Hello again! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Very excited about this one :D
Based on MasakoX's What If series "What if Gine went with Goku to Earth?", but a retcon with some changes of my own on how I think the story would have went down had Goku's mother escaped planet Vegeta with him.
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CHAPTER 41: IN THE DARK
Little Gohan laid wide awake and eyeing the clock on the wall. It was almost eleven. Not yet. He thought.
It had been three hours since his mother had put him to bed. He had feigned falling asleep until she left his bedroom, and then waited up until he saw the lights turn off from under the door. His mother had turned in for the night but he waited a couple more hours, just to be sure she was really asleep. Eleven o'clock was an ideal time when no amount of noise he made would wake her up, the perfect moment in the night to slip away...
When Gohan started doing this five months ago at the suggestion of Uncle Raditz, he had initially balked at the idea. Aside from his biggest fear of getting caught, Gohan got hung up on disobeying his mother's rule. He was barely able to tell a little white lie to her with a straight face, how was he supposed to do something so delinquent as sneaking out? But his uncle tacitly reminded him that if he wanted to keep training in secret, this was the only way they could accomplish that. So after some more convincing, Gohan had been able to muster up his courage to open his bedroom window one night and climb out to his uncle hiding in the tree-line in wait. They flew a few hundred kilometers away out to a predetermined spot in the wilderness where his grandmother waited for them, and there they did a full night of sparring, free from prying eyes. They even him returned home before dawn to slip back into bed without his mother ever knowing.
It was utterly terrifying at first to break his mother's trust like this. After that first night, the sleep-deprived Gohan would jump in fright whenever she spoke to him or ask why his homework was sloppier than usual, and he'd say that he just had some bad dreams was all (a cover story that Uncle Raditz also told him to memorize if Chi-Chi questioned him). The way she skeptically looked at him petrified Little Gohan to his core. If she suspected of what he had done... he didn't want to imagine what would happen. But in the end, his mother bought the cover story and stopped asking about it after a few weeks.
That rush of terror never went away as Gohan slipped out again and again ever other night, doing this to allow him to get adequate sleep in between training sessions. But after a while he had gotten used to it. And as he slowly got better at fighting with Uncle Raditz and Grandma out in the woods, he started to enjoy it. He felt himself getting stronger every day from the combination of off-and-on intense training and a days' rest, and learning how to be a better fighter.
So far, his mother still suspected nothing, despite him falling asleep in the day or taking longer naps sometimes. But his studying wasn't hampered as it was the first time, so he was safe... for now.
The big hand on Gohan's wall clock struck the top and was now eleven on the dot. Now was the time.
Little Gohan fell into action as he quietly but quickly got dressed in his orange gi then popped open the window over his bed. In one smooth and practiced action, Gohan leaped out of his room and gently touched down outside in the grass. He carefully closed the window behind him, being sure not to accidentally lock himself out, then tip-toed to the edge of the camp. With some distance between him and the house, Little Gohan leapt into the air and took off into the night.
It was an overcast sky tonight, but Gohan knew where to go. His photographic memory allowed him to find places he's been to before very easy to find again. On top of that, learning how to fly was very helpful so his uncle and grandmother didn't have to help him sneak away from home every night and increase the risk of being discovered. It took him just a day to figure out the intricacies of levitation, something that impressed both his uncle and grandmother. Raditz even joked that by the end of the month that he'd run out of things to teach him. Gohan was so glad that his uncle (whom he now saw as a mentor) was proud of him. Gohan couldn't wait to show his father how far he had come once he came home.
After about twenty minutes of flight out into the grassy plains beyond Mount Paozu, Gohan spotted Uncle Raditz and Grandma waiting for him at their usual meeting spot. They saw him coming and they waved. Gohan waved back with a smile and touched down in front of them.
"Twenty-three minutes. Not bad kiddo, a lot faster than last time." Said Uncle Raditz. He was wearing the black and bronze armor that he had on when he first arrived on Earth. Bulma had recently returned it to him after she had finished studying it.
Gohan beamed happily up at him. "Thank you! It's a lot of fun to go fast up there."
Gine chuckled. "It definitely is, even if you can't see much up there with weather like this." She waved her hand and the dark cloud cover that spanned from horizon to horizon.
"Still, you should be careful, sweetie. You don't want to expend too much energy to have the other's sense you flying away." She admonished.
"Sorry, I'll try to be more careful next time." Said Gohan sheepishly.
"Well, now that we're all here..." Said Raditz as he crouched into his fighting stance. "You ready to get to work?"
Gohan's expression turned eager and excited. "You betchya!" Then he added, "Oh, and uh, could we not do lasers this time, though? I don't want my clothes burned like last time. I'm not sure how I could explain away that to Mom again."
Raditz shrugged. "Yeah, sure."
"Awesome!" Gohan did some quick stretches and got into position. "Okay. Ready, Uncle Raditz?"
Raditz answered with a battle cry as he charged at his nephew with breakneck speed. Gohan barely evaded him in time, then Raditz came at him with a flurry of punches and kicks that the boy ducked or moved away from. Gine leapt back out of the way to observe from afar.
A few minutes went by as Raditz tried to land a blow on Gohan, but the kid was quick. The larger and stronger Saiyan did have the element of surprise by going on the offensive, but Gohan had learned to take advantage of his small size and sidestep every attack and think of his next move.
After dodging another sweeping kick, Gohan kept backflipping away from Raditz and landed a ways back to put some distance between each other.
Raditz smirked. "So, you figured out how to dodge my attacks. Well done!"
Gohan smiled to himself. He was proud that he managed to overcome something that he had been struggling with since he started training.
"Thanks!" He said back.
Raditz's face then turned serious. "Savor the moment, kid. That was just a warm up. Now it's time to get right to the real fight!"
He charged at Gohan again in full earnest. Gohan dodged the attacks, but with more difficulty as Raditz was stepping things up. He struggled to keep pace with his uncle, feeling his blood pumping with adrenaline.
Gine stood back with her arms crossed as her eldest son sparred with her grandson, watching them while in deep thought.
The last five months were almost a blur. Everyone had gotten stronger, Kami had integrated into their routine easily, and they were almost ready. Now there was only one month left to go before the Prince and his henchman arrived. Naturally, she was nervous about the time approaching, but she believed that they had a real chance to defeat them. Not counting how strong Kakarot may have gotten in Otherworld, they would be fighting an almost even playing field with the Saiyans.
Gine only tentatively tried once in the last five months to convince Chi-chi to let Gohan train again, but the look Chi-Chi gave her at the audacity of of even asking such a question told Gine the answer was still an unequivocal "no". So Gine dropped it and never spoke of it since. So... a more clandestine way to train had to do.
Her grandson was showing a lot of progress. He was almost unrecognizable to the boy he was eleven months ago. Still sweet and innocent, but now determined and toughened up little by little. It wasn't easy, for Raditz was as relentless as he was a teacher and Gohan had shed quite a lot of tears as he tried to adapt to pain. Gine was squeamish of Raditz hurting Gohan to toughen him up, but Raditz reminded her that Vegeta and Nappa would do far worse to him if the boy wasn't ready. To him, this was the only way to prepare Gohan for such a threat.
Gine hoped that Little Gohan wouldn't have to fight at all if she could help it. But in the end, she agreed it was necessary to teach him how to handle a few bruises and broken bones. But they had to be careful as to not rough him up too much less Chi-Chi would notice if her son was roughed up.
But even with only a couple hours to train every night, they trained intensely. It was enough exertion for Gohan to be tired out and fall asleep when he got home. Gohan is much stronger now. Having learned to fly on his first try and learned quickly when he wasn't pressured or under duress. So Gine took it slow with him. If they trained full time, with his father's strength and that big brain of his, Son Gohan Jr. would be a force of nature... If they could train fully, that is.
One step at time. Gine thought to herself.
Back in the fight, Raditz's face contorted as he screamed at Little Gohan: "NOW TRY THIS!"
He fired a ki strike that was so fast it hit Gohan dead on without him having any time to react, sending him flying away crying out in pain. Gine, from off to the sidelines, didn't react.
Gohan got up, singed and holding back tears trying not to cry.
"Hey, you cheated! You said no lasers!" He wailed indignantly.
"And what if I did?" Raditz shot back. "Don't believe anything your enemy tells you. They will cheat to win."
Gohan wanted to protest further, but closed his mouth. He hated that his uncle was right.
"Now... DODGE!" Raditz let just before giving the little boy a solid kick that sent Gohan hurling across the ground.
Gohan bounced once or twice off the ground before he caught himself and came to a stop. Suddenly, Raditz was on him a moment later with another ki blast in his palm to throw down on him. Gohan flew back before it struck him, the force of the following explosion hurling Gohan away again. Gohan steadied himself in mid-air in time to yelp in alarm. His uncle had launched a volley of ki blasts at him that Gohan danced around, trying not to get hit.
Gohan was quick, but Raditz was very relentless. When the boy tried to fall back to put more distance between himself and his uncle, Raditz followed after him, not giving the boy an inch of breathing room or any time to think.
"DON'T JUST DODGE! GET INSIDE! COUNTERATTACK!" Raditz yelled at his nephew.
Gohan grit his teeth in frustration as he tried to get past the volley Uncle Raditz was bombarding him with. This was the lesson he had been trying to get past for the last few nights. Having to see an opening in an enemy's attack to exploit and strike back was something that both his uncle and grandmother had been trying to hammer home to him since they started. "The best defense is a good offense", as Uncle Raditz had put it, and Gohan had committed it to heart to follow that philosophy in combat if it meant putting a quick end to a fight. If only he could just get past this attack. If only he could think and act faster...
"C'MON! I'M LEAVING TONS OF OPENINGS FOR YOU! ATTACK ME!" Raditz admonished.
Gohan tried to study his uncle while avoiding his strikes. How could he be intentionally leaving himself open if he's attacking him like this? He's moving so fast as it is! Or perhaps he himself is just so slow that Gohan is not fast enough to see it...
Wait a second. Gohan thought to himself as he watched Raditz throwing ki blasts at him. His firing pattern was repeating itself every few seconds, and it left a brief window for him to take a shot at him! Only one way to find out...
After another volley of blasts, he saw the opening appear again. Yes, it was there for a moment every few seconds. He just had to time it... just right...
"Now!"
Gohan phased forward and reappeared mere inches in front of and beneath his uncle. He looked down at him just in time to see his nephew holding out both palms at him...
"DOUBLE SUNDAY!" Gohan fired back at his uncle at point-blank range. Two bright purple beams striking Raditz dead on and both engulfed in bright enough light for Gine to shield her eyes.
When the dust settled, Raditz stood over his nephew, his armor smoking but undamaged. Gohan stood there heaving from having to expend so much energy for that attack.
"Heheh. Well, well!" Raditz said proudly. "Looks like you finally managed to steal my technique!"
Gohan laughed between gulps of breath. "You... you did say I should... learn some more signature attacks."
"That I did. You should be able to hit your enemy with more than one nasty surprise." Said Raditz with a smile. "I'm proud of ya, kiddo. You'll be a real warrior in no time."
Gohan, lightly bruised and battered, beamed up at him. "Thanks, Uncle Raditz."
Raditz meant it. Normally the boy would have balled his eyes out from being hit the way he was earlier, but not anymore. The boy was determined to become stronger and tougher to help protect his family and friends, and he grew used to the pain and took whatever abuse his uncle threw at him. Raditz couldn't wait to see the look of surprise on his brother's face when he see's his son slowly becoming like a true Saiyan.
"Alright, let's take a break. Sound good?" Gine offered.
"Yeah!" Both uncle and nephew happily concurred.
...
They sat around a campfire, with Gine cooking up a rabbit stew she was making for them to eat in between fights. Sparring in the middle of the night took some energy, and Gohan was a growing boy.
She poured them each a bowl and the two full-blooded Saiyans started devouring their meal.
Gohan, however, just starred into his steaming bowl. Mesmerized, even haunted.
"What's wrong, Gohan?" Gine asked as she saw her grandson not eating.
Gohan looked to her, then the rabbit stew, then back to her.
"I... I dunno, I... " He hesitated.
Gine saw the look to the stew and know without asking. "You feeling bad about the bear?"
Gohan nodded feebly.
"Ah." She replied. Gine understood.
Part of Gohan's training was teaching him energy sensing. She would drop him off in a random location and had him come find them in increasingly difficult places. If he ever was in danger, they would be there to help him out. The hardest part of that training so far was teaching him how to hunt. Specifically dangerous predators in the woods. Not just for surviving in the wild, but for him to be willing to kill.
Fishing wasn't the same as killing a real live animal, and this was one part of the training in the wild Gine had been adamant about for her grandson's training. That if... or when, the time ever came for him to face an enemy intent on killing him, he had to know when to take a life if his own depended on it. To kill or be killed.
But Gohan was a gentle soul, he couldn't hurt a fly if it didn't provoke him. Even after a long talk with him to try to get him to muster up the courage to kill a large grizzly they came across in the woods one night, he couldn't bring himself to do it, even when the creature was about to eat the small boy. It ended with her making the kill for him instead. His whimpering refusal to do the deed irked Gine. She was almost tempted to lash out at him, and to force him to see the realities of what the Saiyans would do to him and everyone he cared about if he couldn't do what needed to be done in the hour of need.
But she couldn't bring herself to do that, not after what happened last time. She was able to calm herself down and remind herself that she would never force such things on her own grandchild. It was a miracle alone that Gohan had decided to take up training again at all. So.. she simply hugged him that day and told him not to worry about it. And she even made a meat stew out of the bear she killed for him. That seemed to help things, but it left a mark in Gohan. He knew deep down that he might have to do something like that someday, and the fact that he was indirectly responsible for the poor creature that was now the food in his stew made him never look at meat stews the same way again.
So she went easy on him from then, and haven't bothered him with having to do more lethal things... at least not yet. When he gets older, maybe they could try such training again. Perhaps with his father around again that might make it easier...
Again, one step at a time. She drearily thought to herself.
She scooted closer to her grandson's side and pulled him in for a hug.
"Don't worry about it, sweetheart." She said soothingly.
Gine rocked back and forth ever so slightly, as if lulling Gohan to sleep.
"I still to learn how to kill, don't I?" He asked defeatedly.
Gine was taken aback by the bluntness of his question, but sounded more like a forgone conclusion than a question. And he wasn't wrong, for he knew that was what she wanted him to learn eventually.
Raditz just gave her a raised eyebrow while his mouth was stuffed. He didn't say anything and just kept eating, leaving Gine to answer.
"Well... don't worry about it now, I suppose."
Little Gohan didn't say anything, but hugged her back tightly.
Gine mentally sighed. She was glad he was slowly accepting that fact, but it didn't make it hurt her heart any less that her grandson had to lose something innocent with it.
One step at a time indeed.
She held him silently for a long time, no need to say anything. The only sounds were the crackling flames of the fire and Raditz slurping what was left of his stew.
Then Gohan detangled himself from her and dutifully finished his food. He looked up to her, still forlorn but warmer thanks to the hot meal.
"Thanks, grandma." Gohan said with a smile.
Gine smiled back and planted a kiss on his head.
"I need to pee. I'll be right back, okay?" He asked.
Gine nodded. "Sure, we'll be here."
Gohan turned and disappeared into the woods behind camp, leaving Raditz and Gine alone.
"You're coddling him, ya know?" Said Raditz.
Gine shrugged. "I know. It's just... he's too young, innocent, and-"
"Yeah, yeah. He's just a kid, I know. But he's half-Saiyan. He should be taught how to kill anyway."
Gine sighed. "I know, Raditz. But he's also half-human. They are more squeamish to these kinds of things. We just need to give him more time to get comfortable with the idea."
Raditz snorted. "Hope another month is enough if he wants a chance to stand against Vegeta and Nappa."
"It won't come to that." Gine snipped at him determinedly.
"I'm just sayin'..." He said, throwing his hands up in a shrug. "Kid needs to be prepared."
"And he will." Said Gine, she looked out to the direction where Gohan wandered off to, hoping he wasn't listening.
She turned back to Raditz, desperate to change the subject. "So... how's your girlfriend?"
Now it was Raditz's turn to be on the backfoot, for his cheeks turned slightly flushed at the title of "girlfriend" Launch had earned from everyone.
"Oh, uh... she's fine." He said with a scratch behind his head. "We, ummm... went out on another date."
Gine adored the sight of him looking bashful and never grew tired of it. And the fact that he had been building a lasting relationship was even more precious.
"Aww, how sweet." She said with a smile, making Raditz feel even more embarrassed. "What'd you do for her?" She asked.
Raditz looked down at his feet and mumbled. "Er, we, uh... robbed a train."
"What?!" Gine's sweet expression soured. "Again?!"
Raditz held up his hands defensively. "Hey! Hey! Calm down, mother. It was her idea anyway."
She was about to protest why what he did was wrong when he stopped and said, "It's okay, really! No one died or even got hurt. It was just a little fun is all! Besides, we even donated some of the loot we stole anyway. We did some good too."
"That's not the point, son! You two shouldn't be committing theft and armed robbery!" Gine said hotly. "That's a crime you could go to jail for!"
"Oh, please!" Scoffed Raditz. "What are these Earthlings gonna do against me? A Saiyan? They couldn't get past me, let alone face Launch when she got angry." He chuckled to himself, probably remembering a spectacular sight of authority figures fleeing from the wrath of Blonde Launch.
Gine shook her head in exasperated disbelief. It was one thing to teach her eldest son not to kill weaker beings out of petulance, and another to teach him to be a model citizen of Earth or the concept of obeying the law. "What am I gonna do with you?" She asked bemusedly.
Raditz just waved it off. "Ah, don't worry, mother. I wouldn't hurt these Earthlings anyway. It's all in good fun, eh?" Raditz said, trying to reassure her and failing.
Gine rolled her eyes. The look in her son's eyes showed that he had no regrets about what he did, but meant it when he said he did no harm. It clearly was fun for him, and he took great joy in spending time with Launch causing trouble. She couldn't begin to count her lucky stars that her eldest son had found someone that made him happy... even so, she wish it didn't give her a headache.
In the end, she just smiled at him.
"I'm happy you two had fun." Gine said genuinely, poking the logs in the fire. "Just don't expect me to bail you out of trouble if the authorities get to you."
"Ha!" Raditz laughed. "That'll be the day."
They sat in silence for another minute, the Gine looked around in concern.
"It's been awhile since Gohan wandered off. Where'd he go?" She asked.
"I dunno." Raditz answered.
Gine turned toward the forest her grandson had wandered off to.
"GOHAN?!" She called out, her voice echoing through the woods. Under the overcast sky, it was nearly pitch black.
No answer came back. She couldn't sense his energy either, which worried her even more.
"I'll go look for him." Said Raditz as he stood up and walked towards the tree line. "Hey! Gohan! You out there?"
Gine turned back toward the fire, which was slowly dying, already reducing the light to see the surrounding woods. She held up a hand to release a small amount of ki into the logs to get it going again.
Huh? She paused, noticing that she casted a shadow on the ground in front of her. That was weird, what light source could be behind her?
The hairs on the back of Gine's neck suddenly stood on end. She looked up slowly, seeing the overcast deck of clouds had broken up to reveal stars. And the clouds were reflecting whitish light...
"Oh no." Her voice trembled.
It was supposed to be a full moon tonight, but hidden by clouds that would last until morning. She thought it would be safe enough to chance training under these conditions. But chance did not take her side this time...
"Raditz?!" She carefully called out over her shoulder, not daring to look behind her less she see the full moon.
Raditz didn't respond. He stood only a few yards away, his back toward her and his gaze toward the sky. His was breathing heavy, ragged, and softly growling.
She felt a surge of energy emanating from him, suddenly growing stronger and stronger with no limit like a tidal wave of overwhelming power.
Then she felt another energy signature just like Raditz's. Somewhere nearby. Not as powerful, but just as frighteningly primal and uncontrollable.
Gohan!
But there was nothing more she could do. Acting on reflex, Gine launched herself forward to get away from them. She thankfully kept her shades in her pocket at all times and put them on before daring to look back.
Raditz's body was expanding rapidly in grotesque fashion. Eyes glowing red with rage, teeth gnarled into sharp canine maws, and his limbs bulging into gigantic size while thick matts of dark hair instantly covered it. His already long wild hair now like a towering waterfall of spiky black mass, and his tail like a snake as thick as a tree trunk but so violent that it could whip off mountaintops.
Finally, the giant transformed Raditz let out a roar that could've woken up the dead... all over the world. Gine heard that roar many times before. It was a sound she would never forget even if she lived to be a thousand years old, but she wished she could, for it was the sound of worlds about to be destroyed by Saiyans at their absolute worst. Mindless, hulking, berserker, and unstoppable killing machines that obliterated anything that had the misfortune of being within their proximity. And the nearest inhabited cities beyond them, and beyond to whole planets at large, until nothing survived...
In the distance, another Oozaru form loamed out of the trees and let out a primal scream into the sky towards the moon. It wore no expandable armor unlike Raditz.
Gine knew it was Gohan, but the sight of her grandson turned into those monsters' sent chills down her spine.
Oozaru Raditz spotted the other giant ape before him. And in his blind rage, launched himself after the younger Saiyan. He crashed into Gohan and sent him plowing through the forest, snapping trees like twigs.
Raditz leapt after Gohan again, but the younger Oozaru-formed Saiyan retained his instincts and rolled aside before his uncle could land on him. The impact felt like the Earth upheaving beneath their feet. Oozaru Gohan, enraged this unrecognizable attacker, plows after the other Oozaru with all his might and into the side wall of a cliff. The rockface crumbled, burying them both in rumble that exploded when Oozaru flailed his arms and smashing his fists into Raditz's face like a outraged toddler. But Raditz was stronger, and after being stunned shortly, he flung Gohan aside until he rolled to a stop, flattening another whole forest.
Both Oozarus got up and charged at each other, their clash shook the ground with their footsteps, and their roars reverberated through the air...
Gine's heart thundered in her ears as she watched the destruction and carnage unfold.
Neither Raditz or Gohan could control themselves in this form. But Raditz was stronger, and he will kill Gohan if they fight long enough. And if Gine can't stop them, not only will Gohan die, but Raditz will go on to rampage across the Earth. Then there won't be much left to defend from the Prince.
She had to stop this! And there was only one way to do it. She had to blow up the moon.
Gine put all of her energy into her legs and sprang high into the air. She had to get a clear shot over the battling forms of her son and grandson. Through the darkened lens she was able to pick out the dimmed white disk of the moon and nothing else. From up here, it shouldn't be too difficult.
The giant Oozarus just then noticed Gine. Her quick movement out of the corner of their heightened sights and hearing caught their attention, and turned their insatiable bloodlust from each other to her.
Gine saw the red glow of their eyes starring right at her like prey.
"Uh-Oh." She cursed herself for speaking too soon.
Both Oozaru Raditz and Gohan leapt at her like she had never seen before. Reaching out their massive clawed paws to swat her like a fly, roaring like the pit of Hell itself opened up.
Gine phased out of sight to let one pass, then the other. But had to fly sideways to get out of Gohan jumping back after her.
"GOHAN! RADITZ! STOP! IT"S ME!" She desperately shouted in vain. She knew neither her grandson or her eldest child recognized her, they would squash her like they would a bug. But she couldn't help herself.
Don't worry about that. She told herself. Put an end to this, now!
Focusing again on what she had to do, Gine put more energy into flying and launched herself even higher so she could escape their reach. Hopefully it was enough to the job.
Eying the moon from behind her shades, she cupped her hands behind her back and pooled whatever energy she could into the blast to completely vaporize her target.
"Kaaaaa...Meeeee...Haaaaa...Meeeee...!" A arc-weld bright orb of blue light formed in Gine's hands, ready to fire...
So caught up in charging up her attack and sure of her safety, Gine failed to notice Oozaru Gohan had leapt into the air again after her. But he didn't just leap, he flew, just as his normal self figured out how to do...
His massive hand swatted her downward with such force that she was unconscious all the way down. She impacted the ground hard, half-burying herself in a deep crater of loose dirt and rock.
Her entire body hurt like something unmentionable, her ears rang, and the world wouldn't stop spinning in her vision. Gine rolled her head around, still stunned. A few seconds later, her hearing returned and her vision cleared as she regained consciousness... just in time for her eyes to widen like saucers.
She jumped out of the crater before Oozaru Raditz could land on where she was. Half a second slower and she would've been crushed.
Gine kept leaping backwards to put some distance between her and the giant apes, not taking her eyes off of them less they surprise her again..
Wait. She put a hand to her face to feel it was just her face.
"MY SHADES! Where'd they go?!" She screamed to herself.
Oozaru Gohan landed atop of Raditz with a crash, the shockwave leveled the remaining untouched portions of the forest. Raditz to have forgotten his smaller prey he was after and focus his berserker ire on the offending creature that jumped him from the sky. They grabbed each other by the throat, rolling around and thrashing as they chewed up the landscape.
Gine watched from afar, stumped to as to what to do next. She could also feel the cold touch of the soft moonlight on her bare face. Felt something primal and ancestral within her to want to gaze up at the moon, to feel it's alluring power...
"NO!" Gine shouted, and shut her eyes as tight as she could.
If she looked up at the moon, then all would be lost. She would lose control, kill both Raditz and Gohan, then everything and everyone before the Saiyans arrived. An ultimate irony if there was one.
She cannot... will not look, no matter what!
Even with the handicap of being blind, Gine could sense Oozaru Raditz and Oozaru Gohan approaching her. They were far too powerful for her to take on alone, let alone while blind. She had to defend herself enough to get above them and try again to destroy the moon.
But how was she going to aim at the moon? She couldn't glance at it even for an instant.
Before she could think of an answer, Gine flew out of the way of a mouth fired laser blast that would've incinerated her.
Gine could feel the energy of Gohan and Raditz charging after again. But their energy signatures were so bright it was like staring at the sun, and their auras taken over by their primitive brains made it somewhat easier to predict their movements.
Memories of training with Mr. Popo from so long ago replayed in her mind. Having to use her mind's eye to fight instead of her senses had been engrained in her and taken to heart. Though she couldn't recall what Mr. Popo's training said about fighting against two giant apes far stronger than her, she thought morbidly.
Raditz whipped his tail at her like a giant snake trying to take her head off her shoulders, but Gine arched over and away from it with such grace that it would made old Popo proud. She ducked down and flew low over the ground towards where she landed earlier. She had to find her shades. It was the only way she could try and shoot the moon.
Both great apes lunged after her, stomping with all fours as they tried to chase and/or smash her. But Gine rolled, dodged, and evaded. She had to keep them away from her just a little longer.
Up ahead she dared peak through one open eye towards the crater she was in, down range from the where the moonlight was coming from.
There!
With a little extra boost of energy in her flight, Gine speed along the ground at supersonic speeds, scratching herself from the passing brush. She then slowed and landed in the crater again.
Opening her eyes again she clawed at the dirt, trying to find if her shades were buried here.
Where was it?! She clawed at the dirt more frantically. Off in the distance, the roars indicated that Raditz and Gohan and getting closer.
Faster and faster Gine dug, not willing to give up just yet. The whole world depended on her!
Just as Raditz and Gohan were on top of her, Gine was about to flew when she noticed that she flung something plastic away with the dirt without noticing.
THE SHADES! She looked back and saw them laying on the dirt.
She leaps for them. Her arm outstretched to grab them, her whole attention focused on them...
All of a sudden Gine felt her whole body being crushed under the weight of a hand smashing her down into the ground. Her screams of agony from cracking ribs were muffed by the dirt burying her.
The giant hand curled it's massive fingers the size of logs around her in a deathly strong grip, forcing whatever air she had left in her lungs out, and the hand lifted her up the giant ape face of Gohan. His teeth bared and about to bite her head off.
"GOHAN! PLEASE! STOP! IT'S ME!" She shrilled to no avail.
Gohan, her own grandson, was going to eat her alive. What could she do now? Tap into her rage boost? Potentially kill Gohan? No, no! This couldn't be happening!
Oozaru Gohan opened his giant mouth, Gine closed her eyes for the horror of what was about to happen...
A blinding white light in the sky flashed so brightly that Gine could see it through her closed eye lids. Both Raditz and Gohan cried out in guttural despair.
Confused, Gine opened her eyes and to her amazement, both Gohan and Raditz were shrinking. The hair on their bodies thinned out to bare skin, their simian snouts receded and fangs shortened.
Gine fell out of Gohan's shrinking hand and watched both of them return to normal. She looked toward the source of the flash, and saw... no moon!
It was gone. In it's place was a dazzling beautiful display of space dust that glittered like the stars.
"It's alright, Gine." Said a voice.
Huh? Gine turned to where the intruder came from, and immediately felt relief.
"Kami!" She cried out in joy.
The Namekian hovered down to where she was. He touched down as if he were as light as a feather, but looked winded.
"Where'd you come from?" She asked as she monitored Gohan and Raditz as they became their normal selves again. Gohan was on the ground out cold and nude. Raditz was roughed up, his armor cracked and a shoulder pad missing, but he was alright.
"I felt Raditz and Gohan's transformation from the other side of the world. I got here as fast as I could." He said between him catching breath.
"Remind me not to fight him in that state." Said Raditz, clenching his jaw.
Knowing her eldest was alright, Gine immediately kneeled by her grandson's side and rolled him over.
"Gohan?! Are you okay, sweetie?!" She asked hysterically, shaking him awake.
Little Gohan groaned. "G-Grandma?" He asked weakly.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Gine held Gohan in as tight of an embrace as she could. "Oh, thank Kami."
"You're welcome." Said the Guardian with a straight face. Raditz gave him an almost joking look.
"W-what happened?" Gohan asked weakly. "Why am I naked?"
Gine let him go, not bothered by his nudity. "Gohan, do remember what happened?"
Gohan shook his head.
"Well, what was the last thing you remember?" She asked.
Gohan thought for a moment. "Well, I walked out into the woods and was relieving myself when... I saw the moon."
Gine nodded. "Uh-huh."
"It was... it was so pretty. I've never seen a full moon before. Mom and Dad always told me to never look at the full moon, but I couldn't help myself. It was just there." Said Gohan.
Figures, she thought.
"And then... I don't know what happened. It feels like I just... blacked out or something."
"You transformed, sweetie."
Gohan went bug-eyed. "I what?!"
Gine unfurled her tail and waved it in front of them. "When Saiyans like us look at the full moon, we transform into these giant monsters called Oozarus."
"REALLY?!" Gohan exclaimed.
Gine nodded. "It's an ability we Saiyans have. Our tails allow us to do that. We become amazingly powerful, but we lose all control of ourselves. We destroy everything that gets in our way, even things or people we know."
Gohan was mortified. "You mean... I..." Then his face went white. "I almost killed you?!"
Gine shook her head vehemently. "No! No, not at all." She lied, not wanting him to go down that path of worry again. Not after last time. "You just roughed me up is all."
She looked over to Raditz. "Uncle Raditz transformed too. You two fought and tore the place up."
"You could say you got some serious training done tonight." Raditz joked.
Gohan looked around at the utterly destroyed landscape that was once a grassy meadow in a thick green forest.
"I did all this?" He said in wonder and terror.
"Well, I helped." Said Raditz jabbing a thumb at himself.
Gohan looked up and gasped, "What happened to the moon?!"
"I had to destroy it to turn you and Raditz back to normal." The Guardian explained.
"But... what about the tides?! Or the Earth's axial tilt?! With the moon gone, it'll create chaos!" Gohan shrieked in alarm.
"Don't worry, child. We'll wish the moon back in due time." Kami reassured.
"But, I... I..." He looked about to cry at the enormity of what has happened.
"Shh." Gine pressed a finger to his lips. "It's okay. You did nothing wrong sweetheart."
Gohan didn't look convinced of his innocence, but being the comforting embrace of his grandmother with the knowledge that she was okay was enough to calm him down. He hugged her tightly and didn't let go for a whole minute. Gine returned the embrace and hugged her grandson.
She then turned to Kami.
"Thank you, so much." She said sincerely and hugged him too, even though he just stood there awkwardly.
Afterwards, Gine looked up at the dusty fragments of what was Earth's natural satellite.
"It was supposed to stay cloudy all night. I thought it would be safe enough to train." Gine said ruefully.
Kami shrugged. "Like the weather, things just happen." He then added, "But you have to worry about accidentally looking up. At least you have one less thing to worry about for the time being."
"I suppose that's true." Gine agreed.
"And those glasses were hideous anyway." Raditz added.
That got a chuckle from her, she appreciated the levity after what nearly happened...
"Meanwhile, I suggest we ought to get you all to Korin's to get you fixed up. I'm sure Chi-Chi wouldn't like seeing you tomorrow all bruised and broken up." Kami said.
Kami then held a glowing finger towards Gohan. "Not to mention you going around in nothing but your skin."
Gohan was enveloped in light, and his orange gi was fully restored as if brand new.
"Cool!" Said Gohan...
They all flew in the direction of the Lookout. Gohan never took his eyes off of the place in the sky where the moon once was. For all of his appreciation of science and the natural world, the boy felt like he had committed a crime to the world by taking away that light in the sky.
"At least Vegeta and Nappa won't be able to use it either." Said Raditz, eyeing the sparkling debris field of the moon's remains in orbit. "Still, good luck trying to explain that to the world."
Gine was silent as a realization slowly dawned on her. She had a feeling that they may have to if everyone saw that. The energy from the battle must've woke up everyone at Mount Paozu by now.
Including Chi-Chi. And If she didn't know her son was missing, she most likely did now.
Her heart sank like an iron weight, for the implications were so heavy that she could not cry for what it meant. Now... she wondered if she had just undone her family.
By sunrise they got to the Lookout for some newly harvested senzu beans ready to be used. The three of them were only slightly battered from the ordeal, and agreed to split only one bean to save the rest for the upcoming confrontation with the Saiyans next month. But while Raditz and Gohan got acquainted with Korin and Mr. Popo, Gine only stood in the corner waiting in dread.
It was too late now. Chi-Chi had to be awake back home. And knew Gohan was missing by now. There was no lying their way out of this one.
"Afraid of what's going to happen?" Said the voice of Kami behind her as she watched the sunrise from the railing of Korin's cupola.
Gine didn't answer, for she knew that he knew.
"I hope that no matter what happens, that Chi-Chi will understand that what you did was for a greater good." He offered.
Gine scoffed. "Yeah. Well, good luck trying to explain that to her. If I'm lucky, I might only get to see my grandson once in a while if Kakarot sneaks him away."
Kami didn't say anything, partially out of not understanding the dark humor. But he had an idea of what she meant.
After spending the last five months training with the Dragon Team, he had slowly picked the little intricacies of the complex human behavior of his friends and companions. Son Chi-Chi was a most fascinating if not frightening creature. A woman with such a fiery spirit made her unstoppable and tenacious, but couldn't tell if that aura was a byproduct of her stubbornness or just plain selfishness. She could be so unreasonable no matter how wrong she was. The reasons why she did so were beyond his ancient mind.
Three hundred years of watching over humans and he still had a lot to learn...
Gine sighed mournfully. "Well, whatever happens... at least we improved our chances of Gohan living to see another day."
Kami nodded in understanding. "See? For a greater good afterall."
Gine rolled her eyes, but appreciated the words when she saw Gohan smiling at her after he had finished healing.
No matter what disagreements within the family, at least their family would live...
"Well..." Gine sighed heavily. "Time to face the music."
...
It was mid-morning when they got back home. The three of them touched down at the edge of the camp with Gine holding Little Gohan in her arms.
Krillin, Yamcha, and Tien were up and saw them. It took another few seconds for them to wave at them, hesitantly and awkwardly.
"Guess they know, so that means she definitely knows." Raditz quipped as they waved back awkwardly.
"Don't remind me." Gine quipped back.
They walked towards them slowly, as if marching off to an execution. From the corner of the house, it looked like a capsule jet and an aircar were there too. Bulma must have arrived, as well as Roshi and the others. Perhaps Chi-Chi must've panicked and called everyone.
"Grandma?" Gohan asked delicately.
She looked to him with sincere eyes. "Yes, sweetie?"
Gohan held his head low. "I'm... whatever happens... I'm sorry if... well, I mean... I'm sorry for how mad Mom might get."
Gine felt her heart melt. She had been emotionally preparing herself for being ostracized from her own son's home by her daughter-in-law. She believed it was going to be as heartbreaking as she could imagine, but Gohan's words both comforted her and hurt.
"No!" She shook her head soothingly. "This is none of your fault at all, Gohan."
Gohan looked up at her with sad eyes.
"We saw something special in you, and did what we thought was best for you. If anything, it's our fault for getting you involved." Gine said to him. "I should be apologizing to you."
Gohan didn't believe that he had no part in this at all, but wrapped his arms around her all the same.
Gine hugged him tightly, and savored it for as long as she could. This could be the last time she would be allowed anywhere near her grandson. Who knows, at least until the Saiyans arrived or Kakarot got back... and that's if they defeat the Saiyans. Beyond that though...
"You guys alright?" Krillin asked as they walked by.
Gine opened her mouth to answer...
"GOHAN!"
Like a bat out of hell, Chi-Chi sprinted across the grounds towards them. Her eyes wild with worry and rage.
Gine, for all of her years of experience on the battlefield, felt fear for facing her own son's wife.
"Well, this is it."
Chi-Chi skidded to a stop before running into them and swooped Gohan out of Gine's grasp before she could even blink.
"Oh, Gohan! Are you okay, sweetie?!" Chi-Chi wailed hysterically, twisting him around in frantic inspection. "Are you injured?! Are you traumatized?! Did you-"
"MOM!" Gohan shouted to get her stop shaking him around. "I'm okay. Really."
Letting out immense relief, Chi-Chi clutched her son as hard as she could. Crying a waterfall of tears. Gine was worried whether the poor girl was going to either accidentally smoother the boy to death or drown him in her own tears.
She let go of Gohan, and all the motherly love and relief for her safely returned child was replaced with unleashed fury.
"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?! WHY DID YOU SNEAK OUT?! WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?!" She practically screamed in his face.
"Uh... Umm... uh..." Gohan stammered, sweating profusely and terrified of having to answer his mother's accusations.
"He was with me, Chi-Chi." Said Gine.
Chi-Chi looked to her almost dumbstruck.
"We snuck him out in the night so we could train together." Gine explained. "We wanted Gohan to get stronger to better our chances to defeat the Saiyans. I know you forbade it, but... we, I mean, I, felt like we had no choice but to deceive you in this way so as to make sure he would be trained fully."
Raditz eyed his mother worryingly, why was she covering for him when she knew that training Gohan in secret was his idea in the first place?
Chi-Chi just stood there. Her face was blank and expressionless.
"I'm sorry, Chi-Chi." Gine said. "There is no excuse for betraying your trust the way I did, especially after the incident last time. And... I understand if you don't want me to... be around Gohan for some time." She said as lightly and as hopeful as she could, not able to bear the idea of never being able to see her grandson ever again.
It was dead quiet, no one dared move or make a sound. All eyes on Chi-Chi who still remained motionless and aghast.
But something was bubbling up in her aura, something white hot...
She slapped Gine in the face with such force that it sounded like the crack of a gunshot.
Gine didn't feel any physical pain from the blow, it felt more like a tickle on her Saiyan skin. But it hurt still. Deep.
"How could I have ever trusted someone like you?" Chi-Chi said in an almost unnervingly calm tone.
Gine was taken aback by her response.
"I shouldn't have let you be a part of our lives ever!" She declared.
This was even harsher than Gine thought Chi-Chi would say.
"What are you saying?" She asked hesitantly.
"You were nothing but a negative influence since the day we met!" Chi-Chi shouted. "You never cared about me at all! You did nothing but poison Kakarot against me at every turn-"
"That's not true, Chi-Chi. You know that!" Gine shouted back, not comprehending just how viciously unreasonable Chi-Chi was becoming. She knew she would be upset, but this was totally unexpected.
"Chi-Chi, calm down!" Yamcha tried to intervene. Krillin and Roshi desperately waved at him in warning to not do it. "They didn't mean to-"
Chi-Chi wheel her glare around at Yamcha with a glare that could have killed Yamcha dead in his tracks, and shouted "YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!" with a voice that made the desert bandit shrink where he stood.
She turned back to Gine as if that never happened.
"No! It's true alright! You meddled with Kakarot and I's relationship, you almost got me killed when taking on King Piccolo, you yourself said you didn't like me that much, you pressured me into giving up my duties as a wife, you drove my husband away to Kami-knows whatever dimension he went, almost got me killed AGAIN, and you tried to take my son away from me! AND almost KILLED HIM! Tell me again how that's "Not true"! Huh?!"
No one said anything, the silence of the leaves rustling in the mid-morning breeze never sounded so oppressing...
"I should have known! You'd rather cause trouble for me rather than just let me be! You almost killed me and my son! And now I can't even trust you when you lie, I know it was Raditz's idea to coax Gohan into training!" She jabbed an accusing finger at her brother-in-law.
Raditz raised his hands defensively and was about to protest when his mother spoke for him.
"Leave him out of this, Chi-Chi. Yes he may have been involved, but I allowed it because of my own poor judgment."
Chi-Chi scoffed. "Poor judgement." She mocked. "Yeah, I guess that's fitting for you, trying to tame a savage like Raditz."
Something within Gine got irked by that. She expected Chi-Chi to say some emotionally charged and spiteful things in her hysterical state of mind, but didn't think it would get so personal and involve her other son.
"I told you to leave Raditz out of this, Chi-Chi. He has nothing to do with-"
Chi-Chi cut her off. "Of course he does! A delinquent like him corrupting my son, tearing our family apart, and superpowered aliens coming to kill us all because of him! We had peaceful lives before he showed up and brought this whole mess upon us! It's all his fault!"
"No it isn't Chi-Chi!" Gine came to Raditz's defense. "No one could've predicted what would've happened! Hell, I thought he was dead until he arrived!"
"Well he should have been dead for real!" Chi-Chi spat. "At least then we all would've been just fine!"
"Ouch." Someone whispered, possibly Krillin.
Gine felt her fists ball up, her fingernails digging into her palm.
"Take that back." Gine demanded angrily.
"No. Because it's true!" Chi-Chi declared. "Raditz been nothing but trouble, hell, more than that. He's a murderer! How many millions of people did he slaughter before he got here, huh? How many of them children like Gohan?! Think any good mother would be proud of a monster like that for a son?!"
It took all of Gine's willpower to not kick Chi-Chi's head clean off of her shoulders. But now her daughter-in-law had gone too far.
Gine took a step closer until she was mere inches from Chi-Chi's unflinching face.
"You know what? I don't know why Kakarot married you. You are nothing but a selfish, controlling, and spoiled rotten brat who throws fits like a child when you don't get your way. Who do you think you are to be so high and mighty? You don't know a damn thing of what my son and I have been through. You can't even comprehend that because you're just a sad, pathetically fragile little girl who wants to lock her child away and control his life like a pet. If there's anyone here more undeserving of being a mother, it's you, Chi-Chi."
That did it for Chi-Chi. Her eyes lit with fire.
"You'll regret saying those words, Gine." She hissed.
"Oh? What are you gonna do?" Gine taunted. "I taught you everything you know, and I'm at least ten times stronger than you. I could break you easily, like a toothpick if I wanted to. But I'm not going to, because I won't do that in front of Gohan."
She meant the words, but was oblivious to saying them when he was still there. Gohan was still in his mother's clutches, his eyes streaked with tears seeing his mother and grandmother fighting like this.
This was nothing like any argument he had ever seen. It was so frightening, so mean, like his mother and grandma wanted to hurt each other.
"Then I at least will fight for what's right, to stand up for myself and not run like a coward. Like you." Chi-Chi goaded, her voice filled with nothing but hate.
That was it. Kami's assurances be damned.
A low growl rumbled from the back of Gine's throat. Red crept into the corners of her vision, ready to throttle Chi-Chi and plow her fist through her skull. And Chi-Chi was about to do the same. Their power gap be damned, she wasn't going to let this old wench make a mockery of her like this. Her rage and stubbornness ready to overpower her, ready to burn her mother-in-law to a crisp.
Raditz backed away. This was already far to viscous a fight and they haven't come to blows yet. But he could sense how ugly this was about to get.
The entire gang watched in horror as the Son family, the one unifying force that brought them all together, was imploding before their very eyes...
The planet was burning...
Conquered, but not destroyed. Ripe to be rebuilt in his image. A new world. For a new empire...
Raditz was dead. Cold and lifeless at his feet. Reduced to the afterthought that he deserved to be...
Whatever inhabitants the Earth had, he didn't know what they looked like, were all dead. Their weak and pathetic bodies piled up in mounds to be discarded or vaporized like trash. Nothing of value to his vision. Not unless they made good useful labor... And if their females lived up to the potential that he hoped, perhaps so much more...
Raditz's mother, he didn't know what she looked like but imagined she was appealing somewhat, was by his side. She was his concubine, by right of conquest. Spawning him sons to be sired. Another sweet slight against the pathetic Raditz. Nothing could be sweeter. But it could though...
The Ginyu Force, the most elite soldiers of the Planet Trade Organization, also dead at the base of his throne. Each and every one of them. Killed in the most deliciously painful ways to exact his due justice for how they each wounded his pride. And every member of the Frieza Force that slighted him in any way would also fall before him, cold and dead as they deserved to be...
And finally, the crown jewel, Frieza himself. The lizard tyrant's severed head making an excellent mantle piece for Vegeta's new thrown on this new world that will one day become what he wanted it to be. Something he set out to find ever since the destruction of his home planet. Since he was robbed of the kingdom he was destined to rule...
A new world. A new planet to call his own, one worthy of the name of Vegeta, to be an ideal colony for the Saiyan race to rebuild. To plot, to bide time, to get their numbers up again, to get stronger, and to one day overthrow Frieza. To be rid of their overlord once and for all, so the Saiyans can take their rightful place as the true rulers of the galaxy. Fit for only the strongest of beings...
Fit only for him to lead, with this world as his new seat of power. And at long last... he could become the legendary Super-
A violent shaking and thud disrupted his dream.
Prince Vegeta woke up the sound of beeping filling the inside of his pod. His neck hurt something fierce, but he didn't mind. Though mental fog from stasis had worn away, he still remembered the dream he had. And he smirked evilly, for they had arrived at the very planet he was dreaming about... his future center of power. The rest will come later in due time if everything goes to plan.
Dreams do come true afterall. Vegeta mused to himself as his pod hatch hissed open...
Gine froze. Her anger towards Chi-Chi completely forgotten.
Chi-Chi sensed it too, and a cold chill ran down both their spines as everyone gazed out towards the distance in sheer disbelief and terror.
"They're here." Gine said trembling...
A/N: Dun, duh, DUH! Finally the climax of the DBG Saiyan Saga is next! Plus a little sprinkling of family drama to spice things up a bit that could have some drastic implications for everyone ;) Tune in next time!
Until then, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!