Disclaimer, in case it wasn't obvious. I don't own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, or really any other property. Thank you.

The Long Road

Chapter 35: Nemesis

Gohan:

Fight or Flight.

There was only one choice for Gohan, and it wasn't the one to try and save all his worldly possessions inside his apartment. It was the shriek from his daughter down his hallway that dominated his every motion. Bursting with speed, the Saiyan quickly shot towards her, grabbing her at high velocity. Hearing a noise of pain from the little girl before crashing through a wall leading to the open air outside, his body broke through the drywall and wood. He felt the hard substances scrape against his skin uncomfortably and roughly leave marks behind on his unprepared flesh. Once the open air and the high winds of high altitude bombarded his skin further, leaving the open wounds protesting. He pushed his aura to the surface, before blasting away from the building as quickly as he could.

Terrified screams echoed from Pan's lips as she clung on to him, her eyes shut tightly. Behind him, the top two floors of the apartment building exploded in a red tinted blast, sending fire and debris in all directions. Scattered ash, burnt wood, and unnatural glowing energy were what emerged from the fireball below. What little of a new life he'd scrounged together in East City, was now nothing but a ruin. It was a blank and barren pile of dust, leaving him exactly where he'd been before.

Cold black eyes stared at the flames for a moment as Gohan felt himself sneer. There was no escaping this bullshit was there? What was it now? Eyes turned away from the flames, scanning for the figure who'd launched the attack, his ears trying to tune out Pan's screams.

"Quiet," Gohan ordered, without success as he tried to focus his attention towards whoever had just tried to seemingly kill him.

Scanning across the buildings, he couldn't see anything, but he could sense the faintest of energies trying to conceal themselves. Anger boiled beneath his skin as he felt his free fist clench. Attack and then hide like a coward? Trying to kill him and an innocent little girl, and then not having the balls to actually fight?

"Come out and fight me!" Gohan shouted over the city, his eyes staring with intensity, trying to find the attacker where ever his energy could be.

It was then he felt two more signatures. Turning his head sharply, he found himself staring into the sun, almost blinding him. Raising his hand to block the light, he tried his best to make out whoever, or whatever it could be-

"You boast a lot for someone so weak," the comment came from above, and in a second that followed, two large blasts shot towards him.

Energy wrapped around Gohan's frame as he pointed his hand up towards the blasts, forcing his own energy out into his hand itself. When they contacted his appendage, their power burned against his skin, before with one mighty thrust, he shoved the energy waves back, sending them flailing into the air. The clouds in the sky swirled violently as the red bolts past them by, before they exploded in the distance. A crimson wave of light washed over everything, even out competing the sun for a brief moment in intensity. They were attacking him while he had a child at his side, and attacking him from angles to limit his response. How many were there? Two? Three? All he could rely on were energy signatures, and even these two new ones were gone now, trying to conceal themselves.

The screams from his daughter wouldn't stop, and panic now washed over the city below as they were watching another light show of death be unveiled before them, just as what happened at Satan City, and South City before it.

What the Hell do I-

The energy spiked below, this time near one of the buildings, and then suddenly there was a rapid expansion of energy. An older apartment building, one of the few to survive the original Saiyan attacks, exploded in a nightmarish wave of black and red energy, sending the chaotic mobs in the streets into a feverish madness.

Sending himself spiralling down to the Earth, Gohan put Pan's feet to the ground. She was sobbing now, clutching onto him, but he didn't have time to contemplate it. It was time to act.

"Let go," he ordered.

"N-no," Pan sobbed. "I wanna... I wanna... I wanna go!"

Without a moment's further thought, Gohan pushed her back, letting the sobbing child hit the ground on her butt.

"Stay," he ordered.

Without looking back, Gohan took off into the air again. The burning sets of buildings drove something furious into his veins. They were killing these people, why? To distract him? Thinking they were going to avoid the fate they just dug themselves? Tensing a few seconds later, Gohan felt his body change. Black hair turned to gold, and around him electricity began to dance around his frame. The second stage arrived almost immediately as his hair arched higher, locking in place before his aura burst around him violently. The familiar sound of a Super Saiyan pulses echoed over the city as he stared down, the lion's share of his power revealed.

Looking around with blue-green eyes, he felt himself tense, looking for any signs of movements below from anything remotely powerful. The second he saw it, was the second it died.

... But there was nothing... not even the hint of any energy, any aura to grab on to.

Something snapped as Gohan's teeth grit together. The air around him almost lit on fire as he tightened his fists so hard, his fingers dug into his palms and drew blood. The city itself began to rumble as golden energy cascaded off of him.

They'd reached out and fucked with him, and he was left floating up here, completely uselessly and utterly impotent. They destroyed his home and threatened him while he was with his daughter, and then had the audacity to just bail out.

Wild and uncontrolled, Gohan howled in fury, lightning rippling around him, his tail thrashing wildly behind him.

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Unknown:

There it is.

Staring at the golden figure through the crystal ball in front of him, the figure felt the energy coursing through the air itself, even without actually being there. His minions had done their task well, for once, and that made this all the more satisfying to view. There was something he'd wanted to see for so long, Gohan, left there with all his power, utterly helpless to change the reality around him. A small smile slowly emerged across his pale lips as he stared into the eyes of the warrior in front of him. There was that connection there, they were linked, bound to one another by fate. The son of Goku, the Space Soldier, then the saviour of the Earth, it all came full circle, just as his own existence had.

Knowing he could reach out and hurt the man, at a whim brought him a calming sensation, which was laced with a soothing pleasure. It was only the beginning of their time together... there was still so much to do, but before the real work started he knew he needed to see what Gohan had become again. He wanted to taste all that power for himself, to remind himself of exactly what he'd seen all those years ago. It showed him the very depths of real power. Everyone always marvelled when they saw his true strength laid out before them. Whether that be Piccolo, Goku, Vegeta, the invaders Broly or Turles, or the countless victims across a thousand worlds, anyone who felt or viewed the power he sensed right now trembled.

All except him.

Every moment he felt Gohan's real energy, he felt completed. It filled a void left in him which had been left vacant for years. Before it'd caused him terror as it had all the others... but unlike the Saiyan's other victims, he'd faced its wroth in its purest form, and he had survived. Now when he felt it, it showed him his own greatness, and his true counterpart.

It was a shame it wasn't his power all the same. But now it wasn't a time to dwell on previous moments in his life, now was a time to dwell on revenge. The sweet wonderful taste of it was more divine then any meal, and it filled a hole in any broken man's life. Just the chance of it would drive anyone into a frenzy... but he needed to keep himself calm, because his plans were not yet fully utilized.

Turning his head in the darkness that surrounded him, the grin only increased as he held up a sphere in his right hand... a sphere with five stars inside of it. Staring at Dende with eyes filled with amusement, the Guardian of the Earth knelt there, his body wrapped in red chains, each one sapping his energy. A much more complicated method of containment had been needed for his other primary victim. Of course, his revenge had been exercised for the first time in seemingly a life time.

There can be only one moment close to what I have tasted so far, and one moment to surpass it.

"Now that we have that idiot Goku out of the way... I think we should talk about Dragon Balls, don't you, Guardian of the Earth?" he asked, his grin only increasingly as the monsters in the darkness around him began to emerge. "I think that fool Popo, said you're name was Dende, wasn't it?"

The strongest man in the world was already gone, never to return. The next stage was dealing with his son, the real object of his plots.

Behind him, the crystal glimmered an image of not Gohan, but the young girl he'd come to care for, the girl with a tail. It was obviously his daughter, and he knew all about it. The child could be a key in her father's downfall, which would make it all the more delicious when it came into being.

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Vegeta:

Standing at the edge of the gravity room, a scowl on his face, Vegeta prepared to discipline his son for finally stepping over the line for the first time in months. Trunks had decided it was in his best interests to use his gravity machine, and damage the control panel, while he had been preoccupied with dealing with the woman and his daughter. Now the reckoning was coming.

Trunks was outside the chamber however, staring into the distance with a stare equally as far away. For a brief moment Vegeta was curious as to why, and then he felt it. His irritation had masked his senses and left him oblivious for a moment, before the power half way across the world seemed to come alive. It was the same power which reached out across dimensions to inform them all of Broly's defeat. Even he, in Hell, had sensed this power in the distance. It was the same power he'd felt when Turles had been struck down as well.

But why? Why was it there? They'd only seen Gohan a few hours earlier. There was no threat the Earth, there was no great monster bearing down on them. But now there was this. It made him clench his own fists in the seconds he sensed the energy. This wasn't just powering up, this was something primal. But what was happening? Normally Vegeta would have just blown off any other warrior powering up, but not like this.

"Something's wrong," Trunks managed to say a second later. "Gohan would do this unless-"

"Go inside," Vegeta ordered, feeling his own aura emerge around him.

Looking out across the world with his mind, looking for energy, the Saiyan Prince looked for familiar sources of power. Three eyes was there, the formerly bald midget, the pale midget, Kakarot's youngest son, bare traces of the Namekian... ... Where was Kakarot? The stupid fool was utterly gone, as if he wasn't on the planet at all. Had he instant transmissioned somewhere else? It was entirely in the realm of possibility, but feeling Gohan's energy roll across the planet like the centre of an furious storm, was never a good sign.

"But dad-"

Shifting his own power forward, his hair immediately turning golden, Vegeta stared into the distance.

"Now."

Without another word, Vegeta's body propelled forward in one great leap. Within seconds clouds that were in front of him, were cast into the distance, before the air around him exploded in a massive sonic boom.

He would find out exactly what was going on here.

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Gohan:

Cold eyes stared over the city one more time, even as thousands ran in a panic down its streets. There was still no energy source, no fast movements, it was all just humans. The roaring sound of military aircraft whizzed past him at substandard speeds. It was easy to ignore them, even knowing they would soon be launching primitive missiles at him, both in the form of standard ballistics, and rockets. They were at most a nuisance, and right now he needed to figure out what the Hell was even going on.

Slowly, he was feeling his adrenaline falling, if for no other reason then there was no immediate danger to him any longer. Every nerve was on edge though, expecting something to jump out of the streets below. But it'd been long enough now that he felt himself breath out, his aura diminishing, but his hair remaining golden. Descending rapidly, something clicked behind his 'd left Pan down there all by herself. It had to be done if he was about to engage in a fight, just powering up as he had could have killed her if she'd been in his arms, but that was going to be hard to explain.

Every metre he moved towards the Earth, his senses seemed to heighten, looking for any sign of an impending attack. There was almost no energy around them save his own however, which was unsettling in its own right. Just where the Hell had they gone? And where the Hell was his dad? Goku would have transported here in seconds as soon as any major power was being thrown around, but there wasn't a sign of him. Everything about all of this was off.

When his feet landed on the pavement, people who'd been panicking and fleeing immediately spread out all around him, pushing back and away in fear. It was obvious as to why, he'd just made the entire city rumble. Stepping forward, his eyes scanned the crowd, and his senses, but there was no energy, no abnormal appearances. All there was, was a little girl huddled in the middle of everything, her arms folded in front of her, crying. Guilt swelled in his chest for a moment, but he knew he didn't have any time to dwell on it.

Walking forward briskly, Gohan grabbed her arm, hearing fearful whispers all around them.

"C'mon kid, time to get home," he urged, implying for her to pull herself up.

"B-but," Pan choked. "Y-you left me down here-"

"Not a time to talk, up. Now," he ordered sternly, his blue-green eyes staring down at her and met her tear streaked face.

Shakily, she pulled herself up, and he grabbed her, but she didn't grab back. It didn't matter, he'd make it up to her later.

For now, he needed to get her somewhere safe. He needed to try and get her home, and then figure the rest of this disaster out.

Within seconds, his body blasted off the ground, scattering the ground beneath him in a dozen directions, before his body plunged into the sky.

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Goten:

Disappointment seemed to almost be met with yet more disappointment. His dad was around for a few weeks for him, and then split. Of course his mother had no idea where his father went, and just thought he'd needed to train somewhere. She expected him to 'be back in time for the baby'. Well, he was sure he would, given that his dad could teleport, but there was an injury below the surface yet again. For all his talk about spending more time with him, his dad had opted to just go off somewhere else and train. It fell in line with every other promise he'd been made since he came 'home'. Even with him gone, nothing went back to the way things were.

Looking at the wall of his room, the ten year old just rested his head back on a pillow and his arms, feeling angry. Turning his head and looking out the window, internally he wished he could just run out into the world and forget all of his problems. Somehow, there could be an escape being on the road. Ironically, it was Gohan who almost made him think of such a solution. Gohan could just go anywhere, and do anything he wanted, and everything just worked out for him. Even with him gone, he could tell Chi-Chi would take him back into the house without much effort, not that he'd want to come back. Their father had almost tripped over himself with excitement when they were getting along. Piccolo respected him and acted like a friend. The only person other then him who seemed to even dislike Gohan anymore was Vegeta.

... and Vegeta hated everyone except Trunks, Bulma, and Bulla. Well, at least as far as Goten could tell anyway.

What was enough to get Goten to sit up was sensing his brother's power. It was impossible to not notice. He'd never been there for the fight between Broly and Gohan, not the real one. He'd always heard from their father that Gohan was unbelievably strong, and that he'd been trying to catch back up to him. In a heartbeat, Goten realized why his father was training. In his mind he visualized what he was sensing as a titan, a giant looming over the world. It was like an impossibly large ocean. It wasn't as big as the power he'd sensed felt from Broly before he died, but it was so huge he almost couldn't understand it.

Black eyes just stared in the direction of the power for a moment, feeling his hands tighten. It was impossible not to almost be drawn to the energy, wanting to seek it out and see it for himself. It would have just quantified another thing he already knew, which was that Gohan was better then he was. It was something he always had trouble trying to come to terms with, he hated the idea of always being second to Gohan. What he felt right now, showed him exactly why he was second to him. Second in stature of being a son, and second in stature as a fighter. It was easy to assume Gohan was also smarter then he was as well.

Frustration welled up in the boy for a moment before he jumped out of the bed, wanting almost to punch through the wall. His better nature stopped him, before he just lowered his head in the shame he'd built for himself. Looking back towards the door in his room, the boy just breathed in and out several times before opening it. He half expected to see his dad there, smiling down at him. Even if things weren't at there best, even if his dad loved Gohan more, he could always rely on his good nature. It was however, the cool reality of his father's absence that he was met with.

Even his mother wasn't there. Walking into the kitchen, he saw a hastily scribbled note, just saying she was going to the doctor.

Maybe Trunks wants to hang out-

Suddenly, he felt Vegeta's power as well, flying towards Gohan's.

Something... something's happening.

It was now easy to put the pieces together. Gohan was powering up because something happened. Whatever it was... ... ... He and Vegeta would be able to take care of it. Opening the fridge, his still relatively small hand reached in, grabbing an apple.

There was almost a gust of wind behind him, Goten felt the world freeze. Something felt off. The door was opened as well, and something faint was in the air... another energy source, almost smothered by Gohan's display of power.

Looking around for a moment, Goten stepped forward.

"Dad?" he asked cautiously, before he felt the power disappear. Looking over to his parent's room, he noticed the door ajar now as well.

Opening it a moment later, he didn't notice anything different at all.

What he didn't notice, was that the four star Dragon Ball was gone.

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Piccolo:

With arms crossed over his chest, the sole figure in a cavern in the depths of the planet, sat in a deep kind of concentration. All of his energy was focused inside of himself, almost seemingly doubling back on its own power. But it was inside where all the real struggle was. Ever since his battle with Gohan, and then Dabura and Babidi, Piccolo knew there had been a struggle inside of himself. The struggle between the better nature he'd forged over the years, and the remnants of his darker side. It wasn't so simple however. What made something 'evil' and what made something 'good'?

It wasn't as if he ever wanted to truly confront what made him, him. What made him drive to be stronger? What made him strive to defend the Earth? What part of him, was him? Where did Nail, or Kami begin, and where did they end? Where did Piccolo begin, and where did he end? This wasn't just some kind of training to gain power. The truth of all of it was, Piccolo had lost sight of what and who he was, and this was his attempt to piece everything back together. Inside his mind he slaved and debated, and fought, everything he'd seen and done so far.

The death of his 'father' and his birth, the battle with Goku at the Tournament, the fight against Garlic junior. the failed battle against Raditz, and then the Saiyan assault by Nappa, Raditz, and Vegeta.

These were his formative moments. The struggle's against Frieza, the Androids, and Bojack, though important, hadn't reshaped who he was... beyond the merger with Kami.

One thing he'd never lost, until Cell and Bojack, was the sense that he could always fight alongside the best of them. That was something Babidi had exploited, and rekindled something inside of him which he'd thought gone since the death of Frieza. It was all attached to his greed to want to continue to be strong and relevant. The most humiliating part of it was that it hadn't changed anything, beyond endangering the lives of his friends.

Now there was something painful to admit further, the only way to shed himself of that weakness, would be to cast off his ambitions. Inside the mind of Piccolo, was a chaotic swirl of emotion concealed from the outside. Parts of him desperately wanted a final push, one last chance at power and respect, while there was the ever growing part of him which was asking for something he wouldn't have contemplated a year earlier even.

Give up the idea of competing any further with the Saiyans, because there was no longer any chance to compete with them. Even with his powers unlocked by the darkness and ambition inside of him, even being stronger then he'd ever been, he'd been brutally put down by a man who several years earlier, couldn't even home to harm him. Gohan's power had grown at a phenomenal rate, Vegeta's power had grown steadily, and as always Goku's progress never seemed to end. His own progress was stunted, for every gain he made, the others made three times as far a gain.

It is time to begin a new role in life, just as I had to Piccolo. There is no shame in letting go.

The voice of the old man, the one who'd split from his father, grated his nerves for a moment, but spoke something he feared may be true. The only problem was, he had no idea what a 'new role' would be. Everything had been about fighting for so long, it no longer made sense to do anything else, because he was keeping up.

What alternative is there? We've been through so much, you and I, perhaps it is finally time to move past all the violence and find something beyond it. I had the Earth, now Dende has it. Everything is well in hand, we can find something new on the horizon. Perhaps it will be a generation or more before the Earth even faces a serious threat again.

Finally, the barriers inside his mind slowly eroded away, and after weeks of this, Piccolo opened his eyes, staring ahead at a blank cave wall. The debate was far from over, as far as he was concerned, but after nearly two months? He needed to-

What... the Hell?

His mind reaching across the landscape of the Earth, Piccolo felt all the two powers spiking, Vegeta and Gohan, and felt nothing of Goku. But worst of all, he couldn't sense Dende at all.

Rising from his sitting position, Piccolo immediately flared his own power. The first thing he needed to do was find out what was going on, and then they needed to plan for the solution. They'd need the Dragon Balls secured as quickly as possible, if they still were even in existence.

But even then, he could feel something all too familiar in the midst of all this.

It can't be...

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Gohan:

Thank whatever Gods were out there, that Pan had fallen asleep. The exhaustion from the day in general, followed by the panic and adrenaline from what had just happened in East City was too much for her to deal with. It was a relief if only because he wouldn't have to worry about explaining anything else to her right now, and she wouldn't be hysterical when they got back to the humble little home that Videl had in the middle of shit-fuck nowhere. After this, he had a lot of questions himself that he needed to answer. Of course, avoiding Videl was going to be next to impossible, which would mean he was going to have to waste several minutes speaking with her he was sure.

Despite being isolated, he doubted she didn't know what was going on in East City.

To add to his good mood, he felt Vegeta closing in on him rapidly, which meant he was wanting answers for the power spike as well. Part of him almost wanted to tell Vegeta to piss off, but this wasn't about how well they got along normally. He was going to have to explain what happened, as at the very least he may want some assistance from Vegeta in finding out anything as to what just happened. There was even a chance Vegeta might know what the Hell was going on.

Pushing the door to Videl's humble home open almost as soon as he landed, Gohan stepped through the passage into the home, holding the sleeping girl in his left arm, her legs dangling. Eyes scanned the area as he sensed the faint energy signal from Videl. There was a chilling moment where he felt her eyes on him from the side, just out of his vision. He could feel her scrutinizing him coolly and with a degree of hostility. It wasn't as if she was threatening in a physical sense, but he really wanted to avoid confrontation.

"You blew up two buildings in East City," she remarked, her voice cold and distant.

Rolling his eyes, he turned towards her, before taking several steps and shifting Pan's weight in his arm, attempting to hand her over to Videl. There was no hesitation from her as she immediately took their daughter into her clutches.

Well, I've got a pile of bullshit on my schedule right now don't I? Find out where Dad is, find out who just tried to kill me, and try to deal with this woman. Fuck. I need a vacation. At times like this I miss Xene II. Say what you will about Arcosians, at least they knew how to make a planet resort.

Coming back from his thoughts, and with a frustrated curl of his lip, Gohan responded.

"No, some maniac blew up two buildings, and my apartment. I'm going to go find out who," he countered quickly. "Stop assuming the worst about me, alright? We're going to have to deal with each other here and-"

"We're going to have to deal with each other?" she was quick to respond. "Don't you get it? I hate you. If you weren't so strong I'd-"

With each word it showed more of how she felt in every respect. He silently wished he wasn't used to this kind of gaze. The gaze of someone who wished they could kill him if they had the power.

"You'd kill me?" Gohan responded bluntly. "Firstly, you don't have the stomach to kill me. I've known a good deal of killers, and I'm a bit of an expert on it. You're no killer, so don't pretend like you are. Second? You don't like me, fine but-"

The incensed look she had said it all.

"You fucking bastard. You really can't look at yourself? You raped me. You beat me, intimidated me, and played with me like I was some kind of toy. Then when I couldn't defend myself, you forced me to give you permission to have..."

She paused, her breathing was too heavy as her eyes continued to fill with rage. For a moment he almost expected her to drop Pan and assault him. Reacting preemptively, Gohan gestured his hand, and immediately noticed her flinch and step back. He could almost smell her fear, which he was almost grateful for. As long as she was terrified of him, he could try to think of a way around all of this.

Well, you're doing great aren't you? Your happy she's terrified of you, because what? You're afraid she'd demand you'd leave more forcefully otherwise?

With tired eyes, the Saiyan stared down at the woman and her daughter with a quiet realization. If Videl had the stomach, he'd never see his daughter again. It was ironic, because he also never wanted Pan to know he was her father at the same time. It was a terrible conflicted feeling which emerged. In truth he didn't know how to handle any of it, he was just making things up as he went along.

But to her comment, he had no rebuttal.

"You aren't to discuss this with me further," Gohan said bluntly. "I don't see any reason for this subject to come up. I will be here as I have been, as I've told you I would be, to see Pan. If you don't like it? Well, stop me."

Everything he'd seen in Videl for the last few moments reemerged powerfully, her rage most prominent. There was still fear there, before they both heard an exhausted voice come from Videl's side.

"Mommy?"

Looking down towards her daughter a moment later, before looking back towards Gohan angrily.

"Come on Pan, let's get you to bed. Gohan was just leaving."

Preparing to turn, Gohan heard a tiny voice come from his side, coming from the same place, freezing him in place.

"Please don't go again," Pan silently begged. "Don't leave."

Every muscle in his body froze, almost locking him in place as he tried to take another stop forward, failing. It was an irony that he could fight the Legendary Super Saiyan, he could conquer and burn worlds, but he couldn't resist a request from a little girl. Turning his head, he smiled down at her, trying to appear reassuring to the tired little girl.

"I'll be back, I promise kiddo," he assured.

"Don't go," she repeated.

Looking up towards Videl, Gohan saw something he'd not noticed before. There was a real pain, and he immediately understood why. The fact Pan wanted anything to do with him, or wanted him to stay, pained her. Perhaps it was a damning testimony to her abilities as a parent, or it was a brought on by their daughter's trusting nature, something Videl probably saw in a negative light. It was all speculation on Gohan's part however, before he just gave a half smile.

"Well, I'll tell you what. I'll crash on your guys couch later. My apartment is out of action and I need somewhere to sleep."

The woman holding their daughter's entire body language shifted uncomfortably, and went rigid at the mention of it. This was already a disaster, and it was only going to get worse. The only problem was, how the hell did he say no? It was the strangest thing he'd ever experienced, an inability to deny someone something. It was a different compulsion then he'd ever felt in his life. Was it because he felt sorry for her? Was it because she was his daughter?

Or maybe it's because you got attached to her.

Fuck. That's probably it.

All the anxiety seemed to flee from the sleepy little girl before she just turned her head into her mother's shoulder, half falling back to sleep. Not another word came from Videl, and he was thankful for it. As Pan's anxiety fled however, his own increased. By imposing himself further, he'd just made his own life more difficult, especially if he wanted to avoid conflict with Videl, or Pan seeing conflict with Videl.

He'd have to deal with all that later. In the doorway, he could see the familiar spiked hair rising from a short body.

"Put Pan to bed, I'll be back."

It was only then, when Videl quietly glared at her, almost trembling with anger, but refusing to comment, that he discovered something about her. Even if he didn't understand her, or thought very little of her, she was being driven by the same compulsion he was. It was hard to imagine given how toxic he thought their relationship was, but it wasn't just fear keeping her pacified while Pan was there.

"Vegeta," Gohan said, stepping towards the other Saiyan, seeing the steeled eyes of the Prince looking back towards him.

"Done playing house?"

"Never started," Gohan responded with an irritated tone, stepping in front of the Prince. "And we'll be leaving. Right now. I'm already fairly well informed as to why you are here."

As soon as Gohan pushed past the prince, he felt an aggressive hand grasp his arm.

"Where is Kakarot?"

It was the exact question he'd not wanted to hear. If anyone would know, it would be Vegeta, or perhaps Dende, or Piccolo. Well, one of the last things he'd heard from his father was that Dende was missing. Now his father was missing as well, and that left only Piccolo. The Namekian was out there somewhere, maybe, and that meant they'd need to find him. Pivoting and shifting towards Vegeta, Gohan stared seriously at the other hard faced Saiyan.

"Then we need to find Piccolo. But no one's seen him in months. Dende and his slave Popo are missing already. If anyone knows where my father is, the only one left is Piccolo."

It was odd seeing Vegeta masking his concern for Goku with a tough edge, but even Gohan could see it. The old rival of his father's respected him too much for him to just be gone he suspected. Who could blame him? Despite the fact that he'd been the one to defeat Broly and Turles, Gohan knew full well who the real hero of the day on this planet was. His father was incredible, and far more heroic and goodhearted then anyone else on this planet. He had a warrior's spirit, far in excess to his own as well.

Even men who wished to upset him in battle, couldn't help but feel concern for him.

"I sensed the Namekian briefly before," Vegeta commented. "We will confront him about Kakarot's whereabouts. But you will still answer me this."

Walking as Vegeta spoke, moving along side him, Gohan turned his attention again to Vegeta.

"Who was it who attacked you? The powers demonstrated there are normally only seen in space. Only a few warriors, all of which were artificial, have appeared from the Earth with that kind of strength. They're still miserable weaklings of course, but I have to know who has a death wish. Were they some of your Planet Trade friends?"

"Couldn't tell you," Gohan responded, noting the mocking barb at the end of Vegeta's comment. "They attacked from the shadows and hidden by the sun. I never got an opportunity for a good look at them, I was too busy trying to defend-"

"The girl?" Vegeta completed for him, looking annoyed as he did. "A Saiyan child at that age should have been given enough training to understand what to do in a fight, and how to avoid larger threats-"

"She's not trained."

"Obviously," Vegeta commented. "So you killed them without even seeing them, then?"

"Hardly, they got away," Gohan told Vegeta, sounding annoyed at both the question and the reality of the matter. "Their powers entirely disappeared, I can't sense them at all."

A smirk emerged across the 'royal' Sayian's features after the last remark. Undoubtedly its appearance was a sign that he wanted to destroy the fools himself. Still, this was hardly the time to relish in the inevitable destruction of weak opponents. Their brazenness, when they clearly knew how out-powered they were, was fascinating all the same.

They were either supremely confident in their abilities, or had no real fear of death.

And if they didn't fear death, Gohan wanted to know why.

Vegeta's walk froze a moment later as the Saiyan Prince's eyes flashed dangerously in the distance, spanning westward. No words left his mouth, but only then Gohan caught onto it as well.

Trunks's power had just spiked.

And there was something else there with him, that was almost as powerful...

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Bulma:

East City was in flames, for the second time Bulma could remember.

The first time it'd been set alight by her husband's henchmen, which was something unsettling enough, but to be reminded of it was even less comfortable. It was obvious from a lot of helicopter feeds that Gohan had been attached by three outsiders, and she was still trying to figure out who. Thankfully the news had caught a fuzzy picture of one of them when it'd tried to follow the battle. There was something oddly familiar about the figure, yet foreign. He was standing there with eccentric white hair, almost like a Saiyan's but not black. It was the armour that seemed the most striking however. It looked almost more Earth-centric then his pale blue appearance would give away.

Still, it was odd all the same. This was something she was definitely going to want to show to everyone.

There was another concern however, once this was all over, they'd need to wish back all the innocent people who'd been slaughtered by these monsters. It was playing God again, but what else would they do? Let all those innocent people stay dead? No one deserved to be the victims of such horrendous violence. Silently, she ironically wished Vegeta beat the perpetrators to within an inch of their life, or even killed them.

There was a complete faith in her husband's abilities. Even if Gohan or Goku took the top title for fighter, she knew who the real champion was in her eyes. It'd always be Vegeta, even if things could get difficult between the two of them.

The phone rang to her side, and she picked it up promptly.

"Bulma dear, are you going to put Bulla to bed, or am I?-"

"I'll be in the lab all night mom," Bulma responded quickly. "I've got a lot of things I need to sort out."

"Alright dear, don't use your brain too much, or you could end up like your father."

Her mom was a sweet, kind woman. She was as smart as a stick, but Bulma really did love her, and tried to not hold that against her.

"I'll try mom," Bulma responded, before hanging up the phone.

The entire building shook a moment later, and Bulma's eyes scanned the ceiling.

Is Vegeta back already? Don't tell me he's throwing a tantrum over Gohan.-

Suddenly the sound of concrete shattering and wood snapping dully echoed through her lab, as the entire complex was rocked by an explosive noise. The rumble from outside grew more intense before half the ceiling in her lab collapsed. Drywall and insulation poured over her tables as the power flickered violently.

Adrenaline pumped into her veins as Bulma's mind panicked. There was no way Vegeta was destroying the Capsule Corporation, and there was no way Trunks was either.

Suddenly a fury driven cry from Trunks echoed through the building, followed by a terrible boom as the 11 year old clearly connected with the attack. A shriek of pain from a foreign voice followed, before the building shook again as more damage was done.

I've got to get to Bulla. I've got to find out what's going on-

Then there was a dark, chilling laughter. It was a voice she'd never heard before, but it was unnerving. It started she could swear, almost choked with blood. It cleared with every second of laughter that followed.

"Is that you're best!?" came the laugh. Then the building shook violently once more as another thundering boom echoed through it. This time she felt the building almost fail itself. The sound of steel beams warping and foundations cracking sent chills through her spine. Turning his attention immediately to the Dragon Ball radar, Bulma grasped it in her hand and clicked once, if only to confirm where all the balls were there before she made flight to try and get to her daughter.

In a half run while looking down, jumping over small piles of wreckage as she exited her lab, moving towards the hall, Bulma's heart and feet stopped when she saw what was on the radar.

There gone.

It wasn't that all the Dragon Balls were gone. It was that two of the Dragon Balls, and only two, were completely off the radar. It was something she'd never seen, and no explanation came to the fore. Were they off planet? Were they destroyed?

Suddenly there was another series of explosions, each one followed by the shriek of a child.

Trunks!

Finally the entire roof on her lab seemed to collapse inward, just as she'd cleared it. A thundering boom followed before the body of her son exploded through the wall in front of her, before cracking into the basement foundation, falling like a dead weight to the ground.

"Trunks! Oh my god!" Bulma's voice escaped her instinctively. "Hold still, I'll-"

"Mom," he coughed weakly. "Run."

The look in his eyes as they went from Super Saiyan to his natural blue, before passing out, told her everything. His hair faded back to purple and clung back to his sweat and blood covered forehead. His left arm was completely ruined as well, at least broken in three places. Her heart pumped in her chest violently as she moved towards him, ignoring his last conscious request.

She could almost feel the huge shadow of a beast over her as she made it finally to his limp form, kneeling over him.

For a moment she could almost feel the world around her, protesting to the power behind her. Tightly she closed her eyes, feeling herself die every second she waited for the killing blow, the one that would kill her, and her son.

"So, you must be Bulma Briefs," a voice then spoke from behind her.

Turning her head, Bulma saw the image of a small man, perhaps four feet tall. She could barely make out his other features, before he stepped into the light. Pale green skin and red eyes characterized everything else, before he grinned at her, blood trickling from his own mouth.

"I believe you have something-"

"Get away from us! My husband will be back any minute, and when he-"

"Five minutes," the figure assured her, stepping forward. "I can feel him rushing here now. Five minutes is more then enough time to kill you, and your entire family, girl, I can assure you."

Breathing heavily still, Bulma felt herself naturally trying to act as some kind of shield over her son's fallen body still. There was blood, and scuff marks all over the midget as well, but he didn't seem fatigued, or tired. There was even a hole through most of his tunic, revealing a bare chest. In her mind, Bulma was rushing to find any way out of this nightmare.

"What do you want?" Bulma finally asked. "I'll stop my husband from killing you if you-"

"Your pitiful husband can't kill me," he responded, almost laughing. "But I'd love to see him try. What a fascinating twist on it all. But I find myself with a distinct lack of time, which means I will be short. Give me the Dragon Radar."

It took Bulma several seconds to let things click.

He's the one with the Dragon Balls.

As she hestitated, she saw a maddened fury rise in the little man, who appeared in front of her a second later, grabbing her wrist, recklessly breaking it, forcing her hand to release the radar. Pain filled her mind, and her lungs exhaled a terrible scream a second later.

"Ah, if only I had time to indulge in hearing you scream more, it's very stress relieving, but I am afraid I must leave a message for your husband and my dear friend Son Gohan. I also wouldn't want to burden a mere human with such an important message."

Tears welled in her eyes as Bulma shrank back, holding her limp wrist as she whimpered.

He's going to kill us.

With a sick smile plastered across his face, the little monster enjoyed seeing her pain and torment.

"Trunks, you need to wake up. I know you've got a lot more fight left in you, like that stupid monkey of a father," he remarked, before stepping over, shoving Bulma aside. "It's very important that you listen."

Grabbing the boy roughly by his cheeks, the beast ceased grinning.

"I'll tell them," Bulma offered immediately. "Please, j-just leave him alone."

Slowly, the head on the bald creature turned towards her, revealing a grin reappearing. There was a series of snide laughs which escaped his mouth. It caused Bulma's blood to chill, as all she could do was internally plead that he step away from her son.

"Good. You can tell Son Gohan that I have dealt with his father already," he said, his grin only increasing. "And that everything he cares about, everything he's ever loved, is going to be taken from him, as he's taken from so many others. But for his crimes again me, I am going to allow him to live on in an unending agony, forced to live out the rest of his miserable life in despair and sorrow."

With that, the little figure, holding the Dragon Radar, turned to leave.

"... Who... who are you?"

It paused a second later, stopping only a few feet from Trunks, turning his head to her for a brief second, before looking ahead. For the moment she saw of his face, she saw true irritation, anger even.

"I am the ruler of this miserable planet, you should already know my name," he almost hissed. "But I will alleviate you the pain of your ignorance."

"You are allowed to refer to me as Garlic jr."

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Author's Notes:

Really sorry for the delays getting this chapter out. I hurt my fingers at work when a big metal door was closed on them, I could only type with one hand for the last 4-5 days. This chapter ended up being a lot different then I originally envisioned, but that's fine because I think it still ended up pretty good. This is going to be a bit of a larger Author's Notes section, because I do want to forewarn and explain a few things first.

I've gotten a lot of feedback from Vegeta fans in reviews and from PM's, concerned about how he and Gohan hadn't solved much of their issues so far. I just want to alleviate those concerns, and let everyone know that Vegeta's role this Saga is very, very large, and he will be filling a major element in it. It is going to have tons of explanations for his approach to Gohan, and examinations of his character. So yea, expect a lot of Vegeta treatment this time around. I gave Trunks, Piccolo, Goku, and others similar treatment so far, and I always intended to do Vegeta's development late. So, we're now at a stage in the story where I can say with confidence, expect a lot of cool stuff from Vegeta.

The next one, is over the next four chapters, for everyone concerned, I just want to remind people that neither Gohan, nor Videl, are mentally healthy people. Both of them are still a train wreck even when you take them away from one another. They're thoughts will be thoroughly put up, but I just wanna let people know that there will be no mistakes in their portrayal. This saga is probably the most important one for both Gohan and Videl, and will have a lot to do with the two of them.

Also, remember, we're mainly seeing Videl from Gohan's perspective right now. It's from his perspective, it doesn't mean that he's got things right.

The final note I'd like to make is, this Saga was originally envisioned as the 'last' Saga in the story. I don't know if I've mentioned this before (I'm not gonna go over 34 chapters worth of Author's Notes to find out, sorry guys 'n gals). This is no longer the case, but if the saga gives a sense of finality to a lot of elements of the story, its meant to. Fear not though, I found a fun excuse to add at least three more sagas on to the story, and I'm even more hyped up and excited for those then ever.

I'm also hoping that updates will start to get more frequent again. I got a new mechanical keyboard, and I'm still stunned by how quickly I seem to be able to type on this thing. It's much quicker then I had before. So, let's hope my wrists hold up throughout this.

I decided to reveal Garlic this chapter, rather then next chapter, as it would have been obvious that Piccolo would have recognized his energy reading. If you're wondering, Garlic isn't quite as strong as Trunks or Goten right now, but he's obviously immortal. There will be at least one Chapter dedicated to him coming up, and I hope people enjoy it.

So, next chapter expect a real return to Piccolo, and expect to see Gohan and Videl. Also expect me to accelerate time a bit as well with a series of scenes inside the chapter, focusing on one character or another.

Also, any name suggestions for Goku and Chi-Chi's third kid, whose going to likely be a daughter, lemme know. My brain has been pounding sand when it comes to names that fit.

Reviews:

Lourdes-Sunrise-Princess:

Expect to see a lot from Videl's perspective next chapter. Also, expect to see a bit of a different aspect of her issues.

Pyromania101:

Goten is around 11ish, and Trunks is 11-12ish.

Masenko56:

You were picking up, what I was putting down?

Arswetlilpixy:(lol)

Yea, I've been making a bit more moneyz lately, but I've been busier as a result.

AlphaShenron:

I wish it was Videl, just for the lulz.

MaxPain32:

Cooler is still alive. Expect to see him again at some point. Don't expect to see him in person this saga, lulz.

VuvuzelaHero:

Are you still looking forward to the new villain? Lol

Guest1:

Demon, at least in this story. I hated the fact that they turned every fantasy villain into an Alien. -.-

Heseltine:

Gohan basically makes money through using his powers to do things like large scale demolitions, or for clearing out massive amounts of land and ect. He cheats to make money.

Steihl:

I wouldn't call the current ending a cliffhanger, but I can definitely say there is more Bulma and Vegeta tension. Just not involving one another.

DarkKnightShiva:

I try to keep up to date. And as I said, I do hope I will be able to produce chapters a bit more quickly, at least until November. I'll try my best.

EliteTurles:

Thanks a bunch! I always love hearing that. It feeds my narcissism, lol

MasenkoX:

No, I purposely try to get some laughs in, it lightens up the story a bit. One thing I wanted to add, is that Gohan has a ridiculous taste in music. Super serious, dark past, ect... loves the Bangles, Michael Jackson, and general 1980's pop music. Lololololol

Maesde:

It's not Goten, as this chapter proves. Though that would be awesome if it had been. But nah, Goten wouldn't lose it that much to hunt Gohan down and attack him.

Brelic:

Well, they were minions, just not Cooler's.

Daughter of Vegeta:

Don't worry, this time no cliffhanger! XD

Aqua Roxas:

I wouldn't expect Cooler to do much abductions.

Morisako83:

Gohan and Videl being a couple? It'll depend on how one defines a couple. Personally I'd say no. Friend? Also, unlikely. Watch how they're 'relationship' evolves, it's a major element of the story going forward, I promise. :P

DBZ fan the first:

I hope this was as good.

Chemestry-Deaf:

You got the 'new' villain right. Really, the first villain of Gohan's has returned. Expect explanations going forward, but this Saga was my favourite one at least in terms of how its planned. Trust me, it'll be a blast.

Antonymous:

It's not been long enough to bridge that gap yet for Vegeta or Goku. But, I would say that I wouldn't expect Gohan to be on top for the whole story. Moving forward, Gohan's strength is going to vary wildly on the power scale, I promise.

Gda:

It is not Mr. Popo. -.-

Tomorrow4eva:

Thanks a bunch. Pan's a great kid, it's just unfortunate that her parents are who they are :(

Eveline:

Vegeta and Gohan are complicated. Not as complicated as Videl and Gohan obviously, but you are right, they've got more respect for one another right now then they've had since the day they've met.

Son Akito:

Neither do I!... Cuz you were wrong! XD

ICOTAN:

I don't mind people pointing out grammar mistakes, they exist, so why not point them out? It's not nit-picking. I'm a truly terrible proof reader.

.31

I've actually been surprised by the number of people I've brought to tears, but then again I've managed to make myself tear up while writing it, so I really shouldn't be. Thanks a ton for the feedback dude, I sincerely appreciate it. :)

Buk-Lau:

I dunno if that'd actually work, lol.

... I think you're not getting to the source of the Praablahm.

Ki Ai Sky:

Videl's story is far from complete. It's not going to be concluded until Gohan's story is. She's got a big role to play in this, and she's not just going to be some romance interest, and lover. She may not be an apex warrior, but expect things from Videl, especially moving forward. More then anything she's got to deal with her mental health before her role in the story expands however. A lot of that is getting dealt with next Saga...

jguest:

Expect more everything action going forward! Epic personal encounters, epic character growth, and epic battles!

Darknessrising11:

I think I answered this by PM.