When she had brought him home she honestly had no idea what she was doing. She had a general idea of how to look after living things, but not necessarily a Saiyan. For instance, she knew they were big eaters, but she hadn't expected the boy to eat almost half his weight in food per meal.
And although he was a sweet child the fact still remained that he was indeed a Saiyan. And as much as she tried, it was hard to shake her mistrust of the species. Especially when things like this would happen….
….
The warp pad lit up as the gem returned to her home. She had just finished vanquishing another corrupted gem. It's stone sat securely in a pink bubble in her right hand to make sure it wouldn't reform. As she tapped the top of it, it was sent away to the containment room. As stepped off the warp pad, she swore she could hear a noise come from behind her. It sounded like...snickering…
She turned to look around her, but no one was there. When she turned back she nearly jumped as she saw the tiny Saiyan standing in front of her with a big smile on his face. His hands were behind his back."Hi Rose!" he chirped.
She smiled and bent down to eye level for him. "Hello Goku," she said, "How have been while I was gone?"
"Good!" he responded, "I played in the ocean for a little while. It was really nice. The water was really warm today."
Rose frowned. "Goku," she said, "I thought I told you I wanted you to stay in your room when I'm not there to look after you." She had worked hard on making a room for the five year old in temple. She had thought it would have been enough for him. She had pretty much made him an indoor jungle gym after all. Emphasis on the jungle aspect. She had added in vines and plant life to make him feel more at home.
The boy pouted and looked at the ground. "I know…." he said, "But it's really lonely in there all by myself sometimes. And it's so nice outside." He then smiled proudly. "Plus, if I hadn't gone outside, I wouldn't have caught these!" he said revealing what he had hidden behind his back. Rose's eyes grew wide in fear as she saw that in each hand he had a dead seagull.
Rose reflexively moved away from the dead seabirds. "Goku…" she said carefully, her voice tense, "Where did you find those?!"
"I didn't find them. I caught them!" he said proudly, "There were a lot of them on the beach, but there's nowhere to hide and they're really fast so they're hard to catch."
"Goku," Rose cried, upset that she'd even have to explain this, "You can't just go around killing animals for your own amusement! That's wrong!"
The little boy looked confused. "But I wasn't killing for fun," he said, "I was hunting for food! See, there's two of them. One for me, and one for you!" he held one out to her. "We can cook them up and eat them together!" he announced, "Isn't that great?"
Rose's mouth became a thin line as she looked from the dead bird to the boy's sparkling eyes. She still had no idea how they could still seem so innocent while he offered her a dead body. She sighed and smiled a strained smile at him. "While I appreciate the thought, Goku," she said, "I'm afraid that I'm going to have to turn you down. As a gem, I don't eat much."
"Oh…" he said, "Ok. Will you still help me cook them?"
"Alright," she responded, "But you have to promise me you won't go around killing things on the beach. You can go fishing if you like, but that's it. We have plenty of food here. You don't need to hunt for your meals."
"Ok!" the little boy chirped, "Let's go start a fire for these! I'm starving!"
Rose gave a hum of amusement. "I'm sure you are," she mumbled.
….
There were other smaller reminders that set her on edge. Like when he smiled from ear to ear she would occasionally notice his unusually large canines, how he loved to chase after (though thankfully not try to harm) almost anything that moved, or when he got upset, one mis-timed flail of the hand would result in him accidentally breaking something. Thankfully, that didn't happen often as the boy was mostly mild mannered and well behaved...except when he needed a bath. Getting him to bed was almost as much of a hassle, especially if he decided not to stay in bed.
….
It was night time as Rose walked down the hallway of the temple to her room. It was quiet, for she had sent her Saiyan ward to bed a few hours ago. It had been a long day with several tiering missions. She had to stop two creatures from terrorizing the city and one gem beast that had taken up residence in the temple that Goku had dubbed "the slinker."
As she walked down the hall, more and more she felt like she was being watched. She turned to see a small shadow next to the wall. Rose instinctively summoned her shield as suddenly the shadow jumped out at her. It tackled her by the waist and she stumbled back slightly. She looked down at the creature gripping her stomach with slight fear, it's large eyes staring up at her and it's toothy grin reflecting in the dim light of the hallway. For a moment she swore she saw a menacing glint in its eyes...Until she heard it speak.
"Haha! Gotcha!" it chirped. She squirted in the dim light and saw instead of some evil creature glaring up at her, it was a tiny, mischievous Saiyan child smiling playfully.
"Goku, what are you doing up?" she asked.
"I couldn't fall asleep," he said simply with a shrug before climbing up her dress to be eye level with her, "Can I stay up with you instead? Please?"
She smiled at him. "No Goku, you have to go back to bed," she said, "you need your sleep."
"Aw...come on!" he pouted, "Not even for ten minutes? please?"
"No, Goku," she said, carrying him back to his room.
"What about a game of hide and seek or tag?" he asked, "If you chase me I'll get tired."
"No, you'll just get more excited," she said, "We both know that."
"Can I have another bedtime story?" he asked, "Maybe two?"
Rose considered this. "Maybe one if you promise to go to sleep right away," she said.
"Ok!" he said, nodding his head ecstatically. Three stories, two glasses of water, and a trip to the bathroom later, Goku still hadn't fallen asleep.
….
Then there were the times that he was purposefully destructive and played roughly, though she knew that those were very much human traits as well. And he wasn't trying to cause harm to others and never tried to take any of his mischief too far. But with his Saiyan super strength that sometimes caused problems, even when he wasn't trying to cause a bit of trouble. These moments seemed to happen the most when they went into town.
….
Goku sat in the inside window sill of the clothing store, swinging his feet back and forth. Although the people of the village that lived on the other side of the mountain he used to call home had generously donated a few outfits for him, Rose decided he would need a few more. They had been in the store for over thirty minutes, and the boy was starting to get restless. Rose had told him to sit and wait though. He looked out the window for some kind of entertainment, when he noticed a man crouching next to his car. He looked at the man curiously before looking back to Rose, who was still busy. Surely she wouldn't miss him for a few moments to figure out what was going on.
The man huffed as he tried to reach underneath his beatle car to get his keys that had fallen underneath. When he couldn't reach them, he sighed and sat up. Then he heard a voice say, "Whacha' doin'?" The man nearly jumped as he saw a little boy with messy hair standing next to him.
"Oh, um," he said, "I lost my keys. They fell under my car and I couldn't reach them," he explained.
"Want me to help?" the little boy asked.
The man looked at the boy and thought for a second. He was probably small enough to fit under the vehicle. "Alright," he said moving aside, "Go ahead." Goku then walked up to the back bumper of the car and gripped it. The man looked at him in confusion as the boy began to try and lift the car. "Kid that's not what I-" he began but immediately stopped and gaped in shock as the boy lifted the car into the air.
"There you go!" Goku said, "Go ahead and grab them."
"T-thanks…" the man said as he slowly reached down and grabbed his keys.
"No problem!" the little Saiyan chirped.
"GOKU?!" someone suddenly cried. Goku turned to see Rose starring at him in shock. She couldn't believe it. She had turned her back from him for five minutes, and when she looked back she found him lifting a car over his head right in front of a very terrified man. What had gotten into that boy? Was he trying to hurt the man? "Goku, what do you think you are doing?!" she demanded.
"I was helping this guy get his keys," Goku said simply.
Rose sighed, calming herself down slightly. "Goku, While I'm glad you helped that man, you can't just go around picking up vehicles," she explained, "You're scaring him."
Goku turned to see the practically petrified man. "Oh sorry," he said, putting the car down. However, he wasn't very gentle about it, and the car crashed to the ground causing the car alarm to go off and one of the front tires to pop. Rose facepalmed. "Oops!" Goku squeaked.
"MY CAR!" the man cried.
Rose sighed and removed her palm from her face. There went the money she brought for clothing.
….
Goku's lack of control of his own strength was becoming an issue. She could barely take him off the beach anymore. Whether by his own curiosity or simply a bit of clumsiness, whenever they went out on the town something always seemed to go wrong. Once he unscrewed the cap on a fire hydrant because he was curious as to what it was. Another time he broke the glass on a vending machine because he slammed his hand on it trying to get a candy bar to fall. Rose couldn't even count anymore all the times he accidentally tripped on the sidewalk while running and dented someone's car by trying to use it to break his fall.
It became apparent she'd have to find a way to help him control his strength and soon. She had considered teaching him martial arts to learn restraint, but still she was hesitant to do so. A small part of her worried that if she taught him how to use his strength as a defensive weapon, he might use it to one day embrace the violent nature of his Saiyan heritage. It didn't help that he was so enthusiastic about the idea because he wanted to get even stronger.
One day though, she decided she had no other choice. It had been a bright, sunny morning. She and Goku had been out on the beach enjoying the good weather. Then, a group of older children came along, playing catch. Goku had been really curious about them. He hadn't seen many other children before. Rose decided it would be good for him to spend time with others closer to his age, and so she encouraged him to go over to them and play with them…a decision she immediately regretted.
Everything was fine for a little while. The kids accepted him into their group easily enough. They tossed it back and forth for a little while. Then it was Goku's turn to throw the ball. One kid backed up and told him to throw it as far as he could, and so he did. He wound up and threw the ball...right at the other boy's head. It had been an accident of course, but that didn't change what happened next. With a loud thump, the kid fell back into the sand, unconscious. Goku's eyes widened at his own mistake as the other children began to gather around the unconscious child. When she had seen what had happened, she had also run over to the boy as fast as possible. She examined him, a large bruise already started forming on a fifth of the child's head and there was a centimeter sized cut. She glanced back over to Goku whose hands were clasped together guiltily and was avoiding eye contact. Her gaze became serious. She knew what she had to do.
Goku felt nervous as he saw that look from her. He hadn't seen a look like that from her before. He hadn't meant hurt the kid, but did she know that? He hoped so.
….
That afternoon, Rose had grabbed Goku by the hand right after he and finished lunch and immediately took him to the warp pad. Goku had been both apprehensive and curious as she lead him along. He asked her what they were doing, but she didn't respond, making him even more scared. Was she going to just drop him off somewhere and leave him there forever? He hoped not. He didn't want to be alone again. As they landed on the new warp pad, Goku found himself somewhere he had never been before.
"What is this place?" he asked.
"This is the Sky Arena," she explained as she lead him out into the arena area, "Gems used to use this place to settle disputes in battle."
"Woah! Cool!" he exclaimed as he ran onto the tiled floor. He looked all around, marveling at his surroundings. His smile soon faded as he became confused again. "Why did we come here?" he asked, turning to her.
"We came here, because this is where I will be teaching you martial arts," she explained.
Goku's eyes widened in delight. "Really?!" he cried, practically dancing in excitement. Rose nodded not nearly as excited as he. "THIS IS SO AWESOME! THANK YOOOOUUUUU!" he cried running over to her and hugging her leg. Rose's mouth twitched in amusement as he nuzzled into her dress. Suddenly he stopped and looked up at her in confusion. "But I thought I was in trouble 'cause of yesterday?" he asked, "Why are you being so nice?"
"No, you're not in trouble," she said, "But why I've decided to train you, does relate to what happened yesterday." "You need to learn how to control yourself. What happened yesterday was an accident, and I do not blame you for what happened, but we can't let things like that to continue to happen," she explained, "through martial arts you can learn restraint and discipline."
"Discipline?" Goku questioned, "So I am going to get punished?"
Rose smiled at him and patted his head. "No," she assured, "This kind of discipline means being able to control your emotions. It still might be difficult and challenging, but it won't be punishment."
"Ok then!" he quipped before skipping over to the center of the arena. "Let's get started!" he announced, a determined smile sat on his face. His tail waved back and forth in excitement. Rose smiled as she watched him. She then stepped up onto the arena and began teaching him the first stance.
….
Several months had passed since then and Rose could honestly say that deciding to teach him martial arts was probably one of the best decisions she ever made. Not only had Goku gained better control of his strength, but it allowed her to really get close to the boy and become completely comfortable around him. As they spent time together, she became less and less worried about him hurting anyone or of his heritage. She didn't see any underlying threat anymore to his love of hunting and meat or his eagerness to spar with and learn from her. For a while, she almost forgot he was a Saiyan at all!
She only really remembered one morning when he was six and she had gotten him up early. "I have a big surprise for you Goku!" she said. As she lead the little boy along. She was really excited about what she had to show him. She had been planning it for months.
Goku was not so excited. "Can't we have breakfast first?" he asked with a yawn, rubbing his eye with his free hand.
"Not this time," she explained, "If we wait any longer, we'll miss it!"
"Miss what?" he asked as they exited the temple. The light of dawn shone over the ocean, bathing everything in it's rosy-orange hue.
Rose held a finger to her smiling lips with a wink. "Just watch!" she said. Goku nodded, still a little sleepy. He looked out over the beach as his mentor commanded. For a little while, nothing happened. Then he noticed something pink flutter in front of his face. He blinked in surprise as more began to drift passed on the wind. As they landed on the sand in front of him, he recognized them as some kind of flowers. He looked up and his eyes widened as he saw hundreds of them floating on the wind, twirling in the air.
"Woah!" he whispered. "Rose! It's raining flowers!" he cheered.
She nodded at him, smile widening even further. Her plan had gone perfectly. A long time ago, long before she had even come to earth, she had found a particular species of plant that had caught her eye. A kind of moss that reproduced by sending its blooms out into the wind. Over the years she had become an expert at controlling its growth and she had spent the past few months cultivating it to make sure they would bloom at just the right moment. It had been a full year since they had met each other and and she wanted to celebrate it. "Aren't they beautiful?" she said. Goku nodded enthusiastically. "I'm glad you like them so much," she said, "Now go out and have some fun for a little while. I'm going to get you a very special breakfast." The boy did as he was told and ran out onto the beach. Rose smiled as she watched him. She then headed back inside to start cooking.
…
A few hours later, she had several stacks of pancakes with whip cream and fresh strawberries she had gathered that morning set out on the warp pad. She had warm syrup of three different flavors(Maple, blueberry, and strawberry) along with very creamy butter ready to adorn the flapjacks with for the tiny warrior for when he returned. She had a basic idea of how to cook since she had first come to Earth all those years ago, but living with the young boy had made her really have to practice the skill. "Goku!' she called, once everything was ready. A few minutes passed before he came running into the temple. he was a bit dirty and some petals stuck to his clothes.
He eyed the food, mouth watering. "This looks amazing!" he exclaimed reaching for one of the strawberries. Rose had to gently swat his hand away.
"Not just yet," she said, "You need to wash your hands first. You don't want to get sick do you?"
Goku pouted and grumbled before nodding and heading inside the temple. A few minutes later he came running back, hands extended outwards.
"Ok, my hands are clean!" he hurriedly proclaimed, waving them in her face, "Can I eat NOW?"
"Hold on, let me look at them," she said extending her hands out to take his. The little boy groaned and stomped his feet in protest, but allowed her to examine his hands anyways. As she did so, she looked up and noticed that over a dozen of the moss flowers had managed to get stuck in Goku's wild hair. She bit her lip and brought a hand to her mouth to chuckle lightly.
"What?" Goku said, cocking his head to the side.
"It appears a few of the flowers decided to hitch a ride in your hair!" she noted.
"Really?" he asked, reaching up to pull one out and examine it. "Huh...Eh...I'll get rid of them later," he said with a shrug, "Cause now it's chow time, right?" Rose nodded and he quickly grabbed himself a plate and began scarfing down pancakes.
Rose smiled as she watched him eat. Her eyes kept being drawn back to the flowers strewn in his hair. It was quite cute really; they almost formed a crown of sorts! "I never thought a Saiyan could look so adorable!" she thought to herself. Her smile then faded as realization dawned on her. This past year she had spent caring for, mentoring, and spending time with a creature from a species she never thought she could forgive! On top of that, the time they had spent together contained some of the happiest moments she had experienced in years! She couldn't help but feel surprised with herself. If anyone had told her even a day before she met Goku that she would enjoy living with a member of such a violent species and that person would enjoy living with her in return, she would have thought them insane! Never in a million years would she have thought a Saiyan of any age could be anything more than a wild, violent warrior. Oh how wrong she had been.
"Rose?" Goku said, snapping her out of her train of thought, "Why were you staring at the wall?"
She blinked before smiling again. "Oh, no reason," she lied, "I was just thinking." Goku nodded and went back to eating. After a few moments she spoke again. "Goku?" she asked. The boy looked up and gave a muffled acknowledgement, cheeks stuffed like a chipmunk's full of food. "I just wanted to let you know, I'm really glad I got to meet you, and I'm very proud to have you as my student," she said.
The boy smiled before swallowing. "You too!" he said, "I like living with you and having you teach me! It's fun!" He then took another bite of the pancakes. "And your food is really good!" he said, mouth full. Rose chuckled at that. He then swallowed and looked up at her. "Hey Rose?" he asked, "Can we go train in a forest today? The arena's fun but I kinda want to swing in some tree branches too."
"I think we can do that," she said, "Just so long as you pay attention."
"OK!" he said with a nod as he finished up his plate.
Hope you enjoyed this bit of fluff! This is the last one I have planned for this week, I'm afraid. I've been wanting to write it for a while, but I had trouble connecting the little segments together. still, I hope you liked it! If you have suggestions or comments, feel free to leave them in a review. Thanks for reading you guys! You rock! Have a great day!