Chapter 33: Gohan's Heart Tested- Honor/Honesty/Wisdom

"You have passed the first test, the test of Courage." Misaki confirms as she walked up to me with an innocent smile. "This is the test of Honor. I can sense that you are a Saiyan. Your race it not widely held to be honorable, so we shall see how you do. Sit down and we shall begin."

She dropped into a lotus position on top of the cloud and waited for me to do the same. Once I had gotten settled, she drew an invisible symbol in the air before speaking.

"I will ask you questions, you will answer them the best you can. If what you say is true, the symbol I just drew will glow blue. If what you say is not true, then it will glow red. Answer yes or no then explain your answer. Are you ready to begin, young one?"

"Yes." I answer, taking a deep breath then exhaling. "I'm ready!"

"Do you honor your friends?"

"Yes. I honor them by staying by their side no matter what the circumstances may be and helping them with whatever they may struggle with."

In the middle of the air a blue glow came from the symbol.

"Do you honor your parents?" She asks in a cheerful tone.

"Yes. I honor my mother by studying like she wanted me to do and I honor my father by taking over the responsibility of protecting our planet so everyone may live in peace." I answer truthfully, knowing that a blue light will appear.

Just like I thought, the blue glow shone its light on my face. Misaki smiled and continued to question me about my honor towards my enemies and the planet earth. After I spoke my answers, the symbol glowed a bright blue and not once red.

"You've done an amazing job so far, Son Gohan." Misaki applaud me. "I have only to ask you one more question and we'll get on to the next part of this test."

"Ready when you are." I reply. Misaki changed from a happy-go-lucky person to that of a serious one.

"Do you honor yourself?"

Honor myself huh? I had a feeling she was going to eventually ask me that. I began to think back to how everything in my life has turned out to be. Smiling to myself, I finally answered.

"I honor myself by taking pride in what I have accomplished. I honor myself by staying true to my nature, and I honor myself by passing down what I know to others."

It felt like forever. The symbol wasn't doing anything and Misaki was intensly waiting for it to give it a answer. Finally the symbol glowed bright blue, and stayed like that. I looked at Misaki to see that she was staring at me with curious eyes.

"You have passed my test." She informed me with a huge grin. I returned her smile and pumped my fist into the air. "I did it!"

She laughed. "You have honor, young warrior. People who pass the first test often fail during this one. Continue to honor those in your life, and remember to honor yourself."

As soon as I stood up she told me to sit back down. I did as I was told and asked her why we couldn't go back to the others.

"I told you already. That was the first part to the test. You have yet to take the test of honesty."

"Oh, ok. Lets start this."

Misaki narrowed her eyes on me. "Hold on Gohan. Not to many people have passed this test. I'm going to need you to be completly honest with everything that I ask you or else you will not pass and therefore will not receive the reward you'll get to have."

I nodded in understanding. Misaki flipped her medium lengthed white hair off her shoulder and onto her back. Her yellow eyes continueed to make contact with my coal black ones.

"There are two kinds of honesty: honesty towards others, and honesty towards oneself. You must have both to past my test. For the first part you must put your hands on the orb. The orb will show us if you are honest with others."

Misaki reached over picked up both of my hands and gently placed them on top of the orb. Immediately the orb began to change colors, and I felt it start to heat up beneath my hands. In the swirling colors of the orb, I could catch fleeting images of myself through various stages of life - with other people and without. However, the images were gone to fast for me to make out exactly what they were. For the next thirty minutes the orb continued its swirling of images - the heat continuing to grow, but it was nothing I couldn't bear.

Throughout the whole thing, Misaki kept her eyes on the orb, as if she could see something I couldn't.

Moments later, the orb returned to its previous white, and the heat underneath my hands disappeared.

Misaki pulled her eyes away from the orb and looked up straight into my eyes.

Her eyes are changing! As Misaki continued to stare at me I became a little freaked out. Her eyes was just how the orb had been. Swirling of colors and images. Soon she flipped her gaze back down the orb and spoke melodious.

"You may take your hands off the orb, Son. You have passed the first part of the honesty test. You have honesty towards others. You may take your hands off of it now."

Taking them off, I felt as they had became a little numb. I tried to shake the feeling back into them.

"Come on hands! Go back to normal already please?"

I stopped after a minute and looked up to find Misaki looking at me and smiling slightly. I grinned a little sheepishly and shrugged in apology. Misaki just smiled a little more before speaking again.

"You now have to pass the second part of this test. Do you have honesty towards yourself? Come over and stand next to me and we shall find out."

I got up slowly walked over to her, and when I was about a foot away she motioned for me to halt.

"Make sure your mind and heart are steady and clear." She warned me.

She then moved closer to me, gently placing her index and middle fingers on each of my temples.

"I will ask you a question. Think carefully and search your heart and mind before you answer. You may take your time in answering - this is not something to be rushed. Through my contact with you I can determine if you are being honest with yourself in your answer. Are you ready, young one?"

I took a couple of deep, calming breathes, closed my eyes, relaxed my body, then nodded yes. At my nod, Misaki asked her first question.

"Are you happy with what you have become?"

Happy? To be honest, at first I wasn't. My life wasn't all that great and mine and my friends life was almost always in danger. However, after meeting the people I did, I was able to deal with everything in a much healthier way.

"Yes." Was my final answer.

"If you could, would you go back in time and prevent your uncle from kidnapping you, and therefore changing the course of your life?"

Change the course of my entire life? Now I wasn't expecting that. At times though, I had thought of what my life would've been like if Raditz hadn't kidnapped me. When I really think about it...

"No." I answer, sensing that Misaki was stunned by my answer. "As much as I don't like what happened, I wouldn't change it because I wouldn't be who I am today, and neither would others around me."

"Do you have doubts or regrets about your purpose in life right now?"

I knew the answer to that question immediately, but was stuck trying to figure out how to say it so that Misaki would understand it correctly. After a few moments, I felt I had it to where she could understand.

"My purpose in life is to protect those around me. In the past I have had doubts and regrets as to that purpose because of certain failures in that purpose. Now I have no doubts or regrets at all. it is what I was made to do and will always do. I may do other things in my life, but protecting others will always be my focus."

When I felt Misaki's fingers go away from my temple, I opened my eyes slowly to see her smiling softly at me.

"You have passed the second part of the test. You are honest with your self. In all you have honesty, as well as honor and courage. You are very strange for a mortal - you possess qualities that neither human nor Saiyan have much of, and yet they seem to shine through you. Maybe there is some hope left for all."

With that strange comment, Misaki walked over to me, again only barely brushing my shoulder. A second later we were back at the lake. Misaki walked over and joined the others on the grass, announcing the verdict as she sat.

"He has passed the test. He posses honesty as well as honor and courage. He is ready for the next test."

The woman introduced as Chieko approached me with a look that was different from the others. "Son Gohan?"

"Yes?"

Chieko's dark blue short hair began to shine. She then touched me on the shoulder and everything blurred and when my vision cleared. I saw as Piccolo and father was teaching Goten how to fight properly.

Father...

"Welcome to your next test Gohan." Chieko spoke with a soft tone. "Your wisdom will be tested to determine your worthiness."

I blinked. "What exactly is it that I have to do?"

She didn't answer and smiled. "That's for you to figure out."

"By myself?" I ask.

She nodded. "Yes, but don't worry, i'll help you a little if needed. Oh yes, also your powers have vanished for this test."

This test must've been easy for me to accomplish if she hadn't taken my abilities away.

"Gohan!" Dad calls out to me in the cheerful voice I remembered. "Son, why are you taking a break? Get back over here!"

Filled with overwhelming joy and excitement, I ran over to him and gave him a big hug. "Dad, I missed you so much!"

Once I released him, he had given me a confused expression and scratched the back of his head. "W-Well okay. Gohan, i'm going to need you to do me a favor? You think you can do that my son?"

"Yeah!"

There was a silence as my two former mentors gave eachother a look of uncertainty then changed their expression to a rather calming one.

"We're going need you to take care of Goten while we're gone for a while alright?"

I fell over from disbelief. Once I recovered, I turned to Chieko and yelled, "This is my test?"

The blue haired woman nodded with a smile to go along with it. "Yes child. However, don't think that this is going to be a pushover cause it won't. A LOT of others who have made it this far had either given up or left the child alone."

"Who are you talking to Gohan?" Father asked me. I looked back up at him and grinned. "It's nothing. Sorry dad."

"Well alright Gohan. We'll be back in a while so please make sure Goten will not be in any harm okay son?"

"Wait dad!" I shouted so that I would receive his full attention.

"I love you."

Dad smiled and ruffled my spiky hair. "I love you too Gohan, i'll see you later."

With that, him and Piccolo had taken flight somewhere else. I watched as they flew to where they were headed off to. That might be the last time i'll see my dad.

"Gohaaaaaaannnnn!" A toddler's voice whined. I turned around and saw Goten crying.

Picking him up, I patted his back thinking that he might had to burp, just like usual. However this time, it wasn't that. Uh oh!

I soon realized that Goten must've needed something else. Patting his back was the only knowledge I had for making a baby stop crying. Usually mom was the one who knew what to do.

Soon, I smelt a horrible stench and covered my nose with my nose. "Whew Goten, did you just..."

For a second there was a silence put to his crying as I saw his diaper filled with BM. After a few seconds though, he began to cry again and I had to run into the house from half a mile away and layed him down on the bed, searching for his diapers.

Come on! Where is it?! Mom couldn't have hid the diapers in such a difficult- AHA! FOUND IT!

I raced over to Goten and took off his dirty diaper. He started squirming around screaming that he wanted mom to do it.

"Keep calm Goten!" I ordered struggling to put the diaper on him with him kicking his legs the way he did. "Mom's not here right now. I'm gonna have to be the one to do it."

"No! I WANT MOMMY WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" He sobbed even louder. I felt as a liquid had hit me in the face. Goten had peed all over me.

"ARGH! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!" I screamed, still trying to wrap the diaper firmly around his hip.

I heard a chuckle and looked at Chieko to see that she was dying of laughter. "You're doing it all wrong Son Gohan!"

"I'd like to have some help then." I begged getting annoyed that Goten wouldn't stop kicking. With my powers gone I couldn't do anything to keep him still.

"Try making him laugh." She suggested. "He'll stop kicking if you do that. That's one strike young one, two more and you'll return to your world with nothing."

"Thank you."

I thought for a second. Goten usually laughs when I make a silly face, maybe i'll do that.

"Peek a boo..." I say as I covered my face from my little brother. The crying had stopped as did the kicking and I assumed that I had his attention.

"I see you!" I exclaimed with a rather excited tone in my voice while making the dumbest face I coud think of. Thankfully, Goten began to get ticklish and I managed to get the diaper on him.

"Finally!"

"Is that what your folks do on Earth?" Chieko smiled as she witnessed the baby laughing. I nodded and smiled back. "Ya."

I then turned my attention on Goten and picked him up. With my strength almost completely gone, Goten felt like a ton. Just then, the toddler had fallen out of my arms screaming. Luckily, I had gotten on my kness and Goten had landed on my back, but on the process crushed me to the floor completely to my stomach.

"Aw man." I whined. "Why me?"

Chieko had lifted Goten up and given me her hand. I grabbed onto it and picked myself up. Goten was just now sitting on the floor not doing anything.

"I'm sure you are wondering if you would have a chance to be a parent and deal with something like that again aren't you?" The female questioned me with a warm smile.

"Well, I, um, er..."

She laughed. "I wouldn't worry about that right now. You're only fifteen, live your teenage years in purity."

I blushed. "I know that."

She examined me and giggled. "I like what you were just thinking."

"W'What?"

She continued giggling. "You were just thinking of Tania, weren't you?"

My blush had deepend from embarrassment. Chieko kept giggling but then stop. "Eri really has a great taste in men."

"What are you saying?"

"Looks like your next assignment is about to come." Chieko ignored me. Our attention turned to Goten as I saw Trunks magically appear. Goten was messing with Trunks's toys and the two began fighting.

"Let go Goten! This is my robot!" Trunks screamed as he snatched the robot out of Goten's grasp, thus making the kid cry.

"GOHHHHAAAAAAAANNNN!"

"Hey you two, what's going on?" I asked them after hearing Goten's cry of distress.

"Trunks stole my robot." Goten admitted.

"I did not." Trunks's arugued. "This is mine and Goten wouldn't stop chewing on it, so I took it away from him."

Once again, I had fallen over, but only this time Chieko was a victim also.

"Goten! How many times did I warn you not to eat other people's toys?! Something could happen to you if you keep doing that." I spoke after getting back up.

"I'm sorry." He apologized. "It's just that it looked so tasty."

"You guys, why don't we play a game of monsters instead?"

"Oh wow, really big brother?!" Goten asks with excitement in his eyes.

"You're such a baby Goten." Trunks insulted, once again causing Goten to start crying.

"Trunks!" I scolded. "That wasn't very nice of you to say that. I want you to apologize to him right now."

The little boy rolled his eyes. "Okay, okay, i'm sorry for calling you a baby Goten."

"That's alright Trunks." Goten accepted.

"Now that that's settled, lets go outside." I suggested leading them out the house.

"Gohan's the monster! C'mon, Goten, run!" And with that, Trunks grabbed his best friend's arm and tugged him until they both broke out into a run. I laughed and began chasing them around the yard.

After a few minutes, I began to get very tired and take a while catching up to them. I keep forgetting that my powers are gone... Meaning, that I can't run anywhere as fast as they can.

"Run faster, Gohan!" Trunks shout. "You can barely keep up with me!"

Whew! I don't understand how this is a test of wisdom... I'm just babysitting little kids for Pete's sake.

I began breathing heavily and repeatedly wiping sweat off of my forehead.

"Are you alright, Gohan?" Trunks asked. "You're already tired and we've barely started to play!"

"What's wrong Gohan?" Goten questioned, once the two of them neared me.

Using the chance I had, I foward myself to grab Trunks only for him to just simply hop into the air and use my back as support to get back down onto the ground. My face felled straight into the mud.

"This is so unfair!" I muttered after slightly picking my face up.

After getting up, I walked over to Chieko and began complaining.

"Not to be rude or anything, but exactly how is this a wisdom test?"

She smiled. "You passed."

"I did?" I asked her shocked. "But how?"

"Because you had enough wisdom to know that this didn't make any sense at all."

For the third time today, I fell over. "Is that so?"

"Congratulations, you have passed my test."