Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Birth of a Prince ❯ Gohan reflects, Piccolo responds ( Chapter 14 )

Part 14 Gohan reflects, Piccolo responds

Meanwhile, at Piccolo's waterfall, an agitated Gohan was struggling to meditate so that his mentor would spar with him and help to rid him of some of this nervous energy. His sensei refused outright to spar with him until he had some semblance of control over his newly elevated ki. Piccolo floated nearby, arms crossed and head bowed in his accustomed meditation posture. Gohan's eyes fluttered opened yet again, and he sighed in frustration as his concentration left him once more.

He hadn't though that Piccolo had noticed, but the Namek's deep voice reached his ears, "Gohan, concentrate. You can't spar with an uneasy heart, not with the surge in ki from your tail. Concentrate and FOCUS." The last word held an unmistakable emphasis.

Gohan sighed again and looked up at Piccolo from his position sitting on the bank of the stream. Easy for him to say, he though grumpily. His life hasn't been turned upside down. He hadn't just regenerated his tail that had been removed countless times. He hasn't just found out that his mother is an unspeakable bitch. The memory of his conversation with Vegeta set his teeth on edge again, and without realizing it, he began to swiftly power up as his anger mounted.

In a flash that was much too quick to be seen, Piccolo had appeared behind him, grabbed him by the shoulders and flung him into the cold water of the stream. Gohan sputtered and tried to climb out, attempting to voice a protest that got lost in a gurgle of water as Piccolo grabbing him by the hair forced him under the water again, and held him there for a few long moments. When his teacher pulled him out, Gohan was calmer, and regarded the Namek with black eyes that were only mildly annoyed.

"What did you do that for," he asked as Piccolo finally let him climb out of the water.

"You were powering up," said Piccolo as though that ought to have been obvious. "You were angry, and frankly reeking of hormones." Gohan blushed. Piccolo didn't seem to notice as he continued. "Thinking about your mother again?"

Gohan frowned. "Yes," he replied. "I mean, I knew their relationship wasn't the greatest, but I guess I figured like Mom did; that Dad would always just roll over and do whatever she wanted. It didn't occur to me until Vegeta told me what Dad said that maybe that wasn't the best thing for him to do. I mean, he's the strongest fighter in the universe, and here was me, expecting him to do whatever Mom wanted, without even thinking of what he might want." Gohan was silent for a moment, then continued. "It really makes me wonder Piccolo, how many things Dad has done, regardless of what he wanted, because Mom harped on him enough."

"Like your constant studying at the expense of your training?"

Gohan nodded. "That was one thing that came to my mind."

Piccolo studied the boy for a moment. "Is the tail really worth it Gohan?"

Gohan knew what his teacher was thinking. He himself had removed Gohan's tail the first and second time to prevent him from destroying the planet in his Oozaruu form.

Gohan looked unswervingly into his teacher's eyes. "Yes Piccolo-sama, it is. I feel….complete." His tail lashed, giving accent to his words. "It's not just the increase in ki," he continued. "My body was made to have a tail. I can feel how much better I will be able to fight because my body won't be constantly compensating for its absence. It's an….amazing feeling. And I feel, I don't know….I feel….more. It's hard to explain." He thought briefly. "You mentioned earlier that I reeked of hormones?" Piccolo nodded.

"You still do, Gohan."

Gohan considered for a minute. "I'll bet anything," he said slowly. "That there are some kinds of hormones released by my tail. It makes sense," he continued, "Since the transformation Vegeta told us is triggered by a biochemical reaction. I'll have to ask him about it." His eyes flashed in excitement. "I wonder if that's what caused Dad to finally stand up to Mom!"

Piccolo quirked an eye ridge. Since his stay with the boy had begun nearly two days ago, Gohan had had more mood swings than he cared to count. He was constantly on edge, and much more aggressive than Piccolo had ever seen him be on a continual basis. If that tail wasn't releasing hormones, he, Piccolo would personally eat his turban, no small feat for a being that drank only water.

Gohan glanced up, staring into space for a brief moment. "They're at Capsule Corp," he remarked to his teacher. "Dad said they'd probably stay there a few days to see how Mom was handling things."

"Do you want to go see them?" asked Piccolo, eying Gohan warily.

"No," was the prompt reply. "Dad said he'd let me know when it was safe to come home. I'm in no rush." He looked irritably at Piccolo. "Are we gonna spar or what, Piccolo-san?"

Piccolo groaned silently. Here we go again, he thought, wearily. "As I said before Gohan, we will spar when you have yourself under at least a semblance of control." He resumed his meditative posture a few feet away from the still dripping Gohan, ignoring the glowering look his teenaged student was sending in his direction.

"Relax Gohan. Concentrate and focus your thoughts. Calm your mind and your heart."

Piccolo's voice streamed through Gohan, evoking a sort of tranquil response as he once again attempted to meditate to his teacher's satisfaction.

To be continued…..