Chapter Text

Gine was the only Saiyan who worked in the mess hall, and she (mostly) liked it that way. It was lonely, sometimes, since her coworkers gave her a wide berth and didn’t say much to her, but in a lot of ways it was better than hanging out with other Saiyans, who barely treated her like she was the same species. Her weakness stood out less next to beings who didn’t judge their worth in power levels.

She was preparing the meat for the next lunch rush when Bardock came in the kitchen, causing the other cooks to scatter in fear. Gine was so startled to see him here of all places that she sliced through the tip of her glove, although luckily she missed her finger. Bardock looked at the ruined glove with disdain, but instead of commenting on it, he met her eyes.

“I have something to tell you,” he said. He looked unusually somber. Normally he was easy going, not too bothered by anything. It was one of the things that Gine had found attractive about him, but she had been as surprised as anyone when he had agreed to couple with her. She'd been even more surprised when he agreed to do it again. She doubted there would be a third time, though. The results of that coupling were currently in the nursery, and a disappointment to pretty much everyone except Gine herself.

“What is it?” she asked. Bardock looked uneasily around the kitchen. The cooks were all huddled in the back corner, some of them with dishes burning on the stove in their absence. He stepped closer to her and lowered his voice.

“Frieza is going to blow up the planet,” he said. His meaning didn't immediately penetrate, and once it did Gine brought her hand up to her mouth in dismay.

“That's awful!” she said. “But why would he do that? The Saiyans are his best soldiers!”

Rather than answer her question, Bardock looked surprised.

“Are you saying you believe me?”

Gine nodded.

“You wouldn't lie about something like that,” she said. A rare look of respect entered his eyes, and she treasured it, although it was hard to care about such things in the aftermath of news like that.

“If you really believe me, then you’ve got to get Kakarot off-planet before Frieza gets here. We don't have much time.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Go fight him, obviously,” Bardock said with a smirk. Gine couldn't help but answer it with a smile.

“What should I do after that?” she asked. The smirk settled back down into something more apathetic.

“Whatever you want,” he said, shrugging. “As long as it's not totally useless I don't care.”

The remark stung more than it might have normally, coming on the heels as it did of something almost like camaraderie between them. But this apathy towards her well-being was more his usual style, so Gine shrugged it off.

“Be careful,” she said before he rushed off. He didn't even turn around to acknowledge her words.

Without another glance at her terrified coworkers, Gine stripped off her gloves and hurried out of the kitchen, rising up the maze-like passageways of the main complex to the nursery. Once she got there she quick-stepped down the rows until she found Kakarot, easy to spot due to his intense resemblance to Bardock. He was also easy to spot because he was bawling his lungs out, making the baby next to him squirm and cry in response, but once she picked him up he stopped. She couldn't help but smile at that, despite everything.

Years of being on the bottom of the Saiyan totem pole had taught Gine how to stay out of people's way and not attract attention, so she made it to the pod departure area undetected. It was empty, all outgoing missions having been temporarily suspended. She would have found that suspicious, except now she knew why. She found a pod with a destination already programmed in, a planet so weak it was practically a joke mission, which was doubtless why an infant was going to be sent there. She wondered if it was the very pod Kakarot had been destined for. She placed him inside and then stepped back, ready to engage the startup sequence.

Upon being set down Kakarot had resumed crying, and Gine found her hand hovering over the button to engage the pod, unable to press it. Foolishly, she had asked to be present when Raditz was sent off on his own infant mission. It was not normal behavior for a Saiyan mother to ask such a thing, and the strange looks from everyone present had made it even worse when she actually started to get emotional. Seeing Kakarot in a similar pod, under even worse circumstances, made her actually start to tear up.

A Saiyan infant sent out on a purging mission was always retrieved before they were too old to be reconditioned. Raditz had returned in a few months time, already bigger and more self-sufficient than when he left. But if Bardock was right, Kakarot would never be retrieved from this infant mission. If he was lucky he would be found by some Earthling and be raised as one of their own. More likely he would simply destroy every civilization on the planet and then…

Hot, fat tears begin to roll down Gine's face. Even if Kakarot did complete his mission and killed all the earthlings, he would still have plenty of non-sentient indigenous life-forms to keep him alive. But what kind of life would he lead? He would know only killing, and nothing more. At best he would live out his days as a feral creature, barely more intelligent than the animals he hunted, and at worst Frieza would find him and kill him like he was planning to do to the rest of them. It was very possible all Gine was doing was delaying the inevitable.

In his infantile rage Kakarot was now flailing his arms and crying even louder. Gine bent forward without thinking to try to comfort him, but before she could, he accidentally smacked the internal door button. Before she knew what was happening the door had lowered and pushed her into the pod with Kakarot, where she lay in a jumbled heap. She felt the engines begin to hum to life, but from her upside down position she had no leverage with which to hit the emergency stop button. It was all she could do to hold on to Kakarot as she felt them both begin to ascend into space.

She thought several times during the next few minutes of trying desperately to turn herself around and gain control of the craft, but every time she thought of going back down to that planet, only to have to get out of the pod again and send Kakarot on his way, she couldn't do it. Maybe it was better this way anyway. Bardock had told her not to do something useless. Well, maybe this counted, maybe it didn't. But as she snuggled closer to her son and let the stasis sleep take her, she didn't much care which one it was.

Chapter Text

Every day in the early afternoon Son Gohan took a walk. It was partially for his constitution (prunes couldn’t keep one regular on their own, after all), and partially because the life of a hermit could be rather boring sometimes. The natural scenery around Mount Paozu was unparalleled in all the world, and he felt lucky to be able to enjoy it whenever he wanted. Although this far into the mountains there were many wild creatures that could be dangerous to humans, he never worried. He had his walking stick and his martial arts training, and if he ran into something capable of taking out one of the star pupils of Master Roshi, then he figured he deserved whatever he got.

Today he decided to take the north path up to the waterfall, but as he approached the place he could sense that something was amiss. The birds were quiet or missing, and something had clearly spooked the wildlife. There was very little up here that was afraid of humans, and so normally on his walks he saw plenty of small animals that simply watched him curiously as he passed by. Today what few creatures were out and about at all scurried back into their hidey-holes the second they noticed him coming.

Soon he found the reason for all the trouble. About halfway up to the waterfall there was a break in the trees where normally there wasn't one, and as he got closer he could see a rather large crater in the ground that hadn't been there before. The air held the smell of ozone and freshly upturned earth. Something had happened recently, perhaps even early this morning before he had woken. Cautiously he approached the lip of the crater, making sure his feet were firmly planted on solid ground before sticking his head over the precipice. At the center of the crater was, not a large meteorite as he had been expecting, but some sort of vehicle or device. It didn't look like anything Gohan was familiar with, and the door was open.

Fearing that someone had been hurt Gohan slid gently down the side of the crater and over to the vehicle. He slowly peeked his head inside, and noticed two things right away. One, there was no one inside, meaning that whoever had occupied this vehicle had been at least well enough to leave it. Two, it was filled with more technology and wires and buttons than he knew what to do with. It was very possible that Capsule Corp. or some similar company had come up with inventions even more fantastical than the ones he was familiar with during his time in isolation, but he doubted it. There was something about this craft that was decidedly otherworldly.

Fearing perhaps that whoever had occupied the craft was nearby but too injured to call for help, Gohan reached out with his senses to try to see if he could find anyone. Before he could properly settle his mind, however, he heard a rustling in the bushes up above the crater. He looked up and saw what looked like a brown tail poking out of the bushes. There was a slight rustle as the tail was jerked back inside the cover of leaves, although not all the way. Curious, and a little amused, Gohan walked quietly closer to the bush and, using his walking stick, he gently poked the tail where it was still barely visible behind a scant cover of leaves.

Immediately the tail fuzzed-out: an expected reaction. What was unexpected, however, was the accompanying cry of a baby. Even more unexpected was the young girl that launched herself out of the bush with her fist raised, clearly intent on punching him. Gohan moved easily out of the way, and with nothing to take the force of her punch, the girl fell flat on her face on the ground. In an instant she had jumped back up and was looking around wildly. When she caught sight of Gohan her eyes widened with fear, and after staring at him for a moment, during which he did not move or do anything threatening, she turned tail and fled.

Turning tail was more accurate in this case than Gohan had ever known it to be. The tail that had first caught his notice seemed to belong to the baby in her arms, but as she turned around and leapt away he could see that the girl had a matching one. She moved fast, faster than Gohan had known most people could move other than himself and a few select others, and before very long she was gone, along with all evidence that she been there.

Gohan, not in the habit of borrowing trouble, looked back down at the pod at the center of the crater as though perhaps it could explain something. When nothing seemed to be forthcoming, he shrugged and turned around to go home.

As part of his daily routine, once his walk was finished Gohan fixed himself a hearty lunch. He usually didn't bother with breakfast, and dinner was usually simple foods. Lunch was his chance to go all out, and today, despite not having walked as far as usual, curiosity seemed to have done the work of increasing his appetite in the place of exercise.

The beans that had been soaking since the previous night now went into a pot over a nice fire, along with fresh vegetables from his garden and a little bit of preserved fish. He got out the last of the jerky and opened up a new jar of pickled eggs. Once the oven was hot enough he took the dough that had been rising all morning and put it inside. Before long the smells of baking bread and piping hot soup filled the tiny hut, and Gohan, although not as consumed by his bodily appetites as he had once been, could admit that here was a meal worth eating.

Right as he was sitting down ready to eat, however, the door burst open hard enough that it rocked off its hinges and fell to the floor. Standing in the doorway, eyes wide and crazed, was the young girl from earlier. Gohan could do nothing but stare as she looked wildly around the hut. Her eyes fell on Gohan and she took a step forward threateningly.

“Where's the food!” she shouted. Gohan noticed the baby in her arms, which took an opportunity to let out an especially loud yell. Realizing the person that had busted down his door and was demanding his food was holding a baby softened her crazed demeanor in Gohan's eyes from serial killer to frazzled mother.

“Please, come in, sit down, have some food,” Gohan said, as though it were normal for his guests to burst in uninvited. “You must be starving.”

As the girl moved cautiously into the room and slowly sat down, looking as though she were ready to flee at a moment's notice, curiosity welled up inside Gohan yet again. She was certainly wearing strange clothing. It was possible that changing fashions in the city had resulted in what looked like some kind of armor, but somehow he doubted it. The pod and the crater, not to mention the tails, all pointed to there being a story here, and a very strange one.

The babe in arms was crying even louder now, though, and the girl was staring at the table with unfocused eyes, so Gohan put his questions to the back of his mind and gestured to the food.

There was no hesitation. Before Gohan was even aware of what was happening, half the food was already gone. All the jerky in practically one bite, and half the loaf of bread in another. The girl paused for breath and to hand the baby some of the pickled eggs, which it tore into with as much ravenous enthusiasm as its mother. Then she was back at it, gulping down a bowl of soup and asking for another before Gohan had even managed to put the ladle back in the pot.

Once every scrap of his lunch was totally gone, minus one small bowl of soup Gohan had managed to smuggle into his gullet before his guest could notice, the baby fell asleep with his head cradled comfortably against his mother's shoulder.

“Now, my dear,” Gohan said kindly, “why don't you tell me what you're doing out here. You've obviously been through a lot. Are you in some kind of trouble?”

Gohan did not miss the way the young mother's hand curled a little tighter around her child's back protectively. She looked down at the wood grain table and seemed to think for a moment. Then she looked back up and met Gohan's eyes.

“I suppose there's no reason not to tell you the full story,” she said. “But I don't know if you'll believe me.”

Gohan smiled. He stood and began gathering the tea things.

“Why don't I fix you a cuppa, and you tell me the whole story, and I'll be the judge of that.”

Over two cups of piping hot tea the girl began to relate a tale as strange as Gohan had ever heard, a tale of space emperors and planetary genocide, of space travel and revenge and legendary warriors, of a mother trying to protect her child while mourning for another child and a man that was only something like a husband. By the end of it Gohan had only one question.

“But you're not here to do that to Earth, are you?”

Gine shook her head vehemently.

“We're just here to get away from Frieza,” she said. “I didn't really have a plan after that, but I have no interest in purging planets. I'm… I'm not much like other Saiyans,” she admitted, stroking Kakarot’s hair pensively. “I'm weak, and I don't like bloodshed. Kakarot is weak too, so he probably takes after me. I suppose… we might end up just living here. We have nowhere else to go.” She looked back up at Gohan with a wry smile on her face. “Do you think I could pass as an Earthling?”

“Absolutely, my dear,” Gohan said. “Why, there's nothing strange about you except your clothes, which are easily fixed, and that tail. Even that's just a bit unusual. If I didn't know better I'd say you were a normal Earth woman.”

“A normal Earth woman,” Gine repeated softly. “That doesn't sound half bad.”

“While you're getting your bearings, why don't you stay here? It's out of the way, quiet. The accommodations are a little small, but I certainly wouldn't mind some company for a while.”

“And the food is to die for,” Gine added with a grin. “If you really don't mind, I might just take you up on that.”

Gohan did not mind. But that night he got a bit of a nasty shock. As he was gathering up his bed roll, content to sleep in the woodshed while Gine and the baby took the bed, Gine turned to him suddenly.

“I just remembered something,” she said. “It won't be a problem with me, but don't let little Kakarot ever look at the full moon.”

Gohan stood up slowly, amazed.

“Why ever not?” he asked incredulously. Gine looked almost ashamed.

“Whenever a Saiyan looks at a full moon, they take on their Oozaru form. I suppose to you it would look like a giant ape. A child as young as Kakarot won't be able to control the form, and he would almost certainly kill you.”

“My goodness,” Gohan breathed. “You Saiyans seem to be full of surprises. I will certainly keep that in mind.” He moved to turn away, and then thought of something and turned back. “Is it only if they look directly at the full moon?”

Gine nodded.

“Even half moon or an almost full moon won't do.”

“I wonder…” Gohan muttered to himself as he rummaged through the cabinet in the back wall. Eventually he emerged with a pair of sunglasses. “If he were wearing these, would that prevent the transformation?”

Gine took the unfamiliar object and inspected it. Gohan took it from her and placed it on her face. She smiled when she realized what it was.

“Oh, I see. It reduces the amount of light your eyes receive. Yes, that would do just fine.”

She took the glasses off and turned them around, placing them on Kakarot's face. The glasses were comically oversized, and she laughed. Kakarot, aware only that his mother was laughing, giggled in response, which only made her laugh harder. Soon the two of them were laughing uproariously, with Gohan looking on, a fond smile on his face. If Gine did not bring up leaving to go somewhere else, he wouldn't bring it up either. Having such smiles and laughter around the hermitage would certainly make it less lonely, if a little less like a hermitage.

Chapter Text

The next day Gohan made one of his rare trips into town. Gine stayed behind to fix the door.

"I can't guarantee much," she said, holding the hammer awkwardly. "But I'll try to follow your instructions as best I can."

"Whatever you do will be fine," Gohan said. "If you really can't figure it out, go ahead and leave it for me when I get back."

"But I've got to fix it. I'm the one that broke it, after all," she said earnestly. "If it's not fixed by the time you get back, I'll… I'll…"

"You'll let me help you finish it," Gohan said kindly, before she could threaten to do something desperate. "I appreciate the gesture, but there's no need for you to go to such great lengths. Honestly, I'm a little less worried about the door and more worried about how you two are going to feed yourselves. How much does a warrior know about cooking, anyway?"

"Oh, don't worry about that," Gine said dismissively, waving her hand in the air. "Cooking is one of the few things I'm actually good at. It was my job back on planet Vegeta. I suppose it's probably gone by now…"

A harrowed look came over her face, and she stared at the hammer in her hand without truly seeing it. Gohan patted her arm. She met his eyes and he gave her a comforting look. He hoped it was enough. There really wasn't anything he could say.

When Gohan returned two days later he found a roughshod door badly fitted in his doorway, young Kakarot sitting in the yard wearing one of his shirts like an oversized dress, crying his eyes out, and Gine outside taking her frustrations out on a block of wood. When she saw Gohan coming she dropped the wood and ran to him.

"I'm so sorry," she wailed, "I almost burned your house down and the door doesn't actually open, you have to take the board down in order to get in and out, and Kakarot soiled all of your clothes except that shirt and I don't know where the clothes washing facilities are."

Gohan chuckled, setting down the heavy pack full of fabric for new clothes for Gine and Kakarot along with other supplies.

"First things first," he said. "When you say you didn't burn the house down, how not burned are we talking?"

It turned out: not very. The ceiling was a little blackened and the pot she had been using would never be the same, but it was nothing that wasn't easily fixed. While Gohan taught Gine the finer points of washing clothes by hand, Kakarot played with the fabric he had bought, his impulse to tear it apart with his teeth quickly corrected by his mother.

"This is for wearing, not eating, Kakarot," she scolded, draping the cloth around herself. "Like this."

Clumsily the little boy attempted to pull a sheet of fabric around him in the same manner as his mother, but only succeeded in pulling it over his head entirely. Gine laughed, and Gohan was relieved to see that the sorrow and heaviness he had left her with had already begun to lift. Dinner that night was delicious, courtesy of Gine. She had been unused to an open wood fire for cooking complex dishes, but once Gohan gave her some tips, she was able to make a very serviceable stew.

"Don't you humans have stoves and things like that?" Gine asked as she watched the fire carefully and adjusted for hot spots as Gohan had instructed. "The info dump made it seem like you're practically ready for space travel."

"Info dump?" Gohan asked, pulling his needle through the sleeve of the garment he was working on. "What is that?"

"It's just this thing that gives us all the knowledge we need while we're traveling to another planet," Gine said distractedly. Gohan blinked, impressed.

"That's amazing. I'm almost positive we don't have technology like that here on Earth. But to answer your earlier question, yes, we do have stoves and hover cars and washing machines. I simply choose to live a simpler life."

"But why?" Gine asked, sprinkling on the spices and giving the stew a taste. "Why give up technology if you have it? No offense, but you humans already seem a bit primitive to me, why go even more primitive?"

"A fair question," Gohan said, holding up his work to inspect the seam. Kakarot was gnawing on a chew toy Gohan had gotten him in town, but he had nearly bitten clean through it, so Gohan was already trying to think of other things he could stick in that ravenous mouth to keep him from inflicting real property damage. "There are plenty of humans that wouldn't understand my lifestyle either. As a martial arts master I have decided to give up worldly pursuits and cares in the interest of clearing my mind and allowing my spirit to be free."

"A martial arts master?" Gine repeated, turning around to look at him incredulously. "You're a fighter? I had no idea."

"True, I don't look it. I'm full of surprises, actually. I used to be quite handsome in my younger days, too."

Gine laughed and turned back to the soup.

"If you'd like, I would love to spar with you later," she said, giving the soup another taste.

"I thought you said you didn't like fighting," Gohan pointed out, starting on the hem.

"I don't like being forced to go around just killing things on someone else's orders," Gine said bitingly, "but I'm still a Saiyan. Fighting is in our blood. I would just rather do it for fun."

"Hmmm," was all Gohan replied. While Gine set the table, he tried the little shirt he had been making on Kakarot. The boy squirmed and tried to bite him, but at a sharp word from his mother he stilled, and Gohan pulled the shirt over his head. Gohan still didn't quite believe this child was only a few days old. He was already practically walking. The shirt fit fine, and once Kakarot realized Gohan had been trying to dress him, not tie him up or eat him, the little boy smoothed his hands down the blue fabric over and over again, clearly fascinated. When Gine caught sight of him, she gave him a smile.

"You look very nice, Kakarot," she said. "Tell Grandpa Gohan thank you."

Kakarot turned to Gohan and babbled unintelligibly. Gohan decided to take it as an expression of gratitude, though it was impossible to tell.

"'Grandpa' Gohan," he mused. "I like the sound of that."

As the days and weeks and months went by, the three of them began to integrate into each other's lives seamlessly. Gine put her armor away and wore the clothes Gohan made for her. She cooked and cleaned and hunted, and both of them quietly did not mention the possibility of her leaving.

When all the chores were done and Gohan was in the mood they sparred. Gine had to go easy on him, of course, but quite a bit less easy than she'd been anticipating, considering the average power level of this planet. Sometimes she almost wished for a scouter so she could read his power level. It was so hard to tell. Sometimes she would lightly tap him and he'd go flying, but then other times he would move her limbs in such a way that she ended up on the ground without hardly knowing how she got in there.

"If you're anything to go by, Gohan said, after one of these sparring sessions, "it's clear the Saiyans rely more on brute force than they do on technique. You're pretty formidable as you are, but if I were to teach you you would be truly something else."

Gine, who had never been called formidable in her life, looked away, pensive.

"I don't know," she said. "I think I like the idea of leaving the killing life behind."

"Who said anything about killing?" Gohan scolded. "What I'm talking about is the martial arts. They're used for peace and self-defense. They can also be used for self-improvement and to settle one's own soul. Killing doesn't even have to enter the equation."

"Settle one's soul?" Gine rolled those words around in her mouth like she enjoyed the taste of them. "That I could handle."

Thus it was decided. The sparring sessions turned into teaching sessions, and when Kakarot was old enough he joined them.

One night after a bedtime story, Kakarot lay drowsing, and Gine was nearly asleep herself when he spoke.

"Mama? Do I have a papa?"

The story had been about a mother and a father, and the realization that she was about to have that conversation gave Gine an adrenaline rush that woke her right up.

"You did. He's dead now." Gine sometimes surprised Gohan with her bluntness in talking to Kakarot about such unsavory concepts, but she saw no reason to hide reality from him, and though she wanted to live as an Earthling, secretly she thought some of their social mores were a little silly. Just because someone was a child didn't mean they were exempt from death or violence.

Kakarot digested that.

"What was he like?" was his next question. Gine thought about how to answer.

Distantly apathetic, if she wanted to answer candidly. Quiet, for a Saiyan, but not above boasting. Strong, but not power hungry. He was the type of man who saw to his own needs and pleasures and didn't seem to care about anyone else's. She knew, from comments she had overheard from his teammates in the mess hall, that he probably did care about them in his own way, but if those feelings extended to her she had never seen evidence of it. Their first coupling had been motivated by boredom and availability on his part, and something like hero worship on hers. The second time had been much the same. The fact that he had never coupled with anyone else had given her hope for a long time that his feelings for her were special, but she could see now with the perspective distance gives that Bardock was not the kind of man to do something that sentimental. He had coupled with her and no one else because that's what he'd felt like doing, plain and simple. Her feelings had not entered into the equation one bit.

"He looked exactly like you," she said to Kakarot. "Except he had a scar on his cheek, like this."

She traced an X on Kakarot's left cheek, the ticklish sensation making him giggle softly.

"Was he strong?" he asked, his voice a quiet murmur as he drifted further and further into sleep.

"Yes," Gine said.

"Stronger than Grandpa Gohan?"

She laughed, a small exhale through her nose.

"Yes, even stronger than Grandpa Gohan."

"Wow," Kakarot breathed, his eyes closed. Gine wondered if he would even remember this conversation later. "Do you think I'll be... as strong as him?"

"My dear, you'll be even stronger," Gine whispered. Kakarot began to snore, and Gine lay awake for a long time that night.

Chapter Text

"Alright, Ma, I'm done choppin' the wood. I'm gonna go get us some dinner now."

Gine looked up to find Kakarot already waving to her as he walked down the path to the woods.

"Get fish this time!" she called after him. "I know you like tiger, but that's all we've had for the last three nights."

He gave her an extra enthusiastic wave in acknowledgement, and then he was off. Gine sighed fondly and sat back on her heels, taking a break from weeding the garden to look up at the sky. It was a beautiful day, the sky a deep blue padded with puffy white clouds and, from her perspective, ringed by the lush branches of deep green trees. The weather was pleasantly warm without being too hot, her son was growing into a fine young man, and the deer seemed to have finally gotten the message not to mess with her rhubarb. Gine gave another sigh and closed her eyes in bliss.

"What's all this sighing for?" Gohan teased, coming up behind her. She smiled and opened her eyes.

"Nothing," she said. "Or at least, nothing's wrong. I was just thinking that there isn't a single thing I could wish for that would make me any happier than I am right now."

Gohan's eyes crinkled as his face folded into a wide smile.

"I can't tell you how happy I am to hear that," he said. "Although, I will point out that this particular bout of contentment seems to have come immediately after Kakarot has just left to go hunting."

Gine chuckled in acknowledgement.

"You might have something there," she said. "Don't get me wrong, I love having him here. But he's getting old enough that he's a little… trying... on a mother's nerves. In Saiyan society he would have already left home by now."

"But you tell me he's years away from becoming an adult," Gohan said, setting down the basket of potatoes he was carrying and easing himself down on a nearby bench. Gine slowly pulled off her gloves and sat down cross-legged.

"Well, yes, in a manner of speaking that's true. It's more like he's years away from bearing age. Well, in his case, siring age. But he's certainly old enough to be living on his own. He has been for years."

Gohan shook his head slowly.

"It never fails to amaze me how different Saiyans are from humans."

"Were," Gine corrected gently. "There are no Saiyans anymore." Then, before the mood could turn somber, she continued, "I've already decided that if Kakarot doesn't want to leave I won't force the issue until he hits his adult growth spurt. At that point he's going to have to leave whether he wants to or not, for the sake of all our sanities."

Gohan chuckled. The wind turned, rustling the trees, and Gine stood up suddenly, sniffing the air.

"Someone's coming," she said. Gohan stood more sedately, looking in the same direction as Gine.

"Indeed," he said calmly. "I'll go put these in the store house while you greet our guest."

He did so without giving Gine time to protest. Standing absolutely still, she watched the path to the house carefully. After a moment, Kakarot could be seen skipping along, carrying a large fish. At least it wasn't tiger, Gine thought. But there was a scent on the air that was neither Kakarot nor fish. He turned around a bend in the path and revealed another figure: a human girl. That explained the scent. But it did not explain the vague unease Gine felt. This girl was hardly a threat to her physical safety. Perhaps it was nerves? Gohan was the only human she had ever met, and now she was about to meet another one whether she was ready for it or not.

"That's my ma!" Kakarot announced, the two of them having come close enough to be within earshot. "Look, ma, it's a human girl!" he shouted across the yard. The unease gave way to a mother's instinct to correct her son's manners.

"I can see that, Kakarot," she said, walking closer. "There's no need to shout. It's nice to meet you," she said to the girl, giving her a bow. "My name is Gine. What brings you all the way out here?"

Closer up, Gine could see that the girl was very young, possibly almost as young as Kakarot. She clearly thought her clothes were suitable for adventuring, but if she really intended on dressing like that out in these woods she was going to get eaten alive by mosquitoes and scratched up by brambles in no time. Nerves battled with motherly concern. The girl gave a bow in return, looking bewildered.

"My name is Bulma," she said, and then seemed to shake off her surprise. "And I'm out here looking for something." She reached into a pouch at her waist, and pulled out a small orange orb. "You wouldn't happen to have seen one of these, would you?"

Gine studied the orb in amazement.

"Kakarot, doesn't that look like that thing Grandpa Gohan has?"

"Yeah, you're right," Kakarot said, studying the orb with equal fascination. "I didn't know there were more of them."

"There are seven in total," Bulma announced, clearly feeling pleased about knowing something they didn't. "I've got two so far. Can you show me the one you have?"

"I suppose so…" Gine said slowly, but her hesitation was lost on Kakarot, who was already leading Bulma into the house. She took in a deep, steadying breath, reminding herself that Gohan hadn't seemed the least bit concerned. It was just a human child looking for some pretty jewels. There was no good reason to feel as jumpy as she did. Still, a little caution never hurt anybody. She followed them into the house.

"... And if you gather all seven, supposedly you get a wish from a magical dragon!" Bulma was explaining to Gohan and Kakarot.

"And what is it you're going to wish for?" Gohan asked. Bulma smiled brightly at him.

"A lifetime supply of strawberries!"

Gine was a little appalled. There was no way that was the truth, except she didn't seem to be lying.

"You must really like strawberries," Gine said, moving further into the house and getting the tea things ready.

"Nothing better!" Bulma agreed. "They're a little hard to get in the city. Most of the year the only ones you can find are shriveled up and sour. But there's just nothing better in the whole world than a sweet, plump strawberry freshly-picked."

"I would have to agree with you there," Gohan said, chuckling. He noticed Gine moving in such a way to keep Bulma her line of sight at all times, and gave her an indulgent smile that she ignored. "And our cut would be, what, a bushel of strawberries sent up here yearly?"

"Naturally!" Bulma agreed with a chuckle. Gine realized the wish hadn't been a lie, it had merely been flippant. She didn't really believe in the legend, she was just a spoiled city girl out for a little fun. Feeling contrite about having been so suspicious, she forced her eyes off the girl, and that was how she noticed Kakarot staring at her, hanging on Bulma's every word. Seeing this sparked an idea in her brain, and she sat down at the table with the rest of them while the tea steeped.

"Are you out here all by yourself, Bulma?" she asked. Bulma nodded. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"Oh, I'm fine. I've got my pistol and a bunch of vehicle capsules. Speaking of which, I've been meaning to ask you, Kakarot here says he's an alien. Normally I wouldn't buy into that kind of silly talk, but he totally flipped over my car with his bare hands!"

Gine forced herself to stay calm. She had never told Kakarot not to tell anyone they were from another planet, but Gohan had not been able to make any predictions about how people would react, and there was always the possibility the reaction would be negative. Bulma was looking at her expectantly, clearly ready to hear some kind of explanation that did not involve extraterrestrials.

"It's true," Gine said. "We came here when Kakarot was a baby. Our planet was destroyed and we had nowhere else to go."

Bulma digested this, looking back and forth between Gine and Kakarot, waiting for someone to announce they were pulling her leg. No one did.

"I… guess that would explain the tails," she said eventually. And that seemed to be it. Gine was pretty sure she didn't believe them, but that was better than mass hysteria. Gohan stood up.

"Let me see if I can't find my, er, what is it called? Dragon ball?"

He went to the cupboard where he kept his knick-knacks and a small collection of books, and pulled out the orb. Kakarot had played with it sometimes as a baby, but no matter how hard he chomped down on it, he had never left any teeth marks. Bulma's eyes widened as she saw it, all talk of aliens apparently forgotten.

"That's it! That's the four star ball!"

Gohan set it on the table, and Bulma pulled out her two and set them next to it. They all stared in wonder for a moment.

"Well, young lady, I see no reason why you shouldn't have this trinket," Gohan said. "I will put one condition on it, however."

"And what would that be?" Bulma asked suspiciously, clearly unwilling to blindly agree to anything. Gohan smiled.

"If you do manage to find all seven, and a magical dragon really does appear, just come back and tell me about it. I would love to know if the legend was true."

"You have yourself a deal," Bulma said grinning, and she and Gohan shook on it.

"I have a proposal," Gine said. "Why don't you take Kakarot with you on your journey? He knows these woods as well as anyone. He could be your guide."

She was much more interested in Kakarot keeping the poor girl from getting killed or eaten, but it was clear she had her pride and also a very stunted understanding of how dangerous the wilds could be. (There was also the added benefit of getting the boy out of her hair for a while, but she could pretend it was mostly altruism.) Bulma looked thoughtful at the offer, but Kakarot nearly leaped out of his seat.

"Can I? Can I come? I would love to go on an adventure! It'll be so exciting!"

Bulma laughed.

"I guess if you're that enthusiastic how can I say no? And you're clearly strong enough to be useful. Just no more flipping over cars, okay? I only have so many of those."

"Deal!" Kakarot shouted, extending his hand for her to shake as well. She did, and then winced as he squeezed too hard.

"Watch it, kid, I'm a delicate female who requires special handling! We're going to have to set some ground rules, I can already tell."

"Sorry!" Kakarot sang. "I forgot how weak you humans are!"

Bulma made a face.

"I'm going to be generous and not take offense to that," she said.

"Thanks!" Kakarot said, oblivious to her sarcasm.

Gine was ecstatic they were already getting along so well.

She was a lot less ecstatic later that night when she realized cutting the apron strings would more difficult for the mother than for the child.

"But what if he hurts someone?" she said, biting her knuckle as she paced around the cabin. "He still has trouble controlling his Oozaru form. What if he forgets himself and looks at the full moon? We didn't even tell Bulma to worry about that!"

Gohan laughed at her.

"You're worrying over nothing, my dear. Kakarot is a practical child, in his own way. You've drilled the importance of not looking at the full moon into his head well enough."

"But he's stronger than humans! What if he forgets himself and just hurts someone on accident?"

"And what if the moon was made of green cheese?" Gohan snapped. Gine looked up at him, startled. He didn't seem angry, but he did seem stern. When he saw she had stopped pacing and he had her full attention, he continued.

"You need to trust your son. Didn't you tell me yourself he's old enough to be living on his own? That includes controlling himself well enough not to hurt people. He'll be fine. You did a fine job raising him, and now the rest is up to him."

Gine hesitated, and then sagged slightly as she let her tension out in a slow breath. She gave Gohan an apologetic smile and sat down at the table across from him.

"You're right, of course," she said. "It's just that I can't help but worry. Is this what it's like to be a human?"

Gohan chuckled.

"I think this is what it is to be a mother," he said.

Many weeks later, as Gine was hanging the laundry up to dry, she heard a strange noise in the air and looked up to find a yellow cloud swooping down out of the sky. Before she could do more than set down her basket of sheets, Kakarot leaped off the cloud and jumped into her arms. There was a happy cacophony of greeting and yelling as they hugged and Kakarot tried to explain every part of his adventure at once, and Gine tried to get him to slow down and simultaneously call Gohan from where he was in the house. Eventually they managed to get Kakarot inside and fed, where he related the story in a jumble of names and non sequiturs. One name in particular jumped out at Gohan.

"Oh, you met good old Ox King, did you?"

"Yeah! Is it true you really trained with him under Master Roshi?"

"I sure did. How's the old boy doing these days?"

"He was a warlord and had a mountain full of treasure but Master Roshi told him not to be bad anymore so he won't and he has a daughter named Chi Chi and he's single, mom."

Kakarot fixed her with a wide-eyed, innocent stare, his verbal torrent abruptly coming to a stop as he waited for her to respond. It took a moment for the last part to sink in, and when it did Gine blushed and fidgeted with her teacup.

"Thank you for that, Kakarot," she said, ignoring Gohan's amused grin. He rescued her a moment later by asking Kakarot if the Dragon Balls had turned out to really grant wishes.

"Yeah, they really do! I didn't see it, but they said there was a big dragon that shot up into the sky!"

"What did you end up wishing for?"

"Panties."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Panties. Oolong wished for panties. I don't know why, I think he already had underwear of his own."

Gohan muttered something about another Roshi, but Gine turned to Kakarot and asked,

"Why didn't you see the dragon, son?"

Immediately Kakarot wilted, staring down at the table top, looking ashamed.

"I had to go Oozaru," he admitted. "We were trapped in a dungeon and it was the only way to get out. They, um, cut off my tail because I couldn't control it."

He looked so ashamed and so forlorn that Gine could do nothing but get out of her chair and kneel down next to his, putting her arms around him. He buried his face in her shoulder.

"I'm not angry, Kakarot," she assured him. "No one was hurt, right? So don't worry about it. Just make sure to be careful next time, okay?"

Kakarot nodded. Almost immediately he brightened and sat up.

"Master Roshi said I can train with him if I want to. Can I, ma? Can I?"

"Who's Roshi again?" she said, recognizing the name but not where it had come in Kakarot's haphazard story.

"Why, that's my old master!" Gohan said. "If anyone can teach the boy, it's him."

"You want to keep learning the martial arts?" Gine asked her son carefully. Kakarot nodded enthusiastically.

"I really like fighting! I didn't know it was so much fun! Especially when you're fighting a bad guy and you don't have to hold back!"

Gine took in a deep, steadying breath. She had promised herself, long ago when Kakarot was small, that if he wanted to follow his Saiyan heritage and become a fighter she wouldn't stand in his way. The only thing she would put her foot down about was senseless killing, but it sounded like Kakarot wasn't interested in that at all.

"If that's what you want," Gine said.

"Yeah! I'll make you proud, ma!"

Gine smiled fondly.

"I know you will, my son," she said.

Chapter Text

It was a lovely tournament, right up until Krillin's death.

Gine had reluctantly allowed her son to talk her into going to watch him this time. A few hours before the tournament was to start he turned up wearing nothing but a tiger skin and a bright grin. He had gained a few inches and quite a bit of muscle in the time since she had last seen him, and his usual whirlwind of activity and hurried stories had somehow ended up with her and Gohan perched behind him on the nimbus.

"Master Roshi said I was supposed to go all around the world without using nimbus so I could train, but I think we'll prob'ly be late if we don't use it since you guys are too slow," he explained apologetically. Gine and Gohan shared an amused grimace at this, and didn't bother correcting him.

Once they arrived and Kakarot had made rushed introductions, Gine spent a very pleasant few minutes getting to know people she had only ever heard about in stories, as well as getting reacquainted with Bulma. She and Gohan agreed to cover for Roshi as he went to disguise himself as Jackie Chun, and they all settled in to enjoy the tournament.

The sheer variety of people she encountered in those brief hours astonished her. The info dump had not done this planet any justice. There was magic here, and psychic abilities, as well as far more strength than the average power level hinted at. Even so, humans were still humans. Bulma buried her face in Gine's shoulder upon seeing her boyfriend's leg broken, and it had actually taken Gine a few minutes to realize she was upset because of the injury, not because of the loss. Watching Tien turn away from the dark path of his master nearly brought her to tears, because it seemed as though while humans knew almost as much of brutality as Saiyans, it was also abundantly clear that they knew much more about change and forgiveness.

By the time the tournament was over, Gine was exhausted. The intense succession of victories and defeats, as well as the sheer noise and mass of humanity after years of isolation, had taken its toll on her. Although she was glad she had come, she would be equally glad to return to her peaceful mountain home- once dinner was over, of course.

As they made dinner plans, teasing Tien about his unknowingly foolhardy offer to feed two Saiyans, a cry rang out over the deserted tournament grounds, a sound that brought Gine straight back to her brief time serving in the combat corps. It was a sound unmistakable to anyone who had ever heard it before: the death cry of someone being brutally slaughtered.

"That's Krillin!" Kakarot cried, running toward the sound. Gine's heart leapt into her throat as she followed him. Krillin was Kakarot's best friend, someone he had described to her often on his sporadic visits throughout the years. She had been delighted to meet him, and impressed at his strength during his fight with her son. She prayed she had been wrong about the nature of the sound.

Everyone gathered in the back room of the tournament grounds, and it became clear immediately that Gine had not been mistaken. Kakarot was cradling Krillin's head in his arms, his tail bristling. The tournament announcer, injured and lying on the ground next to Krillin, babbled something about a monster having stolen a dragon ball and the tournament roster, but Gine was watching her son, his shoulders now shaking.

"Krillin's... dead," he murmured, his voice low and tight with shock. Gine realized this was the first time someone close to him had died, and her heart constricted in anguish for him. On Vegeta, this moment would likely have come much earlier in his life. Here on Earth, she had secretly been hoping it would never arrive.

Kakarot stood up suddenly, growling deep in his throat. He grabbed his staff and turned to Bulma, eyes burning with rage.

"Bulma! Do you have the dragon radar?" he demanded.

Still in shock, all Bulma could do was pull the radar out of her pocket. Kakarot snatched it out of her grasp and ran out of the room. Roshi yelled for him to stop, but this shook Gine from her reverie and she turned to him.

"Kakarot will be fine," she said. Roshi looked at her incredulously.

"Are you insane? That thing took out Krillin! And Kakarot is coming off an exhausting tournament. He's going to get himself killed!"

"Hey, what's this thing?" Oolong said before Gine could reply, holding up a piece of paper. Bulma read it aloud.

"It's the character 'ma'… demon or sorcery, in a circle."

Roshi's face went white, and he turned quickly, snatching the paper out of their grasp. He stared at it, haunted and trembling.

"Do you know what this is?" Yamcha asked. Roshi looked up and met Gohan's eyes.

"This is the seal… of the great Demon King Piccolo," he said. Upon hearing this Gohan's face went as white as his master's.

"You don't mean the one that claimed the life of your Master Mutaito?"

"The very same," Roshi said.

"I've heard that name," Tien said. "He was a lord of demons said to have plunged the world into darkness many centuries ago. He was intent on killing every living thing in a reign of terror, but then he disappeared. No one seems to know what happened to him. Why is he here now?"

"He shouldn't be," Roshi said. "My master sealed him away. He gave his own life to do it, and I buried the vessel on the ocean floor, never telling anyone where it was. I have no idea how Piccolo could have freed himself from that imprisonment."

"You mean you're saying Kakarot's gone off to fight a demon that almost destroyed the world?" Yamcha asked, horrified.

"The little fool," Roshi muttered, shaking his head. "If only I could have stopped him. All we can do now is pray."

"Keep your prayers," Gine said harshly. They were all acting like Kakarot was facing certain death. "It's his right to try to avenge his friend."

"Are you saying you're not even worried about him?" Tien demanded incredulously. "It was one thing when you were watching the tournament and didn't bat an eye even though your son was fighting for his life. But now to allow him to run off after a known monster that has already killed without even a shred of concern? Don't you care about your son at all?"

Gine strode over to Tien and gathered up his collar in her fist, pulling his head down to her height. She pierced his gaze with her own, and, just for once in her life, reveled in the fact that she could blast this human into dust without even trying. Decades of being the weakest, of having to put up with horrible treatment just because she couldn't fight back, and then years of holding herself in, pulling her punches with Gohan because she didn't want to hurt him, all welled up in a rush of anger and frustration and she let herself imagine, just for a moment, grinding this puny human's stupid face in until his brain squished out the other side of his skull. She was stronger than him by a large margin and she knew it, and in that moment, she could see that he knew it too. She released him.

"Kakarot and I are Saiyans," she said, as Tien looked at her in surprise and not a little horror. "We came here from another planet, the last two surviving members of a strong warrior race. My son will not be so easily killed, and neither will I. He will avenge his friend's death, and I will find this Demon King Piccolo and I will kill him. I will not let him bring my adopted home world to ruin."

They were all staring at her now, everyone but Gohan seeming to realize for the first time that Kakarot had to have gotten his strength from somewhere. She cleared her throat and smoothed her hands down the front of her dress unnecessarily, then turned to address Bulma.

"If the monster took the dragon ball then they must be looking for the others as well. Was the dragon radar you gave Kakarot the only one you have?"

Bulma stared at her slack-jawed for another few seconds, but then she shook herself and dashed the tears from her eyes.

"Yes, but I can make another one in about half a day."

"Would you start working on that, please?" Gine asked politely. She didn't want her outburst to make them think differently of her. "If we go looking for the dragon balls ourselves, then eventually we run into the Demon King."

"A fine plan, assuming you're strong enough to stand up to him," Roshi said sarcastically. "You don't know how powerful the Demon King is. My Master Mutaito was many times stronger than I am now, and even he was no match for him."

"Begging your pardon, master," Gohan interjected, "I don't think you need to worry about Gine here. If, as I suspect, my dear, you've been holding back on me all this time, you should stand a good chance of beating even him."

Gine blushed, and nodded. Gohan chuckled.

"I thought so."

"I'm afraid I can't just take your word on this, Gohan," Roshi said, taking off his hat. "My dear, if you really are as strong as all that, then you should be able to defeat me easily. Will you face me in battle?"

"Are you idiots really going to fight over nothing when Krillin's laying here dead and Kakarot might be off dying too?" Bulma shouted, and then burst into tears. Yamcha put an arm around her comfortingly and led her out of the room. Tien looked uncomfortable at the outburst, but he stepped closer to Roshi.

"Sir, I know I don't have the right to try to give you advice after everything I've done today, but I think you should trust her. She's…" He shook his head, as though trying to clear it. "If Kakarot grows up to be anything like her then I was foolish to think well of myself for gaining a victory over him as a child."

Roshi's eyes had not left Gine's.

"Thank you for the advice, everyone," he said coldly, "but I've seen Demon King Piccolo for myself, and I will not trust his defeat to someone I haven't faced in battle."

Gine gave him a slow nod.

"If you'll permit me," she said, "I would prefer that no one else watch."

Roshi gave her an answering nod, and the two of them walked outside, finding a sheltered spot on the now-deserted tournament grounds. Roshi shed his suit jacket and tie until he was shirtless and lowered himself into a fighting stance. Gine took her own stance.

"Since this is merely about testing my strength," she said, "and I don't want to hurt you, how about we put some limits on this?"

"Not a problem," Roshi said. "I think one exchange of blows should make things clear."

"In that case, why don't you go first?"

"I admit," Roshi said, deepening his stance, "something is telling me to take your word for it. You are certainly very sure of yourself."

"Just hit me, old man," Gine said flatly. Roshi gave a loud kiai and came at her with a simple, straightforward punch that clearly had all his strength in it. If he had fought Tien like this he might have won. Then again, he might have killed him in the process. Gine took the blow to her stomach with barely a gasp. Truthfully, it hurt quite a lot. But if there was one thing those years of abuse had given her, it was the ability to take a beating. She smiled, her lips curling up in an almost evil expression.

"My turn," she said. Now that she had his full strength gauged, she knew exactly how much to hold back. She gave him an answering blow in the stomach, and he wheezed painfully as all the air was forcefully expelled from his abdomen. He folded over on her fist, and she gently lowered him to the ground. He was conscious, but only barely.

"I'm sorry if that was a little much for you, old-timer," she said wryly. "But I did hold back as much as I could." Roshi gave a painful chuckle in reply.

"You've convinced me," he whispered. "I will allow you to fight him. Not that I could do much to stop you, I see that now. But if you will permit me, I would feel much better if we had a safety measure in place."

"That's fine," Gine said, kneeling down and putting Roshi's head on her knees. "Whatever makes you feel better. All I want is to protect my new home."

"I'm going to ask you to keep this a secret," Roshi said, his voice still a whisper but sounding more and more as though it were a choice to speak softly. "Though I didn't want to admit it, I do know the technique my master used to seal the Demon King. But it cost him his life to use it."

"You're saying you want to have that technique ready, just in case?" Gine asked. "That doesn't sound like you have much faith in me."

"If you had seen the depths of cruelty the Demon King could sink to, you would not be offended," Roshi said. His voice trembled, and not with the pain in his stomach.

"Fine. But you won't get a chance to use it," Gine said, standing and helping Roshi to his feet. He smiled, and they shook hands.

"I very much hope you are right, my dear."

Chapter Text

Gine stood facing the old Namekian, who she supposed might look a bit like a demon to a human that had never seen one before. She had never heard of an evil Namekian, but then, she doubted many people had heard of a Saiyan who hated killing. Certainly his eyes held the kind of cruelty that was rare even among Saiyans: eyes that spoke of someone who didn't just enjoy other people's suffering, but was nourished by it. In fact, she had seen eyes like that only one other time in her life: the one time she had ever come face-to-face with Frieza.

Gine lowered herself into a Namekian laughed, a harsh barking sound that sent shivers down her spine.

"What is this? I see two martial arts masters standing right behind you, woman, and yet you seek to take on the mighty King Piccolo yourself? Such foolishness I have never seen in all my days. Such cowardice on the part of those men back there. I might almost be insulted, except I plan on killing you all anyway. I suppose it doesn't matter in which order I do it."

"Let me clear up one thing for you," Gine said through her teeth. "Those men back there are human. I am a Saiyan."

The Namekian scoffed.

"And what is that supposed to be? Some kind of vegetable? A woman is a woman, regardless of what else she is."

Gine blinked in confusion for a moment, and then shook her head to clear it. So he didn't know what a Saiyan was. All the better. That way it would come as a surprise.

Without exchanging any further words, Gine launched herself at King Piccolo. She had time to savor the shock in his eyes before she slammed her fist straight into his face. He flew backwards several yards and landed heavily. She was on him before he could get up, landing an axe kick on his stomach and then wedging her foot underneath his prone body to kick him up into the air, where she kicked him back down to earth again. Namekians didn't have bones quite the same way Saiyans and humans did, so there was no satisfying crack of them breaking as she gave him blow after blow. But it was clear nonetheless that he was suffering, and a part of her, buried deep, drank in the sight like water. The rest of her found being the cause of someone else's pain completely distasteful, and she stepped back for a moment, centering herself and deciding to simply end him in one last blow.

"Saiyan…" the Namekian was whispering, somehow still conscious. He was looking at her as though trying to figure something out. Her tail lashed behind her in irritation, and she drew back a fist, ready to fire an energy blast strong enough to disintegrate him. "That tail… the boy…"

Gine froze.

"What boy? What are you talking about?"

King Piccolo chuckled, a wet sound due to all the blood in his mouth. He pulled himself slowly to his feet, not nearly as injured as Gine had assumed he was.

"I see now," he said. "It all makes sense. You must be his mother, I take it? I can see the family resemblance now that I know to look for it."

"What are you talking about?" Gine growled, starting to lose her composure.

"Oh, just reminiscing about a little boy I killed earlier," King Piccolo said airily. Gine considered this for a moment, and then barked out a bitter laugh.

"You? Kill Kakarot? You must think I'm really stupid."

But the Namekian merely smiled.

"Go on. Try and sense his energy. I know you must be able to, as strong as you are."

Confidently at first, but then with growing panic, Gine reached out with her senses to try to find the bright spot that was her son. He was never usually hard to find. From time to time in his travels she would reach out just to see how he was doing. There was no one else on this planet whose flame burned quite as brightly as his, or in quite the same way, and being able to sense him even all the way across the planet was comforting.

But this time she couldn't find him. It wasn't like the times she reached out and his energy was faint. She could always tell he was merely hungry, injured or sleeping. This time he simply wasn't there. All across the planet burned the dim little dots of the mass of humanity, interrupted here and there by the slightly brighter spots of martial arts masters and very strong humans. But there was no pillar of flame that stood out like a tree amongst grass. No familiar bright, happy, laughing energy that felt like pure joy. Nothing. And its absence tore a hole through Gine's heart.

Without warning she felt a fist slam into her face, and she staggered back. Before she could collect herself, Piccolo was landing blow after blow, fast enough that in her distracted state, all she could do was ineffectively block and simply try to endure the blows. She knew if she could just get one good hit on him he was dead, but he wasn't giving her any openings big enough for her to exploit with only half her attention. Soon he seemed to realize that mere punches were going to take too long to wear her down, and he planted a foot in her chest and kicked her hard enough to send her flying. She immediately leapt to her feet, hoping this was the opening she had been looking for, but it turned out he had merely been giving himself space to start utilizing some kind of energy attack that came from his eyes. One of them hit her in the meat of her arm and she roared in pain- the attacks weren't particularly powerful, but they were sharp and focused, and she couldn't simply endure them the way she could his punches.

Now completely on the defensive, she could only try to dodge the piercing eye beams, and before long her dress was dotted with holes. He was speaking, saying something about her son and how easily he had died, and in a flash of insight Gine realized she was going to lose.

Most Saiyans used anger as a source for their power, but anger had only ever made her weak and confused. Her grief and rage over Kakarot's death would not help her now. And on the other hand, Gohan's teachings relied on a calm heart and a clear mind, but she had only ever given the idea lip service. It was easy enough to stay calm while living isolated in the woods, but she had never expected to find herself in a real fight ever again. Facing a foe that, while in terms of sheer power was beneath her, had her beat through superior experience and skill, was teaching her a lesson she wasn't sure she would survive long enough to learn.

Briefly the assault let up, and she tried desperately to bring enough power to bear to blast him away in the seconds she had to breathe, but he was already powering up an enormous energy attack of his own, and she knew this was a race she could not win. All she could do was cross her arms in front of her and try to brace for impact as best she could.

But the impact never came. Instead, there was a sudden release of pressure as the energy Piccolo had been building dissipated all at once. She opened her eyes and caught a brief glimpse of some kind of swirling green vortex, the stretched-out spectre of King Piccolo in the middle of it. She turned around and watched as Master Roshi directed the swirl of energy with his hands, guiding it to slam down into an electric rice cooker, which Gohan quickly closed. Roshi collapsed, and Gohan and Gine both ran to him.

"It's done," Roshi was gasping, as Gohan gave him energy. He met Gine's eyes and added, "You sure showed me. I feel pretty silly for doubting you now."

Gine could only shake her head. Exhausted, she fell to her knees, and then, sensing that Gohan was about to echo Roshi's sentiments, she bowed herself to the ground and spoke to him first.

"I owe you an apology," she said to the ground. "I've never taken your training seriously. I only ever saw it as a game, and I understand now how incredibly foolish that was. Please accept my apology."

"Now, now," Gohan said, sounding embarrassed. "There's no need for all that. You had no good reason to take it seriously. By rights you should never have met someone on this planet who would even be able to stand up to you."

"That's exactly the problem," Gine said, not lifting up her head. "I've told you about Frieza. Do you remember?"

"Well, yes, but we figured it would be highly unlikely for him to ever come here, right?"

"And how likely did any of you think it would be for the Demon King to rise again?" Gine said harshly. "I've been so happy here, I've gotten incredibly complacent. I assumed things would simply go on as they had forever, and that unwillingness to face reality has now cost my son his life."

Gine was unable to continue speaking through the tears that swelled her throat. She felt Gohan's comforting hand on her shoulder.

"There there, my dear. We have almost all the dragonballs. We'll simply find the remaining ones and wish him and the others back to life. It's possible Frieza may never come here and you're worrying for nothing. You helped us achieve a great victory today, Gine, and you should be proud of that."

"The dragon balls!" Roshi said, laboring to stand up. "He had the last two. Where are they now?"

Gohan pulled out the dragon radar, and the other two crowded around him to look.

"They should be right around here," he said, puzzled. Gine looked up at the airship that was still hovering over them. As they watched, it began to slowly fly away. With a growl, Gine launched herself into the air and landed on the deck of the airship. A small blue creature with large ears gave a loud shriek and scuttled backwards, tripping over the corpse of some kind of pterodactyl. Gine strode over to him and picked him up by his collar.

"Where are the other two dragon balls?" she demanded. He gibbered and bluffed, and she shook him. "I am not a patient woman! Tell me where they are!"

"M-Mai! Your lord needs you!" the small blue man screamed. A woman in a trench coat holding a minigun emerged from the control room, and Gine pointed a finger at the gun and blasted it out of her fingers. She brought her face in closer to the small man's and growled.

"Dragon balls! Now!"

"D-d-do as the nice woman says, Mai!"

Reluctantly, the woman took two dragon balls out of her coat pocket and handed them over. Gine, recalling herself, set the little blue man down on the deck gently.

"Thank you very much for your cooperation," she said calmly, before leaping off the side of the airship. Pilaf stood where she had set him, still shaking in shock. Before Mai could ask after his well-being, his body slowly tilted backwards until he fell to the ground.

"My lord!" Mai yelled, gathering up her emperor and shaking him slightly. "Are you alright?"

He moaned.

"Make a note for the official record, Mai," he said faintly. "From now on, no matter what's at stake, we leave anyone with a tail the hell alone."

Chapter Text

Gine landed delicately next to Gohan, handing him the last two dragon balls. She watched with numb detachment as he summoned the dragon, but before he could speak their wish, a familiar sound jolted through her ears, sending her heart into a gallop. Her eyes snapped up of their own accord to see Kakarot riding the nimbus toward them at great speed, waving and laughing. Before she could fully process what she was seeing, he had already jumped down and flung himself into her arms.

"Ma!" he shouted. "You're alright! Thank goodness!"

"That's my line, young man!" Gine scolded, holding him out at arm's length. His clothing was ruined, but other than that he looked totally fine. Relief squeezed her heart so hard it turned into rage, leaving her limbs weak and pricking her eyes with hot tears. Had Piccolo tricked her? Or, worse, had her own mind been tricking her? Had she overestimated her abilities and simply been unable to sense him even though he was there? Too many emotions warred for dominance and she shook her son hard, screaming at him even as she wanted to fold him in her arms and never let go. "What happened to you? I couldn't sense your energy anywhere! I thought you were dead!"

"I almost was," Kakarot said offhandedly, his only concession to the shaking being to grasp her wrists to stabilize himself. His total lack of concern at her anger had never infuriated her more than it did now. "But that's not important. Korin told me you defeated King Piccolo! Is that really true?"

Gine's righteous fury faltered.

"Well, I…"

"She sure did!" Roshi said, stepping forward. "It was incredible! I've never seen fighting like that in all my life!"

Kakarot stared at her in wonder, and Gine felt the rage give one last stab through her body and then ebb away. She didn't know why Roshi was being so kind. She hadn't defeated Piccolo. He and Gohan had had to seal him away because she had gotten distracted. Her son was alive, but through no effort of hers. She didn't deserve their praise, and she most certainly did not deserve the awe she saw growing in her son's eyes.

"If it weren't for your mother, we all very likely would have been killed," Gohan said, coming up to join them. Gine flashed him a warning look that he ignored. Kakarot, still dangling from her arms, opened his mouth to speak, but they were all interrupted by the dragon clearing its throat.

"I GROW IMPATIENT. SPEAK YOUR WISH NOW."

The flurry of activity that followed put the conversation permanently on hold. They wished back everyone who had been killed by King Piccolo and his children, and then travelled to Kame House to check on everyone there and fill them in on what happened. Roshi, Gohan, and Kakarot all filed through the door, greeted with shouts of joy from inside, but Gine couldn't bring herself to even step onto the porch. She could hear them in there, recounting the battle they insisted on calling her victory, and her shame made it impossible for her to face their gratitude.

Kakarot came out to join her after a few minutes, now wearing his staff, and he took her by the hand and lead her over to the nimbus. She climbed on, almost in a daze, and nimbus took off. Every so often Kakarot would turn back to look at her, as though checking to make sure she was still there. She smiled back whenever he did, still just happy he was alive and with her, but for most of the flight she was frowning, deep in thought.

Complacency. That was the problem. She had allowed complacency to creep into her heart and it had nearly cost her everything. Gine had wanted to be a fighter for about as long as it took her to get in her first fight, at which point it had become abundantly clear to everyone (herself most of all) that Gine was not a proper Saiyan and never would be. Being forced to come to Earth had turned out to be a blessing in disguise, for although she mourned her people, she had found fulfillment and happiness here on this alien world full of beings that were pretty much the opposite of Saiyans: weak and senselessly kind. And then when these weak beings had been threatened, when it had been up to her to protect them and repay them for everything they had done for her, she had been unable to.

Worse, for once in her life her power level hadn't been the deciding factor. If she'd managed to hold on to even a tiny fraction of the Saiyan killing instinct she had always shied away from, she would have done away with the Namekian in seconds. Instead she had allowed him to get inside her head and destroy her confidence, and she hadn't been strong enough to withstand his superior skill on top of the mental onslaught. This particular threat had now been neutralized, no thanks to her, but next time…?

And it would be foolish to think there wouldn't be a next time. Even if Frieza never came here, Kakarot had told her of several power-hungry Earthlings he had dispatched. What if one of them somehow grew powerful enough to challenge a Saiyan, or used technology to bridge the gap? Earthlings were weak creatures, but they were wily beyond anything Gine had imagined, and some of them were as blood-thirsty as Saiyans. She thought briefly of the peaceful life in the mountains she had led, engaging no foes more vicious than deer trying to eat her rhubarb, and knew, though she didn't want to admit it, that those carefree days were over.

Suddenly she noticed they were flying in the wrong direction to be going back to the mountain.

"Where are we going, Kakarot?"

Kakarot spun around on the cloud, looking at her eagerly.

"I'm takin' you to Korin's Tower! I want you to teach me everything you know, and then he'll teach us everything he knows, and then I'll teach you the Kamehameha! I had no idea you were so strong, ma! If I'da known that I woulda taken you to Korin's earlier."

Gine had only a vague idea who Korin was. Her son related events in order of interest, not chronologically, and he left many things out entirely. For instance, until the day before she had assumed Launch was merely two sisters and Kakarot had forgotten one of their names. Unless she was mistaken, which was very possible, Korin was some kind of con artist, or possibly a healer. Considering she had only ever heard of him through the lens of Kakarot's storytelling, he was just as likely to turn out to be a cat.

Still, Gine couldn't quite bring herself to tell her son to simply take her home. She reached out and stroked his hair, and he leaned back into the motion, and for just a moment he was her little baby boy again. She knew it was an illusion, but she couldn't help but hold onto it even so. Perhaps this was one of the reasons why Saiyan mothers didn't grow attached to their young. Allowing herself to love him and then let him leave had turned out to be a sweet kind of pain that only grew harder to bear after nearly losing him for good.

Soon they came to a large tower that stretched far into the sky, and it turned out Korin was indeed a cat, and a martial arts master to boot. He also seemed able to read minds, and he gave Gine a knowing wink when Kakarot requested that he train them.

"Sorry, pal, you lot are stronger than I know what to do with. You're going to have to speak to a higher power if you want someone to train you now."

"A higher power?" Kakarot repeated.

"That staff you got there ain't just for beating people with, you know. It was originally the thing that connected this tower with the sanctuary that floats high above it. The sanctuary that houses… God."

Gine tried not to giggle, she really did. It was hard to take him seriously when, not only was he speaking of deity as though it existed, but he was also, well, a cat. The cat gave her a sour look. Kakarot merely looked confused.

"What're you talking about?"

"It'll be easier if you just go up there and see for yourself," Korin said. "Both of you are so strong that God is the only one who can train you now."

If the Earthlings thought a Namekian was a demon, there was no telling what their God might turn out to be. In spite of herself, Gine grew curious.

"Okay!" Kakarot sang out happily. "How do we meet this God guy?"

Korin pointed heavenward.

"Simply place your staff in the sconce on the very top of this Tower and extend it all the way up. And take this bell as proof that you come with my blessing."

Kakarot took the bell and did as instructed, Gine following, bemused. Before Kakarot made the staff extend, however, Korin had one last piece of advice for them that sobered her considerably.

"Oh, and when you get up there, don't worry. Your eyes aren't playing tricks on you, but remember: neither am I."

Korin's words fell into place the moment she saw Kami's face. He was waiting for them, standing next to a rotund person in a turban, but both she and her son only had eyes for the tall green man who looked exactly like King Piccolo.

"Greetings," he said, but was able to get out no more than that before Kakarot shouted ferociously and leaped forward. Gine had just enough presence of mind to grab him by the tail and yank him back.

"Who are you?" she demanded, holding her son upside down by his tail. Korin's assurances notwithstanding, if his answer wasn't satisfactory she would let her son go and join him in battle.

"I am Kami," the Namekian said, and Gine could see that his eyes held no cruelty. "I suppose I can't blame you for mistaking me for Piccolo, but I assure you we are two separate beings, though this was not always the case. Long ago, he and I were one. In order to become Kami I had to expel all the evil from my heart, and that evil became Piccolo. This has long been my shame, and in gratitude to you for defeating him, I will grant you any request."

Kakarot finally squirmed out of Gine's grip and landed lightly on his feet.

"I want to train with you!" It was as though his previous aggression had been totally forgotten. Gine had time to smile at his innocence before he pointed at her and added, "And so does my ma!"

The smile fell from her face, and she opened her mouth to say— well, something, but before she could, Kami nodded, stroking his chin.

"I see," he said. "Very well."

Kakarot danced around, delighted, and Gine tried to think of some way to politely decline. Kami caught her gaze and gave her a knowing look, and although his face was kind, it also put her in mind of his evil counterpart. His horrible laughter echoed in her ears, and she swallowed down her objections. Next time she wouldn't flounder. Next time she would be ready, and if that meant training with this old Namekian, so be it.

Kakarot looked up at her with an expression of such pure joy that it was impossible not to answer it with a smile of her own.

Chapter Text

Gine sat at the edge of the Lookout, staring at the growing sliver of pink at the edge of the sky, Kakarot's sleeping head on her lap, and felt Kami come to stand next to her.

"It was the right thing to do," he said, and Gine slowly shook her head.

"I know that but…. He and I are the only two left. I'm the only Saiyan alive who remembers our culture, so anything I choose not to pass on won't get passed on, period. It feels like I'm killing them all over again every time I don't tell him something. I know I've been raising him as an Earthling all this time, so it shouldn't matter now, but this feels like I've crossed some line I can't uncross."

Kami shifted slightly.

"But his tail has grown back before, yes?"

"It won't this time," Gine said flatly. "He's too old and there's too much scar tissue. He'll never be an Oozaru again."

She buried her face in her hands. Kami put a hand on her shoulder, and he kept it there until the sun rose.

"Ma, my butt hurts."

Gine looked down at her son, who in turn looked up at her. His eyes were red and his hair even more mussed than normal. His voice was hoarse and there was a faint question in his eyes.

"Lay on your side, then," she said reasonably. He complied.

"What happened?" he asked after he was comfortable.

"You went Oozaru and we had to cut off your tail," she said bluntly. Kakarot was silent for a moment as he digested this.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I know I'm real bad about lookin' at the moon when I shouldn't."

"That's okay," Gine said, although she didn't quite mean it. "It won't grow back this time."

"Oh, that's good then," Kakarot said, his easygoing acceptance piercing her heart like an arrow. "I guess I get real strong when that happens, but since I don't remember it it sort of feels like cheating. Plus I just make a big mess anyway."

It was all true, but not one bit of it made Gine feel any better. She stroked her fingers through his hair for a few minutes, and then he spoke again.

"Ma, you've gone Oozaru before, right? How did you keep from makin' a big mess?"

Gine tilted her head back and looked up at the fading stars. On planet Vegeta the moon came full only once a year. In her girlhood, there had been a planet-wide festival to celebrate it, a 24 hour period during which everyone except the extremely old took the great ape form. It was a time of drinking and feasting, and, off in the mountains away from young ones, orgies and couplings. Many children were born after the festival to unknown parentage, and Gine herself had been one of these. She felt that made it extra ironic that the festival was her least favorite time of year, and she avoided participating whenever possible. Still, being forced to take the form once a year had allowed her to gain what little control over it she had. There was always that one guy who destroyed some important building or killed someone he shouldn't have on the festival night and woke up the next morning with egg on his face, and at the very least she could say she had never been that guy.

"Practice," she said.

Kakarot was silent for another few minutes, and Gine took the moment— the sky smeared with the pinks and oranges of sunrise, her son's hair in her fingers, his head a welcome weight on her lap— and pressed it into her memory like a flower between the pages of a book. She knew she would not have another moment like it again. Kakarot was starting to shed his baby fat, and he was already several inches taller than he had been when they arrived at the Lookout. Soon he would be physically mature, and her little baby boy would be gone. For so long she had been waiting for that day, and now that it was imminent she wanted to delay it as long as she could. She wondered if he would still look like Bardock once he was grown. She wondered if she wanted him to.

"Ma?" Kakarot said sleepily. She glanced down, surprised to find him falling asleep again. "How come you never told me you were so strong?"

I'm not. Every Saiyan I've ever known was stronger than me, and you probably will be too, but both of us are so much stronger than every other Earthling we will ever meet. Strength is not the metric I wanted you to use to judge people. Besides, I was enjoying pretending to be an Earthling too much. Would I have kept the secret if I had known how much fun it would be sparring with you, son? I never did quite believe Gohan when he told me I could fight without being a bloodthirsty monster, find joy in the fight without finding joy in the violence, but somehow you found that balance, and now you're showing it to me. Is this what it means to be a Saiyan raised as an Earthling?

"It never came up," she said, and somehow he accepted it.

Chapter Text

It was raining on the day of the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai. Despite the weather the grounds were packed with people, including Gine and Kakarot. 

“Do you see 'em yet, ma?” Kakarot asked, tipping up on his toes to look over heads. “I can't wait to show ‘em how much I've grown!” 

Gine smiled and followed more sedately, twirling a straw umbrella in her hands. It had only been three years, but it felt like an entire lifetime since she had seen their old friends. The prospect of seeing them now gave her slight butterflies, but the calm heart she had cultivated on Kami’s Lookout quelled her nerves and she could look forward to seeing them with more enjoyment than anxiety. 

“Oh! There they are!” Kakarot grabbed her arm and dragged her through the crowd until they came to a stop in front of Roshi, Grandpa Gohan, Bulma, and Launch. “Wow, you guys look great!”

“Who—” Bulma began, but then spotted Gine behind Kakarot, and her mouth dropped open. Her eyes ping-ponged between them in disbelief. “No way! You're not little Kakarot!”

“Not so little, but definitely still Kakarot,” Gine confirmed as her son grinned ear-to-ear. She and Bulma leaned in for a quick hug. “It's good to see you, dear. Where's Yamcha?”

Bulma rolled her eyes.

“As soon as he heard you guys were up training with Kami, he left on some trip to go train in the desert. I haven't seen him since, and good riddance!”

Bulma turned up her nose, but Gine could tell her indifference was mostly an act. She smiled indulgently, and turned to see Gohan chatting with Kakarot. The old man saw her and a wide grin broke out over his face.

“Gine! It's been so long! How have you been, my dear?”

They embraced.

“I see Kakarot has finally become a man,” he said. 

“He's as tall as one,” Gine said with an affectionate eye roll. “You're going to be amazed at his strength. He intends to enter the tournament, but I don't really know what for.”

“You should enter too, ma,” Kakarot said, turning from where he was showing off his height to Roshi and Bulma. “We could fight each other in the final match!”

Gine shook her head.

“I'll leave the fun and games to you, son,” she said.

“Oh, you think it will be that easy, do you?” said a familiar voice. They turned to find Tien, accompanied by Chiaotzu, Yamcha, and Krillin, all road-weary but smiling. Tien stepped forward and bowed to Gine. “Ma'am, I would be honored if you would enter. I've gotten a lot stronger since the last time we met, and I’m eager to test my skills against you.”

“I can see that,” Gine said, using the insight she had developed while training with Kami to perceive what Tien was capable of. For an Earthling it was truly impressive. Apparently he’d taken their last interaction as a challenge. “So have I, but I didn't gain this strength to use it to win a tournament.”

“Aw, ma, don't make it sound like I'm bein’ selfish,” Kakarot whined. “I just want to see how strong everyone's gotten.”

“There's nothing wrong with you entering, Kakarot,” Gine said mildly. “I just don't want to, that's all.”

She could see Tien hiding his disappointment, but she knew he'd be even more disappointed if they fought.

“It's not fair!” Krillin wailed, looking up at Kakarot's new height. “No offense, ma'am, but I was starting to think the males of your species were just smaller than the women. There's no way I can catch up to that.”

Everyone laughed, and into this merriment two more people entered, one of them considerably taller than even Kakarot.

“My word!” Gohan exclaimed. “Ox King? Is that you?”

“It sure is, Gohan!” the Ox King boomed. “Long time no see!”

The two men began to catch up, and the other figure, who had been standing in Ox King's shadow, stepped forward, coming to rest with a bounce immediately in front of Kakarot. She was a beautiful young woman, and her long black hair and large black eyes made her look, to Gine at least, almost Saiyan.

“Kakarot!” she said, peering behind him at Gine. “Is that yer ma?”

“Uh, yeah, but who’re you?” Kakarot said, puzzled. The young woman reared back and glared at him.

“Who do you think, dummy? That's my pa back there.”

“Ox King's your…? Wait, Chi-Chi?” Kakarot gaped at the young woman before him. “But you were a little girl!”

“And you were a little boy,” she snapped. “And it looks like ya still are. Next you'll be tellin’ me ya forgot yer promise.”

“Uh…”

Chi-Chi's eyes immediately blazed with anger.

“Are you tellin’ me you forgot you promised to marry me?” 

“I did?”

Gine, who knew her son could be forgetful, but not that forgetful, watched the exchange with breathless anticipation. So did everyone else.

“You said you'd come back and ask my father for my hand! Are you sayin’ you don't remember that?”

“I— I did say something like that, I guess,” Kakarot admitted, scratching his head. “What does that mean, to ask for someone's hand? I don't want no body parts! I ain't that kinda guy.”

Gine snorted before she could help herself. Krillin put a hand over his mouth to hide his giggles and Bulma, arm already hooked into Yamcha’s, rolled her eyes. Kakarot turned to his mother with a helpless look, but Gine was not about to bail him out. She raised a meaningful eyebrow, and eventually he turned back to Chi-Chi.

“You're sayin’ we gotta get married 'cause I wanted your hand?”

“Gotta? Gotta!? ” Chi-Chi spluttered indignantly. “Well, if marryin’ me would be such a hardship, then maybe you should just forget it!” Chi-Chi thrust her nose up in the air and turned her back on Kakarot, addressing Gine instead. “Ma'am, may I present to you my father, the Ox King.”

The girl couldn't have been more than 110 pounds soaking wet, so Gine was impressed to see her take her giant father by the arm and drag him to the fore. Oddly, there was a blush flaming on his cheeks, but the reason for it became clear when Kakarot chose that exact moment to lean over and whisper in Gine's ear.

“Ma, remember, he's single.”

Gine elbowed her son hard in the kidney.

“I'm aware of that, Kakarot. You bring it up every time you mention him.”

“I'll just leave you two to get acquainted,” Chi-Chi said with a suggestive smile, taking Kakarot by the arm and leading him away, already berating him again. Ox King scratched his head, smiling nervously.

“It seems my girl is set on marryin’ your boy,” he said. “He seems like a nice feller, I wouldn't mind havin’ him as a son-in-law.”

Gine glanced at their two children. Chi-Chi was yelling at Kakarot, her voice carrying easily despite being some distance away. Kakarot was just standing there taking it, slowly rubbing the back of his head with one hand. Gine had lectured her son more times than she could count, but he’d never once reacted to her with sheepishness. The pity she had sometimes felt for her future daughter-in-law (assuming Kakarot could, or even wanted to, get himself a wife) seemed silly now.

Gine smiled.

“The feeling is mutual,” she said.

Chapter Text

“Ma, the baby's comin’!”

Gine looked up from where she was weeding the garden to see Kakarot running full pelt toward her, looking more scared and panicked than she had ever seen him look in his life. She stood abruptly and he took one last leap over her plants and landed in front of her, plowing up a small scar in the earth in his haste.

“What the hell do you mean, the baby's coming?” she demanded, even as he grabbed her arm and dragged her toward the house. “It's already here, inside your wife's stomach, you idiot. We've told you that over and over.”

“I dunno!” Kakarot shrieked. “Alls I know is Chi-Chi’s hurtin’ real bad and she says the baby's comin’.”

That wasn't good. Saiyans usually had easy pregnancies, but the doctors had made sure to tell her that if she ever started to hurt she should come see them, because that meant something was very wrong. Gine had made it to both birth appointments without experiencing any pain whatsoever, but she had heard of women who got really sick because the baby had gone wrong and died inside them. When Kakarot flung the door off its hinges and dragged her to the bedroom to see bloody sheets and Chi-Chi doubled over and screaming, Gine wasted no time. She scooped her daughter-in-law up in her arms and made it as far as the front door before Gohan flung himself in front of her, arms wide.

“Put her down, my dear,” he said sternly. “She needs to stay in bed.”

“She needs to go to the hospital!” Gine shouted, a redness creeping into the edges of her vision. She loved Gohan like the father she had never known, but she would knock his head off his shoulders if he continued to stand in her way.

“Ma, for heaven's sakes, put me down,” Chi-Chi grunted, breathing heavily. “This is really uncomfortable.”

She groaned and squeezed her eyes shut, gripping Gine's arm so tightly it almost hurt.

“You're hurting and you're bleeding,” Gine said urgently, trying to dance around Gohan in the doorway. “That means you need a doctor.”

“The midwife's already on her way,” Ox King said, as infuriatingly calm as Gohan.

“Gramps, can't you see she's hurtin’?” Kakarot pled with Gohan.

“Put me down this instant, or so help me—” Chi-Chi roared, but before she could finish the sentence another wave of pain shuddered through her and she stuffed the collar of her nightgown into her mouth and screamed.

“We need to wait for the midwife,” Gohan was telling Kakarot. Gine finally hooked her ankle around the old man’s leg and dropped him to the floor, striding out into the yard with her daughter-in-law in her arms, and was in the act of bending her knees to take to the sky before she noticed the person standing on the path just outside the house.

“Here I am, here I am,” the wizened old woman said calmly. “My, you young people can be so impatient.”

It turned out that while Earth babies could be removed surgically, usually they simply came out the way they went in. And, yes, a little blood and a lot of pain was completely normal. Chi-Chi had a strong body and wide hips, and the baby was positioned correctly, so there was no reason to think this would be anything other than textbook. 

The midwife, a sweet old woman with sure hands and a wealth of knowledge, explained everything to her with god-like patience as she coaxed her into putting Chi-Chi back down on the bed, and Gine swallowed down her horror the best she could during this swift education. The thought that her ancestors had likely undergone this same process before regen tanks came into widespread use made her wonder why there were any Saiyans left at all.

She had no time for this kind of pondering, however, as the only one Chi-Chi wanted in the room while she labored besides the midwife was Gine. Gine had no idea why. Apparently she knew less about how birth worked than Grandpa Gohan. The unhurried, unworried fashion in which the midwife bustled around the house, preparing this or that and checking on Chi-Chi periodically, made her feel mightily stupid, and she wasn't very much enjoying being forced to listen to her daughter-in-law’s agony while not being allowed to do anything about it. On second thought, this arrangement was probably for the best. Kakarot had been taken out into the woods by his grandfather, and Gine thought if the poor boy were here to hear his mate's screams he might well lose it.

Gine wondered silently, as the hours went on and nothing seemed to change, if any baby could possibly be worth this. Did it matter how cute the thing might be if she was just going to look at it and remember the screams and the blood that had resulted in it? She knew there was no room left in her heart for babies, anyway. What little space Kakarot didn't take up was reserved for a child she would never see again. This little half-human thing, probably a sterile hybrid if it was even healthy, couldn't possibly compare.

Chi-Chi gave one last, deep groan and the midwife leaned forward, her deeply wrinkled face furrowed even deeper in concentration. A minute later tiny lungs inflated for the first time and a high-pitched wailing filled the room. Gine found herself back in time, standing over a Saiyan pod, steeling herself to send her child out into the universe to face an unknown fate by himself. He was crying. The baby was crying, yelling as though his little heart would break, and she could not make herself turn away.

“It's a boy!” the midwife announced proudly.

“Aw,” Chi-Chi sighed, leaning back on the pillows. The noise was mostly one of relief, although oddly it held a slight note of disappointment.

“Were you hoping for a girl?” the midwife asked kindly, busy with the infant, doing things Gine couldn't see. Chi-Chi lolled her head over to look at her mother-in-law, eyes bright with exhaustion.

“I was hopin’ to name him after you,” she said.

Something inside Gine's chest expanded nearly to bursting, leaving her choked and breathless, her eyes stinging with tears. The midwife handed a small bundle of blankets to Chi-Chi, and both women looked down at the tiny babe, squalling with displeasure and utterly beautiful.

“Did you have a name picked out for a boy?” the midwife asked. Neither woman took their eyes from the child. 

“No,” Chi-Chi said. “I was convinced it was going to be a girl. I was named after my grandmother and I wanted this little one to be too. Don't tell my pa, but I don't exactly want to name a boy after him.”

Gine chuckled. She and the Ox King had bonded over their love for their children, as well as amusement at said children's early efforts to play matchmaker, but she didn’t think his name was really suitable for passing on either. She reached out and placed the tip of her forefinger into the baby’s palm, and he clutched it with all his strength.

“What about naming him after Gohan?” she said, and she could see Chi-Chi smile out of the corner of her eye.

“Gohan,” she said, testing it out. “That's perfect.”

Chapter Text

The screen door of Kame House creaked as she pushed it open. Gine stood in the doorway for a moment, holding the door open behind her, hesitating, taking stock. Something was waiting for her out there, and whatever it was, she wanted to be ready for it. There was Kakarot, standing on the beach a few yards from the front porch, boots planted in the sand and expression grim. Gine’s eyes slid over to glance at the person he was facing, preparing herself for the worst, but once she saw him her whole body froze and the screen door slipped from suddenly nerveless fingertips to swing back with a slam. 

She had wondered, from time to time, in her more morbid moments, what her firstborn child would look like now, had he survived. She had imagined him so many different ways: slight of build like her, sour of expression like Bardock. She had imagined him in Frieza armor, scouter on his face and a swagger in his step. She had pictured him in an orange Turtle school gi once or twice. She had even imagined him in some other race’s clothing, having secretly survived the explosion, tail hidden and hair cut.

She had never thought to wonder if she would recognize him, never entertained the possibility that she wouldn’t know her own son, even with an extra four feet and two and a half decades on him. The person standing on the sand outside Kame House, looking bewildered and a little angry, both raised the question and answered it in one heart-freezing moment. She knew him. Of course she knew him. How could she not?

And he… If she had never thought to wonder if she would recognize him, she had at least known he would look different than she remembered. But it had never entered her mind to wonder if he might not recognize her. He had been so young the last time they met, and it had been so long since then. There was every possibility that he might not know her. But the expression on his face when he caught sight of her, having looked up, startled, at the door slamming shut behind her, told her there hadn’t even been a moment’s hesitation. He knew her. He knew his mother, just as she knew her son.

“Raditz…” Gine whispered, for the first time in twenty-five years.

“M-mother?” Raditz said.

“Huh?” Kakarot demanded, breaking the moment. Gine shook herself, and stepped down off the porch without once taking her eyes off her son— off Raditz. It was a painful joy to have to differentiate between which son she meant, because she had never, not once in her whole life, had both of them in her field of view at the same time.

“This is…” She had to swallow a few times before she could speak. “Kakarot, this is your older brother, Raditz.”

Kakarot’s head whipped around to face his mother so fast she was worried for his neck. Then he whipped it around again, nearly as fast, to study the large Saiyan in front of him.

It turned out Raditz had grown taller than Kakarot, by a lot, and was much more solidly built. In fact, to put it plainly, he was kind of a tank, and Gine wondered briefly who he had inherited that from. She doubted her own father had been this huge, whoever he was. If he had, surely she wouldn’t have been so small and slight herself. But there were other differences between them, much more subtle and dangerous ones, that caught her eye more. 

Kakarot was staring at his brother openly, which was a rude thing to do here on Earth but which would not trouble a Saiyan. What would trouble him, what clearly was troubling him, was the total lack of the posturing, flexing, and sizing-up that was standard practice for Saiyans who had never met before. Kakarot was just standing there, barely even keeping up a basic guard, as though his strength were so obvious and far above the other that he didn’t need to bother. If Kakarot had been a normal Saiyan, playing by normal Saiyan rules, his behavior would be an open insult.

And Raditz, who had been young when his planet was destroyed, but hardly young enough to have failed to pick up on his own culture’s social cues, was clearly feeling the insult. His fists were clenching, and though it was clear all he wanted to do was stare at his mother in disbelief, his eyes kept darting back to Kakarot, updating his threat assessment on him every few seconds. Gine had to do something before he just hauled off and punched his brother, the only civilized thing to do in response to such behavior.

“Raditz,” she said. “How are you alive? I thought…?”

“How am I alive?” he demanded. “How are you alive? Father told me he was sending Kakarot off-world, he didn’t say one word about you!”

It was almost aggravating, Gine thought, how that could still sting, even all these years later.

“I went with him,” she said, as though that were not obvious. Raditz snarled.

“You went with him,” he mocked. “Like it was that easy. Like of course you couldn’t leave your child. Like it was your job to babysit instead of trying to defend your homeworld. You were always weak, but I didn’t think you were this cowardly.”

The old Gine, the one who had been assigned to the kitchens and been grateful, had been used to this kind of talk, even from her own son. The person she had been would have stood there and taken it, because she had no argument to make and no way back one up if she had. 

The Gine she was now tapped her foot on the ground hard enough to create a shockwave that rocked the whole island. Raditz stared at her, and then closed his mouth.

“I asked you a question,” she said softly. “How did you survive?”

“I was off world at the time,” Raditz answered sullenly. “And I asked you a question. Why did you go with Kakarot? Why—” Raditz bit back the words, and then shook his head and spat them out anyway. “Why didn’t you come looking for me?”

“I…” She trailed off, not sure what to say. His near-plaintive tone hurt her heart, and in hindsight it was a good question. Had she known Raditz was off world at the time? She couldn’t remember. If she’d had even the slightest doubt that Raditz was dead, why hadn’t she taken off in her pod once she was away and gone looking for him? Isn’t that what a mother would do? Saiyan mothers might not have coddled their young the way humans did, but they did try to protect them until they were capable of doing it themselves. But Raditz had been eight years old, plenty old enough to take care of himself. Was his question even reasonable to ask?

No, she realized, looking up to meet his eyes again. No, it wasn’t a reasonable question, because Raditz was not thinking reasonably. She studied him again, more closely this time, and found an eloquently tragic story written in the scars on his body. Some of them were battle scars, trophies he had earned and could be proud of, but far more of them had been slowly and deliberately inflicted. He wasn’t angry because she hadn’t come looking for him, or because she was a coward. He was angry because he had been through hell and back and the whole time she had been not only alive, but living in paradise.

“Raditz, I thought everyone was dead,” she said. “I’m so happy you’re alive, but I had every reason to think Kakarot and I were the only Saiyans left.”

He glared at her, but the glare softened as he studied her, doubtless putting together her story as she had put together his. A lone Saiyan stuck on a lush, weak planet with nowhere else to go and no reason to go there: would he not have done what she did? Would he not have stayed, and left the rest of the universe to go hang?

He wet his lips, perhaps in preparation to speak, but the door to the house creaked open again, startling the three of them. Krillin and Tien peeked their heads out, openly curious, but the last thing Gine wanted right now was an audience.

“Go back inside,” she ordered, her voice, she knew, uncommonly stern. The two of them froze, but a small shape wriggled between their legs and burst out onto the porch, running over to Kakarot. Krillin started to run after the child, but Gine waved him away. “It’s okay,” she said, still maintaining eye contact with Raditz. “This is a family matter.”

Almost every person on the tiny island sucked in a breath. Gine heard Krillin whispering to someone as he and Tien quickly backed up and shut the door, and Raditz was now staring at Gohan as Kakarot scooped him up and held him against his shoulder. Gohan hid his face in his father’s hair, but left one eye exposed to study his uncle.

Gine knew she was going to pay for her cryptic comment. It would only raise a million questions, some of which she did not wish to answer. But all that could wait. Every blood relative she had in the universe was here, right in front of her, and she wanted to keep it that way for as long as she could.

“When you say family…?” Raditz said slowly, still not quite ready to let go of his anger, but unable to hold on to it in the face of such surprising news. He was still staring at Gohan, following his gently waving tail with his eyes.

“Yup,” Kakarot said, patting Gohan affectionately. “This is my son, Gohan.”

“Go...han...?” Raditz said, trying out the word. Gine hid a smile. It would have been an atrocious name for a Saiyan. Raditz grunted, a mostly neutral noise, but with undertones of approval. “Who spawned him, then?”

“My wife, Chi-Chi,” Kakarot explained. “He’s named after my Grandpa Gohan. He’s the human that me and ma lived with when I was a baby. Say, you should live here with us, too!”

“Wha— me? Live here? With you?” Raditz almost sounded amused, helpless in the face of one absurdity after another. Gine smiled, a part of her (a silly part, she knew) already imagining which room she would put him in and which of Ox King’s shirts would be small enough for him to borrow. None of Kakarot’s clothes would fit, that was for sure.

There was something like a smile growing on Raditz’s face as well, a small, rusty thing that looked disused and slightly painful. He lifted his hand to his face, perhaps to brush away an errant strand of hair or put his hand on the back of his neck— but that was a gesture Kakarot would have made, Gine reminded herself, and Raditz was not a man who would have time for bashfulness. Whatever the gesture might have been, the second his fingers touched the scouter on his ear the smile faded. He stood there for a long moment, working something out in his mind, and then removed the scouter from his ear. Then, with slow deliberateness, making sure Gine could see what he was doing, he closed his finger over the microphone hole.

“We are not the only Saiyans left,” he said, and it was clear this was not supposed to be good news. “Prince Vegeta and an elite named Nappa also survived. I work for them, and they are the ones who sent me here. We needed more muscle for a job and I remembered I had a brother tucked away somewhere.” He met Kakarot’s eyes meaningfully. “I came here to bring you back to them.”

Kakarot shifted uneasily, sensing a fight, but Raditz just chuckled darkly.

“It’s clear to me you wouldn’t survive one day out there in the Frieza force. You’re just as weak as I am and even more of a moron. And you,” he added, turning to Gine, “you were never even supposed to be here. If I tried to take you back with me you’d be eaten alive.”

“So then you’ll stay?” Kakarot said hopefully, but Gine knew, with a sudden, horrible certainty, that that was not what Raditz had in mind.

“Of course not, idiot,” Raditz said to his brother. “If I did that Vegeta would just come here himself, and then we’d all be dead.”

“But you can’t just go back,” Gine said desperately. “I know the reputation of that family, Prince Vegeta is not going to be pleased if you return empty-handed. You have to stay here.”

Raditz shook his head sadly.

“I’m not going to drag you into this,” he said. “There’s no point in all of us being slaughtered.”

“You can’t just go off to die!” Gine protested. “Not when I just found out you’re alive!”

The smile Raditz gave her was wicked, and a little sad.

“Oh, I don’t plan on dying. Not for real, anyway. But Vegeta won’t bother trying to kill someone he thinks is dead.”

He had always been a tricky little weasel, Gine suddenly remembered. Bardock had been a bit disgusted with him, but he had been the type of kid who would pretend to be beaten only to sneak attack his opponent once they turned their back on him. It hadn’t won him any friends, but it had won him fights he would have lost in fair combat. If any Saiyan would do something like fake his own death to get out of a fight, it was Raditz.

“Don’t you do anything stupid,” she scolded, even as her heart constricted. “You’ve survived this long, don’t do anything to mess that up.”

Raditz scoffed, looking away in disgust. 

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he spat. “If I told you half the things I’ve done to survive you’d be so disgusted you’d kill me yourself.”

He was trying to be flippant, but he just looked wretched. Gine, even though she knew better, even though she knew that to her son, born among Saiyans and then raised in who knows what hellish conditions, any gesture of comfort would be seen as confirmation of his weakness, still couldn’t help stepping forward and placing her hands gently on her son’s cheeks. His teeth bared at the touch, almost as though it hurt, but he didn’t pull away or knock her down. She stroked her thumbs over his cheeks, trying to ease the expression of pain she found there, even if she could do nothing to ease the pain itself.

“It doesn’t matter,” she whispered. She could imagine some of what he was alluding to. Even in her brief time in the scouts there had been rituals, games played with helpless natives, cruelty that went beyond simple extermination. Even for a Saiyan, Frieza’s way of doing things took some deadening of the conscience. “Whatever you’ve done, it doesn’t matter to me. You’re alive, and that’s all I care about.” 

Perhaps if Raditz had been a different man, he might have shed tears. She could see the ghosts of them in the creases around his eyes, the shakiness of his breath. But he did not weep. Whatever he had been through, he was beyond weeping, and Gine knew that, later, she would weep enough tears for the both of them.

The scouter still in his grip, Raditz pulled her hands down from his cheeks and backed away. Then he replaced the scouter over his ear, turned, and was about to fly off when he angled his head over his shoulder and fixed Kakarot with a meaningful look. Whatever he was trying to communicate, Kakarot seemed to understand, because he nodded gravely. Raditz nodded back, gave Gine one last, sad look, and then leaped into the air and rocketed away. In mere seconds he was gone from view.

Instantly the screen door slammed open and the occupants of Kame House spilled out onto the beach, crowding around and demanding answers. Kakarot, grimly, began explaining, but all Gine could do was stare up at the sky, and try to hold back the tears, and hope.

Both her children were alive. But they might not be for long.

Chapter Text

People crowded around Gine and Kakarot on the beach in front of Kame House, their collective voices raised in a thousand questions. Kakarot was trying to answer them all at once, but his explanations, as usual, only left them more confused. Gine sought out Grandpa Gohan’s comforting, wrinkled face, and the noise fell away as it became clear his questions were the only ones she was going to answer.

“Who was that just now?” Gohan asked. Gine felt her whole body constrict as she fought the tears that sprang up at the very thought. Kakarot answered for her.

“That was my bro,” he said proudly. His words caused another burst of noise from the assembled crowd. 

“Your what?”

“Was he a Saiyan?”

“Where did he go?”

“What was he doing here?”

“You have a brother?” Krillin said in astonishment. He turned and looked at Gine, and she dashed away her tears. This was not the time for sentimentality.

“Yes, and he brought news,” she said. She looked at Gohan as she spoke. “We are not the only Saiyans left.”

“That’s great!” Yamcha exclaimed. “How many survivors are there?”

“He only mentioned the two,” Gine said, her blood turning cold as she realized there might be more; Raditz hadn’t made it clear. “And it’s not great. It’s terrible.”

There was a pause as everyone’s tentative smiles began fading.

“I would have thought you’d be happy more of you survived,” Roshi said, puzzled. Gine shook her head slowly.

“Not these two. Nappa— I think I remember that name. Raditz said he’s an elite, and if he’s who I’m thinking of he’s the Prince’s right hand man. He’ll do anything he says.”

“A prince?” Bulma said with interest, and Gine gave her a sharp look.

“He’s no knight in shining armor, Bulma. He and his line were the most vicious, powerful Saiyans of all, which was why they were in charge.”

“Is he coming here?” Krillin asked, face white. Gine’s tail lashed behind her in sharp, jerky motions.

“I don’t know,” she said, beginning to pace. “Raditz was going to fake his own death but I don’t know if that will be enough to draw them away. When the royal family wants something they get it, and the Prince won’t be happy about being defied like that.”

“But what does he want?” Tien asked, and Gine looked at her son.

“Kakarot,” she said, and Kakarot regarded her solemnly. He looked more like his father when he wasn’t smiling. She hadn’t thought of Bardock in years, and she didn’t want to be thinking of him now. “And me, probably, now that they know I’m here.”

“What would they want Kakarot for?” Yamcha scoffed.

“To help them do their dirty work,” Gine said, feeling her fists clench of their own accord. 

“Well, we can just tell them no thank you,” Krillin said. “And if they get rude, Kakarot can show them the door. Although it does seem like a shame your own brother has to run away from these guys. I would’ve liked to meet him.”

Gine stared at Krillin, his little hands on his hips in a cocky stance as he looked up at Kakarot in perfect faith. Somehow she had forgotten that none of them understood how weak she was. Again her eyes found Gohan’s, which were calm. He was waiting for her. 

“That isn’t going to work, Krillin,” she said. He only looked puzzled, still secure in his faith in them. Gine breathed in deep and then let it out slowly. “I know all of you think I’m strong, but the truth is I’m the weakest of my kind. If those two Saiyans really are coming here, then we don’t stand a chance.”

“Come on,” Yamcha scoffed uneasily. “You’re joking, right? You and Kakarot are crazy strong. You even trained with Kami. What do these guys have on you?”

It was no use. They all thought too much of her. Gine looked one by one at all the faces around her-- Yamcha, Puar, Krillin, Tien, Chiaotzu. Launch and Bulma and Grandpa Gohan. Roshi and Oolong and Turtle. Even Kakarot and Little Gohan-- they were all looking at her with hope in their eyes, and she couldn’t bear it.

“Why won’t you get it through your thick heads?” she shouted, startling them all. “If those two make planetfall we are dead. And we don’t even know if they’re coming or not.”

“We can ask Kami about that,” Kakarot piped up, looking at her over Little Gohan’s head. “He’ll know.”

Gine began to argue, but found she had no argument to make. Why wouldn’t Kami be able to tell if two aliens across the galaxy had murderous intent towards the Earth? It would hardly be the strangest thing she’d ever seen.

“Fine,” she said. “We’ll go ask him.”

The truth was, she admitted to herself as Kakarot handed Gohan to Krillin and they flew away, she was hoping Kami would tell them she was worried over nothing. That Raditz’s plan would work, that Nappa and Vegeta had no interest in Kakarot or herself, that they were safe. But when the old Namekian’s eyes opened after contemplating the matter for some minutes, she knew that was not what he was going to tell her.

“There are two powerful energies headed for Earth as we speak,” he said gravely. “At their current speed I estimate it will take them a year to get here. And they aren’t just powerful: they mean the people of Earth great harm. I’m afraid you are right, Gine.”

“All right,” Kakarot said eagerly. “When do we start training?”

Kami regarded him with a sad smile.

“You aren’t. I have nothing left to teach you.”

Gine felt her throat constrict. “What do you mean?”

“You are both far beyond my power now. I have passed on what wisdom I have, and it is up to you to act on it. There is nothing more I can do for you. I’m sorry.”

And he really looked it. But, despite more arguing from Kakarot, that was the last word on the subject. Gine and Kakarot descended from the Lookout in grim silence. At first she thought he’d finally come to understand the threat, but halfway there he broke the silence to say,

“Welp, looks like we’ve got to train on our own.”

And of course he sounded excited about it. Gine nearly clobbered him right there in midair, but she made a heroic effort and refrained. When they arrived back at Kame House and relayed the news, everyone went solemn, but still retained the same optimism as Kakarot. It was infuriating, and after a few half-hearted attempts by Krillin and Bulma to come up with a plan that didn’t involve relying on Kakarot and Gine to save the day, she stood and addressed Tien.

“I believe you’ve been wanting to have a match with me.”

Tien blinked all three eyes at her, his eagerness warring with his practicality.

“I, ah, that is, yes, but this hardly seems like the time.”

Gine craned her neck to the side, cracking it, then tilted it over to the other side.

"On the contrary,” she said. “This is the perfect time."

To his credit Tien held his ground.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but we have more important things to worry about right now."

Gine gave him a plastic smile. “Trust me, this will only take a second.”

Tien didn’t have an ounce of bluster in him, but even he would not allow a jab at his pride like that to stand. His face darkened, and he stood. 

The two of them went outside, facing each other on the beach, and Gine could feel Tien using all his faculties to feel her out. He was looking for openings, gaps in her stance or her attention to exploit, and she dropped her guard entirely, not only to deliberately give him an opening, but also to teach him a lesson about facing opponents who were inferior in skill but overwhelming in power. To someone like Tien, used to fighting opponents who had spent years honing their skills under the tutelage of a master, Prince Vegeta would not read like a skillful opponent. That apparent lack of skill would cause him to rush in, as he was doing now, and get a nasty surprise, as Gine was about to give him. At least Gine’s surprise wouldn’t cost him his life.

Tien blew past the place where Gine’s defenses should have been, his fingers extended and aiming at chakra points. He jabbed her solar plexus, throat, and forehead several times in quick succession, then danced behind her and elbowed her in the small of her back. All to no avail. She stood, not yielding even an inch, arms lightly folded across her stomach as though she were waiting in line at the grocery store. When he appeared in front of her, breathing hard with exertion, his eyes were wide in astonishment. 

“M-my attacks did nothing?”

She regarded him calmly. “Would you like to try again?” 

He growled and dashed forward, even faster this time, hitting joints and soft spots, pelting her with blows that had every ounce of his strength in them— with exactly the same result. Gine smoothed the front of her dress where some of his hits had wrinkled the fabric, and then glanced up at him, sighing. He was starting to understand. Now to drive the point home.

With a growl that began deep in her chest, Gine called on the reserves of energy swirling in her core, pulling them up and amplifying them. Like a geyser, the power rose in time with her increasing yell, shooting up and out until the wind was blowing at hurricane speeds around her. The ground shook, and the laconic ocean waves grew erratic and agitated. Tien was driven to his knees, one arm thrown over his eyes as sand whipped everywhere. When her power had reached its full height, Gine let it drop, everything falling to eerie silence after the furious noise of wind and water and earth being whipped into unnatural frenzy.

Tien wasted no time being overawed, and as soon as the pressure of her energy let up, he burst to his feet, ready to resume his attack. He lunged at her again, fist clenched and aiming to kill. At least he’d understood that much. But with one hand she grabbed his fist and twisted it 180 degrees, taking him along with it. Tien slammed into the sand on his back, gasping painfully as the wind was knocked out of him. Gine stood over him, balancing her foot lightly but insistently on his neck. After a moment, Tien lay back in the sand, defeated. 

“When I came here I was the weakest Saiyan that had ever lived,” she told him, knowing that everyone else had crept out onto the porch and was listening. “Even now my power would make me a solid low-class Saiyan, good for nothing more than routine dirty work. The Saiyans coming here are ten times more powerful than this. Do I make myself clear?”

She removed her foot, ready to help Tien up. But she had not made herself clear, it seemed, because as soon as she extended her hand he grabbed it, obviously intending to pull her off-balance and continue the fight. Faster than Tien could probably see, she twisted in midair and brought her elbow down on his stomach. Tien’s eyes rolled back into his head and his mouth gaped wide, spittle flying as he wheezed a painful breath. Launch flung herself off the porch and slid to a stop next to him, cradling his head and calling his name, but he was already unconscious. 

“Ya didn’t have to go that far!” she shouted up at Gine, who was brushing sand from her dress.

“The Saiyans coming here are ten times more powerful than me,” she repeated, her voice calm but her mind in turmoil. She wanted to make them understand, but what favor was she really doing them? Knowing what was coming, instead of it being a surprise— was that kindness? “But they are a million times more cruel. Saiyans have no concept of honor or mercy. They—” Her voice broke, but she forced herself to go on. “They slaughtered entire worlds for profit and fun. Every Saiyan I knew had the blood of billions of beings on their hands. And they were proud of it. That is what’s coming here. That is what we have to face. Now do you understand?!”

No one answered her. She couldn’t stand to look at them, all shuffling in place and silent, so when Kakarot spoke, it came as a surprise.

“You—” He looked confused, hurt. “You said Saiyans were warriors.” His tone was accusatory, pleading, asking her to take it back, deny it, let the world be as it had been before. She had never told him, she realized. Grandpa Gohan had known, but somehow it had never come up around Kakarot. She had never told him much about her people, and he had rarely asked. But somehow she had expected that one basic truth— that Saiyans were bloodthirsty brutes— to be transmitted anyway.

And it hadn’t.

“Warriors, yes,” she said. “But not good. Not kind. Not a single one of them.”

His harrowed expression was a weight on her heart. She hadn’t meant to deceive him. She just hadn’t wanted to remember. 

Tien groaned at her feet, and she stepped away from him, glad to have somewhere else to look. Before she could do anything else, however, she heard Kami’s voice speaking in her head.

Greetings. Can you hear me?

The shocked reaction of the crowd on the beach told Gine she wasn’t the only one he was speaking to. Aloud, she answered.

“Yes, we hear you Kami. What is it?”

I’ve been speaking with my superiors and I believe I may have a way to help you after all.

“God has superiors?” Gine heard Bulma mutter in amazement. Kami went on.

There is a martial arts master in Otherworld who is familiar with Saiyans and the threat they pose. He has agreed to give special dispensation for one mortal to train with him. 

Gine’s mind raced, hope blooming in her chest for the first time since Raditz had given them the news. She heard Roshi saying,

“Who is this master? Is he someone we know?”

No , Kami answered. He is the Lord of Worlds, known as King Kai, and he has agreed to help us face this threat. Whichever person you choose to receive the training will need to come to me, and quickly. We do not have much time, and the way to King Kai is long and arduous. The Lord of the Dead has agreed to allow a living mortal to pass into his realm, but he is not patient, and he may overturn his decision if he is kept waiting.

“The Lord of the Dead!” Bulma cried in horror.

“So whoever does the training’s gotta die?!” Oolong squealed.

“He said a living mortal, dumbass,” Launch snapped.

“Which one of us should it be?” Kakarot asked, and everyone turned to him, dumbfounded.

“I think that much is obvious,” Tien croaked, getting laboriously to his feet. He waved off Launch’s attentions and stood gingerly. “You’re the one to go, Kakarot.”

“Me?” Kakarot repeated dumbly. “But what about you, ma? Don’t you wanna go?” He turned to her, his earlier dismay seemingly forgotten. She smiled, despite everything, and shook her head.

“I don’t. It really should be you, son.”

His frown did not lift.

“But I wanted to train with you,” he said forlornly. Gine cupped her son’s cheek in one hand, memorizing his face as she realized she wouldn’t be seeing it again for a year.

“You need to be ready to protect your home, Kakarot,” she said. “Besides, I’ll be training the others while you’re gone.”

The fighters in the group blossomed at this, their hope rising higher than Gine’s. She was less certain of their doom than she had been a minute ago, but the thought of coming face to face with the Prince left her cold with dread.

Kakarot was still hesitating, and she pushed him gently away.

“Go,” she said. He took a long look at her, slowly handed her Little Gohan, and then hugged her, swiftly but tightly. Then he was gone, and the beach, though still crowded, felt empty. 

Chapter Text

“No!” Chi Chi shouted, unfolding a bedsheet with a snap so hard the sheet tore in half. In her rage she didn’t notice and tucked it on the bed anyway. “Absolutely not! Bad enough I’m expected to put up four layabouts on top of all the other work I do around here, but now ya wanna take Gohan away and turn him into a meathead like his father?”

Gine followed her daughter-in-law helplessly around the brand new capsule house as she prepared it to receive guests: making beds and airing out rooms, setting electronics and engaging the temporary foundations. Thank the gods Bulma handed out capsules like candy; if Chi Chi had been asked to accommodate four fighters in her own house she might have imploded. 

“I don’t want to take him away,” Gine said calmly as Chi Chi fluffed a pillow and scattered feathers around the room. “I want you to come with us.”

Chi Chi threw a comforter over the bed, moving on to the next one before it had even landed. As Gine watched it settled into place seemingly on its own, corners draping themselves elegantly as they fell. “And do what?” Chi Chi demanded as she made hospital corners on the next bed. “Do laundry in the river while the rest of you teach Gohan how to be a delinquent?”

Gine sighed. She knew perfectly well Chi Chi was angry Kakarot had left without saying goodbye, scared the Earth might be destroyed, and worried for her son. This was simply how she coped: trying to control what little she could and ignoring the rest. Often, it worked. She managed Kakarot a lot better than Gine ever had. But this time she wished the girl would just be reasonable.

“Chi Chi, I’m asking you to come with him so he can keep studying.”

It was enough to halt Chi Chi’s mad rush around the house for a second or two, but only that.

“He can study here. He doesn’t need to go out in the woods and learn how to punch people.”

“Chi Chi, you were a martial artist,” Gine pointed out, exasperated. “You punched people all the time.”

“I was ,” Chi Chi said, pulling out another storage capsule and unpopping it. Inside were several trunks full of old quilts and sheets, as well as baby clothes and knickknacks, which she sorted through impatiently. “But I don’t want Gohan to grow up like his father. You did your best with him, but Gohan has potential, and I won’t see it wasted!”

This line of attack was going nowhere. Gine had to try the other thing. She hadn’t planned on bringing it up until the issue of Gohan was settled, but it seemed that was not to be.

“Didn’t you like being a martial artist?” she asked. She was pretty sure she knew the answer, but if she was wrong she might have to do something drastic.

“Yes, of course,” Chi Chi snapped without looking up from the box of trinkets she was sorting through, but then her words caught up with her and she stopped. Her eyes went distant, and she rubbed the object in her hands thoughtfully. Gine craned her head, and saw that it was the envelope that had held the prize money from the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai. She smiled. She was right. Chi Chi came to herself and glared.

“What’s that got to do with anything?” She stuffed the envelope back into the album she had taken it from and recapsulized everything, minus the bedclothes, which she began unfolding. Gine took up a sheet and worked on one of the other beds.

“Well, why did you stop?” she asked, tugging at the corners until they were straight.

“What was the point? Trainin’ takes up too much time. Just seein’ to Gohan’s studies is a full time job, and then there’s cooking and cleaning for everyone, and keeping Kakarot in line is— Well, you know how that is.”

Gine knew how that was.

“But what if you did have time?” she pressed. “What if you didn’t have to worry about all that? Would you want to keep training?”

Chi Chi gave an exasperated sigh.

“Of course I liked sparrin’ with Kakarot back when we were kids. But we’re not kids anymore, and I’m not going to let Gohan grow up thinkin’ he can solve all his problems with violence.”

Gine dropped the pillow she was trying to stuff into its pillowcase and fixed her daughter-in-law with a stern look.

“Some problems can only be solved with violence,” she said firmly. “And this is one of them.”

“And I’m doin’ my part,” Chi Chi retorted. “You see me, puttin’ up accomodations for Kakarot’s delinquent friends without a word of complaint because I know they need some place to train. But I don’t see why you want to drag Gohan into all this.”

“He’s going to get dragged into it whether we want it or not.” Gine saw Chi Chi bite her lip as she bent over to smooth out some wrinkles on the bed. “Those two Saiyans are going to be very curious about a species that can interbreed with Saiyans. I’ve certainly never heard of such a thing before. And they’re going to want to know how strong he is. If we can’t stop them they’re going to come after him.”

“If you can’t stop them then what chance does he have anyway?” Chi Chi wailed, throwing up her hands. “He’s four!”

“When I was four my mother kicked me out of the house.” Gine returned Chi Chi’s horrified look with a wry smile. “Don’t look like that. We didn’t like each other and I was perfectly capable of fending for myself. I would have left soon anyway if she hadn’t forced the issue.”

“Well, that’s all fine and good for you Saiyans,” Chi Chi huffed, turning back to her task. “But Gohan’s human, and it’s not normal for a four year old human to be doing anything but stayin’ at home with his mother.”

“Gohan’s not human,” Gine said. “Not entirely. He has potential, Chi Chi. You can see it in his mind, but I can see it in his body. He’s strong, I know he is. And he’s clever. Those two things together will make him a force to be reckoned with.”

At the mention of training Gohan again, Chi Chi grunted in annoyance and left the room, moving to the bathroom to stock it with linens and toiletries. Gine followed slowly, at her wits end with this girl who called her ‘ma’.

Her own mother had been cold and perpetually disappointed, and Gine had never known Chi Chi as a child, so sometimes she found herself totally unable to figure out how she was supposed to relate to her. She was a daughter, but not her child. She was a friend, but also family. And sometimes, every so often, her stubbornness would become an impenetrable wall. As a Saiyan, Gine’s natural reaction to a wall she needed to get past was to smash it. As an Earthling, she needed to try something different.

“Chi Chi, dear,” she said softly, leaning a hand on the doorway as Chi Chi slammed bottles into baskets and baskets into cupboards, “I want you and Gohan there with us. I don’t want to be without my family for a whole year.”

Chi Chi stopped, leaning a pink plastic bucket full of shampoo and conditioner bottles against the edge of the sink and staring at herself in the mirror.

“They’re a bunch of boorish louts with no manners or sense, and I don’t want them teaching Gohan to be like them,” she said, but she was no longer shouting. Gine gave her another gentle push.

“You’ll be teaching him, dear.” Gine hid a smile as Chi Chi whipped her head around. “And I’ll be teaching you. I want both of you to train with us. You have potential too, you know.”

“I’m not— I can’t train with— I’m too far behind!”

Chi Chi looked away from her own reflection and down at herself, tugging at the sash around her waist pensively. Gine let her think. Chi Chi worried her lower lip between her teeth for a long time.

“I’m too far behind,” she said again, and Gine knew she had won.

“I don’t know who you think you’re talking to,” she said brightly, taking the basket of shampoos from her daughter’s hands, “but I know a thing or two about being behind. That won’t be a problem. And I don’t know what you’re thinking, stocking this much shampoo for three baldies.”

Gine saw Chi Chi mouth the names ‘Tien,’ ‘Chiaotzu,’ and ‘Krillin,’ and then laugh.

“Yamcha has enough hair for all of them,” she said, taking the basket back. “And these are nearly expired, they need to be used up.”

Humming, Chi Chi stocked the rest of the bathroom quickly, but without the violence in her motion of just moments ago, and when she was done she breezed past Gine and stood in the living room, surveying her work with a pleased air.

“Well, that’s that. When did you say they were coming, again?”

“They should be here in a few hours,” Gine said, glancing at a wall clock. Chi Chi’s hands flew to her face.

“Goodness gracious, I thought I had more time. I need to get lunch started, and check on Gohan’s math assignment, and Gramps said he’s running low on ointment—”

Gine put her arm around Chi Chi’s shoulders and led her to the door, smiling. “Let me help you.”

Chapter Text

"We need to get Chi Chi flying," Yamcha said during the midday break. He, Gine, Tien, Krillin and Chiaotzu were sitting on the lush grass at the edge of a meadow a few mountains over from Mt. Paozu where they had set up camp. The five of them were ranged in a semi circle under tree cover, cooling off after a morning of exertion. Chi Chi was nearby, drilling Gohan in science terms with flashcards while the boy ate lunch.

Yamcha was right, of course, but Gine didn't know why he was bringing it up now. They were all painfully aware that Chi Chi was the only one who hadn't mastered buku-jutsu, Chi Chi most of all.

"We've all tried explaining it to her," Tien said, echoing Gine's thoughts. "All we can do now is hope she figures it out on her own."

"That's what I'm getting at," Yamcha countered. "We haven't all tried." He looked directly at Gine. "You've been flying since you were a kid. How come you never give her any advice?"

Gine stared back at him, nonplussed.

"My mother threw me off a cliff when I was three," she said. "I have no advice to give."

They stared at her in horror. Krillin was the first to break the awkward silence by clearing his throat.

"O-Okay, but you must have taught Kakarot how to fly. You— you didn't throw him off a cliff, did you?" he added, gulping. Gine chuckled drily.

"I never taught Kakarot how to fly," she said, watching Gohan triumphantly shout an answer and accidentally spray Chi Chi with crumbs. "He picked it up on his own. Like most Saiyan children."

There was another, longer awkward silence. Not for the first time, Gine wished Grandpa Gohan had agreed to train with them. She had asked him to, the night before their training officially started, but he had only looked thoughtfully at the fighters assembled in the yard and told her there was nothing he could teach them that they couldn't teach each other. Gine still wasn't sure what she could offer anyone other than a challenging sparring partner, but Tien and Chiaotzu had been able to teach the Kame school students how to fly and they in turn had shown Chi Chi that farm chores could also be training. Chi Chi had been ecstatic, and Mt. Paozu was now the proud owner of a very productive field of radishes, with fields of carrots and spring onions well on their way.

Chi Chi switched to math, and Gine asked the others in a whisper,

"What is the quadratic equation, anyway?"

Tien, Chiaotzu and Yamcha all shrugged in unison, but Krillin straightened up and began to recite.

"A squared plus b squared equals c squared," he said proudly. His audience ooh'd appreciatively.

"How do you know that?" Gine asked in awe.

"Master Roshi always said we should train our minds as well as our bodies," he said.

"So what is it for?" she asked, and his proud grin faltered.

"Stop changing the subject," he said, frowning at her. "We need to get Chi Chi up to speed or she might decide this is a waste of time and take Gohan home with her."

That wasn't likely, in Gine's mind at least, but Chi Chi's lack of progress was a problem. The girl, as demure and sweet as she liked to appear, was a brawler born and bred. Using ki to add strength and fortitude to her own body came as natural as breathing, but focusing the raw destructive power of ki energy in her palm or using it to fly were seemingly beyond her. In six months she hadn't been able to do more than heat up her hands, even though her speed and strength were increasing day by day. Gine didn't think she would actually pick up and leave if she didn't get it soon, but she might give up on ki control as not worth her time. When Chi Chi got frustrated she tended to blame anything but herself.

"The problem is she tries too hard," Yamcha mused out loud.

"And thinks too much," Tien agreed.

"But how do we get her to stop thinking?" Chiaotzu wondered.

They pondered the question in silence for the rest of the break, but made no headway. As they performed their pre-training stretches, Yamcha mused out loud,

"Hey, Chi Chi, whatever happened to that helmet you used to have?"

Chi Chi straightened out of a deep lunge to stare at him.

"What helmet?"

Yamcha looked up from his hurdler's stretch in surprise.

"You know, that helmet with the blade on top you used to wear. You had it on it when we first met."

Chi Chi gasped, then put her hands on her hips and regarded him sternly.

"Yamcha, I'm surprised at you!" she exclaimed. "And you with a girlfriend no less."

Yamcha looked bewildered. "What are you talking about?"

Chi Chi tsk'd and shook her head.

"I know you had feelings for me back then, but I couldn't return them, and I thought we'd both moved on."

Yamcha shrunk under the sudden scrutiny of five sets of eyes.

"I didn't— I wasn't— you— I was just wondering what you did with it, that's all!"

He leaned over his other leg, cheeks flaming.

"Well, if that's all it is," Chi Chi said primly, resuming her lunges. "I put it away as soon as I got engaged to Kakarot. It was too childish for a young lady about to be married."

"I wouldn't call taking out a dinosaur in one go 'childish'," Yamcha muttered. Krillin heard, and turned to Chi Chi with raised eyebrows.

"You took out a dinosaur with a helmet? What did you do, head butt it?"

"I did no such thing!" Chi Chi exclaimed. "The blade came off, like this—"

She put her arms over her head, palms together. Between her hands energy began to glow in the shape of a scythe, unbeknownst to her and to the breathless anticipation of everyone else. Closing her eyes, she flung the energy scythe forward, sending it whistling through the air straight at Yamcha. He barely managed to fling himself out of the way in time, a sizeable chunk of his hair being not so lucky. The blade arced around in a large curve, mowing down several trees before returning to Chi Chi's head.

Gohan's eyes were wide. "Wow, mom, that was amazing!"

Chi Chi opened her eyes, blushing, and the energy dissipated. "There's nothing amazing about playing pretend, Gohan. Now finish your stretches, young man, you don't want to cramp up."

"Chi Chi!" Krillin spluttered. "Do you know what you just did?"

"You mean besides making a fool of myself reminiscing?" Chi Chi snapped.

"You just performed an energy attack," Tien informed her. "A powerful one."

"What are you talking about?" Chi Chi demanded, but then she caught sight of Yamcha, who was pulling at his ruined ponytail in dismay, and the massacred trees behind him. Her eyes went wide. "Was... that me?"

She looked down at her hands in amazement, and then back up at the carnage she had wrought. Slowly she put her palms together over her head again, but no energy appeared between them, and she scowled.

Gine smiled. The girl would get it soon enough. She wasn't Kakarot's wife for nothing, after all.

Chapter Text

Gine's boots shushed softly against the leaf litter of the forest floor, Little Gohan clambering more noisily behind her. He struggled over a fallen tree, fell, and ran to catch up, clutching for her hand and then settling for the hem of her dress when she did not lower it for him. Gine had told Chi Chi they were going for a walk, but what the girl didn't know couldn't hurt her.

It was time for Gohan's first hunt. A pure-blooded Saiyan child his age would have already been playing pounce games with his parents' tails for years and probably have managed to catch a few lizards, but despite the tail waving behind him, Gohan didn't seem to have an ounce of killer instinct in his body.

"Wow, Grandma, look!" Gohan exclaimed, tugging at her dress and pointing. "A metasequoia glyptostroboides. They're rare in this area. And there's a Chrysolophus pictus roosting in it! Oh, look, a Physignathus cocincinus! It just went behind that bush! Did you see it?"

Put simply, Gine thought, as she stared at the bird in a tree and listened to the lizard scuttling into cover, the boy was an incorrigible egghead. He was strong and growing stronger every day, he knew every kata of both the Turtle School and the Crane School by heart, had learned how to fly in a day and was able to meditate like someone three times his age, but if Bardock had been ashamed of Raditz for being wily, she didn't know what he'd make of his grandson.

"Gohan," she said, kneeling down to look him in the eye. "Do you know why we're out here?"

Gohan blinked. "A nature walk?" he ventured. Gine shook her head.

"We're here to hunt," she told him. His sweet little face went serious as he thought about this.

"You mean me, don't you?" he said, tucking his chin onto his chest. At least those brains worked both ways. Bulma was smart too, but she could be oblivious when it came to matters of common sense. Gine nodded.

"I'll show you the basics, but then it'll be up to you. You ready?"

She stood, but Gohan tugged at her dress again.

"Not an endangered species," he said firmly, and she smiled.

After a few brief lessons in stalking, wind direction, and camouflage, Gine dropped behind Gohan and let him lead the way. She could already tell there was a herd of deer up the mountain to the east, but if Gohan couldn't even find his prey then there was no point in teaching him how to kill it. Sure enough, he walked in the opposite direction of the deer, and Gine reminded herself that failure was as good a teacher as success.

To her surprise, though, in just a few minutes they were crouched at the edge of a slight clearing where an enormous tree had spread its branches, a flock of small birds roosting in its roots.

"Arborophila rufogularis," Gohan whispered. Gine nodded. The clearing would make it difficult to get very close, but these birds tended to run rather than fly. All in all, not bad for a first attempt. She watched as Gohan closed his eyes, and felt as he settled his energy to be as inconspicuous as possible. Probably not necessary with fowl, but it couldn't hurt. Opening his eyes, he crept around the edge of the clearing until he was hidden in a vast fern. From her vantage point, Gine could barely see him, and the birds remained unconcerned.

Without warning, a rock sailed out of the fern into the middle of the flock, its angle making it seem to the birds as though it had come from another direction, and they ran from it—straight into Gohan's hiding place. After a confusion of feathers and squawking, Gohan leaped out of the fern with a triumphant yell, the neck of a struggling bird held tightly in his hand.

"I got one, Grandma! I got one!"

She stood slowly in amazement. Gohan ran to her, grinning, and thrust the bird forward to show her.

"Did you see? I caught it! Did you see me?"

"That was incredible, Gohan," Gine said, beginning to grin herself. Even Kakarot hadn't gotten a kill on his first try. Brains guiding brawn was a force to be reckoned with indeed. Maybe she'd been worried over nothing.

"Here," Gohan said, holding the bird out for her to take, and Gine's smile slid off her face. She did not move. Gohan held it out a few inches farther. "For you," he said.

"What am I supposed to do with it?" she said, and the smile slid off his face as well. He looked at the still struggling bird, and then back at her, holding it out again.

"I got it," he said. "I did it."

"You're not finished."

The boy gaped at her, his mind refusing to comprehend what she wanted.

"But… You mean… I should carry it home?" He looked up at her hopefully, and she shook her head.

"Not like that you shouldn't."

Gohan looked down at the bird once more, then up at her, and Gine made two fists in the air, twisting them sharply in opposite directions. Instantly Gohan's face went white, and he must have loosened his grip, because the bird gave a loud whistle and flapped its wings until it was free, running away as fast as its little legs could carry it. Neither Gohan nor Gine watched it go. Gohan was staring at his grandmother, lower lip trembling.

"I… I don't wanna," he hiccupped, and Gine looked at his sweet, miserable little face and wondered what else she had been expecting.

"Okay," she said simply, and turned around, heading back down the mountain toward camp. Gohan clambered after her, and this time, when he reached for her hand, she let him take it.

For the rest of the day Gine thought long and hard about Kakarot's early hunting experiences (games he delighted to master), and her own (matters of survival), but found nothing to guide her on how to help her grandson overcome this hurdle— or even if she should.

But that evening she caught Gohan looking thoughtfully at the roast duck Yamcha had bagged by accident while practicing his Spirit Ball technique. She watched him look from Yamcha, who was joking with Krillin, to Chi Chi, who had plucked and dressed it, and then down at his plate more than once before the meal was through, and she thought maybe she could let him decide.

Early the next day Gohan grabbed Gine's hand and led her into the forest, not letting go until they'd been walking for nearly half an hour. He dropped into a crouch and in a few seconds was out of sight. Gine was pretty sure he was stalking a rabbit, much quicker and more alert prey than roosting birds, so she was unsurprised when he reemerged a few minutes later frustrated and empty-handed. He led her through the forest for a few more minutes before spotting something else, only to return with nothing to show for it once more.

After a few rounds of this he finally bagged another bird, a large flightless thing he didn't tell her the scientific name of. It struggled and squawked, but he gripped it tightly, asking her a question with his eyes.

"Hold it here and here," she told him, and he did. "Twist like this as hard as you can, as fast as you can. You don't want it to suffer."

He nodded, took a few quick breaths, then squeezed his eyes shut and wrung his hands. There was a snap, and the bird fell limp.

"Very good," Gine murmured, and Gohan opened his eyes, looking down at the bird in his hands like he expected it to scold him. When it did nothing but hang there, he blinked a few times, and then looked up at Gine. He seemed almost surprised. The important thing, to Gine at least, was that he did not cry. "A good kill," she said. "Your mother will make it into a tasty dish."

"Yeah," Gohan agreed thoughtfully, and together they descended the mountain. When they were nearly in sight of the camp, Gohan turned to her and held out the dead bird. "You take it," he said. "I don't think mom would like it if she knew I killed it."

Gine hesitated. The boy was probably right. Chi Chi would faint dead away if she knew her baby had been out wringing the necks of the local wildlife.

It was just, she thought, taking the bird, that a Saiyan's first kill ought to be celebrated. It was the first tangible sign that you were worth something, that you weren't just an empty mouth but a member of society. A person. It was an occasion for boasting, for dancing, and teasing from adults who, just the day before, had treated you as though you didn't exist. A Saiyan's first kill was a good thing.

This was all true, and so Gine did not know, as she watched Gohan go up to his mother and hug her, why she felt like crying.

Chapter Text

"What's that?" Gohan asked, pointing at the sky. For a heart-stopping moment Gine thought maybe the Saiyans had come early, way early, and they were all about to die, but then she looked up and saw what was definitely not a Saiyan descending from the sky.

"Who is that?" Chi Chi asked, shading her eyes.

"I don't know," Yamcha said, frowning. The figure landed lightly on his toes in front of them. Gine blinked in astonishment.

"A Namekian?" she said under her breath. The newcomer smiled in response.

"Not just a Namekian," he said. "Don't you recognize me, Gine?"

She only knew two Namekians, and one of them wasn't exactly walking around, but the being standing in the swaying wildflowers of the training field was young, and strong, and straight-backed. Still, if you added a bunch of wrinkles and a stoop…

"Kami?" Gine took a step forward, hoping for a clearer look (and maybe a hug), but to her surprise someone brushed past her and reached the Namekian first. It was Chi Chi.

Eyes blazing, she marched up to him and jabbed a finger in his face, even though he was so tall she had to reach to get it there.

"You! You're the reason my Kakarot's gone!" she bellowed. "Bring him back right now! How dare you show your face here without bringing him with you!"

"Chi Chi!" Yamcha hissed. He ran forward and attempted to drag her away, succeeding only in digging his feet into the ground. "That's Kami! Show more respect."

"Did he show my marriage respect?" Chi Chi shoved Yamcha away, sending him sprawling, not once taking her eyes off Kami. "Did he show me respect when he took my husband off to who knows where without even consulting me!? Who do you think you are?"

The Guardian of Earth blinked, apparently at a loss. Gine stifled a laugh.

"Chi Chi, dear, give him a break. He's probably never been scolded before in his life."

With a pointed hmph, Chi Chi spun on her heel and walked away with her nose in the air.

"Come on, Gohan," she said, leading her son away. Gohan looked back and Gine gave him a wink, which he returned with a grin. Yamcha stood, brushing himself off and muttering.

"Can't believe… dunno why... Kakarot…"

Gine went up to the Namekian, searching his face in amazement.

"Are you really Kami?" she asked. He nodded, smiling. "How did you...? Is this… normal?"

Kami chuckled and shook his head.

"I used the dragon balls to wish myself young again."

"That's a heck of a beauty routine," Krillin said faintly, staring up in awe at the Guardian, who smiled deeper.

"I thought you could use some help in the upcoming fight, and I wouldn't have been much use otherwise."

There was a slightly bitter undertone to his words that no one else noticed, and which Gine wasn't sure she hadn't just imagined. But she watched him a little more carefully from then on, as he settled into their routine and helped them train. Even Chi Chi eventually came around and let him teach her, though she remained cool to him otherwise. They all improved much faster under his instruction, and for the first time in months Gine began to feel real hope.

Still, there was that sense of something unspoken that continued to linger, but it wasn't until she saw him with Gohan one day that she broached the topic. Her grandson was picking flowers, ostensibly for some nature notebook Chi Chi was having him keep, but probably just because, and he shyly offered one to Kami, who was meditating nearby. Kami smiled, grinned really, and accepted the flower, tucking it behind his ear. He looked so… carefree, in a way that a deity really shouldn't, and it gave Gine the courage to ask him,

"What are you really doing here?"

He glanced up at her, the grin fading but still present. Gine put her hand on Gohan's head as he retreated behind her leg, though he continued to watch the Namekian with wide, curious eyes.

"I'm here to help you fight," Kami said, like he knew that wasn't the end of it.

"But why?" Gine pressed. "Why do that now? Why not with Piccolo, or— or if you couldn't fight him yourself, why not do more to help us then? What's different about this threat?"

Kami studied her for a long time.

"You know, when we first met," he said eventually, "you had just taken care of one of my greatest mistakes. There you were, with a very god granting you a request, and all you and Kakarot wanted was to protect the earth I had put in danger." His smile, which hadn't really gone away, turned sardonic. "I hope you'll understand when I tell you that was quite a blow to my pride. Where had I gone wrong, that two mortals, not even from this world, felt they had to pick up my slack? When you came to me this time, and again I could do nothing, I decided enough was enough. Helping you directly may not be… precisely in my job description, but it does feel a lot more like being a Guardian."

Gine sat next to him, pulling Gohan into her lap and stroking his hair as she mulled that over. From where they were sitting they could see nothing but flowers and grass waving at the clouds overhead like old friends.

"Do you think we have a chance?" she asked after a few minutes. It was several more minutes before he answered.

"Yes. With Kakarot and all he will have learned from King Kai, I think we stand a good chance."

It wasn't the unqualified enthusiasm Gine had been hoping for, but she felt comforted anyway. If Kami thought they had a chance, then they did, end of story.

She didn't let herself wonder if a god could lie.

They all felt it at the same time, looking up from what they were doing to stare at the sky.

"W-what is that?" Gohan asked in a tiny voice.

Gine felt her hackles raise. "It's them."

"Already?" Yamcha asked in alarm. "I thought we had another day!"

"I miscalculated," Kami growled. "I'm sorry, everyone."

"Not your fault," Tien said, stretching out his shoulders. "One day wouldn't have made that much difference anyway. Everyone ready?"

They started to give their assent, and then the balance of the world tilted. Everything suddenly felt wrong, like an important piece of a block tower had been unceremoniously yanked away, leaving the rest wobbling and about to fall.

"What…?" Chi Chi whispered, putting a hand to her mouth. Chiaotzu gasped, and Gine felt her blood begin to boil. A whole city, gone in an instant. It was nothing she hadn't felt before, but this time was different. This time, those people had been sitting on the periphery of her awareness for decades, and to find them suddenly gone was like a cold spot in her soul.

"They've already started," she said. "We have to go now, ready or not. Come on."

She took to the air, slicing through it at top speed without waiting to see if the others were following. She could feel them struggling to keep up, but she didn't wait for them. How many more were the Saiyans going to kill before they got to them?

But it turned out she didn't need to worry. About halfway to the ruined city she felt them coming directly toward her, doubtless letting their scouters guide them to the highest power level in the area. It seemed she had some amount of choice in their meeting place, so she landed at the nearest spot that looked promising, a wilderness area with flat, open ground and small hillocks. The others landed around her a minute later.

"Why'd you stop?" Chi Chi demanded.

"They're coming right for us," Tien said. "This is as good a place as any to meet them."

And in a few minutes two figures slowly descended from the sky, landing in front of them.

The bigger one was exactly who she'd been expecting, though he'd lost all his hair in the interim. She'd seen him around, especially when she'd been running with Bardock and his crew, but they'd never exchanged words. He was powerful, but if they all fought together, not impossible to take down.

They'd never get a chance to do that, though, because standing next to him was the face Gine had seen in every nightmare she'd had for the last year: Vegeta the Fourth, Prince of the Saiyans.

And he was staring right at her.

Chapter Text

When Gine was five years old, someone had challenged the king. She didn't remember his name now, something like Auber or Onyo, but he'd been huge, dome-headed and hairy, and rumored to have a power level close to that of the king. Vegeta the Third had ascended the throne only a few years before, and this was his first challenger, so everyone had shown up to watch.

At five years old and perpetually hungry, Gine hadn't cared much about the fighting so much as the crowd: a bunch of feasting Saiyans might drop quite a few crumbs that an enterprising urchin could pick up, and the crowd had been so dense that day that by the time the king entered the ring Gine had been almost full.

Perhaps the lessening of her hunger was why she remembered him so clearly: tall, straight-backed, and noble, he'd strode onto the raised platform without paying his opponent the slightest bit of attention. An attendant had taken his cape and armor, and Gine had noticed them exchange a few words that had the attendant grinning. Then the king had turned around and, without wasting any time posturing or making speeches, speared his hand straight through the challenger's chest.

There was a split second of utter silence, then the deafening roar of the crowd masking the sounds of King Vegeta pulling the man's heart out of his chest, strings of gore and arteries offering little resistance. Once it was free, he held it above his head and the crowd somehow managed to roar even louder. The heart was still pulsing, dripping blood onto the king's face and down his arm. One droplet landed on the corner of his mouth and he licked it away.

Oddly, Gine couldn't remember how she'd felt at the time, whether she'd been horrified, excited, or just disappointed the crowd broke up so soon. All she could remember was that she'd spent the next two hours dodging the other street urchins as she picked up what food remained, and that there was so much of it there had been enough and to spare for all of them.

Every time she recalled it afterward, though, the memory unsettled her, a sensation that only got worse as she got older. At five years old she hadn't understood what was so upsetting—violence like that was, if not routine, then nothing uncommon. When she was older, however, she realized that as the King, Vegeta represented everything a Saiyan was supposed to be: bloodthirsty, merciless, powerful.

In other words, everything she wasn't. As she got older and the gap between where she was and where she was supposed to be only got wider and more obvious, it no longer mattered who ridiculed her. It was always the King's face she saw sneering, his voice she heard taunting her.

And in her nightmares, his hand pulling her heart out of her chest in retribution for having dared be born a Saiyan.

Vegeta glanced away from Gine, his mocking smile growing marginally larger before he did, and addressed Kami.

"Bit far from home, aren't you Namekian?"

Gine was relieved to have the Prince's gaze directed elsewhere, but now that she had space to really look at him she found herself somewhat underwhelmed. He was clean shaven, unlike his father, but the differences didn't end there. He was shorter, and his bearing was arrogant rather than noble. Mocking rather than self-assured. He seemed… small, in a way that had nothing to do with his height. A schoolyard bully rather than a tyrant. His aura was massive, of course, but in every other way he was not the nightmare she'd been expecting.

Kami addressed him mildly.

"Earth is my home. And I must kindly ask you to leave it. You are not welcome here."

Vegeta's eyebrows lifted a fraction.

"Oho. Did you hear that, Nappa? We're not welcome. We've been kindly asked to leave. What do you say to that?"

Nappa grinned. "I heard Namekians don't have bones. I wanna rip his arms off to see."

Vegeta turned back to Kami, spreading his hands.

"How's that answer, slug?"

But Kami did no more than nod.

"Illuminating. Now, to be perfectly clear, what exactly are your intentions in coming here?"

"You want me to be clear? Very well." Vegeta spoke slowly, enunciating his words. "We are here to kill every thinking being on this planet and then sell it for profit." He glanced at Gine and Gohan. "We are also here for Kakarot, his dam and his whelp. Speaking of which, where is he? Too cowardly to show up?"

Gohan clenched his fists.

"My daddy's not a coward! He's coming, and when he gets here he's going to beat you up!"

Turning to Gohan in mock surprise, Vegeta addressed him in a sickening version of baby speak.

"It does talk! And who's your mommy, little boy? Did Kakarot climb back up the family tree to have you or did he rut with the local wildlife instead?"

Gine felt her tail bristle around her waist almost before the words had penetrated. She heard the others murmur invectives, but she couldn't hear them over the sound of her heart in her ears. Chi Chi clapped her hands over Gohan's ears and shouted at Vegeta.

"You shut your dirty mouth or I'll shut it for you!"

Vegeta grinned slowly, an open-mouthed, delighted, wicked thing that made nearly everyone in the assembled group take a small step backward.

"And here I thought this planet might be boring. Nappa, how many Saibamen do you have left?"

"Ha! I like the way you think, Vegeta. Let me see." Nappa held out a small bottle, giving it a shake. "Looks like we've got six."

"That's perfect. One for each of the riff raff. You, woman." He lifted his chin at Gine. "Get over here and watch the show. Bring the boy with you."

Gine snarled in lieu of an answer.

Vegeta didn't seem surprised.

"Suit yourself. Go ahead, Nappa."

Gine watched helplessly as he planted the six seeds, watering them in turn. She could kick the bottle out of his hands and destroy the seeds before they had a chance to grow, but that was assuming Nappa didn't swat her out of the sky before she reached him. Besides, they needed to buy time for Kakarot to arrive. He'd be on his way back now, but there was no telling how long it would take him to get here. The longer Vegeta spent toying with them, the better.

"What are—?" Krillin started, but then the Saibamen began to sprout. Six small mounds swelled the earth and then collapsed as six wrinkled green heads emerged from the ground with a squelching sound that made Yamcha wince.

"Ewww!" Chi Chi shuddered and wiped her hands on her dress.

"Kill all of them except that one and that one," Vegeta instructed the Saibamen, pointing at Gine and Gohan. "You're not to touch them, understand?"

The Saibamen gibbered in response, and then leapt.

It was over in seconds, though it felt a lot longer, especially when everyone was moving at super speed. Gine gripped both Gohan's shoulders as the others fought. Tien took out his opponent in two blows. Chiaotzu froze his in place, which let Chi Chi slice through it as well as hers with her ki blade. Krillin vaporized his with a massive ki attack, and Kami dispatched his opponent with such clean efficiency that the Saibaman in question probably hadn't even noticed it was dead. Only Yamcha had any trouble.

"Yamcha, duck!" Gine shouted as the last Saibaman, perhaps sensing it was doomed anyway, leapt at him, preparing for a kamikaze attack. Yamcha dutifully ducked, and the Saibaman sailed over him, exploding in midair.

"Whoa," Yamcha breathed, standing up and following the explosion trail with wide eyes. He turned to Gine and gave her a shaky thumbs up. "Thanks, ma'am!"

"Tch!" Vegeta spat. "Useless."

"What the…?" Nappa gaped, blinking rapidly as he looked from Earthling to Earthling, before finally turning to Vegeta in shock. "I thought this planet was supposed to be full of weaklings!"

Vegeta was frowning thoughtfully at Gine, and did not answer his subordinate for a moment.

"Probably old information," he said, finally looking away from her. "Looks like you'll get a chance to stretch your legs after all."

Surprise quickly gave way to delight, and Nappa stepped forward, punching his open hand several times.

"All right! Which one of you wants to die first?"

Chapter Text

Yamcha stepped forward confidently, bouncing back and forth on his toes in front of Nappa.

"I don't feel like I really got a chance to show my stuff in that last fight," he said. "Let me soften him up for you, guys."

"We're fighting together, Yamcha," Tien said firmly, stepping up behind him. "None of us can take him on our own."

Yamcha deflated somewhat, but nodded. Nappa grinned.

"All at once or one at a time, doesn't make a difference to me!" he laughed. "Go ahead and do your little teamwork thing, see what that gets you."

"Like we practiced," Kami said, looking at each of them in turn, and as a single unit, all eight of them phased out of sight. Kami, Gohan, Krillin and Chiaotzu took to the air, forming a rough circle above Nappa's head. The others ranged around him on the ground in a similar fashion, Chi Chi some distance away behind cover, Gine directly in front of Nappa.

"Oh dear," Vegeta called, sounding bored. "They have you surrounded."

"Means it doesn't matter where I aim!" Nappa replied gleefully.

"Oh, yes it does," Vegeta informed him sharply as Gine attacked. "You're not to harm the woman, remember?"

At these words, Nappa froze, and Gine's jab landed on his jaw, twisting his head back with a loud crack. Growling, he turned and reached for her, but before he could disobey orders, Chi Chi's energy blade whistled through the air, and Nappa swung his head around to look.

"Duck!" Vegeta shouted, and Nappa did, the blade swinging harmlessly by him. He straightened, grinning, and didn't notice the blade coming back around until it sliced his left ear clean off, taking his scouter with it.

Nappa roared and flailed angrily, unwittingly smacking Tien to the ground as he tried to take advantage of his distraction to attack. The fighters in the air began peppering Nappa with ki blasts, none strong enough to do real damage, but all strong enough to hurt. The burly Saiyan lashed out with ki blasts of his own, most of them going wild, but one of them landed a direct hit on Krillin. Chiaotzu caught him with his telekinesis and lowered his unconscious body gently to the ground, away from the battle.

"Krillin!" Gohan screamed.

"Second formation!" Gine called harshly, taking to the air. Gohan stayed where he was, and Gine grimaced. This was what she had been afraid of. It was one thing to catch birds in the forest to bring home for dinner; it was quite another to face down someone who was trying to kill you, and yet another still to watch your comrades fall. Gine had been frozen with fear in her first fight, too, and it was only thanks to Bardock that she was still alive today. He had been strong enough to take up her slack, and laid back enough that he didn't even rib her about it, but there was no room to take up anyone's slack here and now. Gohan needed to get his act together quickly or they were all doomed.

Kami landed and called to the boy, and after a moment of hesitation, Gohan joined him. Chi Chi joined Gine in the air and they exchanged a glance, both of them relieved Gohan hadn't frozen up. Nappa aimed a punch at Kami, who sidestepped the blow with millimeters to spare. Grabbing Nappa's arm, Kami used the Saiyan's momentum to throw him to the ground. This gave Gine and Chi Chi a wide opening, Gine attacking with the massive Kamehameha she'd been building, Chi Chi with another blade. Gine's blast hit him full on, but he reached up and punched the flat side of the blade, dissipating it in a shower of sparks.

Growling in anger and frustration, Nappa leapt into the air, ready to grab Gine and Chi Chi by their throats, but Tien and Yamcha both hit him from behind with a Wolf Fang Fist and a Dodonpa. When he turned to deal with them, Kami and Gohan blasted him from the ground, allowing them to escape.

"Enough!" Nappa roared, powering up so intensely it sent a shockwave through the battlefield. He kept his eyes on Yamcha, ignoring the shots from Gine and Tien, and swatting Chi Chi's blade out of the air again without looking. When he reached Yamcha he grabbed him by the hair and swung him around like a sling, letting go to slam him into the side of a tall rock formation. The formation crumbled, burying Yamcha under the rubble.

"Dammit!" Tien spat, rushing forward. Nappa grinned and let Tien hit him, then snatched his arm up in a hand so large it was nearly the length of Tien's entire forearm. Trapped, Tien could do nothing as Nappa swung around to use him as a shield against the ki blade slicing toward him. Chiaotzu screamed, but Chi Chi flung her arms wide and the blade dissipated into nothing, scattering a few glittering bits of hot ki energy that peppered Tien's skin with burns but otherwise left him unharmed.

Gine had just enough time to let out a sigh of relief before Nappa shrugged, said, "Oh well," and pulled Tien's head off his shoulders.

All the air felt like it had been sucked out of Gine's lungs. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear her suddenly blurry vision. Tien's neck was spurting blood, coating Nappa with it, mixing with the blood dripping from his severed ear. Distantly, she was aware that someone was screaming, but she knew it couldn't be her. She didn't have breath to scream with.

Nappa tossed Tien's body into a bloody heap on the ground and turned his attention to Chi Chi. He hadn't made it more than a few feet toward her, though, when Gohan, red in the face and yelling at the top of his lungs, slammed into him so hard he tackled him to the ground and plowed up a good-sized chunk of earth in the process. When the dust cleared, a dazed Nappa was being pummeled by a child no bigger than his foot, blood streaming from his nose. As Gine watched, Nappa shook himself, backhanded Gohan off his chest, and leapt to his feet.

"I'm done playing around!" he bellowed. "You weaklings are all gonna die and I'm gonna enjoy every minute of it!"

He swung around, looking for Gohan, but before he found him a small blur crossed the edge of Gine's vision and Nappa startled.

"What the hell—?"

He spun in place, trying to reach something on his back. Gine saw Chiaotzu, clinging to the Saiyan's broad shoulders with a venomous look on his tear-stained face. His ki began to spiral, a giddy, lethal feeling that Gine didn't understand. Kami, apparently, did, because he bellowed,

"Chiaotzu, don't! He wouldn't want you to—"

"I don't care!" Chiaotzu snarled, starting to glow. "Tien!"

Gine heard the boom before she saw it, a sound so loud it was a physical sensation. Then there was light, and then dust, and then nothing.

No, she realized. Not nothing.

Nappa.

Still standing. Still grinning.

Still alive.

"Pathetic," he said, brushing dust off the top of his head. "Now where was I?"

With a deep yell, Kami launched himself at Nappa, pounding him with such a fury of blows that the Saiyan was forced back. Gine joined him, the two of them fighting in perfect sync. Nappa kept yielding, taking one step back, then another, and another, and for a moment Gine thought they had a chance.

But only for a moment.

Suddenly Gine felt something hard and gritty pressing on her cheek. She squinched up her face and felt sand enter her mouth. It was the ground. She was on the ground. Her head spun, and she pressed herself harder into the dirt, afraid for a moment that she was about to be flung off the surface of the planet and into space. What had happened? Slowly the thick fog of pain parted enough that she could tell there was a part of her face that hurt more than the rest of her. She'd been struck. Nappa had punched her. That was what had happened.

Gritting her teeth against the pain, Gine heaved herself to her feet. A trickle of blood ran down her forehead and she swiped it away impatiently. She couldn't hear anything, couldn't see anyone, and slowly she looked around, head still throbbing. To her left was the Prince, standing calmly with his arms crossed, grinning at her. Snarling, she looked away from him and found Nappa, crouched low. Was he hurt too? No, he was about to attack. But attack what?

Movement caught her eye, and she found Kami on Nappa's other side, picking himself slowly up off the ground, looking as battered and bloody as she felt. He was looking in the same direction Nappa was, and in the instant Gine saw him he disappeared, phasing forward too fast for her to follow. She looked where he'd been looking, and to her horror found Gohan, face white with pain or fear, collapsed on the ground, and Chi Chi, curled protectively around him.

Before Gine could blink, or think, or move, Kami was there, arms spread wide, and Nappa's attack broke around him like water. Chi Chi and Gohan were spared, the rushing air ruffling their hair and clothes, but no more. Kami was not so lucky.

Clothes nearly burned away, body bruised and bleeding, teeth bared in triumph, Kami fell, and did not get up again.

Chapter Text

Like a sunset, Kami's body faded gradually from view, until all trace of him was completely gone. Gohan gasped in shock, and Chi Chi began weeping, but Gine only felt numb. Kami had been in her life longer than almost anyone who wasn't family. It occurred to her now that he was family. She wished she had told him that. She wished she'd known it before now. The memory of him, smiling up at her with a flower tucked behind his ear, was almost more real to her than the blood that stained the ground where his body had been.

Chi Chi uncurled from around Gohan, tears still streaming down her face, and stood up, cupping her hands behind her.

"Ka… me… ha… me… ha!"

She thrust her hands forward and let loose an enormous beam of light straight at Nappa— who batted it away as though it were nothing. Gine threw herself at the other Saiyan, intending to tackle him to the ground, but he brought his meaty fist down on her back. She slammed into the ground, the impact knocking the wind out of her. Chi Chi sent another ki blade toward Nappa's face, but he countered it with a ki shot of his own, hitting her in the process and sending her flying.

Nappa surveyed the three of them, all lying incapacitated on the ground. Gine tried desperately to suck air into her unresponsive lungs, but she couldn't. Gohan was trying to stand, but something about one of his legs wasn't working right and he kept falling down. Chi Chi appeared to be completely unconscious.

"Which one first?" Nappa mused to himself. He sounded calm, despite looking deranged with only one ear and his face covered in blood. His eyes landed on Chi Chi and lit up. "Ah, yes, the wildlife. Your brat's pretty strong, girlie. Too bad you have to die. No one marks me like that and gets away with it."

He kicked Chi Chi until she was lying flat on her back and put his massive foot on her head. Gohan screamed. Gine punched herself in the stomach, trying to get her diaphragm working again. When it didn't, she ignored the weakness in her legs and tried to get them to bear her weight. But she knew she would be too late. Nappa raised his leg high, ready to stomp it back down on Chi Chi's skull, and Gine called up what little ki she could muster into her palm, knowing it would accomplish nothing.

Gine threw the tiny ki ball. Nappa slammed his foot down. The ki ball scattered across his back like rainwater, so weak he didn't notice. His foot made contact— but Gine heard no crunch of bone or squelch of brains. Nappa's foot had broken only rock. Chi Chi was nowhere to be seen.

Nappa lifted his leg in surprise and looked at the bottom of his foot as though the girl might be stuck to it. But Gine could feel where Chi Chi was, and to her overwhelming joy she could feel someone else with her: Kakarot.

He'd made it.

Nappa finally spotted his stolen prey, and noticed the bright orange gi next to her, but faster than thought Kakarot was gone. Gine saw him and Chi Chi reappear almost instantaneously next to Gohan, and then the three of them were gone again. She felt him move to Krillin, then Yamcha, and then the five of them were next to her, most of them balanced on Nimbus and all but Kakarot looking worse for wear. Gine felt her diaphragm start working again and she greedily sucked in air.

"I only got one senzu bean," Kakarot said worriedly. "But you all look pretty bad."

"'s nothing," Yamcha croaked. "Give it to Gohan."

"No, give it to mom!" Gohan protested. Gine smiled but shook her head.

"You should have it, sweetie," she said, feeling it herself but also knowing it was what Chi Chi would say. But Kakarot frowned.

"I can split it in half," he said, doing so. He gave one half to Gohan, and then looked around at the others.

"I don't need it," Gine said quickly, standing up.

"I'm good," Yamcha said with difficulty, though Gine noticed he did not move to stand. "You should probably give it to your wife."

"What's she doin' here, anyway?" Kakarot said as he slipped the senzu bean delicately into Chi Chi's mouth.

"She trained with us!" Gohan informed him. Kakarot turned to stare at him in disbelief, and missed Chi Chi's eyes opening.

"Kakarot!" she cried with joy, flinging her arms around him and tackling him to the ground. "You came back! I'm going to kill you for leaving! I love you!"

"I love you too," Kakarot said, lifting Chi Chi by the waist and setting her to the side. "But I gotta take care of these guys real quick. You can kill me then, okay?"

"'Real quick,' he says," Nappa snorted. "We got ourselves a confident one, Vegeta."

Gine looked at Kakarot, really looked, and found that he had reason to be confident. He'd been strong before he left, but the person that stood before her now was like lightning on a leash. He could take out Nappa. He would be much more than an annoyance to the Prince. But he was not stronger than him. Any battle they fought could only end one way: with the Prince injured and humiliated, and Kakarot dead.

And yet… surely Kakarot realized this too? But there he was, calmly ignoring the Prince and his lackey as though they were the annoyances. It gave Gine hope that Kakarot had something up his sleeve.

Vegeta seemed to sense this too, because he did not respond to Nappa's quip, only watched Kakarot carefully.

"Did Tien and Chiaotzu not come?" Kakarot asked. "I woulda thought they'd've been here."

"He killed them," Gine said dully. She saw Gohan's lip tremble, and Chi Chi's smile faded.

"Oh," Kakarot said faintly. Then he shook himself. "Well, we can wish 'em back when this is all over."

"No, we can't," Gine said, her chest squeezing as she thought of it. "Kami fought with us too. And now he's gone."

All at once the earth beneath their feet began to rumble. Gine looked in surprise to find Kakarot glaring murderously at Nappa, his energy rising to dizzying heights. Dust kicked up and small pebbles rose in the air around him, the very earth responding to the force of Kakarot's anger. She heard a familiar beep and turned to find Vegeta checking Kakarot's power level with his scouter. What he saw made him frown.

"What the hell?" Nappa demanded. "Vegeta, what's his power level?"

Kakarot got a hold of himself, and the rocks fell to earth again. Vegeta took off his scouter and crushed it in his hand, lip curled in disgust.

"You don't want to know," he said.

"But—"

"Gohan," Kakarot said, his eyes still on Nappa. "I need you to take your mom and the others and get as far away as you can."

"Y-yes, sir." Gohan slung Yamcha's arm over his shoulder and Chi Chi lifted Krillin in her arms.

"Give him hell, honey," Chi Chi said savagely, before flying away.

The second they were out of sight Kakarot shot forward so fast Gine lost track of him. Nappa did as well, and he looked as surprised as Gine felt when he gave a choking gasp and fell forward, landing heavily on the ground. Behind him was Kakarot, fist still extended. He lowered it, and looked down at the groaning heap in front of him with pitiless eyes.

"I hope Kami and the others forgive me for not killing you," he said coldly. Nappa was twitching, breathing in short, shallow breaths, but he did not get up. Gine looked closer and realized there was a fist-sized indentation in the middle of his spine. Kakarot's fury was a palpable thing, and it gave Gine chills.

It quickly passed, though, as Kakarot met her eyes and grinned nervously.

"Sorry, ma," he said sheepishly. "I shoulda asked if you wanted a turn."

"V-Vegeta…" Nappa wheezed. "Help… me…"

Kakarot picked up Nappa by his armor and tossed him at Vegeta's feet.

"If you go now, I won't stop you," he said.

The Prince glanced down at his minion like there was something on his shoe. After a moment he took Nappa's hand.

"Th-thank you…" Nappa sighed, but then Vegeta grinned nastily and flung him into the air, sending a ki blast after him that disintegrated him completely.

Kakarot grunted in shock, his mouth falling open. Gine… could not say she had expected it either. For all that she had spent the last year hammering home how nasty Saiyans could be, she had forgotten that even they had lines they didn't cross. This was one of them.

Nappa deserved to have the ribbing of his life at the mess hall later, definitely a humiliating nickname that would follow him around forever, and probably be shunned by his former teammates who would be embarrassed to be seen with him. But he also deserved a ride to a healing tank. At the very least, it would be pure madness to waste a zenkai like that.

But the Prince was mad, she realized. He was grinning up at the dissipating smoke overhead like he'd just done something amusing instead of something so monstrous even a Saiyan would be horrified. He was mad, and small, and not worthy of existential dread.

He might be strong enough to kill her, Gine realized. But that was all. There was nothing else to be afraid of, and right now, with her son standing there so strong and tall, Gine didn't even feel afraid of that.

Vegeta lowered his gaze, still grinning lazily, and opened his mouth to speak.

Chapter Text

"So this is Kakarot." Vegeta smirked. "Raditz undersold you quite a bit, you know. He told us he was the stronger brother, but then, he always was a liar as well as a weakling. You must take after your father." His gaze switched to Gine. "I can see Raditz takes after you."

Gine snarled.

"Don't be like that!" The Prince gave her an oily smile. "Finding a female changes everything! We three might not be able to take out our next target on our own, but think what a passel of brats with royal blood in them could do." He leered at Gine, his tail waving behind him in a gesture that was the exact middle ground between an invitation to mate and a threat of imminent violence. "What do you say? Want to be queen?"

Gine returned the gesture with one too obscene for words.

Vegeta laughed.

"That's probably for the best," he chuckled. "Who knows what I'd catch rutting with a low class kitchen wench? I bet my dick would turn black and fall off before we even—"

Gine shot forward, punching Vegeta hard in the mouth. The Prince staggered and almost fell. Kakarot took the opportunity to rush in with a hit of his own, knocking him over entirely. Before they could press their advantage, Vegeta flipped to his feet and struck back. They both went down like a sack of rocks. The amount of power on display even in that short jab was nothing short of horrifying.

But Gine was satisfied. Vegeta was no longer smiling.

The Prince gingerly touched his glove to his face and it came away red.

"Heh heh." It was a deranged chuckle, more fury than mirth. He seemed transfixed by the smudge of red on his glove. "You… you caught me off guard. Heh heh heh. You should be proud, wench. You're the first person to draw my blood in a long, long time." His eyes were wide and unfocused. His hand, still in front of his face, was trembling. Gine could imagine him piercing her chest with that hand, adding her blood to his own. The trembling could have been from bloodlust, the eagerness for battle any proper Saiyan would be feeling at this moment.

But it wasn't.

Gine hopped to her feet, ignoring the bruise forming on top of the one Nappa had given her. Vegeta wasn't trembling from bloodlust. The King would have been, she was certain, but his son was trembling from outrage. Horror.

Fear.

Kakarot got to his feet as well, and together they attacked.

They had a slight advantage, at first. The two of them had been sparring together since Kakarot was a little boy, and even after a year apart they knew how the other moved like an extension of themselves. A single opponent, even one this powerful, found it difficult to split his attention two ways.

But Vegeta was not the Prince for nothing, and soon he calmed down and realized he could more or less ignore Gine's attacks. He hadn't been wrong— her punch had caught him off guard, and once he got his guard back up Gine didn't deliver another devastating blow.

Even so, she kept fighting. Kakarot was strong, but he wasn't on Vegeta's level. If her presence could help even a little, she was going to stay. Besides, Gine no longer cared about winning or losing. She wanted to hurt Vegeta.

Even if it killed her.

Tired of Gine's distracting attacks, Vegeta found an opening in Kakarot's constant barrage and shot a massive ki blast in Gine's direction. It was too fast to dodge and too large to take. It might not kill her outright, but it would certainly remove her from the fight. Gine braced herself, only sorry she hadn't been able to save more of her friends.

But before the blast could reach her, something surged through her awareness like lightning, and in front of her, between one blink and the next, was Kakarot, burying his fist in Vegeta's stomach.

The beam went wild, searing through several mountains but missing Gine. Vegeta doubled over and spat up blood. With more power and speed than he'd possessed just moments before, Kakarot brought both fists down on the back of the Prince's head and slammed him into the ground. Blood pooled under Vegeta's body, and when he groggily picked himself up he spat out several teeth.

"Wha…?"

Gine echoed the Prince's sentiments.

"What the hell was that, Kakarot?"

Her son flashed her a grin.

"Just a little somethin' I learned from King Kai."

Gine gaped, still unable to understand what she had seen. "Why didn't you do that sooner?"

Kakarot went solemn.

"If I ain't careful all that ki can turn back on me and explode. King Kai said I shouldn't go more than twice my normal power, and I can't do it for long."

Twice his own power… Gine marveled. Her son was already strong enough to qualify for elite class, but to be able to double it at will…

"Filth..." Vegeta spat venomously. He staggered to his feet, clutching his stomach, and spat out more teeth. "How dare you? I am the Prince. I am above you! Learn your place!"

He sprang at Kakarot, grabbing the sides of his head and kneeing him in the face. Blood fountained out of Kakarot's nose, but before the droplets could even hit the ground his power surged again. Still in Vegeta's hold he reached up and grabbed the prince by his ears, pulling his face down violently to meet the solid rock of Kakarot's head. Vegeta staggered back, his nose now also gushing blood.

Still surging, Kakarot kicked him in the chest. Vegeta winced, but grabbed Kakarot's leg and twisted, sending him spinning to land on the ground. Not bothering to get back up, Kakarot kicked Vegeta's legs out from under him. Both now on the ground, they grappled, tumbling over and over as first Kakarot had the upper hand, then Vegeta, then Kakarot again.

Gine could do nothing but wipe the sweat out of her eyes and feel useless.

At last Vegeta kicked Kakarot away from him and sprang to his feet. Kakarot's surge had ended and he got to his feet slowly, breathing hard. Both of them were covered in blood and bruises. They were an even match, leaning toward Kakarot's favor when he doubled his power. It was unreal for Gine to think that a child she had borne could go toe to toe with a member of the royal family, even if only for moments at a time. A tiny thread of hope began to worm its way through her body.

Vegeta wiped the blood from his face and flung it from his fingers. He no longer looked quite sane.

"This isn't happening," he muttered to the ground. "I'm the Prince… I'm the Prince, damn you!"

He looked up and fixed Gine with a look of pure hate.

"If you really love this pathetic mudball that much, go ahead and die with it!"

With a growl he launched himself into the air, bringing his hands together at his side.

"No!" Gine screamed. Without waiting for Kakarot, she cupped her hands together and charged a Kamehameha. Useless though it was, she refused to do nothing while the second planet she'd called home was incinerated beneath her feet.

Beside her, Kakarot charged a Kamehameha of his own, dwarfing hers. He surged, his power doubling once again, and out of the corner of her eye Gine could see the sweat pouring down his face.

Above them Vegeta was shouting something. They couldn't make out the words, but Gine could feel his desperation giving him power. He wouldn't succeed in destroying the planet, they had at least done that. But he was only going to come back, angrier and ready for more.

Somehow Kakarot's power doubled again, and a stab of worry made Gine's ki falter for a moment. What had he said? His own ki might turn back on him and explode?

And yet this added power was still not enough. Their attacks were pushing Vegeta back slowly, an inch at a time: a defeat, but a survivable one. Even still, Gine couldn't bring herself to hope that Kakarot had more in him to give, not if it meant his death.

Beside her she heard Kakarot give a deep grunt and mutter through his teeth,

"Kaio-ken times four!"

It was like standing in the middle of a hurricane. Kakarot's energy exploded into something her mind refused to comprehend, more a force of nature than something coming from a person. Wind howled in a vortex with them at the center, the negative air pressure sucking the breath out of Gine's lungs. She was forced to squeeze her eyes shut against the sheer force of it.

So she felt, rather than saw, the Prince falter, redouble his efforts, then give way entirely.

Gine lowered her arms, breathing hard. The wind, and Vegeta's energy, faded away, leaving a loud silence. Grinning in disbelief and triumph, Gine turned to Kakarot just in time to see him lower his arms, smile back at her, and collapse.

Chapter Text

While tending to Kakarot, who assured her he was only exhausted, Gine heard Vegeta’s pod whir overhead and land a few miles away. She stood, watching the horizon intensely, but when it lifted into the air again it headed straight up, taking its passenger back where he’d come from.

“We must’ve banged him up pretty good.” Kakarot grinned where he lay on the ground.

“He’ll be back,” Gine said dully. Kakarot was resolute.

“Then we’ll just have to train even more.”

Gine shook her head. “Not me. This is as far as I go.”

The smile slipped off Kakarot's face. “What do you mean?”

She gave him a wan smile. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Kakarot, but you’re pretty far out of my league now. There wouldn’t be any point in training even if I wanted to.”

“No, you can still catch up!” Kakarot struggled to sit up. “I’m not that far ahead, ma, you just need a little time and you’ll be ahead of me again no sweat! I can teach you the Kaio-ken, and—”

“I don’t want to learn the Kaio-ken,” Gine said sharply, and Kakarot rocked back. 

“Well, okay, if you don’t wanna,” he ventured hesitantly. “But you can still get stronger.” He tried on a teasing grin. “Who else’ll be able to spar with me, if you don’t?”

But Gine was too tired to be cajoled. “I can’t spar with you anymore, Kakarot. I’m too weak. You can spar with Gohan; he’s almost as strong as me already and he's only five.” 

Kakarot opened his mouth to argue, but before he could, a Capsule Corp. ship blasted through the air and touched down near them. People filed out as soon as it landed: Chi Chi and Little Gohan ran to Kakarot, fussing over him, and Grandpa Gohan followed, checking Gine for injuries and cleaning up the blood on her face.

No one noticed Launch make her way from the ship to Tien’s mangled body until she began howling.

The sound shook Gine from her exhausted haze, and she limped over to the girl. Launch was kneeling on the ground next to Tien’s head, teeth bared in grief, tears streaming down her cheeks. At Gine’s touch she sprang to her feet and brandished a gun.

“We gotta wish him back!” she shouted. “Where’s the radar? I gotta start looking!”

She started for the ship, where Bulma was peeking her head out, but Gine caught her by the shoulders.

“Launch, I’m so sorry,” she said, tears pricking her own eyes. “Kami’s… Kami is dead. There are no dragon balls anymore.” Launch froze. She stared unseeing into the middle distance. Gine almost wondered if she’d heard her. “I’m so sorry,” she said again, and she was not prepared for Launch to shove her away and begin running.

Gine followed her for a few steps, but then Launch popped a capsule and climbed on to the monocycle that emerged. She was out of sight in seconds, and Gine didn’t have the heart to follow her.

“She’ll be alright,” Roshi said sadly when she returned. Gine shook her head and joined the others on the ship.

The ride back to civilization was a somber one, everyone staring blankly ahead from exhaustion and grief. Bulma took all of them to the hospital, though Chi Chi and Gohan were of course in perfect health. The doctors let Gine go with only a few stitches on her forehead and instructions to take it easy. Kakarot was to be kept for overnight observation, and all three of them opted to stay with him.

After checking in on Krillin and Yamcha, who had been put in a room together, Gine returned to her son and his family for the night, easing herself down on the couch by the window.

“Ma?” Kakarot said plaintively from the bed. Chi Chi looked up from where she was brushing Gohan’s hair. Gine was pretty sure she knew what this was about and did not look away from the window where she was staring out at the city lights.

“Yes, Kakarot?”

“Did you really mean it when you said you weren’t gonna train anymore?”

She sighed.

“Yes, Kakarot.”

“But why?”

Gine touched the contusion on her forehead. Nappa had trounced her like she was nothing. Vegeta had ignored her attacks. Frieza, if he came here, would hardly notice her presence except to brush away her life like a fly.

“Because I’ve hit my limit,” she said, turning around. She tried to give him a smile. “But it’s okay. You can defend the Earth now. I can go back to my garden knowing we’re all in good hands. I’m satisfied.”

“Satisfied?” Kakarot was outraged. He struggled to sit up, and Chi Chi forced him back. He let himself be pushed back into the cushions but kept his eyes on his mother. “You don’t know what you’re sayin’, ma. You can learn all the things I learned from King Kai too! You haven’t hit your limit. You ain’t even close to your limit! If I can do it, you definitely can!”

Gine tried to give him a smile.

“That’s sweet of you to think, Kakarot. But Vegeta was right about one thing: you take after your father. Not me.”

Kakarot flinched like she’d struck him. To her amazement, fat tears welled up in his eyes and rolled swiftly down his cheeks. He made no move to wipe them away, just stared at her in horror.

“You can’t— you don’t mean it.” His voice was a child’s, and the tears just kept coming. Chi Chi put her hands on his shoulders, unsure what to do, but he held her at bay, still looking at Gine. “You like trainin’ with me, don’t you? We have fun. It’s fun, fightin’ with you. I don’t wanna stop. We can fight Vegeta again together, and you can get stronger, and we’ll beat him next time, I’m sure of it.”

His nose began to run almost as swiftly as his tears. Gine was certain she’d never seen Kakarot cry before, not like this. Even as a boy, getting hurt brought anger or laughter; never tears. Seeing him sob like a toddler broke something in her.

“Kakarot, that’s enough!” Chi Chi brandished a handkerchief, wiping her husband’s face and instructing him to blow. “Imagine, a full grown man like you cryin’ in front of your own son! For shame!”

Kakarot sniffed. He was still looking at Gine reproachfully, but he did stop crying. Chi Chi folded the handkerchief and put it in Kakarot’s shirt pocket. She was sitting on the bed next to him, and in the awkward silence she carefully folded her hands on her lap and looked Gine sternly in the eye.

“Now, ma, what’s this nonsense about you not training anymore? I ain’t sayin’ there’s any excuse for Kakarot actin’ like a big baby about it, but he’s got a point. You just got me back into training and now you’re givin' it up?”

The combined force of Kakarot’s open reproach and Chi Chi’s more veiled disapproval gave Gine an unpleasant jolt. She’d assumed her dislike of fighting was common knowledge. Why were they acting like she was doing something shocking? She glanced at Gohan and found him standing near his parents, blinking rapidly at her. His voice was plaintive.

“Do you not want to train with us anymore, Grandma?” 

Gine was at a loss. She had spent the past year thinking of nothing but preparing for certain doom, and now that doom had not come to pass, she realized that year had had many happy moments too. Getting up every day and training with Gohan and Chi Chi, eating together as a family, telling stories around the campfire— they had been some of the happiest days of her life. She wanted, desperately, to take those happy times and transplant them into her quiet life on Mt. Paozu.

But she knew, as she studied the three of them, that it could never be. Gohan had his studies and Chi Chi had her household to run and Kakarot would spend every last spare second training whether she did or not. If she did not train with them, she would be pulling away from their lives, maybe forever. She would be a visitor in their household rather than a part of it. And that thought was too painful to bear. She’d just lost a member of her family today. She didn’t want to lose three more.

“Oh, alright,” she said, exasperated. Kakarot jumped to his knees on the bed, pulling out the wires stuck to his skin as he did so.

“Do you mean it, ma?” he said, bouncing up and down. Chi Chi demanded he settle down, and a nurse came running into the room to check on him, and by the time everything quieted down Kakarot had already forgotten his question. 

Gine was glad she hadn’t had to answer it.

Chapter Text

"Concentrate, son," Kami said, nudging Raditz with his staff. Raditz wiggled where he was sitting on the floor of the Lookout, his tail twitching. Meditation was hard when you were only eight years old.

"I'm bored," he whined. Gine knew she should scold him, but she could only smile indulgently. It wasn't often he had long enough leave periods that he could stay with them. Kakarot fussed, and she picked him up, holding him to her breast. He suckled, and quieted.

"Think how much stronger you'll be once you finish," Gine told Raditz softly. "You'll never have to leave us again."

"I know," he sang sullenly, and closed his eyes again. Gine resisted the urge to comb her fingers through his hair. It was tangled again, with bits of leaves and gravel clinging to it, but he hated to be fussed over. Kami smiled at her over Raditz's head, sensing her inner struggle. Somehow he always knew.

"I'll be here until he gets back," he said. Gine closed her eyes as well, but she didn't know if he was talking about Raditz or Bardock. Still, knowing that he would be with her, that she wouldn't be alone no matter who left her, gave her peace. It was peaceful here, with her family around her. She felt quiet as the sky…

Gine awoke with her pillow wet, but her eyes dry. Heart and body heavy, she got up and splashed water on her face, trying to hold on to the peace of the dream. It slipped away the more she tried, leaving only sadness.

She had spent the last week in something of a daze, her time split between visiting Krillin, Yamcha and Kakarot in the hospital, and dozing around the cottage while her own body healed. This morning was the first time she'd felt truly awake since the battle, and she dressed and made her way to the kitchen.

"Good morning," Grandpa Gohan said cheerfully from where he stood over the cook fire. She grunted and sat down heavily at the table. The smell of sizzling sausage and steaming fresh rice made her stomach growl, but did nothing to lift her spirits.

"Will you go to the hospital again today?" Gohan asked.

"Probably," Gine said.

"Really? Krillin and Kakarot were discharged yesterday, and Yamcha has his own devoted visitor. I think you've punished yourself enough."

"If it weren't for me, no one would be in the hospital," Gine said bitterly. "Or dead."

Gohan looked at her over his shoulder for a long time, then took the sausage off the fire and walked over to Gine. He gathered her hands up in his, surprising her into looking him in the face. His eyes were wet.

"My dear." His voice trembled. "You must let this go. What happened is not your fault." She started to argue, but he cut her off. "Gine, you are like a daughter to me. Your pain is my own, and you have already endured too much of it to add to it yourself."

It was an argument they'd been having ever since Launch had ridden off into the sunset, screaming with grief. If there hadn't been a female Saiyan to tempt him, surely the Prince would not have bothered to come retrieve a disobedient low class. If Gine hadn't been so weak, surely she would have been able to keep everyone alive before Kakarot arrived. Surely none of them would have been in danger in the first place, if only she and Kakarot had never come here at all.

Gohan continued to grip her hands with his larger, callused ones, continued to look at her with affection and sorrow, and all of a sudden Gine felt tears prick her own eyes.

"I couldn't protect them!" Her voice was choked. "I trained as hard as I could but it still wasn't enough! They were counting on me and I let them down! Because I'm weak!"

She wept, though she no longer knew who she wept for. For Tien and Chiaotzu and Kami, the people of East City, all dead because of her? For Little Gohan, forced to fight when his dream was to become a scholar? For Bardock, and all the Saiyans she would never see again?

Or for herself, for never being able to measure up no matter what metric she used?

Gohan held her hands in his, and she wept onto them, gripping them back as hard as she dared. As the last of her sobs petered out and it seemed like Gohan was about to speak, the front door slammed open and Bulma bounced in, shouting at the top of her lungs.

"Gine! Kami was an alien!"

Gine wiped her eyes on her sleeve and looked at the girl. She was disheveled, with dark circles under her eyes that hadn't been there yesterday. Behind her Yamcha limped through the open door, still dressed in his hospital gown and looking bewildered.

"...yes?" Gine answered.

"And he made the dragon balls! Right?"

Bulma stared at her. She seemed to be waiting for confirmation. Gine nodded slowly.

"Yes?"

"So what about the others!" Bulma flung her hands up as she shouted triumphantly. It did not seem to be a question. Gine blinked.

"What others?"

"The other aliens!"

Gine looked to Yamcha for clarification, but the boy only shrugged. She looked back at Bulma, still with her arms in the air, and then all at once it clicked and Gine sagged back into her seat.

"You mean... if he could make dragon balls, then…"

"Then why not the others!"

Hope, electric and almost unpleasant in its strength, welled up in equal measure to the despair she had felt just moments before. Then as fast as it had come, it ebbed away.

"Even if that's true, we have no way of getting there."

Bulma looked at her strangely.

"Of course we do! We have your spaceship, right? Unless it's broken," she added, looking worried for the first time since barging in. Gine sat up again, then looked at Gohan.

"Do you remember what we did with it?"

Gohan rubbed his chin.

"You know, I'm not sure. Didn't we bury it or something?"

"I thought we talked about it but never actually did it."

"Maybe… but it's definitely not where it landed anymore."

Bulma gaped. "You mean you misplaced it? How do you misplace a spaceship?"

Gine stood, hope slowly filling her up again. "Kakarot might remember. I know we left it where it was until he was a few years old."

"Then let's go ask him!" Bulma bounded out of the house without a backwards glance. Gine slung Yamcha's arm over her shoulder and together they followed her.

"I didn't think you were due to be discharged yet." Gine glanced sideways at Yamcha, who smiled sheepishly.

"I'm not. But I'm feeling a lot better, and Bulma didn't seem safe to drive. Around two in the morning she woke me up with this crazy idea and insisted on coming out here right away."

"You drove like this?" Gine tutted disapprovingly. "You've got to take better care of yourself, Yamcha. Don't let Bulma run you ragged, you hear?"

Yamcha blushed and nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

When they reached Kakarot's home Gine could hear Bulma already getting them up to speed, and when she entered Kakarot took one mighty leap from where he was standing and landed in front of her.

"Ma! Did you hear? We might be able to bring back Kami and the others!"

Gine nodded eagerly. "Do you remember what we did with my ship?"

Kakarot shook his head, his face falling. "Didn't you guys bury it?"

"I'm pretty sure we didn't," Gine said. She remembered realizing they needed to do something with the pod a few years after her arrival, and she remembered talking the matter over with Gohan. They had definitely discussed burying it, but she was growing more positive they had decided on a different course of action. If there was a spot of ground under which lay the last threads of her old life, Gine was sure she would avoid going near it. But there was no spot she disliked more than any other anywhere on the mountain.

Yamcha slipped his arm from off Gine's shoulders and settled down gingerly on a nearby chair. Behind her, Grandpa Gohan entered the house, and Little Gohan ran to him.

"You're kidding me," Bulma exclaimed. "How do you lose a spaceship?"

Gine shrugged helplessly, and there was a pause as everyone mulled over the problem. Then Little Gohan piped up.

"Grandma, you had a spaceship?"

She smiled at him where he was holding his great-grandpa's hand.

"Yup. That's how me and your daddy got here."

"Wow," Gohan breathed. Then he said, "How did Mr. Kami get here?"

There was an electric moment during which no one moved. Then Gine's mouth dropped open and Bulma actually shrieked.

"Holy crap, Gohan, you're right! Kami must have had a spaceship too! Where is it?"

Bulma turned to Gine expectantly. Gine shrugged expansively.

"What makes you think I know?"

"Well, you lived with him for three years! It had to have come up at some point."

It had— exactly once. After training one day Gine had asked how a Namekian came to be on Earth, expecting an interesting story. But Kami had only shaken his head and said he didn't remember. Gine had known him well enough by then not to press.

"He didn't like talking about it," she said. "But you know who might know? Mr. Popo. He knew Kami better than anyone."

"Mr. Who?"

But Kakarot was already halfway out the door.

"I'll go ask him!"

Gine was at his side and gripping him by the ear before anyone could blink.

"You're not going anywhere," she scolded. "Your ki is still messed up, remember? I'll go."

"Aw, ma!" Kakarot whined as she dragged him inside. "I'm feelin' lots better now! I flew around the house a couple times this morning and it was fine."

"Is that what you were doing?" Chi Chi roared, taking Kakarot by the other ear. "I've got half a mind to tie you to a chair, mister! What if your ki stays messed up for good because you keep pushing it? Is this the example you want to set for your son?"

Gine left Chi Chi to it and headed outside. She was about to lift off when Bulma grabbed her arm.

"Take me with you," she ordered. "If it's broken I'm our best shot at fixing it."

Gine nodded. She gathered Bulma in her arms, then lifted off and headed for the Lookout.

Popo knew. He knew exactly what they were talking about the moment the rushed, excited words fell out of their mouths. He took them to Yunzabit Heights and showed them a little house that wasn't a house, and when Jupiter, big and red, appeared outside the viewing window, Gine and Popo and Bulma all yelled and danced and cried together.

Chapter Text

Once Gine and Bulma returned to Mt. Paozu and relayed the good news, the discussion immediately turned to who would make the journey to Namek.

"Once I make the repairs and put in a shower," Bulma said, "I estimate we'll have room for about five or six people. Any more would just be too crowded."

"Well, I'm definitely going," Kakarot said eagerly. Chi Chi smacked him.

"You definitely are not! What did I just get done saying?"

Kakarot rubbed his head. "It's not like we'd be leaving tomorrow. I'll be back to normal by the time Bulma gets everything fixed up."

"I estimate about a week, maybe two if things are worse than they seem under the hood," Bulma said distractedly, crossing her arms and pacing as she made mental calculations.

"You're not going to be better in two weeks!" Chi Chi scolded. "If anything, you're worse now than you were when you got home." Kakarot geared up for another round of arguing, but Chi Chi beat him to it. "Me and Gohan'll go."

Kakarot's mouth clacked shut and he goggled at his wife.

"You wanna take Gohan to space?"

Chi Chi nodded firmly.

"I can't very well leave him with you. You'd just let him slack off on his studies. But it wouldn't be right not to try to get Kami and the others back. They're our friends, after all."

"I thought you didn't like Kami," Yamcha pointed out from where he was leaning over the back of the couch. Chi Chi glared at him indignantly.

"What are you talking about? He saved our lives! We have to do everything we can to get him back. Why would you say such a thing? For shame!"

Yamcha wilted and Gine stifled a smile. Bulma stopped her pacing.

"So that's three," she said. Gine started to correct her, but Bulma kept going. "And… I guess I should go. I'm the only one who'll be able to fix anything if it breaks."

"I'll come with you, babe," Yamcha said firmly. Gine looked at him.

"Aren't you still supposed to be in the hospital?"

Bulma waved a hand dismissively. "He's due to be discharged in a day or two, he'll be fine."

Yamcha grinned, giving Gine the thumbs up.

"So that's five," Bulma said. "That's probably enough people. It's really not a very big—"

"You've miscounted," Gine interrupted. "That's only four."

"Huh?" Bulma frowned, then held up a hand and counted on her fingers. "Me and Yamcha, Chi Chi and Gohan, and you. That's five."

Nonplussed, Gine could only make the weakest of objections.

"But I never said I was going."

"Of course you're going." Bulma tossed her greasy hair out of her face. She still needed a shower, especially after the wilderness of Yunzabit Heights, but she no longer looked tired. "You're the only one who knows anything about space."

Gine shook her head. It was obvious, now that she thought about it. Why shouldn't she go? But she knew she couldn't. Desperately she tried to think of an excuse.

"I mean, yes, but… Well, like I told you, those coordinates in the ship's computer are in a totally dead part of space. Nothing's going to happen. You don't need me." Bulma looked unconvinced. Gine floundered. "What if—what if the Prince comes back? We can't leave Earth undefended."

"I'll be here, ma," Kakarot said. "I mean, I'd rather go. But since I can't…"

Desperate now, Gine dug deep. "I'm a Saiyan. If I land on a peaceful planet there's going to be panic."

"Gohan's a Saiyan, and he's going," Bulma pointed out.

"But he's just a boy." Gine felt butterflies in her stomach. "He can… hide his tail…"

"So can you," Bulma said, putting her hands on her hips, and Gine snapped.

"I'm not going and that's final!"

Bulma continued to glare at her, but the rest of them shuffled in place, the mood suddenly uncomfortable.

"Oh, why are we arguing about this?" Chi Chi said impatiently. "If she doesn't want to go, she doesn't want to go."

"But who'll protect us?" Bulma said.

Yamcha slapped the back of the couch. "That would be me. I'll protect you."

The way Bulma nearly said something dismissive and then held her tongue to be polite made everyone even more uncomfortable.

"Take Krillin with you," Gine offered. "I know he's been feeling bad about not doing more at the battle. Then you'll have five."

Bulma chewed her lip for a moment and then nodded.

"Alright. If it's as out of the way as you say, we should be fine."

"Why don't you want to go, ma?" Kakarot asked baldly. As she always did when she needed steadying, Gine looked to Grandpa Gohan. He smiled at her comfortingly. Of all of them, he was the only one who knew what going into the void meant to her.

"I don't have a lot of happy memories in space, Kakarot," Gine said in a low voice. The others all nodded or looked away, but Kakarot kept staring at her, giving her a complicated look Gine couldn't interpret. Eventually he looked away too.

"Okay," he said, and though he sounded reluctant, to Gine's surprise and relief, he didn't argue any more.

Chapter Text

Gine stirred from her afternoon nap, roused by her son's voice calling from the front door. It was a little over thirty-six hours since the ship bound for Namek had departed, taking a significant portion of Gine's family with it. She'd chosen to deal with that fact by spending most of those thirty-six hours not thinking about it.

She sat up and squinted as the red light of evening hit her eyes. Apparently her 'afternoon' nap had gone longer than she'd planned. At her age it wasn't physical fatigue that wore her down, but she was closer to fifty than she was to forty. Mentally that was a lot different than twenty, or even thirty, and the last few weeks had been full of stress and turmoil. Who knew how long she might have slept if Kakarot hadn't woken her?

"Ma, I wanna show you something!"

It was the same tone he'd used as a boy, tromping into the house with a frog in his hands. The only sign of the intervening years was his deeper voice and the larger collection of photographs on the walls of Gine's bedroom. He pushed the door open, immediately said, "Whoops, I forgot," shut it again, and then knocked loudly.

"Come in, Kakarot," she said, stifling a smile. He bounded in, grabbing her by the wrist.

"Come on, I wanna show you somethin'!"

She stood but went no further. "What is it?"

"It's a surprise!"

She rolled her eyes and let herself be led. He was probably going to show her a new training spot. He'd been cleared for exertion by Grandpa Gohan the previous evening, and he'd been making up for lost time ever since.

Gine was mildly annoyed at him for it. He'd endured the worst battle of his life scant weeks before, and become more powerful than nearly any Saiyan that had ever lived in the space of a year. What more was there to achieve? Why could he not take one second to be satisfied with the progress he'd already made? Her promise to continue training hadn't come to much so far, what with Kakarot's enforced rest and Chi Chi running around like a headless chicken trying to prepare for space travel. Half of her had hoped it would be forgotten entirely, but it seemed that was not to be.

Sure enough, he dragged her out of the house and into the air, but soon she realized they were heading towards the city— towards Capsule Corp. Kakarot kept sneaking glances at her, clearly wanting her to try to guess his surprise, but she had long ago learned to take what victories she could with her son, and did not give in.

It was for the best that she hadn't, because his 'surprise' was her old ship.

She stared at it, wires spilling out of its guts as it sat like a dead octopus in the middle of Capsule Corp's biggest warehouse. Scientists swarmed around it, taking measurements, soldering components, and Dr. Briefs stood in the center of the activity with a cigarette in one hand, absentmindedly petting the black cat on his shoulder with the other. He nodded slowly when he saw Kakarot.

"It'll be ready in about three weeks," he said. "Maybe four. But it'll be much faster than that other ship, so you might get there before they do. Well, maybe a little after. Depends on how hard the artificial gravity is to figure out. You never know with this alien tech."

Gine ignored him. "Kakarot, where did you get that?"

He gave her a tentative grin. "Gramps found it in a capsule. He said I could have it, and Dr. Briefs said he could turn it into a spaceship. It'll have gravity, and a place to train— It could hold both of us. We could both go to Namek. Together."

Gine did not know who to be more furious at: Grandpa Gohan, for going behind her back, Dr. Briefs for being an (unknowing) accessory, or Kakarot, for being Kakarot.

"I'm not going to space."

"Oh, ma, please? Pleeeeease?" Kakarot clasped his hands together like he was five years old. "I really wanna go to Namek and I really want you to come with me. You heard him, it'll be way faster. It'll only be for a little while. Please?"

"No," she said, and turned on her heel and flew away.

"Explain yourself." Gine stood solidly in Grandpa Gohan's way as he traipsed back from the forest with a load of firewood on his back. He looked up at her mildly, like she wasn't radiating fury.

"About what?"

"The ship," she growled. "Where did you find it?"

Gohan nodded.

"Ah, that. I finally remembered we'd decided to capsulize it, and then it was just a matter of finding the capsule. It took some doing, actually. We've been awfully behind on our New Year's cleaning, you know."

Gine shook her head slowly, too angry for words. Gohan set down his load with a sigh.

"I knew you wouldn't want it, and I saw no reason why Kakarot shouldn't have it."

"You—" Gine bit back a tirade. "What were you thinking? You know I don't want to go. Why are you taking his side?"

She felt petulant, and a little like crying, but she didn't care. Gohan understood her like no one ever had; he had to know what this was doing to her. So why was he doing it?

Compassion softened his face and he took her hand.

"My dear, I am not taking sides. You both need this, more than either of you know."

Gine shook her head vehemently. "I don't. I don't need to go back there. I never want to go back there."

Gohan spoke in that mild way of his that cut like a knife. "Do you plan to remain afraid of your past for the rest of your life?"

Several emotions cycled through her before finally settling on anger again.

"This isn't like with the Prince. That was just a childhood insecurity. I'm over it now. Being afraid of Frieza is just... sense."

"If it's Frieza you're afraid of, then why did you let Chi Chi and the others go alone?"

Caught by his logic, all she could do was bite her lip. He gripped her hand tighter, shaking it for emphasis.

"My dear, if you ever hope to be happy here, you must put your past to rest."

"I am— I have!"

"Then why does the thought of that pod fill you with such dread? The other reason I didn't give you the capsule is because I feared you might do something rash and destroy it."

It stung— but mostly because he was right. If he'd handed her the capsule and told her what was inside, she might well have crushed it before she could stop herself.

"And Kakarot needs this too," Gohan went on. "Surely you have noticed his behavior."

She had, but she'd been at a loss what to attribute it to. He had always been an independent child, more Saiyan-like than she had ever been, but ever since the battle he'd taken to following her around, watching her like a hawk, and giving her complicated, pensive looks she had no idea how to interpret.

"You think if we go on a road trip together it'll calm him down?" Her tone was acerbic, but she wanted him to say yes. She wanted Kakarot, at least, to be the constant in her life he had always been, even if everything else around her was changing.

Gohan studied her for a long time.

"You're his mother. What do you think?"

It was early the next morning. The sun was still an hour from rising, and fog lay thick around the little house in the woods. Gine wandered among the trees until she came to a waterfall, and sat beside it while the sun rose, thinking.

Frieza would find her and kill her, or he wouldn't. Vegeta would return and kill her, or he wouldn't. It wasn't them she was afraid of, out in space. It was… ghosts.

Here on this green and blue world, surrounded by beings almost like her, she could pretend to belong. She had a place here, a routine and a family to fit herself into. She was a mother, a granddaughter, a grandmother. She knew who she was, here.

Out there, in the firmament, surrounded by blackness and wires, she would have nothing to anchor herself to. The trappings of her Earth life would fall away, and all that would be left was the little weakling too useless even to be a scout.

She closed her eyes and drew in breath, letting the sweet, misty air fill her lungs to capacity. How much of her was still that little weakling and how much was the Earth woman she had worked so hard to become? How much of her old fears and insecurities, her destructive habits and cultural conditioning, had twenty five years been able to erase? Who was she, really?

These were not the kinds of questions you could avoid thinking, in a space pod.

Gine heard footsteps on the path behind her, and she turned to find Kakarot, still and pensive. He didn't say anything, just looked at her with wide, almost fearful eyes. She wouldn't be alone out there, she realized. She wouldn't be sitting alone in a claustrophobic pod, half-remembered dreams her only company for months on end. Her son would be with her. Her son, who apparently needed her.

"Alright," she said softly. "I'll go."

Chapter Text

Gine and Kakarot spent the first three days of the trip to Namek training in ever-increasing gravity, accompanied by an ever-increasing tension. Kakarot was being careful with her in a way he'd never done in his life. Not physically—he was as rowdy as ever during their training, and he laughed when she walloped him for a solid day just because she was used to higher gravity than he was.

But in the in-between moments, the rest breaks and the meal times, he would watch her, and he said very little. It was almost eerie, but the last piece of advice Grandpa Gohan had given her before his final farewell was to let him bring it up. She did not ask what 'it' was. She had already guessed there was something specific troubling her son, and apparently he'd already sought his grandfather's advice and had not been satisfied. Whatever it was, only she could give him closure.

On the fourth day, after their morning training, Kakarot flopped down on the floor, wiping his face with a towel, breathing hard. Then, once he caught his breath, he slowly straightened, stiffening his back and pulling his legs in cross legged.

"Ma?"

Here it came.

"Yes?" she said mildly.

"Well… You said Saiyans were bad." Kakarot looked down, picking at the laces of his boots. "An' King Kai tol' me some stuff they did. An' it was real bad. And so I was wonderin'... My pa… Was he… bad? To you?"

Gine hesitated, unsure how to answer. Bardock hadn't been a good partner, by Earth standards— heck, by Earth standards he hadn't been a partner at all— but for a Saiyan he'd been above average—

And then it hit her what Kakarot was really asking, and she blanched.

"Oh! Oh, no. No, he— it wasn't like that. He was—"

Gine was appalled. What a thing to be burdened with. Where had he gotten such an idea? From King Kai? According to Kakarot, King Kai was some sort of hammer-wielding cricket. Or perhaps an ape, though he'd assured her he'd seen no Saiyans during his stay in the world of the dead. But in his deluge of storytelling Kakarot had never once mentioned King Kai telling tales. Did a god who lived ten thousand miles from anywhere even know anything about Saiyans?

Kakarot bit his lip, and Gine pulled her mind back to the problem at hand: how to make him understand?

Her coupling with Bardock had been mutual; most Saiyan couplings were. Saiyans enjoyed a challenge, and for most of them, someone weak enough to coerce would have been too unappealing to bother with. But to say Bardock had been good to her would be to vastly misrepresent what they had been to each other.

"He saved my life," she said, partly to stall for time. "A lot."

Kakarot brightened. "Really?"

Having one's life saved by one's lover did have romantic overtones to humans— their storybooks were full of such things. But a Saiyan saving another Saiyan's life was at best a friendly tease and at worst a deadly insult. A proper Saiyan wasn't supposed to need saving in the first place.

"He was always so cool about it," she went on. At seventeen she'd been breathless with the way he'd swoop in, take out an entire army, and fly away to the next engagement without so much as a glance at her. It wouldn't sound romantic to an Earthling, but his immense strength together with the absence of scorn had been enough to send her head over heels.

Still, she wouldn't have been brave enough to act on her infatuation, until one day he actually made conversation with her. It had only been something like, "Hey, how's your arm?" when it had been bleeding the last time he'd seen her, but the fact that he'd noticed, that he'd actually asked about it, had given rise to a thousand girlish fantasies.

And then, when they'd found themselves alone together, and she had, without hardly meaning to, brushed the back of her neck with the tip of her tail in a silent invitation, he had, just as silently, taken her by the waist and—

Kakarot giggled, and Gine was mortified to realize she'd been sitting there with her cheeks flushed and a dreamy look on her face for who knows how long.

"Shut up," she said, giving him a good shove. He fell over, still smiling.

"So he was good to ya, huh?"

"That's enough out of you," she said, trying to be stern and failing. She could not stop smiling, partly from embarrassment, partly just because Kakarot was. He teased her and she punched him and they grappled despite their exhaustion, Kakarot alight with a buoyant joy she hadn't seen in months, back to himself at last.

That night, Gine lay awake thinking of her other encounter with Bardock.

She hadn't seen him in years, and she'd been prepping meat in the mess hall when he came sauntering into the kitchen, ignoring the head cook's stammering pleas for him to leave.

"Hey, Gine," he said, like they'd seen each other yesterday. "C'mon, let's go do something. The others all took a mission while I was in the tank, and they're already on their way back, so I have nothing to do."

Gine was a little older, a little wiser, a little more beat down by life, but she found herself just as tongue-tied as she'd been at seventeen.

"I— I—"

"C'mon, we can go cloud-hopping."

It was blatant slang for what he really wanted to do, and Gine blushed.

"I'm— working," she stammered. "My boss…"

She glanced at the bright yellow being, who daily threatened to fire her despite being his best worker. Bardock snorted.

"What's he gonna do, kill you? You're a Saiyan." He made a fist. "He gives you trouble, just remind him of it."

She'd gone with him. What else could she have done? 'You're a Saiyan.' They were perhaps the kindest words anyone had ever said to her.

Lying awake on her way to Namek, Gine did not think about what Bardock had said a few months later when she told him she was pregnant.

"Huh. Maybe this one won't be such a failure."

Chapter Text

My Summer Vacation by Son Gohan, Age 5

Write about your summer vacation. Here are some questions to get you started.

• Where did you go? 
• Who did you meet? 
• What did you do?
• What did you learn? 
• What are some of your feelings about your summer vacation?
• What would you like to do next summer vacation that you did not get to do this summer?

I am writing about a trip I took but it is not a summer vacation because it was December.

I went to a place caled Namek. You have probaly not herd of it. It is a planet far away. It took us a month to get there. I did homwork.

We met the Namekians! They were all like Kami but not like him. They were not all big, some of them were kids like me! I met a kid named Dende and he showed us around. I met a really, really, really big Namekian named Guru. He said we could have the dragon balls if we passeb all the tests. I will talk about the tests in the next paragraph.

We had to go to seven vilages. Each vilage had an elder we had to talk to to get the dragon balls. The first one asked us a riddl. It was hard. Bulma solved it becuz she is smart. The next one arm resled Krilin and he won! The thrid one asked why we wanted the dragon balls and we told him it was to wish back Kami and Tien and Chaotsu. He gave us the dragon ball becuz he said that was a good reson. Eventuly we got all seven dragon balls! The dragon was VERY big. Then there was a suprise: the dragon said we get three wishes! And there are three people to wish back! So we did! Then the bad Saiyan Vegeta showed up and everybody fot him, even me. But he was too strong. :( So now we are hiding.

I lerned that Namekians don’t eat food. They drink water and that’s it. But they can eat food. Dende said it made his tummy feel heavy but it was good. I also learned that Namekians don’t have mommys, only daddys. Dende said Guru was his daddy, and all the other Namekians are his brothers! I said I don’t have a brother and Dende said he could be my brother. :) So now I have a brother.

My feelings about this vacation is that it is not like a vacation at all. It was sort of like a vacation at first, but now it is like when daddy was away. Exept this time Grandma isn’t here. So I am scared and it is not fun.

On my next vacation I would like for daddy and grandma to come with us to Namek and for mean Vegeta not to come. Then they could meet Dende and Guru and Nail and Moori and it would be fun! 

THE END.

Chapter Text

Like Earth, Namek was blue and green. Somehow that made it feel welcoming. The air smelled salty and grassy and intensely fresh, and the place Gine and Kakarot had landed was still with a profound quiet. It would have been the perfect place to ease her fears of going back to space.

Except Vegeta was already here. And he was fighting her family.

Without a glance at Kakarot, Gine shot into the air from the entrance to the ship and flew toward the cluster of energy signatures. Chi Chi and Krillin and Yamcha were powered up, their energy strangely brighter than it had been, but it was Gohan Vegeta was fighting. Gine put on extra speed, Kakarot only inches behind her.

They cleared the last ridge of rocky outcroppings in time to see Vegeta kick Gohan viciously in the stomach. Everything shrank down to that single moment— the boy folding nearly in half as the air was ejected from his lungs, Vegeta's nasty grin as he witnessed his handiwork— and even though Gine was travelling at supernatural speeds it felt like she wasn't moving at all.

Then she blinked and she was there. Her foot slammed into Vegeta's face with every ounce of her power, speed, and righteous fury behind it. The Prince plowed into the earth, sending up a spray of soil and grass. Distantly Gine was aware that Kakarot was holding Gohan, that Chi Chi was yelling something, that Gohan was crowing victoriously despite having been beaten half to death, but all she could think about through the tunnel of her rage was that she had just drop-kicked the Prince of all Saiyans in the face.

At the end of the furrow of earth, Vegeta sat up, shaking the soil from his hair and the fog from his brain. Slowly he rose into the air, touching down on the first solid piece of ground he came to. He was staring at her in something like amazement. He looked the way Gine felt.

"Well, well, well," he said, "look who just sealed their fate."

And he held out his palm and sent an artificial moon streaking into the sky. Absently, Gine took out her sunglasses, a strange emptiness blooming in her chest. Vegeta stared up at the moon with a feral grin on his face, which began to lengthen and grow. Kakarot said, "I guess I'll take care of him, ma," and she realized the emptiness was where her fear would be.

Vegeta was nothing compared to her.

It almost wouldn't process. A prince of the royal house of Vegeta, especially this Prince, was supposed to be the strongest. It was part of what made him royalty in the first place. And Vegeta IV was a prodigy, rumored to be the Legendary himself reborn after a thousand years. His sheer power was unparalleled by any Saiyan, before or since.

But Kakarot, having handed Gohan off to Chi Chi, stood impatiently and waited for Vegeta to finish transforming, because otherwise what was the point?

Gine had known, though she hadn't paid attention to it, that she and Kakarot were growing stronger. Every day they'd inched the gravity up higher and higher, waiting to see when it would become too much for them. It hadn't happened. She'd begun to wonder if it ever would. But even knowing that, she hadn't been prepared for the ultimate yardstick to lay itself down beside her and come up that short: Vegeta had double the power he'd had on Earth and it still meant nothing.

Transformed, of course, he was stronger than her. The Great Ape transformation was feared throughout the galaxy for a reason. Even Kakarot's power was dwarfed, but Gine wasn't worried. Her son stepped forward and shouted, and in an instant centuries of Saiyan class distinctions were proven meaningless.

He'd tried teaching her the Kaio-ken on the trip here, but it had come to nothing. The technique was too advanced to be learned in a week. His off-handed assurances that she just needed a little more practice had grated on her nerves— even he had needed months to master it.

And he'd progressed even further with it in the last six days. Already he was starting off at two times his own strength, and he pushed it up to three with no effort after throwing the first punch. He'd had to leap the height of a building to land it, but land it did, Vegeta not so much rocking back with the force of it as flinching at the piercing blow. A fist the size of a grasshopper's striking with the force of an army would punch pin-sized tunnels straight through a person's head; the only reason Vegeta wasn't instantly killed was because of his admittedly impressive ki control.

Gohan bounded up to Gine, throwing his arms around her waist. She tousled his hair and gave him a once-over to make sure the senzu bean had done its job, but both of them turned without speaking to watch Kakarot, spell-bound.

Seeing a normal-sized person fighting a giant ape was visually absurd, but even more absurd to Gine was the enormity of Kakarot's power. He was controlling himself enough that the landscape around them was only mildly trembling, but she could feel the full weight of his power like a star leaning against her soul. Vegeta's power, by contrast, was unfocused and blurry, and he seemed to be moving through molasses as he tried to catch the tiny figure bouncing circles around him. Gine didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

The Oozaru transformation had been the Saiyans' greatest weapon, yes, but Gine could still remember echoes from her childhood, legends told around campfires and old-timers spinning tales in the pub, that gave it a deeper meaning. According to the old beliefs it was a sign from the gods that the Saiyan race was destined to conquer the galaxy. The arrival of the Cold dynasty had thrown that into question, but even in Gine's time there had been a belief at the base of every Saiyan's soul that they were special, and that what made them special was the Great Ape inside them, waiting only for the moon to bring it forth.

Watching an untransformed Saiyan not just going toe-to-toe with an Oozaru, but dispatching it easily, gave Gine a jarring sense of unreality that had her gripping Gohan's shoulders out of more than just relief.

In a matter of seconds the absolute pinnacle of Saiyan achievement lay bloodied on the ground, Kakarot standing uncertainly over him like a dog that has actually managed to catch his own tail and now doesn't know what to do with it. He looked over at her with a question in his eyes that Gine did not know how to answer.

She felt someone step up beside her. It was Krillin.

"Ma'am, do you mind if I…?" He called up a kienzan and jerked his head toward Vegeta. It took her a second to realize what he was getting at, but when she did she nodded firmly.

"Please," she said. Krillin flicked his wrist expertly, and the spinning razor disc of light arced toward Vegeta's prone form and sliced cleanly through his tail. Instantly he began to shrink, moaning in agony, though Gine knew it was not pain that was tormenting him.

Cutting off his tail was probably the most humiliating thing they could do to the Prince. Being killed would be less galling. A Saiyan who lost his tail was hardly a Saiyan at all, and now the one thing that put Vegeta, alone among Saiyans, in the rankings with the likes of Frieza's private guard, was gone. Gine found it a fitting end.

"You scum!" Vegeta was screaming, but he was screaming it from the ground, bloodied and terrified. "I'll kill you! I'll kill every last one of you! How dare you!"

"Grandma, you're here!" Gohan said, bouncing up and down. He was ignoring the Prince, along with everyone else. "I have so much to tell you! Oh, but first I want you to meet—"

He choked. Gine felt something electric slide down her spine. The others all felt it too, and in tandem every head turned toward the sky, in the direction of the five enormous powers that had just entered the system.

"Who is…?" Chi Chi whispered.

"That," said Vegeta, standing gingerly, his queasy grin shining with the light of madness, "is the Ginyu Force. And they're here to kill you."

Chapter Text

Gine stared up at the sky with the rest of her family, horror warring with shock. Why were the Ginyus here? Did they know about her? Had they come to finish the job Frieza started?

Behind her Vegeta was cackling.

"You pathetic low class scum! You really thought you could win, didn't you? You're in for it now. I only wonder why it took them so long to show up."

Gine turned slowly around, pushing Gohan gently but firmly away from her. She fixed the Prince with an incredulous glare.

"Are you implying," she said evenly, "that the Ginyus are here for you?"

It was possible, just possible, that things had changed in the twenty-odd years she'd been away from the Frieza Force, but the flash of hesitation on Vegeta's face told her they hadn't.

"You cowardly liar," she said, almost wonderingly. Vegeta flushed.

This spineless nothing was the heir to the nightmare of her childhood? This was what she'd spent an entire year dreading? This was why Tien and Chiaotzu and Kami were dead? She was no longer afraid of him, hadn't been for a while, but now she was just… disappointed.

She also realized something.

"They are here for you, aren't they? They don't even know about us, how could they? They're here to bring you back, or kill you, and you're sitting there lying about it to save your own skin for an extra five minutes. How shameful."

Vegeta leaped to his feet, snarling, but the sight no longer held any terror for her. He was weaker than her, in every sense of the word. In the space where her dread of him had been, a new emotion began to seep, something black and heady.

"I can't believe you can stand there and call yourself a Saiyan when you can't even face your own death without mewling like a babe. What were you going to do when they landed, try and bluff your way out of that too? What would your father think?"

He struck her.

Well, he tried to. His face contorted in slow motion, his shoulder tensing as he lifted his arm to bring it down on her cheek. Easily, like snatching a floating handkerchief out of the air, Gine reached up and caught it. His hand cracked as it impacted. Her sunglasses slipped down, and she fixed him with a stare she'd given Kakarot more than once throughout his childhood, though he had never deserved it as much as the Prince did now.

It had never affected Kakarot as much as it did the Prince either. He stared back at her, eyes wide, quailing in her grip. It fed something inside her, that look. No one had ever looked at her that way before, like they needed to keep their eyes on her in case she did something, like she was a predator and they were the prey.

Like she was dangerous.

"You talk like you're hot stuff but every single one of those buffoons could kill you without a thought. I could kill you without a thought. I used to think you were special, Vegeta. You. Your power level at birth was higher than mine as an adult. And yet here we are." She squeezed his hand and ground the bones together so hard they splintered. He gave a strangled cry, staring at her in abject horror. "Call me a worthless low class again. Say it like you mean it, you filthy liar! Could a low class do this?"

And she headbutted him. Like a mother does her child when she is at her last nerve, when they will not be reasonable and respond to lesser forms of violence. Vegeta fell backwards, landing directly on his stump. He screamed, high-pitched and involuntary. His eyes were still on her, though they were watering with pain. He could not seem to look away, and neither could Gine.

"Ma!"

It was Chi Chi. Without turning her head away from Vegeta Gine looked at her daughter-in-law out of the corner of her eye. The girl looked fierce, but also appalled. She was trying to turn Gohan's head away, though he was fighting her. If Gine had been standing on green grass under a blue sky she would have been just as appalled. This level of violence had no place in the life she was trying to build for herself deep in the woods of Mt. Paozu.

But she wasn't on Mt. Paozu. She was on her old stomping grounds now, and this was how things worked out here. It was only the wide eyes of her grandson watching her that made her step back and take a deep, settling breath.

"Gohan, get your mother and the others to safety. It's better if the Ginyus don't know you're here."

She thought they would make objections. Offer to stay and help out. But Chi Chi, Yamcha and Krillin all looked worse for wear, and they were staring at her like they didn't recognize her. Gohan nodded, and turned to the others.

"Let's go. Bulma is probably getting worried by now."

"R-right," Yamcha agreed belatedly. The four of them flew away. Gine turned back to Vegeta, who was still watching her warily.

"What does the Ginyu Force want with you, Vegeta?"

"To kill me, probably," Vegeta sneered. "I got tired of being Frieza's lackey and he must have sent them after me."

That made it sound like his being on Namek had nothing to do with the Earthlings, which Gine found hard to believe. She narrowed her eyes. "Why are you here?"

"The same reason you're here, I imagine," he said airily. Gine felt an unpleasant jolt as she realized she didn't even know if the original mission had succeeded. She hadn't seen a single Namekian on her way here. What if this had all been for nothing?

Her dark musings were interrupted by five pods streaking through the sky to land not ten yards from where they stood.

From each pod emerged a figure, some small, some large. They floated up from their respective craters and landed in front of the three Saiyans. The five figures loomed, menacing, energy boiling off them like steam. Then, one by one, they thrust their bodies into bizarre poses, forming a tableau as they sounded off.

"Recoome!"

"Burter!"

"Jeice!"

"Guldo!"

"Ginyu!"

Jeice broke pose for a moment to press a button on his boom box, and tinny music started to play as they flung themselves into final position.

"Together we make— the Ginyu Force!"

Chapter Text

Gine had never met the Ginyu Force in person, but their reputation was as big as their power levels. Rumors abounded about them, some absurd, some mundane, all terrifying. Bardock had taken great pleasure in dispelling the ones that weren't true, but there were some he had confirmed. Gine kept her eye on Guldo.

Vegeta muttered a curse behind her.

Ginyu straightened from his pose and turned to face them.

"I knew you'd gone rogue, Vegeta, but it seems you have a whole little insurrection going. I didn't think you had the balls. Well, no matter." He turned to his men. "Who wants first dibs on the riff raff? Vegeta, obviously, is mine."

"Aw, Captain!" Burter whined.

Recoome chimed in. "You got the best part last time, too!"

"It's not fair!" Guldo objected.

Ginyu rolled his eyes.

"Very well. I am a generous fellow. Play roshambo for it, and the runner up gets first pick of the others. Share nicely, now."

They set about their game, voices raised in banter and teasing as they ignored the three of them entirely. Kakarot caught Gine's eye and gave her a raised eyebrow. What the heck, ma? She shook her head at him. Behind her she could hear Vegeta grinding his teeth. He probably knew even better than her how much the Ginyus liked to play with their food.

"Aw, dammit!" Guldo swore. He'd gotten third place. Gine was pretty sure that meant fighting her. Burter slapped him on the back.

"Don't complain, man. At least you get to fight."

Guldo rolled all four of his eyes and stepped forward, cracking his neck. Gine, seeing an opening and without any input whatsoever from her brain, raised her palm and let loose a thundering column of energy that engulfed Guldo and sent gusts of wind whipping around the plain. When the dust settled there was only a smoking corpse where Guldo had once stood.

Something crackled through Gine's skin, and she gave a full body shiver and lowered her arm.

"Ma, what…?" Kakarot was staring at her, horrified. She realized she was baring her teeth and with effort she drew her lips back down. "Y-you killed him."

"Yes, Kakarot, I did," she said, never once taking her eyes off the rest of the Ginyu Force.

"But he didn't even—"

"If word gets back to Frieza about us we're dead!"

"What the hell?" Jeice was saying. "Captain, what the hell just happened?"

"That… It... Guldo must have let his guard down," Ginyu said reluctantly. "Recoome, looks like you get your chance early."

Recoome stepped forward, grinning. Gine felt Kakarot still looking at her.

"These guys work for Frieza?" he asked.

She nodded.

Before Recoome could do more than strike a pose, Kakarot had elbowed him in the gut so hard he fell over where he stood. Ginyu gaped.

"What the... J-Jeice, Burter, do something!"

The two of them looked down at Recoome's body, then up at Kakarot in horror, but quickly they shook themselves and rushed forward. Together, Gine and Kakarot rushed to meet them. Three seconds later they lay dead on the ground as well.

Ginyu looked around at the scattered bodies of his former squad in disbelief.

"How— You—"

Then his eyes narrowed.

"I get it," he said, stepping over the bodies of his men. "You lot are raising your battle power for a fraction of an instant, just as you strike. A scouter wouldn't be able to pick that up. I admit, it's a clever trick." He grinned. "But make no mistake— you aren't the only ones with tricks."

He looked down his nose at the two of them.

"Unlike my late colleagues, I am not entirely reliant on my scouter for information about my opponents. I estimate your battle power to be about... 50,000, madam," he said to Gine. "Quite respectable for a Saiyan." He turned to Kakarot. "As for you, I'd say you're around 95,000. I'd almost be tempted to recruit both of you for my squad since I currently have openings… But I think it's a little late for that."

Ginyu's smile turned hard for a moment.

"Neither of you have scouters, so I'll spare you the agony of wondering and tell you my top power is 120,000. Even as strong as you are, you're no match for me. Luckily for you I haven't had a good fight in ages."

He rushed Kakarot, elbowing him in the face. Kakarot flew backward, but righted himself in midair, ducking under Ginyu's swipe as he appeared behind him. They exchanged blows, neither landing a solid hit, and then Kakarot rocketed up into the air, Ginyu right behind him. Kakarot attempted to line up a ki shot, but Ginyu dodged and shot one of his own, which Kakarot also dodged. They met in midair and exchanged more blows before leaping apart, both of them breathing hard.

"Alright, you're better than I thought," Ginyu admitted. "But please do me the courtesy of not holding back, and I will do the same."

"I thought that couldn't be all you had," Kakarot said. "Alright, I'll fight at full strength, since you asked so nicely. But you're going to wish you hadn't."

Raditz wasn't the only tricky son she had, Gine thought as they rushed each other again. He'd only gone times two.

This time when they broke apart Ginyu was nearly out of breath and bleeding. Kakarot hadn't even broken a sweat.

"Wha— what—?"

"What number do you put me at now?" Kakarot asked, smirking. Ginyu touched his scouter and his face contorted in horror.

"T-two hundred thousand?! Impossible! You're a Saiyan. Saiyans aren't this strong."

Kakarot shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe you just ain't met the right ones."

Ginyu growled, but then his demeanor softened into thoughtfulness.

"Perhaps…" he said softly. "Perhaps you are special."

"Then do you give up?"

"Ha! Hardly. Your strength does intrigue me, though, Saiyan," Ginyu said. He took off his scouter and tossed it high into the air. "It intrigues me greatly. I'd like a better look at it."

Ginyu plunged his hand deep into his own chest. He gasped, coughed up blood, and said two words:

"Change now!"

Chapter Text

A beam of light shot out from Ginyu's body and entered Kakarot's, and as it did something in Gine's awareness flipped over queasily. The light flickered and went out, leaving the two of them exactly as they had been: Ginyu bleeding from his chest, Kakarot floating proudly in front of him. But Gine could tell everything was different.

"Well," Kakarot said, lifting his arms and studying them. "It's been a while since I had hair. I guess I'll have to start shaving again."

"Guh—!" Ginyu gasped, nearly falling out of the sky. "Wha—? Why am I… over there?"

Gine lifted her hands to her mouth in horror. Even Bardock hadn't been sure if the rumor that Captain Ginyu was a body snatcher was true. Kakarot— no, Ginyu— reached out and caught the scouter as it fell back down, fixing it to his ear. For a blood-freezing moment he looked more like Bardock than he ever had in his life, but then he smiled, a small cruel thing that looked nothing like Bardock or Kakarot, and Captain Ginyu fixed his eyes on Gine.

"I don't suppose you'd be interested in helping me test out this new body?"

Gine blasted him with a Kamehameha. He countered it with an energy blast of his own, and even though it was sloppier than anything Kakarot would have done, he was so strong it more than made up the difference. Overwhelmed, she abandoned her ki blast to get out of the way— but she wasn't quick enough. The beam hit her side, burning her flesh and knocking her sideways.

Ginyu was on her in an instant, pummeling her with Kakarot's fists, overwhelming her with Kakarot's strength. She fell back, too injured to fight properly. But even if she'd been whole she couldn't have given her strikes the killing force they needed— a part of her simply wouldn't accept that this wasn't Kakarot.

He smiled.

"This is my favorite part, you know," he said in a stage whisper. "When it still hasn't sunk in yet."

Screaming with rage, Gine flung herself at him. He laughed, catching her strike easily, and she spun around and hurled a roundhouse kick at his head. He caught that too. Quick as lightning he used his grip on her foot to spin her around in midair and fling her to the ground, her impact punching a crater into the ground.

Fighting her way free of the dirt she saw Chi Chi, Krillin and Gohan standing near Vegeta, all looking up at the man who was not Kakarot.

"Chi Chi!" Kakarot gasped from his wounded, purple body. "Why'd you come back here?"

"What in tarnation is going on?" Chi Chi demanded, looking wildly from Gine, to Ginyu, to Kakarot, and back. "Why're you two fightin'?"

"That's not Kakarot!" Gine shouted, as Ginyu streaked through the sky to punch her in the face. Her head slammed into the ground again, stars dancing in her vision. One of them was particularly bright, and it did not fade as the rest of them did. Through her sunglasses Gine could see the big sun and the two little ones that lit this planet, but directly above her there was a fourth light in the sky, smaller but more piercing. A fourth sun? No, a moon. Vegeta's artificial moon, designed for only one thing…

She ripped the sunglasses off her face and, for the first time in over a decade, looked at the moon.

It started with a sensation like a sunburn on the inside of her tail. Then the itching, prickling feeling spread to her whole body, which began to expand. She spared a thought to mourn for the dress Grandpa Gohan had made before it was ripped to shreds. Hair sprouted from every inch of her body, her face lengthened, and her teeth sharpened and grew. Ginyu desperately looked up at the moon as well, but when nothing happened he felt behind him for a tail and found only a scar.

"Dammit!" he screamed, right before Gine's building-sized palm slapped him to the ground.

He struggled, and shot a ki blast at her face, but she was more powerful than him— more powerful than Ginyu! More powerful than her son! There was no one on this pathetic mudball more powerful than her! Gine felt the joyous Oozaru battle tide rise within her and ignored it with effort. She curled her giant fingers and picked Ginyu up, squeezing him tight.

"Switch back now!" she bellowed with a voice that made trees bend backward. Ginyu snarled and powered up, but he wasn't used to Kakarot's body, and he certainly couldn't use Kaio-ken. She held him in place easily.

Far below her, Gine heard Chi Chi say hesitantly, "Kakarot?"

"It's me, Chi Chi," Kakarot said mournfully.

"You're— but—"

Out of the corner of her eye Gine saw Chi Chi reach for her husband, then pull her hands back before making contact.

"You're… hideous!" she wailed. "I can't take you to parent teacher conferences like this! What will the neighbors think?"

"It's okay, mom," Gohan said consolingly. "He's like Grandpa Ox now."

"What on earth do you mean?"

"He has horns."

Chi Chi burst into tears.

Gine bared her giant teeth at Ginyu.

"Switch back or I won't hesitate to kill you," she growled.

"Ha!" Ginyu spat, still trying to get free from her grip. "You're bluffing. You don't want him trapped in that body forever, do you?"

Gine closed her eyes so she didn't have to look at Kakarot's face and squeezed until she felt ribs pop. Ginyu bellowed weakly. It sounded like she'd punctured a lung. She reminded herself they still had a senzu bean, but then she remembered Kakarot had given it to Gohan and felt sick.

"I am a Saiyan!" she said. "Do not underestimate what I'm capable of!"

She knew, as any other Saiyan would and as any non-Saiyan would not, that even the most timorous and unimpressive voice sounds like the gods themselves thundering from on high when spoken with vocal chords measured in yards. If she'd been in her normal form he would have laughed at her pathetic attempt to sound intimidating. Instead he looked nervous for the first time.

"If you kill me Lord Frieza will come looking for you," he gasped.

"We've got ships," she growled. "We can run."

"You think you can run from Lord Frieza?" Ginyu chuckled wetly. "Many have thought the same, and they all met the same fate."

He stared at her, contorting her son's face into a nasty smile. She stared back, her horror only looking fearsome on her huge, elongated face.

"Change back," she said again, "or I'll kill you."

Ginyu opened his mouth, but instead of more taunts or bargaining, a glow started at the back of his throat. Too late Gine realized what he was doing, and she tried to fling him away. But it was no good. As if in slow motion she watched the beam of light make its way unerringly toward her.

All she had time for was a curse, and then a flash of light blinded her— but the kaleidoscopic afterimage on the back of her eyelids had a silhouette in the center of it. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear her vision, and found Ginyu's original body floating in midair just above her clenched hands— between her and Kakarot.

Gine took only a second to reach out with her energy to make sure— yes. The one in her hands was Kakarot, and the one above him was Ginyu. They were back to normal.

Lowering her hands to get her son out of the way, Gine opened her mouth and shot a white-hot beam of light at the horned figure, which dissolved instantly. For a moment all that was left of Ginyu was a faint scream, and then even that faded to nothing.

Chapter Text

From where he was cupped in Gine's giant hands, Kakarot gave a weak cry of celebration.

"You did it, ma!"

She gently uncurled her fingers and held her son up to her face.

"Kakarot! I'm so sorry! Are you alright? I tried not to hurt you too badly."

"S'okay, ma," he whispered, waving a hand vaguely. "It wasn't me."

"We'll get you fixed up, just hold on. Chi Chi!"

She turned to find Chi Chi and Gohan already flying up to Kakarot. Beyond them she could see Krillin keeping a close eye on Vegeta, but the Prince was paying him no mind. Instead, he was staring slack-jawed at her. She looked away.

"Chi Chi, where's your first aid kit?" she said.

"Is that really Kakarot?" Chi Chi asked, approaching her husband with caution. He smiled at her around the blood on his face.

"It's me," he said. "I might still scare the neighbors but at least I don't have horns no more."

Laughing, Chi Chi flung her arms around her husband and carried him down to the ground. Gohan stayed hovering in the air, and Gine realized he was wearing oversized sunglasses. He lowered them to reveal wide, curious eyes.

"Grandma, this is your Oozaru form?"

She wondered what he was thinking. He'd never seen her like this before, never gone Oozaru himself. Gine knew how fearsome she looked, and she probably looked worse with all the blood matting her fur, but Gohan didn't seem afraid or disgusted at all.

"Yes," she said in as quiet a roar as she could manage.

"It's amazing!" he said, flying around her to get a better look. "You're clearly an ape in structure, but you have a tail. Though, I suppose there's no reason for you to conform to Earth-based taxonomy. But in that case, it's incredible that you look so much like Earth primates in the first place. Of course, that naturally begs the question of why Saiyans look so much like humans—"

He trailed off, muttering to himself, and if things were normal she would have tousled his hair with one giant finger and teased him for sounding like a textbook. Instead she said,

"Gohan, can you help your mother bandage up your father?"

"Oh!" he said, his face lighting up. "I have a better idea. Come on everyone, let's get dad to Dende!"

He flew toward his parents, but then stopped and turned back to Gine.

"Can you change back, Grandma?" he asked. She looked up at the artificial moon, still hanging in the air, and then down at Vegeta.

"Make it go away," she growled at him. He curled his lip at her.

"I don't see why I should do you any favors."

Krillin shot him a disgusted look, then held up his open palm at the moon and blasted it with an energy beam. It exploded, and Gine felt the wild energy that sustained her Oozaru form dissipate. She shrank back down, and then felt her legs buckle beneath her. All her wounds from before the transformation had expanded in size along with her, and they had continued bleeding Oozaru amounts of blood. Now she was dizzy and thirsty and disoriented. Gohan swooped under her arm and held her upright.

"I got you, Grandma," he said.

"Good boy, Gohan," Gine said faintly. She looked across the field of mud her battle with Ginyu had kicked up, to find Chi Chi holding Kakarot in a bridal carry. Krillin was standing between them and Vegeta, though strangely his face was turned away and the back of his head was bright, blushing red— Oh. Gine looked down at herself and chuckled. She looked back up, ready to ask Chi Chi if she had anything she could use to cover herself, but Vegeta's gaze caught her attention and she straightened.

There was nothing erotic about mere nudity to a Saiyan, so she knew that wasn't what made him stare. But he couldn't seem to take his eyes off her even so. He seemed angry. Disbelieving. Gine could tell he hadn't moved once during the entire fight.

"Scram, or you'll get more of the same," she growled, and Vegeta rocked back on his heels, still cradling the hand she'd crushed. After a moment spent teetering on the knife edge between self-preservation and stupidity, Vegeta chose self-preservation and flew away.

The five of them flew slowly over blue fields and green water until they came to a cave. Bulma and Yamcha stood outside, waving, though Yamcha wheezed and turned away when he caught sight of Gine.

She was mildly surprised to find a capsule house set up in the cave. They entered, and Chi Chi lay Kakarot down on the couch, while Gine sank with relief onto a chair. Bulma opened a closet and pulled out an extra dress of Chi Chi's, and Gine was so weak she had to let her pull it over her head.

Once she was dressed, Gine noticed an extra person in the room: a small green child-like figure with antennae like Kami's. He was bending over Kakarot with his brow furrowed in concentration and as she watched, Kakarot's breathing grew easier and the lines on his face eased. In less than a minute her son leaped to his feet, slapping his ribs in amazement.

"Good as new! You're like a walking senzu bean, little guy. What's your name?"

"Dad, this is Dende!" Gohan said joyfully. "We met him here on Namek. Dende, can you heal my Grandma too?"

"Of course," the little Namekian said. He trundled over to her and bowed. "Ma'am, it's a pleasure to meet you."

She bowed her head in response, utterly smitten. He was almost as well-mannered as Gohan and just as cute. Dende raised his hands, and a sensation like sunlight suffused her whole body, relaxing her muscles and easing her pain. She sighed.

"I think the Grand Elder must have known this would happen," Dende said. Gohan turned from where he was being smothered by Chi Chi.

"What do you mean?"

Dende frowned at his hands, still hovering in front of Gine. "I haven't healed anyone who really needed it yet. This is the first time it's been something serious. I didn't understand why he would unlock my potential to do this if there wasn't a good reason. This must have been it."

"You mean like he can see the future?" Yamcha asked. Dende shook his head, then lowered his hands. Gine felt strong, relaxed, completely back to normal. Better, even. Dende continued to look at his hands.

"No, he can't do that. It's just, sometimes… he knows what needs to be done."

"That sounds like Kami," Kakarot said, and at the exact same moment both he and Gine turned to the others.

"Did you…?"

"Were there…?"

Gohan wriggled out of Chi Chi's grip and stood nearly on tiptoes with excitement.

"Dad, grandma, we did it! They did have dragon balls and we found them and we brought back Tien and Chiaotzu and Kami! They're alive again!"

Kakarot whooped. He picked up Chi Chi by the waist and whirled her around, both of them laughing. Gine grabbed Gohan and rocked him back and forth, speechless with joy. Over his head she could see Yamcha and Bulma leaning on each other happily, and Krillin grinned at them all, laughing in relief. Even Dende was smiling.

They were alive. Kami, Tien and Chiaotzu— back again, her failure undone and everything as it should be.

Gine sighed, feeling the hand that had been squeezing her heart for the last two months finally let go.

Chapter Text

Gohan was much better at storytelling than his father.

In articulate language and in chronological order he described to Gine and Kakarot their journey to Namek, how kind the Namekians had been, the trials they'd faced to earn the dragon balls from each village elder, calling up the dragon and making their three wishes, and then, heartbreakingly, how Vegeta had shown up and chased them into hiding before slaughtering three villages, seemingly just for fun.

At this part Gohan looked Dende solemnly in the eye and said, "We'll use our dragon balls to wish them back."

Shining joy lit up the young Namekian's face, and he clasped Gohan's hands in wordless gratitude. Gine's heart was so light she felt it might float away.

"Where are your parents?" she asked him as they packed up the capsule house in preparation for traveling to the Grand Elder's mountain.

"The Grand Elder is my parent," he explained. "Namekians are her- herm-"

"Hermaphrodites," Gohan supplied, hoisting his backpack onto his shoulders. "They possess both the male and the female reproductive organs, though from what Dende's told me I suspect a form of parthenogenesis is the most common—"

He went on, mostly to himself, and Krillin sidled up to Gine and whispered,

"Are you getting any of this?"

"No," she whispered back. "But isn't he adorable?"

"—though I saw at least one species of frog that supported this theory, so I definitely have more research to do," Gohan finished proudly, and Gine picked him up and nuzzled him.

"Grandma," he mumbled, embarrassed and pleased.

"My turn!" Kakarot said, snatching him away and giving him a nuzzle of his own before hoisting him up on his shoulders. "Where to, son?"

Gohan pointed. "That way!"

Gine glanced at Dende, who was gazing up at Gohan on Kakarot's shoulders with a wistful look.

"Would you like a ride too?" she asked. His face brightened.

"Yes, ma'am!" he said. "I mean, that is, if you don't mind."

"Now, now, none of this 'ma'am' business," Gine said as she picked him up and put him on her shoulders. "You can call me grandma too, alright?"

"Thank you… grandma," he said shyly. Gine contemplated taking him home with her.

The Grand Elder was an enormous old Namekian attended by the strongest warrior Gine had ever met outside the Frieza Force. Gohan made the introductions with all the gravity of an interstellar diplomat despite being three feet tall and wearing a tinier version of his father's gi.

"...and this is my father and grandmother," he said. Gine and Kakarot bowed to the old Namekian, who smiled.

"I must thank you," he said. His energy reminded her of Kami's: deep and heavy and divine. But the smile he gave them put her in mind of no one so much as Grandpa Gohan: warm and kind and fatherly. "You have saved us from a great threat. We are in your debt."

"I mean, it's kind of our fault they were here in the first place," Bulma muttered. The Grand Elder chuckled.

"You meant no harm. My thanks still stand. Gine. Kakarot. Come stand next to me. I have gifts for you."

Gine and Kakarot noticed the others give each other knowing, excited looks, but no one said anything as Kakarot stepped forward. The Grand Elder placed his hand on the top of Kakarot's head, and for a moment nothing happened. Then Kakarot began to glow, and his power, already immense, expanded.

"Whoa!" he said as the Grand Elder lifted his hand away. "What was that? I feel incredible! Thanks, old timer! That—" He looked suddenly worried. "That didn't hurt you, giving me that, did it? I mean, you're so old you probably don't have a lot to spare, and that was a lot..."

The Grand Elder smiled. "I merely unlocked that which lay sleeping inside you. It has no bearing on my life force. I am fine."

Kakarot frowned. "That which…?"

"He can unlock all the energy someone's not using, dad!" Gohan explained. "He did it for all of us! That's why we're so much stronger now."

"I was wondering about that," Kakarot said. Then he gasped, and turned to Gine, eyes shining. "This is great, ma! You can get even stronger now!"

Gine's heart sank. He still didn't understand.

"I— I don't—"

"Please," the Grand Elder said kindly. "Come closer, child."

She did, reluctantly. Standing this close she could see the deep lines in his face, some from worry and grief, others from laughter. He was older than Kami, and bigger than the Ox King. She wondered if he was some kind of god. Whatever he was, he was good, as good as Vegeta was evil. It did not make him any less intimidating.

"I don't really want more power, sir," she said. "Not that I'm not grateful for the offer, but…"

He opened his eyes and looked at her, and she forgot what she'd been about to say. His dark eyes were full of understanding and wisdom, but they also held sorrow. Sorrow for her.

"You have a heart that craves peace, Gine of Earth," he said. "I, too, crave peace, but you and I both understand that peace is often purchased with blood. I'm afraid I do not offer you this gift for purely unselfish reasons. I sense there is an even greater evil that will soon befall my people, and we will need all the help we can find. I would ask for your help in facing this threat."

Gine stared at him in confusion for several moments. Then with dawning horror she realized there was only one thing he could possibly be referring to: Frieza.

"No…" she whispered.

"Oh, yes," came a mocking voice from the doorway. They all spun around to find Vegeta stepping into the house. He still cradled his ruined hand against his chest, but his smile was wide and wicked. "You're right, you horrific excuse for a mollusk. Frieza will come here. I don't know when, but I guarantee you he will, and when he does, he'll kill every last one of you."

"Get out of here, Vegeta," Kakarot said sternly. Vegeta sneered.

"I would, but I happened to notice that the two of you look remarkably well considering the beating you just took. I want whatever it is that has done this, and then I want that one," he nodded at the Grand Elder, "to give me the same power he gave you, and you will do all of this because if you don't, Frieza's going to slaughter you all."

Gohan had stepped in front of Dende at the mention of healing, and Gine watched Vegeta put two and two together.

"The shrimp, eh?" He held out his hand. "Get to healing, boy."

"You're in no position to barge in here and make demands," Bulma informed him, hands on hips. Yamcha stood behind her, arms folded over his chest and nodding along. "Go away. Shoo."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow at her.

"You've got a lot of spunk for a silly-colored weakling. I'll make whatever demands I damn well please, woman, because I am the Prince and it's my power that's going to save you all from Frieza once he gets here."

No one moved. Vegeta growled and pointed his good hand at Dende.

"How about this? You give me what I want or I kill the shrimp and then no one gets any healing."

Nail twitched, but before he could even uncross his arms Kakarot had zipped up to Vegeta and taken his good hand in a crushing grip. Vegeta winced, but held his ground. The two of them glared at each other, neither one backing down. Kakarot was fierce and full of fury, and Gine felt the breath leave her lungs.

There were times, occasionally as a boy and more often now as a man, when Kakarot would turn to her with a half-completed expression, or his face would fall into just the right mix of shadows, and there would be Bardock, just for a split second. It never lasted. Kakarot was far too open and friendly, Bardock far too arrogant and apathetic, for him to ever truly be mistaken for his father despite their identical looks.

But right now, facing down a fellow Saiyan, vying for dominance, fury kindled in his eyes, Kakarot looked just like his father.

Vegeta looked away first— but not in defeat. Instead he looked at Gine.

"Tell me you think you have a chance against him without me. You know Frieza as I do. Go ahead. Say you don't need my help." Gine bit her lip, and Vegeta's smile returned. "That's what I thought. Tell you what: I'll promise to be a good little boy for however long it takes Frieza to get here. I won't even kill anyone. We'll be… allies. How does that sound?"

Kakarot looked at her, questioning. Gine chewed at her lower lip, trying to see a way out— but she couldn't.

"Fine." She threw up her hands in disgust. "Fine. Dende, just— just—"

"No, wait, hang on a minute!" Krillin interjected, earning himself a glare from a triumphant Vegeta. "Frieza's not here yet, right? He doesn't know who we are. We could just run! We'll leave now, quickly, and we won't tell you guys where we're going." He turned to Nail and the Grand Elder. "You can tell him a bunch of aliens you've never seen before killed those guys and then left, and you don't know anything about it." He turned to Vegeta, frowning. "You can stay here and fight him if you want. Just leave us out of this."

Vegeta stared nonplussed at Krillin for a very long time. Then he threw back his head and laughed, a heartfelt belly laugh that went on for even longer.

"You're joking!" he gasped when he came up for air. He looked at Krillin, who was still glaring at him. "You're not joking! By the gods, I've never met someone so stupid. Do you really think that if Frieza comes here and finds the rotting corpses of his best men, all he's going to do is ask a few polite questions and then leave?" He looked around, making eye contact with all of them. "This planet was marked for death the moment I set foot on it. Your only chance for survival now is with my help, but I can't do that with a broken hand."

He held out the offending limb toward Dende, who was still cowering behind Gohan. For a long moment no one moved.

"Come here, young Saiyan." The Grand Elder's voice was mild, but carrying. With a meaningful look at Dende, Vegeta took his place at the Grand Elder's side. The old Namekian placed his hand on Vegeta's head, the lines of his face furrowing deeper in concentration.

"Grand Elder," Nail said tensely.

"Peace, Nail," the Grand Elder said.

Minutes passed, and Vegeta tapped his foot impatiently. "Get on with it, old man."

"I see," the Grand Elder said to himself. "There is a chance. A small one, but it's there."

"A chance for what?" Vegeta snapped.

The Grand Elder didn't answer. Instead he smiled and gave Vegeta's head a gentle pat, like he was a small child. Vegeta flinched away, disgusted.

"What will you do with this power, if I should give it to you?" the Grand Elder asked.

"Ah, you wish to bargain," Vegeta began, but the Grand Elder held up his hand.

"No," he said. "I am merely asking you a question, and depending on your answer I may or may not unlock your sleeping power, though I will warn you: there is not as much of it as you think."

Vegeta's lip curled.

"Don't play games with me, old man. You want to know if I'll use my powers for good or some such nonsense. But you already know that I won't. I'll use my strength in whatever manner I please, and right now it just so happens that the way I intend to use it aligns with your survival." He bared his teeth at the Grand Elder, and the energy that poured off Nail as he did so was enough to give Gine the shivers. Vegeta went on, his voice lowering to a hiss. "As for how much power lies sleeping inside me, don't presume to inform me of its limits. You can't even begin to fathom what I'm capable of. I am Vegeta, the Prince of all Saiyans, and as such I have the capacity to become the most powerful being this universe has ever seen."

The Grand Elder listened to all of this with grave patience, and when Vegeta was done he sighed.

"There is a spark of something in you, Saiyan. I don't know if it is goodness or not. It's been buried so long and so completely that it could simply be the imaginings of an old man who would like to believe no one is truly irredeemable. It's possible unlocking your hidden potential will be the rush of wind that blows out this tiny spark forever. But it is equally possible that being forced to confront the truth may be the catalyst to ignite it. Certainly," he sighed again, "we are in need of your help."

Vegeta growled. "Then get on with it."

"Dende, my son," the Grand Elder said. "Will you heal him?"

The boy's pale, conflicted face nearly broke Gine's heart.

"But he killed so many of us!" he protested. "You can't unlock his power, Grand Elder, you can't!"

"I agree," Nail said. "He can't possibly be the lesser of two evils. Besides, what if he sides with this Frieza?"

Both Gine and Vegeta scoffed at the same time, and then glared at each other. The Grand Elder chuckled.

"As you see," he said. "Dende, I know this is a difficult thing I ask of you. But I sense that even Vegeta has his part to play. Who knows. Perhaps your ability to heal may have been awakened for just such a moment as this."

Dende shook his head slowly, tears leaking from the corners of his eyes. "No," he said, his voice breaking. "It was the Earthlings. They're supposed to be the ones who will save us. Not him."

Gine felt eyes on her and found Gohan, his arm still around Dende's shoulders. He was giving her the most serious look he'd ever given her in his life.

"Grandma?" he said. "Is Frieza really that bad?"

How she wanted to say no.

"Yes," she whispered. "Yes, he is."

Gohan leaned down and whispered something in Dende's ear that made the boy scrub the tears from his eyes and lift his chin in defiance. Glaring at Vegeta, he lifted his hands, which illuminated with the soft glow of healing. An answering glow lit up Vegeta's body, and in moments the multitude of bruises and cuts dotting his body were gone. He stripped off his glove and flexed his now perfect hand, grunting in satisfaction. Then without a glance at Dende he turned to the Grand Elder.

"Now, do it."

Gravely, the Grand Elder placed his hand on Vegeta's head once again. It began to glow, and so did Vegeta, his energy expanding and flowing upwards in a darkly joyful dance. The corners of his mouth curled up as he felt what was happening.

"Oh, yes!" he shouted. "This is it! I am the Legend!"

He strode to the entrance of the house, but before he crossed the threshold Kakarot cut him off, forcing Vegeta to stop short or risk running into him.

"Remember, Vegeta," he said. "You promised not to hurt anyone."

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "And I won't."

Kakarot leaned in close, giving him a glare. "Good. Because if you cross us, it'll be more than just your tail that gets cut off."

Vegeta sneered, but it was with quite a bit less bluster that he finally left the house.

"Gine," said the Grand Elder. She turned back to him, dreading what he was going to say. "My offer still stands. Will you accept my help and become stronger?"

Two hours. That was all the time she'd had from the end of the last life-or-death conflict to now. She had been so happy those two hours. She had already begun thinking about where to plant some extra squash because Gohan was a growing boy and he loved squash. She'd wondered how to set up interplanetary playdates. Now a hand closed around her heart once again, this time with a sense of finality.

Gine closed her eyes and said, "Yes."

Chapter Text

Bulma, ever practical, insisted on evacuating.

"If he finds an empty planet he'll just blow it up and keep looking," Gine countered.

"Then the fighters can stay. But there's no reason I, or any of the Namekians, should just sit around waiting for our fate when we have two perfectly good spaceships at our disposal."

"But you're the only one that knows how to drive either of them," Krillin pointed out.

"Then I'll put the old one on autopilot!" Bulma snapped. "My point is, the ship my dad made can easily fit everyone that wants to be well out of the way when a galactic space tyrant shows up in a temper. Which includes me."

"Aren't you curious what he looks like?" Krillin asked. Bulma stared at him.

"Not really!"

The Grand Elder nodded. "It is a good plan."

"This would need to be done quickly," Nail said.

"We can split up and give everybody the news," Chi Chi said. "And help carry the children."

"I think we could probably leave in a few hours if there are no delays," Bulma said. She studied the Grand Elder with her head cocked to one side. "What I don't know how to deal with is you, no offense. Can you… can you stand?"

"I will not be going," the Grand Elder said, and this sparked a tense discussion between him and Nail, joined by Yamcha (who didn't understand) and Chi Chi (who did).

Gine listened from the window. Normally she might have joined in, but she already knew what her part in all this would be, and there was nothing more for her to say.

The initial rush of power after the Grand Elder had lifted his hand away had been enough to make her giddy with possibility. Vegeta's extra power had briefly made him stronger than her again, but now she was back on top. She could kill him, easily, and never have to see his stupid, smirking face again. It was tempting. It would be so easy. She'd turned from the Grand Elder's chair, power coursing through her, seeking out Vegeta's power— but her eyes had landed on Dende, still being consoled by Gohan, and the sight was like a shock of cold water down her back.

She didn't want to be a killer. She wanted her garden. She wanted sunny days in forest-ringed meadows, the laughter of grandchildren and great-grandchildren echoing through the trees. She wanted Raditz, safe and happy, and Kakarot and Chi Chi and both Gohans and all her friends around her. She wanted peace. Not more blood on her hands. She wanted— she wanted…—

She'd retreated to the window without a word, homesick for something she couldn't define.

Bulma broke up the discussion, which was getting heated. "Well, regardless, we need to get out there and tell everybody. Who's going where?"

"I'll go to Tsuburi's village," Krillin said, and swooped out of the house to do so.

"I've got Lian," Gohan said, following him.

Kakarot stepped up to Gine. "Ma?" he said quietly. "You alright?"

She turned from the window. He was looking at her worriedly, and she decided it was time to stop moping. She had a job to do.

"I'm fine, son," she said, smiling. "I'll go to the village I can feel over there, the farthest one."

Nail nodded in the direction she was pointing. "The elder there is named Abalon."

"Oh, he was so nice," Chi Chi remarked. "His little boy Bana wanted to know how I make my clothes."

"I'll be back soon," Gine said, and took off. Behind her they started arguing again.

She had picked this village because it was far, but not just to spare the others. She needed time alone, though as she traveled it became increasingly clear that on Namek, solitude was not hard to find.

Gine flew over devastated landscapes and softly rolling hills, vast fields of grass and oceans dotted with archipelagos. There was a keen-edged loneliness to this planet she hadn't had time to notice before. In the several hundred miles she'd flown already, she'd seen no trace of civilization. No crumbling buildings or overgrown gardens. No firepits or bodies of water with too-perfect edges. Everywhere looked as pristine as if intelligent beings had never set foot on it. She knew there had been only a little more than a hundred Namekians even before Vegeta's rampage, but that number hadn't seemed real to her before. She felt like she could fly for months and never encounter another sentient being.

But in the end, with her newfound power pouring out of her, it only took her an hour to reach the village.

"Hello," she said once she landed. Several children ran to meet her, and she smiled at them as they tugged at her dress and chorused question after question. A tall, thin man ran up after them, apologizing profusely.

"I'm so sorry. Kauri! Miru! Bana! Stop pestering her."

"Is Abalon here?" she asked as the trio of children reluctantly behaved themselves. The man nodded, guiding them back to their chores.

"He's in the big house. I can take you there. Kauri, stop pulling your brother's antennae, I've told you a thousand times."

The little ones properly disciplined and finally behaving, the Namekian led the way.

"I'm Tsumu," he said, dusting a small handprint made of dirt from his smock. "I'm the teacher here. I promise they're usually better behaved..." He smiled deprecatingly, tugging nervously at his antennae. Gine shook her head.

"They seem very sweet. I have two of my own, and they were both quite the handful when they were small. Yours will turn out just fine."

Tsumu smiled gratefully. He opened the door to the biggest structure in the village and led her inside, where an older Namekian sat in deep conversation with two others— warriors by the looks of them, muscular and one of them still breathing hard from exertion. Abalon looked up when they entered.

"Greetings," he said, standing. His tone was warm, but his face looked pinched. "I'm afraid you've caught us at a bad time. Tsumu, gather the children and bring them here, we've just had some terrible news."

"Actually, I…" Gine had a momentary sense of unreality. This would normally be the point when Selipa or Panbukin would say something like, "I'm even worse news!" and shoot the old man's head off. She blinked and shook herself. "I'm here to tell you to bring everyone to the Grand Elder's house. There's something even worse coming and you must evacuate."

Abalon clenched his fingers around his staff, his thumb worrying the smooth wood. After a moment he turned to the warriors.

"Tilus, go to Tsuburi's and tell him everything. Argo, can you still fly? I know you're tired, but you must get to Lian's."

"There are others already spreading the word," Gine told them. "Please, get everyone to the Grand Elder, we don't have much time."

The one called Argo stood. He was nearly seven feet tall and his neck was bigger around than Gine's waist. He was drenched in sweat and there was blood staining his clothes that did not seem to be his.

"You have a tail," he said, pointing at it. "The one that slaughtered Tsuno's village had a tail just like that one."

Belatedly she wrapped it around her waist, but it was too late. The others all took a step back from her, murmuring, and she swallowed a growl of frustration and turned back to the elder.

"You're Abalon, right? Chi Chi told me Bana liked her dress. I'm just trying to help you, please listen to me!"

The other warrior, Tilus, glanced at Abalon.

"The boy looking for the dragon balls had a tail as well."

"That's Gohan— my grandson," Gine said desperately. "He told me you gave him a riddle and he couldn't solve it, but Bulma did. That's why you gave them the dragon ball."

Tsumu stepped forward.

"Argo, you've always been paranoid, even when you were a kid," he said. "She clearly means us no harm. I think we should listen to her."

All of them looked at Abalon, who was still looking at Gine.

"I was just informed that a Saiyan attacked and slaughtered two villages," he said. "There has not been bloodshed like that on this planet since its history began to be recorded. Now you, also a Saiyan, tell me something even worse is coming."

"Three," Gine said wretchedly. She wished for the umpteenth time she was really and truly an Earth woman. "Three villages were slaughtered, and if you don't get everyone off this planet right now the rest of you are going to meet the same fate!"

Argo drew himself up to his full height.

"Was that a threat?"

Gine lost her temper.

"No, you stupid slug, I'm trying to warn you! Something terrible is coming and if you don't all go to the Grand Elder's right now I will drag you there myself!"

"Over my dead body!" Argo launched himself at Gine, the wild light of battle in his eyes.

He was strong. In Frieza's army he would be a mid-level fighter easily. But to Gine he was moving in slow motion. Gently she parried his strike and pulled him off balance, nearly throwing him to the ground. Then she righted him again and held his arm in a joint lock, using only enough pressure to tell him not to move.

"It will be your dead body if you don't get moving."

She released him and stepped back, her intention clear: I won't hurt you, but you can't hurt me.

"Argo, she did nothing to deserve that," Tilus said sharply. Argo snarled. Then tears began running down his face.

"I held Malas as he died!" he cried. "He said the Saiyan didn't even want anything! Just chased them around for sport. Let them run and used them for target practice." He choked. "And the children—!"

He lost himself to tears. Gine's heart beat sideways for several seconds. Tsumu stepped around her and gently put his arms around Argo's massive shoulders.

"All she's asking us to do is go to the Grand Elder's," he said softly. "I think that's what we should be doing anyway, don't you?"

He led him away, and Tilus stepped up to Gine.

"I'm sorry about him. He…"

"No, it's alright," she said. "I fought the Saiyan that did this earlier and I let him go. I wish now I hadn't been so merciful."

"No," Tilus demurred. "Mercy is never the wrong choice."

"How can you say that?" Gine said, shocked. "You heard what he did to your people. You should want him dead."

The warrior grimaced. "Perhaps. Certainly, if I ever meet him in battle I will feel no remorse in seeking to end his life. But if you had killed him when you had the option to spare him, then you would have become a person who killed when you did not have to, and I wouldn't wish that fate on anyone."

Gine felt almost sick. For the first time she understood when Saiyans spoke of weakness making them feel ill. This easy forgiveness was hard to bear.

"Let's go," was all she said.

Chapter Text

The crowd around the Grand Elder’s house was large, in that it was larger than the building could contain. But for a gathering of every single member of an entire species it was pitifully small.

The Grand Elder could no longer leave his chair, and indeed he had told Gine and the others that he was not long for this world. But he still wanted to address his children, so Yamcha, Krillin, Kakarot and Nail had carefully carried him, chair and all, outside. The smaller children gasped in delight to see their parent, and crowded around him, eager but respectful. The older Namekians smiled as well, but theirs were tinged with worry. Most of the elders only looked grim.

“My children,” the Grand Elder said, and everyone, even the youngest, a tiny six-month old named Moolin, quieted. “It does my heart good to see you all, but unfortunately the occasion of our gathering is a solemn one. A great evil is approaching our world, and our only hope for survival is to put our trust in our new friends. You must leave with them, and perhaps live with them for a time, until it is safe to return.”

“But what about you?” one of the Namekians said. Gine and the other Earthlings were standing on the periphery of the crowd, silent and awkward.

“Grand Elder, aren’t you coming with us?”

“Of course he’s coming with us!”

“I don’t understand; what great evil?”

Nail called out sternly. “Quiet everyone!” When the noise died down, the Grand Elder continued. 

“My children, this is a hard thing I ask of you. We have not left our homeworld en masse before. But you all know the stories of those sent out into the universe before the Great Calamity, and the Earthlings have brought me news that one of them survived. The son of Katatz waits for you on Earth!”

A surprised and hopeful murmur rippled through the crowd. Bulma took that as her cue and began explaining the evacuation plan. It was a good plan, straightforward and orderly. Naturally chaos ensued. 

Children ran up and down the gangplank, the fighters pleaded with Nail to let them stay and help, each village elder wanted a private word with the Grand Elder, and Chi Chi kept calling out for Gohan, who was probably off pouting at not having been able to help Dende convince anyone to let him stay. 

Gine watched it all and felt tired.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, all the children had been rounded up, the fighters had been pacified and the elders had spoken, and every Namekian except for the Grand Elder and Nail were aboard. Bulma and Yamcha waved to everyone from the gangplank, which slowly closed. The engines roared, the ship lifted into the air, rising ever higher into the sky until it was smothered by cloud cover and disappeared.

And then… they were all alone.

Gine had been on empty planets before, of course, but this was different, and not just because the ground wasn't littered with corpses. She reached out with her senses to encompass the whole globe and found only silence. Even the low background glow of less intelligent life felt more subdued. Namek had been lonely before, but now it was… eerie. Mournful. Haunted.

"Gohan!" Chi Chi shouted. "I’m not kidding, young man, you stop hiding your energy this instant!"

Gine snapped out of her morbid imaginings and focused. There was the Grand Elder, less bright but far warmer than any of the others; the whitehot spear that was Nail; Kakarot's familiar pillar of flame; Krillin's wry flickering; Chi Chi's fierce bonfire. Gohan's eager, happy glow was nowhere to be found. 

"That's weird," Kakarot said, frowning. "Where'd he go?"

"He must really be mad at you," Krillin chuckled. 

"He's got more sense than to wander off on a strange planet by himself with Frieza coming, no matter how mad he is," Chi Chi snapped. "Something must have happened to him! We have to look for him."

No one suggested that Chi Chi was overreacting. With grim expressions and without much discussion, everyone split up and went looking.

Gine flew toward the one other power she had sensed, the billowing stormcloud shot through with dark lightning that she prayed had nothing to do with Gohan's absence.

She saw Vegeta's handiwork long before she saw him: shattered mountains, craters filling with water, broken trees and blackened grass. As she flew she began to hear the shriek and whine of energy being expended, the explosion of ki blasts and, eventually, the mad cackling of someone completely undone with power.

"Have you come to fight me or ask for my help?" Vegeta said without turning around. He leveled another mountain as she watched. "Either way I'm not interested."

Gine breathed slowly. "Have you seen Gohan?"

Now he did turn around, one eyebrow raised.

"And which one is that?"

She grit her teeth.

"The boy."

This seemed to amuse him.

"Lost him, have you?"

Gine imagined taking him by the ears and shaking him so hard they tore right off the sides of his stupid head.

"Have. You. Seen. Him."

"I have." He inspected an imaginary spot of dirt under the nails of his once crushed hand, drawing out the moment and Gine's patience to near breaking. "I saw him and his little green friend a few hours ago, but I neither know nor do I care what's happened to them since."

"Did you do anything to them?" she hissed.

Vegeta feigned wounded indignation. "Of course not! I gave my word I wouldn't harm anyone until after Frieza is dealt with."

"And I trust you about as far as I can…" Gine laughed. "Well, as far as you can throw me ."

The hard little smile that curled its way across Vegeta's face might have given her goosebumps once. 

"You would be wise to remember that my promise has an expiration date."

"I'm not worried about you , Prince," Gine scoffed. "If we're somehow still alive after all this, you are going to be the least of my worries."

But he only continued to smile.

"You'll be changing your tune once you understand the levels of power that slug has unlocked in me. I have finally become that which Frieza most feared. You're going to live just long enough to see the greatest triumph of our race come to fruition. Cherish it, woman."

Disgusted, and certain that if Vegeta did have anything to do with Gohan's disappearance he would be gloating about that instead of making vague threats, Gine turned and flew away.

"If I see the boy again I'll give him your regards," Vegeta called after her, and it was a very near thing not to turn around and vaporize him on the spot.

In theory Gohan knew that Namek was a tidally locked planet that orbited a trinary star system at just the right distance that the day side wasn't too hot and the night side wasn't too cold. It was a fascinatingly delicate arrangement, and it made him even more excited to get to calculus than he already was, to better understand the orbital mechanics. 

In practice, the fact that he’d been here for almost two weeks and hadn’t seen a single sunset was disconcerting to say the least. Part of the strangeness was in how easy it was to forget there was anything strange. It would sneak up on him, a jolt of wrongness upon suddenly realizing dinner had been hours ago but it was still light out. 

He and Dende had been walking for nearly half a day but the shadows still lay as they had when they set out. It made it seem like they weren’t making any progress at all. 

Dende had come to him in the midst of the evacuation, distraught.

“Gohan, Moori said no! He doesn’t understand. And the Grand Elder won’t countermand him; he says as my caretaker I have to listen to him.”

He clutched Gohan’s hands, nearly in tears, and Gohan squeezed back.

“Then we’ll do it. It’ll work, I promise.”

And just as they had planned, Dende got onto the big ship bound for Earth. He made a point of checking in with Moori, and then told him he was going to go sit next to Cargo. But once he found Cargo he only said he was going to go sit with Moori. And then he’d slipped off the ship, easily missed in the confusion, and he and Gohan had first walked, then ran, and then walked again, away from the camp and into the wilds.

“What do you think?” Gohan said as they entered a system of ravines that split the landscape like a natural maze. “I found this place while I was flying to Lian’s. You can hide out here until it’s too late to turn the ship around, and then I’ll come get you. I think a day should do it.”

“Okay,” Dende said, but when Gohan turned to leave Dende pulled at his hand again. “Gohan... I’m scared.”

“Do you want to go back?” Gohan asked worriedly. “The ship hasn't left yet. There’s still time if you want to leave with the others.”

But Dende shook his head. “No. I want to stay. That’s not what I meant.” He bit his lip. “Vegeta is still out there. What if he finds me?”

“He won’t,” Gohan assured him. “He can’t sense energy, and even if he could, as long as you don’t fly, you’ll basically be invisible.”

Just as he said it, he felt the hackle-raising feeling of a dark, evil ki, coming in fast. He heard someone land with a thud just outside the ravine entrance, and then felt them move unerringly down the ravine right toward them.

Gohan shoved Dende down a side path just as Vegeta came into view. He kept his eyes on the Prince, resisting the powerful urge to glance at Dende, who was still in his peripheral vision. Vegeta stalked toward him, and Gohan, even though it was the last thing he wanted to do, took a step forward to meet him.

“What do you want?” he demanded. Vegeta laughed.

“You’re a feisty brat. You must get that from your mother. Kakarot turned out to be nothing but a pathetic milksop.”

He wasn’t so pathetic that he couldn’t beat you, Gohan thought. 

“What do you want?” he repeated.

“I just wanted to see who was skulking around down here.” Vegeta was smiling, in fact hadn’t stopped smiling since he’d come into view. He was in a spectacular mood. Gohan didn’t know if that meant violence was less likely, or more . “I picked up that useful little technique you Earthlings use and I’ve been improving on it. Did you know I was over a mile from here when I sensed you?” He seemed proud of himself.

“Good for you,” Gohan said, and for the first time Vegeta’s smile fell flat.

“You really do have a little mouth on you, don’t you?” He took a sharp step forward and Gohan flinched, the urge to back up fighting with the need to keep Dende hidden. Vegeta reached toward him and Gohan clenched his fists but held his ground.

“Don’t worry,” Vegeta said softly, giving his head a pat. “I gave my word not to harm anyone until Frieza gets here. You don’t need to be frightened of me, boy. At least,” he grinned again, fingering Gohan’s silky, un-Saiyan-like hair, “not for now.”

He released Gohan’s hair and took a step back, studying him. “Once this is all over, though, I’m going to teach you some manners. Your upbringing was clearly deficient. But it’s not too late. I could raise you into a proper Saiyan. I’d need to get rid of your father first, of course, maybe your mother too…”

Gohan felt his teeth chattering and realized his hair was standing straight up with all the energy pouring off him. He tamped down on it as best he could; he couldn’t afford to get in a fight right now. But Vegeta merely laughed.

“See? You have spirit! I can work with that. Look forward to it, boy.” He gave a lazy salute and walked away, taking to the air as soon as he exited the ravine. Gohan sagged, leaking air like a balloon.

“Dende?” He staggered back a step. Dende was still lying where he’d shoved him, frozen in place. At hearing his name he lifted his head out of the dirt ever so slightly to look at Gohan. “It’s okay,” Gohan said, sitting down on the ground with a thump. “He’s gone.”

Dende flopped over, groaning in relief. “That was so scary!”

“Change of plans,” Gohan said firmly. “I’m staying with you while we wait.”

“But—” Dende struggled to sit up. “Won’t your family wonder where you are?”

“It doesn't matter,” Gohan said. “I can’t leave you by yourself with Vegeta here, and we can’t go back, not yet.”

“But we didn’t bring any food.”

“That’s okay,” Gohan said. “I checked with Bulma and she said it’s safe to eat the animals here.”

Dende made a face. “As long as I don’t have to watch you do it.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be neat about it,” Gohan said. He had his suspicions that Namekians were also capable of eating solid foods, perhaps even meat, what with those incisors, but now didn’t seem like the time to bring it up.

“I am glad you’ll be with me, though,” Dende admitted, picking at the cuffs of his sleeves. “Even if Frieza doesn’t… Well, once this is all over and you go home, I don’t know if I’ll ever see you again.”

“You will,” Gohan said with confidence he wasn’t entirely sure was justified. Just this once, though, he left logic in favor of hope. “We made it here once, we can make it here again.”

“If our elders don’t kill us for making them worry,” Dende said dolefully. 

Gohan laughed, surprised at how much better even that short chuckle made him feel. “I’m sure they’ll let us visit each other once they use the dragon balls to wish us back.” 

It was Dende’s turn to laugh. They took turns telling each other jokes, trying to outdo each other, until Gohan fell asleep with his head in Dende’s lap, the lack of sunsets having left him unaware that he’d been awake for almost twenty eight hours. Dende, bravely, let him sleep, but his ears twitched at every sound for the entire ten hours Gohan slept.

Chapter Text

Kakarot was… disappointed. From the air he could see Gohan fast asleep on Dende's lap. Sure, Dende was awake, but he wasn't a warrior. What if Vegeta came by? Had they been planning on staying out here until Frieza came? What had Gohan been thinking?

Kakarot landed with a deliberate thud, ready to scold his son as he had never needed to in his life.

But Gohan surged to his feet before the noise of his landing had even died away. Still half-asleep, the boy's hands filled with ki, his feet wide in a ready, protective stance. Though imperfect, Gohan's guard was solid enough that it could not be easily ignored. The scolding died on Kakarot's lips.

Blinking blearily, Gohan's stance eased as he realized who had landed in front of him.

"Hi, dad—" he began, but Kakarot made as though to grab Dende, and quick as thought Gohan swatted his hand away with an arm block. Now Kakarot reached for Gohan, and Gohan batted him away with his other hand, expression turning grim. Kakarot slid inside Gohan's guard, parting his ki like water, and in Gohan's sudden panic he raised his hands and shot a ki blast straight at Kakarot's chest.

It was warm, but not scalding. Gohan had put all his intention into force rather than heat, and Kakarot felt himself being pushed back. He could have resisted, but he was surprised at how much effort it would have taken. Instead, he let himself be pushed, then rushed forward again, only to find Gohan leaping at him, harrying him with kicks to his head and shoulders. He blocked them, grabbing Gohan's foot at an opportune moment and swinging him down at the ground, softening the blow as much as he could.

That proved to be a mistake. Gohan stopped himself inches from the ground and wrenched his foot out of Kakarot's hand, spinning sideways in midair and using his momentum to slide tackle Kakarot's legs out from under him. Kakarot landed flat on his back. Immediately he tensed to flip to his feet again, but Gohan had already leaped into the air and was coming down with both feet to stomp him into the dust.

Kakarot had two choices, as he saw it: let his son bring the full weight of his body and ki down on his stomach and try to bear it (a painful prospect), or try to stop him with a ki blast: one that would need to be strong enough to actually hurt him, since going easy on him did not seem to be working. Unsure of exactly how durable his son was (or his stomach, for that matter; Gohan had gotten strong) Kakarot, as he often did, chose option C: he flared briefly into Kaio-ken and rolled out of the way, hopping to his feet as soon as he was clear.

"Stop!" Dende was sobbing, kneeling on the ground in terror. "Please, stop! I'll go back, just stop fighting!"

Kakarot ignored him. He looked at Gohan, chest heaving. "Why is this so important to you?" he asked.

Gohan gritted his teeth against the tears that began to fall. "Because I couldn't protect anyone! When Nappa was going to kill mom, I couldn't do anything to stop him. He would have killed her if you hadn't saved her. And then Vegeta came, and he fought us and he killed all those people and I still wasn't strong enough!" Gohan hiccupped a sob, and then angrily scrubbed his tears away. "Dende just wants to protect his family, and I know exactly how he feels. Even if all I can do is make sure he can help, I want— I have to do it." He glowered at his father, his hands clenching into tiny fists. "And I won't let you stop me."

When Kakarot had handed Gohan to Gine before heading off to the world of the dead, his son had been little more than a baby. Only a year later, this boy in front of him was practically another person entirely. It was one thing to hear about Gohan's efforts on the battlefield, after the fact and second hand. It was quite another to witness his son's indomitable spirit, and have it leveled at him.

"Your mom's gonna kill you, you know," he said with a grin. Gohan's face slowly lit up as he realized what this meant.

"You won't tell them where we are?"

"No, because I'm staying here with you." Kakarot folded his arms sternly over his chest. "If Vegeta had been the one to find you he wouldn't have gone so easy on you."

"He did find us," Gohan told him as he helped Dende to stand. The young Namekian looked rapidly back and forth between them, eyes wide. Kakarot uncrossed his arms in alarm.

"What did he do?"

"Nothing," Gohan said, but his tone implied it had been an unpleasant nothing. "He promised he wouldn't hurt anybody, and he's keeping his word."

Kakarot gave a surprised grunt. Gohan took Dende's hand and held it, but he was frowning at the ground.

"Dad?" he said. Kakarot tilted his head. Gohan's frown deepened. "Grandma always said Saiyans were bad, but she said you and me were different because we were raised on Earth."

"Yeah," Kakarot said warily.

"But I started wondering… Grandma wasn't raised on Earth. She was raised with other Saiyans. Why is she the only one that's different?"

Kakarot and Dende looked at each other. It was not an exchange between two people sharing a moment of silent understanding. Both were looking at the other for clarification, context. Neither of them found what they were looking for. Kakarot looked back at his son, frowning as well.

"Well, that's because your grandma's special," he said. Gohan looked up finally, about to say something that died on his lips as soon as he met his father's eyes. He shook his head minutely, then tried again.

"Yes, but why? If Saiyans are inherently bad, then it shouldn't matter how they're raised. And if they're bad because of how they're raised, why is grandma the only good one when she was raised the same way?"

The feeling that this boy wasn't quite the son he remembered intensified. Kakarot took in a breath to speak, but someone landed near them and they all turned to look.

"What, are we playing sardines?" Krillin chuckled. "Chi Chi's going to be so mad."

She was, and Gine was hardly less angry, but she let Chi Chi do the yelling.

Gohan took his medicine like a man, head bowed but shoulders straight as his mother ripped him a new one. Then it was Kakarot's turn, and he was sheepish and tried to wiggle out of it and got even more of a mouthful than his son had. Then she turned to Dende, and her fire banked somewhat. She stood, arms folded, and studied him for a moment before sighing.

"I'm not your parent, so I can't scold you," she said. "But you're my son's friend and I worry about your safety."

She tilted her head to look at the Grand Elder, with whom she had formed an unexpected bond in the short time their children had been missing.

"Dende," he said softly. "Come here, my son."

As bravely as Gohan, Dende stepped up beside his father. The Grand Elder regarded him impassively for a long moment, long enough that Dende grew antsy, began fidgeting, then burst out,

"Grand Elder, why did you unlock my healing powers if not to have me use them when it's important? I know hiding was wrong but I don't care. I'd do it again!"

He thrust out his chin defiantly, but only for a moment. He seemed to grow embarrassed and tucked his chin against his chest, staring at the floor, but he did not retract his words. Nail coughed and turned his face away. Gine thought he might be smiling. The Grand Elder did smile, though it was sad.

"You are correct, Dende. To possess gifts and not use them is selfishness. Forgive me my selfishness for wanting you safe."

Tears welled up and spilled over Dende's cheeks almost instantly. He floated up and grabbed the Grand Elder's hand in his tiny one.

"I forgive you," he warbled. "I'm sorry I made you worry. Please forgive me!"

The Grand Elder forgave him. Gine slid her eyes away from this effusion of familial love and saw Gohan leaning against his mother's hip, her fingers absently combing his hair. Her eyes moved to Kakarot, who was looking at his wife and son with a pleased, proprietary air. The three of them formed a beautiful, perfect tableau— but a closed one. Loneliness, black and airless, welled up inside her as quickly as Dende's tears, until she was choking on it. Where was her baby, leaning against her side, hair under her fingers? When had he gotten so old?

When had she?

And then there he was. Kakarot had sidled up to her while she'd been distracted by despair and was grinning at her sideways. He was taller than her but still somehow gave the impression that he thought she was bigger than him, like a dog that hasn't realized it's not a puppy anymore.

"Ain't he cute?" he murmured. "You think the old timer would let us borrow him? Gohan's never had a best friend before."

His thoughts mirrored hers from a few days ago so closely that her ugly ruminations broke like a plate and vanished. She laughed, and reached up and dug her fingers into his hair.

"You're always going to be my baby," she said.

"I know," he said, smiling, but the words didn't make her as happy as she thought they would.

They all felt it, all at once.

It was hours later, after a meal and some quiet, subdued conversation. All that had been left to do was wait and stew in terrified boredom— but now it seemed the wait was over.

Krillin gave a surprised cry and leapt to his feet. Kakarot sucked in a breath, and Gohan held Dende's hand tighter. Even the Grand Elder was frowning.

Chi Chi looked the fiercest, staring up at the sky with her hands balled into fists.

"That's him?" she said. "That's the one that killed all the Saiyans?"

Gine swallowed around the ashes in her mouth. "Yes."

Chi Chi's voice was steel. "Well, he ain't going to kill any more."

"Gohan, get Dende to safety," Kakarot ordered.

"R-right."

He grabbed Dende's hand and pulled him out of the building, but before any of them could move they heard both boys cry out. All of them rushed outside to find two figures, each holding a struggling child.

Zarbon tossed a lock of hair out of his face and smiled politely.

"If you would all be so kind as to inform us of the whereabouts of the Saiyan Prince Vegeta, I'm sure we can find a way to bring this to a peaceful conclusion."

Dodoria rearranged Dende in his arms like a bag of groceries. "What he said."

"Gohan!" Chi Chi cried.

"Is one of them Frieza?" Kakarot asked Gine in a low growl. Gine shook her head.

"Zarbon and Dodoria. They're his right hand men, so he can't be far behind."

Kakarot scoffed. "They don't look that strong."

"Bardock told me that one can transform." Gine nodded at Zarbon. "So be careful."

Dodoria cocked his head.

"Bardock?" She saw him notice the tail around her waist. "Hey, you're a Saiyan. How come you're not dead?"

Gine felt black satisfaction as she said, "Frieza didn't get all of us."

"No no no." Dodoria shook his head like he was trying to dislodge a fly. "I already killed all of Bardock's crew before that." He chuckled. "Probably why he went all crazy at the end."

Gine's ears began to ring.

She whispered, "What?"

Dodoria counted on his fingers. "Yeah, let's see, there was the chick, and that big fat guy," (Zarbon snorted,) "the one with the scars and the... other one."

"Selipa," Gine whispered. "Panbukin. Totapo. Toma."

"Yeah, that was their names. I killed them all dead. How'd I miss you?"

Selipa, laughing. "Don't be stupid, girl. I don't want your sloppy seconds. I don't want  you  here at all."

Totapo, silently sharing his food.

Panbukin, checking her power level on his scouter every few seconds to see if it had changed and laughing when it hadn't.

Toma, looking worried. "You know people are starting to talk. Don't you think you should do him a favor and just leave?"

Bardock. Bloodied and serious, standing in the kitchen, telling her to get their son to safety. Had he known his crew was dead at that point? Had he been running on fumes and grief, or had he died not knowing their fate?

"Ah, well, guess I'll get to it now," Dodoria said. "I wonder how many more survived."

"Bardock certainly didn't." Zarbon laughed.

"Friezaaaa!" Dodoria mocked. "What did he think he was gonna do, kill Frieza by himself?"

They both laughed.

The ringing in Gine's ears grew louder.

Gently, she eased Gohan out of Zarbon's arms, plucked Dende from Dodoria's, set them down next to Kakarot, and then positioned herself between the two lackeys, all before anyone had even realized she'd moved. She closed her eyes, feeling where they were, feeling how weak they were, and savored it, just for a moment. Then she thrust out her hands, one to either side.

"This is for Bardock," she whispered, and vaporized them.

Chapter Text

They'd been washing up after a purge. It had been just the two of them, tired, scrubbing the blood and dust and memories away with mechanical efficiency. She'd glanced at him, seen the boot-shaped imprint on his upper thigh, the bald patch at the base of his tail, and knew instantly what they meant. Who they meant.

Zarbon and Dodoria took special pleasure in tormenting Saiyans, and Bardock was the strongest Saiyan who wasn't royalty. He took it, because he was strong enough to, because what else could he do. It was just the way things were. But today the marks made Gine want to retch.

Without thinking she placed her tail over the bruise on his thigh. She was not surprised when he smacked it away, but she was surprised when he shoved her against the wall and stalked out, still streaming with water and blood.

It had been her own fault, of course. Acknowledging weakness in someone you respected was simply not done. She'd hurt him, worse than whatever Zarbon and Dodoria had done. What else could she have expected?

He'd been ever so slightly more tender with her the next time they coupled. It was all the apology she'd expected. It was all the apology he'd been capable of making.

She'd forgiven him, of course. But from then on she counted the bruises. It was the only thing she could do.

Gine lowered her arms, breathing in the scent of ozone and dust. There was no trace of Zarbon or Dodoria. Just black scorch marks on the grass to either side of her. She exhaled slowly, years of memories escaping along with the air.

Setting her face in a smile she did not mean, she turned to look at Kakarot— and the blood froze in her veins.

Sitting in a floating chair, high atop the Grand Elder's house, was Frieza.

He smiled when Gine caught sight of him.

"I suppose you think you're terribly clever." He floated down from the roof until he was level with the ground. Nail bristled where he stood in the doorway, but Frieza kept his eyes on Gine. "You must have known you couldn't hide Vegeta from me forever. All I wanted was to take him and leave, no bloodshed necessary. But what did I expect?" His smile practically glittered. "Saiyans think all bloodshed is necessary."

No one asked if this was Frieza.

"I am curious, though," Frieza went on, still looking hard at Gine. She quailed under his nightmare gaze. "You just took out my two right hand men. But I would know if there was still a Saiyan with battle power like that running around the galaxy. Where have you been hiding, woman?"

Gine had only ever seen Frieza one time, during a planet wide review. She'd been unfortunate enough to be in the second row as he walked past, inspecting his troops with a condescending smile. Certainly something about him had given her the shivers, but he'd taken no notice of her, a little low class nobody standing in formation. His cruelty was widely known, but to her, at the time, he'd seemed no different than the Saiyans who killed in his name.

Reaching out with her senses now, she felt a screeching static in her brain, a crawling horror that dwarfed Vegeta and his petty narcissism, dwarfed even the Demon King and his delight in the suffering of others. This being before her had disintegrated a planet full of people and had probably done so laughing. It seemed wrong that he could use language, speak words with politeness and manners. A monster should gnash its teeth and snarl wordlessly, not sit there and converse with people as though it was anything like them.

Her rising fear triggered Gine to take a deep breath, automatically centering herself and settling her energy as Kami had taught her, all those years ago. Another breath, and she was calm, fully present in the moment; aware and alert, but not frantic. She could feel the energy of those around her: her friends, her family, her allies, even the squadron of Frieza soldiers milling around behind the house.

She felt Frieza, and it was like missing a step at the top of the stairs.

Frieza was weaker than her.

As a thought it wouldn't fit in her brain. As a sentence she couldn't put the words in that order. But in her gut, she felt it, strange and triumphant.

She could take him.

"No answer?" Frieza was saying. "Very well. Dispatch them, but leave the Saiyan woman."

Troops flooded over the roof of the house, and Gine let go the feeling of Frieza's ki to focus on the combatants in front of her. Under orders not to injure her, they avoided her, aiming at Kakarot, Krillin, Nail, Chi Chi— and the children. Gohan covered Dende as best he could, but one boy facing thirty Frieza soldiers was simply not enough on his own.

Chi Chi, full of wrath, spun her energy scythe in wide swathes, shearing down five soldiers headed for Gohan in one go. Before her scythe had spun a single circuit, she'd kicked two more cretins into unconsciousness and jabbed another in the jaw, sending him staggering.

Krillin called up his Kienzan, cutting circles of carnage through the crowd. Kakarot waded through wads of soldiers, trying to find his way to Frieza but getting sidetracked as a small horde surrounded the house and Nail found himself overwhelmed. Kakarot kicked several soldiers out of the way and slew several more in a single blow, carving a path to give Nail breathing room in which to deal death blows of his own. Gohan picked off soldiers one at a time from the small circle of cover his mother and Krillin were creating for him, one hand curled protectively around his friend and the other aimed outward, his power potent enough to prove more than a match for most of Frieza's men.

In minutes they had whittled down their numbers to only a handful, the strong or the cowardly. The small band huddled together near Frieza, one of them glancing back at him as though asking for further instructions.

"Are you deaf?" Frieza snapped. "I said dispatch them!"

"B-but…" The soldier was green with dark blue spots. Gine was fairly certain she'd served him in the mess hall once or twice. In a minute or two she might even be able to remember his name. "But they're too strong!"

Frieza lazily pointed a finger at him and shot him dead. He looked at the rest of the troops in mild irritation.

"You can fight them, or you can fight me," he purred. "Your choice."

As one and without hesitation, the terrified group turned back to the Earthlings. Gine realized everyone was looking at her. Chi Chi and Krillin and Gohan and Kakarot— all unwilling to commit wholesale slaughter and asking her each in their own way if there was some way out of it. Gine looked at Frieza, who was still looking back at her with mild interest, and saw in his eyes that he cared so little for the lives of his own men that he wouldn't even derive any pleasure from killing them. He wouldn't draw out their deaths or be enraged at their failure— he would simply dispatch them and move on. Being merciful was no mercy here.

But before she could communicate any of this to the others, a huge ki blast lit up the area, disintegrating the soldiers and nearly taking out the Grand Elder's house. Nail stood before it and bore the brunt of the blast wave on his forearms, which blackened and burned. Frieza was obscured in a cloud of smoke, and as it cleared they could see that his chair had been charred to a crisp, along with his scouter. Standing in front of him, smiling sickeningly, was Vegeta.

"Did you really come all this way just for me?"

Frieza's answering smile was a bright, brittle thing.

"You always did have an overinflated sense of your own importance, my dear prince. Surely you didn't think I'd simply look the other way while you openly defied me? If you're expecting the usual slap on the wrist this time you're sadly mistaken."

"You're right, Frieza," Vegeta agreed. "We're past that now. All that time spent bowing and scraping before the great Lord Frieza is finally at an end."

Frieza's smile widened fractionally.

"Oh? Are you finally doing it? Your little coup d'etat you've been planning for so long? I'm positively tingling with anticipation to see what you've come up with."

The two of them stared at each other, their smiles thin veils over their hatred for each other. There was history here, Gine realized. Decades of servitude and abuse. If any Saiyan deserved to kill Frieza more than any other, it was the Prince. And truthfully, Gine would have been happy enough to let these two play out an end to their twisted association without interference from her, except for one thing: Vegeta wasn't strong enough.

He was stronger than he had been, sure enough. The Grand Elder had seen to that. But he was still no match for Frieza. And he seemed to be entirely unaware of it.

"You killed the Saiyans but you left me alive. Surely you must have known how foolish that was, Frieza. Your desire to play with your food is about to be the death of you." He spread his arms in a grand gesture. "You see standing before you none other than the Legendary Super Saiyan!"

Frieza stared nonplussed. Then he laughed, a high, horrible sound that went on too long.

"Oh, I get it now! You're not setting a plan in motion. You've simply gone insane. How sad. I was hoping for something more entertaining."

Vegeta clenched his fists.

"You want entertainment? I'll give you entertainment."

He rushed him, and Frieza caught his fist inches from his face, looking, for the first time, less than perfectly composed. Vegeta swung his other fist and Frieza caught that too, his arm shaking with the effort of holding it back.

"You… see…?" Vegeta grunted. His teeth were bare in an exultant grimace. "I... am… the legend..."

They sprang apart, Frieza actually sweating. He was frowning ferociously at Vegeta.

"Hmm. So you weren't entirely bluffing."

"I've got more than that up my sleeve," Vegeta promised. "Prepare to meet your end, Frieza."

He lunged again, the power of stars and the vengeance of millions riding on his fist. Frieza stepped out of the way, caught him by the throat, and slammed him to the ground, where he lay, motionless.

Frieza sighed.

"Disappointing."

Chapter Text

Frieza leaned forward and put his foot on Vegeta's head.

"Are you still awake, Prince? I want you to feel every second of the agony I'm about to put you through."

He twisted his foot, shoving Vegeta's face into the dirt. The Prince moaned, unable to do anything about it. Frieza was ignoring the rest of them, completely focused on tormenting Vegeta. Gine felt Kakarot's eyes on her, asking her what to do. They were the only two who could stop this, and Gine wasn't sure they should.

But then, as Vegeta's agonizing cries echoed across the empty landscape, Gine realized something.

Tilus' words echoed in her head: "Mercy is never the wrong choice." And even now, she knew the Namekian was wrong. Vegeta was a stain on the galaxy and she would personally sleep better at night if he was no longer in it. But he was a Saiyan, same as her, and if she stood by and did nothing while Frieza killed him she would be no better than either of them.

Gine phased forward, kicked Vegeta out of the way, and punched Frieza in the face.

Completely unprepared, the tyrant pinwheeled backward through the air, crashing into a mountain a kilometer away. Vegeta groaned, but Gine ignored him. She only had a few seconds before Frieza got his wits about him and returned. Behind her, Kakarot was speaking urgently to Chi Chi and Gohan; Nail was saying something about the Grand Elder, Dende's high, frightened voice answering him. But Gine ignored them all. She could feel a laugh bubbling up in her chest that threatened to overwhelm her composure.

She'd just decked Lord Frieza in the face.

In an instant Frieza was back, rage contorting his face. "How," he spat, his fingers going for a scouter that was no longer there. When his fingers met only air he instead clenched his fist and stared at her with far more interest than he'd shown Vegeta. That stare would have been enough to make her knees buckle, back in the day. Now the laugh surged again and she made a strangled sound to keep it in check. Frieza nodded slowly.

"A fluke," he said slowly, as though convincing himself, and Gine punched him again.

He was a little more prepared this time— he didn't go flying. But he staggered back several steps. As though she was following her fists Gine pressed her advantage, harrying him with punches and kicks he could barely avoid. He had terrible form, she realized. His blocks were sloppy and his posture did nothing to center and control his energy flow. He clearly relied on his overwhelming strength to win— but that wouldn't help him now. Somehow, amazingly, she was stronger than him. Stronger than Frieza. Her.

Gine felt a grin stretch across her face. She could no longer recall why she was holding back her laughter, and let it loose. She struck Frieza again and again, growing giddier and giddier with every blow.

She felt distant from her body, like any moment now she would roll over in bed and wake up. Frieza's nose began to bleed. She felt her grin stretch wider. There was a kite string in her hand, and she let it go, following it up, up, up into the sky until she disappeared.

Kakarot felt something seize up in his chest. Beside him, Chi Chi had pressed both hands over her mouth. Even Nail and Dende, as worried as they were about the Grand Elder, had stopped to watch.

His mother was laughing.

He'd never heard his mother laugh like that, not once in his whole life. She was grinning hugely, her eyes wide and full of hate. Frieza was totally overwhelmed and Gine was reveling in it. Vegeta, coughing up blood, was crawling toward Dende, begging for healing. No one paid him any attention.

"Grandma…" Gohan whispered. Kakarot pulled his son close, both of them staring at Gine as she dismantled the tyrant. He had always wondered what kind of being could destroy a world: one that had not just the power, but the inclination. He'd grown up knowing, vaguely, that he and his mother had come from another planet, and that that planet had been destroyed. Now that he was actually feeling the unutterable horror of Frieza's ki, darker and more potent than ink poured onto a blank page, he thought he understood why the Saiyans had all been so nasty: compared to this, a little raping and pillaging was nothing.

She'd tried to tell them, Gine had. How awful Saiyans were. He hadn't understood then. She wasn't like that. She was soft, and good, and kind. He'd been unable to wrap his mind around the idea that someone like his mother had come from monsters.

But this person, wielding death in her palms, looked like she was enjoying herself. Kakarot had never wondered if his ma enjoyed fighting. It was like asking if someone enjoyed eating. But the dark delight he could see in her eyes was nothing like her usual quiet contentment, and it gave him the willies.

"It's no use," he heard Dende sob, and he turned to see the boy exiting the house. Gohan ran to him, taking him by the hands. Nail hovered over both of them. Dende sniffed and tears ran down his cheeks. "The Grand Elder is dying. He says Frieza's evil energy is— He says— And I can't do– anything—!"

Dende cried, leaning his face on Gohan's shoulder. Chi Chi lowered her hands from her face and glowered fiercely.

"Ma!" she called. Gine and Frieza were in midair some distance away by now, and as they watched Gine kicked him viciously in the head before following it with an uppercut and then slamming both fists into his gut. She was still grinning. Chi Chi cupped her hands around her mouth and bellowed, "Get it over with, ma!"

With slow deliberateness Gine reached a hand behind her and, without taking her eyes off Frieza, shot a ki blast at the ground next to Chi Chi. Rocks and grass exploded into the air. Gine continued with the beating as though nothing had happened.

Krillin was trembling. "She… she…"

Kakarot looked at his wife, dumbfounded. But Chi Chi was glaring up at Gine, shaking with rage.

"How rude!" She ground her teeth. "I'm not giving back the tablecloth I borrowed." She turned her glare on Kakarot. "The black one with red flowers? Don't give it to her, even if she asks."

Kakarot did not have it in him at that moment to hold back the chuckle that escaped his lips. Nothing phased his wife, nothing at all, and that was almost as frightening as his mother was right now.

He looked back at Gine, her fists grinding into Frieza's face over and over in time to her laughter.

Almost.

Suddenly, Frieza halted, and held up a hand. Gine stopped her barrage, vaguely interested to see how the emperor would plead for his life. But he wasn't surrendering. He was smiling.

"Not bad," he said. "I'm genuinely impressed. That doesn't happen often, you know. Savor this moment, woman, for it is over."

Tensing, Frieza blew the armor he was wearing into pieces. Gine cocked her head to one side, curious.

Growling deep in his throat, Frieza crouched. After a moment his torso expanded to twice its size, and with it his ki jumped. Then his arms lengthened, and then his legs. Last, with a painful grunt, his head grew to match his now enormous body. Gine watched it all impassively.

"You should feel honored." Frieza straightened from his crouch. His voice was deeper now, and somehow even more full of malice. "There aren't many who have seen this form, and even fewer who lived to speak of it. Do feel free to test it out."

He spread his arms invitingly, grinning a wicked grin.

He was a lot stronger, Gine could tell. He was easily twice what he had been. Distantly, she expected to be worried about that, and was distantly surprised when she wasn't. He was still sloppy, still too used to having things all his own way. He would be even more devastated when she beat him like this.

She couldn't wait.

Chapter Text

Gine spiraled through the air, peppering Frieza with ki blasts to pin him down. He absorbed them on an upflung forearm, shooting answering blasts with his free hand. She dodged them, spinning a lazy barrel roll and then dropping several hundred feet in an instant. While Frieza was still looking at the place she had been, Gine rushed him from the side and roundhouse-kicked him in the head. She felt one of his teeth give way and she smiled.

Growling, Frieza snatched at her foot, but she had already danced out of reach. With a roar he powered up a huge ki blast and flung it at her. She bent backwards to avoid it, the blast ruffling her hair as it passed overhead.

That had been close. If she'd been just a little slower she would have been burnt to cinders.

Frieza grinned.

"That was impressive, Saiyan. But I wonder how many more times you can pull that off."

He charged her again. Gine could tell he thought the fight was nearly over. That was fine. Technically he wasn't wrong. In terms of mere power he had her beat. If she lost concentration, even for a moment, she would lose. But Gine had been in a situation like this before.

She had been vastly more powerful than Demon King Piccolo, and he had still nearly won through mind games and capitalizing on her mistakes. She'd let worry for her son break her concentration, and the demon king, as the more experienced fighter, had hardly needed more of an opening than that.

This time, though, she was the more experienced fighter. This time, she would not lose concentration.

No matter what.

Kakarot noticed Vegeta out of the corner of his eye and forced his gaze away from the fight. The Prince was crawling toward Dende, and he was finally close enough that the boy felt the need to back up. Gohan stood between them protectively.

"Please…" Vegeta said weakly. He was clutching his side where Frieza had crushed his ribs. One of his legs was broken and dragging. He looked at Dende, who looked back with fear and disgust, then looked at Gohan, full of righteous fury, and then he turned to Kakarot. "Please… have mercy…"

The utter balls it took for him to say those words was almost impressive.

"Why should we?" Gohan shot back. "I bet you've never showed anyone mercy in your whole life!"

Vegeta shook his head, still looking at Kakarot.

"I… kept my word… I didn't... harm your boy…"

Kakarot glanced at Gohan, who glowered helplessly. It was true. He turned back to the Prince, who, he realized, had wiped the same string of blood and saliva from his mouth four times now. He was bleeding internally, likely dying as they watched. Kakarot looked at Dende.

"No!" Dende shook his head violently, backing up a step even though Kakarot hadn't moved. "No, I won't!"

"Dende," Kakarot said softly. From miles away a sound like thunder bellowed over the plains and a brief flash lit the sky. Kakarot knelt so he was eye level with Dende. "I know, kiddo, but we can't just leave him like this, and you're the only one who can help him." The boy shook his head again, hiding behind Gohan, who was giving his father a stricken look. Kakarot looked at Vegeta.

"Well?" he said. Vegeta stared at him. "I can't make him do anything, Vegeta. You're going to have to help yourself a little here."

"Feh!" Vegeta spat, and looked away. "My pride... does not bend so easily. Let me... die, then. But let me... see Frieza's demise... before I do."

"Stop talking, Vegeta," Kakarot ordered. "You're just making it worse."

"Shut up!" Vegeta coughed painfully, flecks of blood spattering the ground in front of him. "You know… he killed us all… do you not? But do you know… what happened… after?"

"After?" In the distance Kakarot saw a huge plume of water erupt from the ocean, though which fighter had just been flung into its depths he wasn't certain. "What do you mean?"

"The day after it happened… Frieza called the three of us before him…" Vegeta's breath hitched and Kakarot was amazed to see tears start streaming down his cheeks. "We all knew… what he'd done... and we were certain... he was about to... finish the job. But instead… he apologized… for not seeing the 'meteor'... sooner. He sat there and acted sorry… and we had to… forgive him…" Vegeta clenched his teeth and sobbed for a moment. "It went on like that for years… His cruelty was inventive… and boundless…" He opened one eye and glared at Kakarot. "Your mother… thinks she knows what he's like… but she doesn't… She can't… That's why... it has... to be me..."

Vegeta closed his eyes and sighed, and Kakarot saw belatedly the sizable puddle of blood that had been forming under his chin. He turned to Dende once more.

"Please, Dende, he's dying. I promise you I won't let him hurt anyone else."

Dende screwed up his face in dismay. Kakarot was afraid he was going to refuse again, but then Nail was there, kneeling next to the boy with a sorrowful look.

"I know how you feel, little brother," he said. "But I think you should help him. Not for him," he said to the look of betrayal on Dende's face, "but for yourself. Don't be a person who lets vengeance rule his heart."

More tears dripped from Dende's eyes. A fierce wind whipped around as the combatants streaked overhead, clashing again miles away. Dende looked at them, and then at Vegeta, whose breathing grew shallower as they watched. The boy's antennae stretched and curled in agitation, until finally he inhaled sharply, as though bracing himself. He held up his hands, and the warm glow of healing illuminated Vegeta's body.

"Thank you, Dende," Kakarot breathed. The boy only turned his head away, though whether it was Vegeta he was refusing to look at, or Kakarot, it was not clear. Nail squeezed his shoulder once and then stood and headed back to the house. Kakarot glanced at Chi Chi, but she remained as she had been, her gaze fixed firmly on her mother-in-law.

After a minute Vegeta began to stir, and in another minute he sat up, breathing deeply. He stood, throwing a few punches into the air, and then nodded, satisfied. From the corner of his eye he glanced at Dende.

"When Frieza is dead and I rule the galaxy," he said, "this will not go unrewarded."

Dende was so offended by this he looked ready to spit. But Vegeta looked away from him without another word and tensed to take off.

"Whoa, whoa, where do you think you're going?" Kakarot demanded, planting himself in Vegeta's path. The Prince glared.

"I'm going to kill Frieza."

Kakarot shook his head. "My ma's got that taken care of. This isn't your fight anymore, Vegeta."

"Like hell it isn't!" Vegeta bellowed. "Didn't you listen to a word I said? Frieza slaughtered my people, tormented me for years. He will die by my hand and no other!"

"He slaughtered her people too!" Kakarot shouted. "She has just as much right to kill him as you do!"

"You stupid low class!" Vegeta actually laughed. "Whether it is her right, you think she has what it takes to defeat Lord Frieza himself? Only the Legendary Super Saiyan has any hope of killing him, and that, obviously, is me."

Kakarot flung out a hand at his mother, who had gotten Frieza by the tail and was spinning him around. She released him and he slammed into the ground.

"Looks like she's doin' a pretty good job to me," he said flatly. Vegeta ground his teeth, but before he could make a retort Frieza exploded from the ground, seething with rage.

"Enough!"

The emperor strained, nearly folding in half with effort, and out of his back sprouted several large spikes. His face and head elongated, growing more grotesque until he looked positively ghoulish. His power spiked massively as he changed, and when Gine charged, sensing a distraction, he batted her away without looking.

His transformation finished, Frieza straightened. Stretched. Everyone gaped at him and he grinned.

"And, you know, this isn't even my final form."

Chapter Text

It was time.

Gine had never made a false moon before, but she'd seen Bardock make one plenty of times. Frieza thought so highly of his transformations, but he'd forgotten that Saiyans transformed too, and that was going to be his downfall.

She was done playing around anyway. She'd toyed with the galactic emperor, played him like a yoyo on a string, and now she was ready to end him.

He'd killed her people. She hadn't always liked them, hadn't always been like them. But they were hers, even if she hadn't always been theirs. She was a Saiyan. At least one Saiyan had acknowledged that. And she owed it to him, at least, to kill Frieza once and for all.

Gine held out her hand, and—

And what?

A ball of ki appeared over her palm, but it was just a ball of energy. It didn't look right. Green, it had always been green. How did you make your ki a different color? And there had been something about waves, Bardock had said, but she'd been seventeen and staring dreamily at his lips, not listening to the words coming out of them. Damn!

It mixed with the atmosphere, that was the secret, it burst open all at once and the ki mixing with the atmosphere created a reaction. But what type of ki? Mix it how? Gine worked her fingers, the ball of ki flickering through the rainbow, going out and sparking to life again.

Nothing.

She'd forgotten. She'd never known how. She'd never thought she'd need to know.

Frieza, who had been watching all this with a nasty grin, phased forward and buried his fist in her gut, and the tiny ball of ki in her hand fizzled and went out.

"Man, if you hadn't been so hungry, maybe you woulda beat Jackie Chun!" Krillin said.

"Nah." Kakarot shook his head. "I think I still woulda lost— that old guy was great!"

"That's right!" Master Roshi interjected quickly. "Remember, both of you, no matter how strong you get, there's always someone stronger than you out there."

Kakarot had known exactly who he meant.

Gine sagged to her knees, clutching her stomach. Frieza's distorted grin grew wider. Kakarot watched, enraged, as the emperor began to give back every wound Gine had given him with interest.

Kakarot ground his teeth. If only he could help. If only she could go Oozaru… wait! That's what she had been doing! She'd been trying to make a moon. But she didn't know how, and neither did he.

"Vegeta!" He whirled on the Prince. "Make that light! The fake moon! If she goes Oozaru she can still beat him."

But the Prince sneered.

"Clearly none of you understand what a Super Saiyan is. Let me demonstrate."

And the fool prince flew toward Frieza with every ounce of his strength concentrated in his fist, screaming a battle cry. Frieza, busy battering Gine with his tail while holding her aloft by the neck, merely reached out with his free hand and flicked Vegeta away without looking. The prince sailed backwards, coming to rest with a crash at Kakarot's feet.

The entire exchange had taken three-quarters of a second.

"Now do you get it?" Kakarot leaned over him, exasperated. "Hurry up and make the moon. Only you know how."

Vegeta sat up slowly, holding a hand to the mark on his forehead where Frieza's fingers had made contact. He was staring slack-jawed at the carnage going on in front of him.

"All this time," he whispered. "He was… All this time…" Vegeta began to tremble, and for the second time that day tears began streaming from his eyes. Krillin made a noise of disgust.

"What happened to all that bravado just now, your highness?"

But Vegeta was too terrified to respond. Kakarot took him by the scruff of his neck and shook him, hoping to snap him out of it, but he only let himself be shaken, still staring at Frieza dismantling Gine.

Krillin flung up his hands. "Well, he's a lost cause."

"If none of you are going to help her, I will!" Gohan shouted, running at Frieza. Kakarot yelled for him to stop, but it was Chi Chi who flung out an arm to bar his way.

"No, Gohan," she said, and for the first time in several minutes she took her eyes off the fight. She looked at Kakarot. "You need to help her."

Kakarot gaped at her. "I can't!"

Chi Chi inflated with rage, and turned her back on the combatants completely to march up to her husband. "What do you mean, you can't? You're strong enough to help. You're strong enough to end this right now!"

"She doesn't want me to!"

His wife's nostrils flared dangerously. Behind his general terror at the situation, and even behind the specific terror of his wife being mad at him, Kakarot couldn't help but appreciate the sight of Chi Chi at the full height of her fury.

"And how do you know that?" she growled through clenched teeth. He shrugged helplessly.

"I just know!"

"Who cares what she wants!" Chi Chi shouted. "She's going to die getting what she wants! Is that what you want?"

Kakarot shook his head slowly. Chi Chi didn't understand. How to make her understand? "She doesn't need my help!" he shot back, his voice almost (almost) a yell. "She's— She's—"

She was stronger than him. She had always been stronger than him. She would always be stronger than him. Oh, maybe someday she would get old and retire, but probably not. Master Roshi was a couple hundred years old and used a walking stick, but he was still one of the most dangerous humans in existence. His ma couldn't— she wouldn't ever—

Out of the corner of his eye Kakarot saw Frieza fling Gine to the ground. Gine did not get up.

"Well, that's that I suppose," Frieza said, and raised a hand. The tips of all five of his fingers began to glow red. Gine moaned but did not rise.

No, a calm, distant part of his brain thought, even as the rest of his body moved automatically. Ma can't lose. There's always someone stronger out there.

Kakarot stood in front of his mother and deflected the blasts, sending them sailing into the ocean. The water exploded with steam, and the three of them were drenched with hot rain. Frieza raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? And what are you?"

Kakarot stared down the nightmare of his mother's people. If she couldn't fight him, then he would. "I'm a Saiyan from Earth," he said.

Frieza curled his lips back over his distended mouth in a parody of a smile.

"I really need to invest in some pest control," he said. "Since I seem to have failed at it so profoundly."

"You know what they say," Kakarot said, getting into his strongest stance. "If at first you don't succeed..."

Frieza laughed.

"Oh, this is going to be fun."

Kakarot agreed.

From where she lay, all Gine could see was Kakarot's boots, and then even they disappeared as he charged at Frieza. The noise of their battle, even more intense than hers, sounded all around her as the two of them clashed. With effort she rolled onto her stomach. Breathed. Braced herself. Got her knees under her. And that was all she had strength for. Because she was weak.

Her breathing sped up in rage or frustration or sorrow, she couldn't tell. She'd had him. And then she hadn't. And Kakarot had had to step in. Like Bardock always had. Because she'd always been weak.

All that training, all those zenkais, that boost from the Grand Elder. What was the point of it all if she couldn't kill the one person whose death really mattered? She might as well have stayed home on Earth and grown rhubarb. Better than coming all the way out here only to have her inadequacies shoved in her face again. Because she was weak, and always would be.

She raised her head and watched her son fight her battle for her.

With the ease of a dancer Kakarot dodged and leapt around the battlefield, his movements perfectly timed, always one step ahead of Frieza. His punches were devastating, his kicks crisp and precise. He moved like someone completely at ease in his body, someone completely in control.

Someone who loved to fight.

Gine could still feel the sick need pulsing under her skin, but it was more about vengeance than joy. If she could have held a gun to Frieza's head and killed him that way, she would in a heartbeat. But even in the most desperate circumstances, Kakarot fought like there was nothing he'd rather be doing. He was skilled. He was strong. And he always would be.

Despair welled up inside her, overriding her fatigue, and she pounded the ground with her fist. The earth cracked and shattered at the blows, but she barely saw it through the hot, angry tears in her eyes.

What good was she? What good was all the training she'd done? The battlefield belonged to other people, not her. Never her. Piccolo had nearly beaten her. Vegeta had been miles out of her league. Frieza was always one step ahead of her. What was she doing here?

She struck the ground one more time, and then the despair ebbed as quickly as it had flowed, taking the rest of her strength with it. She lowered her head again, utterly spent. Kakarot would make short work of the emperor and then they would go home. And she would tend to her garden, and always she would know that it was Bardock's blood that made their son strong, not hers.

The noise of battle stopped, and Gine raised her head in time to see Frieza, now in a smaller, sleeker form, point a finger at Kakarot's chest and fire.

Chapter Text

Grandpa Gohan sat on the beach next to Kame House. He looked up when he noticed Gine.

"It's coming," he said.

She said, "What is?"

He pointed at the sea. She looked, and instead of water saw only light.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Fear," he said. "Suffering. Rage."

"There's so much of it," she said.

He said, "Yes."

The light began rising, pouring its way up the beach and lapping at her ankles. Gine shivered and looked at Gohan.

"I'm frightened," she told him.

He turned to her, his face burnt and black with the heat of the light that engulfed him.

"I know."

The light was still rising, faster and faster, a flood. She tipped her head back as it rose above her shoulders. The heat was unbearable. She felt her skin prickle and peel. This would not kill her, she knew. But she might want it to, before the end.

The light slipped past her chin, filled her mouth, her nose, her ears, closed soundlessly over her head.

There was nothing but light.

Nothing but burning.

Nothing remained but that.

Kakarot fell back, gasping in pain at the hole in his chest. Frieza had transformed again, and even though he'd done it twice before, Kakarot still hadn't been prepared for the massive jump in power. If this wasn't the last one they were all dead for sure. They might all be dead anyway. Even Kaio-ken times twenty hadn't been enough.

A scream echoed out across the plains. Kakarot's head snapped around to look at the source. His mother was standing, shaking with rage, her energy spiraling up and up, the clouds above her swirling in response, the water near her feet lapping furiously at its bounds. As he watched, her hair and eyes began to glow white hot. She screamed again, and for a moment, Kakarot did not recognize his mother.

Then she went still, her energy somehow suddenly fifty times more massive than it had been moments before. Kakarot, clutching at the hole in his chest, sat up and stared. Her hair wasn't white hot anymore, but it was still light, somehow. Her eyes too. She looked eerie, not like herself. With slow, measured steps, she began walking toward Frieza, who had completely lost interest in Kakarot.

"M-ma?" Kakarot wheezed as she walked past him, but Gine gave no indication that she'd heard him. She just continued walking toward Frieza.

"What's this?" Frieza mocked. "Have you finally accepted your fate?"

Gine kept walking.

Frieza frowned.

"What's the matter, monkey, fear got your tongue?"

She kept walking.

Frieza curled his lip and raised a finger, shooting her with the same ultra concentrated red beam he'd hit Kakarot with. Without flinching or turning aside, Gine backhanded the beam away, sending it crashing into a rock formation where it detonated.

"Wha—?" Frieza took a step back and fired again, but again Gine sent it flying. He fired again and again, and each time Gine knocked it away. Finally she reached him, and she snatched up his hand in hers and bent it backwards at the wrist until something snapped.

Frieza screamed. It was the first real damage he'd taken.

Seemingly energized by the intense pain, Frieza leaped away from Gine, but she left an after image where she'd been and appeared behind him, knocking him to the ground. Frieza recovered quickly and shot straight up into the air. Gine followed him, and they clashed in midair, two tiny specks spiraling around the sky and knocking into each other, each clash an outpouring of energy potent enough to shatter planets.

Kakarot saw movement out of the corner of his eye, which turned out to be Gohan carrying Dende. The child had his hands outstretched, and he didn't even wait for Gohan to put him down before the glow of healing lit up. Kakarot felt the hole in his chest begin to knit itself together, and once his lungs were functioning again he took a breath and stood up.

"Gohan, take the others and go to the ship. It's too dangerous for you to be here."

"But Grandma's still hurt!" Gohan protested.

"I know, kiddo," Kakarot said. "But she… isn't herself right now."

All three of them looked at the battle, which was barely visible even to Kakarot's eyes. Mountains crumbled at every blow, stray ki blasts caused rifts in the ocean floor which in turn caused floods and tsunamis. To the boys he supposed it looked like the landscape was being torn to shreds by invisible spectres. Kakarot heard Dende gulp audibly.

He took both boys by the shoulders and gently turned them to face him.

"It's going to be fine, I promise," he said with more bravado than certainty. They both nodded reluctantly. "Now go to the ship and get ready to take off if you need to." He looked over at Chi Chi, who had just arrived. He caught her arms before she could grab him and spoke over her. "Go with them, Chi Chi."

Her eyes sparked dangerously. "Don't be stupid, I'm not leaving you!"

Far away one of the tiny figures knocked the other into an island, destroying it in an instant.

"Chi Chi, please!" Kakarot squeezed his wife's arms, willing her to just do as he asked for once. "I don't know what's gotten into ma. I don't want her hurtin' you on accident."

"She—" Chi Chi hesitated. "She would never do that."

"Chi Chi!" Kakarot resisted the urge to shake her. The wild, vengeful ki he could feel pouring off his mother was scaring him to death and he didn't know how it wasn't doing the same to his wife.

Chi Chi flung Kakarot's arms off her. "Ugh! Fine. I'll get the kids to safety. But you'd better not do anything stupid, do you hear me?"

She jabbed a finger directly at the spot that moments ago had been a gaping hole, and then whirled on her heel and gathered Gohan and Dende to her. The three of them took off.

"You too, Krillin," Kakarot said, turning back to the battle. Krillin had arrived just after Chi Chi and been watching everything silently.

"Not happening," he said.

"Krillin," Kakarot growled, but Krillin chuckled darkly.

"I'm not your kid and I'm not your wife. You can't tell me what to do."

A mountain on the very edge of the horizon exploded. Kakarot gave a bitter laugh.

"You sayin' I can tell Chi Chi what to do?"

Krillin snorted.

Kakarot shook his head helplessly. "Fine Krillin, but then do me a favor. If things get bad, make sure Gohan and Chi Chi take off. You know Chi Chi won't go if she thinks she's leavin' me behind."

"And she won't leave unless I make her, which means going with her anyway. You're a tricky guy, Kakarot."

A massive beam struggle lit up the sky for just a moment and then faded, minutes' worth of effort expended in a single second.

"All right," Krillin said. "But only if things get really bad."

Kakarot prayed they wouldn't.

He knew in his gut they would.

Mother? Where is Aspa?

Kiru turned from where she stood by the window, still dressed in her armor. It was the only time Gine ever saw her mother look at her with something other than disappointment.

Aspa is dead, she said.

In battle? three-year-old Gine asked innocently. But her mother wouldn't be looking like that if her friend had died with honor.

No, Kiru said. Frieza killed her.

Gine remembered blinking, trying to figure out if her mother had said something else really, and she had only misunderstood.

Why? she said eventually.

Kiru sighed, curling and uncurling her tail in agitation. But other than that she was still.

Who knows? He does that sometimes.

Does what sometimes?

Kiru looked at her daughter, eyes crying blood.

Kills us.

Gine asked what she thought was the obvious question.

Then why don't we kill him?

Her mother laughed.

Frieza staggered, forced back by Gine's fists.

Her mother was still laughing.

Frieza's blood stained her hands, and her mother laughed and laughed and laughed.

Chapter Text

So far, every time Frieza's power had increased, he'd needed to transform to do it. But this time, after spending a few minutes getting pummelled by Gine, he simply found some breathing space and powered up— and just like that he was on top again.

Krillin swore. "What the hell is up with this guy?"

Kakarot ground his teeth. His mother was now more powerful than he'd ever dared dream of reaching, but she was also badly hurt. Her left boot squelched blood from a wound in her leg, and every time she screamed she spat blood. He had wanted desperately to let Dende heal her, but he couldn't risk the boy's life like that— not with his mother the way she was now. Whatever power she had unlocked had come at the cost of her sanity.

And it had all been in vain. Things were back in Frieza's favor now: him, bleeding power like he had an infinite supply; her, furious, unfocused and dying.

Kakarot thought quickly. He had barely been able to touch Frieza even at Kaio-ken times 20, and doing that had drained so much energy he'd been nearly unable to move. Increasing the multiplier would probably be outright suicide. There was the Spirit Bomb… But Namek was so empty of life he wasn't sure how much it would yield. Maybe if he gathered energy from nearby planets as well…?

"You know, I feel rather foolish," Frieza called. Kakarot snapped to attention. The battle had come to a lull only yards from where he stood with Krillin. "If this is all there is to the Legendary Super Saiyan then I should never have killed you all."

Gine snorted like a bull. Veins stood out along her neck and face. Blood spurted weakly from the wound in her leg. Frieza bowed.

"You've fought well, Gine." Hearing his mother's name in the mouth of this horror made Kakarot feel sick. Frieza straightened. "But this is where it ends."

He raised a finger.

Gine tensed.

His fingertip glowed.

She charged.

Frieza fired.

Gine met the beam straight on.

It lanced through her heart and was gone.

Gine's fist landed.

Frieza didn't even flinch.

Her fist slid down his face as she collapsed in a heap at his feet.

Dead.

Kakarot breathed in, and the sound was so loud it hurt his ears.

Dead?

No.

Limp.

Motionless.

Silent.

But dead?

Was she…?

Everything was silent.

The world held its breath.

And Kakarot.

Screamed.

"Mama? Is Grandpa Gohan a Saiyan?"

"Haha, no sweetie. He's an Earthling."

"And… we're not?"

"No. We're from a different planet."

"Which one? Where is it?"

"It's called Vegeta. It... isn't anywhere anymore. It got destroyed."

"The whole planet?"

"Yes. Right after you were born."

"What happened?"

"We took a spaceship and came here."

"But… I mean... how did it get destroyed?"

"..."

"Mama?"

"Someone named Frieza destroyed it. But don't you worry about him. He doesn't know where we are. He'll never find us. We're safe here. Okay? We're safe."

"O-okay."

"We're safe. You remember that."

"...yes, mama."

Kakarot raised his eyes from his mother, Frieza's cat-like grin coming into focus over her limp form. He stared at the tyrant in vacant horror for exactly one heartbeat and then, as he had done so many times in his life, Kakarot followed his mother's example.

He screamed, the sound coming from a place deep in his soul. He let the rage take him, as it had taken his mother, and in surrendering to it, he found himself buoyed up by it.

Power, the likes of which he had never imagined before today, rushed up inside him, filling and filling and filling and spilling over and never stopping. He felt hot, the overflowing ki emanating off his skin as raw heat. The wild energy threatened to carry him off with it, but Kakarot resisted.

"Krillin!" he shouted. "Get ma to the ship and take off."

When Krillin failed to do so immediately, Kakarot screamed, "Now! While I can still control myself!"

Chanting under his breath, Krillin ran up to Frieza. Frieza smirked and pointed a finger at him. Instantly, Kakarot was there. He grabbed Frieza in a full nelson, and held him in place while Krillin scooped up his mother's body (he prayed it wasn't her dead body) and flew away.

Once Krillin was away Kakarot released Frieza, who immediately turned around.

"Goodness gracious, not you too!"

With his eyes, Kakarot watched Frieza. With his energy he felt Krillin moving toward Chi Chi and the kids. Once they were all safely away, then he could let loose. Until then he needed to keep it together.

"Is this really the Legendary Super Saiyan transformation? Again?" Frieza wondered aloud. "I was given to understand it only happens once every thousand years. Of course, I was also given to understand it was a threat to me, and we both saw how that turned out."

Kakarot seethed. He understood now. He was stronger than ma like normal, so he was stronger than her in this form as well. He'd be able to kill Frieza easily. If only ma had just focused on her training she could have done it herself, but no. The rage threatened to overwhelm him and he pushed it back. Just a few more moments and he'd be able to let go, but not yet…

"Does this form deprive all you Saiyans of your ability to speak? It's getting quite irritating the way you go all silent like that." Frieza shook his head. "No matter. I'll kill you just the same."

"No, you won't," Kakarot growled. Frieza raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, you do speak. Then perhaps you can tell me why you're standing there like you have a chance when you saw what happened to the other one."

"The other one?" Krillin was at the ship. They just had to take off. Then Frieza could die. "Are you talking about my mother?"

"That was your mother? Well, that explains why you were screaming like that. I would apologize, but we didn't exactly have time for introductions. Is this," he gestured at Kakarot's hair, and the entirety of him, "something you've always been able to do, or is it new?"

Chi Chi's ki grew agitated and did not move. Kakarot ground his teeth and lightning bolts snapped to the ground around him. He felt like a twig spinning in an eddy at the top of a waterfall. He hadn't fallen over the edge yet, but when he did it would be disastrous.

"Well, alright, if the conversation is just going to come and go we might as well wrap things up. Goodbye, monkey."

Frieza shot a death beam and Kakarot slapped it away. Frowning, Frieza shot another one. Again Kakarot parried it. He was about to fly into a million pieces and he clenched every muscle in his body to keep from doing so.

Frieza muttered something under his breath, but Kakarot didn't hear. They were finally taking off. The little group of ki signatures was rising steadily away from the planet's surface. Distantly Kakarot became aware that Frieza had punched him.

"Wh-wh… What is this?" Frieza hissed, shaking out his fist. "I've seen the limits of this form for myself. This isn't possible."

The others safely gone, Kakarot turned his full attention on Frieza.

"This is for everyone you killed."

"I beg your pardon?"

Kakarot punched Frieza so hard he felt bone crack under his fist. Frieza went flying, and Kakarot phased into his trajectory and slammed him into the ground. He peppered the tyrant with ki blasts, Frieza's body jerking with every hit.

"This is for the Saiyans!"

He landed hard next to Frieza and grabbed him by the tail. Frieza was powerless to stop him as he spun him around and around, finally releasing him to fly head over tail into the sky and out of sight.

Kakarot whispered, "And this is for my ma."

He cupped his hands beside him.

"Ka...me…"

He could feel Frieza up there, outside the atmosphere, somehow still alive. His power was rising again.

"Ha… me…"

But it didn't matter. Kakarot was stronger. He would always be stronger. This nightmare was over. Frieza just didn't know it yet.

"Ha!"

Kakarot thrust his hands out before him, radiant blue energy coursing from them in a beam so massive he couldn't see around it. He felt it hit Frieza, felt him struggle, felt him resist.

Felt him die.

But Kakarot didn't stop. He didn't know if he was so angry he didn't want to stop, or if he was simply unable to stop. He just kept firing until there was nothing left.

Empty, he fell to his knees, and felt the fiery ki that had sustained him fall away.

Chapter Text

Gine stood outside her cottage, trying to keep her footing inside a whirling vortex of flame. Bardock saw her and grinned. He lifted his hands, gesturing to the entirety of her. "Babe, look at you!"

She gulped down a sob. "I can't do it! I can't handle all this power!"

He snorted, still grinning.

"You're a Saiyan. 'Course you can."

She felt tears like fire running down her cheeks. "I can't! I'm not like you. I'm not strong."

He reached out and put his hands on her hips like he always used to, steadying her. "You are. You're stronger than me now! You don't see my hair turning gold, do you? Damn, you look good."

She clutched his arms, and the skin where her fingers curled around him sizzled and smoked.

"You don't understand! I'm not a Saiyan! I'm just an Earthling who was raised on Vegeta."

Bardock leaned forward and kissed her forehead, a gesture he had never, ever made in life.

"Good enough for me."

And she woke up.

Gine lay, just breathing. It felt like the morning after a fever. She could hear voices raised in argument, but she didn't care. She'd dreamed of Bardock. She hadn't dreamed about him in almost a decade. Why now? And… was she happy to have seen him? Or did he just remind her of—

One of the raised voices was Vegeta's, and Gine heaved herself out of bed without conscious thought. Everything flooded back to her— Zarbon and Dodoria; Frieza; her own madness— and she had Vegeta's throat in her hand before she knew where she was.

"Ma!"

"Ms. Gine!"

"Grandma!"

Everyone sounded so worried. She looked around and saw them, Chi Chi, Krillin, Gohan, even dear little Dende, all staring at her in concern and horror. Which was confusing. She felt fine. Doubtless Dende had healed her while she slept. She remembered vaguely her body going to pieces around her, but it was a distant sensation by now. Vegeta struggled and she tightened her grip.

"Ma, don't you dare!" Chi Chi said sharply.

Gohan stood on his toes in anxiousness. "Grandma, you can't kill him, we promised him safe passage."

Gine was confounded.

"Why did you do that?"

"He said he'd kill us if we didn't take him," Gohan answered solemnly. "We took him, so he's not going to kill us. He gave his word."

"But I can kill him," Gine reminded them.

"But you shouldn't!" Chi Chi snapped. Gine stared at her, her brain churning in slow circles as she tried to figure out what Chi Chi meant by that.

"Please, ma'am," Krillin said, arms out placatingly, "I know you hate him, but cold-blooded murder is going a little far, don't you think?"

He was chuckling nervously, and all of a sudden Gine's brain put the pieces together.

This was an earthling thing. They didn't kill just because it got them what they wanted. They didn't torment the weak just because they could. Her brain moving through molasses, she recalled conversations with Grandpa Gohan, long hours into the night spent discussing good and evil; vengeance and mercy; fighting without killing. It had taken her a long time to understand. It had all seemed so silly.

Silly... but good.

She dropped Vegeta. The Prince fell to his knees, coughing and gagging. Gohan ran up to her and hugged her legs, and she knelt and hugged him back so tightly she was sure she was hurting him. But he clung to her just as tightly and made no complaint.

When Kakarot came to, he found Nail standing over him.

"Are you able to fly?" the Namekian asked.

Wincing, Kakarot stood. He felt like he was a hundred years old, but he nodded. Nail lifted into the air.

"Come."

They flew back to the Grand Elder's house. Nail, not talkative to begin with, was stony in his silence. When they entered the house, Kakarot understood why.

The Grand Elder was dying.

"Well… done… Kakarot…"

"Grand Elder, save your strength." The panic in Nail's voice was subtle but palpable. The Grand Elder smiled weakly.

"It is… my time, child… Be strong."

He breathed for several moments, each breath sounding like it would be his last. Eventually he opened his eyes and looked at Nail.

"Moori… will be my... successor."

Nail took in a shaky breath.

"Yes, Grand Elder."

The Grand Elder closed his eyes, and never opened them again.

Nail did not weep. He bared his ferocious teeth and his breathing became halting and juddery, but he shed no tears. Gradually the Grand Elder faded until the chair he'd sat in the entire time Kakarot had known him was empty. Still Nail did not cry. Kakarot realized belatedly that so long as he was here, Nail couldn't cry.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, and clapped Nail on the shoulder once before leaving the building. He stood outside the door for a moment, and then rose into the air, wondering what to do next.

He knew he should feel something: maybe sad that the Grand Elder was gone, or happy that Frieza was gone. And, well, he did. But mostly what he felt was hungry. He realized he was famished at almost the same moment he spotted several large shadows moving under the surface of a nearby body of water.

A few minutes later Kakarot was feasting on two large fish, cooked with ki and seasoned with hunger. Once he'd devoured them he rose into the air again in search of more food, but then he spotted a strange shape in the distance, something unnatural. As he flew closer he realized it was probably the ship Frieza had arrived on.

Curiously, Kakarot walked up the gangplank.

"Hello?"

His voice echoed, but there was no response. He wandered from room to room, noting with vague interest the various screens and computer banks and weapons depots. Finally he came to a room with a sink and racks of armor like what all the Frieza soldiers had been wearing.

Kakarot looked down at himself. He was filthy, covered in blood and dirt and sweat, his clothes torn to ribbons. He shrugged and stripped, washing himself in the sink. In one of the cupboards he found a body suit that looked roughly his size and put it on. It was light and stretchy, almost as good as being naked. Satisfied, he started for the door, wondering if there was any food to be had, when a rack of armor caught his eye and he stopped.

Thoughtfully, Kakarot took one of the chest pieces down and after a few tries managed to force it on over his head. Then he stood in front of the mirror again, frowning slightly.

Was this what his pa had looked like? Ma always said he looked just like his father, but Chi Chi said he had his ma's eyes, so how much like him was he really?

Kakarot tried frowning, baring his teeth, smirking, squinting his eyes. None of it made him look like anyone but himself. If anything, he looked a little more like Vegeta in this armor— Vegeta! Where had he scuttled off to?

Kakarot continued his search for food, but once he found the ration stores he gathered an armful and stuffed them into his armor. Then he opened one and flew away from the ship, trying to sense Vegeta's ki.

Hours later he'd gone through all the rations, none of which were good (though one tasted almost, if he closed his eyes and used his imagination really hard, like a blueberry muffin), but there was still no sign of Vegeta.

However, as he flew he passed over the battleground where he and ma had fought Ginyu. That had been weird. Being in another body, but also seeing ma as a great ape. She hadn't been one in so long he'd forgotten how strange she got. He barely remembered his own times in the form— just nightmarish impressions of immense size and rage he was glad to forget.

Something glinted as he flew overhead, and he landed, finding an intact pod. The other four had been smashed flat, but this one was only partially buried. He reached out and touched it, and the door forced its way open with a hiss.

Kakarot peered inside. There was no way to tell which member of the Ginyu Force had used this craft. It looked the same as the pod he had carried to Dr. Briefs months before, the one he and ma had come to earth in. This was the same kind of vessel that had carried his ma and pa around the galaxy so long ago. What had it been like, sitting in a small enclosed space for so long? What had his ma thought about, isolated from the rest of the universe?

Kakarot bent down and climbed inside, turning awkwardly in the small space. He sat, and found that the seat was rather comfortable actually. It was softer than it looked and supportive too. He wriggled into it, trying to imagine his ma flying around the galaxy like this, ready to—

To what? She had been a Saiyan. And what did Saiyans do? She had told him, in no uncertain terms. And she'd never said she hadn't done the same. He'd seen her, just now, wrathful and bloodthirsty even before the strange transformation had taken her mind. All it had taken was a few battles and his ma had become a hardened, vengeful nightmare, like the kind, laughing, gentle person who had raised him had never existed in the first place.

(Maybe she never had.)

Viciously, Kakarot forced these thoughts away, and he slammed his hands down to either side of him to lever himself out of the pod. But before he could get his weight under him the door hissed and swung shut. Frantically he pushed at the door, realizing belatedly he'd brought his hand down on a big red button. Pushing it again did nothing. Something hissed, and he suddenly felt sleepy. The last words Kakarot remembered before everything went black was,

"Cryo sleep initiated."

Chapter Text

Coming back to life was a strange sensation, Chiaotzu thought. It felt a little like a sneeze, but backwards. It was still not the most surreal thing to happen to him lately. That would be watching His Holiness the Guardian of Earth get bawled out by a giant ogre behind a desk. King Kai had been funny, though. And he had taught Tien a new technique. He'd offered to teach it to Chiaotzu too, but Chiaotzu had declined. He knew where his limits lay. It was enough that Tien got to keep training. Being dead hadn't been so bad, all in all.

But he was mighty glad to be back alive.

He and Tien celebrated in the barren wasteland where they'd been revived, but after a few minutes they felt Kami coming towards them. They turned to wish him joy as well, but he was flying with speed and purpose, and his face was serious.

"Tien! Chiaotzu!" he called as he flew overhead. "Follow me. We have urgent business."

With only a glance at each other, Tien and Chiaotzu rose into the air and did as Kami bid.

"What is it, Kami?" Tien called as they sped toward the ocean.

"If I am alive again," Kami said grimly, "then that means my counterpart is as well."

Tien and Chiaotzu glanced at each other again in alarm, and asked no more questions.

Soon they arrived at Kame House, and Chiaotzu remembered Roshi had planned to bury the rice cooker on his island, in the hopes that he could protect it. As they approached, a loud squealing bombarded their ears. They landed on the beach and rushed toward the house, but before they got there a body was hurled out the window with a loud crash. The person that landed on the sand wore a Hawaiian print shirt— Master Roshi.

"Oolong!" he shouted. "Get that blasted— rice—" He dissolved into loud hacking coughs, and as Chiaotzu ran toward him he could see the front of his shirt was soaked with blood. Roshi saw the three of them and smiled painfully. "Thank… goodness…"

The old master closed his eyes and sighed, but before Chiaotzu could check for a pulse, the door slammed open and Oolong ran squealing from the house, a rice cooker held over his head. When he saw Tien and Kami he dumped it at their feet without stopping and made a wide circle around the back of the house. As he rounded the corner, the door slammed open again, and from it emerged the gigantic form of Demon King Piccolo.

Chiaotzu had never seen him in person, had in fact only ever heard him described, but the words 'eight feet tall' did nothing to convey the sheer size of the monster that ducked through the doorway of the little pink house. He looked like Kami, but older and more nasty, and when he caught sight of his counterpart he stopped and grinned.

"There you are," he said. "I suppose you've come to stop me."

"Indeed," Kami said with, to Chiaotzu at least, remarkable calm. Piccolo grinned wider.

"Being dead was very instructive, you know. I learned quite a lot during my time in hell. I imagine I'm as strong as you've managed to become in my absence. I wonder if you have the guts to face me yourself. Or are you once again going to let other hands get dirty in your place?"

"I will take care of you myself, rest assured," Kami said, still serene. "But I have learned things too, these past few years. One of them might interest even you." Piccolo opened his mouth, obviously to deny any interest in what Kami had to say, but Kami finished with, "I have at last learned where we came from," and Piccolo snapped his mouth shut.

The two Namekians regarded each other warily. Chiaotzu took the opportunity to check Roshi's pulse: weak, but steady. He placed pressure on the wound, using telekinesis on the areas his hands couldn't cover, and let Tien's gentle telepathy distract him from the squelchy mess under his fingers. Roshi would probably live— if they could get him to a hospital. Why was Kami just standing there talking?

"We come from a planet full of beings just like us," Kami said, and the emotion in his voice was palpable. "We have a people, Piccolo. A home we came from."

"A home that cast us out!" Piccolo shouted. "A people that abandoned us! Don't seek to distract me with sentiment, Kami, not when you kept all such things for yourself and left me with only ambition and cruelty. I will rule this world as I have always planned, and I will not let you stand in my way!"

He leaped forward, and without flinching Kami raised his hands in the air and shouted, "Ma-fu-ba!"

Instantly Piccolo was caught up in a torrent of swirling green energy. Tien knelt swiftly and popped open the rice cooker, and Kami lowered his hands in a sweeping gesture, channeling the stretched-out specter of King Piccolo down into the empty bowl. The lid slammed shut.

"The charm!" Tien called. "Where is the charm!"

"Po–cket," Roshi wheezed. Chiaotzu reached into his shirt pocket with telekinesis and floated the piece of paper (spattered with blood, but still legible) over to the rice cooker and slapped it on. The rice cooker rattled once, and then fell still. The whole island let out its collective breath.

Oolong poked his snout around the corner of the house.

"Did we win?"

Later, at the hospital, Roshi looked cannily at Kami, who was sitting demurely in a folding chair wearing a hasty disguise. Oolong had let him borrow his baseball cap which read "HOT BUNS" in big red letters, and he was borrowing one of Roshi's collared shirts. He returned Roshi's gaze with politeness.

"Yes?"

"You tried to talk to him," he said. Kami looked away. Roshi smiled from where he lay with his thin, bony torso swathed in bandages. Chiaotzu didn't like to see the old master looking so frail, but he was watching god with a knowing twinkle in his eye. "Thinking maybe he's not a demon after all? Now that you know who you really are?"

Kami sighed impatiently.

"He's a demon, alright. His victims still wander the afterlife, unable to find rest. Demons can be made, as well as born, after all."

"Then why reason with him?" Roshi pointed out. "Why even try?"

Chiaotzu sipped his orange juice as quietly as he could, watching unblinking as Kami looked pensively out the window for several moments.

"Perhaps," he said eventually, in a voice so low Chiaotzu had to strain to hear, "I was hoping it was not I that had made him into a demon, but himself. That he was not, as I had long believed, a vessel for the dark castoffs of my soul, but another, separate being of his own. One that could," he nodded at Roshi, "be reasoned with."

"And now?" Roshi asked, his eyes still twinkling. Kami looked up at the ceiling, eyes tracing the outline of an old water stain.

"I don't know," he said.

A week later, when the ship containing Yamcha, Bulma, and eighty-three Namekians landed at Capsule Corp, Chiaotzu watched Kami stand stoically by as Bulma did crowd control and made introductions. To anyone who didn't know him well, he looked impassive, even forbidding. But to Chiaotzu, who had trained with him for a year and spent part of his afterlife with him, he just looked nervous.

The Namekians pouring off the ship didn't seem to care either way.

"Brother!" they greeted.

"Cousin!"

"Well met, son of Katatz!"

Hug and handshakes, crowds and questions— Kami grew more stony through it all, clearly overwhelmed. He didn't even flinch when a small boy perched himself on his shoulders and held on by his antennae.

"Now, now, everyone, give him some space." An older Namekian, portly and kind-faced, waved off the pressing crowd of eager Namekians and faced Kami. "Greetings, cousin. I am Moori. May I know your name?"

Kami blinked, shifting his grip on his staff. "I… have no name." A ripple of confused murmurs echoed through the crowd, and he looked even more nervous. "I... go by Kami, here."

"I see," said Moori warmly. "I am given to understand you do not remember your past, is that correct?" Kami nodded. Moori put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I may not know your name, my friend, but I believe I know the name of your parent." Kami blinked rapidly, but otherwise did not react. Moori went on. "Our Grand Elder told me of a Namekian, long ago, just before the great calamity, that sent his child out into the universe in the hopes that they would survive, even if the rest of our people did not. The name of that Namekian was Katatz."

"Katatz," Kami repeated in a whisper. Chiaotzu leaned unobtrusively against Tien as they both watched the Guardian of Earth cover his eyes with his hand in a futile effort to hide the tears that spilled down his cheeks and dripped off his chin. The entire crowd of Namekians gathered around their long lost family member, comforting him, welcoming him, claiming him as their own, and Chiaotzu could see, before Kami was lost to sight in the crowd, that underneath the tears, he was smiling.

Chapter Text

It had been a little over a month since eighty three Namekians had come to live at Capsule Corp, and as of yesterday Yamcha could finally say he knew the names of every single one of them.

"Hey, Tsumu!" he said confidently as the tall, skinny Namekian scurried down the corridor past him.

"They're here!" Tsumu shouted over his shoulder, not stopping for an instant. "Lian just spotted them passing Neptune. They're coming!"

Yamcha whirled around, nearly spilling his coffee. Lian was the elder in charge of looking through the telescope for any sign that Kakarot and the others had survived. Yamcha felt a grin tug its way across his face as he realized what this meant. Hastily he set down his coffee and followed Tsumu out to the courtyard.

Apparently the rumor mill traveled fast, because the courtyard was already half full, and as Yamcha skidded to a stop in the center, even more green figures emerged from the building. Within a minute all eighty three of them had arrived, all looking hopefully up at the sky. Following shortly after them was Bulma, looking stunning even in a baggy gray jumpsuit, her hands covered in grease stains and still wearing her welding goggles. She pushed them up off her eyes, which she narrowed at Yamcha.

"Why didn't you come get me?" she demanded, taking out a capsule and popping it. A hefty telescope appeared and she looked through it, adjusting some knobs.

"Sorry, babe," Yamcha said automatically, though he knew she probably wasn't even listening. "I figured you'd…"

"They're on track to land. The ship looks good, everything appears intact," she said, ignoring him. Yamcha sighed internally. Bulma straightened. "Moori, you've got everything?"

The acting elder nodded gravely, hefting a red and white capsule that held medical supplies. Today marked the fourth day after the ship could conceivably have made it back to earth. Four days on Namek, during which time literally anything could have happened. And then thirty-four days in space, in who knows what condition. They had to be prepared for the worst, though the fact that the ship was here at all meant that their very worst fears had been proven wrong. Someone, at least one person, had survived.

Less than a minute after Bulma stepped back from the telescope a thunderclap echoed over the city. Directly above them in the sky they could see a tiny white dot grow rapidly larger until all at once it became the ship which, in the next instant, exploded overhead.

The crowd gasped in dismay as chunks of debris and trails of smoke and fire sailed through the air. Yamcha pulled Bulma close to him to shield her, but she wiggled free and pointed up into the sky.

"Look!"

Yamcha looked. Gohan, Chi Chi and Krillin, all curled protectively around Dende and each other, were speeding away from the explosion— but it was a controlled flight. They were alright. But even as they landed in the yard, Bulma still pointed to the sky. Yamcha followed her gaze, and felt his heart jump into his throat.

Floating in midair, golden as the sun, terrible and resplendent, was Gine. And hovering in front of her, vicious and angry and almost as terrifying, was Vegeta.

Yamcha gulped.

Vegeta was yelling something, but it was too far for Yamcha to make out the words. Gine did not reply as she axe-kicked him into the ground. Capsule Corp's lawn cratered where he landed, Namekians scattering out of the way. Instantly Gine was there, a hot wind swirling around her. She was glowing, hair and eyes burning, face rigid with fury. Gohan extricated himself from Chi Chi's arms and flew toward the combatants, Chi Chi yelling after him.

"Gohan, don't! It's too dangerous!"

"Grandma!" Gohan pushed his way through the force of Gine's aura, his hair whipping around his face, eyes nearly closed. "Grandma! It's okay! We're here, we're home!"

Yamcha, standing between Bulma and this display (though he could feel her peeking around his arm), saw Vegeta staring up at Gine with an expression that sent shivers down his spine. The prince was furious, a seething helpless anger, but he was also terrified, and the mixture made Yamcha almost (almost) feel sorry for him.

Gine leveled a palm at Vegeta and Gohan redoubled his efforts to reach her.

"Grandma, don't!"

He clasped his arms around her neck at the exact moment a whitehot pinpoint of ki appeared in the center of Gine's palm. She froze, her grandson sobbing into her shoulder as Vegeta cowered in front of her. Everyone held their breath for several seconds. Then Gine closed her eyes, inhaled deeply, held it for four counts, and then exhaled.

A brief but harmless gust of wind traveled outward from her, as though the entire planet was exhaling along with her. Her hair faded to black, and when she opened her eyes they were dark and lucid. The ki blast dissipated, and she raised her hand to Gohan's back, rubbing it comfortingly.

Yamcha's shoulders drooped in relief, but before he could truly relax, Vegeta jumped to his feet, eyes burning with their own light.

"How d—!"

Gine slammed a hand over his mouth without letting go of Gohan. She didn't start glowing again, but the hatred in her eyes matched Vegeta's. She leaned in and hissed something in his ear, and when she leaned back again, Vegeta dropped to his knees, utterly broken.

Without another glance at him, Gohan still in her arms, Gine flew away. Chi Chi muttered something and flew after them, leaving only Krillin to explain what had just happened. Yamcha stepped over to him to help him to his feet, but he jerked and sent Krillin crashing to the ground again when he heard Bulma's voice saying,

"Well, prince, what do we do with you?"

Yamcha spun hastily around to see Bulma standing, hands firmly on her hips, in front of His Royal Highness the Prince of All Saiyans, who in turn was still kneeling slumped on the ground, looking up at her with a lost expression on his face. Yamcha hurried over.

"Do you have anywhere to go?" Bulma asked again. Vegeta hesitated, and then shook his head slightly. Whatever Gine had said to him had leached the spirit right out of him. Yamcha looked sideways at his girlfriend and was amazed to see pity there.

"Well, do you wanna stay here?" she said. Yamcha choked, and it took him so long to clear his throat that Vegeta spoke before he could.

"You offer me… hospitality?" He spat the word. "Why?"

Bulma snorted. "Hospitality nothing. I wanna keep an eye on you. Who knows what you might get up to if I leave you unsupervised."

"Babe," Yamcha hissed in her ear. "What are you doing?"

"He doesn't have anywhere to go," she said simply, as though that was any kind of explanation. Vegeta stood slowly and eyed the crowd of tense Namekians around him.

"Won't they mind?" he asked with a hint of a feral smile. Bulma matched it with a smile of her own.

"They're leaving anyway." She turned to Krillin. "Right? You guys killed Frieza, right? Or none of you would be here. Hey, speaking of which, where's Kakarot?"

Chapter Text

When the ship came whistling down through the atmosphere, Raditz was more than ready.

"Leave this to me, Hatska," he said, stretching and bouncing in place. He hadn't been this excited for a fight in a long time. Hatska looked at him skeptically.

"Are you sure?" the little green Yardratian asked.

Raditz snorted. "What choice do we have?" Hatska's expression soured, and Raditz laughed. "Don't worry! That boost from last time gave me the edge I need. This time will go differently, I promise."

"You know we put our trust in you," Hatska said, his normally jolly face solemn. "But we are also fond of you, Raditz. Please, take care of yourself."

Sobering a little, Raditz gave his friend a nod, and then, placing two fingers to his forehead, he disappeared.

Leaving his mother on Earth, knowing his only option to keep Vegeta away from her was to run away himself, had been the hardest thing Raditz had ever done. Very quickly, however, he had come up short against the sobering truth that a lone Saiyan wandering the galaxy without the protection of either his companions' fists or Frieza's name was a target too juicy to pass up. Bounty hunters, vengeance-seekers, glory-hounds- all wanted a piece of him, and Raditz soon found that he had better go into civilization in disguise or not at all.

For a while he drifted, aimless, nowhere to go and all the time to get there. His mother's face haunted him those weeks. She had given him a look of such forgiveness that it made his skin itch just to think of it. Raditz was sure she hadn't guessed half the things he'd done, but he was equally sure that if she had, she'd have forgiven him of them too. It was unbearable.

But, after weeks spent solo and brooding, Raditz had had an epiphany. There was no changing the past. And there was no changing Gine, who, despite being weak, could be just as stubborn as any other Saiyan. She'd keep forgiving him, over and over, her heart breaking every time. So if he wanted to see her again, see her look at him with something other than that blasted understanding in her eyes, then he had to do something that would change the way she looked at him. He had to make her proud of him instead.

Raditz had sat bolt upright in his pod, banging his head on the ceiling.

"That's it! Genius!"

He just had to make up for everything he'd ever done…

Here he hit a snag, but it was short lived. He could not undo years spent destroying planets and tormenting the weak, but he could get out there and do the opposite of that, and if he did that enough times, surely that would balance things out and she could stop forgiving him, right?

Full of piss and vinegar, Raditz had set out to conquer the galaxy in the name of freedom.

And hit another snag.

Since he was supposed to be dead, he couldn't exactly show up on a planet scheduled for purging and save it. Anyway, even if he managed to fight off the Frieza soldiers by himself (not a certain prospect, he was sad to say), they'd just send more. Mother's sad, forgiving eyes notwithstanding, directly defying Frieza wasn't on the table.

But what other threats were out there? How did one go about saving the galaxy when one was usually the thing the galaxy needed saving from?

His first breakthrough had come while he was drinking in a seedy bar outside the jurisdiction of both Frieza and the Galactic Patrol. Some weakling had lost a bet or won a bet or something and was getting hassled by a few low-lifes that Raditz, only a month before, would have been glad to call drinking buddies. Now, looking at the world with the eyes of a freedom-fighter, he could see that these blockheads were just taking out their frustrations with life on someone who couldn't fight back.

Raditz had downed the last of his drink, slammed it on the counter, and started a bar fight.

That hadn't exactly been his intention, though starting bar fights was such a habit he was hardly surprised when it happened. But the weakling in question had come out of it with only a few bruises and a hearty sense of gratitude for Raditz. Even better, he'd presented Raditz with his first problem to solve.

The man's wife and children were being held for ransom, blah blah blah: the upshot was, there was a sneaky, evil worm out there for Raditz to get rid of, and he did so with gusto. He even freed the worm's other prisoners while he was at it, many of whom also had problems for Raditz to solve. It had taken him several months to sort out everyone's messes, but eventually he had, the galaxy smelling slightly better at the end of it.

That had been the beginning. After a while people's gratitude had started adding up, and he'd been able to replace his broken scouter, which had allowed him to find even more people to help.

It was… exhilarating, this feeling. Fighting and helping people? He hadn't known you could do that! Granted, it took a while for some people to warm up to him. He was still a Saiyan, after all. Some of them never got around to being grateful, and that… stung, a little. Still, he wasn't doing this for them. He was doing this for mother. She was going to be so proud.

Then his big break: Yardrat. A mystical place where they had discovered the secret of instantaneous travel. Put one in your spaceship and you could go anywhere in the blink of an eye, or so the story went. Raditz's freedom-fighting nose had smelled trouble, and he'd gotten there before a gang of treasure-hunters, fending them off and gaining himself a new home in the process.

He had never intended to stay in one place for so long. He had always had a taste for travel, and he knew now he always would. But Yardrat had been… welcoming, in a way no other place ever had. Even his most grateful (er, clients wasn't the right word) benefactees, had always expected him to leave after he was done saving them. But the Yardratians, with their strange, squishy bodies and simple faces, had been almost aggressive in their kindness. He would stay and learn their secrets, and be fed and clothed and housed, and they wouldn't hear a word said otherwise.

And, well, the food was good, and there was always plenty of it. Yardratians ate almost as much as Saiyans though they had little else in common. And none of them gave him nasty looks, not even when his back was turned. And… there was the training.

Ah, the training.

Raditz had long ago come to understand, though he would never accept it, that he was weak, and always would be. It was just the way the world was. But even after just a few days spent purifying his spirit, he'd held his scouter up to himself and been amazed to see it click several hundred points higher than it always had. After a month he was in the five digit range. After three months he stopped using the scouter as anything but a communicator because he could sense everyone's power and he was the strongest being on the planet by a wide margin.

Not the most skilled, of course. Master Pybara regularly demonstrated that a clever use of this or that technique could make a weaker fighter a match for a stronger one. Teleport behind someone and strike before they notice you, then teleport away again; make clones or grow in size to intimidate or confuse; Raditz was still at the bottom of the totem pole, but for once he didn't mind. The Yardratians saw his weakness as potential, not failure. It merely showed that he had room to grow. And growing he was.

Mother was going to be so proud.

Then the Ginyus came.

They'd landed without warning, as they always did. As he had always done. Their five pods had crashed into a major city, killing thousands instantly and creating chaos. Pybara had turned to Raditz, who was sensing the same mass snuffing out of life that he was, and had asked for his help with tears in his eyes. Of course he'd said yes.

And nearly died for it.

Raditz had made sure to be in disguise, so the Ginyus hadn't known it was their old punching bag Raditz they were whaling on. But whale on him they did. He put up more of a fight than he ever had before, but one held breath from Guldo and he'd gotten a ki blast through the chest. It had hurt so bad he was sure he was about to die.

And maybe he would have. But before he did, the Ginyus all stopped what they were doing, listened to their scouters, and then turned and left without a word. Hatska had turned up then and healed him, giving Raditz his very first zenkai. And what a zenkai! He'd spent the weeks since then training with new fervor. They would be back, he knew. And he would be ready.

So when the pod crashed down in exactly the same spot as before, Raditz wasn't afraid. He was eager. This time he knew Instant Transmission. This time he had power and skill.

This time the Ginyus would die.

The door to the pod began to open. Raditz stood outside with a ki blast ready in his hand. Which one would it be, he wondered. Jeice? Recoome? Or Ginyu himself? And why only one?

No matter. He, Raditz, would rid the galaxy one and for all of the—

"Oh, hey, bro! I didn't expect to see you here!"

Chapter Text

The door opened, and when Yamcha saw who was coming through it he flung down the magazine he'd been reading in disgust.

"Again?" he demanded. Bulma looked up from where she had Vegeta's arm draped over her shoulders, clearly struggling with the Saiyan's weight. She glared.

"You gonna help me with this or not?"

Gritting his teeth, Yamcha went and hoisted Vegeta's semi-unconscious form over his own shoulder, freeing his girlfriend of the burden. She paced ahead of them, opening doors for him on the way to the infirmary.

"Gine again?" Yamcha asked tiredly. He could feel the anger pooling in his belly, but he kept a lid on it. Like he always did.

"Looks like," Bulma said brusquely. "I don't think he's going to give up until she either teaches him the damn form or she kills him."

"I wish she would kill him," Yamcha muttered. His heart pounded for a moment as he waited for Bulma to pounce on him. But she didn't seem to have heard.

"Come on, short stuff, let's get you patched up." She patted the infirmary bed and busied herself getting out bandages and antiseptic. Yamcha laid the Saiyan Prince down on the bed and then stood staring at him, the Prince moaning in pain and thrashing weakly.

"Noo, Lord Frieza... no, I'm s…"

Yamcha did not miss the look of pity Bulma gave the Prince, and that, finally, was the last straw.

"Bulma, stop."

He said it with such force that she actually did stop, staring up at him in surprise, for once giving him her full attention. He took a breath to steady his nerves.

"You can't keep helping him, Bulma. He's a murderer. I know he's had a hard life, I don't disagree about that, but that doesn't excuse the things he's done."

Bulma unceremoniously dropped her armful of medical supplies on a table and crossed her arms over her chest, giving him a dangerous look.

"Are you saying I should kick him out now, after I promised him a place to stay? After he's been here for months?"

"You didn't promise him anything!" Yamcha was horrified to hear his voice rising, but he refused to back down. "You don't owe him anything. You certainly don't owe him medical attention!"

"If I didn't take care of him he'd just walk around with broken ribs and bleed everywhere."

But Yamcha was shaking his head before she'd even done speaking. "Don't act like you're doing this for your own convenience, I know you feel sorry for him!"

"Why shouldn't I feel sorry for him?" Bulma's eyes were snapping. "He was under the thumb of that tyrant his whole life, of course he's messed up!"

"He killed Kami!" Yamcha was definitely shouting now. "He killed Tien and Chiaotzu! Your friends, Bulma. My friends! Doesn't that bother you at all?"

Her eyes slowly grew wide in a dangerous way that meant Yamcha had crossed a line and she was about to let him have it. But Yamcha was beyond caring. For once in their entire lives he was right, and she was wrong, and he was not about to back down.

"First of all," she said in a low hiss, "he didn't kill anyone. That other Saiyan did all the killing. Second of all, are you talking about Tien? The guy who snapped your leg in two and smiled about it? Something I had to watch, by the way? Is that the Tien you're talking about?"

Yamcha snarled and turned away, pacing in a tight circle. How did she always do this? Make him look like the bad guy even when he was in the right?

"Tien changed, Bulma. He made it up to me, to all of us. He put his past behind him and he's a different person now. This one—" He thrust his hand in Vegeta's direction, still moaning on the table, "—hasn't done a damn thing since he got here except torment Gine!"

Bulma raised an eyebrow. "Gine is perfectly capable of defending herself."

"She shouldn't have to!" Yamcha shook his head. "And anyway, what difference does it make if he didn't actually kill anyone? He would have! Nappa was killing on his orders. He would have killed me too if Kakarot hadn't shown up."

"So you're afraid of him?"

Yamcha stared. She was smirking. His girlfriend was smirking. It was so astonishing he almost forgot to be angry.

"You think him being here bothers me because I'm afraid of him?"

"Well aren't you?" She looked smug, like she had him all figured out and she was just waiting for him to apologize and admit he was wrong. And she was, for once, so far off the mark that it made him brave. He crossed his arms over his chest and faced her calmly.

"It's hard to be afraid of somebody who keeps getting his ass kicked." Vegeta gave another pathetic moan. Bulma blinked, the smugness falling off her face. She studied him for a moment, and he let her, his righteous anger buoying him up. Slowly astonishment filled her face in place of the smugness.

"You don't see him as competition, do you?"

Yamcha uncrossed his arms in shock.

"What?"

She was almost laughing now. "You think— what— that I'm going to go all Florence Nightingale on him? Is that what this is about? Oh, sweetie, you don't have anything to worry about. We've been together for over ten years! You'd think you'd be a bit more secure by now."

She clearly meant it. He didn't think for one second she was lying. But something about the way she said those words made Yamcha feel, suddenly, very insecure.

It hadn't really crossed his mind, that this… thing might be romantic in nature. Bulma's parents had a habit of taking in stray animals, and he'd been half expecting her to start picking up the habit herself. That she had chosen to take in a stray alien instead was hardly surprising— this was Bulma after all. But it was also true that she and Vegeta were growing more comfortable with each other. If you could call it that.

No, Yamcha thought, comfortable wasn't the right word. He and Bulma were comfortable. They hardly needed to speak to each other anymore, they were so used to each other's routines. By contrast, Bulma said whatever she wanted to the Prince, no matter how inflammatory, and the Prince… said whatever he wanted back.

He'd been quiet at first, clearly still reeling from whatever Gine had done to him. But with Bulma's prodding— encouragement, really— he had slowly begun to get his old spark back, and he had been using that spark to fly up to Mt. Paozu about once a month to demand that Gine teach him how to go Super Saiyan. Only once a month, because every time he did this Gine would give him an up-close demonstration of the form, and he would limp back to Capsule Corp. in need of medical attention once again. Medical attention Yamcha's girlfriend was all too happy to give him.

He didn't— no, Yamcha didn't believe for one second Bulma was even thinking of cheating on him. He trusted her that much. But it was also dawning on him that Bulma looked more alive arguing with Vegeta than she ever did with her boyfriend. And the realization was like a sucker punch, bleeding all the air, and anger, out of him at once.

They didn't break up for another two months. But he knew then, as she smiled, and kissed him, and turned to pick up a roll of bandages, that they were going to.

Chapter Text

Raditz appeared in the middle of the town square and waited. Two seconds later Kakarot appeared beside him. Raditz gave him a grin and disappeared again, this time to the other side of the world. One second, and Kakarot was there. Again Raditz left him behind, appearing on the top of a skyscraper in the biggest city on the planet. This time Kakarot was there almost as fast as Raditz appeared.

Frowning, Raditz blipped all over the planet, Kakarot keeping pace with him no matter where he went. Frantic now (Kakarot had only just used the technique successfully for the first time yesterday) Raditz blinked in and out of each location as fast as he could: mountain desert city forest parking lot bathroom— "Sorry Olalla!"— farm grassland temple.

"That's enough," Master Pybara said laconically. He sounded pleased. In half a second, Kakarot was beside him again, grinning.

"Olalla was pretty mad," he said. "Raditz, you dirty dog."

"Shut up!" Raditz shoved his brother, grinning back. "You're a monster, you know that? It took me weeks to be able to go across the room."

Kakarot shoved him back, laughing. "I told you I'd do it faster."

"Very good, Kakarot," Master Pybara said, and they settled. "You are indeed progressing very quickly. Are you sure you do not want to stay and master more techniques?"

"Naw, I'd better be gettin' goin'," Kakarot said, digging the toe of his boot into a crack in the floorboards. "I didn't mean to be gone so long. They're probably worried sick about me back home."

Raditz swallowed. Kakarot meant his wife and child, but he also meant their mother. The more Raditz thought about it, the less he was sure gallivanting around the galaxy beating people up was the best way to make her proud. He'd told himself there was no point in going if Kakarot couldn't go, and Kakarot couldn't go until he'd gained full control over the Super Saiyan form (which he still hadn't taught to his brother!). Master Pybara, Raditz and Kakarot all agreed a good benchmark for control would be gaining mastery over Instant Transmission, but Raditz hadn't expected him to master it so soon.

"Do you wish to attempt an interplanetary jump now?" Master Pybara asked.

"Sure!" Kakarot said, and Raditz jolted.

"You can't try it now!" he protested.

"Why not?"

"Because— ah— I mean— well, breakfast was ages ago! Aren't you hungry?"

Kakarot patted his stomach thoughtfully.

"I could do with a bite. Your treat?"

He was teasing, but Raditz was happy to oblige. He took him to a restaurant where the proprietor knew him. The pink Yardratian looked up as they entered and grinned.

"Hey, Rad, it's been a while!"

"Good to see you, Tria. Give us two Saiyan-sized lunch platters."

"Snack-sized, huh?" Tria joked, and Raditz chuckled. He led Kakarot to a table and they sat down.

"Tria was the one who helped me find my apartment," he said.

Kakarot grinned. "The apartment Olalla's never been to, huh?"

Raditz drew his finger across his neck and Kakarot laughed. Then he cocked his head to the side.

"You happy here, bro?"

It came totally out of the blue, but Raditz had grown used to that with his brother.

"I suppose," he said. "I'm not unhappy."

"But do you wanna stay here forever?"

"Hell no." Raditz shook his head to soften his answer. "Don't get me wrong, I like it here. The Yardrats have been very welcoming. I'll always remember my time here. But… this isn't a place meant for Saiyans, you know?"

Kakarot's smile faded somewhat and he didn't answer right away, but then their food began arriving and Raditz didn't pursue it.

They ate without talking, as was customary, but when they were finished they both sat there, unmoving, staring at the stacks of empty plates and cups that towered over them.

Raditz cleared his throat.

"If, um, you're ready…"

"Oh!" Kakarot startled as though Raditz had caught him by surprise. "Um. I… I dunno if I..."

It was Raditz's turn to be surprised.

"You were flitting all around the planet like it was nothing just an hour ago. Distance is only in the mind, remember? Getting back to Earth should be easy."

Kakarot pulled a lock of hair down and began worrying it between his fingers.

"S'not what I meant," he mumbled. "I could do it, easy, I know I could. I just… dunno if I'm ready to see ma."

Raditz leaned back in his chair, raising an eyebrow. Now this was interesting.

"Why not?"

Kakarot frowned deeply, his eyes staring at something far away.

"Raditz, what was she like? Before… before I was born?"

Before the planet was destroyed.

Raditz answered carefully, unsure what had gotten his normally happy-go-lucky little brother so melancholy.

"She was… soft. She was always mollycoddling me. I acted like I hated it, but I actually liked it when she did that. She'd sneak me extra food when she could get away with it. I never stood up for her when people spoke badly of her and I wish now that I had."

He'd never told anyone any of this. Vegeta and Nappa had rarely talked about their families, much less in any detail and certainly without affection, so Raditz had followed suit. He still didn't know if they'd really been indifferent or had merely been burying their feelings. Nappa had had two children by the same mate, he knew that much, but only from Zarbon's mouth, not Nappa's. Vegeta had always been a heartless little gremlin, but even he had turned sulky and vindictive after they'd received the news.

"So she wasn't like other Saiyans?" Kakarot sounded almost… hopeful.

"No, not at all," Raditz agreed, and then reconsidered. "Well... everyone treated her like a freak, and she was different. She spoke of… things of the heart more readily than anyone I ever knew. And she was weak, of course. But looking back on it I don't know if they treated her badly because she was different, or if she was different because she was treated badly."

He looked away. He'd sometimes been one of the people treating her badly, and he wasn't sure he'd ever be ready to admit that to Kakarot.

"Oh." Kakarot had resumed staring at the table. "Growin' up she was always nice. She made me stand on my head for an hour once 'cause I hit gramps too hard. But on Namek she got… different."

"Different? Different how?"

Kakarot twisted his mouth, in distaste or frustration Raditz couldn't tell.

"She was… Raditz, it was like she wasn't her!" Kakarot looked up, locked eyes with his brother in a frantic pleading that made Raditz feel like recoiling. "I ain't never seen her like that before. Like she had ice in her heart. Or, like, like fire. Like she was angry but… cold." He shivered. "It was like she was someone else."

"'With fur like fire and eyes like ice'," Raditz recited in awe.

Kakarot blinked at him. "What?"

"That was what the legend said the Super Saiyan would look like. I always thought it was just window dressing, you know? Exaggeration for the story. But that's a little what you look like when you transform. With mother it must have been spectacular."

Kakarot looked at him uncertainly.

"It was…" he said reluctantly. "But mostly it was scary. I ain't never seen her like that. She's always so… sweet. Even when she got angry it was never like she wanted to hurt anyone. But on Namek she…"

Raditz studied his brother, who was biting his lip and staring at the table again.

"You're talking about her fight with Frieza, yes?" he said slowly. Kakarot nodded without looking up. "Kakarot," Raditz said firmly, and didn't go on until his brother looked at him. "Frieza slaughtered our people. He kept us as willing slaves before that. He toyed with our lives like playthings. Is it really so strange she got angry at him?"

"I know all that about Frieza!" Kakarot said, frowning. "She wasn't… It wasn't just with him."

"Oh?"

Kakarot nodded. "With Vegeta, and the Ginyu Force too. She was... I dunno how to say it." He folded his arms over his chest. "She killed those other two, too, Zar-somethin' and the pink guy. Like they were bugs. It was like…" He sucked in a breath and frowned deeply, brain obviously working hard. "It was like... she was takin' out the trash."

Raditz snorted. "She was. Those two were always awful to us Saiyans. It only got worse after there were just the three of us. I'm glad they're gone."

Kakarot huffed in annoyance. He tapped his fingers on the table and stared out the window, but he didn't seem quite so lost, at least. Raditz leaned forward.

"Trust me, however strange she might have gotten, her results are nothing but good. With the heir to the Cold Dynasty gone, the g—"

Kakarot snapped his head up.

"Dynasty?" he said incredulously. "Like… there's more of him?"

"Just his father, as far as I know. But he wasn't nearly so bad."

Kakarot jumped up from his chair, his former melancholy gone.

"But he was bad? He was like Frieza?"

"Well, yes, he wasn't good. Neither of them were."

"What'll he do if he finds out Frieza's dead?"

Raditz stared, his stomach sinking.

"Nothing I'd like to be in the middle of," he said. Kakarot nodded firmly, placing his first two fingers to his forehead.

"Then I know where I'm makin' my first jump."

Raditz leapt to his feet, clapping Kakarot on the shoulder.

"Not without me, you're not."

Kakarot grinned at him. He concentrated, sweat beading out along his hairline, and with a triumphant, "ha!" Kakarot made the jump and they were gone.

"Dammit," Tria muttered, wiping out a glass. "That's going on your tab, Rad."