Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Where do I belong? ❯ Chapter 14 ( Chapter 14 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball/Z/GT, it characters, or anything in it; nor do I own any other licensed product/item that may appear throughout this fan fiction piece.

AN: First order of business: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! ^_^ It's my favorite holiday so I had to make that number one. Anyways, it took me longer to get you this chapter, I know. I've been really busy with college work, along with a new web site, and general things in life. So, here is the newest installment. (That you get to see. ^_~)

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Chapter 14

A loud scream echoed over the land. Birds fled their nests; animals sought shelter from the pained cry, hiding from the unknown force within their territory. For a moment, it was as if the world, or at least the surrounding area, stood still as the scream echoed, mimicking the previous cry.

Cassandra's form could be seen plummeting to the bottom of the dark abyss, her cries reverberating against the stony surface. Gohan merely watched, tense at the mouth of the crevice. The wind whipped around her as she descended. Closing her eyes, a pained grimace appeared as she flared her ki, slowly ending her fall as she hovered within the hallow walls of the cannon. Grinning, Gohan lazily flew towards her, ready to congratulate her.

"See Cass! It's really easy! All you needed was a . . . push!"

"You baka! I could have been hurt! Damn it Gohan, when I figure out how to get down I'm gonna kick your . . ." Her voice was quickly lost in screams as her control slipped, sending her rocketing to the ground.

Eyes wide with fear and shock, Gohan took off with a burst of golden light, appearing beneath her in an instant, capturing her young body in his strong arms, safe from harm. Tears moistened his jade orbs as he brought a hand to her forehead, pushing back her ebony hair to see her face. Her midnight blue eyes were coated with shimmering tears which began to rain down on her cheeks. Throwing her arms around her brother's neck, she began sobbing as he slowly levitated them back to their camp site.

Looking up at him, her eyes red from crying, relief swept through her as her feet hit the hard land. Staring up at him, she suddenly noticed his blonde hair and green eyes. Slowly, her hand made its way to his stiff golden locks. Pushing the single strand from his face, she studied him. Such torment was held in his jade orbs, clouded with self doubt and guilt.

Suddenly, without warning, her other first slammed into his gut. Caught fully unaware, Gohan's lungs scrambled for air. "Don't you ever do that again, Gohan Daemon. If you ever throw me off a cliff again, I'm seriously gonna hurt you." Her ranting and raving was cut as a low chuckling escaped her young brother's lips.

"First off, Sis, you really can't hurt me. I'm much stronger than you. Second, that was an unfair blow." Grimacing, Gohan paused as the golden aura disappeared, his locks bled black and his eyes darkened to their obsidian orbs once more. "And third, you flew."

Staring at her brother for a moment, she allowed these things to process. She knew he was stronger, he always had been. She could have cared less if her hit had been unfair, he had deserved it. And she had flown . . . wait! She flew! Shock immediately graced her face with this thought. "I flew? I flew!" Dancing around, Cassandra happily shouted, acknowledging that she had accomplished it. She had flown. Throwing her arms around her little brother in an embrace, she continued to do a slight dance while shouting out her exuberance. Her voice echoed through the land, filled with excitement and joy.

All the while, the young girl ignored her brother's pained reaction. Her voice drowning out his pathetic pleas.

"You're gonna make me go deaf Cass!!!!"

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"Ha Ha Trunks! You can't get me!"

Irritated with his friend's antics, the young Prince growled. Springing to his fee, he tacked the black haired boy to the ground, pinning him. "I win!"

Frowning, Goten looked up at his friend. Desperately struggling from his friends grasp, the young boy was faced with the fact that he had lost. As soon as the realization hit, Trunks jumped off of his friend. The trademark Vegeta smirk graced the lavender-haired youth as he watched the black haired demi-saiyan stand. "See, I'm stronger than you Goten!"

Dusting the dirt from his pants, he scowled at his best friend. "Just 'cause ya beat me this time doesn't mean nothn. Plus, my dad is stronger than your dad." Sticking his tongue out at Trunks, he trotted towards his mountain home.

Angered, Trunks stormed after his friend. "Na uh Goten. My dad is the Prince of the Saiyans. He's much stronger than your third class baka of a father, just like I'm stronger than you." Defiantly, he crossed his arms across his chest imitating his father as he repeated Vegeta's familiar words.

"Uh huh! My daddy's much stronger than yours. Plus, my brother is stronger too!" Turning with as much superiority his youthful body could carry, he turned back towards home.

Goku and Vegeta, who had stopped their spar, merely watched as Trunks glared at the black haired boy. "You don't have a brother baka!"

Goten merely turned to his friend, a smirk fixed on his youthful face. "Uh huh! My daddy told me all about him! And he was strong! He even beat up a monster when he was our age! All alone!"

Rolling his eyes, Trunks scoffed at Goten's words. "Heh. Whatever Goten. Go and play with your pretend brother, I don't care."

Goten, noticing his father had ended the spar, ran to Goku, throwing his arms around his father's neck. "Daddy, Trunks won't believe me! Tell him I got a brother!"

Wrapping his arms around his son, he looked at the young demi-saiyan Prince. "He's telling you the truth Trunks. Goten does have an older brother."

Trunks merely stared agape at the pure blooded Saiyan. He had never heard about this. His father's smirk graced his face in a challenging manner. "So where is he? I bet he's weak."

Vegeta tried to look uninterested at the conversation taking place. He hadn't heard much about Kakarott's eldest spawn. The other pureblood rarely spoke of the dead child and Vegeta barely cared enough to push him. However, he was slightly interested in the topic, desiring to know just what had happened and why it haunted Kakarott so much. He had heard the toast on Christmas, a few words from the onna, but not much more than that. He knew the child was dead before he had come to Earth and a few other facts.

Turning his attention to his rival and the children, he watched as Goku seated himself on the ground. Leaning against a nearby tree, he crossed his arms over his chest and stared off into space, his scowl firmly in place, but his ears tuned into his fellow Saiyan's words.

"Well Trunks, his name was Gohan, and he's dead." Trunk's eyes widened with realization. He had heard a few words of the dead Son from his mother. Her soft words called to the heavens at night when she believed no one to be around. Now he understood this was the child that had died. Scooting closer to ebony haired warrior, he braced himself for the story. He didn't know what to expect, but with Vegeta's bed time stories (at the threats of Bulma) he doubted it could faze him much.

"Tell Trunks `bout the monster daddy! The one big bruder beat up all by himself." Vegeta's eyebrows rose at the child's words. This spawn had defeated something? Perhaps that child was the true Saiyan, not a pathetic excuse for one as he had expected.

Goku's eyes cleared at his son's enthusiasm. As much as he accepted it, he was still saddened with the loss. Instead, he slowly told the tale of Garlic Jr. and his defeat at the hands of the young demi-saiyan. Of the kidnapping and the wishes. The fight and the Dead Zone. As the tale came to an end, Trunk's eyes were wide with awe and admiration. "And he was about your age too."

Vegeta merely stared at the group upon the grass. His scowl turning to a smirk. Yes, the first spawn of Kakarott would have been worthy of his Saiyan blood. However, faintly, he had to wonder of the child's death. It certainly could not have been at the hands of a foe . . . or could it have been? Noting to ask the onna, he heard Goten's voice asking for another story.

"Alright, Goten. But Gohan wasn't in any more battles than that, son. But do you want to hear another story of his power?" Goten and Trunk's heads shook with glee. Goku could see the admiration in their eyes; however, he had to wonder if the time would come to tell of his son's demise. "When Gohan was about two, Chi-Chi and I were taking a walk through the woods. We stopped at a field of flowers, but our attention was focused on a family of birds." Chuckling, he remembered his own carelessness. "I let go of Gohan's stroller and before we knew it, the stroller had taken off down the path."

Looking at his young son, he continued. "Your mom and I chased after it, but we couldn't catch up. But the carriage was headed straight for a big tree. We were sure that he would hit. But I guess it wasn't meant to be. Your brother barely escaped that time. He flew out of his carriage, headed straight for the tree, but his power took over, blasting a hole through the tree and he landed in my arms."

The two chibi's stared at the jovial Saiyan, wonderment firmly on their faces. Vegeta merely passed it off. "Your brother escaped death a lot like that . . ." His words tapered off with the thought of the time that the hidden power, nor his own, had been able to save him. Silence coated the land.

"I wanna be like Gohan. Come on Goten, let's train." The two demi-saiyans immediately began their own sort of spar. Watching them, Goku shook memories from his head. There were the good memories as well as the bad. The ones that felt good to remember and those that he would rather forget. Making his way to his fellow pureblood, he leaned against the tree. A slight whisper escaping his lips, falling solely upon the ears of the fellow pureblood. "But Gohan didn't train. . ."

The last two of a dead race silently watched as their own hybrids played and mock spared. They were the children of the future, of their future as well as the worlds. They were the remnants of a dying legacy. The Saiyan Legacy.

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The dark of night coated the wooded area, heavily lying upon the land. The three quarter moon glowed in the sky above, sending its lunar light to dance upon the shadowed ground. A sole figure, bathed in shadows, drenched in light, stood by the cliff side. A swirl of energy enveloped the youthful figure, dark hair rising in its currents, slowly lifting into the air. Gliding through the star speckled sky, joy etched its way into the childish face. The cool air blew against the night flyer's countenance. Speeding up, the dark figure rocketed through the air.

Clouds slowly moved over the pale moon, covering it, hiding its light, bathing the world in darkness once again. A slight chill ran through the flyer's spine. Stopping midair, the figure searched about frantically. Disoriented, dark eyes panicked, unsure of where to go. An endless expanse of forest spread for miles beneath the hovering figure. Unsure of how to continue, a mask of concentration covered the child's face.

The figure was caught between childlike adolescence, blooming towards adulthood. The eyes, darkened with knowledge no child should ever possess, a witness to more than eyes should have seen, clouded with tears as frustration reached its limit. Concerned merely with the way back, concentration was focused upon finding the way.

A shot rang out, roaring through the land. Birds escaped their nests, deer and other animals ran from their homes, away from the invasive noise. Each seeking an escape from the threat that had made itself known within their territory.

However, the one creature that did not belong, the night flyer, was also caught up in the occurrences. For as the deafening sound of the shot rang out, the lone figure in the sky plummeted to the ground, mouth open in an unheard scream.

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Alright, ::looks up:: that's about all you guys wanted to read for a little bit right? No need in going any further in this chapter. So, I'll see you guys with the next chapter. Mind you, action-al angst is all over my next two chapters. Just my quick warning. And if this seemed repetitive to you, the whole reason for restating Gohan's childhood adventures to the Brief boys will be shown a bit later. Who knows, ya might have picked up on it already, but either way, hope ya enjoyed the chapter. Ja'

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MAILING LIST: Just email me or tell me in a review! Just say you wanna be on the WDIB mailing list and give me your email address!

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SNEAK PEEK: Finally! Let's get a taste of the next chapter's angst. [BTW, to answer a question . . . the scenes below are always pulled straight from the next chapter. However, if the time comes that I don't have the next one done, then there won't be a sneak peek. These might be a bit rough because they are unedited, but its directly copied and pasted from the next chapter's completed text.]

"She could feel the heat drain from her body as her hot crimson blood poured from the deep calculated cut, drenching her blue gi top, transforming it into a twisted purple."

"A pained cry escaped Gohan's lips as his eyes widened. Slowly, he lost all control over his body as the fire of pain spread throughout his form, numbing him. His consciousness hung in the balance . . ."