Disclaimer: We already know.

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A/N- Uh, yeah, I got like two reviews for my first chapter which kinda really discourages me beyond belief especially since it took me so long to write it and stuff like that. I hope I get more with this chapter…. Like say five? Uhhh…. Yeah. Thanks to Jenny Kline and Demi-Saiyan Prodigy for reviewing the first chapter. Thank you, thank you, thank you, THAAANNK you!!



Chapter 2: Meet the Family



"You didn't come home last night."

"I'm aware of that, Father."

"Your mother was worried. Where were you?"

"I had business to attend to. I'm sure you understand."

The two stopped as they reached the corridor that led to the morning's initial meeting area for the morning guard shift.

The Colonel looked at the young man beside him with a sly grin on his face and replied with a sarcastic edge, "I heard this one was a real looker, far better looking than the normal women around here."

The captain nodded his agreement as he faced the older man beside him with a reflective grin on his own. "You'd be seriously surprised."

"Is she marked?" the older man persisted.

"No."

With a small chuckle the Colonel said, "You're never going to settle down and give me some grand kids are you?"

"It's not that I don't wanna have a family, it's just that I haven't found anyone that actually keeps my interest for longer than a few hours."

Playfully, the Colonel threw an arm around his son's neck in a headlock forcing him over and ruffled his hair as he snickered, "You're such a man-whore."

Gohan laughed back and pushed himself away from the weak hold. "I think it's an inherited trait."

Another series of light-hearted laughs passed the Colonel and he put his arm around his son's shoulders and supported him, "Don't worry, you'll find someone. You're still young and have plenty of time to do that. Just make sure she's not a freak."

"I think I can manage that," the younger man stated as he straightened his stature up just as the older man beside him did and followed him into the barren room filled with guards all standing at attention.

A few of them nodded towards Gohan or gave him a quick thumbs up, but none of their actions were responded to as the suddenly cold captain took his place at the front of the battalion next to the other captain, major, and colonel. Role was called by Major Tinim, and then all the recruits were dismissed to their stations for the day. The officers waited for all the regular guards to file out before following them. A small bit of pressure on his back alerted Gohan to his father as the man waved his good-bye as he made his way down the hall.

~*~

The constantly frigid halls were silent with the breath of phantoms softly blowing against the bodies of mortals that stood as still as sculptured stone. Only the soft tapings of footsteps could be heard as a bulky man began to leave his station after having been replaced by the same young man that had previously been standing there half a day's time ago. The man turned back for one last glimpse at the recruit while cursing under his breath. Gohan smirked to himself as his keen ears picked up on the soft mumbling, but soon set himself to attention once more.

There he stood for hours scrutinizing any and all passerbys with untamed eyes filled with the youthful spirit that happens upon those stricken with idleness or modest importance. A distinctly cold breeze swept the premises making him involuntarily shudder from its prickly talons. He withdrew some as the intercom on his headpiece sounded a call for a few guards and all officers to help in the downstairs cafeteria where a small riot had broken loose.

Looking in the direction of the nearest guard, he called, "I'm going to the cafeteria, watch my station."

The other man nodded and watched the young captain quickly bound down the hallway in the direction of the closest staircase and then disappear into its depths.

At the cafeteria, several guards were already on the scene trying to settle a massive crowd of rowdy workers. No other officers had arrived yet so he decided to take command. With a quick burst of energy his power increased and a red aura began to glow around his form alerting all of the cafeteria's inhabitants and even throwing a few of them back. Many pairs of eyes settled themselves on the young captain who was walking angrily to the center of the room where a few men still continued to squabble.

Three guards tried to subdue the mass of about twelve men who were cluttering about and flying assaults at each other. Gohan continued to walk towards them with little difference in his strides as the other guards noticed his approach as well as four of the men. The other eight went on with out thought until a strong force suddenly interrupted them and sent them sprawling onto the floor.

"That's enough," the enraged captain yelled as he looked at the closest rioter. "What is all this about."

With a staggered motion the man got to his feet and addressed him, "We were eating, Captain, and began to talk about..."

"You baka, that's not what I asked!!" Gohan stormed.

Phased by the captain's outburst, the man shook his eyes to the ground and stuttered, "We had been arguing..."

"About what?!"

"A-about the L-lady Leyl..."

"You were arguing about a woman?" Gohan spat with venom in his voice. "A woman? That's all this is about?"

"Y-yes, Captain," the man stated as he was grabbed by the collar and pulled off his feet towards the furious officer.

Gohan peered at him through immensely black eyes whose pits showed no understanding. "You all are pathetic, a disgrace to the Saiyan race. You have destroyed the king's cafeteria all in the name of a woman," he scanned the premises with his harsh glare and continued in a disgusted voice, "That's pathetic." Like the stout man he held by the collar of his body suit was a rag doll, Gohan threw him aside and to the ground with minimal effort. Then he watched him scurry backwards on the floor with the same blackness of his eyes until he noticed a new ki enter the room.

Turning on his heels, Gohan greeted the new arrival with a salute, "Major Tinim."

"What's happened in here, Captain?"

"From what I've gathered, the men had been arguing about a woman."

"Pathetic," the major scoffed beneath his breathe. "I believe I can take it from here, you can report back to your station now if you wish, or if you want to, you're welcome to stay here and help me dispose of these pathetic weaklings."

"As much as I'd love to help," Gohan began while scowling at the crowd, "I do think it would be wiser for me to return to my station."

The Major nodded his approval and watched as the young captain calmly began to exit the area while occasionally glaring at a nearby man who dared to begin to move in front of or too close to him. Once he was in the vicinity of the cool corridors again he began to slightly relax, soothed by the soft currents of wind that brushed across his uncovered face. When he had made his way back up to the level his station was on he stopped.

Small tinglings formed on the back of his neck as he sensed the approach of four figures behind him accompanied by the clicking sound of Saiyan boots on the tile floor. Stiffly, he about faced and patiently waited as the four forms he'd encountered the previous day slowly began to near him. The old man greeted him with a nod once they were directly in front of each other as Gohan did the same. Both officers stood unsteadily with occasional, uneasy glances at the figure between them.

"Good day, Captain," the old man said with a gesture of his hand. "Has the ruckus in the cafeteria been subdued?"

"Yes, sir," Gohan replied. "I saw to it myself, and Major Tinim is currently handling the after affects."

To this the old man nodded his old, wrinkled head and looked down the staircase behind Gohan to the dimly lit steps that cascaded down into the depths of the palace. The dank smell of ciders and ash had carefully wafted its way up the strip and into the observant senses of all the Saiyans. Taking the old man's time of hesitation, Gohan looked back at the officers whose stature was like all other Saiyans, sturdy and muscular. They weren't of the few graces of the race to inherit handsome features, but were rugged and gnawed in appearance. They wore the uniformal, navy bodysuit covered by torso armor and shoulder plates as well as waist gear.

His eyes then noticed the black veil of the figure that haunted the hallways. Short in comparison to the others and with a slim body. The face of the hood was opened towards him signifying that whatever creature lurked within that mask of darkness was staring at him just as he was it. To most it would be unnerving as the paranoia of the situation set in, but to the young captain whose nature was fearless, it was intriguing.

Finally, the old man righted himself and with a sigh motioned for the other three to follow him. The officers reacted at once to the command and gently motivated the figure onwards. With a slight dip of its head, the figure nodded to Gohan before following its hosts down the barren corridors of the palace. As it left, a breeze of silent phantoms followed, propelled by the wake of the figure's gliding movements.

There Gohan continued to stand watching as the four of them slowly began to fade in the distance of the corridor until he could no longer see them as they turned a corner. Dazed, he staggered to regain his composure and steadily made his way back to his station with images of the mysterious figure running its course through his mind with little hope of resistance.

~*~

After his shift was done and the burly man came to replace him at his station, Gohan slowly began to trudge out of the palace and into the red, dusty streets of Vegeta-sei. His mind was still plagued by the images of the cloaked figure, but its torment had decreased dramatically. With a small hop, he took to the air and slowly set course for home on the west side of the city. He passed the tavern from the previous night and slightly smirked at the thought of the events that had followed before he realized he was almost home.

A fair sized house stood in the distance with a cleared field in its backyard where he and his father would spar. He landed about a block away and walked calmly up to the front door and entered the house. Once the door had opened, the sweet smells of dinner began to rush through his nose and led him to the kitchen where his mother stood preparing a large beast for supper.

"Hello, Mother," Gohan sweetly said hugging his mother from behind and then quickly releasing her. "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting last night."

With a sigh, the black haired woman turned around to face her son. She was short and toned with stiff black hair that fell in short spikes to her shoulders. A pair of ebony eyes stared angrily at him as she said in a spiteful voice, "You could have at least told me where you were. I was hoping you might have been seriously hurt in a fight somewhere or something."

The hidden worry in the woman's demeanor failed to braze him as he shed the words from himself and took a stance at the opposite side of the room leaning idly against the thick, plaster wall while folding his arms messily across his chest.

"Oh, Kinto," a cheerful voice called from one of the bedrooms. "He's old enough now to be able to take care of himself."

The woman snorted and spat out as though offended, "I know Kakarrott, I'm not an idiot like you. I just don't want him to waste his life."

A tall figure emerged from a doorway and walked over to her. In a playful manner, he took his mate from around the waist and picked her up in a hug. "I know, but think of it like this, if he dies than you still have Goten to mold into the perfect man like you originally intended to do with Gohan."

From the same doorway Kakarrott had entered, a small boy ran out in a frenzy. "Nooo!!" he yelled. "Please, Gohan, don't die! Please, please, please, please, pleaaaaase don't die!"

Kakarrott let out a hearty laugh as he set Kinto back down on the ground and walked over to his youngest son. "Nice to know you appreciate your brother."

Now it was Gohan's turn to laugh, "Yeah, right. If I died he'd probably just run away and live in a cave somewhere. Or maybe he'd join one of the off-planet squads."

Goten gave his older brother a malicious look and then proceeded to stick his tongue out provocatively. "Would not!" he retorted.

"Oh, yeah?" Gohan snickered from his post at the wall. "Then what would you do?"

"Probably throw a big party and invite all your ex-girlfriends," the preteen scowled.

"Ruthless," Gohan muttered under his breath as he began to rise from his seat at the table. "I'm going to bed. I've had a long day."

"Oh yeah, I heard about that squabble in the cafeteria," Kakarrott sternly said. "Pathetic weaklings."

"Yeah, I know," Gohan added. "And to think, they almost completely destroyed the entire cafeteria just because of an argument about a woman."

Kakarrott remained silently looking at the ground while Kinto replied in a mildly softer but still firm tone, "I wouldn't be so light about the subject of women, Gohan. You'll understand what I mean one day, and then you'll regret saying that."

With a roll of his eyes, Gohan pushed off from the wall and retreated to the back of the house where his private, small room lay in waiting for him. He closed the door behind himself and began to carefully remove his gloves, boots, and torso armor while setting each item meticulously on a small rack in the corner of the room so that it was ready for him in the morning. A few small pangs hit the soreness of his tired muscles as he slowly began to remove the upper portion of his navy bodysuit. As he began to fold it, a yellow note floated out from its creases and drifted like the sweet-smelling smoke of incense to the ground below.

His eyes watched its decent skeptically until it rested peacefully on the floor with its edges occasionally flittering in the soft up takes of air within the room as it dared him to pick it up. Steady hands found themselves on the note's frame and brought it eye level as he set himself down on his small bed. His fingers delicately traced the paper's outline as though unsure of whether or not he was in his right mind to read the small script set upon its page. Finally, his eyes began to scan over the clearly written text. It read: "I know that it was all probably just a one night stand to you, but I think it could be more. Maybe you could stop by the bar again after work sometime and we could get to know each other better. Until then, Amalthia."

It still smelled of the Povercia that had enchanted her house reminding him all the more of her. That was the strange part. He felt no bond between himself and Amalthia, but still he didn't rid himself of all the memories they shared as he had the many other girls' he'd slept with in the past.

Bitter from their lack of sleep, his eyes continued to retrace their course over the letters of the note until they became heavy and distracted. He placed the letter on his nightstand and lay down at full length on his bed still wearing the lower half of his bodysuit as sleep's cold fingers enticingly curled themselves around him.



A/N- Ahhhhhhh!!! It's a lot shorter than the first chapter and probably not as interesting either… oh well. The next chapters will be getting much more interesting and that's a promise (hehehe, if only you knew). REVIEW!!!