Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z. All rights go to Akira Toriyama, the original creator.
Hey guys! I have been wanting to write a fic like this for the longest time, so here it is! I hope you like it:
Chapter One
"I am so so sorry Gohan." Bulma said as she patted the young boy's back. She knew how hard losing his father was on the boy, and now to lose his mother as well… Bulma could not imagine what he was feeling.
Gohan looked up at Bulma, his face full of defeat and resignation. This was not something he could have controlled, this was not he could have fixed with brute strength, and this was not something that the dragon balls could fix. Yet, for some reason, mixed with all his other emotions, Gohan felt overwhelmed with guilt.
Maybe Chi Chi died of grief, grief he had caused when he let his father die. It was the only viable explanation, considering Chi Chi was in such great health before. She left behind a son, Goten, whom Gohan had not seen yet. The eleven year old boy did not even think about the child. He felt the room closing up on him, his breathing quickened and he knew he had to leave right away. He knew he could not be around people at the moment. He felt ready to explode, and when he did, he did not want any casualties.
So, that day, Son Gohan did the only thing he thought he could do, he ran. Gohan ran out of the hospital and just continued on an unknown path. Somehow, hours later, he ended up in that same desolate place. The place where it had all began. The tiles were still there, but they had been moved around. The ground was no longer level; craters were present everywhere. He saw one specific large crater, and he remembered being in there just months ago, as Cell attacked him.
"Mom!" Gohan yelled from the bottom of the crater. He looked up at the sky, waiting for her to come down like an angel and tell him everything would be alright. "Mommy!" he yelled as he banged his fists on the ground. "I need someone! Anyone!" He called out to his mother a few more times, before calling out to his father.
"Dad! Why did you leave?!" he asked the sky. When it gave him no response, he gave a frustrated yell and unconsciously powered up. He called his parents once more, and when he realized nobody was going to help him, he screamed once again in frustration as he began to power up against his will. He reached the super saiyan, and pushed past the invisible barrier.
From a few miles away, watched Piccolo. He knew the child needed time to cope, so he made sure his presence was not known. He watched over the child with a pained expression, he knew how much Gohan had been through and he hated seeing his pupil hurt, but he knew there was nothing to do now.
Hours later, after Gohan had spent all his energy, he collapsed of exhaustion into the crater. Piccolo picked him up and covered him using his cape. He flew off to Capsule Corp without a word. Upon his arrival, he was greeted by Vegeta, who nodded at him solemnly and (uncharacteristically) held the door. Piccolo could sense that the saiyan seemed distressed as well. Vegeta led him to the guest bedroom and then helped him place Gohan on the bed. They walked out of the room and shut the door.
"How is he coping?" asked Vegeta, genuinely worried.
"The only way he can. I did not speak to him yet, I was just watching him." Piccolo responded.
"We need to find a way to make sure he doesn't pose a threat," Vegeta stated. He was honestly worried about the damage an emotionally unstable super saiyan could do.
"First, we need to find a way to make sure he is okay," Piccolo countered, placing Gohan before all else. But Piccolo was not stupid, he knew chaos Gohan could cause.
"Okay?" Vegeta laughed bitterly. "This kid's been messed up since the day he was born. He won't ever be okay. He's seen too much."
For some reason, Piccolo could not disagree, Gohan had been through a lot, some might say he has been through too much, but he was Gohan. He always bounced back from everything that had happened to him. Physically, he was the strongest of them all, but he knew the same could not be said about his mental health. He had been hurt too much, seen too much death, even caused some of it, yet he was still a gentle fragile child. He hated hurting people more than he hated being hurt, and that was what made him truly remarkable. But, he was only mortal, and he, like all other being, felt pain. But this pain was different, it could not be healed by a senzu bean or by Dende, and Piccolo could do nothing to help but be by his side.
"Hi guys," Bulma entered the hall and snapped the two warriors out of their reverie. Her eyes were red and had circles underneath them; it was obvious that she had been crying.
"Where's Gohan?" she asked, worried about the young warrior.
"Asleep," Piccolo responded as he gestured to the room on the left.
"Poor kid. Losing both his parents in the same year."
"Where is he staying?" Piccolo asked, cutting her off.
"Here, of course," Bulma answered as if it was obvious. Vegeta kept a blank face expressing neither dislike nor favor to this decision.
"Is..is the child okay?"
"Goten?" Bulma looked at Piccolo's confused face and clarified. "That's what Chi Chi wanted to name him. Yes, he is alright and in good health."
"That's good." Piccolo was happy that Gohan would have his brother.
"Wanna see him?" Bulma asked, a small smile on her face. Piccolo nodded and she led him (with Vegeta close behind) to the nursery. "Make sure you are quiet, though; he's sleeping." They followed her to the crib and peered over the bars. There he was, quietly sleeping. He was tiny; he could not have been more than six pounds, and his black hair spiked in all directions.
"He looks just like-" Began Piccolo, but Vegeta was the one who finished his sentence.
"Kakarot." he finished in surprise.
"I know, their resemblance is uncanny. Even though we lost Goku, we get a new little mini Goku to fill the void he left." Bulma led the men out of the room.
"It's getting late. Piccolo, you are welcome to stay the night if you want," she offered.
"No, I have to get going, but I will be back tomorrow to check on Gohan."
She held the door open for him and watched as he flew off into the night sky. This was going to be a tough week.