Hit the Floor
By: May-VeggieGirl1

Yush, me back. Hooray I finally get to throw in Veggie! And Nappa... meh, oh whatever. x.x I'm probably gonna change the POV sometime later on, I don't know, I'm still testing with this fic... It's because I don't like Kakarrot at all since my fav is Vegeta. kwe! On with the fic! BUT first reviewers :p

mkh2( )-- hmm, I didn't think of that. Good angle, yes, but I'm not that sure I would want that much time to fly by. Yes, a year does pass before Goku fights Vegeta and Nappa in the DBZ storyline, but it would still interfere with this chapter (as you can see if you read on) and, possibly, the rest of the fic. Nonetheless, thank you for a small ray of understanding of the situation. Glad you find it interesting. I'm hoping this angle will keep my, and everyone elses, attention. At least long enough to see where this is going that is.

Silent Ballroom-- Thank you for reviewing! Well, I'm not sure reviewing few fics is necessarily a bad tradition because a lot of readers and writers tend to do that. I, personally, try my best where I can. I did just start this fic, so don't feel as though I'm holding back on you; don't forget that high school really is hard and easy in the same twirl of unusual circumstances. Either way, I'm glad I meet your standards and to hear you enjoyed the first two chapters. Hope you like this one also.

I don't own DBZ. I'm flattered if anyone thinks that, because my drawing skillz simple cannot be compared. It would put Toriyama-sensei to shame. x.x heheh...

One minute you're on top...

"Kakarrot..."

Next you're not, watch it drop...

"Kakarrot."

Making you're heart stop...

"Kakarrot!"

Just before you hit the floor...

"KAKARROT!"

Goku bolted up from his seat in shock, slamming his head with Raditz's. He tripped over backwards and landed roughly in front of his pod while holding his head.

"Owww, what the heck!" Raditz glared while rubbing his head.

"You idiot, we're here!" Goku blinked hard while rubbing his eyes. He still wasn't very awake.

"We are? I thought you said it would take a week to get here!"

"It did..." Goku's eyes widdened while also exploring the location.

"You're kidding! I was asleep for a whole week?" The sky waved from color to color, slipping from orange to teal every so often. The trees rose hundreds of feet in the air like bamboo, but the leaves were a deep red with white blossoms blooming from the tiny seeds. The grass laced in his fingers was long, thin, and a rich burnt umber. He continued to gaze at the planet in awe.
So this is what it's like to be on another planet...

"The pods are built to supply a mixture of sleeping gas and oxygen- you can turn off the sleeping gas from the control panel." Raditz then added gruffly, "But I don't see why anyone would turn it off since it makes the trip so much more bearable..." Goku's whole body stiffened while catching sight of the navy bluish boots in front of him. His eyes followedthier way up to the very tall and muscular man standing over him with an incredible energy level. Goku crawled backwards in surprise.

"R-Raditz," Goku yelped in desperation, thinking this was one of the adversaries they had to fight. No wonder they needed four saiyans!

"Oh, that's Nappa," Raditz partially introduced before going back to tweaking with Goku's pod. The tall, bald man named Nappa chuckled at Goku.

"Strange lil fella. Sure he can help us out? I mean, he looks more like a klutz than a fighter." Goku was stunned by the power level he was getting from him, but still felt he needed to defend himself.

"Hey, I am a fighter! I may not have a lotta ki compared to you, but I have enough skill to hold my own against you!" Nappa only laughed harder while putting his giant hand on Goku's head to pat it.

"You've got spunk, I'll admit that!" Nappa walked away laughing from him as Raditz pulled on his Goku's ear and hissed threw his teeth.

"What did I tell you about addressing my superiors!"

"I thought he was talking to me first!" Raditz let go and glared sourly while shoving the suitcase in Goku's hands.

"They address you when they ask you a question, otherwise you be quiet!" Goku huffed and, when Raditz turned back to close the pod's door, stuck his tongue out at him. As if on cue, Goku's stomach growled angrily and he pulled his tongue back before Raditz could catch him.

"I'm starving," he said bleakly. He never ever had gone without food for a week, and now he was definitely feeling it.

"Agreed, I'll go get some grub," Nappa announced before taking off with blinding speed. Goku gawked at him flying away when a shiver ran up and down his spine a few times before finishing with a well-put shudder.

Is it another saiyan? Raditz did say he had two partners...

He shuddered again while thinking about the last one behind him, the one with the most ki. Slowly, he peered behind him and spotted the small saiyan with flame like hair. The saiyan glowered at him before looking away in an uninterested fashion. Goku stared at him for a bit longer as the saiyan leaned against one of the bamboo trees.

Strange, I thought he would be bigger than Nappa, since so far it's been in order from tallest and most powerful to smallest and least powerful. Guess that just goes to show you that saiyans can be as diverse as humans...

He sighed when the thought of his friends came to mind and the beautiful blue skies and sea. In hopes to get his mind off home, Goku scooted back over to Raditz, who was now gathering sticks and kindle.

"Who is he and will you chew me out if I get within five feet of him?"

"He is Prince Vegeta. And that all depends. He wouldn't talk to the likes of you anyway, Nappa is just more rambunctious... still, don't think Nappa would hesitant to keep you in line. Don't think any of us would." He held up the fist full of twigs and such then glanced back at Goku. "Here, why don't you start to make yourself useful and gather kindle and sticks?" Raditz dropped the material in Goku's hands and began to walk away. Goku opened his mouth to ask why Vegeta wasn't doing anything when the word "Prince" finally clicked with his brain and he closed his mouth again. He was sure there was some important reason that a Prince didn't need to do anything, and he didn't want to look any more of an idiot than possible. Another protest came to mind and he opened it again.

"Hey, where are you going then?"

"I'm going to scout." Raditz said without turning back to Goku.

"Ah," Goku said aloud to no one. He glanced once more at Vegeta, who hadn't moved since he was last staring at him. He turned back and wandered out, weaving in between trees and picking up their litter.

Goku paused at one of the white blossoms, perfectly lying on the ground. He picked it up and looked inside at the red stamens poking out in every which way. He smiled while sniffing it. "I'll keep this for Chichi," He told himself while safely tucking away the flower.

Vegeta, who had been quietly observing Goku, snorted at him while flying up in the air and playing with an already shreaded flower up in the bamboo tree tops before returning to solid ground and walking away unnoticed.

Goku strolled back with an armload of kindle to greet Raditz waiting for him.

"I was starting wondering if I had to go back and find you! Nappa should be back here soon so we need to get the fire going."

"I see," Goku nodded while placing the debris in the center with some logs before returning to his suitcase and laying the flower down on top of it. "So, how soon should he be---" Goku looked up as Nappa swooped in and touched down on the ground. Raditz lit the fire with an energy blast and Goku sat down by it.

"What did ya' get?" He asked Nappa.

"Got lucky today, tourists from the atach-zorelli region! Easy kill too!" Nappa smirked while sticking the mutilated bodies over top of the fire but not in it with the sticks. Raditz sat down near it and blew on the wild flame as Goku stared at the burning flesh morbidly.

"You... eat people?"

"Hey, who said anything about tourists being people," Nappa laughed jokingly.

"But... they're still people..." Goku backed away slowly from the fire. Nappa raised an eyebrow and Raditz sighed at his little brother.

"His amnesia and surroundings made him sensitive..."

"Softy," Nappa teased while ripping off an arm and blowing on it before tearing into it.

"Is that really so wrong to be able to cope for another's loss?" Goku demanded while standing up.

"Kakarrot." Everyone looked up and over at Vegeta, who had finally moved over to the fire with the rest of the saiyans and addressed Goku. "In a kill or be killed universe, there's no room for foolish sentimentality. Also, you don't refuse a meal, even if it's your comrade's dead body..." Goku stared at Vegeta from across the flame, trying hard to hide the disgust in his eyes.

You're wrong... And I'll show you! I'll show you how wrong you are when I'm the one who's stronger!

He lowered his head, bit his lip, and sharply turned on his heel.

"I'm going to see if I can find anything fish like around here," he stated before leaving into the darkening trees. Vegeta warily watched him leave.

"Should we follow him," Raditz asked while ripping off a hunk of meat from one of the legs and watching the silhouette of his remaining family member vanish into the darkness.

"No, he needs to learn to be impassive."

Goku listlessly trudged back to where the saiyan's 'camp' was, tired and still with an empty stomach. After much searching, he did end up finding a lake- but no fish. The sky had turned a deep shade of purple, signifying the presence of the night. Tiny white dots littered the sky but barely gave light to the ground below with the absence of the moon. He approached the site, noting that Raditz had returned to his pod, probably to sleep, and Nappa was no where to be found. Vegeta sat alone outside, drawing in the dirt, erasing, and then drawing again. Goku stood by and tried to watch over his shoulder. Vegeta glanced up at him coldly.

"Do you mind?" He bowed his head submissively while backing off over to his pod and suitcase. Setting the white blossom inside the pod, he took the suitcase and began to leave again. "Don't wander too far." Goku turned back to glance at Vegeta before nodding and leaving the vicinity.

He snapped open the suitcase while rummaging around his clothing and pulling out a laptop-like object, setting it gently on the ground. Goku flipped open the screen while playing with the buttons.

"They sent me seven messages... one for each day I was in a deep sleep," he recited to himself, feeling guilty that he couldn't reply during that time. He clicked on the first one and the screen showed Bulma, Krillin, and Roshi, peering into the lense.

"I hope this works. Hey, Son, how are you? Is this working right?" Bulma adjusted the lense some before backing away from it.

"Goku, you were right about Gohan, he's doing great in training with Piccolo!" Krillin approached uncomfortably close to the camera to whisper. "Don't get me wrong, but it looks like Piccolo might have a soft spot for him!" Goku's eye twitched at the thought before bursting out laughing. He was laughing too hard that he couldn't hear what else the others were saying until he finally wiped the tears from his eyes and sat upright again.

"...Tien and Chiaotzu. I'm training with Kami also." Goku rubbed his chin in a thoughtful manner.

"So Kami is gonna train them now? I wonder if they have to go through Mr. Popo's tests also..."

"And Roshi almost felt up a lady while he was over in West City," Bulma growled while continuing to glare at the old man. "So basically what I'm saying is everything is relatively normal here. Hope to hear from you soon!" The screen died and returned to the option menu. He clicked on the next video and it opened up again.

Goku continued to watch the videos, each time his friends and family asking how he was and why he hadn't called back. He laughed at his friend's antics, yet somehow it wasn't filling. It wasn't a laugh he could share with them and suddenly he felt terribly alone and cold. As the last message flickered off the screen, he sighed and flopped over on his back to stare at the stars in the sky.
I wonder if there is a star out here that they can still see back on Earth. Maybe they can see what planet I'm on right now.
The thought consoled him and he sat back up, feeling closer to them despite the events. He clicked another button and grinned at the lense.

"Hey guys!" He scratched his head and chuckled for a moment out of typical habit. Still he said nothing more. There was just so much to tell- why he hadn't answered, what the planet was like, and how incredibly powerful these 'allies-under-false-pretense' were. And all the thoughts jumbled together in his brain, occupying it so long that he briefly lost his sense of time. A very long and awkward silence was recorded. "Oh, I'm sorry everyone," He forced himself to say while looking at the ground sadly.
See how close I am to them, I don't even have any idea what I'm going to say anymore!
Goku's eyes furrowed and he crossed his arms.
"Maybe I should start over. Hey guys!" Again, he grinned. It seemed kind of eerie to Goku that he kept repeating himself with the same expression, so he decided to look a bit more serious this time. "I'm just at loss of words, so much as happened ya' know?" He tilted the lense up at the sky, getting a good view of the treetops and stars while pondering on what to say next.
"So, this is where I am! Only been here for a few hours or so. We were in our spaceships the whole rest of the way, and I didn't even have enough free space to open the suitcase. I guess I mean I'm sorry about not being able to keep in touch. Oh, man, you guys wouldn't believe these two other saiyans! They're not even in Raditz's range of power! Guess we have a lot of training to do, huh?" He chuckled cheerfully as if it didn't bother him at all. His stomach decided to remind him of the situation he has been in for quite a while, and he smiled sheepishly. Of course, this was not recorded nor was noticed that it was not recorded.
"Yeah, I'm really hungry, the only food on this planet is the people- they don't even have any fish! Plus, I don't want to use the senzu beans Korin gave me yet, I'll probably need them a lot more during battle." He sighed and then it clicked in his brain that there was a high possibility that Chichi would see the message. And the last thing he needed was Chichi ranting at him about quick killing the saiyans and coming back home for a well-described dinner, making his starvation all the more antagonizing. He also didn't want to make her worry any more than she naturally would.
"But don't worry about that, I'll eat if I must. After all, we could always wish the people back once we take these saiyans out! Keep up the good work everyone, especially you Gohan, if you're watching this!" He moved the camera back into it's normal position and waved to them. "Talk to ya' tomorrow!" Goku closed the laptop and turned off the power. Tucking the laptop back into the suitcase, he began to strip off the top part of his gi. "Well, time to go to bed I guess." As he continued to untie his boots, he looked up abruptly. "...Wonder what that energy is? Strange, never felt anything like it." Leaving his boots on, he quietly hid the suitcase and tip-toed closer to the signal he was getting.
Maybe creatures on this planet have different kind of energy? If so, there's a chance it could be food!
He began to drool at the mentioning of nourishment and started to hope that it was something like boar or cattle. Goku snuck around quietly, hoping to get a good view of whatever kind of creature it was when he heard a hissing sound from behind him. He blinked rapidly while turning around and narrowly escaping the large spike of rock from impaling him. He stood next to it and stared at the unusual spectacle, putting his hand on the cold slab sticking out of the ground next to him. "Where did this come fr--" Before he could even finish his question, more rock shot up from the ground and formed a wall in front of him. Goku tried jumping back in surprised but found that another wall was behind him and closing off the remaining space between, eventually forming a cylinder of rock around him. He shot up threw the rock above into the air to only be followed by it and swallowed. Struggling even further in the encasement, Goku squirmed as he observed the strange energy signal approaching and gritting his teeth.

Vegeta pulled his head out of Goku's pod while closing it and glancing over at Nappa, who's scouter began to make alarmingly high beeping noises. The saiyan checked the device by pushing the button near his ear and smirked with slight amusement.

"Hey, Vegeta, Kakarrot's getting ambushed..."

"Let him," Vegeta snorted while strutting to his little spot near the trees. "If he can't fend for himself, then he's no use to us." Nappa nodded and tossing his scouter aside.

Alright, I'm bringing this chap to a close! I really wanted to finish this differently, but I'm not sure it would be wise to continue in this chapter. Nonetheless, good suspense area to stop with.Can Goku fend off the natives by himself, even though the saiyans called uponhim for hishelp in the begin with? What was Vegeta doing to Goku's pod? Also, I'm sorry I had to repost this so many times... Review please!