First Night Away From Home!

"But I'm hungry…" Goku's stomach grumbled away. "I was going to get some food, but I don't know how the door works hehe." He chuckled.

Bulma was almost fully submerged in the bath. "I-I'll grab some food in a minute, just go in there and close the damn door!"

"Yay!" Goku skipped back into the main room, forgetting to close the door.

'Why do I have to put up with this...' Bulma moaned internally.

Meanwhile Goku was exploring the abode, unbeknownst to Bulma he had already broken the microwave and shattered a few cups. Though he tried to clean those away discreetly, he knew how angry his grandpa could get when he broke stuff after all…

-----------

In another location, Certain schemes were moving forward. Unsuccessfully.

"You idiot!" A certain small, blue man shouted out. "Do you really think 'I couldn't find it' is acceptable?!"

He was sat in front of a large table filled with delicacies, on the opposite side being the equally small beast man he was shouting at.

"Forgive me, Pilaf sir!" The dog like figure, Shu, answered back. "Why don't we just task Dr Wheelo with gathering them?"

"No way! That idiot is just here to guard the base. He just drains all our funds on his little experiments. My mechs are far superior." He continued to grumble nonsensically.

"…Um, yes sir, But-"

"No buts!" Pilaf jumps onto the table. "What if there's some evil group out there collecting the Dragonballs for world domination!"

"Umm…" Shu looks around the room as sweat dropped from his head. "Aren't you after world domination too? Sir."

"My world will be a perfect one!" Pilaf exclaims.

At that moment a woman comes running into the room. "Pilaf sir!" Before bowing.

"Mai, what is it?" Pilaf hops down off the table. "News on the Dragonballs?"

Mai stood up and relayed to Pilaf sternly. "Yes sir, approximately one hundred kilometres northeast of here is a section of the forest called 'Skull Valley', at night there have been reports of an orange glow deep in the woods. The radar points in a similar direction as well."

Pilaf was delighted by said news. "Excellent Mai! You two, head there at once!"

"Yes sir!" Shu and Mai saluted before running off.

'Once I get the Dragonballs there will be no need for Wheelo, our partnership will end there, old friend.' Pilaf thinks to himself with a grim smile.

Deeper inside the building a large lab was blinking and bleeping away by itself, the only noticeable things present being a giant mech and three vats with humanoid creatures floating in a strange liquid. Though someone was there, murmuring.

"Soon… Soon I'll prove it."

----------

Bulma had just gotten out of the bathroom, still blow-drying her hair.

"Goku it's not okay to just walk into people in the bathroom like that!" It was kind of her fault for not locking the door, but it was mainly Goku's fault, right?

"Okay!" He just answered, looking like he really didn't care all too much.

*sigh "By the way, again my name isn't Blooma, it's Bulma. B.U.L.M.A." She spelled out for him, putting the hairdryer down.

"Bulma?" Goku sat for a minute. "Oh yeah, Hahaha that's much funnier than Blooma!" He laughed at her.

"What! How on earth is that funni-" She had to breathe to calm herself down. 'Don't get angry, he's just like, a seven-year-old or something.'

Actually, now that she thought about it, she doesn't even know his age. Turning to him- "Hey, Goku how old are you?"

Goku looked at his fingers for a minute before seemingly giving up. "Fourteen I think."

…

"Come again?"

"Fourteen." He smiled at her.

Though her face turned red, partially due to embarrassment, partially due to anger.

"You're fourteen and you made me wash you!!" She snapped before calming down a little. "Just sit down, I'll get the food." Grumbling all the way.

"Yay!" Goku didn't seem like he cared about the sudden outrage, he just wanted food. Though what Bulma came back with, wasn't what he was expecting.

"What's this crunchy hard stuff?" He nibbled on some bread before gulping down some coffee, visibly recoiling at the taste. "Why is the soup so bitter?!"

"Stop complaining." Bulma chastised him. "You won't get any taller if you're so picky."

Though Goku just hopped up with an unsatisfied face and put his shoes on.

"I'll Be back soon, I'm gonna catch some food!"

*sigh "Fine, you pull the thing sticking out of the door to open it." She relented.

"Thanks Bulma!" Goku happily opened the door and trotted into the unknown night.

'At least he actually got my name right…'

----------

Howls could be heard, filling the dark, moonlit valley with an eerie atmosphere. This part of the forest was called 'Skull Valley' by passing humans for some reason.

With a soft but guttural whir, a biplane flew down deeper into the valley.

"Huh, this is strange…" A voice could be heard on the ground.

Trudging out of a bush came Goku, holding a long centipede. "This is all I've managed to find." He moans.

Hearing the soft whir, Goku looks up into the sky and spots the plane flying over. "Great, a bird!" He shouted happily before jogging in its direction.

In the plane were the two cronies of Pilaf, Shu and Mai.

"Ah!"

"What's wrong?" Mai questioned whilst steadily trying to fly the plane.

Shu just leant forward and pointed towards a spot. "I saw a light just now, down there!" He exclaims.

Looking down, the forest was as dark as usual, though there was a small opening to land in.

"Okay, we're landing here." Mai mentions as she expertly sets the plane down. With a loud hiss the sealed roof opens and the two exit with a grunt.

"Well… This place is certainly creepy." Mai shudders, shaking slightly.

"Huh, why would you- eh!" Shu just noticed the forest floor around them, all filled with the bones and remains of various animals.

"Come on…" Mai begrudgingly moves forward. "It's probably around here."

With Shu slowly following behind, a few bones creepily crunching under his feet.

"Hey!!"

The sudden shout made Mai and Shu leap a mile! Quickly looking round just for find a small boy standing next to their plane.

"This isn't a bird…" Goku sulkily sits there tapping the machine.

"Hey kid!" Mai calls over to him. She was pretty pissed about him startling her like that, but why was a kid out here?

"Hmm, who are you?" Goku looks over.

"Look kid, this isn't the place for you, you better—" As she was about to finish the sentence, low growling and snarling was heard around them.

With reluctant eyes, the two cronies shifted their gaze over to find a large pack of wolves filling the tree lines.

"Oh… ah- uhh!" The two could barely get any words out as they backed towards the plane.

"Meat!" Goku shouted with his staff held above his head.

Though at this a torrent of wolves burst out at them, Shu and Mai only just made it to the plane and back into the air before seeing the kid get overrun by the countless wolves. Both of them had their hands held against their chest.

'Rest well child'. With a small tear.

"Wait!" Shu blurts out. "What are we going to do about the Dragonball?"

The two sat there in silence for a while before turning and nodding to each other.

"Yup, there was nothing there after all!" They flew away, hoping Pilaf would buy it…

----------

Bulma had just finished her coffee and was reading a large book that seemed to be half romance, half advanced mechanics. A perfect novel as far as she was concerned.

"I'm back!" She heard shouting from outside. Obviously, a certain tailed boy.

"That was pretty quick." She mused, getting up to open the door.

Goku was stood there with the ever so innocent expression, with a giant centipede in one hand and a long stick in the other that had three wolves impaled.

With a blank face she had to do a double take. "…No."

"Huh?" Goku looked at her, still smiling. "What? Look what I found!" Shoving the centipede up to her face.

…

The proceeding argument lasted half an hour before Goku was sat outside, roasting the wolves on a makeshift fire.

"Are you sure you don't want some?" He called in to Bulma, only to receive a faint reply.

"There is no way that is coming one step into the house!" She yelled.

"More for me then." Goku chuckled, taking a bite and looking up at the clear stars.

"You see me Grandpa?" He pulls out the four-star orb. "I'm on an adventure!" He grins cheekily. "Bulma's really nice, but she can get angry for weird reasons… I hope I can see you again someday." He smiles off to the distance, with a slightly sombre look.

"Oh yeah!" He pulls out another Dragonball. "Found this by the wolves, better tell Bulma about it after I eat, hahaha." He sat there laughing, enjoying his humble meal under the night sky.