Raising Trouble

Disclaimer: Dragonball/z and all of its characters are owned by Akira Toriyama.

Editor's note: This story is supposed to be an interpretation of what happened after (grandpa) Son Gohan found Goku that fateful day up to when Goku meets Bulma. I'd rather put this in the Dragonball category, but it's never going to get read if I do...

This is a multi-chapter fic, but it shouldn't be terribly long. I am open to ideas any of the readers have for improvements or potential situations, so please feel free to message me. It's also going to be my main project while I figure out what to do about the next chapter in Coinciding Fates. And that's it. Enjoy.

Chapter 1: prologue

There had been little rain in the past week, so the roads were nice and dry, which allowed for easy traveling. There were few clouds in the sky, and the temperature was not too hot or cold, as it was mid-spring. It was perfect traveling weather.

Son Gohan was very happy about that as he continued his hike home that particular morning. He had begun his trek several days earlier from the closest town to his secluded home in the mountains. He had decided to build his home in such a place for privacy. In the past, many young men had come to him in hopes of stealing his secrets of the martial arts, but he had made the decision that he would not train anyone. No matter how many times he tried to explain this, the prospective pupils just kept coming, so, in hopes of discouraging them, he moved to the mountains. For the most part, it worked, and he was allowed to enjoy his solitude.

Due to his self-sufficient nature, he rarely had to go into town for supplies, but once in a while, he did desire conversation and news of current events. When that desire hit, he would check the weather, pack a few items, and head out. Once he had his fill, he just headed back.

Although it was about a five day trek to the town, he never really minded. He loved the mountainous scenery that he passed. Much of it had been untouched by man, and it put him at ease to travel through it. And since he did not have to worry about being attacked by robbers or wild animals due to his martial arts training, he could make the trek at his own leisurely pace.

However, this particular trek did not seem to have its usual feel. Something seemed off about it, and the old man was having difficulty trying to determine it. There was no real sense of danger, but there was an uneasy sense in the air. It could have been from the sound he had heard just prior to morning, which he had associated with a major rock slide, but there was really no way to know for sure. So he decided that it would be best to hurry on his way just in case something, perhaps a freak storm, was on its way.

Maybe an hour later, he began to hear a strange noise. At first, he thought it was an animal call as some of the creatures he had encountered in the past made a similar sound, but as he grew closer to the source, it became clear that it was the sound of a baby. That was puzzling to him. Why would a baby be out in the wilderness?

He concluded that it was probably a couple with a young child who had come out for a picnic. It was uncommon for them to be so far away from the city, but not unheard of. Since there was nothing wrong with that, he decided that he would just continue on his journey.

Yet, as he continued, the child's cries were not stopped. It was really beginning to bother him, so he altered his course and headed for where he believed the cries were originating.

ooooo

As he pushed through a rather thick thicket of bamboo, he stumbled into a clearing. Within that clearing sat a baby with an unusual amount of hair crying his eyes out. Gohan quickly looked around and saw no sign of another person. Concerned and worried, he moved closer to the baby, whose cries were really starting to weigh on his heart.

"Whattcha doin' out here all alone, little fella?" Gohan asked the infant as he picked him up. The baby had ceased crying almost immediately, and was now looking at the old man with a rather curious look. What surprised Gohan more than this unusual look was the fact that a tail had uncurled from beneath the child.

Gohan quickly examined it closely, just to make sure that he wasn't just imagining it. "A tail?" Gohan asked once he was sure of what he was seeing. He then moved the child close to his face, "Well, that's okay. I'm a little odd myself."

In response, the baby kicked him and began to laugh. Although the kick was a bit more powerful than that of a regular infant's, he did not ponder it as the baby was finally happy. "Hey, take it easy on me," Gohan told him, "I'm old enough to be your grandpa, you know." The baby just laughed again.

He then adjusted his hold on the baby so that he could look around for some clue to where the child's family had gone. He called out, in hopes of an answer, but heard no one. Worried, he began to search, in a circular fashion, for some sign of another person.

Although he did not see anyone, he did come across a crater with a strange item within it. It was a large, spherical shape and appeared to be made of some sort of metal. What would best be described as a door was open, which revealed an inner chamber that had a chair and what appeared to be controls. Gohan also noticed that there seemed to be some sort of feeding tube connected to the chair.

He quickly came to the conclusion that this strange object had not been made by a human. He had seen vehicles and planes before, and they looked nothing like this. It also did not look like any spaceship any human had ever made. This knowledge caused his hair to stand on end. So, if humans did not create it, what did?

He then glanced at the child, who was looking around rather curiously. Was it possible that the object had brought him here? That was a rather unsettling thought, Gohan decided a moment later after he watched the child attempt to reach for a bird he saw. This child was alone, and other than his tail, there was nothing out of place about him. Without a second thought, he decided that he was going to take care of this child while he tried to find some clues to his identity.

ooooo

After using a spare cloth as a blanket as a diaper for the baby (who was none too pleased), Gohan decided that he would call him Goku, and once that was determined, he began trying figure out how he was going to get this child back to his home as it was the closest building . Upon examining the strange craft, he discovered that there was a large bag of what he assumed was formula, which had been attached to the feeding tube. The discovery relieved him as now there was now a way to feed this child, at least for a little bit.

He then made a bit of a nest for this child in the pack that he was carrying, placed him in it, and began the journey home after feeding the child. Goku seemed to be content within his nest and quickly feel asleep, which made the journey a little smoother, even though Gohan was terrified that he would fall out.

However, that contentment ended as soon as Goku woke up, which was almost two hours later. The child who had been quite happy earlier was now incredibly upset. He was crying again, and Gohan could not figure out what to do. Goku was not wet, and he did not appear to be hungry again. He did not respond to being burped or silly faces. Nothing Gohan did worked, and he was beginning to get worried.

Eventually, Goku somehow managed to get a hold of Gohan's mustache and pulled. The old man winced and carefully tried to pry the infant's hand off of him. He found out rather quickly that this child's grip was absolutely incredible, and he was putting quite a bit of effort into it. What was even more incredible was that every time he winced, Goku began to laugh.

"So, you like that expression?" Gohan asked after having his mustache pulled again. Although he was happy this child was finally being agreeable, he wished that he could have discovered this without the pain involved. Eventually, he got himself out of Goku's grip, but as soon as that happened, he began to cry again. Gohan winced again, in hopes it would quite him, but it did not work. After sighing, Gohan adjusted the baby and once again began his journey. All the while, Goku was happily pulling on the mustache of his new grandpa.

While they traveled, Gohan could not help but wonder what he had managed to get himself into.