Disclaimer: Do not own.
Chi-Chi was surprised, to say the least, that both her husband and eldest son were still sleeping. She made breakfast, knowing the smell would wake any saiyan up, and as the smell of friend eggs and bacon filled the house the only person sitting at the table was Goten. Being a concerned mother and wife, Chi-Chi checked on Goku and Gohan to make sure they were still alive. Goku rolled over, mumbled something in his sleep, and started to snore. Gohan had his arm hanging off his bed, facing his door, and when Chi-Chi tried to wake him up he turned his head away.
For the first time in…well this is a first that this ever happened. There were left overs, and Chi-Chi did not have anything to store the food in. She looked at the table filled with food. Her arms were crossed, foot taping, trying to figure out what to do with the food. Her husband and son weren't getting up anytime soon. Chi-Chi grabbed the plastic wrap and wrapped everything up. Once the two were up she could popped the dishes in the microwave to warm up their food.
Still, it was odd that the two would rather sleep than eat.
Gohan always struggled with sleep, and there were night where Goku struggled as well. Chi-Chi was exhausted yesterday and instantly fell asleep. She even woke up later, and rushed to get breakfast ready for her family. She couldn't help but wonder if something happened yesterday. Goten caught her up with everything that happened to him, and she got most of the story with the fight with Buu. Gohan was training when everyone thought he was dead, and his second fight with Buu didn't end well. He was absorbed, with Piccolo, Goten and Trunks, and recovered his memories when brought back to life.
He was pretty excited yesterday. Gohan wrote pages of the times he spend with his mother as a child. His face lit up as Chi-Chi confirmed everything, and his smile lit up the room. Goku and Goten were bathing at the time. Gohan needed a bath just as bad, but recalling his memories was something more important that a bath. Granted, the smell coming off of him wasn't pleasant, but seeing him smile warmed Chi-Chi's heart. He acted like a little kid on Christmas opening the toy he's always wanted.
Chi-Chi finished wrapping all the dishes, and shoved them in the fridge. She went to check on Gohan. His arm was no longer hanging off the bed, but he was still sleeping. She went upstairs to check on Goku, and he was still snoring. Chi-Chi shook her head and went back downstairs.
Two hours past, and Chi-Chi was tired of waiting for her husband and son to get up. She understood that they did a lot yesterday, but if they slept any later they wouldn't sleep tonight.
Chi-Chi entered Gohan's room quietly. He was curled up in a ball, holding onto the blanket covering his body. It was a creature comfort, something he always did as a child. He always like holding onto things when he slept.
"Gohan, it's time to get up," Chi-Chi said as she gently shook Gohan. Her son started to stir, and managed to open his eyes. He didn't want to get up, and clenched his eyes as the sun was the first thing he saw. "You must have had a hard day yesterday. You slept through breakfast."
Gohan snapped awake and sat up in his bed. He missed breakfast! How did he miss breakfast?! Chi-Chi saw the disappointment on his face, and couldn't help but laugh a little.
"I put the leftovers in the fridge. I can warm them up if you want."
Gohan shook his head. He was never a picky eater, and would probably eat the food cold if he had too. He reached over at the alarm clock and read the time. 11AM, an hour away from lunch. He scratched his head, trying to figure out how he overslept, and why the smell of food didn't wake him up. Chi-Chi watched as his expressions changed. First it was confusion, followed by some thinking. Gohan titled his head to the side, pout his lips, and looked at his alarm clock once more.
"You figure out what you are going to do," Chi-Chi said rubbing Gohan's shoulder. "I have to go wake your father. He overslept as well."
Gohan made a face, and then nodded his head as he figured out the question in his head.
Chi-Chi walked out of the bedroom and headed towards her room. By the time she got to her door she noticed Goku had just woken up. He stretched out his arms and let out a big yawn. He saw Chi-Chi by the door and smiled.
"Breakfast ready," he asked, the faint smell of the morning lingered in the bedroom.
"You missed breakfast," Chi-Chi said. Goku blinked a few times. "It's almost time for lunch."
"What? You mean I missed breakfast?!"
"Gohan did too. I just woke him up."
Goku dropped his shoulders. He never missed a meal in his life! Gohan never missed a meal in his life when he came home! A smile appeared on Goku's face. Last night was…difficult to say the least. Goku felt slightly embarrassed as he had a meltdown in front of Gohan.
But he spoke.
His son spoke to him for the first time in years, and Goku hoped that one day Gohan would talk to everyone.
"I should get something to eat before Gohan eats everything," Goku said as he got out of bed. He walked towards the door, and Chi-Chi put her hands on his chest. "What's wrong?"
"Your eyes are a bit puffy," Chi-Chi said she rested her hand on his cheek.
"Probably because I overslept," Goku said putting on a smile.
"I guess so."
Chi-Chi didn't want to press on the matter. Goku walked down the stairs while Chi-Chi leaned up on the doorway. She never had puffy eyes from oversleeping; her eyes were puffy from a night of crying. Goku wasn't one to cry, unless you ran out of food, but Chi-Chi was so deep in her sleep she didn't know what was going on around her.
Something had to have happened yesterday, maybe even last night, and Chi-Chi hoped that Goku would tell her. His smile earlier seemed happy, yet sad, and Gohan was acting strange as well.
Putting the thought aside, Chi-Chi headed downstairs to heat up breakfast.
"Don't eat all the food Gohan! I missed breakfast too," her husband whined. Something told Chi-Chi that she didn't need to reheat breakfast, and even though Goku preferred his food warm, a cold breakfast was better than no breakfast.
(PG)
He overslept, and now he over ate. He felt like he was about to burst, and his stomach wasn't going to settle down. Not only did he inhale breakfast, but he also ate his portion of lunch. He struggled near the end, and the voice in his head was telling him to stop. He never listened to himself, and forced the food down. His mother even said that he didn't need to finish his plate. Deep down he knew that he wasn't going to starve again, but there's a slim chance that he may never eat again.
Getting dressed was becoming difficult. His stomach was mad at him, but he refused to let it win. In another hour his stomach would settle, and he'll be ready for dinner.
His stomach didn't like the sound of dinner.
He stood there, in jeans and a tank top, resisting the urge for breakfast and lunch to make an appearance. He had his handy trashcan, filled with papers, was nearby but he didn't want to do the walk of shame to the trashcan outside. He didn't want to hear the 'I told you so' from his mother. He also didn't want to make a mad dash to the bathroom while his father was using it. His mother was hanging laundry outside his window, and she wouldn't be happy if her petunias were puked on.
Standing perfectly still was working. He wanted to put on his shirt, a grey long sleeve, so Goten nor his mother would see his scars. He was worried about their reaction, his mother more than anything, and didn't want anyone feeling pity for him. He did, however, wanted to show Videl. If there was ever a chance they would date she needed to see his damage. She wouldn't run, at least he hoped, and knew she would understand his…issues.
How to tell her what happened was going to be difficult. Maybe he could get his father to talk to her, let her know what happened. Right now his father was unsteady. His father didn't say too much when they got back in the house last night. Whatever his father saw wasn't pretty, and didn't want to talk about it. He couldn't blame him. Part of him wanted to know what his father saw, and the other part wasn't sure if he wanted to know. It had to be difficult for his father to see. Anything with Rohr would probably traumatize his father, like it has himself.
The thought of Rohr was enough for his stomach to seek revenge, thus a mad dash to the bathroom he went.
Passing by his father, who was brushing his teeth, he proceeded to upchuck breakfast and lunch in the toilet.
It was awful!
After what seemed like an eternity, he flushed down his mess. His stomach felt so much better, even though he was cursing at it. In the next half hour he was going to be starving, and his mother won't let him eat until dinner. Great job stomach! Hope you're happy!
"Here," his father said as he handed him a wet cloth. He wiped around his mouth. He was going to have to brush he teeth all over again. "Ate too much?" He rolled his eyes and nodded. His stomach needed to be stronger, and take in more food. "You know, when someone hands you something, you're supposed to say thank you."
You've got to be kidding me.
He stared at his father, knowing full well that even though he spoke yesterday he wasn't going to start having conversations. He didn't like his voice, and just because his father was always there for him since day one didn't mean he had to speak to his father.
But his father did see what happened to him years ago, and his father was still vulnerable.
Dammit.
"Thank you," he said as his cheeks turned pink. His father was going to drag this out for a while, getting him to speak when clearly he didn't want to. Yeah it made his dad happy, and it was the least he could do to show appreciation, but he didn't enjoy it!
"You're welcome," his father said, a smile on his face. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know that his father was still bothered by yesterday. He wouldn't be too surprised if his father thought he was going to have an attack. "Let me help you up."
His father reached out his hand, and helped him back on his feet. His father waited for something, and there was no way he was going to say thank you again! If his father wanted to hear him say thank you then record his voice! He wasn't going to lose this time!
Being the loveable son he was, he curtsied to show his thanks to his father. He also made a face, one of great appreciation, which made his father chuckle.
"Okay, okay. I won't push it," his father said putting his arms up in defense. "I'm going to see Piccolo today. You wanna come with me?"
Was he going to make him talk to Piccolo?
"I'm not going to make you talk with him."
His father could be lying.
"I'm not lying Gohan."
Ice cream.
"So you wanna go?"
He nodded his head. He hung out with a mind reader yesterday, and now he assumes everyone is a mind reader. His father and Piccolo can't read minds.
"Maybe we can get some ice cream afterwards," his father added. "What?"
Sure he stood there, mouth opened, wondering if his father could really read minds. His father knew how to put out a fire in the time chamber, with everything still intact, and his father always seemed to know what he was thinking. Magicians knew how to read minds, right? It was something he could look up on the computer if he needed to. Right now he had to watch what he was thinking just in case anyone else was a mind reader.
(PG)
Even though he couldn't speak, Goku knew when Gohan was excited. His face always lit up, and he seemed to smile more. They got ice cream before they went to the Lookout, and as they sat down with their banana splits Gohan couldn't stop smiling. He seemed so happy as he scooped the ice cream. They never went out as much since Gohan had his attacks, but today seemed like a good day for a little treat.
"Hey, remember when we went out for ice cream when you came back," Goku asked. Ice cream in cheeks, Gohan nodded and shoved in more ice cream. Goku watched as Gohan ate more ice cream, and waited for the inevitable. With seconds of swallowing the cold sweetness, Gohan clenched onto his head and closed his eyes. "I bet you forgot about the brain freeze."
Gohan shot him a look, and continued to eat as if he didn't have a brain freeze at all. That was short lived as Goku watched as Gohan clench his hair again.
For a moment, Goku saw Gohan as a child. Bandages wrapped around his head and arms, and still wearing a hospital gown unable to walk. How his face lit up when he saw the ice cream, and the smile that stayed on his face afterwards. People stared at Gohan as the skinny, pale child ate his ice cream. Taking his time, enjoying every bite, and the laugh that came slipped out of his chapped lips.
The image of seeing his son for the first time after two years of torture almost killed him. Goku didn't get angry a lot, and he hasn't felt that kind of rage since Frezia killed Krillin. Gohan was a child, his son, and the strong, brave child was weak and scared. They left him there to die. The injuries he had were old, and there were not that many new ones.
Gohan tried to live normally, and there were times where he distant himself from others. Goku and Piccolo were the only ones he would cling to. Gohan even spoke to Piccolo, and Goku never understood why Gohan never spoke to him. Even if it was a simple question why did Gohan ask Piccolo and not his own father?
Snapping out of his daze, Goku went to eat his ice cream. He paused as he saw Gohan, spoon in Goku's ice cream, eating it. Gohan cut off some banana, added some ice cream to it, and looked up to see his father watching him.
Gohan's dish was completely empty.
In a quick movement, Gohan took his spoon and put it in his mouth. He sat back in his seat and looked around as if he was doing nothing wrong. He patted his lap, chewed the banana in his mouth, avoiding all eye contact. Once he swallowed, Gohan looked over at Goku's ice cream once more. He looked at Goku, back at the ice cream, then at Goku once more.
"You can have the rest," Goku said as he pushed his dish towards Gohan. His eyes lit up as the ice cream dish made its way over. Big smile on his face, Gohan started to eat Goku's ice cream. "What do you say?"
Gohan, ice cream in cheeks, looked at Goku. He pulled out a notebook, and wrote thank you. He flipped over the page, and wrote that there were too many people here. Goku could see the discomfort.
"You're welcome," Goku said. Gohan nodded, and continued to eat the ice cream. "Still think your voice is lame?" Gohan nodded. "You haven't spoken in a while. It's different since you were a child." Gohan merely nodded again. "You don't have to talk if you don't want to."
Gohan, with a spoonful of ice cream and an open mouth, stopped and looked at his father. He looked around at the people walking around, and bit his bottom lip. He seemed worried, scared even. Goku watched as Gohan closed his eyes and shook his head. He continued to eat the ice cream, at a rapid pace, and finished it all.
He soon suffered another brain freeze.
(PG)
Goku watched as Gohan interacted with Piccolo. He seemed excited when Piccolo asked about his memory returning. He asked a few questions, actually wrote a few questions, that Piccolo knew. Gohan was still confused on some answers, but as Piccolo explained them Gohan was able to understand.
Piccolo told Gohan how proud he was. Gohan raised up his arm, and Piccolo wrapped his hand around the wrist. A slight fidget, and Piccolo messed up Gohan's hair. Piccolo released Gohan's wrist.
Dende came over, and Gohan wrote in his notebook quickly. Dende's face lit up, and hugged Gohan. Dende released Gohan, and Piccolo suggested they catch up. The two walked away, and Gohan was writing in his notebook. Goku took this time to walk up to Piccolo.
"I didn't know he didn't remember Dende," Piccolo admitted. "I think Dende knew, but hasn't talked about it. Did he go over a check list with you as well?"
"He was confirming things with Chi-Chi when we got home last night," Goku said. "He seemed really excited about getting his memory back."
"And what about you? I noticed you were out of it yesterday."
Gohan and Dende disappeared inside the tower.
"He talked."
"What?" Piccolo gasped. "What did he say?"
"He said that it was okay."
"What was okay?"
Goku looked at Piccolo and smiled.
"He said thank you as well. He may not be saying much now, but with time I think he'll come around."
"So what's bugging you?"
"His friend Videl." Piccolo folded his arms. "I don't think she knows much, but Gohan seems to like her."
"And you're afraid she won't accept him as he is?"
"I don't know if she's friends with him out of pity," Goku said as he turned around. He walked to the edge of the Lookout, and Piccolo was right beside him. "I've talked to her a few times. She's really nice. I can tell he likes her. Gohan has that goofy smile when she texts him."
"I'm glad I don't understand human emotions," Piccolo said. Goku raised an eyebrow.
"You seem to show your feelings to Gohan."
"That is completely different," Piccolo yelled, a little vein popping out near his eye. He huffed, turned towards the edge, and folded his arms once more. "Gohan is a friend."
"Like me?"
"I was never your friend Goku." Goku chuckled as Piccolo smiled. "This Videl girl, how close is she with Gohan?"
"Pretty close," Goku said becoming serious once more. "I'm afraid Gohan would get attached to her, and if she runs from him then we will be back at square one. He's doing so well."
Piccolo put his hand on Goku's shoulder.
"Get it done and over with Goku. We'll be able to fix the damage sooner if it doesn't go well."
Goku and Piccolo turned around when they heard Dende laughing. Both he and Gohan were approaching them. Dende was still laughing as Gohan looked at his notepad, frowning. Gohan showed his notebook to Piccolo and Goku, and Goku couldn't help but laugh. Gohan turned the notebook towards him, and titled it sideways.
The picture, Gohan drew, was Krillin dressed as a sailor scout from the anime Sailor Moon. Gohan labeled it as 'the saiyan battle armor,' and couldn't fully remember what it looked like. Gohan thought his picture was semi-accurate, the shoulder things, the boots, and Krillin did have six dots on his head! It kinda looked like a tiara, but with a small notebook you only had so much room to draw!
Now that Gohan got a look at it better, he did put a crescent moon collar on Krillin's neck.
(PG)
His father wanted Videl to come over?!
"And spend the night," his father added. "It's a long drive from where she's at. Goten will sleep with your mother and I so she can have a bed to sleep on."
But…but…why are you inviting the girl that he likes to sleep over?! He's perfectly fine hanging out with her at school, and glancing at her when she wasn't looking, but having her here would just…would just…that's it! He was never speaking to his father again! You cannot bring a girl over to a boys house! Stuff could happen!
Who was he kidding? Nothing would happen between them. He'll be in his bed, wide awake, and Videl would be asleep next to him in another bed. He wasn't the typical teenage boy that every other guys in school was. He could never be close to a girl, which is why Videl needed to stay home!
"If you don't want her to come then just say so," his father said. Next to his father was his mother, and Goten was playing with toys on the floor. Everyone was in his bedroom.
His father acted innocent, and knew that he could never speak in front of his mother and brother. Well two can play at this game!
"Great! I'll call Videl and tell her the plan," his father said after a good five minutes of silence.
He lost the game.
As his mother and evil father walked out of the room, he plopped down on his bed and brushed his fingers through his hair. Goten climbed up on the bed, and laid down next to him.
"Is Videl going to be my new sister," Goten asked.
What's with these people?!
Weird sounds came out of his mouth as if he was going to say something, but had no words. A new sister?! That would mean he would have to marry Videl, which wouldn't be too bad actually. It would be nice to have a wife, and kids one day.
He couldn't have kids. He knew how they were made, and it would just bring back horrible memories. What if Videl wanted kids? They would need to know why their dad has scars. Why he had these attacks…how was Videl going to deal with his attacks if he couldn't deal with them?!
In an effort to not to hurt Goten, he got up and grabbed his brother by the collar.
"Hey, what are you doing," Goten whined as he was thrown out the door. "Gohan!"
He slammed the door, locked it, and fell to his knees.
He needed to somehow stop his attack from coming. Deep breaths, happy thoughts, and not thinking about his future. Videl would understand. She's a cop; she's seen things similar to what happened to him from other people. If they did take a step beyond their friendship she will be okay. She's seen him have an attack before, and she was there afterwards. She held his hands, and he didn't freak out. Even if she didn't want to date him, and he couldn't blame her, they would still be friends.
"My little broken boy," Rohr said as his fingers brushed on Gohan's naked back. "No one was going to love like I do. Now get on your knees and tell me you love me."
He clenched his chest as he fell sideways on the floor.
"You're losing weight my love. I can count your ribs." Rohr's fingers bumped over each bone.
Just breathe.
"Scream my name baby."
He lost it. He found himself caught in a horrible flashback, struggling to breathe, and reaching out for someone for help. Door locked, the voices of his parents telling Goten to leave him alone, he was left on the ground as his bedroom disappeared before his eyes. The only thing he could do was close his eyes as Rohr blew some air behind his ear.
"Someone help," he said as his child body, broken and sore, while Rohr entered him.
(PG)
Ouch.
Stupid wooden floors!
When he gets his own place he was going to have carpet everywhere! Carpet floors, carpet walls, and carpet trees! He looked at his hand and frowned. His fingers were covered in blood, tweezers included, and he knew he had to wash his hands to see if he got all of the out. On the sink was a pile of splinters, some big but most small, and lots of blood. It was only his left hand, the hand he used for everything, and using his right hand wasn't as easy getting the tiny pieces of wood out.
He let his hand run under the sink in cold water. He looked at it once more, and saw a few more hidden under his nail. They quickly disappeared as his blood from his open wounds came back.
Joy.
Not only did he ruin his floor but now he needed assistance from his mother to help get out the leftover splinters. First he had to tell his mother that he ruined the floor again. He wasn't right handed, and right now a shirt was hiding the scratch marks on the floor. How can he approach this without making a huge fuss?
He poked his head out the door. The only person he saw was his dad. His mother and Goten were not around.
Greeeaaaattt.
His father was sitting on the couch watching the news. They were still talking about Buu too, who was in hiding, and Hercule was telling everyone that there was no more danger. In six months everyone was going to forget about Buu anyway. He couldn't really leave the bathroom, bloody hand, and the only thing in throwing reach were flowers in a vase.
Tempting…very tempting.
Ugh, he was going to need talk, either that or knock over the vase. Broken glass and splinters?
…dammit.
"Dad," he said, quietly. His father didn't turn around. Maybe he wasn't loud enough. "Dad!"
His voice echoed in the house.
Too loud.
His father turned around and saw him. Please don't make a big deal about it.
"Gohan," his father said, face lighting up. A smile went on his father's face. "You called me dad…I haven't heard you say that since-your hand!"
He looked at his hand and noticed blood dripping on the floor. His mother was going to kill him, so he quickly used his foot to try and clean it up. His white sock was now stained with blood, and he smeared the red liquid on the floor.
Oops.
His father quickly came over and pushed both of them in the bathroom. He let his hand sit over the sink as he father reached into the medicine cabinet to grab the first aid box.
"What happened," his father asked, turning on the water and rinsing off the hand. He pointed to the pile of splinters on the sink. "You had an attack?" Yep. His father stared at the pile, the eyes full of fear. "Was it because I invited Videl over? I can cancel! I can tell her that Goten is sick. Will that help? She doesn't have to come over!"
He's never seen his dad afraid before. He knew the one thing to calm him down, and even though he hated it…absolutely despised it, the only thing to calm his father down was to speak to him.
"It's okay," he said. Okay, now an explanation with as few words as possible. "Attacks happen. Not your fault."
Now he sounded like someone who knew very little English!
"But the attack happened because I was forcing you into something that you don't want to do."
"If she doesn't come then…" why did his voice annoy him so? His throat was getting sore, and he didn't even say much! He rolled his eyes, reminding himself that no one was in the house, and his father was an emotional wreck. Plus his hand was bleeding and he needed to get the splinters out. "I need this. I need her."
Did he just confess his feelings for Videl in front of his father?
"You like her," his father said, or asked.
That's it. He was done talking today, for the rest of the week, and for the rest of his life! This was getting difficult, and the only thing he wanted was his hand to be fixed!
He showed his washed hand to his father, grabbed the tweezers and pointed to the still stuck splinters, and handed his father the tweezers. He sat down on the toilet, hand sticking out, avoiding eye contact. The day just needed to end. Once it was over-ow-he can go to sleep, and-ow-start over in the morning. He wouldn't be ab-that one hurt-le to get over the day unless-that one was painful!
"Sorry," his father said rinsing off the hand. He bit down on his other hand trying to replace the pain on his one hand to the other. "There's only a few more left. Wait until I put on the alcohol."
He bit down on his hand harder.
(PG)
Chi-Chi came into the house with a few bags of groceries. Goten was right behind her, and she let him in front of her to put the bags he had on the table. She noticed the bathroom light on, and decided to take a peek.
She saw Gohan sitting on the toilet, making faces, as Goku dabbed alcohol on Gohan's hand. She noticed the splinters on the sink, blood everywhere, and dropped the bags of groceries.
"What happened," Chi-Chi exclaimed, shoving Goku out of the way to exam Gohan's hand. Goku, who was on the floor, stood up. "He has wounds underneath his nails! We're going to need to pour the alcohol underneath his nails so they don't get infected."
Gohan's eyes went wide and looked at his father. He motioned his father to come to him, and quickly for that matter. Goku, a bit confused, walked over to Gohan. Gohan clenched onto the back of Goku's shirt and hid his face in Goku's stomach.
"I know it hurts Gohan, but it's going to be worse if these wounds get infected," Bulma said. Gohan shook his head no, and curled up against the arm rests on the bed. Bulma sighed. "Goku, is there anything you can do to calm him down?"
Goku, who stood next to Gohan, looked down at Gohan. His son was awful. Malnourished, bruised, and didn't like anyone touching him. An idea popped up in Goku's head. Gohan didn't like anyone touching him, but how was he reaching out to others?
"If it hurts, grab my shirt," Goku said pointing to his orange gi top. "I know the stuff burns, but if you don't let Bulma take care of it you may need a shot."
Bulma had a medical desk next to her. She opened a drawer, and pulled out a needle. The needle itself was six inches long.
"I would have to use this one," Bulma said. Both Goku and Gohan face's turned blue. Gohan moved his arms, reaching out for his father. He turned around and saw Goku hiding being a chair. "I'm not using this on you Goku!"
"It's still scary," Goku yelled. Gohan was still waving his arm in the air, telling Goku that he needed him. Bulma rolled her eyes and put the needle back in the drawer. Goku saw Gohan, fear and panic in his eyes, waving him over. With the evil needle gone, Goku walked back over to Gohan. "I need to see your leg Gohan."
Gohan wasn't sure at first. He saw Goku standing next to him, and the cotton ball in Bulma's hand. It was either the cotton ball that burned, or a giant needle. Gohan stuck out his foot, and turned to face his father. He clenched onto Goku's gi, and buried his head in the clothing. Bulma dabbed his ankle, and Gohan jerked his leg back to his body. Goku could see Gohan's boney hand holding onto the shirt for dear life. In an effort to help Gohan, Goku put his hand on Gohan's back.
Goku's fingers laid in the dents of Gohan's backbone. The feeling surprised him, and his shaking son looked up at him. Goku could only smile, the only thing he could do to let him know that everything will be okay. Gohan buried his head once more, and regretfully let his leg go towards Bulma. Goku and Bulma exchanged looks when she saw Goku's hands on Gohan's back.
"I will try and make this quick," Bulma said as she dabbed the ankle. Gohan jerked once more, and used both hands to grab onto Goku's shirt. He whimpered slightly as Bulma continued to clean off the wound. Goku wanted to run Gohan's back, but the only thing he was rubbing was skin and bones. Instead, Goku used his hand and placed it on Gohan's head. Gohan looked up at Goku, then buried it once the cotton ball hit opened flesh.
"All done," Chi-Chi said as she finished bandaging Gohan's hand. Gohan, who still hand Goku's shirt in his other hand, looked at his bandaged hand. His pointer, middle, and ring finger were wrapped up to the finger tip. His other fingers were fine while his palm was wrapped. "That wasn't so bad now was it?"
Thunk!
"Ow," Goten yelled. "Why is my floor attacking me?"
"A mother's work is never done." Chi-Chi said with a smile. She looked at Goku. "You fix the floor while I fix our other son."
"Okay Chi-Chi," Goku said. "If Gohan could write, I'm sure he would say thank you."
Gohan nodded.
Chi-Chi left the bathroom to go fetch her other hurt son. Gohan got up from the toilet and tried to walk away. It was then he realized that his other hand was attached to Goku's shirt. Goku noticed that he was thinking about something, and then he released the shirt. Gohan made a face, dazed out, then came back to reality.
It was times like that where Goku wanted to know what Gohan was thinking.
It didn't matter. Gohan was slowly talking, and Goku was happy to hear Gohan's voice, even in short sentences. A word a day, Goku hoped, and soon Gohan will be starting conversations at the dinner table, speaking his own opinion, and not feeling like an outcast.
Sadly for Goku, Gohan hasn't spoken since. Goku hoped that Videl cared about his son like Gohan cared for her, and as her chopper landed Goku stood outside the house to greet her.
If Videl couldn't accept Gohan's past, his attacks, his needs, his loneliness, or his love then Goku would have to step in and devote his life to Gohan. Even if it meant leaving Chi-Chi and Goten he would. Gohan can't handle this world alone, and someone needed to be there to protect him.
'Accept him,' Goku thought as he looked over at Gohan.
End Chapter!
So Videl gets to say at the Son house for the weekend? I wonder how that will go…
I'm not sure if anyone caught on, but the roles of Goku and Gohan are slightly switched. Gohan, who was weaker, is now getting stronger. I had to toss in an attack, and besides destroying the floor he handled it well. Goku, on the other hand, didn't handle it as well. He is used to protecting Gohan, and as Gohan takes steps into the world Goku is afraid he'll fall.
I guess we'll see how it plays out.
Love,
-CrazyGohanGurl