Chapter Thirty Four- Hemlock

Pain crusted its dark way over Gohan's mind leaving him numb and broken. He tried to opened his eyes just to be blinded by a bright white light. Making sure he kept his eyes tightly shut, Gohan felt out for his father's ki. It was so faraway. He pushed all the energy he could afford that way to catch his father's attention. A flowing wave of warmth struck him back. Gohan was grateful for its strong arms that engulfed him in its hug. It made he feel more comfortable.

But their was a tinge of sadness in Goku's energy. Gohan knew why. His father knew his son was dying and now Gohan was beginning to accept it too. Gohan felt stronger then he had been feeling for the last couple of days at the thought of heaven. It would feel great to be back there. It was so beautiful and glorious. Maybe he would even be able to fight in a tournament up there like his father. Yes… Dying would be a way to end everything.


Videl, Chibi Trunks, and Vegeta were pushed into a room against their will. Vegeta was surprisingly more okay with it than usually. His mind was on Gohan's fading ki, Chibi Trunks realized. But it didn't make sense for Vegeta to care for Gohan…

But then again, everybody couldn't help but love Gohan.

The room they were in was the main command center of the ship. It was an elaborate room made out of the same silvery metal. It contained five leather chairs that were stationed in the center of the room facing a transparent screen that covered the windows that drew out into space. A few less comfortable chairs were placed at different control stations on the side showing all sorts of radar and gadgets no doubt used to control the ship.

The prisoners were forced to kneel before the commander. He was a tall man with bright gold hair that was pressed upwards in short spikes. He looked very much like a super sayian except for the fact that his eyes were a dark green. He stared down hard at the group and snapped.

"Rise. You do not need to bow to someone who is not your master." He said hotly.

"So we aren't being sold as slaves?" Videl asked hopeful.

Vegeta sent her a sharp that obviously was intended to tell her to keep quiet. But as strange as it was the man was bemused by that question.

"Slaves? We do not take prisoners and turn them into slaves." The man stated, "Only the Falcons are that cruel. We only take what it rightly ours after a battle. But we had to apprehend you because you were destroying our fleet."

The man glared at them for a second before continuing.

"My name is Julio and I am the captain of this band." Julio stated proudly.

"Not surprised." Chibi Trunks stated rolling his eyes.

"You, together destroyed 27,832 men and woman. Some of our best were destroyed by you." Julio continued, "But… You destroyed more that half a million on the Falcon's. We owe you that much. I called you here to ask you if you would please join us in our next battle against them."

"No way." Chibi Trunks snapped reading his father's mind, "We fight our own battles. You should do the same."

"But if you help us out we can save those slaves that are held in the Falcon's clutches." Julio stated getting desperate.

"Why should we care about a bunch of slaves?" Trunks stated hotly.

"Do you have records on these so called slaves?" Vegeta asked curiously causing his son to stare.

"Yes." Julio nodded, "There are several thousand in all."

"Yes but what about the slaves you have." Vegeta added, "Where are they?"

Julio frowned slightly realizing that Vegeta knew about the their own share of slaves.

"We use the slaves we have to fight. They are trained to fight the minute they step in here or… else." Julio stated simply.

"So how do the Falcons treat their slaves?" Videl asked.

"Their slaves are like trophies to them. They leave them to rot in cages and feed them once a day. Simple as that."

"That is where Gohan is kept." Vegeta snapped, "We need to go there. To the falcons."

"The falcons…" Videl blinked uncertainly at those words, "They have Gohan?"

"Yeah. And if we don't hurry, Gohan's going to die." Trunks said without thinking.

Vegeta sent his a sharp glance that caused him to shut up rather quickly. Videl's face turned pale at the prospect of Gohan's near death situation…

"We need your help." Julio snapped, "If you helped us, we could help you."

"We don't need your help." Vegeta hissed.

Julio raised his eyebrow slightly at those cruel yet final words. He smirked slightly and shrugged.

"Since you are only guests here I can't force you. But I must ask you to stay until we can get to the next planet to drop you off. Until then I will be your host. If you do change your mind, please let us know." Julio nodded as the guards came back in, "Take them to the best rooms. We don't want to mistreat our guests."


"Come." A young girl with braided silvery hair hissed to Mirai Trunks as he stared uncertainly at the child through the bars, "Your friend is in his last hours."

Mirai Trunks blinked uncertainly as she pushed open the door beckoning him to freedom.

"Why are you doing this?"

"We have great respect for the dead." The girl sighed, "Although we kill so many we do give them proper funerals."

Trunks stared at the girl for a few more seconds before it hit him to what this was all really about.

Gohan was dying…

And they were letting them free to see him before he passed away…


Chichi clung onto her guide as he lead her to Gohan's place in the infirmary. He paused of a second and looked up at the lady with his bright blue eyes and cried, "You're hurting my hand."

"Oh… I'm sorry. I am just so worried about my son…" Chichi said softly pausing beside the boy, "He will be alright won't he?"

"I- I don't think so." The boy said gazing at the mother sadly, "But if it makes you feel better, I can take you the gardens. You don't have to watch him die."

"But…I have to be there for him." Chichi said softly.


"Gohan?" Goku said softly holding onto his son's hand tightly from the boy's bedside, "Can you hear me?"

Gohan twitched slightly indicating he knew his father was there. Goku's eyes filled slightly with tears at the sight of his dying boy. He drew Gohan's hand to his chest and sighed lightly letting the tears fall. One fell onto Gohan's opened palm. Gohan clutched his fingers about it…


The room they were taken to was fairly nice. It looked very much like a hotel room with everything brand new and clean. Trunks raced over to the bed and bounced on top of it before grabbing a pillow and flinging it at Videl.

"Pillow fight!" He cried.

Videl gripped the pillow angrily and tossed it back at the lilac topped boy hitting him square in the face. Trunks toppled over and fell off the bed with a loud thump.

"Cut it out." Videl hissed, "You're so annoying."

Chibi Trunks looked up, dazed from his fall, at the angry girl as she sat on her own bed. Vegeta took a quick glance at Videl and smirked slightly.

"I'm going to check the rest of the ship out." Vegeta said in almost a inviting tone, "Want to come, Trunks?"

Trunks looked rather suspicious but he was too scared of Videl's sudden anger to care. He nodded vigorously to his father's request and toddled after him out of the room.

Videl laid back on the bed and gazed absentmindedly at the ceiling that arched out above her. It was painted red by the lamps that radiated red instead of yellow like it did back home.

Home. She had even realized how much she missed it.

She did this all for Gohan… and now Gohan was dying. Without any cure probably.

Videl closed her eyes and opened them once more as a idea danced in her eyes. She would fight for Gohan. If Gohan was too far from hope what was the point of not killing them. She would kill the Falcons that enslaved him…

She would kill them all…

As she ran off a small glow filled the room as a identical girl lay on the bed thinking…


Videl raced out of the room and down the hall to the commander center once more. Julio was still there with his back turned to her. She raced up to him and grabbed his shoulder to turn him about.

"I will fight the falcons." She snapped interrupting the conversation he was having with one of his crew members. Julio's face lit up considerably,

"That's grand. We are about to enter their territory now. Do you know how to fly a mental ship?"

"No." Videl stated truthfully, "But I am willing to learn."


Gohan drew in his last hard breaths a death reached its long fingers nearer. Goku held Chichi close as they watched their eldest son depart from the world. Mirai Trunks sat by his past mentor's side and glanced uncertainly at the commander who stood not too far away. Her cerulean eyes met with his again. She closed her eyes and shook her head lightly.

"There is nothing we can do. We tried countless medicines. I am sorry, that I was so cruel earlier. I was absorbed in battle and… I didn't realize how young he was."

Mirai Trunks did not answer her. He glanced back down at Gohan quickly as if to say she was excused. Erika bowed her head sadly and exited to room. As soon as she did a roaring was heard. The nearest Falcon let out shout of fright and raced for the door.

"What's going on?" Mirai Trunks called grabbing the wrist of the boy before he left.

"The Dragon's are attacking." The boy cried, "Everyone must go to the front.

"But your barely ten." Mirai Trunks said bewildered.

"Yes. But Gohan wasn't even five in his first fight, was he?"

Mirai Trunks' eyes widened at the boy's vast knowledge. The boy merely smiled and nodded.

"All of our people are talented. All in different ways."

He broke free of Trunks' grip and raced off leaving Trunks quite bewildered. A sudden cry came from behind him in which Gohan had been crying out Videl's name.

Chichi hugged her son's head in her arms and sobbed silently as Gohan cried out in pain.

"Videl! Goten! Look out! Trunks!"


Videl strapped herself into the cockpit of the ship and attached the small band over her head so she could control the ship with her movements. The door shut with a hiss sealing her within.

'This is for you, Gohan.' Videl hissed darkly as the transparent blue visor slid down over her eyes.

She pressed the faint green button on the small arm rest next to her as the set to go. The machine slid forward and shot off straight into space. After catching herself in the space she glared angry at the ships that loomed ahead. She reached forward and grabbed onto the trigger sticks on either side of her. Her thumbs rested uneasily on the trigger button as she targeted her prey. Biting her lip hard she released her thumbs letting them pressed the buttons in. Two short shots were fired and struck the side of the ship causing it to erupt into flames. Her eyes reflected the horror as a smile slipped across her face. It fed her broken heart leaving her quite satisfied.

"You like that?" She smirked, "I've got more coming."


Chichi let out another scream as the ship rocketed by several blasts. Goku clutched Gohan's limp body to prevent any harm coming to him. He had stopped his screaming once Chichi started hers. He was dreaming… and by the look on his tear soaked face it was a nightmare.

"Mirai Trunks." A familiar voice called from the speakers, "Kakarot? Gohan? Kakarot's mate? Can you hear me?"

"Yes." Goku called back.

"The name is Chichi!" Chichi screamed as another blast struck the ship.

"It's Vegeta."

"How are you contacting us?" Mirai Trunks asked bewildered.

"It seems Trunks here inherited his mother's genius attitudes. He hacked into the Dragon's system and found a communication system directed to other ships. We traced it to the Falcons ship and tracked you down." Vegeta stated quite simply though Mirai Trunks didn't doubt that his past self had told him exactly what was going on.

"So what is it?" Goku asked, "Do you have a cure for Gohan?"

"Yes. You have to get Hemlock juice."

"But that would kill him!" Chichi cried in bewilderment.

"If he is has a drop of sayian in him he will be fine." Vegeta snapped, "Stop questioning my judgment, onna."

"So where do we find some?"

"I haven't come up with that part yet." Vegeta hissed.

"I think they might have some in the garden the boy was talking about." Chichi said in excitement, "Maybe they have a form of hemlock there."

"Hurry then." Goku urged, "Mirai Trunks go with her."


Gohan found himself slipping father and father into the dark abyss that he had been sucked into. All he could hear as he fell was Poor Goten. He won't have a big brother anymore. And with those thoughts he fought to stay up. He couldn't leave. He couldn't let Goten die…


"You filthy Dragon! How dare you attack us!" A man shouted up at Videl's golden craft as she landed it on the smooth surface of the landing platform.

The door steamed opened and Videl emerged from it causing the man quite a lot of shock. Her abyss colored hair brushed across her sweaty yet beautiful and young face as she stood on the wing of the fighter.

She opened her cerulean eyes and glared down at the man bellow,

"You will tell me where you're captain is." She snapped. "I have a certain fight to pick with her."

"Y-yes s-si-madam." The man stuttered, "R-right away."


Gohan felt his mother's warm fingers pry his mouth open and pour something cold into it. Gohan didn't like the bitter taste but he swallowed it anyway. His mind swam with images of his little brother who always had a cute little smile on his face…

'I missed you, Gohan…' Goten whispered.

"AHHHH!" Gohan cried sitting up suddenly.

The room flashed before his eyes as everything came back to him. Goku and Chichi sat on one side of the bed while Mirai Trunks stood on the other. Once he had awoken they all swept him into a hug.

"Thank Kami you survived!" Chichi cried.

"Survived?" Gohan asked bewildered.

"You were dying from a… well I forget what it was called now." Goku smiled sheepishly, "But all that matters is that we got to you in time."

"Oh… okay." Gohan blinked, "So… uh… what's going on?"

To Be Continued...
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