For our Futures

Won't Take No For An Answer

Chapter 6

Won't Take No For An Answer

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Gohan stirred in his sleep, occasionally grunting in pain as he shifted.

"Gohan? Can you hear me?" you asked through a whisper, making your way down the stairs and tentatively towards the room he had been placed in since the night before. You pulled up a nearby chair and sat by your brother's side. Nothing seemed like it took a turn for the worse, but to know there was someone strong enough to do this to Gohan, the strongest fighter in the world, left an unshakeable fear in the pit of your stomach.

Trunks was nowhere to be found, you didn't see him anywhere in the house and noticed his bedroom door was open and empty. Bulma didn't seem to be home at the moment either. You found it awkward that neither left a note for you. You figured it was nothing serious, so you shrugged it off and turned back towards your injured brother.

'Gohan... Please wake up.' You reached for his shoulder to lightly shake it, but quickly stopped yourself when noticing a gauzed patch over it.

After a few moments, you heard the front door open. You turned to see Bulma entering, passing the hallway and into the kitchen where she placed the bag of groceries on the counter. You blinked quizzically then began to wonder if she had even noticed you in the living room.

"I see you're up now, ___. If you're wondering why Trunks isn't here, he's at school. I thought it would've been best not wake you; you looked pretty exhausted last night," Bulma explained, poking her head around the corner, most likely to show she did acknowledge your presence.

"What time is it, anyway?"

"Right now...it's about a quarter till two," she replied, looking at her watch before completely taking the subject off course. "You know, Trunks seemed to be particularly worried about you this morning."

You were taken aback by the second comment. Sure, you and Trunks had been close friends from the time you both were little, but she made it sound like something...more. Why would she bring that up out of the blue?

Just then...

"Gohan! You're awake!" were the relieved words to come from your mouth.

Bulma perked her head up from the steam-rice maker to the room adjoined with the kitchen.

Gohan slowly looked around the room until he noticed you staring at him, still trying to hold back tears. You were so glad he was still alive! Gohan blinked a few times then turned his head as far as he could, due to the pain that plagued his body and the bandages that prohibited his movement.

"How are you feeling, Gohan?" Bulma asked, once he noticed her standing there.

"I'm alright," he replied. His eyes then turned away from your sights.

"Gohan? What happened to you? You were completely covered in cuts, plus your hair and eyes changed colors!" you exclaimed, worry evident in your voice. You pointed to your own eye with one hand and held out a lock of your hair with the other.

Gohan's hand reached out and rested on the top of your head: his way of reassuring you that he was alright. He didn't look at you, however.

While he had been unconscious, 17 and 18 roamed free to terrorize as many humans as they pleased. The painful fact that he survived, while countless others including Piccolo and Krillin had not, hit the demi-Saiyan like a ton of bricks. It helped him, in the fact it was the whole reason for his transformation. In order to turn into a Super Saiyan once more, he'd have to dredge up the memory of hearing about Piccolo and the others falling to their fates the next time he encountered the androids.