Piccolo watched the two Super Saiyans before as they stared one another down. Vegeta's ki was surging around him in angry waves, glaring at the boy. Gohan met his gaze coolly, and then gave a sheepish grin. Piccolo let out a breath he wasn't even aware he had been holding.

Damn that kid.

"OH YOU ABSOLUTE FUCKING ASSHOLE!" Vegeta roared at Gohan's smug look. He swung a punch at the boy's face, which was caught easily. "Do you think this is funny? You think trying to murder my family is a joke?"

"Well it worked, didn't it?" Gohan asked lightly.

Vegeta wrenched his fist out of Gohan's grasp. His ki was still raging around him, bounding up and down. Piccolo noted that he had been correct; Vegeta was having a harder time controlling this form. The Saiyan rounded on him, glaring murderously.

"Don't look at me. He did it," he said simply.

"Did you know about this?" Vegeta snarled.

"No."

Vegeta turned his attention to his family. "Did you know about this?"

"Yup!" Trunks said happily. "How did I do? Did I look scared?" he asked excitedly.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Vegeta hissed. His gaze went to Bulma, who held her hands up in a placating manner.

"Gohan got here and asked us to help him. And it worked. You should be happy about this! This is what you've been trying to achieve, isn't it?" Bulma asked, slightly confused.

Piccolo caught on to the situation quickly. "You are embarrassed," he revealed.

"I am not embarrassed!" he denied vehemently.

"Vegeta, why would you be embarrassed?" Bulma asked, now thoroughly confused.

"Ascensions are caused by an extreme need, a raw emotion, like fear or anger. Gohan merely did what Cell did; he threatened to kill someone he loved. And it worked. He just doesn't want to admit he loves something so much that it caused such a reaction," Piccolo speculated, looking at Vegeta. "That's it, isn't it? God forbid you show love."

Vegeta's fist nearly made contact with his face, Gohan's hand whipping out to deflect it just centimeters from his nose.

"You're having a hard time, Vegeta. You need to descend for a little bit," Gohan assessed calmly. Vegeta merely growled, trying to wrench his hand away, but Gohan held firm, cocking his head. "Do you need help?"

Piccolo rolled his eyes heavenward. Wrong question...

"I DON'T NEED HELP!" Vegeta snarled, using his other arm to try to punch the boy. Gohan whipped his other hand up, grabbing that fist as well.

"I think you need help," he said calmly. "It's going to explode if you don't descend soon," he warned. "And then you actually will hurt your family.

"I'm fine!"

Annoyance briefly flashed across Gohan's face, and he tightened his hold on Vegeta painfully. The Saiyan grunted, and his aura wavered, the pain grounding him slightly.

"There, you're almost back down to Super Saiyan. Try again," Gohan encouraged.

"I can't," Vegeta hissed quietly.

"Can I help you?" Gohan asked softly. Vegeta gave a grunt, and then a tiny, barely perceptible nod. "Breathe in," Gohan whispered. At Vegeta's inhale, Gohan's hands glowed with gentle ki. The Saiyan dropped to Super Saiyan, and, after another inhale, dropped fully to base. He wrenched his hands out of the boy's grasp and backed up quickly.

"I hate you," Vegeta seethed, his face tinged red with embarrassment.

"If you're done having a hissy-fit, I'm taking Gohan back to the desert to work on his other form. Are you coming or what?" Piccolo asked brusquely.

Sensing an impending no, Gohan quickly added, "I don't know how much control I'm going to have. I think you should come, in case I need help."

"Gohan, why do you need help? Are you going to get hurt?" Trunks asked, concerned.

"He's dangerous," Vegeta answered shortly.

"Vegeta," Bulma admonished.

"No, it's okay. He's right. I am dangerous," Gohan confirmed. He looked to Bulma. "Bulma, may I tell him why? I think it's important," he asked, gesturing to Trunks' confused face.

Bulma sighed. "Yes, go ahead. With everything that's happening... yes."

"I...I can't grow up," Gohan started. "I'm going to be nine years old forever."

Trunks nodded. "Mom told me."

"Right. My ki doesn't know that, though. I keep getting stronger and... it doesn't know where to fit, I guess. I don't know how to explain it..."

"Gohan makes such huge leaps in power levels that his body doesn't know how to handle it. Your father is always very near his ascensions when he finally makes them. He can gain control of them quickly. Gohan can't. It takes his body longer to adjust," Piccolo explained.

"Oh, is that why I could feel him all the way over here yesterday?" Trunks asked.

"You felt it?" Vegeta asked, aghast.

"Yeah! It was like a wave almost!" Trunks exclaimed, excited. "Mom told me not to tell you because you looked mad when you got home," he added sheepishly. "But that's good, right? You can beat the bad guys! Dad said it's a suicide mission and I don't know what that means, but you can win, right? You're so strong! No way anyone can be stronger than that!"

All eyes cut to Vegeta, Bulma's and Piccolo's angry, Gohan's wide with so many emotions flashing that they were unreadable.

"Boy, how many times have I told you not to eavesdrop?" Vegeta hissed.

"Gohan?" Piccolo asked, turning his attention to the boy. He was pale, blue eyes glassy.

"Y-you think...you think... suicide..." Gohan gasped. Tears began to well and then spill over. His ki jumped a notch, his aura whipping up around him in golden waves.

"Woman, get the boy inside," Vegeta ordered lowly.

"You think...you think you're going to die fighting..." Gohan rambled. "That I'll fail..." His ki jumped again, and his aura danced between gold and blue. His hair shifted from blonde to black, and back again. A spark of lightning crackled around him.

"Get inside!" Vegeta shouted.

"Gohan, calm dow-" Piccolo began. The concrete below them cracked and then Gohan was gone. He had phased out so quickly that Piccolo and Vegeta were left gaping. Trunks and Bulma stood at the door, stricken, having not made it into the house.

Piccolo didn't even look at Vegeta as he bolted into the air, following the rapidly moving, massive ki of his boy. "VEGETA! Let's go!" he shouted over his shoulder.

Trunks and Bulma gaped at Vegeta as he stood awkwardly for a moment. "I present to you: Exhibit A," he said sarcastically, gesturing to the general direction Gohan had flown. He then grunted, jumped to Super Saiyan, and bolted after the Namekian.

It did not take long for Vegeta to catch up to Piccolo. They honed in on Gohan's ki, which finally seemed to stop moving, yet was still so far away. And then, it was exploding, overwhelming their senses. They both flinched as the oppressive wave of energy washed over them.

"Can you transform?" Piccolo shouted to Vegeta.

"Yes!" Vegeta shouted back.

"Go then! Help him!" Piccolo urged.

"And just what do you expect me to do? I can't contend with that!"

"Tell him I'm coming! GO! Please!" Piccolo's voice was becoming panicked as he felt Gohan's ki still rising.

Vegeta snapped his head to look at the Namekian, shocked. Please. He then closed his eyes, reaching into himself, feeling for the spark. He found it and released it with a surge of power, transforming and pulling ahead of the Namekian easily. He honed in on the boy and raced towards him.

It did not take long for Vegeta to find him, but it was difficult for him to land anywhere near him. Gohan's ki was coming in waves with tsunami force. He hovered as near the boy as he could, trying to figure out how to grab his attention. Gohan was on his knees, forearms in the sand. His head was bowed, and his body was heaving with what Vegeta could only assume was sobs. He pondered for a few moments. He couldn't get down there, and he knew his voice would never reach him with the force of his ki pushing everything away. It did not escape his attention that the boy's hair was now black and his aura blue. He had fully ascended to his newest form.

I swear to god, if this kid kills me...

Vegeta let loose a massive Big Bang at Gohan, knowing it would in no way harm him. He allowed himself to be impressed at how big his blast was for a moment. And then, it was careening back at him as Gohan instinctively rolled onto his back to rebound the blast with his hands. The Saiyan phased out as quickly as he could, narrowly avoiding being hit. He made a mental note to congratulate himself later on producing a blast strong enough that it would have killed even him.

And then he snapped back to attention when he noticed Gohan on his feet, his ki no longer blowing wildly around him. Lightning still crackled around him, but Vegeta paid it no mind when he realized Gohan's murderous, tear-filled blue eyes were on him. He flung his hands up in front of him, trying to show he meant no harm.

"Gohan..." he tried. His words caught in his throat as the boy lifted his hand in his direction, ki bright in his palm.

And this time, he definitely wasn't acting.

"Hey hey hey! Kid, it's me!" he exclaimed. He felt a flicker of fear in his chest. There was absolutely no way he'd be able to fend off an attack from the boy. Not for long. He reached out to feel for Piccolo, feeling a glimmer of hope as he realized the Namekian was close.

Fuck. That was a Masenko in his hands...

"GOHAN! PICCOLO IS ON HIS WAY!" he cried desperately. "PICCOLO IS ALMOST HERE!"

The ki in Gohan's hand dimmed slightly as he began to process Vegeta's words. And then, by the grace of all that was holy, Piccolo came barreling into view. Gohan's attention snapped to the Namekian and his hand went in his direction. Piccolo hesitated for only a moment at the sight, and then he was practically sprinting for the boy. Vegeta couldn't remember ever seeing Piccolo phase in and out so quickly.

Love is a powerful motivator.

Suddenly, the Namekian was directly in front of the boy, and he stepped up, allowing Gohan's ki-filled hand to rest against his chest, wincing as the heat of it seared through his gi.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" Vegeta called, aghast.

He ignored the Saiyan, reaching out slowly. Gohan's steely blue eyes followed his hand, and then closed when it landed on his head. The scalding heat against his chest dissipated, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

He was suddenly on his rear in the sand, Gohan's small body pressed against him, his arms in a painful hug around his neck. He dimly registered the feeling of tears soaking his gi, his arms going to embrace Gohan with just as much fervor.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Gohan sobbed against him, descending to Super Saiyan II finally.

"It's okay, kid. You're okay," Piccolo soothed. "No one's hurt. You're fine."

"I can't do this! I have no control! I can't do this!" he rambled.

"Gohan, you can do this. We're going to get to the bottom of this, right now." He shifted into a lotus position, Gohan resting in his lap, back against his chest. He turned his head to look at Vegeta, jerking his head to bid him to come to them. The Saiyan descended to base and floated to the ground and approached the pair warily. Gohan refused to look at him, so he met eyes with the Namekian, who looked pointedly at the ground before him, and then back at the Saiyan.

"I am not sitting-" he began, but stopped when Gohan's blue eyes flicked to him. The thought of the anger that had been in those eyes only moments ago prompted him to sigh and mirror Piccolo's position across from the pair.

"I'm sorry," Gohan whispered. "I'm so sorry."

Vegeta grunted, not entirely sure how to respond. He leaned back on his hands and sighed. "Alright, what do we do now?" he asked, his gaze on Piccolo. "He has no control. He's either terrified or angry."

Piccolo's gaze hardened. "You triggered him. Let's stop and think about that one. Broly scared him, made him fear for our lives, and he angered, and then became a Super Saiyan. Cell scared him, made him fear for our lives, and he angered, and then became a Super Saiyan II. You made him fear for our lives, and he angered.

"Now Gohan, correct me if I'm wrong, but your anger gets turned on whoever is attacking, right?" Gohan nodded. "So, what did you do, Vegeta, to make him turn on you?"

Vegeta's cheeks flushed red. "He wasn't getting a grip on himself!" he defended. "I thought he was going to self-destruct or some shit, and he wouldn't have heard me shouting over that wind tunnel of energy he was making!"

"And?"

"...I threw a blast at him." When Piccolo looked like he was going to retort, Vegeta hurried on, "I didn't know it was going to make him that angry. You asked me to help him! He looked ready to explode, so I grabbed his attention away from that and onto me! So I helped. He's still alive, isn't he? The way he was acting, I didn't know if he was going to accidentally blow everything up! Did you not feel the Earth shaking?"

Piccolo sighed, turning his attention to the boy in his lap. "You had some measure of control yesterday. What happened, kid?"

"I got scared," Gohan replied softly.

"You were scared yesterday, too, though," Piccolo pointed out.

"That was…different. I was scared because I thought I couldn't control myself fully and accidentally hurt you. Today…today… I can't describe it. I don't know how… Everything hurt. So badly! I just… Vegeta said it's a suicide mission. You guys don't believe I can do it, and I got so scared that I would fail, and that made me get angry that I was going to let everyone down, and I got scared of my power again…And then it got out of control," he finished on a whisper.

"He said that before you came home and showed us your new form," Piccolo tried to assure.

Gohan swallowed thickly, and finally looked Vegeta in the eye. "Do you still think I'll fail?" he asked, his voice almost pleading.

Piccolo's eyes cut to Vegeta's, his gaze hard. Vegeta hesitated briefly and then exhaled loudly.

"I don't know," he admitted. Gohan's eyes began to grow glassy, so he continued quickly. "If you can get control over this form, maybe we have some semblance of a chance." He pushed himself up, standing, breaking eye contact with the boy.

Piccolo felt Gohan tense and then sag against him. He wrapped an arm around his waist, standing them up. The boy leaned heavily against his legs for a moment, gripping the arm around his waist, bidding Piccolo to tighten his hold. Then he inhaled, stepping reluctantly from the safety of Piccolo's arm. He refused to look at either of them, staring at the blue sky with unfocused eyes. He exhaled heavily, and lightning flashed around him briefly.

"Get back," he ordered in a low voice. Another spark crackled around him, and he clenched his fists. Vegeta and Piccolo hurriedly backed away. They glanced at one another and silently agreed to fly up and away from the boy. Gohan's aura kicked up around him, quickly transitioning from gold to blue. His hair began to shift to black, and Piccolo braced himself.

Here it comes...

Gohan bent in on himself for just a moment before the force of his transformation pulled him straight. The wave of ki unleashed barreled straight for Piccolo and Vegeta, and then they were fighting to stay in place, to not be blown away...

The wave stopped suddenly, and the two fell forward a bit as the force holding them up disappeared. They looked down and saw that there was yet another crater under the boy, lightning still sizzling and crackling around him. He finally turned around and faced them and nodded, granting them permission to approach. As soon as his feet touched the ground, Piccolo was walking towards him. He noted immediately how tense Gohan's body was, practically vibrating to maintain control.

"Breathe," he said. "You had control the other day. What can I do to help?"

Gohan lurched forward and rested his head against Piccolo's chest. His arms immediately encircled the boy's tense body, and in just moments, Gohan began to relax, and then drew away, fishing in the neckline of his gi. He carefully pulled out a silver chain, unclasping it and handing it to Piccolo.

"Can you hang on to this, Mr. Piccolo? If I'm going to be training with Vegeta... I don't want this to be damaged. It's important."

Piccolo turned the ring in his hand. "Where did you get this?" he asked curiously.

"It's a long story... I'll tell you tonight, okay?"

Piccolo nodded. "What is your plan?"

Gohan shrugged. "I guess... Vegeta?" he called, looking to the Saiyan. Vegeta moved towards him warily. "I-I think I have control now. I'm calm. Will you spar with me?" he asked quietly.

Vegeta assessed him with cool eyes. "You have control?" Gohan nodded. "You're sure?"

"Yes."

Vegeta jumped to Super Saiyan, and then quickly to Super Saiyan II, and with relative ease, Piccolo noted. He smirked, rising to the air.

Gohan cocked his head. "You know my advantage is up there, right?"

"So is mine. So, show me what you've got, brat."

Gohan returned his smirk, also rising. "You asked for it."

Piccolo backed away quickly, opting to stay on the ground. The two circled each other, and then Vegeta rushed him. He pulled his fist back, aiming for the boy's face...

Punching thin air.

Gohan was behind him, flicking the Saiyan on the ear. Vegeta growled and spun, again aiming for his face. Gohan let it get within millimeters of his nose before whipping his hand up and catching Vegeta's fist. He yanked, pulling the Saiyan forward and off balance, laughing as Vegeta stumbled, catching himself before he could plummet back to the ground.

Laughter. He's in control.

He's ready.

Shin's head snapped up as soon as he felt Gohan's ki level and maintain a steady power.

Finally.

"My Lady, he's ready," he said, turning to look at Tsuki, who was pulling threads together. She wove one more knot, and it glowed brightly, Old Kai's magic solidifying its form.

She met his gaze, her blue eyes alight with a fire Shin hadn't seen in her for a long time. She gestured at her tangle of threads.

"As are they."

Amat anxiously paced, growing concerned at the level of ki he could feel coming off the boy. He stopped, and pulled and wove one more thread, self-pride taking place of the anxiety as he completed his army.

"AHA!" Bibidi practically screeched in excitement. "I've found him! I've found Buu!" he cried joyously.

Amat rushed over to the wizard. "What form is he in?"

"I can't tell yet, but I've got him! You just wait, Sun God. In mere hours, you will have your monster."