Takes time to show

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When I came to the past, it wasn't to experience the wonderful life that mother had told me about ever since I was a child. Nor was it to see for myself, the world that I lived in before the existence of the androids. I didn't travel all this way just to save Goku's life either. It was to meet him, Vegeta. My father.

The father I've heard so much about, yet never knew. All my life I've looked up to Gohan not only as my mentor, but also as a father. To me, Gohan treated me just as any father would to their child. With love and care. And that's how I thought my real father would treat me. But I was wrong, so very wrong. My father is nothing like Gohan; he is the complete opposite to Gohan.

The moment I saw him, I sensed an aura of pride and arrogance around my father and I was right. It was obvious just from the way he stood, the tone of his voice. The scowl that was always present on his face makes any man feel inferior to him. Under that cold, expressionless stare of his it makes anyone, man or woman, feel so small and powerless

I hated him at first, hated everything about this man I called father. He didn't care about anyone except himself. I can't even describe the anger that had overwhelmed me when he didn't even save mother and his son.

"I couldn't care less about that annoying woman and her blasted child!"

This couldn't be my father speaking; this couldn't be the man I've always wanted to know about. Was it even possible that a man could say such a thing?

Mother once told me that father was a very hard man to understand. "He never once told me that he loved me, but I knew."

The sadness and pain in her voice was so evident when she said that that I was scared she would break down right there and then.

Yet after time, I began to understand him, to see things in his perspective. He was a prince after all, a prince that had had to endure so much suffering in his lifetime.

I'm so certain that there is something about my father that I can look up to. At first all I saw was a man who didn't want anything to do with me, his son, or with anyone else but then I began to see him in a completely different way. He did care. I know that deep down he does.

After time I could see his determination under that proud mask of his. And to know that no matter how he tried to cover it up, I could see that he is concerned about me, in his own way.

It took a lot of time to understand my father, but once I could see how much he really cared, no matter how hard father tried, he couldn't hide it anymore

********************* This fic had actually meant to be part of a co-write with my friend, but we kinda abandoned it since we've both gone off Dragon Ball Z a bit now. So this probably ain't my best piece of DBZ fanfic ever, but I'd love all reviews!