What's in a name

"Wake up Kakarot; destroy all lifeforms."

Bulma listened as this same order repeated itself for the fifth time, her genius mind unable to accept what her ears were hearing. Goku, or rather Kakarot, had been sent to Earth with the mission of wiping out all of humanity?

No, Bulma's mind hastily denied, there's just no way that was true. Goku, the boy standing no more than a few yards away from her, couldn't be this 'Kakarot'...could he?

The scary thing was, Bulma had no other plausible explination for who else the space pod in front of her could belong to. Because, if it wasn't Goku's, why hadn't the owner proceeded along with their mission? Why hadn't the lifeforms of Earth been spared?

These rationalizations did little to help calm the bluenette's racing heart, because they meant that Goku was indeed this 'Kakarot'. Goku was sent to destroy them.

Bulma's subconscious noticed how she was beginning to hyperventilate. Her lungs were on fire, and her body shook with the desire to run. And she would have had her genius mind not managed to reboot itself in time.

Even if Goku was this Kakarot person that didn't mean he was going to go along with his mission. A mission that apparently wasn't too important if no one had come to Earth and checked on him. Goku seemed logical enough, even advanced for a boy his age, so surely he would see reason and choose not to destroy the human race.

And yet, that last thought forged a new road of curiosity.

How exactly was a child supposed to destroy earth's entire population by himself?

'I mean yeah, the kid managed to take down that dinosaur with just one punch, and he took the full brunt of my capsule car like it was nothing. But what if he was shot with something like a missile, or nuclear bomb? Wouldn't that stop him?'

Choosing not to dwell on it Bulma instead began a slow, careful descent into the large crater. It took a few minutes, but once her feet were stable again the blue-haired genius shuffled over to her monkey-tailed companion.

"H-Hey, Goku? Um, I'm thinking t-this may not be your pod. I mean you wouldn't really destroy us...me, would you?"

Bulma nibbled her bottom lip as she waited for Goku to answer, but when a minute passed with no response she started to get worried. Reaching out her gloved hand the heiress tapped a single finger on the younger boy's shoulder, only to shriek in surprise when Goku's body jerked violently.

The wild-haired boy's strong young body spun on the ball of one foot, before lashing out with a backfist and dropping into a defensive stance. Goku's mind was foggy, entranced by the voice he'd heard coming from the space pod, but hearing Bulma's cry of fear as he struck pierced that veil. Onyx eyes lost their unfocused glaze, and returned to focus when Goku blinked rapidly at the sight before him.

Bulma was curled into the fetal position, both hands brought in to clutch her chest. There were tears pooled at her tightly shut eyes, and whimpers of fear bubbled copiously from between her lips.

Those noises echoed through Goku's ears and shattered whatever strange hold that strange voice had held over him. And just as quickly as he'd moved before, the young martial artist found himself rushing to kneel down beside his guest.

"Bulma, are you alright? Did I hit you?"

Ocean-blue eyes fluttered open and the girl in question peered up through sparkling lashes to look at the younger boy who'd spoken. With a flinch of her trembling shoulders, the beautiful young city girl managed to shake her head 'no'.

Relieved that he had not harmed a non-combatant, Goku's next course of action was to give a deep bow of apology.

Bulma managed to stop her shaking after a minute, and after wiping her eyes clear of any held tears noticed that Goku was still bowing to her. Shocked that he was waiting for her, the blue-haired young teen softly forgave him.

"I shouldn't have surprised you like that, it's my own fault. B-But if you really want my forgiveness you'll have to promise not to...n-not to destroy us."

Hearing Bulma forgive him lifted a large weight from Goku's shoulders but, as he was moving to stand again, the monkey-tailed youth was shocked at her last words. And that's when his ears twitched from the replaying of the recording still playing in the background.

He was Kakarot...and he was meant to destroy the human race.

'But why?' The confused young fighter wondered. 'What point would there be in getting rid of all these people, they haven't wronged me. And besides, if I had carried out that order, I'd have never met Gohan or learned about the dragon balls.'

Through the teachings of Gohan Goku had developed the belief that, the only people who would face his strength would be those who'd done wrong or stood in his way. So while his name may really be Kakarot he would not be that Kakarot. He would not participate in mindless slaughter, he would not carry out that order.

"Don't worry Bulma," Goku assured her. "I have no plans to use my strength against anyone who can't fight for themselves; that includes you."

Bulma looked into the monkey-tailed boy's eyes as he spoke, and could see the sincerity of his words. And while Goku's pledge didn't necessarily mean he wouldn't react violently to anyone who got in his way, it was god enough for now. So, the blue-haired genius lifted a hand and allowed Goku to help her up.

"S-So, what's next?" Bulma's question trailed off, as she was unaware of whether to call the boy Goku or Kakarot.

This was something Goku caught quickly, but made no effort to address. Because, honestly, he didn't know how. While Gohan had given him the name Goku, the monkey-tailed boy felt a certain pull to the mystery that was Kakarot. So, instead, he answered Bulma's spoken question.

"I guess we'll return to Gohan's home, and collect his dragon ball.

Bulma blinked owlishly for a moment, a little amazed he was able to brush what had happened off so quickly. Letting out an embarrassed laugh though, the blue-haired genius reached into her fanny-pack and pulled out one of her dragon balls again. "Just to make sure, you're positive this is what you have back home?"

Just like the first time, when Goku's eyes locked onto what he was lead to conclude to be a dragon ball, he honestly had to admit not being very impressed. 'It looks like an orange.'

And indeed it did. The mythical treasure was not only the size of the citrus fruit, but also shared its brilliant color. The only true ways to distinguish it were if one were close enough, and able to see the glare given off by the sun and the large burnt-orange stars centered on one side. And yet, despite its lackluster appearance, Goku found there was a whisper in the back of his mind. One that hissed at him to take the ball. To find the rest, and to fulfill his deepest desire.

That whisper grew louder, more seductive the longer Goku stared. However the boy scrunched his brow tightly, and shut it out so as to instead tell Bulma that he'd indeed been telling the truth.

"Like I told you, Gohan had one with four stars on it. He told me it would be mine when he passed. I've left it cradled in its alter ever since though, because I never thought it was that important."

This news got a gasp of delight from Bulma, and she stepped closer to the wild-haired boy in excitement. "Can you show me, please? If you're telling the truth, that means we can get on our way collecting the rest."

Bulma's inclusion of him put a amused look on Goku's face. Because while he'd already decided he would offer to join Bulma on her quest, the young martial artist found it funny that the girl thought he wouldn't catch her blatant attempt at securing him as a bodyguard.

The look seemed to stay on Goku's face though because Bulma caught it, and immediately backpedaled.

"I-I mean, if you want to go that it. I-I just thought, ya know, that it'd be good for you; getting out and seeing the world and all. D-Don't you think Gohan w-would want that for you?"

"The dead don't want anything Bulma, it's one of the benefits of being gone. But don't worry, I'll tag along on your little adventure; if only to test my strength against the rest of your world."

With that said Goku crossed his arms and began to make his way out of the crater. It was with his back to her that the young boy didn't catch the look Bulma shot him at hearing the last of his agreement.

'He called it MY world. Does that mean he no longer considers Earth his? What if...what if he never did?'

This worried Bulma. Because despite Goku/Kakarot's words that didn't mean the boy may not wind up changing his mind later. However, before the teenage heiress could ponder these thoughts any further, the object of her worries called down to her from the lip of the crater.

"Hey Bulma, you were so excited a minute ago. What happened? You've got me interested so lets not stop now."

Hearing this gave Bulma an idea. If she could keep the wild-haired alien interested in Earth, then he'd have no reason to destroy it. 'The first step then, is this dragon ball hunt.'

With her plan half-baked, but set, Bulma called out that she was coming and made her own way out of the crater. All thoughts of advancing space travel forgotten, and hopeful that she would never see that space pod again.

xXx

Upon returning to Goku's small home, Bulma was left wide-eyed in glee to find that he did in fact have the four-star ball. Squeaking in glee the blue-haired beauty shuffled quickly into the room and took the orange-sized orb into her gloved hands.

An orb that was just as swiftly snatched away.

Unprepared for the eye-popping showcase of speed Bulma's brain had to reboot itself before she could manage to stutter out a mumble of disbelief. "W-Wha—what are you..."

"We've got one more thing to discuss, before I hand this over. You have to tell me how you found the dragon balls."

"How I found them? You mean I didn't already tell you?" Bulma mentally berated herself for forgetting such an important piece of information, before once again reaching into her fanny-pack. This time though, what she pulled out wasn't a dragon ball, instead it was a large device. It was white, with a glass screen and a large button resting on the top.

Bulma moved so that she was holding the clunky machine directly in her new partner's field of vision, and went on to explain what it was.

"I used this; it's called a dragon radar. I invented it myself after my father brought me home my first dragon ball for my birthday. I'd looked up what the ball was because mine had two stars, and I was curious to know if it had been part of a set. When I found the legend I realized that they must give off some sort of magical energy; and since all energy can be tracked, I decided to come up with the radar to find the rest and make my wish."

Goku listened with honest attention, and by the end of Bulma's explanation he had to admit silently that the blue-haired beauty was, truly, a genius.

'Although it does seem strange she would be so interested in acquiring a 'matching set', as she put it. Bulma doesn't seem the type to care for such a trivial thing, as it does nothing to benefit her personally. I wonder, could it have anything to do with that voice I heard earlier?'

Choosing to keep his questions to himself, Goku asked instead how it worked.

"It's pretty simple really," Bulma expanded her explanation. "There's a microchip in here that's been encoded with the energy signature of the dragon balls, so all I have to do is click this button at the top here and the radar will search anywhere from a few miles to across the world for any similar energies."

"But how do you manage to stretch it over the whole of your planet? What sort of technology do you have that allows for such a wide search?"

Goku's mind was completely tuned into hearing the answer, as the boy himself simply found such a thing too outlandish to believe. Just what kinds of amazing things had the people of Earth come up with while he was sheltered away in the woods?

Bulma's answer further cemented Goku's belief that she was an individual who superseded the rest of her species in terms of importance.

"My family owns most of the satellites that orbit the planet, so all I had to do was have them send up a patch for one that included the same form of transmitter my radar uses and install it."

The ease with which Bulma spoke of such things astounded Goku. Just how much influence did the girl and her family have? And what was a satellite?

Deciding that those questions could wait for later, Goku handed back the radar that he had taken to inspect as well as holding out his dragon ball. "Here, a deal is a deal. And if you're up to it, we can get started right away finding the remaining four."

With the return to the subject of finding the dragon balls, and subsequently her obtaining her wish, Bulma's face broke out into a delighted smile. Pocketing the newly acquired dragon ball into her pack with the others, the girl asked if there was anything Goku would need to bring with him.

"Just my power-pole," the monkey-tailed youth responded. "It was a gift from Gohan, and I'd rather not leave it here."

As he spoke Goku walked over to a chest in the corner of the alter and, after shuffling around in it for a minute, he retrieved what he was looking for. Bulma saw that it was a short, thick, stick. It was red in color, and held in a bright orange sheath. Goku slung the thing around his shoulder with the help of a train of rope before moving back over to Bulma.

"That's all I've really got besides a few changes of clothes, Gohan didn't much believe in material possessions. Said they distracted from training."

Bulma could think of nothing to say, as she'd never met Gohan nor taken up martial arts, so instead she simply told Goku that they could bring his extra clothes along if he could find a way to pack them. It was after this, and the addition of a makeshift backpack for the alien boy's clothes, that the duo finally exited the alter and got ready to start their journey together.

"Since you trashed my car we'll need something new to travel in," Bulma informed Goku. As she spoke, the blue-haired genius rooted around in her seemingly bottomless fanny-pack for a small case. Opening the white, plastic container Goku watched her pluck a single capsule from within, and toss it forward after clicking its top.

In an explosion of smoke that had Goku's onyx eyes widening in amazement, a motorcycle appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Granted Goku didn't know what it was he was looking at, it did nothing to further his amazement with the obvious brilliance Bulma and her family must have to come up with such a device as those capsules.

Looking on dumbly, the monkey-tailed martial artist had to shake the cobwebs from his brain when Bulma called to him this time; she was already seated on the bike.

"Are you just gonna stand there all day," she asked cheekily. "I thought you wanted to get a move on."

Hearing her use similar taunts to what he'd said earlier made Goku chuckle. Yes, Bulma was indeed an interesting individual.

xXx

Crystal-blue eyes fluttered open as Bulma's ears were filled with the sound of rustling sheets, mixed with huffs of exertion, and finally a loud 'thump'. They came from outside her room, which could only mean one thing.

Goku.

The pair had stopped their journey at Bulma's own words, as it had been starting to get dark, and settled into the capsule house she'd brought along with her. After long minutes of giggling in amusement at the wonder-struck alien boy she chose for company, Bulma made them both dinner before taking a bath and going to bed.

Goku himself had to be taught how the shower worked of course, as he'd been in need of a bath himself, but other than that things went smoothly. He had then been given sheets, and directed towards the couch, where Bulma assumed he would sleep soundly enough for the night.

'Apparently I was wrong,' she thought before climbing out of bed. The girl had chosen an overly large pink t-shirt and white cotton underwear to sleep in, which she now coupled with fuzzy pink slippers as she shuffled into the living room. Upon arriving though, Bulma was shocked by what she found.

The couch was in shreds. Claw marks gouged into the once velvety soft upholstery, and sweat stains blotted the cushions.

Goku was rolling around on the carpeted floor, the sheets Bulma had given him now nothing but ribbons as he floundered around like a fish out of water. Upon closer inspection though, Bulma's keen mind quickly noticed that her guest looked as if he were in a fight. His fists were balled tight, and his brow was scrunched in a heavily concentrated manner. Not to mention the way Goku threw his limbs out like punches and kicks.

One of which caught the leg of Bulma's coffee table, and snapped it like a twig.

Finally letting her worry for the young alien's mental health take over, Bulma crept closer to Goku and began to voice her desire for him to awaken.

"Goku, hey Goku. Come on kid wake up; it's just a nightmare."

When that didn't work she tried again, only louder. But Goku seemed to still not hear her. With her worry rising, Bulma fully moved beyond the couch and was about to attempt shaking the monkey-tailed martial artist awake. Until that very same tail made it's self known, and showed that it was indeed very real.

"Aaah!" Bulma screeched as her ankle was slapped with what she equated to a big stick, and she in turn crumpled to the floor.

It was as she was cradling her newly bruised ankle that Bulma's mind connected the tail to a memory, and flashed back to earlier that afternoon; back to the space pod.

"K-Kakarot—Wake up Kakarot!"

The name was like a switch, and as the last syllable left Bulma's lips it flipped. Shown by the way Goku's eyes snapped open. The young alien's onyx eyes narrowed to slits, and he himself spun swiftly on his hands in a vicious helicopter-kick..

Bulma counted herself lucky that she had tumbled backwards during her fall to the floor, as the furious power she saw behind the move would have definitely suffered from broken bones.

Crystal-blue eyes watched as Goku finished his attack, and then continued to look on while he settled into a very feral looking pose. The alien boy's arms were tense, his biceps bulging under his skin, while the wild-haired martial artists fingers were flexed into claws. Goku's entire body looked tense; his legs coiled and ready to spring.

Being sure to keep her voice low, Bulma gently reached her hand out and whispered for Goku to relax.

"G-Kakarot? Hey, i-it's okay, there's no one here. Y-You can relax."

Bulma saw that her words had reached him, as the monkey-tailed youth's ears twitched upon hearing his original name. The blue-haired genius' searching eyes also noticed the way Goku's body just seemed to ease itself up almost immediately. His strained muscles loosened up, and the sharp look in his eyes rounded out.

And finally, Goku's breathing had settled from its erratic rush, to a heavy heaving. Sweat still poured over his mostly naked body, but the air conditioning on full blast was quick to cool him off.

When it looked as if he'd calmed down enough Bulma tried talking with Goku again.

"G-Goku? Hey, a-are you okay?"

The newly awakened alien child twitched when he heard his Earth name, but turned his eyes on the girl in front of him none the less. And then proceeded to stare at her for a number of minutes.

The staring itself wasn't so bad, Bulma would later admit to herself, as boys often stared at her. No, what bothered her was the look in Goku's eyes. They were feral, almost beast-like, but held an intelligence the likes of which did not belong to a boy his age. But there was something else as well, something hidden behind all of that. It was like Goku was seeing her for the first time, and assessing whether or not to lash out at her. Goku was seeing her, but at the same time seemed to be looking at someone else.

'Whatever he was having a nightmare about really shook him up,' Bulma concluded. She was about to ask her question again when her traveling companion seemed to snap back to himself, and with a shake of his head Goku mumbled out a response.

"I'm fine, sorry about your couch."

"That can be replaced," Bulma waved it off. "I'm more worried about what kind of nightmare caused you to react that way. What did you see?"

That seemed to be both the right, and the wrong question, as the monkey-tailed boy's eyes briefly lost focus again. It only lasted a few seconds this time, but when Goku blinked hard to reboot himself he answered that it had been nothing. "Just...just a replay of Gohan's death. He was mauled by a...a pretty dangerous animal."

Bulma could see right away that this wasn't the truth, but given the fact Goku felt the need to lie about it, the young heiress chose not to pry. Instead, she looked up at the clock on the VCR and voiced that she was going to make them both some hot chocolate. It was 6:00AM.

For Bulma, the silence they shared over their mugs was an uncomfortable one. She wanted so bad to ask Goku again about his dreams, but feared making him angry as that may lead him to take his dragon ball back. 'Not to mention it'd be rude,' the little voice that was Bulma's conscience berated her.

However she was saved from any attempts at awkward small talk when Goku's voice reached across the table to her.

"You called me Kakarot."

The sudden break of silence startled Bulma and caused her to jump a bit in her seat. But once she managed to get her heartbeat under control, the blue-haired beauty stuttered out a response.

"W-What?"

"Before, when you woke me up, you called me Kakarot." Goku himself had made short work of the contents of his cup, finding that he had a taste for the chocolaty beverage. But with it gone, the young martial artist found that he had only the bottom of his mug to stare into as he spoke.

"When I was having my nightmare, I heard you. Why did you use that name?"

Bulma simply stared across the table at the younger boy, his churning thoughts clear as the incoming dawn on his face. She could see that this was a big deal to him.

And that's why she chose to tell him the truth.

"Because you wouldn't respond to me when I called you Goku. But, when I called you...that other name, you woke up immediately."

Goku listened and attempted to process what he'd heard, but the ache he was feeling in his temples wouldn't let him. Peering up from his empty cup, the alien martial artist saw that the sky had begun to brighten with the new day.

Seeing this, Goku pushed his chair back and silently hopped down to begin making his way towards the door.

"Goku-" Bulma started to say.

"I'm going out to do my morning workout, I'll come back in later."

With that said, and the door closing, Goku was gone. Now left alone with her thoughts, Bulma allowed herself to worry about the future. More specifically Goku's future.

xXx

It was hours later that found young Goku finishing up the last of his exercises. The wild-haired alien had discarded his gi top and allowed the sun to beat down on his bare torso. Sweat poured from his body after finishing the last sequence of his final kata and his muscles ached from the beginnings of exhaustion.

But it had been worth it.

Throughout his routine Goku had flashed back to the nightmare he'd had. The one about the man he assumed was his father, fighting off a horde of enemies bloody and alone. It was the scene right before his death...right before he'd been awakened by Bulma.

'Only this time I heard another voice; his voice.' Goku thought with a furrowed brow. It had been intermingled with Bulma's own as she called to him, but the monkey-tailed boy was sure of what he'd heard. And it only made his inner turmoil churn that much harder.

Could he be Kakarot, but still be Goku? Or would he lose himself to the feral warrior that had shown itself last night?

However before the prepubescent young boy could ponder this line of thought anymore, his attention was drawn to what looked to be a moving boulder. Or at least, that's what it looked like before closer inspection revealed it to be a large turtle.

But what was a turtle doing so far inland?

"Excuse me, Mr. Turtle, but would you happen to be lost?"

The turtle gave a startled yelp at being addressed, but after whipping its head around a few times and seeing Goku the sea creature calmed down. "Um, yes actually, I've been tying to find my way back to the ocean for over a year."

Hearing this caused Goku to raise his brow in intrigue. A whole year? That was a long time. "You must be thirsty then, would you like some water?"

"Only if it wouldn't be too much trouble," the turtle accepted, "and if it isn't too much trouble could you point me in the right direction after?"

As Goku was lifting the turtle onto his back the young boy was about to tell him yes, and then he remembered his search. "Actually, I'll do you one better and take you there myself."

'If there's no dragon ball, I suppose I'll at least get my first real look at the ocean.' Goku decided as he carried the turtle back into the capsule house. Upon entering, he immediately noticed that Bulma had showered and changed since his exit.

Bulma was dressed in denim, hip hugging shorts with a form-fitting white t-shirt. Her hair had been undone from its side ponytail and instead worn in a lazy bun. The remaining drops of water from her shower gave Bulma's hair a certain shine to it, while her skin gleamed from the lotion she was currently rubbing into her forearms.

It was from the corner of her eye that Bulma noticed the return of her travel partner. The shower she had taken helped ease the girl's worries, but seeing Goku again honestly brought the head of those feelings peeking back from under the dirt. At least, it did before she noticed the monkey-tailed youth's new friend.

"Hey Goku, why do you have a turtle strapped to your back?"

"I didn't strap him, see, I carried him inside because I figured he was thirsty." It was as Goku was moving into the kitchen area to accomplish this task that he voiced his next idea. "And then I told him I'd carry him to the ocean, since he's lost. I figured if there's a dragon ball that way we'd kill two birds with one stone."

When she first heard what Goku had planned Bulma was a little miffed, as she felt there was no time for such heroics, but once he mentioned the dragon balls the blue-haired genius couldn't help agreeing heartily. Especially when, upon checking the radar, Bulma noticed there was indeed a dragon ball out that way.

And then she remembered how Goku planned on getting the turtle there.

"Wait, did you say you were gonna carry the turtle to the ocean?"

"Yes, why?" Goku asked curiously.

Bulma's response was to drop her jaw. "Maybe because the ocean is a good hundred miles from here; and that turtle has to weigh at least a hundred pounds."

"That just means it'll make good training for me Bulma. Now, since you already look ready to go I think we should get moving."

"What about you, aren't you going to shower and change?"

Goku looked down at himself and saw that he was now covered in dry sweat, and that he had yet to replace his gi top. Shrugging it off though he said, "What's the point? I'll just get sweaty carrying him there anyway, and my gi won't feel very comfortable while I carry Mr. Turtle."

"Mr. Turtle?" Bulma asked with an amused expression covering her face.

With the two now outside, Goku had replaced the turtle on his back and looked ready to run. But hearing the playfully mocking tone in Bulma's voice had him answering back, "I'd prefer to not just call him 'hey you,' or 'the turtle'."

The blue-haired genius' response was to stick her tongue out before she pressed a button on the side of their house to re-capsule it. Once it was back inside her plastic case, she chose a new one and tossed it a few feet in front of her. This time when the smoke cleared it was a dirt bike.

Swinging her leg over the motorized bike, Bulma soon had the engine revved and ready to go. Turning to Goku she said, "Alright monkey boy, let's see how long you can keep up."

With that Bulma kicked the stand and hit the gas.

Goku let a challenging smirk fill his face as he let his legs spring off and rush to follow after her. Goku noticed quickly that Bulma wasn't using her bikes full speed, but that only made him want to run faster.

It was a constant inches race for the next two hours before they were stopped short. A large, armor-clad bear had stepped into their path. He was as big as the boulder he'd hidden behind, and covered in a burnt-orange fur with an eye-patch over one eye. In his hand was a vicious looking machete.

"Alright you puny bags of flesh, hand over the turtle and no one gets hurt!"

Bulma felt her heart drop into her stomach for a moment at the sight of the monstrous talking animal, but then memories of yesterday came to mind and she managed to calm down. If Goku could handle that dinosaur, he could handle this guy too.

Goku obviously thought so too. Because almost immediately after the bear's demand he let the turtle down, and told him to move away. "Sorry buddy, but that's not gonna happen. At least, not without you taking him from me."

The bear obviously thought his size was enough to win him the day, as it normally scared others into doing what he wanted, so he only chuckled throatily at Goku's challenge.

"Oh, monkey boy you have no idea how big a mistake you just made. I was willing to let you and the little Misses there go, but now, I'll eat you both first and save the turtle for dessert!" The bear's proclamation was punctuated with a heavy swing of his machete.

Despite her confidence in Goku Bulma couldn't help her stomach jumping into her throat at the shocking speed at which the bear moved.

Only to sigh in relief when she watched her adventure partner dodge it effortlessly.

And it didn't stop there. Goku went on to humiliate his enemy by showing no signs of struggle as he ducked and swayed away from each and every swing that came his way. He even seemed to disappear when the bear let out a roar and smash his blade hard into the ground.

The dust that had flown up from the blunt attack dissipated, and Bulma's crystal-blue eyes immediately found Goku's shirtless form perched lazily atop the same boulder his opponent had been hiding behind.

"Ya know, I expected you to be weak, but even this is just sad."

The bear heard Goku behind him, and startled a bit since he'd lost track of the small boy after lashing out in anger. Spinning on his heel, the blade-wielding bandit growled low in his throat at seeing Goku with an arrogant smirk on his face.

"So you think you're pretty fast, eh? Well then, let's see how well you move when it's not you I'm aiming for!"

Goku's onyx eyes hardened into a fierce glare, and his brow knitted strongly as he watched his opponent take the cowards way out. The large armor-clad bear wheeled around, and hurled his machete with all his strength in Bulma's direction.

Bulma didn't even have time to blink, and barely enough time to shriek in fear, before she watched Goku seemingly teleport in front of her to catch the blade with his bare hands. Only to drop it, and catch the bear's enormous fist with his smaller one when the bandit attempted to blind-side him.

"I was willing to just knock your lights out before because I didn't like your attitude, but now, I see there's only one thing to be done about a coward like you."

It was over before either Bulma or the Bear really knew what happened. Goku showcased an amazing feat of speed and hopped up into the air, coming down with a knife-hand strike to the bear's neck. But it didn't stop there. With his opponent now in shock, Goku whipped his leg out and used a full-force kick to crush the large mammal's windpipe.

The bear stumbled back from the force of the blow, and reached up with his massive hands in a feeble attempt to undo what Goku had done. Short, desperate gasps escaped the once cocky bandit's lips before finally he collapsed in a lifeless heap.

Bulma watched this and couldn't help the pang of pity she felt for the now dead thief. Yes, he had threatened them, but did Goku really need to go so far?

"Now that he's out of the way, let's finish up," Goku brushed off his kill as he hefted Mr. Turtle onto his back again. Looking over at Bulma he questioned how much farther they had to go.

"W-Wha...A-about ten more miles by the looks of the radar."

"Then let's hurry, I'm sure Mr. Turtle is eager to get home."

With that said, Goku took off again with tremendous speed. Bulma watched him for a moment before sighing, and revving her bike again to follow. She'd ask him later.

xXx

Later came when the trio made it to the sea, and Mr. Turtle asked them to wait for him to return. He had a present he wished to bring back for Goku.

It was during the time he was gone that Bulma approached the wading martial artist and brought up the subject of his killing.

"Um, Goku, can I ask you something?"

The monkey-tailed alien boy opened his eyes from their relaxed position and looked over at the older girl who'd spoken to him. "You just did, but I suppose you can ask me something else."

Ignoring Goku's cheek, Bulma voiced her concern about his nonchalance with killing. "I-I just...why did you have to kill that bandit back there? I mean, I'm not trying to sound ungrateful for you saving me, I just think there was a better way."

"I didn't kill him for you, if that's what you're thinking. I did it because he revealed himself to be a coward; something I'd already expected since his first move was to try and intimidate me with his size. That alone showed he didn't have any faith in his ability to beat me."

"Y-You killed him because he was a coward?" Bulma found that a hard pill to swallow.

"Yes. I true warrior would not have tried to use you against me, and then try for a blind-side after I saved you. He had no honor, no warrior pride, and for that he deserved death."

"B-But—"

"I don't see what your problem with it is; it was either you die, and then I kill him for murder, or save you and kill him for cowardice. Which would you have really preferred?"

Before Bulma could say anything in rebuttal, a new voice found its way into their conversation.

"I think the lady would have preferred you showed restraint, or mercy. And as a fellow martial artist I can't say I blame her; the art is not meant to be used for killing, but defending those close to us and offering a controlled release of our negative feelings."

Both Goku and Bulma's eyes turned to see that the voice came from an elderly man who was sitting cross-legged on Mr. Turtle's shell. He was dressed in a billowing button-up tropical shirt and knee-length shorts. He was bald, but had an impressive beard that connected with his mustache, and wore dinky sunglasses.

Resting across his lap was a large-headed wooden staff, while strapped to his back was a large purple turtle shell.

"Big words coming from an old man in a turtle shell," Goku scoffed. "My point is clearly valid, and any self-respecting warrior can see that."

The elderly self-proclaimed martial artist looked down at the turtle he was riding on and asked, "Are you sure this is the kid that saved you? He seems a bit too self-important compared to what you were telling me about him."

"It is him Master; he offered to carry me here, and even fought to save me."

Goku watched as the man seemed to ponder something before he asked his name.

His answer came without hesitation: "My name is Kakarot, what's it to ya?"

The monkey-tailed alien youth ignored the glance Bulma sent him, and waited for the elderly man to reciprocate the introduction.

"Well my name is Roshi, and if you truly did do what my turtle says you did, then I am indebted to you. As a token of my thanks I'd like to give you a gift: my flying nimbus."

"Your what?" Goku asked with an incredulous look on his face.

Mr. Turtle chose to explain. "It's the Master's flying cloud; meant to only carry those who are pure of heart."

This interested Goku, but as he turned to look at Roshi he noticed something. "So then you're giving me this cloud because, being a pervert, you can't ride it huh?"

Bulma's eyes widened and her gaze shot between Goku and the elderly man before she sputtered out, "W-What do you mean he's a pervert?"

"I mean, he uses those glasses of his to hide when he's staring a girl down...like he's doing with you now."

Bulma's immediate response was to shriek in horror, and then to hide behind Goku. She shivered in disgust at the thought of being eyed by such a dirty old man, and now felt the need to shower.

"Oh, what do you know!? I've lived a long, hard life and deserve to admire the beauty of the world now. If that beauty happens to come in the form of a young, curvy girl I don't see the harm."

"You will with the black eye I'm about to give you," Goku scoffed. "That's all I need to hear to know you aren't the Roshi I thought you were."

Hearing this grabbed Bulma's interest. "W-What do you mean; where'd you hear of this old geezer?"

"From Gohan. I asked him once where he learned martial arts, and he told me how he'd studied under some legendary master known as Roshi. I thought it was this bozo because of the turtle shell,but there's just no way someone like that could be such a huge perv."

Roshi, tired of being talked down to by a kid, was just about to put the boy in his place when he replayed what the aforementioned boy had just said. "Wait, you knew Gohan?"

'He was my master; he took me in when I was little." Goku answered flatly.

"But last time I'd heard from my old student, he'd adopted a young boy named Goku. You told me your name was-"

Onyx eyes slivered. "My friends call me Goku; you will refer to me as Kakarot."

Roshi's face began to redden in anger. How dare this twerp disrespect him like that! The elderly martial arts legend glared at Goku from behind his glasses before they gleaned at Bulma from their peripheral vision. Seeing the blue-haired beauty's voluptuous form gave the old lech an idea.

"All right twerp, if you're so sure I'm not Master Roshi let's make a bet. You and I will have a little match; if you win I'll follow through with giving you the nimbus. But if I win...your friend there shows me her underwear-"

"No," Goku interrupted. "We aren't including a non-combatant in our competition. If you truly are a true warrior you'll do this because your honor is on the line and nothing more. However, if we're wagering something, you can offer up that ball around your neck instead of some silly cloud."

When Goku pointed at Roshi's neck, Bulma's crystal-blue eyes immediately found that the dragon ball they'd been looking for was hanging around the old man's throat.

"You want my dragon ball?" Roshi sputtered. "What makes you think I'm gonna give something like this to you; do you know what I could do once I manage to find all seven?"

"You know the legend too, good." Goku grinned as he continued, "A single, all-powerful wish is more than enough to wager don't you think?"

The Turtle Hermit didn't want to do it; the ball around his neck was practically screaming at him not to. But the man's pride was overruling the voice in the back of his head, and in seconds the martial artist agreed.

With the wager set both Goku and Roshi walked ten paces away from each other, and then turned to square off. Goku bent his knees and set his arms into defensive position. Roshi...just stood there.

Seeing this sparked a flare of anger deep inside Goku's core; not even Gohan treated him with such disregard. Tensing the muscles in his legs the monkey-tailed alien launched himself at full speed towards Roshi.

A speed that surprised the elderly man enough that Goku managed to land a glancing blow against his ribs. Even with his own great speed Roshi had to admit that Goku was fast.

Following his opening strike immediately after, Goku whipped around on the ball of his foot and swung a strong roundhouse-kick at his opponents stomach. When Roshi managed to catch his ankle though Goku improvised. Pushing off his still-grounded foot, Goku wound his other leg around at Roshi's face.

Roshi blocked the surprising strike with the head of his staff before using that same weapon to jab at Goku's open stomach. When the wild-haired boy managed a hasty catch with his hands Roshi was impressed, but not enough to hold back the power that pushed Goku back.

Goku barely had a second to touch the ground before he had to throw his forearm up to block Roshi's follow-up swing. The unreal strength behind the attack sent the monkey-tailed youth stumbling away, and left him open to the backhand swing that came next.

A sharp 'crack' filled the open ocean air as Goku took the full brunt of that attack, and the young martial artist mentally cursed as his mouth swiftly filled with blood. Unfortunately he didn't get a chance to think about the pain, because Roshi wasn't done. The old man's next move was to strike out with a spartan-kick.

Thankfully Goku was familiar with this attack pattern, and threw his arms up in a cross-block. With that blocked Goku quickly reached his left hand out to snag the man's ankle, and then jerked hard. Using the momentum of his maneuver, Goku spun on the ball of his foot again and introduced his elbow to the side of Roshi's knee.

Knowing such a blow would hurt his out of shape body Roshi showed off an unbelievable level of reflex. While his body was off center from Goku's pull, the elderly man pushed off the sandy beach and twisted his caught ankle from the younger fighter's grip. Flipping over Goku's elbow in the process.

Goku knew the danger of trying to press his attack at that moment, as he could get caught by a wild kick. So instead he waited impatiently for Roshi to stop spinning. As he waited though the young alien could tell something was...different.

It happened during his spars with Gohan too; the change. It was a secret the young martial artist had kept to himself, one that he'd studied over the years he learned under Gohan.

His blood would race through his veins at an increased rate, and his body filled with an energy the like of which Goku knew wasn't normal. Gohan had introduced him to adrenaline during the beginnings of their spars but Goku knew this went far beyond that.

Adrenaline made you sloppy, where as Goku's change enhanced his ability. His senses sharpened, and his muscles flooded with a strength that was sure to be superhuman. And then there was his tail.

As Goku ducked one of Roshi's staff swipes he could feel the electric buzz that flowed through his newly wrapped tail, and seemed to fill every pore in his body. Side-stepping a jab Goku felt his body heating up from the new energy, and he let a fierce grin etch its way onto his young face as he caught Roshi's attempt at a snap-kick.

On his end Roshi couldn't believe what was happening. In the beginning sure, he'd been caught by surprise, but once he regained his cool the elderly martial artist knew he had the edge in the battle. But now, for some reason, Goku seemed to be more than capable of keeping up and even surpassing his speed!

'This call for drastic measures,' Roshi thought as he jumped away. Quickly, so as not to lose any time, the elderly martial artist shed his turtle shell. The purple weight dropped to the beach with a noticeable 'thud', catching both Goku and even Bulma's attention.

"You've done well up until now Kakarot, but now I'm afraid the fight is over."

And with the way Roshi seemed to just disappear Bulma believed him...until she saw Goku block the man's elbow as he attempted a direct blow to the stomach.

What she didn't see though was the level of strain that it took for Goku to follow that move.

For Roshi it was enough though; to both satisfy his ego, as well as cement his considering thoughts. Deciding the match was over, Roshi jumped back a second time. Only now it was to replace his shell. As he finished settling the weight into place the old man noticed the confused but cautious face Goku was giving him.

"What are you doing, our fight isn't over."

"It is; I've seen all I need to. I believe you were the one who helped my turtle, and I also acknowledge your strength. So not only am I going to be giving you both the dragon ball and nimbus...but I'll also accept you as my pupil."

While Bulma was whooping about gaining possession of a fourth dragon ball, Goku was eyeing Roshi with an unconvinced look.

"Just like that? But I didn't win; and who said I wanted to learn from you?"

"Yes, just like that. Because while you didn't beat me, you showed you have tremendous potential. No one has ever been able to catch one of my attacks after I've removed my turtle shell; not even Gohan after he finished his training. Dodge them, yes, but never catch one. You have potential, and I want to help you reach it."

Goku looked between Roshi and Bulma, his mind working out what to do. It didn't take him long to come up with an answer.

"While I suppose I could accept your offer, it can't be today. I've already made a deal with Bulma to be her partner on a hunt for the dragon balls and I'd be breaking my word to her if I just left her behind now. So, thank you, but I'll have to take a rain-check."

What neither fighter saw though, was how touched Bulma was by Goku's proclamation, or the soft and sincere smile on her face as she also recalled what he'd said earlier.

'Only his friends call him Goku.'

xXx