"Gohan! Rinka!" Chi Chi called into the forest surrounding their home. "It's time to come in! Gohan! Rinka!" she called again, louder when there was no response.
Meanwhile, in another part of the woods, their father Goku was leaping through the trees. He was busy looking for the perfect oak to chop down to make into firewood for his family.
"Hey kids, answer me!" Chi Chi hollered once again.
"Yes mother, I'm coming!" Rinka, their first-born daughter, answered from the edge of the clearing. She wandered out of the trees and up to her mom.
The girl was dressed in a little, blue kimono with a red sash. Her obsidian hair done up in a neat bun on top of her head, similar in fashion to her mother. Her shorter bangs framing her face, combed perfectly straight.
"There you are!" Chi Chi exclaimed, but then looked around. She furrowed her brow when she realized that her younger son, Gohan, was no where to be found. "Rinka, where is your brother?" she demanded. "You were supposed to be keeping an eye on him!" she lectured.
"I was, I –" Rinka turned to glance around. She looked confused as well when she realized Gohan wasn't with her. "I thought he was right behind me. That's weird," she offered casually.
Their conversation was cut short when her father came tromping into view carrying a massive log over his head.
"Goku? You think you got enough firewood there?" Chi Chi asked him. He dropped the log with a thud right next to their house.
"Yeah! This should last us a while. Don't you think?" he wondered.
"Ugh, you're going to hurt yourself doing that one of these days," Chi Chi lectured him.
"Oh, I'm fine," he assured her. Rinka ran up to her father, grabbing him around the leg.
"Hey daddy! When are you going to teach me to be able to carry that much?" she asked, pushing against him and causing him to wobble.
"Whoa!" he said, before bending down and snatching her up in his arms. "I don't know, Rin. You're pretty strong already," he told her.
"Yeah, but, I wanna be as strong as you someday!" she boasted.
"That isn't going to happen!" her mother snapped. "You've taught her too much as it is, Goku. Learning to defend yourself is one thing, but you can't spend all of your time training. Both you and your brother have studying to do. Your education is very important for you to have a successful future!" Rinka just rolled her eyes at her mother's ceaseless nagging.
"By the way, where is Gohan?" Goku asked, after he glanced around and was unable to find him.
"That's what we were trying to figure out. Where did you last see him, Rinka?" her mother asked her.
"We were playing over there by the stream," she motioned in the direction that she had just come from. "We heard you calling, so we heading for home, and I thought he was right behind me," she explained.
"Goku, I think you better go find him. You're all supposed to be at Master Roshi's pretty soon," Chi Chi reminded him.
"Oh yeah! That's right!" he exclaimed, placing his daughter back onto the ground.
"You'd better take the flying Nimbus. You don't wanna be late for your reunion," Chi Chi suggested.
"Okay, bye Chi Chi! Come on Rin!" Goku called as he ran back into the forest.
"Right behind you!" she said excitedly, and hurried after him. But in her haste, she accidentally stumbled and tripped over the edge of her kimono.
"Rinka! Be careful!" her mother yelled after her.
"Sorry mom," she said, rising and dusting herself off. Stupid kimono! She could barely move in the thing, which was why she usually hated wearing it!
Goku waited a moment for her to catch up, before they headed off towards where Rinka had last seen her brother.
"So, where were you playing?" he asked her.
"Just, over there." She pointed towards a clearing.
Goku scanned the area, but wasn't able to find anything. "Are you sure?"
"Yes I'm sure," she snapped back.
"Hmmm, he must've wandered off then. You should know better than to let him get lost like that. You're his older sister, after all. He looks up to you," her father lightly scolded.
"I'm sorry daddy," Rinka said, shamefaced. "I didn't mean to."
"I know. Don't worry. We'll find him," he reassured her.
As they continued searching, a flash of red peaking through the bushes suddenly caught Rinka's eye. It was Gohan's hat!
"Dad, look, over there!" she exclaimed and pointed at it. But instead of Gohan being in his hat, it was being worn by a saber-tooth tiger of all things!
"Hey, you, that hat!" Goku called to it, getting it's attention.
"Yipe!" it said, it's fur going all bristly. It then slowly turned and began to creep towards Goku and Rinka.
"That's Gohan's!" Goku realized as the tiger started looking vicious and growling at them.
"That's my brother's hat! Where did you get it, you big bully?!" Rinka snapped angerly at him, but he just continued to snarl. "I swear, if you've hurt him!" she yelled at the big cat.
It suddenly jumped at her angry tone, and looked nervous and confused at the fact that she wasn't scared of him. The hat then slowly slipped off his head, and he darted back into the woods, deciding that he didn't want to mess with this crazy girl, or her father.
Rinka darted over and snatched up the hat. Turning back to see a serious expression on her dad's face.
"We're not getting anywhere on foot!" he decided. "Nimbus!" he called out to the sky, and as if by magic, a bright yellow, fluffy cloud suddenly zoomed down and stopped right next to him. "Let's go!" he said, leaping onto the cloud and Rinka hopping up behind him.
They both kept a close eye on the landscape below as they zoomed along, looking for any sign of Gohan. And continually calling out his name as they went.
It was when they were hovering over a river that they finally heard a response. "Daddy!" came the sound of crying from below them.
"Gohan!" Goku called when he spotted him. He was clinging to a log that was rapidly getting pulled down river. How on earth had he managed to get into this situation?
Rinka gasped when he suddenly lost his grip and went under, only to resurface a moment later. She breathed out a sigh.
"Hang on, son! I'll be right there!" Goku told him.
He swooped down until he was right above Gohan, and reached down to try and grab him. Rinka was clutching to him tightly in order to keep from falling into the river herself!
"Just a little farther," her father strained.
Rinka glanced up to see that they were rapidly approaching the side of a mountain, with the river running into a cave underneath it.
"Dad, look out!" she yelled, drawing his attention to the rock wall.
He looked up in surprise before veering up and out of danger. Meanwhile, Gohan slipped into the cave and out of reach.
"Daddy!" he cried as his disappeared.
"Hang on, Gohan!" Goku said, as they headed up and over.
They came around the top just in time to see Gohan plummet over the waterfall that was waiting on the other side! Goku gasped in surprise.
"Oh no, Gohan!" Rinka hollered out.
They zoomed after him, but were too late to reach the log before it crashed into the pool below. They both starting calling for him again, Rinka frantically scanning the water for any sign of him. Her father was about to jump into the pool to search underwater, before a sudden wailing caught their attention. They both glanced up to see Gohan clinging to a branch and bawling high over the waterfall.
"What? How?" Rinka wondered.
"Help! I'm stuck! I can't get down!" Gohan cried as Goku brought the Nimbus up right in front of him.
"Uh, Gohan? You can let go now," Rinka told him, a bit of mocking to her tone.
He looked up to see them and immediately dove into their father's awaiting arms.
"Daddy! Oh, thank you daddy! I was so scared," he cried into his chest.
"Gohan, how do you get yourself into these situations?" Rinka asked him.
"You – you left me, and then I got lost!" he wailed.
"Ugh! We were supposed to be going home. It's not my fault you get distracted and wander off!" she snapped. But then he looked up at her with bleary, tear filled eyes, and she sighed. "I'm sorry, Gohan. I'll try to be better about looking out for you from now on," she promised. "I'm just glad you're safe."
"Yeah, but – how'd you get all the way up here?" their father asked him. He glanced back down to the water below them. "Hmm, that's strange."
"Daddy," Gohan said, then paused for a moment. "I lost my hat," he admitted shamefully. Goku responded by plopping the hat back on his head with a grin.
"What? Silly! No you didn't. It's on your head. Now, let's go get you cleaned up. Then you and Rin can come with me to meet all my friends at Master Roshi's!" Goku told him excitedly. Gohan gave him a big smile. "That's my boy," he praised.
Rinka had to admit that she was pretty excited about getting to go meet her father's friends. She'd heard a lot about them growing up, and the idea of actually getting to meet some new people had her psyched! Especially since they seemed to have a penchant for going on adventures.
. . .
A little while later, they were all on their way across the ocean to Master Roshi's island. Gohan was laughing merrily as they zoomed through the air. Rinka always loved riding on the Nimbus. While she was able to fly on her own, she was no where near this fast yet!
"Here we are, you guys!" Goku told them right before they touched down on the little island. Goku leapt off the Nimbus with Gohan in his arms, Rinka right on his heels, as usual.
It was occupied by a single little, pink house that had the word KAME written across the front of it. There was a capsule ship already parked in front. Rinka felt her stomach do a little flip. She was excited, but also nervous. She really hoped her dad's friends would liker her.
"Hey, is anyone home?" her father called into the open front door.
Two people suddenly came running outside with big grins on their faces. One was a tall lady with bright blue hair that was cut in a short bob. The other was a short guy that had no hair. He was dressed in an outfit similar to her dad's, and had six dots running up his forehead. Rinka was able to recognize them from a picture her father had shown her – Bulma and Krillin.
"Goku!" They exclaimed merrily. They were quickly joined by a bald, old man, who Rinka knew to be Master Roshi.
"Hi!" he greeted back.
Gohan clung tighter to his dad and stared at the strangers with nervous eyes. Rinka just stood next to father, smiling quietly at them. They all seemed to look a bit confused.
"Hey, who are the kids?" Bulma wondered.
"You trying to ear some extra cash babysitting or something?" Krillin guessed.
"Actually, this is my son and daughter," he explained proudly.
They all suddenly looked very shocked and confused at this news. Rinka looked up at her dad with a questioning glance. When was the last time he'd spoken to them? Had he really never told his friends that he had kids?
"What?! These are your kids?!" Master Roshi hollered out.
"Pretty wild, huh?" he said, setting Gohan down.
"Wow," Krillin breathed out.
"Oh, Goku! They're adorable!" Bulma praised. Rinka took that as her cue and took a couple steps forward.
"Hello, my name is Rinka. It's nice to meet you," she said politely, giving them a small bow.
"Oh my gosh! You're just the spitting image of Chi Chi when she was little. How cute!" Bulma told her as she bent down to get a better look.
Rinka wasn't sure how much she liked being compared to her mother, but she smiled back anyway.
Meanwhile, Gohan was shyly hiding behind his dad, clinging to his pant leg.
"Say hi, Gohan," their dad encouraged him.
"Uh, hello – everyone," he greeted awkwardly, only coming out from behind him a bit.
"Hello," they answered back.
"And this is Gohan," Goku announced to them.
"Huh? Gohan?" Master Roshi questioned. "I see. You named him after your grandfather, did ya?"
"Uh huh," Goku acknowledged.
"Well, that's wonderful. They are fine looking kids, I'm sure your grandpa would have been very proud," Master Roshi assured him.
Bulma's attention then shifted from Rinka to her brother. "Hey Gohan, how old are you?" she asked him.
"Um, uh," he had to think about it for a second. "Four and a half," he told her.
"Are you gonna grow up to be a brave fighter like your dad?" she asked.
"Well, Chi Chi doesn't let him train," Goku explained.
"Uh, oh. No martial arts, huh? For either of you?" Bulma glanced at Rinka.
"Actually, mom doesn't mind me training so much. After all, she says 'it's important for a woman to know how to defend herself'," Rinka told them, shaking a finger and mimicking her mother.
"Yeah, but, I think what you've learned goes a bit beyond just self defense," Goku mentioned with an awkward chuckle.
"Well, martial arts is fun! Dad's been teaching me some of his techniques. Don't tell my mom," Rinka mock whispered to them with a big grin.
"So, why does Chi Chi let you learn, but not Gohan?" Bulma wondered.
"I'm not really sure. Chi Chi's just never been quite as protective of Rin. I think it's because she's older," Goku guessed.
"It also could be because Gohan's a boy. They always say mother's are especially protective of their little boys," Bulma added. "So, what do you want to be when you grow up, Gohan?" she asked.
"An Orthopedist," he recited.
"Wow, uh. An Orthopedist?" Bulma sound like she didn't really know how to respond to that. "What about you, Rinka?"
"I wanna study computer science," she said, her face beaming.
"Oh? You mean like me?" Bulma asked excitedly.
"Yeah, kinda. . . or be a rock star!" she declared with a grin.
"Huh? What? A rock star?!" Krillin responded, sounding shocked. In fact, they all looked a bit, taken aback.
Rinka fixed him with a sideways glance. "That was a joke," she responded flatly.
"Oh," he said a bit sheepishly.
Goku began laughing awkwardly at his daughter. "That's Rin for ya. She's always been a funny one," he said, plopping a hand on her head and rubbing her hair.
The sea turtle, who had been just hanging out and listening, suddenly moved closer to Gohan, distracting them all. Gohan looked nervous and tried to back away.
"He's just saying hi, Gohan," Goku assured him.
"Hmm, a tail," Bulma commented, when she noticed it. She looked over and saw that Rinka was sporting one as well.
"Yeah, they were both born with one. Just like me," Goku told her. The turtle bent his head down closer to the little boy. "I think he wants you to pet him, Gohan," Goku encouraged. So Gohan complied with a smile. It seemed to make the turtle happy.
"Oh man, Goku! Has anything, ya know, strange ever happened to Gohan or Rinka at night?" Bulma asked with sudden worry.
"Whatdaya mean?" he wondered.
"She means, has either of them ever looked at the moon at night, when its full?" Master Roshi clarified.
"I don't think so. No, we all go to bed pretty early," Goku told them.
They all fixed their eyes on Gohan. He was suddenly on top of the turtle, riding him. Then they glanced over at Rinka.
"Why? What happens when you look at a full moon? You scared we're gonna turn into werewolves or something?" Rinka asked with a grin. What a silly question, she thought.
"What? N-No! No! Nothing like that. We was just wondering is all," Master Roshi answered, suddenly acting all jumpy. That was strange. Rinka wondered what the big deal was.
"Well, uh, he sure seems a lot different than you were when you were a kid, Goku," Krillin pointed out.
Gohan had climbed off the turtle and was now running away from a small wave to make sure he didn't get wet.
"I know. Like I said, Chi Chi can be pretty over-protective when it comes to Gohan. She makes him study all the time, and she says martial arts are a waste of energy," he explained with a sigh.
"Oh yeah? Then what does that make us then?" Krillin snapped.
"Now, now, settle down boys. You can't expect everyone to agree with what you're doing. It would be all too easy, then," Master Roshi lectured.
"Well, at least Rin seems to have taken much more after me." Goku glanced down to smile at his daughter and ruffle her hair some more.
"So, you're a daddy's girl, are ya?" Krillin asked her.
"You could say that," she said with a smirk, her hair now staring to fall out of the immaculate bun. This didn't escape Bulma's notice.
"Goku, your messing up her hair!" she protested.
"Oh, that's okay, Bulma. I don't really like wearing my hair like this, anyway. This is just how my mom does it," Rinka said with a pout.
"So, how do you like to wear your hair?" she wondered in a bemused tone.
"Like this!" Rinka reached up and began rapidly dusting off her head, further messing up her hair. When she was finished, hair was sticking out of the bun in all directions, some of it even falling completely out so that her bangs were longer, dangling more into her face.
"Well, that figures," Bulma huffed. Rinka grinned up at her.
Meanwhile, Gohan was busying himself playing rock, paper, scissors with a crab, until he finally won a round. He laughed before the crab began angerly blowing bubbles in his face. Master Roshi laughed at that.
"Watch out! He might pinch ya, Gohan! That crab's a mighty sore loser!" he warned. Gohan then came running back over to the group.
"Oh, how neat! That's a real dragon ball on your hat, isn't it?" Bulma asked.
Did she really just noticed the dragon ball? Rinka wondered skeptically.
"Yep, the four star ball. It took me a while to find it, but I wanted Gohan to have it, since it used to belong to my grandfather," Goku explained. "I've been collecting Dragonballs for fun. I've got the three star ball, and the six star ball too. They're at home."
"Wow. You know, it's wild to think of all the crazy adventures we used to have trying to find those things," Bulma said.
"Yeah, really," Krillin added. "So, Goku. Whataya guys gonna wish for when ya get all seven?" Krillin asked.
He picked up a rock off the beach and skipped it across the ocean. It kept skipping until it was out of sight. Rinka watched it with amazement, and then glanced back over at Krillin. She knew that he had trained together with her father, but she hadn't really thought about how strong he must be as well because of it.
"A better gaming laptop," Rinka then answered matter-of-factly.
"Rin, you know your mom doesn't like you playing games on that thing," her father scolded her.
"They're educational," she argued back. "Mostly," she added when they all gave her skeptical glances.
"Well, I know there isn't anything that I want," Goku said as he picked up a pebble, and tossed it across the sea.
Which is actually pretty accurate, as it sailed out of sight, not even touching the water once. Rinka grinned. As strong as Krillin was, her daddy was still the strongest guy in the world!
"Whoa! Wow!" they all exclaimed.
"You're still one bad dude, Goku," Krillin praised.
But it was short-lived, however, as Goku's face suddenly contorted into a serious scowl. He began glancing around nervously, making the others nervous as well.
"What? What is it?" Krillin asked.
"What Goku?" Master Roshi pressed.
"There's something bad heading straight for us!" he announced.
"What?" Bulma asked nervously. "Are you sure, Goku?" They all looked out over the sea. Everything seemed to be fine.
"I'm positive! I've never felt a power like this before!" he told them, sounding nervous as well.
"Yeah, I feel it now too," Krillin said.
"There's nothing there you guys," Bulma frowned skeptically, but he was unphased.
Rinka thought she could start to feel something now, as well. She wasn't super skilled at feeling out energy levels yet, but this was massive enough that even she was picking it up! What did it mean?
"Look, there!" Goku shouted as a person was starting to come into view.
"Oh yes, I see it Goku!" Master Roshi yelled.
"Who is that?" Goku wondered.
"It's not Piccolo, is it?" Krillin asked, shading his eyes to try to get a better look at the flying figure.
It appeared to be some guy dressed in weirdly shaped armor. He had a little screen over one eye, and his hair was very long and spiky. It was the same jet-black color that her family had, and Rinka couldn't help but noticed that he kinda looked a bit like her dad. He landed gently on the sand in front of them with a satisfied grunt, and everyone took an unconscious step back.
He and Goku just stared each other down for a bit. The guy was growling at him. Who was this person? Why was he making everyone so nervous? The little screen on his face started beeping, and he laughed ominously.
"So, we meet again at last. You've grown up," the stranger suddenly said, causing her dad to start in surprise. "I recognize you, though, Kakarot."
"Kakarot?" Goku asked in surprise.
"That's right. That's your name!" the stranger declared. Rinka was feeling really confused. That clearly wasn't her dad's name.
"Huh? His name?" the others stated in confusion.
"Who is this? He must be nuts!" Krillin commented.
"Kakarot! What have you been doing here all these years? Your mission was to terminate all life on this planet! Why haven't you carried it out?" the guy demanded.
Goku just looked confusedly around at the others, but they didn't provide any help with clarification.
"Listen Mister! I don't know who you are, but you've obviously got the wrong guy!" Krillin told him. "Shoo, shoo," he said, waving him off. "I think you've been dipping in the eggnog!" Krillin advanced on the stranger. "Allow me to escort you off this island."
Krillin didn't get a chance to do so, however, as the guy started to power up.
"Krillin, watch out!" Goku shouted at him, too late.
Krillin looked shocked, as what was clearly a tail uncurled itself from around the stranger, and slammed him backwards with so much force, that Krillin when straight through the edge of the house! Rinka was starting to feel scared now! She swallowed hard.
"Ah! A tail!" Goku exclaimed once he realized what had happened. Everyone else looked shocked at this news as well. The stranger just chuckled evilly. "I don't believe it! He's got a tail too!"
"That's good. I wondered how long it would take you to recognize me," he said, waving his tail around.
"What are you? I – I've never seen you before," Goku told him, doing his best to try and keep Gohan behind him, who kept attempting to climb his father in fear.
"Gohan!" Rinka exclaimed, finally grabbing him and pulling him back. If things turned into a fight, she knew Gohan would only be in the way. She picked him up and held him, trying to get him to settle down.
"Kakarot! You mean to tell me you have no idea who I am?" the dude growled.
"I don't know who this Kakarot person is your looking for, but I'm not him! My name's Goku!" he snapped.
"Unn, what happened to you?" he barked back.
"Daddy!" Gohan called, and then started struggling to get out of Rinka's grip.
"No, Gohan! We have to stay back!" she told him, readjusting her hold and taking a couple steps away.
"Kakarot! Tell me, did you ever suffer a serious injury to the head when you were young?" the guy asked.
"What?!" Goku demanded.
"When you were a kid, did you ever hit your head?!" he demanded again, but Gohan's whining behind him distracted Goku. "Did you hear me!?" he growled.
"Yeah! I don't remember it very well, but you're right. I did hit my head when I was a child," Goku admitted. "I still have a scar where it happened."
"You stupid fool! You forgot!" he realized.
"I forgot what?! Tell me!" Goku snapped.
"Goku," they heard Master Roshi say from behind them. "There's something, something your grandfather once told me that I think you should know. Long ago, your grandpa Gohan was walking through the woods, when he came upon a crater that had been recently made in the ground. When he went to examine it more closely, he found what appeared to be some sort of spaceship, and next to it, there you were, lying in a little round pod. Gohan tried to take care of you, but you were wild, downright uncontrollable! And unusually powerful for a baby. You wanted nothing to do with Gohan's kindness," he began explaining.
Rinka's mouth went slightly agape as she was listening to this tale, concentrating on every word. Could it be true? Did her father really come from space? Did that mean, she was half alien?!
"Then, one day, there was a terrible accident. You fell into a deep ravine and badly injured your head. Your grandfather feared that he had lost you, but somehow, miraculously, you survived. Yes, any other child would have died, but you recovered! And from that day on, you became a happy, loving boy," he finished.
"I'm – from outer space?" Goku asked in shock.
"Yes," Master Roshi confirmed with a nod.
"Well, that would explain a lot!" Bulma decided. "So you think Goku has some connection with this guy?"
"I wish I knew," Roshi told her.
"Kay, you've got my attention. Now tell us who you are!" Goku demanded of the stranger.
"Well, I wasn't expecting to give a history lesson when I came here today," he admitted. Even so, Rinka for one was now very interested in what he had to say. "But all right. I'll tell you everything. After all, you are going to be working for me from now on, and I do like my subordinates to be well-informed."
A sudden clanking of wood drew Rinka's attention away from the alien for a moment, to see that Krillin had come to and was attempting to climb out of the corner of the house. Rinka hurried over to help him, juggling Gohan so that he was propped to one side on her hip. She reached out a hand, and he gratefully took it, letting her help pull him up.
"Hey, Krillin? You alright?" Goku turned and asked, noticing the exchange.
"Yeah. Be careful, Goku. This guy's not – normal," Krillin decided.
Goku nodded. "Believe me, I know. I could sense that from the minute he landed. Even now, standing here talking to him like this, something about him turns my stomach!"
"Such harsh words. Careful, you're more like me than you realize. You were born on the planet Vegeta. You are a space fighter, a Saiyan warrior. Just like me," he explained. Everyone seemed pretty surprised at this news.
But, didn't Master Roshi just get done telling them their dad had come from space? Rinka didn't understand why this news was so shocking.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Raditz, your big brother!" he announced.
"Goku, has a – a brother?!" Krillin asked in disbelief.
"Goku, he looks like you," Bulma realized.
I have an uncle? Rinka thought. Well that was certainly surprising!
"Why should I believe you?" Goku asked skeptically.
"Yeah, that's right! What the heck is Goku doin' on Earth if he's from another planet?" Krillin pointed out.
"That's simple," Raditz said with more nefarious laughter. "We sent him here. Kakarot was given specific orders to clear this world of it's current inhabitants. A mission which he has failed miserably! You see, we Saiyans are sort of like – planet brokers. We scour space for planets that will bring a high price on the galactic market. Once we find them, we send our warriors there to purge them of any life, and make them – ready for sale. It's a very, very profitable business, and we take great pride in being efficient in our work," Raditz explained further.
"For example: if we discover a planet with strong inhabitants, we send a team of our adult fighters to wipe them out. But for planets full of weaklings like this one, one of our babies is generally sufficient to carry out the order," he finished.
"If what you say is true, you Saiyans are just an abomination! You're space pirates. That's what you are!" Krillin lectured.
"How can you send little babies off into space all alone?" Bulma blubbered, hugging both Rinka and Gohan in the process.
"Trust me. They are more than capable of looking after themselves," Raditz assured her. Eying Rinka and her brother closely. "Well, most of them. Kakarot, you're a disgrace!" he snapped at him. "You could have easily wiped out every living thing on this planet by yourself. If you hadn't forgotten your orders, it would've only taken you a year or two at the most! Especially considering this planet has a nice, big moon," he observed.
"Uh, yeah? Let me guess, I was probably supposed to blow that up too," he stated more than asked.
"You fool! You know as well as I do it's the key to unlocking your true potential! I'm sure at least once in your life you've looked at the full moon," he yelled.
Wait, the full moon? Rinka glanced around at her dad's friends. Hadn't they just been asking them about that? But, her dad hadn't understood what they meant.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" he argued, proving Rinka's point. Raditz gasped and took a closer look at Goku.
"What – what happened to your tail, Kakarot?!" he demanded.
"My tail? Why?" he asked.
"Answer me! Now!" Raditz continued to shout.
"It was removed, permanently, a long time ago," he explained.
"Do you have any idea what you've done? Your true power is gone now! Without your tail, you've lost your ability to transform at the full moon! Now I can see how you'd be on good terms with these weaklings," he scoffed.
The tail makes you transform at the full moon? Rinka turned to look at hers. So did that mean they really were werewolves?
"Listen, this is my home, and these are my friends. So it doesn't matter what you say I am, and you sure don't act like any brother I'd want to have. My name is Goku, and I live here. Now leave us alone!" he shouted at him.
"Yeah, just go!" Bulma added.
"Even if you are brothers, that doesn't mean Goku has to destroy peaceful planets like you do, ya big creep!" Master Roshi told him.
"Right! Goku even saved this planet once, Mister. So go away!" Krillin commanded.
Rinka had a feeling that all the arguing wasn't going to do much, especially with the confident smirk this guy had on.
"So baby brother wants to be left alone," Raditz said as he waltzed into the middle of their group. "Well, it's a pity that's not going to happen. No, at this point I'm afraid you're far too valuable to us for that. You see, three years ago, our home planet Vegeta met with an unfortunate accident, when a huge comet slammed into it's surface. The planet was vaporized, and the Saiyan race destroyed." He continued to walk around as he spoke.
"There's not too many of us left now, brother. In fact, as far as we can tell, there are only four, including you. We were the only Saiyans away from home when the planet exploded. Like you, the rest of us had been sent off to preform a few, hostile takeovers. And now we've found another world we'd like to conquer. It should bring in a very high price, but unfortunately, the job's a little too big for only three of us to handle. We were almost afraid we'd have to pass it up, until I remembered you, Kakarot. You're not as powerful as I might have hoped, but still with your help, we should manage nicely," he explained.
"Well, now," Raditz continued, getting up in Goku's face. "What do you think? Are you excited?" he wondered. "You should be. I've come to take you back into the fold."
"I've heard enough!" Goku hollered. "I'd die before I'd join a gang of pirates like you!"
"Interesting," Raditz said, casting his gaze back on Rinka and Gohan. "I have been meaning to ask you Kakarot, I couldn't help but notice that your children have tails," he commented.
"Leave them out of this!" Goku snapped.
"I'll decide that!" he shot back. "If you won't join us, I suppose I'll just have to settle for taking the kids in your place. The female, in particular, will be most valuable," he said with a devious look in his eye.
Rinka definitely didn't like the sound of that! And neither did anyone else for that matter, judging by their reactions.
"Goku. . ." Krillin trailed, casting a nervous glace in Rinka's direction.
"We'll see," Goku said, before taking a fighting stance.
"I see the fire in your eyes, brother. You should come with us. It's in your blood. You love to fight." Raditz had come full circle, and began to advance once again.
"I'm right here with you, Goku," Krillin assured him.
"Just stay close to Rin and Gohan," Goku told his friend.
"Watch it, Goku," Master Roshi warned. Unfortunately, none of it seemed to matter.
In the blink of an eye, Raditz was on top of Goku. He swiftly delivered a brutal kick to the stomach that sent him flying backwards in a world of pain. Goku landed hard on the sandy beach. Rinka gasped in shock and anger. How dare this guy do something like that to her father!
"Daddy!" Rinka shouted, and ran towards him. To do – well – she wasn't really sure what she was planning on doing. Help him? Defend him? Something!
She tried to put Gohan down and motion for him to stay back, but she should have known better. Without hesitating, he darted after her towards their prostrate father, Bulma chasing them.
"Gohan no!" she yelled, but it was too late.
Before they were even able to reach him, Raditz stepped in and plucked them both off the sand, one in each hand. Gohan immediately started to wail.
"Like I said, I'm taking your kids. If you ever want to see them alive again, I suggested you listen closely," he threatened.
Rinka wasn't going to go without a fight! She struggled as hard as she could, trying to get out of the big bully's grasp, but it was no use. He simply tucked Gohan under his arm, and easily clocked her over the skull with his now free hand. Rinka immediately stopped squirming as her vision blurred and stars danced around her head. She'd never felt so dizzy before!
"Come on, Goku! You have to get up!" Krillin told him.
"Now then, I'll give you one day to think about my offer. Although let's be realistic, Kakarot. I'm not giving you a choice. So, when you decide to join us, and you will, there's something I want you to do. Prove to me that you mean it. You can start by eliminating one hundred of these pathetic Earthlings. Just stack them here on the beach when you're done. I'll be back tomorrow for a head count," Raditz ordered.
Everyone's expressions darkened at this sudden turn of events.
"So what do you say, Kakarot? I do hope you'll come through for me on this one. After all, they're my niece and nephew. It'd be a shame if I had to hurt them," he said darkly, pulling Gohan up to his face.
"Help daddy, I'm scared!" Gohan bawled. Goku tried reaching for him. "Ah! Help me!" the boy cried, and all Raditz could do was laugh maniacally!
So, I know this is pretty long for a first chapter, but the first episode was too short to be by itself. Also, I forgot just how much exposition was in these first couple episodes! The story will get more unique after we get through the Raditz ordeal. :)