Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Familiar of Zero. This is a work of fiction done by a fan

Chapter 3: Revelations

"There's nothing I, nor anyone else for that matter, can do," Louise replied, a sense of defeat in her tone.

The revelation left the saiyan hybrid reeling. The mattress he sat on ceased to provide comfort. His surroundings slowly being forgotten as those few words sank into his mind. He was left feeling empty inside for a moment before a torrent of guilt and sadness crushed him.

Never could he imagine anything so painful as to this. A bruised body and broken arm were nothing compared to the ache in his soul, the feeling of loss experienced after those words reached his ears.

His mind momentarily stopped. The mental gears coming to a screeching halt. Nothing made sense anymore and it was like his entire world had been turned upside down.

Why was this happening? Why him of all people was he chosen to be the girl's slave? What was going on?

Those questions occupied his thoughts alongside the sensation of defeat and confusion. He tried to make sense of everything but found himself unable to. Last he recall he was in an epic duel against the creature named Cell. The two squaring off in a beam clash to end all beam clashes, the power behind their

individual attacks making for the most potent forces the universe had ever seen. It was after exhausting all his energy in a last ditch effort to overwhelm his foe did he finally won and Gohan was certain he'd have dropped out of his ascended form because of this. Anything beyond this point was lost to him.

Now, having woken up in an unknown place with a blood soaked cloth covering him and without a clue of his allies' fate, then being told that he was on a planet likely not Earth had shattered what little resolve remained in the saiyan boy.

His father surely dead, his friends injured to some capacity and likely fearing for his safety, Gohan shed a small tear as the weight of it all finally came crashing down on the child. He did his best to reel in the tears, but the wet mounds now forming under his vision said clearly that his efforts were in vain.

Such sadness was soul crushing. It nearly rivaled that of his maddened grief over Android 16's death or the humility he felt towards himself when he first unlocked the power heard only in Saiyan legends. However, unlike either moments this particular event was not accompanied by a blinding fury, rage that funneled his emotions towards a goal, an objective to focus his mind ridding himself of the pain. Instead he was left to wallow, unsure of what to do and what the future may hold.

Louise could only stare with an uncertain look as her newly made familiar let out quiet sobs, no doubt feeling equally bad if not worse than the wounds inflicted to his body. The emotional scarring he may have had would no doubt be immense. Especially when said boy was told that there existed no knowledge of any method for returning him from whence he came.

When she first laid her eyes on him the boy appeared to be terrible shape, having a plethora of wounds, one of which stood noticeably above the rest: his shattered left arm. He looked as if he had been through hell and back, suffering some incomprehensible horror. The thought of facing what hellish construct he dealt with brought shivers down her spine. Whatever situation Louise pulled him away from would leave any normal person traumatized.

She found herself unsure of what to do. Though she loathed to have him as her familiar, the sight of the boy crying evoked a strange feeling out of her. She couldn't find herself to be angry at him, not when the sight of a beaten and battered boy who seemingly lost everything and crying his heart out struck her vision. She couldn't be so cruel as to say "knock it off" even though she, along side with her family, hated the notion of weakness; the very visage the boy was displaying as more and more tears wetted the covers that laid on him.

With a slight bit of hesitance she reached forward, her hand gently gripping his toned shoulder. The action elicited a small shiver from the boy though he didn't make any attempt to remove it off him. His body continued to hitch, but even then it appeared as if he had calmed down if only slightly.

Louise dared to not say anything. She didn't know how to react to the sobbing boy save for providing what little comfort she could but as time passed his cries grew more silent and eventually his tears came to a halt. She didn't know whether her action had much effect or not, though she was pleased to see that he was crying no longer.

Wiping away the tears with his right hand Gohan raised his head to give the girl a thankful smile. It meant a lot to the boy knowing that despite his new position his so called master wasn't entirely without a heart. He moved to rest himself against the headboard, relaxing himself as best he could. Without fail the hybrid's mind began to wonder the possibilities, namely his prospects with staying the the Tristainian noblewoman though he had yet to know this fact.

He needed to know more. Though he'd admit that he wasn't too keen on the idea he had no real choice other than to rely on Louise for the time being. She was his source of information and though written word probably existed in this world he doubted any would resemble Earth literature. With no ability to read nor write acquiring the necessary knowledge to live in this world without the aid of the pink haired girl would be a difficult task. Add the fact that she carried herself with elegance akin to that of a high class member of society and it was safe to assume that she was at least educated. With that in mind the saiyan posed a question.

"Louise...why am I here?" He queried and before the girl could speak he continued, refining his words to get something else other than previously established fact. "And I don't mean why I'm here because I'm your familiar. That I understand. What I mean is why me? What made you choose, if at all, me? What drove you to do this?"

It was clear with the slight noise of frustration in her sigh that she clearly was not pleased with his questioning. Still she braced herself and looked steadily into his eyes. She took a moment to gather her thoughts, no doubt trying her best to come and explain the exact happenings that led to this moment. Expecting an answer Gohan was surprised when she instead returned with her own question.

"Do you believe in magic?" She asked back.

"Well...yeah," Gohan replied bluntly. He had seen many things growing up and magic was far from the rarest thing he'd seen. All his life he was led to believe that magic was real and upon seeing mystical dragons come forth from tiny orbs to people being brought back to life he was confident that magic was a fact and that some things were merely beyond scientific explanation. This somehow earned him a nod from the girl.

"Good," Louise noted before she shifted herself to get more comfortable on his bedside. "I had feared that you were like the unruly few who saw magic as mere acts done by noblemen to stir fear into those less fortunate. It is not fraud but many still cling on the notion, though any noblemen worth their salt would be quick to prove such insolence wrong."

"Noblemen?" He asked, the term while familiar likely held a different meaning in this world.

"Ah, yes. In my haste to introduce myself I had forgotten to provide a crucial fact. You see Gohan, I am a noblewoman and am the third child of Duke De La Valliere, and as a noble I am able to use what is true magic," She answered before quickly adding, "Or at the very least learn how to. Nearly all noble families are have the potential for magic though there exist few that are exceptions to this."

"Okay, so what does this have to do with us?" It was an innocent question in Gohan's eyes but the stern scowl Louise gave made him flinch.

"I was getting into that!" She barked, not at all pleased with how he halted her again. Waiting for a moment to see if the boy would further interrupt and seeing no movement from him, she coughed slightly as if clearing her throat and continued her lecture. "As I was saying, I am of noble blood. My father and mother, alongside most of my ancestors, are mages of great skill and ability. It is because of this rich lineage that much is expected of me and as such I saw fit to enroll into Tristain's Academy for Magic."

She took a quick pause, scanning her familiar to see if he had been paying attention to her words. His eyes were focused on her entirely and she found herself smiling internally.

Seeing this she continued, this time with a level of pride in her voice, "The Academy is without a doubt the most prestigious magical institution within the confines of Tristain's borders. Many great peoples of Tristrainian history went to learn at this very place and earning the right to even become associated with the Academy, be it becoming a student or one of its staff, is considered a task only the utmost elite of society could accomplish. With my family influence alongside my own intellect it was to be expected that I became successful in my mission."

She stopped yet again, although it was clear with the sudden shift in her expression that whatever she had to say next would not be comfortable. A dour look took over Louise's features as she continued. "However, intellect and talent are two wholly different subjects…"

Gohan noticed Louise deflate at that. Sensing her unease the saiyan hybrid didn't know what to do. He understood whatever was the cause of of her discomfort was some memory or aspect of her schooling else she wouldn't begin by stating her rank in society and position as a scholar of the academy. Yet, he found himself intrigued, interested why her being a noble had any relation to his current predicament. Instead of motioning her to stop he allowed her to further elaborate.

"I'm...I'm what you would consider a failure," She told him with a weak voice. "A zero.

Gohan could only stay quiet as Louise recounted the events that led to this moment.

"Not but a year ago I had finally been accepted into the Academy. As I said, my advanced intellect essentially assured me the position. As a first year not much was expected of us and as such practical appliance with magic was a hardly touched subject. The most of us were instead subjugated to learning the utmost basic principles of magic, the history of our countries, and taught general knowledge such as maths, literature, and so on. In essence we were told how it operated but seldomly used it in and outside of school activities.

I had no issues throughout my first year attending the academy. In fact it was a surprisingly pleasant experience. Barring the fact that I could only hear from my family through exchanges on paper, I hardly ever felt my place here could ever be called into question. I focused during the lectures, I studied during times in which I was free, and thus was rewarded praise for my dedication.

However, that quickly changed come the second semester of the first year. Where's before I was applauded for my diligence and my thoughtful papers towards magic, when in regards to the actual usage of it..." She paused, struggling to the words to say. Gohan eyed her curiously as she sat there in deep thought.

"You sucked at it?" Gohan proposed.

An annoyed glare the likes of which would make Chichi proud was thrown back at him causing the demi-saiyan to instinctively flinch. After a second the anger behind Louise's eyes simmered down but it was clear she did not appreciate his way of wording things.

"As I was saying," She continued through gritted teeth, "When in regards to actually using magic one could say that I was inadequate. I was told there was nothing to fear. Magic was afterall a complex system of energies that weave the fabric of our reality and like most I failed to do basic tasks. At first I was furious with myself. I, Louise, the daughter of two of the greatest mages of our time, was struggling! It was inconceivable!

Time quickly passed and soon it became apparent that something was wrong. Before, my peers were my equals then suddenly, without warning, they propelled themselves well past my level. Each and everyone could wield magic and all it took them was a month or two of practice. Worst of all was that most of them had an affinity towards an element, mastering their use in a matter of days. Yet I still remained behind! For reasons I couldn't fathom every attempt I made always ended with an explosion!

The second semester turned into the second year and I still haven't grasped the basics. My reputation was an all time low and rumors of my failures quickly spread. Soon I was dubbed the ultimate failure, a zero amongst true nobles. In desperation I studied harder than I've ever done before. Pouring over scrolls and ancient texts looking for anything to give me a clue as to what I was doing wrong. I couldn't fail again, not when the all important familiar ritual was taking place soon.

It was the deciding factor in whether or not a student deserved a place at the academy. A test to see whether or not they have mastered the art of magic by breaching space and time to bring a familiar to them. Failure meant immediate expulsion. I couldn't face that, not with the knowledge that no one has ever been unsuccessful, especially with the entire class being witness to the screw up I knew was bound to happen.

So I hid or tried to stay hidden from the professor's view. Once the event was over I fully intended to come the him and request to do the ritual privately. At the very least when I were to fail it would've been away from the others. However, that never came to be. A student, a braggart of a woman named Kirche caught onto my plans. She reminded Professor Albert of my presence and I was forced to do the ritual.

I made an attempt to summon a magnificent beast but as expected an explosion was all that I received. However, something unexpected happened. For a moment when the blast first occurred I felt a wave of raw power. At first I felt...excited? I suppose that's one word of describing how I felt. I had thought that I was successful in bringing a powerful creature into our world then I was greeted with you instead.

I'm sure you can recall but if you can't then let me be truthful: I never wanted you," Louise said as her eyes bore into Gohan's own. It stung a little to hear those words but if he were in her position then he could understand why.

"I had thought that it were some sort of mistake. No way that this was the strong, beautiful, and divine familiar I requested. No, it was a broken child mere steps away from death. I wanted to try again. I even requested the professor to let me have another go but he refused. If I did I would be doing a great disservice towards the academy by rejecting their teachings and in doing so have failed the ritual. So he gave me an ultimatum.

Either it was take you in or face the humiliation of being the first to fail in a long standing tradition that would've dug my family's name into the dirt. I'm sure you can tell which decision I made," She finished though Gohan could hear the slight bit of contemptment in her voice.

Gohan could only gaze at the girl before him as his mind processed all that he had heard. It was strange feeling to know that the entire reason for his being here was by complete mistake and though Louise shared his feelings of him being a familiar it was far too late to make changes. Louise had all but confirmed that there was no method to return him to his beloved home. No way for him to come back to Earth and assume the mantle of Earth's protector like his father did.

His vision watered at the thought of his late father yet again but this time he managed to hold back his tears. His hubris had costed him dearly and if not for Goku's encouragement and kind words then Gohan was sure he'd have fallen into the depths of depression and the battle against Cell would've never been won. A guilt still resided in him but knowing his father, Goku, still being proud in him regardless of his failure eased the burden on his heart.

Gohan took a deep breath and began using a technique Piccolo taught him to ease his mind. He needed to assess his situation if he were to make any decisions and moves now. A clouded mind could lead to poor judgement and unwanted consequences, something the preteen was now keenly aware of. He needed to clear his head so to speak and somber thoughts such a those could be addressed later. Now was the time to make a decision. Another heavy breath and soon the boy fell into meditation.

So here he was, without home or knowledge of this new world, and no person to call a friend. Obviously he had been branded as Louise's familiar but he never consented to joining that pact. It was forceful and he had no desire to maintain relations with the girl if she were to treat him poorly. As mild mannered as he was even he had his limits. If he desired he could escape on his own. Her power level, while impressive by human standards, was pitiful compared to his own despite his greatly injured state. He could simply overpower her and he'd be free to live his life elsewhere in the world. However, that brought up a single problem: he knew absolutely nothing.

Other than the language they spoke, Gohan was certain this world operated differently from his own. While magic did exist on Earth it was never as prevalent as Louise made it sound to be. It was often regarded as myth on his Earth and if not for his exposure to the Eternal Dragon Shenron then even he would've been skeptical. Add the fact that he didn't know how to read and write text in her language plus the number of unknown elements he can't yet account for, striking it off on his own hardly seemed to be the best of ideas

So he mulled over his options. They weren't much but at the very least provided a starting point. It was either be free and run the risk of coming across the unknown which could kill him or take the route with less liberties but provide more opportunity to learn. While he'd love nothing more than to live his life his way the thought of learning was far too appealing to pass up.

From Louise's perspective Gohan seemingly became still. His breathing slowed and if she hadn't caught the subtle rise of his shoulders then she would've assumed that he'd have died. A not too difficult scene to imagine considering the state he was in. She stared intently on his focused features before his eyes suddenly popped open startling the pink haired mage. She stifled down the urge to yelp and watched her familiar with a curious eye.

"I've made my decision," Gohan announced earning a confused on look Louise's face.

"Excuse me but what exactly do you mean?" She questioned.

"I'll agree to becoming your familiar!" He said. Louise's confusion became even more apparent. Before she could ask Gohan continued,"I know you said I was your familiar and that you summoned me here, but I never really agreed to that. Otherwise I'm being forced to do things I have no desire of doing and at that point I'm no longer a person of value but a slave. If I were to agree then I truly am your familiar and no issues will arise since I'm willingly doing it."

"I see. Well I suppose you make some valid points but why must you say all this?"

"Well...Here's the kicker, I'm willing to but only if you agree to my conditions."

A eerie silence permeated the room followed by a displeased growl. "I don't follow. Are you making demands out of me?!"

The saiyan waved his hands defensively as beads of sweat started pouring down the nape of his neck. A mixture of dread and panic filled his heart. What was this feeling? It was like when his mom or Ms. Bulma got angry.

"No, erm yes! Ughhhh..." Gohan struggled to find his words. He relieved himself a sight to straighten his thought. "Look Louise, know that I'm a human being as well. If you agree to my terms then our relationship would be better off for it. Think about it! Do you really want me to harbor resentment for you?"

Louise became still for a moment before shaking her head deftly.

"I'm not asking for much, just that you respect and treat me like any other person. It's all I ask, Louise."

"Urgh! Very well. I suppose those aren't too difficult of demands," She says before flicking her wand towards his face. He visibly flinched at the rapid movement. "However, don't expect to be immediately treated like some old friend. Respect is earned after all and while I wouldn't deign myself to treat an animal as if it were a person, you've at least shown yourself to be a sensible enough individual worthy of such treatment. Make no mistake, you will still be scrutinized for any fault you make and if it were to tarnish my own name then I will hold you personally accountable. Based on your mannerisms I assume you're more like the typical commoner so you'd do well to follow my example."

Gohan nodded back in return, her terms being more than fair all things considered. He could imagine that reputation in this world meant a great deal and from the story told to him her's wasn't a particularly great one. He was a burden to her too, much like she was to him now that he had acknowledged the pact they shared. It was only right to do right by her.

"I guess that's fair enough. Can't really say I expected much more," He said with a smile earning him a huff from the girl. He tried to laugh at her reaction but winced from the pain brought by his injuries. He may have regained consciousness but it was clear he still had a long way to go before being fully healed. Reclining his head back into the mattress, he gave the girl an honest look of gratitude. "Thank you. Really. I know I'm no longer home and it hurts me knowing there might never be a way back...but I really do appreciate what you've done today. Explaining what you've been through and telling the truth must've not been easy for you I imagine. Maybe with you as my master things won't be so bad."

The way his face radiated true, genuine happiness matched with his battered form oddly added an extra bit of grace to his gesture. And for Louise, staring at the boy she forcefully tore away from home, away from all he held dear, smiling at her for simply making a promise to abide by his conditions...it made her cheeks flush.

BEFORE all the warm feelings was immediately squashed and she stood ramrod, turned her back away from the child and headed her way towards the exit. All the while robbing Gohan the chance to see her cheeks redden.

"Hmm? Where are you going?" He had asked.

She stopped but never turned around. "This was only a visit to ensure that you were recovering well. I've spent a great deal of gold to acquire a potion intended to hasten the speed in which you heal. Although considering the state I first met you in I'd have thought I would've needed to wait longer. While you are by no means in perfect health, it's reassuring to know you're not quite as close to death's doorstep as you initially appeared like you did only a few days prior. For now I've accomplished my goal. Thus I must return to my other duties as a student. I will return tomorrow."

With that she finally stepped past the wooden barrier and into the corridor, leaving Gohan alone for his mind to stew. After a few minutes passing by he let out a sigh. "Might as well get some rest in...hopefully I'll have healed enough to walk...Yaawwwn….sitting still in bed doing nothing definitely doesn't sound fun…."

The boy soon drifted into a deep slumber, his mind now cleansed of any thought of Cell, but rather on what new adventures yet to be had on this world

Well...I'm not dead just quite yet so why not surprise you all as well as participate in the monthly theme of pranking by instilling a small hope that I'll be continuing this story? HMMMMM? Which will it be I wonder? Will I return or is this just a false signal. Who knows...

For anyone who wants to know why Louise isn't being her typical...ahem, 'bitchy" self it because of two reasons.

1) She probably wanted to vent on Saito and saw him as being capable of enduring her punishments, both physical and emotional. Afterall the guy is larger than her and perceived him masculine enough to take it. Gohan here was literally half dead so unless she wanted kill him accidentally or damage him more mentally(seriously have seen how F*CKED UP Gohan was?) she would likely tone it down for now

2) Gohan is a lot more of a nice guy and is much more intelligent in my opinion. He also has great manners, is incredibly reasonable, and generally more passive. He won't actively try to piss of Louise so that'll help in the long run...assuming I keep going

Honestly, just like the previous two rewrites, this was done purely out of boredom. Still, even if I was bored, hopefully I planted enough foundation to keep going off of. See that future me? Aren't I(We?) considerate? With that said, I'll maybe see ya all next time. 123GOHANZ OUT!