Gohan breathed heavy as he stood crouched to strike. Sweat dripped down his neck as he watched Chichi stand before him. She was as poised and focused as ever, like she hadn't just spent the last hour landing successful blow after blow. Her hands were straight as if they were spearheads on the ends of her arms, her nails sharp and gleaned in the sunlight.
He knew she had to be bearing her own bruises from the few attacks he could land, though she didn't show that they bothered her. Where he had his natural born strength and stamina, she had practice. Everyday as a mother she handled cooking, cleaning, rough housing. She was also a skilled lady in standing firm despite the challenges most women never had to face. Gohan felt his body was about to give but he wanted to push further. His leg stumbled away from him just an inch as his mind dizzied.
Gohan saw Chichi lunge for him but then his vision shifted. That's not mom that's… His eyes widened at the sight of the large man from his nightmare, the one who killed Piccolo. Gohan yelled as the large man struck his face, sending him to the ground.
"Gohan!" Chichi screamed, kneeling beside him.
Gohan quickly glanced around after the pain in his cheek instantly faded. The man was no where. Gohan then looked to his worry stricken mother. "Sorry… I'm sorry. I'm fine."
Chichi stilled before speaking. "I didn't even hit you and the fear on your face… You weren't all here were you? What did you see?"
Gohan frowned, his brow creased. He clenched his fingers as they began to tremble. "It's nothing. Just an old memory."
Chichi took a sharp inhale. "It was the old fight wasn't it?! Is this the first it's happened?! I'm getting Kami!"
Chichi stood hastily to leave. Gohan's eyes widened as he realized what she was about to do. He begged "No please. Don't lock my memories again."
"Piccolo and I had an agreement. The instant you started showing signs like this, he was going to leave again and you were going to forget." Chichi explained.
"I can't lose them again." Gohan felt his body turn numb, stunned by a fear worse than his hallucination.
"There are more important things than your memories Gohan! Why would you want to remember such dark things?!" Chichi cried as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I can't see you become like that again. The screaming, the distant look… I can't stand it."
"I'll lose more than a year of my life again if you do it. A large enough piece that even when I didn't know it was gone, I could feel the emptiness. I missed Piccolo whom I didn't know existed. I never want to lose that time again nor someone so integral to my life." Gohan replied, his voice a ghost of what could have been a whisper.
"Integral? Your life has been at risk every time he was around you." Chichi argued.
"I wouldn't be alive let alone the man I am today without him!" Gohan spoke louder as a wisp of anger rose in him. "He protected me in that fight and even from my own uncle. So yes he's integral, vital, essential, choose whichever. He has taken every sacrifice for me."
"As he should! Your well being comes first before everything." Chichi said.
"I'm not more important than him though! I've noticed you don't favor his company but he is my dearest friend. He is not a danger to me like you think he is. Alternatively he is the very reason I survive anything." Gohan argued.
Chichi held her breath as her frown drew to a thin line. When she spoke again it was soft "I know he's important to you. I know he's done a lot of good for you and I don't want to ruin that but… it- it doesn't change the fact that he has always been the trigger for-"
"But he wasn't this time." Gohan interrupted. "Piccolo is nowhere near and it happened anyway. I've been able to last this long and spend time with him without any side effect. Let me try to process it fully, to work through it, before you try to take it all away again. Let me improve."
Chichi studied Gohan's eyes as she considered his request. "Alright. No more training today though."
Gohan nodded as she swiftly gathered her dressings and headed to the house. He stayed in the garden for a while to calm himself. He wiped his face as his heart burned. Beating so hard and fast it hurt more than not being able to breathe.
After a while of crying and a long silence finally fell on him, Gohan slowly exhaled. Though the moment had passed, he feared having another hallucination. They were one of the signs Piccolo was waiting to see before he would step away from Gohan again. He never wanted to be without Piccolo even if it meant his mind would degrade to a useless rotten pudding.
Gohan stood and straightened himself. Inside the house he found his mother in the kitchen stress baking.
"I want to apologize. I have to remind myself that you're old enough to make your own decisions." Chichi looked up to him once quickly before turning back to her mixing bowl with another dough in the making her eyes still sore and pink. She slid a plate adorned in a variety of snaps, doodles, and chips. "I know you're probably not hungry yet but if you'd like some cookies…"
Gohan sat at the counter and slowly nibbled on a gingersnap. "I think I did work up a bit of an appetite."
Chichi gave a weak smile. Her anxiety visibly ebbing away with his presence. "By the way, did you uh… get the chance to discover what you needed to? Any development?"
Gohan blushed, surprised she had asked. He forgot that was the last thing he mentioned to her before leaving the day before. He took a bracing bite of his cookie before answering. "I did actually. It turns out my friends were right."
"Someone very special?" Chichi asked a cheerful lilt in her voice.
"Yes… very special." Gohan sighed with a smile. He felt a bit rebellious that she had no idea he was falling for the very man she wouldn't have approved. Actually, I think I'll keep it this way for as long as I can.
"Good." Chichi grinned. "I'm happy for you."
Gohan hummed in his chest. "Thanks, I'm happy too."
"Why do you think he's so sensitive about Gohan?" Yamcha inquired as he munched down on a small puffed pastry. He stood on the street side with Tien, leaning against a building with a bag of treats in his hand.
"Are you seriously asking this?" Tien glared.
"Yes, I am. You don't think it's a bit strange of all people in this ragtag team Gohan is the one who befriended him? Also he only helps when Goku asks him to." Yamcha argued.
"We don't know him like they do." Tien began.
"We know him plenty. We were all there when he-!" Yamcha almost squeezed the bag when Tien interrupted him.
"Just because we know what happened, does not mean we know him." Tien's eyes were sharp as he looked to his friend. "I have experience in thinking I knew someone only to realize how wrong I was. None of us have talked to him or tried to understand him."
"Krillin and I have tried to talk to him every time he finally shows for a fight but he refuses to connect. So why Gohan?" Yamcha said.
"You think Gohan used the same casual greetings and half-hearted jokes you guys do?" Tien asked. "Everyone, Goku included, has a history that is impossible to entirely look past and build a proper connection. Gohan wasn't born yet when everything happened so he was a fresh slate, untainted by pain. He could only ever look up to the man with undiluted trust and innocence. None of us could have done that."
Yamcha looked into his bag pensively. "Goku doesn't hold on to feelings like that though. He did a lot to try to reach out to him and help."
"Goku has some rough feelings towards him but mostly because I think Piccolo is the only person he couldn't just smile at and help. Even when Goku trusted him with the most important thing someone could, his own son, Piccolo can't open up to him fully. Because of what Goku's had to do to him before, they may never grow closer than they are now." Tien explained.
"But that was years ago and we straightened everything." Yamcha said.
"You think a few years in solitude and everyone just saying 'we forgive you' is going to mend it all and he'll just be another member of the group?" Tien asked. "It wasn't like you and I where we were just misguided and doing what we could. Most people don't get to bring about two of the world's darkest eras and walk around running a coffee shop like it's nothing. The fact he can is progress and blessing enough. I wouldn't question it further even if it was Gohan who did it."
"I just don't understand." Yamcha sighed as he roughly bit into another puff.
"Unfortunately you and I will probably never understand it beyond the fact that Gohan performed a miracle." Tien turned his gaze back to the streets. "So we just accept it and let him be. If not acknowledging it, makes it easier for him to feel concern and show he cares at least for the kid, I will take it."
"Alright. I'll agree with that." Yamcha nodded.
Piccolo floated over the town, not caring if anyone spotted him being that he was too high he would only appear as a strange bird or speck in the sky. His focus deep and strained as he turned all of his senses to the entirety of the town and some towards Gohan's home. With all of the hours wasted and no results, he was becoming aggravated. Nerves on their last inch of tolerance. The sky darkened around him as he resolved that he was getting nowhere.
Over the next few days, he and the others would continue the cycles of search but find still nothing. Eventually they all settled to wait until the next strike. This time no one would be left alone, everyone kept in touch with one another. Goku returned home and Piccolo checked in every night with Gohan. One night Piccolo forced himself to ask Gohan who happily complied and allowed Piccolo into his mind to see the night he was attacked and in his free time provided a basic sketch of the twins to show the others.
Every now and then Tien, Yamcha, and Krillin would search again with the images in hand but the rest focused on the arrival of the dinner party. They tried to convince Chichi it should have been canceled but she argued that it was much too late and, with only the group aware of the danger, it wouldn't look good for Gohan.
Piccolo stood in a large room with Gohan and Goku, preparing seating and table arrangements for the party the very next day. They had gotten decently far with Chichi's strict instructions on how it should look. She had left the room after inspecting the development once again when the front door erupted with loud knocking.
"Oh he's here, I'll get that." Goku smiled and eagerly leapt through the halls, leaving Gohan and Piccolo alone to finish.
"I forgot Vegeta is coming to help stand by if anything happens during the party." Gohan winced slightly as he set place cards to each seat. He had heard things about the man and wasn't sure still how to act.
"Are you sure you're alright with him here?" Piccolo asked as his eyes pressed his concern.
"I'm sure it'll be fine. Though I've never met him, I've heard good things. Despite his temper." Gohan answered.
Piccolo tensed and firmly set the chair in his hands to the floor. "You have met him though. Don't you remember?"
"Remember what?" Gohan asked, worry setting in as he saw Piccolo's reaction.
"He was at the fight!" Piccolo began shouting. "Didn't Goku explain that?!"
"What? No he didn't mention anything about Vegeta." Gohan's brows scrunched as his spine pricked and stung at the mention of the fight.
"Gohan, he's-!" Piccolo began as the doors opened and Goku returned with Vegeta just behind.
Gohan's eyes widened as his vision tuned into every detail of the man. The short but confident stance, fine black suit with every button polished, a glare that could kill. It was that glare that he felt sunk into. The cold eyes that returned him back to the bloodied field, watching the slaughter with mild amusement.
Piccolo caught Gohan before he collapsed to the floor. Fangs threateningly flashed as he roared "GET OUT! NOW!"
Vegeta nodded and stepped back to the hall. Goku tried to approach his son to help but Piccolo's glare convinced him to act otherwise and he retreated with Vegeta.
"Kid? Wake up Gohan." Piccolo ran a hand gently along Gohan's cheek, hoping any stimulation would stir him. He hated the sight of Gohan's eyes glazed over and wide in terror. "You're still here with me. The fight is long over."
Gohan could hear only the slight echo of Piccolo's words as he was forced to watch the large man, Vegeta's partner, kill everyone again. He fought to look away and focused on Piccolo's voice. Shortly after blinking a couple times he had returned to the room, Piccolo holding him. He tugged on Piccolo's sleeve as he felt his heart bursting. He could only breathe in small bursts like his lungs were full of glass marbles.
Piccolo helped Gohan sit up. He spoke softly as he rubbed Gohan's back. "As slow as you can… breathe."
Focusing on the rhythm of the strokes on his spine Gohan felt himself calm. The movement like warm honey and it was pulling him in. After a few more regular breaths he found confident in speaking. "I'm alright, I'm fi-fine."
"You're clearly not fine." Piccolo said. "You just had one hell of a panic attack. We can do this without Vegeta and-"
"No." Gohan didn't want to hear what else Piccolo planned after seeing him collapse. He forced himself to stand and only braced himself for a second on the back of a chair as he headed to the door. Vegeta's different now. He's married to Bulma and has a son. He's a prince. I don't remember him killing anyone. He's just another guy my father defeated… I can do this.
Gohan stood as straight as he could and opened the door to see his father and Vegeta waiting. Vegeta turned to him, arms crossed. He spotted the bruise on his father's cheek but said nothing as he felt Piccolo standing just behind him. He knew he looked pale and might have still shaken slightly but he pressed on. "My apologies."
"Do not apologize to me." Vegeta said, his voice brash as he glared at Gohan. "The whole point of me coming a day early was to ensure you could handle my presence here but Goku's fumbled the whole thing. As your father, it's his responsibility, not yours."
Gohan felt a smile soften his face. Well he seems fair in judgment. "Thank you for coming to help."
"Few can hold their own against anyone of saiyan descent. After what I heard happened to you of course you'd need my strength." Vegeta smirked as he turned and left down the hall seemingly towards the kitchen.
"Gohan, I'm really sorry. I thought I had explained it and given you time to prepare." Goku frowned as he rubbed his head. He looked to both Piccolo and Gohan.
"It's alright. I understand there was a lot to cover and it's easy to miss something." Gohan replied.
"Don't be so quick to forgive Gohan." Piccolo growled.
"It's a simple matter and it's resolved now." Gohan stepped aside and faced Piccolo.
"It could have been much worse!" Piccolo glared at Goku.
"You're right. Thank you for helping him… again. I'll let you relax." Goku turned and followed the hall Vegeta had taken.
Gohan felt a sour taste in his mouth at the scene. He returned to the room and grabbed another pile of cards to set.
"Gohan?" Piccolo asked as he watched Gohan move about the tables.
"He does know it… that I should have known Vegeta was involved before he arrived. Did you have to make him feel that way?" Gohan asked hoping maybe he was too quiet and went unheard.
Piccolo crossed his arms as he sighed. He stepped beside Gohan and followed him as he went. "I didn't mean to upset you. I didn't want him to feel like he did either. I'm upset that this was simple enough to avoid. You shouldn't have had that panic attack."
Gohan nodded slightly, keeping silent as he went along and listened.
"I'm sorry. I never meant to make him feel like a failed parent." Piccolo placed a hand to Gohan's shoulder, making him pause and turn. "He does his best. Although if we're honest, Chichi is the fully functional adult while Goku is horrendously lucky."
Gohan let slip a small chuckle.
"If I know Goku, he'll chirp on up again any minute now especially after any snacks he steals from the kitchen. Besides it isn't my opinion that matters on if he's a good father or not. It's yours and his." Piccolo smirked.
"You're right. As usual." Gohan laughed. He and Piccolo finished setting the room. Leaving nothing but to wait until the following day.