A/N: Hey guys. Thanks for your reviews. Here's the second chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't, and never will, own DBZ.
Chapter 2: Picking up the pieces.
Gohan sat by the river where he used to come fishing with his dad. Alone with his thoughts, just like everyday since his dad's death.
When Piccolo had dropped him off at his house a week ago, which Gohan presumed is what happened, he woke up in his bed and realised that the house was empty. His mom must have been with Bulma still. It was then that he realised he couldn't face anyone right now. So he took off, and had been wandering around on his own for the last seven days, keeping his ki suppressed as Piccolo and his dad had taught him to do. Although, he knew that Piccolo was probably keeping an eye on him anyway.
He jumped slightly as a bird landed on his shoulder, chirping down his ear.
"What's up, little guy?" Gohan asked. The first words he'd uttered out loud since his dad had died.
He gently raised his hand and, using his little finger, stroked the tiny bird, making it chirp in content.
"Where's your daddy?" Gohan asked the bird; only half aware of the words he spoke.
The bird chirped again and then flew away.
"No! Wait! Come back!" Gohan cried, his eyes filling up with tears for the millionth time. He'd had enough of being on his own now. He just wanted to talk to someone, but who?
He crawled, on his hands and knees, up to the clear water, and splashed some over his face. The coolness of it making him shudder slightly.
A large fish jumped up, out of the water, making Gohan fall backwards in fright.
"What is it with animals jumping up on me today!" Gohan shouted, taking his anger out on the fish.
The fish swarm away, terrified. Gohan threw his head into his hands and started crying again.
Piccolo sat in silent meditation, not so far away from where Gohan sat. Listening to the boy's sobbing. He didn't know whether to tell him that his mother was home now, and extremely worried about him. Gohan was so messed up still.
When Gohan had been crying non-stop for about an hour, Piccolo decided to go and speak to him. So he flew down to the river and landed stealthily next to the small boy, unnoticed at first.
Gohan's ki suddenly fluctuated in response to Piccolo's presence, and the demi-saiyan jumped to his feet and spun round, wearing his familiar fighting stance.
At this point, Piccolo realised just how messed up the kid was. If he'd read his own teacher's ki as evil, then he really did need someone to talk to, someone to share his pain with.
Gohan's fists fell to his sides once more when he saw that the newcomer was Piccolo. He gazed down at his feet, not wanting eye contact with his mentor, who, he realised, had been watching him cry like a baby.
"Gohan." Piccolo began, uncertainly. "Your mom's worried about you."
Gohan cringed, and took a seat on the grass again.
"Are you going to say anything to me?" Piccolo carried on, gazing intently at his young pupil.
Gohan sighed, and looked up at the tall Namek, determinedly blinking back the tears, which were threatening to spill over once more.
"Is my mom back at home?" Gohan asked, in a weak, downtrodden tone.
"Yeah, and she needs her son to be there and be strong for her." Piccolo replied, in a slightly stern sort of tone.
Gohan gulped. "Kay."
Piccolo silently breathed a sigh of relief. He hated dealing with this sort of situation. He missed Goku too, but he had to encourage Gohan to get on with his life, and not linger too long.
"Come on, kid." Piccolo said, as he took to the sky.
Gohan watched his mentor take off in the direction of his home in the mountains. He took a deep breath and took off after the Namek, trying as hard as he could to clear his mind for the sake of his mom.
Chi-Chi bustled around the kitchen, trying to keep busy. First she loses her husband to an incurable heart disease, and then her eight-year-old son runs away. Piccolo had assured her that Gohan was still alive and well, but she wanted to see her only son with her own two eyes.
She placed the plate she had just washed and dried into the appropriate cupboard, and went to get the next one to clean, when she heard a noise outside.
She glanced out of the window and saw Piccolo standing just in front of the house. He was looking up at the sky, into the distance. She followed his vision, and saw a sight she'd been longing to see all day.
Gohan landed next to Piccolo, his skin grimy, his gi slightly torn, and a face that was nothing short of absolute misery.
Chi-Chi ran out of the little house, and flung her arms around her only child, crying into Gohan's coal black hair.
"Gohan! I'm so glad your back. Where have you been? Don't ever scare me like that again." Chi-Chi cried, regaining her authoritive nature towards her son.
Gohan just stood limply in his mom's arms, not really listening to what she was saying. Only when Piccolo gave him a mental shake did he return his mother's embrace.
"Come on. Lets go inside. I bet you haven't eaten properly all week." Chi-Chi said, in as cheerful a voice as she could manage, staring at her son, who looked to be in a bit of a fragile state at the moment, as if he had starved himself all week.
Gohan looked up when he heard the word eaten. He had been off his food since his dad died, and had only really nibbled at berries all week, but now he thought about it he felt really hungry. So he nodded slightly, and followed his mother inside, giving a weak smile to Piccolo as he left.
An hour later, Gohan was full to the point of bursting with his mom's wonderful cooking, and he had also had a bath and put on his favourite dungarees, but the loss of his father still dug into his mind.
He walked, slowly, down the stairs, and wandered into the kitchen, where his mom was still washing up.
"Mom?" Gohan asked, uncertainly.
"What is it, Gohan?" Chi-Chi asked, turning around, a weary expression splashed across her face.
"Um…Can I do anything?" Gohan asked, wanting to occupy himself.
Chi-Chi looked at her son, and smiled faintly. "You know, Gohan, you haven't studied in over a week." She said, half-jokingly, knowing that studying would be the last thing her son would want to do.
"Okay." Gohan said, without hesitation, and left the kitchen to hit the books on his desk in his bedroom.
Chi-Chi stared at the space where Gohan had been, and sighed. She missed Goku a lot.
Gohan sat at his desk, gazing at the little photo he kept under his pillow. Taken just before Raditz had come and disrupted everything in his life. His mom and dad were smiling happily, and he sat in the middle of them, beaming, not a care in the world.
A single tear dropped from Gohan's eye. Why couldn't his father be here still? Why couldn't he be zapped back in time into this photo, when all he had to worry about was his mom making him study?
He replaced the photo under his pillow and picked up his pencil, ready to study like he had never studied before. He had to make his mom happy again, so she wouldn't miss dad so much.
End chapter.
Well what did ya think? I know the story hasn't progressed much, but it will in the next chapter, and I had to put all that in so that I could explain Gohan and Chi-Chi's feelings.
Plz r&r and, as ever, I'll update soon.
