Chapter 3: Pendulum Room

"Go... Han... You're... Too... Fast.." Goten panted, sweating bullets. He was splayed out in the Son's front yard, surrounded by many small craters. The morning sun began to rise above the two young fighters, signaling the end of their early morning sparring session. Goten heard his older brother chuckle in between his own panting.

"Yeah... That's true. But your head sure does pack a punch, Goten." he laughed. Goten had managed to land a nasty headbutt against Gohan during their spar. Gohan was surprised at how hard the boy's head was, but thinking about it just reminded him of himself and their father, which made him smile.

"Keep it up, and you'll be as strong as me someday." Gohan praised. His younger brother continued to pant, shaking his head.

"I'll probably never be as strong as you, Gohan. You train almost all the time." Gohan laughed again, pulling the younger saiyan to his feet.

"C'mon. I need to get changed and start heading to school before mom gets angry." he explained. Goten groaned, knowing that as soon as their mother woke up, she'd start his own lessons.

"Will we be able to play again later?" his little brother asked, looking up at him with pleading eyes. Gohan smiled, running a hand through his brother's crazy locks—he looked like the spitting image of their father.

"Sorry, kiddo. Not today. I start my specialized training today, and you're not quite up to that level yet. But we'll spar again soon, I promise. Remember to keep practicing." Gohan said. Goten was visibly saddened, but understood. His brother would not be swayed when it came to his training.

"Now c'mon, let's get changed and get a quick breakfast."

Gohan's day in school seemed to fly by him. He paid minimal attention during his lectures – much to the chagrin of his teachers – as his mind was focused solely on the prospect of training with Kami. Training with the Guardian of the Earth. God. Gohan was still trying to wrap his mind around it. Although physically, he knew Kami was much weaker than he was, like Roshi, Gohan knew the old namekian was full of knowledge and wisdom.

'I wonder what techniques he'll show me. How can he help me control my ki? He broke down the inner-workings of ki for me already, so I have to keep in mind that my level of ki control is not determined solely by my energy...'

Gohan also knew that Kami had trained his father when he was a child, which excited him. He was following in Goku's footsteps, which is what he wanted. That's what his father wanted—he wanted Gohan to be strong in his absence. Gohan would never let his father down again—or his friends, for that matter. He would be strong for all of them, and pull his weight when it came down to it.

'You've been gone for a long time, Dad... Where could you be? I know you wouldn't abandon us...' Gohan and the others had confirmed with the namekian dragon Porunga over six years ago that his father was still alive, but he refused to be transported home. Porunga relayed the message that Goku himself said he would be home soon.

'But that was six years ago...'

What if something had happened to Goku since then? Gohan had no way of knowing. They had never spoken with Porunga again, considering they sent the namekians back to their newly formed planet. Before his doubt overtook him, Gohan shook his head free of such thoughts. Goku defeated Frieza. There was nothing else in the universe stronger than Frieza except for his dad, so it logically followed that Goku couldn't have been defeated by someone else, Gohan reasoned with himself.

Right?

'I don't have the time to think about this. I need to focus on my training. Kami told me I needed to keep my mind strong. I'm not thinking about this anymore.' the half-saiyan thought.

Gohan tried to keep his thoughts from dwelling on his father, but the harder he tried, the more futile it seemed. He was so caught up in his own world that he failed to notice a pair of eyes watching him from across the classroom.

Videl stared on at the dark-haired boy, intently watching him. She had been all day, although he hadn't noticed from what she could tell. Clearly he was so wrapped up inside himself that he was oblivious to everyone around him.

'Son Gohan,' she thought, her eyebrows furrowing. Something didn't sit right with her. 'How odd that he has a surname. He's the first person I've known to have a surname. Son... I know that name...' her eyes widened when the realization hit her, and she nearly gasped aloud.

'No, he couldn't be...! HE'S the son of Son Goku?! The winner of the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament?!' Every martial artist worth their salt knew of the legendary final battle of that tournament. Well, many knew the story, but not many believed it. Son Goku had fought and defeated the legendary demon king Piccolo in that tournament; the battle was said to be so intense, that the entire world tournament stage was destroyed in the bout. Son Goku hailed from the school of the legendary turtle hermit, who developed the devastating turtle destruction wave technique that was powerful enough to level entire mountains, and, according to the tales, even the moon itself.

'So, maybe he's not just all talk,' the dark-haired girl wondered. A smirk began to tug at the corners of her lips. 'I wonder how he stacks up in a fight. Could I beat him in five minutes or less?' she thought. Videl was confident and trusted in the training her father taught her. Even if Gohan was the son of a champion, so was she.

She began devising a plan, even as her eyes remained glued to the back of his head. All the while, she kept up the facade that she was actually paying attention in class, despite actually focusing her attention on the curious boy who had infuriated her so.

When it was time for school let out, Gohan slipped out of the classroom with haste. Videl followed him, determined to confront him in private.

'Why is she following me?' Gohan thought as he left campus. He had intended to fly off already, but that girl from yesterday was following him for reasons he did not understand.

He stopped abruptly, which caused her to do the same. "Why are you following me?" he asked, turning to face her. He was met with a smug look. "I know who you are," she said, seemingly proud of her deductive reasoning. "You're the son of the 23rd champion, Son Goku, aren't you?" she asked. Gohan raised an eyebrow, almost interested.

"How did you know?" he made no effort to hide it. Maybe she now realized the gulf between their respective fathers. "Your surname. Most families don't have last names. Your family sticks out in that regard." she answered. Gohan thought about it for a quick moment.

"Now that I think about it, my dad's friends don't really have surnames. It never really occurred to me before." he admitted. 'Then again, who cares about that stuff when you're fighting for your life?' he thought.

"So, where is your dad, huh? He hasn't been in any tournaments since the 23rd, and my dad quickly became the next champion. Maybe his win was just a fluke?" she taunted. Gohan could see the mischievous glint in her eye. He knew she was just trying to rile him up—she didn't know his father had been lost in space for more than half a decade...

But that didn't stop him from getting angry.

He visibly stiffened, and she noticed with her keen eye. Regardless of her skill, she was a martial artist as well as him, so the subtle movement was noticed.

"I see that I hit a nerve." she grinned.

"Haha! Your father's gone! Kakarott's dead, leaving me the strongest warrior in the universe!" Vegeta's words echoed in Gohan's head.

He remembered being so angry that day. He foolishly challenged Vegeta to a fight to the death without regard to his own safety as a result. Gohan remembered being scared. Not of Vegeta, but...

'What if he was right?'

What if his father was gone? If not dead, then what if he had deserted them? What if he had found better things in the cosmos? More opponents to fight, more adventures to go on? What if he had forgotten about them?

Gohan's thoughts from earlier returned, and this time he could not stop them. Well, he wouldn't have been able to, were it not for Videl's timely interruption. "Hey, bedhead! Stop spacing out for a second. Do you even have a working brain up there?" she grumbled, pointing to his forehead in between his ebony bangs. She saw that his gaze followed her pointing finger, so she retracted it, placing a hand on her hip and grinning.

"Don't tell me you're one of those kids with daddy issues. Does your old man not love you?" she taunted. Videl began to cackle at her own joke, adding, "I mean, if I were the champ and had some spaced-out spaz for a kid, I'd probably be a bit disappointed, too." she laughed.

Gohan wanted to get angrier, but he knew he couldn't. Videl didn't know the truth of his situation—she didn't know how painfully close to home her comments were hitting. Besides, she was a normal human. He'd have to be crazy to take his anger out on her. He knew that, but that didn't stop the anger from coming. He wasn't mad at her, well, not entirely, but, but, but-

He stopped.

He remembered what Kami had said to him the day before. Kami mentioned that he used his father as a crutch. Gohan still didn't entirely understand, but maybe there was truth in that statement? "Is this what he meant?" he muttered to himself under his breath, barely loud enough for Videl to hear. "What was that?" she responded, but when Gohan turned away to leave, her cheeks puffed in frustration.

"Hey! I'm not done talking to you, Son Gohan!" she roared. But Gohan was beyond caring. He was refocused, and he was leaving. She blinked, and when she reopened her eyes, Gohan was out of sight. Videl was shocked. She blinked again, hoping Gohan would reappear. He was still gone, even after she blinked several more times.

"Unbelievable..." she grumbled. No one was that fast.

Gohan touched down at the Capsule Corporation estate, taking in the grandness of it all. Bulma's family was among the most important on the planet – if not THE most important – and she lived like it. Her estate was enormous. Gohan wondered whether Bulma would be in one of her labs, testing some new invention, or if she was in her living quarters, maybe trying a new hairstyle for the first time. He decided he would check in on her home before heading to one of the labs, thinking that if she wasn't there, her mom would be, and she would be able to direct him to the right place anyway.

As he strode through her complex though, Gohan felt a familiar surge of energy, one that he would probably never forget.

'Vegeta.' he thought.

Indeed, the saiyan prince was climbing out of a spherical chamber to the far left of the preteen boy, his body drenched in sweat. Bulma had probably built him special training quarters, he deduced. He had figured Vegeta had returned to space for the time being, but that clearly wasn't the case. It wasn't long before he was sensed himself and the saiyan prince strode over to the boy, cracking his neck and flexing his sore muscles all the while. Gohan noticed the scars and bruises that dotted his body; no doubt his training was incredibly intense, even for a tenacious saiyan like Vegeta.

"Well, well, if it isn't Kakarott's brat. What are you doing here?" he said smugly. Gohan wanted to punch Vegeta in the throat as hard as he could, but he hid his intent so Vegeta could not sense it. The last thing he wanted was to start a fight on Bulma's property.

"I came to see Bulma." he answered simply. Vegeta seemed to accept that answer, rolling his neck even further. He grinned, although Gohan did not know why.

"You've gotten stronger." Vegeta said.

"I've been training." he answered. Vegeta had clearly gotten stronger himself. 'He's stronger than Dad was when he first fought Frieza.' he thought. The prospect of Vegeta becoming a super saiyan sent shivers down Gohan's spine. No one of Vegeta's character deserved power of that magnitude, of that he was sure.

"Clearly. You're much stronger than you were when we fought. Hell, you're stronger than I was when I fought Frieza." he admitted. Gohan had tried suppressing his power, but Vegeta's sensory abilities ran too deep. He'd always been a genius when it came to fighting. He mastered ki sense after their first encounter. As much as he hated to admit it, the saiyan prince was a formidable foe. Vegeta chuckled, and Gohan caught a glimpse of a prideful smirk across his face.

"At least your saiyan instincts are intact." Gohan didn't know whether or not to take that as a compliment, so he didn't. "I thought you were in space, looking for my father." he responded. Vegeta smirked wider, realizing what Gohan was trying to do.

"Trying to gather information on Kakarott's whereabouts, are you?" Gohan mentally cursed. "To answer your question, I was. And to answer your unanswered questions, no I did not find Kakarott. If I had, I would have brought his sorry corpse back by now."

Gohan visibly stiffened at this, much to Vegeta's amusement.

"Calm your emotions, boy. If you think Kakarott weak enough to die an honor-less death in space, then you are a fool." the taller saiyan scolded. "He is a saiyan, and saiyans are survivors. Wherever he is, he will either be found by me, or he will return of his own will." he said. Gohan's body ran cold for a second. It felt weird for Vegeta to be more confident of his father's safety than him. Unless...

"You're just waiting to fight him, aren't you?" he inquired. Vegeta folded his arms.

"Of course. Our rematch is long overdue. Kakarott knows it as well. He will not die until I kill him myself." Vegeta answered bluntly, and with such confidence Gohan was almost shocked.

'He really thinks that he can beat my dad? Is... Is he already a super saiyan? No, that can't be. It must be typical cocky Vegeta. He thought he was a super saiyan several times on Namek, and he just ended up in the ground.'

"You're still trying to kill my dad? Even after he saved you several times?"

Vegeta scoffed at Gohan's inquires, as if he was the one that sounded ridiculous.

"You are too young to understand, boy. Your ignorance of your own culture is no fault of your own, but please, stop embarrassing yourself." Vegeta spat.

"What culture?" Gohan demanded. "Saiyan culture." Vegeta replied. "You've been raised among these comfortable, weak humans as our own society was destroyed by Frieza, but I know you feel it within you. Your instincts. Your lust for battle. I can smell it on you. You are finally beginning to come into your own. The fact that you are training so hard is proof enough. You are beginning to recognize your thrill for battle."

Gohan stared the saiyan oppressor into his dark, obsidian orbs, his gaze unwavering. The only reason he kept up his training was to protect people from individuals like Vegeta.

"I will never be like you." he vowed.

Vegeta threw his head back, howling with laughter.

"Of course you won't," he replied, "I am saiyan royalty and you are the half-breed son of a low-class warrior. You cannot begin to imagine the gulf between us." he growled. "But as it stands now, you are still a saiyan and you will always have your saiyan genetics. Denying them is pointless. They have already saved your life countless times, against me, the Ginyu force, and even Frieza."

Vegeta was right, even though Gohan did not want to admit it.

"It would be pointless for me to ramble any further. You will see for yourself what I'm talking about." Vegeta shook his head. As he turned and began to return to his gravity chamber, Gohan called out to him.

"Vegeta, wait. Where's Bulma?" he asked.

Without turning around to face him, Vegeta confirmed that Bulma was not in her labs. She was instead in the living area, babysitting.

Babysitting?

"Oh hi, Gohan! What brings you here today?" Bulma called in greeting, bouncing a chubby little infant in her lap.

Gohan stood, mouth agape. "B-Bulma, you have—," Bulma laughed, the small child in her lap laughing with her, revealing a toothless smile. "Yes! Isn't he adorable! He's almost twelve months! Say hello to Trunks, Gohan! Trunks, say "hi, uncle Gohan."" she teased, tickling the laughing infant and producing more laughter.

'Bulma had... Vegeta's son?' Gohan was flabbergasted. He could absolutely not believe his eyes. Vegeta was the enemy! He tried to destroy their planet, kill them all, and make himself immortal. Then he tried again on planet Namek! Hell, he even indirectly killed Bulma's then-boyfriend, Yamcha.

Gohan stared down at the saiyan halfling in awe. His face was as round as his big blue eyes, and the few growing strands of hair were of a lavender color. "Are you surprised?" Bulma asked, giggling. When Gohan looked up at her, she smiled, cradling her baby with a gentleness the boy did not know she had. "His name's Trunks. Isn't he just adorable?" the small boy cooed in response to his name, smiling up at his mother.

"I don't understand..." Gohan managed to get out. Bulma and Vegeta? Vegeta and Bulma? Love? Kids? Marriage—what? Vegeta? VEGETA?! His mind began to tie itself in knots with the mental gymnastics it was performing in order to wrap itself around the reality of this development. He couldn't believe it, and he didn't want to. This was insane. He was the start of everything! Gohan felt his rage building up within him, swelling in his chest like a balloon.

"I know what you're thinking," Bulma began, before Gohan's thoughts could spiral out of control any further. "Why Vegeta, huh?" she murmured, smirking down at her beautiful boy. "At first, I hated him." she confessed. Gohan said nothing, but continued to listen to his friend's justification. "It was because of him we had to go to Namek, right? He killed all of our friends, slaughtered them like pigs, without remorse."

Gohan didn't need to be reminded of that, for sure.

"After we all came home from Namek, he was insufferable. I thought having him live here to keep an eye on him was probably one of the worst decisions I ever made."

'Letting him stay on this planet was a bad idea, period.' Gohan thought, but remained silent.

"But as the years slowly crawled by," she trailed off, stealing another glance down at her baby boy, who laughed at his mother's acknowledgment. "I slowly began to see how tragic of a man he was." she confessed. Gohan stiffened at her response, but he was going to let Bulma finish. She was his friend, and a smart one at that. Gohan knew that Bulma had to have had a good reason for her change of heart regarding Vegeta, so he would hear her out for now.

Even if he was sure he was not going to agree with her.

"His entire race was destroyed—the race you both share. You and Goku were both fortunate enough to grow up here on Earth, but Vegeta wasn't. He was taken as a personal servant of the tyrant who destroyed everything, the very same who even killed his own father. It's amazing that his mind didn't snap from the trauma." When she took note of Gohan's piercing stare, she cleared her throat, slightly uncomfortable by the intensity of the small boy's gaze.

"... I'm not excusing the things he did, however." she clarified. "He committed tons of horrible atrocities many people can't even fathom. Before Frieza, the thought of anyone destroying entire planets was a ridiculous notion to me. But Vegeta... lived through that. The destruction of countless worlds, trillions of lives... all because of Frieza. He was forced to fight, simply because that's all he could have done, or Frieza would have killed him too." She sighed, shaking her head. Her eyes met Gohan's again.

This time, she was not uncomfortable staring into Gohan's obsidian eyes.

"Imagine, fighting for your life for years... Being made to fight by the one who took everything from you—fighting to become strong enough to take your life back, but never being able to. It's very sad."

Gohan couldn't disagree with that, but he was not willing to excuse Vegeta's crimes so easily. However, he did see Bulma's point, and he did agree that Frieza's evil ways affected those around him in horrible, unfortunate ways.

"After Goku became a Super Saiyan and defeated Frieza, I think Vegeta began to... unravel." she started. Gohan raised an eyebrow at her. "Unravel?" he echoed, to which she nodded. "Vegeta dedicated his entire childhood and adulthood to becoming strong enough to defeat Frieza—killed many people just so he could survive long enough to stand a chance at getting his revenge. The thing he lived in fear of for so long, the tyrant that took everything from him, defeated by your father."

Gohan felt a pang of pride at that.

"And to make matters worse for him, Goku doesn't really identify with his saiyan heritage. I could tell his princely ego took a huge blow from that. Since then, he's been training like a demon possessed, trying to catch up with your father. He even searches for him out in space from time to time."

"So, he's training so hard because my dad hurt his pride?" Gohan asked, mentally rolling his eyes. That sounded so like Vegeta.

"Yes and no. I think... Despite what Vegeta may say, he admires your father somewhat. Hell, we all admire Goku. There's something admirable about how hard Goku pushes himself. And I think Vegeta wants to be able to stand on the same level as your father—to be able to fight on equal terms with the man who defeated Frieza."

"But he plans to kill my dad." Gohan retorted. Bulma shook her head in response. "Maybe at first. I don't think he could even if he still wanted to. Vegeta and Goku both love to fight. I think that Vegeta's true aim is to have a level of power to continuously aspire to."

"And you think my father is his new goal?" Bulma nodded. "And Goku is the same. They'll both always try and be better than the other. I realize that's just how saiyans are. Vegeta's days of heartless killing are over." she said. Unconvinced, Gohan folded his arms in defiance.

"And how do you know that for sure?" Bulma smiled once again, glancing down at her son. "Because... he's got a family now. Something to protect. He never had that before. He only had his own loneliness, and the greater threat of Frieza looming over his head. But now... he has us, Gohan. Vegeta and I just have... something that's hard to explain." she laughed, her cheeks flushing pink with a blush. "You're only eleven. You'll understand one day what it means to have someone to keep you grounded."

Gohan scoffed at her. "Whatever you say, Bulma. I'll believe you for now. But it's up to you to keep him under control. I haven't forgotten the things he's done. I'll never forget." he vowed. She nodded; Bulma supposed that's the best she could ask for, given the circumstances.

"But anyway, you never actually told me what made you stop by." she said.

Gohan's face softened, as he actually began to remember why he came. "Um, actually, I'm starting a new training regimen with Kami today. I stopped by because I was wondering if you could help me with a small problem?" Gohan gestured to his long, flowing black hair. Gohan's hair was ridiculously long, after growing it out for the past six years. It was a mane trailing down his back and his legs. He looked like a young Raditz, although his hair was not quite as spiky.

"I need a haircut. My hair often gets in the way while I'm training, but I didn't want to ask my mom to cut it this time." he shuddered, remembering the bowl-cut his mom had given him before they departed for Namek.

Bulma's chest swelled with pride. "Oh, Gohan, why didn't you say so? I'm a master when it comes to hair care. Leave it to me! I'll have you looking better than ever! Let me just put Trunks down for a nap before I get my things." she said, disappearing from the room with the small baby.

Gohan grinned, blushing slightly. He knew Bulma was capable—after all, he had seen her with so many different hairstyles growing up, and he often marveled at how she was able to style her hair in so many unique ways.

He was excited for his new haircut.

"Ah, Gohan. I see you have arrived." Kami smiled, turning around to face the newly descending boy. Gohan touched down a few feet away from him, his ki sizzling out as he landed. Kami took in the boy's features, noting that his hair was now much shorter, but styled in a way similar to both his father and younger brother, but unique in the sense that Gohan's hair looked far spikier, with several bangs falling into his eyes.

"Hello, Mr. Kami." Gohan bowed.

'Always the respectful one.' Kami thought. It pleased him to have such a good-natured soul around. Kami had no doubt that Gohan would grow up to be a powerful warrior, a hero just like his father. He would train the boy to help him on his journey, like his father before him.

"Are you ready to begin your training?" he asked, already knowing the answer to his question. Gohan remained bowed, but nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes, I am. I'm eager to learn." he responded. A small smile tugged at the corner of Kami's lips; he would enjoy this. Tapping his wooden stick against the lookout's tiled floor, he called the boy's attention.

"Well, then. Come, follow me and we shall begin your training."

Kami turned without another word, heading into the lookout's chambers, his cape billowing out behind him in the wind dramatically. Gohan followed the guardian without protest, deeply pondering what kind of training the namekian would subject him to.

Kami brought the boy to an unfamiliar room, opting to stand in its center. He turned to the dark-haired boy, beckoning him to enter with a nod. Gohan cautiously entered, taking in the room's features as he moved forward.

"Where are we? I've never been in here before." he muttered. The room was completely dark, and Gohan could not make out any defining traits within the room's walls. That is, except for the single pendulum swinging back in forth in the center of the room, directly above where Kami was standing.

"In this room, past, present, and future are all operated and controlled here." he said, much to Gohan's surprise.

"This is the pendulum room. Here, I will be able to send your spirit to any specific time period in order to train." he clarified. Gohan's eyes began to light up in excitement. Anywhere in time? Perfect! The boy was not interested in how the room worked, all he cared about was how he could use it to train. He gave Kami a look of pure determination, his eyes hardened like a warrior about to strike.

"I have decided to send you to a location that will test both your courage, and mental fortitude. Merely placing opponents in your path to defeat would be a waste, as I could not personally conjure up such beings with the power to oppose you." there was a glint in the old man's eye, as he gazed down at Gohan. "However, you must learn that not every conflict can be overcome with brute force alone. One must have the courage to do what is right, and a sound mind to not become lost in darkness. In this training exercise, you will face decisions you never thought you would have to. I wish to grant you... perspective, before we advance any further." he said.

Gohan nodded; he was ready for anything.

"I'm ready, Mr. Kami." he said. Kami nodded in response, and in mere seconds, Gohan felt his spirit being pulled into the annals of time, feeling a sensation he could not describe accurately. As he was being pulled into the time stream, his mind was focused solely on becoming stronger.

'I'll become a super saiyan, and nothing is going to stop me!'

This chapter was actually finished for a long while, but due to life, I haven't had a chance to upload it. Now that my life has become much less predictable and more manageable, I should be able to update more frequently and more consistently. Sorry for the wait, guys.

In the next chapter, both Gohan and Vegeta's psyches will be examined much more closely, although I won't say how! It's definitely a surprise.

And thank you for the reviews, everyone. I actually wasn't expecting so many with only two chapters made, but I appreciate all the feedback and I will take it all into consideration when writing.

Until next time!