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 14 – The Party: Gifts and a Favor
"Wow…" Gohan gasped. Sitting in front of him was the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen. All twenty layers of it.
Bulma grinned, "My mom made the cake. I can tell you from personal experience that they generally wind up being good."
Gohan grinned, "Same here." He remembered the last time he'd had one of Mrs. Brief's cakes; his mouth watered at the memory.
"Here," Bulma commented as she held a knife out to Gohan. "The birthday boy cuts, and gets the first piece."
Gohan grabbed the knife and strode forward. He was tempted, VERY tempted, to grab the whole cake. But he knew that wouldn't be polite, and he'd been taught better. So, with effort, Gohan cut what he considered a small piece.
Bulma raised an eyebrow, "Kind of small for you, isn't it? You feeling okay?"
Gohan nodded as his stomach rumbled, "…this is enough for me. Here, I'll start cutting cake for everyone else." Gohan's knife moved like lightning as it sliced the cake neatly into pieces for everyone. As expected, both Piccolo and Dende declined to eat the cake. Gohan wasn't sure if their digestive tracks could even handle food; they had water. Everyone else took their piece with relish, and began to eat it. Predictably, Goten and Trunks inhaled their piece, and looked longingly at everyone else.
"Are you going to finish that, big brother," Goten asked plaintively.
Gohan took a deep breath, and then said, forcing the words out,"…no, you can have what's left."
"THANKS!" Goten shouted. Gohan watched him devour the rest of Gohan's piece with a trace of envy. His stomach was protesting that action fiercely, and Gohan fought down a shiver. That cake had been really good. He must have let something slip, for Goten paused at his last bite. He looked at Gohan, then his piece of the cake. Gohan. Cake. Gohan. Finally, Goten handed the plate over to Gohan, "Here you go, big brother. It's your birthday. You can have the last bite."
Gohan grinned. He pulled Goten into a hug, "Thanks Squirt…Trunks, don't touch that last piece of cake."
Trunks froze, his hand dangling over the remaining piece. He pouted, "Why not?"
Gohan frowned, "that piece is for Vegeta…I'm surprised he isn't out here right now actually. He'd never miss a meal."
Bulma snorted, "His royal highness told me this morning under no uncertain terms would he leave the gravity chamber and watch 'weakling morons interact in a pointless ritual.' He then told me to remind you to come to the GR later."
Gohan was hurt; Vegeta was never one to miss a meal, no matter what was going on. The fact he willingly didn't come out for food meant he was intentionally snubbing them, which spoke volumes to Gohan.
"Eh, who cares," Yamcha muttered darkly.
Me. Gohan thought sadly. It was true; he'd come to consider Vegeta at least a friend, in his own way. It bothered Gohan that Vegeta would not interact with them, and discouraged any thoughts Gohan had that he and Vegeta had reached an…understanding.
"So, you ready to open gifts?" Bulma interjected in an attempt to change the subject.
Gohan nodded, eager for something new to do. "Absolutely."
"We'll get the presents," Goten and Trunks declared. They ran forward, and each grabbed a present to hand to Gohan. Goten managed to beat Trunks to Gohan; he handed Gohan the gift in his hands a split second before Trunks could.
"Who is this from?" Gohan asked.
"It's from me," Yamcha explained.
Gohan nodded as he ripped apart the wrapping paper. He found a set of tickets; he examined them, "Hey, season tickets for your team…thanks, Yamcha." Gohan stated with a grin.
"Hey, it's a classic sport. Besides, I think you'd enjoy it," Yamcha defended.
"It's great, honest," Gohan added. That seemed to soothe Yamcha, as he settled down while Trunks handed Gohan the next gift.
"That's from all of us on the island," Krillin interjected.
"Including Roshi?" Gohan asked. When Krillin nodded, Gohan shook the package. "It sounds like clothes…it's not women's underwear, is it?" Gohan asked suspiciously.
Krillin laughed, "No, I picked the gift; he just put his name on it."
"Ahh…" Gohan muttered. Without another word, Gohan removed the wrapping paper, and pulled out the gift. When he saw it, Gohan's heart stopped, and his breath froze. No, it couldn't…they wouldn't…
"It's just like your dad's," Krillin pointed out softly.
Gohan wanted to respond, but all he could do is stare. Orange shirt and pants, with a navy blue undershirt; they even put Piccolo and…his symbol on it. It was almost identical to his father's. Gohan wanted to destroy it; he wanted nothing that would resemble…him so closely. With effort, Gohan stopped himself from forming a ki ball. He forced a smile on his face as he turned to Krillin, "Thanks, Krillin…I really appreciate it."
Most of them looked fooled; Krillin grinned happily while Bulma had a small smile on her face. Only Piccolo seemed to see through Gohan's mask; he shared a long look with Gohan, as if telling him in no uncertain terms he wasn't fooled. But he didn't saw nothing, and Gohan was grateful for that.
"Here you go, big brother," Goten chimed as he handed over the next gift.
"That's from your grandfather," Bulma explained as Gohan looked around. "He wasn't able to make it today; he had some kind of diplomatic situation with the neighboring kingdom. But he promised to come by in a couple of days when he could get away. He wanted you to open it now, and tell him how you like it when you see him."
Gohan nodded, still reeling from Krillin's gift. He managed to get the wrapping paper off, and held up the gift. A single capsule, number 432. "What number is this?" Gohan asked Bulma.
Bulma took a look at it, and smiled, "It's for a Black Viper…"
"Oh…WHAT?" Gohan gasped, "He got me a CAR!"
"Guess so," Bulma replied as the group grinned at him.
Gohan was stunned; while he could fly anywhere he wanted to and really had no use for a car, he was still a teenager. Now that he could drive, it was awesome that he had a car. It made Gohan feel more normal, and less like…well, an alien.
"I'll definitely have to thank him later," Gohan commented aloud.
"Here's the next gift Gohan," Trunks mentioned.
Gohan took it with a nod, as Tien piped in, "That's from the three of us," Gohan nodded, and shook it. It felt heavy; Gohan was slightly impressed Trunks was able to move it with so little effort. Gohan removed the binding easily, and gazed down at the gift. "A pair of weighted ankle and wrist bracers," Gohan said aloud. He smiled at the three of them, "Thanks a lot guys."
"Before we go any farther," Dende interrupted, "I'd like to give Gohan our gift," as the group turned towards him, Dende said, "Gohan, Piccolo and I collected the dragonballs for you. They are up at the lookout, awaiting whatever wishes you want to make."
The group stared at Dende as Gohan started in surprise. He'd never even imagined that he'd get a gift like this, and he had no idea whatsoever what wish he wanted to make. He'd have to really think about it; all he could do now was mutter, "Thanks. I'll use them wisely."
"I know you will," Dende said sagely, and then grinned, "That sounded rather pompous, didn't it?"
Gohan laughed a little; "Yeah, but you're god…we'll let it slide."
"Well, all that's left is the family gifts," Bulma mentioned.
"I'm going last," Goten declared fiercely.
"Fine with me," Bulma stated. "Here is your gift from Vegeta and I."
Bulma handed Gohan a very small box, and a puzzled look came over Gohan's face. Slowly, Gohan opened the box, and found a piece of paper with a name, a phone number, and one other number on it, "I don't understand…what is it?" Gohan asked.
"That's the name and phone number of my personal stockbroker," Bulma explained, "the other number is an account number with him. I put $10000 worth stock into a portfolio for you. You're the only one that can buy or sell the stocks; he won't even let me do it. How much that amount becomes is entirely up to you. I figured it was something you could try. I'll be happy to advise you, but the decision is yours."
Gohan smiled; Bulma knew him very well. He loved challenges, especially where success was based on his own efforts. He's idly begun to look for something else to do to challenge himself, and Bulma must have seen it. This would be the perfect task for him to attempt; this was going to be great.
"Thanks a lot Aunt Bulma," Gohan said softly. He pulled Bulma into a hug, and said, "This wasn't really from Vegeta, was it?"
Bulma sighed, and shook her head. Gohan wasn't surprised; why would the Saiyan Prince give a gift on a holiday he thought pointless. "My turn," Trunks interjected. He handed Gohan a piece of paper, without any wrapping paper on it. The writing was very crisp; Gohan suspected someone else had helped in the actual writing of it.
"It's a pass for a week free of pranks against you," Trunks explained needlessly. Gohan almost jumped for joy; he'd become used to living on a high alert, and he could use a break.
"Thanks Shrimp. I really like it…and I'll cash it right now," Gohan declared.
"In that case…" Trunks said uneasily, "Don't use the shampoo in your bathroom. I just switched it out while you were outside with those three."
"Thanks," Gohan muttered dryly. All eyes turned to Goten, who swallowed. He looked nervously at Gohan and the others. Gohan smiled encouragingly; he wasn't sure what was going on, but if Goten was nervous, Gohan would try and reassure him.
Goten smiled hesitantly, "Here…" He said softly as he handed over a crudely packaged object.
"Did you wrap this yourself?" Gohan asked. Goten nodded bashfully as he ducked his head. Gohan smiled as he removed the tape gingerly and opened the gift. When he saw it, Gohan bit back a gasp. It was a sculpture; Gohan could vaguely make out a larger bulky form holding a smaller one. The faces were crude, and the limbs were very uneven. The bodies appeared to be grossly misshaped, and Gohan could see a message scrawled sloppily on the stand. It read, 'My Family'; it was the most beautiful thing Gohan had ever seen.
"Do you…like it," Goten asked fearfully. Gohan wasn't surprised; he could tell Goten had put a great deal of effort into this gift. Gohan rose slowly, and walked over to Goten. He knelt down, so he could look Goten in the eye. "It's the best gift I've ever gotten," Gohan declared. "It means a lot to me Squirt." As he finished speaking, Gohan pulled Goten into a all-encompassing hug.
They held that pose for several moments, before Piccolo said sharply, "Enough…are we ready to spar?"
"Why you…" Bulma began hotly.
"No, it's okay," Gohan interrupted. "A spar sounds like fun."
Bulma gave a long-suffering sigh. "I guess it's inevitable…you can't have a get together with Saiyans and not expect some sort of fighting…alright, it's your birthday."
"Thanks Bulma," Gohan mentioned. "This was a great party, and I appreciate everything. Why don't you guys go warm-up. I want to go put this in my room," Gohan finished as he held up Goten's gift.
"Okay," Trunks and Goten declared as they shot out of the room. The others soon followed as Gohan headed up to his room. Once there, he set the sculpture on a place of honor, and sat down heavily on his bed. His thoughts wandered back to his parents; Krillin's gift still burned in his mind. He knew personally he would never wear it if he had a choice; it just wouldn't be…him. Gohan remembered when he was a much younger child that all he wanted to do was be just like his father. But somewhere along the way, that dream died, and Gohan felt as if wearing that uniform would cater to that dead dream, and to the man who Gohan no longer wanted to emulate.
"You okay kid,"
Gohan looked up to see Piccolo standing in the doorway. He was ready to spar; Gohan saw he'd already removed all of his weighted clothing. Gohan smiled sardonically, "I never could fool you, eh Piccolo,"
"Tell me what's wrong," Piccolo asked in a voice that almost seemed gentle.
Gohan sighed, "It's just…hard. I see something like…that, and I remember what it used to be like. It brings up a lot of memories, memories I'd rather not be brought up."
"I know how you feel kid," Piccolo declared, "I've done some things in my life I'd rather forget; but you can't let the past control you. The past may have helped shape who you are, but it doesn't dictate what you will do. Acknowledge it, learn from it, but don't drown in it."
"…I guess." Gohan finally said softly. It had always been like that; even during their time training together, Piccolo seemed to understand Gohan on a level no one else could. It helped them bond, and create a relationship that almost felt like one of father and son. But they'd never declare it as such; to give it a name would destroy the link that seemed to flow between them. As Gohan took a look at Piccolo, he felt a little better. In addition, he suddenly discovered he had a solution to a problem that had been bugging him.
"Piccolo," Gohan began, "I actually was wondering if I could ask a favor?"
Piccolo crossed his arms, and said, I'm listening."
Gohan paused; he wasn't sure actually how to proceed. He needed to find another person to help train Lime, and Piccolo is the best choice. But a part of him still rebelled at the idea. Finally, Gohan took a deep breath and stated, "I've taken on a student."
Piccolo looked at Gohan for several moments before saying, "I know…"
"You…what? How, how do you know?" Gohan stammered.
Piccolo snorted, "Kid, did you really think we wouldn't notice someone THAT powerful on this planet? Dende sensed her first, and sent me to take a look at her. I watched her for a couple of days, and saw her style was a lot like yours. It was confirmed when I saw you train her."
"You watched us one day," Gohan declared in shock.
Piccolo shook his head, "Yes I did. You are getting soft; I was a little annoyed that you never sensed me."
Gohan struggled to accept this new information. After a few moments he questioned, "What did you think?"
"…she's got some slight potential," Piccolo mentioned, "so, I take it this favor has to do with her?"
Gohan nodded, "She's beginning to adapt her style to fight only me. She needs another opponent, someone who can help me make sure she doesn't become to personalized in her fighting style. And…"
"You want me to train her," Piccolo supplied. When Gohan nodded, he said, "I don't take students kid."
"You took me," Gohan pointed out.
"You were a special case," Piccolo countered, "the circumstances were different, and we needed you to survive the coming battle…so I took you in as my student,"
"And it turned out fine," Gohan argued, "I'm telling you, she can become really good Piccolo; possibly the strongest human on the planet. But she needs something I can't give her; variety in her opponents. I could really use your help Piccolo,"
Piccolo said nothing for several moments, and Gohan held his breath. Finally, Piccolo sighed and stated, "Well, the Dragonballs were more from Dende than me. Consider this your birthday gift,"
'Then you'll do it?" Gohan asked, just to make sure.
Piccolo nodded, "Yes, I'll do it."
"GREAT!" Gohan declared happily.
"If there's nothing else, we really should get down there before the others start the spar without us," Piccolo added. He started to walk away.
"Piccolo," Gohan said softly. As Piccolo turned back to look at him, Gohan added, "It really means a lot that you're here…and participating."
"Happy birthday Gohan," Piccolo responded. He then strode out of the room without another word. Gohan followed quickly, and found himself outside the house within a few seconds. Those that weren't fighting were all sitting around; they were going to 'watch'. The others were all finishing up their stretching and putting on their fighting gear. As for Vegeta…
Gohan frowned, "Did anyone ask if Vegeta wanted to participate?"
Tien shook his head, "Bulma said he wouldn't participate. She went over and tried to get him to come out, but he wouldn't. He said 'it would be a waste of his time.'"
Gohan was surprised; he'd never in his life thought Vegeta would ever turn down a spar. Gohan was actually a little worried. "Maybe I should try…"
"Kid, he doesn't want to fight. Let's respect that decision," Piccolo declared. "Now, is this a one of one style, or what?"
"Why don't you guys do a team battle," Chaotzu suggested. "it could be good practice."
"I like that idea…how Piccolo, Gohan, and the kids on one team, and the three of us versus," Tien suggested.
"No," Gohan declared. He'd had a second of inspiration. As the others turned, Gohan supplemented, "Those teams have already been used a great deal, and are used to functioning together. But, we're all part of one big team; the Z-fighters. I think the teams should be Piccolo, Tien, and Trunks should be one team, and Travis, Goten, Chaotzu, and I on the other. That will make the teams people that haven't worked together as much. Sound good?"
"You're the birthday boy, we'll follow your lead," Tien declared.
"In that case…" Gohan said with a smirk. He rose into the air, and started to power up. Ki erupted around him as he rose to just under his Super Saiyan transformation. He watched as everyone else went to their maximum, except for Goten and Trunks, who didn't go Super. The two teams moved to opposite ends of the field, and gazed at each other evenly. It was Gohan who broke the silence and started the spar with two words.
"LET'S FIGHT!!!"
TO BE CONTINUED…
Hey, here's another part. I hope everyone liked it. I know Vegeta's absence may seen strange, but there is a reason for it. Please, review and tell me what you think. A couple of things…
DBZ Chick 1 and Goleta: Thanks for the information about the birthday. I did not know exactly when Gohan's birthday was, and so I made a selfish choice. You see, my birthday is June 21st, and I figured his birthday was probably AROUND that date. Anyway, thanks for the information. I will not be changing it in my storyline, but I now officially state that Gohan's birthday is May 28th in reality, for those that didn't know.
Silver Warrior: I probably won't have Lime show up at Gohan's birthday party; after all, he didn't ever remember it himself. However, rest assured there will be a discussion between Gohan and Lime about the party soon.
As always, read and review. I doubt I will get another part out before the FanFiction read only on August 17th and 18th, but I will try. If not, I promise to have a part ready to upload as soon as it comes back up.