Risk
Chapter 21
The moment Kakarrot had entered the hospital, he looked around before darting down the hallway with Chi-chi in his arms. She weakly clutched Goten with what strength she had; barely conscious from the pain. The blazing golden aura flared around Kakarrot while he searched for a doctor, nurse or anyone else that would ensure his wife's care and health. He felt Goku's nervousness in the back of his mind; however, he ignored it out of fear that his wife would sooner perish than Goku getting over his accursed trypanophobia.
'Look, our love's life is in jeopardy unless we find a doctor, so stop being such a coward when I see a needle and we'll be alright,' Kakarrot mentally yelled at the childish behavior that Goku was emitting.
'I'm trying, but…' Goku had rapport these words nervously to Kakarrot; however, that fear seemed to nearly overwhelm the Saiya-jin warrior holding their love, mate and wife in his arms.
'What's worse? Having a needle shoved up your ass or losing her?' Kakarrot growled at the idea that the Earth-raised Saiya-jin was having such a childish fear that it was costing them time to find the care Chi-chi needed at the moment.
'Chi-chi, but…'
'Then stop whining at me and just let me find a doctor!' He spotted a doctor and ran up to him. "She needs medical attention right now!"
"Why did you come all this way to find someone when there was the front desk?" The doctor inquired.
"No one was up there and I'm this close to finding another hospital if you don't fix her!" Kakarrot yelled at the doctor; his chi flaring. If it hadn't been for the irritated and worried look on the Saiya-jin warrior's face or the weak moan from Chi-chi's throat, the doctor would have considered it a threat.
A beeping sound was the first thing Chi-chi awakened to. At first, she thought she was back on Namek and was about to sit up when a strong hand pushed her back down softly on the bed. She looked to her side and saw Kakarrot sitting there holding their son in his other arm. His eyes were filled with pain and he almost looked like he would be willing to shed tears if she did not awaken.
"You're lucky to be alive. The doctors had to fix a laceration that you had." Kakarrot answered his wife's unspoken question.
"How is Goten?" Chi-chi put the idea that her life had been in danger behind her and looked at the newborn that Kakarrot held protectively against his chest.
"Doing well. He was fussing awhile ago, but I purred him back to sleep. He will need some food once he wakes up." Kakarrot never expected Chi-chi to worry more about her son than herself. It was one of the selfless things he loved about the woman he was with.
"I don't think I'll have anymore children…" Chi-chi muttered softly. Her hands clenched the sheets in what seemed like… regret?
"Why? You endured that delivery rather well…"
"It might cost either my life next time or the baby's life."
"If it helps, maybe we should gather the dragon balls and make your body stronger for childbirth. I recall you saying that you want lots of children when we were younger…"
"Maybe, but let me think about it for awhile…" Chi-chi trailed off. Goten started to fuss in Kakarrot's arms. Good timing, she mentally thought before holding out her arms to take her newborn son.
Days passed before Chi-chi went home with Goten in his arms. Gohan and Piccolo were surprised at the uncanny features he shared with his father. It was almost though Gohan had seen him somewhere before; however, he could not place a finger on it.
"He's so tiny!" Gohan exclaimed at the small brother he held in his arms. "He looks just like you dad!"
"Yeah, he sure does," Goku grinned. Kakarrot had to mentally agree that the boy looked like him. It seemed to stroke his pride knowing that the look-a-like would become a warrior of his own right in the future.
"His chi seems rather high for his age," Piccolo noted.
"I'm more happy that he's alive after that incident than his chi being high," Chi-chi admitted. "I want to re-start my training next week."
"Already? You just gave birth…" Piccolo paled at the thought. He knew well that she would be dragging baby items to their sparring sessions and she would not get any stronger toting a baby boy around.
"I need to fight with my husband so we can get through this threat." Chi-chi replied. "If I don't fight, Gohan could get hurt, or worse."
"Alright, but you're going to need to start finding a way to feed Goten." Piccolo nodded.
'I rather she wait a bit longer, but if she wants this, then I guess we'll have to abide by her decision.' Kakarrot spoke to Goku mentally.
'Agreed. I hate to see her push herself too hard. She's not a Saiya-jin like I am.' Goku nodded slightly. A part of him wanted to protect his wife; but she would be damned if she would allow this protection when she's a warrior of her own right. Still, the nagging thought would not cease that something bad would happen.
Only time will tell what would happen on the morning of May 12.
May 12...
The day has finally arrived…
The Son family and Piccolo were all ready to fight the androids. Chi-chi had taken the time to pack most of Goten's things the night before in her duffle bag. After securing Goten in a carrier, she felt ready to head to the battlefield to protect her family and friends from the androids.
Goku looked Chi-chi over and sighed. He knew that she would be hell bent in going whether she had Goten or not. The nagging feeling the warrior had gotten stronger that day and Kakarrot was unusually silent when he would normally be talking with Goku around this time. He would have asked his darker persona why he wasn't talking, but then he noticed something in the corner of his eye.
'Krillin…' Goku smiled at the thought. He was grateful that the tyrant did not have the last laugh and Krillin was alive again.
Almost though Krillin sensed Goku's thoughts, he looked at the Earth-raised Saiya-jin.
"Hey! How are you doing?" Krillin questioned.
"Better than I was," Goku grinned. "Did you see Chi-chi yet?"
"Huh?" Krillin flew up to where Chi-chi was and his eyes widened. "Whoa! When did you have a baby?"
"About six months ago," Chi-chi answered the monk. "His name's Goten and the only reason I'm taking him is because he's still on breastfeeding and nothing more."
"Right… I'm sure he'll be hooked on fighting…" Krillin smirked in a sly way.
"He's not going to fight!" Chi-chi ranted; waking Goten in the process. "Oh, there, there my little Goten…"
"Mama's boy…" Krillin muttered under his breath; thankfully, Chi-chi was too absorbed in quieting the infant that she did not hear that comment.
Upon landing, they saw Bulma holding her own little boy. It was then the blue-haired female's eyes light up in pure joy.
"Hey Chi-chi! When did you have your son?" Bulma asked.
"About six months ago," Chi-chi replied.
"Wow! What a coincidence! My son was born six months ago also!" Bulma exclaimed.
"Hi there Trunks," Goku grinned playfully at the baby boy Bulma had. "You look just like Vegeta, yes you do."
"How do you know my son's name is Trunks? And how do you know his father's Vegeta?"
"Oh, I have my ways," Goku grinned rather nervously. At least Trunks was conceived before Goten. It seemed that if the two young teenagers were to return to help in the battle, their help would be greatly appreciated.
"So I'm guessing things didn't work out between you and Yamcha?" Chi-chi asked.
"He's a womanizer! I'm glad I broke up with him before he even tried to make a move on me!" Bulma ranted.
While they caught up on events during the past three years, the other warriors gathered and noticed Chi-chi holding Goten. They all congratulated the female warrior for a second child and acknowledged Bulma for her own son. Eventually, the time grew closer to the fated hour. Before ten, Yajirobe had joined the warriors on the cliff hanging over the city with Senzu Beans. Rather than stay and fight, he clamored back into his vehicle and flew off into the sky once more.
"It's already after ten, where are they?" Piccolo muttered in irritation. Almost though he had summoned them with those words, an explosion was heard in the sky.
"Gohan, get Yajirobe," Goku told his eldest son.
"Bulma, can you watch Goten for me?" Chi-chi handed the boy to Bulma.
"Fine, but I expect to be paid for my services," Bulma glared at the female. Chi-chi pulled the bag off her shoulder and set it down on the ground a bit harder than she thought. It caused the earth to quake. "W-what do you have in there?"
"I packed Goten's diapers, his bottles, his favorite books, his educational tapes…" Chi-chi rattled on the list as Bulma wondered why the world she packed so many things for a mere baby. If anything else, it was almost though she was carrying a home away from home on her shoulders.
"Okay! You don't have to give me a detailed list of everything you know!" Bulma practically yelled at the female.
"You were the one who asked." Chi-chi sweat dropped at the idea that Bulma was no longer interested in what she had packed for her baby boy. Before she could even say anything else, she felt a warrior's chi fall. "Oh no!"
"What's wrong?" Bulma asked. Chi-chi darted off the cliff towards the falling chi while Bulma watched cluelessly. She was now holding both Trunks and Goten in her arms. 'I swear these two will be a handful if one of them wakes up…'
"Well, well, well, it seems we finally meet, Son Chi-chi…" the older of the mysterious men grinned. In his hands was the lifeless body of Yamcha.
"Let go of Yamcha!" Chi-chi growled before the other warriors appeared.
"Most certainly," the old man threw Yamcha at Chi-chi and she caught him. She almost thought that she would have to deal with these demons alone when she suddenly saw the others appear to her aid.
"Chi-chi, go to the cliff and make sure he gets a Senzu Bean," Goku told his wife. The woman did not need to be told twice and teleported.
"Interesting. I never knew much about your wife's ability to fight Son Goku," the old man grinned. "It would be interesting to see how she fares against my creations.
"Your fight's with me, not her," Goku growled. "We're not staying here though! We need a place that's deserted." Almost though he was attempting to grant the Saiya-jin's wish, the older male decimated the area with only a blast from his eyes. "Stop it damn it!"
'Damn him for being such a heartless bastard!' Kakarrot mentally hissed. If he were in control, he would have torn the old man's head straight off without a second thought. Instead, Goku had succeeded in knocking off the old man's hat instead.
"You were the one who wanted a deserted area," the old man coolly replied while picking up the fallen hat that fell to the ground.
"Well not here!" Goku seethed in anger before flying off.
"Lead us to your dying place then," the old man bellowed before flying after the Earth-raised Saiya-jin along with the other mysterious male. The warriors followed Goku.
Back on the cliff, Yamcha recovered from his near-death experience as he saw the warriors flying off.
"We have to stop them!" Yamcha yelled.
"Huh? Why?" Chi-chi asked. Gohan had appeared with Yajirobe and looked at them.
"They took my energy for some odd reason!" Yamcha proclaimed.
"Oh! We have to tell them!" Gohan agreed. The three warriors left Bulma and Yajirobe alone on the cliff with the sleeping Goten and Trunks.
"Hey, why aren't you going with them?"
"Well, I don't know how to fly… and I know I wouldn't stand a chance fighting them…" Yajirobe muttered the last part under his breath.
"This is far enough, we fight here," the older male beckoned Goku and the others to land. In this deserted, rocky and barren place, you could easily lose someone with ease. Upon landing, Tien noticed that the Earth-raised Saiya-jin was breathing heavier than usual despite his willingness to fight. It was uncanny that a flight would leave him breathless.
"Tell me something before we fight, how do you know about us?" Goku questioned.
"There's no harm in answering, though you may regret ever having asked…" the old male calmly answered the Earth-raised Saiya-jin's question. It was through this that the warriors were faced with a looming threat and a cliffhanger at the same time. After a detailed explanation that Goku half-listened to due to his heavy breathing, the warriors learned of Dr. Gero's plans of collecting data on the warriors.
"You're obviously missing information," Piccolo pointed out. "You didn't take in account what happened on Namek. You're missing information on what a Super Saiya-jin is."
"A Super Saiya-jin?" Dr. Gero, also known as Android Twenty, quizzically questioned. Before the doctor could fully absorb those words, Goku yelled and his muscles bulged. His eyes flickered green and his dark hair stood upon end. With a guttural yell, the golden aura flared around his being and his dark hair was bleached blonde.
Chi-chi, Gohan and Yamcha felt Goku's power rise and learned of where he was at. It was then Chi-chi looked at both of them.
"Grab onto me!" Chi-chi replied. "I'm going to teleport us!"
"What if we get caught in the fight?" Yamcha asked.
"Just do it!" Chi-chi yelled at them. Without another argument against it, they grabbed a hold of Chi-chi's shoulder and hand before she concentrated.
Goku had only summoned a portion of his power when he felt three others appear behind him. Quickly, he realized who they were and knew they could not interfere.
"Chi-chi, Gohan and everyone else, stay out of this," Goku commanded without taking his eyes off his opponents. "I'm the one they want."
"You're joking right?" Chi-chi questioned.
"Just do as I say and don't get involved," Goku growled at his wife; letting her know that he was serious.
"Okay… I'll stay out of this," Chi-chi agreed before adding silently to herself, '…for now…'
"This is a rather surprising development indeed," Twenty muttered in a monotone voice.
"His technique is not programmed in my files Twenty," Nineteen examined the transformed Saiya-jin warrior.
"Nor in mine, but my sensors indicate there is no cause for concern. Yes, it is an impressive ability, but it is not anything we can't handle. Nineteen will demonstrate for you now." The chubbier of the two nodded in agreement.
"Alright, if you insist," Goku grinned the best he could in his Super Saiya-jin transformation.
'Why don't we see what this iron boy can do before we dismantle it…' Kakarrot's voice echoed in Goku's mind. 'I bet we can take him down before he could lay a finger on us.'
'I agree, it's been awhile since I had a challenge,' Goku mentally chatted with his other half. He allowed the split personality to have control to start things off.
"The one thing you'll be forced to do is call the trash compactors once I'm through with you," Kakarrot called out to both mechanical men.
"Did his voice just drop?" Nineteen looked back at Twenty for an answer.
"There's no reason to worry, I'm sure he's trying to intimidate us." Twenty attempted to reassure his prized machine.
"Whoa! Goku's voice is deeper," Krillin exclaimed.
"Kakarrot better not do anything reckless," Piccolo muttered.
"Kakarrot?" Tien looked over at Piccolo almost though he decided to stop calling the Earth-raised Saiya-jin by his real name.
"Long story short, Goku's split personality's in control right now," Piccolo answered the other warrior's questions. They still looked uneasy knowing that Goku wasn't the same as he used to be and wondered if Kakarrot was close to Vegeta's arrogance.
"I hope he's on our side," Yamcha muttered in worry.
"He is," Chi-chi reassured. "He said he wouldn't hurt anyone that Goku's allied with."
"Typical," Yamcha watched while Nineteen and Kakarrot lunged in battle.
"What's the matter you bucket of bolts?" Kakarrot taunted the android before jumping over the man's head and kicked him from behind . "Can't keep up?"
"Gah!" Nineteen was sent careening into the ground hard. There is a limit on how much a machine could take of the Saiya-jin's abuse and it seemed Kakarrot easily figured out how to dismantle one. Before Twenty could even dare stop the Saiya-jin he had vengence against, Kakarrot had torn Nineteen's head clear off. Not giving the headless robotic body another glance, he blasted it; reducing it to shreds before throwing the head to the ground.
"This is a waste of time," Kakarrot growled at Twenty from the sky. "You planned all of this shit for me for the past three years and yet, I'm conquering this like it's nothing. I bet I can take you all down before a day passes."
"You're bluffing! I haven't even released them yet!" Twenty hissed.
"Oh? So you have more toys for me to play with?" Kakarrot asked before he suddenly winced.
'What was that?' Goku thought mentally to his darker persona.
'I'm sure it's nothing…' Kakarrot mentally denied. Both of them knew then and there that something was wrong and if they let their guard down for a brief moment, it would be their undoing.
"Huh?" Twenty noticed this pained expression cross Kakarrot's face before he landed from the sky.
"Ignore that…" Kakarrot started wheezing; attempting to hide his weakness. "I'm… fine…"
"Dad!" Gohan called from the sidelines.
"It can't be…!" Piccolo's eyes widened in shock.
"His heart…" Chi-chi's eyes tear up.
"You were saying?" Twenty questioned at Kakarrot before his chi fell.
"Damn it… not now…" Kakarrot muttered before he fell to the ground and lost consciousness; the transformation fading.
"Now to take your chi…" Twenty started towards the fallen Saiya-jin when Chi-chi teleported in the way. "What?!"
"Shintou…" Chi-chi chanted while summoning the white lightning-like chi. "…ka!"
The blast flew at Twenty; however, the evil android held out a hand and absorbed it. Chi-chi's eyes widened in shock before Twenty grabbed the female warrior by her neck.
"Your special energy attacks will have no effect upon me," Twenty grinned darkly as he started to drain the energy from the female warrior.
'Goku… I…' Chi-chi struggled in vain in Twenty's grasp before she felt the hand release her and Vegeta kicking the android away.
"Foolish woman!" Vegeta snorted at the weakened Chi-chi. "You're fortunate that I was here to save your miserable life."
"Thank you too, Vegeta," Chi-chi weakly muttered in between her coughing. Had he been a moment later, she would have passed out.
"Take your pathetic mate home and get him his damn medicine," Vegeta commanded.
"W-what about you?" Chi-chi asked; not knowing what Vegeta had planned at that moment.
"I'm going to destroy these mechanical men before they kill us," Vegeta told her. "Now get the hell out of here and take Kakarrot with you. I won't allow that virus to take his life when I alone am the bringer of his death."
'More like a lame excuse to prolong his suffering,' Chi-chi thought while a sweat drop rolled down the side of her head. Despite the weakness that plagued her body from the energy drain, she hoisted Goku onto her back. Ignoring the others pleas to take a Senzu, Chi-chi flew off the field with her ill husband upon her back. 'Hang on Goku and Kakarrot! You promised not to leave me!'
To Be Continued…