Hello readers! Let me just take a minute to thank everyone who took the time to read the first chapter, and have decided to read chapter 2. I would like to thank everyone who left a review to chapter 1, and I'd like to address those kind people right now:
TO: ashlovesdbz
Thank you so much for reviewing! Your comment made me laugh a bit. I hope you're not too shook; or, at least, not shook in a bad way. I'm really glad that you gave the story a chance, even though you didn't think that you would enjoy it. Yes, Gohan is 14 and will be turning 15 soon. I have a birthday chapter planned for when the time comes. Again, thank you for reading, and reviewing, and I hope you enjoy the future chapters that come.
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TO: Hedgecloud69
Yes! I know! In the past, I have been notorious for starting stories and not finishing them. BUT! Don't worry. I have each chapter of this story planned out, I just have to write them out...which is taking a lot longer than I thought. After a couple year hiatus, I came back last year with an Avatar the Last Airbender one-shot. That was me just kinda testing the waters, if you will. I decided to come back this year with a fresh story that I thought would appeal to past readers as well as new ones. After I eventually finish this story (don't know how long that is going to take), I will start the rewrite of my past stories.
Thank you again for reading and reviewing. I hope you enjoy future chapters.
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TO: ThickerThanLove
I'm so glad that you love it so far! I love the relationship that Goku and Gohan have, but sometimes I wish it was stronger. That's what I hope to capitalize on in this story. And yes, papa wolf trope does rule! Thank you for reviewing and I hope you continue to enjoy the story.
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Alright! There's just one more thing I'd like to address before getting on with the story. Are the chapters too long? I try not to make them too long, but I also don't want them to be too short. I know where each chapter will start and I have an idea of where I'd like each chapter to end; it's just the stuff in between that really drags the chapter out. Anyways, just wanted to know what you thought about that.
Now, on to the story!
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Chapter 2: And With the Force of Lightning, it Strikes
Bulma put another dish on the drying rack before picking up another one and washing it as well. She didn't have nearly as many dishes as she usually would have though. She had gone down to the lab after talking to her son and preparing dinner to fetch Gohan, but had found him missing. 'If he wants to disappear and mope about, then be my guest' she thought to herself haughtily. She was still sour at him for how he treated her son. She sighed as she thought about the conversation she had with her son.
After she had left Gohan to his devices, Bulma had followed her son into her bedroom. She had found him sitting on the edge of her bed with his hands in his lap, the teddy bear he held hanging from his grip and against the side of the bed.
Flashback
Bulma leaned against the doorframe to her bedroom, her arms crossed as she watched her son. His gaze was downcast. He swung his teddy bear intermittently. His face held a sad frown, his lower lip protruding in a slight pout. He drew his lips together in a fine line as he inhaled and then sighed, his pouty frown returning.
Bulma huffed out a breath in sympathy. She quirked her lips in a small, pained smile, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly. She pushed herself off of the doorframe, uncrossing her arms and walking towards him. She sat next to him on the edge of the bed and folded her hands in her lap and stared at them.
Then she turned her head to look at her son, who had not looked up at her arrival nor when she had sat next to him, and said, "What's wrong sweetheart?" Trunks took a deep breath and sighed again, but did not answer her. She smiled and nudged him with her elbow. "Come on," She sang, "What's wrong."
Trunks inhaled deeply again and harshly pushed out the breath while scowling. "Gohan. That's what's wrong." He stated resentfully.
Bulma ran a hand through his lavender hair as she quietly waited for him to continue.
"It's just-" He started and then huffed, "Why does he have to be so mean?" he asked. She could tell he was hurting.
Bulma gripped Trunks' by the shoulder and pulled him against her. She leaned down and rested her head on top of his. She closed her eyes as she started to explain. "Trunks, you have to understand that Gohan has never had a great childhood. He was forced to do things that no kid should ever have to do." She started petting the back of his head in a comforting manner. "Gohan watched a lot of people die, including his own parents." She paused and lifted her head. She gripped Trunks' chin between her index finger and thumb and forced him to look at her.
"That was really horrible for him, you have to understand." Bulma let go of Trunks' chin and looked across the room at the opposite wall. Trunks continued to look at her as she seemed to go to a far away place.
"He was devastated when he lost his father. Six month later he lost his best friend and all of the people who had a connection to his father to the androids. All except me and his mother, ChiChi. Then, six months after that, Gohan lost his mother in an accident." Bulma blinked and seemed to come back to herself. She turned her head to look at her son again who was watching her with rapt attention.
"On top of losing the people closest to him, he also watches people all over the world die too; sometimes in his arms. Things like that...they really changed him." Bulma stared directly into her son's eyes. "The reason Gohan is so mean sometimes, is because he's afraid to get close to people. He's afraid of losing them."
Trunks' eyebrows furrowed in concentration, as if her were figuring out a riddle. Then, as if he were struck with an epiphany, Trunks' eyes widened and her looked his mother in the eye again and asked, "Is that why he's mean? Because he knows that if he's mean to me then I won't like him and we won't get close or become friends?"
Bulma smiled proudly and replied, "Yes, but that doesn't mean he was right to do so. You don't be mean to anyone, got that?" She asked sternly while poking him in the side a couple of times, causing him to laugh. "And when Gohan gets back, I'm going to make him apologize to you." She added and puffed out her chest in determination.
Bulma caught the teddy bear her son was still holding out of the corner of her eye. She turned to him, smiled, nudged him again with her elbow and said, "Now, why don't we get Amp all fixed up? Yeah?"
"His name is Stumpy." Trunks refuted exasperatedly.
Bulma chuckled and ruffled her son's lavender hair. "Of course it is."
End of Flashback
After she had fixed up Trunks' stuffed animal, Bulma had went to go fix dinner. She was a bit surprised to find Gohan missing from the lab, but knew he would come back.
Bulma finished up the last dish in the sink and set it on the drying rack. She rinsed off her soapy hands and turned off the water. She turned around and grabbed a kitchen towel to dry off her hands. She leaned her back against the corner of the counter as she finished drying off her hands.
Bulma flicked her wrist, throwing the damp towel onto the countertop opposite of her, and rested her hands on the surface behind her while looking out the window to her side.
Her brows creased in worry as she watched the sky slowly darken from dark blue to a deep violet, the sun disappearing beyond the horizon. Bulma bit her bottom lip. Gohan still wasn't home.
She had started to worry about him when he didn't show up for dinner. They had waited for him as long as they could, but ultimately had to eat without him. She had allowed Trunks to wait for him while she put the dishes in the sink and put the leftovers away. After that, she had tucked him in bed and promised to wake him up super early so that he could see Gohan.
Now that it was dark, she couldn't help but wonder what had happened to him. Was he just being a teenager and disappeared somewhere to wallow in his teenage angst?
No. If he had, he would have been back by now. He couldn't go long without a meal, just like his father.
Had he gone to fight the androids?
It's possible. It seems like the androids attack something, somewhere, almost every other day. He probably went to go fight them.
Will he come back?
The thought caused terror to course through her; her stomach dropped and ice ran through her veins, freezing them.
Bulma let out a shaky breath and shook her head of the negative thought. She turned around and started to wipe the countertop in a mechanical manner.
It's not the first time a thought like that had crossed her mind. After Goku and the others had died, Bulma had adopted Gohan. Not legally of course, but she promised his parents, what seemed like a lifetime ago that, if anything were to happen to the both of them, that she would look after their only son.
After everyone had died, everyone who could help him against the androids, Gohan had taken it upon himself to challenge the androids whenever he could. He took on the responsibility of defeating the androids by himself mostly because there was no one else who could, but also because he thought that it was his duty to pick up the torch that Goku had thrust upon him with his abrupt death.
Day after day, for almost six years now, Gohan had gone out and fought the androids and everytime he comes back more defeated than the last. Her heart bled for him. He was slowly losing hope with each defeat. She didn't know how to help him. Everytime he goes to fight those demons, she's always left with the fear that he wouldn't come back, that he would die.
It's one of the reasons she won't let her own son train in martial arts. She was too afraid of losing him. She stopped her movements, her hand shaking and tears bleeding into her eyes at the thought. She didn't want her son to grow up like Gohan had. Although, more and more that's what it seems like her son's future will end up looking like.
Plus, he's half saiyan. She can only keep him from something that's planted deep in the roots of his heritage for so long.
Bulma craned her neck to look up at the ceiling and sighed, blinking back her tears. She sniffed and discreetly wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. She sniffed again and was then startled by a loud crash in the front of her yard.
With widened eyes, Bulma threw down her sponge and ran to the front door. When she ripped it open, the sight that greeted her was one she would not forget soon.
In front of her was her dead friends and her dead husband. Bulma blinked owlishly in confusion and worry. "Goku...what-"
She was interrupted by Goku's frantic yell of, "There's no time, Bulma!" He looked down at his son who was still unconscious in his arms. Bulma looked down as well and gasped, her hand going up instantly to cover her mouth.
Gohan was still bleeding from many injuries, bruises had started to form on his arms and face, minor burns littered his skin, his nose was most definitely broken, and she could tell something was wrong with one of his arms. She flicked her eyes back up and her blues met Goku's dark orbs. She inhaled a deep breath, letting her arm fall, and jutted her thumb behind her.
"Come in and follow me. Hurry." Then she turned and started a fast trek to the infirmary.
Trunks, hearing all the commotion, had gotten out of bed and was rubbing his eyes of the tiredness he was feeling. However, once he caught a glimpse of Gohan's beat up form in a stranger's arms, grogginess was replaced by panic. "Mom! What happened?!" He exclaimed.
"Trunks," She breathed. "You need to go back to bed!" Trunks opened his mouth to retaliate, but was cut off as his mother turned to the group of strangers behind her.
"Do you mind making sure he gets back to bed? The only one's I really need right now are Goku and Gohan, otherwise it will get really crowded in the room."
Piccolo stepped forward, his fists clenched, and stated, "I'm going with you."
Goku looked back at him and nodded. "I think that would be best."
Bulma huffed in irritation, "I don't care, I guess, but he have to get moving. What about the rest of you? Will you please look after my son?"
They nodded. Vegeta said nothing and did nothing to indicate he heard her, however she knew he did.
'This is going to be a long night.' She thought to herself. She nodded back at them before gesturing for Goku and Piccolo to follow her once again.
Trunks watched as they disappeared down the hallway. His shoulders sagged and he pouted slightly as he said, "But...I wanna know if he's gonna be alright." He straightened as he felt someone slap a hand on his shoulder, his heart skipping a beat and his blue eyes widening a bit.
Trunks turned and tilted his head so he could see who had done the action. When he looked, he was met with a comforting smile of a short bald man. He had an orange and blue gi similar to Gohan's and the man who was carrying Gohan. He wondered briefly if the two were friends; a fleeting thought as his mind was preoccupied with the state of Gohan's well being.
"Hey," the man muttered, the smile still on his face, bringing Trunks out of his thoughts. "Don't worry about Gohan. I'm sure that he's going to be alright." The man squeezed Trunks' shoulder in a comforting manner, his smile tightening slightly.
Trunks gazed at the man with uncertainty shining in his eyes. He flicked his eyes to the ground and stated, "How can you be so sure?"
The man's hand slipped off his shoulder, and Trunks took the action as a sign that the man wasn't sure how to answer him. However, he was surprised when the man spoke again.
"Because I've known him for a long time," Trunks snapped his eyes up to look at the man's face. This time, the man's smile widened as he stated, "and I know him well enough to know that he won't give up that easily."
With the man's statement and unwavering confidence, Trunks couldn't help but crack a small, hopeful smile.
"Why don't we sit down, Trunks, and wait for your mom to be finished, hm?" He asked, gesturing to the couch that was not too far behind them.
Trunks eyed it with longing before stating with a small frown, "But my mom wants me to go back to bed."
The man's smile grew even more, causing the corners of his eyes to crinkle and his eyes to light with laughter. "Don't worry about that right now. Let's just sit down and and get to know each other until your mom comes back. How does that sound?"
Trunks nodded with a small smile once again on his lips. He ran passed the man and jumped onto the couch, bouncing slightly before settling. The man watched him with an amused smile gracing his lips before he too walked over to sit down next to Trunks.
Trunks looked away from the man to observe the other figures in the room, folding his hands in his lap. After getting a good look, he turned back to the man, who was silently watching him, and asked innocently, "So...what's your favorite color?" The man chuckled.
DBZ
"In here." Bulma instructed as she opened the door to let the two men inside, he blue hair swishing with the artificial breeze. She walked in after them and turned on the lights. "Put in there, on that bed." She stated as she turned to wash her hands.
Piccolo and Goku did as they were told, and moved to the bed in the center of the room. Piccolo moved to the right side of the bed and pulled back the all white sheets and blankets in order to allow Goku to set his son down. Goku did so, moving to the other side of the bed and setting his son down as gently as possible to cause minimal pain.
Gohan's face broke into a grimace as his back hit the soft surface, his breath hitching in his throat. Goku cringed slightly in sympathy and brushed Gohan's long bangs away from his forehead. Of course, as soon as his hand move away Gohan's bangs just fell right back into place; a curse he had adopted from his father. Goku huffed out a laugh at the thought.
Bulma walked around the room gathering supplies she thought she might need; gauze, medical tape, needles, medicine, gloves, cleaner, cotton swabs, etc. She put it all on a tray and walked over to stand next to Goku. She put her tray of supplies on a rolling holder for easy access.
Bulma put a medical mask on, looping it around her ears, and snapped gloves on both hands. She grabbed a mask and a pair of gloves for both men and held it out to them. When they made no move to grab either item from her, she explained, "I may need your help and if you want to help, we are going to do it my way." She eyed both of the men and then the supplies in her hands.
Piccolo and Goku did as she had demanded, and put on gloves and a mask as she reached for a small bottle with clear liquid in it and a needle. Piccolo's long fingernails easily poked holes through the rubber gloves. "Uh…." He muttered eloquently. Bulma looked up at him and he held up his hands to her. She hummed and she felt her eyebrow twitch, but said nothing, turning her attention to the task at hand.
Goku made a small noise as he watched the blue haired woman bring the needle closer to the top of the bottle.
Bulma paused in he actions at the small noise. She blinked and looked at Goku's uneasy face. She sighed and said, "I'm going to need your help, and I can't have you in here if you're going to be afraid to see a needle."
Goku nodded in understanding and swallowed as he felt small beads of sweat begin to form on his forehead. "Are you going to be able to handle being in here?" She asked. He nodded. "You're sure?" Another nod.
"Okay." she stated and continued her task.
Bulma popped the needle into the small bottle and pulled up on the tab, the needle filling with the clear liquid. As she pulled it out, Goku asked, "What is that stuff?"
"It's Procaine Hydrochloride." She responded and pushed the tab down to release the air that had gathered in the needle. When he didn't reply, she looked over at him. "It's Novacaine." At his continued blank look, she explained, "It's a numbing agent." And before he could ask, "I inject the liquid through this needle in the place where I need to work so that Gohan won't feel as much pain when I fix his injuries."
Goku's mouth erupted into an 'o' shape and his eyebrows rose in understanding as his curiosity was satisfied for the time being.
"It takes a few minutes to really numb certain areas, so I'll inject it now," she pinched a portion on Gohan's bruised cheek and injected the needle into it. Goku winced. "and when I'm done elsewhere the area should be numb enough to work on."
Bulma put the needle down and moved the tray behind her. She looked at Goku and Piccolo before stating, "I'll need both of your help on this part." They nodded, Goku a bit more reluctantly than Piccolo.
Bulma inclined her head in Piccolo's direction. "I'll need you to grab a hold of his arm, firmly." He did so. "Put one of your hands on his chest to hold him down and make sure he stays in place; this is going to hurt." He nodded.
Bulma grabbed a hold of Gohan's dislocated arm, putting one hand on his elbow and the other just below his shoulder. She lifted his arm off the bed, gently, and rotated it so that the palm of his hand was facing the tiled floor. She got into position and, just before popping the appendage into place, leaned forward and quietly muttered, "Gohan, if you can hear me, I'm sorry, but this is going to hurt a lot." With that said, Bulma jerked his arm up and in towards his body with all of the strength she could.
The reaction was instant. Gohan violently jerked trying to somehow get away from the pain he was experiencing and when that failed he thrashed about, all the while screaming and panting to alleviate some of the agonizing, firey pain that engulfed his shoulder. Piccolo and Bulma held him firmly against the bed, as to not further aggravate his injuries.
After Gohan settled down a bit, Bulma carefully let go of his shoulder and bent his elbow so that it was resting against his stomach. Then she turned to Goku and asked, "Will you hold his arm just like this?"
Goku's hand reluctantly replaced Bulma's hand as she moved to grab bandage. She wrapped Gohan's shoulder tightly, allowing minimal movement. After she was done with that, She moved on to his cheek.
Bulma nodded to Goku to let go of his son's arm. She grabbed a needle and started stitching together the large cut on Gohan's cheek. After she was done with that, she put a large patch of gauze over it to protect it and secured it with a few pieces of medical tape. Then, she moved on to wrap up his ribs.
Before being asked to, Piccolo lifted Gohan's back being careful not to jostle his injuries and making sure to support his head. Bulma nodded in thanks and began to wrap. All were quiet in the small room.
Goku fidgeted as he watched the other two work. After another minute, he asked in impatience, "How much more is there?"
Bulma finished wrapping Gohan's ribs and wiped her sweaty forehead with the back of her wrist as Piccolo layed Gohan back down before addressing Goku, "We've still got a while to go. Most of it I can do myself, but I do need your help on a few more things. Plus, after I'm done, I'm going to need your help to move him." Then she turned and went back to work.
Goku sighed in disappointment and sagged his shoulders slightly as he waited to be called upon for help. He was unaware of the glare that Piccolo was shooting his way as he busied himself with other things.
After another moment, Bulma asked, "Goku, could you hand me that squeeze bottle?" Without turning to look at him, she held out her hand for the item. Goku looked at the tray full of equipment.
"Uh...eheheh." He laughed cluelessly while putting a hand behind his head, rubbing it. "Which one is that again?"
Before Bulma could answer him, Piccolo moved to their side of the bed and pushed Goku out of the way. "Move over and let me do it." He spat. He grabbed the requested bottle and handed it over to Bulma.
"Thanks." Bulma exhaled in uneasiness. Then she moved to the other side of the bed, where Piccolo had been before, and got to work on the injuries settled there. "Can you hand me some gauze, Piccolo?" She asked. Again he handed her the requested item.
Goku stood back and watched them work with a slightly melancholy look on his face. He watched, back and forth, as they interacted.
"Medical tape."
He handed it to her.
"Can you hand me the needle and bottle of Novacaine? This is a pretty big cut."
He offered her the items.
"While that numbs up, why don't you help me with this?" She gestured to his sprained ankle. He nodded.
"Grab a roll of bandages."
He did.
"I can help Bulma." Goku pipped in, pointing a finger at himself childishly.
Bulma looked up from wrapping Gohan's ankle to Goku and said with a small smile, "No. That's alright. We've got it." Then she looked back down and continued her task.
When she was done with that, she moved back to the cut she had numbed earlier and asked for the supplies to stitch it up. She was rewarded with the requested items and she then set about fixing the damage.
This pattern continued for the better part of an hour; Bulma asking for supplies, Piccolo granting them, and Goku watching them work.
"Well, this looks like the last injury we have to deal with." Bulma stated swiping again at her forehead.
Goku perked up, having been previously slouched in a chair with his eyes drooping threatening sleep, and rubbed at his tired eyes. He got out of his comfortable chair and walked over to the bed where his now recovering son was on. His son looked more peaceful now, he noticed cheerfully with a small smile on his face.
Bulma, noticing the change in Goku's attitude, smiled and asked, "Would you like do the honors, Goku, and help me wrap his last injury?" Goku nodded enthusiastically. She laughed. "Why don't you grab a bandage roll and I'll tell you how to wrap it." She said.
Again, Goku nodded and reached for the wrappings. He turned back to Bulma, awaiting her instructions.
"Alright. Now, I want you to unwrap the roll slowly and put the end of it here." Bulma pointed to Gohan's neck. Goku followed her instructions with the roll, but paused when he looked at Gohan's neck. Noticing his hesitation, and mistaking it for confusion, Bulma continued, "Just place a portion of it under his neck so that the end of the wrap rests against the side. Then wrap over it once so that it stays in place."
Goku, however, made no move to continue following her instructions. He continued to stare at the blue and purple finger like bruises across his son's neck.
"Goku?" Bulma asked hesitantly. He didn't respond. He continued to stare.
Piccolo became frustrated with Goku's inaction and growled. He moved forward and shoved Goku to the side, ripping the bandages out of his fingers. Bulma instructed him on what to do as she eyed her best friend in confusion and worry.
Goku's head was angled downward, his hair creating a shadow over his eyes, and his shoulders sagged as his back slouched. Images of his son's fight flashed in his mind. How useless he had been to prevent those bruises on Gohan's body. How useless he had been while others worked on his son's recovery. How clueless he was with everything that didn't involve fighting.
What a useless father he was.
An ache formed in his chest at the thought. Was he a bad father? Why does he even have to ask himself that? Of course he was a good father!
…
Or…
at least…
He always tried to be.
He was drawn from his thoughts as Bulma placed a hand on his shoulder. "Goku...hey." She said nervously. "It's alright. I just wanted to cover the bruises on his neck because I don't want Trunks to see them. I know he's going to want to come and see Gohan immediately when he's able. If he sees the bruises, he'll ask questions. He's still young and I just don't want him to know how cruel the world is yet."
When he said nothing, she hastily said, "Really, Gohan's injuries aren't that bad. I just wanted to get them all wrapped up."
Goku gave her a sad smile, his face soft. "Thanks for taking care of him, Bulma."
She easily smiled back. "Help me move him, will you?" She asked, jutting her thumb towards the bed. Goku nodded.
He started to roll the bed out of the room, but Bulma held up her hand, stopping him. "I sent Piccolo to get a new bed for him." That was when he noticed that Piccolo was actually gone.
"Now that all of his injuries are taken care of, he won't bleed all over the sheets." Goku looked to the sheets that were currently under Gohan and noticed that they were indeed soaked with blood.
Bulma continued, grabbing her chin with her index finger and thumb, "We'll move him to a new room too, one closer to the rest of the bedrooms so he won't be that far if he needs anything." Bulma tilted her head towards the ceiling and continued to talk, though now she was mostly talking to herself.
Goku tore his attention away from Bulma to look at his son again. His face looked very peaceful, he must be feeling much more comfortable now. Of course he was. Bulma had taken care of all his son's injuries while he had stood on the sidelines and watched.
"Don't you think, Goku?"
Goku blinked and looked at Bulma. "Hm? Oh, yeah. Sounds great." He tried to sound convincing.
He must not have succeeded because Bulma scowled at him and put her hands on her hips. "Were you even listening to me?" She asked.
Goku opened his mouth to reply, but stopped when Piccolo entered the room with a new bed. It seemed Bulma was distracted as well.
"Oh, good. You're here. Now let's move Gohan, shall we?"
She walked over to the right side of the bed and said, "Goku, why don't you come over here." She suggested. He did as he was told.
"Now, Piccolo, I want you to move that bed right next to this one. Don't leave a gap either. Make sure it's right up next to the other bed." He also did as he was instructed.
"Good." She said. "Now I want both of you to grab the sheet that Gohan is laying on and transfer him from this bed to that one. Just slide him over." She stated as clarification.
They did as they were instructed and Bulma smiled. "Alright, now get rid of the old sheet."
Goku nodded. He balled up the blood covered sheet in his hands and then incinerated it with a weak ki blast.
"Gah! I didn't actually mean get rid of it! I thought you were just going to-! Ugh." She sighed in irritation and palmed her forehead. "Nevermind. Let's just get him to a new room." Piccolo wheeled the bed out of the room and Bulma followed, leaving Goku to trail behind him as scratched his head and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. What had he done wrong?
DBZ
Krillin scratched his cheek as his eyebrows hung low over his eyes in serious thought. Then he asked the young boy net to him, "Does it have to be a real animal?"
The lavender haired boy shook his head negatively. "Hm…" Krillin hummed. He narrowed his eyes before blinking and snapping his fingers, coming to a decision. "I know! A Sabertooth Moose Lion cub." (A/N: anyone know where that's from? LOL)
Vegeta scowled. "Tch." He turned his head and looked away from the duo. However, he continued to listen.
Trunks crinkled his eyebrows together disdainfully, "Why a cub?"
"Because the cubs are much cuter. I don't think I'd ever want to meet a fully grown Sabertooth Moose Lion. They're mean and scary." Krillin replied.
Trunks pursed his lips and raised an eyebrow, considering the man's words. "Okay." He conceded and smiled. "I agree. That's way cooler than a Platypus Bear."
"Hey, Trunks. Do you want to hear my favorite animal?" Yamcha asked, smiling.
Trunks stared at him blankly before stating bluntly, "No. I don't like you. Go away."
After hearing this, Vegeta closed his eyes and smirked. He had never liked the beta male either.
"Mom! Mom!" Trunks shouted, ruining Vegeta's sweet moment.
The smirk slipped off of Vegeta's face and he opened his eyes. He turned his head down the hallway that the trio had disappeared down almost two hours before. He watched his son interact with his mother.
"Mom! Is Gohan alright? Is he okay?" Trunks asked his mother frantically, his face full of fear. He reached up to grasp at his mother's hand, begging for an answer.
Bulma smiled at him in a comforting way. She kneeled down and hugged him. "Yes, sweetheart. He's going to be fine." She stated quietly into his ear, patting and rubbing his back.
She lifted him up and sat on the couch in the spot her young son had occupied a moment before.
Krillin looked between Bulma and Goku and Piccolo, who were still standing in the hallway. He looked at Bulma again and then the little boy in her arms and said, "Is he really going to be alright?"
Bulma looked him in the eyes and nodded. Then she looked at everyone else, besides herself and Krillin, who were still standing, smiled, and said, "Well, come on! Sit down and get comfortable! You're not strangers you know." Then she patted the seat next to her and gestured to the loveseat and recliner. "Sit." She said again.
When no one made a move to listen, she scowled in slight irritation and stated in a demanding voice, "Sit down. Now." They began to sit.
Yamcha sat closely next to Bulma, but crowded himself against the arm of the couch when he received a deathly glare from Vegeta. Goku sat on the loveseat by himself while Tien, Piccolo, and Vegeta continued to stand. However, they did move to get more comfortable leaning against the wall; Piccolo by the hallway, Tien leaned against the wall on the other side of the hallway entrance next to Piccolo, and Vegeta on the opposite wall from them.
Bulma turned Trunks around on her lap, so that his back was against her stomach and his legs rested on top of both of hers, and then eyed each man in the room. Silence reigned.
"Tell me what's going on. How did you get here?" Bulma asked suddenly.
All heads turned silently to look at Goku. Goku's head snapped back and forth to look at each person in the room. "Wait! Wait!" Goku yelled defensively while waving his hands in a non-threatening way. "How is this all my fault?" He asked.
"You're kidding, right?" Vegeta snapped. "This is all your fault!" He yelled, waving a clenched fist in the other saiyan's direction.
"Everyone relax!" Bulma stated with authority. She let out a breath, the breath tickling and disrupting Trunks' lavender hair and also relaxing her own tense muscles. "Just start from the beginning." When no one began speaking, she added, "Someone. Someone start from the beginning."
And so, Goku spoke, "Well, it started earlier. We were all in upper heaven, training when I started to have this weird feeling." He continued to tell her everything that had happened in the other world and what happened with Gohan and the androids.
During his speech Trunks had nodded off, though he had desperately wanted to know what was happening with these strange people and what their connection was to Gohan and his mother. Drool had started rolling down his chin and onto his shirt. Bulma listened to the story with rapt attention, trying to hold on to every detail.
"And that's when we started heading here. I wanted to get Gohan some help and I knew that you would be the perfect person." Goku finished.
Bulma blinked at him and stayed silent, trying to process all of his words. A small, concentrated frown adorned her face. She blinked away from Goku and looked at the carpeted floor. No one said anything to disrupt her thinking. She took a deep breath and said, "So, let me get this straight." She blinked and again looked back up at Goku. "You were sent here by the Grand Kai,"
She then looked at Yamcha, "to observe life on Earth," She flicked her eyes to Tien, "and then go immediately back. When you got here," She looked at Piccolo, "you observed the fight between Gohan" she turned her head to look at Vegeta, "and the androids and" She then looked at Krillin, "you noticed that he was losing the fight" She then turned her head again to look at Goku before finishing her sentence, "so, you decided to intervene. Do I have that right?"
Goku blinked confusedly, "What does 'enter bean' mean?" he asked.
Bulma took in a breath and closed her eyes while letting it out slowly. She looked at her long time friend with a look of disbelief, however she did not say anything.
Piccolo stepped forward and said, "You've pretty much got the gist of the situation."
Bulma nodded. "But if you are only visible to me if you've interacted with something in this world, then what happened? How are all of you here? How can I see you?" She asked with confusion and curiosity shining in her eyes.
"Well," Goku began while rubbing the back of his head, "I sorta...kinda…attacked… androids Thirteen and Fourteen."
"Seventeen and Eighteen." Piccolo corrected.
"Really?" Goku asked, tilting his head to the side slightly.
Ignoring him, Tien continued, "When Goku went to attack android Eighteen, Yamcha and I grabbed his arms."
"Then he threw us back and I knocked into Krillin." Yamcha added.
"I kept Tien from crashing into me." Piccolo stated.
"What about you, Vegeta?" Bulma asked, turning to look at him and waiting patiently for his answer.
Vegeta huffed, smirked and proclaimed proudly, "I knocked the washing machine back and saved the life of a certain third class clown and his second rate, half breed son."
"Yes, and that was very impressive." Tien said condescendingly.
Vegeta growled and uncrossed his arms, stepping toward the three-eyed man in a threatening manner. This caused Tien to smirk in response.
"Guys." Bulma said in warning.
The two men conceded and turned away from each other, neither one wanting to gain the wrath of the blue haired beauty.
Ignoring them again, Bulma stated, "So, when Tien and Yamcha grabbed onto Goku to stop him from attacking one of the androids, they became part of this world because by that point Goku was already in the physical world. Then everyone else became part of this world because of circumstance."
"So it is Kakarot's fault!" Vegeta accused.
"Yeah, but you put yourself into this position, Vegeta, so shut up!" Bulma said irritated with the saiyan prince's attitude.
"So...what now?" Krillin asked no one in particular. No one answered him.
Bulma looked down at her sleeping son. He had miraculously stayed asleep during all of the yelling. She smiled softly at him and pet his lavender haired head. "Trunks." She sang softly, trying to coax him from his slumber. "Trunks."
Trunks' eyelids fluttered open at the sound of his mother's voice. He blinked a couple of times and then tried to rub the sleep from his eyes. "Trunks." His mother sang again. Blinking tiredly, Trunks turned around on his mother's lap to face her. His eyes started to burn slightly, so he started rubbing them again.
"Would you like to go see Gohan now, Trunks?" Bulma asked, petting his head again. Hearing this, Trunks perked up a bit and nodded his head as enthusiastically as he could in his tired state.
"Okay. Let's go." Bulma stood and held her son against her hip. Trunks wrapped his arms around his mother's middle and rested his head against her bosom. She turned to the other men in the room, "You're welcome to come as well." Then she walked down the dark hallway.
With a lack of something better to do, the other adults followed; some more reluctantly than others.
Once Bulma had reached the door to the room they had left Gohan in, Trunks started to fidget in her arms and said, "Mom, put me down." She did so and then reached to open the door.
As soon as it was open, Trunks trotted in and climbed onto the bed with Gohan. "Be careful, Trunks. His injuries haven't healed yet." Bulma warned her son quietly. Trunks looked at his mother and nodded in understanding. The others walked in after the two and spread around the room to give each other space.
The room Gohan had been left in seemed more like a bedroom than part of the infirmary. The walls were painted a light, warm lavender while the plush carpet they stood on was a dark plum color. There was a window that sat above a dresser opposite of the door. The furniture in the room was made of dark sandalwood.
Gohan was laying on lilac colored sheets, his face peaceful as he slept. Trunks pulled back the red wine blankets and put his legs underneath them. He moved Gohan's right arm so that he could curl up against his side. When he made himself comfortable, Trunks pulled Gohan's arm over his body and snuggled deeply into Gohan's side.
Goku watched the exchange from the doorway. A pang of unidentifiable emotion hit his chest. He couldn't remember the last time he and Gohan had cuddled like that. He found that he really missed the feeling. He wondered if he would ever get to snuggle with his son again. Was Gohan too old to snuggle with him? How old...was his son anyway?
How many years had it been since he had died?
How many years had Gohan had to survive on his own?
"Wow, he looks much better." Yamcha said as he smiled, interrupting Goku from his musings. He silently agreed.
"That reminds me," Krillin suddenly said, "I didn't know you were so suave in the medical field Bulma."
She turned her head to look at him. "I never used to be. I didn't think I ever needed to be." Then she looked tenderly at her best friend's son who continued to sleep peacefully despite the child that curled himself against the teenager's body. "But now there is."
Bulma walked over to the duo on the bed and pulled the blankets up a bit more and tucked them both in. She sat on the edge of the bed and brushed back her son's lavender hair, allowing her hand to travel across his forehead and rest her palm against his cheek. Trunks' blue eyes blinked sluggishly as he started to fall back asleep.
Then she took a breath and straightened her back. "Let's go back into the living room. I'll make tea and throw together a few snacks. There we will be able to talk freely."
"Wait mom." Trunks said weakly, grabbing the cuff of his mother's shirt. Bulma stopped moving and leaned back down toward her son.
"What is it sweetheart?"
"I want Stumpy. Can you get 'im for me?" He asked.
Bulma's lips quirked. "I don't know," She sang, "it looks pretty crowded on the bed already."
"Please?"
The blue haired woman smiled softly and ruffled her son's hair. "Of course." She said. Then she turned to address the others. "If you want to head to the living room, I'll meet you there in a few minutes."
They nodded and made their way out of the surprisingly spacious room and down the hallway. Bulma went across the hall to her room and grabbed her sons teddy bear. She walked back into the previous room to find that her son had already fallen asleep in the few seconds she had been away. She softly walked across the carpet and gently sat his teddy bear between his slack arms. Trunks subconsciously gripped the teddy bear tight and hugged it to himself, a small smile appearing on his face as he did so.
Bulma gently kissed her son's forehead and lovingly brushed the bangs out of Gohan's face. Then she turned to leave the room and let the boys rest. As she reached the threshold of the doorway, Bulma angled her head to take one last look at her son and her adoptive son before quietly closing the door with a soft click. She then made her way to the kitchen to start a pot of water for the promised tea.
The others sat in the living room patiently waiting for her. They watched her as she worked. The wall that had previously separated the two rooms was absent. Krillin had fleetingly wondered what had happened to it. 'She probably just took it down because the style wasn't in.' He thought exasperatedly.
After a few minutes, Bulma came into the room and set down her tray full of snacks and tea onto the coffee table in the middle of her arranged couches. She sat where she had previously been with her son and folded her hands in her lap. She avoided eye contact and stared at her lap quietly. No one reached for the goods that had been produced.
Normally, the promise of food and drinks would perk him up, but Goku didn't feel like eating. There were too many things on his mind; too many things that were circling his conscious.
Bulma took a steadying breath and let it out slowly. Without looking up at the others, she spoke, "After that initial attack just off of South City, the androids paraded about, destroyed a lot of things, killed even more people…" She trailed off. She busied herself with pouring a cup of tea with no intention of actually drinking it.
"The hospitals were being destroyed, schools became crime scenes, and people were too scared to leave their homes. I provided as much as I could with my company's finances and resources." Bulma stared into her cup and ran her finger around the rim. "It just wasn't enough." She stated.
"The injured were coming in faster than we could rebuild and the supplies were being used too quickly." She looked up at the men in the room.
"No place is safe from those monsters." She set her tea cup on the coffee table and leaned back against the couch. "A few years ago, the androids attacked this place."
She took a breath and continued, "Most of my employees were killed during the attack, and with a single blast Capsule Corporation was rendered useless. I haven't reopened the company since."
Bulma looked at the coffee table. Her eyes filled with sudden tears and her jaw shook slightly as she spoke, "I didn't think Trunks and I were going to make it out alive." Her hands started to shake. "If it weren't for Gohan and his knowledge in the medical field, I would be." She paused.
"Dead, I mean. I would be dead." Bulma finished. "It's a good thing ChiChi drilled him in his studies growing up. He taught me everything I know about medical practices." She added as an afterthought.
Goku, who had previously been staring off into space, snapped his head in Bulma's direction. "ChiChi." He whispered. "Where is ChiChi?" He asked louder. "I thought for sure that she would have been here by now if she knew Gohan was here."
Bulma looked at him, her face pinched. It looked as if she wasn't sure how to answer him. "You mean...you mean you don't know?" She asked slowly. At the tilt of his head and the confused look upon his face, She sighed.
"You really don't know, do you?" She asked, her eyes going sad. Goku's brows became furrowed in concern at her avoidance of his question.
"ChiChi is dead." She stated suddenly, an emotionless mask on her face. It had taken her all this time to come to terms with her friend's death, and she still couldn't talk about it without balling.
Shocked silence filled the room. "When?" Goku asked desperately.
"She died…" Speaking of water works...Bulma had to pause and blink back fresh tears. She put a hand to her mouth to hold back a sob. After a moment, she cleared her throat and briefly closed her eyes.
"She died..." She continued when she felt she had gained enough courage. She tucked a blue strand of hair behind her ear. "She died six months after the rest of you did. Six months almost to the day." She stated.
"Shit." Yamcha breathed out.
"He lost everyone... in one year?" Tien asked in disbelief.
Bulma nodded sadly. The room was quiet. Goku contemplated everything he had learned. He died, the androids were released, his friends died, the world went to shit, his wife is dead, and his son is an orphan.
His son had been through so much.
"How?" Goku demanded.
"Hm?" Bulma hummed in confusion to his question.
"How did she die?" He asked.
Bulma's face paled and she inclined her head slightly. Blinking sporadically, she took a few shaky breaths and said, "I think it would be best if the answer came from Gohan."
Then, as if realizing something, Bulma straightened and asked, "Does Gohan even know about you guys yet?"
Krillin looked to his spiky haired friend waiting for him to answer. When Goku made no move to speak, however, Krillin spoke for him. "I don't think so. He may have already been unconscious when Goku stepped in to help him."
Bulma nodded, some color filling her face again. "Then we should keep it that way for now. At least until I can explain everything to him." The others silently agreed.
Silence.
"So," Bulma exhaled awkwardly, rubbing the palm of her hands on her thighs. "should we call it a night?" She slapped her hands on her knees and stood up, brushing her hair behind her ears. When no one responded, she spoke. "I'll show you to a few spare rooms if you'd like." She gestured down the hallway they had just come from.
Vegeta pushed himself off the wall he was leaned against and stated, "I'll just show myself to the gravity chamber." He turned and started walking away. "If you'll excuse me." He added sarcastically.
"You can't." Bulma said, stopping the Saiyan Prince in his tracks.
The prince turned to her with a scowl on his face. "And why the hell not?" He snapped.
"Because it was destroyed when Capsule Corp. was attacked." She stated. "All of our labs and most of our technology and resources were lost during the attack." She gripped her chin with her index finger and thumb and narrowed her eyes in a thoughtful manner, her eyes drifting to the floor. "I'm not even sure I have enough materials to build a brand new one."
She looked back up at the scowling prince and stated, "The best thing you can do right now is get some sleep. We can figure out the training thing tomorrow morning."
Vegeta's scowl deepened. "I take orders from no one." He sneered.
Bulma rolled her eyes, then fiercely galred at the Saiyan Prince. "Fine!" She snapped. "If you want to be a sleep deprived asshole tomorrow, then you better not give me any attitude!" Then she turned and strutted down the hallway. The others followed cautiously.
Vegeta 'humph'ed loudly and turned his head to the side defiantly. Hearing this, Bulma roared, "I mean it!" Vegeta only growled in response.
As they walked down the hallway, Krillin chuckled nervously and said, "Wow Bulma, you haven't changed a bit."
Without looking back at him, she replied, "If you really believe that, then you've been looking through rose colored glass." Krillin stopped laughing and just rubbed his neck, unsure of what to say.
They came to a stop in the middle of the hallway and Bulma turned to them. "Well, here we are. There's a spare room here," She gestured to her right. "and here," she then gestured to the left. "and there are few more down the hall and on the right. The two doors down the hall and on the left belong to me and Trunks. The door at the end of the hallway on the right is Gohan's. Other than those, you can pick and choose whichever room you want. They're all styled mostly the same way. Each room has a bathroom so that shouldn't be a problem." She tilted her head and put a finger on her cheek, her eyes drifting towards the ceiling, as she went through a mental checklist.
"I think that's everything." She stated. Then she flicked her blue eyes to the men in front of her and smiled kindly. "Although if you need anything, my room is across the hall from Gohan's room." She turned and waved at them. "Goodnight." Then she disappeared into her room.
The group in the hall began to disperse. Tien and Yamcha took the rooms closest to them while Goku, Krillin and Piccolo drifted further down the hall. As they came upon the first door, Krillin stopped in front of it and gripped the handle. "Goodnight." He said. He closed the door behind him with a soft click.
Goku skipped the next door and decided to take the room closest to his son's room. He wrapped his hand around the door handle, but paused when he noticed that Piccolo was still standing in the hallway. "Piccolo?"
He needn't say more. "I'm going to stay out here and meditate." The green man stated.
Goku nodded in understanding and pushed open the door to his new room. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it. He closed his eyes and let out a breath, sliding down to the floor. It had been a long day.
Goku opened his eyes to stare at the white ceiling. He was surprised he could see it, even in the darkness of night. He plucked the plush carpet with his fingers while he traced the pattern on the ceiling with his eyes as he vaguely wondered what tomorrow would bring.
Goku took a deep breath and let it out as he dragged himself to his feet. He walked over to the bed and flopped onto it unceremoniously. Goku laid on his stomach with his limbs spread out over the expanse of the blankets. He turned his head to the side so he could breathe better, and let his eyes drift to examine the textured comforter.
His chest felt heavy.
Goku inhaled deeply and rolled onto his back, exhaling heavily. Then, he closed his tired eyes and calmed his mind.
DBZ
A few hours later, Goku found himself tossing and turning in the comfortable bed. It seemed he just couldn't fall asleep. He rolled from his stomach onto his back again and let out a small whine. What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he just sleep?
Goku stared blankly at the ceiling. He wondered what time it was. He just wanted to sleep. He just wanted to forget the days events.
No.
He didn't really want to forget what he had learned, he just didn't know how to cope with it. What he did know was that getting plenty of rest would help.
Now if only he would fall asleep…
Goku exhaled heavily and sat up quickly. He tossed the blankets to the side and slung his legs over the edge of the bed. He leaned forward and gripped the edge of the bed. He stared at the floor. Why wouldn't sleep come?
Giving up on sleep for now, Goku stood up while running a hand through his hair. He opened the door to his bedroom and shut it softly behind him. He scratched his head and yawned. He blinked.
Piccolo was no longer in the hallway. Goku briefly wondered where he had went.
Goku turned his head and eyed the handle to the door of his son's room. The next thing he knew, he was standing in front of the door, his hand wrapped around the handle and in mid-turn. He turned to look down the hall and then eyed the door to Bulma's room as if he were a child afraid of getting caught having his hand in the cookie jar.
When the coast was clear, Goku quietly pushed the door open. Soft snores greeted him.
Gohan had not moved since the last time Goku had seen him. Trunks had moved some, but limited space did not allow him to move much. The snores seemed to be coming from the lavender haired child. His mouth hung open, and drool streamed down his cheek. Goku chuckled. He looked quite comfortable.
Goku flicked his eyes to his son's face. He looked as peaceful as he had before. His condition must not have changed much. Goku walked over to the bed. 'I wonder when he'll wake up.' He thought to himself. He brushed his son's bangs out of his face and sighed. He let his hand fall to his side. His son has had a hard life.
How many times had his son needed him and he wasn't there?
How many times had he let his son down?
How many times did those things happen when he was still alive?
Goku closed his eyes and sighed again. Maybe this was why he couldn't sleep.
Goku opened his eyes and spotted a chair in the corner of the room. He walked over to it and turned it around. He sat in it with his arms resting on the back of the chair and continued to watch his son sleep. A soft look covered his face. He missed this feeling.
Goku rested his chin on his arms. He felt so estranged from this person that was his son. They used to be so close. He closed his eyes. What happened to them?
DBZ
Gohan took a deep breath and let it out slowly. His eyes fluttered open and they met the patterned ceiling. Gohan's eyebrows came together. Where was he?
The sounds of soft snoring reached his ears. Gohan blinked and turned his head to the side. His eyes met a messy mop of lavender hair. He smiled. He had somehow made it out of that fight alive, but how?
Gohan's face broke into a contemplative frown. How did he manage to get back to Capsule Corp. on his own? The answer is that he didn't. He couldn't have. He was on the verge of unconsciousness when Android Seventeen had decided to rip off his arm. So what happened?
Gohan looked back down at the small body snuggled into his own. It must have been him. 'But how? Trunks is barely strong enough to hold his own against a human, so how did he do it?' At that moment, his body decided to remind him why he was asleep in the first place.
After hissing in pain, Gohan sighed and decided that it didn't matter. He needed to get some more sleep. He unwrapped his arm from underneath Trunks' small body and rolled onto his side. He tucked his right arm underneath his head and slung his injured arm gently over Trunks and pulled his small body closer to his own. As he did so, Gohan felt a lump between his arms and Trunks' torso. Angling his head to get a better look, Gohan noticed the teddy bear he was hugging to himself.
Suddenly, the image of the little girl flashed vividly through his mind.
An uneasy feeling spread throughout Gohan's body, and he made sure the small body was pressed firmly against his own. He took comfort in the fact that he could feel Trunks' chest rise and fall with every breath he took. He felt better knowing that his little brother was safe and secure in his arms and not in some town possibly dead. He wondered if his father had ever felt this way when he himself had been in Trunks' position.
Gohan stared at the teddy bear while he briefly pondered the thought. With the way his father had always gone off to fight and left him alone made him think that no, his father did not worry about his safety or well being. However, another thought contradicted the sentiment.
Goku was his father. Of course he was worried about his son. How could he not be?
Then again…
Gohan sighed to dispel the feeling in his chest and allowed his eyes to fall shut. There, he was assaulted with gentle memories of he and his father in a happier time. This only made the feeling in his chest intensify. He took a deep breath and adjusted himself to help shake away the memories from behind his eyelids. He smiled slightly as his nostrils filled with the scent of the little boy up against him and then he drifted off to sleep.
He never noticed the figure sitting in the corner, shrouded in darkness.