Author's note: Ok, this chapter is officially my longest one so far, but I think I finished typing it in the shortest amount of time. It was pretty fun to write, but a little difficult, as you'll see when you ready it—there's a lot of switching back and forth between different scenes. Try not to get too confused, and enjoy the ride!

Chapter 5

"Ugh..." Gohan moaned sleepily. With his eyes still closed, he absently wondered what had woke him, then a splitting pain shot through his head, triggering his memory. That's what it was: the pounding in his brain had been his wake-up call.

"I'm up," he muttered to no one, and began half-heartedly tossing away the sheets covering his body, not really trying too hard to wake up. He forced himself to sit upright and shook his head to remove the cobwebs from his mind. Wait, why was he up? Oh yeah, school.

Deciding wandering around looking like some half-dead zombie wasn't the best way to start the day, Gohan reluctantly dragged himself into the shower, feeling almost instantaneously energized as the warm spray pelted his body.

As he got out of the shower and dried off, dressing, he recalled the previous day's events, and what was in store for him today.

Training with Trunks and Goten, that was it. Videl would have to wait, he'd promised the boys he'd drop by and play with them, and he'd reneged that promise too often.

Besides, now he'd have plenty of time with Videl! To train Videl, he had to remind himself. The introduction to his family couldn't have gone off more perfectly; not only did his mother seem to like her, but she was more happy now than Gohan had seen her since Goku had died.

He took one last look around the room before swiftly grabbing his pack and heading for the door. Goten was apparently already up and about, as his bed was vacant and neatly made.

Gohan's, however, was quite a different story. His top cover lay in a disheveled heap on the floor, and he made a mental note to make it later—he'd miss Videl's flight to school if he didn't hurry!

Bounding down the stairs three at a time, he shouted out a hasty, "Bye!" to Chichi and Goten, who were in the middle of breakfast, before blasting out the door towards Orange Star.

Goten opened his mouth to reply, but his brother was already gone in a rush of wind. 'Guess he's feeling better,' the young boy thought to himself. "Yay! PLAYTIME!"

"Gohan sure was eager to leave this morning," his mother noted approvingly. "He didn't even stop for breakfast—I wonder if he's feeling alright..." She finished off her own meal, then stood to bring her dishes into the kitchen, when the phone rang.

"Hello?" Chichi answered cheerily.

"Someone seems to be in a good mood this morning," the voice on the other end noted, pleased.

"Hi, Bulma, yes, I have the most wonderful news, remind me to tell you about it later!"

"Ooh, news? About who?" She paused a moment. "Wait, is it about Gohan's new girlfriend?"

Chichi gasped, the excitement fleeing her voice like air from a punctured balloon. "How did you know?!"

"Oh, she dropped by with him yesterday, to pick up Goten."

"Oh," Chichi said, somewhat saddened by the fact that her news wasn't really news now. "What did you need, Bulma?"

"Oh, yeah! I was just making sure that Goten was coming by today, Trunks woke me up at four this morning, asking if he was here yet. I remember Gohan mentioning something yesterday about coming by to spar with the boys, but I wasn't clear on the details.

Chichi scoured her mind. "I think... yes, I think I remember him saying something about that now. I'll bring him over in a few."

"Ok, see you then."

"Right, and thanks, Bulma. I think this is the longest vacation I've had in seven years!" The two women laughed and said goodbye, then Chichi turned to her youngest son, who had obviously been listening to the entire conversation. "Alright, you can go," she conceded.

"YAY!"

She shooed him away. "Run to the bathroom and finish getting ready while I do the laundry, then I'll take you over there," she told him, silently thanking Bulma for the capsule car she'd received from the Briefs the previous Christmas; it had been a lifesaver since Goku wasn't around anymore. "Actually," she mused to herself, "if I had known about this sooner, I'd have asked Gohan to take him in and saved myself the trip."

Placing the last of the breakfast dishes in the sink to soak, she grabbed the laundry basket from the hallway and trudged up the stairs to the boys' room.

"Those boys," she sighed as she tossed shirts and socks, pants and gis, and various other articles of clothing scattered about the room into the basket. Stripping the sheets from Goten's bed, she noted with dismay that his brother's comforter lay on the floor in a pile, and bent down to throw it, too, into the basket.

Then, she screamed.

Then, the boy who had been sleeping peacefully underneath the covers on the floor screamed.

Then, Goten came bounding up the stairs and smiled. "Oh, hey Gohan, I thought you were gone already." He turned back to Chichi. "Hey, Mom, are we gonna go now?"

She stopped screaming and caught her breath as she realized that the stranger on the floor was, in fact, her eldest.

"SON GOHAN! How DARE you scare me like that!" she fumed, her face pale. "You almost gave me a heart attack, I thought you'd already left!"

Gohan uncovered his hears now that the blast was past and Mount Chichi was cooling down, then stood up and snapped, "Geez, sorry. It's not like I meant to scare you. And what do you mean 'already left'? I'm obviously still here." He gestured to himself.

Chichi's face of anger changed to one of pure shock. How dare he speak to her like that—he sounded almost as rude as that thing Bulma was married to! "Now, see here young man, I'll not have you take that tone around your mother! I've a good mind to change my verdict on your training Videl! Now you hurry up and get dressed, you're already late." She finished huffing, then turned, picking up her basket, and left, slamming the door behind her.

"Women," Gohan mumbled, and searched around for a shirt and pants.

Finishing dressing, he reached onto the nightstand to put on the finishing touch: his capsule watch.

"Huh? It's gone..." He checked the floor, by the nightstand, under the bed, everywhere, but it was nowhere to be found.

Shrugging his shoulders, he decided Saiyaman could just take the day off; he'd talk to Bulma about it later on. He bent down to grab his pack from the foot of the bed and zip out the window, only to find that the pack, too, was missing.

Now his ire was rising, and he began to race around the room, pulling out drawers and lifting up furniture, all to no avail. Nothing; no watch, and no pack.

"Ok then, fine," he said to himself, he wasn't going to get ticked off over a stupid bag or watch. "Forget school. I'll hit up Vegeta for a day of sparring. It'll be more fun than school anyway." He stepped out of the door and was about to take off, when Chichi grabbed him.

"Since you're still here, I need you to run Goten by Capsule Corp. on your way to school. Bulma mentioned earlier you were going to play with the boys this afternoon, so just bring him back then."

He really wanted to object, see if he could ruffle the woman's feathers any more, but he was already going there. It wouldn't be any burden on him to haul the kid around. He looked down at the little boy, who returned his gaze, full of hope and expectation. In spite of himself, Gohan grinned.

He gave a curt nod of agreement and continued out the door, Goten trailing. The elder Saiyan turned to pick up his brother, when the young boy asked, "Um, Gohan, is it ok if I ride Nimbus this time?" The teen shrugged.

"Fine with me," and he took to the air as the younger demi-Saiyan called the cloud and followed.

"Slow down, Gohan!"

*****

At the same time as Gohan was again leaving his home, Videl Satan was en route to Orange Star, periodically checking her rear-view mirror for a certain dark-haired boy.

And sure enough, there he was, quickly closing the distance between the two. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she absently wondered if he purposely ran into her each morning now. Pushing the thought away, she opened up the passenger door as he slipped into the seat beside her.

"Good morning, Gohan. No bad news today, I hope," she ventured, and he smiled.

"Nope," he laughed, "hopefully no bad news for quite some time."

"Great, I can't wait to start again. Every time I see you come flying up... it's it's just so exciting!"

"Well," Gohan became serious for a moment, "you know we can't train today, right? I solemnly swore to Goten and Trunks yesterday that I'd spar with them after school today."

She looked confused. "'Spar with'? As in fight? I thought those two just wanted you to play 'cops and robbers' with them or something."

"Fighting is their idea of playing," he clarified simply. "That's what they meant when they asked me to play. They love martial arts."

"Oh," Videl nodded knowingly, though inside she was still somewhat perplexed. Those kids knew martial arts? And practiced them on Gohan? And GOHAN knew martial arts? And practiced them on those kids?! She guessed maybe she'd have noticed that Saiyaman could fight if she'd paid more attention to his techniques than trying to figure out who he was.

"If you want," Gohan interrupted her thoughts, "you can come by with me. I'm sure the boys'd love another training partner. That way, I won't have them both beating on me the whole time, and you can get some practice in, too."

"Great!" Sparring with a couple of kids? Shouldn't be too hard, right? Right?

*****

"Trunks!" Goten called as he tore through the Capsule Corp. building like lightning in search of his friend. "Trunks! TRU-U-U-U-NKS! I'm HERE!"

Bulma laughed as she watched the little boy. "Reminds me more and more of Goku every time I see the kid. Sometimes I half expect a younger version of me with that terrible haircut to come chasing after him..." she turned to Gohan. "But enough of my reminiscing. Shouldn't you be getting on to school? Doesn't it start in a few minutes?"

"Oh, not today. Most of the school is taking exams, and since I've aced all the tests this year, I'm exempt," he lied smoothly. "Where's Vegeta? I figured with the day off, I'd take the time to rub his face into the ground before I take on the shrimps," he finished, smirking.

The blue-haired scientist frowned at Gohan's arrogance, though she supposed she should have been used to it by now since she was married to the prince of arrogance. Still, it wasn't like that boy...

"He's back in the GR training." She pointed a thumb behind her. "There's a locker room with complimentary gis you can change into on your way back, first door to your left." With that, she turned and left through a door by the kitchen, leaving Gohan to his own devices. Immediately he abandoned the foyer in search of the locker room.

He crossed the threshold and found Trunks and Goten already changing. "What's up Gohan?" Trunks asked, looking up. "Looking for something?"

"Yeah," Gohan replied, removing his shirt while sifting through the gis until he found one that suited his tastes. "Your father. I want a match."

"You're staying?" Goten eagerly asked, practically jumping up and down with glee. Gohan nodded, pulling a black gi with white edging over his head.

"YAY!" The two demi-Saiyans shouted joyfully, bouncing around the locker room. "Playti—" But both stopped simultaneously, their attention caught by Gohan, who had now tossed aside his sweats, finishing dressing.

"Go...Gohan?" his brother stammered, disbelief coloring his voice.

The older boy turned his head a bit to see his brother out of the corner of his eye. "What, kid?"

Trunks pointed, also stammering, "Wh—what's that?" He thought he knew what it was, but he'd never actually seen one. He hadn't had one, and, as far as he knew, Goten hadn't had one, either.

Gohan looked down his back to his boxers, right to where Trunks and, now, Goten were pointing. And there, poking out from a hole just large enough for it to fit through and still retain some modesty, was a short, brown, and quite fuzzy tail. A Saiyan tail to be precise.

"Gohan... is that a...tail?" Trunks whispered. "I mean...I didn't know you still had one."

"Yeah," Goten began, "I thought Mr. Piccolo cut off the last one you had... or was that Vegeta?"

Gohan picked up the furry appendage, suddenly feeling a fierce (pardon the pun) attachment to it. How had it re-grown? He'd thought one it was gone, it was gone for good. But then, it had re-grown once, and here it was again...

"Gohan?" Goten and Trunks asked.

"I guess it's back," he stated simply and finally, still admiring it.

"Are you going to cut it off again?" Goten asked.

Gohan clutched the tail to his chest, "Stupid kid, why would I do that?"

"But Gohan," Trunks interjected, "What about the moon?"

"What about it?" Gohan snapped back, and this seemed to put a stop to all arguments. Gohan wrapped the tail around his waist, hidden from view, and finished dressing, then all three headed back towards the Gravity Room.

Trunks was the first to reach the door to the chamber, and began knocking. After a minute with no answer, he knocked again, a bit more forcefully. Still nothing; He lifted his fist once more to try again, but was violently shoved out of the way by Gohan, who nearly ripped the door off of its hinges. Immediately, all the excess gravity was negated, and the Saiyan prince was sent flying into a wall, propelled forward by the force of his own punch in normal gravity.

Angry grunts accompanied Vegeta's efforts to remove himself from the wall, and he yelled out in anger, "Who was it?" Breathing heavily, he continued in a hissing threat, "Who DARES to disturb me in the middle of—"

"I do," Gohan stated simply, extending a hand to the fallen Saiyan. "Now, may I have this dance, m'lady?"

"You're a regular comedian, brat. What do you want?" he snapped.

"A sparring partner," the intruder replied smoothly. Vegeta smiled.

"Then I'm sure one of the children would be more than an adequate match, boy."

Gohan's face hardened in anger, but he caught himself and shrugged, then turned back towards the door he had just come through. He knew how to bait the elder Saiyan. "Fine, I guess I'll take Goten. None of your line, least of all you would have a chance against me. I can understand why you wouldn't want to spar; I know it's been seven years, but I still understand." He grabbed Goten and began to walk back out into the hall.

Just before he stepped out, though, a voice called him back, "Wait..."

*****

"Well, it's been a pretty quiet day," Videl observed as she accompanied Gohan up the stairs to the roof of Orange Star High, "You didn't have to make up one lame excuse all day. But I think I'm ready for a little action now." Upon reaching the top, she jogged over to the railing, performed a quick check of the school grounds, then popped open her copter capsule. "To Capsule Corp?"

He nodded and replied, "To Capsule Corp."

"Hey Gohan!" she called out as she slipped into the pilot seat.

"Yeah?"

"I'll race ya," she challenged slyly, pulling closed the door. Gohan stood in place for a moment, a little shocked, then readied himself, signifying his acceptance.

"On your mark..." Videl called, revving her engines, "Get set...GO!"

*****

"Ugh!" came a cry of pain mixed with anger from inside the Gravity Room as one of the fighters was knocked to the ground, up again within seconds of the impact.

"They've been in there for hours," Goten complained. "I'm bored Trunks!"

"I told you we should've grabbed Gohan when we had the chance!" he replied, leaning against the wall. "Once my dad gets his hooks into him, he'll be in there all day."

"But," his friend protested, "he promised!"

Trunks rolled his eyes and walked up to the GR door, straining to hear. "I wonder who's winning..." He closed his eyes and listened intently.

Goten, hearing voices drifting down the hall, abandoned his companion to investigate. Moments later, he came shooting back, tapping Trunks repeatedly on the shoulder and jumping from one foot to the next. "Hey, Trunks!" he whispered anxiously, still tapping and glancing furtively down the hall. "Trunks, you gotta come see this!"

"What?" he called back exasperatedly, his ear still straining for some sounds from the battling Saiyans. He leaned away from the door and sighed, facing his counterpart. "What do you—"

He, seven-year-old that he was, nearly had a heart attack.

"It's Gohan!" he whispered to Goten. "He-he's in the front room!"

"Duh, I know, I've been trying to tell—"

"Clamp it, Goten, I thought you needed to pee or something." He turned back to the GR, where fighting sounds could still be heard. "There's only one door to the Gravity Room, and you and I have been watching it all day, right?" Goten nodded. "Well, if Gohan's in there," he pointed to the GR, then moved it to the foyer, "then who's out there?"

The young Son simply shrugged. "Wanna go see?" Trunks nodded, and both slipped quietly into the front room.

"Gohan?" they called meekly, peeping up from behind the couch.

"Hey squirts! I've been looking for you; see, I promised you I'd come by to train!" he greeted cheerily.

Both young demi-Saiyans turned their gazes from the Gohan in front of them to the hallway, beyond which lay the Gravity Room and the other Gohan, then back to each other.

"Guys? Don't you want to train?" Immediately the same thought struck them: two Gohans meant... one for each of them!

"Yay! PLAYTIME!" And thus, Gohan was dragged off.

Videl moved to follow them, savoring the look of panic which had flitted across her friend's face, when her watch began to beep, transmitting a police bulletin.

"Again?" she muttered to herself. She'd never get to train. "What is it, Chief?"

"Videl, I've just received word from one of the air patrol units that they mayor has been kidnapped by some guys claiming to be part of a new gang, the Red Sharks. They're in a yellow pickup, headed South on Highway 19. Please hurry; the unit's hot on their trail, but we can't reach them!"

"On my way!" She clicked off the watch and raced down the hall in search of Gohan.

Then, Lady Fate decided to throw Videl Satan a curve ball, in the shape of Son Gohan. There he stood in the locker room, changing into a fighting gi, and half-naked.

"ACK!" she yelped in embarrassment, and quickly turned her back on the boys, her face beet red. "G-Gohan, the, uh, the police chief, he called. There's been a, uh, a kidnapping, and we need to, you and me, we, w-we," she gave a dry cough, "go. We need to go. Go. Save them, you know." She cautiously turned her head to see out of the corner of her eye: he'd put on the rest of the gi, both to her relief and dismay.

Relief, because he was no longer half-naked.

Dismay, because he was no longer half-naked.

...

What was that thought? What was that thought? Where had it come from, how had it gotten there, and why was it there?! Nerves, that's what Videl suspected it was, just nerves.

"Videl?" Gohan cautiously waved a hand before her, snapping his fingers in front of her clouded eyes. "Videl, are we going? The kidnapping?"

Videl crashed back into reality with a thud. "Wha-? Yeah, the Mayor! We should—"

"Go, you already said that." She nodded, and ran back down the hallway, leaving a somewhat confused Gohan and two younger Saiyans behind.

"She's... weird," Trunks commented. Goten elbowed him, while Gohan followed her out the door.

All the two boys could do was sit and watch, dejected. "No lesson again, I guess," Goten noted, self-pity coloring his voice.

Trunks, however, brightened significantly as he remembered. "Goten, we'll just get the other Gohan!"

"Yeah!" Goten chirped, "Gohan Number 2!" and they raced each other back to the GR, which was now empty.

After a thorough inspection, Trunks declared, "They foyer! They're probably taking a break."

"Either that or they broke the room again. Remember how mad your mom got that last time?" Both shivered and decided not to think about it.

*****

"Well, boy, have you had enough?" Vegeta taunted from across the room, crouched down and breathing hard, "Or shall we continue?" He straightened up to his full height, which really wasn't all that menacing.

Gohan shook a finger at the prince, he, too, crouched on the floor and trying to catch his breath. "Vegeta, Vegeta, Vegeta, you of all people should know it's wise to give up when you're obviously outmatched and outclassed." He stood and gestured to the door. "But since I know you refuse to give in, and I've no reason to, what do you say we take a break?"

The elder Saiyan sneered, "If you really think you need one, brat; although it's only been, what, four hours? Your father could go twice as long in here without breaking a sweat. But then," he turned away, "you're not your father."

Gohan chuckled evilly, "Neither are you," and marched through the door into the kitchen, grabbing a glass and filling it to the brim with water, downing it with one gulp. After he refilled it, he took a seat on one of the overly-cushioned couches Capsule Corp. provided and slowed his breathing, enjoying the calm.

"Weakling," Vegeta taunted from across the room, where he leaned against the wall with his own glass. "You put up a good fight, but, as I said before, you're not your father."

"What are you talking about, old man, you were practically begging for mercy in there; I doubt you'd pose the threat of a fly to my father now. He has been training in Other World, you know, while you—you were confined here to earth, with the limited technology these frail humans have available to them."

"Frail?" the prince sounded slightly impressed. "Since when did you start thinking of humans as frail?" Gohan shrugged. "I'll make a decent Saiyan of you yet."

"I'd like to see you try, old man. Your son puts up more of a fight than you."

Vegeta released a low, angry growl, and flung his glass to the floor where it shattered. "Get up, brat, and face me, man to boy." Gohan shook his head in mirth, but obliged, and both turned back through the door to the GR.

On the way there, however, they were held up by an obstacle in the form of two much smaller, much more mischievous Saiyans; two Saiyans who were trying to wrestle Gohan away from Vegeta.

"NO!" Gohan yelled, "I said I'm sparring with Vegeta, now leave me ALONE!" He tossed the two aside like small rag dolls.

"But," Goten complained, "There's no Gohan #3!"

"What?"

"Videl came by and took one Gohan, so—"

Gohan perked up and softened his glare a little for show, to get more information from his brother. "Videl was here? When?"

Trunks sighed, joining into the interrogation. "Just a few minutes ago; she left with—"

"Where?"

Goten answered, "She said there was some chase on the highway, then you and her—"

But he never got to finish answering his brother, as now the backup Gohan was gone as well. Or was that 'Gohan was gone again'? This was all confusing Goten and Trunks.

"Now we don't have any Gohans!"

"But," came a sinister voice from behind them, placing one hand on Trunks's shoulder, "I'm still here, and, lucky you, I also need a new sparring partner...," he placed his other hand on Goten, "or two."

"ACK!"

*****

"Hah!" Videl let out a triumphant yell as she landed firmly on the hood of the speeding truck, then swung inside through the driver's window to punch out the thug at the wheel and take over steering. "Are you alright, Mr. Kinton?" she asked the thoroughly frightened mayor in the passenger seat, laying a reassuring hand on the older man's shoulder, while Saiyaman expertly dispatched the hijackers in the bed of the truck.

She shoved the now unconscious driver over and pushed a foot on the brake pedal as hard as she could: nothing. Again, nothing. "I'm not the best driver," she said to herself, "but usually something happens when you push the brakes. Saiyaman!" She yelled out the superhero's name and immediately got his attention. "The brakes are out!"

"I'm on it, Miss Videl!" he responded, and zipped from the bed of the truck to the front, where he held fast to the grill and began pushing backwards. Slowly, the vehicle began to slow.

"No," came a cool voice from above, "I'm on it, Miss Videl."

Saiyaman would have fallen to the ground in shock had he not been in front of a pick-up truck doing ninety miles-per-hour. "I-it's—"

"Gold Fighter?" Videl called out, her voice mirroring the shock Saiyaman held.

'Oh yeah, that's what the call me,' recalled Gohan—because it was, of course, Gohan in Super-Saiyan form.

With the 'Gold Fighter' now helping, the truck quickly slowed to a stop, and the two Gohans turned to face each other. Videl jumped from the seat to face the Gold Fighter.

"Long time, no see, Golden Boy."

Super-Saiyan Gohan ignored her, and instead the two boys circled each other, each searching for an explanation. If he himself was Gohan—and he was—then who was this clown impersonating him?

"Do you two...know each other?" Videl asked, seeing the way the two fighters in front of her were glaring at each other, and feeling left out of the fun. "Gohan?"

"Capsule Corp," both Gohans stated at the same time, hoping someone there could figure the situation out, and shot into the sky.

"Gohan!" But neither returned so much as a wave goodbye. "Ooh!" growled a very ticked off, earth-bound crime fighter. "Capsule Corp, huh?"

*****

"Now, let me get this straight," Bulma said, rubbing her temples as she paced before the two Gohans. "You both claim to be Son Gohan?"

"Yes," was the simultaneous reply.

The scientist waved a hand exasperatedly in front of her face, "Wait, wait, you—" she pointed to the Super-Saiyan Gohan, "why are you a Super-Saiyan?"

"Um, I was born that way?" He rolled his eyes at the banal question.

"No, no, no, why are you a Super-Saiyan as opposed to Saiyaman?" She pointed to his wrist. "Where's the capsule watch I made you?"

"I couldn't find it this morning." He glared daggers at the Saiyaman Gohan. "He must have taken it."

"Well, power down," she suggested, "it's a lot easier to identify you as Gohan without the gold hair and weird eyes." Reluctantly, he did what the woman asked, reverting to his normal black-haired, black-eyed self. Bulma nodded, face still serious. "Looks like Gohan to me. You—" she now turned her attention to the Saiyaman Gohan. "Take off the helmet."

He readily obliged, removing the unsightly orange covering. Bulma, as well as Vegeta, Trunks, and Goten who—up to now—had remained silent, gasped in utter shock.

"There...there really are two Gohans," Trunks remarked in a whisper.

"Yeah..." Goten agreed, "Can we play with them now?" Needless to say, he received a quick smack to the head, courtesy of Trunks.

"Impossible..." Vegeta breathed, unable to mask his surprise.

"Well, they both look real to me, every hair in place," Bulma observed, "but how can they be?" Both Gohans shrugged, then the former Super-Saiyan Gohan began to circle his counterpart.

"He isn't me," he stated.

All eyes flew to the boy. "How do you know that?" Bulma asked.

"He can't be me," he sneered. "Look, he doesn't even have a tail."

"Nor do you, boy." Vegeta.

"Then what," he uncurled the appendage from his waist, "is this?"

"How did you get that?" both Vegeta and Saiyaman Gohan asked, staring at the tail.

"I—I haven't had one for...over a decade!" Saiyaman protested, "He can't possibly be me!" Arguments between the two Gohans and Vegeta went on for a good five minutes before Bulma interrupted.

"QUIET!" Everyone stopped and stared. "Now, I think I have a quick, easy solution to end this whole mess and find out which one is the real Gohan."

"Then speak up, woman!" Vegeta and the former Super-Saiyan Gohan demanded. She ignored the remark and continued.

"Gohan is half Saiyan, right? So he can become a Super-Saiyan as well, right?" Heads nodded. "Then, it would make sense that an imposter couldn't transform; so let's have you both do it."

"But, I came in here already transformed!"

Bulma shook her head. "You'll have to do it again."

Gohan growled, but nevertheless, a golden explosion of light filled the room as the boy transformed. All eyes now turned to the Saiyaman. "You too, kid. Go for it." He nodded and closed his eyes, concentrating and gathering his energy for the transformation.

Bulma stepped back a step, awaiting another explosion, but received none. After a moment, Gohan opened his eyes and looked up at her, a woman he'd known nearly all his life and been on so many adventures with. Something danced behind his gaze, was it...anxiety? Confusion...fear? "I can't do it... I can't go Super..." he exclaimed in a whisper, shocked. "I can't..."

"Imposter!" Super-Saiyan Gohan spat. "How dare you sully my pride in this way! For this, you will pay most dearly." He raised his palm, readying a blast. "Your life will do, I think."

"No! I am Gohan! I am! You—you must believe me! I don't know...I don't know what's wrong, why can't I transform?! There must be some way—"

"Shut up, coward," Gohan sneered, and took careful aim, enjoying his double's pleas for mercy.

"Gohan, NO!" Bulma rushed him, only to be roughly knocked away to the ground, as Vegeta looked on, blood boiling.

"Insolent brat!" His swift punch sent Gohan flying across the room and into the far wall. "You never, ever touch my mate. Ever."

"What are you doing?!" Gohan exclaimed in a frenzied voice. "Let me dispatch this fool, and we'll be finished!" He gestured to Bulma, whom her husband was now helping up, "Th-the woman was interfering!"

"No! I can prove I'm Gohan!" the Saiyaman Gohan jumped back in, as Bulma shakily returned to her feet.

"H-how?"

He turned to face her. "A blood test. We won't be able to fake it, and it will prove I'm Gohan. Not all Saiyans can go Super, you know."

The Gohan who was a Super-Saiyan stood with an effort, sneering, "Gohan could, though."

"Fine," Bulma agreed, "a blood test."

*****

"Isn't she done yet?" Gohan complained, powered down now. "I'd like to get this fiasco over with some time today."

"Not worried, are we Gohan? Feeling a bit edgy?" Saiyaman queried.

"Oh no, not at all, Goh—"

Just then, before yet another fight broke out between the two, a grave faced Bulma exited the lab, a packet of papers in her hand.

"Well?" the Gohans asked anxiously.

"My results were...inconclusive."

"Inconclusive?" Vegeta echoed. "Come on, woman, he either was or wasn't Kakkarot's spawn; which was it?"

The scientist sighed, and turned first to face the Saiyaman Gohan. "I'm sorry," she consoled, and his face immediately fell, "your test results show that your blood is not only not Gohan's, but it has no Saiyan components at all. You are 100% human, kid, as human as myself.

He sank to the floor in a heap, whispering to himself, "No...no...no..."

"Then that proves it," the other Gohan crowed, "Now may I finish him?"

"Wait a minute, Mr. Ki-Blast-Happy, I wasn't finished. Your results show your blood is made up of nothing but Saiyan components; you're 100% Saiyan."

"And?"

"Wait..." Trunks noted, "Gohan's only s'pposed to be half-Saiyan, like me!"

"And me!" Goten joined.

"Exactly," Bulma stated bluntly.

"Then, neither one is the brat?"

Bulma gave a small, non-committal nod. "That's...one theory."

"As opposed to?"

"Well, it's quite a long shot, but..." She approached Saiyaman and bent down to face him eye level. "Gohan, I want you to tell me what you did yesterday after you left here."

"After he left? Why?"

"Because whatever is happening, I think it started after he left; he seemed fine when he was here."

"I—I didn't really do much of anything, I took Goten home and met Piccolo, talked to him, then went to bed, I wasn't feeling well."

"Weren't feeling well? Were you sick?"

"No, just tired, stressed out, I was trying to figure out how to organize some of the chaos that had become my life—"

"Wait a minute..." the other Gohan interrupted, "I remember too, I remember, I felt kind of stretched, like there needed to be more of me around..."

"You both remember this?" They nodded.

"Then... maybe the stress made me split?"

Bulma shook her head, "I think there's more to it than that; see, you didn't just split, you became two beings, one Saiyan and one human, hence the blood test results. It might have been you that did this, or maybe..."

"Maybe?"

"Maybe someone...or something else did it...some outside force." she ventured.

Both Gohans' eyes lit up. "THAT'S what Piccolo meant!"

End Chapter 5.