Welcome back! I forgot the disclaimer, but I'm sure you've all figured out that I do not own DBZ. Anyway, I got my first review! Yippie! Thanks to suriko song for the comment. Hope you like this chapter too. This one's longer than the last, but if any one who has happened to wander wants to complain, you can. I kinda figured you'd be please. So, without further to do, begin story. Ripple, ripple, ripple…..

Son Gohan landed lightly in front of the quaint little cottage that served as a home for him, his mother, and his little brother. He stood outside a moment, enjoying the peace that was soon to be shattered. His mother was humming a catchy tune and every once and a while the clatter of pans interrupted it. Wonderful smells wafted out of the ajar door and Gohan couldn't contain himself any longer. He gripped the bag that held his training gear a little tighter and took a deep breath. As soon as he stepped into the house his mother was all over him.

"Gohan! Where have you been?" she demanded, a vicious black frying pan hanging menacingly from her hand. Gohan smiled weakly and fiercely hoped he'd escape the evil frying pan of doom for once.

"Sorry mom. I got a little scratch and had to wait while Bulma patched it up." Chichi's anger was replaced by one of worry and compassion.

"Oh my baby! Are you alright?" she questioned, looking him over for the 'scratch'.

"Yea, I'm fine. Just a bit tired, that's all." Chichi hesitated amount and than beamed at her older son.

"Well, dinner's ready. I'm sure Goten will be happy to see you." He followed her to the table and heard her mutter something that sounded like "…conceited, over inflated windbag." He assumed she meant Vegeta. He repressed a laugh. All of a sudden an orange and blue blur came speeding towards him. It leapt into his arms with a huge smile.

"Nii-chan! Mummy let me go exploring and there was this really cool lizard. It moved around like this!" The little kid jumped off his sibling's lap and imitated the lizard. Gohan laughed and ruffled his brother's hair.

"Alright you two, time to eat." Goten let out a whoop and seated himself, attempting, but failing to keep from drooling. Chichi brought out the food and the family dug in.

Not long after, Gohan sat back in his chair and smiled sleepily. His little brother burped and Chichi scolded him.

"Goten, watch your manners!" Goten looked reprimanded.

"Sorry, mummy." Chichi smiled lightly at him and turned to her older son.

"Gohan, are you ready for school tomorrow?" Gohan looked up at her, hating to be reminded of it. He wasn't exactly looking forward to it, it suited him just fine where he was, but his mother insisted that he needed to meet some kids his own age, and what Chichi wanted, Chichi got. So, he was starting Orange Star Highschool bright and early the next morning.

"I guess so." he responded truthfully. Chichi gave him a look of compassion.

"Don't worry, Gohan. Everything will go great, you'll see." He nodded absentmindedly.

"I think I'll turn in for tonight. Tomorrow's a big day." His mother looked at him approvingly and he made his way to his bedroom. Goten bolted out the door to see if he could relocate the lizard he'd found earlier and Chichi got up to do the dishes.

"Oh Gohan. You shouldn't have to bare everything on your shoulders." She whispered softly.

Gohan undressed and flopped onto his bed, not bothering to pull back the covers. His thoughts drifted back to the spar he and Vegeta had had that day. The older man wouldn't be too happy to find he was going to lose his sparring partner. Maybe it would be possible to make over there after school some nights. Gohan was sure he'd miss his fights with Vegeta. A smiled drifted contentedly across his face as he remembered what his mom had said. Maybe school wouldn't be so bad.

Several minutes later Chichi passed his door and found him fast asleep.

"You're holding back on me Gohan!" The shining warrior barked fiercely. A bead of sweat dripped off his face as he stared his young opponent across the room. The golden haired youth held the gaze of his challenger. He gritted his teeth and held his anger in check.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Vegeta!" Harsh laughter filled the heavy air. An electronic voice came over the speakers.

"One thousand times Earth's normal gravity." The air became visibly heavier. Gohan wiped a hand across his brow where sweat had been dripping into his eyes.

"Don't lie to me, brat!" The sudden bark set Gohan off balance. He opened his mouth to deny Vegeta, but something stopped him. Something was there, pushing beyond the frantic beating of his heart. It was thumping against his body, trying vainly to escape. Panic welled up in Gohan. What was this? It was like an unknown part of him was trying to rise to the surface; and even as he thought this it raged inside of him, pushing ever harder. His body convulsed slightly. Cold fear swelled in the pit of his stomach.

Vegeta's eyes narrowed as he watched his friend trying hurriedly to suppress what he himself had known was there long before. Vegeta had felt it a few months earlier, something stirring inside Gohan. He was surprised the youth hadn't noticed it before. A pang of jealousy clenched his gut. Why was it that he always had to work for such power, but it came unwanted to this boy?

He released some of his anger in a ki beam. Gohan sighed with relief as his power finally quieted, but disbelief flashed across his features as he saw a ki beam headed straight for him.

Gohan sat up with a start. He was soaked in sweat, as were his sheets. The young saiyan sat still as his racing heart beat subsided to normal. Funny, I didn't know people had dreams of things that already happened. His contemplation was soon broken by a gleeful scream and a weight on his chest.

"Nii-chan! Mummy says to get up. She says you have to go to school." Gohan looked down at the wild haired Goten and smiled playfully.

"Alright, but you'll have to get off of me first." Goten readily complied and meandered down the hall and back to the kitchen when Gohan informed him he would be down in a minute.

Gohan took a record breaking shower and threw on a set of clothes, eager to get down to breakfast. His mother greeted him with a cheery smile and finished setting breakfast on the table.

"Good morning, sweetie. I made a special breakfast for you, since today's your first day of school." Gohan thanked his mother and shoveled down the food. IT was wonderful, but his mother's cooking always was. He stood up and grabbed his bag. His mother's eyes watered threateningly, and as a courtesy, he pecked her on the cheek and raced out the door. No sense in making her cry over anything trifle.

He took to the air and slipped his new school bag over his shoulder. The morning air was pleasant, if not just a bit chilly, and he was glad he had a chance to be outside. He looked at his watch and saw he had plenty of time, so he didn't hurry. He smirked as he thought of flying becoming a leisure activity.

Time flew and soon Orange Star City was approaching on the horizon. Gohan wisely kept high up in the air, and when he spotted the highschool, he landed several blocks away in a deserted alley. Taking a look around to make sure no one saw him, he darted out of the alley and resumed a normal walking pace towards the school.

It was a decent sized building, composed of reddish bricks and white trim. The lawn was well kept and trimmed neatly. A few trees grew around the building. Gohan walked through the double entrance doors and into a cool, tan hallway. Yellow lockers lined the sides and other hallways branched off at different intervals. The office was placed comfortingly close to the front doors, so Gohan had no trouble finding it. A nice woman at the desk gave him a class schedule and explained how to fine his classes.

He studied the sheet and discovered his first class was language arts, in room 2102. He almost passed the room, but noticed it in time. The mauve door bore down on him and he fidgeted a little. It was the moment of truth. When something inside him pressed against his insides he lurched for the handle and swung open the classroom door. IT fell back into uneasy slumber and Gohan let out a grateful sigh. What horrible timing.

The class was staring at the new comer curiously and the teacher looked up from a text book and smiled.

"Well, class, it seems our new student has decided to make his appearance." IT was said jokingly and the man smiled at Gohan. Gohan smiled sheepishly back.

"Please introduce yourself." the teacher prodded. Gohan's gaze skimmed over the room of students as he replied.

"Hi, I'm Son Gohan. It's a pleasure to meet you all." Surprisingly, he meant it. Maybe school wasn't such a bad idea after all.

"You may take a seat next to Erasa." the teacher added, pointing to a blonde near the back of the room. Gohan nodded and climbed the steps to his seat. The girl called Erasa turned to him and flashed a smile.

"Hey there, cutie. I'm Erasa." Gohan blushed, unsure of what to say. A young, blonde man sitting near them noticed this with satisfaction. He chuckled, and was about to say something, but the teacher spoke first.

"Class, please make Mr. Son feel at home. He received a perfect score on the entrance exams, so I'm sure you can all learn a thing or two from him."

Whispers were heard around the class, but tapered off as the teacher, Mr. Jen, began to lecture.

"Oh, he's a nerd!" Gohan and Erasa turned to the blonde from before, who now snickered at Gohan. Erasa frowned, but before she could reprimand the youth another voice broke through.

"Shut your face, Sharpener. Nobody wants to hear your whiny voice." This came from a black haired girl a row in front of them. Sharpener quieted, but retained a scowl.

"That's Videl." Piped in Erasa. "She's the daughter of Hercule." Gohan ground his teeth together, but managed a fake smile. However much he was glad he wasn't swamped with publicity, he still resented Hercule for taking all the credit, not because he wanted it, but because he believed his friends deserved it.

"Oh?" Gohan replied.

"Oh!? Oh is all you can say! She's the daughter of a legend!" Sharpener butted in.

Videl turned and glared at him, but Gohan could see pride flicker quickly across her face. Well, at least she wasn't as conceited as her father.

"I, uh…" Erasa interrupted his uncomfortable stutter with a question.

"So, where to do you live?" Gohan sighed and a smile returned to his face. Saved by the blonde.

"439 mountain area." He replied simply, not thinking anything of it. The three other teenagers balked at him.

"That's five hours away!" burst out Erasa.

"How do you manage to get her in time?" questioned Videl.

"Uh, I leave early." Neither of them seemed to except this, but fell silent when the teacher glared at them.

When the bell rang forty minutes later, Gohan could not be more glad. The situation with his new friends had been awkward, and he'd learned everything that was taught several years ago. Videl, Erasa, and Sharpener drew up next to him, Sharpener because the girls did.

"So, what do you have next?" Videl asked nonchalantly.

"Gym." He answered, a tinge of anxiety entering his mind. Videl's eyes sparked with enthusiasm.

"Me too! We're doing martial arts this year! I hear the teacher used to compete in the World Martial Arts Tournament." She sure seemed excited. Probably because her father's the world champ. Gohan, on the other hand, paled. Great. IF I have to go to school, I don't want my friends thinking of me as a freak. Voices broke through his thoughts.

"...know Videl's a crime fighter?" Gohan turned to Erasa with a look of surprise. Sharpener slung an arm around Videl, who promptly brushed it off.

"Yep, she helps the police with the tough stuff. Someday, she might even be as strong as her dad!" he grinned at Videl. Videl scowled at him, but reddened a little at the attention.

"Nah, I'll never be as good as my dad." Gohan smiled at her.

"Maybe if you really try. You'd be surprised." Their eyes met and Videl smiled back. A squeak came from behind them.

"Oh my gosh! We're gonna be late!"

Well, I got chappie two under my belt. I promise things will get a bit more exciting, just be patient. Oh, while we're speaking of virtues, why don't you show compassion and review? Pretty please?