'The Hated'
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
Chapter 3
The sun was bright the next morning. It shone its rays down on the forests and meadows of the area. Plants and animals awoke as its first touch grazed over them.
Videl slowly pushed her way through the curtains of her heavy slumber, and came out feeling rested and refreshed. She pushed the blankets that were covering her down to her waist. As she did so, the back of her mind registered that the shirt she was wearing now did not feel the same way as the one that she was wearing before. Her eyes cracked open and she could see the wooden ceiling of the room.
Her mind was slowly clearing itself of the cobwebs of sleep, and she realised that she did not fall asleep in a building. And especially not in a bed.
Jolted, the rest of the cobwebs disappeared in an instant, and Videl shot up from her laying position. Confusion washing over her in waves as her blurry eyes looked around.
At first, the only thing she could determine was that she was in a small room. After rubbing her eyes with the back of her fists, she could see more clearly.
Sunlight streamed in from a window on one of the walls. The room was undecorated, aside from the rug on the floor and the dresser in the corner. A single unlit candle was set, just off center, on the top of the dresser.
She slowly got up, placing a hand on the smooth stone wall to steady herself. She could barely feel the wall through her fresh bandages.
The large shirt she was now wearing was definitely not the one she had worn yesterday. She looked around again, but could not see her clothes anywhere. Someone must have changed her and taken her clothes.
She picked the edge of the shirt up with her forefinger and thumb, and bringing it to her nose took a small whiff. It smelt clean enough.
Apparently whoever lived here would meet Videl's hygiene standards.
That same someone must have also taken her to this house and laid her in the bed.
Still moving sluggishly, she made her way to the door. Shuffling and an array of other noises could clearly be heard from the room beyond. She peeked out through the doorway.
Videl very nearly stepped out and said something when she saw the person that was in the room, but thought better of it at the last second. It was the first person she had seen since two days ago and she liked to know something she about a person before speaking to someone.
Of course… she was also a bit nervous; this was the only other person she'd seen in this new world after all.
Still peeking out from inside the doorway, she tried to get a good look at who this person was. A male. The person was definitely a man. The masculinity of the broad shoulders, thick arms, and rough short hair left no doubt. Plus, he wasn't wearing a shirt.
His well-muscled back had a number of scars of various sizes adorning it. Videl could easily tell that these were battle wounds, you just couldn't get those types of scars any other way. The way in which these scars criss-crossed made her wonder what type of battle, and opponent, could possibly do that to a person.
He seemed to be preparing something at the counter of what appeared to be a kitchen.
He spoke. His voice was very rough and wavered slightly, like it was unused to being used.
"You are allowed to come in, you know."
She took a step in, wondering how he was able to tell she was there, he had not so much as turned his head away from what he was doing. She watched him as he worked; he seemed completely preoccupied with whatever he was making.
He still hadn't looked at her.
Finally, after a couple of minutes, he took what he was doing and placed it in an oven. Closing the oven, he turned around and leaned back on the counter, his hands gripping the edges beside him.
His calm and collected demeanour gave off the distinct impression that he knew where he belonged, and he was there. His face showed his confidence as he watched her.
Videl could now look over his face. His dark black hair was wild, like the wind had taken it and did whatever it pleased. His facial features were sharp, and defined. But his eyes were what attracted Videl's attention. His eyes were a dark ocean, filled with different emotions that swam so fast that she could not define what one was before the next had replaced it.
The silence was awkward; neither knowing what to say but knowing something must be said. They stared for a long time in the uncomfortable silence.
A loud growl broke it.
They both looked at Videl's stomach as it voiced its opinion.
Deciding the best course of action was to ignore her stomach for the moment, Videl spoke, "Did you bring me here? To this house?"
"Yes."
"And you…" she motioned to the clothes she was wearing.
He looked at her quizzically, obviously not understanding what she meant.
"Did you change my clothes?" It slightly irritated her that she had to explain what she meant to this man.
It seemed to dawn on him and he nodded.
Her face darkened to a tight scowl.
She opened her mouth to viciously lash out at the man standing before her.
She never noticed the slight cringe he gave as her facial expression changed, nor did she notice the hurried tone of his next words.
"You would have caught cold if I had left you to stay in those wet clothes."
The awkward silence arose again, as Videl realised he could possibly be right. She slowly closed her mouth, still fuming at what he had done.
She grudgingly grunted her acceptance of that answer.
And the silence ebbed on until the man's nose gave a mighty twitch. He groaned as, in a flash, he spun around and opened the oven.
Videl's nose could sense it now too, whatever the man had been baking was now slightly burnt.
He hurriedly took the large dish from the oven and placed it on a wooden table that stood beside another plain stone wall. There were only two chairs at the table.
Once he had placed the dish on the table he disappeared from her vision again, and she heard the sound of running water behind her. Looking back she saw that the man had placed his slightly red hands under the water, and was grumbling soft words about constantly forgetting something.
As soon as his hands dimmed from their momentary brightness he got plates from a cupboard and took a seat, while motioning for Videl to take the other.
She could now see what he had made, and she wondered if it had ever been made before… or if it was even edible.
She took the seat he had motioned to, very hesitantly.
He placed a plate infront of her, "Take as much as you want now, there wont be any of it left for seconds later."
She looked at the large dish that contained the 'food'. The large green and orange chunks staring out of the top at her.
"What exactly is it?" she questioned, its odd look sending off clear warning signs to her senses.
"I don't know," he replied with a slight smile.
Videl stared at him, before taking the large spoon that he had previously stuck into the 'food' and slopping some of the substance on to her plate.
Silence prevailed again as they eat the… thing. Videl was surprised that it didn't taste too bad and focused on her plate as she filled her ravenous belly.
Looking up she saw that the dish that had previously held the food was now empty, and the man was leaning back in his chair, watching her as she eat, with his hands folded over his bare midsection.
Fists flashed through the air. Cutting crisply through the gale force winds that were created by the last punch.
A foot lashed out, causing a small tornado to form.
The only sound that could be heard was the ragged breathing of a lone man, floating high in the air. His form surrounded by an aura of golden light.
The sun was just starting into the later part of its journey when the man's fists and feet started to slow. Eventually stopping, he descended from his high place as fast as possible, and landed on the ground with a resounding crash.
Far in the distance, there were replying crashes. Obviously he had disturbed a large beast with his little stunt.
As he rose from his crouched position a small smile spread across his face.
'Well that was fun. There is nothing like a good training session to relieve boredom. I wonder what type of animal that was making those other crashes.'
He set off to find out, since he really didn't have anything better to do, and flew low over the trees.
After a few minutes he found a tyrannosaurus stalking around the edge of a lake, making an awful racket.
'Well that's a surprise, those T-Rex' don't get startled too easily. And this is a big one too, lots of meat… The meat supply is getting a bit low at home; this guy could fill it right back up. It has been a while since I've had T-Rex anyways; it will be a nice change. I should probably go get a capsule to put the meat in first.'
With that he continued on the way he had been going, he did live that way after all.
A vaguely familiar noise reached his extremely sharp ears as he crossed the lake.
His curiosity got the better of him and he landed to look around for the source. It was coming from somewhere to his left.
He walked slowly in that direction, occasionally checking under the ferns and other plants.
The sound of plants rustling was now apparent from in front of him. It was moving. And he followed, held captive by the need to know what it was.
There was a crash.
He hurried forward before coming to a dead stop, staring at the source of the noises.
Had it really been that long? Had he been alone for so long he had forgotten what another person crying sounded like?
He hesitated before moving again. A small step forward.
The person was on the ground, still crying. Their face was hidden by the fact their long hair was messy and would have covered their face had they not been facing the other direction.
He took a few more steps forward, his acute senses now hearing that this person was mumbling something over and over. His senses, and just plain instinct, also told him another thing. This person was definitely a female.
He was now directly beside the person, but still couldn't hear exactly what she were saying.
He had to bend down before he could make out what the girl was mumbling in a tired and almost broken voice.
"I didn't want to be alone."
He hesitated again before his next action. Slowly he picked the girl up, nearly bowled over by her scent and how small she was.
He cradled her to is chest in what he hoped was a comforting manner. Her previously shivering form calming slightly.
"I didn't want to be alone."
He didn't have a clue what to do next. So he followed the only example he ever known in situations like this: his mother.
He shuddered at the thought of that woman.
"Hush now, you're not alone."
She seemed to settle down some as he spoke, finally just falling asleep. Obviously exhausted from her recent ordeals. He remembered his first few days in this place all too clearly.
He slowly stood, careful not to disturb the slumbering girl in his arms.
After deciding the only humane action to take at this time was to bring her to his house, he took off into the air, still carrying her carefully.
It wasn't until he had reached his house and placed her on a spare bed that he realised she was soaked, and the only reason he noticed at all was that his shirt was now wet also.
He was now faced with a decision much more difficult then the last: take the wet clothes off her or not. From his limited, and fading, memories of being around females, it seemed to him that something bad might happen if he did change her clothes. But she couldn't stay in them right? It was unhealthy.
It took him a while, but he finally decided that his fears of the unknown consequences of his actions were unfounded.
Besides… he would really hate for the first person he has seen in years to get sick.
He went to get some clothes that he could change her into. An old pair of sweatpants and a large, yet too small for him, t-shirt.
When he returned to the room he found that the girl had rolled over in her sleep. She was now lying on her side facing the wall beside the bed.
He gently rolled her onto her back, and took this opportunity to get his first good look at the girl.
His breath caught in his throat as he took in the soft features of the girl's face, though he wouldn't realise why for a long time. Her face was peaceful as she slept, and he couldn't help but immediately take a liking to her.
Realising that staring at the girl wasn't helping her get dry he proceeded to remove her clothes. Slowly he pushed her shirt up till he came to a certain place…
And passed it, completely oblivious to the possible danger he would be in when she awoke.
He quickly finished up and quietly left the room to prepare for his next task. That T-Rex was probably still there. They were a rather dumb species after all.
He had just woken up to a beautiful day. Birds were singing, the sun was shining, and there was all the meat he could ever want in the freezer.
He quietly went about his morning business, fully aware that his guest was probably still sleeping.
He strolled out of the house, towel and soaps in hand, and went to a small nearby river. He undressed, and quickly jumped in the cool water. A shudder ran up his spine from the shock of the cool temperature.
After washing up, he lay back and floated in the water. The calming sounds of the flowing river almost sending him off into a sleep like state.
It was when he was like this, that he could truly get some serious thinking done.
Currently, there was only one thing that needed his attention. His guest, that girl, the only person he had seen in, literally, years.
His thoughts were mainly dwelling on what she was like. Was she a nice person? It would make the learning process he would have to go through easier if she was. What if she simply didn't like him? What would she do then? There really weren't too many places she could go around here, or anywhere for that matter.
His thoughts continued on much like this, until his hands and feet had gotten wrinkled from being immersed in the water.
When he got up, the water cascaded down him. He vigorously shook his head, water spraying in all directions from his hair. If anyone had been watching they would have been immediately reminded of a soaking dog just out of the pool.
He quickly dressed and started on his way home, he was hungry.
Opening the door to his small stone house, he walked to the kitchen, planning on making a good breakfast.
He took a good sized pot, and started throwing various ingredients into it. Carrots, potatoes, milk… anything he could find.
'Ahh, it seems that my guest has awaken.'
He could feel her watching him. Her energy told him that she was just around the corner of the doorway, probably peeking in.
His stomach somersaulted at the thought of being able to talk to someone again. For once in his life he was nervous.
After a few minutes he decided to say something, knowing that she was there hiding only made him more nervous. He was still throwing random things into the dish.
"You are allowed to come in, you know," he said in his best attempt at a confident voice.
She took a few steps closer.
Deciding that the thing had enough food in it, he threw it in the oven and turned to face the girl.
He leaned back on the counter and gripped the edges tightly, his knuckles becoming white.
He was much more relaxed now that his stomach was full. And the girl across from him was fully occupied with the meal infront of her so there was no need for conversation.
Gohan was contentedly leaning back in his chair, balancing on the two legs, with his arms folded on his stomach. The girl was just finishing up the meal he had made. Gohans mind started to drift away as he waited for her.
The clank of a fork on the wooden table brought him back to the present moment. He focused his eyes back on the lady sitting across from him.
"So…" She seemed unsure of exactly what to say.
"What was it?" he interrupted.
After a few seconds she responded.
"What?" She was completely baffled by what that was supposed to mean.
"Why are you here?"
Rephrasing his question didn't seem to help.
"Well how the hell am I supposed to know that?"
He leaned forward, a sure sign of interest, and took one more shot at trying to find out what he really wanted to know.
"Something must have made you snap, what was it?"
That one definitely got through to her, seeing as she visibly stiffened in her chair, and how her face took on a rather cold expression.
Gohan could feel her energy rising. He could feel her anger well up inside of her as she thought of whatever it had been that pushed her over the edge. He'd had a long time to contemplate exactly how he got here, and until now he couldn't be sure exactly what did it. He had to hold back a smile, his first idea of what had caused him to come to this place, this empty shell of a world, seemed to be correct.
He continued, "Must have been something pretty awful, huh? I can see how mad its making you now."
"I'd rather not talk about it."
He went back to his former position, leaning on the hind two legs of his chair.
"What would you rather talk about?"
"Where did everyone go? I woke up a couple days ago and I was in an empty city."
"That's one of the quirks of this world. You'll get used to it eventually. But they weren't the ones to go somewhere. It was you that did. So back in the other world you're missing."
"So if you're here then back in the other one you're missing too?"
Gohan went silent for a moment before responding.
"No. No one would miss me."
He checked the clock on the wall near the stove. Standing he made his way to the door.
"Well there's work to be done around here. Don't be going too far from the house now. Just explore in this area or something, ok?"
His hand turned the knob of the door and opened it. He was turning to leave but was stopped by the girl's voice.
"Hey, you never told me your name."
"Oh right. I'm Son Gohan. Now what's your name?"
"Videl Satan."
He froze for an instant at her last name.
"Any relation to a Hercule Satan?"
"Oh god, even in an empty world my dad's famous."
Gohan grunted, and left the house. Once outside a scowl showed through on his face. He'd never liked Hercule… quite the opposite really.
Authors Notes: Well that took was a lot longer than what I thought it would. But you guys know how it is. Anyways, this is about where I stop having specific ideas of what's going to happen, so I'll have to refine my vague ones before I can continue writing. Chapter 3 of "The Madness Called Now" is almost done. I'm going to try to have it up next weekend.