Short chapter, sorry – hopefully the depth will make up for it, though. ^___^ Oh, and because we're worried that you wont read the ending author notes - *IMPORTANT NOTICE!* Lexi (and myself, come to think of it) are both going to be out of town over the weekend. What this means for this story is that Lexi, who will have no access to the computer or internet, will be unable to post a new chapter next weekend. It also means that we will be unable to post it early, because she's leaving in two days, and the chapter isn't even typed up yet. *sweatdrops* In other words – don't expect the first chapter of Book Two until the 6th or 7th of December. Sorry for the inconvenience, guys!
~~~~~~~Chapter 13~~~~~~~
And We Will Dance Among the Stars
Gazing out the window of the ship at the rapidly passing stars, Gohan cracked his knuckles distractedly - a nervous habit picked up from Kitten, no doubt.
"Stop it lad, you're driving me to distraction!" groaned Sassy, turning away from the bracelet she was making in favor of giving Gohan the evil eye. He had been like this the last few days, and it was really starting to bug the reptilian female. She liked kids and all, but not when they were antsy – the nervousness rolling off of Gohan at the moment was suffocating. Her tongue flicked in and out tasting the metallic tang she associated with nerves.
"Sorry, Sass," replied Gohan half-heartedly, continuing to gaze out the window of the 'rec deck' the two were currently occupying. "I'm a bit out of it." He obligingly stopped the knuckle cracking, but she could still taste the agitation.
Frowning slightly, Sassy put her bracelet aside in favor of joining Gohan at the window. She settled onto the seat beside him, putting a comforting hand on his back. "Wanna talk about it, lad?" she asked kindly, giving him a tiny smile when he glanced up in surprise. Chuckling slightly she held both hands up in the air, as if to ward off some invisible blow. "Hey, it isn't a crime to care! Is your impression of me really that awful? Damn, I must be a bitch in your eyes… or maybe you're still pissy about the hair thing," she mused.
Gohan let out a tiny half-chuckle and turned back to the window. "It's not that, Sassy-san. It's just… I find myself getting close to you guys - you're my friends, and I'm not sure how I'll be able to say goodbye to you in favor of monotonous old Chikuu-jin life. If I get too much closer…" he trailed off and shrugged apologetically. "It'll keep getting harder."
Sassy refused to be distracted by what she saw to be good news - Kitten would be ecstatic! - knowing that he was purposefully avoiding her scrutiny. "That's alright lad, I wouldna worry. However, I would worry about my wrath if you continue to try and sidetrack the conversation." Gohan had the good grace to look slightly sheepish, so she pushed on. "Come, lad, I'd like to help you, but you have to let me in first."
Gohan sighed and looked deeper into space, away from the shrewed green eyes. The nervousness was growing, and there was confusion and sorrow mixed in. Sassy bit her tongue in a vain attempt to keep back the pervasive feelings. Gohan suddenly took a deep breath, and a minute later turned wide, open eyes to the scaled female.
Sassy had to consciously bite back an exclamation of surprise at the revealing quality of his eyes - ever since he was first introduced to them, he had been something of a closed book. His eyes were always guarded, and no matter how much he joked around with them, he never really let his mask slip.
A smile isn't necessarily a slip up, and neither is a laugh - they're not even really cracks in the armor… They're part of the mask itself. And here was an open invitation to look underneath the protective layers, an admission to all the emotions a child of 9 ought to have.
"I'm scared, Sassy." he said softly, turning glistening eyes back towards the stars floating outside the window. "I'm terrified of this thing in me…" his voice trailed off, and Sassy had to force herself to remain patient and silent - interrupting would get them nowhere. A moment later he continued, elaborating. "When we went on that purging mission and I began to fight, I loved it. The screams, the blood… it was exhilarating! I wanted it to last forever… but then the pauses came, and I felt nauseous. I didn't understand what was driving me - I still don't! I disgusted myself in those moments of sanity. And then… it started all over again." He paused again, and when he briefly glanced at Sassy, she could see the tears glistening in overly bright black eyes.
Sassy bit her lip anxiously - what had happened to the strong, unaffected warrior who had returned from the mission, laughing and joking? The one that had wrestled with her when she dared to cut his hair? The one who had come back without a hint of emotion generated by the massacre?
I forgot that he's a mere child. We all have. …He carries himself as though he were as old as Xe, instead of younger than Kitten. He was never an innocent, was he - and we had the audacity to abuse that, didn't we?
He turned back to the window, pressing his forehead to the glass, needing the cold contact to focus himself as he went on. "When Kitten got hurt, my heart stopped. I was so angry… all I knew was rage. It consumed me, and I couldn't feel anything but a burning sensation without a name - and then my eyes cleared, and everyone was dead. I was alone in a pool of blood and dead bodies, unable to remember what had just happened. There was even blood on the corner of my mouth, and I don't know how it got there… I don't even know how much time passed between one moment and the next. But now I'm starting to remember flashes. Savage joy in the killing… Sassy, I was ripping them apart and leaving them to bleed to death! I was high off the madness. Everything was a blend of red and gold…" he shuddered, and as Sassy's tongue flicked out instinctively, despite her trying to hold it back - she could taste the fear and revulsion that radiated off of him, replacing the earlier confusion. She was slightly confused about the reference to Kitten getting hurt – she'd looked perfectly fine when they'd met up! – but she figured that she could ask him about it later. For now, there were more important things to worry about.
After that there was silence, and it took a minute or two before the hardened warrior noticed the shaking shoulders of her younger compatriot. She was at a complete loss of what to do at first: her race did not cry as his did, and the idea of comforting another person was a slightly foreign concept - with the exception of Ryl, of course, who didn't count, as he was more an extension of herself than a separate person. And yet, as she watched his shoulders shake and heard the muffled sobs, she reached out and pulled him onto her lap, stroking his hair and quietly singing a song from her childhood.
She was unsure what to expect from him in reaction, having never tried something like this before. She was trying to emulate the care she often saw Dae and Kitten exhibit when the other was hurting, and now she was glad that she had at least observed them. Carefully she rocked him, tucking his hair behind his ears in a soothing gesture, softly singing the lullaby in her native tongue. And as she rocked and sang, Gohan began to relax in the presence of the enigmatic woman and, wrapping tiny arms around her waist, he let the tears fall freely.
He's hurting… Kais, he's hurting so badly! You can taste it on him like a poison, but no one's noticed before. Gohan, lad, I know you can't hear me, and maybe I'll be able to tell you this one day – but I am sorry for what happened to you. I am sorry for helping to steal your innocence. I don't I'll ever be willing to tell you this to your face – it would ruin my image, damnit! – but I think you're special.
Gohan gave a tiny sigh as his tears continued to fall, and he hugged Sassy tighter. He was so warm…
And in their hearts, each knew that the tiny warrior could never leave them now.
'Fight!' the goddess' chant surround you,
Lift the glorious hymn on high -
Scream the anger and the valor,
Let loose with our battle cry!
Teach the children to be warriors,
Sing to them the sacred hymn -
Lead them into bloody battle,
Never let their spirits dim.
Lift the children to the goddess,
Teach their spirits joy and pride -
Let them learn to love the bloodshed,
With the goddess by their side.
And when battle finally claims us,
Death lift up the earthly bars -
We will fight beside our goddess,
We will Dance Among the Stars.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
End Book One
Lexi: *chokes on all the sap*
Kat: *whacks her* Alright, let's explain some stuff about this chapter:
After this point the chapters will be about Gohan while he is actually part of the Faceless Ones. There will be mission accounts, more interaction between characters, and a few windows into what's happening on Earth that's pertinent to this story - Chichi's reception of those two messages, for example. Anticipate longer chapters for the missions, though there will be short chapters too - it's a trademark. ^___~ After that, there will be a third book as well, telling of Gohan's return to earth after all this - and if we decide to go any further and people are interested, there might be a fourth book after that: but that remains to be seen. ^__^
NOTE!!! The chapters will still be posted in this story! I wont be creating a new story for each book!
In regards to this chapter - Gohan is beginning to realize that he went Super Saiya-jin. (yes, he fully transformed last chapter, if you didn't catch that) He will learn to control the power up later, it just hasn't happened yet. As for the hair cut - ucpseudonym, my beta reader, pointed out that Gohan had a rather large quantity of hair that would look more than a little goofy in SSJ. ^__^() In order to rectify that without going back to the very beginning, I decided to just give him the cut now. Think of the haircut that Gohan had during the Cell Games…
The ending poem is titled "Hymn for Battle," and it was written by Lexi specifically for this story - note the last line. ^___^
Lexi: This is supposed to be a song, and when I wrote it I had a particular tune in mind - Free cameo to anyone who can guess what song!
Kat: hint - it's a traditional song that's sung around this time: not rap or pop or anything like that.
Lexi: Well, have a great holiday peoples! (And no preview – the beginning of the new book will remain mysterious until it is posted!)
