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 9: The Chamber

"Oh thank Kami you're alright."

This wasn't exactly what he wanted to come home to. Small, but incredibly strong arms wrapped around his abdomen as Chi-Chi hugged him tightly. Looking away uncomfortably Gohan just felt himself breathe in and out. Why did she have to be so concerned? Nothing on this planet except Kakarot, Vegeta, or Piccolo were a threat to him. Why was she so bothered? There was something almost wrenching when he realized she was crying.

Panic flooded his system as he looked around for a moment, before meeting Kakarot's eyes, as if asking what to do.

"I was so afraid you weren't going to come back," Chi-Chi finally choked, her voice breaking as she spoke.

There it was again, guilt. The sensation wasn't something he enjoyed in the slightest. Sighing, looking away from Kakarot and down towards Chi-Chi, he placed his right hand on her back.

"Hey, it's alright, I came back didn't I?" he lamely offered, hoping it'd alleviate her concerns.

Her body trembled once, before seemingly starting to quiet. Relief washed over Gohan, feeling her starting to calm down. A nagging feeling itched at the back of his mind however. This woman had been so hurt by the fact he'd run off, but why? His mind raced for the conclusion, finding only one suitable answer.

She's so hurt from what happened when I was a child, she's terrified I'll leave.

It was uncomfortable to say the least. But then again he never understood where this kind of pain could come from. He didn't have children of his own, so he probably could never fully understand it. But he could understand how much this must have hurt her. The fact he intended to leave the entire planet only a short time ago did however, make him feel a bit more guilty. He was going to have to leave the Son residence at some point as well, children left home. To be honest, he'd already left home a long time ago.

This was a return to a life he had barely understood, and was only now beginning to understand. Without even realizing it, he half smiled.

"Hey, mind letting go? I think Kakarot needs to talk to me about some important stuff," Gohan finally said. "Besides, I'm sure you have better things to do, right?"

She didn't let go, and Gohan internally sighed. Before he could move to carefully try and encourage her to let go however, she did finally lament

Looking up at him, Chi-Chi brushed away the last of her worried tears.

"Whatever Vegeta said, it didn't matter. We wouldn't care what he called you. Everyone can change," she placed her hand over his, smiling. "And I know you're going to do amazing things Gohan. After we get you to school-"

Gohan cleared his throat finally, before smiling briefly at Chi-Chi again.

"I think we can talk about that later, alright?"

School? Like Hell he was going to school. He was a Commander in the Planet Trade, trained in advanced tactics and logistical support. He could pinpoint planet locations based off very basic numbers and was expected to track and maintain multiple tasks at once. He knew the measurements for inhabitable worlds, as well as what chemical reactions would be required and what equipment to terraform a world to a client's needs.

He wasn't some ignorant ape. And of course, first and foremost, he was a warrior.

At the same time however, he didn't want to disappoint this woman more than she already was. Hopefully he could just deflect this until she forgot all about it, or he moved out to a suitable living area. Either way, it wasn't a subject he wanted to confront her on.

"It's alright Chi," Goku said, stepping in with his typical grin. "Besides, I was wondering what we were doing for dinner tonight anyway."

The comment was innocent enough, making Chi-Chi sigh.

"None of you ever have enough food, do you?"

"There can be enough?" Goku asked, looking bewildered.

Sighing, Chi-Chi turned to go inside.

"We'll talk about school at dinner, Gohan."

Sighing, the warrior didn't answer her as she entered the house. Great, another conversation he didn't want to have.

"So what was this plan of yours, Kakarot?" Gohan questioned bluntly, his stature returning to what it was before Chi-Chi had mentioned that infernal schooling.

The smile Kakarot had before all of this, the cunning one, returned.

"On this planet there is a place called the Hyperbolic Time Chamber," Goku began to explain. "In the chamber, a whole year goes by in one day in our time. But the environment is brutal, temperatures fluctuate wildly, and the gravity is 10 times that of Planet Earth. We'll go there and we can train for a whole year. Oh, and the food is pretty good too."

This was ridiculous, a planet with magical beans and special time chambers? What the Hell was next? Their own set of Dragon Balls?

Still, that didn't matter anymore, what mattered was in a week he was supposed to fight Vegeta, thanks to this jackass. A year in a different environment? How much could he learn? He'd fought across the stars, in Hellish environments as well. Would this really make that much of a difference? And a full year?

A full year with Kakarot?

When the thought came up, he visibly winced, already disliking the idea in its entirety. His pride had already been utterly ruined, what was another humiliation at this point?

"Or, how about we call off the fight with Vegeta?"

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Something was off.

It didn't take a genius to figure out a Saiyan not wanting to fight and get stronger wasn't normal. Especially a Saiyan who constantly remarked he was a warrior, and even seemed to want to get stronger. Why wouldn't he want to train for a year with him?

Goku's mind tried to find the answer, before remembering Gohan winced as he thought on it. Something seemed unappealing to him, but what was it? Suddenly there was a realization. It wasn't that Gohan didn't want to get stronger, it was Gohan didn't want to spend a year in the chamber. Why? Was something important happening?

No, he winced. Like something about the idea was unbearable.

...

He doesn't want to go into the time chamber with me.

Something felt very heavy in his chest at the realization. Quietly Goku's smile disappeared as he realized exactly what was happening. Gohan seemed to get along with Chi-Chi, but they hadn't gotten along. In fact, he'd nearly killed Gohan twice in the time they'd known one another. Worse, their personalities got along about as well as he did with Frieza. It wasn't hard to see now why Gohan just wanted out of the whole situation, not now anyway.

"... Well," Goku finally cleared his throat, noticing how Gohan wasn't looking at him. "I guess we should head inside and have dinner."

What else was he going to say? There was no reason to confront Gohan on it. Every time they had a confrontation it just ended miserably. Particularly the last time.

He'd been afraid, afraid of his own son because of what he'd gone through. Gohan had tried to even destroy the Earth when they first met, rather than be defeated. Then he'd tried to kill Piccolo on sight. What else was he to believe? When he saw Gohan in those moments... he saw Frieza. A vengeful monster who wouldn't stop unless he was stopped. The worst pain in the world was this had been his little boy, the boy who read books and always wanted hugs from his mom. The little boy who was always around him and idolized him. Almost fearing he'd say something stupid, Goku resolved to walk inside. Gohan was still outside, unmoving. Perhaps there was one more thing to say.

"I hope you change your mind, Gohan."

A second later, the door closed behind him.

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It was the first time his father seemed to have 'gotten' it. It was surprisingly painful to watch. After more than a few seconds he couldn't continue to watch himself, turning his eyes away. Before his father had gone inside, he'd asked him to reconsider his decision to not fight Vegeta and go into the Time Chamber.

Why would he want to fight Vegeta, especially if Vegeta was almost as strong as Kakarot? There was no way he was going to close that gap in a year. In truth, Vegeta scared him, his power must have been immense, and his disdain for him could almost be tasted in the air whenever they were around one another.

But of course, he didn't want to go in there with Kakarot, not with him for a full year. Especially with the clumsy attempts to try and get to know one another. It was easier like this, he was just Kakarot, that was it. The idea of him even being his father was still uncomfortable. He was a strange reflection of Turles, the one who'd trained him, the one who'd kept him alive in the Planet Trade. In his mind, Gohan had constructed the idea of a weak Saiyan, but still someone who was a Saiyan, as his father. Now of course he knew even his mother was human.

Facing Kakarot in the time chamber, would mean many things. It'd mean they'd have to live together for a year. It would mean he would have to train with him for a year. But worst of all, it meant he might get to know Kakarot.

It sounded stupid, but getting to know him felt strange. It was almost as if he was afraid that just by getting to know him, he'd become more like him. The very thought was unbearable to Gohan.

It was then that he heard something behind him. Slowly turning his head, Gohan noticed two black eyes staring at him. A familiar stoic figure stepped out a second later. The Namekian, Piccolo was here. But why?

Great, that's right, he's keeping tabs on me. Damn it, I'm just so lucky aren't I?

With a frustrated, low growl Gohan turned to Piccolo.

"What?"

"You're going to fight Vegeta," Piccolo said bluntly. "And you're going into the time chamber."

What?

Blinking, Gohan stared back at Piccolo almost furiously. The two stood across from one another, before finally Gohan crossed his arms.

"Oh? And what makes you say that?" Gohan asked. "I'm not going to fight Vegeta."

Scoffing at the notion of refusing the challenge, Piccolo shook his head in a blunt fashion.

"I don't think Vegeta will take a concession by this point, so that means it's going to be time to put up and shut up. Goku had the right idea about using the Time Chamber, and unless you want to get humiliated, I'd suggest you use it," The Namek stated, his tone almost resembling stone more than words. "And I'm not letting anyone I'm training back out of a fight. So I'd suggest you stop whining and get yourself ready for the Time Chamber."

So that was it? He was going to be forced in. Perhaps this place wasn't too different from where he came from after all. Without many more words he just glanced at Piccolo.

"So that's it then? I'm going into that chamber with Kakarot?"

Smiling finally, Piccolo gave a confident smirk.

"Who said anything about training with Goku for your first time around? Kid, I told you before, I'm the one training you. Make whatever excuses you need to them in the house, tell them the truth or lie, but I'm training you. So get ready, we're heading out tonight. And don't even think about whining, I'm not in the mood."

Smirking, Gohan nodded after a second. Training with the Namek? That'd be a Hell of a lot easier than training with Kakarot. It wasn't going to be some discussion about his feelings, or any kind of nonsense like that. No, it was going to be a fight, a struggle, every day, just like it should be. Piccolo wouldn't take him in there to get to know him, he wasn't going to try and bond with him.

"Anything else?" Gohan asked, his entire mood having changed, now displaying the confidence he had not too long ago.

"Yea, after we're done in there, you're going to go in with your old man... eventually."

Gohan's features shifted again, this time back to furious.

What the Hell? What's his stake in that?

"And why would I want to go into there for a year with Kakarot?"

Piccolo smirked again.

"Because he's your Father, and besides, after we're done training, I'm willing to bet you'll be more than a match for Goku. Now then, that sounded suspiciously like whining to me. You don't want to do it again, this is the only warning."

Damn it.

"We'll see," Gohan ground out, before turning towards the house, opening the door.

Outside, Piccolo looked up.

Yea, don't worry Goku, I'll get that kid of yours in shape. After that he's all yours.

The thoughts were contained in Piccolo's mind as he waited patiently outside.

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Walking straight to the kitchen, Gohan smiled at Chi-Chi before walking over.

"Don't worry, dinner won't be long," she assured him.

Yea, I'm not worried about dinner.

"Actually, I've gotta give you a quick heads up. I'm heading out, but I'll be back tomorrow," he assured, making sure his words were chosen correctly.

Chi-Chi froze in the midst of chopping vegetables, her eyes widening. She looked at her son seriously, and he knew something was running through her mind. Then something devious came across her face.

"Oh," Chi-Chi smiled knowingly. "Going out?"

"... Yes..." Gohan answered awkwardly.

What's she smiling about?

"So, when you were gone, you ran into a girl didn't you?"

Gohan froze at the words.

Piccolo, you bastard, did you rat me out? Great, now I'm about to be-

"What's her name? Is that why were you gone so long?" Chi-Chi asked with a smile. "It is! Oh, you've got yourself a girlfriend? Already? When are you bringing her home, I have to meet her."

"Gohan's got a girlfriend?" Goku asked, his head peaking into the room.

Yea, and right now the tall green skinned bitch is waiting outside for me.

The thought was sarcastic in the extreme. Nervously, he stepped back all the same though, before smiling. The perfect cover fell right into his lap.

"I'll let you know tomorrow, how about that?" Gohan asked rhetorically.

"Gohan, don't you dare tease like that! What's her name?" Chi-Chi demanded.

"Gotta run!" he quickly declared.

Gohan's body nearly took the door off as he made his escape, Chi-Chi in tow.

"Gohan! Don't you dare run off like this!"

Purple energy blazed around him a second later before the boomed into the sky, shattering the sound barrier.

Well, that went better than expected.

Within a few seconds, Piccolo was flying next to him in the air, looking over.

"You don't even know that girl's name, if that's the supposed girlfriend you were talking about," Piccolo reminded.

With a laugh, Gohan easily responded.

"Who said anything about her? Trust me babe, I'm with you all the way."

For the smartass remark, Gohan received a strike to the side of the head, nearly knocking him out of the sky.

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When he took his first steps into the Time Chamber, Gohan immediately felt heavier, but it was nothing compared to some environments he'd been exposed to.

What blew his mind was the vast emptiness of it all. It seemed infinite, unending. The world was a reflection of space almost. Where as space was a void of darkness, this place was a void of light. Gohan could barely wrap his mind around all this as the door closed behind him.

"Yea, you've got all the facilities and food to last you a solid year in here. I don't require as much, being a Namekian," Piccolo explained, walking out onto the open area, away from the only building in existence in this strange place. "I'd suggest we get started."

Walking out into the open area as well, Gohan stood opposite of his trainer. Both their eyes met as they both assumed their positions, Gohan's looking almost like a reflection of Piccolo's. The Namekian smiled when he noticed.

"Good form," he praised. "Now, let's see about making you at least respectable out there."

Within moments the two clashed. The training had begun.

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Reviewers:

Ky111: Thanks dude. You'll find Gohan doesn't think his actions through in his personal life very often -.-

Jordino: The Majins will make an appearance, but I dunno about Buu.

Expect to see some character's from Gohan's past as well. :)

Syn'ri: Thank you for the kind praise, I'm glad you are enjoying the story so far. Goku's actions are a bit more explained in the chapter preceding this message. :)

Eveline: Who said Gohan is ever going to meet a Pregnant Videl? How would he even know? He doesn't even know her name.

Full Power: Goku's been through a lot.

Luke: You were close, you just misjudged Gohan's mixed feelings on Goku XD

Aquestra: Well, at least one day, maybe two :)

Alpha Shenron: Got it in one.