Disclaimer: I own nothing! Yet... *rubs hands together evilly*
A Saviour's Journey
Chapter 1: Set Up for Disappointment
The battle was finally over. The boy known as Son Gohan, son of Son Goku, had defeated the monstrous creature known as Cell. As he lay on the ground, he couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of relief.
He knew he had made a mistake during the battle, and that had cost him the life of his father. He would make up for it, and he knew that his father would forgive him easily. Once he was wished back with the Dragon Balls, that is.
The rest of the Z-fighters watched the boy, smiling in satisfaction, knowing that peace would finally come to them after so long. All but two felt happy. One, the Namekian, Piccolo, was as usual only concerned about Gohan. The other, Prince of the Saiyans, Vegeta, was currently mourning the loss of his son from the future.
Piccolo slowly floated down to Gohan and scooped him up in his arms. He looked down at the boy in, pride shining in his eyes. "You did a good job, kid. Rest now."
Gohan smiled as he slowly faded into unconsciousness. "Thank you… Mr. Piccolo…" His eyes fell closed and he relaxed into the green giant's arms before drifting off. The normally stoic Piccolo himself couldn't help but smile, even if only a little.
The monk known as Krillin flew down to where a small figure lay. Yet another of Dr. Gero's creations, Android 18. He touched down and gently picked her up in his arms.
"Krillin. What are you doing?" The bald fighter turned to look at the one who spoke his name and was greeted with the face of his long-time friend, the former bandit, Yamcha. The spiky-haired warrior continued to speak. "We need to get rid of her before she can hurt anyone."
Krillin clutched onto her protectively. "She hasn't done anything wrong. She's not the same android as the one from Trunks' time. She won't hurt anyone. I know she won't..." The last part was said under his breath, barely audible to the other warrior. The words the monk spoke were laced with love and compassion.
Their other human companion soon joined them. On his forehead, a third eye was place. The former assassin, Tien Shinhan looked at his two friends. "We should head back to the Lookout and prepare the Dragon Balls. We have people to wish back now that the chaos is over." The other two nodded and started to float up into the air.
Piccolo glanced at the saiyan prince. "Are you coming as well?" The man merely grunted and picked up his fallen son. The two of them quickly took to the air along-side the humans. Once all were set, they group slowly flew to the Kami's Lookout.
Back down on the ground, one Hercule Satan soon regained consciousness and started looking around the battlefield. Slowly, he stood up. Looking back, he noted that both the reporter and the camera-man were beginning to stir as well. Quickly, he stood tall, trying to think of something to tell them while he waited for them to get up on their feet.
"Uh, Hercule, sir? What happened to Cell? And where did all of those other fighters go?" The reporter inquired of the World Champion. The camera man found a spare camera and started recording.
The Champ quickly spun around to face them, giving them a grin and a peace sign. "Well it's quite simple actually. After all of the light shows and tricks were over, I just went up to Cell and told him, 'No more of your tricks Cell!' And then I gave him my patented Satan Punch. Then, when Cell was finished, I went up to all of those other tricksters and told them off. I told them, 'No more using tricks, you hear! They're a disgrace to martial arts!' They were so scared and ashamed, they just ran off."
"And there you have it folks!" The reporter exclaimed into his microphone. "Not only did the Champ save the world from Cell, but he even saved the name of martial arts from wannabe tricksters!"
With Piccolo's incredible hearing, he managed to catch all of what was happening back at the sight of the Cell Games. He was quite irritated that the buffoon had not only taken the credit from a real fighter, but had also tarnished the name of many great martial artists with his claims of ki abilities being tricks. Of course, the green giant opted to remain silent until the more important things were taken care of.
That being said, the group soon arrived at Kami's Lookout where the new Guardian, another Namekian named Dende, was waiting for them, along with Mr. Popo. "Are the Dragon Balls ready, Mr. Popo?"
"Yes, Dende. They are ready and waiting." The black genie confirmed.
"Very well. Bring them out, if you would please."
"Of course."
The group landed on the tiled floor of the Lookout and Piccolo gently set Gohan down on the ground. Dende quickly ran up to his friend and kneeled beside him. "Gohan!"
"He's fine, Dende. He's just exhausted. A good healing is all he needs." The tall Namekian stated in his gruff voice.
"Right." Dende got to work right away, mending the boy's wounds, though one of them did not completely disappear. For the rest of his long life, Gohan would have a large scar on his shoulder, clearly visible when not covered.
The young demi-saiyan's eyes fluttered open as soon as the new Guardian of Earth finished his work. "H-hey Dende." He croaked out, still somewhat groggy after his little nap.
Mr. Popo came back with the Dragon Balls and set them down in the middle of the Lookout. "They are here, Dende."
"Thank you, Mr. Popo." The little green alien walked over to the Dragon Balls and threw his hands into the air. "Arise, Shenron! Come forth and grant my wishes!"
The group watched as the sky began to darken and the mystical items started to pulse and glow furiously. Suddenly, like a flash of lightning, a yellow bolt shot up from the seven orbs, twisting and turning in the air at a rapid pace. The bolt soon formed into a massive green dragon, one whose mere presence seemed to ooze ancient power. Even now, after so many times, the group was still in awe of such a phenomenon.
"YOU WHO HAVE SUMMONED ME! SPEAK YOUR TWO WISHES AND ALLOW ME TO RETURN TO MY SLUMBER!" The mystical beast bellowed in a voice that could intimidate even the most hardened of warriors.
"Shenron! Please, bring back all those who were killed by Cell!" The young Namek cried out.
"IT SHALL BE DONE!" The dragon's eyes glowed a bright red as he summoned the power to grant the wish.
In an instant, a multitude of ki's that had been snuffed out popped back into existence as if they had never been gone. One by one, families and friends were reunited with the people they love. Soon, among that very group at Kami's Lookout, the young man from the future rose to his feet and looked around, stopping with wide eyes as he gazed upon the mystical dragon.
"IT IS FINISHED!" Shenron bellowed once again. "TELL ME YOUR SECOND WISH SO THAT I MAY RETURN TO MY SLUMBER!"
Krillin looked around at everyone. "So, should we wish ourselves to New Namek so we can bring back Goku?"
"That's a great idea! Let's do it! Let's bring Goku back to life!" Yamcha exclaimed.
"Hey guys, don't I get a say in this?" A voice questioned them, seemingly coming out of nowhere.
"Dad? Is that you?" The young demi asked, somewhat dazed.
"Yeah, it's me son. You did a great job with Cell, by the way. I'm so proud of you."
"Daddy, I'm so sorry I got you killed! If I had just finished Cell when you told me to-" He was cut off by his father's voice.
"Nonsense! You did nothing wrong. I chose my path, and I'm here now. And I think it would be best if I stayed dead."
"WHAT?!" Almost everyone exclaimed, save for Vegeta and Piccolo.
"Haven't you guys noticed that all of the bad guys who threaten the Earth have come for me? It would be best if I stayed dead to keep the planet safe," Goku explained to them, unable to see his son's trembling.
Piccolo, however, took notice of this and knew he would need to talk to the boy later. He understood this must be hard on him.
Gohan had already been thinking of ways to make things up to his father, and imagining spending some real quality time with him during these coming years of peace. He had been so excited that he could just be with his dad without having to worry so much about an upcoming threat. Now, the boy was crushed.
"Goku, how can you say that?" Krillin, the Earth-raised Saiyan's best friend questioned.
"I'm sorry guys, but it's true. If it hadn't been for me, none of those threats ever would have come. Besides, there are a ton of strong fighters here! Gohan, it's up to you to protect the planet now. Keep getting stronger and take care of your mother for me."
Little did he know that the boy had already flown off, tears of anger and sadness streaming from his eyes as he bursted away from the Lookout at a breakneck pace. As soon as he heard his father's words, he wanted to get away from there as quickly as possible.
Only three people noticed his departure. One, of course, was Piccolo who had known the boy since he was four years old. The other two were Vegeta and Trunks. Trunks tried to follow the alternate timeline version of his mentor, but was stopped by Piccolo.
"Leave him be Trunks. He needs to be on his own to work this out right now."
"But Piccolo-"
"Please Trunks, I want to follow after him as much as you right now, but this is something he has to deal with himself for now. Just let him go."
The time traveler just nodded slowly and went back to stand by his father.
"Well okay then Goku, if that's what you really want. I'm gonna miss you, bro." Krillin stated, tears starting to well up in his eyes, accompanied by Yamcha. "Yeah, we all will." The former bandit agreed.
"I'll miss you guys too. Farewell, my friends." The connection cut out and the Saiyan's voice faded away.
It was only now that the rest of the group noticed Gohan's absence. "Hey, where did Gohan go?" Dende inquired.
Piccolo grunted. "He flew off not long after Goku told us his reason for staying dead."
"Well we gotta go after him! Make sure he's okay!" Krillin exclaimed.
"That would be a bad idea, baldy." Everyone was surprised that it was not Piccolo who spoke on Gohan's behalf, but Vegeta instead. "The brat is emotionally unstable right now. It is never a good idea to mess with a Saiyan when he is like that, especially one like him, whose emotions boost his power."
But everyone quickly disregarded the last full-blooded Saiyan's words and Krillin soon attempted to fly after the boy, but his path was blocked by Piccolo. "Enough!" The Namek shouted in his gruff voice. "Gohan needs time alone to sort things out. It is critical that he not be disturbed."
Meanwhile, a certain green dragon was sweat-dropping, and was quite irritated that he was ignored and forgotten. Attempting to get attention back on himself so he could go back as soon as possible, the wish-granting beast cleared his throat. "IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ANOTHER WISH, I SHALL RETURN TO MY SLUMBER!"
Everyone quickly turned to face the dragon, opting to deal with the situation at hand for the time being. They all looked at each other, unable to think of any wishes that could be made.
"Hey, maybe I could wish for a pretty necklace to impress the girl I like," Yamcha pondered, not realizing he was thinking out loud.
"How about no, Yamcha. I think that would be a waste of a wish," The triclops dismissed Yamcha's idea.
"If you don't mind, I think I have a wish." Krillin piped up, glancing around at everyone nervously. When he was given the affirmative, he turned to face the dragon.
"Shenron! I wish that Androids 17 and 18 were human again!" The monk cried out.
Said female android had flown away after being healed by Dende, but quickly came back when she saw the dragon being summoned. She was the only other person to notice the boy leave earlier, but had opted to thank him for saving her at a later time.
Now however, she was floored that the bald fighter would make such a request to the dragon. 'Why would he make a wish like that?' She couldn't help but wonder.
The dragon's eyes glowed red for a moment, but the glow quickly dispersed and the dragon bellowed in his booming voice. "THAT WISH IS BEYOND MY POWER! GIVE ME ANOTHER ONE TO GRANT OR I SHALL RETURN TO MY SLUMBER AT ONCE!"
"Then, can you at least removed their bombs?" Krillin inquired.
"THAT IS A SIMPLE TASK!" The green serpent's eyes glowed red once again. Not long after, 18 felt the bomb removed from her chest. "IT IS FINISHED! UNTIL THE NEXT SUMMONING!" In a flash and another yellow bolt, the dragon shot back into the Dragon Balls, which afterwards rose into the air and dispersed, shooting in seven different directions, waiting to be gathered once again.
The sky cleared and faded back to a bright blue. The Z-fighters all looked at one another, wondering what to do now.
"What the hell was that about?!" The android had decided to make her presence known.
"A-android 18!" Krillin exclaimed in surprise. Trunks got into a stance, ready to charge at the android and destroy her.
"What was that wish about? Why did you make it?" Android 18 interrogated the monk, not taking her eyes off of him.
"W-well, I thought y-you and Android 17 deserved to live normal lives together…" The short fighter mumbled.
"Together?" The female android inquired. Suddenly, her eyes shot open wide, an incredulous look in them. "17 is my twin brother, you idiot!"
Krillin flinched and backed up a bit, very frightened of the woman's anger.
"Wait… Did you think I would just fall for you because of some stupid wish?! You really are an idiot!" A fire blazed in the android's eyes, but it soon died down and she stood up straight, turning her back to the group. "But… thanks. I appreciate it." She went to the edge of the Lookout and jumped off, speeding away to search for her brother.
"Well that was… interesting…" Tien muttered.
Yamcha chuckled a bit. "Yeah. I'll say."
"So... " Krillin drawled out, recovering from his shock. "Who's going to tell Chichi about Goku? And what are we gonna do about Gohan now?"
"Well I don't care what the rest of you do! I am going to train!" Vegeta declared. 'Not only have I been surpassed by Kakarot, but his son as well. ME, the Prince of all Saiyans, surpassed by a low-class and his half-breed son! Ridiculous!' Vegeta rose up into the air and burst away from the Lookout, no doubt heading to the Gravity Room built by Bulma and her father.
Trunks stood up straight. "I'll need to be getting back to my time soon." And with that, he too went off.
"Well, I'm going to go find Chaiotzu and get in some training." Tien stated simply and went his own way.
"I think I'm going to take up baseball again." Yamcha mumbled and took off.
Krillin sighed. "Looks like it's up to me to break the bad news to Chichi," He glanced at Piccolo. "Unless you're willing to do it." The Namek simply grunted and walked off into the inner chambers of the Lookout.
"I didn't think so." The monk sighed once again and decided to stall. 'Maybe Gohan will tell her. Oh, I hope so.' He flew off, leaving the Z-fighters separate until they would be needed once again.
'Piccolo sighed deeply as he got into a meditation position. 'I hope Gohan will be okay. That kid has been through a lot in such a small amount of time. And now his father opts to stay dead instead of be with his family for the safety of the planet.' He grunted. 'Of course he'll be fine. He's strong and he'll find a way to get through it.' And with that, the Namekian decided to go into a state of deep meditation.
Said demi-saiyan was currently flying around the world for the 20th time. Finally, unable to hold back his emotions any longer, he stopped right above a clearing in the middle of a forest, not fully aware of his surroundings.
In an instant, he flashed into Super Saiyan with ease. Clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, his golden aura dancing around him, he decided to power up even further. Roaring at the top of his lungs, his aura flared to an immense size as bursts of electricity started to crackle around him. His hair shot up, save for a single bang that dangled over his face, swaying back and forth in the wake of his incredible power. He roared even louder, his power skyrocketing with his growing anger.
Soon, he became overwhelmed by the wave of emotions that was washing over him, and he lost the Super Saiyan 2 transformation. Passing out from the exertion of his energy, his body descended to the ground rapidly and crashed, shaking the ground a bit and making a sizable crater.
A small, shadowed figure made its way out of the forest and into the clearing, having noticed a golden light from its nearby village. Seeing the fallen boy in the middle of the clearing, the figure ran over to him and kneeled next to him. The figure checked for vital signs, hoping the boy was alive.
Well that's the end of Chapter 1. Hope you enjoyed, and please review.
