Konnichi-wa, minna-san! Happy Easter!
MG: *munching on a chocolate rabbit* It took you long enough to write a new chapter, didn't it?
Oh, shut up. I'm doing my best. Gomen, minna, it did take a while. Now I'm all hyped up on sugar! But I'm tired, too…
MG: Well, if you hadn't been up writing at midnight last night, you wouldn't be. Hurry up with the feedback; we have quite a bit to do.
Alright, I'm gettin' to it! *mumbles something about Gohan being a slave driver*
MG: I heard that.
Do I look like I care? I didn't think so. Now, on to the feedback.
Chris-Redfield26: Aiee…you're worse than me!
MG: CUT THAT OUT!!!! *eyes flash green*
Eheh…Chris? You might wanna stop…
Contrail: Too much torture can get monotonous, so I'll try to break from it every once in a while.
MG: Thank the Kais! *puts Contrail on his list of people to be nice to*
Silver Warrior: That would be awesome, but I think it would screw up the story.
Kakkabrat: Your caps lock was stuck again. And don't worry, Vegeta will be sorry he ever crossed Gohan here in a few chappies.
MG: Yesss!! I get to knock the crap out of Vegeta! *flashes 'victory' sign*
Frying Pan of DOOM: Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it!
Knight's Shadow: Is that like a form review or something? Ah well.
Chibi Lauryn: Your computer must like me or something, which is more than I can say for my own. Thanks for the compliments!
MG: You're blushing.
I am not! *sticks tongue out*
Android 71: Actually, I was kinda thinking about that last chappie of 'Just Live' when I wrote the 'tickle torture' scene…but it was fun!
MG: Plagiarism! Call the cops!
*whacks Gohan with the FPoD* Shaddup, Gohan-san.
Goten's Guardian Angel: Yay! Kirby! (") See? Oh, and I'm glad you like my site!
MG: Kirby…uh…huh…
manda: Trust me, there'll be a lot more of that coming up! Oi, poor Goku-san…
notgoingtotellyou: Yes, I wrote more! And what's up with your name? Why won't you tell me? Now I'm all curious!
MG: *steals FPoD and whacks her* You ask too many questions.
Sailor Vegeta: Oiyyyy…poor Trunks…do you have Present Trunks? Because Mirai Trunks is over here.
MT: *waves* You haven't let me help with your A/N for a while.
MG: That's 'cause she loves me more. *Son Grin* Oh, SV, have fun tormenting Vegeta, too! *gets tackled by Trunks* HEY! You little—*string of random (but not too nasty) curses in Saiya-go*
MT: Yeah, I love you too, Sensei.
sakura117us: Uh, I don't think Gohan's too happy with your comment…
MG: *throws Trunks off* Wha—you want her to pair me with the Jinzouningen?! *growls, goes SSJ, starts to stomp off*
MT: Oh, no you don't—*grabs him by the collar and yanks him backwards onto the couch*
Domo arigatou, Trunks-chan!
Kajeth: Ack! Too many questions! *falls over* @.@
MT & MG: Get up! *kick her*
Itai! *growls* Okay then, you may have to refer back to your review, but here's the answers in order: not really, he might, yes, yes…that's all, I think…
crescentdragonwagon: Oh, hi! Yeah, angst is the best. Say, when are you coming down again? I'm sorry I didn't get to meet you last time…and I'm still jealous because SSH got that Celtic Guardian card! *growls at SSH*
SSH: I was actually going to type this chappie when I read your review, so shaddup.
MG: I'm on her side. You are lazy.
MT: I'm smarter than that, Gohan-san—you don't take sides with Authoresses.
Oshky-dosh, that's all of the feedback, now on with the—
MT: You need to do a disclaimer.
MG: *clamps hand over Trunks's mouth* I thought you were smarter than that?
Thank you, Gohan-san! Now, Trunks, I would do a disclaimer IF I FELT LIKE IT, okay?
MT: *nods*
Now, on with the fic!
*****
Gohan leaned over the sink a moment, his hand on the counter and his elbow locked to hold himself up, then he cupped his hand under the faucet and splashed the icy water on his face. He shook his head, letting the droplets fly, and stared at himself in the mirror. He reached up and gently pressed his fingers against his right cheekbone, where and almost purple bruise was forming from his earlier spar. He winced as his fingertips came in contact with the wound.
He let out a heavy sigh and pulled the neck of his black t-shirt over his head, then tossed it into the open hamper and proceeded to examine the rest of his upper body for any more cuts or bruises. Finding none, except a large, rather sore, black-and-blue mottled bruise on his left shoulder, he pushed the bathroom door open and walked across the hall into his—or rather, Chibi's—bedroom.
He sat on the edge of the bed and stretched out until he felt his back pop, then pulled his legs up on the bed and lay down. He stared at the ceiling a moment, but within seconds, he had drifted off.
"Hey, bro!" Chibi yelled, walking up the stairs. When no response came, he groaned and headed on down the hall towards his bedroom. "Big bro, are you—" He stopped short as he reached the doorway and looked in. Gohan was still fast asleep, but his face was twisted into a look of pure fury as he tossed and turned. He was also mumbling varied, incomprehensible things under his breath; it was mostly curses, from what Chibi could understand. Chibi stared at Gohan's scarred torso a moment, then his eyes trailed to Gohan's left shoulder and what remained of his arm. The arm stopped with a bright white scar only a couple of inches below the shoulder joint, and Chibi couldn't take his eyes away.
Gohan let out a low growl in his sleep. "No…Trunks!" he suddenly yelled, bolting into an upright position as his eyes snapped open. He remained static a moment, then drew in a deep breath and fell backwards onto the pillow again. He glanced over at the doorway and the corner of his mouth turned up. "Hey, Chibi. What's up?"
"You, apparently. Are you okay? I think you were having a nightmare or something. I came back here because your ki spiked, and I wanted to see what was wrong."
The smile faded as Gohan's expression returned to normal—a look a lot like Vegeta's, now that Chibi thought about it. "Yeah…sorry if I scared you. I just…" He hesitated a moment, contemplating, then shook his head and smiled again. He sat back up, folded his legs into the lotus position, and rested his elbow on his knee. "Come on; come sit down. I could use someone to talk to."
Chibi let a small smile creep onto his face as he crossed the room and sat on the bed, folding his legs as well. Both remained silent for several minutes, as they were both fairly unsure of what to talk about. Finally, Chibi piped up. "So what were you dreaming about?" he asked cautiously. The last thing he really wanted to do was pry into his older self's life, but the curiosity that came from being part Saiyan was getting the better of him.
Gohan looked at him a moment, trying to decide how to reply. He hung his head a little and stared at the quilt, then let out a deep sigh before speaking. "Trunks's death. I have dreams like this a lot, so I'm not sure why this one shook me up so bad. I guess it's just a guilty conscience…I mean, I know that there wasn't really anything I could've done, but still…"
"He was Vegeta's son, wasn't he?" Chibi asked as the sudden image of Bulma's new baby flashed in his mind. Gohan glanced up and nodded.
"He was nothing like Vegeta, though. Well, except for his strength. That kid was a lot more powerful than he thought he was; I just wish it had been enough."
"Maybe we could go down to Capsule Corps later and see him. He's only about a year old, but I'm sure Bulma won't mind."
Gohan let out a soft snort of laughter at this. "I'm not sure that's such a great idea. Bulma might not react so well to finding out who I am, and I don't really want to deal with Vegeta again today on the off chance that he's there."
Once again, the pair fell into an awkward silence. Chibi watched the rug on the floor, but found his gaze involuntarily creeping back up to Gohan's left side. It almost scared him to think about all that his future self must have gone through, and he reached up and rubbed his own shoulder as eerie thoughts floated into the back of his mind. A hand passing in front of his face snapped him back into reality with a slight jump. He glanced up at the hand's owner, who was looking back at him with gentle concern in his eyes.
"You okay, little bro? You were zoning out on me. It worries me when people do that."
Chibi turned his face away and looked up at the border on the top of the wall. "I'm fine. I was just thinking."
Gohan paused a moment, then looked down at where his arm no longer was. "If it bothers you, I'll go find a shirt. I know you're having a hard time accepting the fact that I'm what you should, by all means, become, but I hope I've changed that. I hope you don't ever have to experience the living hell my life somehow became."
Chibi broke his gaze from the wallpaper and stared at Gohan questioningly. "I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"I just feel sorry for everything you've been through. I guess it's—"
"Don't. I can't stand pity. If everyone else gets all upset about my problems, it just makes it worse for me."
"Oh. Okay then, I'll try not to." Still air echoed around them a minute, but Chibi spoke up again with a softly voiced, very hesitant question. "How did it happen?"
Gohan leaned back against the headboard and cocked his head sideways. "You like asking questions, don't you?" he asked with a wry smile.
"Sorry."
"Stop apologizing for everything. You're talking to me like I'm your teacher or something, and I want you to talk to me like I'm your brother."
"Okay. You don't mind my asking you that, do you?"
Gohan shook his head. "Nah, but to be honest, I don't remember much. You know where Super World is, right?"
"Yeah, why?"
"That's where we were fighting. Trunks had gotten into a real mess—he was taking on Juhachigou alone. The situation did not look too bright, to say the least. I flew up to save him, and then hit the ground running. Making sure he stayed alive had suddenly become my top priority, so I held on to him and hid. The last thing I remember was this huge explosion of pseudo-ki hitting me in the back, and then I blacked out." He looked at Chibi, who was leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees and his hands folded under his chin, listening intently. He looked back up at the ceiling and sighed. "When I woke up, I was face-down in the dirt and I couldn't feel my arm. I looked back to see why, and I…" his voice trailed off unsteadily.
"Didn't you have any senzu beans?" Chibi asked, his tone hushed but laced with curiosity.
"Just one, and Trunks needed it more than I did. It was either my arm or his life lost, and I figured that my taking it would've put both of our lives at risk, because Bulma would've killed me had he died." Gohan smiled a little at that last thought, because he knew it was true. Forget the fact that he may well have been the planet's last hope, Bulma could be downright deadly when it came to protecting those she loved. Of course, such was the way with most of the Z-Senshi.
"If you took one now, would it work?"
The smile disappeared as Gohan shook his head. "Senzu beans can only heal new wounds. I lost my arm three years ago, so I'm pretty sure it won't work."
"You could still try."
"If senzu beans could fix any injury, new or old, then Yamcha wouldn't have those scars on his face and Tien wouldn't have one on his chest, right? And since they've both died and they still have their scars, I'm thinking the only way I'll get my arm back is by asking Shenron."
"Then—"
"And before you suggest we go looking for the Dragon Balls, there are more important things to wish for. I get the feeling that with the Jinzouningen's arrival less than a month away, we'll need the wishes for bigger things than regenerating a limb I don't even notice I'm missing half the time."
Chibi nodded in understanding, then jumped up off the bed. "You wanna come with me to Capsule Corps? Considering the way he was acting around you earlier, you probably won't have to worry about Vegeta. He'll probably be acting anti-social, as usual, anyways."
Gohan grinned. "What the heck. You go on downstairs; I'll find a shirt and be down in a minute, 'kay?"
"Okay. Don't take too long, though. I want to get back here before dinner. Bulma's not exactly the world's greatest chef, you know."
Gohan raised one eyebrow and shrugged. "I guess you get used to it after a while, because her cooking doesn't bother me."
Chibi restrained his laughter and headed for the stairway. Gohan just grinned again and shook his head, then pulled a capsule out of his pocket and tossed it onto the foot of the bed. From the puff of smoke appeared his backpack, and Gohan dug in it for a clean shirt. He pulled out a light blue, long-sleeved t-shirt and quickly tugged it on over his head. He searched for the armhole a minute, then slid his arm in the sleeve and yanked it down over his torso. He started out of the room, but glanced in to mirror as he passed. The shirt wasn't form fitting, but it wasn't exactly loose, either. He pulled the wide neck back up over his shoulder, leaving the left sleeve to hang vacant and free at his side. He smiled at his reflection, a silent, subconscious prayer that Bulma wouldn't overreact like his mother had running through the back of his mind as he left the room.
Goku rounded the corner as Gohan reached the bottom of the stairs, and he nearly collided with his son. He appeared to be in a hurry, and a look of what Gohan assumed to be deep thought masked his usually cheery features. "Sorry, Gohan," he said, his tone almost dark. Gohan eyed him suspiciously.
"What's up, Dad?"
Goku shook his head. "Nothing. I was just going upstairs to find the Pepto Bismol."
Gohan smirked and let out a lighthearted chuckle. "What's this? Did the great Goku eat too much? Surely not with your appetite."
Goku gave Gohan an obviously forced smile and shook his head again. "Nah, I just think I have a little heartburn, that's all."
Gohan started to say something, but was interrupted by his counterpart's voice from the living room. "Hey, big bro, are you coming?"
"Yeah, hold on a minute!" Gohan yelled back, then turned to Goku again. "We're going down to Capsule for a couple of hours…are you alright, Dad?" he asked, worry entering his tone as he observed the small beads of sweat on Goku's forehead.
"I'm fine, son. Have fun at Bulma's, and don't get into any trouble, okay?"
Gohan grinned with false innocence. "Who, me? Trouble? Nah, what are you talking about?" he said as Goku started up the stairs. Goku let out a single burst of laughter.
"Double trouble now, there are two of you!" he said, partially to himself. Gohan laughed and headed towards the living room.
As soon as he walked through the doorway, he was regarded with a scowl from Chibi, who was perched on the back of the couch and tapping his fingers impatiently. "Took you long enough," he said. Gohan raised his hand in surrender, then rubbed the back of his head.
"Hey, sorry, I just…ran into Dad, that's all."
"Uh-huh. Some excuse."
"Whaaat? Besides, it's not like Capsule Corps is gonna vanish from the face of the Earth if we don't leave within the next five seconds."
Chibi shrugged. "You never know…" he said casually, and was promptly cuffed playfully in the back of the head by Gohan. An amused giggle from the kitchen doorway caused them both to look up.
"You two are just like siblings," Chichi said, evoking a broad Son Grin from the duo.
"We're worse than siblings," said Gohan.
"Yeah, we're each other!" Chibi added as he leapt off the couch and onto Gohan's back, flinging his arms around Gohan's neck in a silent demand for a piggyback ride. Gohan let out a yelp of surprise and shot Chibi an intentionally ineffective glare. Chichi laughed again.
"Yes, you are worse than siblings. Just don't give Bulma too many problems. I'm sure she has enough to deal with between the baby and that husband of hers." Her reference to Vegeta was filled with sour contempt, and she let it show. Then she smiled at Gohan and shook her head. "You're such a handsome young man, and you look so much like your father it's scary."
A rather shy grin tugged at the corner of Gohan's mouth, and the tops of his cheeks reddened a little. "Mom…"
Everyone looked up at the ceiling suddenly as the sound of breaking glass echoed from the second floor, shortly followed by a loud 'thud'. Chibi jumped off of Gohan's back and ran towards the stairs, Chichi and Gohan walking close behind.
"What was that?" asked Chichi. Gohan just shrugged.
"Mom, bro, hurry! Something's wrong with Dad!" Chibi yelled at them from the bathroom. Gohan and Chichi looked at each other and dashed up the stairs and to the bathroom.
They found Chibi kneeling on the tile floor over Goku, a look of panic on his face. Goku's expression was one of extreme pain, and his hand was tightly clutching the left side of his chest. Although Chichi did not approve of Gohan's language, what he said expressed what all three were thinking—
"Oh shit."
*****
Yeah, so that chappie was mostly talk and no action. It was more of a transition chapter; so sue me.
MG: Weren't you going to save that little chat between me and Chibi until later in the story?
I was, but it just sort of happened here. Oh, and to my readers—I need your opinion. The Jinzouningen are going to show up here in just a couple of chapters, and I want to know if I should have Jukugou and Nijugou show up first, or if I should just cut right to the chase with Juunanagou and Juhachigou. To be honest, I would rather not fool with the first two, but it's up to you guys.
MG: She would also like to apologize in advance for her laziness and the fact that her next chapter will probably take just as long or longer to get out as this one.
Gohan-san?
MG: Yes?
My chapters are getting gradually longer. Would you like me to make you type another one? The last one I made you type was only a couple of pages.
MG: I'd rather not, thank you very much.
Then shut up. Well, ja ne!