As the weeks went by, Goku got more and more comfortable with his family. The little house he used to share with Grandpa Gohan became the little house he shared with his family. His mother rearranged it to better suit their lifestyle. Since the hut was so small, almost the entire floor was covered with the large leaves that grew on the vines nearby, turning the floor into a large, soft bed. The windows were completely covered by the same leaves, so that no light could get in. The table, chairs, and pretty much everything else had been moved outside, set up around the small hut in a way that looked like it belonged there. Next to the table was a large fire pit he helped his mother build, so they could cook large amounts of meat all at once. They also built a large stone tub. His mother had used something that looked like old Master Roshi's Kamehameha wave to do it, only she was really careful, and only made a big dip in the large boulder, without breaking it, so that it looked like a really big bowl. The tub was situated over a hole in the ground that was meant for building a fire in.

They kept to a strict schedule. Every night they slept together inside the hut on the soft floor, all curled up together, his father's back always to the door. Every morning, when his father moved, everyone else woke up, and he was always the first one out. Goku figured out this was on purpose one morning, when he tried to leave before his father, and got his ankle yanked back by his mother's tail, sending him to the floor. When Bardock left the hut, everyone else waited a second, then left the hut, too. Goku asked his mother about it once, and she told him it was a precaution against danger. She reminded him that, just because they were the strongest beings on this planet, didn't mean they should start acting like it. If they weren't always careful, no matter what, then when someone stronger came along, they would get themselves killed.

So, they would all come outside, stretch, and drink from the bucket of water his mother kept outside the door for that very purpose. Bardock and Raditz would go off to spar, and Goku would help Gine hunt and cook breakfast. Once the scent of cooking meat hit the air, Bardock and Raditz would magically appear, and they all sat down to eat. Afterwards, Bardock and Raditz would leave again, and Goku would spar with Gine.

His mother was fast and strong, and she fought dirty. Goku soon learned to wrap his tail around his waist when he was fighting, because she tended to grab for it. When they were fighting, it was like she wasn't his mother anymore, she was a wild ferocious beast. It scared him a little at first, but then he just got excited, and sparring was a lot of fun because of it. Over time, he started being able to hold his own, and even got a few good hits in himself. Not that he liked the idea of hitting his mother… but sometimes you just couldn't help it, if you were fighting. And he never hit her so hard that it would actually hurt her. He made sure of that.

After their morning spar, Goku would help her hunt for and cook lunch, and once again Bardock and Raditz would appear when it was almost ready. They would eat, then more sparring, then dinner, then Raditz and Goku would go off somewhere, preferably far away, while their parents mated. Goku relished these times with his older brother, who had started to warm up to him after the first night. Raditz liked to tell stories, especially stories about their people, stories he had heard from their mother when he was small. He also told Goku a lot about Frieza, and some of the horrible things that he made the Saiyans do. Goku had come to the realization that, while the Saiyans were a bloodthirsty warrior race, they were all about finding the biggest challenge, not about destroying the weak. But Frieza took advantage of their fighting skills, and made them do things they wouldn't normally do, by promising them what every Saiyan wants: strength. And then, when they got too strong…

He destroyed them.

Goku had never hated anyone before. At least, not that he could remember. But a big bully like Frieza that forced people to do bad things, then killed them when doing those bad things made them strong enough to beat him? That was enough for anyone to hate. Even Goku. But, more importantly, Frieza was strong. Really, really strong, stronger than his father Bardock, stronger than their Prince Vegeta, by a lot. Just the thought of it excited him, and he wanted to go up against him, more than anything. When he had mentioned this to his brother, Raditz had smirked, giving him a knowing nod. Goku had a feeling everyone in his family felt that way, too.

The smell of fire going at the house brought the boys back home every evening, for the family's evening bath, which Goku actually enjoyed. He had become acquainted with baths, thanks to Bulma, and hadn't looked forward to it at first. But his mother's definition of a bath was different… she took the entire boulder down to the stream, filled it with water, and flew it back up to the house, to sit over the fire for a while. Then, when it was so hot it was almost boiling, they would all get in, and just let the hot water soak into their sore muscles. It felt amazing! None of that fluffy stuff Bulma had put in his hair, either, though his mother made sure that Goku scrubbed his scalp really well under the hot water. Raditz had the hardest time of it, having so much hair. One time Raditz had grumbled about it, Bardock had offered to cut his hair, earning a vehement objection from his oldest son. When Goku asked why it was a big deal, Raditz had blinked and explained that Saiyan hair doesn't grow back. Once it was gone, it was gone for good. Goku made a mental note never to cut his hair. Then they each washed their armor (or, in Goku's case, his clothes), and dried them with their ki. Goku was still learning how to control his, so his mother did that for him, so he wouldn't burn them to cinders by accident.

When the sun dipped low, they would go inside, always before moonrise. On this matter, Goku never asked questions or talked back. It still made him sick what had happened to Grandpa. He swore to himself he would never look at a moon again, full or not. He never wanted to lose control of himself, to hurt the people he cared about. In a way, he was glad his wish hadn't brought Grandpa Gohan back. He didn't know if the old man would ever want to see him, after what Goku had done unknowingly.

Goku was always the first one inside, and slept in his gi, while his family left off their armor, sleeping only in whatever they happened to wear underneath it. Bedtime was his favorite part, because it seemed to wash away all the angry words and hurt feelings of the day, with the scent of all four of them coming together to make one comforting smell. No matter how bad things got, they all slept together and held each other at night. Even his father, who seemed so unapproachable during the day, would pull him close at night sometimes, resting one large hand in Goku's spiky hair as Goku's tail wrapped around his. Tails and limbs were everywhere, and Goku enjoyed the feeling that it didn't matter whose hand or foot or tail or hair was touching him, it was his family, and it meant that he was home.

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They had been on Earth for four of this planet's moon cycles, when Raditz had come to Bardock about Kakarot. It had been a while since he'd heard his son complain about his sibling, so Bardock was somewhat surprised to hear it now. He sighed.

"What's the cub done now?" he asked, disliking this interruption in their training regime.

Raditz frowned. "You'll have to see it for yourself, Father," he said, shifting nervously.

This got Bardock's attention. Raditz was the type to use his head more than his instincts, and while he could be full of himself sometimes, he tended to lean more on logic than emotion. If he was worried about something, it was probably something pretty bad. His guard up, Bardock gave his son a short nod, and followed Raditz to where Gine and Kakarot were sparring.

Raditz quickly lowered himself to a nearby tree branch, staying out of sight, so Bardock did the same. Watching Kakarot and Gine spar, he tried to figure out just what had Raditz so concerned. They seemed to be doing fine, Gine was her regular self, a bit on the gentle side, for a Saiyan, but Bardock loved her for that. He had enough rough edge in him for the both of them. Kakarot's skill was increasing, too, soon he would be ready to fight against Raditz, and join his brother in their daily spar against him. He was looking forward to that day, too, since it would make his own training more of a chal-

'There,' Raditz's voice said in his mind, and Bardock blinked, having missed it. He looked at Kakarot more closely. He was winded, but not too badly, and his mother was more than he. His eyes were carefully calculating, and….

'There again,' Raditz's voice came, and Bardock gave a short nod. He had seen it.

'He's holding back,' he said, frowning. Kakarot would notice an opening, and dismiss it, then block one of Gine's strikes. Then he would strike, and Bardock could tell he was carefully controlling the power behind his attack. It was close to what Bardock knew Gine could handle, and he wondered if she could tell. More than that, however, he wondered something else. 'How is he able to do that? Did they just start?' he asked.

'Three hours ago,' Raditz supplied, and Bardock could feel his worry. It was a lot like the worry that made his own gut clench. Kakarot had been fighting for three hours, and the bloodlust hadn't kicked in.

All this time, he'd been checking Gine for any kind of bruises or wounds that would speak of Kakarot's progress, and hadn't really found any. He had been waiting for her to let him know that he was getting too rough with her, so that one of them could be there to pull him off of her. A cub that young shouldn't have much control of his bloodlust; that control had to be learned, over time. With very little training, and no Saiyan training whatsoever, Kakarot should have been insatiable, unable to contain his need to kill his opponent. Yet here he was, doing just that, not only controlling his urge, but being almost gentle with his mother.

It was as though he felt no bloodlust at all.

Jumping down from the tree, Bardock let his presence be known, causing Gine and Kakarot to stop. That in itself deepened his worry… getting a cub to stop fighting at this point should have involved the cub being unconscious or unable to move. Kakarot was neither. Bardock said nothing, merely grabbed Kakarot's chin and looked into his eyes. The boy's mind was… hard to describe. It felt like he was asleep, but having a good dream, and nothing really made much sense to Bardock. It didn't feel like a typical Saiyan's mind at all, but without the boy's telepathic abilities being any stronger, he couldn't really trust what he felt from him to diagnose him. "Kakarot, I want you to tell me what you're feeling, right now," Bardock instructed him.

Kakarot blinked. "My face hurts," he said. Bardock looked at his face, which he was holding, a bit more roughly than he meant to, and let it go.

"I mean, how do you feel, are you angry, frustrated, what do you feel?" he insisted, frowning.

Kakarot looked confused. "I don't know. I feel fine, I guess. I'm having fun, at least, I was," he said, glancing at his mother and grinning, a spark in his eye.

"Fun," Bardock said, scowling. Well, that wasn't a bad sign… fighting was fun, but it should also be something more to Kakarot. "Do you feel anything else? Is there something you feel like you want to do? It's okay to tell me, I won't get mad," he said, trying to be easy on the cub so he could get the information he needed.

Kakarot frowned in thought. "Well… I am starting to get hungry…" he said.

Bardock straightened, and shared a long look with Gine. She looked down at Kakarot, concern in her eyes, then said, "Kakarot, you go hunt us something good to eat, while I speak with your father," she said. Her eyes lifted to the tree, where Raditz sat. "Raditz will go with you," she added firmly.

Raditz gave a short nod, then jumped down to the ground. "Come on, cub, bet I can find prey before you do," he said.

Kakarot broke out into a grin. "You're on!" he shouted, and started running down the path, followed a bit more slowly by his brother, who was only trying to get Kakarot out of earshot.

Gine turned to Bardock. "Do you think it's from the fall?" she asked, frowning.

Bardock grunted. "I don't know. But he's been ready to join me and Raditz for a while now. He's reading your movements, and going easy on you," he said.

"But why?" Gine asked, shaking her head. "I've gone all out with him, I pull no punches. Why would he let himself get bruised up, without going after me?" she asked, confused.

"Tch. Because you're his mother," Bardock said with a shrug. "He doesn't want to hurt you. He wants to protect you," he explained.

Gine shook her head. "That's normal thought, not battle thought. Are you saying, he's thinking of my well-being, in the heat of battle?" she asked.

Bardock nodded. "Cub's barely got an instinct to him. He's got no bloodlust. Did you look in his mind? He's all numb inside," he said.

"Like he's asleep," Gine nodded, having tried more than once to help Kakarot develop his telepathy. He had the ability, she could sense that much, but it could take him years to learn how to fully grasp it, something that should have come automatically to him. "But what can we do about it? Regeneration tanks can't fix brain damage, and we don't have access to one anyway. We're stuck on a primitive planet with no ship to speak of, and very little technology. If we found a medic here, we'd have to teach them what a Saiyan was, before they could even begin to help. Even the medics on our planet were hacks, that Sinkosian doctor who delivered Kakarot pretty much turned him into a Saiyan pincushion, with all the times he stabbed that boy with a needle, just to draw some-"

"Gine!" Bardock cut her off, unwilling to hear her rant yet again about the cursed alien doctors assigned to the Worker Class. They weren't on Vegeta anymore, there was no point in dwelling on the past. "Look, we've got what we've got. It's time to go visit the natives, see what they've got to offer. Those humans Kakarot was travelling with, didn't they say they were going to be in West City?" he asked.

Gine nodded. "I think so," she said.

"Then we'll go there first thing tomorrow. Time to get Kakarot some new clothes, anyway. Maybe something a bit sturdier, looks like he's wearing threads," he said. Indeed, his gi was torn and tattered, and starting to become too small for him. "We'll find a doctor, we'll look for tech, we'll look for a ship. Been meaning to make the trip anyway, this just gives me a reason not to put it off," he said, with a wry grin.

Gine gazed at him knowingly. "And there's probably alcohol in West City," she added.

Bardock's grin widened. "Thought crossed my mind," he admitted. He cared for his family on a deep level that only a Saiyan father would understand, but staying cooped up with them, and only them, for four of this planet's lunar cycles, was enough to drive the most sober man to drink. And Bardock had never been called that a day in his life.

Gine smiled. "I have to admit, I'd like to see the sights. I wonder what a human city will be like. And I know Kakarot looks forward to seeing his friends," she said.

Later that evening, during their bath, Bardock told them the news. He didn't mention to Kakarot about the medical reason why they were going. There were plenty of other reasons they needed to go, and he didn't want the cub to get it into his head that he couldn't fight just because he was brain damaged. He needed all the confidence he could get. Kakarot was ecstatic, of course, and Raditz was pleased to be getting a change in scenery, even though he knew the real reason behind the trip. Kakarot scrubbed his hair extra hard, so that Bulma wouldn't have anything to complain about (last time she had complained quite often about how he smelled), and quickly washed his clothes and went to bed.

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Ages:

Kakarot: 1.5 cycles (12 earth years)

Raditz: 2.25 cycles (18 earth years)

Bardock: 4.75 cycles (38 earth years)

Gine: 4.5 cycles (36 earth years)

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