Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Blue Eyes ❯ Gohan's Journal ( Chapter 4 )
[ P - Pre-Teen ]
Blue Eyes
Part Four
By Maria Cline
Knowledge is power but what can one do if all the knowledge in the world can't help the one you love?
Dear Journal:
Today, I discovered something strange and somewhat revealing to me. My father is aging exponential faster than what was first predicted. It turned out that the constant Ki power ups had enabled stress on Dad's body that acellerated his cellular decay.
Oh brother! What am I talking about?! My father is dying and I'm writing a report about it!
I suppose I should start at the beginning.
Things had settled down after the Buu Incident and everything went back to normal. Well, at least normal for us. Videl and I got married and had Pan. Mom and Dad loved Pan very much. Dad would train her alot, much to my displeasure, but it was like play fighting. Besides, Pan is very strong, even for someone with only one-quarter saiyan blood; and someone had to teach her how to control her power. Mom spoiled her constantly like any grandmother would.
Anyway, a few years went by and things seemed normal if not a little redundant. Goten and I stopped training, much to our father's chagrin but he understood. I have noticed that even Dad had slowed down his training to be with my mother more often. That made sense and I was happy for them.
However, today I discovered the real reason for my father's recent change in behavior. You see... in layman's terms, Dad is aging faster than a Saiyan and will die in approximately 20-35 years, depending on how careful he was. While that is a somewhat long time, it wasn't as long as Dad should have lived. By Vegita's estimate, Dad could have live well over 200 years from now. He could have lived well beyond his great-great-great grandchildren.
Even now, I don't know how to feel about this revelation. My immediate reaction was to treat Dad's condition. I told him that I would do everything in my power to treat and possibilly cure him.
He looked at me and laughed and said that there's no reason to treat him. I was stunned at his answer. How could he not want a cure? Why does he want to die at such an early age?
Goten seemed equally upset. After all, Goten didn't get to be with Dad until he was seven years old. He didn't get much of a chance to bond with Dad as much as he wanted to. Dad is just tossing away his time.
I'll talk to my little brother and then I will confront my father again in private to understand his perplexing behavior and ease my troubled mind.
*****
Gohan closed his labtop and stared at the sunset. It had been a long time since he had actually observed a sunset. Many times he had been too busy to watch the red orb of light slowly set into the west. He saw his wife and daughter talking and trying to make sense of what Goku said. Twenty years and his father will be dead.
"Hey, bro." Goten muttered as he sat beside him.
"Hey..." Gohan smiled slightly as he watched. The two were silent as the sun set.
"I can't believe he wanted to do it." Goten growled as he grabbed a rock and crushed it into dust. "Why?!"
"I don't know. I have been trying to understand Dad's motives in this matter." Gohan sighed as he patted Goten's shoulder.
"I just don't get it." Goten said as he tensed, "Dad would've lived another hundred years and he decided it would be a good idea to just lay down and die! Maybe... maybe he just wants to leave Earth again."
Gohan shook his head. He could understand Goten's frustration in this regard. He couldn't understand Goku's logic in wanting to die at an early age when Earth needed him, when his family needed him. "I don't think so. But, I'm not sure why Dad wanted this."
The two sighed as they sat together. "Why does Dad want to age?" Goten wondered out loud. "I've heard about what old age does. Why does he want to age?"
"I don't know..." Gohan admitted. "Maybe, I should confront Dad about this situation. Alone."
"Good idea... maybe you can think of something that can convince Dad to get some help." Goten agreed, "You are way smarter than me."
"Perhaps." Gohan nodded, "I'll call you if I need backup."
"Thanks. Just tell me if you can get Dad to change his mind." Goten agreed.
*****
It was a clear beautiful night as Goku lay on the ground staring at the stars. He sighed as he put both his hands under his head and just gazed upward at the twinkling stars. It has become somewhat of a tradition for him to go out when the nights are clear and gaze at the stars. They are beautiful to him and so uplifting.
He closed his eyes and said, "Hey, Gohan." He could sense him even with his weakening Ki sensing power. Gohan always had such a powerful and recognizable aura around him, even if he didn't train.
Gohan came out of the shadows and sat by him.
Goku smiled slightly and said, "What's on your mind?"
"My insane father." Gohan whispered as he looked up. "Dad... why don't you want treatment? I'm positive that we can find something to help you. We could even use the Dragon Balls."
"Why?" Goku sighed as the starlight hit his face. "Why waste a wish?"
Gohan glared at him as he took off his glasses. "I don't think saving your life is wasting a wish."
Goku shrugged as he looked at the sky some more. "Gohan... I've died twice. I've been in space. I've been in the afterlife and know the gods on a first name basis. I've seen you and Goten grow up and have my first granddaughter. What else is there for me? Maybe... maybe I'm just tired."
"Tired?" Gohan repeated stunned. He had never heard of his father being tired of anything. Goku, his father, had always been so filled with energy anyone around him would just be energized just by looking at him. How can he be tired now?
"Tired of living outside the lines. Tired of having the weight of the world on my shoulders. Tired of... not being human." Goku explained as he smiled at his son. "I've done a lot in my life and I'm ready to retire. Just be with Chi Chi for the rest of my life."
"But... you could live for much longer than thirty years." Gohan insisted as tears filled his eyes. "You could do so much more."
Goku shook his head. "I've done plenty. And it's not like I'll die tomorrow. I still have years in my life and maybe I can just relax for a few years. I'll still train and help out with Pan but... well... it's time for me to grow up and just spend my life with my wife."
Gohan stared at his father for the longest time. For a better part of his life, he had known Goku as his fun loving father, his older playmate, his sparring father, his friend, and his protector. Now he saw him in a new light, now as a man who wants to be human. "You just want to die of old age? Are you sure? I've done research on how old age and deteriorate the senses, body, you could very well even develop mental disorders that..." Gohan stopped his rant as Goku looked away. "Dad? Do you have any idea what you are getting yourself into?"
"Of course I do. But... even if I try to live as long as I was supposed to, I'll just die anyway." Goku pointed straight up at one of the stars. "Those stars up there will burn out someday. Everything ends someday."
Gohan stared up at the stars and said, "But some of those stars burned out years ago and it only looks like they are still bright."
Goku smiled and added, "The stars may die out but their light lives on."
Gohan's jaw slacked slightly as he understood the significance of those words. His father may die but his legacy will live on. "Perhaps." Gohan sighed as he looked up again. "You must understand that I will want you to be checked on a yearly basis. Dr. Briefs is a genius but he may make a mistake concerning your condition." Gohan reminded as he looked at his father.
"I know."
"Good." Gohan sighed as he leaned back and stared up at the sky. There was nothing he could do for his father. He could just go and use the Dragon Balls behind his father's back, but that would just be insensitive. He had to respect his father's wishes not to interfere with his condition. For now, he felt completely helpless about his father.
As the two stared at the stars, one star behind them dimmed and vanished into the black sky, never to be seen again.
To Be Continued...
Part Four
By Maria Cline
Knowledge is power but what can one do if all the knowledge in the world can't help the one you love?
Dear Journal:
Today, I discovered something strange and somewhat revealing to me. My father is aging exponential faster than what was first predicted. It turned out that the constant Ki power ups had enabled stress on Dad's body that acellerated his cellular decay.
Oh brother! What am I talking about?! My father is dying and I'm writing a report about it!
I suppose I should start at the beginning.
Things had settled down after the Buu Incident and everything went back to normal. Well, at least normal for us. Videl and I got married and had Pan. Mom and Dad loved Pan very much. Dad would train her alot, much to my displeasure, but it was like play fighting. Besides, Pan is very strong, even for someone with only one-quarter saiyan blood; and someone had to teach her how to control her power. Mom spoiled her constantly like any grandmother would.
Anyway, a few years went by and things seemed normal if not a little redundant. Goten and I stopped training, much to our father's chagrin but he understood. I have noticed that even Dad had slowed down his training to be with my mother more often. That made sense and I was happy for them.
However, today I discovered the real reason for my father's recent change in behavior. You see... in layman's terms, Dad is aging faster than a Saiyan and will die in approximately 20-35 years, depending on how careful he was. While that is a somewhat long time, it wasn't as long as Dad should have lived. By Vegita's estimate, Dad could have live well over 200 years from now. He could have lived well beyond his great-great-great grandchildren.
Even now, I don't know how to feel about this revelation. My immediate reaction was to treat Dad's condition. I told him that I would do everything in my power to treat and possibilly cure him.
He looked at me and laughed and said that there's no reason to treat him. I was stunned at his answer. How could he not want a cure? Why does he want to die at such an early age?
Goten seemed equally upset. After all, Goten didn't get to be with Dad until he was seven years old. He didn't get much of a chance to bond with Dad as much as he wanted to. Dad is just tossing away his time.
I'll talk to my little brother and then I will confront my father again in private to understand his perplexing behavior and ease my troubled mind.
*****
Gohan closed his labtop and stared at the sunset. It had been a long time since he had actually observed a sunset. Many times he had been too busy to watch the red orb of light slowly set into the west. He saw his wife and daughter talking and trying to make sense of what Goku said. Twenty years and his father will be dead.
"Hey, bro." Goten muttered as he sat beside him.
"Hey..." Gohan smiled slightly as he watched. The two were silent as the sun set.
"I can't believe he wanted to do it." Goten growled as he grabbed a rock and crushed it into dust. "Why?!"
"I don't know. I have been trying to understand Dad's motives in this matter." Gohan sighed as he patted Goten's shoulder.
"I just don't get it." Goten said as he tensed, "Dad would've lived another hundred years and he decided it would be a good idea to just lay down and die! Maybe... maybe he just wants to leave Earth again."
Gohan shook his head. He could understand Goten's frustration in this regard. He couldn't understand Goku's logic in wanting to die at an early age when Earth needed him, when his family needed him. "I don't think so. But, I'm not sure why Dad wanted this."
The two sighed as they sat together. "Why does Dad want to age?" Goten wondered out loud. "I've heard about what old age does. Why does he want to age?"
"I don't know..." Gohan admitted. "Maybe, I should confront Dad about this situation. Alone."
"Good idea... maybe you can think of something that can convince Dad to get some help." Goten agreed, "You are way smarter than me."
"Perhaps." Gohan nodded, "I'll call you if I need backup."
"Thanks. Just tell me if you can get Dad to change his mind." Goten agreed.
*****
It was a clear beautiful night as Goku lay on the ground staring at the stars. He sighed as he put both his hands under his head and just gazed upward at the twinkling stars. It has become somewhat of a tradition for him to go out when the nights are clear and gaze at the stars. They are beautiful to him and so uplifting.
He closed his eyes and said, "Hey, Gohan." He could sense him even with his weakening Ki sensing power. Gohan always had such a powerful and recognizable aura around him, even if he didn't train.
Gohan came out of the shadows and sat by him.
Goku smiled slightly and said, "What's on your mind?"
"My insane father." Gohan whispered as he looked up. "Dad... why don't you want treatment? I'm positive that we can find something to help you. We could even use the Dragon Balls."
"Why?" Goku sighed as the starlight hit his face. "Why waste a wish?"
Gohan glared at him as he took off his glasses. "I don't think saving your life is wasting a wish."
Goku shrugged as he looked at the sky some more. "Gohan... I've died twice. I've been in space. I've been in the afterlife and know the gods on a first name basis. I've seen you and Goten grow up and have my first granddaughter. What else is there for me? Maybe... maybe I'm just tired."
"Tired?" Gohan repeated stunned. He had never heard of his father being tired of anything. Goku, his father, had always been so filled with energy anyone around him would just be energized just by looking at him. How can he be tired now?
"Tired of living outside the lines. Tired of having the weight of the world on my shoulders. Tired of... not being human." Goku explained as he smiled at his son. "I've done a lot in my life and I'm ready to retire. Just be with Chi Chi for the rest of my life."
"But... you could live for much longer than thirty years." Gohan insisted as tears filled his eyes. "You could do so much more."
Goku shook his head. "I've done plenty. And it's not like I'll die tomorrow. I still have years in my life and maybe I can just relax for a few years. I'll still train and help out with Pan but... well... it's time for me to grow up and just spend my life with my wife."
Gohan stared at his father for the longest time. For a better part of his life, he had known Goku as his fun loving father, his older playmate, his sparring father, his friend, and his protector. Now he saw him in a new light, now as a man who wants to be human. "You just want to die of old age? Are you sure? I've done research on how old age and deteriorate the senses, body, you could very well even develop mental disorders that..." Gohan stopped his rant as Goku looked away. "Dad? Do you have any idea what you are getting yourself into?"
"Of course I do. But... even if I try to live as long as I was supposed to, I'll just die anyway." Goku pointed straight up at one of the stars. "Those stars up there will burn out someday. Everything ends someday."
Gohan stared up at the stars and said, "But some of those stars burned out years ago and it only looks like they are still bright."
Goku smiled and added, "The stars may die out but their light lives on."
Gohan's jaw slacked slightly as he understood the significance of those words. His father may die but his legacy will live on. "Perhaps." Gohan sighed as he looked up again. "You must understand that I will want you to be checked on a yearly basis. Dr. Briefs is a genius but he may make a mistake concerning your condition." Gohan reminded as he looked at his father.
"I know."
"Good." Gohan sighed as he leaned back and stared up at the sky. There was nothing he could do for his father. He could just go and use the Dragon Balls behind his father's back, but that would just be insensitive. He had to respect his father's wishes not to interfere with his condition. For now, he felt completely helpless about his father.
As the two stared at the stars, one star behind them dimmed and vanished into the black sky, never to be seen again.
To Be Continued...