Chapter 8
The storm clouds had long passed the mountain area. The rain had left a rainbow of splendid color as the sun sent its golden rays down to the earth. The small drops of water on the grass sparkled like a sea of stars on the lush green. The water dripped from the tips of flowers and rained down from the leaves of trees. Everything seemed so alive after the rain. But Videl didn't even notice. To her, everything was dead at that very moment. Gohan's body was outstretched in the compartment behind her as she piloted her hovercopter. She had to hold back tears every time she thought about the last moment she had with him. She didn't even get to tell him goodbye. All she had was a kiss. A kiss that she knew had held everything she wanted to give him. But how could that be it? How could their time together simply end right there? She really didn't want to even think about it, but her mind wouldn't let it go.
She was heading for Gohan's house in accordance to his wishes. He had told her to tell his parents, that they would know what to do. She still didn't understand what he meant by that, but she would do it no matter what. She had never been out in this area before, but her guided map could tell her how to get anywhere given the coordinates. She was flying at blazing speeds, trees blowing violently in her wake. She finally spotted the small house inbetween a few small mountains. She steadied the hovercopter and began her descent in front of the house. The grass spread wildly as hoverpads pushed with all their force to make for a smooth landing. The legs touched the ground ever so slowly until it was completely landed. At that point, everything seemed to shut down, the hum of the engines dying down until there was nothing but silence. Chi-Chi busted through the front door with a menacing look on her face. She didn't seem happy that Videl had just dropped by so unexpectedly.
"What do you think your doing? You can't just land here in our yard like this. You had better...", Chi-Chi was cut short when her lungs jumped into her throat as Videl was carrying Gohan's body out of the hovercopter. She dropped to her knees with a hand over her mouth as if to stop her heart from jumping out of it. Her eyes wide with fear and complete shock as her son was being carried to her by someone she didn't even know.
"Gohan asked me to tell you what happened.", Videl said solemnly. Chi-Chi could only stare and nod as she got back to her feet and led Videl into the house. Goku and Goten had been out training all afternoon and weren't around as Videl put Gohan's body on a couch in the livingroom. Videl and Chi-Chi sat in chairs at opposite ends of the couch.
"I don't even know where to begin.", Videl managed through swells of sadness that tugged at her eyes to let them shed the tears.
"Maybe we should wait until his father gets back.", Chi-Chi decided, the same look sorrow dragged across her face. At that moment the door opened and the tall spikey-haired saiyan waltzed in as if his day had been perfect so far. His good mood soon took a turn down hill at the sight of his son lying dead on the couch. He seemed petrifyed, cememted in his position until Chi-Chi's voice broke the spell.
"Goku, leave Goten outside. I don't want him to see this.", Chi-Chi demanded.
"See what, mom?", Goten broke in before Goku could react to Chi-Chi's orders. His face even brighter and livelier than Goku's was at first, which made it even harder to watch as his smile broke down completely, his cheer taking a drastic fall into grief. His reaction was by far the worst as his eyes immediatly started gushing tears and he ran up to his brother, tugging his lifeless arm. "Gohan?", his attempts get some reaction becoming more desperate as the reality of it finally dawned on him. "Gohan wake up! Please wake up!"
"Goten, calm down. It's okay.", Goku consoled his young son as he picked him up and held him tightly, hoping to somehow make the pain go away.
"But Gohan, he's..he's dead isn't he.", Goten whispered through sobbing lips. His tears soaking his father's shoulder.
"Yes, son. But don't worry, everything will be fine.", Goku tried to explain to the distressed little saiyan. He then looked up to the two women sitting at either side of his oldest. "What happened?"
Videl looked down as if she had been hit with a task that no one could ever accomplish. "I think you had better sit down."
* * *
She tried to make the explanation short, but it was dragged out with moments of breakdown, where she would have to wait until she could control her tears to go on. She started from the beginning, with the shooting at the school and her kidnapping as well as Gohan's daring rescue. She explained how their son had given his life to save the city where she lived and where they went to school together. In her words, he was a hero. She finally managed to get everything out through the tears.
"So you're Videl Satan?", Chi-Chi inquired, figuring from the story that she had just heard that's who she was.
"Yes, how did you know?", Videl wondered.
"Gohan has mentioned you before.", chi-Chi answered. This hit Videl as sort of odd. But maybe it was just that Gohan had talked about her with his parents, but also the fact that his parents didn't seem very worried anymore that their son was dead. This brought up a question that had been in the back of her mind from Gohan's last words.
"Excuse me for asking, but Gohan told me that when I brought him here that you would know what to do. What did he mean?", she asked, wiping what was left of her tears from her cheeks.
"He must be talking about the dragonballs.", Goku responded.
"Dragon-wha?", Videl asked as if she hadn't heard that right.
"Dragonballs. It's hard to explain right now, but basically they can bring Gohan back to life.", Goku answered. Videl's eyes went wide as what he had just said started to register. She was about to ask what on earth Goku was talking about, but she was cut short when her wristwatch went off. She looked down at it and her heart dropped into her stomach as she read the message.
-VIDEL, COME TO HOSPITAL. IT'S ABOUT YOUR FATHER-
She almost forgot about where she was and what she was doing there as ideas of what was wrong. She was hoping it wasn't what she was thinking. She quickly stood up and started for the door.
"I'm sorry, but I have to go, it's something important, I'm really sorry.", she quickly explained as she rushed out the door to her hovercopter.
"What was that all about?", Goku wondered out loud.
"I think it was something about her father. He was shot yesterday. That's why Gohan didn't go to school today.", Chi-Chi explained to the obviously out of tune Goku.
"Are we gonna save Gohan?", Goten asked, almost begging as he tugged on his father's pant leg.
"Yea Goten.", Goku replied. "We're gonna save him."
* * *
Videl bolted through the hospital doors. She didn't even bother with the woman at the front desk, or even the elevators for that matter. She simply ran as fast as she could, up the stairs and down the hall where her father's room awaited just ahead. When she busted into his room, her world simply stopped. The light speed that everything had been going by at since she got the call came to a grinding halt. She didn't seem to move for what seemed like hours. Her steps were so slow they would have given a snail a good race. She couldn't believe what was there in front of her. She didn't want to believe what was there. It couldn't be real.
The doctors had just taken him off life support right before they called her. It wasn't something they had wanted to do, but it was for the best. Mr. Satan's condition had only gotten worse by the hour. He was coughing up so much blood that they finally decided it was the best thing to do. They didn't want to do it, but there was no other choice.
"W...Why...", videl barely muttered as she fell to her knees at her father's bedside. Whatever tears she had left, she let them go. She dropped her head into the sheets and wept. Her life seemingly on a downhill slope. She didn't want to know why all this was happening to her. All on this one day. A day she never thought she would ever have to endure. She wanted to suffocate herself in the sheets, but she was struck with a much deeper desire.
Videl stood up and stared at her father one last time before she turned around and walked out the door. A new feeling stirring beneath her skin. She wasn't sad anymore, her tears had dried and there were none left behind her eyes. She was only thinking one thing. Destroy those responsible.
The storm clouds had long passed the mountain area. The rain had left a rainbow of splendid color as the sun sent its golden rays down to the earth. The small drops of water on the grass sparkled like a sea of stars on the lush green. The water dripped from the tips of flowers and rained down from the leaves of trees. Everything seemed so alive after the rain. But Videl didn't even notice. To her, everything was dead at that very moment. Gohan's body was outstretched in the compartment behind her as she piloted her hovercopter. She had to hold back tears every time she thought about the last moment she had with him. She didn't even get to tell him goodbye. All she had was a kiss. A kiss that she knew had held everything she wanted to give him. But how could that be it? How could their time together simply end right there? She really didn't want to even think about it, but her mind wouldn't let it go.
She was heading for Gohan's house in accordance to his wishes. He had told her to tell his parents, that they would know what to do. She still didn't understand what he meant by that, but she would do it no matter what. She had never been out in this area before, but her guided map could tell her how to get anywhere given the coordinates. She was flying at blazing speeds, trees blowing violently in her wake. She finally spotted the small house inbetween a few small mountains. She steadied the hovercopter and began her descent in front of the house. The grass spread wildly as hoverpads pushed with all their force to make for a smooth landing. The legs touched the ground ever so slowly until it was completely landed. At that point, everything seemed to shut down, the hum of the engines dying down until there was nothing but silence. Chi-Chi busted through the front door with a menacing look on her face. She didn't seem happy that Videl had just dropped by so unexpectedly.
"What do you think your doing? You can't just land here in our yard like this. You had better...", Chi-Chi was cut short when her lungs jumped into her throat as Videl was carrying Gohan's body out of the hovercopter. She dropped to her knees with a hand over her mouth as if to stop her heart from jumping out of it. Her eyes wide with fear and complete shock as her son was being carried to her by someone she didn't even know.
"Gohan asked me to tell you what happened.", Videl said solemnly. Chi-Chi could only stare and nod as she got back to her feet and led Videl into the house. Goku and Goten had been out training all afternoon and weren't around as Videl put Gohan's body on a couch in the livingroom. Videl and Chi-Chi sat in chairs at opposite ends of the couch.
"I don't even know where to begin.", Videl managed through swells of sadness that tugged at her eyes to let them shed the tears.
"Maybe we should wait until his father gets back.", Chi-Chi decided, the same look sorrow dragged across her face. At that moment the door opened and the tall spikey-haired saiyan waltzed in as if his day had been perfect so far. His good mood soon took a turn down hill at the sight of his son lying dead on the couch. He seemed petrifyed, cememted in his position until Chi-Chi's voice broke the spell.
"Goku, leave Goten outside. I don't want him to see this.", Chi-Chi demanded.
"See what, mom?", Goten broke in before Goku could react to Chi-Chi's orders. His face even brighter and livelier than Goku's was at first, which made it even harder to watch as his smile broke down completely, his cheer taking a drastic fall into grief. His reaction was by far the worst as his eyes immediatly started gushing tears and he ran up to his brother, tugging his lifeless arm. "Gohan?", his attempts get some reaction becoming more desperate as the reality of it finally dawned on him. "Gohan wake up! Please wake up!"
"Goten, calm down. It's okay.", Goku consoled his young son as he picked him up and held him tightly, hoping to somehow make the pain go away.
"But Gohan, he's..he's dead isn't he.", Goten whispered through sobbing lips. His tears soaking his father's shoulder.
"Yes, son. But don't worry, everything will be fine.", Goku tried to explain to the distressed little saiyan. He then looked up to the two women sitting at either side of his oldest. "What happened?"
Videl looked down as if she had been hit with a task that no one could ever accomplish. "I think you had better sit down."
* * *
She tried to make the explanation short, but it was dragged out with moments of breakdown, where she would have to wait until she could control her tears to go on. She started from the beginning, with the shooting at the school and her kidnapping as well as Gohan's daring rescue. She explained how their son had given his life to save the city where she lived and where they went to school together. In her words, he was a hero. She finally managed to get everything out through the tears.
"So you're Videl Satan?", Chi-Chi inquired, figuring from the story that she had just heard that's who she was.
"Yes, how did you know?", Videl wondered.
"Gohan has mentioned you before.", chi-Chi answered. This hit Videl as sort of odd. But maybe it was just that Gohan had talked about her with his parents, but also the fact that his parents didn't seem very worried anymore that their son was dead. This brought up a question that had been in the back of her mind from Gohan's last words.
"Excuse me for asking, but Gohan told me that when I brought him here that you would know what to do. What did he mean?", she asked, wiping what was left of her tears from her cheeks.
"He must be talking about the dragonballs.", Goku responded.
"Dragon-wha?", Videl asked as if she hadn't heard that right.
"Dragonballs. It's hard to explain right now, but basically they can bring Gohan back to life.", Goku answered. Videl's eyes went wide as what he had just said started to register. She was about to ask what on earth Goku was talking about, but she was cut short when her wristwatch went off. She looked down at it and her heart dropped into her stomach as she read the message.
-VIDEL, COME TO HOSPITAL. IT'S ABOUT YOUR FATHER-
She almost forgot about where she was and what she was doing there as ideas of what was wrong. She was hoping it wasn't what she was thinking. She quickly stood up and started for the door.
"I'm sorry, but I have to go, it's something important, I'm really sorry.", she quickly explained as she rushed out the door to her hovercopter.
"What was that all about?", Goku wondered out loud.
"I think it was something about her father. He was shot yesterday. That's why Gohan didn't go to school today.", Chi-Chi explained to the obviously out of tune Goku.
"Are we gonna save Gohan?", Goten asked, almost begging as he tugged on his father's pant leg.
"Yea Goten.", Goku replied. "We're gonna save him."
* * *
Videl bolted through the hospital doors. She didn't even bother with the woman at the front desk, or even the elevators for that matter. She simply ran as fast as she could, up the stairs and down the hall where her father's room awaited just ahead. When she busted into his room, her world simply stopped. The light speed that everything had been going by at since she got the call came to a grinding halt. She didn't seem to move for what seemed like hours. Her steps were so slow they would have given a snail a good race. She couldn't believe what was there in front of her. She didn't want to believe what was there. It couldn't be real.
The doctors had just taken him off life support right before they called her. It wasn't something they had wanted to do, but it was for the best. Mr. Satan's condition had only gotten worse by the hour. He was coughing up so much blood that they finally decided it was the best thing to do. They didn't want to do it, but there was no other choice.
"W...Why...", videl barely muttered as she fell to her knees at her father's bedside. Whatever tears she had left, she let them go. She dropped her head into the sheets and wept. Her life seemingly on a downhill slope. She didn't want to know why all this was happening to her. All on this one day. A day she never thought she would ever have to endure. She wanted to suffocate herself in the sheets, but she was struck with a much deeper desire.
Videl stood up and stared at her father one last time before she turned around and walked out the door. A new feeling stirring beneath her skin. She wasn't sad anymore, her tears had dried and there were none left behind her eyes. She was only thinking one thing. Destroy those responsible.