Author's Note: Here is another chapter for all you peoples out there. My favorite part in this whole story is coming up. I can't wait to write it. And my friend Kacy is the only other one who really knows about it. She wants me to get there too.
Chapter Thirty Six- Guilt
Gohan clenched his fists finding a soft material folded upon his palm. His eyes snapped opened taking in the bright white light that covered where he was. He squinted his eyes shut in pain and fear of being blinded. Covering his face with the shade of his hands, Gohan opened his amber eyes again. He appeared to be in another hospital but it looked to be much more elegant then the ones before.
Gohan pressed his hands on the flat folds of the sheets finding no vibration. He was no longer on a ship much to his surprise which had to mean…
"I died?" Gohan gulped, "Is this heaven?"
"Not exactly."
Gohan looked up to see a beautiful woman standing in the door frame wearing a glorious silk white gown that flowed down to her ankles. Her hair was a light brown that draped over her shoulders in small braids. Her silverish gold eyes fell kindly upon the boy who sat bewildered on the hospital cot.
"Who are you?" Gohan asked in awe of the angel like creature.
"My name is Rikona." The woman replied, "And I believe you are Gohan."
"How did I get here?" Gohan asked cautiously.
"I transported you and your family here." Rikona answered, "It's a safe hideaway from the wars and from Haji's magic."
"Haji?" Gohan gulped, 'What does he have to do with anything?"
"He has to do with everything." Rikona whispered softly crossing the room to Gohan's bedside, "He is the person who bewitched your friend into her two selves by taking the form of a blind Shiiki."
Gohan was silent for a few seconds trying to understand what she was telling him. Rikona took a seat at the foot of his bed, her soft gown melting onto the white sheets like silk ribbons. Gohan's face saddened contorted into a look a extreme worry.
"Where is Videl?"
"She is fine." Rikona smiled, "She recovered from her minor injuries and had the dark ki exorcised out of her body. She had done most of the labor herself. Her moral self sacrificed her body for you, converting both bodies into one. It made our job much easier."
Gohan went a little pale at those words finding his heart jumping up into his throat. That's who's body relived him from the attack. It stun Gohan painfully on how Videl's good half was willing to die for him. His memories flooded back into his mind painfully but he shook them away.
"I don't understand." Gohan muttered softly, "How could Videl be stronger then me?"
"Don't be surprised." Rikona smirked, "Haji handed his powers to her on a silver platter. You aren't ready to face Haji yet and won't be for a while. It's only natural that you would lose to him."
Gohan stared down at his hands sadly as the past swallowed him up in its abyss of sadness. He gazed back up at Rikona with his canny amber eyes as they filled with tears/
"Why I am I always the weakest? Why do I always get in the way? Why can't I defend myself? Why do I always make the mistakes?"
"Because you are the one." Rikona sighed, "You're innocent and naive. And you always will be Gohan."
Gohan looked down at his hands again just to find Rikona's hand placed over his.
"You can't expect to win all the battles, Gohan… Like Cell said. You have to win the war."
The door suddenly swung opened. Gohan stood up with a start staring disorientated at the lavender haired boy in the entrance. A large grin swept across the boy's as he raced forward and gave Gohan a great big hug.
"It's so good to see you up, Gohan. I was getting really bored without you." Chibi Trunks cried.
Gohan looked over the foot of his bed to see Rikona had vanished. All that was left was an impression on the bed where she had sat. Gohan blinked in shock and muttered, "Huh? That's weird."
"What's weird?"
"Nothing." Gohan shrugged.
Trunks gripped Gohan by the wrist bouncing happily with excitement, "I have to show you this place, Gohan. It's so cool!"
He began pulled a befuddled Gohan out of the room against his will. Once they had stumbled into the hallway Gohan was able to break free from Trunks as a great sight greeted his eyes. They were in a enormous hallway that was aligned with glass on one side that looked off into a huge garden that resembled a fantasy that Gohan only ever imagined. It had to be a beautiful garden of some kind, but Gohan couldn't tell if it was fake or real. It looked like something off of millions of post cards, with its dazzling waterfalls and exotic plants and wildlife.
"Trunks! Stop pulling!" Gohan cried as his wrist was starting to throb.
Trunks paused on the bright green grass hill that was topped off with an enormous tree,
"This tree can show you the whole park. Its a killer climb!" Trunks grinned staring up at the trees seemingly endless scale.
Gohan gazed up too finding himself growing dizzy. He turned back to Trunks wanting to know the point of this show.
"Come on!" Trunks said before Gohan could open his mouth.
Chibi Trunks leapt onto the first branch. It let out a small groan accepting his weight. Gohan did not follow still wanting to know what this was all about.
"Hey, I bet you could see Videl up here if you wanted to. She's out picking flowers at the moment."
"Really?"
"Yep!"
Gohan kicked off the ground and followed Trunks as Trunks climbed the rest of the way to the top. At the tip branches, Gohan had to hover in fear of the tree's limbs giving way. The view was spectacular showing the bright pink sky over the greenest of greenery.
"Wow." Gohan uttered.
"Well said." Trunk nodded.
"Trunks?" Gohan asked voicing what he had been thinking when Trunks had been yanking him along, "How did you get here?"
"Iunno." Trunks said not making eye contact with Gohan, "All I remember was asking Dad if I could place a virus in their system when everything went white. Then we were here. Goku, you're dad, said something about Rikona but I don't understand it."
So dad saw her too. Gohan smirked, Good. I was hoping I wasn't going insane.
"Then Goku gave you and Videl to the other people to take care of." Trunks shrugged, "That's about it."
There was a long silence hanging through the chilly air as night approached. Trunks' voice broke through in a whisper, "It's too bad they forbid us to spar here."
"Yeah. It's very beautiful. I don't blame them for wanting it kept clean."
Trunks glimpsed up forlornly at Gohan and then gazed back down at the ground quickly.
"You shouldn't take fault for what happened…"
Gohan blinked at the young boy who seemed to be reading his mind. He tried to reassure Trunks that it wasn't bothering him that much when Trunks smirked.
"Goten's really lucky to have a brother as great as you. You really care about him and he knows it. You shouldn't feel bad about what happened. You- You shouldn't be the one to blame."
Trunks glared down at the ground below his allowing his raising ki to speak for itself. It was then that Gohan realized that Trunks still felt at fault for his friend's misfortune. Gohan felt a stab of pain for the small demi sayian.
"Thanks Trunks." Gohan said softly placing his hand upon his little friend's shoulder.
"For what, Gohan?" Trunks asked bewildered.
"Just for being there for my brother and me. You are a great friend."
Trunks smiled a small smirk like his father's and whispered, "Just don't tell Dad."
To Be Continued...
Please Read and Review!
Sorry for the slow and short chapter! But I have only one more full day of school and then I'll be able to write a lot more!
