Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ The Truth Hurts More ❯ Family Ties ( Chapter 3 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball GT are owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, and Akira Toriyama. In other words, I don't own a single flippin thing!

Anime/Manga: Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Hentai / Martial Arts / Romance | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 03.24.2009 | Pages: 4 | Words: 7.6K | Visits: 2.9K | Status: Work In Progress

LES: I think I finally know where I want to go with this story. Yah!

Chapter III: Family Ties

Videl watched as Gohan and Goten sparred for the better part of an hour. For the first half-hour, they moved so quickly that she could not hope to follow their movements.

But it seemed that Goten was the one slowing down, and the two fighters phased back into existence, still moving at a speed that she could never hope to keep up with.

She couldn't keep her eyes off Gohan. How could she have ever thought that he was nothing more than a nerdy push-over? Gohan was a Grand Master of Martial Arts; his form perfect and his movements flawlessly executed. He was like a perfect Martial Arts machine in battle.

It was clear that he had amazing training from an early age for him to achieve such a level of mastery at the young age of eighteen. Who trained him? Videl wondered. Probably his father. Son Goku was the World Champion from the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, the one prior to the one that her Pops won.

She had grown up with her father being a living legend, as the World Martial Arts Champion and then Cell's defeater. But, before that, Goku had been the Earth's hero.

It bothered her. Why would a man as strong as Son Goku simply drop out of the fighting competitions? He still trained in Martial Arts, but he hadn't been in a Tournament since he won the 23rd Tournament. (Not counting the one held before Majin Buu showed up because Goku never got his shot in the ring.)

The Tournament when her father won… she could understand. She had been born shortly afterward. Gohan was slightly older than she was, so Son Goku probably didn't enter because of his newborn. But the others?

Quite abruptly, both Gohan and Goten stopped in their tracks. Goten's nearly unlimited energy seemed to be running out. His blonde Super Saiyan hair was now streaked with his natural black and his aura flickered in and out of existence. “Gohan! I'm tired!”

“Try to hold on to the power.” Gohan coached. “Now is the time when you must go past the limits of your endurance and become even greater than you are.”

Goten screwed up his face in concentration, trying to hold onto the power that made him a Super Saiyan. It didn't work. His aura died completely and his hair returned to normal.

Goten fell down to the ground. “I can't do it, Gohan!”

Gohan moved over to his little brother and scooped him up in his arms. “You did very well, Goten. It took me almost a year to master it.”

“A—a year?” Goten stuttered in amazement. “But you are the best at everything!”

Gohan smiled. “Well… maybe I'm not the best. There's always a bigger fish.”

“Huh? Fish?” Goten suddenly perked up, his fatigue instantly forgotten. “Are we gonna get lunch, Gohan? I'm starving!”

Both Gohan and Videl laughed. Just like the son of a Saiyan, his stomach came first. “Sure. Let's go back. Father and Mother should be done by now.”

Goten gazed up at his brother, confused. “Done with what?”

“Kissing games.” Gohan answered instantly, turning the conversation back into a G-rated conversation for his little brother's sake.

“Eww!” Goten moaned.

Gohan turned towards Videl. “You are welcome to join us for lunch if you want. My mother has the best cooking in the world.”

Videl nodded. Her father may have a strict curfew on her, but she could make the normally five-hour trip back to Satan City in less than an hour. So she had plenty of time to join the Son family for lunch.

“Food! Food! Food!” Goten chanted excitedly as he tried to fly out of his older brother's grip to get back home as quickly as possible. Gohan wasn't expecting the movement, and didn't think to let the boy go.

Goten's movements as he tried to escape sent Gohan whip-lashing… straight into Videl.

They both got knocked to the ground, and Gohan managed to stop his fall at the last second in order to avoid crushing her beneath his body. But, as it turned out, he wasn't quite fast enough to prevent another embarrassing situation.

His body now covered hers as he pinned her between the ground and his body. Gohan was the first to notice just how good it felt to be in this position, and also how close her lips were to his.

“Gohan! I…” Videl began angrily, probably to demand that he get off her, but her voice caught in her throat. She now noticed what Gohan had noticed, and a brilliant blush colored her face as she quickly adverted her eyes.

“Videl…” Gohan whispered quietly, and lowered his face to hers.

But, just before flesh met flesh, a loud call brought them out of the spell that they seemed to be under. “Eww! Kissy-kissy!”

Both teens froze, and then Videl pushed Gohan off her. She was on her feet quickly and dusted herself off. She cleared her throat. “Why, Goten, are you jealous?” She asked playfully, hoping to draw Goten's fragile attention away from what just happened. She scooped the young demi-Saiyan out of the air and gave him a small sisterly kiss on the check.

Goten cried out in horror as he broke out of her grip, wiping frantically at his defiled cheek. “Eww! Cooties! Only Mommy can kiss me!”

Gohan, meanwhile, was still frozen in place, exactly where he had landed when Videl had pushed him.

He was frozen in shock! We almost kissed! He realized, amazed. It would have been a first for him. He had never kissed anyone who didn't also happen to be a relative. Growing up in the middle of nowhere and spending most of his life training in Martial Arts had never presented many dating opportunities for the young demi-Saiyan. Imagining himself with a girl was nearly unfathomable!

Only Chi-Chi seemed capable of maintaining the illusion of her eldest son getting married and giving her the grandchildren that she longed for.

He was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he didn't hear his mother calling that lunch was ready.

He only came back to the outside world when Videl kicked him; not hard enough to hurt him, but hard enough to knock his temporarily stunned brain back into place. “Gohan, Goten says that Chi-Chi's finished with lunch.”

No matter what mental, emotional, or physical torment a Saiyan is going through, it could be swept aside instant just at the thought of food.

Gohan recovered quickly, now able to smell the faint scent of his mother's cooking in the air. Without a word, he took off, trailed by his younger brother and Videl.

Food… the cure-all for Saiyans. During the seven years that Goku was dead, Gohan had hunted down stories of his father from his friends. Bulma had laughed as she recalled the first time Goku fought in the World Martial Arts Tournament as a twelve-year old boy. How his opponent in the Finals, Jackie Chun, had somehow hypnotized Goku to sleep. In desperation to get him to stand again before the 10-count finished, Bulma had yelled “Goku! Your dinner's ready!” and the boy was on his feet instantly, spell completely broken.

And his mother, in his own humble opinion, was the best cook on the planet. Even Vegeta was once heard saying: “If there's one thing that harpy mate of Kakarot's is good for, its food.” And coming from the arrogant Saiyan Prince that was saying quite a lot.

Thanks to his flight ability, he made it home in a matter of minutes when it would have taken him hours to hike the same distance.

However, once he got home, he realized that his problems were just getting started.

His nose kicked into over-drive. Laced in with the smell of his mother's cooking was the smell of his parent's recent coupling.

He couldn't understand it! For most of his life, he had taught himself to ignore the distinctive scent. Normally, he only realized the scent on a sub-conscious level. But now he was actively scenting it out, separating it from the smells of home.

What's wrong with me? Gohan mentally slapped himself. Father and Mother have been separated for seven years, so it's none of my business what they do.

Chi-Chi stepped into the sitting room, and she saw her eldest son standing frozen in the doorway. She moved closer. Gohan noticed that his mother had his father's scent all over her. “Gohan? Is something wrong, dear?”

Gohan shook his head violently, trying to dislodge annoying thoughts. “I'm fine, Mother, really.”

“Well, I never thought I'd live to see the day that a Saiyan or even a half-Saiyan would stand frozen in place when there is food to be had.” Chi-Chi commented, moving back into the dining room. “Hurry up before your father eats all the food.”

Thankfully, the reminder of imminent food allowed Gohan to forget his nose and he rushed into the dining room.

Goku was all ready seated, stuffing his mouth full of food at an alarming rate. He was all ready half finished with his own pile of food, and Gohan's food was dangerously close to the line of fire. Gohan quickly took his seat and set into his own food with enthusiasm, giving his father a glare that would make Vegeta proud every time Goku eyed something on his pile.

The Saiyan, human, and demi-Saiyan were soon joined by Goten and Videl. Goten set into the food with as much enthusiasm as his father and older brother, while Videl took her seat nervously.

Videl watched the other human woman, wondering how she managed to get anything to eat in this Saiyan feeding-frenzy. Chi-Chi did not even attempt to reach for her own share of food.

What happened next amazed Videl. Goku grabbed some more food and, instead of it disappearing down his throat, the load was promptly deposited on Chi-Chi's plate. As if nothing had happened, Goku's next handful went down his throat and Chi-Chi began to eat the food provided by her husband.

Videl gazed longingly at the mountain of food. She was sure that, should she attempt to take something, she'd end up losing a few fingers.

Almost as soon as the thought crossed her mind, she suddenly found her plate full of every item that she had been secretly eyeing. She looked around quickly enough to see Gohan's retreating hand as he went back to his own meal.

Across the table, both Goku and Chi-Chi noticed this small exchange, both of them slightly dumb-founded. Goku looked rather comical with a large amount of ramen hanging half-eaten out of his mouth.

Husband and wife gazed at each other, their eyes confirming each other's thoughts. They had both seen it.

Goku, before his mating to Chi-Chi, had never shared his food, given the option. This practice often led to people being rubbed the wrong way on low-supply Dragon Ball hunts. But, soon after his marriage to Chi-Chi, he began to make sure she was well-fed, even if it meant giving up his own precious food.

It wasn't until they were on friendly terms with Vegeta that the method to the madness became clear. A Saiyan would never let their mate starve. If one mate were incapable of getting substance, the other would automatically compensate and pick up the slack.

But Saiyans only reserved this behavior for those closest to their hearts: their mates and off-spring. And since Gohan was showing this behavior to Videl…

Chi-Chi almost squealed out loud. I'll have grandchildren in no time!

While Chi-Chi was mentally celebrating, Goku sniffed the air. He could tell instantly that his son and this Videl girl had not completed the mating bond because there was no physical link between the two of them, and Videl lacked any sort of mark that would show her as Gohan's mate. That aside, they were definitely in the midst of developing an emotional connection.

Gohan finished off a surprisingly large amount of food in a short amount of time, which was unfortunate for him. His nose was working away, and the smell of his parent's activities hit his brain harder than his mother's frying pan ever could.

Without realizing what he was doing, his mouth opened and he began to pant. At least, it looked like panting to anyone unfamiliar with the strange Saiyan physiology. Saiyans, like felines and some other Earth mammals, had an organ on the roof of their mouths called a Jacobson Organ. By pushing air particles into the organ, their sense of smell grew many times better.

And, right now, Gohan's complete focus was on Saiyan pheromones, his parent's coupling, and Videl.

Videl was the first to notice and was staring at Gohan strangely. Goku noticed her confused look and glanced at his son. Gohan was obsessed with smelling something, that was for sure.

Goku took a quick sniff with his own, much more sensitive Jacobson organ, but smelled nothing that he considered would warrant such behavior from his son. So he reached over and closed Gohan's mouth with a finger under his chin. He gave the innocent Son grin in Videl's direction while Gohan blushed, having seemingly come to his senses.

“Uh… Mother, may I be excused?” Gohan asked.

“Sure, honey.” Chi-Chi said, smiling brightly. But her smile quickly faded when Gohan rushed out of the room. “Gohan?”

Goku stood up. “I need to go too, Chi-Chi.” He followed Gohan out of the room and out of the house.

The strange behavior went unnoticed by Goten, who continued to stuff his face, while Chi-Chi and Videl were left in confusion. Goku had left with food still within arm's reach, an once-in-a-lifetime event. But the woman managed to shrug it off. Probably a Saiyan thing. It was a thought that crossed her mind many times before when her husband and sons did odd things. She couldn't even remember how she explained away Goku's strangeness before she found out that he was an alien.

~~~~~~~~~~

Goku was able to track his son easily by sensing his enormous Ki, which lead Goku out into the surrounding wilderness. He didn't bother with flying because Gohan really hadn't gone that far away.

Instead, he ran just as he had done as a boy living alone in the mountains. It was a refreshing feeling, and brought back memories of a simpler time… back before he knew about Dragon Balls, inhuman powers, and aliens.

That life is over. Goku realized. From the moment I met Bulma, my life changed forever.

He caught up to his eldest son at one of the many mountain lakes. Gohan sat down at the edge of the water in silence, as if in meditation. Goku knew, however, that his son was not meditating. His Ki was in turmoil, boiling under the surface, ready to explode.

“Gohan?” Goku called to get his son's attention.

“I'm fine, Father. Please leave.” Gohan said.

Goku shook his head. “Son, I can read Ki. You are not fine. Something has upset you.” Goku paused. Several seconds passed and Gohan did not respond. “Is it about the girl… Videl?”

Gohan bowed his head. “Sorta.”

“She's a fine girl.” Goku commented. “She's more open-minded than her father, that's for sure. She knows about our… interesting heritage, and yet still accepts us as normal people and not freaks. You wouldn't believe the amount of love needed for someone to love someone of a different species.”

“Mom married you when she thought you were human.” Gohan pointed out.

“Yeah, but she stayed with me even after she found out I was an alien originally sent to destroy this planet as a baby.” Goku said.

“It's… it's not just about Videl.” Gohan began, blushing. It wasn't exactly the sort of thing he wanted to discuss with his father. Let's face it; Goku had been dead for half of Gohan's life. He would rather talk to Piccolo about embarrassing stuff, but Piccolo was an asexual alien, and wouldn't understand. “I can smell… what you and Mother did earlier. It's never bothered me before.”

“Ohhh!” Goku said. “It's my pheromones, isn't it?”

“Huh? What?”

“Well… I'm not exactly the expert on Saiyans. Vegeta knows more about this stuff than I do. But from what Vegeta says, Saiyans aren't a very modest race.” Goku said. Gohan stared in confusion. “Um… pheromones primarily affect that particular Saiyan's mate, but it can also drive near-by males into a sexual frenzy. It's uh… led to some pretty interesting visits with Vegeta and Bulma.”

Then it clicked and Gohan realized what his father was trying to tell him. To make it sweet and simple: Saiyans had orgies. And, apparently, his parents and Vegeta and Bulma had engaged in this Saiyan tradition.

“So… you're becoming a man according to Saiyan tradition, so maybe it's starting to affect you too.” Goku finished.

“But I'm not a full-blooded Saiyan like you and Vegeta.” Gohan tried to reason. “I'm half-human.”

“And also an adult by human standards.” Goku pointed out. “Look, you were the first half-Saiyan ever born, so there is no way we could know how you would turn out. And you have the biggest influence from my Saiyan blood because you are the only Halfling so far born with a tail. And this is probably all happening today because of the full moon.”

“But I don't have my tail anymore.” Gohan pointed out.

“Neither do I. In fact, unlike yours, my tail has been removed for good. And yet, the full moon still affects me a little bit.” He gazed into the sky. The moon was not visible yet because it was still mid-day, but Gohan knew that it was on his father's mind.

“Father? Could you let me be alone? I need to sort this out myself.” Gohan said.

Goku started hovering in the air. “Sure, son.” With that, he began to fly back home.

~~~~~~~~~~

Somehow, Videl found herself getting roped into going with little Goten on his afternoon romp through the woods.

She simply adored the seven-year old, and envied Gohan for having a younger brother. It was something that Videl, as an only child, had never known.

Goten was a cute seven-year old, but the little boy seemed to be an endless source of energy. According to some of the other Z-Warriors, Gohan had the highest power level within sensing range. But Goten had a different kind of energy, the kind that could drive everyone around him to the point of exhaustion.

Goten was up ahead, zigzagging through the air, on the lookout for any new animals for pets.

“Oh, look! It's Toby and his parents!” Goten waved at a small family of dinosaurs as they flew past, calling out their own greetings.

Videl recognized the small one flying clumsily next to his larger, more majestic parents as the dinosaur that she mistakenly thought Gohan, under the guise of Saiyaman, had stolen. She was glad to see the whole incident had not affected the family at all.

“I wonder where Icarus is…” Goten wondered out loud.

“Who is Icarus?” Videl asked.

“A friend that Gohan made as a little boy.” Goten explained. “He's a dragon!”

Videl's jaw dropped. “A dragon?” Dragons were nearly extinct. Shenron, the Eternal Dragon, was the only dragon that she had ever seen.

Goten, however, didn't seem to think that a friendship with a dragon was that big of a deal. “Yeah. But he only comes when Gohan calls.”

It was becoming clearer and clearer to Videl that, aside from their training in Martial Arts, their childhoods couldn't have been more different. Son Gohan: Half-Alien, one of the strongest beings in the universe, and friend of dragons.

Something caught Videl's eyes. “Hey, Goten, what's that?” Videl pointed.

From what the young demi-Saiyan could see, she was pointing at a strange tree. A perfectly round chunk had been taken out of the side, like someone had taken the world's largest ice cream scooper to it.

Goten landed, followed by Videl. “I don't know. It's been that way for as long as I can remember.”

“That tree has an interesting story behind it.” A voice spoke behind them.

Videl spun around. Son Goku was standing behind her. “Daddy!” Goten cried happily, leaping into his father's arms. Videl was struck once again by how closely Goten resembled his father, right down to the caring and care-free smile.

“Mr. Son!” Videl began respectfully, but Goku snorted.

“Just Goku.” The Saiyan assured her. “Mr. Son doesn't suit me very well. Besides, it's a lot better than some of the things Vegeta's called me.”

Videl was still having a hard time not calling him `Mr. Son' outside of her head. After all, Son Goku was a Martial Arts legend. He had been the world Champion before her father. And while Videl had heard many comments about `the former Champion Goku' from her father… mostly put-downs; the fact remained that he was the youngest ever Finalist in the history of the Tournament, and later, the youngest ever Champion. Feats like that tend to stick to your name. She had once seen a recording of the 23rd Tournament, the one when Goku became the Champion, and she found him a Martial Arts prodigy.

She had hoped to personally match his feat at the last Tournament by winning at the age of 18 (and becoming the first ever female Champion). But her run-in with that muscle-head had denied her that. Oh well… I can still become the first female Champion. Videl reasoned with herself.

“Uh… Goku… do you know what happened to this tree?”

“Yes. I was there.” Goku said. “And I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.” He paused thoughtfully. “Eighteen years ago… Gohan was just a newborn… Chi-Chi and I were taking our daily walk through the woods with Gohan in his carriage. We stopped on that hill over there to talk.” Goku pointed to a hill some distance away from where they were standing. “While we were talking, Gohan started to roll away from us. Chi-Chi noticed that he was gone and we gave chase. But he had already rolled so far away.”

Videl nodded in understanding. The hill in question was steep, and anything would have picked up speed quickly.

“I was faster… I can still remember Chi-Chi's screams to save our baby. He was heading right for this tree. Back then… I thought I was still human… a gifted human, but still a human. And if a human infant hit a tree at that speed… well… it would have been over. I was terrified, but not fast enough. One of the carriage's wheels hit a rock and it catapulted Gohan straight at this tree. But, instead of hitting it, he managed to blast right through it. I caught him on the other side, unharmed.”

“Wow! That's amazing!” Goten spoke up from his father's arms. “Gohan can do anything, can't he, Daddy?”

“Yeah. Gohan is pretty amazing, even when he was a newborn.” Goku said wistfully. “He's a great son.”

“Daddy, where is Gohan? Is he all right?” Goten asked.

“Gohan is just fine, son.” Goku responded. “He just needs some time alone for a while.”

Little Goten blinked up at his father, a little confused at first. “Okay, Daddy.” He floated out of his father's arms. “I'm gonna go to the lake and catch a big fish for dinner!”

“Be careful that a fish doesn't catch you for dinner.” Goku warned.

“Okay, Daddy.” Goten took off, heading deeper into the mountains.

Videl suddenly realized that she was alone with one of the greatest Martial Artists of all time. It is always thus when you meet one of your heroes: one could think of a million things to say before hand, but when you are actually face-to-face, you can't remember a single word.

Goku's kind face invited small-talk, but she had so many things to say. Wait… his face! He looked extremely familiar. Not from the footage of his Tournament appearances, but from a completely different event.

Normally, she would never consider it, but she had seen Gohan change his eye and hair color at the last Tournament when he went Super Saiyan. “Were you… at the Cell Games?” She asked suddenly.

Goku gazed at her in surprise and then he quickly changed into a Super Saiyan.

Videl realized that her assumption was correct. Goku was the spitting image of one of the strange Warriors who showed up at the Cell Games. “You were the one who warned by father that he would be killed if he entered the ring with Cell?”

Goku nodded. “I was.”

“You were the one who went after my father and surrendered?”

Goku nodded again. “Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Why I warned your father? There was too big a difference between his and Cell's power level. It was like comparing an ant to a human.”

“But… my father defeated Cell… didn't he?” Videl asked.

This time, Goku chose to ignore her question. “And I surrendered because a good Warrior understands his own limits. I merely fought Cell that I could know for myself what his power was like so that I could know if our strongest fighter had a chance.”

“The Delivery Boy? Who was he?”

“That is not my secret to tell.” Goku said simply, returning to normal.

“Okay… then who were the rest of the Warriors?”

“The Z-Warriors.” Goku answered. “After I won the 23rd Tournament, an elite group of Warriors was formed whose purpose was to defend the Earth against any and all threats. All of us were regular Tournament Finalists, one former Champion, and me. We've had a few additions since the Z-Warriors were first formed, but they too are extremely powerful and have proven themselves in battle over and over.”

“Is that way you haven't been in a single Tournament since the one you won?”

“Partially.” Goku answered. “We mainly stopped because we were too powerful. We were dominating the Tournaments. So we stopped going to give other people a chance.”

A chance… Videl repeated in her mind. My father won the Tournament because these Z-Warriors didn't show up to give others a chance at winning.

“It's fine. Our job isn't to dominate humans in anyway just because we are more powerful than the average human. Our job is to protect the Earth, no matter the cost.” Goku said. “You can go home if you want. Gohan will probably be out there for a while.”

“Are you sure he's all right?” Videl asked.

“He's fine.” Goku said. “He's at the age when certain Saiyan instincts start to take over, and it's bothering him.”

“Did… you go through it?”

“I got lucky.” Goku said simply.

“You're right. I probably should go home.” Videl said. “Thank you for answering my questions.” She said as she took to the air.

“You're welcome.” Goku said as he watched her fly in the direction of Satan City.

Gohan, you're going to have to tell her the truth about the Cell Games soon. Goku thought to himself as he Instant Transmission'ed back home.