My flesh my blood

Sixth Chapter


The night had fallen on the mountain and there wasn’t a sound to be heard in the forest except for the whistling of the wind. Everything was calm, as always, except for a boy; who, alone in a little house, tossed and turned relentlessly in his sleep.

He awoke brutally, like one normally wakes from a bad nightmare. The room around him was so dark that he couldn’t see at more than 2 feet away. Not that he intended to move... thoughts were rushing in his brain; images he didn’t want to believe were true. He wished over and over again that it had only been a nightmare ... he couldn’t have done what he saw defiling before his eyes...

Gohan gave himself a push and tried to get to his feet, but tumbled to the floor after the first step. An ache he remembered too well attacked his senses, a familiar pain coming from his lower back. This only served to prove his fears right... he had done it .... he had forced ...

“Piccolo ....”

The guilt inside him crawled like tons of snakes, making him tremble from head to toe. The young demi-saiyan held himself with his arms, silent tears slipping from his eyes.

“I’m so sorry ... I’m no better than father . ..” “ I love you Piccolo ... I love you. But now you must hate me... I deserve it. I’m sorry.”

Shivers started to wrack his little body and he just close up on himself more; crying in the darkness.


*** The next evening ***

Gohan sat in a corner of his room, dressed in only a pair of black shorts. He hadn’t moved much since the last night. He just stayed immobile, trying to block out all thoughts, not wanting any of them. He had succeeded quite well, until an image of his son shot in his mind.

~ Goten, I have to go get Goten ~

Gohan forced himself to his feet and got out of the room slowly. He passed the rest of the house, heading for the door. Sorrow shot through his heart as he passed the living room, and he hurried outside, taking off into the air.

The wind whipped against his bare chest, but the feeling of it was very faint, and he didn’t care whatever he felt now.

It wasn’t long before he landed in the big back yard of C.C. There was Vegeta, meditating in the grass while little Trunks and Goten played with baby toys. Gohan walked up to them, trying with difficulty to mask his mournful gaze behind a smile.

Vegeta cracked open an eye and stood up before Gohan.

“So, you’re coming to get that brat of yours back?”

“...Yeah, guess I’m here for that.”

With that, Gohan took up Goten and hugged him softly. But the baby didn’t respond at all, he just stayed motionless in the demi-saiyan’s arms. Then a little growl escaped him and he started crying.

Vegeta frowned at Gohan, who just looked utterly confused; Goten had never responded like that to him. He tried to soothe his son gently, but it did nothing; Goten just cried louder.

Vegeta took a step closer and motioned Gohan to give him the child.

“Give him over for a second.”

Gohan obeyed, handing the crying baby to the older Saiyan. Vegeta held Goten to is chest carefully, and the three-quarter Saiyan just stopped crying, snuggling to the ouji’s chest. Gohan reached for Goten, but again; the baby growled at the hand and turned back to Vegeta’s chest.

The full-blooded Saiyan put back down the baby near Trunks and turned back to Gohan, who looked down at his son with hurt on his face. The demi-saiyan looked up at Vegeta with questioning eyes, but the man looked deep in thought.

~ I heard about this when I was a child ... back on Vegeta-Sei... Saiyan children rivalry. The babies under one year old have special senses, which permit them to feel every hormonal change in their `mother`. And those that young also refuse the presence of any other child, born or not. That means ... damn it... the boy is pregnant! ~

His face contorted into a scowl and he looked down at Gohan.

“Vegeta, what’s wrong with Goten? Why does he refuse me?”

“I have no idea.” He lied.

“But—”

“Go see the onna, it’s surely only your odour, it happens sometimes that the brats dislike a certain one. The woman will give you something to wash yourself.”

“If you say so ...”

Gohan went into the house as Vegeta called over a robot to watch on the two babies. He then went straight into the air, flying hurriedly toward a certain ki.

~ You namek bastard ~


***

Piccolo stood outside in the cold darkness. He just waited. He had sensed Vegeta’s familiar ki speeding toward him, so he just stayed where he was, waiting for the Saiyan.

It wasn’t long before an angry-looking Super Saiyan landed in front of him. The tall man kept his face stoic as Vegeta glared at him.

“I thought you were smarter than that.” The saiyan said with a disgusted tone.

“So you know ...”

“I warned you, but you didn’t listen to me.”

“I won’t fight you Vegeta... but before you kill me, tell me, how did you learn it? Did Gohan tell you?”

Vegeta grunted at him and hit him, sending the tall one brutally crashing against an ice cliff.

“No, the boy didn’t tell me, but the simple fact that he’s pregnant again is enough for me to eliminate you.”

Piccolo’s eyes widened in shock.

~ But... it was only yesterday. Damn it, my Namekian cells develop way faster than Saiyan cells do.... ~

His thoughts were cut short as Vegeta hit him straight in the gut and pain shrouded his mind. The cliff behind him gave away and he wasve ive in further into the sharp ice.

One of Vegeta’s hands took hold of his throat and pulled him out forcefully, smashing him again against the cliff. The hand tightened, blocking the air from getting to the namek’s lungs. Dark spots started to dance before his eyes as dizziness filled him, but still he did nothing about it.

The pain in his chest was becoming unbearable, his lungs feeling like on the exploding point.

Unexpectedly, the hand that was strangling him left his throat, letting air fill his sore lungs. He fell to his knees, gulping down great intakes of breath.

He then looked up to see what had happened and a pair of cold aquamarine eyes met his. Before him stood Gohan, in his Super Saiyan 2 mode, and behind the boy there was Vegeta, getting up from the ground; to where he had obviously been thrown.

“Are you alright?” Gohan’s voice was barely audible, but expressed great worry.

Piccolo just nodded and got to his feet, glancing at the still angry looking Vegeta. Gohan turned back to the older Saiyan too, glaring daggers at him.

“What the hell do you possibly think you were doing?” The teen hissed at the other Super Saiyan.

“It’s between the namek and me.”

“I’ll show you if it’s my business or not—”

Gohan took a step forward, but Piccolo stopped him. The demi-saiyan turned to him, uneasy. The green man looked down, avoiding his eyes.

“Vegeta came here because... you’re... because you are bearing a child, again.”

Gohan’s eyes widened and he turned back to face Vegeta, aghast.

“What? How can you know. ..? It was just.... yesterday.”

It was Vegeta’s turn to stare in surprise. Piccolo sighed heavily, still looking at the ground.

“Namekian cells develop at a much faster rate than any others. In example; I’m only 6 years older than Gohan, but I have the body and mind of one much older...” The tall one muttered with a guilt-filled voice.

Vegeta glared at him, growling slightly.

“You fucking namek! You have no brain at all, you’re worst than I thought. How could you damn it?! Knowing this!”

Gohan’s hands tightened into fists and his Super Saiyan 2 aura rocketed around him dangerously.

“Shut up! You know nothing!”

“Oh really? The namek fucked you and got you pregnant. Prove me wrong if you can.”

Gohan’s ki heightened yet again, but it didn’t seem to worry the Saiyan Prince one bit. Piccolo looked worriedly at his pupil’s back in silence.

“I’m the one guilty, Vegeta. It isn’t Piccolo’s fault.... it’s mine. I was in heat and... and I forced him.”

Gohan looked down to the ground with shame written all over his face.

“He tried to push me away ... but I didn’t let him go.”

There was a moment of silence.

The older Saiyan said nothing, showing in his own way that he understood. He let go of his Super Saiyan form and walked up to the young one. Gohan too, dropped back to his normal form, but kept looking down.

“It’s still time, boy. The child is still little enough to get rid of it.” Vegeta said with apprehension.

Gohan’s head shot up suddenly, not understanding.

“What?”

“The brat you have inside you, we have to get rid of it.”

“... And if I don’t want to destroy it?”

Vegeta looked down at him with apologising eyes.

“You have no choice. You may not see it, but you’re still weakened by your last pregnancy; it drained you. You wouldn’t even live to bear a weak human child. Now, if what the namek said is true; the namekian cells in your new brat will make it grow and develop about 5 times faster than saiyans. It may kill you before the end of the next month.... We can’t risk that.”

Gohan turned his head toward Piccolo, and met a sad stare.

“He’s right Gohan...”

The boy turned back to Vegeta and nodded weakly.

“How?”

The Saiyan softened his voice and squeezed the young one’s shoulder gently.

“First, you have to find its ki. I know it’s not easy, but try hard to locate it inside yourself and then hold onto the feel of it. Don’t lose it.”

Gohan did as he was told. His eyes closed in concentration as he probed inside himself for the minuscule ki. It took about 5 minutes before he finally could focus on it and not lose the presence.

“I have it...”

“Now, you have to gather some of your own ki inside yourself, like you do for a blow, but keep it in.”

This part proved easier to do, and in a minute it was done.

“You have it?”

The young one nodded.

“You have to direct the energy you gatheredard ard the child’s ki. Just have to concentrate hard on the foetus’s ki and the energy will go directly at it ... and destroy it.”

A frown formed on Gohan’s face as he tried his best to focus, his body starting to tremble lightly.

“I.. I can’t... I cannot get myself to do it.”
knowknow... but you have to, keep concentrating.”

After a minute, a gasp escaped Gohan and he fell to his knees, shaking. Vegeta smiled with sympathy down at him.

“It’s ok now, you’ve done it... I’ll just leave; you can come to get your son later if you need to... The woman won’t mind.”

And with that he was gone, flying toward his house.

Piccolo knelt down beside Gohan, pressing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. The boy turned to him and passed his arms around the taller one’s neck. Piccolo hugged him back, trying to soothe his trembling.

“I’m so sorry Piccolo... What I did to you is horrible, I’m sorry. I am worthless. Vegeta barely killed you because of me...”

“No, Gohan, don’t say such things, it’s okay now. Don’t worry.”

The demi-saiyan started to cry softly, holding onto his mentor tightly.

“I love you Piccolo, I’m sorry.”

The namek passed a hand through the little one’s unruly hair and placed a gentle kiss on the boy’s forehead.

“I love you too.”

Gohan smiled, grateful.

“Let’s get out of here, you’re cold.” Piccolo said as he got uith ith Gohan in his arms.

“Can we go pick up Goten?”

“Sure.”

The namek let go of Gohan and they took off toward Capsule Corp.

“Piccolo, will you come back with me and Goten to the house?”

“If you wish me to.”

Gohan smiled to him, and earned a smile from his mentor in return.


To be continued....