Gohan: Development of a Hero
This is a Dragonballz fanfiction. To my eternal sadness, I do not own or in anyway profit from Dragonballz or any of the characters in this story. This fic, as you can guess from the title, centers on Gohan, and begins right after the cell games. It is an AU, and reviews are welcome and appreciated.
Part 5 – Transformations
"SENSEI!!!"
Gohan's scream echoed endlessly across the dimension. Gohan's gaze wandered as rage thundered in his veins. He wasn't sure how he'd gotten here. Gohan had been utterly consumed by anger, and adrenalin was surging through his blood. Therefore, there was no way he'd fallen asleep. Yet, somehow, Gohan had found his sight fading, and soon found himself in the place he'd grown familiar with, the place where he'd been training with the son of a bitch who kept his mother's illness from it. That was all that Gohan could think about, the one thought that consumed his entire being.
"So, you finally managed to get here without my aid? Congratulations."
Gohan whirled, and fixed his glare on Sensei, who halted his approach when he saw the look on Gohan's face. "What's wrong?" Sensei asked.
"You bastard! You knew, didn't you?" Gohan demanded.
A look of puzzlement crossed Sensei's features, "What are you talking about?"
"Don't pretend! You knew about my mother's disease, about the cancer, didn't you!" Gohan accused.
A look of sadness came over Sensei's features. He looked into Gohan's eyes, and replied levelly, "Yes Gohan, I did."
Gohan exploded to his maximum power with a scream of rage and flew straight at Sensei. As he approached, Gohan was dimly aware of Sensei powering up to match his strength, but he didn't care. It didn't matter that Sensei was stronger, faster, more experienced; he was going to pay!
Gohan shot blow after blow at Sensei, who merely played on the defensive, easily blocking every move that Gohan made. It only served to further enrage Gohan as it became crushingly obvious that Gohan simply wasn't strong enough. He needed more power, more strength, if he were to have any chance against Sensei.
For only the second conscious time in his life, Gohan turned to the Saiyan in him. He didn't ask for power, he didn't beg. He demanded it. What had been given to him previously simply wasn't good enough. He had to have more, and he wasn't going to accept any other option than getting it. He needed more; it was as simple as that. Gohan could feel his Saiyan side responded, could feel it rising to the challenge, eager to face such a powerful opponent.
And then it came. Raw. Primal. Strong. The power came from somewhere, a place Gohan didn't even know he had, and it came with the fury of a volcano. Gohan's mind screamed with rapture. He could feel the strength and potency of this newfound power, and it was just what he needed. He pulled on every ounce he could take, heedless of the pain his body was feeling, the strain holding such power was putting it under. Gohan could feel his hair length increase, his muscles bulge, and his body reshape itself, but he didn't care. He was finally getting the power he needed.
With a final scream, Gohan stopped changing and took a moment to glare at his opponent. He could feel even now the slight quivering in his limbs that told Gohan he wouldn't be able to hold this for long, but he still took a moment to pause. Because he wanted to finally erase that look of sadness on Sensei's face, and replace it with an expression of fear.
However, that was not to be so. Sensei smiled, and commented, "You've finally reached it. Super Saiyan 3. It's time to get serious." Sensei then began to scream, and as Gohan watched in shock, he also ascended to Super Saiyan 3 with an ease that left Gohan's consciousness reeling. NO, I will not let him win!
Gohan shot forward, at a speed that he would have found unbelievable just a second ago. For a minute, possibly two, he threw everything he had at Sensei. He could feel the waves of force that clashed with every blow, see the ground crumble every time he missed. However, despite his best efforts, he couldn't strike Sensei. Oh, he was getting closer. Gohan could see that Sensei was working harder to stop Gohan's blows. But, he still wasn't hitting him.
The newfound power left Gohan with a shudder, and Gohan felt his legs fail him. He collapsed, as his body simply couldn't handle the strain any longer. He felt tired, more exhausted than he'd felt in his entire life. Gohan could feel Sensei kneel in front of him, and place a hand on his shoulder. Gohan wanted to push it away, but he simply didn't have the strength to do so. Instead, he forced his head up, and met the sad gaze of Sensei. "Why?" Gohan asked finally. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Sensei's gaze never wavered as he answered, "Because it wouldn't have made a difference."
"How can you say that?" Gohan demanded, as a small amount of the fiery rage that had been flowing in his blood just recently rekindled. "You don't know, we could have had more time, months to deal with the problem."
"How would you have dealt with it differently?" Sensei pointed out, "The Dragonballs won't be available for at least nine more months; you used them right after Cell. And even the Namek dragonballs can't prevent a natural death, or raise someone killed naturally. Nor can Dende heal diseases; his power is limited in that capacity. What exactly could have been done?"
"She could have started treatments, which could have given her an even longer life expectancy," Gohan interjected.
Sensei shook his head, "No Gohan, she couldn't. Think, Gohan. The first time I contacted you was literally the VERY first time I was able to. I did not have the strength to reach any farther back in time than I'd done. And your mother was still pregnant at that time. All that would have happened is she would have made her choice earlier."
Deep down, Gohan knew he was right. But he still pressed on, "If I'd known, I would have acted differently, done things differently with her."
"You mean you would have treated her like crystal? Do you really think Chi-chi would have wanted that? The woman I heard about had a strong will, and a fierce sense of independence. Can you really tell me she would have wanted you to do that to her?" Sensei asked quietly.
Gohan wanted to deny it, wanted to scream it in Sensei's face. But as he recalled all he knew about his mother, he knew the correct answer. Very quietly, Gohan said, "No…but you still should have told me."
"You're right Gohan. I know how much you feel like I've betrayed you, hiding this from you," Sensei remarked solemnly, "I can see it in your posture, your eyes, everything. It is a pain I will have to live with the rest of my life. But believe me when I tell you I had to do it this way. It was of paramount importance."
"Why?" Gohan begged. He needed to hear it, to know that the person he'd trusted to train him to fight a powerful evil had a good reason, some sort of purpose behind the deception.
Sensei didn't answer for several seconds, before he said, "Gohan, you've reached the next level of Super Saiyan, a power only a handful of Saiyans have ever and will ever attain. Did you feel how hard it was, not only to reach, but to hold?"
Gohan nodded. Even now, his muscles still shook from exhaustion, and his vision was slightly blurry. He started to fall forward, but he felt power flow from the hand Sensei had on his shoulder. It stabilized him, and helped to ease his fatigue.
A slight smile came over Sensei's face before the sad look returned, "I'll take that as a yes. Gohan, I've reached Super Saiyan 3. I know what had to be done to reach it. For me, I had to open doors inside myself, touch places in my soul I wouldn't have ordinarily shed light on under even the most extreme circumstances. Was it the same for you?"
Again, Gohan could only nod. He'd always been wary of his Saiyan side. He could always feel the power that resided there, and it had always frightened him. He'd only fully merged with that side of him once before, in the fight with Cell. And it was an experience Gohan did not treasure.
"You've been on the border of it for weeks," Sensei explained quietly, "I knew, just like the other Super Saiyan level, that tremendous anger was needed to reach the stage. And it also took a deep sense of loss."
As Gohan reeled from the revelation, Sensei added, "I knew one other thing. It took me an entire decade to master this level to the point where it wouldn't wipe me out to hold it, and you don't have that much time. Each moment that you were unable to reach it reduced your chances of mastering Super Saiyan 3 in time to be useful. I had to get you to that level as soon as possible, and this was the only way to reach it, the only method to prevent the horrors my future holds. For that, I will always be sorry, but can you honestly look me in the eye and tell me there was another way?"
Gohan could see the begging note in Sensei's eyes, and it dawned on him how much Sensei had wrestled with this decision. Despite his reluctance, Gohan could understand his position. Sensei was trying to prevent the annihilation of existence, by an evil that was immensely powerful. Sensei had to get Gohan ready, no matter the cost. And, Gohan realized, if he'd been in the same position, Gohan probably would have done the same thing. As Gohan felt his misplaced anger at Sensei fade, he did the only thing he could do. He sighed, and shook his head. "No, I can't."
They sat in silence for several moments, before Gohan summoned the courage to ask. He had to know, no matter how much it hurt. "Is my mom going to die?"
Sensei's gaze softened just a little, and he said quietly, "Yes Gohan, she is."
That was it. Tears began to stream down Gohan's face as he sobbed, as the wall holding back his sadness finally broke. His mother was going to die; one of the pillars Gohan's entire life was based around was crumbling, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Sensei didn't say anything. Instead, he kept his hand on Gohan's shoulder, and poured out sympathy and understanding through that contact.
Time was meaningless to Gohan. He wept and wept, until his throat clogged up and his eyes began to burn. When he finally stopped, Gohan felt the sadness lessen. It was still there, and always would be, just like his father's death. But it had been reduced to bearable levels, and Gohan could function. Barely. Gohan finally looked up, and met Sensei's gaze.
"I'm not going to lie to you, Gohan," Sensei whispered softly, "This is going to be one of the most difficult and traumatic times of your life. For that, I'm truly sorry. I wish I could have prevented it, or there was some way to save her. But there isn't, and the only advice I can give you is to cherish the time you have left with her. Take that time to heart, for with those memories, she'll never really be dead. That's the only help I can give you, other than this promise. I will be here for you whenever you need me Gohan."
Gohan felt fear rise in his soul. He wasn't sure he was strong enough for this, but he understood Sensei's message. Having a father that kept leaving had taught Gohan the valuable lesson of enjoying the time you had. He just never thought he'd have to apply it to his mother. Gohan wanted to ask about the baby, wanted to know if the boy his mother was risking her life for was going to survive. But…he just couldn't. He could barely deal with his mother; if he'd heard anything bad was going to happen to the baby, Gohan knew his soul would not survive. So, he took the coward's way out. He changed the subject.
"Do you have any idea how I got here?" Gohan asked.
"I think so," Sensei mentioned, as he seemed to understand Gohan's need for a new topic. "The meditation techniques I've taught you over the past few months were the cornerstone of how I reach here. For a while, I've been pulling you in through your dreams and the necklace, but for us to manipulate this realm to give us the time we need to prepare you, you were going to soon need to stop sleeping and start meditating at night. I'd guess, given how close you were to that switch, your mind subconsciously understood your desire, and used the techniques you'd learned to get you here."
Sensei suddenly fired an energy ball at Gohan, and Gohan felt his strength return. "There will be no lesson tonight. You've got enough on your plate. If you want, I can make it so you don't have nightmares," Sensei offered.
Gohan shook his head slowly, "No, I want you to bring me here tonight. I won't waste a night of training, not when the price…"
Sensei nodded, and Gohan thought he saw a proud glint in his eyes. "Alright then. I'll bring you here tonight. But soon, you'll be ready to come here alone, without the…mood you were in. In the meantime, would you like me to help you get back to your body?"
Gohan nodded, "I don't know how much time has passed, but I need to get back."
"I understand," Sensei commented. He put his hands on Gohan's shoulders, and Gohan could see the realm start to fade.
"Sensei,"
"Yes, Gohan?" Sensei asked as he paused.
Gohan took a deep breath, and then said, "You did the right thing."
Sensei smiled, and Gohan could almost see a burden lift from his eyes. "See you tonight Gohan," Sensei remarked.
And then the world faded away.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Well guys, how was it? I felt a burst of inspiration come over me, and got this part out. However, this was probably the most emotional part I've ever written, and I'm eager to hear what you guys think. Good, bad, okay? Btw, in my opinion, the only other time Gohan has tapped fully into his Saiyan side was against Cell, at least consciously. He's done it other times, like against Freiza, but the other times were not conscious. I just wanted to clarify that.
One other thing. Thanks to Trugeta for his information about Saiyan life spans. I did not know that there was posted information on that fact, so I am now stating that the Saiyan lifespan is over three centuries, not what was said by Vegeta in the last part. I may go back and repost the part, but I doubt it. Instead, I'll merely acknowledge the mistake, and move on. I'm sure I'll probably make other mistakes as I put my spin on the DBZ world, and I encourage people to tell me about them for my own knowledge. I'll try to avoid it, but that's part of why I put I said this was an alternate universe story in the summary, just in case. Sorry guys, hope you can forgive me.
Anyway, read and review. I'll get the next part out as soon as I can.