Changed

Taking a short break half way through tilling the field, I wiped away the sweat pouring down my face with the towel draped around my shoulders. All things considered, farming wasn't exactly tiring work for a Saiyan, but that didn't mean I didn't work up a sweat in that heat.

Chichi would be happy. The harvest was going to be right on schedule at the rate things were going so I figured I earned a short break.

My stomach rumbled and Goten laughed from his seat on a stump just off the field I was working on. He was drawing pictures for a school project – something about drawing his family at their jobs. He drew a great one of Chichi in the kitchen, one of Gohan studying, and then he was working on one of me, but refused to show me until he was finished with it.

I didn't think he'd mind a break, but before I could ask, his stomach rumbled and he blushed slightly.

I chuckled. "How about we go see what your Mom is making for lunch?"

He closed his sketchbook and nodded, grinning. "Yeah!"

A glow surrounded me out of the blue and then I was frozen in place but the glow faded too fast for any concern to set in. There wasn't a spike of energy like if I had just been attacked. At least, I didn't sense anything.

"Daddy!"

I raised an eyebrow at his confused tone and wide eyes.

Strange.

It had only lasted seconds, but I felt… very different all of a sudden. I was pretty sure I wasn't hurt. I couldn't place just why, but I definitely felt… off.

I glanced down at myself. All seemed normal.

And then did a double-take.

I lifted my hands up and looked them over. Why in the world were my hands… green?

Goten said something and flew off but – confused as I was as I stared at my hands – I didn't hear him. I touched my face. Probing. Looking for some sign of something familiar. Expecting to feel skin slightly leathery and rough with tiny scars but only encountered soft skin. Skin that wasn't mine.

That was it. I wasn't in my body.

But if I wasn't in my body, then where was it?

"Do you see, Mom? He glowed for just a second and then just… looked like that!"

I glanced up at Goten's voice just in time to see a very wide-eyed Chichi and Goten land right in front of me.

She ran up to me. "G-Goku? Is that… really you? Why did this happen?"

"I don't know." I held my hands up, palms out. "But it's me, Chichi! I swear! It's me!"

That wasn't my voice.

"But–!"

"You are now only Goku in heart to be exact."

That was.

Standing several paces behind Chichi and Goten was… a man who looked exactly like me!

When I looked into my – no, his – eyes… whoever he was… evil was as clear as day and my guard was immediately up, reaching for my power as was second nature, my eyes widening at just how little I had. He held my gaze for several moments before eyeing Chichi and Goten with a bloodthirsty smirk.

Chichi shuddered while Goten slid a foot behind him and toward me, whimpering, "Daddy…?"

"Goku… What's–"

Then, a spark of energy that grew to envelop his hand in a matter of seconds and I grabbed their arms, pulling them behind me, my heart galloping in my chest. I knew exactly how much power and speed that body held. Unfamiliar to him or not… I didn't stand a chance. No alien frog to save the day.

My heart sank as I waved Chichi and Goten away. Maybe I could hold him back just long enough…

A blur of movement and before I could react – even blink – something was shoved through me and blinding, searing agony exploded. I couldn't breathe, my world tipped as someone screamed my name, and then everything went black.

I knew exactly where I was before I even opened my eyes. The familiar voice of King Yemma serving sentences and occasionally shouting "NEXT!" floated to my spot in the short line just outside of the Check-in Station for Other World.

The giant doorway was just a dozen dead people ahead of me. The line moved forward a step.

"Lady! Yes. We're–"

Jumping at the harsh tone behind me, I spun around. And then froze.

Her back was to me, her knees on the paved brick path, arms tightly wrapped around Goten, his face buried in her shoulder, both shaking hard.

Cowering.

Did my…?

I couldn't bring myself to finish that thought.

"DON'T KEEP ME WAITING! I SAID NEXT!"

An insistent tap on my shoulder and I glanced at a nervous light blue ogre. "You better get going. There's a long line growing quickly behind you. Besides that, you really don't want to make King Yemma angry. Believe me."

Nodding once, I walked to them and pulled Chichi up on shaky legs with little Goten still in her arms, and put an arm around her shoulders. I led her numbly into the Check-in Station and approached King Yemma's desk.

He stared at me for the longest time with an eyebrow raised. "You can't be… Goku…?"

He flipped a chunk of pages in the massive logbook resting open on his desk and then paused on one, sliding a finger down the list of names and his eyes widened. "It really is you! Says here your body was stolen through a wish and then you were murdered by the entity who stole your body."

His surprised expression fell into one of pity as his voice softened. "I assume you know none of this can be undone and that the Dragon Balls have been destroyed." He paused, stamping something in his logbook. "I'm sorry, Goku. I really am. Well… you know the drill…"

Nodding, I dropped my gaze to the floor at my feet and sighed miserably – not that dead people really needed air.

"Son Chichi and Son Goten–"

"Hurts… too… tight… Mommy…"

I tightened my arm around Chichi's trembling, stiff shoulders.

"–two pure hearted, good people and wife and youngest son to the hero of the universe. You both can keep your bodies. Consider that a gift of sorts for being his family. Welcome to Other World." He slammed his stamp down twice in his logbook. "Heaven. NEXT!"

A painful lump lodged itself in my throat as soon as King Yemma's attention was off of us. My body was… stolen from me… and then…

Keeping an arm around her shoulders, I clenched my jaw and led her outside. My eyes were burning but I forced myself to keep going. We only made it a few steps before my legs refused to keep moving and then failed on me altogether.

When two pairs of arms wrapped around me the moment my legs failed and a gentle hand pressed my head into her shoulder, my heart shattered, the pain unbearable, tears coursing down my face.

Seeing them cower like they did in line, their eyes squeezed shut in pain and fear… That image was permanently burned into my mind… something I would never, ever forget. And I had eternity.

It wasn't a big leap to picture their expressions when he came for them. Eyes wide. In confusion. In terror. Chichi shielding Goten. Their screams.

The scenes my mind easily drew grew more horrific with every iteration, no end in sight and I was angry. Angry at who did that to them. Angry because it was my body. Angry because there was nothing I could do. No do-overs. That was… it.

My fingernails dug into my palms.

What I wanted to do was say how sorry I was. To tell them I loved them. But the words refused to come out of my raw throat no matter how much I tried to force the issue, leaving me only capable of mouthing the words into her slight shoulder.

Chichi's arms tightened around me, and lips were pressed on my forehead and her cheek rested on my head. Maybe she understood. She always could read me better than anyone.

Goten squirmed between us and hugged me tighter, too, his small arms wrapped as far as they could go around me. He was talking to me, but his voice was muffled – sandwiched between us like he was. I was crying too hard to make out what he was saying, anyway.

It took a while, but being rocked and the soothing strokes on my back helped me gain just enough control to force my voice to work and I was able to choke out, "Chichi… Goten… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" before I fell apart again.

Chichi's arms lifted off me, gentle hands coming to rest on my shoulders a few seconds and then on my cheeks, lifting my face up to look at the comforting smile she wore. Thumbs swept across my cheeks and lips were pressed on my forehead.

Seizing his chance no longer being pinned between us, Goten kissed my cheek. "It's not your fault. I love you, Daddy."

Those two simple sentences whispered into my ear by my youngest broke me all over again.

Chichi brushed her thumbs over my wet cheeks and kissed my forehead. "Goten's absolutely right. You have nothing to apologize for, Sweetheart. We're together here, and something tells me we'll never have to be apart again. I love you, Goku."

I couldn't make my voice work a second time. Couldn't make myself say 'I love you, too,' so instead, I held her tight and Goten, too. Chichi was right. I was never going to leave them again. We had… the rest of eternity together. I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to let them out of my sight – if I was even capable of letting go of them at all. All I could hope for was someone somewhere would be strong enough to kill him.