Won the Battle, Losing the War

Disclaimers: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the characters. If I did Great Sayaman wouldn't exist. Yes. ~bows to her applauses~

Author's Note: Okay. So it's been awhile. I am sorry for not a early update or anything since this is supposed to be my main story. But anyway here is a chapter update as you all so eagerly waited for…

Mirai Trunks cast open his eyes at the sound of distant screaming. The noise did not appear to draw him into any sort of panic. He merely smiled a mock sort of grin as he realized that his other self was being overpowered by the two girls. He rose slightly weighted down by his weariness from his long nap.

                "Well, the ship is all repaired." Trunks spoke to himself, "But the others still have not returned. Where did they all go?"

As if to answer his question the door to the cockpit slid opened tossing a gagged Chibi Trunks who had obviously hobbled his way over hear since he was bonded tightly to the chair with some uncommon rope. He toppled face first into the floor causing Mirai Trunks to cringe and look away. Squinting over at the younger form of himself he dared to ask,

                "What happened here?"

Of course Chibi Trunks was not in any position to answer him. He merely glared up at his identical self clearly exclaiming his need of serious help.

          "Oh okay." Mirai Trunks sighed kneeling down to his other self.

Quickly he unwrapped the cords from about the young boy giving him complete mobility again. Chibi Trunks spat out the gag onto the floor trying to get the vile flavor of the sock out of his mouth,

                "Those brats. They tricked me and tied me up."

                "Oh really. Tricked you, huh?" Mirai Trunks mocked looking behind the boy with slight curiosity, "So where are those little demons now?"

                "How am I supposed to know?" Trunks snapped angrily, "I hope they are off doing something dangerous. Like running with scissors or something like that."

          "Oh heaven forbid them to do that sin." Mirai Trunks snickered walking into the passenger part of the ship keeping a sharp eye out for a sign of the two human girls, "Remember this is Gohan's girlfriend, and Goku's wife. We can't loose them or they would have our heads for it."

          "Correction." Chibi Trunks coughed clearing his throat, "They would have your head. You're the oldest."

                "And who was supposed to be watching them?" Mirai Trunks snarled.

                "I am only eight years old! How am I supposed to baby-sit girls?"

                "I don't know. You can turn super sayian. Sit on them for all I care. Anything to keep them from harming themselves." Mirai Trunks sighed rubbing his throbbing temples.

          "Harming themselves?" Chibi Trunks cried raucously, "What about harming me?!"

Mirai Trunks did not bother to answer himself to that and began down the stairs to the bottom floor. Chibi Trunks totted after him hurling damnations at his older self for it couldn't possibly be his fault.

                "Gohan?" Goku gasped as Gohan collapsed limply into his father's arms once more, "Gohan, what's wrong?"

                "Blast it all." Vegeta hissed as the rumbling in the shadows started to grow louder, "This is not what we needed right when we are about to fight a 1000 pound chi dragon!"

Goku ignored Vegeta's truthful prediction of their demise and focused back onto the behavior of his son. Gohan's blank eyes fell upon his father as he whispered,

                "When ever did angels deserve to die, father? Innocent angels?"

Stuck by the blameless childlike question that Gohan had just emitted from that mouth that had earlier proclaimed something so vile, Goku had failed to answer.

As soon as he failed, Gohan's tremors began to rip his body once more, shaking the limp form of his son relentlessly. Goku hugged his son close hoping to the sun of everything good that Gohan would just wake up. But Gohan did not wake up. He just continued to fall deeper into the hole he had dug himself into… he began to become worse.

                Gohan wrapped his arm about his father's neck and let out a piercing cry that melted into words Goku could barely detect over the throbbing of his eardrums,

                'They are stealing me. They are stealing me away from you.'

Finally the dreaded monster god ducked into it's room of slaughter it's dark eyes falling upon the group before him. It's lips were licked by it's forked tongue being denied of such a delight for so long.

It was a huge dragon coated black in it's rich abundance of abyss colored scales. It's eyes were christened a deep crimson that fit perfectly with all the destruction it had left in it's path. It stood much higher then any of the tallest buildings in Satan city could stand explaining for such the long drop that Goku had to plummet.

                "Come on, Kakarot." Vegeta hissed urgently.

                "But I can't leave Gohan." Goku cried trying to wake Gohan up who had just passed out once more.

                "Leave him, fool." Vegeta snarled, "We have more important things to worry about."

                "GOHAN IS IMPORTANT!" Goku screamed in fury firing at ki blast strait at Vegeta.

In astonishment, Vegeta caught the blast and rebounded it into the wall behind him. He had just learned how to fire a ki blast when his body still clearly limited him from doing so.

                The dragon was preparing to lunge into his prey and Vegeta didn't want anyone sinking their teeth into him. He gave up trying to coax Goku into coming with him…

                Grabbing Goku's wrist tightly, Vegeta took off the ground taking Goku with him. Gohan was ripped from Goku's arm causing him to let off a scream of terror. He kicked Vegeta violently clearly wanting to get back to Gohan.

                The dragon lunged just as the two took off but it's attack merely skimmed over Gohan's head. The Dragon turned completely ignoring the flaccid boy inches away from his snapping jaws. Goku clutched onto Vegeta's shoulders staring in amazement down at his son who had effortlessly avoided the dragon's killer strike. Something wasn't right…

                'They are stealing me. They are stealing me away from you.'

*Who?* Goku cried in his own thoughts to no one in particular, *Who is stealing you, Gohan?*

The aching pains that rippled through his body would not stop. Course it wouldn't stop until they got what they wanted…life… his life. Gohan fluttered opened his eyes trying to sort out his distorted vision. All the victims. They would gnaw away at him until there was nothing left.

"Unless I kill the source." Gohan hissed almost startled by the unforgiving hatred that now hung on his batted breath.

Gohan clenched his fists tightly as he rose into a sitting position. His head was rung with pain and his thoughts were all jumbled into one pile of mush. He heard the excited cry of his father not far off but Gohan ignored him. Who was he anyway? Another voice in Gohan's head spoke, Why should you care about him? He'll just get in the way of your final destination. Just wait until the God finishes him and then strike.

Gohan nodded sinisterly watching the battle with extreme interest. And in his heart that was now coated black with his pain, he was rooting for the dragon god.

            "Gohan?" Goku gulped seeing mild interest enter Gohan's empty eyes as he watched them skip out of the Dragon's grasp, "Gohan what are you doing?"

                "Get off your butt, gaki, and help us!" Vegeta snarled down at Gohan avoiding another murderous claw that threatened to crush them into the stony walls.

Gohan shook his head all the while smiling causing a deep pain to stab into Goku's heart. He didn't care…

                "What?!" Vegeta screamed aiming a ki blast down at Gohan, "No?! You son of a-"

                "Vegeta!" Goku shouted ramming his body weight against Vegeta so that the swipe of the tail didn't hit them. They hit the wall with full force and tumbled down the long drop to the floor. The ki blast was fired but it merely screamed past Gohan's ear and hit the earth behind him. Gohan didn't even blink at it's impact. He only grinned broader and stretched out his arms lazily.

Goku rose slightly off the rocks that vindictively broken their fall. His heart still pained for Gohan to be loosened from the evil grasps that now held him. He only sat on all fours watching Gohan who was also watching him. Blood clouded his vision indicating that Goku was in more serious condition then he had originally thought. He wiped it away only for pain to sweep up to his brain. He clutched his side suddenly to find a wedge of sharp rock to have embedded itself a home there. Goku yanked it out crying softly for the small pain it brought him. He glanced over at Gohan who was only smiling more merrier.

                "Hurry up and die already." Gohan laughed.

Goku blinked in completely shock and abashment. He clutched his side which was now bleeding heavily and tried to rise only for his legs to buckle beneath him,

                "Gohan." Goku cried out to him causing Gohan to cock his head, "Please Gohan listen to me."

                "Why?" Gohan asked quite innocently.

Before Goku could answer him, Vegeta let out a small cry pushing Goku out of the way. The inferno that was meant for him, stuck Vegeta hard casting him into the wall once more. He let out a pitiful moan and fell silent. Goku stared in bewilderment at Vegeta's valor and turned back to Gohan who was giggling with pure glee. He wanted that to happen. He was trying to distract Goku so that the dragon could kill them.

                "Gohan!" Goku screamed fury his energy engulfing him in it's flood of power, "Darn you, Gohan!"

Gohan's shook his head and let out ticking noise as he waved his finger annoyingly,

                "Tsk, tsk. Temper, temper, Goku."

Goku closed his eyes and lowered his head his energy rising…and then falling. When he rose his head again he was crying.

                "I am sorry, Gohan." Goku wept.

Gohan's eyes widened in amazement of Goku's reaction. He could only stare at his father as he continued,

                "I am sorry I wasn't there for you and your brother." Goku coughed weakly, "I am sorry I wasn't there to hold you when you were scared. I am sorry I wasn't there for you when you were growing up."

                The dragon struck and this time no one could save Goku from it's attack. It's claw pressed Goku into the rock wall slowly crushing the boy to death. Gohan didn't make any move to stop it but he didn't seem remotely happy by it either. *Good. I'm reaching him. Either that or he's hungry.*

Goku laughed bitterly at his cruel joke unable to fight of the dragon's attack. He continued to speak causing Gohan to be even more shaken.

                "I am sorry I made your mother cry. I am sorry I left you to care for a child when you were still one. I am sorry I never got to train you for more then a year."

He let out a cry of pain as he felt his arms breaking. But in spite of it all he continued,

                "I am sorry that I didn't celebrate your birthday more then 6 times. I am sorry I didn't see you turn into a man. I am sorry I still treat you like a child. Oh gawd, Gohan. Please just snap out of it! You know I would take it all back if I could…"

Gohan blinked as tear began to form in the center of his eyes. He clenched his fists until the bled as he stared at his dying father,

                "Daddy…"

                "GOHAN!" Goku cried as the last amount of air in his lungs spilled out, "I WANT TO BE YOUR FATHER! LET ME BE YOUR FATHER, GOHAN! YOUR REAL FATHER, GOHAN!"

His vision began to black out when he saw a flash of gold and blue zoom in front of him. When he blinked again he saw that the dragon's claw was now separated from it's body and black acid blood steamed at the floor of the shrine. Gohan stood with his back to Goku standing in the all to familiar form of super sayian two. His hair stretched upwards frozen pure gold and his eyes were blazed in a bright jade. He glared at the Dragon that now withered on the floor of the cave over the painful loss of it's limb.

                "Don't mess with my dad." Gohan hissed.

To Be Continued…

Please R + R!

Oh I am cruel. So cruel! And it gets better folks! ^^ More action next time on WBLW!