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~To Learn the Truth~
Prologue ~Starting Over, Moving On~
Gohan cried. He was tired of crying. He had been crying for days. He blamed himself and no matter how hard he tried to hide it, everyone probably knew. The pain was unbearable. His eyes were red from the tears and he could barely continue. He felt a familiar ki approaching and so he dried his eyes and tried to look presentable. Krillan would need to see that. He also felt another ki approaching rapidly. Vegeta was coming too. Now this just confused the boy. Why was his father's greatest rival coming to visit him? He walked to his window to greet the two fellow warriors. They both landed in his room with serious and apologetic expressions on their faces.
Krillan was the first to speak. "Gohan, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. It's my fault that your father is dead." This puzzled Gohan beyond anything. How could Krillan claim responsibility for this? It was his fault, not Krillan's! Before he could voice any of this, Krillan continued. "I had the remote in my hands, I could have destroyed her, but instead I let her go. And it's my fault that Cell gained his perfect form. It's my fault that Goku died. I'm sorry."
Gohan felt tears in his eyes. 'No!' He thought. 'No, it's not your fault! It's mine! I toyed with Cell, and Dad died.' But he couldn't say any of this; the effort to restrain tears was too great.
Vegeta snorted. "Yes, Krillan, it was your fault." Both looked at him in shock. "But it was also mine. I don't think you understood what I said when Cell was about to destroy us. I allowed my Saiya-jin instincts for battle blind my mind and Cell got his chance to gain his stupid perfect form." Vegeta was grimacing in disgust at his admission, and the other two continued to look at him in shock. Gohan remembered what he had said and understood. He had said sorry, and now he truly understood the truth of why.
Gohan allowed his tears to begin to fall. His smile lit up the room. He felt a rush of joy and acceptance, and for the first time since then, total freedom. He was free from the guilt. It wasn't his fault! For the first time he understood what his mother and Piccolo had been trying to help him. He laughed. "No! It's not our fault! We had no way of knowing the consequences of our actions and what we did seemed right at the time! Krillan! You like her! I can't blame you for feeling! Vegeta, I can't blame you for what you are, and if I can't blame you, then I can't blame me either! Don't you get it you guys?! It's not our fault!" By this time, the boy's excitement was becoming contagious.
Krillan was grinning with tears running down his face, and Vegeta's expression was rather soft. 'Good, now the boy will no longer be afraid to fight. I need to get as strong as he is. Now it's time.' "Of course, boy, I expect to see you at Capsule Corp. at least once a week so that I can make sure that you maintain your pride as a Saiya-jin warrior." Translation: spar with me so that I can get stronger and eventually kick your but!
Gohan smirked a Saiya-jin battle smirk. "Of course, Vegeta! I'll make sure Mom will let me." A softer _expression invaded his features. "I have an idea as to how..."
~*~
Gohan walked into the kitchen to see if breakfast was ready. His mother and Piccolo looked at him with a worried expression. "It's not your fault dear, now eat." His mother said, hoping that her son would see the truth of it, tears in her eyes from watching him and knowing that he blamed himself for his Dad's death.
But to her pleasant surprise, Gohan smiled. "I know mother. I understand now. We are what we are, and we do what we do. I am the son of the great Goku, and he has left me with his job." By this time, there were tears gathering in his eyes. "I must train and protect the Earth in his name, and in his place. I am his heir as hero of Earth, Mother, and that is a task I cannot take lightly. I will still spend much of my time studying, not just because you want me to, but because I enjoy doing so. Mother, I know you disapprove, but I also need to train. Perhaps not most of the day, but at the very least, daily. I cannot deny my heritage, and I cannot deny the trust my father put in me." By this time, his voice broke with tears, but yet at the same time gained strength. "I am Gohan! Son of the great Goku! I will be a scholar and the great new protector of this planet! I will not deny my father's memory! I will be all the good that he was! And even if I fail, I will still try, just like he always did." By this time, Chi Chi was in tears and Piccolo looked touched too.
This perfect moment was disturbed by a hungry half Saiya-jin stomach's growling. Gohan grinned and scratched the back of his head in perfect resemblance of his father, and asked, again, in perfect resemblance, "So, ummm.... What's for breakfast?"
~*~
They were at the store when Gohan saw it. A memory. Something that reminded him of his father. A... piece of meat? Gohan picked it up, and with tears in his eyes, asked his mother, "Mom? Can we get this?"
Chi Chi looked at her son questioningly. "Why of course dear! But, what ever for? Why that?" His tears were making her nervous. She was sure it had to do with Goku, and was rather sorry that she had to ask.
But Gohan's smile and words reassured her. "While we were in the hyperbolic time chamber, Dad asked me to cook one of these. I ended up incinerating it and catching his hair on fire. I was a lousy cook!" Laughter was mixed with his tears at this point.
Instead of smiling and nodding though, Chi Chi got mad. "WHAT?!?! My baby's not good at something?!?! No! You will learn to cook and you will learn to do it well. Got it mister?!" She held her frying pan up threateningly.
Gohan laughed, while nodding vigorously so as to not anger his mother further. "Of course Mother! Just as long as I have my first lesson on these and my final test on these too. I want his memory to live on in everything I do. Including cooking!"
Chi Chi seemed shocked, but then smiled softly and nodded in response. She turned away before he could see the tears in her own eyes.
~*~
They sat in the car on the way home. Piccolo had remained in the car while they were in the store. Since Goku was not around, Piccolo had decided to remain with the family during their time of need. His student was going through a great deal of hardship, but yet, he seemed to be bouncing back the fastest of them all. Perhaps it was his father in him.
Chi Chi sat in the passenger's side and began to change the station on the radio. Normally, Piccolo would protest, but he didn't dare recently. The channel came to a classical station with a variety of instruments playing. Not quite an orchestra, but close. "That's another thing Gohan! Here's another thing you can do! What instrument would you like to play?" Notice she didn't give him the option of even disagreeing this time.
Gohan seemed to consider this deeply, as if the question held great meaning, and the answer would be very important. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he spoke. "A piccolo."
"WHAT?!" Piccolo shouted in shock as he turned from his normal leaf green to a sickly olive green.
Gohan smiled and laughed lightly. "It's a woodwind instrument that's a lot like a flute. It's about this big." He held the distance between his fingers.
"Oh, of course." Piccolo still looked a bit disturbed, but it was mixed with relief and his color had returned to normal. They made the rest of the five hour trip in silence and Gohan fell asleep in the back.
~*~
It was two weeks since the Cell games, and Gohan was recovering the fastest. He was back to his old self, but still saddened noticeably when ever someone mentioned Goku. But the pride would quickly replace the sadness, and then everyone would leave the subject as is. Gohan's training and studies were coming along great. He was currently studying Trigonometry, studying two new languages, Namekian, and Sayingo, and was also intent on making a product that would run Capsule Corporation out of business. He already had a great idea, it just needed testing and producing, and... Ok, ok! It needed everything! He just had the idea!
Gohan decided that it was now time to visit a new friend he had made just a few weeks before. He smiled as he turned super and flew through the air and made his way to a village that he had been to just a few weeks earlier. He landed at a shop when he arrived in town and smiling went up to the door. He looked in shock and saw a sign that said 'Closed' on it. He turned around and found the nearest person and asked them the obvious question. "Excuse me, but why is this shop closed? And do you know where can I find the owners? I need to see them."
The old lady that he had chosen to speak to smiled kindly at him and said, "I'm sorry, but the girl, Lime, she got into an accident and hit her head. She ended up with amnesia. They moved to the city without any notice. Nobody here knows the address or has any way of getting hold of them. I can take your phone number for them to call if they ever do come back to town! It's the least I could do seeing as how you saved the world and all. I'm just sorry that that annoying man took all your credit."
Gohan blushed slightly at those last two comments. "It's really ok that he took the credit anyways ma'am. I don't want it. I just want to live in peace with my family. Especially after my dad died." His eyes grew distant for a moment, but then went back to normal as he continued his conversation with the woman. "Could you please let everyone know that I don't want the credit and to just let Hercule live his lie? It's actually kinda funny to watch him make a fool of himself! And here's my phone number," he said, handing her a piece of paper. He waved and flew off with a slightly heavy heart. 'I couldn't protect her. It's my fault.' He shook his head. 'No, it's not. There's no way that I could be here all the time for her. Just as long as she has a good life it's fine with me.'
~*~
Gohan panicked. A strong ki was with his mother and he didn't recognize it! He dashed downstairs to find his mother cooking at the stove. He looked frantically around the room and when his mother noticed him, she realistically, became worried. "Gohan? Sweetie?" There was fear in her voice. "What's the matter? Are you going to fight again?" There were tears building in here eyes.
Gohan looked at his mother strangely. He walked over to just in front of her and looked at her stomach. Tears began to gather in his eyes when he realized what was going on. "It seems that he left us a parting gift to cope with his death, Mom. You're pregnant." Chi Chi looked at her son in shock. It took all of her self control not to faint. Her son looked up at her with tears in his eyes. "It feels just like him mom. It's just the same." At this point the boy collapsed into her arms, sobbing.
~*~
A/N: Ok, that's just the setup stuff. Everyone has Gohan blame himself and it takes drastic measures from either Lime of Videl to make him get over it. I decided that I wanted all of his self-blame out of the way before he went to high school. I had a friend tell me that Gohan was speaking to properly. I beg to differ. He's like his father in more ways than one. He's a clueless five year old that can turn into a deadly fighter and can give a deeply inspired speech, but only when deeply inspired. His speeches will also be better than anything his father ever said to encourage the Z- Fighters because he has more intellectual training at his disposal. He's going to talk normally most of the time, but he's perfectly capable of getting up and speaking. Especially when he believes what he's saying. Then he'll use his full vocabulary to tell what he has to say.
I would also like to thank my wonderful beta-reader Andromeda of the Moon! She's absolutely wonderful! Go read her story NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I would appreciate a review or two....
~To Learn the Truth~
Prologue ~Starting Over, Moving On~
Gohan cried. He was tired of crying. He had been crying for days. He blamed himself and no matter how hard he tried to hide it, everyone probably knew. The pain was unbearable. His eyes were red from the tears and he could barely continue. He felt a familiar ki approaching and so he dried his eyes and tried to look presentable. Krillan would need to see that. He also felt another ki approaching rapidly. Vegeta was coming too. Now this just confused the boy. Why was his father's greatest rival coming to visit him? He walked to his window to greet the two fellow warriors. They both landed in his room with serious and apologetic expressions on their faces.
Krillan was the first to speak. "Gohan, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. It's my fault that your father is dead." This puzzled Gohan beyond anything. How could Krillan claim responsibility for this? It was his fault, not Krillan's! Before he could voice any of this, Krillan continued. "I had the remote in my hands, I could have destroyed her, but instead I let her go. And it's my fault that Cell gained his perfect form. It's my fault that Goku died. I'm sorry."
Gohan felt tears in his eyes. 'No!' He thought. 'No, it's not your fault! It's mine! I toyed with Cell, and Dad died.' But he couldn't say any of this; the effort to restrain tears was too great.
Vegeta snorted. "Yes, Krillan, it was your fault." Both looked at him in shock. "But it was also mine. I don't think you understood what I said when Cell was about to destroy us. I allowed my Saiya-jin instincts for battle blind my mind and Cell got his chance to gain his stupid perfect form." Vegeta was grimacing in disgust at his admission, and the other two continued to look at him in shock. Gohan remembered what he had said and understood. He had said sorry, and now he truly understood the truth of why.
Gohan allowed his tears to begin to fall. His smile lit up the room. He felt a rush of joy and acceptance, and for the first time since then, total freedom. He was free from the guilt. It wasn't his fault! For the first time he understood what his mother and Piccolo had been trying to help him. He laughed. "No! It's not our fault! We had no way of knowing the consequences of our actions and what we did seemed right at the time! Krillan! You like her! I can't blame you for feeling! Vegeta, I can't blame you for what you are, and if I can't blame you, then I can't blame me either! Don't you get it you guys?! It's not our fault!" By this time, the boy's excitement was becoming contagious.
Krillan was grinning with tears running down his face, and Vegeta's expression was rather soft. 'Good, now the boy will no longer be afraid to fight. I need to get as strong as he is. Now it's time.' "Of course, boy, I expect to see you at Capsule Corp. at least once a week so that I can make sure that you maintain your pride as a Saiya-jin warrior." Translation: spar with me so that I can get stronger and eventually kick your but!
Gohan smirked a Saiya-jin battle smirk. "Of course, Vegeta! I'll make sure Mom will let me." A softer _expression invaded his features. "I have an idea as to how..."
~*~
Gohan walked into the kitchen to see if breakfast was ready. His mother and Piccolo looked at him with a worried expression. "It's not your fault dear, now eat." His mother said, hoping that her son would see the truth of it, tears in her eyes from watching him and knowing that he blamed himself for his Dad's death.
But to her pleasant surprise, Gohan smiled. "I know mother. I understand now. We are what we are, and we do what we do. I am the son of the great Goku, and he has left me with his job." By this time, there were tears gathering in his eyes. "I must train and protect the Earth in his name, and in his place. I am his heir as hero of Earth, Mother, and that is a task I cannot take lightly. I will still spend much of my time studying, not just because you want me to, but because I enjoy doing so. Mother, I know you disapprove, but I also need to train. Perhaps not most of the day, but at the very least, daily. I cannot deny my heritage, and I cannot deny the trust my father put in me." By this time, his voice broke with tears, but yet at the same time gained strength. "I am Gohan! Son of the great Goku! I will be a scholar and the great new protector of this planet! I will not deny my father's memory! I will be all the good that he was! And even if I fail, I will still try, just like he always did." By this time, Chi Chi was in tears and Piccolo looked touched too.
This perfect moment was disturbed by a hungry half Saiya-jin stomach's growling. Gohan grinned and scratched the back of his head in perfect resemblance of his father, and asked, again, in perfect resemblance, "So, ummm.... What's for breakfast?"
~*~
They were at the store when Gohan saw it. A memory. Something that reminded him of his father. A... piece of meat? Gohan picked it up, and with tears in his eyes, asked his mother, "Mom? Can we get this?"
Chi Chi looked at her son questioningly. "Why of course dear! But, what ever for? Why that?" His tears were making her nervous. She was sure it had to do with Goku, and was rather sorry that she had to ask.
But Gohan's smile and words reassured her. "While we were in the hyperbolic time chamber, Dad asked me to cook one of these. I ended up incinerating it and catching his hair on fire. I was a lousy cook!" Laughter was mixed with his tears at this point.
Instead of smiling and nodding though, Chi Chi got mad. "WHAT?!?! My baby's not good at something?!?! No! You will learn to cook and you will learn to do it well. Got it mister?!" She held her frying pan up threateningly.
Gohan laughed, while nodding vigorously so as to not anger his mother further. "Of course Mother! Just as long as I have my first lesson on these and my final test on these too. I want his memory to live on in everything I do. Including cooking!"
Chi Chi seemed shocked, but then smiled softly and nodded in response. She turned away before he could see the tears in her own eyes.
~*~
They sat in the car on the way home. Piccolo had remained in the car while they were in the store. Since Goku was not around, Piccolo had decided to remain with the family during their time of need. His student was going through a great deal of hardship, but yet, he seemed to be bouncing back the fastest of them all. Perhaps it was his father in him.
Chi Chi sat in the passenger's side and began to change the station on the radio. Normally, Piccolo would protest, but he didn't dare recently. The channel came to a classical station with a variety of instruments playing. Not quite an orchestra, but close. "That's another thing Gohan! Here's another thing you can do! What instrument would you like to play?" Notice she didn't give him the option of even disagreeing this time.
Gohan seemed to consider this deeply, as if the question held great meaning, and the answer would be very important. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he spoke. "A piccolo."
"WHAT?!" Piccolo shouted in shock as he turned from his normal leaf green to a sickly olive green.
Gohan smiled and laughed lightly. "It's a woodwind instrument that's a lot like a flute. It's about this big." He held the distance between his fingers.
"Oh, of course." Piccolo still looked a bit disturbed, but it was mixed with relief and his color had returned to normal. They made the rest of the five hour trip in silence and Gohan fell asleep in the back.
~*~
It was two weeks since the Cell games, and Gohan was recovering the fastest. He was back to his old self, but still saddened noticeably when ever someone mentioned Goku. But the pride would quickly replace the sadness, and then everyone would leave the subject as is. Gohan's training and studies were coming along great. He was currently studying Trigonometry, studying two new languages, Namekian, and Sayingo, and was also intent on making a product that would run Capsule Corporation out of business. He already had a great idea, it just needed testing and producing, and... Ok, ok! It needed everything! He just had the idea!
Gohan decided that it was now time to visit a new friend he had made just a few weeks before. He smiled as he turned super and flew through the air and made his way to a village that he had been to just a few weeks earlier. He landed at a shop when he arrived in town and smiling went up to the door. He looked in shock and saw a sign that said 'Closed' on it. He turned around and found the nearest person and asked them the obvious question. "Excuse me, but why is this shop closed? And do you know where can I find the owners? I need to see them."
The old lady that he had chosen to speak to smiled kindly at him and said, "I'm sorry, but the girl, Lime, she got into an accident and hit her head. She ended up with amnesia. They moved to the city without any notice. Nobody here knows the address or has any way of getting hold of them. I can take your phone number for them to call if they ever do come back to town! It's the least I could do seeing as how you saved the world and all. I'm just sorry that that annoying man took all your credit."
Gohan blushed slightly at those last two comments. "It's really ok that he took the credit anyways ma'am. I don't want it. I just want to live in peace with my family. Especially after my dad died." His eyes grew distant for a moment, but then went back to normal as he continued his conversation with the woman. "Could you please let everyone know that I don't want the credit and to just let Hercule live his lie? It's actually kinda funny to watch him make a fool of himself! And here's my phone number," he said, handing her a piece of paper. He waved and flew off with a slightly heavy heart. 'I couldn't protect her. It's my fault.' He shook his head. 'No, it's not. There's no way that I could be here all the time for her. Just as long as she has a good life it's fine with me.'
~*~
Gohan panicked. A strong ki was with his mother and he didn't recognize it! He dashed downstairs to find his mother cooking at the stove. He looked frantically around the room and when his mother noticed him, she realistically, became worried. "Gohan? Sweetie?" There was fear in her voice. "What's the matter? Are you going to fight again?" There were tears building in here eyes.
Gohan looked at his mother strangely. He walked over to just in front of her and looked at her stomach. Tears began to gather in his eyes when he realized what was going on. "It seems that he left us a parting gift to cope with his death, Mom. You're pregnant." Chi Chi looked at her son in shock. It took all of her self control not to faint. Her son looked up at her with tears in his eyes. "It feels just like him mom. It's just the same." At this point the boy collapsed into her arms, sobbing.
~*~
A/N: Ok, that's just the setup stuff. Everyone has Gohan blame himself and it takes drastic measures from either Lime of Videl to make him get over it. I decided that I wanted all of his self-blame out of the way before he went to high school. I had a friend tell me that Gohan was speaking to properly. I beg to differ. He's like his father in more ways than one. He's a clueless five year old that can turn into a deadly fighter and can give a deeply inspired speech, but only when deeply inspired. His speeches will also be better than anything his father ever said to encourage the Z- Fighters because he has more intellectual training at his disposal. He's going to talk normally most of the time, but he's perfectly capable of getting up and speaking. Especially when he believes what he's saying. Then he'll use his full vocabulary to tell what he has to say.
I would also like to thank my wonderful beta-reader Andromeda of the Moon! She's absolutely wonderful! Go read her story NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I would appreciate a review or two....