Disclaimer: The following story is fanfiction. Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, and Dragon Ball Super are all owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Shueisha, and Akira Toriyama. Please support the official release.

This story is based on the YouTube video series What If Gine Went With Goku To Earth? by Lawrence Simpson (a.k.a. MasakoX). Please support his YouTube channel.

Dragon Ball Okan

Chapter 1

Gine & Bardock

He's so precious.

In the amber fluid of the nursing capsule, the baby floated peacefully. His eyes were closed, and he was motionless aside from the occasional twitch of his limbs or tail. Tiny. Delicate. Pure. To Gine, he was the most beautiful thing in the entire universe. How much time had she spent in the nursery, watching him? She didn't care. The sight of her child was soothing, which helped her forget the nightmares.

Within her, something stirred. This would happen often when she was near her son. Slowly, she reached forward and placed her hand on the glass.

So close.

Her heart ached. She longed to hold her baby in her arms. To rub her thumb along his cheek, tousle his hair, kiss his forehead. Sadly, it was too early for him to be taken out. Watching him serenely float would have to be enough.

"Looks like Mom came to see her baby boy, huh?"

The voice broke Gine's attention, and she turned her head. Walking toward her was a tall Saiyan wearing blue and black armor. His tanned skin, flat top hair, and ponytail were immediately recognizable.

"Toma," she said, "what're you doing here?"

"Came here looking for you," Toma said as he stopped next to her. "You weren't on your shift, so I figured this was the most obvious place to check."

She gave a light chuckle. "I'm that predictable, huh?"

"Eh, just a little bit." Toma shifted his attention to the incubator. "Looks like he's grown quite a lot. How long has he been in there, again?"

She looked back at the capsule. "Just over a year now."

"Have you and Bardock decided on a name yet?"

Gine let out a disgruntled sigh. "You know as well as I do that he doesn't care enough to bother with names."

"Guess some things don't change, then. So, have you come up with a name?"

She turned to face him again, smiling softly. "Yes. His name's Kakarot."

Toma reached up to scratch his chin. "Kakarot, huh? Hmm … has a nice ring to it. I'd say you picked out a good one."

Nice of him to be even mildly interested. If only Bardock cared at least that much.

"Anyway," Toma said, "me and the others are about to head off on our next mission. We figured we'd drop by the med bay to see Bardock on our way out. Care to join us?"

It took a moment for Gine to consider the offer. "Sure, thanks for asking. It's about time I checked in on him anyway."

"Sorry to have to tear you away from your kid—"

"No, no, you're fine. I've already been here for a while; it's not a big deal."

"Alright then, I'll let you have a moment to say goodbye to the little guy."

Toma walked to the nursery exit, leaving her once more alone with her baby. As she shifted her gaze back to Kakarot, a small pang of sadness welled inside her. Whenever she visited, she'd always be somewhat reluctant to leave. She wanted to be with her son for as long as possible. The day would come when he'd be sent away, and then she'd likely never get another chance to see him. Alas, she couldn't keep Toma waiting for long.

"Bye, Kakarot," she said, her words soft and affectionate. "Mommy has to go now, but I'll be back soon. Take care, okay?" Kakarot jerked slightly as if responding to her voice. The sight tugged at her heartstrings. "Love you."

She willed herself to walk away. It was time to attend to other family matters.

As Gine walked with Toma through the corridors of the military complex, she was mostly silent. A few times, Toma tried to strike up a conversation. He'd tell her about some bizarre event from one of the squad's recent assignments, and she'd briefly comment on it. Shortly afterward, talk would dry up. As the two neared their destination, Gine's heart rate quickened. She bit her lower lip and started fidgeting with her hands, hoping Toma wouldn't notice her body language.

Such hope was dashed when he finally asked the obvious question: "Are you nervous about seeing the squad again?"

She sighed. It'd always been easy for Toma and Bardock to see right through her. "You could say that," she said.

"I've told you before: you shouldn't let their jabs get to you."

"I tell myself the same thing every time I see them, but it still doesn't get any easier."

"Hey, they try to get under my skin just as much. Bardock's, too. We're all constantly at the end of each other's smart-ass jokes."

"Whenever I'm around, though, it seems like I'm their only target. I mean, they don't get to make fun of you or Bardock for dropping out of the squad."

"They just get a kick out of pushing people's buttons; they don't actually mean any harm by it."

Did Toma believe that, or was he just saying it to make her feel better?

Before long, they reached the entrance to the medical bay. Gine's spine stiffened at the sight of the three Saiyans waiting for them. One had a bowl-cut and a thin mustache. Another had hair sticking out from the sides of his otherwise bald and scarred head. The third stood out as slender compared to her bulky counterparts, though still with plenty of muscle definition. She had spiky bangs and golden earrings.

"Well, well," the balding Saiyan said, "looks like Bardock's delicate little flower dropped by after all."

"Seriously, Totapo," Gine said, "did you expect me to not wanna see how my husband is doing?"

"We just weren't sure if Toma could pull you away from your little tyke in the nursery," the other female Saiyan said, her arms crossed. "When you're not chopping up meat, that seems to be the only place you go to these days."

"Selypa's gotcha there," the Saiyan with the bowl-cut said. "I remember you doin' the same thing when Raditz was in the capsule. Any chance you got, you were stoppin' by 'cause you couldn't stand to leave your li'l baby boy all alone." He chuckled and reached forward to pat Gine on the head. "Always were a softie!"

Gine closed her eyes and inhaled sharply. Pumbukin's habit of patting her had always made her feel like a child. A small, weak child. Of course, if she asked him again to not do it, he wouldn't listen. He'd never listened. This time it'd probably be best to ignore it.

"Have you guys heard anything about Bardock's condition yet?" Gine asked.

"Not yet," Totapo said. "We were waiting on you and Toma to get here before heading in."

"If we're lucky," Pumbukin said, "the doctors'll let him out, and he can come with us on this next mission. It'd be a shame to hafta smash heads in without him."

"Where is your next assignment, anyway?" Gine asked.

"Planet Meat," Selypa said. "And get a load of this: Freeza himself was the one who sent the word down."

"Seriously? You guys got a mission directly from Lord Freeza?"

"Feeling a little jealous, Gine?"

"I'm just surprised he gave you guys an assignment personally. That's gotta be a pretty huge deal for you."

"Ya bet your ass it is!" Pumbukin shouted with a raised fist and a grin. "He musta been really impressed with how we managed to take Kanassa—wiped out everybody on the planet a month before everyone else said it coulda been done! Now the head honcho's finally givin' us jobs himself!"

"Too bad you can't come with," Selypa said in a mocking tone. "Not that you'd be much help, to be honest. You'd probably just be the damsel in distress again while we took care of the actual hard work." Gine winced.

"Remember how many times she just froze up in the middle of combat?" Totapo said. "Definitely wouldn't wanna deal with that again."

Pumbukin laughed heartily. "Don't remind me," he said. "To this day, I still dunno why Bardock got in bed with someone so fragile." Gine's hands balled into fists.

"Guys," Toma said, "I think it'd be best to knock it off."

"Come on, Toma," Totapo said. "We're just trying to get Gine to grow thicker skin. She needs to learn to not be such a pushover."

Selypa nodded. "I mean," she said, "we tried to get her to toughen up on the battlefield. Maybe if Bardock had let her fend for herself instead of saving her ass all those times, she'd be less of a coward."

"I second that," Pumbukin said. "Maybe she'd still be on the squad, fightin' like a true Saiyan warrior"—he flexed his arms to show off his muscles—"insteada just bein' a butcher."

Gine fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Y'know," she said, "I happen to like my job. I'm sorry I don't have the killer instincts you all have, but you could at least pretend to appreciate what I do to keep the army fed."

"Hey," Selypa said, "you can prep an animal carcass better than most; I'll give you that much. Let's be honest, though—any real Saiyan's true place is in combat. We're warriors. The most fearsome fighters the universe has ever seen. The mere sight of us should make our enemies cower in fear, knowing they're about to meet their end. Seeing you, though"—she gestured with a hand toward Gine—"doesn't really inspire that sort of reaction."

"And what if I don't want that?"

"Then I'd ask where the hell your Saiyan pride went."

"Enough," Toma said, his hand raised in a calming gesture. "How about we just head in to see Bardock? That's why we're all here, isn't it?"

Selypa snorted. "Fine."

After they entered the bay, the group found the room where Bardock was being kept. In the room—along with numerous medical charts, readouts, and instruments—were two alien doctors monitoring a healing chamber. A Saiyan was inside, submerged in liquid. Though a breathing apparatus covered most of his face, he was recognizable by the scar on his cheek and his large spiky hair.

The bearded, pointy-eared doctor noticed the group as they walked in. "Ah," he said, "I see Bardock's compatriots have come to check on him."

"Right you are, doc," Toma said. "We're about to leave on a mission, so we wanted to see how he's recovering."

"Well," Pumbukin said, once more patting Gine, "mosta us are leavin'. Bardock's mate here can't handle the battlefield, so she hasta stay and cut up meat that's already dead." She clenched her fists again.

"Pumbukin, what did I—"

"Yeah, yeah, sorry—just hadta get that one in there." Pumbukin pulled away, and she relaxed her hands.

"How's he doing?" Gine asked.

"Physically speaking, he's in great shape," the pointy-eared doctor said. "He's basically fully recovered from that hit he took on Kanassa."

"I just wish for once he'd come back in a condition other than half-dead," said the other doctor—a green-skinned reptilian with a mohawk of orange feathers—who was looking at readings on a computer. "He needs to learn to be a lot more careful on assignments."

"Where's the fun in that?" Totapo said.

"Anyway, while Bardock has recovered physically, we're not entirely sure about his mental condition. The computer is picking up fluctuations in his brainwave patterns."

Toma's eyes narrowed at the healing chamber. What was on his mind? The squad hadn't told Gine much about their last mission, only that a native had taken them by surprise and knocked Bardock unconscious. She accepted the explanation, but there must've been something they weren't telling her. Was it related to the fluctuations in Bardock's brainwaves? If it was, the details were probably off-limits to noncombatants like her.

"How much longer are you gonna keep him in the chamber?" Gine asked.

"We're going to continue monitoring his brainwaves for a while," the bearded doctor said. "Ensure these fluctuations aren't dangerous to his health. If everything checks out, we should be okay to release him in a few hours."

"Can't stick around for that long," Selypa said. "Freeza ordered us to leave for Planet Meat immediately."

"You guys better get going, then," Gine said. "I'm gonna stick around and wait for Bardock to come out."

"When he gets out," Pumbukin said, "tell him to get his sorry ass in gear before we have all the fun without him." He, Selypa, and Totapo ambled over to the door.

"I'll catch you later, Gine," Toma said. "Make sure to get a big hunk of meat ready for when we all get back, alright? I'm sure the guys will wanna celebrate."

"Sure thing," Gine said. "Hopefully, Bardock will still be conscious enough to eat instead of back in here."

"If he could say anything right now, I'm sure it'd be, 'No promises.' " Gine snickered.

Toma and the others left the room, leaving Gine with the doctors and her unconscious husband. She sighed in relief. It wasn't Toma she had any issue with; she'd always liked having him around. The others, though …

If I never have to see those jerks again, it'll be too soon.

It'd been ages since the images started flashing through his mind. At first, they were muddled and unclear. Indecipherable. Now, though, some of them were becoming coherent.

A planet shattered into countless fragments, its destruction accompanied by maniacal laughter. What world was that? He didn't see clearly enough to guess.

A lone space pod approached another planet—one with green continents and blue oceans. The pod was one of theirs. Who was in it?

There was a baby boy—a Saiyan, judging by the tail. There was also a short old man with a big white mustache. He had no tail, so he probably wasn't a Saiyan. The kid squirmed and kicked as the alien tried to dress him. His hair was awfully familiar.

Toma was wounded. Blood trickled across his face.

The Saiyan kid appeared again. He was older and with a young blue-haired girl. The boy's hair closely resembled his own. Was this his son?

Toma lay down with his eyes closed. Someone used a rag to wipe the blood off his face. Was he unconscious or worse?

The young Saiyan was with another old man and a small bald child without a nose. There were also flashes of him fighting a green-skinned alien. A Namekian?

The words of the Kanassaian echoed through Bardock's consciousness:

"The technique I just struck you with will grant you visions of the future! You will see the fate that shall befall your people. I warn you now: you have no future save that which is cursed! As it was with my people, there will be nothing but destruction for yours! I condemn you to see your future and agonize over the form it takes!"

Gine looked inside a space pod, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Bardock woke with a jolt. He was wet; the liquid he was immersed in was being drained into the floor. Several wires were connected to his torso, and a breathing apparatus covered his face. Clearly, he'd been put in a healing chamber again. The fluid was soon fully-drained, and the glass portion of the chamber unsealed and rose to the ceiling. He was greeted with the sight of a pointy-eared alien doctor looking up at him.

"Good to have you back in top form, Bardock," the doctor said. "Are you feeling alright?"

Bardock removed his breathing apparatus. "Yeah," he said. "My head's feeling a bit dizzy, but I think I'm okay."

"Nice to see you're finally awake," a familiar voice said. Bardock turned, and there stood a young Saiyan woman with pale skin and shaggy, shoulder-length hair. She looked at him with a warm smile.

"Been here for a while, Gine?" Bardock asked as he removed his wires.

"For a few hours, yeah. I came by with Toma and the others, but they had to leave for a mission. I decided to stay here until you woke up—figured you might appreciate a friendly face."

"Thanks." He stood to exit the chamber, and the eyes of a reptilian doctor in the room widened.

"Agh!" he cried out, raising his hands in alarm. "I'm sorry, Bardock, about your … um … privacy. When she asked to stay, I didn't consider—"

Gine gave a small laugh. "Relax, doctor," she said, "it's nothing I haven't seen before." The doctor's arms fell to his sides, and Bardock let out his own chuckle.

"That reminds me," Bardock said, "where'd you guys leave my clothes?"

"Your equipment is over there," the doctor said as he pointed to a nearby table, on which were Bardock's scouter and set of armor. Bardock stepped out of the chamber and walked over, paying no mind to the fact that he was naked in front of three people.

"So," Gine said, "the doctors said that while you were unconscious, something weird was going on with your brainwaves. D'you remember anything from while you were asleep?"

Would Gine believe that the attack he'd taken on Kanassa was giving him psychic visions? Was that even what those images were? The Kanassaian could've been bluffing and filled his head with images to rattle him. Then again, Toma had mentioned a rumor that Kanassa had energy capable of granting psychic power. If that was true, it would explain why Freeza had been so interested in the planet. Regardless, telling Gine about all this would cause her to needlessly worry if she believed any of it.

"Not much," Bardock said as he started getting dressed, "just some strange dreams. The details are kind of fuzzy."

Gine scratched her chin. "Dreams, huh?"

"Yeah, just a bunch of images flashing in my head. Not sure if they mean anything." It wasn't the whole truth, but it wasn't a lie.

"Hmm … I wonder what that's all about."

"Same here. By the way, you said Toma and the rest of the squad left on a mission?"

"Yeah, they left for Planet Meat after checking up on you. Apparently, Freeza himself gave the mission."

Bardock paused from putting on one of his boots. He whipped his head toward Gine. "Freeza? The Emperor himself gave us a job? You're serious?"

"Yup. I was just as surprised as you are when they told me."

A grin broke across his face as he continued dressing himself with renewed zeal. "Ha! After all this time, we're finally getting the recognition we deserve!"

"Somebody's excited. Pumbukin wanted me to make sure you got ready before they"—she made air quotes—"had all the fun."

"No need to tell me twice!"

"Bardock," the pointy-eared doctor said, "you really shouldn't be rushing off like this so soon. Your body needs time to rest from—"

"You're not gonna stop him from going, doc," Gine said. "Trust me, there's no use arguing with him when he's like this."

"Believe me, I know. Still, it's my job to give sound medical advice. Whether or not he chooses to listen to it is his prerogative, though I fear his brashness is going to get him killed one of these days."

"Well," Bardock said, "when that day comes, feel free to show up at my funeral and say, 'I told you so.' Right now, though, I've gotta run."

"If you're leaving now," Gine said, "I'm just gonna go back to the nursery and see Kakarot."

"Kaka-what?"

Gine raised an eyebrow, either in surprise or annoyance. Probably both. "Kakarot. Our son, remember? Seriously, I could've sworn I told you the name I picked out."

Bardock's thoughts went back to the visions—that Saiyan kid had appeared repeatedly among them. If those visions were of the future, the boy was possibly important. If that boy was really his son …

"Do you mind if I come with you to see him for a minute?" he asked as he attached his scouter to the side of his head.

Gine gaped at him. "A-are you serious?"

"Why? Would you rather I not see—"

She vigorously shook her head. "No, no, no, it's not like that at all! I'd love for you to see him! It's just … well, you've never really shown any interest before. In him or Raditz. Why the change?"

"Just curious, I guess." Not the whole truth, but not a lie. "It'll only be a few minutes, and the nursery isn't too far from here. I won't get held up that much."

Gine's shocked expression dissipated, replaced by one of the biggest smiles he'd ever seen her make. "Of course!" The excitement in her voice was palpable. "Let's go, I'll take you to him right now!"

Bardock followed Gine down the hall, the latter walking with a spring in her step. It was remarkable how joyful she was. Sure, she'd often said that she wished he'd show Raditz more than indifference, but this much enthusiasm seemed excessive given the mild curiosity he'd expressed. Regardless, he didn't have the heart to dampen her excitement. She'd rarely been so cheerful since leaving the army, and he missed seeing this from her. Why ruin it?

The two of them soon reached the nursery. After Gine checked in at the front door, they were let inside the room where the infants were kept. Lined up in rows were dozens of nursing capsules, all containing Saiyans at different stages of development. Some were embryos, not even recognizable as Saiyans. Others would've been newborns if Saiyans still gave birth naturally. Still others were large enough to be toddlers, probably not far from release.

The last time Bardock had been in this room was when Raditz was taken from his capsule. Gine practically had to drag him so he'd be there for the occasion. Funny how this time he came of his own free will.

"C'mon, he's right over here," Gine said. She grabbed his hand and led him to one of the capsules near the door.

It'd been roughly a year since the embryo was taken from Gine and moved into the nursery. Bardock was no expert on babies, but Kakarot looked about the right size for that much time incubating, if a tad small. The boy's face was a softer, more rounded version of his, and they shared the same spiky hair.

Bardock went through the visions again. Seeing the boy in front of him, there was no longer any doubt.

So, that kid from the visions was you. Why did I keep seeing you, Kakarot? What makes you so important?

"He's so beautiful," Gine said. She placed her hand on the glass. Her lips were curled up in a tender smile, and her eyes were transfixed on the baby in front of her. "Whaddya think?"

"That he's small and looks like me," Bardock said.

"Well, aren't you a poet?" The teasing in her voice was obvious.

Bardock shrugged. "Eh, I've always been a 'call it as I see it' type of guy. You should know that by now."

"C'mon, you've gotta have something else to say."

He took a moment to answer. "Well, I guess it's sort of … interesting? Seeing one when they're this small, I mean."

Gine's smile widened. "Glad you think so."

What was so mesmerizing about this to her? Sure, it was kind of interesting to see a young Saiyan in development, but to spend hours looking at a baby doing nothing? Gine might've been more than happy to do that—right now, she couldn't take her eyes off Kakarot—but Bardock would get bored out of his mind.

He stayed for a few minutes before his interest began to fade. It was probably time for him to take his leave. There wasn't much more to observe, and he wanted to get to Planet Meat before the others hogged all the kills for themselves. At the very least, Gine would still be happy he showed up, if only briefly.

There was one thing he was curious about, though. He activated his scouter, and—after several seconds of beeping—the heads-up display showed Kakarot's power level.

Bardock immediately recoiled in disgust.

Two? His power level is freaking two? Are you kidding me?

Raditz had been taken out of the capsule with an average power level, so Bardock had expected Kakarot's to be similar. It was appalling that this boy could be so pathetically weak. How could such a feeble Saiyan possibly be his offspring?

Bardock recalled the visions. In those flashes, Kakarot hadn't been with any other Saiyans. There'd only been aliens. Also, that lone pod, heading to a distant planet …

My son's going to be sent off as an infiltration baby? Not trained as a warrior—just tossed aside like trash? Unbelievable!

Shame and embarrassment morphed into anger. Blood boiling, he gritted his teeth and stared daggers at Kakarot.

I guess this is what that guy meant when he said I'd agonize over my future. This is absolutely pathetic! I can't believe I wasted my time to come see you, you worthless—

Something shifted in the corner of his eye—Gine was looking at him. He hadn't hidden his emotions. Immediately, his anger faded away.

Oh crap.

With trepidation, he looked back at her. Her smile was gone, and her expression was mostly blank. However, the look in her eyes left no doubt as to what she felt.

Hurt.

She slowly turned away and pressed her forehead against the capsule, her eyes downcast. Silence hung in the air, and Bardock was filled with unease and guilt.

"I should … I should probably get going," he said.

"Yeah," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "You probably should." Her eyes welled with tears. Now there was more guilt.

Bardock plodded to the exit, mentally cursing himself. He'd really stepped in it this time. Gine was emotionally sensitive and very attached to her children. He should've kept his frustration in check, no matter how justified it was. If he had, this situation could've been avoided. Now wasn't the time to dwell on this, though. He had a mission, and his squad was counting on him to be there. Reconciling with Gine could wait until he was back.

At the exit, he gave one last look back at his son in the capsule.

And here I thought you might've been something special.

He ran out the door, leaving Gine alone to weep.

Author's Note (January 24, 2019): I've actually been working on this story for some time, but I didn't originally plan on posting anything until MasakoX's What If reached the end of the Freeza Saga. At the time of writing, however, that looks to be a ways off. In my impatience, I decided to just post the first chapter now. At the very least, waiting for Part 7 of the What If gave me plenty of time to learn some writing skills and refine this chapter. Here's hoping the end result is decent (and that I get further along with this little project than I did with my last attempt at writing fanfiction).

I understand that MasakoX plans to release a side story video about Gine and Bardock's relationship, so some stuff I've written here might be contradicted in some way by whatever he puts out. I'm hoping that I don't have to go back and make huge changes, but I nevertheless plan on sticking to Simpson's plot outline with minor liberties, both to make it easier on myself and because his story is the one I wanted fleshed out in the first place. Pending the release of that video, however, I'm just putting this out there and seeing how it goes.

Please review.