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 ****
"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."
**** DBZ **** DBZ ****
Captain Ginyu 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."
**** DBZ ****
"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.
"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."
Thanks for the reviews on the previous chapter!
Chapter 16. The Tail's Out Of The Bag
"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.
"Why?"
"Because I say so." Vegeta cut in. The man gave a push against Gohan's shoulder. "Now be quiet and behave."
"You need to learn something new to say." Gohan said, sending the man a glare.
"I will once you actually start behaving." Vegeta grumbled in response. Gohan was about to say something in response but he was distracted by the hall they entered.
A light-blue light shone in the room, but that was not what Gohan was looking at. There were several couches spread around the room, the light green cushions seemed so soft and tender that Gohan suppressed the urge to fall down on them. Mainly because the couches were already occupied.
Women of all ages were scattered across the room. They were all wearing similar white outfits. Some wore dresses, others wore tanks tops and shorts, and others wore a top and a skirt. Every outfit was somewhat different. Their light-green skin seemed to shimmer in the light.
Men of all races were walking around. Gohan noticed how one man extended his hand to a particular woman, which she accepted with a smile, and the two walked to a hallway on the side. Gohan gave a curious glance in that direction but all he saw were doors, many doors, extending till forever, at least, that's what it felt like to him.
"Oh! Look at you!" A woman walked closer to Gohan and smiled at him. "You're like a small version of the others."
Another one approached from behind the half-saiyan and draped her hands all over Gohan's arms. "He's ripped!" She exclaimed. "Feel this!" Before Gohan knew it, he was surrounded by young women, pinching his biceps, exclaiming surprise at his muscles.
Gohan stood still in shock. The half-saiyan looked around for his comrades but he could not catch sight of them. The aliens were in the way.
"Aww, he's blushing." An alien pinched his cheek. "You're adorable." She added when he winced in response to her touch.
"I'll bet you have some nice abs too, huh?" One of them asked, looking Gohan up and down.
"Only one way to find out." The alien who just pinched his cheek was already reaching out and undid one of the bands of his armour. Gohan did not expect them to know how an armour worked. He had some trouble figuring it out when he first started wearing these objects, but the girls seemed to know how to take an armour off.
"P-Please. Stop." Gohan muttered softly.
Nobody listened. They easily pulled his black uniform down to his waist, exposing his torso. Gohan was afraid they would start touching him again but nobody really did. They all just looked at his upper body, talking about how mature he was for a young boy.
Raditz was the first one to realize that Gohan was in trouble. The man watched as one of the girls ordered the half-saiyan to turn in circles, which the half-saiyan hesitantly did. Raditz looked over at Vegeta.
"Should we do something about that?" Raditz asked.
Vegeta was just leading a girl to the hallway. The man looked over at the group. There, Gohan was blushing furiously as he flexed his muscles for the girls, yet again a request. It was drawing a lot of giggles and laughs, but also praises for Gohan's obvious training.
"He's in good hands." Vegeta stated, smirking, before he turned and went for the hallway, followed by one of the women.
Gohan caught sight of his comrades. "Raditz!" He called. The boy clenched his fists and made a desperate face. "Help me." He muttered, feeling like an idiot.
Amused grins were shown in response to Gohan's cry for help. Raditz had seen it before. The working girls always teased the kids who were too young to actually be costumers. Hey, they had to do something to make their bleak lives more amusing.
Raditz approached the group, but instead of heading for Gohan, he extended his hand towards one of the girls. "You're coming with me." He stated. She smiled in response, took his hand and led the man to the hallway.
"Hey!" Gohan called with a shiver in his voice. "Don't leave me here!"
"Be good now." Raditz responded. "Make sure he stays here, girls." He added for good measure.
"You asshole!" Gohan yelled after him. The boy tensed when a hand appeared from behind him and covered his mouth.
"Now now. Children shouldn't curse like that." A voice said from behind him. The hand released him after that, allowing Gohan to let out a sigh.
"Alright." One of the girls stated. "Let's see you do some push-ups." The others agreed with her and all eyes shifted to the half-saiyan.
Gohan noticed the expectant expressions and he let out a hopeless sigh before slowly lowering his body to the ground.
**** DBZ **** DBZ ****
Raditz was the first one to get back to the common room. There he noticed that many of the girls were gone. It was busy. Gohan was sitting on a couch in the corner. He managed to pull up his uniform but he still hadn't gotten his armour back.
One of the girls was holding it hostage while she spoke to the half-saiyan. She was just pinching his cheek when Gohan noticed the saiyan. "Raditz!" Gohan got 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.
"He's adorable." One of the girls said cheerfully.
Gohan yelped when someone smacked on his behind. The woman who had been entertaining Vegeta snickered before she walked to the others. Gohan backed up against the wall and kept an eye on all of them. "Is it time to leave yet?"
"What is going on with you?" Vegeta asked, raising an eyebrow.
"The girls are scaring him." Raditz teased.
"My cheeks cannot take any more pinching." Gohan replied, frowning. "I want to go."
Nappa only heard Gohan's response as he entered the room. "Then you know how the girls here feel." He stated before he tousled the hair of the woman he'd been with and she walked away as well.
"Let's go." Gohan urged.
"What about your armour?" Nappa asked.
Gohan looked over and noticed the girl was still holding it. She smiled and moved the armour teasingly. The women who were sitting around her sent him innocent smiles and motioned for him to come and get it.
Gohan made a face. "She can have it." He was not going anywhere near that.
Raditz rolled his eyes and walked closer to them. He reached out for the armour. The girl made a face. "I wanted him to come and get it." She said as she glanced at Gohan.
"I bet you did. Come on. Hand it over." Raditz responded. She gave the armour to him and Raditz walked back to Gohan. The half-saiyan quickly slid it over his head and onto his chest. Good. That felt a lot better.
The girl who had been holding his armour got up and walked closer. She smiled as she placed a hand on his head and roughly tousled his hair. "Don't worry, girls." She stated. "He will come back." She looked back at Gohan. "Your comrades are frequent visitors. Next time we'll be prepared for you, and you'll be ours for yet another hour." She winked at him before she walked away.
Gohan looked up at Raditz, who shrugged. "She's right."
"What?" Gohan exclaimed. The women waved them off as they walked away. Gohan snatched a remote from the table and pushed it in Vegeta's hands before climbing in the space pod. He wanted to get out of here.
"Who would have thought?" Vegeta said, laughing. "That all we needed to tame that brat is a group of women."
"That's the power of females." Nappa responded, sounding just as amused.
"I'm glad you're all enjoying this." Gohan muttered darkly.
While the space pod travelled through the darkness, Gohan relived the past few hours in his head. He had to admit it wasn't that bad. The girls didn't physically hurt him, although his ego was a little bruised. Why did these things always happen to him? It was the same in camp. Every time one of the girlfriend's or wives of the specialists came to visit the women would treat him like he was a cute little child… It was incredibly annoying and usually just plain embarrassing…
**** Flashback ****
The eight-year-old half-saiyan was leading a group of young warriors. The youngest warrior looked over his shoulder at Oriko. "If only we could get to the password of Headmaster's office." He complained. "Then we could look at the positions of all the cameras." He looked up at the camera that was filming them from the other side of the hallway.
"I thought you had a map for that." Oriko responded, frowning.
Gohan shook his head. "Crimon took it from me, remember? They searched my locker." He muttered, frowning.
"It's stupid to leave the map with the specialists' pet anyway." One of the cadets muttered softly to another one.
Gohan froze and turned around. The others nearly bumped into him and they hastily stepped aside to avoid a collision. The half-saiyan singled out the cadet he just heard and he stepped closer to the young warrior. "Do you have anything to say to me?" He asked sweetly once he was standing in front of the cadet.
The cadet was probably at least five years older but he was somewhat hesitant as he shook his head. Gohan placed his hands on his hips. "No. I could have sworn I heard you cowardly mumble something under your breath. You just joined our group so I'll let you in on a little secret. Saiyans can hear almost anything so next time you want to complain about me you might try doing it on the other side of the planet where I cannot hear you, got it?"
The cadet nodded quickly. "Good." Gohan reached up and grabbed the front of the cadet's uniform, pulling the cadet closer to his face. "And if you aren't satisfied with the way we handle things here, you might as well find some other group to waste your time with." He growled, narrowing his eyes. "If I hear you complain about me or any other member of the group I will personally rip out your tongue, got it?"
"Yes. Yes. I got." The cadet muttered.
"Good." Gohan pushed the cadet away, somewhat satisfied when the older boy stepped back. The half-saiyan started walking again, followed by the others.
Judin walked a little faster so he could whisper something to his friend. "If you keep intimidating the recruits like that we'll have no members left." He whispered.
Gohan waved his complaints away. "We don't need the wimps. If they can't handle me they definitely can't handle the punishments the specialists give after a failed escape attempt." He responded. "Back to the important matters…" He took a deep breath while turning to Oriko. However, someone else interrupted him before he could say anything.
"Gohan!" The half-saiyan froze once more. This time, however, the voice was high-pitched and sounded a lot nicer.
The half-saiyan looked up when a young woman came running towards him. "Gohan! I haven't seen you in ages! Look how you've grown."
Crimon came running after her. The man noticed what was going on and a smile appeared on his lilac face when his girlfriend pinched Gohan's cheek.
"You're adorable!" She cooed.
Gohan tried not to look miserable at being treated like this in front of his friends. The young warrior had to fight the urge to step back when she finally released him. "How are you doing? How did you get those bruises? Are they treating you okay here?"
The half-saiyan heard some snickers behind him but he ignored them. "I'm fine. How have you been? I haven't seen you in months." Luckily.
"Yes, Crimon doesn't like it when I come to visit." She smiled to her boyfriend. "There's nothing he can say about it though."
"Yeah. Yeah. Let's move on. I don't intend to spend the already few hours we have roaming around this place." Crimon responded as he stepped closer.
"Right." She smiled to Gohan. "I hope to see you again next time." She considered her own words and frowned thoughtfully. "Then again, that would mean that you're still in here and considering your opinion about this place… I'll just hope this is goodbye, right?"
"Right." Gohan smiled. "Goodbye to you too."
She greeted the others before moving away. Crimon eyed the half-saiyan for a moment, a peculiar smile on his face. "I think there's something on your face…" He leaned in closer for a moment. "Oh, never mind. You're just blushing." He teased as he reached out to brush over Gohan's cheek. The half-saiyan may have been reluctant to push away Crimon's girlfriend because he did not want to be rude to her but he had no problem smacking Crimon's hand away and stepping back.
Gohan clenched his fists when his friends laughed. "Your girlfriend is running off without you." He stated, nodding to where the woman already turned a corner.
"Oh no." Crimon quickly ran after her.
"Why does that keep happening?" Gohan muttered sadly, frowning at the empty hallway. This wasn't the first time one of the mates of the specialists made him look like a fool in front of his friends or the specialists.
Although it was a rhetorical question, Oriko was happy to answer it. "You're just so adorable that women cannot help but swoon over you." He said in an innocent tone.
"They can't help but want to pinch your little baby cheeks." Judin tried to do what he described but Gohan smacked his hand away.
"This is unbelievable." Gohan muttered as he stalked away, followed by his snickering friends.
**** Present ****
Gohan gave a small smile as he thought about those days back in camp. He might have hated to be there at the time but now he was longing back to his friends and even the specialists. Anything to get away from his current comrades.
Several hours later, the group of warriors were making their way to their apartment. Gohan made sure to walk next to Vegeta.
"I don't understand why I don't get to control my own space pod." Gohan complained, looking sideways at the man.
"Right. So you can steer right to planet Earth, right?"
"I can't steer to planet earth if you keep locking our ships to each other. You'd immediately get a message that my ship is going off your course." Gohan responded.
Vegeta showed a surprised expression as he looked sideways to the young warrior. "How?"
Gohan scoffed. "You guys like to think I'm stupid." He frowned as he lowered his gaze. "But I'm not. I notice things, like the small symbol in the corner of the computer screen that signals that my space pod is connected to another space pod number that is a lot like yours." The boy started walking faster, easily overcoming their pace and getting lost in the crowd.
The three warriors found Gohan in the hallway in front of the apartment. He still did not have a key so he could not inside. There was nothing left for him to wait outside.
Later, Gohan was sitting in the windowsill studying the outside world. That was all he could do. He wasn't allowed to go out and see him for himself. Not alone.
Raditz approached the young warrior and handed him a soda. Gohan thanked the man before pointed over to a tall building. Young aliens seemed to gather on the area surrounding the building, sitting, playing, and chilling. "What's that?" Gohan asked.
Raditz studied the building. "I think it's a school. There is one of those in this city." 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.
Vegeta laughed. "Don't be stupid." He responded, shaking his head.
"I'm serious."
"You don't have time to go to school. We train all day." Vegeta looked over his shoulder at the half-saiyan.
"I will train with you and I will go to school on moments like this. The school is open and I have nothing useful to do." Gohan reasoned.
"You're totally right." Vegeta leaned back and smirked at the half-saiyan. "You don't have anything useful to do. The bathroom can use a thorough cleaning. Get to it." He ordered.
Gohan made a face as he looked at the bathroom door. That was not what he was trying to achieve here. "But… You don't want me to grow up and be stupid, right?"
"I thought you were so smart." Vegeta typed something in his computer. "Didn't you say something like that this morning? No need for a genius like you to go to school."
"I want to learn new things." Gohan tried again.
"I can teach you everything you need to know."
Gohan growled and turned away from the couch. This was so disappointing. Why could Vegeta never just give way? The half-saiyan leaned against the couch with his back, his hands curling around the upper side of the back leaning.
Raditz shrugged, smiling at the young warrior. It was hopeless, he seemed to say.
"Does it cost money? The school?" Gohan asked his uncle.
"I don't think so." Raditz responded, shaking his head.
"So, you've got nothing to lose." Gohan turned back to Vegeta. "You'll get rid of me for a few hours every day."
"That makes it more tempting."
"What do you say, Raditz?" Gohan asked, turning to his uncle. "Do you think I can go?"
Raditz shrugged again. "It's not my decision to make."
"Oh, grow a spine." Gohan snarled in response. Raditz chuckled but he did not send a counterattack. He knew Gohan was just lashing out because the boy wasn't getting his way. "You have an opinion, don't you?"
"It can't hurt." Raditz grabbed the drink Gohan left on the windowsill and stepped closer. He handed the drink to the half-saiyan. "But you cannot expect us to let you run off on your own. Not yet."
"Why not? You have your goons all over the planet and you have an agreement with the people who work at the space pod centre." Gohan frowned as he leaned back against the couch again. "You've got me all boxed in. You might as well make my cage a little larger."
Gohan turned to Vegeta again. "You can even pick me up and drop me off every time I go."
"And you think we feel like doing that?"
"You are unbelievable!" Gohan snarled. "What do I have to do to make you say yes?"
"I won't say yes." Vegeta looked up at him. "Now stop whining before I knock you out. And go clean the bathroom."
"But..."
"NOW!" Vegeta yelled. "Or suffer the consequences."
Gohan stamped on the floor one last time but he obeyed the order and walked away to get the cleaning supplies. The three adults were silent while Gohan prepared everything for the thorough cleaning, and once he was inside the bathroom, Nappa turned to the squad leader.
"I don't think it would hurt to let him go." Nappa stated softly.
Vegeta looked up. "You too?" He asked, frowning. "I knew Raditz would fall for him easily but I thought you would put up more of a fight."
"Think about it." Nappa continued. "We can throw him a bone once in a while. He will only appreciate us for it. Besides, he might make friends, he might want to graduate. It's better to give him a world to come home to. That will make the chance that he will try to run smaller."
"And it shows that we trust him enough to let him go to school." Raditz leaned on the back leaning of the couch with his hand. "I have a feeling he will appreciate that."
Vegeta took a deep breath. "Fine." He responded. "But we'll wait a few days before telling him. I don't want him to think we gave in so easily."
**** DBZ **** DBZ ****
Gohan rubbed a cloth over the metal table until it was shining. The young warrior walked back to the small kitchen and tossed the cloth on the counter. After this he closed the dishwasher and turned it on. The young warrior gave the counter a quick wipe before putting the cloth away and walking over to the windows.
"Half-breed." Vegeta stated, looking up from the couch.
"Yeah?" Gohan walked closer, expecting an assignment.
"We decided to let you go to school, if you still want to." Vegeta said. "Raditz will take you there this afternoon so you can sort things out with the school. You're not the only teen soldier. They can make some arrangements. You'll do most of your studying at home but you'll get to make the tests and follow some classes at the school."
"Really?" Gohan's eyes lit up as a grin appeared on his face. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me just yet." Vegeta looked back down at his laptop. "I won't let you take time off from your chores or your training to do your homework. You'll have to find time on your own."
Gohan looked over at Raditz. "Can we go now?"
Raditz slowly got up. "Okay. Fine."
**** DBZ **** DBZ ****
A few days later, Gohan stumbled back in mid-air, trying to avoid the punches being thrown at him. Vegeta disregarded Gohan's wish for distance and followed the half-saiyan closely. Gohan blocked a punch and just about blocked a kick.
"You're too hesitant." Vegeta snarled as he punched the half-saiyan. Gohan moved up his hand to catch the punch. Vegeta's eyes lit up and he instantly changed tactics, pushing his knee up instead of completing his punch. Gohan was too focused on Vegeta's feigned punch that he did not see the knee coming.
The boy coughed out some spit as Vegeta's knee pushed the air out of his lungs. The man's hand appeared in front of him and Gohan found his body being pushed up. Vegeta grabbed his chin and forced Gohan to look at him.
"Your eyes are all over the place." Vegeta snarled, glaring into Gohan's dark orbs. "Focus on my eyes so you can anticipate my movements."
Gohan gritted his teeth and pulled up his legs. He planned on kicking his feet into Vegeta's stomach in order to free his chin from the man's grip, but Vegeta's tail curled around his feet. The man released the young warrior's face and used his tail to pull the half-saiyan down just enough to be at proper kicking height.
Vegeta's boot slammed into Gohan's skull before the half-saiyan could even react. The half-saiyan was thrown off his feet, falling to the ground and rolling a few feet before skidding to a stop. He placed a hand on the side of his head, groaning at the immense pain he was feeling.
Vegeta landed on the ground. "When will you finally be strong enough to keep up with us?" He taunted as he slowly stepped closer to the half-saiyan.
Gohan placed his palms on the ground, forcing his shaking arms to push his body up. The young warrior glanced sideways when he realized Vegeta was approaching him. Gohan stood up fully, glaring at the full-blooded saiyan.
"Back on planet Vegeta, we knew what to do with filthy hybrids." Vegeta continued. "They were kept in cages and forced to work as slaves in the castle. Or we used them for animal testing." The man shrugged as he stopped walking. "They are just as expendable as animals but also slightly more suitable than animals because their bodies are so similar to the real thing."
The half-saiyan glared at Vegeta. "So, what are you?" Vegeta tilted his head sideways. "Better of as a slave or a guinea pig? I'd say the image of you locked away in a cage is quite amusing."
Gohan clenched his fists. He jumped up and tried to kick the full-blooded saiyan. However, Vegeta grabbed his lower leg and slammed the half-saiyan back to the ground. Vegeta tried to step on Gohan's stomach but the young warrior rolled away and jumped up. Gohan pushed off, flew over Vegeta, and landed on the other side of the warrior.
The half-saiyan put his hands together to send a blast. Too late, he realized that Vegeta did not even attempt to turn around. Gohan gasped when the man's tail curled around his lower arms, which Gohan so conveniently placed together in order to send his attack, and he was lifted up in the air. Vegeta hoisted Gohan up, forced the boy to fly over him and he slammed Gohan down on the ground in front of him.
The impact forced the air out of his body and Gohan took a few desperate gasps for oxygen. Vegeta's tail was still holding Gohan's arms in an iron grip and he forced Gohan's body to slide a little closer to him. "Then again, you make a great punching bag. One should not underestimate the importance of handing out a relaxing beating."
Gohan recovered enough to start struggling. He was once again surprised at how strong Vegeta's tail was. The furry limb seemed soft and gentle but it was a deathly weapon when wielded by an experienced warrior.
"And that's what this turns out to be." Vegeta drawled, finally dragging Gohan's body up in the air. The man twisted his tail so Gohan's body would turn around and face him. "You are turning out to be such a disappointment."
The half-saiyan pulled up a leg. Expecting Gohan would try to kick him, Vegeta moved up his arm to block it, but the kick never came. Instead, a harsh punch into his stomach knocked the air out of his body. The man briefly wondered how, but then he caught sight of Gohan's furry tail. The man could not help but be proud of Gohan's tendency to learn quickly and use his lesson efficiently. The boy flawlessly imitated several of Vegeta's earlier moves to catch the man off-guard.
Gohan now actually pulled through with his kick and he threw Vegeta off his feet. The man was forced to release the half-saiyan, who landed elegantly on his feet. Vegeta was back on his feet before Gohan could attack him again.
The two exchanged punches and kicks, attacking, blocking, deflecting, and charging. Their small world revolved around their own fists and the damage they could inflict on each other. The brief struggle for power. Who would eventually be knocked back?
Gohan was surprised when he was actually the one to knock Vegeta to the ground. The young warrior stepped sideways to avoid a punch. He realized that Vegeta sloppily let his entire side open, and he took advantage of it. The half-saiyan moved up his leg, kicking Vegeta's side as hard as he could. Vegeta, realizing his mistake, was too late to protect his body and he was thrown off his feet once more.
The full-blooded saiyan followed Vegeta but he had to let go of this pursuit when Vegeta sent a blast in his direction. Gohan growled in annoyance as he watched Vegeta fly back. The man cracked his knuckles. "You got lucky there."
"Keep telling yourself that." Gohan responded, sending the man a smirk.
Instantly, Vegeta was flying in front of him. Gohan widened his eyes in surprise but he recovered in time to dodge Vegeta's punch. The young warrior tried to create distance between them but Vegeta grabbed his tail and pulled him back.
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 scurried out of the way.
Gohan made his tail wrap around his own waist. "Vegeta. What are you doing?" He asked, extending his open palms to the man in order to stop him.
"I realized I never really pay much attention to the state of your tail. We saiyans need to take care of our furry little friends." The man's eyes glimmered with amusement. "Let me take a look at yours now."
"I-I'm taking good care of it." Gohan answered. "No need to look at it."
Vegeta beckoned him but Gohan shook his head. The young warrior moved up his fists. "We're fighting, remember? Let's leave this for later."
"Fine." Vegeta relented. "We'll fight now." The man launched at him, throwing many different attacks in Gohan's direction. The young warrior was somewhat surprised by Vegeta's renewed ferocity. They'd been fighting for hours. Where was Vegeta getting his energy from?
Gohan leaned back to dodge a punch. The half-saiyan decided to let his body fall back entirely. He caught his body by placing his hands on the ground before his back could hit the ground. Gohan leaned on his hands and tried to kick Vegeta by moving his legs up. Vegeta jumped back to avoid it. Gohan watched his own legs kick in the air uselessly. He let out an annoyed growl before jumping back up.
Vegeta's expression was all smiles as he launched at the half-saiyan again. The man feigned sideways but Gohan did not fall for it. The full-blooded saiyan pushed forwards instead, forcing Gohan to step back. Gohan moved up his fist and tried to punch Vegeta. The older warrior blocked this punch, grabbed hold of Gohan's arm and pulled on the boy's body. He forced Gohan to stumble forwards, passing Vegeta, so the man could make a grab for his tail again.
Gohan awkwardly turned sideways, tripping over his own feet and landing on his behind but also effectively moving his tail out of Vegeta's reach. Vegeta noticed his hand was grabbing into empty air. The man snapped his fingers and let out a disapproving sound because of his own failure.
Gohan quickly got up when he realized that Vegeta was on the move again. The half-saiyan gasped when Vegeta's tail hooked around his ankle and forced the half-saiyan to lose his footing.
Gohan landed flat on his back, making a pained face when his hands and back winced painfully. The young warrior rolled over on his stomach and he was about to get up when Vegeta's tail pushed on his back, forcing him back to the ground. The young warrior tried to use Vegeta's earlier move on the full-blooded saiyan by hooking his tail around Vegeta's ankle.
However, Vegeta stepped on Gohan's tail. The young warrior screamed out in response. "Aaah?" Vegeta sounded amused. "So this didn't hurt?" The man pressed down on Gohan's tail with his foot. Gohan let out a scream in response. "Cause you're kinda giving out mixed signals here."
Gohan whimpered softly when Vegeta stepped back. Vegeta laughed before looking up to where the other two saiyans were fighting. "Hey guys!" He called. The man noticed Gohan was trying to get up so he used his tail to force the boy back down to the ground. "Come here!" He called when Raditz and Nappa looked at him. "I've got a surprise."
The two adults landed on the ground near them. Gohan moved up his arms so he could lean on them. Vegeta gave him that much room. The saiyan prince smirked up at the others. "Watch this." He casually stepped on Gohan's tail and the half-saiyan gave out a cry. His entire body tensed because of the pain. He clenched his fists and pressed his lips together so he would not let out any other sounds of pain.
Raditz looked up. "His tail hurts." He scratched his head. "I never realized that."
"It didn't cross my mind either." Vegeta responded. The man stepped back and allowed Gohan to get up. The half-saiyan quickly brought his body into a sitting position. He curled his tail around his waist, safe and sound.
"What do we do about this?" Nappa asked, looking from the one to the other. "Numb it?"
"I don't think Frieza or any of the other soldiers still remember the weakness." Vegeta said thoughtfully. The man's gaze moved down to the half-saiyan. "And it will only come in handy in our hands." Gohan glared up at him. "It's easy to restrain a saiyan if you know how to do it."
"You want to let it be?" Raditz asked.
"For now." Vegeta reached down and pulled the half-saiyan up by the band of his armour. The man patted on Gohan's head. "You're more of a saiyan than I gave you credit for." He stated before moving to the entrance. "I'm done here. Let's go."
Gohan clenched his fists as he watched the man walk away. Every part of him wanted to attack Vegeta for treating him like some sort of pawn, but he knew it would only get him in trouble. Patience… But his patience was running out so fast.
The saiyans managed to confiscate a shower room for themselves by locking the entrance door. After showering, the group was getting ready to leave the room.
"Off to the mess hall?" Raditz suggested, looking over at Vegeta for confirmation.
"You guys go head. I want to talk to the boy." Vegeta responded.
Gohan was standing in front of the mirror, trying out different manners to tie his hair in a tail and how they looked on him. However, when he heard Vegeta's last sentence, he released his hair and lowered his arms.
The half-saiyan turned to look at the squad leader. Did he do something wrong? Raditz and Nappa cheerfully wished Gohan luck before they left the room. The half-saiyan hesitantly looked over at Vegeta, who was still pulling on his boots. The man was not in a hurry as he made sure that his boots were on well enough.
Vegeta finally looked up. The man tapped on the bench with his hand, indicating that Gohan was to sit down next to him. The half-saiyan walked closer and sat down next to Vegeta.
The full-blooded warrior glanced sideways and studied the young warrior. Gohan looked relatively uncomfortable and Vegeta briefly wondered if that was because the half-saiyan knew he was in trouble or because the young warrior was sitting right next to Vegeta. The man noted the many cuts and bruises on Gohan's face and arms. Some would heal nicely, some would probably leave a scar. It was all part of the warrior life.
The man reached out and, before Gohan could move his face back, touched Gohan cheek with the back of his finger. "You shouldn't let us punch your eyes blue every day, kiddo, or they'll stay like that forever."
Gohan also noticed the blue colouring around his right eye when he was looking in the mirror earlier. There was still some discolouring from yet another punch he received yesterday on the area around his other eye. The half-saiyan did not respond to Vegeta's comment. It wasn't like he could help it. He could not keep up with them. Not yet.
Vegeta realized that Gohan was not going to say anything in return so he lowered his hand. "Why did you lie to me today?" He asked.
Gohan assumed Vegeta was talking about Gohan's lie about the sensitivity of his tail. The half-saiyan shrugged. "It went automatically actually." He realized it as he said it out loud. His defence mechanism caused him to lie about it. "I didn't want you to know the truth."
"Why not?"
The half-saiyan briefly considered lying again but he discarded this thought and answered truthfully: "It's a weakness. I cannot let you guys know that I can be subdued that easily."
"You're afraid we'll use it against you, right?" Vegeta was staring at the entrance.
"Will you?" Gohan looked up at him. The man's dark-brown hair was a sharp contrast against the white walls of the room.
Vegeta considered this. "I can't promise you I won't use it against you."
Gohan pressed his lips together as he lowered his gaze to the ground. "Well, that's why I lied."
"You cannot lie about everything." Vegeta responded. "A squad like ours needs trust. You need to trust us and we should be able to trust you."
The half-saiyan pulled up his legs so he could put his feet on the bench. He wrapped his arms around his legs. "You shouldn't recruit your soldiers the way you recruited me then."
"Do you really think you'll get out of here?" Vegeta asked, raising an eyebrow. "After all these months of being in the army, you still believe you have a chance?" The man was silent for a moment to allow Gohan a response but the half-saiyan did not say anything. The boy just gave a stubborn stare at the area in front of them. "Even if you manage to leave this planet where pretty much every person knows you're a flight risk, we will follow you immediately. Aside from that Frieza told us he would send his goons after you if you leave and even the Ginyu Force expressed that they would love to take that task on."
Gohan lowered his gaze. The Ginyu Force did indeed spread a rumour that they would bring Gohan back in pieces if he tried to leave the army. He never even spoke to them since their first meeting but they seemed to loathe him just as much as Frieza and Zarbon.
"Instead of wishing for the impossible, why don't you try to build a life in our army?" Vegeta suggested. "Go to your school. Make friends. Train with us. Get stronger. The life in the army might be tough but it is also the best combat school you'll ever come across. If only you would really work for it, you'll get the best results in no-time."
Gohan scoffed. "You would like that, wouldn't you? I would be playing right into your hands if I started cooperating now."
"It would make my life easier." Vegeta said, nodding. "But the same goes for you. Wouldn't your life be a lot easier if we could let you do what you wanted?" The man noticed he got Gohan's attention so he continued: "We only lock you up because we cannot trust you'll return every evening. If we can trust you, we'll be able to let you have more privileges. You'll get to write your own reports. You can go out whenever you want as long as you show up at the training sessions. I don't intend to force you to clean the apartment for the rest of your life, you know, and the bars in front of the windows obstruct the view a little too much in my opinion."
"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." He roughly tousled Gohan hair before getting up from the bench. The man seemed to consider this conversation at its end and he headed for the door.
"That would be nice." Gohan muttered and Vegeta froze. The man turned around to look at the half-saiyan, but Gohan was staring at the ground self-consciously.
Vegeta's gaze softened briefly but he shook it off and opened the door. "Let's get going, kiddo. Food is way more important than all this mushy stuff."
Gohan nodded and he got up. "Right."
**** DBZ **** DBZ ****
That was it for now!
Please review and let me know what you think!
Next time on a Half-breed's Life
"You'll go to school and come straight back here. Don't talk to anyone. Don't even make eye-contact with anyone." Vegeta instructed the young warrior. "If you get in any sort of trouble I will personally give your tail a nice and hard massage."
Gohan glared at him. "I can walk for ten minutes without getting in trouble."
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"You're a saiyan, aren't you?"
Gohan looked up at her voice. She seemed older than he was. Her violet eyes were studying him curiously. She placed a cap on her head, covering her short lemon hair. "You seem young to be a soldier." She leaned back on her seat, her eyes running up and down his body shamelessly.
**** DBZ ****
"Fancy seeing you here." Ginyu's eyes ran up and down Gohan's attire as he spoke. "I'm off to have a training session with my comrades. Why don't you join me?"
**** DBZ ****
"You like being a soldier." Vegeta growled at him. Gohan gave a him a confused expression. "You don't mind spending time away from your studies to train. You get all the freedom in the world to interact with children of your age." While Vegeta spoke Gohan realized what was going on. Vegeta was supplying him with answers he could give to the doctor. He did not want Gohan to tell the doctor the truth, he expected Gohan to play along with this lie. "We don't physically hurt you. We've never laid a finger on you outside of the training sessions. We don't force you to do anything you don't want to do. You joined the army because you had nowhere else to go and we offered to take you in, out of the goodness of our hearts."
The resentment must have shown on Gohan's face because Vegeta leaned in even closer. "If you say anything that will make that doctor think he needs to take you away from us, I swear I will kill him and give you such a thrashing you won't be able to move your limbs for months, got it?"
**** DBZ ****
The doctor held Gohan's gaze. "My practice was created so we could do something against the exploitation of children." He explained. "You don't have to be afraid of your comrades. They can't hurt you. Just be honest with me and I can get you out of this situation. You can stay here until we find you a place where you can be safe."
"Be honest, okay?" The doctor smiled at the young warrior and Gohan returned his smile, although somewhat hesitant. "So, Gohan, did you join the army because you really wanted to or not?"
Until next time!