Yep. I'm officially back to my old schedule. Cuz the other one ain't working and break's almost here, so... ye.
Cue montage before the big event chapter.
I don't own DBZ.
Goku came back a while later, looking rather happy despite the situation.
No shock there.
Gohan decided to try and read Goku's mind while he was there (which probably wouldn't be long at all). He had to be aware of what he wanted to know, though, and then get Goku to think about it.
"Uh... S-So, dad... H-How was Otherworld?"
Goku's face lit up. "Oh yeah! It's amazing, you wouldn't believe how many fighters there are..."
Gohan smiled a bit. There, easy enough.
Piccolo, who knew Gohan's plan to read his father's mind, continued asking Goku questions to let the boy concentrate. Gohan partially blocked out his father's banter and inhaled softly, reaching out to Goku's mind.
Invading a person's mind was tricky-especially with those that were experienced in mentality. While Goku was more practiced and better with physical aspects, the saiyan still had a good sense of security and wasn't one that could be mentally shaken easily.
However, Gohan was confident that Piccolo's training would pull him through.
The mind is one of the most sensitive parts of a person's being. That sensitivity makes it nearly impossible to invade a person's mind without going unnoticed. However, it can be done. The "victim" simply had to be distracted. Specifically, they had to be in a position where they would be completely off-guard.
Goku was, at the moment.
Slowly entering his father's mind, Gohan saw multiple images of Upper Heaven. Visions appeared before him, and most of them were of Goku training. There were a couple that showed Goku acting disturbed or questioning King Kai about him, but those were few and far in between. It was... mostly training.
For some reason, that kind of ticked Gohan off.
Gohan's presence caught hold of Goku's current thoughts. Not one was a thought of concern for him.
That really ticked Gohan off.
Carefully bringing himself to reality, Gohan clenched his fists before faking a yawn that he hoped had sounded real enough to Goku.
"That's... That's great, dad. But, uh... I'm kinda sleepy... Do you mind if I take a nap real quick?" Gohan asked.
Goku quirked an eyebrow at him. "Didn't you just take a nap?" he questioned.
Gohan's eyes widened. Damn, he forgot all about that.
Luckily for him, Piccolo had his back. "He's been awake for a while now. He tires out easily because of the stress from his... condition."
Goku nodded. "That makes sense." Thank Dende. "Okay, then. Sleep well, son." With that, he walked out of the room, hands folded behind his head.
Gohan frowned hard. "He didn't think about my condition once. Not once." he spat. "Why? Is it because he's dealt with the heart disease so he thinks it's not that bad? Even though what I really have is a lot worse..."
It was funny.
"Knowing Goku, he probably just doesn't want to think about it." Piccolo replied.
"I think that's kinda selfish, to be honest..."
"I don't argue with that."
Goku, the Goku, didn't even care that his son was dying. Or at least, he didn't show it.
That was a funny thought. Goku not caring should be impossible. He was Goku. He cared about everybody.
Or so he thought.
Gohan sighed heavily, looking at the ceiling. "...sometimes I wonder if... maybe he stayed in Otherworld because he just got bored of us."
"Bored?"
"Yeah... I mean, he was the strongest person on the planet beside Cell and I. And Cell had to die, so I would be the only one who could give him a run for his money. Maybe he realized that I was too strong to match him so... he decided to be with people that matched his own pace."
Piccolo frowned a bit. "I'm not sure I can believe that... Goku wouldn't do that."
"I know... I know, but... I just..." Gohan looked at Piccolo in confused sadness. "Why did he leave us, then? Why didn't he come back?"
Piccolo shook his head. "I don't know kid... Maybe he did stay for our own good."
Gohan looked down. "I want to believe that... But I just can't..." he whispered.
He lied down, curling into himself.
"I... can't."
A week flew by fast. During the time, Goku caught up with Chi Chi and his friends, spending his time trying to find out what he'd missed. Every morning, before he went out to train, he'd check in on Gohan to see if he was okay. Gohan slept through every visit, and Piccolo was never there to tell him as he only came later in the day. But Gohan still knew his father came, because every time Goku dropped by to have lunch with him, Gohan would check to see what the man did.
It didn't make him feel much better.
This time, when Goku left, Gohan punched the mattress beside him.
"He comes by, watches me for a minute, and then leaves to train. For Dende's sake, can't he find anything better to do than train?!" he growled in frustration.
Piccolo placed a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down. You're going to have another episode." he warned.
Gohan inhaled before letting himself transform, releasing some steam. He reverted back to his base state, wringing his hands together.
"Y'know, I've been thinking." he started. "Ever since I first became a super saiyan in the time chamber, dad only focused on doing one thing."
"What's that?"
"He... He focused on helping me ascend."
Piccolo's eyes widened. "What?"
"I mean... he never said it outright, but I could tell... He'd have me push my limits, and from time to time he'd try and make me mad so I'd get stronger... It wasn't anything like the training we had when he came back from Yardrat. It was more intense, and was mostly driven toward some sort of ascension." Gohan explained. "What I'm confused about is... why didn't he try and get stronger, either?"
Piccolo crossed his arms. "I don't understand it, either. Before you ascended, you two were practically equals." he said. "Perhaps he knew that you were the only one that could ascend because of your energy's tendency to increase with your anger."
Gohan shook his head. "That isn't necessarily true." he said.
Piccolo flinched. "What?"
"I've been thinking about how I transformed..." the boy mumbled. "...and from what I experienced, it honestly wasn't just because of my hidden power."
"What are you saying?"
"All I needed to transform was the trigger, which was 16's death. When dad became a Super Saiyan on Namek, all he needed was a trigger, which was Krillin's death."
"So what you're saying is..." Piccolo trailed off, eyes widening in horrified realization.
Gohan nodded gravely. "If I'm right, then this whole ordeal could've been avoided. I wouldn't have had to die and neither would have dad."
It was funny.
The man that had saved and helped so many people in his life sentenced his firstborn to death.
Hilarious, really.
Piccolo gaped in shock for a couple of seconds before gritting his teeth in rage. "I'm going to kill that bastard!" he exclaimed. "This whole time, he could've-"
"Piccolo."
The Namekian turned to Gohan, who shook his head.
"We don't know if that's true or not. And even if it is..." Gohan smiled bitterly. "...it's too late to do anything now."
Piccolo hated that look.
Before Gohan or Piccolo had realized it, the month had ended, leaving the half breed with only one more before he had to die.
Gohan was reading a book, humming to himself as Piccolo meditated beside him. It was a pretty good book; he'd only just started reading it a couple days ago and now he was 15 chapters in.
To be fair, though, he did have a lot of time to kill.
The boy flipped the page, eyes traveling to the first word before a voice resonated through the air.
"Hello? Gohan?"
Piccolo opened his eyes and looked up. Gohan closed the book, making sure to mark the page before setting it on the bedside table. He forced a smile; for whom he wasn't sure.
"King Kai?" he asked. "What is it?"
"I just wanted to check in, see if you were okay, all things considered..."
Gohan resisted the urge to be sarcastic. "I'm... good." he said awkwardly. "As good as I can be."
"Is Goku helping you at all? Does he know about... your real condition?"
"No." Gohan replied. "I haven't told him yet. But... I'm planning on doing it soon."
"Okay, I just wanted to know."
Gohan's brows furrowed. "King Kai?"
"What's up?"
"I've been thinking about something. Do you think... that maybe my dad could've ascended too, if he trained hard enough?"
Silence was all that he was given in return. Then,
"I don't know, Gohan... I mean, technically all he really needs to transform is the trigger, so..."
Gohan scowled. "I knew it." he growled. "So then I never had to die, and neither did he. He was just too reliant on me to actually put the effort into it." His fists clenched tightly. "How could he?"
"Yo, you're right, y'know." A different voice...
Gohan flinched. "Who...?"
"A-Ah, yes!" It was King Kai's voice this time. "Gohan, Piccolo, this is the Grand Kai."
Gohan's eyes widened. "Grand Kai?"
"He's the king of the entire galaxy. There are four kais under him: North Kai, West Kai, East Kai, and South Kai. I'm the North, meaning I govern the northern quadrant of the galaxy. The Grand Kai is the king of the entire galaxy."
"Uh..." Gohan wasn't sure how to respond. "P-Pleased to meet you, uh, Grand Kai..."
"Aw, don't make the kid all shy, North Kai!" The other voice was back. "You can just call me GT, kiddo."
"GT?" What did that even stand for?
"Grand Tycoon, of course!"
Tycoon? Why tycoon, of all things...?
Gohan frowned. GT...
For some reason, he didn't like the name.
"Uh... I have a question, Gr- uh, GT." Gohan said sheepishly. He looked over at Piccolo, who hadn't said a word.
"Knock yourself out, bucko."
"You know my dad, right? The saiyan from Earth?"
"Oh yeah, that guy! I like him, he's a cool dude. What about it?"
"Well... do you think he could have ascended to a level beyond Super Saiyan, if he really tried to?"
"Sure he could've. As long as he was determined to do it, and something set him off, he could have ascended to a higher level."
Gohan went quiet for a moment before replying. "...okay. Thanks a lot, GT."
"No problem, kiddo. Now if ya don't mind, I'm gonna go take care of some... business real quick. Nice talkin' to ya, bud!"
"Y-You, too..."
Silence fell over the three, not one knowing what to say. Gohan didn't even want to talk-he was too upset to.
"Gohan...?"
He exhaled heavily. "Yeah, King Kai?"
"I'm sorry... I had no idea, I..."
Gohan shook his head. "No, it wasn't your fault. You had nothing to do with this. I should be the one apologizing for getting you killed..."
"No! That wasn't your fault, Gohan. Goku was the one that decided to... you know."
Gohan hummed in agreement.
It was true. And funny.
Goku had gotten three people killed, because of his own ignorance to his father's pleas to end the battle quickly. He really was a murderer.
And it was really funny. The son of Goku, a killer of innocent people.
It was ironic.
Gohan paid his goodbyes before eyeing Piccolo. They shared a long look before Gohan grinned both sadly and tiredly. And he said in a very hoarse yet quiet voice:
"Told ya so."
A long while passed since then. Gohan had been doing what Dende told him to, transforming every now and then to relive himself of some stress. It helped a lot, actually. Enough for Gohan to convince Piccolo to let him take a walk. Granted, the Namekian would be coming with.
While transforming helped relieve stress, Gohan would still have episodes every now and then. However, Gohan realized it was a good thing as it helped crush any suspicion Goku might gain about his condition. If he stopped having episodes all together, Goku would suspect he was lying to him.
Which he was. But he didn't have to know that yet.
Gohan also realized that his body was starting to weaken more despite the stress relieving. It was only a matter of time, he knew that. Transforming helped him deal, but like Dende said, it didn't heal.
The hybrid was more than positive that sooner or later, one or more of his organs would shut down on him, or something would rupture and make him bleed from the inside. Gohan knew what it was like to cough up blood after being punched in the stomach multiple times.
He didn't like it one bit.
The student and his mentor walked through the forest until they reached a clearing. Gohan had found this place not too long ago. It was somewhat hard to find, considering how small the clearing was. It had a small lake, or maybe a really big pond. A cliff overlooked the water, and it was also where a small waterfall was that led into the lake. The sight was rather pretty, in his opinion. As far as he knew, Goku didn't know the place existed.
The walk there hadn't been stressful or difficult. However, Gohan could feel his body deteriorating by the minute. He refrained to tell Piccolo, though. He wanted to make it here first.
They stood there in silence, listening to the sounds of birds chirping and water rushing down the cliff and into the lake. Gohan felt his father's energy not too far away, and judging by the way it fluctuated, he could tell the man was training. How convenient.
But he did not let that perturb him. He just wanted to relax.
Unfortunately, that would not be happening. His chest suddenly felt tight, as did his stomach. His eyes widened before the pain got to him and he let out a cry of pain, coughing up a mouthful of blood.
Gohan sunk to his knees, his fist pressed against his chest. Piccolo dropped down to his side, holding his arms.
"Hey! What is it?" the Namekian asked, growing increasingly concerned.
The half saiyan ignored him, focusing on his father's energy. He wondered if he heard him...?
He was still training. He supposed he didn't.
It was really funny.
Gohan grinned, blood freely dripping from his mouth. He chuckled a bit before breaking into full on laughter.
Piccolo frowned deeply. He didn't like the sound. It was too painful. Gohan saw his discomfort, too.
But he kept laughing. He laughed even though it hurt like hell. He laughed even though he was losing blood, fast.
He laughed so much that he started to cry.
Tears of mirth flowing freely, mixing with the red on the ground. It hurt, it hurt more than anything, but through it all, he grinned madly.
"Gohan, stop!"
He did. He didn't stop smiling, but he did.
He didn't stop smiling as he saw the shocked faces of both Piccolo and his father.
He didn't stop smiling as he saw his father begin to shake.
He didn't stop smiling as he saw his best friend look at him in fear.
He didn't stop smiling because it was too damn funny.
He saved the world and now he was going to die. And the person he hated for it was Goku, of all people.
It was beyond hilarious.
Drawing in a deep breath, he whispered:
"I'm just... really, really tired..."
Because hating someone he loved took a lot out of him.
And he slept.
Gohan awoke a while later. It was evening, judging from the dark sky outside. Looking around, he saw that Piccolo was absent. The lights were turned off, the only light in the room emanating from the outside. Gohan made to sit up when he suddenly become aware of a second presence in the room, one that was seated right beside him.
His dad was asleep, his head resting in his arms crossed over the mattress. He snored softly, indicating that he wasn't completely unaware of his surroundings.
Gohan's eyes narrowed. What the heck was he doing here? Why was he here and not with mom or Piccolo?
Shaking his head, he sighed. Goku probably was only worried because he'd made a scene. The man wouldn't be here if he didn't.
His eyes narrowed. He was done with this. It was time; he was going to break it to him. He couldn't hold back any longer. He was going to tell him-no, everyone-the truth.
Looking at the calendar on the wall, he looked for the day's date. The first unmarked one was the 16th. He closed his eyes, hugging himself.
Two weeks left.
It was time to fess up.
Next chapter, y'all...! Ahh, I'm so excited! This honestly feels kinda rushed...I'm not completely satisfied with the length of this one, but I feel like it's time to kick off the exodus.
Next chapter (squeeaaal) should be out in two weeks. Please review!
Ja ne~!
...I may be lying about something.