fate 15

The clouds overhead drifted by slowly in the spring sky, being helped along slightly by the soft breeze that wafted through the air. Gohan felt the breeze tug at an errant lock of hair on top of his hair.

< Damn this spiky hair. Well, my only consolation is that my hair isn't as spiky as my dad's, > Gohan thought lazily as he lay on a grassy bank on his back, his arms folded behind his head.

He looked over at Videl, who was lying a couple feet away, fast asleep. The two of them had prepared a picnic lunch at Gohan's house and then went to the river they found when Videl spent the weekend at his house earlier. There, they had thoroughly enjoyed the food they prepared without Chi-Chi's help. After eating, the two of them lay back on the grassy bank and were content to just gaze up at the clouds; Gohan hadn't been expecting Videl to fall asleep.

< Well, we are on school break. It's just too bad that we have to go back to school in a few weeks, > Gohan said to himself. He looked back over at Videl and smiled gently.

< She looks so beautiful and peaceful when she's asleep. I've never seen her look so relaxed before, > Gohan thought as he turned onto his side and watched her sleep, envying the peaceful, relaxed look on her face. Gohan watched her for several minutes before yawning widely.

"I guess that watching someone sleeping is tiring in and of itself," Gohan whispered to himself. His eyelids seeming to weigh much more than they actually did, Gohan drifted off to sleep, hoping to enter the relaxed world that Videl was in.

She was floating. She didn't know where she was, but she knew she was floating. In front of her stood robed, hooded figures, all surrounding a large, stone altar. She couldn't tell if they were male or female, but she estimated their numbers to be about 17 or 18. They were all chanting in a monotonic voice, repeating the same phrase over and over, a phrase that she didn't understand, but knew would stay in her mind forever.

Videl's eyes narrowed as she tried to see what they were all crowded around, but their figures were packed so tightly together that seeing past them was impossible. So, she only watched as they continued on with their ritual...at least Videl figured it was a ritual.

Eventually, one of the robed figures picked up a stick of incense and held it over the alter, drawing a symbol with the smoke. The smoke lingered in the air and Videl could see that the symbol was a 5-pointed star encased in a triangle. The figure mumbled a few words and smoke lit up, giving off a powerful light that stayed floating in the air, never waning. The figure pushed back the hood and Videl gasped.

The hood revealed a beautiful woman, standing with a triumphant smile on her face. Her luxurious dark brown hair flowed down her shoulders and disappeared into her robe, its color almost matching the color of the robe exactly. Her vibrant emerald eyes sparkled from the light given off by countless numbers of candles that were positioned just right around the room and her lips were a deep shade of red. Her perfect face was completed by smooth ivory skin. There was no doubt that this woman was a raving beauty.

< Wow, I've never seen anyone so beautiful in my entire life, > Videl thought as she watched the woman pull something out of her large sleeve. Videl's idea about her beauty changed when her lips curved into a malicious smile, marring the perfection on her face. Triumphantly, the woman held up a knife, light rippling along its razor-sharp edge in the candlelight.

She yelled several phrases in the same, incomprehensible language that all the other hooded figures were chanting in and as soon as the words left her mouth and she finished speaking, a bright light exploded from the symbol made out of light filled the room, blinding all but the woman who held the knife; she was impervious to what was going on around her; it seemed that she was solely focused on the bladed weapon in her hand.

Leaning over, Videl could see her arm move as she used the knife to cut something, that same something that everyone was crowded around. The knife was pulled away and Videl gasped in horror to see blood dripping from the knife's point. Lightning exploded in the room through the opening in the high ceiling and wind rushed through the room, whipping the woman's hair around her face. She yelled several words, trying to make them heard over the wind and lightning, before her and all the other robed figures dropped to their knees. Videl could now see what was on the alter in front of her.

The human figure that lay on the alter thrashed back in forth, held tightly by bonds tied to its ankles and wrists. It let out a scream, a scream that let Videl know that the figure was female. The girl on the altar arched her back in pain as multi-colored light was ripped from her body and let out a painful, heart-wrenching scream that pierced Videl's ears. The light came together to form a perfect sphere of light, hovering a few feet above the girl while rotating slowly, as a planet does on its axis.

Her movements ceased; she seemed to be dead. Videl's eyes never moved from the figure on the alter as the light continued to rise higher into the air before rushing into the beautiful woman Videl saw earlier. Totally ignoring the movements of the woman as she celebrated her triumph, Videl floated over to the figure on the alter. The moment Videl's eyes focused on the figure, she let out a blood-curdling scream.

With a loud scream, Videl woke up, shooting up into a sitting position as her mind raced through the events of the nightmare. Never being so scared in her life, Videl cradled her hands against her chest and drew her knees up, huddling up against the onslaught of the nightmares. Videl struggled to control her breathing and her pounding heart.

She was totally oblivious to the fact that her scream had woken up Gohan as well, causing him to shoot straight up as well. Looking over at Videl in alarm, he saw the scared, haunted look in her eyes. Immediately moving over to her, Gohan expressed his worry.

"Videl, are you ok? What's wrong?" Videl looked up at Gohan, who was sitting on his knees next to her, and her face crumpled up into tears. With a scared sob, she threw herself at Gohan, wrapping her arms around his neck as she began to cry. Gohan was taken aback by Videl's unusual actions for a split second before engulfing her in his arms, comforting her as she cried.

< I've never seen Videl like this before; something must have really gotten to her, > Gohan thought, worry echoing throughout his thoughts as he settled back down in the grass, pulling Videl into his lap. She was totally unaware of the shift in positions as she continued to cry.

"Shh," Gohan said, running a hand comfortingly over her hair, "Tell me what's wrong." Videl forced her sobs to dissipate, but she couldn't stop the tears running down her face.

"It was awful, Gohan, really awful. I was dead and she killed me," Videl said, her voice no higher than a whisper. A tremor of panic ran through Gohan's heart as his mind tried to grasp the idea of Videl being dead.

"I don't know who she was, Gohan, but she was evil. She stole something from inside me, this light that was inside of me, and used it to make herself powerful." Videl shuddered at the memory of the nightmare. Gohan's face took on a look of confusion.

"Why don't you tell me the whole nightmare, Videl," Gohan said, figuring that what she was talking about was a really bad dream. Videl nodded and proceeded to tell Gohan the events of the dream, down to every last detail. By the time Videl was finished, she had gotten her tears under control and she was feeling a little better about the whole situation, but only a little. Gohan sighed; he just didn't know what to make of her dream.

"But it was so real, Gohan," Videl said forcefully, "It's like I was really there. And besides, I don't know how I could have made up something like that. I think the dream was trying to tell me something, but I don't know what." Gohan's brow furrowed at Videl's words.

"Are you saying that your dream was kind of like a vision?" he asked. Videl shrugged as she removed herself from Gohan's embrace.

"I don't know, but it wasn't just an ordinary dream, Gohan. That much, I'm sure of." Gohan shook his head in hopelessness; he didn't know anything to say in response...hell, he didn't even know what to do about it.

< That dream sounds a little foreboding, but it could just really be a bad dream. But, if it's not... > Gohan's thoughts trailed off in horror as he tried to imagine the events of Videl's dream coming true; he was suddenly scared of losing her and had an overwhelming urge to take her into his arms and never let go. Gohan only sighed as he stood up. Offering his hand to Videl to help her up, he spoke.

"Well, I wouldn't think about this dream too much," Gohan said to Videl, "It's probably nothing." Videl took his hand and stood on her own two feet. She looked up at him and noticed the confident look on his face.

< Maybe he's right; maybe it is nothing. He seems so sure about it; he's probably right, > Videl thought, feeling her heartbeat slow down to a normal pace. She reached over and grabbed the basket that previously held their food. Standing up straight, she smiled at Gohan.

"You're right, Gohan, it probably is nothing," she said with a dismissive tone of voice as she walked back to her jet plane. Gohan followed her, his mind still wrapped around the dream and what it could mean.

< I don't know what it could mean and I don't know anyone one who could help, not even Dende. I doubt he could make sense of this dream. He may be a healer and the Guardian of Earth, but he's not a dream interpreter. I guess we'll just have to ride this one out, > Gohan thought as he and Videl wordlessly climbed into the jet plane and took off for Gohan's house.


	LOVES TRIALS 15 -March, the next year- The clouds overhead drifted by slowly in the spring sky, being helped along slightly by the soft breeze that wafted through the air. Gohan felt the breeze tug at an errant lock of hair on top of his hair. < Damn this spiky hair. Well, my only consolation is that my hair isn't as spiky as my dad's, > Gohan thought lazily as he lay on a grassy bank on his back, his arms folded behind his head. He looked over at Videl, who was lying a couple feet away, fast asleep. The two of them had prepared a picnic lunch at Gohan's house and then went to the river they found when Videl spent the weekend at his house earlier. There, they had thoroughly enjoyed the food they prepared without Chi-Chi's help. After eating, the two of them lay back on the grassy bank and were content to just gaze up at the clouds; Gohan hadn't been expecting Videl to fall asleep. < Well, we are on school break. It's just too bad that we have to go back to school in a few weeks, > Gohan said to himself. He looked back over at Videl and smiled gently. < She looks so beautiful and peaceful when she's asleep. I've never seen her look so relaxed before, > Gohan thought as he turned onto his side and watched her sleep, envying the peaceful, relaxed look on her face. Gohan watched her for several minutes before yawning widely. "I guess that watching someone sleeping is tiring in and of itself," Gohan whispered to himself. His eyelids seeming to weigh much more than they actually did, Gohan drifted off to sleep, hoping to enter the relaxed world that Videl was in. Little did he know that the world of dreams that Videl was in was actually a world of nightmares. * She was floating. She didn't know where she was, but she knew she was floating. In front of her stood robed, hooded figures, all surrounding a large, stone altar. She couldn't tell if they were male or female, but she estimated their numbers to be about 17 or 18. They were all chanting in a monotonic voice, repeating the same phrase over and over, a phrase that she didn't understand, but knew would stay in her mind forever. Videl's eyes narrowed as she tried to see what they were all crowded around, but their figures were packed so tightly together that seeing past them was impossible. So, she only watched as they continued on with their ritual...at least Videl figured it was a ritual. Eventually, one of the robed figures picked up a stick of incense and held it over the alter, drawing a symbol with the smoke. The smoke lingered in the air and Videl could see that the symbol was a 5-pointed star encased in a triangle. The figure mumbled a few words and smoke lit up, giving off a powerful light that stayed floating in the air, never waning. The figure pushed back the hood and Videl gasped. The hood revealed a beautiful woman, standing with a triumphant smile on her face. Her luxurious dark brown hair flowed down her shoulders and disappeared into her robe, its color almost matching the color of the robe exactly. Her vibrant emerald eyes sparkled from the light given off by countless numbers of candles that were positioned just right around the room and her lips were a deep shade of red. Her perfect face was completed by smooth ivory skin. There was no doubt that this woman was a raving beauty. < Wow, I've never seen anyone so beautiful in my entire life, > Videl thought as she watched the woman pull something out of her large sleeve. Videl's idea about her beauty changed when her lips curved into a malicious smile, marring the perfection on her face. Triumphantly, the woman held up a knife, light rippling along its razor-sharp edge in the candlelight. She yelled several phrases in the same, incomprehensible language that all the other hooded figures were chanting in and as soon as the words left her mouth and she finished speaking, a bright light exploded from the symbol made out of light filled the room, blinding all but the woman who held the knife; she was impervious to what was going on around her; it seemed that she was solely focused on the bladed weapon in her hand. Leaning over, Videl could see her arm move as she used the knife to cut something, that same something that everyone was crowded around. The knife was pulled away and Videl gasped in horror to see blood dripping from the knife's point. Lightning exploded in the room through the opening in the high ceiling and wind rushed through the room, whipping the woman's hair around her face. She yelled several words, trying to make them heard over the wind and lightning, before her and all the other robed figures dropped to their knees. Videl could now see what was on the alter in front of her. The human figure that lay on the alter thrashed back in forth, held tightly by bonds tied to its ankles and wrists. It let out a scream, a scream that let Videl know that the figure was female. The girl on the altar arched her back in pain as multi-colored light was ripped from her body and let out a painful, heart-wrenching scream that pierced Videl's ears. The light came together to form a perfect sphere of light, hovering a few feet above the girl while rotating slowly, as a planet does on its axis. Her movements ceased; she seemed to be dead. Videl's eyes never moved from the figure on the alter as the light continued to rise higher into the air before rushing into the beautiful woman Videl saw earlier. Totally ignoring the movements of the woman as she celebrated her triumph, Videl floated over to the figure on the alter. The moment Videl's eyes focused on the figure, she let out a blood-curdling scream. The person on the alter was none other than herself...and she was dead. * With a loud scream, Videl woke up, shooting up into a sitting position as her mind raced through the events of the nightmare. Never being so scared in her life, Videl cradled her hands against her chest and drew her knees up, huddling up against the onslaught of the nightmares. Videl struggled to control her breathing and her pounding heart. She was totally oblivious to the fact that her scream had woken up Gohan as well, causing him to shoot straight up as well. Looking over at Videl in alarm, he saw the scared, haunted look in her eyes. Immediately moving over to her, Gohan expressed his worry. "Videl, are you ok? What's wrong?" Videl looked up at Gohan, who was sitting on his knees next to her, and her face crumpled up into tears. With a scared sob, she threw herself at Gohan, wrapping her arms around his neck as she began to cry. Gohan was taken aback by Videl's unusual actions for a split second before engulfing her in his arms, comforting her as she cried. < I've never seen Videl like this before; something must have really gotten to her, > Gohan thought, worry echoing throughout his thoughts as he settled back down in the grass, pulling Videl into his lap. She was totally unaware of the shift in positions as she continued to cry. "Shh," Gohan said, running a hand comfortingly over her hair, "Tell me what's wrong." Videl forced her sobs to dissipate, but she couldn't stop the tears running down her face. "It was awful, Gohan, really awful. I was dead and she killed me," Videl said, her voice no higher than a whisper. A tremor of panic ran through Gohan's heart as his mind tried to grasp the idea of Videl being dead. "Who killed you?" Gohan asked, ignoring the panic inside his mind. Videl shook her head. "I don't know who she was, Gohan, but she was evil. She stole something from inside me, this light that was inside of me, and used it to make herself powerful." Videl shuddered at the memory of the nightmare. Gohan's face took on a look of confusion. "Why don't you tell me the whole nightmare, Videl," Gohan said, figuring that what she was talking about was a really bad dream. Videl nodded and proceeded to tell Gohan the events of the dream, down to every last detail. By the time Videl was finished, she had gotten her tears under control and she was feeling a little better about the whole situation, but only a little. Gohan sighed; he just didn't know what to make of her dream. "I don't think this has any real meaning, Videl. It just sounds like a really bad dream." "But it was so real, Gohan," Videl said forcefully, "It's like I was really there. And besides, I don't know how I could have made up something like that. I think the dream was trying to tell me something, but I don't know what." Gohan's brow furrowed at Videl's words. "Are you saying that your dream was kind of like a vision?" he asked. Videl shrugged as she removed herself from Gohan's embrace. "I don't know, but it wasn't just an ordinary dream, Gohan. That much, I'm sure of." Gohan shook his head in hopelessness; he didn't know anything to say in response...hell, he didn't even know what to do about it. < That dream sounds a little foreboding, but it could just really be a bad dream. But, if it's not... > Gohan's thoughts trailed off in horror as he tried to imagine the events of Videl's dream coming true; he was suddenly scared of losing her and had an overwhelming urge to take her into his arms and never let go. Gohan only sighed as he stood up. Offering his hand to Videl to help her up, he spoke. "Well, I wouldn't think about this dream too much," Gohan said to Videl, "It's probably nothing." Videl took his hand and stood on her own two feet. She looked up at him and noticed the confident look on his face. < Maybe he's right; maybe it is nothing. He seems so sure about it; he's probably right, > Videl thought, feeling her heartbeat slow down to a normal pace. She reached over and grabbed the basket that previously held their food. Standing up straight, she smiled at Gohan. "You're right, Gohan, it probably is nothing," she said with a dismissive tone of voice as she walked back to her jet plane. Gohan followed her, his mind still wrapped around the dream and what it could mean. < I don't know what it could mean and I don't know anyone one who could help, not even Dende. I doubt he could make sense of this dream. He may be a healer and the Guardian of Earth, but he's not a dream interpreter. I guess we'll just have to ride this one out, > Gohan thought as he and Videl wordlessly climbed into the jet plane and took off for Gohan's house. NEXT CHAPTER