In a complete white room, words echoed inside: "Male Saiyans don't exist!"
The female voice rang out as Azmina absorbed everything she'd heard from Raditz's conversation. Her innocent face morphed into shock, paniced. "Saiyan males don't exist? What's going on?!"
She ran to grab the Encyclopedia of the Dragon Ball World, frantically flipping through pages. "There!" Her finger stabbed at an entry: *Raditz, male Saiyan, killed by Goku/Kakarot and Piccolo, resulting in Goku's death and training at King Kai's for the arrival of two more male Saiyans, Vegeta and Nappa.*
"What is going on?!" Said Azmina, her panicked movements making her generous body bounce beneath her white tunic, hips swaying as she paced, red hair flowing.
A knock interrupted her spiral. The door opened.
"Azmina! Let's go take a break- What the-?!"
Chronica stood in the doorway, the petite, dark-skinned woman with her short silver pixie cut found Azmina staring at her with wide, terrified eyes.
"What's wrong?!"
"Chronica~" Azmina whined, quickly explaining the situation.
"Hmm, let me think..." Chronica grabbed the book, scanning intently. "Does the Dragon Ball universe have a multiverse or different timelines?" She flipped pages rapidly. "Yes, it does... Let me see. There are many, but none of them are female-only."
"But Chronica, there's something that intrigues me even more," Azmina said, wringing her hands. "There's Son Goku in this world... but there's a Kakarot too."
"What do you mean?"
"Originally they're the same person, Goku IS Kakarot and Kakarot IS Goku. But here, they're two completely different people," Azmina explained, on the verge of tears.
"That's... weird..."
Chronica stared at the Encyclopedia, studying it for ten long minutes. Finally, she closed the book, looked at Azmina with a deadpan expression, then-
"I DON'T GET IT!!!" She threw the book to the ground. It vanished mid-fall, reappearing pristinely on the shelf. "It doesn't make any sense in the lore! They are the same person!"
Azmina sat curled in her chair, hugging her knees. "Do you think... it's Aionia's doing?"
Chronica planted her hands on her hips. "Aionia? But it doesn't make sense! How can a simple Overseer alter the canon of an entire world? Look at the other timelines!"
Azmina turned to her screen, keeping the reincarnated soul as Goku on a side monitor while scrolling through alternate timelines:
- Timeline 735: Original Son Goku, Earth's hero
- Timeline 797: Evil Son Goku, never hit his head, Earth destroyed
- Timeline 249: Goku died from heart virus, androids rule
- Timeline 836: Goku Black paradox, divine corruption
"In all of them, there's only ONE Goku/Kakarot," Azmina said, spinning to grab Chronica's tunic. "What should I do~?" Her eyes brimmed with tears.
Chronica stayed silent, then: "We need to see the Supreme Overseer! She's the highest auth-"
"I know, Chronica!"
"Sorry, tehee~" Chronica giggled nervously.
They left the room, entering a seemingly infinite white corridor. An elevator carried them upward, before depositing them before a void door. Both trembling slightly, they approached and rang.
"Enter, young ones."
The mature, sage voice resonated through their very souls. They jumped, then entered together.
The room beyond defied description, yet at its center, upon a throne of crystallized time itself, sat someone, beautiful beyond mortal comprehension.
She was beauty given form. Her hair fell in waves of spun gold, each strand catching light that seemed to originate from within. Her face held the kind of mature beauty, high cheekbones, full lips curved in a knowing smile, and skin that look smooth as silk.
She had a blindfold across her eyes, it was no simple cloth, silver-white fabric embroidered with golden threads that shifted and pulsed like living constellations.
Her white tunic was both modest and scandalous, a garment that seemed to showcase an air of untouchable grace. Ornate patterns traced along the fabric, the material itself appearing to be cut from clouds and dreams.
The neckline plunged dramatically, barely containing breasts that defied every law of physics, heavy and full, they strained against the delicate fabric, creating a cleavage that drew the eye inexorably downward.
From her ribs, the tunic split completely open, held together only by occasional golden chains that emphasized rather than concealed.
Her hips, wide and maternal yet impossibly sensual, emerged from the gaps in the fabric. Her legs, long and perfectly proportioned, were alternately hidden and revealed as the ankle-length hem shifted with each breath she took.
"Even if I'm blind, I can sense my little starlings," she continued, rising from her throne with grace. Each movement sent ripples through the loose fabric, offering tantalizing glimpses of her exquisite flesh that seemed to glow from within.
Azmina instinctively pressed closer to Chronica, her own generous chest squishing against the smaller woman's shoulder as they shuffled forward together, both overwhelmed by the presence before them.
"Supreme Overseer Horalia," Chronica managed, her usual sharp wit completely absent. "We... we found something impossible related to Azmina soul."
"Ah," Horalia's blindfolded face turned toward them with precision. "The universe where our troubled soul was placed. The one Aionia has been... managing." Her perfect fingers, each tipped with nails like pearl, drummed once against the armrest of her throne. "Tell me, my dears, what has our impulsive young Overseer done now?"
The temperature in the room seemed to drop, though Horalia's expression remained serenely beautiful. Azmina whimpered, and even Chronica took a half-step back.
"The timelines, Your Supremacy," Azmina whispered. "They're... wrong. There are two separate beings where there should be one. Goku and Kakarot exist as different people, and all the male Saiyans have become female!"
Horalia's smile widened just a fraction, somehow both maternal and terrifying.
"Is that so? How... creative of Aionia. Bring me the complete records. It seems we need to have a conversation about the difference between overseeing and rewriting."
Horalia settled back onto her throne, the movement causing her exposed flesh to shift beneath the barely-there fabric.
"This is a troublesome situation indeed," she said, fingers steepling before her.
"What's the plan, Supreme Overseer?" Chronica asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Azmina nodded frantically beside her, red hair bouncing with the motion.
Horalia's lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. "First, I will summon Aionia and deal with her... transgression. Then, we eliminate the wandering soul."
Azmina's eyes widened to impossible proportions. "What do you mean, Supreme Overseer?!"
Chronica glanced between Azmina's horror-struck face and Horalia's serene blindfolded visage. She placed a small hand on her friend's arm. "Azmina... it means erasing it."
Azmina's hands flew to her chest, fingers interlacing in a desperate prayer position. "Erasing it? Why?!"
Horalia's head tilted slightly, her blindfold somehow conveying more judgment than any eyes could. "This soul is foreign to that world, child. It has no place there. It has already altered the fundamental course of that universe's destiny." A heavy sigh escaped her perfect lips, making her impressive chest rise and fall. "We must reset that universe entirely now. The contamination runs too deep."
But all Azmina heard was: *Erasing Goku from existence.*
The Goku she'd been watching over for twenty-three years. The soul she'd guided through childhood, through training, through every triumph and failure. Her Goku.
"No!" The word tore from Azmina's throat before she could stop it. "Supreme Overseer, please, at least try to- there must be another way! He hasn't done anything truly harmful! The timeline is still progressing, the major events are still-"
"Are they?" Horalia's voice remained maddeningly calm. "A world where Saiyans are all female? Where Goku and Kakarot exist as separate entities? Where the fundamental laws of that reality have been rewritten by a soul that carries memories and knowledge it should not possess?"
"But he's not evil!" Azmina stepped forward, her generous body trembling with emotion. "He's just... different! Surely we can guide him back to the proper path without-"
"Azmina." Chronica's voice was sharp with warning, but Azmina couldn't stop.
"You can't just erase twenty-three years! All that time, all that growth! He has friends, family, people who love him! Chi-Chi, Mai, Krillin, they all-"
"ENOUGH."
Horalia's voice didn't shout, but it echoed through the room with the force of a thunderclap.
"Be very careful, Azmina," Horalia said, each word dropping like a stone into still water. "You're beginning to sound like someone else we both know."
Azmina's face drained of color.
Chronica watched her friend's expression shift from defiance to devastation to something else, something that made her head turn sharply toward Horalia. There was a glimmer in Azmina's eyes, just for a moment. The same possessive gleam she'd seen in Aionia's.
"We... we understand, Supreme Overseer," Chronica said quickly, grabbing Azmina's arm. "We'll return to our posts."
Horalia's blindfolded gaze followed them to the door. "See that you do. And Chronica? Keep an eye on your friend. Corruption has a way of spreading when we're not vigilant."
The walk back through the infinite corridor was suffocating in its silence. Azmina moved like a automaton, her usual bouncing energy completely absent. Her red hair hung limp, her shoulders slumped in defeat.
Chronica kept stealing glances at her friend, worry etching deeper lines into her petite features with each step. When they reached the fork where their paths diverged, Azmina's room to the left, hers to the right, she hesitated.
"Azmina..."
"I'm fine." The words came out flat, mechanical. "I just... I need to think."
Chronica watched her friend shuffle away, then made a decision. Instead of offering comfort, she turned and practically ran to her own overseer room.
The door sealed behind her. Chronica's fingers flew across her console, pulling up screen after screen until, there.
She maximized a new window and typed in the designation.
Subject: Son Goku.
The image materialized slowly. A man in his early twenties, wild black hair defying gravity, dark eyes that held too much knowledge for someone who should be innocent.
But it was his expression that made Chronica's jaw clench. Even in training, there was something calculating in those eyes. Something that evaluated, measured, planned. This wasn't the pure-hearted Saiyan from the original timeline.
This was Bunshichi wearing Goku's face.
"I won't let you corrupt my friend," Chronica whispered to the image, her small hands clenching into fists.
—
Back in the plain where was Raditz and Goku.
"Lies!"
Raditz's voice cracked, but her eyes remained locked on his tail. She couldn't look away. Couldn't process what she was seeing.
*It can't be real. It's not possible.*
She dropped to her hands and knees, crawling toward him. Her hand reached out tentatively, fingers trembling as they made contact with the brown fur.
Warm. Solid. Real.
"You're using some kind of trick!" Her voice rose desperately. "Some technique, some illusion-"
She grabbed the base of his tail and followed it with her hand, trying to find where it connected to his body. Her fingers slipped beneath the waistband of his pants, searching for proof that this was fake, that it was attached artificially-
*SLAP!*
The sound echoed across the empty battlefield.
Raditz's head snapped to the side. Her other cheek, the one that wasn't already swollen from the first slap, now bright red. Both sides of her face were puffy and burning.
She sat back on her heels, hand going to her face, eyes watering from the impact.
"It's not possible!" she insisted, voice breaking. "It's NOT!"
"Why?" Goku asked simply, pulling his tail away and letting it sway behind him.
Raditz's breath came in ragged gasps. "Because male Saiyans don't exist! They never existed! Not in recorded history, not in legends, not even in myths!" She gestured wildly. "We reproduce with other races, males from other species. The Saiyan gene is so dominant, so powerful, that it overwrites everything else. The offspring is always Saiyan. Always female. ALWAYS!"
Her voice echoed in the stillness.
"That's why my kids are all girls," Goku muttered, almost to himself.
Raditz froze. "Your... daughters?"
He looked at her, meeting her eyes. "Hmm? Yeah, they're all..." He paused.
Raditz's mind raced, putting the pieces together.
Five daughters. All with tails. All roughly the same age, she'd seen them. Different hair colors. Blue. Black. Blonde. Another shade of black. And Kakarot's wild spikes.
Same age meant they had to be born around the same time. But different hair colors, different mothers-
*Oh god.*
It wasn't just one hybrid child showing unusual traits. It was FIVE. Five daughters, all Saiyan, all born from different mothers, all fathered by the same male.
This male.
The only way that was possible- the only way-
*He's real.*
A genuine male Saiyan. Not a legend. Not a myth. Not a trick.
Standing right in front of her.
Nothing in Saiyan records mentioned males. Nothing in their history, their culture, their entire existence as a species acknowledged that male Saiyans had ever existed.
But here he was.
The biological impossibility. The thing that shouldn't exist.
Raditz's eyes rolled back.
Her body went limp.
She collapsed backward onto the grass, completely unconscious.
Goku sighed, running a hand through his hair. He stood up slowly, his loose white shirt and matching white pants billowing in the evening breeze. The fabric rippled around his frame as he walked over to her fallen form.
He looked down at her for a moment, both cheeks swollen and red, mouth slightly open, completely out cold.
Then he bent down and scooped her up, cradling her unconscious body against his chest. She was surprisingly light despite her warrior build.
"Fuck," he muttered, looking toward the horizon where the sun was setting. "If I knew something about Dragon Ball, I would know what's coming next."
He lifted off the ground, Raditz's limp form secure in his arms, her head lolling against his shoulder. Her tail hung down limply, swaying with the motion of flight.
Goku turned toward Kame House and accelerated.
—
The yellow nimbus cloud descended onto the beach in front of Kame House. Kakarot stepped off first, Rori pressed against her side. Krillin landed heavily beside them, still catching his breath. Eve touched down last, standing apart from the group, uncertain.
Before anyone could say anything, the door to Kame House slammed open.
"RORI!"
Nappi burst out first, running as fast as her little legs could carry her, blonde pigtails bouncing. "RORI!!!" Tears were already streaming down her chubby cheeks.
Behind her came the others, Gohana walking quickly, Bula with her hands shoved in her pockets trying to look unbothered, and Mina peeking out from behind the doorframe.
The mothers followed, Panchy, Bulma, Chi-Chi, Mai, and Lunch.
Kakarot set Rori down just as Nappi crashed into her sister like a cannonball.
"I WAS SO SCARED!" Nappi sobbed, wrapping her arms around Rori and refusing to let go. "The mean lady was gonna hurt you and- and- "
"It's okay, Nappi," Rori said, hugging her sister back. "I'm fine. Papa saved me."
Gohana arrived next, immediately crouching down to inspect Rori. "Let me see. Are you injured anywhere?."
"I'm okay, Hana, really-"
"Hold still." Gohana checked her arms, her face, looking for any signs of harm. Satisfied, she nodded curtly. "You appear unharmed. Good."
Bula walked up slower, hands still in her pockets. She looked down at Rori and Nappi still hugging, then reached out and messed up Rori's hair roughly. "Tch. You're fine. Told everyone you'd be fine."
"Bula!" Rori tried to fix her hair, laughing.
Mina hadn't moved from the doorway. She stood there, looking at everyone, her hands clasped in front of her nervously. She wanted to go to them, but too many people, too much noise...
Mai noticed immediately. She walked over and gently took Mina's hand. "Come on, sweetheart. Let's say hi to your sister."
Together they approached. Mina didn't say anything, just gave Rori a tiny wave.
"Hi, Mina," Rori said softly, smiling at her shyest sister.
Mina's face turned red and she hid behind Mai's leg.
The mothers had reached Kakarot now. Chi-Chi grabbed her and pulled her into a fierce hug.
"We are fine," Kakarot mumbled, but she was smiling.
Bulma was checking over Rori thoroughly. "You're sure you're not hurt? That Saiyan bitch didn't-"
"Aunt Bulma, I'm fine! Papa got there super fast!"
Panchy said. "Oh thank goodness~"
Lunch crossed her arms, trying to look tough, but her voice cracked slightly. "Yeah, well... good thing you're okay, kid."
---
Off to the side, Eve stood alone, watching the reunion. Her expression was soft.
She was so lost in thought she didn't notice the small figure approaching until something tugged on her pant leg.
Eve looked down.
Nappi was staring up at her with big, teary eyes.
"Thank you for saving my sister," the little girl said.
Eve's chest tightened. She crouched down to Nappi's level. "You don't have to thank me, little one. I'm just glad she's safe."
Nappi suddenly threw her arms around Eve's neck, hugging her tight. "You're nice! I like you!"
Eve froze for a moment, then carefully hugged the small child back. "I... thank you."
Nappi pulled away and ran back to her sisters, leaving Eve crouching there with an expression she couldn't quite name.
"Hey."
She stood up quickly. Krillin was beside her, his face bright red.
"Uh, thanks," he said, rubbing the back of his bald head awkwardly. "For saving us back there. Without you, we'd all be... yeah. You were really amazing out there. Like, really amazing. You're super strong and" He was rambling now. "What I mean is, uh, thanks."
Eve blinked at him. "You already said thanks."
"Oh. Right. Yeah." His face got redder. "Sorry."
Up close, Krillin was really looking at her for the first time. Strong but graceful. Battle-scarred but beautiful in that warrior way. And that tail...
*She's really cute,* he thought, then immediately tried to shake it off.
"So what brings you to Earth?" he asked, trying to sound casual. "You came looking for someone?"
Eve's expression became guarded. "Yes. Someone important."
"Who?"
She glanced toward the horizon where Goku would eventually return from. "Someone I need to meet. Someone I've been searching for."
*Goku,* Krillin realized immediately. His heart sank a little. *Of course. She's here for Goku. Everyone always is.*
He looked at her again, the determined set of her jaw, the hope in her eyes.
*What am I even thinking?* Krillin thought. *She's way out of my league. Came all the way to Earth to find Goku. Probably wants to train with him or... or something.*
But still... she was really cute.
"KRILLIN! GET OVER HERE!"
He jumped. Master Roshi and Yamcha were jogging over from the house.
"What the hell happened out there?!" Yamcha demanded as they reached the group.
"How did you survive?" Bulma asked, arms crossed.
"Barely." Krillin glanced at Eve. "She held Raditz off while we protected Rori. Fought like crazy even though she was outmatched."
Eve looked uncomfortable with the attention.
"But then what?" Chi-Chi pressed. "If she was that much stronger-"
"Goku showed up."
Silence fell over the group.
"Goku?" Lunch's eyes widened. "He came back?"
Krillin nodded. "Appeared out of nowhere. One second Raditz had me pinned, about to kill me. The next second, Goku had grabbed both me and Rori. Just... saved us like it was nothing."
"And then?" Master Roshi asked.
"He handled it," Krillin said simply. "Raditz tried to fight him. She didn't stand a chance. Goku's power level hit 24,000 and was still climbing when her device exploded."
"TWENTY-FOUR THOUSAND?!" Yamcha's jaw dropped.
"That's a lot ?," Chi-Chi whispered.
"Raditz had 1000 or something I think" said Mai.
Kakarot said quietly. "I felt it. He's..." She shook her head. "He's on a completely different level he always was."
"Where is he?" Bulma demanded.
"Still at the battlefield with Raditz," Krillin replied. "He said he needed to talk to her alone. Said he'd come back later."
"Talk to her?" Mai frowned. "About what?"
"I don't know. He just... told us all to leave."
---
Ten Minutes Later, Inside Kame House
The atmosphere inside was tense.
Nappi and Rori were playing quietly in the corner with some toys, but the other sisters sat with their mothers, sensing the adults' worry. Mina was pressed against Mai's side. Gohana sat perfectly straight beside Chi-Chi. Bula sprawled in a chair trying to look bored.
Kakarot stared out the window, arms crossed.
Eve stood near the wall, still feeling like an outsider.
"What do you think he's doing?" Panchy asked softly.
"Interrogating her," Piccolo's voice came from the doorway. Everyone jumped. The Namekian stood there, arms crossed. "Goku's not stupid. She came for a reason. He's finding out why."
"When did you-" Bulma started.
"Just now. I sensed Goku's energy returning."
Everyone scrambled to their feet.
They rushed outside onto the beach.
They heard him before they saw him, the distinctive sound of someone descending from the sky.
"PAPA!"
Rori broke free from Kakarot and ran toward the beach, Nappi right behind her.
"Girls, wait-" Bulma started.
But they were already outside.
The others followed quickly, spilling out onto the sand.
Goku stood there, hair wild in the evening breeze, looking completely unbothered.
In his arms, unconscious and limp, was Raditz.
Rori ran up to him, beaming. "PAPA! You didn't kill her! You kept your promise!"
Goku smiled down at his daughter. "Of course I did."
Kakarot came up beside them, relief washing over her face.
But the others...
"Goku." Bulma's voice was flat. "Why the hell did you bring HER here?"
"Is she dead?" Mai asked nervously, taking a defensive stance.
Chi-Chi's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Goku. Explain yourself. Now."
Yamcha had dropped into a fighting stance. "Dude, seriously? You brought the enemy to here?"
"Is the mean lady gonna wake up?" Nappi asked, hiding behind Rori now.
Panchy wrung her hands. "Oh dear...don't worry, papa is here"
Gohana stood straight. "Father surely has his reasons."
Bula just crossed her arms. "This is gonna be interesting."
Only Eve didn't seem surprised. She studied Raditz's face, both cheeks swollen and bright red from being slapped hard. Then she looked at Goku with understanding in her eyes.
---
Inside Kame House.
Everyone had crowded into the main room. The atmosphere was thick with tension.
Raditz lay unconscious on the couch, her armor removed. Leaving her in just the black leotard beneath. Both her cheeks were still swollen and red from Goku's slaps.
The adults had arranged themselves around the room. Bulma paced near the window. Chi-Chi stood with her arms crossed, glaring at the unconscious Saiyan. Mai sat nervously on a chair. Panchy perched on the armrest. Lunch leaned against the wall, arms crossed. Kakarot stood near the door, tail swaying behind her.
Krillin, Yamcha, and Master Roshi had claimed spots along the wall.
Eve remained near the entrance, separate from everyone else.
And Goku...
Goku sat sprawled on the floor like a sultan, one knee raised, arm draped over it casually. Completely relaxed despite the tension in the room.
Mina had been sitting with her mother, but her eyes kept drifting to her father. She wanted to go to him, she always wanted to be near him, but...
She looked at the couch. At the scary lady sleeping there. The mean one who'd tried to hurt Rori.
Mina stood up slowly, taking a tentative step toward Goku.
Then another.
She got closer to the couch. Closer to the sleeping woman with the swollen face and the tail and-
*She's gonna wake up. She's gonna grab me.*
Mina's eyes went wide. She turned to run.
Strong hands caught her mid-step.
"Whoa there."
Goku lifted her effortlessly, pulling her against his chest as he settled back into his sprawled position. Mina found herself lying on top of him, her head tucked under his chin, his arms wrapped loosely around her small frame.
The safest place in the world.
Mina's entire body relaxed. She pressed her face against his chest, her hands gripping his shirt. This was where she belonged. Where nothing could hurt her.
Goku smiled down at her, one hand rubbing her back gently.
The room had gone quiet watching this, but Bulma broke the silence.
"Okay, enough." She turned to face Goku fully. "Why did you bring her here? Of all places, why HERE? With our children?"
Goku looked up at her, still holding Mina. "She's what you'd call a Saiyan."
"Yeah, we got that part," Yamcha muttered. "She said it herself before trying to kill us."
"She's apparently Kakarot's sister," Goku continued calmly.
"Which means..." He paused, looking at the unconscious woman on the couch. "That's what I am. What we are. Saiyans."
Silence fell like a hammer.
"How..." Bulma's voice cracked slightly. "How do you know that's true? She could be lying. This could be some kind of trick to,"
"She's not lying."
The certainty in Goku's voice made everyone freeze.
Chi-Chi frowned. "How can you possibly know that?"
Goku's eyes narrowed slightly. "Because I know it."
The way he said it left no room for argument. Like it was a fundamental truth of the universe.
Krillin shifted uncomfortably. "So... you're an alien?"
"Apparently."
"And Kakarot is your sister?"
"No," Goku corrected. "Raditz claims to be Kakarot's sister. I'm..." He trailed off, looking thoughtful. "Something different. But the same species."
"This is insane," Mai whispered.
"This is BEYOND insane," Bulma added, running her hands through her hair. "Aliens. Saiyans. Sisters from space. What's next, time travel?"
Eve, who had been silent until now, took a small step forward.
"A-actually..."
Everyone turned to look at her.
She wrung her hands nervously, then looked directly at Goku. "C-can we talk now? Please?"
Goku tilted his head, studying her. "Oh yeah... you were there earlier." He shifted, carefully moving Mina as he started to stand. "Sure, let's go outside."
Mina immediately clung tighter, refusing to let go. Her arms wrapped around his neck like a vice.
"Mina, sweetheart-" Mai started.
"It's fine," Goku said, standing up with his daughter still attached to him like a baby koala.
He followed Eve toward the door.
Naturally, the moment they stepped outside, everyone else crept toward the windows and door to eavesdrop.
The sun had fully set now. Stars were beginning to appear in the darkening sky. The ocean waves crashed rhythmically against the shore.
Eve stood a few feet away from Goku, fidgeting with her hands. Mina peeked at her from her father's shoulder, curious but still shy.
"So," Goku said, his tone patient. "What did you want to talk about?"
Eve took a deep breath. "I... I came to Earth to find you. To seek your help."
"Help with what?"
"To save my planet." Her voice was firm now. "To save Planet Vegeta from destruction."
Goku's eyebrows rose. "Wait a minute. Isn't Planet Vegeta already destroyed? Raditz mentioned-"
"Yes!" Eve interrupted quickly. "Yes, it was destroyed. But I..." She hesitated, wringing her hands. "I have access to a time machine."
Silence.
"TIME MACHINE?!?"
The shout came from inside the house. Everyone had pressed themselves against the windows and doorframe, eyes wide, mouths hanging open.
Goku blinked slowly. "A time machine?"
Eve nodded. "Yes. With it, we can go back. Before the destruction. We can save Planet Vegeta. Save our people." Her eyes met his desperately. "But I need your help. I can't do it alone."
Goku studied her for a moment, then tilted his head. "Before we get into that... how do you know so much about me? you seemed very sure I was the one you needed."
Eve's eyes immediately darted away, looking at the ocean, the sand, the house, anywhere but at him. Her cheeks flushed slightly.
"My... my mother told me," she said vaguely, her voice getting quieter. "She told me everything I know about... about you."
Goku watched her fidget, noticed the embarrassment radiating from her posture, the way she couldn't meet his eyes. There was clearly more to this story, but...
He decided not to dig deeper. Not now.
"Alright," he said, letting it go. "What are the risks of this time travel? To me, to my family?"
Eve seemed relieved at the change of subject, her shoulders relaxing slightly. "There are no direct risks to you or your family.
Eve said quickly. "The point is, your family would be safe. The timeline would remain stable."
Goku looked down at Mina, who was watching him with those big eyes of hers. As if sensing something important was happening, his other daughters had wandered outside. Rori came to his leg, wrapping her small arms around it. Nappi pressed against his other side. Bula and Gohana stood nearby, all of them looking up at him with varying degrees of curiosity and concern.
He smiled down at them, one hand ruffling Rori's hair while still holding Mina.
"Let's say I accept," he said slowly, looking back at Eve. "How do we get back in time?"
Eve rubbed the back of her head nervously. "Well... the time machine can't actually move. We'd have to go to it."
Goku's eyes narrowed slightly, catching the scent of complication. "And where exactly is this time machine?"
"It's... it's in the place where I grew up." She swallowed. "On another planet."
"Aaaand?" Goku drew out the word, already knowing he wasn't going to like the answer. "How long to get there?"
Eve smiled weakly. "Six months?"
"SIX MONTHS?!"
The cry came from inside the house where everyone was still eavesdropping.
"So Goku!" Eve said quickly, trying to capitalize on momentum. "Let's go—"
"No."
The word was flat, final.
Eve's face fell. "What? Why?"
"I'm not leaving my family alone for a year," Goku said simply. "Six months there, six months back, that's a full year. Not after what happened today with Raditz. She reminded me that I live in a world full of dangers. They can come from anywhere, at any time."
He looked down at his daughters again, all of them still clinging to him in various ways.
"I won't leave them unprotected."
Eve opened her mouth to argue, but Goku wasn't finished. His voice dropped to a mutter, almost to himself.
"But then again... is this supposed to happen? Am I supposed to go?" He frowned, something uncertain flickering across his face. "Is that what... what Goku would do?"
BOOM!
The explosion tore through the wall of Kame House, sending debris flying. Everyone inside scrambled for cover, shouting in alarm.
Everyone startled, except Goku.
Through the settling dust, Raditz sat up on the couch, her eyes blazing with fury despite her still-swollen cheeks.
"YOU!" she snarled, locking onto Goku immediately.
Everyone turned to Raditz as she stood in the ruins of the wall, her ki flaring with rage. Everyone except Goku, who kept his eyes on Eve's retreating form.
"Now, if you'll excuse me..." He handed Mina to Eve without looking and took off.
Eve's eyes widened as she suddenly found herself holding the small girl. "She's—"
BOOM
Goku vanished in a burst of speed that sent sand exploding outward. Eve spun around to see him materialize behind Raditz, grabbing her leg mid-flight and yanking her down into the beach.
His speed had been invisible. One moment he was standing, the next he was towering over the downed Saiyan.
"How can you be so fast?" Raditz gasped, genuinely shocked.
Eve stared at Goku, amazement clear in her eyes. He moved with such casual dominance, settling himself on Raditz's stomach, facing her with an almost playful expression.
"Don't leave me so soon," he said, smirking down at his captive.
Roshi approached cautiously. Raditz was thrashing beneath Goku, trying desperately to escape, but he might as well have been a mountain for all she could move him.
"Goku, what are you planning to do with her? We can't let her go. She'll cause catastrophe-"
Raditz smirked through her struggle. "Yeah! I'll kill everyone on this plan—"
Goku raised his hand to her face, energy gathering in his palm.
"I'm sorry!" Raditz immediately cowered, covering her face with both hands.
But Goku's attention had already shifted. He looked to the side, catching sight of Rori's small face watching him intently, her tiny fists clenching Kakarot's pants. The child's expression was worried, almost pleading.
He looked up at Kakarot. Her eyebrows were furrowed, skeptical but... hopeful?
Goku sighed deeply, flicking his hand dismissively. The ki ball dissipated into harmless particles that drifted away like fireflies.
Raditz peeked through her fingers at the man sitting on her.
"Well... she'll stay with me," he said, his voice carrying notes of exhaustion.
Rori's face split into a wide smile. Kakarot's expression visibly relaxed.
"You'll have to always keep her in your sigh—BLUH!" Roshi was cut off as Bulma shoved him aside.
"What do you mean STAY?!" Bulma shouted.
Chi-Chi stepped forward, arms crossed authoritatively. "Absolutely not! We are NOT harboring a violent alien who just tried to kill us!"
Lunch, ever blunt, added, "Just knock her out and leave her here. Problem solved."
Mai spoke up more diplomatically, though her respect for Goku was clear in her tone. "Goku, if you think it's necessary..."
Panchy, bubbly as always, chirped, "If you're sure, hun~ Just make sure she doesn't break anything else!"
"I need answers about Saiyans," Goku said, partly to them but mostly to convince himself.
"Well, if you want answers, ask Eve! She's a Saiyan too!" Chi-Chi pointed at the other woman.
Eve stepped forward, carefully setting Mina down. "I... I don't know much about Saiyans or Planet Vegeta myself. Everything I know came from my mother."
"Doesn't matter!" Chi-Chi's voice was sharp. "If you insist on keeping her, then she does NOT approach the girls. Ever."
Bulma threw a capsule that exploded into a plane. The women began boarding, Bulma, Chi-Chi, Lunch, and Mai all looked back at Goku with varying degrees of disapproval. Goku waved them on. Panchy gave him a cheerful wave. Kakarot lingered, her tail swishing uncertainly before she too boarded.
His daughters started to follow, but Rori suddenly broke away, running back to jump on her father.
"Thanks, Papa!" she said, hugging him tightly.
"They seem pissed," Krillin observed, coming to stand beside them.
Goku watched the women in the plane deliberately turning away from his gaze. He looked down at his daughter in his arms. "Well, you can't make everyone happy."
Mina and Nappi noticed Rori getting hugs. "Me too!" They ran back and jumped on him as well.
Bula and Gohana stood with their arms crossed, trying to look mature.
"So childish," Bulaa said with a four-year-old's attempt at sophistication.
"When will they grow up?" Gohana added.
Their gazes drifted to their father surrounded by their sisters. They looked at each other.
"I see you want to go," Bula said with a smirk. "Don't restrain yourself."
"Oh my, aren't you projecting your desires on me, dear sister?"
From the plane, Mai watched them. "Are they really four?"
Panchy placed a hand on her cheek. "When you see the father, you understand~"
While Nappi and Mina chatted with Goku, Rori slipped from his arms and approached Raditz, who was still face-down in the sand. The little girl knelt beside her.
"I told Papa not to kill you! So you have to take that gift and stop doing evil stuff!"
She got on all fours and leaned close to Raditz's face, planting a kiss on her cheek.
"What the hell is that?!" Raditz sputtered, completely baffled.
"Papa says my kisses are blessings that fill him with love, so I can give you one!" Rori explained, getting up and dusting herself off before running toward the plane.
Raditz stared after the little girl, her cheeks flushing red, utterly confused by the innocent gesture.
Nappi and Mina followed their sister to the plane. Goku turned to the quiet Saiyan woman standing apart.
"Eve!" She jumped at his call. "Go with them. I'll catch up later."
Her eyes widened, then she smiled. "Okay!" She hurried to the plane.
Krillin watched her go, a slight blush on his cheeks mixed with something sad. Goku noticed, smirking slightly.
The plane took off, leaving only Goku, Raditz, Krillin, Roshi, Yamcha, Oolong, and Puar at Kame House.
Goku stood, grabbing Raditz by her armor and lifting her like she weighed nothing.
"First of all, go take a shower."
Her eyebrows shot up. "What?!"
"You stink like a wild animal."
She flushed bright red, face contorting with rage. "What did you say?!"
"Shower. Now."
—
Water ran over Raditz's incredibly athletic form, powerful thighs, flat stomach with defined abs, generous breasts. Under that perpetually angry expression, she was quite beautiful. But her face now wasn't mad so much as confused, troubled.
She pondered the impossible, a male Saiyan.
"This is absolutely insane," she muttered. "It reminds me of when we were young... Vegeta kept trying to convince everyone she'd met a male Saiyan. No one believed her. Could it be him- Foolishness! He doesn't seem that old. He could be my age or younger."
Her hands traced down from her chest, sliding over her abs to rest on her lower belly.
"Son... Goku..."
A creaking sound made her snap to attention. She spotted eyes through a crack in the door.
BOOM!!!
"What was that?!" Yamcha panicked at the explosion from the bathroom.
"Nothing," Goku said calmly.
"About Eve's situation," Krillin ventured. "Are you going to help her?"
"No... I don't think so."
"Why? She seemed to be counting on you, looking up to you."
"Doesn't matter. I can't leave for a year. What if someone else comes while I'm gone? I need to pro-" Goku cut himself off. "Protect, huh?" He said it quietly, almost to himself.
Roshi and Oolong stumbled back into the living room, cheeks swollen, and collapsed on the couch.
"It's true," Roshi wheezed. "If you weren't here today, a lot of us would be dead."
Goku nodded. "I thought about using the Dragon Balls to teleport to that planet, but same problem. We get there directly, but how do we get back? She said it's six months by ship."
The door slammed open.
Raditz stood there dripping wet, a towel wrapped precariously around her body. One hand pressed against her chest to keep it in place as she stormed toward them.
She stopped behind the couch, directly behind Goku. "Where is my armor?!"
Goku leaned his head back, looking up at her. From his angle, he had quite the view beneath her breasts. He smirked.
"I took it out. It's dirty."
She clenched her fist. "What am I supposed to wear?!"
Roshi launched himself off the couch. "I have clothes!" He rushed upstairs.
"Your clothes won't fit, small man!"
He returned just as quickly, Hawaiian shirt and shorts in hand.
Her face looked ready to explode. "What is that?" she said through clenched teeth.
"My clothes."
"Go put them on and come back here," Goku said flatly, his patience wearing thin.
She twitched, snatched the clothes, and stormed back to the bathroom.
Minutes later, she emerged.
The Hawaiian shirt was impossibly tight, buttoned only halfway, pushing her breasts up dramatically. Beads of water from her still-damp hair rolled between her cleavage. The shorts were both tight and short, ending mid-thigh on her powerful legs.
Oolong, Roshi, and Krillin gulped audibly.
Raditz sat next to Goku on the couch, crossing her arms and legs, looking deliberately away from everyone. The pose only emphasized how poorly the clothes fit.
Yamcha blushed, noticing her feet were somehow more athletic than even Kakarot's.
The proud Saiyan warrior, reduced to wearing a tiny old man's vacation clothes, sat in stubborn, embarrassed silence.
Goku looked at her on the couch. "What do you think you're doing?"
"What?" Raditz blinked, confused.
"Did I say you could sit here?" His voice was cold. "On the ground."
"Excuse me?!"
He leaned forward until his face was inches from hers, dark eyes boring directly into hers. "The only reason you're breathing is because my four-year-old asked me not to kill you. So you'll kneel on the ground where you belong."
The room went silent. Krillin and Yamcha exchanged uncomfortable glances.
Raditz's face burned with humiliation and rage. "I'm a Saiyan warrior! I don't-"
She met his eyes.
There was nothing there. No anger, no hatred, just... calculation.
She had to choose: her pride or her life.
She chose life.
Raditz slid off the couch onto her knees, positioning herself between Goku's legs. The too-small Hawaiian shirt rode up, the shorts pinched at her thighs. Every movement was degrading.
"Good." He settled back. "Now you'll answer my questions. Every time you lie, you'll regret it."
"What do you want to know?" Her voice was tight with suppressed fury.
"Tell me about the Saiyans."
"Like I said," she ground out, "we're warriors. We clear planets to sell them to the highest bidder."
"Scumbags," Krillin muttered.
Raditz's head snapped toward him with a snarl, making him flinch back.
Goku leaned forward, forearms on his thighs, his tail swaying lazily behind him. "Okay. Didn't you mention something about your planet's destruction?"
Raditz straightened on her knees, hands pressed against her thick thighs. The position made her back arch, chest pushing out, capturing the undivided attention of Roshi and Oolong. Her tail tapped rhythmically against the couch beside Goku's leg.
"Our planet, Planet Vegeta, was destroyed by a meteor strike. It wiped out every Saiyan warrior. We were the only ones left: me, Kakarot, Vegeta, and Nappa..." She rolled her eyes up to look at his face. "And it seems... you."
"Where are the two you mentioned?" Krillin asked.
She turned to give him a death stare.
"Answer," Goku said simply.
"They're on another planet..." Her eyes darted around the room.
Goku noticed immediately. Years of reading witnesses had taught him the tells, the shifting gaze, the incomplete answers, the nervous energy. She was hiding something.
He extended his hand and cupped her face, firm but not painful, his thumb pressing against her cheek. He turned her face to his.
"What are you hiding? Talk. Now."
Fear flashed in her eyes, but then something else happened. Her cheeks flushed deep red, a blush spreading across her face.
Goku's eyebrow rose slightly. Why was she-
"They heard our conversation," she blurted out. "Through my scouter… the device that broke. In a year, they're comi-"
She snapped her mouth shut, eyes widening in horror at what she'd just revealed.
"A year..." Goku's hand dropped, his tail falling limp beside hers on the couch. He was deep in thought.
Raditz watched his tail land next to hers. Slowly, deliberately, she moved her own tail until they touched, rubbing against each other. Goku glanced down, saw what she was doing, then proceeded to completely ignore it.
"Other Saiyans are coming in a year," Roshi said, stroking his beard thoughtfully.
"Goku can handle them," Yamcha said with confidence.
As they continued discussing, Raditz slowly moved her hands toward his tail. Then she lunged, grabbing it and squeezing as hard as she could.
"Got you, you worm! Now kneel before me—"
She stopped. Everyone was looking at her with expressions ranging from confusion to pity. No one looked scared.
She looked down at Goku, who sat with his arms crossed, one eyebrow twitching in annoyance.
"Why aren't you—"
Goku grabbed her tail and squeezed.
Raditz's entire body seized. She fell face-first onto the floor, ass in the air, whimpering as he maintained his grip.
"I'm sorry! I won't do it again!" she gasped.
He released her. She collapsed fully, panting.
"Are they strong?" Krillin asked, as if nothing had happened.
Raditz pushed herself back to her knees, pride thoroughly wounded. "Yes. Much stronger than me."
"How much? Stronger than Goku?" Roshi pressed.
She looked at Goku seriously. "You're definitely stronger than Nappa. But Vegeta... with Vegeta, we never know."
"Vegeta. Who is she?" Goku asked.
"Vegeta is our princess! The Princess of all Saiyans!" Raditz's voice gained strength, pride creeping back in. "She's an elite warrior. Even as a child, she was stronger than most adult Saiyans! She is the legendary Super Saiyan!"
"Super Saiyan?"
"Every thousand years, a Saiyan becomes the Super Saiyan. And it will be Vegeta!"
"I'm not interested in legends," Goku said dismissively. "Tell me about the Saiyans. About me. Why were you shocked when you learned I was a male Saiyan?"
"Is your skull thic—" She caught his narrowing eyes. "I mean! Saiyans are an all-female race!"
"Then how aren't you extinct?" Krillin asked.
"Because we reproduce with other races. The Saiyan gene is so strong that everything born is a female Saiyan. Never a male." She turned to Goku. "That's why I was shocked. You shouldn't exist."
She muttered to herself, "How can we be sure..." Then louder: "I know! Did you transform at the full moon into a giant ape?"
Goku looked at his friends.
"Like Kakarot did at the beach five years ago?" Krillin offered.
"Kakarot is a Saiyan, so she would... Hehehe, she must've killed hundreds and destroyed cities! We're ten times stronger in that form."
"It was hard," Goku interrupted. "I couldn't kill her, so it made things take longer."
"What do you mean? You went toe-to-toe with an Oozaru?!"
"Not toe-to-toe," Krillin corrected. "He dominated her. Picked her up and flew away with her."
Raditz's eyes went impossibly wide. "Nonsense! No one could—" She looked at Goku. *How can he be so strong?*
"Oh! I remember!" Yamcha snapped his fingers. "Twelve years ago! When we summoned Shenron for the first time. You passed out, but before that, your body was expanding."
"I did?" Goku asked.
"You resisted the transformation? How?!" Raditz looked genuinely amazed now.
After a few more questions, Goku stood and walked toward the door. Raditz remained on her knees, watching him.
"Okay then, I'm going home now. Take care," he said casually.
"WAIT, WAIT!" Krillin, Roshi, and Oolong all shouted at once.
"You're not going to leave her here?!" Krillin asked desperately.
"Even if I wanted to, my life is more important," Roshi added quickly.
Goku, hands in pockets, looked back over his shoulder. "Yeah, okay. Raditz... let's go."
Her pride hurt but having no choice, she got to her feet and followed him out.
They said their goodbyes and flew away into the night, Raditz trailing behind the impossible male Saiyan who had thoroughly broken her in less than an hour.
The night sky stretched endlessly above them, the moon casting its pale light across the sea of clouds below.
From behind, Raditz studied the broad back before her. Her eyes narrowed, calculating.
*Now... now is the perfect moment.*
Her muscles tensed imperceptibly.
*Even the strongest warrior can fall to a well-placed surprise attack. One strike to the base of the skull, channel everything into-*
She swallowed hard.
*But how much stronger is he, really? That display against me... that wasn't even serious, was it? And if I fail...*
Her fists clenched at her sides.
*No. Not yet. Not until I understand what I'm dealing with.*
The tension bled from her shoulders as she abandoned the thought.
Ahead of her, Goku's expression remained unchanged, that knowing smirk playing at the corner of his lips. He didn't need to look back.
*Manipulation at its finest,* he mused. *Let her think she's choosing caution. Let her believe she's the one in control.*
The mansion emerged from the darkness like a beacon, every window blazing with warm light against the emerald sprawl of manicured grounds. It sat enthroned upon the landscape, a palace.
"Do they think electricity is free?" Goku muttered as he descended.
Raditz followed him down into the garden, her boots touching grass. Her eyes swept across the property, the crystalline pool reflecting starlight, the twin streams that flanked the estate like honor guards, the sheer excess of it all.
She crossed her arms, her tail twitching with reluctant admiration.
"Are you the king of this planet?"
Goku glanced back over his shoulder, that infuriating smirk widening.
"Yes. They just don't know it yet."
The aroma hit them before they'd fully crossed the door, rich, savory. Spices and roasting meat and something sweet underneath, the kind of smell that made even a Saiyan warrior's stomach remember its priorities.
"Hun~! You're back~!"
Panchy materialized from the warmth of the interior, her apron dusted with flour, rising onto her tiptoes to press a quick kiss to Goku's lips.
"Where are they?" Goku asked, already working at his shoes.
"The girls are in Bula's room playing." Panchy's smile never wavered as she catalogued information with the precision of a general reporting troop movements. "Bulma's in the lab- she took that strange device and the spaceship from that lovely lady. She had Kakarot retrieve it. Lunch is in the training room..." A note of confusion entered her voice. "I don't know why, but lately she keeps training. And Mai and Chi-Chi are helping me in the kitchen."
Goku pointed at Raditz's feet without looking at her.
"Shoes. Off."
A grunt of indignation escaped Raditz's throat. She bent down, fingers working at unfamiliar clasps, executing the command with all the grace of a caged predator.
Goku leaned in, cupping Panchy's cheek for another kiss before pulling away and walking backward toward the lab's entrance.
"Thanks, Panchy. I'll go see Bulma." His eyes found Raditz, and that smirk returned. "Raditz! Help them. Make me a good dinner."
"*What?!*" Her voice cracked with outrage. "I'm not a servant! I don't-"
But Panchy had already seized her arm with a grip that was deceptively firm, pulling her toward the kitchen.
"Don't worry," the blonde woman chirped, her smile never faltering. "I'll teach you~"
In the lab Bulma sat hunched over her workstation, tools scattered around. Before her, Eve stood with arms crossed, her expression a careful mask of patience.
"G-Goku..."
Eve's voice made Bulma spin in her chair. The moment she saw him, her expression hardened, and she turned away with deliberate coldness.
"Hmpf!"
Goku approached undeterred, his footsteps unhurried. He came up behind her, pressing his chest against her back, his warmth seeping through the thin fabric of her clothes.
Eve watched them, something wounded flickering in her eyes before she looked away.
Goku leaned down, his lips brushing Bulma's ear as he whispered something meant only for her.
For just an instant, her lips curved upward, then she caught herself, fury reigniting.
She shot to her feet, whirling to face him. "Don't try to smooth-talk your way out of this! Why did you bring her here? She's dangerous!"
"Au contraire." His voice was silk over steel. "She's not dangerous while I'm with her."
"And then what?!" Bulma's hands flew up in exasperation. "You're planning to keep her around until one of you dies of old age?!"
"We'll see." His gaze drifted to something distant. "People change. Easily."
"You piss me o—mmff!"
He silenced her with a kiss, swift and sure.
Eve's eyes went wide, heat rushing to her cheeks as she covered her face with both hands.
Bulma pulled back, flustered despite herself, and gave his chest a half-hearted swat. "That won't work~"
But she was already smiling.
Goku circled the workstation and settled into a chair across from Eve. His expression shifted, cooler now, more measured.
"So. Eve, correct?" He met her eyes without flinching. "I'm sorry, but I can't help you with your problem."
"We *will* help her!"
Bulma was already attacking her console, fingers flying across holographic interfaces.
Goku turned to her, silent. Waiting.
"I know what you're thinking, hun~" Bulma didn't look up from her work. "But I have new information. With that pod we recovered from Raditz, I can build a working vessel. We teleport you to the planet with the Dragon Balls using the pod, and when you return to the present, you take it back. Five months of—"
"That's still five months too many." Goku's voice cut through her enthusiasm like a blade. "And in one year, more Saiyans are coming. Apparently, they're far stronger than Raditz. I can't leave."
"Don't worry!"
The voice came from behind them, strong, certain.
They turned as one.
Kakarot stood in the doorway, her fists clenched at her sides, her eyes burning with determination.
"I'll train more!" She stepped forward, her voice gaining strength. "I'll train harder. These last five years... I got soft. I relied on you too much. I never considered what would happen if you weren't here."
She looked down at her hands, hands that had grown comfortable with peace.
"You can go, Goku." Her chin lifted. "I'll protect them. I'll protect my family."
The lab fell silent.
Goku studied her face, then Eve's, then Bulma's. Three women, three different forms of hope, all focused on him.
He rose slowly, his eyes falling into shadow.
And walked away.
"I'm sorry, Eve," Bulma said softly, watching him go. "He needs time."
"I'm sorry... I imposed my problems on you."
She bit her lip hard enough to taste copper.
*I just thought... maybe... maybe I was hoping for too much.*
Goku reached the entrance, pulling on his shoes with mechanical precision.
"You're going out, hun~?"
Panchy stood behind him, concern flickering beneath her perpetual smile. Further back, Raditz stood awkwardly in an apron several sizes too small, flour dusting her spiky hair.
"Yeah." Goku straightened. "I'll be back soon."
His gaze found Raditz.
"And you." His voice dropped, all warmth bleeding away. Those eyes, empty, depthless, promising nothing good. "Don't try anything."
A chill raced down Raditz's spine, primitive and involuntary. She covered it with a scowl, crossing her arms.
"Tch."
Goku stepped outside.
Then he was *gone*.
The air screamed in his wake, a thunderclap of displaced atmosphere that sent ripples across the pool and bent the garden trees nearly horizontal.
Goku arrived at Kami's Lookout.
The Guardian of Earth waited at the edge, his weathered hands clasped around his staff.
He touched down without sound.
"Kami." No greeting. "Tell me where Piccolo is."
The old Namekian's eyes twitched, but he spoke the location without hesitation.
Goku started walking, then paused mid-step.
"Kakarot will come here. She needs to get strong. Fast." He didn't turn around. "Take her to that Kaio. Will you?"
"...Understood."
And again, Goku launched himself into the darkness.
---
Piccolo was standing on tall rock, his cape flowing. The wasteland stretched below him, a fitting place for contemplation, for training.
He sensed nothing.
But he heard the footsteps.
"Hiding your ki as usual," Piccolo said, turning slowly to face his arrival.
Goku stood there, hands at his sides, expression unreadable.
"Hey, Piccolo."
He approached. Casual. Unhurried.
"Want to fight?"
Piccolo's eyes went wide. Then narrowed. His muscles coiled as he dropped into his stance, a bead of sweat tracing down his temple.
"I was hoping you'd say that."
"Ready?"
"HAAAA—!"
Piccolo thrust both hands forward, ki already gathering-
Goku moved.
In front of him. Inside his guard. Before thought could become action.
The straight punch connected with Piccolo's face like a cannon shot. The impact didn't just strike, it detonated.
Piccolo was launched backward, punching through rock formations like they were paper, each impact barely slowing him before he cratered into the earth.
He scrambled up immediately, eyes darting skyward-
Nothing.
A sharp displacement of air from his left.
Goku materialized mid-motion, his heel already swinging in a devastating arc that caught Piccolo's chin. The kick snapped his head sideways with surgical violence, sending him tumbling through the air like a discarded doll.
Goku moved again.
Dust erupted in his wake as he burst forward, passing Piccolo's still-flying body only to intercept it with a rising kick to the stomach. The blow drove every molecule of air from Piccolo's lungs, his eyes bulging, his mouth stretching in a silent scream as his body jackknifed around the impact and rocketed skyward.
Goku followed.
He caught Piccolo by the ankles at the apex of his flight and began to spin, once, twice, faster, faster, until they were nothing but a blur of motion. Then he released, hurling Piccolo earthward with enough force to create a crater on impact, dust and debris mushrooming into the air.
And Goku descended after him.
Falling like judgment.
His fist drove into Piccolo's gut with the weight of everything behind it, frustration, decision, the burden of being the one everyone counted on. Blood sprayed from Piccolo's mouth, his eyes rolling back, his body creating a second, deeper impression in the stone beneath him.
Steam rose from Goku's skin as he exhaled.
He withdrew his fist slowly, deliberately, and squatted beside the broken warrior.
"Nice fight."
"Fight?" Piccolo's voice came out as a ragged wheeze, each word scraping against his throat like broken glass. "You call that a fight...?"
A small object dropped into his open mouth. A Senzu bean dissolved on his tongue, and warmth flooded through his broken body.
Piccolo sat up, his eyes darting left and right, unable to meet Goku's gaze directly.
"What?" His voice had recovered its edge, but something uncertain lurked beneath it. "Why did you come here all of a sudden? You just wanted to beat me up?"
"No." Goku remained squatting, perfectly balanced. "Get stronger."
Piccolo's eye twitched violently. "You insult me now?!"
"Normally, I would. But not now. I need you to get stronger. To protect everyone in case something happens."
"What do you mean..." Piccolo's lip curled in disgust. "I'm not the protector type. I'll get stronger than you and conquer this planet."
Goku smiled, warm, infuriatingly confident.
"Yeah. And I'll be ready."
Then his hand closed on Piccolo's shoulder, grip firm. Their eyes met.
"I'm going to be gone for some time. I need you to protect my family."
Piccolo stared at him.
A memory surfaced.
*Years ago. Both of them younger, smaller. Piccolo on the ground, helpless, about to die.*
*And Goku, standing between him and oblivion. Back smoking. Clothes burning. Taking an explosion to protect him.*
*"Why?" Piccolo had rasped.*
*Goku hadn't answered.*
Piccolo wrenched his shoulder free.
"Hmph."
He rose, dusting himself off with sharp, irritated movements. Without another word, without a glance back, he launched himself into the sky and disappeared into the darkness.
Goku stood slowly, sliding his hands into his pockets. He watched that shrinking silhouette until it vanished among the stars.
A small smile tugged at his lips.
"Well... he didn't say no."
Then Goku took off again, blazing across the night.
---
The mansion's warmth embraced him the moment he crossed the threshold, but it was nothing compared to the warmth that collided with his legs.
"PAPA!"
A blur of energy slammed into him, Rori, her wild Saiyan hair bouncing as she wrapped herself around his leg like a koala claiming its tree. Her tail whipped back and forth with uncontainable excitement.
"Rori, get off him, you're being embarrassing."
Bula descended the stairs with all the dignity of royalty gracing the common folk with her presence.
As dinner wound down, the children's energy began to flag. Nappi had fallen asleep face-first in her dessert. Mina was fully unconscious against Goku's chest. Even Rori's bouncing had slowed to occasional twitches.
Bula yawned, then immediately pretended she hadn't.
"Bedtime," Bulma translated.
Gohana rose and began helping Chi-Chi clear dishes, because of course she did.
Eve watched all of it, the easy domesticity, the overlapping conversations, the casual touches and shared glances of a family that had built something real together.
And for just a moment, she let herself imagine what it might have been like.
To belong somewhere.
Raditz watched too, though she would never admit it.
She watched Goku carry Mina toward the stairs, the tiny girl clutching his shirt even in sleep. She watched the wives coordinate bedtime routines. She watched Rori demand a piggyback ride from Kakarot.
This wasn't weakness.
She had called it that, when she first arrived. Softness. Sentiment. Things that got warriors killed.
But watching Goku move through his home, surrounded by those he'd chosen to protect...
The laughter faded with the children's departure, and a different energy settled over the living room.
The adults arranged themselves across the spacious area.
The warmth of dinner had cooled into something more serious.
Lunch stretched, her blonde hair catching the lamplight as she yawned. "Well, this has been... a day." She rose, padding over to Goku and rising on her tiptoes. "Don't stay up too late, hun."
She kissed him softly, and he returned it with familiar ease.
"Night, Lunch."
Panchy followed suit, somehow producing a plate of cookies from nowhere and leaving them on the table before claiming her own goodnight kiss to goku.
"Don't let the serious talk go too late~" she hummed. "Everyone needs their rest!"
And then she was gone, leaving the room heavier in her absence.
Goku moved to the central couch and sat.
The remaining wives arranged themselves around him, Chi-Chi perched on the armrest, Bulma leaning against the opposite end, Mai settling beside him with quiet grace, Kakarot standing with arms crossed near the door.
Eve sat rigid in her chair, hands clasped, hope and fear warring on her face.
Raditz remained standing, back against the wall, watching everything.
Silence stretched.
Then Goku spoke.
"I'm going to help you."
Eve's breath caught.
She looked at Bulma, who nodded.
At Kakarot, who gave a firm dip of her chin.
Back to Goku.
"You... you mean it?"
"I said it, didn't I?"
Something broke in Eve's expression. The careful composure she'd maintained, the dignified restraint of a warrior asking for aid, it crumbled.
She throws herself at Goku, arms wrapping around him in desperate gratitude.
"Thank you," she breathed. "Thank you, thank you, thank you-"
A chorus of indignant sounds rose from the wives.
This wasn't a hug of celebration. It wasn't the embrace of a woman trying to seduce him, to stake a claim, to insert herself into his life.
Eve pressed her face into his neck, and he felt the dampness there. The trembling.
This was a woman who had been alone for so long.
Searching for warmth.
Goku let it continue.
Three seconds. Five. Ten.
"Alright."
Bulma's voice cracked like a whip.
"That's enough emotional gratitude. Remove yourself from my husband."
"Our husband," Chi-Chi corrected sharply. "And yes, back away. Now."
Eve pulled back immediately, wiping at her face with hurried embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I wasn't trying to-"
"Save it." Chi-Chi's arms were crossed, but her expression had softened slightly at the obvious genuine emotion. "Just... don't make a habit of throwing yourself at him. We're already managing a complicated situation."
"I understand. I'm sorry."
Eve retreated to her chair, composing herself with visible effort.
Goku studied her for a moment, then stood.
"You should get some rest. Down the hall, third door on the left. It's yours for now."
Eve rose, bowing deeply. "Thank you. Truly."
She left, and the room felt less crowded for her absence.
Goku turned to Raditz.
"You. Room at the end of the east wing."
Raditz pushed off the wall, already moving. "Finally. I was wondering when you'd stop your domestic theatrics and-"
"I'll be joining you."
The room froze.
"What?"
The word came from three mouths simultaneously, Chi-Chi, Bulma, and Raditz herself, creating a harmonic chord of disbelief.
"I said I'll be sleeping in your room." Goku's expression revealed nothing. "Someone needs to watch you."
"*Excuse me?*" Bulma stepped forward. "You're going to sleep in her room? The woman who kidnapped your daughter today?"
"That's exactly why."
"Hold on." Chi-Chi stepped between them, turning to face Raditz directly. Her eyes could have cut steel. "Let me make something very clear."
She stalked toward the Saiyan, stopping inches away.
"I don't care if he's watching you. I don't care if you're under the same roof as my family. But understand this-" She jabbed a finger into Raditz's chest. "We are more than enough women in this house. We don't need another child from another mother. So keep your hands, your tail, and whatever else to yourself."
Raditz slapped her hand away, sneering.
"Don't flatter yourself. Or him." She shot a dismissive glance at Goku. "I have no intention of breeding with someone so weak-minded. A Saiyan warrior of his strength, playing house with a gaggle of Earth women? Pathetic."
"Then we understand each other."
"Perfectly."
Raditz turned and stalked toward the east wing, her pride trailing behind.
The silence that followed was different. Softer.
Goku sank back onto the couch. Mai moved without hesitation, settling against his side, her head finding its natural place against his chest. His arm wrapped around her automatically.
Chi-Chi and Bulma remained, and Kakarot leaned against the doorframe.
"That was... kind of you," Bulma said finally. "Agreeing to help Eve."
Goku's expression didn't change.
No, that wasn't quite right.
It *darkened*.
"You know, don't you?" he said quietly.
"Know what?"
"Don't play with me, Bulma."
Their eyes met. Held.
Bulma's smile faded.
"...yes," she admitted. "I know."
"Know what?" Chi-Chi demanded. "What are you two talking about?"
Bulma moved to Goku, settling onto his lap with familiar ease, her arms looping around his neck. But her expression was serious.
"The rescue mission," she said. "It's useless."
"What?"
Kakarot straightened. Mai looked up. Chi-Chi's hands dropped to her sides.
"What do you mean useless?" Kakarot's voice was sharp. "He just agreed to help her!"
Goku's arm tightened around Mai. "Think about it."
"I *am* thinking about it, and I don't-"
Bulma turned to the others. "Eve says Planet Vegeta was destroyed. She has a time machine to go save it. But if Goku succeeds in saving it... then it would already BE saved. It wouldn't be destroyed in our present."
"I'm... still lost," Mai admitted quietly.
"It's a paradox." Goku's voice was flat. "If I could save Planet Vegeta, I would have already done it. The fact that it was destroyed means that either I fail, or it's simply impossible to change."
The weight of it settled over them.
"Then... why agree to help her?" Chi-Chi asked. "Why give her false hope?"
"Because it's not certain," Bulma said, pulling back slightly to look at Goku. "Time travel is theoretical. No one's actually done it before, not that we know of. Maybe time doesn't work the way we think. Maybe there are branching timelines, parallel dimensions, variables we can't account for."
She smirked, though it didn't reach her eyes.
"You don't talk much. I always forget how smart you are."
Goku said nothing.
"So we just... let him go on a mission that might be doomed from the start?" Kakarot's fists clenched. "That's insane."
"We let him make his own choice," Bulma corrected. "And we prepare for every possibility."
She slid off his lap, stretching with deliberate casualness.
"But now," she announced, "we go to sleep. Existential time paradoxes can wait until morning."
Chi-Chi huffed but nodded. "Fine. But we're discussing this more tomorrow."
"Wouldn't expect anything less."
The wives began to disperse, Chi-Chi toward her room, Bulma toward hers, each carrying the weight of what they'd learned.
Kakarot lingered.
"Kakarot."
She looked at Goku.
"Tomorrow. Go see Kami. It's for your training."
Her eyes widened slightly. "The training you mentioned? With that... Kaio?"
"Yes. And tonight-" His voice softened, just slightly. "Go sleep with Rori. You won't see her for a while."
The words hit her hard.
She stood there, processing. Then her chest puffed out, that familiar determination flooding her features.
"Right. Yes. I will."
She turned and scattered toward Rori's room.
And then there were two.
Mai remained against his chest, warm and patient, waiting.
Goku looked down at her.
"Last night," he said, voice low, "we couldn't. Mina came to the room."
Mai's breath caught slightly. "I remember."
"Tonight." He pulled her closer, his grip firm. "I'm coming to your room."
She tilted her head up, meeting his eyes. That quiet, reserved woman, let something hungry flicker across her expression.
She rose on her tiptoes.
Kissed him.
Soft at first. Then deeper.
Then she pulled away.
"I'll be waiting."
She walked toward her room with quickened steps, and Goku watched her go with a satisfaction.
Then he turned.
—
And walked toward Raditz's room.
The door opened without a knock.
Raditz spun from the window. "You could at least-"
"I don't knock in my own house."
Goku stepped inside, closing the door with a soft click. He leaned against it, arms crossed, and his eyes found her.
The gaze started at her feet. Climbed her bare legs, the shorts riding up her thighs, fabric straining. Her hips. The Hawaiian shirt stretched to breaking across her chest, buttons undone, everything pushed up and spilling. Her neck. Her face.
Then back down.
Slower.
"Turn around."
"What?"
"Turn. Around."
Her tail lashed. But her feet moved.
She faced the wall, spine rigid, fists at her sides. The shorts pulled tighter with the motion. Cool air kissed exposed skin.
Silence.
She felt him looking. Every inch of her.
"Adequate." The word landed like a brand. "Turn back."
She obeyed.
Goku pushed off the door and walked past her, close enough that his scent hit her, something warm and electric, and sat on the bed's edge.
When she turned back, his shirt was off.
Her eyes betrayed her.
Bronze skin stretched over muscle. Not like this. Not this perfectly carved. His chest rose and fell with easy breath, each movement shifting shadows across the ridges of his stomach.
Her mouth went dry.
She looked away. Too late. He'd seen her looking.
That smirk.
"Come here."
She approached. Stopped at what felt like a safe distance.
"Closer."
Another step.
"Kneel."
"What?"
"I want to look at you properly." He spread his knees slightly. "Kneel."
Every fiber of her pride screamed refusal.
She knelt.
The carpet pressed into her knees. From here, she had to look up at him, past his stomach, his chest, to his face above her.
He'd planned this angle.
"Closer."
She shuffled forward.
And his scent hit her like a wall.
Sweat and something deeper. Musk. Power. It filled her lungs, coated her tongue, sank into her brain. She'd caught hints of it before, when he'd walked past her, when he'd pinned her earlier. But here, this close, framed by his thighs, it was everywhere.
Her head swam.
Her palms pressed against his thighs.
Warm.
The muscle underneath didn't give at all. Solid as stone but radiating heat that seeped through her fingers, up her wrists, into her arms. She could feel the power coiled there. Enough to break her without effort.
Enough to break anything.
Her fingers curled involuntarily, pressing harder.
"Look at me."
She raised her eyes.
His face was above her. Close. She could see every detail, the sharp line of his jaw, the knowing curve of his lips, the darkness of his eyes watching her like she was something small and amusing.
"There she is." His voice dropped lower. "elite warrior."
His hand came up, gripping her chin, tilting her face to one side. Then the other. Examining.
"On your knees between my legs. Hands on me already." His thumb traced along her jaw, slow and deliberate. "And we've barely started."
She should pull away.
She should spit in his face.
She leaned into his touch instead.
*What is wrong with me?*
"You've never knelt for anyone." It wasn't a question. "Not like this."
"N-no."
The word came out wrong. Breathy. Thin.
"No, what?"
"No... I haven't..."
"Good."
He released her chin.
Her face followed his hand for a moment before she caught herself.
*Pathetic. You're pathetic.*
But then his fingers slid into her hair, gripping at the base of her skull, and every thought dissolved.
The pressure was perfect. Controlling. Her scalp tingled, the sensation cascading down her neck, her spine, spreading through her chest. Her nipples hardened against the thin fabric of the shirt, suddenly obvious, suddenly aching.
She gasped before she could stop it.
"Sensitive," he observed. "Good to know."
His grip tightened. Her head tilted back, throat exposed, spine arching. The movement pulled the shirt tighter across her chest, she felt it strain, felt herself spilling further out of the inadequate fabric, felt his eyes drop to take in exactly what was on display.
She should be furious.
She was burning.
"Your tail."
She became aware of it suddenly, her tail wrapped tight around his calf, squeezing rhythmically. When had it done that? She tried to pull it back.
It wouldn't obey.
"I didn't-"
"I know." That smirk. "Your body knows what it wants. Even if your pride won't admit it."
"I don't want-"
"Don't lie to me, Raditz."
He pulled her closer by the grip in her hair. Her hands slid further up his thighs to keep balance. Her face was inches from his stomach now. She could see the trail leading down from his navel, disappearing beneath his waistband.
Her eyes followed it without permission.
Lingered.
*Don't look don't look don't-*
She looked.
The outline was... obvious. Even through the fabric. She couldn't process the size of it. Couldn't think at all anymore.
Heat flooded between her thighs.
"See something you like?"
Her face snapped up, burning with shame.
He was watching her. That knowing, insufferable, *devastating* smirk.
"I wasn't-"
"You were." He pulled her head back again, forcing her to meet his eyes. "You're soaking through those shorts right now, aren't you?"
She wasn't.
She was.
When had that happened?
"Answer me."
"I..." Her voice cracked. "I don't..."
"You don't know?" He leaned down. Closer. His breath ghosted across her lips. "Let me tell you what I see."
His free hand traced down her neck. Over her collarbone. Along the edge of the ruined shirt, following the curve of exposed skin without quite touching what strained beneath.
"I see an elite warrior on her knees. Trembling. Wet. Desperate." His fingers stopped just above the swell of her breast. "All because I told her to kneel."
Her lungs couldn't find air.
"You've killed thousands. Conquered worlds. Made civilizations burn." His lips brushed her ear. "And right now, you'd do anything I asked. Wouldn't you?"
*No.*
*Yes.*
*Please.*
"Say it."
"I..." Her hands were shaking against his thighs. Her whole body was shaking. The heat between her legs had become a pulse, an ache, a need that drowned out everything else. "Please-"
"Please what?"
She didn't know. She didn't know anything anymore. Just his scent and his voice and his hand in her hair and the unbearable empty wanting that consumed her.
"Please... I need..."
"Need what, Raditz?" His voice was silk and poison. "Tell me what you need."
Her hips shifted involuntarily, pressing her thighs together, seeking friction that wasn't there. A sound escaped her throat, small, desperate, humiliating.
"You." The word ripped out of her like a confession. "I need- I want- please-"
He released her.
Leaned back.
Cold air rushed in where his warmth had been.
"No."
The word didn't register at first.
"...what?"
"I said no." He gestured dismissively to the floor beside the bed. "Go sit over there."
"But I- you-"
"Did you think I was going to give you what you want?" He laughed. Low. Cruel.
She was still kneeling between his legs, hands on his thighs, body screaming.
"And now look at you. One evening, and you're begging. Begging." He shook his head slowly.
The shame crashed over her like a wave.
But the need didn't fade.
If anything, the rejection made it worse.
"Now." His voice hardened. "Go sit down. And don't make another sound tonight."
She crawled to the spot he'd indicated.
She sat with her back against the bed, knees pulled to her chest, arms wrapped around them. Her whole body trembled with unspent need. The ache between her thighs was maddening, pulsing, demanding, impossible to ignore.
Above her, Goku settled against the pillows.
"Good girl."
The words sent a fresh wave of heat through her. She bit her lip hard enough to taste copper.
*Don't make a sound. Don't make a sound. Don't-*
His breathing evened out.
He was asleep.
Like she wasn't sitting right there, coming apart at the seams, destroyed by a need she'd never felt before in her entire life.
Like she was nothing.
Hours passed.
Raditz didn't sleep. Couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she felt his hand in her hair. His breath on her neck. The ghost of his fingers tracing her skin.
*Please. I need. You.*
She'd said that.
An elite Saiyan warrior. Begging.
She pressed her forehead to her knees and tried to disappear.
But the ache wouldn't fade. If anything, it grew worse as the hours crawled by. A fire in her core that demanded attention. Her skin was too sensitive, every shift of the borrowed clothes against her body sent electricity sparking through her nerves.
She needed-
*No.*
She would not give him the satisfaction.
More time passed.
The house was silent. The room was dark.
And Raditz was losing her mind.
Her thighs pressed together. Relaxed. Pressed again. The friction wasn't enough. Wasn't *anything*.
*I hate him.*
Her hand drifted down without her permission.
*I hate him I hate him I hate-*
She caught herself. Pulled her hand back. Bit down on her knuckle to keep quiet.
*Don't. He's right there. He'll hear. Don't—*
Goku lay perfectly still.
Breathing even. Body relaxed. Every sense wide awake.
He heard her shifting behind him. The rustle of fabric. The uneven catch of her breath.
Then silence.
Minutes passed.
More shifting. The sound of fabric sliding against skin. A tiny whimper, immediately bitten off.
Then her breathing changed.
Faster. Deliberate. *Rhythmic*.
A soft, wet sound joined it. Unmistakable.
Her free hand found his back through the sheets. Pressing. Clutching. Her knuckles dug into his spine as her body moved against the side of the bed, small motions she probably thought were hidden. They weren't.
She was using him. His presence. His scent still filling the room. The memory of his hands on her.
Her breathing grew ragged. The wet sounds quickened. Her grip on his back tightened, nails scraping through the fabric. A broken moan escaped her, his name buried somewhere inside it.
The bed frame creaked softly with her movements.
Then-
A gasp. Choked. Desperate.
Her whole body tensed. The hand on his back spasmed, grabbing fistfuls of sheet.
Silence.
Shaky exhale.
Her grip slowly loosened. Her breathing evened out. She slumped against the bed, spent, defeated.
In the darkness, Goku's smirk spread wide.
*You will be my Pavlov dog.*