Coming Back Home
Chapter Two: Sweat, Blood, and TearsHe flew off to the end of the forest surrounding and soon came across Chi-Chi crouching down on the ground, her hands burying her face, upset. "Chi-Chi?" he whispered, coming nearer to her, worried and concern. However, she didn't seem to hear him.
"Oh Goku," she sobbed, "I miss you so much! It's been so hard since you've been gone! I can't bare to even look at Gohan hardly, he's just like you!" Tears poured out from her ash black eyes, making Goku almost cry too. She looked tired, like she hadn't slept for over a week, and she was growing thin. "I, I just can't take this anymore Goku! I want to be with you!" Something gleamed in her hand, and Goku, appalled, gasped at what he saw, a dagger. "I can't take it anymore, I'm going to end this! Gohan and Goten deserve so much better than this! I'll be seeing you soon my love." The tears almost dry on her face, she held the dagger close to her chest when someone came running up the hill.
"CHI-CHI STOP!!!!!" Yamcha yelled at the top of his lungs, coming to her side. "Give me that!" he snapped and snatched the weapon from her, his blood dotting on its once spotless blade. With a small squeeze, it shattered in Yamcha's hand, which was now slowly oozing blood that was trickling down to the ground. "What the hell are you trying to do?!" he demanded. Chi-Chi, though half scare and still grief stricken, stood up to him, tears still flowing.
"What do you think?!" she cried.
"Do you honestly think that this is what Goku wants?!! Or that this is what Gohan really needs now?!! A dead mother now that his dad has died and can't come back?!! Do you really think that Gohan and Goten really deserve this?!!!" Yamcha demanded.
"I.. I miss him!!" she wailed. Yamcha looked at her, tears now steaming down his eyes too, and grabbed her by the shoulders.
"I miss him too, but this is not the way to handle it. I know no one can be hurting more than you and Gohan, but I know what it feels like to lose the most important person to you. You're stronger than that Chi-Chi. You have to be strong. For you. For Goku. For Gohan and for…Goten. He needs you more than anyone else. C'mon I'll take you home," he replied and led Chi-Chi to his car.
Goku just stood there, motionless at the scene he saw. Tears flowed uncontrollably at the sight of how much pain Chi-Chi was in because of him. After a while, he gave a small smile and decided maybe he should visit Gohan and see how he was doing . Maybe Gohan could tell him who Goten was. Maybe he was a pet Chi-Chi or Gohan got after the Cell Games. "Time to go home," he whispered and did instant transmission to his home.
"Hi Mom," Gohan chimed as Chi-Chi walked through the door, and Chi-Chi smiled at him.
"Hello Gohan. Shouldn't you be studying?" she sneered, making Gohan somewhat squeamish.
"Yes ma'm," Gohan quickly chimed and took off for his room in a hurry. Chi-Chi chuckled lightly and went to go check on Goten. He was asleep, and she sighed in relief. She hadn't had a decent night sleep since the Cell Games, and poor Goten had been crying almost nonstop for the past two weeks.
Goku teleported into the hallway as soon as Chi-Chi started cooking. "Mmmm!…" he thought, "That smells good! Chi-Chi's really outdone herself this time! I can hardly wait to eat it! Now off to see Gohan…"
He walked towards his son's room when he heard Gohan humming. "When did Gohan start humming?"
Walking on his tiptoes, Goku crept into Gohan's room. He was humming a tune that Goku only heard it once when Gohan was "studying" and was singing a song about Piccolo. Trying his best not to laugh, Goku walked closer to Gohan. "HEY SON!!!!" he called, slapping Gohan's back, but his hand slid through him. "What the…?" he thought puzzled, staring at his hand. Then, Gohan began to talk.
"Dad," he talked to himself outloud, "man, I wish you were here." He looked up at the ceiling, put his arms behind his head, and balanced his pencil on the curve of his tiny nose.
"But I am here!!" Goku yelled, waving his arms about, standing in front of Gohan. "Can't you see me?!!" However, Gohan paid him no mind and continued to think to himself outloud.
"Me and Mom miss you so much! I think Goten does too. He keeps crying whenever we mention you. But I'm most worried about Mom; she's almost committed suicide once since the Cell Games," he continued. Goku stood there in horror, speechless at what his sacrifice had done to his family.
But why couldn't Gohan or Chi-Chi see, sense, or hear him? It didn't make any sense whatsoever.
Then, it hit him. He remembered what Baba had told him right before he came back to Earth, something he should have paid more heed to…
"Look Goku, if you do this, no one will be able to see you, hear you, touch you, or be able to sense your ki. This might be harder on you than just staying here. Now remember, you mustn't do anything to disturb them, or you might be sent to Hell for it. Are you sure you still want to do this?" Baba explained.
Goku shook the memory from his mind. How could he be such an idiot? The whole point of coming here was to say goodbye to everyone, and now, no one would be able to hear that or tell him the same or reassure him about what he did during the Cell Games was the right thing to do. He almost began to cry at the dire situation; this was a worst fate than just being stuck in the Other World and not being able to see them at all. A sniffle from his son broke his thoughts, and Goku looked at him carefully. Gohan wiped away a tear from his eye and leaned back further in his chair.
"Dad…I'm so sorry Dad that I didn't listen to you," Gohan whispered, trying his best not to cry. "I just want you home Dad, I miss you too much…" he continued until he leaned back too far in his chair, and it fell down to the floor, making Gohan hit his head on the wooden floor hard. "OW!!" he cried, rubbing the back of his head. Goku gasped and rushed over.
"Daddy's here Gohan!" Goku yelled and tried to hug his son, but his arms just slid through and touched themselves. He shook his head sadly, and just stared at Gohan, unsure of what to do. He slowly got up and put his chair back up and sluggishly left the room.
Goku got up and looked at his desk. On top, there was a stack of notebook paper, two pencils, and an algebra book. "What did Baba mean when she said I 'mustn't do anything to disturb them'?" he thought as his hand glided along the desktop. "It's not as if I could pick something up or anything," he continued as he tried to prove his point by reaching for the writing utensil. However, instead his hand just sliding through it, he was able to grasp it and pick up. "ACKK!" he screamed, almost dropping it.
Then he fully understood Baba's warning. While he could not touch humans, he could touch inanimate objects. And with that now cleared, Goku began to write. After a few moments of writing, he finished and thought about who he should visit next. "Let's see…there's Krillin, Tien, Master Roshi, Yamcha, Bulma, Vegeta, and Piccolo…hmm….I guess I'll visit Krillin now," he thought and performed the famous instant transmission. Just then, Gohan came into the room, carrying Goten in his arms.
"It's okay Goten! Please stop crying!" Gohan begged and placed his tiny brother in his crib. Goten continued to cry, but Gohan didn't pay it any mind, and he glanced around his room. "Someone was here," he thought, but he couldn't think of who. There was no one in the room earlier except for him; who else could have been in here? After thinking about it another second, he shrugged it off. "Must of just imagined it!" he laughed softly.
