Happy Valentine's day!
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."
**** DBZ **** DBZ ****
"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."
**** DBZ **** DBZ ****
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.
**** DBZ **** DBZ ****
Gohan looked down at his uncle. "Why does he hate me so much?" He asked, looking very confused.
"He doesn't hate you." 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."
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."
**** DBZ **** DBZ ****
Gohan pushed his body up and followed his comrade. Their first city was a large one. Nappa turned to the young warrior. "Listen up." He 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 soon and I'm not about to let you ruin our missions, got it?"
"Hey, I don't even want to be here." Gohan snarled back. "If I'm such a pain why don't you just let me go?"
Nappa held up his hand. "You will obey me." He stated. "Kill everything that moves," The man noticed how Gohan glanced up at him, "Excluding me." He added. The half-saiyan showed a small smirk as he lowered his gaze to the city once more. "Got it?"
**** DBZ **** DBZ ****
Gohan remembered that the aliens could charge up an electricity attack so he made sure that none of them could actually prepare that attack. The young warrior killed several different warriors, disintegrating their bodies in the process. After that he looked around. Nappa was fighting other aliens. Gohan's first instinct was to join in the fight, but suddenly he realized that Nappa was distracted.
The half-saiyan turned on his heels and flew off, away from the fight, away from those horrible saiyans. The young warrior looked over his shoulder when he heard an outraged scream from Nappa but he didn't stop flying.
**** DBZ **** DBZ ****
"Whatever happened." An alien with short dark brown hair stated. "I'd say we take this one. If we have him, we could trade him for the safety of our country."
Gohan could feel his body growing cold. He could not power up to defend himself or the others would notice him. He could not afford to cause a scene, but he was not supposed to get caught by these people either.
"Please. I don't mean to cause trouble." Gohan tried. "Just let me be."
"Too bad, kiddo. You ran into the wrong people." Blue-eyes nodded to something behind Gohan and the young warrior turned around. He widened his eyes when something white was shot right at him. The electricity beam hit him with full force. He screamed out and fell to his hands and knees. More electricity beams were charged up but Gohan flew up to avoid them.
The young warrior powered up and tried to flee, racing away. His only warning was a peak of energy from Vegeta, and suddenly the warrior was floating in front of the half-saiyan, crossing his path, forcing the half-saiyan to stop.
"Well well." Vegeta stated, smirking at the young warrior. "Look what we found. This planet is full of surprises and secret treasures."
**** DBZ **** DBZ ****
"I know." Vegeta met Gohan's eyes. "I made a mistake and I paid for it. That's how it goes around here."
"No! You do not get to be mad at me for this." Gohan snarled as he got up. "I didn't do anything wrong. You three are holding me here against my will, remember?"
"So what?" Vegeta responded in a raised voice. "Look around you, brat. Do you think you're the only person here who's had it bad? Nappa was promised that he would only have to look after me for six months, and then he would be able to see his family again. While Nappa and I were on Frieza's ship, Frieza destroyed our entire planet. His family included. Raditz was excited to hear the news of his new-born baby brother. He came back expecting to meet his new family member but all he found was an empty space in the universe." The man got up. "Our stories are just a couple of many in this world. Do you want compassion? Do you expect a shoulder to cry on? Grow up."
Thanks for the reviews!
Let's move on~
Chapter 14. Little White Lies
Gohan, Vegeta and Raditz were floating above a destroyed palace. The half-saiyan made an almost sad face. The palace was so beautiful before they destroyed it. It was such a waste.
"If only Nappa would hurry up, then we can move on." Vegeta complained.
It had been roughly five months since Gohan stole Vegeta's keys and attempted to escape. Since then, Gohan had not tried to escape again. He hadn't done anything out of line. He'd been cooperative and obedient. The three warriors were now waiting for the young warrior to try again. They all knew that Gohan wasn't giving up just yet.
Nappa appeared near them. He was dragging a struggling young woman with him. Gohan raised both his eyebrows. He knew about their mission. A princess was kidnapped a long time ago and she was brought to this planet. Her parents wanted her back but the kingdom refused to return her. They paid for it with their entire planet.
"I've got her." Nappa stated as he pushed her ahead. Her eyes moved around frantically from the one bulky man to the other.
A pair of bright yellow eyes glared at Vegeta when the man grabbed hold of the chains around her wrists. She uttered angry words so Gohan assumed they were curse words. Vegeta pulled her closer and grabbed her chin so he could look at her face. "Are you sure this is the one?"
"Yep. Lived in the castle. She looks like the picture." Nappa said. "Pretty specimen."
"Indeed." Vegeta ignored her whimpers at his firm grip on her chin. The man released her and tossed the chains to Gohan. The girl was forced along with them.
Gohan widened his eyes and hastily brought up his hands to catch the chains. The half-saiyan caught the girl with his arms and released her immediately. His hands tightened around the chains when she struggled.
"You can babysit her, boy." Vegeta stated. Gohan looked over at him. "She needs to get back unharmed." The man glared at his two comrades for a moment and they both nodded.
Gohan looked rather miserable when the girl started to struggle again but he held onto the chains. Raditz floated closer to Vegeta. "You're going to let the prisoner take care of the prisoner?"
Vegeta showed a smug expression. "Half-breed, as I said, she has to get back unharmed. If she runs away or gets hurt you will have to answer to Frieza." He stated. They all watched as Gohan's eyes showed fear at the mentioning of the tyrant's name.
Right before they left for this mission, Gohan got into an argument with Frieza. Zarbon overheard Gohan complaining about Frieza and told the boss what Gohan said. Gohan was summoned and Frieza tortured the young half-saiyan until Gohan admitted the truth. After that Frieza, Zarbon and Dodoria took their time whipping Gohan until he lost consciousness and they locked him up in a small dark room without even giving him time to change his clothes or clean his wounds.
Twenty hours later, Gohan was forced to kneel down in front of Frieza and beg for forgiveness. Frieza granted him this and Gohan was released.
Vegeta remember that he and the others were sitting on their couch when Gohan stumbled into their room. The boy made it all the way to their shared room…
**** Flashback
Vegeta looked up when the door to their room opened. The ten-year-old saiyan stepped inside. His clothes torn. Blood running down his feet and back. His face beaten up and bloodied. The young warrior took a few steps before he sank through his knees and landed face-forward on the ground.
Raditz quickly got up and rushed to his nephew's side. The man looked up at Vegeta. The saiyan prince nodded slowly and Raditz picked his nephew up. While Raditz was bringing the young warrior to a rejuvenation tank, Vegeta and Nappa cleaned the blood Gohan left behind in their room.
Two hours later, Gohan emerged from the rejuvenation tank. Raditz handed Gohan a towel and a fresh uniform with white boots and gloves. While Gohan was pulling on his armor, Raditz noted a cut on Gohan's upper arm. A souvenir from Frieza's beating. Sometimes, the rejuvenation tank could not heal every injury. Aside from that Raditz realized even before Gohan got into the tank that some cuts were in a horrible state after being untreated for twenty hours.
Gohan lowered his hands. "Thanks…" He muttered softly.
Raditz reached out and placed a hand on Gohan's unruly hair. "No problem, kiddo."
**** Present time ****
Vegeta smirked and turned away from them. "Problem solved."
The girl didn't understand the exchanged between the two but she did notice how Gohan tightened his grip on the chains. She glared at the younger warrior and snarled something at him in her native language.
Gohan tried to smile at the girl but she only glared back at him. Gohan hesitated before moving his hands up. "I…" He pointed to his own chest. "…will not…" He wiggled his finger. "…hurt…" He used his fists to punch in his one hand with the other. "…you." He pointed to the girl.
She raised an eyebrow at him and responded something in her native language. Gohan looked over at Vegeta. The man shrugged. "She's all yours."
"Oh, you're a great help." Gohan snarled back.
Vegeta, Raditz and Nappa left without saying anything. Gohan let out a sigh and followed them, pulling on the chains when the girl struggled. She pulled back. The young warrior looked up at the others.
"Vegeta! I don't want to do this!" Gohan called over to his squad leader. "Let someone else take care of her."
Vegeta ignored his call. Gohan looked at his uncle. "Raditz. Can you take her?"
Raditz didn't even look at him so Gohan tried calling Nappa but the elite warrior gave Gohan the silent treatment as well. The young warrior let out an annoyed groan. "Jerks." He muttered. After this he looked at the alien. He tugged on the chains to get her attention. He pointed to his chest with his thumb. "Gohan." He stated.
The girl raised an eyebrow at him but seemed to realize what he wanted. "Coro." She responded as she placed her hand on her own chest.
Gohan sent the girl a smile. "I wish we could understand each other." He stated while knowing she would not understand him.
The boy looked up when he heard a female-ish voice in his mind. "We can." She stated.
"What the hell?" Gohan looked around for a bit before realizing that the voice he heard in his mind came from the girl next to him. "You can speak my language?"
"I'm speaking to you in your mind." Her voice responded. "But please don't tell them. I don't want to talk to them."
"But you do want to talk to me?" Gohan asked out loud. Vegeta looked up and looked over his shoulder, narrowing his eyes at the two teens.
Coro noticed Vegeta's glance and she looked away from Gohan. "Please speak telepathically. I don't want to talk to those people."
Gohan was aware of Vegeta's eyes on them as well. The boy lowered his gaze. "Like this?" He thought it as hard and loud as he could.
Coro snickered. "Yes, but you don't have to shout." She responded telepathically.
Gohan apologized in his mind. The young warrior hesitated for a moment. "Why did you decide to talk to me?" He asked in his mind.
Coro shrugged once. "You're different."
"I'm the same as them."
"You're younger."
Gohan smiled a little. He couldn't deny that. "They didn't tell me your race was good in mental communication."
She shrugged. "Not many people know about that. We tend to keep it to ourselves."
"Let's land here and eat something." Vegeta called as he pointed to the ground. The others followed his lead. "Raditz, hunting. Nappa, prepare the food." Vegeta ordered as he chose a place to create their fire. "Half-breed, go fetch some wood."
"I'm watching her." Gohan responded.
"Tie her up." Vegeta sent him a brief glance. "Shouldn't be too difficult for someone who spends half his life tied up."
Gohan scoffed but did not respond. The young warrior whispered a few apologies in the young woman's direction while he wrapped the chains that were connected to her wrists around a tree, effectively chaining her to the trunk. She didn't resist. She just studied him with curiosity.
"Hurry up, brat!" Vegeta called over.
"Okay. Okay." Gohan snarled in response. He let out a frustrated sigh before he ran into the woods.
After getting some wood and awakening a fire, Gohan moved back to Coro. He sat down next to her. "I'm going to leave you like this for a bit. I'm sure I'll get another task to do soon."
Coro glanced over at the three saiyans. They were all working on their supper. "Why do you do what they say?"
Gohan lowered is gaze. "It's complicated."
"How complicated? It's easy to see that you don't like them and they don't like you. Why don't you run?"
"It's not that easy." Gohan glanced over his shoulders to make sure the others were not studying them. "They're all I've got."
A small smile appeared on her face. "That makes your situation even more pathetic than mine."
Gohan chuckled. "Your situation is not pathetic at all. You're going back home, right?"
"Right..." Coro's smile changed somewhat and Gohan wondered if she was really happy to be going back home. The young warrior was about to ask for clarification when someone else interrupted their conversation.
"Half-breed!" Vegeta called over. "Go grab some water!"
Gohan made a face at Coro, which made her smile, before he got up and walked over to his comrades. The young warrior accepted the empty bucket and travelled over to the stream. Gohan's tail flicked in annoyance when he realized that someone was following him
"What do you want, Vegeta?" Gohan asked as he knelt down to grab some water.
"What are you and that bratty girl talking about?"
"We cannot communicate, remember?"
"Don't give me that crap." Vegeta snarled in response. "I know when I see mental communication. You two stare at each other all the time. Your focus is too strong."
Gohan got up after filling the bucket with water. He turned to Vegeta. "Why do you care?"
"I can't have her talking you into something. She doesn't want to go back to her family." Vegeta stepped closer. "You have to understand. She cannot free you. Frieza won't let you go with her. Once we've brought her to her family, we will part ways. She will go with her family and you will stay with us. Forever."
"I know." Gohan responded. His voice was calm but there was an angry fire blazing in his eyes. "Now will you get out of my way? I can't let the girl out of my sight, remember?"
Vegeta didn't move so Gohan walked around him, making sure to bump his shoulder against Vegeta's arm as he passed the man. He half expected the man to respond with some sort of violent act but Vegeta didn't do or say anything. This actually worried Gohan even more. Vegeta had the tendency to decide to get back to things like insubordination later.
Gohan placed the bucket near his uncle and walked over to Coro. She smiled as she looked up. Gohan sat down on the ground. The boy lowered his gaze for a moment before he looked up at her. "Why don't you want to go home?" He asked out loud.
Coro's smile faltered. "I haven't been there for years." She replied through their mind. "I don't belong there anymore."
Gohan switched to the mental communication. "It doesn't matter that you haven't seen your family or your planet in such a long time. They're your family. The only reason why we're here is because they want you back."
Coro met his gaze. "What if I disappoint them? What if I'm not worth all that trouble?"
The half-saiyan stared at her for a moment. How could she be so hesitant to return to her planet while all he wanted was to go home? The young warrior shifted his position. "I wouldn't worry about that if I were you. Be happy that you can go home. Enjoy it."
Coro nodded slowly. "I'll try." She leaned closer to him. "Maybe I can ask my parents to ask for your freedom. If Frieza goes through all this trouble just to fetch me for them they must have some authority."
Gohan smiled as he imagined Vegeta's response to something like that. The man would probably decline politely while in Frieza's or the family's company, but once they were back in their apartment the saiyan prince would give Gohan the beating of a lifetime. It didn't matter how many times Gohan would maintain that he didn't ask for it. Vegeta wouldn't believe him anyway. No. Gohan's problems weren't going to end like that. This was a lost cause.
"Please don't." Gohan said out loud. "I don't want to leave my comrades."
Coro narrowed her eyes and studied him critically for a moment. Realization was seen in her eyes and she lowered her gaze. "Okay."
"I mean it." Gohan persisted. "I don't want to leave them."
"Why not?"
"They're all I have. My planet is gone. My family is gone. I have nothing else." The lie slipped off his mental tongue easily. "They might not be the ideal family but they're a part of me."
Coro smiled. "Fine. I don't want to get you in trouble. I won't ask for your freedom."
"Good." Gohan was speaking out loud again.
Raditz stepped closer. "You two seem to be getting along." He stated. "For two people who cannot communicate."
Gohan looked over his shoulder. "Did Vegeta send you?"
"He did, but only to tell you that supper is ready." Raditz motioned to the fire where Vegeta and Nappa were sitting.
Gohan nodded and he and Coro got up. Coro walked straight to the others, apparently starving, but Raditz pulled on Gohan's arm. The boy let himself be pulled aside and he looked up at his uncle.
"You had an interesting conversation with Vegeta earlier." Raditz muttered as he knelt down in front of the half-saiyan so he could lower his voice.
"You heard that?"
"Saiyan hearing." Raditz responded as he looked over at the others. "We can hear pretty much anything, remember?"
"So… Does that mean you heard my conversation with Coro?" Gohan guessed, feeling dreadfully stupid for forgetting about their excellent hearing.
"Parts of it. Like when you said you didn't want to leave your comrades." A glimmer of amusement was seen in Raditz's eyes.
"I had to say it. She was thinking about asking her parents to set me free."
"You did good." Raditz nodded. "We won't just let you go and there's a chance Vegeta will punish you for it. You did the right thing."
"No. I did the sensible thing." Gohan said as he looked at his comrade. "I know getting rid of you won't be that easy." The boy looked over at the others before he glanced at his uncle. "Don't get your hopes up. I don't want to stay with you. I'll ditch you someday." He turned away from the man and started for the campfire.
Raditz showed a smirk as he got up. "For someone who wants to get rid of us so badly you've been rather lacking in the escape attempt area."
Gohan ignored this. He sat down next to Coro and smiled at the young woman. She seemed happy to see him and she edged a little closer to him. "They're scary." She sent through the mental communication.
"I see no reason why they should be. They can't hurt you." Gohan responded out loud. He noticed her shocked expression and he smiled. "They know."
"It's difficult to deceive us." Vegeta said in response without looking up.
"But it's fun to try." Gohan grinned at the older man.
Vegeta met his gaze and Gohan could have sworn he saw a hint of amusement in the man's dark orbs. "I'd say it's more fun to watch you try and fail miserably."
Gohan made a rude face at the man and Coro watched in amazement as Vegeta's usual frown softened somewhat in response. Gohan was already distracted by the plate of food Raditz handed to him. The half-saiyan handed the first plate to Coro before accepting the second one as his own.
Once again, supper was delicious. Gohan and Coro spoke to each other. Gohan often responded verbally, knowing that his comrades would only get annoyed if he continued to speak to Coro mentally.
After supper Vegeta told the others to start cleaning everything up. They got ready to leave the planet. Coro watched as Raditz summoned two space pods, one for him and one for Gohan. The half-saiyan was still not allowed to control his space pod.
They argued for a while about who was going to take Coro in his space pod. Eventually, Vegeta ordered Gohan to let Coro stay in his space pod. They would only be travelling for about a day so it wouldn't be that bad.
Gohan allowed Coro to sit in the chair. She managed to seat her entire body on the chair, giving Gohan the entire floor area to make his body comfortable on. The journey was not all that bad. Coro and Gohan spoke about her planet, Gohan's job, their families and comrades.
Freeza, Zarbon and Dodoria were already waiting in the launching center. Gohan noticed that there was a group of aliens standing near them. They made happy exclamations once they saw Coro.
Gohan smiled as he looked over at the young woman. "See. They're happy to see you."
"It seems so." Coro sent him a hesitant smile back. "Here we go."
Gohan nodded and he grasped her hand to give her some support. Vegeta placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder, which made the young warrior look over at him. "Don't say a word." Vegeta muttered to him.
"I'm stubborn, not suicidal." Gohan whispered back.
"Could have fooled me."
Gohan scoffed but he decided to focus on comforting Coro for now. He released her hand once they were near the group of people and he gave her an encouraging push against her shoulder blades.
They all knelt down, except for Coro, who gave the saiyan warriors a shocked glance. Should she kneel down too? Vegeta announced their presence and the successful retrieval of the princess.
"I see." Frieza's gaze moved to Coro. "Welcome back, my dear. Come meet your family." He stated in his icy voice.
Coro hesitated, looking over at Gohan. The half-saiyan already expected this and he glanced up at her to send her an encouraging smile. She returned the smile and walked over to her family.
Gohan was torn between feelings of happiness and jealousy. Happiness, because he could help someone else go back to their family, but jealous because he would never experience the same thing.
The four saiyans waited patiently for Frieza to acknowledge their presence, which he eventually did. The family was moving to the doorway while Frieza, Zarbon and Dodoria moved closer to the saiyan squad.
"Well, well. It seems that you did your job well. The girl asked me to reward you for your services." Frieza drawled. The four saiyans sent him expectant glances. Frieza turned to Zarbon. "Doing a job well for once is already a good enough reward, don't you think so Zarbon?"
"More than I would give them, sir. You're too generous." Zarbon responded cheerfully.
There was nothing but sober silence coming from the saiyan squad. They were expecting nothing but this kind of treatment. Frieza would never give them anything special or anything they deserved. They knew that.
"Just as I thought. I'll call for you when I need you. You're dismissed." Frieza was already turning away but reconsidered and turned back to the saiyan squad. "Oh, half-saiyan." Gohan was in the process of getting up and his gaze moved up to Frieza. "How's your back?"
Gohan waited until he was fully standing. "I'm just fine, sir. Children tend to bounce back very easily." He said politely. "Thank you for your concern."
Frieza sent the boy a cold smile before finally turning away. The four warriors managed to make it out of the room without being called back by their master.
Nappa tousled Gohan's hair, earning a startled exclamation from the young warrior. "You're learning, kiddo." He stated. "Not getting angry so easily anymore."
"I'm growing up." Gohan stated dramatically. Vegeta made a sarcastic sound but Gohan ignored this.
Raditz let out a sigh. "Tssk… It's been such a long time since I've been in such close proximity to a woman…"
"A girl." Gohan corrected. She was not that much older than he was.
"Did you see those legs?" Nappa responded. "Just imagine running your hands all over them."
Gohan raised an eyebrow. "What's so special about legs? You've got two of them…"
"You'll learn when you get older." Raditz stated as he reached over to tousle Gohan's hair.
"Meh. If it makes me any more like you I don't want to learn it." Gohan muttered as he followed Vegeta to their room.
"Don't worry kiddo." Vegeta responded as he turned to the young warrior and watched Gohan float up to his bed. "The longer you'll stay with us, the more you'll start to transform into one of us. Someday, you'll be a real man."
"A real man?" Gohan repeated, sounding amused. The boy turned so he could look at Vegeta while he sat down on the edge of the bed. "If you want me to be a real man I should probably join a squad with actually real men so I can learn from them." He took off his armor and lied down on the bed. Leaning on his elbow, he slipped the band of the armor over the small hook that was attached to the wall next to his bed.
Gohan gasped when a push from under his bed made him bounce upwards. Raditz kicked up again. "Take that back!" He stated amusedly.
"You're such a child." Gohan responded.
"A child with. Really. Long. Legs." Raditz kicked against the underside of Gohan's bed with every word.
Gohan growled as he was forced to bounce up once more. "Fine. I take it back."
"Good child."
The kicking stopped. Gohan smiled as he grabbed his sheets and crawled under them. He turned on his stomach and wrapped his arms around his pillow. "Good night, guys." He stated after snuggling up to his pillow.
"Night."
"Night."
"Hn…" Vegeta's response was as disappointing as usual.
Gohan took a deep breath and relaxed his body, the smile slowly faltering. The young warrior opened his eyes again. He looked over at Vegeta.
The saiyan prince was writing something in his notebook, holding it close to the small lamp that was hanging on the wall next to the bed.
Gohan glanced at Nappa. The oldest warrior was making his body comfortable on his bed.
Gohan lowered his gaze. What was happening here? Was he settling down? Getting comfortable in a routine? Saying goodnight to the men who held him prisoner?
Gohan turned on his back and stared up at the ceiling. Was he really a prisoner though? When was the last time he attempted to escape? He had been busy trying to stay out of trouble. Staying out of Frieza's and Zarbon's way. Trying to keep up with his comrades during the training sessions. He'd been too busy to even think about any escape attempts.
The half-saiyan sat up. He glanced at his comrades again. Vegeta tapped against the notebook with his pencil. Nappa stretched his limbs and yawned.
Gohan got up from his bed and let his body fall down to the ground, landing on his feet elegantly. The boy reached out to open the door.
"Where do you think you're going?" Gohan looked up at Vegeta. The man was glancing at him from his upper bed.
"I wanted to go for a walk."
Vegeta chuckled. "Don't be stupid." He responded before he looked back to his notes.
Raditz inclined his head up to Gohan's upper bed. "Go back to bed, kiddo." He stated. His tone was soft but also somewhat forceful.
"Why can't I go for a walk?" Gohan asked, looking from his uncle to the saiyan prince and back to his uncle.
"Half-breed," Raditz started, but Gohan cut him off.
"That's not my name."
Vegeta looked down at the half-saiyan again. "I won't say this again, you're not leaving this room."
"Why not?" Gohan's raised his voice as he said this. Nappa opened his eyes and glanced at the half-saiyan.
Raditz sat up and reached out. "This is not the time to start a fight. You're tired. It's been a long mission. Get some sleep." He placed his hand on Gohan's shoulder in order to push the boy to the bed but Gohan shrugged his hand off.
"I'm not tired."
Nappa got up. "I need the loo." He muttered as he pushed Gohan aside so he could pass the half-saiyan. Gohan growled in response.
"Half-breed. I'm going to count to five and if you're not in your bed by two, you're going to be very sorry." Vegeta stated.
Gohan crossed his arms defiantly. Vegeta took a deep breath. "One…" He started. The man noticed how Gohan's body tensed. The half-saiyan was certainly expecting Vegeta to attack him, but the boy was ready for him.
Nappa appeared behind the half-saiyan and hit the half-saiyan in the back of his neck with the side of his hand. Raditz and Vegeta both watched with some surprise as the half-saiyan sank through his knees and landed face-down on the ground.
Nappa caught their questioning glances. "I'm tired. I'm not in the mood for this." He stated. After this he crawled into his own bed. Raditz slowly shook his head and lied down on his own bed too. Vegeta glanced down at the half-saiyan, who was still lying on the ground, before he turned back to his notes.
After a few hours of sleep, the saiyan team left for their home base. Gohan did not hide his annoyance at the fact that Nappa knocked him out, and they didn't even bother putting him back in his bed. Unfortunately for him, the others were used to his bad moods, and they ignored him every step of the way.
They only had to travel for two days to reach the family planet on which their apartment was located. Once they arrived on the planet, Vegeta gave them all the day off to do whatever they wanted. Gohan went to the room he shared with Raditz. He didn't feel like spending any time with his comrades.
A couple of hours later, Vegeta appeared in the doorway.
"We're leaving." Vegeta stated as he looked over at the young warrior. Gohan was lying on his bed, his hands curled together under his head as a makeshift pillow. The boy glanced down at Vegeta.
"Have fun."
"You've been sitting inside all day. Come on, kiddo." Raditz stated as he walked inside. The man sat down on his own bed and started putting on his boots.
"What makes you think I want to go out with you?"
"It's easier to keep an eye on you if you're right next to us." Raditz responded. "Get up, nephew."
Gohan let out a deep sigh. "Fine." He got off his bed. The young warrior put on his boots as well and followed Raditz out the room.
Vegeta was already waiting near the door. Gohan gasped when two hands locked around his waist. Nappa was standing behind him and hoisted Gohan up in the air.
"Nappa! Put me down!" Gohan exclaimed, ignoring the laughter from Raditz.
Nappa easily carried Gohan in the air and placed the young warrior on his shoulders. "Let's go!" Nappa stated as he started walking.
Gohan placed his hands near Nappa's neck to make sure he wouldn't fall off. The boy's tail curled around Nappa's upper arm. Vegeta let out a sigh. "Are we ready?" He asked.
"Ready!" Nappa cheered.
"No! This is not happening. This is not going to be a thing!" Gohan complained. "Put me down. Nappa. We can't fit through the door!"
"Mind your head." Nappa said. Gohan leaned sideways and lowered his head to avoid bumping into the doorpost. Luckily, the ceilings were very high here since it was not uncommon for aliens to be taller than three meters.
Gohan looked down. "You do know that this is very inappropriate, right?"
"Why?"
"You can't just pick up random children and carry them on your shoulders."
"Random children?" Nappa repeated before barking out a laugh. "You've been living with us for almost a year now, kiddo. You're not a random child. You're part of the pack. Whether you want it or not, you are the kid in our little dysfunctional family and you'll have to act the part."
"Families usually don't kidnap and hold their children captive." Gohan muttered.
"Children don't run away all the time or attack their elders or leave their elders alone when they're in trouble." Nappa countered easily.
"Families usually don't beat their children up."
"I don't beat you up. I simply give you a corrective smack once in a while. That's very common."
Gohan scoffed. "Yeah right."
Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Please stop pretending that we are any kind of family."
"Let me go back to my planet and I will pretend not to know any of you for the rest of my life." Gohan suggested. The boy grunted in annoyance when Raditz reached up to tousle his hair. The young warrior hated any kind of affection coming from the others.
"You people…" Gohan complained tiredly. How could they go from mean and sadistic one moment to playful the next?
They reached the elevator and Nappa reached up to grab Gohan's torso. He lifted Gohan off his shoulders and put the boy down on the ground. The young warrior let out an annoyed grunt. "Finally." He muttered. The boy was the first to walk into the elevator.
The young warrior leaned against the glass wall of the elevator. He remembered how he used to hope that the others would take him out once in a while because he practically died of boredom in the apartment. Now, he wished they would let him stay home once a while. He didn't know what changed. Why did they suddenly choose to take him along? What was so different lately?
"Where are we going?" Gohan asked as he looked up at them.
"Just running some errands." Vegeta responded.
"Just running some errands?" Gohan repeated. "Just running some errands!?"
"The way you parrot my words shows that you do actually hear them. Interesting how you never obey them." Vegeta muttered.
"Why did I have to come with you on an errand run?"
"Who would carry our errands otherwise?" Raditz interrupted.
"You should be ashamed of yourselves." Gohan chastised. "Forcing a child to do a man's job."
"Oh, so you are a child. I knew it!" Nappa said cheerfully. "The moment this elevator opens, I'm going to pick you right up again."
"Wha…?" Gohan shook his head. He pressed his body against the wall when Nappa sent him a menacing glance.
As the elevator doors opened, Nappa edged closer to the half-saiyan. Gohan rushed out the elevator. Nappa looked up. "Hey! Get back here!" He ran after the young warrior.
Vegeta grunted disapprovingly as he followed them out. Gohan took flight the moment he was out the lobby. He started flying faster when he realized Nappa was right on his heels.
Raditz and Vegeta continued their walk to the equipment store. They were about to enter when Gohan landed on the ground. He stumbled forward for a moment but then grabbed hold of Raditz's arm, hugging the limb.
"You'd better stop Nappa if you don't want to lose your arm." Gohan said as he looked up.
Raditz sent the young warrior a smirk. "Can't handle Nappa on your own?" He asked while Nappa landed on the ground.
Vegeta sent the man a glare. "Stop fooling around." Vegeta snarled at the tall warrior.
Nappa lowered his gaze. "Yes Vegeta." He muttered.
Gohan grinned as he followed Raditz inside. His tail curled around Raditz's lower arm when he noticed how busy it was in the store. He often did this so he wouldn't get separated from his comrades. That would only get him in trouble.
That evening the saiyan squad was relaxing in their common room. Nappa took it upon himself to entertain his comrades by telling them a scary story. Vegeta was lying on the couch, taking up pretty much all the space there, his eyes closed. Raditz was leaning back on one of the chairs.
Gohan was sitting on the ground, listening to Nappa's story intently. The boy gasped at every scary moment. His tail was flicking behind him in an excited manner as its owner leaned forwards to hear Nappa's story better.
"The END." Nappa said dramatically.
"Woah." Gohan muttered as he leaned back on his hands.
"Alright. Half-breed. Go to bed." Vegeta ordered before he yawned.
"What?" Gohan looked over at him. "By myself?"
"Can't find your bed on your own?"
"Yes. I can…" Gohan got up and looked over at the dark bedroom. He hesitated before he looked over at Raditz. "Are you coming too?"
"I'll be just a minute." Raditz responded, sending the half-saiyan a smirk. "You go ahead."
"Oh… O-okay." Gohan muttered. The young warrior sent another hesitant glance in the direction of his bedroom.
"Don't tell me you're scared after hearing Nappa's story." Vegeta teased.
"I'm not!" Gohan said indignantly.
"Then go ahead." Vegeta nodded to the dark bedroom.
Gohan made a stubborn face. "Fine." He turned around and marched straight to the bedroom. Though, in front of the door Gohan hesitated and glanced inside. The young warrior disappeared in the room and the light on the bedside table instantly flicked on. Gohan wasted no time.
Vegeta and Raditz were watching the proceedings with some amusement. Vegeta tilted his head sideways. "When did he become so accustomed to us that he considers a stupid tale scarier than us?" He asked nobody in particular.
Raditz showed a hint of a smile. "We're doing something very wrong."
**** DBZ **** DBZ ****
I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave a review and let me know what you think!
Next time on a Half-breed's Life:
The young warrior turned back to the alien. "Way to blast someone in the back." He complained. "Very brave."
"You're a murderer." The alien shot back. "It doesn't matter how I fight you."
**** DBZ ****
She was young. A child, probably. Her dark eyes narrowed when she saw them. "You!" She stated. "You killed my entire family! You monsters!"
**** DBZ ****
"It gets better." Vegeta stated. Gohan lowered his gaze to the ground. "The guilt will diminish as you get older." Gohan did not respond. "Those people would have done the same thing if it meant their survival."
**** DBZ ****
The man approached him and Gohan sent him a warning glance. "Fuck off." The half-saiyan snarled.
The man laughed in response. "Hey guys!" He turned and looked at an approaching group of soldiers. "I found a chibi-saiyan."
**** DBZ ****
"The Ginyu Force are just a bunch of losers." Raditz responded. "They try to cope with their own failure by making other soldiers feel like crap. We've never really gotten along well." The man lowered the papers in his hand. "They're always happy to beat one of us up. That's why we didn't want you to meet them."
That's it for now!