The next year flew by in a blur of training.
Tien and Chiaotzu trained in the northern mountains, far from civilization.
Yamcha and Vegeta trained at the Capsule Corp. compound, albeit separately.
Krillin continued to train Chi-Chi just a few hundred yards where Goku, Gohan, and Piccolo trained in the 439 East Mountain District.
"To be completely honest with you, I can't believe you're actually sticking with this," Krillin admitted.
"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Chi-Chi demanded, looking down at her instructor.
"Ah, well, you know!" Krillin stuttered, falling out of his stance.
She sighed. "Do you know what it feels like to always be left behind?" she asked, lowering her voice. "If my husband and son insist on charging head first into life or death battles all the time, then you better believe I'll be there, too. I will do anything to protect my Gohan. Anything!"
"Right," Krillin said, unsure of what else he could say. After all, he and Chi-Chi had never exactly been friends. So when she showed up at Kame House one day demanding to be trained, it was sheer intimidation that made Krillin succumb to her will. And as a former martial artist, Chi-Chi actually had great potential to become a Z-Fighter.
They had grown closer over the years, but they were still student and teacher, not friends. And so the silence had become slightly awkward.
"I bet the boys are hungry," she said suddenly. "Let's break so I can make lunch."
"Good idea," Krillin readily agreed.
As the man started to lift off the ground, Chi-Chi's next words halted him. "Thank you," she said, sincerely. "Thank you for helping me protect my family."
A genuine smile spreading across his lips, Krillin nodded once before taking flight.
The pair flew off toward the Son residence, raising their energy slightly so the Saiyans and Namekian would return as well.
While her premade lunches weren't nearly as delicious as her fresh cooking, everything Chi-Chi touched in the kitchen turned to gold. And so Goku, Gohan, and Piccolo had turned up in no time. Hands on shoulders, the three warriors materialized into existence with Gohan standing in the middle, two fingers pressed to his forehead.
"Hi, Mom!" Gohan said, running up to hug his mother. He had grown taller, and his torn gi revealed the beginnings of toned pectorals.
"Have you been training hard?" she asked with a small smile, brushing her fingers through his sweaty hair.
He nodded eagerly. "Yep!" he squeaked. "Piccolo even taught me a new move, and it worked on Dad!"
"Oh, did he?" she drawled, still not completely over Piccolo's kidnapping days. The Namek, sensing her hostility, promptly turned away. Goku merely laughed and recounted the story, much to Krillin's interest.
"Special Beam Cannon?" Krillin said, surprised. "Isn't that what killed you and Raditz, Goku?"
The Saiyan grinned. "Yep! Gohan's pretty accurate with it, too. Hit me right in the chest on his first try-"
Gohan helped his mother set the table. Since it was such a nice day, and they had company, Chi-Chi decided it would be a good idea to eat outside on their picnic table.
His grip faltered and a large dish of fried rice clattered to the floor.
The most beautiful woman Gohan had ever seen filled his vision. Her icy blue eyes seemed to drill a hole straight through him. She stared, unamused, as she pushed a stray lock of blonde hair behind her ears. She stood alone in the middle of an empty road, looking as innocent as ever.
Her face hardened, eyes widening slightly as an indiscernible figure in blue lunged toward her, knocking her back into a cliff. Chunks of rock exploded outward, further obscuring everything from view.
His sight cleared suddenly, and Gohan blinked to find his mother fussing over the mess.
"I swear, I should've never compromised on your study schedule!" she grumbled, sweeping the scattered rice grains into a dustpan. "I would have never let you train for the Androids if I had known you would become such a delinquent!"
Piccolo sent Gohan a knowing look. The boy gave a subtle nod back, assuring his friend that nothing was amiss.
Goku had already begun filling up on what Chi-Chi had managed to get into the table, and Krillin simply looked on in confusion. "Are you feeling okay, Gohan?" he asked.
"Yeah, just fine," the child lied.
"Aside from watching another helpless person being murdered," Gohan thought. "And it must've been by an Android, too..."
His fists clenched as he walked back into the kitchen, intent on getting a moment alone to collect himself.
"Bardock," he said quietly. "Are you there, Bardock?"
It's not as if he could call upon the dead man at will, but Gohan still felt a bitter disappointment when he didn't receive a response.
"Hindsight may be 20/20," he thought, "but I'm running blind on foresight alone…"
Later that night, Gohan snuck out of his window.
He warmed up with a few simple katas, and then went for a jog around the mountain range. The cool air stung at his lungs, but he had long since grown used to the sensation.
He had to be better. He had to be stronger- faster! He needed to be at his best if they were going to stand a chance against the Androids.
He couldn't afford to freeze up when the fate of humanity was at stake.
Gohan came to an abrupt stop, falling back painfully on the spot where his tail had once been. With a yelp, he rubbed his lower back. Looking up, he saw he had run into the hard chest of his father, the man clad only in a pair of boxer shorts.
"Gohan," Goku said. "What are you doing out at this hour? You should be asleep, son."
"Oh… Hi, Daddy," Gohan said. He cringed, realizing he had called his father daddy. After all, hardened warriors probably didn't call their fathers 'daddy.'
Goku looked at him expectantly, and when Gohan refused to meet his eye, Goku sighed.
"What did I tell you about training? About letting your muscles rest?"
Ashamed, Gohan stood with his head bowed. "It's good to let muscles rest… they build back up and get stronger when given a break."
Goku nodded. "Exactly. Now, I know I'm not the smartest guy, but I bet you know even more about it from your textbooks, am I right?"
"Yeah," Gohan muttered. "The muscle fibres tear during exercise, so your body is only able to make repairs when they're not in use."
"I'm going to ask you again, Gohan," Goku said gently, kneeling down to get a better look at his son. "What are you doing out here? What's the matter?"
The hiccups came without warning, and soon Gohan found himself sobbing into the crook of his father's neck. Warm arms enveloped him, shielding him from the chilly breeze.
"Let it all out," Goku whispered, just loud enough for the boy to hear. "Let it all out, Gohan."
"I'm scared," the boy confessed. "He said so many people would die, Dad. What if we can't stop the Androids in time?"
"Don't think like that," Goku told him sternly. "You'll get nowhere in life if you think like that. You're setting yourself up for failure before you've even tried."
"But how can you be so calm?" Gohan cried. "How can you act like everything is going to be alright when you don't know that for sure?"
"That's easy," Goku answered. "Nobody knows if everything will be alright, or if it won't, so why waste your energy thinking about all the bad things that could happen? You could spend that time and energy doing good things and trying to help people."
The 8-year-old felt more tears escaping his closed lids. He knew his father wouldn't understand. He loved Goku, but they were so different on a fundamental level. Fear and anxiety can't simply be waved away with optimism- not for Gohan, anyway.
"Okay," was all he said.
Thinking the issue resolved, Goku used instant transmission to take them back. Using Chi-Chi's energy as a guide, the pair materialised outside of the master bedroom.
"Do you want to sleep with us, little man?" Goku asked, ruffling his son's hair.
Wiping at his eyes, Gohan hesitated before nodding.
"Okay, but just this once, alright?" Goku whispered. "I have a feeling your mom won't be too happy if you do this all the time."
Nodding, Gohan took Goku's hand as the man led them inside the bedroom. The faint moonlight coming from an almost-closed curtain gave the Saiyans enough light to see with. Chi-Chi lay on her side, clearly asleep in some kind of sleeveless nightgown. Gohan undressed before crawling into the bed next to her. Placing his son's purple gi on his nightstand, Goku followed the boy into bed.
Gohan didn't sleep well. On either side of him, his parents slept rather peacefully, aside from Goku's snoring and incessant tossing and turning.
Something nagged at the back of the half-Saiyan's mind. He felt like this moment shouldn't be wasted in sleep.
He wanted to make it last.