Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Where do I belong? ❯ Chapter10 ( Chapter 10 )

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.

AN: ::sniff sniff:: You guys are too much. lol. Your reviews have been great! I would have had this up earlier, but ff.net closed down in respect of 9-11. Then, when it reopened, I was about to leave. So now, after a 300-mile drive to come back home for my brother's wedding, I'm updating this. Anyway, how about leaving me some good stuff to return too!!!!

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Chapter 10

The Earth shook, the currents raced, the people fell to their knees. Televisions cut out as the world fell into darkness and ignorance to the occurrences in the dry desert where the Cell Games continued.

Gohan jumped up from his seat on the floor as Cass was flung from his neck. His eyes were wide and his body trembling. Cass scrambled from the couch and stood beside her brother. The two nine year olds were in shock. They could feel a power level skyrocketing. It was going higher and higher, as if it had no end.

Gohan could feel this better then his sister, but the fact that she also felt it was stunning. Gohan was sure that it had far surpassed that of Cell. Sighing, the two seated themselves, huddled together. Gohan's eyes were still in shock. The fact that a person could contain that much power was mind boggling.

Angel and Erik were shocked, not because of the power level, but because they had just witnessed the most animation from their son they had seen since before the incident. He had shown feeling; he had actually acted on an emotion. Joy was all they felt, ignoring the world, they just took in the fact that their son could be recovering.

Without the television, everyone on earth was in the dark about what was going on. However, with Gohan's advanced skill, he was able to keep track of what was occurring, for the most part. He was able to feel one power signal finally taper off, but it was as if there was more power possible. It dwarfed Cells and all others around it.

Closing his eyes, Gohan concentrated on the power levels there. He felt as the highest one rose with attacks and defense. He felt Cell's lower with each attack, slowly loosing the battle. And then, with a final and extreme rise in one power level, Cell's signal was lost forever as the battle for the fate of the world was over.

"It is done." He whispered his eyes still on the floor.

~*~

`Damn you Kakarott! You have surpassed me again! Why is it that you, a third class baka of a Saiyan, are stronger than me, the Prince of all Saiyans!!!' Vegeta thought as he watched an extremely large ki blast incinerate Cell, destroying the imperfect form of the monster. He was gone. It was over.

Hanging his head, Vegeta thought of his arch rival. His family, friends and general caring for the world and its well being had always motivated Goku. While he merely worked to surpass Kakarott and claim the title of the strongest. All of his reasons were selfish while Kakarott merely worked to protect those he loved. Perhaps that was the key. Sighing, Vegeta knew he had much to think about.

Wordlessly, he nodded at his fellow Saiyan before placing his hand on his son's shoulder. Levitating, he waited for Mirai Trunks to follow before shooting off to Capsule Corp. The group could handle everything else.

Piccolo gave a curt nod at Goku before taking off into the sky, headed for Kami, now Dende's, Lookout. The remainder of the Z-senshi ran straight for their friend. After a brief exchange, Krillin picked up the unconscious Android 18, who had been spat out of Cell after a hard hit to the stomach by Goku. Linking together, Goku brought his hand to his head and instant transmission'ed the group to Dende's Lookout. It was time to undo the damage Cell had done.

~*~

"Huh??? What???" A disheveled and confused Hercule said as he awoke from his unconscious state. The last thing he remembered was an explosion of golden light and high winds throwing him and the rest of his group away from the fight. Now, looking around, Hercule was stunned to find that no one was around.

A few feet away, the reporter slowly sat up from the debris. He also looked around, only to find the mysterious fighters missing and only Hercule standing. "Hercule, What happened???"

Dazed, Hercule attempted to recall the events. What had happened to Cell? Had the golden fighter won? Fumbling for words, Hercule attempted to think of something to say.

"Yeah, what happened?" Another fighter asked.

"What if I told you I defeated Cell?" Hercule asked, nervousness riddled his face.

"You?" the reporter stammered. The cameraman merely shook his head before noticing that they could still broadcast. Yelling this to his boss, the reporter became formal again. "Did you really defeat Cell?"

Mr. Satan's red-haired spokeswoman quickly stepped in. "Of course he did! Hercule is the best!"

Quickly agreeing, Hercule told them of his easy defeat of Cell. The monster had been taken down with a simple move. The mysterious fighters had merely thanked him and left. Posing, Hercule flashed a victory sign at the now rolling camera. This footage aired globally, declaring Hercule as the strongest man alive and Cell defeated.

~*~

Gohan merely growled at the image of the afro-haired man. How could such a weakling take credit for defeating Cell? Surely no one would believe him. Cass placed a hand on his arm, bring his attention to his family.

Cass merely chuckled at her brother. Sometimes the boy was more animal than human. "I take it you don't believe him?" she asked, knowing the truth.

Gohan let loose another deep growl. "Of course not. That bakayaro just took the credit of that mysterious golden warrior." He suddenly noticed how he had every ones attention. His mother was glaring at him. "Gomen-nasai 'Kassan." He murmured quietly. Her gaze eased up quickly and gestured for him to continue. "Somehow, that mysterious man's signal grew really big overshadowing everyone on this planet, including Cell. After a little bit, he destroyed Cell. Not Hercule."

Erik chuckled a bit at his son. No one was going to point out the fact that he was talking. They didn't want him to fall silent again. Even if his voice was rough and scratchy, it was music to their ears. He knew that his son had some strange abilities, including reading someone's fighting power and potential. It was amazing, but it was true. So, out of everyone there, he was bound to know the most.

Angel merely kept her eye on her son. He was looking a bit better and he was speaking. Oh how she had missed his melodious voice. Sure, it wasn't like before. His vocal cords hadn't been used for months. But it was the most beautiful sound she had heard, just knowing that everything would be okay.

Cass merely shook her head at her family's antics. "Think anyone will believe him, Go?"

Gohan merely nodded his head. Looking at her with a small sparkle in his eye, he spoke. "Probably." Dropping his voice down to a whisper, he continued. "They're too dumb to think otherwise."

She let a small laugh escape her lips before looking at her brother. Meeting eye to eye, she could see that it was like a candle had been lit. The healing had begun. Now it would just take time. It didn't matter how long it would take, just as long as she got her baby brother back.

~*~

With a flash of light, seven golden orbs shot off into the dark sky. A group of fighters stood silently upon Dende's Lookout, watching as the dragonballs scattered themselves around the globe where they would become inactivate for a year.

All of Cell's victims had been returned to life and the androids bombs removed. With the wishes made and everyone healed, it was time to depart. Each fighters headed in their own directions, back to the life they had. They would meet again the next day at Capsule Corps to celebrate their victory and say goodbye to Mirai Trunks.

Goku headed back to his mountainous home and his wife, anticipating the time he could have with her. The world was safe again. However, he pushed his anticipation away. He had something he needed to do, something to think over. Swooping over the treetops, Goku finally arrived at his destination.

Kneeling down in front of a stone memorial, Goku dusted off the little debris that had gathered upon his son's monument. Gently, he traced the words inscribed in the white marble, burning the inscription into his mind. Sitting by the gravestone, Goku rested his arm on its cold surface and fell into deep thought.

As dusk fell, Goku was startled out of his reverie as a bright red apple fell in front of him. With a shadow of a smile, he picked up the piece of fruit and stood up. With a silent farewell, he powered up and flew home. He knew what he had to do . . . now he just had to do it.

~*~

Sitting by the lake, Gohan stared up at the quarter moon. He had never really taken time to look up at the moon. He had always taken it for granted, just as he had taken everything in his life. But today, the Earth was almost lost. He knew this more than anyone else. He had been able to feel Cell's amazing power as well as the powers of the planet's defenders. None of them had compared, until something had occurred. He still didn't know what, but one power had exploded, soaring past anything on the planet, including Cell.

Sighing, he laid down on the cool grass. At that moment, he felt so small in the world. His problems, his life, his very existence was so small in comparison to those of the universe. He was merely one person, one being on the planet. And for a moment, the world he knew could have been destroyed.

The moon's white light reflected against the lakes surface, playing with the shadows of the night. Gohan's tail unwound itself from his waist and curled up around his leg. The end twitched back and forth in an almost hypnotizing manner. Staring at the moon sent a tingle down the furry appendage.

Stepping out of the shadows, Cassandra headed over to her adoptive brother. Lying next to him, she followed his gaze to the night's sky.

"It's so big…" he murmured, lost in his own thoughts.

"Yeah, it is." Cassandra said as she closed her eyes.

Together the two children fell asleep in the light of the moon as the night's shadows played around them.

~*~

Silently, Goku entered his dark mountain home. A single light came from the mantle of the fireplace, where a lone candle burned. For every year after Gohan's death, the Sons lit a candle in memory of their son for the week of his birth. The flame of the white candle flickered wildly in the breeze that Goku's entrance created.

Upon the mantle sat two pictures, a hat, a small silk pillow, and the flickering candle. The dull glow displayed the happy face of a four year old Gohan dressed in his Japanese style clothes and hat, complete with the four star dragonball. A bright grin played upon his youthful face as he smiled at something long since forgotten. The second picture displayed the entire Son family, each one's face full of love and happiness. Each of these pictures were on one side of the candle. Beside the picture of Gohan alone, the hat that he had worn so often lay. On the other side, in between the candle and the family photo, sat the pillow, which had held the four star dragonball until they had needed it for the wishes after the Cell games.

Slender arms wrapped round Goku's muscular body as he stood in front of the mantle. Inhaling deeply, he turned to look at his wife. Her ebony hair hung long and loose, off setting the long white silk nightgown she wore. Pulling her to him, he buried his head into her hair, breathing in her scent.

Pulling away from her, he looked deeply into her obsidian eyes, eyes that were once so bright and innocent, now shadowed by pain and loss. Both of them turned their attention back to the memorial upon the mantle. Wrapping his arms around his wife, he spoke gently into her ear. He had made his decisions, now he had to commit to them.

"It's been six years, Chi-Chi. We have to move on. As much as we wish it weren't true, our little boy is gone. He's never coming back. We've kept his memory alive for so long, its time to let him live in peace. I know this sounds so hard, Chi. I miss him as much as you do, but we can't keep ourselves haunted by him. He would have wanted us to be happy, to move on."

Swallowing back his own sobs, he gently continued. "He helped me today. He was the one who truly beat Cell. Cell almost destroyed us today, he almost won. I couldn't help but think of all that we've done to save Earth and how it still wasn't enough. We still weren't strong enough. I thought of how I hadn't been there for my son. How Gohan was taken from us so soon. He never really had a chance to live. And with his memory, I ascended and was able to beat Cell. If not for Gohan, the Earth and everything we know would be gone." Soothingly, Goku traced small circles on his wife's back as she let her tears fall.

"That was his final gift to us, his final message to move on. We don't have to forget about him, but we don't have to keep reminding ourselves of what we lost. We have to look towards the future." Gently, he placed his large palm onto Chi-Chi's rounded abdomen. "This is the future, Chi. This child that you carry is our future. We have to cherish it, not take it for granted like we did with Gohan. We have to savor every moment together and value every day as a family because we won't know when it could be taken away. So we must move on . . . move towards the future. Not only for ourselves, but for our sons, both of them."

Slowly, his hand left her abdomen and to her face. Tilting her head up towards him, he gazed into her dark eyes, silently asking her to agree. Chi-Chi merely nodded her head slowly. Letting go of his wife, he looked once more into those haunting pictures. Gently tracing over his dead son's face, tears gathered into his eyes. Chi-Chi leaned against him as she attempted to choke back her sobs.

Closing his eyes, he made his own mental imprint of his son. "Goodbye my son, we will always love you." he said softly. With a final caress to the picture's glass surface, he moved his hand to the candle. The room fell into darkness as his two fingers extinguished the golden flame of the candle forever.

~*~

I can't keep people grieving forever. It gets old. There are a lot of recurring themes in this story, but I had to have Goku and Chi-Chi move on. Everyone does. I also apologize for the major OOC'ness of Goku, but I honestly don't believe he is as dumb as most portray him to be. He's naïve and innocent, but he can't be too dumb. So, I had to make him smarter, this speech could only be given by Goku. Also, plenty of fics about Gohan disappearing or dying don't go into Goku's grief and reaction. I may not deal too much with Chi-Chi, but I try to give a glimpse into everyone, especially Goku. It was his first son, and for a while, his only son. I hope you guys liked this.

Now I'm off to home and watch as my eldest brother gets married. So please, Review and make me happy when I get back!!!! All these days with not getting on the net is gonna kill me, so let's see some good stuff when I get back? K?????

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MAILING LIST: You guys know the drill yet? Email me or tell me in a review! Give me your email address and tell me to add you to the WDIB update list! Make sure you tell me the story name!!!!!

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ADVERTISEMENT: I ASK THAT YOU ALL READ THIS KICK ASS FIC!!!!!

BLINDED: By dragonscales. An angsty Gohan fic where our dear demi-saiyan looses his vision due to the backlash of the ki blast from the end of the Cell Games. It is very well written and she updates frequently. It is soooo good. He has to cope with his loss and everything. I mean, he's a martial artist. He has no vision. ::sniff sniff:: It is sooo good. I can't summarize it very well, but it is very good, so go and read and review it. It deserves so many more reviews than it has.

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SNEAK PEAK: This is a chapter that's hard to find good clips from unless I give you a lot so you're only gonna get one. But the chapter does say goodbye to Trunks! And hello to a new baby boy! . . . And a therapeutic talk between siblings….

"Cassandra merely smiled at him before her face turned serious again. "Hey Gohan, I was wondering, who do you think those guys were at the Cell Games?""

"`I don't know who they were, so I can't find them and ask them. But if they are my family, why am I here and not with them?'"

Could this be the end of Gohan's eternal suffering? Well, it wouldn't be eternal then, now would it???