Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Nevermind ❯ Nevermind ( Chapter 13 )
[ P - Pre-Teen ]
By: Ravenpan 
Anime/Manga: Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 06.14.2004 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.5K | Visits: 263 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 06.14.2004 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.5K | Visits: 263 | Status: Completed
Author's Note - Well all, it's been a fantastic ride. PLEASE review this final chapter so I know if you like it or not!!! As I said, it is the final chapter - questions shall be answered, hopefully - and well... if I said more, I'd be giving things away.
Innocence is Futile
NEVERMIND
By Raven Pan
XIII - Nevermind
Sunday, April 4
Gohan paused a moment, and closed the small leatherbound book before looking up at those gathered. He was seated in a chair in the corner of his livingroom... where he'd called Sons and Briefs for a bit of a... Saiyajin Family Meeting.
"You were asking where I found this.... This morning, I went over to their place to check on Goten. You know... to see how he was holding up after burying Trunks yesterday," Gohan said, his voice heavy with emotion he refused to let free.
"He wasn't there, was he?" Chichi asked, wringing a handkerchief in her hands.
Gohan shook his head. "No, he wasn't."
"Gohan... where is Goten?" Bulma's voice was unnaturally calm.
Nobody could blame her. She'd just put her son, her first born child, into the cold earth only yesterday. Nobody had even thought to test him, see if he could have contracted the fever from Goten, with all the time he spent with him. He'd never shown signs of being ill, at least not to any of them. Vegeta had proudly stated that never in his line had anyone contracted the sickness... and so it was believed they were immune. Trunks's untimely demise proved them wrong.
Bulma bit her lip. For her sons best friend, a man who'd almost been a surrogate son to her - as hers was to Chichi - to be missing.... It did not bode well in her spirit.
"He's with Trunks," was Gohan's simple answer.
"He's at the Graveyard?" Chichi stood worriedly. "But it's been freezing rain for the last hour! He'll catch cold! He'll... he'll get sick again!"
"Mom. Please, let me finish," Gohan's voice took on more strain, and he gratefully accepted the water glass his wife provided to him.
"Gohan..." his father gave him a serious look. "What's going on."
"And quickly, Brat, we don't have time for your foolish-"
"Goten is dead," Gohan spoke sharply, the stress taking its toll now.
The room fell to a stunned silence, and he continued. "I went to their house, and like I said, Goten wasn't there. The bed hadn't been slept in either." He sighed, "So, of course, I went to the most logical place he'd be."
"Trunks's grave," Both mothers visably shuddered.
"Did you...."
"Yes, Mother. I found Goten there. He was laying over the grave, curled up a little, as though he'd fallen that way when he fell asleep against the headstone."
Gohan stopped, scrubbing a hand over his face, wiping away some tears before he continued. "I... I found him with a pen in one hand and this..." He held up the thin leatherbound journal, "In the other.
"You know this is Trunks's Journal. It began shortly before Goten got sick the second time, and ended shortly after Goten was released from the hospital. It was picked up again yesterday, it seems, by Goten - mapping out the end of their lives."
Both Bulma and Chichi were now in tears, being comforted by their respective mates. Videl faithfully blinked back her own tears, as she took her husband's free hand in hers, offering support.
"He was holding the journal, open at the end, as though he was writing in it when he fell asleep. When I reached out to wake him...."
Tears now flowed freely down his cheeks. "He was cold, a little stiff. I pushed his hair out of his face..." Gohan stopped, closing his eyes as he took a steadying breath before he could continue. "He... Goten had such a beautiful, joyful, content smile on his face. That's how I know he's with Trunks. Goten died sometime during the night - the coroner's guess is it was the same time as the meteor shower fell."
His message given, Gohan broke down, weeping for the baby brother he'd helped raise. "He... he died smiling...."
Goku walked over and gently pulled the journal from his eldest's hand. Opening it - his eyes scanned through the pages Gohan had read aloud.
He paused, as he realised the rest of the final entry had been left unread. "Son... you skipped the last two pages. Why?"
"I just... I just couldn't read any further, Dad. It looked so dispairing... and.... Goten had a smile. I didn't want to read any more..." Gohan looked down. "...I was afraid to."
As he started weeping again, Videl pulled her husband into an embrace, her own tears streaking wet trails down her cheeks.
"The writing's hard to read-" Goku mused, trying desperately to decipher his youngest's final thoughts.
"Give me that, Kakkarot," Vegeta commanded impatiently. He grabbed the journal away from him, and looked over it.
It seemed as though the words last written in the journal touched him... and he began to read them aloud.
The Stars are twinkling at me as if they hold some secret. I wonder what they know... what they're not telling me. There are so many falling across the sky, I wonder... if I made wishes on them all, could we be together again?
Do they know why it's becoming so difficult to write now? Why it seems I have to force my hand across the page?
Do they know why I'm in so much pain?
I'm so sorry, Trunks. I just wish I could tell you. I wish....
Vegeta paused and just looked at the page a moment, as though he were unsure he was seeing right.
Slowly, he continued, Goku leaning over his shoulder, the taller saiyajin's lips moving silently as he read along with.
I must be hallucinating. I just looked up and, I swear, I saw you. You look so understanding... so sad. Like you're trying to be here for me.
Like you're trying to tell me something.
It's strange - you look less and less like a ghost as you approach. I can almost feel you settling in behind me, your arms crossed around my shoulders as though to comfort me.
You're resting your chin on my right shoulder as you watch my shaking pen scrawl these badly-shaped words in the final page of your journal.
I can barely read my own handwriting now... I hurt so much, and I feel so tired.
Am I dying from a broken heart... from sorrow so deep it's drowning me?
It's getting harder to breathe.
All listened with rapt attention as Vegeta read the final words of Goten Son, his own voice begining to catch as he did so. "I can't finish reading this, Kakkarot," Vegeta said gruffly, handing the journal back to him and moving to the corner of the room, folding his arms uncomfortably.
"Goku... please, can you read the rest?" Chichi asked in a small voice.
After a moment's thought, Goku nodded. "I will."
Are you the angel that was sent to guide me to the otherworld? Have you come to take me with you on your new adventure?
To join you?
Do you want me, like always, to come and follow you?
You know I will come to you... if you can just show me the way. Just... lead me, Trunks, and I'll follow you anywhere.
I can feel your hand on mine. I guess now it's my turn.
I feel so sleepy.
I ... thought I had more to say.
N e
v e r
m
i
Owari - The End
A/N2: Thank you so much for reading this! Here's the promised url for the pic I did. http (colon forwardslash forwardslash) www (dot) deviantart (dot) com (forwardslash) deviation (forwardslash) 7532309
Don't forget, Please Review!!!
Innocence is Futile
NEVERMIND
By Raven Pan
XIII - Nevermind
Sunday, April 4
Gohan paused a moment, and closed the small leatherbound book before looking up at those gathered. He was seated in a chair in the corner of his livingroom... where he'd called Sons and Briefs for a bit of a... Saiyajin Family Meeting.
"You were asking where I found this.... This morning, I went over to their place to check on Goten. You know... to see how he was holding up after burying Trunks yesterday," Gohan said, his voice heavy with emotion he refused to let free.
"He wasn't there, was he?" Chichi asked, wringing a handkerchief in her hands.
Gohan shook his head. "No, he wasn't."
"Gohan... where is Goten?" Bulma's voice was unnaturally calm.
Nobody could blame her. She'd just put her son, her first born child, into the cold earth only yesterday. Nobody had even thought to test him, see if he could have contracted the fever from Goten, with all the time he spent with him. He'd never shown signs of being ill, at least not to any of them. Vegeta had proudly stated that never in his line had anyone contracted the sickness... and so it was believed they were immune. Trunks's untimely demise proved them wrong.
Bulma bit her lip. For her sons best friend, a man who'd almost been a surrogate son to her - as hers was to Chichi - to be missing.... It did not bode well in her spirit.
"He's with Trunks," was Gohan's simple answer.
"He's at the Graveyard?" Chichi stood worriedly. "But it's been freezing rain for the last hour! He'll catch cold! He'll... he'll get sick again!"
"Mom. Please, let me finish," Gohan's voice took on more strain, and he gratefully accepted the water glass his wife provided to him.
"Gohan..." his father gave him a serious look. "What's going on."
"And quickly, Brat, we don't have time for your foolish-"
"Goten is dead," Gohan spoke sharply, the stress taking its toll now.
The room fell to a stunned silence, and he continued. "I went to their house, and like I said, Goten wasn't there. The bed hadn't been slept in either." He sighed, "So, of course, I went to the most logical place he'd be."
"Trunks's grave," Both mothers visably shuddered.
"Did you...."
"Yes, Mother. I found Goten there. He was laying over the grave, curled up a little, as though he'd fallen that way when he fell asleep against the headstone."
Gohan stopped, scrubbing a hand over his face, wiping away some tears before he continued. "I... I found him with a pen in one hand and this..." He held up the thin leatherbound journal, "In the other.
"You know this is Trunks's Journal. It began shortly before Goten got sick the second time, and ended shortly after Goten was released from the hospital. It was picked up again yesterday, it seems, by Goten - mapping out the end of their lives."
Both Bulma and Chichi were now in tears, being comforted by their respective mates. Videl faithfully blinked back her own tears, as she took her husband's free hand in hers, offering support.
"He was holding the journal, open at the end, as though he was writing in it when he fell asleep. When I reached out to wake him...."
Tears now flowed freely down his cheeks. "He was cold, a little stiff. I pushed his hair out of his face..." Gohan stopped, closing his eyes as he took a steadying breath before he could continue. "He... Goten had such a beautiful, joyful, content smile on his face. That's how I know he's with Trunks. Goten died sometime during the night - the coroner's guess is it was the same time as the meteor shower fell."
His message given, Gohan broke down, weeping for the baby brother he'd helped raise. "He... he died smiling...."
Goku walked over and gently pulled the journal from his eldest's hand. Opening it - his eyes scanned through the pages Gohan had read aloud.
He paused, as he realised the rest of the final entry had been left unread. "Son... you skipped the last two pages. Why?"
"I just... I just couldn't read any further, Dad. It looked so dispairing... and.... Goten had a smile. I didn't want to read any more..." Gohan looked down. "...I was afraid to."
As he started weeping again, Videl pulled her husband into an embrace, her own tears streaking wet trails down her cheeks.
"The writing's hard to read-" Goku mused, trying desperately to decipher his youngest's final thoughts.
"Give me that, Kakkarot," Vegeta commanded impatiently. He grabbed the journal away from him, and looked over it.
It seemed as though the words last written in the journal touched him... and he began to read them aloud.
The Stars are twinkling at me as if they hold some secret. I wonder what they know... what they're not telling me. There are so many falling across the sky, I wonder... if I made wishes on them all, could we be together again?
Do they know why it's becoming so difficult to write now? Why it seems I have to force my hand across the page?
Do they know why I'm in so much pain?
I'm so sorry, Trunks. I just wish I could tell you. I wish....
Vegeta paused and just looked at the page a moment, as though he were unsure he was seeing right.
Slowly, he continued, Goku leaning over his shoulder, the taller saiyajin's lips moving silently as he read along with.
I must be hallucinating. I just looked up and, I swear, I saw you. You look so understanding... so sad. Like you're trying to be here for me.
Like you're trying to tell me something.
It's strange - you look less and less like a ghost as you approach. I can almost feel you settling in behind me, your arms crossed around my shoulders as though to comfort me.
You're resting your chin on my right shoulder as you watch my shaking pen scrawl these badly-shaped words in the final page of your journal.
I can barely read my own handwriting now... I hurt so much, and I feel so tired.
Am I dying from a broken heart... from sorrow so deep it's drowning me?
It's getting harder to breathe.
All listened with rapt attention as Vegeta read the final words of Goten Son, his own voice begining to catch as he did so. "I can't finish reading this, Kakkarot," Vegeta said gruffly, handing the journal back to him and moving to the corner of the room, folding his arms uncomfortably.
"Goku... please, can you read the rest?" Chichi asked in a small voice.
After a moment's thought, Goku nodded. "I will."
Are you the angel that was sent to guide me to the otherworld? Have you come to take me with you on your new adventure?
To join you?
Do you want me, like always, to come and follow you?
You know I will come to you... if you can just show me the way. Just... lead me, Trunks, and I'll follow you anywhere.
I can feel your hand on mine. I guess now it's my turn.
I feel so sleepy.
I ... thought I had more to say.
N e
v e r
m
i
Owari - The End
A/N2: Thank you so much for reading this! Here's the promised url for the pic I did. http (colon forwardslash forwardslash) www (dot) deviantart (dot) com (forwardslash) deviation (forwardslash) 7532309
Don't forget, Please Review!!!