(Sometime later)
When Gohan and the others returned to the Son residence, Chi-Chi got the biggest surprise at the front door when she saw who was accompanying them. At first the woman thought she was just seeing things, but after she slowly walked up to the man and prodded him with her fingers a few times, all remaining doubt left her in a heartbeat. She threw herself at Goku much like her son had previously and embraced him for several long minutes. While there was definitely a slap or two to the guy for being gone for so long, Chi-Chi's random mood swings eventually calmed down enough to give her husband a proper warm welcome. She even gave him a kiss… several kisses by the spectators' count.
Heck, she was so caught up in greeting her husband that she completely overlooked the fact that Gohan was looking like he'd been run over by a heard of stampeding wildebeest.
Once she was done lavishing attention on him, she then introduced Goku to their newborn son. Not at all surprised yet still looking overwhelmed the Saiyan knelt by his cradle just as his eldest son had done and marveled at the little tyke up close. He even had a chance to say hello and cradle the little rascal, being extra careful not to handle him too roughly.
After spending a terrific lunch with the family, along with Piccolo, Videl and Zangya, the group then sat around the living room and had some tea together. It was in that time Goku was able to catch up with his wife and son, and allowed Videl to see how the father of the little clan acted around his family. Watching him from her place on the couch brought a warm smile to her face, as she could see how happy the people closest to him were to have him there and how they all relished the time spent together.
Another hour or so eventually ticked by and, after sharing an affection-filled farewell with his wife, ventured out onto the front lawn with his eldest child.
Both dressed in the same orange and blue gi, making them look almost identical to one another, the Saiyan pair wandered a little ways from the house till they were standing quietly out on the plains. Looking back at the building where his family lived, the Son father smiled and looked down towards his son. "I'm happy to see you're all looking after each other so well. You, your mum, dad… you three really have a handle on things here."
"Yeah. Aside from a couple of mishaps over the last several months, things have been going great," Gohan said, smiling as he glanced up at his old man. "So far, no aliens or old enemies asking for you have shown up. While I can overlook the whole Bojack thing being a direct result of Cell, Kana just happened upon this place by accident and would have ended up fighting me anyway, and Paprika showing up was mostly my fault, since I was the one who chucked Garlic Junior into the Dead Zone. Other than that, life has been great."
Following along with the youngster's recapping of the situations, Goku then turned away with a rather nervous look coming across his face. Feeling his son's eyes fixed upon him, an anxious sigh escaped his lips as he then focused his attention on his older son once again, "I'm sorry, Gohan." The demi-Saiyan blinked in surprise. "I'm so sorry I put all of this on you… entrusting the fate of the entire world to you when you're still so young."
"Huh? W-What are you saying, dad?"
"I'm saying that this life… the one that you've lived… I never wanted it for you. I never wanted any of it to happen to you," the Saiyan whispered, looking at the boy with a solemn look in his gaze. "When you were first born, I was so amazed at how small and fragile you looked that I was afraid to pick you up. But you were so strong… and you were filled with boundless energy. Every time you grabbed my fingers or my hair, you just refused to let me go. I knew right then, from the moment I laid eyes on you, that the life we had together was the life that I wanted. I wanted to hold you, to keep you safe and to watch you grow up to become a great man."
Gohan balked when he saw hurt and sadness cross the man's face as he then looked away to gaze across the fields of their homeland.
"But instead, I was taken away from you when Radditz came to earth looking for me. I sacrificed myself to save you from him so that you could continue living, but instead I was forced to watch as you went away with Piccolo and came back a whole other person. Even though I was happy and proud to see you again, a part of me hated myself for what had happened to you. That year you spent training for Vegeta and Nappa's arrival… was a year I wanted to spend with you and your mother as a normal father… and it was all wasted. You were only four, and yet you were exposed to the worst that this world had to offer, growing up surrounded by violence and death. That's something no child should ever have to live through."
Eyes shimmering with unshed tears, Goku glanced back around at his son and looked at him with pain evident in his visage.
"Despite all that, you always did your best. No matter how big the obstacles were or how terrifying the challenges, I saw you fight and smile through it all. You put so much faith in me and everyone around you, and in turn I put my faith in you. When I saw your incredible strength, I'd convinced myself that you could handle anything thrown your way and blindly pushed you into situations I never should have from the beginning. You were just a child… and I sent you to fight not only Cell, but Vegeta, Ginyu, Frieza, and Cooler too…"
Goku then clenched his teeth and wiped his eyes on the back of his fist, a gesture that shook Gohan up something awful, as he'd never seen his dad cry before.
"I'm a terrible father. I had no idea what it was like to be a normal parent. Ever since I was your age, I'd been living all alone in the wilderness, constantly fighting and never taking the time to think about other important things in my life. Even when I had the perfect opportunity to stop and become something more than what I was, I was thrown into yet another battle… and to make things worse… I took you along with me," Goku said, shaking his head as tears trickled down his cheeks. "Fighting is all that I ever knew in life… and I did the best that I could to spend time with you and to share my knowledge just as a father should have." He then stepped towards him with a beaming smile on his face. "My only hope is that you can forgive me for putting you through all of that and placing so much weight on your shoulders."
Touched by his father's words, Gohan smiled back at the Saiyan and shook his head, "There's nothing for me to forgive, dad. You did the best you could with what you had and I couldn't ask for any more than that… you and mum both. Heck, if I hadn't started down this road, I never would have met Piccolo, Videl, Trunks, or Zangya… or any of the other people I know today. I'm glad that I was born to be your son… and I'll never forget the time we were able to spend together."
The youngster's words had the man gulp uneasily, "R-Really?"
Gohan nodded his head affirmatively. "For years I've wondered what I really wanted to do with my life and where I wanted to go. While you just wanted me to grow up happy and healthy, and to act like how I was supposed to act my age, mum wanted me to study and grow up to become a scholar. The two of you were always fighting over what I should become, leading me this way and that, trying to find my destiny. But after all the adventures we've been on and after everything that's happened in the past few years, I've finally realized what I want to become," the demi-Saiyan said, before looking up at his father with confidence burning in his eyes. "I want to become a strong fighter, just like my dad."
Taking in his son's answer had the man clench his fists and tremble. Allowing his mind to process what'd just been said to him, the emotionally moved Goku sniffed and, stepping towards his son, placed his hands upon his shoulders. "Even though this wasn't the life I wanted to give you, I am still damn proud of the man you're becoming, Gohan; one worthy of all the graces of the world." He then opened up his arms, a sight the demi-Saiyan walked into without hesitation and allowed his father encase him in a hug. As soon as their arms wrapped around one another, the eldest son buried his face into his dad's gi and felt him rub his head affectionately. "I love you, son."
"I love you too, dad," Gohan murmured.
After what seemed like several hours drifted by, the father and son separated. While they grinned and shared a laugh with one another, they failed to notice Chi-Chi, the Ox King, and the rest of the home's guests watching them from the front door until a couple minutes later. When they waved back at the family and received a wave in return, a shadow appearing beside them drew their gazes to the side. Upon which, they noticed a very short, very old lady in a witch's garb hovering beside them on top of a crystal ball.
Fingers laced together, the old group's acquaintance nodded to the two Saiyans in greeting before then focusing her attention on the one she was here for, "It's time to go, Goku."
Smiling sadly, the warrior nodded. "Okay," he replied, breathing a heavy sigh and slowly following the fortune teller out into the open.
Once he came to stand beside the mystical timekeeper, the spiky haired fighter turned back to his family. Looking from his son, to his wife, to the baby Goten she was holding protectively in her arms, to Videl, the Ox King, Piccolo, and then to Zangya standing around them, the man gave the group a wide grin and his characteristic salute.
However, before he could take off, he suddenly saw Gohan grin his way and throw his fist towards him in a challenging fashion, "Dad! I'm learning how to use the Instantaneous Movementtechnique! As soon as I've mastered it, the first place I'm visiting is Otherworld! So watch out!"
Goku, expression brightening even more so, held up his own fist in a similar gesture, "I'll be waiting, son."
Tears reflected in their eyes, the pair spared one last smile with one another before both Goku and Baba faded away on the wind. Their departure was marked by a gentle breeze across the fields, which whipped through the area and ruffled Gohan's hair and clothes.
Slowly, but surely, the cheerful boy's gaze moved from the spot his father once stood to the horizon beyond the mountains.
Though he had no idea what was waiting for him up ahead, Gohan had a feeling that things were going to be alright… and he was going to face the future with his head held high.
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