Trunks sat on a wall outside the city. He was 18 now and powerful. He was even a match for Gohan. Or at least he was when Gohan had started training him and Goten. They'd only trained for a year when suddenly Gohan just quit on them. Or the occasional times when he did train them he used unfair tactics and taunted them mercilessly.

Poor Goten couldn't understand what had happened to his brother. Neither could any of the others. Suddenly he always had a biting remark for everyone. Or an uncalled for punch in the face. None of them understood why he was suddenly so cruel. Even Vegeta had nothing to say when Gohan insulted him. What was worse was that when Gohan insulted you, he did it viciously.

It was dark times for them all really. Although no threat was on the earth and they were all left alone to grow up in peace, they all still had to worry about their friend. It was a dramatic change for him. Someone like Gohan, the son of Goku no less, didn't suddenly become a cold-hearted jerk. Most of them had a strong inkling that he abused Videl. She claimed to be clumsy. She would defend him to the death if she had the chance. But they knew. After all how could someone like Videl suddenly have bruises everywhere?

But then three weeks ago Videl had called them all together to 'talk'. They'd all gathered 'round in Bulma's living room.

*Flashback*

"What's up Videl?" Bulma said cheerfully once everyone was settled.

Videl looked around the room, Goku jr. squirming in her lap. "Gohan left the other night."

Vegeta scoffed. "Well good ridden."

The others hung their heads; most had hoped Gohan would've changed somehow. But most of them now agreed with Vegeta.

But Videl gave him an icy, hateful glare. "He said he would come back."

They all looked up in surprise.

"Yes. It was Gohan guys. It wasn't that monster we've seen the past three years. He told me he would be gone for a long time." She looked at her lap, at little Goku's messy black head. "He told me," she whispered, "that it wasn't him. It never was. He had lost control to something." She looked back up at them. "I think he's fighting something guys. It was the way he looked at me. It told me he wasn't in control of his own actions."

Trunks had scoffed. "Probably the alcohol." Trunks was still sore about how Gohan had stood him and Goten up in training.

Bulma slapped him, hard. "Trunks!"

He winced and put a hand over the red mark on his face. Videl had winced too, it reminded her too much of those nights…

She shook it off. "No it was more important than that." She glared inwardly as if thinking.

Piccilo spoke up. "Did he tell you all of this or did you make assumptions?"

Videl blushed. "It was partly assumption but his voice, the way he spoke to me. And his eyes…"

Piccilo nodded. "I will look in the Guardian of Earth's library for something that controls the mind and body."

Videl looked up and smiled. "Will you? Thank you."

Bulma nodded. "It's settled then. Everyone keep an eye out for Gohan and for something on mind controlling…stuff." She pondered her phrasing a moment before shrugging. "Oh well. I'll see if I can find anything on the Internet."

Videl smiled. "Thank you. Thank you all. I know most of you don't believe me and don't understand maybe what I mean when I say he never hit me, but I know you love him just as much as I do."

*End Flashback*

With that she had turned and left, little Goku still kicking in her arms. Trunks sighed and stood, stretching. He might as well make another pass over the canyon area. He'd been assigned that area. They had all decided to take different areas and look for Gohan. Maybe he could tell them what was going on and if not then they'd lock him up and find out for themselves.

As he flew low over a dense prairie he spotted a small hutch with two figures outside it. He vaguely recognized one of their energies but it was so low and unobtrusive that he paid it no mind…

Gohan ducked as Trunks flew over him and Kay. The dæmon had regained control over him but it too did not want to be found now. They both figured the others wouldn't be so blind as to think Gohan was doing things of his own accord. Now the dæmon only controlled him to survive…

Kay had mentioned the dæmon on the third morning at breakfast. He'd casually let it slip he'd read about them. Gohan, still in control at the time, had coughed up most of his cereal. Kay had given him a sly smile.

"I was right then?"

Gohan gulped and wiped the milk from his mouth. "Ri-right about what Kay?" He stuttered.

"Don't play dumb with me Gohan. It's written all over your face. You're a bad liar."

Gohan looked exasperatedly at the ceiling in defeat. "That's what Videl said about saiyman." He muttered.

Kay raised and eyebrow. "Who?"

"Never mind."

"Besides Gohan. I felt him in your touch."

"What?"

"When we shook hands. I felt him. Isn't that right PenseDæ?"

Gohan winced in severe pain as the dæmon stirred in rage at the use of his name. Or at least the name of his dæmon category. It took all his power to keep it from raising his hand and shooting an energy blast at the old man.

"That's what I thought." Kay muttered. "Just tell me one thing." He said when Gohan had regained control, though he burned with fever from the creature's hate. "How have you managed to keep him down for so long?"

Gohan looked keenly at him. "Power is in my bloodline."

Kay blinked suddenly. "You're the kid from the tournament a few years back. The one with golden hair?" He blinked in astonishment as Gohan nodded. Kay ran a hand through his hair. "And the kid who defeated Cell."

Gohan looked at the ground. "Somehow that little secret got around."

"Sure did. No wonder then. We might as well begin fixing ya. Though I should explain a little about myself." Kay stood and walked towards the back of the house. He gestured for Gohan to follow.

He led him to a large Library. Its walls were lined with shelves filled with books covered in dust. They were all large and each one was uniquely bound. Kay walked over to a certain shelf and pulled out a large grey book with silver binding. He read the title before muttering: "No not Moon Munchers…"

It took a while before Kay finally found the book he was looking for. Meanwhile Gohan sat in a limp state on one of the old leather chairs. In his mind he was building his will power as he had learned to do each night in meditation. Kay interrupted him.

He had sat down across from Gohan holding a large plain leather book. Kay coughed and blew away the dust cloud before him with a wave of his hand.

"Alright Gohan first what you need to know is that I am a vampire slayer as we are commonly called. There are only 15 of us. 3 take care of vampires singly. 3 deal with creatures such as werewolves. 3 deal with zombies. 3 deal with wizards/witches gone bad. And 3 of us deal with dæmons of all sorts and sizes." He smiled at Gohan's blank look.

"There are millions of dæmons in the world and only 3 of us to kill them. We have each species split between us. Until we have defeated all of them we are immortal. You could stab me through the heart to no effect." Gohan blinked. "I have only one dæmon left to destroy. And you got him in your mind."

Gohan took a few moments to take it all in. Of course he'd seen stranger things he supposed but still, it was rather misleading. "So what are we going to do?"

"Well what we are dealing with is a PenseDæ. The Thinking Demon." He opened the book to a picture. It was a small blood red blob. "This is what is in you."

"Yeah, I found it in a blocked up cave."

Kay nodded. "Yup. They prefer dark, moist places when they are out of a living body. They seek out prey with pure hearts and feed of their light. Meanwhile at the same time ruining their life. Either by making them eat their litters and attacking their own, or by making them seem untrustworthy. Obviously the cannibalism is only used with animals. It melds with the victim's blood stream and flows to their brain where it flows into the spinal cord and takes over all nerve and action control."

Gohan nodded gravely. He had known that somewhere in the back of his mind.

"The dæmon can only leave the body alive if the victim is already half dead. Therefore if we were to get this bugger out of you now then it would die."

Gohan smiled. "That sounds good. But how do we get it out?"

Kay shook his head. "Not we. You. There's nothing I can do to get him out because I can't get into your head. You have to fight him hard enough to cast him out. All I can do is tell you how."

Gohan nodded resolutely.

"Are you up to my training?"

"Yes."

"Fine then. First of all let's fix any physical damage he may have done."

Gohan blinked. "Like what?"

"Well…did it make you do any type of drug or something?"

"Yes. Smoking." Gohan shuddered.

"Right that's the first thing we have to fix. We have to make your body perfectly fit in order to gather all your energy and the energy around you to fight back." Kay put his hand on his chin. "I just don't know any way to fix the damage cause by cigarette's except time. And you'll probably want to work out."

Gohan grinned. "I know how. And we can start working out too. I just need a few supplies." He was grinning wickedly now.

"Gohan? That dæmon ain't back now is it?"

Gohan laughed. "Nope. I got an idea. Be back in a flash." He moved to teleport but Kay grabbed him.

"Now you just hold on there." His voice was angry. Gohan took in a sharp breath in surprise.

"First I'm going to make sure you come back!" He glared at Gohan a moment before grabbing his wrist and twisting it, palm up.

"Hey! Ow that hurts!" Gohan looked nervously as Kay pulled out a long needle and made the symbol of an upside down cross in Gohan's flesh. Blood ran hot over his wrist and hand.

Kay muttered a few words and the wound healed and turned bright red.

"Now you have to come back."

Gohan didn't bother to ask why. He just transported to the Guardian of Earth tower and started looking for Kourin. (A/N: He IS the Guardian now right? RIGHT?)

Kourin gave him the sensu beans he requested and then it was off to Bulma's place. He appeared in the living room where (luckily) Trunks had just left and gone into the kitchen. Gohan took in a sharp breath in fear and quietly snuck his way down to Vegeta's training room.

Once there he grabbed as many things as he could and was about to teleport back when Goten and Trunks walked in the room. They both froze and stared at him.

Gohan jumped. "Ah! I thought you were in the kitchen!" He cried.

Trunks narrowed his eyes. "Now you're stealing from us too?"

Gohan blinked and scratched his head. "No, just borrowing without asking I guess. Trust me both of you this goes against my better judgment but I really need these. At least I think I do. Of course if Kay wants to do proper training then of course I do but…anyways!"

Goten looked curiously at his brother. He normally would have snapped and made snide remarks at them. Now he was acting like…well like Gohan. "Gohan?"

Gohan stopped rambling and looked at him. "Yes?"

"Is that you?"

Gohan suddenly became nervous. He had to get rid of this creature before he could admit to anything. Otherwise it might be able to take control again and take the risk of persuading them he was lying. "Ya of course it is…squirt. Who'd you…think it was? A…er," he paused, trying to think of a good insult, "horse?" That was extremely lame. He thought.

Goten sighed sadly. Gohan took his chance and teleported back to Kay's.

Trunks raised an eyebrow. "What was that all about?"

"I don't know." Goten sighed.

And so the training ensued. The sensu beans healed Gohan's lungs from any damage his smoking caused and his breathing got better, though he hadn't noticed that it had gotten worse.

He was able to train harder and got just as strong as he had been three fateful years before. But then, on the second week the dæmon had retaken control. It took all of Kay's power to keep him from flying off and starting a new life to ruin.

Kay made a cursing border around the property that included the air. The dæmon could not cross it and therefore could not leave. Kay also managed to make a training schedule that made the dæmon think it was fighting and hurting Kay and Gohan when really it was only strengthening both men.

At night Gohan wondered when he'd ever be strong enough to fight the monster within him and return home, to tell everyone the truth and raise his family the right way.

A/N: A nice chapter if I do say so myself. But I have a few surprises still coming. *evil cackle*

Gohan: Oh cut that out! You are so mean to me in this story!

Me: I am not! I'm giving you time to redeem the dæmon's actions!

Dæmon: Yeah if anything she's being mean to me!

Me: Oh be quiet you. Do you know what a pain in the butt it is to type your name? D, Option quotation mark. D, option quotation mark. Ugh very annoying.

Dæmon: Hey you chose to spell it this way.

Me: Alright enough already! Everyone shutup!

Dæmon: *mutter* sore looser. Doesn't want to be proved wrong. *mutters*

Me: What was that?

Dæmon: nothing nothing