It seems that you all liked the review special. And I just want to say that was not really a chapter to this fic, but a side story that explains the Mirai timeline in this fic. You won't be seeing any more of that timeline for quite some time.

I do not own Dragon Ball Z.

Two Halves of a Soul

Chapter 12: An Additional Passenger


With a final check to make sure she has the capsules full of clothes that she will need on their multi-month journey, Videl boots up her computer and types a short message to her father. With a satisfied nod of her head after checking the short note over she finishes she sets another program to turn on the computer and display the message in twelve hours. 'That should be plenty of time. Even if someone reads it and tells Poppa before we leave it shouldn't mater since we won't be at Gohan's.' Videl thinks as she leaves her room to tell her father and Olivia goodbye.

~*~

Once outside she quickly takes to the air and flies away from her home so that she is not seen. As she sores high over the dense forest on her way to Gohan's home it hits her for the first time that she will not be seeing her father or Olivia again for two months. And, in the back of her mind, a small voice keeps reminding her that she may not see them again, ever. But this thought is blasted into a million and one pieces when her destination comes into view on the horizon and quickly grows nearer. 'I don't know if it's because of the training I've been doing or because my Saiya-jin traits were released but I can see a lot farther then I used to be able to.' She thinks while a small smile lifts the corners of her mouth as she lands outside the small home that has become so familiar over the last month. Letting herself into the small country home, her smile brightens as her senses are bombarded by the sight, sound, and smell of cooking food. "Hi Chi-Chi." Videl says upon seeing the woman, whose pregnancy is now showing, as she happily prepares lunch.

"Hi dear. I hope you brought an appetite with you. I'm making extra since I figured you'd be hungry."

"I ate before I left." She says just as Chi-Chi lifts the lid off of a pot, causing the delicious odors of food in the room to multiply. "But I think I can eat a plate or ten."

A light chuckle escapes Chi-Chi's lips upon hearing this. "It's hard to believe that you didn't even know what a Saiya-jin is about a month ago."

"Why's dat?" Videl asks, her speech slurred a bit by a roll that she quickly ate while Chi-Chi was not looking.

Chi-Chi chuckles again at this. "Never mind. Gohan's in his room studying."

"Ok." Videl says as she quickly grabs two more rolls and leaves the kitchen before Chi-Chi can say anything.

"Naiveté must be a Saiya-jin trait too." Chi-Chi mutters to herself after Videl has left the room.

~*~

"WOMAN!?!" Vegeta yells through the halls of Capsule Corp.

"MY NAME'S BULMA. B-U-L-M-A, BULMA! NOT WOMAN!" She yells right back from the enormous hanger like room she is working in. 'Damn Saiya-jin prince. For all my intelligence, and beauty, I can't figure out why that arrogant ass can't say my name unless we're f…'

"Where's my lunch?" Vegeta asks as he enters the cavernous room, interrupting Bulma's thoughts. "And what are you doing? You said that you're finished with this hunk of junk."

"Get one of the robots to make you something to eat. That's what the damn things are for after all, not target practice. And I did finish the interior, but Gohan called and said that Videl is going. So I have to reconfigure one of the rooms into a kids room for Gohan, Videl, and Trunks."

"Great…three brats to annoy me for two months. But if the blasted Onna is so smart then why doesn't she realize that the brats can have separate rooms? There are enough of them." Vegeta grumbles as he stalks off to the kitchen to boss around one of the few things in the building that listens to him, the chef robots.

Bulma watches Vegeta leave when what he said clicks in her mind. "Why am I setting it up this way?" She asks herself. "Oh well. I might as well finish since I'm almost done. Who knows, someone else might decide to come along at the last minute."

~*~

"Hey Gohan." Videl says as she plops down on his bed.

Gohan looks up from his books to see Videl sitting on his bed while eating a roll. "Hi Videl. The other one is for me right? I haven't eaten since breakfast."

"Weeeell I could give one to you. But it's hard to get food when your mom is in the kitchen. And I haven't eaten since breakfast either."

"Pleeease?" He asks before smirking. "If you do then I won't have to…umm…to umm…do something in order to get it."

Videl laughs at the expression on Gohan's face; it is an odd mix of seriousness and playfulness. "I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt little ol' me." She retorts playfully. "Besides, I did get this one for you. Here, catch."

"Wow!" Gohan exclaims as he falls out of his chair while reaching out to catch the roll.

"Sorry about that." Videl says while laughing.

"No you're not."

"If you two break anything then you won't get any of the food that just fin…" Chi-Chi yells from the kitchen as Gohan and Videl seem to appear out of thin air. "…ished."

"You know, I hope that Bulma-san packs enough food for the entire trip." Gohan says while patting his full stomach.

"Of course she will."

"Yeah, Bulma-san knows how we eat, and she wouldn't want us to eat the ship because there's not enough food." Videl adds, earning a strange look from Chi-Chi. "I'm kidding Chi-Chi-san. Jeez…have you heard of any Saiya-jins eating metal before? I haven't. Well…I guess I have if you count those face plants Vegeta's done in the GR."

Almost instantly a picture of Vegeta with his head sticking in the floor of the Gravity Room at Bulma's fills Chi-Chi's mind and she bursts into laughter. "Get a picture of that the next time it happens. I'd love to see that arrogant man in a humiliating position."

"Sure Kaa-san."

"So did your father say that you can go with us dear?" Chi-Chi asks as she starts to wash the mountainous pile of dishes.

"Yeah. He…uhh…seemed fine with the idea actually." Videl says, her uneasy answer goes unnoticed by Chi-Chi.

"Good. At least Gohan will have someone to study with."

"Yeah. And someone to train with besides Vegeta. Speaking of which, let's go train Videl."

"Ok." Videl says while smirking at a plan that is forming in her head.

Gohan sees the mischievous smirk on Videl's face and starts to wonder if he should get a Senzu Bean or two before they spar. "Why are you smirking? If you're planning to try and trick me like you did that one time then forget it."

"It's not that. What your mom said reminded me of something I saw at Bulma-san's."

"Let me guess. You have an idea for a way to "torture" Vegeta."

"Yep! When we were in her lab I saw this picture of Vegeta in a pink shirt, and he didn't look happy."

"Vegeta never looks happy."

"Good point. He looked even more unhappy then usual."

"Ok. So what's the plan?" Gohan asks.

And, as they fly through the air to their training grounds, Videl outlines her plan to Gohan's. At first Gohan's eyes widen in shock as what Videl is planning sinks in. But by the time she finished a mischievous smirk is on his face as well as they change course to gather the required items for what they have simply titled "The Plan."

"You know, there's someone else we could do this to as well." Gohan says as they fly towards what is now Satan City.

"Really? Who else?"

"Your father." Gohan says, his mischievous smirk turning into an evil grin. "But if you don't want to…" He adds upon seeing that Videl seems angry at the thought of using "The Plan" on her own father.

"What? I like the idea of doing that to him. Of course we'll have to wait until we get back."

"Yeah, but let's get the things we'll need to carry out "The Plan" on him as well."

~*~

At Capsule Corp. the activity inside of the Gravity Room suddenly stops as Vegeta pauses in his training. The feeling that someone has just walked over his grave washing over him like a cold wind as a sneeze practicly knocks him on his butt. With a shrug he brushes the feeling aside and resumes his unceasing strive to become the strongest in the universe.

~*~

A few hours pass by as Chi-Chi meticulously checks the various bags that she has packed before putting them into capsules when Gohan and Videl return. "What do you two have there?" She asks upon seeing the two bags that each of them are carrying.

"Just some stuff for the trip Kaa-san." Gohan says as he and Videl go to his room to drop off the stuff.

"I'm impressed Gohan. I surprised you didn't stumble for an answer." Videl says once they are far enough away from Chi-Chi so as not to be overheard.

"Why's that? These are for the trip after all."

Videl looks up from packing the items into a bag. "Yeah, but…umm…never mind."

~*~

A sigh of relief can be heard from the members of the kitchen staff at Hercule's mansion as they hear the news that Videl is away for the night. So relieved are some of the people, mostly those who had to serve the food, that they are unable to stop themselves from shouting out in joy. Luckily none of their supervisors are around to hear them.

~*~

"Excuse me Chi-Chi-san, but where will I sleep tonight?" Videl asks as the three of them relax in front of the TV.

Gohan laughs a little at this. "I knew I forgot about something."

Looking up from her magazine when she hears the girl's question, Chi-Chi answers, "Oh…I honestly didn't think about that. Gohan's never had a friend stay the night before. I guess you can sleep in Gohan's bed and Gohan can sleep on futon on the floor."

~*~

Several hours later Videl is laying comfortably in Gohan's bed while he is lying on a futon next to the bed.

"Videl. Why did you lie to my mom?"

"What do you mean Gohan?"

"You know what I mean. You lied about your dad saying you can go with us."

~*~

"Hercule! There's something you need to see in Videl's room!" Olivia yells as she runs into the entertainment room where Hercule has spent most of his spare time watching old fights of the Tenkaichi Budokai.

"Huh? What is it?"

"She's…just come with me." She says while grabbing his hand and yanking him off the couch.

Hercule is practically dragged to his daughter's room where he sees the message on the computer monitor.

Poppa,

By the time you read this I more then like will be gone. And no, I do not mean that I've left for Gohan's. What I mean is that I will more then likely no longer be on Earth. Gohan, his mother, Bulma Briefs, her husband, and their son are going on to another planet to try and stop a man who wants to do evil. And I'm going with them. I'm sorry I didn't tell you face to face but I know that you would never have allowed me to go. I should be back in two months or so.

Love, Videl

For several minutes he stares at the screen in silence as he reads the letter over again several times. "YOU CAN'T GO INTO SPACE! I WON'T ALLOW IT!" He finally yells, totally forgetting that Videl is not there to hear his protest.

Olivia looks at him as though he's grown a second head. "You know…she's not here."

"Oh yeah. She's staying at that twerp's house. When I get my hands on him…"

"I don't think she's there either."

"What? Then where is she?"

"Well according to the letter, Bulma Briefs is going. So I would think she's at Capsule Corp."

"Good." Hercule says as he storms out of the room. "WHERE'S MY DRIVER?" He yells while going down the stairs and running out side. After waiting a few seconds he grows impatient and gets into an air-car. "Screw it. I don't have time to wait for that buffoon."

~*~

"Wake up! We have to leave in an hour!" Chi-Chi yells from just outside the open door to Gohan's room. But both kids ignore her so she switches to tactics to one that always works. "Breakfast is ready." She almost whispers, and before she knows it Gohan and Videl are waiting for her to move out of the way so they can get something to eat.

After a quick breakfast Gohan and Videl help with the dishes so that they can get to Bulma's sooner. With a final look around to make sure they have everything, they grab the bag of capsule cases and go outside where Gohan calls the Flying Nimbus for his mother.

Videl can not help but stare in awe at the fluffy yellow cloud. Of course she had heard Gohan mention the Nimbus a time or two, but with it in front of her she can not help but wonder how someone can ride on it.

As Chi-Chi watches Videl inspect the Flying Nimbus an idea pops up in her mind. "Why don't you get on it?"

"Huh? Get on it? But it's just a cloud."

"Yeah, you're right. It is a cloud. And I bet you can't ride it anyway." Chi-Chi says with a smirk for if there was one thing she has learned about Videl sine she met her, it is that she does not like being told that there is something she can not do.

"Fine." Videl says as she jumps up onto the cloud. "Satisfied?" She asks, not noticing the slightly surprised looks on the faces of Gohan and Chi-Chi.

"Yeah, I am. And I'm surprised that you can ride it."

"Why's that?"

"Because only Kaa-san, Tou-san, and I are able to ride it. Krillin-san and Bulma-san have tried but they just fall right through it."

"Oh." Videl says as she floats up into the air. "I'll race you there Gohan. Ready? GO!" She adds just before taking off.

Gohan blinks in confusion before shouting, "Hey! No fair!" and giving chase.

As they fly towards Capsule Corp. at high speed neither hear Chi-Chi yell at them to slow down and wait for her.

~*~

An air-car flies high over the land at its maximum speed as its driver fills the air with colorful remarks about "strange" boys, "freaky" aliens, and "insane" people. So engrossed is the man that he fails to notice the severe shaking of the air-car as it is rocked by two shock-waves from Gohan and Videl as they fly past him at super sonic speed, followed a few minutes later by blur of yellow and purple.

~*~

"Ha ha! I beat you!" Videl teases as they land in front of Capsule Corp.

"Yeah, but only because you cheated." Gohan retorts before mumbling, "And because I let you win."

Unfortunately for him Videl hears this and slugs him in the arm. "Can't you be a good loser?"

"No, I can't be…" Gohan says, only to be interrupted by Yamcha.

"I hate to interrupt your fun Gohan, but who's your friend?"

"Oh, hey guys. Why are you all here?" Gohan says, ignoring the question. "And why's #18 here?" He adds upon seeing the blonde haired android.

Krillin blushes and coughs as if to clear his throat before weakly saying, "She's with me. We're umm…kind of dating."

But before Gohan can respond the Nimbus stops a few feet from the group and the air is cut by a ear piercing yell from Chi-Chi, causing everyone except #18 to cringe in pain and cover their ears. "SON GOHAN! VIDEL SATAN! I TOLD YOU TO WAIT FOR ME! A WOMAN IN MY CONDITION SHOULDN'T FLY THAT FAR WITHOUT SOMEONE TO PROTECT THEM!"

"Sorry Kaa-san." "Sorry Chi-Chi-san." Gohan and Videl squeak out while rubbing their ringing ears.

"Damn it harpy! Don't yell!" Vegeta growls, earning a swift smack on the head from Chi-Chi's frying pan that suddenly appeared in her hand.

"DON'T CUSS YOU ARROGANT ASS! There are children present." Chi-Chi yells as she presses the small button on her bracelet, causing the frying pan to disappear.

All those gathered wisely decide not to comment on the fact that Chi-Chi just did the one thing she told Vegeta not to as a tense silence settles on the group.

"So you're Hercule's daughter?" Master Roshi says, causing all those present to stare at him in surprise since he said something that was not perverted. "I'm surprised that that man has such a good looking daughter. Why if you were older I might let you have the privilege of going on a date with me." He adds while rubbing his chin.

Piccolo smirks at the man. "Since when did age stop you from hitting on a girl old man?"

"I don't know what you're talking about Piccolo. And besides, you wouldn't know a beautiful woman even she came up and sat on your fac…"

Everyone eyes Chi-Chi warily while Master Roshi lies on the ground, unconscious.

"Dirty old man." Chi-Chi mutters as her frying pan disappears again.

"Does your mom always hit people with that frying pan?" Videl asks Gohan as they both watch Chi-Chi to make sure the all mighty frying pan is not sent their direction.

"Only if she's mad about something. I'm surprised she hasn't used it on ma at all during the last month. Even when I slipped out of the house and didn't do my studies she didn't hit me."

"If you weaklings are done I'd like to leave now. The sooner we leave then the sooner we can come back."

"Fine. I just need to do one thing first." Chi-Chi says as Roshi stagers to his feet only to be knocked out again. "There. We can go now."

#18 watches Chi-Chi walk away from the fallen man, a slight smirk on her face. 'If I ever grow tired of backhanding that old pervert I'll get myself one of those frying pans…they seem quite effective.'

If one were standing close enough to Krillin right then they could hear him gulp. For, even though he has only been around #18 for less then a month, he has learned that the subtle smirk on her face means trouble for some poor, unsuspecting person. And as he sees who she is looking at, a smirk comes to his face as well. 'I don't need to worry. But one old, perverted, and not so poor, martial arts master sure does.'

~*~

Chi-Chi, Gohan, Videl, Vegeta, Bulma, and, held securely in his mother's arms, Trunks make their way towards the ship when an air-car rockets down from the sky and the one man that none of them like emerges from it.

The gathered Z-Senshi watch in disbelief as the man trips and falls flat on his face while getting out of the air-car.

"STOP! WHERE THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING WITH MY DAUGHTER YOU BLUE HAIRED…umm…woman?" Hercule yells as he jumps out of the air-car.

"Oh great. What is that moron doing here?" Vegeta asks no one in particular.

"What do you mean Hercule? She's going with us to New Namek." Bulma says while suppressing the urge to laugh at the man.

"She is not! How dare you take her without my permission!" Hercule yells, causing Chi-Chi to look at Videl with a piercing glare that makes the young girl nervous as Gohan whistles, much to Piccolo's displeasure, behind her.

"You said that your father was ok with you going, and here I find out that you didn't even ask him. That's…"

"I'm sorry Chi-Chi-san. But I knew that he wouldn't let me go, so I left a note. I thought that we would be gone by the time he found out."

"Well you were wrong. Now you're coming home with me young lady."

"No Poppa." Videl says calmly. "I can help them with what they need to do. I'm going with them and that's final." She adds while glaring at her father with a look that causes him to take a step back.

'Damn, I was hoping Videl wouldn't inherit that look from Selene. It's just…scary.' Hercule thinks as an idea comes to his mind. "Fine. If you're going then so am I."

Everyone there stares at the large man in shock for several seconds before they all shout, "WHAT!"

"Oh HELL no! I refuse to be stuck in the same tin can as that ass for two months!"

"Shut it shorty! Someone needs to go that can protect my little girl. And who better then the martial arts champion of the world and man who defeated Ce…" Hercule stops in mid rant as he finally realizes who he is talking to. "Well…err…who better then her father?"

A snort from Vegeta is the only reply as everyone else tries to hold in their laughter.

"Fine. Whatever. There's an extra room anyway." Bulma says in exasperation since she has dealt with people like Hercule before, and has learned that the only way to satisfy them is to give them what they want. "But you only have one hour to get everything you'll need for two months."

"Don't need it. I got clothes and other things in my capsule case."

"Well there's one good thing. NOW LET'S GO!" Vegeta yells as he goes inside the ship.

And with a final exchange of good-byes, and a few sympathetic looks from those not going, the rest of the group joins Vegeta in the ship.


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