How much I care (DBZ fanfic)

Chapter 4

Chichi was silent as always. As Gokou and Gohan spoke of training, she poked at her food before leaving. She'd never left the table before her son before, but at this moment she was so unconscious to what was going on around her that she just left. Gohan stopped talking for a while to watch his mother leave, but Gokou continued to speak to his son.

"Dad, is Mom okay?"

"Sure."

"Dad?"

"Hmn, Gohan?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah... Why wouldn't I be?"

Gohan tilted his head to the side, but Gokou knew he'd been distracted all day by the stupid dream. He'd felt his death... every little bit of pain for millions of hours in that split second before he woke up in a cold sweat and started the day again.

Gokou gave a loud yawn, stretching and getting up from his seat. There were other places he had to go.

"I'm actually kinda tired, how 'bout you, Little Man? Let's get some rest."

"Piccolo's outside."

"I know."

"You want to go talk to him, don't you?"

"Well, yes."

Gohan nodded. He didn't protest, there was a certain way of telling what was serious to the point that he could not hear. Yes, it annoyed him, but even if he were an adult some conversations were always private between the two.

"I'll see you in the morning, Dad. Don't be late."

"I promise I'll be on time. Night, Kiddo."

Gokou walked outside. Piccolo, waiting calmly under a tree snickered.

"I thought you'd never get here."

"Well you did come right after I ate dinner. So what's up?"

"I want to know why you haven't been, how shall I say this, working hard lately in our training. Do you think this is a joke, Son? All of our lives are on the line and you don't have time to not put forth the effort you could. I thought you of all people would know that and strive to train the hardest. And Vegeta-"

"I know, I know, Vegeta's been working furiously and after we beat the androids there's a small he'll turn on me and I'll have to be prepared to take him down if when the time comes."

Piccolo chuckled. Gokou sounded like a child that had been scolded more times than necessary but still never got the main point of the argument.

"You've developed a soft spot for Vegeta. I have to wonder, why didn't you try harder to get him to join in the sparring?"

"Because that wouldn't be very fun for other of us: me knowing all his tricks, him knowing mine. It's more a bit of respect for him."

"Pity, you mean?"

"What?"

Piccolo cocked his head to the side.

"You heard me. Do you pity Vegeta? Is that why you never killed him, even when you've had more than enough chances?"

"No. Vegeta doesn't really want sympathy, does he?"

"Pity and sympathy are two different things, Gokou. He's a bitter bastard, and he's a true warrior without anything to hold him back from the most vigorous training, unlike you, that much is true, but I think the reason you didn't kill him while you had the chance was because you pitied him."

"I think under Bulma's influence he'll straighten out."

"Trunks only confirmed that they have sex. Not anything romantic, if that's what you mean. Just because they have sex does not mean he'll be any less psychotic when these next years pass."

"What did you mean when you said Vegeta was a true warrior?"

Gokou changed the subject. He had no exact reason for not holding much against Vegeta other than his caring nature. Vegeta was changing, maybe only he could see that. What interested him much more was Piccolo's comment. What did that mean? That Piccolo thought Vegeta would kill him one day? Gokou frowned and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Your wife is a mute. Your son is exposed to battle but do you really think he'll be able to kill something? It's not in his nature. He's too much like you for his own good. If you're going to be a true warrior, you need to be without emotion."

"And you have no emotion? We'll never agree on that, Piccolo. I believe that fighting to protect those I love is part of the reason I try so hard. Those who fight for selfish reasons are bound by their own mind's limits."

"So if someone had your wife and held her against you, would you surrender to save her life?"

"Of course, but that doesn't mean defeat. There will always be some other way."

"What if there isn't?"

Gokou gave an innocent shrug. Piccolo nodded.

"So anyway, why have you been so distracted lately? Don't say you haven't."

"I have been having troubles sleeping. That's all."

He admitted calmly, with a shrug.

"Then you'd damn well start working harder, Son."

Gokou nodded. Gohan, listening from his open bedroom window as he pretended to be asleep, heard five words echoing for the remainder of the night.

'Your wife is a mute.'

...

How was it?