this chapter was rewritten on the last day of july. enjoy, i feel like this story could be longer, and more detailed, so thats what im doing.
"here it is, a strange bitter crop."
- bitter fruit, nina simone
PART ONE - genetics
Gohan didn't really like fighting, to be honest.
The warm of the sun felt nice on his skin, the sun twinkling through his opened window, the young boy marking the page of his new book. Dumplings and other familiar scents filled the house, his tongue going slack as he thought of his dinner. Everything seemed so much, well, better since he'd gotten back from Namek, especially after seeing what Namekians had to go through on their planet. As he listened closer, he heard the sounds of clanking dishes and the sizzles of frying, excitement and hunger growing in his stomach. Dumplings, he thought with glee as he leaned back in his wooden chair, causing the floorboards to creek. Pencils and papers, covered in math equations and doodles, were sprawled upon his desk, as he looked up at the fluorescent light above. Life finally seemed to be on track, even if he was missing a large component of it, he knew that they would be alright in the end.
His father.
Gohan learned more about his father and his race these past three years, learning of their extinction, his genes, and were he really came from. Saiyans lusted for battle, for blood, but in his mind he was still human, at least in his heart. He raised his hands in front of his face, looking at the scars and creases that littered his tiny palms. He remembered tracing his fingers against his father's palms when he was younger, and now, his hands had mirrored those hands. He had his father's hands now, he'd been through bloodshed, facing against fallen princes and intergalactic dictators. He wasn't exactly a normal child.
In fact, he didn't really feel like a child anymore.
"Gohan!" his mother called, snapping him out of his thoughts. He settled the chair's front legs back on the ground, sprinting into the kitchen. The smells and scents hit him full force now, as his Saiyan hunger began getting the best of him. Gohan took his seat at the table, bowls and chopsticks spread onto the table, Chi Chi taking off her apron and settling the last of the dirty dishes into the sink.
"Whoa! Look at all this food!" he exclaimed, as his mother gave a motherly smile, and began laying out plates of dumplings, breads, and rice onto the table, taking a seat across from him. He started piling food into his bowl, ready to dive into his meal. Chi Chi's plate had a significantly smaller portion, but most of the food on the table was for her Saiyan son in the first place. By the time she finished her plate, he was already on his third bowl, and that wasn't even the beginning of his meal.
"Guess what, Gohan?" Chi Chi asked, Gohan not bothering to look up at her, "Your Grandpa bought us more meat!" Gohan looked up, stars in his eyes as a wide grin grew on his face. Since Goku had left, Chi Chi had been collecting meat and fishing on her own, struggling to keep the household afloat, "And it's coming today!" Gohan's appetite and hunger had lead to most of the food going to him, and the food supply had started to diminish, leading to more simplistic meals. Gohan had noticed that his mother had been growing thinner, but it never came to his mind until now.
"That's great!" Gohan said happily, before shovelling more dumplings into his mouth. Chi Chi didn't exactly like to beg, but if she had to keep her growing son happy, so be it. The meal finally began to wrap up, Gohan patting his stomach and taking his seat in the family room. Chi Chi slid her apron back on and began washing dishes, getting through them rather quickly, her delicate hands scraping food with ease.
Knock, knock, knock.
Heavy, precise knocks shook their red door slightly, as Chi Chi settled the last dish in the rack. She scuttled over to the door, opening it quickly, "May I he-" Chi Chi froze as she saw who stood before her, Gohan turning to see what the problem was. A tiny, muscular woman with cordovan brown skin and dark freckles stood, her dark curly hair wrapped with a bandana. She held the large boxes with ease, as her jaw visibly went slack. The tension in the room grew heavy, as the woman finally spoke in a deep tone.
"Chi?" she said in bewilderment.
"Obre? Is that you?" Chi Chi's body shook slightly as she gripped the door handle, the woman's eyes growing wide the situation finally sunk in. The two stood, staring at each other for what seemed to be forever, before Chi Chi finally spoke, "Would...would you like to come in?" Obre seemed surprised at her kindness, and nodded as she stepped inside, Chi Chi closed the door behind her, before leading her to the kitchen table, "Sit, sit." Gohan felt like a ghost in the room, but stayed in his spot.
"Nine years, huh?" Obre finally said to break the silence, causing Chi Chi to laugh weakly, "I mean...how're ya', Chi? I mean, if I'd knew it'd be you, I would've dressed better or -"
"You know you don't need to do that around me," Chi Chi interrupted, causing the woman to smile widely, "So, you're a butcher now?"
"Yeah," Obre's eyes never met hers, "I mean, I still do martial arts, but this job is fun, y'know? And Peyote ain't payin' for my house." the two women chuckled, as they seemed to be trapped in this bubble of nostalgia, before she finally looked over to see Gohan, "Ya' babysittin', Chi?" Chi Chi laughed even more.
"No, Obre, that's my son, Gohan," Obre's eyes widened and she whistled, causing Gohan's cheeks to flush, "I got married to Goku."
"Well, would ya' look at that, " Obre stared at Gohan, "How ya' doin', Gohan? Me and your mom go way back, ya' know? Back when she used to talk all about-"
"Obre!" Chi Chi sputtered, obviously embarrassed by the subject, causing Obre to howl in laughter. Gohan observed the woman, his eyes tracing the dark sunspots and freckles that mixed with the scars along her biceps. The laughter died down, as the situation seemed to kick in for the two. Whoever this woman was, she was obviously a big part of his mother's younger years, at least from what he could put together.
"Chi, I really, really missed ya'," Obre admitted seriously, "And...I'm sorry for leavin'," her voice lowering, "I mean that." her voice lowered as her eyes glossed over, the two practically jumping over the table to hug each other. Gohan slithered out from his spot, not wanting to disturb the two, his shadow looming in the hallway. The two gave each other genuine smiles, as the two settled into chairs.
"Want some tea?" Chi Chi asked, before Obre nodded.
"Oh, I could really go for some," she removed her bandana from her head, causing dark hair to puff onto her shoulders, "Today I had to track down all these dinosaurs for this stupid..." The voice trailed off as Gohan's eyes widened at her appearance, his eyes finally noticing the tiny features that didn't seem right. The odd skin tone, her fanged teeth, the strange eye color. He knew this woman was off, from the moment she walked into the door.
And the two, prominent horns that stuck out from her forehead.
They were small, sure, but they weren't normal, at least from what he'd seen.
This woman wasn't normal, not one bit.
And he had a feeling she'd be back around before he knew it.
At sixteen, Obregonia already figured out that her life was off track.
And the fact that she was stranded in the middle of the Diablo Desert made it even worse.
Sweat trickled down her forehead, the harsh sun causing her to squint. Obre was used to the conditions, growing up in a similar environment. She only had two items now - her leather bag that was held tightly around her waist, and her pink-tinted glasses. Obre's legs felt like jello, as she'd been walking for what seemed like hours. Sand whipped across her face, the young teen gritting her teeth, relief washing over her as she found a small cave. She rushed into it, before sprawling herself against the hard walls. Obre pulled the bag off of her and settled it onto her lap, almost ripping it open, dumping the contents onto the stone surface next to her. A toothbrush, underwear, and several rolls of rye bread and a bottle of water rolled onto the floor, as sighed in relief once more. The thief had taken her map, sure, but at least she had some way to survive. This could last her a while, she wasn't sure how long, sure, but she wouldn't die off in this humid cave, that was for sure.
Obre felt her muscles relax as her eyes began to close, her body finally shutting down on itself from her long trek.
When her eyes opened, the air was significantly cooler, the sky had turned an inky blue. She stretched and began stuffing her things back into her bag, before taking one last glance into the cave and staring her trek across the desert again, a determined look on her face. Obre wasn't sure exactly
If she had to take this route to get a better life, then so be it.
Okay, now she was starting to eat her words.
Twenty days (or something like that, she'd lost count after fifteen).
Every night she would take off one nibble of the bread and one sip of water, before resting off to sleep. But now, all of her bread was gone, and so was her water, so she'd started chewing on pieces of cactus to get her by (how ironic). Her skin was a darker shade now, her face and hair were caked with dirt, blood and sand. She hadn't had an encounter with the thief anymore, not like it mattered, because she'd broken her glasses and abandoned her bag long ago. Her round face was now slightly sunken, and the circles around her eyes made her akin to a raccoon. Obre had been practically dragging herself through the desert these past couple of days, with the only source of water were the insides of cactuses that still had water left in them.
She trudged through the desert, the deep pit in her stomach growing larger with every step she took. The terrain had began to grow more rocky as she had began walking east (or at least, what she had assumed was east), her surroundings slowly becoming more grassy and verdant. Maybe, just maybe, she would find her way to her destination, dark spots clouding her eyes. Suddenly, Obre stopped.
The sound of a motor.
She sworn she could've heard the sound of a motor.
She lowered herself into fighting position, trying to keep herself as deadly silent as possible, listening to her surroundings. The hot, arid air began to stir, as she bared her fangs and looked around feverishly, before the motor
Thunk!
She was hit by a large, metal object, as she fell face-first into the hot sand, the teen still in a temporary daze. What had just happened? "Whoops," a voice mumbled. She spat sand out as she looked up to see a thin, dark figure standing above her, blocking the sun. An airbike was next to them, the metallic glare hurting her eyes, "Well, well," the figure crooned, "Look what I found." Obre's vision finally adjusted as she recognized those thin cheekbones and solemn expression anywhere, her jaw dropping.
"Grandma Peyote?" she croaked, her voice dry and gravelly from the lack of water, "How-"
"Your dad send me a letter sayin' you left in this direction," the woman said in a booming voice, "Oh, and sorry about hittin' ya', didn't see you there." Obre rolled her eyes as her grandmother picked her up effortlessly and sat her in the tiny seat on the side of her bike, Obre's eyes widened as the situation sunk in.
"Don't ya' dare take me back there," she barked at her grandmother, who just remained silent and started up the airbike, "Please." her voice turned into a whimper as the bike began rising into the air. She saw the older woman's back tense.
"Wasn't planning to." she grumbled as they began to take off, the surroundings becoming smaller and smaller as Obre looked down, as her head began to spin.
"How long?"
"You've been missing for four mon-" a retching noise was heard as Obre's head was buried in her seat, causing Peyote to swerve the bike in surprise, as she heard her granddaughter's head thunk against the side of the seat, the girl releasing a tiny ow."Oh, come on! I just bought this!"
"this is the world you made yourself, now you have to live in it" - nina simone
writing this story over seemed like the better choice, as i wanted it to make more sense. i'll be rewriting the rest in later time, but for now, enjoy this.