Thank you my friends for the kind reviews! This is my first real attempt at writing anything, and I have to say, I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. I realise at this point in the story that what's been written so far has almost nothing to do with the bio, but rest assured, it will get to that. I know how the story is going to end, and trust me, things are going to get stranger.
The trouble is, that I am completely making all of this up as I go, in an attempt to set up the ending.
I should also point out that this story is not at all meant to be taken seriously, as the whole thing seems like a big joke.
This particular incarnation of Gohan is my favourite (the cell games one, not the one specifically in this fanfiction) and also my favourite character in all of Dragon Ball (which I don't own by the way, obviously) so this is why I chose to write this, I suppose.
If anyone actually wants to read a good fanfiction about Gohan, you should check out A contradicting mission – by Chelsee, Monkey Business – by xXsirinXx, Heavy - by Sifl-senpai, Dragonball Awakening – by EmeraldSaiyan, Self control – by Nature Kid, The Gears of War – by Barbosa (very early stages at the moment)
Those are all I could think of off the top of my head, but many many more exist!
Thank you, and enjoy. (If at all possible.)
Day 3
There was an unignorable noise coming from outside his window – familiar, but one that hadn't been heard around the Son house for a while. The unmistakeable beating of wings. Steady, hard whooshing sounds, breaking the air in two, rhythmically.
Gohan ripped the duvet off of himself, before checking his greatest enemy – the alarm clock that sat atop his bedside table, which read 05:37, in its hideously bold, crimson numbers.
Rubbing sleep-deprived eyes, He marched to the window and un-drew their silk curtains to confirm what was already believed.
Icarus hovered just outside, a gentle purr escaping the inquisitive little dragon's lips, which was so low, that anyone who hadn't met the creature before, might easily have mistaken it for a growl.
A million questions sprang to Gohan's mind. He hadn't seen his childhood friend for over two years, and today seemed no more significant than any other. However, one certain aspect of the dragon's unexpected arrival had the young half-Saiyan somewhat frazzled. Why on earth had Icarus decided to visit him so damn early in the morning?!
"I know it's been a while, but this better be good boy!" Gohan warned.
The dragon let out an excitable squawk, and motioned for his master to climb on board. The fresh morning air, ripe with the scent of wet grass was beginning to encroach upon the Son house. Gohan could feel his tiredness draining at the prospect of an adventure, as the smell reached his nose.
With a shrug, he took one glance behind him. Goten was sleeping, though the babies ki stirred in unrest – no doubt in the midst of some kind of nightmare. Guilt tugged at Gohan's mind for the briefest of moments. And then there was his mother, who too was sleeping. Sneaking out twice in one week was truly a dangerous idea to ponder.
Icarus's wings flapped harder, his whole body shaking with every swoosh. The dragon seemed to be growing impatient.
"Alright alright, I'm coming! Do you have to be so loud?" Sapphire eyes widened in understanding at the question, and the dragon slowed his movements.
Gohan quickly scooted back inside and threw on the first top he could find, the blue undershirt that made up part of the gi that so iconically belonged to one Son Goku. Though being in a rush, he thought nothing of it.
The temperature outside was cold, colder than normal for the time of the year. A few blades of grass that stood over the garden were even touched with the mildest of frost at their peaks. Gohan clambered onto Icarus, the frigid, yet still air assaulting his bare feet and exposed arms.
With a final squawk, the dragon took off at record speed, immediately choosing to soar high into the sky and out of sight to any angrily-awoken onlookers – a certain raven-haired woman coming to mind.
"So where are we going Icarus? Is there another dragon you want me to meet?"
Talking to animals was a trait Gohan had inherited from his father, he felt a deep connection with nature and was sure that no matter what creature he was attempting to converse with, there was always a level of understanding between him and it. Especially when it came to his favourite dragon.
Icarus responded with a loop-to-loop, and a fit of loud yelping.
Gohan's worries seemed to melt away as they soared further into the morning horizon. Everything that had been so troubling over the past week, hell, even the past year felt like nothing more than a distant memory. Forgotten had been the idea of adventure, there was nothing quite like it, the freedom, and the excitement.
He sensed a few droplets of something in his eye, and it was unclear if they were conjured out of joy or the cold morning air.
The sun was at its early stages of rising, casting out a thin ribbon of shimmering pink to emblazon the otherwise dull early-hours-blue which coloured the sky. A sight unique to the twilight hours of day.
Gohan focused his mind and steadied his balance, standing up tall upon the back of his childhood dragon, the rushing wind fulfilling an inner yearning to be alive. Maybe today would be a good day.
The dead had a lot of time to kill, naturally. As far as anyone knew, the afterlife was indeed the last existence someone could experience. Which meant that Son Goku was in no rush. After his most recent scrape with King Kai, the Saiyan realised that perhaps patience was as fundamentally important to his ascension as anger, or any of the other emotions that helped trigger it.
Which left Goku in a spot of bother. Besides training and fighting, not much really existed that brought the same kind of thrill and exhilaration. King Kai had told his friend that he should perhaps toy with the idea of taking up a hobby. But Goku didn't really know where to begin with that.
He didn't like to read, or watch television, or play any sports, or build things, it just didn't have the same kind of appeal as pushing one's body to the brink of its limits.
He could still train of course, but why would he, if the point of the training wasn't to reach a new plateau of strength? It just felt wrong. Gohan (the older one) had always told Goku that there was never any reason to be bored, because the world was full of such wonder and beauty, and the people that felt bored, were the ones who didn't truly appreciate the magnificence of life.
Well Goku was never really bored very often – except for the few shows and school related things Chichi had dragged him to – but now, he just didn't really know what to do with himself.
So he lay, head resting on a cushion made of his own two hands, gazing up at the peculiar pink sky of the Grand Kai's planet. Noticing how the grass beneath felt very different to Earth's, softer, and much smoother to touch.
And the light, inexplicable, there was no source, nowhere it could possibly be coming from. The whole world felt so incredibly strange, and Goku hadn't really noticed before. Even King Kai's cosy little world felt more normal than this.
What was normal? He supposed. It wasn't really his place to judge the strangeness of a planet. It was in fact him after all who had destroyed King Kai's home.
He really missed the Earth.
Maybe King kai would allow him to watch his family for a while today, if he asked nicely that is. Although as kind as any god was supposed to be, King Kai still had a bit of a tendency to let power go to his head. Goku had long since surpassed him in strength, and it was likely the god felt uncomfortable with that fact, and so chose to exert any kind of dominance he could whenever the opportunity arose. Or maybe it was that King Kai was still seething at the fact that Goku had both killed him, and nearly wiped him out of existence altogether.
Who could say?
The sun now hung low, delicately above the horizon. A new day had been set to motion.
Gohan rubbed the leathery scales between Icarus's horns. A spot he knew the dragon loved. Confirmed when a purr of satisfaction could be heard high above the forests just north of East City.
They had been sailing through the air for over an hour now and Gohan savoured every moment of it. Flying was always ten times more enjoyable upon a dragon's back.
He felt alive, the whole world below was a myriad of natural colours. Vibrant greens of the tree canopies, and the grass underneath twinkled with the thinnest layer of melting frost, reflecting the morning light perfectly, even from the height of the clouds.
The looming spectacle of East City dwarfed everything else in comparison. And Gohan was pleased to see Icarus take a sharp right turn before the place where he had stopped that robber a few days before, came any closer.
Suddenly, Gohan felt the tell-tale sensation of declination in his stomach. Icarus allowed his wings to beat slower as they're altitude dropped gradually. Nothing out of the ordinary came into view, and Gohan wondered why the dragon had decided to land.
No more than a few dozen Ki were active within a twenty-mile radius, the usual hustle-and-bustle of East city was yet to be in full flow.
Icarus sped up his descent, seemingly heading for a small clearing in the trees a few hundred yards in front. Gohan marvelled at the control of the dragon, and how much muscle power it must have taken to accommodate himself and Icarus's own weight. Flying without using Ki was a phenomenon in itself.
With a skid, the dragon's larger hind legs touched the ground, before the smaller, clumpier two secured balance. Gohan slipped off and onto the grass. The basic, wilder ki of the forest's animals thrummed all around him. And a thin veil of mist blanketed the surrounding plant-life. To the west, barely visible, a narrow creek weaved along the ground and in-and-out of the trees, snaking its way beyond the sight of even Saiyan-enhanced eyes.
Wearily, Icarus sunk to the ground. Flying so far with an eleven-year-old Saiyan made of more muscle than water must have been unbelievably taxing, even for the might of a dragon. The poor thing's ki was exhausted, and his eyes fluttered between open and shut as his tail curled up on the floor.
Whatever reason there was for coming to this spot in the forest, would have to wait.
"Easy boy." He soothed.
Finally, the dragon fully gave in to fatigue and allowed itself to drift off, nestled cosily on its spot on the grass.
Gohan had never been to this place before, which was strange. Over the course of his life – particularly the three years spent training in preparation for the androids – the majority of the country had been explored – thanks to flying – so a new area of nature was truly something to appreciate.
Perhaps it was the forest's close vicinity to East City which had caused Gohan to neglect such a place. He always found that the affect humanity had on nature ran far deeper than the confines of a city.
Creature's that lived so close to human settlements tended to have completely different characteristics to their more primal relatives. The whole thing seemed artificial to Gohan. It was their ki, he realised. Something about it felt off.
Even now, he could sense it. it was far easier to compare when Icarus was in such proximity however, and he realised that perhaps he was being a little unfair.
The dragon was beginning to snore, its breaths hitched with a deep rumble and a tiny pool of saliva ran down its chin and onto the floor like a tiny waterfall. Gohan smiled at the sight. Icarus never really looked the brightest animal.
Maybe today would be a good day for relaxation, Kami knew Gohan needed some. With a final pat on the sleeping dragon's head, he left. Sensing Icarus's ki wouldn't be a problem should something happen, even though it was difficult to differentiate between animals.
The chill of the outside world was beginning to wane on him. Saiyans seemed to have superior natural protection against the elements. Their skin was a lot tougher and they generally had a better affinity with ki, which could be harnessed for warmth – not that they often needed to. It must have been incredibly helpful for eradicating a new planet's life. Foreign environments and weather could be extremely treacherous.
Gohan shuddered at the thought. He seldom pondered the destructive potential of the dead race he was reluctantly a member of. The thought of what the Saiyans used to do was positively repugnant, and went against everything he, and more importantly his father stood for.
Yet strangely, a part of him - albeit tiny - was extremely thankful for the inherited power, for without it, the Earth would have been destroyed a thousand times. Gohan thought it far too dramatic to refer to his genes as a curse, but they certainly felt like that sometimes. His mind wandered to broken plates, cutlery, glasses, tables and just about anything else found in the son house.
Still, over time, he had learned to shush that voice in his head. The one that screamed for him to destroy, to fight and conquer, the one that bellowed at him when facing an opponent. To obliterate it, to dominate it, to crush it, to see it beaten at his feet. And in more severe cases that voice even called for him to humiliate it.
One fight came to mind.
Suddenly, his blood was pumping.
Perhaps a walk would be relaxing.
Chichi always found sunrise to be the best part of the day. Her and Goku would spend one-or-two mornings of every month, nestled tightly together in the garden, just watching the day begin in silence.
Surprisingly, it was still a hobby she held close to her heart. Even when experiencing it by oneself, there was still something profoundly beautiful about the way Earth's star leapt from the shadows, no matter how dark the night, and bathed the world in its golden glow. It was symbolic really.
Goku always was her star. For whenever the world was at its most terrible, and peace seemed hopeless, Son Goku would rise from the blackness, just like the sun, and make the Earth a brighter place again.
It didn't matter how horrible things got, her Goku would always be the same kind, warm, loving person she fell in love with. Nothing could ever corrupt that.
And then there was Gohan. Her son, who felt like the weight of the world, and the sun was on his shoulders. And although he was a great person, and as good a child as any mother could hope to have. He simply wasn't Son Goku. He wasn't created to save humanity when things got their bleakest. He was a fragile little boy who didn't deserve to face the evil that her husband battled.
Chichi had to help Gohan realise that. Everything her son had done, was to protect her, he didn't need to feel that kind of pressure, Chichi didn't demand or expect his protection, she was his mother for Kami's sake, it should have been her protecting him!
The sun climbed steadily up the sky, and the frost beneath Chichi was melting onto her hands. She had to tell her son that everything was going to be okay.
Suddenly, Wooden floors croaked with hurried steps, waking up Goten wasn't even considered. If Gohan was in trouble she had to help. The stairs, so difficult to ascend to a recently pregnant woman, were nothing more than a few laboured breaths.
Gohan's door swung open and she instantly recognised his scent.
There was a bundle of blankets and pillows atop his duvet, and under that…
Nothing.
Not again.
The term wandering aimlessly wasn't entirely accurate. For any person alive or dead, whether they knew it or not, had a very instinctual capacity to sense ki. Which meant that anyone who thought themselves as travelling without a destination, was incorrect. In fact, most people who were walking without a conscious level of understanding as to where they were going, were actually being guided by the subconscious part of the brain. Which is why people who felt themselves lost – in an emotional sense – always ended up exactly where they needed to be.
The same applied to Gohan, even though he himself was indeed very common with the nature of ki. Which is why the young half-Saiyan found walking to be an incredibly cleansing and enlightening experience.
Usually anyway.
Stumbling through the woods, his feet made a crunch with every step. Making it difficult to come into contact with any animals who weren't trying to eat him.
And Gohan always found those ones the easiest to get on with.
Icarus still slept. Not too many animals existed who would dare to fight a dragon, no matter how goofy said dragon looked. Gohan had seen Icarus show his more animalistic side only on a handful of occasions, and even as probably the most powerful person on the planet, he still found them to be terrifying. And so he harboured no fears for his dragon's well-being, and besides, if the worst came to the worst, Gohan could be with him in a flash.
Silently, a shadow moved between two trees. Gohan's body tightened. With a few thuds, the shadow grew closer. Moving with predatory grace, but seeming not to possess knowledge of its own presence being known.
Gohan could make out the tell-tale silhouette of a four-legged-creature, with a thin tale and two protruding teeth slicing upwards out the mouth like a pair of sharpened cutlasses. This wasn't the first time he had been stalked by a sabre-toothed tiger, and he wagered it probably wouldn't be the last.
With an almost inaudible hiss, the creature pumped its legs to full speed at an astonishing rate, mazing through the trees with the finest of balance. Its clawed feet finding perfect control with every stride.
Of course to Gohan, the whole thing seemed to be happening in slow motion. It wasn't until the tiger leapt, completely to the right of him, bypassing Gohan's waiting strike completely, did he realise that he wasn't the object of the creatures pray at all.
Above, somehow undetected, sat a tightly woven owl's nest. In it were what appeared to be new-borns as well as a fully grown female. – he could tell by the pattern of its feathers. – The mother was scrambling to get her two children in her mouth so she could take flight and find safety. She was failing.
The tiger made a leap for the branch that housed the nest but couldn't get the required height.
Gohan watched in horror as the Mother owl cooed manically, all while attempting to rescue her little babies.
Again the tiger jumped at the nest, although failing to secure its prize once more, it did manage to get a clean swipe of its claw at the branch, somewhat destabilizing it.
Suddenly, a primal anger blossomed in Gohan, a call of protection sounded in his mind and his body responded.
With one kick to the stomach, the tiger lay helpless on the floor, it's whole body in a spasm brought on by pain. Gohan loomed over the creature, his fury failing to recede.
He looked at predatory eyes, a part of him marvelling at how even the pupils themselves resembled shadowy blades. In a second, he had landed a punch, rendering the beast unconscious.
Hands as white as snow trembled. Something about the tiger was feeding his anger, and then suddenly, with a scream, Gohan collapsed to his knees.
He closed his eyes and threw his head to the floor. Cell, he could see him, on the back of his eyelids. The ghastly alabaster face, reminiscent of the horror of Freeza and his despicable father. Those hideous green horn-like pillars that stuck out of its head. Why was he seeing this?
Then, the pink eyes. Devoid of any compassion or mercy, those eyes that found perverse pleasure in squeezing every inch of Gohan's hidden power out.
The android who would have killed everyone Gohan knew and loved just to see him mad.
Well he was mad. As mad as he had ever been. There was no sight. The forest had gone, the tiger, the owls, everyone, they weren't there anymore.
All that existed was him and Cell. The world was black. In front, the creature stood tall, body poised in a stolen stance, mouth twisted into some sadistic smile.
Gohan felt his power climb, the horrible, wonderful sensation of his super Saiyan ascension. That voice, that awful voice, was screaming.
Make him suffer.
Then, something rough and wet brushed his face.
Icarus's big blue eyes were the first thing he saw.
Everything felt cold. Shakily, he sat up, taking in the world around. No sign of any owls. And the tiger had gone.
The dragon burped, a ball of orange fur shot out its mouth and floated harmlessly to the floor. One mystery solved.
The sun now screeched at the peak of the sky. Which meant…
Gohan was going to be in big trouble.
3 days. Half way there.
Cell never knew how slowly time could pass. Maybe that was part of hell? No, even he was subject to some of the same psychological defects other lifeforms experienced. Like how everything seemed to take longer when waiting for something.
It didn't make sense really. Why would Dr Gero programme his greatest creation in such a way? The mad doctor did have his kooks and quirks, like Cell's own body - parts which simply didn't need to exist, yet his creator had implemented them anyway. Cell was hardly one to appreciate fashion. Practicality took precedent over style any day of the week.
Perhaps that was the nature of time? The universe's fourth dimension may have been intrinsically linked to emotion, it was governed by a set of deities after all – whom were no stranger to emotion, regardless of what they liked to tell people.
It was yet another example of the universe's cruel design, he supposed.
Cell bet that time didn't go slowly for Son Gohan.
When he returned to Earth, he would certainly pay that Bulma woman a visit. She could teach him all about the nature of time, regardless of whether she wanted to or not.
But until then?
Cell needed a map of the cosmos.
After all, even universal destruction required planning.
Gohan had never been so close to losing control around his mother before in his life.
He felt completely sick after the incident in the forest, and a round of tearful screams, followed by a fit of relentless pampering wasn't really helping anyone.
Well, except for Goten of course, who seemed to find the whole thing oddly amusing.
Gohan was still shaking, even as he sat on the sofa, head softly tucked between his mother's chest and shoulder.
Chichi always knew when her son was upset, even sometimes when he seemed as happy as his father, she could just tell that Gohan was feeling sad deep down.
So when he had come back home, the entire back side of his body covered in mud, and hands trembling like some escaped mental patient, Chichi hadn't required any more convincing to see that something was wrong.
Seventeen courses, and twelves pots of tea later, they had both calmed down, and Chichi was starting to feel the full weight of spending half a day in utter panic fall upon her.
With a sigh, the princess of the ox kingdom let her eyes slip shut and her weary mind rest, her two sons were nestled cosily on either side of her, and she had everything left in the world she ever needed right there, in touching distance.
After making sure she was asleep – not just by sensing ki – Gohan gently laid his mother's sleeping body down flat on the sofa. Silently, he observed just how beautiful she looked even as she slept. Everything from before seemed to be easier to take when witnessing someone he loved so much in such a peaceful state.
Goten was asleep too. For once drifting off without his mother having to sing to him, or tuck him in, the boy was growing up already.
Gohan smirked. Casting his brother over his shoulder and ascending the stairs with the silence of a mouse. Cautiously, he sat Goten down in his crib, and waited to make sure the baby didn't wake.
Then finally, after one ki-sweep of the house, Gohan headed to his own room.
The door shut with a creek, but by then all feeling was gone. He didn't really know what to think. The flight home with Icarus had been spent in near silence, and Gohan's mind was a torrent of emotions then. But now…
It just didn't make sense.
Was Cell haunting him? He certainly wouldn't put it past the android.
It just felt as though no matter what happened, no matter how at peace he felt with everything, when something made Gohan angry, he would always be reminded of that day.
He would always lose his temper, and then someone else had to pay, because of his lack of control, just like when his father…
King Kai flinched as the grasp on his shoulder intensified. Still, he had enough decency to keep it to himself, given what was transpiring down below.
"You know Goku, if you really wanted, I could let you talk to him?"
Oh how Goku wanted to speak with his son. Every fibre of his heart and soul were screaming at him to take the offer, to comfort Gohan, to put his son's mind at ease.
But that would be too easy.
Goku was dead, and he couldn't give his son false hope.
Gohan needed to do this without his father's help. And he had no doubt that his son could do it, even if it was painful to watch.
Gohan was so strong, stronger than anyone, physically and mentally, and he was only eleven!
There was a renewed sense of hope.
"No thank you King Kai, I think it's better if I don't interfere."
The god nodded solemnly. "I understand."