But someone did the impossible, someone changed the unchangeable. The timeline split into two. Then three, then four until the stranger was done.

    In all probability, it would have stopped there, and what was changed would remain the way it was, but one group – liking such change – sprang upon the whole the stranger left, and nothing was the same.

    Ever. Again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Where was it? What was it?

    These were the types of questions running through Gohan’s mind as he walked through the forest. He shouldn’t have done this, his mother told him never to go into the forest by himself. Now she would be mad at him.

    But he had to do it! He didn’t know why or when it started calling him, it just did. And so, he had set out to find the answers to his questions.

    There. Standing in the middle of the forest was the object that was calling to him. The surprising part – however – was that it wasn’t what was calling him, but whom was calling him. And the person calling to him was a girl.

    For all appearances, she looked like your average, sixteen-year-old girl. And Gohan might have thought of her as a normal girl, if it weren’t for her eyes.

    They were pupil-less.

    It was the only distinguishing trait on her; she wasn’t overly pretty, or very buxom. But she did radiate a type of strength that no human could. Curious, Gohan decided to talk to her. And so he walked into the clearing.

    And she turned to him and smiled.

    "Come here, little one," she called out, her voice calm and soothing, and any fears and uncertainties he might have had were immediately extinguished. And so, he walked over to her.

    And once he got close enough, she picked him up and cradled him like a child. "And what’s your name, little one?" And he truly did feel little as he let out a giggle of childish delight as she swung him around in a circle.

    "My name’s Son Gohan. And I’m four and a half!" He answered proudly, the look on his face causing the strange girl to chuckle. "’Nd what’s your name?" He asked innocently. And so, he was surprised when the mirth drained out of the girl’s face as she bit her lip. She put him down so suddenly that he almost fell over.

    "I don’t have a name," she finally confessed.

    "No name?"

    "No name."

    "Parents?" Gohan’s voice wavered slightly as an uneasiness settled itself upon him.

    "Parents? What are parents?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

    "Your ‘kaasan and ‘tousan ," he explained patiently, even though his childish voice made it hard for him to be taken seriously.

    "Ohhhh…." The girl trailed off. "What’re those?" Gohan nearly facefaulted.

    "You don’t know what parents are – so you most likely don’t have any – and you don’t have a name," Gohan summarized, giving the girl a pitying look as she nodded. "Any friends?"

    A confused look.

    "I guess not…" And then, in all child-like simplicity, Gohan came up with a simple solution. "I’ll be your friend!" The girl gave Gohan a warm smile.

    "I’d like that. Shake on it?" Gohan stuck out his hand with enthusiasm. The woman also reached out her hand, but stopped short as a spasm raced through her body. And – before Gohan was able to react – she jumped up from her crouch and disappeared into the line of trees.

    "Hey, wait up!" Gohan exclaimed, running after her.

    But she wasn’t to be seen.

    Still determined, he climbed up a nearby branch to get a better view…only to be stuck. And so – like a good little kid – he came up with another simple solution.

    He cried.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    ‘Number 98231, what were you doing?’ The woman – now identified as #98231 – cringed.

    "I was talking to Gohan," she explained, trying to elaborate as little as possible.

    ‘Who?’

    "A little kid," she elaborated with a sigh, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

    ‘You talked to a mortal?’ The voice had been reduced to a dry hiss, a sure warning that she was in trouble. #98231 schooled her face to a perfect calm.

    "Yes."

    The sound of steel and a body crashing to the ground momentarily drowned out the sound of Gohan’s crying.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    And so, the scheduled fateful events that day took place in earnest. But it was fast proven that small changes can turn into a vast turn of events…

    "Do you promise if I let go of your tail, you’ll leave this planet and never come back?"

    "I swear it! I swear!"

    "Don’t do it!"

    But it was too late for words as Goku started to play the part he was meant to play. But a small, earsplitting wail was all it took to change the course of events.

    One small wail, which caused Goku to clench his hands instinctively and soon Radditz voice mingled with Gohan’s, to produce a melodious tune of fear and pain.

    And it was one misunderstanding which nearly changed the course of history entirely.

    "So you want your son that badly, eh?" Radditz smiled as he pulled out a small, familiar controller. "Well then…you can’t have him!!" And with a push of a button, destiny was changed, and a little boy was shot into space.

    "Gohaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!!!" Goku yelled, reaching one hand upwards, perhaps in an attempt to reach his only son.

    But with a yell, Piccolo released his attack. And Goku, in slight shock, loosened his one handed grip on his brother’s tail. Radditz chuckled as he sprang to his feet –

    Only to be shot in the chest by the racing ki in the form of a screw.

    But the attack didn’t stop there, as it punched through Radditz and headed straight for Goku.

    And once again, two destinies were put back on track.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    "So Radditz wants us to train his nephew, eh?" Vegeta muttered, still halfway through his dinner.

    "Well, we do need all the help we can get," Nappa pointed out. There was no need to name the second reason they wanted him alive. This ‘Gohan’ was the first saiya-jin child since the destruction of Vegeta-sei, and a new hope for the future.

    "At least Radditz’s death brought some benefit. The information about those dragonballs and a kid who could have the power of an elite if trained properly." Vegeta grinned. "This should prove interesting."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    "Let me out! Let me out!!" Gohan continued to pound on the pod’s exit, trying to force his way out. But it was of no use and he soon stopped, tears streaming down his face as his hiccups continuously rebounded against the sides of the pod.

    ‘Don’t cry, little one.’ The voice surprised Gohan as he suddenly found himself sitting on the lap of the girl he met earlier.

    "B-but I want o-out…" Gohan hiccuped again as his lower lip started trembling.

    "Trust me, Gohan, now is not the time you want out." At Gohan’s puzzled look she started chuckling. "We’re in the middle of space, Gohan. To go out now would be suicide."

    "Oh." Then a thought occurred to Gohan, "How’d you get here then?"#98231 grinned.

    "Sore wa himitsu desu."

    "Why’s it a secret?"

    "It just is."

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Author’s Notes –

‘Tou-san = father

‘kaa-san = mother

‘Sore wa himitsu desu’ = It’s a secret (As all you Xellos fans know ;) )

    Well, after a looooooong wait, chapter one is finally done. But, instead of my usual notes, I wanted to clear up a couple of questions that my beta readers had. Like for instance my portrayal on Gohan.

    As we all know, Gohan is a pretty smart kid. However, what most people seem to forget is that he is a kid. So while you can use big, ‘adult’ words around him and he’ll understand, he still thinks like a kid instead of an adult, meaning he’ll rationalize differently, and do things that adults wouldn’t do – crying for instance.

    Just my opinion on the little, overlooked, powerful little boy known as Son Gohan. ~.^

*Standard disclaimers apply*

All recognizable DBZ characters belong to their respective owners. All the others are of my design. Ask before using. And please email me at [email protected] if you want to use this fic.