What to expect: The Continuing the story of Goku's life as a girl. Rikku (Goku) meets her brother Radditz, Nappa, and the intriguing Saiyan Prince Vegeta. In this installment you will get the story of Rikku's life between the Saiyan Saga and the Cell Saga.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

WARNING! The beginning of this chapter may get a little graphic. If you have a weak stomach please skip ahead to the next section of reading!

Why Can't You?

Chapter 38: Say Hello to Goten

He would not panic. Gohan refused to panic and put more stress on his mother. His heart may be racing, his hands may be trembling, but he would not panic!

"What do we do? Are you hurting really bad? What should I do? Should I get water? More pillows? Maybe I should run out and get Mr. Popo." He paced back and forth across his mother's bed and an his ha nds through his mop of gold hair. He and his mother had stayed in Super Saiyan form for months and the heightened level had become like a second skin.

"No, no, relax Gohan." Rikku wanted to laugh as she looked up at her boy and propped herself up on her bed. "Trust me we're okay here." She wiped her forehead. "Mr. Popo put a kit with everything we'll need. It's in the bathroom. Grab it and bring it here."

Gohan nodded and shot off to the bathroom. After a few panicked seconds of searching Gohan grabbed a box labeled "Emergency" and ran back out with it. "I got it." He knelt at the end of the bed and opened it up. Inside were fresh towel, a large baby blanket, scissors, and sanitizer. "now what do I do?"

Rikku walked him through the process she remembered from when he was born. They kept her comfortable, practiced the process of actually delivering. When she felt it was time she gently squeezed Gohan's hand and panted. "You can do this Gohan. I trust you completely." She said doing her breathing and closed her eyes when another wave hit.

Gohan wanted to gross out. The whole process of baby delivering was weird, and uncomfortable. He kept his eyes more on his mother's face and waited. She pushed, and screamed. Her scream was nothing like what he had heard when she pushed into her ascended saiyan form. Instead it reminded him of when she had been crushed under Vegeta's fists wailing in agony. It hurt and he wished to god it would all stop!

He found the head of his baby brother, and swallowed hard as he turned him as his mother had instructed. He could feel the hot sticky blood and wanted to vomit. His mother continued to scream and he told her to push again. For ten grueling seconds Gohan thought it was all over. He couldn't do it anymore. He didn't want to do it anymore! He just wanted to make it stop!

Then the baby slipped out right into his hands, and his baby brother wailed and cried with his first breath of life. Suddenly all the hours of painful labor pains and sickening birth was all worth it. He found himself crying as he cleaned him up and wrapped him tightly in a bundle. He took a moment to just hold him. His brother… he had helped given birth to this tiny bundle. He couldn't believe it.

Rikku smiled up at her sons. Her face was pink and her aura died into a faint gold glow. She was surprised Goten didn't just come out Super Saiyan. He was so beautiful, and the moment before her touched her heart and made it swim with love. Gohan had this admiration and happiness in his eyes as he looked down at his baby brother. She felt the first happy tear drip down her cheek. "You see. I told you."

"We did it mom." He handed Goten to her and curled up against her to watch his brother settle and admire the room around him. "Hi Goten. Hi."

"Yes we did." Rikku said in a faint voice. She felt so tired, but so happy. "I'm so proud of you Gohan. I'm sorry you had to go through all that." She took her free hand and brought her eldest son closer and kissed his forehead.

"It's alright. It was worth it I think."

"Definitely." she felt funny. Her eyes blurred as se looked at Goten's face. "Take him Gohan." Gohan took his brother and looked at his mom.

"Are you okay?"

"I think…" Riku's eyes drooped and she went limp on the bed.

"Mom?" Gohan panicked. "MOM!"

Vegeta was beyond pissed. This had just not been his day. Not only had he failed to defeat cell but that idiot of a woman had disobeyed his orders! "Let me through! I'm busting down that door!"

"No! You can't interrupt their training father!" Trunks chased after Vegeta as he barged his way through the lookout. Popo tailed behind them panicked and tense.

"Please Vegeta, there's no need for this hostile behavior."

"Shut up you fat clown! I told her to stay put! What does she do? She goes in! I've had it! I've waited long enough for her to come out!" He whirled punching his son and narrowed his eyes at Popo. "Open that door!"

Piccolo, Tien, and the others rushed up, having felt Vegeta's antagonistic power shoot up and down. Everyone seemed to freeze when they sense a power coming from behind the door. Vegeta whirled to it and spotted Gohan walk out. His head hung as he stared into the bundle of blankets in his arms.

"Gohan!" Piccolo pushed a shocked Vegeta aside. "Where's-" he cut off when he got a look at the bundle. Goten wriggled his face poking and he whimpered. "Whoa."

"Piccolo," Gohan looked up at his old mentor then at the others. "I need help."

"What is it?" Vegeta demanded. "Where's Karat? Where's your mother?" He saw the bundle and his insides tightened. "Is she…"

"Hungry…" He heard a voice as the door opened again and Rikku came stumbling out holding her stomach. "I'm soooo hungry!"

"RIKKU!" everyone shouted startling Goten making him cry. Gohan hushed his baby brother and Rikku looked up with a cheesy grin.

"Hi guys. " Rikku laughed and stood up straight. She looked incredible for a woman who had just come out of labor. She had put on the saiyan suit again seeing as it was the only clothes available to her. Her hair was mussed up since she had practically just crawled out of bed.

Vegeta couldn't move. She and her son were in Super Saiyan form standing there looking normal and at ease. She knelt down to coo at the baby and take him into her arms. "Everyone, I want you to meet Goten." Vegeta didn't recollect the crowd bumping around him to get a look at the little guy. She received compliments and congrats and she took it all with that bright easy laughter of hers. When her eyes came on his, he felt… like air.

"Vegeta," she walked to him and handed him the bundle. He stuttered and glanced down. His arms felt too big, and clumsy as he stared down at a face that was all his mother… except the mouth. A grim line stretched on the baby's face as it scrunched up to match his scowl. "Say hi, Goten."

"Karat," He didn't know what to say. He looked between the baby and Rikku's face. She kept smiling, and the boy frowning. "Hi."

He looked so cute. Rikku had to admit. She could tell he wasn't used to showing his affectionate side. She took Goten back not wanting him to feel uncomfortable than in a move that made him tense even more she leaned in and kissed him. She heard the whispers and speculation behind her back, but to her it felt right.

"Told you I could do it."

That fueled him. "Shut up, you had no business going in there! What do you have to show for it other than this… this."

"Baby?" She bounced him up and down smirking at Vegeta. She had to thank Bulma for giving her ideas on how to handle Vegeta's temper. Challenging it and making him uncomfortable was the best way to win over it. "I have lots to show, but I guess you'll have to wait until we face Cell."

"So you know," Piccolo whispered from behind.

"Yeah, I sensed him the moment we walked out. He's perfect isn't he?" At Vegeta's look of guilt she sighed. "Vegeta, you have to learn to control that ego. It's gonna get you killed."

"Then you should know the real reason why we're not all dead." Trunks spoke up, and told Rikku of Cell's plan for the "Cell Games."

After hearing everything, Rikku turned her back to the bulk of the group and handed Goten to Gohan. "I'm gonna go have a look at him."

"What?" Gohan said his eyes wide and curious at his mother's behavior. "Why?"

"I wanna see how I match up. Mr. Popo do you have the clothes I left here?"

"Yes, I do."

After a quick change she walked back out into the open air. Popo had been given the honor of handling Goten. His happy smile spreading across his face as Goten took a liking to him. She turned her head to watch as Gohan received a new outfit from Piccolo that mirrored his own. When he turned around to smile at her she returned it easily. "It looks good on you Gohan."

"Thanks."

"Now then…" Putting to fingers to her forehead she narrowed her eyes and disappeared. She spotted him immediately. Though he had changed in looks his power and stance was unmistakable. He stood in the middle of four pillars stretched across a spit of desert in the middle of no where. At least he had had the decency to pick a spot where no one would be lurking.

"Ah. Rikku, it's good to see you." Cell observed her head to toe. "I see you're back to fighting form. Have you come to challenge me early?"

"No, no I don't think so." Rikku brushed back her bangs getting a feel for his power. A secret smile curved into her lips and she wanted to laugh at him. Haha, Cell, you're gonna lose, you're gonna lose. Something like that.

"Oh, then to what do I owe this pleasuring visit?"

~Meanwhile~

Piccolo, Vegeta, and Trunks stood on the side of the lookout staring down at the world below. Gohan walked up behind and tugged on Piccolo's cape. "Is she alright?"

"Your mom's fine Gohan." Piccolo assured looking over at him. "They're just talking." He stared for a good long awhile. His eyes fixated on the boy that just seemed to appear from no where. "I can't believe how much you've changed."

"Yeah, mom said that too." He laughed a little. "She watched me grow and yet it seems like everyday she would tell me that." In the background he heard his baby brother giggling and laughing while Mr. Popo played with him.

"Things were tough. I don't know how she managed to train me, and take care of herself." he narrowed his eyes. "I hope we can go back in, or something. I want her to get as strong as possible, I feel like she was cheated out of her training."

"What all did she do in there?" This from Vegeta who had moved opposite side of him.

"I'm not sure. When training me she mostly sat and meditated. The few times we sparred she beat me and put me to bed, then went back to meditating again. In my sleep I could hear her training, and exercising. In my mind she would urge me on, and train me in my dreams, kinda like a psychic connection. It was so strange."

He remembered when he had first become Super Saiyan. His body had been lying in bed and he could hear his mother's fierce and determined voice commanding him. The screams, the fear, and the anger all swelling inside him pushing his limits until he just released it and grasped the power. He had woken up from his dream, a Super Saiyan.

~Back with Rikku~

You could cut the tension between them with a knife. For the longest time they stared at each other. Their powers testing the air around them, sparking with energy and an air of absolute strength. The question now, if they fought, who would be the victor.

"I have spent months preparing for the day where I would see the end of you. I've come a long way Cell."

Cell thought of his transformations, his skills, his battles, his determinations, and smiled. "So have I."

"I shall be your first opponent when we meet in the ring. Leave everyone out of this until we meet in the ring. Agreed?" At his smirk Rikku continued. "You will pay for all of your crimes against this planet. The day that we meet, will be the day that you die."

At her final words, she disappeared and reappeared back at the look out. A squealing Goten wriggled in Popo's arms and she took him bouncing him high. "There's my big boy." All the hostile venom she had spoken to Cell with was gone and replaced with honey as she cooed at her boy. Gohan and the others ran up anxious to get the details of her meeting.

"What do you think Rikku?" Tien asked. "Can you beat him?" Rikku paused in her playing to look up.

"That's a good question…" she took a longer pause before laughing. "He'd probably cream me."

Gohan nearly fell over at his mother's expression. With a groan he rubbed his face. It was all his fault. IF she hadn't been busy training him she probably could have had more time to work on herself.

"well then it's settled. We have 9 days left before the tournament. That gives us each one more day in the chamber. I will go first, then Vegeta who wants to go alone."

"That's because I don't want anyone interfering with my training!" Vegeta sneered pacing a little.

"Trunks will be next, and Gohan and Rikku will be the last."

"Nah," Rikku said quickly walking over to her eldest son. "Gohan and I don't need to go in."

"What?" Gohan jumped looking up at his mother. "Why not?"

"We're fine where we're at."

"I thought you just said you couldn't beat him."

"Trust me, Piccolo, I found something very interesting in the chamber that may give us the advantage. I don't need a second trip. To tell you the truth, I hate it in there. Too stuffy, and plus Gohan and I don't really cook all that well."

"So you're scared." Vegeta claimed glaring at his mate. She shrugged.

"Hey if you wanna torture your body in there, be my guest. As for me, Gohan, Goten, and I are going home." She walked up and brushed a kiss to his cheek. "You're welcome to join us."

"No thanks." He narrowed his eyes. "As much as I want to catch up, I want to get in that chamber the moment the Namek is out. I don't have a minute to spare."

"Suit yourself Vegeta." She turned Goten around. "Say Bye-bye Daddy." The gurgles coming out of Goten's mouth made Vegeta squirm in embarrassment. Why was it that the women in his life tried to turn him into a coddler?

"Let's go Gohan."

"Uh, right." he followed his mom as she jumped off the edge clutching Goten into her breast to keep him warm.

"Let's go to Master Roshi's and pick up Chichi. We're gonna need her expertise on finding the right supplies for Goten."

"Mom, are you sure we're gonna be okay."

"Trust me, Gohan." She smiles big. "We're gonna be just fine."

What is Rikku planning? If you know the show then it's no surprise, but what else is in store for our heroine? Find out soon… "Peace of mind"