~*~*~*~
After her fallout with Vejita, Usagi was feeling even worse. Not only were her parents angry with her for who knows why, as if that wasn't bad enough, but Vejita thought of her as a killer. Though, her father defending her against the Saiyan Prince like he had had actually worked to set her at ease, but barely. All she wanted to do was go home where she could stay safe from anyone yelling at her any further, well, anyone other than her parents. She would still be vulnerable to their reprimanding. But she knew her father already had other things planned before she could go home, before this could all be over. He was too interested in finding out the truth of her broach, which in itself was a major problem. She didn't need this right now, but she would have to somehow find a way to deal with it. Until her father was satisfied, he wouldn't rest.
~*~*~
After the small fallout with Vejita, Goku got himself and Usagi out of Capsule Corp. as soon as he could. He didn't have time to argue with Vejita. He had other things on his mind, and his eldest son's house was his next stop. From Capsule Corp. he teleported to Gohan's.
Goku and Usagi appeared in a small, quiet neighborhood in the city. There wasn't much activity around, which was how Gohan and Videl had always liked it since they were always so busy with their work. They had needed an environment that wouldn't be disturbing.
Goku took the lead into his son's yard, making sure Usagi stayed close behind. He didn't want her getting any funny ideas now that they were out in the open, not that she could get anywhere. Usagi, who was lagging behind her father, kept her eyes on the ground. She could already feel more tears filling in them as she walked forward, careful to keep step with her father and not to fall behind. The two hadn't really said much to each other after Vejita had finally calmed down enough to stop yelling at the top of his lungs, which only worried Usagi even further. Her father seemed to have been watching closely, as if to make sure she didn't try attacking Vejita again. Although, he hadn't really scolded her for doing so in the first place. She wasn't sure if she was going to get it later, or if he excused it as defense, and she wasn't about to ask for fear of causing more trouble.
Goku stopped before the front door of his son's home. He hoped the boy was home considering the fact that he hadn't warned him he was coming over. But Gohan usually did his work at home so he was certain he would be in. He took a quick glance back at his daughter to make sure she was behaving herself. He couldn't help but notice the look of sadness engraved deep in her eyes. He found it somewhat strange that after what she had done the day before that she be sad again. She was acting as if nothing had happened. Maybe she really didn't remember. But how could she not? She had no reason to not remember. Maybe this was all part of her plan to fake him out. She had always known how to get exactly what she wanted from him, and many times, even though he saw through it, he gave in. Well, not this time. "Let's try not to attack your brother." He said with a slight chuckle as if to try and lighten up the mood.
Usagi didn't react quite expected. In fact, she took that little remark as a sarcastic attempt to make her feel worse than she already was, something her father had never really done when he was angry with her. "I'm sorry..."
Goku sighed as he turned back to the door and raised his hand for a quick knock. He didn't really want to press his daughter for laughter at that moment, especially since he was still a little mad at her for not telling him what he wanted and needed to know. "It's ok. I understand why you did it." He muttered under his breath.
It wasn't before long that the door was opened with Videl standing on the inside. She looked at the two in confusion, wondering what in the world they could have been doing at her home at such an hour of the day. She knew Usagi was meant to be in school, and Goku, the days that he and Gohan didn't spar, this day being one of them, usually spent the day doing things that a young boy would do. "What brings you two here?" She asked, looking down at Usagi, who was obviously upset about something. From the story that Gohan had told her about Usagi's attacks, she guessed that it had happened again.
Videl backed away from the door and opened it wider and motioned for the two to come in. "Come on in you guys." Allowing Usagi to follow inside behind her father, Videl proceeded to close the door. "I'm guessing you're here to talk to Gohan?"
Goku made himself comfortable, as he always had in his son's house. He looked down at his daughter to make sure she had gotten in ok, and then back up at Videl. He shook his head softly to give her his answer. "Actually, no, we aren't. We're here to talk to you, Videl."
Videl didn't exactly know what to say. She hadn't expected that at all. Usually when Goku came he would be wanting to know if Gohan wanted to go spar, never to talk with her. She would usually have to wait when Chi-Chi or Bulma came over to really do anything. "Well that's a change. What's the occasion?"
Goku frowned as he reached into his pocket once again. This time, there would be no Vejita to strike at his daughter's feelings. Things would stay calm and his daughter wouldn't have a reason to go ballistic, he hoped. "We want to ask you something." He glanced down at his daughter, who cringed at the sound of the 'We'. There was no 'we' in this. It was all him.
Videl put her hands in her pockets with a big smile. She had no idea what this was, but she surely didn't expect anything bad out of it. "Shoot."
At that moment, Gohan walked into the room with his arms full of books. When searching through his study material in his study room, he had overheard the deep voice of his father and had become curious. Like everyone else who could feel power levels, he too had felt the fight between his little sister and father. He hadn't really thought it of anything until his father raised his power level far beyond the capacities of his sister's. That had been when he realized that this was no friendly spar between the two. They meant business, and for what reason, he knew not. But he did know one thing, his father had to have been extra angry to go as far as to use more power than his foe, especially since it was his own daughter. Now his curiosity was sparked even higher as to what had happened between the two of them, and why they had come to his home. "Father!"
Goku forced a smile as he looked at his son, who was in the process of setting down his load of books onto the ground so that he may be free. "Hey, Gohan. What's new?"
Gohan shrugged. "Not much. But I guess there's a lot going on with you."
Goku groaned. Did everyone know? Of course they did. Everyone could feel his power when it was up that high for long periods of time. "I guess you could say that." He pulled out Usagi's broach from his pocket as he turned back to Videl. "I just wanted to know if you've ever seen this before."
Videl reached out with dazzled eyes and grabbed the pendant from her father-in-law's hand. "Wow. It's beautiful." She held it up in the light, causing it to sparkle brightly.
Gohan leaned over his wife's shoulder and took his own peek at the treasure. He recognized it quite well. It was the same broach that Usagi wore all the time. "Isn't this Usagi's?" Gohan questioned his father.
Goku nodded as he glanced down at his daughter. "So she says."
Videl looked up with a slight frown. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Usagi lifted her head for the first time since arriving at her brother's. "Dad thinks I stole it."
Videl looked down at the child, but back up at Goku with the most shocked expression. "Excuse me?"
Gohan too looked down to his sister and knelt before her. "Come on Usagi." He said playfully as he rubbed his hand on her head. "You've gotta be exaggerating. Dad has better ways of getting you to talk than taking you around and asking specific people..." He stopped in his reasoning for just a moment and thought of the situation he was currently in. Had his father not just asked his wife if she had seen the broach anywhere?
Gohan looked up at his father and pushed himself to a standing point. "Uh, Dad?"
Goku sighed as he dropped his face toward the ground. "Usagi has elected not to tell me who gave it to her. I have reason to believe that the enemy may want it, which means it has to have some sort of special power in it." Although it was true that he had at first guessed that she may have stolen it, the more the thought about it, the more he realized that it was nonsense. Usagi had never been one to steal anything in her life. And her sudden outburst yesterday had been directed toward them, and not just a random rebellion.
Usagi frowned. She had to defend herself. "Either that or he thinks it's just really pretty."
Videl nodded. "Could be, but doubtful. Bad guys always have a reason for their actions."
"Highly doubtful." Gohan looked down at his sister. "So, what is it?"
Usagi pretended to zip her mouth shut with her hand and turned her head away. Goku frowned with a quiet growl. "See what a mean? She's not talking. I have to find out who gave it to her. I need to know what's so special about."
Videl looked down at the item in her hand. "Looks like noting but an antique to me." She found the front of the broach and pushed in on a button, but nothing happened. "It's busted."
Usagi grinned as she turned back to the crowd that was composed only of family. "See? It's nothing. It doesn't even open up. So can I have it back now?"
Goku frowned as he gently pushed his daughter to the side and took the broach back from Videl. "Not so fast, kiddo. I'm not through with it yet."
Videl looked down at Usagi and put her hands on her waist. From what she could tell, Usagi seemed to be in some sort of trouble, but she wasn't about to ask. That wasn't really any of her business. "In answer to your question, I haven't seen it, and I wasn't the one who gave it to her."
By Videl's initial reaction, Goku had guessed that, which only made his guess even stronger. Usagi hadn't stolen it. Now it would just be a matter of finding out who actually gave it to her. Why didn't she just learn to realize how important it was that he knew. There was a being running around with Evil Dragon Balls who could use them at any second. He needed to know if there was something he could do to stop it. "Ok, thanks." He glanced down at Usagi, still with a frown. "Let's go, we still have stuff we have to do."
Gohan tugged on his father's shoulder in order to hold him back. "Wait, father, I want to ask you something."
Goku paused mid-step. He was pretty sure he knew what this was about. "Ok..."Gohan nodded his head to the side toward Usagi. Goku got the picture. "Videl, would you mind taking Usagi into the other room for a little while."
Videl smiled up at her father-in-law. "Sure." She held out her hand for her sister-in-law to hold. "Come on!"
Usagi half smiled up at Videl as she took her hand. She was happy that at least one person was being nice to her. Although her father had been somewhat nice to her that morning, it was still obvious that he was angry with her, which made her feel quite uneasy. But with Videl, she felt completely at ease.
Goku watched his daughter being taken out of the room, only to find himself being left with his oldest. He sighed as he threw his hands behind his head in a very stressed fashion. He didn't even give Gohan a chance to ask any questions before he started in. "I don't know what I'm going to do." He said as if Gohan knew the whole story.
Gohan, being completely unknowing of his family's current situation, couldn't stop wondering exactly what was going on. He understood that Usagi was in trouble. But he figured it was about the broach, and the broach alone. But watching his father's stressed figure he could tell that it was more, much more, for he had never see his father acting in such a fashion. "Mind telling me what happened yesterday?"
Goku had planned on that from the start. He had never been in a situation quite like this before, and Chi-Chi wasn't the best candidate to discuss something like this with. Even though he was angry with Usagi, he still didn't like the way he had to treat her. He felt as if it was for his own emotional defense. Even though she was calling him her father again, he was still hurt that she had ever 'disowned' him in the first place. After she said that, he felt his control over the situation fly out the window. He didn't know what to do, and the situation was deteriorating fast with the way Usagi was acting now. She wasn't reacting to him quite like he had at first expected. According to his first inferences, he had figured Usagi was just trying to play him stupid, that she was just trying to get him into a position where he believed her 'pain' and then she would quickly turn on him once again. She had done it before the first fight started, and he didn't want it to happen again. But to his surprise, she hadn't yet turned on him. She was forever staying in her mood of innocence. "She started acting different yesterday." He paused, but only long enough to clear his throat. "She came home in a fit about how we never let her do anything, that we try to keep too much control over her. She went on about how she was old enough to move out..."
Gohan crossed his arms with a frown. Now he had a little bit more of an understanding of where his father was coming from, and he didn't like it. Usagi had no right to say something like that. He couldn't believe his sweet little sister would do something like that. "She's not old enough to move out. She's barely twelve."
Goku frowned. "I know that. But for some reason she's not acting like that anymore. She's acting normal again, and I'm beginning to think she's actually hurting."
Gohan nodded. He could tell that just by taking one looking at her that morning that she was hurting over something. And it wasn't a forced hurt either, it was genuine. "I know what you mean, but I don't know what to tell you." He decided not to ask about the fight now that he knew a little more about the situation. He could tell that his father was having a hard time with this, and he didn't want to make things worse by asking about it.
Goku sighed as he lowered his head. "I don't know what to do either, to tell you the truth. I know she deserves to be punished, yet I think she's been punished enough." He shifted his weight and crossed one leg over the other. "Now she claims none of it ever happened, that she doesn't remember any of it, and I want to believe her, but I just don't know if I can."
~*~*~
Meanwhile, in the living room, Usagi sat completely quiet with Videl on her side. She knew her sister-in-law was worried about her. It was obvious by the worried looks she was receiving. But she wasn't really in the mood to be talking. She had other things on her mind. Like her father for example. Some of what he was saying carried into the room she was in. She didn't know what to make of it. If he hated treating her like this, then why would he? Hadn't he always said that he would love her no matter what? Well, she wasn't feeling very loved right now. What was even stranger though, was what he was telling Gohan what happened. Still, she had no memory of these events. Was it possible for two people to remember the same time differently? Right now she wanted to be talking to him, instead of sitting there listening to him talk to her brother.
Usagi looked up at Videl with tears forming in her eyes. "Videl..., I need help..."
Videl could have cried sitting there while she looked down at the pleading child. She couldn't remember another time when Usagi had been so upset. Well, there were all those times when people made fun of her, but this was different. She had a different look in her eyes. It was a certain twinkle of lost hope that resided in her very heart that powered that look in her eyes.
Videl placed her hand on Usagi's. "Spill it."
Usagi nodded as she took a deep breath. She wasn't sure how she wanted to say this. Truthfully, she wasn't even sure she could sort it all out in her thoughts enough to tell someone else. Even she didn't fully understand what she was feeling. That was one of the main reasons why she needed help. She needed advise from an older, more mature woman. She knew her friends wouldn't be able to help her out this time. None of them had ever come close to a situation like this. Of course, Videl probably hadn't either, but it didn't matter. The point was that she was older and knew a lot more. "I think my mom and dad hate me..." She said as she lowered her eyes.
Videl let out a near silent gasp upon hearing that. To her, that statement sounded utterly ridiculous. But, obviously, to Usagi, it was reality. "Oh, baby, your parents don't hate you." She raised her hand to Usagi's face and gently rubbed it across her cheek. "They love you. They always have, and always will."
Usagi shook her head, tears now flowing down her face. "No they don't. Not anymore."
Videl, seeing Usagi's tears, wanted to cry herself. This was worse than she had expected. The poor child felt as if she was hated by the two people she had always loved most. "Why, Usagi? Why do you think they hate you?"
Usagi hiccuped with a sniffle. "Because." She lifted her arm and wiped her face dry. "They were really mean to me. I don't mean 'you're in trouble because you did this' kind of mean. I mean REALLY mean. They yelled at me for something I don't even remember doing. They said I was a liar. They said I told daddy he wasn't my dad anymore. And I didn't. I love my dad, and my mom. I would never do that. I know I wouldn't."
Videl groaned as she rubbed the child's back. She couldn't exactly emphasize on this one. She herself had never been through something like this. Her father had always lived his life in the spotlight, she never had a chance to go through something like this. "Then why would they say you did?"
Usagi shook her head in confusion. "I don't know." She paused as she looked up at Videl. "You don't think I would say that, do you?"
Videl didn't know what to say. She knew Usagi well enough to know that she loved her parents as much as they loved her. But she also knew Goku well enough to know that he wouldn't just fly off the handle like this without a reason. Chi-Chi was a little different, but she knew Chi-Chi loved her children, and would never want to give them the feeling that they were hated. "Usagi, no, I don't think you would say something like that. But obviously your parents have a real memory of you doing it, whether you do or not. I don't know why you don't remember it, and they do, and I don't know what to tell you. But, I can tell you, if you ever need someone to talk to, just tell me. I'll be more than happy to try to make things better."
Usagi looked at the ground. She hadn't expected that. She wanted to hear from someone that she would never do that. She wanted to hear That she wasn't in the wrong. She wanted someone to be able to tell her parents that she wasn't there when any of this happened. But who was? And why did her parents and herself remember things differently? All she remembered was Tatsuo taking her away and knocking her out in the alley. Was Tatsuo behind this? How could he be? Her parents didn't remember anything about Tatsuo. They only talked about stuff she did, which she knew she didn't do, and would never do.
"Thanks Videl." She whispered. Even though she hadn't really gotten the counseling that she had hoped for, it was still nice to talk to someone about it. She looked up to her right, only to see her father and brother standing in the doorway. Looking at her father in particular, she noticed that his facial expression, once that of anger, had become somewhat softer and kinder. After hearing his conversation with her brother, and seeing his face, Usagi felt a little more at ease, but she was still in the thought that her father hated her, regardless of what Videl had told her.
Goku motioned for Usagi to rise. "Let's go."
Usagi nodded softly as she pushed herself up. She had already gotten used to the aches and pains of her body, though she felt small flashes in her body every so often. She said nothing as she walked to him, but wondered where they would be going next. She hoped it was home. She just wanted to go to sleep. She wanted to forget about this entire situation. What she wanted most was for things to go back to normal.
Goku held out his hand for Usagi to grab on to, which she did. He looked up and around the room to his son and daughter-in-law. "Thanks."
Gohan faked a smile. He hoped that everything would turn out alright between the two, well, the three counting his mother. "No prob." He looked down at Usagi and winked, but before long, the duo was gone.
Videl stood up from the sofa and wrapped her arms around Gohan. "I feel so sorry for her."
Gohan nodded. "For all three of them. Dad thinks Usagi hates him."
Videl froze in thoughts. "But Usagi thinks your mom and dad hate her."
Gohan frowned. "That doesn't make any sense."
~*~*~
Goku, according to his plan, teleported to Piccolo's next. He knew the broach wouldn't have come from him, but, Piccolo, being old God of Earth must have known something about the power of this broach. He let go of Usagi's hand and began approaching the fighter's home, only to realize Usagi wasn't following. He turned around, noticing that Usagi hadn't taken a single step forward. She just stood there with her face turned to the ground. Goku could easily sense what she was feeling, and it was at that point that he realized the extent of her pain.
Forgetting momentarily about Piccolo, Goku traced his steps back to his daughter and knelt before her. He put all anger aside, coming to the conclusion that she really didn't understand, she really didn't know what was going on. "Usagi." He raised his hand to brush away the hair from Usagi's face, only to find her jolting away from him.
Usagi wrapped her arms together and hid her face from her father. She didn't want him to see her tears. She figured he would probably yell at her for trying to fake him out.
Goku gulped. His stomach felt like a lead weight. He stood up and frowned, though not at his daughter. He frowned at himself for being so stupid. He knew that he had over reacted the night before. And he was certain that his overreaction had gotten more than through to his daughter. He had plowed a hole right through her. But what else could he have done? He had been verbally, mentally, and physically attacked by his daughter. He expected her to do the same when she had wakened up. He didn't want to give her the chance to again. "You really don't remember what happened yesterday, do you?"
Usagi shook her head, still not lifting it. "Nothing happened."
Goku groaned as he threw his head a ways back. "Yes, Usagi, something did."
Usagi frowned as she pulled her hands up and wrapped them around the back of her neck. "No it didn't, daddy. I didn't do anything."
Goku sighed. It was obvious that he wasn't going to get anywhere with this. All that would happen was Usagi would just keep denying it. "Ok. Obviously you and I remember things a bit differently. Why don't we tell each other what we remember about yesterday and go from there?"
Usagi nodded. She liked the sound of that, not that her father would believe her. "Ok..." She lowered one of her arms and wiped away her tears.
Goku smiled, slightly. "Alright. I'll go first. You came home late yesterday, very late. You started out with a bad attitude, and things got pretty heated. You hit your mother aside, which set me off. You said over and over how you wanted to leave, that we were horrible parents. So I said if you beat me in a fight, you could leave. But if I beat you, you would come home with me."
Usagi lifted her head just enough to look into her father's eyes without him really being able to see hers. "That..."
Goku shushed his daughter. "Let me finish." Usagi stayed quiet after that. "That's when you said you'd rather have someone else for a father. As things turned out, I won. I took the broach from you out of curiosity, and the next thing I knew you were gone... after telling me three times that you hated me..." Goku was still hurting inside from that one. "Your turn."
Usagi's stomach turned inside. "I never said I hated you, daddy. None of that ever happened."
Goku raised Usagi's head just enough to see her face. He suddenly felt queasy. Her eyes were completely red from crying so much. He hated to be the one to cause such pain. "Go ahead and tell me what you remember then."
Usagi nodded with a deep breath. "After you left me at school Tatsuo scratched my arm. I punched him out... but..." She dropped her head once again. She realized she should have left that detail out. That only made her look like an even worse person than she was already being made out to be. "I'm sorry..."
Goku frowned. "He attacked you first."
Usagi looked up with a half smile. At least he didn't yell at her for that. "Ok..." She wasn't sure how to react to that, to any of this for that matter. Her father was acting different than before, like there was no anger left in his body, but she knew there was, there just had to be. "After school, I was talking with the girls and ready to come home, but I was taken away. The next thing I knew I was in an alley and face to face with Tatsuo. It wasn't before long that he knocked me out. Next I knew it was night and I was downtown. That's pretty much when you came in."
Goku looked up. He wasn't sure what to believe. Tatsuo attacking her like that didn't seem very believable. He was a pretty strange kid, but he didn't have any special powers. He had been completely amazed by the power he and Usagi had produced the other day.
Usagi sighed as she pulled even further away from her father. "You don't believe me, do you?"
Goku groaned at the question. He didn't know what he believed. "I don't know, Usagi. I mean, I don't see how you could have been knocked out AND be fighting me at the same time."
Usagi frowned. "But I didn't FIGHT you!"
Goku didn't react harshly to that, as he had the night before. Before, he had been too angry and upset to even really see five feet in front of himself. Now he was calmer, much calmer. He could handle 'back talk' now, even though he didn't really consider it as such. "Yes, you did. How do you think I got this nice cut on my lip?" He asked as he pointed to bruised cut that had been formed by a kick to the face.
Usagi shrugged. She had wondered about that earlier, but she hadn't known where he had gotten it. "I don't know, daddy. But I swear I wasn't the one who did it. I wouldn't take my anger out on you. Not unless you turned evil..."
Goku didn't know what to say there. That had been the precise reason why he had hit Usagi. He could have sworn she was turning evil, well, evil enough to act the way she had. "The person who fought me had YOUR body, and YOUR power, EXACTLY."
Usagi sighed as she wiped away the tears from her eyes again. "But it wasn't, daddy. I know it wasn't. Please! Believe me! I love you! I don't hate you!"
Goku reached down and wrapped his hand around the girl's head. This time, she was too upset to pull away. He couldn't express how good it felt to hear her say those words. "I love you too, kiddo." He gave her a quick kiss on her forehead to reinforce his words. "Always have, always will."
Usagi looked up at her father. That had been exactly what Videl had told her. "Really?"
Goku frowned. "Of course. You didn't think I actually hated you, did you?"
Usagi blushed as she looked down at her feet. "Well..."
Goku wrapped his arm around his daughter's shoulders. "I will never hate you. Neither will your mother."
Usagi smiled slightly. She still wasn't completely convinced, but she was getting there. At least she had heard it from his voice that he loved her, that he didn't hate her. She could hear the sincerity in his voice, but something still told her to be wary of her parents. She wanted to make sure this wasn't just a trick. After the emotional stress they had put her through the night before, who wouldn't be wary? "Promise?"
Goku nodded. "Always."
Usagi sighed. "I really didn't fight you, at least, I don't remember..."
"It's ok. We'll figure out what happened soon enough. My main concern right now is to find out what this broach is."
Usagi held her breath. She knew her father would be asking her about it yet again. And, as usual, she would have to tell him nothing. "I can't tell you."
Goku frowned. "Why not?"
Usagi frowned as well. "Because I can't."
"I know you know what it is."
"I know you know that I know what it is."
Goku stood up and brushed his knees off. "Usagi, whatever's in here, I WILL find out whether you tell me or not. Piccolo should know something about it."
Usagi crossed her arms. "Then ask Piccolo about it."
Goku sighed. "I will. But I'd rather hear it from you."
( DONE! Hungry! Gonna make this short before my concert! Matta Ashita! )
After her fallout with Vejita, Usagi was feeling even worse. Not only were her parents angry with her for who knows why, as if that wasn't bad enough, but Vejita thought of her as a killer. Though, her father defending her against the Saiyan Prince like he had had actually worked to set her at ease, but barely. All she wanted to do was go home where she could stay safe from anyone yelling at her any further, well, anyone other than her parents. She would still be vulnerable to their reprimanding. But she knew her father already had other things planned before she could go home, before this could all be over. He was too interested in finding out the truth of her broach, which in itself was a major problem. She didn't need this right now, but she would have to somehow find a way to deal with it. Until her father was satisfied, he wouldn't rest.
~*~*~
After the small fallout with Vejita, Goku got himself and Usagi out of Capsule Corp. as soon as he could. He didn't have time to argue with Vejita. He had other things on his mind, and his eldest son's house was his next stop. From Capsule Corp. he teleported to Gohan's.
Goku and Usagi appeared in a small, quiet neighborhood in the city. There wasn't much activity around, which was how Gohan and Videl had always liked it since they were always so busy with their work. They had needed an environment that wouldn't be disturbing.
Goku took the lead into his son's yard, making sure Usagi stayed close behind. He didn't want her getting any funny ideas now that they were out in the open, not that she could get anywhere. Usagi, who was lagging behind her father, kept her eyes on the ground. She could already feel more tears filling in them as she walked forward, careful to keep step with her father and not to fall behind. The two hadn't really said much to each other after Vejita had finally calmed down enough to stop yelling at the top of his lungs, which only worried Usagi even further. Her father seemed to have been watching closely, as if to make sure she didn't try attacking Vejita again. Although, he hadn't really scolded her for doing so in the first place. She wasn't sure if she was going to get it later, or if he excused it as defense, and she wasn't about to ask for fear of causing more trouble.
Goku stopped before the front door of his son's home. He hoped the boy was home considering the fact that he hadn't warned him he was coming over. But Gohan usually did his work at home so he was certain he would be in. He took a quick glance back at his daughter to make sure she was behaving herself. He couldn't help but notice the look of sadness engraved deep in her eyes. He found it somewhat strange that after what she had done the day before that she be sad again. She was acting as if nothing had happened. Maybe she really didn't remember. But how could she not? She had no reason to not remember. Maybe this was all part of her plan to fake him out. She had always known how to get exactly what she wanted from him, and many times, even though he saw through it, he gave in. Well, not this time. "Let's try not to attack your brother." He said with a slight chuckle as if to try and lighten up the mood.
Usagi didn't react quite expected. In fact, she took that little remark as a sarcastic attempt to make her feel worse than she already was, something her father had never really done when he was angry with her. "I'm sorry..."
Goku sighed as he turned back to the door and raised his hand for a quick knock. He didn't really want to press his daughter for laughter at that moment, especially since he was still a little mad at her for not telling him what he wanted and needed to know. "It's ok. I understand why you did it." He muttered under his breath.
It wasn't before long that the door was opened with Videl standing on the inside. She looked at the two in confusion, wondering what in the world they could have been doing at her home at such an hour of the day. She knew Usagi was meant to be in school, and Goku, the days that he and Gohan didn't spar, this day being one of them, usually spent the day doing things that a young boy would do. "What brings you two here?" She asked, looking down at Usagi, who was obviously upset about something. From the story that Gohan had told her about Usagi's attacks, she guessed that it had happened again.
Videl backed away from the door and opened it wider and motioned for the two to come in. "Come on in you guys." Allowing Usagi to follow inside behind her father, Videl proceeded to close the door. "I'm guessing you're here to talk to Gohan?"
Goku made himself comfortable, as he always had in his son's house. He looked down at his daughter to make sure she had gotten in ok, and then back up at Videl. He shook his head softly to give her his answer. "Actually, no, we aren't. We're here to talk to you, Videl."
Videl didn't exactly know what to say. She hadn't expected that at all. Usually when Goku came he would be wanting to know if Gohan wanted to go spar, never to talk with her. She would usually have to wait when Chi-Chi or Bulma came over to really do anything. "Well that's a change. What's the occasion?"
Goku frowned as he reached into his pocket once again. This time, there would be no Vejita to strike at his daughter's feelings. Things would stay calm and his daughter wouldn't have a reason to go ballistic, he hoped. "We want to ask you something." He glanced down at his daughter, who cringed at the sound of the 'We'. There was no 'we' in this. It was all him.
Videl put her hands in her pockets with a big smile. She had no idea what this was, but she surely didn't expect anything bad out of it. "Shoot."
At that moment, Gohan walked into the room with his arms full of books. When searching through his study material in his study room, he had overheard the deep voice of his father and had become curious. Like everyone else who could feel power levels, he too had felt the fight between his little sister and father. He hadn't really thought it of anything until his father raised his power level far beyond the capacities of his sister's. That had been when he realized that this was no friendly spar between the two. They meant business, and for what reason, he knew not. But he did know one thing, his father had to have been extra angry to go as far as to use more power than his foe, especially since it was his own daughter. Now his curiosity was sparked even higher as to what had happened between the two of them, and why they had come to his home. "Father!"
Goku forced a smile as he looked at his son, who was in the process of setting down his load of books onto the ground so that he may be free. "Hey, Gohan. What's new?"
Gohan shrugged. "Not much. But I guess there's a lot going on with you."
Goku groaned. Did everyone know? Of course they did. Everyone could feel his power when it was up that high for long periods of time. "I guess you could say that." He pulled out Usagi's broach from his pocket as he turned back to Videl. "I just wanted to know if you've ever seen this before."
Videl reached out with dazzled eyes and grabbed the pendant from her father-in-law's hand. "Wow. It's beautiful." She held it up in the light, causing it to sparkle brightly.
Gohan leaned over his wife's shoulder and took his own peek at the treasure. He recognized it quite well. It was the same broach that Usagi wore all the time. "Isn't this Usagi's?" Gohan questioned his father.
Goku nodded as he glanced down at his daughter. "So she says."
Videl looked up with a slight frown. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Usagi lifted her head for the first time since arriving at her brother's. "Dad thinks I stole it."
Videl looked down at the child, but back up at Goku with the most shocked expression. "Excuse me?"
Gohan too looked down to his sister and knelt before her. "Come on Usagi." He said playfully as he rubbed his hand on her head. "You've gotta be exaggerating. Dad has better ways of getting you to talk than taking you around and asking specific people..." He stopped in his reasoning for just a moment and thought of the situation he was currently in. Had his father not just asked his wife if she had seen the broach anywhere?
Gohan looked up at his father and pushed himself to a standing point. "Uh, Dad?"
Goku sighed as he dropped his face toward the ground. "Usagi has elected not to tell me who gave it to her. I have reason to believe that the enemy may want it, which means it has to have some sort of special power in it." Although it was true that he had at first guessed that she may have stolen it, the more the thought about it, the more he realized that it was nonsense. Usagi had never been one to steal anything in her life. And her sudden outburst yesterday had been directed toward them, and not just a random rebellion.
Usagi frowned. She had to defend herself. "Either that or he thinks it's just really pretty."
Videl nodded. "Could be, but doubtful. Bad guys always have a reason for their actions."
"Highly doubtful." Gohan looked down at his sister. "So, what is it?"
Usagi pretended to zip her mouth shut with her hand and turned her head away. Goku frowned with a quiet growl. "See what a mean? She's not talking. I have to find out who gave it to her. I need to know what's so special about."
Videl looked down at the item in her hand. "Looks like noting but an antique to me." She found the front of the broach and pushed in on a button, but nothing happened. "It's busted."
Usagi grinned as she turned back to the crowd that was composed only of family. "See? It's nothing. It doesn't even open up. So can I have it back now?"
Goku frowned as he gently pushed his daughter to the side and took the broach back from Videl. "Not so fast, kiddo. I'm not through with it yet."
Videl looked down at Usagi and put her hands on her waist. From what she could tell, Usagi seemed to be in some sort of trouble, but she wasn't about to ask. That wasn't really any of her business. "In answer to your question, I haven't seen it, and I wasn't the one who gave it to her."
By Videl's initial reaction, Goku had guessed that, which only made his guess even stronger. Usagi hadn't stolen it. Now it would just be a matter of finding out who actually gave it to her. Why didn't she just learn to realize how important it was that he knew. There was a being running around with Evil Dragon Balls who could use them at any second. He needed to know if there was something he could do to stop it. "Ok, thanks." He glanced down at Usagi, still with a frown. "Let's go, we still have stuff we have to do."
Gohan tugged on his father's shoulder in order to hold him back. "Wait, father, I want to ask you something."
Goku paused mid-step. He was pretty sure he knew what this was about. "Ok..."Gohan nodded his head to the side toward Usagi. Goku got the picture. "Videl, would you mind taking Usagi into the other room for a little while."
Videl smiled up at her father-in-law. "Sure." She held out her hand for her sister-in-law to hold. "Come on!"
Usagi half smiled up at Videl as she took her hand. She was happy that at least one person was being nice to her. Although her father had been somewhat nice to her that morning, it was still obvious that he was angry with her, which made her feel quite uneasy. But with Videl, she felt completely at ease.
Goku watched his daughter being taken out of the room, only to find himself being left with his oldest. He sighed as he threw his hands behind his head in a very stressed fashion. He didn't even give Gohan a chance to ask any questions before he started in. "I don't know what I'm going to do." He said as if Gohan knew the whole story.
Gohan, being completely unknowing of his family's current situation, couldn't stop wondering exactly what was going on. He understood that Usagi was in trouble. But he figured it was about the broach, and the broach alone. But watching his father's stressed figure he could tell that it was more, much more, for he had never see his father acting in such a fashion. "Mind telling me what happened yesterday?"
Goku had planned on that from the start. He had never been in a situation quite like this before, and Chi-Chi wasn't the best candidate to discuss something like this with. Even though he was angry with Usagi, he still didn't like the way he had to treat her. He felt as if it was for his own emotional defense. Even though she was calling him her father again, he was still hurt that she had ever 'disowned' him in the first place. After she said that, he felt his control over the situation fly out the window. He didn't know what to do, and the situation was deteriorating fast with the way Usagi was acting now. She wasn't reacting to him quite like he had at first expected. According to his first inferences, he had figured Usagi was just trying to play him stupid, that she was just trying to get him into a position where he believed her 'pain' and then she would quickly turn on him once again. She had done it before the first fight started, and he didn't want it to happen again. But to his surprise, she hadn't yet turned on him. She was forever staying in her mood of innocence. "She started acting different yesterday." He paused, but only long enough to clear his throat. "She came home in a fit about how we never let her do anything, that we try to keep too much control over her. She went on about how she was old enough to move out..."
Gohan crossed his arms with a frown. Now he had a little bit more of an understanding of where his father was coming from, and he didn't like it. Usagi had no right to say something like that. He couldn't believe his sweet little sister would do something like that. "She's not old enough to move out. She's barely twelve."
Goku frowned. "I know that. But for some reason she's not acting like that anymore. She's acting normal again, and I'm beginning to think she's actually hurting."
Gohan nodded. He could tell that just by taking one looking at her that morning that she was hurting over something. And it wasn't a forced hurt either, it was genuine. "I know what you mean, but I don't know what to tell you." He decided not to ask about the fight now that he knew a little more about the situation. He could tell that his father was having a hard time with this, and he didn't want to make things worse by asking about it.
Goku sighed as he lowered his head. "I don't know what to do either, to tell you the truth. I know she deserves to be punished, yet I think she's been punished enough." He shifted his weight and crossed one leg over the other. "Now she claims none of it ever happened, that she doesn't remember any of it, and I want to believe her, but I just don't know if I can."
~*~*~
Meanwhile, in the living room, Usagi sat completely quiet with Videl on her side. She knew her sister-in-law was worried about her. It was obvious by the worried looks she was receiving. But she wasn't really in the mood to be talking. She had other things on her mind. Like her father for example. Some of what he was saying carried into the room she was in. She didn't know what to make of it. If he hated treating her like this, then why would he? Hadn't he always said that he would love her no matter what? Well, she wasn't feeling very loved right now. What was even stranger though, was what he was telling Gohan what happened. Still, she had no memory of these events. Was it possible for two people to remember the same time differently? Right now she wanted to be talking to him, instead of sitting there listening to him talk to her brother.
Usagi looked up at Videl with tears forming in her eyes. "Videl..., I need help..."
Videl could have cried sitting there while she looked down at the pleading child. She couldn't remember another time when Usagi had been so upset. Well, there were all those times when people made fun of her, but this was different. She had a different look in her eyes. It was a certain twinkle of lost hope that resided in her very heart that powered that look in her eyes.
Videl placed her hand on Usagi's. "Spill it."
Usagi nodded as she took a deep breath. She wasn't sure how she wanted to say this. Truthfully, she wasn't even sure she could sort it all out in her thoughts enough to tell someone else. Even she didn't fully understand what she was feeling. That was one of the main reasons why she needed help. She needed advise from an older, more mature woman. She knew her friends wouldn't be able to help her out this time. None of them had ever come close to a situation like this. Of course, Videl probably hadn't either, but it didn't matter. The point was that she was older and knew a lot more. "I think my mom and dad hate me..." She said as she lowered her eyes.
Videl let out a near silent gasp upon hearing that. To her, that statement sounded utterly ridiculous. But, obviously, to Usagi, it was reality. "Oh, baby, your parents don't hate you." She raised her hand to Usagi's face and gently rubbed it across her cheek. "They love you. They always have, and always will."
Usagi shook her head, tears now flowing down her face. "No they don't. Not anymore."
Videl, seeing Usagi's tears, wanted to cry herself. This was worse than she had expected. The poor child felt as if she was hated by the two people she had always loved most. "Why, Usagi? Why do you think they hate you?"
Usagi hiccuped with a sniffle. "Because." She lifted her arm and wiped her face dry. "They were really mean to me. I don't mean 'you're in trouble because you did this' kind of mean. I mean REALLY mean. They yelled at me for something I don't even remember doing. They said I was a liar. They said I told daddy he wasn't my dad anymore. And I didn't. I love my dad, and my mom. I would never do that. I know I wouldn't."
Videl groaned as she rubbed the child's back. She couldn't exactly emphasize on this one. She herself had never been through something like this. Her father had always lived his life in the spotlight, she never had a chance to go through something like this. "Then why would they say you did?"
Usagi shook her head in confusion. "I don't know." She paused as she looked up at Videl. "You don't think I would say that, do you?"
Videl didn't know what to say. She knew Usagi well enough to know that she loved her parents as much as they loved her. But she also knew Goku well enough to know that he wouldn't just fly off the handle like this without a reason. Chi-Chi was a little different, but she knew Chi-Chi loved her children, and would never want to give them the feeling that they were hated. "Usagi, no, I don't think you would say something like that. But obviously your parents have a real memory of you doing it, whether you do or not. I don't know why you don't remember it, and they do, and I don't know what to tell you. But, I can tell you, if you ever need someone to talk to, just tell me. I'll be more than happy to try to make things better."
Usagi looked at the ground. She hadn't expected that. She wanted to hear from someone that she would never do that. She wanted to hear That she wasn't in the wrong. She wanted someone to be able to tell her parents that she wasn't there when any of this happened. But who was? And why did her parents and herself remember things differently? All she remembered was Tatsuo taking her away and knocking her out in the alley. Was Tatsuo behind this? How could he be? Her parents didn't remember anything about Tatsuo. They only talked about stuff she did, which she knew she didn't do, and would never do.
"Thanks Videl." She whispered. Even though she hadn't really gotten the counseling that she had hoped for, it was still nice to talk to someone about it. She looked up to her right, only to see her father and brother standing in the doorway. Looking at her father in particular, she noticed that his facial expression, once that of anger, had become somewhat softer and kinder. After hearing his conversation with her brother, and seeing his face, Usagi felt a little more at ease, but she was still in the thought that her father hated her, regardless of what Videl had told her.
Goku motioned for Usagi to rise. "Let's go."
Usagi nodded softly as she pushed herself up. She had already gotten used to the aches and pains of her body, though she felt small flashes in her body every so often. She said nothing as she walked to him, but wondered where they would be going next. She hoped it was home. She just wanted to go to sleep. She wanted to forget about this entire situation. What she wanted most was for things to go back to normal.
Goku held out his hand for Usagi to grab on to, which she did. He looked up and around the room to his son and daughter-in-law. "Thanks."
Gohan faked a smile. He hoped that everything would turn out alright between the two, well, the three counting his mother. "No prob." He looked down at Usagi and winked, but before long, the duo was gone.
Videl stood up from the sofa and wrapped her arms around Gohan. "I feel so sorry for her."
Gohan nodded. "For all three of them. Dad thinks Usagi hates him."
Videl froze in thoughts. "But Usagi thinks your mom and dad hate her."
Gohan frowned. "That doesn't make any sense."
~*~*~
Goku, according to his plan, teleported to Piccolo's next. He knew the broach wouldn't have come from him, but, Piccolo, being old God of Earth must have known something about the power of this broach. He let go of Usagi's hand and began approaching the fighter's home, only to realize Usagi wasn't following. He turned around, noticing that Usagi hadn't taken a single step forward. She just stood there with her face turned to the ground. Goku could easily sense what she was feeling, and it was at that point that he realized the extent of her pain.
Forgetting momentarily about Piccolo, Goku traced his steps back to his daughter and knelt before her. He put all anger aside, coming to the conclusion that she really didn't understand, she really didn't know what was going on. "Usagi." He raised his hand to brush away the hair from Usagi's face, only to find her jolting away from him.
Usagi wrapped her arms together and hid her face from her father. She didn't want him to see her tears. She figured he would probably yell at her for trying to fake him out.
Goku gulped. His stomach felt like a lead weight. He stood up and frowned, though not at his daughter. He frowned at himself for being so stupid. He knew that he had over reacted the night before. And he was certain that his overreaction had gotten more than through to his daughter. He had plowed a hole right through her. But what else could he have done? He had been verbally, mentally, and physically attacked by his daughter. He expected her to do the same when she had wakened up. He didn't want to give her the chance to again. "You really don't remember what happened yesterday, do you?"
Usagi shook her head, still not lifting it. "Nothing happened."
Goku groaned as he threw his head a ways back. "Yes, Usagi, something did."
Usagi frowned as she pulled her hands up and wrapped them around the back of her neck. "No it didn't, daddy. I didn't do anything."
Goku sighed. It was obvious that he wasn't going to get anywhere with this. All that would happen was Usagi would just keep denying it. "Ok. Obviously you and I remember things a bit differently. Why don't we tell each other what we remember about yesterday and go from there?"
Usagi nodded. She liked the sound of that, not that her father would believe her. "Ok..." She lowered one of her arms and wiped away her tears.
Goku smiled, slightly. "Alright. I'll go first. You came home late yesterday, very late. You started out with a bad attitude, and things got pretty heated. You hit your mother aside, which set me off. You said over and over how you wanted to leave, that we were horrible parents. So I said if you beat me in a fight, you could leave. But if I beat you, you would come home with me."
Usagi lifted her head just enough to look into her father's eyes without him really being able to see hers. "That..."
Goku shushed his daughter. "Let me finish." Usagi stayed quiet after that. "That's when you said you'd rather have someone else for a father. As things turned out, I won. I took the broach from you out of curiosity, and the next thing I knew you were gone... after telling me three times that you hated me..." Goku was still hurting inside from that one. "Your turn."
Usagi's stomach turned inside. "I never said I hated you, daddy. None of that ever happened."
Goku raised Usagi's head just enough to see her face. He suddenly felt queasy. Her eyes were completely red from crying so much. He hated to be the one to cause such pain. "Go ahead and tell me what you remember then."
Usagi nodded with a deep breath. "After you left me at school Tatsuo scratched my arm. I punched him out... but..." She dropped her head once again. She realized she should have left that detail out. That only made her look like an even worse person than she was already being made out to be. "I'm sorry..."
Goku frowned. "He attacked you first."
Usagi looked up with a half smile. At least he didn't yell at her for that. "Ok..." She wasn't sure how to react to that, to any of this for that matter. Her father was acting different than before, like there was no anger left in his body, but she knew there was, there just had to be. "After school, I was talking with the girls and ready to come home, but I was taken away. The next thing I knew I was in an alley and face to face with Tatsuo. It wasn't before long that he knocked me out. Next I knew it was night and I was downtown. That's pretty much when you came in."
Goku looked up. He wasn't sure what to believe. Tatsuo attacking her like that didn't seem very believable. He was a pretty strange kid, but he didn't have any special powers. He had been completely amazed by the power he and Usagi had produced the other day.
Usagi sighed as she pulled even further away from her father. "You don't believe me, do you?"
Goku groaned at the question. He didn't know what he believed. "I don't know, Usagi. I mean, I don't see how you could have been knocked out AND be fighting me at the same time."
Usagi frowned. "But I didn't FIGHT you!"
Goku didn't react harshly to that, as he had the night before. Before, he had been too angry and upset to even really see five feet in front of himself. Now he was calmer, much calmer. He could handle 'back talk' now, even though he didn't really consider it as such. "Yes, you did. How do you think I got this nice cut on my lip?" He asked as he pointed to bruised cut that had been formed by a kick to the face.
Usagi shrugged. She had wondered about that earlier, but she hadn't known where he had gotten it. "I don't know, daddy. But I swear I wasn't the one who did it. I wouldn't take my anger out on you. Not unless you turned evil..."
Goku didn't know what to say there. That had been the precise reason why he had hit Usagi. He could have sworn she was turning evil, well, evil enough to act the way she had. "The person who fought me had YOUR body, and YOUR power, EXACTLY."
Usagi sighed as she wiped away the tears from her eyes again. "But it wasn't, daddy. I know it wasn't. Please! Believe me! I love you! I don't hate you!"
Goku reached down and wrapped his hand around the girl's head. This time, she was too upset to pull away. He couldn't express how good it felt to hear her say those words. "I love you too, kiddo." He gave her a quick kiss on her forehead to reinforce his words. "Always have, always will."
Usagi looked up at her father. That had been exactly what Videl had told her. "Really?"
Goku frowned. "Of course. You didn't think I actually hated you, did you?"
Usagi blushed as she looked down at her feet. "Well..."
Goku wrapped his arm around his daughter's shoulders. "I will never hate you. Neither will your mother."
Usagi smiled slightly. She still wasn't completely convinced, but she was getting there. At least she had heard it from his voice that he loved her, that he didn't hate her. She could hear the sincerity in his voice, but something still told her to be wary of her parents. She wanted to make sure this wasn't just a trick. After the emotional stress they had put her through the night before, who wouldn't be wary? "Promise?"
Goku nodded. "Always."
Usagi sighed. "I really didn't fight you, at least, I don't remember..."
"It's ok. We'll figure out what happened soon enough. My main concern right now is to find out what this broach is."
Usagi held her breath. She knew her father would be asking her about it yet again. And, as usual, she would have to tell him nothing. "I can't tell you."
Goku frowned. "Why not?"
Usagi frowned as well. "Because I can't."
"I know you know what it is."
"I know you know that I know what it is."
Goku stood up and brushed his knees off. "Usagi, whatever's in here, I WILL find out whether you tell me or not. Piccolo should know something about it."
Usagi crossed her arms. "Then ask Piccolo about it."
Goku sighed. "I will. But I'd rather hear it from you."
( DONE! Hungry! Gonna make this short before my concert! Matta Ashita! )