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I don't have a beta for this story either. I hope it's not too bad.
This was supposed to be a short scene but I started writing and this whole chapter came out -.-
Chapter 55. Mistakes.
"Everything looks fine." Turles muttered as he massaged the immobilized muscles in Gohan's lower leg. "You have absolutely no reason to think you cannot walk yet."
"My body disagrees." Gohan answered shortly. Turles ignored this and moved his scrutiny to Gohan's left arm.
Vegeta smirked and looked up. He was sitting on the end of the bed and was massaging Gohan's lower leg. "That bastard is just enjoying our massages too much." Vegeta sneered as his eyes moved to Gohan's face. The boy smiled innocently.
"I can't deny that." He answered as he moved his right arm up to lie on it. Turles was still prodding in Gohan's arm. He pressed down on a certain part in Gohan's arm and the boy yelped. "Auch!"
Turles looked up. "Did that hurt?"
"No. I just like to say the word." Gohan snarled back as he pulled his arm away from the Saiyan. Turles rolled his eyes and grabbed Gohan's arm again. He ignored the growl from the half-Saiyan and continued to examine Gohan's arm.
"Hold still, you big baby." Turles said with a smirk when Gohan tried to pull away again. Gohan frowned at him but allowed Turles to look at his arm.
"Half-breed?" Vegeta asked slowly.
"Yeah?" Gohan asked in the same slow manner. The boy was now lying back with his head and had his eyes closed as he tried to ignore what Turles was doing.
Turles gave Vegeta a hesitating glance as the Saiyan prince reached down in his uniform. Vegeta ignored it and looked back at Gohan. "One the first day we arrived here," Vegeta started slowly. Gohan opened his eyes and looked down to meet Vegeta's eyes. "You handed me something that day." Vegeta continued as he showed the paper in his hands.
Gohan's eyes moved to the paper and he widened them slightly when he recognized it. The boy immediately pulled all his limbs away from the two Saiyans. Gohan shifted back and pulled his legs up. Vegeta and Turles both looked at him in surprise. "What do you want, Vegeta?" He asked frowning.
Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "Why I ought a…." He grumbled before he leaned forwards. "I was just asking a question, brat. How dare you reacting like that after…" Vegeta's rant was interrupted when Turles started talking.
"Now now, Vegeta. Getting angry isn't going to help us." Turles said soothingly as if he was talking to a three year old. Vegeta glared at him but nodded after that. Turles got up and the two full-blooded Saiyans exchanged glances. Gohan tensed when this happened; he didn't trust them like this. They both looked back at the half-Saiyan and simultaneously they reached out and grabbed Gohan's legs.
Gohan gasped when he was pulled down again. Vegeta resumed the massage he was giving Gohan earlier and Turles got a hold of Gohan's arm again. Gohan growled and tried to pull away but the two Saiyans held onto him. Turles looked up at Gohan and pressed down on Gohan's arm.
The half-Saiyan yelped. "Auch!"
"Stay still." Turles said when Gohan looked at him. The boy frowned and let his head fall back on the pillow.
"I was talking about that note." Vegeta said as he looked at Gohan again. Gohan pretended to zip his mouth shut and gave Vegeta a pointed look. The man rolled his eyes. "I showed it to Justin a few days ago. He seemed to recognize it." Vegeta said.
"Of course." Gohan answered uninterested. "He's been through hazing."
"Yes. He told me that." Vegeta answered with a nod. "He also told me that, and these were his exact words, you weren't initiated like that." Vegeta said as he looked at the half-Saiyan. "Care to explain?"
"Not really." Gohan answered as Turles pulled on his arm. "Are you trying to pull it off?" Gohan asked annoyed.
Turles looked up at him. "No. I am trying to find out if your body reacts on it." Turles answered shortly before he pulled on Gohan's arm again. Gohan groaned in pain and his tail lashed out in agitation. "That's what I was waiting for." Turles muttered as he released Gohan's arm.
Gohan raised an eyebrow. "What's that about?" He asked curiously.
"Nothing. It's too difficult to explain." Turles answered as he eyed Gohan's arm. "Continue your conversation with Vegeta." He ordered after that.
"Why won't you tell me?" Vegeta asked immediately after this.
"Vegeta. I told Justin about that day because they kept pushing me." Gohan said with a frown. "Crimon, Headmaster and Hitora all thought it was a good idea and they continued to follow me telling me to confide in Justin. I did that and nothing really happened. I didn't feel any better or worse."
"You could try again." Vegeta suggested."Maybe this time you'll manage to make yourself feel better about it." Vegeta said with a nod.
Gohan sighed. "What do you want from me, Vegeta?" He asked tiredly.
"I want you to…" Vegeta started but Gohan cut him off.
"No! Vegeta I will never be able to confide in you like that. Don't you see?" Gohan asked frowning. "You're not my friend, Vegeta. You never will be. You're my comrade, my guardian, or my…" Gohan searched for the word visibly, "keeper as all your friends call it." Gohan continued as he put his hands up. "I can't just tell you things like this."
"Why not?" Vegeta asked confused.
"There's just too much history. For ten years you've been this threatening voice in my nightmares. You took my planet and family away from me. You locked up me in that horrible camp. You forced me to do things I didn't want to do and laughed at the emotional pain it inflicted on me." Gohan said exasperated. "You made me kill thousands of people. You did terrible things to me, Vegeta, and I can't just forget about that. It's impossible."
Vegeta stared at him for a few seconds. "I'm not asking you to forget about everything." Vegeta said slowly. "As you said, it's impossible." Vegeta continued with a sigh. "I just want you to move on. You can trust us, Half-breed. We won't use your weakness against you anymore."
"If you want our relationship to get better," Gohan started as he looked at Vegeta, "Then give me my space and don't force me to answer your question."
Vegeta handed the note to Gohan when the boy held out his hand. Gohan gave him a small smile and looked at it. "How did you get it?" Vegeta asked interested as Gohan read the list again.
"Himona gave it to me." Gohan answered without thinking. Vegeta and Turles both looked up and widened their eyes.
"Why didn't you tell us he came by too?" Turles said as he shifted on the ground and placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Turles asked concerned.
Gohan looked at the two worriedfaces and widened his eyes. "No!" Gohan shook his head. "He didn't do anything. You two have really become softies." He sneered with a smirk.
Turles squeezed in his shoulder and smirked too. Gohan watched him go back to his arm and to examine it again. The boy moved his sight to the ceiling. Vegeta looked at him and hesitated for a second. After this he shook his head, wondering if he'd really changed in the last few years*, and voiced the thoughts that were going through his mind: "If he didn't come to you for that. Then what did he do?" Vegeta asked. Gohan was still watching the ceiling as he told the other two Saiyans everything Himona told him that day.
"So the only reason he tortured you like that was because a bunch of Saiyans destroyed his planet?" Vegeta asked frowning.
Gohan sighed and nodded. Turles leaned back against the bed next to Gohan's and smirked slightly. "Wow. That's amazing. I do remember though…" He said innocently as Gohan looked his way. "I remember a certain group of very smart Saiyans saying that those attacks had nothing to do with you or your age or your looks." Turles said as he moved his eyebrows up and down a few times. Gohan rolled his eyes.
"Okay. You were right." Gohan said as he looked back at the ceiling with a small smile.
"I love it when he says that." Vegeta mentioned to Turles. Gohan scoffed.
Gohan sighed. "Stupid Saiyan race." He muttered. Vegeta and Turles immediately reacted by smacking against Gohan tail with their own tails. The half-Saiyan yelped and his tail lashed out in annoyance. "What the hell was that?" He asked frowning. The two Saiyans gave him a pointed look. Gohan growled. "It's true, isn't it? Just because some stupid Saiyan team couldn't keep their act together and purge a planet normally, I get stuck with the revenge plans." Gohan complained with a frown. "Himona was just a kid and they destroyed his life. It seems to be Saiyan habit." Gohan muttered that last sentence and gave a small glance at the two Saiyans. They both ignored the statement and continued their work.
"Just a boy…" Gohan muttered thoughtfully before he suddenly sat up. The two Saiyans looked up. "Wait a minute." Gohan said. "Himona turned 21 when I was six. I'm sure of that, I was the freaking present." Gohan thought about that long day for a few seconds before he shook his head and continued: "Himona was 21 around that time, which means that he is younger than you." Gohan looked at Turles. The full-blooded third class gave a small look at Vegeta and noticed the man gave the same warning look back. "If he's younger than you, and you were born in the year that planet Vegeta was destroyed… And a Saiyan team destroyed his planet when he was a teenager…" Everything started to sink in and Gohan groaned out loud. "You've got to be kidding me." Gohan said tiredly.
Vegeta put his hands up and smirked innocently. "Surprise?" He tried. Gohan shot him a glare. "Planet Terresija. I remember it." Vegeta started as he crossed his arms. "I think I was about 31 years old. Turles was 23, I think?" Turles nodded and Vegeta continued talking. "Turles had just come back from another war and we were having an argument." Vegeta explained.
"We were always having arguments." Turles answered with a smirk. "Nappa and Raditz were there too but they never really did anything about our fights. They were probably hoping one of us would finish the other one off." Turles chuckled.
"In the beginning, when Raditz was 17 and Turles and I were respectively 7 and 12, Raditz used to give Turles chores every time we started fighting. He couldn't order me to do anything but, since Raditz was Turles's brother, Turles wasn't that lucky." Vegeta said amusedly. Turles rolled his eyes.
"I hated it." Turles continued with a small smile. "I remember attacking Raditz once. I was so angry because he ordered me do to something once more. It earned me quite a beating though." Turles muttered bitterly.
"I had the time of my life watching everything." Vegeta said with a grin. "That was until Nappa decided to discipline me for laughing at Turles like that."
Gohan eyed the two Saiyans as they thought about those childhood memories. "You guys have been living with each other for a long time, huh?" Gohan asked softly.
"We've been living together for quite some time, yes." Vegeta answered thoughtfully. "We were never really close though. We were comrades, not friends. We were forced to join the Saiyan team because nobody else wanted us. We didn't want to join any other team anyway. We lived together, we ate together, and we fought together and slept in those stupid rooms Freeza kept us in. Nappa and I were with each other from the beginning. Raditz had nowhere else to go when his planet was destroyed. We got Turles in the same way as we got you." Vegeta said looking at Gohan. "But you know all this. The only difference is that we kept Turles with us."
Turles scratched his head and watched as Vegeta continued his story. "I regret putting you in camp, Half-breed." Vegeta said after that. Gohan raised an eyebrow. "I wonder what you would have been like if we kept you with us." Vegeta muttered thoughtfully.
Turles got up. "Let's turn you around so we can take care of your back." Turles said as he stepped closer. Vegeta got off the bed and Gohan turned on his stomach. Turles sat down on the bed next to Gohan and started examining Gohan's naked back with his hands. Vegeta leaned against the wall next to Gohan's bed and frowned slightly.
"We were lazy." Vegeta announced. Gohan looked up and turned his sight towards the man next to him. Turles pushed Gohan's head down so the boy placed his hands under his head and leaned on them, still facing Vegeta. "We didn't want to have to teach you how to fight and use ki. That's why we put you away." Vegeta muttered.
Gohan looked up. "I know that. Tell me something I don't know." Turles pushed Gohan's head down again. Gohan frowned and looked up again. "Tell me about Himona's planet." Turles's tail unwrapped itself and pushed Gohan's head down again. Turles's tail stayed on Gohan's head to make sure the boy didn't look up again. Gohan decided to give up and tried to look at Vegeta's face with his eyes.
Vegeta was staring off in the distance. "The planet was very big. It took us a while to purge it. We had to kill all the men older than thirty. We had to sell the children into slavery. The females older than thirteen had to be separated from the rest. They were sent to another slave market. The boy between thirteen and thirty had to be examined and the strong ones were to be sent to Freeza. The rest was forced to join the other children. Himona was probably one of the boys we sent to Freeza after examining him. I do remember one boy standing up to us. He had a little sister and a brother."
Vegeta crossed his arms and continued: "The girl had something special. She told us she was sixteen years old so we wanted to separate her from the rest of the group. She wouldn't let go of her younger brother though and we had to use force on her. Her older brother saw this and tried to fight us." Vegeta chuckled. "Stupid boy. We beat him up and made him watch while he killed his little brother. We teased him with his sister for a while. We touched her a few times to show we were in control. After that we killed her too and forced the boy back with the others." Vegeta shrugged. "Maybe that was him. They all look alike." He muttered.
Gohan frowned at him. "Thanks a lot." He said accusingly. Vegeta smirked and shrugged again. Turles pushed down on Gohan's back and raised an eyebrow.
"That's odd." He muttered as he touched the same spot.
Gohan looked up. "What's wrong?" He asked. Turles's tail pushed Gohan's head down again and the half-Saiyan growled in disapproval. Vegeta walked closer and looked down to.
"What's odd?" He asked interested. Turles tapped on the odd place on Gohan's back and Vegeta reached out to feel for himself. The man widened his eyes slightly.
"What's going on?" Gohan asked as he tried to look back.
"Nothing." Vegeta answered without thinking.
Gohan rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on." He snarled at the two Saiyans. "First you two freak out about something and now you're telling me there's nothing wrong. How gullible do you think I am?"
The two Saiyans ignored him and Vegeta pressed down on the same spot in Gohan's skin. The two Saiyans stepped back when they noticed a blue spot forming on the exact place where Vegeta'd just put pressure. Gohan gasped in pain. Vegeta looked at Gohan. "Is this hurting?"
"What is going on?" Gohan asked before he gasped in pain again. Vegeta looked at Turles. The man looked as confused as Vegeta. Turles touched the growing blue mark and Gohan yelped in pain.
Gohan got up. "If this is some kind of sadistic joke I want you to stop." Gohan snarled at them. Vegeta placed his hands on Gohan's shoulders and pushed him down.
"No stay down." Vegeta said sternly.
"Then tell me what's going on!" Gohan yelled at them.
"I don't know." Vegeta answered softly. Gohan was now panting heavily as the blue spot grew in size.
"This can't be good." Turles muttered as he thought the blue spot was now the size of a football. Turles tried to put pressure on it again but the moment his fingers made contact with Gohan's skin the boy screamed. Turles pulled away as if he was stung by a flame. "We can't touch him." Turles said as he looked up. "If this spreads more then he won't have any rest. Everything he touches will hurt him."
"It's like a way to torture people." Vegeta thought out loud. "It would be terrible not to be able to move because moving, and living, would hurt."
"What's going on here?" Justin walked in and frowned slightly. "Raditz sent me down here to find out why Half-breed is screaming like this." Justin announced when the two Saiyans looked at him.
Turles and Vegeta stepped away from Gohan and Justin widened his eyes. The boy gasped and ran closer. "It's the Riona technique." Justin whispered as he eyed Gohan's mark. "Did you touch it?" Justin asked looking at the two Saiyans.
They both nodded and Justin groaned. "You should never touch the Riona mark. That's stupid. I thought you guys knew the most common torture techniques." He sneered as he reached down in his uniform.
"It's a torture technique?" Vegeta asked as he stepped closer and examined the growing blue spot.
"Yes." Justin opened his box and grabbed a small vial out of it. He opened it and knelt down next to Gohan. "It usually starts on someone's back because people often sleep on their backs or they lean on things or wear clothing. It doubles in size with every touch. It's very hard not to touch anything on certain places so it usually grows rapidly. The mark hurts when it grows." Justin grabbed Gohan's chin and forced him to look up.
Gohan blinked heavily, half-dazed from the pain, and frowned. "Justin?" He questioned softly.
Justin smiled slightly and held the vial against Gohan's mouth. "Drink this." He said soothingly. Gohan obeyed and allowed Justin to pour it in his mouth. The half-Saiyan growled softly as the cold liquid ran down his throat.
"No. Don't be nice to me. Don't help me." Gohan whispered when he'd swallowed it. Justin raised an eyebrow.
"Why not?" Justin asked as he reached out and got a hold of Gohan's tail. The nineteen year old smiled approvingly when the tip of Gohan's tail curled around his wrist. Justin caressed the tail and the two full-blooded Saiyans immediately noticed he'd done this more often. Gohan closed his eyes and a hint of a smile appeared on his face.
"It will make it more difficult for me to stay mad at you." Gohan complained as he opened his eyes again.
Justin grinned as gave a gentle squeeze in Gohan's tail. "You can never stay mad at me for too long." He sneered innocently.
Gohan narrowed his eyes. "I'm breaking all my records. It's been three weeks." He announced as he shifted. He was feeling a lot better now. The boy leaned on his elbows and moved his head up.
"That's definitely a record." Justin answered with a nod. "What was the last record, three days?"
"No. We had that argument for four days in camp. I was mad at both of you at the time." Gohan said as his tail was slowly released from Justin's hands and it lashed behind him again.
"What happened?" Turles asked interested as he stepped closer.
Gohan looked up at him. "We were fighting over a girl." Gohan answered with a smirk. "Boris and Justin fancied her but she only had eyes for me. I didn't really care about it at the time. I was thirteen, I think…" Gohan looked at Justin.
"I was sixteen so you were thirteen." Justin answered with a nod.
Gohan nodded too. "Yes. She was about sixteen or seventeen. Boris and Justin were mad because she was their age but she didn't pay any attention to them." Gohan grinned at Justin, who narrowed his eyes back at him.
"We weren't the only ones." Justin answered as he eyed the blue mark on Gohan's back. "I remember a whole group of teenagers closed you in and beat you up."
Gohan shrugged. "That wasn't really fair." He muttered thoughtfully. The boy looked at his own back and raised an eyebrow. "Wow. What is that?" He asked with wide eyes.
Justin gave him a sad look. "You've had it before." Justin answered. "You just forgot about it. It's numb now. Even if you touch it, it won't grow anymore. It will slowly fade away."
Gohan's tail tapped against the blue mark and the boy tilted his head with interest. Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "What is that drink you gave him?" Vegeta asked.
Justin looked up. "It's an antidote. Zarbon injected a virus in Half-breed's body. This technique is supposed to come back every two weeks. I was supposed to give him the antidote after a day. I still had it with me. I forgot that it was going to happen again." Justin answered with a sigh. Gohan looked at Justin while he was talking. Justin looked back at him. "I'll try to find the real antidote, okay? This vial only works on this attack. There will be another one in two weeks." Justin explained.
Gohan nodded in understanding. Turles crossed his arms. "Why don't you go back to the castle?" Turles asked as Gohan lied his head down again. "You've been here for a few hours now and I think Zarbon will suspect something if you don't ever show up."
Justin nodded and petted Gohan on his head twice. The boy watched Justin walk away. When the nineteen year old reached the doorway Gohan looked up. "Justin!" He yelled after him. Justin looked back. Gohan nodded as a sign of respect. "Thank you." He said.
Justin smiled and nodded back. "No problem, Half-breed." He answered before he walked out the room. Gohan's smile faded as he lied down again. Turles and Vegeta were both thinking that this was the first time since they were in the hospital that Gohan and Justin had actually spoken to each other.
Turles touched the blue mark on Gohan's back and sighed in relief when Gohan didn't even notice it. "Okay then. We're done here I guess." Turles announced. Gohan turned on his back again. "Now I'll only take a long at your wrists and hands and then we'll just leave you alone for a bit." Turles muttered as he sat down on the bed again and allowed Gohan to sit up.
Turles grabbed Gohan's arm but the boy pulled away. "Can't we just leave this for next time?" Gohan asked innocently. Turles raised an eyebrow. "I'm a little tired. I just want to sleep for a while okay?"
"Your wrists are weaknesses, Half-breed. I need to check if everything is alright." Turles answered as he grabbed Gohan's left arm again. The boy pulled it away again. "Why don't you want me to see that arm?" Turles asked suspiciously.
"I don't mind if you see my arm." Gohan answered. "I just don't get why. It's a principle thing." He continued as he crossed his arms defiantly.
"Your wrists, the base of your tail and your throat are vulnerable spots. I've already checked the latter two. I need to check both of your wrists too." Turles answered with a frown. Gohan offered Turles his right wrist. Turles accepted it and examined the appendage. "I need to see the other one too, you know." Turles said as his eyes moved up to look into Gohan's eyes. The boy gave an innocent smile back.
Vegeta sat down on the bed next to Gohan's and caught Gohan's eyes for a second. The boy immediately looked away which earned a smirk from the older male. Vegeta was very good at reading Gohan's eyes and the boy wasn't in the mood for that.
Turles made Gohan open his hand and close it. The man looked at Gohan's wrist and traced the nerves with his finger. "Everything seems right." He muttered thoughtfully. After this he released Gohan's right arm and held out his hand. "Hand it over." He said with a smirk.
Gohan shifted away from the Saiyan. "You looked at my right arm. Why should my left arm be any different?" He asked hesitantly.
"You tell me." Turles answered as he leaned over the half-Saiyan and tried to get a hold of his left arm. Gohan leaned back and hid his arm from Turles's sight. The boy growled warningly but Turles laughed it off. "You can't even walk, Half-breed. Don't think you can threaten me." Turles sneered. Turles climbed on the bed and reached out for Gohan's arm.
Gohan frowned and dived under Turles's arm. The boy jumped off the bed and landed on his hands and knees in the middle of the room. Vegeta raised an eyebrow and whistled impressed. Gohan tried to crawl away but Turles appeared behind him and pulled on Gohan's leg. The boy gasped as his leg moved out from under him and he fell to the ground.
Turles smirked as he pulled Gohan's right arm behind his back and straddled Gohan's middle with his legs. The man was now on his hands and knees and reached out to grab Gohan's other arm. "Turles. Get off me." Gohan growled at him.
"I just want to see your arm." Turles answered with a frown. "Let me see it." He continued as he reached out again. The man narrowed his eyes and put pressure on Gohan's right arm. Gohan groaned in pain as Turles pushed his locked arm up even more.
"Don't go too far, Turles." Vegeta said as he tilted his head. He was still sitting on the bed.
The full-blooded Saiyan looked up. "Maybe if you would help me then I wouldn't have to do this." Turles complained as he placed a knee on Gohan's back to keep him down. Vegeta smirked and jumped off the bed. The man walked closer and pushed the tip of his boot under Gohan's chin and pushed it up.
He forced Gohan to look up. "Why don't you want us to see your wrist? What do you have to hide?" Vegeta asked interested as Gohan narrowed his eyes.
"Nothing. It's a matter of principle, that's all." Gohan answered with a frown. Vegeta rolled his eyes and knelt down. The man got a hold of Gohan's left arm and spun it around. Gohan noticed Turles was gone now. The boy was turned on his stomach and the two full-blooded Saiyans grabbed his arms and pulled him up. Before he knew it he was pushed down on his bed again. Vegeta grabbed the opportunity of Gohan's confusion and got a hold of Gohan's left arm. He handed it to Turles and held it while Turles looked at Gohan's wrist.
Gohan cursed under his breath and tried to pull his arm away but Vegeta's hold on it was too tight. Vegeta smirked when Gohan's tail curled around his and asked him to let go. The man decided to turn the tables and his tail got a hold of Gohan's tail. The boy widened his eyes as Vegeta's tail started to please his tail and his defenses fell. Gohan shook his head and tried to fight the sweet feeling.
Meanwhile Turles was examining Gohan's hand. The man didn't see anything in particular and moved on to Gohan's wrist. There he narrowed his eyes. "Half-breed. What is this?" He asked as he tapped on the small wound on Gohan's wrists.
Gohan looked up and pulled a neutral face. "That's the wound I got from doing the dishes with that terrible soap." Gohan said nodding.
"Liar." Vegeta answered with a frown. "That was on your right arm. I am sure of it." Vegeta grabbed Gohan's right arm and showed the wound. "Then what is this?" He asked as he looked at the wound on Gohan's other arm.
Gohan bit his lip. "It's just a small wound I got from a fight. It's normal." He answered as he pulled away. Turles didn't let him go and examined the wound a little closer.
"It's just above your artery. And there's a little black spot here. This isn't just from one time." Turles muttered as he looked at it. He then widened his eyes and looked up at Gohan. "This could have killed you. It should have killed you." He corrected himself after a second. "What happened?" he asked frowning.
"You're overreacting." Gohan said as he pulled his arm away. Turles let him go and tilted his head slightly.
"What happened?" Turles repeated with frown. Gohan looked away. Turles growled and grabbed Gohan on the front of his shirt. He pushed the boy against the wall and narrowed his eyes. "Tell me what happened, you lying piece of shit!" He yelled at the half-Saiyan.
"Nothing." Gohan answered as he tried to push Turles away.
"You are going to tell me what happened right now!" Turles screamed back at him. "I am getting sick and tired of you always trying to hold out on us. Tell me now or I'll torture it out of you!" Turles emphasized this by pulling Gohan away from the wall and pushing him back again.
"I tried to kill myself, okay!" Gohan yelled back. Turles released the boy and stepped back. Gohan put a hand on his forehead and sighed tiredly. The two Saiyans stared at the half-Saiyan for a few seconds, both at a loss for words.
Vegeta clenched his fists and got up. He went straight for the half-Saiyan and ended up in front of him. "So, you're telling us that we came all the way over here to save someone who didn't want to be saved?" He hissed as he placed his hands on his hips. "What was it, huh? Was the torture too hard for you?" He sneered as he stepped closer. "Did the soldiers there hurt your feelings? Was the pain too much for you?" He yelled.
Vegeta grabbed Gohan on his collar and pulled him closer. "You're a Saiyan, remember? Saiyans don't runaway from their problems! How dare you even thinking to give up like that! I thought we had grown some pride in there. Obviously we failed." Vegeta sneered as he gave Gohan a harsh shake. "You've given up before we even got here." Vegeta hissed. After this he released Gohan, who sank through his knees, and turned to Turles. "We should just leave. There's nothing to save here. We only have Saiyans as our comrades and he clearly isn't one." Vegeta said as he stepped away.
Gohan stared at the floor. "It just was too much for me." He whispered softly. Vegeta stopped talking but didn't turn back to the half-Saiyan. "The soldiers were torturing me and they just wouldn't listen. Justin was coming in every day because Zarbon wanted to taunt us with our broken friendship. His mind games were driving me crazy. One day I woke up without my sight. I wasn't able to see anything. The next day I struggled just to take a breath. The day after that he injected a disease in my body and it hurt so much all the time." Gohan closed his eyes. "He spent hours just torturing me, playing with my mind, and pushing me around."
"Then he started asking me questions. He asked about my friends, Katy and you guys." Gohan continued. Turles crossed his arms. "I was afraid." Gohan sighed. "I was afraid I would give in. I'd already done things I never thought I would do. Zarbon got me to do things I hated but I did them because I was in pain and I just wanted it to stop. I… I was afraid I would tell things about you without realizing it. I just figured that I couldn't tell anything if I was dead. I'd heard about the weaknesses and I knew that torture blasts weren't supposed to be used on weak spots. I just took my chance."
Gohan chuckled softly. "I failed though. I didn't even manage to do that right." He muttered after that.
Vegeta placed a hand on his forehead and sighed. Turles frowned as he studied the half-Saiyan. "Saiyans are proud of their heritage, Half-breed. Every single Saiyan on our planet would have treated you like dirt from the moment they would have found out you're a hybrid. We have never done anything like that." Vegeta turned around and narrowed his eyes. "We have always treated you with the respect you deserved. We treated you like we treated each other. All our lives we've tried to stick to the Saiyan rules as much as possible. The only exception is that we ignored your hybrid status." Vegeta stepped closer as Gohan looked up at him. "Suicide is a crime on our planet, Half-breed. Saiyans should be proud to be part of the Saiyan race. Committing suicide doesn't show this pride."
Vegeta knelt down in front of Gohan. "Do you know what the punishment for suicide is?" He asked as his eyes pierced into Gohan's brown eyes. "When a Saiyan tries to commit suicide, but he is caught while doing it and cured, he'll receive the ultimate punishment. On Planet Vegeta the ultimate punishment isn't death. That's too soft. No, to torture a Saiyan you have to take away his privileges, his right to make his own decisions, and his property. Slavery." Vegeta tilted his head as Gohan widened his eyes. "Those Saiyans are forced into slavery. They'll have to do what other Saiyans say. They can't make their own decision. That's a big dent in a Saiyan's pride, boy."
Vegeta looked back at Turles. "So what do we do now? Do we stick to the Saiyan rules?" He asked Turles. The younger Saiyan shrugged.
"We'll have to discuss the matter with the others, I guess." Turles answered as he walked closer. "Let's just get you back in the bed." Turles said as he grabbed Gohan on his arm and pulled him up.
Gohan looked from Turles to Vegeta. "You can't be serious." Gohan muttered with a frown. "You're not actually thinking about turning me into a slave."
Turles let Gohan go when he was at the bed. The man frowned and crossed his arms. "Get some rest." He ordered as he watched Gohan lie down in the bed. "Tomorrow you'll hear your punishment."
"You're going to punish me?" Gohan asked exasperated. The boy sat up and frowned. "Why?"
"Because you committed a crime!" Vegeta screamed back at him. "What if you succeeded, huh? Then we would have come here to find nothing! To find out you were dead! Committing suicide is selfish. You only inflict pain on others!"
"Like who?" Gohan yelled back.
"Like us!" Vegeta snarled at him. "Half-breed if you think we wouldn't miss you, you're sadly mistaken! I don't know why but we seem to like something about you. It's time we started acting like it. No more exceptions. You committed a crime and you'll be punished. That's it. Now go to sleep. This discussion is over." Vegeta said as he crossed his arms.
Gohan scoffed and lied down again. The boy turned away from the two Saiyans and closed his eyes. Vegeta and Turles exchanged glances before they walked out the room. Gohan turned around once the two Saiyans were out the room and sighed. The boy placed his hands under his head and stared up at the ceiling as he wondered how long it would take the others to come storming down the corridor demanding him to explain.
As he already expected it didn't take Vegeta and Turles long to tell the others about his suicide attempt. The boy heard footsteps coming closer and Raditz was the first to appear in the doorway. The full-blooded Saiyan walked closer in fierce steps and frowned down at the half-Saiyan once he reached the bed. Gohan shifted and sat up to lean against the wall.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Raditz yelled at the half-Saiyan. "Committing suicide? Really? I didn't think you would sink that low, nephew. How dare you?" Raditz grabbed Gohan on his collar. "Giving up like that is not how a Saiyan acts, got it? If you want to die so badly just ask one of us and we'll give you a one way ticked to hell." He sneered.
Nappa showed up behind Raditz and added his own comment. "We did not keep you alive so you could go killing yourself, Half-breed! We can't help you if you're dead." Nappa snarled at him. Turles and Vegeta were standing a few feet away and watched everything. Katy walked in too.
"What's going on here?" Katy asked when she noticed Nappa and Raditz bowing over the bed. "Leave him alone!" She went to walk closer but Vegeta held her back.
"Go back to the general room. This is something we Saiyans have to handle. No other species allowed." Vegeta said as he pushed her out of the room.
Katy gasped and tried to stop walking. "Hey! You can't push me away like that!" She yelled angrily.
"Yes we can." Turles said as he followed Vegeta and helped him work Katy out of the room. The female was pushed into the hallway and she turned around. Turles and Vegeta both pointed to the stairway.
Katy clenched her fists. "I want to go back inside!" She demanded.
"That's too bad. Now you're going to listen to us or I'll knock you out." Vegeta snarled back at her. Katy frowned and growled in anger. After this she turned around and walked away. Turles and Vegeta exchanged annoyed glances before they turned back to Gohan. The half-Saiyan was looking down as Raditz and Nappa were still ranting about his mistake.
Turles leaned against the wall at the foot of Gohan's bed. "So, what are we going to do about it?" He asked as he looked at the other full-blooded Saiyans. Nappa and Raditz both stepped back. Gohan leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes tiredly.
Raditz growled in annoyance. "The number one punishment on Planet Vegeta." He announced as he narrowed his eyes at the half-Saiyan. "That's a waste of three years of training." He sneered.
Gohan opened his eyes and glared at him. "It's not like I wanted you to train me." Gohan complained. The four Saiyans ignored this.
"Slavery?" Turles asked Vegeta. The Saiyan prince looked at Gohan and studied the half-Saiyan for a few seconds. Gohan was looking out the window and refused to look back at him.
Vegeta crossed his arms and tapped on the ground with his white boot. "Maybe we should take his mate away from him." Vegeta suggested.
Gohan's sight snapped to the other Saiyans. "You stay away from Katy!" Gohan yelled as he got on his knees and clenched his fists.
Turles smirked slightly. "He was joking, Half-breed. She's not your mate yet so we can't punish her for your mistakes, yet. Lie down." He ordered after that. Gohan frowned but did as he was told and lied down.
"We'll just think of something appropriate." Nappa said thoughtfully. The man looked back at Gohan and smirked. "Look forward to it, Half-breed." He said innocently before he walked out the room. Raditz rolled his eyes and followed him. Turles yawned and fell down on one of the beds. Vegeta looked at Gohan.
"Didn't I tell you to get some sleep?" He asked frowning. Gohan frowned back at him and put his hands up.
"Hey, first you tell me to sleep. After that you tell me to get up. After that you tell me to sleep. All I do is following orders." Gohan complained as he lied down again. Vegeta chuckled.
"Good. Just keep doing that and you'll be fine." Vegeta answered with a smirk as he watched Gohan lie down again. The boy waved him away and Vegeta decided to listen to Gohan this time. "I'll send Kittycat down to keep you company, okay?" Vegeta suggested as he looked back at the half-Saiyan.
Gohan grinned and nodded. "Thanks." He said.
"No problem, Half-breed." The two Saiyans exchanged glances and Vegeta winked at the half-Saiyan. Gohan smiled back as Vegeta disappeared in the hallway.
() **** **** ()
Explanation of the star:
* Vegeta never really hesitated when he wanted to do or ask something. That's why he's wondering if he changed.
I hope you liked it. Please review and let me know what you think.
