Chapter 2: His Smile :)

The truth is… I hate training. Before, I remember loving it more than anything else, the stronger I got the closer I felt to my father. After Cell, I found out what other things it meant.

Dad's a martial artist, he may be happy and carefree, but, he hates nothing more than losing. As Piccolo-san had so rightfully put it before, a martial artist can not forgive the existence of beings stronger than himself. (Though not all of them are as blatant about it as a certain prince.) And dad? You can't be more of a martial artist than him; he'll try again and again until he's on the top.

To me, this was very reassuring. Dad would forever be the strongest man in the universe… for the rest of eternity. My training was just a way to share the same world with him, mom had already dominated most of his 'worldly life', I felt the need to be a part his other 'world'; the one that she couldn't be a part of. The world I believed to be his first priority.

It horrified me when I realized he was just purely 'proud' of my surpassing him. The complete 'fatherly' look in his eyes, the sense of peace I saw there made me sweat. I didn't want him to feel safe about leaving the future to 'the next generation'. I didn't want him to leave at all. I didn't want him to be such a… father.

I hit the books immediately after the whole Cell thing. As Bulma-san once said before; "Son Goku always makes things right." If disaster were to strike then, after I fell into my 'peace-slump', Dad would HAVE to do something about it. In his own words 'If Son Goku didn't do it, who would?' I think I might have even delighted in my selfish thoughts, quite a bit in fact.

But nowadays I found myself training almost daily. Not so much as to get stronger as to just being near dad. I forgot to feel tired when I saw the pure smile on dad's face, forgot how I had already put my back to martial arts. But the arts weren't so soft, not to someone with so many ulterior motives. Day after day it was much more of a chore to even get up. Without the burning passion to be stronger, my body just couldn't keep up.

It was a matter of time for dad to catch on. It was only a few days later, this morning, when I managed to heave myself up from the couch to follow dad out, he placed a large hand over my shoulder, the apologetic hint in his sad smile made my heart drop. I watched him walk out the door, Goten at his heels. I let myself collapse back down, a heap of bones.

…

"GOHAN-SAN!" "NII-CHAN!"

Pain.

Electricity seemed to circuit through my entire body, as two little devils in disguise bounced ruthlessly atop my sore stomach muscles. I pried my eyelids open, the setting sun colored the room red, leaving the faces of my assaulters in oh-too-fitting shadows.

"Gohan-san! Play with us!" Shadow-demon A demanded.

"Yeah nii-chan, play!" Shadow-demon B chirped in agreement.

"Trunks…" I paused, surprised at the fatigue in my own voice "when did you get here?"

"Oh HOURS ago! Na Goten?"

"UN!" shadow-demon B flapped his arms up and down in emphasis. My head felt like it would crack from all positive energy in the room.

"Nii-chan's a bit tired Goten" I patted his head, smiling as he pushed his head deeper into my palm. "Why don't you and Trunks get dad to play with you guys?"

"That wun do nii-chan!" my little brother shook his head feverously "Dad's playing with Trunks-kun's dad!"

I bolted up-right.

"Vegeta-san is here?!"

"Un! He came with Trunks-kun, nii-chan are you feeling bet…" I didn't wait for him to finish. Running out the door, I don't know what it was driving my worn body toward the monstrous, clashing kis, but I ran frantically, not trusting my unstable ki enough to fly. I somehow managed to outrun the two children. I didn't know why I was so desperate, why I knew I had to see dad at this single instant. Vegeta-san coming over wasn't at all out of the ordinary. How could this time be any different?

I skidded to a stop before one of the many ledges in . And above me, the two most powerful men in the universe were just breaking off from a long exchange of punches. My breath caught. The expression on dad's face was something I haven't seen in so long, so long I had forgotten of its existence. His hair, a sparkling gold, was dyed in the red of the sun; his ki seemed to fill the sky, what remained of his clothes, tattered and bloody, fluttered in its intensity. Drenched in sweat, he was a sight to behold. But most exquisite was how his eyes, electric blue, locked onto his opponent, sparking with excitement, filled with unadulterated joy. The corners of his lips were pulled up in an almost manic smile. But somehow I realized, this was Son Goku's—my father's—purest of smiles.

And Vegeta was the only one left to bring it out in him.

Then I did something I think I'll never be able to live down; I fainted.

AN: I know it's short. Just to assert that I'm not dead. Oh and I pulled off that weird 'only signed in users review thingy' I had no idea I had that on, who likes that anyway? How are people supposed to light-heartedly review, let alone flame me if I have that on? So PLEASE review?