Facing my Demons

Chapter 4

Goku sighed, still kneeling next to his youngest son, his head bowed in thought. Goten's words were ringing through his mind. Sighing, Goku rubbed a hand over his face, before putting on a bright smile for his son.
"Why don't you go get some breakfast? I'll be right there, okay?" Goku suggested.
"Okay!!" Goten yelled, running inside the house.
Goku stood up straight, absentmindedly staring at the little Capsule house.
"Goku, you need to sort out things between yourself and your son," Pikkon said, slightly worried.
"I agree, your son is on a dangerous path," Olibu spoke.
"I know, but we should get him to the Grand Kai before I have a talk with him, it might not end up going so well," Goku said, his expression serious. The three warriors nodded in agreement before entering the house.

"Man! I'm starving!!" Goku exclaimed loudly.
"When are you not hungry, Goku?" Olibu asked, laughing lightly at his friend. Goku laughed, rubbing the back of his neck before he suddenly turned serious.
"Hey, Chi-Chi? Think you could call the others? Ask them to come here? There's something serious going on," Goku asked.
"Sure Goku, I'll get right on it," Chi-Chi replied, she knew that something must be coming for Goku to be so serious, she just hoped that they could handle it, she thought as she went to the phone, quickly calling all of their friends.

"Where's Gohan?" Goku asked once Chi-Chi came back to the dinner table. Tension filled the air at the mention of the teen. Goku noticed this and frowned, placing his chopsticks down to stare at his wife, his food temporarily forgotten.
"Chi-Chi? What's going on? Why are you so afraid of Gohan?" The saiyan asked, wanting to find out what the problem was.
"Oh, it's nothing! Your food is getting cold!" Chi-Chi brushed him off. Goku frowned, but decided to continue eating anyway, he'll try to ask again later.
Gohan sat silently in his room, he could clearly hear the conversation downstairs. Something serious, huh? Must be a new threat, that would explain why his father was here in the first place. Gohan made another cut on his arm, this one a little deeper than usual. Both of his arms were littered in cuts and covered in blood, the red, sticky liquid dripping down onto the floor. Gohan was absentmindedly staring out of the window, not paying much attention to his surroundings.

It wasn't until he could sense nearly everyone of the Z warriors that he snapped out of his daze. Gohan quickly whiped the blood from his arms and the floor, hastily stuffing the razor blade he had just used back into the drawer before he sat down once again.
"So, who's going to go call Gohan?" Krillin asked nervously, briefly forgetting that Goku was back. The three deceased warriors observed the group closely, noticing how nearly everyone shot nervous glances at each other. The only people who weren't afraid of Gohan were Piccolo and Vegeta, but neither of these warriors were here yet. Vegeta had gone to get Piccolo and they have yet to arrive.

"I'll go," Trunks said, putting up a brave font.
"What?! Trunks, no!" Bulma exclaimed, grabbing onto her son with a deathly grip.
"Mom! It's just Gohan, he won't hurt me," Trunks said, though the boy didn't sound so sure of himself.
"I'll go with him, if it makes you feel better," Olibu spoke up, stepping forward. Bulma nodded as Trunks grinned. The purple haired boy had taken a quick liking to Olibu as Goten almost instantly got attached to Pikkon.
"Alright! I'll lead the way! Follow me!!" Trunks said excitedly, laughing as Olibu followed after the boy. Trunks continued laughing and talking with the blond male until they stood a few feet from Gohan's bedroom door, Trunks was frozen to his spot.

It was dark around the door, despite it being very light in the house. Just staring at that door sent chills up Trunks' spine. Olibu looked down, instantly noticing the boy's nerves. Trunks felt someone staring at him, nearly crying out because he thought it was Gohan. Looking up quickly, Trunks let out a relieved breath once he noticed that it was only Olibu, who gave him a reassuring smile. Not wanting to look like a wuss in front of the other warrior, Trunks took a few hesitant steps forward, stopping once he reached the door. Knocking, Trunks waited a few moments before he opened the door with shaking hands. Gohan's room was quite a lot darker then the rest of the house, even though his curtains were wide open.
"H-hey, G-Gohan! Uh, y-your dad is c-calling you!" Trunks stuttered, mentally scolding himself for sounding so scared. Gohan looked over his shoulder, instantly recognizing Trunks and Olibu in his doorway.

"I'm coming," Gohan said, his voice a lot softer than Trunks and Olibu had expected. The two turned and walked away, though Olibu stayed behind a few more seconds, staring at the teen that sat in his chair, alone. The room smelled of blood, though the blond male wasn't entirely sure if it was fresh or old. Brushing it off, Olibi left and walked in the direction he and Trunks had come from. Gohan sighed tiredly, feeling more drained than ever. He just wanted to collapse on his bed and sleep, instead he dragged himself out of his room and down the hall, stopping a few times when he felt dizzy. Once Gohan came into the kitchen, he noticed that everyone was outside. He could sense Piccolo was there as well.

Gohan squinted at the bright sunlight, standing in the doorway as nearly everyone tensed at his arrival. He sighed silently, he was too tired for this. He couldn't even bring himself to glare at his father. So, Gohan settled for leaning against a wall, staring at the grass absentmindedly.
"S-so what's this about a new threat?" Yamcha asked, stuttering slightly.
"In Otherworld, Pikkon and I faced a new enemy, he was really powerful. He's the reason why we're here. He has caused the dimensional barriers to collapse, there's nothing keeping the dead from coming here," Goku explained shortly.
"Okay, but why would you need all of us?" Krillin asked curiously.
"What I'm saying is that all the dead will become alive again if we don't stop this! As in Freeza, the Ginyu Force, Cell, everyone! We don't even know if they've gotten stronger or not," Goku said, anger in his voice.
"Wait Cell? He's the one who-" Trunks started, but cut himself off as he looked at Gohan. Everyone turned their attention to Gohan, who didn't seem to have taken notice of anything Goku had said.

Gohan had heard everything, he just couldn't bring himself to care at that moment, the grass was far more interesting. Worried, Goku stepped forward.
"Gohan? Son?" He asked, lightly touching Gohan's neck. The teen looked up when he was touched, staring into the concerned eyes of his father.
"Hhmm?"
"There's someone in Otherworld who wants to meet you," Goku said softly, a small, reassuring smile on his lips.
"Oh," was all Gohan said, not really caring as he bowed his head back down to stare at the grass once more.
"The Grand Kai is the one who wants to meet you, will you come?" Pikkon asked, trying to be just as gentle as Goku. Gohan only nodded, not really all that interested.
"Alright, let's go! C'mon, you guys can come, too!" Goku yelled, excited to see why exactly the Grand Kai wanted to meet his oldest son specifically.