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 33: Outbursts
Gohan:
This was probably the worst thing that could be happening at this exact moment. It was bad enough he'd spent months doing this before the World Martial Arts Tournament, but moving back home had yielded one thing he never enjoyed.
Training.
It'd been weeks since Future Trunks had returned home, and here he was, stuck training again.
The thing which Vegeta, his father, and Piccolo obsessively did. It was alright to do every once in a while, but in all honesty Gohan really hated training. The Namekian knew as much, and his father was too dense to fully grasp just how much he hated training. The obsession with getting stronger and stronger didn't really hold its sway over him. Even in the Planet Trade, he gained power and was second only to Cooler himself, but that'd never been his direct goal, survival was his direct goal. Most of his power was gained through near death injuries, repeatedly, and not training his heart out by any means, at least not until he came to Earth.
A golden aura burned around him as he stood opposite to Goku and Goten, wishing quietly that his father would just give up on the whole prospect of all of them training together, especially given the attitude Goten had towards him. In truth, even though he always hoped things would work out for Goten, even though he'd quietly fought for the kid in some of his most desperate battles, he was quickly losing patience with him. The little punk barely spoke a word to him, and glared at him constantly, each time reminding him of how unwelcome he was in Goten's little world. He understood it of course, they'd already talked about it months ago, when he'd brought Goten to his apartment to give money to their parents.
"Alright Gohan," his father said, breathing heavily from their last exchange, a bright smile still covering his features. "This time let Goten come at you, I really think he needs to work on his speed."
"I don't think that's such a good idea," Gohan admitted, before looking back towards his little brother. "He's not nearly fast enough to even try to keep up with me. Why don't you call Trunks and they can train together? They're a lot closer in strength and speed and-"
The glare he received from the smaller golden fighter said it all, clearly demonstrating just how much Goten hated him. The comment was even less well received. He was damned if he did fight him, as Goten would see it as a humiliation, and he was damned if he tried to avoid it, as the little shit felt he was coddling him.
"I'm fast enough," Goten bit back at him, speaking to him directly for the first time in days. "I'm faster then you were, before you can back and ruined everything."
Ah, there it was. Cracking his neck from side to side, Gohan even remembered when he inadvertently let Goten harm him during training. Of course, Goten may have just solved his problem for him. The overt disdain he showed for him was likely going to have a negative reaction from their father in about two seconds.
Before Goten could launch himself at him, a hand came down, grasping his shoulder. Just as Gohan had predicted, their father stood there, his smile disappearing.
"Goten, I don't want to hear you say that kind of thing to your brother," Goku warned. "Now apologize to Gohan."
"No," was the quick and stupid response.
The tension between Goten and everyone else had been building up since he came home, and Gohan was able to predict why fairly easily. Goten's strong dislike for him was one factor, but his violent death and inability to stop Broly was another. The fact that it was him that stopped Broly as well, probably infuriated his kid brother most of all.
"Listen to me right now Goten, Gohan is your brother and we want him to feel welcome. You've not been doing that and it's not very nice. I want you to apologize to Gohan right now," Goku urged, his voice firm.
Then the unexpected happened. With an angry slap, the ten year old batted his father's hand off his shoulder, things were escalating.
"You always take his side!" he shouted furiously. "You try to bring him everywhere! We can't go fishing anymore, or camping, or anything without him."
Lowering his own guard, Gohan of course realized he was unlikely to be squaring off against his little brother at that exact moment. Despite the hostility in his words, the older Saiyan was somewhat grateful, given he hated training. Hearing how much his little brother despised him however, was hardly the most interesting thing to hear during the day.
"Because he's your brother. Goten, I've been trying to spend time with him and you-"
"No you haven't!" came the immediate response. "All you do is try to make things better for him! All I get is forgotten, or put on the back seat, because he's so important!"
"Goten!" their father said, his voice significantly tighter and his stance much more aggressive, clearly to show the kid to drop it. "That's not true at all. Your mother and I-"
"Just want Gohan around! You've always just wanted Gohan! You only had me because he was gone! Now that he's back you don't need me anymore!"
That was enough to catch Gohan's attention. His Super Saiyan eyes turned slightly, looking towards Goten again, who was standing there, defiantly in front of their father, who had all the conflict management of a child himself.
"I already told you that it's not true. Power down and go back home. I'll be behind you in a minute, and then we can talk-"
It was probably the worst thing Goku could have said, and Gohan could tell why in almost a heartbeat. First, it antagonized Goten by placing the blame for the outburst squarely on his shoulders, even if it wasn't intended, and even if it was true, that wasn't the best way to calm the situation down. In all probability, Goku had never really dealt with Goten like this before. He remembered when he first arrived on Earth, and the first time he trained with the Sons and Piccolo. Goten had been so... obliviously happy? As far as he could tell, he was a lot like their father, at least back then. As the years rolled forward, his parents despair over him had probably dragged him away from that. As analytical as he was as he observed it all, Gohan felt his heart skip a beat when Goten's frame lashed out.
The first blow was unexpected, landing across their father's chin. Most other fighters would have dropped, but his father just stumbled back, looking briefly dazed. Hanging half in the air, Goten continued to scowl angrily, tears in his eyes, before the golden aura around him burst with more energy, sending him rocketing off past him, flying in the opposite direction of the house.
It was easy to blur in front of him, proving his point from earlier that he was much faster then Goten. Immediately the little body bumped into him, before rolling back in the air.
"Goten," Gohan said, his voice calm as he stared down at him. "Look, I know you've been through a lot lately, I get it. But you need to calm down now."
Looking back at him with frightful eyes, as if realizing what he'd just done, Goten for a moment looked as if he was to heed his advice. Slowly, Gohan's stance calmed as Goten's tensed in fear, knowing just how pointless a conflict between the two of them would be, clearly. When two glowing blue orbs appeared in the boy's hands, Gohan's eyes widened before a massive, blinding wave of energy blasted from his brother's palms, slamming into him.
His training attire burned as his guard had been down, energy washing over him, lightly tanning his skin for a brief moment before the light faded. Smoke billowed over his form, as Goten angrily hovered in front of him, tears brimming on the edge of his eyes. The look he had dared him to attack, and Gohan was in no mood to argue.
Fine, you wanna fight, you little shit?
Without any second thought, he pulled back his right arm, and with all his force, backhanded his little brother across the cheek. The boom that thundered out from the impact levelled trees dozens of metres away. Streams and lakes around the mountain violently stirred as the wave of energy rolled over them, and Goten's frame shot violently towards the ground, slamming into it mercilessly a moment later. His tiny frame shattered through stone and tore through mud as he trailed through the open wilderness for seemingly an eternity.
From above, Gohan felt himself breath out angrily. For a moment he waited for Goten to spring back up and strike out at him, just like any other fight he'd ever been in. Slowly but surely, as the seconds dragged on, he realized that it wasn't happening. Below, he could sense his father's anxiety as well. Goten's energy almost entirely disappeared, and stopped moving.
Gohan's anger morphed over the moments he was waiting for a counter-attack, it went from searing and furious, to an inner panic. What did he just do?
Slowly descending from the air, he landed next to his father, who stood there in horror, looking down the path of destruction Goten had just made.
"...What did you just do!?" Goku shouted, turning to Gohan after a few moments. "Goten!"
Not waiting any longer for a response, his father ran down the pathway of broken terrain. It was impossible to move for Gohan, not for a few more seconds at least. Finally, he broke away from where he stood, each hurried step he made with the gravity of what had just happened rushing through his head.
... I just killed my brother...
When Gohan jumped next to his father, who stopped at the end of the long trail of ruin, he stopped when he peered at the small, broken frame of a ten year old boy. His face was half in the mud, torn up by the rock. Super Saiyan hair had turned black, and was matted with blood and mud. Blood was draining from his ears, his closed eyes, nose, and mouth. Worst of all, his chest wasn't rising, or falling.
It was their father who rushed to the boy's side, pulling him from the mud and looking down at his almost lifelessly form. Checking the boy's pulse, he at least seemed somewhat relieved for a moment, before resolve took over his features. Pressing his hands together over Goten's chest, he gave a thrust, the sound of a rib breaking was clearly heard, but it didn't matter as he tried performing CPR, at least to jump start his breathing.
After each thrust, he paused, leaning his head in, waiting for Goten's breathing to come back. Finally, there was a gasp, and coughing. More blood came up, but at least the kid was breathing again. Any relief Gohan had vanished when his father clutched the broken form of the boy to him.
"Dende-"
"I know," Goku cut in, before his body disappeared in a blur.
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Goku:
Materializing in an instant, Goku's eyes wondered over the Lookout immediately. Any second he'd see Mister Popo, or Dende. In his arms, a brief and painful groan escaped the body in his arms. Every second he stood there, his brain rushed for an answer as to how he let this happen. Every second he didn't act, was a second he'd let this happen to Goten. Gohan himself was to blame as well. With no control over his anger, he'd nearly killed his little brother.
"Dende! Popo!"
Rushing forward, Goku looked high, up towards the balcony's on the Lookout, before looking low, searching through the palace itself at lightning speed, his frame blurring throughout the structure itself, looking for any sign of Mister Popo and Dende. There was just... nothing. How could there be nothing? How hadn't he noticed sooner? They were hardly hiding by any means. There was just no sign of them anywhere.
Goku froze when Goten made another struggled moan, trembling in his arms, Goku felt his stomach plunge into his chest. He was utterly helpless to do anything about this, his son was in pain, he could even be dying, and all he could do was hold onto him and hope to find Dende? Blood started to get on his arms as it finished dripping from his son's head, leaving Goku's chest to pound as adrenaline shot through him.
Korin.
He'd find out what happened with Dende later, Korin still had Senzu Beans. Without any further thought, Goku disappeared instantly, reappearing hundreds of metres below, standing in the centre of Korin's tower. Immediately a panicked look betrayed his emotions more then anything as his eyes frantically searched for any sign of the cat.
"Korin!" he shouted, looking high, then low. "Yajir- Korin!"
Relief washed over him as the cat groggily rounded the corner, rubbing the sleep from his eyes for a moment while holding his staff. When he turned and looked towards Goku, the cat swallowed nervously.
"Goku, let me guess, you're here for some Senzu Beans," he commented, clearly seeing the bloody wreck in Goku's arms. "Uhm... well, Goku- you see-"
"I need a Senzu Bean, Korin! You've got to have one, please!" Goku shouted. "I know we've been greedy over the years, but my son-"
"Will have to wait until tomorrow," Korin said, his voice sounding dire as he spoke.
It was enough to drive Goku insane for a moment, stepping forward, his eyes in shock, he felt himself clutch Goten more tightly, not realizing that it only caused the boy more pain. Another struggling noise emerged from his son, and Goku quickly weakened his hold.
Tomorrow? Why tomorrow? Why isn't-
"Piccolo came in a week ago and cleared me out, he said something about some training journey he needed to go on," Korin tried to explain. "I'll have three more beans finished tomorrow, I promise. Until then, the kid just needs some R and R. After all, he's one of you Saiya-things. You're all about as tough to kill as well, you."
Looking down at his pained son, Goku felt at least some relief. Korin would have a bean for him tomorrow, and Goten would survive. What didn't leave him was the fact there was nothing he could do about his son's pain. Any questions he had for the cat were almost quashed by his concern, before he looked up to Korin.
"Where is Dende and Mister Popo?"
The cat quirked its head to one side, looking back questioningly.
"I... didn't even know they were gone," he admitted a moment later. "Not just Dende, but Popo?"
With an uncomfortable nod, Goku stared back at Korin seriously.
"Yea, I can't find either of them at the Lookout," he said honestly.
Scratching his chin, Korin just seemed perturbed himself.
"Well, if I hear anything Goku, I'll let you know."
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Chi-Chi:
"..."
It was silence as she stood there, staring back at her eldest son, who looked about nervously. Inside her chest, her heart was beating furious as she stared back at her eldest son. She'd tried to prevent the conflict between her two boys for so long. Every time Goten confided in her how much he despised Gohan, she shrugged it off. Every time Gohan seemed frustrated or annoyed with his sibling, she'd just ignored it, assuming they'd just get over it. Now her youngest son had paid the price for it. She felt sick, and empty, and just wanted all of this to have never happened.
Goku would bring Goten back, healed, but that wasn't the problem. She trusted what Gohan said, of Goten antagonizing him into the fight. But what did that matter? Gohan was a grown man, even though she forgot that sometimes. He'd nearly killed his little brother because he'd what? Attacked him? Even Chi-Chi knew that the odds of Goten harming Gohan were small. By small, of course, Chi-Chi meant microscopic.
"Look, I'm just trying to-"
Gohan's words fell flatly all around her, deflecting every moment he spoke. The emptiness she'd experienced moments earlier slowly turned into pain as she almost clutched her chest.
"You nearly killed your brother," she managed to finally say, looking back at her son with a disappointment she'd never be able to describe with words.
She could already see how he responded. His body language became even more awkward, rather then his usual aggressive stance. He didn't look at her after she spoke, opting to look away instead, and he just seemed to have shrunk into himself. He was guilty, and ashamed, but did that really matter? Just because he felt bad, did that mean he somehow got a free ticket to just be forgiven?
"Gohan," Chi-Chi managed, feeling her chest tighten as she did. "After what you just did... I... I'm not sure I want you here for a while."
It hurt to say, because she'd always wanted Gohan to be there, especially after he came home, and then was absent. But right now she understood something else, her other son was in desperate need of help, and right now Gohan was going to hurt that, more then he was going to help it. Even as the words left her mouth however, it felt like she was ripping her own heart out.
The silence on the other side however, was unbearable. He stood there, just not making a sound.
"Gohan," she finally broke the silence. "I can't do this right now, with you and your brother. I can't have him being hurt, and you-"
"I know," Gohan said after a moment, before looking back towards her. "I just don't want to leave yet. I just wanted... I don't even know anymore."
He sighed and just looked towards the door, as if sensing something. Immediately his features paled however, and Chi-Chi herself now looked towards the door as it opened. Standing there, holding on to the frail and broken body of her son, was Goku. It was happening all over again. He looked almost exactly as he did the night he'd carried Gohan's bloodied body into the house. In his arms was... a complete mess of a body. Goten was filthy, covered in mud, and blood.
Why was this happening? Why wasn't he fixed?
Taking a few steps forward, Chi-Chi couldn't believe this was happening all over again. It couldn't be Goku's fault, but the idea that he could just fix things just... didn't meet with reality anymore. She knew Goku wouldn't have brought... brought a corpse home, which meant her son needed her help. She finally came to her husband, looking over the boy's bloodied face.
"Mom, it was an accident-"
"I know," Chi-Chi answered Gohan before he could continue, before he could convince her to make the wrong decision.
Taking in a deep, shaky breath.
"I am not asking you to leave, to turn you away Gohan. You know I won't turn you away. I am asking you to leave so that we can help your brother."
It was a horrible choice to make, but in their own way, they'd been the ones to cause all of this. Staring down at her son's bloodied features, she could see all the years of stress they'd brought into his life. She could see all the times he'd been miserable, trying to tell her, but she'd been so fixated on trying to help Gohan, she couldn't see anything else. Gently, she moved her hand up, trying to move a few matted pieces of hair from her youngest boy's face. In a few months there would be another child in the house as well.
Another child, and they couldn't even take care of Goten.
The silence behind her wasn't brooding, but it was telling.
"I'll pack my things," Gohan finally said after a moment, and as he spoke, Chi-Chi didn't have the heart to turn around and look at him.
"Are you sure?" Goku asked, looking at her with his big, almost innocent eyes. "I can talk to him and Goten-"
"Gohan is a grown man," Chi-Chi finally responded stiffly. "And if we need to focus on Goten right, and he needs space from Gohan, we have to do this."
No matter how much she owed Gohan for all the years missed, she stilled owed Goten a chance at his own childhood as well, and it was something they'd neglected. Things would finally be able to be normal. Gohan could find his own home, and he could visit them any time he liked. Goten wasn't going to feel neglected, or worried, or threatened anymore. Her new baby was going to have two loving parents and two older brothers.
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Gohan:
It was easy for him not to blame Chi-Chi, or Goku, or even Goten for what had happened. It was his fault more then anything. What if that had been some human kid throwing rocks at him? Ignoring the pain, misery, or death he'd caused someone else even, just how it would affect his own family. What did it say about his ability to control himself even? But then there was the fact it was his little brother. He'd not been actually hurt by what the kid did, it angered him because the brat didn't get back into his place when ordered, so he did what came naturally to him.
It was what always happened to him when he got out of line, and he almost forgot that for a moment. Even Turles had given him more then a few beatings for stepping out of line, and he learned. But this place was supposed to be different, this wasn't some alien warzone, this wasn't the front line. This was a mostly quiet blue planet, with weak copies of Saiyans who had soft ideas, covering its surface. Worse, he knew the behaviour was wrong, and he did it anyway, out of his own reflexes.
Quietly, he remembered the video he'd made for his mother in another time, he remembered how much of himself he'd put into it. All those feelings he knew she had for him, she had for Goten as well, and soon for his little brother or sister. It made the volume of it all even worse. Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he let out a sigh, before looking up quietly, staring around his room. He'd barely touched anything in it, anytime he lived here. It was always so comfortable here in this place, the first home he'd ever had, even if his memories of it were so distant. Even when he came back, it'd not changed much. On the side table was still the picture of himself, his grandfather, and his parents from all those years earlier.
Cocking his head to one side, Gohan walked over, picking up the picture frame and just stared down at it. After everything that had happened, something tore in his chest when staring at the four figures in the scene. He rarely ever stared into it, fearing what he might see. From the moment he arrived back on this planet, this picture was what the world seemed to draw him towards. It all seemed to drag him back towards it. Inside of it was the life he could have had. He idly wondered what he would have become, instead of what he was. For all his strength, prowess, and experience... all of it seemed to pale in comparison to one moment, captured in a primitive human imaging device.
Looking up, he stared around the room once more, looking at how much of it he'd even left untouched. There were no other bedrooms in the house for his newest sibling, which meant before his little brother or sister were born, it would finally be the end of this place, and its memories. They'd preserved it for all those years, and now it would finally disappear. It was foolish sentiment that made him feel... sad about that. Walking over to his old bookshelf, still dusted and cleaned by his mother when he wasn't around, he traced his fingers over old books meant for children. He'd never thought to even ask about them, human literature meaning so little to his life. Sliding his fingers alone the bindings of one of these books, he pulled it out, staring at what was a cartoonish dragon and the words "Learning is fun!" under it. With a half snort, he smiled to himself, gently opening it, looking over all of the simple letters and numbers inside of it. It was there to train a child in literacy.
So much of what his parents had wanted for him, was locked away in these books. They were almost all about learning, as if they hoped one day he'd have grown into some kind of scientist. Quietly, in a way, it made him almost resent what they received in turn, though it was a fleeting feeling. It was simply a matter of doing the best you could, with the hand you were dealt.
With a creaking noise, the door opened, letting in light from the outside. Closing the book in his hands and sliding it back into the bookshelf, Gohan stared over to his father.
"You know you're always welcome back," he said honestly. "Goten will be better soon and-"
"You won't have the room for me soon enough," Gohan told his father, trying to smile, and failing. "I was only passing through at the end of the day. Every day I spend in this room makes me feel comfortable, and secure. But my life is moving forward, and with that, the past is left behind. I think this room will finally be put to better use."
Walking further inside, Goku walked towards the window, staring out for a moment, before turning his head towards him a moment.
"Goten will get better. I know he'll forgive you for what happened." Goku then said, turning his head to face back out the window, knowing that some of Gohan's concern was placed there.
It was something he already knew to be true, but the reassurance did make him feel slightly more at ease over it, even though it shouldn't have. Without him around, and with his dad being there for him, he knew Goten would end up alright. Over the years, he had finally come to understand the confidence everyone had in the old man to just fix things.
Walking over to his father's side, he nodded quietly to him.
"I'll come back to see my little brother or sister if you get a hold of me," he said honestly.
Without turning to look back at him, his father just smiled while looking up into the now night sky.
"After all that's happened, I don't think you should go," Goku finally said. "All the time we've missed, there's still so much to do. I know you don't understand... you're not a parent yet."
It was strange to hear it so directly, to see the same smile his father gave seemingly to everything. But he knew, just like back in the time chamber, he only smiled because there was no point in doing anything else. There was no reason to get angry, or sad... All he was doing, was trying harder.
Of course, there was an error in his words, but Gohan had no intention of correcting him on the status of him as a parent.
Slowly, the same smile appeared on Son Gohan's lips, before he reached his hand out, grasping his father's shoulder in a rare display of affection.
I'm getting too soft.
Part of him almost wanted to say it out loud, but kept the voice inside.
"The other kids need your time now, dad," he said after a few moments. "You've already done enough for me."
Turning away from the sky, Goku stared back at him with the same open, almost naive eyes he often did. There was an understanding finally. Everything he'd become since he'd come to Earth, was in part due to his father's patience, and his care. Every struggle he tackled, every enemy he faced, and every time he didn't believe enough in himself, Goku had been there.
"I know your still trying to rescue me from what happened. I know sometimes I seem like some kid in a pod, right?" he asked after a moment, knowing how true it was. Why else had this room been frozen in place for twenty years?
His father paused, not answering but instead revealing himself in the sad tinge that covered his smile.
"You don't need to worry about it anymore, dad," he added, shifting the bag of belongings on his back, before turning towards the door himself, knowing now was the time to go. The last words went unspoken.
With that, he walked away, leaving behind the past, as much as he could. He knew that if he stayed a moment longer, he may not leave. When he closed the door behind him, leaving his father in the room he'd spent the first years of his life in, Gohan felt his heart beat sadly. It would be the last time he ever saw the familiar sight of his the room he'd woken up in five years ago. It would be the last time he saw it was his.
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Gohan: Three Weeks Later, New East City
It was pretty obvious to Gohan now that he'd lost his mind. Finishing a phone call with Chi-Chi, the second he'd made since moving. He looked outside his apartment's balcony and saw the sprawling city moving into the distance. He'd forgotten how noisy large human settlements were. When scouting out where he wanted to live, he'd known he was going to need to pick an urban area, and that was only for income opportunities. That wasn't to say he had enough money, it didn't take much work upon leaving home to get enough money to buy the apartment.
Unlike his last apartment, he'd at least tried to make it have its own feel. It was very strange buying furniture as well, or awkwardly asking for advice from clerks. He'd only really been settled in for a few days, and despite trying to add some 'life' to his space, it still felt empty. It made sense of course, it was still just him. Still, it had hardwood flooring, and he'd chosen darker furniture to contrast it, according to advice he'd taken. Walking barefoot towards the balcony itself, the Saiyan had a change of clothes hanging off of his right arm. There was another reason he'd picked East City.
Without tracking them down, but just sensing their faint energy signals, he knew that the rural area surrounding this city was the location of the woman and her daughter. For the last few days he'd wanted to just lift himself off from the high rise apartment building and fly to the source. But on the other side of that journey was confrontation. Videl herself was hardly a match for him, but he didn't exactly want to fight. There were so many ways it could all go wrong, especially if she started yelling at him in front of her daughter. Today though, was the day he'd promised himself he'd actually do something. He couldn't hide behind staying home anymore, to confront his problems. Really, the only problem left, was this one.
In truth, he'd wanted to forget it even existed. His entire connection to the two of them was... uncomfortable at best. Worse, he'd not wanted anyone else to know. The Namekian knew, that much he was sure of, but the rest of his family didn't, and it was just fine that way. The idea that he could go on through his life without really connecting with his own daughter seemed almost favourable even. The problem was the further he got from home, the more he thought about the little girl he met at the tournament. The little girl who seemed neglected by her mother, and was so excited to meet him. It was so foreign to how almost everyone else he met on this planet were, at least in terms of the ones that were more like him.
Vegeta's scorn was something he'd never imagined happening when he first met the Saiyan Prince. The hatred he experienced from the Trunks from the future, when they first met. His little brother's toxic disdain was easily the worst however, as really he didn't hate Goten. Sometimes he felt like he did, it could even be maddening at times, but he really wanted only what was best for the kid. Hell, half the time that was why they butted heads. The other half was because of the nature of what Goten saw upon his return.
Still, without even knowing who he was, just realizing he had a tail, the little girl had wanted to just know everything she could about him, all because he just happened to have had a tail. Without realizing it, his tail unfurled from his waist, before swishing in front of him. Even among Saiyans, it was rare to see a tail now. Whether removed at birth, or removed in battle, really only he and Pan had tails left of the remnants of their species. It was fitting that it was that trait, that drew her towards him more then anything.
She'd probably never imagined seeing anyone like her in her whole life, except perhaps in her dreams.
With a heavy sigh, Gohan slowly slipped into a casual set of jeans, before putting on a white shirt t-shirt. Finally, he slid a long sleeved, blue, opened button up shirt over the white one. Hovering over the ground a minute later, he felt himself push forward into the air, feeling weightless under the power of ki.
Don't fuck this up, Gohan. It doesn't have to be good, it just has to not be terrible.
In the blink of an eye, his body disappeared with pure speed, before blasting off through the sky.
In the distance, Gohan could feel Videl's energy. Where you found one, you were bound to find the other.
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Videl:
It'd been weeks since she'd managed to find her way out of the hospital. It'd been weeks since she'd been utterly humiliated three times in one day. It was only worse that it was broadcast for the whole world to see.
Now she just wanted to try and get back to her life, and get back to her training, but it haunted her. She was always haunted by the shadow of the Saiyan, Gohan. First by the assault on her, years ago, where he played with her as if she was just some object which he owned.
An angry kick collided with the bark on an old tree, shattering the wood and snapping the protective bark around it as she did. Furious eyes stared forward at the broken old oak. At first, it'd only been that which had haunted her. Now her being a complete weak and pitiful bitch, she felt her stomach twist even more angrily. It wasn't even Son Gohan who had defeated her, but some bald headed freak, who lead her on, letting her think she could win, only to humiliate her.
Sweat threw itself from her body as she struck out with one more glove covered fist, stabbing into the tree. The entire thing exploded as her hand hit it, energy surging through it, sending leaves burning off of it, disappearing in the wind, as fragmented bits of smashed tree scattered all around her, raining loudly onto the forest floor. Breathing heavily, Videl looked forward, trying to keep her heart calm. She'd been training for hours, every day, only thinking about trying to be more then she was. She wasn't just some thing for people to abuse, use, or anything.
Reminded only more so by the next humiliation of the tournament, being saved by the Saiyan who'd left her helpless and damaged years ago. Everyone simply assumed that he was some hero now, because he beat up a monster in a tournament ring. They acted as if he was somehow looking out for her best interests, or worse, that she should be grateful. Every day she'd had to think on it, the more bitter she'd become over the entire matter. Watching him manhandle her trainers, and her father as well, was even worse.
Then there was the worst insult of all.
Her daughter fell right into his hands, with almost no effort. She'd spent years raising Pan, she was her daughter. Now what was she? Pan had cheered watching the television when Gohan had filled the role her father always had, at least officially. Son Gohan appeared with golden hair and strange eyes, defeated the monster, and then disappeared into the sky, after a Capsule Corporation Jet showed up. Every day she asked about him, and when he was going to come back. Of course, she'd tried to gently dissuade her, but it never worked.
"Mommy!" Pan shouted out from their home. Turning from the forested range near her house, Videl turned to see the little girl excitedly running from the house.
Her feelings were immediately mixed. On the one hand, she wanted to see Pan, as anyone who cared about their children would. On the other hand, she was so... behind. How many years did it take to develop the kind of power she'd seen at the tournament, or that she'd seen on the news coverage of the battle between the two monsters in Satan City?
"Pan, I'm trying to train, do you remember what I told you?" Videl responded as soon as her daughter came into close proximity. Most of the excitement drained from her daughter's face almost immediately.
"You're always doing stupid training," Pan muttered under her breath.
The remark made Videl stiffen, her jaw tightened angrily as she almost glared at her own daughter. She was a child, and she didn't understand that the world didn't revolve around her. It was still grating to hear, because she'd told Pan a thousand times why she trained. She trained and tried her best to get stronger, so she could defend them from bad people. She'd defend anyone she could, anyone in need, and Pan was going to have to understand that.
"Excuse me, Pan, what was that?"
"Nothing," her daughter responded, her voice coming back to an audible level. "I'll go."
For all of her annoyance and tough line, Videl felt her heart sink as her daughter gave in to her demand. In her right hand appeared to be a folded piece of paper. With a sigh, Videl knelt down, looking at the rejected little girl before just shaking her head.
"Come on, show me what you've got," Videl conceded, giving in to her daughter if only once.
Immediately light seemed to brighten behind the girl's blue eyes, she took several steps forward and handed the piece of paper to her mother excitedly. Taking it from the girl's hands, Videl could immediately see nervousness and anticipation replace excitement. As soon as she started to open it, she could feel the crayon underneath her fingers. It had been pretty easy to predict it being a picture. When it unfolded in front of her, she saw four poorly drawn figures on the page, on what appeared to be a grassy background and a poorly coloured blue sky.
Of course, it was her daughter's drawing, so Videl immediately tried to play up her own excitement of seeing it. The first three figures were easy to decipher. There was her, Videl, and her own father. Of course the unwelcome sight had to be there. It almost made her fingers tense enough to crumble the drawing itself in that moment. The man with a tail, Son Gohan, stood off to the side with a big smile of his own on the picture.
It was impossible to stay looking excited or happy upon seeing it. It was perfectly telegraphed to her daughter as well, and before she could comment, the nervous little girl stepped forward.
"You see, that's me," Pan said, pointing at herself. "Then there is you, and then grandpa. He seemed really nice so I wanted to put him in," she went on to explain. "And then there is Mister Gohan! He's got a tail like me, and he was-"
Slowly, Videl pushed the drawing back towards her daughter, almost forcing her to take it back. The look on the girl's face would have normally broken Videl's heart. "Mister Gohan" was a monster, and she'd increasingly never had the heart to tell her. It wasn't a subject she wanted to talk about to her daughter, at least not right now. There was no real way she'd understand, and she refused to just accept that Mister Gohan was a 'bad' man, all because of that damn tail. It was probably the only reason she was so obsessed with hi,
"Pan, I've told you before, Mister Gohan and I don't get along. I don't like Mister Gohan, and he's a bad-"
"He saved you," Pan cut in, her voice stabbing almost like a knife.
Standing up to her full height, Videl pointed to the house.
"I don't have time for this right now. I have training to do, Pan," she immediately said. "And I told you to stay at the house. Now stay there until it's time for lunch. I'll be there when I'm done."
Part of her was furious that Pan brought up the Saiyan's little mind game at the tournament, but it was still her daughter. Her anger was contained within a cold outer shell. Just what was she going to do with her? For a moment she was almost tempted to tell Pan just how malicious Gohan was, but it didn't come out.
With her head bowing in defeat, Pan slumped down almost before turning to look at her mom.
"Then I wanna train too-"
"No, you're not old enough. Back to the house, Pan."
The orders were clear, even if they were said with a heavy weight on her shoulder. Another truth was there was no way she could train Pan, because Pan would slow her down. Which meant she knew Pan was going to be bored, and disappointed, and this was going to happen often.
Turning away from Pan, and Videl heard a tiny sob, which made her heart sink even further, but the sound of her daughter's rapidly retreating footsteps told her that Pan was at the very least finally doing what she said.
"You're mean!" her daughter's voice echoed over the near empty space, her voice strained and angry.
The best thing she could do was ignore it. Despite everything, she was still a mother, and the last thing she wanted was for her daughter to be hurt, or sad. Being strong meant more then just being able to swing a punch though, sometimes it meant being able to push aside your feelings for the betterment of the people you cared about. She pushed aside Pan's sadness, and she pushed away much of her own pain.
Stepping towards the next tree which would find itself to be her victim, Videl readied her stance. The air around her felt calm, as if too calm. There was a subtle vibration in it a moment later, immediately distracting Videl's concentration. It wasn't a forest animal by any means, it was too fast. Turning her head towards the first part of the disturbance, she saw nothing, but whatever it was, was moving all around her. Taking a step to one side, looking around, her eyes tried to find any sign of anything.
When she made another turn, there was a figure standing there, right in front of her. It was enough to make her almost jump out of her skin. Before even verifying who it was, she'd already made four back flips. Stopping, she shifted her stance again, raising her right arm defensively while her mind raced. In front of her... was no one.
It was like losing her mind as she looked around with her eyes again.
"You know," an all too familiar voice remarked from behind. "Someone should really teach you to read energy signatures."
Turning around towards the noise, Videl Satan felt her eyes narrow dangerously on the Saiyan which had come to visit her.
Gohan.
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Gohan:
Humble was the nicest word to describe the area where he detected Videl's energy. Now of course, were his parent's home not somewhere he was so attached to, he'd have called it 'humble' as well. The forest all around was at the very least, ascetically pleasing. Apparently his dad had been raised in the sticks, and preferred living near it because of that. As to why Videl would have preferred it? Well, he didn't know, and quite frankly didn't really care. Living in a remote place, and training was not the first thing he'd personally want to do.
Of course, even as he stood there, looking back toward her, he felt her eyes burning a hate filled hole in his head. Barely having said a word, he could already tell this was going to go exactly as he'd hoped.
If I hoped she'd attack-
Before he could finish the thought, the woman in question charged at him. She was the third fastest human he'd seen, but what did that say? Just before she made contact with him, he blocked her incoming right fist strike. It was utterly painless to do so as well. The look on his own features were calm as he stared back at her, noting how heavily and angrily she was breathing. There wasn't going to be much of a rational discussion going on, he could tell.
"Are you done?" Gohan asked, his voice stern. "Look, I'm just here to-"
The only response she gave was a grunt, followed by swinging her leg up to strike at his head. With his other arm, he grabbed her foot without any real effort, before hoisting upward, flipping her upside down. The struggle was immediately frantic as she tried to twist her leg out from his hand.
"Get the fuck off of me!" she screamed furiously.
Aren't you the one attacking me?
A second later she grabbed his leg, causing Gohan to roll his eyes.
"Look, I told you-" Gohan didn't complete the sentence, before his entire body felt like it'd collapse in on himself. Before he could have completed what he'd been saying, Videl had punched him squarely in the testicles.
It wasn't a pain he was familiar with, and that was saying a great deal given how much pain he'd felt in his life. It was enough to let his grip go free, dropping the woman to the ground head first before he staggered to a nearby tree, placing his hand on it to hold himself up. It was a sickness in his stomach, and it was intense, and the pain around his groin was as well. Normally, if he'd been using energy, he'd have not even felt anything, but stupidly he'd come here without raising even a fraction of a percent of his power.
Angrily, his fingers dug into the tree before his eyes cast themselves over to the woman who now stood up, staring him down as she assumed a fighting stance.
"You fucking bitch," Gohan seethed.
As soon as he said the words, he could see what constituted a smile, slowly growing on the woman's face. This only further added to Gohan's displeasure. But in the back of his mind, he remembered what happened the last time he was this angry. Being physically assaulted without just cause, in his own mind, made Gohan furious. The typical response was physical, swift, and brutal. It was something he still dealt with.
Standing up straight, Gohan proceeded to glare towards Videl, before taking a step forward, noticing how she immediately took a step back, and how the smile disappeared.
"You thought that was pretty funny? I didn't even come here to fight you, and all you've done is try to fight me. I didn't even come here to see you. I can here to see the girl. The girl whose being ignored by you," Gohan almost spit. "I try to save you some face, and you attack me."
Golden energy crackled around her fingers as an impotent attack was formed. Using even a hint of his energy, Gohan put his hand up, sending a wave of pure force. Trees blasted back violently and were nearly torn from the ground by their roots.
... Shit...
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Pan:
A miserable set of eyes slowly traced over the drawing she'd made. All she wanted was for her mom to just stop training. Every time she told her it was for their own protection, it had less and less meaning to her. She didn't know many other kids, there were only a few even in the remote communities they lived near, but they were all different from her own family. They often had two parents, and their mom, even if she was working hard, came home and there were big hugs. The other kids talked about how out of their way their parents would go for them even.
That never seemed to happen for her. No one went out of their way for her, at least not her mom. Couldn't she train more after they played? Or after lunch? Or her mom could take time to really look at what she was drawing, or building? It was always a passive glance, and even Pan could tell when she was being blown off, or told without being told, what she was doing was wrong.
The first people she remembered who treated her... differently, were Mister Sharpener and his wife Erasa. She was really young at the time, but she remembered how Erasa would always spend a lot of time with her, and read to her a lot more then her own mommy did. Sharpener wasn't there was much, but he was a really nice man as well.
The next person, the man with the tail, Mister Gohan, was friendly and had saved her mommy from the big bald headed monster, even after her mommy called him a bad man. It was impossible for Pan's mind to connect any dots she didn't see. All she saw was a good person, who was nice to her. He even got rid of the two mean men her mom had been training with.
Looking down from the red couch her mom owned, she just stared at the coffee table and the blank piece of paper on it. This time, maybe she'd draw a big bird with small eyes.
Then a boom came from outside. It was almost deafening and Pan put her hands up over her ears, screaming. For a second the windows rattled as well. Without even thinking, Pan ran towards the door, worried about what could have happened outside. The door opened before she could even get to it, her eyes looking up and scanning over the figure standing there, holding on to the unconscious form of her mother in his hands.
Mister Gohan!
Her jaw dropped when she looked at her mommy, who wasn't moving and looked like she was sleeping. Blood, there was blood along her left arm and coming down from her hairline.
"M-Mommy?" Pan whispered for a moment, before looking back up to Gohan. "What happened?!"
"You're mom had a training accident," Gohan responded, his voice calm and reassuring. "I'm pretty sure she'll be okay. Do you have a couch- You do have a couch, excellent."
Walking past her with a stiff smile directed towards her, the older "Saiyan" walked towards the couch, before setting her mother down on it.
"She's bleed-"
"Yea, I know," he remarked, before turning his head towards Pan with a half smile. "Has your mom taught you any applied medical techniques?"
Blinking, Pan didn't have any clue as to what the older tailed person was saying. Instead, she just cocked her head to one side.
"First Aid?"
Pan shook her head in response. Any time her mom had been hurt, she'd managed to take care of it herself. Looking back towards her mom, and then back towards Gohan, Pan couldn't help but feel a jump of panic in her breathing.
"But she's going to be okay?'
Standing up at his full height, Gohan passed her quickly and entered the kitchen, before opening the freezer. Turning around, and tossed an ice pack over to her. Fumbling, Pan dropped it on the floor briefly before picking up the cold item. Her fingers felt almost numb within seconds.
"Hold that to your mom's head while I try to find some stuff to help your mom, alright?"
It wasn't hard to see that he knew what he was doing, and with that, Pan pressed the cold pack up against her mom's head. When her mom flinched when she pressed the cold pack against her head, Pan almost panicked, looking up and towards where Gohan had been, only to find he was gone.
From the other side, she heard a small case drop. Turning her head back, she saw him kneel back down next to her.
"Alright, so, let me show you where we need to get started," he said, as he pulled out a bottle that said alcohol. "This sanitizes any cuts someone has. It keeps it from getting infected. It hurts a lot when you apply it, but it hurts less then getting sick. Also, always make sure you're hands are washed first."
The little girl stared at the bottle, and then back to Gohan.
"My father taught me how to dress wounds when I was a kid," he explained, before looking back over to the fallen woman. A moment later, he applied a liberal amount of the strange smelling substance to Videl.
There was an uncomfortable noise from her mom, which only caused Pan to almost jump back.
"Right, none of her cuts are so deep that they need stitches, this is good because it doesn't look like you guys have any. She's going to have some bruises on her side, so we'll use the other ice packs in the freezer for that."
"O-okay," Pan said sheepishly, before turning around and seeing Gohan grabbing some bandages, and beginning to wrap them around her mom's shoulder.
"She's... she's not going to bleed anymore with that, right?"
The only response was a nod, before Gohan bandaged the wound around her head as well.
"She's going to need to take it easy for a few days," he told her, turning his head to her as he did. Snapping the bandage loose and applying it down, he gave her an uneasy smile. "I was hoping we'd get to talk, but I don't think your mom will approve."
Standing up seconds later, Pan watched Gohan turn towards the door.
"W-wait!" she said, hurriedly running in front of him before shoving her hands into his legs, trying to get him to stop. "I don't want you to go. Uhm... I... I'm lonely, and I'm worried about mommy."
There seemed to be a reluctant sigh from the larger figure as Pan searched his features, trying to gauge his response. She didn't want to be alone, and that was even before her mom was just dragged in here, hurt. Worse, she had no idea how to take care of any of this, and-
"Your mom really, really doesn't like me, kiddo," he told her, before moving his hand out and ruffling her hair.
"It's okay! She's never here anyway!" Pan almost shouted, before trying to bring a reassuring smile up from inside. "Please don't go Mister Gohan. I... I've got some pictures! I drew one of you! And. And. You can play with my putty!... And you can stay for lunch! Mommy was going to make lunch today-"
For a few seconds, she felt like she could even barter with him to stay. She completely forgot that her mother hated him, somehow offering him their food. That seemed to catch him more then anything though, he looked towards her mom, and then towards the kitchen. Closing his eyes and sighing, Pan felt her heart jump excitedly.
"Your mom isn't going to make you lunch," he said, his voice sounding defeated. "Even when she wakes up, she's going to be pretty sore. And you're like... not even five, so you're not making it either. I guess I'll get you some food for lunch, and I'll try to get you guys something in the fridge for dinner."
Running back over to her mom, Pan almost wanted to scream with excitement, until she stopped, seeing the unconscious body there. Guilt settled into the child, before she grabbed her mom's hand and tried to smile as her tail flicked behind her nervously. If she could just get everyone calm, maybe everything would work out.
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Gohan:
What the Hell am I doing?
Looking down at the noodles boiling in the water on the burner of a stove he didn't own, Gohan just internally sighed, stirring the pot once while looking over the various vegetables he'd managed to bring together for a meagre lunch. It was hardly a Saiyan lunch by any means, but then again he doubted Videl or Pan had such a high need of energy. Though in Pan's case, she didn't need that much food yet.
Right now the main thing running through his mind was the fact that this was utterly nuts. He showed up, got attacked, accidentally blew away an acre of forest and completely knocked out the woman he came to talk to, took her to the her house, bandaged her up in front of her daughter, and then started making lunch for her daughter. What was going to happen next? Was his dad going to burst through the front door with Vegeta and Cooler, coming to take him out for a night of hard drinking and tennis? If it happened right now, he'd not be surprised.
When he cast a glance over to the little girl drawing while sitting on the floor next to the couch, he internally sighed. Part of him wanted to take the girl away from this very... humble household. He could already tell things weren't exactly the happiest here, if only because of how desperate Pan was for him to stay. She didn't know he was the one who fathered her, at least he doubted she'd put that together yet, and that meant she was pleading for him to stay because she was being ignored. It was a feeling he got after meeting her for the second time. She was always the straggler left behind in Videl's life, as she pursued things other then the kid's best interests. Maybe she saw them as her best interest, who knew?
"Hey Pan?" Gohan asked. "Celery or carrots?"
The little girl looked over at him, before giving him a disgusted face, and sticking her tongue out as if to imply how 'gross' those substances were.
Well, that just meant both, as far as Gohan was concerned. Shrugging, he chopped up the carrots into pieces, before putting them into a small dish, before putting celery in a dish next to it. Placing the strainer in the sink, he poured out the long noodles, draining the water from them, before adding a tiny piece of butter to keep them from sticking as he started to shake them to get the water out. Pouring the noodles into a casserole a minute later, he added a few spices and sauces, before pulling out a small portion for Pan. Placing it on a plate, he then walked out to the living room and placed the three plates in front of her.
"Eat," he ordered.
When Pan immediately went at the noodles like a ravenous animal, he just rolled his eyes. It was only going to get worse as she got older too. He was thankful he wasn't hungry right now either, as he'd have cleared out their fridge.
"Thank you, Mister Gohan!" Pan said over to him, her mouth stuffed with food. The lack of table manners were hardly something Gohan noticed, given his own manners at any food station were just as terrible, if not worse.
It took only a few minutes for him to divide the remaining food up into several meals for Pan to reheat later, that much he trusted her to do with a microwave. Without even looking over, he simply commented...
"I don't hear you eating those vegetables," he remarked, using the same voice he'd often ordered men with before.
A frustrated noise escaped the living room, followed by the reluctant sound of the crunching of the healthier foods he'd provided.
"So," he finally said, before turning away from the kitchen finally, walking into the less then average sized living room. "Do you and your mom do alright out here?"
Pan seemed to pause at the comment, before looking down at her emptied bowl.
"Uhm..."
There was just a long pause. Without realizing it, Gohan's tail swished out from its belt like appearance, unfurling and moving towards the ground. Moving up, it took the end of her tail, and that was when he realized what he was doing. Looking up at him, with big blue eyes, Pan just gave him a real, genuine, even if somewhat sad smile.
"Mom likes training out here," Pan admitted.
"That's not what I asked," Gohan pointed out, kneeling down. "Are you and her doing alright?"
Looking over to her unconscious mother, and then back to Gohan, Pan just looked away. It was all the answer he needed.
Shit, I just have to come in here and play fucking social worker, don't I?
"I'll see if I can be around more," he then said, causing Pan to brighten. Now with her belly full as well, he noticed something flicker behind her eyes.
"OH! I drew this!" she shouted, before running out of the room, obviously to her own, to come hurrying back with a crudely drawn picture.
Taking it in his hands, he looked at the poorly traced lines, and badly made colours. Raising a brow, he looked back at her, unable to lie to her and tell her the drawing was good, but unwilling to hurt her feelings and tell her it was abysmal.
"I drew it! It's a picture of you, and my mommy, and my new grandpa!" she explained, moving over to point at all the characters, before pointing at herself, a little piece of coloured... blob, which had a big smile painted in it. "That's me!"
Looking back towards her, Gohan finally gave in, smiling back at her.
"Well, I'm sure you put a lot of time into it and-"
"Do you want it?" Pan asked, looking back at him hopefully. "Mommy doesn't like it, but... if you want it you can keep it."
Well, now he could at least see some of it. There was the desire for acceptance, something he knew he could relate to. Strangely, it brought back fond memories from his own past, in the darker days when he was destroying worlds. There weren't many fond memories, but he remembered when Turles had been... generous, in their Saiyan way. Even still, this was an example of her wanting to be generous to him.
"Of course I'll keep it," Gohan responded.
Finally, there was a groaning noise from the couch as Videl slowly started to come to.
"Where... where... am... I?" she whispered.
"Mommy!"
Shit.
In truth, Gohan had hoped he'd have gotten out of here before she came to again. Part of him wished he'd not even come. Not just because he'd been punched in the balls and nearly blown away the woman, but because it showed him something he didn't want to see. It showed him a damaged woman and her daughter, and how their circumstances were. He didn't get why she was damaged, and could only really understand it was because of him. It was likely because of his first time heading out on the town, and running into her. They had sex, and it was the first time he'd felt like a Saiyan again, after arriving on this planet. Fighting, hunting, and then even finding a woman who looked like a Saiyan who he'd been able to fuck. Not much consideration had been left for her side of things however.
It wasn't something he liked thinking about upon further examination. There was one thing he did know though. This all came about because he'd made another mistake, and it effected everyone else just as much as it effected him.
"Pan?" she asked, confused as to where she was still before turning her head weakly.
Standing up behind Pan, still in view, Gohan knew two dull eyes became alert almost immediately. A failed attempt to rise hurriedly only lead to her falling back, breathing erratically.
"What wrong?!" Pan asked in a panic, seeing how terrified her mother was obviously.
"Get away," she breathed. "Pan, get away from him."
Idly, Gohan wondered if it was a fear built into her from before, or a fear of how he'd blasted her without any effort. Personally, he just wished she'd calm down,and not be afraid at all.
"But... but..."
"Pan, do you want to go into your room, while your mother and I talk?" Gohan asked, looking down at her reassuringly.
The girl looked at her still terrified mother, and then back to him, before quickly running out of the room, her footsteps pattering against the wooden flooring. Gohan followed her movements until she rounded the corner, before turning his head back to Videl.
"I patched you up," Gohan offered a minute later, grabbing a chair from the kitchen and moving to sit down next to the couch. "And there is some food in the kitchen. Pan didn't have lunch yet. I'm also pretty sure I saved you from a giant bald headed nutcase."
The ice wall in front of him didn't seem to care, but silence was her only answer to his remark.
"Look, I came here to see if we could arrange something, where I would see Pan-"
"No."
"-and not cause any trouble. I came here calmly, and with civility, and you attacked me for it, lady. Look, I understand you're not my biggest fan, I get it, but-"
"N...not your biggest fan?" she asked, her voice filling with more rage with every word. "You... you... You raped me. You took all my power away from me and played with me, and then used me. Why would I hate you? Then... then you show up, and act like you can just be Pan's dad. You fucking come here with all that power of yours and just throw it around-"
The house rumbled for a moment as Gohan felt his anger spike, glaring at her. Just the gesture alone made Videl stop speaking. Ironically, he was throwing his power around to stop her onslaught. Everything she was saying, of course, was from her side of the story. The only problem was, upon reflection, it was hardly a wrong interpretation, at least the beginning of it.
"I'm not going to share my life story, Videl, as I don't think you're interested. What I am going to tell you is something very simple. I didn't come here to throw power around. I came here because I'm trying to turn my life around, and because I just want what's best for Pan. That's it, there is no hidden plan. I'm not the same person I was... before."
It was true, but that didn't exactly change their dynamic. Now it all made more sense though. All the hatred she felt for him, all the mistrust. For him it'd just been a fun night out, finally flexing after months of being on good behaviour with the Sons and what he thought of as a tyrant in Goku.
"I don't care," she responded. "I don't care if you saved the world, or that you think you've changed. I don't care how strong you are, all I care about is my daughter and-"
"Really?" Gohan responded, his features turning cooler. "Because you have such an in depth understanding of Saiyan biology, and how Pan is going to mature? You know what's best for her, exclusively? And the kid seems so happy too. I only had to talk to her for three minutes to figure out how neglected the kid is-"
By the time he finished saying it, he immediately regretted it. The painful anger that flashed in her eyes was automatic, and he could tell if she hadn't been acting defensively before, she was now.
"I have to protect my daughter, I have to get stronger. Look how pathetic I am. I can't protect her at all like this. A monster like you can just show up and do whatever they want. I'm nothing compared to you, so you have to come here and just fix everything? Well I'm going to be stronger then you are one day, and then-"
"You won't," Gohan responded bluntly. "And all you'll do is give your daughter the idea that you care more about how strong you are, then you care about her. Look, I'll be honest, I'm going to show up. I'm going to try and see Pan once a week. I'm going to try and spend time with her, because clearly you don't, and-"
"Get out," Videl hissed, her eyes intensifying on him.
Leaning over darkly, Gohan stared back at her with coal black eyes.
"All you're ever going to do is fight me, right?" Gohan sighed, before standing up. "Fine, fight away."
Turning, he prepared to go to Pan's room to say he's goodbye, before he heard a tiny voice behind him.
"With all that strength, why do you even care?" she asked, and it was a sincere question. "Why do you care about some girl's fate? You can do whatever you want, whenever you want."
It was a strange kind of comment, giving him only a brief window into the woman he would find himself dealing with. He could see where priorities lay. Strength was everything to her, and it was the justification for anything she did. Her love of her daughter was overshadowed by her desire, and fear, of power. She probably was so in control before the day he met her, that losing all of her perceived power in a moment ruined something inside of it. It was strange, as he knew something was twisted and ruined inside of him as well.
The afflicted, would always bring their afflictions onto the others.
"I care because I need to make up for some of what I've done," Gohan answered. "And if I can't make it up to you, then I'm going to try and make it up to her. She deserves better then me, but she deserves to at least have someone."
With those words, he walked from the room, knowing he left behind a woman whose pride was wounded once again. He didn't even want to hear a response if there was one, and he knew when he showed up, ever, there was going to be some kind of confrontation, at the very least though he hoped it'd stay verbal.
Stepping into his daughter's room, he looked around seeing the small room decorated with pictures of horses and characters from kids' television.
"Are you going?" she asked sadly, looking up at him.
He wanted to say no, just to make her happy, but the truth was the opposite.
"Yea, but I'll be around next week," he promised. "Your mom and I have a few things we need to discuss, but I think she'd better rest a bit and feel better before we do. I think she's kinda mad at me because I interrupted her training."
There was at first, a bright face appearing in front of him as he mentioned he'd be coming back, and then a dour, almost bitter face as soon as he mentioned training.
"She's always training," she said, turning and looking towards the new picture she was drawing, pressing crayon into the paper harder, trying to conceal her disappointment, or maybe even anger.
"Well, I don't think she will be next week. I'll see you then, okay Pan?"
"Okay, Mister Gohan," she answered, turning back to him and smiling brilliantly.
"And be good for your mom," Gohan then added, before smiling himself and stepping back from the room, closing the door behind him.
Turning around, he saw Videl, clinging to the wall, trying to hobble after him. She'd seen part of the exchange at least, and the two were left there staring at one another. She'd be training next week, he knew immediately, and she'd be likely in a great deal of pain doing it. Stepping towards her as he moved to leave, he did manage to turn his head slightly in her direction as he did.
"You should take care of yourself," he said honestly. "You need rest."
"And you need to mind your own business," she shot back.
Letting out a huff of air through his nose, almost laughing, Gohan saw the response coming before she even uttered it.
When he got outside, looking out across all the downed and destroyed trees, he already knew what he was going to end up doing next out dead brush was going to be overwhelmingly fun, wasn't it?
Well, this entire disaster zone could have gone better.
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Author's Notes:
So, just letting everyone know, with the end of the last chapter, and the beginning of this one, I really wanted to finish off a lot of Gohan's issues with his parents. I think I've done that pretty well. He loves his parents of course, and he's going to see them, but as a primary focus, that's kinda disappearing from the story. This is roughly half-way through the story as well, at least in terms of what I have planned. For the first half of the story, it was mainly about Gohan and the Sons.
For the second half, its much more around Gohan, Goten, Videl, and Pan. Goku, Chi-Chi, and Piccolo all have big roles still, and even get some dedicated chapters, but the first four listed really take centre stage over this saga, and the three following it.
I'll let you guys know a bit about the following couple chapters.
Next chapter will once again be centred on Videl, Gohan, and Pan. Expect things to be bizarre and kind of disturbed at times as we travel down this stretch of The Long Road. Psychologically, Gohan and Videl are hardly the most stable people.
For the chapter after that, we're going to get a Goku, Goten, and Chi-Chi centred Chapter, and Goku is going to be looking for what exactly happened with Dende and Popo.
There will also be a segment in the next two chapters, or perhaps the third chapter, with the Supreme Kai and Kibito!
Expect the next update in 2-3 weeks. I'm trying hard for 2, but these chapters aren't the easiest to write.
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Reviewers:
Kaosmoshpit: Well, that's good to hear. :D
xdevil-childx: Yea, I needed to finish off that arc as best as I could.
Young VI: Thanks.
MasenkoX: I thought it was good.
Chemistry-Deaf: "Relationship". I dunno if things are going to end up happily ever after for these two.
ShadowLDrago: We'll be touching on how Broly and "Kakarot" are doing eventually do.
R: And now you have that opportunity! Not just for this chapter, but for the next as well!
Calewelt: Wait no longer. As to character development? The story needs to be about that, without it, why bother reading?
Pyromania101: I sincerely appreciate the feedback. I was super nervous when I posted this chapter.
VuvuzelaHero: I was so close to the 800 mark! Oh well, what can you do?
Guest1: Well, of course Saiyans can feel love. Their problems are largely cultural, not biological.
ShadowFFD: They don't know where new Namek is. And everyone's been dead for way too long.
Masenko56: Yep, that was a giant mistake.
Brograham18: Thanks!
Sekhelmet: I know, it was pretty sneaky. I had enough of this chapter done at the time, so I felt I could give people the chance to get the update quicker if they wanted. Sadly, not enough people wanted it.
MaxPain32: Yea, a lot of people teared up that chapter.
Brelic: Yea... Yea... lol
maesade: It's kinda sad, as I like writing Future Trunks, but all good things really must come to an end.
DBZfanthefirst: Thank you! I'll try.
Heseltine: Neat! Apparently a lot of people teared up for this chapter. Telling Chi-Chi would have been needlessly cruel, and Gohan wasn't sending her the message to be a dickhead, lol
ICOTAN: For at least the next... 4-6 chapters, there won't be much action at all. It'll all be building up to the next big thing. Which I am not going to reveal yet! Lol
Dr. Blue22: You're excited for watching Videl and Gohan despise one another eh? Lol. Trust me, this is one of the darker, and stranger parts of the story. Neither of these people are 'right' in the head.
Thejabber: Ask and ye shall receive. The story heavily focuses on those three from this point forward.
Guest2: :(
TS24: We didn't hit the mark, but without much of a delay, the story has been updated. Unless I'm a bit further ahead, I will probably be posting bi-weekly. No promises though. Of course, the more reviews I get, the more likely I am to work less on my other 3 writing projects, lol
The Void Fox: So much happiness and sadness!
DarkKnightShiva: I try to be fair.
Lildynamic: We were only 12 shy when the date rolled around, and only 8 shy this week. I asked a lot of people of course, but the idea of updating more quickly then normal means I've got to ask for a near-unreasonable number, lol.
Lourdes-Sunrise-Princess: This is just the start to Videl and Gohan's story. This Saga's character development really relies on Gohan, Pan, and Videl. It's really all about them. For the moment Gohan seems to have rallied a bit more, but his own issues will come up over the coming chapters as well.
Daughter of Vegeta: Better to do things right, then avoid them, I figure.
Guest3: Videl wants to have a real purpose in life, and wants to feel like she's powerful. The damage from the assault on the rooftop basically has driven her to be obsessive.
An9454: :)
Son Akito: Thanks! Yea, as I said, I scrapped that ending because this one just seemed better, between Chi-Chi and Gohan.
Lazybum131: I've been putting a lot into this chapter and the next one, so hopefully people enjoy my vision for things.
M33sha: Chi-Chi likes people who look formal, official, and successful. He wore the suit to basically give off a certain impression of himself. The worst thing he could have done was that interview in fighting attire, lol
Guest4: Another victim of tears! Delicious tears! Lol
Sid89: Thanks! Yea, I really felt I needed to finish off a lot of his development with his immediate family this way, it only made sense.
Tytyty: Thanks!
Morisako83: Sadly, Chi-Chi and Goku take a bit of a step back moving forward, at least until the next saga.
XXXpossessedforlifeXXX: I'd chalk it more up to people expecting more, so I'm going to try and deliver more. Which means chapters are becoming harder to write, but are hopefully better.
Eveline: Gohan's made some peace with the past he made for himself in the Planet Trade... not everything is resolved yet.
Nuban: Hopefully I can keep all my chapters around that quality then, as there is going to be a fair bit of build up to the next fights.
Tomorrow4eva: I figured it gave Gohan a chance to write some of the wrongs he's not directly responsible for, but somewhat is. Also, the idea of Chi-Chi being left alone, miserable, and left wondering what happened to her son, was unacceptable to him.
En Satsu Koku Ryuu Ha: I hope this chapter lived up to expectations.
Guest5: I've actually been itching to respond to this review, not because of its critical nature, but because I don't think you understand how this story has been designed, or written. Gohan doesn't get magically better after one scene, you see. He gets better after multiple scenes. Different chapters focusing on different aspects of his past, or his problems. This entire story is planned, I'm not dragging it out. Which by the way, I don't like being accused of, that is one thing that sticks in my craw sir. I write each chapter to deal with certain things. Of course, there is also the failure to realize on your part, that he's not just saying goodbye to Mirai Chi-Chi, he's also really finishing a lot of the healing he's needed on a familial level.
But I'll tell you what. I'll cut out half the development going forward. If I'd cut out half the development, Gohan would have sided with Turles and killed everyone. Or he'd have killed Mirai Trunks in the ring. This story is taking as long as it should. It's about developing and exploring the characters in it, and if that is some kind of issue, I apologize.
Champblade: Thanks!
Asweetlilpixe: Aw! But it was such a happy ending!...
Guest6: I concur
Peter1398: Gohan and Vegeta have yet to fight, they may or may not during the story. Vegeta's dislike is perhaps somewhat jealous, but really it boils down to the idea that he sees Gohan as a traitor. While he, Nappa, and Raditz were in the system, they were constantly thinking of a way out, or to kill Frieza. Gohan had no such ambitions, which makes him much more suspect.