Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Where do I belong? ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 8 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball/Z/GT, it characters, or anything in it; nor do I own any other licensed product/item that may appear throughout this fan fiction piece.

Chapter 8

Goku sighed as he lay on the river bank. His blonde hair ruffled in the early morning breeze. In just a few days, the Cell Games would occur, deciding the fate of the world. On the outside, he showed nothing but a calm and confident façade. On the inside, he was a wreck. Even after a year in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, his power couldn't compare to that of Cell's. Vegeta, Trunks and the rest of the Z-fighters were still training, but he just wanted these last days in peace. He couldn't make his wife worry and deep down, he knew that if he didn't win, he wanted his last moments to be with her.

As he lay on the river bank, he allowed him to remember his son. The subject of naming the child Chi-Chi was carrying had come up earlier. One tentative suggestion was to name the boy Gohan in honor of his grandfather as well as their first son. Both Chi-Chi and Goku had adamantly refused, knowing that it would tear them up inside to see their child and call it by a name that belonged to another.

And now, on this particular morning in May, Goku's thoughts were entirely on his first son. Today would have been his tenth birthday. Knowing what the day was, he had left the house early to have a few hours alone before staying his wife. Today was a hard day on them all.

Slowly, Goku reflected on the brief time he shared with his son before he was taken from them. When Gohan was first born, Goku had been so afraid to hold him. He was so small. However, once he had held his son, he never wanted to put him down. Goku was always afraid his son would be hurt in some way.

Reflecting on his son, Goku realized just how much of a crybaby his son had been. Scraping his knee, Gohan was forced to feel the burn of the natural crème Goku would make from leaves. All the while, Gohan would cry.

Yet, behind his crying ways, an immense hidden power lay dormant in his son's body. In the fight against Garlic Jr., his son had been the only person to be able to stand in the power of the Dead Zone. His power had been amazing then, just as it had been when he had crashed through the apple tree. The power had only arisen in the times of desperate need. Whether it was to save his own life or the life of his family, Gohan had gone to extremes in his brief years alive to save them.

If his son were alive today, Goku knew that he would hold unimaginable power. He could only imagine just what he would be like. Factoring Chi-Chi's early refusal for their son to train, Goku knew that Gohan would probably have ended up fighting the Saiyans and maybe even have gone to Namek. He had little doubt that both of them would have been training for the androids and Cell. Maybe Gohan would have had the power to beat Cell. Maybe Gohan would be a Super Saiyan. Maybe Gohan would be the most powerful being on the universe.

Goku quickly shook these thoughts from his head. Gohan was gone. There was nothing that could be done about it now. There was no Gohan, there were no maybes. There was only a tombstone and no remains. There was only the Z-fighters and himself. They would have to save Earth . . . again.

~*~

In the months after their horrible Christmas, the Daemon residence was a vastly changed residence. Gone was the constant laughter and joyous faces of the two children. Angel and Erik had tried with all their might to make things better, but a darkness had inhabited their precious world. And this darkness was all centered on their youngest child.

Since the incident, Gohan had completely closed out all others. He had gone mute and refused to participate in anything. He was often found sitting by the water's edge or by his window just staring out into the open. His obsidian eyes, which had been so full of innocence and happiness, had dulled and shadowed. He was tainted. His innocence had been lost and his happiness faded.

In one moment, in their household, an obvious danger had threatened the livelihood of all he had, his family. And in that moment, he had succumbed to the immense anger and rage he had. Letting it wash over him, he had unleashed a demon. A demon that resided within him.

No matter how much his parents told him that he had done only what he could, he continued to blame himself. Sure, he knew that the two men would have killed or harmed his family in some of the worst ways, but it didn't make up for killing them. His act only made him as bad as the intruders… didn't it?

Gohan was caught in a constant stream of confusion. A steady stream of guilt and sadness. He was drowning, with no way to get out. He didn't even know if he wanted to get out.

Now, with the threats of Cell, the Daemon house was haunted much more. For Gohan, Cell stood for all of the things he hated. The things that corrupted and stole his innocence. And now it was threatening their world. Part of Gohan called for him to participate in the Cell Games. It was something deep within him that told him to do it. But the reasoning behind it was hidden deep within his forgotten memories.

Now, just a few days away from the games, the world was panicking. People were fleeing the cities, abandoning homes and businesses, each on the run. Silently, Gohan would watch the news footage and just shake his head at their idiocy. If this Cell creature could destroy the world, which Gohan truly believed would be possible, then what good would it do to run away? You couldn't run from world destruction.

Flicking some dirt off of his arm, Gohan continued to stare out into the water. The mirror like surface glistened in the sun, the reflections making it look like glass. Hesitantly, the boy looked over the edge, and in the first time in months, forced himself to look his reflection.

His hair was a mess of untamable black spikes, a band holding back the long locks of hair he now possessed. His cheeks were gaunt and his eyes shadowed. He knew his frame was now less muscular and his figure thin. He had ceased eating his large meals. Now, as a sort of self punishment, he only consumed a small amount of food daily. His muscles were weak and his eyes were dull. He looked like death warmed over.

This reflection shocked him. He hadn't looked into a mirror for months, afraid of seeing the monster within him. He had locked himself away from all he loved, afraid he would only hurt them. He was so ashamed and horrified by his own actions that he couldn't bare to look at his family, much less speak to them. He didn't feel as if he deserved them. Thus, he kept away, locking himself from them.

Now, he saw what he had become. Gone was the happy boy he had been. His heart longed for that innocence and happiness. Slowly, in the past few weeks, he had come to the conclusion that what he was doing to himself, for the sake of his family, was actually hurting his parents and sister rather than helping them. Each of his family members lacked sleep and barely spoke. Concern for him was taking up their lives, draining away their own hopes and dreams.

Gohan was now on the brink of recovery. He had begun to accept what he had done. He knew that he had done it in order to save his family and maybe another family that would have been preyed upon later. Now, he had to gain forgiveness from others as well as himself.

So immersed in his thoughts, Gohan failed to sense his sister's approach. Cassandra merely stood a bit away from her younger brother. She had never been able to sneak up on him, he had always been so aware. But now he was just an empty shell. Tears collected in her midnight blue eyes as she watched him. No one blamed him, they only thanked him. He had saved them. A haunted hero… a guilty guardian.

He refused to speak her, to their parents, to anyone. She loved him so much. It didn't matter to her that they weren't blood relation. He was her brother, and nothing could change that. She would admit that she had been afraid at first, watching him transform into a golden fighter. But she also felt the power he possessed. She couldn't sense it like her brother could, but she could feel it. How it had radiated from him. There was so much mystery in her brother, and with the way he was going, no one would ever be able to unlock those mysteries. As much as her parents wanted to deny it, she had known. He was slowly killing himself.

Silently, she wiped a tear from her cheek as she turned to leave him. Taking a last look at him, she turned and walked into the house. The world may have been preparing itself for Cell, but her family couldn't care less. The threat of their family was much greater than that of the threats of the world.

Deep down, she knew that a savior would appear for the world, Mr. Satan or not, but vaguely, Cassandra had to wonder if a savior would appear for her brother.

~*~

Sorry so short people, but I just wanted everyone to get a look into what has happened. The next chapter takes us to the actual Cell games, which will stem over two chapters. Again, sorry about how short it is, but I need you guys to understand the positions of the characters.

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MAILING LIST: Leave your email address, the title of the story, and tell me you want on the list in a review or email. That's all you have to do to get on.

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SNEAK PEAK:

"Fingering the tags, Gohan couldn't help but wonder if this was his family. There had always been a near impossible chance that he would find his original family, but there was a man who may have been able to answer questions and he didn't have a name or anything. Lowering his head, Gohan couldn't watch the fight any longer. It was haunting him."

"Goku merely looked Cell straight into the eye. His last technique had failed. He was finally without a reserve, without a plan. His energy was gone; the Kamehameha wave took it all. With all of his attempts, Cell had merely regenerated. It was useless. After so many years of defending the Planet Earth, a being who was inspired by a man's hate and need for revenge against him would wipe Earth from existence. Guilt weighed heavily upon his heart."