AN: I'm back in town, folks! Show choir competition in Minneapolis all weekend. The Mall of America rules! Shopped till you drop…or at least until the bus leaves. Four hours of wonderful shopping…oh yeah, and a first runner-up trophy from finals. Not bad, considering Totino-Grace is probably one of the toughest competitions in this area of the country. Lots of big name schools in the show choir world. Okay, enough of me babbling, you're hear to read the story.
This fic is still alive! Since YSY is done, this will officially become my priority fic. We'll see where it goes. I'm sorry updates are taking so long, but I'm trying. Jazz band wraps up tomorrow, so there goes on of my activities, and show choir's done in less than a month. So my time will be freeing up a little bit in very short order. Man…it feels like I started this ages ago. Oh wait, I did. Oh well. I don't own DBZ.
Chapter Nine—The Search Begins
Goten was crying again. Actually, he hadn't really stopped, but there were times when it got worse than others, and this was one of those times. The poor kid was heartbroken over the loss of his brother, and nothing could make him feel better. Not even the knowledge that his brother would be coming back as soon as the Dragonballs were gathered.
Videl sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing the chibi's back and letting him cry himself out. It was really the only thing she could do, that and listen to the rumble of conversation outside the closed bedroom door. The rest of the gang was out there, finishing preparations for the Dragonball hunt. They were going to leave very soon, and she was determined to be ready when they were.
It had actually taken a while to convince them that she needed to go with them on this search. For some reason they didn't think she should go along. But she'd thrown a very cruel card in their faces, and proclaimed, "Well, Gohan would let me go." She knew it was true, and they knew it was true. It had been terrible of her to say that under the circumstances, but it got her what she wanted—the guys agreed, and she was accepted into the mission.
"Brother…Gohan…" Goten kept hiccuping.
"Shh…" she whispered. "He'll be back soon." She couldn't put much emphasis on the words, since she wasn't quite sure if she believed them herself. If he decided to hang around Otherworld with his father and not come back…well, Goten wouldn't be the only one shattered.
Krillen pushed open the door. "Videl, you ready?" he asked, looking unusually solemn.
"Ready when you guys are," she said. "Just let me say goodbye here, okay?"
The short man's eyes fell on the sobbing form on the bed, and his expression softened. He nodded and disappeared from the doorway.
Videl pulled the child into her lap and wrapped her arms around him. "Shh…we're going to get the Dragonballs now. As soon as we get them, we'll wish him right back. You'll have your brother back soon, sweetie. It'll all be okay."
He sniffed; new tears were mixing with old ones on his face. It was the most heartbreaking thing she had ever seen in her life. "I…*sniff*…hope…so…"
"You'd better believe it, squirt," she said, using a nickname she had heard Gohan use many times in reference to the chibi.
It wasn't lost on Goten. He looked up at her. "Brother…calls me…that…"
"I know. Can I call you that too?"
After a moment of thought, she got a nod for an answer.
"Okay. I'm gonna go now so we can make Gohan get his butt back here. Sound good?"
"Uh-huh," Goten responded, looking miserable. He hugged her tightly. "Be careful, okay? Don't get hurt or killed too."
"I won't. Trust me, with those guys hanging around, there's no way anything's gonna happen to me. How could it with guys like Piccolo and Vegeta for babysitters?" Videl said calmly. "Just don't tell them I said that. Okay, squirt?"
"Uh-huh," Goten said again.
"Hang tight. We won't be gone long. You have to be tough." Hadn't Gohan said almost those exact words to her a couple of nights ago, when they'd met in her dream? She set the chibi down on the bed and ruffled his hair affectionately, feeling her heart break as his little chin kept quivering. "Take care of your mom and yourself, kiddo. Be back before you know it."
"Bye."
She had to make a hasty retreat before she lost her nerve. Her resolve had come perilously close to breaking at the look on Goten's face as she walked quickly out of the room. The kid was heartbroken.
They were all waiting for her outside. When she walked out, they looked at her. No one said anything; they all merely nodded, and by some unspoken agreement took to the air.
As they left, she sent a last, silent thank-you to Bulma. The Capsule Corporation heiress had taken it upon herself to handle Videl's father. When Videl had told her father she was leaving with some friends on a long trip, he had gotten extremely upset, to say the least, and flat-out said no. She wondered what he would have said if he'd known the whole story. Probably wouldn't have said much of anything, actually. Probably would have dragged her to a mental institution. But that didn't matter now. Bulma had tapped her on the shoulder, and asked to take the phone. Then she had shooed Videl out of the room.
The teenager didn't know exactly what was said between the two adults, nor did she know what kind of magic Bulma had worked. But a few short minutes later, she had passed the phone back to Videl, and the girl was startled to hear her father give her permission in a shaky, subdued voice.
So now, here she was.
Videl simply stared at the ground, watching the scenery pass by beneath them. Not that she got a very good look at any of it; they were going way too fast to see much in detail. She was doing a surprisingly good job of keeping pace with the other three. There was no way she was going to be left behind. Not now. This was way too important.
Krillen was managing the Dragon Radar, as he was the one with the most experience in using it from his childhood adventures with Goku and Bulma. Videl knew some of those stories; she'd heard them from various members of the "old gang," as Gohan affectionately called them.
Crap. Don't think about him, she mentally chastised herself.
Nobody spoke much. She guessed (correctly, in fact) that everyone was simply staying lost in their own thoughts. They'd already studied the radar and found that the search was going to take them everywhere. After a brief discussion, it had been decided that the wisest course of action was to start on the other side of the world and work their way back.
They would reach the area of the first Dragonball that day. With a little luck, they would be able to claim it for themselves as well. But that was probably several hours away.
All she could do was was enjoy the scenery and try not to think about Gohan.
And so far, she couldn't really do either.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It was five eternities later when they touched down in the middle of a desert wasteland. The four Dragonball hunters looked around for any sign of the elusive gem.
Vegeta snorted in disgust. "You'd think the stupid dragon would have a little better taste in scenery than this." The Saiyan Prince had been far less than agreeable company for this trip. He kept maintaining that the only reason he was involved in these shenanigans was because the 'damn baka woman' had threatened to take away everything unless he went. Everything, including the Gravity Room, his bed priveleges, and his food supply. But despite that, Videl had a strong suspicion that Bulma's threats were only a part of it. But Vegeta would never openly admit to possibly caring about the son of his sworn rival, and Videl wasn't going to ask him to.
Krillen studied the radar for a minute. "It should be…over…that way!"
They walked around, following the blinking light on the radar grid, until finally Krillen stopped. The others skidded to a halt as well.
He frowned. "Well…it should be here somewhere."
With that small amount of information to guide them, they went to the search. They dug around, looking through enormous piles of rocks in their quest to locate the ball.
By Videl's watch, it was fifteen minutes later when Piccolo stood up. He turned to look at them with a comfortable smirk on his face. "Is this what we were looking for?" One green hand lifted so everyone could see the small orange sphere clutched in clawed fingers.
Krillen actually started jumping up and down in excitement. "Yeah! All right! Piccolo got it!" The short man began doing a little victory dance in the sand.
Vegeta allowed himself the tiniest of smirks, but nothing more than that to reflect his happiness at the discovery. After all, it was just the brat. Nothing important, or so he said.
Videl wanted desperately to sing or dance. It was only one Dragonball, which meant that there were six left to go. But every victory mattered at this point. Yes, she wanted to celebrate.
But for some reason, she couldn't even make her face move into a smile. Her mind and her body just weren't working together at the moment. So she just stood there, watching the others react according to their natures and looking at the five stars on the magical orb in Piccolo's hand. And wondering why she felt so drained. Flying didn't take that much power. So where had all of her energy gone?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"You really need to eat something," Krillen admonished, stuffing his face.
"No thanks. I'm not really hungry," Videl replied softly. She kept poking at the food in front of her with her fork. Her eyes weren't looking at her plate, though; they were staring directly into the campfire in front of her. Overhead, the sky was darkening from twilight into night. After retrieving the first precious Dragonball, they had decided to just wait it out until the next morning, and then take off after the second and maybe even third Dragonballs. The faster they could find them and make their wish, the better.
She was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she missed the fact that Piccolo was studying her; she also failed to notice that the Namekian and Saiyan members of the party were exchanging a look.
Krillen, however, saw it and read it clearly. He took the initiative. "Videl, you look beat. Maybe you should get some sleep."
Words of protest had formed on her tongue, but they faded into a huge yawn. Feeling pretty much defeated, she shrugged. "Okay…sound's good. How early are we leaving tomorrow?"
"As soon as the sun's up," Piccolo replied.
"Good. We'll get an early start. Get me up then," she said, standing up and stretching her arms over her head. "Goodnight, guys."
She didn't notice that all three of them watched her crawl into her sleeping bag, and she very much missed the fact that another glance was passed around, one that all three of them shared this time. Even if she had seen it, she wouldn't have cared. She didn't have the energy.
And her ears weren't sensitive enough to pick up a hushed conversation taking place around the campfire. The three men were discussing something that they obviously didn't want her to hear. Not that she would have cared, anyway. But they were talking about something over there.
In keeping with her physical and mental exhaustion, she fell asleep quickly.
And she dreamed…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The sky above her was black, like night, but there were no stars. On the ground were seven glowing orbs; they pulsed, brightening and dimming to some unheard rhythm, a beat that grew quicker and quicker with each passing second. Videl stared at them in fascination.
Finally, a huge burst of light erupted from the spheres and shot into the inky sky. As it soared, it took form; the light morphed into the shape of an enormous creature, and finally solidified itself into the formidable Shenron, the Eternal Dragon.
"WHAT IS YOUR WISH?" he boomed, red eyes flashing. She glanced around, and found everyone staring at her. The whole group was there, waiting for her to make the wish.
Swallowing hard, she lifted her face and called upwards, "We wish Son Gohan back to life!"
Shenron paused. "THIS WISH CANNOT BE GRANTED."
"What?" she cried in disbelief. "Why not?"
"Because I don't want to come back," a familiar voice said from behind her.
She whirled around. It was Gohan. But not how he'd been the night he'd shared her dreams. His eyes were dead, and his expression was cold. He just looked at her, contempt written plainly in his gaze. It was a completely unnatural look for his face.
"Why?" Videl pleaded, confused by his attitude. She suddenly realized that everyone else was gone, and that the air around her had mysteriously become very cold.
His eyes narrowed. "Because I never want to see any of you again. I'm in Otherworld with my Dad now," he said in a voice as icy as the air. "I'm happier there than I ever was here. I'm never coming back. I never want to see any of you again."
With those harsh words, Gohan floated up a few feet and began flying backwards.
"NO!" she screamed, running at him. But he was always just out of her reach.
Then she tripped, and fell, except the ground didn't catch her. She was falling down…
Down…
Down…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"NO!" Videl heard the scream, and realized that it was coming from her. She tried to sit up, but a hand on her shoulder held her down. At that moment, she didn't even have the presence of mind to will her eyes to open. But she could hear voices around her. Someone was shushing her gently, but she couldn't quite recognize the voice.
A few deep breaths did wonders to clear her head, and she finally managed to gasp out a few words. "Let me up. Now."
The hand obediently withdrew from her shoulder, allowing her the freedom to push herself into a sitting position. And she finally managed to get her eyes to open.
Krillen was looking at her curiously. "Nightmare?"
"You could say that," she replied.
"We told you not to come with us," Piccolo said from behind her. She guess that he had been the one pinning her shoulder down. "But would you listen? No."
"Damn straight I won't listen. I have a right to be here," Videl retorted somewhat harshly. "I'm fine, okay? Just had a nightmare. Believe it or not, people do have nightmares occasionally. So if it's all right with you, I'm going to go back to sleep now."
She heard somebody chuckle, and someone else muttered something about 'spirit.' But they did move back towards the campfire. She was alone again.
Sighing, she dropped back onto the pillow and pulled the sleeping bag up to her chin. After that hellish dream, she didn't think she was going to fall asleep again. But far sooner than she'd expected, her eyelids fell over sore eyes, and she was lost to the world.
Nearby, Krillen glanced over his shoulder. "She has a right to be here. I agree with her on that. But she's not letting anything out."
Piccolo nodded. "If that kid doesn't cry or something, she's either gonna explode, or just bleed to death from the inside out. This coming from someone who hates anything emotional."
"I don't believe that anymore. I think it makes you uncomfortable," Vegeta growled. "Same as me. But you're both right. I personally don't think she belongs out here. It's more of an attempt at distraction for her. She's trying not to remember."
"We'll just have to see what happens," Piccolo intoned, staring into the firelight with a distant look in his eyes. He'd been even more introverted since the attack. "Wait and see."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Rise and shine!" Krillen said. His voice held a surprisingly amount of cheeriness. As far as he was concerned, Gohan was as good as back, so being happy seemed just fine to him.
"I'm awake," Videl groaned, putting her hands over her eyes to block out the harsh sunlight. "I'm getting up, see? Just give me a minute."
He moved away then, apparently satisfied that she would shortly be up and at 'em.
Videl wanted to strangle him, but she restrained herself and simply forced herself to get up. Her dream—no, nightmare—was still fresh in her mind. It was like watching a movie on continuous playback in her mind, and each time was worse than the last.
It didn't take her long to get ready. She'd never been fussy about her appearance, and knowing what was ahead of them made her care even less. Get dressed and brush her hair—that was all she intended to do. But when she went to do something about her hair, she got a surprise.
As she looked at herself in the mirror, she was stunned by how pale she was. There were dark circles under her eyes, and for some reason, her face looked…almost skeletal.
And she felt very, very tired. So tired…
How strange.
AN: Uh-oh. Something's not quite right with Videl. Dear me, dear me…I have no idea how long this story is going to be, so hang with me and we'll see how it goes, k? Good deal. And you'll notice that I have a nice longer chapter for those of you who have been waiting so patiently. Thanks a ton. Toodles!
