Journal entry 47, age 18.

Well Journal, how do I explain the strangeness of my life? Being an adult surely isn't all I thought it would be. Or is it, I'm in a sort of maturity limbo? I'm not a kid, but I'm not yet an adult either? If that's the case, it surely is unnerving. As I look back to the events that led me into this predicament I'm now in, I've come to question myself. What was I thinking!? Was that decision made with what mother calls, "my little brain?" I always thought myself above such, that my scholarly ways would be able to control my primitive body, but how strange that there's some flaw in the system. All my knowledge of anatomy and physiology, chemistry and physics, psychology and anthropology should have allowed me to think rationally through any adolescent dilemma. So why did it fail me?

And now, my mind is constantly plagued with thoughts of Videl. Is it true that I am feeling this emotion called "love?" I'm extremely worried that when and IF I get back, she'll no longer be my friend, that she will turn her back and shun me. I've never personally cared about another person aside from family and family friends before. And none of them in the way that I feel towards Videl. I can envision thoughts of a future with her in my life. I could see us living in the same house, raising a family, working, living, sharing together. What is it with this girl?! All my knowledge fails me here too. I can't reason out anything in regards to her.

And what of my family. Mother will be displeased to say the least. I miss her though. I even miss her rants. And Goten, oh Kami, I've left him just as dad did. He's virtually alone and he's done nothing to deserve it. How am I ever going to make it up to him? He looks so highly upon me like I'm his idol or something. And here I am, letting him down. I wonder if Mr. Satan can relate to this? Why am I thinking about him!? Oh yeah, father of Videl. My thoughts continue to encircle her.

Now I'm on this closet of a ship with who was once a former enemy. He's none too pleased with me either. It would only take a ki blast from either of us to kill us both. Space is a very hostile and unforgiving thing. Then again, so is Vegeta. No wonder he can relate to space so well.

My mind wanders to that saiyan female. What has she done with what I've given her? Look at me journal, I feel so guilty and 'dirty' that I can't even say what it is. All the power in the universe can't erase the feelings residing within me right now. Right cause, wrong approach. How simple a solution and how complex the repurcussions. No knowledge in books can properly teach someone how to deal with life's strange dilemmas. I know that now. Common sense is a rare commodity and something I need to work on IF I get out of this alive. If not, perhaps I'll be learning it in the afterlife. Hindsight always has been better than foresight. Afterlife, that's a strange concept. Dad's in heaven enjoying his. But where will I go after this? Did it taint my soul? Or was it a mistake that is merely superficial and can be remedied. Can I retain a pure heart even with a deed like this? Dad would have never done something like this and yet, as much as I try to emulate him, I still do things he wouldn't do. Am I foolish? Or is it that I will NEVER compare to my father, no matter how hard I try? Reality check Gohan, you are not your father and never will be.

So where does all this go? I guess I'll have to wait and see. Until next time journal, stay secret.

Son Gohan

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As Gohan closed his journal and placed it back into its compartment, Vegeta returned to the cockpit and assumed position in the pilot's chair. He unlocked the autopilot, tapped in some navigational figures, then hit the throttle. The ship lurched then ducked downward in sharp descent, but not directly at the planet as Gohan thought it would.

"Vegeta, what's wrong?"

"Stealth is an ally boy. We're not going in directly. One should never just blindly enter an environment without first knowing what is contained within it. Even Kakarrot eventually learned that."

Gohan said nothing. Vegeta's advice made sense and since the prince still seemed 'royally' upset, it was best just to let things play out in silence.

Vegeta expertly guided the ship into the planet's atmosphere with a complex trajectory. Gohan couldn't figure it out nor guess where or when they were going to land. Descending to near ground level, Vegeta allowed the ship to skim the water and flatlands. The air turbulence generated by the ship made a trail of water and dust in its wake, but not so much that could be detected by radars. Only visuals would detect them and if one was that close, then one was destined for doom if Vegeta so inclined.

Back on Earth...

"Videl loves Gohan! Videl loves Gohan!" Trunks sang as he dodged Videl once again. He had opened her diary and read an entry while on the run. He had the ability to speed read and digest all of it in a matter of seconds. It was an attribute passed down from his genius mother.

"Trunks, lemme see, lemme see! I wanna read too!" Goten yelled as he ran just behind Trunks, yet just ahead of Videl.

"You'll drop it. Just follow me first." Trunks replied without even glancing back. "Fly Goten!" he said as he burst out an open window. Goten loyally followed his friend without a second thought. Videl pulled up just short of the window. It wasn't a full-size window. Only two pint size half saiyans could perfectly exit from that thing.

"Damn! What is with those two anyway!? Always into trouble and always annoying. Well Goten isn't, unless he's with that little devil who's named Trunks. I really do feel for Bulma." Videl said to herself as she turned tail and ran down the stairs to the front door then launched into flight. *Now, if I were to pint sized brats, where would I go?* she thought as she scanned the area.

Trunks snickered as he watched Videl look about. They had landed and hid beneath a row of bushes that lined the side of the house. The shrubbery only covered the upper portions of the plant. Beneath were small corridors of space with few branches. Just right for two vertically-challenged half saiyans.

"Trunks, this is mean. She's looking for us."

"Shush Goten. She'll hear you! Isn't it fun to fool adults!"

Goten wasn't sure. He decided just to stay quiet and let Trunks continue with his scheming. He perked up when Trunks opened the diary once again. Goten squeezed in so he could read the pages too.

"Hah! This is all mushy crap. Why is she writing this? If this is how she thinks, then why don't she just tell Gohan?!" Trunks commented quietly.

"What Trunks? What's she saying?" Goten asked. His reading abilities were slower and at the angle he was at, he couldn't really read properly anyway.

"Just wait Goten. We're gonna give her a push in the direction she wants to go, at least from what she writes in this thing. We'll just have to wait for your brother to come back though."

At the mention of his brother, Goten became sorrowful again. He missed his brother terribly.

"Hey, cheer up. He'll be back. My dad won't kill him. At least I don't think he will." Trunks remarked, trying to cheer up his saddened friend.

"Trunks, that doesn't help."

Trunks decided to change the subject instead. "Look, lets reveal ourselves to her now, then run off towards the ice cream shop. We'll let her catch up to us there and then make her treat us to some ice cream. Would you like that?"

Goten's eyes glazed over in joy. Ice cream was one of his all-time favorite foods. "Can we Trunks, can we?!"

"Let's go!" Trunks yelled as he burst out from the bushes and rose into the air rapidly. Goten followed while spitting out flying shrub pieces.

Videl heard the ruffling of shrubbery and turned about. "THERE YOU ARE! HEY! WAIT! COME BACK HERE NOW!"

It was too late. The two sped by her and began phase two of their little plan.

With a deep sigh, Videl recomposed herself then took off in the direction they were headed.

Back in space...

Vegeta abruptly landed the ship. With the high speed it was currently flying, the ship skidded and slid to a halt. Pleased with his aggressive landing, Vegeta smirked and disembarked without a glance at the stunned son of Kakarrot. Gohan stared out the window and thanked Kami for not being dead yet before undoing his seat belt and following the saiyan prince.

Vegeta had walked a short distance from the ship and was using his heightened senses to take in the status of the environment. His eyes were sifting through the haze while his ears listened to all the sounds around and his nose picked up all the scents in the vicinity. This was an edge the saiyans had over normal humans. They could revert to their animal-like senses when necessary therefore often being one or two steps ahead of the situation. Their evolved intellectual brains would then modernize the information from the primitive senses. Vegeta in his element, as a true saiyan warrior on the prowl, was an amazing sight, even to Gohan. He had never seen Vegeta as such before. It also made him realize that the techniques Vegeta was using should have been an edge against Goku and the rest of the Son family. None of them knew how to properly use their primitive, animal side. Gohan had read about dogs and other animals using senses other than the eyes and he tried to work on them himself, but he had no saiyan to tell him exactly how. He knew he had heightened senses, but they were virtually useless without training.

"Come." Vegeta said as he began walking towards the forested area ahead of them.

Gohan gulped and followed. It was off into the world of unknown for him.

to be continued...