Disclaimer-I don't own DB/Z/GT
A/N--Last edited chapter as of 10/7/02, the rest is in its original form.
_________________
Gohan snuggled down under his covers. He was warm, and relatively content, with a full belly for the first time in as long as he could remember.
Gohan grinned a little. He'd been surprised at how much his dad had eaten at dinner. He had tried to keep his own servings modest, but had given in under his mother's urgings. When he had finally stopped stuffing himself, he had turned to see his dad staring incredulously at him. Goku had NEVER seen someone eat more than HE did!
Gohan snuggled down a little more. This bed-HIS bed, was so comfortable! Smiling, Gohan relived his day, from the time he had arrived home, through dinner once again. His parents had tried hard to make him feel welcome. He knew they would never hurt him.
Once again, Gohan found himself thinking of Goku's expression at dinner. Gohan had been shocked at how much his father had eaten, but now that he thought about it, maybe it was just a Super Saiyan thing. Oh. Super Saiyan.
Gohan closed his eyes as he felt them starting to burn. Super Saiyan had been the bane of his existence for the past two years. It was the reason he had been elevated to something other than toy-or rather, in addition to toy. It was the reason for the hated golden shackle that had choked his neck. It was Super Saiyan that had turned him from unwilling victim, to unwilling-what? Killer? Murderer?
Gohan sighed as he turned over on his side. His earlier feelings of peace and contentment had fled. He was glad. He didn't deserve peace-happiness. Clenching his eyes shut, Gohan sought refuge in his dreams, hoping to escape the thoughts that now shouted in his brain. Hoping to escape images of Super Saiyan.
---Gohan's Dream---
He was running. He was always running, but this time, he was running away from something. It was right behind him, and he knew that if he stopped, or slowed down even the least little bit, it would catch up to him.
Gohan's feet pounded against the cold metal of the long dark hallway as he fled. Around him blinked and buzzed the gentle sounds of the ships computer as it processed.
Fleeing into the darkness, Gohan found himself on an empty, black plain. The stars shone above him with a fierce kind of brightness, but that was the only light. The angry light of the stars.
Gohan paused, trying to catch his breath. The thing wasn't behind him anymore, but he knew it was there somewhere. He could feel it. Slowly backing up, Gohan ran into a solid object. Whirling around to confront it, he found-his father?
Gohan smiled in relief as his mother came out beside Goku. He knew that they would never hurt him. As Gohan opened his mouth to greet them, his father's happy grin melted into an angry scowl.
Gohan blinked in shock as his father ascended to Super Saiyan and began to advance on him. "No, father, please," Gohan couldn't help it; he didn't want his father to hurt him.
Goku's expression practically blazed with fury. "Why not GOHAN? Isn't this what you did? How you killed people? You could have controlled it, you know. They didn't have to die." Goku hefted a small ball of energy in his hand, "You enjoyed it didn't you Gohan," Goku sneered, "You're a murderer and a disgrace!" Goku threw the ball of light in his palm, and Gohan tried to dodge, only to find his mother holding him tightly in place.
"Mother, what?" Gohan began.
Chi-Chi's sweet smile turned into an angry scowl. "Hold still Gohan. It's better off for everyone this way. You'll go to hell and have your soul erased and recycled, and your father and I won't have to live with what a monster our sweet little son has become."
Gohan's heart shattered with her words, and unable to move, he turned to face the approaching ball of light. "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"
---End Dream Sequence---
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!" Gohan shot up from the bed, his blankets a tangle around his legs.
Breathing heavily, he tried to suppress the shudders that wracked his body. What a horrible dream. His parents would never do that to him-right? They would never think that-but what if they found out?
Gohan was still trying to regain control when Chi-Chi burst into the room, "Gohan! Gohan, are you alright?!" she gasped out, sliding to a halt and clutching her nightgown at the neck.
Goku arrived mere seconds later, to see Chi-Chi attempting to soothe her son, who stared up at her with wide, terrified eyes. Recalling the earlier incident with Piccolo and the others, Goku cautioned, "Chi, be careful! He's upset-you don't know what he's capable of right now!"
Ignoring her husbands' words, Chi-Chi sat down next to Gohan and pulled the boy into her arms.
Gohan tried to control the shaking, but he couldn't. He felt warm arms wrap around him, and looked up to see his mother holding him, a tender expression on her face, and tears in her eyes. His father watched worriedly from the doorway.
Gohan struggled to regain control of himself. It was just a nightmare-it wasn't like he wasn't used to nightmares.
Taking deep breaths, Gohan tried, but found he just couldn't stop shaking. It was different this time. Something about having his parents try to kill him-the hate and disappointment in their eyes, really got to him. Unable to control it, Gohan gave in, sobbing into the warm shoulder of the woman holding him. He wanted his parents' love, he wanted their trust, but how could someone love him after the things he had done?
Clinging tightly to his mother's shoulder, Gohan cried for several minutes. He cried because she held him-and because he knew that her love would turn to hatred if she ever found out what a monster she had for a son.
____________________
Setting the now sleeping Gohan gently down on the bed, and covering him up with his blankets, Chi-Chi crept quietly out of the room to find Goku still standing in the hallway. His expression was troubled.
Chi-Chi smiled, and stood on tiptoe to kiss her husband on the nose. Jerking out of his reverie, Goku blinked down at her. "What was that for Chi-Chi?"
Chi-Chi smiled. "It's for being a good man, and for worrying about your son. Don't worry too much though, Goku. I think we'll be alright. After all, he trusted me enough to cry on my shoulder-we've come a long way in just one day. Think about it! Just this morning he couldn't even hug me." Chi- Chi looked up to see the sad expression on her husband's normally cheerful face, slowly easing a bit at her words. "It'll be ok Goku. Eventually he'll open up and tell us what happened. We just can't push him. He'll be ok. We'll all get through this together."
Goku smiled down at the woman by his side. She was right. "Thanks Chi- Chi. It's just-I've never dealt with stuff like this before."
Chi-Chi put a finger to his lips to hush him, lest they wake their sleeping son. "Shh. I know."
Turning, the two made their way down the hall to their bedroom, but as they fell asleep, their thoughts never strayed far from the troubled boy who tossed and turned, just down the hall.
A/N--Last edited chapter as of 10/7/02, the rest is in its original form.
_________________
Gohan snuggled down under his covers. He was warm, and relatively content, with a full belly for the first time in as long as he could remember.
Gohan grinned a little. He'd been surprised at how much his dad had eaten at dinner. He had tried to keep his own servings modest, but had given in under his mother's urgings. When he had finally stopped stuffing himself, he had turned to see his dad staring incredulously at him. Goku had NEVER seen someone eat more than HE did!
Gohan snuggled down a little more. This bed-HIS bed, was so comfortable! Smiling, Gohan relived his day, from the time he had arrived home, through dinner once again. His parents had tried hard to make him feel welcome. He knew they would never hurt him.
Once again, Gohan found himself thinking of Goku's expression at dinner. Gohan had been shocked at how much his father had eaten, but now that he thought about it, maybe it was just a Super Saiyan thing. Oh. Super Saiyan.
Gohan closed his eyes as he felt them starting to burn. Super Saiyan had been the bane of his existence for the past two years. It was the reason he had been elevated to something other than toy-or rather, in addition to toy. It was the reason for the hated golden shackle that had choked his neck. It was Super Saiyan that had turned him from unwilling victim, to unwilling-what? Killer? Murderer?
Gohan sighed as he turned over on his side. His earlier feelings of peace and contentment had fled. He was glad. He didn't deserve peace-happiness. Clenching his eyes shut, Gohan sought refuge in his dreams, hoping to escape the thoughts that now shouted in his brain. Hoping to escape images of Super Saiyan.
---Gohan's Dream---
He was running. He was always running, but this time, he was running away from something. It was right behind him, and he knew that if he stopped, or slowed down even the least little bit, it would catch up to him.
Gohan's feet pounded against the cold metal of the long dark hallway as he fled. Around him blinked and buzzed the gentle sounds of the ships computer as it processed.
Fleeing into the darkness, Gohan found himself on an empty, black plain. The stars shone above him with a fierce kind of brightness, but that was the only light. The angry light of the stars.
Gohan paused, trying to catch his breath. The thing wasn't behind him anymore, but he knew it was there somewhere. He could feel it. Slowly backing up, Gohan ran into a solid object. Whirling around to confront it, he found-his father?
Gohan smiled in relief as his mother came out beside Goku. He knew that they would never hurt him. As Gohan opened his mouth to greet them, his father's happy grin melted into an angry scowl.
Gohan blinked in shock as his father ascended to Super Saiyan and began to advance on him. "No, father, please," Gohan couldn't help it; he didn't want his father to hurt him.
Goku's expression practically blazed with fury. "Why not GOHAN? Isn't this what you did? How you killed people? You could have controlled it, you know. They didn't have to die." Goku hefted a small ball of energy in his hand, "You enjoyed it didn't you Gohan," Goku sneered, "You're a murderer and a disgrace!" Goku threw the ball of light in his palm, and Gohan tried to dodge, only to find his mother holding him tightly in place.
"Mother, what?" Gohan began.
Chi-Chi's sweet smile turned into an angry scowl. "Hold still Gohan. It's better off for everyone this way. You'll go to hell and have your soul erased and recycled, and your father and I won't have to live with what a monster our sweet little son has become."
Gohan's heart shattered with her words, and unable to move, he turned to face the approaching ball of light. "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"
---End Dream Sequence---
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!" Gohan shot up from the bed, his blankets a tangle around his legs.
Breathing heavily, he tried to suppress the shudders that wracked his body. What a horrible dream. His parents would never do that to him-right? They would never think that-but what if they found out?
Gohan was still trying to regain control when Chi-Chi burst into the room, "Gohan! Gohan, are you alright?!" she gasped out, sliding to a halt and clutching her nightgown at the neck.
Goku arrived mere seconds later, to see Chi-Chi attempting to soothe her son, who stared up at her with wide, terrified eyes. Recalling the earlier incident with Piccolo and the others, Goku cautioned, "Chi, be careful! He's upset-you don't know what he's capable of right now!"
Ignoring her husbands' words, Chi-Chi sat down next to Gohan and pulled the boy into her arms.
Gohan tried to control the shaking, but he couldn't. He felt warm arms wrap around him, and looked up to see his mother holding him, a tender expression on her face, and tears in her eyes. His father watched worriedly from the doorway.
Gohan struggled to regain control of himself. It was just a nightmare-it wasn't like he wasn't used to nightmares.
Taking deep breaths, Gohan tried, but found he just couldn't stop shaking. It was different this time. Something about having his parents try to kill him-the hate and disappointment in their eyes, really got to him. Unable to control it, Gohan gave in, sobbing into the warm shoulder of the woman holding him. He wanted his parents' love, he wanted their trust, but how could someone love him after the things he had done?
Clinging tightly to his mother's shoulder, Gohan cried for several minutes. He cried because she held him-and because he knew that her love would turn to hatred if she ever found out what a monster she had for a son.
____________________
Setting the now sleeping Gohan gently down on the bed, and covering him up with his blankets, Chi-Chi crept quietly out of the room to find Goku still standing in the hallway. His expression was troubled.
Chi-Chi smiled, and stood on tiptoe to kiss her husband on the nose. Jerking out of his reverie, Goku blinked down at her. "What was that for Chi-Chi?"
Chi-Chi smiled. "It's for being a good man, and for worrying about your son. Don't worry too much though, Goku. I think we'll be alright. After all, he trusted me enough to cry on my shoulder-we've come a long way in just one day. Think about it! Just this morning he couldn't even hug me." Chi- Chi looked up to see the sad expression on her husband's normally cheerful face, slowly easing a bit at her words. "It'll be ok Goku. Eventually he'll open up and tell us what happened. We just can't push him. He'll be ok. We'll all get through this together."
Goku smiled down at the woman by his side. She was right. "Thanks Chi- Chi. It's just-I've never dealt with stuff like this before."
Chi-Chi put a finger to his lips to hush him, lest they wake their sleeping son. "Shh. I know."
Turning, the two made their way down the hall to their bedroom, but as they fell asleep, their thoughts never strayed far from the troubled boy who tossed and turned, just down the hall.