[Disclaimer—I don't own DB/Z/GT.
A/N—Yes, Vegeta WILL be showing up more in this. I don't, however, see Vegeta as a cuddly mentor-type guy who would seek Gohan out. I wrote a chapter with Vegeta in it for chapter seven but I had to scrap it and go on to the next—it just felt too forced. What these two have is sort of a wary, half respectful understanding—they have a lot in common, but I doubt they'd seek each other out—at least yet—they don't want to talk about it. As for Videl, she to will enter this story eventually, and she will play a big role—but ultimately this IS about Gohan and doesn't focus (at least yet) on his relationship with Videl. Ok, on with the story! =) Oh, P.S.—Gohan does still have his tail, but that's mostly just a result of not being there for Vegeta and Piccolo to cut it off. Tails are mostly used, I have noticed, to insert humor, or as an expression of emotion and, lol, quite frankly I forgot about his cute lil tail. I'm sure I'll eventually use it somewhere. Sheesh I'm getting longwinded! Ok, on to the story!]
Gohan was nervous, though he didn't show it. He smiled up at the big green man next to him, and allowed himself some amusement as he listened to his mother rant at his father.
It'd been a nerve-wracking three years. With Nimbus' testimony, Goku had been able, with time, to convince Gohan that he wasn't the walking hole of evil he had thought himself to be.
Despite all of the things that had been done to him, all of the things that he himself had done, his heart still remained pure and selfless. Like a pearl floundering in a cesspool, Son Gohan's soul ached for goodness.
It was partly that ache, and partly some inner core of remorse driven guilt that had lead him to work so hard these last few years. His studies, his training—Gohan excelled in everything he did—he felt he had to.
After all, even if he hadn't meant to be, he was ultimately the cause of countless deaths. The weight tugged at his soul like Piccolo's heavy training weight tugged at the Namek's body. He had to somehow—atone. Make his life a worthy sacrifice.
Although he was relatively content, and a bit excited to get on their way, Gohan was still anxious and somewhat disappointed in himself. No matter what he tried, no matter how long he trained, he still couldn't seem to master Super Saiyan.
At first he hadn't even wanted to try. It was too haunting. His guilt and his desire for atonement drove him, however, and for the last year and a half, he had struggled to master his nightmare. He just couldn't seem to do it. Oh, he could easily allow himself to become a Super Saiyan; that was no problem. The difficulty lay in harnessing the rage.
It was like he was stuck in an endless loop. Transforming brought with it a flood of memories—memories which fired his rage—the more he fought for control, the more he recalled what his lack of control had resulted in, in the past, which resulted in yet more memories. Every bout in his Super Saiyan form to date, had either resulted in him being knocked unconscious by Goku, or standing in a trembling face off with himself until his mind was finally overwhelmed with indecision and overloaded, causing him to faint.
Startled from his thoughts, Gohan smiled as his mother swept him up in a hug. Any other ten, almost eleven-year-old boy would probably have shied away, or become embarrassed, but not Gohan. He'd gone enough years without hugs to learn to appreciate them. Following after his father, Gohan sent a quick prayer up to Kami, *Let me be ready.* They were going to fight the androids.
_________________
Arriving at the plateau where the others awaited, Gohan stood nervously out of the way while his father greeted all of his old friends.
Smiling, he noticed a little purple haired infant in Bulma's arms. It reminded him of…oh. Gohan felt the pit drop out of his stomach as the baby squealed, sending a rush of familiar memories up to his brain. Stumbling over to the rock face, Gohan sank down, his knees pulled up to his chest.
He had come to recognize the feeling when one was coming, over the last few years, but he still didn't know how to stop them. Attempting to appear casual, Gohan allowed himself to be swept away on the wind of old memories. It never did any good to fight them anyway.
__________________
Piccolo watched, a bit concerned, as Gohan stumbled over to the wall and sank down. To all normal appearances, Gohan seemed just to be resting, his eyes closed, against the rock. Piccolo knew better, however. From the tiny signals he received, eyelashes fluttering as if they were seeing something, muscles twitching, almost imperceptibly, Piccolo could tell that the boy was experiencing yet another flashback. Suddenly Gohan gave a small sigh and opened his eyes. Piccolo was relieved. It wasn't—right, somehow. It wasn't right that the boy should be so haunted.
___________________
Gohan opened his eyes and sighed with relief. He was glad it was over. He glanced at the baby that had sparked the memory. Even caught up in his flashback, he had heard them say it was Vegeta's child. Just a child.
Then and there, Gohan made a silent vow. Up to this point, his goal had been to live his life and fight the androids for the sake of those whose lives he had taken. That was still his goal, but he had just added a new one to it. He would fight for the sake of that child. He would fight so that no other child had to know what he knew—so that Vegeta's child could actually BE child, as his father and Gohan had not been able to. Still feeling stained from his memories, Gohan made a promise. There'd be no more monsters. He was the last.
____________________
Goku looked up to see fire and determination in Gohan's eyes. He wasn't sure what had caused it, but he was well pleased.
The past three years had seen the solemn broken boy transformed into—something else. He wasn't quite healed—Goku didn't know if he'd ever be, but he could live, and he could fight. Goku would always be there for him.
Goku frowned as in the distance he caught sight of two specks floating in the air—they were people—flying—yet he couldn't sense their ki's! Looking grimly at his friends, Goku nodded to the pair in the sky as they descended into the city below. It was time to fight the androids.
___________________
Gohan watched from the sidelines as his father fought the evil android 19. At first he had thought that the thing looked sort of funny—like an evil marshmallow with blue eyes and poor fashion sense. Quickly, however, Gohan had come to fear him.
Gohan looked on as his father struggled against the evil being. He just couldn't understand it. It shouldn't be like this. Goku should have been able to beat this guy, no problem. But there was a problem. His father was being beaten.
Gohan had seen enough battles in his short life to be able to calculate the odds in them. When this fight had started, Gohan would have had no problem predicting that Goku would be the winner: hands down.
Watching now, Gohan saw his prediction reversed. He felt the rage growing within him, that someone would do this to his father—the man who had loved and understood him so much over these last few years. The man who hadn't batted an eye at the few horrors that Gohan had let slip about his past. The only person in the world, besides his mother, who knew completely what he was and still accepted him.
Feeling the rage reaching critical mass within him, Gohan struggled against turning Super Saiyan. Part of him gnashed and tore at the chains he had put on his power, but the sane, rational part screamed at him for control. And if there was one thing he didn't have in Super Saiyan, it was definitely control.
Gohan's struggle was decided for him as a golden blur appeared and knocked android 19 into a nearby mountain. It was Vegeta! Gohan let himself sag a bit. He would let Vegeta handle this. A detached part of Gohan's mind distantly observed that here was yet another person who had ascended to Super Saiyan, and who was obviously in control.
Gohan watched as Vegeta smirked down at Goku. His ears buzzed with rage as Vegeta mocked the fallen Saiyan, the kicked him towards the rest of the Z- Fighters. Gohan phased in before he had flown more than two feet and caught his battered father in his arms.
Vegeta smirked at the angry boy staring up at him. "Well? What are you waiting for brat? Get that fool his heart medicine. I need him to get better. If anyone kills Kakkarott, it's going to be me."
Gohan struggled to control his anger. His ki fluctuated wildly as his mind was gripped with rage.
Carefully positioning Goku over his back, Gohan turned to Vegeta. "Don't mess with my father, Vegeta," he said in a low, deadly voice.
Vegeta was a bit startled as he saw the boy's eyes flash back and forth from green to black. He felt a twinge of respect. "Get him out of here, brat."
Gohan's eyes flared green again as he reiterated, "Don't mess with my father."
Turning, Gohan leapt into the air, headed for home. Carefully shielding his father from the wind, Gohan thought of Vegeta, and the rage the older man concealed within. Remembering his promise earlier that day, on the cliff face where this all began, Gohan swore once again to himself that they were the last. There would be no more monsters.
*Advertising*--Ok, I've never advertised anything before, but if you like this story, I suggest you read "What if…" by PurePsychicEspeon. This is a great fic, and I shamelessly admit I'm trying to get you guys to read and review it so I can selfishly read MORE CHAPTERS! ::Tempts:: It's about Gohan and Mirai Trunks….
***Ok, nothing really to say, except THANKS FOR REVIEWING! Now go do it again! ::winks::***
A/N—Yes, Vegeta WILL be showing up more in this. I don't, however, see Vegeta as a cuddly mentor-type guy who would seek Gohan out. I wrote a chapter with Vegeta in it for chapter seven but I had to scrap it and go on to the next—it just felt too forced. What these two have is sort of a wary, half respectful understanding—they have a lot in common, but I doubt they'd seek each other out—at least yet—they don't want to talk about it. As for Videl, she to will enter this story eventually, and she will play a big role—but ultimately this IS about Gohan and doesn't focus (at least yet) on his relationship with Videl. Ok, on with the story! =) Oh, P.S.—Gohan does still have his tail, but that's mostly just a result of not being there for Vegeta and Piccolo to cut it off. Tails are mostly used, I have noticed, to insert humor, or as an expression of emotion and, lol, quite frankly I forgot about his cute lil tail. I'm sure I'll eventually use it somewhere. Sheesh I'm getting longwinded! Ok, on to the story!]
Gohan was nervous, though he didn't show it. He smiled up at the big green man next to him, and allowed himself some amusement as he listened to his mother rant at his father.
It'd been a nerve-wracking three years. With Nimbus' testimony, Goku had been able, with time, to convince Gohan that he wasn't the walking hole of evil he had thought himself to be.
Despite all of the things that had been done to him, all of the things that he himself had done, his heart still remained pure and selfless. Like a pearl floundering in a cesspool, Son Gohan's soul ached for goodness.
It was partly that ache, and partly some inner core of remorse driven guilt that had lead him to work so hard these last few years. His studies, his training—Gohan excelled in everything he did—he felt he had to.
After all, even if he hadn't meant to be, he was ultimately the cause of countless deaths. The weight tugged at his soul like Piccolo's heavy training weight tugged at the Namek's body. He had to somehow—atone. Make his life a worthy sacrifice.
Although he was relatively content, and a bit excited to get on their way, Gohan was still anxious and somewhat disappointed in himself. No matter what he tried, no matter how long he trained, he still couldn't seem to master Super Saiyan.
At first he hadn't even wanted to try. It was too haunting. His guilt and his desire for atonement drove him, however, and for the last year and a half, he had struggled to master his nightmare. He just couldn't seem to do it. Oh, he could easily allow himself to become a Super Saiyan; that was no problem. The difficulty lay in harnessing the rage.
It was like he was stuck in an endless loop. Transforming brought with it a flood of memories—memories which fired his rage—the more he fought for control, the more he recalled what his lack of control had resulted in, in the past, which resulted in yet more memories. Every bout in his Super Saiyan form to date, had either resulted in him being knocked unconscious by Goku, or standing in a trembling face off with himself until his mind was finally overwhelmed with indecision and overloaded, causing him to faint.
Startled from his thoughts, Gohan smiled as his mother swept him up in a hug. Any other ten, almost eleven-year-old boy would probably have shied away, or become embarrassed, but not Gohan. He'd gone enough years without hugs to learn to appreciate them. Following after his father, Gohan sent a quick prayer up to Kami, *Let me be ready.* They were going to fight the androids.
_________________
Arriving at the plateau where the others awaited, Gohan stood nervously out of the way while his father greeted all of his old friends.
Smiling, he noticed a little purple haired infant in Bulma's arms. It reminded him of…oh. Gohan felt the pit drop out of his stomach as the baby squealed, sending a rush of familiar memories up to his brain. Stumbling over to the rock face, Gohan sank down, his knees pulled up to his chest.
He had come to recognize the feeling when one was coming, over the last few years, but he still didn't know how to stop them. Attempting to appear casual, Gohan allowed himself to be swept away on the wind of old memories. It never did any good to fight them anyway.
__________________
Piccolo watched, a bit concerned, as Gohan stumbled over to the wall and sank down. To all normal appearances, Gohan seemed just to be resting, his eyes closed, against the rock. Piccolo knew better, however. From the tiny signals he received, eyelashes fluttering as if they were seeing something, muscles twitching, almost imperceptibly, Piccolo could tell that the boy was experiencing yet another flashback. Suddenly Gohan gave a small sigh and opened his eyes. Piccolo was relieved. It wasn't—right, somehow. It wasn't right that the boy should be so haunted.
___________________
Gohan opened his eyes and sighed with relief. He was glad it was over. He glanced at the baby that had sparked the memory. Even caught up in his flashback, he had heard them say it was Vegeta's child. Just a child.
Then and there, Gohan made a silent vow. Up to this point, his goal had been to live his life and fight the androids for the sake of those whose lives he had taken. That was still his goal, but he had just added a new one to it. He would fight for the sake of that child. He would fight so that no other child had to know what he knew—so that Vegeta's child could actually BE child, as his father and Gohan had not been able to. Still feeling stained from his memories, Gohan made a promise. There'd be no more monsters. He was the last.
____________________
Goku looked up to see fire and determination in Gohan's eyes. He wasn't sure what had caused it, but he was well pleased.
The past three years had seen the solemn broken boy transformed into—something else. He wasn't quite healed—Goku didn't know if he'd ever be, but he could live, and he could fight. Goku would always be there for him.
Goku frowned as in the distance he caught sight of two specks floating in the air—they were people—flying—yet he couldn't sense their ki's! Looking grimly at his friends, Goku nodded to the pair in the sky as they descended into the city below. It was time to fight the androids.
___________________
Gohan watched from the sidelines as his father fought the evil android 19. At first he had thought that the thing looked sort of funny—like an evil marshmallow with blue eyes and poor fashion sense. Quickly, however, Gohan had come to fear him.
Gohan looked on as his father struggled against the evil being. He just couldn't understand it. It shouldn't be like this. Goku should have been able to beat this guy, no problem. But there was a problem. His father was being beaten.
Gohan had seen enough battles in his short life to be able to calculate the odds in them. When this fight had started, Gohan would have had no problem predicting that Goku would be the winner: hands down.
Watching now, Gohan saw his prediction reversed. He felt the rage growing within him, that someone would do this to his father—the man who had loved and understood him so much over these last few years. The man who hadn't batted an eye at the few horrors that Gohan had let slip about his past. The only person in the world, besides his mother, who knew completely what he was and still accepted him.
Feeling the rage reaching critical mass within him, Gohan struggled against turning Super Saiyan. Part of him gnashed and tore at the chains he had put on his power, but the sane, rational part screamed at him for control. And if there was one thing he didn't have in Super Saiyan, it was definitely control.
Gohan's struggle was decided for him as a golden blur appeared and knocked android 19 into a nearby mountain. It was Vegeta! Gohan let himself sag a bit. He would let Vegeta handle this. A detached part of Gohan's mind distantly observed that here was yet another person who had ascended to Super Saiyan, and who was obviously in control.
Gohan watched as Vegeta smirked down at Goku. His ears buzzed with rage as Vegeta mocked the fallen Saiyan, the kicked him towards the rest of the Z- Fighters. Gohan phased in before he had flown more than two feet and caught his battered father in his arms.
Vegeta smirked at the angry boy staring up at him. "Well? What are you waiting for brat? Get that fool his heart medicine. I need him to get better. If anyone kills Kakkarott, it's going to be me."
Gohan struggled to control his anger. His ki fluctuated wildly as his mind was gripped with rage.
Carefully positioning Goku over his back, Gohan turned to Vegeta. "Don't mess with my father, Vegeta," he said in a low, deadly voice.
Vegeta was a bit startled as he saw the boy's eyes flash back and forth from green to black. He felt a twinge of respect. "Get him out of here, brat."
Gohan's eyes flared green again as he reiterated, "Don't mess with my father."
Turning, Gohan leapt into the air, headed for home. Carefully shielding his father from the wind, Gohan thought of Vegeta, and the rage the older man concealed within. Remembering his promise earlier that day, on the cliff face where this all began, Gohan swore once again to himself that they were the last. There would be no more monsters.
*Advertising*--Ok, I've never advertised anything before, but if you like this story, I suggest you read "What if…" by PurePsychicEspeon. This is a great fic, and I shamelessly admit I'm trying to get you guys to read and review it so I can selfishly read MORE CHAPTERS! ::Tempts:: It's about Gohan and Mirai Trunks….
***Ok, nothing really to say, except THANKS FOR REVIEWING! Now go do it again! ::winks::***