The Heart of the Adventurers

By LastationLover5000 and Demod20, Edited by Firegod00

Chapter 5 - The Expected Day

Last time, on Dragon Ball Heart of the Adventurers: Over the course of half a year, the newlywed Son Goku and Bulma continue their lives under the roof of her family's home as Capsule Corp HQ. Goku tests out prototypes of Dr. Briefs creation when he isn't busy working out in the mornings while Bulma busied herself in research and theoretical projects of her own. But one day changed it all, one of which through a relapsing nausea foretold a happening that came sooner than either husband or wife could predict. Bulma was pregnant with Goku's child.

And the Adventure continues!

Bulma was beside herself. Stuck in a hospital bed she wasn't able to pick up her laptop and work on her projects like she had in the last few months. Working through pregnancy wasn't easy but she was far too stubborn to listen to either of her parents, let alone her own sister whenever she got in contact with her to tell her the news. The only one aloof to her current trials was her husband, whom took the news not out of shock and apprehension as some men would, but as matter-of-fact. He was eager to meet his child, wondering who he or she'd be like.

It was a comforting thought, as she laid back in her bed to think how maternal he could be in his own simplistic way. The only relevant relationship he had before meeting her was his adopted grandfather, Gohan. It made sense to her why he chose to return to that old hut. It was the place where he felt safe and had true family. Here, she hoped that he could have that same security here where he'd always come back to whenever he felt lost.

Looking out the open window, she recalled about another one of their talks she forced him to bear through. It was nearing the time where she was becoming less mobile and they were having less time to see each other as a result. His go-to attitude was endearing and she loved that spirit about him not being able to sit still for too long. But there was something he had to realize if he was going to become used to being a father. A matter of responsibility and she only knew one way he could learn about that.

"EH?! You want me to...to..."

"Yes, Son! I want you to get a job!" Bulma exclaimed as she leaned back on her chair, wincing slightly at the strain her back was having. She was significantly more labored in her movements as it had been approximately five and a half months since she conceived by the doctor's count. Due to her own industrious work ethic that collaborated with Goku's own loose yet methodical manner of spending time with her father or exercising, she knew change was on the horizon that he needed to be braced for.

"But...really?" Goku asked with a bewildered expression, scratching his head as he looked at her with disinterest. "I never had to get one of those before. Can I not-?"

"No, this is something you need," She sighed out with aggravation, massaging her temples as she felt her temper flared up. The rising hormones definitely didn't help her composure, making her less reasonable in her everyday life. It didn't help to convince her partner either, but she knew this was too important to overlook.

"Am I going to go hungry if I don't?" He asked with a furrow of his brows.

"You MIGHT if you tempt me!" Bulma shrieked, causing the latter to back up with raised arms to defend himself. Realizing what she did, she groaned as she rolled her eyes and looked back at her laptop screen. Closing it with a defined click of submission, she turned her wheeled seat around so she could look up at not just her husband, but her dearest friend. "Son, we're not going to be able to live as we do for too long. Things need to change in order for you to understand what life like a family is going to be. Otherwise, things will be awkward and we won't be able to treat each other with love and respect as we ought to."

"I know things will change...but," Goku turned to look at the kitchen, and then glanced back at the window outside. He could hear the birds chirping with his sharpened senses, as well smell the fresh aroma of the interior place he called home. Things seemed to be more natural here, with how he done everything in such a routine manner. Looking back at Bulma sheepishly in an honest manner, he finished his reply. "Is a job that important for this?"

"It is," Bulma reasoned while reaching out to grasp Goku's hand. Smiling as she felt his grip tighten around hers firmly, her eyes met his. "It's not a matter that you need an income for stability but that you need to be less carefree about important things. When our baby comes into this world, he or she will need a father that will be there for her. I know you're not used to following a direct schedule, even now with the freedom I want you to have. But this will be a child who will need me and my parents as much as he or she'll need you, if not more. Having a job is a step in the right direction, to show you are dependable and rooted in a place you can always come back to. It will be nice preparation for when our child is ready to look up to you and with pride in who they are."

"Or she," Goku quipped with a giddy laugh and a smirk.

"At this point, I'd be happy to just meet our little troublemaker," Bulma sighed out loud, leaning back into her seat while keeping her firm grip on her husband's hand. When she felt a sudden lurch come from within, she let out a gasp and smiled. While rubbing her swollen belly hidden beneath her teal colored maternity undershirt she looked up at her partner's curious expression. "Want to feel?"

"Uh, sure," He replied apprehensively, having not received this invitation before. Experience with pregnant women was little in the Turtle Schooler's history. Given that Kami didn't even sought to tell him of the process of childbirth or conception made him think it wasn't important. But now, as he was guided by his wife's hand to rub over her belly, something strange and overwhelming came over him from within.

He felt a little life squirm within Bulma, one that he helped conceive.

"Whoa," Goku gasped out, blinking with surprise as he bent down to examine what he now knew was a living person inside of the woman's belly. Feeling kicks and movement within, he let out a small laugh, joined by Bulma at her seeing the soon-to-be father's reactions. Leaning forward to press his ear against navel, he could definitely hear not one but two heartbeats. The odd case of thumps and shakes within told him of the life waiting to meet the world. "I can hear 'em. I can hear 'em inside of you!"

"Yes, isn't it amazing?" Bulma asked with a gleeful expression. With Goku nodding as he kept his head against her belly, she could tell he looked extremely happy. Cocking a head to her side she queried aloud. "What's gotten you so worked up?"

"I just...I didn't realize...how happy I'd be to hear such noises before," He answered with a gradual yet thoughtful answer as he turned his face to look up from his squatting posture to her seated one. Reaching out to grasp her hands firmly, his smile turned into a serious expression. "I'll make 'em proud, Bulma! I want our child to look to me whenever he-she needs me and to grow up to be as smart as you or as strong as dad. And I won't let you or our kid down!"

Awestruck by his conviction, Bulma couldn't help but be moved to tears. When Goku tried to comfort her, worried that she was somehow in pain which only caused her to laugh. She was now convinced more and more that things will turn out fine. Sooner or later, he'd find out what it'd really mean to be responsible which will undoubtedly help him better become the father their child needed.

"I can't believe it's been almost four months since then," Bulma sighed, realizing just how close to the time it really was now than it was then. It was why under the advisement of his father and mother that she was moved to Wukong Hospital, a proud institution of medicine and care for its patients. Placed in a room on the 5th floor she had a window view of the city and the building's front lot connecting to the main streets filled with busying vehicles.

"Has it really?" She jumped, suddenly turning to look at her father's form just standing outside of the door. In exchange for the smoke-free environment he was now holding a mug of hot coffee. He had all but put his projects on hold for the week she was put on watch in the institution. They said it could happen at any time and that it was better she was here in case the unexpected happened. The mustached father of one smiled softly as he joined her with a wheeled seat by her bedside. "Time sure flies when you're hard at work."

"Especially for Son, right Dad?" Bulma asked her father with a wry grin that earned a chuckle from the older gentleman.

"True. I didn't think it could be done at first," He paused, sipping some of his coffee before exhaling with satisfaction. Returning her blissful gaze with a nostalgic stare of his own. "I did all I could to give him recommendations and fit him with any job I could. He also did his best to sound proper though it sounded a bit too wooden or stilted when he tried to get a 'businessman' trade. So I tried simpler ones and asked him to be himself, consequences be damned. I was about to give up but that odd request came by when he and I were making our way out of the employment office."

"He was one of the drivers almost caught in a...er, accident, right?" She guessed sheepishly, ultimately knowing that her husband's workouts often led him into some unwanted trouble.

"Yes, but who knew that'd lead him to working in a Pizza Delivery position?" He inquired with an almost exasperated wave of his free hand. "I tried to get him through the orderly way, but it was his own haphazard habits that he was able to get a highly recommended position. While he did need to work on some of his basic mathematics - that I helped tutor him mind you - he was quick to get a great grasp of the job."

"I hear he's the best delivery man they have and people always request a Goku Special if they want their order in a Extra Timely Fashion," Bulma accentuated with both fingers at the designated words, making her snicker at the thought of how Goku had become more than a Martial Arts' icon but now the face of expeditious resteraunt deliver service. It made her surprised as she was proud how quickly he latched onto the trade.

"Well he is quick on his feet," Dr. Brief huffed as he took another long sip of his coffee. "That man...he still puts the rounds on my best prototypes. Even the ones now are still able to last more than a handful of minutes still lack the power supply to match his ki. Perhaps if I reach out to some of the other scientists I can collaborate on some theoretical prospects of new engines that could make a superior combat machine. One that could even put the likes of that nefarious Piccolo in his place."

"That'd be a comforting thought if the answer to our problems was just a Capsule away," Bulma joked again, before briefly wincing at a series of kicks in her abdomen. When her father reached out to comfort her, she shook her head and rubbed her belly. "It was just the baby's kicking. I'd know the difference between knowing a desire to come out and just wanting to be rowdy."

"Heh, I guess the child will be a chip off the old blocks," He mentioned with a point of his mug-holding hand. "I'm wondering just how the to-be father will react seeing a mini-him running around."

"If things were only that easy for him," She rolled her eyes, turning to look out the window once more. The feeling of longing the presence of her jubilous husband was more intense than it had been in the last few months. She wished he'd be here, telling her jokes and talking about what trouble he got into. Such a reassuring aura he seemed to have that told her everything would be alright.

Now, more than ever, she wanted to have that feeling so she could willfully birth this child without any fear or doubts in her mind.

"I'll be waiting for you, Son," She thought with a smile as she looked back at her round belly with an anxious eagerness. "And so will our baby."

Goku was really feeling it. In his trusty red and black uniform complete with a hat to hide his funky hair to which he almost felt like Yamcha, he raced with a large heat-sustaining bag of pizzas under his left arm. His body was moving like a blur across the vast cityscape with his destination being one of the office buildings on the other side of the city. It was just one of the many deliveries he's made since starting the day and he already felt accomplished with how many surprised faces he got to see whenever he rang, knocked or in some cases hopped through an open window.

If he wasn't known before by the World Martial Arts Tournament, he was now publicly known by everyone in West City. He took the time when he wasn't running at breakneck speed compared to any athlete to what was only part of his maximum velocity to wave at passersby and drivers alike who knew him. While he could barely remember a quarter of the names he knew their faces and he was kind enough to wave hello whenever he saw them.

It was a unique experience for the martial artist; having grown up alone deep in the mountains, even now, seeing so many people was so shocking. Back when he was a child, he'd only heard stories of the cities from his grandfather, and even though he'd been around the world with Bulma and his friends, the amount of people in cities still caught him off guard.

His time as a newlywed husband, however, was serving as a kind of training of its own in the city; Goku felt vibrations in the air, and on pure instinct, felt his body leap into the air as a car rushed directly under his figure.

One of the problems with being able to run as fast as most of the automobiles, if not faster? The drivers hardly saw Goku in the road, and he had been the cause of many traffic jams due to nearly being hit. However, as he adjusted to the cars, they seemed to adjust to him as well, and these were a thing of the past. As the man ran along the road, holding the bag of pizzas under his arm, a blaring noise caught his ears. Jumping high onto one of the buildings, Goku saw the source of the disturbance.

Speeding along the road, apparently entirely out of control, was a hovercar. Goku didn't recognize the model — it was one of the newest in the Silver Star line of automobiles — but that didn't matter. Making wide leaps, carefully keeping the pies at his side intact, Goku crossed several buildings until the speeding car was within his sight. "It's going so fast...if it doesn't slow down, it's gonna hit someone!" Sliding down the building, Goku propelled himself from the wall, letting flight take over as ki was emitted from his entire body to tell gravity that it simply wasn't welcome anymore.

Moving airborne across the cityscape, Goku quickly overtook the speeding vehicle, descending rapidly onto the ground and spinning around. His eyes took in the entirety form of the automobile, and he extended a single hand towards the oncoming car. Metal met flesh; grounding himself into the asphalt, Goku applied enough force into the car to keep himself from being pushed back. The vehicle ground to a halt, an adult-size hand imprint now decorating the hood as the driver stepped out, looking entirely worse for wear.

"T-Thank you..." The man breathed, gasping as if he'd run a mile. When he looked up, it had taken him only a moment to recognize the innocent face and hair protruding from under the hat. "Oh! It's you, Goku! You saved me!?"

Goku grinned, half-sheepishly, half-proudly. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, thanks to you," the young man dusted himself off. "It looks like the break lines were cut...I wound up running several red lights for the past few blocks, I thought I was going to die!"

"Cars aren't really my speed, but I think that's probably something you should check," Goku said, and looked down at his watch. "Oh shoot! Sorry, gotta run!" Waving at the man, Goku made off down the road at breakneck speeds again, the pizzas still warm beneath his arm. To the man he had saved, this was a moment to remember; to Goku, this was a daily routine.

Navigating his way through the city, Goku wove around buildings faster than the the normal eye could track. However, all of Goku's senses were working full drive, and his ears picked up a rattling sound in the distance. While he wasn't always familiar with it, Goku had come to recognize this as the sound of bullets being fired from a gun in the distance.

He knew he had a choice. Looking at this wristwatch, the digital timer told him he had approximately half an hour to get to his destination and deliver these pizzas. However, the rattling sound told him that someone was in trouble and he could get there quickly if he moved at top speed. Bouncing from building to building, Goku grinned to himself; he hadn't moved this fast since he'd fought Tenshinhan at the Tenkaichi Budōkai.

How long ago that had been.

As the pizza deliveryman closed in on the source of the noise, the rattling turned into explosions — gunshots at close range, enhanced by Goku's exceptional hearing. Slowing to a stop, Goku saw the source of the disturbance; two armed robbers leading an assault on the Western Capital's bank. The criminals were pressed against the bank's yellow brick walls, one of them holding a machine gun and firing directly towards the police, who were hiding behind their cars.

"D-Dammit!" One of the police, a bespectacled woman wearing glasses, growled. "We're outgunned!

The other officer with her looked equally panicked, clutching his standard issue pistol. "We have to wait it out, Kei!"

This was a sight Goku had seen a few times before since he'd started working as the local pizza deliveryman, and it almost always managed to impede his deliveries. It wasn't in his nature to play hero — however, his training with God had given him a sense of right from wrong, so he at least knew when he should step in. Setting the pizzas down next to a stoplight on the sidewalk, Goku vanished, flickering out of being to anyone who saw him...

...only to flicker back into physical form directly in front of the police car. Bullets filled his vision as Goku's reflexes took over; his hand instinctively leapt out for the speeding metal projectiles. While they felt hot in his hand, Goku was unharmed. The gunfire stopped abruptly, as the criminals realized exactly who had interrupted their attack.

"I-It's Goku!" The cry came from both the criminals and the police, a tone of worry and exuberance from the appropriate party.

With the flick of the wrist, Goku sent one of the bullets flying back at the criminals; with his strength, the bullet tore through the machine gun being held by one of the burlier criminals, who dropped the weapon and moved swiftly to the side in a panic.

"W-Why you...!" The other criminal held up his pistol, aiming towards Goku. However, before he could even fire the bullet, Goku had crossed the distance between them, his elbow making contact with the criminal's stomach. The man's eyes went back into his head as the air forcibly left his body. Turning on his heel, Goku extended a hand, releasing a pressure wave towards the other criminal, knocking them unconscious as well.

Once they were sure the danger had passed, the police, Kei and the unnamed younger man, nervously stepped out from behind their car, looking wary. When their eyes fell across the unconscious criminals, they heaved a sigh of relief in unison. Taking out handcuffs, the officers cuffed the inert offenders, Kei looked up at Goku, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"I don't know what to say, Goku," She smiled. "You've had to help us out again. The Western Capital PD is going to lose its reputation if we keep having to be bailed out by everyone's favorite pizza deliveryman...regardless, thanks for lending us a hand again!"

"Anytime," Goku replied, happy to have been of some assistance. Glancing at his watch, he saw his time was still ticking. Bidding the officers a farewell, unsecured the load next to the stoplight, and took off again. Knowing his time was being pushed, and the customer wouldn't pay if he was late, he began to emit ki from his body again, taking off on the spot, to the surprise of the onlooking officers.

Despite the general length of the city, and Goku's inexperience with flight — as he still preferred grounded methods of transportation, even while fighting — he managed to arrive in less than ten minutes. Landing neatly onto the ground, he touched down at the front door of his destination: the Western Capital Elementary School. The end of the school year was rearing its head, and on the western side of the continent, it was common for teachers to buy students pizza and other treats to celebrate the end of the year.

As Goku entered the front door, he was greeted cheerfully by one of the women at the front desk. "Goku! You made it!" Glancing at the clock, she noticed the time. "And you still managed to be early, if only a little." Chuckling, she asked, "Let me guess, did you get held up again?"

Grinning, Goku nodded sheepishly. "It seems like every other day, there's something to keep me occupied. But I managed to make it here on time! No harm, no foul, right?"

"Of course," replied the woman from behind the desk, flashing a winning smile. After checking the contents of the boxes — which, despite the misadventures Goku had managed to get into on the way, were surprisingly intact — she paid him the requisite amount of Zeni for his trouble. Taking the heat-sustaining bag with him, Goku left the building, pleased with a job well done.

An upbeat, energetic theme began to blare from the man's pocket. Fumbling through it, he pulled out a flip-phone. When he got a job, Bulma had suggested he at least get a basic model cellular phone, to make communicating easier. Flipping the phone open gently, so as to not break it, he looked at the Caller ID.

Bulma's Dad it read in large letters. It was his father-in-law.

"Now...how do I get this thing to work...?" Goku looked at the device as it continued to blast music directly at him. "I think I just press this green button and..." Pressing the button, he held the phone to his ear, speaking into the receiver as he'd been told. "Hello? Bulma's Dad?"

"Son, one of these days, I'd really appreciate it if you'd call me Dad yourself," came the voice of the elderly gentlemen through the phone, fascinating Goku to no end. "But that's a nonissue right now! You need to hurry back to the hospital; Bulma's gone into labour!"

"Labour...?" Goku repeated in confusion.

"Concisely explained? She's starting to give birth! Your child is on the way!"

This was something that even Goku could understand, and the realization hit him quick. "OH! I'll be there soon! Just let me get across the town, I'll be there in a few!"

"Hurry, Son!" was Dr. Brief's last words as Goku hung up the phone, beginning to take flight once more, with only one thought in his head.

"I'm going to be a father!"

A/N:

Demod20: Whew! I know it's been awhile folks but we're finally here. Sorry if this is both a month late and a bit short for us but this is really meant as a platform for the next chapter which will be a lot more sizable than this one. That and, the last month was a lot more arduous for the both of us so we decided to just take it off as a holiday span for both of us. Expect to see us back in March with a fresh new Chapter and more energy than ever! That and I hope you enjoyed this update regardless of length.

LastationLover5000: So, I'm so sorry for this chapter coming out as late as we did. I know we said it'd be a bi-monthly release schedule, but December and November tend to take their toll on you. As far as work went, the end of the year destroyed me, and even my main story suffered just a little bit. This chapter, while short, serves as a nice segue, I believe, into the next chapter, which I'm sure you guys will find much more enjoyable than this. Looking over this chapter, I really do love this story; showcasing a kind, loving relationship between Bulma and Goku. It makes me feel nice.

So, yes. Goku is a pizza deliveryman. Demod and I decided he would have to get a job, but we couldn't see Goku holding down something like a deskjob, so we had to think; what job can Goku do and not get fired from on his first day? We settled on pizza deliveryman because we knew Goku would like a job that lets him be outside and stretch his muscles a bit, and I think it works out well for him.

One final note before I end the author's note? The police officer, Kei? Her name comes from fukei (婦警), the Japanese word for a policewoman. I do hope you guys will enjoy the upcoming next chapter! The real game-changers are on their way!