My Inner Demons

Chapter 13

"Gohan!!" Goku yelled, his voice pleading with his son to come back.
Chi-Chi stood, staring at the spot where her son was just mere seconds ago.
"Gohan, please!" Goku yelled before falling to his hands and knees, his shoulders shaking from the weight of the entire ordeal. All he wanted, was to just hug his son, apologise a million times over, he'd do it, if it meant he could hold his son again in his arms, he'd do the impossible. Just for Gohan.Vegeta frowned at Goku, anger quickly washing over him, so much so to the point where he couldn't stop his actions.
"Damn it! Damn it all to hell, Kakarot!!" Vegeta screamed, his energy bursting around him as he rushed for the fallen saiyan, kicking him viciously in his stomach.

Goku let out a choked gasp as spit left his mouth, he felt his body lift off the ground because of Vegeta's attack. A kick to his side had him flying, skidding to a stop a few feet from the edge of the lookout. Vegeta practically pounced on him, repeatedly punching him in the face, all the while screaming at him.
"This is all your fault! If you haven't left, Gohan would still be alive!! Not only that, but how long did it take you to notice that he's gone?! It's been nearly eight years and I've been carrying what should have been your guilt!! You ruined it!! You ruined everyone's chance at apologising to him!!! YOU RUINED MY CHANCE!!!" Vegeta screamed, before falling backwards, breathing heavily as he glared at Goku.

The others felt shocked, not having expected Vegeta of all people to feel so guilty.
Bulma felt saddened by this, hiding one's emotions is what brought them into this mess.
"I didn't realize you felt that way, Vegeta," Goku said as he sat up.
"I promise, I didn't mean for any of this to happen! Had I known what would happen if I didn't come back, I would have come back. Vegeta, if I could turn back time, I would! This breaks my heart, seeing my own son this way. And don't worry, my friend. I'm here now, I'm here to carry my own guilt, you don't need to carry it anymore," Goku said, tears slowly forming in his eyes.
Vegeta sighed, standing up and holding a hand out for Goku, pulling the man to his feet when he took it.

They stared at each other for a long while.
"Mom?" Goten asked, tugging on the woman's dress.
"Yes, Goten?" Chi-Chi asked, looking down at her son.
"Why did you hug our big brother like you knew him?" Goten asked.
Chi-Chi looked away, before glancing at Goku and Vegeta.
"Goku!" Chi-Chi yelled, gaining the two saiyan's attention.
"Chi-Chi?" Goku asked.
"I need you to take me to Capsule Corporation," Chi-Chi demanded.
"What? Why?" Goku asked.
"Because," Chi-Chi explained simply.
Goku shrugged, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"We'll be right back," Goku said before they disappeared.

They appeared inside Capsule Corporation, Chi-Chi immediately marched straight for her room, Goku following closely behind.
"Uh, Chi-Chi? Why are we here?" Goku asked as the woman slammed her bedroom door open and marched inside. She knew that to defeat Buu, they would need both Goku and Goten, but she knew, Gohan was critical in this fight as well and that they would need him most of all. But, if things continued on like this, they would all die and never sort out this mess. She went to her bookcase, completely ignoring Goku's question, before grabbing the photo album and marching right back out of her room and into Goten's. Once there, she grabbed the teddy bear she gave Goten earlier that day.
"Let's go," Chi-Chi said, turning to Goku. Goku nodded slowly, placing a hand on her shoulder again before they disappeared.

"They're back! Where'd you go?" Goten asked.
"Goten sweetie, do you remember what I told you this morning," Chi-Chi asked as she sat on her legs in front of Goten, handing him the teddy bear. Goten sat down, cross legged, holding the bear in his hands, staring at it's fluffy face. The others stood around them, wanting to know where this was going.
"You mean about the special boy? My brother who died because daddy accidentally took his heart, making him sad. He died because he was sad, right, mommy?" Goten asked, eyes wide.
"That's right sweetie, remember I promised you I'd show you pictures?" She said.
Goku felt his heart squeeze at the way Chi-Chi had used to explain what had really happened.

"You're gonna show me now?!" Goten asked, eyes even wider from excitement.
Chi-Chi pulled the photo album from behind her, placing it in front of the boy, before opening it, revealing a photo of a peacefully sleeping baby. Trunks moved and sat next to Goten, interested in what was happening. The Z warriors stepped closer, watching as Chi-Chi flipped the pages, explaining the photos to Goten and Trunks. The two boys gasped when they reached the very last photo of the book. Gohan, smiling brightly at the camera with Goku at his side, his own bright smile on his face.

"This is the last photo we have of your brother, Gohan, it was taken on his twelfth birthday, a few days before the Cell Games," Chi-Chi explained.
Bulma felt tears come to her eyes, she can remember the last time she saw the boy smile that brightly. It was before the Cell Games, she realised, right before he went into the hyprobolic time chamber with his father. After the games, she realized, all the smiles he did show, were fake.
"Do you remember what you said that night, Goten, when you and Trunks flew after your big brother?" Chi-Chi asked.
The two boys stared at her, not sure if they should answer or not.
"You said that he was sad and that your daddy's voice made him sad, because it reminded him of his own dad's voice, that it made him remember that he was forgotten," Chi-Chi reminded.
"It's true, your big brother, the person we thought was your imaginary friend, is, in fact, Gohan, your real big brother. The special boy, and he's right to be angry at us, because truth be told, we didn't forget about him, we jist didn't want to remember the sadness of his last few months here alive. He has a right to be angry, because we all moved on, forgetting to help him when he needed us most, we left him behind while we moved on," Chi-Chi said, her eyes burning with unshed tears.

Trunks stared at her in bewilderment. They didn't know, they didn't realize it, but Trunks did.
"Ah!" Trunks yelped as he fell over. The others jumped, not having expected that reaction at all. Goten looked at his friend weirdly, wondering what was wrong with him.
"We're screwed!" Trunks yelled as he jumped to his feet. Bulma was to shocked to scold Trunks for his language.
"Why?" Goten asked, confusion clearly shown on his face.
"If Gohan, our big brother, really is your real brother, and your dad his real dad, then he technically blames your dad for his death!! He even said that he hated him and that he blames him that exact night!!" Trunks yelled, jogging on the spot from nerves.
Goten looked confused for a few more seconds before realization flashed on his face.

"Oh no!! We have to find him!! We have to change his mind!!" Goten yelled as he frantically scrambled to his feet.
"Everyone needs to find him, like now!!" Trunks ordered before he and Goten took off, running in a direction, desperately searching for Gohan.
They needed to change his mind, tell him that it wasn't Goku's fault and that everything would be okay if he just let go of the past and forgive everyone. Though, it wasn't exactly an easy thing to ask a teenager who was practically abandoned by his family and friends, forced to deal with his own guilt and the death of his father, which he was blaming himself for. But as Vegeta had thought, the only people to get through to Gohan now, was the boys, right?