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"Gohan...?" Something prodded Gohan's side, sparking an unexcited growl from the sleeping adolescent. He flipped on his other side, not enjoying the touch, however cautious it was. He didn't like having anyone touch him.

"Gohan," the soft and wary voice tried again with another poke. "Mommy says it's time for breakfast."

"She can bring the food to me," Gohan mumbled sleepily.

"But Mommy said you had to get out of bed now or she'll bring out the frying pan," Goten protested.

At that, Gohan's eyes shot open. It seemed no matter how roughly he trained, he couldn't face a frying pan blow without a massive headache. One day he'd rise up towards his sworn enemy (The Frying Pan of Doom), but until then, orders were orders.

"Don't! Touch me. Again," Gohan snapped at his brother when he sat upright. Goten's poking finger recoiled.

Worrying about his hygiene after the most important meal of the day, Gohan descended the stairs with Goten in tow. The two arrived in the kitchen where their mother was already setting food on their plates. She looked up and beamed at her sons. Whereas Gohan's sleepy eyes remained, Goten returned the sunshine.

Gohan took his seat far from his mother and brother's usual seats. He preferred to eat in peace. Family interaction drove him nuts, after all. He looked down and saw his mother had already dropped a pile of steaming pancakes on his plate, so he chowed down relentlessly, almost forgetting silverware. The aroma of his mother's cooking could do that to him, especially with a Saiyan's heightened sense of smell.

The only sounds for the next ten minutes were the chomping of Saiyans' meal times. Chi-Chi darted to and fro as she tried to juggle the dishes and feeding demi-Saiyans all at once, looking rather pitiful. Admittedly Gohan felt bad that she had to cook feasts for only two family members, but there was nothing he could do. Go on a diet? Right.

When the saucers were cleaned off, Gohan pushed out of his chair and was about to leave when a hand held his shoulder. He resisted a growl. He wasn't fond of his mother's touch, but he knew better than to disrespect her.

"You sit down a minute. I need to talk to you," she told him.

Gohan didn't think he could stand another lecture about his darkened attitude. To him, it was the new Gohan. Reluctantly, he returned to his seat. He knew fighting her wouldn't get him out of it anyway.

Chi-Chi's face had turned sullen as she began. "I've done a lot of thinking, Gohan."

Gohan arched an eyebrow at her opening statement. This didn't seemed to be the usual talk. Also taking this into notice, Goten stayed glued to his seat and listened.

Chi-Chi sighed and rapped her fingers on the kitchen table as she contemplated how to say it. Gohan's eyebrow floated higher, thrown off by this out-of-the-ordinary behavior. Usually his mother was a woman of confidence.

"Son Gohan, I have enrolled you for high school."

Silence.

Eerie, suspenseful silence. Chi-Chi and Goten watched for Gohan's reaction with scared anticipation, wishing desperately that he'd put an end to the silence. Instead, the teenage boy's face gave away nothing as it stared straight ahead. Mrs. Son suddenly felt obligated to chew her nails out of habit.

Time seemed to freeze for Gohan as he processed each word. It wasn't an appealing idea in the slightest. He wasn't worried about the common factors, not at all. He was not intimidated by any kind of bully. He knew he could take them all on with a fragment of his strength. Nor were grades an issue, since he had long since mastered high school courses at home. No. What concerned him, was how he could keep his powers under wrap in such an irritating environment.

He could draw attention with the accidentally inhuman toss of a baseball, or knock into a student in the halls and give them a concussion, all of which drew a conclusion. Gohan was both a danger and an eye-catcher to the people. With everything about him being so out of the norm, how could he keep a low profile? Escaping curious eyes was so much easier said than done.

"Very funny," Gohan muttered at last.

"I'm not joking."

A bang shook the house as the table was flipped on its side and thrown into the wall. The wall broke into cracks under the force. Gohan jumped to his feet, fists balled at his sides as he stared his mother down.

His mother released a breath she was unaware she'd been holding and tried to look stern with her hands to her hips. She would not let her son's antics intimidate her out of her final decision. Goten swallowed audibly and could only watch the exchange.

"Are you insane?" Gohan hissed in a low voice.

"This is completely logical. Listen to me, Gohan."

"No."

"Gohan, listen to me," Mrs. Son demanded.

Gohan growled and looked away. He only pondered for a minute before fully facing her again. "Fine. Explain."

Chi-Chi took an intake of breath. "I'll be short. You need to make friends-"

"I have friends!" Gohan flared.

His mother's eyes narrowed and she pressed on as if she hadn't heard him. "-friends your age. Not aliens and martial arts masters years above you."

"Ever heard of leaving well enough alone?"

"Gohan," she warned. Gohan's mouth clamped shut. "Plus, a high school diploma is more acceptable if you want to attend a good college. Now for the other reason, well, you might not want to hear it."

"Spit it out," Gohan commanded.

Chi-Chi clasped her hands together and leaned her head on them while batting her eye lashes. "Grandchildren!!!"

Gohan introduced his palm to his face. Chi-Chi frowned. 'I won't have a next generation if he keeps that attitude up.'

"I don't have a choice, do I?" His mom shook her head. The eldest demi-Saiyan sighed. "I'll be in my room." With that he turned on his heel and exited the kitchen.

Goten watched his older brother go. He had been watching with wide eyes the whole time. He glanced at the table, luckily still in good condition, and then turned to his mother. "Was Gohan always so scary?" he asked.

Chi-Chi looked at from which Gohan came and then back at her youngest son. She sighed.

"No," she said. "He wasn't."