It was cold.
He didn't know what had happened, other than the fact that there was absolutely nothing. It was cold- he suspected, everything was numb, he couldn't see anything. He tried speaking, nothing. Was he dreaming? Probably. But it felt all too unreal to be a dream, he chuckled, that sounded crazier than he had thought.
Then, all of a sudden, a bright shining light appeared from the abyss. He couldn't not look at it. The light was...comforting in a way. It continued to envelop him, dragging him away from the darkness.
What he had saw was not what he was expecting.
A nursery room. A man rocking a child that looked like a carbon copy of himself. Though this man seemed familiar, much too familiar. The man could be in his 30's no more than 40. Think, Think, who is he..
The door creaked open, "Goku, would you like something to eat before bed?" A pretty woman entered the room, whom also had raven black hair. He couldn't help but be comforted by her presence. Goku was the mans name, the name was so, so similar, he couldn't just put his finger on it.
Goku laughed and nodded, "Of course, let me put Goten to bed then I'll be right there." He got up and placed the child on the bed, kissing him gently and left. Once the door closed, he was left with the child sleeping soundly. He started for the crib, wanting to get a better look at the precious being.
Wait. He realized, here, he had a body! He had hands, feet, legs everything! He looked at himself, he was wearing a purple gi, but what really disturbed him was that he was almost transparent. He ran towards the mirror in the back, pure and utter confusion traveled throughout his body. He didn't have a reflection.
He fell on the floor, a paper crumbling underneath him. It was a badly drawn image of what he had thought to be himself and a tall green figure. He gripped his hair, something in his mind was trying to tell him something, until the world went black.
….
Memories. Memories plagued him. It all started pouring in at once. He remembered who he was. He remembered his life, his family, his friends.
His name was Gohan.
And he died at the age of 11.
…..
Seven years has passed since Gohan had figured out who he was, and what had happened to him. He remembered that he died after the cell games, after using all of his ki into the final kamehameha wave. Though he didn't know why he didn't get wished back, and why every memory of him in the house has been erased. He loved his family, he really did, but some things he did not understand, which created a seed of malaise in the back of his mind that grew bigger and bigger.
Though, seven years of not being seen, not changing, but watching everything you knew and loved change before your eyes can do some things to people. Gohan started to question why he existed at this point, why couldn't he pass on? Was there something he didn't want to let go?! He sighed, he knew he was a ghost, he knew he was dead, he knew everything but nothing.
Gohan was told by his father that Otherworld is amazing, golden, fluffy clouds as far as the eye can see, a long enormous snake pathway leading to the area of the Kais. Of course, you can only access this area if you die, unless your Goku and go there to occasionally train.
Goku. The man that was his father had changed over the years, he was still his happy go lucky self of course, but Gohan could tell that he's trying to spend more time with Goten after the loss of his eldest. He trained him, he hunted with him, he did everything with him. Chichi also let whatever Goten do what he wanted, though the occasional 30 minute study sessions at home, but that was as much as it got. Gohan couldn't help but feel a bit cheated at this.
Over the course of the years, he watched over his little brother, he loved him with his entire being- or whatever was left of him. Goten was a good kid, he did whatever was necessary, loved nature, and wasn't put through the harsh conditions that Gohan had to go through. The eldest thought if he didn't go through all the things he did go through if he would have turned out like Goten. He shrugged it off, no worth in thinking about 'ifs'.
He watched his mother grieve over him the first few years, every day on Gohans birthday she would light a lantern for him, letting it slowly drift into the sky along with the billions of stars out there. Though by year 3, it had seemed as if he were forgotten, his father no longer grieving either. They had taken down every picture and item that related to Gohan in the house, and burned it.
When he watched it, it felt like his ghostly being was being pulled back into the dark era again. No, no, no, he didn't want to go back! It was so cold. He screamed, he threw a punch at his parents, only for it to go straight through them. Gohan stumbled backwards, only now realizing what he tried to do. He tried to fight his parents.
He cried.
He cried, his tears dripping off of his boyish face, hitting the earth as if it never existed as it disappeared. He didn't exist anymore, there weren't any records of him in the living, or in the otherworld.
Son Gohan was forgotten.
….
Days where he wasn't watching over Goten, he trained. Although he had no ki, he did figure out how to manipulate light into blast-like attacks. He didn't know what he was going with this, but hey, it killed time. Though today would be interesting because the entire Z-gang were signing up for a tournament, Gohan looked at Goten. He was sporting a gi matching his fathers, almost looking exactly like one another.
Gohan thought having a basically nonexistent body would be difficult to adjust to, but all he had to do was not get into too much emotional distress, or else he'll loose control of his entire existence.
The first time he experienced this was when he found out what he was, Gohan started fading back into the void, that coldness creeping up around his neck, devouring him slowly. He shook his head, enough of that, something was going to happen today, and he didn't like the sinking feeling in his ghostly stomach.
Once they had all arrived at the entrance of the tournament, Gohan studied all of the fighters. It had seemed as if they all went their paths and started a new life aside from fighting. Krillin and 18 had started a family, themselves having a child named Marron. Gohan chuckled, remembering that one of Krillins ex's sported that name. Before Gohan could take a closer look at the others, they had already started lining up for the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament.
He had noticed his past mentor in the back of the group, smiling slightly, glad that he decided to still stick around even if Gohan had passed. Despite that, the ebbing feeling started to get stronger and stronger, slowly starting to make itself known in Gohans head. He would've wrote it off as a headache if he were alive, but the dead don't get headaches.
. . .
When the junior division ended, the winner being Trunks, Gohan sadly coming to the conclusion that Goten just got the shorter end of the stick, being the younger of the two friends. Plus Vegeta probably made sure that Trunks would have beaten 'Kakarot's Spawn'. The ghost tread in the back next to Piccolo, watching his family and friends happily chatting away, having a great time. He knew that he couldn't be selfish, though it did hurt having to be forgotten and to have your brother have a life far greater than yours.
He shook his head, pushing depressing thoughts aside. The group came to a halt, and Gohan went up front to see what the ruckus was all about. There was a short purple man with a white mohawk next to a tall red-skinned man, both walking in a superiority fashion.
"S-Supreme Kai, what could there be for you here today?" Piccolo kneeled, sweating being at the presence greater than a Kai. Gohan raised an eyebrow. It wasn't your every day 6 foot green demon to stutter in front of a 4 foot alien, but if this man was indeed a Kai, something had to be up.
As his assistant- Kibito, he recalled, started explaining what might happen, the Supreme Kai named Shin almost seemed to have locked eyes with him. Gohan quickly looked behind him, though there was nobody here, this Kai could actually see him. Seven years of not having his existence acknowledged, spoken to, or even thought of. This had to be a joke.
"This is all but a measly joke, Gohan."
His eyes widened, then narrowing. Trying to find his voice, he spoke, "If you drag any of my family into your Kai business, you'll regr-"
He paused. What would he do? He cant do anything. He cant even be seen by them. If there was really something happening to his family, all he can do was sit back and watch. There was nothing he could do.
The cold creeping feeling slowly enveloped him, bigger than before. Gohan started loosing materialization of his body, his ghostly hands fading in and out of his view. No, not like this. He forced himself to pull back to reality, or, however real it could get.
"Regret what? What could you possibly do, you are nothing but a mere image to watch the world evolve without you. You are a Wistless spirit Son Gohan." Shin stated, eyes hardening. He had seen his fair share of these spirits in every world, making their very home to be hell for them, self-destructing thoughts and regrets causing their very spirit to disintegrate. Shin himself, was not a big fan on them. They took up space, their being a simple error in the system. Though he was quite surprised that Son Goku's son was a Wistless one.
Gohan clenched his hands, if he were alive blood would have been pooling at his hands. He was about to retort, but an excited tone that belonged to his father interrupted his first conversation with a living being since he had been dead.
"Huh, what was that Supreme Kai?" Goku asked, not catching what the purple being said.
"Ah, it was nothing Son Goku. We shall be on our way to the tournament. Good luck to everyone."
At that, the two walked down the hallway, the Z-Fighters not really understanding what just happened. Though something else was on a certain green Namekian's mind. With his keen sense of hearing, he couldn't believe what the Supreme Kai had said. That had to be a joke right? No, Kais do not joke, and that is for sure not a joking matter.
Son Gohan was a Wistless Spirit.
. . .
Gohan was left with his inner turmoil, thoughts plaguing his sense of security of being a ghost. "You are a Wistless Spirit Son Gohan." What the hell was that even supposed to mean? Seven years he woke up, he didn't know who he was, until everything hit him at once and bam! He was a ghost! How would he know what he was?! He damned that Kai to hell and back.
Seven years of staying sane, seven years of not damning this world, seven years of this unfair twist of fate, he damned everything. Everything was just a sickening joke now. The Kai's words were true- he existed only now to watch the world go on without him, laughing at him.
He didn't care that these thoughts were ruining his image, for what image would he keep up? He was dead. He was the hero who saved the world and was cursed even after death. Gohan chuckled darkly, oh the irony. Tears started to leak from his face, slowly wishing that the coldness took him already. The only reason why he didn't succumb to that was for Goten, he had thought that he was assigned to protect his baby brother. But now the reasoning was all so different now.
"I'll get you, I'll save you, mark my words on it Gohan." Piccolo whispered.
All existing air from Gohan's chest felt like it were torn away. Piccolo knew he was here? That's right. He must have heard the Kai when he was talking to Gohan. But this all but helped the tears that were falling down. How would Piccolo save him? Out of all the people, Piccolo hadn't given up on him yet. He sobbed, the cheering of the stands mocking him of his curse, damning him to eternal rest. He didn't get to say goodbye, I love you, thank you, to anyone. He didn't even meet his baby brother!
His lip trembled. They said life would be unfair, but why is it so...so...outrageously unfair!? It just wasn't right, he didn't do anything bad, he obeyed his parents, other than...
Killing his father.
He gasped, the entire situation coming together full force. Was he punished because of his arrogance? That couldn't be right...It was only one time! But he did kill one of the universes greatest hero. Oh how this situation started making more and more sense.
Gohan watched as Spopovich and Goku entered the fight. He was on the left side of the fighters room, all of them loudly cheering on for Goku. The spirit couldn't hear what the muscular man had said to Goku, but what he must have said ticked him off. He powered up to Super Saiyan, enraged and about to fight Spopovich into oblivion. Until it'd seemed like his father was stuck in place. Gohan squinted to see golden threads enticing the struggling fighter leading back to Shin. 'That Kai...! What makes him think that he can butt into a Saiyans fight.' He furiously thought, coldness flicking about his body. Another fighter, with the same styled M on his forehead named Yamu, hopped up upon stage with a contraption that was about to stab into Goku, draining him of his life force.
Gohan looked around at all of the fighters, but what caught his eye was the pure and utter terror that was plastered onto Goten's face. It was the look that Gohan was no stranger to. To have your biggest idol struggle and maybe even die. The eldest didn't want his brother to go through what he did. Gohan knew he couldn't do anything! But that doesn't mean he couldn't try.
He bent the nearby light, and infusing some of his spirit into it. It was a destructo-disk but it was swirling with light and bright crystal tint. The spirit threw it with force at the two suspicious fighters, not knowing what this could do to them.
It quickly made its way toward the two, a sickening slice resounding in the stadium air. Cheers and roars were quieted. Blood squirted across the arena, though not getting on the surprised Goku, who was now free from bounds. Shin himself seemed shocked, which caused his focus on the Saiyan to be released. Who in heavens name would intervene in their plan?
The spirit attack, which was now tainted with a sick shade of red, hurled its way towards Gohan. Before he could dodge it, it absorbed itself into the half-saiyan, causing him to gasp in pain and hunch over.
What the hell was this feeling? The cold seeped its way over his shoulders, and onto his upper body. His whole body felt numb after what happened. Gohan couldn't move despite telling his ghostly body to do so. Except a overwhelming presence coming around him, telling him that he had done something he wasn't supposed to do.
His eyes narrowed despite the situation he was in. What else was he supposed to do? Sit back and watch? No way in hell! Sure he might be there for a punishment that he did, but that wasn't his fault he was able to decapitate other people with his attacks. The presence lifted, though it made it known in Gohan's head that that wouldn't be the last of it.
Supreme Kai couldn't believe what had happened. His plan was completely ruined! He had told all the fighters what the plan was, though leaving out what would happen to Goku, but made sure that none of them among themselves would intervene what would happen unless he said so. He looked at all of their shocked faces, eyes snapping over the Wistless Spirit. It couldn't have been him right? Those spirits were errors to be punished.
He trudged his way over the spirit, wanting answers. Though, once he arrived there, Son Gohan was fading in and out of the spirit realm and real world. This shook Shin to the core, Wistless Spirits are dead! There is no such thing as one coming back to life, even with a magical item such as the Dragon Balls.
Piccolo was the first to notice his prized pupil. Was Gohan there all along? Was he the one who cut the two fighters in half? Who cares- his friend was right there, alive! Though the kami inside of his being told him what was the situation. Kami, piecing two and two together, had come to the conclusion that knowing Gohan was a Wistless Spirit, he had bent the laws of physics and manifested his spirit into light, killing the two beings. This came at a great cost, the negative of using your spirit is that you will be sent into a dark limbo, something far worse than what a Wistless Spirit would go through. It would be a playback of the worst scenarios, and one second could become an eternity in limbo.
Though the difference in Gohan's case was that he had killed two beings with his own spirit, therefore their spirit was sent into Gohan's pool of spirit energy. Piccolo thought that this could be the key to releasing Gohan. All they needed was other spirits to conjure enough for Gohan's being! Kami immediately disagreed with it. If Gohan were to absorb a single fraction of an evil spirit, the probability of increasing the situation of a Wistless Spirit would become tenfold.
"Gohan! Gohan!"
The spirit looked up at Piccolo, shocked that after seven years his mentor could see him. Someone had acknowledged him besides that blasted Kai. " ?" he breathed. This had to be a mistake. He wasn't supposed to be see-.
A searing pain ripped through Gohan's very spirit, invading his being, his soul, yet the sensation of the cold tiled floor and smelling the food through the stands, the vibrations in the air, the sounds of the city, the yelling of his friends-
It was all too much for Son Gohan.