Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ A Fusion of Worlds ❯ First Wave ( Chapter 3 )

"I guess you're right, dad," said Gohan. "I mean, no one's strong enough to survive an exploding planet." Gohan let out a sigh of relief and turned to go back inside.

Then came the blast.

Gohan was sent flying sideways through the titanium-senshium walls of the house. Goku, just ten feet behind Gohan, saw Gohan's unplanned bukujutsu lesson and steeled himself reflexively against whatever force was coming. As it was, Goku simply dug a seven-foot trench.

The trees in the yard splintered and fell, the plate-glass windows of the house cracked and imploded, cracks formed in the earth emitting massive geysers of steam and creating sinkholes, even the titanium-senshium walls of the house cracked.

The wave passed as quickly as it had come, leaving a war zone in its wake. One could accurately compare this sight to pre-apocalyptic Namekkusei. Goku relaxed from his Super Saiya-jin state, then flew over the sinkholes and steam vents to the massive hole Gohan left in the wall. "Gohan!" Goku cried through the hole. "Are you okay?!" When Goku saw his son, it was clear that Gohan was not "okay".

Gohan had landed on the small of his back atop a small bronze statuette of Chichi. His body was bent back at a 90-degree angle.The lumbar region of his spine had broken through the skin and the nerve could be seen dangling from the wound. Blood flowed, gushed to be more accurate, from all of his visible orifices, including the new one made by his spine. Gohan had gone through the wall head first, which was evident from the flat portion on the very crown of his head. Both shoulders had been dislocated, first down, then forward.

Goku approached his hideously contorted son and, with a gentleness belying his superhuman strength, lifted the semi-conscious Gohan on to the sofa. "Gohan? Can you hear me?" The terror in Goku's voice was unmistakable. Chichi's death had crushed him. Another death less than a year later would utterly destroy him. Goku had never been a religious man, but he offered a prayer begging whatever celestial being might help to do so.

But Gohan didn't answer. Goku felt for a pulse and panicked when he couldn't find it. Then, it was there; faint, erratic, but unquestionably there. "Gohan!" he screamed. Crystal drops of tears reflected the light from the room. "You're alive!"

Goku zanzoukened to Goten's room to see Goten just leaving, presumably to see what his father was screaming about. "Goten, I need you to do something for me, alright? Gohan's hurt very badly and I need to leave for a while to get some medicine. He's lying on the couch right now. I need you to watch him while I'm gone. Okay, buddy?"

Goten looked up at Goku, his four-year-old face the picture of innocence. One would never guess by looking at him that he, too, had become a Super Saiya-jin. "Did he get hurt because the house shaked? Did Mr. Bad Boogeyman do it?"

"No son, he didn't get hurt because the house shook. What caused the house to shake is why he's hurt. After I get the medicine and Gohan gets better, I'm taking you two with me to find out just what caused both. Be strong, pal." With that, Goku placed two fingers to his brow and began to slowly fade away.

**********

As Goku faded from Goten's view, he appeared at the same rate at the same time in front of Senpyou.

"Goku!" the cat-like bean farmer said in his whisper-mumble. "What a nice surprise…" When he saw the sober look on Goku's face, he could tell this was not a social call. "I assume you need some sensu beans?"

Goku simply nodded.

"Well, as it just so happens, the harvesting season just began." Senpyou waddled over to his sensu crop. "The usual? A bagful?"

"If it's not too much trouble."

"Of course not! I have no use for them these days." Senpyou picked five of the miraculous beans from the vine, placed them in a bag, and handed them to Goku. "By the way, I overheard Dende screaming a while back. Something about Hell freezing over. You may want to check it out. Maybe it has something to do with your sudden need for sensu beans."

"Will do. Thanks." Sensu bag in hand, Goku once again disappeared from view.

**********

Goten had never seen Gohan like this. Gohan was never absolutely motionless, unless death was on the line. Even in his sleep, Gohan twitched and moved. Nightmares regarding horrors from past battles, Goten thought. Gohan's dreams were so vivid that one time, in the Room of Time and Spirit, Gohan had launched a Masenko in the middle of the night.

But now, with Gohan utterly motionless and barely breathing, his pulse light and rapid, Goten was truly afraid for his brother for the first time. Goten thought he'd go mad at this new feeling, but right then, the unmistakably static-like sound of the Shunkan Idou filled the living room.

"Goten?" asked Goku. "Any change?" Goten collapsed at Goku's feet, as though the life had almost completely drained out of him. Gohan was on the brink of death and there was nothing Goten could do about it. Goten tried unsuccessfully to squint back tears as he shook his head, but failed miserably. "Buddy, I know you're scared. For once, I'm scared too." Goten looked up at his father, absolutely shocked at the thought of his father being afraid of anything. "But Gohan is going to be okay. Just watch."

Goten slowly rose to his feet and watched as Goku unhooked a small, brown bag from the belt of his gi. Goku reached into the bag, and pulled out what looked like a lima bean, but somehow didn't. "Now, I'm going to put this in Gohan's mouth, under his tongue, and he'll be all better."

Goku did exactly what he said as Goten looked on, slack jawed and bug-eyed. A thought entered his mind as Goku did this. Was this what Mr. Piccolo referred to as a sensu bean? Goten thought it would be a lot bigger. Could something this tiny really heal someone as powerful as Gohan? After Goku put the bean in Gohan's mouth, he closed it and stood back. In a minute, Gohan's face twitched and he began to make chewing motions. His Adam's Apple bobbed as he swallowed the bean, then he was still again. Goten was on the verge of tears again when there was an audible, wet snap from the general area of Gohan's back, which must have been his spine realigning itself and the wound healing. At the same time, the top of his head rounded out and his shoulders popped themselves back into place.Gohan sat up slowly, his back cracking as he changed his position. "Dad? What happened?"

Goku wiped atear from his eye as he said "I'm about to find out. I'm going to Dende's Palace to ask him what's going on. Do you feel up to coming?'

Gohan nodded.

Goku turned to Goten and asked him the question he'd been waiting forever to hear. "Do you want to come with, Goten?"

Goten nodded solemnly, though it was obvious he was trying to contain an overwhelming euphoria. Goku's sons grabbed one hand each and the three of them faded from the living room.