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As Gohan planned, he did discuss the lackluster assignments he'd been working on. Surprisingly, Chi Chi didn't seem to mind. Instead, she told Gohan that he needed to take more time for himself, to relax or to explore. She even mentioned the possibility of training, and Gohan truthfully thought the woman might be ill.

Still, she really didn't want him lifting a finger. Chi Chi took to watching Goten more often, each time pulling rank as his mother. She had let him get away with taking the responsibility enough. Now, she was pointing out how he had passed out at his desk. He was allowed to do whatever he wanted, but his mother actually banned him from doing schoolwork. With Goten being under her care and his textbooks actually being put under lock and key, two of his main distractions were out of commission.

So, he took this new downtime and visited the Namekians. Seeing Piccolo and Dende seemed to help Gohan. Strangely enough, Dende had been the first friend Gohan had ever made remotely close to his age, and they had witnessed the same atrocities that their young minds would never forget. Piccolo, well, Gohan acknowledged that he was like a second father to him, taking care of him and training him when his father couldn't.

They were both very happy to see him again. Gohan could tell by Dende's jubilant nature and the smirk Piccolo tried to hide. If he was being honest with himself, he enjoyed it too.

Piccolo, though, could tell that Gohan was agitated. The kid played it off, but his energy felt worn. The Namekian questioned him, and, after a bit of prompting, Gohan finally acknowledged his struggle with schoolwork. "It used to be the best distraction," he explained. "Now, I can't even focus. I'm starting to feel like I don't want to do anything."

The Namekian listened intently. He may not have fully understood the concept of grief, considering he had never been close to many. If anything, Gohan and Dende were probably those he felt closest to. It wasn't to say that he hadn't been affected by the death of his rival, but he knew Goku was living it up in Otherworld. His grief was much different than the boy who so desperately wanted and needed his father. If anyone understood the most, it was Dende, for he had witnessed the loss of his people. Even so, his people were back. Gohan's father would never return. That finality was clearly taking its toll.

"You probably don't see it as a challenge anymore," Piccolo stated, earning Gohan's attention. "If there's one thing I've learned about you Saiyans, it's that you live for a challenge whether in a fight or academics. The work has become too easy for you. You're beyond all of it, and you're looking for more."

"More?" Gohan repeated, looking out into the clouds. A flash of a memory came to him from when he was at the mall with his mother and Bulma. "You know, you might be right, Mr. Piccolo. I just realized it started getting harder after I met some kids my age."

Piccolo looked over to the boy and noticed a distant look in his eyes. It wasn't the first time that he noticed how withdrawn the boy had become. After all, he had lived alone with his parents for his early childhood. When he finally ventured away from home, it was the day Raditz had shown his face. The kid had witnessed far more than a boy his age should have. The Namekian realized he may not have helped matters by dragging the four-year-old into the fight, but it had been necessary. They needed his strength.

Then, he had ultimately given up his life to protect the boy, and in turn Gohan did everything including going to his home planet to bring him and all their friends back. No one had expected to run into an even greater evil than the Saiyans. Gohan witnessed more horrors, fought hard against Frieza but was nowhere near strong enough. He witnessed even more death and destruction, and yet he still managed to befriend Dende and keep his jovial disposition about him.

That side of him had been slowly disappearing since Goku's death.

Knowing how he had failed Gohan, Piccolo could not believe Goku would have put the whole weight of the fight on the boy. The full-blooded Saiyan hadn't been thinking of the fact that he was still a boy, a crime they were all guilty of at one point or another. Gohan was not like Goku was as a child. His passion was not in fighting. The only one who seemed to truly realize that was his mother, and where she had been a nag and overbearing, she meant well. It was possible she was trying to spare her child from feeling the way he was now, bogged down by guilt and responsibility that a boy his age should never experience.

The life he should have had didn't exist.

"These kids your age," Piccolo started, "what do you think of them?"

Gohan shrugged before admitting, "It was actually kind of nice talking with someone my own age. They knew about mom and dad from old WMAT footage. We talked a bit about school and how I've never been to one. They said maybe I need a change."

"Is that what you want?"

The teen grimaced and looked away. "I don't know what I want anymore." He sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Mr. Piccolo. I just…I don't feel like myself anymore. Everything I used to do, like playing with the animals around or read or do work or train…it's like every time I think about doing any of it, I feel all the energy leave my body.

"And now, there's Goten to consider," he continued. "I can't just leave mom alone with him during the day alone. What if something happens while I'm gone? I can't just go to school because it'll be a change. Too much has changed already."

Piccolo softened at hearing Gohan's selfless words. The kid wasn't taking his own desires into consideration. He said he didn't know what he wanted, but he implied it. The thought of getting away from home for a while actually crossed his mind, but he was staying because he didn't want his mother to raise her son alone. Once again, Piccolo could sense the overwhelming guilt Gohan felt. He probably felt that it was his fault that his father was no longer present, but it wasn't his fault. Goku had chosen to stay away. Had he returned, these negative emotions wouldn't be plaguing his eldest son.

"It's not your responsibility, you know," Piccolo remarked.

Gohan nodded. It seemed a lot of people were telling him that lately, including his mother and Bulma. Still, his expression and disposition didn't change. Because of this, Piccolo could tell that no matter how much Gohan knew it wasn't his responsibility, he wouldn't change his mind. He would sacrifice his happiness for everyone else first.

It didn't sit well with his former guardian.

It was late in the evening when Gohan returned home, and Chi Chi had been worried. When he arrived, he came into the house with a capsule that he tossed onto the ground. He offered his mother an apologetic smile as a ton of food surrounded them. "Sorry I'm late," he told the woman. "I tried to leave, but Bulma's mom wouldn't let me go without sending all of this."

Chi Chi smiled, but it didn't stamp out the worry she had been feeling over the hours. "I appreciate her and you for doing this, but Gohan, next time call me before you leave to let me know when you're coming home. I was worried sick."

Gohan's eyes widened before growing fearful. "Are you okay?"

His mother blinked, but then she realized that she used the wrong word. "It's just an expression, sweetie. You don't have to worry about me."

Gohan nodded and went to join her at the table. He changed the topic back to Panchy's shenanigans. "She practically threw the food at me to get me to accept it," he joked. He smiled when his mother just laughed and shook her head.

Chi Chi got Goten set up in his highchair, the baby eating his mashed up food happily while making quite a mess. Meanwhile, Gohan had washed up for dinner and set the table, thankfully without breaking anymore dishes. While they ate dinner, both Chi Chi and Gohan randomly asked questions about each other's day and how it went. It was casual, but their dinnertime hour still had an overwhelming heaviness staring back at them as the empty, wooden chair across the table.

"So, how are you doing?" Chi Chi asked her son, genuinely concerned over how quiet he had become since… "I know I locked up your schoolwork for now, but how is that coming?"

Gohan hesitated. He had been hoping to avoid that topic with his mother for as long as possible. In response, he gave her clipped answers. "It's fine."

But Chi Chi wasn't convinced, her eyes filling with concern. "Gohan, is something bothering you?" she asked.

Mentally, Gohan cursed. He hadn't meant to worry his mother, but she was even the perceptive one. "I'm fine," he lied. "Everything is going well, so you don't have to worry."

He grew incredibly quiet, continuing to eat slowly, and Chi Chi grew even more troubled. She didn't believe a single word her son had just said.

It was another bright and sunny day, and Chi Chi was watching Goten while she sent Gohan outside to enjoy the day. Gohan had been reluctant to leave them alone, but the mother assured their son that they'd be safe for an hour or two while he got some fresh air. Eventually, he left, and Chi Chi was hoping that he was relaxing. He'd been keeping himself cooped up for too long when he used to go outside daily.

Piccolo arrived sometime after Gohan left, surprising Chi Chi. She and the green former demon had never really gotten along, but mainly because she had seen his battle with her husband. He had also kidnapped Gohan when he was just a boy. Still, he seemed to care about Gohan, and her son valued him. She had gotten to see a different side to one of Earth's most feared adversaries during the three years they had been training for the androids. She offered him an invitation to come inside.

Goten clearly remembered having met the Namekian for he went over to him right away and tried to climb up him. This caused Piccolo to chuckle. "That's definitely Goku's kid."

Chi Chi paused in one of her tasks, taken aback at the mention of her husbands name. She managed to play it off by asking, "So, Piccolo, what brings you by today?"

That sobered Piccolo up instantly, his arms crossing over his chest. "Have you noticed anything different about Gohan?"

The fact that someone like Piccolo was asking her this concerned her. If anyone knew her boy, she was loathe to admit that it was the alien sitting in front of her. She had felt like something was up with her son, but she couldn't pinpoint it, and Gohan would just say he was fine. "Do you know something?"

Piccolo wouldn't answer her. Instead, he gave her a cryptic answer. "Watch him."

Chi Chi agreed, promising she would, but she didn't really understand what the former "demon king" was getting at. She had been watching Gohan. She just wish she knew what he was thinking, especially since he wouldn't talk to her about it even when she asked.

What else could she do for him?