A young, blond headed boy sat in front of the placid lake before him, its calm waters belying the turmoil he felt inside.
"Why? Why am I never good enough? For three, no, four years I trained, content in the knowledge that I was growing up to be the kind of person Father wanted. I was going to help the Z fighters defeat Cell. But even when I was strong enough I blew it."
His blue eyes stormy, Gohan bit back tears he would not let himself cry.
"I'll be brave for you, Dad. I'll be the kind of warrior who won't let you down again."
With new resolve, the boy caught the fish his pregnant mother had sent him out for.
-----
"Mom, I know you want me to be a scholar, but with Dad gone, someone has to protect the Earth. Mom, I'm going to go away. No –"
Gohan winced at the image of his mother's response in his mind. Chi-Chi had been promised that her oldest son would study hard once the threat of Cell no longer loomed over their futures. She would not take kindly to further delays.
"Mom, as the man of…that's not right either."
He sighed. "Mom, I'm old enough now…" He looked away from the mirror, pain evident in his features.
The Son matriarch would not even allow Gohan to stay in his super saiyan form once the battle was over. Why would she even consider letting him continue his training?
Gohan looked up to the ceiling. "Dad, why aren't you here? We need you. I need you." With a soft sigh, he laid down on his bed, wishing sleep would come.
Outside, Piccolo gazed towards the Son home, green face pensive.
-----
The gravity slowly settled back to normal as the exterior door opened.
"What are you doing here, boy?" The voice was cold.
"You are the only full-blooded saiyan alive, Vegeta. I may be stronger and faster than you are, but I don't have the drive to fight that you do. That my father did."
An impatient grunt was his only response. He continued, "I want you to teach me."
Vegeta laughed condescendingly. "Why would I, a saiyan prince, want to teach you, Kakarot's brat, anything?"
"You are a saiyan prince, and I am the son of a supposedly low-class warrior, and yet here I stand, able to end your life with a single ki blast."
With a scowl, Vegeta turned the machine back up to 500 times' Earth's normal gravity. Accustomed to training under these conditions, he remained impassive, glaring at the young half-saiyan in front of him. Gohan, only familiar with the 10 times' gravity found in the hyperbolic time chamber, was forced to raise his ki slightly.
"Get out." This was said in a snarl. "I have no time for your whining, boy. Go talk to your pet Namek."
Gohan powered up to his first super saiyan form. "I am not afraid of you, Vegeta."
"No -- you're afraid of yourself. Which is worse: cowering at the shadows out there or in your own mind? At least Kakarot had the strength to accept what needed to be done."
Though no punch had been thrown, the younger boy suddenly felt winded. "What did you say?"
"You are a whiny brat who cannot get the job done when your friends feel you are needed. You let Kakarot die because you could not face the fact that people get hurt in fights. I have no time for third-class children. Get out."
Fighting the sudden urge to cry, Gohan left the gravity chamber and flew away.
Feeling strangely unsettled by the ease with which he was able to dissuade the young half-saiyan, Vegeta paused for a moment to frown in the direction Gohan had gone.
