The boy's cries were annoying, Veroca couldn't possibly have been this annoying when she used to cry. It felt like her ear drums were going to burst. Walking through the forest she couldn't believe she had set the wrong coordinate in her ship, now it was at the bottom of the ocean and she was stuck without a way to contact Raditz because she lost her scouter too.
"Shut up." She whined but quickly stiffened her lip, if Raditz heard her he'd send her through an entire mountain range.
"Mommy, Daddy." The boy with the tail cried, every time he spoke it grated against her ears, how could a saiyan child be so annoying? Still Veroca followed him around, this boy must be related to the saiyan they were searching for, Kakarot.
"Daddy!" the boy cried Veroca rubbed her head. "I can't risk Raditz finding me before I find Kakarot, if he finds me first and I have nothing to show for messing up like this, he'll kill me"
"Give me back my hat!" The boy screamed chasing a tiger who had a hat in his mouth "my daddy gave me that hat!" the boy ran after the animals screaming and crying but he was keeping up, yes, this was a saiyan child for sure. Veroca watched the boy run over the edge of the cliff, his cries stopped only long enough to notice he was falling and then his voice ripped through the mountains.
"Ow." V looked over the edge and found him dangling on a branch from his tail, the boy was sleeping V swung herself over the edge and slid down the rock with ease, she landed beside the boy. He squeezed his eyes. Veroca disappeared without notice from the boy, he flipped over onto his feet and made his way on. He made his way toward the river, Veroca could see what was going to happen before the boy even made it on the log. The log spun out and sent the boy into the river, he actually managed to stay up.
"Daddy, Help!" The boy screamed. Overhead a cloud flew with a man perched on top.
"Gohan!" he yelled zooming after him Veroca followed suit wishing she had a cloud to fly on, or that one of the others had taught her to fly instead of making her run after them all the time. The boy went through a cave and out the other end going straight over the cliff, except he didn't. he disappeared as his father came down looking for him. Veroca followed the boy to the branch he teleported to above the water fall.
"How'd you get up here?" Gohan's father asked scratching his head.
"Oh, daddy, I was so scared." Gohan cried as if he hadn't been the one to save himself. Gohan hid in his father's clothes as the man patted his head.
"Daddy, I lost my hat." Gohan sniffled.
"No you didn't silly it's on your head." The man laughed but then stopped short, hey, who's there?" the man looked directly at Veroca, she tried to hide but he already saw her.
"hey, come out." He frowned at the intruder.
"No use hiding, mind as well go with some pride." Veroca whispered to herself as she stepped out.
"oh, hey, you're just a little girl." The man stepped down in front of her "hey there, my name is Goku." Goku offered his hand to her. She looked at it strangley, was he trying to trick her?
"I'm…V…" Veroca never finished because h took her hand and shook it "it's good to meet you, V, where are your parents?" he asked concerned "are you lost?"
"Um… sort of…" Veroca didn't know what to do, if he tried to hurt her she would fight him but he was just being nice, he was smiling and concerned for her. She knew what Raditz would say, he'd call Goku weak, laugh at him but Veroca wasn't so sure, he didn't look too weak, for an earthling anyway.
"Well, V, do you need some help?" Goku just smiled, Gohan looked at Veroca with wide innocent eyes.
"I… I don't have any parents." Veroca frowned.
"Awe, no parents huh?" Goku frowned "what about friends?" Raditz and the others weren't exactly her friends, if she was hurt they'd laugh at her, if she died they'd never think twice of her. Assuming they thought about her at all to begin with of course
"No." Veroca examined Goku, she had never met such a kind hearted person.
"So… you're all alone then?" Goku frowned, he remembered when he was alone, after his grandpa had died, he didn't mind it too much but he sure missed his grandpa a lot.
"Do you want to come meet my friends with me?" he asked with a big smile "then they can be your friends too?" he offered his hand. "Come on, I'll take you on the nimbus."
"Um…" Veroca looked to Gohan as if he had the answer but he just tilted his head curiously and smiled "you're a girl!" he exclaimed then gasped "and you have a tail!" Gohan pointed at her tail that had unwrapped from around her waist while she spoke to Goku. She glanced at her tail, then at Gohan's, but Goku didn't have one.
"Where's yours!" Veroca exclaimed pointing at Goku.
"oh, mine got taken off when I was young." Goku looked at the tail "does it hurt when someone grabds it?" Goku poked at it, Veroca nodded "it feels like all of my power just drains out of me."
"Yeah." Goku laughed "that what it felt like when someone grabbed my tail too." Goku smiled and scooped her into his arms to sit next to Gohan "come on, we don't want to be late." The cloud zoomed through the air, Veroca immediately loved the feeling, she braced her hands on the cloud as she leaned forward.
"You like that, V?" Goku laughed watching the small girl.
"V." Veroca smiled "I like that, my name is V." she announces holding her hands out to touch the sky. The cloud flew up and over and V laughed and felt the wind blowing her hand back, man flying was the best!
"Hiya, everybody!" Goku hopped off the cloud, holding onto V with as much care as his own son.
"Hey, Goku!" Bulma, Krillin and Master Roshi came rushing out to meet their longtime friend.
"Who's that you got there?" Bulma asked peering at the two small children.
"Yeah, what, are you babysitting for some extra cash?" Krillin inquired stepping closer.
"Oh, this is Gohan, my son." Goku proclaimed happily "I we just met V, she was alone in the woods so I thought we could be her friends, Chichi always wanted a big family and she said she wanted a daughter too." Goku set the children down. Gohan pet the turtle, V tried to make sense of these people on front of her. The people she knew were mean, and didn't ever laugh like this, they usually only laughed because someone else was in pain.
"So you're just going to take uhu… V… in?" Krillin asked
"Are you sure she's alone, Goku, you don't want to get into trouble." Bulma knelt in fron of the girl "hi there, you're a cutie."
"She said she didn't have any family." Goku said smiling at V "she was surprised when I didn't have a tail though." Goku added pulling V's tail from around her waist to show them "See, she's got a tail just like me."
"Oh, wow!" Bulma exclaimed nervously she glanced at Gohan and caught sight of his tail "oh, both of them, really, has anything… uhu.. anything strange ever happened with Gohan on the full moon?" Bulma patted V's head, V wrinkled her nose distastefully, what was this earthling doing?
"He's not very much like you is he?" Krillin asked watching Gohan run away from the waves as they lapped up on the beach."
"No." Goku frowned slightly "Chichi has him stay inside and study all the time." The air seemed to still suddenly, Krillin, GOku and master ROshi stared off into the sky.
"What's the matter?" Bulma asked nervously.
"Somethings coming, I-I've never felt something like this before." Goku watched as the figure came closer, V saw it though, she saw him and fear seized her, she stumbled back behind these Earthlings and hid, it was a shameful act, she knew, but if Raditz found her without Kakarot then she was really going to get it.
"Hello, you've grown up but I recognize you, brother." A long haired man stood in strange armor.
"w-what… brother?" Goku tried to nudge Gohan back as the small child clung to his leg.
"Why is this planet still intact, there's no reason you couldn't easily take care of this weakling planet."
Look buddy, I think you have the wrong guy." Krillin approached the man "shoo, shoo. I think this guys been sipping on the eggnog."
"Krillin no!" Goku yelled as Raditz whipped him across the face with a tail. Goku looked at V's tail poking out from behind the house and then Gohan's tail as Gohan clung to his leg.
"Bulma, take Gohan and V inside." Goku ordered, Bulma dragged Gohan inside.
"V, let's go." Bulma held her hand out for V but V stayed in the bushed. Raditz frowned when he caught sight of V's tail sticking out from behind the bush. He growled appearing beside her, he yanked her out from behind the bush and let her dangle there, her body lost all it's power.
"Veroca, what do you think you're doing?" he snapped.
"I-I-my-" V stammered.
"Hey, you leave her alone." Goku attacked but Raditz was much faster than Goku anticipated and easily knocked him aside. V curled in on herself, how did she think she was ever going to get away with this, she messed up, she had to pay. Tears filled her eyes but she refused to let them spill, if they did then Raditz would make her pay for that as well.
"Who are you?" Goku pushed himself to his feet "and why do you have a tail?"
"Don't play dumb with me, Kakarot." Raditz roared "you were supposed to destroy everything on this planet, and with this planets moon, it shouldn't have been a problem." Then raditz saw it "wh-where's your tail!"
"My tail?" Goku frowned "I got it removed, permanently when I was a kid."
"You fool, your full power is gone now." Raditz growled "explain to me now, why didn't you destroy this planet?" Then a thought occurred to Raditz, "have you ever had a serious head injury?"
"What?" Goku wasn't sure what to make of any of this.
"did you ever hit your head?" Raditz squeezed V's tail harder in his frustration with this fool.
"Stop that!" Goku reached for V but Raditz rewarded the effort with a solid kick to the stomach "this girl is not your concern, now answer my question or I will kill her."
"No, don't hurt her, she's just a kid." Goku struggled to his feet again with Krillin's aid.
"Daddy" Gohan broke free of Bulma's grasp and grabbed onto his father's leg.
"Gohan, no." Goku tried to push his son back to Bulma but he had a surprisingly strong grip. V cried out all of a sudden.
"Did you just scream?" Raditz glared at the small girl.
"Wha- n-no." V squeaked "I-I was- I didn't" V stammered
"Stop it!" Goku yelled "yes, yes I fell into a revine and hit my head."
"You idiot." Raditz rolled his eyes "you forgot."
"I answered your question, now let V go." Goku yelled at his brother.
"This girl is no concern of yours." Raditz appeared beside Bulma and Gohan "but… this child is your concern." Raditz grabbed Gohan by the collar of his shirt.
"You leave him alone!" Goku attacked Raditz again and again the only evidence Raditz had moved or touched Goku was his crippled body laying in the sand and the fact that Radits had dropped Gohan and thrown V into the water. V slowly wadded back to shore as Goku coughed up blood Why is he defending me V thought watching the scene play out.
"You are a saiyan warrior." Raditz began with a bored look on his face. "you come from the planet Vegeta, the same planet as me, you were sent here as a baby to rid the planet of its inhabitants."
"How could you send little babies into space all by themselves like that?" Bulma muttered mostly to herself, she didn't expect Raditz to answer.
"A saiyan baby is more than suffiecient for the lifeforms on this planet, however if a planet has a stronger native, we send a team of our saiyan to take care of it." Raditz frowned at his brother as he lay on the ground what a weakling "if you hadn't hit your head you would never have forgotten your mission." He hissed thorugh his teeth but then smiled "oh well, better late than never I suppose, we'll clear this planet out together before we join up with th others."
"What, no!" Goku coughed "why, why would you want to hurt innocent people?"
"You are pathetic, first you forget your mission, then you allow these pathetic creatures to cut off your tail and taek away your true power and now…" Raditz smirked "now you grovel at my feet, not even Veroca is this pathetic."Raditz raised his hand to Goku "perhaps I should just end you now, your son can come in your place and he can watch me blow this whole retched planet to bits before we go."
"NO!" V yelled
"what was that?" Raditz said slowly, carefully. He turned to find V standing behind him her hands locked on his arm "just-just-huh…" V stammered, she glanced at Goku crumpled there at her feet he defended me she turned back to Raditz an idea forming in her head he just needs time
"give him a chance to think about it, a day" a day should be plenty of time to take his kid and leave, hide somewhere far away, safe from Raditz
"a day you say." Raditz powered his energy attack down and grabbed V by the collar of her armor "why should I?"
"You came here for Kakarot, you told the orince that you were going to bring back a new recruit, you really think he;s going to be happy with that cry baby?" V sharpened her features to mimick Raditz's own expression, she jabbed a finger at Gohan who lay on the ground tears running down his face as he crouched beside his father.
"I suppose you're right." Raditz threw V to the ground, she caught herself with little difficulty and straightened up.
"V?" Goku looked to V who looked away he can think whatever he wants of me she thought he is good and he can hate me if it gives him a chance to escape
"you're-you're with this man?" Goku tried and failed to get up, V looked at the sand.
"one day Kakrot, you have one day to choose and as an initiation you will bring me one hundred humans to prove your loyalty to me."
"kill?" BUlma stated bluntly "you want him to kill people?"
"Goku can't, he doesn't have it in him to hurt an innocent human being." Krillin added wanting to help but if Goku couldn't handle Raditz, what chance did he have?
"you'd be surprised what one can do with the right motivation." Raditz snatched Gohan uo by his collar again "if you want your boy back you will do as I say." Raditz lifted of the ground, V grabbed onto Raditz boot before he could get away "What are you doing?" she yelled at him "why are you taking his son?" V reached for Gohan, Raditz grabbed her by her hair and flew full speed to a deserted spot to await his brother's decision.
"I will deal with you once we get back to the others." Raditz growled at her. V whimpered and curled into a ball it was useless, I couldn't even buy him some time to escape.
Gohan continue to wail and cry as Raditz sauntered after him, he hid behind the tire of a truck while V sat in the same spot Raditz had dropped her in.
"There you are." Raditz punched a hole into the trucks hood and lifted it off the ground.
"Oh yeah, my daddy can do that too!" Gohan yelled at him, Please stop, Gohan, you're making it worse V silently yelled at him. Then, Raditz blasted the truck incinerating it on the spot, Gohan started to cry again. Raditz groaned and grabbed him by the collar.
"Now you can stay in here until you're ready to quiet down." Raditz threw Gohan into his space pod and locked it.
"Much better." Raditz came back out of the hole and glared down at V, "and what has come over you, Veroca, I always knew you were weak but you've hit a new low."
"He's not even strong enough to help us, why can't we just go?" V climbed to her feet, Raditz might blast her on the spot if she stayed on the ground cowering like this.
"It's the principle of the matter, Veroca, this is something you will have to learn, if I want something done and it doesn't get done then I kill that person or maim him at least, to show them I mean business," Raditz narrowed his eyes at her "so if I tell you to shut up and stay there until we leave, what should you do?" V frowned at the ground and locked her fingers behind her back he stronger than me still
"I should shut up and not move." V chewed on her lip and glanced at Gohan in the pod, I have to keep him safe, that man protected me, he didn't even know me and he protected me. The least I can do is protect his son.
"Very good." Raditz "now take this and keep an eye out." Raditz handed her a scouter and left her there in search of food, V tried to think of a way to get his pod open but she wasn't even sure she was strong enough to blow it up but then there was Gohan inside it even if she could and if by some miracle she figure out how to do it without hurting Gohan, still neither of them could fly, Raditz would catch them for sure.
"Think, V, think." V growled at herself, her scouter beeped, she assumed it was Raditz at first but it wasn't coming from where he left, it was coming from the pod.
"What…" V peered over the edge down at the small half saiyan child. "but… but how." V stammered looking at the seven hundred power level reading.
"Veroca, I thought I told you not to move." Raditz growled squashing a fruit in his hand.
"You did but my scouter went off," V stammered climbing to her feet "it says the kid has a power level of seven hundred."
"Clearly your scouter is busted." Raditz growled grabbing her by her armor. "Now if I tell you to do something, what should you do?" Raditz powerd up an energy blast in his hand. V recognized this one immediately, it felt like being struck by lightning.
"Raditz, please, I-I'm sorry." V kept the tears from falling but this was her least favorite punishment.
"Now, Veroca, don't be difficult." Raditz snickered.
"No, stop it!" V closed her eyes, pushing her energy outward and around herself to lessen the blow but it never came. Both, Raditz and V's scouters went off.
"Someone with a power level of seven hundred is coming toward us." Raditz dropped V and clicked his scouter.
"No, two power levels, about the same amount." V said examining her scouter
"Hmmm, one of them is the same power leve as Kakarot." Raditz frowned "is he finished already?"
"You know he didn't kill anyone." V said plainly, V had looked into the eye sof cold blooded murderers but Goku wasn't one of them.
"He is weak, Veroca, just like you are and weaklings don't deserve to live." Raditz grabbed the back of her head, electrical currents filled V's body, lighting her blood on fire. She screamed as Goku and a green man landed in front of them.
"oh, you again." Raditz threw V to the side, unconscious.
"V!" Goku yelled trying to get to her but Piccolo stuck his hand out to stop him "you running to her right now isn't going to change what happened, you have to stay focused, we need to defeat him."
"Right." Goku cast a last glance at V before turning back to Raditz "where is my son?" He yelled worried that he had already hurt Gohan.
"Relax, I didn't hurt the half breed." Raditz rolled his eyes and jabbed a finger at the crater behind him "he's in my space pod, not that it matters, you'll never get passed my to get to him anyway." Raditz laughed
"We'll see about that!" Goku yelled. S sharp pain lossomed in Goku and Piccolo's side and suddenly Raditz was behind them. They staggered forward barely catching their balance.
"he's- he's so fast." Piccolo stared the alien down, there.
"I-I didn't even see him." Goku righted himself beside Piccolo.
"You mind as well give up now, Kakarot, I much stronger than you, even with your green friend you are no match for me."
"You don't need to be stronger than your opponent if you can outsmart him." Goku smiled, even in the face of death he was ready to fight.
V groaned awake to see this smile on Goku's face, he doesn't have a chance V thought laying there he's too strong V tried to find her strength, tried to find where her arms and legs where but everything was numb. She watched as Goku and Piccolo attacked, Raditz blasted them. Goku narrowly dodged it, Piccolo wasn't so fortunate.
"excuse me has anyone seen my arm, it's green!" Raditz laughed at seeing Piccolo's missing arm.
"Piccolo!" Goku exclaimed
"don't worry about me." Piccolo grunted
"So, still trying to outsmart me?" Raditz taunted
"So," Piccolo asked "if you've got any special attacks, now would be the time to use them."
"sorry, I'm tapped out." Goku panted
"well, while you've been slacking I've been developing a new technique, Piccolo smiled "the upside is I only need one arm to do it but it takes five minutes to charge, you'll have to hold him off until then." Piccolo laughed "I was going to use this to kill you."
"You must be disappointed." Goku smirked
"Not really, this'll be a good test run." Piccolo smiled "but you have to keep him occupied for five minutes, understand?"
"yeah, I got it, actually I think I do have an idea to get him to stay still." Goku lunged forward after Raditz to buy Piccolo time. V had always had especially good hearing, even for a saiyan, she knew the plan, Goku –er Kakarot would have had the same weakness when he still had his tail, Gohan probably knew about it but based in his reaction to getting lost he seemed pretty sheltered.
"I have… to help…" V tried to make her arms work, tried to get her legs under her as Raditz bombarded Goku with a series of powerful blows. V"s scouter went off suddenly pointing at Piccolo, V saw the attack, Raditz scouter went off at the same time, he was distracted.
"Grab his tail!" V shouted , Goku's hands closed around Raditz's tail the next second. Suripise decorated the saiyan worries features as he fell to his knees, Goku squeezed.
"I bet this hurts, doesn't it?" Goku asked wincing from his injuries but he held on "I remember when I was a kid and someone grabbed my tail." He squeezed harder, Raditz looked back to Piccolo who continued to charge his attack.
"Good, now hold him there for another minute." Piccolo instructed.
"Kakarot, what are you doing?" Raditz forced out "that attack will kill me."
"Yeah, just like you were going to kill me and my children and everyone else on this planet?"
Did he just call me his… his child? V wondered her body slowly waking up, she wiggled her fingers. Did he mean me? V thought.
"I didn't mean it." Raditz yelled "if you still didn't want to join me I would have given you your son back and left, I was only bluffing."
"You expect me to believe that?" Goku demanded
"it's the truth, please, Kakarot, I swear it, I was only bluffing." He cried out the pain overwhelming him. V took a small level of pleasure in Raditz laying on the ground like this, begging for his life. How many times had he threatened to kill her, blasting a hole through her stomach on one occasion, the residents of the planet had been an advanced species, lucky for her, and they had healed her, when they came back to finish the job on the planet Raditz had locked her in his space pod and made her watch as he destroyed the peaceful inhabitants.
"I swear I will elave this planet and never come back, Kakarot." Raditz continued to beg but V saw it before Goku even did it.
"Daddy, no!" V wasn;t sure hwy that was the word that came out but it didn't matter because Goku's hands eased off of Raditz's tail. Raditz smiled, what Goku would call mercy, Raditz called weakness. He rammed his elbow into Goku's side, v heard the bones crunch as he fell to the ground.
"You fool!" Raditz laughed pressing his foot against the shattered bones.
"no fair." Goku grunted grabbing Raditz's foot.
"if you weren't so weak you would have finished me off." He laughed "I was wrong about you Kakarot, you are too soft to be of any use to us." He pressed onto his rubs forcing a scream from Goku's throat.
"Watch closely, Veroca." He taunted "you're next." Goku's screamed rang out among the mountains. V couldn't stand the sound, she hated screaming, she hated to see other hurt. Gathering her strength, she forced her leg under her, she powered up two blasts in her hands.
"Hey, Raditz!" she yelled aming the blasts at him "have a taste of my double scoop," she fired, the blasts were batted away with some effort on Raditz's part but V's body gave out, he was just too strong. Goku went on screaming. V's scouter went off again but her vision was blurry. A moment later there was an explosion and Gohan came bursting out of the crater.
"You leave my daddy alone!" he yelled flying at Raditz, Gohan's head slammed into Raditz's armor and sent him staggering back and away from Goku. V couldn't believe what she was seeing and then all at once it was over. V's scouter didn't even register his power level.
"What, happened to all that power?" Raditz roared.
"Wh-what power?" Gohan seemed completely oblivious to what had just happened. There was nothing but the timid fear of a four year old boy on his face
"b-but how?" V struggled to her feet again no, He's going to kill him V got herself back up but fell right back down. Raditz threw his arm back and knocked Gohan across the field.
"No, stop it!" V yelled, her legs were still numb.
"Gohan, no!" Goku yelled reaching out for his son "Please, no, he's just a boy." Goku begged.
"yes he's just a boy, a boy with incedible power, and of he ever learned to control that power we might be in a bit of trouble." Raditz left Goku there and raised his hand to Gohan you are a warrior and so I will give you a death befitting a warrior Raditz thought the electrical currents surrounding his hand, he loved the feeling of turning his blast up so high it created electrical currents instead of regular blasts.
"NO!"V threw herself across the field landing directly in front of Gohan she forced her legs to work, though still unable to quite feel them. "No, you leave Gohan alone." V spread her arms out to create a barrier between the saiyan warrior and the half blood saiyan earthling. "I won't let you hurt him, he's just a kid."
"So what." Raditz snapped "the boy looks to be about your age, I don't recall giving you any special treatment."
"It's different, he was rasied as an Earthling." V's legs wobbled under her "he's good and nice and he doesn't deserve this, none of them do."
"They are all weaklings, Veroca, how is it you are raised by the most ruthless saiyan to ever exist and still you turn out as weak as them, I should kill you here and now for interfering on their behalf." He raised his hand, the energy attack sizzling with excitement "now die with the brat!" V stare Raditz in the eye as the attack came, she pulsed her energy around her creating a barrieragainst the attack, when it touched her it fizzled out, absorbed by her energy "no more." She glared at him through her eye lashes "you won't hurt anyone anymore." Goku grabbed Raditz from behind, V's energy drained and her legs turned to jell-O. she lay beside Gohan and smiled "hey there, little warrior." She turned back to Goku "please don't let him go this time."
"Don't worry, I won't." Goku assured her turning Raditz toward Piccolo "ready Piccolo?" Goku asked.
"Kakarot, what are you doing, there's no way you'll be able to move in time." Raditz struggled in Goku's grasp but a sharp pain shot though his body from the spot where the child had hit him How could I possibly be so damaged? He looked at Piccolo as he took his fingers away from his head.
"I don't plan on it?" Goku chuckled
"You fool we'll both die, then." Raditz struggled harder
"How noble of you." Piccolo sneered to himself. "too bad your friends will just wish you right back."
"Piccolo, hurry!" Goku screamed, his body aching and hurting all over.
"Special beam canon!" Piccolo yelled as the light spiraled from his fingers and pierced straight through Raditz and then Goku. They both fell to the ground matching holes through their bodies.
V heard something overhead, she looked up in time to see the yellow aircraft coming toward them, it was the people from the island. Just in time to watch their friend die V thought bitterly.
"you die alone." Piccolo said "His friends will have him wished back by the end of the week."
"What, but how?" Raditz choked up blood.
"with the dragon balls, gathered together they grant you one wish, any wish you could imagine." Piccolo glanced at Goku lying there, he had heard the girl's thoughts, we'd probably get along Piccolo thought sparing a glance at V.
"This battle doesn't mean anything, there are two others, stronger than me, they'll come, in one year's time, they'll come and then you'll be sorry." Raditz chocked out a final laugh.
"You." Piccolo walked over to V "what was he talking about, you're wearing the same armor as him, you must be with him, now tell me." Piccolo grabbed her by the edge of her armor "what was he talking about."
"If being kidnapped is what you mean by with him, then yeah." V glared at this green man "he's talking about Vegeta and Nappa, the other two saiyans we travel with, they're about twenty and thirty times stronger than us. At least that much." V finally gained feeling back in her legs and tested them out as the aircraft landed. Krillin, Bulma and Master Roshi rushed out to Goku's side. V turned away from Piccolo and picked Gohan up into her arms and carried him over to his father.
"How's Gohan?" Goku asked as V approached.
"He's okay, not even a bump." V smiled at him
"Good, Chichi would kill me if he got hurt." Goku laughed, V marveled at the fact that a man with a hole through his body could still find the energy to laugh.
"How are you doing?" Goku asked seriously "are you hurt?"
"No, I'm okay." V stamped her foot "finally got feeling back in my legs." She looked him in the eye "thank you."
"You don't need to thank me, but how would you like a brother?" He asked
"A… brother?" V thought about it, she looked at Gohan, "yeah, I'd love a brother."
"And a mom and dad too?" Goku's energy was fading.
"I've never had those before." V said, what would it be like to live with these people? To be raised on such a soft planet, with a family and friends that didn't like to watch you be hurt.
"What…" Goku winced "do you say?"
"Yeah, yes please." V held onto Gohan "will you really come back?" V looked at the injured saiyan doubtfully.
"Yeah, I'll be back." Goku looked at Krillin "right, Krillin?"
"Don't worry buddy, we'll wish you back." Krillin promised.
"Take care of Gohan for me… until I get back." Goku faded, Krillin grasped his hand "yeah, sure thing buddy."
V's scouter went off, she glanced behind her, Piccolo looked angry. Krillin and Bulma stepped back and then his arm shot out of his shoulder.
"Well, that's a handy trick." Krillin commented.
"I have a strange request to ask of you but try to put your feelings aside." Piccolo grabbed his cape and turban from ground "I want to take the boy and train him for the saiyan's, one year from now."
"No way!" Krillin shouted but V considered this, the power the boy displayed earlier was impressive, from an untrained half breed, it was amazing.
"You'd just gobble him up." Krillin frowned at him.
"I would not." Piccolo shouted back. "That boy has an incredible power in him that could be very useful to us in the coming threat."
"Look, I thinks it's best if you ask the boy's mother, it's up to her." Master Roshi reasoned. Piccolo smirked, V felt a tug on Gohan's body, she held tight to him but then she was being dragged along as well.
"The girl too, she has information that will help us defeat them." V's feet left the ground and she found herself and Gohan tucked under Piccolo's arm.
"Tell Goku he'll see his kids in one year's time." Piccolo took off, leaving Krillin, Bulma and Master Roshi to deal with Goku's body but as they went to move it, it disappeared.
Kami must have something special planned for him.
Author's Fact:
*Veroca's name follows the naming pattern of other Saiyans, her name is derived from the vegetable Ocra*