Title: The Invasion Saga
Author: AstroKender
Warnings: Gore. Angst. Sap.
Spoilers: None.
Notes: Takes place between the Cell and Buu sagas. Gohan centric.
Feedback: Welcome. Please review.
Disclaimers: DBZ belongs to Akira Toriyama and Funimation. This fic is for entertainment purposes and is not in any way meant for profit. Don't sue me.
Prologue
There was blood everywhere....
His clothes were soaked in it; the floor was covered.... His hands...
His hands were stained with their blood.
Dead. They were all dead.
All of them.
"See what your power does? You could have saved them but instead, you destroyed them. You killed them all, Gohan."
"No..."
Gohan stared in horror at his surroundings. His friends, his family, lay scattered around him like broken dolls. Dead. Turning, his foot brushed up against something solid and he looked down.
"W-why, Gohan?" Krillin coughed, reaching for him with the bloody stump of his arm. Gohan stared at the hole in the bald man's chest with a kind of horrid fascination. Bile rose in his throat and he gagged. He turned from the dying Krillin, unable to look upon his mangled friend anymore.
"Why, why did you kill us?"
Gohan whirled around to stare at the corpses of his family. "I'm sorry! I-I couldn't control it!"
"Your awful power destroys everything. You destroyed everything because you were too weak to control it...."
"I'm sorry." Shaking his head, Gohan stumbled back a few steps, turned, and ran from the bloody forms of his friends. Their sightless eyes followed him accusingly.
He ran past the corpses of Tien and Yamcha, past Bulma and Master Roshi's shattered bodies. He ran until his lungs screamed for air and the pain in his side made him fall to his knees. Gasping, he rested his forehead against the cool ground.
Feeling a touch to his hair, Gohan fearfully raised his eyes. A glowing figure stood before him, two finger's pressed to his brow. The figure turned towards him and smiled.
"Da-daddy?"
Goku nodded to his son, his face serene. "Stop fighting, Gohan. If you don't stop, you'll destroy all that you love."
Gohan stared up at him. "B-but what if--?"
"Do you want to kill someone else like you did me? Or Trunks?" He gestured off to the side and Gohan followed his gaze to two huddled figures. Young Trunks cradled his future self in his arms, trying to stanch the flow of blood from the gaping wound in the young man's chest. Tortured blue eyes gazed up at him.
"Why, Gohan?"
Gohan's fists clenched as he looked back towards his father. "I-I did that?"
"Don't you remember? It was during your fight with Cell, after I died...."
Suddenly Goku's body was surrounded by light as he exploded into a million sparkling pieces. Gohan gasped and reached out reflexively. "Father!"
"He's dead. Like all of us."
Hearing that voice, Gohan choked. Spinning around, he faced the fallen form of his mentor. "Piccolo!"
The Namek lay face down on the ground, wine colored blood trickling from his parted lips. "Tell me, Gohan.... How many times...do I have to die, because of you?"
"Piccolo!" Tears streamed down the half-Saiyan's cheeks. He watched as his closest friend slowly faded away. He was losing him again!
"No, no.... NO!"
Gasping, Gohan jerked awake.
***
It's been four years since the fateful battle with Cell. And for the most part, they have been four years of peace. Gohan is well on his way to becoming a man and, since his father's death, he has taken it upon himself to take care of his mother and baby brother. The Earth has been quiet for a long while, but is this just the calm before the storm? Something dark is lurking on the horizon, waiting for the right moment to strike. Let's hope our boys are ready for it.
Ch. 1- Disturbance
Gohan sat up in his bed, tears mingling with sweat as he panted, shuddering with the aftershocks of his nightmare. Rubbing his face on his flannel nightshirt, he glanced over at the clock: Three AM. Sighing, he forced his fist to unclench its death grip on the sheets. There was no way he would get back to sleep after that disturbing dream.
Gohan stared out his window sadly, watching the stars twinkle softly in the heavens. In his mind's eye, he relived those last few minutes of his father's life, when Goku had nobly sacrificed himself to save the planet. He still felt responsible for his death.
"I wish you were here now, Dad. I need you to make everything okay again."
Unbidden, his tears began to flow once more. Scrubbing at them irritably, his gaze dropped to the hills that darkened the distant horizon. "What are you doing, Piccolo? I haven't seen you in a long time."
Brightening slightly, Gohan slid out of bed and slipped on a T-shirt and a pair of jeans. He took a moment to fondly remember his purple gi, which was made for him by Piccolo. But the uniform would hardly fit him now. Shaking his head and smiling, he slid open his window and flew off silently into the night.
***
Gohan watched silently from the shadows of a copse of trees as three Namekians battled each other in the night air. Their fluidity of movement made the fight seem almost like a dance as they spun around each other. Swooping and diving, the figures ruthlessly barraged each other with a flurry of kicks and punches until all three were gasping for breath.
One of the Namekians paused suddenly, halting the fight. Gohan watched as he floated down to the cracked ground below. The other two swooped down and slammed into him until they merged into one whole person once more. Piccolo glanced back towards the grove where Gohan was hiding.
"You're getting rusty, kid. I heard you coming a mile away."
Gohan grinned sheepishly and left his hiding spot to come out into the dim light offered by the stars. Piccolo's eyes raked over his frame approvingly. "You've grown. But you haven't been training." His dark gaze swept over him once more. "You're too thin."
Blushing, Gohan scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Yeah, I've been real busy taking care of mom and Goten. Trunks too sometimes. Not much time to train, I'm afraid."
"Goten huh? I hear he's just like your father." Piccolo stared at the landscape absently, so he missed Gohan's wince.
"Yeah...All he does is eat and play." He laughed weakly.
Piccolo turned to stare at him. "Why are you here, Gohan? It's been three years."
"I-I..." Now that he was here, what should he say? Piccolo, I had a bad dream that made me cry and scared me so much that I went to the one person left on earth that I feel safe with? Gohan could just picture the Namek's sneer. He couldn't bear for Piccolo to think that he was so weak.
"Uh, no reason at all, Piccolo! Just visiting. Brr...It's kinda chilly out here, don't you think?" Gohan rubbed his arms for effect. "I'll go gather up some wood and we can build a fire."
Before the Namek could speak, Gohan had blasted off into the woods, disappearing in their shadowy depths. Piccolo just stared after him, frowning. Gohan wasn't one to lie, at least to him. Something must be very wrong.
"What is troubling you, kid?"
Gohan returned a short time later, carrying an armful of wood. They both sat beside the fire in silence, Gohan reluctant to talk and Piccolo having nothing to say. But the silence was companionable, it seemed like no time had passed since the Namek had taken the whiny little boy out here and left him to survive on his own.
But Gohan knew he had always been watching over him. No matter what, whenever he was in trouble, Piccolo would be there to help him. That was just the way things were.
Smiling, Gohan lay down next to his old teacher and closed his eyes. His nightmares would never reach him with Piccolo on guard, even though the Namek didn't know what he was guarding the boy from. Suddenly heavy lids closed over dark eyes and Gohan fell gently into the realms of sleep.
Piccolo watched him as he slept, his brow furrowed slightly with worry. Sighing, he reached out one green hand and rested it on top of the boy's thick black hair. He didn't know what was wrong, but he'd be there for Gohan, no matter what.
***
Gohan woke as the first rays of sunlight hit the plateau. Yawning hugely, he stumbled to his feet, looking at his dirty clothes in dismay. His mother would have a fit. He glanced over to where Piccolo had sat last night, but the Namek was gone.
Probably by his waterfall, Gohan thought with a smile. Stretching his sore muscles, the young man began kicking dirt over the dying embers of last nights fire, extinguishing them. He was amazed that he had slept so well out here, since it's been so long since he was forced to lie on such a cold, hard surface. And especially after that nightmare.
Shuddering slightly, Gohan bit his lip. Piccolo may have been content not to ask any questions last night, but he knew the Namek wasn't likely to extend the same courtesy this morning. It would be best to leave before he came back. And besides, Gohan told himself, ChiChi and Goten would worry if they went into his room and he wasn't there.
He ran as quietly as possible across the plateau, trying to gain enough distance that his ki wouldn't be so easily detected. Thinking he had gone far enough, Gohan jumped into the air, flying silently in the direction of his home. He had flown less than half a mile when a gruff voice resounded in his head.
"Be careful, kid."
Gohan's eyes widened and his flight faltered as he whirled around. One hundred meters below, on one of the tallest cliffs around, stood Piccolo, his cape flapping in the breeze. Gohan could feel the Namek's stare even at so far a distance.
Swallowing nervously, Gohan waved at the figure halfheartedly before jetting off, at a much faster pace then before. Piccolo was left staring off into the horizon the boy had disappeared over.
Hours turned into days and days turned into weeks as Gohan tried his best to go on as usual. But his sleep was still being plagued with nightmares so sever that the young boy had finally gave up any pretense of sleeping and just stayed awake all night, studying. But with the lack of sleep had come horrible migraines which further seemed to sap the young man's strength. At fifteen, Gohan was feeling more like fifty.
He knew eventually all the stress was bound to catch up with him, but Gohan plowed stubbornly onward. There was no one he could talk to that could possibly understand what was going on, and the half-Saiyan wasn't too keen on talking about the matter anyway. He occasionally entertained vague thoughts of flying back to talk to Piccolo, but shook them off as he chastised himself for being so weak.
He was outside, playing tag with Goten and Trunks, when it hit. A migraine so painful it felt like the time Freiza was crushing his head under his clawed foot. Gohan stumbled and clutched his head, causing Goten to stop running and look up at him in worry.
Trunks appeared at his side suddenly, tugging at his shirt. "Are you okay, Gohan?"
"Yeah, Trunks. I'm fine." Gohan's hands dropped and he smiled weakly at the lilac-haired boy. He waited for the world to stop spinning for a moment before continuing. "It's a beautiful day guys, perfect for swimming. Why don't you two run along ahead and I'll catch up to you later."
Goten's eyes brightened and he nodded happily. But his smile dimmed as he watched his big brother waiver unsteadily on his feet. "But, what are you going to do, Gohan?"
"Oh, I'm just going to go into the house and take a quick nap...." Gohan's eyes clenched shut, as the earth seemed to slide out from under him.
The next thing he knew he was laying on the ground with two sets of wide, worried eyes staring down at him. Then his vision went black as he fell into unconsciousness, his brother's voice echoing in his mind.
"Brother? Gohan!"
What is the matter with Gohan? Will the others be able to help? Has the strain of staying awake finally snapped our young hero? Find out on the next chapter of Dragonball Z!
On the next chapter of Dragonball Z. Gohan wakes up, to everyone's relief, and finally tells Piccolo about his bad dream. The young boy then goes over to Bulma's house to ask for help. But while he's there he has a heart to heart chat with...Vegeta? Stay tuned for the next DBZ. Chapter 2: Confession.
Author: AstroKender
Warnings: Gore. Angst. Sap.
Spoilers: None.
Notes: Takes place between the Cell and Buu sagas. Gohan centric.
Feedback: Welcome. Please review.
Disclaimers: DBZ belongs to Akira Toriyama and Funimation. This fic is for entertainment purposes and is not in any way meant for profit. Don't sue me.
Prologue
There was blood everywhere....
His clothes were soaked in it; the floor was covered.... His hands...
His hands were stained with their blood.
Dead. They were all dead.
All of them.
"See what your power does? You could have saved them but instead, you destroyed them. You killed them all, Gohan."
"No..."
Gohan stared in horror at his surroundings. His friends, his family, lay scattered around him like broken dolls. Dead. Turning, his foot brushed up against something solid and he looked down.
"W-why, Gohan?" Krillin coughed, reaching for him with the bloody stump of his arm. Gohan stared at the hole in the bald man's chest with a kind of horrid fascination. Bile rose in his throat and he gagged. He turned from the dying Krillin, unable to look upon his mangled friend anymore.
"Why, why did you kill us?"
Gohan whirled around to stare at the corpses of his family. "I'm sorry! I-I couldn't control it!"
"Your awful power destroys everything. You destroyed everything because you were too weak to control it...."
"I'm sorry." Shaking his head, Gohan stumbled back a few steps, turned, and ran from the bloody forms of his friends. Their sightless eyes followed him accusingly.
He ran past the corpses of Tien and Yamcha, past Bulma and Master Roshi's shattered bodies. He ran until his lungs screamed for air and the pain in his side made him fall to his knees. Gasping, he rested his forehead against the cool ground.
Feeling a touch to his hair, Gohan fearfully raised his eyes. A glowing figure stood before him, two finger's pressed to his brow. The figure turned towards him and smiled.
"Da-daddy?"
Goku nodded to his son, his face serene. "Stop fighting, Gohan. If you don't stop, you'll destroy all that you love."
Gohan stared up at him. "B-but what if--?"
"Do you want to kill someone else like you did me? Or Trunks?" He gestured off to the side and Gohan followed his gaze to two huddled figures. Young Trunks cradled his future self in his arms, trying to stanch the flow of blood from the gaping wound in the young man's chest. Tortured blue eyes gazed up at him.
"Why, Gohan?"
Gohan's fists clenched as he looked back towards his father. "I-I did that?"
"Don't you remember? It was during your fight with Cell, after I died...."
Suddenly Goku's body was surrounded by light as he exploded into a million sparkling pieces. Gohan gasped and reached out reflexively. "Father!"
"He's dead. Like all of us."
Hearing that voice, Gohan choked. Spinning around, he faced the fallen form of his mentor. "Piccolo!"
The Namek lay face down on the ground, wine colored blood trickling from his parted lips. "Tell me, Gohan.... How many times...do I have to die, because of you?"
"Piccolo!" Tears streamed down the half-Saiyan's cheeks. He watched as his closest friend slowly faded away. He was losing him again!
"No, no.... NO!"
Gasping, Gohan jerked awake.
***
It's been four years since the fateful battle with Cell. And for the most part, they have been four years of peace. Gohan is well on his way to becoming a man and, since his father's death, he has taken it upon himself to take care of his mother and baby brother. The Earth has been quiet for a long while, but is this just the calm before the storm? Something dark is lurking on the horizon, waiting for the right moment to strike. Let's hope our boys are ready for it.
Ch. 1- Disturbance
Gohan sat up in his bed, tears mingling with sweat as he panted, shuddering with the aftershocks of his nightmare. Rubbing his face on his flannel nightshirt, he glanced over at the clock: Three AM. Sighing, he forced his fist to unclench its death grip on the sheets. There was no way he would get back to sleep after that disturbing dream.
Gohan stared out his window sadly, watching the stars twinkle softly in the heavens. In his mind's eye, he relived those last few minutes of his father's life, when Goku had nobly sacrificed himself to save the planet. He still felt responsible for his death.
"I wish you were here now, Dad. I need you to make everything okay again."
Unbidden, his tears began to flow once more. Scrubbing at them irritably, his gaze dropped to the hills that darkened the distant horizon. "What are you doing, Piccolo? I haven't seen you in a long time."
Brightening slightly, Gohan slid out of bed and slipped on a T-shirt and a pair of jeans. He took a moment to fondly remember his purple gi, which was made for him by Piccolo. But the uniform would hardly fit him now. Shaking his head and smiling, he slid open his window and flew off silently into the night.
***
Gohan watched silently from the shadows of a copse of trees as three Namekians battled each other in the night air. Their fluidity of movement made the fight seem almost like a dance as they spun around each other. Swooping and diving, the figures ruthlessly barraged each other with a flurry of kicks and punches until all three were gasping for breath.
One of the Namekians paused suddenly, halting the fight. Gohan watched as he floated down to the cracked ground below. The other two swooped down and slammed into him until they merged into one whole person once more. Piccolo glanced back towards the grove where Gohan was hiding.
"You're getting rusty, kid. I heard you coming a mile away."
Gohan grinned sheepishly and left his hiding spot to come out into the dim light offered by the stars. Piccolo's eyes raked over his frame approvingly. "You've grown. But you haven't been training." His dark gaze swept over him once more. "You're too thin."
Blushing, Gohan scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Yeah, I've been real busy taking care of mom and Goten. Trunks too sometimes. Not much time to train, I'm afraid."
"Goten huh? I hear he's just like your father." Piccolo stared at the landscape absently, so he missed Gohan's wince.
"Yeah...All he does is eat and play." He laughed weakly.
Piccolo turned to stare at him. "Why are you here, Gohan? It's been three years."
"I-I..." Now that he was here, what should he say? Piccolo, I had a bad dream that made me cry and scared me so much that I went to the one person left on earth that I feel safe with? Gohan could just picture the Namek's sneer. He couldn't bear for Piccolo to think that he was so weak.
"Uh, no reason at all, Piccolo! Just visiting. Brr...It's kinda chilly out here, don't you think?" Gohan rubbed his arms for effect. "I'll go gather up some wood and we can build a fire."
Before the Namek could speak, Gohan had blasted off into the woods, disappearing in their shadowy depths. Piccolo just stared after him, frowning. Gohan wasn't one to lie, at least to him. Something must be very wrong.
"What is troubling you, kid?"
Gohan returned a short time later, carrying an armful of wood. They both sat beside the fire in silence, Gohan reluctant to talk and Piccolo having nothing to say. But the silence was companionable, it seemed like no time had passed since the Namek had taken the whiny little boy out here and left him to survive on his own.
But Gohan knew he had always been watching over him. No matter what, whenever he was in trouble, Piccolo would be there to help him. That was just the way things were.
Smiling, Gohan lay down next to his old teacher and closed his eyes. His nightmares would never reach him with Piccolo on guard, even though the Namek didn't know what he was guarding the boy from. Suddenly heavy lids closed over dark eyes and Gohan fell gently into the realms of sleep.
Piccolo watched him as he slept, his brow furrowed slightly with worry. Sighing, he reached out one green hand and rested it on top of the boy's thick black hair. He didn't know what was wrong, but he'd be there for Gohan, no matter what.
***
Gohan woke as the first rays of sunlight hit the plateau. Yawning hugely, he stumbled to his feet, looking at his dirty clothes in dismay. His mother would have a fit. He glanced over to where Piccolo had sat last night, but the Namek was gone.
Probably by his waterfall, Gohan thought with a smile. Stretching his sore muscles, the young man began kicking dirt over the dying embers of last nights fire, extinguishing them. He was amazed that he had slept so well out here, since it's been so long since he was forced to lie on such a cold, hard surface. And especially after that nightmare.
Shuddering slightly, Gohan bit his lip. Piccolo may have been content not to ask any questions last night, but he knew the Namek wasn't likely to extend the same courtesy this morning. It would be best to leave before he came back. And besides, Gohan told himself, ChiChi and Goten would worry if they went into his room and he wasn't there.
He ran as quietly as possible across the plateau, trying to gain enough distance that his ki wouldn't be so easily detected. Thinking he had gone far enough, Gohan jumped into the air, flying silently in the direction of his home. He had flown less than half a mile when a gruff voice resounded in his head.
"Be careful, kid."
Gohan's eyes widened and his flight faltered as he whirled around. One hundred meters below, on one of the tallest cliffs around, stood Piccolo, his cape flapping in the breeze. Gohan could feel the Namek's stare even at so far a distance.
Swallowing nervously, Gohan waved at the figure halfheartedly before jetting off, at a much faster pace then before. Piccolo was left staring off into the horizon the boy had disappeared over.
Hours turned into days and days turned into weeks as Gohan tried his best to go on as usual. But his sleep was still being plagued with nightmares so sever that the young boy had finally gave up any pretense of sleeping and just stayed awake all night, studying. But with the lack of sleep had come horrible migraines which further seemed to sap the young man's strength. At fifteen, Gohan was feeling more like fifty.
He knew eventually all the stress was bound to catch up with him, but Gohan plowed stubbornly onward. There was no one he could talk to that could possibly understand what was going on, and the half-Saiyan wasn't too keen on talking about the matter anyway. He occasionally entertained vague thoughts of flying back to talk to Piccolo, but shook them off as he chastised himself for being so weak.
He was outside, playing tag with Goten and Trunks, when it hit. A migraine so painful it felt like the time Freiza was crushing his head under his clawed foot. Gohan stumbled and clutched his head, causing Goten to stop running and look up at him in worry.
Trunks appeared at his side suddenly, tugging at his shirt. "Are you okay, Gohan?"
"Yeah, Trunks. I'm fine." Gohan's hands dropped and he smiled weakly at the lilac-haired boy. He waited for the world to stop spinning for a moment before continuing. "It's a beautiful day guys, perfect for swimming. Why don't you two run along ahead and I'll catch up to you later."
Goten's eyes brightened and he nodded happily. But his smile dimmed as he watched his big brother waiver unsteadily on his feet. "But, what are you going to do, Gohan?"
"Oh, I'm just going to go into the house and take a quick nap...." Gohan's eyes clenched shut, as the earth seemed to slide out from under him.
The next thing he knew he was laying on the ground with two sets of wide, worried eyes staring down at him. Then his vision went black as he fell into unconsciousness, his brother's voice echoing in his mind.
"Brother? Gohan!"
What is the matter with Gohan? Will the others be able to help? Has the strain of staying awake finally snapped our young hero? Find out on the next chapter of Dragonball Z!
On the next chapter of Dragonball Z. Gohan wakes up, to everyone's relief, and finally tells Piccolo about his bad dream. The young boy then goes over to Bulma's house to ask for help. But while he's there he has a heart to heart chat with...Vegeta? Stay tuned for the next DBZ. Chapter 2: Confession.