Chapter VIII

"Gohan…"

The young boy stirred slightly and asked, through a scratchy and dry throat, "Daddy?"

"No. Daddy went to take a bath real quick." ChiChi smiled down at her son. "He'll be back in a few minutes. How are you feeling?"

"I…" Gohan sat up and ChiChi felt his forehead and then grabbed the thermometer from the boy's nightstand, where it sat next to a glass and pitcher of water. Gohan sighed. It seemed like every few hours either his father or his mother were retaking his temperature although Daddy was less annoying than ChiChi. Gohan had found that protesting was nearly pointless.

"Open up Gohan."

The boy opened his mouth and the metal stick slid under his tongue. He laid down against the pillow, wincing and slightly rubbing his torso. The burning came and went. His head ached and his appetite was still gone. That disturbed both of his parents but Goku more than ChiChi because he shared the same stomach as his son. Goku had never lost his appetite. Seeing his son lose it was disturbing.

ChiChi winced as she removed the thermometer. "Oh, Kami-sama, it went up again!"

Gohan eyed her and turned over in bed, just wanting to go back to sleep. It dulled the pain and guilt when he was asleep. He wanted to tell his parents more than anything but he was frightened to. Right now, he decided to wait until Goku came back and then ask to be cuddled. Goku always did that and maybe that would help him gather the courage to tell. He knew he needed to and soon.

He blinked and sat up when the door opened. His face fell when he saw it was just his mother though. However, she was carrying something that got his full attention. He eyed her cautiously as she set it down on his nightstand. She pulled out a metal spoon, one of their larger ones. She used it to spoon out helpings of food. She unscrewed the lid of a bottle and Gohan's dog like nose caught the foul smell of medicine.

Son Goku had his weakness of needles. Son Gohan had his of medicine.

"NO!"

Before ChiChi could even blink, her son had darted between her legs and out the door, down the hall. She picked up the bottle and tore after him, "Son Gohan! Get back here!" She could hardly keep her son in sight because he was so fast. He darted into the living room, jumped over the chair and then darted through and into the kitchen.

ChiChi jumped over the table, using some latent martial arts skills she still had and landed in front of her son. Gohan slid in a swift stop and took back the direction he'd come. ChiChi grabbed for his tail but he wrapped it around his waist and darted down the hall, tearing through their living room again, heading for the back door.

"Gohan, get back here now!"

"Nu uh! That stuff's poison!"

"It'll bring your fever down, now come back here. Son Gohan, don't make me tell you again!"

Normally, that would have brought Gohan running faster than any enemy could but ChiChi had MEDICINE! Not just medicine but children's medicine. He'd take adult medicine much easier than any kids'! Kids' medicine was death liquefied. Tastes like cherry? Maybe cherry that has been stomped, eaten and digested by a rabid cow but not any cherry he knew of. No way he was willingly gonna put that stuff into his body.

Turning around, he saw his mother gaining on him and gathered his ki, flying up into the corner of the room, well out of her reach, keeping his mouth covered and shouting "Nu uh!" She jumped up, reaching for him and he moved out of her range but the ex warrioress only followed, using furniture to propel herself although usually she would scream at Goku and him for doing that.

ChiChi got in a lucky shot and grasped her son around the tail. Gohan screeched and his ki plummeted, sending both him and ChiChi to the ground. He hated the weakness in that tail! The human woman recovered her wits and straddled her son, grasping him around the neck, "Son Gohan, I'll shove it down your throat if I have to." Gohan clamped his mouth tightly shut and whipped his tail over his mouth.

"Nu uh!"

ChiChi attempted to pry her son's mouth open but that wasn't working. For his small size and stature, Gohan was a remarkably strong boy. ChiChi couldn't even begin to get his mouth open but she kept trying. If they didn't get that fever down, Gohan would be in a great danger! He was already too warm for her liking. If his fever got too much higher…

"Gohan, open up!"

"ChiChi, what are you doing?"

The human woman looked up from her tackled upon position on her son. Goku stood in the doorway, his black hair still dripping wet. He had on some common clothes for once, not his gi. He wore them occasionally and considering he was expecting to spend the next few days by his son, it made sense. He'd donned some dark blue jeans and a black workout shirt, typical of his nature. Drying his hair in a towel, he walked inside.

Gohan broke ChiChi's grip and scrambled up Goku's front as if the Saiyan were a mountain. He perched himself on Goku's shoulders. "Daddy! Don't let her! She's trying to poison me!"

Goku looked at ChiChi and his keen nose caught scent of the medication, "UGH! ChiChi what is that?"

"His fever went up again, Goku!"

Goku looked up at Gohan and without moving Gohan from his shoulders; he put one of his hands against his son's forehead. Whistling through his teeth, he commented "You feel like you've been training nonstop kiddo. Why are you out of bed?" He eyed ChiChi, "And whatever that stuff is, was it worth body slamming him to the ground?"

"Goku, the boy's the same as you!"

"What's that mean?" he asked, completely clueless. ChiChi sighed, shaking her head.

"This is a fever reducer. It'll help bring down his fever."

"Daddy, don't let her! I don't wanna! That stuff's poison!" He buried his face into his father's damp hair, shaking his head. Goku looked upward and gently lifted Gohan down from his shoulder, moving him to rest on one of his hips. He smiled gently at his son's flushed red face, his sweaty hair and those pitiful and feverish eyes.

"Go back to bed for a bit, little man. Daddy's gonna bring you a treat in a few minutes, okay?"

"Treat?"

"Yep. But you have to be in bed for it."

Gohan jumped down and ran back to his room. ChiChi glared at her husband, disgusted by how easy getting that boy to do something was for him. He fought her tooth and nail. She snorted, almost like a pouting child, "I hate you."

Goku turned to ChiChi "How much of that stuff does he have to take?"

"One tablespoon."

"Lemme have it."

The human woman handed over the red bottle and the spoon and winced. Goku was headed for her kitchen and that was always trouble when Goku tried to cook something, no matter how small. He was the only man she knew that could blow up a stove while trying to heat water. Needless to say, she followed him and found him pulling out one of their blenders. This did not look good!

If Goku was aware of his wife's concerns, he ignored it. Tossing in strawberries, raspberries and a dash of sugar, Goku blended it up so they were halfway mixed together and then dumped one tablespoon of the medicine in and blended it the rest of the way. Pouring his concoction into an ice cold mug, he carried it up to his son and smiled as he entered.

"Here, little man. Drink up." Gohan grinned and took the mug from his father and without any type of fuss sipped the smoothie down. Daddy couldn't cook much but Goku had learned over the years with Gohan how to make a handful of sweets. Smoothies were Gohan's favorite. Not just because they tasted good but ever since Gohan could drink them, at about two years of age, Goku always told him that a cup of Daddy's love was always blended in with the fruits. Gohan swore he could always taste it although it was impossible to describe.

Licking his lips clean of any foam and fruit, Gohan handed the glass back, "Thank you, Daddy."

"You're welcome. Now, I want you to get some rest, okay?"

Goku rose to take the glass back to the kitchen but Gohan grabbed hold of his jean pant leg with one of his small hands and tugged "Daddy?"

Goku turned back around, "Hmm? What is it, Gohan?"

Gohan looked down at his hands a moment and then held his arms up, stretching his fingers up towards his father. Goku smiled, gently and lifted his son up into his arms. He walked over and sat down in the boy's desk chair, drawing him up to his chest. Gohan curled his legs up, wrapping his tail around his father's left arm and laying his head against his father's chest. Goku swayed back and forth a little bit.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah, little man?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure kiddo. What's on your mind?"

Gohan fingered his father's chest. "Will…will you always love me?"

"SON GOHAN!" Goku didn't mean to raise his voice but he was so stunned. "What kind of a question is that?"

Gohan shrugged, keeping his eyes down. Goku cupped his son's chin in one hand and gently lifted it. "Gohan, why do you ask?"

"I….I just needed to know."

Goku placed a gentle kiss on Gohan's forehead, hot as it was. Drawing away, he smiled "Does that answer your question, little man?"

Gohan fidgeted so Goku stroked his hair "Little man, you're everything to me. I dunno what I'd do without you. Heck, did you know I sometimes walk in and watch you sleep?"

"You do?"

"Yep. You'd be surprised the positions you get yourself into. I'm still trying to figure out how you manage to rip all your clothes off when you sleep!"

"I do that?"

"Sure do. I came in a few nights ago and there you were, butt naked on top of the sheets with that little bubble butt of yours sticking up in the air." He gave the boy's backside a playful pinch. He got a small half smile as his reward and Gohan lay against Goku's chest a little bit deeper. Goku stroked down his long black hair. It was getting pretty lengthy. He'd need a haircut before long.

Gohan savored his father's gentle touch and as he laid there, he stuck his left hand into his mouth, slurping on his four fingers, letting his thumb lay against his cheek. Goku smiled down at his son and kept his gentle swaying up, until he felt the boy's ki relax. He slowly shifted his arms, being careful not to wake up the slumbering child and gently laid him back in bed. Drawing the covers up to the boy's chin, he rubbed his head and walked out to return the used dishes to the kitchen.

OOO

Feeling a new ki in the room, Gohan was immediately on the defense. His muscles tensed, his eyes flew open and he sat up, swinging his fist, determined to fall whatever new threat had crept into his room while he was on the low guard. He had to defend himself! Dizzy as he was, he tried to strike out without too much concentration, knowing that if he focused too long while he was sitting up that he'd lose whatever food was in his belly.

"Whoa!" Krillin ducked under the boy's blow and caught his fist in his hand. "Calm down, little buddy. It's me."

Gohan's feverish eyes focused. His ki fell and his muscles loosened. Trembling, he drew his hand away. "S..sorry."

"Kinda jumpy, aren't you?" But the ex monk smiled. "How you feeling?"

Gohan flopped back down, relieved and enjoying the cool comfort of the pillow and sheets a little too much. He didn't wanna sleep again, not just yet at any event. He gave Krillin a half smile and remarked "Okay, I guess." Okay? That was the closest to a lie he could recall telling. The pain had gotten worse lately although it came in spurts.

"You guess?" Krillin put a hand against Gohan's forehead, brushing the child's black bangs out of his eyes. He whistled through his teeth. "You feel like you're on fire, kid."

"Feel like it too."

Krillin smirked, a small smile. "Well, I brought you a little something to cheer you up."

"Presents?"

"Yep." He pulled out a bag and Gohan politely reached in it but tried to hide the disappointment in his face. It was a book, another one. Not too surprising. Mother had started that requirement when he'd first started having birthday parties. Only books. Even his grandfather only brought books, afraid of ChiChi's reaction should he disobey. Gohan glanced around his room; he silently wished for just one toy.

Krillin chuckled, "You can't fool me kiddo. I know that look. The book was just to get past your mother. Open it to the middle."

Flipping through the book to the center, Gohan nearly squealed with delight when he realized the book was hollow! Sitting in the middle was a small red and green stuffed dragon, with a small collection of plastic warriors surrounding it, little action figures. Krillin had brought him toys! Actual toys! He grinned like a starving man might should they be presented with a feast. "THANKS!"

"No problem, little buddy, so long as you rest and get better."

Get better…they all wanted him to get better and this wasn't an illness he could get better from. He knew it wasn't. That made this even harder. His sweet nature added to the guilt. He had come to love Krillin deeply; Goku was first in his heart, then Piccolo and Krillin. He wasn't lying per say but he wasn't telling the whole truth either and that was just as bad. His eyes dropped to the bed.

"Gohan? What's the matter?"

He should tell, he needed to tell and he knew it.

"What are you hiding, Gohan?"

Gohan jerked his head up and Krillin gave him a critical look, one he'd gotten while on Namek a few times. It was the closest Gohan had gotten to a glare from Krillin. But in its own way, he hated that look. Krillin knew him pretty well, not nearly as well as Daddy or Piccolo but he knew him well enough. Bulma did too. Sometimes, it was a curse.

"I can read your ki, kid and it says you're hiding something."

"Ki don't talk," he commented, trying to divert attention without success.

"You know what I mean, Son Gohan."

Oy…full name; he hated that. He glanced up at Krillin who was looking at him sternly but not unkindly. He was more worried than anything. Gohan's conscience was doing an all out concert in his head. Screaming over and over that he knew he had to tell, that he knew it was right to tell and that he knew things would be for the best if he told.

"I'm not gonna get better Krillin."

"What? Sure you are kid. It's just a little bug-"

"No, no it isn't."

Krillin blinked, interested.

"It's a virus."

"Well, some sicknesses are by viruses kid and-"

"Not any virus Krillin."

"Huh?"

"The heart virus."

"WHAT? THAT'S SUPPOSED TO HIT YOUR FATHER!"

"Not anymore."

"What? What's that supposed to mean?"

"I took it Krillin."

"What?"

"You heard me. It's not gonna get a chance to hurt my Daddy."

"Son Gohan, what are you-"

"Gero and I…struck a deal."

"Say WHAT? You struck a deal with an enemy?"

"To save Daddy. A life for a life." He pulled the front of his gi top down. A small red rash had spread around the injection site. "One heart for another."

Krillin sat, silent, for about five minutes. Then he turned to Gohan. "Come here."

Gohan crawled over the bed for a minute. Krillin sat, as if contemplating and the next thing Gohan knew, he'd gotten smacked three times on the backside by the warrior's hand. Ow. Human or not, Krillin was no weakling. That stung. He opened his eyes, finding himself face down across the human's lap. That explained the stings in his backside. He blinked, trying to force the dizziness down. Krillin spoke but his voice was gentle.

"Gohan…you crazy nut. Do you know how dangerous that was? How dangerous it is? Gero's got no honor kiddo."

"Had to try, Krillin. If it does work, it's worth it."

Krillin sighed deeply and set Gohan back on the bed. He stood and walked to the door. Gohan stared after his back and swallowed "Krillin?"

Krillin didn't reply but yelled down the hall "Goku! Your kid had something really important to tell you!"