Welcome back everyone! It's been a while, since I've been developing the details of the story more fluidly and planning out more about it. So, just a note, Gohan, while he will have a lot of aspects and personality traits that are similar to how he was in Dragon Ball Z, will have a more serious and calculating personality, like when he was fighting Perfect Cell. His abilities will be within the realm of Mystic Gohan. Anyways, this is Chapter 3!

Quick word of warning, there will be some original characters in here, hopefully not that many, and those that do have an actual role in the story progression and the growth of Gohan relationships and maturity. So let's see if you can guess who I based this added character off of. (Hint: It's a really popular anime that originated from a light novel that originated from a web novel about escape.)

Disclaimer: Dragon Ball Z and any other character designs associated with other anime/manga/light novels (believe me, there will be a lot, but their relation is only in appearance) belong to their respective owners.

Chapter 3: Pulling it Together

"Just how many kinds of stupid are you!?" Lime huffed, crossing her arms over her chest as she admonished him. Gohan laughed as dictated by his father's genes.

"I didn't know there're different kinds of stupid," he replied, leaning against the fencing that separated him from falling off the roof. His clothes moved with the wind, his jacket unbuttoned and the top buttons of hit shirt undone. His tie had disappeared at some point during the morning, and he'd resolved to find it at later. "You'll have to teach me them later."

"There are! And you just blew through every category, with flying colors! It's okay to fail some tests, you know! You just did something that could end your life as you know it!" she exclaimed half seriously and half sarcastically. Her aquamarine gems for eyes turned to the view Orange Star High provided over Satan City atop its lofty acropolis as she stood beside him. "For some reason, being Videl Satan is tantamount to being a god. Maybe it's because she's the daughter of the 'World's Savior'…"

"Are you trying to make me jealous?" he asked smartly. She shook her head, her vibrant crimson hair flowing gently with the current of serene, springtime cherry blossoms. "Then what is it?"

"You've really never heard of her, have you?" she sighed again. Another sheepish chuckle was her reply. "Videl Satan is dangerous, and not because of her father, Gohan. She's like some sort of prodigious super-sleuth and works part time with Satan City's police force."

"So that's why she was at the scene yesterday," he mused absently.

"If you want that quiet life you're always talking about, you're really going the wrong way," she continued, staring at him incredulously. "Everyone's already saying that you're picking a fight with the daughter of the 'World's Savior', well, all the third-years, at least. At this rate, your secret might get blown sky high."

"I think you're blowing this way out of-"

"She has access to level one classified files within the world's government, basically 'Code A' status."

"Oh, well then…"

A look of astonishment spread across his face. A mere high school student had access to even the lowest of classified files on weapons, espionage, and politics? He had been about to reply when he remembered that his authorization was much greater, as the one who'd created the tiered classification system, and that he, himself, was a high school student with the highest rank of anyone beside Bulma. An intrigued chuckle escaped his lips, making Lime's expression darken.

"What?" he asked, quickly catching her light glare.

"I know that look. It's that stupid look Saiyans get when they get excited over a challenge," she replied. His hand shot up to his face, touching each of the muscles skeptically. He could hear her sigh under her breath. "Stupid..."

What the two friends missed were the sets of eyes observing them as they spoke. Even with the wild and dangerous rumors of Gohan spreading to every corner of the school, the air of mystery about him, coupled with his naive, boyish looks, intrigued the female portion of Orange Star's student body, even if temporarily. A group remained hushed, peeking through a crack in the door, intently observing the calm conversation between Lime and the new student.

"Hey," one girl began. "Do you think he knows Lime-senpai?" Another girl shrugged.

"They seem to be pretty calm," that girl observed. "Maybe they're dating?" The first girl seemed to not believe the suggestion, almost slapping the second girl in the back of her head.

"Lime-senpai?" she snorted. "Her standards are so high that I doubt Videl-san or even Mister Satan himself would even be able to reach them! Not to mention she's the fantasy of all the guys at this stupid school. Do you know how many confessions and repeat confessions she turns down, per day!? They don't call her the 'Ruin Princess' for nothing, you know. Guys even break up with their girlfriends to confess to her!"

"But they look so natural together!" the first girl replied, pointing to their touching shoulders. "They're even touching!"

"Can I help you ladies?" Gohan asked suddenly, leaning against the other side of the door. They gasped, jumping back a little as he smiled politely, contrast to the almost hawk-like stare of his grey eyes. Lime was standing next to him, her arms still crossed over her chest as she stared them down, almost predatorily. Her angry glower made them shrink back. "You seem to have been talking about us."

"Y-You heard us?" the first girl exclaimed, adjusting her glasses. He nodded with a look that told her that he heard the important parts. But he was all the way across the roof! Speaking of which, how did he even appear like that!? It's like he teleported!

It was then that another girl spoke up, holding out a microphone for Gohan and Lime to speak into. "S-Son-kun, I know that you just transferred today. I'm Azumi Chihiro with the newspaper club," she explained after finding a part of her lost voice. He glanced at her curiously, but before he could reply, she spoke up again. "Are you and Lime-senpai dating?"

Both of them choked, a reaction that didn't go unnoticed by the two other girls. Lime turned a faint dusting of red, but maintained most of her normal composure. Gohan, on the other hand, simply laughed before he spoke. "Would it be a big deal if I was, Azumi-san?" he asked open-endedly, taking note of the girl taking notes in a handheld notebook. Something seemed to sparkle in her eyes with his reply.

"I-Idiot! Stop that!" Lime exclaimed quickly.

"So that means you are!?" Azumi inquired with excitement rising in her voice.

"W-Well, no, but-"

"But what?"

"W-We're more of friends that go really, really far back."

"I see… I see…"

The demi-Saiyan glanced at the pad, using his enhanced vision to read her writing. It looked a lot like headlines, despite the sloppy, illegible mess. There didn't seem to be any harm, but Lime seemed to be frozen in her spot, seemingly dreading his lack of tact. The girl, Azumi Chihiro, didn't even stop, leaping up from her spot on the floor as she jovially hopped down the flight of stairs, towing the glasses-wearing girl with her. A small chuckle escaped his lips at the comedy of the situation.

"Idiot! Do you know what you just did?" Lime exclaimed, panicked. He began to panic because of her. Realizing that, she stopped and took deep breaths. "I have a bad reputation at this school, Gohan. You just made yourself the enemy of all men here because of it."

"Oh come on," he laughed lightly, mulling over her words for a few seconds. She could see him freeze for a second. "You're over-exaggerating! I'm your best friend! There's nothing bad about that." She sighed again for the umpteenth time. It hadn't even been four hours since the boy she'd called her brother and romantic interest had stepped into the school, and he was already creating trouble for himself, her, and everyone else. Even if she'd wished for a school life as interesting as her private life, she didn't want something like the rumor mill turning before anything even happened.

The ground around them suddenly shook. A dry, ashen scent wafted over to them under particles of ugly, grey debris. They completely forgot their previous encounter, turning to the Civic Center, more specifically, the building the International Union of Peace, where a pillar of smoke rose from the ground a few kilometers from Orange Star. Making eye contact, Lime immediately closed and blocked the access door with her body as Gohan dashed forward toward the ledge, vaulting over the protective fencing with ease. "Go! Go! GO!" he shouted as the experimental armor released in a flash of light.

Mid-air, he coiled like a striking snake, gathering his energy until it hit a breaking point. In an awe-inspiring moment, Lime saw the air around him distort again, exploding from his waist as he shot forward like a rocket, leaving a massive trail of white smoke in his wake. This time, no windows shattered. The shockwave had been contained. There hadn't even been a sound. She wanted to shout her encouragement. She wanted to show him that she was there, even in spirit. By then, he was already far away, the white streak announcing his imminent arrival.

For Bulma Briefs, it definitely wasn't her day. The suit that she and Gohan had developed in secret was officially out in the open, and the Union, a coalition of nations tasked with world peace and policing, had called an emergency meeting on how to deal with it, since no company, including her own, took responsibility for the weapon. The Son "sense of duty" really got on her nerves, but she figured that if they hadn't done it, no one would have.

She sighed, leaning back in her chair, absently fiddling with the fountain pen in her hand as she quietly took note of the other people in the building, mostly pompous, rich CEO's and big-shot politicians. The only one who stood out was neatly dressed and completely calm, even over the din of the arguing and threatening that led nowhere. Her black hair was brushed neatly. Her black, designer suit was immaculate. Tenshi, huh? She thought to herself. I've heard of her, the "Spartan of the Battlefield", if I remember correctly. If she's here, that means this has elevated to Orange status.

She was brought out of her bored musings when three men exploded through the front door, completely devoid of breath and unreasonably panicked. The entire room stopped its activity, staring curiously at them as they gathered themselves. Bulma knew something was up the moment they arrived. "B-Bomb!" one of them shouted. "T-There's a bomb! Genesis has launched its attack on the building!"

A sense of panic set in as the room full of rich people began to scatter about, searching for the exits. They didn't make it. Rather, they were captured by men in full military dress who filtered in through the only entrance and exit. Seeing a gun pointed directly at her, Bulma grabbed her attacker's wrist, flipping it over her head as the light fixture above her exploded. With her other hand, she flipped a hidden switch on her cell phone. At the same time, an explosion knocked them off their feet.

Gohan's eyes widened as his heads-up display went red, danger and warning signs exploding all over the place. An S.O.S signal from Bulma had been broadcast over a secure line. In the corner of his visor, a small arrow appeared at the edge of his map. There was smoke coming from one of the exterior buildings, located opposite of her, in the back of the expansive complex, with people rushing out, screaming. He took a deep breath, hovering one hundred meters above the scene, resolving to take care of them first.

Inside, it was literal hell, perhaps worse; Gohan had thought as he searched quickly for survivors amongst the smoke, fire, ash, and falling rubble. The bomb had detonated in one of the more populated buildings. As he approached the epicenter, more and more people had been killed, their bodies strewn about the desks and floors. There hadn't been a chance at survival for anyone within fifty horizontal meters of the explosion. Outside, gunfire and terrified screams made him grind his teeth. If he left, any possible survivors in the building would have all hope lost. He growled, using his abilities to scan for life.

The faint sound of crying caught his attention as he quickly combed the floor directly above the center of the explosion, the last one. As quickly as he could, he rushed toward its source. It was a young woman with waist length chestnut coloured hair and brown eyes. Her face was thin and pale with thin, pink lips. Her grey business suit was torn, one of her pant legs gone, exposing her long, silky legs. She was crouched on the floor, covering something from a pile of cement that had fallen with her back. There was a small Chi with her, almost unnoticeable, an infant child. She turned to him, terrified by his menacing appearance.

"Get away!" she screamed weakly, coughing from the inhalation of too much smoke. He noticed her stagger slightly. A piece of metal had pierced her thigh. "Get away!"

She was surprised to find the helmet retract, showing a teenage boy with mild looks, wild black hair, and sharp, grey eyes. He offered his hand to her accompanied by a comforting smile. There was a falter in her reaction. "Please save my child," she requested desperately. The pain on his face from her request was evident as he shook his head. "What the hell do you mean, no!?"

"You're both coming," he replied calmly, slinging her over his shoulder despite her protests while cradling the child in his other arm. Taking care not to irritate her wound, he darted through the debris while keeping alert of any other survivors. "We're getting you out of here. Your baby will be fine too."

A group of Chi was fast approaching the main entrance. He slid to a stop around the corner of a corridor, gently placing the woman and her child on the floor and against a wall. He told her to stay quiet, and to keep the baby as quiet as possible. There was a camera in the corner, pointing directly at the door. The computer hacked into it as the helmet returned to his face, allowing him to obtain a visual of the thirty soldiers clad in black camouflage. Each of them had standard infantry equipment similar to that of the Royal Military of the World.

"Son of a-" he muttered under his breath as he stepped out into the open. Behind them he could see dead bodies on the floor, riddled with bullet holes. Pools of crimson blood poured onto the cement. None of them had even the remotest chance. He ground his teeth, tightening his fist so much that he would have drawn blood if it weren't for the armor. Under his helmet, his eyes flashed violently switching to teal, a tell-tale sign of the Super Saiyan transformation in progress. Vital scanners in his suit went into overdrive.

The guns fired upon him without warning, unloading a wave of metal on the suit. They all bounced off harmlessly, electrical sparks buzzing and dancing around him. "Overshield," he growled before he disappeared completely. He reappeared in front of one of the wing position men, swinging his leg in an upward arc that sent his target flying. In the recoil, he grabbed the gun hand of the next nearest man, forcing him to fire into his own foot before kicking the man in the chest, tearing his arm from the rest of his body.

Quickly, he grabbed the barrel of one of the automatic rifles, flipping over its owner, and ripped the weapon out of his hands. Gohan's finger twitched, unloading the rest of the magazine on the man before he used the butt of the weapon to attack another person's stomach. Four down, he thought to himself as they stepped back and readied their fire.

One equipped with a shotgun attacked him from behind, only to fire through an afterimage into two of his allies. The demi-Saiyan bounced off the ceiling using his own Chi to form curved blades on his forearms as he slashed straight down, cutting two targets cleanly in half. Pivoting his wrists on the tiled floor, he gathered his Chi in his feet and created similar blades at his heels as he spun around on the floor, removing the heads of four more. Twelve down, he counted mentally. There was a danger reading still in the corner of his display. Bulma's heart rate was elevated.

Go burn in hell, he glared angrily. Suffer under the souls of those you so heinously murdered! He released another explosion of energy, one that melted the guns in each soldier's hands, scalding and melting their skin as it fused with their melted, deformed weapons, turning them into makeshift handcuffs that could never be removed. Fearful, pained screams echoed throughout the lobby as he led the horrified woman out the front door.

There were still others in the other buildings. He caught a quick flash of light as he entered the main courtyard and tossed the woman into the air, appearing at the windows from where his enemies were firing, ten stories above the ground. His hands lit up with beautiful golden light that split into multiple spears, piercing the gunners at vital points. Within one second, he'd killed twenty more men, still managing to gently catch the woman and her child.

"Stay here, and take these," he commanded, releasing a black capsule as they crossed a parking lot. A black, heavy duty SUV with an armorized push bar and large, bulletproof off-road tires gleamed, as if it was in the proper setting for an appearance. "Get some oxygen into that child. There are also some pain killers in the back for you. I'll be back after I retrieve someone." She nodded as he placed her in the trunk of the car. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. "Don't worry. This thing can withstand hell itself. You're safe, as long as the doors are locked."

With that, he turned back to the main building, where Bulma was located. He calmed himself to track her Chi, exploding out of a cloud of dust and dirt seconds later. He burst through Plexiglas windows into a large conference room. There, he found Bulma fighting off one of the men as another woman fought off three at once. His shoulder panels rose. Small explosions sent sniper rounds at the four men, marking their targets with deadly accuracy.

He dashed forward, spinning as he knocked down the door violently, sending one more man behind it through the steel-reinforced wall at the other side of the corridor. Mid-air, a fragmentation grenade flew at him. He didn't think, nor did he hesitate, changing his orientation in the air, and returned it with his hand. The ground shook as he landed on one knee, with his fist in the carpet. The cement beneath the carpeting had, no doubt, been damaged.

The black haired woman who'd been fighting instantly commanded those in the room to follow the armored man, the ironic topic of discussion, if they wanted to survive. They agreed, quickly following as Gohan mercilessly laid waste to everything that he was sure was an enemy. Tenshi grabbed her phone and ordered her subordinates on standby to apprehend him when the threat level had subsided. She watched in mild surprise as the CEO of Capsule Corporation shot any of the leftovers with the firearm she'd stolen. Well, that woman must have some sort of fighting ability if she's married to the "Most Dangerous Man in the World".

The armored man disappeared for a moment, reappearing at the end of the hall. With skill that was difficult to find in recent years, he used his legs to bring down a rocket launcher while firing beams of golden energy that connected at point blank range, tearing the man apart. He disappeared again. The last three men, guarding the main lobby of that building were terminated faster than the eye could see, falling all in odd, impossible directions. They all emerged to a storm of news vans, SWAT teams, and local police, fire, and paramedics.

Those there to receive them fell silent as Gohan emerged from the front door with a piece of torn royal maroon drapery caught in the back of the chest plate of the suit, contrasting the matte black finish of the armor. His appearance was heroic, yet dark, with blood splattered on the polarized golden visor and right side of his body. Cheers erupted from the crowds as those from the building came out the front doors, slightly shaken, but almost wholly uninjured. Before any of the news crews could get a decent still shot, a blast of dust and gravel flew past them as he rocketed back into the air, away from the whole complex.

The woman awoke in a luxuriously furnished room. The bed in which she awoke was plush and soft, as the gentle sound of waves lapping against a beach filled her ears. She paused for a moment. The nearest beach was four hundred kilometers south of Satan City. With blurred vision, she turned to the window to find that the sun was setting over the horizon. Gulls circled the lighthouse at the edge of a cliff nearby. It was a scene straight out of a painting.

"I see you're awake," someone said. Her head snapped in the direction of voice. The boy from before was reclined in a seat on the other side of the room with a book in his hand. He was casually dressed in a white, button-up shirt and blue jeans. "That piece of metal was in a tricky spot. Luckily, we were able to remove it and patch you up since it didn't damage your femoral artery or any nerves. You'll heal up in a month or so, given that you have some physical therapy." She pulled up the sheets, finding her leg professionally bandaged.

"W-Who are you!?" she demanded. "Where's Hina!?" He scratched his cheek before chuckling to himself.

"I suppose it's rude that I haven't introduced myself," he replied calmly. She recoiled at the formality coming from a boy who couldn't be older than high school age. The last time she'd been conscious, he was tearing through a dangerous terrorist group like nothing. "I'm Son Gohan. Don't worry. Both you and Hina are safe, Miss… er…"

"Takanashi, Takanashi Sora," she said cautiously. Could he be…? "Where are we?"

"Ah," he replied, as if going through a revelation. "We're at one of the villas owned by the Capsule Corporation president, Takanashi-san. I'd suggest that you two stay here for a while, at least until this whole situation dies down. Is there anyone you'd like me to contact?" She shook her head. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes, so I'll be helping you down to the dining room."

"How long was I asleep, Son-san?" she asked just as he was about to leave. He seemed to think about it for a while. "I'd say, not including the surgery, four, maybe five hours? Not all that long, which is really impressive in and of itself."

Takanashi felt entirely out of place as she was helped into the lavish, expansive dining room, where her daughter was busily playing with a picture book. There, she found the stunning face of Capsule Corporation at the head of the table, waiting patiently for Gohan and her to arrive. She couldn't help but gasp.

"I suppose I should introduce myself as well since Gohan's probably done it already," the blue-haired woman said nonchalantly.

"N-No, that's not necessary, Briefs-san," she exclaimed nervously. "It would be very bad if I didn't know who you were!" The woman laughed lightly.

"I see…"

The food was brought out in full courses on expensive platters the moment she was set down at the table. Its presentation was exquisite. Even the small girl seemed to enjoy playing with the young man, tossing her food left and right, making a mess everywhere. "You're probably wondering why you're here, right?" Bulma asked suddenly. Takanshi's eyes widened, fear overtaking her, something the woman noticed instantly. "We're not going to do anything like threaten you or anything. I assume you saw Gohan in that suit, right?"

She nodded silently. The blue haired woman laughed lightly. "W-Why didn't you guys come out about something like that? That could change the world!"

"It's not my choice to do that," she replied calmly. "Gohan's the one who developed a majority of that system, I just provided the resources." She turned, stunned.

"T-Then t-that means that he's-"

"He's that Son Gohan. The one genius that no one has ever seen," she confirmed with a slight nod. The woman turned from her to the demi-Saiyan back to the CEO. "Cool, huh?"

"B-But I heard that Son Gohan was an elderly man who'd gone insane years ago!"

The teen coughed roughly, a wry grin spread across his face as he looked to his family's friend for an explanation. Bulma laughed weakly. "Oh, come on, Gohan. How many people would actually accept that a kid who should have been in grade school designed some of the most advanced computer software and medical equipment in this century?"

"You could have made me some sort of cool comic book character instead of an insane old man," he offered flatly. "This kind of hurts." He turned to the other woman at the table and smiled again. "Perhaps we should tell her why she's still here." With that, Bulma cleared her throat dutifully.

"Takanashi Sora-san, twenty-six years old, divorced, one child. Employed by the International Union's Internal Affairs department for four years as an information analyst, is that correct?" she asked. Upon confirmation, the blue-haired woman continued. "Seventy-two hours ago, your division received anonymous information about the extremist group known as 'Genesis' and their internal dealings within the Union. You were one of those in charge of filtering the information?"

"Y-Yes, but h-how did you-"

"I've been tracking them for a while," Gohan explained, typing something on his tablet PC, a model she'd never seen. From the middle of the table, a blue, holographic projection system rose up. "The files you received dealt with those employees in the Union who were providing Genesis with classified information, as well as those Genesis members working on the inside, but they were leaked, correct?" Takanashi nodded dumbly, trying to take in the absurdity of the situation, as if she were in the middle of a spy movie.

"As of last night, within ten weapons companies, including Capsule Corporation, an unknown software attempted to hack into databases," he explained swiftly and efficiently, bringing up the change logs in Capsule Corp's system. "We can only assume that they were searching for the blueprints to Project Super Sword, the armor you saw earlier, which doesn't exist in any networked server at all. Six hours before that, they deployed a squadron to break into a hidden vault within Satan Bank and recover a score of radioactive materials suitable for bombs. And, the rest is history."

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked cautiously. In her gut, nothing made any sense. Most of all, a mere child was speaking of a topic that even the most adept politicians tried to avoid. Bulma chuckled again.

"For one," she began, "I want to offer you and your daughter protection. As the only surviving member of that group, you're the last one who knows of the information and the only one who has access to the backup server, since the main one was obliterated. And as the only one unaccounted for, Genesis will likely be after the both of you as high-priority targets for elimination. You'll be set up with new identities and paperwork."

"W-What's in it for you guys?"

"Just know that this is entirely up to you," Bulma assured her. "You just need to provide us with all the information the internal affairs department has on Genesis. If not, all you'll need to do is keep Project Super Sword a secret. All the surveillance footage regarding Gohan and saving you have been completely wiped."

"That doesn't seem to benefit you much," she replied.

"It's for me," Gohan explained. She was shown multiple clusters of numbers. "These numbers are the suit's operational capacity and my processing capacity in previous operations and the one I was in a few hours ago." More numbers appeared, some significantly higher than others. "Compared to the average human, I'm already at an advantage, but I realized that I'll also need someone to help and give me information when I go into operations so that I can focus on my objectives. Since you're an analyst, I thought that you'd be the perfect candidate. And, this particular incident made me realize that I can't rely on Bulma as mission control. It would compromise both of us too much."

"W-Wait… Go back a few steps! These numbers are your vitals?" Takanashi exclaimed. Some were exponentially higher than what he claimed, on screen, were those of an average human. Even if she wasn't a medical expert, those values were too far-fetched to be legitimate."B-But that can't be!"

"To become compatible with Project Super Sword, I had to make multiple modifications to my body," he lied vaguely. "You could say that half my brain's a computer."

"But that's insane! You performed experiments on yourself!?"

"When no one is willing to defend the world, you have to do what you have to do," he replied with a harsh, bitter laugh. "If we were to leave the world's defense to the Union, we'd have the Cell fiasco all over again."

"Now that you know a little bit about us," Bulma interrupted, "I'd like to hear your response. Of course, it doesn't have to be immediate, but you'll be staying here under our highest security for your own safety, at least until we create you and your daughter's new identities."

The woman was speechless. Bulma Briefs was everything she imagined and then some. Son Gohan wasn't anything she'd expected at all. The entire situation was impossible for her. She glanced at her daughter, who had fallen asleep. Her motherly instincts told her to take the offer, but the rational human within her screamed "NO!"

"A-And you can guarantee our safety?" she asked cautiously. Don't make them think that you're scared!

"I personally guarantee it," Gohan replied with conviction. "You and your daughter will have only the best of facilities on Capsule Corporation's main headquarters. Your guard will be one of the best in the world. After all, Vegeta, Bulma-san's husband, lives on the premise. I am there a majority of the time as well."

"And how can you do that?" she pressed.

"That's even more classified than Super Sword."

"J-Just what are you guys?"

"We're the creatures that go bump in the night," Gohan joked before his features became serious once again. "But in all seriousness, we've been saving the world behind the scenes longer than Mister Satan's been famous."

Gohan sighed, leaning against the balcony as he pulled out his phone. There were several missed calls and several messages from Lime. From her voice messages, he could tell that she was anxious for his safety and smiled. After he sent a reply, he looked over the dark horizon. Every once in a while, the flash from the lighthouse filled his vision, only to retreat moments later.

Mom's going to kill me when she finds out that I skipped my first day of school, he mused. I think I'll stay here tonight. I want to make sure Takanashi-san is alright. The sound of heels striking against the concrete caught his attention. Turning around, he found Bulma standing behind him with a sharp expression on her face. "You must be exhausted," he said suddenly. "Dealing with all those… er… people…"

"I could say the same thing to you," she replied with an absent laugh. There was another moment of silence before she resumed speaking. "Are you sure this is alright? You told a complete stranger all that information. What if she doesn't accept?"

"Then so be it," he shrugged. "She won't reveal what she was told."

"And how can you be so sure of that?"

He turned back to the ocean. "I'm a good judge of character and I've checked into her life. Her family's fallen apart and she's raising that girl on her own with a civil-servant's low salary and unreasonable hours. I want to give her the chance to be with Hina-chan. Family is the most important thing for anyone. They're the only things that they have."

"You just can't not help a damsel in distress, eh?" the blue-haired woman sighed. His curiosity piqued, his eyebrow rose up. "C'mon, Gohan, don't play stupid. Lime, Eighteen, and now this girl and her child?"

"I guess I'm just a knight in shining armor," he chuckled.

"Lime'll be pretty pissed if she finds out you're giving girls, and fairly pretty ones, the wrong ideas," she teased. His look went from amused curiosity to confusion. "You can't seriously be that dense."

"Enlighten me," he replied. She shook her head.

"That's for her to explain, unless you man up, but you Saiyans never do that when women are involved."

"If you're referring to Dad, he never hurt anyone unless they were bad," Gohan smiled.

"Are you really sure about this, Gohan? You do realize that you're declaring war on the current world by doing this, right?" she asked. "This isn't going to end up like one of those epochs where the hero sacrifices himself for the greater good of the world, right?" He laughed again.

"If push comes to shove, then only King Yemma will know my fate," he said with determination. "But I don't plan to croak without telling her the truth first."

"Let's just hope you don't lose sight of your goal." He laughed again, this time, lacking the confidence from before. Bulma observed him as he gazed off into the distance.

"Yeah…" he mumbled. "Let's hope so…"

And done! Please tell me what you think, but no spam or flames. Thanks!

Transparentchaos signing out!