Saiyan Blood - Part II

Vegeta is strong, but Gohan already knew that when he jumped into a fight against him. But an apefied Vegeta? If he fought at his fullest potential he would have a Power Level around 180.000. But he's not operating at even half of that due to how damaged he currently is he's not THAT much more powerful than Gohan currently is.

Sure, it is still a considerable difference that is nothing to scoff at, but compared to before? This is at least manageable. Gohan has to be extra careful, plan, and rely on the fact that Piccolo is offering support for him as well. While Piccolo might not be anywhere near the two Oozaus when it comes to his Power Level he is still able to pelt the Giant Ape with several Ki Blasts while keeping a fair distance away from any attacks.

There is no doubt in either of their minds that if Gohan were to face Vegeta off alone he would surely be defeated due to the sheer difference in skill level, and it does not help in the slightest that Vegeta has the height advantage here as well, allowing his attacks to have superior reach.

But they don't have to worry about that now because as long as Vegeta is distracted by Piccolo managing to hit some sensitive spots such as his eyes and tail it will at the very least momentarily weaken him. Gohan will have to exploit those short windows of time in which his weakness is exposed to attack him, especially now that Vegeta has become enraged to the point of not being able to think straight. All of those circumstances brought together are what allows them to even have a chance against Vegeta right now.

And that is their biggest advantage: Vegeta's state of mind. If Vegeta were to have a clear mind he would have been able to find a way around their strategy, but as it is? He's far too angry to be able to even fight anywhere near the skill level he should be at, let alone properly react to the Master-Student assault against him.

Of course, it doesn't mean that Vegeta is going to be dealt with in such an easy fashion either, Gohan might be able to get some solid blows here and there but so is Vegeta, and the boy has nowhere the same pain tolerance when compared to the much more experienced warrior and his high threshold for it. Vegeta is simply a monster when it comes to taking and dishing out punishment. Gohan suspects it is largely due to Freeza's influence, only God knows what the space tyrant has done to this Vegeta...

Neither of them speaks for even a split second of delay before reacting is more than enough of a distraction for either of the warriors. Gohan knows full well that if Vegeta manages to get a really good hit he WILL easily be able to follow up with it and quickly overwhelm Gohan.

But what Vegeta is not aware of- Well, neither is Piccolo, really- is the fact that Gohan is not trying to win this bout, but simply stalling for enough time until Goku manages to charge the Genki Dama.

This is, of course, easier said than done considering just how brutal Vegeta is becoming the more attacks he tanks from both the Master and Apprentice duo.

Goku does his best to ignore the sounds of what must be a very intense fight as he focuses on the task at hand. 'Oh, Land, the Seven Seas, and all living Things... please lend me some of your energy! I beg of thee in this time of need to heed my request and aid me in defeating this most fearsome foe!' He's not entirely sure why he's supposed to ask in this way but Kaioh-Sama has instructed him to do as such when requesting for energy.

But... there is something that concerns him... why is there an energy signature quickly approaching this place? Damn it! He does not have the luxury to lose his focus at such an important time...!

Of course, all of his worries only mean he'll gather the energy needed at a considerably slower pace.

-With Raditz and Nappa-

"An artificial moon," The long-haired man pursed his lips. "Are you really that desperate, Vegeta?" Raditz whispered to himself while averting his eyes from the brightness that was being emanated by it. Thankfully he is still too far away for the necessary amount of Blutz Wave to trigger his transformation. But that only means he'll have to not accidentally look up and turn into an Oozaru lest he wishes to fall under Vegeta's command.

He's never been too good when it comes to controlling such a savage transformation and he has no doubt he'll instinctively follow Vegeta's commands the moment he transforms. He cannot allow that to happen.

Raditz glanced to the side to check on Nappa and mentally took note that the burly man was currently passed out, which was not all that surprising considering the severity of his wounds. One might even assume he has bled out and passed away but the Low-Class-Warrior can feel his chest expand with every breath he struggles to take. 'He doesn't seem to be bleeding all that much anymore so I think I may be able to push myself to fly faster now without having to worry about that... No, it's better not to risk it, I might end up messing up...!'

-With Gohan, Piccolo, Goku, and Vegeta-

'How long have I been fighting with Vegeta? It feels like this has lasted for hours.' Gohan grits his teeth and tenses the muscles on his abdomen as Vegeta's fist smashes there. He normally would have at least attempted to grab Vegeta's wrists but he's beginning to lose focus and his reaction time has become more sluggish. He is starting to fear he might not be able to hold on for long...

It seems that something on his apefied face has made his thoughts easy to read because Vegeta took the opportunity to jump back while mockingly laughing at him. "Running out of steam, little boy?"

Vegeta didn't even need to look behind him to know that the Namekuseijin had tried to hit the base of his tail yet again. Of course, much like his previous attempts he has failed to do any significant amount of damage due to Vegeta quickly repositioning while keeping track of him via his peripheral vision for any more tricks. "I don't know what you think your failure of a father is trying to accomplish but that won't be enough to defeat a Super-Elite such as I! Even the three of you joining forces is not enough to take me on so why don't you cease this useless struggle and just accept your inevitable defeat?!"

Piccolo landed on Gohan's left shoulder once he realized what was going on with Vegeta. "He's trying to catch his breath," The green man said quietly so only Gohan was able to hear him. "Vegeta must be as tired as you are but he's holding back from showing it just to demoralize you." So their joined efforts have been having more of an effect than they thought after all.

"It's working," Gohan instinctively snaps at Piccolo in anger. "I... sorry, I know I should not get angry but it's getting hard to stay focused..." He might have some control while in this form but he's considerably easier to anger while in this state. Most likely a side effect of the transformation so that's not too surprising. He also loses some of his intelligence while in that state and tends to act first before thinking. The Oozaru transformation is very primal in nature so it makes sense why all of those things happen.

There is also the fact that while Gohan has practiced with Piccolo under the full moon he has not yet mastered controlling such a form, he is still far too young and immature and lacks the proper experience controlling it in a proper fight. A nice sparring session? Sure, he does not have any difficulties there but there is a big difference between sparring for someone and fighting for your life.

Gohan's eyes suddenly sharpened as Piccolo jumped away from his shoulder just as a purple blast was fired from Vegeta's mouth with no warning or even a charge-up. The apefied boy barely had time to twist his body around the ki beam. But that was not enough to completely dodge the damned thing because it blasted right into his shoulder. Smoke flew from his cauterized flesh and burnt fur.

But the Prince's plan was not to hit Gohan, no... the blast was not even strong enough to pierce through Gohan's shoulder since that was never what he intended it to do. "I got you!" Vegeta manically laughs after he lunges forward and takes hold of that green pest that has been annoying him since he transformed into a Great Ape.

Piccolo's eyes closed as Vegeta's mighty fist clenched, an involuntary bellow of pain escaped his lips before he could even think to muffle it. "Ack!" So that was Vegeta's plan all along? To bait Piccolo into landing on Gohan again just like when the boy first turned into an Oozaru? 'Damn it! I have underestimated him!' He thought to himself as he gritted his teeth against each other while trying to struggle from Begeta's grip to no avail.

"P-Piccolo!" Gohan shouts while holding his wounded shoulder. He was about to rush forward but Vegeta suddenly increased his grip by a considerable amount, forcing yet another yell of pain from his Master.

The Prince tsks while wagging a finger. "Not so fast, brat! Take one more step and I'll crush this insolent vermin until there's nothing but a purple slush dripping from my fingers!" He laughs at the impotent expression of rage on the boy's face. Oh, how delicious! If only he could see how it would look like without the Great Ape form sulling his features! But alas... "Let's play a game, shall we? It is a game I've learned from a very young age from someone very... *dear* to me. I apologize in advance but I'm not as good as he is when it comes to it!"

Prince Vegeta pointed one finger toward Gohan while repositioning his clenched fist just so Piccolo could witness what was about to happen. "The game is very simple... do not fall on your knees or there will be consequences." Ki gathered right on the tip of his finger.

Gohan felt the pain before his mind managed to place together why the move seemed so familiar. A sharp piercing agony flooded his senses as the thin beam pierced through his thigh. It hurts. It hurts a lot. Gohan thought he was prepared to feel this amount of pain but nothing could prepare him for this burning feeling he has to endure.

He did not fall. The boy grits his teeth and remains silent, doing his best to not scream in pain. It's hard. It's so hard to stay silent even as tears gather in the corner of his eyes.

"Hwahwahwahwa! Good, very good! Looks like you really are a Saiyajin! I expected nothing less from someone who shares the blood of our warrior race! Let's see how much you can take before you-"

Piccolo shouts. "G-Gohan! Forget about me and-! URGH!" Vegeta snarled as he tightened the hold.

"Quiet! Can't you see we're having *fun*?!" Another shot is fired as Vegeta begins to laugh. Now he understands why that slimy bastard loves this 'game' so much, it is far more engaging to be on this side!

And another. Faster now.

...And yet another.

The Half-Saiyajin wishes he could say he managed to hold back from screaming and crying.

But he did not, the mind-numbing pain only managed to further intensify with each shot the man fired. Shoulder, chest, ribs, feet. The sadistic Prince of all Saiyajins made sure to purposefully avoid any vital organs and arteries as he shot Death Beam after Death Beam from his smoldering fingertip. Gohan's vision is blurry and he can't seem to focus on anything but staying up. At first, he tried to float a few meters off the ground to stay up but Vegeta was quick to punish the boy for 'cheating', as he called it. He even went as far as to avoid aiming for his knees since that would be far too easy.

He can't feel his legs. His body is heavy.

So heavy...

How many shots did he resist? Does the 'Game' ever end...?

His knees slammed down into the ground, the sheer weight of them crashing into it cracked the earth below.

"Would you look at that? You've managed to last far longer than I anticipated but all games need to have a victor and all I'm seeing right now is a loser," Vegeta cruelly laughs as Vegeta steps forward, his hold on Piccolo increasing by the moment until the Nemekuseijin can no longer utter a word. "Of course, punishment is in order and it's all your fault, boy. You have no one to blame but yourself but if it is any consolation I'll be kind enough to get rid of your suffering," The Prince tilts Gohan's chin with a finger so his unfocused eyes are able to witness what comes next. "I am a man of my word after all."

Vegeta's fist clenched. The sound of crushed bones and disgusting wet squelching echoed inside Gohan's ears. And Just like that the Prince slowly spreads his fingers and allows the unrecognizable remains to flop down. There is no fanfare, no mocking words. Just a sadistic man drinking at the sight of a broken boy who has no energy to react.

There is no power surge. No sudden rage boost that allows him to suddenly fight back and overpower Vegeta. Nothing.

Gohan feels empty. Someone is screaming inside of his mind but he can't hear them. Nothing but a distorted screech as an impossibly ringing sound deafens his senses.

Vegeta's hand rests on the top of Gohan's head, and the boy's eyes slowly turn upwards as the man holds another one close to his face. A Ki blast is quickly forming above his giant palm.

Everything is silent. The ringing gets louder, much like a funeral bell echoing inside of his mind. Gohan feels sick. He wants... no, he NEEDS to-!

"Golden Week!" A voice comes from behind Vegeta and forces Gohan to snap from the trance he was put in.

The Prince shrieks as something disintegrates the base of his tail, a highly concentrated golden energy beam pierces through the weak spot, originating from the palm of a sweaty and wary Raditz. It is clear that this move took almost everything from the long-haired man due to how exhausted he looks after firing just one blast of it. An unconscious Nappa rests on his shoulders.

"Y-you...?!" How? He's supposed to be dead! And furthermore, why would he eve- Kakarotto! Had Kakarotto brought him back to life as well? Had they made a deal on the afterlife?! "Treacherous... bastard!" Unthinkable! Such actions will not be unpunished!

Vegeta begins to quickly shrink down in size due to losing his tail. The Oozaru's mighty power dissipates as Vegeta roars in anger, veins throbbing veins bulging on his forehead and neck. His entire focus is now set on Raditz as the Artificial Moon he created dies down. Gohan's great ape form is also affected by the lack of the Blutz Wabes being absorbed.

"VEGETA!" The scorned Prince of all Saiyajin's eyes swivel to the side and meet with the furious eyes of Kakarotto, a bright energy ball is gathered on his right hand. The battle-worn Low-Class Saiyajin throws the Genki-Dama much like a baseball toward Vegeta.

Was that the thing that Kakarotto was preoccupied with while he was beating his son and friend into a bloody pulp? "You fool!" Vegeta's expression is filled with joy at the sheer stupidity that is announcing his presence before throwing his attack.

Vegeta still had enough power and mobility to maneuver his body around the ball of energy while forming a dimly lit blast on the palm of his hands, a savage grin decorating his bloodthirsty face. Except...

Someone is behind him. Gohan's mind became clearer the moment his eyes witnessed Vegeta falter before Raditz's action, fueled by several feelings he is unable to pinpoint. The voices in his head kept getting louder and louder until he was able to hear two overlapping voices. 'Protect them!/Atta boy!' He is unable to recognize the voices but he doesn't care right now.

Gohan and Vegeta's eyes met and everything around them disappeared. There is only them right there and now, nothing else. Gohan's face is filled with pain and determination as he audibly grits his bloodied teeth. The Genki-Dama is held on his left hand but it is clear the energy is not entirely benign even to Gohan.

It might have been just a trick of the light but for a split second it almost looked like Gohan's eyes flickered amber for but a moment just as the dense ball of energy was SLAMMED against Vegeta's stomach.

Everything is silent as they hold the gaze. And then it happened.

The energy gathered inside of the Genki-Dama burst forth, sending Gohan flying back while Vegeta flew high into the air due to the pressure, disappearing from view.

Gohan is about to crash into the ground below but is caught by Goku speeding down with the last of his stamina reserves, crashing against the body of his father instead of the hard rocks. "H-hey," Goku says with a concerned expression as he kneels down while holding his son.

"D-dad?" His vision is all blurry, he can't even tell if the person holding him is Goku or someone else.

Goku shushes him while holding him tighter. "Please don't move, just close your eyes and rest." The man falls down on his back while still carefully holding Gohan. He doesn't care how painful the sharp rocks digging against his back feels, all he cares right now is about the safety of his son.

His boy is so hurt... if only he could have been faster while gathering Ki for the Genki-Dama... Goku strokes Gohan's hair until the boy passes out from exhaustion, whispering soothing words to his ears.

Raditz lands near his brother and stares at the scene with a strange look in his eyes. "He's lucky." The older brother sets Nappa's stomach down on top of a flat rock formation and sits near him while leaning back and resting his hands behind himself as leverage.

Goku furrows his eyebrows, a frown on his face. "Doesn't look like he's lucky from where I'm standing."

The older Saiyajin looks away at the wasteland where the battle took place. "Listen, I know this must sound weird for someone who lived around here his entire life but being alive in this type of fight is already a miracle considering his age and skill. He's just a kid thrown into the big leagues."

"He should have not needed to fight at all in the first place. What was even the point of all this? You told me that our race is almost extinct, why even risk losing in the first place?" Goku mutters, trying not to move too much as he cradles Gohan on his lap.

Raditz's fingers tensed up, digging into the rocks as he furrows his nose. "Tch, OUR race, Kakarotto, and Vegeta saw a chance with those wish-granting orbs. Must have finally grown desperate to the point of risking it all just for immortality or something. I know the guy since we were kids but even now I don't get him at all." He pauses for a moment before sighing. "You saw how it was in hell, didn't you? He didn't even consider wishing me back for even a moment. I always had the suspicion in the back of my mind that he didn't really view me as someone equal to him, but I never expected to be dismissed like that."

Goku closes his eyes and allows himself to fall on his backside. "...I-"

{-¡CRASH!-}

The sound of something smashing against the deserted wasteland made the two men become fully alert once again, Goku tried to get up but could not find enough energy to do so while Raditz quickly got up from his seated position. "What the?!" The older brother might be almost drained of energy, but he can still move around, especially when compared to his younger brother.

A large curtain of smoke and dust covers the entire area of what must have been a crash zone of sorts, it doesn't take too long before the harsh desert winds reveal what hides below.

A Saiyajin pod.

And not too far away from it is a heavily wounded Vegeta crawling towards it, the Prince struggles to pull his own weight with every movement he takes.

"He's still alive...?" Goku breathes out, incredulous at the sight. "How is h-"

Raditz snarls as Ki flares around himself. "Doesn't matter how I'll put an end to this!" The Saiyajin flies away before Kakarotto could say anything else, eyes locked on Vegeta's form.

Goku collapses yet again as Raditz flies away, unable to even muster enough strength to look at what happens next as he slips in and out of consciousness.

...

...

It hurts. Everything hurts. He can't even breathe properly without feeling a horrible burning sensation in his lungs.

Raditz.

'Raditz is here... but why? Why did Kakarotto bring him back?' It doesn't make any sense. None of this makes any sense! He got utterly beaten by a bunch of insolent maggots...! This humiliation... this humiliation is almost worse than what Freeza has forced him to do...

No. That's not true. Even now this pales in comparison to what Freeza has done to him.

The pod's door hisses open as he weakly crawls towards it, leaving a trail of blood with every shaky move. He's so close to escaping this wretched planet...!

A sound echoes behind Vegeta. Oh so faint and yet impossibly loud to his ringing ears. Their eyes glance back as he forces his body to face the arrival.

Raditz. Of course.

"Hey," Raditz says while staring down at Vegeta, a look of anger on his face as he tightly clenches his balled fists.

Vegeta coughs blood, coating his gloves with the crimson liquid. "Came to... finish the job...? To betray your own Prince...?!" He barks out, managing to cry out in fury at the sheer audacity the man has.

"Don't give me that shit. I've always been loyal to you. I would have died for you!" Raditz grabs Vegeta by the hair, lifting him up. "You! You are the one who betrayed me! Did you even see me as a friend or was I just some joke to you?!" He doesn't let Vegeta say anything as he shakes the man. "I saw it. Your little talk with Nappa. You were not going to revive me...!" Raditz's eyes are starting to get moist as tears start to form. "Give me one good reason why or I'll end this charade right here and now!"

"Because you're weak!" The bloodied and beaten prince weakly snarls, vision blurry as he tries and fails to meet Raditz's eyes. "Because if I did you were just going to die and leave us again!" Vegeta's eyes are bloodshot as he glares at Raditz's blurry visage, a shaky and weak hand is raised to grip the long-haired man's wrist, but to Raditz, it feels more like a faint touch than a proper grab.

Raditz flinches back in surprise at the raw emotion in Vegeta's voice, not expecting him to be so honest about that. Is that how he really felt about him...? His grip on the prince's hair ever so slightly loosened as he pursed his lips.

Vegeta continues before Raditz can interject. "Y-you weren't even supposed to fight Kakarotto...!" The Princeling is getting weaker and weaker as his vision fades alongside his consciousness. "...You weren't... supposed to... die..." His eyes rolled back as he finally passed out.

The long-haired man glances back to try and see if Kakarotto has followed him. It seems like he stayed back there with his son instead of coming along to see him finish Vegeta off. Right, that's why he flew down here after all. "Fuck." He grits it out, clenched teeth pressing against each other as he pushes Vegeta inside of the pod. "Damn you and your secretive feelings. Are you really that scared of losing me and Nappa to the point of going as far as to risk blowing yourself up alongside this planet...?" It all makes sense now. The cold attitude, the dismissive actions.

It all began when Freeza and his men executed those two... Belluper and Brocc. How long has it been since their group had five Saiyajins? And of course, they were punished heavily after just a little mistake when purging a planet for the P.T.O. How were they supposed to know their orders were outdated?

Freeza made them an example. And that's when Vegeta grew cold. Was it all a face he put to protect them? No, that's not just it... they were all beaten to a bloody pulp that day and needed to be put into a healing pod for a few days. But Vegeta? Vegeta was gone for almost two weeks. What sort of horrors did he suffer under Freeza during that time? Whatever happened must have deeply scarred the Prince.

Raditz presses some buttons on the pod as he tries to remember the coordinates of the nearest P.T.O outpost that still had somewhat trusted soldiers. He can't just send Vegeta to the actual nearest outpost since he knows very well that anyone there would simply finish Vegeta off and make it look like it occurred naturally.

He hesitated before pushing the last button. "I'm really an idiot." He chuckles to himself as he pulls his armband off and opens Vegeta's hand, placing the armband on the palm of his hand and then closing it with the armband inside. "You owe me, Vegeta." And with a final push, the doors began to close.

The man watches as the pod shakes and then quickly flies off, leaving nothing but a cloud of dust in its wake. Raditz somberly observes as it becomes a little dot in his vision and then disappears.

A cold breeze makes his long hair gently sway as he turns his upper body to face where Kakarotto is.

Out of hell, but thrust into another mess.

He wonders if he's still there after all.

With Kuririn and Yamcha.

...And Bulma, The Turtle Hermit, Chi-Chi, and Korin.

It was a stroke of luck that the two Turtle School members managed to find the other four heading towards the general direction the fight took place in a Capsule Corp airship just as they sensed things getting out of hand. Yamcha and Kuririn helped with the directions and requested the ship to stop for a few moments for them to board the airship.

"Hmm. I can sense them now, too. But their energy is fain- Ack!" The Turtle Hermit choked as a very concerned Chi-Chi threw herself against his back and shook him.

"What about Gohan?! He's safe and sound, right? RIGHT?!" She sounds both frightened and concerned to the point of tears as she shakes the old pervert this way and that way.

Under any circumstance, he would have appreciated how her chest rubbed against his bald head, but right now he's far too concerned about what's going on to even notice it at all. "C-Chi-Chi!" He managed to choke out while Kuririn thankfully managed to pull the almost hysterical woman away from him.

Kuririn looked back at Yamcha, eyebrows furrowed as he did so. "I can feel four Ki signatures... but three of them are very faint and the other is..." He hesitated to say anything else until he had Chi-Chi secured. "It's... Raditz. I'm sure of it."

Chi-Chi's entire body went stiff as her blood froze. Face ghostly pale. "What...?" She'll say, voice barely above a faint whisper. "That monster is with my..."

Bulma raises an eyebrow. "Three...?" That number does not match what Yamcha and Kurirn told them. If they beat Vegeta then there ought to be at least three, right? Goku, Gohan, and Piccolo. But one out of the three energies that Yamcha sensed is Raditz... that does not add up. "Chi-Chi, I know you're concerned but Goku wanted to wish Raditz back for a reason, right? I know he might lack a bit of brain power here and there but I trust his heart."

The princess of the Fire Mountain shivered as she took a seat, looking down at the floor of the airship. "I trust my Goku, but I can't help but worry... God, Kami, or whatever, please let them be okay..."

Kuririn takes the seat next to Chi-Chi and holds her hand. "I don't know what happened but I am almost sure Vegeta is out, do you remember that pod that just flew up? I'm pretty sure that's Vegeta. I don't know how he got out but he's not here anymore, and besides, I could barely feel any power coming from that thing. He can't hurt anyone here now."

That was enough to calm down Chi-Chi, at least for now. "I hate how powerless I feel. I should have gone with you guys to Korin's tower to train as well. If I had then Gohan wouldn't need to..."

"Please rest now, it won't take me long to get us where they are. Right?" Bulma asks Yamcha, glancing back at the former bandit.

The man stands behind her seat and leans forward, pointing to the place where he feels the Ki signatures. "Yeah, around 15 or 20 minutes that way. Won't take long now."

The Capsule Corp heiress nods. "Everyone buckle up, I'm going to go full thrusters ahead, the ride's going to get... bumpy."

That is the only warning the group gets before Bulma goes all out, no longer worrying too much about being a nuisance in case the rest of the fighters are still in combat.

"Ack!"

And that's the sound of the local pervert slamming his gloriously shiny bald head on the windshield.

Godspeed to this group!

I would like to apologize for the shorter chapter. And well... for the VERY late update as well! Unfortunately, a lot of things kept happening IRL to me. And didn't help that a few months ago I lost the file for this chapter and never managed to get Mojo back to rewrite it again.

BUT

I was writing a story at the request of a Discord friend and I opened Grammarly and noticed it had saved an earlier version of the chapter! I was pretty hyped about it and managed to finish writing this chapter.

I apologize once again and I hope I can update this more regularly!

And of course, Rest in Power, Akira Toriyama.