What Lies Within- Chapter 14: Fears and Doubt

Gohan's eyes fluttered open, forced to squint them shut as the harsh radiance of Namek's three suns met his pupils. He tried to stand on his feet, but the aching of his body protested against it, and a pair of hands pushed him down to a resting position. There was some warm, soothing energy emanating from the hands.

"Just give me a few more seconds, I'm almost done," the voice of Dende, who apparently was crouched in front of him, came to Gohan's ears. A joyous laugh came from Dende. "Krillin, he's awake."

"Thank goodness," Krillin said, his voice growing louder as he approached.

Gohan finally adjusted to the light and opened his eyes to find both Krillin and Dende looming over his prone body with concerned smiles on their faces. His head was spinning, but he was conscious enough to know that Dende had healed whatever injuries he had gotten… wait injuries?

Where did he get these injuries? And when did he even fall unconscious? The questions swam through his groggy mind as he tried to recall the last thing he remembered. Those Ginyu Force guys - who did really cool poses - had shown up, stolen the Dragon Balls, and he and Naruto ended up fighting those blue and red people, and then...

Gohan's eyes widened in shock, and he leapt in panic as the memory of what happened next resurfaced. He looked around in frightening concern. "W-Where's Naruto?" he asked, fear creeping into his voice.

"Woah, woah relax Gohan. You shouldn't be moving with those types of injuries. Dende hasn't finished healing you yet," Krillin said.

"Where's Naruto!?" Gohan asked, grabbing Krillin by the shoulders and shaking him.

"Woah… he's alright. He's hanging out by the river," Krillin said; his head spinning from the shakes. He pointed over to the river bank just a few yards away.

Gohan directed his line of sight to it, meeting the silhouette of a boy his age sitting on there, quiet and alone. He silently sauntered over and stared at the setting of one of Namek's suns.

"We lost," Naruto said, frowning. His voice was devoid of the natural joy and confidence it had. He gripped the ground tight, pulling up dirt between his fingers, before picking up a rock on the bank and flinging it into the river. The rock didn't bounce and made a small splash as it was submerged. It was a splash much weaker than he was capable of producing.

"We're stronger than them, I know we are, but how did we lose?" Gohan asked, however the question was rhetorical. He could vividly recall the fight leading up to him being knocked unconscious. He cringed as the image of the Destructo-Disc hitting him entered his mind.

Abruptly, Naruto jolted to his feet with a face contorted in fury "We can't just let them get away!" He began floating, preparing for take off, before a hand wrapped around his arm and stopped his ascent.

Gohan shook his head in disapproval. "If we chase right after them we'll lose just as badly as the last time."

"We don't have time to lose!" Naruto screamed, scrambling to free himself from Gohan's grip.

"No! Rushing in head first is the exact reason that your Destructo-Disc ended up hitting me in the first place!" Gohan yelled, not relenting his grip.

Naruto stopped his squirming as the words reached his ear. He glared at Gohan, who immediately began to regret his choice of words.

"So you're blaming me for this!?" Naruto landed back onto the ground and pushed Gohan backwards; the sudden action caused Gohan to lose his grip as he fell to the floor.

Gohan felt the regret vanish from his body as he stood up and retaliated with a push of his own. "Maybe I am! If you hadn't used your Destructo-Disc then we wouldn't have lost to begin with!"

Naruto grit his teeth as he began opening and closing his mouth in search for a rebuttal. He growled before leaping forward at Gohan and pinning him to the ground. However, Gohan didn't give in and pushed against him, trying to force Naruto back. Abruptly, the two began rolling across the ground locked into a battle of trying to pin the other into place.

"Just admit that you're too chicken to fight them!" Naruto yelled as Gohan rolled on top of him.

Gohan's eyes widened, feeling disbelief that his friend would ever say that about him. He wasn't a coward like back before they fought the Saiyans on Earth, and he wouldn't let anyone dare call him that. Gohan roared as he shot his fist down at Naruto, but a hand locked around his wrist to stop the attack. The next instant, he felt someone pick him and Naruto up from their gi, and separate them.

"Get ahold of yourselves," Krillin said sternly as he held both Gohan and Naruto aloft in the air. He frowned in disappointment. "We're friends here, not enemies."

"Well friends aren't sore losers that blame you when you lose," Naruto said, locking an angry glare at Gohan.

"Friends don't call you chicken either," Gohan replied, glaring back with equal intensity. The implied both of their sentences only stung slightly as Gohan's feelings of betrayal and rage threw the hurt away in exchange for further anger.

"Enough!" Krillin silenced them with an angered voice they hadn't really heard from him. "Do you even hear what's coming out of your mouths right now? You're scaring Dende."

They both turned to stare at Dende, who was cowering in fear behind Krillin. He looked frightened beyond belief.

"Sorry Dende," they both said in unison.

"Now apologize."

"Sorry Krillin."

"What? Not to me, to each other!"

Gohan and Naruto turned to each, to Krillin who gave them a pointed stare expectantly, and back to each other before scowling and turning towards opposite directions.

Krillin sighed. "Fine, if you want to act that way, you can settle your differences along the way."

Gohan's eyes widened. "W-Where're we going?"

"Your rematch," Krillin said, a smirk crossing his face as he took off into the sky in a burst of Ki.

Don't think of anything… Don't think of - oh god what if i'm stuck here.

No! Don't think of anythi- oh god what if I never get to lay on an actual bed again.

No! Don't think of anythi- oh god, what if Naruto, Gohan, Vegeta, and Krillin are dead!

Bulma's eyes snapped open as the horrible thought entered her mind. She took a deep breath to calm herself down, but she soon found herself, taking many more as her heart pounded in her chest.

How was she supposed to concentrate when her friends were out there risking their lives!?

"Meditation not working out?" a sudden voice said from behind her, making Bulma jump three feet away in shock.

Bulma slowly turned to face the owner of the voice before gasping at who she saw before her. "Piccolo!?" She shook her head before correcting her mistake, "Sorry Nail… you just look weirdly similar to a Namekian we knew back on Earth." Bulma blushed at the mistake."Anyway, don't sneak up on a lady like that, didn't your mother teach you manners?!"

"I apologize, I'm not used to interactions with foreigners much less those of a different gender. And I do not exactly know what a mother is, much less have one," he said monotonously.

Bulma sighed, remembering the fact that Namekians were a Male-only species. Truthfully, she found the fact intriguing, but she'd hate to be stuck on a planet with only guys.

She shook her head in defeat. "I guess it can't be helped."

"Ah Nail…" Guru spoke up from his throne; he broke into a fit of weak coughs before continuing, "You have returned. What has happened to our people?"

Nail turned his back to Bulma and kneeled before speaking. "Grand Elder Guru, things look dire. Across Namek, our remaining kin are scattered and lost. Many have fled their homes out of fear that their homes would be targeted next, and entire villages have been wiped by that tyrant. It seems our allies have managed to stop our foes from harming more innocents, but Frieza is unaware of how to summon Porunga."

"Excuse me for interrupting, but Porunga wouldn't happen to be the Namekian Dragon Ball's dragon would it?" Bulma interjected. She felt a strange welling of pride at the fact that she and the others had managed to disrupt Frieza's plans for getting his wish - well, mainly thanks to the others, but she wouldn't let them hog all the glory.

"That is correct," Nail said.

Bulma grinned. "Well if Frieza doesn't know the summoning ritual for the Dragon Balls, then he can't summon Porunga, meaning we have nothing to worry about," she said, feeling much chipper.

"That is the problem," Nail said, and a shiver ran down Bulma's spine as the words left his lips. He turned to her and looked at her inquisitively. "What do you think will happen when Frieza realizes that there must be some secret to summon Porunga?"

Bulma felt her stomach drop as the realization slammed into her. "He's going to hunt down Namekians and force them to tell him the secret…"

Nail gravely nodded before turning back to Guru, leaving Bulma in shocked silence. The horrifying image of Frieza mercilessly torturing poor, innocent Namekians rocked her to the core. Would Frieza even let them live after finding the truth? She fell to her knees as dread drained her of her strength. What type of monster would resort to genocide to get what they wanted?

"Grand Elder, I fear we are running out of time. Every second we wait, Frieza could be out there torturing our kin to find our secrets…" Nail said, wincing through grit teeth. Sweat pooled at his face, and his fists were clenched so hard that trickles of purple blood leaking from his palms.

"I will not sacrifice… my children… your brothers for his ambitions…" Guru said, coughing all the while. "We shall buy our friends some time."

"Grand Elder!" Nail yelled suddenly; the sudden outburst from the usually stone-faced Namekian surprised Bulma. "We are more than willing to sacrifice ourselves! We do not have to reveal Frieza to you yet."

"No… my child… you chose to become my guardian while knowing that you would sacrifice your life for my sake some day, but not every one of your brothers chose that path. Some chose to be farmers, merchants, and sailors. They decided they wanted to do something more with their life than guarding me with it…I know my children would do anything to keep me safe, but.." Guru broke into a violent fit of coughs which made Bulma cringe."I would be a terrible father if I were to allow them all to die for my sake."

Bulma watched with a heavy heart as Nail stayed in his kneeling position, and didn't utter a word. His face was going through many emotions: sorrow, anguish, regret, and much more. It made her heart wrench. Namekians weren't all too different from humans. They experienced the same emotions, had a similar idea of kinship, and lived together in harmony just like humans — possibly even more harmony.

"Come forward Nail," Guru's dry, crackled, and weakened voice cut through the silence.

Nail obeyed, walking over in an eerie rhythm that matched the dragged breathing of Guru. He moved to kneel, but Guru raised his hand to protest.

Guru rested his hand on Nail's head. "My child… this is your… our duty. You may be my children, but your lives hold no more value than mine own. However, my role as the Dragon Ball's keeper, and your role as my guardian is the reason why we must act while our kin can still live to tell the tale. We alone must shoulder this burden." His passive voice was filled with the wisdom of a hundred sages.

Nail gazed at Guru. The sadness and regret wiped from his visage and replaced with pride and respect. He nodded as his normal stern demeanor returned.

Bulma realized why the Dende and Nail held Guru with such regard. He wasn't simply their leader; he gave them wisdom when they were confused, courage when they frightened, and empathy when they were sad. First and foremost, Guru was their father. It didn't amount to much, but he had gained her unwavering respect.

"Young one," Guru said as he turned to address Bulma.

The sudden shift of attention towards her made Bulma stand tall in fright.

"I believe you cannot fly… but we are running out of time." Guru broke into a coughing fit, and Bulma winced as he coughed up a spittle of purple blood. "You must hide behind the throne.

"W-Why?"

Guru's opened his eyelids, revealing eyes that had long since lost their ability to see . "We will be luring Frieza here."

Krillin could barely contain excitement and joy as he sensed the planet for where Jeice and Burter could be. He found them easily, with one of the power levels being much lower than the others, but that isn't what made him want to jump for joy. Near Vegeta and that Ginyu was a new presence to Namek, one all too familiar to Krillin.

Goku! I knew you wouldn't let us down! Krillin shouted mentally as a giggle escaped his lips. Everything was going to be alright.

At least he hoped so, but as he glanced back at Naruto and Gohan and saw they maintained a distance from one another as they flew, he wasn't so sure. They were probably so angry at one another that they hadn't even sensed Goku yet.

He sighed. It was moments like these that allowed Krillin to look past their strength and Saiyan heritage and acknowledge them for the children they were.

But how exactly am I supposed to get two kids to stop fighting? Krillin thought.

"Krillin," Dende said as he flew next to him. He spared a glance at his age-mates before continuing, "Are Naruto and Gohan always like this?"

"This is completely unlike them. I've never seen them fight."

Dende nodded absentmindedly before staring into space in deep thought

The action made Krillin raise an eyebrow in concern. "Uh, you OK Dende?"

"Yes." Dende nodded before turning back to him with a small smile. "I was just reminiscing on the past. Their relationship reminds me of the one I had with my brother."

Krillin winced. He was certain that Dende's brother was killed by one of Frieza's lackeys.

"Cargo and I were inseparable, but we would get into fights every once and awhile." Dende giggled in childish innocence. "Cargo always wanted to be a warrior like Nail, so he was stronger than me and always got the upper hand…" Dende's voice had gotten solemner and solemner as he spoke, and Krillin placed a hand on his shoulder in support.

Dende shook his head as if he were clearing his thoughts. "Whenever we would start fighting the elders of the village would do something called vieaulen to help us out. Watch me."

Krillin raised an eyebrow at the term, likely a Namekian one, but watched with undivided attention as Dende flew over to Naruto.

"Uh… hey Naruto," Dende said as he flew parallel to him.

Naruto didn't respond, instead continued his flight forward without acknowledging Dende.

"I know you're angry, but sitting… er… flying away and not addressing the issue doesn't help anyone in the long run."

"Yeah, like you would know what it's like to be angry," Naruto grumbled.

"Actually, believe it or not, I'd get into fights with my best friend Cargo all the time," Dende said with a laugh.

The bitterness of the laugh made Naruto wince. "I didn't mean to stir some bad memories. Sorry," Naruto looked to Dende apologetically; however, he was surprised to see a small smile spread across Dende's face.

"It's fine, besides the friendship that you and Gohan have reminds me a lot of the one I had with Cargo." Dende said, his voice brimming in awe-inspired joy. "Isn't it weirdly satisfying that despite living in two different ends of the galaxy and having two different cultures, that we can experience similar relationships?"

Naruto cracked a smile at the optimistic disposition. "Yeah… despite living on a completely different planet, when I came to Earth everyone accepted me with open arms and treated me just like I had always been from there." Naruto chuckled wryly. There was irony to be found in the fact that he was accepted quicker by people from a foreign planet, than his own. "Isn't it weird that my first friend wasn't even from my own planet?" his voice dropped to a quiet tone as he reached the end of the sentence.

A breeze tossed Naruto's hair asunder as a small silence overtook the two. Naruto snuck a glance at Gohan, who was flying at a slower pace to off to the side. His fists clenched tightly before someone grabbed his shoulder.

"If you ever need to talk about something, you can always talk to me. That's what friends are for, right?" Dende said, gripping Naruto's shoulder in reassurance.

Naruto stared at Dende, who looked back at him with comforting eyes, and nodded before releasing a heavy sigh. "Since we got on Namek I've felt the strongest that I've ever been. I didn't need Mr. Piccolo to watch over me and tell me what to do or not do in battle. I've been rushing past every single fight with ease, I was even sure that I could take down Frieza, but when we fought Jeice and Burter..." Naruto grit his teeth as he clenched his fist tight. "I found out how wrong I was."

"When I realized that they had an upper hand on me… I couldn't take it! I wanted to prove to myself that I was stronger, so I rushed in without thinking" Naruto blinked away the tears welling up in his eyes. "It was reckless — I'll admit that — but still, all I can think of is fighting them again and proving myself. He held his shaky fist out in front of him and blanked stared. "I got really mad at Gohan when he blamed me though, and I said something I didn't really mean." Naruto had to close his eyes due to the tears flowing out of his eyes. "But if my own friend thinks I'm useless then who am I to say otherwise?"

"Is that all?" Someone besides Dende and Naruto said with a chuckle, and the two turned to see Krillin. He smirked as he flew down towards them. "It's perfectly normal to want to prove yourself in combat. I used to fight in World Martial Art Tournaments all the time with Goku purely to prove that I could hold my own against the tough guys, but at one point I realized there was more to fighting than just having your pride on the line. Sometimes it's about having fun, and other times there's bigger things at stake." Krillin looked towards the sky, closed his eyes, and nodded sagely. "And take it from a guy who's always been stuck on the sidelines, you're the only one who has a say in if you're worth something or not."

Naruto slowly nodded as he absorbed the information, looking down at his hands and flexing them. When had he become so absorbed on proving his strength that he prioritized that over saving Namek?

"Thanks Dende," Naruto thanked and the Namekian beamed in response. "And thanks Krillin." He gave Krillin a strong hug.

Krillin laughed at the sudden show of affection as he rubbed Naruto's hair. "Now go on out there and apologize!" he said, pushing Naruto off towards Gohan.

"Gohan!" Naruto yelled as he flew over.

Gohan looked over towards him in shock. He opened and closed his mouth several times in hesitation before finally saying, "Naruto" in a less than enthusiastic manner.

"You were right," Naruto said as he settled into a steady flight next to Gohan. "I'm the reason we lost. I was too focused on proving my own strength that I let that get in the way of the fight." His lips drew to a thin line as he continued. "I'm a horrible person for calling you a chicken. Friends aren't supposed to do that. I'm sorry, and I totally understand if you don't forgive me."

Gohan remained silent for a few moments before he shook his head. "No, you were right. I was wrong."

"Huh?"

"I was scared. I've always been scared. When we fought the Saiyans, when we lost Piccolo, even when we got on Namek. The truth is," Gohan began, he mouthed something, unable to say the words as he met Naruto's eyes, so instead, he averted his gaze towards the Namekian skies and took a deep breath. "The truth is that I'm jealous of you."

A chuckle fell from Naruto's mouth; however, the pitch changed from joyous to dry as he realized Gohan was deadly serious. Lips drawing to a thin line, Naruto floated in front of him, forcing him to meet his gaze. He remained silent, non-verbal communication asking Gohan to continue.

"No matter when we're battling, or who we're battling, you're always excited to test your strength. You're not scared, and you enjoy the fight," Gohan said with a deep sigh, his lips were sharply curved down. "I always try to imitate that when we fight, but I can't help but be scared. I'm worried that I'm gonna die or you're gonna die or-"

Gohan paused as Naruto placed a hand on his shoulder. He flinched seeing how grave Naruto's demeanor was.

"Maybe you're right, maybe you are more scared than I am." Gohan felt his stomach drop at the words. "But, you're more of an idiot than me if you think I'm not scared at all."

Gohan's eyes widened as Naruto began to chuckle. His grave demeanor was broken by an ear-splitting grin that was so infectious that Gohan couldn't help but smile as well.

"I'm always scared, but sometimes I'm too stubborn to realize it. I see an opportunity to prove my strength, and I rush in without a second thought." Naruto nudged Gohan with his elbow. "It's not everyday that I admit I'm not perfect." The statement made both Demi-Saiyans erupt into laughter before settling. "We kind of balance each other out you know, I jump in so we're not sitting ducks and you stay behind because you're cautious. We could both learn something from each other, ya know?"

Gohan nodded, silently absorbing every word. It felt relieving to hear that Naruto was scared too, he had just rarely seen evidence of it. Whenever there was a threat, Naruto managed to put on a playful or strong front to match the occasion. But hearing his friend take the chance to knock himself down a peg to cheer him up made Gohan incredibly happy.

Naruto doesn't give himself enough credit, Gohan thought as he met his friend's gaze once more. Could he even ask for a better friend?

"Thanks Naruto," Gohan said.

"Don't mention it, it's what friends are for, right." Naruto gave a thumbs up before sheepishly scratching his head. "Can't believe we really got into a fight though, so much for being the best of friends," he said depressingly.

"Are you kidding me?" Krillin spoke up, interjecting in the conversation. "Friends fighting is completely normal — to an extent."

"Seriously?" Gohan and Naruto uttered in unison.

Krillin nodded. "Goku's my best friend, and I couldn't stand the guy when I first met him. Just imagine how I felt when some weirdo with a tail showed up right when I was asking Master Roshi to train me?" He chuckled as he shook his head. "I get into fights with Yamcha and Tien whenever I see them too, but the thing that makes us all friends is that we can settle our differences and laugh it off in the end."

Dende nodded in affirmation. "Cargo's my brother, and I used to get into fights with him all the time. What matters is that you end up solving things in a healthy manner, and no one gets hurt in the end."

Gohan and Naruto turned to one another, grinning.

"Friends?" Gohan said, raising his open hand out.

"The best!" Naruto exclaimed, hi-fiving Gohan.

"All right, that's the Gohan and Naruto I know!" Krillin said, puffing his chest out. "Thank you for the assistance therapist Dende."

"What's a therapist?" Dende blurted, child-like cluelessness marking his face.

Krillin sighed at his luck as the chorus of the Demi-Saiyan's giggles rang in his ears. "Forget it Dende. Now then," Krillin charged his ki before scanning over his friends. "Let's go get you guys a rematch!"

"Yeah!"

And with that, the group of friends rocketed through the Namekian sky, towards the energies of Jeice and Burter with a friendship forged even stronger, and a limit-breaking determination clouding their senses.

A/N: If this doesn't show you that I seriously want to finish this story up, then I don't know what will. Regardless…

It took six years, but I finally updated the story. Sorry for the long wait. So much has happened since I last left this off. I graduated high school, started my college career, got my first part-time job, and COVID-19 I guess. Honestly, I've grown a lot since making this story, but this story hasn't outgrown me. I still have a desire to finish at least the Frieza Saga before putting this story to rest. However, in all honesty, the Cell Saga would be the perfect way to wrap this story up, but with how busy my schedule can get, I'm not sure if it's feasible.

You might be prompted to re-read this, but if you haven't been able to tell, my writing style has developed much more since that first chapter. It honestly is kind of difficult for me to read the whole thing through. Which is why I have begun progress on a What Lies Within rewrite. So far, chapter 1 of the rewrite has been completed (which would amount to the events in the first half of the first chapter), but I don't plan on releasing it until I complete the entire Saiyan Saga. At the same time, I still want to continue updating and eventually finishing this version of the story.

Why do I want to rewrite the story. Well besides grammar and writing style, there's a lot of character behavior and plot pieces that I find too meh for my taste. I rushed many things for convenience or didn't add much depth to other things. For example, Vegeta's character development in the Namek Saga, adding depth to Naruto and Gohan (which I tried to highlight in this chapter), and other smaller things I'd prefer to fix. The plot itself shouldn't change too much, but I feel that I possess the ability to enhance the reading experience tenfold, and I really would love to do that.

But that's enough of me babbling. If you read all the way to the end, thank you for your support, the amount of dedication I put into this story couldn't have been achieved without YOU, the reader. You made a newbie writer incredibly happy just following, favoriting, and reviewing the story, and now he's back with much more experience ready to tackle the project once more with even more enthusiasm. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

And with the current happenings in the world, please stay safe, healthy, and informed :)