Scars – Chapter 05
In the Son household, breakfast was the highlight of every male's morning. Gohan was no exception to this rule. He slept with his arms creating a pillow for his head, his legs tangled in his blankets at the foot of the bed. He was wearing a pair of underwear and a t-shirt, as well as socks, and that was all. Goku left Goten asleep despite ChiChi's order to rouse him, because he wanted to try and talk to Gohan for a few minutes. It wasn't part of the hardened warrior's plan to get his son when he was least aware –in the morning- but this happened to be the case, regardless of premeditation.
Goku pushed the door to Gohan's room open, peeking inside to make sure his son was indeed asleep, and entering when he saw the young man sleeping peacefully on his stomach. Goku blinked at Gohan and closed the door over behind him. He studied his face intently, noting the tiny, barely perceptible lines around the corners of his eyes from frowning so often. He also got a distinct crease on his forehead whenever he scowled, which was more often than not. In sleep, however, Gohan's face was smooth and relaxed, and Goku really wished that he could leave his son sleeping, if only to keep him from making that worried expression he always seemed to wear.
Goku put a hand on Gohan's shoulder and gently shook him, stepping back to wait for him to wake up. "Gohan... are you awake?" he asked softly.
"Mmph... huh? Dad?" Gohan wondered aloud, shaken from his dream of a giant bowl of tomato juice in which he had been swimming around for some strange dream-related reason. He blinked, bringing a blurry picture of his father into view. With a groan of realization, Gohan rolled over and sat up, blushing and pulling the sheet over himself, though Goku was classically oblivious to people's state of undress at most times, including the present. The large saiyajin pulled Gohan's desk chair over to the bed and sat on it backwards, folding his muscled arms over the back of the chair and resting his chin on them. Seeing this, Gohan frowned, which brought that crease to his brow, making Goku sigh internally.
"What's going on Dad? Is something wrong?" Gohan asked, looking at the way his father was getting settled before him.
Goku nodded, a frown coming to his own face. "Yeah son... I think there is."
Gohan's face became worried immediately and he swung his feet to the floor. "What is it... is Mom ok? And Goten? Is something attacking us?" Gohan figured that the only things that were important to his dad were saving the Earth and training, and since this didn't seem training related, he automatically jumped into alert mode, expanding his senses to feel for his brother and mother, and then reaching them further out to sense for some new or inexplicable power. He found nothing of the sort. "What's going on?"
"Nothing like that Gohan... I just wanted to talk to you. You can relax. Uhh... I don't know where to start... heh... guess Bulma was right when she said I'm slow... I dunno how to put this into words."
Gohan eyed Goku suspiciously. Was his dad trying to have some kind of heart- to-heart with him? He began to feel quite uncomfortable, knowing that if his father started to ask him questions about anything at all that he would have a tough time answering them. He didn't really feel close to the man at all, and it was challenging for him to accept that Goku might want closeness with him. "Well... why don't we go eat breakfast Dad... we can talk later..."
Goku gave something of an insulted look, catching on that Gohan was going to try and worm out of talking to him before he even said anything. He hated to boss anyone around and this whole situation made him feel like he was putting Gohan in a corner. He didn't want to. "Gohan we'll eat after we talk. I just wanted to know... uhm... how you've been doing."
Gohan looked at Goku with a dark-eyed frown. "Why...? I'm fine..."
"Well... has anything happened lately?"
"Happened? No... what do you mean Dad?"
"Well... this morning your mother told me you're going to university, which is great, I'm proud of you! But... she said that you were going to tell me... and you didn't. How come?"
"Oh... that. Well... I just... haven't got around to it." Gohan sighed internally with relief. He had thought that this was going to be a lot harder than it was. He just wanted to get away from Goku now, because the way the man looked at him, with studious curiosity and bright, innocent eyes made him squirm with discomfort. He made to get up and dress himself, but Goku reached out a hand and wrapped his fingers around Gohan's wrist, tugging him back to his sitting position.
"Wait son, I'm not finished. Are you in a rush?"
"N-no... just eager for that great breakfast, I'm starving! Heh heh..."
"Gee Gohan... you sure don't like me anymore like you used to. I miss when we used to go fishing. I thought maybe we could do that today, just like before? Wouldn't that be fun?" Goku had lots that he wanted to ask his son, but he couldn't form his questions into words. The large saiyajin operated best through actions. He observed Gohan's reaction to his offer carefully.
Gohan pulled his wrist free of his father's light hold, rubbing it absently in thought, though it didn't hurt. His eyes grew distant as he thought of his plans to spend the day with Videl. She wanted to learn the kamehameha wave. She had wanted to learn it ever since she'd discovered who really beat Cell, but Gohan had told her time and again that she was not ready for such a powerful attack. Now, he thought, she was disciplined enough to be taught. He almost forgot that he was sitting in his room talking to his father, but Goku's stare pulled him back to his surroundings.
"Uhm... I was gonna train with Videl today..."
Goku's face fell, his mind coming to a confused halt. He never planned for his ideas not to work out, he liked when things floated along his way. "Oh..."
Gohan sighed, his father looked like a disappointed child. "But maybe we can do it another time, Dad?"
Goku shook his head. "No... you'll be doing lots of studying soon... university is like really hard high school, right?"
"Yeah... Dad are you trying to get at something here?"
"What do you mean, Gohan?"
"Well... you look kind of... distraught"
"What's that mean?"
"Worried... upset... stressed."
"Oh. Yeah... guess I am. How come you don't like me anymore, Gohan?" Goku gave Gohan an innocent, somewhat wounded stare.
Gohan felt himself becoming frustrated. "I do like you. You're my dad, of course I like you!"
"I know... but since I got back... you're... it's... hn. Did I do something wrong?"
Gohan felt suddenly furious with the way Goku painted himself as this innocuous creature that was only responsible for making sure something big and evil didn't step on the house. He made fists of his hands and stood abruptly, maybe to get a leg up in their conversation. "I don't know! You were gone for seven years! You didn't do anything at all... you could have come back and you didn't! Me and Goten and Mom were all here and you were dead! Mom cried all the time... so did I! But after a few years it got easier... you were gone, that was it, we accepted that. And then after we finally get over it and get on with everything, you show up out of nowhere to save the world, and you expect that nothing has changed while you were gone!? Everything has changed, I'm not a little kid anymore! You left when I needed you the most! I know its my fault you died Dad. And I really thought that it was my fault you stayed that way too, but after a lot of thinking and talking I've managed to believe otherwise. But...but... I don't understand! Why didn't you want to come back!?"
Goku was taken aback by Gohan's sudden outburst. His son's voice had risen to almost a yell, and his face was red with frustrated fury. Goku felt like he wanted to cry. Gohan's words stung him painfully. His hands gripped the back of the chair for support. His tone was level.
"I stayed dead because I didn't want a fight to come looking for me."
"Oh, I see... and you thought that should something strong enough to destroy the Earth come along while you weren't around to save it that I could just step up and do it for you? That excuse doesn't float Dad, because if that's what you believed then you wouldn't have stayed alive after Buu!"
"Wait! Gohan that's what I thought was the best decision at the time... but when I came back there was Goten... and it was so nice to see everyone... I didn't want to go back to Otherworld."
Gohan grit his teeth and took a few breaths, his ki was rising and he could feel Goten's energy stirring, which meant he was sensing the fluctuations and possibly waking up. Gohan closed his eyes and opened them again, feeling like Goku was a coward. "I think you stayed in Otherworld after Cell because it was fun. Because you hadn't done something like that before and you wanted to train. To hell with me and Mom and your friends, you stayed there because you're selfish and you knew that I was here, strong enough to protect Earth. You put all that on my shoulders! I never even had a choice! Stay away from me... I don't want to have anything to do with you. Mom and Goten are my family, and this is my house because you gave it up!"
Goku gave a controlled stare to Gohan. His son was losing his temper. He knew Gohan's tendency to lose it and regret it after, it was happening right now. Goku stood up and stepped back from Gohan. "Son, we can talk more when you're calmer... you're losing your temper."
Gohan felt rage surge, turning his vision red. He felt like he was going to pass out or something. He stepped closer to Goku, glaring into his eyes. "You don't like what you're hearing so you're running away, is that it!? Well go then!"
Goku felt Gohan's words smacking him in the chest. He raised his fingers to his forehead and used Instant Transmission to remove himself quickly and cleanly from the situation. He reappeared outside of the house on the lawn, where he hopped up into the sky and decided to catch his own breakfast.
+++++++++++++++++
ChiChi could hear an argument going on between her husband and son. It was rare that any screaming went on in the Son house that wasn't coming from her, and to be perfectly honest, she didn't really know what to do. She had to stay downstairs to watch that the eggs didn't burn, so she did exactly that, removing them from the heat and heading upstairs after Goku had gone. She intercepted Goten in the hall, who looked worried and upset. He was crying, as well as looking sleepy. In his arms was his teddy bear, a lumpy and homely looking creature with worn orange fur and one missing eye. It looked ready to burst from the pressure of the young boy's grip. He ran to ChiChi, who folded the ten-year-old in a hug.
"Mom Dad and Gohan were fighting..."
"Sweetie I know... sometimes grown-ups have arguments."
"Gohan said... he... he... said a lot of things..."
"Well you go downstairs and have some breakfast, and I'll talk to Gohan. And remember Goten, you've got a lot of studying to do today to make up for what you and Trunks did yesterday!"
Goten looked quite unhappy with the 'comfort' his mother was offering and he pried out of her hug, heading back to his room, presumably to get dressed. What he really wanted to do was find out why Gohan was so upset. ChiChi was obviously not going to let him in his brother's room until all the real details had been wiped away. He hated being the youngest, he never got to know anything that was going on.
In the Son household, breakfast was the highlight of every male's morning. Gohan was no exception to this rule. He slept with his arms creating a pillow for his head, his legs tangled in his blankets at the foot of the bed. He was wearing a pair of underwear and a t-shirt, as well as socks, and that was all. Goku left Goten asleep despite ChiChi's order to rouse him, because he wanted to try and talk to Gohan for a few minutes. It wasn't part of the hardened warrior's plan to get his son when he was least aware –in the morning- but this happened to be the case, regardless of premeditation.
Goku pushed the door to Gohan's room open, peeking inside to make sure his son was indeed asleep, and entering when he saw the young man sleeping peacefully on his stomach. Goku blinked at Gohan and closed the door over behind him. He studied his face intently, noting the tiny, barely perceptible lines around the corners of his eyes from frowning so often. He also got a distinct crease on his forehead whenever he scowled, which was more often than not. In sleep, however, Gohan's face was smooth and relaxed, and Goku really wished that he could leave his son sleeping, if only to keep him from making that worried expression he always seemed to wear.
Goku put a hand on Gohan's shoulder and gently shook him, stepping back to wait for him to wake up. "Gohan... are you awake?" he asked softly.
"Mmph... huh? Dad?" Gohan wondered aloud, shaken from his dream of a giant bowl of tomato juice in which he had been swimming around for some strange dream-related reason. He blinked, bringing a blurry picture of his father into view. With a groan of realization, Gohan rolled over and sat up, blushing and pulling the sheet over himself, though Goku was classically oblivious to people's state of undress at most times, including the present. The large saiyajin pulled Gohan's desk chair over to the bed and sat on it backwards, folding his muscled arms over the back of the chair and resting his chin on them. Seeing this, Gohan frowned, which brought that crease to his brow, making Goku sigh internally.
"What's going on Dad? Is something wrong?" Gohan asked, looking at the way his father was getting settled before him.
Goku nodded, a frown coming to his own face. "Yeah son... I think there is."
Gohan's face became worried immediately and he swung his feet to the floor. "What is it... is Mom ok? And Goten? Is something attacking us?" Gohan figured that the only things that were important to his dad were saving the Earth and training, and since this didn't seem training related, he automatically jumped into alert mode, expanding his senses to feel for his brother and mother, and then reaching them further out to sense for some new or inexplicable power. He found nothing of the sort. "What's going on?"
"Nothing like that Gohan... I just wanted to talk to you. You can relax. Uhh... I don't know where to start... heh... guess Bulma was right when she said I'm slow... I dunno how to put this into words."
Gohan eyed Goku suspiciously. Was his dad trying to have some kind of heart- to-heart with him? He began to feel quite uncomfortable, knowing that if his father started to ask him questions about anything at all that he would have a tough time answering them. He didn't really feel close to the man at all, and it was challenging for him to accept that Goku might want closeness with him. "Well... why don't we go eat breakfast Dad... we can talk later..."
Goku gave something of an insulted look, catching on that Gohan was going to try and worm out of talking to him before he even said anything. He hated to boss anyone around and this whole situation made him feel like he was putting Gohan in a corner. He didn't want to. "Gohan we'll eat after we talk. I just wanted to know... uhm... how you've been doing."
Gohan looked at Goku with a dark-eyed frown. "Why...? I'm fine..."
"Well... has anything happened lately?"
"Happened? No... what do you mean Dad?"
"Well... this morning your mother told me you're going to university, which is great, I'm proud of you! But... she said that you were going to tell me... and you didn't. How come?"
"Oh... that. Well... I just... haven't got around to it." Gohan sighed internally with relief. He had thought that this was going to be a lot harder than it was. He just wanted to get away from Goku now, because the way the man looked at him, with studious curiosity and bright, innocent eyes made him squirm with discomfort. He made to get up and dress himself, but Goku reached out a hand and wrapped his fingers around Gohan's wrist, tugging him back to his sitting position.
"Wait son, I'm not finished. Are you in a rush?"
"N-no... just eager for that great breakfast, I'm starving! Heh heh..."
"Gee Gohan... you sure don't like me anymore like you used to. I miss when we used to go fishing. I thought maybe we could do that today, just like before? Wouldn't that be fun?" Goku had lots that he wanted to ask his son, but he couldn't form his questions into words. The large saiyajin operated best through actions. He observed Gohan's reaction to his offer carefully.
Gohan pulled his wrist free of his father's light hold, rubbing it absently in thought, though it didn't hurt. His eyes grew distant as he thought of his plans to spend the day with Videl. She wanted to learn the kamehameha wave. She had wanted to learn it ever since she'd discovered who really beat Cell, but Gohan had told her time and again that she was not ready for such a powerful attack. Now, he thought, she was disciplined enough to be taught. He almost forgot that he was sitting in his room talking to his father, but Goku's stare pulled him back to his surroundings.
"Uhm... I was gonna train with Videl today..."
Goku's face fell, his mind coming to a confused halt. He never planned for his ideas not to work out, he liked when things floated along his way. "Oh..."
Gohan sighed, his father looked like a disappointed child. "But maybe we can do it another time, Dad?"
Goku shook his head. "No... you'll be doing lots of studying soon... university is like really hard high school, right?"
"Yeah... Dad are you trying to get at something here?"
"What do you mean, Gohan?"
"Well... you look kind of... distraught"
"What's that mean?"
"Worried... upset... stressed."
"Oh. Yeah... guess I am. How come you don't like me anymore, Gohan?" Goku gave Gohan an innocent, somewhat wounded stare.
Gohan felt himself becoming frustrated. "I do like you. You're my dad, of course I like you!"
"I know... but since I got back... you're... it's... hn. Did I do something wrong?"
Gohan felt suddenly furious with the way Goku painted himself as this innocuous creature that was only responsible for making sure something big and evil didn't step on the house. He made fists of his hands and stood abruptly, maybe to get a leg up in their conversation. "I don't know! You were gone for seven years! You didn't do anything at all... you could have come back and you didn't! Me and Goten and Mom were all here and you were dead! Mom cried all the time... so did I! But after a few years it got easier... you were gone, that was it, we accepted that. And then after we finally get over it and get on with everything, you show up out of nowhere to save the world, and you expect that nothing has changed while you were gone!? Everything has changed, I'm not a little kid anymore! You left when I needed you the most! I know its my fault you died Dad. And I really thought that it was my fault you stayed that way too, but after a lot of thinking and talking I've managed to believe otherwise. But...but... I don't understand! Why didn't you want to come back!?"
Goku was taken aback by Gohan's sudden outburst. His son's voice had risen to almost a yell, and his face was red with frustrated fury. Goku felt like he wanted to cry. Gohan's words stung him painfully. His hands gripped the back of the chair for support. His tone was level.
"I stayed dead because I didn't want a fight to come looking for me."
"Oh, I see... and you thought that should something strong enough to destroy the Earth come along while you weren't around to save it that I could just step up and do it for you? That excuse doesn't float Dad, because if that's what you believed then you wouldn't have stayed alive after Buu!"
"Wait! Gohan that's what I thought was the best decision at the time... but when I came back there was Goten... and it was so nice to see everyone... I didn't want to go back to Otherworld."
Gohan grit his teeth and took a few breaths, his ki was rising and he could feel Goten's energy stirring, which meant he was sensing the fluctuations and possibly waking up. Gohan closed his eyes and opened them again, feeling like Goku was a coward. "I think you stayed in Otherworld after Cell because it was fun. Because you hadn't done something like that before and you wanted to train. To hell with me and Mom and your friends, you stayed there because you're selfish and you knew that I was here, strong enough to protect Earth. You put all that on my shoulders! I never even had a choice! Stay away from me... I don't want to have anything to do with you. Mom and Goten are my family, and this is my house because you gave it up!"
Goku gave a controlled stare to Gohan. His son was losing his temper. He knew Gohan's tendency to lose it and regret it after, it was happening right now. Goku stood up and stepped back from Gohan. "Son, we can talk more when you're calmer... you're losing your temper."
Gohan felt rage surge, turning his vision red. He felt like he was going to pass out or something. He stepped closer to Goku, glaring into his eyes. "You don't like what you're hearing so you're running away, is that it!? Well go then!"
Goku felt Gohan's words smacking him in the chest. He raised his fingers to his forehead and used Instant Transmission to remove himself quickly and cleanly from the situation. He reappeared outside of the house on the lawn, where he hopped up into the sky and decided to catch his own breakfast.
+++++++++++++++++
ChiChi could hear an argument going on between her husband and son. It was rare that any screaming went on in the Son house that wasn't coming from her, and to be perfectly honest, she didn't really know what to do. She had to stay downstairs to watch that the eggs didn't burn, so she did exactly that, removing them from the heat and heading upstairs after Goku had gone. She intercepted Goten in the hall, who looked worried and upset. He was crying, as well as looking sleepy. In his arms was his teddy bear, a lumpy and homely looking creature with worn orange fur and one missing eye. It looked ready to burst from the pressure of the young boy's grip. He ran to ChiChi, who folded the ten-year-old in a hug.
"Mom Dad and Gohan were fighting..."
"Sweetie I know... sometimes grown-ups have arguments."
"Gohan said... he... he... said a lot of things..."
"Well you go downstairs and have some breakfast, and I'll talk to Gohan. And remember Goten, you've got a lot of studying to do today to make up for what you and Trunks did yesterday!"
Goten looked quite unhappy with the 'comfort' his mother was offering and he pried out of her hug, heading back to his room, presumably to get dressed. What he really wanted to do was find out why Gohan was so upset. ChiChi was obviously not going to let him in his brother's room until all the real details had been wiped away. He hated being the youngest, he never got to know anything that was going on.