Author's Notes: Glad to see this fic is being well received, and all I've got to say is get ready: it's the Mirai line like you've never seen! With that, I give you chapter two! Man this is kinda long…
Where were they now? He'd let them get too far ahead… he cursed himself aloud at allowing them to gain such distance on him. He was starting to lose his edge tracking them… it was all becoming so pointless.
Gohan wandered the empty city streets slowly, aimlessly, like a drifter with no particular place to be. Hands stuffed deep in his gi pockets, he kept his eyes focused mostly on the road directly in front of him, every now and then glancing to the side at another abandoned store or office building. He came across an empty aluminum can after a few blocks and lightly kicked it ahead a couple of feet, catching up to it after a moment. He repeated the action again and again before eventually tiring of the childish diversion, sending the can rocketing into the mountains far to the west. Sighing, he turned a corner, rounding a shop that once sold furniture.
Pausing a moment he gazed intently at the window: his reflection. He held a hand up and wiggled his fingers, ascertaining that the stranger staring back was in fact himself. His jet-black hair had lengthened quite a bit, hanging just below his shoulders in a style he was sure his mother would label, "hoodlum-esque." Like his father, his bangs sprouted from his forehead in every direction, forever wild, unable to be tamed by the fiercest of combs. Perhaps, he mused, he'd find some shower facility somewhere in the city; he could cut his hair after a decent bath quite easily—and even he was starting to smell himself, so he could imagine how the odor greeted other noses.
He lowered his hand, eyes still focused on his own face, when movement from the other side if the window caught his eye. It was very quick, imperceptible to a human most likely, but he'd seen it. Cautiously he edged around to the entry doors.
Surely…surely the androids weren't still here, were they? It had been ages since this city had been attacked—there was nothing left! But if this wasn't the androids…who was it?
Giving an experimental tug on the doors he was surprised to see they swung open easily—the lock had been broken some time ago apparently. The interior of the store was dark, the only light that of the fading sun streaming in from the front windows. His vision, however, was well adapted to seeing in the dark, and the room may as well have been lit up clear as day. Extending his senses around the walls and corners inside the store, he was actually surprised to note a large gathering of ki near the back of the shop, and a few others scattered about: not one large energy, but many small ones! There was one particularly close right now—perhaps the movement he'd seen?—just around one of the walls set up in front of him dividing the different furniture displays.
He could sense it tensing, indicated by a slight rise in the small signature, and slowly he backed up against the wall, closing his eyes and listening through the thick plaster. Yes, there it was: breathing! Breathing—someone was still here! Someone—no, more than one person had escaped the androids! Amazing! He suppressed a slight smile from the excitement that he wasn't alone—there were others still left. His eyes shot back open, and he inched his way to the edge, prepping to pounce around the corner…wait for it…now!
"AAH!" came the surprisingly high-pitched scream as Gohan sprang from around the corner, knocking his stalker to the ground and landing straddled atop it. Immediately most of the lights in the seemingly-abandoned store buzzed and flickered to life, flooding the entire building in bright warm light.
"Get off me!" his stalker yelled again, shoving him upward with her small yet powerful hands—for it was a she. Gohan's mouth gaped open, and he fumbled dumbly for words as he found himself suddenly staring into angry blue eyes. Very angry blue eyes. "Didn't you hear me, you idiot, get off me!" Another enraged shove sent the young demi-Saiyan toppling from his post atop the blue-eyed girl and onto his back on the floor. He barely had time to register being thrown off before she was up on her feet, hands raised defensively, her foot poised over his throat in what she assumed was a deadly position. And she might have been right had Gohan been a normal human; as it was, all she would have done had she tried to crush his windpipe with the side of her foot was break her ankle.
At any rate, she was now quite ready for any attack Gohan might have dished out and was decidedly ticked about being caught off guard. "What do you want?" she snarled in a very unwomanly manner. "Who are you?! Are you with those androids? Huh? Answer me!" Apparently Gohan's habit of stupidly fumbling for words had only enraged her more, and she removed her foot from his throat only to bend down and grab him by the throat of his gi, pulling him up to her level, her other fist raised threateningly.
"You better start talking fast, mister, or—"
"C-calm down!" He raised his hands in a defensive gesture. "I'm not here to hurt anyone—I'm not with the androids!"
She raised an eyebrow, mouth still turned down in a deep frown. "Oh? And just why should I believe that? You look pretty suspicious to me!"
"Hon-honest! It's the truth, miss!" He forced a smile to try and persuade her—but apparently the Son charm wasn't as effective as it used to be, as all she did was slightly relax her hold on his gi, releasing him to stand on his own feet.
"If you're not here for any trouble, then just why are you here?" she asked pointedly, fists held at her sides but still clenched should they need to be used.
Struggling for an excuse, Gohan coughed out, "I'm just—just passing through! I just got here, I was looking for a place to stay for the night! Really!"
She cocked her head to the side, disbelief evident. "No one just passes through Orange Star City anymore—everyone knows that. At least, everyone that's left knows that. No one's stupid enough to wander out alone past night, even if the androids have already been here."
"Huh, really?" Everyone that was left, huh? "There are others here? Other people survived?"
Frown softening into one of mild annoyance, she ran her eyes up and down his figure, quickly deducing he wasn't there to harm any of them, then turned to walk away beckoning him to follow her. "Not many, but yes—others survived." Waving a hand at the store around her, she continued, "We live in the abandoned stores around the city; this is just our place for the week. We make it a habit not to stay in the same place for too long, since other less-charming-than-yourself wanderers sometimes find their way in." Gohan's gaze flitted around the store, falling upon the bed-sets that looked as if they'd been slept in recently.
"How many—"
"About eighteen to twenty children at a time. Some of us—like myself—travel around the city for a few days a week searching for other survivors to bring back here. We figure safety in numbers." She quickly stopped and turned on her heel to face him fully, her black locks pulled into a ponytail bouncing upon her head, and extended a hand before him. "I'm Videl."
Startled, he looked down at the hand for a moment before comprehending and returning the gesture to shake it. "Gohan."
"Gohan, huh?" Smiling, she released his hand and clapped loudly three times in a row, yelling out, "Ok, guys! You can come out! The new kid's alright!"
Blinking, Gohan's head snapped around to focus all around, and children began pouring out from hiding places all around the store. Some crawled out from under beds and tables, others from piles of cushions and pillows, while still more burst from behind a steel door towards the back of the store. Gathering in a tight circle around Gohan and Videl, they immediately began firing questions from all sides at the startled demi-Saiyan, whose mouth fell open in shock—so many! So many had escaped! But…how?!
"Who are you? Where're ya from? Did you see the androids? Are you gonna live here with us too?" The questions kept pouring in and most likely would not have stopped had Videl not taken a stand atop a coffee table and called out loudly to get their attention.
"Alright! QUIET!" Her commanding voice echoed through the building, and it was frightening how immediately the room got quiet again. Not even Gohan dared make a peep, eyes tightly focused on the blue-eyed girl now towering over him. "You can all talk to Gohan later—he's staying with us tonight, so you'll have plenty of time to get to know him. But for now—" Her eyes darted around the group, searching out someone, "Hey, Amano." The crowd parted slightly to allow the tall brown-haired boy Videl had called to step forward. "Show Gohan to the bathroom and let him change—you've got some extra clothes lifted from the mall the other day, right?" He nodded. "Good—Gohan, we'll show you where you can sleep after that, alright?"
"Uh, sure…" he nodded hesitantly, then sought out the boy she'd addressed as Amano. Once away from the group, the human began to question Gohan in much the same way Videl had before.
"So, what brings you to Orange Star, Gohan?"
"Oh, I, uh… I just kinda wander around, you know. My city got attacked a while back, but I managed to get out."
Amano nodded grimly. "Same way here. We got attacked quite some time ago, but… I dunno, I guess we were lucky. For some reason the androids didn't destroy everything as quickly as they destroyed other cities… I remember seeing lots of flashes of lights when they first arrived, and lots of yelling…but other than that, it's all a big blur." A bunch of pillows had fallen from one of the beds, blocking their path, and the two bent to replace them on the bed and journeyed on.
"So…how did so many kids get here? How did you meet?"
"Well, most of us survived for at least a few days on our own, hiding until the androids moved on. After that, I guess it was luck that led us to Videl—or led her to us. She's the one who organized us all, who got us together. We've been on our own for close to two years now, grabbing other kids as we go. We haven't found any adults yet, though…"
"Then, all of you…are…?"
Amano sadly acknowledged him. "Orphans now. My parents… I don't really know what happened to them—I was at school when the attack came, and all the teachers sent us into this big underground bunker, but not everyone made it down there. I think about three or four of us are from my school, ones who escaped to the bunker." He reached in front of Gohan and opened the steel door before them, leading to the warehouse part of the store. "Bathroom's this way. Don't ask me why there's a shower area in a furniture store—maybe they like to keep their employees clean," he laughed dryly.
Gohan smiled and nodded his thanks. Amano pointed to a doorway on the eastern wall. "There're the showers—should be some soap and stuff in there, so you can go ahead and get started. I'll bring some clothes in soon, so just leave your old stuff on the bench. Someone'll pick them up and clean 'em later."
"Thanks, Amano," Gohan said kindly, and set off for the bathroom at a run, eager to feel clean once more.
Gohan sighed contentedly as the warm spray pelted his tired body, water running in tiny rivulets down his back and over his chest. He scrubbed his hair thoroughly, making sure to clean it well—who knew when he might get an opportunity like this again? The mirrors in the bathroom area soon fogged up, and soap swirled in a whirlpool down to the drain, peeling off what felt like layers of dirt with it. He stepped back under the stream of water one final time to make sure all the soap had been rinsed away, then reached forward, feeling for the knobs to turn off the spray.
Blinking a few times, he rubbed his eyes and gave his head a massive shake, spattering water droplets everywhere. Somehow the towels hanging on the racks along the side wall remained relatively dry, and he quickly rubbed himself down before wrapping it around his waist. Exiting the shower area he noted a pile of clothes by the main door leading to the bathroom: clean ones! Silently he thanked the absent Amano and slipped into the sleep sweats and undershirt. It wasn't a gi, he noted, admiring himself in the full-length mirror, but it wasn't bad.
He draped the towel over his shoulder and swung open the door, stepping out into the chill of the main warehouse—greeted by a group of five small children, the eldest not appearing more than seven. "Hi Gohan!" they chorused, eyes wide and bright as they stared at the stranger in their midst.
"Gah—eh, h-hi…" he stammered, surprised at the sudden greeting. Apparently Videl had dismissed the meeting while he'd been showering. Gingerly he edged around the group, their gazes not leaving him, and he hesitated to turn his back on them "I'm, uh…I'm gonna go back into the store now, alright?"
Five heads bobbed up and down, nodding. "'K, Gohan!" He gave a weak smile and began backing up to the main door. After a few steps, though, the small group began mirroring his backward movements with forward steps of their own. Growing more worried with each passing moment, he quickened his pace slightly, with the children doing the same. Faster, faster he moved, as did they, until eventually he was in an all out run, now turned around and sprinting for the door, five kids hot on his heels.
Panting, he finally grasped the handle in victory and slung it open, nearly ripping it off its hinges, and came face to face with a startled Videl. "V-Videl!" he cried nervously, then cast a frightened glance back at the mob pursuing him and shot past her. Confused, she turned to see what had caught him off guard so, and stuck a foot out, tripping five pairs of legs. The children rumpled to the floor in a heap near the doorway and looked up to see a peeved Videl towering over them, one foot tapping, waiting for an explanation.
Gohan halted his retreat when he saw the group take a dive, then hesitantly eased back over to find out what was going on.
"And just what do you think you're doing?" she grilled the five, eyeing them angrily, a frown etched on her features. "Why on Earth would our guest be running from you—because I know you weren't chasing him like you've done all the others, were you?"
Five heads shook vehemently, dispelling any doubt as to the purity of their intentions. "We—we just wanted to say hi, Miss Videl! Really!" Four other voices joined in, corroborating the first.
"Oh, is that what it was, Sari?" The little girl of about six nodded brightly, her curly red locks bouncing as she did so. "Well then, I think you should all apologize to Mr. Gohan, what do you think?"
Five monotone voices rejoined, "We're sorry Mr. Gohan…"
"Good, now you all run along and play somewhere else for right now—I need to talk with our new guest." A stampede of feet fled the area, off to some unknown play place, and Videl watched them leave with a small smile on her face. "They're really not so bad for their age, you know." She turned her head to face Gohan. "They've all lost their parents, only had other children for role models—whenever an older kid joins our group they all latch onto him like an older brother. Sorry about that…"
He watched the horde split into five separate entities as they left to play, then waved off her apology. "Don't worry about it—no big deal. They just kinda startled me when I got out of the shower."
Her eyes lit up. "Oh—that reminds me! I came to get you so I could show you where you can sleep!"
Oooh…a real bed! Not a tree branch, not a cave, not an alleyway—a bed! "Sounds great!" he lied—it actually sounded wonderful, heavenly even… She set off around a corner and he quickly followed, nearly stepping on her heels a few times. His rest area apparently was located on the other side of the store with a group of three other boys, Amano being one of the three.
Holding out a hand, Videl introduced his roommates. "Amano you already know—" The brown-headed boy nodded. "—the other two are Niko and Nole." Gohan good-naturedly shook hands with the other boys—apparently twins, and already he was confused as to which was which.
Seeing his confusion, Amano smiled and leaned over, whispering, "Don't worry, even I still get confused about who's who. Just fake it, they don't care…"
"Well, if you're all set here…" Videl's sharp voice interrupted the one-sided conversation, snapping Gohan's attentions back to her as the tone she took was wont to do.
"Ah, actually…I was wondering," he fingered the ends of his shoulder-length mass of hair, "Do you happen to have any scissors?"
Thus passed the first evening of Gohan's first week with the Orange Star survivors. He'd expected to only stay that one night at first, intent on leaving the next morning to catch up with the androids lest they get any further ahead of him after his little detour. However, his plans were quickly tossed aside as he spent more and more time with his new friends. Amano was eager to show him the ropes of being an elder: Story-time with the younger children was an experience that left him more worn out than any battle with the androids. Between dodging flying toys and flying food, he was surprised he hadn't had to transform to keep up with Sari and her gang of faithful pre-school followers.
Another few days with the twins, and he'd finally managed to tell them apart by personality if not by appearance: Niko was the more outgoing, adventurous type, always begging to be allowed to come on scouting missions with Videl and Amano, while Nole seemed quite content to "play" with the younger children, helping out in their education while the others were away. It was amazing that the two were even related, let alone twins. Gohan had stayed behind with the twins for the first couple of days while Videl and Amano slipped into the city for food and clothing runs, but he was quickly tiring of this. Something was stirring inside of him, urging him to move on—and he eventually realized that it was his Saiyan blood bubbling within.
It'd been nearly a week since he'd arrived in Orange Star, a week since he'd had to look twice before entering or leaving a city, a week since he'd trained in any way, shape, or form. A week of peace. And though he knew it couldn't last and that he should be thankful for the break he was getting, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt as he sat inside with Nole, smiling and having fun with little Sari as they played hide-and-go-seek or tag.
Somewhere out there, near or far away, were those killing machines, doing what they did best: slaughtering millions of innocent lives while he lounged around, growing weak, fighting senses dulling. While he laughed, others cried out in pain and fury at the injustice of it all. He had the power to save so many—yet here he was, hiding, wasting it.
And so it was because of these feelings welling up that he juggled them for another week before approaching Videl one evening some two weeks after he'd arrived with the request to join her and Amano the next day. "I'd like to help, Videl, in any way I can."
She stared at him strangely. "Well… thanks anyway for the offer, Gohan, but I think Amano and I can handle—"
"Please," he said more forcefully and seriously, driving home the fact that he would not take "no" for an answer. Her eyebrows furrowed quizzically, but for some reason unknown to her at the time she relented and agreed to allow him along. "Thank you," was his monotone expression of gratitude, and her eyes followed him worriedly as he retreated to his pallet for the night.
"But—Amano!" came the indignant exclamation from the twin known as Niko. "Gohan gets to go too?! How fair is that?" His face twisted into an offended frown.
"It's perfectly fair, Niko," Amano sighed exasperatedly, running a finger through his smooth short-cropped brown tresses, "Because Gohan's three years older than you—and I'm pretty sure he won't get into any sort of trouble while we're ou—"
"Hey! When have I ever gotten into trouble whi—"
"Please don't tempt me to answer that question, kid," Amano retorted, rolling his eyes, adjusting the sheets on his mattress as he made his bed. "Why don't you go play with Nole or something until we get back."
It was now Niko's turn to roll his eyes. "Tsk, duh. 'Cause I'm not a nerd, that's why. All he does is play with the little kids."
"You are a little kid, Niko," Videl reminded, stepping into the boys' area. "You guys ready? I wanna get started looking before the sun gets too far up—don't wanna be out in that city when it starts to get too hot, y'know?"
"Me neither—ready, Gohan?" A curt nod from the demi-Saiyan, and the three set off at a run for the front of the store, racing each other out the door.
Once they'd traveled a few blocks from the store entrance, all three slowed to a stop to formulate some sort of plan for the day's activities. "Alright," Videl began, the natural leader, "Our top priority today is finding a new place to house the kids—we've been living in the furniture store for weeks now, much longer than I'd originally planned, and I think it's time we move on. I've already seen a few shady looking guys hanging around the alley across from the front entrance—that should be all the push we need to find a new place, 'kay?" Two heads nodded in agreement. "Good, okay Amano—you'll head east first, for…we'll say five blocks. Check out everything you can: food, clothes, rest areas, but keep sleeping quarters at the top of the list." Another nod and Amano was gone, feet slapping loudly against the pavement as he tore away.
"Now, Gohan, since you're new to the city and haven't been around much, I just want you to check out streets parallel to the ones I'm on, alright? I'll head down another block and call out when I'm ready. After that we'll yell to each other at every street crossing to make sure you don't get lost, okay?"
Gohan nodded firmly, watching intently as she ambled down the block, throwing him a thumbs-up sign that meant she was ready. His gaze traveled from building to building as he started to wander down the block. The vast majority were unrecognizable and derelict, bearing black scorch marks noting where ki blasts had incinerated walls—and people. Every now and then he might come upon one with the sign still legible, and he would take a moment to peer in the window. Usually, though, the sign was all that hadn't been destroyed, leaving the store useless for their purposes.
Videl's voice would call to him from a few feet ahead on the next street over, and he would jog to the intersection, moving on to the next block of businesses from there. This routine continued for a few hours until they decided to turn back—they were all supposed to meet at the front doors at noon to get lunch with the main group.
"Find anything, you two?" Amano called out as they coincidentally converged on the spot they'd separated on, three blocks from the entrance. Gohan and Videl shook their heads to the negative. "Yeah, me neither. I did happen across what was left of a book store though," he laughed half-heartedly. "Mostly romance novels though—and I don't think we really want Sari or the others getting their hot little hands on those…"
They continued to chat good-naturedly about their various morning finds as they made their way back to the furniture store. One block away, they prepared to turn the corner, when black smoke billowing into the air from the direction of their building caught their eyes, sending dread coursing through their veins. "The kids!" they chorused, frantic, and covered the last bit of ground to the store at a frenzied run.
Screeching to a halt at the front entry, they slung the glass doors open, sending more smoke rolling into the streets, as well as releasing a flood of children, coughing, eyes tightly shut. Gohan and Amano slipped in to make sure everyone made it out, while Videl corralled them into one big group, taking a head count to ascertain who was present and who was absent. The two boys emerged a moment later with the last of the children held in their arms. Niko was one of them, covered in black soot and trying to wriggle his way from Gohan's strong grasp.
"Hey—lemme go, Gohan! I can walk fine!" Worriedly the demi-Saiyan did as asked, but Videl was not so tactful when approaching the child.
"NIKO! What happened?! Why is there smoke coming from our home—" Gohan and Amano had slipped away and were currently working frantically trying to put out what had caused the smoke: a cooking fire started in one of the faux kitchen areas, "—and why are you covered in soot?!"
The twin did what Gohan would have sworn was a perfect imitation of the Son grin, complete with stretching his hand behind his head. "Well, heh, y'see, Miss Videl…"
"Don't you 'Miss Videl' me, little man—answer me!"
"Gah—ah, I was—it was—I wanted to surprise you all when you got back from your scouting! I was gonna make a big cake in the kitchen area!"
"Niko," she sighed, frustrated, "We don't have a kitchen area."
"Yeah, not anymore…" he muttered in an undertone. "Well, it looked like a real kitchen to me!"
She rolled her eyes at his futile attempt to play off the blame on account of adorable naïveté. "How long have we been living here, kid? You know we don't have any kitchen area!"
His deep blue eyes met her own, growing large and watery as if the floodgates were about to open, unleashing a deluge of tears upon her. "I…I'm sorry Miss Videl!" he cried. "I promise it won't happen again!"
A bit embarrassed by the sudden outburst and the way her shirt was now being soaked with tears, she gingerly patted Niko on the back, and repeated this action until Gohan and Amano approached her after ten minutes with the damage report.
"Should've known it was him," Amano muttered, seeing the twin standing next to Videl, being comforted. "You're not letting him get you with that innocent act again, are you Videl?"
"He said he was sorry, and if the damage isn't that much…"
"Geez, you're such a soft touch—anyway, hope we weren't going to use that kitchen mock-up for anything later, it's totally destroyed, one big black splotch on the wall now. Other than that, we're one sleeping bag short—"
"Well, Niko can sleep with Nole until we get a new place then. Whoever's bag he destroyed can have his old one."
"Alright," he nodded, "and we might want to keep the doors open at least until nightfall to let all the smoke clear out. After that we'll…" Amano continued to discuss other aspects of the damage with Videl, but Gohan tuned out, thoughts turning inward.
He was more aware now of how long it had been since he'd left the outside world, how long since he'd seen the androids—fought the androids… When they'd turned that corner and he'd laid eyes on that thick black smoke billowing out into the streets, his first thought had been, 'Oh Kami—they're here! They're here, they found us!' He'd actually grown somewhat accustomed to this life in the short time he'd been staying in Orange Star. Not having to worry about keeping hot on the androids' heels, or getting out of a battle alive, or saving others for a moment, only to have them picked off for target practice later… He would admit, guiltily, that he wanted to stay here.
He wanted to stay here, even though he knew deep down it wouldn't last. It couldn't last, not something so right. Here with these children, other kids his own age, like a normal life…
Something had to go wrong at some time; the only question was, When?
Another month passed before Gohan could bat an eye, and suddenly he turned around and there was a birthday to celebrate: one of Sari's group of adorable mischief-makers, named Yuna. Yuna, like little Sari, hid her devilish demeanor behind wide bright green eyes peering out from beneath gleaming golden locks perpetually pulled up into pigtails. Apparently she was turning six today, as she announced from her post sitting atop Gohan's chest.
It had been startling to say the least when he was rudely awakened by the yelling in his ear of, "I'M SIX TODAY, GOHAN!" with his own black eyes popping open to stare straight into Yuna's green ones, shining with mirth and excitement. He'd nearly knocked her over, instinctively shooting into the air—albeit only a foot before realizing others might be looking—and crumpling back to the ground. Yuna merely looked on curiously, then leaned over his nearly-unconscious form, whispering again, "I'm six today, Gohan…"
"Eh…I noticed, Yuna… Why don't you go tell Videl now?" he forced out weakly, ears still ringing. She nodded enthusiastically, thrilled with the idea, then scampered off to the girls' area, eager to inform the leader of their group of the importance of the day. Videl would thank him later via a quick smack to the head and a, "What'd ya send her over to me for?!"
Whenever one of the children had a birthday, it was always made sure that they got some sort of present, and that was first on the agenda for Gohan, Videl, and Amano for the day. While the search for new living quarters remained forever at the forefront of their scouting missions, it was set down a peg by the urgent need to get:
"A bunny."
"A bunny?" chorused two perplexed male voices.
"A bunny. Not a real one, of course, just a doll or something. I know there used to be a toy store over on Fifty-first Street, and if we set out now we can make it back by early afternoon, I think."
"A bunny…?"
She scoffed at their blank stares. "Oh come on, guys…she's a little girl—not Niko or one of the other guys! And she wants a bunny, so she shall have a bunny. Now move!"
"Y-yes ma'am!"
Videl naturally led the way as she'd lived in the city the longest and had been the first of the group to dart out on scouting missions, searching for other survivors. In the early days she would go out for a few hours during the day, always returning before nightfall. As the group grew, so did her courage, and sometimes she would stay out for two to three days at a time, once reaching the city's northern gate before returning home empty-handed after having spent two miserable nights sleeping in an alleyway. Oftentimes, though, after such extended trips she would bring back food, clothes, toiletries, and—sometimes—even new people. Yuna and the twins were prime examples of orphans she found on one of her scouting trips.
By mid-day the small group had reached the ruins of the toy store. Much to their relief the androids hadn't wasted time mindlessly destroying the building, settling for simply bringing the roof down on the occupants inside. Nimbly maneuvering their way in, each of the three took a different aisle, searching for the elusive stuffed bunny. Amano was the lucky one to discover that the video game aisle was in relatively decent condition, as were most of the consoles and games. "Man, the guys are gonna freak! Why didn't we come here sooner, Videl?!"
"The bunny, Amano. We're looking for the bunny right now. Put the video games back—we can get them later." She latched herself onto his arm and began dragging him away, his fingers still flailing about trying to reach the elusive controller beckoning him nearer.
"Hey—Videl! Lemme go! Videl! Vid—NOOOOOOOOO!" His screams could be heard back at the furniture store.
After the video game scene, Amano was stuck with Gohan, who Videl felt sure wouldn't be so easily distracted, much to Amano's dismay. Another hour passed in the huge store before they finally came upon what had to be the world's cutest stuffed rabbit.
"You pick it up."
"Huh, no! You do it! I'm not touching that thing—I feel like I can get cooties just by standing near it. It's called 'cooties by proximity.'"
"You two are such—boys. Honestly…" Videl snatched up the trinket and stuffed it into a plastic bag, marching out of the store fuming at their immaturity.
"Oi—Videl, wait! The video game! You said we could get it! Videl!"
Due to the amount of time spent at the ruins of the toy store—and the time spent dragging Amano kicking and screaming from it—the trio did not get within sight of the furniture shop until nearly sundown. Amano was still sulking about having to leave behind the console, with Videl quickly slapping him across the back of the head, urging him to get over it, when all attentions snapped to the source of a distant crashing sound, eyes wide.
The furniture shop. Once again, black smoke was billowing out from the top, yet not as thick or dark as before, and broken concrete dotted the road in front of the entryway, sending clouds of choking dust rising into the air.
"Great, not Niko again!" Videl moaned, setting off at a sprint, Amano quickly snapping out of his funk to follow suit. Only Gohan remained behind, eyes narrowed in anger and confusion.
That smoke wasn't caused by any normal fire…and even Niko the Human Tornado couldn't have caused an explosion that would break apart concrete to the size of the chunks which now littered the street.
No…no, it couldn't be… surely they couldn't have come… and yet—oh, what if they had?! Gohan blasted forward with speed no human alive could follow, nearly reaching the building before Videl and Amano. However, all three stopped dead in their tracks to view to carnage before them with wide fearful eyes.
"Th—the androids!?" was Videl's frantic yell. "But—how?! Why?! They can't be here—they can't!" Her mouth hung open in shock, unable to move, but Amano didn't seem to be affected in the same way, for he lunged forward, a look of rage etched across a face too young to have to bear it.
He would have plunged into the fray immediately upon seeing the monstrous cyborgs hovering fifty feet in the air, one blasting those that ran out, the other taking potshots from inside via the half of the building blown off—but he was yanked backwards by a hand fiercely gripping his collar, sending him toppling to the ground on his backside. He turned a furious gaze to the one who'd stopped him and gaped.
"Go—Gohan?" Indeed, the young demi-Saiyan seemed to be channeling even more anger than Amano, eyes narrowed to tiny slits, wind whipping his cropped hair wildly. At her friend's outburst Videl turned to look as well, adopting the same expression as him. The young warrior stepped forward slowly, one foot at a time, in rhythm to the blasts and screams of the children.
Though lives were being lost with each ticking second, though their charges called out to them in pained voices as the life seeped out of their small bodies, neither Videl nor Amano could find the strength or will to move: they could only watch Gohan go forward. "Wh—what are you doing?" Videl called out to him, voice trembling. "Gohan?"
He halted and slowly turned to face his two friends, uttering in a low rage-laden voice, "Do not follow me unless you wish to die…" He redirected his gaze upon 18, who hovered, smiling at an unconscious Yuna fifty feet below, raising a hand glowing with energy. Unflinchingly he walked forward.
Videl was immediately released from her trance-like state when he spoke to her, and could look on in horror no longer. She lunged at Gohan as he turned away and leapt into the air, hand barely brushing his gi leggings, gripping on for dear life when he rose into the air.
"Go—Gohan…you can fly?!" He turned that gaze upon her now, and her heartbeat quickened in fear, sweat pouring down her face. She shook her head to clear the thought away, then cried, "Gohan—don't! Don't go—you'll die! They're all dying!"
"Let go of me, Videl. Let go of me now." When she did not immediately do so, he flared his ki with an angry kiai—making the sudden jump to Super Saiyan form, his normally coal-black hair assuming the same color as the distant setting sun—and Videl lost her grip on his leg, crashing to the ground ten feet below. Amano rushed in to help her, steadying her as she tried to rise again. They could only look on helplessly now as Gohan went to work.
All they would remember later was seeing Gohan blast off in a burst of light—straight for the androids—and then them taking cover in the alleyway to escape the intense heat and light of whatever battle he was engaged in with the cyborgs. Moments later when they emerged, all was quiet and still: no Gohan, no androids, no lights—no life.
Videl and Amano hesitantly stepped out from their cover to survey the damage: so much in such a short amount of time…it was mind-boggling. Their store was half gone, open to the air now, with everything inside charred a sick black color and the smell of burnt flesh hanging heavy in the air. They picked their way through the rubble, every now and then coming upon a small body crumbling to dust. They heaved away chunks of concrete with great effort, and under one they rejoiced to find Nole, cowering with Sari, nursing a broken leg. Immediately they moved the twin to a more comfortable location—though this was hard to find as all their amenities had just been destroyed—and Amano continued the search while Videl helped calm down their two patients.
When all the rubble and refuse had been sifted through, all but three of the children had been accounted for. Their identities, however, were unknown and would stay that way, as a few of the bodies were still unrecognizable, so the list of dead was incomplete. All in all though, only Nole, Sari, and three other small children from Sari's gang had survived.
Gohan returned just as the moon was rising to find the weary group of seven crouched around a small flickering flame Videl was still trying to get to grow. Across from her lay Nole, eyes red and swollen from crying, clutching Sari to his chest as if he were still trying to protect her from 18's deadly blasts. Yuna's bunny was still in its bag, discarded in the fight, destined to now be forgotten, never to be cuddled.
The rough crunch of gravel sent Videl's gaze jerking back to meet him, and she quickly stood, as if awaiting a report of how his mission had gone.
"I lost them over the mountains. They won't be able to track me down again for a while…"
again…for a while…it's all so temporary…
"That's…good…" was her weak reply, and she turned back to sit before the flame, giving a sniff to keep her own tears from falling. Gohan took a seat beside her and leaned nearer to the fire, tossing in a bit of fuel. "Gohan…" she changed the subject, "Stop, you're just gonna kill it that way—it's too much fuel…"
He shook his head and held her back, placing a palm over the pile of newspapers smothering the tiny flicker of flame. Eyes resting on the fire, he pushed a bit of ki into the palm of his hand, heating the paper when it pooled into a small ball of energy, thus igniting the fuel. "Easier this way…" he spoke softly, and pulled his hand back.
Her eyes were no longer properly focusing to be fascinated to any extent by the feat, and she just let her mind wander. Yuna, Niko…all her little children, her family…all dead…
"I'm sorry for this…" came Gohan's quiet voice again, pulling her thoughts back to focus on this plane. "So sorry…"
Videl, who had slid down to lie on the ground heaved herself back up into a sitting position, eyeing him worriedly. "…Sorry for what?"
He extended a hand to the destruction, encompassing their group, the city, their home. "For this, for everything, for…for bringing this to you…"
Her eyebrows furrowed. "Gohan—what are you talking about? You tried your best…did more than any of us could have done for sure… You have nothing to be sorry for."
"Oh, but I do, Videl…" He turned weary eyes on her, smiling sadly, "because you don't understand—they came because of me…to hurt me, to kill me." He shook his head, obviously disappointed in himself, then turned away and lay down on the blackened concrete, ignoring the prickling pains of tiny shards of debris digging into his exposed flesh. "…I'm sorry…"
She gave no reply to the heart-breaking confession—how could he blame himself for this, how?—but his apologies did not stop when his mouth did. In his head he continued to tell everyone how sorry he was.
Yuna…you didn't get your bunny today…you were six today, Yuna…Happy Birthday
Niko…you can go on adventures now… you can go on great adventures with my dad…
Nole…I failed you—you were like me, you only wanted to live in peace with those you cared for…forgive me, little brother…
Sari…you shouldn't have to grow up like this…I wanted to make it different for you…
Over and over and over he spoke to them from his mind, he was sorry—so very sorry. It shouldn't have happened to them—it should have happened to him! Everywhere he went, everyone he met, this happened to them. He always brought death and destruction to those he cared for, it followed him around like a faithful dog.
He would have it no more. He awoke in the middle of the night, the fire long dead, and stood in place, surveying the tentative peace of those slumbering around him. They would awake to a whole new world, one he awoke to every morning since this all started: one where he was all alone.
They shouldn't have to face that kind of dawn. None of them…Videl, Amano, Sari, Nole… He would not endanger them again.
Silent as death, he took to the air and did not look back this time.
Post-Chapter Notes: Ooh, I'm actually pretty pleased with this one, even if it took up a lot of room. I managed to get a bit of humor wrestled in with the angst. And man, Videl: in the story for one chapter so far, and out by the end of that same chapter. But just to let everyone know, this is pretty much the end of the "pre-story" section of the fic, meaning the real plot will be underway soon (yes, that's right, this has all been fluff so far). With that said, I now direct your attentions to the little review button down there. Clicky click!—sage