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 22 – Shift
"You have a big date tonight?" Bulma asked as she saw Gohan dressed in a suit.
Gohan forced a smile; "I'm taking Lime out to dinner at The Golden Pearl."
"Oh, expensive and elegant…take notes Vegeta," Bulma teased with a grin. She turned to look at her husband as she finished, awaiting his response.
Vegeta didn't respond immediately; instead, he locked gazes with Gohan. Slowly, Gohan nodded slightly. A flicker of some emotion came over Vegeta's face as he said, "Bah, I've got better things to do." Without another word, Vegeta turned and began to walk out. He hesitated when he came to the entrance, and called over his shoulder, "If you're up to it when you get back, meet me in the Gravity Room for a spar."
As Vegeta left, Bulma's eyebrows rose. In the whole time she'd known him, Bulma had never once heard Vegeta say something like that to Gohan. He usually said something like 'Gravity Room, NOW' or 'hurry up, we're wasting training time'. This response was almost…nice. Bulma turned to Gohan asked, "What's up with him?"
Gohan shrugged, "I have no idea…I'll see you later Bulma," Bulma watched as Gohan left without another word. That was also strange; Gohan always said more before he went out with Lime. What's going on? Bulma wondered.
Once he was out of sight, Gohan let his mask drop and let out a depressed sigh. It had been tough, holding up pretenses. But it was something he had to do, because he wasn't ready to face the truth. It was a truth Gohan wasn't sure he would ever be able to face, but it didn't change the facts. After tonight…he and Lime wouldn't be dating.
He had tried so hard to deny it; in the month since Sensei had told him Gohan had tried everything to fight it. He refused to accept that what his instincts were telling him, and hoped with his entire being it would go away. But it didn't; instead, as if recognizing his efforts, it got worse. It got so bad that Gohan had to struggle not to turn and run every time he was in Lime's presence. He'd even gone to Vegeta, seeking some way to hold his instincts at bay. Gohan remembered how that had gone…
"Vegeta, I need your help," Gohan stated without preamble as he entered the Gravity Room.
Vegeta halted his stretches as he turned to Gohan. He could smell Gohan's distress. Lately Vegeta had been finding it harder and harder to get a feel for his emotions form his scent, but this practically leaped out and him. The very air seemed to scream sadness and pain. "What do you want Gohan? We have a spar to get to, where I plan to mop the floor with you at Super Saiyan 2."
Gohan ignored Vegeta's comment as he explained, "My Saiyan instincts are trying to make me break up with Lime, and I need a way to stop them."
"Wait…what are you talking about?" Vegeta asked in confusion. As Gohan explained, Vegeta felt a combination of shock and sadness enter him. Though he was puzzled by how Gohan had figured out what was going on, he couldn't fault his understanding.
"…so I need some way to suppress them," Gohan concluded, "You are the only Saiyan I know; isn't there something, ANYTHING I can do to get past this, and convince my Saiyan side that Lime and I love each other?"
Vegeta's face took on a look of pity and sadness, a fact that shook Gohan to the core. Vegeta rarely allowed any sort of emotion to show on his face; Gohan felt his hopes die. "Gohan, your Saiyan instincts in this area cannot be stopped. While I am a little…surprised they arose so early in your life, they are obviously as strong as with a full-blooded Saiyan. They are also something you cannot stop."
"No, there has to be a way," Gohan insisted, "My instincts are wrong…I love Lime"
Vegeta shook his head, "Gohan, our instincts probably know better than we possibly could in these matters. It is part of the reason why Saiyans can mate for life and never split; our relationships are closely controlled by our instincts. They exist in every Saiyan male as a way to ensure compatibility. They are usually dormant, but once a Saiyan male, you in this case, begins to get truly serious and close to becoming a Life Mate of someone, they kick in and decide whether you and your potential mate should become Life Mates. They are very thorough in their judgment…and they are never wrong."
"No…" Gohan whispered as he sank to his knees. His hopes came crashing down as Vegeta's words sunk in. He could fight against Sensei's opinion, against his instincts, but not against Vegeta's knowledge. It was time to face facts; there was nothing he could do.
Vegeta looked at Gohan for several moments, hesitating. It was not in nature to be nurturing: far from it actually. He also had no desire to share this particular event in his life, but he couldn't ignore the glaring fact that it would probably help Gohan.
A hand on his shoulder brought Gohan's thoughts to an end. He looked up at Vegeta in complete shock. The touch was almost…comradely, a characteristic unlike Vegeta. Vegeta never made such gestures; he would touch Bulma, and sometimes Trunks…period. As he met Vegeta's eyes, he saw a flicker of what he would almost call compassion.
"When I was younger, I was stationed at the far end of Frieza's empire," Vegeta began, "I was young, arrogant and full of pride. While stationed there…I met a female. Despite my intense desire to avoid such entanglements, we became close. Close enough for my instincts to kick in, and for them to judge her and I incompatible. Like you, I tried to fight it. This was the first woman I'd let past my guard for years, and I was convinced they were wrong. I fought against them, but in the end I failed, and she and I…drifted apart."
"Do you regret that?" Gohan asked softly.
Vegeta shook his head, "No, because I am able to see more clearly now than I could back then. As I think back, I know we wouldn't last. She was too docile, too subservient; she had no passion or fire in her. I had merely mistaken the feelings I had for something permanent, when they were really merely…loneliness."
Vegeta met Gohan's gaze for several seconds before concluding, "I know you want to fight it, to hold on to her. But believe me when I tell you that you'll lose this fight. Besides, even if you could win, the instincts are never wrong. Sooner or later you and she would end, possibly deeper into the relationship than you are now. Would you really continue this, knowing where it will end?"
Gohan wanted to deny it; he wanted to scream out his affirmation. But as he tried, he found himself thinking of Lime, and everything they had done together. Finally, he whispered, "No, I wouldn't…"
Vegeta nodded, "I thought so. Then you know what do. And I am sick of this talk; we have wasted enough training time of this dribble."
Gohan didn't find his words insulting; he knew that Vegeta hated this kind of talk, and wanted it to end. The fact he had even done what he had touched Gohan deeply; he knew Vegeta would do such a thing for very few people. Gohan slowly rose, and forced his mind to the spar that was about to happen. But he didn't forget what Vegeta said.
That had been two days ago. As Gohan began to fly to Lime's house, he thought about what he had determined in the last two days. He had thought about it nonstop, and he now understood. He didn't love Lime, at least not the way he needed to for a relationship to work. He cared for her, and he enjoyed her company. But the feelings he had for her didn't run deep enough to be love, the kind of love that would last a lifetime. That bitter truth finally hit Gohan, and so he had given into the inevitable, and decided to end it.
Gohan landed softly in front of Lime's house and de-encapsulated his car. As he walked towards her door, dread rose within him. He knew what he had to do, but that didn't make it easy. How do you tell someone you've been dating for close to 15 months that it was over? And how do you do it in such a way that she doesn't hate you forever and want to kill you?
Whatever the answers to those questions were, they didn't come to him before Lime walked outside. Gohan mentally tensed, expecting the revulsion to come. To his surprise, he felt nothing. The urge to flee, to run, to scream…it wasn't there. He hadn't felt this way in four months. What is going on? Gohan mused.
"You ready to go?" Lime asked, drawing Gohan from his thoughts.
"Of course," Gohan promised. "You look amazing."
Lime smiled, "Thanks, when I heard where we were going I decided to go all out,"
Gohan hid a wince; comments like that didn't make it any easier. Though, there seemed to be hesitancy to her voice, and her scent seemed…concerned. Gohan puzzled over that for several moments, before dropping that train of thought. He had a more important problem. Why aren't my instincts trying to keep me from Lime Gohan wondered as they drove to the restaurant. For months they had been pushing him to do this; was it possible they had changed. If not, then why weren't they…
It hit Gohan suddenly; how could he have missed it? Duh Gohan thought bitterly. Once he'd made the decision to break up with Lime, his instincts stopped pushing. After all, he was doing what it told him. Gohan was sure if he decided to back out, they would come back with a vengeance.
"Are you ok, Gohan?" Lime asked.
"What? Oh, I'm fine, just a little distracted," Gohan replied nervously. He had to be more careful; he didn't want her to get suspicious and force it out of him. Even though he knew what he had to do, Gohan wanted to hold off as long as he could. He wanted to keep the illusion going.
Gohan held off the talk as long as he could. Through the appetizer and the main course, Gohan spoke to Lime of inconsequential things. How her training was progressing, the state of her family, and things like that. But the conversation felt forced, and Gohan could hear the fakeness of it with every word. His real goal for the evening loomed in his thoughts, preventing any real conversation. Finally, Gohan realized it was time. Come on Gohan, you have to do this. No more putting it off.
"We need to talk,"
To Gohan's shock, the words did not come from his mouth. Instead, Gohan looked to see Lime gazing at him with a hesitant look on her face. Gohan took a deep breath, and took a gauge of her emotions from her scent. Fear. Sadness. Worry. What was going on?
"Yes?" Gohan questioned softly. At least this put off what he had to talk about, even if it were only a moment.
Lime took a deep breath, and after several moments said, "Gohan, I want you to understand I care for you a great deal. You're my teacher, and my friend, and we've been through a lot. But…I think we should stop dating."
"What?" Gohan asked in utter shock. Never in a million years would he have imagined the night unfolding in this manner. Gohan struggled to wrap his mind around what was going on while he just stared at Lime.
"I've been thinking about it for several months," Lime rushed to explain, "It's just…you were my first kiss, my first real boyfriend. When you first appeared, I was amazed. You were so confident, so powerful…I developed a crush on you. But as we dated, I realized it wasn't moving from a crush into something stronger. I still care for you, and I have enjoyed our time together, but I don't feel like we should be spending our time dating each other. I'm sorry Gohan, but this just isn't right anymore."
Gohan wanted to laugh; this turn of events was simply too unbelievable. It was like he and Lime had switched bodies. She was saying almost exactly what Gohan planned to say; in fact, he caught several sentences that were identical to what he had been about to tell her. Gohan's thoughts were interrupted as he realized she was still talking.
"…hope we can still be friends Gohan. I really do like being your friend, and your student. But if you can't, I under…"
"Lime," Gohan interrupted. He could see she was distressed, and he knew he had to step in and say something. He reached out and grabbed her hand, "It's okay."
"Really?" Lime asked softly.
Gohan nodded, "Really. To be honest…I kind of brought you here to tell you pretty much the same thing you just told me."
Lime gazed at him for several seconds, before she began to laugh. Gohan held out for a moment before he too lost control and erupted in laughter. It was just too hilarious that something like this had happened. They laughed for close to five minutes as all the tension that had been building dissolved. Finally, once they had recovered, Lime looked over at Gohan and asked, "So, we're friends right?"
Gohan grinned as he nodded, "Of course we are. What do you say we get out here? Piccolo will be training you tomorrow, and I'd hate for him to defeat you because you're tired."
"Not a chance," Lime countered. Gohan quickly paid the bill, and the two left quickly. As they headed for Lime's house, Gohan shook his head. Though he never would have imagined the evening would turn out like it had. Apparently, the resolution was good enough for his Saiyan instincts. They hadn't risen again from this decision, a fact Gohan was quite happy about. He would miss having a girlfriend, but he still had her as a friend and his instincts were now dormant again.
That was enough for now.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Hey guys. First of all, I want to apologize for not getting the last part up sooner. I had it done, but Fanfiction wouldn't let me post. However, my muse was still flowing, so I got another part done. I decided to go ahead and post both parts, given the quality and quantity of reviews I've been getting. Consider it apology and gift in one.
I hope you all liked the way Lime and Gohan broke up. Before anyone says something about it being unrealistic, I want to point out it happened to me. Though some of the details have been changed to fit the story, the main break-up was how it really happened. I brought a girl to a restaurant to break up with her, but she did it first. We both laughed, and are still friends today. Plus, I have big plans for Lime, and didn't want something like a bad break-up to ruin my plans.
I also hope you liked the Saiyan instincts. I just felt that Saiyans would be very instinctual about mating, especially males. I apologize if anyone finds the idea outlandish or strange; the Saiyan race just seems like a very primal and instinctual race, one that would have something like this. As to the idea of it judging a potential mate, the idea may seem to be unrealistic to some people. However, Saiyan instincts appear to be much more complicated than any instincts humans have (and we do have them). Therefore, given their complexity, is it so hard to believe they could make complicated judgments?
As to Vegeta, for anyone who thinks he acted OOC, I apologize. I wrote this scene not only to supplement the Sensei talk, but also to show that Vegeta is slowly changing from the man he was before he came to Earth. I hope you liked it, and that it didn't offend anyone.
Also, I wanted to mention the current time just in case people have become lost. I tried to keep people current with how much time has passed in the gap between the Cell Saga and the Buu Saga. As of the end of this story, 9 months are left until the World Tournament.
Now, to comments:
Mystic-Ssj5Goku – I apologize if you were misled into believing this was a Gohan/Videl story. I still plan on having it become one, but not until my second story (as I mentioned in a previous part). I would like you to still read this, but if you decide not to, I understand.
Nonengel – The reason I kept promising Gohan/Videl in earlier parts is before I expanded my outline and storyline, I listed it as a Gohan/Videl story. As the story evolved and I made the change, the summary and listing changed as the Gohan/Videl action moved to the sequel to this one.
Chrey419 – Though Vegeta has reached Super Saiyan 2, Gohan is still a little stronger at this point. Remember, Gohan did not receive the amulet until after he had fought Cell. In that fight, he was nearly beaten and used every ounce of power he had. This meant that as a Saiyan his power level rose after the fight. That puts him at a stronger level than Vegeta…for now. As to why no one has really commented on the amulet, Goten wouldn't because he promised not to, and the rest…will be explained in due time.