Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Z. Period, dot, end of statement.


Chapter 8: Realizations

"Say 'hello' to your nephew, Raditz." Gohan's eyes got very wide when Bardock named the person who walked in the door. His face was less lined and his eyes less cruel, but it was Raditz. The hair was unmistakable.

Raditz looked at Gohan again, confusion painted over his features. "Nephew?" he asked perplexedly. "Do I have another brother that I don't know about?"

The demi-Saiyan gulped, reminding himself that he was not four-and-a-half years old anymore. He had been distracted enough when Raditz had appeared back in Tarek's office to really register his uncle's presence, but he was certainly not distracted now. Though he had seen many horrible things that had all but banished the memories of being kidnapped by his uncle, he could still remember sounds and feelings. His father's screams of pain echoed in his mind and he shivered unconsciously.

"Kid? Gohan?"

Gohan blinked, coming out of his daze to find Bardock tapping him on the head and batted at his grandfather's hand indignantly. "Hey! Cut that out!" Bardock shrugged unapologetically.

"You were somewhere else," the man replied. "What's wrong with you?"

"It was nothing," Gohan said shortly, hoping that Bardock would take the hint and leave it alone.

Bardock ignored the warning. Gohan had frozen up the instant he realized that it was Raditz who had walked through the door and the man wanted to know why. "I need to know more than what Commander Tarek told me," he ordered. "I can't help if I don't know anything about you."

Gohan winced as the truthfulness of this statement hit home. It would definitely be easier if Bardock knew more than Gohan was his future Super Saiyan grandson, but he really did not want to tell the story a second time in one day. Half of his life was one big nightmare and the other half was only slightly better. The hybrid was not sure that he wanted his uncle knowing at this point either; Raditz looked to be a teenager and despite living in a very rural area, Gohan knew that people in that age group were prone to gossip. He did not want his origins to be common knowledge and was afraid that Raditz would fall to temptation.

Bardock noticed him looking at Raditz. "Raditz won't tell anyone, kid," the Saiyan said hastily. "He has a good head on his shoulders for being as young as he is. And besides, you don't have to tell us all the gory details," he added. "Just give us the basics."

"Fine," Gohan growled, irritated. "When I was four, Raditz came to Earth, kidnapped me, and killed my dad. When I was five, Vegeta and Nappa came to Earth and killed everyone but Dad, Krillin, and me. Six, my dad defeated Frieza and then disappeared. Seven, Dad came back and we trained for three years plus another year in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Eleven, Dad died again and I killed Cell, Frieza, and hundreds of his soldiers. Any questions?" he snapped. When Bardock and Raditz did not speak, he got up and went outside the house, angry that he had been forced to talk about his life again.

The father and son stared at the open door in shock, though whether it was caused by Gohan's words or by his actions was hard to tell. Gohan had seemed very mild mannered, though a more fitting Saiyan attitude had reared its head once or twice. His storming out of the house was unexpected.

"What the hell is going on, Father?" Raditz demanded once he had regained his voice. "I haven't killed anyone, let alone the kid's father!"

Bardock sighed, running a hand over his face. He knew it was a mistake to ask about Gohan's past, but he had pushed back his curiosity too long. Patience had never been one of his virtues if it did not involve fighting. "Gohan is apparently Kakarotto's child from the future. He was the blond-haired kid."

Raditz's eyes widened to comical proportions. "How did he do that?" he spluttered. "Even King Vegeta is no match for Frieza!"

"He's a Super Saiyan," the elder man replied. "I don't know how the hell he could have that much power at his age, but he did it somehow." His eyes were thoughtful as he remembered the first portion of Gohan's diatribe. "I guess being kidnapped by the Raditz of his time left a pretty strong impression if it carried over seven years. You saw how he reacted when you walked in, right?"

The teenager nodded, shaking off the shock once more. Despite what most people thought, his father was a rational man. If Bardock believed Gohan, then Raditz would believe him as well. "Should we go after him?" he asked, a little concerned.

Bardock shook his head immediately. "He's only just outside the house. We'll give him his space." The man gave a small smirk. "After all, I'm sure that he can take care of himself."

***

Gohan loved being outside. It might have been something that had carried over from training with Piccolo, or perhaps it stemmed from being cooped up in his room from the time he was two years old. Whatever the case, being outdoors was his escape. It was a place where he would not be bothered if he did not want to be. It was a place where he could calm down when he was angry. It was a place where he could think.

This was really the first time that events had slowed down enough for the hybrid to stop and think about all that had happened in the last two, almost three days. He killed Cell for killing his father (and threatening the rest of the earth, but killing his father was definitely on the top of the list). He was transported to another planet in another time, a planet that had been destroyed thirty years before he was born. He killed Frieza, Zarbon, Dodoria, and several hundred nameless soldiers just this morning before meeting his grandfather for the first time. He was faced with the prospect of being stuck in this timeline for a very long time while he trained his father to become a Super Saiyan. And on top of that, Bardock had forced him to recount his life's story a second time even though it should have been obvious that he was reluctant to talk about it.

The confusing jumble of feelings rose up in Gohan's chest and he screamed, dropping the restraints on his power and letting it race past the dam that kept it blocked. He flickered into Super Saiyan with ease as his aura whipped around him violently. Feeding on his pain and anger, he broke through the barrier to the second level again. Electricity began to travel up and down his body as the ground began to shake with the force of his power. He fell to his hands and knees, breathing heavily as he tried to keep the tears at bay, not noticing the figure that watched him from the doorway to the house.

Bardock had been taken by surprise when the ground started shaking and, despite the lingering aches and pains from the earlier spar, rushed to the front door to see what was going on. At first he had no idea what was going on; the ground shaking only happened when an Oozaru was close. He had quickly realized that it was Gohan who was propagating the sudden earthquake and stood still in awe. It was amazing how much power the boy actually had.

It was over as suddenly as it began. Gohan dropped to the ground, a choking sound wrenching itself from his throat and Bardock suddenly realized that despite the protests that he was not a child, Gohan was only eleven years old. His father had just died and he had been thrown into another time where he expected to stay until Kakarotto became a Super Saiyan himself. It was only natural that he was on the verge of a breakdown.

The boy abandoned the futile effort to keep from crying and let the tears fall. After wrestling with himself for a brief moment, Bardock approached him and placed a hand on his back, ignoring the sting from the tiny bolts of lightning. Gohan stiffened slightly, but then relaxed when he realized who it was. He looked up at his grandfather, green eyes swimming with tears. "Why?" he whispered desperately. Bardock knew he was not asking why he had come out there. He was asking why his life had been so messed up. He was asking why everything that had happened had to happen to him.

Bardock had no answer. The only thing he could offer was a shoulder to cry on. And so he did. He picked the boy up, cradling him against his shoulder as he walked back inside and let him cry himself to sleep. It was the least he could do after driving the boy into this state in the first place.

***

Gohan opened his eyes blearily, growling as sunlight hit them harshly. Deciding that he would not be able to go back to sleep he sat up slowly, throwing the covers off as he did so. Then he blinked. How had he gotten into bed? The last thing he remembered was storming outside after giving a very short description of his life. Everything else was a blank, up until… He groaned loudly. Though he could not remember what had happened right after going outside, what he next remembered was quite clear. He had let his emotions get the best of him yet again and cried all over his grandfather. Great. Bardock was really going to be angry now. Vegeta hated tears and said that they were a sign of weakness. Who was to say that Bardock would not be the same?

The object of Gohan's thoughts walked into the bedroom at that moment. "I take it you're feeling better now?" Bardock remarked as he raided the closet in search of something. Gohan's cheeks reddened as he looked down at his hands.

"Sorry," the boy mumbled. "I didn't mean to yell at you, or to cry all over you." He blushed even harder, mortified at having to say the words out loud. A hand rested on his head and he looked up at Bardock through lowered lashes. His grandfather looked down at him, a hint of what could be termed a smile on his lips.

"Don't worry about it, kid. I understand why you did it," Bardock replied. "I shouldn't have pushed you about it in the first place. Now, let's go get something to eat."

Gohan's face split into a grin. "Okay!" he said excitedly, bouncing out of bed and into the living room. Bardock shook his head ruefully, marveling at the energy of youth.

"Where's Raditz?" Gohan queried halfway through their meal. Bardock glanced across the table at him.

"He's already at the palace," the man replied. "He had to leave early for some reason or another."

Bardock's scouter began beeping loudly. Its owner groaned and went to get it. Putting it on, he said, "This is Bardock."

"Bardock, the king has returned," Tarek's voice said. "He wants to see Gohan. Now. Have him meet me in my office so I can take him where he needs to go. Tarek out." Bardock slowly took the machine away from his head and turned to look at Gohan, who looked quite serious for someone who had been stuffing his face two seconds beforehand.

"It seems you're being summoned," the Saiyan remarked lightly. "Do you want me to come with you?" Gohan shook his head.

"Tarek isn't very strong, but I can feel him," the hybrid demurred. "It shouldn't be too hard to find the palace. I'll be fine." He quickly finished the last portion of his meal before running into the bedroom, not noticing Bardock mouth the words "not very strong". Tarek was one of the most powerful Saiyans alive before Gohan showed up. Gohan came out a few minutes later dressed in the armor Bardock had given him the day before and went to the door. "Bye!" he said, then went outside and took off.

Bardock stared after him, then shut the door and sat back down at the table, though his mind was not on breakfast. Why did he have a bad feeling about this?


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