Gohan groaned at the sound of his mother's shrill voice so early in the morning. Dark eyes now open, the 13-year-old boy stared at the space above his bed for a full minute, willing himself to wake up.

He yawned and tugged the blanket off of him, only to reveal a small tent in his pyjama pants. With a groan of exasperation, he fell back into bed, hands covering his face. The pulse between his legs, once noticed, soon became impossible to ignore. He wasn't sure when he had started waking up with this strange occurrence, but it had started fairly recently. He had a strong urge to do something about it, but he wasn't sure what exactly.

Over the past year or two, he had been feeling... off. He still studied, but it didn't bring him joy like it used to. He went through the motions to make his mother happy, and he often times didn't leave his bed if given the choice entirely. He didn't feel tired, but he didn't feel rested, either.

He didn't feel much of anything anymore.

Monitoring his mother's energy signal for a few seconds, he felt her moving around the kitchen area, probably finishing up breakfast. He was hungry, but he knew he couldn't go downstairs looking like this.

"This sucks," he thought, kicking the rest of his blanket off. He felt hot and bothered and agitated. Despite being able to sense energy, Gohan still looked to the door. Confirming he was alone with the door closed, he let a hand wander down his smooth stomach and into his boxer shorts.

A fumbling five minutes later, he came, crying out in pleasure and relief. He looked down at himself, his head spinning, lungs heaving, and groin tingling. What he could only presume was semen coated the inside of his boxers, as well as his right hand and lower abdomen.

The gratification was fleeting, and a strange sense of shame and disgust washed over Gohan.

While he wasn't quite sure what had just happened, he knew he probably shouldn't mention it to his mother. He sat up, ready to wait for his erection to deflate before using the bathroom.

Instead, a scream paralyzed him, and he found his mother standing in the doorway of his bedroom. Despite still wearing his underwear, Gohan lunged forward to pull the blanket over his body, and Chi-Chi slammed the door shut behind her as she leapt from the room.

Needless to say, breakfast was awkward.

After nearly ten minutes of silence, Chi-Chi spoke up. "Gohan?"

He didn't say anything, a deep, red flush still staining his cheeks, and ears. Instead, he merely slumped lower into his chair. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, so softly that she almost didn't hear him.

Eyes wide, Chi-Chi visibly backpedalled. "No, no!" She said, frantic. "I didn't mean- it's just- that's perfectly normal, Gohan. You know, it's normal- what you were doing, that is."

He met her eyes briefly before looking away again, still too mortified to say anything.

Chi-Chi took a deep breath before continuing, "If anyone should apologise, it should be me," she said. "I shouldn't have- well, I should have knocked. You're not a little boy anymore, as much as I want you to be. I felt your energy change and I thought- I though should check up on you-" she stopped, the words dying in her mouth.

"It's okay," Gohan said weakly.

She continued to speak as if she hadn't heard him, her mouth moving faster as she grew more emotional. "Ever since your father died, I've been so afraid. I lost him- I've lost him so many times." Her voice grew ragged and her eyes clouded over with grief. "I lost my Goku. And then Daddy. And then- and then I lost him-"

At the mention of her miscarriage, she broke down in sobs, tears seeping through her fingers as she tried to hide her face. His earlier shame completely forgotten, Gohan jumped out of his chair and rushed to his mother's side.

"Oh, Gohan! Oh my sweet little Gohan," she continued, engulfing him in a big hug. "I felt your energy spike. I thought something had happened! Oh, Gohan, I don't know what I would do if something ever happened to you!"

Seeing the strongest woman in the world collapse under the weight of her emotions shook Gohan to the core. Even as a child, before his mother had been able to manipulate energy, she was always a fearless and strong-willed woman. This was the woman who wore a brave throughout it all- the very same woman Gohan couldn't help but love and admire.

But now, she was falling apart.

Tears slipping down his own face, Gohan rubbed her back in the same way she did to him as a toddler. The same way she would've done to his baby brother, had he been born.

The thought of a sibling almost made him choke, and he felt his body began to tremble. His mother's arms wrapped around him, and for the first time he could truly remember, Gohan felt his age. He was no longer Earth's protector, defeater of Cell, the half-Saiyan saviour. He was a little boy, forced to grow up too fast and now destined to watch as his life continued to crumble around him.

Darkness crept into the edges of his vision- whether he was about to catch a glimpse of the future or pass out from crying, he didn't know. But his last conscious thought concerned the white bassinet still sitting in his mother's bedroom.

"If only I had killed Cell sooner," he thought with a shudder.

"Gohan," Bardock reprimanded.

"Leave me alone," Gohan replied, trying to curl up and hide his face. He was crying, and he hadn't cried this hard since-

A large hand rested on Gohan's shoulder, and the child flinched.

"It's not your fault, Gohan," Bardock said, his voice low. "If you want to blame someone, blame Cell. Blame Dr. Gero."

"Blaming them won't bring my dad back," Gohan sobbed. "It won't give me a little brother. It won't make my mom happy again."

"And blaming yourself will do all those things?" Bardock inquired.

"I just don't know what to do," the boy sniffed. "I don't want to do anything anymore. I just want my mom and dad back. I want my life back!"

Sighing, Bardock crouched down next to his grandson. "You're depressed, Gohan."

"What?"

"You're depressed," he repeated. "But you'll get through this. I know you can."

Launching himself through the air, Gohan latched onto Bardock, whose hands eventually returned the gesture.

"I'm here for you, kid."