Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ For the Love of a Child ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 1 )

"For the Love of a Child"

Disclaimer: >Looking around my room<, nope still don't own DBZ. Drat. Also, the lullaby I have Gohan sing to Goten, I sort of borrowed it from Outlaw Star. It's a beautiful song, I've actually sang it while babysitting myself. Just so you know. Don't own that either.

*Chapter 2*

The rest of July and August seemed to fly by, with Goten getting even more excited. He'd made himself a calender and hung it on his bedroom wall and marked a day off every night. Tomorrow was the big day and Goten was bouncing off the walls getting out of bed every five minutes to double check everything was packed in his new blue backpack and that his clothes were all laid out where he had placed them. I had caught him sneaking out of bed for what had to be the thirteenth time when I finally scooped him up in my arms and carried him out to the rocking chair that faced the wide windows looking out over the ocean. The only light illuminating the room came from the moon shining in the window. I settled into the chair and started to slowly rock back and forth rubbing Goten's back as he clutched my shirt with his fist. Softly I started to sing a lullaby I'd used to calm him and put him to sleep since the first time I'd held him in my arms.

I don't know what words I can say,

The wind has a way to talk to me,

Flowers sing a silent lullaby, I pray for reply, I'm ready

Quiet days, calm me, oh serenity

Someone please tell me, ohhh what is it they say?

Maybe I'll know one day.

I don't know what words I can say,

The wind has a way to talk to me,

Flowers sing a silent lullaby, I pray for reply, I'm ready

I've never been entirely sure where I got the lullaby from, it was just there in my mind when I needed it. Maybe my own mother sang it to me when I was a baby, who knows the mind of a child is an amazing thing. I looked down at Goten sleeping in my arms, face buried in my chest, hair sticking out all over as usual. It looked just like Dad's, in fact Goten was the mirror image of Goku at his age, I remember pictures my mother had shown me. There is something so unique about Goten though, it doesn't bother me that he looks like my Dad. I had thought for a while about cutting it shorter, but in the end I'd left it alone. While I kept my own hair short, it still insisted on spiking up, like Goten's, the defying gravity trait of all Saiyans' hair.

I carried Goten back to his room and tucked him before heading off to my own bed. I probably wouldn't sleep much, I hadn't slept well for several weeks now, and usually found myself going to the gravity training room I'd built and pushing myself until I finally collapsed in exhaustion. But every night I started out in bed, hoping to break this endless cycle the demons in my head had created. Unfortunately this night was no different, after tossing and turning for an hour I gave up and threw on a pair of gi pants, not bothering with a shirt. I set the gravity at 300 and started working out. I'd ascended to Super Saiyan 3 a couple of months ago but found that unlike the first two forms, this one was physically draining. It could only be held for so long before the body's energy had drained, though with time and training I was gradually extending the length I could hold the form. As I increased the speed and intensity of my attacks I idly wondered if there was a form past this one, and if so what changes it would make to the body. I'd been irritated to discover this third level caused my hair to grow to the floor and made my brow ridges protrude so far I resembled a caveman. And I'm not being vain, I could care less what I look like but long hair can be a serious liability in a fight. Deep inside I also knew it was because it reminded me of the first time I'd turned Super Saiyan while training with Dad. I'd had long hair and when I went super it changed to look just the way it does at this third level. Dad had laughed and taken me inside to cut my hair short. I'd been so impressed because he gave much better hair cuts than my mother ever had.

What is this I feel inside? Anger? Sorrow? Regret? Yes, regret with a little sorrow for that young boy I use to be. Less than a month later my father would be dead, seven months later my mother would follow. Shaking my head I pushed myself harder, cranking up the gravity to 375, and drowning my conscious in nothing but the struggle to get faster and resist the forces pushing me to the floor. Three hours later I dragged my much abused body back to my bed and finally felt the oblivion of sleep take me.

I was woken up at five o'clock the next morning by Goten jumping up on my bed and tugging on my arms.

"Dad! Dad! Dad dad dad dad DAD!" He chanted as he hopped up and down pulling as he sang.

I groaned and glanced at the clock next to my bed. An hour and half of sleep, my body protested as I sat up and followed Goten still skipping and chanting to the kitchen. Popping a senzu bean in my mouth and swallowing it dry I knelt down and grabbed Goten sitting him on the counter in front of me. He'd already put on his clothes and had his bag strapped onto his back. Chuckling I reached out and tousled his always messy hair.

"Morning kiddo! All ready for your first day at school?" He nodded and squirmed and I shook my head.

"Hey there, you can't go without eating breakfast first! What do you want?" He stopped fidgeting and thought for a moment. Food in this house is taken very seriously and not even the excitement of the first day at school would deter Goten from a meal.

"Eggs, bacon, and animal pancakes!" He finally decided, clapping his hands and smiling at me. I nodded and set him back down on the ground.

"Ok, go and get the eggs and bacon for me and I'll get started."

An hour later I had Goten on my back as we flew towards the nearest town. I had registered him last month so all that was left was to introduce myself and Goten to his new teacher and then say goodbye. When we arrived at the town I landed behind the school and we walked around the building. After asking directions to his classroom we found the right room and I led Goten in. An older woman, with blonde hair was standing in front of a desk and turned when we entered the room.

"Hello there! You must be one of my new students!" She smiled down at Goten who had hid behind my legs. Bending down I picked him up and held him.

"Goten this is your teacher..."

"Mrs. Susan Thomas." She smiled at me and held out her hand.

I shook it briefly and then looked down at Goten giving him a gentle squeeze.

"Goten, this is your teacher Mrs. Thomas, I'm sure you're going to have lots of fun with her and the other kids today." He looked at me and nodded smiling weakly. He leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Daddy, I think I change my mind, this is kind of scary." I laughed and pulled him closer into a hug.

"Don't worry kiddo," I whispered back, "Everything will be fine you'll see, just give it a try for today, ok?"

He nodded and I set him down. He walked cautiously over to his teacher and held out his hand. "It's nice to meet you Mrs. Thomas. I'm Son Goten." He looked back at me and I nodded in approval and he seemed to lose some of his caution. Looking back at his new teacher he smiled proudly and held up his hand displaying five fingers. "And I'm five!" He announced.

Chuckling the woman took Goten's hand and led him over to a tiny desk.

"This is where you will sit for the year Goten, why don't you draw a picture while we wait for the other children to arrive."

Goten nodded and then looked back at me tearfully. Suddenly he ran back and buried his face in my leg. Crouching down I tipped his head so I could see his face and smiled at him.

"Hey there little man, don't cry! I'll be right outside waiting to get you at three o'clock. You'll see Goten, you're going to have lots of fun, I promise."

Sniffing he nodded again and waved as I headed toward the door, at the last moment I remembered and turned back toward him.

"Don't forget Goten, be really gentle when you play with the other kids. Like when you hold a wild animal, ok?"

He nodded cupping his hands in front of him. "I know, soft and gentle!" I smiled and waved again, nodding to his teacher before leaving the room.

-------

Susan Thomas stared as the young man nodded stiffly at her and left the classroom. The little boy Goten had gone back to his desk and was humming softly to himself while he started drawing a picture. The man, teenager really, couldn't have been any older than eighteen or nineteen and she shivered as she remembered the look in his eyes. Hard and cold, ruthless they'd stared at her as if the could see down into her very soul. She had seen them change though when he looked at the little boy, they'd softened and even though he had smiled his eyes had seemed to be filled with deep sorrow. Shaking her head at her flight of fancy she turned and crouched down next to Goten who seemed to be drawing a picture of a man with short black hair, very similar to the spiky haired youth who had just left.

"Goten? Who was that man who brought you here? That's him you're drawing isn't it?" She smiled and pointed at the picture. Goten didn't look up, apparently intent on coloring in what looked to be a bright yellow cloud.

"My daddy." He looked over and smiled, "His name is Gohan and he is the strongest bestest dad in the whole wide world." He went back to his picture and Susan stood up surprised.

Dad? How could that be possible, the young man had looked barely old enough to be in college!

"Hey Goten, what about your mom?" He looked up surprise on his face.

"I don't have a mom, she died a long time ago when I was born. I live with Daddy in a big house on the ocean with Mr. Hoppers."

"Mr. Hoppers?" she asked weakly.

"Yeah! He's a frog who lives in our garden, I found him under the steps!"

"Oh I see." Susan Thomas patted Goten absently on the shoulder and walked back over to her desk. There had to be more to this story then Goten was telling, it just wasn't possible for a guy as young as that Gohan to have raised this child. There must be parents or a guardian or something. She was interrupted from her thoughts by the arrival of more parents with their children, making a mental note to check more into Goten's background when school got out.

-------

I had spent the day revising some papers that were to be sent to a medical journal. The house seemed strangely quiet without Goten running back and forth, coming in to show me new things he found or playing somewhere in the house talking and singing to himself. It was cold, I could feel the coldness inside me creeping out into the study where I worked and I caught myself looking at the clock again counting the hours till I could go pick up Goten. Finally in disgust I went outside and sat in a deck chair watching the waves and thinking my usual dark thoughts. It was a huge relief when I was able to go fly off and meet Goten.

I was waiting when he walked out with his teacher and a group of other students. Seeing me he gave a shout and raced over. I picked him up and spun him around, watching him laugh and nearly crying as I felt his warmth seep into me as he wrapped his arms around my neck and kissed me on the cheek.

"I missed you Daddy!"

"I missed you too little man. Did you have fun?" He nodded and showed me a picture he had drawn.

"Hey that's me! And there you are sitting on Nimbus! That's really good Goten, how about we put this on the fridge when we get home?"

He grinned and nodded and I started to walk off when I heard a woman calling.

"Mr. Son?" Surprised I turned back to see Goten's teacher hurrying over toward us. Tightening my arms around him I waited for the woman to catch up.

"Mr. Son? I just wanted to tell you that Goten had a very successful first day, I know he was a little shy at first..." I watched her waiting for her to continue, she seemed a little nervous for some reason.

"I came to speak to you because I wanted to arrange a good time for the home visit."

I raised an eyebrow and looked at her questioningly. "Home visit?"

She swallowed, "ah yes, you see the teachers are required to make a visit to the home's of their students, get to know their parents and the environment where they live."

I stifled my irritation, the woman was just trying to do her job and nodded slowly.

"I suppose I can see the logic in that. Well I work at home so anytime is fine."

She seemed to sigh in relief and took out a piece of paper from her pocket.

"Alright then, I'll stop by this Friday at 4:30pm if that is convenient for you." It wasn't really convenient for me, I didn't like people `stopping by' but it didn't seem that I had a choice.

"That's fine. I'll see you then and Goten will see you tomorrow." Turning away from the woman I walked around the corner of the building and headed down the street listening to Goten chatter about his day. I would wait till we got out of town before I flew home.

TBC

*A brief note about home visits, when my brother was in kindergarten I remember some teacher coming to visit our house. Also when I watched Great Teacher Onizuka, the students complain about home visits, they take up several episodes actually, so I'm assuming this is something that happens in Japan. Plus I just liked the idea of seeing Gohan and Goten from a strangers perspective, that's why I switched back and forth. Hope it wasn't too confusing.*