Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Garrulous and Gritless ❯ I, 19: Gohan ( Chapter 19 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

NOTE: Before you ask, I just had to torture Raditz like that. I was going to leave what happened in the last chapter alone, but...nah. It seemed too easy. XD


...


Piccolo's not very happy, and I guess I can't blame him.

Um, I don't know exactly what happened, but it turns out that Bulma somehow accidentally told the Saiyans about the dragonballs and so now they're definitely coming sooner than they would have. Kami told us that the time that he's worried about isn't any closer, though...I guess that's good. But it's still really weird. Piccolo is especially worried, says it's strange to him that the Saiyans finding out about the dragonballs and coming sooner wouldn't affect things... When Kami talked to us he said that he was surprised too.

Training with Daddy is going really great, though. He's so happy about how strong I've gotten, and even happier that I'm excited to learn more. I don't know if he knows how scared I am, of actually fighting these guys. He says if there's anybody he can teach the things he's learned, it's me.

Sometimes Daddy asks me about Raditz. He seems confused and worried that I'm not all mad at him. I haven't told Daddy yet about how I'm teaching Raditz how to sense things. I never thought I would do it, but I even sneak away from Daddy sometimes, to still help Raditz with learning it. I don't think he likes Raditz at all—I mean, I don't think he has to, because think of all that awful stuff he did. But before we left after wishing Daddy back, Bulma pulled me over to the side and whispered something to me. She told me, that maybe, maybe Raditz might not fight beside the other Saiyans and maybe, maybe she could convince him to help us. She said something about his eyes crinkling when she mentions me to him, like in secret he kind of likes me.

I didn't want to say anything to Raditz about it when I saw him again, the first time I snuck away while Daddy was sleeping to teach him about how he can curl power up inside his stomach to hide from being sensed. But I thought, if Bulma is right, if when she mentions me his eyes crinkle, I can find out if eyes-crinkling is really the way to tell if he likes somebody. 'Cause, I think he kind of likes her. Sometimes he just mutters things about her and when I ask what he means he just tells me I wouldn't get it.

So when I saw him again, I thought I'd just say a little bit of something having to do with Bulma and see what his eyes did.

But, he beat me to it. The first thing he told me was that he had an awful headache, because he drank too much the night before. It's weird, because I've never had something like that happen to me. If I drink too much the night before, I just have to pee really bad in the morning... Then he said some more stuff that didn't make much sense to me at all, about "couldn't get it up" and he still kept saying the "drank too much" thing and I guess he and Bulma were going to do something or another but something having to do with those things meant that they couldn't so he was really mad and had a really bad headache.

When I told him I didn't know what he was talking about, he told me that there was no way he was gonna let me turn out like my daddy.

Well, of course I'm not. I don't think Daddy knows how to read, for one thing.

I thought of what Bulma said to me, about him maybe being on our side, and I told him how if the Saiyans beat us it doesn't really matter because I won't turn out like anything.

Then he got even angrier and told me to shut up.

I think maybe Bulma is right.


...


But the problem is, right now Piccolo's not very happy and Yamcha's not very happy. The same day Raditz told me about all that confusing stuff, Yamcha showed up really really mad. He said now he has even more of a reason to want to beat Raditz up, and he kind of got a little crazy and backed my daddy up against a rock and told him he has to teach him the things he learned while he was dead.

So that's what they're doing right now, Daddy and Yamcha. He told me I can come and try to learn too, but I'm a tiny bit afraid of what Yamcha will do if I say something bad. He seems like he really hates Raditz, but he gets mad when somebody says something about Bulma too, but, I thought he liked Bulma and...it's confusing and I'm pretty sure I'm stronger than him but I don't really wanna fight him if I don't have to. And anyway, what would he do to me if he found out I kind of don't mind Raditz? And if he found out I've been teaching him stuff?

Then Daddy starts walking toward me. It looks like him and Yamcha are taking a break, and Yamcha stalks off somewhere only for Tenshinhan to call out to him. He stops and goes toward him and they start talking, and it makes me smile just seeing Yamcha a little bit happier. "Gohan," Daddy says to me. He rubs his hand in my hair. "How come you don't want to learn those techniques with Yamcha?" With the one hand still in my hair, he scratches his head. "You know, because I'd rather teach 'em once than twice!"

I kind of shrug a little, trying to think of something that's sort of true but also that my dad will like so he won't bother me about it. "I want to try to make up my own techniques," I tell him. I think maybe Piccolo could help me with it, so...maybe I really will do it. His eyes light up and he gives me this big grin.

"Yeah!" he says, "Good idea, Gohan! Tell me if you need any help, okay?" I nod, and he ruffles my hair again, and his hand kind of stops right there. "Say," he looks over it, "do you think you maybe want a haircut or something? I know your mom likes keeping your hair looking nice, and right now it looks sort of like..." he trails off, and I think I know what he's gonna say. "Plus, you know, it might get less in your way when you're fighting.

I shake my head. "I'm okay," I say, and try to smile at him the same way he was smiling at me, "and since when did you ever care about what Mother wants me to do?"

He laughs at that one. "I guess you're right. You're getting real smart, you know? Even without reading all those books."

"I have some good teachers," I say back to him. And he doesn't need to know any more than that. Then I realize something. "Daddy," I say, "did the guy who taught you the techniques you're showing Yamcha say it was okay for you to do that?" He seems confused so I say, "Well, you know, like, you're not allowed to copy things out of books. Are you allowed to copy from the teacher?"

He scratches his head, "You know what, Kaio actually did talk to me about that. He said normally he wouldn't allow it, you know, but then he said, if there's anybody I think can stand them, I can teach them. He said, we're gonna need it."

"He knows about the Saiyans?" I ask.

Daddy shrugs. "I guess. He seemed really worried about something or another. Didn't wanna talk about it, though."

Uh-oh. That might be really bad. Daddy grins at me. "Well, I guess you'd better get working on those new techniques, huh?" I nod. "You're growing up to be a really great fighter Gohan, you know that? When I was little like you I wasn't hardly as strong as you are now."

"Raditz says maybe it's 'cause I'm a 'halfling,'" I blurt, and then I realize I probably shouldn't have by how Daddy's face kind of twists up in a funny way, so I keep going real fast, "but you're right, I should go ask Piccolo for some help now!" and then before he can say anything else that'll make me accidentally say something else I shouldn't say, I run off.


...


Over in the distance I see Daddy teaching Yamcha, and even Tenshinhan and Kuririn, the stuff he learned while he was dead. When I'm watching them, I kind of wish I would have decided to learn too, but maybe it's better this way. Piccolo didn't wanna learn anything from my daddy, and Chaotzu isn't doing it either 'cause Tenshinhan told him he can't because he's too worried that the Kaio-something technique will put too much strain on him since he's so small, or...or something like that.

"If you want," Piccolo kind of grunts at me, and I guess he saw me looking over there, "I can teach you my Makankosapo technique."

"I thought that was your special secret one," I say to him. "Right? My daddy only saw it the one time when it didn't work against Raditz, that's what you said."

His eyes narrow on me like I shouldn't have said that, like I spoiled something by saying it. "It's true," he says after a little bit, "I invented it for the sole purpose of destroying your father. But it seems increasingly unlikely I won't have the chance," now he sounds really upset, in the sort of way that Piccolo does, by getting really quiet, "not if the Saiyans get to him first."

"Or if they get to you first," I say, 'cause, I mean, 'cause Daddy is a bit stronger than Piccolo, and...

"Or me," he pretty much only mouths it, and he's looking me straight in the eye. "So you'd prefer I not, then? That I let it die with me?"

"Well, um, I mean, I'm not gonna kill my daddy with it," I say. Piccolo moves around a little bit, shuffling his weight from one foot onto the other. It looks like it's a lot harder than it should be, but that's because the other day Bulma brought some heavy clothes for everybody. She told me I can't have heavy clothes 'cause I'm not done growing yet, though. But Piccolo's cape must be real heavy. I bet if he dropped it on the ground it would make a big old crater.

"At this point," he says, "any Saiyan will do, but preferably one of the two Raditz has mentioned so frequently." I nod a little, but, it's still kind of confusing...when he started training me, all Piccolo would talk about was how he was gonna beat Daddy after this. Now, though, he seems more and more worried...he seems older. I guess he is older. I guess I'm older, too. But it seems like Piccolo sees that I'm confused because he says, "Kami's feeling of approaching death has not faded in the slightest." Then, "If I die, I refuse to simply cease to exist."

I don't know what he means, but I nod. "But we'll bring you back, Mister Piccolo," I tell him, "with the dragonballs, if you—oh." That's right, everybody says if Piccolo dies, then Kami dies, and the other way around, and if that happens, the dragonballs are gone forever. I don't really...don't really wanna think about it. But...Piccolo is trying to do something nice, and...well, I would be doing what he wants, right, if I learn it? It feels like the right thing to do...it's kind of nice to think that...that if he doesn't make it, then, well, then there'll still be that little bit of him. Maybe I won't make it, either, but...maybe then we'll both see each other in the afterlife? Piccolo is...Piccolo is my best friend. I don't wanna imagine what could happen otherwise, and I'm kind of worried because of Daddy saying Piccolo used to be evil, and I think when they die, evil people go someplace else that nice people don't. But wouldn't they know that Piccolo isn't evil anymore? They have to, right? "I won't let you die," I finally tell him.

"I doubt it will be so easy, kid," he says to me, then, "Well, take my offer or leave it."

"Teach me," I tell him. By the end of all this, by the time the Saiyans come, I'm gonna show 'em. I'm gonna keep Piccolo from dying. They're just gonna think I'm a little kid, but they won't know it, how many people I've been learning things from. They're gonna be as surprised as Raditz was about sensing energy. There's gonna be my Daddy, with all of his training from the afterlife, and boy is he strong. There's gonna be Yamcha and Tenshinhan and Kuririn with all the same tricks up their sleeve as my Daddy. There's gonna be Piccolo, and I bet after he's gotten used to all that weight, he'll be close to catching up with Daddy, and he has all his own techniques that'll be surprises for them. And maybe, maybe there'll be Raditz, too, fighting alongside us.

"Then we will retire to a different area," Piccolo says. He doesn't want everybody else to see, I bet. Then they'll wish they could learn it from him, too. He kind of tilts his head in a direction away from everybody else and we start walking that way real slowly, the weight on Piccolo's shoulders so heavy he's having trouble walking. He looks at me and smirks when he sees me looking at his cape, and I can't help grinning back, because I feel so happy, because I think maybe he doesn't feel like I'm that much of a burden anymore compared to that heavy, heavy weight.

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