The next chapter is here. Thank you for the feedback, follows, and favorites. Glad so many people are enjoying the story, especially when things are going to start picking up.

Well, onward to the chapter.

Chapter 4: Foreboding

Gohan leaned back into his chair as he stared absently out the open window.

It was such a nice early fall day that it seemed such a waste to be stuck inside. But his mom insisted that he finished studying before she would even considered letting him out. It was just so hard to concentrate.

Normally, he didn't mind studying. It was fun to learn new things about the world, people, and history but right now he just felt like playing.

He sighed as he went back to reading the same paragraph he has been stuck on for the past hour. At this rate, he would never go outside today.

"Gohan," the cheerful voice of his dad called.

He looked towards the door and saw his father leaning against the doorframe. He was dressed in his standard orange gi, telling him that he was going out to train.

Since he came home nearly three years ago, his mother insisted that he wears something other than his turtle uniform all the time. So, when dad wasn't out training he wore normal human clothes. Which wasn't often since he trained everyday with very few exceptions. Personally, he always thought his dad looked strange in common clothing. It never suited him.

"Hey, I'm going to spar with Piccolo. Do you want to come?" Goku asked. A huge grin was plastered on his face.

Gohan smiled widely. It has been several weeks since he's seen Piccolo, although he usual stayed close to this area. He never comes near the house because he knew his mom didn't like him. She barely tolerated them seeing him at all. Despite everything, she still saw him as the Demon King Piccolo.

It saddened him that Piccolo and his mom, two of his favorite people in the world, couldn't come to terms with one another. Dad said it was because she saw Piccolo try to kill him and it badly traumatized her to the point that it all but took her love for martial arts. For his mom, Piccolo was her first experience with an evil being and she never forgotten. Much like how the memory of Frieza was forever engraved into his memory despite that monster being dead for several years.

Hopefully, one day, she would see the truly good person Piccolo was. He wasn't the Demon King anymore, but his honorary uncle.

"Sure!" he answered before he ended his current line of thought.

"Goku, you know Gohan is studying," the voice of his mother interrupted as she walked towards his dad. She had her arms crossed and was glaring harshly. "I told Gohan that he couldn't leave until he finished his studies."

"Ah, come on Chi-Chi, he's been cooped inside this house studying for days and the weather's so nice today," Goku said in his normal good humor.

Chi-Chi scowled at her husband. "You're too carefree. How do you expect Gohan to get into a good school if you're so lacks about his studies?"

"Chi-Chi, if you let him out today, I promise not to interfere with his studies again this week." Goku attempted to reason. "It's just one afternoon. Besides, Gohan's smart. He'll easily catch up on anything he miss."

Several seconds past and Chi-Chi kept her arms crossed. It looked like she wasn't going to budge until she suddenly smiled. "Okay, just this one afternoon. But Gohan will have to study extra long to make up for the work he lost."

"Yahoo!" Gohan cheered. He practically threw his pencil in the air and almost knocked over his chair.

"You heard your mother, get ready," Goku said.

He didn't have to be told twice. In a span of a few minutes he had his own gi on, modeled after his mentor. He recently made a new one since he outgrew his other outfit. Since he turned ten, he'd grown several sizes.

His mother was surprise at first since she assumed that he would grow like his dad did. From what everyone told him and the pictures he seen, his father was a really short kid, barely taller than Krillin. It wasn't until he was a teenager that he suddenly shot up over two feet.

According to Vegeta it was because Saiyans' had long childhoods and didn't really have 'teenage' years like humans. Gohan so far seemed to be a middle ground of the two. He was kinda short for his age, but he did actually look his age.

"Gohan, are you ready!?" Goku called.

"Coming dad!" Gohan shouted as he rushed towards the front door. He made sure to kiss his mom before he left. "Bye, mom."

"You take care and don't let Piccolo be too rough on you!" Chi-Chi yelled as Gohan ran out the door.

His dad was standing near the door, bathing in the warm sun. He looked at peace, almost serene, something that was severally missed about two years ago.

Since his returned, his dad has changed. He was still carefree and happy, but there was now a deep sadness in his eyes and he appeared older. These changes were much more prominent during those first few months where his dad would randomly space out or wonder off somewhere for hours and he couldn't sense him. It took a very long time for his father to return to normal. Or, at least as normal as he was going to get.

It made tragic sense. Frieza's evil and cruelty affected his dad the most of all. No one could be the same, not after Namek.

He was happy that these last few years have been a time of peace so his dad could heal. To escape the endless battles and the pressures of having the world on his shoulders. His father more than deserved the rest.

"Took you long enough," Goku chuckled as he place a hand on his son's shoulder and put his fingers to his forehead.

In a flash, they were both near a waterfall that was several miles from their house. Floating near the waterfall in a meditated state was Piccolo. He didn't acknowledge the duo.

"Hey, Piccolo," Goku greeted in his usual cheerful manner. "Training hard as always."

Piccolo slowly cracked his eyes opened and stared at the older Saiyan. "Of course. Times of peace are fleeting. Frieza maybe dead, but others like him can always come." He fully opened his eyes. "And I don't like the fact that you are still so much stronger than me."

Goku laughed. "Don't feel bad. We're about even if I don't become a Super Saiyan."

Piccolo snorted. "You and I both know that isn't true, so stop trying to save my feelings. Anyway, is there something you want? If not, I have training to do."

"Well, that's just it. I was wondering if you up to a sparring match? It has been a while since I fought with someone and Gohan is getting rusty," Goku said as he patted his son's back.

Gohan laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head.

True, he hadn't been training as much as he used to. Part of it was because of studies, but a big part of it was laziness. He still sparred with his dad every now and then, but that was more for fun and bonding. He couldn't bring himself to seriously train like he did under Piccolo. With all the defenders living on Earth, it seemed he wasn't really needed.

Especially his dad, who powers as a Super Saiyan has grown since the day Frieza came. The few times he transformed, he dominated both Piccolo and him like they were beginners. There was no doubt in his mind that he was the strongest in the universe and that he could repel any threat that dared came to Earth. And if his father's strength alone wasn't enough, Piccolo and even Vegeta were around. There just didn't seem to be a place in their ranks.

Gohan was knocked out of his musings when he felt Piccolo glared at him. There was an aura of disappointment that made his stomach drop.

"I see what you mean. Gohan, you've barely gotten stronger since the last time I saw you. A warrior must always train his body along with his mind," Piccolo said as he got out of his meditation stance and floated towards the Saiyan duo. "Your father and I won't be around to protect this world forever. It's up to you, as the next generation, to grow stronger and surpass us."

Gohan looked at Piccolo in surprise. "But you and dad aren't going anywhere."

"You shouldn't take life for granted. I thought you would be more than aware of that," Piccolo said as he stepped in front of Gohan.

Gohan lowered his eyes in shamed. Was he taken life for granted despite everything he experience?

"Geez, Piccolo, you can be such a downer," Goku chuckled, lighting the mood. "Gohan's still young. He got the rest of his life to train." He patted his son back. "We just need to keep him in shape until he's ready."

Piccolo had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. "You're too soft on him. This is why he was such a marshmallow when I started training him."

Goku laughed at the words choice.

With things settled, the training session commence.

Gohan went first, fighting against Piccolo. It was clear from the outset that the young boy was out of practice. His timing was off and he kept getting baited into Piccolo's attacks.

"Focus, boy!" Piccolo scowled as he decked Gohan across the face. "You're using your eyes again. Feel me out and concentrate on my movements!"

Gohan huffed as he attempted to catch his breath. He almost forgotten how strict Piccolo could be. He wasn't getting any leeway, at all. He had gotten too used to the casual sparring matches that he and his father had.

The momentary lapsed in concentrate cost him. When he finally got his head back in the fight, he was blasted by an energy wave from Piccolo's palm. He was sent flying into the ground and hit hard. He landed just inches from father.

Gohan groaned in pain, struggling to stand up.

"Get up! You can take much more than that!" Piccolo yelled.

Gohan struggled to stand up. This was bringing back many 'fond' memories from his six months of training. Still, after most of the stuff he survived, this was nothing.

Goku stepped forward and stared at his one time rival. "I think he needs a little break. You guys been at it for over an hour."

Piccolo snorted. "As I said, too soft."

"I'm fine dad…" Gohan stuttered as he forced himself to his feet.

"Don't over do it, son. Stressing your body too much won't help you in the long run." Goku advised gently.

"But…"Gohan started.

Goku gave a wolfish grin. "Besides, I can't let you wear Piccolo out before I get my turn."

Piccolo smirked at the comment. "So, you wish to challenge me? Bring it on. I won't be as nice to you as I was with Gohan."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Goku teased as flew up and within seconds, the two superpowers were mixing it up. Their punches were so powerful that it left a shockwave with every hit.

Gohan could only look in awe at the two people he admired. They were just sparring and they were able to fight at that level. Piccolo wasn't kidding when he said that he was going easy on him. One of those punches would have knocked him out.

His dad was in fine shape as usual, dodging and parrying Piccolo's assaults with little to no trouble. Piccolo, however, was a quick thinker and was able to land several strikes by mixing up his strategy.

They were both awesome.

Piccolo grunted as he watched his opponent's movement. Unlike Gohan, he wasn't impressed by what he saw.

It has been awhile since he sparred with Goku, but his movements were sloppier and sluggish than last time. Goku was also leaving himself open far too often for it to a simple lapsed in judgment.

"Are you taking me seriously?" Piccolo asked in frustration. "I'm not your son. Don't you dare fight me with kid gloves."

Goku didn't smirk or jive back. In fact, he looked too winded to talk.

This got Piccolo's attention. He couldn't be tired, not from just this. Goku was one who could spar for hours without getting exhausted.

"Huh, guess Gohan isn't the only one rusty," Goku mused as he charged Piccolo.

It went like this for almost an hour. Piccolo noted with concern that Goku was tiring quickly and he wasn't dodging as much, choosing to tank most of his hits. Even then, his attacks seemed to hurt Goku more than it should.

What was going on? Goku couldn't be doing this on purpose and he couldn't be rusty as he claimed earlier. He has been monitoring Goku's training through his senses and he has always been on point.

Wait, that wasn't completely true. For a few days now, he had felt a slight decline in Goku's power. He thought nothing of it since everyone had their off days. Now...he was wondering if something was really wrong.

Piccolo stopped the match and stared at his one time enemy.

Goku was a mess. He was breathing hard and was sweating all over. His eyes also had a slight gaze look, like he hasn't slept that day. Just from this spar match, it looked like he took on an army of super powered entities.

"Goku, are you well?" Piccolo asked bluntly.

The question took Goku by surprise. "Huh, what do you mean?"

"Don't give me that," Piccolo said with a note of impatience. "You're barely keeping up with me and you're dead tired despite the short time we have been fighting. This isn't like you."

Goku rubbed the sweat off of his forehead. "Well, I have been a little tired lately, but I'm sure it's nothing."

Piccolo continued to stare at Goku. "Perhaps you're catching a cold."

"A cold?" Goku asked in confusion.

"You know, a cold. That disease that humans usually get. When they start coughing and sneezing, and stuff," Piccolo said, trying to remember what a cold looked like.

He saw it once with Gohan when they were training for the Saiyans. A disgusting and bothersome illness. Made him happy that he wasn't human.

"Oh that," Goku said in recognition. "Well, I've never gotten a cold before. I've never been sick when I think about it. Unless you count being beaten to a pulp."

Piccolo hummed. "Well...maybe it's nothing, but you shouldn't spar with me until you get over whatever you have. There's no point fighting a weakened opponent."

"Are you guys stopping?" Gohan asked as he flew up towards the two warriors. "Then, it's my turn to fight dad?"

"We're calling it a day," Piccolo answered before Goku could speak.

Gohan's face dropped. "Oh, how come? Is it because I did so badly against you, Piccolo?"

"I just want to train by myself," Piccolo said while glancing at Goku. "Come back when you can give me a decent workout."

Goku returned Piccolo's glance with a grateful smile. He didn't want to worry Gohan over nothing.

"Well...okay then," Gohan said in disappointment before he brightened up. "I'll be sure to become much stronger the next time we spar."

A rare smile graced Piccolo's face. "You better. I hate to think that all those lessons I gave you would go to waste."

"We better get home, Gohan," Goku said as he patted Gohan's head. With a gesture, he teleported away, leaving Piccolo to his thought.

Piccolo floated in silent for several seconds, staring at the spot where Goku vanished. The wind whipped his cape around.

"I don't know why, but...I got a feeling of forbearance," he said to himself. "Is something about to happen again?"

Goku gave a sighed of satisfaction as he patted his inflated stomach. "Aw, that was so good as always Chi-Chi."

"Glad you liked it," Chi-Chi said as she washed the dishes. She finished eating an hour ago and had long gotten into the habit of washing dishes before they piled up and overwhelmed her.

"Yeah, mom, everything was great," Gohan complimented as he finished his meal.

Goku gave a big yawn. "Well, I'm heading for bed. I really worn myself out with Piccolo today."

The statement got Chi-Chi's attention.

He has only been training for a couple of hours. It usually took far more than that to wear him out. Maybe he was just training more intensely today. That brute, Piccolo, always went too far with sparring with her boys. She still hadn't forgiven him for nearly breaking Gohan's arm a year ago.

"Remember, we're leaving tomorrow to go to Bulma's house," Chi-Chi said, her back still away from the table. "She wants everyone there to see her new baby."

"Aw yeah, Trunks, right?" Goku asked before he laughed. "Yeah, I still can't believe it. Who would have thought Vegeta and Bulma of all people would have a baby."

Chi-Chi shook her head. Honestly, what did Bulma see in that man? Despite no longer being a murderous, space pirate, he was still a rude, pompous man who life's goal was to kill her husband. Then again, Bulma seemed to have a thing for bad boys.

Gohan gave a huge smile. "I can't wait to meet him. I'll finally have someone around my age to play with."

Chi-Chi gave a small smile. "And you will be a good role model for little Trunks."

Gohan meekly laughed.

"Well, I'm off," Goku said as he stood up and stretched. "See you tomorrow, Gohan."

Gohan smiled. "Night, dad."

Goku left the kitchen, almost stumbling in exhausting.

"Your father had a hard day today. Did Piccolo and him overdo it again?" Chi-Chi asked her son.

Gohan shook his head. "No. They were both going fairly easy."

Chi-Chi hummed in confusion as she went to collect the remaining plates. She stopped short when she saw some food left on the table. It wasn't much, just some scraps here and there, but it was still concerning. Her Goku never left food behind, not even the smallest scrap. He was practically a garbage disposer.

She quickly shook her head. It was probably nothing. She tended to worry too much. "You should get to bed too, Gohan. You have an early day tomorrow."

"Okay, mom," Gohan said as he got up, kissed her, and left for bed, excited to meet the new half-saiyan.

Goku groaned as he forcibly opened his eyes. Despite going to bed earlier than usual, he still felt very tired and sluggish. He couldn't figure out why. He hadn't done anything stressful. At least, no more stressful than usual. He also began to notice that it was gradually getting harder to get out of bed. Really, he just felt like sleeping all the time.

He looked out the window and saw that the sun had fully rose, bathing the room that his wife and him shared in its warm glow.

That was worrying. He usually was up before sunrise. He liked to train a little before breakfast. Now, he would barely have time to dress before Chi-Chi called them down.

At the thought of food, he didn't feel his normal excitement. He just didn't feel like eating. But that was impossible, he always want to eat. There was never a time he didn't feel like eating, even when he's fairly full. What was wrong with him?

"Gohan, Goku, breakfast's ready!" Chi-Chi called.

Goku rubbed his forehead. It was nothing. Maybe he was getting something like Piccolo said, despite never being sick before. There was always a first for everything. Hopefully, it would pass soon. He seen people get sick and it didn't look pleasant.

Once he got his clothes on, he was off to the kitchen. By the time he got there, Gohan was already happily eating.

"Goku, you're late, even though you didn't go out today," Chi-Chi said. There was a hint of concern in her voice.

Goku rubbed the back of his head and laughed. "Sorry, I overslept. Guess I was more tired than I thought."

Chi-Chi didn't seem to believe him, but decided not to push the subject. "If you're not going to train, why are you wearing your gi? You know the deal we made."

"Well, I want to wear something comfortable when we see Bulma today," Goku said as he took a seat. "Besides, Vegeta will be there and he may want to settle the score."

"Really, I doubt Bulma would appreciate you two fighting on her son's introduction day," Chi-Chi scowled.

Goku ate a bowl of rice. "You never know. Best to be prepared."

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Chi-Chi reprimanded. "You're setting a bad example for Gohan."

The morning past slowly and soon it was time for the young family to make their way to West City. Since Chi-Chi wasn't in the mood to ride on Goku's back, they flew to the metropolis on the Flying Nimbus.

Goku offered to teleport them, but Chi-Chi wanted to see the sights. She also enjoyed flying, especially when cuddling with her husband.

Gohan flew beside them, relishing the wind blowing through his hair and Chi-Chi was excited to be leaving the mountain area. It's been a long time since she'd been to the city.

It was early afternoon when they arrived.

"Hey, aren't that Goku and his family?" Oolong asked when he saw the familiar golden cloud.

"Yeah, that's them," Yamcha said, smiling upon seeing his old friend.

"Hey, Yamcha! Hey, Oolong!" Gohan greeted cheerfully, waving at the duo.

"Gohan!" Yamcha exclaimed as the young boy landed in front of him. "Wow, you've really grown up. You're looking more like your dad every day."

Gohan blushed at the compliment. "You think so?"

"I know so," Yamcha said as he rubbed Gohan's head. "And you've gotten stronger too. I can feel it."

Oolong laughed. "You better watch out, Yamcha. In a couple of more months, he may become stronger than you."

Yamcha laughed. "In honesty, he probably is already much stronger than me. It has been awhile since I've really trained."

Goku and Chi-Chi finally landed.

"Chi-Chi, Goku, it's been awhile," Yamcha greeted.

"I think almost two years, right?" Goku asked as he helped Chi-Chi off the Nimbus.

"Well, we haven't seen each other since you took care of Frieza. We had several get-togethers since then, but you were always busy training," Yamcha said.

Goku just laughed.

"So where is baby Trunks?" Chi-Chi asked, barely containing her excitement. "I've been dying to see him since Bulma sent us the pictures."

"He's inside. I'll take you to him," Yamcha said as he led the Son family into the Capsule Corp building.

"Hey, Yamcha, sorry it didn't work out between you and Bulma," Goku said. "I thought for sure that you two were going to get married."

Yamcha's eyes became downcast. "Yeah...but I guess it wasn't meant to be." He then smiled. "It's okay though. We parted on good terms and we're still close friends. I even take care of Trunks when Bulma's busy."

"Not Vegeta," Goku noted.

Yamcha snorted. "He's too busy in that gravity chamber to look after a baby. He barely acknowledges Trunks existence anyway."

"Well, maybe Vegeta will show interest when Trunks is old enough to train," Goku offered.

"Yeah, that sounds like him," Yamcha said in mild disgust.

They entered the area where the party was being held and saw that they weren't alone. Krillin and Master Roshi were there along with the Ox-King. He must have driven himself here. To Goku's surprised, even Launch was here. She was currently in her good form talking to Mrs. Brief.

"Hey, everyone!" Goku yelled in greeting.

Krillin smiled. "Goku, glad you could make it. And hi, Gohan and Chi-Chi."

Gohan looked around. "Looks like everyone's here except for Tien and Chiaotzu." He could sense Piccolo's presence despite him not being in the room.

"According to Bulma she couldn't find them. You know those two, they could be anywhere in the world," Krillin said. "Besides, I don't think Tien wants anything to do with Vegeta, not that I can blame him."

Goku laughed. "Yeah, Tien has had a grudge on Vegeta since he was our enemy."

Yamcha folded his arms. "Huh, I'm here to support Bulma and Trunks. I wouldn't even breath the same air as that jerk if it wasn't for her."

Krillin nodded. "Even though Vegeta is on our side, more-or-less, I still can't believe that him and Bulma had a kid. I mean, how does that even happen? Where they both drunk or something?"

"I heard that!" a loud voice exclaimed.

Krillin nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw that Bulma was standing behind him with a young baby in her arms. "Bu...Bulma!"

"For your information I was very sober when I conceived Trunks," Bulma continued to scowl.

"I...I didn't mean it like that!" Krillin stumbled, putting his hands up in defense.

Gohan laughed at how flustered his friend was. Krillin had a talent for putting his foot in his mouth.

Goku stepped forward and stared at the baby. "So, this is little Trunks, huh? He's definitely Vegeta and your child. He got both of your looks."

Bulma immediately calmed down and smiled. "You think so? I thinks he takes more after me, given that he isn't hideous like his daddy."

Krillin choked, trying not to laugh.

Yamcha had no such reservation and openly snickered.

Gohan walked over to Bulma and reached for Trunks' small hands. The baby instinctually grabbed Gohan's finger and squeezed. "He's very strong."

"Well, he is Vegeta's child," Yamcha said. "I wouldn't be surprise if he become as strong you, Gohan."

Chi-Chi smiled as she looked at the baby. "He's just so adorable."

Goku noticed something. "Hey Bulma, where's Trunks' tail? Did you remove it?"

"Actually, he wasn't born with one. Vegeta said that tails are recessive in half-Saiyans," Bulma answered.

"Huh, really?" Goku asked in interest.

Bulma nodded. "It's probably for the best. Even though there's no moon anymore, I wouldn't chance him turning into a monster."

"I guess so," Goku said softly.

He personally loved his tail and somewhat regretted letting Kami take it. But after learning the truth about the full moon, he missed his tail much less. It would be a painful reminder.

Gohan looked towards the older woman. "Can I hold him?"

"Sure, kid. Just be gentle," Bulma said as she carefully handed Trunks to Gohan.

Gohan smiled as he rocked the fellow half-saiyan in his arms. He felt a kindred link formed between him and the baby. They were the sons of the two greatest warriors on the planet.

Master Roshi suddenly appeared in front of Bulma. "That's a nice kid, Bulma. But what I'm really surprise about is that you were able keep your figure." He eyed her boobs. "In fact, I think you assets have gotten even bigger." He reached to touch.

Bulma violently slapped him across the face, sending him crashing into the floor. "You dirty old man! I should get Vegeta out her to vaporize you!"

Roshi quivered on the floor. "Ow...can't you take a joke."

Krillin chuckled. "Well, Bulma's even more dangerous now that she has one of the strongest fighters in the world at her command."

"I doubt Vegeta would even care," Oolong joked under his breath.

"What was that!?" Bulma yelled, startling Oolong.

"No...nothing!" Oolong stuttered before turning his head. "I see having a baby haven't calm you down. Poor kid."

Bulma heard the mutter and attempted to choke Oolong.

Goku laughed at the entire scene. It was just like the old days.

The get-together went smoothly with every catching up with one another. Chi-Chi and Bulma were chatting, trading advise about how to deal with a half-saiyan child, while Gohan played with the baby.

Roshi, Puar, and Oolong were playing a friendly game of cards, which Puar was easily winning.

Launch was helping Mrs. Briefs serve refreshments and food while also catching up with Bulma and Roshi.

Goku spent most of his time chatting with Yamcha and Krillin, talking about old times and the new happenings. After over an hour, however, he quickly found himself getting tired. The drowsiness that he has been suffering from all week had gotten worse since he came to Capsule Corp. It was taking everything he had just to stay awake.

"Hey Goku, are you feeling okay?" Krillin suddenly asked, cutting through the fog of drowsiness. "You look a little pale."

"Yeah, you've been looking dead on your feet for awhile now," Yamcha noted in concern. "Is everything alright?"

"Oh...I just been training extra hard this week," Goku answered as he attempted to rub the sleep out of his eyes. It wasn't helping

"What kind of training have you been doing? You never been like this, even when we were training under Master Roshi," Krillin said, not believing anything Goku was saying. "I mean, it was always me who was dead on his feet, remember?" He tried to joke, but his humor didn't produced a smile on Goku. It didn't even appear his old friend heard him.

"I think I'll go lay down somewhere," Goku said. If he bothered to keep standing, he would undoubtedly faint and then Bulma would be mad at him.

Yamcha and Krillin gave Goku worrying looks as he left, but he barely acknowledged them.

Thankfully, everyone was too busy doing their own thing to noticed that he left.

He walked until he came to one of Capsule Corps' many indoor gardens. He glanced up to see Piccolo, floating over one of the artificial rivers. His eyes were closed in meditation and he didn't seem to notice his presence. Although, he was certain Piccolo knew he was there.

Normally, Goku would bug Piccolo to join everyone in the other room. It was a party, after all, and why even bothered coming if you weren't going to socialize. But he just didn't care. He just wanted to go to sleep. Yes, resting for an hour or two should get him back on his feet.

He lay down by one of the large trees and closed his eyes. Within seconds, he was out.

He wasn't sure how long he slept, but he was annoyed to find that someone was shaking him. They were voices, but he ignored them. He wanted to sleep longer.

"Goku! Goku!" a voice yelled.

"What's wrong with him?" someone asked.

"I don't know, but he feels hot and he's sweating pretty badly," another person said.

"Get Chi-Chi," someone ordered.

At the mention of his wife's name, Goku slowly dragged himself back into consciousness. He noticed that Yamcha, Krillin, and Oolong were surrounding him. Off the corner of his eye, he noticed Piccolo. Despite his impassive expression, he appeared just as concern as the others.

"He's awake!" Yamcha exclaimed, sighing in relief.

"Goku, are you alright?" Krillin asked, not even bothering to hide his concern.

"Huh..." Goku answered dimly. Why was he suddenly so hot and dizzy? He also noticed that there was now a slight pain in his chest.

"Sheesh, you scared us," Oolong scowled. "Bulma sent us to get you and you wouldn't wake up no matter how much we bugged you. You didn't even flinch when Krillin mentioned food."

Goku blinked. So that's why they were so worried.

Yamcha put a hand on his forehead and frowned. "Yeah, he has a fever. Judging from his complexion I would say he has the flu or something like it."

"The flu? But Goku has never been sick before," Krillin said.

"Well, he's definitely sick now," Yamcha said as he looked over his friend with a critical eye. "Other then drowsiness do you have chills, body aches, or anything else?"

Goku shook his head. "No. I feel sort-of hot, actually."

Before Yamaha could ask anymore questions, Chi-Chi chose that moment to run into the garden, nearly knocked over Krillin and Yamcha. Puar was floating next to her.

"Goku, what's wrong?" Chi-Chi asked. She was closed to panicking.

"Chi-Chi...it's nothing..." Goku answered sluggishly. Despite the nap, he actually felt much worse than before and the pain in his chest was increasing. It felt like he was going to pass out again.

Chi-Chi bought none of that and placed her hand on his forehead, just like what Yamcha did earlier. She frowned. "You're burning up. I'm taking you home right now."

"But Chi-Chi..." Goku started.

"Don't you 'but Chi-Chi' me," she almost screamed. "You're ill and you trying to play it off isn't going to help you. You could also get the baby sick."

Goku almost groaned. He knew that there was no arguing with Chi-Chi when she was like this and he didn't feel like trying. All he knew was that he was uncomfortably hot, his chest hurt, and he was dead tired. All and all, he wasn't at his best.

He was helped to his feet by Krillin and Yamcha and they assisted him out of the garden. It didn't take long for the others to know something was wrong when they saw Goku walking with his head down and struggling to place one foot in front of the other. His knees nearly collapsed under him several times.

"Dad, what's wrong!?" Gohan asked as he ran towards his father's side.

"You're father's sick and we're taking him home," Chi-Chi answered before Goku could speak.

"Sick?" Bulma repeated in shock. "But Goku has never gotten ill."

"Well, he is now," Chi-Chi said firmly before her face softened. "I'm sorry, Bulma. This was supposed to yours and Trunks' day."

Bulma shook her head. "No, that's okay." She stared worriedly at Goku, not liking how pale his face was and how distance he seemed. It was like he was no longer there. How did he get this bad so quickly? He was fine just a couple hours ago. "Just, take care of him."

"I will," Chi-Chi assured as they walked Goku to the entrance.

Gohan trailed closed behind them, ready to support his dad anyway he could.

After a few minutes, they were outside and Goku was loaded onto the Flying Nimbus. As soon as his head hit the golden cloud, his strength gave out again and he surrendered to the darkness.

Told you things were going to be moving. Hope you enjoyed and until the next chapter.