Wow you guys, just wow! Thank you so so much for all your reviews and follows! I'm actually really shocked of how many followers Ive got in such a small amount of time - and after one chapter! You're reception of this story is incredible! I wasn't going to post for a while, but you've made me all way too excited for this story and given me loads of confidence! So here is chapter two! I really hope you enjoy it! ES x

Chapter Two

The God of Destruction

xxxx

He had to be joking. Right? Gohan stared at the Angel in question, who was looking towards him with expectant eyes. A God? He couldn't do it, he couldn't become a God. And especially not one of destruction! Gohan fought for life, love and his friends, he didn't do it for chaos and mayhem. He was just a kid!

"I sense you have some reservations," observed Whis.

Oh, you think?!

"Sorry Mister Whis," said Gohan politely, "But I have to get to my family, they'll be wishing me back to life with the dragonballs back on Earth soon and my mum will be really worried."

"Hmm, Earth dragonballs you say?" he said thoughtfully, "Ah, yes that's right you did have a Namekian guardian named Kami on your planet didn't you?"

The young saiyan nodded, "Please sir, my mum will be really angry and my dad-"

He stopped short, guilt pooling in the pit of his stomach. What would his father think of him? Would he be angry? Angry that he messed up so bad and he had to sacrifice his own life to save them?

Reading his thoughts, Whis spoke, "You wanted to make Cell suffer, didn't you Gohan? You wanted to destroy him for what he did."

"I-I don't fight because I want to," said Gohan, a shuddering breath escaping him, "I fight because I have to. Cell, I had to take him down, my father already died protecting me, and I wasn't going to let him getting away with causing any more pain. He was going to destroy everything. I only killed him because I had to, I didn't have another choice."

Whis gave him a knowing smile, "Gohan, there is a saying that those best suited to power are those that have never truly sought it. And despite your pure heart and intentions, I have never seen power explode in such an exceptional manner as yours. It could feel it from all the way over this side of the universe."

Gohan's eyes widened, he didn't think he was that strong, "What? Really?"

"Oh yes," said the deity, "You have a great gift inside of you Gohan, I sense hidden strengths that can go far beyond what you have achieved today in your battle against Cell. If you accept, I can offer you training unlike nothing else you have put your body through before, but it will be worth it. You could achieve a higher power that some mortals can't even imagine in their wildest dreams. I have no doubt in your abilities, and you would be doing the universe a greatness my boy."

The pre-teen thought for a moment. It did seem like an amazing opportunity, he knew that his father would jump at the chance to improve, test his strengths and achieve a divine power. But Gohan was not his father, he had proven that today when he had gotten cocky and reckless against Cell. Son Goku would have ended the fight quickly and swiftly, not tortured Cell to within an inch of his life, no matter how evil he was. He could only bet on just how disappointed his father must be of him. He wanted to apologise, to feel his father's fingers ruffle through his hair and tell him that everything was going to be alright. He wanted to cry into his mothers arms, tell her just how sorry he was that he went off to fight, and hear her tut and tell him to stop being silly and how proud she was of him, before wiping his tears and forcing him into the kitchen for a well deserved family dinner. Together.

Gohan sighed, "I just want to go home Sir, please."

"Well that is disappointing," the Angel said sadly, "I had such high hopes for you, young one. Though I suppose I'd better let you enjoy what time you have left with your family and friends. Oh Lord Beerus won't be happy about this one, we'll have to make an appointment with The Grand Priest and tell him that they'll be short of another universe."

"Wait, didn't you say that you had another couple hundred years?" the young saiyan piped up, panicking slightly, "Surely you could find someone by then!"

"I've been looking for a power like yours for the last five-hundred years Gohan," Whis sighed, "I'm afraid it'll be too late to find someone now, with only a couple of centuries left the universe will start to fall in on itself soon. Beerus has been taking more naps recently, meaning he hasn't done that much destroying. Time is simply running out."

His eyes widened, the universe was going to collapse?! And if what Whis was saying really was true, that his power could amount to that of Gods, he would be powerful beyond measure. A God of Destruction though… what would his mother and father think of him? What would Piccolo say? It wasn't exactly an honourable duty to destroy worlds… or was it? This Lord Beerus was effectively doing his duty by not allowing the universe to implode. And if Gohan didn't step up to the plate, then it would mean the end of everything… just like against Cell.

He gritted his teeth, thoughts of his mother and father whirring around in his mind. They didn't deserve to die, not after giving him everything, life, love and the power to do and know better. Gohan's eyes hardened, he would not let anyone die for nothing. He would not make that mistake again.

Whis was watching him carefully, and he was certain that he was reading his mind as he spoke, "If you do this Gohan, know that you may never return to Earth again. You will become a deity in training, and will only be permitted to mix with mortals on missions."

The young saiyan closed his eyes tightly shut, struggling with himself.

"There is a time that comes in everyones life, where one must make the choice between what is right, and what is easy, some a lot sooner than others" said Whis wisely.

The young saiyan sighed, the Angel's words ringing true. Something stirred within him, the deep rooted sense of duty he had inside causing him to finally make up his mind. It would be hard, so incredibly hard. He might not see his family and friends again, which was difficult to process for such a young boy. But Son Gohan was wise beyond his years, he had overcome nigh impossible feats in his life, and this was no exception. He knew what was at stake, and it was at that moment that he decided to abandon his selfish feelings. It was either his happiness until he died, or the death of everyone else in the entire universe.

He closed his eyes in a silent prayer, I may not become the warrior you wanted to take your place Dad, nor the scholar you wished for Mum, but I hope you'll forgive me. This is something I have to do, not just for myself, but for the universe.

Slowly, the young saiyan smiled up at the Angel who beheld him curiously, "Alright, I'll do it."

"Excellent," Whis positively beamed, "Now Gohan, what do you-?"

KA-BOOM!

The pre-teen yelped, as suddenly, a moon exploded in the sky, sending dust and debris flying through the air. It shook the ground beneath their feet, and Gohan had to dig his heels into the grass to stop himself from toppling over. The blast was so fast that he had nearly missed it, but he was certain that it had come from one of the buildings embedded into the gigantic tree.

"Oh well, at least it was only a moon this time," the blue skinned deity sighed in distain before clasping a hand onto Gohan's shoulder and encasing them in a green bubble of Ki, "Come Gohan, let's go and meet Lord Beerus, judging by that display he's quite obviously managed to drag himself out of bed. I bet he's getting hungry by now."

At the sound of food, the halfling's stomach gave a tremendous growl, causing the Whis to look towards him in shock, "What the devil was that?"

"Oh, that was my stomach Sir," he blushed, "I haven't eaten since breakfast what with the battle against Cell and all."

Whis chuckled, "Well, they'll be plenty of food later. Oh yes, I think that you and Lord Beerus will get along quite swimmingly."

And like that, they were off, speeding across the amber sky encased by the green orb. Gohan gasped at the beautiful scenery below him. Acres and acres of green landscape seemed to go on for miles, with glistening lakes and patches of dark yet bountiful forests embedded within the valleys. But he didn't have change to admire it for long as soon they had arrived in what appeared to be an enormous stone temple situated within the old enormous tree.

"Woah, what was that?" asked Gohan in awe, as the orb they were encased in disappeared.

"Ah, a little technique called levitation," he explained simply, "I can manipulate anything to move as I desire."

"That's so cool!" he chirped, a little excited, "Will I get to learn that?"

"One step at a time young one," the Angel chuckled, "Now, follow me."

The temple was rather dark in Gohan's opinion, with regal looking furniture, stone walls and floors. They passed a large aquarium that ran the length of one of the corridors, various odd looking fish of all shapes and sizes seemed to follow him as he walked.

"Ah, Lord Beerus, ready for dinner already I see," Whis chimed as they suddenly came to a halt.

They had just entered what looked like a throne room, with large rising archways etched in the stone. Gigantic tree roots seemed to be holding the stone in place, encircling around pillars and lining the walls. There was a long table filled with various odd looking delicacies, though the smell was wonderful. A large throne sat in front of them, the back of which was facing towards them. It was obvious to Gohan that there was someone in it, and he could see long pointed ears protruding from it's seat. He stopped short, feeling suffocated all of a sudden. There was so much pressure in the air, as though a ton of solid brick had just landed on all of his senses. Come to think of it, he couldn't sense anything from this Lord Beerus either, nor Whis for that matter. Could it be that this unbreathable pressure was coming from The God of Destruction himself? It was unbearable, unbelievable. Though it didn't seem evil in any way, just wrong. He had never felt anything like it.

"You woke me up earlier than we planned Whis, this had better be good," came the voice from the chair. It was cold and riddled with annoyance as he spoke again, "Whose the kid?"

Gohan gulped, yet Whis gave him a reassuring smile, "He is a strong candidate to become your successor my Lord."

The deity whirled around so quickly in his seat that Gohan thought that his head might spin off his shoulders. Lord Beerus stood, coming into the dim light so that he now revealed himself to the young saiyan. He blinked, he sort of looked like a hairless cat, with purple skin and large pointed ears and snout. His long tail whipped around curiously behind him as he stared at the boy. His attire was similar to Whis', with blue gi trousers, and black sashes adoring his waits and shoulders, orange and white diamonds decorated the fabric. His wrists were adored with golden bangles, which glinted in the blue hue of light from the large fish tank behind him. Lord Beerus raised a claw-like palm to rub his chin thoughtfully, a smirk playing on his lips. Gohan felt incredibly uncomfortable under his penetrative stare, his presence was utterly dominating. This was a destroyer God after all, and the pre-teen thought that he was actually going to incinerate him right then and there, before a bark of laughter escaped his chest and it wasn't long before the deity was sent into full blown hysterics.

"My successor?!" Beerus howled, clutching his sides, "Are you serious Whis?! He's but a child! You boy, how old are you?"

"Um, eleven," Gohan replied nervously, causing the God to scoff.

"Eleven Whis, come on!" Beerus snorted, "He's barely toilet trained!"

The young saiyan scowled.

"Now now my Lord, we mustn't judge," Whis said calmly, "This boy has just fought in an epic battle."

"Oh yes and it's obvious as to how that went," said Beerus, giving his halo a pointed look.

"Here," Whis sighed, tapping his staff so that an image erupted from the gem.

Gohan gaped both out of shock and horror, as a projection of him fighting Cell illuminated the temple. He watched himself with a sickly feeling, as he transformed into the second level with blind fury, before taking down Cell with two might blows. The hologram of himself smirked sadistically, his golden aura crackling around him, lighting up the room in a electrifying glow.

Then, with another tap, it was gone.

"That evil being that Gohan here fought and destroyed was much stronger than Frieza," explained Whis.

"Stronger than Frieza you say?" Beerus hummed thoughtfully, before turning his sharp eyes towards him, "Tell me boy, what was that transformation? Your hair is black now is it not?"

"Um, yes sir," Gohan stuttered, even though he couldn't sense his power, that intense pressure he was getting from the deity told him that he was incredibly strong, "The first form was a super saiyan, and the one I transformed into there was an ascended level of super saiyan. So, I suppose, a super saiyan two?"

"A super saiyan two," Beerus repeated, before staring at him intently, "You're a saiyan? I thought that Frieza destroyed their planet years ago."

"Yes my Lord, before you went for your nap if you remember," Whis answered for him, "Gohan here is half-saiyan. His father, who was the one that took down Frieza, is a saiyan and his mother is a human from Planet Earth."

"A half-breed?" the deity said, wrinkling his nose in disgust, "How disturbing."

Gohan bit his tongue for want of not letting out an angered growl.

"Do calm down my Lord, you're upsetting him," said Whis, causing Gohan to look towards him in alarm.

"Oh I am, am I?" Beerus snorted, "It's too bad he didn't defend himself, and I thought saiyans were supposed to have guts."

He gaped, just what did he want from him?

"Still his power intrigues me, if that transformation is anything to go by," said the destroyer, thoughtfully, "Super Saiyan, Super Saiyan… now where have I heard that before? Oh who knows, I'm too hungry to think right now, just put him in the training camp with the rest, we will see if your little project will live up to my standards."

"Oh but I do believe he will," smiled Whis, as Gohan gave him a confused look, "Would you like me to take him to the camp right away?"

Beerus waved them away with a flick of his wrist, signalling that they had been dismissed. The young saiyan hung his head dejectedly as the tantalising aroma of food became a distant memory. Finally thinking with his head and not with his stomach, he turned to Whis as they reached the outside of the temple.

"What does he mean by training camp?" he asked.

"You will address my Lord by his proper title Gohan," said Whis firmly, "You don't want to get on his bad side already now do you?"

"Sorry," the boy winced, trying again, "What does Lord Beerus mean by training camp?"

"Ah, forgive me Gohan for being so vague, but I had to get you to agree first," he replied with a wry smile, "You will have to earn your place as an apprentice, and go up against other hopefuls for the position of a junior destroyer."

"Wait, didn't you tell me that you couldn't find anyone for the job in five-hundred years?!" he retorted angrily, feeling tricked.

"That's true young one," he sighed, "Though Beerus won't except just anyone for the role I'm afraid, and no matter how good I think you will be for the job, you still have to prove your worth. Both to Beerus and the other deities that watch over the universe."

Gohan groaned, this day was getting weirder and weirder.

"Don't worry, I'm certain you'll pass with flying colours," Whis smiled happily, giving him a reassuring wink, "Now, if you would like to place your hand on my shoulder, I'll teleport us to the training camp."

The young saiyan reluctantly did as he was told, but was indeed too short to reach the Angel's shoulder, so instead placed his hand on his back.

"Hold on tight now," he informed him, as a white light suddenly engulfed them, "And please keep your arms and legs inside The Warp at all times, wouldn't want you to loose a limb before you've started training after all."

"Wait, wha-?!" Gohan yelped, as suddenly the wind picked up around them and they shot into the air at break neck speed.

He couldn't help the high pitched shriek that escaped his lips as it felt as though he was being propelled forwards by a tornado. He clung onto Whis' garb with both hands as they suddenly changed direction, speeding down to the ground faster than the speed of light.

Then as soon as it had started, it stopped, and Gohan wasn't able to stop himself properly as he slammed unceremoniously into the ground.

"Oww," the young saiyan whined.

Whis turned around with mild surprise as his shoes tapped lightly on the grass in front of him, "Oh my, you are quite the clumsy one aren't you? We'll have to work on that if you want to become the next God of Destruction."

"W-what was that?!" Gohan coughed, clambering up and narrowing his eyes at the Angel, "And did you have to go that fast?!"

"To answer your first question, that is a transportation technique called warping or The Warp as I affectionally call it," Whis explained, "With it, I can travel quickly through space and dimensions. I am in fact I am the fasted being in this universe."

The pre-teen's eyes widened, as he continued.

"And to answer your second question, no, I did not have to go that fast," he chuckled, "We are still on Lord Beerus' planet after all, though quite far beneath the palace. I just wanted to get you here as quickly as possible so that we can begin your training with the other recruits."

"Wow thanks," the boy mustered dryly, dusting off the dirt from his battle worn gi.

"Oh I wouldn't bother with that," the Angel implored, observing him trying to salvage his outfit, "You will be wearing these training clothes from now on."

Gohan blinked, as Whis tapped his staff and he had to quickly catch the neatly folded pile of light blue garments that suddenly materialised out of the air.

"Well what are you waiting for?" Whis quipped, "Try them on, I trust I've gotten the right size. There will be more of them in your chambers should you get these ruined, which I have no doubt of."

The young boy knew better than to ask questions about his so called chambers, he would find out soon enough anyway. Instead, he stripped off his battle torn gi and pulled on the celestial blue jogging bottoms and white trainers, before zipping up the matching hoodie. It had an odd looking symbol over the heart etched in gold embroidery, much resembling a childlike swiggle.

"That's my symbol there," said Whis, smiling in satisfaction as the pre-teen admired his new outfit, "All the apprentices bare it. Once you master my training, you may choose your own."

"Thank you Whis," Gohan mustered politely, though he couldn't help but feel a sense of betrayal towards his old master.

Honestly, he felt a little silly, it was only a gi after all. Though it signified so much, so many memories. He remembered the pride in Piccolo's eyes when he had asked him to materialise a gi like his for The Cell Games, rather than one resembling his father's.

Unsurprisingly, the Angel picked up on his sadness straight away, "As tattered as it may be, I think it is only proper for you to keep that old gi of yours, you seem to have the upmost respect for your first mentor."

"R-Really?" he choked, picking up the purple fabric from where it lay at his feet, "Wow, thank you!"

"I wouldn't want you getting homesick too quickly now," he replied pointedly, "We have a lot of work to do."

"Yes sir!"

"Now, how does that new suit feel, young one?" Whis asked.

Feeling a little more chipper, Gohan sprang into the air, throwing a few fast punches into the air along with a rapid spinning kick. His movements seemed light, fluid, and the tracksuit was incredibly cosy.

"It's brilliant," he said, landing with a grin and turning to his new mentor, "Master."

Whis chuckled, turning to the large oak doors in front of them, "Excellent, shall we?"

It was only then did the young saiyan really take notice as to where on Beerus' planet they were. It seemed that they were far below the palace that was embedded into the enormous tree, as Gohan immediately caught sight of the huge knotted roots that encircled the pristine wooden doors. They seemed to be in the middle of a courtyard, with marble stone benches and rose bushes adorning the dirt laden ground. It sort of reminded him of a secret garden from ancient mythology, what with various stone statues of what Gohan presumed were previous deities dotted around the yard.

It seemed like a rather dark and eerie place, though the ground was suddenly illuminated in a soft glow of light as Whis tapped his sceptre once more and the doors swung open to reveal a long tunnel bathed in light from the torches of fire bracketed onto the stone walls. He trotted behind the Angel obediently, casting shadows through the tunnel as they walked. Gohan was about to ask just how long the path went on for, when a high pitched scream reached his ears.

He jumped, still incredibly on edge since his fight with Cell and got into fighting stance immediately, his onyx eyes hardening and his senses on high alert, causing his mentor to chuckle.

"It seems as though the other apprentices have already started warming up," he surmised, as Gohan visibly relaxed, blushing slightly at his display, "Come Gohan, I'll introduce you. This way now."

BOOM!

No sooner had they taken another step, did a figure burst through the stone walls to their left, sending the large bricks flying as the silhouette of a young man hit the opposite wall with a loud crack.
Gohan coughed through the pillar of dust that encompassed the tunnel, his eyes widening in shock.

Did everything always explode in this place?!

"Ha! Nice shot Eris!" came an amused shout from inside the destroyed wall.

The dust subsided, and Gohan looked into the large gap in the wall curiously. Immediately he caught sight of five apprentices, all looked as though they were in their mid to late teens. He guessed that the figure that had been thrown out into the tunnel was the sixth, but one thing he did know for certain was that they were all dead, his eyes drawn to the golden halos hovering above their heads.

They were sat around what seemed to be some kind of common room, with plush blue and gold armchairs set around a roaring strange blue fire. The walls and ceiling were high, and seemed to stretch for miles above them. Enormous bookshelves were fixed onto the entirety of the back wall, housing thousands of ancient textbooks in various languages and symbols that the young saiyan didn't recognise. He caught sight of two winding staircases that veered off into opposite directions, though he couldn't see what lay beyond it, as it looked as though they rejoined the tunnel. There was a large oak door next to them, not far away from where the wall had been destroyed. Various magnificent tapestries hung over the surviving walls, that depicted Lord Beerus in all his destructive glory. A beautifully painted picture decorated the wall over the fire, that illustrated a vast green landscape with a violet sky. A spiralling cliff face sat in the centre of the painting, with what like a shining hilt of a sword sticking out of it.

No one seemed to have noticed his and Whis' presence yet, as the owner of the voice continued to roar with laughter. He was a boy in his mid-teens, with wavy ginger hair and pale skin. He would have looked human, were it not for the wide golden eyes and fangs protruding from his lips. His fingernails were long and claw-like, and like the other apprentices, wore the same light blue tracksuit as Gohan. His muscles were lean, so lean that he almost looked gangly, though the young saiyan could sense that he was incredibly strong.

"Oh do shut up Makhai," a girl with wild ash coloured hair growled at him, allowing her outstretched fist to come to rest by her side, "You're laughter is insufferable."

He immediately felt a dark presence from Eris, though he tried to curb his instincts quickly. She almost looked like a devil, with bright red skin and pointed ears. A black thorny crown balanced on her head, three pointed spikes saluting the skies, though Gohan wasn't sure if it was a crown or just part of her skull. She looked as though she was in her late teens, her stormy grey eyes sharp as she stared down at the boy named Makhai. Though her penetrative gaze didn't seem to faze him, as he continued to snort with laughter.

"Do you cretins mind?!" an older boy with sickly green skin and beetle black eyes snarled from where he was perched by the only window in the chamber, "I'm trying to study!"

Gohan got an even darker feeling from this recruit, his eyes were as deep as black holes, his bald head failing to hide the vein that throbbed angrily in the side of his head. He gave off a domineering presence, even though he was very skinny, his tracksuit hanging off his bones and clashing horribly with his green skin. His pointed features were curled up into a sneer, as a loud booming voice cut across them.

"Give it up Deimos, you've been reading that book for weeks, if it's not getting through that thick skull of yours now then it never will."

The voice belonged to the figure that had been blasted out into the tunnel, as he effortlessly jumped over the fallen debris and landed gracefully in the centre of the room, his stance strong and a smirk playing on his lips.

The halfling's eyes widened, now this is what he pictured a future God of Destruction to look like. The young man was in his late teens, his muscles bulging underneath the fabric of his tracksuit. Gohan could clearly see the outline of his pectorals and six-pack, his hench shoulders almost reaching his ears. The older teen was the sheer definition of a warrior, with dark tanned skin, brown hair and a neatly trimmed beard. His eyes were the brightest of blue, that glinted with the fire of the thousands of warriors that had come before him. He was incredibly tall, possibly even taller than Piccolo.

Deimos seethed in anger, before Makhai cut across him, "What's that Kratos? Just like you're never going to snog Bia? If you're not in there now mate then you'll never -"

"Will you shut that gaping hole you call a mouth!" The warrior Kratos roared, as a sudden calmness engulfed the room.

The source it seemed, was that of the young woman who all but glided between them. Gohan felt tingly all of a sudden, but he wasn't sure whether it was because of some kind of power she had or due to the fact that she was incredibly beautiful. The older girl had skin the colour of snow, her white blonde hair fixed into two plats that almost reached the floor.

Her golden eyes surveyed the others curiously, "Come now, can't we all just get along?"

"Bia, just let the muscle heads fight it out," a much younger girl chimed from where she was lounging in one of the plush armchairs, polishing a wooden bow, "They'll get tired eventually."

She looked closest to Gohan's age, much to his relief. She was small and petite, humanoid with lilac skin and ebony hair and eyes.

"Aha!" Kratos laughed confidently, slipping into an unfamiliar fighting stance, "Yes you're quite right Alala, but which one of us shall tire first?"

"That was a rhetorical question right?" The devil-like Eris said in a bored manner, not even bothering to get into any sort of stance, "Because we all already know the answer to that."

"Will you all be quiet! I'm trying to-!"

"Oh dear, not this again," Whis muttered under his breath, before calling out in a sharp tone, "Alright! That's quite enough!"

The six recruits immediately jumped to attention, whirling around as the came face to face with the pair watching the scene unfold.

"Master Whis!" Kratos was the first to speak, bowing respectfully, as he and Whis stepped through the hole, "I apologise, we did not see you come in."

"Sorry about the wall, we got a little carried away," Makhai cringed, before inclining his thumb towards Eris, "Or more like princess overboard did over here."

The red skinned princess glared, "Why you insolent-!"

"No need to apologise, as always, it is easily fixed," Whis smiled, before tapping his sceptre with a chink.

Gohan watched with awe, as the bricks sprang back together, and the wall was repaired in an instant.

"Now I'm terribly sorry to interrupt your morning scuffle, but I wanted to draw your attention to our new recruit, this is Gohan," the Angel chimed pleasantly, inclining his head towards the half-saiyan.

The pre-teen suddenly felt incredibly nervous, as all eyes averted to him in a mixture of curiosity and shock.

As before Kratos was able to summon his voice first, "This is the new recruit? Forgive me Master, but isn't he a little young?"

"Yeah, how old are you kid? Like twelve?" The ginger haired Makhai observed, leaning over and poking him in the shoulder as if to see if he was real or not.

"I'm eleven actually," Gohan mustered meekly, as the group gave each other a bemused look.

"I assure you that age is simply but a number in relation to power," interrupted Whis much to the young saiyan's relief, at least he had faith in him. The others looked away guiltily, as the deity continued, "And I won't hear no more about it. Now, I'll give you all four takks to show Gohan to his bed and get him settled. After that I want you to meet me in the meadow for your training session."

They nodded obediently as Whis took his leave, but not before giving the halfling a reassuring wink. The young saiyan gulped, without the presence of his new master by his side he suddenly felt very alone, and exposed. The apprentices were staring at him, and seem to have been for quite some time. He gave them a nerves smile, though clutched onto the ragged purple gi in his palms for dear life.

"So, it's Gohan is it?" Makhai spoke, eyeing him up and down.

Gohan nodded, as the older boy grinned.

"Well, what's your story?"

"My story?" he asked, confused.

The younger girl with a crossbow, Alala, sighed behind him, "He's asking you how you died."

"Oh…" the halfling mustered, the groups eyes widening at the look on his face.

"Ah, so you're a fresh one," Makhai observed guilty, "Sorry, I didn't know. How long ago did it happen?"

"Today," he said glumly.

"Crikey!" the ginger boy gasped, showing off his fanged teeth, "Whis works fast! I've only been dead thirty years and I thought I was a youngling. The rest of us have been dead centuries and we only got recruited over the last few years!"

Gohan couldn't believe what he was hearing. Some of them had been dead for centuries?!

"Yes thank you Makhai," Kratos drawled in annoyance, hard eyes not leaving the pre-teen, "Will you hurry up and show the rookie to his bed so that we can get a move on?"

"Righto!" he saluted cheekily, before grabbing Gohan by the arm and dragging him up one of the spiralling staircases.

The young saiyan didn't have time to protest, as Makhai was extremely fast, whizzing them up the staircase so quickly that Gohan didn't think that his feet had touched the ground even once. When they reached the top, the halfling was finally able to take in his surroundings, albeit a little windswept. He was a little surprised to find that they were shared sleeping quarters, with four double beds lined up neatly in a row, two either side, making a pathway to an enormous window that looked over a beautiful glistening lake. The vast amber sky cast a light orange hue over the room, illuminating the oak furniture that sat at the back wall. Each bed came with its own night stand to the side of it, and three out of the four beds already had clothes and blankets strung over it, along with textbooks piled high on one of the stands. Gohan could make out a cold stone room off to the left, which he guessed were the showering quarters and bathroom. He reasoned that the other staircase must lead to the girls chamber.

"And this is you," Makhai smiled, tapping the mattress closest to the window.

The young saiyan followed him, sitting on the bed and staring out at the amber sky in awe. The chamber was certainly grand, the whole planet in fact, much grander than his humble little cottage in the mountains back on Earth. He pre-teen wasn't entirely certain he could get used to it.

Curiously, he opened one of the draws on his new nightstand, and was surprised to find that there were more clean tracksuits and underwear, along with a toothbrush and some soap.

"Yeah," Makhai sighed, watching him, "We don't take much with us when we die, except the clothes on our back if you're lucky enough, so Whis takes care of the rest. One of life's lessons I suppose. What's that you got there?"

Gohan looked up, as the older boy gestured to the purple fabric he was still clutching onto tightly.

"Ahh," Makhai winced, closing his eyes, "Sorry about that kid. Must be a sore subject for Whis to let you keep it though, he practically blasted my clothes off me when I got here. They were pretty riffy mind you."

"Yeah," the pre-teen sighed, before tucking his old gi into the bottom of his draw. Closing it with a snap, he looked towards his peer, "So, why is everyone dead? Do you have to be dead to become a God of Destruction or something? But Beerus didn't have a halo so-"

"Blimey, you don't know much do you?" he replied with a laugh, "Then again you are just a little tike."

Gohan frowned, he was starting to get annoyed with people commenting on his young age.

"You are right in a way though," Makhai continued, "The recruits are all dead because only the dead can become Gods of Destruction. It's to do with some law that says that we have had to go through the trials of mortals, to have lived through death itself and have burst out the other side in a tornado of fire and glory! Blah blah blah…"

The young saiyan chuckled, as the boy's voice grew more and more dramatic.

"Anyway," he stated, "Once the recruit is chosen, they are trained for a period of time directly under the old God of Destruction and their Angel, until they achieve a divine power and become a God. If they do this then they will be given their life back, but it's not the same as a mortal life. Only The King of All, Lord Zeno, can grant you a deity's life span. Something like that anyway, I'm not that great at studying."

"Studying?" Gohan blinked, his brain trying to process all the information he had just been given.

"Oh yeah," said Makhai, "as well as training, we have to study the laws of the universe, numerous languages, the history of the universe as well as various worlds etc etc. Though it's going to be tougher on you kiddo, we've been here for ages now so we've all had a head start."

His heart sank, if his mother was here she would no doubt be going on a complete rampage in light of the fact that he was already behind.

"Here, you can borrow mine," Makhai smiled kindly, bearing his fangs as he walked over to the bed next to Gohan's and grabbed an enormous pile of thick textbooks and dumped them onto his.

"Uh, thanks?" he blinked, his fingers brushing the ageing spine of an ancient looking volume entitled, The Hero, Perses.

"Oh I haven't got round to reading that one yet," the older boy informed him with a shrug, "It's none essential reading but Alala found it tucked right at the top of the bookshelf in the common room. She said it was interesting, but I've got better things to do with my time than read about stuffy old war heroes. Read it if you want, or you can give it back to her, as long as you lie and tell her that I've actually read it."

"I'll probably hold onto it for now," said Gohan, the leather bound casing was old and worn, but the halfling had always liked reading about great heroes. It might make him feel less homesick.

"Ugh, don't tell me I'm stuck with another bookworm," Makhai pined with a roll of his eyes, before gesturing to the bed opposite his, "It's bad enough with Deimos, you can't even get up for a piss in the night without him screeching at you to shut up."

"He always reads late at night," the teenager informed him, "He can see in the dark you know, and I mean pitch blackness. It's only right to give you fair warning."

The young saiyan chuckled as Makhai's eyes widened in realisation.

"Oh bugger, it's nearly been four takks!"

"What are takks anyway?" Gohan asked.

"It's like the universal measurement of time," he replied, before frowning, "Wait, where are you from again?"

"Planet Earth."

"Earth?!" he gasped, "In the North Galaxy? Bloody hell you really are out in the sticks!"

Gohan pouted, as Makhai said thoughtfully, "Well I suppose about two takks is equivalent to about five minutes in your lingo."

"Which means?" he asked rather haughtily, this was whole business what going to take a lot of getting used to.

"Which means that we're already late my pint-sized compadre," Makhai smirked, as Gohan's eyes widened in horror, "Lets go!"

24th April, 2018.

Reviews:

Trunkssan766: Great to see you reading even if its not your thing! And I assure you I am the same person in the photos on my profile! XD

WiffleDick678: I will wreck my own if I dont complete it (spoiler alert, I totally will finish it!)

BloodySS2God: Thanks! I always wondered what it would be like if Whis trained Gohan! Hooray for fanfiction!

Morvank the Dark King: Love your review, I really hope so!

victor0606: Thank you!

SUB2WILLNE: Thanks for your review! Glad to see you're reading though its not your thing! To answer your question, this is fully a Gohan centric story as Gohan as the main character. But Videl will play a huge role later on in the story. Prepare for romance!

Aaron Leach: Thanks!

TheRangerBoy: glad you think so!

SeanHicks4: yes there needs to be more love for Gohan as a serious fighter!

Ryu-kanjin: Eek! thanks for your review! You made me excited!

tabriggs1975: thank you so much! Hope you stick around!

TS24: so glad you think so! cheers!

JohnyGlockeater: I'll try my best to update frequently! That is the plan!

ICHeart : wow thank you!

arinst2305: thanks so much!