AnimeWolfGirl16: Thanks! And I feel bad for him too, although sadly this isn't going to be the last time he might have to choose. And I guess we really don't know what Marie really acts like since there are so many secrets revolving around her and Leyla. Hope you enjoy this!
Chapter 18: Gone
Gohan felt his air supply coming in short breaths. He sat looking out over the underground lake, feeling absolute sadness and confusion; anger too.
Why would he do this? Gohan thought as he felt more tears stream down his face, why, when we need him the most? When I needed him?
Gohan wished he had the answers to his questions, but he knew he wouldn't have them now, probably not for a long time either. The only way he would know is if he asked the problem itself, which was impossible by now.
He was glad that Marie and Leyla had the sense to stay away for now; he knew that they were just as shocked as he was.
He felt more tears blur his vision and hugged his knees; resting his head on them as he thought back to one hour ago.
He should have known something was wrong; should have paid more attention to his surroundings.
The day had seemed normal enough, but there was one significant problem resting in the back of his mind: he hadn't seen his father the whole day.
Gohan had figured that they all needed some air, especially after Leyla's tear-filled story that Marie had tried to kill her. He still didn't know who to believe, or who to trust anymore.
His father had seem somewhat stunned when Gohan had walked out of his room, his face now streaked with tears but a numb expression on his face; mirroring what he had felt inside.
When Goku had tried to comfort him, Gohan had run for the second time, running anywhere but where his two friends were waiting; one obviously lying and the other telling him the truth.
He had returned back to the building late at night, going back to his room but not sleeping until hours later.
When he woke up and realized his father was not in the building, he had thought that he probably needed some air or went to get something. Gohan had then gone for a walk where he knew it was safe, since he still felt weak, and started to search for Ki levels.
He found Krillin, Piccolo, and even Vegeta's Kis easy enough, but he still couldn't find his father.
Gohan had started to worry, but then just assumed that his father was hiding his Ki, even when a persistent question nagged at the back of his mind:
What are you hiding from?
He had then assumed that his father didn't want the Tako to find them, then hiding his own Ki, but couldn't figure out why everyone else's felt relaxed.
Marie and Leyla had woken up later in the day, probably exhausted from the past few days and the last night's ordeal. They had both stayed near him the whole day, acting cheerful, but Gohan could tell that even thought they were near each other, Marie and Leyla now had driven a wedge between them.
Gohan felt as if there was a wedge blocking himself from them as well, but he wasn't quite sure yet; at least the wedge seemed more visible with Leyla. He knew that his long-time friend was taking it hard that he hadn't believed what she had to say, but Gohan knew that Leyla was jealous. Of what, he didn't know, but he knew it had something to do with Marie.
They had went throughout the day, gathering food from little areas that had some and exploring, although more carefully this time. He knew they were more guarded, most likely because of being captured last time.
Fear didn't surface until the sun was starting to turn the sky colors of red and orange, signaling that nighttime was fast approaching.
He sat outside of the house, waiting for his father to return from wherever he had been that day.
Gohan felt the wind start up, making a slight chill enter the air, but still he wanted to wait.
Leyla was the first to follow the others inside, glancing back at him and Marie before going into the building. Marie, after a while, left as well, but not before whispering that things would be fine. She had a sad expression on her face, making Gohan feel even more worried.
He continued to sit and watch as the sun sunk lower into the sky. Gohan didn't know how much time had passed, but he turned around when he heard a voice behind him.
"Gohan, we need to talk to you," Krillin said with a grave expression on his face, making Gohan start to feel nauseous.
He glanced back at the sky once before getting up and going inside. A warning then went off in his head when he saw that almost everyone was sitting in the meeting area. Vegeta was not present, and neither was his father.
"Is Daddy out practicing with Vegeta?" Gohan asked, feeling somewhat nervous.
Everyone except Leyla and Marie shared a look, making Gohan feel even more alarmed.
"What happened?" Gohan asked in a whisper, sitting down when he feared that his legs would fail. He then realized that he was shaking.
Krillin looked as if he was about to talk, but Piccolo beat him to it.
"Gohan, your father has left for a while," his mentor said, staring at him wearily for a reaction.
Gohan's head tilted to the side, confusion entering him. He still felt some fear, but he knew that the worst didn't happen as he had feared.
"Why?" he asked, wondering what the looks between the others meant.
"He…" Krillin started, seeming at a loss for words, "needs some time to himself. He said he was going to train-"
"What?" Gohan interrupted, feeling some sadness course through him, "Why? What does he need to train for?"
"We don't know. He didn't really say," Krillin said with a sigh and looked like he would say more, but something held him back.
Gohan noticed this and felt a bit guarded, knowing they were keeping information from him.
The room was silent for a while. Gohan was now staring at the floor, trying to get his emotions in check.
"How long is he going to be gone, and where is he?" Gohan asked, hoping they would be able to give him something to work off of.
"He didn't really say," Krillin said, a somewhat sad expression on his face, "He just said that he would be back sometime."
Gohan just stared at Krillin, not believing what he was hearing. Gohan stared at the floor, not answering for a bit.
"Again?" he whispered to himself, "How many more times is he going to do this?"
He bit his lip, feeling sadness overwhelm him. All his father had seemed to do since he could remember was run away and train.
That's all he does, Gohan thought as he glared at the ground, and that's all he cares about.
Gohan stood up and started to walk towards the door. Time seemed to slow for him; tears fell from his eyes as he stared out the door.
"Gohan, it's not like you aren't going to see him again," Krillin said, making him stop walking.
He wanted to reply, but sadness was tightening his throat as well. He heard someone else stand up and start to walk towards him.
"Gohan, it's not like he's dead," Leyla said softly, bringing her mother to his mind. He shook his head, closing his eyes as his sadness turned to anger.
"He might as well be!" Gohan shouted, turning around to stare at the blurry images of his friends.
His gaze wandered to the hazy form of a mirror on the far side of the room, seeing a smudge of yellow.
He then glanced over at Leyla, seeing her standing, shocked that he had yelled.
"He's not dead, Gohan," Leyla stated, a bit more harshly this time, "you can at least see him again."
"How do I ever know that?" He asked harshly, staring at his friend, "How do I know since every time he runs off, he could die?"
"He hasn't been gone forever though," Leyla said as tears filled her crimson eyes, "Not like my mother."
Gohan felt his breath go out of him as images of her mother entered his mind. He shook his head, hoping to get rid of them, but they continued to flash in his mind. He then came to a realization.
"So that's what this is about," Gohan mumbled before glaring at Leyla, "Now are you blaming me too?"
Leyla seemed shocked at that, the tears slipping from her eyes and falling down her face.
"What do you mean?" she asked, "I'm not blaming you. You tried to save her."
"Yes, I tried, but I'm never quick enough," Gohan said as he stared at the ground, feeling pain, "I try to protect people, but I'm always too late."
He heard Leyla take a step forward, making him want to move away. He stayed where he was, willing himself not to bolt.
"Gohan," Leyla said in a whisper, "You tried. That's what counts. There was nothing you could have done."
"Nothing I could have done?" he repeated in a mocking voice filled with pain, "there is always something I could have done. I should have been able to save her, but I…"
Gohan felt tears stream down his face again, not being able to finish the sentence in front of his friend. She took another step closer, making him tense. Her eyes were filled with uncertainty.
"You what?" she asked, no more anger in her voice.
Gohan shook his head and looked around the room, not wanting to say it out loud. He willed himself to take a step closer, until he was near enough to touch Leyla's hand. He saw Marie's eyes narrow a bit, but he didn't care.
All that mattered was that Leyla had to know the truth. Gohan closed his eyes and focused on the memory of them trapped in the alley and what he had seen, and then focused on what had happened with her mother. It hurt him to go through the memories again, feeling like he was reliving them, but he knew he had to do it.
Leyla suddenly gasped, pushing away from him and running out of the room. Gohan stared after her, wanting to follow but didn't when he heard a door slam.
Krillin glanced at him with a sad but confused look in his eyes. He felt all of his strength leave him at once, making him want to lie down, but he continued standing. He heard soft footsteps come near him and felt a hand on his arm.
"Gohan…" Marie whispered, tears in her eyes now too, "It's not your fault."
She started to draw closer to him, trying to give him a comforting hug, but Gohan pulled away and ran. He knew that he had promised he wouldn't, but he couldn't take it anymore.
He could feel Marie's sadness through her Ki as he moved further away and into the night. He didn't care where he would go; didn't even care if the Tako found him at this point. All he wanted was for the pain to end.
Gohan stopped running at some point and glanced up, seeing the last rays of light settling on the abandoned building that led to the underwater lake. He ran into the small stone building and started to tear away at the stone blocks that were hiding the entrance.
He felt desperate, wanting to hide somewhere, anywhere that he could be alone. Gohan drew a sharp breath when he felt pain slice across his wrist. He looked down and saw a cut caused by one of the stones; blood was now seeping from it. He glanced at it before crawling down the entrance.
By the time he had walked down the stairs, the cut on his wrist was starting to burn. He glanced down at it and realized it was still bleeding, giving him the impulse to press it against his Gi.
He walked down to the water's edge and dipped his wrist in it, biting his lip as pain brought about cleansing.
"Why did you have to leave us?" Gohan asked as more tears brimmed in his eyes, "Why do you have to leave when I need you most?"
He buried his head in his knees, and realized for the first time what it truly felt like to be alone.
Yes, I know somewhat of a depressing chapter, but it reveals the answer to the question I asked at the author's note in the last chapter. I personally did not think I was going to be able to release a chapter this month, since I've been so busy. I might not be able to release a chapter next month since I am going on vacation for the whole month and might not have time to work on the chapters. Either way, you'll know if I release next month if I had time or not. Now on to more important things… Goku is now gone, but don't worry, he's not out of the story completely. Like Leyla said, "He's not dead." Hm… and now I wonder if I have been saying that too much… Either way, please tell me what you thought and any suggestions in a review!
-AnimeWolfGirl9