A/N: I don't own DBZ

1. Stopped Me from Moving Further from Myself

It had been a rough few months for Son Gohan.

If you were to ask most of his friends, they'd say he's the same reliable and cheery young man young man he's always been.

However.

Pretty much all of them are in-tune with the nuances of Gohan had noticed something off with the boy.

He'd been withdrawn with their group whenever at a gathering. He'd been short tempered as well. He'd snap at friends and family at the smallest provocation but retreats further into himself realizing that he's being unreasonable with them for no reason.

"Sorry for snapping at you, it's not your fault things are like this." He'd apologize.

There were times when Chi-Chi would insist that he'd hit the books for the morning, he'd give in. Now it's important to understand he'd always eventually cave-in at his mother's insistence, but not without trying to compromise or playfully find a way out it.

"Of course, mom." He'd say sullenly.

There were times when Gohan thought she wasn't paying attention; she'd find a gloomy expression fixed upon his face. His ebony orbs set on her (or more her growing baby bump), pain and regret evident within them.

And of course, there were many times when he'd talk in his sleep. Or, more what she surmised as nightmares.

"It's my fault he's gone, I'm so sorry." He'd say as he tossed and turned.

Krillin had come by to visit the Son household this afternoon, though not an entirely uncommon occurrence. But today he'd brought a companion.

Android 18.

Gohan had seen her at the various gatherings the Z-fighters had organized these past few months. He'd been polite to her, as he'd been raised as such.

Unable to sense any ki from her, she'd been difficult for young half-saiyan to get read on. Whenever they locked eyes it always seemed like she had something to say to him.

It might've just been his imagination.

Or he'd maybe snapped at someone and removed himself from the party before she had the chance.

Sitting with Chi-Chi and Krillin, she'd seemed as aloof and standoffish as always. But Chi-Chi was a charmer and had eventually got the blonde to contribute to the conversation (though only in simple, blunt answers, but she'd got her smile more than once).

The group's waiting for the tea kettle to come to boil on the stove. Gohan had decided to excuse himself, telling his very pregnant mother he be practicing his katas for a bit of exercise.

"If you need me to get anything, just call me. I don't want you to strain yourself in your condition, mom." Said Gohan.

"Oh nonsense, dear. I can at the very least pour our guests some tea, I'm still very much capable of that." She responds with a smile, waving her hand at her son. She catches him with the sullen look in his eyes once again before he makes his out the door. "Don't take too long, dear. I'd like you see 18 and Krillin off when they've had their fill of us, OK?"

Gohan takes his leave to perform his katas.

Chi-Chi looks at her son forlornly as he takes his first form. She sighs, going back into hostess mode ready to engage her guests.

"So, he still blames himself, huh Chi-Chi?" Says Krillin, breaking the silence.

"Yeah. I don't know what I can do to pull him out of it. I've tried to everything. Not just me either. Piccolo had as about as much luck me. And everyone else…" Chi-Chi sighs once more, "he just short with. I mean you guys saw the scene he made at Kame House a few weeks ago when Oolong tried to joke with hm. He won the Cell Games, but at what cost? I'm starting to fear I've lost both my loves."

Krillin is lost as Chi-Chi takes her seat. Dealing with a pre-teen mourning his father isn't something he's terribly versed in. Especially when that said pre-teen blames himself for his death.

"Hmph."

18 raises from her chair, getting the attention of other two in the kitchen.

"18?" Asks Krillin nervously.

"With your permission Chi-Chi, I'd like to see if I can get through to him." Her electric blue eyes shimmering with determination.

"18, I don't think now's the time for…"

"Krillin!" 18 interrupts giving him a pointed stare.

Chi-Chi looks between monk and the young lady. She smiles and says, "Krillin, do you trust 18?"

"Yes, she's become a very good friend." He responded.

Chi-Chi nods, "OK, that's all I need to know. 18, say what you need to say to my boy."

18 nods to the Son matriarch, and heads toward the back door to talk to Gohan.

18 was a lot of things, but a cunning linguist wasn't one of them.

"I hear you've been having a rough go of it?"

Subtlety was apparently a faraway art to her as well.

Gohan breaths out, finishing his kata.

"With all due respect Miss 18 what do even you know about me?" Snaps Gohan as he eyeballs 18.

She doesn't even flinch at the flippant pre-teen's outburst.

Before she even registers what's happening, her mind is immediately assaulted with facts and figures regarding of the boy in front of her. She lists them carelessly, in a bored tone as always. She gasps, stopping as she looks a Gohan with mortification evident on her face and her widened eyes.

"I'm sorry, it's…" 18 trails off not sure how to explain herself.

"It's fine, I guess I owe you an apology as well." Replies Gohan rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry for snapping at you, things are just hard without him around."

"Goku…"

He nods his head.

"Krillin tells me a lot about him, you know." She tells him. "Not just the things from Dr. Gero's surveillance and files."

She approaches the boy, dropping to a knee when she's close.

Without warning she takes the boy into a tight hug.

Gohan reluctantly hugs her back.

"Thank you Gohan. Thank you for saving our lives from that monster."

"I, uh, your welcome," he says embarrassed as 18 hadn't let go of him yet.

"I mean it. My brother and I are eternally grateful to you Gohan. I don't know how we'd ever be able to repay you."

"Don't mention it."

She breaks the hug, her hands still on his shoulders. She flashes him on of her rare smiles, "Though I do have a suggestion of how you can pay me back in this moment."

"Sure 18 what can I do?"

The smile remains on her face, but her eyes take on a deadly serious shimmer.

"I need you to stop blaming yourself for your father's death. If anyone's to blame its Cell, hell even heap some of it on Gero!"

"But if I hadn't tried to make him suffer, dad would still be here. My mom would still have a husband and the baby wouldn't have to grow-up without knowing their father!"

"Gohan, you were doing what you thought was right. There was no way you could've known Cell would try take you and the planet with him by blowing himself up when him things didn't go his way."

"But…"

"No," says 18 with finality as she stands up to her full height. "I told you who's to blame, and we both know they got theirs's." She finishes as she lightly punches Gohan's shoulder.

"I," Gohan hesitates, "I guess your right Miss 18. But wait, how did you know I?"

"Please kid, it was kind of obvious to anyone with two eyes and two ears. And there's Krillin of course. He's worried for you almost as much as your mom. Now come on, I bet that tea is about ready by now."

"I'm 11 by the way."

"Hmm?"

"I'm 11, your files indicated I was 10. I spent 1 year outside of space-time in order to train to fight Cell." Says Gohan, cracking wide genuine smile for the first time in a long time.

18's eyes have widened in disbelief, before they narrow in humor, "Are you having me on, kid?"

Later, after 18 and Gohan rejoined Krillin and Chi-Chi, they both witnessed something renewed in the young half-saiyan.

He was joking, smiling; he was his old self again.

Whatever 18 had to say to Gohan had worked.

Before 18 and Krillin left for Kame House, Chi-Chi called 18 in the kitchen. Barely crossing the threshold, she was an assaulted by an iron gripped hug by the Son matriarch.

Breaking the hold, she says, "Thank you for pulling my boy out of that funk." Chi-Chi then gets a playful glint in her eye, "But I do have to ask, based on that hug you gave Gohan should Krillin be worried?"

18 gets wide-eyed at in insinuation the Son matriarch is making, her cheeks burning the brightest of reds. 18 then turns her face away from Chi-Chi, responding "I've no idea what you're talking about."