Hey Guys Zeus here with the Dragon ball AU. Now this is an new chapter with a few rewordings to make it flow better. I hope you enjoy the story and see how my new editor the beautiful Owl has improved the story basis.

Dragon Ball Saga: Life Goes on

The sobbing and crying echoed through the now cold and spotless house. The house had been cleaned in preparations for the wake and now anything that was left for sentimental value was long gone. The whispered voices and hidden conversations were occurring all over the house as the people gathered for the wake. It was a week before this that the house had been filled with laughter and joy as Goku and his adoptive father Gohan played in the kitchen. The two were playing in the kitchen when they heard a loud noise from outside and the door was blown open. In, barged men covered in black smashing and stomping into the house. Goku started crying from fear as he hid behind his father, while Gohan tried to stand up straight to face the attackers. They had brought in metal bats with holstered guns . Gohan knew with his mediocre karate skills and frail body, he would stand no chance of defeating the four men armed with bats and guns ,and however many that were still outside. He tried to mediate the situation with a calm tone but was quickly struck with a bat from the assailant in the kitchen while his group members barged through the house looking for valuablesThey grabbed the jewelry box , one of the TVs, Gohan's wallet and left as quickly as they came with a small apology from the final man who had gone to look for jewels. Goku just sat on the ground, wailing until his throat was burning and his chest was heaving and he couldn't even cry anymore.

Gohan would never laugh or smile after that moment again for the bat had cracked his skull. The neighbors had called the police but it was too late. The damage to both Goku and Gohan was done and nothing could really fix it.

The guys were caught within twenty-four hours and they were streamlined to court for such a controversial issue and the jury was completely unanimous in voting with the judge on death sentence. The judge had to harden her face for she knew tears would have fallen, for she yearned to help the boy. Goku was only 8 years old at the time and it broke the judge and jury to see such a terrible thing for the boy. Goku's lawyer was a very good lawyer who turned what would be a 25 year sentence into the death penalty with a very inspirational story about the horrors of childhood. Goku asked the lawyer later about how he managed to get for and he only responded with he was paid for by a friend of his father's.

The later days till the day of the wake and funeral, Goku was in a form of shock where he sat in his room like a vegetable clutching onto the bear his father had given him after he won it at a fair. The house bustled with activity as cleaners and friend and family helped make arrangements for Gohan's funeral and possessions. With Gohan having no true will, everything was left to Goku and he was left with a home full of memories.

Days went by after the funeral and Goku was starting to try to move around the house but was back in his room as soon he left because he was riddled with flashbacks of his father. The flashbacks broke Goku as he continued to cry.

A week had passed since the funeral and there was a knock on the door. Goku answered with a kitchen knife in his hand and a face of upmost terror covering the tears that were trying to spill. The person at the door was a social worker by the name of Brian who was there to help Goku find a home for he was too young to live on his own. The days preceding that fateful was left with a routine of Goku answering the door, knife in hand and letting Brian in to run back to his room while Brian walked around the house to make notes in his book. After a week or so of this routine, Brian stopped at Goku's door and knocked out to alert Goku he was there.

"What do you want" Goku's answer to the knock was sharp and full of annoyance of being bothered. Brian nodded his head like he was expecting that response and walked forward to crouch at Goku's eye level.

"Goku…I have looked around the house and I have made the decision to remove you from this room and place you in foster care. You won't lose the house nor will you lose the monetary savings of Gohan and his bank accounts. However I will be freezing the amount of money till you are eighteen where you will be made an adult. There will be enough money drained to give you monthly transfers of 500 dollars to pay for your needs like clothing or books or toys. The money will be calculated till you reach 18 and the rest will be put away to a savings fund. It seems your father placed large amounts of his money away during his life and saved nearly all his pension and savings to your education fund. Your father seems to have been a very smart man with his money and revenue and has prepared a very large sum of money. You will be taken care of by the foster care and they will not be able to access your money. This house will remain vacant till you are eighteen so you may have access when you become an adult." Goku simply nodded and had prepared for the fact he would have to leave and was getting his items ready.

"Brian, who will I be living with…?"

"I don't know Goku but I will try to find you a good home." Goku nodded .

He trusted Brian and hoped he would help him. The next week Brian tried to find a home for little Goku and he discovered a home with a very nice old lady by the name of Geritrude. Goku arrived at her doorstep with Brian escorting him and his suitcase of possessions. The front of the house was pristine, with its white colored wooden deck and emerald green house. The front garden was filled with an array of flowers with a range of colours with little pin wheel decorations sticking out from the flowers. The beautiful yard was surrounded in a white picket fence that was so clean and white that the enamel of Brian's perfect teeth looked subpar. Goku felt his gut twist at the perfection of the yard and felt an odd chill creep through him. Brian looked down at Goku with a warm smile and Goku starred into his eyes. They were the eyes of man who truly cared and was trying just like Goku knew he was not a bad person when he first met him. The smile heartened Goku in hopes of this being a good person and he walked to the door and waited for Brian to knock. Soon, a grey haired lady answered the door with what seemed to be a pristine body. Her smile was white as snow with a slightly tanner tone of a skin. Her hair was wrapped into a bun of grey hair that was perfectly centred on the back of her head and a slender frame. Her pale pink blouse covered her thin, frail frame with a beige skirt that had the blouse tucked in. She had pure white sneakers with not a single speck of dirt on her body. She was a completely pristine and perfect old lady with a glistening wide smile. Goku was already put off by her appearance that was different in comparison to Gohan's rugid and messy appearance that he wore with pride. The thing that made Goku run for the hills were her eyes. Her eyes were so cold and steely that it was almost like staring into an abyss of still water. Goku felt his stomach twist and his lungs clench as he looked into her eyes and could feel the aura of her calm, cold pressure wash over his body. Goku grabbed onto Brian's leg and he looked down with the same warm, happy eyes and smile and Goku felt his heart beat faster.

"He doesn't see what I see. He just sees the frail old lady with her smile and nice house with plenty of room for a child with the security of her suburbia to protect little Goku.

"Goku, do you want to have a look around the house and ill talk with your new guardian?" Goku shook his head and continued to hold onto Brian while little miss Geritrude smiled away at her new child.

"Little boy, you don't have to be scared, this is a nice home with good neighbours. Here why don't you hold my hand and walk with me inside." Goku shook his head but Brian pushed him along with a warm smile as he pulled Goku's hand off his leg. Brian promised he would visit soon once the paperwork went through as Geritrude closed the door, Goku could have sworn he saw Brian's warm smile morph into a sad frown and his eyes were almost pleading to Goku. This would be the last time Goku would see Brian for a very long time.

X

The next month for Goku was some of the worst experiences he would ever have in his life. This harmless old lady was some sort of wolf in sheep's clothing. Her mindset was to use Goku as a slave worker to improve her lifestyle and Goku's monthly cheques to boost her income every month. You see was having a rough time after her husband passed away in his sleep under some strange circumstances but the recovery process was sped along by his sizable savings and life insurance. The statement the nice lady gave to the reporters was the sad news that the married couple could only enjoy their life together for a few months. The police had been suspicious but who would guess the neat freak old lady would try to kill her loving husband. Nobody would have suspected a thing but her new adopted child would have a completely different idea of the poor old lady.

From the morning of the first day of Goku's stay at the house, Goku had been worked like a mule. He was up a 6 am to prepare Geritrude's bath then as she bathed he was to prepare a gluten free breakfast that was hearty and healthy. Her bath was exactly 33 minutes every morning and when she was done on the bath, she would wrap herself in a robe and go sit in the sunroom. She would be expecting a plate of properly cooked food sitting in front of her with a glass of orange juice and a tea with biscuits. Goku had never had to cook a day in his life before that day but he soon figured it out after several "lessons" from his new parent. Goku would then go outside and pick any weed in the garden and mow the grass with a handheld lawnmower. Goku had 20 minutes to complete this task or he would need another lesson on how to do it properly. Goku was then to go upstairs to read one of the many designated books and be ready to be quizzed on the book within an allotted time. By this time, it was near lunch and Goku would have to prepare the properly dieted food for the old lady within the time it took her to enjoy her morning walk. The old lady would then enjoy her lunch outside under the shade of umbrella.Goku would have to hold the umbrella in the air and if it dropped, a "lesson" was needed. Goku would place the umbrella in a upright position and for an hour, he would have to run in the house to prepare lemonade or snacks for the old lady. For the next three hours, Goku would be placed in intensive learning with the old lady who would constantly cram knowledge into the little boy's brain. If something was answered wrong, Goku was quickly given a "lesson" on why it's important to be always correct. After this learning exercise, Goku was sent to prepare dinner for the two and he would sit at the table where he would have completely correct table manners and setting the table was always to be proper or a new lesson was needed. When Geritrude finished eating Goku had to clean the dishes from the days activates and then he was to prepare the evening snack for Geritrude as she watched the recorded episodes of her favorite soap operas. When the shows were finished the two were sent to bed and then the routine was to start again tomorrow. Goku often went to sleep crying or he was in bed unconscious after a rough day with too many "lessons". After a month Goku was starting to grow almost hateful of the world around him for letting him be placed under the care of this monster. After two months Goku was almost always considering violence to the old lady and by three months violence on himself seemed like the only option. After 97 days of the torture of her care, Goku was preparing to leave. As the lady prepared for her morning walk, Goku had his stuff in a neat order for a quick getaway. As she left and said have her food ready for her return, Goku was bounding up the stairs and packing his things in his small suitcase. In the matter of moments, he gathered everything he needed and he leaping out of his room. Goku was down the stairs and heading for the door when he stopped dead. The screen door that was once open for a cross breeze was now closed and hanging from the doorhandle was one of the more common lesson instruments. A long, hollow bamboo rod with thin grooves in the edges to press deeper into the skin. Instincively Goku reached to his swollen and scabbed back and turned to see the cold smile of his guardian.

"Now sweetie, you wouldn't be planning on leaving without saying goodbye to your little old grannie. Maybe for old times' sake we can take a trip to the basement." Goku felt his stomach twist and turn on itself as he looked into the bubbling anger in the eyes of the old lady.

"I.. d-d-don't wa-aan-nttt t-oo-o li-vv-eee h-ee-rree-ee any-yymmm-oo-rre-ee" Goku was stuttering and shaking and praying for his father to come and help him. He felt the heat in his eyes burn at his tear ducts and the closing feeling of his lungs as the fear made him want to cry.

"No Goku you aren't allowed to leave and now you are going to learn why you aren't allowed to leave anymore." Geritrude Grabbed Goku's head full of wonderful pure black hair and dragged him to the basement door and threw open the door with one hand. She stomped down the stairs and pulled the light with the small string to turn it on. The basement was practically empty with a cold air and a simple cement flooring. The centre of the room was sprayed with splatters of dried blood from previous lessons with the box of horrors laying just a little ways away in a corner. The old lady dragged the crying Goku into the far side of the basement with the pure white deep freezer. She threw open the lid and tossed the small child into the freezer and slammed the lid. She quickly threw on the lock and smashed any chance of Goku's would be escape. Goku banged and cried and scratched and clawed but to no anvil. The lid would not budge and now his thoughts of escape were now a shallow hope. Goku was locked in the freezer for 24 hours before the old lady decided to let him out.

X

It had been a week since Goku's stay in the icebox and he was becoming increasingly more irritable to himself and generally more aggressive with his surroundings but he was still polite to his guardian. Goku's mood would continue to ruin for the next three months after that incident til a visit came from Brian. Brian was checking up on little Goku and making sure Goku was adjusting to the lifestyle. Goku was already informed by his guardian that Brian would be stopping by and it was in his best interest to be a good boy who doesn't go spilling any of his grannie's secrets. So Goku was dressed properly and told to place on a warm smile and go run along to play. So here stood Goku greeting Brian with a large smile and what seemed to be a cheery demeanor. Brian was happy to see Goku but when he simply looked over Goku his face turned from a smile to a deep frown and his eyes looking like thrashing water.

"Geritrude, I would a talk with you outside and Goku I want you to get your things for a little trip with me." Goku inwardly leaped with joy as he ran to gather his things and came back down the stairs to see a agitated Brian and a still smiling Geritrude.

"Goku dear here is worried about your well-being. He says you look sickly and wanted to bring you to the doctors. I told him he was being absurd and said if it was something it wasn't bad enough for a doctor. Wouldn't you agree Goku?" The last few words were spoken with smallest hint of venom but Goku knew how angry Geritrude really was but he didn't care.

"No Grannie I think a doctor would be very good for me. I have being feeling often worn out and cold so maybe the doctor could explain why." The smallest hint of a frown danced across Geritrudes' face as she saw how much trouble she would soon be getting in.

"Well Goku I hope it all comes back fine and you will be hurried back to me." Goku inwardly cringed at the thought of having to come back after what he had just done.

X

Hey Guys hope you see the improvements and give me some reviews to let me and my editor know what you think til next time.