Seven Deadly Sins: Sloth
Gohan was doing his favorite activity ever since the whole Agony spectacle had come to an end: lying on the couch while surfing with the clicker. His head propped comfortably against some pillows, Gohan lazily channel-surfed, not really wanting to watch anything but not wanting to do anything else either.
"Gohan!" came a voice. Gohan grimaced. Here comes the hurricane again.
"Gohan, there's a report on the radio! There's a robbery at the 2nd national Satan City bank! We have to go stop it!" Videl said as she came into the room. Gohan looked at her in a way that required the least amount of effort.
"The police can handle it, Videl."
"But Son Gohan! According to reports, the criminals have some pretty serious hardware! They've already destroyed several police cars and wounded two officers! If you don't get there soon, someone could get killed."
"So be it then."
Videl gaped at her husband.
"WHAT?"
"Videl, I can't always hold the police's hands! If I had never been born, what would the police do? They'd have to find a way! And if they didn't, they didn't! Life is cruel!"
Gohan turned his head away from his wife, back to the television.
"Besides, my constant assisstance is making the police lazy. They think that I'll show up and help them with everything. They have to handle some things by themselves. Learn to fend off these criminals's without me."
Videl glowered, fury bubbling in her heart. But there was nothing she could do. She had been through this with her husband before. Once he had made his mind up on something, he would never change it.
But recently, he had simply become more and more stubborn on more and more things, refusing to help her with chores, or to train her daughter, or even to do his projects at work. Instead, she found him on the couch more and more, lazing around. But no matter how many times she had confronted him, Gohan wouldn't budge.
Sighing angrily, she turned her back on him.
"Very well. I'll handle it myself."
"Good luck honey. Just make sure you don't coddle the police." Gohan said to his wife's retreating back. Then he went back to channel surfing.
Some time later, Gohan heard a door open, and then his daughter came in.
"Father! I want to train with you this afternoon! Grandfather was doing something with grandmother and thus he can't train me!" Pan said, looking at her father lying on the couch, like he had been doing so for god knows how long.
There was silence.
"Father?"
"Pan, train by yourself."
Pan's eyes widened with surprise and hurt. She couldn't believe that her father had just said what he had said. Even worse, he had said it so calmly, so unemotionally, with such a lack of caring.
"But father…why?"
"Pan, you need to strike out on your own. Do stuff for yourself, get to know yourself better! Only then can you become truly strong!"
"But father…"
"No buts Pan. Go train by yourself. I am not going to help."
Pan looked at her father, and then as she felt the tears coming up, she turned and ran out of the room.
"I hate it when people interrupt my favorite show." Gohan muttered, and went back to his television.
Even later, as night began to fall, Gohan heard footsteps going around the house, his wife having come back from her heroism a short time ago. He listened to them going up the stairs. He pondered on whether to ask her how it had gone, then decided against it. She would eventually come down and speak with him anyway.
So he continued to lay there, watching the flickering lights of the television, until something else caught his ear. Footsteps, coming down the stairs, rapidly.
A second later, Videl stormed into the room.
"OK GOHAN, THIS IS IT! I HAVE HAD IT! I HAVE TRIED TO BE NICE, AND IT AIN'T WORKING! GET THE FUCK OFF YOUR ASS, AND DO IT NOW!"
"Something wrong dear?" Gohan said calmly.
"I just went upstairs, and you know what I found? I found your daughter, in her room, crying her eyes out because her father was too lazy to get up and train with her! She feels you don't love her anymore! Well, I've had it! She's right, ever since Agony was defeated you have been neglecting everything! All you do is lie on that sofa! I sweayr that you must draw nutrienst from it, that you are bonded to it, that if we tried to separate you from it you would suffer terrible pain, even death! I am sick of your laziness!"
"Well too bad Videl, because I deserve it." Gohan replied calmly.
Videl stopped dead mentally.
"What…did you…why?"
"What has the world ever done for me, Videl? NOTHING! When I defeated Cell, your father took the credit! When I became The Great Saiyaman, everyone took me for granted! When I helped defeat Buu, no one cared! Why should I help the world? And as for Pan, well, she should be grateful! I've giving her free will! My childhood, everyone controlled me! My mother forced me to study, study, study every second of the day, and when I wasn't studying I was going through agonizing exhausting training with my father, or Piccolo, or Kaioushin, or someone else, or I was fighting for my life! And in the end, all my efforts gained me nothing! My battle with Cell killed my father! My attempt to defeat Agony got ME killed! All I have ever done has given me JACK SHIT. So I have every right to be lazy! I've earned it, and I'm going to do it." Gohan said.
Videl nearly fell to her knees, the strength had gone completely out of her legs. Gohan had not raised his voice the whole time, keeping it an even monotone…almos as if…as if…
As if he didn't want to expend the effort needed to yell.
"Oh…Gohan…"
"You know I'm right Videl. If the hell my life had been has given me anything, it gave me knowledge in knowing when I'm right. Now please go cook dinner, I'm hungry."
Videl began slowly backing away. She knew she was going to cry, and she didn't want to do it in front of her husband…the man she had give her heart do…who seemed to care more about his right to relax.
Then there was a short series of musical chimes.
"There's the doorbell, get that will you?" Gohan muttered. Nodding numbly, Videl turned to get the door, not even noticing her daughter standing at the head of the stairway, drawn by the argument, and now looking as shocked as Videl did over their twin revelation.
Gohan lay contently on the couch. Being so smart was good. It allowed him to play mind games with the best of them. He heard Videl undo the lock and began to wonder how much longer he could get her to wai on him hand and foot.
Then there was a scream followed by a terrible crash.
"MOTHER! MOTHER!" Pan screamed, as Gohan jerked his head at the noise. Then he heard Pan scream as well as another shattering explosion rent the air. From his vantage point, Gohan saw blood spray on a wall. His jaw dropped as mind was overwhelmed with sheer horror, as a distant memory came to him from a week ago…
"Gohan, there's been a serious of murders going around in this area…apparently it's a robbery motive and the people doing it don't like to leave witnesses…"
"Let the police take care of it…"
As Gohan's mind formed around that his laziness may have just cost his wife and daughter their lives, he heard the laughter. His mind snapped, and he lunged upward.
And stopped dead as pain blasted through his entire being. He crumbled back on the couch, writhing in sheer agony.
"What…?" he managed to moan.
Then he heard the voice.
You and I are one now Gohan. You can't separate from me…you can never separate from me…even if it costs you your life…because your need to survive and care has been surpassed by your need to be lazy!
Gohan's vision had blurred from the pain, but he was able to hold up his arm.
And see the throbbing threads, a twisted nightmare between veins and wires, coming out of his hand, his arm, running down into the couch, linking him, incapacitating him, even as the robber's footsteps came towards him, the robber making sure he left no witnesses at all…
YOU NEED ME.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"…OOOOOO!" Gohan screamed as he sat up gasping, sucking in great big breaths of air.
"No…I'm not…I'm not…wha…"Gohan said in a breathless rush as his eyes adjusted to his new surroundings. The realization was not long in coming.
"Just a nightmare…but…"
Then he heard a small murmur and turned. His wife stirred, still fast asleep, stirred, tried in sleep to get more of the blankets that Gohan had inadvertingly pulled off of her when he had sat up in a panic.
Smiling, Gohan put the covers back onto her, but the smile quickly faded. The nightmare had seemed so vivid, so real… and it hit Gohan close to home.
I like to relax, it's true…but I would never do that! No matter what happened to me! I would never become that embittened with life! It's done a lot to me, but it's given a lot too…but still…maybe I'll be a little more helpful to Videl…and spend more time with Pan…fighting my not b3e my greatestjoy like Toussan but it appears Pan will be taking after her grandfather…and I may as well help her in any way I can…instead of sitting in front of the boob tube…
As Gohan slid back down onto the bed, he reached over and put an arm around his wife. Almost at the same time, she made a small noise as if she knew he was trying to apologize for something and she accepted, even if it had just been the events of a crazy dream.
"I love you." Gohan whispered, and kissed his wife on the cheek before sleep slowly reclaimed him…
"Oh, how touching." The figure chuckled. "Better love your wife while you can, Gohan. You will find that history has a way of repeating itself…only this time, you won't be coming back to life."
The figure tapped a few more keys on the keyboard, and the 3D holographic image of Gohan and Videl vanished.
"Now…who to…warn next…"the figure said, and chuckled as if the joke was the best and most delicious that had ever been said.
"Ah, I know…"
The figure tapped a few more keys, and the image re-appeared, this time showing another couple sleeping peacefully. The figure laughed and pressed a few buttons to begin his latest nightmare.
"Scream for me, you two. Scream…you and all your friends will be doing plenty of it…soon…very soon…Mwahahahahahahha HA!"
They can't stop it…they can't escape it…they may not SURVIVE IT…
ATROCITIES