Chapter Text
Third Person's P.O.V.
Vegeta-sei.
King Cold had left this planet in the care of his second son, Frieza, who in turn took no true joy in ruling over - in his words - "such bumbling buffoons who only knew how to punch and kick" - but for a time their idiocy was amusing, and they got the job done easily enough, so he decided to stick around for a while. He wanted to milk this new little trinket of a species for all it was worth. Unfortunately, it wasn't worth much; as like every spoiled brat, the humor of a new gift Daddy had given died off and with that lack of mirth came a boredom that these imbeciles could no longer mitigate. So the dreadful day came when Frieza shared his distaste with the productivity of the Saiyans. "They're crude and worthless" he had said, "unfit for their Empire and a stain on their name". King Cold needed nothing more from his favorite spawn; and with that, the two descended onto the planet to let King Vegeta know that his services would no longer be necessary.
Queen Sarada had been in the courtyard when her husband's personal guard came to her side covered in blood and fresh wounds. She was inside the palace in an instant, rushing through long massive halls that felt so small in that moment, bursting through the doors to the throne room. Many servants tried to detour her advances but she overpowered them all in her haste to confirm what Parslee had relayed to her.
The sight of her husband's corpse...
There were no words in their vocabulary that could adequately describe the emotions she felt in that moment.
"What happened here?" Her voice lacked emotion, her eyes hollowed and caste over by a deep shadow; a ruffling of fabric told her someone had moved behind her, a deep bow.
"My Queen-"
"I didn't ask for your grievances, Mayze." She cut the maid off before her time could be wasted with any trivial wails of sorrow; this was no time for her to mourn when she needed to avenge the life of her beloved. "I asked of what transpired here. Who is responsible?"
Mayze bowed to the woman once more before allowing Parslee to deliver the full report of what came about moments ago. How Lord Frieza, accompanied by his Father - King Cold - ended his reign over their people. How he most likely planned to end their very existence as a race. How their King, her husband, had been slaughtered for dare speaking against them. Sarada's visage hardened as she listened, cursing the bastard lizard for everything he's done. She held the hand of her departed King all the while.
"What is your decree, my liege?"
"Firstly, where are my children?"
"Prince Vegeta is still off planet." Sarada turned her harsh gaze towards the soldier. "The mission with Nappa, Suncho and Raditz was extended due to the uprising of a hidden civilization that had inhabited the core of the planet."
Her gaze shifted towards Mayze, who had stepped forward. "Princess Rutaba is in her resting chamber and Prince Tarble is located at the main nursery."
Turning back to her husband, Sarada closed her eyes - a silent prayer for his soul to have safe passage resonated from her being - before opening them once again. She placed his hand atop his chest before standing to her feet.
"Contact Nappa; tell him to stay off planet."
"My Queen-" Mayze stopped herself as Parslee stealthily slapped her hand - a sign to hold her tongue from questioning the actions of their only living ruler. Her face showed that she was concerned and he could understand that, but this was no time to stop and think - there was obviously something amiss here and Sarada needed their full cooperation.
"Mayze, instruct the nurses to prepare the emergency pods; Tarble is to be the first shipped out."
"As you wish, my Queen."
"Parslee, collect Rutaba, then meet me at the Escape Pod Bay."
"As you wish, my Queen."
It didn't take long for the news of their slain King to make it out to the people as Bardock went around demanding they all set out to fight off Frieza. He had heard himself that the cold-blooded dictator was planning to destroy the entire planet but most were too focused on their booze to give him a second glance. They refused to believe that Frieza would kill them off as they saw themselves as too important to be dispensable. They ignored and chastised him, too accustomed to working under Frieza's rule. Bardock screamed and cursed them all - calling them complaisant fools before racing off for the soup kitchen. He found his wife, Gine, cutting meat in preparation to feed the influx of warriors that had recently returned home from their missions; Bardock included. She paused in her work when she saw him, sneaking away to greet him with a simple smile of joy - though it faded quickly as she acknowledged his scowl.
"Bardock-"
"We need to go."
Gine knew her husband well; he was brash, blunt and distant - the scowl on his face could be mistaken as a permanent feature of his face if he wasn't known to crack a smirk at the expense of others who were too haughty for their own good... but the expression he displayed was something dire and she knew that any questions she'd have would need to be asked on the way to wherever. She tore off her apron as she followed him in the direction of their home.
"We need to get Kakarot and take him to the Nursery." Gine gazed at her husband in confusion; Kakarot wasn't old enough to be sent off world, sure he had his natural instincts to fall back on in a pinch but with the way other species and civilizations were advancing, he'd find himself in dire situations often if the right planet wasn't selected. "I overheard that the Queen has decreed that all children be sent off world - I believe she's preparing for the end."
"The end?"
"Frieza killed the King." Hearing her gasp of shock, he continued. "He ended the contract with us; considers us no longer worthy of working under his empire."
"So... you think he's going to finish us off?"
"Considering the prince was ordered to stay off planet - there's no doubt about it."
Reaching their home, they enter to find Kakarot sleeping with an older Saiyan woman looking over him - upon hearing the door being broken down, she got into a defensive stance but calmed herself when the couple flooded in to collect the sleeping toddler.
"Bardock?" The man said nothing as he pushed past her so she turned to the gentle-natured wife for answers. Gine-"
"There's no time to explain, Planta."
"What do you mean? What's going on with you two?"
Bardock took his son into his arms, looking down on the one who would uphold his bloodline (along with his older brother - should either one survive). There was so much he needed to teach this kid... the ways of their people had to be passed on to him; how to be a proper warrior, how to achieve the Oozaru form, how to create an artificial moon in the case the planet he was sent to lacked one. There was so much but no time at all; the sky began to darken, then shine with a blinding light - Planet Vegeta-sei was at the dawn of destruction.
Turning to Gine, he passed the child to her. "Get him to the Nursery."
"Are you going to fight him?"
"I'm going to buy you time-"
Screams picked up from outside as Saiyans dashed around in a blind fear and rage induced swarm; they took up both ground and sky as they buzzed around aimlessly like a Niwatori who's head had been chopped off. Bardock growled before gripping his wife's shoulder. "Nursery."
"Yes."
"Make sure he gets on a pod no matter what."
"Okay."
He glanced down at his son once more before stroking the child's head. "Survive." With that said, he took off into the mesosphere to confront Frieza. Many others took notice of the man barreling into space - how could they not with the battle cry he had screamed into the open air. The same man who they had called insane to accuse Frieza of such a grievance was the only one heading out to try and stop him. Suddenly the royal army appeared and the decree of the Queen was given to every inch of their planet. Head out to confront Frieza; the end is here.
As Bardock flew into space to take Frieza head-on, nurses rushed around to get the children (from infancy to early childhood; those too young to be put on missions) into their pods and out into the cold, dark vacuum of space to hopefully find refuge on other planets before...
"We have to hurry! That battle is heating up!" The head nurse called as she readied another pod; the sky was filled with a spectacle of lights and flashes - things were getting far too hectic for comfort and they weren't even close to finished. Half their staff was missing, having been sent out to help other stations as they had been understaffed for months now. It was all a mess and they were running low on time. "Colly, I need you to-"
Looking to her right, the older woman realized that her assistant was M.I.A. in their most dire circumstance.
"COLLY!"
"Right here, Head Nurse."
Colly rushed in with another woman carrying an infant that was unaccounted for and not on the list. She caught the hardened gaze of the woman, but was already on the defensive before her boss could argue with her. She tried to reason with her that this was the wife of Bardock and that they needed a pod for their son but the older woman wasn't hearing it. She had a job to do - a direct order from the Queen - she had little time to listen to every sob story presented to her.
"Ma'am, please - my husband is out there fighting Frieza to give us the time to save our people's future; let's not waste it on arguing."
The woman took a glance at the child - recognizing his features. She remembered this child... he was the same age as her own son; where he was, she couldn't say. She was too concentrated on her duties...
"Bardock, huh..." The Head Nurse looked to her list... there was an older pod in storage - it was big and could travel further than any of the other pods - however it was the slowest of the bunch and if not sent out now would most differently not make it during Frieza's assault. "What's his power level?"
"It's..." Colly paused, her eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at the green screen of her scouter. "...oh my."
"What is it; we're pressed for time!" She screamed as she summoned the pod for use, typing in the master code and waited for the coordinates to be placed; a child's power level was crucial to which planet a Saiyan baby could survive on and Mayze was taking her sweet time getting that information during an act of kindness that was stretching her time thinner than it needed to be. She ordered Gine to ready the child in the meantime as she turned towards her assistant. "COLLY!"
Said girl ran over to her boss, before shaking slightly in hesitation. "Um, i-it's-"
"What's your damage?!" She yelled, snatching the scouter off her tanned face and connecting it to the computer. "You're the one holding up evacuation; any time wasted was a child not being sent out!"
"I k-know it's simply that..."
"OUT WITH IT!" She screamed before the information had been fully transferred into the main computer; the blinking digit taunted her as her eyes widened in horror. "EH?!"
"I'm sorry ma'am."
"Two?! This baby has a power level of TWO?!" She turned to Gine who herself was surprised; she had no idea. "How is that even possible?"
"I..."
The Head Nurse looked downwards at the baby that sat in the large pod with mixed emotions before growling in frustration and setting a course to a relatively weak planet in a far off galaxy. "Hopefully, Frieza won't find you here."
Suddenly the doors to the Pod Bay open and in marches the top guard of Vegeta-sei's and the former personal guard to the King, Parslee; he usually carried an air of pride around him, yet that pride was pushed back for the utmost seriousness. Following behind him, quickly, was Queen Sarada carrying a young girl.
"Our Queen" All women bow to the only ruler left of their race.
"Rise."
They do so.
"Head Nurse, our Queen needs a space pod."
The Head Nurse grit her teeth in frustration at having all her plans constantly derailed by parents who couldn't look out for their own children but here she was. Regardless, this was the Queen's orders and she would follow them til her dying breath - it seemed her second in command didn't see it that way.
"We have not one more pod to spare."
Parslee spared Colly a glance, she was tense but there was an underlying anger that was hard to miss with his trained eye. His eyes shifted towards the large pod sitting on deck and marched towards it, wiping a gloved hand against it. It picked up some dust, dirtying the white fabric but he paid no mind - dust was easier to clean than blood anyhow. Inside he spots a sleeping infant, so it was definitely in working order.
"I see a perfectly good pod right here; old, but it will have to do."
He opened the hatch of the pod, or at least he would have if not for Gine holding down the door. The guard looked to the woman in disbelief but once noticing this lesser Saiyan woman would not be removing her person, he grabbed her by the arm and flung her across the room. She crashed into a metal table - toppling over it and was showered in the many tools that had been laying atop of it. Colly looked on in horror as she watched him remove the baby from his seat, allowing their Queen to set her child in his place. The fact that they would rob a child of escape... didn't surprise her. In fact, all it did was remind her of her own child. He was blessed potential even greater than Prince Vegeta and their King became jealous; he sent her son to an outlying planet in a Saiyan space pod far earlier than he should've. It was a death sentence for sure. Her husband, a loyal colonel, was furious and betrayed King Vegeta - setting out in search for their son to save him and becoming a traitor to the entire Saiyan race.
Most would say she was lucky to not be executed in his stead for his treachery... but never considered herself lucky. What favor was there in losing your entire family? Many nights met her laying awake wishing she had gone off with him. Maybe this was her chance to get revenge. She wouldn't be afraid any longer.
"The royal palace should have an abundance of pods to send the princess out in. What happened to those?"
Parslee storms forward with eyes filled with passion, slapping her across the face. "You dare question our Queen?"
"The end is here, our hierarchy as a species is over - royalty means nothing." Colly doesn't bother wiping away the blood that drained from her nose, she only glared at the woman holding her daughter. "I owe you nothing."
"Pardon me?" Sarada raised her eyebrow in confusion rather than anything else; as if the performance of insubordination was foreign to her in a way where as she could not comprehend back talk - though Parslee knew it all too well with some of these third rate Saiyans.
"Know your place, lower class!" Parslee snarls, "This child is our future and I won't let you get in the way of that."
"As if you're new to idea of damning a child; sentencing them to death for less."
His eyes hardened at her treachery but recognition flashes behind his eyes and a wicked, darkness settles in; she squirmed under his gaze but wouldn't turn away, even as he gripped her face harshly. "I understand now; you're Paragus' wife."
"Parslee, that's enough." Sarada sighs in realization, looking to her defiant subject.
Parslee didn't hesitate to release the woman, her blood coating his glove. "As you wish my Queen."
"You asked what happened to the pods in the castle. They were destroyed; Frieza wants us dead. All of us." She clenched her fist in anger as the memory played in her mind for her once more. Rushing with her daughter to board a ship for the two to go in search for Vegeta only for the craft to be destroyed by one of Frieza's men. It would have taken her out if Parslee hadn't taken most of the damage - though she still sustained a wound on her abdomen that she knew she wouldn't live through regardless if she tried to escape or not. "There's nothing left; I just want my daughter out of here."
"And I want my son."
"Queen Sarada, with all due respect, I cannot allow you to do this." Gine finally spoke as she moved around the table - her skin was torn on her bicep but beyond some messily scratches, she was fine. There was the same defiance in her eyes as Colly as she came to stand by the woman.
"Neither will I - the crown will not be allowed to claim another life."
"This is treason!" Parslee argued, looking to the Queen for orders but the woman remained calm.
"THIS child is the Son of Bardock; he, who is currently buying us time with Frieza!" She cried, pointing towards the large bay window that gave off a perfect view of the sky. Beams, blasts and colorful explosions galore lit up the sky like a burning array of fireworks being set off; crashes and bangs echoed throughout the city and screams of rage and anguish accompanied the orchestra of battle. "He entrusted me to get our son off planet Vegeta-sei."
The look of forlorn was apparent on the young Sayian's face; she knew the end was near.
"You do not understand-"
"We understand perfectly well." Colly cut the Queen off before she could say another word. "Two of your children are safe from harm yet you choose to rob this child of his life! I have no idea where my son may be right now... he could be very well be dead, as well as my husband."
"Be grateful for his absence, Colly." The Queen's voice was gentle as she spoke. "He's safer on Vampa then he would be here and your husband left in search no less than a day later, mine was killed on his throne."
"He got what he deserved."
The window shattered as the building began to crumble and be tossed around in harsh winds. The sky had became black as night as a ball of energy as large and powerful as their sun came crashing down towards Vegeta-sei.
"BARDOCK!" Gine screamed out in anguish - her husband had fallen and now time was up - she had failed him.
Sarada watched the woman cry in her lost and stopped to release how similar their situation truly was. Without another word Queen Sarada took action, prying the infant child out of Parslee's grasp and placing him inside the pod with her daughter. She quickly punched a few buttons and the pod was off, struggling against the push and pull of the rampant winds that only seemed to accelerate as the ball of death closed in on their atmosphere. She flew out towards the pod and began pushing as the two nurses ran off to send as many children out as they could into space. Gine watched in surprise along side Parslee before the two joined in pushing the pod with all their strength. With a roar of rage and a flicker of Gold, Sarada launched the pod out of orbit... just as Frieza's attack began to crash into the planet.
"Our Queen?" Parslee placed a hand on her shoulder, the distant look in her eyes as the rapid winds escalated to the point that a large storm began to form miles away - picking up dust and debris and pushing outwards from the landing site, breaking apart various buildings and architectural art from the castle completely.
Her gloved hand slowly found it's way onto his, gripping it tightly. "Hopefully they all survive and help in the recreation of the Saiyan race... A new Vegeta-sei; in the meantime, let us aid in the evacuation of the remaining children."
The trio flew back to the Bay, putting their last breaths into shipping off the last dozen pods - some not making it as they were caught in the blast; Gine flinched at the sight, knowing those poor few who didn't make it... though there was no guarantee that those that made it to space weren't shot down by Frieza's forces. She hoped they weren't but she had to be realistic... there was no guarantee her own son had made it... the pod was slow, big and old... if the smaller ones had gotten caught...
A single tear shed down her face as she looked to the storm that was now on top of them. The hand of her Queen - who she had gained so much respect for in their final moments - held hers as they prayed for their children's safe passage. Soon everything was engulfed in white as the energy ball collided with the surface of Vegeta-sei - the entire planet exploding. And, if you listened close enough, you could hear the scream of Bardock over all others; a yell filled with rage and grief. This Saiyan was a true warrior who fought for what he believed in until the very bitter end.
And millions of miles away, the inside of that outdated pod was quiet as the two young Saiyans flew through space, far from Frieza's empire and into a new section of the galaxy, unexplored by many. The explosion of Vegeta-sei had pushed the pod so far so fast that the landing gear had been destroyed as well as it's navigating system. Rutaba awoke in the rumble and was surprised to find a baby in her arms; the last thing she remembered was her Mother dragging her through the castle... she said they were going to go look for Vegeta and then...
The young girl's eyes widened in shock and fear before rolling the baby off her and onto the other side of the pod seat, where he only squirmed before settling back to sleep. In an ideal situation, she'd be looking at this kid in confusion and disgust at how easy he found himself sleeping off the sudden movements but she was too distracted by her racing heart and growing terror. Rushing to the window of the pod, she looked outside and there was nothing but stars and rocks.
"Mother...?" Her voice was quiet as her eyes watered.
Where was everyone? Her Mother was right there with her; she had been holding her hand went they went to the ship, when the ship was attacked, when the ship exploded...
She rushed over to the control panel to see if she could find anything but was left in utter dismay as she realized that the mechanism was broken. There was no way to learn where she was or where she was going and it was impossible to turn them around. Tears fell from her eyes as she rushed back to the door, banging on the window and screaming out to a Mother who wouldn't hear. She yelled for her Mother and broke into tears as she thought of her home that had been attacked. Though in her breakdown, the baby began to shriek as he had finally been woken up.
She turned around and stared at the child who she didn't know. Who was he? Why was he here? Was she kidnapped and being sold off with this random kid? No, then there would be others around them? Had her Mother sent her away after all? But why was this baby here? He's not Tarble... or was he? She hadn't seen him since her Father took her and her older brother to see him in the Nursery.
Thinking of the baby brother of hers, she crawled back over the bed/seat to where she had put the screaming baby and held him close to her. When she was a baby and threw fits, this is what Nanny Yamma used to do to get her to calm down - she said it was the same for Vegeta and would be the same for Tarble when he's born. She laid back and put him on her front, holding his face to her chest and rubbing his back in small circles. The shriek died down to a cry that dimmed to a whimper as he gripped tightly to her suit. She said nothing as she stared at the roof of the pod, eyes still wet from tears.
"Mother's gone...Father's gone...Tarble's gone...Vegeta..." She closed her eyes as the tears trailed down her face. "Where are you, Vegeta?"
Many weeks past as the pod flew aimlessly through space - if not for the special conditions within the confines of the pod - the two Saiyan children would've died of starvation; during the entire ride, Rutaba drifted in and out of consciousness as the air within the pod kept her from staying awake... though that came to an erupt end when said pod crashed into the thick forest near the foot of Mt. Paozu, breaking apart trees of every variety. Branches, twigs and leaves scraped against the face and sides of the pod before finally collided with the ground; the bottom of the pod crashed at such speeds that the earth below it implode upon impact - leaving nothing but a large crater in its wake.
Taking a leisurely walk, an old man who lived in these mountains, ventured in the direction of the crash when he heard the sound. He journeyed deeper into the forest to find the source, coming across a peculiar contraption. Suddenly, the door to the ship flew open and the man found an adorable pair of children, huddled up together in the pod - the larger of the two holding the smaller one close to her. There were bruises formed on her arms, legs and head but the baby in her arms looked completely fine. She had taken upon herself to protect the little one from harm - sustaining damage to her small body from, most likely, being slammed around from the crash.
Slowly the girl's eyes opened as she fell onto her side, letting the kid roll out of her grasp and onto the soft bed... and she freaked. Rushing between him and the infant, the girl springs out of the pod taking a battle stance.
"Who are you?" She hissed in rage.
"Well hello there." He smiled at her, though she continued to glare at him. "Didn't your parents teach you that it's rude to ask for someone else's name before giving yours?"
The girl's eye twitched at the mention of her parents and she bore her sharp canines as she growled, like a wild animal letting their prey know they were about to attack; quickly, she charged at the stranger, ready to beat him to death. She brought her leg up to kick him, but he easily blocked her attack with his cane. She spun mid-air to get another round-house, but he blocked that too with the other end. Dropping to the ground the girl tried to throw a punch but her fist was caught as well as the other soon after, as she had tried the same attack. She was caught in his grip and she brought her leg up in a kick, to which he let go of her and took a step back. This caused the young child to fall, but she caught herself and back flipped onto her feet.
"You need to focus more on your-"
"I don't want your help! I'm a Saiyan Warrior and I'll beat you, easy! Just watch me!" She screamed before charging full force into the man. Or what she thought was the man. Suddenly she landed head-first into a large tree trunk, before slamming into the ground. "OW!!!!"
The elder man walked towards the girl, she held onto her head as tears threatened to fall from her soft black eyes. He placed a gentle hand on her head before she hissed in pain. Glaring up at the old man, the girl slowly tried to stand up as the man smiled cheerfully all the while. "It's alright to cry, young one."
"No, it's not. Where I'm from everyone is strong and brave and they never cry; crying is for kids!" She winced as her head started to hurt again and tears started prickling her vision again.
"Are you not a kid?"
"I meant like the baby." She referred to the pod where the sleeping infant resided. "I'm too strong to cry."
"Even the strongest cry sometimes."
She eyed him warily, but the words struck a chord in her and slowly one by one, small tears fell. "Do you ever cry, old man?" She sniffed.
"All the time." He smiled softly as he slowly massaged the slowly forming bump on the girls head. Her tears flowed heavily now as she cried. Thinking about her family and all the things she would miss, now that her planet was most likely gone. "Would you and your brother like to come live with me?"
"Brother?" She hiccuped in confusion.
"The baby over there. Is he not your sibling?" Slowly, the young girl walked over to the naked baby who had sat in her lap the entire ride to this new planet. He shivered slightly before his face scrunched and tears started to gather at the corners of his eyes. "Uh oh."
The shriek resonated throughout the entire forest as the boy cried his little heart out. Instantly panicking, the young girl picked him up and began rocking him slightly like she did however long ago it was. It was a very sloppy job, but she was four and she didn't exactly know how to hold a baby that kept shifting, kicking and screaming; she had gotten lucky last time and given that her adrenaline was still surging through her, she found it harder to be as gentle as she had been. She yelped as he bit her hand and she had a strong urge to drop kick him across the field, but she remembered Tarble... she wouldn't kick him right? Plus, she was small too and she doesn't remember Vegeta ever drop kicking her, so instead, she sucks up her pride and let his teeth sink into her palm - rocking him slowly. She whispered quiet and soft words into his ear and lightly stroked his leg - since it was all she could reach in this position. He calmed down enough for him to release her hand and she took the opportunity to shift his position into something that was easier to hold him in; which unknowingly made it more comfortable for the baby as well. She rocked him as his head rested on her shoulder - and just as gently - stroked his tail.
Eventually, she was met with light snores and a tight grip.
"Finally." She sighed as she leaned on the cool metal pod; Rutaba looked over her hand that had started to bleed into her white gloves. "My mom made these."
"You are really good with him."
"I guess that's a good thing." She pouted as her hand began to sting. "Unless you would rather he keep us up all night when we're trying to sleep."
"Hm?" The old man looked down on her in confusion.
"You offered to let us live with you?"
"...I did?"
Rutaba's jaw dropped in disbelief.
"Seriously?!" The baby jumped in his sleep and the girl instantly started rocking him again to avoid a repeat of the recent incident. "Shh, shh. Sorry."
The man started laughing again at the sight of the flustered child, who once again bared her fangs. He assured the young girl that he had only been teasing and that they should leave now that it was getting dark. Turning on his heel, he continued his walk through the foliage to return to his home. Rutaba slowly got to her feet, too tired to deal with the kid if he started another fit, and stumbled after the elder man.
"That was a dirty trick, old man." She said as she caught up to the senior - he wasn't exactly sprinting after all. "So are you going to tell me your name now, or am I going to have to keep calling you "old man"?"
"You still haven't learned your lesson?"
"Ugh, fine." She growled in defeat and grumbled what the man only could manage to make out as "R-Ruta..."
He piped up, looking down at the young girl who pouted. "Nice to meet you, Ruta; my name is Roshi the Turtle Hermit."
"Really?" She asked, an eyebrow raised in disbelief at the ridiculous name. Seriously, what kind of name was Roshi the Turtle Hermit? It's way too long. At least on planet Vegeta-sei, you only had one name to keep track of, not four!
"Oh Ho Ho, no, that was my old Master." The holly jolly old man laughed in mirth. "My real name is Son Gohan."
"YOU LYING OLD FART!" Rutaba screamed in anger.
The baby started crying again, and so did the young girl after he started biting into her shoulder.
It had been a few years since Ruta (as she started going by since it's what Gohan had called her thanks to her sorry excuse of an introduction; and once the other Saiyan had grown old enough to call it as well, she just bit the bullet and bared it) started living with Gohan. It was a rough few years. Goku (the child had no name that Ruta knew of so Gohan had given him one) was extremely violent when he finally decided to wake up - though Ruta had already figured that because of the many bites he had given her during the first 24 hours. Eventually, he mellowed out and was a very happy baby - granted he had to sustain a major head injury to do so but beggars can't be choosers. From that day forward, everything was peaceful...well...until that one night.
The night where Goku had looked up at the full moon for the second time. While the first time was meet with zero casualties and minor physical damage, the second go around wasn't so lucky. Son Gohan had died at the hands of Goku in his mighty Oozaru form; this broke Ruta's heart into many pieces. During the years they all had lived together, Ruta had grown to see Gohan as a Father-figure, mentor, protector, guild and friend; and Goku was her innocent, "can-do-no-wrong" little brother. Now one was dead and the other didn't even know that their grandpa's blood was on his hands. It pained her and made her afraid of what would happen if he looked again, or if she ever looked. So from that day, the two Saiyans would go to sleep early every night the full moon was scheduled to appear.
"Ruta, why can't we stay up to see the moon when it's full?" Goku whispered as he leaned against his older sister; both Saiyans stared up at the crescent moon.
"The full moon is evil, Goku."
"How?" He tore his eyes away from the giant rock in the sky, to look at her.
"Remember when Grandpa Gohan died?" She looked back towards the small child in her lap.
"Yeah."
"Remember the big monster that I told you killed him?"
"Yeah."
"It comes out during a full moon, that's why we stay inside where it's safe." She stroked his wild, unruly hair that shot out in awkward directions, but still looked cute.
"Um, but what if I watch from the inside?" Goku asked, unknowingly finding a loop-hole Ruta hadn't accounted for. This is mostly because she thought Goku wouldn't have thought of it, as mean as it sounds.
"...he'll see you through the window and kill us both." She answered with an even tone, trying hard not to give away how crappy of an excuse it was.
"Oh." Goku pouted in disappointment, seemly buying into her half-assed lie.
"Yeah." Ruta continued to pat the boys head, something that would always calm him down; she also paid mind to be being extra gentle around the scarred tissue. "Sorry."
"Man, I really wanted to see it." He whined, throwing himself back to stare out the window again.
"Maybe one day, when the monster's gone."
"I hope someone gets rid of that monster soon, then."
A single tear fell as she thought of who that "monster" actually was. Hating having to lie to the only family she had left; just so he could live a simple and peaceful life. A life with no judgment. A life with no lost. A life with no fear and a life in his control.
"Yeah, me too."