Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ A Saiyan Trait ❯ Chapter 1

A Saiyan Trait

Rating: PG13

Warning: implied yaoi

"I'm dying, Vegeta! Just kill me and get it over with!"

"You're not dying! Stop being so melodramatic!"

Goku lay on the rocky floor of the cave, writhing back and forth in agony. Vegeta leaned against the wall watching and waiting. He had been like that all day, and Vegeta was getting tired of listening to it. He swore if he heard it one more time, he would be forced to grant Goku's wish.

"What the hell is going on in here?!" Piccolo's voice boomed as the green Namek landed at the cave's entrance. "I could hear you all the way up at The Lookout!"

"Help me, Piccolo! I can't stand it anymore! I'm dying!" Goku cried out before another wave of pain took his breath away.

"No, you're not!" Vegeta snapped. "Stop being such a baby and act like a Saiyan!"

Piccolo knelt down next to his friend and examined the cause of the pain. "What the hell?! How did this happen?!"

"It was Vegeta's idea," Goku blamed.

"Oh no you don't, Kakarot!" Vegeta said, walking over to stand over him, gloved hands on his hips. "I just mentioned it. You practically jumped at the chance. You're also the one that talked me into going Super Saiyan! I would have been content to stay at my normal level!"

"We've got to get him up to Dende," Piccolo said and tried to pick Goku up. He screamed so loud, some of the rocks broke free from the ceiling of the cave and rained down on them. Gently, Piccolo set him down again.

"I already tried that," Vegeta said calmly as he brushed small pebbles and dust from his hair and shoulders. "And don't bother with the instant transmission. He hasn't been able to concentrate enough to lock on anything for the last few hours."

"So you just planned on standing there and watching him suffer?!" Piccolo yelled, towering above the much smaller man. "You're supposed to be his friend!"

"I could go home so I don't have to listen to him complain anymore!" Vegeta shot back "But I thought that would be in bad taste."

Piccolo looked like he could kill Vegeta right then and there, but another scream from Goku brought their attentions back to the agonized Saiyan.

"Sensu beans!" Piccolo said suddenly. "I could go get one from Karin. . ."

"It wouldn't work," Goku said between clenched teeth.

"He's right."

They all turned toward the entrance to see Gohan striding forward. Goku visibly relaxed at the sight of his son.

"A Sensu bean would give him more strength, but wouldn't fix the problem." He knelt down next to his father. "I got your telepathic message, Dad. And I brought some things that might help."

"You knew about this?" Piccolo asked, shocked by Gohan's calm manner.

"Yeah," Gohan admitted. "Dad told me all about it this morning. I rushed over as fast as I could, but you wouldn't believe the hassle Bulma gave me. She almost didn't give these to me because I wouldn't tell her what they were for."

From inside his coat, Gohan pulled out a small case of capsules. He picked out one, clicked the button, and tossed it on the ground. In a puff of released air, a stack of blankets and pillows appeared. Piccolo helped him spread them out and move Goku into place. When Gohan was satisfied that he was as comfortable as possible, he clicked open the next capsule.

"No!" Goku screamed, turning as white as the pillow he was lying on. "Anything but that!" He tried to struggle to his knees to crawl away, but in his weakened state, Piccolo was able to restrain him easily with one hand.

"Pitiful," Vegeta mumbled.

"Come on, Dad. It's just a medical kit," Gohan said, embarrassed by his father's display.

"There's shots in there! I just know there's shots in there!" he yelled, still trying to fight against Piccolo's arm.

"I won't lie to you," Gohan said, opening the bag. "There are shots in here. . .and you're getting one."

Gohan brought out a syringe and a vial. Goku's face went from white to blue as his son removed the cover from the needle and began filling it with the clear liquid.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Piccolo asked, eying the needle's sharp point nervously.

"Relax, Piccolo. This is just a simple drug that will put him to sleep for a little while so he can reserve his energy," Gohan assured him as he tapped the air bubbles out. "Vegeta, I think we'll need your help for this one."

Vegeta grumbled, but helped Piccolo hold Goku down while Gohan administered the shot. Goku fought with all of his remaining strength to get as far away from the needle as possible. His screams were deafening in the small cave, but the drug worked quickly and he soon began to relax. After another minute, he was completely unconscious.

"Well," Gohan said, "that went better than expected. I had to guess at the amount, so I'm not exactly sure how long he'll be out." He took out another syringe and vial along with a thick medical book.

"You don't really know what you're doing, do you?" Vegeta accused with an amused grin.

"In theory, yes," Gohan said, thumbing through to the page he wanted. "But I've never actually had to do this before. I never dreamed I'd have to do it to my own father."

"Aren't you the least bit surprised that your father's in this condition?" Piccolo asked, shocked by Gohan's calm manner. "And you do know that Vegeta is responsible, don't you?"

"Yeah, I know," Gohan said without looking up from his page. "He hadn't been home for days. I knew he'd be here with Vegeta even before he contacted me. But there's nothing we can do about this now but do our best to help Dad."

Vegeta looked over Gohan's shoulder at the illustration he was studying. "That's not going to help. Saiyan physiology is different."

Gohan snorted. "So I've noticed."

"I still can't believe you did this, Vegeta," Piccolo said, earning him a deadly glare from the Saiyan prince.

"We all knew you two have been meeting out here," Gohan continued. "There's no mistaking the two biggest chi on the planet. But we never thought you'd do anything that would put Dad's life in jeopardy."

"You should have known this would happen," Piccolo accused. "You should have had the sense enough to stop yourself instead of risking Goku's life like this."

"You didn't even know you were a Namek until I told you," Vegeta shot back, then turned on Gohan. "A real Saiyan would understand," he said with an air of superiority. "A real Saiyan should be able to handle it."

"Yeah, yeah," Gohan said with a dismissive wave. He was tired of hearing Vegeta talk about "real" Saiyans, making his own half-Saiyan blood boil defensively. It seemed to be his excuse for everything lately. "And real Saiyans would still have tails."

"Real Saiyans haven't been able to reach Super Saiyan level for over five hundred years, either," Piccolo added.

Gohan looked from Piccolo to Vegeta to Goku. "Well that explains a lot. Now if you don't mind, I would like to give him this other shot before he wakes up. Then I'd like to examine him closer."

They all waited anxiously for Goku to awaken to see if the second drug Gohan had given him had been successful. Piccolo stood in the doorway watching dark clouds gather on the horizon. Vegeta sat against the wall, arms crossed and eyes closed, although they knew he wasn't sleeping.

Gohan was doing his best not to look as worried as he felt. Although Vegeta had pointed out the differences in Saiyan body structure, he wished he had gotten a medical scanner from Bulma just to make sure.

A low moan signaled to everyone that Goku was nearly awake. Gohan covered the items he had removed from the bag before his father could see them.

"How long have I been out?" Goku asked groggily.

"Not even an hour," Gohan reassured him. "How do you feel?"

"I can't feel anything!" he said with a note of panic in his voice. "What happened to me?"

"Don't worry. It's supposed to be that way," he said. "But it won't last long. You should really get to a hospital. You should be able to use your instant transmission. . ."

"No!" Vegeta interrupted.

"He's right, Gohan," Piccolo said. "Showing Saiyan strength to save the world is one thing, but this would raise too many questions. Earth's authorities are getting far too nosey as it is."

"Not to mention Chi Chi and Bulma," Goku added. "As far as they know, we've been training on opposite ends of the country."

Gohan shook his head at his father's foolishness of trying to lie to his mother. "So how are you going to explain this?" he asked gesturing at Goku's immobile body. "There could be complications and internal bleeding that I wouldn't be able to handle."

"I trust you, Gohan," Goku said seriously. "I know you'll be able to handle it. Just do your best."

"I'm going to get a Sensu bean just in case," Piccolo announced and flew off into the rain that had just started to fall.

The dark clouds that Piccolo had been watching earlier seemed to settle directly over the mountain where the cave was located. Lightning lit up the sky and struck trees on the mountainside, causing small fires that were immediately doused by the torrents of rain that cascaded from the sky. Thunder crashed with every flash of lightning, echoing off the rocky cliffs and rolling down the valleys until it was one, long, continuous rumble.

Vegeta tipped his head back and let the rain splatter across his face, glad to be out of the close, stuffy cave. The weather seemed to reflect his current mood. He sensed Piccolo's return before he was able to see the white cape against the black sky.

"Is it over. . .or couldn't you stand it anymore?" Piccolo asked.

"I don't understand," Vegeta said quietly, still staring into the heavens. "Saiyan warriors were able to handle this just fine on missions. They may have been out of action for a month or so, but then they would be as good as new. Just another trait that made us a superior fighting force. An ability that other races were envious of. Kakarot is strong. What went wrong?"

"My guess is that your warriors also had superior medical technology on their side," Piccolo said, also watching the rain fall in sheets across the mountaintops. "And no one could have guessed how the power of two Super Saiyans. . ."

"Piccolo!" Gohan called. "Did you get a Sensu bean?"

"Coming," he answered, then looked back at Vegeta. "I understand how it happened. . .but that doesn't mean I have to like it."

The cave was brightly lit by the battery operated lanterns Gohan had unpacked from one of his capsules. Goku lay covered to the neck with a warm blanket, his face so pale beneath the black hair, Piccolo thought for sure he was dead.

"He's just sleeping," Gohan reassured him, "but he's lost a lot of blood. I want to have a bean ready for when he wakes up."

Piccolo glanced uneasily at the bloodied bundle of instruments Gohan was packing away in the medical bag. "You didn't have to. . ." he trailed off, unable to finish the question.

"Operate?" Gohan supplied. "No, just some stitches. Actually, Vegeta was right. A full-blooded Saiyan's body is remarkably resilient. Much more than even I imagined."

"So why was Goku in so much pain? Vegeta didn't seem to think it should have been that bad."

"It probably wouldn't have been for a normal Saiyan, but since they were both Super Saiyans at the time it. . ."

"Gohan?" Goku mumbled, struggling just to open his eyes. "Where. . .are. . ."

"Here, Dad. Eat this."

Gohan carefully stuck a Sensu bean between Goku's lips and was relieved when he started to chew. Within seconds, he looked back to normal and ready to hop to his feet.

"Woah, stay right where you are," Gohan ordered. "I just finished stitching you up. I want to make sure the bleeding has stopped before you go jumping around."

"Relax, Gohan," Goku said with his usual carefree laugh. "I feel great! Especially now that I can feel my toes again." He stuck his bare feet out from under the blanket and wiggled them happily.

Gohan examined the stitches he was forced to put in. Relieved, he deemed them still secure and allowed Goku to dress as long as he promised to stay in the cave.

"Is Vegeta. . .?" Goku began.

"Outside," Gohan answered.

"Has he. . .?"

"No, he's been there since I kicked him out," Gohan said, shoving the last of the supplies back in the bag with more force than necessary.

"Don't blame Vegeta," Goku said. "It seemed like a good idea at the time. Then I went Super Saiyan. . .so he went Super Saiyan. . ." He gave a shrug. "I guess it's just a part of our heritage."

Gohan sighed. "Sometimes I wish I had a father that would be happy just to stay home with his wife to farm or something." He stood and clapped a hand on Goku's shoulder. "But I guess then I wouldn't have such a strong, brave father."

Goku smiled with relief that his oldest son was understanding of his Saiyan ways. "I'm glad you're on my side. I'll need help to explain this to your mother." Gohan groaned at the thought.

Vegeta stepped just inside the cave and powered up to dry off his rain soaked clothes. He gave Goku a cautious look before walking any closer. Piccolo wisely stepped out of his way.

"There you are Vegeta," Goku said enthusiastically. "You're just in time for the grand unveiling." He gestured Vegeta closer and knelt down next to a pile of blankets. Vegeta knelt next to him to get a better look.

"As far as I could figure," Gohan said from behind them, "by going Super Saiyan when you did, you sped up the process. Therefore, nine months became nine days. That's why Dad ended up in so much pain. I have no idea if the rate will continue."

"It's remarkable," Piccolo said. "With this ability, the Saiyans could have replenished their forces in record time! They would have been unstoppable!"

They all looked down at the two small bundles just waking up in their cocoon of soft blankets. The newest full-blooded Saiyans lifted their tiny hands to their mouths and began to suck furiously, looking up at their fathers with bright green eyes. When they realized there was nothing there to eat, they started to kick and pump their arms next to their spiky, golden hair, crying as loud as their little lungs could manage.

"Well, Vegeta," Goku said, clapping him on the back, "our race isn't extinct quite yet. I did my part. Now it's your job to feed them."