Chapter 23
Hi everyone! This is a bit of a change, isn't it? I mean, It's been less than two weeks since I last updated! That is probably because of school holidays and an abundance of time to write. ^-^ Unfortunately though, I go back to school next week
Anyway, thanks for the reviews! They really help me to keep going! ^-^
One last thing before you read on I DON'T OWN DBZ!
Bodu remained silent and composed, giving no hint that he would answer Gohan's question.
A soft gaze of wind whispered over the slowly calming waves of the sea, stirring up the smell of saltwater. Normally, Gohan would have breathed the scent in deeply, as the aroma of the ocean usually calmed his nerves and left him feeling serene. However, the odour of the ocean only seemed to remind him of the stench of blood and sweat, and did little to soothe his uneasy spirit.
After waiting fretfully for a few moments of smothering silence - it seemed even the sound of the wind and the waves had hushed - he shouted again, yet this time with more loathing, "Answer me, Bodu! What did you do to me?!"
The Cehang-jin's face remained emotionless, except for the slight sign of a smirk raising the corner of his mouth. Gohan was becoming more frustrated, and was about to repeat himself when Bodu suddenly interrupted him. "That is of no concern to you now, Gohan! Why should I reveal to you the secrets of the Cehang-jin, when you are on the brink of death itself?" His voice was as cold as it always was, and he spoke quietly yet clearly.
Gohan hissed and scowled, tightening his defensive stance once more in reply. He was no longer filled with confidence, yet his stubborn soul declared he would not go down without a fight.
His inquisitive mind longed to know Bodu's secret; even though it was a deadly secret that would probably result in his undoing. He was always curious, even in the face of death. It was a human trait that had existed for his whole life.
All of a sudden the Cehang-jin vanished and reappeared behind Gohan, causing the demi Saiya-jin to flinch. He had been unable to comprehend the sudden movement, and his heart began to race wildly in panic. For a split second he seemed to have no control over his terrified body, even though he was ordering it to move.
Block, baka, BLOCK!
Finally he won back control over his body. He was about to spin around to defend against whatever attack Bodu was trying to throw at him, but he was too late. Bodu struck his unprotected back, thrusting his fist into Gohan's spine. Gohan's back arched spontaneously as the Cehang-jin's hand drove in further and further, threatening to snap fragile vertebrae and tear his body in two. Bodu did not seem satisfied with his relentless torture, and did not pause until Gohan cried out in agony.
Even when the Cehang-jin had withdrawn his fist, Gohan was unable to counter; Bodu's blow had left him temporarily paralyzed. Unmercifully, Bodu grabbed a handful of Gohan's pale hair and lashed out with his right leg, striking Gohan's lower ribcage.
Gohan grit his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to prevent himself from screaming as he heard something crack inside of him. It was probably the same rib that had been fractured a few days ago, as it had still been healing.
He couldn't understand why he wasn't able to impede the Cehang-jin's assaults any more. He had been able to before, even if he had been only barely blocking them, each of Bodu's strikes sending overbearing waves of pain through his body
The realization suddenly came to him: he had lost a significant amount of ki when he had been somehow prevented the completion of his transformation. He knew transformations always used lots of energy, whether they were concluded or not.
Bodu retracted his foot - and finally letting go of Gohan's hair - he sent a bony fist crashing into the gaki's skull.
Gohan's instincts were shrieking, telling him that the Cehang-jin had let a yawning hole open in the middle of his defences. His teal eyes flashed open, and with a savage cry, he swept at Bodu with his left leg in an elegant sweep, targeting the Cehang-jin's stomach where he knew vitals were hidden. His leg did not smite his target though, and an obscuring knee stopped it instead.
In almost perfect accuracy, Bodu mimicked the gaki's failed attack and aimed at his stomach, before following it with a strong punch.
I cannot believe it! The day has finally come; I will get my revenge against the Saiya-jin for my fallen race! Not even bothering to hide his joy, he continued to deliver painful blows to the demi Saiya-jin, an ominous smirk upon his face, pushing the boy back further and further.
Gohan had begun to taste fresh blood gathering up at the back of his throat, and when Bodu delivered an exceptional hit to his throat - rendering him breathless - it exploded from his mouth. He was choking from his own blood and from not being able to breathe, gasping, trying to inhale any little bit of oxygen that he could.
Taking this as a sign for a different course of action, Bodu locked his hands together and quickly lifted them up above Gohan, bringing them crashing down onto Gohan's already throbbing head.
He finally regained his breath, though he was plummeting towards the ocean headfirst, seemingly unaware of his descent. Making no attempt to stop himself, he was content to let the sea swallow him up. Suddenly, a voice from some distant memory cried out to him - its expression filled with terror and grief.
NIICHAN!
Instantly reawakened, his invisible wings of ki gave a strong flap, slowing his decline. He gradually came to a stop just above the ocean's aztec blue surface, the water encircling him from view. As the spiralling tower of water crashed back down to rejoin the sea, Gohan's gaze locked onto Bodu's form, and his eyes narrowed to determined slits.
I cannot go down without a fight! If I die, Chikyuu-sei will be destroyed by HIM without a second thought! The advantage may be against me, but I must keep fighting! I am the son of Goku, gakusei of Piccolo-san; if I do not fight, then I am not worthy of holding such titles!
Without any other choice, he desperately began to call on the last slender shreds of his ki, its warmth slowly flowing down and gathering in his hands. His aura flamed up again to a blazing inferno, seeming to hiss and spit as a clear threat to Bodu, the blue ki forming in his hands a blinding neon blue. The ocean below him began to grow uneasy again, as the waves crashed loudly against one another.
The Cehang-jin looked on. A smirk was still upon his face, though it was not as distinguishable as it had been. Straightening his body, he braced himself for a powerful attack.
Gohan brought his cupped hands together to his side and began to cry loudly, "KA ME HA ME"
His head began to swim, as a silent voice warned him that he was on the rim of dropping out of his Super Saiya-jin state; he did not have enough ki. Darkness began to haze over his vision, and he was sure that he was going to blackout. Nevertheless, he resisted the vertigo, as he collected a bit more ki.
Bodu's smirk dissolved into an emotionless frown as he saw the glowing orb forming in the gaki's hands. Growling, he yelled out to Gohan - unmistakable menace coating his voice, "You will die here and now, Son Gohan!"
Gohan wavered for a moment before answering back, having to scream over the sound of his own ki, "I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED BY YOU!"
Something in his mind flashed, informing him that it was time to unleash his power. With one final hiss, he threw his hands forward and screamed, "HAAAAAAAAAA!"
The Cehang-jin's eyes were pinched at the corners and his body quivered, hesitation claiming him for a moment. Despite the momentary lapse and the blue ki closing in on him, he remained tranquil. He waited until the ominous comet was within ten metres of him, before disappearing from view.
Sensing Bodu's evaporation, Gohan ceased the ki that was rushing from his hands. He could feel the Cehang-jin dashing towards him, though it was the last thing he could remember.
In a split second - maybe even less - Bodu struck the vulnerable demi Saiya-jin's neck with a swift strong uppercut, his hand as flat as the blade of a sword. Unawareness enveloped Gohan as darkness devoured him.
* * *
Vegita gasped as he suddenly saw Gohan's head roll sideways at a peculiar angle. He had not been able to witness the attack Bodu had inflicted upon Gohan - it had all happened too fast.
Speechless, he continued to watch as Gohan's hair darkened to black and his eyes The keen-eyed Saiya-jin could still make out Gohan's eyes from where he stood, and his breath seemed to be robbed of him as he saw them; they had lost the flame of life that had usually burned so strongly, now as dark and lifeless as the unlit chamber of a cave.
Bodu cast the still body into the endless depths of the sea, showing no emotion in reaction to what he had just done.
Closing his eyes to try and rid himself of the scene he had just seen, Vegita growled, clenching his fists tightly as his body trembled with horror. He felt fully responsible for Gohan's death, as he had only watched the fight from the sidelines like a coward, doing nothing to help. However, he could not forget the strong instinct that had told him that he would have been of little help, and that he had to stay alive at this point. The reason, he did receive an answer for.
All of a sudden, Bodu's ki signature began to weaken, until his ki was at its lowest possible level.
Looking up at Bodu, Vegita was astonished when he saw that the Cehang-jin had returned to his normal state; he did not seem to have noticed the Saiya-jin's existence. Because his attention was no longer on Gohan though, Vegita felt it wise to sur press his ki. If I am discovered, he will kill me without hesitation; I cannot let that happen!
Once again, Vegita was surprised as he heard Bodu begin to laugh. The voice sounded so much like Gohan's, though it carried an evil essence that sounded purely unnatural, like a harmless little sparrow crying like an eagle.
"That was all?! I cannot believe Son Gohan - the strongest being on the planet - could be so weak and so stupid! He still was unable to understand why he had a disadvantage against me!"
Vegita's eyes widened at that last comment, and a sly smirk crept upon his face. As Bodu was still distracted - gloating over how easily he had won - he slowly floated into the sky, trying not to give any evidence of his presence. When he was close enough to the Cehang-jin, he quickly transformed and shot at Bodu like an arrow, landing the most powerful blow he could muster to his arrogant head.
Bodu was knocked out cold before he could even guess what had happened, and was unconscious when the Saiya-jin Prince threw him down towards the same island where he had been hiding.
Glaring at the slowly descending form, Vegita scowled and claimed, "The Cehang-jin fell because of their ignorance, and you are no different from them!"
Raising his hand and gathering his ki for a fatal shot, he was about to deliver the attack when Piccolo's voice suddenly shouted crucially in his mind. NO! Vegita, stop!
As Bodu vanished beyond his view, he growled and replied angrily aloud, "What do you want?! Don't you see that I could have finished him off for good?"
Piccolo's voice softened, though he still remained critical. I know that. However, if you kill him now, it will also cause the death of Gohan!
"What do you mean?! He's already-"
The slightest flicker of ki cut Vegita's sentence short, and he realized with relief that it was Gohan's. He smirked at the conception that he could be relived that Kakarotto's son was still alive. Just about an hour ago, he had been wishing for Gohan's demise!
Forgetting Bodu for the moment, he dived towards the ocean to search for the slowly dissipating ki. It was so faint, that he thought it would disappear before he reached its source. However, he was able to find Gohan drifting submerged just beneath the water's surface, and pulled the almost lifeless body up. As he saw Gohan's eyes again, he shuddered involuntarily.
He couldn't understand why the look of death was affecting him so - he had seen many corpses before, and had never once shuddered when he saw their lifeless eyes. But with Gohan, it was different
Ridding himself of his musings, he hoisted Gohan over his shoulder and said, "You were lucky I followed you, otherwise you'd probably be dead right now!"
Rekindling his golden aura, he started to head back towards the Palace. There would be time for planning when Gohan was healed.
To be continued
Hehe! None of you actually thought that I was going to kill Gohan again, did you? Did you?! Oh well, he's still alive, so I guess it doesn't matter.
Well, you can review now if you wish. You can say you loved it, or say you hated it. You can say it's fine, or that I need improvement. You can even write the word 'blah,' if Fanfiction.net allows it! ^-^
And one more thing. If you want to be informed when I update, please tell me in a review and state the e-mail address you would like me to send the update to. No one is on it so far, though I guess that just makes it easier for me! Ja ne!