gvhbjnkmasdf (Guest): Thanks! And I'm sorry that I have kept everyone in the dark for so long about many things, but hopefully this will help clear some things up. Don't worry, everything will be revealed by the end of this fanfiction.
AnimeWolfGirl16: To answer your question, Gohan originally gets the knife in this fanfiction and (since you read I Need You), his other self said that everything was the same for him up until the Cell Games.
Chapter 17: Rifts
Gohan's eyes slowly opened. He knew that he had passed out at some point, and was not surprised to find that he was in his bed. He was also not surprised to see Marie sitting on the floor next to the bed, staring at him.
This is becoming a common theme, he thought with a smile.
"Hi Marie," he said and watched as the girl looked up at him with a sheepish smile on her face.
That made him confused. Marie hadn't looked at him like that before.
"What did you do?" he asked, resisting the urge to laugh at the look she gave him.
He saw Marie glance at the door before looking at him again and back down to her lap, making Gohan even more confused.
"I'm not mad," he pried gently; "I just want to know what you did."
His friend gave him one more glance before pulling something out of her pocket, then handing it to him.
"Yours," Marie stated with a smile, "your gift."
Gohan wanted to laugh, but he felt the feeling go away when he saw what Marie had handed him.
He hadn't paid much attention to the knife after they had come to the building. It was one of the few things he still had from their old house.
"Um, thanks Marie," he said looking over at her, "where did you find this?"
Marie thought for a moment before answering.
"Out there," she stated as she pointed out towards the meeting room.
"Ok, they must have been using it for cutting food then," Gohan nodded with a smile, but then looked at Marie, who now had a mad look on her face.
"Disrespect of your property," she whispered disapprovingly before looking at him with a smile, "Yours."
Gohan laughed at his friend's light behavior. He looked over at the door and saw that it was opened a bit. Marie followed his gaze before glaring at the door.
Why does she keep doing that? Gohan thought with confusion before his eyes widened when he saw that Marie was walking towards the door, the glare still present on her face.
"Um… Marie?" he started to ask, a bit worried with how she was staring at the door.
He then heard hurried footsteps that faded when Marie got close enough to open the door. Marie stood by the door for a moment longer, still glaring at it.
"Wonder what that was about," Gohan thought out loud. He watched as Marie stalked over to the bed, another mad expression on her face.
"Yeah I wonder," he heard Marie mumble sarcastically, making him confused.
What has gotten into her? Gohan thought as he stared at the door and then back at Marie, who was now sitting on the bed looking sad.
Trying to think of a way to cheer his friend up, Gohan then had an idea.
"Hey, Marie," he said quickly, "watch."
She looked over at him as he held the knife hilt towards her. He then saw she had a confused look on her face.
"What is it?" he asked, feeling somewhat worried. She stared at him and then the knife.
"What do you want me to watch?" she asked him, making him want to laugh at his own forgetfulness.
"Oops, I forgot to explain," Gohan stated quickly and then guided one of her hands to the hilt, "send your Ki through it."
Marie looked at him again before sending some of her Ki into the knife. Gohan smiled at Marie's surprised face as her name was then inscribed in Japanese symbols onto the knife.
"So that's how…" Marie started to say but then stopped, becoming almost speechless.
"Yep," Gohan said with a smile. He was somewhat glad that Marie had forgotten about what had happened a few moments before; it had somewhat scared him with the way she had been acting.
"Leyla's name isn't here," Marie commented, making Gohan think for a moment.
"Oh yeah, I guess I never thought to ask," He inwardly flinched, wondering why he hadn't asked his best friend to add her name to the knife, "Maybe I should-"
Marie tugged on his arm when he started to get up.
"What is it, Marie?" he asked, feeling as if his friend had something to say.
"Leyla doesn't want her name on the knife," Marie stated, avoiding his eyes.
"She doesn't?" he questioned, feeling confused, "How do you know that?"
"She told me while you were passed out," Marie stated slowly, still avoiding his eyes. He looked at her for a moment, wondering why she was acting so strange.
"Marie, is everything ok?" he asked softly as he stared at her. She looked over at him before staring at the open door.
"I want to go out there," Marie stated suddenly as she pointed out the door.
Gohan shook his head and led her into the meeting room, feeling as if something was very wrong.
Leyla saw with relief that Gohan was awake, but she frowned when she saw Marie come out of the room with him.
Why is she always with him? Leyla thought with a bit of jealousy.
Ever since Gohan had found the blue-eyed girl, Marie had constantly been with him at all times.
She saw Gohan walk over to the counter where Goku and Krillin were now looking for the knife. She watched as Goku explained that he hadn't been able to find the knife.
"I remember putting it right here," Goku said as he patted the top of the counter. Gohan glance over at Marie for a moment before answering.
"Marie apparently brought it in my room," Gohan said with an apologetic look on his face as he placed the knife back on the counter.
She must have taken it, Leyla thought as she narrowed her eyes. Marie looked over at her and copied the look, then glancing away when Gohan started talking again.
"Do you need any help?" Gohan asked his father, making Leyla somewhat lose interest in the conversation.
She walked over to the wall and sat down with her back against it, dozing a bit. She didn't really pay attention to the conversation until she heard Gohan sounding concerned.
"Dad, do you know where Marie went?" Leyla opened her eyes and looked over at her friend, who was looking somewhat worried.
"No, I thought she was right behind you," Goku stated as he pointed to where the other girl had been.
"She was but…" Gohan said with a shake of his head before staring out the door, "I'm going to go look for her."
"I'll help," Leyla shot up from her place on the floor before following closely behind Gohan.
"Thanks," he whispered, although Leyla could tell that his mind was someplace else.
Leyla paused and looked back into the house, making sure the girl wasn't hiding inside, before following Gohan out.
"Now where did that knife go again?" she heard Goku ask as she exited the house.
He really needs to find a better place to put that, Leyla thought with a smile, before realizing that she had lost sight of Gohan.
"Gohan?" she said, but did not get an answer. She tried searching for his Ki, but found that he must have been suppressing it.
Leyla continued to walk until she came to a dirt path leading out of the area. She quickly glanced around before following it.
She stared absentmindedly at the road, wondering where the other girl could have gone.
I personally don't care if she gets lost, but I know that would make Gohan sad, she thought with a sigh.
She didn't really like Marie, considering the other girl seemed to be vying for Gohan's attention all the time.
Leyla glance up in front of her when she thought she felt a Ki level, but it soon dissipated.
What was that? She wondered, glancing around. Her eyes then fell on a small, rundown shack off to her left.
"It looks like no one lives here," she mumbled, feeling sorry for whoever had lived in the shelter beforehand.
Better keep looking, she thought quickly. She started to walk again, this time away from the shelter.
Leyla suddenly felt a Ki level appear behind her and, trying to turn around, got pushed into the shack.
Wonder where Marie went, Gohan thought as he walked out of the house, she has been acting kind of strange today.
Gohan shook his head, thankful that Leyla had volunteered to help look. Ever since the two of them had met, both Leyla and Marie had seemed to have a barrier between them.
"But why?" Gohan thought out loud, but then stopped when he realized that Leyla could have heard him.
Glancing over his shoulder, he was surprised to see that Leyla wasn't following him. He started to panic a bit, before realizing something.
Where did her Ki go? Gohan thought worriedly when he realized he couldn't sense either Marie or Leyla anymore.
He turned a complete circle before coming to a realization.
She must be hiding her Ki, Gohan thought, or she could have gone off to cover more ground.
Feeling slightly more relieved, he continued his search. As he continued to walk, he started to feel as if the landscape was becoming more familiar.
Frowning slightly, he continued to walk before coming to a small cliff. He looked across to where there was a jagged ledge on the cliff, before looking down and seeing pieces of rock scattered on the ground.
Gohan shuddered, realizing he was at the cliff the three of them had explored a while ago.
Also, this is where I died, Gohan thought as he stared down at the ground below the cliff, remembering that Marie had mentioned of what happened after he had lost consciousness.
Looking up at the sky, Gohan realized it was already starting to get dark.
Didn't know it was so late, Gohan thought with worry, I should get back.
Gohan then thought of something.
"Maybe Leyla's already found Marie and brought her back," Gohan mused as he started to walk back.
But that still doesn't explain why she didn't contact me, Gohan thought as he continued to walk back home, hoping that his suspicion was right.
Marie had been hoping that Leyla would have hit her head and gotten knocked out when she had pushed her inside.
Would have made this a lot easier, Marie thought with a frown, a lot less pain that way.
Sadly for Marie, Leyla was still awake. The brown haired girl stood up clutching her head, staring with shock at Marie.
"What are you doing?" Leyla asked with a hint of anger, "We've been looking for you all over.
Marie pondered that, but her eyes narrowed.
She must be lying; Marie thought as she stared at the other girl, she doesn't care. I know Gohan's looking though.
Marie felt a slight flutter in the area around them, knowing that she would have to get this done quickly.
The disguise won't hold for much longer, she thought with a sigh, Gohan will then come looking…
She cringed at that, not wanting Gohan to know what she was about to do.
"But it has to be done," Marie thought, trying to convince herself, but stopped when she saw that Leyla was trying to get out the door.
Vines quickly grew and secured the door, making it not able to be opened. Marie watched as Leyla fell back in shock.
Did Gohan even tell her how similar I am to him? She thought as she walked over to the girl, who was trying to get up, does she even know what must happen?
She watched as her "friend" stood up, giving her a mad look.
"What is going on?!" Leyla demanded angrily, making Marie look away from her.
"I told you to stay away from him," Marie answered as she stared at the ground. Leyla gave her a look of confusion.
"Who?" she asked, still angry, "Gohan?"
Marie nodded, still not looking at the other girl.
"You can't tell me to do that," Leyla stated with a glare, "I have known him longer and you are just intruding upon our friendship."
Marie, feeling her anger rise, shoved Leyla against the wall of the shack, then slipped her hand into the pocket of her dress and pulled out the knife, holding it against Leyla's throat.
"You took it," Leyla whispered with her eyes wide, "it's Gohan's. You took from him."
Marie frowned, feeling guilt gnaw at her; Leyla's words were her exact conscience.
"Be quiet," Marie whispered, feeling her resolve start to fade a bit.
It only takes one small move, and then she's gone, Marie thought, one small move, and so much pain can be stopped.
Marie looked at Leyla, seeing the same tear stricken face as her own. She hated the thought of killing, she knew that.
But this should be an exception, she argued, feeling the disguise waver again.
She took one last look at Leyla and ran out the door, back towards where Gohan's Ki was coming from.
Gohan sat on his bed, trying not to worry so much as he watched the sun go down. He had come back to the building, still searching for their Kis, but found that neither Marie nor Leyla were back yet.
"I'm sure they're fine," his dad had said to him. Gohan knew he had been right, but he was still worried.
"I'll wait a bit longer, but if they aren't back by the time it's dark, I'm going to look for them," he had said as he walked towards his room, then knowing what his father was going to say next, he added, "and I don't think 'bedroom confinement' is working so well. My friends keep breaking me out on their own free will."
They had both laughed at that; making him forget momentarily that the two friends mentioned weren't there.
He sighed as he noticed that the sun had almost disappeared behind the scorched mountains in the distance. He closed his eyes for a moment, but opened them quickly again when he heard a familiar voice.
"I found it," was all the voice said before hurried footsteps came near his room, revealing Marie's tear stained face.
"Marie, what-" Gohan started to ask, but Marie ran and curled up into the flower; soft muffled crying coming from within.
He got up and peeked his head out the door, looking for his father in the eating area.
"Dad, do you know what's bothering her?" Gohan asked, hoping he would know.
"No, she just came in and when I tried to ask, she put the knife down and ran into your room," Goku said with a sad look, "sorry."
"It's ok," Gohan stated before going back to sit on his bed. He glanced at the huge flower again, not sure of how to comfort his friend.
But what's bothering her? He wondered, but turned around when he heard a knock on his window.
His eyes widened when he saw that Leyla was hanging from the windowsill. He quickly went and opened the window.
"Is that a habit I'm unaware of?" he asked, helping his friend up.
"No, but I wanted to make sure that it was safe," Leyla said when she was in the room, making him confused.
"Safe from what?" he asked, feeling very confused. He heard a movement and saw one of the flower's petals were parted slightly, but then it closed again when Leyla followed his gaze.
"Gohan, there's something I need to tell you about her," Leyla said hurriedly as she pointed at the flower.
"Were you two having some friend bonding time that I was unaware of?" Gohan asked hopefully, but with the way Leyla was looking at him, he knew that wasn't the case.
"No, of course not," Leyla said before lowering her voice, "Gohan, she tried to kill me."
Gohan stared at his friend with confusion. He looked back at the flower and knew that Marie could hear them.
"Leyla, I don't think this is the right time-" Gohan started to say warily, not wanting to upset either of his friends any further, but he was interrupted.
"Gohan, you have to believe me," Leyla pleaded, but Gohan still felt doubtful. Marie didn't seem like the type to hurt anyone, let alone Leyla.
But she has been acting weird, Gohan argued with himself.
"Gohan, she took your knife. She had it, and was going to kill me," Leyla pleaded again, but he started to back away, unsure of what was being said.
"I don't-" He started to say but shook his head, feeling confused and tired.
Gohan, please don't listen to her, Marie's pleading voice now came into his head.
I don't know, Marie. I know you couldn't hurt anyone, but she's my friend too, Gohan answered, shaking his head.
But Gohan- Marie's voice wavered for a moment before it grew frantic; how well do you think you really know her? What about her family?
I knew her mom- Gohan started to answer, feeling somewhat panicky.
Yes, but do you know anything else? Like why she has those weird eyes? Marie questioned, making him want to tell her not to insult Leyla because she was different, but for some reason he couldn't.
Gohan shook his head again.
"I need some time to think," Gohan whispered and then exited the room, not sure of who was telling the truth.
Hmm… I think this is a new record in length for this fanfiction (18 pages in Microsoft Word). Either way, this chapter was from Gohan, Marie, and Leyla's perspectives. Sorry I sort of jumped around a bit, but I had to do that to make it easier to understand. What do you think about how everyone is acting? Gohan is obviously confused (torn between his long-time friend and his new one), Marie is just acting really strange, and Leyla is definitely hiding something (but then again, aren't most of the characters). Next chapter will be a big realization that will just add to the confusion that Gohan is feeling (hint: it's about someone other than the three mentioned). What do you think the 'twist' will be? Either way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please tell me what you thought in a review (please?)!
-AnimeWolfGirl9