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 15 – Wishes and a Question

"You look great, Gohan. That armor really looks nice on you."

Gohan looked up as he swallowed a piece of meat, "Thanks Aunt Bulma. I just can't…I mean…"

Bulma grinned back at his overwhelmed expression, "Say no more. I was watching, you know."

"You were," Gohan gaped.

"Who do you think gave you the sound effects," Bulma countered.

Gohan paused as he considered. It made sense; the timing was too perfect not to have been manually set off. Though tradition said the sound should have been real voices, Gohan didn't care. His rank increase was probably one of the best presents he'd ever gotten; it had a great deal of significance for him, both in his opinion of himself and of…

"Woman, be quiet," Vegeta snapped, "You demean a solemn ceremony by speaking of such. Be glad I included such a weakling in a Saiyan ceremony,"

"Why you…" Bulma began, and they were off. Arguing back and forth with a speed and passion that would make most people believe they were bitter enemies. But no one at the table believed it; in fact, no one even paid attention to it. Gohan took the moment to stare at Vegeta. He'd always hoped that Vegeta respected him and considered him a warrior, but to have his hope proven in such a dramatic way…he still was adjusting to it. Gohan's gaze drifted down to his right breastplate, and the symbol boldly proclaimed. A smile lit his face, as it had done every time he'd looked at it in the last half hour. He was an Elite; nothing could bring him down from that high.

Suddenly, a loud piercing noise erupted over the Capsule Corps loudspeakers. Gohan and the other Saiyans grabbed their ears, while Piccolo slammed his hands against his head so fast and hard Gohan was surprised he wasn't unconscious.

"Shut that off," Vegeta demanded loudly.

Bulma immediately stopped arguing, and a worried look came onto her face. She ran over to a computer console, and typed in a few keys, stopping the noise and easing the pain in the room.

As soon as the noise stopped, Gohan was up and heading towards her, "What is it?" Gohan demanded.

"A couple of the sensors have reacted off the coast of West City," Bulma explained.

Gohan frowned; one of the first projects Bulma and he had completed was an improved vibration detector. It was a very valuable tool, able to provide warning in the event of an Earthquake or a…

Gohan paled, "How high of a reading is it?"

Bulma looked down, "High," she confirmed, "at least as high as the one last month, if not higher. There's no doubt about it; a tsunami is heading for West City."

Gohan cursed; the last tidal wave had done massive amounts of damage and resulted in a large loss of life, even with the warning system in place. If this one was going to be worse…

Bulma read his look, "Don't worry, the system has already alerted the local authorities, and I'm sure they're mobilizing."

Mobilization won't happen fast enough Gohan mused. There has to be something… "How much time before it hits," Gohan asked suddenly.

Bulma glanced down at the screen, "A few minutes, but I don't…"

Whatever Bulma was going to say was lost as Gohan shot out the door. He was dimly aware of Piccolo following behind him, but the rest of his focus was on speed. With a yell, Gohan ascended directly to Super Saiyan 2 and pushed every ounce of ki he had into his speed. The ground began to speed by as a blur, and Gohan could feel Piccolo struggling to keep up, but he didn't care. All he knew was that West City was on the other side of the planet, and it was going to be close.

Time seemed to slow for Gohan. All he was aware of was the blurred ground, as his mind raced. There had been an unforeseen consequence to Piccolo's destruction of the moon all those years ago, one that Gohan felt partly responsible for. Though the moon's absence prevented Gohan from transforming, it also had a tremendous effect over the tides. Previously calm waters became stormy seas, and immense flooding and tsunamis began to appear with alarming frequency. Gohan had tried to help as he could; he'd managed to prevent a few disasters, thanks in part to the early warning system he developed; that ability was part of the reason why the alarm went off at Capsule Corps no matter where the reading occurred. However, there were times when Gohan was too late, and all he could do was help the survivors and keep the casualties down. It was at those times that Gohan felt truly bitter; he was not going to let it happen today, NOT TODAY!

Gohan's thoughts were cut short as his senses conveyed his location. Skidding to a stop, Gohan gazed out over the water, and saw it. It was massive, at least 100 feet high. It would have been really destructive if it'd hit. But now, it would be stopped.

Gohan cupped his hands as he began to gather his energy. It had drained him getting here so quickly; he'd rarely moved so fast in his life. But it didn't matter; he still had enough. "KA…ME…HA….ME….HA!!!!!!"

As the blue beam erupted from Gohan's hands, Gohan hoped he'd gotten the trajectory correct. Sure enough, the blast hit the wave dead center, and Gohan saw the water beginning to disperse as it struggled futility against his blast.

"SPECIAL BEAM CANNON, FIRE!!!"

A second blast shot over Gohan's shoulder. Gohan wasn't surprised; he'd felt Piccolo coming behind him. He also wasn't surprised Piccolo was the only one who came. Vegeta had repeatedly said he would not 'waste his time on petty earth problems', and he also kept Trunks out of it. He'd said it was for the same reason, but Gohan privately suspected Vegeta just didn't want Trunks exposed to a natural disaster that young. If they had failed, Trunks would see things no child should see. At least, that was why Gohan never let Goten help when something like this came up. Not yet, not when he was so young. When he was older, and better able to understand the aftermath if they failed, then Goten could help. But for now, Gohan was content to leave him ignorant.

After a few more seconds, the wave dissipated, as if it had never existed. Gohan dropped out of Super Saiyan, and took a deep breath. That had been close; another few seconds and Gohan would have been too late.

"Nice job Gohan," Piccolo mentioned as he floated down to Gohan's level.

Gohan nodded absently, "Thanks Piccolo." Inwardly, Gohan was deep in thought. There had to be a better way; Gohan couldn't count that he'd luck out and get here in time. He needed to figure out a way for something long term; however, this was not the first time Gohan had considered this, and he still had no solution. It all stemmed from the loss of the moon; if there was only a way…

Gohan slapped his forehead. "Of course," he muttered. He was an idiot. The solution had been starring him right in the face the entire time, and Gohan had been too stupid to realize it. Some genius Gohan thought I can't even see what's right in front of me.

"Follow me Piccolo," Gohan said, as he flew off again, this time at a more leisurely pace. He wasn't in a huge hurry; he knew what had to be done.

Gohan landed on the Lookout gingerly, "DENDE!" Gohan shouted.

Dende came out with Mr. Popo, "Hey Gohan, what brings you here…nice armor. I see Vegeta went ahead with his plan," Dende commented.

Gohan smiled, "Yeah he did…but that's not why I'm here. I wanted to use my birthday present from you."

"The Dragonballs," Dende asked. When Gohan nodded, Dende added, "You already know what you want? That was very quick. I'll go get them,"

As Dende ran off, Gohan shook his head. He'd have to word the wishes very carefully, to accomplish what he wanted without undue problems. After all, if he wasn't precise, there could be unforeseen problems. Gohan ran the phrasing over in his head a few times, just to make sure that he didn't see any obvious problems.

"Here you go," Dende offered as he set the Dragonballs down in front of Gohan, "Should I plan for two more residents of Earth," Dende asked hesitantly.

"Huh?" Gohan questioned. What was Dende talking…it hit Gohan then, and a wave of bitterness came over him. Dende thought he wanted to be bring back…them. No, Gohan would not do that; they'd made their choice eminently clear to him, and Gohan had no desire to face either of them. "Actually, I had a different wish in mind."

Dende's response was cut off as Gohan turned to the Dragonballs, "Shenron, Arise! Come forth and grant my wishes!"

The sky began to darken, and a smile came over Gohan's face. No matter how many times he saw it, Gohan was still impressed with it. As the Dragon appeared, it stated in its deep booming voice, "State your wishes!"

Gohan mentally prepared himself, and shouted, "I wish for Earth's moon to be restored in such a way that all forces that interacted with it are restored to what they should be!"

Shenron's eyes glowed for a few seconds, and Gohan saw a familiar shape reappear in the night sky. Soon, the moon was back where it was supposed to be, and luckily in the new moon phase. That eased a little bit of Gohan's worries; he'd been afraid it would come back full. "State your next wish," Shenron boomed.

Gohan knew what he had to do next; he couldn't take a chance of Goten or Trunks seeing the full moon and transforming. As strong as their base was, they'd be nearly unstoppable as Oozuru. "I wish for all Saiyans to be unable to transform into their Oozuru forms from Earth moonlight," Gohan shouted up to Shenron.

Again, Shenron's eyes glowed briefly, and then he said, "It is done. I shall sleep until summoned again," as he finished speaking, Shenron dissolved, and the seven Dragonballs shot off into the distance to begin their year of dormancy.

Gohan sighed; hopefully now everything would be back to how it should have been. Gohan knew that Vegeta would be annoyed that the brats couldn't transform from the full moon; it was an 'important Saiyan right'. Still, Vegeta knew that artificial moonlight technique if it came down to it. In fact, that might be useful to teach Goten and Trunks some control…

"Gohan, why did you make those wishes?"

Gohan's thoughts ended as he turned to look at Dende's surprised face "Don't worry. It had to be done. Thanks again for the gift. I better be going,"

"I just thought...your parents…" Dende began again.

"You thought wrong," Gohan stated tersely. Not wanting to hear any more, Gohan turned and started to leave the Lookout.

"Gohan"

Gohan turned and met Piccolo's steady gaze. Something seemed to pass between them, a sort of understanding that Gohan could only manage with Piccolo. Finally, Piccolo muttered, "Good job,"

Gohan smiled slightly as he leap off the Lookout and headed for Capsule Corps. As he flew, Gohan raged inside. He couldn't believe the presumption of Dende. As if he'd use a wish to talk to people like that. No, abandoning him had definitely cured Gohan of any desire to speak with them. It was a mute point anyway; they'd both chosen to stay dead, and would probably not come back even if he did wish for it. Gohan knew deep down that Dende was only trying to do what he thought was best for Gohan, but all Dende did was cause him pain. It especially hurt on his birthday; Gohan could still remember the last birthday they'd had as a family, and it just…

"Gohan, are you alright?"

Gohan stopped immediately and looked around in confusion. To his surprise, Lime was floating in front of him with a look of concern on her face, "Lime, what are you doing out here?" Gohan asked.

"I felt your ki spike," Lime explained, "and I thought I'd come see what was going on. I got close, and then the sky went black. And now, the MOON'S not longer destroyed, and I think you've got something to do with it. What happened?"

"You're right, I did have something to do with it." Gohan began. He then explained quickly what had happened today, leaving nothing out. Gohan had long ago told Lime his secrets, such as his alien origin and immense power. Therefore, it was no problem to fill her in on everything from his team spar to his promotion to the wish he just made. "…and I've got good news. My first teacher Piccolo has agreed to help me spar with you. That will give you another opponent, isn't that great?" Gohan finished. To his surprise, Lime was staring at him with an angry look on her face, and Gohan could practically feel the rage radiating off of her. "Lime…"

"Today is your birthday," Lime stated quietly.

"Yes, but I don't…" Gohan began.

"AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME!" Lime shouted suddenly. "Gohan, I thought we were close. Close enough to not keep secrets. I told you so much about me, how could you not tell me something as important as your birthday? Don't you trust me?" Lime whirled and turned her back on Gohan, giving the surprised Saiyan a stiff back to look at. Gohan could feel the rage she held, and could also tell she was really hurt by it.

Gohan felt awful; he had to explain to her, "Lime, listen, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to keep this from you. To be honest, I actually forgot it was my birthday until Bulma reminded me this morning. If I'd remembered myself, I would have told you. And I do trust you, completely. It's just…I can be myself around you, without having to deal with what the others remember from when I was younger. I…like that, and I didn't want to lose it. But, I'm sorry I hurt your feelings," Gohan tensed as he finished.

Lime slowly turned around, and Gohan saw guiltily that she had a hint of tears in her eyes, "You really didn't remember it yourself?"

Gohan nodded, "I swear. I'm sorry."

Lime looked at him for several seconds, and then suddenly her emotions changed. Gohan could smell it; she was nervous, "Tell you what. I'll forgive you if you meet me on Friday."

That was fine with Gohan; it would actually be a good time to get her and Piccolo acquainted. Gohan nodded, "Of course, I'd be happy to be spar with you, and I could intro…"

Lime shook her head, "No, we're not sparring. There's movie I want to see, and I want you to go with me."

"A movie?" Gohan was puzzled. Lime had never acted this way before, and if possible, she seemed even more nervous than before. Gohan had gone to a couple of movies in his life; they'd never been a big deal. What was so?

It hit Gohan then. One moment, complete ignorance; the next, blinding comprehension came over him. He felt his nerves go haywire as he suddenly began to sweat, "Lime…are you asking me out?"

Lime began to blush as she nodded. Gohan swallowed; this was…shocking. Don't get him wrong; Lime was very attractive, beautiful even. There had been times when Gohan had caught himself staring at her form, watching her muscles and body move fluidly as she practiced with more than just the interest of her teacher. But he'd never allowed himself to truly consider her that way. Now, those thoughts came roaring to the surface, and Gohan was almost lost in them. He gazed at Lime, as if seeing her for the first time. He saw how her brown hair was slightly curly at the end, and how she had three freckles on her right ear. Gohan took a deep breath, and tried to settle his jittery nerves. Stuttering slightly, Gohan managed, "I'd lo.love tto ttake you to the mmovvies."

Lime smiled, and as she smiled, her entire face transformed. Gohan was immediately captivated by it, and he felt his face turning red. "The movie starts at seven, so be at my house by 6:15," Lime advised.

Gohan nodded quickly, unable to get words out of his mouth. Lime and he stared at each other for several moments before Gohan commented, "I'll see you then," he then turned to leave, as he tried to get his thoughts in order.

"Gohan, wait…"

"Yes Lime?" Gohan squeaked. He turned to find Lime staring at him with an expression that seemed torn between nervousness and fascination. Finally, Lime floated forward and gently kissed Gohan's cheek.

"Happy birthday," she declared as her face went pink. Not waiting for a response, Lime shot off towards her house. Five minutes later, Gohan was still floating there, unmoved. Slowly, he reached up and touched his hand to his cheek. A dopey grin came over him as he felt happiness bubbling up in him. She'd kissed him! Admittedly, it was only on the cheek, but Gohan felt as if he could jump up to the newly made moon. And now he had a date with her on Friday.

Panic settled in as that thought processed. Gohan was in over his head, of that he had no doubt. After all, he'd never been on a date before; heck, Gohan could count the number of women he'd met on without straining himself. He had no idea how to act, or what to say in a date situation. As his panic increased and he flew home, only one thought bounced around in Gohan's head.

WHAT AM I GOING TO DO!!!

TO BE CONTINUED…

Hey guys, how'd you like the part? It always bothered me that Piccolo's destruction of the moon was so easy and without consequence. Though I haven't taken a science class in a while, I do remember the moon has a great deal of influence over the tides. In addition, from Physics I'm pretty sure the disappearance or destruction of a celestial body would have massive implications over the gravitation interactions of the solar system. I in no way state what happened in my story is what would happen was the moon to vanish; I merely wanted to at least mention it.

I apologize if I messed up on the wording for the dragon. I only vaguely remember the words used and the interactions, so I tried to be accurate to it. Anyway, what did you guys think of the Lime/Gohan part? I decided to follow Syn Shenron's advice. He reminded me that first love is rarely lifelong love, and that Gohan could really use a past relationship before Videl to ground him and make him less clueless. Anyway, I apologize to you anti-Lime fans if you're reading this. I hope you can accept my reasoning and my assurance that Gohan will wind up with Videl (eventually), and keep reading my story.

Now, to respond to my reviewers:

Josh Maxwell: As to your lifespan question, I will eventually discuss in depth Saiyan mating. However, I am only going to briefly touch on it with Lime. The main discussion and how my story spins the concept will be prevalent more when Videl arrives in the story. I hope you can wait until then for your question to be answered.

Kitty86: If I've made grammatical mistakes, I'm sorry. I rush to get my parts out as rapidly as possible, and that causes mistakes to happen. I offer that as an explanation, not an excuse. However, I am unsure what your 'saw' and 'say' reference was in regards to. If you could explain further or please point it out so I could adapt my writing style to be better, I'd appreciate it.

Please, continue to read and review. I greatly enjoy everyone's feedback.