What took me so long to update you ask? School that's what! I know people think I'm crazy for thinking this but school is a conspiracy! Big whoop if it was thought of by people who wanted to "educate" society. The food tastes like crap, I'd rather clean my house than listen to the drone of their lectures…ok now I'm babbling. PTA…PTO…whatever the hell it's called is just as worse but I'm not getting into that right now. Just ignore this senseless babble and continue on with the story. I'm sure you're all DYING to know what happens after this right? (looks around and sweat drops) Right?

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Whoever is reading this I want you to do me a little favor. Tell someone about my story. It's pretty simple in concept and easy to do. If you like this story you should tell someone, that way more people will read it. I know, I know, it's good enough that you're at least REVIEWING my story but hey, do a writer a favor. PLEASE!!!

Only One Shot

Chapter 10: Cause and Effect

"Gohan?!" Gohan tried to say something only to cough up blood and fall panting onto the ground. She managed to drag him inside and closed the door, bolting it shut. She turned to see that he was lying on the couch and noticed something hanging off from the side of the couch. It was his arm which was attached to his hand which was attached to…

Gohan, still panting and feeling as if he was in a sea of unbearable fire opened his eyes slightly to see the blurry form of Videl over him, pressing the surprisingly enjoyable cold steel of her gun to his neck. "You're…You're the sniper aren't you?" Gohan gave a laugh that would have been chilling if it weren't for the coughs and blood that came with it.

"Yes." He rasped out, coughing a few times and turning his head to the side to cough out blood. "I am the sniper. Surprised?" He gave her a weak smile that she returned with a scowl of disgust. "Angry." Gohan gave out another weak laugh and stared at her with dark amused orbs. "Really? How (cough) so?"

"I trusted you Gohan. I even…I even…" He looked up at her and she turned her head away, though her hand stayed on the trigger and the gun stayed at his neck. "Felt something for you…" Gohan smirked. "And here I thought it was one sided." She scowled and he laughed a bit before having to turn his head and cough.

"Stop being sarcastic Gohan, you KNOW I returned it." She glared at him a bit and there was silence, except for a few coughs now and then. "So why did you do it Gohan? Why did you become the sniper? Tell me now before you die or I shoot you." Gohan chuckled and shoved her gun away so that he could lie on his side.

"Videl I know you enough that you're not going to shoot me. Plus, I'm not dying. It's just the (cough) damn side effects of that stupid (cough) anti-saiya-jin bullet. I'll be doing this for another (cough) five minutes before it finally wears (cough) off." As he lay on his side he stared straight at the unlit fireplace.

Videl sighed and put her gun away. "You never answered my question Gohan." He smirked. "I never meant to." He laughed at her scowl and smiled as his eyes softened a bit. "Have you always lived well?" Videl gave him an odd look. "Well naturally, why do you ask?" He sighed. "Must've been nice…living well for a long time."

She gave him a curious look but he didn't acknowledge it. "Let me ask you this Videl, did you have a happy childhood?" Videl frowned, she didn't like where this was heading. "Did your father ever tell you he…loved you?" She wished she had a psychiatrist right now. Everytime she heard about something like this the person's thoughts were suicidal.

"Well despite the fact that he was a rich conceited bastard that had a baton shoved up his ass and an ego bigger than the universe…he did tell me that he loved me." He smiled at that and curled up a bit on the couch, giving out the last of his hacking coughs. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and lowered his eyes to the ground.

"I never really knew my father…he never had any time for his family. He was a total lazy slob with no job and no life. He did things for Cortez's father who was in power before the Saiya-jin Hunts. My mother had to work three jobs for us to survive. Whatever my father got paid, if he did that is, we never saw it and he'd never help."

"I remember him, Miguel Cortez right? He was the old mayor of the old Orange Star City and gave to charity a lot." He snorted at that. "Miguel was a bastard who hated saiya-jins. I was two that time he came here and burnt down a few buildings during the night. No one knew it was him but I did. What disgusted me was that my father helped him."

Gohan's eyes burned as he thought about the past. "My father—though a saiya-jin himself—hated saiya-jins as well. He had no tail since he had it removed a while back. My tail was like a painful reminder to him about his heritage. He hated me for that. He beat me sometimes but my mother never knew, he lied and said we were sparring."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Gohan snorted and rolled over, facing the couch. "I was only two and had more pressing matters to deal with. My mother and I had to eat—as well as feed those rich bastards who came to our house invited by my father." Gohan laughed. "Must've been funny to see a two year old and working on the streets with twenty year olds."

Videl wisely didn't say anything but sat on the couch near Gohan's back. "My father cheated on my mother plenty of times, sometimes ten girlfriends a week. They were all human of course. If my mother knew she didn't say anything but I'm sure I heard her crying out at night while my father lived down at Club Sin." Gohan sighed.

"Club Sin was like his second home…well more like his home since he never cared to come back. That was when the Saiya-jin Hunt started. Father Miguel swore he had found God and instigated the Hunt, saying that we were blasphemy to the church. You could never understand the horrors of the Saiya-jin Hunt…your stomach and mentality aren't up to it."

-Flashback-

"They're coming for us and I don't think we'll be able to stop them." A man who had short black spiky hair with dyed gold tips whispered harshly. "Just get to shelter and don't get out until I give the signal." A few saiya-jins nodded and gathered up their family before secretly heading out, looking around discreetly. The air smelt like smoke so they had to rely on sight.

"Chichi are you sure you want to stay here? I could give you and Gohan a better life than Goku could ever give you and you know that!" Chichi shook her head no and looked at him. "I'm sorry Avon but I love him and even though I love you as well we were over five years ago." Avon bit his lip and Chichi shook her head. "Don't worry Avon we'll be fine."

"Alright Chichi if that's what you wa—" he was cut off as a huge explosion sounded near them. Avon jumped on them both, covering them from the flying debris. After the falling debris, mixed with the dust, rained blood, guts, and body parts. A few smashing more blood as they landed with a splat on the ground. A head landed near the 4 year old Gohan who stared at it.

The head stared back with a horrible face—the face of fear, pain, astonishment, and agony. It was a face of last moments. Blood covered the head and the neck was severed crudely. Gohan stared at it a bit more before realizing something. The head's short spiky black hair had dyed gold tips. He tore his eyes away and Chichi held him while Avon swore revenge for his race.

-End Flashback-

"The army made short work of the saiya-jins with their new bullets called 'Ki Killers'. If a saiya-jin was hit by it he would die a slow, horrible, excruciatingly painful death. It keeps you alive for one hour. During this time all you can wish for is to die and end up killing yourself before the bullet kills you. Those who were weak died instantly from them."

Videl chewed her lip nervously. She remembered the time of the Saiya-jin Hunts. She was probably the same age as Gohan was. Her father had joined in to help the army chase after a few scattered saiya-jins. She remembered when he came home tired, covered in dry blood, with gun over his shoulder smiling.

-Flashback-

A young Videl sat on the floor coloring on a piece of paper. The doorbell rung and she ignored it, Jenkins would get it anyway. "Ma-Master Hercule!" She immediately dropped everything and ran out of the living room. "DADDY!!" There he stood in the doorway. He was tired, covered in dry blood, and carried his gun tiredly over his shoulder, but despite that he smiled.

"Sweat Pea!" He shoved the gun into Jenkins' hands. Jenkins sweat dropped and stared at it with wide dinner plate eyes. "Did you kill lots of saiya-jins daddy because saiya-jins are bad." Hercule nodded and sat down on the couch. "Yup daddy killed lots of bad saiya-jins." Videl smiled and hugged him, then pulled back with a scrunched up face. "Stinky." Hercule laughed.

-End Flashback-

"My mother…" Videl broke out of her thoughts and stared at him. "She was such a brave woman…never complained or anything. She hit my dad with the frying pan a few times when she was angry but she never hit me. Never. Never complained…even when they filled her with holes…she faced her death head on…bravely…you remind me of her…"

Videl blushed. "Gohan…" She heard soft breathing and blinked. He fell asleep. She looked at him and saw dark spots on his shirt. Videl slapped herself; she forgot he was still bleeding. "Videl you're so stupid…" She went into the bathroom and got bandages, a knife and gauze. When she came back he was laying on his back with one arm over his face.

She nervously pulled off his shirt, placing it on the dining room table with the beautiful yet powerful sniper rifle. He had three wounds. One in his shoulder and two in his stomach. She could see the anti-saiya-jin bullets in each wound, glowing yellow and giving off a very quiet humming sound.

Trying to concentrate on the bullets and not on his chest, she began using the knife to take out the bullets. Once they were out she placed them on the table with the knife and began dressing his wounds. When she was finished she got up to find him a blanket. She was about to put it on him when he reached over and pulled her beside him.

She let out a squeak and was about to yell at him when she felt him place his head in the crook of her neck and something wet fell on it. Her eyes widened. A man who had killed plenty, loved his mother, hated his father, lived during the Saiya-jin Hunts, worked on the streets since he was two, and placed fear into the hearts of those who saw him…was crying.

She held him close and hummed for him. She knew right now that he wasn't a man bent on getting his revenge swift and tactfully, he was not the man who killed plenty, he was not the one who placed fear into the hearts of anyone who saw him, he was a broken man who had spilled his heart out to a woman he barely knew but entrusted with his heart.

She stared at him once he began sleeping and breathing peacefully. He looked like a lost child, a baby in the arms of his mother. It unnerved her. She was so used to seeing him strong, brave, a tease in his own way, annoying, silent, passionate, and thoughtful. She wrapped her arms around him as if to protect him from the cruel prejudice world and fell asleep.

Ring, Ring

Videl groaned and looked at Gohan. He was out like a light. She looked at the ringing phone and got off the couch, somehow getting out of Gohan's vice-like grip. She snatched the phone up from where it was and glared at the ringing abomination. "What?!" she growled and the other person on the phone cleared their throat nervously.

[Uh hey Det. Satan it's me, Chief Kosaka, your boss so you can't kill me. I uh just wanted to tell you to get over here quick, we have another sniping. We have another voice mail of his voice too of his little "It only takes one shot" shit. It's also kind of gory…]

Videl froze and looked over at Gohan. He was sleeping like a baby and she was positive he didn't move any last night. His sniper rifle was still on the table and in the same position she put it in last night. She was positive she took all his bullets and hid them right when he began speaking…right? "Wh-When did it happen?"

[The coroners say that it happened at least an hour or two ago. Oh and if you can get in touch with Det. Son that'd be great. We can't get in touch with him at all, his cell isn't on and he isn't picking up the phone for his house number. See ya there.]

WOOHOO CLIFFY! Ha-ha you guys are probably like "What the hell?!" Confused? I bet you are. Is Gohan really the sniper or is he just joking again? What was he doing near Videl's apartment with a sniper rifle? Why does someone want to kill him? Who is this mysterious "Son of Avon" guy? Will Gohan work out his emotional issues that he had kept behind him for (hopefully I didn't give out his age earlier cuz then I'd be screwed) 23 years? (He's 25, Vid's 24) Find out in the next chapter! Well…some of the answers anyway.

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