A/N: Hey hey! I'm back!

This is a follow up to my story Gohan's Legacy: Legacy Through Courage. The idea to do this little collection of one-shots was inspired by Pranktical Joker who told me he was curious about how Pan and Goken spent their time with Gohan during the week before the Intergalactic Tournament. After expressing that idea, I found that i wanted to write a few shorts about it as well and this is the first edition. I'm hoping to have a few more of these.

If you haven't already, I suggest that before you read this story that you read the story that it's based off of. It will help clear up a lot of confusion about certain things I refer to in this collection.

By the way, in case anyone is wondering, I set a date for the release of my sequel to Legacy Through Courage, Legacy Through Actions. I will publish the prologue to that one no later than Monday May 27th, 2013. If you want to keep check of how much I get done as I progress, I and keeping track on my profile under the 'Projects' section.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this edition of "The Week Before It All!"

"dialogue"

thoughts

"telepathic communication"

~change in setting~

*action*

flashback


The Magical Cloud

~Mount Paoz, 439 Mountain District, Age 768~

It is a bright, sunny day in the forests of the 439 Mountain District. There appears to be absolutely no clouds in the sky and the rays of the sun seem to shine through the tall, bare branches of the leafless trees. It's an unusually mild day for late February, and it's been this way for the last few days, but you won't hear any complaining from the three children dashing between said trees at more than a hundred miles an hour.

Wait what?

Indeed upon closer inspection from above one would see three children of similar age running through the trees at unimaginable speeds, dashing in and out of the openings in an attempt to get to their destination first. Occasionally, one will pass the other, but all three seem to be very equally matched. They appear to be in a racing competition of some sort as they make their way to their destination. One can tell by the triumphant shouts and taunting every time one of them overtakes the leader.

This trio of chibis is none other than Gohan and his children from the future, Pan and Goken. The future chibis have only recently met their father from the past and found out that he was everything they expected him to be! From their Uncle Trunks' stories about his sensei, their father, they got the impression that he would be extremely caring and friendly. He also told them that despite the fact that he would be shocked that they are his children (and let's be honest, who wouldn't be?), that he would treat them like his own siblings.

However, they found that Gohan had taken it even further than that. He doted on both future chibis as soon as they told them their true identity… as his children. They didn't protest to the treatment of course since they came back to see their father, not their brother, and they are glad that he loves them as his own children, which they technically are anyways.

Gohan had no clue what to think at first, but after seeing them, something clicked that told him to treat them differently than he normally would. Perhaps it was a saiyan instinct that told him that these were his children and not his siblings, or perhaps it was due to the fact that his little brother was born not even an hour before their appearance and he sees him as more of son than a brother. Either way, the appearance of the two chibis really only added to the already fantastic mood he was in after the birth of his baby brother.

It has been four days since then and already he has formed an unbreakable bond with his chibis from the future. He might not understand it, but he cherishes the time he spends with them more than he has with anyone else, even his own father who hasn't really been around too much.

"What's wrong daddy? Are we too fast for you?"

The eldest of the three is broken from his musings by a taunt from his daughter. Apparently he was so deep in thought that he started lagging behind his two future children, who admit that they don't actually have a clue where they're going. Their daddy just told them that he wanted to take them to a special place in the woods so he could show them something ('something that would blow both of their minds' is what he had said) and now he's actually falling behind. He also notices that he subconsciously ran over a few of the smaller trees in the forest in his daze.

"Oh sorry about that Pan," he finally responds to the female demi-saiyan. "I was just thinking about something."

Pan puts on a mock pout. "Well quit thinking and catch up so you can show us where to go," she then gets a sly smile on her face. "That is…. unless you can't keep up with us."

Gohan smirks at his daughter. "Oh, you want to see my true speed?" he replies. As soon as he's finished he increases his speed to its max in his base form. He easily catches up to Pan and Goken and passes them, now getting a bit far ahead of them himself. Both of the future chibis are surprised by the pure speed that he has. They now know why he's known as the fastest Z-fighter.

"Common guys! This is nothing! I know you guys can catch up to me at this slow a speed!" Gohan laughs as he rushes forwards toward the spot that he wants to show them.

Both younger chibis glance at each other and smirk before using a burst of their own speed to start catching up to their chibi father. They also know that they inherited their father's speed as well.

Pan and Goken gradually catch up and now the race begins anew, just as competitively but at much higher speeds. Gohan intentionally takes them through a couple of loops around the 439 Mountain District, knowing that at this speed, they should have reached their destination five times over already. Finally though, he takes them to their destination and when they get there, both future chibis are amazed at what they see:

The first thing they notice is the beautiful lake that is right in front of them. They take a look at the water and can see that unlike most lakes which are murky and muddy, this one is crystal clear. They can easily see the bottom of it and can also see all of the fish that are swimming around. A stray turtle also crosses their vision as they continue to look into the lake with awe. Eventually they take their sights that were set in the lake and look around the rest of the area. It is so open and despite the fact that it is winter the grass is green and full, making them wonder just how far they traveled from Mount Paoz. They also notice a giant cliff in which water from a corresponding river on top is freely flowing from, creating an elegant waterfall for their eyes to enjoy.

All in all, it was an incredibly stunning site for them to see. Living in a future where the androids reigned dominant until only three years ago, they never really got to enjoy nature or the wilderness all that much. They were too busy hiding from the androids inside of Capsule Corps. This place holds a beauty that never could have even conceived was possible!

"Daddy…" Goken speaks first, his voice is awestricken. "This place is–"

"–absolutely beautiful!" Pan finishes for her brother, just as awestricken

Gohan chuckles good-naturedly at his kids' reactions. He knew that they would love this place since he figured that they wouldn't have been able to get out much with the androids about. A warm feeling washes over him as he sees just how much they are enjoying taking everything in.

However, that's not the reason he came here.

"Hehe I'm glad you guys like it," he replies to the both of them with a grin. "But I didn't take you here just to you could enjoy the view."

Both future chibis look at their father with wide eyes. "Really?" They both ask simultaneously.

"Then what else did you want to show us?" Pan adds after she gets over her shock.

"Hehe you'll see," he says with a smirk. He then looks towards the sky and cups his hands around his mouth like he's about to shout something. "NIMBUS!" he finally shouts into the clear, blue sky.

Both chibis from the Mirai timeline look at their father in confusion. "Daddy, what are you doing?" Goken finally asks when he sees that his father just shouted into the sky for no reason at all.

Gohan just grins at him. "Just keep your eyes on the sky and you'll see eventually. It's been awhile since we've used him so it's probably taking him a while to come."

Both Pan and Goken are still confused at what is going on, but comply with their father's instructions nonetheless. However, their eyes widen as they suddenly see a cloud make its way through the sky, heading towards their daddy at a very high speed. The cloud quickly comes to a halt in front of Gohan and the chibis are awestricken for the second time in less than five minutes.

In front of their father is a cloud that is just hovering in place off of the ground. Unlike normal clouds that are either cotton white or dark grey, this cloud has a golden hue to it. They also are amazed that instead of spreading out and disbursing across a larger area, this cloud stays condensed and keeps its shape. It also appears to be full and fluffy, and unlike a normal could, it doesn't appear that they would be able to go through it since it looks so dense.

Gohan meanwhile greets the magical cloud warmly. The last time he saw it he had been at deaths door about to be crushed by Nappa's gigantic foot when his dad had arrived on the cloud and it swooped him away before Nappa was able to squish him like a bug. Since then though, he hasn't had the need for it since he had learned to fly on his own at the tender age of five. Truth be told, he really missed the cloud that saved his life at one point, going back further into his memory bank and remembering all of the times his father would take him for a ride around the 439 Mountain District on it.

Now he plans to do the same with his kids.

Getting back to the situation at hand, Gohan can't help but let out a chuckle at the expressions on the faces of his two children. This snaps said children out of their trance and they give their father an incredulous glance. "Daddy… what is that thing?" Goken asks. In his logical mind, a thing such a solid cloud shouldn't exist. Pan also looks at Gohan waiting to find out what that thing that looks like a solid cloud is.

Gohan grins and wastes no time in informing his children. "Guys… this is Nimbus. It's a magical could that your grandpa got from Master Roshi when he was younger and then again from Master Korin when the original was destroyed."

Pan stares at the cloud intently. "So it's a magic cloud?" She asks, purely curious.

Gohan nods. "Yep!" he responds enthusiastically. "And here's the best part. You can ride it!"

Both chibis eyes widen at that. "Really?" they both answer simultaneously again.

Once again, Gohan answers with a confirming nod. "Yep, but only if you're pure of heart, but of course I'm sure that you guys–"

"That's impossible!" Goken shouts, interrupting his father. He can't get his mind wrapped around how someone can ride a cloud, let alone how the cloud could tell if the potential rider is pure of heart. "There's no way someone can ride a cloud!"

Pan sighs as she hears her brother's protest. Here we go again… she internally muses. "Goken, if daddy says that you can ride it than I believe him. Why must you always do this?"

Goken however still denies that it's possible. "Because it's just not plausible at all! In all of my science books that Uncle Trunks and Auntie Bulma had me study, they said that clouds are made of condensed water, and that they only form at high altitudes because that the only place where it's cool enough for the water in the air to condense! If the cloud is this close to the ground, the laws of matter state that it should revert to a less condensed vapor state and dissipate! There's no way that it should be able to stay condensed this close to the ground at this temperature so it can't be a cloud!"

Pan sighs at her brother's skepticism. Uncle Trunks says that he got it from his mother, but apparently she didn't. He is completely missing the point! Daddy said that the cloud was magic! Did he completely miss that part? "Goken," she responds with a tone of frustration. "Did you listen to daddy at all?! He said that the cloud was magical! That would explain everything, or are you too thickheaded to realize that?"

Goken doesn't take kindly to his sisters words. This means war! "We don't know if magic even exists, or are you just too dumb to realize that?"

"This cloud is proof that magic exists!" Pan furiously shouts back, now angry at her brother for calling her dumb. "or are you just too boneheaded to–"

"ENOUGH!" Gohan finally shouts ending the argument before it can escalate. He hates seeing his children argue; most of the time they are completely happy with each other, but when it comes to her brother's skepticism, Pan gets annoyed quickly and petty arguments like this occur. It doesn't help that Goken calls her names though.

Both Mirai chibis immediately stop their arguing and look at their father, flinching at the look he's giving them. They've only seen that look a few times on the otherwise seemingly perpetually happy face of their daddy and they both know what it means: 'stop before I make you stop.'

"Goken, come here." Gohan continues in a much softer, kinder voice, but the voice still has an authoritative tone in it. Neither child of Gohan knows how he is able to send such a mixed message with just the tone of his voice. Goken slowly makes his way over to his father with his head down, staring at the ground in shame. Is his daddy going to reprimand him for not believing him? As much as he doesn't believe that the… thing in front of them is a cloud, he doesn't want his daddy mad at him.

"Goken, son," Gohan addresses the youngest chibi with much more compassion in his voice. "Please look at me son." Goken, calmed a bit by the tone in his father's voice looks up at him to see a soft smile on his face. Once he sees his son's eyes staring back at him, he continues. "Goken, I'm not mad at you for not believing me right away. I know that you can be skeptical about things and I admit that this is pretty hard to believe. That's why I'm going to prove to you that this indeed is a magic cloud."

"Now I want you to fly to the top of that cliff, right next to the waterfall. I will direct Nimbus to hover over the lake, right by the cliff and I want you to jump off the cliff onto Nimbus."

Pan in the background smirks at her brother's incredulous expression. She has no doubt that her father is telling the truth about the cloud and now her brother will find out just how right she is.

"But daddy," Goken protests. "I'll fall through the cloud and get wet because it's made of water."

Gohan however just grins at his son. "I promise you that you will not get even the slightest bit wet. Nimbus will catch you, but don't take my word for it, see for yourself."

Goken sighs and finally complies with his father. He could have argued a bit more, but he knows that eventually he'd have to do it anyways. He still doesn't think that the 'cloud' will catch him though.

He makes it to the top of the cliff and looks over the edge down to the lake below and gulps. It's a lot higher up than he originally thought, but his daddy told him that the supposed cloud would catch him. Even though he doesn't believe it will, he hopes his daddy is right.

*sigh* It's now or never Goken, he muses internally. Finally with a shout, Goken jumps off of the cliff, doing flips and twists in the air as he's falling. He mind as well have fun while he's doing this.

Now he is only a few feet away from the cloud. He closes his eyes, expecting to plunge into the lake below when the falling sensation comes to an abrupt halt. Confused, Goken opens his eyes and he can't believe what he's seeing:

He's on top of the golden, fluffy cloud! He truly can't believe that it is possible. He's seen two fierce androids destroy his timeline; he's able to fly and shoot explosive balls of energy using his ki; he's traveled back in time with his sister and uncle, and now he's riding a cloud!

He observes the cloud further. He can't believe that the cloud is actually holding his weight! Physically, it should be impossible! He also can't believe how soft the cloud actually is. It's the most comfortable thing he's ever sat on! Apparently the outrageous long held belief that clouds are but fluffy pieces of cotton floating in the sky isn't so outrageous after all.

Gohan just grins at his son. He knew that his son would be able to ride it. Aside from Goten, Goken must be the purest soul to ever walk the Earth. The chibi father is also enjoying the wide eyed expression on his son's face as well.

Pan continues to smirk at her brother. She was right! I am so gonna rub this in his face when we get home! She silently plans.

"See, I told you that it would catch you!" Gohan tells Goken, who is now grinning back at his father.

"Daddy, can we ride this thing around? Please?!" Goken responds excitedly. Now that his brain has finally processed that he is actually riding a magical cloud he wants to take it for a ride.

Gohan chuckles at his son's excitement. He had a feeling that once he was on the cloud that he would love it. "Sure thing Goken. Common Pan!"

Pan looks up at her father in surprise, not expecting to be addressed. However, her expression quickly turns to a grin and she nods and flies over to Nimbus with her father. The three chibis surprisingly fit quite comfortably on the magical cloud. As soon as everyone's on, Gohan directs the cloud to fly a few laps around the 439 Mountain District and it promptly complies, zooming off at blazing speeds a few times faster than Capsule Corps. fastest jet.

"Hey Goken," Pan suddenly mutters after they've flown away from the lake.

"Yes Pan?" the boy replies.

"I told you so!" She triumphantly comments.

"Nuh uh!" the other future chibi protests.

Gohan rubs his temples in frustration. This is going to be one long ride…


Translations:

chibi- cute child, dwarf

sensei- master, teacher