This chapter is quite a bit shorter then the first two, but that's because I've totally thrown out the minimum chapter length I had set for myself. I've come to the conclusion that only a few of the remaining chapters would reach that limit. Also, this will hopefully allow me to update this fic more often.
Just a few quick notes about Videl's training since I forgot to put a number of things in the last chapter since I just wanted to get it out. She learned how to fly, ki blasts, sensing it, and some other practical uses.
I don't own DBZ.
Destiny
Part 2: Torn Apart
Chapter 3: Unwanted Separation
The red stain of embarrassment on their cheeks quickly fades to white as they see Hercule standing in the doorway. His face red with anger as his eyes seem to bulge from his head. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?! GET AWAY FROM WITH MY DAUGHTER YOU PUNK!!!" He yells in anger while grabbing Videl's arm and roughly pulling her into the house before slamming the door in Gohan's face.
As the gust of wind from the slamming door washes over Gohan, he can hear the sound of Hercule yelling and screaming on the other side of the door. 'So close.' He thinks as he slowly, with shoulders slumped, walks down the stairs and away from Hercule's mansion.
• • •
The sound of the door slamming echoes through the mansion, sending the servants into a frenzy to make sure everything is ok so that Hercule will not have a reason to yell at them. But their panicked race slows when they here him yell at the top of his lungs to his daughter. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT PUNK DOING WITH YOU? YOU KNOW YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO DATE ANYONE UNLESS THEY'RE STRONGER THEN ME! AND THAT SCRAWNY LITTLE PUNK COULDN'T HURT A FLY!"
"GOHAN-CHAN IS NOT A PUNK AND HE IS FAR FROM WEAK, FATHER!" Videl yells back, the volume of her voice, easily greater then Hercule's, and the furious glare on her face causes the large man to panic and take a step back before regaining his composure.
Hercule points a shaking finger at his daughter. "DON'T YOU DARE RAISE YOUR VOICE TO ME YOUNG LADY! I'M YOUR FATHER! And what the HELL do you mean by referring to that punk like that!?"
"He's my friend and I can say that if I want to."
"Hold it right there! I'm your father and I say that you can't see that BOY again!"
"No you can't say who I can and can't see!" Videl retorts, not noticing the tears in her eyes that do not fall.
• • •
"What was I thinking? Now, because of me, Videl is in trouble." He says with a sigh as he lifts into the cold night air. "I'll apologize to her tomorrow at school. I should have controlled myself better and not tried to kiss her."
• • •
"Like hell I can't! You're only sixteen! And as long as you live under MY roof you'll do what I say! Now GO TO YOUR ROOM!"
"I'm surprised you care what I do. This is the first time since Mom died that you've actually told me to do something. Or at least to do something that didn't involve improving your public image." Videl replies with a bone-chilling glare before turning to go to her room.
"Don't back talk to me!"
"Why not? The first time I find a guy that I like and you yell at me because of it." She adds, storming off to her room before Hercule can reply.
• • •
"So did you make sure my future daughter in law got home safely?" Chi-Chi asks, starts in her eyes, when Gohan walks through the door.
"Yeah, Videl's fine." Gohan answers while getting himself a small snack and heading to his room.
'I wonder what's wrong with him?' Chi-Chi asks herself as Gohan leaves the room.
• • •
Several servants jump at the sound of Videl's door being slammed shut in anger. The teenage girl leans against the door after shutting it. "WHAT IS HIS PROBLEM?" Videl yells to herself, her unshed tears slowly fall from her eyes, after sliding down it to sit with her back against the door. "He sees me with Gohan and blows the entire thong out of proportion. Just because Gohan doesn't have the bulging muscles like Sharpner doesn't me he's weak." She adds more quietly before a thought comes to her, making her both laugh and nauseated at the same time. "I bet if it had been Sharpner I was with then he would have been ok with…why am I even upset by this? And why am I…crying?" Videl asks herself as the damp tears on her cheeks register in her mind. 'I haven't cried since Momma died. So why am I crying over what Poppa said?'
'Because you love Gohan and you hate the thought of not being able to be with him.' The voice in her head answers.
"Well…I like him but I wouldn't say I love him."
'Are you sure?'
'Am I sure? Yes I'm su…'
'You can't say it! You do love him.'
'Ok…so maybe I do love him. But I just met him four days ago.' Videl thinks in reply only to be answered by silence.
• • •
"What's wrong with her? I'm only doing what's good for her, doesn't she understand that? That punk looked so scrawny that I bet one of the first year students from one of my dojos could kick his ass." Hercule says to himself as he goes towards his usual place, the large home theater room. 'If I didn't watch out for her then she'll only end up hurt. But what can I do about that punk? Videl seemed really upset by what I said, and she probably won't listen to me…she too much like her mother to….' His thoughts are interrupted by his private butler.
"Is there anything I can get you sir?" The man asks.
"No, I'm fine." Hercule asks while dismissing the man with a wave of his hand.
"Very well sir."
"Wait." Hercule says, an idea springing to mind as the butler is about to leave the room.
"Yes sir?"
"Get me my agent, I need to talk to him."
"As you wish."
• • •
"Gohan! Dinner's ready!" Chi-Chi yells from the kitchen only to be surprised by hearing the sound of her son calmly walking from his room to the kitchen instead of the sound of stampeding feet.
Gohan washes his hands then sits at the table and starts to eat his meal. But compared to his usual pace, he seems to be merely picking at his food. And when Goten steals some of what is on Gohan's plate, since he does not appear to be hungry, Gohan does not even seem to notice.
Chi-Chi looks at her son in concert, sure that something is wrong. And, expecting him to tell her what is wrong, she does not ask.
The meal passes quietly with the only sounds being those of Goten chowing down. After putting his dishes in the sink, Gohan goes back to his room.
• • •
"You wanted to see me Mr. Satan?" A man in a gray business suit asks as he enters the large private theater.
"Yes, remember that mansion in the tropics I was thinking about renting for the winter? Well I've decided to buy it and move there."
• • •
A dark figure slowly opens one of the many doors inside the large mansion to reveal a darkened bedroom with its lone occupant asleep in her bed.
Ever so quietly the figure moves to the side of the bed. After seeing that the Videl is asleep he takes a syringe and a small vile from his pocket. In the dim light the vile falls from his hands, creating a dull thud as it impacts the top of his shoe. The man freezes in light panic as the soft sound causes the sleeping girl to stir.
"Mmmmmm…Gohan…that feels good." Videl mumbles in her sleep, but does not awaken from her slumber.
The man realizes that it was from her dream that she moved and not the sound of the vile falling onto his shoe. Also, the words spoken by the sleeping girl only strengthen the man's belief that what he is doing is right, and that the boy has somehow corrupted the sleeping girl.
"I'm sorry that I have to do this Videl, but it's for your own good. One day you'll thank me for this." After filling the syringe with the clear liquid in the vile, he injects it into the sleeping girl.
"Damn mosquitoes." The girl mumbles in her sleep when the needle is pulled from her arm. But she quickly falls into a deeper drug induced sleep.
• • •
Gohan can hear a light knock on his door just before it opens. "Is there something wrong honey?" Chi-Chi asks.
"No Kaa-san…everything's fine." He replies when there is obviously something weighing heavily on his mind for he has not even noticed that the book he is reading is upside down.
"Don't lie Gohan. I know you're upset over something."
A sigh can be heard from Gohan as he looks up from his book. "When I dropped Videl off, we were…going to kiss." Gohan confesses as Chi-Chi's eyes fill with hearts. "But Hercule…umm…interrupted us. He didn't seem to happy when I left. I think I may have gotten her in trouble because of what I almost did."
"I'm sure you didn't. Besides, it takes two to kiss. And if you're so worried about it, call her or ask her tomorrow at school."
"I was planning on asking her tomorrow."
• • •
"There you are Mr. Satan." One of the maids says upon seeing him emerge from Videl's room. "Is it true that you and Miss Videl are moving?"
"Yes, it is. And you can go ahead and start packing Videl's things. She's…a really deep sleeper and you won't bother her."
"Umm…alright sir." The maid replies before going past Hercule and into Videl's room to start packing up her clothes and things.
• • •
"Morning Nii-chan." Goten says when Gohan walks into the kitchen.
"Hi squirt. It was nice of you to save me some food."
"I had to. Mommy said to." Goten pouts.
"I'm sure she did." Gohan laughs.
• • •
"Owww!" Videl moans as she wakes up. "Damn my head hurts." She grumbles while rolling over only to have the sunlight poor into her eyes. The bright light intensifies the sharp pain in her head, causing her to moan and roll over again.
• • •
As Gohan flies through the crisp air his mind is filled with thoughts about a certain raven-haired girl. 'I hope I didn't get her into too much trouble, and if I did then I hope she forgives me.'
• • •
Videl lies in bed while rubbing her aching head for several seconds before taking a quick glance at her bedside clock. The first thing she notices is that it isn't set since it is flashing 12:00 repeatedly. 'Power must have went out.' Runs through her mind before she remembers that her father had had several large generators installed to avoid such a thing. As she looks at the blinking numbers, something else catches her eye, the color of the wall is wrong. The walls of her room are plain white, but the wall she is looking at is a pale blue. But again she dismisses it as something in a window that is giving the sunlight a bluish tinge.
• • •
The soft crunch of footsteps in fresh snow fills the cold air as Gohan lands on the roof of Orange Star High School. Disappointment evident in features when upon not seeing Videl waiting for him like she had been on Friday. But it vanishes when he thinks that she must be waiting just inside the door. However, the disappointment returns, along with some confusion, when he opens the door and does not see Videl.
• • •
As Videl lays in bed her curiosity gets the better of her as to why the wall is light blue. So she sits up with a groan since the sudden movement makes her head pound even more. But the pain in her head is pushed aside be surprise by what she sees.
• • •
Gohan quickly walks to his first class in anticipation of seeing Videl, but again he is disappointed to see that Videl is not there.
"Hey Gohan!" Erasa calls out to him as he walks to his seat.
"Hi Erasa, Sharpner."
"Nerd boy." Sharpner acknowledges while checking his hair in a small mirror.
• • •
'This isn't my room!' Is the first thing that runs through Videl's mind upon taking in her surroundings. All her furniture is there, but in different places. The French doors leading onto her private balcony are on a different wall and the carpet and walls are a different color. And when she gets up to look through the doors she does not see the snow covered expanse of field that is the backyard of her father's mansion. Instead, she sees a sandy beach that has probably never known snow. Through the doors she can hear the muffled sounds of the ocean's waves crashing onto the beach. "What's going on? Why am I here? Is some weird dream?" Videl asks herself as she stares out over the ocean. "No…this can't be a dream. Every dream I've had for awhile now has had Gohan in it, and this doesn't."
• • •
"Is Videl here?" Gohan asks as the bell rings.
"Does it look like she's here? You're the smartest kid in this dump and you can't tell if the most popular girl in school is here or not. Jeez…oh yeah, stay away from Videl nerd boy. She's mine!"
"Oh cut it out Sharpner. You've been trying for what? Two years now?"
"Two years, three months, fifteen days, and…" Sharpner looks at the clock. "…seven hours."
"Whatever, I don't even want to think about how you know that. You've been trying that long and she hasn't said yes which means that she will continue to say no."
"Nah. I think the next time I ask her will be when she says yes."
'Ha ha. That's funny. There's no way in hell Sharpner would get my ma…kuso, tell me I didn't almost think that.' Gohan thinks while tuneing out most of the conversation next to him.
• • •
"Oh, your up miss." A maid says as she comes into the room and sees Videl standing on the balcony. "Isn't this place lovely? It's no wonder your father decided to move here."
"It's nice." Videl says as her headache returns at the mention of her father. 'It'd be better if Gohan was here.' She thinks. "What do you mean that he decided to move here?"
"You mean you don't know miss? That's odd. I thought your father had talked to you about it."
"I guess I'll have to have a little talk with my DEAR father." Videl says, her voice tinted with anger.
"Poppa?" Videl asks sweetly with a smile as she walks up to her father.
"Yes sweetie?"
"Why did you force me to move?" She asks, the sweet look replaced with one of anger.
"I didn't for…" Hercule stops to reconsider what he should tell her. "I did it for your own good. That boy would be nothing but trouble."
"For my own good? How do you know what is and what isn't for my own good?" She asks almost too calmly.
"All that boy is interested in is getting into your pants."
"No, Gohan is different."
Several servants listen to the argument between father and daughter from just outside the room. All of them are unnerved by the calmness of Videl's attitude and they scatter when the door to the room opens and a angry Videl walks out and to her room.
• • •
The morning seems to crawl by at less then a snails pace for Gohan as he awaits lunch and a chance to see why Videl isn't at school. As he sits at the table slowly eating a normal human sized meal, since he does not feel that hungry for some reason, Erasa goes off to one of the payphones to call her friend. Several minutes later she returns with a puzzled look on her face.
"What's up Erasa?" Sharpner asks. "Is Videl sick today?"
"No…apparently she's moved and is no longer going to go to school here."
"What do you mean she's moved?" Gohan asks Erasa in surprise.
"When I called her house, a maid answered. She said that Hercule and Videl moved away. That's all I know."
'Damn it. Why would she move away and not tell me?' Gohan asks himself. 'It's all my fault. I must have did something wrong.'
"You ok Gohan?" Erasa asks in concern since she could swear she can see tears in the boy's eyes.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I uhh… got to go. I'll see you guys later." Gohan replies as he grabs his book bag and his tray. "Maybe." He adds softly as he walks puts throws away his trash before walking out of the cafeteria then out of the school.
• • •
Videl looks at her father in disgust as she leaves the room. 'Why is he such an ass when it comes to the thought of me having a boyfriend?' Videl asks herself as she goes to her room.
• • •
"Son Gohan! What are you doing home young man!?" Chi-Chi yell upon seeing Gohan walk through the door. "You're supposed to be in school."
"I didn't feel like staying there any longer, and I don't feel like going back there again." Gohan replies, his voice hollow. "I'm way ahead of everyone else there and I can learn more from being home schooled."
"NO WAY! You get back to sch…" Chi-Chi stops in mid yell as Gohan ignores her and goes to his room. "What is his problem?"
• • •
A week seems to crawl by, making it seem more like a month then a single week, for Gohan and Videl. Their families and, in Gohan's case since Videl has none near here, friends know that something is wrong with them. But no one knows what exactly is wrong except for Vegeta, and he has chosen not to say anything.
Neither have had anything resembling their normal appetites, with them barely eating a single meal throughout the days. And both have spent most of their time in their rooms, only leaving them when they have to.
Chi-Chi had talked to Bulma about Gohan's behavior but she did not know any more about why Gohan was acting so oddly then his own mother did. In desperation to find out what is wrong with her son, Chi-Chi asked Vegeta if he knew anything. But his only response was that she should know what is wrong with him. And when she and Bulma questioned him further on the matter, they were ignored.
To Hercule it seemed as though Videl was just going through a 'phase' and that she would come out of it. So he has not bothered to talk to her about it.
• • •
The soft crunch of snow be trampled under foot can be heard in the forest as Gohan, lost in his thoughts, slowly walks through the snow covered wilderness. Not too far off a couple of rabbits, white as the snow and unnoticed by Gohan, run from the approaching demi Saiya-jin. "I don't get it. She should have received the e-mails I've sent her. The only way she couldn't have is if someone was blocking them. But there's no way that I can…wait…I can use one of Bulma's computers. They can get through any security program." He says with a smile before blasting off into the sky, leaving a cloud of powdery snow in his wake.
• • •
A sigh of boredom and depression escapes Videl's lips as she sits in her room, starring out over the ocean. "Screw this." She says as she goes to her door and through the house until she is outside. While walking across the sand to the ocean's edge she subconsciously registers the guards that are watching her. For the first time in her life, the skills she had learned to use in order to fight crime and watch for those who want to harm her are now being used to keep track of people who want to keep her prisoner.
Without a thought, Videl tosses her sandals aside and walks barefoot along the water's edge. After several minutes she sits, drawing her legs up and wrapping her arms around them. When the sun starts to sink below the horizon, transforming the ski into a myriad of colors, Videl can not help but feel lonely. Thoughts of Gohan run rampant in her mind as she thinks of how nice it would be to have Gohan sitting next to her as they watch the sun set. As the last but of the sun disappears tears start to fall from Videl's eyes.
In the distance one of the guards looks at the young girl with sympathy and a thought about seeing what he can do to help her. But thoughts about how much he is being paid by the girl's father quickly squashes any thoughts of sympathy.
As Videl sits, staring, at her computer she hears something that she has not heard in a week, You have mail." "E-mail? I thought Poppa blocked it all." She says to herself as she looks at the subject line. SG Flying School. 'Figures…it's junk mail. Poppa is able to block all the e-mail that comes to me except this stu…wait…SG?' "No, it couldn't be." Her bedroom door suddenly opens so she hides the e-mail behind another window as her face darkens upon seeing who is at her door.
"Sweet pea? I was just wondering if you want to go get something to eat?" Hercule asks politely.
"No Poppa, I'm not hungry." Videl answers without emotion.
"Alright dear." Hercule says as he closes the door. 'I wonder what's wrong with her. She usually has a big appetite but she's barely eaten at all this week.'
Once her door is closed, Videl brings the e-mail back up as she almost feels giddy with hope that who she thinks sent this message actually sent it.
• • •
"Well…I sent it…now the question is only whether or not Videl will get it." Gohan tells himself with a sigh while leaning back in his chair.
"Hey Gohan, I didn't know you were here." Bulma says as she enters the lab.
"I just stopped by to use your computer."
"Oh, yours not working?"
"It's not that, I just needed access to more then what I can get at home. Sorry I can't stay and chat, but I have to get home."
"Alright, we wouldn't want you mom to worry about her little boy. See you later Gohan."
"Bye Bulma."
• • •
Videl's heart speeds up upon reading the first line of the e-mail.
Hi Videl-chan.
And as she moves on to the rest of it her heart feels like it is going to rip its way out of her chest or break in two.
I hope this reaches you. I've tried calling but I can never get through or I never get a response from you when someone says they'll give you a message from me. I hope you're not mad at something I did, because if you are then I'm sorry for whatever I did to offend you. There's so much more that I want to say, but I don't want to say them in an e-mail. That's why I've attached a song that I hope you'll listen to.
,Gohan
Videl can feel tears in her eyes as she stares at the screen. Several seconds pass, the only sound is that of waves crashing on the beach outside. After wiping a single tear from her cheek Videl clicks on the attached sound file and it starts to play.
Got a picture of you I carry in my heart Close my eyes to see it when the world gets dark Got a memory of you I carry in my soul "Th-this song…" Videl says softly, unable to think of anything to say. I wrap it close around me when the nights get cold If you asked me how I'm doin' I'd say just fine But the truth is baby, if you could read my mind Not a day goes by that I don't think of you 'He's thought of me each day that I've been gone…and I've thought of him just as often. After all this time you're still with me it's true Somehow you remain locked so deep inside Baby, baby, oh baby, not a day goes by 'It's only been a week but if feels like it's been so much longer.' I still wait for the phone in the middle of the night Thinkin' you might call me if your dreams don't turn out right And it still amazes me that I lie here in the dark Wishin' you were next to me, your head against my heart 'I'd love to be next to Gohan right now.' If you asked me how I'm doing I'd say just fine But the truth is baby, if you could read my mind Not a day goes by that I don't think of you After all this time you're still with me it's true Somehow you remain locked so deep inside 'Even if I never saw you again Gohan, I could never forget you.' Baby, baby, oh baby, not a day goes by Minutes turn to hours, and the hours to days Seems it's been forever that I've felt this way Not a day goes by that I don't think of you After all this time you're still with me it's true Somehow you remain locked so deep inside Baby, baby, oh baby, not a day goes by
As the song fades out Videl's cheeks are wet with tears as she closes her eyes.
"Videl…" She hears Gohan's voice and looks around only to see that she is alone. "…if you're hearing this then you listened to the song like I hope, knew, you would. I heard it on the radio this morning and it fit how I've felt so well that I had to find a way to send it to you. And if you can, please send me some kind of message in return, even if it's that you don't ever want to see me again. I just want to hear from you."
"Gohan…" Videl whispers as she gets up and goes to her bed where she buries her head in the pillows and cries. "I miss you so much it hurts. Why did Poppa have to do what he did?" With a sigh Videl rolls onto her back and drapes her arm over her eyes, blocking out the light from the ceiling fixture. "He wants me to respond. But how can I when I can't call, send e-mails? I don't even know WHERE I'm at." She says quietly as she tries to come up with something that she may have not thought of during the last week of solitude. '…I tried hacking through and around the blocks Poppa had put on my computer but I couldn't. And there's always guards patrolling around the…' "The Guards! How could I have been so stupid? Those guys are all a bunch of buffoons that would be easy to get past." As this realization runs through her mind a smile spreads across her face and she turns off the overhead light, leaving the room in the pale light of her bedside lamp. 'I'm going to give Gohan a lot more then a little message.' She thinks while packing some warm clothes and a few other items into capsules.
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