Hi. I don't own Dragon Ball Z or any of it's affiliates. Thumbnail picture has been drawn by myself. Enjoy the fic!
Prologue
He found her sitting on the lush grass, her delicate fingers tickling a small baby girl. The woman was lounging near the edge of a lake but neither she nor her child could see him.
Hopefully it would stay that way. Invisibility was a simple enough trick (if you knew how to do it) but caution was still needed. Breaking the rules was far easier when no one found you breaking them in the first place...
He watched the sun slowly set while mother and daughter continued playing by the edge of the lake, undisturbed and unknowing of his presence. From afar he caught sight of the young woman's smile and couldn't help but smile back. He had always known she was beautiful (in his world at least), the nearby lake only amplifying this notion as the sunset made it appear to glow amber. He knew it wouldn't last but for a moment he could fool himself into believing the mother and daughter were two ethereal beings surrounded by shades of bronze and gold. A secret treasure never to be disturbed by the likes of him again.
The baby girl rested on her mothers legs, happy and cooing with glee, her chubby little fists reaching for her mothers face as her mother began humming a sweet tune. It was one The Watcher had heard from his own mother, many years ago. And not one he'd ever hope to hear again.
The tender moment evoked a vague feeling from The Watcher but it was soon washed away with a sudden tension. He shouldn't be here...Why do this to himself?
…was he really so weak...?
He'd tell himself it was to 'check on their safety', but even he knew that was a lie.
By the mother and child stood an ancient tree. It was hunched over the lake with its leaves almost touching the waters surface. A mere thought and the tree could tell The Watcher all it had seen if he so desired. Such information was always at the ready with a power like his. But it wasn't enough. It would never be enough. And he would ask himself what was the point of all this 'incredible power' if he couldn't even make things right? Or even explain to her...
...he tried not to think about it. Because thinking brought pain and no solutions.
The mother brushed a strand of dark hair away from her baby daughters eyes and The Watcher noted how long it was getting... he frowned and turned awy. Just how long had he been gone this time..?
They didn't deserve this. None of this.
What they needed was someone who could be there for them. Someone physically present... not this unknowing...
The Watcher clenched his fists and breathed sharply though his nose. He never wanted to repeat the mistakes of his father but here he was; absent and off to train. A mere ghost of his former self now. And the cold hard truth following him everywhere he went; that he could never be part of his family's lives again. No matter how much he wished it. Not even on Dragon Balls.
He looked back at the couple and wondered, how could this have happened?
It was an awful question and one which would always elude him. At his worst it would cycle over and over in his mind trying to discover where he had gone so wrong... How could events have gone so astray as to separate himself from those he loved most?
Why can't I stay with you?
Could he have made better choices? Been more aware? Maybe he could have trained more before all this?
I just want to be there for you…
If only things could have been different. If only things could have been… right...but that was all just a fantasy now for he knew that things would never be right again. He was so far removed, so different, that he wasn't even sure whether there was any human left in him to begin with. Oh sure, he looked normal. But normal had no meaning to him now...
He could no longer sleep or dream. He was forgetting to love, he was sure of it… and now he was burdoned with responsibilities he never saw comming.
So many responsibilities...
And he would forfeit them all in a heartbeat if it meant being with her again.
But that wasn't an option. He had a duty to uphold and that duty had changed him to the core of his being. Even death wouldn't save him from his fate (not that he would be remembered in death anyway). Even a free pass to Other World would be better than this.
If only you could know…
He closed his tired eyes. Eyes which should never feel tired, but they did. And he bowed his head.
I can't stay with you…
His ears pricked when the mother laughed again and he realised with a potent type of clarity that if he were to fail, the fabric of the very universe could unravel… He was doing this for them…
…right?
Gohan observed Videl and their baby daughter's smiling faces one last time, reflecting on what had caused such catastrophe… It had all began right after they had defeated Majin Buu…
AUTHORS NOTE:
Hi again,
This is a fanfic idea which has been very dear and close to my heart for a very VERY long time. I hope I can do this story justice and bring you some great Gohan moments! EmeraldSaiyan has been a marvelous close friend and supporter in helping me make this fanfic happen. So a big thank you to her! If you haven't heard of her yet, please go check out her work on as she is extremely talented and has some excellent Gohan fics which she has written! Also massive thanks to Chosen to Die who always gives the best prep talks when i'm feeling low and is one of the wisest people I know! Without both these peoples I don't think I would have gotten this far!
If you have enjoyed this you'll be pleased to hear (read?) I have most of Chapter 1 drafted up! So it shouldn't be too far away but i still feel quite new to the whole writing thing therefore it might take a little while to make it "just right". It'll ofcourse be a lot bigger than the prologue (and a bit more light hearted!) haha! So feel free to add this to your follows if I have perked your interest...
Ofcourse any feedback would be very welcome - apologies if I have created too much mystery. The answers will come one day!
Until next time!
o- Nyx -o