New Judgment
Chapter 9: Lost in Our Arms
I held Indi's hand as we walked out of the tent. She might have had her limbs back, but she still hadn't walked in years. She held her tail out kind of stiffly, trying to balance the weight of her body. Relearning such basic motions would take a while, but regardless of how long it took, I was more than happy to help her. In all my time travelling through space, I had never met anyone with quite as tragic a back story like Indi, and yet with such unbridled determination to get better. I almost felt responsible, even if I knew her less than anyone else in the camp. Speaking of which, we saw Gine approaching us.
She gasped. "I-Indi?! Oh my goodness, I don't believe it…!" As she exclaimed this, other people started coming out of their tents and were amazed to see Indi standing on two legs, holding on to me with her right hand.
"It's a miracle!" "The gods have answered our prayers!" and other similar expressions were heard amongst the crowd.
"Indi, I'm so happy for you!" Gine congratulated her, to which Indi replied with a goofy smile. "Court, how can we ever repay you this favor?"
"D'oh, don't worry about that! I'm just here to help in any way I can."
"Oh, thank you so much! I'm so glad you answered our signal when you did, otherwise it might have been too late for Indi!"
"Hehe… Oh, that reminds me. We need to get you guys out of this planet."
"Huh? Oh… I… I-I guess…"
"… What? Aren't… you guys worried about being stranded here?"
Indi decided to take up that question. "Well, it's not quite like that. The main reason the Professor wanted to get in contact with another planet was so that we could trade. In exchange for Aether and other resources unique to this planet, we could get our hands on technology and materials to build up our camp into a village."
"That about sums it up." Gine added. "We like it here, the only problem is our limited resources because we can't explore too far due to the Aether Dragons. If we get our resources through other means, we could build this place up into much more suitable living grounds. The real bonus from Planet Aether is that we're not bound by any monarchy like we were in Planet Vegeta. We're free to do as we please without fearing that we might upset the king, which often resulted in… well…"
Death, probably. As Vegeta has said many times, Saiyans only had room for the mightiest warriors, while the weaklings (as he called them) were left in the dust. Then again, that was also highly influenced by the fact that the majority of the note-worthy Saiyans from back then were as tyrannical as their king. Maybe if only the good Saiyans remained, they could rebuild their legacy in a much more tasteful… Wait a minute…!
"Hey, Gine? Indi?" Both of them looked at me with an interested expression.
"Yes, Court?"
"This might sound like a crazy question, but… If there was some kind of magical artifact with the power of reviving all the good inhabitants of Planet Vegeta, would you… Would you welcome them back into this society?"
"Huuhh…?" Gine was as confused as I expected her to be. "That… really is a crazy question, I-I don't know how to respond…"
"Whoa… Well, of course I would!" Indi was excited about the prospect. "Seeing my parents again would make me the happiest person in the world!"
"Court, you… must have brought that up for a reason, right? You wouldn't just say that out of nowhere."
"Hmm… It might be better if we discuss this in a more private environment."
"In that case, let's go to my tent." Gine offered, then guided us to her home as I continued holding onto Indi to make sure she didn't fall.
Indi and I sat next to each other on the bed while Gine herself sat in a chair in front of us. She prepared some tea made with special leafs on the planet, which had a slight relaxation effect to it. Considering what I was about to tell them, keeping their excitement contained would be difficult anyways.
"So, Court, what is it that you wanted to tell us?" Gine was gentle but to the point.
"Well… Back on Earth, we have these magical spheres called the 'Dragon Balls.'" This already piqued the interest of the other two. "There're seven in total, and if you collect all of them, you can summon the eternal dragon Shenron who will grant you three wishes."
"Are you serious?!" Gine nearly jumped out of her chair.
"Wow…! What kind of wishes can the dragon grant?" Indi turned her body to look directly at me, though still sitting down on the bed. Her tail was swaying back and forth.
"Just about any wish."
"Anything?!"
"Yup. Shenron could even…"
"… Bring people back from the dead…?" Gine connected the dots before I had to explain it.
"That's right. Though, if it's a large group of people, it'll take up two wishes instead of one. Though that's no problem, don't worry about that."
Indi held my hands vigorously when she heard this. "You're saying that… You want to revive the kind-hearted Saiyans and Tuffles that died on Planet Vegeta?"
"Yes, including your parents, of course."
"Y-You'd do that for us…! I-I… I…!" Indi couldn't talk anymore; instead she hugged me as tightly as she could while tears of joy streamed down her face. I hugged her back, naturally. "C-Court…! Thank you… Thank you so much…!"
Gine seemed happy as well, though not quite as much as Indi. Maybe there was no one in particular that she knew personally who perished alongside the planet. Or perhaps not someone who would classify under "kind-hearted." Still, the prospect of seeing her people flourish again brought a smile to her face. However, she still had some questions lingering in her mind. "Court, I think that's a noble idea! Though, I'm curious… what would you use the last wish for?"
"Oh, that… Well… I'll use it to revive my father." Indi's and Gine's expressions changed from joy to worry when I mentioned my dad's passing.
"O-Oh… I'm sorry to hear that…" I felt Indi's tail wrap around mine as she gave me her condolences. It was a humble way of comforting me without being as overbearing as a hug.
"I'm sorry to hear that as well…" Gine also gave me her condolences. "You mentioned that your father was a Saiyan, correct? Who was he, if you don't mind me asking?"
"An incredibly strong and pure-hearted man named 'Son Goku.'"
"Son Goku…? I don't think I've ever heard of anyone called that…"
"Well, that was his Earthling name. His Saiyan name was… Gah, what was it…? 'Kakarot', I believe." Suddenly, Gine dropped her cup of tea on the ground, staring at me in complete shock. After the loud bang made by the cup falling, the room was struck by a drab silence as Indi and I looked back at Gine with worry.
"Ka… K-Kakarot…?"
"Ah… Ah, y-yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what Vegeta called him. D… Did you know him?"
"K-Kakarot is… dead…? M-My son is dead?!" Hearing that key word – "son" – made me fully understand Gine's reaction. And immediately after it, I realized what this implied, which put me in just as much of a shock as she was.
"'S-Son…?'Th-That means… Gine, you're…"
"… I-I'm your grandmother…!"
We both stood up from our spots and held each other in our arms. Everything was happening so rapidly that we just didn't know what else to do. Tears cascaded down from our eyes as we consoled one another. Indi was as confused as she was troubled by the situation; she had no clue how to react. So she followed her instinct and joined us in our hug, almost like… like she wanted to be part of the family. And considering her situation, well… who could blame her?
We spent hours catching up. I told my new-found grandma of all the incredible stories that dad had gotten into, at least the versions that I had been told by the people who were there. As I mentioned before, I never really participated in any major fights. The most I ever did was do some minor training with dad after he returned from Namek, and I helped Gohan train Videl when they first met. Otherwise, I spent most of my days at home with mom, studying all kinds of different books as she instructed us. Thanks to that I grew up pretty smart, but only strong enough to defend myself against basic thugs if they decided to attack me while I was in the city. Dad, though, he was in a whole different level.
Grandma was amazed as I told her of his adventures with Bulma and the others gathering the Dragon Balls, taking down the Red Ribbon Army, defeating the Demon King Piccolo – and his son – only to then become friends and rivals. Then, well… the part about Raditz was disheartening for her. I didn't know the details, all I knew is that dad teamed up with Piccolo to fight my uncle, and this resulted in both Saiyans dying for one reason or another. But I saw that grandma wasn't surprised by Raditz's death, even if she was saddened by it. He was one of the many evil Saiyans, after all. Admitting that your own son is responsible for innumerable terrible deeds must be a burden too heavy for anyone besides the victim to understand.
Doing a 180 on grandma's mood, though, I wowed her with the battles that happened on Namek. Not only did her son achieve the power of legends, but he also took down the very same tyrant responsible for the extinction of almost the entire Saiyan race. He had avenged his people, even if he didn't really know much about them. And as I continued through the different chapters in dad's life, I impressed her even more with the more recent legend of legends, the Super Saiyan God. That was something the average Saiyan wasn't even aware of. I could see pride in grandma's eyes, accompanied by the melancholic knowledge that her son was no more. But it all was uplifted with the reassurance that in eight months she'd get to see her son again, which naturally had me just as excited.
On their end, neither Indi nor grandma had much to tell of their time here on Planet Aether. Adapting to the environment was difficult at first, but once they accomplished it, the rest was just a matter of survival. The most interesting thing was learning about Aether itself, which was still mostly a mystery even after all these years of coexisting with it. At least they had enough information to build Indi's prosthetic limbs.
Speaking of which, Bulma and Professor Tano finally awoke from their sleep. We came out of grandma's tent to greet them.
After a long yawn, Bulma spoke. "Good morning, guys…" She was still half asleep…
"Afternoon, actually. You guys slept for a long time!"
"And it was for a good reason, young lady!" The Professor said this proudly as he turned to Indi, examining her artificial limbs. "You haven't felt any strange problems, have you, Indi?"
"Nope! I'm feeling better than ever, Professor!"
"That's a relief." With a smile, the Professor took out his Water Aether glove from his pocket. "Sorry ol' pal, but I hope I'll never need you again."
"Well, anyways, I'd love to stay and chat, but I fear my husband will start getting worried if I don't hurry back home." Bulma had avoided mentioning that she was married to the Prince of All Saiyans himself, which was probably for the better. We didn't want to drop too many bombshells on the people here all at once.
"Oh, you're right. Hey, Whis!" I called out for Whis, hoping that he would show up out of nowhere like he always did. And in fact he did.
"Did you call for me, milady?"
"Where the heck have you been? I haven't seen you since yesterday!"
"Oh, you know, I've been out and about, smelling the flowers. This is a very luscious planet, you know."
"Uh-huh, sure… Anyways, can you do me a favor and take Bulma back to Earth?"
"That's no problem at all. Mrs. Bulma, shall we?"
"I guess this is where I leave." Bulma walked up to Whis, then turned around to face us. "Take care, everyone! I'm sure we'll see each other again soon!" Both the Saiyans and Tuffles said their goodbyes to Bulma and thanked her for what she did for Indi. With a tap on the floor, Whis and Bulma blasted towards the sky in a ray of light.
"Well, Court, what about you?" Indi asked, still holding my hand to keep her balance.
"Hmm… Unfortunately, I can't stay here much longer, either. Whis and I need to go back to our duties sooner rather than later."
Indi's face dropped a little hearing this. "Oh… I understand."
"But hey, I promise I'll come and visit as often as I can!" I really meant it that time. There were many other planets where I had met wonderful people that I wished to visit again in the future, but Planet Aether's inhabitants were more than special. My job here was far from over. "Tell you what: every time I visit, I'll teach you something about martial arts that I learned from my dad and I'll have new stories to tell you from my planetary travels."
"Martial arts? Do you really think I can do that?" I was reminded of that time I felt Indi's ki skyrocket to unimaginable heights. She had incredible potential, and teaching her how to control that power was key to helping the people in this planet expand to more areas. That, and it was also an efficient way to bond with Indi more. I had a feeling her and I were going to become very good friends.
"Oh, I'm more than confident! And just to prove you how serious I am…" I extended my right hand towards her, and stuck my pinky finger out. "… Pinky promise?"
"Oh?" She looked a bit confused, as she probably never heard of a pinky promise before. But she seemed to have figured it out on her own. "… Yeah! Pinky promise!" She used her new hand to seal the deal.
"H-Hey, Court…?" Grandma looked somewhat nervous.
"Yes, grandma?"
"Umm… How do I say this… Can I… Can I meet my other grandchildren…?"
"Oh… You want to visit Earth with me?"
"If it's not too much trouble, that is."
"Of course, it's no trouble at all! As soon as Whis gets back, I'll ask him to take us to Earth. We can stay the night over there if you want, too."
"Ah…! T-Thank you!" I would have a lot of explaining to do to Gohan and Goten, but there was no way I could refuse grandma's request. Considering dad wasn't around, meeting a new family member would be good for all of us.
"Mom!" I called out for her as grandma and I descended from the sky. Soon after hearing me, mom came out through the front door of our house.
"Court! You're back sooner than I expected!" She gave me a warm welcome, but quickly noticed my company. "Oh? Are you a friend of Court's, ma'am?"
"Nice to meet you, my name is Gine." Grandma bowed to greet mom, which revealed her tail.
"What the—WAH!" Mom jumped back in horror. I guess she was still very untrustworthy of any new Saiyans that showed up… "Y-Y-YOU'RE A SAIYAN?!"
"W-Wha—I… Y-Yes, I am…?"
"Ehh… Sorry about that, grandma, mom is still not quite used to the whole I-married-an-alien ordeal…"
"'G-GRANDMA?!' COURT, WHAT IS THE MEANING OF—"
"Mom, mom, stop shouting, please! You're scaring her… Look, you heard right, this is dad's mom, Gine. I met her just the other day in one of our planetary travels and I brought her here because she wanted to meet the rest of her family."
"Mommy, what's going on?" Goten came to mom's side, worried about all the noise that he was hearing. As soon as grandma laid her eyes on him, she was brought to the brink of tears.
"You must be Goten… You… Y-You look just like Kakarot…!"
"Huh? Who are you, lady? And how do you know my name?" He was so taken aback by grandma's reaction that Goten didn't notice me until several seconds later. "Oh, sis, you're back already! Awesome!"
"Goten, I brought someone very special that wanted to meet you."
"Goten… I'm Gine, and I'm your grandmother."
"My… My grandmother…? W-Wait, what…?"
Grandma kneeled down to be more or less at Goten's height. She looked at him with a gentle expression while trying to fight back the tears. Goten was a carbon copy of dad, after all. "I-I know this might seem a bit sudden… but… can you trust me?"
Goten stood still for a moment, scanning grandma from top to bottom. He was reluctant at first, but after a while, he started slowly walking towards her. Once they were close enough, grandma gave her grandson a hug, unable to hold back the tears any longer. I could tell that Goten was uncomfortable by this, but instead of trying to break free he hugged his grandmother back. This was a very unexpected scenario, but seeing the two meeting for the first time brought me a sense of satisfaction.
"Hey, mom? Would it be OK if Goten stays the night with Gohan?"
Mom watched in awe as her mother-in-law bonded with Goten, but eventually recognized that I asked her a question. "O-Oh, uh… Why?"
"Grandma is going to be staying here on Earth until tomorrow, and we figured she'd want to spend that time with all her grandchildren. Gohan's place is bigger than here, so it'll be easier to pass the night in there."
"I-I see… Well…" She looked back at grandma and Goten, a smile slowly forming on her face. "… Yeah, I guess it's fine for tonight."
As we flew into Satan City under the night sky, grandma became awe-struck by the scenery. Skyscrapers, flashing lights, thousands of people roaming the streets, flying vehicles… this was the most civilized world she had seen in decades. Back in Planet Vegeta, the only technologically-advanced locations were in Frieza's fleets, for the planet's surface was still mostly primitive.
"Whoa… I had no idea that Earthlings would be so… advanced."
"Who knows, maybe Planet Aether will look like this someday."
"No way, we're still far too limited in there…"
"I've seen miracles happen! With a little help, I know Saiyans and Tuffles can accomplish great things."
"Hey, what are you two talking about?" Goten felt left out of the conversation.
"Hehe, don't worry, squirt! Once we meet up with big brother, we're gonna be catching up for a loooong time." And the second time for me today. "That's Gohan's house up there, grandma."
Even before we landed, Gohan and Videl both walked out of the front door, probably because they felt our ki signatures as we approached. Once we touched ground, they greeted us. "Hey, sis! I didn't expect you to be back so early. And hey, Goten!"
"Gohan, look who we just met!" Goten pointed at grandma.
"It… It's a pleasure to meet you, Gohan." Grandma was very polite, though she was a bit nervous. Considering this was her first time meeting a fully-grown grandson that she didn't even know she had, the reaction was only natural.
"Nice to meet you too, Mrs…" He noticed grandma's tail mid-sentence. "Whoa, a Saiyan?" He was surprised, but at least he didn't jump back in horror like mom…
"Gohan, this is Gine, our grandmother." Both Gohan and Videl were taken aback by this revelation.
"G-Grandmother?! For real? Wow, I…" Gohan stood up straight and walked towards grandma, extending his arm to shake hands. "G-Grandmother, the… the pleasure is mine."
Grandma accepted the hand shake, but as she kept examining Gohan and inevitably being reminded of dad, she went in for the hug. Man, today was all about hugs, wasn't it? We were then guided into the house.
We retold the many stories that we had gone through here on Earth, except mostly through Gohan's perspective rather than mine this time. I actually learned a few things myself, since big brother had been a key participant in almost every major event in the past 20-something years. Above all, though, grandma was simply overjoyed for being able to spend time with her grandchildren. Videl, too, did a great job at welcoming grandma into the family. Though there was still one person to meet.
"Oh, I almost forgot! Hey, brother, is Pan asleep right now?"
"Oh, you're right. Yeah, she is, but it should be OK if we're quiet." And so Gohan and Videl guided us up to Pan's room. As soon as grandma saw that little bundle of innocence resting in her cradle, her eyes softened up with glee. Even more so when Pan started waking up.
"She's awake…!" Grandma said in a low tone, and her face was the first thing little Pan saw when she opened her eyes. She was confused, naturally, but not scared. "Gohan, Videl, can… can I carry her?"
"Hmm-hmm, of course, Mrs. Gine." Videl gave her the OK, and Gohan followed suit.
With all the care in the world, grandma lifted Pan out of her cradle. The two stared at each other with amusement, though it seemed like Pan was still not entirely comfortable with the situation. Noticing this, grandma brought her tail up to poke Pan's, kind of like I had done a few times before. This must have triggered Pan's funny bone because she started smiling and laughing as grandma held her in her arms, to which the elder replied by doing the same.
We came back downstairs, now everyone reunited as a big family. Grandma sat in the middle of a big couch while carrying Pan on her lap and one arm on Goten who was sitting right beside her. Gohan and I were sitting on either side of the couch, almost like bodyguards. We continued chatting, laughing, and just… recovering all those years we didn't know we lost. Before we knew it, we all fell asleep holding each other in our arms, with smiles as bright as the sun itself.
Author's Note: I mentioned early into this fic that I'm not the biggest fan of romance and that I probably wasn't going to write any romance into this story. What I am a fan of, however, is family and friend relationships. I will fully recognize the impact that a well-written romance plot can have, but stories about family and friends I think are more heartwarming. It's something that's easier to relate to and understand. If you ever watch Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, that's the kind of feeling I love and want to portray with this story, with room for action as well, of course.
Dragon Ball is also very guilty of not establishing strong maternal relationships. And I get it – it's a shounen series made for young boys, so the best way to appeal to them is by having a bunch of strong guys duking it out. However, that leaves me more room to experiment with the other subjects that Dragon Ball doesn't touch on often.
Finally, I appreciate all the reviews you guys are dropping! It moves me to know that people are enjoying the story overall, even if it does things that may not be to your liking. Of course, you don't have to leave a review if you don't want to, and I don't want anyone to force themselves to say something if they have nothing to say. Just taking time out of your afternoon to read my story is more than I could ask for.