Written by: Mirai Catarina
Contact me at: WldWldWolf@aol.com or Mirai_Catarina@hotmail.com
Author's Note: This story takes place sometime during Dragonball GT. In the timeline of this story, Goku will never absorb the Dragonballs and leave forever, never to be seen again, so you have nothing to worry about. And also, Gohan does not become a super nerd or anything like that. I thank my fellow DBZ fans that gave me permission to use any characters that may have been in one of their own fanfictions. I am sorry if any part of my fanfic sounds at all similar to one that any person wrote. I do not intend for that to happen. Also, Vegita is a little out-of-character in this chapter, but please don't flame me for that---it's entirely possible for him to act like that (at least I think so).
Disclaimer: No, I do not own any of the characters from DB, DBZ, or DBGT. Please ask me before using any of the characters that I have created myself (such as Gotu, Catarina, and Jacion), or before using any of the characters that my friends have created (such as Natalie and Kira), so that I can ask them if you may use them.
Another Author's Note: Hey guys, sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out. I've had a lot going on, like volleyball and Driver's Ed. Hopefully I'll get the next chapter out sooner.
* * * *
Chapter 3: The Hunt (part 2)
* * * *
"Damn it, Serori!" Vegita yelled across the green sky. He had finally been able to live with peace---no fighting---for once. And now, when all that Kakarot had wanted to do was to make a couple of harmless wishes, Serori had popped out of nowhere and started messing with Kakarot's grandson. But now, he had run off with both Jacion and Gotu in an attempt to get at Vegita---and it had worked. Vegita towards another village to find a Dragonball.
Spotting one, he landed, ending up a few feet from a group of children that were playing. One of them saw him and cried out, running to hide behind the elder. Vegita approached him.
"I believe that you know what I want," he said gruffly, leaning against a nearby building with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Yes, but I don't see any reason to give it to you," the Elder growled. Vegita's eyes snapped open and he glared at the old Namekian, but managed to keep his temper suppressed.
"It's not exactly like I care---Kakarot can always come for them on his own," Vegita replied smugly, shrugging his shoulders. He slowly began to walk away, then stopped. "Then again, what would Kakarot say when he found out that his...friend...was told he couldn't help him out---just because of some stupid prejudice?" Vegita queried with his back turned to them.
The Elder glanced down at the blue-green grass in shame, knowing Vegita was right. "Fine---you won't be able to use them on your own anyway." Another Namek came out of the largest of the white 'houses' carrying the three-star Dragonball. He set it on the ground and nudged it with his foot, causing it to roll towards Vegita.
The Saiyan prince stopped it with his own foot and reached down to pick it up. As he did so, something dropped to the ground about 15 feet in front of him. He looked up to see what it was and his eyes widened as soon as he recognized it.
"Gotu!" he cried, running to the still form. Picking the boy up and gently cradling him in his arms, he noticed a rolled up note attached to the boy's gi. Slowly unrolling it, he read:
Dearest Brother,
I guess you probably want your grandson back,
right? Well that really all depends. I'm giving you
this runt because I really have no use for him. In
the meantime, I will keep the purple-haired one.
-Prince Serori
PS: You might want to think again next time you try
to take someone's right to the throne.
After reading the note, Vegita slowly crumpled it into a tight ball in his fist. 'How can he do this?' Vegita thought angrily. 'There's no throne to even to occupy! Unless...unless he doesn't know about what happened to planet Vegeta-sei...' Holding Gotu in the crook of his arm, he grabbed the Dragonball and took off into the sky, following a familiar ki trail.
"Goten, I'm sorry for what my brother has done. I hope that your mate and son will be okay in the end." He looked down at the small boy that was nestled in the crook of his arm. "And I'm sorry for getting you two involved in this." He continued the rest of the way in silence, hoping that he would find Jacion before it was too late.
* * * *
"Thank you, sir," Goten said, taking the six-star Dragonball into his arms.
"Anytime, young Goten. And tell your brother I said 'hi,'" the Namek said, smiling at. Goten nodded his head.
"Don't worry, I will," Goten assured him. Turning around, he was about to take off, when Natalie landed directly in front of him. He was about to explain that he had already retrieved the Dragonball for this village, when he noticed her tear-stained cheeks and reddened eyes. "Natalie?" he asked, "What's wrong?" Looking around, he added, "And where's Cat?"
She winced and he knew then that something was wrong. She took a deep breath and managed a few words.
"Cat...she's...she's hurt..." At that, she broke down, sobbing. As she fell to her knees, Goten knelt down in front of her, placing the Dragonball beside him. He placed his broad hands on her shoulders.
"Natalie, slow down. Now, try again to tell me exactly what happened," he said soothingly, as he became more and more afraid of what had happened. She slowly looked up into his deep, cobalt eyes, which showed his deep concern. After taking another deep breath, she looked away.
"We were going after a Dragonball," she started slowly, "when Cat saw that Vegita look-alike. We were gonna go check him out, and I guess he must have fired a ki blast at me---I wasn't really paying attention. So Catarina jumped in front of me and took it head-on." She paused for a minute to wipe away the tears that were welling up in her eyes. "Right now, some Nameks are taking care of her, but she was in really bad shape, Goten..." She couldn't hold it back any longer and broke down again. "I'm so sorry...I should have been paying better attention. This is all my fault..."
"Natalie! Calm down! You couldn't have prevented it in any way. What happened, happened. Now, let's go check on her---okay?" Natalie nodded her head. "Good." He picked up the Dragonball and offered Nat a hand, helping her to her feet. They slowly lifted off the ground in the direction of Catarina.
All of a sudden, a white ki trail zipped past them. Looking up in shock, they saw Vegita stop, and head back towards them. Stopping directly in front of them, he looked down at the boy lying in the crook of his arm, and held him out to Goten, looking away.
Goten quickly pulled his son into his arms, examining the burn on the small boy's arm. "Vegita? What happened?" Goten queried, confused. The Saiyan prince only pointed out the note. Goten unrolled it and scanned over the scrawled writing. His eyes grew wide and he looked up at Vegita in disbelief. "Brother? He's your brother?" Vegita nodded. "Where's my father?" Goten asked suspiciously.
"Looking for Serori," Vegita stated.
"Vegita? Where's Jacion?" Natalie asked, her voice hoarse with worry. The Saiyan warrior looked away, not knowing what to say to his daughter-in-law. Goten looked down at the small boy in his arms. Slowly, he detached the note and hesitantly handed it to Natalie. She looked up at him, confused, then, she slowly read over the note. When she was finished, she carefully folded it, handing it back to Goten. A single tear slipped down her cheek before she lost it.
"How could you let this happen to him?!" she yelled at Vegita, pounding her fists onto his chest as he stood there, unfazed except for the look of complete loss hovering in his eyes. As the tears flowed freely down her face, she continued to yell. "Trunks and I trusted you with him!" Vegita continued to stare off into the distance, unable to look her in the face. Natalie could no longer continue with her accusations and just cried into Vegita's shoulder. Goten could find no words of comfort for her, so with a nod to Vegita, he headed towards Catarina's ki signal. He held Gotu close to his own body, not wanting him to be taken again.
As he approached the village where his wife was being taken care of, he slowed down and landed. Looking at each of the buildings in turn, he approached one of the smaller ones and gently pushed the door open.
"Hello?" he asked as he closed the door softly behind him. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he saw an old Namek smiling sadly up at him from beside a cot. But the thing that caught his eye was the person lying on the cot. He slowly walked over and handed Gotu to the Namekian doctor. Kneeling beside Catarina, Goten gently took her limp hand in his own. "I'm sorry..." he whispered gently. He squeezed his eyes shut to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill over.
He felt a light squeeze on his hand. Opening his eyes, he found himself looking down into her cool blue-green ones. He couldn't hold his tears back any longer and a couple made their way down his cheeks as he smiled down at her.
"Goten..." she whispered, smiling up at him. She slowly sat up, wincing as a wave of pain hit her stomach. When Goten attempted to help her, she declined his offer. A tear or two rolled down her light skin, and she leaned over, gingerly hugging him. Goten wrapped his heavily muscled arms around her slight frame and kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry, Goten, I almost lost him," she said slowly.
Goten leaned back, looking into her eyes. "What do you mean?" he asked, confused. She smiled and looked down. As he followed her line of vision, he grew slightly dizzy. "You...you mean that we...we are..." he trailed off. She nodded her head, smiling at him.
All Goten could do was stare at her, his mouth agape. He was startled back into reality when he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned around to find Gotu standing behind him. Smiling, he picked his son up.
"Mommy? Are you okay?" he asked, a hint of worry in his voice. Catarina smiled and reached for him. He eagerly climbed into her lap and hugged her tightly. She winced slightly, but just hugged him right back. After a minute or two, he pulled away from her and glanced around the room. "Mommy, who's that?" he wondered. Catarina looked at Goten, confused. The only other person in the room was the Namekian doctor.
"He's the doctor, sweetie," she replied.
"No, not him. It's someone else. They're a little bit stronger than him, I think," he explained. Goten and Catarina quickly glanced at each other. Catarina smiled brightly---she understood.
"Come here, honey," she said. She held his ear up against her abdomen. "Do you hear him?" Gotu was quiet for a second or two before his eyes widened and he looked up into her face, his eyes full of wonder.
"Is that a baby?"
"Yes, it is, sweetie. You're gonna have a baby brother, Gotu," she told him, giving him a big hug.
"Cool! I'm gonna be a big brother!" he exclaimed happily. "What's his name?" Goten and Catarina exchanged glances and then turned back to Gotu. Goten knelt beside the cot.
"We haven't picked one yet, Gotu," he explained. Gotu looked at them, somewhat confused. Goten laughed whole-heartedly at the expression on his son's face. "Don't worry, kiddo, he's going to have a name, we just need to pick one that we like." Gotu understood the explanation and brightened visibly.
"Can we name him Bardock?" Gotu wondered.
"Where did you get that name from, Gotu? It sounds familiar," Catarina asked.
"Grandpa told me it. He said it in a story."
'Dad told you that?' Goten wondered. 'Where have I heard that name before?' Then, he remembered a story he had been told once before. Bardock was his grandfather's name! Goku had once told him of how Goten's grandfather had attempted to save the entire Saiyan race, but had failed because of King Vegita's bullheadedness. Goten had always admired Bardock for that.
"I think it's perfect, Gotu," Goten said to the small boy.
"Hold on a minute! I don't even know where you're getting this name from! Could someone please explain it to me?" Catarina yelled, exasperated. Goten jumped back in surprise at her outburst.
"Cat, Bardock was my grandfather's name," Goten explained to her. She looked somewhat confused.
"But...Ox King?" She stared at him for a couple seconds, then, her eyes brightened. "Oh, I see---he's your Dad's father," she realized. "He's Saiyan, isn't he?"
"Yes, and he was one of the few people who were brave enough to stand up to Frieza." Looking away, he continued. "Dad says that he died protecting Vegita-sei..."
"Wow...I think you're right - that is a perfect name," Catarina said. "Your grandfather deserves a namesake." She enveloped Gotu and Goten in one huge hug, smiling widely. Sitting back, she asked, "So, where is Nat?"
"She's recovering - she was blaming herself for what happened to you."
"I assumed that she would have done something like that," Cat said, somewhat upset.
"It's not just that - Jacion was...kidnapped by Serori."
"Serori? Who's...oh no... You mean..."
"Yes," Goten stated solemnly. "Dad's out looking for them, but he's going to need some help. If you don't mind, I'm going to go find Dad and look for Serori and Jacion." Just then, Natalie came in the door, staggering slightly. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Upon seeing Catarina, she brightened and ran to her, throwing her arms around her.
"Oh, Cat, I'm so happy that you're okay!" Nat exclaimed as fresh tears began to flow freely down her cheeks.
"Natalie Briefs, you know perfectly well, that I'm stronger than that," Catarina said almost reprimanding her. The two of them pulled away and smiled at each other. Then, Natalie gave both Goten and Gotu hugs.
"I'm just glad that everyone is okay," she explained. "Well...almost everyone..."
"Natalie stop it! We'll find Jacion sooner or later - you know that we won't leave the planet without him," Goten said, attempting to comfort her.
"I hope so... Oh no! What about Trunks! He has absolutely no idea of what's going on!" Natalie cried.
"Natalie, I was just about to leave when you came in. Why don't I go out and find him?" Goten said, standing up and heading towards the door.
"Would you?" Natalie asked, her eyes brightening.
"Of course. And I'll bring both him and Kira back here." With one last hug for each of the two women and the boy, Goten flew out the door into the emerald sky, following Trunks's ki signal. Natalie stood by the door, following him with her eyes.
"Don't worry Nat, they'll be back soon," Cat said soothingly as a yawning Gotu crawled into her lap.
"I know. The only question is - how soon is 'soon'?"
* * * *
Goku stopped in midair, scanning the horizon for any sign of Serori. He had felt Jacion's ki a minute ago, but it had disappeared just quickly as it had come.
Suddenly, he could feel Gotu's ki somewhere behind him. He was about to take off in that direction, when he realized that both Goten and Catarina were with him.
'Well, at least I know that one of them is safe...' Turning to the east, he could once again sense Jacion's ki signal - it was very dim, but it was there. Placing two fingers on his forehead, he teleported to where he had located the small boy. At first, he saw nothing but odd-shaped mountains and water. Then, hearing maniacal laughter behind him, he turned to see Serori smirking at him - holding a crying Jacion by the hair.
"I see you've decided to join us. Is this what you came for?" he asked holding Jacion out at arm's length.
"Put him down, Serori."
"So, Vegita told you about his big brother, huh? Well, guess what," he said, charging a ki blast in his hand.
"Serori..." Goku said menacingly. The pointy-haired Saiyan raised his hand so that he was holding the ki blast in front of Jacion's face. Jacion's eyes grew wide and he cried out in terror.
"GRANDPA!" he cried out, hoping that his 'hero' would come save him. Serori just laughed at the innocent plea. Suddenly, while he was distracted, a booted foot flew into the side of his face, knocking him towards the ground as Jacion was snatched out of his hand.
Looking up from his position at the bottom of a large crater, Serori found a rather angry Vegita glaring down at him.
"You screwed up big time messing with me and my family like that, Serori. I hope you're prepared to die," Vegita stated harshly. "Because, trust me, this won't be pretty."
* * * *
"Kira! Please stay put!" Trunks cried, grabbing his one-year-old daughter as she reached for her own reflection in a nearby lake. Giggling, she tugged on his hair. "Oww! Kira, please!"
"Here's the Dragonball, sir. I hope that you and your friends are successful."
"Thank you," Trunks said as he untangled Kira's hands from his hair and retrieved the glowing orb. "I'm sure that we will..." Trunks trailed off as Goten landed softly in front of him. "Goten? What's wrong?" he asked, seeing the disturbed look on his friend's face.
"I'll explain it all in a little bit. But for now, come with me."
"Okay..." Trunks said. He waved to the small group of old Nameks as he followed Goten through the air. After a few minutes, Trunks asked Goten again. "What's wrong, Goten? I've never seen you this upset before."
Before Goten answered, he stopped in mid-air, causing Trunks to fly a few feet ahead of him before stopping. Turning around, he found Goten staring off to the west. "Goten?"
"Trunks, give me Kira and the Dragonball and go meet up with my father," Goten said solemnly.
"What?" Trunks asked. But from the look on Goten's face, he meant it. "Okay, Goten." Trunks handed him both the Dragonball and Kira and headed off in Goku's direction, still not sure of what was going on. He looked back to see Goten flying off in the opposite direction.
Within minutes, Trunks could feel Goku's ki nearby, as well as his father's, Jacion's and one other that he couldn't quite place. Quickening his pace, he soon found the sources of the four ki signals.
"Dad?" he asked, confused.
"Boy, take your brat," Vegita commanded, not taking his eyes off of Serori as he held Jacion out to Trunks. Trunks quickly took his son into his arms. "Now leave."
"Dad? What's going on here?"
"GO! NOW!" Vegita yelled, growing impatient.
"Trunks, I think it would be best if you left. Go find the others and wait for them there," Goku said calmly.
"Whatever you say..." Trunks said as he headed off in the direction he had seen Goten going. He held Jacion close to him as he flew top speed across the sky. 'Good luck Dad, Goku...' he thought to himself as he disappeared on the horizon.
"Vegita, Kakarot, what d'you say we get this over with?" Serori asked with a smirk on his face. The two warriors took up fighting stances side-by-side and nodded their heads.
"Ready when you are, Serori," Vegita said, an almost deadly tone in his voice.
* * * *
Next time on Welcome to Earth: It looks like the gang is in for a big fight. Will they succeed? Will Goku get to make his wishes? Find out nest time on Welcome to Earth!
Contact me at: WldWldWolf@aol.com or Mirai_Catarina@hotmail.com
Author's Note: This story takes place sometime during Dragonball GT. In the timeline of this story, Goku will never absorb the Dragonballs and leave forever, never to be seen again, so you have nothing to worry about. And also, Gohan does not become a super nerd or anything like that. I thank my fellow DBZ fans that gave me permission to use any characters that may have been in one of their own fanfictions. I am sorry if any part of my fanfic sounds at all similar to one that any person wrote. I do not intend for that to happen. Also, Vegita is a little out-of-character in this chapter, but please don't flame me for that---it's entirely possible for him to act like that (at least I think so).
Disclaimer: No, I do not own any of the characters from DB, DBZ, or DBGT. Please ask me before using any of the characters that I have created myself (such as Gotu, Catarina, and Jacion), or before using any of the characters that my friends have created (such as Natalie and Kira), so that I can ask them if you may use them.
Another Author's Note: Hey guys, sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out. I've had a lot going on, like volleyball and Driver's Ed. Hopefully I'll get the next chapter out sooner.
* * * *
Chapter 3: The Hunt (part 2)
* * * *
"Damn it, Serori!" Vegita yelled across the green sky. He had finally been able to live with peace---no fighting---for once. And now, when all that Kakarot had wanted to do was to make a couple of harmless wishes, Serori had popped out of nowhere and started messing with Kakarot's grandson. But now, he had run off with both Jacion and Gotu in an attempt to get at Vegita---and it had worked. Vegita towards another village to find a Dragonball.
Spotting one, he landed, ending up a few feet from a group of children that were playing. One of them saw him and cried out, running to hide behind the elder. Vegita approached him.
"I believe that you know what I want," he said gruffly, leaning against a nearby building with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Yes, but I don't see any reason to give it to you," the Elder growled. Vegita's eyes snapped open and he glared at the old Namekian, but managed to keep his temper suppressed.
"It's not exactly like I care---Kakarot can always come for them on his own," Vegita replied smugly, shrugging his shoulders. He slowly began to walk away, then stopped. "Then again, what would Kakarot say when he found out that his...friend...was told he couldn't help him out---just because of some stupid prejudice?" Vegita queried with his back turned to them.
The Elder glanced down at the blue-green grass in shame, knowing Vegita was right. "Fine---you won't be able to use them on your own anyway." Another Namek came out of the largest of the white 'houses' carrying the three-star Dragonball. He set it on the ground and nudged it with his foot, causing it to roll towards Vegita.
The Saiyan prince stopped it with his own foot and reached down to pick it up. As he did so, something dropped to the ground about 15 feet in front of him. He looked up to see what it was and his eyes widened as soon as he recognized it.
"Gotu!" he cried, running to the still form. Picking the boy up and gently cradling him in his arms, he noticed a rolled up note attached to the boy's gi. Slowly unrolling it, he read:
Dearest Brother,
I guess you probably want your grandson back,
right? Well that really all depends. I'm giving you
this runt because I really have no use for him. In
the meantime, I will keep the purple-haired one.
-Prince Serori
PS: You might want to think again next time you try
to take someone's right to the throne.
After reading the note, Vegita slowly crumpled it into a tight ball in his fist. 'How can he do this?' Vegita thought angrily. 'There's no throne to even to occupy! Unless...unless he doesn't know about what happened to planet Vegeta-sei...' Holding Gotu in the crook of his arm, he grabbed the Dragonball and took off into the sky, following a familiar ki trail.
"Goten, I'm sorry for what my brother has done. I hope that your mate and son will be okay in the end." He looked down at the small boy that was nestled in the crook of his arm. "And I'm sorry for getting you two involved in this." He continued the rest of the way in silence, hoping that he would find Jacion before it was too late.
* * * *
"Thank you, sir," Goten said, taking the six-star Dragonball into his arms.
"Anytime, young Goten. And tell your brother I said 'hi,'" the Namek said, smiling at. Goten nodded his head.
"Don't worry, I will," Goten assured him. Turning around, he was about to take off, when Natalie landed directly in front of him. He was about to explain that he had already retrieved the Dragonball for this village, when he noticed her tear-stained cheeks and reddened eyes. "Natalie?" he asked, "What's wrong?" Looking around, he added, "And where's Cat?"
She winced and he knew then that something was wrong. She took a deep breath and managed a few words.
"Cat...she's...she's hurt..." At that, she broke down, sobbing. As she fell to her knees, Goten knelt down in front of her, placing the Dragonball beside him. He placed his broad hands on her shoulders.
"Natalie, slow down. Now, try again to tell me exactly what happened," he said soothingly, as he became more and more afraid of what had happened. She slowly looked up into his deep, cobalt eyes, which showed his deep concern. After taking another deep breath, she looked away.
"We were going after a Dragonball," she started slowly, "when Cat saw that Vegita look-alike. We were gonna go check him out, and I guess he must have fired a ki blast at me---I wasn't really paying attention. So Catarina jumped in front of me and took it head-on." She paused for a minute to wipe away the tears that were welling up in her eyes. "Right now, some Nameks are taking care of her, but she was in really bad shape, Goten..." She couldn't hold it back any longer and broke down again. "I'm so sorry...I should have been paying better attention. This is all my fault..."
"Natalie! Calm down! You couldn't have prevented it in any way. What happened, happened. Now, let's go check on her---okay?" Natalie nodded her head. "Good." He picked up the Dragonball and offered Nat a hand, helping her to her feet. They slowly lifted off the ground in the direction of Catarina.
All of a sudden, a white ki trail zipped past them. Looking up in shock, they saw Vegita stop, and head back towards them. Stopping directly in front of them, he looked down at the boy lying in the crook of his arm, and held him out to Goten, looking away.
Goten quickly pulled his son into his arms, examining the burn on the small boy's arm. "Vegita? What happened?" Goten queried, confused. The Saiyan prince only pointed out the note. Goten unrolled it and scanned over the scrawled writing. His eyes grew wide and he looked up at Vegita in disbelief. "Brother? He's your brother?" Vegita nodded. "Where's my father?" Goten asked suspiciously.
"Looking for Serori," Vegita stated.
"Vegita? Where's Jacion?" Natalie asked, her voice hoarse with worry. The Saiyan warrior looked away, not knowing what to say to his daughter-in-law. Goten looked down at the small boy in his arms. Slowly, he detached the note and hesitantly handed it to Natalie. She looked up at him, confused, then, she slowly read over the note. When she was finished, she carefully folded it, handing it back to Goten. A single tear slipped down her cheek before she lost it.
"How could you let this happen to him?!" she yelled at Vegita, pounding her fists onto his chest as he stood there, unfazed except for the look of complete loss hovering in his eyes. As the tears flowed freely down her face, she continued to yell. "Trunks and I trusted you with him!" Vegita continued to stare off into the distance, unable to look her in the face. Natalie could no longer continue with her accusations and just cried into Vegita's shoulder. Goten could find no words of comfort for her, so with a nod to Vegita, he headed towards Catarina's ki signal. He held Gotu close to his own body, not wanting him to be taken again.
As he approached the village where his wife was being taken care of, he slowed down and landed. Looking at each of the buildings in turn, he approached one of the smaller ones and gently pushed the door open.
"Hello?" he asked as he closed the door softly behind him. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he saw an old Namek smiling sadly up at him from beside a cot. But the thing that caught his eye was the person lying on the cot. He slowly walked over and handed Gotu to the Namekian doctor. Kneeling beside Catarina, Goten gently took her limp hand in his own. "I'm sorry..." he whispered gently. He squeezed his eyes shut to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill over.
He felt a light squeeze on his hand. Opening his eyes, he found himself looking down into her cool blue-green ones. He couldn't hold his tears back any longer and a couple made their way down his cheeks as he smiled down at her.
"Goten..." she whispered, smiling up at him. She slowly sat up, wincing as a wave of pain hit her stomach. When Goten attempted to help her, she declined his offer. A tear or two rolled down her light skin, and she leaned over, gingerly hugging him. Goten wrapped his heavily muscled arms around her slight frame and kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry, Goten, I almost lost him," she said slowly.
Goten leaned back, looking into her eyes. "What do you mean?" he asked, confused. She smiled and looked down. As he followed her line of vision, he grew slightly dizzy. "You...you mean that we...we are..." he trailed off. She nodded her head, smiling at him.
All Goten could do was stare at her, his mouth agape. He was startled back into reality when he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned around to find Gotu standing behind him. Smiling, he picked his son up.
"Mommy? Are you okay?" he asked, a hint of worry in his voice. Catarina smiled and reached for him. He eagerly climbed into her lap and hugged her tightly. She winced slightly, but just hugged him right back. After a minute or two, he pulled away from her and glanced around the room. "Mommy, who's that?" he wondered. Catarina looked at Goten, confused. The only other person in the room was the Namekian doctor.
"He's the doctor, sweetie," she replied.
"No, not him. It's someone else. They're a little bit stronger than him, I think," he explained. Goten and Catarina quickly glanced at each other. Catarina smiled brightly---she understood.
"Come here, honey," she said. She held his ear up against her abdomen. "Do you hear him?" Gotu was quiet for a second or two before his eyes widened and he looked up into her face, his eyes full of wonder.
"Is that a baby?"
"Yes, it is, sweetie. You're gonna have a baby brother, Gotu," she told him, giving him a big hug.
"Cool! I'm gonna be a big brother!" he exclaimed happily. "What's his name?" Goten and Catarina exchanged glances and then turned back to Gotu. Goten knelt beside the cot.
"We haven't picked one yet, Gotu," he explained. Gotu looked at them, somewhat confused. Goten laughed whole-heartedly at the expression on his son's face. "Don't worry, kiddo, he's going to have a name, we just need to pick one that we like." Gotu understood the explanation and brightened visibly.
"Can we name him Bardock?" Gotu wondered.
"Where did you get that name from, Gotu? It sounds familiar," Catarina asked.
"Grandpa told me it. He said it in a story."
'Dad told you that?' Goten wondered. 'Where have I heard that name before?' Then, he remembered a story he had been told once before. Bardock was his grandfather's name! Goku had once told him of how Goten's grandfather had attempted to save the entire Saiyan race, but had failed because of King Vegita's bullheadedness. Goten had always admired Bardock for that.
"I think it's perfect, Gotu," Goten said to the small boy.
"Hold on a minute! I don't even know where you're getting this name from! Could someone please explain it to me?" Catarina yelled, exasperated. Goten jumped back in surprise at her outburst.
"Cat, Bardock was my grandfather's name," Goten explained to her. She looked somewhat confused.
"But...Ox King?" She stared at him for a couple seconds, then, her eyes brightened. "Oh, I see---he's your Dad's father," she realized. "He's Saiyan, isn't he?"
"Yes, and he was one of the few people who were brave enough to stand up to Frieza." Looking away, he continued. "Dad says that he died protecting Vegita-sei..."
"Wow...I think you're right - that is a perfect name," Catarina said. "Your grandfather deserves a namesake." She enveloped Gotu and Goten in one huge hug, smiling widely. Sitting back, she asked, "So, where is Nat?"
"She's recovering - she was blaming herself for what happened to you."
"I assumed that she would have done something like that," Cat said, somewhat upset.
"It's not just that - Jacion was...kidnapped by Serori."
"Serori? Who's...oh no... You mean..."
"Yes," Goten stated solemnly. "Dad's out looking for them, but he's going to need some help. If you don't mind, I'm going to go find Dad and look for Serori and Jacion." Just then, Natalie came in the door, staggering slightly. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Upon seeing Catarina, she brightened and ran to her, throwing her arms around her.
"Oh, Cat, I'm so happy that you're okay!" Nat exclaimed as fresh tears began to flow freely down her cheeks.
"Natalie Briefs, you know perfectly well, that I'm stronger than that," Catarina said almost reprimanding her. The two of them pulled away and smiled at each other. Then, Natalie gave both Goten and Gotu hugs.
"I'm just glad that everyone is okay," she explained. "Well...almost everyone..."
"Natalie stop it! We'll find Jacion sooner or later - you know that we won't leave the planet without him," Goten said, attempting to comfort her.
"I hope so... Oh no! What about Trunks! He has absolutely no idea of what's going on!" Natalie cried.
"Natalie, I was just about to leave when you came in. Why don't I go out and find him?" Goten said, standing up and heading towards the door.
"Would you?" Natalie asked, her eyes brightening.
"Of course. And I'll bring both him and Kira back here." With one last hug for each of the two women and the boy, Goten flew out the door into the emerald sky, following Trunks's ki signal. Natalie stood by the door, following him with her eyes.
"Don't worry Nat, they'll be back soon," Cat said soothingly as a yawning Gotu crawled into her lap.
"I know. The only question is - how soon is 'soon'?"
* * * *
Goku stopped in midair, scanning the horizon for any sign of Serori. He had felt Jacion's ki a minute ago, but it had disappeared just quickly as it had come.
Suddenly, he could feel Gotu's ki somewhere behind him. He was about to take off in that direction, when he realized that both Goten and Catarina were with him.
'Well, at least I know that one of them is safe...' Turning to the east, he could once again sense Jacion's ki signal - it was very dim, but it was there. Placing two fingers on his forehead, he teleported to where he had located the small boy. At first, he saw nothing but odd-shaped mountains and water. Then, hearing maniacal laughter behind him, he turned to see Serori smirking at him - holding a crying Jacion by the hair.
"I see you've decided to join us. Is this what you came for?" he asked holding Jacion out at arm's length.
"Put him down, Serori."
"So, Vegita told you about his big brother, huh? Well, guess what," he said, charging a ki blast in his hand.
"Serori..." Goku said menacingly. The pointy-haired Saiyan raised his hand so that he was holding the ki blast in front of Jacion's face. Jacion's eyes grew wide and he cried out in terror.
"GRANDPA!" he cried out, hoping that his 'hero' would come save him. Serori just laughed at the innocent plea. Suddenly, while he was distracted, a booted foot flew into the side of his face, knocking him towards the ground as Jacion was snatched out of his hand.
Looking up from his position at the bottom of a large crater, Serori found a rather angry Vegita glaring down at him.
"You screwed up big time messing with me and my family like that, Serori. I hope you're prepared to die," Vegita stated harshly. "Because, trust me, this won't be pretty."
* * * *
"Kira! Please stay put!" Trunks cried, grabbing his one-year-old daughter as she reached for her own reflection in a nearby lake. Giggling, she tugged on his hair. "Oww! Kira, please!"
"Here's the Dragonball, sir. I hope that you and your friends are successful."
"Thank you," Trunks said as he untangled Kira's hands from his hair and retrieved the glowing orb. "I'm sure that we will..." Trunks trailed off as Goten landed softly in front of him. "Goten? What's wrong?" he asked, seeing the disturbed look on his friend's face.
"I'll explain it all in a little bit. But for now, come with me."
"Okay..." Trunks said. He waved to the small group of old Nameks as he followed Goten through the air. After a few minutes, Trunks asked Goten again. "What's wrong, Goten? I've never seen you this upset before."
Before Goten answered, he stopped in mid-air, causing Trunks to fly a few feet ahead of him before stopping. Turning around, he found Goten staring off to the west. "Goten?"
"Trunks, give me Kira and the Dragonball and go meet up with my father," Goten said solemnly.
"What?" Trunks asked. But from the look on Goten's face, he meant it. "Okay, Goten." Trunks handed him both the Dragonball and Kira and headed off in Goku's direction, still not sure of what was going on. He looked back to see Goten flying off in the opposite direction.
Within minutes, Trunks could feel Goku's ki nearby, as well as his father's, Jacion's and one other that he couldn't quite place. Quickening his pace, he soon found the sources of the four ki signals.
"Dad?" he asked, confused.
"Boy, take your brat," Vegita commanded, not taking his eyes off of Serori as he held Jacion out to Trunks. Trunks quickly took his son into his arms. "Now leave."
"Dad? What's going on here?"
"GO! NOW!" Vegita yelled, growing impatient.
"Trunks, I think it would be best if you left. Go find the others and wait for them there," Goku said calmly.
"Whatever you say..." Trunks said as he headed off in the direction he had seen Goten going. He held Jacion close to him as he flew top speed across the sky. 'Good luck Dad, Goku...' he thought to himself as he disappeared on the horizon.
"Vegita, Kakarot, what d'you say we get this over with?" Serori asked with a smirk on his face. The two warriors took up fighting stances side-by-side and nodded their heads.
"Ready when you are, Serori," Vegita said, an almost deadly tone in his voice.
* * * *
Next time on Welcome to Earth: It looks like the gang is in for a big fight. Will they succeed? Will Goku get to make his wishes? Find out nest time on Welcome to Earth!