Rewrite: A Half-breed's Life 1

by Xj9

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

29. Chapter 29: A Soldier's Burden

Previously on A Half-breed's Life 1:

"Dear Vegeta, I seem to miss one of yours. Has he been beaten up so much that he needed to consult the rejuvenation tank?" Frieza asked curiously.

Vegeta considered lying but he knew Frieza would find out eventually. The man asked for Gohan to meet him often enough. Same went for the Ginyu Force and Zarbon. Vegeta would only get in trouble if he lied to Frieza now. "No sir. We lost the boy."

"He died?"

"No. He… He left the planet without our permission." Vegeta decided to just throw it out there. The whole situation was a huge blow to his pride and if he ever saw that runt again, the boy would pay for it dearly.

"He left the planet without your permission." Frieza repeated slowly. "So, he ran away?"

"Affirmative, sir."

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Lord Cooler leaned on the silver desk with his lower arms. "I'd say the privileges you got to enjoy as an elite soldier are more than fine. Most people start in the normal ranks but you received the best of the best straight away."

"I prefer freedom over luxury, sir." Gohan stated simply.

Lord Cooler was silent for a moment before he leaned back on his seat. "You're one of a kind, you know. So young but yet so outspoken." He tilted his head sideways as he studied Gohan. "I can bring veteran soldiers shaking and shivering to their knees but you don't even appear afraid of me at all."

"Maybe I'm just good at hiding my fear." Gohan suggested. He was actually very afraid of Lord Cooler. Not of the man himself. But he was afraid of Lord Cooler's power. If Lord Cooler wanted it, he could enslave Gohan for the rest of the Saiyan's life. And if Lord Cooler decided to boast about Gohan to Frieza, the latter would find out where Gohan was and he would probably go straight to the saiyans with this news.

"Maybe." Lord Cooler leaned on the table with his lower arms and gave the young warrior a penetrating glance. "Furani told me your background story and I personally find it quite hard to believe."

"Sir?" Gohan asked, not really sure what Cooler expected him to say.

"Exactly." Cooler gave the young warrior a smirk. "You're too used to this hierarchy between us. You end your sentences with 'sir'. You are used to training for long hours and you had no trouble getting into this uniform." The man tilted his head sideways as he studied Gohan's solemn expression. "The raw recruits tend to ask how to put the armor on but you did it without even thinking about it."

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Furani shook his head. "Not really. I would know if any person in our army would have found a Saiyan." He spread his light-blue arms as he said this. "Did he lose his way?"

"No." Vegeta responded truthfully. "He ran away from us."

"Alright." Furani nodded once. "Are we looking out for a child?" He asked, tilting his head sideways, curious for more information about Gohan.

"Yes," Vegeta said. The man looked up when his scouter beeped to tell him that Nappa and Raditz were coming closer. He went ahead to make sure he would catch Cooler's team before they left. "He turned twelve just a week ago." The man noticed a change in the direction of the wind and he suddenly widened his dark eyes as his system caught a whiff of a scent. "He's here."

Furani raised both his eyebrows. "What?"

Vegeta's glare intensified. "He's here. You're hiding him from me!" He accused. "Gohan! Get out here now!" He yelled. "I know you're here. I can smell your scent!" Gohan closed his eyes as he tried not to move.

Furani laughed. "I think your search for your little comrade has made you crazy." He teased as he placed his hands on his hips. "You are seeing things… Or maybe you're smelling things that aren't here."

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"I'm not a renegade!" Gohan exclaimed.

"You ran away from my brother's army. You abandoned your comrades during a mission. That's treason, boy." Cooler turned to start walking. Furani pushed against Gohan's shoulder in order to tell Gohan to start walking too. The half-saiyan obeyed and he followed Cooler. The floor felt cold against his naked feet.

"If I had anything to say about it," Cooler stated, "I would have killed you straight away. I know what to do with traitors." He led Gohan to a nearby room. "Sadly, I have no say in the matter anymore."

Gohan gave the man a confused glance before he looked forwards and noticed two people he hoped never to see again. Zarbon and Dodoria both grinned when they noticed the distraught look on Gohan's face.

"Hello there, little half-saiyan." Zarbon stated in a cheerful manner.

Gohan whirled around and tried to run out of the room but there was already someone standing in the doorway. Frieza's eyes locked onto Gohan's brown orbs. "Leaving without saying goodbye? That's rude, little saiyan." He drawled.

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"My sons are fighting… And over this?" Cold stated as he studied the younger warrior. The man turned to his children while still keeping a hold on the half-saiyan. "Why don't we just kill them all and be done with it? A couple of brutes are not important enough to for my children to argue like this."

"He might not look like much now." Frieza stated as his gaze landed on the half-saiyan. "But he's only a kid and he's already keeping up with the adults around him. I'll bet he will be twice as strong as he is now in only a couple of years. If he is trained well, that is."

"And my soldiers can train him well. He will join my elite team. That's a better training school than a couple of monkeys." Cooler stated as he walked closer.

"He belongs with the rest of his race." Frieza argued. "I have the Saiyans. I may as well keep them all together. They work best as a group. You know that has always been the strength of the Saiyans."

"You've got a point." King Cold released the half-saiyan. "Alright. Frieza, you can keep the bastard." He stated. Cooler opened his mouth to argue. "Frieza had him first. Besides, Frieza has a right to control him for now seeing as the boy ran away from his army in the first place. However, I want to consider the boy as common property. I'll make sure he spends a couple of months under Cooler's custody once in a while. That way he belongs to both armies. Do we agree?"

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"Good. Now." Frieza's tail slithered across Gohan's shoulders and traced over his collarbone gently. "We found out that the little Saiyan simply lost his way. Nothing can be done about that." Gohan's fingers trembled at the urge to push Frieza away but he clenched his fists and kept them close to his sides. "Still, these things cannot go unpunished."

Gohan's eyes widened in panic for only a second and he looked up to his comrades right before Frieza's tail pushed against Gohan's cheek and simply pushed the young warrior's face sideways with such force that Gohan's neck broke instantly. The young warrior's body went limb and he fell to the ground.

Vegeta could feel a chill run down his spine as he watched Gohan's body break down. Frieza pulled back and smiled. "He can survive if he's brought to the rejuvenation tank on time. I'd say he has ten minutes. It's your choice, Vegeta." The man turned away from them and walked back to his throne. "You're dismissed."

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"Why did you decide to help him?" Nappa asked as he glanced to Vegeta. The two were watching as Raditz placed the youngest Saiyan in the rejuvenation tank.

Vegeta crossed his arms over each other. "We saved his life, Nappa. He owes us one now. Pride is anything and everything to a Saiyan. This is a debt he is going to have to repay to us."

Thanks for the reviews on the previous chapters!

Chapter 29. A Soldier's Burden.

Gohan opened his eyes and for a moment his entire world was blue. The young warrior briefly wondered if he was still dreaming but then he became aware of the liquid that was pressing against his skin. He was in the rejuvenation tank. The young warrior looked up and realized that he was not alone in the room. The three saiyan warriors were standing around talking to each other. They were waiting for him to come out.

A ping caught their attention and they looked over at him. Gohan leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He was back in their grasp. And he was in so much trouble. The half-saiyan opened his eyes when the liquid started to drain and his wet skin suddenly felt very cold. The young warrior watched as Vegeta stepped closer and opened the tank.

The half-saiyan hesitated but he didn't get any time to think as two tails reached inside and curled around his wrists. The young warrior was hauled from the tank and forced to stumble out. Raditz and Nappa used their tails to make Gohan stand straight with his arms spread out. Rejuvenation liquid still dripping down his body, Gohan shivered as he stood in front of Vegeta. He'd forgotten what it was like to be self-conscious but standing naked in front of three entirely clothed men, who happened to be very angry with him, made even the confident half-saiyan feel uncomfortable.

Vegeta crossed his arms over each other as he stepped closer. "Well well well, look who came back to his beloved comrades. You keep trying to run away but every time you come falling right back into our lap. It's almost like you're not supposed to escape us." He stated. Gohan adjusted his footing but he didn't attempt to escape. "So what are we going to do now? Maybe we'll take a long walk around the ship with you just like this." Vegeta suggested. "Or we could tie you up and leave you in the communal training room as a token of shame. Or, maybe we should wrap a ki-restrainer around your sorry little neck and sell you to the highest bidder. After all this time it seems that you might be worth more in credits rather than in strength."

Gohan didn't respond but continued to stare at the man in front of him. This didn't matter as Vegeta had enough to talk about. "All in all, whatever we decide to do, we can do it. Because nobody cares." The man reached out and grabbed Gohan's chin in an iron grip. "Do you understand me? Nobody cares about you. Every person you tried to ask for help turned their back on you or handed you right back over to us." Vegeta released Gohan's chin and his hand moved to Gohan's shoulder. The Saiyan prince moved up his leg and cruelly kneed Gohan's crotch. The pain that followed was something the half-saiyan had never felt before. His vision turned white momentarily as he opened his mouth to let out a scream but the only sound he could produce was a weak throaty gasp. Still wheezing pathetically, the young warrior sank through his knees as his now free hands moved downwards to protect his crotch from anymore danger.

The young warrior let out a gasp when a boot was placed on the back of his head and pushed him down harshly. His vision momentarily turned white again when his forehead connected with the harsh white ground. "This is where you belong!" Vegeta snarled as he applied pressure on Gohan's head. "Under my boot! Stop living in a fantasy world, brat. Fairy tales don't exist. Happy endings won't come true and stupid little children don't get their wishes. Life is miserable and it's time you learned your place here. You're not going anywhere."

Gohan endured the pain Vegeta was putting him through in silence but he opened his eyes when Vegeta stepped back. However, the half-saiyan's hopes that the man was done with him were destroyed when a hand roughly fisted Gohan's hair and forced him to look right into Vegeta's face.

The man was kneeling down in front of the crouched half-saiyan now as he held the younger warrior by his dark brown hair. "You're mine, brat. And you will continue to be my little toy until either you or I die, whichever comes first. Now," Vegeta created a ki-knife by extending his index-finger and middle-finger together, "I remember making some half-assed threat about castrating you if you ever tried to escape again." The man sat up and forced Gohan to sit up straight as well while still kneeling on the ground. The young warrior resisted the urge to position his hands over his crotch protectively as it would only show his fear. "Maybe if I follow through on that threat you might hesitate before crossing me again." He said threateningly.

Gohan met his gaze head on. His body grew cold as he thought about the pain Vegeta was threatening to inflict on him. However, Vegeta didn't have to know how horrified Gohan was feeling. The full-blooded Saiyan stared back at the young warrior before moving his knife closer the boy's face. The man pushed his sharp ki-knife in the scar tissue on Gohan's cheek. The half-saiyan only widened his eyes for a moment in response and he pressed his lips tightly together in order to still any sounds of pain that might have escaped from his mouth.

Vegeta had the tendency to stare right into Gohan's eyes whenever the man was torturing the half-saiyan. The man said this was because he could see the pain in Gohan's eyes. The young warrior might refuse to scream or even whimper in pain, but his eyes gave his real feelings. Vegeta moved the ki-knife down, slicing a cut into Gohan's skin. The half-saiyan realized the man was following the line of a scar that had been there for a few years now. It was a cut Vegeta made himself when he managed to hit Gohan's cheek during a spar.

Vegeta pulled the knife away and made it disappear as he studied his work. The man reached out and cupped Gohan's chin with his hand. He pushed Gohan's face up towards the light and used his thumb to wipe away a drop of blood that was running down from the cut. The gesture seemed almost lovingly if only the cut wasn't created by the same hands. "Perfect." Vegeta stated. "Wouldn't want my mark on you to disappear now would we?"

Gohan was silent as he stared at Vegeta. The anger inside his body almost made him tremble but he managed to keep it down. He had to stay silent. Arguing would only get him in more trouble.

"Get dressed, brat." Vegeta snarled before getting up. Gohan realized that Vegeta was done and he quickly got up, almost running to the bundle of clothing he saw lying on the table. The young warrior was pulling on the blue uniform when Raditz approached him.

"Stay still." Raditz ordered harshly before reaching out with a cloth that reeked of alcohol and rubbing it against the cut on Gohan's cheek so harshly that the half-saiyan winced. It didn't hurt more than getting cut. However, he was shocked by Raditz's rough treatment. The man wasn't the gentlest person but now it felt like he was trying to hurt the young warrior.

After cleaning the cut Raditz placed a plaster over it. "Hurry up." He said as he gave Gohan a brief push against the back of his shoulder.

"Raditz... I…" Gohan started as he turned to Raditz again.

"Silence." Raditz responded harshly. Gohan stepped back as a cold feeling ran down his torso. The half-saiyan turned to his clothing. As he grabbed his armour he wondered why he was suddenly feeling so sad. It wasn't because he was back in the claws of his comrades. He was used to feeling trapped and he was definitely used to the hopeless sensation of a failed escaped attempt. So what was going on here?

Gohan grabbed his white glove and he thought about Raditz's gruff response. He realized that everything would be just like the way it was when he just joined them. They wouldn't leave him alone for even a second. Their already strained relationship was now crumbled to pieces.

Gohan tugged on the second glove and stared at his gloved hand. Regret? Is that what this was? Gohan realized that he did not mainly regret getting caught but he regretted the attempt in general. Before his attempt their relationship wasn't perfect but it was manageable. It was decent. Maybe even… nice… sometimes…

The half-saiyan finished getting dressed and he noticed Vegeta was already waiting for him. The man made a rotating movement with his finger, telling Gohan to turn around. The half-saiyan followed his order and Vegeta roughly grabbed Gohan's arms and tied them together by his wrist. The half-saiyan bit his lip as he felt the rope bite tightly into his flesh.

Vegeta's hand landed on Gohan's shoulder and forcibly turned him back to the Saiyans. Vegeta made a face as he was distracted by the feeling of Gohan's shoulder. His hand felt along Gohan's shoulder down to his arm, pinching and prodding Gohan's muscles, not missing the glare he was receiving from the half-saiyan.

"You lost muscle." Vegeta stated. "Honestly, how did you manage to throw away everything we've worked for in just a couple of months?"

"I didn't have a training partner." Gohan responded meekly.

"Hmm, I guess so." Vegeta made a face. "Well, we'll have to work you extra hard from now on in order to get you back on the same level you were when you got lost." The man released the half-saiyan and allowed a smirk to appear on his face.

"Welcome back, little Saiyan." Vegeta's gaze held the younger warrior's gaze. His eyes clung onto Gohan's gaze, mentally forcing the younger warrior to lower his eyes. But Gohan refused to do so.

"Thank you." Gohan responded in a voice that sounded as dry as his throat felt. "But please don't get used to my presence. I won't be here long."

Vegeta grinned in response. "Ah, that's the little half-breed we know and love." He stated before he turned to leave the room. Gohan noticed that Raditz motioned for the half-saiyan to start walking so he followed his uncle's directions and followed Vegeta. Raditz and Nappa took up their position right behind him, making sure to keep an eye on the younger warrior.

Gohan felt like lowering his gaze as they walked. He couldn't believe he was back here. Once again, he was stuck in this horrible army. He was back with his comrades. The half-saiyan felt like crying but he stopped his body from doing so. That would only grant his comrades satisfaction and he definitely didn't want to give them that. The jerks would enjoy that way too much.

The half-saiyan noticed a change in the atmosphere and he looked up to see his former team walking closer to them. The half-saiyan briefly felt humiliated at facing them while his hands were tied behind his back but then again, he realized that they were aware of the fact that he didn't want to be here. He was a prisoner. He may as well look it.

The Saiyan squad nodded to the other team to show respect. Gohan followed their example. Furani looked over at Gohan. "We just wanted to say goodbye." He stated more to Gohan than to Vegeta. "And see you soon. You'll be joining us again in about twelve months."

Gohan already heard about this. Once every twelve months he was supposed to spend six months in Cooler's army. This was not something he was looking forwards to. The young warrior nodded once in response. "Yes, sir."

"Aww…" Iona cooed as she stepped closer to the half-saiyan. Gohan resisted the urge to step back but he could automatically feel his body tense up as she approached him. The female soldiers pinched both his cheeks painfully before she threw her arms around him. "I'm going to miss you so much, my little teddy bear."

Despite the fact that he should be used to this by now, Gohan's cheeks were heating up as she did this. The young warrior could feel the amusement radiating off his saiyan comrades and he once again vowed to start killing everyone on sight, men and women.

Iona was smiling as she pulled back again and she gave one last tap on Gohan's nose before she stepped back. "I'll see you in twelve months, kiddo." She winked at him before she returned to her team.

Furani now looked to Vegeta. "Take good care of the boy. Please don't destroy all we've worked for these past few months."

"It will only benefit him to forget everything you've taught him." Vegeta returned easily.

Furani only sent the Saiyan prince a smirk before he ordered his team to follow him. The squad walked past the Saiyan team, going in the opposite direction. Gohan blew out a sigh. He was glad that was over.

Vegeta studied the younger warrior. "How do you do that?"

Gohan looked up. "What?"

"Make those women fawn over you."

"I know." Raditz added. "I have no idea how he does that."

"All I see is an ugly little runt with a big mouth." Nappa added as he studied the half-saiyan. The man didn't miss the darkening of Gohan's expression at his insults but he didn't care either.

"This is a stupid conversation." Gohan stated as he turned to leave. The half-saiyan didn't notice how the others exchanged amused glances before they followed the younger warrior.

The group reached their apartment easily. Gohan could feel his heart sink as he studied the familiar room. He was back in his old prison. The young warrior was distracted from his thoughts when he felt hands on his wrists. Vegeta was untying him already.

Gohan rubbed his hands over his wrists in order to ease the pain caused by the rope. The young warrior turned to Vegeta. The Saiyan prince motioned to the room around them. "I expect you know where everything is." He stated. "You'll have the rest of the day to clean the entire apartment." The man did not miss how Gohan scoffed in response to this comment. "Start in the bathroom."

Gohan raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious?" He asked.

"Oh yes." Vegeta pressed on his scouter to check the time. "And I'd hurry it up. If you don't finish the bathroom by dinner time, you'll get no dinner at all."

Raditz was one step ahead of them as he appeared with cleaning supplies in his hands. He pushed the bucket in Gohan's arms. The brooms and cloths fell out easily, all clattering on the ground. Raditz didn't seem to care as he roughly tousled Gohan's hair. "Have fun." Raditz stated.

The two adults turned to leave the half-saiyan. Gohan watched them walk away. His gaze lowered to the cleaning supplies and he let out a sigh. Jerks. The young warrior decided to be obedient for now and he knelt down to gather everything.

It took Gohan all day to clean the apartment. Vegeta did cut him a little slack and allowed him to have something to eat as Gohan did finish the bathroom on time. After dinner Gohan spent the rest of the evening cleaning the kitchen, the main room and the two bedrooms.

The twelve-year-old was just putting the cleaning supplies away when Vegeta approached him. The man told the half-saiyan to get to bed and Gohan obediently went to his bedroom. Raditz entered while Gohan was getting ready to go to bed. The young warrior peeled his uniform off. He wasn't aware of Raditz's eyes until his uncle actually started speaking to him.

"You've grown."

Gohan looked over at Raditz. His uncle was sitting on his own bed. The half-saiyan wasn't sure what to say and he slowly nodded. "Children tend to do that."

"Not just… physically." Raditz added. "There's a different air about you."

Gohan finished taking off his uniform so he sat down on his bed. "I've been through a lot." He stated. The young warrior decided to move under his sheets.

"So, what happened?" Raditz asked curiously. "Since you left us?"

"Yeah, what did you do?" Nappa headed into the room as well. He fell down on Gohan's bed.

"I don't really feel like talking about it." Gohan stated in response. He adjusted the sheets so they were covering him up to his hips as he sat in the bed.

"Why is everyone in here?" Vegeta complained as he walked into the room.

"Gohan was just telling us what happened since he left us." Raditz answered. Vegeta raised an eyebrow as he turned to Gohan.

"No, I wasn't." Gohan complained.

"You know, you're not exactly in our good graces right now." Nappa stated. "So it couldn't hurt to humour us." The man grinned innocently when Gohan met his eyes. Raditz showed the same expression while Vegeta sat down on Raditz's bed.

Gohan pressed his lips together for a moment. "It's kind of a long story and we were just getting to bed." He tried.

"I'm not that tired anyway." Nappa said, waving Gohan's comment away. Vegeta couldn't help but smirk at the situation.

"Me neither." Raditz added cheerfully.

"I am quite tired though." Gohan tried once more.

"Then we'll make sure you'll go to bed extra early tomorrow night." Raditz returned easily. "For now, you can tell your story."

Gohan eyed the expectant glances in front of him before he let out a sigh. He was not getting out of this. "Alright." He stated. Vegeta made an impressed face. Nappa and Raditz actually got Gohan to do what they wanted. They were getting better and better at this.

Gohan told his comrades everything he experienced after leaving them. He told how he survived on his own on several planets before he experienced the earthquake and went to help the aliens. He told how he was taking in by them. The young warrior had to stop there for a moment as he suddenly realized these people were all killed.

Vegeta frowned when Gohan suddenly stopped talking. The young warrior placed a hand in front of his mouth, his eyes wide. He fought the urge to cry. He didn't want to break down in front of his comrades like that. Nappa leaned closer and placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder. "Hey, what's going on?" He asked as he moved his head lower in order to look at the half-saiyan's face.

Vegeta got up and tapped Nappa on his shoulder. "It's time to go to bed." He stated. "Come on."

"But I want to know what happened." Nappa stated, oblivious to the situation.

"Raditz can take care of it." Vegeta gave Raditz one look and the uncle nodded once. Nappa made a face but listened to Vegeta and got up.

Raditz got off his bed and sat down on Gohan's bed. "Hey," He stated softly. "What happened?" The half-saiyan shook his head as he closed his eyes. Raditz placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder and used his other hand to push Gohan's face up to look at him. "Tell me, Gohan. What happened?"

Gohan couldn't fight off the wave of sorrow that came over his body after that. He broke down. "They were killed." He stated. "They're all dead!" The tears fell down his cheeks. Until now he'd never really thought about them. He'd been too busy trying to survive in Cooler's army. Only now that he was thinking about the planet, he also realized what happened after Cooler's men took Gohan away.

"What?" Raditz's eyes were wide as he studied his suddenly so small nephew. Gohan's sobs were now coming to an extreme so Raditz decided to wrap his arms around the little Saiyan. Gohan allowed this to happen. The uncle wasn't sure what to do. He settled with gently stroking Gohan's dark hair.

It wasn't long before Gohan's sobs became less frequent and he slowly but surely fell silent. Raditz glanced down and realized Gohan was asleep. The man very gently placed the sleeping half-saiyan on the bed and pulled sheets up to cover him up to his chin.

Raditz studied the red cheeks and still wet skin under the half-saiyan's eyes. The man placed a hand on his head before he let out a sigh and decided to get something to drink. Vegeta was sitting on the couch in the living room. The saiyan prince looked up when Raditz appeared in the general room.

Raditz didn't say anything as he headed to the kitchen. The room was silent while Raditz grabbed something to drink. He sipped from his water as he returned to Vegeta. The saiyan prince studied him silently. Raditz sat down on the couch. "I think Gohan was taken in by an alien family. And those people were probably killed by Cooler's men afterwards." He stated. "I don't know whether they did it in front of him or whether they told him about it afterwards. But he knows that it happened."

Vegeta nodded once as he crossed his arms over each other. "It's part of a soldier's life." He stated.

"Yes, but we all know Gohan is way too young to be a soldier." Raditz responded.

"He'll get used to it." Vegeta stated before he got up. "Let's go to bed." He didn't say anything else as he walked to his own room. Raditz blew out a sigh before he got up as well. He headed for the bedroom he shared with Gohan. There Gohan was still fast asleep. Raditz studied the half-saiyan silently for a moment before he turned to his own bed. It would take him a while to actually fall asleep as he worried about the effect all this pain might have on the half-saiyan.

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

The following morning, the half-saiyan was woken up early. Gohan was somewhat embarrassed by the outburst he had the previous evening. It was not how he intended to spend his first evening with the rest of the group. However, his comrades didn't even speak about it. Nothing in their behaviour indicated towards their knowledge of Gohan's breakdown the previous night.

Gohan felt awfully uncomfortable as he sat at the table with the rest of the group. The situation was so familiar to him. It was almost like he hadn't been gone for more than six months. It felt like nothing happened.

"Eat up."

Gohan looked up when Vegeta spoke to him. The Saiyan prince nodded to the food Gohan was pushing around on his plate. "You'll need the energy."

The half-saiyan placed his fork back on his plate and crossed his arms over each other. "What for?" He asked. "Oh, let me guess." He continued, not giving Vegeta a moment to answer. "We'll be training for the rest of the day, right? I'll experience the worst training I've ever experienced in my pathetic life? I think I've heard them all, Vegeta."

Vegeta was now leaning back as he waited for Gohan to finish his little tirade. "I see you've forgotten how the hierarchy works in this team." He stated.

"I see you've forgotten how little I care about the hierarchy in this team." Gohan returned easily.

Vegeta chuckled. "I definitely forgot how insolent you can be." He got up from the table. "Eat up, kiddo." He walked to Gohan's side of the table. "I'll make sure to be your first opponent today." Vegeta placed his hands on Gohan's shoulders. "And I'll make sure to teach you again why I am the one on top of the hierarchy of his team." He gently squeezed Gohan's shoulders before he released the half-saiyan and walked away.

Gohan looked over his shoulder to watch Vegeta walk away. Raditz took a breath. "You know, maybe it's a good idea to lay low for a little while." He stated while Gohan turned to look at him.

"Hmmm…" Nappa shook his head. "Half-breed has never been smart enough to know when to shut up."

Gohan shrugged. "I guess laying low is just something I don't really do. Life would be boring if I did, wouldn't it?"

**** A few hours later ****

Gohan crashed down to the ground. The young warrior couldn't help but groan as his hands and knees hurt terribly from yet another landing on the unforgiving ground. Two boots landed on the ground right next to him. Vegeta smirked as his gaze was on the young warrior.

"Oh man, you slacked off." He taunted before he moved up his leg to push Gohan over. The young warrior rolled onto his back. "I mean, you were weak to begin with but you actually managed to become even weaker."

Gohan managed to avoid being kicked in the stomach by rolling even further. Vegeta raised an eyebrow as he watched Gohan get up fully. The young warrior disregarded his bleeding nose as he got in a fighting stance again. Vegeta casually stepped closer to the younger warrior but instead of attacking Gohan, he turned to walk around the half-saiyan.

"Honestly, I missed you, half-breed." Vegeta stated as he circled the younger warrior. Gohan kept an eye on him but did drop his fighting stance. "I missed the way your face feels against my fists. I missed hearing the sounds of you cleaning our apartment." He chuckled as he stopped right in front of the half-saiyan. "You've made a sentimental man of me, kiddo. But that's okay; I will definitely make sure to catch up on our special private time."

There it was. The glint in Gohan's eyes that Vegeta always loved to extract from him. It didn't need that much taunting these days. The young warrior was always ready and eager to fight. Gohan pulled back a punch and tried to push it into Vegeta's stomach. Vegeta easily blocked this attack by lifting his hand and pushing Gohan's arm away.

The two fell back into their old pattern easily. Punching and kicking, trying hard to hurt each other. Gohan noticed how much he missed this type of fighting. He loved this type of ruthless fighting. Nothing mattered but Gohan and his opponents. Right now, nothing mattered but hurting his enemy. And hurting the saiyans was something Gohan actually enjoyed doing.

"I can see it, you know." Vegeta stated. The two warriors were done sparring and were now drinking from their bottles of water. The half-saiyan looked up at him. "I could see the lights in your eyes as we were fighting. Don't try to deny it. You missed sparring with us."

Gohan shrugged. "I never loathed the sparring." He responded truthfully.

**** A Few Hours Later ****

Gohan rubbed the white boot with the cloth, wiping the dirt from the soles. The young warrior blew out a sigh as he stared at the boot. Kami, how he hated his comrades right now, making him do these useless chores. As if they cared how clean their boots were. They just wanted to keep him busy.

"How are those boots coming along?" Nappa approached the half-saiyan and looked at the objects in Gohan's hands. "You're taking ages."

"You gave them to me like five seconds ago." Gohan snarled in response. The half-saiyan gave a quick glance in the direction of the saiyan prince, who was washing his hands in the kitchen sink. The man had the tendency to smack Gohan over his head for even the smallest offence.

"I would keep your big mouth shut if you don't want to spend the next few hours in the rejuvenation tank." Nappa responded.

Gohan narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to respond but he was distracted by Vegeta, who suddenly raised his hand and pressed a button on his scouter. "Vegeta." He stated by way of greeting. The man looked up when he heard the voice on the other side and he frowned.

"Headmaster." Vegeta stated. "How grant of you to contact little old me." The man was silent as he turned around and leaned against the counter with his back. Crossing his arms over each other, the man suddenly locked gazes with the half-saiyan. "He's right here with us, where he belongs."

Nappa grinned as he suddenly reached out and locked his arm around Gohan's head, using his free arm to nudge his knuckles into Gohan's skull. Ignoring the fight between Nappa and Gohan, Vegeta he listened to the explanation on the other side. "Really? Well, that shows your professionalism." He said mockingly.

Gohan finally managed to throw Nappa off and he looked over at Vegeta again. He realized that the headmaster of the training camp Gohan used to stay at was calling Vegeta. And that could only mean that this call was about Gohan's friends. The friends he had to leave at the camp. "Well…" Vegeta hesitated visibly. "He recently managed to get away for a couple of months. He travelled unsupervised for a while until Cooler's soldiers picked him up and delivered him back to us." The man lowered his gaze for a moment as he listened to the other side of the conversation. "He just got lucky. Trust me. It won't happen again."

"I doubt it." Vegeta continued after a brief silence. "He was alone when they found him…. I'm pretty sure. Those runts tend to want to protect each other. I'll bet they would have tried to protect the brat if they were together. He missed them." Vegeta was silent while Gohan gave the man a confused glance. "Don't worry. I won't let him out of my sight." Vegeta's eyes met Gohan's dark orbs again. The half-saiyan held his gaze this time and managed to look defiant in the process. "I will… Good luck…"

Vegeta reached up to disconnect the call. The man stared at Gohan for a minute before he pushed his body away from the counter and headed for the table. The man sat down opposite the half-saiyan and leaned back on his seat. "It seems that your friends managed to escape from the camp."

Gohan felt his heart skip a beat. His friends got away? The half-saiyan wanted to dance in joy and happiness but he forced his face to remain expressionless… At least, he hoped it was expressionless.

"They assembled some sort of acid to nullify their shock bracelets and they hacked the electronic system that controlled the gates." Vegeta's gaze focused on the lights in Gohan's eyes. He could easily see that the half-saiyan was trying hard to hide his feelings. "Something you want to tell me?"

"I've been right here." Gohan responded. "Under your supervision, remember? What could I have done for them?"

"Nothing. You must know, if they try to come for you, we'll bring them right back to the camp."

"They won't come for me." Gohan responded immediately. "People left behind will be left behind. They need to think about what's best for the group."

"A group will come for its leader." Vegeta said as he studied the young warrior.

"I'm not the leader. We're just a group of friends." Gohan said dismissively.

"It's a very organized group of friends." Vegeta said thoughtfully. "All the same, they left without you and I doubt they will return alive. Now you are truly alone in the universe." He said as he focused on Gohan's expression. The half-saiyan still kept the neutral expression. "No friends. No family. No nothing."

"But don't worry." Vegeta got up from his chair and placed his hands on the table as he leaned forwards. "You still have us, don't you?" The man pushed away from the table and walked around it. "You will always be welcome in our loving arms." The man roughly tousled Gohan's hair as he passed the half-saiyan, pushing Gohan's head sideways in the process. "Loving arms…" He chuckled as he headed for the living room.

Gohan lowered his gaze as he thought about his friends, laughing and celebrating, far away from him. He knew he needed to focus on the fact that they were free, even though he was not, but a part of him was immediately jealous that they got away, and sad that he would probably never see them again.

Or would he?

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

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