Chapter 002 – Son Goku and the Visitor from Space
"Heeeeeey!"
The loud noise coming from outside seemed to generate excitement in the three adults inside the house. Curious as to why everyone had begun to make their way towards the door, Corset followed albeit from a safe distance. Through the adults' legs she could see a pair of boots.
Seeking safety from her mother Corset latched herself to her mother's coat and curiously observed the new visitors.
"Hey Goku, who's the kid?" Bulma asked.
"Did you start baby-sitting?" Krillin added with a snort.
Corset noticed the small boy in the tall spiky-haired man's arm. The man looked quite muscular but had a gentle and happy smile. Corset'd always thought muscular men were scary and dangerous; this man didn't seem the least bit dangerous to her.
Her attention turned to the small child in his arms. The boy looked like he was as shy around these new people as she felt. His hat almost looked as if it would fall down over his face! His clothes were quite strange too; Corset didn't know why his eastern-style shirt was so long and wasn't sure if it was actually a dress... but boys didn't wear dresses... Her thoughts trailed.
"W-WHAT?" The high-pitched cries of her mother and the two bald men made Corset jump out of her skin!
"Yours as in YOURS?" Krillin blurted flabbergasted.
"Yeah, what's wrong with that?" the man nodded cheerfully, lowering the young boy onto the ground, "It's ok son, say hi."
The small boy smiled shyly and bowed down, "H-Hello, nice to meet you." He seemed like a nice enough person.
"N-Nice to meet you too," The others bowed down. Bulma looked quickly at Corset; Corset gasped in realisation and hurriedly bowed down alongside them.
"His name's Son Gohan," Goku smiled.
'Son Gohan?' Corset repeated in her mind, still closely observing the young boy and his father.
"G-Gohan honey, how old are you?" Bulma asked.
"I'm this many," Gohan held out his fingers.
"Ah, you're four as well!" Bulma smiled.
"Same age as Corset here," Krillin noted.
For the first time the tall man and small boy focused their attention onto the little girl. Corset glanced down at her feet awkwardly, face reddening.
"Corset?" Goku repeated. "You mean that little girl standing with Bulma? Come to think of it, who's she with?"
"She's my daughter," Bulma replied coolly.
"YOUR DAUGHTER?" Goku blurted, taking a startled step back. "B-But... she doesn't look anything like you, Bulma! I thought your children were meant to look like their parents?"
"That's what we thought too," Krillin replied. "The only thing I can see they have in common are the eyes. She even has a tail - just like you had!"
Goku looked down at the small child and spotted her tail flickering around. "So she does… Gohan has one too but I guess that's from what Chichi called genetics!" He seemed quite happy he'd remembered such a big word - or at least a word that sounded big to Corset!
"Does that mean that Bulma had a tail when she was born, too?" Goku probed.
Bulma pouted offended, "Don't associate me with your strangeness, Goku! No, I didn't have a tail when I was born; the human race in general do not have tails."
"Wait a moment! Did you say Gohan has a tail too?" Master Roshi gasped.
The attention went back to the young boy, Corset was relieved. She always felt warm around her face and uncomfortable whenever people were looking at her. She noticed the kanji written on Gohan's strange clothes; she'd never seen that sign before and wondered what it said...
"Corset, dear, Goku's brought along his son; why don't you two go and play?" Bulma suggested.
Her daughter took a small glance over to the young boy who'd also taken to clinging close to his parent's leg. Both seemed a little weary of the other for a moment before Corset finally stepped out and walked over to him.
Gohan slid a little more behind Goku's leg.
Goku glanced down at his son, "It's ok Gohan; I think she just wants to play."
"Do you wanna play?" Corset asked, cocking her head to the side a little as she asked.
Gohan hesitated before giving a small nod, bravely moving out from behind his father and smiling, "Ok."
The two children ran over towards the sea.
"Aww, I'm glad to see she's actually getting along with someone for once!" Bulma smiled in relief. "Usually she doesn't even talk to other children her age; it was beginning to worry me!"
The adults had made themselves comfy near to where the children were playing in the sand. They watched as they continued to catch up with one another.
Both Gohan and Corset could hear the adult's conversation but neither focused on it; they were too occupied making a sand castle. Corset plonked another lump of sand onto the top. "I'm gonna be in charge of this castle," she declared.
Gohan made a confused noise in the back of his throat. "I was making a hill. What can I be in this castle?"
Corset pondered this for a moment. "... You have to be the servant!"
"Aww, but I don't wanna be a servant," Gohan frowned, "I wanna be a great scholar."
"What's that?" Corset asked perplexed.
"It's a person who can help other people," Gohan smiled. "My mother says I should study lots so I can become one!"
"So they're a helper? Ok then, you can be a helper whilst it's my turn to be in charge of the castle," Corset decided.
"Your turn?" Gohan repeated. "When is it my turn?"
"When my turn is finished," Corset replied. "I'm the queen of this castle!"
"That's a big sand castle you have, your highness." A third voice droned.
The slow, aged voice startled both Gohan and Corset; Turtle had come over to see what they'd been doing.
"Y-Yes, it's my castle, it is a big castle just like my house is a big house," Corset wearily nodded.
Gohan approached the turtle cautiously and began to pet him after a moment. "You're a nice turtle," he smiled before turning back to Corset. "You have a big house then?"
"Yeah, my house is the biggest house around!" Corset beamed, attempting to show how large her house was with her arms.
"Wow, I'd like to see how big it is," Gohan smiled. "I wonder if it's bigger than my house…"
"It is! My house is the biggest house in the whole world!" Corset nodded. "My grandpa and nana live there with my mama and me and all the cats and dogs and birds and dinosaurs!"
"You have pets too?" Gohan repeated. "I don't have any pets. I wish I did but Mother won't let us."
"They're not my pets; they are Grandpa and Nana's pets," Corset explained, cautiously walking towards Turtle and Gohan. "I don't have a turtle though... Will he bite me?"
"No, he's a nice turtle," Gohan shook his head, "he let me pet him! He won't bite you."
"... Mr Turtle, will you bite me?" Corset asked.
"No, I wouldn't do anything like that," Turtle replied. "Would you two like a ride on my back?"
The sudden cry from behind them made both children turn around. Corset was left totally mystified by the serious look on Gohan's father's face, it seemed a little scary to her. He was saying something about a huge ki signal, whatever that was.
Turtle seemed nervous. "... I think we'd better go back to the others."
Corset and Gohan stopped playing and cautiously made their way back to their respective parent. As they approached, the mention of a powerful ki approaching was made by the tall guy in the orange uniform; the one the adults had referred to as Son Goku. The apparent urgency and the way the adults were acting scared Corset and she clung to her mother's coat for security. What was going on?
Goku's head rocked back as he focused on something up in the sky. Within a matter of seconds, someone appeared in front of the group. Corset watched him cautiously as she hid behind her mother, picking up a strange vibe from him. There was something about him that scared her and it was something other than the fact he was a stranger to her.
"So, we meet at last," the man smiled. His long black hair looked as if it were falling off his head according to Corset; he reminded her strangely of a pineapple. His clothes were rather weird; some sort of armour covered the upper half of his body. His eyes looked cold and evil making the hairs on her neck stand on end.
Corset averted her eyes to the others around her; the one called Krillin seemed to be rather surprised; the old man looked cross.
"I've been looking for you," the man continued, "You look exactly like your father, Kakarrot..."
Kakarrot? What was that supposed to mean? Was one of the people here called Kakarrot, or was it an object? Corset wasn't too sure. She'd never even heard of the word and was sure her mother and grandfather – the smartest people she knew – would know what it meant. Yet her mother seemed perturbed by the use of the word. Did that mean she'd never heard of it either? Corset couldn't believe such a scenario could exist.
Gohan's father spoke out to the stranger, the conversation going on for some time and Corset slowly losing interest in what was being said. She didn't really understand what was going on but it seemed serious; at one point Bulma's hand rested on the back of Corset's head and pulled her closer to her, making Corset lean right against her mother's leg.
"You were supposed to carry out your mission! What has happened to you, Kakarrot?!" The man demanded.
Corset noticed movement in the corner of her eye and looked to see Krillin approaching this man. "Listen, I don't know who you are but you're bothering us. Shoo!"
"Krillin, don't get any closer!" Goku yelled.
She didn't see what caused it to happen but the sudden and violent nature of Krillin flying back and crashing through the wall of Kame house made Corset silently scream; the breath hitched in her throat. Now she was scared. This man, whoever he was, appeared to be strong and very aggressive and Corset feared he would do the same to her. She didn't want to be hurt! The fear made her cling to her mother's leg tighter. She wasn't safe.
The other adults now seemed to be occupied with the man's tail. Until today, she'd never seen anyone who had a tail. Now she knew two others and another who used to have one. The thought made her subconsciously wriggle her own tail, having little time to do this before her mother gently held it and hid it from view and making her daughter whimper in pain.
"W-What happened to your tail, Kakarrot? Did they get you in your sleep or something?" He demanded venomously.
"Look, I don't know who this 'Kakarrot' guy you're talking about is!" Goku retaliated. "I don't even know who you are!"
The strange man looked at them sternly, his eyes still fixated on the man in the orange uniform. "Tell me, did you ever suffer a bump to your head?"
"Who are you? Tell me that first!" Goku demanded.
The man seemed to consider the demand before letting his arms fall to his sides. "Fine, although you may wish you'd never asked." A strange smile crept upon his face as he continued. "I am here to collect you and take you back, Kakarrot. You're no Earthling – you are a Saiyan; a member of the strongest race in the universe! I am Raditz... your older brother."
Everyone around her seemed completely stunned by the revelation. The old man muttered something Corset couldn't quite pick up; she was too scared to listen to what it was he'd said. Her mother took hold of her hand and held it firmly. It wasn't calming on her.
"L-Liar! Take it back!" Goku yelled.
"If Goku's an alien then why is he here?" Master Roshi asked baffled.
The man who called himself Raditz – whatever that was meant to mean – went in to explain that Gohan's father had been sent to Earth to conquer it and kill all the humans living on it. The story made Corset quiver; killing, exploding planets, and deadly aliens! She definitely wanted this man to go away now, he sounded like a monster from a nightmare!
The soft sound of wood shifting made her instinctively bolt around defensively, seeing Krillin emerging from the hole in the pink house. At least he wasn't dead like she had assumed. It was a relief.
"...So Goku was originally sent here to kill us?" he asked rubbing the back of his smooth shiny head.
"No! It's not true!" Goku cried, sounding desperate. He didn't want to believe; he refused to accept that this man's stories were true. There was no way they could be true. He could never bring himself to do those things, he could never bring himself to kill.
"It's clear now that you did suffer a blow to your head," Raditz sneered. "You even lost your tail. Your full potential has gone, Kakarrot - your power cannot be altered anymore, even in the face of a full moon!"
"What're you talking about? What's so great about having a tail?" Goku asked suspiciously.
"You idiot!" Raditz bellowed. "You really don't know anything do you? Listen carefully Kakarrot, we need you back. Your race needs you back. You see there's this nice planet set up to be taken over by us next but three Saiyans alone aren't enough. Lucky I remembered my weak little brother; you can tilt the scales in our favour... Picture it Kakarrot, the carnage, the bloodshed! Doesn't it get your blood boiling? You crave battle, Kakarrot!"
"No, I won't be a part of it - I'd rather die!" Goku responded in disgust. "I won't kill anyone. I don't care if you're my brother and I don't care if I'm an alien, I'm Son Goku and I'm an Earthling. Get the heck off my planet!"
"You tell him Goku," Bulma jeered.
"Nature over nurture m'boy. Goku's not just an Earthling - he's the best Earthling I know." Roshi joined in.
"Yeah, he even saved this planet once. Do us a favour and go away." Krillin added.
A smirk emerged on the man's face, "Now that I cannot do..." He went on to telling some wild story about how his home planet had been destroyed by an asteroid and there'd been only four survivors – including himself and Gohan's father Kakarrot... or was it Goku? "... You should be thankful, Kakarrot – because we were doing wrong as you put it, we are alive."
"I don't care! If all the Saiyans did was kill others then they paid for their crimes with their lives," Goku yelled, clenching his fists.
"So you refuse to join us? Fine, have it your way then," Raditz smiled, eyes shifting slightly. "Tell me... those two children... are they your whelps?"