Bound

Chapter 3

CMG: *does a poor haiku* Don't own Dragon Ball Z . Don't sue me for I am poor. Please read and review. Thanks! *runs as fruits are thrown at her*

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No one knows
What's done is done
It's as if he were dead

He as hollow as I alone now
He as hollow as I alone
A shell of my friend
Just flesh and bone
There's no soul
He sees no love
I shake my fists at skies above
Mad at God

He as hollow as I converse
I wish he'd waken from this curse
Hear my words before it's through
I want to come in after you
My best friend

He as hollow as I alone

~Pantera-Hollow

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The thunder roared as the rain fell in a downpour. Deep in a cave on the side of a cliff, sobbing is heard as Gohan cried with his knees folded into his chest. The tears were like knives tearing down the young hybrid's face as the cold air did nothing to help ease the pain he felt both inside his heart and the tears that ran down his face.

'It's all my fault,' thought Gohan. 'Why didn't I listen to my daddy? Why did he have to make the ultimate sacrifice? I'll never see him again and tell him I'm sorry for him getting killed.'

*** Flashback... ***

"You did well, Gohan," said Goku's voice as the dust blew around them as Gohan looked up at his father with a confused look on his face.

"Daddy?" said Gohan.

"Tell your mother that I'm sorry for all of the things that I put her through," said Goku as he seemed calm, yet sad for some strange reason. "I was always careless and selfish." Gohan gasps as his father seemed to give him an encouraging smile before he said the words that would make Gohan believe he was never coming back: "Goodbye, Gohan!" As the wind blew in his face, he suddenly became determined as he and the bloated Cell that was about to destroy Earth flickered out. More dust flew around Gohan as he got up and screamed at the top of his lungs...

"No! Don't do it, DAD!"

*** End Flashback ***

A clash of thunder brought him out of the daydreams as he shook. His body felt cold, but he no longer cared as he continued to cry. The rain continued to cascade down the rocks; creating a waterfall-like effect at the front of the cave. Eventually, Gohan cried himself to sleep; no longer able to cry anymore as the nightmare of that fated day haunted him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Elsewhere, Goku woke up groggy as he found himself lying strip naked on a lab table. He got up rather dizzy as he braced himself against the table as he saw a sign with weird symbols on it. As he seemed to regain his balance, he was hit with nausea as he folded up and shook his head to keep himself from vomiting on the floor.

'What's going on? What is this feeling?' thought Goku as he felt a strange sensation running down his spine as he breathed in heavy pants as though he was running from someone or something.

Pain suddenly seemed to rip through the tailbone of his back as a scream escaped his lips and passed out upon the floor. Shortly after he passed out in the room, a bloody tail emerged as it wavered slightly. If he were still awake, he would have welcomed it; but in the condition he was in, he didn't know why he was still alive when he should have already been dead.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Gohan, please live," cried Chi-chi as she sat by her son's bedside. Since there was no moon, it was completely dark as the tears drenched the sheets that Gohan slept under.

It was days since Gohan found out his father was nowhere to be found in the layers of hell as he remained in his room almost in a comatose state after he returned home. Piccolo returned the boy to Chi-chi after he fell asleep in the cave, but the boy did not stir after he was brought home. Worried to death, Chi-chi thought the Gods were punishing her for not stopping them from fighting Cell.

"Kami, please let my baby live..." moaned Chi-chi as she remained in the dark about Goku's fate as she prayed he would return home soon.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Evil is stirring," said a stern voice as a dim light is seen. Near the dim light, two figures are standing there; almost entirely engulfed in the shadows.

"Is Sin trying to escape?" said a deep voice as the light starts becoming brighter.

"Yes," said the stern voice. "He is planning to plunge this entire universe into hell."

"Is there anyone strong enough to stop it?" said the deep voice as two figures are seen finally as the light finally becomes light enough to show two cloaked figures in scarlet cloaks.

"Yes and no," said the stern voice. "He might not realize it yet, but he is the key to whether we live or die now."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

On Kami's Lookout, Piccolo had gathered all the warriors that fought against Cell, including Trunks. (A/N: He didn't go back to the future, yet.)

"Well?" said Yamcha. "Did you find him?" Silence reigned for a moment.

"Tell us, Namek!" said Vegeta angrily.

"The truth is," said Piccolo as he felt tense, "I searched hell for weeks and there was no sign of the warrior. He's either dead or wiped out of existence forever. I'm sorry."

"What?!" said Krillin. "But he can't be..."

"My father can't be dead!" said a voice as everyone turned around to see Gohan there. Dark circles were under his eyes as he wore black clothing instead of his normal fighting gear. By the looks of it, Gohan seemed to have been having very little time resting in the past few days as the others seemed worried about the hybrid's health.

"Gohan, what are you doing up here?" said Piccolo. "Aren't you supposed to be in bed?"

"Gohan?" said Trunks breathlessly as the hybrid seemed to sway on his feet a little.

"He's not dead," said Gohan with a sad look in his eyes. "He's still alive."

"Piccolo's searched hell though," said Tien. "You need..."

"Dad once told me that if he was dead, I would have felt a sting in my heart," said Gohan. "He said he felt a sting when Krillin was killed in front of our eyes back on Namek, so I know he's not dead."

"If he's alive," said Piccolo, "he would be near-death right now. Just accept that he's gone and he's not coming back."

"NO!" cried Gohan as he went Super Saiya-jin. He looked like he was about to attack Piccolo, but he suddenly passed out as he lost the transformation.

"What if Gohan's right?" said Trunks as he looked at his past mentor with worry.

"We've already looked," said Piccolo. "Now I'm going to take Gohan home and explain it to his wife." As an after thought, Piccolo mused, 'Hopefully, she won't try to kill me this time.'

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

King Kai was still frantically searching for the Saiya-jin's energy. Days passed since Pikkon and Piccolo gave up, but the Lord of Worlds didn't give up as his antennas continued to twitch. It would be a miracle if Goku were still alive since Saiya-jins have a very big appetite and would starve to death about three times faster than a normal human would. To make things even worse, he was starting to believe that he no longer existed as the others begged him not to strain himself. Finally, about a week after attempting to locate his former pupil's energy, he gave up as he fell sprawled out on the ground.

'He can't be...' thought King Kai as he breathed heavily before finally succumbing to his body's needs for rest.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"What?" cried Chi-chi as she began crying as she held on to Gohan like he was her last lifesaver as he remained asleep in her arms. "He no longer exists?"

"That's what we think," said Piccolo. "King Kai told me that if someone is killed twice, they no longer exist."

"No, not my Goku," said Chi-chi as she continued to cry as Piccolo left with ringing ears.

'Next time, I'm going to write a letter,' thought Piccolo as he flew towards Kami's Lookout. 'Her screeching will leave me deaf for a few hours.'

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Wake up," said a voice as Goku felt a kick to his ribcage as he felt his back hit the wall; drawing the breath out of his lungs as he screamed in pain. As the Earth-raised Saiya-jin woke up groggy and in a lot of pain, he noticed blood on the floor; his blood as he felt the blood dripping from his mouth. Breathing hard, Goku looked at the figure who woke him up and gave him a glare of hatred. He was still in the nude and the figure before him seemed to not notice Goku's state of dress. It was as though he didn't think it was important.

"W-who are you?" said Goku as he tried to regain his breath. Not being able to see his face, he wore a completely black raggedy hooded robe and seemed like Death himself as Goku thought of this as a sign.

"I am your master," said the figure. "From now on, you shall only serve me."

"Why don't you kill me?" said Goku. "I'm probably close to it anyway."

"Not anymore," said the figure. "Your body has gone through some chemical alterations that will keep you alive. Basically, you won't starve to death since you don't need food and you'll heal from those wounds in a few hours."

Goku looked himself over. He didn't feel any different, but something inside of him was telling him that it was true as he felt sick. "What are you going to do to me?"

"All in due time, my friend, will you know your fate," said the figure. For the first time, Goku felt total horror as his mind was suddenly assaulted by images of death and destruction. Clenching his head with his hands, he tried to fight the pain as his hands were suddenly stripped away from his head and chained against the wall behind him. "Give into the bloodlust. Only then will you be whole." Goku passed out from the pain as the figure walked out of the chamber. The door slammed as the Earth-raised Saiya-jin remained against the wall as crystal tears ran down his face and fell to the floor.

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CMG: Yeah. I know that was kind of sick, but heck! Things are about to get more exciting! Next chapter, you're going to be in for a surprise. Before I go off and tell you what to expect, I'd like to thank those who reviewed so far:

Daughter of Ashes: I'm glad you like this idea! It's about to get very interesting, so stick around.

Psychomanaic: Glad you stuck around. I bet you're wondering what's going to happen next, eh? Hee hee...

DBZ Chick1: Don't worry. I'll definitely update more often once my term ends.

Now for a peek at what's to come:

Boots barely made a sound as a man dressed in black walked down the streets. He seemed lost, but made no attempts to stop and ask for directions. He seemed to have no idea where he was going; only that he had to carry out his mission.

"Are you alright, sir?" said Krillin as he and 18 decided to help him up. However, the man flinched away from their help and walked off. Angry, 18 stopped him.

"Excuse me!" yelled 18 as the man in black turned around. "We were only trying to help you up! What is your problem?" The man turned on heel and walked off; not answering 18's question.

'Trakokota... Trakokota...' thought Piccolo as he decided to rearrange the letters and came up with a startling realization. 'It can't be...'

"I know who you are, Prince Vegeta and my mission is to destroy all life on this planet as well as this cosmos," said Trakokota.

Ooh! Who is this mysterious guy? I'll give you only one hint: It's not an original character and no Psy; you're not allowed to tell anyone who it is. *The authoress bribes Psy with a cookie so she won't reveal who it is* Until next time, please review! ^_^