Scars – Chapter 09
The food came to Gohan and Videl while they were chattering amiably a the large table in the over-decorated dining room. Gohan stiffened in his chair and lifted his nose to the air, closing his eyes in inhaling. A smile formed on his face and he opened his eyes to watch the doorway where the wonderful scent was coming from. His finely tuned senses picked up the sounds of a dining cart being pushed towards the room, and no sooner had he made this discovery, Hilda pushed the cart into the room and began unloading the food onto the table.
Videl watched all of this from the moment Gohan sensed that food was coming with his nose. She found it rather fascinating that he could be so sharp, so aware of everything around him, and yet so oblivious to some things at the same time.
As she'd planned, Videl snatched some breakfast from Gohan's plate, much to his dismay. He whimpered at her and gave her a sad look when he saw her stuff some of his breakfast into her mouth with a triumphant smirk. Videl gave him a winning smile, and Gohan shifted his plate selfishly further away from Videl's reach, though he knew that if she wanted some more, he'd probably give in with ease.
After breakfast was completed, Gohan seemed to feel almost a hundred percent better. The darkness never left his eyes, but then again, that same darkness had been there ever since Videl had known Gohan, and it had nothing to do with the colour of his eyes.
"So Gohan, now that you've mooched enough food for my family to eat for a month, what did you want to do today, huh? You know, we haven't had a good spar in awhile..."
"Videl, that's because the last time we did, you weren't paying any attention."
"Well come on... you know I'm ready to learn the Kamehameha, and you still keep trying to teach me all this other stuff. Come on... please? Pretty please? Pretty please I'll take you anywhere you want for lunch and I promise you can eat till you're full?"
Gohan sweatdropped at being blackmailed, and rubbed his mostly full stomach, knowing that a good lunch would be well-deserved after the frustrating task of teaching Videl a new move. Oh it wasn't that she was hard to teach, she was a very good student. But she got frustrated easily when something didn't work out the way it was supposed to, and then she got careless. Gohan did not want Videl to get hurt just because she was frustrated, but he did believe she was ready to learn this new move.
"Videl, I decided a few days ago that you're ready to try the Kamehameha wave out... but don't think this gets you out of buying me lunch! You go get your gi on and fly over to my house when you're ready, I should go home and get some shoes. I'll see you in a bit, kay Vidi?"
Videl clapped her hands together and jumped forward to hug Gohan, squeezing him tight and letting him go as she got out of her chair and did a little victory dance. "Yes! I knew you'd figure it out, I am good enough to learn it! Hah! Don't get lost trying to get out of here... I've got to go change!"
Videl ran off, disappearing down a corridor and leaving Gohan blinking stupidly at the empty plates remaining on the table. He shook himself and stood up, leaving the Satan Estate through the front door. He walked to the road and looked around for people before ducking into some bushes and leaping faster than humans could see into the sky to go home.
++++++++++++
Goten ate his breakfast quietly this morning. It upset him greatly whenever his family fought. Come to think of it, it upset his greatly whenever anybody fought. As estranged as Gohan and Goku were, Goten did not feel that way. He'd only known Goku for two years, but he liked him a lot. He couldn't help it. Whenever his Dad smiled at him he felt warm and happy and devoid of worry. It was just like when his Big Brother gave him hugs; he felt warm and safe, then.
So seeing as his two most favourite people were at odds with one another, Goten was a very unhappy little half-saiyajin. He frowned at his food and searched for his mom's energy. She was up in Gohan's bedroom. He could hear her doing something with the screen in the window... what on Earth? Well she wasn't paying any attention to him, so he thought that now would be a marvelous time to escape from the house and his schoolwork. He felt Goku's energy not too far away, and he left half of his breakfast on the table, leaving through the back door and wandering through the long grass and trees towards the lake where he knew he would find Goku.
Goten came upon the lake, pushing a tree branch out of his way and looking for his Dad. He saw the man laying on his back under a tree, his head resting at it's base, slightly propped up by a gnarled root.
Goten exited the grass and headed to his sleeping father's side, sitting down beside Goku, who did not stir.
'I wish Big Brother didn't feel yucky about you Daddy...' Goten thought to himself, recalling the way he saw his brother react many times when Goku did something thoughtless. Goten wondered if Gohan felt resentment towards him too, because he was so similar to Goku.
The ten-year-old ran his eyes over his father's sleeping form, sighing and rubbing his eyes. He thought Trunks would laugh at him if he knew he was crying over something as stupid as a fight between his family members. After all, Trunks' family spent more time screaming than they did being happy, but it seemed like a natural balance when it was them, not a problem. Vegeta would get angry, he'd complain... Bulma would do the same thing, and Trunks was generally forgotten in the midst of the arguing. That was just how it went.
At times Goten sensed that maybe his best friend was unhappy, but it seemed, for the most part, that the turmoil that was his daily life was normal to him, and the negatives went over his head. Trunks still bragged sometimes about the time his father had told him he was proud. He didn't like to talk about how he'd killed himself quickly thereafter, however.
From these musings, Goten pulled the useful ideas, trying to convince himself that arguments were normal. It just felt different to him... serious. He sniffled and wiped his face on his sleeve, failing to notice Goku stirring beside him.
"Goten?" The kindly Saiyajin asked, his voice containing concern.
Goten was startled. He jumped and rubbed his face hurriedly, giving Goku a somewhat fearful look. "Daddy why were you and Gohan fighting this morning? Gohan's upset... and you too. Why don't you be nice to each other like me and you are?"
"Gee Goten, I wish it was that easy... but your brother has a lot of problems with me... stuff that we can't just overlook. How come you're crying? Did you hear us?"
"No... but... I knew anyway... that you were mad at each other."
"I'm sorry Goten... Give me a hug... you'll feel better."
Goten did as he was told as Goku sat up. He wrapped his arms around him and closed his eyes, squeezing Goku tightly. "I love you Daddy." He said, sniffing.
"Me too Goten. Hey... do you want to do a little training? You've been getting stronger... why don't you show me what Vegeta has been teaching you and Trunks?"
Goku was never too comfortable with mushy moments, so when his son said he loved him, he quickly changed the subject. Goten was easily distracted from his worries and he nodded, hopping into a standing position. He spread his legs and crouched slightly, gathering some power to himself.
"Vegeta taught me a cool move! Actually, he taught trunks, and then Trunks showed it to me... but then when I asked Vegeta to show me he did. Cool, huh? Wanna see?"
"Sure Goten... wow that's pretty cool!"
"Yeah, I know!"
Goten powered up and waited for his father to be ready. He charged at him, punching him from the left, then the right, then kicking him up into the air and back down to the ground. Goku allowed his son to perform the move on him, but he noted that Goten wasn't kicking or punching very hard. Goten jumped down from the air and stood in front of him, summoning power to his hands and bringing them together. He shouted "FINALLLLLL FLAAASSHHH!!" And shot the energy at Goku, who deflected it harmlessly into space. Goku climbed to his feet, looking pleased and surprised.
"Wow son, that was great! Good job, they taught you well, that was flawless! I think you're getting a lot stronger since you've been practicing so much Goten. I'm proud of you.
Goten grinned excitedly, feeling pumped up now. He hadn't put very much power into the blast, because his father was letting him do the move on purpose, and he had no intention of using it to harm his dad.
The pair fell to trading blows with one another without really discussing it, and as the sun crept along, they continued to battle with pleased expressions adorning their faces.
The food came to Gohan and Videl while they were chattering amiably a the large table in the over-decorated dining room. Gohan stiffened in his chair and lifted his nose to the air, closing his eyes in inhaling. A smile formed on his face and he opened his eyes to watch the doorway where the wonderful scent was coming from. His finely tuned senses picked up the sounds of a dining cart being pushed towards the room, and no sooner had he made this discovery, Hilda pushed the cart into the room and began unloading the food onto the table.
Videl watched all of this from the moment Gohan sensed that food was coming with his nose. She found it rather fascinating that he could be so sharp, so aware of everything around him, and yet so oblivious to some things at the same time.
As she'd planned, Videl snatched some breakfast from Gohan's plate, much to his dismay. He whimpered at her and gave her a sad look when he saw her stuff some of his breakfast into her mouth with a triumphant smirk. Videl gave him a winning smile, and Gohan shifted his plate selfishly further away from Videl's reach, though he knew that if she wanted some more, he'd probably give in with ease.
After breakfast was completed, Gohan seemed to feel almost a hundred percent better. The darkness never left his eyes, but then again, that same darkness had been there ever since Videl had known Gohan, and it had nothing to do with the colour of his eyes.
"So Gohan, now that you've mooched enough food for my family to eat for a month, what did you want to do today, huh? You know, we haven't had a good spar in awhile..."
"Videl, that's because the last time we did, you weren't paying any attention."
"Well come on... you know I'm ready to learn the Kamehameha, and you still keep trying to teach me all this other stuff. Come on... please? Pretty please? Pretty please I'll take you anywhere you want for lunch and I promise you can eat till you're full?"
Gohan sweatdropped at being blackmailed, and rubbed his mostly full stomach, knowing that a good lunch would be well-deserved after the frustrating task of teaching Videl a new move. Oh it wasn't that she was hard to teach, she was a very good student. But she got frustrated easily when something didn't work out the way it was supposed to, and then she got careless. Gohan did not want Videl to get hurt just because she was frustrated, but he did believe she was ready to learn this new move.
"Videl, I decided a few days ago that you're ready to try the Kamehameha wave out... but don't think this gets you out of buying me lunch! You go get your gi on and fly over to my house when you're ready, I should go home and get some shoes. I'll see you in a bit, kay Vidi?"
Videl clapped her hands together and jumped forward to hug Gohan, squeezing him tight and letting him go as she got out of her chair and did a little victory dance. "Yes! I knew you'd figure it out, I am good enough to learn it! Hah! Don't get lost trying to get out of here... I've got to go change!"
Videl ran off, disappearing down a corridor and leaving Gohan blinking stupidly at the empty plates remaining on the table. He shook himself and stood up, leaving the Satan Estate through the front door. He walked to the road and looked around for people before ducking into some bushes and leaping faster than humans could see into the sky to go home.
++++++++++++
Goten ate his breakfast quietly this morning. It upset him greatly whenever his family fought. Come to think of it, it upset his greatly whenever anybody fought. As estranged as Gohan and Goku were, Goten did not feel that way. He'd only known Goku for two years, but he liked him a lot. He couldn't help it. Whenever his Dad smiled at him he felt warm and happy and devoid of worry. It was just like when his Big Brother gave him hugs; he felt warm and safe, then.
So seeing as his two most favourite people were at odds with one another, Goten was a very unhappy little half-saiyajin. He frowned at his food and searched for his mom's energy. She was up in Gohan's bedroom. He could hear her doing something with the screen in the window... what on Earth? Well she wasn't paying any attention to him, so he thought that now would be a marvelous time to escape from the house and his schoolwork. He felt Goku's energy not too far away, and he left half of his breakfast on the table, leaving through the back door and wandering through the long grass and trees towards the lake where he knew he would find Goku.
Goten came upon the lake, pushing a tree branch out of his way and looking for his Dad. He saw the man laying on his back under a tree, his head resting at it's base, slightly propped up by a gnarled root.
Goten exited the grass and headed to his sleeping father's side, sitting down beside Goku, who did not stir.
'I wish Big Brother didn't feel yucky about you Daddy...' Goten thought to himself, recalling the way he saw his brother react many times when Goku did something thoughtless. Goten wondered if Gohan felt resentment towards him too, because he was so similar to Goku.
The ten-year-old ran his eyes over his father's sleeping form, sighing and rubbing his eyes. He thought Trunks would laugh at him if he knew he was crying over something as stupid as a fight between his family members. After all, Trunks' family spent more time screaming than they did being happy, but it seemed like a natural balance when it was them, not a problem. Vegeta would get angry, he'd complain... Bulma would do the same thing, and Trunks was generally forgotten in the midst of the arguing. That was just how it went.
At times Goten sensed that maybe his best friend was unhappy, but it seemed, for the most part, that the turmoil that was his daily life was normal to him, and the negatives went over his head. Trunks still bragged sometimes about the time his father had told him he was proud. He didn't like to talk about how he'd killed himself quickly thereafter, however.
From these musings, Goten pulled the useful ideas, trying to convince himself that arguments were normal. It just felt different to him... serious. He sniffled and wiped his face on his sleeve, failing to notice Goku stirring beside him.
"Goten?" The kindly Saiyajin asked, his voice containing concern.
Goten was startled. He jumped and rubbed his face hurriedly, giving Goku a somewhat fearful look. "Daddy why were you and Gohan fighting this morning? Gohan's upset... and you too. Why don't you be nice to each other like me and you are?"
"Gee Goten, I wish it was that easy... but your brother has a lot of problems with me... stuff that we can't just overlook. How come you're crying? Did you hear us?"
"No... but... I knew anyway... that you were mad at each other."
"I'm sorry Goten... Give me a hug... you'll feel better."
Goten did as he was told as Goku sat up. He wrapped his arms around him and closed his eyes, squeezing Goku tightly. "I love you Daddy." He said, sniffing.
"Me too Goten. Hey... do you want to do a little training? You've been getting stronger... why don't you show me what Vegeta has been teaching you and Trunks?"
Goku was never too comfortable with mushy moments, so when his son said he loved him, he quickly changed the subject. Goten was easily distracted from his worries and he nodded, hopping into a standing position. He spread his legs and crouched slightly, gathering some power to himself.
"Vegeta taught me a cool move! Actually, he taught trunks, and then Trunks showed it to me... but then when I asked Vegeta to show me he did. Cool, huh? Wanna see?"
"Sure Goten... wow that's pretty cool!"
"Yeah, I know!"
Goten powered up and waited for his father to be ready. He charged at him, punching him from the left, then the right, then kicking him up into the air and back down to the ground. Goku allowed his son to perform the move on him, but he noted that Goten wasn't kicking or punching very hard. Goten jumped down from the air and stood in front of him, summoning power to his hands and bringing them together. He shouted "FINALLLLLL FLAAASSHHH!!" And shot the energy at Goku, who deflected it harmlessly into space. Goku climbed to his feet, looking pleased and surprised.
"Wow son, that was great! Good job, they taught you well, that was flawless! I think you're getting a lot stronger since you've been practicing so much Goten. I'm proud of you.
Goten grinned excitedly, feeling pumped up now. He hadn't put very much power into the blast, because his father was letting him do the move on purpose, and he had no intention of using it to harm his dad.
The pair fell to trading blows with one another without really discussing it, and as the sun crept along, they continued to battle with pleased expressions adorning their faces.