Chapter 04
As the hysteria began to abate, Gohan decided to take Bulma up on her offer to find out more about Saiyajin pregnancies. She had also dragged Vegeta in with her, to offer explanations and answers to questions.
Unfortunately, much of what Vegeta knew was based on the knowledge of a more technologically advanced society, plus it was handed down by the remnants from the genocide. After all, Vegeta was young when Planet Vegeta had been blown up. However, whatever knowledge they
could get was valuable. Thus, starting from the beginning: there were secondary sex characteristics in Saiyajins. For the most part, men tended to be breeders, but the occasional male did have the capacity to be a carrier. Said capacities tended to run in families as well, and Vegeta revealed that Gohan’s father was, in fact, a carrier. When asked for clarification, Vegeta said that carriers were still capable of impregnating a female, which was how Gohan and Goten came to be.
“So…” Gohan stated, hesitantly. “I theory, the two of you could—”
“Me and that clown?” Vegeta scoffed. “What do you take me for, kid? We both have mates.”
“To be fair, you accused me of taking advantage of a
child—”
Vegeta exhaled and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Look, kid, there’s a
reason that I left Earth when I noticed you hit puberty.” He then looked Gohan dead in the eyes. “Your pheromones were going crazy. Some younglings that become of age have been known to become overwhelmed, driven solely by their hormones and instincts. With you being half human… it was impossible to predict how you would have reacted.” Vegeta shook his head. “So, when I came back to find out that you somehow managed to get pregnant… And considering that the only possible breeders were either off-planet or a mere child—”
“Frankly, Vegeta,
how certain are we that a breeder is the
only way for me to get pregnant? It is as you say: I’m half human.”
Vegeta tensed. “…You have a point there.”
Gohan would have pressed the issue for Vegeta to have told him sooner, but the other Saiyajin had already apologised for that, so he didn’t. “But that answers a few of my other questions… it’s fairly likely for Goten to be able to become a carrier, which means he should be careful when he’s older.”
“Yes. Especially considering the only Saiyajin genetics he has received is from your father.”
“Although…” Gohan paused and looked down at his tail. “Goten wasn’t born with a tail…”
“A tail isn’t necessary to conceive or give birth.” Vegeta explained. “After all, Saiyajins have been known to lose their tails in battle. The tail assists in the birthing process… not that it did much, considering…”
Vegeta went to explain that it was practically protocol for Saiyajins to transfer their growing children into development pods once the child was developed enough. The pods provided an optimal environment for the children to become strong warriors, as well as enabling the mother to rejoin the troops earlier than a natural pregnancy would allow. Of course, as Earth did not have that technology, Gohan would need to go through the process as nature had intended it. Granted, with his half-breed status, it was hard to say how the progress would unfold, so they would need to be prepared to operate if Gohan couldn’t deliver naturally. Vegeta also added that it might be beneficial for Gohan carry to term as the hormones would dissuade Gohan from pursuing another mate shortly afterwards, as Trunks was not around.
“…Speaking of that Trunks, did he bite you, Gohan?”
Gohan flushed red and sputtered. “Wha— What?!”
“Must you make me repeat myself?” Vegeta exhaled loudly. “Did he bite you? Or, more specifically, did he bite you hard enough to draw blood? Or, vice versa?”
“I — uhh — no?” Gohan said after trying to recall back to those moments. The only blood drawing had been from nails, if that—
“Good.” Vegeta’s shoulders relaxed. “The two of you didn’t bond to one another.”
“B-Bond?”
“It’s a telepathic link some Saiyajins do to their mate. It isn’t common, considering the death of one’s bonded mate can be catastrophic, and we are a warrior race. So, it would be difficult to tell how time travel would have affected a bond.”
Gohan exhaled. “Damn it, Vegeta…” He shook his head. “Is there
anything else that I should know that could be severely detrimental to me?”
Vegeta paused and tilted his head for a few moments before shaking his head. “No… I do believe that’s it.”
“…It better be.” Gohan mumbled. Vegeta really could have fucked him over if either him or Trunks had decided to bite—
~The conversation he had with Videl kept coming back to him, and it was probably his hormones, but he couldn’t help but feel a yearning for Trunks whenever the other had come up. Gohan placated himself with rubbing his stomach, knowing that the little one was the last gift Trunks had given to him.~
Gohan returned home and gave his parents the news. He would let them talk to Goten regarding his ability to carry and the whole bonding thing. And, while he knew that he would have to inform
his child, eventually, that was still sixteen or so years away—
________________________________________
While it was impossible to say that things had
truly returned to normal, eventually they did return to a semblance of normalcy. The pregnancy was always on the back of his mind, but Gohan pushed through it. He could make it to summer break, and… well, depending on how much he was showing, they would decide then. If anything, Gohan supposed that he could pass off his weight gain as binging during the summer, alongside baggier clothes. (Which meant a new wardrobe, but Bulma was offering to foot the bill, considering this was her grandchild.)
He opted against telling Sharpener and Erasa for now. Despite liking them, well, it was
a lot of information to digest. He would start slowly with them, and hopefully by the time the baby was born, they would know.
Videl didn’t blame him for wanting to leave school when his weight gain would become undeniable. After all, some girls would drop out while they were pregnant to avoid the stigma. She
did bring up the possibility of utilising the time chamber, and while that was a good idea, Gohan was concerned that something could go wrong. The time chamber wasn’t built with fetal development in mind, and with him being only half Saiyajin, they were already in unknown territory as it were. So, it was better not to risk it. ~He couldn’t risk the only child he would have from Trunks—~
Videl soon became an easy person to discuss his pregnancy with. She was relatively neutral when it came to the pregnancy, letting him decide the pace. Gohan’s family, and Bulma’s, were too excited for him to be able to return the sentiments. Despite everything, it still felt surreal to him, and he had difficulty grasping the excitement. He knew it would come, eventually. Already he was protective and possessive of his little one, determined to see this through for them. He
wanted the baby, but going through the actual pregnancy was… disquieting to say the least.
“So…” Videl asked softly, “have you picked out any names yet?”
“Not… yet.” Gohan answered honestly. “But it hasn’t been far from my mind. I have… a number of options to choose from.”
“Options?” Videl blinked at him.
Gohan laughed softly. “Well, for starters, if I’d like to continue the naming scheme for my family.”
“Ah, yes, the ‘Go-’ bit.” Videl nodded in understanding.
“Then, there’s the naming scheme of the Briefs, selecting names that represent undergarments…” Gohan laughed and shook his head. How such a thing came about, he was almost afraid to ask. “And, of course… there is also a Saiyajin naming scheme. I… you’ve probably heard Vegeta call my father another name. Well, that’s the name my father was given at birth by his birth parents: Kakarott. My uncle was named Raditz, and another Saiyajin was named Nappa. And Vegeta. Notice the scheme?”
Videl paused as she thought about it before she yelped out in triumph. “Vegeta-bles!”
Gohan laughed. “Yeah. So, a lot to consider for this little one.” He smiled and looked down at his stomach.
“Hm… What about combining them?” Videl suggested.
“Where would I find a name that starts with Go, that represents both a vegetable and underwear—” Gohan laughed out. “Although, I suppose I don’t have to honour
all of the naming patterns. After all, only the full Saiyajins have the vegetable naming scheme… Plus…”
“Plus?”
“Well… you see… Trunks never knew his father growing up. Vegeta had died when he was just a baby and… Bulma had raised him alone. My counterpart had been his mentor. So… the first time Trunks even met Vegeta was when he came to warn us. And, while he spent a year with Vegeta in the time chamber… it hardly stands up to the woman who raised him alone. Which makes me lean towards sticking with the Briefs’ naming scheme…” It felt like the
right thing to do, to honour the woman who made this child possible— “I feel like that’s what Trunks would have wanted.”
“You romantic!” Videl teased and hit him playfully on the shoulder. “Even though Trunks will not likely meet his child, you still…”
Gohan smiled sadly. “It’s precisely why, actually. To give my child
something from their other father.”
And, perhaps maybe Videl was right, but that was something that Gohan could live with.
________________________________________
As Gohan thought back to the conversations with Videl, he found himself drawing parallels to some of the conversations that he had with Bulma. It was as he had told Videl: he wasn’t necessarily
in love with Trunks, but the affection was still there. And, sure, perhaps he was a bit of a hopeless romantic, he let himself daydream a little. Would it be nice to have Trunks try to visit? Yeah. Would Gohan have liked to explore their mutual feelings? Definitely. And, Gohan, too, was not an idiot, knowing that the hormones from his pregnancy was only attributing to it.
Was his idea for naming a bit cliché? Sure. But, his points still stood. He wanted to honour Bulma — the future one — because if it weren’t for her invention, Gohan would not be living the life he was now. This child would not be possible— It wasn’t
just what Trunks would have wanted.
Ah… now to try and figure out undergarments that started with Go…
________________________________________
Summer vacation came sooner than he thought, and as it did, Gohan could only wonder what he could do to pass the time. School kept him sufficiently occupied, so that he did not think too much about the pregnancy. His stomach was softening out, the abs he had grown up with all but gone. His clothes were fitting tighter, and he often opted for his gi when he didn’t need to wear actual pants. He probably should take Bulma up on her offer to go shopping…
The dread had all but faded now, mostly an apprehension and nervousness for the future. There, too, was the odd day where excitement began to creep in. Excitement to see the child. He wondered what colour their hair would be. Their eyes. Would they have a tail? Was it a boy, or a girl? (He told Bulma that he didn’t want to know. The mystery added to the intrigue and excitement — something that he very much needed.)
The conclusion of their battle with Majin Buu seemed a distant memory now as well as the shock of Kaioshin’s revelation and Vegeta’s announcement—
Ah, speaking of Kaioshin… Gohan, really, had not gotten a chance to thank or say farewell to the Supreme Kai, considering how they had parted. So, Gohan asked his father if there was a way to get in contact with Kaioshin.
It took a little bit, but Dad was able to ask King Kai to get in contact with Kaioshin, and he arrived with Kibito in tow.
“Gohan.” Kaioshin smiled softly at him. “I heard you wanted to talk?”
“I — ah — yeah.” Gohan rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “I… I just never got to say goodbye, considering everything and… I wanted to thank you for what you did.”
Kaioshin chuckled softly. “You, thank
me?”
Gohan nodded. “I… well, you helped me regain confidence in myself. When you had arrived, I… I was doubting and berating myself for not keeping up with my training. But, your continued faith in me helped to restore my faith in
myself.”
Kaioshin’s smile was soft and understanding. “The best warriors always doubt themselves. It keeps them humble.”
Gohan laughed sheepishly. “Kaioshin… I… I was wondering… Could I come to the World of the Kais to do some training again?”
Kaioshin blinked at him, not expecting that question. “What prompts this request, Gohan?”
Gohan blushed a little. “Well… I’ll be honest and… part of it entails…” He looked down at his stomach and touched it briefly. “It’s… a lot to come to terms with, and I fear that with the lack of something to keep my mind busy, I might over think things. And, your training is familiar to me. Piccolo was my first real mentor, but I have long surpassed him. And — I made a vow to be at my best. The universe needs me after all.” ~And it was the reason that he and Trunks could not be together—~
“Ah,” Kaioshin said, a knowing smile on his face that Gohan recalled from the tournament. “Well, I am not opposed to resuming our training sessions, Gohan. You were an apt pupil. But, I must ask: I am not completely familiar with Saiyajin pregnancies, but will it be alright for you to continue training?”
Gohan nodded. “Vegeta said that it should be fine. Saiyajins are a warrior race, and if pregnancies were too much of an encumbrance, well, we wouldn’t have developed the ability for males to become pregnant. But, for the sake of my own sanity, perhaps we should refrain from stomach shots.”
Kaioshin laughed. “Very well.”
________________________________________
Spending the summer with Kaioshin was one of his better ideas. Kibito was his duel partner, but battle prowess was not the only thing that Gohan learned while on the World of the Kais. Kaioshin was intrigued at Gohan’s apprenticeship under Piccolo, and had learned of Gohan’s budding psychic abilities. Using that as a starting point, Kaioshin began to work on increasing them, starting with his telepathy, and moving onto conjuration and telekinesis. What surprised both of them was the rate that Gohan had picked up on it. However, the Elder Kai soon informed them that it shouldn’t have been a surprise, considering that Gohan had been formally inducted as Kaioshin’s follower.
Apparently the ritual he had undergone to unlock his remaining potential had also made him Kaioshin’s follower, which – in turn – had enhanced these abilities, while also unlocking new ones. Such newfound abilities were to the same ones that Kibito held: teleportation and healing. Thus, Gohan soon found himself being trained in teleportation.
His stomach, too, was growing, which meant that the little one was growing. In fact, the first time he felt the baby move had been on the World of the Kais, and it had — quite frankly — freaked him out. Thankfully, Kaioshin and Kibito had been able to reassure him that he and the baby were okay and that it was perfectly normal. That being said, the baby and his stomach weren’t the
only things that increased in size. His symptoms increased both in number and intensity. The exhaustion continued, there was the occasional upset stomach and nausea, there were cravings, a massive increase in his appetite, mood swings… the
works— Thankfully, his symptoms seemed to align with those of a human pregnancy, and while inconvenient, it was manageable.
By the time that summer vacation was over, Gohan had just gotten the hang of teleportation, and thus his training with Kaioshin came to an end. Gohan figured that he had a few more weeks until he could no longer hide his pregnancy. So, he could return to school for a little bit longer before he would have to switch to homeschooling. In preparation for that, his mother came up with a ruse that Gohan had a medical condition which would require a medical procedure and recuperation time, and that he should hopefully be back for the last semester of school. Thankfully, the school bought it (not that it was necessarily a
lie per se, but…) and made the proper preparations for when Gohan would be absent. Thus, Gohan returned to school, and, it was nice to be back. Thankfully, the knowledge of his medical condition had stopped any off-hand comments regarding his weight gain, many assuming the two were related. (And they were, just… not how they thought.)
Bulma had also reassured him that his pregnancy was going smoothly during his check-up after returning to Earth. He
did feel a set of little eyes on him, too, when they left the medical bay, and Gohan walked over to Trunks, who was looking at him with wide eyes.
“Trunks? What’s up?”
“H-How’s the baby doing?”
Gohan smiled. “The little one is doing fine.” He said softly.
Trunks fidgeted nervously.
Gohan exhaled, remembering Trunks’ reaction when they first found out about his pregnancy. He reached out and squeezed the boy’s shoulder. “They have a good
uncle looking out for them.”
Trunks blinked up at him. “Ye-Yeah.”
“Trunks, I mean what I said: this is big-you’s baby. It isn’t yours. Just concentrate on being a good uncle, okay?”
“B-But wouldn’t raising a baby alone be hard?”
Gohan laughed. “I’m not alone, Trunks. Your family is helping me. Mine is helping me. This little one has a large family looking out for them. Two uncles, four grandparents, three great grandparents… And that isn’t including our parents’ friends. Even
Piccolo said he’ll be there for the two of us.” He squeezed Trunks’ shoulder reassuringly. “You’re a kid yourself, so even if you
were responsible for actions that an alternate version of you did, I’d never hold you accountable for this.”
“B-But what if I wanna—”
Gohan resisted slapping his own face. “Trunks, you’re a
kid, concentrate on growing up first.”
~Trunks’ admission of having a crush on his Gohan echoed
loudly in his mind—~
“O-Oh… okay.”
Once Trunks was out of sight, Gohan exhaled loudly, ran a hand through his hair, and shook his head.
________________________________________
By the time he reached week twenty-eight, Gohan knew that a ‘medical condition’ was no longer going to disguise the truth of the matter, and they pulled him out of school. Videl became his communicator to and from the school, and would drop off his homework booklets on a weekly basis. Thankfully, school was always easy for him, and whenever Gohan finished early, he found himself heading over to the World of the Kais to resume his training. He was rather excited to learn how to
heal— He couldn’t wait to show Dende!
His physical training came to a bit of a lull, partially due to his energy levels and his size. As his stomach continued to grow in size, his mobility did inversely. Plus, whenever the baby moved or kicked, it dulled his senses a little, distracting him from the spar. Thankfully, there were still a lot of psychic abilities for him to learn and concentrate on, so they changed their focus.
October blurred into November, and, as the last few weeks of November came into play, Kaioshin advised for Gohan to remain on Earth until the child was born and to take it easy for the remaining weeks of his pregnancy, which coincidentally coincided with the summoning of Shenron to erase the memories of Majin Buu from the majority of Earth’s populace. He had to admit, the way that Shenron had looked at him would be a memory that would be with him for the remainder of his days…
“…Shenron, before you go, may I ask a question?”
Shenron paused before he nodded. “Very well. Ask away, Son Gohan.”
“Would it… be possible for you to be able to contact the Trunks from the future?”
Shenron paused once more, and while it was difficult to tell just
where the dragon’s vision was focused, Gohan felt that it was on his stomach. “…I cannot. Not only is the manipulation of time is beyond my capabilities, it is forbidden by forces above me.”
Gohan exhaled, fighting the wave of disappointment that was surprisingly
heavy. He
knew that Trunks would never know, knew that Trunks would not be there for the birth of
their child, but it still hurt in ways that he couldn’t describe—
“If that is all…”
Gohan nodded, trying to push past the emotions. He watched as Shenron disappeared and the dragon balls dispersed before holding his stomach and looked down at it, his vision swimming.
He felt arms wrap around his shoulders, and Bulma guided his head down to her shoulders. “It’s okay, Gohan. Let it out now.”
Silent tears fell. Shoulders shook. Why? Why couldn’t Trunks be here? Why did it have to be this way? He wanted to see Trunks hold
their baby and— Why was he feeling this wave of disappointment when Gohan knewknewknew this was the case? It
always had been— Even when they had parted, both of them none the wiser that Gohan had carried the product of their coupling— Gohan
knew that he would likely never see the other again— So
why— Was it because a part of him hoped? A part of him thought that maybe, just
maybe— He felt so alone, so overwhelmed now that he
knew this child would never see their other father—
“I-I’m sorry Bulma, I—”
“Shh, shh.” Bulma said, wiping away his tears with her thumbs. “It’s alright Gohan. We always knew that this was likely the case, but it’s always hard hearing the confirmation.” She then flashed him a weak grin. “Your hormones are just making it that much more of a deal. Don’t worry about it, okay?”
Gohan weakly nodded.
“Let’s go whip you up something, ‘kay? Food always set me right when I was pregnant.”
Food
did sound like a good idea… Gohan nodded and followed her to the kitchen.