Title: Afraid
Fandom: Dragonball Z
Pairing/Characters: Gohan
Warning(s): None.
Genre: Gen
A favourite of mine.
"Fear," the professor says. "One of the most basic drives. Found even in the tiniest insect, a response to dangerous stimuli that prolongs life in any way possible. Found in many forms – the pill bug will curl, the rat will freeze, the wolf will fight, the newt will run. Son Gohan."
Gohan stands and stammers out some sort of sound of acknowledgment.
"Son Gohan. Tell us about a time you felt afraid."
He pauses and tastes the inside of his mouth. "Afraid?"
x x x
It has been a hot day, hot enough that his skin has burned which adds a sting below the pain, and Mister Piccolo lies dead beside him. Papa hasn't come back yet, lost somewhere between life and death, and all around him lie the dead bodies – Yamcha and Tien and the memory of Chiaotzu – of people stronger than him, killed one by one.
The sky is red, like the battlefield. He himself is drained of every inch of life. Nappa turns towards him, his chaotic evil overwhelming...he grins as he raises his foot, and Gohan is afraid.
x x x
Namek's green sky and green water roll around him like thunder, a harsh contrast to the clear blues on Earth. The thunder for eyes is complimented with thunder for all other senses as Frieza laughs and transforms to a terrible thing; the black pressure radiating from his body is so intense that is brings tears to Gohan's eyes.
The power is so great that it drowns out everyone else – he can't feel Krillin or Vegeta, can't feel Piccolo, can't feel Dad. Gohan can only feel Frieza, and he is afraid.
x x x
He wasn't afraid when Dad first called his name, because he was long past needing fear to drive his state. He was confused and overwhelmed, but not afraid.
He wasn't afraid when the fight with Cell started, either; he was beyond fear, only feeling pain and some sort of instinct (Saiyan or human – he isn't sure) to kill.
He wasn't afraid when Sixteen died. He was angry, so angry that the floodgate he had built within him burst and everything poured out at once.
But when Cell, imperfect and desperate, prepares to take the planet with him; when Dad, with no other option, says his final goodbyes...then, Gohan is afraid.
x x x
"I failed a test once, and Mom asked me to show it to her," Gohan stammers. The class gets a laugh, the professor shrugs his shoulders, and life moves on.