Blue sky, polka dotted with white clouds, green pastures, serenity, and two peaceful snoring noises. Yep. Just an usual morning at mt. Paozu. Chichi hummed to herself as she made breakfast for her dear little family. The amount of food was by no means little. But Chichi really enjoyed preparing meals for Goku and Gohan. Their beaming faces when their tummies were full were just too adorable.
Gohan woke up. He stretched himself and snuggled back in his sheets, unwilling to let go of its comforting warmth. He lay awake, lazily listening to his father's soft rythmic snores. A random bird chirped on the window sill. Gohan glanced at it, instantly frightening it away. He turned his gaze to the beautiful sky. "Just eight more days", he thought to himself.
"Breakfast!"his mother called. A flurry of bedsheets, a falling pillow, and Goku was already halfway to the dining room. Gohan blinked once,then twice, then shrugged. Well, why was he surprised? This was normal, wasn't it? He chuckled to himself as he heard his mom shout at his dad for not brushing his teeth before coming for meal. Entering the bathroom, he got a dollop of toothpaste on his 'genius' brand brush and stared at it. Normal. Was everything normal? The morning, the environment, the shouts of his mom together with the pleads of his father -what was out of normal? Gohan sighed. For every day of the last 3 years, his mornings had begun with light training, then long hours of studying followed by rigorous training, in which he would often pass out. He had got so used to it that now the normal seemed, quite abnormal. And abnormal it was. Who relaxed like his father when the threat for which they had been preparing for the last 3 yrs was just 8 days away? He shrugged off his thoughts. "Just relax and stay cool Gohan", he said to himself.
"Yummy! Thanks mom!" Gohan complimented as he gulped down the last bite of his breakfast.
"Yeah, Chichi. You're a genius! ",Goku added."Now I think I'll go for some training. Coming, Gohan?"
Before Gohan could say anything Chichi interrupted,"Gohan will come, but first..."She fished out a long sheet of paper from somewhere and turned to her son.
"Gohan, run to the grocer's and bring me everything that's on the list."
"But mom, the list's huge!", Gohan whined. "Can I..."
"No young man. You can't go later. If our dear friend Cell destroys all the shops, then? Oh, my! You guys will be the first to starve!"
"Staarve?!", yelled Goku at the top of his voice. He turned sharply to Gohan, "Son, go and bring the foods. Show Cell what a true saiyan can do."
Defeated, Gohan sighed. "Fine. I'll go.", he said. He took the list and money and flew off.
Chichi ran to the door and shouted,"Take care, Gohan! Don't fall for sweet words of strangers, and don't fight, and..."
"Yes, mom!" shouted back Gohan and blasted off, leaving an anxious Chichi and a relaxed Goku at the doorstep
."He will be all right, won't he?", she said, staring into space.
"Chichi! ", exclaimed Goku in a mild scolding tone.
"I know, Goku. But..."
Goku said nothing. He just put a comforting arm around her and pulled her closer to himself
An hour later, Gohan was halfway back home. He was matching the contents of the list to what he had just bought."Fifty litres milk, check! Twenty dozen eggs, check! Thirty..hey!" The list had slipped from his grip and was falling down. He didn't want to fly fast, lest he destroyed some thing he had bought. He gently flew down and put down the things, and began searching for it.
"Oh there you are!", he exclaimed. The paper was lying on a rock. He casually walked towards it. Suddenly he stiffened. He had heard something. A faint, almost inaudible sound.
The light breeze took the paper with it and caught his attention. He flew and caught it, shrugging off scary thoughts. "Phew", he said as he landed. He turned to go but stopped and turned around again. His eyes had caught something shining in the distance. Curious, he walked up to it. It was a small puddle of half dried sticky fluid which certainly wasn't water. He dipped his finger in it hesitantly.
"Blood?!"
