Hey everyone!!! Muwhaha, now you will find out if this guy is who he says he is or not. And if he is, what he is doing there! Hehe, read and review, and thanks for reading!!!
Grandfather…?
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Gohan stuttered, trying to force something out of suddenly dry mouth. Oh my God…he…he looks like my father… "W-who are you!?"
The robed warrior smiled once again, grabbing the cloak around him and yanking it off, letting it fall from his fingers, gently floating to the ground. Exposing what looked to be a style of Sayin armor, but unique to it's owner, like the pod was as well. He wore skintight black spandex, dark brown boots and gloves covering his hands. He wore dark red body armor, red so deep it looked like blood, the same color as the bandana he wore around his head. "I, Gohan, am your grandfather, Bardock. And I have been searching for you, or any Sayin for that matter, for a very long time."
Gohan shook his head, unable to take this in. "B-but your…how did you survive the destruction of Vegeta?"
Bardock smiled tilting his head slightly "That is my little secret." Bardock brought his hand up and tapped the side of his head. "I have powers unlike anyone, they are what saved me."
Gohan looked down, shaking slightly. He brought his face back up, making Bardock's eyes widen slightly. Gohan flared up his aura and dove at Bardock, slamming him down into the ground with Gohan still on top. Gohan slammed another fist into Bardock's stomach, before jumping away. Gohan backed away slowly, his hands gripping his head in agony. What is wrong with me!? Why did I attack him!?
Bardock lay in the crater shaking his head lightly. "What the hell was that about? I didn't think I came across as threatening…" Bardock stood up slowly; catching movement out of the corner of his eye he turned suddenly to see Gohan who looked more like himself again walking back towards him.
"I…I am sorry for attacking you without a reason…" Gohan looked at Bardock sharply. "But what are you doing here…. Bardock? There have been times when other Sayins have come, like on Earth, and they want to fight, and have what sayins they find fight with them." Gohan took a threatening step towards him. "I'm warning you, you better not have the same plans in store for me."
Bardock shook his head laughing slightly. "I have no wishes whatsoever to fight with you Gohan. In fact, the thing I would like most right now is to talk to you, I have a lot to tell you, and I suspect you have a lot to tell me." Bardock looked out into space past Gohan. "We'll start with me. I was on my way to Earth…where I originally sensed you, your father, Prince Vegeta, and his son Trunks. I set the coordinates and went into suspended animation, waiting to land. But about half way there the ships alarms went off, waking me from my sleep and alerting me to the fact that…the destination I had logged in, no longer existed. I reached out as far as I could to try and find any of you again, but I couldn't. I started to search, vainly hoping that maybe one of you made it off of the planet. Personally I thought it was futile, but much to my surprise just a few days ago I felt a violent uprising of your power. It nearly blinded my senses, because at that particular time I was searching for you." Bardock looked back down at Gohan, then floated down to the planet, taking a leisurely seat on a large boulder.
Gohan taking the hint floated down, also taking a seat on an adjourning boulder.
Bardock watched Gohan as he floated down, examining him closely. He is defiantly a Sayin, his body, his mind, even his natural anger and blind rage all point to it. Thank god I've found at least one…
After Bardock saw that Gohan was situated, he picked up his story from where he left off. "As soon as I recovered from the mind blast I set in the new coordinates to the ship and came here as fast as I could. And here I am" Bardock made a waving gesture towards himself.
Gohan lowered his head thinking. I…I don't think he's here to fight, but I don't know for sure, and even if that's not what he's here for, he IS here for something…Gohan leveled his gaze at Bardock, staring him in the eyes, trying to read him. God he looks so much like my father, there is no mistaking that he is my grandfather, or at least a relation of some kind. But what do I do? What do I say, what does he want from me? Gohan shook his head and stood up. "So tell me Bardock, what are you doing here?"
Bardock chuckled and replied. "You know I wouldn't mind it if you called me grandfather you know…" When Gohan made no move, or motion of speaking, Bardock shrugged and went on. "I am, like I said searching for any Sayins. After the destruction of my home, I escaped to a small peaceful planet, with very avid technology, but unfortunately that did not help them heal my extremely different Sayin body. I stayed alive by shear will alone, my body taking almost a year to heal fully. After that I began training, and honing my…unique skills. And when I thought I was ready I had the inhabitants build me a new ship. Some menial technological skills being what I showed them for it." Bardock added quickly when he saw a suspicious angry glance from Gohan point towards him. "And since then I have been searching for any Sayins that survived."
Gohan nodded and asked something that had been bothering him greatly. "Bardock, you mention, unique skills, and you say your 'power' is what saved you from the destruction of Vegeta, hell, you even know who I am, and who the other Sayins where on Earth, but, How!?"
Bardock sighed sadly and looked back up into the sky, tracing one hand through his hair. "I have psychic powers. They were given to me by…by the last surviving member of a race me and my crew were destroying." Bardock glanced at Gohan to see his reaction to that; he nodded slightly as he didn't see any extreme anger appear on the young lads face and turned his attention back to the sky "He gave me the powers, in punishment for what I did. He knew Freza was going to destroy our planet, and he wanted me to know it as well, so I could foresee the destruction of my own home, and know there was nothing I could do to stop it…" Bardock's eyes glistened slightly, but he continued on unnerved. "I did what I could, fought, and tried to stop the attack on my planet. I got far, I made it all the way to Freza's ship, but it was for nothing. He was infinitely stronger than me…"
Gohan glanced up at Bardock, he was shaking slightly, Gohan couldn't tell if it was from anger or sadness. Maybe both…Gohan lowered his head for a second then looked back up at Bardock again. He just doesn't seem like he's that bad…could…could he really be a friend?
Bardock continued without noticing Gohan's gaze. "Freza formed a giant ball of Ki, and hurled it at the plant, I was foremost caught in it, it drug me down with it, not killing me, but starting a slow burning death that would end on impact with the planet. It was then, when my mind was completely erratic, and escaping was all I could think about, that my…" Bardock chuckled. "I know your not going to believe this, but, it was almost as if my instincts took over, one moment I was screaming in pain, my own flesh being burned from my body, and the next I was surrounded in a telekinetic force field and being hurled across space like a rocket. I crash-landed on the planet I mentioned; it was called Kyria. The inhabitants were small little blue critters; they had four arms and almost no power. But they had great technology." Bardock smiled and looked at the ground remembering the little creatures trying to figure out a way to help him. "They, they were so weak, and yet so eager to help me, a person they had no idea if they were good or bad, evil or not, but they still helped me. They taught me a lot…they taught me there is more to life than just preserving yourself and your own race alone." Bardock sighed, remembering the inhabitants, so gentle, so kind, so weak. An enemy had come, seeking to conquer the weak planet and take over the inhabitant's spaceports. Bardock chuckled, boy were they surprised to meet me…
Bardock turned back to Gohan. "So there you have it, you know about me, and why I'm not quite as cold hearted as the Saiyn predecessors you have met like that behemoth Napa, and that arrogant bastard of a prince."
Gohan smiled in memory, the hotheaded bald angry bastard that he had fought…it seemed like so long ago. And Vegeta, the cocky asshole turned good, well at least as good as you could get someone like Vegeta.
"Well?" Bardock said it in a way that meant so much more than just one word.
Gohan got a bit of a worried look on his face. "Well what?"
Bardock shifted positions so he was fully facing the young sayin. "Tell me everything."
Gohan nodded slightly. I figured…He looked back up at Bardock and nodded briefly. "Ok."
Hours had gone by, but it seemed like minutes, as Gohan tore the horror story from deep inside and told it to this total stranger. But for some reason it was easier, Gohan noticed it was easier to tell it to this man he had never met before in his life than it was to tell it to Cindel and Marcus, two people he knew cared for him. As Gohan progressed in his tail he noticed Bardock eyes glisten at the mention of super sayin, and much to Gohan's satisfaction sadden at how the planet had been destroyed, and he the lone survivor.
Bardock stood slowly, and walked over to Gohan. God…I am not good with kids…He stooped down on one knee and held out his arms. And for some reason that Gohan didn't even know he flung himself into his Grandfathers open arms and for the first time since before he ever heard the name Cell, he felt safe. Bardock gently rocked his young grandson, giving him what he needed most. It's ok…It's all ok. I'm here now…and I'm going to help you Gohan…For Bardock knew, there was more to Gohan than met the eye. He had felt the incredible power the boy held, and he knew he had to learn to harness the power. He also knew that he, could help him. Bardock rubbed Gohan's back, holding him tighter as the boy forgot all his anger, all his rage, and just cried. It's all ok now…I'm here…