CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN: THE STORM GATHERS

Meanwhile, on Earth, Bardock was looking at the moon. Not the full moon, of course, but the moon nonetheless. He was thinking.

/Kakarotto told me that the old man had to destroy this once,/ he thought to himself, /But apparently it's back. I wonder why. It doesn't matter, though, I can still use it when it becomes full, which should be in only a... few... days... now.../

He felt the presence of this nearly full moon on him. Not enough to go Oozarou, but it certainly felt good.

His tail twitched with anticipation. Kakarotto may have lost his tail, his pride; but didn't the boy still have his?

Bardock thought that he might get to spend some quality time with Gohan, after all. Maybe he'd take him for a little walk at night.

It had been a while since Bardock had felt this good.

Kakarotto didn't seem very Saiya-jin-like, but that could be excused. For now. After all, his true nature was bound to come out when it became necessary, wouldn't it? Of course it would. And after that, they wouldn't need these other people. These humans and pigs and suspicious Nameks, now, would they?

Not at all.

It had been a while since Bardock had felt this good. Yes, indeed, it had.

***

Gohan giggled as he rode piggyback on Gokou's shoulders while he ran around like an idiot. He loved doing this! Gohan wondered why Piccolo never carried him on HIS back. He dismissed it and held onto his daddy's hair.

Gokou smiled. He loved spending quality time with his son.

Chichi looked at the two of them and smiled, herself. Normally, she wouldn't allow Gokou to run around like a maniac in the house, but lately Gohan had seemed a little depressed. The boy needed it.

She hummed quietly as she went back to the dishes, silently wondering what had happened to Bardock. This morning, he had simply waved goodbye and left. Usually, he would have taken Gokou with him, but for some odd reason, today he didn't.

How strange.

If she had had any clue as to what was going to happen very soon, she would have thought to say something to Gokou.

Gohan fell off his dad's back and landed headfirst on the coffee table. Both he and his father burst out laughing.

***

Meanwhile, up in heaven, on an extremely small planet, The Great Kaiou of the North Galaxy set some lunch on the table. Today he had prepared for himself Salisbury Steak, with a side of beans, and some Rice Pudding for dessert (he felt like eating American today).

He hummed to himself as he brought the food out toward his little picnic-table.

He watched Bubbles and Gregory eye his food like a pair of mad people.

"You two just simmer down! This is MY food! I'll bring yours out next!'

A thought suddenly occurred to him. "Wait..." he said, "Simmer... food... HA! A joke! Simmer down, this food is mine!!! HAHAHAHA!!!!" He then broke into a fit of laughing and snorting as Bubbles and Gregory started taking his food. By the time that they had stashed the rice pudding away, he was rolling on the ground, guffawing over his little joke. He then and there decided that he HAD to share this with the other Kaious! Oh, yes, he would!

Suddenly his antennae perked up and he abruptly stopped laughing. Something was wrong. He felt it.

Kaiou stood up and started focusing. It had to do with a student of his- that was for sure. Kaiou had a sixth sense about his students.

First he scanned over heaven for his graduate alumni. They were fine, all of them. They were also failures, none of them having been able to even learn the Kaiou-Ken.

Then there was that one other student, Gokou the Saiya-jin. The only good Saiya-jin that he had ever seen.

Kaiou had watched the "Battle" on earth intently after the training, and was only a little disappointed that he didn't get to see his student (more like his adopted son) kick some Saiya-jin arse.

He especially wanted to see if Gokou really HAD mastered the Spirit Bomb.

Kaiou suddenly realized something and checked over toward where Gokou was.

He saw Gokou playing with Gohan. Gohan was currently playing Jump-On-Daddy, and was giggling like nobody's business. That was fine. On a sudden hunch, he scanned for Bardock's ki signature.

He found it out in the woods. The Saiya-jin was training and excercising. How strange. Why wasn't Gokou there?

And what's more, Bardock looked almost as though he were preparing for...

/NO! oh please, by all the Kamis and Kaious, NO!/ Kaiou thought to himself, sweat running down his face.

Bardock was training the way one trained for a battle. A large battle.

Kaiou watched, speechless. He couldn't allow anything to happen to Gokou! He looked back over Gokou and Gohan. Gokou was tickling Gohan now, and Kaiou felt a large tinge of sadness at what would happen if they both were to die. He loved Gokou like a son.

Kaiou held his head down and worried.

***