As soon as Gine left the room, Raditz leaped off of the bed and pressed his ear against the door of his room to listen for anything his parents might say to each other. Not a word was exchanged. Instead, all he heard was footsteps going down the hall and then the door to his mother's room opening and shutting. Slowly, he reached up and placed his hand on the handle of his door, tugging it down until he heard a click of it opening. Gine hadn't locked it.

If Bardock wasn't going to be in the same bed as his mother than he wouldn't know if Raditz snuck back in with her. Raditz was positive his mother wouldn't kick him out of bed herself. With a tiny smirk he swung the door open and stuck his head out to make sure the coast was clear.

Only for the door to be shut from the other side so quickly it hit him in the face.

He fell back, clutching his face in silent pain, tears forming at the corners of his eyes. It hurt!

The door opened again and to his horror, Bardock walked in. He looked angry and had his arms crossed, the tip of his tail twitching irritably.

"And where the hell did you think you were going?" he asked coldly.

"Uh…" Raditz's eyes darted around the dark room and then focused on the towering Saiyan in front of him. It almost looked as though Bardock had grown in size in the few minutes that Gine wasn't here at Raditz's side. "Um… I… Wait, what are you doing inside? Mama said you'd be outside!"

Bardock sneered. "She said I'd sleep outside. I ain't asleep."

Raditz scowled at him. The older Saiyan would have to fall asleep eventually, right? Once he did that he'd have to listen to Gine and go outside. He'd wait him out then. Raditz stubbornly sat down in front of Bardock, refusing to crawl back into the dusty bed behind him. Bardock's eyebrow twitched but he didn't move to try and put him to bed. He just… stood there.

And stared.

Glared, really.

Raditz could feel beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He really didn't like the way his 'papa' glared at him like that. Gine wasn't here this time and even if she was, who said she'd be able to make him stop? She already had him in this room alone on Bardock's order and Bardock himself simply dodged her order by staying awake instead of sleeping outside. He shifted his position and almost felt himself shrink as Bardock's eyes followed the subtle movement.

It was eerie and Raditz felt his resolve slip away. He wouldn't be able to stand that stare the whole night.

Raditz swallowed and stood up quietly, turning around to face his room. He knew Bardock was still watching him and went to the wall separating him from Gine. With a shuddering breath he curled up next to it, shivering just a little from how surprisingly cold it was. When his body got used to the temperature he finally shut his eyes and, comforted by the thought that his mother was right next door, drifted to sleep.

"Oh, no, Raditz…"

Raditz opened his eyes drowsily at the voice. His hand stretched out next to him to feel for the familiar warmth of his mother but met nothing. Blinking the sleep away, he looked around the room to see strange surroundings. Eventually, last night caught up with him and his head whipped towards the doorway where his mother, Gine, was standing.

He ran into her arms without a word, trembling from head to toe. She held onto him tightly, whispering comforting words he wasn't really paying attention to; just her voice was enough.

A throat was cleared next to them and Raditz glared over at it.

Bardock.

To his delight, Gine took one look at the man and then turned away from him, nose in the air. Bardock just scoffed in response and gave Raditz a dirty look as if blaming him for Gine snubbing him. Unable to resist, Raditz wrinkled his nose and stuck his tongue out at him.

"You little-!"

A hand was swiped towards him but Gine saw it and ducked him out of harm's way.

"Bardock!"

"That little shit-"

"He is a child."

Bardock's hand was clenched into a tight fist and his eyes shut for a second. Finally, he took a deep breath and straightened his back, crossing his arms in front of him.

"Tch, not worth it…"

Gine smirked and adjusted her grip on Raditz so that she was holding him in one arm. She shut the door to his room and walked out to the kitchen. To Raditz's surprise, food had already been set out on the table, much more than had ever been there before. It looked almost double of what Gine usually prepared with him and he wondered how in the world she prepared all of it without him waking up.

"We usually make it together," Raditz muttered disappointedly.

"I had to wake up earlier to make your papa's share," Gine explained. She placed him on a chair and bumped him gently. "Don't worry, Papa will make his own food most of the time while he's here."

Raditz pouted, but the amount of food in front of him was quick to cheer him up. Most of their usual food was there but scattered around were fruits and vegetables that he'd never seen before. They were probably the few items Bardock had brought last night. He reached for them and stuffed them in his mouth out of spite. If he chose them then he must have liked them and Raditz had no intention of letting him enjoy his stay here.

Unfortunately, Bardock didn't seem to notice what he grabbed and simply sat down across from him, eating whatever was in front of him without a word. Gine sat at the side, shoveling food in her mouth eagerly and not paying the two of them much mind. Raditz found it almost insulting that his attempts at ruining Bardock's breakfast were being ignored. He reached further towards the food closer to Bardock, though he had to climb on the table to do so, and swiped a plate that was in front of him.

Bardock's eyes flicked towards him for the briefest moment… then back at his own food again as if Raditz had stolen nothing.

Raditz's tail lashed. 'Say something! Do something!'

"Aren't you going to eat more?" Gine asked.

Both of his parents were already halfway through with their food while he had been busy just collecting any items that he thought Bardock liked. Feeling left behind, he quickly began stuffing his face. Gine finished off just a few minutes later and was clearing some of the mess while Bardock and Raditz continued eating. To Raditz's mounting horror, Bardock had seemed to have technically finished his share… and was now reaching for his food!

"Hey!" Raditz snapped when Bardock's hand had flashed in front of him and snatched a leg of some animal or another. The meat was devoured in a second. "You can't-"

A plate of rolls was swiped away from him before he could finish complaining.

"No, that's-"

The sausages.

"Stop!" He tried biting Bardock's hand but the older Saiyan was far too quick.

Ribs.

"Mama!"

Gine looked over in time to see Bardock steal a large purple egg Raditz had tried hiding. Before she could say anything, he had already cracked a hole into the egg and was holding it above his head, letting yolk slip into his mouth. Raditz glared at him jealously, face red and tears forming at the corner of his eyes. Gine wasn't doing anything to stop him.

"Mama-"

"You have to eat faster… and keep an eye on your food," Gine said, though she was giving Bardock a disapproving look. "It's a valuable lesson, especially when you're older and on the field."

"He's ruining my life!"

"You're three, Raditz."

"I haven't even started ruining it," Bardock said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand when he finally finished the egg. "I knew a three-year-old that died once."

Gine's eye twitched and she let out a long breath of air. "What your papa means is, there are a lot of other Saiyan children who do not have the privilege of knowing who both their parents are. You should appreciate them and the knowledge and experience they bring because you never know when they could be taken out of your life. Right, papa?"

Bardock stared at her for a second and then cleared his throat. "Yeah. Sure, that's exactly what I meant."

Gine looked back down at Raditz. "I'd like you to keep that in mind when you're with him today. Ok, dear heart?"

"You're leaving me with him?" Raditz yelped. "I don't know him!"

Gine put a hand to her face and took a deep breath, then lowered it and gave him a strained smile. "He's your papa, Raditz. You'll have to get to know him eventually. Now is better than never."

She ruffled his hair gently with her hand and then gave him a nudge in Bardock's direction. Raditz pouted and gave his mother a pleading look.

"Can't I go with you to work for once?"

"Not a chance, Raditz. I'm going to be far too busy working to make sure you don't eat everything."

"I promise I won't!"

Gine gave him a look that said she sincerely doubted that that. Raditz pouted and she turned her attention to his father.

"Since you're back we need to alert the goods distribution of the extra member in this household so we can have a good amount of food coming in," Gine said. "I heard Frieza has been tightening the rations on the planets in this sector. I hope the rumors aren't true but if they are…"

"It won't be a problem. I'll transfer my information and credits right now," Bardock said. He stood up and placed his scouter on his face, pushing the button on the side a few times. Gine leaned forward and touched his chest, recapturing his attention.

"Stay with him and try to get to know each other, alright?" Gine ran her thumbs along the collar of his armor. "If you'd like, get some training in. He knows the basics and he's been dying to fight his papa."

Raditz scowled when Bardock grunted and nodded. He didn't want to be trained by him!

Gine waved goodbye to both of them and left the housing unit. The silence between the two was deafening but Raditz couldn't think of anything to say. Bardock rubbed the back of his neck and then glanced at their kitchen. Immediately, Raditz stiffened.

"You better not be thinking of eating all our food again!" Raditz shouted. "Mama is going to have to work more to feed you too since you're so fat!"

Bardock's eye twitched. "Look at who the hell is talking."

Raditz's tail flicked. "I'm a baby. This will turn into muscle when I get older." He gave his father a disdainful look and recalled something his mother had said about herself a while back. "You? I don't know… It might be hard to lose all that weight at your age…"

His father looked at a loss for words. "…Are you sure you're three? You have the mouth of a cursed teenager." He shook his head to himself. "I'm in my prime, hairball. I may not know exactly how old I am but I know for a damn fact I'm at peak condition."

Raditz didn't really know what that meant so he just stuck his tongue out at him in reply.

Bardock was in front of him in a second, holding Raditz's tongue between his thumb and forefinger, glaring at him darkly. "Stick that thing out at me again and I'll rip it off and wear it around my neck as a souvenir after I gut you, got it, brat?"

Too terrified that his tongue would get ripped off if he nodded, Raditz made a muffled affirmative sound, tail bushed up twice its size. With a smirk, Bardock released him, pinching Raditz's hair to wipe his fingers of saliva. He then pat him mockingly and went towards the door leading outside. This alarmed Raditz since his father had agreed to train him under his mother's request. Had he lied? Not that Raditz wanted to train with him, but he didn't think he'd like it if he knew Bardock lied to his mother.

"Where are you going?" Raditz asked. He wished he had sounded just a little more demanding, but he could still almost feel Bardock's grip on his tongue.

"Out," Bardock replied with a shrug. "C'mon."

That was unexpected. "Uh… I…" Bardock raised an eyebrow. "I've… Mama says I can't go out yet."

"Well, Pa-" Bardock shook his head like he was just disgusted with himself. He cleared his throat. "I say you're coming with me. I'm not staying cooped up in here all day. What kind of Saiyan doesn't go outside?"

"A little one," Raditz muttered, still uncertain. He did always want to go out. His mother had said no though…

"A weak one," Bardock corrected. Raditz's tail twitched. He wasn't weak. "You're not weak, are you? Shouldn't be. You're supposed to be my breed. Stay if you want, I don't really give a fuck."

Raditz hesitated as his father left the house, then ran forward before the door could swing completely shut. Bardock smirked at him when he saw how panicked he looked for a brief second then leaned against the house and gave Raditz a minute to look at his new surroundings.

Since he was just outside the door, the area looked almost exactly as it did from the window. When Raditz looked up, he was able to see the entirety of the red sky, a few clouds dotting it but doing nothing to shield them from the two bright and powerful suns.

"Tch, you really haven't gone out, huh?" Bardock asked, observing him still. He crossed his arms and frowned. "Gine's too damn protective. Guess I can't blame her… Arlic being dead and all. Still, I would've at least snuck out if I was your age. You must be pretty cowardly, that'd explain a lot too."

Raditz scowled and crossed his arms so that he almost mirrored Bardock. His father snorted in response and shook his head, a tiny smirk on his face. He pushed himself off the wall and gestured at a wide building down the dirt road.

"Let's get something to eat. I'm starving."

Raditz blinked in surprise. "We just ate breakfast," he said. 'You ate most of my breakfast!'

Bardock arched an eyebrow. "You tellin' me you're full?"

He shook his head quickly. Raditz could always eat more, but Gine had said there was only so much food they could keep so they'd only eat until they were satisfied, not full.

"Good. We fight better on a full stomach."

He had to run to keep up with Bardock's long strides and it was difficult to get a look around and watch where he was going at the same time. More than once he'd bump into the older Saiyan. The first time it happened, Bardock had almost tripped. After that, Raditz would have to avoid getting trampled if he dared get tangled between Bardock's legs again.

The building had no door, just a large, curved opening in the wall so that you were able to get a good look inside if you were passing by. As they got closer, Raditz could smell the different spices and hear the sizzling of meat, making his mouth water. A part of him wanted to go ahead of Bardock and run inside but from his position he could see a couple dozen of other much large Saiyans inside and he didn't want to approach them alone. To his surprise, he saw some Saiyan brats peering inside as well, though threatening gestures from the adults inside kept them at bay.

"How come they can't go in?" Raditz couldn't help but ask.

Bardock's head tilted towards the brats. "No credits." He tapped at his scouter. "You gotta pay to eat here. I can transfer mine from my scouter."

Bardock passed the brats and went through the opening, Raditz at his heels, glancing over at the other Saiyans children who glared at him jealously. Raditz almost felt bad for them but at the same time he thought it was pretty cool that he could get food if he was with Bardock.

Inside was more spacious than it looked from the outside so it could fit several Saiyans and the amount of food they'd eat at the same time and still have enough room to walk around. The tables were much larger than their own at home and round. Several were damaged and covered with what looked like bloodstains while all the stools looked as though they'd break if you sat down on them too hard.

Raditz was so busy looking around that he hadn't noticed he had gotten separated from his father. Panicked, he looked around, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw he wasn't too far and was just trying to get a table for them. He took a step forward to join him but a boot slamming down in front of him caused him to stumble back.

An incredibly large Saiyan with a few tufts of hair around his ears and almost no teeth leered down at him, tail lashing. He looked angry and Raditz was at a complete loss of what to do. The last time he confronted another Saiyan was when it was Bardock and all he had done was kick him to make him retreat. This Saiyan was a complete stranger and looked ready to kill.

Luckily, the stranger spoke instead of immediately trying to kill him.

"Scraps aren't allowed here, brat!"

'Scraps?' Was that another way to say child? Raditz didn't know. He was sure Bardock wouldn't bring him somewhere he wasn't allowed. Then again, he hadn't been allowed outside-

'Wait, Bardock!' Summoning whatever courage he might have, Raditz stood up and glared up at the older Saiyan, trembling.

"Back… back off!" Raditz growled. "I'm with him!" He jerked a finger towards Bardock who had just noticed what was happening and was stomping back towards them, sneering.

"The hell is going on here?" Bardock asked. He went to Raditz's side and used his shoulder to shove the other Saiyan back. Raditz smirked and slid behind his father.

The stranger's eyes widened and he brought his hands up in a gesture of surrender.

"Shit, Bardock, I didn't know he was with you!"

Bardock already stopped paying attention to him and Raditz watched smugly as the stranger slunk away.

Bardock cuffed the back of his head. "You're a Saiyan. Use me as a damn meat shield again and I'll rip your tail out. That's nothing to be smug about, coward."

Raditz winced and rubbed the back of his head. What did that mean? What was he supposed to do? It wasn't like he could take on that other Saiyan on his own, he was ten times his size! Why wouldn't he have someone else on his side fight for him? Raditz changed his mind. Bardock wasn't cool at all.

Still, he followed his father to a table he managed to procure for them and hopped onto a stool that could easily fit four of himself. Without any prompting whatsoever, two Saiyans appeared with giant plates towering with food and placed them in front of them. Raditz stared at the portions with wide eyes. Each plate was almost the size of their breakfast this morning! It didn't look nearly as neat as his and his mother's cooking but he found he didn't care. Seeing all of the food in front of him made him unbelievably hungry all of a sudden.

Bardock noticed he was waiting for him to say something and waved a hand. "Go ahe-"

Raditz stuffed the food in his cheeks with his hands, chewing rapidly and only pausing to cram more inside. Occasionally he'd swallow but it was mostly just so he could fit more into his mouth. When he managed to finish one giant plate he swallowed everything in his mouth and leaned back with a pleased squeak, tail curling and uncurling behind him.

"Tch, you eat like Gine," Bardock said, shaking his head. "She'd collapse if she didn't have at least one meal a day. At least you didn't inherit that part."

Intrigued, Raditz watched his father eat. He was not a slow eater by any means, but he didn't just shovel food in his mouth until it was full. Instead he'd put a large chunk of whatever he was eating in, chew it quickly, swallow, and then move onto the next bite. Raditz couldn't see why he ate that way when he could just stuff it all inside and get it in his stomach faster. What did taste matter when it was all going to the same place?

Bardock waved a hand and a few more plates of food were stacked between them. Eagerly, Raditz reached for more, shoveling as much as he could inside his mouth. When Raditz started on his sixth plate against Bardock's third, Bardock actually stopped eating and stared at him, looking as though he wanted to ask something but was unsure of how to ask it. After another minute of observation, he shook his head and stood up abruptly.

"Shit, Gine actually meant it when she said you'd eat everything!"

Raditz took that as a cue to eat faster.

Raditz was still pouting ten minutes after Bardock had forced him to stop eating and paid for their meal. His father was currently chewing on some huge piece of jerky as they walked. Raditz could smell it and its scent was absolutely tantalizing. He had half a mind to jump and snatch it out of his hands but Bardock had cast him a glare that almost convinced Raditz he had read his thoughts.

When his father's glare shifted to some other Saiyan children tailing them from the rooftops, they scattered and disappeared amongst the buildings. Raditz was reminded of the Saiyan that had confronted him.

"…Papa?" Bardock continued walking and Raditz scowled. He spoke louder. "Papa."

This time Bardock stopped and then looked back at him in confusion that quickly turned into realization and then discomfort. "Uh, yeah, kid?"

"What's a scrap?"

"Huh, you don't know? It just means those brats you see running around scavenging for food. Brats with no parents and no one training them."

Raditz bit his lip, recalling what Gine had said and the dead three-year-old Bardock had mentioned. He hadn't given it much thought at the time. He had to have seen at least twenty of those kids today alone!

"What happened to their parents?"

Bardock put the last of his jerky in his mouth and chewed slowly as Raditz waited impatiently. "Different stuff. Some die. Others just ditch them before they come out of incubation."

"Ditch them?" Raditz couldn't imagine Gine abandoning him.

Bardock winced and continued walking. "Damn, you talk a lot. Probably got that from Gine… Yeah. They ditch them. Training a kid takes time away from actual combat on the field. Not everyone wants to stay home like your mother, brat. We're Saiyans. Our goal is to be the strongest in the universe."

Raditz shifted uncomfortably as he followed Bardock. He wanted to fight but he hadn't really thought about how strong he wanted to be… he also hadn't thought of how many other Saiyans wanted to be strong as well. How many Saiyans would he have to fight? How was he going to fight them? He was just a child and there were hundreds of Saiyans far older than him who had a head start!

"This is a good spot."

Raditz stopped and looked at where they were now. It was a clear area, a bare desert area ahead of them and scattered buildings a few meters back where they had come from. He watched uncertainly as Bardock hovered in the air and drew a large circle around them in the dirt with his boot. When he finished, he went on the opposite side of the circle to face Raditz.

"What are we doing?"

Bardock lowered himself into a fighting position, cracking his knuckles and giving his son the first grin he'd seen from him.

"We're going to train. Now."