Welcome to the afterlife, son!

by Trugeta

That's what happens to Mirai Gohan after he has been killed by the Androids. After his arrival in the afterlife he has proven himself worthy to compete in the afterlife tournament. But how far will Gohan as a rookie come?

22. A day in the park

Title: Welcome to the Afterlife, son!

Author name: Trugeta

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Akira Toriyama and Funimation. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

This story focuses on the Mirai timeline after Gohan has been killed by the Androids. It's an AU, and Reviews are welcome and appreciated.

Author's Note: Important Note at the end of the chapter. Please read.

Chapter 22: A day in the park

Last time...

Gohan smiled.
"To answer that you must know another biological fact on the Saiyan race. Saiyans are naturally born with a fully functional tail, and this tail also serves another purpose. Under the right circumstances it can be used to transform the Saiyan into another form. This form is much stronger than the normal form of a Saiyan, and this state is called 'Oozaru'. An Oozaru is a giant were-monkey, capable of levelling mountains with his/her fists alone. All the invading Saiyans had to do was to keep the Tsufuru-jin as long out of their hair, until the two moons of planet Plant had set. This happened thirty days after the Saiyan had invaded, and unlike the Earth moon the moons of Plant remain set a much longer time. During these three weeks the Oozaru-army managed to destroy the entire Tsufuru-jin army, and in the end, the Tsufuru-jin were wiped out completely. The Saiyans took Planet Plant as their own and renamed it into Planet Vegeta, to honour their King and leader. But that is not everything. There is more..."

Now the continuation...

Videl looked at him incredulous.
"What, there is more?"

Gohan nodded.
"Yup, sure is. You see, all the planets that had been destroyed, purged or bombed back into the stone age attracted the curiosity of a space tyrant called Frieza. He was a member of the Ice-jin empire, a race consisting of cruel mercenaries who had dedicated themselves to a very lucrative business: the selling of planets."

That shook Videl to the core.
"Come on, Gohan, you must be joking!" she exclaimed.

Gohan shook his head.
"My time on Earth in the fights with the Androids removed my capability to tell jokes." he said only half in jest. "In earnest, Frieza had seen the ability of the Saiyans to purge a planet as efficiently as they had, and he figured they'd make excellent assets for his business activities. As said, Frieza was a warlord for hire, a mercenary who sold Planets to the highest bidder. Any one who wanted a planet for their own, simply hired Frieza, and he would either find them a suitable planet or simply go get you the one you indicated, regardless if the planet was inhabited or not, the inhabitants would simply be wiped out, the planet purged. Thus Frieza approached the Saiyans and offered them employment and wealth. All they had to do was purge planets for him. Due to the fact that the Saiyans had become cold-hearted warriors, they accepted the treaty in a heartbeat, partially out of respect and a little out of fear of Frieza's power, for he was enormously strong. The main reason why King Vegeta accepted the offer lay therein, that the Saiyans just did not give a damn any more who they harmed, all they wanted was to become stronger and live in wealth."

"Not that it could be justified, but I can nearly understand them." Videl said.

Gohan nodded once, and continued.
"But in the end, the Saiyans were betrayed again. For during the 'cooperation' with Frieza, the Saiyan race grew stronger and stronger constantly, due to all the fighting and purging they did. Soon the weakest warriors of the Saiyans had become equals or even superiors to Friezas elite troops, and that was when the tyrant realized what would happen in the future. He realized that if the millions of Saiyans who lived on Planet Vegeta were allowed to grow stronger constantly, they would soon become a threat to himself, regardless of his power. If they all attacked him in a group then, they might very well win, despite all his might. And furthermore, the warlord knew of a Saiyan legend, the legend of the Legendary Super Saiyan. The legend stated, that 3000 years ago a warrior of the Saiyan race had somehow gained unstoppable power through transforming into something else, namely the Legendary Super Saiyan. His power was unrivalled, and he was virtually unstoppable. Now Frieza feared, that what with the power of the Saiyan race steadily growing, that sooner or later the Legendary Super Saiyan would emerge once more. Naturally, he did not want to take this chance, and thus he destroyed Planet Vegeta with all Saiyans on it."

"Oh my god!" Videl gasped, "Despite from what you told me what the Saiyans became, they did not deserve this fate!"

Gohan nodded, and then continued.
"Well, only very few Saiyans were not on planet at that time, and those who were stationed at Frieza's outposts were killed. One of those who weren't on planet was an infant boy named Kakkarot, he landed on Earth in the woods and lost his memory when he bumped his head. Luck that he did, for his mission had been to purge Earth, so that the planet could be sold. Anyways, he was raised as a human boy by a man named Gohan, and he later on married a human woman named Chi-Chi, my mother, never knowing his true origins." he said and paused.

"Yes," Gohan continued upon seeing Videl's look, "Son Goku, my father, is a Saiyan, whose Saiyan name is Kakkarott. You will hear Vegeta refer to him only as Kakkarott. Well, my father was also the first Saiyan in recent history who managed to become a Super Saiyan and he was the one who finally beat Frieza once and for all."

"Good!" Videl exclaimed, "That monster deserved it! But what about the Super Saiyan and all the things that you and your father did during the tournament? When you transformed, was that the Super Saiyan?" she asked.

Gohan nodded.
"Yes. A Saiyan who has a sufficient power-level can transform into a Super Saiyan under the right circumstances. Needed is a state of a need for more power. Important here is, that the power of the Super Saiyan comes in response to a need, not a desire. That is why Vegeta tried so long in vain to become a Super Saiyan. You know, he and my dad were rivals ever since his arrival on Earth. No, then they were bitter enemies. But in time, their relationship changed into rivalry, and until the death of my dad Vegeta was obsessed with becoming stronger than him. All he wanted was to finally beat him, to prove his superiority as the Prince of all Saiyans. Ironically not Vegeta was the one to beat him, but a stupid virus." he said with bitterness. Shrugging of the old feeling of sadness he continued, thankful for the hand Videl had placed on his shoulder.
"Anyways, I don't know all the details, but Vegeta was able to become a Super Saiyan when his space-pod was nearly destroyed during a meteor-shower in space. The need for more power in order to survive enabled him to achieve what he had sought so long, and at first it aided us greatly in our battle against Dr. Gero and his never to be sufficiently damned Androids. But this is another story for another time. I still haven't told you all the facts on the Saiyan race."

Videl looked incredulous again.
"There's still more?"

Gohan smirked in response.
"You betcha. As said, Saiyans possess strength and speed that could never be attained by humans. AND they possess much more KI than humans. As you might or might not know, KI is another term for the energy a living being possesses. Average humans without any training have an average KI of 10, whereas the KI of an average Saiyan ranges in the area of 1200 and above."

Videl whistled at this.

Gohan grinned once more.
"Oh yeah, they are MUCH stronger and much more powerful. And now I'll give you more details on the Super Saiyan. When a Saiyan turns Super Saiyan his or her whole appearance changes. Normal Saiyans have usually jet black hair and eyes of coal-black colour, but when a Saiyan turns Super Saiyan his/her hair turns blonde and their eye colour changes to turquoise. He/she gains much more muscle mass, and the strength, speed, stamina and all other physical attributes are increased magnificently."

"That is what you did during the tournament, as well as your father and this Vegeta!" Videl exclaimed.

Gohan nodded.
"Yeah, and as you saw then, a Super Saiyan is MUCH stronger than a normal Saiyan. Remember the power level of a normal Saiyan?" she asked.

Videl nodded.
"Yeah, it was 1200 I think." he said.

Gohan nodded.
"Yeah. Well, the power level of Super Saiyan is unlikely higher. When my father turned Super Saiyan for the first time he had a power level of 4.000.000." he explained, and Videl's eyes widened at hearing this.

"Four... million? That's... wow!" she exclaimed, after she had compared Goku's Super Saiyan power-level to that of a normal human.

"Yeah, but there's more to it than that." Gohan stated, grinning.

"Still more?" Videl asked in a low voice.

"Yup. You know, also the Super Saiyan can actually become stronger. When I fought the Androids, I became constantly stronger due to the beatings I received. If I had had access to a gravity simulator, I could have even progressed faster."

At Videl's questioning look Gohan explained.
"Based on Saiyan technology, Bulma was able to develop a machine that could increase the gravity to up to 300 times. She installed it into a Gravity Room to help Vegeta train at that time. Well, after Vegeta had blown up the Gravity Room for the first time, Bulma was forced to built a better one. The first GR only ran safely up to 100 G, but the GR of the next generation supported up to 300 G, as said. After the Androids 17 and 18 were activated by Dr. Gero, one of their first objectives was to neutralize anything that could aid their enemies, us. The GR was such a tool, and they made sure to destroy it utterly. After the Androids had killed the majority of the Z-Gang, the survivors, among them Bulma, Trunks, my mother and I, were forced to retreat and hide ourselves, even though I had become a Super Saiyan during the battle because of the atrocities I had seen the Androids commit. From then on, Bulma never had the materials necessary to built another GR. Thus I was not able to progress as much as I could have otherwise. Anyways, I grew stronger with each beating and was then able to hold my own against one Android at a time, but I never managed to catch one alone. And together those murderous machines were too strong for me. This finally led to my demise, and except for one survivor, a demi-Saiyan like me, the Saiyan race is extinct."

"Wow! Before I died, I would never have thought that something like that could be possible. But after what I have seen here..." she trailed off.

Gohan nodded.
"Yeah, I imagine that you have seen some pretty weird stuff. But how did you end up here?" he asked.

Videl looked somewhat embarrassed as she answered.
"Well, before the Androids appeared my dad thought that he was one of the best and strongest fighters there were. He had won the last Tenkaichi Budokai, and when the Androids showed up he went out to meet them, intent on punishing them for the destruction they had caused. He thought that all their abilities were based on some sort of tricks, but I had a bad feeling about it and accompanied him. I'm a good fighter in my own right, and I thought I could help. Boy was I wrong! Dad met up with them and challenged them to a fight, confident that he would be the winner. The Androids only laughed, but instead of killing him instantly, like I now know they could have done, they decided to have their sick fun with him. I can't even put it into words what that blonde bitch did to him, it was so cruel!" she said and began to shake in face of the memory.

Now it was Gohan's turn to lay a comforting hand upon Videl's shoulder, and Videl accepted it gladly.
"When they finally killed dad," she continued, "I was shocked at first. Then I saw red and attacked them head-on, and the last thing I can remember from that time is their insane laughter. That's how I ended up here. And in face of our 'heroic try' to stop the Androids we were allowed to keep our bodies and train with the other fighters up here. Dad has not used that opportunity much, in contrast to me. I have used every opportunity up here to train and become stronger. It's the least I can do to keep myself occupied, and it keeps me from thinking how many more innocent people will die at the hands of those beasts. I know it is not my fault that I could not stop them, in fact I know that I had the chance of a snowball in hell, but I always had the drive to fight. And that I could keep my body has given me a chance to train with the best."

Gohan nodded.
"And I can tell that you have already become much stronger. You're at least as powerful as my friend Krillin was before the Saiyans attacked Earth. And that's quite strong. But I am sure that you have much more potential."

Videl looked at him.
"You really think so?" she asked with a smile.

Gohan answered with a smile of his own.
"I am sure. In fact, I'll help you to become stronger and better if you want."

Videl looked at him, curiously.
"And why would you want to do that, Gohan Son?" she asked in a playful tone.

Gohan pretended to think for a while.
"Hmm, maybe because I like you, Videl Satan."

Videl smiled at him.
"That is vice versa, Gohan Son."

And with that, they leaned forward simultaneously and shared their first kiss. When they finally disengaged from each other, they stared deeply into each others eyes.

"Do you believe in love at first sight, Gohan?" Videl asked finally.

Gohan seemed to contemplate this for a few seconds.
"I do, but I believe even more in love at first kiss." he then said, eliciting a smile from Videl. "I must admit, ever since I saw you in the spectators ranks during the tournament, you evoked my interest. First of all, you are very beautiful," Videl blushed at this and uttered a "Thank you", "obviously have a strong will from what I can tell, not to mention that you are very strong for a human, and possess a warrior's spirit. In fact, I think you do have more potential than even Krillin, and he was the strongest human alive before he was killed by the tin-cans. Those are all traits I like in a girl-friend and potential mate. Not to mention that you have the cutest smile I have ever seen."

Yet another blush.
"Thank you, Gohan. I, myself, do believe in love at first sight too. The fact that I'm dead has cured me from a lot of inhibitions, thus I'll be straightforward: ever since I saw you for the first time in this tournament, I have thought that you're the hottest hunk I have ever seen. And when I saw you fight and perform all the features you did, I knew that you could be the one for me. Although you were a lot stronger than your opponents in most of the fights, you remained honourable and fought honourable. The fact that you kept fighting the Androids down on Earth for so long without giving up speaks highly for you too."

She noticed the sad glint that appeared in Gohan's eyes and hurried to continue.
"Gohan, believe me that it was not your fault that the Androids killed millions of people and are still doing so. You gave it your best! You even gave your life to protect people you didn't even know! Gohan, you are a hero, not only because you won this tournament, but because of your deeds on Earth! And whenever I look at you, I have the feeling that I have known you my whole live (albeit I'm dead right now), and I would like to spend as much time as possible with you. To be straightforward, I'd like to be your girl-friend."

Gohan smiled, not a smirk, but a full-blown smile.
"I'd be honoured, Videl. Although I think it will prove quite hard to find places to date in the Afterlife." he said in jest.

Videl smiled too.
"I guess you're right there. I failed to find a movie theatre, let alone a good restaurant up here." she joked. "But I guess the parks up here will have to do it."

Gohan nodded.
"I think they will." he said, leaned forward and gave Videl another kiss, one both enjoyed very much. When they finally broke it, Gohan sighed, "Too bad we did not meet when we were alive." he said and Videl nodded. "But on the other hand," he continued, "it might be a good thing, thus I did not have to watch you die. I don't think my sanity would have survived it."

Videl cocked a brow at that, and Gohan explained.
"Look, we barely know each other, and I for my part can say that I have fallen quite hard for you. Imagine what would have happened if we had met during our mortal existence, had fallen for each other and you had been killed by the Androids. I think I would have snapped, and I might have become even more dangerous than the Androids." Gohan stated.

"How is that?" Videl asked.

"Well, when the Androids attacked and killed all my friends I was so enraged that I transformed into a Super Saiyan. The Z-Gang consists of people I like very much, but imagine what could have happened if the Androids had killed someone I love, in that case you. I could have snapped, and a Super Saiyan out of control is the most dangerous thing imaginable. I remember from the legend of the first Super Saiyan that he had snapped, and he had enough power to wreck half the galaxy. And that is no exaggeration, for Vegeta does not exaggerate." Gohan said.

Videl gulped at that.
"You're right, maybe it is better. But it could have been nice nevertheless." she mused.

Gohan smiled.
"Then let's make sure that this will be nice." he said and initiated another kiss.

"Sounds good to me." Videl said as she leaned into the kiss. When they hugged for the first time, both had the most intense feeling of butterflies in their stomachs. It was a nice feeling, and on Gohan's part it drove all the anger and sadness he still felt regarding his 'failure' away.

For Videl, it was simply bliss, something she had always hoped for, but had to wait for until after she died. Sometimes, live (and especially death) were really ironic.

After they had stopped kissing they remained hugging each other for quite some time, drawing comfort and hope from each others presence. Finally, when they broke the hug Gohan remembered that he had still something to ask Videl.
"Videl," he began, and said raven-haired woman looked up into his eyes, "you probably remember that award I received from the Grand Kai."

At her nod he continued.

"Well, I can take anyone I want onto the trainings trip into the Density belt. And I'd like you to accompany me. After all, we only just found out that we might love each other, and I'd like to get to know you better. What do you say?"

Videl's eyes gleamed. She had heard of the Density belt before the tournament, and more than anything (aside from cuddling to Gohan) she wanted to accompany him there. However, there were certain problems that had to be addressed.
"I'd love to, Gohan, but there's this slight problem."

"Huh? Which?" he asked.

Videl smiled at his cluelessness.
"The problem that the gravity there is much too high for us 'simple' humans. Even though I am dead, I still can't stand the gravity on the worlds of the Density belt. And I have no idea what a solution to this problem could be."

Gohan nodded, rubbing his chin.
"You've got a point there, Videl. Hmm, I have to talk to the Grand Kai, after all, he said I can bring any one I want to. Maybe he can bend the rules or has some stroke of genius. But first I want to enjoy some more time with you."

Videl obliged all too gladly, and the two spend a very good and undisturbed time in the park.

TBC...

Thanks to:

goldfighter

Fwee

Digi fan

wizardmon92

Tootsy

Fenix

Rose Vaughn

hey

Really seeking answers to some things that didn't come out right on DBZ.: yup, you're right about this. But I got no idea whatsoever for the reasoning Akira Toriyama had regarding the tails. Sorry.

Rejhan

MarshmellowDragon

trunks and goten

Saiyan God

chrey149

zara m

Important Note for those who're not in my mailing list:

The new update is out, but it will be the last one for a DBZ story of mine for some time. I have decided to put the 'Afterlife'-story on hold (again). I simply don't have any inspiration how to continue it at the moment, and have decided to try something else. Writing for only one genre becomes somewhat boring after a time. Look at animeprincess aka trunksandgoten, she writes for a whole lot of genres and keeps her motivation. My respect to that!

Thus I have decided to try a different genre, also anime, namely Ranma ½ (a new 'obsession' of mine, thanks to a buddy). It is a quite ambitious project and will be on par with 'A sweet Surprise' ambition wise and lengthwise.

I once again plan to better the life of a hero, like I did with Gohan. And I have already begun to work at it. So you see, I'll continue to write, and my motivation for this new project is high. Already a lot of chapters are planned out, and the first one will be published next Wednesday.

Due to the fact that I have now more control over my life again I will also be able to publish every Wednesday again. I hope you enjoy my writing for the writing itself and not only because of the genre.

I also hope you'll continue your support, for I have a whole lot of ideas, concepts and funny incidents planned out. There' so much one can do with the world of Ranma ½. And like 'Surprise' it will be a Humour/Romance story with action-overtones.

So please, don't tar and feather me. I continue to write, only for a different series.

If you have any questions, just ask. Thanks!

Yours truly,

Tru.