Oh my god, a new chapter! I didn't forget about the story, I promise. November is just a hellish month to exist in as a college student. I'm sure some of you can relate, and some of you can look forward to that pain!

So, like, finals. They're coming up. I have like three final projects, and some other annoying stuff that's keeping me from living the fanfiction life of my dreams. So after this upcoming Thanksgiving break, where I should hopefully crank out a chapter or two, I'm going to disappear for like 2 weeks to go absolutely sicko mode on my academics and athletics. It's gonna suck!

Oh and, thank you so much for the reviews and favs/follows! Y'all are helping a ton with keeping me coming back to this little challenge of mine.

The dull hum of the overhead lights was the only thing that could be heard as Bulma finished her retelling of events. Bardock, for his part, remained silent, just staring at Bulma. No, staring through her.

My son killed Frieza.

The thought alone somehow sent his mind spinning more than any other recent event. Why does my chest feel so light?

His son became a Super Saiyan. Avenged his entire race, his family. He saved this little ball of dirt so many times. Kakarot became the strongest in the universe.

He killed Raditz.

The light feeling stopped and Bardock's fists clenched. It wasn't uncommon for Saiyans to kill their siblings on Planet Vegeta. Disputes over food or living space could quickly turn bloody. Some children would even kill their parents as a show of strength when they reached a certain age. It happened. It was normal. So what is this feeling?

And then there was how Kakarot died. I can't imagine a worse way to go out.

The battlefield was supposed to be a Saiyan's grave, not in their sleep from some freak virus. The thought of dying in such a way sent a shiver down Bardock's spine. For it to happen to his son was just-.

Suddenly, the door to the lab slammed open, shaking Bardock out of his thoughts. He turned, being met with a frantic Trunks.

"Gohan's awake!" He shouted before zipping back through the doorway.

"Already!? It hasn't even been a day," Bulma muttered as she strode past Bardock, and entered the hallway.

He followed. Why is my pulse speeding up?

Bardock easily kept up with Bulma's brisk pace, before coming to an abrupt halt in front of a slightly ajar door. She sighed as she turned to face the Saiyan.

"Would you mind staying out here for a bit? I just wanna give him a heads up before he sees you," she said as she pressed her hands together.

"Do what you have to do," Bardock replied, shooing her away.

She gave him a small smile before entering the room, closing the door behind her.

He huffed as he leaned against the wall, his foot tapping rapidly against the floor. He could faintly hear voices behind the door, but his damned foot was making too much of a racket to make out what they were saying. Stop it!

His foot didn't listen, and his blood joined in on the mutiny, roaring in his ears. Sweat trickled down Bardock's forehead.

And that damned flutter was back in his chest.

Why am I getting this worked up over meeting one Saiyan?

The door opened again, and Bardock's head snapped to face it.

"He's ready for you," Bulma said.

Bardock made to respond, but it choked and died in his throat. So, he settled for a grunt instead. He pushed himself off the wall, and followed her inside.

And instantly zoned in on the bandaged man in the hospital bed. He was propped up slightly, just enough for Gohan to stare back with one eye, the other being covered by the bandages wrapped around his head. Everything below the shoulders were under the covers, but Bardock could see the vacant space on Gohan's left side, where his arm should have been.

In front of his mangled grandson, Bardock found his mind and mouth unresponsive as he tried to come up with something to say to the young Saiyan.

What even was my goal here? Right, to learn about where I am and who Goku was. But Bulma and Trunks already filled me in on that. So, why do I still want to talk to this guy? Why am I still not saying anything? Say! Something!

"What happened to your arm?"

FUCK!

Bulma and Trunks both stilled as they stared wide-eyed at Bardock. Gohan's eyes widened briefly before hoarsely chuckling, which quickly descended into a coughing fit.

"I had no idea what to expect when Bulma said that a man who not only looked like my dad, but who is also his father showed up out of nowhere requesting to see me," Gohan rasped. "I'm not even sure if that sentence made sense, or if any of this makes sense. I'm still half-convinced that this is just some dream."

Bardock didn't trust himself to respond yet, so he let Gohan continue.

"But my body wouldn't hurt this much in a dream," Gohan sighed before chuckling, much lighter this time. He almost got through it without almost hacking up a lung. "Maybe we should start over. I'm Son Gohan, son of Goku."

Bardock fidgeted and took a shallow breath before responding.

"I'm Bardock, father of Goku, and I'm from the past."

Bardock's experiencing weird mushy familial feelings and he can't cope. Poor guy.

Another short chapter, I apologize, you guys deserve more. I might give myself 3 hours or something for the next chapter to actually make some progress in this story. I'm also not too happy with how this specific chapter turned out, but what can ya do, it's part of the challenge. I probably rewrote the end interaction 5 times, then ran out of time, so I had to end it abruptly as shown above.

I hit the things I wanted to hit. Did they feel a lil stiff? Sure, but my rust is deep, and I am tired. It's part of the process and stuff.

until next time!