Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Still Here ❯ Azonos ( Chapter 6 )

Still Here

 

Disclaimers: Ho Hum. How should I put this? Dbz, how shall I own thee? Never! Never! Never! Verbal Tear Poetic enough for you?

 

It's been awhile but I finally have the inspiration to continue. And boy did I get it. The Brolli movie. Armor for Sleep- What To Do When You're Dead soundtrack. Yu Yu Hakusho Poltergeist Report movie. The newest Harry Potter book. So much inspiration! I'm very excited! I hope all you are. Cause this combination of wonderful things can only be good!

 

Good luck with the word this time. It's Hungarian.

 

-LAST TIME ON STILL HERE-

 

His friend was named Ghost.

 

“Do you have a mommy, Ghost?”

 

“Nah. I lost her a long time ago, Goten.”

 

“Mommy can be both our mommies.”

 

“I have a surprise for you today, Goten-chan,” Chichi smiled sincerely.

 

“Ghost is an imaginary friend, sweetheart. He's not-“

 

He pointed his chubby finger to the boy and asked, “Who's that?”

 

“What are you waiting for, Goten?”

 

“I'll go, if you go too.”

 

Because Gohan had a feeling, Trunks could hear him...

 

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Chapter 6: Azonos

 

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“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent.”

-John Donne

xxx

 

 

The night chattered noisily around the two of them as they sat comfortably under canopy of trees and stars. Goten nestled against his guardian's chest still caught in pleasant dreams. Gohan smiled down at his would be brother and then back up at the vastly lit night sky.

 

Still no sign, but Gohan was quite comfortable now. If they came to retrieve him now, Gohan was sure he'd want to stay. Gohan often played out the scenario in his head- a big official looking other world employee, sometimes clad with an extra appendage or two, would come down with his clipboard and frown apologizing for the long wait. Goten would hide behind Gohan's legs and ask his brother if he was leaving. Then Gohan would ruffle Goten's soft black hair with a big smile on his face and say, “No way, Goten. There's no way I'd leave you.”

 

Gohan smiled as his imagination weaved the bewilderment on the official's face. What would he tell the Other World? Son Goku's son wanted to stay!

 

And for some reason, Gohan got satisfaction in his father's disappointed face. Or what he thought was his father's face. He had kind of forgotten what the great Son Goku looked like now.

 

Gohan let off a small sigh. His eyes were growing tired. For one without a body he certainly seemed quite normal. He got tired, hungry, thirsty, bored, happy and sad. It was probably because of Goten. The little boy gave him a body to share. With Goten he was solid and real.

 

Gohan leaned against the tree, holding the little boy closer to his side. Just as his eyes managed to shut- Goten stirred.

 

Gohan looked down just as Goten's big chocolate eyes looked into his.

 

“Did I fall asleep, Ghost?” Goten asked sweetly.

 

Gohan smiled. “Yup. But your mom came out and checked on you,” Gohan tugged on the blanket draped over the child's body as proof, “You can stay out here with me tonight.”

 

“Oh. Kay,” His brow wrinkled as if giving sign that something was troubling him. Gohan looked back up the at the night sky waiting for Goten to bring the issue up.

 

The five year old often got upset if Ghost seemingly read his mind. He claimed it was Gohan's super power. Little did Goten know that it was just because they were so close. Gohan was with Goten nearly every hour of every day. He watched everything Goten did and Goten confided everything to him. It was only natural that Gohan would be able to guess what Goten was thinking sometimes.

 

“Trunks' supposed to be here for my birffday,” Goten spoke at last. Gohan's face cracked at Goten's childlike speech. He was getting better now that Trunks was constantly correcting him- but even six months of friendship couldn't fix everything about Goten that annoyed the second sayian prince.

 

“Yes. I heard,” said Gohan when Goten hadn't continued.

 

“Well…” Goten grinned looking hopefully up at Gohan. Gohan's heart shuttered at the stare. He knew the question, again. It was one he had asked so much and in so many different ways.

 

“No,” Gohan frowned.

 

“Aw. Come on, Ghost!” Goten whined with the puckering of his bottom lip. “Trunks can hear you! I know he can! I want him to meet you!”

 

“No. No, you don't. You just wanna prove to Trunks that I do exist so he'll stop picking on you,” said Gohan. He couldn't help but smile again. Goten had the best way of making people smile even when they didn't want to. A true angel- that was Goten.

 

“Yeah, well…” huffed Goten shuffling his feet about in the blanket. “He says you don't exist. And that I'm… crazy in the head… but in Spanish.”

 

Gohan laughed but stopped at the hurt look on Goten's face. “Why don't you want other people to know you, Ghost? Mommy and Trunks and Misses Bulma dun know who you are. I'm de only one. I dun like them all telling me that you aren't real,” whimpered Goten. He held tightly to a wad of Gohan's transparent jacket in hand. The same jacket he had died in.

 

Gohan's face softened and gently held his brother closer. His face pressed into the boy's soft hair he breathed. “Alright. But just Trunks, and only Trunks.”

 

“Yay,” Goten smiled triumphantly but soon fell asleep once more. Gohan watched over his sleeping kid brother with a tinge of dread in his heart.

 

I really didn't want to have to show myself to Trunks, thought Gohan. I'm actually not quite sure how. Goten is the only one who's been able to see me so far. I would hate to scare the crap out of Trunks for Goten's sake…

 

Course, Gohan looked back on the skies with a smile. It could be fun too.

 

xxx

 

She made sure that Goten's hand was tight in her grip. The boy had a habit of running off at inopportune moments. But in this large city the last thing a single mother needed was to lose sight of her son.

 

“Where are we?” said Goten, taking an interest of the towering buildings above him.

 

“This is the city, Goten,” Chichi explained. “Trunks lives in the city and you said you wanted to have your party at his house, remember?”

 

“That's cause he said he had more toys than me!” Goten huffed swinging his arms in pace of his small strides. “I dun believe him.”

 

Chichi chuckled. Little did she know that her first son was chuckling just as softly by her side. Her ear tickled- as if by a whisper, and she tugged her earlobe with her free hand.

 

Gohan took in the movement with slight disappointment. His dread was still mounting the closer they got to Capsule Corporation. How in the world was he going to show himself to Trunks without causing a scene?

 

Gohan had originally hoped Goten would forget his little promise. He wasn't that lucky. Goten had reminded him, almost every hour after the promise was made, that he had to uphold it. Gohan had no choice.

 

“I'm hungry, Mommy,” whined Goten pulling gently on his mother's arm.

 

“We'll be there soon, sweetheart.”

 

“I'm hungry now, Mommy.”

 

Gohan heard his former mother let out a sigh and watched her look around her surroundings for the nearest fast food place. The demi sayian inhaled deeply the smell of a fresh brook- the smell that always surrounded his family. Goten was excited. Gohan could feel the excitement bubbling against his own emotions nearly forcing them out.

 

“You shouldn't complain so much, Goten,” Gohan found himself saying.

 

Goten looked over his shoulder at Gohan and looked like it was going to reply. Instead he bit his tongue and nodded.

 

“It's okay, Mom. I'm not so hungry.” His stomach betrayed him with an angry growl. Chichi only sighed again, resuming the search.

 

Goten shrugged over at his guardian and Gohan only chuckled. They boy was sayian. There was no helping that trait.

 

“Interesting,” a bodiless voice suddenly spoke up from somewhere behind Gohan.

 

Gohan whirled about, seeing an old stereotypically sound version of a homeless man sitting on the old park bench a few feet away. He was hunched over but only momentarily. He straightened up as Gohan turned, but Gohan didn't take that as recognition. That is he didn't until the man tilted his hat and winked at him.

 

Gohan's would-be heart was racing. He looked wildly around back at Goten, who seemed to have taken interest in the park bench too.

 

“How about pizza, Goten?” Chichi asked unbeknownst to it all. “That sound good?”

 

Goten didn't answer and Gohan had to nod to him to get his attention. He `uh-huh'ed a weak reply but looked curiously to Gohan when his mother started pulling him away.

 

“I'll be right here, Goten, okay?” Gohan muttered, his eyes falling back on the man, “Come back and get me, okay?”

 

The strain on Gohan's chest lessened. Goten reeled out the leash that he had bound to Gohan. He had learned how to a few years back when he was having an argument with Gohan- who, at the time, was trying to get him to eat Mom's meatloaf. And now an expert at it, he could get almost two hundred yards away without Gohan even beginning to feel the strain.

 

Once Gohan felt Goten was far enough distance away, he took a deep breath and moved forward. The man watched his whole path with his eyes not moving from his bench at all.

 

“What's interesting, sir?” Gohan asked loudly- still not convinced the man could detect his presence.

 

The man smiled but did not respond. His reaction, or lack there of, caused Gohan to relax again. But it was to be short-lived.

 

“That boy can see you. That's what's interesting. Kids usually lose their Sight a year or so after their birth.”

 

Gohan stopped dead, no pun intended. He pointed a shaky finger to his face, “You can see me?”

 

“Of course,” The old man shifted slightly in his seat and smiled. “You must not get out much. You never seen another Fixated Ghost before?”

 

“Fixated?” Gohan repeated dully. He then shook his head in an attempt to wake himself from whatever dream this was. It didn't work of course.

 

Gohan looked at the old man in a new light and tried again. “You're a ghost too?”

 

“What did you think you were the only one?” laughed the old man.

 

“Kind of, yeah,” Gohan replied rubbing the back of his neck. “I hadn't ever seen any other ghosts before.”

 

“We are sort of rare, us fixated ones.” The old man's face wrinkled into a deep frown. Gohan took this moment to take the seat next to him.

 

“What do you mean by fixated?” Gohan asked curiously getting strangely more comfortable on this park bench than any other bench he had ever sat on before.

 

“Well,” the old man smiled rubbing the side of his face sleepily. “Fixated ghosts are the ones that don't want to pass to the other side. Regret or something or another keeps them here. Didn't you know why you stayed?”

 

“No one came to get me,” Gohan muttered glumly.

 

“That's strange,” the old man paused and then looked up at Gohan again, “My name is Shanks by the way.”

 

He held out a transparent hand. Gohan happily took it. “I'm… I'm…” He took his hand away to think but only drew a blank. Gohan's face suddenly contorted into one of horror. “I don't remember! I don't remember my name!”

 

Shanks' laughter strangely eased Gohan's panic. “I don't remember mine either, kid. It's just the name of the street corner up there. So that's what I decided to call myself.”

 

Gohan smiled and looked wearily at the street sign. Sure enough it said in big white letters, Shank Street. He looked back at Shanks and with a modest smile he shyly said, “Goten calls me Ghost.”

 

“Ghost. Alright,” The old man tapped his head knowingly. “I'll remember.”

 

Gohan doubted it but he didn't dare say so. Instead his eyes fell back upon the bench. “Did you die here, sir?”

 

Shanks shifted comfortably back into the bench resting his feet on an imaginary support in the air. Gohan watched in admiration.

 

“I think so,” He replied his eyes steadily on the distant sky. “I remember falling asleep. Nice dream. Mmmmm.” He blinked and looked back upon Gohan.

 

“How'd you die? You're awfully young, aint ya? You catch a cold?”

 

Gohan blushed feriously and shook his head. When the old man's eyes didn't leave him, Gohan quickly lied by saying he didn't remember how he died either. Of course he did remember. It was hard to forget- when you killed yourself.

 

The man seemed to accept Gohan's response with grace and made no attempt to pursue the subject. Instead he looked back at the sky again.

 

“I could have gone…” He said vaguely. “Sometimes I wish I did, when it gets lonely. But- this life was all I had known and- and I was scared.”

 

“Scared?” Gohan frowned.

 

“Yeah. When you make the choice to stay, it's pretty permanent,” The old man hooked his arms behind his head, grinning buoyantly up at the skies as if something was there grinning back. “They may send someone down every now and then to persuade you to leave but- they don't try hard.”

 

Gohan frowned and looked down at the ground, for once in a long while feeling the painful pangs of abandonment.

 

“Why didn't they ever come to get me?”

 

Shanks seemed to have smelt Gohan's pain- that gawd-awful smell of fresh blood. Gohan almost felt bad for resonating it.

 

The hermit of sorts gripped the boy's shoulder and squeezed. “Maybe they did, and you just forgot,” said he simply.

 

Gohan closed his eyes, held his breath, and nodded. He wanted to crawl up inside himself and cry cause he knew for a fact- it was impossible. He would have remembered if someone had come to get him.

 

He would have gone.

 

xxx

 

Goten didn't ask about the old man when he came back- even though he shared a wave with Shanks before they headed off. Gohan wasn't in much of a mood to talk after that.

 

Capsule Corp was exactly like Gohan remembered it those six years ago he was last here. It had been even longer since he had been here alive. But the smells and look to it was all the same.

 

Chichi joined Bulma and her mother in the kitchen. Vegeta had disappeared in his personal gravity chamber. Grandpa Briefs was in his lab with his cat. Everything was exactly the same. It was almost sickening.

 

It seemed that the pizza had made Goten a bit forgetful. He ran about with Trunks for quite some time without even remembering to ask Ghost along. Gohan was all right with that though. Instead he stayed by his mother's side making sure to stay nearby in case Goten called.

 

Goten had only Trunks as a friend so the party was fairly small. Krillen had showed up with his and No. 18's daughter that Gohan had never seen before. Her name was Marron. She was younger than both Trunks and Goten but she seemed to have no extraordinary abilities to her. A blonde with pigtails, her blue eyes never even flickered in Gohan's direction.

 

She seemed to have taken quite a fancy to Trunks though. Marron would hardly leave the boy alone. Finally after cake and before presents, Krillen took Marron in for her nap and the boys got to be alone.

 

Goten took his chance and pulled Gohan into the room. Gohan's stomach squirmed as he entered. Goten was watching him- making sure he was coming. Trunks didn't see him though.

 

“Trunks!” Goten announced. “I'm gonna prove to you that Ghost is real.”

 

Trunks snorted in response and took a seat on the nicely carpeted floor. “Alright. Show me. And no more throwing your voice,” He pointed an accusing finger at Goten. “My dad told me about that trick.”

 

Goten probably had no clue what throwing your voice was so he, did what he naturally did when he didn't understand, ignored it. Instead he turned his full attention to Gohan. He threw out his fist to Gohan as if releasing a baseball of visibility to his being.

 

“Okay, Ghost! Show yourself!”

 

Gohan smiled weakly and looked with silent hope over at Trunks. Trunks didn't look his way.

 

“Can you see him?”

 

“I can see a blockhead,” Trunks replied cockily.

 

“What's a blockhead?” asked Goten naively and Trunks only shook his head in response.

 

Gohan bit his lip and tried to clear his head. But all that he could think was that this was impossible and pointless to try.

 

Maybe I should have asked Shanks if he knew how to make yourself visible, Gohan thought sadly. I should have. Ah, thoughtless.

 

He smacked his head and shortly afterwards felt Goten tugging at his pant leg.

 

“You aren't trying Ghost. Come on!” Goten pouted softly.

 

Gohan closed his eyes and tried to concentration.

 

Be visible, he told himself. Visible. Let Trunks see me!

 

When he opened his eyes, Trunks was still playing with lose burrs in the carpet floor. Goten was close to tears.

 

“Ghost! Stop being mean! Show Trunks! Show him!” He tried to punch Gohan in the leg but the demi sayian instinctively caught his hand.

 

“Goten! Don't hit me,” said Gohan sternly.

 

“Why!?! You can't feel it!” Goten cried angrily, “You're just a ghost.”

 

Gohan's heart caught fire and crashed somewhere down in the pits of his stomach. He just stared remorsefully at Goten's hand that was still in his grip. But his sorrow was suddenly cut short by a sharp gasp across the room.

 

“Holy shit.”

 

Gohan and Goten both looked over Trunks who was looking back towards them terrified. But he wasn't looking at Goten as much as he was looking at Ghost.

 

“Holy sh~~~it,” He said once more before promptly passing out on the living room floor.

 

To Be Continued…

Please R&R!

 

Well, I really liked this chapter just because of Trunks. You can probably see why.

 

Anyway this is for Skadu so she won't haunt me. ^^;

 

Sorry for taking so long again. Please review. Your patronage is much appreciated.