So sorry about the super late update but I had a little trouble figuring out how I wanted to introduce a certain someone...
I hope you enjoy this chapter and please remember to leave comments because they never annoy me, they only inspire me.
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GOKU
"Ow, Chichi." Goku wined limping into the ship "did you have to hit me so hard?"
"You said you were all better." Chichi huffed taking a seat at the controls and closed the door.
"I have to get better faster." Goku grunted settling back into his seat beside Chichi.
"well you can't." Chichi snapped "you have to follow the doctor's orders like everybody else."
"But I have to be ready to help Gohan and V." Goku wrapped his arm around his ribs. "our kids are out in space and I'm laying in bed all day doing nothing." Goku slammed his fist into the arm of the chair.
"Don't you think I feel the same way." Chichi snapped "my little boy is out in space and there's nothing I can do to even help him because now, after he was kidnapped by your enemy, he's stronger than me and if someone is stronger than him there's nothing I can do." Chichi clenched the wheel, tears shimmering in her eyes "and now there's this alien girl that's supposed to be my daughter and I don't know how to feel about her even though my idiot of a husband brought her home as if she were some stray animal." Chichi glared at the wheel, not moving. "and now my son loves two aliens and has grown up without me." A tear trailed down Chichi's cheek "what am I supposed to do with that, Goku?" Chichi demanded finally looking at Goku.
"I'm sorry, Chichi." Goku sighed and reached for Chichi "I had no idea that's how you felt." A determined look crossed Goku's face, Chichi recognized it from every time in the past when he was ready to face someone.
"but that's why I have to get strong, I need to be strong enough to save our kids and our planet." Goku met Chichi's eyes. "okay?"
Chichi looked at Goku, he wasn't telling her, he was asking her permission. Chichi sighed "I just didn't think I was going to have to share you with the universe and the world is all." Chichi offered a soft smile at Goku, ignoring the pain, Goku forced himself to his feet and wrapped his aching arms around Chichi "only because I want it to be safe for you." He said kissing her head. He didn't always get affection, not the kind that Chichi liked but he knew it made her happy, so he hugged her and he kissed the top of her head and they sat there like that, allowing happiness to settle around them for just this moment.
V
What did he mean? V wondered for what must have been the millionth time in the last hour.
"V, what's the matter with you?" Gohan asked "you keep going away." Gohan felt a little hurt with the way V seemed to just forget about him since they got off that planet. Is she already bored of me? Gohan wondered doesn't she want to train with me anymore, I'm getting stronger
"No!" V exclaimed "Never, I love you, Gohan, you're the best baby brother in the universe!" V hated to feel Gohan like that, he always felt worried, like he wasn't good enough or something. "I just…" V shook herself "Nothing, I just… haven't been to Namek in a while." V looked at the ground, she hadn't been thinking about that but now that she said it, that was on her mind too "I was just wondering if someone I met before will still be there" and if he'll even want to see me V rubber her head with her tail worrying is so annoying V thought frustrated.
"What were you saying?" Gohan prompted V. V gave herself a shake and tried to pretend Piccolo was there nagging at her to focus on what they were doing.
"Use your whole body." V said trying to demonstrate "Every piece of you is a weapon, your fingertips, to your head, to your toes." V got into stance, her tail swayed back and forth "Attack me as fast as you can." V ordered. Gohan learned by this point to just do it, she was too fast for him to really hit anyway.
V knew Gohan's movements to a T now, it was almost like breathing with her and Gohan, she didn't need to think to be around him, she could read him more easily than those books Chichi was always giving her to read. He moved, she felt it. She was almost sure she knew what he was going to do before he did.
"When you miss you should have two more hits ready." V chastised, "watch." V slowed it down so Gohan could see it clearly. Missing his head on purpose she pulsed her energy and redirected her hit into her leg as it came around. Gohan flinched but V never hit him.
"Hit one." V smiled "if I had missed that…" V missed again and swept her other leg under it, she caught Gohan's legs easily and knocked him onto his butt.
"How do you do that?" Gohan asked. V picked Gohan up "Piccolo was teaching me to fight the whole time you were learning to survive." V explained "and I've been around fighting my whole life, I wasn't good at it before, but I still learned a lot just watching." V fell back into stance "now I'll teach you."
"Does it bother you?" Gohan asked getting into his own stance.
"What?" V struck out a few times at him, Gohan dodged and struck out at her.
"that you had to live like that?" Gohan clarified "that you didn't have any parents before"?
"Not really." V said, she hadn't thought about it before but now that she Gohan had asked, she didn't like the rules she once had to live by, she didn't like the people.
"How come?" Gohan asked,
"I didn't know anything else." V said figuring the words to express herself as she went, no one ever asked before, having to explain this to someone else was new. "and if I wasn't with Raditz then I never would have met you and dad and Piccolo." V smiled "I think I'm happy now, I think it was meant to happen." V couldn't think of another way to explain this feeling she had with Gohan, meeting him was like finding half of herself. Finding Dad was like being accepted for the first time and finding Piccolo was like having a real friend for the first time.
"You're different." Gohan said suddenly "you could have been like Vegeta but you aren't, you're more like one of us." Gohan eyed V as if considering something "I think you're right." He said finally, I think you are supposed to be here with us." Gohan launched a combo V seemed to be quite fond of and land three of the five hits.
"Nice one." V wiped her hand across her mouth "now do it faster." V said somewhat playfully. She was so used to her life being on the line that she forgot that Gohan wasn't used to it, he was just an earthling kid who happen to have saiyan blood. He needed to understand the cost of being a warrior, but he sure had the heart of one. V landed a solid hit to his gut, Gohan whirled and nailed her in the face that's my baby brother she thought proudly.
PICCOLO
Man, these guys are actually becoming a threat Piccolo thought, though he'd never let anyone know. Accept, V would know, she could read his mind almost as well as he could read her's and Gohan's. Piccolo barely dodged Tien's last hit. Come on, focus he snapped at himself feeling more like he was yelling at V. Gohan and V are completely capable of taking on those freaks Piccolo assured himself V knows what a bad guy looks like and together the two of them could take care of them, even if they didn't have Goku's bald friend there, they would be fine on their own Piccolo's arm stretched out and snatched Chioatzu from the sky and threw him into Yamcha. Yamcha stumbled over Chioatzu and thumped head first into the ground.
"Chioatzu!" Tien yelled "you'll pay for that one." Tien flew into the air, Piccolo already knew what he was going to do. Tien was going to use the same move he always used for moments like these. Framing Piccolo with his hands, Tien summoned every ounce of strength within him. Piccolo smirked, he was hoping Tien would do this. This was beginning to be nothing more than target practice. Piccolo gathered his energy as Tien hovered above doing the same.
"watch and learn." Piccolo taunted "I only need one hand to beat you."
"Tri-Beam!" Tien shouted, the energy gathered filling up his hands. Piccolo crouched, brought his fingers to his head and laughed "Speacial Beam cannon!" the beam shot through Tien's Tri-beam and knocked him straight out of the sky.
"Tien, no!" Yamcha and Chioatzu yelled at the sight of the falling friend. Yamcha and Chioatzu ran to Tien. Piccolo smirked "come get me when you're ready to play with the adults." Piccolo swished his cape and walked away, it was a good thing he was training with his weighted clothing, it would make his training that much more effective. V was sick before, something was wrong with her. Piccolo didn't try hard, he knew that nosy Kai was rooting around in their minds whenever he pleased, but he did try to reach out for V. Piccolo had a sense of her but no real connection, just the simple existence of her somewhere in the cosmos.
"Funny, how her kind bond, isn't it?" King Kai appeared from nowhere. Piccolo growled under his breath how does he sneak up on me like that?
"easy, you're preoccupied thinking of your enemy's kids and wondering if they're okay." King Kai snorted a laugh "no but seriously, stop worrying, they're fine."
"Why would I care?" Piccolo was beginning to think being good was contagious, He hadn't thought about taking over the worlds once since he'd gotten there. He hadn't even given a whole lot of thought to King Kai's question, would he take over the world if it meant hurting the only people who had ever liked him? Piccolo looked at his hands Could I even bring myself to kill them? Piccolo sighed of course I can Piccolo assured himself if they're not with me, they're against me and they'll be dealt with like everyone else.
"Oh yeah." King Kai snorted "maybe if you say it to yourself enough you'll really start to think it." King Kai laughed, Piccolo growled and glared at King Kai with disdain.
"there's nothing wrong with your new role, Piccolo." King Kai said finally serious, "I think you'll find this side much less lonely."
"Who said I was lonely before?" Piccolo demanded, King Kai raised his brow at Piccolo. A red blush spread over Piccolo's cheeks when he realized that King Kai could read his mind the entire time he was training with Gohan and V, if he did, but Piccolo wasn't going to ask and affirm King Kai's outrageous accusations.
"Shut up." Piccolo snarled storming away, he'd show them, he'd show them all when he got back to Earth V might stand with me Piccolo thought Gohan doesn't have it in him to hurt me Piccolo assured himself Goku couldn't even kill me when I was trying to kill him.
V
"So how long do you think?" Krillin asked leaning over Bulma as she looked at gauges and numbers he didn't understand.
"right now." Bulma smiled as the green and blue planet came into the view.
"awesome!" Krillin exclaimed "hey, Gohan." Krillin grabbed Gohan's shoulder and broke their connection.
"Hey." Gohan frowned at him "I was in the middle of training."
"We're here." Krillin couldn't help but smile, they were that much closer to wishing the others back now.
"We're here?" V asked breaking her meditation
"yeah, V, we're here." Gohan leapt up and grabbed V's hands "we're so close, V." V just stared out the window at the vaguely familiar planet. V took a breath and squeezed Gohan's hands "yeah, we're here." V went to the window as Bulma flew closer to it.
"Nice landing, Bulma." Krillin said when they landed.
"Thanks now just give me a minute to check the air…" Bulma trailed off when she saw the other outside already. "you idiots!" Bulma screeched.
"I've been here before." V reminded her "the air is fine." V looked around at the familiar trees and grass, the smell reminded her of just a few years before when she was just a little smaller, and much weaker. "we need to find Dronare." V said, "I think I can find his village, he'll be able to tell us where to find Nail and Guru."
"Do you feel that?" Krillin suddenly asked, Gohan and V nodded sensing the energies just a moment later.
"they could be namekian's." V said hovering off the ground to get a better look, she peered in the direction of the energies until they came into view. "No…" V swallowed hard and landed back on the ground "No… it-it can't be."
"What's wrong, V?" Gohan looked at V.
"Those uniforms." V shook her head "it can't be."
"Heads up guys." Krillin landed beside Gohan and V not taking his eyes from the sky.
"These guys don't feel very strong though." V thought aloud, that didn't make sense.
"V, could you have a break down later, we need you to be on your toes right now." Krillin snapped.
"Why? They're weak." V stated factually. "you could beat them both, no problem." V shook her head it has to be a coincidence V thought.
"Well well, we got ourselves some visitor." One blue skinned guy smirked.
"V," Gohan whispered "they're dressed like you were."
"You guys sure picked a bad time for a vacation." The green one snickered and clicked his scouter on. "Hmm…" he read everyone's power level "nothing special here." The green one said but the blue alien was watching V's tail swishing back and forth. V stared back with wide eyes if these guys really are working with him then I'd better not make them angry.
"You there?" the blue one pointed at V "are you a saiyan?"
"no." V shouted back completely oblivious of her tail.
"Sure looks like you are." The green one finally saw it there behind her, waving like a flag.
"Frieza will want to see you." The aliens landed around V. V stepped out, she could handle these guys now, she was stronger, faster, better. The green one smirked as he watched her ready to fight. What good could a small girl do against one of Frieza's men, after all.
"Get away from her." Gohan stepped forward first, it didn't matter if V was strong enough to fight on her own, she shouldn't have to.
"What are you going to do about it?" The green one asked.
"nothing." V grabbed the green one's hand and threw him into the blue one. The two flew back toward Krillin, thinking quickly, Krillin kicked them into the sky, Gohan phased into the sky above them and kicked them into the ground. the two soldiers lay on the ground, out cold.
"That was easy enough." Gohan smiled at V but v was staring out at the sky.
"Now we have something to worry about." V said. In the distance V could see twenty more soldiers coming their way.
"If all those guys are that weak." Krillin laughed "then we'll be gone in no time." Krillin slapped Gohan on the back "am I right?"
"Those have to be the low level soldiers." V explained, "feel them, the ones coming are much stronger." V clenched her hands into fists. V was fairly certain that she, Gohan and Krillin were stronger but they were definitely out numbered.
"If we fight smart, we can beat them." Krillin assured not only Gohan and V but also himself. Krillin was the adult, he knew he was but he was going to have to remember that Gohan wasn't the defenseless four-year-old that showed up at kame house and V was a ruthless saiyan child who only knew fighting. They could win this, for their friends.
"Ready guys?" Krillin asked.
"Stay close, Gohan." V said "they have a lot more experience than you."
"Right." Gohan was somewhat confidence in his fighting ability now, but he was still just a kid, how much could he do against trained alien killers?
"A lot more than you think." V smiled at Gohan. Gohan ceased to question it when she answered questions he didn't ask out loud because he did the same thing to her.
"What do we have here?" The strangest looking creature Gohan had ever seen landed directly in front of him. V Inched closer to him.
"We're not looking for any trouble." Krillin tried to reason with them, maybe aliens could be reasoned with.
"Well you've found it." An even bigger alien landed in front of Krillin and a slightly smaller one in front of V, V stared the alien down, he seemed vaguely familiar to her.
"We came a very far way from home." V said to them all "we're not leaving without getting what we need." V looked each of them in the eye, the way she'd seen Vegeta do time and time again. "is that a problem with you?" V stepped toward them first. Again, the leader spotted her tail and smiled.
"the saiyan monkeys are always so cocky." He laughed ignoring Gohan and coming to stand in front of her "what are you, three years old?"
"I'm stronger than you." V said exceptionally cocky for her.
"Oh yeah?" he asked "why don't we just see about that?"
"It's your funeral." V almost hated herself for using Vegeta's lines.
"A friendly match then." The leader waved his hand, his men stepped back, V nodded once at Krillin and Gohan and they fell back behind her.
"Rules?" V asked
"Win." his fist slammed into her face, V skid back across the ground and straight into the ship. Bulma screeched, Gohan called out to her but V just got back to her feet and smirked "I hope that wasn't your best shot." V charged forward in a blur and slammed her knee into the alien's chin. The alien flew backward right into his men knocking them over like bowling pins.
"Strike!" Krillin cheered, he knew V was strong but watching her fight was a whole other story.
"Go, V!" Gohan cheered.
"Careful there, kid." Another alien cautioned eyeing Gohan.
"Nice hit." The leader got to his feet "now why don't we stop playing around?"
"your move." V said stepping out. The leader charged again, V side stepped and dodged his initial attack.
"V watch out!" Gohan called. The leader grabbed V's tail and threw her into the ground. V cushioned the blow with her arm and grabbed his arm with her tail. Holding him in place V spun out and slammed her foot into his face. The leader slid across the ground, V charged and kicked him into the water. He disappeared under a splash, his men ran to him.
"Kou!" The one that seemed second in comman leaned over the water, ready to jump in for his leader. Water exploded showering everyone in large globs of water, eyes blazing Kou glated at V "how did you do that?" He demanded.
"I'm better than you." V said haughtily.
"You tail, you idiot." He snapped "I grabbed your tail."
"I'm stronger than that now." V said obviously "hope that wasn't your big plan." V stuck her tongue out at the guy. Gohan laughed, she had this under control. Krillin just stared and shook his head. How was it, such a powerful little girl was still… just a little girl?
Kou charged V, V dodged and pulled her tail around her waist just to make sure. Kou smirked at V and charged again and again. V did her dance as she dodged every hit almost effortlessly. V let herself go. She didn't need to try to be good right now, she didn't need to try to be evil. IN this fight, in this moment, she was just herself and V really liked to be herself. V dipped and dodged and twirled out of the way. Gohan was mesmerized by what looked like a well-rehearsed dance. Bulma couldn't help but stare at this strangely majestic fighting machine.
"hold still and we'll see how well you take a hit." Kou growled at her.
"Speed up." V said simply "maybe you'd be able to hit me then."
"you little runt." He pummeled the air with a barrage of punches and kicks, frustration turned to angry, how could such a young girl be so fast?
"Big runt." V quipped back, why did everyone always call her a runt?
"That doesn't even make sense?" he slammed his fist into air again.
"Over here." V kicked him into the ground, following up, the way Piccolo taught her, V threw an energy blast at him. It hit. V smiled triumphantly, she was just a little too cocky in that moment, she was just a little too much Vegeta. One of Kou's men grabbed V and locked her tight in his arms "boss, I've got her." He smirked.
"you jerk." Gohan yelled charging forward.
"No." V snapped smirking at the alien over her shoulder. There was a part of V that she rarely used, the only thing Raditz taught her to control. When she was young she hurt them once, they thought she was simply born destructive because what kind of child hurt with just a touch? Unless she was evil. V dropped the energy she surrounded herself in, she felt the pull almost immediately. His energy drained like water down the sink. His body seized and V just hover there, she didn't even try to throw him off.
Gohan watched a part of V he had never seen before, she looked different, she looked like… "V stop!" Gohan called to her "you already beat him." Sense seemed to drop over V's eyes like a thick curtain obscuring the other V. V pushed the soldier off and let him fall to the ground.
"I didn't mean to." V whimpered staring in horror at the soldier, she hadn't meant to go that far, she thought she could control it.
"It's okay, V." Gohan said "just come back down here, it's okay." Gohan smiled but V felt the hesitation, it was like a wall that hadn't been there before.
"No, I didn't mean to, it was an accident." V tried to find the words to make the wall go away but Gohan wasn't sure what to think of this other side of her, she wasn't really dangerous, right?
"I-" Kou nailed V with an energy blast and sent her into the ground, she didn't get up.
"That looks better." Kou smiled down at her, an energy blast raised over his head. "you had a lot of spunk in you kid, but here is where it ends, you're too bull headed for Frieza anyway."
"V!" Gohan charged forward, a fist intercepts him and threw him into Krillin.
"Gohan!" Bulma cried out. V watched but she couldn't move herself am I bad She asked herself, she didn't think so… but that look Gohan had given her.
Gohan fought the soldiers off, Krillin beside him but there were so many of them. He wasn't going to be able to make it to her in time.
"Bye bye, little girl." Kou said.
I'm not bad, I can't be bad V thought sadly
"V, please fight back." Gohan begged, he felt her sadness like it was his own. Why is she feeling so sad now? She was just okay Gohan wished he had the time to figure it out, or that he could figure it out faster.
Dad thinks I'm good, or he wouldn't leave me alone with Gohan.
"V, you have to fight back." Krillin yelled at her.
"V, please!" Gohan yelled "you can't do this right now, V, please." Gohan kicked an alien into another alien and swung around and threw a blast at another. V's sadden morphed into sorrow, it was so strong Gohan found it affecting him.
How can I beat these guys, I'm just a kid, I'm not like my dad…
Gohan and V's insecurities floated back and forth between each other. V mistook Gohan's feelings of himself for his feeling for her and she sank further into herself.
"Did you want to watch them die first?" Kou asked V as he watched her wither like a dried up flower. V's eyes searched for Gohan but something else pulled her attention away. A shadow fell over her, V's eyes trailed up to familiar spikey hair and a familiar smile, only a little bit older.
"Get away from her." Veltro grabbed Kou's wrist and pushed it back, the energy shot out and hit one of his own soldiers. Veltro narrowed his eyes at Kou "don't make me ask again." He said. V thought he looked a little silly, he wasn't this kind of person, he was more like a peaceful Nemekian, gentle and soft and breakable. At least he was.
"Hi." Veltro smiled at V looking more like himself. "it's been awhile."
