My Worst Enemy – Part I: Confrontation

Gohan still didn't fully understand what was going on. A darker version of himself had walked out from the darkness and confronted him. He was intent on keeping him from finding a way out, and Gohan didn't have any time to lose. Dark Gohan powered up, using the same mystic abilities that he had, and charged. Gohan powered up as well and engaged his darker version in combat. His darker self blurred at the last moment and Gohan's punch passed effortlessly through air. He brought his leg up in time to block the knee strike from the side and the two warriors leapt back. Dark Gohan regarded the other with a wry smile. "You're scared," he taunted as he began circling around him.

Gohan scowled at him and paralleled his movements. Without warning, Dark Gohan launched himself at him. Gohan blocked the strike and back-flipped over the follow-through kick, landing in a defensive stance. Dark Gohan's smile widened, and he dropped his offensive posture. His cold stare bore into Gohan like a knife! He's daring me to attack, he thought, so why aren't I? Dark Gohan's smile disappeared, replaced by grim purpose and determination. He blurred and instantly Gohan dropped to the ground, narrowly avoiding a sweeping kick that was meant for his rib cage. He twisted and dove to the left, again narrowly avoiding a downward punch. He tumbled to his feet and crouched, anticipating another attack. Instead his dark version stood there, eyeing him warily. He took a few steps back and took a deep breath before speaking, "I knew you were afraid, but I underestimated by how much."

"I'm not afraid!"

"Then attack me," he answered back, spreading his arms wide.

Gohan considered his options, which he didn't have many of. He knew that it was a trap, but what other choice did he have? The longer he stood here…

"Videl gets that much closer to death," Dark Gohan said, finishing his thoughts out loud. "Here's your chance, attack me!"

Anger welled up inside Gohan, he screamed as he launched himself at his Dark Self. Dark Gohan made no move to block as Gohan punched him in the stomach. The sound of the impact reverberated across the darkness, returning with an eerie after effect. Dark Gohan was sent sprawling to the ground, but that's when something strange happened. The moment Gohan's fist connected, he felt pain erupt in his own stomach and he also fell to the ground. Dark Gohan got up first, a thin trail of blood seeped from his mouth.

"Love hurts, huh?"

Gohan got up slowly, clutching his stomach. Dark Gohan blurred into action. He elbowed Gohan on the side of his face and kicked him in the stomach. As Gohan lurched forward, Dark Gohan brought his fists down on the back of his neck. Gohan's faced smashed into the ground, but he caught himself and flipped away from a knee strike that would've snapped his spine.

"Here's another interesting little fact," Dark Gohan stated as he stood up. "I can hurt you no problem, you hurt me…you hurt yourself!"

Gohan raised his arms just in time to catch Dark Gohan's kick and he threw his enemy at the darkness. He heard the sound of rock crumbling as his back exploded in pain. "How the hell can I win this," he asked himself out loud.

He leapt out of the way as a beam of energy shot out from the darkness. Dark Gohan walked out into the light; his smile was gone, replaced by a look of pure hatred and determination. Gohan crouched in a defensive stance, ready for the next attack. Dark Gohan screamed as he flexed his muscles. His aura flared to life destroying the rock around him. Gohan clenched his teeth and clenched his fists, preparing for the worst. He didn't have long to wait. Dark Gohan leapt at him and brought his hands up to his side. The blue light of the Kamehameha Wave flared to life. Gohan took to the air as his dark self released the attack. The ground below him disintegrated and the explosion sent out shards of rock out in all directions. He met Dark Gohan in the air and was on the defensive as he blocked a flurry of punches and kicks. How can this be, he asked himself. He's stronger than I am!

Dark Gohan screamed, bringing his right arm behind him and charging it with ki. He punched forward, but Gohan's arms were raised to block it. Dark Gohan's ki-charge exploded on impact. Still pressing, he kicked from the side into the smoke. His leg went clean through, hitting nothing. The smoke dissipated and Gohan was nowhere to be found. He looked around and stretched his senses, but he couldn't find any trace of him. "Where are you?" he growled.

"Right here!"

Dark Gohan was caught unaware as Gohan blurred in behind him and wrapped his arms around his from underneath and held him tight from the back of his neck. He flew straight up, intent on impaling his dark self on the jutting rock from the ceiling. Dark Gohan strained and screamed, right before impact using his power to stop the forward momentum. Gohan was forced to let him go as his dark self increased his power. Flying backward, he smashed the back of his head into Gohan's causing him to stagger. Dark Gohan turned and kicked Gohan into the ceiling. Grabbing his legs he ripped Gohan out of the rock and threw him down to the ground. Gohan caught himself in mid-air, but the momentum carried him down anyway. He raised his barrier just in time to intercept another Kamehameha Wave. The barrier began to buckle as Dark Gohan poured more energy into the attack. Gohan's arms strained as he tried to fight back the wave. Both Gohan's screamed as they put all they had into their respective attacks and defenses. The explosion lit up the entire cavern for a few seconds before dying down. When the smoke cleared, the two Gohan's were breathing heavily and regarded each other.

"You don't stand a chance," Dark Gohan said gruffly, "you can't beat yourself."

Anger welled up deep in Gohan and he levitated up to be across from his darker self. "Watch me," he said as he attacked.

He flew straight at Dark Gohan, looking like he was going to punch him. Dark Gohan didn't raise a finger to defend against it. As he brought his fist forward, he changed tactics and sent an energy blast point-blank into his face! Dark Gohan was flung into the ceiling while Gohan felt the pain of his own attack and spiraled to the floor. Moments passed, but they seemed like hours. Gohan strained to get up, but it was slow going. As he got up to his knees he felt the presence of his dark self next to him. "Nice try," he commented, "but you'll have to do better than that!"

He kicked Gohan in the ribs, sending him sprawling across the floor. Again, Dark Gohan waited for him to get up. He looked at Gohan and saw the anger burning in his eyes. "That's it," dark Gohan exclaimed, "get angry! Be furious!" He walked over to where Gohan struggled to stand. "Show me what you got!"

Gohan obliged him by powering up to his max. His aura scorched around him as he screamed, letting his anger and rage take complete control of him. He lashed out at his dark self, with all the fury he had!

Dark Gohan caught the punch easily. He smiled at a shocked Gohan. "Good, very good! Keep it up, Gohan. Make me stronger!" He kicked Gohan in the face, flinging him across the ground. "I want more," Dark Gohan cried in near ecstasy, "Give me more!"

Gohan wiped the blood from his mouth as his body convulsed from the pain and rage. He no longer understood what his enemy said; he had found a primal place inside himself that he barely tapped into throughout his life. He'd lost that connection to himself that dealt with rational thought. Now he was a pure animal, guided on instinct and rage. Gone was the pain that he felt, replaced by an all-consuming need to destroy his foe. His ki reacted to his emotions, flaring and spiking as he stood up.

Videl opened her eyes slowly expecting the next attack, but it never came. Her body screamed in pain, but she forced it to do her bidding. She raised her head and looked up at Gohan. His face was a mixture of rage and confusion, and his eyes were no longer fixed on her. She could feel the disturbance in his ki, and she thought she could feel two distinct versions of his ki emanating from inside him. Sweat poured down his face as she felt glimpses of the conflict that must be occurring deep within him. Painfully, she got up to one knee and grasped his leg for support. She felt an explosion of pain in her side as she lost her breath. Her mind went back to her basic anatomy class in school and teased her about what damage was done inside of her, but she blocked it out. She tugged on him to get herself fully upright. She looked deep into his eyes, but his expression stared off into the distance. Using a portion of the last of her ki, she let it wash over her. She put her hand against his chest and felt his furiously pounding heart. I can feel you struggling, she thought. Fight it! Come back to me, Gohan! You can do it!

More pain assaulted her, but she fought against it. She felt her knees buckle under her, but Gohan's weight kept her from falling. He ki waned, and threatened to drop completely. Focusing on herself, she forced her ki to stabilize. She felt his body tense, but thankfully he still wasn't focused on her. Now that she held a physical connection to his being she did feel two distinct versions of his ki. The one she focused on was the one she knew. She could tell that it was Gohan, but his ki waned and spiked chaotically. The other steadily grew stronger. His body twitched in conjunction to the unseen battle he was dealing with. Gathering the last of her strength and energy, she powered up. The pure silver aura encompassed her and Gohan, and she tried pushing herself beyond her limits, not even thinking about the consequences of her actions.

She heard and felt the snap shudder through her body as her ki spiked beyond what she could handle. Concentrating on the pulse of his beating heart, she focused all of her power into her hand, and shot it into him. She felt her very being hop on the energy wave and leave her body, going directly into his. The shell of her body slumped against his as she entered his heart. This was a one way trip, she knew. She didn't have the energy for the return, and she didn't have a clue on how long she could stay. This was her final gamble; everything rested on her shoulders now!

Vegeta felt her power as he flew toward them. Realizing he didn't have a moment to spare, he blurred to super speed. He appeared behind her and assessed the situation. Gohan was in some kind of trance, and that's when he felt it. There were two ki signatures coming from his body, each registering as Gohan! He zeroed in and felt another ki presence, it was very faint, but he was sure it was Videl's. "Baka!" he cried out loud. "What have you done?"

He already surmised that attacking Gohan would indeed put him out of action, but now she was in harms way, inside his mind. He forced himself to look away from her injuries, as it made him angrier than he already was. Her ki was gone from her body, leaving an empty husk. Since there wasn't a soul in her body, it had started to die. Coupled with the injuries she had already sustained, her body didn't have much time before entropy overtook it. He didn't quite understand how she did it, but she somehow found a way to reach Gohan. He could tell the amount of energy that was needed for such a feat was staggering, and judging by the damage that she took, she probably didn't have enough to get back. That made him even angrier. He was at about half strength, and his arm would be out of commission until he got his hands on Dende or a senzu bean. He looked over at the others who were still engaged with Leviathan and Gotenks. They were holding their own, surprisingly, but that wouldn't last forever.

He looked down at Videl and then back to the others. Anger and rage burned inside him as he saw Piccolo get thrown like a rag doll into The Grand Kai. He turned back to the lifeless body of Videl.

"Fuck!"

He immediately went super saiyan and put his good hand on her arm. His golden aura surrounded her and suffused her body with enough of his life energy to keep it stable. "So, this is your last bet," he wondered out loud. He powered up higher. "Well, you'd better hurry, because I can't keep this up forever! And don't think I won't hesitate to go in there after you!"

Next Chapter: Gohan and Videl reunite again, but is it enough to beat Dark Gohan? Stay tuned for the conclusion, My Worst Enemy – Part II: Resolution!