Disclaimer: I do not nor ever will own Dragon Ball Z!

Warning: This story is rated T for dark themes that will arise a bit later on

Chapter One: A Terrible Mistake

It took Gohan a moment before he finally realized what had happened.

Power still surged through his body, spraying off of him in shocks of electricity, and blood caked his skin, as did dirt. His chest ached and his breathing was heavy, coming out in loud gasps, as he stood there struggling to take in what had happened around him. His hair was not its usual shade of darkness and instead it was a brilliant blonde, more unruly than before his transformation. His brilliant green eyes stared at the spot where the terrifying creature once stood, but they were distant, almost as if they were in a foreign land.

He had defeated Cell.

Him, Son Gohan, had surpassed every being on the planet and was able to diminish the World's greatest threat.

He had actually done it.

Then if he had done something so great, why did regret reside inside of his stomach as he stood there, unable to move? The pain on his body was overbearing, but it was nothing compared to the guilt he felt. It had consumed him, and he wasn't too sure if he should be standing there, alive.

He had made a mistake, and he knew it the second the power inside of him began shrink back down to its normal standard, as soon as his full humanity had returned.

He had made a mistake.

His body began to shake as he slid down to the ruined ground, the land around him nothing but debris now. The glow that had admitted around him from when he had surpassed his normal standards reduced to nothing as his hair fell back to its normal black locks and his eyes darkened back to onyx. He was overcome with shock, one that his body couldn't recognize.

He had made a mistake.

Gohan had let his ego triumph over him while fighting Cell, and with that came not only his cockiness but his uncontrollable, Saiyan side. He had believed he was better than Cell and that the monster deserved to suffer like the people he had killed, but Gohan couldn't help but feel like he was the monster now.

The price of that arrogance was the life of his Father. His shallowness had caused his Father's death, and it was something that Gohan couldn't get back.

Tears welled up in his black orbs and fell down his cheeks as he sat there, refusing to meet the concerned eyes of his friends that stared at him. He was too afraid of looking up into them and seeing nothing but disappointment. He was worried that they were judging him for the sin he had just committed. Surely they hated him now, if they hadn't already when they saw the beast that he unleashed while fighting.

"Gohan…"

He felt the rough hand of his mentor place itself on his shoulder, trying to soothe him the best he could. The green man towered over him, trying to coax him to look up, his eyes unusually soft, but Gohan didn't want to look at him either. He feared he'd meet the same dissatisfaction the others must've had, and he couldn't handle that. Not from Piccolo.

Shaking the hand off, Gohan powered up once more and shot to the sky, hoping to leave the pain and misery behind, but it continued to follow him like the darkness would that night. It wouldn't leave him alone.

He had made a mistake.

And it was something Gohan would have to live with for the rest of his life.

…

Silence overcame the group, unable to make of what had just happened. Not the death of their longtime friend or the pain of his son.

"Is he okay?" Krillin questioned, breaking the silence. He picked his way through the ripped cement of the arena to stand beside Piccolo, feeling awfully small besides the Namekian. Piccolo stood there, wordlessly staring at the spot where Gohan once stood strong and powerful as he defeated Cell, but it was also the same spot he just as easily fell apart at.

Growling, Piccolo turned to him, "What the hell do you think?!" He snapped, balling up his fists. His eyes darted up to the sky, staring at the path Gohan took and he wondered if he should follow him. He didn't know though. He didn't know who Gohan was right now.

Following his line of sight, Krillin sighed and said, "Just give him time alone." He murmured tiredly, but those words only seemed to evoke more anger from Piccolo. Krillin didn't know Gohan like he did; he didn't know what to do with him or how he had slowly had made his way into the green man's heart.

"Piccolo, you know he's right." Yamcha shouted to him from his spot in the rubble. Although he and the other fighters did nothing but battle against the Cell clones, they seemed to be just as banged up as Gohan was.

Raising a lip to expose his teeth he seethed, "But his injuries-"

"He's a Saiyan." Vegeta snapped, entering the conversation, "A half breed nothing the less, but if Cell couldn't kill him, I doubt those scrapes will." He sneered, crossing his arms. But his eyes were still filled with sadness and hurt from when Trunks died. He was trying to put up a strong front, but everyone was able to see right through it. It was an unusual thing to see from Vegeta who had a heart of stone.

Krillin nodded in agreement, and no matter how much Piccolo didn't like it, he was in no position to argue. He knew Gohan was a tough boy, despite his annoying attitude at first when he was a little child, but that didn't stop Piccolo from hating the idea of Gohan out there, hurt and alone.

"We should get back to Capsule Corps." The monk intruded his thoughts, "Everyone's probably still worried."

Slowly, everyone floated off the ground, glancing at the battleground for a moment before flying to the sky. Piccolo kept glancing behind him, hoping that despite censoring him miles away in the other direction, Gohan would suddenly appear behind him with his usual, dopey grin. For some reason, he wanted to see that more than ever right now, and he was afraid that he wouldn't ever see it again.

The atmosphere was tense, worse than their flight to the battle itself. Energies were running low and the silence continued, not even Krillin able to find something to chat about. Piccolo could only find himself to care about the empty spot besides him where Gohan once would fly.

As they landed at Capsule Corps, they were slightly surprised to see Bulma and Chichi outside, already waiting with a baby Trunks in the bluenette's arms. Relief flooded their faces when they saw them land, but then worry etched itself back in when they noticed that Goku ,Gohan, and Trunks weren't with them.

"Where are my babies?!" Chichi shrieked, tugging at her uncharacteristically messy black hair. Her eyes were filled with tears and her skin was pale as she kept checking around them, thinking she had missed something.

Noticing that nobody was saying anything, Piccolo sighed and stepped forward, "Gohan's fine, but…" He trailed off, his deep voice rumbling in its normal monotone, "I can't say the same for your husband." He said, not even flinching.

Everyone watched as Chichi's face battled different emotions, torn between feeling relief that her little boy was alright but despair from the news of her husband. Piccolo almost felt bad for her, but he was too worried about Gohan to pay much attention.

Scanning the group once more, it was Bulma's turn to ask a question, "…Where's Trunks?" She asked, her eyes widening.

Without saying a word, Vegeta slumped over to her and grabbed the lavender haired baby from her arms, much to everyone's surprise, and held him to his chest. It was a shocking sight to see, and it was only then that everyone realized how much he actually did love his son. He even wrapped an arm around Bulma, pulling both her and his son closer.

"We can wish Trunks back…" Krillin began, looking to Bulma, but couldn't help but turn away from Chichi, "But Goku already has been wished back. There's nothing we can do for him."

Chichi collapsed into a fit of sobs, and everyone stood there, unsure of what to do. After a few minutes, Bulma ushered them inside to be checked out by the medical machinery she and her father had built, but Piccolo didn't want to go inside.

"It's been long enough." He growled, turning back towards the sky, "I want to go find Gohan." He said with anger relevant in his voice.

"But if he wanted to be alone, I think you should give-" The monk began, but was quickly cut off.

"I don't care." Piccolo snapped, "I'm going to get him." He said curtly before letting his full power overcome him and shoot him to Gohan.

…

He couldn't move.

Sitting there, Gohan couldn't do anything but stare at the dirt covered floor, ignoring the rustling of leaves and chirps of birds around him. He wasn't exactly too sure where he was, but he knew it was far away from any civilization so he couldn't cause anymore damage. Yes, he had defeated Cell, but he had also killed the Earth's greatest defender.

Bringing his knees to his chest, Gohan let his face fall into them, refusing to acknowledge the pain his body was in. The fight had left quite a few dents in them, but he couldn't help but feel he deserved them.

He could've stopped it. He could've stopped his Father's death.

His mind snapped out of his thoughts when he felt a power drop to its feet behind him, and he didn't know why he hadn't felt it earlier. It even took a moment before he realized the familiar aura was Piccolo's, the green man wordlessly walking over to him and sitting down beside him.

"Leave me alone." Gohan hoarsely whispered, staring down at his ruined shoes. He couldn't help but feel like he was acting childish, but he didn't deserve a mentor such as Piccolo after what he had done. He didn't deserve to be close to anyone in his lifetime, or even in his death.

From the corner of his eye, Gohan watched as the Namek sighed and shook his head, as if thinking what to say to a disappointment such as Gohan. But Gohan knew he didn't deserve anything, not even someone's pity. He deserved the nothingness that was creeping over his heart.

"Your Mom is worried about you." Piccolo settled upon, but Gohan turned his head away when he felt the green man's eyes on him. He didn't want to see any shame from the man he thought of as a second Father, from the man that sacrificed his own life protecting him. It would hurt too much, but he couldn't help but feel he deserved it.

"She shouldn't worry about me." Gohan whispered, distractedly messing with the ends of his torn clothing, "I'm fine." He said emptily, feeling himself beginning to drain.

Piccolo felt his heart tug at that. When he first took the boy under his wing, it was so the Earth would have a fighting chance. He didn't like the brat, nor did he want him, it was just what had to be done if he wanted to rule the planet someday. But as Gohan grew stronger and more mature, he couldn't help but develop a soft spot for him. He couldn't help but look forward to his optimism because he had none of his own, and he feared that this battle had taken that away from him.

Before he could stop himself, Piccolo's mouth opened once more, "Are you really?" He questioned, searching the child's eyes but finding nothing but sorrow.

He watched as Gohan forced a smile upon his face, one that he could tell was fake, "Really Piccolo," He began, his voice strained to its usual tone, "I'm fine." He said, chuckling slightly, but all of it was fake. The Namek knew.

Not knowing what to reply, Piccolo simply nodded. He barely ever dealt with people without hostility in the first place, and even though he grew close to Gohan, this was still new. They sat in silence for a moment longer before the green man's eyes darted down and he saw ruby pools swirling around Gohan's trembling form. It took a second before he realized that it was blood and that it was coming off Gohan, dripping to the ground, "Come on." He began, swallowing the panic he felt. It was a lot of crimson liquid and he couldn't lose the boy. "We have to take care of your injuries."

Forcing a laugh to escape his throat, Gohan shook his head, "You worry too much Piccolo." He said, almost with a mocking grin.

Clenching his teeth, Piccolo said, "Gohan, you're bleeding everywhere, we have to get you-"

Gohan cut him off, "I said I'm fine." He snapped, taking Piccolo by surprise. This wasn't Gohan at all. What had the Cell games done to him?

"Like hell you aren't." Piccolo snarled, forcibly grabbing Gohan and tossing him gently over his shoulder before flying towards Capsule Corps. He felt Gohan struggle for a minute, but the Namek realized he no longer had any fight in him when he stopped, becoming a dead weight. This worried him.

"Gohan." Piccolo said lightly as they approached the huge corporation, "You alright?" He questioned, shaking him slightly.

No response.

"Gohan!" He said sharply, twisting his body to look at his face only to realized the boy had fallen unconscious. He quickly listened checked for breathing, and much to his relief, it was still there, just more shallow than before. Quickening his pace, Piccolo couldn't help but pathetically mutter, "Please Gohan… Just hang on…"

Piccolo had yet to experience loss, and he didn't want to now.

Edit: (5/26/14) So its been a year since I've last updated and to get back into the sway of things, I've decided to read through all the chapters and edit them. It's still the same storyline and I'm just fixing small stuff, so don't worry if you're a reader from the past. I'm so sorry that I've neglected this story, and more of my groveling for your forgiveness is in the most recent chapter!:)

A/N: The first chapter of this story doesn't really explore the depression that will overcome Gohan, just more how it began. Also, this story will focus a lot on Piccolo and Gohan's relationship as mentor and student and the role Piccolo will play in helping Gohan. Sorry, Gohan's totally OOC in this, but I can't help but believe this is what would've happened after the fight. I mean, Goku died and it makes it seem like its Gohan's fault, and he's a smart kid, so he'd probably think about it… Anyways, thanks for reading and please review!