Chapter no. 14...last part was not fun to write at all. Maybe you can see it in my writings...i hope not though.

It's not the best chapter, but this is all you get for now...i so can't wait for Videl and Gohan to reunite...but it takes a few more chapters...two at the least, fur at the most...but i promise you, im working on it...

Thanx for the reviews...keep on sending them

Enjoy chapter

"Let go of me!"

"Gohan, you can't go back! You'll die for sure and who is going to lead us then?!"

Gohan and Lieutenant General Bann were currently in Gohan's tent. An unconscious Gohan was brought there after their lost battle, where doctors were waiting to take care of his wounds. But after just an hour, the general had already woken up and his mood was never worse.

"If I die, then so be it! I deserve nothing more than my destiny!" Gohan yelled furiously as he tried to tear Bann's hands away from him, but since he was still out of energy, he could not do it.

"But this is not your destiny! You are alive! Your life is spared! Destiny does not want you dead yet, otherwise you would have died on that battlefield!" Bann said as he tried to stop Gohan from exiting his tent.

"I would have deserved it!" Gohan turned his head to face Bann. His expression was unlike anything the Lieutenant had ever seen on the face of his superior and close friend. An expression in which his hatred, his shame, his agony, his sadness, but above all, his anger was mixed in a way that actually scared the hell out of Bann. The calm Gohan, the General that always kept his head cool, was gone. Along with his pride, he had lost himself in his desire to avenge everything that has happened on that battlefield. As Bann looked at him strangely, Gohan nervously ran a hand to his hair and kept it on his head in an act of total desperation. He paced through the tent as he also brought his other hand to his head, preventing Bann to see his face because of the bend arms on both sides of his head. Because what he was doing would even dishonor him more. He was crying. He had let go some tears on the battlefield, but now the tears rolled off his cheeks like a fast-flowing river.

He thought about what his grandfather would have said. Hadn't he predicted in one of his dreams that Gohan was destined for greatness? Gohan knew Bardock was watching, and he would shake his head in disappointment.

And when he would get home and see his family again, his father would look at him with pity. His mother would cry for him and his little brother would say that his hero was gone. His uncle would pat him on the back, saying: 'better luck next time kid', and the King would be angered.

But the worst thing was, was that he lost the respect of the troops. They always had faith in him, they were more loyal to him than a dog to his master. They followed him everywhere, obeyed every order he gave and when asked, they gladly gave their life for him. But not anymore. He had wasted their loyalty.

Gohan yelled in frustration. Why was this happening to him? Everyone in his family had received the highest honor for serving the empire unconditionally. Why was he the only one that was left out of that circle? He imagined his ancestors pointing their fingers at him and telling him he was a disgrace to the family. A General, a Super Saiyan for that matter, that had been defeated by a mere namek. And if things couldn't get any worse, his life was spared by him too. He was in depth.

He fell to his knees and grasped his hair. Even since he defeated Cell, he was to face high demands and until this day it seemed he would fulfill them all. He thought he would even exceed them by showing once and for all he had managed to become a Super Saiyan. He had it all figured out. After his victory, he would be welcomed warmly in Tauvega by every citizen in the city. He would have lived up to his family's expectations and his name would be established forever. How wrong can one person be? Not only had he not come up to the demands the entire Saiyan population set on him, he also disgraced the mighty Super Saiyans of the ancient times. And now, word would spread that Gohan had transformed, the legend of the Super Saiyans would rise out of the history books again and people would think that the legend was hugely exaggerated. One of them was beaten, after all.

He was awoken from his thoughts by the voice of Bann.

"Gohan, you must snap out of this! If you don't, I'll blast you out of it!" He yelled impatiently in a loud voice.

That was all the wake-up call Gohan needed. He realized Bann was right and feeling sorry for himself would not make the situation any better. He made his head empty and breathed in and out to make himself completely calm. After he was calmed down to his normal demeanor, Gohan mentally made a list of everything that needed to be done at that moment.

Loosening up his shoulders, he rose from the ground and turned around to Bann.

"Who was in charge when I was knocked out?" He asked calmly.

"No-one really. The high-officers got into a fight about what was the next course of action." Bann said angrily.

"What about you? Didn't they listen to you? You are in charge after me."

Bann looked to the ground and clenched his teeth.

"I was out too. I just got out of my unconsciousness and I decided to check you first. My apologies, Gohan."

"No apologies Bann." Gohan said sternly. "The only one who should apologize is me, and that's exactly what I'm going to do. Gather all the men with the wounded, so they can all hear what I have to say."

Bann widened his eyes in shock and when Gohan was about to pass him by, he lay on hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"Gohan, you don't have to do this. As a general, you can't answer to their call for an explanation. If you have any desire to justify your actions towards them, drop it, because you owe them nothing. This loss of victory is not your fault. The King gave you orders to fight the enemy unprepared and with no information about them. We were outnumbered and ambushed and we had absolutely no chance of winning and you know this. Don't do this, Gohan."

Bann squeezed his shoulder a little to enforce his speech, but it was in vain.

"Bann," Gohan began as he looked at his friend's face, "there are two kinds of people in life. Those who keep standing in the row, just like everyone else, and those who make the step forward. And the last make the most difference."

With that having said, he gave Bann a nod and he walked out of his tent.

When he came out, he saw the troop had made a makeshift encampment somewhere in an open spot in a dark forest. Apparently it had rained, because thick raindrop fell from the leaves of the trees around the open spot. As Gohan walked past the row of tents to find the one he needed, he heard moans of agony coming from his left. On his left lay hundreds and hundreds of injured men in the open spot, on the soft grass. Their comrades were taking care of their wounds and many sat around them and looked at the sight before them with a helpless and staring expression on their faces. When Gohan saw it, he felt a stab of guilt in his heart, but he kept on walking through the rows of tents. He finally found the one he sought for, the biggest of them all, and entered it fast-paced.

When he entered it, he saw ten men sitting around a low table in the middle. They all looked at him in surprise when he entered.

"General, you're awake." One of them said.

Gohan glared at the man before he walked towards the table and sat down on his knees around it.

"Fill me in about the course of action that has been taken during my absence." Gohan barked, although he already knew what their reply would be.

"Uh, General…we weren't sure about what to do, so there…uhm, hasn't been a course of action." One muscular man in his fourties said nervously.

Gohan growled in anger and slammed his fist on he table, that cracked immediately.

"Have you ever even thought about contacting the spaceships?! We must get the hell out of here, before the enemy finds us and kill everyone who is left!" He yelled with a demanding voice.

"Yes, sir, I'll do that." One of the high officers said.

"Yes, please!! Alright, you there, you will install guards and scouts in the area, just in case the enemies find us."

"Yes, sir!"

"And you will find a few troops to count and identify the survivors. When they are done, make sure Garth will receive that list, so he can process everything."

"I will."

"I want you there to prepare for the individual cremation of every single death Saiyan you can find in the encampment. Don't challenge me by looking at me that way. My anger is at it's peak and my patience is gone."

"Y-yes sir."

"And you…I want you to send a message to every space station in the empire."

"Yes, sir…what's the message."

"DF66…R6Y…U34…RRT3…8IP…00SR…8T…4V7J"

When Gohan had said the coded message, all the men in the room looked at him in shock. They could all decode the message and what they heard made chills go through their spines and panic rise in their stomachs.

"Another army?" One of the men asked in disbelief.

Gohan sighed as his thoughts wandered back to the battle with the namek.

"You wouldn't even be ready to fight him. That is, if he were here. He is invading another one of your planets as we speak. The army you are fighting here is under my command and these troops are actually reserves. The real troops are fighting under Ferdiad…they are much more experienced and in far greater numbers than these men."

He could still hear the voice of the namek say that. He first thought it was bluff, just to manipulate him. But after the battle, he began to believe that it might be true and that another planet was about to be attacked. Had had to warn every space station, so they could send a signal to every military base and spaceship that they had to be prepared for an invasion. Planet's troops would be mobilized and spaceships would watch out for a massive fleet. That was all Gohan could do for now.

"Yes, men…another army." Gohan muttered while he stared at the table absently.

"But how do you know?"

"The Namek I fought told me so." Gohan replied with a frown.

"Maybe it was to manipulate you. It might not be true."

"I know that!" Gohan barked impatiently. "But what if it is? We've never seen this Ferdiad and for all we know, he could be on his way to another planet. We can't risk another loss. That is why we must be prepared. If they're planning on attacking another planet, it will be one which is significant for the entire empire. So send messages to Vegeta, Utark, Yondor, Cylidon, Thesbon and every other major planet in the empire."

"Yes, sir, I'm on it."

By now, Bann walked into the tent and he looked at Gohan.

"The troops are gathered, General." He said with a frown on his face.

"Good, let's go." Gohan replied as he stood up and walked to the exit. He stopped when he saw Bann's frown.

"Before you go, General, I must let you know that I am completely against the thing you are about to do." Bann said.

"Well, then it's a pity you don't make the rules down here, isn't it?"

With that having said, Gohan and Bann glared at each other for a short while, before Gohan left the tent and made his way to the troops.

They were all gathered in the open field and when Gohan approached, some turned their heads towards him with a hopeful expression and some of the men that could still walk rose from the ground.

Gohan jumped on a rock so he could now oversee all the men and he sighed deeply. What he was about to do was completely against any rule in the Saiyan empire, and especially for someone as powerful as the General of the Royal Army. A man of Gohan's power did not have to explain his actions or give his apologies to inferiors. The ways of the mighty are inscrutable. And yet, this seemed to be the right thing to do.

"Brothers in arms…" He spoke in a loud voice that drew the attention of every single person on the field.

"Hear my words!" And they all listened to him.

"A red dawn will rise above the earth, the blood of those who lost their lives will paint the clouded heaven. Soon, the skies shall cry their tears and let the rain fall on the earth and the winds shall wail in grief."

Gohan watched over the men. Some lowered their heads in honor for the dead, some watched him with a tired gaze and others just looked strait forward, an empty expression on their faces. And Gohan continued, while his emotions now influenced the sound of his voice.

"My men, I have failed you." His voice was now full of anguish and remorse, and the men, whether wounded, tired or empty, all turned their gaze towards him and looked at their general.

"I neither led you to victory, nor shared the faith of those who have fallen. For a man of my duty, there can be only two honorable outcomes in battle: one is winning, two is death, with no in between. And I haven't succeeded in obtaining either of them. And it is my duty, and mine alone, to suffer the shame of loss."

Each and every men felt the respect they already had for their General grow. It took immense courage to abandon all rules and traditions and to admit one's fault to people that are inferior to him.

"Comrades, my companions, I ask you this: Like destiny spared me, will you do likewise? Will you forgive me this defeat, grace me with another chance to arise from the ashes of loss and give me the opportunity to never let this occur any more? Will you let me avenge the death of our brothers?"

Gohan was silent for a few seconds to enforce the words he had just said and when he looked at the men, he found that the expressions of pain, tiredness and emptiness were gone. Gohan had inspired the men to be hopeful again and now he knew for sure he had done the right thing by doing this.

"It is not a command, not a request…it is not even a question. It is my plea. And that I owe to you."

All of the men looked at him in a way that showed their immense respect for their General. The high officers, that also had listen to every word he said, looked at him in shock and Bann carried a thoughtful frown on his face.

All of a sudden, one man from the field stepped forward and walked towards the General. A few meters from Gohan, with the rest of the men behind him, he stopped. And all of a sudden, he hit his own chest with his clenched fist, before he raised the same hand to the sky. And with a loud voice, he yelled.

"FOR OUR BROTHERS!"

The rest of the men followed the same gesture and, forgetting his powerful position, Gohan also joined his men.

The high officers looked at the scene with disapproving nods, while the forest was filled with the a constantly repeated sentence.

For our brothers.

Dawn was approaching. The stars disappeared gradually and the moon faded. It was silent in the encampment. Some men talked in hushed voices, while others sought out the isolation and thought everything over and while still others were resting and sleeping.

Gohan sat around a small campfire and he examined the wound on his shoulder, that was caused by a sharp piece of shattered armor. The cut was stitched, but it was done in haste and without care. Gohan let his fingers go over the stitched wound and he felt a stinging, annoying pain.

"Maybe you should let a real doctor look at it when we're home." Bann, who was sitting next to him, said, before he stuffed his mouth with a loaf of bread.

"The doctors here aren't what they used to be any more, those sons of bitches."

Gohan let out a small chuckle at Bann's words. He was right. The wound didn't look very good, even after the stitching. But maybe he would let it this way. Maybe, a scar would form on his skin, a scar that reminded him of his defeat and that would always encourage him to be the best.

While he was eating, Bann observed Gohan attentively, before he found the words for his question.

"How'd you do it?"

Gohan turned his gaze to Bann and looked at him questioningly.

"How did you manage to become a Super Saiyan?" Bann added.

The General sighed and looked at the fire absently.

"Oh, that…I was fifteen and I battled Cell. During that fight, odds were extremely against me. My energy was gone and my body was broken. The only thing that kept me going and urged me to keep on fighting, was the only thought in my mind. 'If I fail, the world is gone. The universe is dead.' It was a not a desire, but a need. I needed to win. And that's…how I did it."

When Gohan spoke his words, Bann looked at him with a cocked eyebrow.

"I can't explain." Gohan said when he saw Bann's expression. "Even I don't understand it yet. I guess it's just something you have to experience."

"I guess." Bann replied bitterly. "But why did you never tell me?"

"At the time, you hadn't joined the army yet. And when you did, I just didn't feel the urge to tell anyone. Besides, it was a long time ago." Gohan answered indifferently.

A silence followed. Bann chewed on a piece of tough bread and Gohan let his back fell onto the grassy ground. He closed his eyes and looked at the still dark sky. A few minutes went by, while the two men listened to the cracking of the fire, the first chirping of birds and the hushed voices of the other men.

"What will you do when we come back?" Bann asked all of a sudden, when a good ten minutes had passed by.

Gohan aimed his gaze from the sky to Bann and thought for I while.

"I don't know. I'll do whatever the King wants me to do." He answered softly.

Bann chuckled bitterly at his answer and shook his head in disappointment.

"Have you forgotten the King is the one who got us into this mess?" He asked as he looked at Gohan with a piercing gaze. "He is the one who gave orders to send us to this place and of course you protested, I know you well enough to say that with certainty. If there is anyone to blame for this defeat, it is him…and yet you are still willing to follow his every order? I can't believe it. I know loyalty is in your nature, but this is madness!"

Gohan swallowed when he heard those words and the aggressiveness in which they were spoken. He knew all too well Bann was right. It was not just this battle that made Bann utter these words, it was so much more. The King was supposed to be a father to his people, and a leader to his followers and a beacon of inspiration to those who fought for him. But everything he did was the complete opposite to this thought. King Vegeta was rarely amongst his own people, he made rash and unwise decisions and his attitude towards his army was plainly disgraceful. And this also got to the soldiers. The King never went on campaigns any more, he expected unconditioned devotion and loyalty towards him and they did not receive any gratefulness except a phony and rehearsed speech, that was always the same anyway. Loyalty faded amongst the soldiers, also Bann's. Gohan knew this all too well.

Bann saw Gohan think and he went on with his speech.

"Gohan, I am going to be rude…You have lost your honor because of the King's decision. You were expected to do things you couldn't possibly fulfill. The King will know about the outcome of the battle…and he will blame you for it. And because the people will never know you didn't have any choice in the matter, they will also blame you. You will be an object of mockery, they will laugh at you for being defeated by a namek and you will loose your reputation of being the strongest warrior alive. I know you never claimed to be that, but I know it is your purpose to achieve that status. Face it, Gohan…it's the truth. The King uses you as a puppet. He knows you'll follow every order he gives to you and you know what the worst thing is? You are actually fine with it!"

Gohan averted his eyes from Bann. He understood why Bann thought this way. It was true, maybe he was a puppet, that was used by Vegeta at will. Maybe there was something like being too loyal. But there was something not many people knew about the relationship of Vegeta and Gohan. Godfather and godson…teacher and pupil…master and apprentice…as if they were family. And who turns his back on family?

"What do you want me to do? Betray the King?" Gohan asked directly and coldly. Bann weighed his words before he replied to that.

"Listen, Gohan…" Bann began cautiously. "The Royal legions aren't loyal to the King. They are loyal to you. You inspire them to do things they never thought they would do for a general. You are the one who shares his victory, but decides to suffer the shame of defeat alone. You are the one that makes them fight for the King's cause. They will follow you to wherever your path is leading you to, and they would do that with no questions asked. That is enough to finally make the King fear his army and give us what we deserve; respect."

Gohan had heard the words, but didn't react. While Bann looked at him expectantly, Gohan did something Bann never expected him to do. With a blank, emotionless expression, he rose from the ground and without giving Bann one more look, he turned around and walked away.

"Gohan!" Bann called after him. "How far does loyalty stretch? If loosing your honor doesn't make you turn your back to your King, then what will?"

Bann saw Gohan stopped in his tracks for a few seconds. He knew he touched a sensitive chord. But Gohan walked on a few moment later and he left Bann alone for the rest of the time they had left on the planet where the General found his first defeat.

That's that...

R&R please

I'm off to bed...

bye...