Dragon Ball Z 1. Pain

_**Redemption**_

I do not own any rights to Drabonball Z, or any characters and ideas, except my own.

"..." talking

'...' thought

mind speech

**Chapter 1: Pain**

7 years ago, the world lost hope. 7 years ago, on that fateful day, a rival and a friend was lost. 7 years ago, a wife lost a husband. But for one young child, a best friend, a father was lost.

" Good-bye Gohan, good-bye my son" Goku's final words swept over the young demi-saiyajin causing him to drop out of his ascended form, and onto his knees. As Gohan looked up at his father, streams of tears flowed down his face, mixing with the dirt and blood to fall on the dry ground. With a final wave, Goku, earths greatest warrior, vanished. The Z fighters all rushed to Gohan's side to give what comfort they could. The grief was evident on Krillen's face as knelt down next to Gohan. He just couldn't believe it. Goku couldn't be gone. As the rest of the Z fighters tried to register what they had just seen, they were jolted out of their shock. Their heads snapped up, as they tried to comprehend what their ki senses were telling them.

As their minds tried to get over this new development, a massive ki blast slammed into, and through Trunks, knocking him to the ground. As the other rushed forward to see what could be done for the fallen warrior, Vegeta, Prince of the Saiyajins, snapped. He had stood by and allowed Cell to become stronger, for the sake of pride. He then had that same pride shattered when he couldn't beat Cell afterwards. Watching his rival's son ascend to the next level of power had shredded what little remained of his pride. But now three things now stood out in his mind. One, he was the last of a dying breed. Two, after looking at Trunks, he knew that his son was dead. And three, it was all for naught. Despite Goku's sacrifice, Cell was still alive. And thanks to his saiyajin cells, he was stronger than before.

All this flashed through his mind in an instant, and was replaced with the rage and pain of loss that brought on the super saiyajin transformation. With a primal scream, that echoed across the canyon, Vegeta ascended to the second level. He quickly rose into the air, and his hands and arms became invisible blurs as he fired ki blast after ki blast at the android. A large cloud of dust rose obscuring Cell from sight, and he allowed himself a slim hope that he might have destroyed the monster. But it was not to be. One moment the Z fighters were stunned at the shear brute force of Vegeta's attack, but their hopes were dashed as Cell appeared before the prince and backhanded him to the ground. Cell fired a single ki blast at Vegeta, and in his weakened and exhausted state, it would kill him. The brightness of the explosion caused everyone but Cell to turn away. Shock quickly gave way to awe, when the they looked and didn't see what they had expected. For instead of a larger crater marking Vegeta's grave, stood Gohan. Piccolo winced inwardly when he saw the damage done to the young boy's left arm. It was useless, as it dangled from his shoulder a twisted and bloody wreck.

Pain. Physical, emotional, and mental pain assaulted the young warrior. Pain like nothing he had ever felt before ran through his body. Pale blue lightning flashed around his body, and the earth began to moan and tremble, small pebbles rising into the air. Large cracks appear on the ground and spread away from the epicenter of the calamity that was Gohan. He slowly looked up at Cell, and began to slowly stalk towards the monster who had landed close by to observe his handy work.

"So young Gohan. It seems you can save someone after all. To bad you couldn't save poor Trunks and the relic, let alone your own father." laughed Cell, oblivious to the look of rage on Gohan's face, as the boy walked towards him. " Now lets see, who are you going to let die this ti-" His words were broken off as he felt...violation, and a severe sense wrongness. Something wasn't right. He looked down to see Gohan's right arm buried elbow deep into his chest. With ease, Gohan ripped his arm out of Cell's chest and opened his fist, showing Cell what it contained. Green ichor dripped from his arm as he showed Cell the explosive device that was formerly housed inside the androids chest. It was one the few components of the androids that they couldn't regenerate. The look of horror on Cell's face deepened, as finally, Gohan let go.

All the anger and pain he had been holding inside himself finally exploded, and escaped his body in a scream that could be heard many miles away. Everyone watched in awe and fear as Gohan's monstrous ki kept rising. Gohan's hair had slowly started to lengthen, but it quickly grew to almost reach the ground, just stopping at mid calf. He had held his head back, but as his scream died away to just echoes, he lowered it, and utter horror registered on Cell's face. Gohan's face had become a mask of pure fury, aided by the lack of eyebrows upon the ridges that now stood out upon the face of the young demi-saiyajin. His cold eyes, emerald green, now with the blackest of pupils burned into Cell, and he knew fear.

Pain. At that moment it was all Gohan knew, and as he stared at the one responsible for his pain, he knew beyond a shadow of doubt, that pain would be all that the gave.

"KAAAA MEEEE HAAAA MEEEE HAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The light blue ki attack raced from the cupped right hand of Gohan towards the android, who barely got his own attack off, barely managing to stave off the massive attack. Before Cell knew what had happened, he was flying towards Gohan's ki blast. It was then that he first felt pain blossom along his spine from the kick Gohan had given him. 'How is he so fast?!?' Cell thought to himself. He tried to stop himself, but only managed to twist his body to the right, as Gohan's Kamehameha attack flew past, taking Cell's left arm with it. Before Cell could even think to start the regeneration process, he felt the fury of a super saiyajin at the third level. Ki powered kicks and punches greeted Cell, leaving him in a stupor, as his body tried the repair the damage it had received, unable to block any blows, let alone launch any of his own.

Gohan jumped back, and with a look of hate, he cupped his right hand by his side, and said the words of his fathers trademark attack. "KAAAA MEEEE HAAAA MEEEE HAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Cell, fully expecting another deception, was caught by the full blast of the Kamehameha. Agony even worse than the self-destruction seared his brain. Gohan put as much ki as he dared into his Kamehameha, but not enough to endanger the planet. He didn't let up until he felt the very last trace of Cell's ki vanish. As he stood there, his hair returned to the normal unruly mess that it always was, no matter how hard he tried. It was then that the exhaustion finally caught up with him, and he collapsed onto the ground...

A/N: Just so you know, there is a reason why I have Gohan at the third level, and why I had Vegeta go to the second this soon. Please don't just pan this fic because of this fact. I will gladly take all reviews good or bad. You never, know someone may just have a better idea than I do.

Well, this is the first chapter so read and review. Later.


	2. Aftermath: pt1

_**Redemption**_

I do not own any rights to Dragonball Z, or any characters and ideas, except my own.

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**PsycoT, ZGMF-X20A-SF, animepostal: **Thanks for reading and for writing a review. And to answer your question animepostal, there will NOT be any "new" levels. I am pretty sure that at this stage...well why don't you just keep on reading ;-)

"..." talking

'...' thought

mind speech

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**Chapter 2 Aftermath: Part 1**

A lonely wind blew across the barren landscape, raising the occasional dust devil to go scampering off on its own whim. Rubble from a tournament ring lay strewn about for miles around, giving mute testimony to the battle that had raged across its stage only hours before...

It had been several hours since word had reached everyone in the city that Cell had been defeated. Many flocked into the streets cheering as loved ones who had perished were miraculously brought back to life. Everyone of course attributed this the Kami of Earth, completely unaware of the presence of the Dragon balls. Some people however rushed to their vehicles and raced to the site of the Cell Games, to congratulate the one who defeated Cell.

"What's wrong with my baby?!?!?!?" Shrieked Chi Chi, as Gohan was carried into the small abode of the Son family, by Piccolo. She had been spared the sight of Gohan's tattered clothes and body. Piccolo winced in pain, but carefully set the young boy down on the couch, as Bulma, Krillen, Trunks, and Vegeta all walked in.

"Gohan is fine. He is just a little tired." A new voice said from out of nowhere. Everyone but Piccolo turned to see Dende standing in the door way of the house, with a small sad smile on his face. Everyone at once felt uncomfortable, and tried to look anywhere else than at Chi Chi. It was time for some bad news.

As Chi Chi fussed over the still sleeping Gohan, she absently asked, " Well, where is Goku? I know how hungry he gets after a fight. Frankly, I am surprised you guys beat him here." The silence was deafening. Chi Chi slowly looked up, with anguish on her face. "Bulma, whats...whats going on?" she asked with a slight tremble in her voice. As she slowly stood up and looked at the faces of her closest friends, she knew. Goku was gone. Tears ran freely down the faces of Krillen, and Yamcha. Bulma was openly weeping, on Vegeta's shoulder. But Tien's face was a mask of pain, full of unshed tears.

She was about to vehemently start her grieving process in denial, when she happened to look upon the face of Vegeta. Vegeta's face gave away nothing, but his eyes told everything. They say that the eyes are a window to the soul, and what Chi Chi saw in those eyes silenced all doubt. She slowly fell to her knees, and let her tears fall, as the pain of loss cut its way viciously through her heart.

Dende bravely walked forward and knelt down next to Chi Chi, and whispered into her ear. Chi Chi head jerked up, and everyone was shocked to see the joyful expression on her face, even though it only last for a few seconds. She looked at Dende with shouting silent questions with her face, only to have Dende just nod once. He stood up, and looked at everyone, and as if it was a signal, they knew that it was time to leave and to let Chi Chi grieve alone, with her family. As they all turned to leave, a small cry caused them to look at sleeping boy, concern etched on their faces.

The first conscious thought of Gohan had, as he was waking was that he wasn't in pain. 'Must have been a dream then.' He thought to himself. That notion was quickly dashed as he sensed his friends ki's all around him. All except the one he was looking for. He couldn't help the small cry that escaped his lips, as tears once again ran from his now open eyes. The look on her now eldest sons face was enough to make Chi Chi lose it herself, but she put her grief behind her, as only a parent can do, and wrapped her son in her arms as his sobs began to wrack his body. One by one the other Z fighters went and also wrapped their arms around the two, until the only ones left were Vegeta, Piccolo, Dende, Trunks. Tien having left quietly without anyone noticing.

Feeling a little out of place, Piccolo and Dende left, shortly by Trunks, who went to get things ready for his trip back to his own time line. That left only Vegeta, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed in his usual pose. He was at war with himself, and with his own emotions. He had been taught that to show emotions was to show weakness. It was not the Saiyajin way. But then he had met Kakarot, and everything changed.

This was a Saiyajin warrior who was the complete opposite of Vegeta, but contradictory to what he had been taught, it was Vegeta who had always fallen to second place behind the Saiyajin know as Goku. Vegeta was finally letting go of his past. The effect the death of Trunks had caused something to snap inside, and it had made him stronger yes, but the pain, had awaked something inside that had been sleeping for all this inside of him. He was now realizing what made Goku and Gohan different from everyone else. They didn't fight for pride, and they didn't fight for the idealistic notion of honor. No, they fought with pride_ and honor_. They didn't fight for themselves, but they fought for others. That is what drove them...

As these thoughts ran through his head, he found himself walking towards the group of grieving friends. One by one they noticed his approach, and quietly moved out of his way, until there was nothing between himself, Gohan and Chi Chi. He placed his hands on the shoulders of the family of his once greatest rival.

"Chi Chi, Gohan," he couldn't help his smirk, knowing that they knew nothing of the gift he was about to give them. He was about to give them the highest reward that could be given to a Saiyan. "Chi Chi , Gohan" he began again, " mate and son of the Saiyan warrior know as Kakarot. Due to the heroic efforts and ultimate sacrifice this family has made for this planet I, Vegeta Prince of the Saiyans, do hereby proclaim thee of the house of Vegeta. You who were once the mate and son of a Third Class Warrior, are now Super Elite, second only to myself. Goku has earned this reward many times over." He then turned to look solely at young Gohan and said, " Gohan, you have been through much for one your age. I also have experienced many hardships at a young age, and I know some of the feelings you are going through. But remember this above all things. Remember why your father did what he did. He didn't do it for pride or honor or for the sake of being the strongest. Remember that he never went into battle for himself. Also know that your father is proud of you." He then backed up a few paces, and bowed to the two them, further shocking the rest of those gathered there.

As he turned around, the shocked faces on Bulma and the rest of those still at the house irritated him enough to bring the old Vegeta back for one more romp. "Woman!!" he growled, as he picked her up in his arms we are leaving. Now!" He then turned his glare at the rest of them, and they quickly got the hint. It was now time to give the Son family time to grieve by themselves. With quick hugs and promised visits, Bulma, Krillen, and Yamcha said there goodbyes, and left the small house in the woods...

-Ta sen-

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A/N: Just so everyone knows there will only be one or two more chapters set recently after the Cell Games. After that shift, the main story will finally begin to develop. All of this has a reason so please bare with me okay. So read and review please, it is a major way of making your fav fics even better!!!! Thanks in advance 


	3. Aftermath:pt2

_**Redemption**_

I do not own any rights to Dragonball Z, or any characters and ideas, except my own.

To all those who **_decided to write a review_**, I just want to say thanks. I really mean it. You guys are really the ones who make it worth writing each week. I am also glad that you **_six_** wrote reviews telling me how I am doing as a writer and storyteller. I will try to make it a very good chapter for all you readers out there.

A/N: You guys have to read this fic!!! I read it right before I went to Iraq. It is caller **_The Return_**, by **_The Smooster_**. If you like long fics, this is definitely worth the read!

Sorry this came out late. Now, on with the story...

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_**Dragon Ball Z: Redemption**_

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_**Chapter 3 - Aftermath Part 2**_

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As people began to arrive at the site of the Cell Games, Hercule just stood in shock. He had no idea what he was going to tell everyone. He was the one who was supposed to defeat Cell, not some strange group of blonde haired fighters that showed up out of nowhere!! He took one slow look at the devastation wrought by the tremendous powers the other fighters had shown, that he knew dwarfed his own. He slowly began to limp toward the remains of his Airbus, the injuries sustained from Cell's backhand were not serious, but they still hurt. But a small sound in the surrounding silence startled him. He looked around, trying to locate its source, when he heard it again. Someone was crying, and the source seemed to be coming from his Airbus. He froze right where he was standing when he recognized the crying. How could she be here!!! She was supposed to be at home with his wife!!!

Videl just couldn't believe it. Even though her father had forbidden her to come and watch him fight Cell, she knew that she had to go. So as her father finished saying good-bye to her mother, she quickly snuck into the back of his Airbus, and hid among the bags her fathers best students were bringing along with them. She couldn't stand the idiots, but put up with them for the sake of her father.

The ride was rather boring, and she spent the time listening to her fathers students fawn all over him, which she found disgusting. As the trio of idiots prattled on and on, they never even noticed that their idol wasn't even among them. Hercule had gotten up and moved to the back, since even he found their chatter annoying. "Oh man what have I gotten myself into?" he asked himself unaware that anyone, let alone his daughter, was listening to him. "First I open my big mouth and say I am going to beat Cell, and then the problem with Sethra pops up. I don't even know what to tell Videl."

At the mention of her mothers name, as well as her own, Videl perked up, and strained to hear everything her father said. She was unaware of anything happening between her father and mother recently. Hercule's musings were cut short as the pilot announced over the intercom that they would be landing at the site of the Cell Games shortly. Hercule turned and went back to his seat, among his followers, who were unaware that he had even left them. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, putting all his problems aside as he prepared for the fight of his life...

To say that Videl was confused would of course be an understatement. She had no idea that her parents were having problems, but to hear them from her fathers own mouth, had her mind racing. She had half of a mind to confront her dad then and there, but the announcement over the intercom cut her short. They were here. She was about to witness her dad in all his full glory. She couldn't wait.

Videl made her way to a window facing the tournament ring, just in time to see her father attack Cell. The elation flew from her face as a bored looking Cell just stood there smirking as her father threw his best, to no affect.

Hercule just couldn't fathom the amount of strength the monster possessed. He was throwing his best and nothing happened. He stopped and looked up at Cell and saw that he wasn't even looking up at him. He followed Cell's gaze to a group standing nearby, watching the one sided fight. Some of them looked on with pity, while a short man with blonde hair that seemed to mock gravity smirked on in amusement. He turned back to Cell as his anger rose. He was the great Hercule!!! It was then that Cell decided to remove the pest from the arena, so that he could finally get to fight the worlds strongest. He almost casually back handed Hercule, sending him flying out of the ring. Now the fun would begin.

The shock of seeing her father so easily beaten by Cell had just floored her! She watched as one of the blonde men wearing an orange gi finished stretching, and calmly walked into the ring. She was too far away to hear what they were saying, but it didn't really matter, as seconds later, the fight began.

They were amazing. She didn't know how they did it, but she was sure that they were flying. The explosions and the lights were just too much for her to handle, and she hid in her Dad's Airbus. When everything had calmed down a little, she looked over, and saw a young boy about her age fighting Cell. She didn't know what surprised her more, the fact that someone so young was fight Cell, or the fact that he was holding his own against the monster. Even better than her dad. As she continued to watch the fight, she was amazed at the skill of the younger fighter. He was good there was no doubt about it. She continued to watch the battle in awe. She watched as the boy screamed in rage when Cell made smaller, blue versions of himself, and sent them to attack the other fighters standing there watching the fight. And the boy changed.

The air around him shimmered. The earth shook as a crater former around the boy. His blonde hair now stood straight up, except for one lock that fell down his face, slightly over the inside of his left eye. His well defined muscles now stood out even more, and the look of rage on his face was enough to make Videl step back, even though she was not the focus of his rage. She then watched as he made Cell vomit up a strange blonde woman, which of course made Videl herself lose her own lunch. He had hit Cell only once!! Cell changed. She didn't know how she knew, but she now knew that Cell was weaker then she was before. She watched as Cell tried to destroy the world by blowing himself up, and she couldn't help the tears as she watched what had to be the boys father disappear along with Cell. But it wasn't long before the monster came back once again in his perfect form, killing one fighter wearing strange clothes.

Once of the other fighters, a short man with tall, blonde hair screamed in rage. His hair, like the young boys changed as well, and now stood up straighter if that was even possible. He vented his rage against the monster, but like her father was easily beaten back. A large light flew from Cells hands, and the shock waves from the explosions knocked her back. She quickly got up and ran out of the Airbus She had to see what was happening.

What she saw shouldn't be possible. Their stood the young boy, panting heavily, his left arm a twisted wreck. A shocking amount of blood poured from the boys arm to soak into the parched earth. Even Videl could see the pain in the boys eyes. She still couldn't hear the words that Cell and the young boy exchanged, but she knew by the boys previous reactions from Cell's antics, that it wouldn't go well for the monster. For the second time that day, the boy changed.

His hair was now longer, almost reaching the ground, and his eyebrows were gone. 'Who are these people? How do they keep changing their hair, make the ground shake? ' She thought to herself. Her personal musing were interrupted by the shout of the boy as a light blue light flew from his hands towards Cell. Then the boy disappear and reappeared behind Cell, sending him towards the blast he was trying to stop with one of his own. Cell barely dodge the blast, but it took his left arm with it. She didn't see the kicks and punches thrown by the boy, but knew he was doing it from the way Cell was reacting. The boy stepped back and once again shouted out, and another light blue light flew from his hands. A smile lit her face as it completely engulfed the monster know as Cell. The boy then fell to his knees, and she got a clear look at his face. His hair had just gone from gold to black, and he passed out. The strange group flew down and picked the boy up, along with their dead friend, and flew away.

The enormity of what happened finally caught up with the young 13 year old, and she fled back to her fathers Airbus and began to cry...

Hercule opened the door to his Airbus, and just stood there, looking at his young daughter. How she had gotten here he didn't know, but his paternal instincts took over immediately, and he rushed to his daughter side and wrapped her in his arms, his own hurts put aside. " Hush now Videl, Daddy's here now. Everything is going to be fine." His words took a while, but they finally reached the heartbroken child. She looked up at her father, but before she could say anything the reporters, had finally arrived. Seeing the group of people standing near the Airbus of the Great Hercule, they quickly swarmed it and shouted out for Hercule to make his appearance to the world, and to tell of how he had defeated Cell.

Hercule was in a dilemma. He looked down at his young daughter, and he just knew that he couldn't do it. He couldn't take the credit, because his daughter had seen the truth, and the one thing he had always taught her, was to tell the truth. With a sad smile, he let go of his Daughter, and stood up. He walked out of the vehicle, and was shocked at all the people who had come to see him, and it hurt to know that he would have to disappoint them all. He raised his hands for silence, looked back at his daughter, and told the story of the Gold Fighters...

The years progressed. After the Cell Games footage had been recovered, hundreds of people went on a manhunt to find out who the mysterious Gold Fighters were. They were never found. Hercule's wife had left him when he had announced that he wasn't the one to defeat Cell. All her dreams of the money they would have had were flushed down the toilet. Hercule found himself training harder and harder every day. Never again would his daughter see him fail at anything. And Videl's heart changed. She vowed she would never let anyone close to her, because she didn't, no couldn't let anyone see her fail. She saw what failing had done to her father, and she made sure never to fail at anything ever again.

For young Gohan, the changes were more profound. Days after the Cell Games, he found out that his mother was pregnant. That same day, he learned of the hunt for the Gold Fighters, when he stumbled on a group lost in the woods near his home. The enormity of Vegeta's announcement was made clear, as Prince Vegeta made sure Gohan new what it meant to be Saiyan. When he wasn't training, or learning his heritage from Vegeta, his mother decided that she would see to it that Gohan would have an education. She also sent him out frequently to the city, on random shopping trips, so that he would remember what his father sacrificed his life for.

For Vegeta, change was difficult. He just didn't know how to change. And so, much to his chagrin, he learned from Gohan what it meant to be human. The irony was not lost on him.

Krillen eventually married Android 18, and moved in with old Master Roshi. At their wedding, Bulma had a surprise for 18, as she proceeded to reintroduce 18 to her brother 17. She told everyone that if 18 got a second chance, why couldn't her brother. With that in mind, she had used the Dragon Balls to wish him back. Yamcha gave up fighting, and became the greatest baseball player ever. No one knew what had happened to Tien.

It was Gohan's 18th birthday, and his mother had a surprise in store for him that would change his life forever. He didn't know it yet, but he was going to High School!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Thanks for reading guys I really appreciate it. I hope you guys can find it in your hearts to leave me a review as well. The only way to make a story good, or a good story better, is to let the author know what needs to be changed. Thanks again 

-Ta Sen-


	4. The Tail Continues

_**Dragon Ball Z: Redemption**_

I do not own any rights to Dragonball Z, or any characters and ideas, except my own.

"..." talking

'...' thought

A/N: Sorry for such a long wait folks. I am not abandoning this fic. In the first chapter I stated that it was 7 years after the Cell Games…..I made a mistake it should have been five. I will be re writing the first three chapters just to make sure that they are consistent with the big picture. Thanks and enjoy‼

_**Chapter 4 – The Tail Continues**_

The sun slowly graced the peaceful land with its warmth and growing brightness, as the circle of life continued once more. This was the nature lovers dream……unfortunately this peace was not to last, as the ear shattering below of one tiny voice box...

" Goohhhhaaaaaannnnnn‼‼‼‼‼‼" the voice bellowed. Of course the voice was owned by one Son Goten, the little brother of the aforementioned Savior of the universe. Today was the day of his big brothers birthday at Capsule Corps, and he couldn't wait to go see his best friend Trunks and Mr. Vegeta. He liked Mr. Vegeta because he let him train with Trunks so that they could be like his big brother Gohan. Vegeta was teaching them about the Sayian Race, and since they were now. As usual, he woke up before his brother, and was about to jump up onto his bed to wake him up, when the sight of blood stopped him in his tracks. Gohan's bed was covered in it. And so, he did what any 6 year old demi – Sayian would do. He screamed.

The scream of his little brother quickly brought the teen to full consciousness, as fears of what caused his little brother to scream like that ran through his mind. In a flash, he was up in a battle stance, waiting for the enemy to strike….and he abruptly fell over. Confusion covered his face as he stood up. He looked around, not noticing the wide – eyed expression currently occupying his little brother's face.

Not seeing anything on the floor that might have tripped him up. He went to take another step, and as before, he promptly fell down. 'Man, the only time something like this ever happened was when Piccolo cut my….tail…..off.' As the thought went through his mind, he slowly turned his head over his shoulder, afraid of what he might see….

As usual, Chi Chi was manning her duty station, in the kitchen preparing the massive morning meal and doing the early prep for lunch, when her face paled as she heard the scream from her second born son. She dropped what she was doing and ran to the bedroom Goten shared with his older brother, in time to see Goten take a few steps out of the room and into the hallway. His little hands covered his mouth, and his wide eyes slowly turned to his mother and said as loudly as he could. "Mom‼‼! Gohan has a tail and I want one too‼‼" Not that Chi Chi didn't believe him, but she walked into the room to see for herself why Goten screamed. She was surprised to see Gohan sitting down staring in wonder at the end of his tail, slowly swaying back and forth. 'Vegeta said this would happen' she thought as a loving smile appeared on her face.

"It looks like my oldest is finally a man." Chi Chi said as she walked into the room and kneeled down next to him, rubbing his hair, breaking Gohan out of his stupor.

"What do you mean mom?" asked Gohan, complete confusion evident on his face.

"Remember what Vegeta told you about Sayian aging? According to what he told us, if we are not mistaken, you are now starting Sayian puberty. Since you are not a full-blooded Sayian, we aren't sure what all would be happening to you. But I am sure everything will work out just fine.

Now Goten, help your brother into the bathroom so he can get ready for school. And Gohan, don't worry about the bed sheets. Just leave them and I will take care of them when you are at school." As only a mother could, she downplayed the situation, to ease the fears of her children. "Now don't just stand there Goten, go help your brother. Remember, the longer it takes for Gohan to get ready, the longer it takes for you to eat!" She heard a muffled gasp and she felt a rush of wind, and had to stifle a little laugh as she saw her youngest pick up his older brother and rush him into the bathroom. She just smiled and shook her head as she headed down to finish the breakfast for her little men.

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For one 18yr old girl, this was the moment she had been waiting for. Her father had promised her a mini jet for her final year of school. As she rushed out the door of her house, she quickly pressed the button and threw the capsule on the ground, and a bright smile lit up her face. She quickly hopped in, hit the ignition button and sat back in the plush leather seats as the hover jets rumbled to life and lifted the jet off the ground.

As she set the coordinates for her destination that morning, her smile was replaced with a frown. She really wished she had been able to find one of the Gold Fighters, as thoughts of being able to fly flashed through her mind. Since the end of the Cell Games she had searched relentlessly…well as much as her father would permit her to. And just like the rest of the world, failure was the only thing that was found. What made the search so hard was the fact that these people we only spotted during the time when the androids first showed up, and then Cell. Since the conclusion of the Cell Games they had not been spotted. As she flew towards Orange Star High School, she had no idea how close she would come to seeing one again,

'Oh Crap!' Thought Gohan as he backed away quickly from the ensuing crowd. On a whim he had decided to stop some fleeing criminals. Unfortunately he had completely forgotten about the fact that everyone still hoped to see a Gold Fighter again. Once he was backed up against a building, he did the only thing that came to his mind. He flew straight up into the air……

Videl didn't know what hit her. One minute she was daydreaming about what it would be like to fly like the Gold Fighters, and the next minute she was spinning. After a couple of rotations….well actually it was more like 6, she came to an abrupt and complete stop. Multi colored lights danced before her eyes. But as her vision cleared a bright flash made her squint her eyes, but as it diminished, her eyes got even wider….was that a Gold Fighter?

As the jet resumed stable flight again, one thought went through her mind…why were they back?! Did that mean the world was in danger again?

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A/N: Yes I know that this was a little vague, but please bear with me on this. Everything will be explained. Sorry that this was so short, but thanks for everyone who reviewed my story.


	5. Help! Its Got Me!

_**Dragon Ball Z: Redemption**_

I do not own any rights to Dragonball Z, or any characters and ideas, except my own.

"..." talking

'...' thought

A/N: Sorry for the lateness of this chapter. If you guys have any thoughts or inputs, I will be entertaining the possibility to add your ideas into the story.

_**Chapter 5 – Did I do that?**_

As the morning dragged on, Gohan realized that he would rather be trapped in the Gravity Room with Vegeta and no food, than spend another minute in this institution called "High School." As his mind wandered, he failed to keep his newly grown tail under control, and it uncurled itself from around his waist. Seemingly with a mind of its own, it curled up like a cane and started to slowly wave from side to side…

Videl was pissed. The one time the cops call her out of her worst class, they actually didn't need her help. As she walked into the classroom, she immediately noticed the new student sitting in front of her assigned seat. As she walked past him, something brushed her arm. In her agitated state, she made a move to slap whatever it was away, but before she could do anything, something warm and fuzzy wrapped itself around her wrist. Her confusion grew as she looked at what was holding her hostage. She had no idea what it was, but it held on to her like concrete. She tried to pull away, but everything that she tried failed. As she inspected the strange object holding her hostage, she realized that it was attached to the new kid…

At first, she found herself admiring the brown belt of the new student named Gohan. She had to admit that she thought he was cute, if you liked the tall type with crazy hair. How she itched to run a comb through his mass of unruly hair….

Gohan had since fallen asleep and was unaware of the events transpiring around him, but the entire class had turned to the ensuing drama unfolding in front of their eyes.

"Videl, I understand the volunteer work that you do for the police, but when you are in this classroom you fall under my jurisdiction. So please find yourself in your seat, so I can continue with today's lessons‼" roared the instructor. The rest of the class erupted into laughter as Videl struggled to free herself from her captor. Luckily for her, the bell rang, signaling the end of class. Unluckily for her, just as she was leaning away from Gohan, his tail released her and whipped around his waist. With a crash, Videl hit the floor, and the students who stayed to see what would happen next once again started laughing.

"Ummm….why are you sitting on the floor? I think that bell meant that class is over." Videl looked up to see who had spoken and found herself staring into the deepest pair of eyes she had ever seen.

"Well if it wasn't for that brown….thing around your waist, I wouldn't been in this situation!‼" She shouted at Gohan.

"Oh, you mean this?" he said as he un-wrapped his tail from around his waist. "It's just my tail." As he said this he helped her to stand and waved his tail at her. "My name is Gohan, what's yours?"

"My name is Videl, and did you just say you have a tail?!?" Videl asked in shock as they proceeded to walk out of the classroom and towards their next class, which just happened to be Physical Education.

"Umm…could you just pretend that I didn't say that?" Gohan asked sheepishly.

Just then a fight broke out, which Gohan conveniently used to escape the questions that he knew was about to erupt from the girl. He raced down the hall, being careful not to bump into anyone, and made it to the boy's locker room safely. He quickly changed into his blue gi and walked into the gym.

The room quickly fell silent as everyone gazed at the new comer. At least one girl fainted as they got a good look at the Adonis before them. Some of the jocks in the class were quickly cut down a few notches as they looked at the arms on the new student. Where some of the males in the school bulked up in the weight rooms, it was obvious that Gohan was on a whole different level. His muscles weren't huge, but they were deeply sculpted and rippled as he moved his arms.

As Gohan continued walking towards the rest of the class, he berated himself for exposing the scars on his arms. Just then their Videl walked in and stopped for a second as she looked to see what had caused a whole high school gym class to be completely silent. Like the rest of the class she stared at Gohan's body. As her eyes traveled up and down his arms, she was drawn to the huge scar that cover the upper portion of Gohan's left arm.

One of the students asked how he got that scar, and Gohan flinched slightly, and looked away. Only Videl saw the look of pain cross his face. There was something familiar in that face. She had seen it before, she just couldn't remember where….

Hercule was elated. He was glad that the school superintendant had decided to go along with his idea. As he walked into the gym with the gym instructor, he froze in his tracks. He stared at the boy standing apart from his class. There was something familiar about him; he just couldn't place it….

A/N: Okay so I know it wasn't a great chapter, but I couldn't leave you guys hanging like that. Anyway, I might need to jump ahead in time just to get the story where it needs to be without leaving you guys with chapters of endless crap....unless you want me to..lol

Next chapter Chapter 6 - I didn't mean to....I swear!!!


	6. I didn’t mean to…I swear!

**_Dragon Ball Z: Redemption_**

I do not own any rights to Dragonball Z, or any characters and ideas, except my own.

"..." talking

'...' thought

A/N: Well here it is finally people. I apologize for keeping everyone waiting for so long with this story. I have been dealing with school and some health issues, but enough excuses. On with the show!!!

**_Chapter 6 – I didn't mean to…..I swear!!!!!_**

Capsule Corps

Chi Chi and Bulma couldn't help but smile as shouts of frustration echoed throughout the massive grounds of the Capsule Corps campus. Soon enough Vegeta came storming into the kitchen carrying the young demi-saiyan children who had just interrupted his training session.

"Woman!" He shouted. "Control these blasted children and keep them away from me while I am training! How can I expect to keep up with the other Kaka-brat, if these two keep getting in my way?" Having finishes his latest rant; he dropped the two young ones on the floor and walked out muttering to himself.

Waiting as long as they could, the two mothers burst out laughing as Trunks and Goten looked on in bewilderment. When they had finally calmed down, the two women began catching up and began planning the party for Gohan and quickly forgot about the two children sitting on the floor. And it wasn't long before the two dejected children decided that it was much more fun to do….

"You know what Goten? Things are much more fun when Gohan is around." Trunks said. "Where is he anyway?"

"Mom said that he had to go to something called High School. What's High School Trunks?" Now in Goten's defense, it must be stated that there are some fundamental draw backs to being brought up in the mountains away from civilization.

"I don't know, let's go as him!" Trunks and Goten shared a look, and the two young ones snuck out of the building and quickly took flight, heading towards Gohan's ki signature…..

* * *

Orange Star High School

Gohan was irritated. Normally when this occurred, the only one who could deal with it properly was Vegeta and the regenerative tanks at Capsule Corps. Unfortunately for the population at Orange Star High School, they were lucky that Gohan had learned self restraint. The cause of his ire was the announcement made by a certain afro-haired martial artist; Hercule Satan. In two days time the city would be putting on a celebration commemorating the victory the Gold Fighters had over Cell 5 years ago.

As this announcement was made, Gohan quickly turned and left the gym, as his irritation quickly turned to sorrow. When he heard the doors close behind him, leaned against the wall and slowly sank to the floor, his head between his knees. He didn't hear the door open or close, as the grief once again washed over him like a tidal wave on a rocky shore….

As the rest of the students started cheering, Videl noticed Gohan quietly making his way towards the exit. She caught a brief flash of his face as he turned towards the door, and noticed the look of anguish and the too bright sheen in his eyes. After a few seconds she followed him out of the door and came to an abrupt stop as she took in Gohan sitting on the floor with his head down, and the unmistakable shaking that came with intense pain and sorrow.

Hercule had also noticed the departure of Gohan, and with an instinctive glance he happened to notice the scar on Gohan's arm. Once again that same feeling of recognition washed over him. He continued to stare at the door, barely noticing when Videl left. As the door closed behind her, everything flashed together in his mind. It couldn't be….

Videl didn't know what else to do, but do the same thing that her father had done for her when her mother had left 5 years ago. She slowly sank to her knees and wrapped her arms around the sobbing teen. She didn't say anything, letting Gohan's sorrow run its course. As the two sat there Gohan's tail, all but forgotten, unwound itself, wrapping around Videl's waist. Videl had just noticed the Gohan's strange belt had wrapped itself around her waist, when his head suddenly shot up and snapped to the right. "They are so dead!"

"Who is so dead Gohan?" Videl asked as her bewilderment was evident on her face since there was no one else in the hallway. Before he could respond, two children burst from around the corner shouting his name. He quickly stood up and they slid to a sudden stop at the look of Gohan's face. "Goten, Trunks, just what do you think you guys are doing here?"

"Well, Trunks and me wanted to see what High School was, since mom never tolded me." Said the terrified young child. Unfortunately for all four of them, before either Gohan or Trunks could speak, three things happened that would forever alter their lives forever….

The first thing to happen was the completely innocent questions asked by two young kids.

"Gohan is that your girlfriend?" asked Goten.

"Gohan what is your tail doing?" asked Trunks. Both teens looked down, and Gohan let out a small groan as his unwrapped his tail from Videl's waist.

"Gohan, what did that little kid mean by 'tail'?" Gohan had no idea how to answer that question and was saved by the second life altering event. ..

Hercule burst into the hallway and came to a halt staring at the scene before him. His eyes did a quick dance until he settled on young Goten. Now since the Cell Games Hercule turned into an accomplished martial artist. He let his actions in the ring speak for itself, and never felt the need to showboat and turn everything into a PR spectacle. However, there currently isn't a cure for diarrhea of the mouth.

"Hey, you look just like that guy who died fighting Cell!!!" Now Goten may be naive, but he knew that there was one thing on earth to never talk about around Gohan. The first time he had every brought up the subject, Gohan just broke down and started crying. That was the first time he had ever been scared. The second time was when the ground had started shaking, and a terrible scream echoed across the landscape. He ran to his mothers' room crying in terror and flew into her arms.

"Hush Goten, it's alright." She said. "It's just your brother letting of some steam like Mr. Vegeta does." Since he was only 3 years old, he wasn't sure if that was any better.

* * *

As if on cue, the heads of Tien, Krillen, Yamcha, Vegeta, Piccolo and even Master Roshi, snapped in the general direction of Gohan's rapidly flaring ki signature. Vegeta had told Bulma to warn the others of Gohan's puberty and what would come with it. Right now, Vegeta feared the irrational anger that came with this new stage of development in the young Saiyan.

Vegeta quickly flew through the corridors of Capsule Corps racing to find Bulma and Chi Chi, to warn them of the events that might follow Gohan's imminent explosion.

"Bulma, Chi Chi! Get the brats and expect the worse. Gohan anger is rising at a catastrophic rate!" He did a quick check and swore viciously as the blood drained from his face.

"Vegeta what's wrong?" Bulma asked with a sick look on her face.

With a look of pure horror, Vegeta told Bulma what his senses had told him. The kids were with Gohan. With the severity of the situation hitting everyone at the same time, and know that this time he would be excused, he blasted his way through the building and raced to the city, hoping to avert the coming storm. Instead of falling to the floor like Chi Chi, Bulma raced to the nearest computer panel and activated the alarm system setup throughout the city. Once she was sure of everything was running smoothly, she prepped the regen tanks, hoping that they wouldn't be needed. She then checked to see if the Dragonballs were still secured where they had been gathered in the event that they might be needed. When all this was done, she collapsed next to Chi Chi and the two mothers held onto each other, fearing for the lives of their family, friends, and the innocents that could be injured.

* * *

Students and staff ran shouting throughout the building as the ki sensors stationed around the city began blaring. They had been built by the people of Capsule Corps to help trying to prevent another disaster like Cell. They had also built the ki proof shelters that the current students and city population were fleeing to. Thanks to the intervention of Capsule Corps and planned drills, evacuation was orderly and swift. In mere minutes after the alarms began screaming across the city, the vast majority of citizens were already making their ways to the many shelters strategically located across the city.

Ever oblivious to the obvious, Hercule looked at Gohan and was about to speak when the world exploded. This was the third and final life altering event. Brick and mortal exploded into the hallway as Piccolo and Vegeta both appeared in the ruined hallway. A few seconds later Krillen and Yamcha appeared in the holes left by the other two fighters. "Yamcha, get the kids out of here!" shouted Vegeta as he rushed to get a firm grip on Gohan, swallowing his own fear. Gohan hair had started to waver and flicker gold. The smallest of earthquakes started to rumble through the city, the earth itself groaning in pain. . .

Knowing that he would be helpless against Gohan, Krillen grabbed Videl and her father "Hold on!" he shouted as he took off towards the nearby Capsule Corps Campus. Videl's last glance at Gohan shook her to her core. There was a huge green...thing…at Gohan's back, struggling to contain...something, as a short man with gravity defying hair tried to do the same. Then a sound she last heard when she was 13 years old, burst from Gohan. Then the world exploded.

After having the Cell Games brought up again, the last thing that Gohan wanted to hear was mention of his father. It was hard enough that his little brother looked just like him. He truly loved his little brother and tried not to let the evident grief show every time he looked at him. When Hercule mentioned the apparent resemblance his brother shared with his father, he snapped. He tried his best to contain the rage that now flowed through his veins. He was relieved when his four friends showed up and evacuated Trunks, Goten, Videl and her father. The last of his restraint slipped as they were leaving with Krillen and he released the flood gates of his pain and anger. His last thought was of Vegeta and Piccolo and hoped that they had gotten to safety…

Next Chapter-Change


	7. Change

_**Dragon Ball Z: Redemption**_

I do not own any rights to Dragonball Z, or any characters and ideas, except my own.

"..." talking

'...' thought

A/N:I know that this is a short chapter, but consider this a teaser to Chapter 8.....Well folks another chapter for you guys to enjoy

_**Chapter 7 – Change**_

In the aftermath of the day's events, chaos reigned within the medical sections of Capsule Corps as the medical staff went into overdrive. Each one of the hundreds of staff member hoping that the safety measures within the city would be sufficient, and that their skills would not be needed. In the city, emergency workers moved quickly to the site of Orange Star High School to assess the damage. What they saw shocked them. The entire structural integrity of the school and surrounding buildings had been compromised. Half of the school itself lay in rubble and ruin. Thanks to the preventative measures of Capsule Corps, all of the students and faculty had evacuated the area and no lives were lost. There were, however, many that were injured in the explosion and those who could be treated at the rapidly filling hospitals were evacuated to the Capsule Corps Medical buildings.

The last thing that Videl could remember was being picked up by a short bald man, and lifted into the air along with her father. All she new now was that she seemed to be floating. She open her eyes, and was surprised to find that she was floating in a strange, thick, green liquid. As her mind began to clear itself of its fogginess, she noticed that a current had begun to flow within the liquid. The fluid level quickly dropped and the glass door surrounding her slid to the ground. One of the medical staff members was there to grab her as she fell forward, her legs feeling like jelly. She quickly glanced down and was relieved to see that she was not naked and that she had a black skin-tight body suit on.

"This way, young lady." a young woman in hospital scrubs said, as Videl turned looked around at the organized chaos she was currently standing in the middle of. She was led to a hospital gurney, and as soon as the medical tech was sure she was okay to be left alone, she rushed off to assist another tech as he struggled a large individual in the now vacant regen tank.

Needing to move around, as her mind tried to grasp the day's events, she found herself wandering aimless around. She didn't realize it, but she was in shock. She couldn't tell if she had been walking for minutes or hours, but she found herself in another wing of the building. There was less noise in this area, but at the same time, more active. She was drawn to a set of regen tanks that were significantly different than the one she had been in. She walked up to the first one and examined the figure inside. It was the short bald man who had picked her and her father up like they were nothing and flew off…..'Wait….how the hell were we flying!!??!!' As she contemplated this new thought process, she heard voices and quickly hid behind the nearest tank.

"I don't know what's wrong with him Chi Chi. He should have woken up by now." A blue haired woman was telling a slender woman with black hair. "Not even Vegeta knows what is going on. This is the first time anyone has been through this. We don't know what to expect. "

"Bulma, what am I going to do? I can't lose him too. It hurt too much when Goku left." Chi Chi slowly placed her hand on the regen tank and Videl barely heard her whisper, "Gohan…don't leave me and Goten alone…" Chi Chi slowly slid to her knees broke down and began to weep silently. Bulma lifted the crying mother to her feet, and led her out of the room, hugging Chi Chi to herself.

"Come on Chi Chi, let's go get something to eat and see how Goten is doing. He should be out soon." Bulma said as she walked the grieving woman out of the room.

Videl's mind reeled as she tried to take in what she had just heard. 'Gohan is the son of Goku!!!!!' As soon as the coast was clear she hurried to the tank that the woman was standing in front of and screamed.

Vegeta would never admit it to anyone, but he was worried about Gohan. He had resigned himself to the fact that he wasn't the strongest, but he hated feeling helpless again as another one of his race faced death. Besides Trunks and himself, Goten and Gohan were the last members of their race. They couldn't afford to lose anyone else. As he pondered this sobering fact, a scream reached his sensitive ears coming from the direction where their custom regen tanks were being housed.

Bulma had just calmed Chi Chi down enough to get her to eat when a scream reached them, coming from the room with the family regen tanks. Before she knew it, Chi Chi had bolted past her and raced towards the room they had just vacated. When she reached the room, she saw a strange girl and Vegeta both staring at the tank that was being occupied by Gohan. Chi Chi was lying on the floor, and before she could even ask, Vegeta told her that she had fainted the second she looked at Gohan. Her curiosity piqued, she walked up to the tank and gasped aloud. Gohan's whole body twitched in a macabre dance. His hair and tail fluctuated from the golden hue of a Super Saiyan, then back to normal. That however wasn't what really captivated her though. For the first time, she witnessed the Super Saiyan transformation, at less than instantaneous. She watched as Gohan's eyebrows disappeared as if they were burned off. She saw the minute changes in his muscle and skeletal structure when the ridges above his eyebrows extended, and his hair grew in length down to his calves. When the change was complete, it would go in reverse until he was back in his normal state.

Bulma ran to the computers that monitored the health of the individual in the tank, and was astonished by her findings. It was as if Gohan's body was at war with itself. Normally, Gohan's cells showed both characteristics of Saiyan and Human. Now, however, there were two separate cell types in Gohan's body. And it appeared that each was vying for dominance.

The silence within the room was profound, and was broken as everyone, including Vegeta, gasped as Gohan's eyes snapped open. Cracks began to spider web around the glass tube housing the half Saiyan. As this was happening, fears that Bulma didn't know she had, began to surface as the war within Gohan ended. His Saiyan cells had managed to dominate his human cells. His human cells were still there, but it was his Saiyan cells that were now dictating the changes within Gohan…..


End file.
