Disclaimer: I don't own Dbz.

Thanks Puja723 for beta-reading the chapter!

It's been a while since I updated this story and I am so so sorry!

Chapter 53. Anything but ordinary.

Later that day Vegeta and Raditz walked in the room. Vegeta looked at Gohan. "You are still awake." He pointed out. Gohan gave a small smile and nodded. Vegeta turned to Katy and Justin. "You two. Get lost." He ordered as he walked towards Gohan. "I want to cut your hair." He continued to Gohan. "I will help you to a chair." Katy and Justin both frowned but decided to listen and walked outside. Raditz and Vegeta grabbed the teenager. They maneuvered Gohan to a chair where the teen sat down. "Can you keep your head straight or do we have to help you with that too?" Vegeta sneered amusedly.

Gohan growled at him. Vegeta laughed and turned towards Raditz. "You can go. I'll take it from here. I don't like it when people are watching over my shoulder." Raditz nodded and walked away. Vegeta turned back to Gohan and went to stand behind him. "Let's see." He said pulling on Gohan's short hair. "I guess I can go all out now, huh?"

"Probably. You have to do a lot to make it even worse." Gohan answered amusedly. Vegeta smirked and got to work. Gohan stared forwards as Vegeta cut his hair. A silence fell over the two. Vegeta was working very carefully, trying not to hurt Gohan. The teenager smiled a bit. "This feels a lot better than when Zarbon did it." He muttered softly.

"Zarbon cut your hair?" Vegeta asked. He brushed some hair off Gohan's shoulder. The teen muttered a "Yes..." Vegeta cut some hair off before he checked the result. The man frowned and turned to another part of Gohan's hair. "And he hurt you with that?"

"Not really. He just wasn't very gentle with me. I kind of needed that since my body was hurting. You're a little more gentle."

"I'm just looking out for my race." Vegeta answered softly. Gohan smiled and looked down. Vegeta raised an eyebrow and reached out to push Gohan's chin up. "Eight months without me and you forgot about my number one rule, huh?" He sneered. Gohan snickered. "Come on. Show me you didn't forget about it. Say the rule."

Gohan smirked. "You mean ' Always make sure your tail is taken care of'. Do you mean that one?" He asked innocently.

"Another rule you disobeyed but it's not the one I'm looking for." Vegeta answered as he looked down at the teen. "Try again."

"Err... 'Never leave your eyes off the enemy?' That must be it." Gohan said thoughtfully. Vegeta shook his head.

"I gave you many rules, didn't I?" He asked with a hint of amusement in his voice. Gohan shrugged. Then he widened his eyes and gasped.

"I know! You're talking about the 'Never enter someone's room without knocking' rule! I walked into your room once without knocking and what I saw wasn't pretty." Gohan nodded furiously.

Vegeta smirked and got a hold of Gohan's hair. He pulled it down, forcing Gohan to look up at him. "You're toying with me, aren't you?" He asked, trying to keep his face straight.

Gohan widened his eyes. "No! I would never do that, my prince!" He answered in mock shock. Vegeta let him go and put two hands on Gohan's shoulders.

"You shouldn't forget the position you are in Half-breed. Maybe I should cut your tail off, huh?" Vegeta's hand found Gohan's tail. The teen tried to pull the tail away from Vegeta but the man held it in a firm grip.

Gohan looked back at him. "You wouldn't do that. Cut off my pride and sign of my great Saiyan race?"

"Hey, you're not eighteen yet. Your tail will grow back." Vegeta answered as he caressed the tail with his scissors."So… Do you still don't remember the rule?"

"No wait..." Gohan said thoughtfully. "I think it's coming back to me..." Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Yes... You're talking about the 'Show me you are proud of your race and never let me catch you looking down or you'll be sorry' rule." Gohan said nodding.

Vegeta laughed. "Yes. That's the one." Vegeta's hands rested on Gohan's shoulders and he gave them a squeeze. "But I'm pretty sure I didn't say it like that."

"I was fourteen. Think about it." Gohan answered. "I bet you said it like that." Vegeta shrugged. The man got back to work and Gohan continued staring at the wall.

"I wasn't very nice to you at the beginning, huh?"

Gohan snickered. "No. You weren't. But in a way I liked that... The people who were nice to me in the past always wanted something from me. I was never able to trust anyone... They always sold me out once they earned my trust..." Gohan sighed. "And I keep falling for it..." He muttered thinking about Justin.

Vegeta stopped working on Gohan's hair and his hands dropped to his sides. "Half-breed, I want you to know I am very proud of you right now." He started softly. Gohan raised both eyebrows, not expecting this. "And I know the others are too. You've made such a leap in your strength and you behaved like a man through everything that happened to you the past few months. You should know that whatever happened in the past: I won't judge you for anything. I won't look down on you. You earned my respect and deserved it..." A hint of a small smile appeared on Gohan's face. "I would trust you with my life Half-breed. I won't ask you to do the same but I want to let you know that you could do exactly the same in return." Vegeta decided he had spoken enough and continued his work.

Gohan looked down. "I trust you, Vegeta. I think I do." He answered in a whisper.

Vegeta heard this and a small hint of a smile turned up on his face. A while later Vegeta circled around Gohan.

"I think I'm done." Vegeta said as he grabbed the mirror he had grabbed earlier. He held it in front of the teen and watched his reaction. Gohan gasped and looked at his hair.

"I … I look like my dad..." Gohan whispered watching his short hair. Three spikes were sticking out on the one side and two smaller ones on the other side.

"I was thinking more about Turles but I guess your father works too." Vegeta answered. "I never saw him though so I don't know what he looks like..." Vegeta saw the smile on Gohan's face and then noticed his own words. "Right... They're twins. Never mind." Vegeta muttered as he placed the mirror back on a bed. He walked towards Gohan and pulled him up. The older Saiyan pulled an arm under Gohan's arms to help him walk. "Let's go and find out what the others think." Vegeta said as they walked forwards. Well, Vegeta walked and Gohan was carried away. They ended up in the general room and Vegeta cleared his throat. "Look." He said pointing at the teen.

Raditz smirked and looked at Turles. "O no. Wait. There you are Turles. I was afraid you shrunk and Vegeta was bringing you in." He sneered amusedly. Turles rolled his eyes and looked back at Gohan.

"You did manage to make it somewhat better." Turles said impressed. "Damn, Half-breed. I didn't know you could look so much like me."

Vegeta tousled Gohan's hair. Gohan closed his eyes while Vegeta's hand made impact and opened them when he stopped. "I guess that happens when my father is your twin." He answered with a grin. "Too bad you weren't able to see that." Gohan's gaze went to Raditz. "Someone thought he'd lived long enough."

Raditz laughed. "You are nagging at me for killing your father. I've missed that." Raditz exclaimed amusedly. Gohan gave an innocent smile at him. Vegeta looked around and spotted chair. He started walking towards it, taking Gohan with him.

"I'll just put you down here." He muttered. "So you'll be able to sit down on your own." Gohan looked at the chair and bit his lip. He looked back at Vegeta.

"Errr... Vegeta?" He asked hesitantly. "I'd rather go back to bed." He continued still hesitantly. Vegeta stopped walking and looked at him.

"You want to go to your bed?" Vegeta repeated. "We haven't seen each other for months and now you want to get away from us?" Vegeta didn't even try to hide his disappointment. Gohan looked down.

"Please. Just bring me back to my bed." Gohan said softly. Vegeta looked at the other Saiyans. Raditz gave a sad expression but shrugged. Nappa nodded towards the door. Vegeta sighed and turned around with him.

"Fine." He muttered as he brought Gohan back to his bed. There he lied the boy down and made sure he was covered by the sheets. "Do you want me to stay here to keep you company? I'm sure the others would be happy to come here too." Vegeta offered, desperate to spend some time with his comrade.

"I just want to be alone, Vegeta." Gohan said avoiding Vegeta's eyes. The prince frowned at the teen. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it when his eyes fell on Gohan's tail. The tail gave a sad flick. Vegeta suppressed the urge to wind his own tail around Gohan's to cheer him up and crossed his arms.

"Half-breed I..."

"Please. Just go."

Vegeta shook his head and looked down at the teen. "Fine. You can call us if you need anything, okay?" Gohan gave a short nod. He was still looking another way, away from the full-blooded Saiyan. Vegeta turned around and walked out the room. He fell down on a chair when arrived with the others. The others looked at him expectantly. "He wants to be left alone. Damn, he just had what probably was the worst week in his life and he's pushing us away." Vegeta pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Call me naïve but I imagined seeing him again would be very different from this…" He drifted off.

The other Saiyans agreed with that. "I think he imagined something else too." Turles muttered as an answer. Turles looked at Katy. "Why don't you go and keep him company? I don't want him to alone right now. He won't send you away." Katy nodded and got up. She walked towards Gohan's room.

Ten minutes later she walked back in the room again. "He wants to be left alone." She said as she sat down on the ground. She crossed her legs and brushed through her hair. "I'm worried about him. He says he's fine but I bet he's not."

"How would you feel after two weeks of torture in any possible way?" Raditz asked frowning a bit. "What should we do? Should we leave him alone?" He asked the others.

Vegeta nodded. "Yes. Just leave him alone for now. We'll see how it goes from now on." The man looked in Justin's way. The boy was brushing over his standard black uniform. "Boy." He said. Justin, assuming he was the only one in the room Vegeta would call 'boy', looked up. Vegeta got up and turned to walk out the room. "Follow me."

Justin hastily walked out the room after exchanging worried glances with Katy. The female smiled at him as he walked out. Justin followed Vegeta up a stairs and into a smaller room. The man closed the door and turned to Justin. The teenager wondered what Vegeta was planning with him as the man stepped closer.

Vegeta reached in his uniform and got a small piece of paper out of it. "On the first day we got here I went to check on Half-breed to find out if he had any more broken bones besides his arm." Vegeta explained, unfolding the paper. "He woke up for a minute and, after I reassured him that I was Vegeta, he handed me this piece of paper." Vegeta handed it to Justin.

The teen looked at the paper and raised an eyebrow. "Is this a hazing program?" Justin questioned.

Vegeta nodded. "Do you recognize it?"

"Yes." Justin answered. "I was fourteen when I was initiated. I wasn't eighteen yet so they had to make a list with the things they wanted to do to me." Justin continued with a sigh. "It looked just like this."

"Yes. It was the same with me. I was fifteen when I entered that camp." Vegeta answered thoughtfully. "It's not really something I want to be reminded off…" Vegeta muttered after that.

Justin smirked. "I know what you mean." He answered as he stared at the paper. "How did Half-breed get this?" Justin asked as he looked up. "He wasn't initiated like that."

"He wasn't initiated like that?" Vegeta repeated. "Does that mean that he was initiated?" Justin nodded hesitantly. "How?"

"You will have to ask him that." Justin answered almost immediately.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "I am asking you now." Vegeta answered. The man stepped closer. "Answer me."

Justin looked away. "This is something Half-breed told me about after a lot of persuasion from both me and the specialists. He really did not want to tell me but I knew it was good for him to get it out. I won't betray Half-breed again. I'm not going to tell his secrets." Justin answered as he clenched his fists.

Vegeta grabbed Justin on his collar. "You didn't have any trouble telling Zarbon all his secrets." He snarled at the teenager.

Justin pursed his lips. "I won't make that mistake again." Justin answered shortly.

"What if I beat it out of you?" Vegeta asked as he pulled back a fist. Justin didn't even flinch. The boy pressed his lips together tightly.

"I won't tell."

Vegeta stared at Justin for a second before he smirked. "Good." The man released the boy and snatched the piece of paper out of his hands. "I'll ask him myself." Vegeta continued as he turned around and walked away. Justin sighed and brushed a hand through his green hair.

() **** **** ()

Katy was lying on her bed and staring up at the ceiling. She sighed as her hand moved up to touched her black eye. The female winced and her hand fell back down again. Turles walked in and walked to his own bed. There he started changing his uniform. Gohan was lying in his own bed and was asleep once more. Katy ignored Turles as the man undressed and pulled a black uniform over his body. She rolled on her side and closed her eyes.

Turles's eyes moved her way as his hands pulled on his green armor. "How long did Vegeta lock you up on your bed?"

Katy opened her eyes and rolled on her back. "Probably until he thinks I've stayed here long enough." She answered frowning.

"It's your own fault." Turles answered amusedly as he sat down on his own bed. The man pulled on his white boots. "You really shouldn't pick a fight with Vegeta." Turles continued as he walked closer. "Let's see." He knelt down next to the bed. Katy sat up and frowned at him. Turles grabbed her chin and inspected the bruise on Katy's cheek. "That will heal in a few days. He didn't really do anything bad to you. He knows you have to be able to fight if they discover us here." Turles continued as his eyes moved to the bruises on Katy's arms.

Katy crossed her arms and looked away from him. Turles sat down on the bed next to Katy and leaned on his hands. "If you piss off Vegeta you get beat up." He said. "That's common knowledge in this universe."

"I know." Katy snarled back at him. "I just didn't think he would…" She stopped talking and looked away.

"You didn't think he would actually give you a beating?" Turles asked interested. Katy didn't answer him but the sigh she gave out was his answer. "Vegeta doesn't care who you are. He was soft on you though. You don't want to know the things he did to Half-breed. Besides, you should be glad Vegeta is beating up your face and not something else." Turles's lips curled up when Katy punched him in the shoulder.

"Shouldn't you get back to the others?" Katy asked as she shifted on the bed and fell on her back again.

Turles shook his head. The man got up and held out a hand for her to grab. "I came here with a mission." Turles answered as Katy looked up. "Come on. Get up." He ordered. Katy ignored his offered hand and got up herself. "Vegeta told you about the mating ritual we Saiyans have, right?" Turles asked. Katy nodded. "I have to start preparing you for it." Turles answered as he walked towards the center of the room.

"Turles?" Vegeta walked in and frowned. "Why haven't you started yet?" He asked when he noticed the two standing there.

Turles growled. "I was getting to it." The Saiyan answered. "Don't be so impatient. We have all the time in the world." Turles continued. Vegeta, who was making his way to Katy, stopped walking right in front of Turles.

Vegeta looked sideways, right into Turles's eyes, and smirked. "Let's not forget our place, okay third class?" He sneered. Turles scoffed and turned away from Vegeta. The older Saiyan looked back at Katy again and continued his walk as if nothing had happened. The man grabbed Katy's chin, ignoring the annoyed growl from her, and inspected the bruises on her face. "Maybe I should focus on your body the next time. I'm ruining your looks." Vegeta muttered. Katy pushed his hand away. Vegeta turned around and walked out the room.

Katy frowned at his retreading form. Turles smirked and patted on the floor opposite him. Katy sat down there and sighed. "How do you live with that guy? I mean, is it that hard to look without touching anything?"

Turles shrugged. "It's much easier to look at a wound or something when that person is standing still. We're just direct, I guess. You'll get used to it." Turles answered uninterested. "Now. When Half-breed and you perform the ritual; you will both send your memories, the good and bad ones, to each other. Seeing that Half-breed hasn't had the best live, we think it's best to prepare your mental strength." Turles explained. Katy nodded. "We can't do more than train your mind. So we'll start with meditating for a while. After that we'll improvise." The two warriors both closed their eyes.

Later that day Katy was sitting on Gohan's bed. The Saiyan was asleep and rolling around in his bed. The boy moaned and whimpered as memories haunted him in his dreams. Katy bit her lip. "Gohan…" She whispered. "What's going on? I knew about the nightmares but I didn't know they were like this…"

Katy brushed through Gohan's hair and, as if she knew what she had to do, she placed her hand on Gohan's forehead. The female gasped as images shot through her mind.

Nightmare

Gohan was lying in his bed. The six year old shivered slightly and played with his tail. The boy rolled on his back and sighed. Then he heard a sound. The boy sat up but was pushed down almost immediately. "Be quiet."

"No!" Gohan yelled. The man backhanded him. Gohan whimpered slightly as he struggled, trying to push the warrior off. The half-saiyan managed to knee the warrior in the stomach and pushed him off the bed.

Gohan jumped up and tried to race out the room but three men were blocking his way. Gohan stumbled back and tripped when Himona, who was lying on the ground, held out his leg. The half-Saiyan moved back as fast as he could in his oversized shirt and pants. The four warriors slowly stepped closer, blocking him in. "Himona. What you are doing is bad." Gohan stuttered out.

Himona smirked and put his hands up. "Not everyone is as good as you, little angel." He answered, his red eyes gleaming in amusement. The man knelt down in front of the half-Saiyan and tilted Gohan's face up by placing his finger under Gohan's chin.

"Why can't you leave me alone? What have I ever done to you?" Gohan answered, his voice trembling with fear.

"You're alive." Himona answered. "That's reason enough to punish you." Himona continued before he grabbed Gohan on his collar and tossed him on the bed. The half-Saiyan was pinned down again before he could even take a breath. The boy growled at Himona, who smirked back at him. "What are you going to do now, Saiyan? I am going to take everything away from you." Himona whispered as he eyed the half-Saiyan.

"I hate you." Gohan growled back.

"Good." Himona answered with a grin. "That means I am doing my job right." After this he handed a punch in Gohan's stomach. The boy gasped in pain and Himona took this opportunity to push up the boy's shirt. Gohan tried to push the hands away but he wasn't fast enough. The boy powered up and the force of his energy pushed Himona away. The man knocked his head against the wall and fell to the ground. The other warriors attacked him but Gohan managed to knock them out. The boy panted and placed his hands on his knees.

"What happened here?" Gohan looked up to see a guard standing in the doorway. His purple uniform and silver belt would hard to distinguish in the dark for any common warrior but Gohan could see it easily. Gohan got up and opened his mouth to reply but was cut off: "What did you do now?" The guard snarled at him as he stepped closer.

"I didn't do anything." Gohan yelled back. "They came here and tried to attack me." The boy looked up at the guard, now standing in front of him.

"You are in so much trouble." The guard growled as he reached out with his hairy brown hand and grabbed Gohan on his collar. He pulled the boy in the air. "Don't think you can run to the specialists this time. You're in my hands now." He sneered.

Gohan dug his nails in the man's hand and the guard dropped him. "Just leave me alone." Gohan answered frowning.

The guard placed his hands on his hips. "No. Why did you do this?" The guard asked. "Don't think you can get out of the punishment this time." The guard motioned to the men on the ground.

"I did it out of self defense." Gohan answered with a frown. "You know that!"

The guard smirked at him. "You always have an excuse. I don't get why you're still alive. The other warriors should have killed you by now." Gohan narrowed his eyes. "But for now, I guess its better that you're alive." The guard suddenly snatched at Gohan's arm and spun the arm on Gohan's back. He placed a hand on Gohan's mouth to keep him silent. Gohan widened his eyes when he saw Himona and the others getting up.

Himona noticed what was going on and crossed his arms. "How much do you want?" Himona asked.

"Twenty." The guard said as he tightened his grip on the struggling half-Saiyan.

"Fifteen." Himona answered.

"Eighteen."

"Deal." Himona held out his hands. The guard pushed Gohan forwards and the Saiyan stumbled right into Himona's hands.

The guard turned around and walked towards the door. "I'll lock the door to give you guys some privacy." He said as he turned around and gave a vicious glance to Gohan. Himona was holding Gohan's arms, pinning them against his sides.

The door fell in the lock and Himona pushed Gohan to the ground. The half-Saiyan kicked backwards and managed to hit Himona in the stomach. The man growled and rolled away. Gohan jumped up and whirled around and attacked. He didn't see where he was going, he didn't even think about it. All he wanted was to hurt the ones that had been hurting him. He wanted to see the blood, feel the bones against his fists and ….

A hand was placed on Gohan's shoulder. Gohan whirled around and went to punch whoever it was but Headmaster caught his punch. The man with bright blue eyes and a dark skin tightened his grip on Gohan's fist. "Gohan," He said softly. "Come on." He pulled Gohan in the air and held the boy in his arms. Gohan placed his head against Headmaster's chest and closed his eyes. The man grabbed Gohan's pillow and handed it to the boy. After this he grabbed the sheets from the bed and walked out the room. He walked downstairs and opened the door to the specialist's lounge. Several couches were surrounding a table and closets with books were leaning against the walls. Headmaster walked into the dark room and placed Gohan on the couch.

The half-saiyan looked up as Headmaster placed the pillow under his head. Gohan bit his lip. "What's wrong with me?" He whispered.

Headmaster gave him the sheets. He watched Gohan settle on the couch and sighed. "There is nothing wrong with you Gohan. All you can do is get stronger and make sure they will be too afraid to attack you, okay?"

Gohan nodded a few times. "Yes sir."

"Goodnight." Headmaster said as he turned around to lock the door.

"Goodnight Headmaster."

End of Nightmare.

Katy gasped and pulled her hand back. Gohan was looking back at her with wide eyes. The half-Saiyan noticed the expression on Katy's face. "Did you…?" He asked.

Katy nodded a few times and looked down. Gohan looked away. "Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. You shouldn't have seen that." Gohan answered shortly.

Katy shook her head. "Gohan. What's going on? Did this happen in camp? Is this what you won't tell me?" She asked as she placed a hand on Gohan's forehead to gauge his temperature.

Gohan shook his head. "Don't think about it, okay? I didn't want you to know about this." Gohan answered.

"Don't worry, Gohan. It's in the past. There is nothing I can do about it. I just wish you would have told me about this." Katy answered with a sigh.

Gohan shook his head sadly. "With some things you are better off not knowing them. This is one of those things." Gohan answered. After this he turned away from her and closed his eyes.

"Gohan." Katy placed a hand on Gohan's arm but the Saiyan ignored her. "Gohan please." Katy gave the Saiyan a push and sighed. After this she got up and walked away. The female looked up to see Vegeta standing in the doorway. The man placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Just leave him alone for a while, okay?" He said as he pulled his hand back. Katy nodded and walked out the room. Vegeta looked at the bed where Gohan was lying before he turned around and followed her.

() **** **** ()

Gohan stared up at the ceiling, thinking about the passed day. He didn't like not being able to move. The others did everything for him from escorting him to the bathroom to feeding him the needed food. Gohan sighed. He wasn't one to be taken care of. He wanted to do everything himself. He didn't like being dependent on others.

"Quit staring at the ceiling. If you don't watch out your stare will create a hole up there." Raditz sneered as he walked closer. Gohan looked his way and shrugged, noticing he could make small movements. Raditz sat down on the bed. "I have food." He said as he showed a bowl and a bottle with water. Gohan shifted on the bed and looked at Raditz. The man placed the bottle and the bowl on the table. After this he got up again and moved his hands under Gohan's armpits. He maneuvered the teen in a sitting position, leaning against the wall. After this he grabbed the food and water. He sat down again and looked at Gohan. "Did you make any progress?" He asked. "Show me what you can move."

Gohan nodded and looked at his hand. Raditz followed his gaze and looked at the hand. He smirked when the pinky moved slowly. "Come on. You can do better than that." Raditz sneered looking up at Gohan again. Gohan narrowed his eyes and concentrated. He then got Raditz's attention by moving his fingers again. This time he clenched his fist, only to have his fingers snap back the second after that. Gohan took a deep breath and smiled at Raditz, who nodded approvingly. Raditz grabbed the bowl with food and grabbed the spoon. He went to feed Gohan when the teen spoke.

"I can feed myself, Raditz." Gohan said looking at the Saiyan. Raditz smirked and held the bowl in front of Gohan.

"And how were you planning on doing that?" Raditz sneered looking back at him. "It's not like you can move a muscle without hurting yourself."

Gohan ignored this and nodded towards the lap. "Just put it there." Raditz shrugged and placed the bowl on Gohan's lap. Gohan bit his lip and his tail moved towards the spoon. Raditz crossed his arms as his lips curled up. He already noticed what Gohan wanted to do but he knew by experience that tails weren't good for things like this. Gohan's tail sneaked around the spoon. He concentrated and squinted his eyes as the tail moved up, taking the spoon with it. Then at one point, when it was nearly at Gohan's face, his tail put too much strength in holding the spoon. The spoon went the wrong direction and everything fell over Gohan's shirt. The teen pouted.

Raditz laughed. "Nice try but it's supposed to go in your mouth and not on your shirt." He sneered. Gohan glared at him. Raditz grabbed the spoon from Gohan's tail and fetched the bowl too. He then looked at Gohan again. "Now, are you going to work with me or not?" Gohan gave a desperate expression. Raditz pursed his lips. "You want me to get Kittycat so she can feed you?"

"Kitty cat?" Gohan questioned amusedly. Raditz shrugged and placed the bowl on the table. He grabbed the bottle again and opened it. Raditz then held it to Gohan's lips and said: "We were thinking of Katycat in the beginning but that was too much like her real name. Besides, if you see her mad you'll understand. She was mad at me a while ago. And she made me think about those cat things on the picture in your Earth book. So I decided to call her that. The others took it from me though..." Raditz smirked as Gohan drank eagerly. "You'll get trouble with her, watch out. She's going to be a real pain if she is going to give you a child." Gohan chocked in the water and coughed. Raditz quickly pulled the bottle away from him as water soaked Gohan's shirt. "Hey! This is precious water! Don't spoil it." Raditz said in mock anger.

"I bet you did that one on purpose." Gohan complained. Raditz shrugged and grinned. Gohan narrowed his eyes at the Saiyan. Raditz pulled an innocent face.

"Come on. Drink more. I'll behave this time. "Gohan rolled his eyes and took a few more sips. "Flick your tail when you have enough." Raditz said looking at Gohan's tail. The tail flicked and Raditz pulled the bottle away. Gohan yawned.

"I'll get Kittycat, ungrateful one." Raditz said with a smile. He tousled Gohan's hair and got up. After this he walked out to get Katy.

() **** **** ()

Vegeta frowned and walked towards the teenager. He gave the boy a small shake. Gohan woke up and looked up at him. "What's wrong?" He asked weakly.

Vegeta frowned and pulled him up. "You need a bath." He muttered. Zarbon's scent was hanging around the boy and the Saiyans hated it. Vegeta's nose wrinkled as he pulled the teenager up and pulled his arm under Gohan's shoulders.

"Come on, little one." Vegeta whispered as they walked towards another room. Raditz was there and he was frowning at Gohan when the two came in. The uncle wrinkled his nose too when he smelled Gohan's scent mixture. Vegeta looked at him and nodded.

Together they brought him towards a shower like machine. Vegeta had checked the water earlier and noticed it could be turned hot and cold. Vegeta first turned the water to the right temperature. They made curtains out of sheets so Gohan and Vegeta would have some more privacy.

"Vegeta… Raditz..." Gohan whispered. "What are you doing?" He felt so weak like this. He could barely stand and his legs were shaking under him. His voice was still damaged from all the screaming he'd done and was nothing more than a harsh whisper.

Vegeta pulled Gohan's white shirt over his head. "I'm going to wash you okay?" He asked looking at the teenager. "You really need a bath, Half-breed. Can I help you?"

Gohan looked at Vegeta. Did Vegeta just ask him something? Normally he would have done things like that without asking just like when Vegeta wanted to cut his hair. Gohan decided it would be okay... He noticed something weird about his scent too. He nodded.

Vegeta smiled a bit and helped Raditz get Gohan out his pants. The two brought the half-naked Saiyan to the shower. There Vegeta gently put him down on the ground. Gohan sank through his knees and ended up kneeling on the ground.

He hated being weak like this but he couldn't do anything about it. Vegeta tossed his capsule on the ground and made his box appear. He got his most perfumed soap out and turned to Raditz. "I'll call you when we're done okay?"

Raditz nodded and walked away. Vegeta turned to Gohan, who was staring at nothing. The man pursed his lips and walked closer to him. He closed the curtains and placed Gohan under the streaming water.

Gohan looked up at him. "You're getting wet." He muttered with a small smile. Vegeta shrugged and grabbed a cloth. He grabbed Gohan's hand and after using the soap, he started rubbing Gohan's arm. The boy watched it without any emotions.

Gohan looked up. "They did it..." He whispered. "They finally succeeded."

"Hush boy." Vegeta said soothingly. He couldn't cope with what was left of Gohan. Something in that dungeon broke the boy and he had a hunch what it was. Gohan hadn't been the same since then. He suffered from nightmares... More than before... And when he was awake, he would stare in the distance.

The saiyans wondered if he would ever get over it. Vegeta couldn't blame him. Gohan had been fighting and running for years to avoid it. His biggest fear came true. Vegeta sighed and rubbed Gohan's arm a little harsher.

"Vegeta..." The older saiyan didn't look at Gohan. He didn't want to see the pain in his eyes. "Why do I smell so weird?" Now Vegeta did look at him. The man looked at Gohan as the teenager caught the answer. The boy widened his eyes and shook his head. "No... You smell it, don't you?" Vegeta lowered his gaze and nodded faintly. Gohan bit his lip and grabbed the cloth. He started rubbing it over his arms furiously, clenching his fists in the efforts to do this. "I… have… to... get clean…" He hissed. "Clean… I'm dirty… I..."

Vegeta shook his head and snapped out his thoughts. He quickly grabbed the cloth from Gohan's hands. "There's nothing, Half-breed. Don't worry."

"I have to get clean Vegeta." Gohan said putting his hands on Vegeta's shoulders. "I have to. I'm dirty… I can't believe you even want to be around me... I didn't…know…I could ….get this weak but…"

Gohan stopped talking when Vegeta pressed him against the wall. Vegeta narrowed his eyes at the teenager. "You. Are. Not. Weak." He hissed. Gohan's eyes told him he didn't believe it. The stubborn brown eyes made that point clear.

Gohan reached out for the cloth but Vegeta pulled it away. "Give it back." Gohan demanded in his soft voice. Vegeta shook his head. "Give it back!" Gohan yelled at him. "I have to get clean!" He tried to reach for it. "I can't be dirty... I have to... Give it… I'm…"

"All right!" Vegeta yelled. Gohan looked at him. The man sighed and closed his eyes. Gohan had more energy than he thought he would have. "Don't worry, Half-breed." He said as he pushed Gohan back under the stream of water. "I'll clean you, okay?" Gohan nodded weakly. Vegeta turned back to Gohan's arm and gently cleaned it. Gohan's short wet hair was sticking against his neck and shoulders. Vegeta decided to only clean the boy's body. Gohan could do his neck and face by himself.

He rubbed over Gohan's chest and put more soap on the cloth. While he was cleaning Gohan's stomach his eyes were drawn to Gohan's tail. It twitched sadly and agitatedly. It was scared, no, terrified. Vegeta sighed. It would be hard to get Gohan back to his old self again. Gohan got back to staring at nothing. Vegeta was getting fairly annoyed by that. "Brat... Are you in there?"

Gohan looked at him and nodded. "Of course. I couldn't runaway even if I wanted too." He muttered with a hint of annoyance in it.

"No, we would catch you just like we always do." Vegeta answered with a smirk. Gohan stared at his leg as Vegeta moved his cloth over it. "You're getting way too long." Vegeta complained.

Gohan smiled a bit and sighed. "I'm glad though. I finally grew a bit." He muttered back.

"I preferred you small." Vegeta said as he ruffled the teenager's hair with a smirk. After this he looked at the teenager and gave to cloth to him. Vegeta positioned Gohan's hand with the cloth on his lower stomach and pulled the band of his boxer up a bit. After this he pushed the hand down a few inches. "You can do that yourself." He said frowning. "I'm not doing it." After this he got up and walked out the shower. "You can do your neck and face yourself too. Call me when you're done."

Gohan rolled his eyes and decided to do his neck and face first. He frowned when he noticed how much trouble it was to move his arms. "Why did you go through the trouble of cleaning my body when I have to do something myself too?"

"You probably already notice how much trouble it is to clean those few inches at the moment." Vegeta answered as he crossed his arms. He had his back turned to the teenager. "You would have never finished your whole body without exhausting yourself."

Gohan frowned, knowing this was true. When he was clean he looked at Vegeta, who still had his back turned to Gohan. The man was waiting for Gohan to call him. Gohan wasn't planning on doing this though. He wasn't going to call out for help like a helpless baby. The teenager looked up and reached out for a pole. He frowned when he couldn't fetch it and went to sit on his knees. He reached out again and grabbed it. A small groan escaped from his lips. "I hope you're not doing what I think you're doing." Vegeta muttered with his eyes closed.

Gohan couldn't help but smirk and reached out higher. He grabbed the shower like machine to get himself standing. The machine wasn't made for Gohan's weight and broke. Gohan yelped as the whole thing fell upon him. One pole pierced through his hand and Gohan screamed. Vegeta whirled around and widened his eyes. He ran towards the teenager and growled. "Didn't I tell you to call me when you were done?" He snapped at the boy as he lifted a part of the machine up.

Gohan bit his lip. "It's weak to call for help." He answered. "I can't let you treat me like a helpless child."

Vegeta sighed and lifted the other part off the half-Saiyan. "You're not weak. You were badly hurt by those torture blasts. God, every normal person wouldn't even be able to move." He answered as he pulled the pole out Gohan's hands. The boy clenched his teeth and looked at his hand. After this he turned on his stomach.

Then Raditz and Turles came running down. "What happened?" Raditz asked with wide eyes. Vegeta looked at them and shrugged.

"Nothing. The half-breed was just being stubborn." He muttered frowning at the teenager. Gohan frowned back at him and tried to get up. Vegeta let him go and sighed. "How many times are you going to try that? Give yourself a break, kiddo." Gohan ignored him and Vegeta looked at Raditz. "Go get a bandage." He ordered frowning. Raditz nodded and left. Vegeta grabbed a drying cloth and turned back to Gohan, who was being pulled up by Turles.

"I can get up by myself." Gohan snarled at Turles, who shrugged and let him go. Gohan wasn't prepared for this and fell on the ground. Vegeta smirked at the teen.

"Now, are you going to let us help you or what?" He asked as Gohan looked down. Gohan sighed and nodded. "Good." Vegeta said as he nodded to Turles. The uncle pulled his nephew up again. Vegeta started drying him and Raditz got back with a bandage. After Gohan changed in a uniform he was directed to a bed. There Vegeta bandaged his hand. After this he was pulled up again. Vegeta and Turles brought him back to his bed.

There Gohan lied down with a sigh. How long was it going to take until he got better? Gohan lied there for a while, thinking the Saiyans would probably leave him alone for the rest of the day. He then noticed that he was wrong about that one. Vegeta walked in the room with a small plate with food. He sat down on Gohan's bed and watched the teenager sit up. Gohan reached out to grab the food but Vegeta pulled it away with a smirk. "No, I want to feed you."

Gohan frowned and sighed. This was going to be a long day. He shook his head. Vegeta pouted. "Come on. Washing you got me in the caring mood. Just do it for old times sake. It will be just like when I fed you when you were tied to that mountain on our first mission together."

Gohan rolled his eyes. He still remembered that. He was beaten up by Raditz for trying to trick them into thinking he killed the inhabitants of that city, which he didn't. The Saiyans were laughing at him all evening while he was trying to get free from his bounds. At one point Vegeta decided Gohan had to eat something and fed the boy. "That wasn't feeding. That was forcing it down my throat." Gohan answered with a frown.

"The result is the same." Vegeta answered with a smirk. "Be a good boy." He said holding the spoon up. Gohan narrowed his eyes but decided to humor Vegeta. He would have the man whining at him all evening without getting any food if he didn't.

() **** **** ()

That was it. About the shower part: Vegeta is just being fatherly. Don't think anything more of it. He just wants to clean Gohan and that's it.

Please please please review!