Disclaimer, in case it wasn't obvious. I don't own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, or really any other property. Thank you.

The Long Road

Chapter 4: Scar

It hadn't taken long, since he'd been left alone, perhaps four, five hours, that the door slowly opened. Standing in the doorway, Chi-Chi stood at the mouth of the door, peaking her head in.

"Gohan?"

It didn't take long for Gohan's head to shift upwards, looking towards the woman. Well, he couldn't be left alone forever, he was guessing this would happen. However, there was something insidious in the air, his nose twitched several times, his head locking onto Chi-Chi.

"We were having dinner, I made enough for you as well if you'd like-"

"No." Gohan abruptly cut off.

Chi-Chi stood there, blinking in shock.

Did I just really refuse food?

There were a lot of reasons to refuse it. Firstly, he could barely use one arm to eat, especially having such trouble turning his torso. Secondly he didn't want to be seen in such an exposed position, as ridiculous as that sounded considering what condition he was currently in. Of course the other reason was he didn't want to be used to their kindness or hospitality.

Uncomfortably, Chi-Chi nodded.

"Alright, well, if you need anything please let someone know."

When the door shut, there was a sense of... stomach growling.

Ugh, this wasn't the smartest decision.

Laying his head back, Gohan just growled in frustration. How long was he going to be stuck like this? This could take weeks, if not months to heal.

The door opened again however, and the smell intensified from before. There was a growl that escaped his lips as his head twisted up, this time noting Chi-Chi carrying a pile of bowls, each one looking full of warm... cooked... food...

His mind ceased working in that moment, his mouth watering as he just gazed at the plates she was balancing. It was almost impossible to hold it together.

Placing the first bowl in front of him, completely with a set of sticks, she sat next to him a moment later.

A nervous eye looked to Chi-Chi, then the food, then back to Chi-Chi.

"Please, I know you're hungry." Chi-Chi urged.

That was finally it, grabbing the sticks and shoving them into the bowl, a scoop of noodles and meat came up, being stuffed into the saiyans' face, teeth and tongue crushed the food within his mouth as the juices it'd been boiled in changed the taste. As rapidly as it went into his mouth, was almost as rapidly as it was chewed, before finishing the first bowl.

He'd almost entirely forgotten Chi-Chi was there, beyond her handing over the plates. Eating like this in the Planet Trade was hardly looked upon well, either taking food with him back to his quarters, or eating off site was his main option to feed his saiyan appetite. Like a hungry wolf, he continued to tear into the food until he finished the last plate.

Even for a saiyan, he'd eaten as if he hadn't been really fed in years.

Just breathing, despite the pain from his ribs, Gohan sat back feeling content.

"I see you still like my cooking at least." Chi-Chi smiled.

With an irritated thought before forced back, Gohan nodded quietly, hating to admit it to her.

"Gohan." Finally she said. "I'm sorry I missed so much of your life."

I really wish people would stop being sorry.

"Chi-Chi, I don't think you understand. My life wasn't that bad. I was the second most powerful warrior in the Galaxy. Until I came here, that is. I had relative wealth in the organization, I was a personal student of the soon to be ruler of the North Galaxy." He tried to explain.

His eye was still closed until he felt her trace her finger over a scar on his arm.

Good rebuttal.

And it was true, she simply had to point out how his body had been abused over the last 13 years to point out his life hadn't been exactly great. The main improvements he'd seen in his life had happened recently, before being sent to Earth.

"How did you get this?" She asked, noting the scar on his left arm that was a band around the entire upper part of his arm, it looked like a almost some terrible... rip... came across the arm, a surgery must have been used to fix such a terrible trauma.

"Someone tore my arm off." Came the blunt response, before smirking. "It was only fair, I tore his off first."

Chi-Chi froze, her eyes opening in terror as she looked at her son, who looked back quietly at her.

"M-my poor Gohan, th-they t-t-tore-?" She barely managed to asked.

Tore didn't mean cut, they ripped his arm off. And he'd used the right words. It wasn't a fight he liked to recount often, though he'd personally impressed Lord Cooler enough that the Arcosian paid himself to have his arm surgically reattached, using a combination of synthetic organic materials and his original arm. The syntheds eventually became accustomed to his body, and simply grew into it, becoming his muscle, his arm.

But it was clearly not what Chi-Chi had wanted to hear.

"If you don't want to hear about me getting hurt, you shouldn't ask about the dozens, upon dozens of visible scars on my body." the exasperated saiyan responded. "I warned Kakarot earlier, you two don't want to get to know me. All this talk is pointless, what is, simply is."

His eye then sharpened on her.

"I'm not your son. Now please leave me alone."

Quietly, with sad eyes beginning to fill with tears, Chi-Chi began collecting his dishes, hurriedly standing up before heading towards the door.

Guilt, something that was so foreign to him it terrified him. It was running through his blood at that very moment, dragging his entire being down. She'd come here, offered him food, enquired about his injuries, even going so far as to apologize for something that wasn't even her fault, and he'd only lashed out at her.

"Chi-Chi, wait-"

The door shut behind her almost with a slam. His tail instinctively coiled at the sound, cringing just as he did.

Smooth Gohan, smooth.

...Shut up.

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She couldn't sleep, not after what had happened earlier. Goku had tried to calm her down saying Gohan just needed time. This wasn't time, this was rejection. He'd been starving and he'd even tried to avoid taking food from them.

Finding her way out of her bedroom and into their small dining room, living room, and kitchen, all she could do was sit down on the couch and let her head fall back for a moment. She'd always dreamed, dreamed of her son coming home. He'd be handsome, happy, smart, and want to get to know them and find out all he's missed, and he'd always call her mom, almost like he did the day he left.

Instead, he was an ill-tempered, angry young man. Scarred, quick to anger, wanted to be as detached as possible from them, and always called her Chi-Chi. Worse, he'd even said she wasn't his mother at all, that he wasn't her son. Of all of it, that stung the most.

But the truth was, at its very core he was right. She hadn't raised him, he'd been raised in a terrible place, filled with men who more resembled monsters, Goku had explained how he may have done terrible things, and still may do them, even to them. There had been a disbelief, she hadn't wanted to believe him at all. Now she was beginning to understand what he'd meant.

Without even realizing it, more tears had found their way to rolling down her cheeks. From all the tears she'd had today her eyes now hurt, her throat now hurt.

I'm so tired of crying.

Her thoughts were cut off as she heard the toilet flush, followed by the creaking of a door.

It must be Goten or Goku-

Emerging from the shadow of the hallway, Gohan's leg took an unsteady step forward, his body trembling from the exertion of walking. With another step, his one good arm supporting the wall, taking shaky breaths, he stopped just at the kitchen counter, moving his hand to support himself, to stay standing.

For a few moments, Chi-Chi couldn't believe what she was seeing.

What is he doing?

Standing up in a rush, Chi-Chi walked towards him.

"Gohan, what are you doing? If you needed help why didn't you ask? Come on, we have to get you back to bed."

"No." He responded tightly, smiling through the pain as he looked at her, attempting to put on a brave face.

No? What did he mean no? An irritated look came over Chi-Chi, and she knew it.

"You look here, Gohan. You may not be happy right now, but you're in no condition to-"

"Apologize." He managed.

Chi-Chi froze as he said the word, slowly moving past her towards the couch. Carefully he sat down, his head falling back much as hers had as soon as he did.

"Apologize?" She asked finally, still confused by what he'd meant.

"I." He breathed in. "Apologize for what I said earlier. It was disrespectful of me, and you have done nothing but be a good host since I came here. It was unfitting of me to lash out at you."

A small, broken smile appeared across Chi-Chi's lips, as she tried to get a grip on what he was saying. Carefully she walked over to his side, sitting next to him, she couldn't think of what to say, so she didn't say anything at all, but her broken smile, with tears still in her eyes looked at him.

She appreciated his words, more than perhaps he even knew.

Seeing he was uncomfortable, not just physically but emotionally, Chi-Chi finally averted her eyes.

"I know I'm not what you expected." Gohan finally told her. "Given how you and Kakar...Goku, live."

Of course he was right, and she couldn't lie and say that this was exactly what she'd hoped for. It was more than that even, this was a nightmare for her.

I keep hoping to wake up, and you'll be my little boy again.

"I don't want you disappointed, Chi-Chi. I am not some great protector of the weak and helpless. I am a conqueror, and I don't think-"

"But you were forced to do it." Chi-Chi immediately cut in.

"At first."

Those two words hit Chi-Chi like a brick, but she almost expected them to come. The silence that came after they were spoke almost undid their conversation.

"But you can change." She said finally. "You don't have to be what you were. You can have a full, happy life still Gohan. We can find a school for you to enrol in. Then... well maybe you won't become a scholar." She admitted honestly. "But you can make a good life here, a happy life, an honest one."

There was just a shake of his head in response.

"I'm a saiyan warrior. If Kakarot-"

"Your father." She corrected.

"If my father hadn't stopped me, I'd have killed everyone on this planet, including you." He pointed out to her bluntly. "And I'd have slept just fine afterwards. Hell, outside of the occupants of this building, that would still be the case. I just don't think-"

"Stop thinking." She ordered. "Yes, you would have done that a few days ago, but that's over now. Now you are home, you don't need to think about what you did-"

"What I do. I appreciate the hospitality, I do. But this isn't my home." He corrected her this time.

"You can't possibly be thinking of going back."

Chi-Chi couldn't believe what the words implied, he wanted to go back to killing? How? How could he possibly want that?

"Its my life." He explained finally. "Its all I've done my whole life, and I'm really good at it. You wouldn't understand."

That was right, she wouldn't understand. How could she? Her husband was the greatest defender of life and freedom anyone had ever known, and her son was now likely one of the greatest monsters the world had seen. Even with them talking like this, he admitted he was more than prepared to kill everyone on the planet unless he was stopped. How could he be so heartless?

"We should get you to back to bed."

Gohan just seemed to look irritated at the remark, before begrudgingly nodding. When he turned his head to her, his face being illuminated by the light of the stars outside, she saw the scar on the left side of his face. It was old, she could tell by looking at it. Raising her hand she carefully traced down the line, it was deep enough to have even impacted his bone, even if only ever so slightly.

"Cut that out." Was his immediately response, turning his head away.

"What happened?"

"I told you, you don't-"

Chi-Chi shook her head.

"No, tell me how this happened." She urged. "Please."

Sighing, Gohan looked ahead, before looking back at her with a look of 'so you really want to know?'.

All she could do was give him a determined look in response.

"Its the beginning," Gohan told her. "It marks the beginning of my my life. And listen because I'm only going to tell you once."

He hated all of these damn questions.

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Thirteen Years Ago:

The pod door hissed open. A small boy falling from it almost immediately as he was shoved out by Raditz.

"Thank the gods, another few minutes with that kid in the pod would drive me up the wall." Raditz muttered angrily, before grabbing the kid by the back of his neck.

Gohan felt dizzy, having just come out of stasis for the first time. Even in this half awake, half asleep state, he missed his mother. Every hall they walked past, he instinctively felt as if she was going to come out and grab him, and make all of these problems go away. She'd give him a big hug, and take him home. When they got home there would be a big dinner waiting, and father would be there and he'd eat almost all of it.

It'd be just like it was.

As he started to wake, Gohan started to sniffle, realizing this reality wasn't going to come to pass.

"Hey Raditz, whose the brat?" One of the soldiers asked in a mocking tone.

"A saiyan." Was the only response they got as Raditz pushed past.

Finally, the little boy began to struggle. "Lemme go! I want my daddy!"

"I've had enough of your stupid whining." Raditz snapped, dropping Gohan violently forward.

The green and yellow clad body hit the floor, skidding ahead. Turning about, he started to cry, his eyes shut as tears spilled out.

"Mommy! I want my mommy!" Shrieks were heard echoing down the hall of the outpost.

"Hah! Hey guys, check it out, this saiyan sure knows how to cry." One of the guards laughed.

Raditz glared at them, immediately turning their brave voices into cowering quivers. Turning back to the shrieking child, Raditz scowled.

"Stop it, or I'll give you something to cry about."

"Mommy! Mommy! I want my MOMMY!" Power exploded around him as scouters began to register a power level of almost 700.

Finally having enough, focusing his power into his right hand, Raditz lashed out. The fist and knuckles crashed into the side of Gohan's head.

To Gohan, his left side went blind in a flash of agony. Red exploded into his vision as the eyeball was knocked loose and his face broke open, skull and flesh. The child fell back as blood ejected itself violently from the rip in the child's head.

Raditz stood there as blood began to pool, Gohan going into shock and beginning to convulse.

"Your crying has ruined the honour of the saiyans enough." Raditz said with disgust, before reaching down and grabbing his nephew by his rapidly staining clothes.

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It wasn't hard for Chi-Chi to fill in the blanks of the information he hadn't told her. She knew her son before he'd left, she knew how terrified he would have been.

"You stop crying after you get a lesson like that." Gohan said simply, idly moving his hand up to trace his scar as he recalled the event.

Chi-Chi however, had done her best not to look completely horrified. That brute had knocked out his eye out? He'd broken his skull? Because a child was crying for his mother? Her little boy had only been afraid, as anyone should have been, and... and they did this to him?

"Chi-Chi-"

"Stop." She ordered firmly, her own eyes examining the old wound, seeing how it traced up to his eye socket. They'd have needed surgery to restore his eye, she could tell. He wasn't even four. He wasn't even four when this happened.

No wonder you turned out like this.

She saw the myriad of scars all over him, each one she suspected told a similar tale. He was a patchwork of trauma, each one stealing away more and more of the little boy she'd once held in her arms and read stories to. This was the shell of her son.

Seeming uncomfortable as she touched the scar, Gohan's one visible eye looked away from her.

"Stop blaming yourself for-"

"Quiet." Chi-Chi urged, before moving her hand away, taking his and looking at him sincerely, a sad smile coming across her face.

I now know who could wound a child so badly, and I know why.

"Gohan, I know your life has been hard, very hard. I know you've done terrible things, because you've had to. But I promise no matter what, you'll always be my little boy. I'll never judge you, I'll never hold anything like that against you. I know you think I'm disappointed, and you may even be right, but its not your fault that I am. I've been waiting for a four year old to greet me, not... not a teenager whose been forced to survive the Hell you've been through." She started.

With their gaze not averting from one another, his cold and stoic, hers emotional and sad, she continued.

"This place is your home. I want you to know that more than anything else. I hope I've not done anything to hurt you, or make you feel unwelcome, if I have-"

"Chi-Chi, you've not-"

"If I have, please forgive me." She choked. "I've been waiting all these years to see you again, and I- I-"

Please stop crying, you need to finish this.

Thoughts plagued her as she continued, trying to get a grip of her breaking voice, trying to get her throat to stop constricting.

The look he was giving her was almost begging her to stop. It drove her in some way to compose herself, he needed to hear this as much as she needed to say it.

"I'm so relieved to know you're alive. I had nightmares that you'd died, alone out there, waiting for me to come save you. I know things aren't perfect Gohan, I know you're confused and angry and that this has been-"

Gohan finally started to rise, his face visually distressed beyond anything she'd seen so far. It was so bad he was ignoring the pain she knew his ribs and legs were causing just by standing on his home.

"I need to rest." He said, trying to step forward, trying to escape.

Rising quickly to support his wobbly walk, she put his good arm around her shoulders, supporting him as they made their way back to his room. The door creaked open as the pair stumbled into the room, before Chi-Chi carefully helped her son sit down and lay back. Before he could try, she pulled the blanket over him, just as she had when he was a child.

"I love you Gohan," She promised, kissing him on the forehead before preparing to leave.

"How?" Came the question in response. "How can you? You don't even know me?"

There was a smile from her, turning her head to the question. He was almost in shock at her words, he even looked distressed.

"Because I'm your mother." She finally said, her smile almost painful now, her throat constricting again.

He gave no smile in return, but his eye seemed to almost look swollen, as if he were trying to hold back tears. With one arm moving out he grasped her wrist before she could go.

"Goodnight." He told her finally. His throat seemed to struggle a moment later, trying to say something. "Mom."

Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump.

All she could hear was her heart as he said it, the first time he'd called her that since he was a child. Even he looked shocked he'd used the word. Gripping the hand one last time, Chi-Chi walked towards the door, before turning her head.

"I'll be by after dawn." She promised, before the door slowly shut behind her.

When she slipped into bed, Goku was already snoring, his arm flayed out. Quietly she rested next to him, wrapping her arms around him as for the first time in a long, long time, she felt a relief wash over her. A smile came across her lips as she nestled her head against Goku.

He called me mom. She thought, brimming with a sense of joy she couldn't explain, before finally succumbing to sleep.

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A/N: Normally I would think Chi-Chi would be angrier, but to be honest after missing Gohan for more than a decade, I think she'd be more compromised with how her relationship is with Gohan is, at least at first. Its no longer the hyper sensitive expectations she once had for him as a child "You will be a scholar" type attitude. I think she'll become more demanding once he's less vulnerable and more adjusted, but I don't think she could bring herself to that right now.

The next chapter will be fun. We get to see Goten, so it has to be right?

... though its more likely to be a huge disaster...