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Chapter 8. Separate Lives.
Gohan awoke feeling strange. He almost couldn't believe that he was actually here. He woke up on planet Earth. He was in his own bed. In his own room. The half-saiyan felt as if he could dance for joy. However, a delicious scent distracted him from his thoughts and he got up and out of his bed. The youngsters first walked to his window and opened it. Fresh air floated into his room and he enjoyed the breeze, closing his eyes.
Having enough of this, Gohan turned and headed to the living room. The warrior smiled when he saw his mother. Yes, she was actually here. He could see her on a daily basis again. How he'd missed her.
"Good morning, mom." Gohan stated cheerfully. He savored the words as he spoke them. Mom. How long hadn't he been able to say that word? How he'd missed saying it. Mom. Such a small word. Insignificant but so special.
"Good morning, sweetheart." Chi-chi smiled as she turned around. "Are you hungry?"
"I'm always hungry." Gohan sat down at the breakfast table and surveyed all the food with wide eyes. Chi-chi'd outdone herself. Stacks of pancakes, eggs, waffles and toast. He wondered if he could actually eat it all. "You didn't have to make this much."
"I haven't been able to make food for you for years, Gohan. I have a lot to catch up on." She responded as she sat down.
"Fair enough. I'll make breakfast tomorrow, okay?"
Chi-chi smiled. "You can make breakfast?"
"Of course." Gohan nodded once before he reached out to the stack of pancakes. "My cooking skills may not be the best but I've never made anyone sick either."
"Then you can make breakfast tomorrow. Now, eat up, my son." Chi-chi responded. Gohan didn't need any more encouragement to dig into the food.
After the massive breakfast, the two did the dishes together. They spend the rest of the day in the forest, walking around and watching life going on around them… And they did a lot of talking. They talked about Gohan's life under Vegeta's reign. He told her about the hardships but also about his fonder memories. He told about how he met Tobney and he spoke of Sianna.
Chi-chi was interested in his friends. She asked all about them. Despite that fact that he had to let his girlfriend go, his mother was happy to learn that Gohan did find love.
Reaching a stream, the two decided to sit down and have a picnic. Chi-chi offered to lay out the food they packed and wake a fire if Gohan tried to catch some fish. The half-saiyan had no objections to this suggestion and he headed for the stream. Once he was near the water, he reached down to take off his shirt. The youngster was about to throw the shirt aside when he heard a gasp from his mother.
"Oh Gohan!" She gasped.
The half-saiyan turned around to see what was going on but then he realized his mother was looking straight at him. Well, not at him. Her eyes were lowered to his chest, and he realized that they were actually focused on his back when he was turned away from her. The half-saiyan also immediately realized how his back must have looked to his mother. The scars from the many whippings he received from Vegeta's hands must have created quite a drawing on his back. The young warrior moved up his shirt to hide his torso from her widened eyes.
"I'm sorry. I forgot." Gohan stated quickly.
Chi-chi's eyes moved up to his brown orbs. She stepped closer to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, pressing gently to urge him to turn around again. The young warrior shook his head. "You don't need to see it, mom."
"Yes, I do." Chi-chi whispered in return. Gohan took a breath before he turned his back on her. He could feel her eyes, studying every scar on his back. A finger gently traced over his back. "Oh, Gohan." She stated. "How much have you suffered…"
Gohan could feel his eyes start to water but he wasn't sure why. "Does it still hurt?" she asked.
Gohan took a breath. "It itches sometimes." He responded.
"How…" Her question floated in the air. Chi-chi now walked around her son and studied his body. Her eyes moved over his arms and torso, taking in all the scars on his body.
"Whippings." Gohan answered truthfully.
Chi-chi's eyes were wide as she looked up. "Vegeta?"
Gohan nodded once. "Usually."
Chi-chi's eyes focused on a scar on Gohan's shoulder. Her hand moved to it and she gently touched it. "These too?"
"Training. My comrades got a little carried away." Gohan responded. He looked down to his own torso and he pointed to a graze on his lower ribs. "A blast I failed to catch during a mission." He explained. His hand moved to a round scar on his upper arm. "An enemy soldier hit me with a spear right here. That would've killed me if Tobney hadn't brought me to a rejuvenation tank right away. He saved my life that day." A small smile appeared on his face. "And he smacked me over the head for letting it happen."
Chi-chi placed a hand on Gohan's hand when he was about to point to another scar. She folded his hand in both her hands and looked up at him. "I'm sorry, Gohan, that I couldn't protect you from all this pain." She stated. "And there's nothing I can do about it now but tell you that I will do anything I can to make sure you will never endure such pain again."
Gohan smiled as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, mom. I'm okay now."
Chi-chi nodded once as she smiled back at him. Her eyes seemed watery but she refused to cry for his pain. She wouldn't allow herself. He was the only one allowed to cry for these tragedies. "I thought you were going to catch some fish." She stated.
Gohan grinned in response. "Yes."
The following day, Gohan was hanging the laundry. The young warrior looked sideways when Vegeta landed on the grass near him. The young warrior was feeling meek as he'd had a perfect day yesterday.
"Gohan." Vegeta stated as he approached the younger warrior. "Would you please help me find a place to live?"
Gohan nearly dropped the shirt he was about to hang up. The half-saiyan grinned at the Saiyan prince. "How difficult was that for you?" he asked.
"Very." Vegeta responded.
Gohan chuckled. "I'll bet." He held out the shirt for Vegeta. "Why don't you help me with this and then I'll come with you."
Vegeta considered this for a moment before he accepted the deal and took the shirt. Gohan showed Vegeta how to hang the shirt on the line and soon they were both busy with the laundry. "Interesting how humans can manage without instant dryers." Vegeta stated.
"I think humans do have some form of dryers. But we don't have the money for it." Gohan responded.
"You have connections to the richest company in the entire universe." Vegeta responded. "You're richer than the richest person on this planet."
"We don't need a dryer." Gohan stated. "We don't need anything from the army."
"Stubborn." Vegeta observed.
Gohan grinned as he looked to his former master. "That's why you like me, isn't it?"
"Hmm." Vegeta grabbed a wet shirt. "Like is a very strong word."
"Well, you don't dislike me then."
"That's better."
Gohan's grin faltered as he noticed that the basket was now empty. "Alright. I'll tell my mom that I'm leaving for a couple hours. I'll be right back." Vegeta only nodded in return so Gohan decided he was dismissed.
While they were flying, Gohan glanced to his former master. "Okay, so, I think a forest would be a proper place for you. Far away from civilization."
Vegeta agreed. "Somewhere around here?"
Gohan hesitated. "Maybe a forest further on." He suggested.
The Saiyan prince glanced sideways and a smile appeared on his face. "Too close to your house?" He slowed down to a stop.
Gohan followed his example. "Exactly."
"Consider this then; do you really want to fly for over an hour on a daily basis?" Vegeta asked.
"On a daily basis? Do you really think I will agree to daily trainings?" Gohan returned easily. The two were still floating in the air above the forest. The weather was perfect. The sun was shining brightly above them and a gentle breeze made the air comfortably cool. Gohan felt like planet Earth was welcoming him back.
"Maybe not immediately. But once you've spent a couple of months slacking off and I've become stronger than you, I will definitely force you to do so." Vegeta didn't back off that easily.
Gohan recognized the threat in Vegeta's words. The man basically told him to make sure Vegeta wouldn't get the upper hand again. Once Vegeta did, the man would be in control of the half-saiyan again. And this was not something the youngster wanted to happen.
"Fine. I guess you can settle here." Gohan didn't wait for an answer as he allowed his body to fall down to the ground. He slowed down just a little bit right before he landed so that his feet could touch the ground gently. Vegeta was right behind him.
They spent some time walking around trying to find the perfect place. They finally found a perfect area. It was near a clearing but still under the trees. Also, a stream was nearby. Perfect.
"You want me to start cutting down some trees?" Gohan asked.
"Why?" Vegeta was reaching into a pocket as he asked this.
"For your house."
"No need." Vegeta retrieved a capsule from his pocket. "Bulma gave me this. She said it was a small price to pay if it would guarantee getting me out of that house."
Gohan watched with awe as Vegeta tossed the capsule into the clearing and a house appeared out of the smoke. "Amazing." Gohan whispered as he followed Vegeta to the house.
The house was small but comfortable. A tiny living room with a kitchen corner greeted them. Gohan could see two doors. One led to a small bedroom with a large bed in it and the other led to a small bathroom.
"You don't even need me for this." Gohan stated. "Why did you ask me to come along?"
Vegeta shrugged. "I figured we could train."
Gohan grinned. "Why am I not surprised?"
And so they trained for a while. After a couple of hours, Vegeta decided to go to capsule corp. to pick up Stirania. Gohan agreed to awake a fire while his former mentor was gone. Stirania approved of the place. She seemed eager to move into the house with Vegeta.
While Gohan and Vegeta went to hunt for some food, Stirania started to prepare pots and pans they received from Bulma so that they could start to prepare the food once it was caught. Gohan offered to catch some fish. He returned from the water with a large bucket filled with fish. Stirania tossed him a towel.
Stirania eyed the half-saiyan up and down and she tilted his head sideways. "I wouldn't mind if you came to live with us too, Gohan. I really wouldn't mind if you kept walking around like this."
Gohan could help but smile in response as he dried off his torso. "Don't get your hopes up."
"Oh, I'm already way passed hoping." Stirania chewed on her lip after she said this. Her long dark hair was tied up in a braid and she now pushed a lose hair behind her ear.
"I hope you're not flirting with someone half your age." Vegeta was carrying the body of a large bear over his shoulder. "Polygamy is not a thing on planet earth."
"Oh dear. If only that would be possible." Stirania sighed dreamily.
Gohan and Vegeta exchanged glances. The half-saiyan decided to get back into his shirt quickly. The threesome prepared their food and enjoyed it afterwards. Gohan went back to his house soon after this so that he could meet up with his mother before he went to bed. Vegeta and Stirania withdrew to their house to celebrate their first night together in their new house.
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One year later, Gohan and Vegeta were tied up in an intense match.
Gohan just about dodged the punch thrown by his former master. The half-saiyan tilted his head sideways to avoid getting hit and he could not help but let out a sigh of relief. Man, how was it even possible that Vegeta could still get so close to hitting him? The bridge between their powers was quite big but still Vegeta could sometimes lure Gohan into a trap. This really showed that Vegeta was more experienced than him. Vegeta was still a better tactical fighter and though Gohan learned a lot from his former master, the Saiyan prince still had somewhat of an advantage over the younger warrior.
However, the advantage was not big enough for Vegeta to actually win these matches. Gohan narrowed his eyes as he concentrated on the eyes of the Saiyan prince. Predicting someone's movements became easier over time, especially when fighting someone every single day. There. Gohan was just pushing away a punch from Vegeta when he realized his opponent was already halfway into throwing a kick. Vegeta's leg was tensed and ready to move up, which meant he was neither planning nor ready to lower his leg. Setting his sights on Vegeta's other leg, Gohan allowed his body to drop down and he extended his own leg to swipe Vegeta's right leg from under him. Vegeta was already somewhat unsteady on his feet as his left leg was in the process of moving up to kick the half-saiyan and he couldn't help but fall down.
Vegeta used this fall to try to bring his fist down on Gohan's head. Still in kneeling position, Gohan moved his hands up to catch Vegeta's punch. Meanwhile, Vegeta used his energy to lift his body up in the air and he tried to knee Gohan in his face. The half-saiyan allowed his body to fall back and he brought his knees up to return the favor. Vegeta blocked the attack but he didn't see Gohan's tail coming. The tail smacked him across his cheek, leaving a fiery red mark on his flesh.
The two jumped apart to take a moment of rest. Vegeta pressed his lips together as he felt the burning sensation on his cheek. Gohan's tail waved behind him cheerfully as he surveyed his former master.
In a way, it was strange to battle with Vegeta in this way after the life they had lived for several years. When Gohan was only eleven years old, he was kidnapped by Vegeta and forced to join the largest army in the universe. Vegeta first brought Gohan in as his personal slave. Gohan still remembered the difficult life he had as a slave. He remembered having to obey to Vegeta's every whim and working for days on end without proper food or sleep.
As the years went by Gohan started to get used to working in the army. He worked hard and earned small promotions over time until he eventually ran the army alongside Vegeta. Everything went great until Gohan found out Vegeta was planning to lure his best friend Tobney into having an arranged marriage. Gohan struggled with the situation as he was supposed to be loyal to both Vegeta and Tobney and he could not be both. After the arranged marriage, Tobney persuaded Gohan into rebelling against Vegeta's leadership. The two plotted a rebellion in secret. With the help of Sianna, a rebellious female slave and one of the best friends, they managed to pass messages to those soldiers more loyal to Gohan than to Vegeta. These soldiers were mainly slaves whom got to be soldiers because of Gohan. They received their freedom because of the half-saiyan and were therefore more loyal to the half-saiyan.
The rebellion succeeded. Tobney took over the army and Vegeta was banned from the army. Vegeta asked to be sent to planet earth. Tobney was hesitant but Gohan didn't mind so the two Saiyans were brought to planet earth.
Getting used to the new type of relationship between them was strange but pleasant, mainly for the half-saiyan. Gohan was now allowed to do pretty much anything he wanted. When he was a slave, Gohan was not allowed to even talk back to the Saiyan prince. Now, their relationship depended heavily on their power which meant that Gohan was higher in status. And the half-saiyan enjoyed that greatly.
The half-saiyan smiled as he gestured for Vegeta to attack him once more. The Saiyan prince returned the smirk before he made the exact same gesture to the half-saiyan. Gohan shook his head. "It's your turn to attack."
"Nah, you're better at defensive fighting." Vegeta responded. "That's why I like seeing you on the offensive tour."
"Can't handle me when I'm on my best?" Gohan returned.
"You're the one who is hesitant to start the next round."
Gohan eyed his opponent for a moment. Oh well, Vegeta could win another round if it would make him happy. Gohan had already won enough rounds to get the prize for today; a massage from his former master.
"Let's do this."
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"Do we approve of this?" Tobney's blue eyes were focused on the group of warriors that was standing on the other side of the room.
The group mainly consisted of young warriors and they were all focused on the one female of the group. Sianna's cat-like eyes were shining as she gave advice about their training.
Itoro studied the group. "They do dote on her, don't they? Why is that?"
"She's strong, independent and has a good physique. It all comes with the territory of being in the elite warrior team." Suno responded. The man crossed his gray arms over each other. "That doesn't mean we should allow it."
"Exactly. Follow me, gentlemen." Tobney beckoned for them to follow him with a wave of his arm. The warriors approached the group of youngsters. The younger warriors noticed their approach and they all bowed respectfully. The only person who didn't bow was Sianna. She still found it difficult to show respect to other people.
"Good day, soldiers." Tobney stated as a greeting. "I seem to be under the impression that this room is for training purposes but you all seem to be having a tea party."
"We're just discussing our training, sir." Sianna responded easily. "Don't you always say it's good to discuss the training in order to spot weaknesses in your own fighting-style?"
"I do. Still, these discussions can take place outside the training room. So why don't you all go do that?" Tobney responded. "Get lost."
The soldiers all seemed worried as they nodded and started to leave, bowing in respect and greeting Tobney and the rest of the team. Sianna rolled her eyes but she turned to leave with the rest of the group.
"Sianna, where do you think you're going?" Tobney called over after she'd taken a couple of steps.
"You told us to leave." Sianna complained as she turned to look at Tobney. The rest of the soldiers waited for her in silence.
"I told your fanclub to leave." Tobney responded. The man now looked to the younger soldiers and he frowned. "Why aren't you gone yet?" He snarled at them. The soldiers quickly walked away after this. Meanwhile, Tobney beckoned Sianna. The female stepped closer to the group and she crossed her arms over each other.
"My fanclub?" Sianna stated. "So, that's what this is about?"
"Why are you always surrounded by men?" Tobney complained. "Every time I enter a room you are standing in a new group of them."
"This is an army." Sianna responded easily. "There tend to be a lot of men here."
"Lay off the sarcasm, missy." Comora interjected. He always felt that Sianna was way too comfortable around Tobney. She was supposed to show more respect but Sianna seemed to be unable to pay the proper amount of respect to her superiors.
"Honestly, you should stop making such a scene every time you see me with a couple of guys." Sianna stated, frowning to Tobney. "The same goes for all of you." She uncrossed her arms to point at her comrades. "Having to live with you guys is horrible. It's like having six older brothers. You always try to intervene when I'm having fun."
"Having fun with other guys? Is that what you want?" Tobney returned. "You should be focusing on your training. You're still the weakest soldier in the elite team. Honestly, you shouldn't even be in the elite team on your level. You should be in a class 2 team. We're cutting you all kinds of slack."
"This isn't about my strength. This is about Gohan." Sianna snarled back. Tobney's expression changed but he didn't respond. "Gohan left us, Tobney. He left me. Planet earth was more important to him. Am I supposed to wait around for him to come back?"
"No, but you can wait a little before you dive into the next relationship." Tobney returned weakly. He knew he was not being fair. He knew he couldn't expect Sianna to stay chaste forever. Still, Sianna moving on meant that Tobney had to move on too. He didn't want to do that just yet. He wasn't ready.
"It's been a year." Sianna said in a raised voice as she spread her arms.
"Don't raise your voice against lord Tobney, Sianna." Suno chastised.
Sianna looked at him and let out a groan. "This is what I mean. You're not my older brothers or my fathers. You guys have nothing to say about me."
Tobney frowned. "Now that's where you're wrong. I am still the leader of this army and since you chose to stay here and be a soldier, you have to obey my orders."
"I helped you get there, remember?" Sianna returned. She stepped closer and knocked against his broad chest with her knuckles. "I instigated the idea in you. You wouldn't be where you are if it wasn't for me."
Tobney could feel the familiar tingle of amusement Sianna tended to instigate. He was reminded of their battles back in the days. He remembered their constant bickering. The pranks they played on each other. The war went on for years until Gohan and Sianna started their relationship. Maybe it was time they returned to better times.
Tobney grabbed Sianna's fist, covering her smaller hand easily with his larger fingers. He tightened his grip when she tried to pull away. "You're right." He stated. "However, I am your superior now. So, after all these years, you still have to do what I say." His smirk instigated a surprised expression on her face. The lights in her eyes showed that she realized exactly what he was reminiscing about.
"Suno and Itoro." Tobney stated loudly now. He still held Sianna's fist as he turned around, making her step closer and next to him. "I think it's time we take Sianna's training to the next level." He could feel Sianna's eyes burning into his skull but he ignored her. "Aside from the trainings we have together, why don't you also help her work on her weight training from now on?"
Suno grinned as he surveyed his master. "Make sure she's too tired to meet up with any guys, you mean?" He responded.
"You read my mind." Tobney returned the grin and he released Sianna's hand in favor of giving her a push against her back. She was forced to step closer to the other warriors. "For now, let's make sure this is one of the toughest training sessions she's ever had."
Sianna turned to look at Tobney. The man was surprised by how powerful she looked as she was surrounded by the group of tall muscled warriors. "So that's how you're going to do it now?" She complained.
"Welcome to the Suta Team, Sianna." Tobney made an extravagant bow. "I think it's time we stopped cutting you all sorts of slack." He smiled when the rest of the warriors agreed. Sianna glanced around her, frowning.
"Let's get this training started."
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Planet Earth.
"Ah," Gohan let out a sigh as he leaned back against the tree, "these days, I understand why you always wanted me to massage your feet." The young warrior couldn't help but grin as he enjoyed the sight. Vegeta sitting in front of him with Gohan's feet on his lap. "It's so… satisfying."
Vegeta met his eyes. "Just wait until I win a match. Then you'll have to massage my entire body. By the gods, I miss those full body massages you used to give me."
"Hmmm. Too bad you'll never feel it again." Gohan returned easily. "But you gave me an excellent idea for your next punishment."
"Who knew you would be so vindictive." Vegeta drawled as he gently applied pressure on Gohan's foot. "You spend way too much time trying to find ways to pay me back for everything I ever did to you. It almost sounds as if you are still hurt by what I did."
Gohan scoffed. "Who says I'm trying to get back at you? It almost sounds as if you feel personally targeted by the punishments I give you. I recall that they were your idea."
They were actually Gohan's idea but the half-saiyan managed to make it seem like Vegeta's idea. It was not too long ago that Gohan suggested they were taking it too easy during their trainings. He mentioned that they didn't have anything real to fight for and therefore they tended to put in less effort to defeat each other. Vegeta suggested creating some sort of punishment system. The person who lost a match would have to fulfil one task decided on by the winner. This was exactly what Gohan hoped for. And Gohan tended to beat Vegeta during every match since Gohan was still stronger than Vegeta. It was not the first time that Vegeta had to massage the half-saiyan.
Stirania smiled as she approached with a bunch of wood in her arms. "Ah, Vegeta lost again, I see." She stated as she studied the scene. Her long black hair fell over her shoulders as she placed the branches on the ground.
"What else is new?" Gohan returned easily.
"It won't be long before the roles will be reversed, Gohan. Enjoy this for now." Vegeta said.
"I would leave the dreaming for the ones who can actually fulfil them, Vegeta darling." Stirania teased before she sat down to start a fire. Her blue eyes met his dark eyes and she smiled.
Gohan chuckled amusedly. He was still grinning when Vegeta glared at him. "With friends like you, who needs enemies?" Vegeta complained. The man noticed that Gohan was still silently laughing so he gave a nasty pinch in Gohan's toe.
The half-saiyan was not impressed in the slightest. "Ouch," He stated in mock terror, "someone is especially touchy today."
"You're especially annoying when you're happy, brat." Vegeta complained as he turned his attention back to Gohan's feet.
"Thank you." Gohan smiled before he leaned his head back against the tree and closed his eyes. The two warriors were silent for a while as they listened to the sounds of the fire crackling to life.
"How are your studies coming along?" Vegeta asked, interrupting the silence.
Gohan opened his eyes and he shrugged. "It's difficult. I'd forgotten how smart humans have to be."
"You're not stupid though. You should be able to keep up well enough."
"Aww, that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me." Gohan teased.
"You get very sassy when you're nervous, kiddo."
Gohan held Vegeta's gaze for a moment before he let out a sigh. Vegeta could still see right through him. The young warrior's smile faltered as he shrugged once more. "I'm failing the subjects. I'm failing all of them. I just don't know how to keep up. I knew I was behind but I cannot even keep up with the 16-year-olds."
"You missed a lot of school years." Vegeta suggested. "Remember, you left school when you were 11 and you came back when you were seventeen."
"And I graduated from primary education within a couple of months." Gohan responded. "I don't understand why getting the secondary education diploma is taking me so long."
"You're only 19. Don't be in such a hurry." Vegeta said. "I honestly don't even understand why you want to graduate from secondary education. You have all you'll ever need here. Food, shelter, someone to play with. What else could you wish for?"
Gohan smiled as he lowered his gaze. "I wish I could think in the same way." He responded. "I just really want to get the diplomas… I want to achieve these goals just because I can. I want to prove something to myself."
"Just make sure you're not pushing yourself too hard." Vegeta responded before he looked over to Stirania to discuss the dinner plans. Gohan was generally expected to join them for dinner whenever they had an afternoon training. The half-saiyan closed his eyes again. He tended to feel tired and hopeless these days. Then again, his mother did tell him that was quite a normal state for a human to be in.
Vegeta continued the massage for ten more minutes before he decided Gohan had enough. "Alright. The sun will be up for a couple more hours. The weather is nice enough. Wanna eat outside?" He suggested as he looked to the other two.
Gohan and Stirania voiced their agreement. "Good." Vegeta continued. "Gohan, want to help me hunt something down?"
"Yep." Gohan got up and stretched his limbs for a moment while Vegeta turned to Stirania.
"Could you try to gather some apples from the trees?" Vegeta asked.
Stirania smiled and nodded. Gohan grinned at Vegeta. "I'm so proud of you." He teased. The man gave him an annoyed glance. "No, I truly am. You just asked us for our help so politely. You've come so far."
"And I will kick off your head just as easily." Vegeta threatened in return. "Now get going before I follow through on that threat."
Gohan wiggled his finger at Vegeta. "Now that reduces your points." He returned easily. He was not impressed with the threats at all.
The Saiyan prince took a deep breath to calm his anger. Oh, how he wished he could show the youngster his place once more. There was a time Gohan wouldn't dare to even look at him funny. These days, the half-saiyan appeared to enjoy pushing Vegeta's buttons. And he was getting good at it too.
"Gohan," Vegeta stated calmly, "why don't you go ahead and I'll follow you."
"Hmm, turn my back on you so you can stab me in it?"
"I can dream, can't I?"
"You would dream of stabbing me in the back?" Gohan showed a very innocent expression. His eyes went bigger and he pouted while his tail waved behind him playfully.
"I have dreamt much worse. The air on planet earth does wonders for my creativity." Vegeta deadpanned.
"It's always good to hear how fond you are of me." Gohan said cheerfully. "Now we're even together in your dreams."
"Just get going." Vegeta snarled in response. Gohan laughed in return but he decided to humor Vegeta and he turned to leave.
Stirania gave Vegeta a smile when the man looked at her. Vegeta rolled his eyes at her. "Brat should have died a long time ago."
"It's good to have him around. His presence relaxes you." Stirania responded. Gohan had already disappeared into the shadows of the woods.
Vegeta blew out a sigh. "Relaxing, sure. He'll relax me right into the nuthouse." He responded. Stirania shrugged before she turned to search for an apple tree. Vegeta's gaze went to the fire as he thought about the half-saiyan.
In a way, Vegeta expected that Gohan would want to break his friendship with Vegeta once they were on planet Earth. It seemed like it during the first few months. Gohan refused to train with Vegeta, at least not as often as Vegeta wanted. The youngster preferred to focus on doing earthly things such as school. After a couple of months, Gohan started to visit Vegeta and Stirania more often. The two trained more often and Gohan quite often spent the night in their hut before leaving for his own house in the morning.
Vegeta didn't mind. He wasn't particularly fond of the half-saiyan but he did feel that they needed each other to stay sharp. Only Gohan could challenge Vegeta and he was sure that he presented the same challenge to Gohan.
"Seriously?" Vegeta was distracted from his thoughts by Gohan's voice. The half-saiyan threw the corpses of a lioness and a zebra on the ground. "You're not even going to attempt to catch something? What is it? Getting too old?"
Vegeta uncrossed his arms and turned to the half-saiyan. "Don't worry. I plan on brining a very useless but hopefully delicious hybrid to the table. The taste won't matter too much. Just the kill will do." He responded.
Gohan noticed the glint in Vegeta's eyes. "You'll have to catch me first, grandpa."
"Challenge accepted." Vegeta stormed at the half-saiyan. Gohan laughed before he disappeared in the woods. Vegeta wasn't too far behind him.
"Don't forget to hunt some food down too!" Stirania called after them. She blew out a sigh as she dropped a load of apples on the ground. "It wouldn't be the first time."
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Please review and let me know what you think!
Next time:
"When are you planning on telling her we're not actually going to the leisure planet but we're going to planet earth?" Comora asked.
"I want to surprise her." Tobney responded.
"You want to put Gohan right in front of her nose and see how she reacts?"
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"Calm down, guys. Let him breathe. I would be shocked to see your ugly mugs again too." Tobney stated. Gohan now noticed his best friend and he quickly got up. The half-saiyan grinned as he ran to Tobney and the two threw their arms around each other.
"Tobney, I've missed you so much." Gohan stated as he hugged his friend.
"I've missed you too, Gohan. You don't know how much." Tobney whispered in return. The man held Gohan by his shoulders and now gently maneuvered Gohan to take a couple steps back. "Now, let us take a look at you." He stated.
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"You look fit for a normal human but you're a warrior. And an elite one at that. You're supposed to be in perfect shape." Vegeta said. "I think this trip will be good for you. Toughen you up."
"Yes, cause that's what I need. Toughening up." Gohan muttered in response.
"And you need to persuade Tobney to take me along too." Vegeta added.
Gohan chuckled. "Of course. Why not? That's just what I need. You egging Comora and the others on."
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"So, how is everyone?" Gohan curled his arms over each other under his head to use them as a makeshift pillow.
"How is Sianna, you mean?" Tobney glanced to his best friend. He smiled when Gohan met his eyes. "She's…just great." His amusement faltered as he said this.
Gohan's mouth twisted into a smile as he studied his friend. "She's giving you trouble, isn't she?"
"Sianna," Tobney stated as he took a breath, "finds it difficult to accept authority. Apparently, she doesn't even listen to the leader she appointed herself."
Until next time!
