About to stick up the third chapter, and realized I never inserted the basic disclaimer. Oops. I don't own DBZ.

He had always been a well-behaved young boy. He achieved both his mother's goals and his father's desires. He was loyal to every one of his guardians, even towards the reluctant ones. Despite the battles of the past this boy, now a young man, held the trust of both his father's friends and old enemies. One such reason was his passion, dedication, and devotion towards the others. From them, he had learned the values of being prepared. His self-made syllabus invoked a practiced patience of recounting his past experiences to improve any of his faults. His mother was once reluctant to allow this desire, but her observations forced her to concede. The woman knew how her son's only way to deal with their woes was to express them, and his doing so in a safe, yet aggressive, physical manner was far better than any other methods.

His devotion factored far more than anything else into his life. The young man had made a promise to his father, and this Son would follow it until he joined his father once again. One factor in the promise was to take his father's place. It had taken him months to recover from his father's death: spiritually, physically, and emotionally. He slowly overcame the guilt, far slower than his friends had. The self-forgiveness was the most difficult training in the decade past. It would probably become a constant training for his entire life. The thirteen year old was closer to nirvana than the well-trained monks.

Part of the self-forgiveness was resuming the agenda his father and he had last shared. He had even returned to the full lifestyle they had dedicated their selves to a few years ago. His hair was yellow as corn, and his eyes teal, as if the ocean itself could be seen within their depths. The return to this permanent stage was recent. It was the re-awakening of his dedication towards the Earth itself.

He was concluding his daily rituals with a deep meditation to counter the hubris people of power could develop. The young man faulted his own hubris as a primary flaw. During the end of said exercise, a voice echoed throughout his surroundings.

"Gohan!" A girl's voice sang from behind the trees. "Grandfather would like to have you over for lunch." A small chuckle followed. "I wouldn't mind myself. He promises he cooked enough food this time even." Gohan's eyes opened as a reluctant smile grew. Ever since he fought the android Cell, he took life far more seriously than other adolescents. This young girl, named Lime, somehow refilled his optimism. She had re-attained her own optimism after Cell's defeat and General Tao's retreat.

"Maybe," he thought, "maybe I can do the same." It had been three years since the Cell Games, since Goku willingly left their dimension to save the world. For the first year, the Son household was filled with stress and regret. Gohan could barely function, and Chi-Chi struggled between pregnancy and depression. It had been their friends- Bulma and Krillin primarily- who formed the safety net which caught them. It was the simple comfort that held the group together. All the Z-fighters focused on the future, instead of dwelling on the past. That future is what saved Gohan. His little brother, Goten, reinforced the purpose Gohan had held since he was five years old. That purpose was to protect his loved ones. He reinforced the purpose by spending equal time with his first sensei, Piccolo, and his family. Gohan would be there for his younger brother. In order to do so, he had to be as strong as the father that boy would never know.

Lime factored into this renewed sense of self. She was the only person he had ever known who was his own age. They had met before the Cell Games, when he was living in his Super-Saiyan form. She visualized him as the blond-haired, blue-eyed boy. His plan to return to that form originated in a simple joke from her two years ago-

"Man Gohan," the light jest began, "you were cuter as a blond. Being blond can also be an excuse for your short-term memory issues." Gohan's first reaction was a light blush followed with a Son-styled head scratch. He later remembered why he had been blond when they met. If there was one thing he would have learned from his life's story was how one should be prepared, as cliché as the phrase may sound. Too many times he had not been ready enough. First with Vegeta, then with Frieza, Garlic Jr., and with the Androids; Gohan had always been a step behind everyone else. When he finally was a Super-Saiyan, he was an equal.

It took three months for his body to re-adapt to the constant energy level. Chi-Chi had thrown several fits during the first four.

"Your black hair was so beautiful! Why did you go blond again? Is this for that gang?"

"They're the Z-fighters Mom. And no, I'm doing this for me."

"What about that citrus girl?"

"Just for me, Mom. It is for me, you, Goten, and-" Gohan had took a breath "—for Dad."

That dispute had ended with a wavering sigh as Chi-Chi turned her eyes to the two year old replica of Goku. Both she and Gohan agreed on one thing—Goten would retain his innocence as long as possible. He would have the childhood his older brother never had.

"Gohan!" Lime's voice called again. Gohan's mind snapped to the present. Lime was giving him her typical half-grin accompanied by a light head shake. It was a sign she was internally chuckling at his serious disposition. The two created a happy medium with her spontaneity and his precaution. They formed the perfect balance between random and pre-meditated events. The combination kept both teenagers happy and their guardians even more so.

"I'm coming, Lime," Gohan replied. He rose and returned her grin. "I'll race ya! Winner gets dessert!" He then flew off to her house.

"That is so not fair! Get back here!" She cried.

"What? I can't hear you! Hurry up Lime!"

"Gohan, you better stop it! If you don't get your monkey butt back here I'll tell him not to make those rice balls again!"

That threat made him stop. Her grandfather made rice balls which rivaled even Chi-Chi's. They were the perfect mixture of salt and sugar, from a personal syrup the man made from the tree sap. The simple thought made his stomach rumble. Within seconds Gohan was back next to Lime.

"You wouldn't!" Gohan pleaded. Lime's half-grin turned cocky.

"You wouldn't know if you beat me there. Now why not travel like we humans would?" She arched an eyebrow.

"Fine," he said with a sigh, and lowered his feet back onto the Earth.

"The things we do for food." He thought as he walked over to Lime. Her grin grew to a full smile as she grabbed her best friend's hand.

"Let's go already," she said with a tug. Gohan reacted with his well-known light blush and followed her to her grandfather's house.
***

Gohan smiled softly as he flew off home as the sun began to set. It was the simple joys of life that allowed the smile. One must appreciate every bit of happiness, as there is never a promise on how long the feeling would last. It may sound pessimistic, but Gohan countered it by recognizing the basic facts of life encourage the happiness.

"Hey Mom, I'm back," Gohan called out as he landed in front of the tiny house. Before he could walk ten steps, a miniature Goku ran forth.

"Go-an!"

Goten contradicted the saying "One must walk before one can run". He was bolting around with a speed that countered the deer, and he was barely two. He bounced once, twice, and then straight into his brother's arms. His tail wagged slightly from being caught by his big brother. Gohan responded with a chuckle as he carried the kid back inside. His mother greeted him with a light hug.

"Excuse me, miss?" He joked. "You must keep a leash on him. You may be fined if he runs away again." Chi-Chi laughed.

"My apologies, sir, but I have yet to license him."

"You may want to consider inserting a tracking chip into him. It will reduce the stress of searching for him greatly."

"Sometimes I think I should have done that to his elder brother. One would think I'd have learned from all the times he wandered off without telling his mommy. In fact, just this morning I called out for him to come home for lunch, and he never responded. With a tracking chip I would have known exactly where he was." Her last comment made the act cease as Gohan once again assumed the trademarked Son pose.

"Sorry mom," Gohan apologized, "Lime invited me over. He grandfather cooked for us."

"Don't worry about it. How is she?"

The soft smile faded as he thought about the day with Lime. She looked paler than normal, and he could hear her labored breath after the jog into her grandfather's house. He would keep an eye on her when he visited next week. But, he could not mention that to Chi-Chi. His mother had a tendency to overreact at the simplest things.

"She's fine. She's helping the village set up to harvest. Some of them have been tense since I told them it looks like it may be a tough winter. The sky shouldn't be this dry until the season actually starts. Plus with the drought hanging on from the summer, there is nothing to hold on to the warm air." Gohan's eyes clouded slightly while rambling on about the climate. The physical sciences lingered in his studies. Chi-Chi fought a grin when her son unknowingly displayed his love for knowledge. Her bullying him to reach for the highest levels of learning remained in effect. Gohan studied because he liked to study. It may have been an adaptation to survive, but he possessed the trait. It may have been a compromise so she permitted his training. But he would pursue learning as much as he can just as he would pursue becoming the strongest he can.

The scholar/martial artist's stomach sounded, interrupting the meteorology-themed lecture.

"Well, dinner will be ready shortly. Your assignment, due tomorrow, has been outlined over on your desk." The mother told the son. The son nodded, set his brother onto a chair, and then headed off to follow his devotion toward her wishes. His teal eyes briefly grazed the dusk through the window.

"Just like I promised Dad."

I, like so many others, really do not like what happened to Gohan's character between the Cell and Buu Sagas. I can barely recognize him. He all but bullies the others into training him, but then says "screw it" despite promising to protect the Earth like Goku did.

So, this fanfic will outline what I think could have been used as a possible "why" to Gohan's personality change.