A/N: I am really sorry for the super long delay, but here I am now so don't fret! This chapter was particularly hard to write because it's mostly explanation and talking between Gohan and Trunks. But trust me, by the end of this chapter, you'd be in for a big surprise! Oh and I'm warning you in advance, you will most likely be confused but everything will be answered in due time. If you've read my other story "The Greatest Gift You can Give," then you know that I reveal answers as the story goes on. But just in case, if you want, ask me your questions in your reviews and I'll try to answer them to the best of my abilities.
Kisa-kun: You asked an important question! I would say that Trunks is only a few years younger than Gohan, I'm guessing by two years only.
Avalon: What happened to both Goku and Chi-chi will be explained in this chapter. As for Goten, I don't think he would be in this fic. Sorry. And about Gohan and Videl's relationship, hrmmm, that's hard to answer. Let me get back to you on that one. -
To all my other reviewers, thank you very much! Actually, you guys were the only reason I actually updated. I lost inspiration for this, but when I remembered all my reviewers I knew I had to stick to my commitment.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything…sheesh
Chapter 6
Secrets are weapons that can be used against you, keep no secrets and you keep no weapons
-Richard Tuazon
Step…..step...run...step
Itwas already getting dark somehow, as if nature understood Gohan's mood as he ran up the stony pathway of Delby Park. His eyes surrounded the area for a brief moment and a small smile escaped through for a moment. Everything about this place was embedded in his mind. This was where he, Trunks and Bra would go and play after one of Vegeta's training sessions. This was where life seemed simplest. However short those times were, they were irreplaceable.
The smile on his face vanished, his surroundings blurring as he increased his pace in haste. Only the sound of his pounding heartbeat and the occasional pebble his feet would knock off reached his ears. The inner war in his mind was silent to the outside world.
What could Trunks possibly be doing?
What was in Videl's drink?
Gohan's face contorted to a frown, his brows dipped down. Ever since Vegeta left his relationship with Trunks has gone down hill, and kept rolling even deeper. Had this happened a long time ago, he was confident that this entire situation was just a joke. A joke his younger friend, someone Gohan even considered a little brother, was playing.
A harmless prank.
But now, Gohan wasn't so sure. He didn't know what Trunks was capable of doing, not anymore…
And if Videl got caught in the cross fire of this brotherly spat, if she got hurt in anyway…
Gohan's fists clenched until his knuckles whitened,
…..there would be hell to pay
The street lights flashed on just as the sky completely darkened its glow, a mixture of violet and black tinting the clouds. Gohan stopped his advance.
Three men dressed in combat suits as dark as the sky emerged from the shadows. The street lights sparked then died above them, making it near impossible for visibility, for any normal man that is.
Gohan ignored them as they surrounded him in a triangle, night vision glasses over their eyes. He smiled and crossed his arms over his broad chest. "You're kidding me."
Silence
A strong cold breeze blew by them, rattling bushes and swaying trees as it passed.
"I don't want to hurt them Trunks."
One of the three men, the tallest of them who stood a few feet in front of Gohan laughed out loud, his voice expanding across the entire park like a hollow echo. "Did ya hear him guys, he said he don't want to hurt us. Maybe we should run away from the big bad bear."
The other two laughed with him, the force of their voices made Gohan's ears twitch slightly. He stared at the tall man in the eye and smirked. "Isn't it time to go home kids, its getting pretty late. Last time I checked it was a school night."
The trio stopped laughing.
"Oh no, they can't go home yet. Not until their job is done," came a different but familiar voice. Trunks finally emerged, a confident smirk plastered on his face, his hand fiddling with a small coin. "Care to play a game big brother?"
Gohan surveyed him for a moment, then turned back to the big hulky henchman. "Not really, you don't like losing very much."
The smallest one behind him made an advance but Trunks held his hand towards him. "Its okay, calm down." He turned back to Gohan. "Well we'll play anyway. Here's the game: I flip this small coin in my hand, and if it lands on heads my three friends over here get to kill you. If it lands on tails, you get killed by my three friends over here. Fair enough?"
Gohan chuckled. "Aren't I a bit too old to fall for that trick?"
Trunks ignored him and flipped the coin high in the air, a smile on his face. Gohan smirked and let his ki flare for a second, the impulse of this action sent the coin soaring over the trees and disappeared out of sight.
Trunks frowned. "Kill him."
No sooner had those words left his mouth, the three men charged at him. Gohan braced himself, clenched his fists and closed his eyes with a smile. Play time…
The biggest one of them aimed a massive fist for his head while the two from behind jumped up in the air, their outstretched legs directed at his chest. In the moment before impact, Gohan grabbed the big man's fist and pulled him forward then bent all the way back so that the kicks aimed at his chest collided with the big guy's face instead, sending him reeling to the ground a few feet away.
Gohan back flipped on his hands and pushed himself to the air. He twisted his body precisely to narrowly dodge the flying blades headed for him, which impaled the thick bark of the tree behind him instead.
Before he could get to his feet two large arms encircled him around the chest from behind, squishing him tight in a fierce bear hug. Gohan, who was suffocating with the horrible smell that simmered from his captor's armpits, swung both his legs up and over his head, releasing him from the vice grip until he was behind his large enemy. Then with both hands firmly clasped on the man's shoulders, Gohan implanted both his feet on his lower back and pushed until he heard a loud crack and a howl of pain before he kicked off, sending his first victim skidding across the soil. Gohan landed on his feet and hands with catlike grace.
But even before he could stand, a leg swept underneath him so that he fell flat on his back. Gohan was then forced to quickly push up and stand on his hands to avoid two pairs of feet from crushing his chest. With one hand outstretched Gohan snatched the laces from one of their boots, causing him to fall on his rump. Before the other one could move Gohan latched his legs around his neck and flipped them both over so that he was now standing while his victim lay limp on the ground.
"Please stay down."
Gohan turned around just in time to see a fist flying straight for his head. With a small squeak he ducked out of the way, jumped up from a kick, twisted out of a sharp dagger's path, back flipped from an axe kick and side stepped from a ki ball. His attacker slowed down, huffing for a breath. Finally seeing his chance Gohan grabbed him by the chest, but something was wrong…
He felt…..mounds? He's a GIRL!
Gohan's eyes widened and he quickly retracted his hands with a hasty apology. "I'm sorry miss!" he croaked sheepishly.
She, on the other hand wasted no time in attacking back. Placing her hands together she managed to hit Gohan square on the chest with a ki ball, then without hesitation jumped up for a drop kick. Gohan though had other plans. Using the laces he had previously stolen, he bent forward to dodge the kick and tackled her down gently before quickly tying her feet together. "Now wait just a damn minute lady I – oeuff!"
She had kicked off on his stomach before he could finish and rolled to stand on her feet. Gohan pushed himself up and ripped his shirt off. Time to end this…
Foreseeing her relentless attitude, he was ready when she charged. Gohan spun and knocked her feet off the ground when she was close enough and caught her before she feel. Quickly, he wrapped his shirt around her body and charged it with a bright blue ki.
"Don't move miss. I let go of this and you'll blow up like opposing chemicals," Gohan warned.
His captured opponent quickly froze, her breathing ragged. The heat of ki around her was beginning to scorch her skin, smoke emitting from her burning suit. She turned to Trunks for help. "Sir, help me….please."
Trunks ignored her and kept his aflamed eyes straight at Gohan. "Shut up, my dear brother won't kill you."
Gohan raised a brow. "Enough games Trunks, let's talk." He released his ki and unrolled his shirt, releasing his prisoner. She fell to the ground and crawled away into the darkness.
Trunks clapped his hands mockingly. "Very impressive. I had hoped they could finish you off. But hey, there's always next time."
Gohan crossed his arms. "You know they couldn't have killed me, but you still made them try anyway. What exactly are you trying to prove?"
Trunks ignored the question and fished out a capsule from his pocket. He pushed the top and threw it to the ground, a bar filled with wine glasses and an assortment of drinks emerged from the smoke. He pulled out a wine glass and filled it halfway with red wine. "Let's say I wanted to test your strength."
"With them? You're not that stupid Trunks."
"Of course I'm not." The purple haired demi-saiyan faced him with his arms spread out, a confident smile on his face. "I am, after all, Trunks Vegeta Briefs."
Gohan snorted. "Quit bragging."
"You know, all else considered, I had a pretty happy life even from my childhood. I was born with money, intelligence, looks, power and strength of limitless possibilities-
"Is this going to take long? I've got a hair appointment at six."
Trunks laughed and sipped his wine. He savored the taste of the crimson liquid and closed his eyes at the sensation as the wine burnt a trail down his dry throat.
"I had it all, yet still something was missing." Trunks began to walk around Gohan as he spoke. "It wasn't until I looked around me did I realize what it was. I didn't have anyone to share my experiences with. My mom was always working, my father training and I-well, I was getting quite lonely."
"And then, to my great surprise," Trunks stopped and pointed his finger at Gohan, "you came to our doorstep."
"My mom explained to me that you lost your parents and that from then on, you'd be living with us. Of course back then I wasn't paying any attention to a word coming out of her mouth. I was too busy rejoicing that I finally found a friend, who later became my older brother, then- followed shortly after, you became my role model."
Gohan fought desperately to keep a blank face.
"You were so cool to me. You were smart, strong, powerful, attractive- heck, you were exactly like me: yet somehow different. I wanted so much to be just like you that I spent most of my time copying your every movement. I loved you more than a brother Gohan….."
Gohan's emotionless mask faltered. What was Trunks doing?
"For a long time my goal was always to be just as good as you are, nothing more." Trunks was circling him again, his eyes narrowed darkly. "Until, that is, I noticed something else. My father, the one who paid very little to no attention to me at all had gotten mighty interested in you. More specifically your fighting skills. He said you were saiyan material. I didn't understand what he meant then, but the look on his face, the glint in his eyes was enough to tell me that he was proud of you."
Trunks laughed bitterly and downed his drink before he casted the glass to the ground. "At first it only stung and I paid no attention. But I realized that if I wanted to be like you I needed my father to be proud of me too. So, I trained. Hard. Day and Night. But I wasn't good enough. No, not to him. So I trained harder, worked harder, pushed beyond my limits to make him proud. Nothing. Pretty soon I became so obsessed with trying to make my father proud of me, his real son, that becoming like you was no longer any of my concern. If anything my love for you was slowly transforming to something else. I worked so hard to try and impress my father but I never was quite good enough. You, on the other hand kept getting compliments from him….It sickened me."
"Is there a point to this?" Gohan asked fiercely. He did not like where this story was heading.
Trunks raised his index finger and continued on. "Yet somehow, as hard as I tried, and believe me I tried, I couldn't hate you. Even when you left me and Bra to go to high school, even when you chose to hang around Videl and your friends rather than with Bra and I, I still couldn't get angry at you. Oh no, not at you."
"Trunks…."
"Until that one night." Trunks' eyes had turned icy and cold, his lips pressed in a firm line. "You remember that night don't you? It was a few days after we sensed that high power level."
Flashback…
Gohan rushed into the STR and grabbed Vegeta by the arm, his face in a deep frown, sweat pouring from his body. "You can't be serious Vegeta. Don't do this, you can't- YOU CAN'T LEAVE!"
His heard was pounding in his chest as he fought for breath. Vegeta can't leave!
The saiyan prince yanked away from the young demi-saiyan's grasp and grabbed his shoulders firmly. "Listen to me Gohan, I don't have a choice. You're going to stay strong and lead SCAT from now on. Most importantly, watch our family. Keep them safe."
What was he saying? What kind of bull was this!
"Vegeta…I- I can't…
Vegeta shook him roughly, angrily. Gohan had never seen him this mad before. "Don't you dare say it boy. Don't you dare! I need you to be strong, I demand it! You're in chard of your home and I expect you to protect it. Protect each other. Now, I don't know how long it will take- or if I'm even going to make it…"
Tears poured from Gohan's eyes. He grabbed onto Vegeta's shirt as if it was his last lifeline and grasped it tightly, almost ripping it apart. "Vegeta, don't say- what about Bulma? And Trunks and Bra? They need- we need you."
Vegeta slapped him across the face and grabbed his head with both hands, eyes burning. "I will not have you crying on me brat. I built you stronger than this, now fix yourself."
Gohan immediately stopped crying, the burning on his cheek was left ignored.
The saiyan prince closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "I'm leaving."
His eyes widened. "But aren't you going to say goodbye to-
"No," Vegeta interrupted firmly, grasping Gohan's head and forcing him to look straight into his eyes. "Listen Gohan, I know I'm asking a lot from you so suddenly but you must understand it. And once again I must burden you with another even more difficult task. But it is imperative that you do this. Are you listening? You must promise- no, you must swear to me, look at me when I'm talking to you boy! Promise me you'd do this and keep this secret until I return or until your grave."
Gohan shook his head violently but Vegeta held onto him more firmly. The ceiling above them opened as an empty space pd rose and opened its cockpit.
"Gohan!" Vegeta growled angrily.
"I promise."
"You swear it?"
Gohan nodded, a determined look formed on his face. "To my grave…."
Vegeta closed his eyes, a small unnoticeable smile on his lips, and he whispered, "This is what you need to do…"
End Flashback….
"I was there Gohan, listening by the door. I didn't hear it all but I heard enough of it."
Gohan took a step forward. "It's not what you think Trunks…"
"Oh I know what happened. I think I know my own father better than you." Trunks hissed, his face contorting to a look of rage. His body shook with anger, his hands fisting at his sides. "Don't try and protect him Gohan, you're part of the problem as well."
"I'm not protecting him, I'm justifying-
"His actions? You're justifying his actions?" Trunks chilling laugh sent tremors down Gohan's spine. Whether Trunks was aware of it or not, his power level was rising exponentially. "I don't know what angers me the most really. Was it because he left us?" His fiery glare intensified at Gohan. "Or was it because he left us without saying goodbye, or any explanation what so ever," a shaking accusing finger pointed at him, "except to you…."
Gohan gritted his teeth. "This is not the time to discuss that, Trunks. Vegeta had his reasons and I trust his judgment, you'd be wise to do the same. If there's anything I learned-
"You know what I learned?" Trunks' power level was gradually dropping back to normal, but the look of hatred in his face did not lessen. "I learned two things throughout my life."
"Why are you telling me this Trunks?"
"First thing I learned is that the ones you love the most cause you the most pain, most grief….."
Gohan advanced another step.
"Second thing I learned is that secrets are the most important tool that can be used against you…"
He yanked Trunks by the shirt and lifted him up so that they were eye to eye. "Where are you going with this?" Gohan hissed darkly.
"He destroyed our family when he left Gohan…"
"No Trunks, he protected us! He risked his life to go to space for us…."
"Protect us? He destroyed our family! MY FAMILY! Ever since he left my mom's been locked up in her lab, continuously slaving away to achieve answers to questions no one has asked or even care about! She's been working day and night to distract herself from the pain. Because of father, Bra's self confidence has dropped. She thinks she's a burden that keeps our family broken, she thinks she's the cause of every bad thing that happens. She blames herself Gohan! She blames herself for a crime my father committed."
"Vegeta sacrificed the greatest thing that ever happened to him for us. He left us to protect us Trunks, and instead of risking your lives to say goodbye he chose to leave! Do you have any idea how hard it was for him to leave you all without a-
Before Gohan knew it, a fist collided against his cheek and he was sent flying on his back and crashing to the ground. The pain was blinding at first but he pushed it away as Trunks, now glowing a golden light, a look of pure rage on his face, lifted him to his feet.
"My father left us for power and you know it! All his life all he wanted was to be stronger. Always stronger! He never gave two shits about us so don't try to salvage his image because it's too late!"
Gohan winced as Trunks' aura got stronger around them until he could feel his clothes begin to simmer. Any more of this and he might just have a situation he can no longer control.
With a loud yell Gohan pushed his ki out until his entire body was bathed in a bright golden light, the force of his power sent Trunks soaring back until he crashed on a thick tree trunk a few meters away.
When he felt Trunk's hold on him relinquish Gohan powered back down and approached his little brother with caution and anger. By the time he got to him Trunks was already up on his feet, his hands on his knees for support. He wiped the blood that dripped down the corner of his mouth and laughed. "You're foolish if you think I'd believe you. I don't believe what he told you."
"He is coming back. Vegeta is coming back, he promised us and I trust him."
Trunks spat blood on his feet. "Liar. You just made that 'Oh he left us to protect us from an evil monster but he'll be back bullshit' up so that we wouldn't hate him for leaving us."
"Believe whatever you want Trunks, I don't really care right now. What I want to know is what the hell did you put in Videl's drink?"
"Ahh, so you do know who agent Krista is. Finally."
Gohan ignored him. "Tell me what you did to Videl."
His voice was demanding, so very unlike the warm loving brotherly voice he normal used when he talked to Trunks.
The purple-haired demi-saiyan straightened up and smiled. "Ever since the day my father left I hated you Gohan, and I hated him. Like I said, the ones we love cause us the most pain."
Gohan was going to tell him he didn't care but Trunks wasn't finished talking.
"So I decided I would get you back for all the pain you've caused me."
"You know you can't beat me Trunks, you've tried before." Gohan kept his calculating glare fixed on him.
"Maybe so. But you know me Gohan, I never play a game that I know I cannot win."
He said nothing and Trunks continued.
"As you of course know, ever since Vegeta left, SCAT was placed on your hands. But you left your post, you didn't want to lead so I took the chain of command without hesitation."
"I don't care about SCAT, I work for the CCA now." Gohan interrupted.
Trunks smirked and raised a finger. "Ah, but of course you know who leads CCA."
"Bulma Briefs, head of Capsule Corporation."
Trunks shook his head, his malicious smile growing wider. "Were you not listening to me? I told you that ever since my father left my mom has spent all her time in her laboratory. So guess who your new boss is."
Gohan's eyes widened.
"That's right. I am." Trunks smirked and sat down on a large boulder. "Do you really think that you working with Videl was a coincidence? I mean come on, what are the chances. Of course it wasn't coincidence, I planned it."
Gohan's heart began to pound on his chest, his breathing became erratic. It never actually occurred to him that someone might've planned this entire situation. Now that he thought about it, it did seem too coincidental. His throat felt dry. "You- you sent that threat to Erasa so that CCA and Secret Service would work together."
"Bingo! You are pretty smart dear old brother."
Gohan shook his head in disbelief. "But, how? There must've been at least hundreds of Secret Service agents. How'd you know Videl would get assigned to it?"
Trunks smiled. "I made sure of course. Let's just say I have a very personal connection in Secret Service." (1)
"But why?"
"Ahh, why indeed. When I heard about yours and Videl's secret identity, I also found out that you had no idea that your best friend was also a secret agent. I needed you both to work together somehow, hoping that in some way one of you slips and reveals your real identity to the other. I also wanted the both of you to get a lot closer."
Gohan frowned. "Get closer? Why?"
"Because you love each other but not one of you would admit that. I needed you to know that Videl loved you so that when she gets taken away from you, it would hurt you ten times more. I wanted you to regret not telling her you loved her when she dies."
Gohan's ki flared brightly. "She did nothing to you Trunks. Why are you doing this to her?"
Trunks smiled. He loved having power over his older brother. "Well, it's quite simple really. She took you away from me, you took my father away from me, so I'm taking you both out. You see, out of everyone in this world, I loved you and my father the most. But I lost you both. So now, I'm taking what's most important to you and her. Like I said, the people we love hurt us the most."
Gohan's body began to tremble; his mind whirled with endless worst case scenarios. If anything happened to Videl…
He looked up at Trunks, fists clenched tight. "What was in her drink Trunks?"
"Oh yes, that." Trunks got to his feet and walked around him again. "For the past few years Capsule Corporation Labs all over the world focused on two major areas only. One was DNA enhancement & manipulation, the other was Nanocybernetics. Now being the genius that I am, I created a project called the GERM Virus. I hired all of the world's best scientists and engineers to perfect my GERM Virus project until finally, a month ago to be precise, the project was completed."
"The Germ Virus are billions of advanced microscopic robots carrying deadly viral genetics. Once they enter the body of a living organism they attach themselves to every cell in that body. They are harmless little robots, unless of course someone presses this remote." Trunks took out a small capsule from his pocket and held it in his palm.
"In this capsule is a remote module that, when pressed, orders all of those harmless little robots to inject their virus in each and every living cell in that body, killing it in a mere eleven seconds."
Gohan couldn't believe what he was hearing. The anger in him was boiling to new heights but he fought desperately against the idea of ripping Trunks apart limb by limb. Not until he heard everything he needed to hear….
Trunks smirked at his older brother's state of anger and pocketed back the capsule. "Now I know you're wondering a lot of things. Why didn't I just inject it in you? Well, it seems that saiyan genetics have very strong anti-bodies against this kind of virus. Anything that has saiyan in them has this special immune system that my virus just can't penetrate."
"Second question you're wondering. What's stopping you from just killing me and taking the remote? It's simple really. Besides the fact that I know you would not harm me, I requested that a remote detonator be placed inside of me that is linked to my vitals. Meaning if I die, the GERM Virus will automatically be detonated and Videl will die as well."
Trunks paused and looked directly at Gohan's eyes. "You probably want to rip me off limb by limb right now but I'm sorry to say that the worst is yet to come dear brother. You see, I don't want to make this any easier for you. I want you to suffer. So, using Videl as my hostage, I am inviting you to play in my little game. If you don't play Videl will die."
Gohan gritted his teeth so hard he could feel it break. He kept his silence.
"Don't worry Gohan, you're not playing alone. Videl's playing in my game too!" Trunks smirked. "Before I explain the game and your objectives I want to ask you a question. Do you know where Videl is now?"
Gohan's eyes widened and his ki surged. "What did you do to her!"
"Nothing, calm down. I won't kill her yet, I need her for my game remember?" Trunks threw a small gadget at Gohan, who caught it effortlessly. It was a small radar that looked like the dragon radar except it was square and had a lot more buttons on the sides. It showed one large black dot in the center, and a moving red dot not very far away.
"That's a radar if you haven't already figured out. The black dot is you, and the red dot is Videl. As you can see, she's heading your way."
Gohan looked up at him questioningly.
"I sent my men to your house a little while ago, and they left a note for Videl. She thinks that I have her beloved Gohan captured and the only way for her to get her Gohan back," Trunks paused and smirked, "is if she kills you."
Gohan's eyes widened and he stopped breathing. All the blood from his face drained away.
Trunks shook his head. "Wait a minute, wait a minute. That doesn't make sense does it? I mean, if she kills you, then she kills her beloved Gohan." There was a glint of insanity in his eyes. "But then again, she doesn't know who you really are, right Agent Jasper? You didn't tell her your little secret did you?"
"You bastard!" Gohan charged for him but stopped immediately when Trunks raised his hand.
"You can't hurt me remember." Trunks taunted.
Gohan's mind searched for any loop holes in Trunks' plan desperately. It didn't take him long until he found one. Turning around, he was about to jump up into the air when Trunks spoke again.
"Hold on a second there buddy, I didn't explain the rules yet."
Gohan froze. Oh no….
"There is only one rule in my game. Rule number one. You can't reveal your identity to her. Why? Because I gave her a deadline. I told her that if she didn't give me your head in two months, I will press the trigger and she will die."
Gohan felt his stomach go down. That was his last hope. The radar in his hands began to beep loudly as the red dot got closer and closer.
Trunks dusted himself clean. "You're quite in a dilemma aren't you? I mean, she thinks that in killing you she'll get her Gohan back but in actuality she'll be killing the love of her life instead. And you can't tell her who you really are because if I don't get your head in two months I press the trigger and she dies. Plus you can't kill me because if I die, the GERM Virus will automatically work. And I know you're not stupid enough to try and remove the GERM Virus from her. How can you if the virus is attached to every single cell in her body. Hmmmm, I say you have two choices here Gohan."
Trunks backed away slowly, the smile on his face never leaving. "Either you kill the woman you love…
His feet lifted up into the air. "Or, you let the woman you love kill you…."
The radar's frantic beeping turned to a flat line just as Trunks disappeared. He could feel his heart pounding at his throat as his entire body began to tremble with fear. Never in his life had he been so afraid.
Slowly, he turned around…
There was Videl, tears flowing down her eyes, two long daggers on her hands, a look of pure sorrow and hatred on her face, her breathing labored. "I'm sorry Jasper, they took Gohan from me, I have to kill you if I want him back…."
No words could explain or even describe the pain that Gohan felt as she spoke those words. He was trapped between his lies and he was paying the price.
There was only one thing left to do, a tear slid down his cheeks,
Run…
And there you have it folks! Finally this chapter is done, and the fun parts can now begin! Hurray!
(1)Refer to the last scene in Chapter 1
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