Chapter 7: Family History
Noca and the rest of the group made it back to the hotel, travelling back through the city in an awkward silence. Once they stepped though the entrance to the capsule-hotel they were immediately greeted by a horrific glare from Chi-Chi. Although she appeared to be quite teary eyed at the same time. It was almost like she wasn't entirely sure what to feel in that moment.
"SON GOKU!" The Son matriarch immediately yelled, as soon as her husband stepped inside. "Where have you been?!" She called out in a demanding tone.
Everyone fell silent and just stared between Goku and his enraged wife. Goku just stood there, eyes wide, half frozen on the spot, with no idea what to say. He wasn't so innocent and ignorant that he didn't understand why his family and friends had been upset at him. He knew that when he left it would have hurt them, Goku just didn't think about things that way, often.
He also didn't think before he spoke.
"I was training Uub, you knew that, right?" Goku stated, ignoring the fact that Chi-Chi probably didn't need a literal answer. She didn't take too kindly to the statement. If she didn't know better, she would probably have thought Goku was making fun of her, but she was already too worked up to focus on that.
"Of course, I damn well remember! Do you think I was born yesterday?!" Chi-Chi screamed in response. Everyone around them winced and flinched at the raised tone, and there was a very brief awkward silence but then it was broken by the sudden laughter from Goku.
"I know you weren't born yesterday; you were born a long time ago, just like me," Goku joked, smiling and chuckling lightly. Chi-Chi took a very deep breath, closed her eyes, and then exhaled slowly. She opened her eyes again and looked at Goku.
"First you leave me for eight years, and then you come back just to call me old? How dare you?!" Chi-Chi said, walking forward, glaring at the man. She looked ready to attack him and Goku was beginning to step backward, clearly anticipating something.
"I'm sorry, Chi-Chi. I know it was inconsiderate," Goku said, surprising everyone with his understanding of the situation. "Did you really miss me that much?"
Chi-Chi tried to say something, but she couldn't find the right words. She just stopped moving, let her arms drop down by her side and she let out a sigh. The angry expression was wiped from her face and it turned to one of pure sadness. Her tears started to flow, and she rushed forward to hug her husband. It was possibly one of the tightest hugs she had ever given, but they were all pretty strong hugs when she was upset.
"Yes, I missed you, Goku. I have missed you so much," She said, sobbing into his chest. Goku scoffed softly and put his arm around the woman. He then lifted his other arm and pulled her into a very tight embrace. Even though he hardly showed it, there was no doubt that Goku definitely missed his family.
"I probably shouldn't have just up and left you all the way I did, that was unfair, to all of you," Goku said, looking around at all the people he hadn't seen in a very long time.
All of the rest of the group were a little emotional too, but there was a lot of happiness in the air upon seeing Goku again after so much time. Just having him in their presence was enough for them to forgive and forget everything else. No one was as emotional as Goku's own family though. People like Krillin and Bulma were just like family, but they were used to Goku coming and going as he pleased. It didn't mean it was easy, but it wasn't as hard to get past. At least he wasn't dead this time.
"Listen, Dad," Gohan spoke up, stepping forward. "We're all going to have questions."
"Yeah, like, why didn't you tell us you weren't planning on coming back?" Goten asked, first to the punch. Goku turned to say something to him, but another voice spoke up.
"Why didn't you tell me you were planning to compete?" Uub asked. Goku turned again, trying to get his words out.
"Why did we never have our rematch, Kakarot?" Vegeta asked, rivalry always the first thing on his mind.
"You couldn't just give us a phone-call?" Bulma suggested, hands on hips.
"How comes we couldn't sense you?" Krillin asked, more confused than concerned.
Goku looked around at all of them in a circle and started laughing nervously. Goten looked disappointed, Uub looked shocked, Bulma was annoyed, Vegeta too, and Krillin just curious. He turned to face Goten again, ready to answer, but someone else spoke up.
"Why did you leave me?" The voice asked. It was innocent, calm, but clearly sad. Silence fell and everyone turned to the source of the voice. It was Pan. She stood there, slightly ahead of Noca, looking down to the ground. She seemed tense and closed off. Goku sighed and walked over to Pan. He knelt down in front of her and took his hand in hers.
Goku wasn't always one for sentiment, that much was known, so it didn't even cross his mind that he had missed so much of his only grandchild's life. He practically missed her childhood. She was a teenager now, sure, she had a lot of growing to do, but so much was missed.
"It was important…" Goku said, softly, but clearly that wasn't the right thing.
"And I wasn't? None of us are?" Pan questioned, feeling hurt.
"I… uh… that's not what I meant," Goku said, stumbling over himself awkwardly. He chuckled nervously and cleared his throat, seeing that Pan wasn't amused. "You're all important, but I knew you could all handle yourselves, training Uub would have a long-lasting benefit for this world."
"Like what?" Pan asked.
"He would be able to replace me as the protector of Earth someday, if this peace is ever disturbed. Then I'll always have more time for you all," Goku replied. It sounded genuine, but Pan didn't think it was.
"Is that really what you want?" Pan asked, her tone changing. She was sounding more and more annoyed with him.
"What do you mean?" Goku didn't really understand the question, he seemed perplexed.
Pan opened her mouth to reply but no words seemed to come, she couldn't say anything else. She was too upset and angry to form the right words, and she didn't want to say the wrong thing. She just turned away from Goku and hugged Noca, which did sort of take everyone by surprise, but that wasn't the focus of the situation right now. Goku was.
"I think I know what she was trying to say," Krillin spoke up. Goku turned to face him, standing up again. "You can't sit still, Goku. You're always moving on to the next thing, even when you were a kid. Fighting and training is too ingrained in you, it always seems to take precedent over everything else," Krillin explained, looking over to Pan hoping for confirmation, but she was still looking away. "You left to train Uub because it would satisfy your need to fight."
Goku seemed to take a moment to process Krillin's honest words. He sighed again and turned to face Pan.
"Is that how you feel, Pan? Do all of you feel that?" Goku asked, looking over the rest of them. He wasn't offended or annoyed by the accusation, if anything it was an eye-opener for him. Pan didn't say anything in return, and she couldn't bring herself to look at him. "I guess that's kinda true."
"It's natural. You're a Saiyan. It's in your blood to crave the fight," Vegeta said, folding his arms. It wasn't really the help that Goku needed in that situation.
He just ignored Vegeta and kept his eyes on his granddaughter. It hurt to see her so upset. Even her friends found it hard to see Pan in that way. She was typically the kind of person to keep her emotions to herself for the most part, apart from the times when she maybe had an outburst, or two.
As a child Pan had been attached to her grandfather, so this situation was incredibly different to the other times she had truly expressed her emotions. These were practically repressed feelings that she had held onto for an incredibly long time. She couldn't just smile, accept that her grandfather was back, and move on. She was too broken when he left and truly didn't realise it until she saw him again.
Noca had his arm around Pan, struggling to deal with the moment as all of Pan's feelings were pushing through him too. He could feel her sobbing as she hid her face in his chest. Noca did a good job of keeping a hold of it and standing strong for the girl he had become incredibly close to.
Goku didn't know anything else he could say or do to fix the situation, but Goku wasn't one to give up in any situation.
"I can't take it all back, but please know that I don't do it because I don't care about you. I love you all," Goku said, looking over his friends and family. There were definitely some tears from some people, they knew this was Goku's absolute best attempt at showing compassion. "I haven't stopped since I was a kid, you're right, Krillin. I guess peace-times just don't sit right with me."
Finally, something that made complete sense coming out of Goku's mouth. He definitely understood more than he let on, that much was always clear.
"Pan, I hope you can forgive me, and we can try to get back to the way things were before, I won't be going anywhere now," Goku said, clearly showing it was the only thing he had left.
Pan turned away from Noca's chest, looking to her grandfather for a moment, but then she suddenly stepped away from Noca, eyes still on Goku.
"I can't do this right now… I'm sorry," Pan said, quickly turning away and rushing out of the room.
Bra and Kiera went off with her, while Noca stayed there with the rest of them. He motioned to Holline to go off with them as well, thinking that it would help for Pan to have all the girls with her, to support her. He knew that questions would be coming his way eventually so thought it best to stay.
There was a moment of silence again, nobody really knew what to say, it was clear no one could suddenly fix things. Goku just perked up again and turned to his friends and family.
"So, what were your questions?" He asked, smiling. Everyone looked around awkwardly, feeling it a little odd for Goku to just brush past it all so nonchalantly, it was weird, but they knew it was just his nature. Goten scratched the back of his head.
"You should have told us you weren't planning to come back; I mean… you used to visit, but then it stopped," Goten explained, definitely feeling affected by his father's sudden exit from his life. Sure, they managed to spend a good some time together as Goten grew into a young man, but he had grown accustomed to having his father around.
"I know, Goten. I'm sorry, I should have said something… it was at an important time in Uub's training," Goku explained. Goten seemed a little disappointed in that reply.
"We were training, that didn't have to stop," Goten said. Goku put a hand on his son's shoulder and Goten shuddered for a moment, but it was a good shudder. It was his father, he was back, Goten could look past the fact that he left. He was with his dad again.
"I knew your heart wasn't in it," Goku suggested, looking into Goten's eyes. Goten sighed and nodded, looking down.
"That's true. I guess I just liked spending time with my dad," He explained, scoffing. Goku pulled Goten into a quick hug. It was a sweet moment. As Goten pulled out of the hug he seemed to perk up all of a sudden. "I am stronger than Trunks now."
"Yeah, well I'm still smarter than you," Trunks said, as Goten turned and shot him a glare, then raised his hand and presented Trunks with a middle finger. Chi-Chi was close enough to smack his hand down. Goku laughed as he watched the scene unfold.
"What about our rematch?" Vegeta asked, from behind Goku.
"Maybe soon," Goku said, twirling around to face Vegeta. He offered the Saiyan prince a goofy, toothy grin. Vegeta just scoffed and looked away, his eyes falling upon Noca for a second. That could wait.
"I had a question, Goku," Krillin piped up. Goku turned to face his short best-friend. "How comes we couldn't sense you?" Krillin asked, putting his hands on his hips and tilting his side to the head, with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, that was because of some guardian magic, thanks to Dende and Piccolo. He created a small area for us to fight, undisturbed. To everyone on the outside it just looked like an ordinary wasteland, which it was, but we were training there all the time," Goku explained.
"Dende can do that?" Krillin asked, completely befuddled by the explanation. It almost sounded like a lie, but he knew Goku better than that.
"It was news to me too," Goku joked.
"On the subject of my training," Uub interrupted, stepping forward. "Why didn't you tell me you were competing in the tournament as well? In fact, you outright told me you wouldn't be."
"It's all part of your training. Piccolo is the only person that knew," Goku explained. Uub seemed to deal with that answer. If it was a part of his training, he knew not to question his mentor.
"I guess… I have a question," Noca spoke up, clearing his throat. Goku had to turn yet again, and he chuckled as he did so. Noca smiled as Goku looked at him, but it was sort of an awkward smile. He was nervous about any questions that came his way. He could tell that everyone was eyeing him up differently than before. "Why did you stop our fight?"
"I could have ended it and beaten you easily, if I decided to use all of my power," Goku started, getting that point out of the way. "If we weren't fighting in the confines of the tournament, and I kept going as I was, even at my base power level, you would have adapted enough to equal me."
The people with fighting sense were confused about that revelation. Vegeta and Gohan had both seen first-hand what Noca was capable of, but both of them had managed to beat him. So, why did Goku believe Noca could be his equal.
Uub was the other person in the room very curious about that revelation, and he could tell that Goku was very intrigued by the boy. Something had been distracting Goku for a while now. It was beginning to make sense.
"I don't think so," Noca said, brushing it off.
"Maybe not once you found out who I really was. I could tell that your nerves increased, you were scared of fighting me, once I dropped the disguise," Goku explained. Noca swallowed and looked to the ground, thinking about it.
"But then… why did you stop it and not just beat me," Noca asked, feeling like he didn't have any answers. Goku smirked.
"Because I want to watch you fight some more," Goku said, folding his arms, and continuing to look at Noca.
Uub looked between the two of them, trying to gauge what Goku was thinking. Was he thinking of making the boy his new student? What did that mean for Uub? Would they be rivals? Would he drop Uub's training? It presented an anxious feeling to the young man.
"It sort of makes sense that he would be nervous about fighting you," Bulma spoke up. Goku didn't look away from Noca, but he was listening to Bulma. "When he first came to us, he was looking for you."
That certainly piqued Goku's interests further, but Vegeta was getting fed up with waiting around.
"Let's quit with all this nonsense and get to bottom of why the boy didn't tell us he was a Saiyan," Vegeta exclaimed, stepping forward. He appeared threatening, at least to Noca, but he was doing his best to hold back, which is something that everyone that knew him noticed.
Noca froze and swallowed, awkwardly. He almost felt like he couldn't breathe properly, and his body wasn't handling the pressure, and he had just been in a fight with Goku. Everyone's eyes were on him, with Vegeta glaring.
"You lied to us!" Vegeta called out. Noca's brow furrowed.
"No, I didn't, no one asked me…" Noca snapped back, but then realised he was talking to Vegeta. Not someone you wanted to get on the wrong side of. Vegeta scoffed and shook his head, walking towards the boy.
"Don't get snippy with me, boy," Vegeta growled, getting right in Noca's face. The boy was still frozen to the spot and didn't want to move.
"Vegeta!" Goku called out, "That's enough."
Vegeta looked over his shoulder at Goku and grunted, stepping back a couple of feet.
"When I got to West City, I was just hoping to find Goku, that was always my quest, my only goal, but you weren't there," Noca explained, looking over to Goku. "I was told that you were the person to help me truly figure more about what it took to be a Saiyan."
Vegeta scoffed upon hearing that, but he was ignored.
"My mother never learned enough from her father before he was killed, and then… when she knew she would die…" Noca took a pause to compose himself. He closed his eyes and took a breath. Standing at the back of the room, Videl moved as if wanting to go over and comfort him, but he opened his eyes again and looked back to Goku. "She said to find you. I had already learned a little about you, about how you're seen as a hero, and that you were a Saiyan…"
"You could have always told us though," Gohan spoke up. "You knew we were Saiyans too."
"Which makes me wonder if you have something to hide," Vegeta snarled. Noca glared towards him, but that's just what Vegeta would want. He would want Noca to get worked up.
"I never planned on staying…" Noca muttered, but he was still heard clearly. "I still wanted to complete my journey and find Goku… initially I only stayed because I wondered if he might show up," Noca explained.
"Then why did you stay as long as you did?" Gohan asked.
Noca scoffed and smirked weakly. He looked up at Gohan, and then to Videl behind him, and his mind briefly drifted to Pan.
"Because you guys all made me feel welcome. You made me feel like I belonged somewhere at a time when I didn't have anything…" Noca explained. "I maybe didn't really see it until you two announced you were pregnant… and included me in that precious family moment."
Videl smiled at Noca and took a hold of Gohan's hand in hers. Goku's brow furrowed as he looked at Noca, and then his eyes went wide as he turned and looked towards his son.
"Videl is pregnant?!" Goku exclaimed. Gohan facepalmed.
"We didn't get a chance to tell you, but yeah, she is," Gohan confirmed, chuckling.
"Well, congratulations to you!" Goku said, enthusiastically. Noca was happy that he wasn't the focus of attention anymore, but it didn't last long.
Vegeta grabbed Noca by the scruff of his shirt and pulled him close.
"Are you a descendant of Kayu?" Vegeta growled, right in Noca's face. Goku turned and moved forward to try and defend Noca. The boy grabbed onto Vegeta's arm, wanting to pull it away, but he realised that Vegeta's grip wasn't too tight. It almost seemed like he intentionally loosened it.
"I am…" Noca groaned.
"And Cilu was your grandfather?" Vegeta asked. Everyone else let Vegeta keep his questions coming, wondering where the Prince was going with it.
"Yes…" Noca replied.
"And your father, was his name Vernege?" Vegeta asked, his final question.
"What? No…" Noca groaned, he was struggling to get free from Vegeta's grip. "My mother was a Saiyan, her name was Emna. I don't know my father… he was human."
Vegeta let go, Noca fell to his knees.
"Cilu survived…" Vegeta muttered to himself, walking away.
"What do you know, Vegeta?" Goku asked.
"Kayu belonged to a long line of Saiyan warriors. I was told stories of how he was one of the finest Royal Elites," Vegeta started to explain, taking a seat at a dining room table. "Not even Freeza knew of their existence when he took over Planet Vegeta, it was secret Elite team."
"My great-grandfather was a Saiyan legend?" Noca questioned. Vegeta looked up at him, but there wasn't anger there anymore. Almost… respect.
"One of the greatest…" Vegeta muttered, knowing a lot more than he let on, but luckily, he continued. "He left Planet Vegeta with his Family. Which included his son and grandson; Cilu and Vernege. They were all presumed dead."
"What happened?" Noca asked.
"We were visited by a powerful being, I don't remember his name. He belonged to an ancient race and was there looking for Kayu," Vegeta started, getting deeper into thought. "Kayu was off-world at the time, the visitor decided to return at a later date. When Kayu returned the King, my father, urged Kayu to take his family and leave… for the safety of the planet."
"The King really asked that of him?" Goku questioned.
"Kayu was a true Saiyan warrior, loyal to the throne," Vegeta exclaimed, standing up in defence of the dead man. "He did his duty, he took his family, and they attempted to leave." Vegeta clenched his fist. "The visitor waited; he took them out once they left the planet. I know Kayu put up a fight on a nearby moon, but… we assumed the worst."
Vegeta looked up at Noca after he finished, he stared at the teen. The Prince seemed genuinely saddened and it definitely seemed like he harboured a lot of respect for Kayu.
"I believe he saved our race that day, losing his own life, and that of his family. But I guess Cilu survived and found a home, here of all places," Vegeta scoffed and shook his head. "If only I could have known."
"Is there a reason why they would have come to Earth?" Krillin asked. Vegeta snapped his head towards Krillin, a confused scowl appearing on his face. "Well, you know, Goku was sent here…"
Vegeta looked towards Goku, his confused scowl replaced by an inquisitive scowl. Goku just smiled, awkwardly. The Prince huffed and turned to face Noca again.
"How did they die?" He asked, not realising that the topic may be a sore one for the teen. Noca's eyes widened, and he cleared his throat, looking around for some sort of help, but realising that he didn't have his friends near him. But Videl was there. She walked past Vegeta and over to Noca.
"It's not a great subject," Videl answered for Noca. Vegeta grunted. Videl put her arms around his shoulder, offering comfort, and Noca appreciated that. It gave him the confidence to speak up.
"I think we were attacked… but I have no proof," Noca confirmed. Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "At least that's how my mother died. I don't know about my grandfather. All I know is he was found dead."
Vegeta decided he had enough information and didn't push the boy further. He turned away from them and wandered out of the room. One assumed, to go to the gravity room and get in some extra training before his fight the next day.
"I think we've all talked enough," Goku spoke up, patting his belly. "I'm starving."
Noca didn't join them for food. He opted to go up to check in on the girls, to see how Pan was doing. He was heading up the stairs and once he reached the next level he was met, immediately, by Vegeta. Noca took a deep breath, almost worried about what was coming his way. Vegeta folded his arms.
"I wanted to tell you how sorry I am, for your loss," Vegeta said, actually sounding like he meant it, somewhat. Noca didn't know what to say, so he just let Vegeta carry on. "From the very beginning I suspected something was familiar about you. You look like him."
Noca looked down to the ground, wanting to avoid any eye-contact with the Saiyan Prince. Also, he didn't really know how he should feel about being compared to one of his family members, especially someone he had never met.
Vegeta walked towards Noca, attempting to get past him, patting the boy on the shoulder as he went past.
"I'm sure you'll live up to your family's reputation someday," Vegeta muttered, continuing on without saying another word.
Noca was left to stand there for a moment, that interaction, and all the new information he learned about his family, floating about in his brain. It was an odd day for the teen Saiyan. He would deal with it all in his own time. For the moment, Pan was the thing at the top of his list.
He walked down the hall to the bedroom the girls had been sharing and he reached forward to knock, but he hesitated for a moment. He didn't know if he should interrupt them. Maybe they just wanted to be left alone.
Inside the room, Pan was sitting on the bed, playing around with some stuffed toy that she had with her. It was something she had since she was very young, and it worked as a sort of comfort item for the teenager. It was actually gifted to her by the Brief family when she was very little, around the time Goku left. The girls weren't really doing much, just chatting a little bit. It was a matter of trying to get to know Holline more after the girl had tagged along with them.
Pan had an odd feeling in her head and her attention was pulled towards the door. She smirked, subtly, hiding it so that no one else noticed, and she realised that Noca was standing outside. Bra was the one sitting closest to the door.
"Bra, can you get the door? Noca's outside," Pan asked her friend. Bra obliged, practically jumping up and rushing to the door. She opened and Noca was standing there, still deliberating about whether or not he should knock.
"Oh… hi?" Noca said, smiling weakly. He looked past Bra, straight at Pan, and the two of them shared a moment. "Is everything ok up here?"
Noca stepped in and Bra closed the door. She kept her eyes on Noca, while Kiera and Holline looked between him and Pan. It was strange because in that moment it seemed like both Noca and Pan didn't realise anyone else was there with them. Noca walked forward and sat down at the edge of the bed, looking at Pan who was sitting in the centre, cross-legged.
But once Noca sat down she moved up and sat beside him, putting her stuffed toy to the side, and she lay her head on Noca's shoulder. Neither of them seemed to care that the others were there. It wasn't that they forgotten they were there; it was just that they were comfortable enough expressing themselves.
Both of them were struggling, emotionally, and they needed one another.
"Are you ok?" Noca asked. Pan mumbled something that sounded like a yes, but Noca knew that if she was in fact saying yes it would probably be a lie. Noca could feel that she wasn't doing too great, it was probably a stupid question to ask, but it was what people did. Noca could sense the confusion, the anger, the sadness, and he didn't know what to do or say to help.
"Maybe you need to look at this from a positive view; Goku is back now, and he's willing to make a change, I think you should forgive him," Noca suggested, hoping that Pan wouldn't become annoyed with him, but it didn't seem like that would happen. She just pulled up, wiped her eyes, and nodded to him.
"What did my Dad say to you?" Bra asked, knowing that the conversation about Noca being a Saiyan would have been a difficult one.
"Not much actually. I think he knew a lot more than he let on, plus he knew I was a Saiyan from when we trained together… he just never asked me about it," Noca explained. Noca dwelled on it for a moment, wondering why Vegeta had waited until now to say anything, what did the man have to gain from leaving it so late? "He told me about my family history… it's weird, I think he has a sort of respect for me."
"That is weird. My Dad usually hates everyone," Bra joked. Noca scoffed and his thoughts started to trail to when Vegeta approached him in the hallway and how it felt like the Saiyan Prince was still hiding something. He shook it all off and looked at Pan.
"Come on, Pan. I think we should all go and get something to eat," Noca suggested. "We want you to be ready for the fight tomorrow, right?"
Pan pulled her head away and nodded to Noca, smiling weakly.
"Yeah, you're right," She agreed, walking over to the bathroom to quickly wash up. Noca looked down and realised he was still wearing his Gi. He chuckled.
"I should probably go and wash up quickly too," He said, standing up and walking off to go to his own room. As he was leaving, he heard Kiera ask Holline if she needed to get her stuff from the hotel she had been staying at. It seemed like the girls had invited her to stay with them.
The dinner was awkward for the teenagers, and Pan was avoiding talking if she could. She would only really speak with her friends, and her mother. Noca was the same, he didn't really want to have any more conversations about his Saiyan origin, and there was a strange feeling about being around Goku now, especially when he thought about how Goku had been his goal.
After dinner, when Noca was in bed, he found it very difficult to get to sleep for a while. He had learned some new, fascinating details about his family, about why they came to the Earth, and maybe he was learning more about what had happened and why his mother had been ripped away from him so prematurely.
Too much plagued his mind as he tried to get to sleep, but one good thing was there; Noca had a new determination to go through his upcoming fights and do all he could to make his family proud.
