Rewrite: A Half-breed's Life 1

by Xj9

New Version: At age four, Gohan is taken by Raditz and brought to a camp where Gohan is taught how to fight. Five years later, Vegeta, Raditz and Nappa are back to take Gohan away again, and they expect the half-saiyan to help them purge planets. Gohan resists from the beginning, but as time progresses he finds out that playing by his comrades' rules is the only way to survive.

12. Chapter 12: Few Friends, Many Enemies

Hey guys!

Happy new year!

I hope you're all happy, and healthy, and ready for a whole new year! ^^

Thanks for the reviews!

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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"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.

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"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."

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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.

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."

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Vegeta appeared on the other side of the fire. "Remember, boy. Your planet is still intact, which indeed means that your mother is still alive." The man showed the picture to Gohan and his finger tapped on Chi-chi's head. "But, if you decide to run away from us, we might decide to bring your dear mother a visit."

"What?"

"Imagine her screams as we tear her limb from limb." Vegeta hissed. Gohan got up and shook his head. "We know what she looks like. We'll find her and we'll make her life so miserable that she'll be begging us for death."

"No!"

"Oh, we won't." Vegeta said sweetly. The man folded the picture and put it back in his armor. "As long as her son behaves she can keep on living her life peacefully."

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"Give up, boy." Raditz stated. Gohan met his eyes. "You can't escape from us. Besides, you're already in this world. Frieza knows about you. If you run back to earth you'll lead him straight to it. He will go after you."

"Maybe…" Gohan said hesitantly. He realized that Headmaster said the exact same thing. Were they all right?

"No. Not maybe. Definitely. You saw how he treated you. That asshole enjoys making other people suffer and he seems to find some sadistic pleasure in making us suffer. He won't just let you take off into the sunset. If you run, you and your planet are dead."

Let's move on!

Chapter 12. Few Friends, Many Enemies.

Gohan and Nappa exchanged punches at high speed. The half-saiyan bit his lip in concentration as he fought the older warrior. Left. Right. Dodge. Punch. Block. Dodge. Dodge.

Gohan narrowly avoided a punch before he pulled back a fist and pushed it deep into Nappa's stomach. The man gasped in pain and floated back. Gohan used this moment of weakness to punch Nappa's cheek. The man staggered back but managed to block Gohan's next kick.

Nappa pushed Gohan backwards. The young warrior smirked as he powered up once more. "Come on, grandpa. Let's keep going!" He called when Nappa rubbed over his wrist.

The man scoffed. "Children." He muttered. "Too impatient for their own good!"

Gohan made a funny face at the man and Nappa laughed. He was starting to like this rascal. The elite warrior attacked Gohan once more, but the half-saiyan was prepared this time. He learned quickly and after sparring with this man every day for two weeks now, Gohan was getting used to the way the man fought. It made the matches easier and more fun. They could be more playful but aggressive at the same time. It was a challenge. Thrilling to see who would win. Okay, Nappa won since he was stronger but Gohan was inflicting more and more damage on the man.

Picking up their pace, they were now exchanging punches and kicks quickly. Gohan kept his eyes wide open and focused on Nappa's gaze to see where the man would hit next. They studied each other's movements and made sure to get away in time so they wouldn't get hurt.

Gohan caught one of Nappa's punches. He momentarily met Nappa's gaze before he pulled the man closer, pushing his knee in Nappa's stomach. With Nappa leaning over him like that, Gohan turned his back on the man and kicked backwards with two feet, right into the tall warrior's stomach. Nappa was launched back but he recovered in mid-air and flew back at Gohan. The elite warrior prepared a blast, sending it in Gohan's direction within a matter of seconds.

Gohan crossed his arms in front of each other to protect his body from the blast. He could feel the moment that the blast made contact with his arms, his skin burning from the heat, but he pushed through it and managed to deflect the blast, sending it to the ground, where it was absorbed by the ki-absorbing floor.

"We're done!" Vegeta called over. "Stop!"

Nappa and Gohan floated down to the ground. There Gohan placed his hands on his knees and panted heavily. He was tired. The adrenaline was still rushing through his body and he realized that once the adrenaline was gone he would be exhausted, even more than he was now.

Nappa landed next to Gohan. "Are you okay, kiddo?" He asked. "You went at it like an animal. Just like a real saiyan!"

"Half-saiyan." Gohan breathed out. "I'm not…" He panted. "Not… full…"

"Yeah yeah. Denial. Denial." Nappa waved his reply away as he walked off.

Raditz motioned for Gohan to come with them. "Come on, nephew! We're leaving." With some difficulty, Gohan stood up fully and walked over to Raditz. The man handed him Gohan's water bottle and Gohan took a grateful sip from it.

It didn't take them long to reach their room. There Gohan fell down on the couch and closed his eyes. The young warrior did not care that the others could see how tired he was. He was not planning on standing around while the others took a shower.

"Half-breed." Vegeta started as he stopped in front of the bathroom door. "You look absolutely exhausted. Are we becoming too much for you?" He teased. Gohan opened his eyes and sat up.

"Take your shower." Gohan responded, frowning.

Vegeta sent the half-saiyan a smirk but then moved into the bathroom. Gohan had to wait for the others to finish their shower before he could take one.

A short while later, the half-saiyan was just enjoying a shower when the door opened. The half-saiyan made a disapproving sound with his tongue. Okay. He was not allowed to lock the door and he could live with that but he did not like that the others just walked in on him all the time.

Gohan glanced sideways to see who entered the room without his permission. The frosted glass made it difficult to see the area outside the shower but Gohan only had to see the size of the soldier to figure out it was Vegeta.

Gohan was even more annoyed when Vegeta didn't even acknowledge him but went straight for the mirror and grabbed the shaving cream. Gohan tilted his head back so the water could run down his face. After wiping the water out of his eyes, he glanced at Vegeta.

"When can I lock the door?" He asked sourly.

"When you start to behave." Vegeta responded while he smeared the shaving cream on his cheeks and chin.

"I behave perfectly. What have I not done right these past few weeks?" Gohan complained.

"First I want to see how you behave during a mission." Vegeta washed the shaving cream off the razor before moving it to another part of his cheek. "After that we'll talk."

Gohan brushed a hand through his hair. He didn't respond. It was not like he was planning on behaving during the upcoming mission. Vegeta continued shaving his cheeks. "Hurry up. Scrub well. Your hybrid stench is making it hard to breathe in here."

The half-saiyan scoffed and shook his head. "You know, you guys want me to behave, work hard, and follow your orders, but all that would be a lot easier if you weren't such complete assholes all the time." He responded. He knew it wasn't smart to show the others that they were getting to him, but they were getting to him. He was getting sick and tired of their insults.

Vegeta glanced sideways. He could only see a blob where Gohan's face should be and he realized Gohan was not looking at him. The half-saiyan cupped his hands together to catch water so he could throw it in his face.

The man leaned down to clean off the remaining shaving cream. He wiped his face with the towel and hung it back. "Hurry up, kiddo." He said, earning Gohan's attention. "We're going out."

"Why do I have to hurry up then?"

"You're coming with us." Vegeta responded.

Gohan nearly dropped the towel he was holding. "You're taking me with you?" He asked.

"If you want to go out." Vegeta turned to the doorway.

"Yes! I want to go out!" Gohan called as he opened the door of the shower cabin.

"Then hurry up."

Gohan grinned as he quickly dried off his body and shot in his uniform. The young warrior followed his comrades. Raditz was the first one to notice that Gohan followed them out the room. "Hey, where do you think you're going?" He asked, frowning.

"He's coming with us." Vegeta responded as he closed and locked the door. Raditz sent Vegeta a questioning glance and the saiyan prince shrugged. "Might as well." He continued. "He has to meet our acquaintances someday."

"Wait. What?" Gohan asked, looking around. "Acquaintances? You're going to meet your friends? I thought we were going to run some errands."

"Is that regret I hear in your voice?" Vegeta asked.

Gohan made a face, running to keep up with the others. "I'm not sure if I want to hang out with your friends." He muttered.

"Two weeks ago you didn't even want to be in the same room as us but now you're jumping at the chance to join us on our excursion. You might change your mind about this too." Vegeta responded before he pressed on the button and waited for the elevator.

The others entered the elevator but Gohan didn't. He gave a hesitant look to their apartment door. Vegeta noticed that Gohan was still standing in the hallway and he made a disapproving sound with his tongue. The man's tail curled around Gohan's wrist and pulled the half-saiyan inside the elevator.

Gohan stumbled inside right before Nappa closed the door. "Wait…" Gohan turned to the doorway but the door was already closed.

"I have no intention of bringing you back to our room and we're not going to give you a key so you can go back on your own." Vegeta said, shaking his head. "You made your decision. Now live with it."

Gohan made a rude face at the prince but Vegeta only scoffed. The three adults were used to Gohan's impolite facial expressions by now. It was the half-saiyan's only defence against them.

Nappa wrapped an arm around the half-saiyan's frame. "Don't be in such a bad mood. We're just going to meet up with a couple of our best mates. It does not happen often that we get the chance to have a reunion. And it will be a perfect time to introduce our beloved new recruit." The man squeezed Gohan's shoulders and the half-saiyan rolled his eyes. "Here to stay with us forever."

Gohan ignored how the others exchanged smirks at this. The young warrior pushed the man's arm off his shoulders. They all moved out of the elevator and went on their way to one of the bars. Raditz pushed Gohan ahead, forcing the half-saiyan to walk next to Vegeta. They couldn't let Gohan walk off without their notice, right?

Gohan eyed the bar they were to spend the next several hours in. The place was packed with aliens in all shapes and sizes. Mostly men. Gohan could hear their low voices, yelling, screaming, laughing, and speaking loudly. It was hard for him to adjust to the sudden noise compared to the relative silence outside.

Raditz's tail tapped against Gohan's shoulder and the half-saiyan followed his uncle to a corner of the bar. Gohan eyed the group of soldiers. Definitely the loudest group. The kind of people he would avoid mingling with if he could. He didn't have a choice now though.

Vegeta steered right to them. Gohan noticed the group made room for the three saiyans. They were well known. Was it because of their strength or were they simply pleasant company. The half-saiyan made a face. They weren't pleasant company to him so he could hardly imagine anyone else liking them.

"Oh! The young Saiyan." Marmin was there too, apparently. "You decided to take him along?"

Gohan sat down next to his uncle. Raditz nodded in response to Marmin's question. "Might as well." He said.

A glass was pushed in his hands by one of the soldiers. "Pass it on!" The warrior said when Gohan looked up at the man. Gohan handed it to Raditz, who handed it to Vegeta. Nappa handed the glass to another man and they continued to do this until everyone had something.

Gohan looked at his glass and went to take a sip but Vegeta snatched the glass out of his hands. The man placed the glass on the table while Raditz called to get Gohan a soda. It wasn't long before the half-saiyan received the soda.

Gohan didn't have eyes enough. He'd never really been to a party like this one. Yes, he'd been to parties of the Thunder group but they were not like this. People were drinking, alcohol, speaking to each other loudly, leaning in and practically screaming into each other's ears to make sure that the other heard it.

"Half-breed." Vegeta called over. Gohan glanced in his direction and Vegeta nodded to one of the men on the other side of the table. "These three are former members of the Thunder group. 102th generation. They were in camp with me."

Gohan looked at the three men. He could see why they were members of Thunder. They were all big, bulky and loud. The half-saiyan bowed his head to them. He might not have been a real member of Thunder, he did know a lot of their rules and the rules often implied that older generations were above the younger generations. If he wanted them to believe he was a member of Thunder, he had to show them respect.

"The boy here is from the 117th generation." Vegeta said to his former camp mates.

"Oh really?" One of the Thunder members asked. "Of course a saiyan like yourself would immediately be accepted. You're just very young."

"I make up for my age in strength." Gohan responded.

"We have a couple of younger generations here. Those guys are from the 115th, 119th and 120th generation if I'm not mistaken. You might want to say hello to them." Another man said as he nodded over his shoulder. Gohan followed his direction and he tried not to make a miserable face when he discovered the familiar faces. Oh, he knew them all too well.

"Well," Raditz said, nudging the half-saiyan. "Go on."

"I'd rather not." Gohan said, shaking his head. "After spending so much time with some people it's nice to spend some time apart, don't you agree?"

This seemed to be an acceptable answer. The men continued their conversation and Gohan hoped nobody noticed anything strange about his reluctance to meet up with his "friends", but when the half-saiyan glanced sideways he realized Vegeta was studying him. Gohan looked back down to his glass.

The conversation continued and Gohan found himself mingling in it. They spoke about the traditions of the Thunder group, camp, ideas and thoughts about martial arts and the progression of the army. At one point one of the 102th generation members excused himself and a 115th member sat down opposite them

Gohan recognized him immediately. The man had a bright red skin and a brown layer of fur on his fingers, elbows and knees. Gohan met the man's green eyes but quickly looked away.

"Good day, lads." The man nodded to them. "I saw familiar faces and thought I'd say hi." He said cheerfully.

"Ah, Ika, Tell me." Vegeta said as he leaned back on his seat. "When I put this brat in the camp he was entirely unscathed but when I got him back he had this terrible scar on his back. It's the sign of Thunder right on his shoulder." Vegeta explained. "He told me it's a new tradition. Such a brutal tradition."

Gohan could feel his body go cold when Ika gaze landed on him. The man seemed very amused with Gohan's lies. Ika turned to the older warrior. "Sure." He started. "Only the strongest belong in our group and if they cannot endure something like that they're not right for the group, don't you agree?"

Vegeta nodded once. "I agree." He said.

"I would show you mine but it's not as beautiful as the one on his back. I personally put it on there, you know?" Ika said cheerfully. Gohan pursed his lips, clenching his fists. "They chose me because I am one of the better artists. You should have heard him crying, whining, whimpering, but what can you expect from a five-year-old, right?"

Gohan looked away when Ika tried to make eye-contact with him. Ika might have told a lie before, the latter part of his story was very much true and just hearing about it made Gohan remember memories he wanted to forget.

Not long later, Gohan noticed that Ika walked to the bar to get something to drink. The half-saiyan glanced over at his comrades. They were all busy so Gohan used this opportunity to get up and walk over to the bar. The half-saiyan looked up at Ika.

"Hey there kiddo." Ika said cheerfully. "Want a drink?" The man turned to the barkeeper. "An extra soda for the kid."

Gohan crawled on the high bar stool and looked up at Ika. "Why did you help me?" He asked. "Why didn't you tell Vegeta the truth?"

Ika looked over his shoulder at the saiyans. The man shrugged. "I can understand that you want them to think you're a regular member of Thunder." He said as he looked back at Gohan. "Besides, this means that you owe me." He continued, grinning. "I like it when people are indebted to me, especially cute ones like you." The man pinched Gohan's cheek and the half-saiyan pushed his hand away. "Ah." Ika grabbed Gohan's soda and handed it to him. "There you go. My treat." The man winked at the half-saiyan before walking off.

The young warrior watched the man walk away. He leaned back against the bar and sipped from the soda. The half-saiyan noticed that Raditz was searching for something and he figured it might be his nephew he was searching for. Gohan decided to move back to the bench. Raditz sent the half-saiyan a stern glance and Gohan apologized for leaving without permission.

Several hours later, Gohan was washing his hands after going to the toilet. The young warrior turned around and noticed two warriors were standing in front of the doorway. He heard them come in. He recognized their power levels before he could even see them.

Gohan crossed his arms over each other. "What do you two want?" He asked annoyed.

"You've been ignoring us all evening. I consider that rude." One of them responded, sending the half-saiyan a smirk. "So we decided we would teach our little pet some manners."

"Don't call me that." Gohan snarled back. He clenched his fists as he glared at them. "And get out of my way."

"No. No. No." The other man wiggled his finger at Gohan. "It seems you've forgotten all the lessons we taught you in camp. We ought to remind you of them."

Gohan laughed. "Now that's where you're wrong." He responded, shaking his head. "Back in camp I wasn't allowed to kill you. Right now I'm free to do whatever I want to do." He cracked his knuckles.

Suddenly, he realized it. He was out of camp. All those cadets who wronged him in the past, the people he could not kill because they were the cadets of the same camp. Those rules didn't apply anymore. He could do whatever he wanted to them. His comrades certainly wouldn't care.

A grin appeared on Gohan's face. "Who's first?" He asked as he powered up.

"You think can both of us?" One of them asked, frowning.

"I can take a hundred of you." Gohan responded.

"Tssk." The first warrior growled. "I'm going to show you your place, brat." He stepped forwards and clenched his fists. Gohan was the first one to attack.

The half-saiyan pulled back a fist and punched the man. He watched as the older warrior stumbled back and followed him. Gohan gave the man a few more punches before whirling around in the air and kicking against the man's head. The older warrior was launched to the doorway and crashed right through it.

Gohan turned to the other one. "How about you? Weren't you going to remind me of all the things you jerks did to me in camp, huh?" He asked as he stepped closer. He enjoyed the look of fear on the man's face. "Or are you suddenly less eager now that you know I will kill you?"

The man pointed at Gohan. "Your comrades will not approve of this!" He said.

"I don't care." Gohan responded. The young warrior jumped closer to the man. He attacked the man with ferocity, hitting every inch of the guy he could see. He laughed at the man's weak attempts to defend himself. After spending all this time training with people who were stronger than him, Gohan forgot how strong he really was. This guy was no match for him.

A hand landed on Gohan's shoulder and tightened to such an extent that Gohan screamed out. The fingers that were digging into Gohan's shoulder made the half-saiyan look up. Vegeta.

The half-saiyan let Vegeta pull him backwards. Gohan could feel his own heart beating in his chest when he saw Vegeta's expression. This was the second time Gohan had seen this expression. Vegeta was angry.

"We're leaving." Vegeta pushed Gohan ahead. The half-saiyan started walking. He noticed Raditz and Nappa were waiting for them near the exit. They didn't look too pleased either. Gohan lowered his gaze.

Outside, Vegeta took the lead and Raditz gave Gohan a rather harsh push when the half-saiyan didn't walk fast enough. Gohan had to run once in a while to keep up with the fast pace of the others.

He wasn't sure how he knew. Maybe it was the way in which Raditz kept pushing him forwards or the angry expression on the face of every adult. Gohan also noticed that the tails of the three adults kept twitching in a certain way and every time he saw it a cold and heavy feeling settled in his stomach. He just didn't know what it was.

When they were walking in the hallway to the door, Gohan realized that he should try to avoid going to their room. Once they entered their room, Gohan would be at Vegeta's mercy, and that was not a good place to be.

Gohan didn't have a choice though. He was nearly driven into the room by the others. Vegeta closed and locked the door behind them. "Nappa." Vegeta said. "Raditz. Grab him."

Gohan stepped back and extended his hands to them. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" Nappa appeared next to him and tried to grab one of his arms. The man growled annoyed when Gohan stepped back and moved out of the way.

Raditz's hands grabbed for Gohan's hands, but Gohan jumped up and landed on the other side of the room. There he extended his arms to them again in order to stop them but they didn't listen to him.

Nappa got a hold of Gohan's hand. The half-saiyan pulled back a fist and tried to punch the elite warrior but Nappa caught his other hand. The man pulled Gohan up in the air, forcing the half-saiyan to lose contact with the ground.

"Raditz." Nappa said. "A little help here."

Raditz moved closer to grab Gohan's small body so he could restrain the half-saiyan but Gohan kicked his uncle. After this Gohan pulled up his legs and kicked Nappa's stomach. The elite warrior released the half-saiyan because he had to place his hands on his hurting stomach.

Gohan was about to make a run for it when a tail curled around his neck and lifted him up in the air. Vegeta lifted the struggling half-saiyan to the other side of the room where he slammed the half-saiyan against the wall, still keeping the half-saiyan's body suspended in the air.

The young warrior wasn't afraid to be chocked to death. He could float, but the tail was uncomfortably tight around his neck. He curled his hands around the man's tail.

"I don't know what angers me more, the brat's behaviour or your disability to subdue him." Vegeta snarled at his comrades.

"I'm sorry." Nappa muttered, lowering his gaze. Raditz muttered an apology as well.

Gohan tensed when they turned to him. The half-saiyan clenched his fists and lashed out, trying to punch Vegeta, but the man only stepped back to avoid it. The tail around Gohan's neck released him and Gohan landed on his feet. The half-saiyan looked down for a moment to make sure he landed on the ground properly before looking up.

For a moment, Gohan wondered if Vegeta was planning on going easy on him, but Vegeta's tail curled around Gohan's torso, pinning his arms to his sides.

"I bet you won't let me get away with just an apology." Gohan stated. He decided not to struggle. Maybe Vegeta would let him go if he cooperated.

"Were you planning on apologizing?" Vegeta asked.

Gohan shook his head. "No. I didn't do anything wrong."

"You started a fight." Vegeta said, raising his voice.

"They challenged me!"

"I don't care." Vegeta responded. "I told you to behave tonight and you as per usual disobeyed me." His tail tightened around Gohan's body and the half-saiyan made an uncomfortable face.

"So I should have let them beat me up then." Gohan snarled.

"You should have avoided the entire fight in the first place." Vegeta said as he stepped closer. "I usually wouldn't care about things like this but I cannot have you starting fights every time we meet up with our mates."

"They started it!"

"Oh, that's mature." The sarcasm dripped off of Vegeta's words. "Now, don't you have anything to say to your dear comrades?"

"There are a lot of things I would like to say to my dear comrades." Gohan growled darkly. The tail tightened around his arms and he could feel his bones tensing because of the pressure. "I'm sorry." He snarled. Vegeta only raised his eyebrows and the tail tightened around Gohan's body even more. "I'm sorry for participating in a fight. I won't do it again." Gohan stated in a calmer, more sincere voice.

Vegeta all but threw Gohan on the ground, releasing him in the process. Gohan fell sideways and let out a growl as he landed on the ground. The half-saiyan crawled back up. He frowned at the older saiyans.

"I do not tolerate disobedient behaviour. You will not get into fights with our acquaintances anymore, got it?" Vegeta said once Gohan was standing fully.

"Yes Vegeta." The half-saiyan responded, nodding.

"Good." Vegeta responded. "Now go to bed. I don't want to see or hear from you for the rest of the evening."

Gohan nodded again and went for his bedroom. Right after he realized that he was getting out of this without being punished, a solid force slammed into his cheek. The half-saiyan stumbled back, falling back against the wall.

The half-saiyan cursed as he placed a hand on his cheek. Vegeta lowered his hand. "Get going. Tomorrow you will go through the most horrible training session of your useless life." He said before turning away from the half-saiyan. Gohan let out a sigh. He clenched his fists and he reminded himself of his goal. He had to be patient. He had to get stronger. One day…

"What are we going to do now?" Nappa asked. "Can we go back?"

Vegeta shook his head. "No. We're going to go to bed for a couple of hours and we'll have a good training session tomorrow."

"Come on, Vegeta." Raditz said. "The party could go on for hours."

"I don't think we are welcome after the whole ordeal." Vegeta sent the young half-saiyan a glare. Gohan lowered his gaze. He felt like he ruined their entire evening.

The young warrior decided to go to bed quickly. He couldn't avoid passing Nappa and the elite warrior smacked against the back of the boy's head. Gohan didn't stop walking. Nappa often added his personal touch to a punishment. Raditz never did it and Gohan guessed this was because he was a third class, just like Gohan. Nappa and Vegeta had more rights because they were elite warriors.

Gohan walked into the bedroom. He wasn't allowed to close the door behind him so he just sat down on his bed. Taking off his armour, he crawled under the sheets. There he turned on his side and closed his eyes tightly, wishing this whole world away.

**** DBZ **** DBZ ****

The half-saiyan was sitting at the table, poking his greens with his fork. The young warrior insisted on having more vegetables than meat and grains because that's how humans would eat their food. He refused to eat as much meat as the others.

Whereas he thought the others would be annoyed by this gesture, they were secretly amused at his obvious defiance of his saiyan half. That's why they tolerated his denial every time they called him a saiyan. Then again, that might have something to do with the fact that they enjoyed telling him how much of a saiyan he really was only to watch his outraged response.

The room was silent. Gohan was aware of every sound he made as he chewed on his food. He tried not to breathe too loudly. His tail was curling around the leaning of the chair nervously. It was only yesterday that Gohan had a fight in the bar. The three adults hardly spoke to him this morning. Then again, they never really did speak to him that often unless they were barking orders at him.

The four saiyans looked up when they heard one of the scouters. It beeped loudly and continuously. Someone was calling him. Gohan listened to the string of beeps and determined the sound came from the room that Vegeta and Nappa shared.

The half-saiyan looked sideways when Raditz's tail pushed against his shoulder, nearly pushing him off the chair. Gohan got up and walked over to Vegeta's room to fetch the scouter. He came back and placed the scouter on the table with such force that the glass screen broke.

Gohan bit his lip. He didn't mean to do that. His power level tended to fluctuate when he was nervous. Vegeta seemed to be rather amused though. "Such violence." He muttered before grabbing the scouter and putting it on his ear. The man listened for a moment. "I heard the message." He said before taking off the scouter and placing it back on the table.

Gohan had taken his seat and was now staring at the table. Vegeta looked at his comrades. "Frieza summoned us to his ship. It's like the events of yesterday were meant to be." The man met Gohan's gaze. The half-saiyan lowered his eyes back to his plate.

"I'll say. I don't think I would have wanted to deal with Frieza and a hangover at the same time." Nappa said. "That is way too much."

Vegeta pushed his chair back and got up. "Finish your breakfast and get ready. Half-breed, clean the table when we're done. Raditz, you can help your nephew do the dishes for once. We need to hurry up. Nappa, clean up your side of the room. It's a mess. I'll go over to the supply shop and get a new scouter."

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Several hours later the four Saiyans walked in Frieza's ship. They were ordered to fly to his ship and meet him there. Gohan noticed there were hardly any warriors around. He was used to hallways filled with soldiers. The half-saiyan looked up when Nappa placed a hand on his shoulder as a warning. The last time Gohan nearly said something which could anger Frieza. Even though the three adult Saiyans didn't really care if Gohan got hurt, if he did get hurt it meant that they had to prolong their next mission until he was better. That was considered a waste of time.

They entered a bright room. Frieza's chair slowly turned around and Gohan wondered if Frieza was looking out the purple window before they arrived. Zarbon and Dodoria were present in the room too. They were at Frieza's side as always. The saiyans all knelt down on one knee. Vegeta was at the front. "We purged planet Korosa." Vegeta announced.

"I know, Vegeta. I sent you there and I expect my soldiers to come back only when they have done their job successfully." Frieza answered politely. Just like last time his tone of voice made Gohan wonder if he was sincere. Frieza always addressed them politely but it sounded untrue to the young warrior.

Frieza tilted his head. "Are you getting accustomed to your new job, little saiyan?" Frieza asked as he eyed he half-saiyan.

Gohan looked up. "Yes, Lord Frieza." Only brief answers, was Vegeta's instruction.

"Really? Are there no problems at all?" Frieza seemed interested in Gohan's response but the half-saiyan was aware of the tone of sarcasm in the lord's voice.

"No problems."

"Come on, boy." Frieza pushed. "Rumour has it that I can be a strict master but I've always prided myself on my good relationship with my soldiers."

Gohan could not hold back a sneer. "Good relationship?" His voice was laced with sarcasm and he quickly placed a hand in front of his mouth, looking down.

There was a silence and Gohan mentally cursed himself for falling for Frieza's trap.

"You disagree?" Frieza asked calmly. Gohan looked up slowly. "Why don't you elaborate on that, little one?"

"I'd rather not." Gohan muttered. "Sir." He added as an afterthought.

"I want you to explain your words, boy." Frieza's tone was harder this time. More forceful.

Gohan swallowed to moisturize his dry throat. "Please, sir. Please forget what I said. I spoke without thinking." He stated clearly.

"You don't want to answer me?"

"Hearing my opinion would be a waste of your time, sir."

Frieza leaned back on his seat. "Indeed." He muttered. "Vegeta, take your two soldiers and leave. I want to speak to the boy alone."

"Yes sir." Vegeta said as he got up. Gohan watched as the others walked out the room. His heartbeat increased as he looked back up at Frieza. The man sat down on his throne.

"Get up." Frieza hissed. Gohan hastily got to his feet. The glare Frieza was giving him almost made him homesick to Vegeta's glares. "Zarbon." Frieza only needed to say the name and Zarbon appeared behind Gohan, grabbing his arm and spinning the limb on his back. Gohan groaned when Zarbon pushed against his arm. He briefly worried that his arm might get dislocated but he realized he had more important problems right now.

Frieza got up again and slowly stepped closer. "It's time you learned a lesson, little saiyan." He stated as he eyed the young warrior. "I want my relationship with my soldiers to be based on honesty. If I ask you a question I want you to answer me truthfully." Gohan glared at the man. Frieza reached out and grabbed the half-saiyan's hand.

"It's such a shame that is has to come to this." Frieza eyed Gohan's hand with interest. The man's eyes lit up when he noticed Gohan's hand was shaking in his grip. A sadistic smirk appeared on his face, and before Gohan could do anything, he grabbed Gohan's thumb and pushed it all the way back. Gohan screamed as his bones shattered in Frieza's strong grip. The boy tried to push Zarbon away but the man was holding him tightly. "Now now. Don't try to leave. Your lesson is not over yet." Frieza said soothingly.

Gohan stared at the man with more confusion than ever. Frieza looked back down. Gohan felt his thumb throb painfully, and he shook his head when Frieza grabbed his index finger. The man broke this finger too. Gohan gasped as he felt his bones crack and break down.

The boy bit his lip until drips of blood appeared. The boy was now shaking entirely and he pressed his lips together when Frieza pushed up Gohan's hand and made Gohan stretch his middle finger. The boy cringed as Frieza continued to push against his finger. Gohan closed his eyes. He tried not to cry out when the joints that connected his finger to his hand cracked.

Now with three broken fingers, Gohan could feel sweat running down his forehead. He was silently hoping Frieza would leave it at that but the sadistic glance in the man's eyes told him otherwise. Gohan wondered if he could faint from this kind of pain. Frieza's fingers pushed Gohan's ring finger back until it was almost pressed against the back of his hand. He hoped the rejuvenation tanks would be able to fix him up.

"Zarbon. You look awfully interested. Why don't you do the honours?" Frieza said as he held Gohan's hand up. Only Gohan's little finger was still standing in the normal position but Gohan already knew Zarbon would change that. The boy tried to pull away when Zarbon released his other arm. Frieza's free hand locked around his lower arm. "Gohan. Don't be so rude." Frieza drawled as his thumb rubbed over Gohan's three broken fingers.

The ten year old almost whimpered in pain but he managed to keep it inside. "A true warrior would stand tall and take this without compliant." Zarbon added as he grabbed Gohan's offered hand. The half-saiyan tried to pull his arm back again which deserved him another rub over his broken fingers. Zarbon smirked sadistically as he forced Gohan's little finger to the side. The boy tried to pull his arm free as hard as he could but Zarbon clearly outmatched him.

"There. There." Frieza said soothingly. "It will all be over soon." He said as he went about breaking the rest of Gohan's fingers on his other hand. The half-saiyan was forced to press his lips together as hard as he could to keep himself from screaming out.

Frieza looked right into Gohan's eyes. The man watched the expression on his face as he held up Gohan's hand. The boy stared at his own fingers. It almost seemed like they belonged to someone else but it was really his hand with the fingers sticking out in every direction but the right one. "Well," Frieza smirked contently, "I think this is an improvement."

"I agree, master Frieza." Zarbon stated sweetly.

"So, little monkey," Frieza cupped Gohan's chin with his slick hand. "If I ask you a question, what do you do?"

"I answer truthfully." Gohan muttered in response.

"Good." Frieza released the half-saiyan. "That was all. I'll call for your squad when I need you."

Gohan stared at the tyrant for a few seconds. He then shook his head and turned around. The boy used his tail to press on the button next to the door to get out the room. "Oh, Zarbon." Gohan heard as the door opened. "Tell all the rejuvenation rooms to refuse the monkey boy for twenty-four hours." Frieza ordered.

"Yes sir." Gohan heard Zarbon say as he walked out the room. Gohan growled as the door closed. Vegeta, Raditz and Nappa were waiting outside. They were curious to find out what kind of punishment Gohan would get. The boy looked away as he held up his hands. He knew they would find out anyway.

Vegeta whistled. "Nice."

"Can he just do this?" Gohan asked.

"You can always complain to your boss. Oh wait. Frieza is our boss." Vegeta rolled his eyes as he turned around. "How long do you have to wait before you can heal?"

"A day." Gohan answered.

"Good. That means he wants to send us on our next mission soon." Nappa answered as he followed Vegeta. Gohan sighed and decided he had to follow the others. They ended up in their room. There Gohan flew up to his bed and sat down on it.

"I hope you can sleep like this. Frieza will make sure you won't be able to heal for at least 24 hours." Raditz said when he noticed Gohan was looking at his hands.

Gohan looked down at his uncle. "Why does he hate me so much?" He asked, looking very confused.

"He doesn't hate you. I don't think that lizard is capable of feeling any emotions at all." Vegeta was sitting on his own bed on the other side of the room. "He fears you." The man took off his scouter.

"Fears me?" Gohan chuckled. "He doesn't fear me. I stay away from the things that I fear I don't beat them up."

"He fears what you represent. You're a young saiyan. You're stronger than most of the adult soldiers and your strength is growing fast." Vegeta elaborated. The man leaned against the wall to which his bed was connected. "He fears what you might become. He's always been afraid of our race and our strength. By doing this he's trying make you fear him. He's trying to keep you down."

"I don't want to overthrow him." Gohan said, shaking his head. "I don't even want to be here. I'll leave this army any time if he wants me to and stay far away from this horrible society. If he needs me to go I'll leave."

"It's a bit too late for that now." Nappa crossed his arms over each other. "You've heard of, 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer'?" He studied the half-saiyan. The boy was still shaking a bit from the pain. "Now that he knows you're alive he can't just let you go and get stronger. He wants to keep an eye on you."

Vegeta ignored the heavy sigh that Gohan released after that. "Believe it or not, half-breed, in this world, we," Vegeta made a circular motion with his finger to indicate to his adult comrades and himself, "are your only allies."

Gohan stared at him for a moment, feeling even more miserable. "I know." He said softly. "But that doesn't make me feel any better right now."

Vegeta was eying Gohan with interest while the half-saiyan tried to lie down without hurting his hands any more than they already did. Gohan eventually lied down and noticed Vegeta was watching him. He sent a glare and turned his head away from the man. The boy knew it would be best to lie on his back. He heard Vegeta chuckle lightly as the man lay down too.

It was hard for Gohan to sleep that night. He tried to ignore the throbbing pain in his hands but it was getting more difficult by the minute. He was almost glad when Vegeta got up and went to get some breakfast.

Gohan followed him to a large room filled with tables. Vegeta offered to get the food since Gohan would have a hard time carrying the plate. After some arguing and some attempts by Gohan to eat while using his tail, the half-saiyan eventually let Raditz feed him the food. Gohan spent the rest of the twenty-four hours by watching Vegeta, Nappa and Raditz spar in the large training room.

The boy almost raced to the rejuvenation tank once he was allowed to go there. The boy released his body from his armour but he kept his uniform on. The boy spent thirty minutes in the rejuvenation tank. After this he could join the others in their sparring match.

The following day they were called to meet with Frieza. They entered the large room and knelt down. "It's good to see you are all present." Frieza drawled. Gohan frowned as he kept his eyes on the floor. "How are you doing, half-saiyan?" Gohan pressed his lips together. "You're mad at me, are you? It's okay. Children can be quite a handful sometimes." Gohan clenched his fists.

"It's good to see you, lord Frieza." Gohan answered solemnly, still staring at the ground.

"Well. It's good to see you did something about that stubbornness." Frieza sneered. "Let's get down to business. I saw a beauty of a planet in the western quatrain. It will fetch a nice price if you destroy all the living beings. Keep the natural environment intact. Only the inhabitants, animals and cities are to be destroyed."

"Yes sir." Vegeta answered. Frieza waved them away and the four comrades left for their mission.

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Next time on a half-breed's life:

Vegeta tilted his head sideways, wondering why Gohan was kneeling on the ground. "Oh, you're not used to this level of gravity?" He guessed.

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"Listen up." Nappa said, sounding serious. "You know the drill. Work with me or I'll call the others and we'll gang up on you." The man glanced down at the city. "Being all sassy and bratty might be fun in the beginning but it gets old quick and I'm not about to let you ruin our missions, got it?"

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"Well well." Vegeta stated, smirking at the young warrior. "Look what we found. This planet is full of surprises and secret treasures."

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"I'm a saiyan and saiyans do what they have to do in order to get what they want. All I want right now is to be as far away from this company as I possibly can. Nappa was busy, I wasn't. I saw an opportunity and I took it."

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Vegeta opened and closed his mouth, looking shocked. "I was aiming for the brat." He stated. "You were in the way."

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"I made a mistake and I paid for it. That's how it goes around here."

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Please review and let me know what you think!

Until next time!