Chapter 8. Silent Complications.
"Alright." Stirania said as she studied the couple. "Gohan took a couple of dance classes with me. So I think it's best to let you two dance and see how you look together."
Since it was Sianna's first party, Vegeta insisted that Gohan and Sianna practiced their dancing before they went. Stirania accompanied Vegeta to these types of functions all the time so she didn't complain when he asked her to teach Gohan and Sianna to dance together.
"Okay." Stirania smiled at the two. "Take your position."
Gohan and Sianna crossed gazes for a moment and suddenly Gohan regretted forcing her into this. Sianna hesitated. "I don't really know what to do." She whispered.
Gohan stepped forwards and took her hands. He placed one of her hands on his shoulder and held the other one. After a moment of hesitation he placed his hand on her waist. Lightly.
"Good." Stirania smiled. "Now. Gohan. You should lead so Sianna you can just let him sweep you away."
"But. What if I want to lead?" Sianna asked, looking over at Stirania.
"You're a girl. You don't lead a dance." Stirania responded.
"That's bullshit." Sianna complained.
Gohan turned to Sianna. "You don't know the dance so it's better if I lead for now."
"Yeah right. I've seen you dance. You're horrible. I don't want you to lead us off the ship."
Vegeta snickered. "You two," he stated, earning their attention, "are really the perfect couple. I've never seen people bicker so much while the sexual tension sparks around them."
Gohan and Sianna stepped away from each other. "You know what," Gohan stated. "I changed my mind. I'll go alone."
Sianna nodded. "That's probably a good idea."
"No. No." Vegeta shook his head as he got up. "I like what you two have going on here. It's good for society to see that my assistant is young and desirable."
"Desirable?" Gohan repeated, raising both his eyebrows.
Vegeta ignored his exclamation. "You two have a good influence on each other. It's easy to see. I want you two to go to the ball together."
"Lord Vegeta…" Gohan tried. "Honestly. People won't mind if I go alone. I always go alone…"
"Yes, it's become a nasty habit. I don't want them to think you're a loner." Vegeta shook his head. "Continue your lesson." The man sat down on his chair again.
"Sir…" Sianna started.
"Lord…" Gohan went to talk at the same time.
"I said continue!" Vegeta snarled at them. Gohan and Sianna looked back at each other and stepped closer to each other. They assumed the position again.
"Let's just… Get through this." Gohan whispered to her. Sianna nodded slowly.
The two grabbed each other's hands. Gohan bit his lip as he felt how the skin on his hand started to tingle at her touch. Ever since they first slept together, Sianna and Gohan hoped they would be able to easily keep their affair a secret but it was harder than they expected it to be.
Their mistakes were the small things. The brief looks they gave each other whenever they saw each other, the gentle touch of their flesh whenever one handed something over to the other or the blushes when they obviously thought about the same sensitive events that happened between them.
Gohan may have been busy these last few days but whenever he had a moment off, he would call to Sianna and find out if she was busy. She often wasn't busy enough to pass up the chance of having a … private moment with the half-saiyan so she came over every time.
The only problem here was that despite their currently strong relationship, Gohan still couldn't dance…
"Oh, this is horrible." Stirania shook her head. "Vegeta. Why don't you dance with Sianna for a moment and show them how it's done? That way Sianna can feel what it's like to follow the lead of someone who knows how to dance."
Gohan sent Stirania a glare but he didn't complain. Sianna made a horrified face at the idea of having to dance with Vegeta.
The saiyan prince shook his head. "I'm not going to dance with a slave."
"Yes, you are."
"No. I'm not."
"Do as I say, Vegeta, or else." Stirania ordered strictly.
Vegeta looked at his concubine, sending her a glare that made even Gohan shiver. "Or else what?" He asked quietly.
"You'll have a very good relationship with your hand tonight." Stirania sent Vegeta a defiant glance. The saiyan prince gave her a shocked expression but then he let out a scoff and moved to Sianna. Gohan sent the other slave a quick grin as he stepped away.
As they watched Sianna and Vegeta dance, Stirania moved closer. "Don't look too smug, kiddo, or I'll make him dance with you so you can try to lead someone who can actually dance."
Gohan made a face at her. "You wouldn't be that evil." He stated.
Stirania showed a sweet smile as she nodded to the floor where Vegeta and Sianna were awkwardly dancing. "Just ask your master." She stated.
After several hours of dancing, Stirania finally dismissed the two teenagers. Gohan quickly went to his room. He had about two hours until he had to report to Comora for a training session with the rest of the Suta Team and since he had been awake for about thirty hours, he was eager to take a nap.
The half-saiyan headed into his room and looked around in surprise when he noticed the sweet smell in the room. Solarus was standing in the kitchen area of the room and she was obviously baking something. Gohan followed his nose to the kitchen area and looked at the chocolates on the counter.
"Did you make these?" He asked curiously.
Solarus smiled a bright smile at him and nodded. "Yes I did. Don't they smell delicious?"
"That they do." Gohan looked up at his roommate. "Are you feeling better than last night?" He asked as he studied her. As he was heading out to a meeting with Vegeta the other night, Gohan noticed that Solarus returned from her shift in the pleasure quarters in a sad mood but Gohan didn't have any time to ask her about it at the time.
Solarus thought about this question for a moment. "You noticed that huh?"
"I notice everything." Gohan grinned at her as he reached over and grabbed a chocolate.
The young slave returned his smile and she leaned on the counter with her hands. "I just had a rough day." She explained.
"Did something happen?" Gohan asked before taking a second bite from the chocolate. It was delicious. He would definitely appreciate it if she made these sweets more often.
Solarus hesitated as she lowered her gaze. "Ehh.. It's stupid." She muttered.
"It's not if it upset you. Tell me."
"There was a soldier who made a scene." Solarus said as she fiddled with her black dress. "He wanted to take me into one of the rooms and he ignored me when I said I was only a babysitter and not a prostitute. He said I looked like one so I should act like one." Solarus blew out a sigh. "It's not a big deal." She added quickly when she noticed Gohan's expression.
"Who was it?" Gohan asked before putting the last bit of chocolate in his mouth.
"I'm fine. Sometimes soldiers get carried away. He probably had a bad day."
"Well, then that was nothing compared to what today is going to be." Gohan responded briefly before putting down his notepad and sliding it towards her. "Number and squad team. You know them so put them down." Solarus hesitated as she studied the small contraption. Gohan made a disapproving click with his tongue. "Solarus, you are my friend but you are also my personal servant." He explained. "If I let even one soldier look at you improperly you won't be able to walk around safely anymore. Number and squad team. I'll go easy on him."
Solarus nodded once before using her finger to write the information on the touch screen. She knew he was right. The sole reason she could walk around freely in the ship without fearing being assaulted by the average soldier was that Gohan's mark was on her. She was known as his personal concubine. Gohan didn't like it but he knew that it would keep her safe. Throughout the past two years, Gohan corrected a handful of soldiers after he noticed they treated Solarus badly and that was all that was needed to create the reputation and the elevated status of Solarus. Nobody would dare to cross the allegedly second strongest Saiyan in the universe.
Gohan allowed the universe to think that Vegeta was actually stronger than him. It set the minds of everyone involved at ease. If they knew that Gohan was stronger, they would fear that the young warrior would try to overthrow the man. Despite Vegeta's reputation for being intelligent and civilized, there were still stubborn rumours going around the universe about the Saiyans' tendency to fight each other for power. No matter how strong the bond between the two Saiyans in question.
"Thank you." Gohan stated as he pulled back the notebook. He would take care of that later today. Solarus was staring at the counter and showed an uncomfortable expression. Gohan got up and walked around the counter. "Do you want a hug?" He offered as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
Solarus looked up at him and automatically showed that her eyes were a little more watery than usual. "I thought you didn't like hugs."
Gohan shrugged. "Not necessarily. But I do know that they can comfort people and you look like you need comfort."
Solarus showed a small smile as she threw her arms around the half-saiyan. Gohan locked his strong arms around her shoulders, which, unbeknownst to him, made her feel safe and secure. Solarus rested her forehead on his shoulder. "You're too sweet to be a soldier, you know?"
Gohan smiled. "People keep saying that." He responded. "Meanwhile I wipe out entire civilizations in one day." He couldn't help but sound tired as he said this. Thinking about that aspect of his occupation filled his mind with sorrow and pain.
Solarus pulled back just enough to look at his face but she kept his arms locked around his torso. "It's in order to protect your planet. Don't forget that, Gohan. You do what you have to do in order to protect the planet you love." She placed a hand on his cheek and gently made him face her. "You're not like them, Gohan. Please keep that in mind. You're not like Vegeta. You care about people. You improved the lives of the slaves in this company in so many different ways. You're one of the good guys."
The half-saiyan's gaze softened as he studied the young woman. "Hey," He said as he mock-frowned, "I thought I was comforting you here. Why is it suddenly the other way around?"
Solarus grinned at him. "It's a two way street, kiddo." She stated cheerfully before pressing a kiss on his cheek. Gohan was somewhat caught off-guard and he could feel the annoying blushes rising on his cheek. Solarus didn't seem to notice as she went back to finishing up her baking. Gohan scratched his head before grabbing a second chocolate.
"I'm heading off to a training soon." Gohan stated as he looked at his watch. "Let's try to meet up and watch a movie later."
"Yes! It will be fun." Solarus responded as she grabbed a dirty bowl. "I'll look into the new movies on the intergalactic web."
"Good. Later today." Gohan stated as he nodded to his friend. "I'll see you then." The half-saiyan was already heading for the door when Solarus replied a 'see you later'. Gohan didn't even bother taking off his clothes before he let his body fall on the bed. The half-saiyan's mind went back to Solarus kissing him on the cheek. He felt a warm sensation in his lower belly and he shook his head to clear his mind.
"Stop being an idiot." He whispered to himself before turning on his side and closing his eyes. He needed to nap right now if he wanted to get through the upcoming training session in one piece.
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"Ten minutes late." Comora stated as Gohan stepped in the simulation room.
"I'm sorry." Gohan responded quickly. "I overslept." He was still wearing the same uniform he slept in. When he woke up ten minutes ago he only had time to tie up his hair and race to the training room
Comora tssk't before turning to the rest of the team. They were already done warming up and now gathered for a briefing. Comora tended to tell them exactly what they were going to do during the training. "Alright. Now that we're all here." Comora stated as he looked to his comrades. "We have a mission coming up soon. Planet Kio is a planet that is near the northern quatrain. I'll give you a full briefing about this mission soon but I figured we might as well start training for it today. These warriors are not very different from what we've seen before."
Gohan was quickly stretching his muscles while Comora was speaking. "Our scouts say they have a strong vigilance team and many different fighters. There is a type of official army recruiting that requires all youngsters to enlist for about three years when they reach their twentieth year. This means all the civilians above twenty-three know at least something about warfare. Aside from that their technology is advanced. The strong vigilance team I was talking about is specialized in operating large robots. These tend to be used to help with carrying heavy objects on a building site but they can also be used in battle…"
The half-saiyan couldn't see the problem of these combat robots. As long as they could attack them with their energy-attacks… Comora placed his hands on his hips. "I know what you're all thinking, what's the problem here? I'll tell you; these robots are created from abulo material, which, as you know, is material that can absorb energy and neutralize it."
Gohan made a face as he got up .That would be a problem. Comora noticed the expressions on the faces of his comrades. "It's a speed bump in the road." He stated casually. "It only means we cannot blast them on sight. We have to fight them head-on. Therefore I want to practice on our teamwork. If we take these robots on in pairs, we'll easily knock them down. Every robot is accessed through a door on the heel. If we managed to get to that door, beat into it until we can open it and then send a blast through the person operating it and the control panel, they're done for. That's what we're going to practice on."
"How?" Kaon asked curiously. Gohan was wondering the same thing.
"Why do you think we met in the simulator?" Comora showed the remote before pointing it to the ceiling. The room turned dark for a moment before they were suddenly in an open field. The sky was a soft pink colour. The lavender grass rustled gently under their feet. But the warriors were not looking at the nature around them. No their gazes were focused on a large towering robot.
The machine did not give them much time to study it as it sent a bright blue beam in their direction. As one, the group jumped up in the air to avoid the beam. Gohan watched as it destroyed the earth beneath them, watching how an obvious crater was left on the ground. He marvelled at the realness of the simulation before having to turn his attention to the robot again.
"Alright. Tobney, Gohan and Kaon. Team up and see what will be the best way to defeat it." Comora called at them.
The three warriors nodded. Gohan powered up to his super saiyan level in order to stand a better chance against this fighting machine but before he could even reach the proper level the robot suddenly turned right to him and sent three different beams at him. Gohan quickly crossed his arms in front of him as a shield and almost immediately he could feel the heat of the beams tearing at his uniform. The half-saiyan was pushed backwards until his back bumped into a solid wall. He powered up even more and managed to push against this energy and deflect the beam. The blast was thrown sideways and landed on the ground once more. Gohan looked behind him only to see sky. The young warrior reached out and his fingers touched a solid wall. It must be the end of the room. That was strange as he could not see the wall but he knew it was there.
"Right." Comora stated as he flew up higher. "The combat robots are made to detect and destroy the largest threat. You powered up just now and made your level higher than the others. That's why it singled you out." He explained.
Gohan frowned as he rubbed over his burned arm with his hand. "You couldn't have mentioned that earlier?"
Comora shrugged. "We're practicing. Trial and error will allow you to learn faster than if I just hand you all the answers. So how do we avoid being singled out?"
Kaon raised an eyebrow. "Power up together?" He said in a voice that showed he considered this a stupid question.
"Try it." Comora stated as he motioned to the robot. Gohan suddenly realized the robot hadn't moved while they were speaking but now that Comora pointed at it the robot started moving again.
All powering up equally at the same time turned out to be more difficult than they expected. The first time they tried to power up together the robot noticed a slight difference in Tobney's power level and blasted the young warrior. During the second attempt Gohan and Tobney were powering up faster than Kaon and the robot decided to blast Kaon.
"This time the robot singled Kaon out because he was the odd one out. You all need to power up at the exact same pace." Comora explained as he flew closer to them.
"So I got screwed because those two were powering up too fast?" Kaon complained as he frowned at the two youngsters.
"Maybe you were powering up too slow!" Tobney responded as he flew closer as well.
"And now you're arguing. That will definitely help you defeat the robot." Comora stated meekly.
Gohan watched as Tobney and Kaon sent annoyed glances at each other before both turning to the robot again. Only after the seventh try did they manage to power up equally at the same time.
The three warriors noticed how the robot continued to point its beam-gun at every one of them but the robot didn't fire. It was not sure which person to target.
"Remember." Comora called as he looked up at them. "Your actions have to be in sync."
That was easier said than done. The warriors were now at an even level and they powered up at the same time. However, they were used to making their own decisions when fighting an opponent. They were not used to actually using the sign language they were taught when they first entered the Suta Team. The three warriors often misread each other's signs or gave out wrong signals. Comora allowed them to struggle for about two hours before he called them down.
"Itoro, Suno and I will make an attempt now. Meanwhile, you guys can reiterate the sign system I taught you." Comora stated as he gave them all a stern glance.
Gohan watched as the three warriors started with the difficult challenge of powering up equally at the same time. It wasn't long before Suno powered up too quickly and was rewarded with a blast in the face from the combat robot. Gohan smiled when Tobney handed him a bottle of water. The half-saiyan sipped from the water as he looked up at the three warriors again.
"They're having trouble with it too." Tobney muttered quietly. "It's not that easy."
"I know." Gohan responded. The young warrior turned to his friend. "Still, we need to practice more. If we go up against a monster like that we'll be wiped out."
"That's why we are sent to that planet." Tobney responded easily. "It's not an easy mission." He shrugged when he noticed Gohan's worried expression. "We still have a couple of weeks to practice. No worries."
"I hope you're right." Gohan muttered more to himself than to Tobney. The two warriors watched as Itoro was knocked to the ground by the robot. Gohan realized that they would have to do a lot of practicing before they could head out on the mission.
After several hours of training an exhausted Gohan and an even more exhausted Tobney headed to their room. Solarus smiled when she saw the two warriors. "Tough training?" She asked.
"Don't ask." Tobney muttered as he headed to his room.
Solarus looked to Gohan and the half-saiyan only shrugged in response. "It was difficult." He said by way of explanation. The young warrior grabbed a cookie from the plate.
The female slave approached him as a smile appeared on her face. "You always come back exhausted from these trainings. Maybe you should take it easier once in a while."
"Tell that to Comora." Gohan responded easily before taking another bite from his cookie. Solarus was unclasping the bands of his armour and she now pulled the armour down a bit so she could reach his shoulder blades easier. Placing her slender fingers against his shoulders, she gently pressed down here and there to find any disturbances or knots in his muscles.
Gohan couldn't help but let out an approving groan when Solarus gently started massaging a particularly painful area between his shoulder blades. The half-saiyan closed his eyes for a moment until he could feel his head falling forwards and he quickly opened his eyes and stood straight. Did he just almost fall asleep? The young warrior didn't even realize what happened. He just got really foggy in his mind and suddenly his head was falling forwards.
Solarus smiled as she watched Gohan almost fall asleep. She could feel his muscles relaxing for a split second before he started awake again. "Tired?" She asked in an amused voice. Her hands pulled away from his uniform and she walked around the kitchen island so she could face the young warrior.
"A bit." Gohan blew out a sigh. "I'll take a shower and then we'll watch a movie together. Sound good?"
Solarus nodded once. "Sure. Shall I ask Tobney to join us?" She suggested as he motioned to Tobney's doorway.
"Couldn't hurt to ask." Gohan responded as he nodded as well. "I'll be back in a flash."
The three friends decided to watch a scary movie together, despite Solarus's hesitant arguments. Tobney actually voted to watch the movie that was featured in this year's top ten list of scariest movies. Solarus' white face when she realized the scary movie was about ghosts was already enough for the two boys to outvote her in choosing the movie.
"Why are we watching this movie again?" Solarus whispered as they watched a female protagonist wander through a deserted house. A door slowly creaked open behind her and a shadow flew past the protagonist, earning a scream from the actress. Solarus shrunk behind her pillow.
Gohan snickered. "You're such a scaredy-cat." He teased as she leaned against him for protection. The half-saiyan moved up his arm and placed it around her shoulders so he could pull her closer.
"This is the scariest movie in the entire universe. Excuse me for being frightened." Solarus complained from behind her pillow.
"It's sad that nothing frightens me anymore." Tobney responded as he watched the protagonist walk into a room and find the corpse of her best friend hanging from the ceiling.
"I know right." Gohan stated in response. "I've seen and done worse in my line of work."
"Then why are we watching this again?" Solarus questioned as she appeared from behind her pillow. "You voted for this, remember?"
"There's no movie more entertaining than watching you cower behind your pillow." Gohan responded sweetly.
Tobney laughed. "I agree." He stated as he glanced sideways.
"You two are evil." Solarus muttered from behind her pillow. "Pure evil."
Gohan couldn't help but smile contently as he turned his gaze back to the screen. With all the fighting, bloodshed, secrets and humiliation he experienced during his daily life, Gohan was happy to be able to have such a comfortable evening with his close friends.
These brief but happy moments were especially important to Gohan when he was having a bad day. This was happening right now. Okay, granted, trainings with Vegeta were not that bad these days. That was mainly because Gohan was stronger than Vegeta and easily gained the upper hand. However, this was also the main reason for why the training sessions were not always fun.
Vegeta was not fond of the idea that Gohan was stronger than him. Several years ago the two saiyan warriors made a deal. It basically entailed that Gohan had to help Vegeta transform to a super saiyan two. They had been having rough training sessions almost every fifty hours in order to reach this goal. The problem was that Vegeta was still not quite there.
"Why can I not reach it?" Vegeta snarled as he threw a punch at the half-saiyan. Gohan avoided it easily but he did not launch a counter attack. Vegeta wasn't really thinking straight right now. The man was getting angry and an angry opponent was not a proper opponent. Gohan didn't like winning an unfair match.
Gohan was in the second super saiyan level right now. His teal eyes were studying his master as Vegeta threw another punch, and another, all carefully avoided by the younger warrior.
Suddenly Vegeta's eyes narrowed dangerously. "And why are you not teaching me properly?" He snarled at the half-saiyan.
Gohan widened his eyes for a moment. "I'm trying, Vegeta. You know I am. I just don't know how to help you."
"You know why you transformed." Vegeta responded angrily. The man's punches were now coming at a rapid speed. Gohan could still easily avoid them but he needed to focus on them. He noticed Vegeta was slowly powering up and he tried to power up a bit as well. He might as well keep the strength gap nice and big.
"You know why you transformed the first time." Gohan responded in a serious but calm voice. "Try to remember that feeling. The sensation that you have got something to prove to not only me but to the rest of the universe."
Vegeta paused and noticed how Gohan relaxed when the punches stopped coming. "You should apply for the official shrink position." He stated lightly.
Gohan could only show a faint smile. "If it pays better than this job; sign me in." He joked in response.
Vegeta chuckled before he turned serious again. "Alright. Focus on the stupid emotions." He muttered as he closed his eyes.
Gohan smiled once more in response to this statement but he kept silent. He knew better than to interrupt Vegeta when he was meditating.
The young warrior waited patiently while Vegeta meditated. Gohan was aware of the man's rising power level. The problem was that Vegeta's rising power level was the only thing that was happening. Gohan knew that only meditation would not allow Vegeta to transform. He still remembered how Vegeta transformed the first time. The two were fighting each other at the time and Vegeta was convinced that he had to be able to transform. The legend of the super saiyan had plagued the Saiyan prince all his life. Vegeta knew that it was more than just a legend. He knew that there had to be some sort of trick. Something he could do to reach it.
Gohan was sceptic at the time. As a scholar, he learned everything about legends and myths and he was taught to be a first-see-then-believe kind of guy. And he saw it that day. He saw Vegeta transform to the super saiyan level. The man became an absolute horror from that moment onwards.
Gohan couldn't help but smile as he thought about the beatings he received from Vegeta's hand. The man always said Gohan could never reach the super saiyan level because he was only half saiyan. Half a man. If only Gohan had the guts to repeat those words to his master now. But the young warrior wasn't looking for trouble at the moment.
Vegeta opened his eyes and frowned at the half-saiyan. "It's not working." He snarled as if it was Gohan's fault.
An idea developed in Gohan's mind and the half-saiyan showed a confident smirk. "Of course not. I don't think you will be able to transform to the second level." He stated, earning Vegeta's attention.
The full-blooded Saiyan's gaze darkened. "Oh really? And why is that, brat?"
"You don't have it." Gohan responded in a matter of fact voice. Vegeta's astonished face almost made Gohan laugh but he kept it together. "You think that just because you're from a royal family that you are entitled to the transformation but it doesn't work that way. You were born into that family. You didn't fight your way into it. There's no hard proof to state that you are actually as strong as you think you are."
Vegeta's gaze had now darkened significantly but Gohan kept going. "The legend speaks of only one legendary super saiyan for a reason. When are you going to accept that you are not it?"
"Shut up!" Vegeta snarled at him as he powered up.
"No, I think you need to hear this!" Gohan called back, raising his voice. "There must be a reason why you are not progressing. A reason you do not want to admit. You're not the legendary super saiyan. You were not born to be the legend, you were probably just born to aid to it." Gohan spread his arms to sign to Vegeta exactly who was supposed to be the legend instead of Vegeta.
And that's when Gohan suddenly realized he might have made a mistake. Vegeta's gaze was now murderous and directed at him. His power level was still rising but not in the way Gohan was hoping. The man growled dangerously as he suddenly powered up and launched at the half-saiyan.
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