Dragonball: Insurgent

Darkness at Noon

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."

- Philo

Planet Plant, the future kingdom of the Saiyan race. This is the mentality that has been beat into every cadet in the fledgling Saiyan Army.

Seeing his race come together for the first time to defeat a common enemy simply awes the young Olve. According to his father, only three years before his birth the Saiyans had been little more than warring barbarians. Then, Vegeta had emerged. The nobleman had united the Saiyan tribes through a combination of martial might and cunning tactics. In the span of a few years, the Saiyans had been transformed from savages to a true army with a common enemy.

Wearing a rough tunic sown by his mother, Olve joins the hundred or so Saiyan boys that would be his comrades throughout the training process. The thought that this morning was the last time he would likely see his mother and father does not bother him, he had come to this camp to become a warrior. Everything in his life had been leading up to this. Looking around, Olve feels confident about his chances of quickly advancing. He is at least a head above all the other boys, with the added benefit of being heavier too. This does not detract from his speed, the entrance exam had been a joke thanks to his quick reflexes. Many of the younger Saiyans were likely novices with energy. Olve, at the age of six, is already a master of energy attacks. All of them share some variant of the spiky black or brown hair their race was known for.

Most of the boys are bare chested, some wearing little more than a loincloth. The scraps of material the Saiyans have been able to steal or take from the Tuffles is limited, Olve knows that these boys are probably hungry too. Strong warriors had been cut off from their full power, thanks to scarce resources like the game the Saiyans depend on for survival. Even the noble families, like Olve's, were not immune to this. For this reason, and the chance to crack some Tuffle skulls, Olve was determined to become the strongest fighter on Planet Plant.

"Wow, you look pretty strong," The boy next to him comments, moving some of his long hair out of his soft looking face. The boy is dressed in a black, hand-spun tunic, not unlike Olve's own. The boy is slim, even by lower-class standard. His dark eyes have the same glint of ruthlessness that inhabits every true Saiyan's heart, "I'm Onin. Nice to meet ya. What's your name?"

"Don't worry about mine," Olve says with a sneer. He points at his chest, "You're looking at the next elite warrior on this planet. I come from a long lineage of powerful warriors. I'm sure you'll be hearing my name plenty of times, especially when looking at body counts."

"Damn it do you ever shut up?" A boy with wild self-cut hair and a scar on his left cheek says, "If you fight as well as you boast, maybe you'll actually be a challenge for me."

"Shut your mouth you lower-class scum. No one cares what you think, little Bardock of the wastes," Olve counters, bringing his aura to life, "Unless you wanna die, I'd advise keep your head down around me."

"Hey break it up you too," The boy named Onin interrupts, stepping in between them, "Why don't you save it for the Tuffles."

"Punk," Olve and Bardock say at the same time before turning away from each other.

Before they can respond to the insult, a loud crash breaks through the silence. A young man with a large widow's peak was flying in front of the cadets. Unlike many Saiyans, he is actually wearing armor, complete with a seal of some kind on the chest. Just looking at him makes Olve want to fight, as though this man's aura alone were enough to incite aggression.

"You would all do well to pay attention!" the man yells, his voice booming over the children, "I am Lord Vegeta. And today, you learn how to be real Saiyans!"

With a yells of pain, Raditz falls on top of him. His brother can do nothing more than weakly claw. Goku feels warm blood stain his clothes his chest. Still unable to move, he has to wait until Krillin pushes the dying man off of him. Instead of celebrating about a victory, Krillin looks oddly pained. Struggling to say something, Goku manages to sit up. In the distance he can faintly see Piccolo flying towards him. The attack had taken a lot out of his rival, Goku can feel it even in his weakened state. In his condition, Krillin could probably beat him. As he begins to look down, all breath escapes his body. The blood in his veins runs cold. Nothing seems to matter.

His wife is dead. Goku vomits as he sees her blood begin to saturate the earth. Her body is all that he sees. Straining every muscle in his body, Goku forces himself to crawl over to his wife. Something has to be wrong. He has to be seeing something wrong. It is impossible. Chi-Chi. How can see be dead? He inches himself forward a few inches, holding out his hand. He touches her hair, it still feels alive. With a little more effort he is touching her cheek. It's still warm. Even her eyes are open, her face forever frozen in surprise.

"Chi-Chi," Goku says, heaving as tears begin to run down his face. His heart feels like it's breaking in two. Memories flood back to him as he struggle to try and say something.

"Oh! So you are a girl. I wasn't really sure at first."

"You jerk!"

"Please, please wake up," Goku pleads, trying and failing to give his wife some of his energy, "Come on Chi-Chi. Don't…"

"Well with your manners it's like you just crawled out of the woods!"

"Well, I did."

"You're funny."

"Please don't leave me," Goku begs, pushing himself to cradle her body in his arms. He can see the hole that had causes her death. Every breath he takes feels like an insult to nature. It should have been him, Goku knows that it should have been him, "Don't leave me all alone."

"Do you think that you'll ever think about me again Goku?"

"Yeah of course! Do you think that you'll ever think about me?"

"Oh my! Well, I guess so. If you agree to come back and make me your bride."

Krillin places his hands on his shoulder, silently comforting him. The only comfort that Goku can find is that Gohan had been knocked out by something or another. He keeps trying to give his wife the rest of his energy. It is the only thing he can do, with all of his power there has to be something.

"Get a senzu bean," Goku snaps at Krillin, holding Chi-Chi up to his heart. He can hear it still beating, though incredibly faint, "Krillin! Go!"

"Goku, that's not going to work" Krillin tells him with his head hung, "It's too late. I'm sorry, I am so sorry."

"I know what my heart wants. Chi-Chi, will you marry me?"

"Yes! Yes I will Goku!"

There is nothing else to say. Shaking, partly from his injuries, Goku closes Chi-Chi's eyes and places her on the ground beside him. Something catches his attention, and he looks up to see Piccolo of all people standing over him. His body refuses to move though, and Goku does not fight it. There is no doubt in his mind that his rival has come to finish him off while he's weakened. This close to the demon makes it clear that he is still very capable of fighting Krillin off. We beat Raditz, but I might have just handed the planet to Piccolo, Goku thinks to himself as Piccolo places his hand over his face, I guess this is it. At least I'll see you soon, Chi-Chi.

Energy begins to flow through, slowly healing his body of injuries. While a senzu bean would have healed him immediately, whatever Piccolo is doing is much slower. It is more like an acceleration of Goku's own healing factor, giving him enough energy to not pass out. After a minute of this, ignoring Krillin's protests, Goku feels well enough to at least sit up again.

"I guess you're not here to finish me off," Goku says, unable to hide the bitterness in his voice, "Can't say this makes us even though."

"If you're talking about your wife, then I am sorry," Piccolo tells Goku while taking a short bow towards Chi-Chi, "She was a fine warrior, and she deserved a better death than this."

"Never took you for the sentimental type," Goku snaps at his rival, "If you want to fight, then fight me. Don't heal me and start talking about my wife like you knew anything about her. Besides, you've killed plenty of humans. What's one more?"

Piccolo looks pained, even hurt by Goku's accusations. The green man turns towards Krillin, clenching his fist. The rage that is roaring within Goku begins to die down. It is clear from Piccolo's demeanor that hurting his wife had never been his intention. Sorrow is not the emotion Goku feels from Piccolo, but rather a sort of disgust. In their last battle, Piccolo had at least fought honorably. Some of the demon's tactics had been questionable, true, but Goku had felt the same drive within the demon that he had felt himself in his youth. Pride, honor, the desire to prove oneself. For all the evil Piccolo had committed in his past life, this current incarnation was a true warrior. Chi-Chi had never been his target, just an unfortunate bystander.

"You humans are pests. Your entire species is meant to be ruled by me. It's true that I could care less for most of the people on this planet, but this woman was still a warrior. I had always intended to give each of you a chance to defeat me. Anyone brave enough to stand up to me deserves at least that," Piccolo says, in his own way trying to comfort Goku, "Victory, by any other means, would have been pointless."

Goku simply nods, allowing himself a moment of rest. When he looks over at Chi-Chi's body he notices that it is fading away. Curiosity and fear grips his heart as he tries to reach out for her. By the time his hand would have felt her cheek the body of his wife is gone. Nothing remains of the woman that had once loved him.

"Wha…what happened?" Goku asks, looking to Piccolo, "Her body just disappeared!"

"It must be Kami's doing, the old fool," Piccolo explains looking towards the heavens, "It would appear that he has plans for your wife. I recommend talking to him about it before you rush out and gather the Dragon Balls."

"Dra…dragon balls?" A terribly familiar voice struggles to choke out.

Raditz had evidently survived Piccolo's attack. The older Saiyan is breathing weakly, and losing quite a bit of blood. Even as torn up as he is about Chi-Chi, seeing his own brother suffering like this makes Goku feel terrible. Evidently Piccolo's attack was not as lethal as they all had hoped.

"Yeah, the Dragon Balls. They can grant any wish. You haven't accomplished anything here today. Goku hasn't joined you and we'll wish his wife back within a year. You've lost Saiyan," Piccolo taunts, moving to finish what he started, "Pray to your god of choice."

"Piccolo wait!" Goku yells, "I know he's evil but you can't just kill him! Let him have the chance to leave. He's too weak to hurt anyone know, and besides I want to beat him on my own next time."

"You're too soft!" Piccolo argues, moving to strike, "Letting him live would be foolish."

Raditz coughs one last time, spraying more blood on the grassland, "My comrades will have heard everything by now. Those scouters that I and the boy were wearing are also communicators. They'll come here and wish me back. Just you wait. The prince is ten times stronger than I am. I hope you live it up for the next year, because it'll be your last."

After saying his piece, Raditz falls silent, likely dead. After a moment though, a faint movement can be seen in his chest. Somehow, his brother clings to life. To his relief, Goku watches as Piccolo stops and turns away. The demon gives a tiny huff of disapproval and sits down to mediate next to the crater. It does not seem real to Goku as he stares up at Earth's familiar blue sky. He is barely able to process the fact that he had not been born under this particular sky, but also that he has lost his wife. That particular thought he pushes to the back of his mind, albeit with some difficulty. Raditz's warning about the arrival of even more Saiyans continues to roll through his mind. Everything else seems to be drowned out as Goku tries to think about what that could mean not only for him, but his friends as well.

"Now, we just have one more but of unpleasant business to attend to," Piccolo says, breaking the silence. Forcing himself to look up, Goku sees the demon holding an unconscious Saiyan child in armor by the throat, "What do you want me to do with this one."

"Throw him back in the pod," Krillin suggests, "That kid isn't too strong. Not like he can hurt anyone of us after we rest up for a bit. No point killing him."

"I disagree," Piccolo sadistically says as he begins to squeeze tighter. The boy spits and sputters, waking up as he feels his throat close. Piccolo's caws dig into the boy's neck. Feebly, the little boy kicks and gasps for air, "We let him live and he'll tell his comrades about us and our techniques. They already know about the Dragon Balls, if we let him live we'll lose every advantage we have. He's far too dangerous to b left alive."

"We're not killing a kid," Goku tells him, "I think I've seen enough death for one day. We'll figure out what to do with him once we're healed but for now just hold onto him. Like Krillin says, if he tries anything we can take him."

Growling in frustration, Piccolo throws the Saiyan child on the ground in frustration. Goku watches him as he begins to look between the three fighters around him. Instead of fighting back like Goku expected, the boy simply walks over to Raditz's body. The child has some minor burns on his arms and legs, clearly showing the result of surviving Krillin's energy wave. A sort of neutral energy comes off the boy, not showing any sign that he as aggressive as Raditz. Goku tries to say something to him, but stops when he sees the boy touch Raditz's neck. The moment is touching, catching Goku off guard that even a creature such as his brother could form such a strong bond. Perhaps they had been friends, or this boy had been a student of his brother.

This is quickly disproven as the boy brings his heel down on Raditz's neck. There is a sickening sound as Goku's brother's neck is broken. The child does not betray any emotion, simply turning his back and presenting himself to Piccolo for judgement. Despite everything that had happened today, it still surprises Goku about how much it pains him to have seen his brother murdered in such a ruthless way. It was an all too clear reminder that the Saiyans, no matter their form, are a dangerous people.

"You know, I think I like this kid after all," Piccolo laughs, "Finally someone with the right idea."

Oddly enough, to Goku the child feels no different in terms of his energy. There had been a brief flair of anger, but the emotion was more or less hidden by the same sense of neutrality that he had felt this entire time. Whether it was from the child's ignorance or something more sinister, Goku realizes that it remains to be seen. Krillin begins to give the kid a lecture when the sound of a Capsule Corp appears overhead. Relaxing for the first time since his brother had appeared, Goku allows himself to slip into sweet unconsciousness at long last.

The mess that Goku and his friends had thrown into Bulma's lap is astounding, even by their standards. In less than twenty-four hours it had gone from a friendly get-together to the prelude to the worst crisis Earth has ever faced. The Kame House was filled to the brim with her injured or concerned friends. Both Yamcha and Goku had required Senzu Beans, provide by the timely arrival of Yajirobe, and were still bandaged up for good measure. Krillin had escaped the battle with only minor injuries, though he had taken a nasty lump or two. Upon hearing about the situation, the triclops Tien and his lifelong partner Chiaotzu had made their way to Kame House as fast as possible. Most unsettling though was the presence of Piccolo. Their former enemy is scowling in the corner, and the other Z-Fighters give him a wide berth. To add to the list of possible enemies in their midst, a Saiyan child had been captured and was under the careful watch of Tien and Piccolo.

Weighing heavily on her mind though is the fact that Chi-Chi had been killed. She had never had much time to get to know the woman, but Goku's loss still makes her feel a bit hollow inside. Many things could be said about Chi-Chi, but a coward was not one of them. Part of her wishes that she had tried harder to convince the younger woman not to go to the battlefield. Perhaps if she had, Chi-Chi would be sitting there with them. Perhaps if she had, Gohan would not be missing a mother right now. Goku had elected to let his son sleep for as long as possible, saying that he would talk to the toddler when he woke up. The only thing that was keeping her from going crazy right now is looking over the strange piece of equipment that her friends had brought her. Its mechanical workings keep her hands busy, while the blue haired mechanist tries to fill her empty stomach with one of the bright red apples that were in a bowel on the table. Her eyes also gleefully looked at the set of armor the child had been wearing. The other warriors had stripped him down to just the jumpsuit, a precaution to make sure their own attacks would work on him. Whoever made these things must have access to technology that Bulma can only dream about.

"Well fat man, out with it," Piccolo snaps, pointing at Yajirobe, "What did the old man tell Korin."

The pudgy ronin backs away from Piccolo with an old fear in his eyes. The samurai had told them that he knew what Kami's plan for the Earth would be now that the Saiyans were on their way. Everyone turns to the former recluse.

"All right, all right keep yer pants on," Yajirobe begins, now looking at Goku, "Sorry 'bout your wife man, but Kami told me that you shouldn't wish her back for a while. Said something about training."

"Training?" Goku asks, sitting a bit straighter, "What kind of training?"

"I got no idea, if you want ask the old man yourself," Yajirobe says, folding his arms, "Just don't wish her back for a while okay?"

"As helpful as always Yajirobe," Krillin sarcastically says, "So, what are the rest of us gonna do now? If we couldn't even get a good hit on this guy, what are we supposed to do against guys ten times as strong?"

"Kind of obvious don't you think. We get ready,' Goku answers, happily jumping up from the couch, "Yeah! We'll just train for a year. I'm sure that if we all work at it, we should be able to beat these Saiyans."

"You humans are still no match for me. How do you suppose you'll actually be able to fight these monsters?" Piccolo asks with a sneer, "Goku, you're a fool if you think that any sort of training will make a difference."

"But we'll have you on our side, right?" Goku says, offering Piccolo his hand, "Look, I know that we haven't been the best of friends, but I'd really appreciate the help."

"And why should I help you?" Piccolo counters, glaring at Goku with hate filled eyes, "You killed my father, soiled my honor, and your very existence disgusts me. Perhaps I should let these aliens come and kill you this time."

"You should help us because this is your home too," Goku responds, continuing to hold out his hand, "So what do you say? Just this once let's work together, stop something bigger than anything either of us have ever faced before."

Bulma braces herself for whatever Piccolo might do. The tension in the air is palpable. Piccolo's blood lust is only countered by Goku's good nature aura. For a moment it appears that there will be a repeat of the World Tournament five years ago. The demon clenches his hand, blue sparks crackling around it. However, the former monarch simply turns heel and walks out the front door. A burst of energy, and the remaining fighters can only watch as Piccolo takes off towards some unknown destination.

"Well that went about as well as expected," Bulma says to break the silence. She starts to fiddle with the scouter that they had collected from the battlefield. No one had attempted to take the Saiyan boy's, "Goku did you really think that he was going to help us?"

"He'll come around," Goku says with that almost infuriating optimistic grin, "Until then, I think it would be best to figure out a plan of action. Like how we're gonna train."

"Perhaps Korin could help us," Tien suggests, "We trained under him before, and we all got much stronger because of it."

"Oh man not another year of eating nothing but beans," Yamcha moans, reclining back on the couch, "Besides, we already completed Korin's training. We're just gonna have to train together and hope for the best."

Goku pauses, looking towards the north, "Not necessarily. It wouldn't do much good to me, but you guys could probably train under Kami."

"The earth's guardian?" Tien asks, a sense of awe creeping into his voice, "If we did that, we'd become as strong as you are, right?"

Goku nods, "Maybe even stronger. I trained mostly alone, but between all of you it should go by much faster. Just be careful. Mr. Popo can be a bit, frightening."

A general murmur erupts from the fighters as they discuss what to do. All of them, barring Yajirobe, actually seem excited at the opportunity to get stronger. It amazes Bulma that Goku had been able to turn a terrible situation into a fantastic adventure once again. Even the Saiyan child had perked up, watching her friends with rapt attention. Occasionally Yamcha will look at though he wants to say something. Sensing her boyfriend's latent shyness coming to light again, Bulma decides that she has to speak up.

"You guys are forgetting someone," She says over the chatter. Walking over, she places her hand on the Saiyan boy's head, "This little guy right here. I mean, he's a Saiyan too like Goku or that Raditz guy. We might have ourselves a secret weapon here."

The boy brushes her off by angrily slapping her hand away. Taking that as her cue, Bulma backs off from the hostile boy. Evidently this had triggered something, as the young Saiyan has jumped to his feet and begun staring Goku down. The rest of the fighters tense up, watching and waiting to see what they will do. The boy lets out an almost animal like growl as he sizes up the strongest opponent in the room. Instead of responding in kind, Goku motions for Bulma to pick something up from the table she was sitting at. Realizing what he means, Bulma tosses an apple to her friend. Smiling, Goku catches it and offers it to the boy.

"If you're anything like me, you must be hungry," Goku says to the child, splitting he apple in half, "Have you had one of these yet? Earth's apples are the best! I mean, assuming you've had other apples. So juicy and really sweet."

For half a second the child looks at the apple. Quickly, he returns to glaring at Goku. Her friend laughs a bit before taking a bite of half the apple. In an exaggerated, or perhaps normal way for Goku, he lets out a satisfied "yum". Unable to help himself, Goku actual eats one half of the fruit causing the younger boy to take take a step forward.. Bulma has to stop herself from laughing when he notices tht the boy is actually beginning to drool a little. The audible sound of his stomach growling gets a little chuckle out of Yamcha.

"Come on, take it," Goku insist, "We can all hear your stomach growling. It's not gonna hurt ya."

Hesitantly, the boy takes the fruit. In what must be typical Saiyan fashion, the boy devours his meal in a few bites. Not even the core remains, the child had simply swallowed it whole. He seems more passive than a moment ago, Bulma begins to notices that he cannot be much older than Goku when she had first met him. Make the boy smile a bit and give him a martial arts outfit, they would be a pretty close match.

"So, what do you say…err I actually don't think I ever asked your name," Goku laughs, pointing to himself, "I'm Son Goku, but you can just call me Goku. I guess I'm a Saiyan just like you. Mind telling us your name?"

"Olve," The boy says with a nod.

"Alright Olve, how do you feel about giving us a hand in fighting these other Saiyans?" Goku asks, offering his hand like he had with Piccolo, "I can sense it, you're already pretty strong. With a little training, you could be a big help."

With a nod, it would seem to Bulma that this Olve boy has officially taken Goku up on his offer. The remaining warriors do not say anything, some like Tien and Krillin even look at Goku with doubt. If she had not traveled with that man for years, Bulma would have thought that he was crazy. But if this the same kid that befriend an android and turned a ruthless assassin wannabe to the side of good, then I'm willing to believe anything is possible for him, Bulma thinks to herself as she returns to her work.

Several hours pass, and most of Krillin's friends either leave or crash upstairs. Goku had elected to take Gohan home. It had been hard to not start comforting the father and son pair. For the first time in his life, Krillin had seen Goku at a loss for words. Whatever his friend was going to say to his son, might be too painful to hear. In the meantime, Krillin had elected to sit out on the beach. Skipping rocks seems to calm him down, with the monk aiming for one of the islands off in the distance.

"Quite a battle is headed our way, isn't it Krillin?" Master Roshi says behind him.

Krillin turns to greet his master. The Turtle Hermit lights his pipe, offering into him. Krillin politely refuses and skips another pebbles across the surface of the ocean. It skips in staccato beats until it disappears into the orange and yellow light of the sunset. Krillin repeats this one more time, satisfied to hear that he had thrown this own fast enough to hit the first one. Goku isn't the only one who's been getting stronger these last few years.

"That's an understatement," Krillin tells his master, "You know, last time I couldn't do anything to help. Do you think this time will be different?"

"A difficult question. Unfortunately, long gone are my days of being able to help in these sort of affairs," Master Roshi tells him, taking a long inhale between sentences, "Krillin, I fear that we may have reached the limits of what mortals such as us are able to accomplish."

Something roars within Krillin as he crushes the rock he had intended to throw next, "You're wrong."

"The earth is my home as much as anybody's. People I love and care about are here. I'm going to train just as hard as anyone." Krillin vows, "Just watch me."

"That's what I like to hear," Master Roshi says with a smile. He turns his head towards Kame House. Yamcha can be sleeping on the couch, Bulma in his arms. Only a few feet from them is a tiny mass, the outline of the Saiyan child. Regarding this, Master Roshi lets out a deep sigh, "Goku may have his heart in the right place, but he lacks experience. Time will tell if this choice leads to ruin. In the end, all we can do is hope that Goku knows what he's doing."

"I trust Goku too, but I can't shake what I feel. This kid killed Raditz, and he didn't bat an eye. I don't know if someone like that should be given training," Krillin admits, "Imagine what he might do with Goku's power. We may just be beefing up the enemy."

"Is he weaker than you or Yamcha?" Master Roshi asks, "His energy is high, but still lower than one might expect."

"I beat him pretty easily, Yamcha might have too if he hadn't been injured. There's no way he could beat Goku, I would say that out of all of us he's easily the worst fighter," Krillin tells his master, "Maybe it should stay that way."

"Answer this then, if you knew Goku was a Saiyan when you were children would you have still befriended him? Do you think it was right for me to have trained him?" Master Roshi asks, his eyes hidden behind his sunglasses.

"Of course I would have! Just because Goku is a Saiyan doesn't mean he's a bad guy. He's proven himself countless times. Not to mention, he's my best friend!" Krillin quickly says to defend his friend, "Why are you even asking this?"

"Because when Gohan first found Goku, he was just as bad as that boy there. But, he still gave Goku a chance," The Turtle Hermit blows a smoke ring, "That boy Olve deserves just as much of a chance from us that Gohan gave the Saiyan Kakarot. Our kindness is what separates the Gokus of this world from the Kakarots."

"He's right you know," Yamcha interrupts, having awoken and is limping towards them, "Krillin, I saw it in his eyes. That boy isn't evil, just lost. We have the chance to save him, don't you think that's worth it?"

Only a few times in his life has Krillin seen Yamcha looks so determined about something. Between his friend and his mentor, the answer becomes obvious. If anything, Krillin begins kicking himself for not realizing it sooner.

"Alright, but he's going to need the right teachers if we're gonna get him ready for the Saiyans," Krillin says with a smile, "Any ideas?"

"You're looking at him right now," Master Roshi tells him with a smile, "I'll whip that boy into shape for a few month, and then send him on his way to Korin and Kami. Hopefully, it'll be enough in one year."

The dark cloud that had been looming over Krillin's head feels as though it has been lifted. Looking out towards the ocean, Krillin does not see the end of bright days. With everyone working their hardest, Krillin realizes that it is simply the prelude to an even brighter era than the one preceding it. And Krillin and Yamcha will be there to make sure it arrives.

The home that he had built with his wife feel empty without her. To Goku, even the remains of the food that had been left are too painful. Everything feels empty and dark, which is how it should be. For the last five years, Chi-Chi had been a light in his life. There were times when even he had thought her to be obnoxious and overbearing. There had been disagreements on how to raise Gohan. But despite all that, the hole left in his heart shows him that Chi-Chi had meant more to him than he realized. Not since he lost his grandfather has Goku felt this sense of loss. Unfortunately, this time he did not have a Dragon Ball to delude himself with. She was far away, doing who knows what in the Other World.

Gohan was just beginning to wake up, the small boy looking around with the sort of confusion one might expect. The first question to come out of his son's mouth is the one that Goku had been dreading.

"Where's mom?" Gohan asks, looking to his father for answers, "Is she outside?"

"Gohan, we need to talk," Goku begins, sitting down in front of his son.

Their talk is not easy. Goku realizes that he's never actually had to have this discussion with someone else. Death was something that he had only begun to understand while he had been fighting Mercenary Tao. To see his son beginning to tear up as he relays the details, makes Goku feel like something he had not felt like in a long time. It is the same feeling that he had when he learned about Krillin's death at the hands of Tambourine. It is a feeling of failure. The realization that ultimately, Goku knows he is a failure.

'You're going to be staying with your Grandpa Ox for a while, ok?" Goku finishes, holding his son in his arms while he tries to hold back his own tears, "It'll just be for a little while."

"I wanna stay…stay with you!" Gohan cries, his nose running as he buries his head into his chest, "I wanna stay here and get strong!"

"Your mother wouldn't want you to get involved in this," Goku says, steadfastly ignoring his son's pleas, "Right now, I have to train. I'll protect you this time son. I promise."

With some kicking and screaming, Goku forces Gohan out of the house. With a whistle, he calls down the Flying Nimbus. Something strange happen when he tries to embark however. As he tries to climb onto the cloud with his son, Goku falls right through. Confused, he tries again. The same thing happens. No matter what, Goku cannot ride the Nimbus. The realization of what this means nearly makes Goku break down himself.

"Take my son to Ox King's palace," Goku instructs the cloud. He kisses Gohan on the head before taking flight himself in the opposite direction, "I love you son. Please, always remember that. Study hard and become a good boy for your mom."

With that, the Nimbus disappears, Goku watches it go before he begins to practice drills that he had learned under Master Roshi. Every punch or kick is fueled by a new sort of energy. Revenge had wormed its way into Goku's heart, finally taking hold after years of fighting.

AN: Hey guys, welcome back. Hopefully this chapter wasn't too slow for you all. Hopefully you all had a much better week then I did, after these midterms my GPA is probably lower than Yamcha's power level. I guess I'll have to get into the ZONE soon or my academic career will soon be DEAD...like maybe take a film studies course. Anyways, as always please feel free to comment here or in my inbox. your input means the world to me. We're getting into the Saiyan Saga now, and I am really excited to begin writing this part of DBZ. Keep on keeping on Saidudes and Saidettes!