Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Youthful Perceptions ❯ Now I sit me down to eat. ( Chapter 6 )

Youthful Perceptions 6

Now I sit me down to eat

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was surprisingly warm in the room. Goku supposed it was the residual heat cause by the stove when Videl had been cooking. Or maybe it was the heat coming off of Gohan's ki. He could not be sure, as Gohan still seemed quite calm and was not obviously agitated in the least. Videl cleared her throat and he turned to look at her. There she was, looking so much like Chi Chi at that moment. It reminded him of the times that they had sat around the table in their little house; just her, Gohan and him: a happy little family. This time it was changed a little, as he was the seemingly innocent child, Gohan was in the father's place and Videl was filling in for Chi Chi.

"Well, what are you guys waiting for, dig in." Videl's voice interjected into his reverie. It was then and only then that he realised that he had been sitting at the table for a whole 2 minutes without eating. That was not like him. At once he began his usual 'quick reflex' method of eating, which consisted of quickly blurring chopsticks interjected by a bit of slurping. Within a few seconds, his bowl of Miso soup was empty and his plate was also and he was calling for seconds.

Videl immediately refilled the bowl and piled more noodles and turkey onto the plate and once again and he was off. All this time his thoughts were not on his son's attitude anymore, but concentrating on the food. In the midst of the blurring, he thought he saw Gohan cutting up his meat and chewing on it. "Chewing?" Goku thought in the midst of stuffing a turkey leg onto his mouth. **That's new**.

Gohan was now chewing the meat, slowly and carefully, thinking about everything and everyone but his seeming garbage can of a father. "I wonder how Pan's doing at her Grandpa's." he thought, pretending to be unaware of the fact that his father was now stuffing half a bird into his mouth. "Goten must be having a good time on his date" he wondered silently, subtly ignoring his father's loud slurps as he gargled down the soup. As the next ten minutes passed, the table was unnervingly quiet, notwithstanding the sounds of disposal coming from Goku. And then, finally there was complete silence. Once could practically hear the evening shadows as they crept across the floor, inching it's way menacingly towards the little family. After two more minutes of enduring the stifling atmosphere, Goku pushed his chair away from the table and leapt down.

"Good night, Videl, and thank you for the good food" he nodded towards her and patted his stomach. She smiled back in response. "Good night Gohan," he then ventured, a bit unsure, voice wavering. Gohan paused mid-chew and looked directly into his eyes. What Goku saw there hurt him. There was a black rage, setting in heavily in his son's eyes. He did not even wait to see if there would be a reply. He just walked towards the door and left quietly, without another word.

Gohan's attention returned to his chewing. He speared a piece of meat with his chopstick and shoved it into his mouth, beginning to chew methodically. **1…2…3…4…**

Videl sat there for a minute, staring at the door, then took a deep breath. "You should tell him why you are mad with him, you know. He's hurting. He's never had to deal with responsibility of this kind before."

**8…9…10...11**

She turned to look at him, her browed knitted in frustration. "We can't live like this." She paused, looked away and then looked back at him. She raised her eyebrows slightly. "Does your mother even know how you are treating him? It's been nearly three days Gohan. Three days since she cut herself and two since you last talked to your father." The volume of her voice began to go up. "Does she even know?"

**19…20** Gohan swallowed.

Videl reached over and pulled his face in her direction, forcing him to make eye contact with her. She stared long and hard at him. His eyes were piercingly dark and guarded. She peered into them, trying to make something visible out of the darkness that seemed to envelop them. For a second she thought that she had seen the shield drop and she held her breath, thinking that maybe he had decided to talk with her. But then, as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone and the evidence of its existence was also gone.

He turned back to the food, reached over to his plate and stabbed another piece of meat with his chopstick. He was putting it into his mouth, but some thing stopped him. It was her hand, holding the fork away from his mouth, the meat dangling near the edge of his nose.

He sighed and resigned himself to talking. "You know that I can't help him. It's no use unless he figures it out by himself. No matter how mad I am with him about this. I can't be the one to make him realise the truth"

"And what is the truth Gohan. What is it?" Videl asked pleadingly.

"That he doesn't love my Mom." And with that Gohan stuffed the meat in his mouth and began to methodically count his chews again. **1…2…3…4…**

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

He could see that the table was set for five as he stood in the hallway. His eyes narrowed suspiciously, wondering what the woman had planned, as they never ate in the dining room unless they had company. He sniffed the air. His eyes widened. It actually smelt good. Actually, it was better than good. Now he knew for certain that some thing was up. What should he do? Bide his time till the devious woman sprung whatever trap she had planned, or should he go confront her now? He weighed the two options. One alternative gave way to his being unprepared, especially if this surprise had anything to do with him. The other factored in the woman's shrill screaming voice directed at him if he spoiled her surprise. He thought carefully, arms crossed, scowl in place. Then he smirked. The woman could never surprise him. He could deal with whatever she threw at him. After all, he was Vegeta and no human woman could outsmart him.

From the shadows of the hallway he watched as the food was brought out and put on the table by the bots. He could sense a foreign but low ki level nearby. He supposed it was the reason behind the fifth place setting. His eyes opened wide with shock. It had better not be that weak, idiot of an ex boyfriend of Bulma's. He still loathed his presence. The woman would not be dumb enough to think that he'd let him into his house and have dinner with him? He checked the ki again. No. It wasn't him. This signature was very different.

He felt Bra and Trunks approach the room. A minute later they appeared from around the corner. They were both wearing their home gear. Bra was in her jeans and red halter-top and Trunks in shorts and a T-shirt. They were talking to each other in low suspicious tones, but he still picked up what they were saying.

"Who do you think she really is, Trunks?" Bra asked, scowl firmly implanted on her face as she sat down at the grand dining room table. " I can't believe mom won't tell us.

Trunks was blushing like a beetroot. "I dunno. But she looks so much like Pan. It's unnerving". His glanced nervously toward the shadow where Vegeta was standing, blinked and turned back around, going silent immediately. He sat next to Bra

Bra just kept talking, getting redder and redder every moment she babbled about how "childish this all was" and how "she was an adult and should be treated like one". She finally got quiet when the kitchen door opened and her mother walked in with the visitor. When he saw her he could not help but gasp. She appeared to be about twelve or thirteen, with shoulder length jet black hair and if possible, even darker eyes. She was wearing capped jeans and a top with English letters on it. Trunks was right. She looked every thing like Gohan's brat. But she definitely wasn't Pan. He was actually stunned. He watched as the girl approached the table and sat opposite Bra

The woman sat down next to the strange girl at the table, crossing her legs and arms. She looked around the room. He watched as she scowled. Then it came. "Vegeta!" she screeched, "You skulking bastard. Get out here. I know you are here. You're always trying to hide in the shadows, but you forget that I can feel your huge ego practically heating up the room."

Trunks snickered.

Bra rolled her eyes.

The strange girl exploded with laughter.

**Darn it** "Stop screeching woman. You sound like a starving hyena." Vegeta stalked out of the dark hallway and pulled the empty chair out next to her and sat down. The woman blew a kiss at him and smiled. He kept scowling.

"What's the matter dear? Bad day at the office? Did you not get to destroy anything today?" she asked him in a fake sweet voice, batting her eyes at him."

He locked onto her eyes, the blue orbs that shone brighter than a grenijin crystal, even in the dark. They pulled him into her essence and he could feel her all around him: soft, inviting, sensual, and yet comforting. Her hair still shone like the waters surrounding the many islands he'd visited on this planet, though now she was constantly groaning about how many grey hairs she had and despairing weekly over her newest "wrinkle". He remembered the early years when he'd fought his feelings for her as if it was his last and most desperate battle. He'd ignored her, left her, spoke cruel words to her and pretended that he did not care. But now after so many years it was hard to ignore or deny it. He still had trouble admitting it, but he … cared… for the woman and the… family… they had created. He was there to protect this fragile thing that was his own. Now here his weakness was, staring at him with longing in her eyes and he knew it was him that put that new spark in her blue pools. He was drowning in those pools. He had to force himself to pull out before he was lost in their depths.

He looked away, focusing on the stranger who was still snickering. He felt himself getting angry again. Who did she think she was laughing at him? He could kill her with his little finger if he wanted to but yet here she was laughing at him. There was something familiar about that laugh though. It was as if he'd heard it before.

"Who are you?" He demanded curiously.

Bra murmured under her breath, "That's what I'd like to know"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was dark now. The sun had finally set, the trails of colour gone from the sky, the air heavy and wet. There Goku was, trudging slowly through the path to his very dark, very lonely home.

"I wonder when Chi will come back home" he wondered aloud, gently kicking a small rock that was in the middle of the path. He watched as the rock picked up speed and blasted down the path and towards the darkened forest.

"Owww!" came the cry of pain from the shadows.

"You should have felt that coming, you know. You should be able to sense oncoming danger and react to it." Goku said to the phantom from the shadows.

"Yeah, Yeah, Whatever!" replied the annoyed voice. Goten limped out from what he though was the anonymity of the tree's shelter and bent down, rubbing his shin. "Some how I did not think that I'd be attacked by my father right outside my house. Forgive me for being so stupid." He added sarcastically.

Goku smiled at his youngest son's reply. "You should always be prepared for a fight. You are a warrior."

"Dad, I think you have been hanging out with Vegeta too much. Next thing I will hear you saying that you are the mightiest Saiyan in the universe or some thing."

Goku tapped his heel on the ground. "Well… I just want you to be prepared that's all."

Goten stopped rubbing his shin and stood up. He was now right in front of Goku. "Hey, what are you doing coming from Gohan's? And why is the house all dark?"

Goku looked up into his son's eyes. He could hardly see the rest of him as it was so dark, but his eyes shone, like a candle's flame, flickering in the dark. They were looking at him, a bit curious and wary. **He probably is thinking I am going to try to surprise him again.** "I was having dinner there."

Goten's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Dinner over there? Didn't mom cook?"

"Well when I came back home Gohan told me that she was at Bulma's"

"Bulma's? In West Capital. That's a half-day's ride. What is she doing all the way over there?"

"Well, I don't know. She was gone when I got home," Goku paused for a second, and then continued, trying to change the subject. "How was your date?"

Goten sighed. "It was ok. Went to a movie with a girl I met at work. Good movie, average girl."

"What was wrong with her," asked Goku.

"I dunno. She was just average, pretty nice… good looking. She was normal."

" Yeah. I guess average is not a good thing for us, now is it?" Goku mused. With that Goku quickly reached out his hands and made a clean jab at the bottom of Goten's ribs. He heard a sharp intake of breath and Goten was bent over, holding his side and gasping for breath.

"Not…. fair… no… fair… dad," He managed to let out, between the gasps.

Goku shook his finger "You should always be ready," he laughed.

With a groan Goten launched himself on his father and began tickling him.

"Nooooooo… Tickles… tickle… Ha..ha.ha..ha.. Stop…" Goku was laughing uncontrollably. Goten knew all his tickle softspots.

"You should always be ready for surprise attacks," Goten said darkly.

The pair were rolling around on the ground and laughing for ten minutes, Goku eventually getting the upper hand. As soon as he got away from Goten's menacing fingers, he launched himself in the air and flew into the forest.

" No fair! You are running away." Goten complained and immediately jumped up and followed his father, a little yellow streak marking his path in the dark.

The curtain at the front window of the lit Son house moved slightly. Videl turned away from the window and sighed. ** Why did they have to bring up so much strife now.** she shook her head and looked at Gohan, who was still at the table, now on his last bites. She could see the look of concentration on his face. As soon as his father had left the house, veins had popped out of his head. It all worried her terribly. She turned back to the window and rubbed her temples. **I don't know if I can handle this**

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Vegeta watched the woman and the strange girl exchange a look in response to his demand. His eyebrow twitched. He recognised the look! It was familiar, something that he's seen Bulma do before and only with one other person. It was a kind of a look that annoyed him. It showed that she shared a common bond with this person and that they were sympathising with each other. The only person with whom Bulma had ever shared that look was...

"Goku's mate…you are Chichi." Vegeta announced with sudden clarity.

"What the hell…! Chichi? You can't…" Bra yelped. She jumped up and ran over to the other side of the table. She looked into her eyes. Then promptly took a step back, her eyes lighting up with realisation.

Trunks eyes had bulged out at the news. " Whoa!! Amazing. No wonder I took her for Pan. She looks just like her grandma."

The girl raised her eyes to them and Vegeta wondered how he had missed it from the very beginning. Since he'd come to this planet he'd made it a point of learning the ki signature of all the supposed warriors and defenders of this planet. In the beginning, he had done it as he knew that most of them really did not like him very much. Knowing that they would try to keep tabs on him, he'd made sure he had the same advantage as them and he also always knew where they were. Then, after Trunks was born, the woman and Goku's mate had become close, as Goku's youngest brat had begun to hang around. He'd grown to know her own unique signature, which was a bit stronger than the woman's and easier to discern. But it had been years since she had last been around him, their only contact now was when something threatened the earth, the last being the evil dragons themselves. But right here in front of him was that familiar power. He had of course always noticed the strangeness of her power, slight as it was. But he'd dismissed it due to theoh fact that he'd never seen a female human fighter's ki before. And in general, human females were strange creatures. He glanced over at his own mate who was grinning from ear to ear.

Finally, she spoke. "Yes, Vegeta is right, I am Chichi."

"So that's why you seemed so familiar." Bra mumbled. Then as if she'd suddenly remembered, she asked "But why are you like this? Was it another wish? But the Dragonballs don't exist anymore."

He watched as she drew in her breath and spun a tale of how she found a magic knife that had been kept in her father's old palace at Frying Pan Mountain. He'd forgotten that she herself had been though of as royalty before She had lost her kingdom in a fiery explosion. Almost like him, in a way. She then told them that she'd wanted to mimic Goku and relive another childhood and had wielded the knife's magic power to return her to youth. Then she stopped, as if that was the end of her tale, but Vegeta sensed that it was truly not the end.

The woman then suggested that they started to eat. He did not attempt to discourage this as he knew that food that Goku's mate cooked was on a far higher level that that which his own mate had cooked. He dug in, revelling in the moistness of the meat. She was used to cooking for Saiyans and knew that rare meat was their favourite.

He looked up from his meal to keep watch on the others. Bra and Trunks were both absorbed by the food and gave no nothing to anyone else. But the woman and the girl were exchanging glances and smiles. He glanced at his mate and realised that she was sharing a secret with the girl. Something she thought that he would not notice. **It won't last for long** he thought to himself. His mate could not keep such secrets from him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The wind shrieked past him, blowing his hair and his clothes. But still the air was hot, thick and hung around his body. Pressure was building up in the atmosphere. Goten spun around in a loop and then levelled out. He spread his arms out and cut all of his power and let the wind take over. Immediately his body felt the tug of gravity and he began to fall, but then he caught a current and floated back up again. He loved that free-floating sensation.

He sensed something coming towards him, fast. He looked all around. ** He's getting ready to strike**. Goten stoo control over his flght again, sure now that he was about to be attacked.

Goku burst through from his hiding place of a dark, large low-lying cloud and jumped at Goten, attempting to tackle him. Goten swung to a side, avoiding him by a few inches. Goku immediately went into a crisp rollover and banged right into Goten's side. Goten grunted as the smaller but powerful body collided with his. Goku grinned and held out a peace sign, mocking him, and the quickly flew away, back into the thick and dark clouds. Goten shook his head and sighed, then began to drop suddenly. Right below him was the blanket of the forest canopy, where he had spent most of his time as a child, exploring and playing with Trunks and sometimes with Gohan. He levelled off as he approached the trees, continuing to fly at the same speed. As he zoomed by, the leaves at the tops of the trees rustled. He could feel his back draft affecting the air around him. He knew he must be disturbing so many animals that lived in the tops of the trees at that moment, but frankly he didn't much care at that moment. He was having far too much fun.

He looked to his right as he felt his father's presence near to him, and there he was, still smiling. "Hey let's land over there," came the suggestion from Goku, pointing towards a clearing.

They landed a few seconds later and Goten fell on the grass, groaning and sighing. "It actually hurt when you ran into me. Geez, Dad".

Goku leaned back and fell onto a grassy spot beside him and sat up, propping himself up with his elbow. Goten looked across at him. He was staring at him, a curious expression on his face, like he was trying to figure some thing out. He sighed, knowing that somehow or the other, he'd be made to make some kind of inquiry soon about what he wanted. The daft expression on his father's face was driving him crazy, especially because he had inherited the same expression from him. He knew exactly how it felt. You always wondered how everyone else understood when you didn't and sometimes it even occurred to you that maybe it wasn't such a good thing you were so easy going.

Goten sat up, drew his feet in and hugged them tightly, rocking back and forth. This was a comforting position for him. That way he felt like he was in a rocking chair. It was like his mother's rocking chair at home. She'd often sit in the chair while she sewed or mended clothes. He could remember from his childhood, every Sunday night after she'd finished cleaning up from dinner, she'd sit in the chair and rock back and forth, eyes closed, dreaming of goodness knows what. When he was quite small, he'd crawl up into her lap as she sat there, rocking to and fro, and curl up into her dress, pressing his nose into her chest and fall asleep. He'd only awake again that night for a moment, when groggily he'd awake to her blurry figure, pulling the sheets over his body and kissing him goodnight. He had done that for years, until he's grown to big to fit in her lap and then he'd sit at her feet, holding onto the chair's leg. Then for some strange reason, he'd felt that sitting at his mother's feet was too childish. Why such thoughts had entered his head he did not know. Ah... he remembered wistfully, that was when he's begun spending all of his free time with Trunks, who had teasingly informed him that he was being a baby, and that real brave men didn't rock themselves to sleep at their Mother's feet. Real brave men fought, they went on adventures, and they chased down wild dinos and had them for dinner.

"Ahem" He heard his father clear his throat. He stopped rocking, but did not look at him. He was waiting for him to say something. "Ahem" Goku cleared his throat again. Goten rolled his eyes. **Will he get over with it already? The tension is unbearable**

"Goten," he started.

Goten breathed a sigh of relief. **Finally**

"You wanna spar?"

Goten sat there, stunned for a second. It had seemed like, for once, Goku was going to have an actual conversation with him. But he was glad he was wrong. It was the same old same old. He'd never had a real father-son conversation with Goku, and the prospect of having one now was somewhat daunting. He sighed and shook his head, a slight grin coming to his face. " Sure, dad. I have a lot of energy to work off after that pointless date."

A few seconds later they were both up and falling into ready positions. Goten watched his father's form carefully. He noted his outwardly relaxed state, but there was something about the way his eyes moved that belied some anxiety. Most people would have missed it, even Vegeta, who knew his father's forms better than anyone else. The only reason Goten picked it up was because he was all too familiar with it himself. It was like watching a mirror, which reflected his own image. The hiding that he had done, hiding behind the mask of innocence, was all a ruse to cover up his anxiety to the fact that maybe he were wrong to be so easy going, and that maybe he should be a bit different.

A cold cutting blast of wind blew past them, dancing with their clothes, His father's gi rippled, the moonlight reflecting a silvery cast on it. If he was human, Goten thought, his father might have shivered. But alas, all that was seen was a wall, with no reaction to the sudden change in humidity.

He felt the movement before it was seen. He knew it was coming. But still he let him hit him. Goku blurred in at Goten's right side, left palm outstretched to strike a blow. And when the blow came Goten doubled over and leaned to his left. Looking up, his father was back in his starting position, shaking his head.

"You saw that coming, why didn't you react?"

Goten glowered but remained silent. He knew he did not have to keep up the happy charade with his father. He was feeling strangely more excited than usual at the prospect of a rough and tumble with his father. He snapped his hands in from of him, turning his arm out, crouching and settling his weight onto his back leg. And then, he began to rock back and forth slowly.

At this Goku cocked his head on a side, a quizzical expression on his face.

Goten sped up the rocking bit by bit, and soon he was just a blur. **I bet he's pretty confused now** he allowed himself to grin.

A second later he was lying flat in the bushes, 30 feet away. He sat up, and picked a twig from his hair. **Maybe that was not then best of plans**

Goku was standing back in his original position, ready to actually start the fight. With that Goten needed no further coercion. He settled into a ready stance, cleared his mind and readied himself for a battle. Human eyes could not see what happened in the next few seconds. But at the end of it all, Goten was back on the ground again and Goku was standing above him with a stern look on his face.

"You aren't fighting me" Goku quipped, a bit annoyed.

"Yes, I am! At least I am trying to." Goten barked as he got up off the ground wiping the grass off his slacks.

He sighed deeply and settled down in the ready position again, but his father was not even looking at him anymore. He was now looking up at the sky.

"It is starting to rain." Goku said sombrely.

Goten froze in his position, his eyes glazing over as a solitary drop of water hit his shoulder. His teeth clenched and his muscles tensed. Another drop fell on his face, rolling over the curve of his nose. Yet another raindrop struck him, and another and another, and the drops started to fall faster and harder, rushing around him.

Goku turned to look at him, " You are getting soaked," he murmured and fell into a ready stance as well.

This time Goten attacked Goku first, attacking blindly but fiercely. The exchange went back and forth for half a minute, but at the end Goku had him pinned to the ground. He struggled hard against his hold, grunting in frustration that he could not move the small body off of him.

Goku jumped off of him suddenly, stared him down with a quizzical expression. "What's wrong with us. Is everyone in this family mad with me about some thing? What else can go wrong? Gohan and the silent treatment, now you won't even fight back", he mumbled worridly

It was then that Goten broke down. He couldn't take it anymore. "It's not all about you, dammit! Why would it be about you? Frankly nothing you ever do bothers me or surprises me." He growled.

"Then what is it? For Dende's sake I need to know why everyone is acting so odd. First your mother, then Gohan, now you…" Goku asked.

He got quiet and looked down on the ground. Something suspiciously resembling a tear rolled down his face, but it could have just been a raindrop. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He began to speak. "You know, Most things never really bother me. If it comes along, I can usually deal with it or avoid it." He scuffed his shoes against the wet grass. "But somehow I can't deal with…." he gestured all around him, "all of THIS… not now." He sank down to the ground. " I am alone. And I'll always be alone."

"But, you have us." Goku ventured.

"Us who!" Goten snapped. " What? Gohan, the super scholar has no time for me anymore. Trunks has an empire to run. We have not talked in ages. I have no friends at work cause I am afraid that if they got to know the real truth about my life, they'd freak out. And now… I'm all alone."

"No...Us. your mom and I"

Goten scoffed at the remark. "You have the audacity to put yourself in the equation. You don't even know me dad. Do you even know what I do other than fight?"

Goku cringed. "Um… you work in an office."

"Actually, I work for Z TV. Camera technician." Lightning flashed and Goten sat down on the grass again. "And the worst part is, the one person I though I could count on forever, she left me…for you." He buried his face in his hands.

Goku scratched his head. "You lost me a bit. I did not steal anyone from you, why would I?"

Goten looked up, incredulously at his father's innocent, bewildered face. 'MOM, she left me for you!" he screamed and the rain pelted him harder and harder.

Goku fell onto the soaking wet grass with the revelation.

Hands still covering his face, he began to speak. "She just up and changed her entire existence for you. She didn't even tell me. She doesn't even care about me anymore. But I need her, dammit. I still need her. I used to be her baby. You weren't here. She raised me, trained me, she was my best friend. Then you came back and she forgot about me, but I didn't mind, cause she needed you then. Then you left again and she started to love me more than anything. Now it's all twisted. She does everything for you. Did you know that? She loves you more than anything else. Now I realise that her loving me so much was basically because I was a mini you. Do you know how depreciating it is when your mother loved you only because you look and act just like you father?" Goten got silent again. His wet body convulsed as the thunder rolled all around them.

All was silent for a while after that. The lightning and thunder grew closer together and the duo sat there, raindrops pelting them like thousands of tiny ki blasts, trying to pierce the silence. Then Goku spoke. "It was raining that day, remember."

"I like the rain" Goten mumbled.

And they sat in the clearing in silence, until morning came.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*