A gentle breeze swept through the mountainous plain. The Z-fighters stood in silence looking at the spot where their friend, Son Gohan had just been moments before. They contemplated all that he had said and wondered if the future was really doomed to such atrocities. The humans especially, pondered upon the young man's words. Ever since their fights in the 23th Budokai, they had realized that their powers were indeed no match compared to those of the aliens that had invaded Earth. No matter how hard they trained, they could just never keep up, and as time went past, they would just continue falling behind until they reached total obscurity. Could it be possible for them to actually make a difference like Gohan had said?
Seeing no point in standing around any further, Goku turned to his comrades and spoke up. "Alright guys, so I think me and Gohan should head home now. Do any of you want to train with us in the future?" The pure hearted Sayian felt nostalgic at the thought of getting to spar with his former rivals again, Krillen, Yamcha, Tien, and Piccolo. They would all benefit from fighting at such a high level.
"Yeah, count me in!" Tien crossed his arms and looked Goku in the eye. The Triclops normally preferred training by himself but it was painfully clear after today that he was completely outmatched and would serve only as dead weight unless he took his body to the absolute limit and beyond. If he could just get even a bit stronger, then maybe he would be able to handle his new technique at even higher levels.
"Me too!" Chiaotzu quickly chimed in, not wanting to be left behind.
"Okay that's great! What about you Krillin? And you, Yamcha?" Goku was sure that they would follow the lead of the other humans.
"I'm sorry Goku, but I don't know about this. I just can't see myself helping anymore than I am now even if I got fifty times stronger! Besides, I'm sure that I'd just slow you guys down if I joined in." Krillin slumped down with a sad expression on his face.
"I have to agree with Krillin, I don't think we're cut out for this kinda thing but thanks for the offer anyways." Yamcha stated dismissively.
"Aww, don't talk like that you two! We're going to need everyone's help to win against the androids!" Goku tried to encourage his friends as best as he could but Yamcha and Krillin held fast to their beliefs. "Well alright, I guess I can't change your mind but at least try to train best you can by yourselves for the next three years."
"Yeah, don't worry. We will." Krillin waved his friend off before bursting into the air and leaving. Yamcha would have done the same but he had to wait for Bulma so he just stood there awkwardly.
"Hey guys, why don't we just forget about this whole training regimen and take down before he can make the androids?" Bulma was clearly distraught over what Gohan's future counterpart had said and hoped to talk some sense into her friends.
"No way, Bulma. I want to get a chance to fight these androids. Besides we don't even know where he is." Goku retorted. he wasn't going to pass up the chance to give his Super Sayian form a real test and this might be his one and only chance.
The blue haired beauty had already thought about that however and attempted to be cheerful and calm. "We have the dragon balls! We can use those to find out where the Doctor's laboratory is. Problem solved."
The innocent sayian tilted his head quizzically. "He hasn't even done anything wrong yet, Bulma. It wouldn't be fair to attack him."
Bulma finally lost her temper. "You can't be serious! That's horrible reasoning Son Goku!" Goku chuckled and put his hands in front of himself in mock protection as Bulma continued to bombard him and pour her anger out. "Ugh! You all are a hopeless case, I swear!" She pouted as Yamcha scrambled up after her. Goku scratched the back of his head nonchalantly.
"Well Bulma hasn't changed much since I left, outside of her hair." Goku scratched the back of his head not affected by Bulma's words in the least. "Gohan, lets go. Tien, Chiaotzu, Piccolo, meet us at our house on Mount Paozu tomorrow."
Tien took a moment to recover from the scene with Bulma but shook it off, responding to his friend's question. "Yeah sure, but what about your wife? I heard from the others that she can be rather overprotective when it comes to Gohan. Would she let you train him with how long you've been away?"
The Pure Sayian thought about it for a second then smiled. "I haven't been away for that long Tien, it's only been a year. I'm sure Chi-Chi will be okay with letting Gohan train."
Tien wasn't very good with people but even he could see the flaw in Goku's reasoning. But before he could say anything, Goku put two fingers to his head and held onto Gohan as they vanished.
"That Goku really is something, isn't he. What do you think Piccolo? Can we get strong enough to beat those androids in the three years we have?"
"I don't have a clue, but we're definitely in a better position than we would have been without Gohan's warning." Piccolo grunted, obviously troubled. 'I've improved a lot since Namek but if these androids are as tough as Gohan had said, then I have a long way to go.' The next few moments were silent except for the sounds of the rest of the Z-fighters leaving the scene to begin preparing.
Chi-Chi was busy washing the dishes in her quiet home, muttering curses under her breath and trying to forget about Gohan, who had snuck out of the house undetected. So wrapped up in her thoughts was she that she didn't even realize that two other people were in the room with her.
Gohan was hiding behind his dad, now wishing they would have taken the long way home, preferably walking so that Chi-Chi could calm down and hopefully, not yell at him. Goku could see the anger in his wife's face and gulped, knowing that this would be a challenge that not even a Super Sayian could conquer easily.
"Honey, I'm home!" He shouted cheerfully. Chi-Chi broke the plate she was washing near instantly and the two Sayians tensed up in fear. Now Goku wished he could hide behind Gohan.
"Gohan, where have you been!" She screamed, turning around livid with anger. Both father and son were surprised that Chi-Chi was showing no concern for Goku's return and the young Sayian had been holding on to that in hopes of getting more time to come up with a good excuse for leaving.
"Sorry I left Mom, I sensed that Dad was coming back to Earth and decided to leave so I could say hi to him!"
Chi-Chi growled and eyed Goku for a moment before turning away and continuing to wash the dishes. Goku and Gohan just exchanged puzzled looks and decided it was best not to mention the training until later.
The azure glow of the time machine lit up the night sky of the broken and nearly abandoned West City. Gohan quickly jumped out of it, returning the strange device to its capsule and began making his way to Bulma and Trunk's home on foot. The young Sayian took in his surroundings as he walked onward. The streets were deserted. Many of the buildings were in ruin, either barely standing or completely collapsed. It was like a hurricane had ravaged the once vibrant megalopolis but that would have been a far more merciful fate than what had befallen the people of Earth. Every single day was hell for them, as they tried to hide from the cold blooded murderers who constantly seeked out new prey to torture and kill. For them, there was no hope.
Finally the son of Goku reached his destination. Capsule Coporation. Or more accurately what was left of it after the Cyborgs had attacked. The facility was run down and only a shell of its former self. Bulma and Trunks, the only inhabitants so Gohan regularly stayed over to make sure the pair were safe. He flew up to the balcony window which was the only lit area of the house and waved to his student and brother who was either meditating or sleeping on the other side. Hovering a few meters above ground.
'Hey Trunks, let me in, will you?' Gohan looked on as his students intense concentration was broken from the sudden intrusion of his mind and he fell back on the floor. Trunks opened his eyes, quickly composing himself and ran to the window, opening it for his master.
"How did everything go? Was the plan a success?"
"You bet. I got the medicine delivered to dad and warned everyone about the cyborgs. I'm guessing Bulma is in her study doing Kami knows what."
"Do you even need to ask." Trunks chuckled lightheartedly. "We won't get a chance to see her again till morning."
Gohan gave a small smile. "That's fine. I guess we have all night to ourselves, little brother. What do you want to do?"
"I'm not sure. Could you tell me some more stories about your experiences? We barely have any time to ourselves and I must admit it never really interested me until now."
"Well alright. If that's what you want." Gohan closed his eyes in thought. "How about I tell you about my time with the rebellion."
"That'd be awesome! I've heard some great things about them from mom!"
"Okay, well lets start from the beginning."
The sky was filled with darkness and the only light came from the stars that twinkled like tiny gems encrusted in the sky. The wind whispered and the leaves rustled. Overall it was a night like all others. But for Goku and his family, it was one to be cherished. The first time in over two years they were all finally together again. Ever since that fateful day that Raditz had come to Earth and kidnapped Gohan, it was almost as if the Z-fighters had become a magnet for evil. Unfortunately, such circumstances make it increasingly difficult for the once peaceful family to even share the simplest of moments together. Having a dinner together with the whole family seemed a momentous occasion and Chi-Chi had taken out her best china and set the table beautifully. A vase of flowers stood in the center which Goku had presented to his beloved wife after kissing her blushing cheeks when he came home for the second time that day. Having been chased out with a rolling pin the first with Gohan in tow, the boys appeared on their best behavior and were grinning from ear to ear. Chi-Chi was a flustered mess. Seeing your husband after so long does that to you. Make no mistake, it wasn't as if she wasn't still very mad at him because she was. There was just something about Goku that always made her forget everything that was wrong. Maybe it was that innocent look on his face that hadn't changed much since the day they first met or the fact that the situations so far had not been entirely his fault. Besides, maybe things could finally go back to normal and everything would be okay again.
"Wow Chi-Chi, I missed your cooking so much! You don't get food like this in outer space, that's for sure!" Goku said, stuffing his face happily.
"Yeah Mom, your cooking is the best in the entire world!" Gohan continued, not wanting to still be in ChiChi's bad books either.
"Well it's a necessity when you have to feed boys with endless pits in place of stomachs." Chi-Chi said jokingly with a hint of pride evident in her voice. "Besides, it's the first day the family has been together in almost forever. It's the beginning of things to come, don't you both agree?"
Goku almost choked on his food as he let out a nervous chuckle. "Yeah, about that Honey. I need to tell you something important."
"What is it, dear?" Chi-Chi was beginning to feel uneasy, sensing something was up. A something that she wouldn't like.
"Well you see, there's a new threat that is coming to the Earth in three years and I was hoping that I could bring Gohan to train him.."
"Absolutely not! Gohan already missed a lot of time studying after you died! And even more time going to Namek. You can't keep taking him every time the Earth's in trouble because who will save him, when he grows up without an education like his father and is forced to live on the street like a bum!"
"But Chi-Chi, Gohan will grow up to be an incredible person! You weren't there, but I'm sure you'd be amazed to see our son as an adult." Goku beamed and ruffled Gohan's hair in pride much to his discomfort.
"Goku, I know he acts mature for his age but that doesn't automatically mean that he can forgo his studies and still hope to succeed. Everything in life takes hard work, just like your training does."
Gohan cut it. "No Mom, you're misunderstanding. I'll explain what dad meant more thoroughly." The young Half Sayian quickly began to explain to his mother how the day had actually went, from the arrival of Frieza and his father, to his future counterpart's dire warning.
Every second led to a more distressed look on Chi-Chi's face and by the end of it, she had collapsed in her seat. "Well that went better than expected."
Deep in the mountains, Chiaotzu sat near a cliff admiring the moon and stars in the sky. Tien had long since fell asleep but he could not do the same. His mind was restless and his heart conflicted. He thought back to all of his battles in the past since he joined the other fighters and he couldn't help but accept that he fell far behind all the others no matter how hard he tried. He hadn't contributed anything valuable to the group since they met and he wanted to change that desperately. To prove to Tien that he was not helpless and even worse than that, useless. The worst part was that he felt afraid. Chiaotzu didn't want to think about the idea of dying and being separated from his friends again. The Namekians had gone to live on another planet after theirs was destroyed and there was no guarantee that Goku's new technique would be able to find and take him so far when nobody even had a clue where they were. The former crane student hated himself for having such weakness. Goku, Tien, Piccolo, and even the young Gohan showed such determination in their eyes, ready to take on any obstacle that stood in their path. In fact, the Z-fighters welcomed the challenge with open arms with the fear of death being an after thought.
So why couldn't he feel the same?
Chiaotzu grit his teeth in frustration over his emotions. He had to talk to someone and get a second opinion but who could he turn to? He couldn't talk to Tien in fear that he would appear weak. His best friend always tried to look out for his best interest and if he knew that he was afraid, then Tien would not permit him to fight in the upcoming battle for humanity. He still didn't feel comfortable around Piccolo let alone Vegeta. Yamcha probably wasn't somebody he could go to for the advice he needed and neither was Gohan. Chiaotzu needed to talk to someone who was wise in not only martial arts but about life in general as well, that's when he figured out who he needed to talk to.
"You're finally awake, Chi-Chi. I was worried about you." Goku said walking towards the bed where his wife was. He noticed she was rubbing her temple and not paying attention to him. "Hey, are you okay, dear?"
Stealing a glance at her husband, she sighed. "Goku, don't you ever have a worry in the world?" Goku scratched his chin as he sat on the bed next to her.
"Of course, I do." He put his arm around his wife and pulled her into his warm embrace. "I think you just worry too much."
Finding comfort in her husbands embrace, ChiChi snuggled close to him. "That's easy for you to say. You're always on the front lines trying to play the hero while i'm stuck powerless, not even able to protect my baby boy while he grows up and changes in front of my eyes."
"Chi-Chi..."
"You couldn't possibly understand how I felt when I found out that Gohan had been kidnapped by Piccolo." Her lips began to quiver. "Then to find out that you had died right after. It was too much for me. I felt so alone and helpless. I couldn't get either of you back and everybody was too busy to care about how I was doing." Goku caressed his wife's face gently with his hands and lifted her face so he could see her. Chi-Chi's eyes were full of pain and sadness. "When I saw Gohan fight that Sayian brute on TV, I thought he was going to die just like you did."
Goku thought back to how he had barely made it in time to save Gohan from Nappa and even the Ginyu Force on Namek. He realized that just the slightest change would have led to his only son's death and his heart felt heavy. Even though things could be fixed with the Dragon balls; Goku would never be able to forgive himself if something happened to his family.
"I didn't want Gohan to go to into space even if it was with Bulma and Krillin. So much could have gone wrong and I wasn't sure if i'd ever see him again...I didn't realize that i'd be feeling that way about you instead until after everybody got back."
"But Chi-Chi I wasn't gone for that long...was I?"
"Goku, you've never had a good perception of time. A year to you seems like seconds but a few seconds away from my loved ones seems like years." Chi-Chi could see the bewilderment on her husbands face and couldn't help but giggle and kiss his cheek. "You can take Gohan with you to train if you really must."
"Really, are you sure?" Goku couldn't believe the words that had escaped her lips.
"My number one concern in life is Gohan. I want him to have the best that life has to offer. If the androids win, then Gohan will spend the rest of his life suffering from what you described. Just promise me one thing."
"Anything Dear."
"Please make sure you both come back to me. I couldn't bear to lose one of you again."
Goku closed his eyes and nodded, giving a reassuring smile. "I promise."
Hey guys, sorry for the late update! I had a lot of trouble writing this chapter but I hope you all enjoy it nonetheless! I hate to inform you all that weekly updates will not be possible unfortunately. School being a major reason but also because I don't want to rush the chapters and cheat you all of the best I can do. That doesn't mean I won't update for months at a time but updates may happen every other week or so. Next chapter will cover a section of Gohan's life that occurred before The History of Trunks and I actually thought it was mentioned in that special but looking it over again, it appears as if I came up with the idea myself. I think you all will enjoy it! Special thanks to Shae Maen for helping me with this chapter and who will continue helping me in the future, I couldn't ask for a better Beta! :D
Till next time, Cosmicwarrior
