Orphaned Chapter 7
Disclaimer- You KNOW I do not own Dragon ball, or any related characters. This is not making any money, otherwise I would be rich! And I assure you, I am not. So why even bother to ask? They aren't mine.
Note- Took forever. I know. I had it all written out, and It was terribly boring. I went back and salvaged what I could. So hopefully this is not quite as boring. Here you go.
*****
Piccolo saw the boy as he (Piccolo) was momentarily incapacitated. Springing back to the fight, he saw him help Krillin. For some reason, the sight of Gohan gave him hope. After all, he was the son of Goku. He belonged on the battlefield. But what could he do now, unaware, and, Piccolo assumed, untrained? Nothing more than help the fallen. This was still up to he and Tien.
*****
"You have… a tail?" Krillin half asked, half exclaimed. Gohan wrapped his tail cautiously around his waist. So far, all of his friends had not cared about this extra appendage, but this guy might. What if he though Gohan was with the enemy?
"Yes." He replied simply. Let him think what he would.
Krillin was thinking, slowly putting the pieces together. Finally, deciding that there was nothing else to be done, he asked.
"Gohan, let me ask you a question." He said seriously. Gohan jumped. He'd been watching the battle. He had a pretty good guess as to what was coming. It would be
'Gohan, are you related to that guy?' or
'Gohan, are you on our side?' or something to that extent.
"Who is your father?" Gohan looked up sharply. He wasn't expecting that. He looked down at his toes, remembering his dream and all the fuss it had caused. But it couldn't hurt to tell his name, could it? No. This guy was in no condition to hurt him anyway.
"Goku," Recalling the only valuable pieces of information Mr. Chute had given him. He watched his friend's eyes go wide.
"You're Son Gohan?" He asked, disbelievingly.
"Yes. Why?"
"Where is your dad?" He sounded urgent. Gohan frowned.
"Dead."
"Dead?" His eyes got impossibly wider. "No. Piccolo was right." He whispered.
"Who's Piccolo?" Gohan asked, trying to change the subject.
"Look at the fight," Krillin instructed. Gohan did so, though he really couldn't make out one body from another, they were moving so fast. "The green one is Piccolo. The triclops is Tien, and the one in weird armor is Radditz." He spat the Saiyan's name out angrily.
"And you are…"
"Krillin. I'm… I was… a friend of your father's." This time it was Gohan's eyes that grew. "Your father and I were great friends. We used to fight alongside each other. He could have stopped this." Krillin said, referring to the fight. Gohan felt a swell of pride. "I'll tell you all about him later, but now my question is, why aren't you at your Grandfather's?"
"I have a grandfather?"
"Well where were you living all this time?"
"I thought I was an orphan. I've been at St. Ivy's." Krillin groaned.
"That was a mistake on someone's part. We'll fix it as soon as we send this guy back to where he came from." He rose shakily.
"Are you OK?"
"I'll be fine." He ran the few short feet to the battle and jumped right in. Gohan tried his hardest to see the details, but all he saw were blurs. He now was rooting for his new friends not just because they could save the city, but because they knew his dad. Survival was imperative; he wished now more than ever that he could help.
*****
Maybe it was just him, but the fight was looking better to Tien. Either Radditz had slowed down, or they were getting faster. Piccolo thought differently. He sensed Radditz's power fluctuating. At one moment it would sky-rocket and he'd have the advantage for a few minutes, but then it would return back to normal, allowing Tien and Piccolo to get in a few good hits before it went up. Perhaps he was imagining things, but when the Saiyan's ki rose, it seemed as though a fraction of the Eternal Dragon's power became manifest in their enemy. Piccolo had a theory as to what was going on, but he didn't like it. When Krillin jumped back in, revitalized, both of the already engaged warriors were a bit shocked, but accepted it and continued with renewed vigor. Radditz's ki had hit a low point now and the three went in to attack, but, quickly as it'd fallen, it rose again. The Z fighters quickly shifted to defense. Looking for a weak spot, the three jumped back.
"I don't know what his ki is doing, but we need to hit him as soon as it's down." Tien said quickly.
"Right. Don't hold back!" And the team leapt back to the attack. Radditz's power was fluctuating too rapidly to pull off a kill shot now, but if it followed its pattern, they should have a good chance. The power dipped-
"NOW!" At once, three incredibly strong ki attacks came streaking towards Radditz.
"Kamehameha!" Both Krillin and Tien let loose the gigantic blue beam.
"Masenko!"
Radditz knew his power had hit a valley: he didn't rightfully know why it was fluctuating beyond his control, but he knew right now it was either block or be fried. He put his arms up and formed a shield, praying it would hold. He needn't have worried; his power fluxed again, rocketing to a new high. As a result, all three super-speeded, high powered, and potentially deadly blasts raced back to their creators and struck- hard. All were blown back amid the rubble of the ruined city. None moved. Radditz was exhausted. That last rise in power had cost him some energy, but it didn't matter now. He had won. HE HAD WON! Chalk another one up for the Saiyan race. Radditz let out a good long laugh of victory- not a hint of relief; he had never been worried. However, if his scouter hadn't been in pieces amidst the destruction, he would have been… oh he would have been.
*****
Gohan had watched the fight eagerly. He was certain good would prevail. To a four year old, good always prevailed. It had to. If it didn't, what would be the purpose of being good? The entire world would come crashing down. When the bad guy blew all three of the good guys back, Gohan got slightly worried. But certainly they'd be back up in a moment. They weren't. The bad guy was laughing. Gohan's world came crashing down. Gohan didn't like it when worlds came crashing down. Gohan didn't like it when bad guys won. Gohan didn't like it when he lost friends, no matter how briefly they'd met. Gohan was angry. He jumped out from behind the rubble, feeling rage growing in him. One part of his mind screamed
"THIS IS LUDICRIS! YOU ARE FOUR YEARS OLD!" Another part very calmly said
"Shut up. Go for it, kid." Gohan listened to the calm voice. He let his rage loose, and felt his own 'feeling' grow, far beyond the dark 'feeling' of Radditz. And then, he lost control.
"You hurt my friends!" He yelled, flying for the Saiyan, who had his back turned. Radditz heard him, but didn't recognize the voice. Before he could acknowledge it, however, a small, hard something collided with his spine, sending a painful jolt through his entire nervous system. Gohan fell away, his momentary power fading. Radditz was frozen for a few seconds, both in anger and confusion. His armor was only hanging on by a few bits now, and the strange power that had aided him in the fight was entirely spent.
'I'll just finish off this kid, then the rest of the planet.' He thought, almost glad this job was over. Trying to fathom how a child of little more than three years of age could do such damage to him, he stalked over to the sleeping form of Gohan. Then he caught sight of something brown and furry lying next to the kid…attached to the kid! A Saiyan, undoubtedly. Radditz didn't know of any other human-like creatures with such a trait. That would explain the power. But how? No matter. With a little training, he would do just as well as- maybe better than- Kakarot. Kakarot! Was it possible his brother could have- no, Saiyans would not interbreed with other species. Unless what the green man had said was true. And he protected Earth with his life. Why had he forsaken his race? Radditz did not know. But at least the kid was salvageable.
Instead of killing the child, he picked him up and began back to his pod. He'd stash him there until the job was done, then report back to Vegeta. No problem.
Except one. Krillin had heard Gohan's enraged screams and forced his eyes open. All he saw was Radditz taking Gohan away. He struggled to get up despite his heavy wounds. One arm dangled limply and a myriad of scratches and blood stains covered his body.
Piccolo had seen more. He had seen Gohan's power. He knew he had to get up. If only it didn't hurt so badly. Painfully he rose, joining Krillin, a little better off than the monk. Piccolo's arm had actually been blown off, but he was able to gather the energy to replace it. Other than that, his most serious injuries were multiple broken bones.
Tien fared no better. He'd seen the same as Krillin, and miraculously kept all his limbs. Yes, all three were alive, if a bit beaten. What sort of fighters would they be if they couldn't withstand their own attacks?
'We owe our lives to that kid,' Though Piccolo. 'I guess it's a good thing I didn't kill him when I had the chance.'
"That's Goku's son! We have to get him!" Exclaimed Krillin. Tien, being the only one who didn't already know this, was the only one wide-eyed. But he kept his head.
"We need to heal first. We can't fight like this." He stated.
"Neither can he!" Protested Krillin. "We still outnumber him."
"And if we get a sensu first, we'll be sure to win."
"Or we'll be sure to give him time to heal. Remember how fast Goku healed?"
"Enough!" Piccolo tired of this bickering. "You two go get sensus. I will keep an eye on Radditz to make sure he doesn't try to leave the planet with the kid. Besides, I have no desire to go anywhere nearer to Kami then I absolutely must." And with that settled, Piccolo flew off, following Radditz's ki. Krillin and Tien shrugged, and went to get the sensus. All three flew as fast as was possible, considering their injuries.
*****
Gohan came 'round a bit later and found himself in the least likely place. There was a rounded ceiling above him, a complicated console in front of him, and a hard seat beneath him. A spaceship of some sort? Well, he didn't like it. It was hot and uncomfortable, and he wanted out! Gohan may have been smart for his age, but the prospect of being trapped and lost frightened him. He had instinct and high intelligence, but he was still just four years old.
As it was, Gohan neither knew what had happened, why he was here, or when he could get out. Four-year-old inquisitiveness pushed him to push the multiple buttons before him, but fourteen-year-old wisdom advised against it. He settled for studying the panel intently, keeping his fingers carefully in check.
*****
Tien seemed resigned to the fate that he would not see his friend again in this life, and the thought made him even more solemn than usual. They would wish Goku, Chichi, and Yamcha back with the Dragonballs, but it would not be possible to bring Chautzhu back.
Krillin hoped Piccolo wouldn't do anything foolish. He seemed to hold a personal grudge against him.
"Tien, do you think-"
"No, Piccolo would not attack Radditz unless he was certain he'd win."
"Oh. OK."
*****
Far, far away, Radditz, son of Bardock, brother of Kakarot, and about to deliver the last blow to another city, sneezed. The blast went awry, and he cursed the air of the planet before continuing the destruction.
Thinking he heard something, he spun around in the air.
'Now you're being paranoid,' He scolded himself. Still… it would be nice to have his scouter. Finishing off the city, he turned to head back to his ship to see if he'd brought a spare. Piccolo followed stealthily. Radditz was almost as beaten up as he was. They'd have no problem taking him down. Suddenly, Piccolo picked his head up. They were heading toward a familiar ki.
'Gohan,' thought Piccolo. Would Radditz take off with him before completing his mission? Piccolo had no qualms watching millions of innocents die by Radditz's hand. They never did anything for him, what should he care? But if Radditz was about to leave without Piccolo getting revenge, Piccolo would die stopping him. Now, Piccolo could sense the world's population. Sure, a good chunk was missing from Japan, but they were more or less all there. Radditz wouldn't leave now. No, the best thing, Piccolo decided, would be to watch him.
Radditz touched down at what was obviously a landing site. He slid down the side of a huge crater. Piccolo remained hidden. A moment later, Radditz emerged and took off again. Piccolo cast a look into the crater at the small pod. So that's where Gohan was being kept. Well, he could live with it a little longer while Piccolo followed Radditz again. Krillin and Tien should be on their way shortly.
*****
Gohan stopped worrying for a moment when the door to his prison opened, letting in light and new air. Then he began worrying worse than ever. The figure in the door was Radditz. Then what had happened to Krillin and the others?? The though of escape crossed his mind, but he realized he was dwarfed by Radditz's size and wouldn't make it far. He didn't even know where he was! The bulky figure in the door reached under the seat and pulled out a weird device. Attaching it to his head, he uttered the first words Gohan had heard out of him.
"Sit tight, kid." His voice bubbled with anticipation. He closed the door and took off. Was that a warning? Gohan wondered. He sat on his wandering fingers now. The last thing he needed was to piss off his captor by breaking his ship-thingy.
*****
Radditz turned on his scouter. "Prince Vegeta?" He asked tentatively, using his good arm to continue destruction. The other arm dangled uselessly.
"Radditz!" Came the angry reply. He winced. "What's taking so long?!"
"I ran into some… problems." He explained cautiously. It was true; the job should have been done long ago. "But hey are taken care of." Vegeta made a low growl in his throat.
"Did you retrieve Kakarot?"
"No. It seems my little brother has gotten himself killed." Silence on the other side. "I do have his son, however."
"How old?" Came the impassive reply. Radditz hesitated.
"Not sure." He mumbled.
"Power level?"
"Fairly high."
"How high?"
"Incredibly high for his age."
"Bring him to our base when you're done. Freiza will not know about him." The connection ended. Ordinarily, Freiza would have heard every word of the past conversation, but Vegeta had thought further than that. He had a small base set up on a tiny planet. The asteroid field surrounding it prevented outside ships from picking up anything more than static, even from scouters. Freiza would hear only what they wanted him to hear. Of course, Vegeta still had to spend most of his time at Freiza's base, but in his spare time he was at his own base… plotting, always plotting. Radditz grinned. The Saiyans' salvation lay with that kid.
*****
Sorry that took so long, but I was really confused when I went back and read over it so I went back and revised it a couple times to bring you this version, hopefully better than the first two versions of Chapter 7. Tell me what you think, because according to the computer my writing style reflects that I'm only in third grade ^.^() Also, I'm not sure if Tien uses Kamehameha, but I couldn't find another attack that he could use as early as Radditz for a kill. So if it's wrong, please enlighten me ^.^ toodles!
~mysticGohan33~