Chapter Eleven

"Bleed It Out"

Chichi was quite numb. Sitting carefully on her knees in the bathroom, she only half-watched as Bulma bathed their boys; Chichi couldn't get the memory of her son's blood out of her mind. Oh, Goku…she thought. Guilt had mixed firmly with a strong anger that shook her. She loved her son; both of her sons! She knew that Gohan had had a rough time of it and wanted nothing more than to hold him and heal his hurts; but this, she realized, was beyond her abilities. When he was a little boy, whenever he fell down and scrapped his knees, she had always calmed him by giving him a bone crushing hug and a sweet from the box of sweets at the top of the cabinet. After Gohan had spent the year with Piccolo, she had been happy to see the expression of sweet innocence on her son's face at being able to fly to the top shelf to retrieve the sweets himself.

"Momma," said a small voice from in front of her. Chichi blinked a few times to see Goten, wrapped tightly in a towel and standing before her. Chichi's eyes welled with tears and she wrapped her arms tightly around the wet little creature and swore silently that she would protect him. "Momma, where Go'an?"

Chichi sniffed and pushed Goten back so that she could look into his face. Hearing another sniff Chichi glanced over and saw Bulma holding an upset Trunks in her lap, drying off his lavender hair. Chichi caught Bulma's eye. "Let's get you two dried off and we'll go have some milk and cookies. How's that? And while you two eat, we'll talk about Gohan, okay?"

"Talk about Gohan, what?" asked a voice from the doorway. Krillin stood with one hand on the side of the door and looked at all of the faces in the room. "What happened, and why is the front window shattered?" Chichi sighed and glanced at Bulma; this was going to be a long day.

DBZ

Somewhere far away from earth, a man hovered and executed some very intricate moves. His breathing was relaxed and easy, but his spirit had been quite restless for the past few weeks and he couldn't figure out why. Changing his direction quickly, Son Goku lashed out at an invisible enemy before flipping himself over in mid-air. Suddenly, he was struck by the feeling of someone watching him. Turning, Goku looked down at the tiled floor and saw a small young man with white hair and mocha colored skin. Goku smiled.

"Naru! How are you? It's been a little while since I've seen you," Goku greeted happily, descending to the ground. Naru shifted rather uncomfortably and looked Goku in the eyes. He had been sent by King Yema to retrieve the Saiyajin. Sometimes, being King Yema's personal assistant had its down side.

"Goku-san, it is imperative that you come with me now. King Yema has several things that need your attention." Goku frowned, his thought automatically turning to earth.

"What is it, Naru? Is there another threat?" Naru's eyes shifted, trying to ignore the man's eyes. Instead, he turned and beckoned for Goku to follow. Goku slowly followed with a feeling of dread edging its way into the back part of his mind. What could be wrong now?

Silently, Naru lead Goku to King Yema's, but once he entered the check point, Naru bowed respectfully to King Yema and backed out of the room. To his surprise, King Kai stood to King Yema's right, his arms clutched tightly behind his back.

"Okay, I'm here, what gives?" Goku asked, his expression curious. King Yema swallowed.

"Goku…would you like something to drink, maybe? We have coffee, tea, water, sake—whatever you could want."

"No, thank you, King Yema, I feel kinda weird about all of this, so if you would just please tell me what this is all about—"Goku started.

"Goku, Gohan is in trouble!" King Kai blurted, giving King Yema a rather dirty look. Goku's face shifted into a look of alarm. He swiftly crossed to stand before King Yema's desk.

"What's wrong with my son?" he demanded. King Yema sighed, his shoulders drooping.

"Gohan has been…doing things that he shouldn't," King Yema said delicately. He hated these emotional, high-tension conversations! Goku shook his head, obviously not understanding. King Kai cleared his throat and stepped forward.

"Goku, Gohan has been cutting himself," he said softly, watching as Goku's eyes widened.

"But, why would Gohan do that?" He asked, moving to sink into a chair nearby. King Kai watched his face grow confused.

"We are not entirely sure why he has begun doing this, but we have a feeling it has something to do with you," King Yema offered.

"Me? Why?" King Kai brought his clenched fists up in front of his chest and growled at Goku. Sometimes the man could be so dense.

"Because you're dead, you moron!" he shouted. Goku's eyes finally registered the remark and his surprise turned to anger.

"But he understood why I was staying here; he said he understood!" King Kai looked as if he were ready to burst and throttle the warrior.

"Never mind, Goku, we must think of what to do now," King Yema said, interrupting King Kai's inner struggle. Goku looked up at the giant silently. "It is important that earth not loose Son Gohan," the big man whispered. He looked down on the papers before him and then back up at Goku.

"I have an idea, and I'd like to see if you would be interested." Goku cocked his head to the side, listening closely to King Yema's plans.

DBZ

Gohan was growing tired, but he flat refused to quit. His head was still pounding angrily and the wind blowing on his face didn't help; he still was not fully recovered from the large amounts of blood he'd lost the day before. Dimly he was aware that the two adults behind him were gaining on him ever so slightly; Piccolo was coming closer and closer.

Gohan shuddered at the thought of his mentor. Earlier, he had quite angrily blocked the telepathic bond with his sensei and he knew there would be a long 'discussion' about that later. Being fused with both Kami and Nail had made Piccolo almost adamant about respect. Although he had always drilled it into Gohan that he would respect those who deserved respect, he had recently gotten down right forceful about it. Fear crept its way into his eyes again as he felt his strength ebbing slowly away and he knew that he would have to face them eventually.

Suddenly, a thought forced its way into his mind and he quickly dropped to the ground below, knowing that the forest would hide him for a time. He grabbed hold of the vast amounts of power in his life and jammed them as far down as he could push them, effectively hiding the largest amounts of his power. Now all he had to do was stay hidden until the two warriors gave up. Gohan knew how ridiculous he was being; those two would never give up, but Gohan's mind was so worn out that he had to do something.

Surveying his surroundings, Gohan found a clustering of large chunks of rock that set together in almost a crescent shape. He ran quickly towards the rock and lowered himself to the ground, leaned his back against the course rock, and waited.

DBZ

"Damn it!" Piccolo cursed as he watched the boy drop suddenly from the sky and plummet into a group of trees. Vegeta growled low in the back of his throat and shot forward, Piccolo close behind. They slowed until they hovered above the tall canopy of trees, staring down into the green foliage.

"We could just blast the whole thing," Vegeta suggested, his voice tinged with annoyance and anger. Piccolo shook his head, although the idea actually sounded like a real good way to scare the daylights out of the rebellious teen.

"No, we may accidentally injure him, and from the way he felt a moment ago, he doesn't need to be any more damaged than he is." Although I'm still going to kick your butt daily for the rest of you life for this, kid, he thought.

"He is Saiyajin! He will not be hurt…much," Vegeta growled sardonically. Piccolo frowned and shot Vegeta an eye roll. Aggravated, the Prince crossed his arms and turned to face him.

"Well, we're not doing any good just floating here; do you have any suggestions?" Vegeta asked viciously. Piccolo reached out with his mind once more and realized that the mental block had been forgotten at some point. Grinning evilly, he reached out his mind to touch that of his young friend.

Gohan, he thought. He felt his student shudder mentally at the brush of his sensei's mind, but Gohan left the link open. In a small voice, Gohan reached back.

Piccolo-san, please, just leave me. I don't want to be chased anymore. I just want to be left alone. Piccolo almost flinched at the raw emotion that accompanied the mental plea. Piccolo looked at Vegeta.

"He wants us to leave him alone," Piccolo said. Vegeta grit his teeth and seemed to almost burst with the effort it took to keep himself from blasting the forest to nothing.

"Tell him that if he doesn't show his damn face right now and stop this nonsense I will personally make sure he gets to see his father again!" Vegeta spat angrily. Piccolo cocked an eyebrow and returned to his student.

Gohan, I am not just going to disappear and leave you to continue on the way you have been. We need to discuss some things. Piccolo felt the fear and intense hurt emanating from the child. Shaking his head, Piccolo did something he didn't really want to do: he followed the link back to Gohan, feeling exactly where the kid was. Turning to Vegeta, he beckoned for the Prince to follow and descended slowly through the foliage, drifting closer to where he knew the boy was hiding.

DBZ

Gohan's body seemed to take on a life of its own and began shaking and shuddering so violently, that his mind went blank. He reached hungrily for the thin razor in his gi and pressed it hard against the tender flesh of his exposed collar bone, slicing through the skin easily. Gohan's head swelled as if it were about to burst before the pressure in his head released as his dark eyes slit open. His young face became a mask as he watched blood drip slowly into the dark material of his gi before he shut his eyes and allowed a shudder to run through his body. He reveled in the sweet sensation of warmth twining its way down his young chest, satisfied when his box of trapped emotions howled, but remained where they were. But as the blood began to swirl quickly from his body, Gohan's mind swam back into focus and he realized with a start that someone stood to his right. Turning, his eyes widened at the sight of the Saiyajin Prince in all of his glory. Gohan leaped to his feet and began backing away from the angry man.

"Going to run away again, boy?" Vegeta snarled, his eyes glancing at the fresh wound on the boy's chest with disgust. Gohan stilled and clenched his fists. Vegeta laughed.

"You're not really considering fighting me, are you?" Gohan didn't move or say a word, but his large, shuddering eyes spoke volumes of what he would do to avoid this particular confrontation. Vegeta smirked.

"Fine, have it your way. We'll just have to take him back by force," Vegeta said, speaking over Gohan's head. Any blood left in Gohan's body drained from his face as he stilled and slowly turned, the familiar ki behind him causing his young body to shiver.

Piccolo, Son Gohan's closest friend, and one of his strongest influences, stood behind him. Piccolo's eyes glinted with a deep anger while his fists were clenched and his brow furrowed. His broad shoulders were tense and straight beneath his cape; to Gohan, he was one of the most frightening creatures alive at that moment. Gohan scampered backwards clumsily, staring in horror at his sensei before he tripped and fell flat on his bottom.

Vegeta and Piccolo closed in on him quickly, towering above the young demi-Saiyajin. Gohan shut his eyes, waiting for the first blows to fall, all the while, feeling the wound on his chest grow stiff and crusted. At least he wouldn't have to worry about bleeding to death. The blow he expected never came; instead, he felt a cool feeling breeze past him and looked up to see Piccolo, kneeling before him. Piccolo's eyes still held the faint hint of extreme anger, but he didn't make a move to touch him.

"Gohan, you need to come back home with us. You're mother is very worried about you," he said, hoping against hope that he could talk to the child. Gohan's built, warriors body trembled and shook while his face flushed with some unspoken emotion before he roughly shook his head.

"Brat, you can either come back with us on your own, or we can force you to come back," Vegeta threatened. Gohan looked from Vegeta, who stood with his clenched fists at his side, and then back to Piccolo, still kneeling before him.

"Why, Gohan?" The tall man asked; his eyebrows pulled down into a severe frown. Gohan scooted back away from the Namekjin and struggled wearily to his knees before raising all of the way to his feet. Piccolo followed suit. Silently and systematically, Gohan shut down each and every emotion, not answering his sensei. Instead, he stared ahead, choosing to glare at the white cape around Piccolo's neck than to answer. Vegeta growled angrily, beginning to wish he could simply beat the living daylights out of the brat. Gohan shook his head and closed his eyes for a moment.

"I'm not a child," Gohan finally whispered. "I am fine." Vegeta stepped forward menacingly.

"What of your father, brat?" he asked. Vegeta was pleased to see the blank look drop off of Gohan's face, replaced by a look of absolute shock mixed with terror. Vegeta continued. "What would noble Kakarot think if he knew what his prized child has been doing?"

"My father doesn't have a say in what I do anymore! He's dead!" Gohan snapped, his ki spiking up around him. Again his grief filled his heart, but as so many times before, it did nothing to cleanse him. Just as quickly as the power ignited, it receded and left Gohan, trembling, and slowly coming undone. His eyes were clenched shut and his arms wrapped tightly around his middle, trying to bring some bit of comfort to himself, but Gohan knew that comfort was something forbidden, something dangerous to the rigidness that he had created in his mind and heart. Self protection was the most important thing in that moment in time, and Gohan was not about to allow something else to endanger the fragile existence that he had created after Goku's death. Piccolo exchanged looks with Vegeta before cautiously stepping forward.

"Gohan, you need help," Piccolo said softly. Gently, he reached a hand towards the confused teen and was surprised when Gohan allowed the contact. Piccolo relaxed a bit as he firmly gripped Gohan's trembling shoulder.

"I won't go back," he said, his voice low. Vegeta growled.

"You do not have a choice," Piccolo said firmly. He reached for the teen with his other hand, but Gohan was ready and sent a ki blast directly into his chest, where it exploded, tossing him backwards as Gohan fled into the air. Bursting out of the trees, Gohan turned his head around to watch for the two adults when a heavy punch landed on the back of his head, sending him spiraling to the ground. He landed heavily into Piccolo's awaiting arms, and was able to look up into his beloved sensei's face before his eyes shut and his body became limp.

"Humph, that got the kid's attention," Vegeta's voice sounded far away as darkness closed in to sweep away the pain.

DBZ

Gohan sensed something strange the moment he began to awaken. Dimly, he could sense many different people around him and also heard bits of conversation.

"I just don't understand why he would do something like this!" That was Krillin. Someone shifted and something cool was pressed against his forehead.

"No one understands, Krillin," Bulma answered.

"Well, at least they found him before he did something worse," Eighteen whispered.

"Goku would be shocked," Krillin said.

"He would be more than just shocked," his mother said softly. Gohan's body tensed at the direction of the conversation and decided to open his eyes. His dark eyes swam eerily, but when they cleared slightly, they focused in on the Namekjin sitting on the floor across from him. Blinking rapidly, Gohan quickly turned away from Piccolo's gaze and sat up slowly. He was tucked into his bed in his own room. He was home.

Damn it! Gohan thought violently. The swift influx of emotion had its toll on the young man and he groaned before leaning heavily against his pillows. Confused, he blinked again, alarmed by how weak he felt, almost as if something had sucked away his strength.

"Gohan," his mother's voice questioned softly from beside him. Gohan spared her with a small look, before squeezing his eyes shut in denial. This was not happening! Oh yes, it is. The dangerous voice in the back of his mind told him. You have been caught, and now they will all see you for what you are: a disappointment!

"Gohan, please, open your eyes and talk to me!" Chichi's voice had raised slightly, her tone frightened. Gohan continued to ignore his mother, but one voice spoke that he couldn't ignore.

"Gohan, open your eyes." It wasn't a request. Gohan sluggishly opened his eyes and looked into Piccolo's intelligent eyes. Gohan winced at the anger that was not visible and knew that it was aimed directly at him. He shuddered to think of what would happen to him when he was completely healed.

"How do you feel?" was the Namekjin's's surprising question. Gohan shut his eyes wearily, not wishing to continue on with that particular conversation.

"How do I look?" he replied sarcastically. Piccolo snorted while his mother uttered a shocked sound in the background.

"Gohan!" his mother didn't appreciate disrespect.

"You looked like shit before, kid, but you look much worse now that your ki has been bound," Piccolo said, his voice holding a rough, pleased tone. Gohan's eyes snapped open as he realized what the Namekjin had said and upon reaching for his great amounts of ki, found that the bulk of it was locked. Gohan had nothing to fall back on.

"What do you mean, 'bound'?" he asked, his voice wavering slightly. In the back of the room, he noticed that Dende stood with Krillin, his eyes wide and terrified. He stepped forward then, to explain, reaching down and lifting Gohan's right hand up off of the bed. Confused, Gohan noticed for the first time the cold, hard shackle that encircled his wrist. Roughly two—nearly three—inches wide, the band was snug against his skin with a smooth, hard exterior.

"Bulma has invented a wristband that can tap into your power and lock it away; she thought it a wise invention since there are so many young children with great power running around here. A child that could level a city with a single temper fit is dangerous," Krillin added, chuckling at his own comment. Gohan swung his gaze to Bulma, who stood beside the door with Krillin. She nodded and gave him a serious look.

"Gohan." Gohan turned his eyes to Dende once more. "I have healed the majority of your wounds, but you lost quite a bit of blood; I couldn't rejuvenate you totally, so you're going to be weak for a little while. I need to return to the Lookout now that you are awake." Dende squeezed Gohan's hand tightly in his own.

Be well, Gohan. Please, do not give up. And then Dende was gone with a nod to Piccolo.

"Gohan, we're going to let you rest now. Call if you need anything," Bulma stated, gently tugging Chichi away from Gohan while ushering everyone else out of the room. Piccolo stood looking down at the teen a moment before following them out.

Gohan lifted his right arm and examined the silver contraption encircling his arm. It was surprisingly strong, but then again, Gohan was so weak he couldn't have taken it off if he had actually tried. Damn thing! Groaning both from pain and regret, he slumped back against his pillows again and examined his bed spread as if it were the number one thing on his mind. What was he going to do? He covered his eyes with a hand and bit his lip.

His heart seemed heavy, even for him, but he took a deep breath, reinforced the ties, and ignored the howling, before he tried to stop the maddening thoughts. He had so much on his mind; it felt as if it was going to simply explode. He wished for a way to just fall asleep and not wake up to this horror.

Daddy, what do I do now? He thought, but his heart shivered and hardened. It doesn't matter what he thinks anyways. He's dead. Gohan pushed himself deeper into his pillow and forced his eyes to squeeze shut. I'll run tomorrow, he thought. Reaching up with his left hand, he traced a finger gently over the long cut along his collar bone, and felt himself begin to lose consciousness again.

DBZ

A few hours later, Gohan awoke with an overly warm little body tucked up next to him. He frowned at the light in his room, figuring it to be early evening by the light filtering in. Beside him, snoring softly, was his baby brother. Gohan had to admit that he was mildly surprised that his mother had allowed the little boy to be around him at the moment, much less leave them unsupervised. The light that did reach into his room, sliced a light blue streak of brightness across Goten's face, drawing Gohan's attention.

Almost reverently, Gohan brought his right hand up and gently ran his pointer finger over the soft curve of Goten's baby cheeks. Something tightened inside of Gohan's chest as he realized that Goten was nearly the same age that Gohan was when he went to train with Piccolo. But my brother will never know the terror of the battle until he's ready; hopefully he will never experience that fear.

But Gohan knew that life was not fair and very rarely went the way it was supposed to. If it did, Goku would not have had to die to show Gohan how badly he had screwed up. Feeling fully exhausted, Gohan curled his arms around his little brother and snuggled him up closer. Silently, he promised himself that Goten would never have to face the heartache that Gohan had.