I don't own DBZ.

Two Halves of a Soul

Chapter 5: Strange Dreams

The shock of running into something solid and the impact with rough ground stops the flow of tears from Videl's eyes. 'This is just great!' Videl thinks as she sits on the ground where she fell. Picking herself up from the ground she mutters a quick apology as she turns to leave. But a strong hand grabs her arm before she can continue her mad dash through the city streets.

~*~

Gohan stands there for a couple of seconds as his mind processes the fact that someone just ran into him. Looking to see who has collided with him, he is surprised to see Videl. "Videl, are you ok?" He asks, grabbing her arm just as she is about to leave while shaking off the surprise of the sudden collision.

"I'm fine! Now let me go!" Videl says, not realizing that it is Gohan that she ran into as she tries to free herself. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts to free her arm from whoever is holding it she turns to see Gohan. Seeing the one person she feels closer, and with whom she is unafraid to show her emotions, Videl's tears return full force. "Gohan…" Is all she says softly while clinging to Gohan's shirt.

Letting go of her arm, Gohan gives her a quick hug before pulling back to arms length. "What's wrong Videl?" He asks, forgetting his own troubles for the moment.

"Poppa…he allowed reporters at Momma's funeral." Videl says as they slowly walk down the street.

"Hey, I'm sure he wouldn't do that. Maybe someone else said they could come, and your father didn't know about it."

"You know…you're probably right. I did hear my dad yelling at his agent about this a few days ago." Videl says as she wipes her eyes.

"See, he was probably the one who said that the press could come. And I bet your father is having a nice little chat with him right now." Gohan says with a smile that Videl can not help but return.

As they walk in silence down the city streets they do not notice that the sky, which was clear earlier, has clouded over. Soon the overcast sky begins to darken as the clouds thicken, blocking out some of the sunlight making and it seem as though it is later then it really is. The darkening sky goes unnoticed by Gohan and Videl as they find themselves next to a small park. Just inside the park a man has set up a small ice cream stand and, both wanting a little snack, they go to the small and get some ice cream. As they walk through the park and eat their ice cream a light rain starts to fall around them. Not wanting to get wet hey take shelter from the rain in a gazebo near the center of the park. While they sit there in silence, lost in their own thoughts and eating their ice cream, the sky seems to tear open. The cool shower turning into a cold downpour in seconds. The rain seems to match Gohan's mood perfectly as he plops the last of his ice-cream cone in his mouth.

"It's all my fault…if I had just listened…" Gohan says quietly as he leans back in the bench and watches as the rail relentlessly pounds into the ground around them. Videl is just barely able to hear him over the sound of the rain hitting the gazebo's roof.

"What's all your fault?" She asks, turning to him only to see that he is staring off into the falling rain.

"It's my fault that my little brother or sister will grow up never knowing their father." Gohan says, his voice not much louder then before, as a few tears fall from his eyes.

"But I thought you were an only child." Videl says, confusion evident on her face.

"I am…was…I heard my mom and Bulma-san talking earlier. And I heard my mom say she's pregnant." Gohan answers, a few tears rolling from his eyes.

"Oh…" Videl says, not able to think of anything else to say. "But from what you said before, your dad chose to die in order to save the Earth."

"He did. But…if I had listened to him then he would not have died."

"No, no buts. Like I said before, don't blame yourself. Your father chose to stop Cell at the cost of his own life. I'm sure that if he knew your mom was pregnant then he would have been more careful."

"Yes, he woul…." Gohan says, stopping in mid sentence as something dawns on him. "Kaa-san's pregnant…of course…I'm sure he'll come back now…" He says quietly with a small smile of hope.

"You know, you look better with a smil….what do you mean "he'll come back now"?!" She exclaims as Gohan's comment sinks in.

"Umm, well, umm…" Gohan stammers while trying think of something to tell her.

"You said he's dead. Someone can't come back from the dead." Videl says as she glares at him.

'Way to go Gohan. Now what are you going to tell her?' He thinks while looking around as though trying to find some way of escaping.

After several seconds of thinking about what he should tell her he decides that it will be best to just tell her the truth. "Well…you see…there are these seven magic balls called Dragon Balls. And when all seven are brought together the Eternal Dragon can be summoned, and he will grant you any wish you want."

"…ok, so you're telling me that these Dragon Balls can bring people back to life?"

"Yeah, they can. We've used them before." Gohan says with a smile.

Videl does not know whether or not to believe him. "Umm…when you said your mom and Bulma were talking, you weren't talking about Bulma Briefs were you?"

"Yeah I was. Do you know her too?" Gohan asks, his naive side showing through.

"No I don't. But how do you know the richest, and most famous, person in the world?" Videl says while glaring at her friend.

Slightly intimidated by her glare he says, "Well…umm…she's a friend of the family. Tou-san met her when he was younger and they've been friends ever since."

"Oh, ok." Videl says before looking off into the pouring rain.

As they sit on the bench in silence Gohan and Videl begin to feel the effects of restless nights and emotional stress combining with the cool air and soothing sound of the rain hitting the roof of the gazebo to form a relaxing atmosphere. The rain starts to let up a little as they grow weary from the week's events, and soon it is just a light sprinkle. Seeing that there is a break in the weather both decide that they should get back to their homes since they have been gone for a couple of hours.

~*~

Videl walks in solitary silence back to her home through the misting rain as thoughts on what Gohan told her about the Dragon Balls fill her head. As she nears her home she briefly thinks that about using them to bring her mother back, but she dismisses the though as she enters her home. Opening the front door she sees her father walking past the doorway on his way to the living room.

"Where have you been?" Hercule asks before taking a big gulp of whatever booze is in his glass.

"I was out walking, and I'm sorry for what I did earlier." Videl says as she gives her father a hug.

"Umm…it's ok." Her father says, remembering clearly the fight he had with his ex-agent but not anything that she should apologize for. "Why don't you go get cleaned up, you're a little wet and I don't want my little girl catching a cold."

"Ok Poppa." Videl says before going to her room and changing out of her damp clothes. After putting on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt she goes back downstairs and watches TV with her father while Olivia is busy preparing dinner in the kitchen. As Videl is flipping through the channels Olivia comes into the room and tells her dinner is ready.

"Poppa, what happened after I left?" Videl asks in between bites.

"Well…I had a little chat with my agent. I'll just say that he'll need to find a new job after getting out of the hospital."

"I hope you didn't hurt him too bad or that you won't get into trouble." Videl says while filling her plate with another helping of food.

"He'll be out of the hospital in a couple of days. And when he saw me coming towards him he attacked instead of running, so what I did was in self defense." Hercule says, causing all three of them to smile as they finish their meal in silence.

Excusing herself from the table, Videl goes back to the living room and watches TV for an hour or so before going to bed.

~*~

Finding a secluded place where he can not be seen, Gohan takes off into the hazy sky and flies back towards Capsule Corp. where he feels his mother's ki. The sky begins to clear as he gets farther away from Orange Star City until he is flying through a sunny sky with only an occasional cloud to obstruct his view. Walking into Capsule Corp. he sees that the other Z-Senshi have left already. As he walks through the large building he hears his mother and Bulma talking in the kitchen, and goes to tell them that he is back. Upon entering the kitchen he sees Bulma sitting at the table feeding little Trunks and his mother sitting across from her drinking a cup of tea.

"Hi honey, we ordered pizza for dinner. It should be here in a half hour or so." Chi-Chi says quietly when she sees her son enter the room.

"Ok Kaa-san. Sorry I left like that but…when I heard you're pregnant I just left to think." Gohan says as he gets a soda out of the fridge and sits at the table.

"You heard us…I guess I don't have to worry about telling you then." Chi-Chi says with a forced smile as Vegeta walks into the room and gets a bottle of water.

"Come br…Gohan. I want to spar." The last full-blooded Saiya-jin left alive says, slipping out of his usually self-centered attitude for once. The unexpected use of Gohan's name surprised them all, and it is clearly evident on their faces as they Vegeta walk back out of the room.

"Alright Vegeta." Gohan says, being to shocked to think of anything else, then follows him to the gravity room since he has nothing better to do until the food arrives.

After twenty, long and grueling, minutes of getting his butt kicked from one side of the gravity room to the other Gohan is grateful to feel the pull of the artificial gravity begin ease its grip on his aching body. A few seconds later the gravity is back to normal as the door to the gravity room opens to reveal Bulma who tells them that the pizzas have arrived before going back to the kitchen.

"I expect you to do better the next time we spar." Vegeta says as they clean them selves up some before going to eat. This surprises Gohan since he was expecting a verbal lashing for his pathetic performance during their spar and not a simple statement.

After eating in silence Chi-Chi and Bulma talk quietly in the kitchen while they clean up the mess from dinner, Gohan plays with little Trunks in the living room, and Vegeta goes and trains as usual.

As it starts to grow dark outside Chi-Chi and Gohan leave to return to their small mountain home. Both, tired from the day's events, go to bed almost as soon as they get inside.

~*~

After brushing her teeth Videl goes to her bedroom and changes into something more comfortable to sleep in then crawls under the warm blankets of her bed and quickly falls asleep.

It seems like only minutes have gone by when Videl awakens to find herself standing on a beach. The smell of the sea weighs heavily in the air as her feet sinking slightly into the warm sand while the screeching of birds in search of a meal fills the air. The sites and sounds are familiar to her since it is where, along with her parents, she has gone on vacation numerous times. As she gazes out over the ocean she feels that something is wrong. Looking around, she realizes that she is alone on the long expanse of pristine sand. But she realizes that she is not alone when, in the distance, she can see a figure walking towards her. The boiling air makes it impossible for her to see who the figure is. As it comes closer Videl can make out that it is a woman. And when they figure is clearly visible Videl is shocked by who she sees walking towards her.

"Hi Videl, how's my little girl doing?" The woman asks.

"Mo-momma?" Videl, not quite believing her eyes, says tentatively. The woman nods her head.

"Momma!" Videl yells in joy as she jumps into her mother's arms, tears falling from her eyes.

"Shh, it's ok." Selene says as she comforts her daughter. "Listen honey, I don't have too much time and there is something I need to tell you." She continues as she sets Videl on the ground and kneels down to her level. "A few days ago I found out that I am not human, but saiya-jin. Saiya-jins are a race more powerful then humans. When I was coming to Earth there was some kind of accident, and it weakened me. This was, in part, passed on to you. And because of this, you are not nearly as strong as you could be. Since I found this out I've been talking with some people who know a lot about my race. One of them is named Goku; he too is a Saiya-jin. And he has a son named Gohan who lives in the 439 Mountain Area. If you can find him then he can tell you all about Saiya-jins, and he can take you to see someone who can help you become stronger."

Videl looks at her, not believing or understanding what she has just said. "Momma, what are…"

"I'm sorry Videl, I can't say anything more." Selene says as a single tear rolls down her cheek. "Good-bye Videl." Her mother says, wiping away the tears from her daughter's cheek before standing up and walking back the way she came.

"Momma! Wait!" Videl cries out as she tries to run after her. But the sand seems to soften beneath her feet, causing her to stumble and fall to the ground. "Momma!" She calls again causing her mother to look back. Videl can see the tears falling from her mother's eyes just before she fades away in to the boiling air as quickly as she had appeared.

"Momma!" Videl calls out as wakes with a start. Sighing, she falls back onto her bed thinking about what her mother had said in the dream. Before falling back asleep she decides to call Gohan and ask him about Saiya-jins in the morning.

~*~

Gohan brushes his teeth then goes to his room and changes out of his gi and into a pair of shorts. Lying down in bed, he pulls the covers over himself and falls asleep.

Opening his eyes, Gohan finds himself standing in a room. Looking around he sees that he is completely surrounded by darkness, the only illumination being a dim light above his head.

"You killed me! You killed your own father!" A condescending voice calls out from the inky blackness surrounding Gohan. "Because of you your little brother or sister will grow up never knowing their father!"

"Who are you?!" Gohan yells, the voice seems somehow familiar to the boy. But at the same time there is something about it that makes it completely alien. "Show your self!"

A lone figure steps into the pale ring of light, the look of utter distaste and loathing on the man's face causing Gohan to gasp. "To…Tou-san." Gohan says as he tentatively walks towards his father. But upon reaching him he is knocked away by a backhand to the face.

"Tou-san? Why?" Gohan asks, wiping away the blood from his split lip as a tears fall from his eyes.

"You're a failure Gohan. You're a disgrace. I don't know how I managed to have such a son." Goku says coldly from the edge of the dimly lit circle around Gohan.

Suddenly a ki blast flashes past Gohan and in a blinding explosion, destroys Goku. As Gohan's vision returns he it seems as though someone has flipped some a light switch since the darkness has turned to light. Looking around at his surroundings he sees that it is a desolate expanse that extends for as far as he can see, much like the inside of the Room of Spirit and Time, and not a room. His eyes suddenly fill with anger as he remembers that his father was just attacked. Whirling around to see who had fired the blast the fire in his eyes upon first seeing his father's attacker quickly fades to be replaced by confusion when he sees that the man who fired the attack is his father. But his confusion quickly fades as he sees only love and pride in the look on his father's face.

"Hey son." Goku says while Gohan just stands there, too shocked to move. "What was up with this dream? You know I'm proud of you, and don't blame you for anything." He says, grinning like only he can.

"Tou-san!" Gohan exclaims as he runs to his father and, this time, he is embraced in a hug.

"I'm sorry I haven't talked to you before now. But I've been busy with…well, I can tell you all about it later. Right now, I'm afraid I have some bad news. King Kai's told me about this guy named Babidi who wants to bring back this other guy named Buu, and if this Buu guy is brought back then the entire universe is in trouble. King Kai says that Babidi is going to New Namek to collect energy for Buu and then…Earth. I'm telling you this because I think you can stop Babidi, and save the Nameks. Oh yeah, I've met another saiya-jin here, and she has a daughter named Videl, who will probably be looking for you. She's half saiya-jin like you son, and you need to take her to Dende so that he can heal her and unleash her power. If you help her get stronger then Videl will probably be able to help you. I have to go now. Good-bye son, and say hi to your mom for me. I miss you both very much." Goku says as he fades away.

"Tou-san! Wait!" Gohan calls out, but it is too late. Goku is already gone. "No! Come back!"

"Come back. Come back…" Gohan mumbles as he sits up in bed. 'It was only a dream.' He thinks as he wipes the sweat from his forehead. "But…it had to be more then that…he mentioned Videl. And that she's…she's half Saiya-jin." He says softly. As he goes to lie down again he feels a sharp pain shoot through him, causing him to bolt upright. 'Darn it, I laid down on my tail again…stupid thing.' He thinks as he holds it in his hands. "Wait…my tail was cut off… My tail! It's back!" He says excitedly to himself while looking at the furry thing held loosely in his hands. With a smile on his face at having his tail back Gohan lies back down, taking care not to lay on his tail, and falls asleep again.

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