Disclaimer: DBZ belongs to Akira Toriyama and Toei Animation.
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"Why?" asked the curious boy.

He sighed. "When you're old enough, you'll understand."

Goten nodded his head.

"Why don't you two go on in and get cleaned up? I know that dinner won't be too long from now and you know how mom hates dirt in the house even if the robots clean it up."

Both boys nodded and scurried into the house. As soon as they were gone, Gohan gritted his teeth as a single teardrop fell onto his hand. He clenched his fists and wiped his eyes. Acting the way he is now, seeing his brothers, only brought on nostalgia of the old days. The old days where everything was perfect, not a thing was amiss. His father and mother were alive and very happy. His grandfather would always come by for a visit to see his favorite daughter, son in law and grandson. Those were the days, before the encounter with the power hungry Cell. Gohan gritted his teeth and suppressed a sniffle and more tears from coming. He mustn't loose all his control; he must stay strong. No telling what may come in the future. He looked up, his eyes on the brink of more tears. "I have to stay strong," he whispered to himself.


Chapter 8

Eccentric Behavior

Bulma was confused as to the weird behavior she was getting from her son. 'Perhaps meeting Piccolo every weekend did help him some how. Just look at that smile on his face,' Bulma thought to herself.

The three demi-saiyans and full-grown saiyan prince seated themselves at the table, eagerly awaiting their meal.

::Vegeta, do you notice anything weird about Gohan?:: asked the blue haired scientist. She conversed through her bond with her husband to discover the sudden change in demeanor.

::Who knows? I don't really care about that gaki:: Vegeta grumbled back.

Bulma sighed. She should've known that her husband would've responded like that. She shrugged off the thought for now and served dinner to her ravenous family.

Instantaneously Goten, Trunks, Vegeta, and Gohan began to dig into the meal at break neck speed, devouring every editable thing in sight on top of the table. Bulma grabbed her own plate and ate at her own speed, which is beyond slow when compared to saiyans.

"So, how was school today?" she asked a question directed at the blond demi-saiyan.

Gohan paused in his eating and glanced at his mother. "School? It was fine, nothing interesting really happens there," came his response. Afterwards, he continued to wolf down his supper.

Bulma nearly dropped her chopsticks. Gohan had actually answered her, and with enthusiasm none the least. She had never heard a word with any enthusiasm in his voice ever since Goku had died. Bulma whacked her head lightly and pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. As she expected, the pain from the pinching and the whack of her head registered the fact that she was very much awake.

"R-really? That's nice Gohan. Anything special happening?" interrogated the genius.

Gohan shrugged his shoulders and finished off the last of his rice before answering. "I don't know. The teacher is going to assign a project next week, but she won't tell us what it's about."

"A project, huh? What class is that for?"

The demi-saiyan stretched his arms and responded, "Health I think. I don't really remember if it was Health or Biology."

Bulma nodded at his response. "So, you have absolutely no idea how it's going to work?"

"Nope," he answered before digging into the mountain of ice cream the robots brought in.

'Sometimes he's so much like his father, especially now. I miss him and Chichi. Things are so lonely without his cheerful attitude,' she thought to herself. She glanced over at her other two sons who were currently racing to see who could eat faster. She giggled at the sight. Both boys were eating non-stop and had ice cream smeared around their mouths and their hands. They were in for a big stomachache once they're done. She glanced at Goten and noticed the same happy smile and attitude that Goku once had when he was a child. She began to feel nostalgic for the old days when they would search for the dragon balls and go on wild adventures.

::Onna, what are you thinking about?::

The sudden interruption of her childhood memories came tumbling down from the voice of her spouse. ::Nothing you should be concerned about! I just miss the old days when Goku was still alive::

::Feh, who cares about the old days? Kakarotto is dead and I still have to surpass his son! Ugh, my son! Did you have to adopt those brats? I've become the father to the son of my rival! Ugh, how pathetic::

Bulma rolled her eyes at her husband's comment. 'He'll never change,' she thought to herself.

Soon supper was finished and the blond demi-saiyan retreated to his room. Once Gohan was safe in his room, he threw off the joyful mask he had on the whole time. Plopping down upon his bed, he stared up at the ceiling as thoughts raced through his mind. If felt so unusual smiling and laughing again. He hasn't done either of the two in almost four years, so the feeling was incredibly eerie. He sighed and reached for the remote controlling the stereo in his room. Quickly changing the channel to one of his favorite stations, he closed his eyes and relaxed to the soothing sounds of music.


The next day of school was different from any other day. Gohan had awakened bright and early, wearing a big black sweater with a hood, with a pair of loose baggy jeans, a pair of Nike shoes, and flew off to school.

As soon as he approached the school, he was receiving odd stares. He raised an eyebrow but shrugged off the feelings and retreated to his classroom to avoid anymore odd stares. Once he entered the classroom, he noticed a few stares in his direction. He was utterly confused. Gohan seated himself in his seat and Erasa immediately clung to his arm.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Erasa only giggled and replied, "Everyone's talking about you."

"Why?"

Again, another fit of giggles. She released his arm and explained. "Everyone knows how smart you are! That test Mr. Satoya gave us, had questions even the senior of this school couldn't answer! That's why Videl did not score perfect like you did. My, you must be a genius."

"A genius? I don't think so. I just study often," he answered.

Erasa playfully hit Gohan on the arm. "Stop being so modest. All the students of the school know by now."

"Now?"

She nodded her head. "Yep. Say, now that I think about it, this is the most you've spoken to me since… since I don't when. I just know that you never spoke this much to me before."

Gohan released a small nervous chuckle to hide the small blush of embarrassment creeping onto his face. He hadn't realized that he excluded himself from others that much. Reaching behind his head, he did the famous son grin, which he hadn't done in over four years. It felt good doing that simple act, it reminded him of how he was when he was a child. This simple action brought out his childhood side and the memories to go with it, which happened to be the reason why Gohan had stopped doing this act. It reminded him of his parents, and the mistakes he had made in his life. But now, he didn't care. He just wanted to smile.

"Whoa, so Gohan's laughing like a idiot. I thought I'd never see this day come," commented a voice.

The three blond heads (including Sharpner) turned their attention to the direction of the voice revealing a raven-haired girl with blue eyes, smirking at the sight before her.

"I must be dreaming right?" asked Videl.

Sharpner chuckled. "Why don't I pinch you to make sure you're awake," he said offering to have a chance to grope the daughter of Hercule.

"Ugh, no thanks. I think I can handle pinching myself." She looked at the semi-smiling Gohan and was amazed. His smile had faded with the laughs, so she was left with the after image of a smiling Gohan. 'I knew it! I finally accomplished my mission, er goal, er… whatever.' As she took in his facial features, she noticed how much handsomer Gohan looked with a true and bright smile on his overly depressed face. … Hold it! When did this happen? Last time she checked, which was yesterday, Gohan was still moping around, frowning like crazy as if the world would end. When did this sudden cheerfulness and attitude come from? This is a very bizarre situation…

"Morning Erasa, Sharpner… Gohan," she greeted. She paused before saying the demi-saiyan's name taking a good look at him.

"Morning, Videl," he greeted back. He stood up so that she could enter the aisle towards her seat.

She quickly moved down the aisle and seated herself, dropping her back down onto her desk. Pulling out all her supplies for the class, she leaned back in her chair.

"So, Gohan. What's with the smile all of a sudden?" she asked curiously.

Gohan raised an eyebrow and laughed slightly. "What do you mean? I've always been like this."

Videl was confused. What did he mean, 'I've always been like this'? Just yesterday he was sitting at the tree during lunch with that usual depressed look and state, and now out of the blue he's smiling like a five year old! What in the world is going on!

"I… uh… don't think I know what I mean anymore…"

"Oh, okay," he replied back with a smile.

Just then Mr. Satoya waltzed into the room carrying a stack of papers in his hand. "Okay class. Remember that project I was talking about a week ago?"

A few nods and replies answered the teacher.

"Well, I have it right here. This is going to be a little fun. I know that you've been in the same class since kindergarten or whatever, but I bet that you don't know everybody in this room that well. I assume that you just mainly hang out with your friends and not with others."

Mutters and chitchat were heard from the class.

Mr. Satoya held up the packets. "Listen up! I'm going to be pairing you with a random student in the room. I do not know if you are going to be paired up with a boy, a girl, your best friend, boy/girl friend, so do not ask. These packets that I will pass around will have your name and whom you're paired up with. Is that clear?"

Nods and mumblings of 'yes' were heard throughout the room.

"Good!" Mr. Satoya passed out the papers quickly. "I want this project done in two weeks. This is a fun little project you will get to do to get to know your classmates better. Once you're done, everyone will have to come up to the front of the room and present what new and interesting facts they have learned about each other."

Grumbles were heard once the words left the teachers mouth and once they realized whom their partners were.

"Eww! Yuck! How did I get stuck with Sharpner? I thought Mr. Satoya said that our partners were random!" screeched a disgusted Erasa.

Sharpner slung an arm around the shorthaired blond and smiled teasingly, "Aw, come on Erasa. I'm not that bad. I'm sure we can have something between us."

Erasa glared at him and shoved him away roughly. "No way! This got to be a mistake!" screamed Erasa.

"Well, look at that. It looks like we're partners, Briefs Gohan," Videl said with a smirk.

Gohan nodded with a smile. "It sure is, but I would prefer for you to call me Son Gohan as I've mentioned before."

"Why's that? Isn't Briefs your last name?" she inquired.

Gohan nodded and scratched his head in the son manner. "Actually that's my adopted last name. I'm really Son Gohan."

"Then why does it say Briefs Gohan on this paper, Mr. Son Gohan."

"My adopted mother enrolled me under Briefs. Here, I'll prove to you that my real last name is Son," he said before pulling a picture out of his wallet. He pulled it out and gazed at the features of his beloved parents. 'They were so young when they died, and it's all my fault,' he thought to himself. He narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth as his face grimaced from remembering the memories of his family. He closed his eyes for a brief moment before opening them again. 'I mustn't act like this now; I can weep all I want at home. I shouldn't show my weak side in front of people. Besides, I want to make the best of my remaining life.' He painfully showed her the picture. "These are my parents," he said through forced enthusiasm.

Videl took the picture with difficulty from his strong grip and to take a better look. 'But these are the famous Son Goku and Chichi, daughter of the Ox King and only female contestant in the Budoukai. These are his parents!' She dropped the picture from shock. "T-those are your parents?" she mirrored her thoughts.

Gohan nodded slowly. "Were my parents," he corrected.

She noticed how he spoke of his parents were painful. No duh, that's because they're dead, obviously. She felt a pang of guilt rise within her. ….Wait, hold it right there! Just how is it possible that both Gohan's parents had black hair and he has blond hair? Even the eye colors are different! Just how does this work!"

"Yeah… sure Gohan. I see that you've got a wonderful picture of Budoukai finalists, but come one. Show me your real parents. I'm sure that they have blond hair and green eyes too," she said in disbelief.

Gohan cringed at her words and hung his head low. "T-they were my real parents. They died four years ago," he said sadly.

'Oh no! Great move you've made, Videl,' she thought to herself guiltily. 'You've really done it now. Look, his happy face is back to what it was yesterday. Do something quick!' she mentally scolded herself.

"Look, um sorry, Gohan. I didn't mean to hurt you. It's just that you look so different from them," she apologized guiltily.

He slowly lifted his head and stared into her eyes full of sorrow. She was truly sorry for what she said since she believed she hurt his feelings. "I-it's okay. I get that a lot," he forced out. He shot her a comforting smile. "No damage done." 'Well, at least not yet.'

Videl returned the smile and glanced at the packet in her hands. 'Stupid project,' she thought to herself.

"So, when do you want to start the project?" he asked, bringing her out her reveries and thoughts.

Videl shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. How about tomorrow? That way we could learn all we could about each other, then have the rest of the two weeks to write our report."

Gohan nodded, agreeing with the idea. "Sounds good." He released a yawn, covered by a hand. "Wake me up when it's lunch time please?" With that he folded his arms and fell asleep on them, substituting them for a pillow.

Videl giggled slightly. She might like this new cheerful Gohan.


Class ended and students filed out of the room in a disorganized manner. Gohan rushed out the doors and took off in the air, surprising several students as they watched the flying boy. Their thoughts were along the lines of, '…'

As soon as Gohan approached the front steps of his home, he was tackled by two little demi-saiyans.

"Nii-chan's home!" screamed two over hyperactive little boys.

Picking himself off the ground, Gohan dusted off his clothes. "Yeah, I'm home. Now I'll do my homework right now so we can train later."

"Really?" asked the two in unison.

Gohan nodded and literally flew up the steps and into his room.

Meanwhile, outside, Goten and Trunks began to jump around in glee. Trunks powered up in his normal form and threw a punch toward the younger demi-saiyan.

Goten flew back a couple meters from the impact of the blow, but quickly recovered and retaliated. Soon a little sparring match took place on the lawn of Capsule Corp.

"Goten! Trunks! What did I tell you about sparring on the front lawn!" screamed an angry scientist from the top of the Capsule Corp.

Immediately the two boys stopped sparring and hung their heads low in shame while floating back into the building.


Videl decided to head home that afternoon after her crime-fighting spree instead of swinging by her best friend's house. By the time she had arrived home, her father, the great Hercule, was watching videos of his old matches in the Budoukai. The volume of the film was enough to destroy someone's eardrums, especially with the laughter associated with it.

Videl covered her ears and scurried up to her room before slamming the door shut. She thanked God that she had chosen a sound proof room when they moved into the mansion. She was safe from the insane laughter for now, but she would have to eventually exit her room to eat her dinner.

She threw her backpack in the corner of her room. She will do her homework later. Right now, she really needed something to relax to. Videl turned on her stereo to her favorite radio station and seated herself in front of her computer. She began to feel the tension in her body fade away slowly as she relaxed to the pleasant sounds of the soft music. She checked her email first, finding nothing but junk inside, so she emptied her inbox. She was somewhat bored and didn't feel like doing her homework, so she went to a search engine and typed in 'Son Goku'. She had to admit, she was curious as to finding more information on this former Budoukai champion. Immediately a list relating to Son Goku appeared on the screen. She clicked on the first link and waited for the page to load. The site had a lot of information, which could prove useful for her if Goku ever returned to the Budoukai.

Name: Son Goku

Hair: Black

Eyes: Brown/black

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 195

Family: Son Gohan – Grandfather, deceased. Son Chichi – Wife, former female Budoukai contestant. Son Gohan – Eldest son, no known information. Son Goten – Youngest son, no known information.

Friends: Yamcha – Baseball Player. Tienshinhan – 22nd Budoukai Champion. Krillin – Former contestant of various Budoukais. Piccolo – 2nd place Champion of the 23rd Budoukai. Bulma Briefs – President of Capsule Corp. Master Roshi – creator of Kamehameha wave. Chaotzu – Emperor.

Accomplishments: 2nd place in 21st and 22nd Budoukai. Champion in the 23rd Budoukai.

Videl leaned back in her chair and thought over the acquired information. So, it looks like there's a lot of information on Gohan's father, but there isn't any listed on him. That's strange considering great martial artist's children has always been recognized, but for some strange reason, Gohan has not. This didn't really make any sense.


Gohan plopped down on his bed after the training session with the two little demi-saiyans. 'Only two more weeks,' he thought to himself. 'I only have to keep up this act for two more weeks, and then I'll finally be at peace.' A somewhat eerie smile crept up on his face as he closed his eyes, waiting for his dinner, which was to be served shortly.


::Sigh:: I have finally finished this chapter. I had written most of the chapter beforehand, so it took quite a while for me to finish the end of this chapter. School is beginning to get on nerves. For the whole month, all the students will be having testing, so there will be no updates until the end of May at the earliest and the beginning of June at the latest.

Oh, and by the way, there may be some grammatical errors since I wasn't able to send this chapter to the beta readers. It seems like my email system has a small bug in it and I need my whole computer checked out too. Oh well, better get it fixed soon.