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.
Btw, from now on, when characters speak in Saiyago (the Saiyan language), the dialogue will be shown in Bold.
Part 13 – The Party: Old Friends and New Faces
Gohan returned to his body easily, but he didn't open his eyes. When he returned from Dreamscape, Gohan always found his body well rested and ready for the day. However, he liked to take a few moments to relax, and think about some of the problems in his life. As long as people thought he was asleep, he got a few moments of peace. Peace Gohan definitely needed.
It had been three days, three sessions with Sensei since Goten had appeared. And every single day, Gohan questioned his decision. Was it the right thing to do, training Goten in Dreamscape? Goten was thrilled; Gohan didn't need any psychic powers to see it. And Sensei seemed to be fully in agreement with the plan; hell, he'd been the one to suggest it. But Gohan was still worried; a part of him wanted nothing more than to protect Goten from any semblance of battling. He wished he could just hide Goten somewhere, in a place where nothing bad could ever happen. However, that didn't seem to be possible.
Speaking of Goten Gohan mused. He was a little surprised; normally, both Goten and Trunks would jump on him, trying to 'wake him up'. By some freak chance, it was generally within a minute or two of Gohan returning from Dreamscape. Gohan was never sure if this was blind luck, good timing on Sensei's part, or what, but he was glad they'd never jumped him while his mind was in Dreamscape. That would have been hard to explain.
Gohan opened his eyes, and looked around. Squirt and Shrimp were gone. Gohan frowned. Goten and Trunks almost always took the time to wake him up in the mornings; something was going on, and Gohan bet it was prank related. Still, for now Gohan was slightly glad to be given a few seconds peace. It was a refreshing change.
Gohan stood up and stretched. He felt his muscles start to warm up as he reached out with his senses, seeking their ki's. Both of them were sitting in the kitchen, and Gohan could feel Bulma there with them. That explained it Gohan thought with a grin. Very few things could drag the kids out of the room without Gohan in the morning, and Bulma was one of them. The question was, why did she do it? Well, there was only one way to find out.
Gohan left his room and headed down the hall for the kitchen. He sniffed: no smoke, nasty smells, or poisonous fumes. Bulma wasn't cooking. In fact, Gohan detected fairly pleasant aromas coming from the kitchen. Bacon, eggs, ham, pancakes; Gohan's mouth watered slightly as the smells assaulted his nasal cavity.
"Morning," Gohan commented cheerfully as he strode into the kitchen.
"Morning," Goten and Trunks cried together. They shot forward and grabbed onto Gohan's pajama bottoms, hugging his legs. Gohan look down and fondly tousled their hairs. Their tails shot out and grabbed his hands, and Gohan smiled. He and Vegeta had managed to talk Bulma into letting Trunks keep his tail when it grew back; and Gohan adamantly refused to let her cut off Goten's when he had been born. With the moon gone, they were in no danger from it. Plus, Gohan now understood just how important a tail was to a Saiyan, both physically and mentally. It was a mark of pride, and Gohan actually found himself missing his. Vegeta had told him there was a chance his tail would grow back later, but Gohan wasn't holding his breath. It would be nice, but Gohan was content just to make sure the next generation kept theirs.
"Thanks for letting me sleep in," Gohan complimented.
Goten looked up at him, "It wasn't out idea. Aunt Bulma grabbed me before we could do it."
"Yeah, Mom said it was a present," Trunks added.
"A present?" Gohan asked. He looked at Bulma in confusion, "A present for what?"
Bulma looked shocked, "You're joking, right?"
Gohan shook his head, "No, I'm not."
Bulma didn't answer for several seconds as she gaped at him. Finally, she snorted, "Gohan, what is the date?"
Confused, Gohan turned and looked at the calendar, and his eyes widened. How could he have forgotten? Today was June 21st, which was his birthday. Between Lime, Vegeta, Sensei, and the devil duo, Gohan had been so busy he'd completely lost track of time. "Wow, it's my birthday," Gohan remarked.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Goten and Trunks sang.
Bulma shook her head, "I must say, I'm a little surprised. I know geniuses tend to forget things, but your own birthday? Better be careful, you could start to forget everything."
"Yeah, and then I'll be just like you," Gohan teased.
"Very funny," Bulma countered dryly. "Well, it is your birthday, and whether you remembered it or not, we're going to celebrate it properly."
"Oh, what exactly…" Gohan began, but trailed off. His senses picked something up. Glancing up, Gohan extended his ki sensing skills, and grinned. Large collections of ki's were heading towards Capsule Corps, a set of powers very familiar to Gohan. The Z-fighters were coming.
"You're got about an hour until they're supposed to arrive," Bulma explained. She had correctly surmised that Gohan's faraway look meant he'd felt them coming.
"Who's coming," Gohan asked excitedly.
"Everyone," Bulma replied, "I talked to almost all of them, except the more remote ones. For those, I sent Vegeta to invite them, and make sure they chose to come."
"Vegeta," Gohan asked in disbelief. He couldn't believe Vegeta would participate in anything so…human.
"Don't read too much into it, boy," a voice stated from the doorway. Gohan turned and found Vegeta leaning against the door frame, "I see no purpose in this foolish ritual; as you know, the birthing day was a pointless day to Saiyans. But the woman was insistent, and it amused me to do it."
"Well, thanks Vegeta," Gohan remarked. Vegeta snorted, but Gohan didn't care. He felt excitement rise in his gut; all his friends were coming! Though Gohan had seen bits and pieces of them in the last four or so years, it was minimal at best. In fact, Gohan hadn't seen any of them in close to six months, a fact that Gohan was only just realizing. This was going to be GREAT!
"You'd better eat and then get dressed," Bulma advised, "After all, you're the birthday boy."
Gohan immediately headed towards the table, but paused, as he got closer. The food looked as delicious as it smelled, but Gohan knew that appearance could be deceiving. "Is this a new recipe?" Gohan asked politely.
"You mean 'did I cook it'," Bulma interpreted, "Don't worry; I ordered in. you won't have to stomach my cooking on your birthday,"
"Your cooking isn't that bad," Gohan said diplomatically.
Vegeta snorted, "Don't be foolish Gohan. The woman's cooking makes furniture appear appetizing,"
"Why you…" Bulma began. The two of them began arguing, a common occurrence in the household. It was so common Gohan tuned it out as he sat down and began to eat his breakfast. He paused however, when he caught a glimpse of Goten and Trunks. Gohan sighed inside; sometimes being a brother was hard.
"Guys, you going to stand there, or you going to grab some," Gohan invited.
Goten and Trunks immediately started forward, then stopped, "No, it's your birthday breakfast," Goten moped.
"Guys, there's no way I could finish this myself," Gohan fibbed. "Now, get over here."
The duo needed no second invitation; they dove into the food like lightning, and Gohan began to battle to get his share of the food. He'd hated to give up food; he was a Saiyan after all. But as he saw their contented looks, he privately decided it was worth it. No matter what his belly said.
"I'm getting into the shower," Gohan remarked as he raced upstairs. By his calculation, he had about 15 minutes before the first guest arrived. They were going to be here faster than Bulma had predicted, and Gohan was determined to be ready when they arrived. After all, he was the 'birthday boy'.
Gohan managed to shower quickly, and he grabbed a gi from his dresser. As he pulled the pants on, he heard the doorbell ring. Gohan easily slid the top of his gi on, and belted it tight as he walked down the stairs towards the kitchen, where he could detect their guest was located.
"Gohan, man, how's it hanging?"
Gohan grinned, "Hey, Yamcha. Long time no see. How's the baseball career?"
Yamcha grinned back, "Not bad, not bad. Kind of dull, but it pays the bills. Man, Gohan, you look just like…"
"So, are you still training?" Gohan interrupted. The last thing he wanted right now was to be reminded of…him.
Yamcha's grin faded, "Well, you see…I've given it up,"
"What?" Gohan gasped. He couldn't believe it. Yamcha had always seemed so passionate about martial arts, and it was shocking to hear such a remark. Especially since when Gohan had last spoken with him two years ago, he'd been determined to become stronger than ever.
"What can I say," Yamcha commented, "I thought about it, and I realized there really wasn't much point. With you Saiyans here, I'm not needed on the front lines anymore. And without that need…it kind of lost some of the purpose."
"Yamcha…" Gohan started.
Yamcha held up his hand, "Forget it kid," Yamcha interjected, "…besides, now I can relax, and enjoy life without always worrying when some evil being is going to show up that I have to stop."
A snort was heard from the corner. "As if you could ever stop anything powerful," Vegeta commented.
"Vegeta, you always know how to kick a man where it hurts," Yamcha shot back, "But I'm surprised to see you here. Bulma's really got you on a short leash."
A vein on Vegeta's head started to throb, "I merely want to make sure you aren't foolish enough to try anything with MY mate. After all, if I send you to the next dimension, the woman will complain, and that gets annoying."
Whatever response Yamcha was going to fire back was cut off as the doorbell rang. "I got it," Bulma shouted from the main hall.
"Anyway, here's your gift Gohan," Yamcha mentioned. He handed over a wrapped package to Gohan, and then added, "I think I'll see who's at the door."
As Yamcha left the room, Gohan glared at Vegeta, "That wasn't very nice," he pointed out.
Vegeta shook his head, "Gohan, I don't do 'nice'…this is a waste of time. Come to me after this nonsense is over, and we'll spar." Without another word, Vegeta turned and left the room.
Gohan sighed. He kind of knew this was coming. Vegeta had openly stated birthdays weren't his thing, and he had done pretty much the same thing every other year. Still, a small part of Gohan wished he would participate, or do something. Most of the times Gohan was pretty sure Vegeta liked him, but it would have been nice to receive some sign every now and then. The Saiyan in Gohan understood, but the human in him wanted some sort of reassurance.
Gohan's musings were interrupted when something grabbed his ankle. Looking down in surprise, Gohan found himself staring at blue eyes and a head of blonde hair. The baby looked up and him and giggled.
"Glad to see you two are getting along,"
Gohan looked up, and grinned, "Krillin! Long time no see!"
Krillin walked over and picked the baby up, "I see you've met Marron,"
"Is she…" Gohan asked.
A shy grin came onto Krillin's face, "yeah, she's mine."
Gohan smile widened, "That's awesome. She looks just like you. She even has your nose,"
Krillin laughed, "Yeah, I guess the does. But her eyes are definitely her mothers."
"And her personality is Roshi's. Pure trouble," a voice called from the door.
Gohan looked up, and froze. Android 18 was standing in the doorway, and her cold gaze was staring right at Gohan. Gohan felt his muscles tense as his body prepared itself automatically for a fight as he subtly placed himself between Krillin and 18. He wasn't sure what she was doing here, but he wouldn't let her hurt anyone.
A hand on the small of his back caused Gohan to look back. "Gohan, relax. She's not here for trouble," Krillin advised.
Gohan raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Oh?"
"…she's my wife," Krillin explained.
Gohan froze. He remembered some of the glances Krillin had given Eighteen when he had visited, but he'd never imagined they'd hook up, much less have a kid together. Although, that would explain the hair…
Gohan turned back to Eighteen, and used all of his senses on her. Everything he had learned from Sensei about detecting evil told him the truth. She had changed…what finally convinced him was the look in her eyes as she looked at Marron and Krillin. Her eyes almost glowed with happiness.
Gohan relaxed out of his alert status and grinned, "Sorry about that. Old reflexes."
Eighteen waved her hand, "I understand…Happy birthday Gohan."
"Thanks…and belated congrats. I would have come to the wedding, but I didn't get an invitation." As Gohan finished, he turned a meaningful eye on Krillin.
Krillin grinned sheepishly, "Sorry man. If it makes you feel any better, the only guests besides the priest was Roshi and Oolong."
"Speaking of the perverts, where are they?" Gohan mentioned.
"Walking…" Eighteen stated firmly.
Krillin laughed, at least until Eighteen glared at him. Gohan turned to Krillin for an explanation. "you see, they…um, well…they tried to get a glimpse of Eighteen in the shower this morning," Krillin explained softly.
"Ah…" Gohan muttered. "I'm surprised you didn't hurt them severely. Maybe take a few limbs."
"I was tempted, but it would be a bad example for Marron," Eighteen responded.
Gohan laughed a little at her joke. At least, he hoped it was a joke. It was hard to tell given how serious she looked. But he was pretty sure she was trying to make him laugh.
Gohan's senses came alert as he detected an unfamiliar ki approaching the house. While it was nowhere near his strength, it was strong. Almost as strong as Lime. "Excuse me," Gohan apologized. He then used his speed to get outside the house. Once there, he floated up and waited for the power to arrive.
Soon, Gohan's Saiyan vision could detect three specks approaching. As they got closer, he relaxed. "HEY TIEN! CHAOTZU! Glad you could make it." Gohan shouted.
The three figures came to a stop in front of Gohan. Tien smiled, "Gohan, you're looking well."
To his shock, Gohan realized he was now able to look Tien in the eye. If there was ever a doubt in Gohan's mind that he was getting taller, this erased it. Looking down, Gohan grinned at Chaotzu, "glad you two could make it. Who's your friend?"
Tien gestured, and the three figure floated forward. He appeared to be about Gohan's age, perhaps a year older. He had wavy brown hair and blue eyes. "This is Travis. He found me a few years back and asked…actually, demanded I train him. I decided to take him under my wing; he's got real potential."
"It's nice to meet you," Travis commented politely as he held out his hand. "I've heard a great deal about you. I wasn't sure if I should come, but Tien and Chaotzu talked me into it."
Gohan took the offered hand, and shook it. He waited, trying to see if Travis would attempt to squeeze him, but the handshake was firm, friendly. Gohan relaxed a little inside. "Any student of Tien is welcome. I'm just glad you came."
"Hey, we just had to come to see Bulma. I mean, how did she get VEGETA to handle invites," Chaotzu teased.
"She has her ways, and I have no desire to find out anything more. That would give me nightmares," Gohan mentioned. "Travis, I'd love to spar you. See what you've got. You up for it right now?"
"Of course," Travis promised, "Just don't go easy on me. I want to see how I compare."
Gohan smirked as he felt his blood begin to sing. The Saiyan in him rejoiced. A new sparring partner, someone with new moves and experience for Gohan to test himself against. While he could easily defeat Travis, it would be fun to see what he can do.
"Count me in," A gruff voice commented.
Gohan turned, and laughed, "Piccolo! Dende"
As the two of them flew closer, Piccolo said roughly, "Happy birthday kid."
"It's great to see everyone," Gohan stated happily. "How's life at Kami's Lookout?"
"Pretty good," Dende explained, "Piccolo is teaching me a lot about how to be a Guardian, and I'm teaching him about Namek history. It can be dull sometimes, but given the alternative, I can live with dull."
"I'll bet." Gohan remarked, "Are Yajirobe and Korin coming? What about Mr. Popo?"
Dende shook his head, "Mr. Popo had to stay and mind the place while I'm here. But he asked me to bring him a piece of cake. Yajirobe asked for an entire cake."
"Just like him. Why aren't they coming?" Gohan asked.
"The next batch of Senzu beans are in a critical stage of growth," Dende offered, "Korin had to stay for some reason, and Yajirobe stayed to help. They promised you a bag of beans though, as a birthday gift."
"Awesome," Gohan shouted.
"Are we going to spar?" Piccolo interjected. Gohan smirked; Piccolo hated social gatherings; he didn't interact well.
"I'm ready," Tien and Travis both said at once.
"Us too," two new voices chimed. Gohan turned to find Goten and Trunks floating behind him.
"Hey, did I say you could fight," Gohan growled, feigning anger.
"PLEASE!!!" both kids put on their most innocent look, and Gohan shook his head. They were getting too good at that.
"An all out bout between us. Let's do it," Gohan stated. As Chaotzu and Dende flew back, the fighters got into their stances.
"OH NO YOU DON'T!" a voice shouted from below.
Gohan winced, and looked down to see Bulma fuming at him, "But…"
"I worked hard for this, and you're not going off to fight this early," Bulma interrupted firmly. "You can fight later. For now, get down here and let's have some fun."
Gohan sighed. He'd really wanted to fight, but there was always later. After all, he was the birthday boy, which meant they'd do it later. Right? "We'd better get down there before she gets really mad," Gohan advised.
Tien took one look at Bulma's face and nodded, "Definitely. She's almost as scary as Chi-chi in her prime."
The others flew down, but Gohan paused. Tien's comment brought his mother to the forefront of his mind. Gohan tried to push it down, but sadness flowed through him. Another birthday, which meant it had been another year since his mother had left him, willingly choosing to stay dead like…him. Gohan idly wondered what she was doing, if she even realized it was his birthday.
"Gohan, get down here! We can't have this party without you!"
Gohan looked down to see Krillin and Bulma waving at him. Gohan pushed those thoughts firmly away. He would think about them later, after today. Right now, he had other things to do.
It was time to have some fun.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Well, here's another part. I'd have gotten it out sooner, but there was some kind of error that kept me from uploading the part onto fanfiction. Anyway, please review. I was originally going to make the party one part, but it would have been quite long. So, I broke it into parts, and decided to get out a part now, rather than have a longer wait. I'll have the next part out as soon as I can.