𝕙𝕚𝕣𝕒𝕖𝕥𝕙 // 𝕘𝕠𝕜𝕦 𝕩 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕖𝕣 𝕩 𝕘𝕠𝕙𝕒𝕟

// 𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕪 //

hiraeth - part forty

»»——⍟——««

       "So, how much time do we have?" Bulma asked as she and Gohan followed Jaco, who was making his way back to his ship. Jaco hummed, thinking, before shrugging his shoulders.

"I don't know. Maybe an hour. He's also bringing at the minimum a thousand soldiers. Good luck with that," Jaco said as he jumped onto his ship. Bulma growled, grabbing the back of his shirt and yanking him down.

"Oh, no sir! You're a Galactic Patrolman, it's your job to protect us!" Bulma yelled. Jaco stumbled as he tried to regain his balance, huffing like an annoyed child.

"No way! It was my job to warn you, but now that's done. All that's left to do is the paperwork for the destruction of this planet." Jaco said, completely relaxed and casual. Bulma's blood practically boiled as she clenched her fists, holding herself back from strangling Jaco. Jaco noticed her anger, taking a nervous step back as he chuckled. Gohan sighed, intervening before the two could fight.

"Bulma, why don't you and Jaco go talk to Vegeta? I'll go find my dad and the others, I'm sure it'll be fine." Gohan assured her, making the shorter woman sigh. She glared down at Jaco, grabbing his arm and dragging him along.

"C'mon, Jaco, I want you to come meet my husband, he's a Saiyan prince." Bulma said with a devious grin. Jaco's eyes widened up at the woman, trying to tug free.

"H-Hey, wait a minute, there's not supposed to be Saiyans on this planet! Now I have even more paperwork to do..." Jaco mumbled. Gohan watched the two walk away, breathing a shaky sigh as he looked out toward the city. He really didn't want to go talk to Goku right now.

Gohan had attributed it to Goku's younger body, but Goku had been much snappier and upset as of late. Ever since discovering Y/n and the Supreme Kai had fused, Goku had been in a much worse mood. Even months afterward, he was still upset over everything. He wasn't as talkative, wasn't as happy, and never really got out and visited anyone. Gohan was sure he was keeping up with his training, as he could occasionally feel his father's energy spike. But it was still odd, seeing someone as bright as Goku being so down. Especially because he usually handled loss quite well.

Gohan made his way into the mountains, spotting the trail to the small home in the bamboo forest. He landed just before Goku's small home, where he had resided for months. Stepping toward the door, Gohan held his fist up to the door, hesitating to knock. He hadn't talked to Goku in a few weeks now, what with being so busy with his normal life. Plus, Goku usually always just kind of ignored Gohan whenever he did visit.

The door suddenly swung open, startling Gohan as he yelped. Just before him stood Goku, looking at Gohan with a raised brow. Gohan dropped the fist he still held up, clearing his throat as he shifted nervously.

"Is there something you need, Gohan?" Goku asked. Gohan had gotten used to the slightly higher pitch of his father's voice, but not the gloomy look written across his face. Clearing his throat once again, Gohan forced himself to be more confident, standing up with his shoulders back.

"Dad, we need your help. Frieza was revived, he's on his way right now. You've gotta come with me," Gohan spoke, trying to keep calm, but his nerves were spiking, making him begin to shake slightly. He still vividly remembered how stubborn and powerful Frieza was, and if Jaco was right, he was even stronger than ever. Even everyone combined wasn't enough to beat him until Goku became a Super Saiyan. Maybe thanks to his new God Ki, he'd have an easier time, but Gohan couldn't be sure.

"Frieza?" Goku's eyes widened at that, before furrowing his brows and stepping past Gohan. "Let's go then. I don't want to waste any time."

"Oh—" Before Gohan could even say anything, Goku had taken off into the sky, leaving Gohan. Gohan huffed, following after his father as they made their way back to meet up with the others. Gohan watched as Goku kept his distance from Gohan, making Gohan sigh. He was sure Goku's out of place gloominess had to do with Y/n, but why he was so sad, Gohan had no idea. Gohan had been just as hurt as Goku, if not more, but was getting on with his life just fine. Perhaps Goku wasn't as good at coping with his feelings? Regardless of the reasons, it made Gohan worry that Goku wasn't fit for fighting at the moment...