1924/Growing Pains

Growing Pains
Date of Scene:	31 March 2015
Location:	Void - Space-Time Storms
Synopsis:	Son Gohan and Serori catch up on recent events. The conversation becomes a confrontation after Gohan finds out the price Serori's paid to keep the Confederacy intact.
Cast of Characters:	37, 334

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Gohan (334) has posed:
    The Flagship of the Planet Trade Organization circles over Namamura, keeping a patrol of the safer of Gohan's two Elite holdings. The master of the organization sits in the captain's chair, which looks more like a throne than a seat on a ship. However, rather than being decked out in royal finery, Gohan is wearing his Namekian-style gi, complete with the odd-looking leather shoes. In his hand is his sword, which he twirls somewhat nervously. He had heard of negotiations ongoing with Kakarot, but had been unable to attend due to issues with other, non-Elite planets taking his attention. Since he hadn't seen her since her and Kakarot's duel, and considering that she had been busy then, he has summoned Serori to come and fill him in on what she knew about what was going on.

    However, given his current attire, it was clearly not meant to be an extremely formal meeting.

    He drums his other hand on the arm of the throne, waiting and fidgeting as he did. What side would Kakarot end up on, if any? His family, his bloodline, had in one continuity become the Royal Bloodline. That brings a bit of a smile to his face, even if he, as a halfbreed, would never exist in that timeline as he was.

Serori (37) has posed:
"Yo!"

The air displaced by Serori's sudden arrival is still ruffling Gohan's spikes as the saiyan woman gives a quiet, informal greeting. Like him, she's got no armor today, no capes -- nothing but a pair of shorts, some white sneakers, and a bright yellow t-shirt bearing the black silhouette of a racing bird across its front. Doesn't even look like she's bothered putting on any socks. She sure's not bothered to comb her hair, but maybe that's more typical.

Tail flicking, head cocked, she looks over the Planetary Trade Organization's fearsome ruler, and curves her lips up into a slight smile. "You look restless. Something on your mind, I'm guessing? Saa. There's a lot happening. I'd be surprised if you weren't thinking about it."

The empty throne's not empty for long. Serori drops into its seat, using one arm for a backrest, and the other to prop up her knees. "You can keep practicing. I've just finished training a little while ago, so I probably won't bother you. Not on a full stomach." She pats her satisfied belly a couple of times. "Mm. Where should I start, huh? What do you want to know?"

Gohan (334) has posed:
    Serori's arrival causes the halfbreed to offer a small smile, before he places his sword on his back. As she lays in his throne, he crosses his arms, studying her a bit. "Well well, aren't you oh so casual today?" he says, nodding a bit. "What sort of bird is that?" he asks, before shaking his head. She was a fascinating individual, so serious at times and so laid back at others. He keeps his mind on point, however, focusing his eyes on hers after a quick sweep of her odd sit/laying posture.

    "Not much use in training on the flagship," he says, "I was just working on a few sword forms. Nothing that needs to be done while we talk," he says. As she asks where to start, Gohan considers. Then decides to get right to something that has been bothering him. Something he'd rather ask Kakarot, but until then would try Serori.

    "Is there a pure blood counterpart to me in the Neo Saiyans?"

Serori (37) has posed:
Serori looks down at her own front. "I'm not sure. It looks like an ostrich. Maybe it's one of those chocobos from Galianda. The shirt was a gift; I haven't given it much thought. I like the color."

The ability to slip between modes -- serious to not, cunning to stupid, content to angry -- could be called a personality flaw. Serori is inconsistent, sometimes moody, and not predictable by either friend or enemy. If she flipped switches all the time, she'd be a crazy person. Fortunately, she tends to require impetus for her mood changes, and tonight's state of 'casual' is pretty normal for an uneventful day.

His question puts a curious glint in her eye, however. Slanting her gaze his way, she answers by shrugging. "Kakarot claims not to have any heirs at all. As you are half-human, I think it's fair to believe there is no /direct/ version of you in his empire. If he has any offspring -- if there was a prince -- he probably wouldn't be in hiding, though I suppose he might be back on Planet Vegeta while his father's away waging war."

Serori knuckles the end of her chin. "You've probably heard that Vegeta didn't make it easy for us to have negotiations at /all/. It's a good thing Kakarot was willing to hear us out despite Vegeta's threats, or we wouldn't have made any progress. The meeting was...not as constructive as I'd have liked, but Kakarot...part of me likes him. Unfortunately, no one else does. He's going to have to die once we can guarantee his empire will remain our allies in his absence."

She says it like it's nothing.

Gohan (334) has posed:
    Gohan chuckles. "It's a nice color. Fits you well, I think. Maybe it's just when paired with the shorts." He shrugs his shoulders, giving her a wide grin. However, as she mentions that Kakarot has no heirs, he seems to relax a ton in an instant. He didn't want to have to fight some alternate version of himself as a pureblood. It would likely not end well for anyone involved. "Good, that handles that," he says, "I don't want anyone thinking that Kakarot's son is more powerful than me, after all. I am probably the ultimate version of myself."

    If he only knew.

    "Yeah, who would've thought that Vegeta would make things difficult," he says, rolling his eyes, "Is he still stuck on that idea of killing me in revenge?" He casts a curious gaze over Serori, then blushes slightly and returns his gaze to her face. "Also, you stole my chair."

Serori (37) has posed:
"Killing you? Maybe." Serori squints up at the high, curved ceiling. "He hasn't talked about it. Right now it's Kakarot he wants to kill, but I at least have him holding back for the immediate future. He understands Kakarot will eventually die, and this appeases him; how and when the death occurs, that's...something we'll figure out later. All of us, I mean, not just Vegeta and me."

Flicking her fingers at Gohan discharges a very small, very harmless ball of ki toward his toes. She probably just wants to see if he'll react, and if so, how. She /is/ smirking.

"Vegeta and I had a long conversation the other day. We're back to presenting a solid and unified front. For the sake of the empire, it's better that we at least /appear/ to support one another. And maybe it's not just appearances. He's not always stupid." Pause. The topic swings in another direction all at once. "You should go see Kakarot, and try to sell him on the Confederacy. Let him see what he'd be missing out on by not having you in his life. Show off, but be yourself."

"It's just an idea, though. You don't have to, if you really don't want to." Serori looks over at him again, and laughs. "It's a comfortable chair."

Gohan (334) has posed:
    Gohan chuckles. "I left him tacked to a stone on a backwater planet once before. I'll do it again if he tries anything." He sounds light about it, but he's serious. The threat rankled. It was Vegeta's fault Gohan was the way he was anyway, and then to threaten him over something so stupid pissed him off. He wants to extrapolate on this topic, but it alters before he can. Visit Kakarot? "I'd like to. Maybe he's not completely unlike Dad, after all. If we join forces, maybe a lot of good can come out of this." However, one of Serori's other statements comes back to him.

    "What do you mean, he has to die?" he asks, moving toward the throne. "Why does he HAVE to die? That doesn't make any sense. If we kill their king, then the Neos aren't going to stick around. I mean, they might, they do seem to follow a strong leader, but they could also revolt the moment the blow comes down."

Serori (37) has posed:
"Stability inside the Confederacy requires Kakarot to die." Serori swings her legs around and sits up right on the edge of Gohan's throne. "I don't like it, either, but we'll lose fewer saiyans if we can cement our alliance, demonstrate our power, demonstrate the benefits of Confederate membership, and...then deal with Kakarot in some quiet fashion. Both Genghis Rex and Vegeta demand his head; what else can I do? I had to barter away my second wish to Rex just to get him to agree to /that/ much. The Confederacy can't afford to lose both the Saiyan Empire /and/ the Reptilonians as allies."

Two black eyes keep their focus on his face. The sultry female voice speaking inside his flagship remains level and calm. "He isn't your father. You don't need to get attached to him. Letting him die is the best solution for everyone involved. If you can propose -- and organize -- a better result, there's time to do it, and I'm willing to hear you out. I may even override Vegeta, though he is.../passionate/ about this, and I hesitate to take away the satisfaction Kakarot's death would bring him. I can't split the empire in half."

Gohan (334) has posed:
    Gohan looks as though he's been gutchecked. "So, you're going to earn the loyalty of these Saiyans, Kakarot included, then have him slain so you two can rule," he says, his voice even. "That's disgusting." His hair flashes gold, his eyes turning blue as he unconsciously ascends into Super Saiyan, his rage clear in this action despite his placid demeanor. "I don't give a DAMN what those two DEMAND of anyone. And you took what you had already assured was mine and given it to someone else. I... I don't even know what to say right now." He turns his back, staring out through the front of the flagship toward Namamura. "The Confederacy no doubt did just fine without both of them before, but now they're cornerstones to the superfaction? I doubt it."

    His aura flares, brighter and brighter as the rage simmers beneath the surface. "Maybe he's not MY dad, but he's still Kakarot. He's still Goku somewhere in there. And I'll be DAMNED... if I let VEGETA KILL HIM!" This last part is shouted, his aura vanishing with a vicious snap. He turns back to look at Serori, and there's a smouldering anger there. "You'd give in to Vegeta just to keep some sham of an Empire together. Maybe that, more than anything, is what I don't like about all this."

Serori (37) has posed:
The golden light shining from Gohan's aura only makes the stony set of Serori's jaw look more harsh and unmoving. "I have a duty to keep the Confederacy strong. 'Cornerstones' or not, I will not make unnecessary sacrifices for the life of one single saiyan I hardly know. An /impressive/ saiyan, but only /one/ life weighed against /thousands/."

Nothing shakes the confidence in her voice. "What would you have wished for, anyway? There isn't any guarantee these Dragon Balls will bring your father back to life. There also isn't any guarantee these Dragon Balls will resurrect the deceased Reptilonians as I told Rex we would attempt. That I am willing to /try/ is enough to retain Genghis Rex's faith in our organization. I've traded away uncertainties for absolutes. You're a bright man; I'm sure you understand why I found /that/ an easy thing to do."

Serori follows his turning back and forth, and continues to answer his accusations without any sign of remorse. "What you call a 'sham' is a planted seed. Given proper tending and nourishment, the Saiyan Empire will grow. It will become powerful. The Empire is my dream given precious life, and right now, that life would be very easy to snatch away. I /will not/ see the Empire driven from the Confederacy because the pride within Vegeta /and Kakarot/ forbids peace. I /will not/ see the Empire fractured by civil conflict because the Queen has gone one way, and the King another."

Serori turns her head to consider what else she might say; after a moment or two, she looks back. "If we can win the Neo-Saiyans through treachery, I'll do it, because the only other solution is to fight them until they surrender, and that's too much destruction on all fronts. Too many saiyan lives will be lost. The Empire can gain more through this plan than it can through any other I've conceived."

Standing up, prowling toward the viewport, she finishes in an almost impatient tone. "You're wrong. Goku isn't 'somewhere in there.' Kakarot wasn't raised by the man who raised Goku. He didn't have any of the same experiences. He has no Earth to defend. He is not your father, and you need to stop pretending like you can /save/ him. All you can do is enable /Kakarot/ to continue living."

Gohan (334) has posed:
    Gohan snorts. "So you weigh Vegeta's useless life higher, just because you know him? That's... there's so much wrong with that I don't know where to start, but how about with the fact that he double-crossed me?" He turns back, and his face isn't angry anymore. He's just as placid as before. "When he attempts to make good on his threat, you're going to support that decision too then? Because he brought Saiyans to you faster than I could?" His aura flares again, softly. "You're weighing Vegeta against Kakarot. Not Kakarot against the Empire. So, with that in mind, do you intend to stick with your choice?"

    He unfolds his arm, then draws the sword from his back. "Does it matter what I would've wished for? The fact that you saw fit to take it from me tells me where I stand with you as well. I had no idea I had fallen so far out of your favor. And for what? People you have no guarantee of being able to save?" He snorts again. "Why does everyone assume I want him back?! He'd be ashamed to see me now! Bringing him back would just mean I'd have to kill him again, so what the hell is everyone's fascination with him?! He's dead. And I don't want him to come back, because all he'd do is oppose what I am, and I'd have to strike him down again." He looks genuinely hurt for a moment, then straightens back up. "Even if I didn't, Vegeta would try, and then we'd be in the same situation. So really, what logic is there in it?"

    He offers the sword out, hilt first. "Your Empire will grow under an immortal ruler with an unhinged psyche and a queen with no desire to oppose that," he states, "Rather than any of the other options at our disposal, you hedge your bets on a weak-minded and unstable fool who is too proud for all the wrong reasons. This... is sure to make your Empire waste away." He suddenly turns the blade down and sticks it in the floor, the sound of metal on metal ringing through the chamber. "Look at it from my perspective. I'm in an Empire where the two above me have both now betrayed me and the other two ruling class Saiyans are enemies. I'm left with little other choice unless something gives than to retaliate in kind. I don't want to do that. I do want to see a Saiyan race prosper. But not like this. Not on a foundation of lunacy, backstabbing, and inaction. If that's what you all have come to, then I renounce any ties to this Empire. I will remain as I am, loyal to the Confederacy and leader of the Planet Trade Organization, but this..."

    He shakes his head. "Maybe he's not, but he's more rational than Vegeta at the very least. It's easier to trust someone who hasn't declared their intent to kill me in revenge for someone he would've killed himself anyway."

Serori (37) has posed:
"How have I betrayed you by offering up something we haven't even yet won?! The Union /still has/ one of the seven Dragon Balls, which means /none/ of us may be getting any wishes! And since when is /your/ wish worth more than the lives of hundreds of dead Reptilonians?! Reptilonians which /Kakarot/ slew -- not only by his command, but by his very own /hand/! Are you selfish enough to think your wish would have been worth more than their lives, /more/ than stability within the Confederacy, /MORE/ than the preservation of a friendship which has proven valuable each time it's been tested?! At least Genghis Rex is willing to recognize the worth of what I've sacrificed -- "

Serori whirls as she shouts at him, frustration and anger ripping her composure to shreds. "Is it sacrifice you want from me, too?! Fine! FINE! Have your WISH, Son Gohan! TAKE IT! /When/ we have the seven Dragon Balls, Rex will have /his/ wish, /you/ will have /yours/, and we can all go forward into a brighter future together! What use do I have for /immortality/ if I'm going to spend those years surrounded by PETULANCE and PIG-HEADED QUESTS FOR REVENGE?!"

The throne room shudders. Serori stalks toward Gohan, fury in her gaze, but her voice lowered to no more than a growl. The glare she aims at him could spit lightning if it were any more stormy. "I am very /aware/ of Vegeta's faults. Don't think I won't deal with them when the time comes, too. Don't think I'm some swooning idiot, falling into his sway because he brought me saiyans /first/. /I/ choose to do whatever is best for /my people/, and I will /gladly/ take on a KNOWN evil like VEGETA than take my chances putting my faith behind some TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE TYRANT FROM ANOTHER GALAXY!"

Serori stabs her fingertip toward Gohan's chest. The ship echoes with her shouts. "IT'S ALL ABOUT YOU, IS IT?! /YOUR/ HURT FEELINGS! /YOUR/ LOST WISH! /YOUR/ IDEA OF WHAT'S RIGHT AND WRONG! SO WHY AREN'T /YOU/ /KING/?!"

Seething, tail lashing at the air, she finishes in a hiss. "You had your chance to rule. You did nothing with your power. You /languished/. Capturing Namamura was a rare victory for you, and a good one, I'll give you that, but you had no plan, and no will to execute it." Serori steps back slightly, scowling, eyes closed, knuckle digging into the gap between her gathered eyebrows. Her next murmur is almost...exhausted. "Vegeta is, like it or not, capable of uniting our Empire and building its foundation. If you want to be King, take his crown from him later. For now, we have bigger problems to worry about, and you leaving the Empire in a tantrum isn't the way to fix any of them. If you want to prove your way is better, then take actions that make sense, Gohan. Don't run away from your fights, and don't get pissed off about a broken promise. You can have my /wish/. I don't give a /fuck/ anymore. Whatever it takes, whatever prices I have to keep paying, I'll pay them all."

At that, she starts to stalk from the room, too spent to even bother teleporting.

Gohan (334) has posed:
    Gohan... cowers. As Serori turns back on him, fury incarnate, he doesn't return with more fury. He cowers. He quells under her verbal assault, shrinking back almost as though she had struck him, looking as though he WISHED he has struck her. As she turns his arguments against him, the Saiyan side of him roars for him to fight back. However, the Human side, the logical and meeker side of him, hears her words echoing and realizes what exactly is going on. He had attacked his closest ally on a level he had never needed to, nor wanted to, out of his own anger and pain and, worst of all, fear. And she was right to turn that back on him as she was. He winces at every punctuated shout, though he keeps his gaze steady.

    As she closes out her piece and turns away, Gohan just stands there. His face is paper white, his hair and eyes flashing back to normal under the mental strain he's under. Her words ring in his head like a bell. He was being selfish, and he was doing exactly the opposite of what he needed to be doing. She was right on all points. He had no recent victories outside Beli's homeworld. He had no solid plan. The only thing she was wrong on was his will. He had the will to get things done, but no focus or idea on what or how.

    He flashes back, to his training with Piccolo. The fight to defeat the Saiyans. The battles on Namek. The death of his father and his kidnapping at Vegeta's hands. The years he spent under his brutal training. And then, in one moment, it was over. Vegeta was gone, and what had he done? Nothing. Even he couldn't deny that. And now here he was, making demands, fighting fights that didn't make sense, when he hadn't even done the one thing he had willed to do.

    As his mind tumbles, things begin to fall into place. Of course, it may have been too late, but that wasn't the point. He knew what he needed to do.

    "Wait! Serori, just... just wait a second!" His voice is different. Stronger, somehow. "You're right. On all counts. And I'm not just saying this to try and stop you from being angry. You need to be angry. I... I'm sorry for what I said. I'm just... I'm pissed about Vegeta. I know his skills as a leader are strong, but I won't just let him have his way without some sort of a fight. I know Kakarot isn't my dad, and I know he's done horrible things. And... as much as I hate the idea, I also know there's no peace to be had in an Empire with both Vegeta and Kakarot alive within it."

    He drops his shoulders, then begins to follow Serori, attempting to keep from running, but moving fast enough to catch up.

    "It's not the wish that's important to me," he says, "You're right, there's nothing I can do with it that outweighs what can be done for Rex and his people. It would be arrogant for me to say otherwise, and then I'm no better than the one I'm standing here doing nothing about." He tries to overtake Serori and stand in front of her, stop her from leaving. "I have been selfish. I thought I was doing things for the right reasons, but instead I've just been acting like a child. So I'm going to change that."

    Gohan takes a breath, looking at her with eyes that speak of hurt. "I'm going to find the planet for the Empire's homeworld. Then the Planet Trade Organization is being disbanded, and both Saiyan Kings will fall." He shakes his head. "After that, you can decide alone what to do with the Empire, but until Vegeta is dead, I can never get myself out from under the weight of your words."

    With that said, he steps aside, letting Serori move past without another word.

Serori (37) has posed:
As soon as he tries to catch up, Serori slows her escape; she has more than enough respect for him to hear him out. Getting right in her path makes her stop altogether, of course, but it also affords him a glimpse of a troubled expression she quickly hides.

After his apology, after his declarations, Serori's straight posture hunches a little forward, and the weary, troubled look she had a moment ago returns in force, though the reason for it isn't clear.

"Thank you, Gohan. I'm glad you're capable of thinking this through. It's...important to me that you aren't lost in the brewing chaos. I don't want to leave you feeling like a cornered animal, either." Serori brings her hand up to his chest, and leans into him just enough for her weight to be felt. "I like this gi. You should wear it more often."

At that, she turns away. "Excuse me. The Field Marshal requested me for some other matter. I'll see you later?" She casts him one last, normal look, along with the hint of a smile, and leaves his side feeling shaken.

What a night.