Harry Potter and the Saiya-Jins Power
Part Five
Dreamscape
Disclamer:
Lady Foeseeker: Do I own Harry Potter?
*Shakes magic 8 ball and eagerly awaits answer.*
Magic 8 Ball: There is no chance in hell.
Lady Foeseeker: Well, dammit!
Goddess-of-hell: Oh, don't die! I'd feel awful! Here's a chapter to revive you!
NikoKijo: Gohan has a complex character in the fact of what he feels. There is also no reason he should feel as he does. It's a very illogical thing but that's actually how it is. Call it personal experience, k? I didn't take it as a flame. It was nice to know! Thanks!
hiro: *sweatdrops* The name Saiya-Jin is taken from the kanji. It's not actually translated into English. You are reading the Japanese version in the romanji alphabet.
shishu: I'm develpoping character relations more through dreams and flashbacks. I've never doone it and want to try! Hope you don't mind this story being a bit of my guinea pig!
chibigyouza: Chichi's magic has more to so with her being daughter of the Ox-king. Most of Gohan's magic is through his Saiya-Jin heritage. Vegita will comment on it later.
Sorry that was so long. . . Well, I'm done so--
ENJOY!
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
While Serverus was at the Deatheater meeting, Gohan the rest of the group was in the Gryffindor common room doing homework and listening to Gohan relate his tale about his little "run-in" with Draco Malfoy. ". . . So I told him that Moldywarts--what IS his name, anyway, Harry?" Gohan finally asked, tilting his head.
"You called You-Know-Who MOLDYWARTS?!" Ron screeched.
Gohan blinked, clearly waiting for Harry to reply to the question. "Lord Voldemort, but he was once known as Tom Riddle," Harry finally choked, holding back his laughter. Gohan had said that so innocently that he could scarely believe it. "What did you say about him, anyway?"
"That he could go shove his ideals up his ass," Was the innocent reply. Harry was turning blue to hold in the laughter. "I don't find anything funny about it," The boy told him tartly.
"I'm sorry," Harry gasped. "It's not that. It's just that everyone is afraid of him, that he'll take them over or something. He's out to get a lot of people. I'm surprised you aren't scared."
Gohan offered a small shrug and glanced at Harry. "I don't see why everyone is so afraid. He can be killed or locked away or something, right?"
"He's very powerful, Gohan," Harry told him softly. "No one has the power to do it."
"Like Cell?" Gohan asked, propping his head up on one hand. "He was powerful and everyone thought he couldn't be defeated but he was. My Otousan--never mind."
"Are you okay?" Ginny gently touched his shoulder. "We know it muct be hard to think of him. I mean, especially since it's such a new thing."
"But it's not," Gohan muttered, fleeing up the stairs. "I should be used to it."
The rest of the group watched him run, Harry with a thoughtful look on his face. He'd have to speak to him on the morrow, since it seemed that the child wanted to be left alone at that point, but something about the boy's actions concerned him.
Gohan gave into his stinging eyes, burying his face in his pillow, and cried, eventually falling into a fitful sleep, nightmares raging in his dreamland. And the lines between dreams and reality began to blur. Hits and kicks rained down on his frame, the scent of blood premeating his nose.
"You let me die!" Son Goku, his father, screamed, shoving him away from his protective hold. "I should have left you with Radditz, then I wouldn't have a faliure for a son!"
Gohan screamed, trying to twist out of Piccolo's grasp. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" He screamed, struggling. "Otousan, PLEASE!"
The real memory came this time, the dry desert sun pricking his skin, stretching it tight. Energy crackled around the landscape, darkening in his mind. Blurs shifted through the air, Cell and his Otousan. Gold light, his Otousan's ki energy, dimmed and Cell threw him to the ground.
"I conceed," Goku had told him calmly. "And I send my son to fight in my place."
Gasps of shock had swept the group and Piccolo had given his Otousan a look that promised death should Gohan die. He remembered powering up, his anger exploding him into the second form of Super Saiya-Jin, and he could remember his voice screaming that Cell had to suffer. He could remember Cell's form growing larger and larger, threatening to blow up the planet, and his Otousan's sad eyes as he told his son good-bye. Told Gohan to tell his mother he would miss her, that he wasn't coming home.
He could remember screaming as he heard his Otousan gently tell him, "I'm proud of you," As he dissappeared.
Gohan woke with a scream.
He raced from the room, throwing himself into a chair in the common room with a book and trying to calm his racing heart. Soft footsteps caught his attention. "Gohan?"
"Hi, Harry," Gohan muttered, not looking up, hoping Harry wouldn't notice his tear stained eyes.
"You okay, kid?" He gently touched Gohan's forehead. "You're a little warm. Are you sick?"
"Nightmare," Gohan choked. "Sorry if I woke you."
"I was having trouble sleeping. You want to talk about it?"
"N-not really," Gohan sniffed. "I know it's supposed to help, but it's so STUPID! It's all my fault that Otousan died and everyone think I'm supposed to feel better!"
"I sure that it wasn't--"
"Yes, it was." Gohan looked up, turning to face the teen. "We were fighting Cell. It wasn't Hurcule that defeated him, I did. My father wasn't strong enough, he told me to fight in his place. I--got angry at Cell, for taking away my life, making me train to defeat him instead of training with my father for fun. I wanted him to suffer like everyone else had. Cell, however, had other plans. He self-destructed but my father teleported him away first. So it was my fault because I wanted to play judge, jury, and executioner all at once."
"That doesn't make it your fault." Harry pointed out. "Your dad, he had a choice. He could have left the monster there, could have let the planet be destroyed, but he chose not to. He chose not to try to teleport away before Cell exploded. He chose to save you, Gohan, because he loved you. You don't have to be in mourning for the rest of your life."
"It's not easy. Everyone's always telling my it'll get better, that it's not my fault, but it feels like it WAS my fault. And it doesn't feel better! Not at all! And no one understands!"
Harry shook his head, wrapping an arm around the boy. "Last year I was in a tournament called the Triwizard Tournament. There were only supposed to be three wizards competing, but instead there were four. My name appeared out of the goblet as a fourth champion. The other was Cedric Diggory. You don't know him. Lord Voldemort killed him because he took the cup with me at the end. He was just in the way for Voldemort. For a long time I thought that it was my fault. I thought that it was my fault."
"Harry, you didn't make Cedric take the cup--"
"You didn't make your father teleport."
Understanding dawned in Gohan's eyes. "You mean that--that it was a choice. That no one made Cedric or my Otousan to do anything, but they chose to do it--to help."
"Well, Cedric and I did it to tie, but yes, that's the gist of it. That and it seems that you don't think of your dad all the time."
"No, but then--"
"You feel guility."
"Hai," Gohan nodded miserably.
::That is the most ridiculous thing that I have ever heard of.:: A deep voice resonated through the room. Gohan gasped.
"Otousan?!" He was quiet about it, but his voice was so hopeful. "Harry, that's my Otousan!"
::You must be Harry Potter,:: The voice seemed to hold a smile. ::King Kai says you've helped my son a great deal. I thank you. Now, Gohan, you should listen to him. I did make that choice, and it wasn't your fault. I know feelings like that aren't rational, but you have to believe me. YOU DIDN'T KILL ME. I made that choice, I decided what to do. I want to to quit blaming yourself. I know it's hard, but please, try for me.::
Gohan didn't trust himself to speak, so he settled for a nod instead. He felt his father's presence leave and he buried his face in his hands, crying to himself softly. Arms wrapped around him in a hug and Harry Potter gave a tiny smile. "You got to say good-bye. That's more than I did. Now, tell me about your father?"
A smile lit Gohan's face as he began to tell about how he and Goku would fish. "He got eaten once, too," Gohan giggled. "He was trying to prove that fish don't eat people because Okassan was worried about me since I was so small. He just sort of sat down there for awhile, and I was watching. Okassan couldn't hold her breath that long, and then gulp! This huge fish swolled him whole. He finally had to blow up the fish to get out and Okassan nearly took off his head.
"He refused to go anywere near water for a solid week, and then Okassan took her frying pan and smacked him with it and told him that if he didn't shower, she was cutting off his food supply. Otousan was squeaky clean in three seconds flat."
Gohan amused Harry for nearly two hours with stories about how Goku had trained him in the room of Spirit and Time, though he didn't call it that or tell Harry what it was, and told stories about their Dragonball hunts, though he didn't tell Harry about those either. And then, of course, was the kidnapping by his uncle--outer spce part and his father's first death excluded--and other memories that Gohan held dear.
Other times when they'd gone fishing, and times when they had hunted for dinosaurs. Vegita and Goku's infamous fights, the rest of the Z-Senshi and Goku and he having a free-for-all just before the fight with Cell. He told Harry about how Bulma and Goku met, and how Piccolo had trained him. There was a lot he left out, but he remembered those times silently, alone.
He didn't tell Harry about the Dragonballs, or his trip off-planet. Or his alien heritage. He would, perhapse someday, but not that night. He finally fell asleep around four in the morning, and Harry smiled, gently carrying him back upsatairs and laying him on the bed in his dorm.
No matter how mature Gohan occasionally seemed, he reminded himself, he was still a very insecure little boy. He knew how it felt to he was to blame for someone's death. He could understand where the child was coming from. Most people that hadn't lost anyone didn't understand that. They didn't realize that it wasn't something simple to bounce back from, and even harder when it was someone almost the same age, or a parent.
He shook his head. Maybe someday Gohan would better understand what was happening, but perhaps not. He was a child right now and Harry was too tired to think on it any longer. With a final yawn, he fell fast asleep.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Gohan woke up the next morning, bright and early, as well as confused. He didn't remember going back to his bed last night after he and Harry had finished talking. Harry must have carried him upstairs, he reasoned. The boy smiled when he thought about his father's message and the talk they'd had the night before.
He stretched and yawned, prying himself out of bed. Then he went to train. It was still early morning, the sun shining, the birds chirping, and Gohan felt the need to blow up some landscape. This routine seemed to work well, at least, for the past several days it had, and the child was determined to keep it up as long as he could.
Class that day, History of Magic, and Transfigurations, was amusing, and dinner was even better. Then the emotionally drained child flopped back on his pillow adn was almost instantly asleep.
The nightmares grew steadily worse and worse, the dreams darkening and turning bloody and violent. Gohan moaned and tossed in his sleep. Had he been awake, however, he would have noticed that he wasn't the only one plauged by nightmares. The rest of the school, too, was tossing in fits and crying out.
Gohan made a pitiful whining moan and curled up on his side when something warm touched his head. "It's okay, Gohan," The being murmured.
"Otousan?" Gohan gave a sleepy mumble.
"Hai, little one. Go to sleep, with peaceful dreams." Goku's spirit lingered next to him, and he began to sing Gohan's lullaby. Gohan gave a tiny sigh and nuzzled towards the warmth.
"Is it safe?" A stoic warrior stood next to the smiling Goku. They looked ramarkably alike, even as spirits, but this lone warrior had knee-length hair, though it held the typical Saiya-Jin spikes.
"You can get into his mind, now," Goku nodded. "But, Radditz--be careful."
"I'm already dead, little brother," Radditz smiled. "Don't worry about me." The older warrior clasped his brother's shoulder and then he was gone.
Goku gently brushed the bangs from Guhan's face. "Take care of my son, brother." Then he, too, was gone.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
"Gohan?" Radditz eyed the dreary landscaping warily. "Gohan!"
"Otousan!" The boy whimpered. "Don't let it hurt me!"
A little boy came running out of the mist, tears streaking down his face. "Otousan? Otousan!" His clothing was torn and ragged and something bog followed behind him.
"Gohan!" Radditz swept him up in his arms. "It's okay. Come here, I'll protect you."
"No, no!" Gohan struggled. "You'll hurt me! Like--like before!"
Dawning crossed Raditz's face. This was Gohan's inner human. The vulnerable child that was hidden away when the was was fought. The weak boy that couldn't protect that which he loved. "You're father sent me. He wants me to watch over you. I'll protect you."
"I haven't got a choice, do I." Gohan stated, burying his face in the dead Saiya-Jin's shoulder.
"No, not really." Raditz gently cradled him, and held out his glave. "Here critter, critter, critter! Here critter!"
Snarling sounded from within the mists of Gohan's mind. Something leapt out and Radditz slashed at it, cutting it lengthwise from head to foot. The animal fell to the ground, body smoking. "Dream demons," Rattiz muttered. "The king was right. Dammit!"
"Did you kill it?"
"Was that the only one?"
"Uh huh."
"Good. We need to talk." Radditz was still holding the child, and plopped down onto the white "floor" of the dream. "You know that bad guy that's attacking the wizarding world?"
"Yeah. Lord Voldemort."
"Right, him. Well, he's managed to get a few of the older magic users on his side and he's summoning demons from the second Hell to help him. He's giving people nightmares so that he will slowly destroy their minds. The Saiya-Jins are employed to keep the demons in their proper layers of Hell and keep order. Now that Voldemort is breaking them loose, we'll be spread pretty thin."
"So you're here to protect our dreams?"
"This castle is under the highest alert," Raddtiz agreed. "These demons need good dreams to feed. They're kind of like Dementors, should Harry ask. Children have an exceptional amount of good dreams and memories for them to use. The more they feed, the stronger they get. Once they get strong enough, they can take on physical bodies. Then they are very difficult to kill."
"I see what you're saying," Gohan mused. "They need us to become. . . alive, more or less, and you have to be here to prevent that. So. . . do you live in my mind or what?"
"Not really. . . we travel mostly. There are portals we'll be using. Callia is anxious to here what's going on. She's the king's messenger, by the way, so that we can relate everything to Vejita no Ou and the Council. Which mostly consists of my father, Bardock, but that is far beside the point."
"And what does my father have to do with anything?"
"He's our passage to the real world. We need someone with a living heir--that's Goku and you--to help us control the portals into the school, so we can actaully get here."
"Wait--my mind is a bloody CHECKPOINT?"
"No! Not like that! It's just a focus. Someplace to connect to. You won't even realize that we're here, unless we show ourselves to you. You are my responsibility to keep alive and away from going mad from the dream demons. We have someone with Harry too, and his friends, and Videl. It's important to keep you all alive becuase they can aid us in the portal casting."
"I think I understand." Gohan conjured a chalk board in his mind. "You need me here to put the portals here. I draw on powers from these friends, and they make the portals stronger. But why don't demons come through the portals?"
"Actually, that's where your friends fit. They keep the portals closed to unfriendly beings."
"Right. I'm still confused. So why on earth are you telling me this?"
"So you can tell Dumbledore. We can't exist outside your mind, and we're trying to kill the demons off before they get strong enough for Voldemort to sacrifice to call forth the ninth layer deamons. The we'd have to use some sticky magic and bring ourselves to life and then we're screwed. But that's not a concern now so you don't need to worry."
"Great," Gohan muttered dryly. "Just what I wanted. MORE trouble."
Radditz shrugged and put his hands behind his head. "You asked for it."
"I did NOT," Gohan scowled. "Can you teach me to fight these demons on my own?"
"Not tonight. Tonight you still need rest. Your mind is in tumoil. Go back to your deep sleep and I'll keep watch."
Gohan would have protested, but he couldn't hide the yawn that escaped. Radditz gave a tiny smile and waved a hand. Everything went black.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
(A/N) I would have put this out earlier, but I thought it wasn't finished. The I went back to finish it and discovered it was. -_-; Pathetic isn't it? Eh, well, it's here now! I hope you liked it! Review, please! And, as always, Flames are for s'mores.
~*~ Lady Foeseeker ~*~
Part Five
Dreamscape
Disclamer:
Lady Foeseeker: Do I own Harry Potter?
*Shakes magic 8 ball and eagerly awaits answer.*
Magic 8 Ball: There is no chance in hell.
Lady Foeseeker: Well, dammit!
Goddess-of-hell: Oh, don't die! I'd feel awful! Here's a chapter to revive you!
NikoKijo: Gohan has a complex character in the fact of what he feels. There is also no reason he should feel as he does. It's a very illogical thing but that's actually how it is. Call it personal experience, k? I didn't take it as a flame. It was nice to know! Thanks!
hiro: *sweatdrops* The name Saiya-Jin is taken from the kanji. It's not actually translated into English. You are reading the Japanese version in the romanji alphabet.
shishu: I'm develpoping character relations more through dreams and flashbacks. I've never doone it and want to try! Hope you don't mind this story being a bit of my guinea pig!
chibigyouza: Chichi's magic has more to so with her being daughter of the Ox-king. Most of Gohan's magic is through his Saiya-Jin heritage. Vegita will comment on it later.
Sorry that was so long. . . Well, I'm done so--
ENJOY!
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
While Serverus was at the Deatheater meeting, Gohan the rest of the group was in the Gryffindor common room doing homework and listening to Gohan relate his tale about his little "run-in" with Draco Malfoy. ". . . So I told him that Moldywarts--what IS his name, anyway, Harry?" Gohan finally asked, tilting his head.
"You called You-Know-Who MOLDYWARTS?!" Ron screeched.
Gohan blinked, clearly waiting for Harry to reply to the question. "Lord Voldemort, but he was once known as Tom Riddle," Harry finally choked, holding back his laughter. Gohan had said that so innocently that he could scarely believe it. "What did you say about him, anyway?"
"That he could go shove his ideals up his ass," Was the innocent reply. Harry was turning blue to hold in the laughter. "I don't find anything funny about it," The boy told him tartly.
"I'm sorry," Harry gasped. "It's not that. It's just that everyone is afraid of him, that he'll take them over or something. He's out to get a lot of people. I'm surprised you aren't scared."
Gohan offered a small shrug and glanced at Harry. "I don't see why everyone is so afraid. He can be killed or locked away or something, right?"
"He's very powerful, Gohan," Harry told him softly. "No one has the power to do it."
"Like Cell?" Gohan asked, propping his head up on one hand. "He was powerful and everyone thought he couldn't be defeated but he was. My Otousan--never mind."
"Are you okay?" Ginny gently touched his shoulder. "We know it muct be hard to think of him. I mean, especially since it's such a new thing."
"But it's not," Gohan muttered, fleeing up the stairs. "I should be used to it."
The rest of the group watched him run, Harry with a thoughtful look on his face. He'd have to speak to him on the morrow, since it seemed that the child wanted to be left alone at that point, but something about the boy's actions concerned him.
Gohan gave into his stinging eyes, burying his face in his pillow, and cried, eventually falling into a fitful sleep, nightmares raging in his dreamland. And the lines between dreams and reality began to blur. Hits and kicks rained down on his frame, the scent of blood premeating his nose.
"You let me die!" Son Goku, his father, screamed, shoving him away from his protective hold. "I should have left you with Radditz, then I wouldn't have a faliure for a son!"
Gohan screamed, trying to twist out of Piccolo's grasp. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" He screamed, struggling. "Otousan, PLEASE!"
The real memory came this time, the dry desert sun pricking his skin, stretching it tight. Energy crackled around the landscape, darkening in his mind. Blurs shifted through the air, Cell and his Otousan. Gold light, his Otousan's ki energy, dimmed and Cell threw him to the ground.
"I conceed," Goku had told him calmly. "And I send my son to fight in my place."
Gasps of shock had swept the group and Piccolo had given his Otousan a look that promised death should Gohan die. He remembered powering up, his anger exploding him into the second form of Super Saiya-Jin, and he could remember his voice screaming that Cell had to suffer. He could remember Cell's form growing larger and larger, threatening to blow up the planet, and his Otousan's sad eyes as he told his son good-bye. Told Gohan to tell his mother he would miss her, that he wasn't coming home.
He could remember screaming as he heard his Otousan gently tell him, "I'm proud of you," As he dissappeared.
Gohan woke with a scream.
He raced from the room, throwing himself into a chair in the common room with a book and trying to calm his racing heart. Soft footsteps caught his attention. "Gohan?"
"Hi, Harry," Gohan muttered, not looking up, hoping Harry wouldn't notice his tear stained eyes.
"You okay, kid?" He gently touched Gohan's forehead. "You're a little warm. Are you sick?"
"Nightmare," Gohan choked. "Sorry if I woke you."
"I was having trouble sleeping. You want to talk about it?"
"N-not really," Gohan sniffed. "I know it's supposed to help, but it's so STUPID! It's all my fault that Otousan died and everyone think I'm supposed to feel better!"
"I sure that it wasn't--"
"Yes, it was." Gohan looked up, turning to face the teen. "We were fighting Cell. It wasn't Hurcule that defeated him, I did. My father wasn't strong enough, he told me to fight in his place. I--got angry at Cell, for taking away my life, making me train to defeat him instead of training with my father for fun. I wanted him to suffer like everyone else had. Cell, however, had other plans. He self-destructed but my father teleported him away first. So it was my fault because I wanted to play judge, jury, and executioner all at once."
"That doesn't make it your fault." Harry pointed out. "Your dad, he had a choice. He could have left the monster there, could have let the planet be destroyed, but he chose not to. He chose not to try to teleport away before Cell exploded. He chose to save you, Gohan, because he loved you. You don't have to be in mourning for the rest of your life."
"It's not easy. Everyone's always telling my it'll get better, that it's not my fault, but it feels like it WAS my fault. And it doesn't feel better! Not at all! And no one understands!"
Harry shook his head, wrapping an arm around the boy. "Last year I was in a tournament called the Triwizard Tournament. There were only supposed to be three wizards competing, but instead there were four. My name appeared out of the goblet as a fourth champion. The other was Cedric Diggory. You don't know him. Lord Voldemort killed him because he took the cup with me at the end. He was just in the way for Voldemort. For a long time I thought that it was my fault. I thought that it was my fault."
"Harry, you didn't make Cedric take the cup--"
"You didn't make your father teleport."
Understanding dawned in Gohan's eyes. "You mean that--that it was a choice. That no one made Cedric or my Otousan to do anything, but they chose to do it--to help."
"Well, Cedric and I did it to tie, but yes, that's the gist of it. That and it seems that you don't think of your dad all the time."
"No, but then--"
"You feel guility."
"Hai," Gohan nodded miserably.
::That is the most ridiculous thing that I have ever heard of.:: A deep voice resonated through the room. Gohan gasped.
"Otousan?!" He was quiet about it, but his voice was so hopeful. "Harry, that's my Otousan!"
::You must be Harry Potter,:: The voice seemed to hold a smile. ::King Kai says you've helped my son a great deal. I thank you. Now, Gohan, you should listen to him. I did make that choice, and it wasn't your fault. I know feelings like that aren't rational, but you have to believe me. YOU DIDN'T KILL ME. I made that choice, I decided what to do. I want to to quit blaming yourself. I know it's hard, but please, try for me.::
Gohan didn't trust himself to speak, so he settled for a nod instead. He felt his father's presence leave and he buried his face in his hands, crying to himself softly. Arms wrapped around him in a hug and Harry Potter gave a tiny smile. "You got to say good-bye. That's more than I did. Now, tell me about your father?"
A smile lit Gohan's face as he began to tell about how he and Goku would fish. "He got eaten once, too," Gohan giggled. "He was trying to prove that fish don't eat people because Okassan was worried about me since I was so small. He just sort of sat down there for awhile, and I was watching. Okassan couldn't hold her breath that long, and then gulp! This huge fish swolled him whole. He finally had to blow up the fish to get out and Okassan nearly took off his head.
"He refused to go anywere near water for a solid week, and then Okassan took her frying pan and smacked him with it and told him that if he didn't shower, she was cutting off his food supply. Otousan was squeaky clean in three seconds flat."
Gohan amused Harry for nearly two hours with stories about how Goku had trained him in the room of Spirit and Time, though he didn't call it that or tell Harry what it was, and told stories about their Dragonball hunts, though he didn't tell Harry about those either. And then, of course, was the kidnapping by his uncle--outer spce part and his father's first death excluded--and other memories that Gohan held dear.
Other times when they'd gone fishing, and times when they had hunted for dinosaurs. Vegita and Goku's infamous fights, the rest of the Z-Senshi and Goku and he having a free-for-all just before the fight with Cell. He told Harry about how Bulma and Goku met, and how Piccolo had trained him. There was a lot he left out, but he remembered those times silently, alone.
He didn't tell Harry about the Dragonballs, or his trip off-planet. Or his alien heritage. He would, perhapse someday, but not that night. He finally fell asleep around four in the morning, and Harry smiled, gently carrying him back upsatairs and laying him on the bed in his dorm.
No matter how mature Gohan occasionally seemed, he reminded himself, he was still a very insecure little boy. He knew how it felt to he was to blame for someone's death. He could understand where the child was coming from. Most people that hadn't lost anyone didn't understand that. They didn't realize that it wasn't something simple to bounce back from, and even harder when it was someone almost the same age, or a parent.
He shook his head. Maybe someday Gohan would better understand what was happening, but perhaps not. He was a child right now and Harry was too tired to think on it any longer. With a final yawn, he fell fast asleep.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Gohan woke up the next morning, bright and early, as well as confused. He didn't remember going back to his bed last night after he and Harry had finished talking. Harry must have carried him upstairs, he reasoned. The boy smiled when he thought about his father's message and the talk they'd had the night before.
He stretched and yawned, prying himself out of bed. Then he went to train. It was still early morning, the sun shining, the birds chirping, and Gohan felt the need to blow up some landscape. This routine seemed to work well, at least, for the past several days it had, and the child was determined to keep it up as long as he could.
Class that day, History of Magic, and Transfigurations, was amusing, and dinner was even better. Then the emotionally drained child flopped back on his pillow adn was almost instantly asleep.
The nightmares grew steadily worse and worse, the dreams darkening and turning bloody and violent. Gohan moaned and tossed in his sleep. Had he been awake, however, he would have noticed that he wasn't the only one plauged by nightmares. The rest of the school, too, was tossing in fits and crying out.
Gohan made a pitiful whining moan and curled up on his side when something warm touched his head. "It's okay, Gohan," The being murmured.
"Otousan?" Gohan gave a sleepy mumble.
"Hai, little one. Go to sleep, with peaceful dreams." Goku's spirit lingered next to him, and he began to sing Gohan's lullaby. Gohan gave a tiny sigh and nuzzled towards the warmth.
"Is it safe?" A stoic warrior stood next to the smiling Goku. They looked ramarkably alike, even as spirits, but this lone warrior had knee-length hair, though it held the typical Saiya-Jin spikes.
"You can get into his mind, now," Goku nodded. "But, Radditz--be careful."
"I'm already dead, little brother," Radditz smiled. "Don't worry about me." The older warrior clasped his brother's shoulder and then he was gone.
Goku gently brushed the bangs from Guhan's face. "Take care of my son, brother." Then he, too, was gone.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
"Gohan?" Radditz eyed the dreary landscaping warily. "Gohan!"
"Otousan!" The boy whimpered. "Don't let it hurt me!"
A little boy came running out of the mist, tears streaking down his face. "Otousan? Otousan!" His clothing was torn and ragged and something bog followed behind him.
"Gohan!" Radditz swept him up in his arms. "It's okay. Come here, I'll protect you."
"No, no!" Gohan struggled. "You'll hurt me! Like--like before!"
Dawning crossed Raditz's face. This was Gohan's inner human. The vulnerable child that was hidden away when the was was fought. The weak boy that couldn't protect that which he loved. "You're father sent me. He wants me to watch over you. I'll protect you."
"I haven't got a choice, do I." Gohan stated, burying his face in the dead Saiya-Jin's shoulder.
"No, not really." Raditz gently cradled him, and held out his glave. "Here critter, critter, critter! Here critter!"
Snarling sounded from within the mists of Gohan's mind. Something leapt out and Radditz slashed at it, cutting it lengthwise from head to foot. The animal fell to the ground, body smoking. "Dream demons," Rattiz muttered. "The king was right. Dammit!"
"Did you kill it?"
"Was that the only one?"
"Uh huh."
"Good. We need to talk." Radditz was still holding the child, and plopped down onto the white "floor" of the dream. "You know that bad guy that's attacking the wizarding world?"
"Yeah. Lord Voldemort."
"Right, him. Well, he's managed to get a few of the older magic users on his side and he's summoning demons from the second Hell to help him. He's giving people nightmares so that he will slowly destroy their minds. The Saiya-Jins are employed to keep the demons in their proper layers of Hell and keep order. Now that Voldemort is breaking them loose, we'll be spread pretty thin."
"So you're here to protect our dreams?"
"This castle is under the highest alert," Raddtiz agreed. "These demons need good dreams to feed. They're kind of like Dementors, should Harry ask. Children have an exceptional amount of good dreams and memories for them to use. The more they feed, the stronger they get. Once they get strong enough, they can take on physical bodies. Then they are very difficult to kill."
"I see what you're saying," Gohan mused. "They need us to become. . . alive, more or less, and you have to be here to prevent that. So. . . do you live in my mind or what?"
"Not really. . . we travel mostly. There are portals we'll be using. Callia is anxious to here what's going on. She's the king's messenger, by the way, so that we can relate everything to Vejita no Ou and the Council. Which mostly consists of my father, Bardock, but that is far beside the point."
"And what does my father have to do with anything?"
"He's our passage to the real world. We need someone with a living heir--that's Goku and you--to help us control the portals into the school, so we can actaully get here."
"Wait--my mind is a bloody CHECKPOINT?"
"No! Not like that! It's just a focus. Someplace to connect to. You won't even realize that we're here, unless we show ourselves to you. You are my responsibility to keep alive and away from going mad from the dream demons. We have someone with Harry too, and his friends, and Videl. It's important to keep you all alive becuase they can aid us in the portal casting."
"I think I understand." Gohan conjured a chalk board in his mind. "You need me here to put the portals here. I draw on powers from these friends, and they make the portals stronger. But why don't demons come through the portals?"
"Actually, that's where your friends fit. They keep the portals closed to unfriendly beings."
"Right. I'm still confused. So why on earth are you telling me this?"
"So you can tell Dumbledore. We can't exist outside your mind, and we're trying to kill the demons off before they get strong enough for Voldemort to sacrifice to call forth the ninth layer deamons. The we'd have to use some sticky magic and bring ourselves to life and then we're screwed. But that's not a concern now so you don't need to worry."
"Great," Gohan muttered dryly. "Just what I wanted. MORE trouble."
Radditz shrugged and put his hands behind his head. "You asked for it."
"I did NOT," Gohan scowled. "Can you teach me to fight these demons on my own?"
"Not tonight. Tonight you still need rest. Your mind is in tumoil. Go back to your deep sleep and I'll keep watch."
Gohan would have protested, but he couldn't hide the yawn that escaped. Radditz gave a tiny smile and waved a hand. Everything went black.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
(A/N) I would have put this out earlier, but I thought it wasn't finished. The I went back to finish it and discovered it was. -_-; Pathetic isn't it? Eh, well, it's here now! I hope you liked it! Review, please! And, as always, Flames are for s'mores.
~*~ Lady Foeseeker ~*~