Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ The Fateful Dream ❯ One-Shot

I've been reading a lot of DBZ fics lately, and I've noticed that a lot of people like to make Gohan go into a state of depression after he destroys Cell. While that's just fine and dandy for those stories, I find it slightly hard to believe-especially in the ones where Gohan got to hear his father's whole "Don't Resurrect Me" speech. A person is still going to get upset when a parent dies, though, and it's not exactly easy to control whether you get clinical depression or not, so I figured I'd have the great and mighty power that is Fate step in to do a little preventin' via one of those always-meaningful dreams. Oh, and it's taken me these past couple of months to save up for a PS2, it's only logical to conclude that I don't own DBZ.

The Fateful Dream

or

Why I Don't Think Gohan Got Depressed

Gohan was falling from a great height. He wasn't sure how he'd come to be in this predicament, nor could he possibly comprehend that he didn't have to fall as long as he had the energy. He just fell and fell and fell, and then for a change of pace he fell some more.

"Well, this is riveting."

Upon hearing the voice, Gohan did not cease to fall. He merely adjusted his position so that if he had landed at that very moment, rather than belly-flopping, the young demi-Saiyan would sit rather harder than even he would like. On the other hand, he could see the woman who'd spoken. She appeared to be falling as well, yet her nonchalance was about as surprising as his own at the moment.

"Listen, shortcake, I've got other places to be so I'm gonna make this quick. As we speak, you're falling into a state of depression as a result of your father dying a second time-hence the falling. That depression is gonna be counterproductive, because you aren't supposed to go through that in this particular timeline. We clear so far?"

Gohan let this knowledge sink in briefly, then spoke for the first time he could remember. "I think so."

"Good. Now, here's what I need you to do: think of your mom and grandpa and everybody you know who's alive and wants to see you happy. Those thoughts should push you up well enough. If you need more, think of all the bad guys you've faced who would hate to see you go back to a fairly normal life. Still with me?"

Gohan nodded.

"Smashing. Now here's the last, most important point: never forget just how significant you are. People have needed you before, people need you now, and people will continue to need you for years to come. You are not to blame for your father dying, you are simply learning how demanding it is to be in his position. A lot of the problems you run into are going to be insignificant when compared to what you've experienced, so don't flip out. I'll see you later, and remember to think happy thoughts!"

Gohan suddenly realized two things: the woman was gone, and the ground was getting too close for comfort. Think happy thoughts...

An image from two years ago, when Mom forced Piccolo to wear some of Dad's clothes and go for a driver's license the same day as Dad. The way Piccolo's antennae stuck out from the backwards baseball cap was enough to send young Gohan into a fit of giggles, and soon he was laughing uncontrollably (and rising without knowing) as he imagined all the adults in an assortment of ridiculous outfits. Vegeta wearing goldfish platforms and a Hawaiian-print muumuu with neon-pink ribbons braided into his hair was too much, and Gohan found himself cackling in his own room.

The dream faded quickly, and neither Gohan nor anyone else ever found out why he'd woken up laughing. If he could have remembered. though, our dear Gohan would have been eternally grateful for his conversation with Fate.