AN: We're taking a break from the Tournament this week to check on things back on Earth. Are the women ready to handle watching a full-blooded Saiyan? Read to find out!
"It's been so long since we have been together!" The bluenette grinned, bringing out iced tea and lemonade for her friends.
"We need to do this more often ladies! Next time, without the kids."
Bulma, Chi-Chi, Jean, and Videl sat in comfortable lawn chairs on the Capsule Corp estate. The ladies were in charge of watching the kids as the Tournament took place. Pan, Bulla, and Marron were playing with toys in the yard. The three girls have gotten along very well as they played House together.
Baby Tarro was on a blanket, several toys around him as he basked in the warm light. The rays of warmth felt good on the little Saiyan's skin. He wiggled around, enjoying the time outside. His mom and dad would take him outside when they wanted to train. Little Tarro would lay on his blanket, trying his hardest to watch as his parents zoomed around at the speed of light.
The youngest mother in the group glances towards her daughter., thinking about her husband in the Tournament. "I hope everyone is doing well. I can't help but wonder how things are going." Videl knew that Gohan had been training extra hard with Piccolo. Goten would even join in on the fun on occasions. However, she didn't know if it would be enough to take him into the second round.
"I'm sure everyone is doing their best!" Bulma mentioned cheerfully. "I know Vegeta has been excited for this Tournament since it was mentioned, as was Trunks. The two of them have been training almost non-stop to prepare."
"Goten has been the same way." the older mother beamed. "He's been spending his time training with Trunks and Vegeta, even with Gohan on some occasions."
"I bet you're right." Videl smiled happily. "I wonder who will come back victorious?"
"Goku and Vegeta for sure!" Chi-Chi laughed. "Unless the two manage to knock each other out."
"I could see the two of them doing that." Bulma chortled as she leaned back in her chair. She began thinking about her friend, wondering how Ellery was doing in the Tournament. "If the boys end up knocking each other out, I bet El will make it to the second round!"
"How do you think Goten and Trunks are doing?" Jean pondered.
"They'll probably be able to knock out most of the competition!" Chi-Chi smiled proudly. "Trunks and Goten are tough boys. However, they're not a match for their fathers." The grandmother took a look around the yard, noticing Tarro was attempting to roll onto his stomach. "I bet that little man will be fighting the moment he starts walking. If his father has anything to say about it anyway." The older woman laughed.
Jean's eyes widened. "Why train a boy so young?"
Chi-Chi leaned back in her chair, taking a long sip of tea as she thought of a good answer. "Saiyan's are wired differently, Jean. Being married to one taught me that easily. Goku's drive for being the best martial artist goes beyond what a human would call 'normal and acceptable'. While Goku and Vegeta have been on Earth for a long time, that part of their genetics is too strong to ignore."
"I remember Vegeta telling me stories of conquering different planets at only four years old." Bulma had a smile on her face as she reminisced. "On their home planet it was normal for toddlers, even infants, to be sent out to battle. After Planet Vegeta was destroyed, the few Saiyan's left became almost domesticated by the lifestyle of Earth. While they still fight, it's not to the lengths it was before."
"Now they fight to protect." Videl smiled happily. "Each one of them has aided in the protection of Earth over the years. Tarro is going to be no different. Being the son of one of the strongest men in the Universe will only enhance his skills."
Little Tarro listened to the three women next to him. While he knew none of them were his mother, he'd been around them with her several times. His mom was always happy and in good spirits when she was with these ladies. Tarro knew to be on his best behavior. The little Saiyan rolled onto his stomach, getting a better look at the yard around him.
The baby on the blanket got a glimpse of the girls playing in the yard. It looked like they were switching games from house to yoga poses. Pan was leading the other two girls in poses that he's watched his mother do. Tarro lifted his tiny upper body off the blanket using his arms.
His legs quickly went into action, giving him balance by adjusting to a crawling stance. The baby Saiyan moved his hands and legs slowly, wanting to be closer to the girls. His tail wrapped around his torso quickly, so as not to get run over. Tarro made his way over to Pan, Bulla and Marron.
Videl's daughter was the first one to notice the baby Saiyan's movements. The little girl smiled and kneeled in the grass. "Do you wanna play with us?"
Bulla and Marron noticed Tarro moving towards them as well. The two girls kneel beside Pan, encouraging the baby Saiyan to crawl towards them.
Bulma couldn't believe her eyes. The older woman couldn't believe Tarro was crawling across the grass! Trunks and Bulla were easily six months old before they perfected the move. It looks as if the little Saiyan had been doing this for weeks! "Guys! Take a look." The bluenette pointed at the girls.
"Ellery never said anything about him crawling.." Chi-Chi couldn't take her eyes off Tarro. None of her children were crawling at such an early age. The little Saiyan in front of them looked like he'd been practicing for weeks. "I wonder if he's been doing it for a while?"
"Looks like it." Bulma giggled as she stood, watching as the girls cooed over the little Saiyan. "I'm gonna get refills, ladies!"
The women thank her, watching as she goes inside. The girls let Tarro watch them in their poses. He'd moved from his hands and knees to a sitting position quickly. Videl and Chi-Chi were stunned at the baby Saiyan's progress.
"Do you remember if Gohan was sitting up and crawling at four months old?" The younger mother asked curiously.
Chi-Chi shook her head. "Neither of the boys were crawling until at least six months." The two were silent for a moment. Deciding to break it, the older mother commented. "I wonder if they're going to allow him to keep his tail as he gets older."
Videl shrugged, leaning back in her chair. "I don't know if it'll matter much. Goku knows the seriousness of keeping his tail. They're going to have to take a lot of precautions. We were lucky enough that Pan wasn't born with one."
"We decided to keep Gohan's tail on." Chi-Chi reminisced. "After taking it off once and having it grow back, I didn't want to put him through that pain again. When he came back from training with Piccolo for the first time, it was gone again." The older mother chuckled. "Whatever their decision, I'm sure the little one will be fine."
"Does their tail hold a special significance?" Jean asked curiously.
"It gives them immense power during the Full Moon." Chi-Chi looked at her partner. "If a Saiyan looks into a Full Moon while their tail is attached, they'll transform into a giant ape."
"WHAT?!" Jean's eyes looked as though they were going to pop out of her skull.
"Don't worry!" The grandmother laughed. "It's been decades since an incident occured."
"Goku and Ellery can handle it." Videl smiled happily. "Each of them knows the consequences of Tarro becoming a Great Ape. The Harmony Center would be in his line of fire."
"Granma, can we go inside and play with the baby?" Pan looked over at the two ladies who were still outside.
"Sure sweetheart." Chi-Chi stands, going to pick Tarro up from the grass. He squirmed at first, wanting to be on the ground. When he realized they were going inside however, his attitude changed completely.
"Head into the living room girls." The grandmother smiled, holding the baby Saiyan close to her as they went into the Capsule Corp. Estate.
After the girls played with Tarro, all four of them were ready for a nap. It didn't take long for the mothers to set the girls up in Bulla's room. The little Saiyan slept in Bulma's room, a crib was set up in her room for the day. A calm breeze was coming from the outside door. It was cracked open, barely noticeable to most people.
However, the baby Saiyan felt the draft coming in from outside. As he woke up in an unfamiliar place, he began to wonder when his mother and father were coming back. Being in such a different environment made Tarro uncomfortable. Mom or Dad were always near him while he was sleeping. At the moment, he didn't feel any distinct auras. This also worried Tarro immensely.
He needed to find a familiar face and fast.
"AAAAAMAAAA" Tarro yelled several times, waiting for someone to come and take him out of the crib. After a few minutes, the little Saiyan began to wonder if anyone was going to come to his aid. Rolling over onto his stomach, Tarro got onto his hands and knees once again.
"Maaaaa!" The baby Saiyan attempted one more time to get the attention of someone in the house. As he looked around Bulma's room, Tarro felt the breeze hit his face. Glancing at the door, he crawls to the edge of the crib. Never before had the little Saiyan gotten out of bed on his own.
Using his arms to pull him up, Tarro stood in the crib. His tail swung back and forth as the little warrior continued to think of what to do next. His foot attempted to hold onto the railings, but they were much too slippery. The baby Saiyan examined the sides, at first he gripped the top and began shaking it, hoping to knock it loose.
Growling in frustration, Tarro continued to look around for a way to get to that door. It took several minutes for him to notice a latch in the right corner of the bed. Keeping his hands on the top rail, the little warrior used his legs to move from one side to the other. Once there, his tail did a lot of the work. Suddenly, the left side of the crib moves down, startling Tarro.
The little Saiyan took it slow, ever so gingerly taking his time to get onto the floor. He excitedly smiled as both hands and feet made it to the plush carpet. Tarro crawled to the balcony door. Thankfully it was open just enough for him to fit though. As the baby warrior crept slowly to the edge of the balcony, noticing how unbelievably high up he was. Immediately he scooted back, his heart pounding inside his small chest.
From his position, Tarro noticed the girls were playing outside again. He attempted to yell, hoping to get their attention from all the way up here. However, it was no use.
The only way down from this position would be to fly.
Tarro had witnessed his mother and father doing so countless times. It was another matter entirely to attempt it without them here. However, the little warrior had gotten this far, he wasn't about to give up now.
Just like mama and daddy…. Tarro thought before he imagined his mother flying, sparring with his dad.
"Hmm." Bulma looked at the clock once again. The crew had been gone for longer than she'd imagined they would. During the last Tournament of Power, the warriors had barely been gone for two hours. The bluenette looked outside, seeing that it was beginning to get dark. "I wonder if everything is going okay."
"I can't imagine it not going fine, Bulma." Chi-Chi assured her. "I remember them saying there was going to be a big turnout this year. Having all of those people would require
"Maybe they had to have two separate rounds to fit everyone in!" Jean mentioned.
"They're only going up against competitors from Universe Seven today." Videl reminded them. "All of them have proven they're more than capable of competing with most Universes, I have no doubt they're going to come home soon."
The ladies had done more than their fair share of waiting for their men to come home. Jean was the only exception to that rule. While she could understand their concern, a lot of this was a little overwhelming for her. She was glad her partner was sitting right next to her. However, it didn't mean she wasn't going to try and cheer these ladies up.
"How about we cook up a feast for the contestants?" Jean watched Chi-Chi perk up, knowing she loved to cook. "I'm sure everyone is going to be hungry when they return."
"That's a fantastic idea, sweetheart!" The older woman beamed at her partner. "It's been so long since I've cooked for a crowd!"
The ladies all begin prepping the food, chatting away as they were doing so. They mostly spoke about their kids, occasionally talking would go back to the battlefield.
Jean thought she was going to feel left out since these women have spent so much time together. However, every single one of them has gone out of their way to make her feel welcome. She'd never really had a family to call her own, Jean's family ostracized her from an early age. Being with Chi-Chi has changed her life in so many ways. She never thought this was what a family would be like. It was crazy and hectic all the time. However, there was no shortage of love and trust between all of these people. That's what made it special.
"I'm going to check on the baby." Jean mentioned to her partner, who nodded with a smile. As she left the kitchen, she heard the girls yell outside excitedly. The brightness only increased on her features.
Chi-Chi's partner walked up the stairs to Bulma's room. From the moment she opened the door, Jean could tell something wasn't right. It only took a second for her to realize that Tarro was nowhere to be found, and the crib's side had been taken down. Immediately the blood ran cold in her veins, completely freezing her in place. He's just a four month old infant, he couldn't have gotten far…
"Girls! Could you come here!?"
Bulma's ears perked up at Jean's distressed voice. "We'd better see what's going on." Putting down the bowl in her hands, the bluenette ran up the stairs. She looked back, seeing Chi-Chi and Videl not far behind her.
"What do you think happened?" Videl questioned.
"I have a bad feeling about this…" Chi-Chi muttered, more to herself than the group. The grandmother had a memory of babysitting Pan flash before her eyes. The one time she went missing for several hours, Goku and Chi-Chi went crazy looking for her. The couple ended up finding her in her room, playing with her toys. However, the older woman couldn't help but think the little girl flew away.
The trio round the corner fast, the door already wide open. From the moment they step foot in there, all three ladies had a shocked look on their face.
"Oh no… Not again.." The grandmother groaned.
"Again?!" Jean and Videl almost scream.
Chi-Chi sighed, looking towards the two of them. "It's never happened with Tarro. But, one time Goku and I were babysitting Pan and she went missing for a while. It took us forever to find her. At one point we honestly considered that she flew out the window.
"He's only four months old, Chi." Bulma interjected as she examined the room, noticing she'd kept the door open from her morning on the balcony. The bluenette immediately ran to the door and threw it open, scanning the balcony for a little Saiyan.
"MOM!" Bulla waved happily. "Look at this!"
"Not now sweetheart, Mommy's bus-" the mother takes a second to look at the ground, noticing Tarro with the girls once again.
"But Bulma!" Pan looked up also, still in shock at what happened, "Tarro can fly!" Giggling, the girls cheered Tarro on, encouraging him to try once again.
The little warrior looked up towards Bulma with a bright face, reaching towards her. Before he knew it, Tarro was in the air again flying in her direction. The baby Saiyan flew right into her arms, giggling and smiling.
"You really are something, little man." Bulma smiled nervously. "We're going to have to keep an extra close eye on you from now on."