A/N: I am writing this because the sadness of knowing Goku would die and leave behind his eleven-year-old son is HUGE!!! I got the same numb feeling I often get after reading a really depressing fic (check out Leia's We Won't Forget). I'm gonna make this rather angsty (if I could), so bear with me, people. Anyway, it's set after the defeat of Cell, which I hope will be quite obvious.
Disclaimer: Nope, don't own 'em.
Moving OnAn eleven-year-old boy lying down on the soft layer of lush, green grass stared up at the infinite blue sky. It was bright and clear, with almost no clouds floating like puffs of fluffy cotton candy. A memory returned to him, its features as lucid as the ceiling above. So powerful that simply remembering it seems to pierce through his heart, hurting him in a way thought impossible.
*flashback*
Inside the Hyperbolic Time Chamber—
Training to come out victorious in the Cell Games is a difficult task. It takes everything you've got -- energy, will, focus – to retain the form of super saiyan while fighting and to withstand such intensity. As proof of that, Gohan once again finds himself being carried on his father's back to his bed for some well-deserved rest.
"Rest well, son," Goku said gently as he tucks Gohan in bed. "We'll continue our training tomorrow.
"Dad…wait for me?" Gohan pleaded, eyes half-closed in exhaustion.
"Of course!" came the confident yet benign reply. "We're in this together! We'll train hard and defeat Cell together. I promise, son, that we'll be together."
"Thanks Dad," Gohan responded tiredly. "You're the greatest."
*end flashback*
Tears welled up in the youngster's eyes as he played back the painful memory. There was something missing, a someone, really. Not long ago, he was lying in the exact same spot in the same position. He'd felt an indescribable happiness just relaxing in one of his favourite places, accompanied by one of his favourite person. The smile that was once on his face was gone, replaced by an unreadable expression. He'd felt somewhat numb, the world flashing by unreal, ever since… Gohan wiped the thought from his head. No, he can't think about this right now. He refuses to relive that moment again. Never again will he allow his own recklessness to cause such catastrophe. Never again…
He let the tears flow free. Afterall, there is no one around. No one to guide him when he gets lost, no one to catch him when he falls, no one to pat him on the head and say how proud they are of him, no one to hold him and tell him that sometimes it's okay to cry…
As an incredible feeling of loneliness crept through him, Gohan felt hollow. If only he'd listened to the others instead of fulfilling his own satisfactory…if only he hadn't toyed with Cell and destroyed him when he had the chance…then his Dad would still be alive, resting beside him like he'd done not long ago. It was all his fault. If only…if only… The boy burst into tears and wailed in anguish. If only he has a second chance to make things right, to make this a true victory…but he was all too helpless.
*flashback*
"I am proud of you Gohan, and tell your mother I am only doing this because I have to," Goku spoke with determination, yet he was quite sorry. "Goodbye, friends…" With a last half-happy, half-sad smile, the saiyan vanished into thin air along with the horrible monster.
*end flashback*
"You lied to me Dad, you lied…" Slowly a memory slipped back to him.
*flashback*
"What do you say, son?" Goku asked, his faith in Gohan unbelievably enormous. "Win this one for me, then we can all go home."
*end flashback*
"But we never did go home together…" the half-saiyan mumbled, "because you broke your promises that everything will be alright."
"Hey bro," a familiar greeting interrupted Gohan's deep thoughts. "You doing okay?"
"Krillen!" a surprised Gohan exclaimed. With a swift movement, he tried to wipe away the falling tears, but to no avail.
Seeing how ruffled up his best friend's son had become, Krillen wrapped a weeping Gohan in a bear hug. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with crying," he stated softly. "In fact, I find that it can actually help a whole lot."
Fresh tears sprang to the youngster's eyes and his vision blurred for a moment. Little by little he tilted his head upwards and stared into the eyes of Krillen, recognizing a redness that he knew is apparent in his own eyes. He also saw something there though – intense sorrow accompanied by guilt.
"You've been crying too…" Gohan managed to utter in a choked up voice. Krillen, however, remained as calm as ever. His head gave a slight nod.
"You're right. I have been," Krillen sighed. "If only things could've ended some other way…"
"Sorry, it's all my fault," a distraught Gohan said. "I really should have listened back there and destroy Cell when…"
"Stop Gohan," Krillen demanded. "Look, things have happened and now it's too late to turn back, so it's useless beating yourself up over it. Besides, as far as I'm concerned, everything is Cell's fault, not yours. Ultimately, it was you who saved the world this time. It just so happens that everything good comes with a sacrifice. But I think fate has something to do with it too."
"What do you mean by fate, Krillen?" asked Gohan. "I could've made the right decision; I just didn't."
"Your dad knew something like this was going to happen," Krillen replied quietly.
"He did?"
"Yeah…" Krillen's eyes took on a distant look as he recalled a memory.
*flashback*"Goku," an agitated Krillen started, "why are you so confident that you'll beat Cell?"
"To be honest, I'm not sure that I can beat Cell," the saiyan replied, cool as a cucumber. "I just want to enjoy myself while I can, spending time with my family and friends, just in case. These are precious times, Krillen. It's what make life worthy of living."
"What do you mean?"
"Krillen," Goku looked him in the eyes with a serious expression on his face, "there is something I should tell you that I haven't told anyone else, but you have to promise to keep it a secret between us."
"Sure thing bro," replied Krillen, slightly taken back by how serious his friend is. "What is it?"
"It's the Cell Games," Goku explained. "I have an uneasy feeling about it, like something really bad will come out of it."
"You mean we won't win?" he gulped.
"Not that," Goku chuckled and immediately turned grim again. "I'm pretty sure that Cell would be defeated somehow, but something's just not right with the picture."
"Know what Goku? Maybe you're stressed out. Perhaps getting some down time is the best thing to do right now," the monk suggested.
"Krillen, I have a fairly strong intuition which I listen to constantly, but this is different. It's almost as if I can predict the future," said the saiyan.
"Like Baba?"
"No, like Bardock."
"Who?"
"Bardock, my father."
"I thought you knew nothing about him," Krillen scratched his bald head, obviously confused.
"I don't, but if there is something I know, I know that Bardock can see the future," Goku retorted firmly.
His friend was left silent for a moment, and then he began again, "If you can really see the future, what is going to happen in the Cell Games?"
Goku's eyes held a faraway look in them as he responded, "I'm really going to treasure these moments." Then he looked Krillen right in the eyes with his darkest, most intense look yet. "I think I'll have to say my final goodbye."
*end flashback*
"Krillen? Earth to Krillen!"
The monk blinked as he returned to reality. "Sorry Gohan. I spaced out for a while there, didn't I?"
"You sure did. Are you going to tell me what my dad knew or not?"
"Oh, right," Krillen said. He thought for a moment. "Your saiyan grandfather, Bardock, was given a supposing curse to see the future. Goku was convinced that he has it too. He knew something negative would happen during the Cell Games, and he predicted that it's his own demise. And sadly, he was totally correct."
In the stunned silence, Gohan gaped at Krillen, his mouth open but no words formed. When he recovered, he almost wailed, "Why didn't you say anything?!", as he once again burst out crying.
"I promised to keep quiet," Krillen mumbled in a low voice. "I didn't think it'd actually come true! You see, everyone can be blamed, but in the end, fate decided that Goku has to die and none of us con intervene with it." As the child continued his lamentation, Krillen suddenly realized something. "Something else is bothering you, isn't it? You can talk about it if you want."
Gradually, as Gohan's sobs subsided, he said, "It's mom. She's pregnant."
Krillen's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Wow…this is big. No wonder you're upset. I bet Chi-chi must be too."
"She's completely devastated. I mean, this child will have to grow up fatherless. We really don't want that."
"That's too bad. I wish there is something I can say or do to make you feel better."
"I often feel so helpless too…" Gohan confessed, dismal.
"It's really not fair that you were forced to grow up so quickly. Afterall, you're still just a child who needs his father," Krillen stated. "Just remember bro, I'll always be here when you need me, and so will Piccolo and the others. Hey, I bet your dad is watching you right this moment! And if I know Goku, he is extremely proud of who you've grown up to be."
"Thanks Krillen," the half-saiyan smiled gratefully at his friend. "There is actually something you can do. I was hoping that you'll visit us, and we can just hang out and chill. I know things will never be the same again without dad around, but we'll make it, right?"
"Sure thing, bro, I'll be glad to do so. Are you gonna be alright by yourself, Gohan? Because there is someone I have to go back to…" Krillen broke off his sentence, face flushed a deep red.
"I'll be just fine, Krillen, and good luck to you with Android 18!"
"Thanks Gohan, catch ya later!"
As Krillen flew off, Gohan departed in the opposite direction. But instead of the frown he'd been wearing for days, now it is replaced by the famous Son grin.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Honey," Chi-chi began, "I've been thinking about this baby. I can get an abortion, but I want you to have the final say. Do you want to be a big brother?"
"It's really up to you mom," Gohan replied.
"No son. I want you to decide. You've done so much for me, and I would've been so lost without you. This is my thank you to you."
"Gee mom…this is such a big decision on my part," Gohan stated, "but I think it'll be nice having a little sibling around. This baby is dad's last gift to us, mom."
"If that's how you feel, then I agree completely. Of course, you'll also get the privilege to name him or her." Chi-chi smiled at her beloved son. 'My little baby Gohan is all grown up. I'm so proud of you,' she thought to herself. "Being an older brother comes with a lot of responsibilities. Are you willing to accept them?"
"I promise to do my best, mom," Gohan vowed.
"In that case, it's time for you to go study."
"Oh alright," answered a defeated Gohan. Like father, like son. Goku can never win when his opponent is Chi-chi, and neither can Gohan.
'I'll train our baby, Goku, just like you would've done,' Chichi secretly decided, and confirmed with her husband in heaven.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A three-year-old boy named Son Goten was lying down by a river beside his fourteen-year-old brother. Unbeknownst to him, it was the same place where his father had once took his older brother fishing. This time, Gohan had taken his little brother out to stargaze. Over the years, Gohan has remembered it as the Son's favourite place. Once or twice he'd even visited this special location to communicate with his father, informing him that everything is going just fine.
"Gohan," a small child's voice spoke up, "my best friend Trunks has someone he calls a daddy. How come I don't have one?"
"You do have a daddy," Gohan answered gently, wondering if this is the right opportunity to explain the truth.
"I do?" The young half-saiyan grew more confused yet. "Where is he? How come I've never met him?"
Gohan chose his words carefully. "He died a little while before you were born, Goten. It was really hard on all of us."
"What happened to him?" asked the curious child.
"Dad died as Earth's greatest hero. There was a really evil monster named Cell. He was planning to explode and blow up the Earth in the process, but dad took him someplace else. When the monster blew up, dad died."
"So my dad is a real life superhero?"
"That's right, little brother. Dad had always wanted the Earth to be at peace. He wanted his family to live happily. Dad really loved us, that's why he died for us," Gohan explained.
"Does daddy love me too?" Goten inquired.
It was an innocent question really, but Gohan doesn't know what to say. He doesn't even know if his father knows of Goten's existence. But suddenly, he remembered something that Krillen had once told him, and right then and there knew the answer to Goten's question.
"Yes he does, Goten. Daddy loves you very much. In fact, I bet that he is watching us right now."
"You mean like a guardian angel?"
"You've said it, Goten. That's exactly who dad is. Our guardian angel."
As if on cue, a shooting star streaked across the clear, midnight sky. But there was a mysterious glow surrounding it. The luminousness of the shooting star strongly resembles that of a pure-hearted super saiyan, whom we have all come to miss.
A/N: Finished!!! I don't know about you, but personally I put A LOT of work into this piece (what with the planning and all that so everything fits together nicely). Don't know about you, but I think it's very successful. I would be extremely grateful if you'd review!!!
Angelfish369 ^-^