A/N: Here it is! The next chapter for you! I tried not to rush this chapter, but I feel bad for the long wait between the last chapters, and similarly I don't want the story to drag out for so long. There's lots to get through, so my aim is to try and get the right pacing. I hope I've achieved that! Thank you once again for all your love and support of this story so far. ES x
Chapter Twelve
Life Goes On
xxxx
Piccolo was a git.
He had surmised this particular fact many years ago whilst preparing for the arrival of the Saiyans, when the Namekian would use his deadly eye lasers on him whenever his back was turned, burning his underwear in the process. Charcoaled undergarments aside, it was obvious to Gohan that his old mentor had a dark sense of humour, and as such he should have known that he would have slipped in a little something into his care package to wear to the Z-gang's reunion. That git knew him far too well, even after all these years. He knew that the teenager would give in somehow.
Just probably not in the way he expected.
"Well, what do you think?" Videl asked from where she stood across from him in the living room.
She tapped her foot impatiently when he didn't answer, as he was struggling to find the brain power to make his lips move and form a coherent sentence.
"I-I uh -," he spluttered, his voice coming out as a rather strangled squawk and causing the girl to sigh in distain.
"Are you always this articulate?" she huffed, folding her arms across her chest that was barely covered by the fluffy white towel she was wearing.
It was Videl's day off from work, and as such the both of them had slept in until noon, though Gohan was so emotionally exhausted from his conversation last night with Piccolo, he had made no attempt to move from his position on the sofa. This had led to his current predicament, as Videl had taken her shower first, and was now standing shamelessly in front of him, her long raven hair barely dry and causing small droplets of water to trickle down her beautifully exposed skin. The young saiyan had nearly had a heart attack when she had woken him up in such a manner, and a part of him sleepily thought that he was just having a very nice dream.
For the young saiyan was steadily coming to realise that he was developing some dangerous feelings for the blue eyed girl that he was currently cohabiting with. And as soon as she had asked him whether he would like to accompany her to 'her friends party', did he momentarily forget every reason why he shouldn't go, all sense of logic flying out of the window. The fact that the object of his affections was dressed in nothing but a towel certainly didn't help his lack of reasoning.
"Um sorry, it's just y-you," Gohan managed to muster, slapping a hand over his eyes to prevent himself from ogling the girl any further, "c-could you put some clothes on please?!"
He heard her scoff in annoyance, "Well excuse me mister lodger, but this is my apartment. I could walk around stark naked if I fancied it."
Well that thought was enough to give him a minor stroke.
"Besides, you were bold enough to put me to bed last night," she said dangerously, "You shouldn't be bothered by a girl in a towel. What are you twelve or something?"
The young saiyan uncovered his eyes to glare at her, though failed to hide the blush marring his cheeks, "For your information, I only put you to bed so that you wouldn't wake up with a stiff neck from sleeping on me! It's called being a gentlemen!"
"Sure it is," she shrugged offhandedly, "As long as you didn't try anything funny."
Gohan gaped at the accusation, and spluttered hotly, "Are you serious? Of course I didn't!"
The girl quirked an eyebrow, causing him to wince.
"Not that… not that I wouldn't," he tried, as she continued to eye him, "I mean you're pretty and all but I wouldn't try anything, I'm not that kind of person!"
"Right, so you're the chivalrous type," she surmised dryly, though there was a hint of amusement in her eyes. He prayed that she had ignored the fact that he had outwardly admitted that he thought she was pretty, "I didn't even think that your kind still existed."
"Look, I'm sorry that I didn't wake you," said Gohan gently, not wanting her to be annoyed with him, "It's just, you looked so peaceful and I didn't want to disturb you."
"It's fine," Videl shrugged, waving him off, "Let's say no more about it."
The halfling breathed a sigh of relief as she smirked back at him, "As long as you don't use that chivalry crap as an excuse just to get into my pants."
His eyes boggled, she was so vulgar!
"Er, no!" he sweated nervously, "It was all with good intentions I promise!"
Videl nodded in satisfaction, before rounding on him again, "So, are you up for it?"
Gohan blinked, "Pardon?"
"The party?" the girl said with an exasperated eye roll.
"Oh, I don't know," he gulped, chasing the racy thoughts out of his mind, "I mean, I don't know anybody there, it could be really awkward."
Videl sighed in understanding, "Yeah but you can't just sit here all day by yourself. And to be fair, you don't really know anyone else on this entire planet at the moment apart from me. Would it kill you to make some new friends?"
Possibly, he thought, hesitating. He really didn't know how to get out of it when she was looking at him with such pleading eyes.
"Oh come on Beerus, where's all that chivalry you were harping on about a second ago?" she teased, a smile playing on her lips, "You going to leave a girl hanging? Doesn't sound very gentlemanly to me."
Heat rose to his cheeks, "Well -"
"Then it's settled," said Videl, not giving him a chance to make up an excuse, "Hurry up and get your glad rags on, we'll be leaving in half an hour."
Gohan stared after her, unsure of what had just happened. And thirty minutes later he was dressed in the smart suit that Piccolo had provided for him, sitting next to the headstrong Satan girl in the cockpit of her jetcopter. Bee panting happily behind them from the backseat - did she really have to take that daft mutt everywhere with her?
The young saiyan was fairly certain that the girl could fly, especially seen as she hand been hanging around the Z-Fighters for just over a year. He couldn't see a stubborn girl such as Videl Satan just sitting back and watching the Ki-users and not being able to use and control energy herself. She was heavily practised in martial arts after all, and from the impression he got from her, she only wanted to keep improving, using Ki would more than compliment her fighting style.
However, Videl mustn't have wanted to spring too much on him too soon as it were, seen as she thought he was 'normal' and Gohan had to deal with being cooped up in the jet for an annoyingly slow forty-five minutes. It seemed that Videl wasn't that used to making the trip in the copter either, only confirming his suspicions, as she had misjudged the amount of time it would take them, subsequently making the pair of them late. Though the only good thing about being in a confined space with Videl was that he had more than enough opportunity steal glances at her. Though he couldn't help but notice that she had stolen a couple herself, their eyes catching every so often.
"Your face will get stuck like that if you're not careful," Z told him from where he was concealed, as the teenager cleared his throat, unable to keep his eyes from wandering ever since she had greeted him outside of her bedroom door. He hadn't been able to answer her at first when she asked if he was ready to go, it felt as though all of the air had been forced out of his lungs at the mere sight of her.
The girl was wearing a midnight blue dress that complimented her eyes perfectly. The classy attire reached to just below her knees, with a slit up the side that showed off even more of her toned legs. The fabric clung to her curvy yet petite figure, with a sweetheart neckline that enhanced the elegance of her neck and collarbone. The colour contrasted brilliantly with her ebony hair, which she had worn down for the occasion, the long tresses reaching her waist in elegant waves. She had a small amount of makeup on from what he could tell, and matching heels upon her feet. It made her a little taller, but not as tall as he.
Gohan too was dressed up to the nines. The young saiyan hadn't worn a suit since he was last on Earth, and had to admit that it did feel rather nice to dress up, even though he thought that the pair of them might look a bit too formal for a barbecue in Bulma's back garden. The teenager looked incredibly stylish and handsome, wearing a tight designer charcoal blazer with matching skinny trousers, with a crisp white shirt underneath. He had undone a few buttons at the collar, which showed off the definition of his muscles underneath.
Say what you wanted about Piccolo, the man might have been a git, but he certainly had an uncanny eye for style.
As their eyes met once more, he couldn't help but notice that Videl had a tinge of crimson to her cheeks, though she tried to cover her tracks by engaging him into conversation.
"We'll be there soon," she said, stubborning fixing her gaze back on the clouds that whizzed past them as they flew through the sky.
"Great," said Gohan, forcing a smile, a feeling of dread encompassing him.
He was racked with nerves, that was a given. The only good part of his decision was the fact that he got to get lost in those sapphire eyes for a little while longer.
"Don't worry," she grinned back at him, "My friends are a bit much but they'll love you I'm certain of it. If you can handle Piccolo, then I'm sure you can handle the rest of the rabble."
He couldn't help but chuckle at that.
"You just need to relax and have a good time," said Videl, "let your hair down, you know? You've had a rough couple of days."
You have no idea, the young saiyan thought glumly as they started to descend, a familiar yellow bricked building coming into view.
To his surprise, the large domed structure hadn't changed all that much since he had last visited nearly a decade ago. He used to think that the complex of Capsule Corporation was incredibly grand, but with all the monumental places he had visited throughout space, he couldn't help but think that it looked rather humble now. The soft blades of grass blew gently in the breeze as Videl decapsulised the yellow jet and walked up the stone-flagged path. Mrs Briefs' beautiful flowers hung in delicate baskets either side of the doorway, and light spilled out onto the porch from the hallway. He remembered being here as though it were yesterday, and he could hear the sounds of jovial laughter from over the garden fence, reaching his ears in a soft ringing.
He didn't think that he had been so nervous in all of his afterlife, and even silently wished that it was Cell waiting on the other side for him, not his family and friends. The halfling had even masked his Ki so much so that it resembled a door mouse that hadn't been fed for a week. He was certain that no one would be able to recognise him by his energy signature, he had been on Earth for two days after all and no one had noticed. But just like Piccolo, would anyone compare the young man he had become to the child that was lost?
"Ready?" Videl asked him with a breathtaking smile as they reached the front step, breaking him out of his thoughts.
He smiled back, the nerves settling in his stomach like a deadweight, "As ready as I'll ever be."
With that, she pressed a delicate finger to the doorbell and soon enough did the front door swing open, revealing none other than Bulma Briefs.
Gohan wanted to bowl her over in a fierce hug her right then and there, and had to restrain himself from doing so with a great amount of willpower. Bulma had been like a second mother to him, especially with what they went through together on Namek. He remembered that in the run up to The Cell Games, she had offered to show him around the engineering labs of Capsule Corporation, and even hinted at him getting a job there when he was older. He was a smart kid after all, and loved to help the heiress out on numerous projects when he was taking a break from studying and training. But alas, it was not meant to be.
She hadn't changed that much at all, still just as pretty with her hair cut shorter than he remembered and styled even further into an elegant up-do. A few laughter lines framed her lips, along with a couple of worry lines on her forehead, yet apart from that she was flawless. Bulma was overly-dressed in an elegant ballgown, which was deep red and trailed behind her as she walked. She most certainly pulled it off though. Her neck and ears were adorned with expensive jewellery, which sparkled just as much as the beaming smile that she was giving them.
"Oh Videl!" Bulma swooned, engulfing the girl in a bone crushing hug, "I thought you weren't coming seen as your dad and Buu are already here, but then I remembered that you'd moved out! How's the new place by the way?"
"It's great thanks Bulma," the girl beamed back, glancing at the teenager beside her, "And I wouldn't miss this for the world."
The woman's eyes widened to the size of saucers, as Gohan gave her a weak smile, "And just who is this handsome young man?! Have you been keeping him a secret from me Videl Satan?!"
He suddenly felt incredibly awkward, as his father's childhood friend practically ogled him, looking him up and down like a piece of man meat. Well, at least she didn't recognise him.
Videl laughed heartily, "He's just a friend Bulma, this is Beerus."
"Beerus eh?" the older woman observed, wriggling her eyebrows suggestively, "Well come on then handsome, get in here! This party won't start itself you know!"
With that he allowed himself to be pulled into the heat of the complex by Bulma, Videl laughing all the more so behind him, Bee trotting at her heels. They only came to a halt when they entered the back garden, where an enormous marquee and dance floor had been set up underneath the clear blue sky. There were several food stands and attending waiting staff, along with a buffet table and huge barbecue, the smells of which were wafting towards his nostrils in tantalising waves. It was a lot of food by anyones standards, though he realised that they had his father's and Vegeta's saiyan stomachs to contend with, and he doubted that young Trunks was any different.
Still, there was a lot of people here, a lot of whom he didn't know. It seemed that the Z-gang weren't the only ones that Bulma had invited. Crowds of people filled the large garden, dancing and drinking, dressed in swanky attire for the event. Balloons and streamers hung from the marquee and music pumped heavily from a set of tall speakers, people whooping and cheering as a new song came on which the teen didn't recognise. They were quite obviously Bulma's friends, as he didn't think that any one else from their group knew that many people. Though through the busy throngs he spotted familiar faces. A few of them were sat around rounded tables, drinking glasses of sparkling alcohol and eating. Whilst some were dotted around chatting and seemingly having a good time. He could even hear Mister Satan's booming laughter from the other side of the garden.
Gohan frowned, he didn't know what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn't this. He was half expecting a morbid event, with the Z-gang sat around Bulma's living room drinking cups of tea and sobbing over his baby photos. Then again, he shouldn't have expected any less from Bulma. He couldn't help the smile that twitched at the corners of his mouth, as he looked around the crowd, the gang's Ki's familiar and pulsating with life, standing out from everyone else's. From a quick glance he could see that there was subtle changes to their appearances, but they were still them. They were still his old friends.
He quickly tore his eyes away, trying not to focus on them too much. He couldn't just go and strike up a conversation with them after all, and similarly had no urge to. Luckily, he couldn't see his parents or grandfather anywhere, and he intended to avoid them for as long as possible. It was part of the plan that he had come up with on the ride over. And if it meant hiding in the bathroom before he could corner Vegeta, then so be it. Speaking of, he couldn't see the hotheaded prince anywhere either.
Though there was someone he did notice, as he came bounding towards them with a spring in his step. At first, he thought that the old man had recognised him instantly, and that his whole plan had gone out of the window, giving his enthusiasm. However, the old master bypassed him completely, instead aiming his lecherous hands towards Videl.
"Videl! Hic!" Master Roshi giggled, quite obviously drunk. He was wearing a loud Hawaiian shirt and his signature sunglasses, looking just as old as Gohan remembered him. His cheeks were ruddy from alcohol, his bald head practically shining in the summer sun. The old man leered towards Videl, wrapping his arm around her shoulders in a one armed hug. Bee growled menacingly, though the ancient martial artist appeared not to have noticed.
"Nice to see yeh made it!" he hiccuped, as he shamelessly used the opportunity to peek at her cleavage, his glasses sliding down his nose, "I see yeh've brought the twins!"
BAM!
"Back off old man!" the girl growled, retracting her outstretched fist as Master Roshi was sent flying into the wall of the house, leaving a sizeable crack in the brickwork.
Huh, Piccolo was right, Gohan thought to himself, rather impressed by that punch of hers, Videl really did fit in their weird group rather well.
"Do you want a drink before I introduce you to my friends?" she asked sweetly, having recovered fairly quickly from her outburst.
He nodded mutely, accepting the beer that she handed him from a passing waiter and taking a sip. It was a strange but pleasant taste in his opinion. He had been too young to have any when he was last on Earth, although he had seen people like his grandfather, Roshi, Krillin and other adults drink the stuff on numerous occasions. He had tried a similar concoction with the potential for intoxication a couple of years back on a planet called Zorn after a successful mission with The Supreme Guard. The memory of that night was very hazy, though he hadn't been allowed back on that planet since, and Whis and Lord Beerus had banned him from drinking anything remotely alcoholic since.
They still couldn't quite figure out how that herd of rampaging manticores had ended up in Beerus' bedchamber. Though he had a hunch that Makhai knew from how much he was laughing his head off. Still, they didn't have to know. And besides, Earth beer tasted nowhere near as potent, and he highly doubted that there were any angry manticores nearby to set loose.
He had been so busy admiring Videl that he hadn't even realised that Bulma had left their side, dragging a stunned Roshi away by the ear in the process. Apparently she had gone to talk to some business associates of hers, which explained the amount of people here. It seemed that she had invited the entire stronghold of Capsule Corp. employees, along with guests from other pioneering companies. When he asked why there was so many people here, Videl had informed him that the anniversary of The Cell Games had become a national holiday, giving the whole world the chance to celebrate and Bulma an excuse to give her employees the day off and network with other companies. He wasn't surprised to hear that Dr Briefs had retired a couple of years back and Bulma had taken the reins as the CEO of the company.
Videl had left him to his thoughts shortly after, spotting her father and Buu nearby and promising she would be back after she had caught up with them, taking the labrador with her. Gohan wasn't all that bothered about being left alone, having no urgency to speak to anyone but Vegeta. He also reasoned that the more he distanced himself from Majin Buu the better. Things could get messy if the pink blob tried to challenge him to a fight.
He stood some distance away from the main throng of people, though was close enough so that he could still watch the crowd surrounding him. He started to take more notice of his old friends, and almost laughed aloud when he spotted Krillin with a mop of black hair. He almost didn't recognise him! He followed his figure as he made his way across the dance floor with a plate of food, before sitting at a table that housed the majority of the Z-Fighters, including Eighteen and Marron.
The little girl's face was alight with laughter as she climbed into her father's lap, playing with a bright yellow balloon. Tien had barely changed, though Gohan couldn't help but notice that he sat with his arm around a blue haired woman who was chatting animately with Chaiozu. Yamcha was also with them, his hair longer and his scarred face looking even more so. He must have gone on another training venture in the wilderness like old times, he surmised, his Ki certainly felt stronger. In fact, the lot of them felt eons stronger compared to eight years ago.
Puar, Oolong and Turtle also accompanied them, chortling heartily at something the now recovered Master Roshi was saying. He couldn't help but feel a little emotional as he caught sight of his grandfather, the large man towering above everyone else as the table. His face was bright and beaming, as he waved his arms in the air, most likely recounting a story from the old days like he always did. They all looked happy, content, albeit a few years older, his grandfather practically grey all over now. It was with a strange realisation that they were much older, the main Z-Fighters were all nearing or well into their forties, his father included. They were all dressed rather smartly for the occasion, making them look even more matured. He had never seen them make such an effort, the warriors of Earth more than comfortable in their training gear in all the time he had known them.
The teenager watched them for a few moments before forcing himself to tear his gaze away, his onyx eyes darting across the sea of people trying to spot Vegeta, taking larger, bolder swigs of his beer as he grew increasingly anxious. He could sense him, his strong Ki mulling around in the background, but if he was off sulking somewhere like he usually did at gatherings, it would look suspicious if Gohan just popped up out of nowhere and found him.
The music pumped loudly in his ears, the vibrations from the speakers humming through his chest. Everyone looked so cheerful and happy, dancing and drinking without a care, celebrating without any true sense of their 'saviour' standing only feet away from them. The whole scene was making him feel more uncomfortable by the second. It was definitely poor timing on Whis' part. Trust the Angel to send him back to Earth over the anniversary of his death. He bet that if he had landed at any other time of the year then he could have avoided all this nonsense. It was ridiculous, he thought, as the Z-fighter's table erupted with laughter, just what in the HFIL did he think he was doing here anyway? He had no place after all, he had left this world a long time ago. Besides, him being here was far too dangerous, he could easily be discovered.
Stupid Videl and those distracting eyes of hers.
"So, you came."
Gohan jumped at the sound of his old mentor's voice, almost slopping the rest of his drink all over himself. The teenager scowled as the Namekian warrior smirked back at him, eyeing his attire in an approving manner.
"Against my better judgement, but yeah I'm here," the young saiyan replied, draining his bottle whilst taking note of the fact that Piccolo hadn't made an effort to change out of his normal fighting gi like everyone else. Though he shouldn't have expected any less.
"I think you've made the right decision," he said, folding his arms across his chest and standing next to him, "How are you holding up?"
"Not too badly," Gohan replied honestly, "Though I haven't really spoken to anyone yet."
"I suppose you intend to keep it that way," he observed, causing the halfling to shrug and avoid the question.
"Isn't this a bit…I don't know… much?" the teenager asked, glancing around him at the festivities, "I mean, all of this because I killed Cell? I'm even an action figure for crying out loud."
Piccolo snorted, "You saved the world Gohan, you can't expect people to just forget that."
"But they act like I'm some kind of martyr," he growled in annoyance, "I just did what I had to do. They shouldn't be doing all this for me."
"You think this is all for you?" the Namekian asked him, as Gohan blinked in confusion.
Piccolo sighed, watching as the table holding Krillin and Tien roared with laughter once more, Videl was now with them, "For them, this is all they can do. Reuniting like this gives them something to look forward to every year, celebrating instead of grieving on this day helps them cope with what happened to you."
"But-!" he started to protest, but the man cut across him, a strange emotion in his eyes.
"Today marks not only the anniversary of Cell's demise, but of your death too. A death that should never have been," he stated, as the teen clamped his mouth shut, "Every single person you loved and called your family blames themselves for not being able to protect you. This day isn't for you, it's for them. It helps them heal."
"Piccolo I -"
"Think about what I said back on The Lookout kid," he interrupted, coal black eyes boring into his soul, "it would do you well to take a chance whilst you still can, you have the time."
The teenager's chest grew tight with emotion, as his old friend looked out onto the dance floor, "Videl is coming back, I'll leave you to it. Make sure you enjoy the festivities."
"Piccolo wait-!" cried Gohan, but it was too late, he had already sunk back into the shadows, and soon enough he was confronted with Videl's beaming face.
"Was that Piccolo?" she asked him, her own bottle of beer clasped in her palm.
"Oh yeah," the young Destroyer said nervously, "He was just wondering how my head was."
"Oh," Videl blinked, "That was nice of him."
"Heh yeah…"
"Just a heads up by the way," she spoke with a grin, "You might find yourself interrogated tonight, a couple of my friends have already teased me about showing up with a boy."
So, they had already noticed him. This was bad.
Gohan gulped, "Oh really?"
"Yeah, Krillin, Eighteen's husband is one of them," the Satan girl sighed in distain, "You know little Marron's mum who you met yesterday? He wants to meet you to find out your intentions. He's only teasing, he tends to do that a lot. I told him we're just friends."
Oh no.
"Are you alright?" she frowned, "You look a bit flustered."
"Er no I'm fine!" he lied, wishing that he could just corner Vegeta and then get the HFIL out of here, no matter what Piccolo said. But just when he thought he caught sight of a shock of spikey black hair, was he nudged in the ribs by Videl.
"Uh oh, and here comes the cavalry," she chuckled.
Gohan turned his head to where she was pointing, and stopped cold.
The same eyes stared back at him, the onyx eyes of his mother's. The very woman who he had dreamed of being held tightly by in his darkest nights of the training camp when he had first arrived on Lord Beerus' planet. She moved fluidly through the crowds, her beautiful purple dress billowing behind her as she smiled warmly at Videl. Although unlike Bulma whose face was bright and beaming, his mother looked tired. She was of course, still as pretty as ever, but with permanent bags under her eyes, and a few strands of grey amongst her ebony hair.
"Oh Videl it's so lovely to see you!" Chi-Chi gushed on her approach, hugging the girl before turning towards him.
He was certain that she knew, given the fierce look in her eyes, but was surprised to see her frown deeply, a sudden aura of hostility about her.
"Bulma tells me that you have a boyfriend," she said, still eyeing him disapprovingly.
Videl sighed hopelessly, not embarrassed by her accusations in the slightest, "This is Beerus, he's just a friend Chi-Chi."
The ox-princess looked him up and down, before finally tearing her eyes away from him and sighing whimsically, "You know, if my Gohan were still alive, you'd be perfect for each other."
The teenager's jaw hit the ground, and he continued to gape at the woman as she spoke, "I bet he'd be a lovely young doctor or scholar by now, both even! Oh yes, and in a few years you'd be married with lots of grandchildren for me to spoil!"
The young Destroyer suppressed the urge to roll his eyes, he'd been dead for eight years for crying out loud, and his mother was still having fantasies about him becoming a doctor, getting married and producing a million babies?! Ugh.
Videl hugged her, speaking soothingly, as tears began to spill from this mother's eyes, "Oh Chi-Chi, I know it's hard, thinking about him today. But he wouldn't want you to be like this."
Too right, please stop marrying me off in your dreams mother.
"T-thank you sweetheart," she sniffed, pulling out a handkerchief and blowing her nose.
Suddenly, there was a small commotion behind them, and a few people around them gasped and cried out in shock as the enormous iced cake on the buffet table practically flew across the garden, soaring over the crowd's heads before hitting the ground with a loud SPLAT! A few party goers flung themselves out of the way for want of not getting icing on their expensive attire, though a few people laughed, as Bee took this opportunity to get his fill of the sugary treat. The teenager frowned, not quite understanding how the cake had toppled off the table with such a force.
As a flurry of cleaning bots raced to clean up the mess, Chi-Chi's mood quickly did a one-eighty and she turned to yell behind her. "SON GOTEN! What have I told you about running around causing mayhem on today of all days?!"
Gohan's eyes widened, Son Goten?
The little boy in question, who was about eight years old by his estimation, appeared to be the perpetrator of the commotion, and bounded right up to them with an apologetic look on his face. The face, that was all to reminiscent of his father, their father apparently. Goten was Goku's carbon copy, right down to the spikey mass of hair, obsidian eyes and goofish grin.
Gohan couldn't breathe, his lungs constricting painfully all of a sudden as the boy began to speak, confirming his suspicions, "Sorry Mummy, but me and Trunks found this really weird looking frog, and Trunks dared me to poke it but I didn't want to 'cause it was slimy. So he threw it at me and when I ducked it hit the cake and the cake fell over and-!"
"Yes, yes, that's quite enough Goten," Chi-Chi sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in despair, "Now where is that father of yours? I need him to take you home to get you changed, you've gotten cake everywhere! And on your best suit too!"
"Aw Chi, it's fine, it's just a little bit of cake!" came a cheerful voice.
At the sound of the familiar tone, Gohan panicked. He couldn't take it. Being next to his family - it was overwhelming, suffocating. As though he was drowning in a sea of emotions and guilt. The only words in his head were screaming - ABORT. ABORT. MISSION ABORT.
And that he did, teleporting out of their midst so fast that he was gone in a blink of an eye, the small group too distracted by his mother's irate yelling to notice that he had disappeared. Safe to say, he didn't leave altogether, and instead found himself over at the other end of the complex, far away from the party and his parents. He gasped from where he was leaning up the wall of the complex, trying to steady his breathing as he gulped down refreshing breaths of air. He didn't know why he had reacted like that. Maybe he thought that his father would see right through him, or maybe he just couldn't bring himself to lie to them. Or did it have to do with the presence of the little boy with his father's eyes?
The teenager shook himself, trying to subdue the sudden feelings of betrayal and abandonment that exploded within him at the thought of the young boy. It was stupid of him to think that his parents wouldn't have had another child. They needed to move on after all, get over the grief of loosing him. But so soon after he had died? He certainly wasn't prepared for that. Better yet, why hadn't Piccolo of all people mentioned it to him? Was it part of an insane plan to make him stay longer? To get to know his little brother and bond with him? Well, right now it was only doing the opposite, and it took all his resolve not to leave the complex completely. To HFIL with the sodding prophecy.
"What do you think you're playing at kid?" Z's voice suddenly echoed in his ears.
"I don't know," Gohan managed to breathe out, resting the back of his head on the wall, "I didn't mean to act like that. I just… I needed to get away. I moved before I could think."
"Too right you didn't think! Teleporting like that I ask you! Anyone could have seen that little trick of yours," The old relic berated him, "And I thought you wanted to keep incognito!"
"I do, sorry," he mustered, cringing as he knew that Z was right, "This was a bad idea, I shouldn't have come."
"Anyone with half a brain cell could have told you that lad," he scoffed, "Now what do you say we find Prince Vegeta and get some answers so you can hurry up and take Videl back and get to some smooching before we have to leave!"
"Give it a rest will you?" The halfling growled, causing Z to chuckle before silence encompassed them.
Several birds flew overhead as the sun began to set. He watched it for a while, his breathing steadily returning back to normal as the orange orb started to dip below the horizon in the distance, streaks of violet and amber marring the sky, the music and laughter from the garden still ringing in his ears.
"I can't believe that they had another kid," Gohan said finally, to no one in particular, his chest growing tight again.
"Well what did you expect sonny boy?" Z chirped, though there was a solemness to his tone, "Life moves on after all, it doesn't wait for the dead."
"Yeah," he replied sadly, the sunset casting shadows on the grass, "You're right."
"Who are you talking to out here?"
Gohan jumped a mile, as a voice reached his ears. He was definitely starting to loose a hold on his senses, Whis would crack him round the head with his sceptre for that if he found out. He whirled around, panic taking ahold of him once more as the familiar, strong silhouette of his father rounded the corner, walking towards him, the glowing amber sky illuminating his features.
He held his breath in anticipation. As vivid, dark memories of the last time he had seen his father entered his mind. He remembered the orange clad hero saying goodbye, protectively standing in between the bulbous Cell and the young super saiyan two. Gohan painfully remembered the utter agony he was in due to his battle injuries, but it was nothing, nothing compared to the feeling of his heart tearing apart as he watched his father disappear from the battle field with Cell, knowing full well that doom awaited him. And it was all Gohan's fault. Yet despite his impending death, his father had died with a smile, and expressed how proud he was of the son that had surpassed him, to become the next hero of Earth.
But the young saiyan was not the hero his father thought he was. He had failed him. Heroes didn't kill their fathers, they didn't allow those they loved to step into a fight that they had inexcusably prolonged just for revenge, to feel the twisted satisfaction of bones breaking underneath his fists, the tainted smell of blood, the tearing of flesh, to see Cell's fuchsia eyes widen in terror. Nor did they let them face a villain who they had purposely baited and tortured into a desperate act that had threatened the very planet that they were supposed to protect. Gohan remembered the all encompassing guilt, the rage and grief that overtook his entire being the moment that his father teleported away. He wished, oh how he wished that he had taken his father's place instead.
Little did he know that his wish would be granted, just not in the way he had expected. And now the young Destroyer was stood across from his father again, but instead of the man looking at him with eyes full of love and pride, did he find that those obsidian orbs haunted and dishevelled. Just like his mother, Goku looked rather worn too. He wore a sky blue suit and tie instead of his usual training clothes, although he noticed the bright orange gi poking out underneath his shirt, just incase the rest of the gang fancied a spar he presumed. His father didn't look as aged as the rest of the Z-Fighters, thanks to those youthful saiyan genes. Other than some slight differences, the only real notion that any time had passed was that Gohan was now so tall he could now look his father directly in the eyes.
The first thing he wanted to do was bowl him over in a fierce hug and then proceed to cry his eyes out like a baby, the panic subsiding as soon as he beheld the hero that had raised him for the first eleven years of his life. But he didn't, he had to keep his resolve, and regard his father like a stranger.
Just as Goku was regarding him.
There was no recognition in his eyes. No happiness, no love directed towards him. But why? Piccolo had recognised him instantly, but his father had not. Had his beloved old mentor been right, had Son Goku truly given up? Had he pushed all thoughts of ever seeing his son again to the back of his mind, believing that it was so impossible that he couldn't even comprehend the fact that the young man standing before him was at all reminiscent of his first born?
Gohan knew it was selfish of him, careless even, but there was a part of him that wished that his father would recognise him.
"Pardon?" he asked as he approached, noticing that he held a glass of something strong smelling in his hand. Since when did his father drink?
"Oh, it's just that I heard someone having a conversation, and when I saw it was just one person I got curious," he stated, smiling at him, "Don't mind me, I'm just hiding from my wife. She's a little mad."
The smile was so charismatic and genuine, it made the teen want to just blurt out everything. His father had always had that effect on people. He always knew what to do, how to help, how to bring out the best in people. What he wouldn't give for his father's advice right now.
"I uh," Gohan started, quickly loosing his nerve, "I talk to myself a lot."
"Me too."
Phew, nice save.
"Well, I tell my wife that," Goku shrugged, taking a sip of his drink, the ice clinking against the glass, "Really I'm talking to Gohan."
Ouch, right in the feels.
"I'm sorry," the young saiyan said sincerely, "I'm sorry about your son."
"Thanks," his father smiled sadly, holding out a hand for him to shake, "You're Videl's friend right?"
Gohan nodded, taking his father's hand in his. No sooner had he did so, did a bolt of electricity jolt between their fingertips. He gulped, though he was slightly startled. He wondered if his father had noticed.
"Strong grip you've got there," Goku observed, pulling his hand away, "Are you a martial artist?"
"Eh, I dabble," he shrugged, averting his eyes away.
"That's great!" the saiyan beamed, "We're all having a spar later, if you want to join in."
"Oh trust me, I really don't think I'm in you're league," said Gohan truthfully.
Goku laughed, "Aw don't worry, we'll go easy on you. It would be great to see what my student's friend can do!"
The young saiyan nearly choked, "D-did you say student?"
"Yeah, didn't Videl tell you?" his father frowned in confusion, cocking his head to one side, "After the whole Buu thing, she wanted to get stronger so I offered to train her. She comes over every week for a spar and some training. Goten, my other son, loves her."
Gohan could do nothing but stare, he literally couldn't have picked a worse person to bump into at his grave.
Suddenly, Goku's eyes widened, "Videl has told you about Buu hasn't she?"
"Oh yeah," the teen nodded, "I know all about it."
"Phew," he sweated, "Good, I thought I had said something I shouldn't have then. Vegeta wouldn't have been too happy about that one!"
"Where is Vegeta?" Gohan blurted suddenly, causing his father to frown, "I mean er, Videl's told me loads about him. He seems like a really interesting person to talk to."
Goku stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter, "Well interesting is one word for him! Sorry kiddo but Vegeta's not really one for conversation. You'd have a hard time trying to get anything out of that man, trust me on this one!"
The teenager pouted, trying to think of an excuse to go off and find the hot headed prince when his father suddenly threw a strong arm over his shoulder.
"But hey if you want to meet some more of Videl's friends then why don't I introduce you?"
Gohan's eyes widened, as Goku continued to guide him back towards the main party, "Uh I don't think that's a good id-!"
But it was too late. For the teenager was half way through protesting when Yamcha's voice cut through the air, the rest of the gang having spotted Goku dragging a rather frantic teenager across the grass. In all honesty, Gohan could have easily broken out of his father's hold, though it would looked incredibly suspicious if the gang saw a seemingly weak teen escape the iron grasp of their strongest warrior.
"Oi Goku! There you are!" Yamcha called, "We were starting to wonder where you'd gotten to. Chi-Chi has been looking for you everywhere!"
"Probably a good call he was hiding," joked Oolong, "She was riled up about the state of Goten's suit. Did you take your eyes off him again Goku?"
The man in question laughed heartily, "Maybe."
"Whose the kid?" Tien asked suddenly, as they became all too aware of the young man standing awkwardly next to their friend.
"Oh this is Beerus!" Goku chimed happily, causing the teenager to cringe, "He's Videl's friend."
"Don't you mean boyfriend?" Krillin teased, as the girl rolled her eyes from where she was sat next to him.
"Oh stop it Krillin, he's just a friend," she explained, poking at her plate of food with her fork, "I already told you, we only met two days ago. He's had amnesia ever since The Cell Games, I'm trying to help him get back to his family if you must know."
"He's the kid I was telling you about," said Eighteen, "You know, the one that protected Marron from those thugs."
"Hi Mister Unicorn!" the girl chimed happily from the table, waving at him.
The teenager's cheeks burned with embarrassment, as the gang regarded him curiously.
"Oh right!" said Krillin with a beaming smile, "Thanks for looking out for her man."
"It was nothing, really," Gohan replied with a shrug, trying to deter suspicion, "I suppose I was just in the right place at the right time. I er didn't really do anything, they eventually passed out from the fumes from the car bomb."
"Yes Videl was just telling us all about it, but even so it was very brave of you to stand up to such violent gang members like that," the blue haired woman gushed from Tien's side, before running up to him and shaking his hand, "My name is Launch by the way, and this is my husband Tien. Though these troublesome fellows and I go a long way back, especially Goku and Krillin."
Gohan's eyes widened, returning the handshake. He remembered his father talking about a woman named Launch from his adventures as a kid, apparently she had a personality disorder that was borderline terrifying, though he reasoned that he should be safe as long as he didn't do anything to make her sneeze. She and Tien must have reconnected somehow over the past eight years. It was good to see that the usually stoic man had found some happiness in his life and settled down.
"Er, nice to meet you," he mustered, as Goku began to introduce him to the rest of the gang.
It was strange, that was a given, being introduced to the people who he had known for all his life and called family. Though although he was somewhat relieved that they didn't recognise him, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
"So amnesia huh? That's rough kid," observed Krillin, handing him another beer as his father put his hands on his shoulders and practically forced him into a seat, "Though Videl was saying you remembered that you were a friend of Gohan's?"
The young saiyan almost choked on his drink, as the gang looked at him expectedly.
"Um yeah, Gohan and I go way back," he mustered weakly, recovering from his coughing fit.
"Oh really?" his father blinked, "I didn't know that Gohan had any friends his own age."
"Yeah," Yamcha said solemnly, "He never really got chance to just be a kid did he? What with the world ending every five minutes. I'm glad he had a friend."
Gohan frowned, did they blame themselves for him not knowing anything but battle all his life? He had never even thought of his childhood like that. He had a lot of happy memories after all.
"From what he used to tell me he had loads of friends," the teenager stated boldly, causing them to look at him in confusion, "He never stopped going on about you lot and his adventures. He had a happy life, so don't think otherwise."
His old friends smiled at that, looking a little relieved.
"You seem to know a lot about him, but I never heard of him talk about anyone called Beerus," said Goku, "He only used to hang around with Icarus from what I know."
"That bloody dragon!" Yamcha laughed, "I almost forgot about that!"
"I certainly haven't," growled Master Roshi, "That little bastard used to chew up my precious reading material whenever Gohan would come to visit Kame House with him."
The gang burst into laughter at that, and the young saiyan couldn't help but laugh along with them. His heart feeling a little lighter, just like old times.
"Serves you right," Chi-Chi huffed, having caught the end of the conversation as she joined them and shooting a glare at the lot of them, "You should never have left those dirty magazines of yours lying around when Gohan was there. My precious baby boy could have quite easily picked them up and been scarred for life!"
"Nah I caught him with one once, he was fine Chi-Chi," said Krillin offhandedly, causing Gohan to gape angrily at him. He had to refrain himself from slapping him for being so uncouth.
"W-what?" his mother spluttered, eyes wide, "What do you mean you caught him with one of those vile things?!"
"Aw come on Chi-Chi, it's not that big of a deal," shrugged Yamcha, though he failed to hide his amusement, "He was a growing boy at the time, he just got curious is all."
The young saiyan wished the ground would swallow him whole, he couldn't even look Videl in the eye, though he could hear her snickering along with the others. Even his grandfather was snorting into his champagne. He remembered the incident all too clearly. It was in the run up to The Cell Games when his mother and father shooed him out of the house for some alone time and he would be 'babysat' by Krillin, Roshi and Yamcha at Kame House. He had grown a lot in the year he had spent in The Hyperbolic Time Chamber, and as such was starting to experience changes in his body and beginning to notice girls. Curiosity got the better of him and although the eleven year old was certainly wise beyond his years, he was not tactful enough to not get caught flicking through one of Roshi's magazines by Krillin and Yamcha in one of the spare bedrooms. He had been embarrassed beyond belief, though his father's friends had thankfully been understanding of the situation and seen the funny side of it, albeit rather shocked at the time. After a rather detailed lecture on the birds and the bees that had the poor boy blushing bright crimson, they had promised not to tell any one else, as long at the preteen vowed not to sneak around in the future.
As his friends recounted the details of the story with booming laughter, Gohan could all but sit there and silently fume. Traitors.
"Yeah I wondered why he was being so quiet all of a sudden," Krillin chuckled, as Yamcha wiped the tears from his eyes.
"I thought he just needed help with his homework or something," the baseball player snorted, "You can imagine our surprise when we walked in on him gawping at glamour models instead of math problems!"
"He even tried to hide it behind his back didn't he? Cheeky little bugger!" laughed Krillin, shaking his head in amusement as the rest of the table erupted again, though his mother did not look impressed.
"He'd be a right little stud now I bet you, not like you were at his age Goku," said Bulma, causing his father to frown.
"What do you mean?" he pouted.
"Mate, you thought marriage was food, enough said," said Yamcha with a roll of his eyes, sending the table into hysterics.
Even Chi-Chi chuckled, before turning to the red faced teenager, her onyx eyes narrowing dangerously at him, "So where did you meet my Gohan? I would have thought he would have at least mentioned you, unless you were the type to get him into trouble."
"Er, no ma'am" Gohan hesitated, beginning to sweat underneath her glare, "I er-"
"He might not remember just yet Chi-Chi, his memories are still a little hazy, right Beerus?" chimed Videl, saving his skin.
"Y-yeah sorry," he informed the gang, "I remember him, but my memory still isn't great."
"Thats okay Beerus," his father smiled, "I'm sure your memory will come back soon enough, Dende is a great healer."
"Yeah, thanks," he said lowly, averting his eyes to the table cloth, praying that they didn't ask him any more questions.
Luckily, when they realised that they weren't going to get anything out of the strange young man, the conversation soon changed to fighting styles and techniques, whilst his mother, Bulma and Launch complained about their punch happy husbands in an amused manner. Gohan kept silent, instead listening to the conversations around him, thankfully, Videl and supplied him with a tantalising plate of food to keep him occupied. As he sat listening, he managed to piece together snippets of what had happened to the Z-gang in his absence, and it was crazy to think how much the their lives had changed. As well as Krillin getting married and having a child, he worked for the police like Videl, though held an esteemed position in South City where the small family had moved to. Yamcha's baseball career had taken a huge leap as well as his bachelor status and his lust for training, and he and Puar we're currently touring the world with the Titans, although had apparently taken time out so he could attend the reunion.
As well as reuniting with an old flame, Tien had opened his own successful martial arts dojo with Chaiozu and the three lived deep in the Northern mountains. Master Roshi still lived with Oolong and Turtle on his tropical island in the South, forever living the easy life. Bulma, Vegeta and Trunks remained at Capsule Corp., and with Bulma's busy schedule as CEO, Vegeta had become every inch the doting father to Trunks and according to Bulma, would spend hours training with the boy in the high tech gravity simulator that Bulma had developed. Though from what he gathered, some of his parenting methods were…questionable.
His mother and father continued to prosper in their little home in Mount Paozu with their new son, with his father keeping up with his gruelling training schedule whilst throwing himself into his work as a farmer. He was glad to hear that his mother had finally gotten the man to hold down a proper job, albeit a strange concept to grasp for the young saiyan.
The only persons missing from the table were Vegeta, Piccolo and thankfully Majin Buu. He didn't understand why his old mentor hadn't joined them, even though he could sense him a ways off, keeping his distance. He couldn't help but think that maybe there was still tension between him and his father, even after their fight a few years ago. Though he supposed he would have to wait to find out.
Slowly but surely, the crowd started to dwindle, Roshi, Krillin and Yamcha had become rather raucous, and the majority of the group were variably intoxicated, the music still hammering in their ears. Gohan had refrained from drinking more than a couple of beers, for want of not letting anything slip. It was getting late, the velvet sky was littered with glistening stars, though the bright lights and pollution from the city made the stars rather difficult to see.
"And then, then do you remember?" Krillin laughed, tears in his eyes as he recounted the story, all eyes upon him, "He called Cell out for turning his back on him, saying he must have got those 'shit for brain cells from Frieza'!"
The gang roared with laughter, as the teenager could all but sink into his seat. They had been discussing The Cell Games for the last twenty minutes, and even though they had all been present, the lot of them were on the edge of their seats as the smaller fighter recounted the epic battle.
"I'd never heard that kid swear in my life! The look on Cell's face was priceless!" he chuckled, as Yamcha piped up enthusiastically.
"Who does that really?" he said in amusement, "Half dead, insulting two evil bastards in one before unleashing the biggest Kamehameha wave I've ever seen and destroying the enemy!"
"One handed too," said Tien with a grin.
"Great Kami I miss that kid," Krillin sighed, leaning back in his seat and casting his gaze out into the stars.
"We all do Krillin," said Master Roshi, looking rather solemn.
Gohan gulped down the lump in his throat, the all encompassing guilt threatened to suffocate him once more. He just wanted to scream I'M RIGHT HERE! But he knew that it would be foolish. They couldn't know he was here, it would make everything far too complicated. He didn't want them to get hurt. He looked towards his father, who was busy staring into his empty glass, watching the ice melt. He hadn't said anything in a while, not since they had started talking about The Cell Games, and the young saiyan couldn't help but notice the pain evident in his eyes.
Slowly, he stood up, gaining the attention of the table.
"I'll be right back, excuse me," he said, catching Videl's curious gaze before hurrying away from the table.
He needed to find Vegeta, and quickly, attempting to focus all of his energy on his mission, mainly for want of not looking at his father's haunted eyes for a moment longer. Yet unfortunately he was drawing a blank, he suddenly couldn't sense the saiyan prince's energy anywhere. He frowned, was he masking it?
He was half way across the garden, when he spotted the children playing on the grass, their laughter ringing in his ears as they chased each other over the flower beds. He sought out Trunks immediately, that purple mop of hair far too unmistakable to miss, all too reminiscent of the young man he had met with the same name, the one from an apocalyptic future. The young boy, who was nine years old by his estimation bellowed as he tackled Goten to the ground. Goten, his estranged little brother yelped with glee, before rolling them over and sending them tumbling down the small hill that let back to the dance floor below. Marron was hot on their heels, her blonde wisps of hair whipping about her face as she leapt on top of them, the trio a tangle of limbs and laughter.
He stopped, watching them for a while, as they careened to a halt in front of the Z-gang's table, who chuckled at the children's antics, a tickle fight now ensuing between them. Gohan sighed to himself, the adults may not have been so accepting of his death, but it seemed as though the next generation was something different altogether. And eventually that would be what mattered. He still was a little unsure of his feelings towards his little brother, though it seemed that peace was rife with him - with them. And even though the young saiyan was sad not to be apart of it anymore, he felt as though his death had been worth it. For if he had never had sacrificed himself, his family and friends might never had lived like this.
He was still watching them, contemplating whether or not to help himself to more food when he felt a strong presence behind him. The teenager whirled around, his eyes narrowing when he was greeted with the beady eyes and smiling face of Majin Buu.
"What do you want?" he glowered, his eyes darting around him, though he was thankful that the Z-gang were too distracted to hear. Good or not, Gohan was still not a fan of Buu. He had heard too many horrific stories of the creature that had been created by the vengeful Perses, and for some reason, the pink blob didn't seem to take the hint that he didn't want to be around him.
"Boy strong," Buu chirped happily, "Why does boy not want to fight Buu?"
"Shh!" Gohan growled, "Shut up will you, I'm not strong!"
"Boy very strong," he replied, cocking his head to one side, "Buu can see what others can't. Boy hiding his power. Buu wants to know why!"
"It's not of your business," he griped, "Now buzz off will you?"
"Boy mean," Buu pouted, "Buu want to fight!"
"Well tough luck," the young saiyan spat, turning on his heel, "You'll have to find someone else to fight."
"Boy stronger!" the Majin said louder, "Buu want to fight boy!"
"Will you stop that!" he snarled, narrowing his eyes at him, and attempting to keep his voice to a whisper, "You're giving the game away!"
"Game?!" Buu gasped, his dark eyes practically sparkling with glee, "Buu like games! Boy play with Buu!"
"No you idiot!" he hissed, slapping a hand to his face out of despair, "I'm not playing with you! Just stop it and go and play with someone else!"
Though Buu seemed angry at this, and frowned, "No! Boy don't tell Buu what to do! Buu turn you into candy and eat you!"
"I swear to you, you ugly piece of overgrown bubblegum," Gohan growled, stepping closer to the Majin, "If you try to fight me, you'll regret it."
"Buu not ugly!" He gasped, his fat chins wobbling, steam protruding out of the holes in his head.
"I'd watch that temper of yours if I were you Majin Buu," the young Destroyer smirked, unable to help himself, "Wouldn't want you to bust that fat gut of yours."
And then, everything happened at once. Majin Buu's Ki spiked dangerously, his anger getting the better of him as he aimed a deadly punch towards the halfling. Though Gohan was too fast for him, and reacting in an instant, tapped a few of his pressure points, completely paralysing him and causing him to crash to the ground in a pitiful heap. The impact of Buu's bulbous body was so great that it rocked the ground around them, and Gohan stared down at the brute with a hateful gaze.
"Beerus? What happened?!"
The teenager looked up, as he noticed the entire Z-gang hurrying towards them, on high alert as they had quite obviously felt Buu's energy rise to an incredible height before it depleted to almost nothing. They stared at him in shock, the seemingly unconscious Majin Buu at his feet. He didn't panic, as Gohan was certain that he had moved too fast for them to see what he had done.
"Um looks like he just passed out!" said Gohan with an innocent smile, as they looked at him with bewildered expressions, "Yep, Buu told me that he had a tummy ache before he hit the ground. He must have gotten sick from all those pudding cups he ate. Talk about a literal sugar crash, am I right?"
They blinked, though seemed to accept his answer, as Mister Satan groaned behind them. "Oh poor Buu, that's the third time he's done this. I don't know how I'm going to get him back home, I might need some help getting him into the car."
"No problem Mister Satan," he heard his father call, "We'll help. Buu's pretty heavy when he's sleeping."
As the gang started to mutter and accept his explanation, Gohan took his opportunity to bend down and nudge the Majin with his toe.
"Listen here you git," he whispered lowly, "I know you can hear me. I purposely left you conscious so that I can warn you. See, I've paralysed every atom in your body, if you try to fight me or dob me in again then I'll make sure those atoms of yours disappear, which means that you'll cease to exist. Good or not Majin Buu, you'll regret trying to challenge a Destroyer. Am I clear?"
"Boy clear! Boy clear!" Buu managed to squeak through slightly parted lips, his eyes widened in terror.
"Good," Gohan smirked, and suddenly Buu was back on his feet, causing the gang to gasp.
"Oh look he's up again!" said the teen with a smile, "Looks like you can all go back to enjoying the party now."
"Buu, are you alright?" Mister Satan asked tentatively, walking up to them and taking him by the shoulders.
The pink creature nodded firmly, before glaring at the halfling and stomping away from the confused group, Hercule hurrying along after him. The gang gazed curiously at the Majin's odd behaviour, before shrugging and moving back towards their table. He caught Piccolo's eye through the small crowd, who gave him a look that said we'll talk later before he moved away. Breathing a sigh of relief, Gohan turned, almost bumping into Videl who was eyeing Buu's retreating back suspiciously.
"What's up with him?" she frowned.
"Dunno," he shrugged offhandedly, before turning towards her, "Care for a dance?"
The girl blinked, "A dance?"
"Who knows? I might be able to remember a few moves," He grinned back at her, before she allowed him to pull her by the hand and onto the dance floor.
Well, that was one way of covering his tracks he thought, as they disappeared into the throngs of party goers, an upbeat Charleston reaching their ears as it blasted over the speakers. Little did he notice the dark, spikey haired figure watching him intently from the shadows, who had seen every part of his exchange with Majin Buu.
26th October, 2018.
Reviews
Robthekiwi121 : yeah I thought it would be nice having Piccolo and Dende finding out first. They are incredibly smart and perceptive, and Gohan thought that as guardian of Earth (knowledge of God hierarchy!) he would know a bit about the SSG. hope you enjoyed their interaction!
MadmanJrs: Haha yes Gohan does make a very comfy pillow! hope you enjoyed the gohan and videl interactions in this chapter. and happy you enjoyed Piccolo's reaction. Gohan's reaction to Goten will definitely be further explored in later chapters ;)
romanovascap : thanks so much for your review! yes I always had it in mind that Piccolo would be the first to truly notice.
Pie 555: thank you very much! I am so excited for Vegeta and Gohan interaction. I hope I don't disappoint as I have certainly built up the suspense towards it!
Beta117 : Gohan isnt British, but I am so I just write that way. I find it makes my writing flow a lot easier, as I can't pretend to know americanisms, I tried that in early writing in my younger years and found it just didnt work for me!
Guest : thank you!
halfbreedsayian: thank you so much! so glad you're enjoying it!
FireEmblemMaster101: ooh yes totally expect a big clash in later chapters. I have lots of ideas regarding 'spars' and showcasing Gohan's power and strength!
X3runner: Thanks for your review! Yeah I decided to keep the Z-Fighters training as in dragonball they always seemed to have so much more motivation when Goku was around to train and get stronger. When Goku died in the original series after the cell games, everyone seemed to settled down and accept that no Goku equalled no bad guys. They were wrong, obviously, and got weak and the majority became irrelevant. I wanted to change that. I think that Piccolo would be much much stronger, especially considering there's this tension between him and Goku, and with Gohan gone it would only fuel his motivation. And in regards to Vegeta's reaction to gohan, that will be coming soon so I dont want to reveal anything just yet! Also, I think Gohan would be able to deal with the SSG transformation much better than Goku as like you say he has been training to deal with god ki for a while now.
Liltye504: exciting!
EleazarTheUnforgotten: aw I'm so glad! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
JulesSOD27 : thank you!
Aaron Leach : thanks!
keyblademeister88: I know I totes feel sad for Piccolo :'( As you can see from this chapter, the gang didnt recognise him, and I know it may seem strange to some people. But like Goku, it seems as though they have truly given up on finding Gohan again, plus gohan was a child when he died, he's nineteen now, and has a warriors built. He would be very difficult to recognise.
Guest: (Erin) thank you so much for your review! Love it! To be fair I am a sucker for it too. So expect to see more romance later in the story ;) ;)
Glocs: I am so excited for this.
HKGlenstid : thanks for your review, sorry you felt as though Gohan's reveal was a bit of a let down. However, I didnt want a huge reaction from Piccolo, more of an emotional one. This is partly because I wanted Piccolo to be the first to find out, but also have a much much bigger dramatic reveal to Gohan later in the story. I have it all planned out ;)
Lightningblade49: I cannot wait to reveal fireworks!
Reactef : thank you!
ashlovesdbz: haha this was my thoughts exactly thank you for your review! In all honesty, I dont think my parents would recognise me to my eleven year old self.
LEO LOVER 2016: hope you enjoyed!
victor0606 : thank you!
Iwik: thank you so much for your review! Really nice to read that you are getting everything that I am trying to put across in this story! xD and yes you did call it, it did end up in Videl's bed! :)
Tealgryffin: thank you so much
Naite-Laef: oh dear I recommend a box of tissues for all the feels!
Darkmehameha : we shall see...
memmek10k: aw thank you!
mubaarik4858 : thank you! Nah sorry I'm not going to give Goten a twin, I think it would be too much to put on Gohan, he will have enough to deal with ;)
Vile Twitch: thank you!
Masquer Q : so glad youre enjoying it!
Star1X : hmm yes I think there is a bit of unhappiness from Piccolo there. He had to grow up to quickly, and now this duty has pulled him away from his family and friends on Earth. There is definite conflict there with Piccolo.
WiffleDick678: and you shall have it my friend!
DragonCrusader : thank you! and don't worry, it's only a bit of snogging. Gohan is too dutiful for messing around so much with the ladies at the moment!