Musha no Yomigaeri: Chapter Five
Gohan wasn't sure how long "Kakarotto" was going to just stand there and scowl before he started attacking Chichi and him. But the way he was positioned made it look as if he was trying to bolt out of the house, and Gohan couldn't let him go and do that. What if he headed towards Satan City and began killing everybody? Yeah, sure, Gokuh and him would have no problem trying to stop him; unless he knew how to hide his Ki, he didn't seem to be all that strong.
Besides, he was still injured. Gohan couldn't be certain about his stamina. After all, he did collapse outside when he first found him. Now he seemed to be just fine. How long was that to last before he falls unconscious again?
Maybe it was the bandages he has on his body helped a little. Perhaps some rest did too. But it also could be his personal traits that's keeping him up this time. Determination to do something. Willpower and pride to not show his current weakness again (Gohan figured that because of how Vegeta usually acts. It was the closest he could get to seeing how a Saiya-jin behaves, even if the prince has changed since the first time they've met). Or perhaps there was something else that Gokuh had, too, that kept him from fainting from the loss of blood. After all, they were identical of each other, right?
Chichi, on the other hand, had no clue yet of whom this person was. Gohan wasn't exactly sure either; after all, his father might have been named after someone in his family. Vegeta was named after the planet of the Saiya-jins and his father, but he was the heir. But that didn't mean the third class Saiya-jins never named their children after an ancestor or another family member. Even if the Saiya-jin society was like the medieval times.
But why was this man here? Shouldn't there only be two Saiya-jins left in the entire universe, hybrids not included? Surely he couldn't be a survivor if he was an ancestor of his. And if he was a family member then why hasn't he come before, like Raditz did? But if he didn't survive the destruction of Vegetasei then how was he resurrected? The dragonballs couldn't have done it!
Too many questions, Gohan reminded himself bitterly. Too many to be answered. But what if he really is an alternate version of Father? How did he get here? Well, best tell Mother at least what his name is. She looks like she's going to burst.
Indeed she did. Her scowl was, in a way, worse then "Kakarotto's". What helped to make it worse was the spatula in her hand. It wouldn't do much to him, but still it looked very threatening. As a classmate back at Orange Star High School once said, "An angry woman with anything in her hand is a very dangerous thing." Gohan had always just thought that loud, angry women were dangerous, but now he knew that there are two to worry about. But he decided to speak up at this moment before the electricity got too much for both of them to handle.
Too late.
"GOKUH!"
Both "Kakarotto" and Gohan flinched at Chichi's screeching. Now Gohan was sure he wasn't paranoid; at least the look alike of his father was reacting the same way most do when Chichi screams like that. Especially if she isn't very happy. The funny thing was, "Kakarotto" didn't even know her yet!
Or did he? Like he thought earlier, this man may be an alternate dimension version of Gokuh; he might have come from a place where these two do end up hooking up with each other in the end.
But this wasn't the time to ponder about him anymore. Hurried footsteps came and in came Gokuh looking quite uncomfortable in his own trademark way. Gohan wasn't sure how to tell him that the other Saiya-jin shared the same name with him --should he just tell him the other man's name or let the truth out? Rather, the assumed truth.
He took a deep breath, and out of the corner of his eye he saw "Kakarotto" turn around to face Gokuh. They were now staring at each other eye-to-eye, and Gohan knew he'd better tell it to his father now to save any sort of confusion. "Father--"
"Father," Gokuh cut him off, his eyes still locked onto his look alike.
Gohan blinked once in bewilderment and turned to get both men into view. "Kakarotto" examined Gokuh from the boots up to his face, and then brought up a noticeable smirk.
"Son," the man replied smugly.
The thoughts in Gohan's mind escaped all at once. Every single one of them. He could only stare at the two: one who seemed to be satisfied to see the other, and the other who seemed to be learning about the other without speaking. One looking very much alien, the other looking very much human save for the hair. One with a tail, the other without.
Father and son.
Those three words clicked the lights back on in the young hybrid's head. The man was his father's father. His father's father... his grandfather. Gohan and Goten's grandfather. This man was related to them! And Gokuh was named after him. That was clear now. Was it like that in the entire Saiya-jin society? Boys being named after their fathers, girls being named after their mothers (although Gohan has never seen or even heard of a female Saiya-jin before, but they must have had some women)?
But how does Father know that's his father? Gohan wondered. Even if they had seen each other before he was sent to Earth, surely he couldn't have remembered him!
Luckily, and quite obviously, he wasn't the only one who was baffled by Gokuh's knowledge of this man's identity. He could hear his mother struggling to speak, perhaps trying to say, "Gokuh, how do you know that he is your father?" Goten was standing behind Gokuh, glancing back and forth between the two of them with a curious expression.
And even Gohan and his brother and mother weren't the only ones. Kakarotto tilted his head and asked in a very skeptical manner, "You never even saw me before. How the hell do you know that I'm even related to you?"
Gokuh seemed to lighten up at the question. He let out a breath of air and dropped his shoulders. "For one, you look a lot like me. But I'll tell you the rest of the reasons later," he answered. Then he glanced past his father's shoulder towards Chichi and almost pleaded, "He can stay for dinner right?"
She let out a very audible sigh. "Yes he can. But now dinner won't be ready for another couple hours if he has just as big as an appetite as you do." After that sentence a sizzling sound started to fill the kitchen; not a good sign. "The rolls are getting burnt!" She gasped and immediately turned back to her cooking. "Gohan, go back and study! You learn more about your grandfather later."
"But Mother..."
"Now."
There was no point in arguing, so he started to sulk back to his room. Before he could even enter the hallway, a hand clamped onto his shoulder. He turned around and saw Kakarotto smirking a little bit. "So you're my grandson, huh? Well, don't go around calling me 'Grandpa'. I've had enough trouble getting adjusted to Raditz calling me 'Father' while he was growing up."
"So I'll just call you Kakarotto?"
Gokuh raised an eyebrow at this comment, looking naively confused. But his father paid no mind to him yet. Instead he just chuckled and let his hand drop from Gohan's shoulder. "Sorry I had to lie earlier. No, my name's not Kakarotto. It's Bardock."
Weather sucked. At least this kind anyway. The bottom of his pants and his shoes were picking up mud and his backpack started getting very wet. He hoped that the report papers wouldn't get soaked; he didn't want to have to redo them. He was going to get into enough trouble with his mother as it is with him being late and nearly drenched despite the umbrella that was keeping him somewhat dry.
The project. Tomorrow, if not then next week, either Ekas or someone else from the group was going to suggest going to his house for the meeting. Russ had to lie to cover up his mother's secret for the past few weeks, but now they seemed more determined then ever to get to his house. Except for Trunks. He seemed to be more occupied with how to break the news to the others about him going to honors. Russ felt the same way he did, but he had other things to worry about.
His mother was an immortal. A witch, even. How was he going to tell his friends that when the time comes for him to tell, whenever that might be? He couldn't keep it from them for long, at least not Ekas. It was bad to keep secrets from your best friend and he knew it. He knew it as well as the next person. But he was afraid of what he might think once he tells him. Was he going to desert him, dubbing him a freak? Or the offspring of a freak? Ekas has only done that to people who dressed... well, awkwardly, to put it lightly. But he wasn't racist, so he could understand, right?
Oh, at times like this Russ believed some things were unpredictable.
Especially when walking past an old cave. An old cave that many have feared and stayed away from because of a very vicious bear... with a person inside.
It caught his eye almost at once, and as always, curiosity got the best of him. He slowly walked to the entrance and peered inside. Of course he wasn't going to enter. He didn't know whom this person was or if he wasn't some sort of psychotic killer ready to stab him twenty times on his torso. And just the thought of that made him stay back.
Sure, he went slowly, but he didn't go quietly or carefully. The man (yes, a man; Russ took notice of that immediately after peeking inside) turned his head at the sound of his footsteps and grinned wickedly. Russ kind of looked at him in question, but also observing the man at the same time.
His hair was a blonde buzz-cut, his face bearing many scars. His clothes were raggedy and torn, but otherwise Russ could see that they were the normal adventure type uniform that the actors wear in Tarzan movies. He almost looked American save for the narrow, almond hazel eyes.
The man stood from the fire he was previously hunched over and stared at Russ directly in his eyes. The young preteen started to grow uncomfortable thinking that maybe he wasn't a psychotic killer, but a child harasser. He decided to turn and run, but before he could even take a step behind him, the man called out, "Well, Russ, you're just as curious as your mother sometimes, aren't you?"
He held his mouth open. What the hell? "How do you know my name and my mother? Oh, Kami, please don't tell me that you're my father," he groaned.
The strange man laughed loudly and it gave Russ a very uneasy feeling. "Oh, why would I ever want to be with your mother? She ruined my life for crying out loud! But as to how I know your name, well, let's just say in Dertah part of the torture is to watch how life is going on without you in the dimension you once resided in."
"Dertah? Mom ruined your life? Dimensions? What?!"
"Oh, come inside and I'll explain everything!"
"How do I know you're not going to do anything to me," Russ growled suspiciously, taking another step back in warning.
"You won't," the man said, answering his question. Then he waved his arms around excitedly, causing Russ to just stare at him in bemusement. This guy is psychotic! I gotta get out of here!
He twisted his hips around, but before he could run a rush of wind hit his face. At first it was only strong enough for him to squint his eyes, but soon it became too heavy and threw him backwards into the cave. He landed on the ground on his back. His backpack should have cushioned him, but instead it hurt his back more then it should because of all the pens, pencils, and books he had in there. I knew I should've been a little more organized.
The man chuckled menacingly, and now spoke in a very low voice. "Ah, I now have the son of Siarus. My revenge will be more than perfect."
Then darkness took over Russ's conscious mind.