Gohan sat next to his mother in the front row of the church. She was having a harder time dealing with the funeral than he was. He turned to the side and placed his hand on hers. Chi Chi turned to him and smiled, and all he could do was smile back. He was very upset, although he wasn't going to admit it in front of his grieving mother. He had to be strong for her.
"Mom, are you okay?" asked Gohan.
"Yes son. I'm fine, thank you," replied Chi Chi. She managed to muster a little smile.
But it was a false smile. She wasn't fine, and she wasn't in a smiling mood. And Gohan could tell. He knew his mother was upset. But not as upset as he was. He had to stand and watch it happen. He was powerless to save his father. And it was his fault. He could have killed Cell. Could have finished him off on the spot. But he didn't, and his father paid the price for his negligence.
Gohan heard a familiar voice speaking at the altar in front of him. It was Krillin. He looked up and saw that Krillin was battling back tears, trying to concentrate on talking about his best friend.
"I gotta tell you, Goku was one of a kind," said Krillin. "He was the kind of guy who could cheer you up no matter what was wrong. And the guy was strong. Boy, was he strong! And yet...he was gentle. He was the kind of guy you would be proud to call your friend. And he was my best friend. That's why I needed to pay my last respects. So, I guess I'll stop boring you all now. I just needed to say that."
Krillin started on his way to his seat in the second row, but he stopped when he saw Chi Chi burst into tears. Gohan put his arm around her, and she rested her head on his shoulder. Gohan looked up at Krillin and nodded. Krillin nodded back, sighed, and went back to his seat. Just then, a preacher stepped up to the altar.
"Does anybody else have anything they would like to say?" asked the preacher.
For a moment, there was silence. A lot of people wanted to speak, but hardly anyone could say anything without breaking down and crying right on the spot. The only person who could have said anything without crying was Piccolo, but he just couldn't find the right words. He stood at the back of the church with a frown on his face. What could he possibly say? Just then the silence was broken. One person in the church stood up and spoke.
"I have a few words," said Gohan.
Everybody looked up at Gohan. Nobody expected him to say anything. In fact, a lot of people were hoping that he wouldn't say anything, because they thought it would only cause him more pain. Chi Chi looked up at her son with a look of surprise. Gohan turned to her, smiled, and walked to the altar.
"Um...I just want to thank everyone for coming to honor my father. I appreciate it. He was a great man. But I'm not here to tell you how great he was. Anyone can tell you what a great man he was. No, I want to tell you something he taught me. See, not only do I love my father, but I'm proud to be his son. He always taught me to be proud of who I am. And I am proud of who I am. I'm proud of what I've grown into. And most of all, I'm proud to say that Son Goku is my father. You see, pride is what comforts me. My father is dead, but I cannot explain to you how very proud I am that I was able to fight by his side in those last few moments of his life. And I think everyone should be proud to say that they knew the man known as Goku."
At first there was silence again. Then, after a few moments, there was a clapping sound. Way in the back of the church, Piccolo clapped his hands. Krillin clapped immediately afterward, then Tien, then Chaotzu, then Yamcha, and soon everyone in the church clapped. Gohan looked down at his mother, who had a broad smile on her face. One more thing for him to be proud of. He made his mother happy. Eventually the clapping stopped, and the preacher walked back up to the altar.
"Now, a final honor to our departed friend. Our friends, Bulma and Trunks Briefs, will pay a final tribute in song," said the preacher.
Bulma stood up and placed her baby in her father's arms. Then Trunks stood beside her, and together they walked down to the altar. They each grabbed microphones, and within a few seconds they began to sing "Missin' You" by Puff Daddy, with Trunks singing Puff Daddy's lines and Bulma singing Faith Evans's lines.
Gohan could only smile. There could be no better tribute to his father. He felt a tear in his eye, which he let stay there. It was okay to cry now. He had done what he came to do, and he was proud of himself for honoring his father. Gohan looked up and smiled.
"I only hope you can be as proud of me, Dad," said Gohan.
And high above him, Goku smiled.
"More than you will ever know, Gohan," said Goku.