When the cloudy haze cleared, Goku once again found himself in the middle of a town square. But this was a very different town to the grimy, miserable place his first excursion with Mister Popo and Master Korin had taken him.
It was a bright, sunny day. The streets were all clean and cobbled, and the town center itself was adorned with a small but well-crafted fountain that bubbled cheerfully. Goku wandered curiously through the square and down a street lined with perfectly square shops selling all manner of items. He passed the window of one, where an enticing array of pastries was displayed, and was just about to ask Mister Popo if they could stop and he could maybe just get a tiny taste, when he heard someone yell.
"Hey!" There was a man sitting on a horse-drawn cart heavily laden with crates. "Move! You're in the way!"
Goku looked around him, confused.
"Get outta my way!" he yelled louder.
"Me?" Goku pointed at himself.
"Yes!" The man yelled. "Yes, you, you idiot! Get the hell outta my way!"
It was a big cart for a fairly narrow road. Goku moved onto the sidewalk.
"That man can see me!" Goku said as he moved away. "I thought you said no one could see me!"
"That was when we wanted you only to observe the events of the past. This is different," Mister Popo explained. "You cannot exist in the true time of the past. However, in order for you to meet and challenge Taiki, I have created a," he paused, "a bubble of time. This is the true past, but the events of it will not be true in their time, only in yours."
Goku waited a minute to see if any more explanation was forthcoming. When it was clear that there wasn't, he attempted to prompt Mister Popo for more information.
"What?"
Mister Popo sighed. "Imagine you have a pot of soup. I take some of that soup and put it in a bowl. You add salt to that bowl. The soup in both pot and bowl is the same, but only the soup in the bowl is affected by your action."
"No, the pot is too, because there's less soup in the pot now," Goku pointed out. "Because you put some in the bowl to start."
Goku could be very sharp when it came to food metaphors. This was why Korin avoided them.
"Look, don't worry about that, okay kid? What Mister Popo's saying is that this is basically the real world as it was in Taiki's time, but what you do here is only real to you and your time. It won't actually change the past. But the point is that you can actually do stuff here, and other people can see and hear you."
Goku was suddenly aware that several people were staring at him.
"Can they see you?"
Korin snickered.
Goku blushed. He must look insane.
"You should not waste your time here," Mister Popo said. "If you plan only to dillydally and make a fool of yourself, we will return-"
The threat was all it took for Goku to get moving. Where to find Taiki, the Ox King, was obvious – he could see the mountain over the buildings of this historic town. But still, Goku didn't mind taking the scenic route. This town, now, was Ter-Kader. He recognized the shape of it, the paths, and the mountain overshadowing it. But this was a much, much nicer version. The street cobbles sparkled in the morning sun, and people bustled about on the streets and in and out of shops and houses. Business was booming, it looked like. Goku observed with interest as a baker pulled fresh loaves out of a large oven and lined them up in his store's window – almost as soon as a loaf was extracted, a customer came in waving an unfamiliar currency at the young lady at the till. Down the road, two enterprising young boys, maybe 11 and 13 or 14, had set up a stall selling newspapers, waving copies at passersby.
Goku stopped.
"Hey, here's an intelligent man!" one boy said. "Read the news, sir, read the news!"
Goku took a copy. He'd never seen anything like this before, this grainy, thin paper with ink practically sliding off, staining his thumbs. The writing was Talpe, but the spelling was horrible – he wondered if the boys had written it themselves. He squinted at it.
"RAIN STORAGE PROJECT FAILURE THREATENS KISBAYA CROPS!" it told him.
"That's two piys, mister," the other boy said.
"Oh, uh…um. I don't have that," Goku said. He hadn't considered that money would be a problem. He wasn't even interested in the news, really. It was another quality of the boys that had attracted his attention.
It was a Saiyan who had handed him the newspaper to start. "You don't have two piys! Seriously?"
"How about one piy?" the other boy, a human, suggested.
"Are you two friends?" Goku asked.
"Sometimes," the human grinned.
"We're cousins," the Saiyan stated matter-of-factly.
"Cousins!"
"Do you have a piy or not?!" the Saiyan demanded.
"Um, no, but-"
The Saiyan snatched the newspaper out of his hands. "Well then, what are you doing trying to buy stuff, mister?"
"Sorry," Goku said. "Hey, are you two really cousins?"
"Yeah," the human boy raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Is something wrong?"
"That's so cool!" Goku grinned. "I have a cousin-"
"Goku, move along," Korin hissed in his ear.
"But-" Goku protested. The boys stared at him curiously.
"Move it, kid!"
"Uh, sorry." Goku gave the two boys an awkward wave and moved away.
"Why wouldn't you let me talk to them?" Goku complained as they walked down the street. Fellow pedestrians carefully avoided him. "I just wanted to tell them about my mother and my aunt and maybe if their parents are all friends then I could tell Mother-"
"Goku, they won't understand your problem with your mother and your aunt," Korin said. "They don't know what humans and Saiyans are, they're not human and Saiyan!"
"What do you mean they're not human and Saiyan?" Goku was bewildered. "I saw-"
"They're Plants, Goku."
Next to them, Mister Popo ambled along, humming.
"What's a Plant?"
"Plants are the people who live on Planet Plant."
"What's that?"
"This is Planet Plant."
"What about Vegeta?!"
"Perhaps this was not such a good idea after all," Mister Popo said.
"What? No way, I'm heading for the mountain right now," Goku sped up.
"Listen kid, if we're gonna get through this you gotta move things along here," Korin said. "This is a different world. It would take you years to understand this place, and that ain't what we're here for."
"Fine," Goku scowled at him. He moved to fly, but Korin grabbed the back of his shirt.
"What are you thinking, you idiot? Look around you! No one here flies!"
"People can't fly?!"
"Only the very best warriors in this time have been able to master the power of flight," Mister Popo said. "You are very young and unknown here. Flying would attract unnecessary attention."
Goku grinned triumphantly. "And you said this was gonna be hard!"
"What we're saying," Korin said, "is that you gotta walk, kid."
It took two hours of studious jogging for Goku to get to the castle, but this was nothing like the gloomy Kada Castle he'd seen several hours ago. This was the castle of present-day Ter-Kader, but this one sat at the center of a complex, with multiple buildings encased within a large, walled courtyard. That courtyard was itself surrounded by several multi-storey buildings, with paths leading into the many human – or, apparently, Plant – villages that dotted the mountain.
In the center of the courtyard, a harried, middle-aged human man sat behind a flimsy-looking desk. Goku paused for a minute, uncertain. As he assessed the situation, two men came up behind him and headed for the desk. He followed.
"Oh good, you two again," the desk man said sarcastically. He began to write something on a notepad. "When are you two going to give up this foolishness?"
"When this heinous fiend," one said, "returns to me my ewe and her babe which she birthed on his land due to his unscrupulousness."
"You are a thief and a scoundrel!" the other accused. "I-"
"Enough!" the desk man yelled. "Save it for the judge!" He stamped the piece of paper and waved it at them. "I don't envy him this tedious task."
He shooed them away, and Goku approached him.
"Yes, how can I help you, young man?"
"Um, I'm here to see the Ox King," Goku said.
"Who?"
"The Ox King. You know, Lord Taiki."
The man grinned. "Lord Taiki, huh? And what do mean, Ox King? Do you mean peasant?"
Goku blushed. "Yeah, I guess."
The man squinted at him suspiciously, and then pulled over a small notebook and opened it. "What's your name?"
"Goku."
"Yes? Just Goku?" the man peered at him.
"Oh. Uh, Goku Son Kisb-Azada."
"Son…," the man flipped through the book and stopped at a page, trailing his finger down it. "You're not in here. Are you sure your appointment is for today?"
"Oh, I don't have an appointment," Goku said. "I just want to see him."
The man sighed. "You can't simply walk in and ask to see the Peasant King, my boy. You have to make an appointment. Here," the man scribbled something on a sheet of paper and handed it to him. "You must send a letter requesting an appointment to this address here. Then you wait to be scheduled. Where do you live? Depending on where you live, you should receive adequate notice to arrive. You mustn't be late. There, now off you go."
"No, no, I can't make an appointment!" Goku turned helplessly to Korin and Mister Popo, neither of whom offered any help. "I have to see the Ox King today! Now! It's really important."
"Goodness, what is this about?" the man asked.
"Um, it's kinda hard to explain."
The man leaned back in his chair. "Take your time, then."
"I have to fight him," Goku blurted out.
"Fight him?"
"It's very important."
The man leaned forward. "What do you mean, fight him? Fight him how?"
"You know, a fight." Goku made a fist to demonstrate.
The man's eyes widened. "You want to challenge the Peasant King to a physical fight? Martial arts?"
"Yeah!"
"Why?!"
"That's the part that's hard to explain."
The man stared at him. "Where did you say you were from?"
"I didn't," Goku said, "but if you have to know, I'm from Arkisbe."
"Where?"
"It's far away, by the sea. It's a small town, you won't know it."
"What is this place you said?"
"Arkisbe."
The man glared at him. "Are you trying to say Kisbaya?"
"Yes," Korin said, finally helping. "Yes, you are."
"Yes," Goku said.
The glare deepened. "Is this about the rain storage problem? We are receiving direct word from the Duke of Ta-Meini on events as they unfold there, but really there's nothing to be done from here. And it's hardly the Peasant's King's fault it happened to start with."
"I don't know what this rain thing is-"
"And I don't see what you think fighting the Peasant King will help."
"I don't-"
"Do you think your broken ribs will restore the tank? Hmm? Perhaps they could use the remnants of your beaten body to rebuild it."
"Why don't you just ask him, okay?!" Goku stomped a frustrated foot. "Tell him he has a challenger."
The man looked at him for a minute. Then he got up. "Wait here."
Goku watched him walk away, then turned on Master Korin and Mister Popo. "What's happening now? You said I could fight him!"
"I said we could come into a space and time where it would be possible for you to challenge Taiki. I never made a guarantee," Mister Popo said.
"This is still the real world, kid," Master Korin said. "If you had done this in Taiki's time, this is exactly how it would have happened."
"So what does that mean? Am I not going to get to fight him?"
Korin shrugged. Mister Popo hummed noncommittally.
"Come on!" Goku huffed. "Why didn't you just send me to the Ox King to start?"
"You want to materialize unannounced in the middle of the Ox King's castle?" Korin said. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
"I'm already stronger than everyone here," Goku said confidently.
"A knife to the chest will take you down just the same," Korin snapped.
Just then, the man returned with another, taller man, a Saiyan. Or a Saiyan Plant. He was wearing what looked like a guard's uniform – a leather skirt with matching leather boots and a breastplate bearing the familiar crest of the Ox King on it.
"This is him?" the Saiyan said.
"Yes. His speech is very odd as well. I tell you, I think he's touched in the head."
"No, I know what this is." The Saiyan grinned at Goku. "How old are you?"
"Sixteen," Goku said.
"Ah, you see," he turned to the desk man, "he's just become a man, and," he turned back to Goku, "he's full of vigor, eh? Hot in the blood? Eh? Well, there are many well-respected dojos in the Ta-Meini region for you to get your start. In fact," the man placed a fatherly hand on his shoulder, "since you came all this way, I will personally write you a recommendation to the Turtle Hermit. Hmm? How's that sound?"
Goku pushed his hand away. "No! I have to see the Ox-I mean the Peasant King! That's what I came here for, and I'm not leaving" – he looked pointedly at Master Korin and Mister Popo, although of course the two men couldn't see it – "until I do!"
The men exchanged uncertain looks.
"His speech is odd," the Saiyan said. "What should we do now?"
"I don't know! If I did, I wouldn't have brought you!"
"Well, why did you bring me?" the Saiyan hissed. "You should have gotten Jia, he's the one who deals with problems like this!"
"Jia's not going to come out here, he gets sunstroke."
"Fine!" The Saiyan walked over the Goku and grabbed his arm, dragging him towards one of the buildings.
"What are you doing?!" the man said.
"I'm taking him to Jia. What else are we going to do about this? He won't leave!"
Goku grinned widely. Meeting Jia was obviously a step in the right direction – if nothing else, it was inside, meaning it was closer to the Ox King.
The Saiyan dragged him into a one of the larger buildings, a multistorey one with spires that Goku recognized from the Ox Castle of his time. Inside however, it looked more like a government building, like the time he'd gone into Ta-Meini with his mother to confirm his nursery school records. People bustled from room to room, carrying papers and books and chatting loudly in the halls. Goku was taken into a room, an office, with a large mahogany desk in the center and another human man sitting behind it, writing studiously in a large notebook.
The man, Jia, looked up. He wore a thin pair of spectacles and his hair was a spiky mess, very similar to a Saiyan, but his build was too slim and slack to be of that species.
The Saiyan who'd brought him in explained the situation.
"And," he concluded, "his speech is very odd."
"How old is he?" Jia asked.
"Sixteen."
"Ah!" Jia leaned back with satisfaction. "I see what this is. Hot in the blood, eh? Well, there are many reputable dojos in the Kingdom, and-"
"I don't want to go to a dojo, I want to challenge the Ox King!" Goku demanded.
"Ox King?" Jia raised a curious eyebrow.
"You see?" the guard said.
"Or peasant! Whatever!" Goku had never felt so frustrated, and he was really worried that Mister Popo would suddenly lose patience and whisk him back to the Lookout. "Just call him out! Unless," a wild idea manifested itself, and he grinned evilly, "he's too scared to meet a challenger."
Jia and the Saiyan exchanged a confused look. "Scared to meet you?" Jia said.
"Yeah," Goku said. Next to him, Master Korin had begun laughing. "I mean, he's an old man now, right? Maybe he's not up to a real challenge anymore. He's gotten lazy. And," confidence surged within him, "fat!"
Jia stared at him for a long time. Slowly, a smile crept onto his face. "Oh," he sighed, getting up from his chair and going around the desk towards the door, "this is too good."
"Where are you going?" the guard demanded.
"I'm going to get Taiki," Jia said, a foot out the door. "He's going to love this."
"Yes!" Goku cheered. "I did it!" Relief washed over him. Next to him, Korin was still laughing, and even Mister Popo had a smile on his face.
The guard shook his head.
It felt like a lifetime, but before long the man himself materialized. Taiki Kada, the Ox King, Lord of Fire, Father on the Mountain. He was…
Not as impressive as Goku had imagined.
He was older, of course, than the young man Goku had seen in his previous visit to the past, perhaps in his early or mid-40s. He was bigger, more muscular in the arms and legs, but he seemed somehow shorter than Goku had initially thought, maybe 5'10'', not much taller than Goku himself, and Goku hadn't stopped growing yet.
He smiled at Goku. There was something about him that was certainly attractive. His eyes twinkled, and Goku noticed he had a slight dimple in his right cheek.
"So," Taiki said, "this is the challenger?"
"Yeah!" Goku had a huge, goofy smile plastered on his face, and in turn, Taiki's smile widened and his dimple deepened.
"What do you think?" Taiki looked down, and Goku noticed for the first time that clutching his arm was a little girl, maybe six or seven, with a tail and a pouty face. "Should I fight him?"
"Yeah!" the girl said. "Fight him, Papa! Punch him in the face!"
Taiki laughed, a loud laugh that came from his chest and his soul, and Goku felt happier just hearing it. "That's my bloodthirsty little Oozaru!" He ruffled her curls affectionately.
"So she is a Saiyan then!" Goku said.
"A what?" Taiki looked at him curiously.
"She's a-" Goku paused, and looked round to Master Korin for assistance, but the old cat ignored him.
"I think you mean she has a saiy, a tail," Taiki said, grinning. "You seem surprised. You have one too, you know. Your speech really is odd."
Goku blushed. He felt like a five-year-old being teased by his father's friends.
"You're not going to really fight him, are you, Taiki?" the guard said.
"Sure! Why the hell not? I could use some exercise today. And," Taiki grinned, "this won't take too long."
Goku glared. "I wouldn't be so confident if I were you."
"Why not?" Taiki said. "You are."
With that, the Ox King led Goku out of the building and into another, smaller courtyard, where a few people had gathered to eat lunch out of small metal boxes. They watched curiously as Taiki, Goku, Jia, and the Saiyan guard moved to the middle of the courtyard. Taiki nudged his daughter into a corner, then stood up to face Goku.
"Alright," he said. "Challenge me."
He was just standing there with an open countenance, not in any kind of martial arts stance Goku was familiar with. They were only a few feet apart.
Goku positioned himself. He had all the advantage here. He was, by Korin and Mister Popo's own accounts, the stronger of the two. He was taking this fight seriously. Taiki was open to attack.
Could it really be that easy?
He lunged.
"Whoa!" Taiki laughed. He'd just barely dodged Goku's first jab, and the young Saiyan's confidence surged. Already he had him on his toes, and they were just getting started! Taiki was just dodging, he wasn't even attempting an attack. Goku had him right where he want-
He saw the big hand reach out and grab his arm, but he was already mid-punch and couldn't pull away in time. Before he knew quite what was happening, Goku's arm had been twisted behind his back, the momentum that had driven his flurry of attacks turned against him. He lost his balance, and as he tried to regain it a forceful leg swept under his feet.
Goku's head slammed against the cobbled floor, and the heavy weight of Taiki's body came crashing on top of him. One knee rammed against his shoulder blade, the other was pushed against the base of his tail. His arm was still twisted back and now his thumb was being twisted back too – any more pressure, and it would break.
Taiki leaned down to whisper in his ear. "Am I hurting you?" he teased. "And you such a big, strong, strapping young fellow. Did you really call me fat?"
Goku wriggled desperately. If he focused his energy, he could-
"I know what you're thinking," Taiki continued. "You're thinking if you try hard enough, you could throw me off your back. And you are probably correct in thinking so! But I would caution against such a move." He dug his knees in harder. "You've already lost this fight. Another round would find you kissing the ground again within a few minutes. Now, why don't you stop struggling, and tell me who you really are?"
"Whamfppf?" Goku's jaw was pressed against the ground.
Taiki leaned in closer. "Do you think I do not see what you are? You and I cannot both exist in the same time and place. So who are you, and how did you come to be here?"
Goku wriggled.
Taiki sighed and stood up.
"Yay, Papa!" the little Saiyan girl ran up to him, and he picked her up.
Goku rolled over and sat up. "I never said I give up!"
Taiki grinned. "Would you like another round?"
Goku blushed. Their lunchtime audience was already applauding, and Jia and the guard were shaking their heads at him. Master Korin was having a fit with laughter, and Mister Popo had a huge smile on his face.
"Come on," Taiki offered him a hand. Goku took it, and the king pulled him up onto his feet and gave him a hearty slap on the back. Then he turned to where Jia was still standing. "You don't need me for anything, do you?"
"Not right now," Jia said. "What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to take this young man up for a chat." Taiki squeezed Goku's shoulders.
"Really, he's used up too much of your time already."
"Eh," he smiled, "I wasn't doing anything with it. Here," he put down the girl, "why don't you run off and play with your sisters for bit, hmm?"
"No, Papa! I want to play with you!" she whined.
"Come on, now." He pinched her nose playfully. "Just for a bit, and then I'll see you for dinner. Be a good girl."
She flounced off sullenly.
"Alright, come with me." Taiki gestured at Goku, who eagerly followed the king out of the courtyard and into yet another building. This one looked more like a castle, but like a castle that had been turned into tenement building, with multiple families living across rooms grouped together.
"Is this where you live?" Goku asked. "There's a lot of people here."
"Lots of the people who work around here live here with their families. Jia, whom you met, for instance. He's here with his wife and four boys. A few other people. The servants all have their families up here, although we did have to move a few families out to the judicial building last year."
"You let them live with you?"
Taiki smiled at him. "I don't let them. We are all required to ensure the smooth functioning of the kingdom. So, we all live together in this, the Castle of the Peasants. But I do get a whole floor to myself!" They were climbing the steps now. "Although that is mostly because of the children."
"Yeah, you have a lot of kids!"
Taiki hmmed in response. Goku followed him quietly until they reached their destination.
It was a small room, with a large wooden table and some mismatched chairs – there was one complete set of eight, and then pairs of chairs from other sets. A tiny kitchen had been set up in one corner. Thick carpet lay on the floor. On it lay a pile of toy blocks and a forgotten teddy bear.
They walked through the room without pause and into a bedroom, maybe a bit bigger than the room he shared with Raditz back home. A large bed sat in the center, and there was a closet and a nightstand. There were two more doors, probably a bathroom, Goku thought, and then maybe some other room, perhaps a larger closet.
"Alright," the door shut behind them, and Taiki sat on the bed. "Who are you, and how did you get here?"
Goku scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I'm not sure how much I'm allowed to tell you."
"Let me tell you, then. You have the Spirit in you. That means you cannot be from this same space and time as I occupy now. You have come from somewhere else, some other time, perhaps. And if it is true that you come from another time, then you can be here by the work of one being and one only." Taiki smiled. "How is Mister Popo?"
Before Goku could respond, Mister Popo manifested himself, and Master Korin as well. They'd been right next to Goku the whole time, and had seemed pretty solid to him, but now they were suddenly heavy in the air, in a way Goku hadn't noticed before.
"Hello, Taiki."
"How's it going, kid?"
"Hah ha!" Taiki jumped up and, to Goku's shock, smacked Mister Popo on the back and then dropped to his knees to squeeze Master Korin. "What are you doing here?"
"We thought we'd bring young Goku here to say hello," Master Korin said.
"I didn't think I would ever see you again!"
"You will not," Mister Popo said serenely.
Taiki's smile faltered a bit. "What does that mean? What's going on here?"
"It is difficult to explain," Mister Popo said. "Let's simply say that Goku is here to speak with you, but that the conversation is unimportant."
"Ah," Taiki said. He got up and put his arm around Goku, pulling him away from the two mysterious beings. "In that case, you will not mind leaving us to a private conversation?"
"What?" Korin said.
"Clear out." He grinned. "Please?"
Goku was beginning to think there was nothing that smile couldn't do. Sure enough, Master Korin and Mister Popo shimmered away.
"Are they gone?" Taiki asked him.
"They look gone."
"Good. Now," he sat back on the bed and motioned for him to sit by him. "Tell me all about it. Where do you come from?"
"I'm from the future."
Taiki's eyes widened with interest. "I knew it! What year?"
"754."
Taiki's smile disappeared. "What? How is that possible? It's 2019 now!"
Goku blushed. "I think we start counting years differently in a few hundred years."
"Oh." Taiki seemed to consider this. "Is life very different in the future?"
"Honestly," Goku said, "I think it might be better in your time than it is in mine. I really am from Arkisbe – Kisbaya, like you call it. But my father is from Ter-Kader, and it's just a normal sort of small town. There's not so many people, and most people are kinda poor."
Taiki's face clouded over.
"But you're really famous!" Goku said, attempting to salvage the conversation. "You're a god! There's a big temple here, and people worship you and, and say prayers to you, and all kinds of stuff!"
"They say prayers to me?" Taiki's voice seemed uncharacteristically subdued. "But can I help them? Do I?"
Goku shifted. "I guess I don't really know. I've never made a prayer to you. My father doesn't really believe in stuff like that. But my grandmother does! And lots of people do, too."
Taiki got up and walked over to the window. He pushed it open. They were four storeys up, with the castle itself near the peak of the mountain. From here he could see many of the small villages that dotted the mountainside. He stared at them for a while. Finally, he spoke again.
"I suppose Mister Popo did not work his magic in order for you simply to tell me these things," he said. "Why are you here?"
"Well, I just wanted a chance to fight you," Goku said. "Master Korin and Mister Popo said I was stronger than you, but that you'd beat me anyway. I didn't believe them."
"It is certainly true that you are stronger than me, and faster, too," Taiki said, turning round. "But you see, I knew that as soon as I saw you. You walk around with your power splashing about all around you. I knew exactly what you were capable of before you'd said a word to me. But you," and he grinned again, that teasing grin, "you never saw me coming."
"I guess not," Goku conceded.
"You need to pay closer attention to your opponents. Size them up before you begin. It's too easy to rely on tried and tested techniques, but not every technique is going to be equally effective against every opponent. In truth, I knew immediately that I could not match you for strength and speed. And so, I knew that I had to immobilize you, and that speedily. So, I did."
Goku nodded thoughtfully.
"But surely Mister Popo could teach you that."
"I think they wanted to knock me down a peg. Mister Popo thinks I'm arrogant."
Taiki laughed. "He thought me arrogant as well, and he was right. But he soon beat it out of me. He could beat it out of you just as easily."
Goku sighed. "They're trying to teach me about purpose. I don't have one."
"Huh." Taiki considered this. "Well, who do you love most in the world?"
Goku blushed again. He'd never really used the word love to describe his feelings for anyone, any person. His parents would think him silly for even considering it. Was there even a feeling he'd ever expressed other than rage or happiness that hadn't been met with irritation and rejection by them? He'd felt slighted, upset, hurt, and they'd told him, essentially, to stop. He could hardly even talk about Krillin or Bulma without his father making a disapproving face.
But…he did love them. He missed them. He wished they weren't so disappointed in him all the time. He wished they were proud of him, happy for him, that they believed him and in him. Wasn't that love?
He loved Krillin, that he knew with certainty. And he knew with certainty that Krillin loved him back. Bulma, too. And Raditz, although Raditz could be disappointed in him sometimes. Kaela. His grandmother, even though she was so grumpy all the time. He'd loved Master Gohan, and still did, with his whole heart and soul. Master Roshi and Launch he loved for Krillin.
"How much do you know about me?" Taiki asked.
"I know about your purpose, about your uncle. I saw you raise the mountain," Goku said. "That was amazing! How did you do it?"
Taiki grinned. "People ask me that all the time." He paused for a minute, his eyes focusing on Goku's face before turning away. "I had been planning my assault on Kada Castle for a long, long time. Years. Before I felt anything from the Spirit. I worked so hard against him. It was difficult to convince people that the Kadas could be defeated. This kingdom is so vast, stretching from the River Forest all the way down to the Great Sea. I needed so many people to join, to believe in me that I could do this. And it all rested on capturing the castle. In that moment, I thought of them. And I thought of my children. I had four, and a fifth on the way. My uncle…I will never forget the sight of my family dying slowly in a pool of their own blood in that haunted, miserable place. To think that my children would stand and watch me die, to think that he would kill them, that they would die the same slow, painful, horrible deaths. I would move rock and sky and sun and moon before I would let that happen."
"So you just…did?"
"I had no choice. I could only do it. I could no more stop it than I could stop breathing. And yet, it took ever fiber of my being, every ounce of strength, every feeling, every thought, every breath, every beat of my heart. It was the most natural thing and the most difficult thing. I thought it would kill me."
That's purpose, Goku thought. And he'd never felt anything like it.
"How old are you?" Taiki asked.
"Sixteen."
"Good gods. You're so young," he chuckled. "You're hardly a man. My sons are older than you."
"I'm really trying hard," Goku said, although now he wasn't so sure if he was.
Taiki came over to him and ruffled his hair affectionately. "Give it time. You already have wonderful potential. Purpose will come to you. With maturity, adversity. And love."
Goku blushed.
"You're shy," Taiki said. "Why? Do you not love your family, your friends?"
"I do, but…it's been hard, lately. My parents don't believe anything I say to them anymore. I couldn't even tell them where I was going, because-"
"Your parents don't know where you are?" his voice sharpened. "How long have you been gone?"
"A year."
"Oh gods," he groaned, putting his head in hands. "You break my heart for them, Goku."
"They told me to leave!" he protested. He told him the whole story.
Taiki shook his head. "I understand. My wife was not happy when I left. I spent two years on that blasted Lookout. Two years I couldn't see my children. And then when I came down it turned out I had another one. And then I couldn't take her with me because her mother – anyway, it's a long story," he waved a dismissive hand. "I wouldn't want this for one of my children."
"You wouldn't be proud of them?"
"I would be sick with worry. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night."
"Great," Goku sighed. "You're mad at me too."
To his surprise, Taiki pulled him in for a hug. "I'm not mad at you. I understand. You have to see this through. You're doing the right thing. I just feel sorry for your parents. One day you'll understand."
Goku felt so awkward, nestled against this man he hardly knew. Yet it was comforting somehow. He was warm, and kind, and suddenly Goku did miss that feeling of affection, of, yes, love.
He suddenly became aware of a muffled noise coming from under the bed.
"That's Padie," Taiki said, pulling away. "He likes to hide under my bed and surprise me, but sometimes he falls asleep."
"No," a small voice said.
Taiki bent over and pulled the blanket away, revealing a small head of curly brown hair. "You weren't asleep just now?"
"No."
"Don't lie to Papa now."
There was a pause. "Was li'l nap."
Taiki laughed. "Alright, come out then."
The tiny boy crawled out, rubbing his eyes.
"Did you know he was here this whole time?" Goku asked.
"Of course! I sensed him as soon as I came into the room. And I know every one of my children by the sound of their little hearts beating." He reached out and picked up the small boy. "What does your little heart say?"
"I love Papa," the boy said unhesitatingly, wrapping his small arms around his father's neck.
Taiki kissed him. "And Papa's heart says, 'I love you too'."
Goku couldn't help but smile. "How many kids do you have now?"
"Fifteen, and another two on the way."
"Two?"
"Both my wives are pregnant."
"You have more than one wife?!"
Now it was Taiki's turn to blush. "Well, you know. I'm very popular. And I don't have a very good history with one wife. It just seemed better to be open about the women I'm with."
"Gosh," Goku said, "no wonder you have so many kids. I heard you had 27."
"Do I really?" Taiki's eyes lit up.
"You really like kids, huh?"
"I love children." He kissed his son again. "I love their sweet little faces and the warmth of their bodies when they hug you and kiss you and tell you they love you. I love making them, too." He winked at Goku mischievously, but Goku wouldn't get the joke until a few days later. "The only problem is they grow up too fast and then they hate you."
"I can't imagine anyone could hate you," Goku said earnestly.
Taiki sighed.
Padie was sent off to play, and Taiki and Goku talked. And talked. And talked some more. Goku told him about Ter-Kader and the temple on the mountain and his grandmother, and Taiki told him about his great-aunt, how she'd raised him out in the middle of nowhere, and how he'd made his way back to Ter-Kader after she died. He told him about how he'd raised an army of peasants, slowly wheedling away at his uncle's authority until they were finally ready to make their first move.
They were deep in conversation when Padie came back in.
"Papa, it's dinner!"
Taiki leaned back to look out the window. "It's 8 o'clock already?"
Sure enough, the sky was dark outside. Neither of them had noticed the time pass.
Goku followed Taiki and his little boy out into the small sitting room they'd walked through to get to the bedroom initially. It was filling up fast as kids piled in, talking loudly, jumping around, punching each other, generally making a mess. Some looked just like Taiki, others sported different hair colors and eye colors, some were lighter-skinned and others darker-skinned. There was a set of twins, Goku noticed. It was hard to believe that they were all siblings.
"Come on," an older boy, maybe Goku's age, was saying to a smaller one, a Saiyan. "Try again."
The boy kicked at his lower arm.
"Harder, you baby, come on."
Goku watched in awe. Two brothers, one a Saiyan, one human. The human one bossing the little Saiyan one, training him, teasing him.
He looked around. There were four other Saiyan children, all girls. In the next few years, Taiki would have another four Saiyan girls. He couldn't know it, but it was because they were girls, because he, like most of his time, believed a crown belonged to a man, because his daughters would have to be sent off to the four corners of the kingdom to be married, that in a few hundred years the cities and towns of the Ox King would be divided between Saiyan and human even as he ruled over them all.
For now, however, they would just be Plants, siblings, playing, arguing, fighting for their Papa's attention and affection.
"So, what have you learned?" Master Korin asked. They were back at the Lookout, and Goku was sitting crosslegged on the floor, fiddling with a bowl of rice.
"A lot," he said. "I want to think about it."
"Good to hear, kid. Now, I think I'm gonna head back down to my tower, and-"
"You don't want to come with me to see the Super Saiyan?"
There was a pause as Master Korin and Mister Popo looked at him, then at each other, then back at him.
"Are you asking to visit the time of the Super Saiyan?" Mister Popo said.
"I want to visit his time, watch him become a Super Saiyan, and then I want to meet him and fight him," Goku said. "Please?"
Mister Popo shrugged. "I suppose that makes sense."
"Great!" Goku said. "Let me just finish my lunch first."