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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"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."
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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.
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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."
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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."
"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.
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"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."
Thanks for the reviews on the previous chapter!
Chapter 15. Meeting New Enemies
Gohan landed on his hands and knees, growling to himself. "Damn. These guys are strong."
The half-saiyan looked up and widened his eyes. An alien was seconds from knocking Gohan's head off his shoulders. The young warrior rolled sideways to avoid the kick. He jumped up to avoid a blast from another alien. Gohan charged up an energy beam and sent it towards the two aliens, killing them instantly.
Gohan realized a power level was charging at him. The half-saiyan whirled around and managed to catch a punch from another alien. He pulled the man closer, kneed the alien's stomach, before he pushed the man away. Gohan took advantage of the alien's moment of weakness and he blasted yet another alien to his death.
The young warrior watched the body disintegrate and he sighed. Ignoring the heavy feeling in his stomach, the half-saiyan turned away from the smoldering mess of alien. Luckily, his attention was drawn away from the sick feeling in his stomach.
An alien attacked him from behind, pushing his boot in Gohan's spine. Gohan let out an involuntary groan as he was pushed forwards. He turned around just in time to catch a punch from the alien. Gohan managed to push the man's punch away. The young warrior used the man's moment of unbalance to kick the man's side. After this he rushed closer, grabbed the alien's head and swiftly broke his neck.
The half-saiyan did not have a lot of time to recover, because he was already being attacked. An energy blast bounced against his spine. He was forced forwards as the blast pushed against his back, but he managed to recuperate, sliding sideways to let the attack pass.
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."
Gohan felt a cold feeling settling in his stomach. The young warrior powered up, putting his hands together, and sending a powerful blast in the direction of the alien. The enemy did not even see it coming.
Gohan turned away from the now empty space. He gave out a growl of annoyance and shot to the next alien, driving his fist right through the man's stomach.
After this he whirled around to catch the next attack. Nobody. He let out a sigh. The fight was over. Gohan leaned on his knees with his hands. These missions were going to be the end of him someday.
"Half-breed!" Nappa rushed closer. Gohan stumbled backwards in mid-air but Nappa got to him and managed to pull the young warrior in a big bear hug.
"Nappa. Let me go!" Gohan growled at the man. "I don't want to be this close to you!"
Vegeta studied the two. "You and the rest of the universe."
Nappa tightened his grip on the half-saiyan, earning an involuntary groan from the young warrior. After this he released Gohan.
The half-saiyan flew backwards. "Thank you." He exclaimed. Gohan widened his eyes somewhat when his back bumped into a solid wall. Arms locked around his frame from behind, and he realized the solid wall was actually his uncle.
"My dear nephew." Raditz said teasingly as he hugged the cursing young warrior.
"You guys are such assholes." Gohan complained, struggling.
Vegeta rolled his eyes when Raditz and Nappa gasped audibly. Raditz looked down to his nephew. "Such a big mouth." He stated to the young warrior he was still holding.
Gohan stopped struggling when Nappa's hand appeared in his vision. Nappa cupped Gohan's chin, forcing the young warrior to look up at him. "We ought to do something about that."
Vegeta scoffed. "Stop fooling around." He snarled at them. Raditz released Gohan, and the young warrior pushed away from the man. "We have enough work to do without your constant bickering."
The three saiyans muttered an apology. Vegeta placed his hands on his hips. "What? I can't hear mumbles." He yelled at them.
"I'm sorry." Gohan responded together with Raditz and Nappa.
"Are you ready to get to work?" Vegeta barked.
"Yes sir!" Three voices responded loudly.
"Let's get going." Vegeta moved ahead of them and started flying. The three saiyan warrior followed him.
The group landed near a lake not much later. Gohan looked around. One of the perks of this job was that he could see so many different planets. This planet was somewhat darker than the previous few he'd been to. The climate was relatively cold, which is why the inhabitants were always covered with a thin layer of fur.
The half-saiyan landed near the others. Vegeta looked around. "Decent place." He muttered. "Alright. Half-breed, start cutting down some trees for a camp and fire pit. Raditz, go catch something to eat. Nappa, help half-breed with the fire and start preparing supper."
Gohan turned and walked over to the nearest tree. He easily down three of them and placed them in a triangular form, leaving a space in the middle for the fire. The young warrior sat down on one of the trunks. He leaned on his knees with his elbows and hid his face behind his hands.
'You're a murderer.'
The voice of the alien sounded in his head. This man was the first person to call him a murderer out loud, aside from the saiyans. However, his comrades only said it to get a rise out of him. The enemy he fought today was not trying to get Gohan angry; he was naming what Gohan was to him. It was true. Gohan knew that. He was a murderer, and there was nothing he could change about it.
'No. I have to ignore it.' Gohan thought, closing his eyes. He tried to ignore it. He tried so hard, but it was difficult to ignore his own brain. It was almost impossible. These thoughts kept crawling into his head. When he was alone. When he was lying in his bed. Every time he did not have anything to do…
Gohan took a deep and shaky breath. He had to be strong. He had to maintain control. He had to… be patient….
"What are you doing?" Vegeta snarled. "Get to work. You're not done yet."
Gohan lowered his hands. "Vegeta…" He started tiredly.
"I don't care what you have to say. Get to work." Vegeta tossed a couple of branches and wooden blocks on the ground. The man stepped over the branch Gohan was sitting on. He placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder and pushed the boy. The half-saiyan gasped as Vegeta pushed him over, forcing the half-saiyan to fall off the branch and onto all fours. "Wake the fire." Vegeta snarled before he moved away to help Raditz.
Gohan let out a sigh and crawled closer to the pile of wood, leaves and branches.
After waking the fire, Gohan helped Nappa prepare their supper. The half-saiyan did not mind assisting the others when they were cooking. Nappa and Raditz had the tendency to shift right into some sort of teaching mode. They would explain every decision they made throughout the cooking process. Gohan enjoyed learning new recipes. The others had not asked him to cook anything yet. The young warrior assumed this was mainly because they were afraid he would try to poison them.
Their dinners were usually just something thrown together. They could never predict what kind of resources they would be able to gather on a particular planet. This time, Raditz returned with three large animals. They were covered in a thick fur and had long black tails. Also, Vegeta found some fruit-like resources. Nappa decided to cook these and make some sort of stew.
Gohan knew the basics of cooking. The Iron Snake Camp prepared their cadets for these missions. They were taught how to survive on a planet if stranded. Still, he did not mind the others teaching him new things.
Once Nappa and Gohan were done preparing supper, Vegeta started to hand out the plates to everyone. They all enjoyed their meal, and, although Gohan was full, he noticed the others were not.
"Half-breed, go catch some fish." Vegeta ordered.
Gohan looked over at the lake. "Why me?"
"You're the easiest to kick all the way there if you refuse."
Gohan held Vegeta's gaze for a moment, but the man did not look like he was joking, so the half-saiyan decided to do as Vegeta said. After catching the fish, the young warrior walked back over to the lake.
He sat down on the ground. Sighing, he extended his legs and let his naked feet touch the cold water. He had the tendency to take off his armor and boots whenever he went swimming. Although they were made from almost weightless material, they made Gohan feel like he was wearing too much clothing to be in the water at all.
The young warrior glanced over his shoulder when a power level approached him. Raditz held out a roasted fish, and Gohan accepted it. While his nephew was devouring the fish, Raditz lowered his body until he was sitting on the ground too.
"What's going on?" Raditz asked curiously.
Gohan paused for a moment. "Nothing." He said before he started chewing again.
"Right. So you are sitting here all sad and lonely for no reason?" Raditz responded. "That's not how I know you at all."
"You talk as if you know me so well." Gohan muttered. "We haven't spent enough time together for you to know how I normally behave."
"True. We've only been spending every hour of every day together for the last year." Raditz stated, sounding rather sarcastic. Gohan couldn't help but smile as he glanced sideways. Raditz had a point there. "Tell me, boy."
"It's nothing… It's just…"
Gohan gasped when a hand curled around his foot. The half-saiyan scrambled backwards and shook his leg in order to free his foot. Raditz raised an eyebrow as he watched a young alien girl climb up on the shore.
She was young. A child, probably. Her dark eyes narrowed when she saw them. "You!" She stated. "You killed my entire family! You monsters!" She started screaming now. She was hysterical. Raditz recognized it easily. The girl did not care whether she was going to live or die. She was beyond help. She just wanted vengeance.
The girl went straight for Gohan. She pulled back a fist and punched him. Gohan was too shocked to move. His head was knocked sideways and he took a step back.
"What the…" Raditz muttered.
The girl continued her assault. She banged her fists against Gohan's chest. The young warrior's body shook with every hit. Her screams echoed around them. His gaze almost seemed vacant as he stared at her, his arms hanging next to his sides.
Gohan widened his eyes when the girl froze. He watched the light leave her eyes as she fell forwards, her limb body pressing against his. Gohan stumbled back to get away from her and he watched her fall down on the ground.
Raditz tossed the girl's heart to the ground. It landed with a sickening wet thud.
A hand smacked against the back of Gohan's head. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Vegeta snarled at the young warrior. "Letting her make so much noise. I still have a headache."
Murderer.
"Where did she come from?" Vegeta asked as he looked up at Raditz.
You killed my entire family!
Raditz shrugged. "I don't know. She just popped up. I think she lived in the last city we purged. It was near this lake. She must have jumped in to run from us."
Murderer.
Vegeta surveyed the area. "We'll have to be more careful from now on. We can't have survivors. It will make us look bad."
"Yes, Vegeta." Raditz nodded in response.
Vegeta glanced over at Gohan. "I did not hear a response from…." The man stopped talking when he noticed how pale Gohan's face was.
Murderer.
Gohan placed his hands on his ears and closed his eyes tightly.
Murderer.
The young warrior stepped back a couple of steps. Vegeta frowned. "Hey!" He snarled when he realized Gohan was ignoring him. Gohan turned and flew away.
The three warriors watched as he disappeared from their sight.
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Gohan landed on the ground. There he clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. The young warrior sank through his knees. He hit the ground with his fists, beating them down in order to get all the pain out of his system. The boy opened his mouth and screamed. He took a deep breath and screamed again until his voice cracked because of the strain.
The half-saiyan opened his eyes to stare at the ground. He realized that his vision was blurred. Tears. Gohan closed his eyes again, his wet eye-lashes touching the soft skin under his eyes. There was nothing he could do. Nothing. He could not fight his comrades yet. He was not strong enough. Not yet. It was too soon.
And it was killing him. All these murders. The faces of every alien he killed. It was tearing him apart. Why was he not allowed to fight his comrades yet? Why wasn't he getting stronger fast enough? How much longer was he supposed to do these horrible things? Gohan took a shaky breath to calm himself. The others were bound to come find him soon and he did not want them to find him like this.
"Falling apart, are we?"
Gohan froze. Why did he not pay attention to his surroundings? Now he was feeling like an even bigger idiot than before. The half-saiyan realized that the saiyan prince was standing somewhere behind him.
Gohan sat up, staring straight ahead. "I'm fine." He managed to say in a calm voice. His shoulders trembled for a moment when he took another shaky breath.
"Well then. Look at me." Vegeta responded.
The young warrior shook his head. He knew the combination of his wet cheeks and possibly red puffy eyes would give away how he really felt. He did not want to give Vegeta the satisfaction.
"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."
"I know."
Vegeta crossed his arms over each other. He stepped closer to the young warrior. "Get up. We're going back."
"Leave me alone."
Vegeta growled in annoyance. Uncrossing his arms, he reached down and grabbed Gohan's upper arm, pulling the young warrior up. Gohan purposely kept his face averted from the man. "Crying and whining is not going to help you. It will only show how weak you really are." The man pushed Gohan ahead. "Start flying or I'll give you something to cry about."
Gohan obeyed, pushing off from the ground and flying away. Vegeta watched him go for a moment before following him. Once they landed near the campsite, Gohan walked over to the first tree he saw, sat down so he could lean against it and closed his eyes.
Nappa looked over at Vegeta. "What did you say to make him angry?"
Vegeta glared back at him. "What makes you think I made him angry?" He responded. "The brat always behaves like that." The man sat down on one of the branches they placed around the fire.
"Is it the guilt?" Raditz suggested, looking over at the young warrior.
"He'll get over it." Vegeta shrugged once.
"Camp was supposed to toughen him up." Nappa looked at Gohan too. The half-saiyan's head was tilted forwards, indicating that he was asleep. "They are supposed to prepare the cadets for the job."
"He never killed at that camp, Nappa. Not really." Raditz responded. "Besides, compare the boy we delivered to the camp and the boy we picked up. There was definitely some toughening up happening during his stay at the camp." Raditz tossed a small stick in the fire. "The cadets are taught to kill simulations and dolls but never real living beings."
"We had to teach him how to kill the real thing." Vegeta added. "And we did a good job at it. He'll have to deal with the guilt that comes along with it. He needs to grow up."
Gohan opened his eyes and leaned his head back against the trunk of the three. He should have known that just taking the position of a sleeping person did not necessarily mean that he would actually fall asleep.
Murderer.
Gohan closed his eyes again. His breathing became heavier and his body briefly shook. The young warrior slowly shook his head. He could not let his emotions take over. He could not afford to lose control. Not again. He had to be strong.
Raditz was approaching him. The man was making a lot of noise, stepping on the ground harder than he had to. He wanted Gohan to notice he was approaching. The young warrior did not open his eyes to acknowledge his comrade.
"What do you want?" Gohan asked impatiently.
Raditz knelt down near the boy. "Just asking how you're doing."
"I'm fine." Gohan opened his eyes and sat up. "Why did you kill that girl right in front of me?"
The tall warrior shrugged. "She had to die. I didn't want to waste any time."
Gohan let out a sigh. "Right."
Raditz crawled closer so he could lean against the tree trunk too. The man bumped his shoulder against Gohan's shoulder. "Scoot over." He stated. Gohan growled as he shifted a little to give Raditz more room.
"So," Raditz wrapped an arm around Gohan's shoulders, "I think you were leaking just now." He tapped against Gohan's cheek, right under his eye.
Gohan pushed his hand away. "You must be imagining things." He responded. "Probably had a few too many blows to the head."
"Probably." Raditz smirked as he leaned back against the tree. The man closed his eyes. Gohan looked up at him. The half-saiyan waited for a moment.
"You're not falling asleep, are you?" Gohan realized that the others were also sitting down near trees in order to take a nap.
"Trying to."
"Find your own tree." Gohan complained. "This one is mine."
Raditz gently squeezed his shoulders. "Go to sleep, kiddo." He stated.
Gohan let out an annoyed sound. "I can't sleep with you right next to me. I don't want to wake up without my head on my body."
"If I wanted to cut off your head while you were sleeping I could have done that any night while you were asleep right next to me in our room." Raditz did not even open his eyes.
"Find your own tree."
"Good night."
Gohan growled but he was too stubborn to walk away and give this spot to Raditz. The young warrior closed his eyes. As he fell asleep, he leaned sideways, his head tilting until it leaned against Raditz's side. The older warrior opened his eyes and glanced down at the younger warrior.
He smiled as he very slowly pulled the young warrior a little closer. The boy might be annoying and such a pain in the ass, but he had his charming moments, when he was asleep. Raditz leaned back and closed his eyes again. Don't think about the stupid brat. Sleep was more important right now.
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Gohan emerged from a space pod after yet another rough landing. How did they survive these journeys every time?
The half-saiyan quickly stepped away from his space pod right before it was swallowed by the lavender cushions. They could not all land at the same time so Gohan was ordered to stand near the control panels and wait for the others to land.
Gohan briefly considered taking off. He could easily run while the others were still in the air. Then again, where would he go? They were on a ship, not on a planet. The young warrior would only get himself in trouble. No, he would have to wait for a better opportunity.
"I've never seen you before…"
A voice caught Gohan's attention. The half-saiyan glanced sideways. A tall man was looking back at him. The man had a bright purple complexion and a muscled built. It was easy to see that he was strong. The skin on the man's head was bald and wrinkled, reminding Gohan of the pictures of brains he'd seen in books on saiyan anatomy. The man had two black spikes sticking out of his head just above his ears.
Gohan's eyes caught sight of the insignia on the man's armor. The man had a higher rank than the regular soldier. Gohan noticed that the man was studying him with interest. The half-saiyan looked back at the landing area.
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."
Great. Gohan cursed his own big mouth. The man had friends.
The boy went to walk away but the tall man placed a hand on his shoulder. "Where are you going, little saiyan?"
Gohan looked up at him. "How do you know I'm a saiyan?"
The man smirked. "The stench is hard to ignore."
Yet another group of soldiers who did not like saiyans. That was nothing new to the young warrior. The others caught up with them. Gohan thought the purple guy was tall, but the other two were even taller.
"Another saiyan?" The tallest of them all had a skin tone similar to Gohan's. The man had bright strawberry blonde hair, but it was cut short and only covering the top of his head. The man leaned over and stared at the young warrior. "How do you monkeys keep multiplying without women?"
Gohan stepped back. "Leave me alone."
"Stay." The purple man reached out once more and Gohan hit his hands away. "Now now." The man grabbed one of Gohan's hands and he squeezed the young warrior's limb until Gohan could feel his bones wince under the pressure. "Monkeys are supposed to be obedient when interacting with their superiors." The man smirked when Gohan let out a pained sound. "Especially baby monkeys."
"Now," The man grabbed Gohan's chin and tilted the boy's head back so the light hit Gohan's face, "let me take a look at you." The man was still holding Gohan's hand in a painful grasp so the young warrior tried not to move. The tall warrior studied Gohan for a moment and his expression changed to a cold one. "Typical saiyan trash."
Gohan glared back at him in response to this comment.
"Can we see him, captain Ginyu?"
Ginyu shrugged. "Sure." His hand moved from Gohan's chin to his shoulder and he pushed the young warrior towards the other adults. Gohan was momentarily surprised, stumbling forwards and right into another man's hands.
This man was not as tall as the others. His complexion was bright red, as if he'd been in the sun too much, and his long hair was white. The man's dark eyes studied the young warrior. "He looks strong for such a young saiyan."
"Nothing we can't handle, Jeice." Ginyu waved the other's comment away.
Behind Gohan's back, another soldier was holding out his arms expectantly. Jeice returned the man's grin and he gave Gohan a harsh push. Again taken by surprise, Gohan stumbled backwards until two hands caught him. The man forcefully turned Gohan around.
This man was tall again, making Gohan feel exceptionally small. The man's complexion was dark blue and he was also bald. The top area of the man's head was so similar to the beige area of the man's shoulder-guards that Gohan would have considered it funny if he hadn't been in such a bad position.
"He doesn't look like Vegeta or Nappa. I'd say Raditz is the father." This man observed. Gohan decided that struggling would be an option right now and he tried to pull away, which only seemed to amuse the man in front of him. "He definitely has Vegeta's fire though." The man said as he easily overpowered Gohan's attempts to gain freedom.
"Ginyu. Let him go." Vegeta's calm voice was somewhere close and Gohan looked sideways. He never thought he would actually be happy to see his comrades, but he was, he really was.
"Ah, Vegeta." Captain Ginyu turned to the saiyans, turning his back on Gohan. "We were just getting to know your new comrade."
"I apologize for anything he said or did." Vegeta stated, addressing Ginyu, which made Gohan assume Ginyu was the leader. "We're still taming him and he does not know his place yet." The half-saiyan was somewhat annoyed that Vegeta immediately assumed Gohan had said or done anything insulting to get in this trouble. He'd been behaving just fine. Well… He said 'fuck off' but that was the obvious thing to do when he received unwanted attention.
Gohan realized that nobody was holding him anymore but he was not entirely sure if he was allowed to move away yet. Lately, everything he'd done on his own accord had been disapproved of and punished harshly. He decided someone would tell him what to do soon.
"Who's the father?" Ginyu asked, his gaze fixing on Raditz expectantly.
"Dead." Vegeta responded, earning Ginyu's attention. "His father was a saiyan who managed to be off planet Vegeta when the meteor collided with the planet. We searched for him a couple of years back, found him and killed him for treason. We decided a little aid in our work could not hurt and we took his son."
"A hybrid." Ginyu looked over his shoulder to the young warrior. "Such a sacrifice you must have made, interacting with a bastard." His voice sounded smooth but Gohan wanted to punch him for the insult. He bit down on his lower lip to keep his mouth shut and managed to stay calm.
Vegeta chose this time to make eye-contact with the half-saiyan. The man inclined his head towards Raditz, and the half-saiyan quickly walked over to his uncle. Nobody stopped him. The young warrior reached his uncle safely. Unbeknown to its owner, Gohan's tail reached out to Raditz's tail and tapped against it several times.
Raditz was somewhat surprised and he glanced sideways from the corner of his eyes. He saw that Gohan was looking to the Ginyu Force and he realized that Gohan did not notice the actions of his own tail.
Raditz's tail responded to Gohan's subconscious cry for comfort by letting a gentle and brief series of vibrations run through his tail against Gohan's smaller tail. The young warrior seemed to calm down a bit but he was still tensed.
Meanwhile, Vegeta was continuing his conversation with Ginyu. "It doesn't matter." The saiyan prince said calmly. "We'll be off now."
"Yes. Us too." Ginyu smirked as he made eye-contact with the half-saiyan. "It was nice meeting you, hybrid. We'll see each other again soon. I can't wait to see how easy it will be to beat you to pieces." His comrades laughed in response.
Gohan frowned and he opened his mouth to say something insulting in return but Raditz place his entire hand over Gohan's face to stop him from talking, pushing the young warrior back. "Shut up." Raditz hissed in his direction.
Ginyu's smug expression turned to Vegeta. "Good luck with the taming." He mentioned to Vegeta before turning to his comrades and walking away.
Vegeta turned to Gohan. The young warrior finally managed to push Raditz's hand away from his face and he growled at his uncle. Gohan noticed Vegeta's glare.
"Ten minutes?" Vegeta stated. "We can't leave you alone for ten minutes without you getting in trouble!"
"It wasn't my…" Gohan let out a sigh as his hands fell to his side. "I'm sorry." He muttered. It wasn't like he wanted to get in trouble all the time. He would love to be able to just stand around doing nothing for ten minutes but, noooo, life was not that simple for him.
Vegeta growled. "Just get to our room before you hurt yourself." He snarled. Gohan showed an offended expression but nobody really cared as Raditz pushed the half-saiyan forwards.
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Gohan was lying on the couch. His eyes were closed and he shifted to get his body in a better position. A hand landed on his shoulder and pushed his body upwards. Gohan opened his eyes. "Hey!" He complained as Raditz pushed him into a sitting position.
The man sat down on the place where Gohan's head was lying before. He released Gohan's body and the half-saiyan leaned against his uncle's side. "Meh." Gohan complained. "This is not as comfortable as the couch was."
Vegeta walked closer while reading some papers. The man easily lifted Gohan's feet up before he sat down. After this he dropped Gohan's feet on his lap.
Gohan took a deep breath. "I was here first!"
"In this universe?" Raditz responded.
"Get off the couch. I am lying here. This is my spot." Gohan snarled at them. Vegeta and Raditz ignored him. Gohan pulled up his legs and pushed against Vegeta's side, trying to push him off the couch. Vegeta didn't say anything as his tail reached out and wrapped around Gohan's ankles. The tail threw Gohan's feet down off the couch.
Gohan growled as he started to get up. "Jerks."
Raditz wrapped an arm around Gohan's shoulders and pulled the half-saiyan back. "Stay. You're nice and warm." He stated.
"I don't want to stay."
Raditz didn't say anything. The man focused on his papers again. Gohan let out a sigh. The half-saiyan glanced up at Vegeta. "Those people I met today." He started. "They were the Ginyu Force, right?"
Vegeta did not respond so Gohan looked up at his uncle. "Right?"
"Hmm…" Raditz was so focused on his papers that he hardly seemed to listen to his nephew. Gohan gave out an annoyed growl and turned to his uncle fully. The young warrior snatched the papers out of Raditz's hands. His uncle looked up, disturbed. "Hey!"
"I asked you a question." Gohan complained, lowering the papers.
"And I was ignoring you. Give me back those papers." Raditz responded before reaching out. Gohan temporarily amused himself with keeping the papers just out of Raditz's reach until Vegeta snatched the papers from Gohan's hands and handed them back to Raditz.
"Behave yourself, brat." Vegeta grumbled before returning to his laptop.
Raditz organized the papers. "Yes, you met the Ginyu Force today. I was hoping you would never have to meet them." He responded.
"Same here." Vegeta muttered, still focused on the laptop.
"Why?" Gohan asked, happy to finally get a response.
"The Ginyu Force are 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."
"I don't get it." Gohan stated, frowning thoughtfully.
"You give them a reason to beat you up because you can never keep that big mouth of yours shut." Vegeta explained. Gohan sent him a glare over his shoulder but the man only raised an eyebrow. "It's true."
The half-saiyan sat down fully again, leaning against the back leaning with his back. "Since when are you guys hesitant to let me get hurt?" He asked snidely.
"I don't care if you get hurt." Raditz responded almost instantly. "It would just be such a waste of our energy if you get yourself killed by them."
"A waste of your energy? That's all?" Gohan repeated, frowning.
The half-saiyan could swear he saw a hint of a smile on Raditz's face. "No, I guess not…" The man was silent for a moment while Gohan waited expectantly. "It would also be such a bother if we would have to start cleaning our rooms ourselves again."
Vegeta snickered after this comment. Gohan, however, gave out an offended huff and got up from the couch. The half-saiyan longed to leave the room after this insult but he knew he was not allowed to roam the ship alone. Therefore, he flew up to his bed and crawled under the sheets.
Nappa entered the room and noticed the half-saiyan was in his bed. The man raised an eyebrow. "What happened here?" He asked curiously. "Did you have a fight?"
Gohan sat up. "I didn't do anything wrong, if that's what you mean." He snarled, frowning at the man. "I chose to sit here because I don't want to be close to you filthy pure-bloods." He disappeared under the sheets again.
Nappa, Raditz and Vegeta exchanged glances. Vegeta blew out a sigh. "We should have waited until he was fifteen before picking him up from that camp." He muttered as he looked down to his laptop.
Vegeta let out a grunt when a boot landed against his chest. The man looked at the white boot on his lap before looking up at the half-saiyan. "Okay." Vegeta placed the laptop on the table. "You're going to regret that."
Gohan scrambled off the bed and ran out the room. Vegeta was right behind him, running after the half-saiyan, screaming at him to stop and "Face your fate!"
Raditz and Nappa stared at the empty doorway, stunned. "Should we…?" Raditz asked.
"Just to make sure Vegeta won't go too far." Nappa said, nodding. The two headed out the door and followed the sounds of Vegeta's angry voice.
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I hope you enjoyed it! Please review and let me know what you think!
Next time on A Half-breed's Life:
"Where are we?" Gohan approached Raditz. Vegeta controlled Gohan's space pod so the half-saiyan never really knew where he was going. "I thought we were going back to our base planet."
"We're going to make a brief stop here." Raditz responded.
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"Raditz!" Gohan jumped off the couch and ran to his uncle. He stood behind the man and peaked to the girls. "You're here. "
"You've never been you so happy to see me!" Raditz laughed. Gohan sent him a glare.
"They're even scarier than you." Gohan replied, sending the grinning girls a scared glance.
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"What's that?" Gohan asked.
Raditz studied the building. "I think it's a school. There is one of those on this planet." He replied.
Gohan sat up. "There's a school here?"
"Of course." Raditz shrugged. "The kids need to learn something before they join the army. Or just be kept busy."
The half-saiyan jumped off the windowsill and walked over to the couch where Vegeta was sitting. "I want to go to school." He stated, placing his hands on the back leaning of the couch.
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The moment Vegeta pulled on Gohan's tail, the half-saiyan let out a scream. Vegeta raised an eyebrow and released the tail. "Did that hurt?" He asked.
Gohan shook his head. "No." He did not know whether his sensitive tail was normal or not but he did know that he could not let the others know about it.
A grin appeared on Vegeta's face. "Really?" He appeared behind Gohan and tried to catch Gohan's tail but the young warrior scrambled out of the way.
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"Besides," Vegeta leaned sideways until his shoulder tapped against Gohan's shoulder, "with Frieza, Zarbon, Dodoria and even the Ginyu Force, wouldn't it be nice to have some friendly people to come home to?"
This time Gohan couldn't help but chuckle. "Friendly? You?" He asked, sarcasm lacing his voice.
Vegeta shrugged as he sat up straight again. "Well, something like that."