Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Blinded ❯ Vegeta Learns What's Behind Door #1 ( Chapter 12 )

Vegeta Learns What's Behind Door #1

It was slowly approaching dawn and Vegeta was still sitting in his chair, waiting for Gohan to wake up. For once in his life, he didn't mind waiting; it gave him a chance to think about everything that had just happened. When the woman had planned that stupid birthday party of hers, he'd never expected it to lead to this. He had never thought that he would get a chance to see his father again until he himself died. And, until he had actually come face to face with his father in hell, he'd half expected the whole thing to be some twisted joke the brat had cooked up. However, when he'd actually touched his father it'd all became stunningly real.

After being in Frieza's service for so many years, Vegeta had learned to be cold and hard - as well as to never show any emotion beyond anger. In the presence of his father, Vegeta had found it impossible to keep up his normal cold and aloof facade. During their talk, he'd opened up to his father more than he'd opened to anyone since his time under Frieza. They had spoken of everything - from the minute the King died up until the present. They had both spoken of their experiences. Vegeta had told his father what it was like serving with Frieza, as well as meeting Goku and the others. He had spoken last of Bulma and Trunks. His father had been pleased that Vegeta had found a mate, regardless of what species she belonged to, and hadn't hesitated to tell him as much. King Vegeta had also expressed regret that he couldn't see Trunks, his grandson.

Then it was King Vegeta's turn, and he'd told Vegeta everything that had happened to him when he died. Going to the check in station, he had been sent to hell and, shortly after, met Bardock there as well. The two had decided to get out of the more populated regions of hell to set up a training ground. Over the years they'd become good friends and sparring partners. They had stayed out there, even when they heard that Frieza had arrived. The only real contact they had with others was when one of the ogres came to check up on them. Other than that, they hadn't had company until Gohan had found them. Of course, after that they'd had regular visits with the boy.

Remembering that part of the conversation, Vegeta turned his attention back to Gohan. The boy was a constant surprise to Vegeta. Just when he thought Gohan had reached his limit, the boy would surpass it totally, and he was always figuring out new things or new ways to do things. The boy was already a genius in human things - Kakarrot's harpy of a mate had seen to that - but he was also a genius when it came to other things. Vegeta remembered a few blind Saiyans from when he had been on his own planet, before Frieza, and the memories weren't the nicest. None of those Saiyans had managed to adapt without their eyesight, and more often than not they were given an `honorable death'. Somehow Gohan had managed to not only adapt, but become even more skilled without his eyesight. Something that, quite frankly, had surprised the Prince.

His telepathic and emphatic abilities were just another example of Gohan's genius. The boy had managed to master them enough within a day or so that he could control them as he wished. Saiyans were all telepathic to a certain degree and some had more skill than others, but none had the abilities Gohan did. That was what puzzled Vegeta the most. Humans were not a naturally telepathic race; sure there were a few exceptions, such as the little clown guy that the triclops was always hanging around with, but none that could justify the amount of ability that Gohan had. Vegeta didn't like things that he couldn't understand, especially when they had to do with a person that could invade his mind at will. Even though he knew Gohan would never mess with his mind without permission, the thought that he could made Vegeta slightly uneasy.

While talking to his father, he'd remembered a few things that he had forgotten about his race. Chiefly the fact that, before they made an alliance with Frieza, they hadn't been planet destroyers. Sure they had fought, but it was a part of their nature and, if challenged, a Saiyan never backed down. It wasn't until Frieza that they had become murderers. Once in Frieza's employ, they had discovered the darker side of their nature - the side that liked to dominate and kill, not caring who they did it to. Frieza had fed that part of their nature until they scarcely remembered their old ways. Vegeta himself had forgotten that Saiyans weren't always purgers. That had been the only thing his father had admonished him on. He'd spoken firmly to Vegeta about remembering what they had been, what they had become, and most importantly - why. Just then a small noise interrupted Vegeta's musings and his eyes snapped towards the bed. Gohan was stirring and moving around in the bed. Finally the boy yawned, stretched, and sat up.

Gohan was very comfortable. He could tell that he was in his own bed with a blanket thrown over him. Yawning and stretching, he took a moment to decide if he wanted to get up or not. Then his senses registered Vegeta's presence in a corner of his room, and all the memories of the birthday party, as well as Gohan's own gift, came back. Deciding Vegeta must want to talk to him or something, he sat up. As he sat up, he realized that he had nothing but his boxers on. He searched into his memory, but the last thing he remembered was asking Vegeta if he liked his birthday present or not. He supposed that he must've passed out after that, because he didn't remember hearing a response.

But that still left the question of his state of dress. Bulma couldn't have done it - he was sure that when they had returned it'd been pretty late, and Bulma would've been in bed already. He knew it hadn't been Piccolo, because Piccolo would've stayed, then yelled at him as soon as he woke up. That left Vegeta, and Gohan couldn't quite believe that Vegeta had actually done something nice for him… He decided he'd better not mention it. So instead, he turned his head towards the corner he sensed Vegeta in and spoke.

"Did you enjoy visiting with your father, Vegeta?"

The Prince was silent for a minute before responding.

"What do you think, brat?"

Gohan just shrugged. He hadn't really expected an answer anyway.

"Well, I assume so because you're not blasting me to join them. I just have one favor to ask Vegeta. I don't care if you tell Bulma, or Trunks when he's older, but please don't tell anyone else that I was able to take you to Hell. I don't want to be asked to take everyone and their uncle to see dead relatives."

Vegeta just snorted.

"Whatever brat. As if I would tell anyone anyway. Now, you have some questions to answer."

Gohan's face was puzzled as he swung his feet onto the floor and settled comfortably on the edge of the bed.

"Like what Vegeta? I thought I'd already explained everything."

"Not exactly boy. First off, how the hell did you acquire so much mental power? Second, why the hell didn't you tell me that my father made you an elite and told you to think of him as an uncle? Third, why do you have that space in the back of your mind sealed off?"

As Vegeta asked his first question, Gohan's expression changed from puzzled to thoughtful. At Vegeta's second question, it changed from thoughtful to neutral and, when Vegeta asked the third question, it went from neutral to shock and fear. Shock because somehow Vegeta had found out about the corner of his mind hidden away, and fear because of what was there. As all the emotions ran over Gohan's face, Vegeta watched with careful scrutiny. When he saw Gohan's reaction to his last question, he was a little surprised. He had only asked because he thought it was some new technique the boy was working on, but seeing the shock and fear on the boys face made him revise his idea - apparently it was something bad that the boy wanted nothing to do with.

"Vegeta… how do you know there is a part of my mind I keep closed off?"

Gohan's voice was very soft, and his expression had changed into a cold mask. Vegeta smirked as he replied.

"Well boy, when you linked our minds, you shielded mine from yours, but you didn't think to shield yours from mine. All Saiyans are telepathic and, as their prince, I rank among the highly skilled. Saiyans can talk to each other telepathically, but we need a mind link to actually see into each other's minds. Now, answer my questions."

Gohan's expression didn't change one bit, although his voice wasn't as soft as it had been before.

"Well, first of all, I've no idea how I got these mental powers. The day after Cell blinded me they began to appear. It's as if they had always been there, but just never came out until then. They also seem to keep on growing: I wouldn't have been able to take you to Otherworld a year ago. As to your second question, I figured your father would tell you that he made me an elite, as well as telling me to think of him as an uncle. Besides, the only person you'd believe saying that would be your father. If I had told you, you would probably have ki blasted me, then told me that a third class baka such as myself could never be an elite. Now, if we are done playing twenty questions, I think I will go train in the gravity room for a while, and I'm sure that Bulma misses you."

Vegeta snorted, stood up, and walked over to the bed where Gohan was starting to get up. Putting his hand on Gohan's shoulder, Vegeta pushed him back down into a sitting position, re-crossed his arms over his chest, and spoke.

"Don't think you're getting out of it that easy brat. Answer the last question; the one that makes fear appear on your face."

If it was at all possible, Gohan's expression hardened even more, and his voice was like ice as he scowled intently in the direction of Vegeta`s face.

"There is nothing there that concerns you, Vegeta. Forget you ever saw it and leave it alone. I repeat; it is none of your business. Besides- why should you care what's in my mind?"

Vegeta was a little taken aback by Gohan's response. This was the first time the boy had defied him point blank, and Vegeta found that it didn't sit well with him.

"First off brat, I am the Prince of all Saiyans, and that includes you. You, as my subject, have the obligation to answer any question I ask, no matter what it concerns. Secondly, what you are doing is not natural, and I want an explanation as to why you are doing such a thing. I don't need to find out later that what your hiding will be dangerous in the future. So you better damn well tell me now."

Vegeta was getting a little pissed by now. Since the brat was so desperately trying to keep what was there a secret, it couldn't be possibly be something good at all. Vegeta didn't like surprises - especially when they turned out to be bad ones, and he had a feeling that, if the closed off portion of the boy's mind was a surprise later on, it would be one of the bad ones. While Vegeta was thinking, Gohan was debating with himself about whether or not to tell Vegeta about the door and what was behind it. On one hand, it might be good for him to talk to someone about it, but on the other hand, Vegeta might decide he was a threat and do something. Finally giving up the argument in favor of telling Vegeta, Gohan sighed and spoke up.

"Vegeta."

Vegeta snapped out of his musings to see that Gohan had a serious look on his face, and that he had closed his eyes.

"What brat? Are you going to tell me what I want to know now?"

Gohan sighed. His face had lost its cold mask, and now had an expression that Vegeta couldn't really identify. It seemed to be a mixture of despair, fear, sadness, and old pain.

"Yes, Vegeta, I will tell you - but it's probably something you would be better off not knowing. Did you ever wonder where I got my so-called power? You know what power I'm talking about. The power I get when I'm angry, as the others would say."

Vegeta nodded to himself. He'd always wondered about the brat, but had dismissed it as some sort of genetic thing; the combination of Saiyan and Human blood. Out loud he said.

"Of course boy. You are far too young to have the power that you do. Only an adult Saiyan, like me, should have that sort of power."

Gohan almost smiled at the Saiyan Prince's arrogance, but a feeling of dread covered it almost immediately.

"Well, unfortunately Vegeta, I do have that `power'. The funny thing is that no one ever really tried to figure out where it came from. Not Piccolo, not my father, not you, and none of the others. Oh, I'm sure they wondered briefly how the hell I got so much power, but none of them ever bothered to try and figure it out."

Vegeta scowled. The brat wasn't telling him anything he didn't know already, and he was getting impatient.

"What does that have to do with anything, boy? It's nothing that I don't already know."

Gohan scowled, Vegeta would just have to learn to be patient. If he didn't start at the beginning then he would miss parts. His voice cut through the air like a knife as he responded - a hint of suppressed anger beneath.

"Be patient, Vegeta. I have to start from the beginning or you won't understand everything."

Vegeta growled, but after that remained silent. Waiting a moment to make sure Vegeta wasn't going to make any more noise, Gohan continued talking.

"I think of that closed off space in my mind as a room. A room with a door and heavy lock. Behind that door is the power that everyone thinks is so great. Unfortunately, since they never bothered to figure out what exactly that power was, or the basis it had, they never realized that the power isn't a great thing at all, and that it's very dangerous. Do you want to know what the basis for my power is Vegeta? Do you really want to know? Because I can guarantee that it won't be anything you expect."

Gohan's voice was full of warning, and Vegeta briefly considered just leaving the subject alone, but immediately rejected the thought.

"Come on boy, get on with it and tell me the rest before the woman and brats begin to wake up."

Gohan smiled, but it wasn't a nice smile - it was more like a clown's sick parody of being happy. Gohan's voice was very low as he spoke.

"It's the beginnings of insanity, Vegeta; or at least the basic elements leading a person to being insane. The others are right when they say my power is based on emotions, but what they don't understand is what precisely those emotions are. Put together massive amounts of anger, hatred, agony, pain, guilt, and helplessness, and you begin to fall apart. The only way I keep myself from falling apart is to lock everything behind that door. Now, some people might say that what I am doing is wrong, but guess what: when all those feelings get together and flood my mind, they turn into power, and I completely lose control, Vegeta. Every time that door has opened in the past, I am no longer in total control. It will probably destroy me one day. Sure, I can usually retain enough control to direct myself towards whatever evil thing we happen to be battling at the moment, but what would happen if I did completely lose control? I have only lost total control twice so far. Once when I was fighting Cell, which is how I made the mistake that killed my father. Second was the day we placed my mom's marker in the ground. You remember that day, don't you Vegeta?"

Vegeta did indeed remember that day; he'd almost been too late to stick the tranquilizer into Gohan's neck. If he had been a minute longer, he wouldn't have been able to get through the energy Gohan had been projecting. Quite frankly, Vegeta had been seriously unnerved by the amount of power Gohan had that day.

"I can sense you do remember. Would it surprise you if I told you that I remember almost nothing? I remember giving a warning to Piccolo, and the next thing I remember was feeling you fly into a cliff. I don't remember the battle with Cell either; I only remember when dad transported him away. That's what gave me back control. Control was shocked back into me - both by dad dying, and you sticking me with the tranquilizer. I know that you and Piccolo wonder why I never transform into Super Saiyan during sparring anymore. The reason is that becoming a Super Saiyan reminds me too much of what's behind that door. Did you know that I also figured out what a Super Saiyan is at its most basic level?"

Vegeta was already shocked by Gohan's revelations, but that last sentence caught his attention and he practically growled his question.

"What do you mean you figured out what a Super Saiyan is, brat?"

Gohan smirked a little. He'd figured that Vegeta would be interested in that little piece of information.

"Well Vegeta, it's actually quite simple. Everyone seems to think that a Saiyan transforms into a Super Saiyan because of anger, but that isn't actually true. A Saiyan transforms into a Super Saiyan because their body can no longer handle the amount of energy they're producing. The reason everyone thinks that a Saiyan transforms out of anger is because anger tends to boost your power level, incidentally sometimes pushing the Saiyan's body past the level it can handle. Dad was already really close to turning Super Saiyan when he fought Frieza; he just needed the boost of power that his anger gave him to push his power level over that edge. Same thing happened with you, Vegeta. You got close, but then your anger pushed you over the edge. The higher levels of Super Saiyan are just the same. When the power level gets to be too much for the body, the body will once again transform. When I lost control-fighting Cell, the immense power that came out forced my body to transform once again. I wouldn't have gotten to the second level nearly as fast if that hadn't happened."

Gohan took a deep breath and continued.

"Once you reach a level, you'll always be able to reach it. The power you got from transforming stays with you, which is why Super Saiyan is so much stronger than a regular Saiyan, and an Ascended Saiyan is more powerful than a Super Saiyan. The third level is bound to be a lot more powerful than either the second or the first."

Vegeta had been silently processing information in his head as Gohan talked. The boy was most definitely making sense, even though if Vegeta acknowledged it as true then he would have to admit that Kakarrot had been stronger all along. However, Gohan's last comment stuck in his brain - there was a third level to being a Super Saiyan?

"Boy, what do mean by third level?"

"Just what I said Vegeta; there's a third level. I've felt it, but I haven't tried to get there yet. I felt it on the day we put mom's marker in the ground, the day when I lost control. I haven't turned Super Saiyan or Ascended since then, though - so I haven't figured out if I can reach it or not."

Vegeta's eyes nearly bugged out at Gohan's statement. He couldn't believe that the brat had found another level but hadn't tried to see if he could reach it. The boy was a Saiyan for crying out loud! He should have wanted to try and reach it as soon as he knew it was there. More important was the fact that the damn brat hadn't told him, and kept it a secret for over a year and a half.

"Why the fuck did you not tell me there was another level, boy?! It's been almost two years since you figured it out! You should've told me immediately and tried to reach the level! Sometimes I can't believe you actually have Saiyan blood in you, the way you act."

Vegeta was practically screaming he was so angry. If it wasn't bad enough that the brat surpassed him in both mental and physical power, now he had kept a secret that Vegeta would have killed to find out! Gohan just sat there with a stony look on his face. He had his reasons for not telling Vegeta about the third level, but they weren't ones that the Saiyan Prince would appreciate. Eventually Vegeta calmed down, but he was still pissed enough to make an acidic comment.

"Do you have any more revelations I should know about, brat?"

Gohan just shrugged and let Vegeta's anger roll off of him.

"Not really Vegeta. Are you happy now? You know more than anyone else does except me. Are you happy with what you found out? Does it ease your mind, now that you know what's lurking in my mind?"

As Gohan asked his questions, Vegeta's thoughts were brought back to their original topic. Basically what the boy had revealed was that he had the possibility to become insane. That was one thing Vegeta really didn't want, considering the boy was stronger than he was at the moment. Thinking back on something Gohan had said earlier, Vegeta came up with an idea.

"Boy, you said that you lock everything away, right? I assume that whatever it is it builds up when locked away, correct?"

Gohan nodded, wondering where Vegeta was taking this.

"Well, there is somewhat of a solution to this, brat. You've been doing something wrong - you've avoided going Super because you think you might lose control. The reason you might lose control is because you don't go Super or Ascended. All your power builds up, but it has no release. If what you say is true about Super Saiyan power, then turning Super and Ascending should ease the pressure of the power build up."

Gohan was sitting on the bed, his jaw nearly to the floor. Vegeta was absolutely right. He'd been so dumb - he couldn't believe he'd missed the implications and connections between the power build up and Super Saiyan forms! Vegeta was gratified to see that he had shocked the brat, and managed to think of something that Gohan had missed. Gohan shook his head and put his jaw back in place.

"I can't believe I missed that. That was great reasoning, Vegeta - you just may have prevented a major catastrophe. Thanks."

Vegeta scowled in reply. He didn't want the brat thinking he had gone soft, so he commented.

"It wasn't for your benefit brat. I don't need you going insane and trying to blow up this mudball while I'm still on it."

Gohan just smiled; he knew better, but wasn't going to contradict Vegeta out loud. He actually felt better now that he had told someone. He knew that it had been the right decision to tell Vegeta, and he didn't regret it.

"Are there anymore questions Vegeta? I think I'm going to try and get a little more sleep."

"Only one brat. Why did you not tell your baka father or the Namek about this?"

Gohan was thoughtful. He knew why he hadn't told his dad, but he wasn't really sure why he hadn't told Piccolo.

"Well Vegeta, as you so kindly put it, my father is a baka. He doesn't have the right mentality to understand that kind of stuff. All he would tell me would be to relax and try to stop stressing over things. He wouldn't be able to grasp certain concepts such as I have to worry, or I might lose control and blow up the planet. As for Piccolo… I'm not sure why I never told him. I think it's because I feel like it resembles complaining too closely, and Piccolo hates to hear people complain. I feel as if it's my problem, and he always told me that everyone needs to deal with their own problems in their own ways."

Vegeta nodded; he could understand the brats reasoning quite well - especially regarding Kakarrot. The boy was right in that his father would not be able to grasp the intricate concepts of what Gohan had told Vegeta. Very few people would be able to; Vegeta himself, the Namek, and possibly Bulma, but not any of the others. They would label the boy as unstable and most likely avoid him. The boy's explanation about not telling the Namek was reasonable as well. Vegeta knew Piccolo hated whiners just as much as he did. Even though the boy wouldn't have been technically complaining, it was so ingrained into his training not to that he automatically didn't talk about things like that. Gohan's voice penetrated Vegeta's thoughts, and Vegeta looked over at the boy. While Vegeta had been thinking, Gohan had climbed back into bed and was now resting against his headboard, his face turned in Vegeta's direction.

"Are we done Vegeta? I want to get some sleep. I'm still really drained from taking you to Hell."

Vegeta looked more closely at Gohan. The boy's skin was still very pale, and he had dark circles under those creepy eyes of his. His ki level wasn't up to normal standards yet, either. Vegeta decided to give the boy a break.

"Go to sleep boy, we will train in the afternoon."

With that, Vegeta walked out of the room without a second glance. Gohan chuckled sleepily and settled back under his covers. Almost immediately he drifted off to sleep. As Vegeta walked down the hallway to the room he and Bulma shared, he realized that it was almost dawn. No doubt Bulma had probably wanted to surprise Vegeta last night and, when Vegeta hadn't come to bed, gotten pissed. Vegeta resigned himself to getting yelled at for at least two hours - either as soon as he walked in the door, or later in the morning when she woke up. Opening the door to the bedroom, he quietly slipped in. Closing the door silently behind him, he looked around the room. Bulma was asleep on one of the couches in a pretty negligee, and next to her were a dish of strawberries and a dish of chocolate suace.

The tiniest of smiles appeared on the Saiyan Prince's face as he walked over to her. The woman had indeed planned something, but had fallen asleep waiting for him. Carefully picking her up so as not to wake her, Vegeta walked over to the bed. Pulling down the covers with one hand while holding Bulma to him with the other, Vegeta placed her under the covers. Quickly undressing himself, Vegeta slid in beside her. Bulma immediately turned to him, still soundly asleep, and wrapped herself around him. Vegeta looked down at the woman whom he had mated with and who had given him his son, and his father's words came back to him.

"Maybe in time you will be able to tell your mate that you love her."

Vegeta knew he wasn't affectionate and that it sometimes disappointed Bulma, just like he had never said that he loved her. He was sure that she knew he did, but he also knew that she had moments of doubt because he never said the words. To Vegeta, saying things like that aloud acknowledged that Bulma had power over him, and Vegeta had always struggled against those that had power over him. But just maybe his father was right, and he would, with time, be able to say the words that meant so much to the woman. With that last thought, he drifted off to sleep, arms wrapped tightly around Bulma, hugging her to his heart.

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