| All For Nothing Part One Chapter Five Disclaimer: Duh! I dont own DragonBallZ... *** Thanks for the response... yadda yadda yadda...i don't have much to say except Gohan is a HUNK! Thank you... on with the fic...oh wait! Gohan goes ssj2 FYI. I think he deserved it after what happens�One more note! It's been seven yrs. ALL FOR NOTHING CHAPTER 5 Christine sat with a seven year old Pan sprawled across her lap. Gohan had been gone for a while now. Originally he had taken off to go to Capsule Corp but lately the androids had been after him more than usual and he always ran into them. Christine knew that if he wasn�t back by now, he probably had a fight with them. And if she knew her husband, he was going to come home beat up and exhausted. She sighed. Gohan circled in the air matching 17�s movements, his hair flaring bright gold and eyes, blue. He was breathing heavy, this fight was lasting far too long. �What now?� Gohan asked. 17 smiled a sick smile and shrugged, then launched himself at Gohan, kicking and punching faster than human eyes can see. Gohan matched him move for move. 17 chuckled and spoke up, �If I were to kill you right now, your wife would be very, very sad wouldn�t she? And what about that little �Panny� of yours?� Gohan stopped. What was 17 implying by that remark? Pan was his little girl, and when he wasn't fighting he was constantly spending his time with her. With Gohan frozen in shock over his question, 17 used this to his advantage, punching Gohan across the face and launching him into the ground. Gohan stood holding his side. 17 landed in front of him, 18 besides 17. �He�s no fun anymore 17. Why do you keep him around�alive.� 17 shrugged again. �He�s my little TOY!� On the last word he kicked Gohan across the ground. Gohan�s hair and eyes returned to normal. �He�s pathetic,� 18 remarked. 17 nodded. �I know� I don�t think I am going to keep him around much longer. He�s proving disappointing.� 18 sighed as 17 continued. �Or we can just get him riled up. He seemed pretty touchy about that baby girl of his that you saw shopping with his mom at that town the other day. Her and that other woman of his who he seems to lead a rather�intimate�relationship with.� �How would you know about that?� 18 asked. 17 just smirked and 18 rolled her eyes. 17 continued, too low for Gohan to hear, "I want him to see her die." With that short conversation they left. Chi-Chi took a sleeping Pan off a sleeping Christine�s lap. She laid Pan down in Pan�s small room, and left Christine sleeping on the couch. She herself went to bed. Forty minutes later, Gohan entered the house. Christine was roused from her sleep. �Gohan!� She ran across the room and hugged him as hard as she could, unmindful of the blood dripping off of him. �I was worried, so worried,� she managed through sobs. �I�m fine, Chris.� At that moment Pan ran into the room and latched onto her father�s soiled pant leg. �Hey, Panny.� Gohan rubbed the top of her head and gave her a smile. The poor girl didn�t really understand why her father would be missing for hours at a time when he told her he�d �be right back.� Gohan, still holding Christine because she wasn�t letting go, shut his eyes and ran his hands along Christine�s back. �Shhhhhh�Shhhhh�� Christine squeezed her grip on him harder. He chuckled. �It�s okay.� Christine looked up at him and felt his embrace tighten around her. �Gohan,� she whispered, feeling tension running through his body. �I know something happened today, you don�t seem like yourself.� At these words, Gohan let go of her and stood back. Gohan raised his voice to a gruff tone. �Pan, go to bed.� The girl almost winced at the sound of her actual name, which her father used only for scolding. Something was wrong. She left the room, head hung low. Gohan turned and looked out the window at the night. Starlight filtered through and outlined Gohan�s features. With his back turned to her, Christine could see how everyone of his muscles were taunt and shaking with some unknown rage. She carefully walked over and touched his shoulder, feeling his anger throughout his body. She caressed his arms and back and felt him begin to relax. �They threatened you and Panny, Christine,� he said, voice a whisper. Christine hugged him again. �So, don�t let that stop you. I know you have the weight of the world on your shoulders, but it�s important that you save it. Don�t let them use me and Panny against you.� "Yeah, well sometimes I have to ask myself... What's to save?" "Gohan- you're fighting to exist, live, love...be." He sagged his shoulders. She kissed him and all of his thoughts went away. "The one thing I depend on is Pan�and us,� he said in between breaths. �I look in your eyes and see what happiness really means. You�re all I need, and I learned what love should be through you, I dared to dream and it came true.� Christine didn�t bother to respond for he deepened the kiss. Picking her up he brought her to their bedroom. Trunks, sixteen, walked out of the Son house. "Thanks for the lemonade," he said quietly to Chi-Chi, nodding his head. He walked over to a grassy area were Gohan was currently wrestling Pan to the ground. So much for a 'girl', Trunks thought. Pan wore her hair short, only to her shoulders. When she wasn't wearing a gi, she was wearing a lab coat. Yup, a lab coat. She was only seven and facinated with science. Chi-Chi saw Pan as another person whose life calling was to study, and when she found out about Pan's intrest in science she sent Pan off to Capsule Corp. for a few weeks for Bulma to teach her. Nowadays, she came over to Capsule Corp. once a month and for about a week at a time. Trunks sighed and took a swig of lemonade, turning his attention to other things. Gohan. His sensei was a strong man, but Trunks always had an uneasy feeling that if it weren't for Christine and Pan things would have turned out differently. He put his lemonade down on a table set up outdoors and walked away from the father and daughter. He pulled his sword out of its sheath and drew a steady breath. He imagined an attacker to his right, left, and back. Shutting his eyes, he mentally set up the fight in his head. Opening them, he began to 'fight' his invisible enemies. Bulma and Chi-Chi were 'girl talking.' "There goes my son," Bulma exclaimed, watching him whack the shit out of thin air. "And there goes my son," Chi-Chi remarked, watching Gohan make a face at Pan and then run for it as she grabbed the back of his gi and threatened to rip the fabric. Both women sighed. Christine walked out of the house. "IT'S READY!" In the blink of an eye two half Saiyans and a quarter Saiyan appeared. And in two blinks half the food was gone. "Dammit Gohan! I cook for two hours...Couldn't you at least taste it?" Christine asked. Gohan swallowed, choosing his words carefully. "I'm sorry, I was just...hungry." He proceeded to grab another piece of food and shove it in his mouth. Christine rolled her eyes and joined the other two women. She sat down and cupped her head in her hands. "I try to be mad at him, I really do, I just can't stay mad at him." Bulma patted her on the back. "It happens to the best of us." Gohan held the short list in his hands. �Mom also said to get salt.� Christine nodded. They were walking through one of the small towns that survivors had set up, trying to get themselves back on their feet. Gohan and Christine had decided to get some supplies there. �Salt�s sold in that shop over there, I�ll be right back,'kay Gohan?� �Okay, I�ll get the rice.� They split up and Gohan walked up to a booth as Christine took off for the shop. Christine stopped. �At least I thought this was the shop,� she mumbled to herself. �Oh wait! It�s the one right next to it�� She walked to her right. Gohan glancing over his shoulder looked through the crowd of people shopping, not spotting Christine. He drummed his fingers impatiently on the table, waiting for his measure of rice. Christine stopped when a man walked in her way. �Is there something I can do for you?� She asked before looking up into the face of Android 17. �Go-!� 17 clamped his hand over her mouth, pulling her into an alley between shops. �Quiet!� He hissed. Christine surveyed her surroundings. 18 stood there, too. Arms folded across her chest. �This is not �fun� 17.� �It will be,� he remarked, throwing Christine against a wall. She landed hard and slid to the ground. 17 looked her up and down with an evil grin in his eyes. Christine�s stomach lurched. Gohan tensed quickly. Something was wrong with Christine, her ki had just dropped. He ran way from the booth forgetting about his rice. �Christine!� 17 walked up to her, running his hand down her face and across her lips. �Fragile. What does he see in you?� Christine hit his hand away. "Spunk, maybe," 18 answered. 17 laughed and picked Christine up, levitating into the air. Gohan stopped as he felt energy building nearby. Signs of an android attack �Oh no.� Suddenly an energy blast destroyed a building to his left. He flew up above the people to get a better vantage point. Sure enough there were the androids, and 17 was holding� �Chris!� 17 dropped out of the sky. �Your hubby just spotted me.� Christine glared at him. He punched her in the stomach then across the face. She fell to the ground. 18 watched, indifferent, knowing how her brother got his kicks. For some reason, the death of this human was important to him. Gohan landed a few feet away. Panic on the hardened warrior�s face. �Just stay away from her! She isn�t your business!� �She is my business,� 17 responded. Gohan felt something in his stomach drop as he thought of all the sickening things 17 could have done or could do to his wife. �What did you do to her?� He asked, voice low and serious. �Nothing but ruffle her up a little- yet.� Gohan looked at him. �Chris?� Gohan asked. She nodded to confirm 17�s words. �She didn�t do anything to you, let her go.� 17 chuckled. �Neither did any other human and we aren�t sparing them, are we?� Gohan felt his stomach drop again. 17 moved Christine in front of his body and ran his hand along her side. �You sick, perverted�� Gohan brought his hands back. 17 shook his head. �I�ll kill her if you even try.� He laughed at Gohan�s distressed look. �Or I could just kill her for the hell of it.� With that he held his hand up to her belly and fired a weak ki blast. �You failed to protect her,� 17 remarked, stepping back and allowing her to fall to the ground. �CHRIS! NO!� Gohan ran over to her, not worrying if they decided to take advantage of him and kill him now. 17 chuckled. Gohan shut his eyes as he wrapped his arms around Christine�s dying form. �Oh, Christine�� he whispered. �Gohan� protect Panny okay?� Gohan looked at her, his eyes quickly filling up with tears that streamed down his cheeks freely. �What are you talking about Chris. You�re going to be fine, just hold on.� Christine shook her head. �Please�� �Chris I told you already that she was going to grow up and have the best life and I was going to make sure of that� now just hold on.� �You�ve never been wrong�before. I did give birth to a girl and� she did keep her blue eyes.� Christine chuckled. �She�ll have a good life, too.� Gohan swallowed. �And you�ll be able to see it,� he added. Christine shook her head again. �Please� be strong� for Pan.� �No, no, no, no, no, no�� Gohan said, his grip tightening and his body trembling. �I just need you, don�t go�� �Don�t make this hard. � I�ll � be happy. � I just want you to know� I ... love� you so� much. � �Don�t speak, Christine.� He held pressed her body against his. �I love you," he whispered into her ear. �I love you, too, more than-� �-I�ll ever� know,� she cut him off, smiling. He had told her that everyday, and now, it was the last time. Christine swallowed, tasting blood in her mouth. �Goodbye, Gohan,� she managed. �Chris...no...� Gohan kissed her forehead as she took her last breath, fading from life. Her body went limp in his arms but he continued to hold her. �No�please�kami... please...please don't take her...� His tears soaked her shirt as her blood permeated his gi. After a few minutes of rocking her body he got himself together. Standing up and shutting his eyes, he powered up to super Saiyan. Something inside of him was on fire. Those two were going to regret the day they heard the name 'Son Gohan.' He allowed the energy to course through his body, unchecked. He opened his turquoise eyes and focused on the androids in front of him. He grabbed a piece of the rocky debris on the ground and crushed it in his hand. �Damn you. You�re nothing more than two mechanized dolls that-� 18 cut him off. �We�ve heard this already,� she remarked, moving into fighting stance. 17 stepped in front of her. �Back off, 18. He�s so mine.� Gohan expanded his power. �You�re fools. I loved her and I still do and always will. Same with my daughter. And because the love that I have for them is an unselfish love, unlike your twisted desire to do things that only suit yourselves, it makes me stronger and more powerful than you could ever hope.� 17�s eyes widened. More powerful? But 17 kept his cool. "Don't play games with me," he taunted. Gohan screamed as another wave of rage passed through him, forcing him beyond his physical limits. His body coped as he transformed into super Saiyan 2. "This... is no game." ******** Wooohooo! When return� twelve years later� a death� and a friendship. The end of Part 1 and the prequel to Part 2 |