Hey guys!
Previously on A Half-breed's Life:
His father's screams rang through his head. Raditz's laugh as he tortured his father. Vegeta's last words before he left…
"If he can't survive, he's not worth our time."
Fine. They wanted him to toughen up? He would toughen up. Those specialists wanted him to work and train? Fine. He would do just that and he would become the strongest warrior in this camp and once those three saiyans returned…
Gohan narrowed his eyes at the wall in front of him as he leaned on the sink.
"I'm going to kill them."
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The boy suddenly reached up and showed his wrist. 'Freedom!' He mouthed to them. He showed the official Freedom Group sign by locking his thumbs together and spreading his fingers. The wings that represented their way out of this place. For now, Gohan was the only one who received the wings, but he knew the others would get them soon as well.
The half-saiyan looked over his shoulder when Raditz called out to hurry up. He gave his old friends one more glance and realized that Oriko and Judin created the Freedom Sign together, awkwardly locking each other's thumbs together since they only had one free hand. Gohan grinned as he studied the four familiar faces one more time before he gave one last wave and turned to the gates. He ran to catch up with the others.
Gohan was going to enjoy walking out of the camp he'd been trying to leave for so long.
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"What do we have here?" The man who was holding onto him was tall. The man had a light-green skin and dark green hair, weaved into a long braid. The man looked rather feminine and Gohan figured girls would call him hansom. Gohan had to try not to shiver when he met the man's dark green orbs. The man's eyes travelled down to Gohan's waist and they widened somewhat in recognition. "You're a saiyan."
"Half-saiyan." Gohan corrected. He did not want to be a full-blooded one. He hated the saiyan race too much for that.
"Half, whole. Who cares? You all look the same." The man made a disgusted face. He pulled Gohan closer, forcing him to step forward, and bowed over him. "As a saiyan you should know your place. You see, saiyans are a little lower on the food chain than normal warriors. It's good if you learn how the status-quo works right now." The man eyed the half-saiyan with disdain. "Kneel before me, monkey."
Gohan ripped his arm free. "I'm not going to kneel for someone like you." He snarled back.
…
"I can't believe you angered Zarbon." Vegeta snarled over his shoulder. "He's going to whisper bad things in Frieza's ear now and that jerk will be even harder on you. He's already harder on us because of what we are."
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Gohan was thrown off his feet and he landed on the ground right in front of Frieza. Zarbon landed next to him, placing his foot on top of Gohan's head to keep him down.
"Ah, it's always good to see a saiyan in his rightful place." Frieza said coldly. The half-saiyan was still breathing hard as he lied on the ground. He was ready to get up but Zarbon was still pushing down on his head. "Very well. You can stay for now. Don't make me regret this decision, boy."
"Thank you, sir." Gohan managed to say. He did not know why he was thanking the man, but he figured this was what he was expected to do.
"Dear Zarbon. Isn't it about time you got off of him?" Frieza's gaze turned to the man. "Or are you already attached to the boy?"
Gohan groaned when Zarbon pressed down on his head. "Crushing a saiyan under my foot takes me back, lord Frieza. I have to admit that I had the pleasure of running into this one before. It's easy to see that he hasn't been tamed right yet."
"It's difficult for saiyans to behave like civilized warriors, you know that Zarbon." Frieza responded, smiling sweetly. "Don't be hard on the boy. He will learn his place in time."
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Gohan was standing over Vegeta's body. The man was asleep. The half-saiyan created a ki-blast ready to send it right through Vegeta's heart.
Gohan hesitated and the blast in his hands diminished a bit. Should he do this? He'd kill Vegeta and then… take out Nappa and Raditz? Could he do that? And what about Frieza and his henchmen? Would they just let him go?
The boy lowered his hands. Maybe he should wait. Get them to trust him and then kill them when they least expected it. Gohan shook his head and raised his hands to Vegeta's chest again. No. He had to do it now.
A hand curled around Gohan's wrist and Vegeta opened his eyes. The half-saiyan gasped as Vegeta pulled Gohan down and pushed himself up, curling Gohan's arm on his back and pressing the half-saiyan down on the thin mattress.
"Well well, the little puppy finally shows its claws." Vegeta hissed into Gohan's ear. The boy growled in response as he tried to pull his arm free but Vegeta only tightened his grip.
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"Do you really think you'll get away with attempting to kill me?" Vegeta asked. "Are you really that stupid?"
"I will succeed one day." Gohan said as he looked up.
"Hmmm." Vegeta pushed against Gohan's elbow again. "But for now you're still too weak to be capable of murder." The man smirked when Gohan let out another pained sound. "And you're too weak to overpower me." The man leaned in closer while he applied even more pressure on Gohan's arm. "If you try something like this again I will personally break both your legs and arms, got it?"
"Yes." Gohan groaned out. "I got it."
"Good." Vegeta released the boy and floated back to give Gohan more room to get up. "Go back to your cot." He ordered, watching as Gohan got up as well and got off the bed.
Moving right along~
Chapter 9. The First Mission
The group of saiyans walked out the small bedroom. The half-saiyan was silent as they walked. He felt horrible after that first night. He thought he would be able to defeat the saiyans easily. He'd gotten so strong, but it seemed like they anticipated his every move.
The half-saiyan took a deep breath and leaned against the corner of the elevator, making as much distance between his body and the others as possible.
"You look awfully uncomfortable." Raditz knelt down in front of the half-saiyan so he could look the boy in the eyes. "Don't tell me this drop of spirit is about what happened this morning."
Gohan widened his eyes a little and he shook his head before sending a quick glance in Vegeta's direction. The man caught this glance. "I didn't expect anything less, boy. We were wondering why you hadn't done anything yet."
"You were expecting me to try to kill you?" Gohan asked, wondering if they were talking about the same thing.
"You're a saiyan, aren't you?" Vegeta responded, shrugging. "It comes with the territory."
"We're a bloodthirsty lot." Nappa added cheerfully.
Gohan shook his head again but this time he was fiercer. "I am not bloodthirsty." He denied.
"Then who was standing over my sleeping body planning on killing me? I'd say trying to murder an unconscious person is quite bloodthirsty." Vegeta taunted, still carrying that annoying smirk.
The half-saiyan crossed his arms over each other. "You killed my father." He accused. "I have a reason to kill you."
"No. I killed your father." Raditz corrected, pushing against Gohan's forehead with his fingers. "Get the facts straight."
"So I am completely innocent. I haven't done anything to you." Vegeta stated. "And you know that. So why did you go for me and not for your dear uncle?"
Gohan's gaze moved down again. Raditz reached out, placed a hand under Gohan's chin and pushed the boy's face up. "Don't be afraid to meet someone's eyes and definitely don't look down. It's a bad habit that you do not need in this world."
"You went for me," Vegeta continued after Gohan's silence, "because I'm the leader. I'm the strongest. I am the most dangerous." Vegeta met Gohan's eyes and realized he was right. "Smart move. I would have done the same thing."
"I am nothing like you." Gohan did not like what Vegeta was implying.
Vegeta chuckled. "Yet."
Vegeta lead them to a white room which looked a lot like a dressing room. The man walked to the open doorway on the other side of the room. "Nobody. Good." He stated before he walked to the first door through which they just entered and entered a password to lock it.
"Now we can shower without being interrupted." He muttered more to himself as he walked back to the metal couch on which his armor was already laying.
While the others were removing their clothing, Gohan walked to the shower room and made a face when he realized it was a big room with shower heads and small metal plates that went until hip height to give the warriors some privacy. No real cabins. It was just like in camp.
Nappa passed the half-saiyan and his tail tapped against Gohan's nose, forcing the half-saiyan to scratch his itching nose. Gohan stepped back and sat down on the metal bench.
Raditz wrapped a towel around his waist. "Hurry up, kid. We don't have all day." He said before walking in the shower room as well.
"I don't feel like showering." Gohan certainly did not feel like being in there with them while not wearing anything. There was a reason why he slept with his armor on. He wanted to have that extra protection when interacting with his comrades.
Vegeta was suddenly standing in front of him. "Are you afraid that we'll do something while you're at your most vulnerable?" He asked, smirking at the half-saiyan.
Gohan frowned up at him. "I just don't feel like it at the moment. I'll go later."
Vegeta seemed to enjoy making the half-saiyan uncomfortable. He stepped back, still with a rather amused expression on his face, and walked to the shower room. "Get in the shower, brat. We'll be spending a week in a small space pod and you don't want to spend that entire week smelling your own sweat. Trust me." He said before disappearing from Gohan's sight.
Gohan let out a sigh before he got up and started to undress. He decided that it would probably be best to listen to Vegeta.
The half-saiyan let the cold water run down his body, closing his eyes. He had to admit that he was dying to get under a shower. He hadn't been able to shower since he left the camp and he felt more than dirty by now. This felt so good.
Vegeta was the first one to leave the room and Gohan followed him out. The boy dried his body quickly and got into his boxers. Gohan sat down on the bench once he was done getting dressed. He used his energy to create warmth in his palm so he could dry his hair.
"Does your hair grow?" Raditz asked curiously.
Gohan nodded. "Of course."
"Ours doesn't. Our hair stays the same forever." Raditz responded. "Except for Nappa's hair. Once, he was so scared that all his hair fell right off his head."
"It never returned to me." Nappa said dramatically. Gohan grinned when Nappa rubbed his bald head comically.
"So beware." Raditz continued spookily. "He misses his own hair so much that he cannot stop himself from touching other people's hair all the time."
"I doubt doing that will make you any friends." Gohan responded as he watched Nappa walk closer.
"That's why I always choose little runts. They like it when people do that." Nappa responded cheerfully.
"Oh really?" Gohan asked amused.
"Yep. I used to have to walk up to total strangers but now I have my own kid to mess with whenever I want." Nappa roughly tousled Gohan's hair and the half-saiyan laughed.
"Are you done?" Vegeta crossed his arms over each other. "We're wasting time."
Raditz and Nappa nodded and started to follow Vegeta. Nappa winked at the half-saiyan and Gohan smiled in response.
About an hour later, Gohan was holding a scouter in his hands. He gave his uncle a hesitant glance.
"So… How do you use this thing?" He asked. Raditz pointed at the bright red button.
"Push the scouter against your ear and press on this button. It will adjust itself to your ear and stay there." He explained. Gohan nodded and did as Raditz told. He widened his eyes somewhat when he felt the scouter close itself around his ear.
Gohan released the scouter and tilted his head sideways to see if it would fall off. The boy tried it a few times more, finding it so strange that the machine stuck to his head like that, until he noticed that his uncle was regarding him with a somewhat amused expression on his face. He must look foolish, shaking his head like that.
"I get it." Gohan muttered, hoping he wasn't blushing.
Once they were back with the other two saiyans, Vegeta started to lead them to the launching center. Gohan studied the smaller warrior in front of him. The half-saiyan realized that the three maneuvered Gohan in such a way that he was walking right in the middle, surrounded by the others, nowhere to go.
Gohan frowned. So they thought he was cornered? They assumed that Gohan would give up after his first clash with Vegeta. Well, think again.
The boy waited for the moment to strike. He didn't care whether he could get away with it or not. He had to show them that he wasn't ready to give up just yet. But what to do….
Gohan's eyes lit up when he noticed the four space pods. These ships would take the four warriors to the planet they had to purge. He might as well.
Vegeta grabbed the remote of one of the space pods. Raditz pointed to another space pod and told Gohan to get into it. The half-saiyan clenched his fists and powered up. Right now.
Four scouters beeped and Raditz, Vegeta and Nappa all looked at the half-saiyan, but it was too late. Gohan put his hands together and blasted the space pod, destroying the machine. The half-saiyan was surprised by the explosion but his eyes widened when he noticed the smoke that the explosion created. This was his chance. The boy whirled around and ran for the large entrance.
His scouter told him what his senses picked up nanoseconds earlier. Someone was standing in the entrance.
Vegeta hadn't thought at all and had gone straight for the entrance. Gohan stopped running. His entire body went cold when he saw the dark look on the man's face. Vegeta looked absolutely livid.
"Now what in that puny brain of yours made you think that was a good idea?" Vegeta asked calmly. Gohan took a step back and realized that Nappa and Raditz were still standing near the space pod.
"I don't want to come with you!" Gohan snarled at the man.
Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Tell me something I don't know."
"What you don't know is that I will keep resisting until the end!" Gohan yelled in response. "And I will continue to destroy every space pod in my way."
"We'll remember to tie up your hands the next time then." Vegeta studied the half-saiyan. "For now, it's time to show you who you're dealing with. It's punishing time."
Gohan frowned and stepped back but he noticed that Raditz and Nappa were approaching him from behind. Gohan turned sideways, keeping an eye on all of them. The half-saiyan extended his hands to them. "Stay there!" He called. He didn't know what they were planning but he knew that he could not let them get close enough to put it into action.
Nappa only chuckled but the others ignored him entirely. Vegeta cracked his knuckles. "Let's see how strong you really are, boy." He stated before he launched at the half-saiyan. Gohan hastily dove down to avoid this attack.
Gohan powered up to retaliate but he had to stop when a blast was sent in his direction.
Gohan managed to jump out of the way of the blast. He was forced back by another blast. Vegeta was waiting behind him and gave him a push. Gohan stumbled forward right into Raditz's third blast. The half-Saiyan groaned as he got up.
Vegeta smirked at him. "Did that hurt?" He taunted when Gohan pulled a pained face. The half-Saiyan frowned and got in a defensive stance again. He blocked a punch from Nappa and dived under a kick from Raditz. Gohan moved his hand up to punch Nappa but had to jump up to avoid being hit by a blast from Vegeta.
Gohan bit his lip when he noticed he wasn't really doing any damage to the others. He was mainly trying to avoid getting hurt. The three Saiyans were all faster and they had more experience. Every time Gohan tried to make an offensive move someone was there to stop him and force him back in the defensive.
A few hours and a lot of fighting later they were all bruised and bloodied. Gohan's wounds were worse than the wounds the others gained in the last few hours. He knew that. The others seemed to have more energy than he had too.
Gohan blocked a punch from Nappa and flinched as his arm gave a jolt of pain. Raditz appeared behind him and grabbed his arm. He pulled Gohan's arm in a stretching position so that Vegeta could slam his fist down right in the middle of his arm. Gohan screamed as he stumbled back and grabbed his hurt arm. That's when he realized: He was going to lose this battle.
His vision blurred and he blinked to get it back to normal. Vegeta was gone but Raditz was charging at him. Gohan tried to forget about the pain in his arm and blocked the punch from Raditz. He pulled back his knee and kneed Raditz in his stomach. After this he turned around and received a kick from Nappa. While Gohan was trying to recover from Nappa's attack, Vegeta appeared next to the half-saiyan, put his hands together above Gohan's head and slammed his fists down on the boy's body. The half-saiyan could not stop his body in time and he landed on the ground.
Vegeta looked at his scouter when he realized that Gohan's power level was dropping. The number went down fast. The prince landed on the ground and watched as Gohan tried to push his body up but the boy's arms were shaking so heavily that he fell back down. Vegeta pointed to the half-saiyan. "Grab him."
Raditz and Nappa landed next to the half-saiyan and both leaned down to grab an arm. Gohan gasped in pain when Raditz tightened his grip on his damaged arm.
Vegeta reached out and grabbed a fist of Gohan's hair. He roughly pulled Gohan's face up and forced the half-saiyan to look up at him. "It's time you learn your place, boy. I do not tolerate a troublemaker and I'll show you how we handle brats like you." Vegeta pushed Gohan's face back down. After this he pulled back a fist. "Lesson number one." His hand raced forwards and hit Gohan in his stomach. Gohan gasped as the air was forced out of his lungs. "I am in charge." Another punch landed on Gohan's cheek. "You will listen to me." Vegeta's leg bruised Gohan's side. "You will show me respect." He pulled back another fist and punched Gohan's face to the other side. "Let's repeat that, shall we?"
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Vegeta reached out and used his finger to push Gohan's face up. The half-saiyan hardly responded to his touch anymore. His face was battered and bruised. Blood was running down his face and chin, mainly coming from his nose and mouth. The boy was trembling because of the beating he just received.
Vegeta widened his eyes somewhat when Gohan suddenly opened his mouth and tried to bite his finger. The man pulled away just in time, scoffing when Gohan's teeth clattered on each other loudly. He would have lost that finger if Gohan would have managed to bite him.
The saiyan prince looked up at Nappa and realized that his comrade was just as surprised that Gohan still had this much fire in him. Vegeta briefly considered handing out a few more punches for this offense but they were already behind on schedule so he motioned for the two warriors to let the boy go.
Vegeta watched as Gohan sank through his knees and fell on the ground. He pressed a button on his scouter and measured Gohan's power-level but there was no reading for the half-saiyan. Gohan lost consciousness. His gaze moved up to Raditz. "Put him in a rejuvenation tank. Come back here after that. I don't want to waste any more time."
"I don't know how long it will be until he's fully healed." Raditz responded as he reached down and grabbed Gohan's arm. The man pulled Gohan's now limb body up and placed the boy over his shoulder.
"Hurry up." Vegeta answered annoyed. Raditz nodded and turned away from them. The two warriors watched as Raditz hurriedly walked out the space pod center. Vegeta looked at the finger Gohan attempted to bite off earlier.
Nappa crossed his arms over each other. "I didn't expect him to be so stubborn." He stated, voicing Vegeta's thoughts. The man chuckled. "Even when he's down for the count he still tries to hurt us just to make a statement. Man, I bet he's going to be a real pain in the ass."
Vegeta closed his fist and frowned as he looked up at the entrance again. Raditz was gone by now. "It's nothing we can't handle." The man responded. "This is a game we are not going to lose."
Meanwhile, Raditz placed Gohan on a chair. There he gently smacked against Gohan's cheek. The half-Saiyan blinked and moaned when his brain registered the pain that he was feeling all over his body. Raditz smirked. "Yes. That's what happens when you make Vegeta angry." He said as he got up and walked to a tank.
"I just want to be free." Gohan whispered as he stared at the ground. Raditz opened the tank and turned around. He knelt down in front of Gohan.
"Freedom is overrated." Raditz said as he reached out and unclasped the shoulder bands of Gohan's armor. The half-saiyan let Raditz pull the armor off. He could hardly move his limbs. "Let me tell you this; not one person in this army is here because they want to be."
Gohan looked up at him. "Do you want to be here?"
Raditz placed Gohan's armor on the ground. "Can you stand?" He asked. Gohan shakily stood up but lost his balance and fell forwards. Raditz placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder to stop Gohan from falling over. The man grabbed Gohan's wrist and moved the boy's hand over to the cupboard next to them. "Hold this." Gohan followed his order and held the cupboard so Raditz could peel the boy's uniform off his body.
"I belong with the rest of the saiyans." Raditz continued, replying to Gohan's question. "Just like you."
"That doesn't answer my question." Gohan said as he looked down at his uncle. Raditz gave Gohan a push and the half-saiyan fell back down into the chair. He sent his uncle an annoyed glance but the man was focused on his task. He pulled up one of Gohan's legs to remove his damaged boot.
"It depends on how you view my answer." Raditz said as he dropped the boot on the ground. He pulled Gohan's other boot off before removing the uniform entirely. "Besides, I have nowhere else to go."
Gohan lowered his gaze while Raditz got up. "Aren't you supposed to say 'just like you' now?" He muttered sourly.
Raditz walked over to the rejuvenation tank. "I figured you were smart enough to make that conclusion on your own." He said as a smirk appeared on his face. "Come here and get in this rejuvenation tank. We need to hurry or Vegeta will be even angrier when we return."
Gohan shakily got up again and limped over to the tank. "I'm not going to hurry for him." He responded.
"Just get in there." Raditz urged. Gohan crawled in the tank and let Raditz prepare him for the healing process. After getting Gohan ready, Raditz closed the tank and activated the healing program.
Ninety minutes later Raditz opened the tank again. Gohan got out and grabbed a white towel. He quickly dried his body off and changed into a blue uniform Raditz was holding. After this he took the white armor with brown chest and shoulder guards and changed into it. He pulled on the white boots and brushed a hand through his shoulder length black hair.
"Now what?" Gohan asked as he looked up.
"Now we go on our mission." Raditz responded. The two made their way back to the launching center.
Vegeta was leaning against a space pod but he got up when the two arrived. "Finally." The man waited for Raditz and the somewhat reluctant Gohan to reach them. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Vegeta asked, glaring at the young warrior.
Gohan's reluctance disappeared instantly and he showed a smug smirk. "Yes, I do. Next time I'll make sure to go for the exit right away."
Vegeta chuckled before he pulled back a hand. He was planning on punching Gohan but the half-saiyan moved up his arm to block the punch. Vegeta narrowed his eyes for a moment before he grabbed Gohan's arm with one hand and forced the half-saiyan to turn around by placing his free hand on Gohan's shoulder. Twisting Gohan's arm on his back, Vegeta wrapped his free arm around the boy's shoulders and chest, putting pressure on Gohan's neck by pulling the young warrior closer to his own body.
Vegeta allowed Gohan to struggle for a moment before the arm around Gohan's neck tightened, putting strain on Gohan's breathing. The man leaned forwards with his head to speak in Gohan's ear. "I think you already forgot one of the lessons I taught you earlier." He ignored how Gohan tried to pull away. "Now, do you have anything to say for yourself?"
Gohan tried not to shiver when he felt Vegeta's warm breath on his ear and cheek. The half-saiyan glanced up at the other two and he realized that they were both watching him passively. Gohan tried to free his body once more but Vegeta was not giving him any room.
"Take your time." Vegeta said in an amused tone. "Honestly, I don't mind the intimacy. It's been a long time since I've hugged a child so close. Maybe a little man-to-man bonding time is just what we need."
Gohan made a move to free his body but Vegeta only took a step forwards and pulled back again to regain his footing. "You're such a creep." Gohan snarled.
"Nappa." Vegeta said before Nappa pulled back a fist and pushed it deep in Gohan's stomach. The half-saiyan let out a pained gasp, leaning over as he placed his hands on his abdominals. The young warrior involuntarily groaned when Vegeta used the arm around Gohan's neck to pull him back up.
"Well?"
"What do you want me to say?" Gohan snarled back at him. He would do anything just to get away from these three bullies.
"Make a wild guess."
"I'm sorry."
Vegeta nodded. "You're off on a great start. Go on."
"I'm sorry for destroying the space pod."
"And?"
Gohan took a deep breath. "And for trying to run."
"And?"
Gohan let out a sigh this time. Vegeta was really going all the way. "And for… having a big mouth."
"And?"
The half-saiyan looked over his shoulder. Well... That was all if you asked him. "And for being a half-saiyan?" He questioned. Was he supposed to be sorry for that?
Vegeta laughed as he released the half-saiyan. "Well, there's nothing we can do about that, now can we?" He stated while Gohan turned around and stepped back. "But we can do something about the other three options and the fact that you nearly bit off my fingers."
Gohan's mouth tightened for a moment. That's what Vegeta was trying to get an apology for. Vegeta turned away from Gohan. "For now, we have a planet to get to. Nappa." He stated before he started walking.
Gohan looked up when Nappa appeared in front of him and grabbed his hands. Holding them in an almost gentle manner, Nappa started to walk backwards. "Alright. We're just going to walk over here. No worries. No stress." Nappa said cheerfully while Gohan followed him. "I know space pods can be scary but that doesn't mean you can just blow them up. You've got to learn to face your fears, kiddo." Nappa teased, amused when Gohan rolled his eyes.
They stopped near an open space pod. "You can let me go now." Gohan said as he looked up at the tall warrior.
Nappa shook his head and stepped sideways, slowly turning them around until Gohan had his back on the open space pod. Now Nappa stepped forwards, forcing Gohan to step back towards the pod. The tall warrior now gave one last push and released the half-saiyan, watching as gravity took over and let the half-saiyan fall back on the seat.
Gohan was surprised for a moment but he realized that the space pod was closing so he quickly crawled back into the pod to avoid that his legs would get crushed.
While Vegeta took the remote from Raditz and typed something into it Gohan studied the three warriors. He could still make the space pod explode from within but would he survive the explosion? He'd seen it earlier today. The explosion was a rather big one. He didn't want to spend another hour in the rejuvenation tank.
Gohan looked down when he realized that the space pod started to vibrate. He looked ahead and watched as the three warriors waved him off. The space pod shot upwards, and before Gohan knew it he was floating in space.
The half-saiyan scoffed and leaned back in his seat. That's how they were going to play it, huh? They kept him from exploding the space pod because Gohan couldn't survive in space. They would let him wait here while they got ready to leave. Safe and sound.
The young warrior waited for the others to arrive and luckily it didn't take them long. After growling a response to Vegeta's question if he was there, Gohan realized that the space pod started to move again.
Gohan hated flying in those space pods. It gave him flashbacks of his first time in a pod. He didn't want to remember that. The boy sighed as he leaned back in his seat and stared at the ceiling of the pod. The fact that he was sitting in a small room which was enclosed by a vacuum in which he couldn't breathe was getting to him. It made him wonder why anyone would willingly step in a pod.
Gohan opened his eyes when he heard Vegeta speak to Raditz. The half-Saiyan had been trying to shut out the conversations of the others for a while now but he wasn't having any luck. He desperately hoped none of them would find out that they could talk to him. The last thing he wanted was to converse with them when he didn't have to.
The boy stared at the world outside his space pod as he wondered how he was going to survive this mission. He really did not want to purge any planets. He'd done enough simulation missions but that was not the same as a real mission. The aliens he'd killed in the computer-programmed worlds weren't the same as the ones he was going to kill in a few weeks.
A couple days later the space pod started shaking heavily. Gohan woke up with a start as his small world shook like it was going to explode. The half-saiyan held his breath as he watched the ground come closer rapidly. The boy closed his eyes on the moment of impact. He let his head fall back and breathed heavily. "Please tell me this isn't going to happen every time I land." He whispered as his heart slowly settled back to normal.
A large hand knocked on his space pod. "Are you going to come out or what?" He heard Nappa ask. Gohan rolled his eyes and opened the pod. He quickly got out and eyed the pod warily. Gohan gauged where everyone was. Raditz and Vegeta were having a conversation.
They both seemed angry about something and Gohan decided he wasn't going to disturb them. "Half-breed." Gohan looked up at Nappa again. "Whatever you do during this mission, you have to obey Vegeta's orders or you'll really get in trouble. He warned.
Gohan raised an eyebrow. "Do you really think I'm that gullible?" He responded. The half-saiyan made a mock-fear expression. "Ooohh, I'd better be good or the big bad saiyans will hurt me."
Nappa scoffed. "Suit yourself then." He muttered as he walked to the other Saiyans. Gohan listened as Nappa's footsteps moved away from him. The boy looked up at the sky and wondered if the people on this planet knew they wouldn't live to see the next day.
"We're leaving, half-breed." Vegeta yelled at him.
"Can I stay here?" Gohan asked hopefully. He assumed a sickly expression. "I feel a little nauseous after that terrible ride." He patted the space pod with his gloved hand.
"Hmm. It seems you are gullible enough to think that will work on me." Vegeta said as he flew up. Raditz and Nappa followed him without any comment.
Gohan chewed on his lip while he realized that Vegeta and Raditz must have both heard his earlier comment.
After flying for several hours Gohan started wondering what they were doing. He caught up with the others until he was flying next to Raditz.
"What are we doing?" Gohan asked impatiently.
"We're counting the cities on this planet." Raditz answered as he looked around. "It's easier to split up and divide the cities."
"Have you counted all the cities yet?" Gohan asked as he looked at the planet they were flying over. "There's one." He pointed at the city. "There's another one." His hand moved to the right to point to a second, slightly larger, city. "This is easy."
"It's easy compared to our real job." Raditz answered as he eyed his nephew. "Don't tell me you're still hoping that we're going to let you out of that?"
Gohan didn't reply. He was actually hoping the others would cut him some slack, but it seemed that they weren't planning on that at all. He would have to go through with this.
After a few hours of flying Vegeta motioned for the others to follow him to the ground. After landing there, Vegeta turned to Gohan. "I was wondering about something. We watched your fight with one of your acquaintances in camp."
"You were spying on me?" Gohan asked with a frown.
Vegeta ignored this. "The attack you performed during that fight. What is that?"
"It's my special attack." Gohan answered vaguely.
"Do I need to punch the information out of you?" Vegeta threatened annoyed.
"It's a Kamehameha wave. My father used to use it and I taught to myself." Gohan answered as he crossed his arms over each other.
"Really? I want to see it."
"What?" Gohan asked as he raised an eyebrow. "Here?"
"Yes. I want you to fire that blast on full force." Vegeta gave Gohan a calculating glance.
Gohan stared at him for a few seconds. Vegeta stared back in an I'm-going-to-stare-at-you-until-you-do-what-I-want kind of way. Gohan scoffed. "Fine." He snarled as he stepped away from them and powered up. He bent through his knees and placed his hands at hip height. The boy chanted the familiar text. "Ka…me…ha…"
His thoughts told him not to fire at full force. 'I don't need them to know my entire power.' "...me…ha!" Gohan's blast launched away from them. Vegeta, who was tracking Gohan's power level with his scouter, narrowed his eyes and signed to the others to pay attention.
"Get him." Vegeta yelled at them. Raditz and Nappa nodded and disappeared from their spot. They reappeared behind Gohan who had been so busy firing the blast he didn't notice them. They grabbed his arms and held him tight.
"What are you doing?" Gohan yelled as Vegeta flew up. The man appeared in front of the ki-blast and deflected it right back to the half-saiyan. "No!" Gohan yelled when he realized what was going to happen. Raditz and Nappa jumped away just in time but Gohan couldn't avoid the blast.
The smoke cleared and Gohan's bruised up body was seen lying on the ground. The half-Saiyan was breathing heavily as he pushed up his body. Blood drops fell on the ground as Gohan looked up at Vegeta. "I told you to use your full strength. You disobeyed and paid the price for it. That's what happens." Vegeta warned as he glared at the boy.
Gohan paled. 'He knows how strong I am? What more does he know about me?' He thought as he watched Vegeta walk to the other Saiyans.
A short while later Raditz and Gohan were flying towards their first city. Raditz had been put in charge of the half-saiyan for now. Gohan looked at the city as they were floating above it. The boy made a face. Raditz turned to the young warrior. "Okay. You know what to do. It's not that hard. Just kill them."
"Easy for you to say." Gohan snarled at him. "I'm not doing it." He announced as he crossed his arms.
"You don't have a choice." Raditz answered annoyed. Gohan frowned at him. "Just do it, half-breed. You can't continue to fight us like this."
"Watch me." Gohan turned his back on his uncle.
Raditz stared at the half-saiyan for a moment before he sighed and pressed on a button on his scouter. "Did you hear that, Vegeta?"
The man was silent for a moment while Gohan looked at him over his shoulder. What was going to happen now? Would they give Gohan his way? Somehow, Gohan doubted that.
"Fine." Raditz looked back at Gohan. "They'll be here any second." He stated before he looked down and surveyed the town. Gohan turned to Raditz fully.
"Who?"
"I thought stupid questions didn't exist but you just proved me wrong." Raditz teased, sending the half-saiyan a smirk. "Our comrades."
"Why are they coming here?"
"Because you won't cooperate."
"You can't handle a ten-year-old on your own?"
Raditz glanced at him. "Don't worry, I can. This will just make everything go faster."
Vegeta was the first one to arrive. He didn't even say anything. He just approached Gohan and backhanded the half-saiyan, making Gohan's head snap to the side. Gohan floated away to create distance but Vegeta grabbed his collar and pulled the boy closer.
"Did I hear you refuse to do what we say?" Vegeta asked, almost sweetly.
Gohan leaned back to create as much distance as he could. "I told you that I would resist every step of the way."
Vegeta released him and looked over at something. "Well, that will only making taming you so much more interesting, won't it?"
Gohan looked over to see where Vegeta was looking at and noticed that Nappa was approaching as well.
"So," Vegeta started once they were all present. "Half-breed. You can destroy this city for me."
Gohan shook his head. "No."
Vegeta pulled back a fist but Gohan caught his punch this time. The half-saiyan gasped when a punch from Nappa hit the back of his head. Gohan released Vegeta and floated away from them. How was he supposed to fight them if they kept changing their strategies?
"Half-breed, if you continue to disobey us you will be very sorry when we return to base." Vegeta hissed as he floated closer to the half-saiyan. Gohan stood his ground this time, glaring up at the man.
"I'm not going to kill anyone. I'm not going to be a murderer!" Gohan yelled at him.
"This is a kill or be killed situation, half-breed. You either kill these people or you will find your life to be ended soon." Vegeta replied.
"So be it."
"Right." Vegeta said as he started to fly down. "So be it."
Gohan frowned when he realized that the other two saiyans followed Vegeta. Raditz reached up and pulled on Gohan's wrist to make him follow them.
Vegeta landed on the ground, glanced around in the crowded area and managed to snatch a man from the crowd.
"Hey! Let me go." The man snarled at him.
Gohan looked at the large man. Vegeta frowned at Gohan. "Kill him."
"No."
Raditz gave Gohan a shove against his shoulder. "Kill him."
"No!" Gohan yelled back.
"Are you going to continue disobeying us?" Nappa snarled at him.
Gohan crossed his arms defiantly. Raditz and Nappa both looked at Vegeta. They showed desperate expressions. Vegeta narrowed his eyes and gave Gohan a thoughtful expression. Suddenly his eyes lit up and he extended a hand to the large man. A blast appeared in Vegeta's palm. Gohan frowned as Vegeta moved the blast closer to the man. "No!" Gohan yelled as he tried to attack Vegeta. Nappa appeared behind him and grabbed Gohan's arms. The two Saiyans powered up but Nappa easily overpowered Gohan's strength.
Raditz made sure no bystanders would interfere while Vegeta's blast burned the man's flesh. "You can choose, half-breed. He will either die a quick death by your hands or he will die slowly." Vegeta loudly to overpower the man's screams.
People around them were starting to panic. Some were running away. Others were trying to help the poor man but Raditz snapped a few necks and nobody dared to be a hero after that. The uncle smirked as he surveyed the group of aliens. Nobody was allowed to interfere with his nephew's education.
Gohan shook his head as Nappa released one of Gohan's arms so the young warrior could kill the man. The teenager's eyes moved from Vegeta to the tortured man. The half-saiyan shook his head again as Vegeta's taunting eyes fell on him. Another scream was heard when Vegeta pushed the ki-orb closer to the man's arm. Gohan stretched out his arm and slowly started to collect ki. The young warrior closed his eyes. The man was dead within a second.
"Good job, kiddo! You're officially a murderer now! Welcome to the club!" Nappa said cheerfully as he smacked on Gohan's back. The half-saiyan was staring at the dead man. His hands were shaking as he lowered them.
Vegeta destroyed the remains of the alien before he sent Gohan an approving glance. "Well... Let's find your next victim."
**** DBZ **** DBZ ****
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