I know lot's of people are doing one shot series and I just thought it would be fun to do a challenge to myself. I hope you guys will enjoy this project with me as I am very excited about it.
Little Man
'He's home. He's finally home for good this time' Chi Chi thought to herself as her strong brave face slowly melted into tears she had been holding onto for years.
She dreamed of this day for years when at last her family would be whole again. Her husband pulled her into a hug concerned about why his wife was suddenly bursting into tears but became relieved when she explained that they were tears of joy. Not far away their youngest son Goten cried into his big brother's pant leg. The little one looked up and became curious when he saw that his brother didn't seem to be as enthusiastic as the rest of their family and friends. (other then Vegeta and Piccolo of course)
"Gohan aren't you happy? Daddy is gonna come home for good," the boy asked as he jumped around in excitement accompanied by his best friend Trunks who couldn't help but be excited for him as well. The pair looked like a couple of jumping beans.
"More then you know kid," was the teen's simple answer as he stood there calmly. His eyes however told a different story.
As the Earth's hero celebrated with his family, Goku noted that he had yet to be glomped by his 'little man'. He looked around him to find that the only children there were Trunks and Goten. After glancing through the crowd Goku quickly noticed that just a ways off standing proud and tall was his oldest son. It was clear that Gohan was probably the most excited out of them all.
The teenager's eyes told the story of young boy who still longed to fight by his father's side and do anything in his power to make him smile with pride. However Goku noticed something else had become painfully clear. As he looked at his son standing there calmly beside his mentor he realized that Gohan had gone and grown up without him. The little boy he had left behind was now pretty much a man. It made Goku hate Cell all the more as he recalled the reason he left his family behind in the first place. It almost sent him to a dark place until something brought him back.
Gohan noticed his father staring at him and quickly waved over at him with the same dimpled smile that he had graced his parents with the day he was born. It was the smile that the oldest child gave his father every morning at breakfast and every night when he tucked him in his little bed. Inside this young man was still the child that adored his father and wanted to be just like him when he grew up.
'Nothings changed. He's still and always will be MY son...and so will he' the saiyan thought confidently to himself as he picked up his youngest and tossed him in the air like a rag doll.
He embraced the wonderful sounds of his wife's happy sighs as she watched their son laughing with glee while their friends cheered at his return to them.
...
Chi Chi looked at the photos of the four of them that day happily as she finished up her scrapbook. To her that seemed to be the last moment she could think of when all of her boys were in the same room at the same time with her.
"I guess it really can't be helped. We have a son that's practically a grown man and trying to start his own life," she thought out loud as she got up to start dinner and every so often laughed at the noises coming from her husband and son in the outdoor tub.
"Mom I can't stay for dinner. I'll be at the library late tonight," Gohan declared as he ran into the kitchen and dug in the fridge for something to eat on his way out the door.
"Again? Gohan you've barely spent time with us since your father came home...is there something your not telling me?" she asked concerned.
Any mother would be concerned when their child spends seven days a week at the library eating apples for dinner. Especially her saiyan child that could easily consume an apple orchard. It didn't help that this little habit of his began shortly after Goku came home.
"I'm sorry mom but its not my fault dad came home just before my finals. You know these tests are being looked over by sponsors handing out scholarships for full rides," he replied before kissing his mother on the cheek.
"Besides him and Goten are bonding right now one on one anyway...Goten deserves the chance to get to know dad on his own," the teen added.
As much as Chi Chi knew her son was right she still would not let this slide. She glared at her son with her arms crossed clearly not satisfied with her teenager's lame response.
Gohan sighed before he said, "I promise after next week you guys will have my undivided attention."
The ox princess' glare reluctantly melted into a smirk before she teased, "I love how your making it sound like your doing us a favor."
"What can I say my presence is a present," he replied giving his mother a mock bow and a charming smirk before he left.
The ox princess stood there shocked at her son and how mature he seemed just then. All of a sudden her sweet shy and humble little boy had turned into this charming confident young man over night.
'When did my son perfect his own smirk. He was handsome enough having his father's smile.' she thought in amusement.
...
Gohan ran outside after looking at his watch and realized he was going to be late. The teen groaned knowing this meant Videl was going to be pissed and he would have to pay for dinner.
"Hey little man where's the fire?" the teen heard a familiar voice behind him say and turned back to say goodnight to his dad and brother.
"There's more then enough room for you in here to son. Stick around and hope in. We were about to have a contest to see who can hold their breath longer," Goku said excitedly.
"Thanks dad but I can take my own baths now. You two have fun though I gotta go. See ya!" Gohan said as he waved at them.
Goku was stunned as he watched his oldest take off yet again for the night shouting, "don't wait up."
Goten may have only been a seven year old boy but even he could see that what his big brother said made daddy sad which didn't sit well with the little boy. Desperate to try and make his daddy happy again, Goten grabbed Goku's arm to get his attention.
"Don't worry daddy. He's runnin' off to see his smelly girlfriend cause he knows we'd whoop him right?" the boy said holding his hand up for a high five but looked to see the older man's face seemed to fall a little more.
'When did my little boy start liking girls and staying out all night' Goku thought to himself.
This thought led to other thoughts of what else he had missed, not realizing that he was passing off his bad mood to his youngest son. The two walked into the house for dinner both looking very monotone and unenthusiastic which definitely did not go unnoticed by the woman of the house. She didn't even have to ask why her boys looked sad. It made her a little sad to that one of her three musketeers was missing.
"C'mon boys if you keep those faces that way they'll get stuck," she said trying to lighten the mood.
"Nice try Chi but that only happens when you make funny faces at other people cause its rude," Goku replied in a dull tone as he ate his dinner. The woman just shook her head at how much of a child her husband could be at times and tried not to laugh before her son got her attention.
"Mommy why isn't big brother here? He's been gone all the time since Daddy came home and we miss him," the little boy said in the saddest but most adorable tone of voice accompanied by watery puppy dog eyes.
Chi Chi picked her son up out of his chair and held him close as she moved closer to her husband. She had wanted to keep this from her husband knowing he would beat himself up about Gohan's situation. However it was either tell him or let him go on believing his oldest son wanted nothing to do with him.
"Guys I'm sorry you miss Gohan but he needs us to give him lots and lots of support right now. He has to study very hard to impress some people who might help him go to college," she explained.
"Why does he need to impress them for? They should just love him like we do cause he's Gohan?" the child said suddenly very protective of his beloved big brother.
"Sorry champ it doesn't work that way. He has to impress them to show he'll work hard so that they will let him go to school for free," she tried to explain.
When she saw her son still looked confused she said,"he's working hard so we don't have try and find enough money for him to go to college."
Chi Chi regretted her words when she saw her husband flinch but there really was no other way to say it. At least Goten understood a little better why his big brother was working so hard. Goku meanwhile couldn't help but feel ashamed of himself.
'Some hero I am...I can't even help support my family' he thought to himself sadly.
"Goten I think it's time for bed. Say good night to daddy." his wife said distracting him from his thoughts.
Goku tried to keep his grin on for his son but once he and Chi Chi were both out of the room the warrior dropped his mask. After eighteen years, it finally dawned on him why Chi Chi never wanted their son to have a warrior's life. Feeling to ashamed to lay in the same bed as his wife, Goku went and laid on the couch. His last thought before falling asleep was that somehow he was going to make it up to his family.
...
"Thanks for buying dinner," Videl said as they walked down the street holding hands.
"Did I really have a choice?" the teen sighed dramatically pretending to be a defeated man.
"Well you were late?" Videl reminded him in a sing song voice.
"Ya well who let you copy their study notes cause you left them at school?" Gohan replied with a smug look on his face.
"..."
"That's what I thought," he said right before he received a smack across the chest making him laugh.
"Jerk," Videl mumbled trying to be mad at the boy walking her home.
"Oh I know this one! It's the female code for I WIN," he declared with his hands up in the air victoriously making Videl laugh as he walked her to her front door.
"So how are things with your dad being home and all? You don't really talk about it," she asked curiously.
"Honestly..." he said more to himself as a small smile crept on his face.
"It's like he never left. Nothing has really changed except maybe...well me," he said with a chuckle.
"Well Son Gohan you can't be eleven years old forever," she said kissing the saiyan lightly on the lips.
'I'm pretty sure he wishes I could be' he thought to himself as he remembered how shocked his father's face had looked when he saw him for the first time at the tournament.
...
It wasn't until the young fighter got home that he finally admitted to himself that he was exhausted. Gohan stumbled through the dark house until he found himself at the bottom of the stairs. It took all of two seconds for him to conclude that he was to tired to make it to his room and settled on the couch for the night. Gohan walked over to the couch before letting himself fall lifelessly onto the cushions unaware that it was already being occupied.
Goku woke up with a start when something heavy unexpectedly landed on his chest. He quickly turned on the lamp before he looked down to see his son passed out on top of him completely oblivious to who he was sleeping on. The saiyan chuckled at the sight of the teenager snoring away on his chest. It reminded him of when Gohan was a baby and would pass out after he was fed. Goku would lay on the couch for hours watching the baby sleep on his chest. Gohan always looked so relaxed in his father's arms, as if it were the safest place in the entire world. As a teenager he was no different laying limp as a noodle and smiling contently in his sleep. Even as Goku sat up taking the teen with him, Gohan's face still remained serine. Unfortunately Goku knew that the couch could no longer hold them both comfortably anymore and decided the sooner he took the boy upstairs the better.
'This will be interesting. He's just about taller then me now' Goku thought as he tried to think of a way to carry Gohan up the stairs to his room.
Finally Goku decided that it was best to just carry his son over his shoulder and away he went. For the most part the teenager was quiet until they got to the top of the stairs. The bouncing had felt uncomfortable on his stomach causing the teen to rouse reluctantly.
"Dad? What's going on?" Gohan mumbled when they got to the door of his room.
"You were kinda crushing me son. Let's get you into bed," he replied setting his son back on his feet and leading him by the shoulders into the room.
"Oh my god is that my bed! I love my bed!" the teen said as he let his body fall lifelessly onto his mattress.
'Its like being reunited with an old friend' Gohan thought as he recalled that since his studying began he had been sleeping on the couch every night simply because he was to tired to get upstairs to his room.
Goku smiled sadly at his oldest child as he walked over and removed the teen's shoes before tucking him into bed. The feeling of guilt came back tenfold when he saw his son looking so exhausted.
"I'm sorry son. I didn't mean to let our family down," he whispered before kissing his son's head. He was about to go leave when something grabbed his arm and saw it was Gohan who was still apparently awake.
"Your not a failure...we don't think so anyway," the teen mumbled into his pillow.
"How are you not absolutely furious with me? I missed you growing up, I missed the first seven years of Goten's life...I left your mother to raise our children on her own...I failed," Goku ranted feeling worse by the second.
"You died saving the planet, because of you we've been living in peace. You protected us and our home, we couldn't be more proud of you...now stop feeling bad so we can both get back to sleep," Gohan explained.
The saiyan stood in shock. After all these years and after all the hell he had put his own son through he still didn't hate him. Goku chuckled in disbelief at how seriously lucky he was to have this family. He ruffled his son's hair affectionately before he got up to leave the room.
"Goodnight little man," he whispered to the sleeping teen before he closed the door and went back to sleep.
...
The next morning Gohan was already gone for school before even his mother woke up. Chi Chi was worrying her brain away thinking about whether her son ate as she made the rest of her family their breakfast.
"Hey Goten, what do you say to surprising your brother today? We can pick him up from school and take him out for lunch just us boys. Maybe give mom a break from cooking," Goku said to a sleepy Goten.
The little boy woke up instantly excited by the idea of going to Gohan's school and going out for lunch. The little saiyan's arms shot up on the air victoriously as he shouted, "OH MY GOD YES!"
Chi Chi chuckled at her youngest son before she replied, "Goku that is a great idea! That will certainly be a wonderful surprise for his last day of finals. He'll love that."
"You really think so?" Goku asked his wife with a big smile on his face.
"Of course! Especially since he'll have the rest of the day off after lunch. You guys should do something special to celebrate. Maybe actually get him to relax a little," the ox princess replied.
It was a well known fact that Goku was the best person in this universe who could get Gohan to actually relax. The seven years without the saiyan warrior had his son so tense it would make the boy physically ill. If it hadn't been for Piccolo during those difficult years, Chi Chi didn't know what she would've done for her grieving child. It warmed her heart to see her boys so excited to spend time together...it didn't hurt that she would have a whole afternoon of peace and quiet.
"Honey you should come with us. Just us four," Goku said cheerfully.
The ox princess wrapped her arms around her husband and lovingly kissed him before she replied, "Goku I love you and the boys more then words could say. That being said I haven't had the house to myself in seven years...so get the hell out of my house please."
Goku chuckled before he said, "I love you to Chi."
...
"I can still here my brain sizzling," a tall muscular blond teen commented the class left the last of their finals tests that they had to write.
"Well it's over now Sharpner. Now we just get to squirm for two weeks," Gohan replied with a smirk.
The larger teen looked down at his scrawny friend before he said, "you brainiac have nothin' to worry about. With your luck the universities will be fighting each other for your scary smart ass."
"Whatever Mr. soccer scholarship," Gohan teased before Sharpner reached over and pulled his friend into a head lock.
Videl and her friends walked behind the pair all agreeing that the pair of friends looked absolutely hilarious walking down the hall together. The jock and the nerd weren't exactly the most common sight as a couple of pals. In fact it would look more appropriate if Sharpner was sticking Gohan head first into a trash can.
"Thanks again for the tutoring man. I'd probably still be in the 8th grade if you weren't around," the boy said as he shook his friend's hand.
"Anytime," Gohan replied.
After giving Gohan a final nod, Sharpner turned to Video and her friends before he gave them a charming smile and said, "Shall we ladies?"
Without a second thought Videl's friends quickly clung on to the butch teen's arms before they made their way down the hall.
Gohan and Videl watched in amusement as their friends left them alone. Once they were out of sight, Videl leaned towards Gohan and whispered, "I've got a surprise for you mister."
"Uhh Videl what are you doing?" Gohan asked as his girlfriend tied something around his eyes and led him by the hand down the hall.
"Just trust me please," she replied before Gohan's grip on her hand lessened.
Videl couldn't help smiling at how easily the hybird saiyan trusted her. Videl knew that all she had to do was ask and Gohan will let her guide him anywhere she wanted. It made her feel important in her boyfriend's life. Especially considering Gohan didn't trust easy outside his small circle of friends.
When they got to the top of the school, Videl left him standing by himself with the blindfold still on and laid out her surprise. When she had set up to her satisfaction, Videl took off the blindfold. Once Gohan's eyes adjusted to the light he saw before him a feast that could feed a small army laying out over a picnic blanket consisting of all his favorite food.
"Did you make all this?" he asked in awe.
"Ya I made it last night and some of it this morning to keep it fresh," she replied.
The girl watched nervously as she sat down with her boyfriend and watched him take his first bite. His face had no expression to determine whether he liked it or not. He just sat there and ate silently.
"Is it good?" Videl asked.
The saiyan looked at the girl with a serious expression before he bluntly answered, "marry me."
...
The couple decided that they should grab the last of their things from their locker before leaving the school for the rest of the day. As they walked down the hall, Gohan was still smirking happily with Videl beside him still blushing from his comment from before. Anybody seeing them walk down the hall would think at first glance that the young couple had done other things then just eat lunch.
The happily feeling in Gohan's stomach suddenly turned gut wrenching when he heard a very familiar voice behind him.
"GOOOHAN"
"BIG BROTHER"
'Oh kami they didn't' he thought dropping his head.
"SON ITS ME! ITS DADDY! COME ON LITTLE MAN WE'RE GOING OUT TO EAT!" Goku yelled at him to get his attention as he waved his arms around in the air.
Videl looked over at her boyfriend to see his hand covering the mouth of his beat red face before he mumbled, "Really? Did he just do that? I really hope he didn't just do that..."
Gohan took deep breaths as he tried to not get upset at his dad and brother for embarrassing him in front of the entire school. Finally after the third time they screamed for him, Gohan decided he was going to do something he never thought he would.
Goku waved excitedly when he saw that he had finally gotten his son's full attention. He desperately tried to walk down the busy hallway with Goten but he stopped abruptly when he saw the look on Gohan's face as one of his classmates walked up to him.
"Dude do you know them?" the classmate asked a little embarrassed for Gohan.
The teen spared a glace to his father before lowering his gaze to the ground and said, "I've never seen them before in my life."
Gohan quickly grabbed Videl's hand before he turned and started walking away from Goku and Goten. It wasn't until he took one last glance at his family and saw the hurt/confused expression on his dad's face that he realized what he had done.
The warrior was shocked as he watched his son walk away from him. The saiyan's keen hearing had picked up every word of that conversation. Goku could handle a lot of things both verbal and physical, but nothing hurt more then when he saw his own son look embarrassed to be in the same room with him.
"Daddy I don't think Gohan saw us," Goten said when he saw his brother leave the other way.
"Ya...that's it. Silly me I didn't think he might have already made plans," Goku chuckled so that his youngest son wouldn't know what had just happened.
"We can still go have lunch though right daddy?" Goten asked sweetly.
"Well of course we can! We can do something special with Gohan tomorrow. Big brother needs to go celebrate with his friends today," Goku explained hoping to Kami he sounded cheerful enough to cover this up.
"Yay!" Goten cried excitedly.
The happiness radiating off the child was slightly contagious and Goku almost felt back to his old self. At least for his little boy's sake, he would spend the afternoon eating and playing like nothing was wrong.
...
Chi Chi sat curled up on the couch with her book. The ox princess was enjoying the silence until a pair of small hands covered her eyes and yelled, "GUESS WHO?"
She couldn't help chuckling before she replied, "judging by the chocolate pudding your father didn't clean off your hands I'm gonna saaaaayyyy...Goten."
"Wow mommy you could be a detective," Goten said amazed by his mother's guessing skills.
Chi Chi smiled at her son before she looked up at her husband and saw that his expression had dropped dramatically.
"Honey can you go outside to play for a while and work off some of that sugar please?" the woman teased.
"Okie dokie" Goten said before he flew out of the room. After the very hyper child was out of sight the woman gave her undivided attention to her husband.
"Goku is everything alright? Where's Gohan?" she asked concerned.
The saiyan looked at his wife sadly before he admitted, "Gohan never came with us today."
"What happened?" Chi Chi gasped.
"I went to surprise him at school. When I saw him I called his name a few times and he told his friend that he didn't know who we were...my son is embarrassed of me," he explained becoming more depressed as he recalled what happened.
"This doesn't sound like our son," she said shocked.
Feeling defeated, Goku just laid his head on his wife's shoulder as she stood in front of him and wrapped her arms around him. Gently she stroked his wild hair hoping to make him feel better.
"I don't understand what happened...I talked to him like I normally do," he said upset.
Something clicked in Chi Chi's head at her husband's statement. Gently the she asked, "now when you say the way you normally do...do you mean Gohan our eighteen year old son...or do you mean the eleven year old son you knew seven years ago?"
Goku looked up at her confused before he asked, "What's the difference? No matter how old he is I'll always be his daddy and he'll always be my little man."
Chi Chi groaned as she realized what had actually happened at the school. Goku still thought of his son as a boy with the mind of a child.
"Honey I think you forget that our oldest son is almost a man and not a little boy anymore," Chi Chi explained as gently as she could.
The saiyan looked up at her oddly for a moment before it suddenly became clear what had happened.
"So Gohan was embarrassed because I spoke to him like a child in front of his friends," Goku said sadly.
"That does sound like the case," Chi Chi replied.
Goku stared at the ground miserably before he said, "poor kid...must be awful have an stupid idiotic fool for a father."
"That is enough!" Chi Chi scolded her husband.
"No it's true! Chi Chi he taught me how to read when he was eight. Since I've come back he has no idea what to talk to me about outside of fighting, which apparently he doesn't do anymore so we don't talk. I don't even know this kid," Goku ranted.
"Listen to me right now Son Goku. Your son loves you more then you could possibly imagine and losing you nearly killed him. Yes, he stopped fighting but only because it was never right without his father. You need to go out there, find your son, and fix this mess," she said in a tone that left zero room for argument.
Goku ignored his wife and continued to stare at the ground in self pity. Being a princess Chi Chi did not tolerate being ignored. Without a word she pulled out her frying pan and growled at her husband threateningly.
"NOW!"
...
"Kid, you've been sitting here for half an hour. Now talk," Piccolo demanded as his student sat on the ground with his arms wrapped around his legs and his head lying on his knees.
"I am a terrible, terrible person and I can't go home," he said.
It was all he would say repeating that sentence over and over. On his last nerve with the teen, Piccolo knelt down to Gohan's level. He grabbed a handful of the teen's hair before pulling his head up so they were eye to eye.
"Talk" he demanded gently when he saw the tears in the kid's eyes.
"Dad came to the school to surprise me...I think he wanted to go out for lunch or something...He was embarrassing me so much with the 'Gohan look its daddy' 'hey little man'. Anyway I panicked a little...I told my friends I didn't know them," he explained.
"I don't think Goten really noticed but dad...dad looked really hurt...I don't think I can face him...I'm a freakin' jerk," Gohan said as guilt ate at him full force.
The Namek remained silent patiently listening to what had happened to his student. When Gohan finished his story it was clear that the teenager felt like a bag of garbage for what he had done.
He carefully considered his words before he said,"Your not a jerk kid. Your a teenager."
Gohan gave him a strange look before he explained, "Gohan, no man wants their father coming up to them in front of their mate and comrades and saying 'heeeere's DADDY'...It isn't a big deal, its just Goku having to deal with you growing up."
The teen couldn't help smirking a bit at his mentor as Piccolo ruffled his hair affectionately.
"Don't worry he won't be mad long. He loves you to much to stay mad," Piccolo assured his pupil and was glad to see an actual smile on the kid's face.
...
After Chi Ch basically kicked Goku out of the house until he and Gohan resolved their issues, the warrior searched for his son's power level. He was relieved that the teen wasn't to far from home. When he found his son he couldn't help being upset at what he saw. Piccolo, his former enemy, was ruffling Gohan's hair comfortingly. The saiyan clenched his fists as he watched Piccolo make his son smile and laugh like he did when he was still a little boy.
'I bet Gohan would never be embarrassed if Piccolo came to his school to come get him' the man thought bitterly not realizing that he had been spotted when the pair heard the man growling in the bushes.
"Goku quit hiding and get out here," the Namek said irritated at the behavior of the saiyan.
"Hey dad," the teen said quietly as he watched his father step into view looking none to pleased.
"Oh! You recognize me now...that's convenient," Goku said bitterly making Gohan flinch.
"Goku that's enough!" Piccolo yelled as he stood in front of the boy protectively.
"He made a mistake. He's half human so he still has that right to make those last I checked," he hissed at the man who was glaring back at him just as harshly.
"It's okay. I deserve-"
"The hell you do! Teenagers get embarrassed by their parents every day! Hell look at Bulma. Her dad is a crazy cat man and her mom has nothing but air between her ears," he argued to the young man standing behind him and the one in front of him.
"Piccolo, any other day I'd thank you a million times over for protecting my son...but the man behind you can face me on his own," Goku said in a calm angry voice.
Goku went to approach his oldest son when Piccolo put his hand on his chest to stop him. The Namek was standing his ground and very much in 'protective mentor mode'. Gohan stood behind him looking ashamed, scared and confused. The saiyan knew when he went away Piccolo practically took over as Gohan's father figure. Now standing before him, Piccolo looked like the father protecting his child from danger.
The fact that Piccolo would dare think that he needed to protect Gohan from his true father filled Goku with so much rage that he exploded into his super saiyan form.
"HE IS MY SON NOT YOURS! WHAT RIGHT DO YOU HAVE TO KEEP HIM FROM ME!" Goku roared.
"I ACTUALLY STUCK AROUND LONG ENOUGH TO RAISE HIM!" Piccolo roared back before he punched Goku in the face and sent the saiyan flying back.
For a moment Goku laid on the ground stunned before quickly getting to his feet. When he saw Piccolo gently pushing Gohan away from the fight, Goku screamed in rage at the Namek.
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Goku growled before he flew towards Piccolo at a neck breaking speed.
Both opponents took the air, fighting so fast it couldn't be seen to the human eye. The teenager stood in shock not knowing what to do. His father and his mentor were fighting all because he did something stupid.
'This has gotten out of hand...I started this so I'M gonna be the one to end this' Gohan thought as took off after the two.
...
"I've been waiting to kick your ass for a looong time," Piccolo growled as he continued to block Goku's attacks.
"SHUT UP," was all the saiyan said getting in one good punch in the Namek's face sending them both into a blind rage.
Neither fighter noticed the power coming towards them until both warriors hit something and realized it wasn't their opponent. Both froze in shock as Gohan hovered between them, his father's fist in his chest and his mentor's fist in his back.
"Gohan...what..."
Goku tried to speak but he was in to much shock. Never in a million years did he think he would ever use his full power on his own child. The saiyan went numb as he stared a the hand that had harmed his child.
'If there was a day I was glad to be wearing the Sayaman armor, today is that day' Gohan thought to himself as he tried desperately to remember how to breath through the pain.
"Well...they were nice ribs while they lasted," he mumbled to himself.
"What the hell were you thinking?!" Piccolo yelled at his student looking just as shocked and horrified as Goku.
Gohan looked over his shoulder and gave his mentor an apologetic smile. He then looked back at his father and said, "I'm sorry about what happened at school...I told you that you aren't a bad father and that was true. I am not ashamed of you...I was just embarrassed and I didn't handle it well. I'm sorry I made you hate me but don't take it out on people I care about. Nobody asked Piccolo to take care of me when you weren't around he did it cause he wanted to...he's my best friend and it would probably have been just as awkward if Piccolo came to my school."
'This world is just not ready for green men' Piccolo thought with a sigh and turned to look over at his opponent.
Goku looked at Gohan in shock as he thought 'What's wrong with me? I hurt him and on top of that he thinks I hate him.'
Seeing his son in pain that he caused brought back thoughts of when he thought the boy was dead and how it nearly destroyed him. This time it wasn't some creature that tried to hurt Gohan to get to him...this time it was him that was the monster. His anger had brought out the worst in him like a natural disaster and now his son was paying for it. The warrior had finally regained his senses and was determined to right this wrong by any means necessary.
"No...I don't hate you Gohan. Angry? Oh ya. Hurt? Definitely. Hate...not you. Never you," the proud saiyan admitted.
Suddenly all those negative feelings he had been carrying around began melting away as he saw his son smile. It was silent for a few more minutes before Gohan once again broke the silence.
"Uhh guys...can one of you catch me after you finally decide to take your fists out of me...I'm not feeling so hot," he said weakly.
The two fighters suddenly realized that they still had their clenched fists where they had hit him. They automatically pulled back their fists and Goku quickly caught his son who smiled in appreciation. Goku then looked up at Piccolo bashfully.
"Piccolo...I'm sorry. I have no right to be jealous when you've been so amazing to my family. This won't happen again," the saiyan apologized as he held his son tightly to his chest.
"See that it doesn't,"Piccolo hissed as he glared at Goku.
'Remember that you were the one that left him his whole life not the other way around. He doesn't owe you a god damn thing! The next time you decide to leave your family or pull another stunt like this again, I will end you' Piccolo scolded Goku telepathically before he flew off angrily leaving the two saiyans behind.
Goku watched the Namek leave before turning his attention to his son. Goku winced as he heard Gohan whimper in pain. He quickly pulled out a senzu bean and gave it to the teen before he flew to the ground and gently laid Gohan on the grass. The saiyan plopped down on the ground beside his son wondering what his next move was going to be. At first the pair just remained silent except for the odd grunt from the younger boy as he rubbed his bruised ribs before Goku finally turned to him.
"Son...are we on good terms?" he asked reluctantly.
"Ugh...I hope so. My armors already cracked and can't take another hit from your hurt pride," the teen joked as he pulled what was left of the Sayaman armor out from under his shirt making his father laugh a little.
Hesitantly Gohan dared to look at his father before he said,"I really am sorry about today...I dunno where that came from but I didn't like it."
"I probably didn't help much did I? Blowing up like Vegeta," Goku said making both shudder at the thought of two Vegetas.
The saiyan looked over at his son smiling at him before he wrapped his arm around the teen and hugged him to his chest before he said, "I"ll try and give you a little more space but I need you to be patient with me. The idea of you not needing me anymore kinda scares me."
Gohan sat up looking at his father dumbfounded before he replied, "Are you serious? You've got the entire planet that counts on you every time some freak attacks the planet and your afraid of Goten and me growing up and not needing you anymore?"
The teen saw the look on his dad's face he saw that he wasn't kidding. Never in his widest dreams did Gohan ever think that there would come a time when he wouldn't need his dad anymore. The very idea was ridiculous in his mind.
"I do still need you," Gohan stated sincerely.
Goku looked surprised at his son as the teen ranted," there are so many things that still scare the crap out of me. What am I gonna do when I start living on my own? and I'm still learning how to grow up...Kami knows I need more then a little help with that and well...there's Videl. The way she makes me feel alone is terrifying..."
The older saiyan looked at his son in amusement as the boy rambled on about how there were so many things that he wanted Goku to be apart of and support him through. There was one part of that rant however that made Goku into an emotional mess.
"Dad, I need you to be there when I start having a family...I want you there to teach me how to be a dad..."
The teen would have probably ranted on forever and a day but he was cut off by his father pulling him into the tightest hug he had ever had in his life. It took a minute for Gohan to realize what had happened before he smiled and returned the hug just as tight.
...
Up above the Namek watched on as Goku hugged his son like a long lost treasure that he thought he would never see again. Piccolo couldn't help but feel bitter towards the saiyan warrior. Even though he had done most of the raising of the young man he was still just the best friend. Somehow though, he couldn't help feeling things were as they should be.
Alright first one shot done! Let me know what you think and I am taking requests
One down! This was a one shot I had written a little while ago and just touched up a bit. Let me know what you think and I am open to requests if readers want to see something special done. Till next time readers!