Goku collapsed onto the sand around Master Roshi's hut. "Wowie!" he sighed. "This is so much easier without the shell!"

"I know!" Krillin exclaimed.

Their master tutted. "I told you it'd pay off! You think I wear this shell for show? It's so I'm always training, even when I'm not exercising!"

The boys tested their newfound weightlessness, able to bound multiple times higher than before. Goku rolled his shoulder when he landed, easing the tension in them. "I feel way stronger, too!"

"And it's only been a day!" the noseless boy said.

Roshi dropped his staff to the sand. "Oh no!" he gasped.

"What's wrong, Master Roshi?" Goku inquired. The boy had a strong sense of justice, and clearly something was amiss.

"I think I felt that…" Krillin announced, his face became fearful.

The old man gulped. "It felt as if a thousand voices called out and then were suddenly silenced…"

The boy felt left out. "What do you mean?"

"Something powerful just touched down on earth, Goku," Roshi explained. "Something that just killed a lot of people," He had a thought he desperately wished was wrong. "Piccolo..?"

Krillin became frightened at the name's mention. "You don't think it was him, right? Y-you're just fooling?"

"I don't know," Roshi admitted, adjusting his spectacles. "Whatever it is, it's out of our league."

Goku steeled himself. "That shouldn't matter! If someone's out there hurting people, we have to stop them!"

"No, we need to hide! Haven't you ever heard of Piccolo?!" the bald boy screamed.

"Calm down! No one is doing anything. Whoever it is just killed people. Lots of them," Roshi said. "The best we can do is get stronger and beat them. I do have a technique, but it's risky!"

Goku, despite his lacking intelligence, had a good thought. "Where are they?"

Roshi turned around and pointed. "That direction. But don't-"

"Flying Nimbus!" Goku shouted, leaping into the air.

"No, Goku!" Krillin shouted, trying to get him to stop.

But it was a futile attempt. Goku was already in the air, speeding off. Roshi shook his head. "That poor, foolish boy…"

OxOxO

Bardock peeled himself from his pod. The man stretched his sore muscles, glancing around at the scenery. A series of deafening booms alerted him to his comrades' position. "Hey!" he barked. "Quit messing around! We just have to get my son, and then we're out of here!" the saiyan man announced.

"Come on, Bardock," Panbukin bellowed. "We don't even know where the brat is! Let us have a little fun."

The man grumbled, folding his arms and staring at the burning buildings. There wasn't any glory to be had in slaughtering this planet. It was inhabited by almost the weakest species he had ever known. Earth was almost not worth the effort.

"I don't know, guys," Tora said in a teasing manner. "Maybe we should encourage this kind of behaviour! I mean, waiting until his son was thirteen to retrieve him?"

"It's not that I didn't care, and you know it," Bardock barked. "I had good reason to suspect what I did. There- There just wasn't a good time to get him til now! In fact, I'm sure he's better off living away from you ruffians."

Borgos sighed. "I suppose you're right. We just got more freedom with that promotion."

"We all worked hard to make a name for the Bardock's Elite. And only now can we get my son," the captain declared.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Fasha snorted.

"I don't." he grumbled.

Borgos laughed heartily. "Heads up, fifty-four incoming!"

The scarred man tapped a button on his scouter. "Pretty far away still. It's going up and down…" Bardock noted.

"I got a twenty and a one twenty one trailing behind him," the woman announced.

"I can verify," the fat saiyan said.

Tora clapped his best friend on the back. "Probably not Kakarot, then. We can just deal with those guys, and head to the biggest one. Borgos said it was a couple hundred. That's decent for an infiltration baby."

As they neared the saiyans, Bardock gathered sky blue energy in his palm, only for the reading of fifty to disappear. They extinguished their blasts; utterly baffled. "What the hell? No one just killed that thing..?"

A blue beam of crackling unstable energy flew past Fasha. Without a second thought, she fired a thin beam from her finger, piercing the attacker. Bardock turned to observe the reading, he was genuinely shocked in a multitude of ways. Firstly, that the weak reading had snuck up on a trained pack of saiyans. Secondly, that the boy resembled him. Thirdly, that it was his son that had been attacked.

"Oh, shit!" Tora yelled. "That's… Kakarot..."

The woman was on him in seconds, making sure she hadn't made a big mistake. "Dammit! Sorry, Bardock!"

"It's just his shoulder," Bardock frowned, observing the boy. His boy. "He'll be fine. I had my tail ripped off when I was a pup. Went on to kill that whole sector right after."

Fasha pressed hard on the bleeding wound. "Yeah, but you saw his power level. He ain't exactly you."

Borgos glared suspiciously at the stoic man. "I'm shocked. Fasha could've just killed your boy, and you don't react at all. You didn't shut up about him until we started to come here."

"But she didn't," he reasoned. "No reason to lose my cool."

"Yeah, or we might have another Gorumbo incident." Panbukin reminded.

Bardock fixated his eyes on the fat saiyan. "That wasn't my fault."

The saiyan with the ponytail looked behind them. "Look, it's some earthlings," He said eagerly, raising his hand.

Goku coughed, grasping at his shoulder. Fasha kept him down and her palm firmly on his bloodying white shirt. "Wait!"

Tora complied, pushing Bardock forward. "Go meet him."

He crouched in front of the boy. "Hello, Kakarot."

The boy raised an eyebrow in confusion, ceasing his futile struggling. "Who the heck are you?"

"I'm your dad. Bardock," he explained, letting his tail swish behind him. "We came to take you back home."

Goku glared at him, resuming his attempt to wiggle out of Fasha's grip. "Liar! My dad wouldn't kill people!"

He looked behind him at the wreck that once passed as a city. Smoldering ruins and smoke surrounded them. "It was an accident. Our ships landed on the buildings by mistake. We were supposed to get you and leave, but this planet's rotation had other plans," he calmly explained.

His frown dropped into a goofy smile despite his bleeding arm. "Oh yeah, one time my friend Bulma crashed a car into me. It would probably break a house."

Bardock regarded him with a frown. He seemed mentally challenged or something. With his weak power level and soft personality, was it even worth it to pick him up? Sure, he felt an attachment because they were kin, but he still asked himself.

"Well, let's get you patched up and we can go," Tora smirked, placing his fists on his hips.

"Maaa-fuuu-ba!" someone cried.

The scarred warrior turned around swiftly, redirecting the blast headed for him. "You got a death wish, old man?"

"Wah!" Krillin cried. "He looks just like Goku!"

He looked to his son. "You know these baldies?"

"Hey!" Borgos shouted accusatorily.

"That's my friend Krillin and my Master Roshi," Goku coughed. "Don't hurt em."

They extinguished their attacks, focusing on the boy.

"Hey guys! This is my dad!" the boy shouted to them.

The old man approached them cautiously. "So you're the one that left him abandoned in the woods all those years ago?"

Bardock rubbed his nose with his thumb. "Sort of."

"Why did you destroy this place?" Roshi questioned with hostility.

"They got in the way of our spaceships, old man," the woman teased.

The old man's jaw dropped. "You're aliens?"

"For you," Tora retorted, smirking.

"Say, if you're my dad, who are all of you people?" the boy asked innocently.

Finally, a question that wasn't stupid. "I'm Bardock. This is Fasha."

"Yo," she said, slightly lifting her fingers from his wound.

He pointed beside him. "Tora."

"Hey, Kakarot."

"Borgos."

The balding saiyan nodded. "Humph."

"Panbukin."

He smirked, raising his moustache. "Nice to meet you kiddo."

"My name's Goku," he greeted.

Bardock shook his head. "It's Kakarot."

"My grandpa named me Goku," he explained cheerily.

"Well, your mother and I named you Kakarot." Bardock shot back.

The boy paused in thought. "Then just call me Goku. It's what I prefer."

He smirked. Maybe his son wasn't so stupid after all. "Whatever. Does this planet have shit to fix you?"

"There's- was. There was a hospital here." Roshi answered, feeling sick.

Tora took something out of his breast armor pocket. He sighed, holding the bottle up. "I got some kolto."

Bardock shook his head. "That's expensive to just carry around. Don't waste it on this."

Fasha scoffed, removing a similar bottle from her armor. "I just fucking shot your kid. Seems like the perfect time to use it."

She uncapped it, pouring the blue liquid on the open wound. Goku watched as it closed miraculously. "Wow! That stuff's pretty cool!"

Bardock grabbed him, pushing hard at the base of his spine with his thumb. Goku sputtered as his tail painfully regrew.

"Goku has a tail?" Krillin mused aloud.

The boy stood up. "Wow, it's back! That was a cool trick! Thanks a lot!"

Bardock nodded. "Well, come on. We have to get going. Gotta make a stop on the way home."

"Wait. Another planet? But I want to stay on earth. I'm training!" Goku enthusiastically begged.

"We're going to a whole planet of strong people," Borgos chuckled. "We saiyans know all there is about fighting."

"Really?" Goku beamed. "But I made a promise to train with Master Roshi..."

"Goku, this man just killed a whole city! She almost killed you!" Roshi shouted.

"It was an accident!" the woman said, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, plus I attacked first," Goku pointed out. "And I'm fine now."

Bardock glared, impatiently getting fed up with all this talking. "You want to come with us and meet your family and race and get stronger or stay here and die weak? No matter the choice you personally make, I'm taking you along."

"I want to get stronger!" Goku said, eyes alight with the fire of determination.

Roshi sighed in defeat. "It'll be a real shame to lose you. Please, Goku. Don't lose yourself."

Goku nodded. "I'm going to be the strongest."

Tora smiled at the boy. He too remembered a time of such innocent naivety. Sadly, this boy was very weak.

"His power's already tripled just by having the tail back." Borgos announced with genuine surprise.

The father smirked. Maybe he was great at improving, and that explained his power level of two at birth. He was destined to grow into greatness, not be born great.

"Let's hustle up," Fasha shouted, dusting off her hands. This only lead to blood smearing on her white gloves. "We gotta be on Piscus yesterday."

They all approached their pods, Goku bouncing behind his father. "Bye guys!" he waved.

Krillin weakly waved, dumbfounded at the entire situation. His friend was an alien? Well, it wasn't the most unbelievable thing on this strange world.

Bardock yanked him into the pod and the door closed. "I have to make a call. Behave," the saiyan man said, tapping at a holographic keyboard.

In moments, a screen appeared. Goku watched as a purple face appeared on it, smiling pleasantly. "Hello, Captain Bardock."

"Lord Cooler," he gruffly spoke, nodding.

Cooler fixated his red eyes on the boy in awe in his lap. "Ah, the errand has went off without a hitch, I see. And you're still on schedule. This is why you're simply the better choice when it comes to actually getting things accomplished."

Bardock nodded in acknowledgment. "Thank you, sir."

"However, the time limit of the Piscus mission has been erased. Therefore, I am sending the Armored Squadron in your stead. Enjoy the vacation," Cooler gave a brief smile. "And the time with your son."

"Thank you, sir," the man said. "I'll be sure to tell my teammates."

Cooler's face disappeared, leaving the boy to look out the red tinted window. Bardock clacked away at the blue keyboard, finally looking up at his son.

"Who was that?" he asked.

Bardock looked at his eyes. "That's my boss, Lord Cooler. Good news. We're going to Planet Vegeta instead of a mission. I'm going to turn on stasis and we'll sleep until we get there."

"Okay, dad," Goku agreed, sitting comfortably in his lap.

Bardock may have been his father, but something irked him about how trusting this boy was. He'd no proof they were related and he ate it up! The man pressed a button, and they were asleep in moments.

OxOxO

Goku yawned, stretching out in the cramped craft. Bardock put his arms down for him after he was struck in the face. "Keep your arms to yourself. We're back home," he announced. "Don't do anything stupid and stay quiet."

The pod opened and they stepped out. The humanoid dock worker with green hair smiled. "Yo, Bardock! Nice to see the kid recovery mission was a success."

Bardock shrugged. "I guess so," he handed a card to the man. "Fill 'er up. Probably be heading out soon."

Goku waved as they walked away. "This place is so different from Earth!" he noted.

"Yeah, I can't imagine living thinking the sky can only be blue. All this red makes me glad I go around the galaxy rather than sticking around," Bardock admitted, pressing a hand to the door. "It's so goddamn plain around here."

They took one step outside and the boy staggered. "Ugh, I feel so heavy!"

The man rolled his eyes. Gravity. "I'll carry you to the house just this once, because we're on a schedule."

Goku climbed up on his father's shoulders. He slumped onto his hair. "Can I get used to this?"

"It's just gravity. It'll probably make you stronger," he hoped. They took to the skies, flying over the structures of the spaceport.

"You can fly without a cloud?" Goku beamed. "Oh shoot, we forgot Nimbus!"

The saiyan man sighed. His son was farther behind than he thought. Maybe he would have to place him in the class for the children who come back early on accident… Kakarot certainly was not ahead of his game.

"That's the house, down there," he pointed to the largest one in the area. Of course, it was not much bigger. Just slightly so, because they had a higher than average income. Being directly employed by Cooler himself paid well.

"What's mom like? I thought she was Fasha for a minute," Goku said, breathing on his father's hair.

He chuckled to himself. "Wasn't the first time, won't be the last. You'll see," he vaguely explained, touching down.

Goku's mouth opened in protest, but he closed it when his father went for the keypad. An eager woman with large eyes tore the door open, smiling warmly at them. "Hello!"

Goku returned with an equally warm smile. "You're my mom?"

She tore him awkwardly from Bardock's shoulders, causing him to nearly fall over. Gine embraced the small saiyan, holding him close. "Kakarot," she breathed. "Oh… It's been so long…"

Goku looked at her, frowning apologetically. "I'm sorry, but I don't remember either of you."

"You were an infant when we sent you away," Bardock said, leading them inside.

Gine sat next to him on their couch. Bardock stood opposite them. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions. Can… Can I answer any? Do you need a snack?"

Surprisingly, he wasn't hungry. He felt somber. "I never knew I had family my entire life. I never even thought about it, really."

Bardock frowned. "That's something that's been on my mind. Your pod should've told you everything you needed to know…"

The boy shrugged. "My grandpa Gohan told me he found me when I was a baby in the forest. That's all I know about my early life. This is just… Wow! To think I have parents! And I'm an alien? This is so exciting!"

Gine nodded, a little saddened by his admissions. "We're Saiyans. This is Planet Vegeta, Kakarot."

"Uh, I already talked to dad about this, but can you call me Goku? That's the name my grandpa gave me," the boy asked.

A part of Gine died a little on the inside. "Okay, Goku."

"Why did you leave me on earth?" he innocently inquired.

"I thought someone was going to destroy the planet, but that doesn't leave this room. Understand?" Bardock roughly stated. His son nodded, so he continued. "My boss, Cooler, stopped the guy who was going to do that."

"That's good you saved everyone. What's your job?" he asked.

"I'm a butcher and a cook. If you've inherited your father's appetite, I'm sure you'll be very happy here," Gine chuckled. Goku's eyes lit up.

"But are you strong?"

His mother shook her head. "No."

Bardock decided to paraphrase his profession. "I'm a mercenary. I fight people Lord Cooler pay me to."

"I really want to fight, and become stronger," the boy said with determined eyes.

"You'll fit in around here," Bardock appraised him. "But to be perfectly blunt, your power is way below average. And your clothes are ridiculous."

"Bardock!" Gine scolded. "I'm below average, you still love me."

"But you aren't my son. We train tomorrow. For now, let's get something suitable for you to wear and then dinner," the man explained, although, it came out as more like an order.

Goku followed him sluggishly as they walked down the hall. "This gravity is still really strong."

"Not really," Bardock rolled his eyes. "You'll get used to it."

They came to a stop at one of the three doors on the left. It opened to reveal very spartan quarters. "This is my room?"

The man gave a curt nod. "Used to be your brother's, but he didn't use it very often. He got put on the Prince's team."

"Wow, I've got a brother? What's his name?" Goku asked, amazed that he had even more family.

"It's Raditz. You probably won't see much of him. He's even busier than me," He pulled a spandex suit and cumbersome armor from the closet. Goku caught it, regarding it with a raised eyebrow.

"Armor like yours?"

The father nodded. "Get changed then come to the kitchen. Your mother made something special."

He eagerly complied, fitting the small black and white armor on. Of course, he put on the black spandex first. Goku had some minor difficulty getting his new tail to fit through. When he was finished, the boy looked at himself in the mirror and smiled. "Cool, but it's not too comfy."

So Goku trudged through the hall, slowly getting used to the gravity. Instantly, his nostrils were met with a pleasant smell. Rounding the corner, he felt a tad self-conscious. The meal looked like only a fraction of what he would normally eat. "Is there more?" he slowly asked, careful to phrase such an impolite request politely.

Gine chuckled. "No worries. This meat is genetically modified," Seeing that he was confused, she decided to use simpler terms. "It makes you fuller but it still has enough nutrients to keep your metabolism satisfied."

Goku bobbed his head in acknowledgment. "Oh, so we can eat less but more?"

"Not quite," the woman giggled. "Imagine this: Planet Vegeta is full of people who eat as much as you do. We'd run out of food pretty fast, huh?"

"Oh, I get it now. They made it so less food makes us less hungry," Goku reasoned.

Bardock was kicking himself. He was known for being a tactician. He didn't consider himself the brainiest guy, but he had wits. It would appear his son was a moron. Just one of the many downsides of the Frieza conspiracy ordeal.

"Now let's eat," he gruffly declared.

The small family dug in, devouring the meal. Well, Gine paced herself. She ate like a bird. It was one of the many mannerisms that set her apart from the other saiyans.

In an attempt to get them to slow down, she spoke up. "Parslee and Tato just took their child out of the incubator. Sending him to some outer rim world pretty soon."

Bardock grumbled in acknowledgment. He swallowed roughly. "Bout damn time. That Parslee is even softer than you, Gine," he chuckled.

Gine smirked slowly. "I'm just happy there are saiyans like us. Kak-Goku, saiyan couples are a rare thing."

"Really?" he asked, food stuffed in his mouth. "Why's that?" He didn't particularly understand, but he wanted to bond with these people.

"Most saiyans are employed as soldiers. They either don't care, or don't have time for relationships," Bardock answered. "I'm a special case. I'm so strong I'm privately employed. I get vacations and breaks, and others don't."

Goku swallowed hard. "So what about Parsley and Potato?"

"Parslee and Tato," his mother corrected. "They're soldiers on the same squad. Like Tora and Fasha."

"Do those guys fight whoever… Cooly tells them to?" Goku inquired.

Bardock nodded. He was unsure how his righteous son would react to ethnic cleansings.

"We'll probably get you enrolled in the training facility soon. So you can meet others your age and actually advance. I don't claw my way up from third class ranking just to have weak children," Bardock rudely and coldly challenged. "But first we have to get you adjusted."

Gine punched his arm. "Stop being rude to him."

"It's fine. Now that I know how much stronger everyone is, it gives me more motivation to get strong," Goku smiled, pumping his fist. "Can't fight strong guys if I'm not on their level!"

"See? I'm adding fuel to the fire in his heart," the man smirked, taking a sip from his cup of wine. Ingesting said wine would destroy the livers of species with lower alcohol tolerances.

"And if it turns out fighting isn't your thing, there are plenty of alternatives. Bardock's status gives you plenty of freedom. After the king died, he's the strongest saiyan," Gine said, likewise sipping.

The man scoffed, leaning back. "I was stronger before that asshole tried to kill Frieza, debatably."

Goku just had so many things running in his mind. But he was getting sleepy. His head slumped with a thud onto the table, clattering the silverware.

"Aaaaand he's asleep." Gine announced. "I didn't know we were that boring!" the saiyan woman scoffed.

"It's probably the stasis gas," he observed. "Used too much for him, maybe. He'll live."

Gine bit her lip. "He's different from us. I don't think he'll fit in very well."

"That's while we'll fix it. I sent him away, it's my fault," the man admitted.

"I should have gone with him, Bardock," she moaned, putting her head in her hands.

Bardock stood up, embracing her from behind. "There's no use worrying about the past. We can't go back, nor can we go forward."

"I know, I know, we have to live in the present. I've heard the same Morals every saiyan has," she said, referring to their people's cultural stories. Nursery rhymes akin to the legend of the super saiyan.

"But not Kakarot," Bardock realized, putting his chin in the crook of her neck. "I'm sorry I made such a rash decision."

"But it wasn't nothing. If Cooler hadn't convinced his brother Vegeta was important…" Gine trailed off, shaking her head. "Can't live in the past."

Bardock kissed her passionately. "It all was okay. It's okay. It will be okay."

The man picked up his son. The couple marched down their hallway, stopping only to put their son in his bed. Bardock and Gine continued to their shared bedroom.

Bardock flopped onto his side. Gine carefully laid down. "Why are you back so early, by the way?"

Bardock rolled over, looking into her large eyes. "Cooler reassigned the mission to the Armored Squadron. He said it was because he didn't need someone efficient, but I suspect it was because of Kakarot."

"That was generous," she noted. "He's so much more fair than his brother."

"What's your game plan tomorrow? I have to leave," Bardock whispered.

"I was going to take Goku to the armory, and get him signed up for the next round of basic training," Gine recited her mind's contents. "Maybe show him around town. I'll take the day off."

Bardock sighed, nuzzling into her neck. "Those rebels in the Renait sector are causing a lot of trouble. I ship out at twelve-hundred tomorrow. Hoping to have it cleared in time for the festival."

"Just be safe. I die every time you're late. I worry about you, I hope you know that," She pecked him on the cheek.

The man laid back. Gine supported herself on his chest. "As if you ever let me forget… Gine, I can't make promises I can't keep."

"Then lie to me."

"I can't do that. Look on the bright side, though. I'll probably be home when you wake up. I have errands before I leave," Bardock droned.

Gine heard some rustling from the other room. "Restless sleeper?" she asked.

"Probably," the man agreed. "I'm the same way, and so was my father."

The woman fell asleep, leaving her mate to ponder in the darkness. Kakarot seemed like a huge liability. Honestly, if he didn't change he would be a complete embarrassment. But the man tucked those thoughts away. How could he sleep with worry and adrenaline pumping through his body?

So he snarled, closing his eyes tight.