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Saiyan Foster Parent	By : Polymer Category: Dragon Ball Z > Het - Male/Female Views: 1714 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own DragonballZ, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
- 4
Goku as a Foster Father?

Disclaimer: I don�t own the concepts of Full Metal Alchemist, Dragon Ball Z. Funimation
controls the rights to these two! KISS and the comic book and Elder album
concepts are owned by KISS Catalogue incorporated. This is a work of fanfiction incorporating these loves of mine. Only the fancharacters Dragon Womyn, Atomique, Bohr and Fermi, as well as the KISS Next
Generation cast are my creations. I don�t get paid for this, so please don�t
sue me!

Charred wood crackled.
A thick smoky smell assaulted her nostrils. Her eyes felt like leaden weights
when Atomique next tried to open them. Someone's arm
was passed under her neck, pushing something against her lips.

"You're waking
up," said an unfamiliar male voice. Too high pitched to be an older man's,
but low enough to be older than an adolescent.

"Second�"
whispered Atomique, blinking up into the face of one
of the two men she'd seen yesterday. He wore an orange training outfit with
blue shirt underneath. A bare muscular forarms
steadied her head, while a large hand gripped a glass of water. Considering he
had a son who was in his teens, the youthful countenance hardly made sense.
Perhaps he was the sort of being who did not age as quickly. Every muscle in
his body vibrated with crackling gold energies, tingling
her chikara perceptions. Although he kept a tight
shutter on his true latent ability, she sensed by glancing into his dark eyes
that he had psychic potential. A sort of bottomless gleam of hidden knowlege existed, yet there was innocence that was so much
like Star Child it hurt.

A pure heart and
freedom from sin, she thought. Those eyes were identical to Star Child's.
Although his hair was stiff and spiky it was jet black like Paul's had been.
Even his body build and musculature was reminiscent of her late husband. Equal chikara locked away also vibrated at much the same
frequency, even though the color of the aura was gold, the exact opposite of
purple.

"Easy now� you'd
better not try to move much," he said, pressing the glass to her lips.
"You should probably drink some of this�"

"How long� where
is Second?" Atomique asked, blinking up into the
young stern face of Son Goku. Smudged with soot and
grime, he held a slight frown mingled with concern. Anger boiled just under the
surface before being pushed away, she sensed. All emotions seemed in positive
balance for someone so powerful and so lethal. With but a blast of energy he
could easily atomize anyone, because she had seen the signature of his blasts
echoing before she was knocked out.

"Second won't
bother you any more," said Son Goku quietly. He
narrowed dark eyebrows in an uncharacteristic frown.

"Did you..."
she asked.

"I've dealt with
him�" he said. "But I didn't kill him. Don't
worry about that. He won't dare do what he tried to... I have a way of
convincing people..."

"Is your son all
right?" asked Atomique.

Son Goku shook his head, giving her a relieved half smile.
"He's alive. Don't worry about it..."

"Thank
Heaven," she sighed. "Where am I?"

"But you've slept
in� it's been almost two days since you went to sleep and we gave you that Sensu Bean..."he shushed her, stopping her from
sitting up. "Are you feeling well enough to move?"

"It's my
fault," Atomique said, scrambling up despite the
efforts of the strong man to hold her down.

"We hunted down
all six. Their devices were all destroyed�" Son Goku
explained. "Don't try to get up� it's not something that�"

"No, you're
wrong, I'm responsible," said Atomique, shoving
him away.

She glanced wildly
around, seeing the charred pieces of timber stretching overhead. Ashes blew in
the wind, scattering pieces of crockery, silk, and bits of paper in all
directions. In the distance she saw the huddled shape of a young man slowly
rising to his feet. He turned to see the woman rushing towards him. Like
yesterday Gohan wore a dark blue training outfit with
red undershirt, in opposite to the dark orange training suit of his father.

"Second destroyed
your home�" Atomique stammered.

"They did, but
they'll pay� I swear it," Gohan said, forming
fists as his young face twisted with rage. "At least those Destroyers have
no way of returning home. I smashed each and every last one of their
devices..."

Gohan
pointed to a pile of messed circuits next to where he had been sitting.She lay in the shade of a small pagoda shaped
building, with one door partly open. Strangely she lay under a tree on a futon.
"What are we doing out here?" she asked.

"You seemed to
need some fresh air. Dad suggested we bring you out here so it might revive
you�" said Gohan.

"And it's my
fault� if I hadn't come here�" said Atomique.
She turned away, gritting her teeth.

"Miss� what the�
wait!" he stammered brushing tears out of his eyes. "That's not what
I meant�"

Atomique
slammed into a solid muscular chest. Strong arms stopped her, trapping her
against his body. She grabbed orange fabric in her fingers, squeezing it
tightly. Son Goku rubbed her shoulder, trying to fold
her into a comforting hug as he soothed,"He's
right. There was nothing any of us could do� Atomique-san�"

"How can you
minimize this, Son-Goku-san? Because of me you could
have died� you and your son! And you don't even know why�" Atomique gritted. She squirmed against the warrior's comforting
embrace, and he released her, backing away a step. From experience he knew that
not everyone drew comfort from a physical embrace, especially when they were
strangers. However he wanted to help in whatever way he could, and hoped the
woman would understand it was platonic.

She snorted, wiping
away angry tears, "First my husband, then my children� I don't know if
they are alive or dead, and now you could have died� someone who wasn't even
involved�"

"Not because of
you or any reason�" Goku said quietly, grasping
her arms tightly as he held her there. "Don't you see, I don't BLAME you� I'm just as angry as you are� they had NO right� but
blaming yourself or us won't help get them back�"

Atomique nodded, wiping away tears, "How can you
not�"

"I know," he
nodded. "And they'll pay. But right now we're still alive. And there are
ways of taking care of things like this�"

"You said your
sons, and husband was murdered by those things?" Gohan
asked sharply.

She
turned her head around to him, and nodded, "That's right�"

"We've learned
how to fight them. Gohan, Me, and the other Z
fighters," Son Goku promised. "And as for
your husband, they'll be plenty of vengeance for both of you� it's been dealt
with�"

"But they'll send
more� they'll know that they've not returned!" protested Atomique. "Don't you see it's only the
beginning?"

"Thank Kame� Goten was with
Trunks�" Gohan choked, wiping away his angry
tears. Atomique shivered from cold, hugging herself.
She backed away from Goku and Gohan,
hugging herself with her back turned to them.

"You'd better go
back to Capsule� and stay with him there. There's something I gotta do here�" said Son Goku,
glancing at the nearly outraged and hysterical alchemist wringing her hands.

"Alone?"
asked Gohan quietly. "But what
if those things get back here� like she said!"

"I'll take care
of her here. And if they show up, they're gonna get a
nasty surprise. You go and protect your brother. I can't risk you getting hurt
as well, and someone needs to inform Bejita the
threat's not over," said Son Goku.

***

Once Gohan had levitated into the air, Son Goku
walked quickly after his guest. Using hyper speed he zipped before her,
clutching her arms with his strong hands. "Don't blame yourself. You can't
do everything to everyone�"

"Easier said then
done�" said Atomique quietly, wiping away tears.

"Your husband�
was he only recently dead?" Goku asked.

"It would have
been three years ago," she said, stammering. "Why do you ask?"

"I was only just
brought back to life myself," Son Goku said
quietly. "I might have seen him�"

"I'm
from a different dimension� how possibly�"

"In
Otherworld," said Goku quickly. "There are
lots of warriors that fight in a tournament. I might have possibly fought
against him or trained him�"

"His name was Paul.
He was called Star Child�" the alchemist explained as patiently as she
could. Something about the older man's demeanor seemed na�ve, almost childlike.

"I DID see
him," Son Goku blinked, with a slow smile.
"He was there� kinda lost� but I gave him a few
pointers. The only problem was that when both of us tried to come back� the
whole thing with Majin Buu
happened before I could complete his training�"

"What?"
asked Atomique, blinking.

"Um well� he
might still be able to be wished back�" said Goku
quickly.

"Son Goku� where is your wife?" she asked, hoping that it
wasn't something unpleasant.

"Um� well� she kinda got angry that I was never around," Goku said sheepishly. "She decided a while back that�
she didn't want to stay with� a no good martial artist such as myself�"

"I shouldn't have
asked," said Atomique quietly, glancing away.

"It's not your
fault. It was mine. If I'd been a more attentive husband�" Goku hung his head. "But she's with someone else now�
after I came back to life� I found out that she'd up and left�"

"Didn't she take
the children?"

"Nope.
She left them behind. Said they'd probably become martial artists like me. I
guess she wanted me to get a taste of what it was like being a single parent�
but I never figured� she'd find someone else�" Goku
said quickly.

"I'm
sorry�" she whispered. "Damn�"

"I can't change
it now. She's gone, and she's made it clear she wants nothing more to do with the boys or me��" said Goku quickly. "Her loss� but all t hat time� I was
away� she�"

"You don't have
to tell me any more," said Atomique quickly.
"Tell me, how I can get my husband back�"

"But wait� aww crap I forgot they don't work if you've been dead for
more than a year� DAMN IT!"

"What are you
going on about?" Atomique demanded.

"The
Dragon Balls," he said quickly. "Able to grant any wish�"

"We don't have
anything like THAT in any of the worlds I've visited� and you'd better explain
because I'm not only upset but confused� and I can't think if I haven't
eaten!" she cried.

"You aren't kidding�
I'm the same way�" he blinked, letting her go as he felt his own stomach
growling. "The main house is pretty much shot, but my grandpa's place is
still standing� I think there's a steamer and a
wok�"

"I don't know how
to cook," she groaned.

"Don't worry�
Chichi taught me how, one of the few things that she said would be useful, and
one of the last things she enjoyed doing with me before she� left," Son Goku said as cheerfully as possible. He motioned to the
woman to follow him. Still feeling confused about her host's demeanor; she
walked across the property to the small pagoda shaped house.

"I still don't
see how you can be so casual� when your wife just up and left you�" she
murmured, sitting down as he puttered around with the steamer. Mumbling to
himself he threw rice in with copious amounts of water.

"My getting upset
won't bring Chichi back," Son Goku said, with
his back to her. "Sure I'm furious� and outraged and everything else� but freakin' out won't help� and as for your husband� I'm
saving it all for the fight ahead�"

"Stuffing your
emotions down isn't healthy," she said softly.

"Oh no, it helps
me fight," Son Goku interrupted, turning to
glance at her over his shoulder.

"Every bit of
anger, hate, and fear I store away in my heart. At the right moment it becomes
my strength� in the heat of battle."

"Like my husband
says," said Atomique thoughtfully. She swallowed
hard; wiping away her own sorrow at the memories long buried.

"Uh huh, that's
right," Goku nodded, placing the lid on the enormous
bamboo steamer. "Now� if I remember it's 15 minutes�"

"I still can't
get my head around it� how you can be so damn cheerful� don't you feel
ANYTHING?"

"I do, I really
do," he said, whirling around to face her. "I've seen my friends
killed countless times. Seen monsters kill and torture my family and friends
too. But if there's one thing I've learned is that you have to keep a positive
attitude and hang in there. Otherwise you can't hope to accomplish
anything�"

"I can hardly
think," she shivered.

"Because you're
hungry, and nobody can think without a good meal� I should know," he
chuckled. "But make no mistake, I'm angrier then you'd believe�"

"You have how
many children?" she asked quietly.

"Gohan's my oldest, and Goten's
the younger one. He's stayin' at Bejita
and Buruma's place� that's where I sent Gohan, to make sure he's okay..."

"I'm sorry,"
Atomique swallowed hard. "If there was anything
I could have done� to prevent those creatures from attacking�"

"You gotta cut it out already� stop blaming yourself. If
anyone's at fault it's me, because I didn't get there soon enough�" Goku chided gently, whirling around on her. "Now am I gonna haveta get mad at
you?"

"You're a strange
guy, Son Goku," she mumbled, shaking her head.
Again she sank down to the table, resting her head in her hands.

"You'll feel
better with some food. So will I� cause I'm
STARVING�" he babbled quickly.

"You
don't have to go to the trouble�"

"It's no
trouble�are you kidding?" he exclaimed.

"I guess
not," she said softly.

"You're a mom,
aren't you? Tell me about your boys," Goku said,
trying to get her to stop blaming herself. "I bet you're really
proud�"

"They've been
missing for almost a year or so. Every time I think I can settle down and find
a safe place to raise them� they're taken away� and now I have no clue where
they are� or if they're alive�" she trailed off.

"I know, but
maybe if you think of how much they mean to you, and how proud you are of them,
who knows� maybe you'll be able to help them hang in there. I know that always
helped my boys� sometimes no matter how far apart we were, if I was thinking
about them, and they were about me�"

"You've got a
telepathic link?" she asked.

"Telepathy�
that's where people speak mind to mind, right?" he said, scratching his head.

"Of course that's
what I mean," she blurted out, frustrated.

"Sorry, forgot
for a minute� I was trying to see how much longer it would take for the rice to
cook�" he apologized with an awkward grin.

Atomique
exhaled, counting to twenty. When she finally regained self-control she sighed
in a long puff of air before continuing. "They're twins, named Fermi and
Bohr. There's no knowing how old they'd be now� but I haven't seen them in
almost six months� there are two enemies who constantly recapture them� the
poor things are probably traumatized for life�"

"Twins?"
Goku asked, scratching his head thoughtfully.

"Yes. Dark hair,
dark eyes, like mine� and they have unusual powers� well not like YOUR powers�
but they're telepathic� and there's no telling�"

"Two
boys� almost four years old?" Goku
choked.

"Yes� wait a
minute� have you seen them�"

"Shimatta!" Goku
exclaimed.

"Wait� Son Goku you HAVE seen them? When and where!"

"Crap� Chichi and
I� we cared for two kids� just like that� just a few months ago� before Chichi
up and left me� before they went back to Capsule and Jeannie�"

"Jeannie? Goku, what's going on here! You HAVE seen them� WHERE� WHERE!" she cried, leaping up
and grabbing the front of his orange training outfit.

"Settle down� easy�"
he urged, holding his hands up as he tried to calm her.
"If they are your sons� they couldn't be safer� because their
auntie took them in�"

"Jeannie� you saw
JEANNIE?" Atomique gasped in disbelief. Her
fingers tightened to twist the orange fabric more tightly between them.

"Is she your
sister�? I mean she and this other girl with the same
kind of powers� they've been trained by Bejita for
the last year or so�" asked Goku, sharing her
excitement.

"She's not my
sister� I mean she's my

"Who the HECK is Bejita! Where are they?"

"Wow this is
great� they ARE yours� well they're fine� and when we've eaten I'll take you to
Capsule so you can see them!" Goku said quickly,
grasping her wrists with his own hands. She let go of his shirt, and backed
away, wiping away the sudden spurts of tears forming in her eyes.

"This is too good
to be true!" she cried, backing away. "Here� all
the time? On YOUR WORLD?"

"I guess so!
Pretty neat isn't it? Which means it isn't all bad� your kids are okay� and
that is something GOOD�" he reassured her. Son Goku
let go of her wrists, smelling the steamy scent of thickening rice reaching his
nostrils.

"I still wish
there was a way to make this all up to you� I owe you more than I can ever
repay and here I am calling you an idiotic emotionless fool�" she groaned.

"I've been called
a WHOLE lot worse by Chichi, and all my friends. I'm used to it," he
shrugged with an awkward laugh.

"Still, calling
people names isn't very nice, and I don't make a habit of it� and I'm sorry I
misjudged you �"

"Enough already
will ya?" he again interrupted with a squawk of
that alto voice. "It's time to chow down! Cause its ready!"

"Need any
help?" she asked, feeling an awkward flush settle over her.

"Well if ya wanna help set out the dishes�
it's gonna take a whole lot till I'm done� but it's
no trouble really� you ARE a guest�" he said. Yet his words fell on deaf
ears because she was already digging through the cupboards to try and extract
bowls and other utensils while he drew the pot off the stove.

"How MANY
plates?" she wondered, blinking at him in disbelief.

"About thirty�
I'll just load 'em up and line 'em
up� too bad they blew up that really BIG plate� darn I liked that�" he
mumbled, plunking a mound of rice in a huge bowl in the center of the massive
table.

"I guess you have
no forks� considering the place�" she said, ladling out soup while he
dished out a massive portion of rice for her that made her choke to see it. He
dumped easily a whole pot of steamed dumplings into another serving bowl she
pulled out, and then followed with two steamers of mixed steamed vegetables.

"Don't forget the
yum-cha� and the egg rolls," he gasped, throwing down two more pots.

"You're
kidding me right� there's no WAY I can eat all this�"

"Whatever you don't
finish I'll take," he said, pushing a pair of chopsticks into her hand.
"Now let's dig in!"

"Good Lord,"
she shook her head, sinking into her chair. Immediately he snatched the first
bowl and shoveled the food into his mouth. Bits of rice and other pieces of
food flew all over his hair and face when he finished the first, then moved
onto the next.

"Sorry, I'm just
ravenous� help yourself!" he muttered through a mouthful of Sui mai. Unable to restrain
herself she attacked the mammoth bowl of rice before her. In order to prevent
losing her appetite she averted her gaze from her starving host stuffing his
face.

"You gonna finish that?" he asked hopefully across the
table. Piles of bowls and plates clustered on the floor and table around him.

"No, I'm stuffed�
it's yours�" she groaned, holding her stomach. Eagerly he snatched her
leftovers away, quickly polishing them off with a clink of chopsticks on
crockery.

"Mm man that was
good!" he commented, leaning back in his chair.

"You're not
kidding� I can't believe I just saw you eat the entire menu of a Chinese take
out! And you made all that by yourself?"

"Chichi was
always complaining that I didn't help out enough around the house, so I learned
how to cook a few simple things. And now that she's no longer here�" he
trailed off. Black eyes grew dark with anger, and he clenched his fists on his
lap. She bit her lip, burying her face in her hands as she remembered the
events of a few days before.

"How long and
why?" she asked quietly.

"She met someone
else who could make her much happier than I could," Goku
said quickly, his face twisted with hurt. "someone�
normal. Who could be� with her� in a way I couldn't� without hurting her�"

"If
it hurts you to talk about it�"

"I sometimes
don't know my own strength. Also I enjoy fighting� going on adventures. I
always figured she'd be here waiting for the boys and me� I died twice� and she
blamed me for so many things. She was right� in many ways, but she left the
boys behind, and even saw someone else� after I came back� alive� after I saved
the world, with Bejita�" Goku
said quietly, sitting up in his chair to look at his guest. She sniffled away
her tears.

"Damn� how did
you find out?" she asked him.

"I smelled
another man on her," Goku said firmly. "My
sense of smell is much better than a normal person's� and well I put two and
two together� I wanted to think that she was being taken against her will
but�"

"Harsh,"
said Atomique quietly.

"Maybe you should
change those clothes first� they're kinda
ripped�" he pointed to her uniform.

"It
can wait�"

"My grandpa
always told me that a guest should be cared for well. I think I have something
that might work," he said quietly, standing up and walking around to her
side. "Please?"

"All right, Son Goku," she said quietly, letting him lead her towards
the back of the small home. He pushed open the rice paper door to reveal
cabinets of silk robes.

"I think these
might fit� I mean I don't know much about ladies clothes� but when we get to
Capsule, Buruma can fix you up� if anyone loves
shopping its her�" he stammered, blushing
profusely. "These belonged to my Grandpa Gohan's
wife. She died long before I came to live here. But they are still good�"

"Beautiful� I
can't wear these� they must be ancient�" she whispered.

"Nah, they're prefectly preserved in that cabinet. Nobody's touched them
for years! I want someone else to have them, who needed them more than she did,
and I'm not trying to be weird," Goku said
quickly as he darted out of the room. "I'll just be� out here� when you're
done!"

"What the heck is
his trip?" she shivered, taking out several robes and lightweight silk
pants. A shudder went through her at the thought of wearing his dead granmother's clothes at first. Nevertheless, Goku would insist vehemently otherwise. Poor guy was so
damn innocent in some ways, and in others not so innocent. What sort of a man
could face death, and cook a meal in the same week, while blushing about the
subject of women's attire?

Her fingers traced
over the purple silk of one top that seemed to be variable enough to fit across
her chest. Luckily his Granmother must have been
amply large figured, and on the short side, although not wide hipped, or this
would have no chance of working. Soon she found an outfit that would work as a loaner,
with matching purple bottoms and a long top that came to her knees. She drew on
the white socks and a pair of china flats that fit her in a pinch. At the
collar she buttoned the silk frogs, and then turned to look at her in the
mirror. She folded her blue military uniform, putting it aside in what seemed
to be the dirty clothes pile.

When she emerged from
the back bedroom she saw him with his back to her, piling bowls into the
massive wash basin. Already he'd cleaned most of the soiled dishes. She strode
up, and called out to him, "Need a hand�"

"Oh yeah� that'd
be great� say, you found something to fit�
great�" he said, turning his head to glance at her.

"I feel weird
wearing her things� just so you know� but they are pretty�"

"I'm sorry I
don't have anything else� really," he laughed awkwardly, glancing back at
the sudsy water he'd plunged his hands up into the elbows in. She grabbed a
towel and stood next to him, drying the nearest bowl off.

"No, it's
okay�" she reassured him. "Honestly� I'm the
one with the hang-up. You've been so nice and I'm acting like a jerk�"

"Hey, it's not
the first time someone's thought I wasn't too swift� but you needed something
to wear, and I don't think you'd care to put on my training clothes or Gohan's� I mean most women don't� they prefer women's
clothes�" he stammered.

"I'm washing
dishes� like it was just another day in the house� and yet�"

"If we don't, who
will�" Goku mumbled,
passing her another plate. "Gotta keep it clean,
since she won't be able to�"

"What did you
tell your sons?" she asked. "When it
happened."

"Gohan already knows� and Goten�" he trailed off quietly. Slowly he
plunged his hands into the mounds of suds again. Dishes rattled under his
searching grasp.

"If
there's anything I can do�"

"I'll let you
know�. But don't you dare feel guilty, because it's not your fault� and neither
is what those stupid Destroyers did to my home� or almost to Gohan," Goku finally said.
He turned aside for a moment and wiped his muscular hands on his improvised
apron. Reaching out he grasped her shoulder, squeezing it gently. She allowed
him to leave it there, laying her head reflexively on his shoulder.

"Thanks� that
means a lot to me. If I blamed myself for everyone who died in battle with
me�" she said, squeezing her eyes shut.

"It's just not� not what they'd want. And they're not dead� when
they're alive� in your heart�" Goku nodded.
"So you see?"

"You're something
else� nothing phases you, does it?" she asked, backing away. Her cheeks
flushed hot at the contact of her hands with him. She turned away, wiping away
her tears that matched the ones seeping down his cheeks.

"I know. They're
always saying I'm sappy, but you know I don't care. It's true, right?" he
shrugged, with a small alto laugh.

"This was your
grandfather's home?" she asked, glancing around.

"Yep.
My grandpa Gohan lived here� named my first son after
him� man he'd throw fits if I didn't help clean up after playing�" Goku laughed, drying his hands.

"Your
other home�"

"Chichi and her
dad built that one after we got married," Goku
explained, grabbing a massive stack of dishes.

"Does this go
over here?"

"Under the sink�
that's where the pots are. Bowls are to the left� chopsticks in the little
drawer," Goku explained, showing her the
appropriate places.

"But
you still have stuff in this home�"

"Well this is
where company stays," Goku said. "When
Piccolo was training here with me� we had him put here. And when Chichi got
ticked off, the beds were way more comfy than the sofa�"

"Ouch," she
teased, rattling the bowls she carried. Goku grabbed
them quickly, stacking them in the overhead cupboard.

"This was where Gohan and Goten stayed when your
boys were here a few times�" Goku explained.
"They were sure full of mischief� but it wasn't a problem�"

"How long did
they stay?" Atomique asked him.

"For a few
months� till your friends were able t' take 'em� but
it wasn't a problem� believe me. Been a while since I've
taken care of little kids. I love doin'
it�" he laughed, grinning widely.

"You're almost
like a kid yourself," she commented, then stopped herself
at the thought of saying something so rude.

"It's true,"
he chuckled.

"Well, sometimes
I shoot my mouth off," she mumbled, turning away.

"I'll just
freshen up, and then we can go see your kids� and mine," he said. "Gotta go get myself changed�"

"Okay� I'll put
the rest of this stuff away," she said, struggling to grip her
self-control. Son Goku wandered back into the bedroom
to find a change of clothes for himself while she waited.

***

"Ready?" Son
Goku asked, poking his head out of the back bedroom
door. Atomique leapt off the sofa, glancing at him
standing in the doorway. His mussed hair seemed fused into that floppy spiked
state, yet his clothing suited him quite well.

Before
he'd worn a bright orange gi, with blue shirt
underneath. Now his muscular form was clothed in sleeveless blue top and
baggy pants. Twine wrapped around the boots that the ends of the pants were
thrust into. All that remained of his former ensemble were the blue wristbands,
and the blue sash around his waist. Did he always wear those wristbands and
boots, she wondered? His bare arms were well defined and blistering with
muscles, much more so then Paul even, or the demon had been.

"All right
then�" she said quickly. "Should I take
anything?"

"Nah, just
yourself," he joked. "C'mon, it's not that long of a flight� but I
think Gohan took Nimbus so we'll have to fly�"

"Fly?" she
blinked. "But I CAN'T fly, damn it!"

"You can't?"
Son Goku blinked at her, as if she'd sprouted a
second head. He paused at the open double doors with the Chinese characters
scrawled in a small diamond three quarters of the height up the wooden surface.
From what little she knew of them, she guessed it was his family name.

"I
don't know how," she said. "And even if I did�"

"Don't worry, I
can help you," Son Goku said, and then blushed.
He motioned her to step out the door before him. Into the morning air she
strode, feeling fresh mountain air blasting her face. With a lonely sigh it
moaned through the rustling tree branches. Still she smelled the charred bite
of the smoldering ruins of his home across the way.

"How
far?"

"About a few
hours� but it's no big deal. If I had nimbus we could ride� only if you're pure
of heart though�" Goku explained. Judging from
that expression on his face he took the entire explanation for granted. Slight
confusion spreading across his youthful face alerted her that he wasn't
accustomed to explaining these facts of life to someone else.

"This is getting
to be really confusing� what is a nimbus, pray
tell?" she demanded.

"Oh, just a
little gold cloud that makes it easy to get around, so we don't use energy flyin'," he said casually, closing the doors behind
them. He drew a bolt across them, securing the portal with a padlock and key he
stuffed into his pocket. Across his shoulder he slung what seemed to be a
simple cloth bag filled with various items. Food most likely, she thought.

"We fly in my
world too, well MOST of us," she mumbled. Goku
clearly discerned the note of irritation in her voice, indicating she was weary
of being schlepped around when she wanted to fly on her own. Perhaps he could
do something to change that, he thought. A gentle probing of his personal ki assessed that she had the requisite raw power, but it
needed focus. Far beyond the super specialized use that her
'alchemy' dictated.

"Your ki's pretty high level� maybe you can too� I mean Videl could� Chichi never could� but she didn't have the
juice t' do it� an' she always used the car or Nimbus�"
he said, striding out to the middle of the clearing.

"Your powers are
much like the ones of my husband� mental energies that I can sense off the
scale�" she murmured.

"Gonna have to carry ya if you
don't mind�" he said, reaching down and sweeping her up into his arms. "Whoops�"

"It's okay�
really," she muttered, feeling the world drop from under them as they
lifted into the air. She grabbed the blue cloth of his top to steady herself
against his chest. White energies surged around them, forming an envelope of chikara that sliced into the resisting air. All over she
felt the tingling of chikara much like the one of the
Four and the talisman, but ten times stronger and more focused.

Every fiber of Son Goku's being radiated with chikara.
During the fight she'd seen him and his son explode into chikara
that went far in excess of Paul and Gene's forms. Just how much was he capable
of, she wondered. Also, his though processes seemed almost alien in some ways.
Few humans had such strength without some enchantments, she told herself.

"Lemmie know if I'm flyin' too
fast here," he spoke with lips near her ear.

"I'm actually
used to this� or I was� because Paul always, I mean I always had someone carry
me around because I couldn't fly�" she stammered, embarrassed at the whole
admission. He was being nice after all, and all she could think about was how
strong and buff he looked.

"Maybe you can. I
mean it's not something you learn overnight, but Gohan
or I could teach ya," Goku
said quickly. "I'm sure you'd be a natural. I felt your energies and
they're pretty strong� for a woman� I mean�"

"Most of the
women on this world aren't fighters as you are?" she asked.

"Well Buruma isn't, and my wife was� I mean my ex wife� and my
son's girlfriend Videl is�" Goku
muttered, shifting his fingers under her knees as he
mentally counted off the candidates he described.

"You're going to
have to introduce me to all these people� or else give me a scorecard,"
she teased, feeling the strange crawling in her stomach at the thought of
another world that could be marred by the presence of enemies following her.

Underneath the
irregular patterns of rice patties and other fields whizzed into long streaks.
Distantly the mountains receded; giving way to flatter foothills that gently
undulated. Goku shot full speed across small towns
and villages, with no effort to show. Not even a trace of sweat blistered on
his forehead. If Paul had tried to cross such distances he'd be soaked from
head to toe by now. Under her knees and back his arms tensed slightly, while
she saw the tint of a blush on his cheeks. He kept his gaze fixed firmly ahead,
flying as if this were walking through the park.

"You're not human
are you? Or else�" Atomique mused, narrowing her
eyes. "That great display of physical strength is either magical, or
scientific in nature."

"Well I'm Saiyan, actually� I mean I grew up thinking I was human,
but it's kinda a long story�" Goku explained with that ever present chuckle.

"Alien?" she
suggested, raising a dark eyebrow.

"Yep, that's
right. The world I came from blew up years ago� or was blown up by a being
named Frieza� but don't' worry, he's dead now� Bejita and I are from the same world� but I didn't know
this till I was already grown up�" he said.

"Bejita's the other� Saiyan that
my friends are with?" she nodded.

"He's kinda an acquired taste. Most people can't stand him, and
he's pretty angry all the time. When we can get him to relax he's not so bad�
but don't be upset if he snaps at you. He's like that to everybody� I think
it's because he's a Prince� and I know he's still sore that Frieza
blew up his� our planet�"

"Sounds like a
real winner�" said Atomique.
"And he's married?"

"I know, go
figure? He's married to my friend Buruma� I've know
HER forever� and he's got a son named Trunks� my Goten's
best buddies with him� in fact that's where he was staying when� well you know�
it happened. Gohan's there now� and so's your friends� I hope�"

"If Bejita's anywhere near what you describe, he'd have his
hands full with my friends�"

"Actually they're
two of the few people he can stand," Goku
laughed. "He doesn't wanna admit it, but deep
down he's okay� and he IS my friend whether he likes it or not�"

"This I've got to
see�" she chuckled, her smile perking up the cheeks in a way that erased
the somber sadness from her face. Goku wanted nothing
more then to see that smile more often on her features. While she was middle
aged, there was youth present in the firm young cheeks. Did she know how many
years that sadness put on her face, especially when her brow furrowed with deep
concern?

"He's always
calling me names and denying it, but I know he's just like that on the outside.
Too proud to admit any of us mean anything to 'im,"
Goku laughed.

"Mr. Personality, huh? I'd like to introduce him to
Gene�"

"Is Gene some kinda royalty? Or one of the warriors you know? Jeannie
said that name� I assumed it was her father� and Black Widow�"

"She's here
too?" Atomique blinked.

"Yep�
I was wondering� is Jeannie your sister�"

"Actually she's a
step daughter in law� my husband� was her father in law� and well, Paul and
Gene were best friends, like brothers� Paul was the�"

"Star
child," said Son Goku. "And Gene was a
Dragon� not to be confused with Shenron�"

"Demon," Atomique corrected, as they shot out over the expanse of
shimmering sea. White caps of waves rolled and foamed almost a mile below them.

"Demon?
Wonder if he knows King Yemma�" Goku wondered.

"Who?"
she asked.

"Just the
guardian of Hell," said Son Goku. "Not a
bad guy. He decides who goes to what place� and he's really strong� but don't'
get on his bad side�"

"Good grief," Atomique
groaned. "I'm going to go crazy�"

Their flight
lasted close to three hours. Atomique dozed with her
head resting against Goku's shoulder. She blinked
awake, staring around her at the shifting scenery. At her waist she reached for
the silver pocket watch inscribed with the chimera. Popping it open she read
the time as being one in the afternoon. Goku glanced
down from flying to admire it. "Nice watch� where'd you get it?"
"When I
trained as a State Alchemist� in one of the worlds I traveled through� before
coming here�?" said Atomique.
"You've
been to other dimensions then?" Goku asked.
"Yes,"
she nodded. "The place I come from is a world that's all ruined�"
"Your
husband showed me�" Goku gritted. "Pretty
nasty place�"
"Hell
compared to this world," she said, squeezing her eyes shut. "I miss it,
even though I might never see it again�"
"Sorry,"
Goku said. "But you could stay here a while� I
mean till we gather up the dragon balls and maybe we can wish you home� if you
still wanna go�"
"Where
would I stay?" she asked.
"Um well,
you could continue stayin' on Mt. Pauzu�
with your kids� they're used t' me and my boys�" he started.
"Don't be
silly!" she stammered.
"Maybe
it's a dumb idea� but I can rebuild the main house� and you can stay just
across� no?"
"Just
because my husband's dead doesn't' mean that you have to protect me, Son Goku," she said bitterly.
"Hey now
WAIT, that's not why at all!" he interrupted. "I just thought since
it was a place they were familiar with� heck, I know that maybe Buruma and Bejita could have you
guys stay at capsule� with your friends� but�"
"I don't
want to put you out any more," she said firmly.
"Well,
you wouldn't really� and I was just thinking since I already took care of your
boys� well� Kuso�."
"What?"
she asked as he pulled to a halt.
"Better
hang on� looks like our friends are trying to chase us�" Son Goku muttered, nodding his head at several distant specks
expanding into figures wearing rocket packs.
"Damn it�
don't they give up?" she mumbled. "Watch it� they've got teleporting
devices�"
"They're
not the only ones who can do that trick," he snickered, weaving and
dodging the thin lines of lasers streaking across their path. She gasped as
they moved through a blur of slow time, to emerge behind the cluster that
crossed their flight trail.
At the last
moment, she saw Son Goku touch fingers to his
forehead. Sky and ground blurred into static, only to reform into the skies
above a vast ultramodern city. Towers of blue glass and white steel poked into
the blue heavens to great heights. Some were domed, while others were shaped
like inverted thermometer bulbs and water towers.
"West
Central City," he explained, dropping altitude to circle around the valley
choked with metropolis. "Capsule's just this way�"
"You're a
teleporter� damn� just like Ace�" she observed,
shaking her head in wonder and awe.
"It's
instant transmission. Just think of a person's ki,
and I'm there. Doesn't' work if there isn't a powerful mind nearby where I'm tryin' to go," he shrugged.
"Still,
it's pretty astonishing� only Mona and Ace, and two others on my world can do
something like that� but they do it by folding space�"
"I turn
myself into energy, and beam myself there�" he said with a hint of
confusion. "Not the same thing I don't think� but
here we are�"
Goku glided effortlessly just two feet above the lawn. He landed on
his feet again, carrying his passenger along the pathway that wound up to the
main yellow dome. It obscured the city towers behind it, so grand was its
scale. Manicured landscaping spread around for several city blocks, housing
various clusters of other domes.
"I know
you're going to explain THIS as well," she said as Goku
set her carefully down.
"Buruma's dad runs this company� forever� and it's kinda neat what they make� these little capsules that
contain anything, and all you do is throw them down, and poof�"
"And I
thought my world was weird," she chuckled, walking alongside Goku's long legged stride down the meandering path.
Before them
the front doors slid open, and several people burst out, rushing towards her.
She saw two familiar figures squealing with outstretched arms. Before long she
was swept up and crushed to an armored chest by arms as strong as Goku's or the Demon's.
"God,
where were you?" cried Dragon Womyn, swinging
her around.
"Jeannie�
Christine� how on EARTH?"
"What a
coincidence� you're ALIVE!" her other friend exclaimed. They both squeezed
her in tight hugs.
"I can't�
breathe�" she gasped.
"Sorry�"
Black Widow laughed, setting her down. Her friends squeezed her hands, and she
stood back to see them swathed in strange armor and red spandex AE suits.
"We just
got out from training," Dragon Womyn explained.
"Sensed your chikara�"
"I
brought her right over," Son Goku laughed.
"How are you two ladies doin'? Is Bejita training you hard?"
"What do
you think, you clown? Unlike SOME of us, these two students of mine are
learning something USEFUL," grated a harsh guttural voice. Letting go of Atomique the two girls turned around and inclined their
heads to the other figure standing there in a similar armored vest. Strangely
he was only a few inches taller than she was, from the top of a spiky cone of
stiff hair much the same texture as Goku's must be,
to the white boots covering his feet.
"Jeez Bejita nobody's questioning that� I brought their friend
over�" Goku explained, lowering his graceful
dark eyebrows as he wrinkled his forehead in annoyance. He combed his fingers
through his dark hair, fixing Bejita in a watchful
stare. Just to the left of Atomique Goku stood, waiting to see what would happen between her
and her friends.
"Kakkarot, what the hell is this about monsters attacking
your home�" Bejita demanded, folding arms across
his armored chest and peering down his nose at Son Goku
in that imperial manner suggesting he was of a higher class.
"They
almost killed the woman, and my son," Goku said
angrily as Bejita marched over to him, hands on his
hips. "Right in cold blood."
"So your
brat has said. And what kept you?" Bejita asked.
"The
woman needed food and a change of clothes. I couldn't just let her freak out�
she thinks it's her fault that my house got blown up, and that these creatures
attacked randomly�" Goku hissed at Bejita.
"Is
it?" Bejita demanded, glaring directly at the
woman in question. She bit her lip, glaring back at him with an equally
penetrating dark eyed stare. The light of intelligence glinted there, matching
Prince Bejita's own stubbornness though he saw how
she was wallowing in her own misery. Uncomfortably familiar to Bejita, he knew that she was quite satisfied to play the
martyr and victim of a widowed mother of two. Nothing pleased Bejita more than shaking someone out of his or her
complacency. Especially when it was a chance to rile Kakkarot.
"Wait a
minute," Black Widow said. "Your Majesty� we just found out she was
alive!"
"It
is," said Atomique quietly. Bejita
pushed out of either student's way, standing directly one foot before Atomique in disdain.
"You're
even a bigger idiot then Kakkarot!" Bejita snorted at her. "You're alive, so why are you
whining? How dare you claim that you had any responsibility, especially if
you're incapable of defending yourself?"
"Who the
HELL do you think YOU are?" she retorted, matching his death ray stare
with her own. "You don't bloody KNOW what I've been through�"
Bejita seemed unimpressed as he folded arms across his chest, snapping,
"Save me your pathetic whining, you female. Only a moron and buffoon like Kakkarot would take in a defenseless weakling such as yourself� who is incapable of caring for her whelps!"
"Bejita, be nice!" said Black Widow.
"You are
being a WEE bit harsh, Bejita-sama?" Dragon Womyn said, folding her arms across her chest in much the
same fashion as her sensei.
"I don't
need YOU to defend me!" Atomique shouted at
Dragon Womyn. "I'm not going to sit here and
take this shit from anyone. I don't care if you ARE royalty. I've dealt with my
share of male chauvinist shit heads, and you're no different, Princey�"
"Got a
mouth on you, just like Kakkarot's old shrew," Bejita clicked his tongue. "Words are one thing, but
can you back them up with anything useful?"

***
Fists formed
at her sides. Purple chikara� or ki�
flashed in her eyes, wreathing her dark hair and making it crackle on end. Son Goku widened his eyes, realizing the energy closely
resembled a Saiyan or Z fighter powering up. His mind
drifted back to Other World, where he worked with Star Child trying to help him
unlock his transformation out of 'civilian id' without the Star Talisman. Goku likened it to becoming Super Saiyan,
and remarkably the same trigger worked to enable the member of KISS to become
the Star Child.
"Take it
easy," Son Goku mentally directed at her. She
blinked; sure for a second she'd heard a voice in her head. Yet she was angry
enough that she ignored whose it was. Unable to resist the temptation to wipe
that smirk off his face, she hurled a hale of plastic shards towards him with a
blurring of her wrist. Bejita easily deflected each
one with fast movements of his hands.
"Hardly
worth my effort, wench," Bejita snorted. "I
can see why you need a male to take care of you, since you can't fend for
yourself."
"Son of a
bitch," she snarled under her breath. Son Goku
moved up automatically, squeezing her shoulder.
"He's not
worth it. Back off," said Son Goku quietly, lips
by her ear. "Now's not the time or place. You're not trained enough to
take him on�"
"Huh?"
she asked, cocking her head slightly towards him.
"If you
feel his ki, it's not enough to muster an attack.
He's just busting your chops. If you ignore him he'll back off," Son Goku whispered. He knew from experience that one thing Bejita hated was being snubbed.
"Bejita, please knock it off!" Black Widow yelled at
the Saiyan no Ouji.
"Mind
your place, I�m not talking to you, woman!" he snapped back at her.
"Back off, Bejita. She's had enough from
the Destroyers," Goku interrupted, his voice
dropping an octave from its usual alto to a tenor range. His face darkened as
he strode up and glared down at the Prince.
"Oh, want
to make something of it, Kakkarot? This is an
interesting change; seeing you with anger across that idiotic face of yours�
did I piss you off?" Bejita smirked.
"Because I insulted this weakling female you dusted off and decided to
shelter like a lost injured bird in your home?"
"Hey, I
don't need this male macho trip, Son Goku! I'm
capable of defending myself! Especially from the likes of HIM!" she
snapped, grabbing Goku's wrist and shoving herself
before him.
"Are you?
I doubt you could survive two minutes on your own without someone taking care of
you. You're just an intellectual snob that is incapable of the most basic moves
of self defense� a scholar who thinks she's a fighter. Your only weapon is your
acid tongue, so shut up in the presence of your betters," Bejita sneered.
"Now wait
a damn minute," Black Widow said.
"Stay out
of this, Chris," Dragon Womyn insisted, pulling
her friend back. "She's been asking for this. She thinks SHE'S so special
because she's suffered more than the rest of us? Well she's a spoiled brat who
needs a wakeup call!"
"Leave
her alone Bejita, I mean it," Goku responded. "I'm not kidding here�"
"Ohh, another nerve? This is twice in one
day that you've shown a backbone Kakkarot. I must say
it's a considerable improvement," Bejita bated
him. "Since that loud mouthed harpy dumped you�"
"You� why
you� that was UNCALLED for, and you know it, Bejita!" Goku glared at him.
His hands knotted into fists, veins protruding on the smooth skin stretched
across the backs of his hands. For a second his eyes flickered emerald green
before fading to their usual dark black once more. Bejita
raised a dark brow in interest. Apparently not only Goku's
brat could get angry at the mention of a woman, Bejita
noted. Only once before had he seen any of the Sons almost lose it, and that
was when Spopovitch had crushed Videl
nearly to a pulp.
"Son Goku, stop this male chauvinist stuff! You, your royal whyness� or whoever you are� leave him out of this, this is
between you and me!" Atomique said hotly. Son Goku gently pushed her behind him, shaking his head no.
"Boys,
knock it off!" yelled a blue haired woman who had suddenly dashed out of
the house, and dodged between the two men.
"He
started it," said Bejita angrily. "He just
had to step in and defend this spoiled brat."
"Sorry Buruma, but he was being rude to a guest of mine," Goku said firmly. "I brought her here� to reunite her
with her friends�"
"ENOUGH!"
Buruma yelled. "Bejita,
get your royal ass BACK in that house before I let Goku
kick it! How can you be such an insensitive prick? His wife fucking left
him!"
"I know
genius. So what's he gonna do about it? Whine and cry
like that female he's protecting like a lost cat?" asked Bejita. "I'll be inside, ladies. Don't take too long
to have your reunion."
"You're
not worth my time, if all you like to do is piss people off," Atomique muttered disdainfully at him. "I suppose I do
owe you for caring for my sons, and you have my gratitude. But that doesn't
give you liberty to dump on me�"
"Don't
give me a reason to, wench, and I'll stop. Otherwise keep your mouth
shut," Bejita answered. "And for your info,
your brats are playing with mine� and Kakkarot's�"
"Thanks a
heap, your Majesty," Atomique said
sarcastically.
"Bejita� I'm warning you�" Buruma
said.
"Come on, let's get your children�" Son Goku
said. "He's not worth it. He's just being his usual self� okay?"
"If I
were you I'd listen to the third class," Bejita
mumbled as he shook his head at the alchemist.
"Um,
c'mon, right this way�" Buruma urged, dodging
around Bejita, then Goku.
Grasping Atomique's hand she tugged her towards the
mansion. Christine fell in beside her, wrapping her arm around her friend's
shoulder.
"My
children� here�" she asked, squeezing Christine's hands.
"Yes�
they're in the playroom. Mrs. Briefs is watching them�" said Black Widow
excitedly.
"I'm so
glad to meet you finally� Mrs. Starchild is it?"
said Buruma excitedly. "You look a lot like
them� and I'm so sorry about Bejita�"
"He's
just an acquired taste, as Son Goku said," said Atomique with a flush of anger. "Takes more than him
to ruin this day�"
"Come
right this way," she said, motioning her to enter. "Christine, show
her� I'll be along in a minute or two�"
"I'm sure
you'll recognize them," Dragon Womyn said,
following her two friends. "But I warn you, they've grown much since you
last saw them�"
Son Goku strode in as well, following them at a distance.
Mentally he questioned why Dragon Womyn, supposedly
one of Atomique's friends was being so judgmental?
Was she almost� jealous of his guest? In time he knew he would discover the
whole story. Every day it seemed the Saiyan no Ouji's star pupil was becoming disturbingly more like the
Prince he had first met. He glared angrily at Bejita,
who marched off towards his gravity capsule. Grunting, Bejita
shot Kakkarot a look that smacked of grudging
respect, devoid of its usual condescension.
"You're
finally acting like a true Saiyan, Kakkarot�" Bejita thought. Goku frowned, clearly receiving the broadcast from his
Prince.
"Mind
your own business, Bejita," Son Goku telepathed back. "And
focus on improving your student's attitude before I have to�"
"Since
when did YOU worry about what I taught those two women?" came Bejita's amused reply.
"I'm
going inside�" Son Goku finally answered before
terminating his mental conversation.

***
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Saiyan Foster Parent

Goku as a Foster Father?