her chopper, but other then that there was no sign of Videl whatsoever. Not until he picked up the distant sound of a young woman yelling for help nearby. Recognizing that voice as Videl's Gohan immediately panicked, fearing he might already be too late, and rushed towards the source of Videl's cries.
He found Videl hanging upside down from a tall tree. Apparently her hands were tied behind her back, and she was squirming around erratically as if she was trying desperately to free herself. Gohan sighed in relief to see she was okay, and flew over to her giggling slightly at her predicament.
"Hey Videl, what are you doing up there?" Gohan jeered, as he landed directly below her.
Videl looked down at him looking annoyed at first, but then smiled when she noticed it was him. "Hey, it's you the Gold Fighter! It's about time you showed up! I'm not doing much… Just hanging around obviously…"
Gohan smirked slightly as he put his hands to his hips. "So I can see. Just hold on one second and I'll get you down from there."
"Oh, there's no need for that," Videl announced, as she released her legs from the branch they were hugging much to Gohan's horror. "Here I come!"
Out of reflex more then anything, Gohan stretched out his arms and caught her. She made a slight whooping sound as Gohan cradled her. He blushed as she looked up at him with one of those hypnotic smiles of hers, so distracting if fact that he failed to notice her hands were no longer tied, like they ever were in the first place. "Ewe nice catch. You've got strong arms you know that?"
"Videl, what is this?!" Gohan quickly put Videl down on her feet, surprising the girl with the suddenness of his actions. "You obviously weren't in any danger, so why pretend you were tied up like that!"
"Oh, sorry about that." A sinister smile crossed Videl's lips. "I just wanted to get your attention that's all… I never seem to see you unless I'm in some sort of mortal danger, so I figured this would be the only way to get you out of hiding."
"But, but… Why would you want to do that?" Gohan stuttered nervously, as Videl started to circle him slowly.
"I wanted to see you… I have to admit that I've been quite impressed with you gold boy…" Videl grazed the back of his neck with her finger, causing him to cringe as the hair on his neck stood on in. "Maybe even a little infatuated I guess you could say. Some of the things I've seen you do are just amazing…"
"I'm flattered really Miss Videl…" Gohan said shakily, as Videl circled him again. "But I have to say that I'm a bit surprised… I mean you barely even know me… You just don't strike me as the type of girl who'd…"
Gohan paused, as Videl circled back around to his front and stopped, looking up at him with the same smile that hadn't once left her face. He muttered something in gibberish, as Videl started to cross little patterns across his chest with her fingertips. The look of fear in his eyes was priceless, as they widened to gigantic proportions. "Come on… I may be the daughter of the World Champion, and the cities most celebrated crime fighter, but I'm still just a regular girl at heart. I may not be as wishy-washy as most of them, but I have feelings and urges just like any other girl." Videl groaned seductively, grabbing a handful of Gohan's Gi as she leaned up to whisper something towards his ear. "And quite frankly you make me hot being this close to you right now."
Gohan's body vibrated, echoing her sentiments enough to back away from her in a hormone driven panic. "Now please get a hold of yourself Miss Videl!… I'm sure you don't quite realize what you're saying!"
"Oh, I know what I'm saying," Videl teased, as she closed in on him again. "In fact, I think I'm in love with you."
Gohan wanted to jump out of his Super Sayian skin. "But Videl! You barely even know me! How can you possibly say you…"
"I know you better then you think," Videl cooed, as she backed him up against a tree. She kept moving closer until she was practically pressing her body up against his. Now there was nowhere for him to run even if he really had wanted to. "I happen to know that you're sweet, smart, heroic… Sexy as hell for another… A little naïve, but you mean well. Loyal, and a really good friend that you can count on to trust your life with."
"And how can you be so sure of all that?!" Gohan countered, trying to appear composed as he stared back into her eyes. "Can you really have picked up on all of that after only meeting me several previous times before this? You don't think is a little crazy and impulsive Videl?!"
"Not at all… And like I said, naïve."
Gohan looked a bit confused, but shook it off and tried to play off one of his hunches. Well, Ryo's actually. "How am I naïve? You're not just using me to make somebody jealous now are you Videl?"
"Actually, that's exactly what I'm doing," Videl replied, her expression not wavering one bit. "No hard feelings I hope."
Gohan looked a bit insulted at this. "So, you are just using me to make somebody jealous?!"
"Sure am," Videl giggled, as she poked him in the chest. "And from the looks of things it's working pretty well… Isn't it now, Gohan!"
Gohan would've fallen over if it hadn't been for the tree at his back, and Videl standing in front of him. Just when she thought he couldn't have looked more nervous all of the sudden he was, and it showed in his voice as well. "Wh.. What! How did you?!… I mean, what makes you think my name is Gohan?…"
"Don't even bother Gohan. You're not fooling me so give it a rest okay?"
"I…I…" Gohan began to protest, but in the end shrugged his shoulders deciding to accept fate for the way things were. "How long have you known?"
"Pretty much since your tore Rico's car in half…" Videl frowned slightly, as she rethought her answer. "Well, I had an idea anyway. To be honest, I wasn't completely sure until that night at the warehouse…"
"What made you so sure it was me anyway?"
"Come on Gohan, get serious," Videl said cheerfully, as she played with the collar of his shirt for if any reason just to make him blush. It worked beautifully. "Who did you really think you were fooling anyway? So you turned your hair gold, and you wear those colored contacts for your eyes or whatever you do. Everything else is pretty much the same when I look close enough. You walk the same way, have that same goofy look on your face when you're nervous, and the same sexy little smile… Eventually, I put two and two together, and decided you two must be the same person."
"I see…" Gohan trailed off a bit. Oh, I get it now… She's known I was the Gold Fighter this entire time, so she probably did this to get back at me for not telling her myself. She puts on a really convincing show though. Almost too convincing.
"Hey Gohan?"
"Huh? What is it Videl?" Gohan asked as he was pulled out of his thoughts.
"I'm not sure how you do this and all, but… Would you mind changing yourself back to normal if you can? No offense to the Gold Fighter, but I much prefer Gohan if you don't mind?"
"Oh, yeah sure." Gohan smiled absently as he powered down, and this seemed to surprise Videl to some degree. "Is that better?"
"Yeah…" Videl said, as she gawked at him. "There goes my contacts and hair dye theory. How in the world do you do that anyway?!"
"Family trait I guess you can say," Gohan replied somewhat honestly. "So I guess all those things you said about thinking you were in love with the Gold Fighter and that weren't really true huh?"
"Oh, I wouldn't say that…" Videl hummed, as she started to play with the collar of his shirt again. It was more out of reflex this time. She didn't want to look Gohan straight in the face out of fear she'd panic, or forget the lines she'd rehearsed earlier. Gohan's chest seemed to make for a good vocal point. At least it didn't have eyes that could stare back at her.
Gohan looked confused. "You wouldn't say that? But why? Like you just said, I am actually the Gold Fighter you know and?… Ah, ha, ha, ha…"
Gohan began to stammer as Videl looked him in the face, grinning in that evil way of hers. "And what's your point?"
Videl was so blatant that even poor Gohan wasn't naïve enough for that to go over his head. A small part of him wanted to scream like a little girl and run far away, but most of him just went numb. Then suddenly, almost as soon as it appeared, his nervousness faded, and a more mischievous side took over. So, she was talking about me! This entire time, and I didn't see it… Still, she didn't have to try and drive me nuts like she's been doing! Well, two can play at this game. It's payback time Videl. "So what am I going to have to do to keep you quiet about this?"
"Hmm… Let me think…" Videl did just that for a moment or two. "I know! How about you teach me how to fly, and I'll keep your little secret."
"Nope sorry, won't do it. I'm sorry, but I refuse to be blackmailed."
Videl cocked and eyebrow, and crossed her arms. "You refuse my request?! You better do what I say, or by Monday morning the entire school's going to know who the Gold Fighter really is."
"No they won't," Gohan smiled confidently. "Because I know you wouldn't rat out a friend like that, so I don't have to worry about you telling anybody my secret."
Videl sweat dropped. "Ah crud… You know me too well… Oh well, I had to try though."
"I'll tell you what though. If you ask me to teach you how to fly then I will. Because you're my friend after all."
Videl smiled at this. "Okay, it's a deal then. Now, what are you smirking about?" Videl asked him, hoping she already knew what the answer was.
"Well, just kind of disappointed I guess. I really thought you liked the Gold Fighter for a while there… I guess he wasn't the guy you've been talking then. So who is it?"
Videl's cheery expression fell right off her face. "Excuse me?!"
Gohan looked innocent as he replied, and only smiled on the inside. "Well, this guy you've been talking about obviously wasn't the Gold Fighter, so who is it really that you've been flaunting about all this time then?"
Videl bit her lip to keep herself from screaming. It only worked for a while, at least until her entire face turned blood red, and that just seemed to better symbolize things when she finally blew her stack. In a final act of frustration, she pulled down on her ponytails, and hollered like the foghorn over San Francisco Bay. "LOOK, IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT BY NOW THEN YOU NEVER WILL! YOU ARE SO… AH TO HELL WITH YOU, THIS WAS A COMPLETE FREAKING WASTE OF TIME! YOU ARE SO CLUELESS GRRR!"
Gohan just smiled as she stormed away, mumbling to herself. "No, not clueless this time. You drove me crazy over the last couple days with this Gold Fighter thing, and I'm sure you know the old saying. What goes around comes around?"
It wasn't long after that when the realization of what this all meant sunk into Gohan's head, and he spent the good part of the next half hour thinking things over. Mostly things he'd overlooked in the heat of the moment. Like all the sweet things she mentioned about his personality and so forth, and remembered back to several months ago and a few of the things she'd said about her mystery crush. Now he felt stupid for never picking up on it before… For several months now she'd been trying to lay her feelings in on him, and he was too self-conscious with himself to actually believe she'd be talking that way about him… Most importantly, how she said she was *in love* with the Gold Fighter, not that she liked him. Now he was faced with the dilemma of assessing how deep his feelings ran for her. He'd never really thought about it before, basically because he wouldn't allow himself to. Maybe that should've provided a hint right there… He had admitted he was developing feelings for her at one juncture, but that 'L' word never once popped into the scenario. Ah hell, who was he kidding. She was a sweet and self-reliant girl, who could be pushy, but well meaning and loyal to the end. Not to mention how crazy she could make him over the simplest things, and this over protectiveness he'd been feeling towards her as of late. He never acted this way with anyone else before, and never quite could understand what he was feeling… Maybe the last thing that crossed his mind was the actual answer for what he was going through… Maybe he shouldn't let her slip through his hands if he really had a chance…
Gohan was bound to lose some sleep over this, so he might as well wait until then before he debated over this subject to awful much. He still wanted to talk with Piccolo before he called it a night. This Tenkaichi Budokai just wouldn't feel right with out him involved.
********
Gohan flew straight to Dende's lookout where his good friend and mentor spent most of his free time. As expected, he was greeted upon his arrival by Dende and his usual one-man entourage of the black genie Mr. Popo. "Gohan, isn't this a pleasant surprise. It's good to see you again."
Gohan greeted his childhood friend with a smile. "It's good to see you too Dende as always. I'd come by to visit more often, but you do live kind of out there…"
"I understand Gohan," Dende smiled. "I assume you're here to speak with Piccolo. He's around back in the training area. He's been expecting you."
Gohan's eyes widened in surprise. "He has? Well, I guess that shouldn't surprise me. He always seems to know what's going on before anyone tells him. Well, I'll talk to you later Dende. Mr. Popo."
Dende and Mr. Popo watched as Gohan disappeared around the back of his house. "Do you think he's really ready to know?" Mr. Popo asked the Guardian of Earth.
"To tell you the truth, I don't see why Piccolo had to keep this from him at all." Dende smiled as he thought about it. "Or maybe that was more of Kami's decision. Whatever it is, I'm sure Piccolo has good reason."
"There you are Piccolo," Gohan smiled, as he found his old teacher leaning up against Dende's house. "I heard you were expecting me."
Piccolo grinned at his young prodigy. He always felt a sense of pride seeing his old student all grown up as he was, a byproduct of the fatherly affection he'd felt towards him over the years. "I had it on good word that you'd be showing up to speak with me. So, what's on your mind?"
"Well, I was wondering if you'd like to compete in the Tenkaichi Budokai next month. Myself, a couple of my friends, along with Krillen, Eighteen, and Vegeta are all going to compete… Oh, and I guess I shouldn't forget to mention… My father."
"GOKU?!" Piccolo's face lit up with shock. "But that's not possible is it? I mean he's…"
"Well, apparently he has something worked out, and he's able to come back to the living world for twenty-four hours. He's going to use it to compete in the Tenkaichi."
"Things should be interesting then," Piccolo said thoughtfully. "As for your question I was already planning on competing in the Tenkaichi. Somebody else already asked me."
"Oh really? Who was that now?"
Piccolo turned towards Gohan and smiled. "Another student of mine asked me to join some time ago, and I decided to do it."
"Another student of yours?" Gohan smiled, assuming Piccolo was just joshing him. "Since when do you have another…"
"About one year, nine months, and twenty-eight days now," a familiar voice said from behind Gohan. He turned around to the gaze of a pair of brown eyes, as the boy smiled at him. "Hey Gohan. Fancy meeting you in a place like this."
"Ryo?!" Gohan turned his head towards Piccolo. "Piccolo?! What's going on around here?!"
"I think it's about time I explained a few things to you Gohan," Piccolo said, as he approached his former pupil. "You better sit down. This is going to be a long story."
Gohan, Ryo, and Piccolo all sat down in a circle, and Gohan listened intently as Piccolo began his story. He cycled through various emotions as he looked back and forth from Piccolo to Ryo. Disappointment that his mentor and friend would keep something like this from him for so long, and excitement that he was seemingly going to learn more about just who or what Ryo actually was being the two most notable emotions he was feeling.
"I guess I might as well start from the beginning. It all began quite some time ago when Kami was still the Guardian of the Earth. You see there are strict rules forbidding the guardian of a planet from getting directly involved with their planets struggles, other then providing guidance or training that is. That's why it's really no big issue that Dende isn't much of a fighter. Kami knew that one-day powerful forces would come to Earth from the outside, and threaten the Earth's very existence. Such as with the original arrival of the Sayians, and the current appearance of the Ray Lien for example. Kami had fallen in love with the planet of Earth and the many inhabitants that resided here, but he wasn't delusional. He knew it's peace and prosperity would be threatened, and he was also well aware that the human race as a whole was not a very strong one compared to many of the other races scattered around the universe. A large-scale invasion from any of these outside forces, and the earthlings would've been practically helpless. Kami knew he had to do something about this. He made a request to the Kai's, and they agreed to allow him to bend the rules just a bit. He was allowed to observe the Ki patterns of newly born infants on Earth, and watched for those that possessed unique properties that set them apart from average humans. When he found one to his liking, Kami pumped a small portion of his life energy into that infants soul, therefore giving whoever that soul the ability to advance and increase it's own abilities while most humans have a certain limit they can reach before their bodies can't take anymore. For example with Yamcha and Krillen. It doesn't matter how hard they work or train, their limitations as humans won't allow them to grow much stronger then they are now. However a being's strength comes from that being's Ki, meaning their life force, and in laymen's terms what you might consider your soul. The true power of a living being resides in their spirit, and the stronger the sprit the stronger that being can become depending on the situation. Kami selected several souls in this process that he hoped had what it took to amount to something… Though this might come as somewhat of a surprise to you Gohan, the first infant he picked was you."
"Me?" Gohan gaped, still trying to digest everything Piccolo was telling him. "But why me? I was already a Sayian."
"Yes, but at the time Kami chose you, he didn't know Goku was a Sayian yet. You see, this all started right after you were born. All Kami knew was that Goku was an incredibly brave young man who had fought to protect this world without concern or regard for his own well being. You see there were two tests for each soul Kami chose to pass. The first being that they had to possess some sort of potential or hidden energy to work with, and even if Kami did grant them the means to push all that to the limit, that didn't guarantee they'd ever be able to use or even know about that power. They had to pass the character test first. Kami wasn't about to allow some loose cannon, like Vegeta for example, to go running around with powers he could use to destroy the planet as easily as he could to protect it. Kami figured the child of Son Goku would be as noble and courageous as his father was. In my honest opinion he couldn't have been more correct. That's where the origin to your true hidden power lays Gohan. That's why your energy's always been so different, not because you're half human. You released a part of that when you fought Cell all those years ago. It might appear to the ignorant that you've gotten much weaker over time, but that power is still laying dormant just waiting until it needs to be called upon again."
"Wow…" Gohan mouthed, as he looked at his hands. "I guess that would explain some things. Are there any more of these people you know of?"
"That's where the problem lies. After I fused with Kami, some of his memories were sketchy when his knowledge merged with mine, and couldn't remember just whom Kami was keeping tabs on. It's even a possibility that Kami himself lost track of them eventually, even though there was only three or four of them. Still, I saw how important this task might be, and decided I should continue on with what Kami started. I did manage to find one of them at least," Piccolo grinned, as he nodded towards Ryo. "At least I think I have anyway."
"I see…" Gohan said, as he grinned at Ryo. "So you've been training him to bring out this power of his… This explains why his fighting technique seemed so familiar! He was taught by the same guy who taught me!"
"Something like that but not exactly… Why don't you tell him your story Ryo. I think it's about time. I'm sorry I had you keep it to yourself for so long Ryo. I'm sorry about keeping you in the dark as well Gohan, but I felt it was for the best."
"I understand Piccolo," Gohan assured him. "If you thought it was best to keep it from me then I'm sure you had a good reason. As for right now, come on and spill it Ryo! I've been wanting to hear your story for the longest time."
Ryo smiled, and lowered his head. "Okay then… I guess it's time. Ah…. Like I've told you're before my dad use to move us around a lot when I was a kid. He was never home much even after work, and he was always drinking. Eventually, my mother got tired of it, and left him taking me with her. We moved to a town called Manco just about a twenty-minute drive away from Tokyo. At that point in time my life had just mutated into a total disaster. I never really had any friends…" Ryo blushed slightly. "Well, except for Amy of course, but at that time I pretty much thought she would've forgotten about me by then. That's how I went on thinking. I was always shy, always quiet, and the other kids at school could just be as cruel you can imagine. I never let it bother me much, but when it was stacked against everything else going on in my life it was getting to a point where I could barely stand it. My parent's divorce hit me the hardest… I loved my mom, I really did, but she was rather young when she got pregnant with me… Quite frankly, she was probably one of those women who should by no means have ever been a mother… Bless her heart, she sure tired though. With no other family I could really speak of, and my sister hundreds of miles away I just pretty much decided to hell with life all together."
"He was a total wreck," Piccolo jumped in. "I began to follow him around, and study him because of this strange energy I sensed from him. It led me to believe he might be one of the kids I was searching for, but when I saw the kind of life he was leading I thought there was no way this boy could ever pass the character test. He was one of the most pathetic pieces of work I'd ever seen, I'll tell you that much."
"What were you doing that was so bad?" Gohan asked curiously.
"I just stopped caring," Ryo sighed, as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I was letting my grades slip in school, and I started drinking all the time. Funny how the sins of the father can reflect on the son huh? Despite how much I hated him doing it, I did it myself. I pretty much said to hell with everyone, and would either ignore or act flat out hostile to just about everybody… I even tried to kill myself one night by jumping off the balcony of my apartment. Lucky for me some unseen force stopped me, or I might've just went through with it."
"What kind of unseen force?"
"I'm sorry, but I can't talk about that," Ryo grinned. "I haven't told Piccolo about any of that yet, and I don't plan to. I'm obligated to a promise I intend to keep."
Gohan looked like he wanted to protest, but Piccolo prevented him from doing so. "Lay off Gohan. He's entitled to his privacy."
"I know, of course he is. Now what happened to you after that Ryo?"
"Well quite honestly… Things slowly started change. I can't go into this much, but my life was changed forever that night. I finally found a little direction in my life, something I had been desperately searching for, for a long time. Let's just say that's when I found out I wasn't your ordinary human." Ryo giggled softly. "I had some problems excepting that direction at first, but now I can't imagine what my life would've been like without it. It's nice to have a sense of purpose in your life you know. I might've never accepted it if it hadn't been for… I met another young man named Takura shortly after that. He was a lot like me in some ways, only the complete opposite if you know what I mean. He was kind of shy, and never said a whole lot. He would tend to distance himself from people, but that was more by choice aside from myself who was more forced into it. I don't know what it was about him, but we really hit it off somehow and became really good friends. It was through watching him and the way he lived his life that changed my view on the world. I thought I had it bad, but this guy had things worse in every possible way. His parents were both dead by the time he was eleven so he practically had to raise his sister on his own, he lived in this dump of an apartment that was so filthy that the roaches had packed their bags and set off to search for greener pastures, and at least I had food on the table on a nightly basis. He had to scratch and claw his entire life just to stay alive. The thing was that he never complained about it… He never blamed anyone else for his misfortunes, and he wouldn't allow the hardships he was forced to live through control the way he lived his life… Not like I did. He always told me that we have a lot of influences in our lives, but when it all comes down to the wire that we are the only ones who can determine how our lives are going to be lived. We have to decide whether we want to be good or evil, whether we want to be part of the solution or part of the problem. There are a lot of people who'll try to mold us into what they want us to be, but we have to decide whether we let them or not. In the end, the only person we'll have to blame for the life we chose is ourselves. I kind of took that to heart…"
"Hold on a second, I thought you said you didn't have any friends outside of me and Videl?" Gohan asked, bordering along the lines of curious and sympathetic. Maybe it was an insensitive question, but Gohan was too into Ryo's story to notice.
"I never said I didn't have any friends, I said I didn't have many," Ryo corrected him. "I'm very careful with what words I choose to use, that way I can never get caught in a lie. I actually have a small ring of several people I guess you could call my friends, but they rather not be broadcasted to the world if you know what I mean. Anyhow, things really started to pick up, and headed towards the way things are now somewhere around two years ago. A lot of things happened over the next year, but we'd be here all night if I told you so I'll skip all that. As you know, I was always considered a bit of a dorky guy, and even more so when I was younger. I was shy and didn't talk much, a bookworm, and I was a bit on the frail side I guess you could say. Ah, what's the point of beating around the bush, everyone thought I was a pussy. I would look in the mirror and see the same image they saw, and I couldn't help but think along the same lines. You know teenagers can be real assholes at times, and a lot of people singled me out for it. I never let it bother me for the most, but one-day things just went too far. A couple of my classmates started saying really nasty things about my mother and sister… It hadn't been that long since my mother… Well, needless to say my temper was on hair trigger at that time. Luckily, I avoided taking out my anger on them, and instead turned my focus to the wall behind me."
"So you punched the wall?" Gohan asked. "What's the big deal about that?"
Ryo smiled. "I put my fist right through it, and left a nice extra eight foot window in the middle of Mr. Yagami's science class. Needless to say, those guys who were harassing me never bothered me again, and I knew something strange was definitely happening to me. It wasn't long after that when I was approached by Mr. Piccolo over here."
"Like I said, I had pretty much given up on the boy some time ago," Piccolo picked up where Ryo left off. "However, a year later I felt a huge pulse of energy that I didn't recognize. I found out that that energy had come from Ryo, and somehow his strength had almost tripled in the past year. Not only that, but his character was much improved, as he seemed to have turned his life completely around. As I observed Ryo I noticed that he seemed to be somewhat aware and in control of the new Ki surges he was experiencing, but for whatever reason it seemed that he either didn't completely understand what was happening or was unwilling to accept it. I decided it might be beneficial to both of us if I confronted him about it. It wasn't long after that before he exposed his unique powers to me."
"What kind of unique powers?"
Piccolo smirked, and turned towards Ryo. "Why don't you give him a demonstration Ryo?"
"With pleasure," Ryo said, as he jumped to his feet. "Do you remember when I told you I was psychic Gohan?"
"Yes."
"Well, over time I discovered that I can do things that I'm wagering most psychic's can't," Ryo smirked, as he formed a small ball of purple energy in his hand. "Like this for instance."
Gohan stood up, and stared at the small swell of energy in confusion. "Yeah so? It's just a ball of Ki. Anyone who knows how to use their energy properly can make one of those."
"But that's where you're wrong Gohan. This isn't a ball of Ki from my life force." Ryo pointed at his head. "This one was created from up here."
"What?!"
"Somehow, Ryo is capable of summoning up his psychic energy, and is able to channel it through the rest of his body. Somehow, he was already well adept at this before I even introduced myself to him." Piccolo frowned a bit and lowered his head. "I've tried to duplicate the process, with his help, by using the small amount of psychic energy I possess, but all my efforts so far have failed. I can only assume that you must possess a high amount of psychic energy to call it out, or this ability is soully exclusive to Ryo."
"Wow," Gohan gawked.
"It took some convincing, but I finally convinced Ryo and…" Piccolo growled as he thought about him. "That pathetic excuse of a trainer he had before me, to allow me to take him under my wing so to speak. He could already control his psychic power perfectly, so I focused on building him up in other areas. He was a decent fighter already, for a human anyway. About roughly as strong as your friend Videl back on Earth, when he wasn't using his psychic abilities that is."
"Wait a second! What do you know about Videl?!" Piccolo and Ryo just grinned at him, and the boy immediately shut up. "Never mind, forget I asked."
"As I was saying…" Piccolo continued. "I taught him the finer points of martial arts, the proper ways to train his body, and how to use his Ki. As we found out over time, when he mixed his Ki with his unique psychic abilities, Ryo's strength nearly doubled in almost an instant. It also appeared to stimulate his body, and allowed him to push himself beyond the limits of most humans. That why he's so much stronger then the average human. He also seems to learn rather quickly. He could pick up on things just by watching me do it. Remarkably, despite how intense it could get at times, after only two years of training and one day in the Room of Spirit and Time, Ryo has already reached the level he's at today."
"What?! That's almost unbelievable!" Gohan sat back and smiled. "Man, I need to get to work, or your going to be stronger then me before I know it!"
"Don't get too far ahead of yourself now Gohan," Ryo chuckled nervously.
"Though Ryo can improve steadily with regular training, unless he finds some other way to increase his strength, such as I did when I fused with Kami and Nail, then I'm afraid Ryo cannot grow considerably stronger then he is right now. He is still a human, and unlike Sayians beings like us have our limits to just how much energy our bodies can control. As of right now, Ryo's almost reached the top of his threshold, at least for the time being."
"I see…" A part of Gohan was disappointed to hear that, and another part sighed in relief. "So, you've been training him for two years now?"
"Actually, it was only a little more then one," Piccolo smirked. "Ryo surpassed me quite some time ago, so there wasn't much point in taking lessons from me any longer. I couldn't keep up anymore, so I would've been holding him back. That's when he decided to move into Satan City, and enroll in school there. To look into several vision's he'd been having at that time."
"Wait a second…" Gohan said thoughtfully. "I bet that's how Ryo knew so much about me… You told him didn't you?!"
"Actually no." Piccolo responded. "I didn't tell him a thing, I didn't have to. If fact, he educated me on a few things."
"I see… So, about these people you said Kami lent some of his power to… Are there any other's you know of, besides Ryo that is?"
"Actually yes, there is a couple we suspect…" Piccolo replied. "To tell you the truth, I'm not sure if Ryo's one of them or not. I think his ability might be either natural or comes from somewhere else. He had potential, so I decided to train him anyway. As for your question, we do have a couple people we've been keeping our eyes on just in case. They definitely have unique energy patterns, but we may never be positive on just who these people were… Hopefully we'll never need them."
"Who are they, just for my knowledge?"
"Well, one of them is my old friend Takura," Ryo answered. "As for the other well… We do have good reason to believe that one of them just might be Videl…"
"I probably should've guessed huh?" Gohan said softly. "It makes sense though. I always wondered how she got so strong, considering she has Hercule's genes and all. Wait a second… Do you think that may be why the Ray Lien are after her?"
Ryo nodded his head. "I've suspected as much, but I have no clue how they might've discovered that if they have. We don't even know if she is for sure."
"But why would they be after her and me, and not someone like you Ryo?"
"Ryo has done an excellent job keeping a low profile to this point," Piccolo answered for him. "You can't hit a moving target in the dark. You can't see it if you even know it's there."
"That makes sense…" Gohan sweat dropped as a thought occurred to him. "Umm… I'm kind of embarrassed to ask this, but just what did Ryo tell you about Videl and I Piccolo?…"
All Piccolo could do was smirk. "Enough. So tell me, I'm I going to be invited to the wedding?"
Gohan fell over, and Ryo just started laughing. "He's jumping the gun a little there! By the way, you told me Videl was going to be in trouble! She wasn't in any danger, it was all a setup! You knew about what she was planning the entire time didn't you?!"
"Well duh. You're just now realizing that? Maybe Vegeta's right, you are getting slow!"
"You think it's funny huh? I'll give you something to laugh about!" Gohan charged after Ryo who took off in the other direction. "Get back here!"
Piccolo remained still, and closed his eyes as his two pupils began flying circles around Dende's lookout. "Humph… Kids."
End.
-Well that's all for now. I really got into the ending there from everything with Videl and Ryo. I'm usually disappointed with myself when I finish a chapter, but this one I actually got excited over. Turned out much longer then I thought it would to.
Preview of Chapter 13! It's the day before the Tenkaichi Budokai and… Sadly everyone who wants to sign up for the tournament has to suffer through the Satan Hercule carnival being held the day before! Oh, and is custom with all G/V fic's this is the part when Gohan teaches Videl how to fly! I can't see how anything can possibly go wrong here… Then again, I'm usually wrong about these things…
