A Christmas Carol

by balthezarian

A twist on a classic story!

"You're leaving?"

Goku shrugged on his jacket and raised an eyebrow at his wife. "Didn't I tell you?" he sincerely asked. "I'm sorry!"

Chi-Chi rubbed her damp hands in her apron, a clear frown on her face. "No," she affirmed, "you didn't tell me anything." Her hands were subconsciously still wringing their way through the smudged apron. She was sincerely hoping that he was just stepping out to get some more firewood, but she had a sinking feeling that was not the case. "Where are you going?"

The Saiyan zipped up his jacket and adjusted the throat, making it comfortable. "I haven't had a chance to train in the snow for a long time," he honestly answered. "We got fresh powder up at the summit all day long, and it would be a shame to waste it. Don't worry, it'll only be a day or two."

"Goku," Chi-Chi firmly, but quietly, countered, dropping her apron, "it's Christmas Eve!"

"It's what?"

The dark haired woman closed her eyes and took a breath, trying to calm her building rage. "Goku," she explained, "I know that you've been gone for a while, and I know that you didn't really celebrate Christmas when you were a kid, but this is Goten's first Christmas with you here, and it's really important that you be here."

Goku frowned slightly and tilted his head, looking in the direction of the living room. He could not see it clearly from the back door, but he could hear his son's playing quite well. "It's only for a day," he reasoned to both himself and his wife, "and I don't know when I'll get another opportunity like this."

"Goku, there is going to be snow on some frickin' part of this planet all year round!" Chi-Chi hissed. "Just take off the jacket, sit your butt down, celebrate the damn day with us, and then go out!"

"But it's not the same," Goku countered. "Fresh powder in the hills like this is different from the snow in those other places. It responds differently. I need to know what the differences are in case I ever have to fight in it!"

"Yes, because the Abominable Snowman has a score to settle with you," she sarcastically sneered back. "Goodness knows you need to be ready for that!"

Goku blinked in confusion. "Wait," he sincerely asked, "who has a grudge?"

"No one, Goku," Chi-Chi shot back, still careful to keep her voice low. "It's a storybook character, one who doesn't exist and can't come to fight you! There's no reason for you to do this!"

With a sigh, Goku picked up the bag he had packed. "Chi-Chi, I need to know how to fight in any condition. It's my job. Now, I'll only be gone for a day, I'll be back tomorrow night, and we can celebrate as soon as I get back." Without waiting for her to answer, he gave his wife a kiss on the cheek and opened the back door into the snowy night. "See you soon!"

Watching helplessly, Chi-Chi saw her husband fly off into the cold night and wondered what, exactly, she was going to tell her boys.

/

Goku rubbed his hands together by the fire, trying to warm them faster. He had a high tolerance for a lot of things, but cold was not one of them. He really had very little experience in the climate. In fact, he had not really fought in it since he was a child. And until someone else had given him equipment, he had been utterly helpless. Every chance, he forced himself to go out into the freezing cold to force his body to get used to it.

He knew that he did not bring in an income to his family, and he knew that he was not particularly gifted at things like cooking and cleaning. In fact, he had been downright forbidden to ever do laundry again for the remainder of his natural life. But what he did do for his family was protect them. It was his responsibility to do whatever was within his power to make sure he was prepared for whatever the next threat might be, and it was a responsibility he took very seriously. Hell, he had stayed away from his family for seven long years because it was the best way to protect them. That was his job. That was his duty. And that was why he sat on a mountaintop in the freezing cold, forcing his body to acclimate.

As he blew a warming breath into his hands, the thought about his family. The Christmas tree was up and decorated, and he knew that the presents hidden in his and Chi-Chi's closet were wrapped and marked from Santa. Everything was ready for the celebration, and it still would be when he got back. He was well aware of the fact that his family wanted to celebrate in the morning, but it was only one day that he wanted, and it was for their own good.

They would understand. He was fairly sure of that. He could not be the consummate protector without the training, and that was where his obligations lay. They would understand that pushing back the opening of presents for one day was worth having the skills.

A shiver ran down his spine, and he wrapped his blanket tighter around his shoulders. As quickly as he could without ripping any of the cloth, he pulled out and got into his sleeping bag. The blanket, still wrapped around his shoulders, was pulled even tighter and brought up to cover his head. Sleeping through the cold was going to be as hard as fighting in it. No movement meant no blood flow increase, keeping him from raising his body temperature. When he woke up in the morning, he figured, just being able to move again would make him feel better.

As he closed his eyes, Goku let out a cool breath. His family would understand his actions. He did it for them, and it was not like he was keeping them from Christmas forever. Just one day.

Besides, what was the big deal about Christmas, anyway?

/

The snow blew around Goku's cold cheeks, and the Saiyan stirred in his sleep. He snuggled deeper into his blanket and grumbled as he became acutely aware of the bitter cold. "Stupid snow," he mumbled, trying harder to bury deeper.

"Well, that's not very nice."

Goku sat up, his cold somewhat forgotten as he looked around what should have been an abandoned mountain. "Who's there?" he demanded.

A slight, feminine snort sounded off to his side. "You just called me stupid," she accused. "I mean, you did seem to just speak your mind without thinking, but I think that was just a little harsh."

"What?" the warrior asked, squinting his eyes and trying to see someone in the dark, snowy night. His senses were not able to pick up anything, and it actually had him more than a little unnerved that there was someone out there that he could not locate.

Slowly, a small female figure emerged from the shadows. It was still dark, but Goku could just barely make her out as she approached.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"You really don't remember me, do you?" she asked, a teasing tone in her voice.

Goku blushed, in spite of the cold. "I'm sorry," he honestly apologized. "I really don't know who you are."

The girl laughed and shook her head. "Goku, it's me, Sno."

"You are?" he asked, looking very confused. "You look human enough to me!"

Sno only laughed harder. "No, not the white stuff you're freezing in. My NAME is Sno. Remember? I'm the one who pulled you out of the frozen tundra near Jingle Village."

Goku's eyes were suddenly enormous. "Wow, I remember you!" he giddily recognized. "Okay, I don't remember your name at all, but I remember you! You gave me all those nice warm clothes so I could fight the Red Ribbon Army! How did you get all the way up here?"

"Well, it's not really me," she confessed. "See, I'm technically the Spirit of Christmas Past."

"How did you get that job?"

Sno blinked, taking a moment to process just what she had been asked. "Okay, we're clearly going to need a little background information here," she began. "See, there are three of us Christmas Spirits, Past, Present, and Future. We've been around for centuries. Every year, we help people understand what really matters about Christmas, that family and friends are what really matter."

Goku scratched the back of his head. "Gee, I didn't think you were that old."

Sno slapped her hand over her eyes. "Goku, please let me finish explaining before you interrupt."

"Sorry."

"Now, we Spirits used to do these big, theatrical shows," she went on, "but too many people started treating us like we were nothing more than a dream. We recently decided to change tactics.

"What we do now," she explained, "is take the forms of people that you would know in relation to a certain part of your life. Sno was a part of your past, so I, the Spirit of Christmas Past, have merged with her temporarily. What you see before you is a perfect blend of an actual person that you know and a spirit meant to council you."

Goku frowned slightly. "Wait, so are you Sno or not?"

"For all intents and purposes," the girl responded with an eye roll, "yes, I'm Sno. I just happen to have a temporary gift with superpowers and a special agenda."

"Cool!" Goku exclaimed. "So, what's up?"

"I am here to show you the Christmases of your past," Sno counseled. "Take my hand, Goku, and we'll be able to fly into the past."

"Don't you need Bulma's machine to do that?" he sincerely asked, cinching his jacket tighter.

Sno rolled her eyes. "Yeah, her machine is cool, but Spirits can do it without a machine."

Goku shrugged and took her hand. After all, stranger things had happened. "So," he casually asked, "do you still see 8-man a lot?"

Sno laughed. "Of course!" she replied. "Jingle Village is small, but 8-man is huge. You can't go anywhere without running into him!"

The Saiyan laughed. "Yeah, I remember how big he was," he added. "I mean, I know I was just a kid the last time I saw him, but I was only about the size of his hand!"

"Well, that's an exaggeration," Sno pointed out with a chuckle, "but he was a lot bigger than you were." Gently, she let go of his hand and gave him a smile. "We're here."

Goku glanced around. To him, it still looked like they were up high in the mountains. "Um, where did we go?"

"Not where," the bright haired girl corrected, "when. We're in the past."

Again, Goku looked around. "Are you sure?" he questioned. "It really looks like nothing's changed."

With a roll of her eyes and a small grunt, Sno grabbed Goku's shoulder and forced him to turn all the way around. "Look at THAT, you lummox," she commanded, muttering, "He didn't even notice that there's no snow..."

A small gasp came from the warrior as he looked at his grandfather's house. It was in fantastic condition, with bold paint on the side and a curlicue of smoke slowly rising from the ice covered roof. The lights were shining bright from the inside, and Goku could clearly smell his grandfather's stew cooking away.

"Wow," he whispered. "Is this real?"

Sno nodded. "Sort of," she answered. "However, I should warn you now that these are just shadows of the past. You can't directly interact with them, and they can't see you. But every sight, every sound, and every smell is as real now as it was thirty years ago."

Taking a slow step toward the house, Goku heard the unmistakable sound of his grandfather's laugh. "Grandpa?" he cautiously asked, coming straight up to the window.

From his side, Sno smiled. "Do you remember this?" she gently asked.

Goku's brow furrowed as he thought about it. "Yeah," he whispered, looking in the window. "I was eight years old, and Grandpa had just started teaching me how to use the Nyoi-bō." With awe in his eyes, he watched the elderly man take a seat on the floor, chuckling as a young Saiyan jumped on his lap.

"It was the first freezing of the year," Goku quietly remembered. "It never actually snowed where we lived, but every year it got really cold and everything was covered in frost. We always celebrated when that happened. I don't really know why we did it, but it was always one of my favorite days of the year. It was too cold to go out and train, so we stayed inside and ate biscuits and stew and he told me stories all day long."

Sno smiled at the large man. "We did something like that in Jingle Village," she told him. "The only difference was that we did it on the day that the snow melted."

Goku laughed. "I didn't even know what snow was when I met you," he laughed.

"I remember," the girl chuckled. "You picked it up and packed it in a ball, so curious with it. In fact, I think you said 'It's like water, but hard!'"

"Hey, that was pretty smart of me, if I do say so myself," Goku countered. "Snow actually is hard water!"

A sly look crossed the mystical being's face. "Where did you learn that?" she teased.

Once again, Goku blushed furiously. "Um, Gohan taught me."

"When he was...?"

"Four, okay?" Goku shot back, crossing his arms in a sulk. "I learned it from my four year old son. But in my defense, no one had ever brought it up before then!"

"Okay, okay," Sno chuckled. "We're getting off topic anyway." She reached out and grabbed the large man's hand and guided him for the house. "Come." With practiced ease, she led them through the wall and inside the small, warm home.

A warm smile came upon Goku's features as he watched the scene unfold before him. Grandpa Gohan gave Kid Goku a hug before ushering the boy off his lap.

"All right, all right, give an old man some room," Grandpa Gohan chuckled. "Can't tell a story with a monkey on my back, can I?"

Kid Goku laughed and scrambled back up onto his grandfather. "Sure you can!" he cheered. "I'm just a little monkey!"

"No, you're a big monkey now," Grandpa Gohan grunted, wrestling the boy off his back. "Now sit still or no stories!"

With a little gulp, Kid Goku hopped off the man, scurried over to the fireplace, and sat with a straight spine in front of the flames. "I'll be good!"

The adult Saiyan quietly took a seat next to his younger counterpart, an enormous grin on his face. Grandpa Gohan poured himself a hot cup of tea and sipped at it for a moment before beginning one of his many tales.

"I remember all of this," Goku exclaimed with a look of sheer joy on his face. "These were some of my favorite childhood memories. In fact, almost all the stories I tell my boys come from Grandpa's winter stories."

Sno smiled at the giddy warrior. "These were precious moments, weren't they?"

"Yeah," Goku answered in awe, listening as the image of his grandfather began a story. "Winters with Grandpa were always fun!"

"So it seems," Sno responded, coming up behind him and putting a hand on his shoulder. "But they were not all this joyous, were they?"

"What?" Goku asked. Around him, the world blurred slightly before refocusing. He was still in the living room, and there was still a fire burning, but it was very different.

The construction of the room was different. There were large parts that had crude patch jobs over them, a novice attempt to fix the home. The only light came from the fireplace, and his grandfather's hanging lanterns were all gone. There was a pot hanging over the fire, but the smell was not nearly as delicious. The table that had once been carrying the tea set and baskets of fresh food was gone completely.

Goku's face quickly saddened. "I remember this." He slowly got to his feet and wandered around the room, sliding his large hand around the makeshift walls. "I tried to rebuild it on my own after..." He stopped and swallowed, feeling a lump in his throat. "After Grandpa died."

Sno nodded, standing perfectly still in the middle. "It was your first time alone," she observed.

"Yeah," he sorrowfully answered. "I had tried so hard to make everything the same after the house got broken, but I didn't know how to build that well. I didn't even bother to rebuild the furniture for a while. Most of the walls I built still let the cold air in, and they didn't look pretty at all. I didn't actually get them to look right until I was, like, eleven."

The front door opened, and a very cold Kid Goku walked in. He was draped in his grandfather's old coat and carrying an armload of firewood. With a shiver and a sneeze, he added his bounty to a growing pile in the corner.

Goku watched miserably as the boy version of himself sniffled again before approaching a red pillow on the floor and knelt down in front of it.

"I got the firewood, Grandpa," the little boy told the orb on the pillow. "I'm gonna make the fire real big, and when the stew is ready, I'll get some and then I'll tell you a story."

The seasoned warrior could not tear his eyes away from the sad little boy. "I didn't know," he quietly said, watching as the lonely child got back to work.

Sno slowly walked up to him, a neutral look on her face. "What did you not know?" she asked.

Taking a slow look around, Goku could feel himself drowning in sorrow. "I didn't know that it was my fault," he whispered. "I didn't know that I was the monster that came during the full moon. I didn't know that I was the one who had torn the house apart. I didn't know that I...that I..."

The girl once more placed a hand on the warrior's shoulder. "That you were the one that killed your grandfather," she finished for the man.

Goku whipped his head to the side and glared at the woman at his side. "Why would you show me this?" he demanded. "Why would you make me think about that again?"

"These are the shadows of what has been," she calmly answered. "They are what they are, do not blame me."

"But why would you remind me of this?" he miserably asked. "Why?"

Sno shook her head. "I am here to show you the importance of this day," she gently reminded. "That means I will show you the good, like your time with your grandfather, and the bad times, like your loneliness." Slowly walking all the way in front of him, she took his hands in hers and made sure that he met her eyes with his own. "You may claim to have been fine on your own in your youth, but we can see plain as day that it is with family that you are at your happiest."

Again, the world blurred before coming back into focus. They were standing in the living room of the Son household, fully decorated for the season. Chi-Chi had really gone all out with the festivities. The tree in the living room was absolutely flawless, down to the perfect alignment of each of the twinkling lights. There were small figurines of various winter characters immaculately placed throughout the house. And from the kitchen came the amazing aroma of fresh baked Christmas treats, gently wafting through the entire home.

Goku closed his eyes, taking in that delicious smell. It had been the last thing he had smelled coming from his house that very evening. "Are we in the present?" he asked.

"No, Goku," Sno answered, rolling her eyes. "We are most definitely in the past. Count the number of stockings hanging at the fireplace."

The warrior glanced over, noticing the three crimson stockings perfectly spaced along the mantle. "Oh, yeah, Goten hasn't been born yet."

"There were many Christmases that had three stockings over that fireplace after Goten was born," Sno pointed out. "In fact, this is the first year that there are four of them hanging up." She glanced around the room and smiled. "But you were right, this particular one does take place before his time."

A laugh sounded from upstairs, quickly followed by the sound of footsteps.

"No, Goku," Chi-Chi laughed, swatting her young husband away, "you can't eat the pies tonight! Those are for Christmas night!"

"Aww, not even one?" Young Goku playfully whined, giving his wife the best innocent look he could muster. "You made so many of them, and they are soooo yummy, that I was hoping that…"

"No!" Chi-Chi laughed again, shifting slightly. "Son Goku, you are going to be a good husband and respect the pie rule!"

Young Goku let out a mild pout, but it did not last long before he smiled and kissed his bride on her cheek. "Well, if it's a rule," he answered with an overly dramatic sigh, "then I guess I have to obey it."

Sno watched as the man she brought back began to smile again. They both watched as the young couple, clearly head over heels in love, giggled and kissed and held one another in intimate ways. The couple laughed and held each other tightly. It was warm, it was cozy, it was full of mirth and love as they twirled around together.

"When was this?" Goku tried to remember, his eyes narrowing as he tried to pinpoint the timeline. "I completely remember doing this, but I can't remember when…"

A small cry sounded from the top of the stairs, and the young couple paused. With a slight cringe on each of their faces, Young Goku and Chi-Chi glanced up that dark set of stairs. "Please stay asleep," Chi-Chi whispered, pulling her hands up under her chin. "Please, oh please, stay asleep…"

The two young lovers stayed absolutely silent for a full minute. No talking, no moving, barely even breathing. They both looked warily up the stairs, anxiously waiting.

When no sound came, Chi-Chi let out a dramatic sigh. "Thank you," she whispered to no one in particular. "Oh, I am so glad he didn't wake up."

"I know," Young Goku chuckled quietly, a look of relief on his face. "The kid just doesn't sleep!"

Chi-Chi giggled, playfully pushing her husband against the shoulder. "I know!" she whispered back, pulling them close to the fireplace. "Every time I finally get him down in his crib, he needs something else! It's like he needs everything at a set time just to keep me from every getting any rest!"

Young Goku pulled his bride in close and kissed the top of her head. "I don't know how you do it," he confessed, taking a deep breath over her hair. "How do you have the energy to take care of Gohan and do all of this?"

Beside Sno, Goku's eyes lit up in total recognition. "It's the night before Gohan's first Christmas!" he identified. "I remember! He was really little, and he was always waking up in the middle of the night! I don't think Chi-Chi slept through a night until Gohan was, like, a year and a half old." The seasoned warrior spun around, smiling as he took it all in. "We'd only been married for a little over a year," he remembered. "She really went all out, though. She made sure that everything was perfect."

"Has that changed?" Sno asked, seemingly sincere. "Does she no longer do that?"

The smile that had been on Goku's face faded. "No," he admitted. "She still makes everything perfect. But she doesn't seem to smile as much anymore when she does it."

"Really?" Sno asked, already knowing the answer.

Goku watched the young loving couple and frowned slightly. "I'm not a hundred percent sure, but the first time I remember noticing it was when we were training for Cell."

With a knowing nod, Sno pulled at the man who watched his past play out before him. "Come," she gently told him, "it is time to go."

"Wait!" Goku pleaded. "This was a great night! Can't we stay here for a while?"

Sno shook her head. "Sorry, Goku, but we're out of time," she informed him. "We Spirits only get two hours each." She laughed as a thought crossed her mind. "We used to tell people that we would visit for one hour at a time, but somewhere in the last couple centuries, people started sleeping with watches on and they called us on it."

"Oh," Goku responded. "I guess that makes sense…so, who is coming next?"

"Present," Sno answered. "Present always follows Past."

"No," Goku tried again, "who is Present going to be? I mean, you're Past, but you're also Sno. Who is Present going to be?"

The bright haired girl beside him gave a simple shrug. "I honestly have no idea," she sighed. "Present likes to have fun, but is a lousy planner. Usually, Present has no clue who to manifest as until about ten seconds before the deadline. Now," she firmly stated, taking Goku's hand, "it's time to go."

"Time to go where?"

Goku had no idea what happened next. There was a bright flash, and he found himself back on the snowy mountain, bundled in his sleeping bag and totally alone. He sat up swiftly, looking around and trying to figure out what the hell just happened. Slowly, he began to rub his tired eyes.

"Was it a dream?" he asked to himself.

No answer came. There was only the howl of the freezing winds and the icy flakes falling on his bare cheeks. Goku placed a large hand on his face, letting out an exhausted yawn. "What a dream," he mumbled before nuzzling back into his little sleeping bag. "I wonder what the hell made me think of that?" The head cover of his bag, which he had honestly forgotten earlier, was pulled tightly over his head in an attempt to maintain some warmth. He closed his eyes and began to drift off again, barely contemplating what had happened in his exhaustion.

He sniffed the air and sat up with a start. "What they…?" It was completely dark around him, and it took a moment for him to remember the head cover to his bag. Wriggling his arms up inside the narrow sleeping bag, Goku peeked out from underneath his hood.

He whipped it off swiftly, not believing his eyes. He was inside a home, surrounded by delicious looking food. A line of drool began to form at the corner of his mouth as he took it all in, reveling in the smells and the warmth and the joy of the area around him. "Where am I?" he deliriously asked.

"Capsule Corp."

Goku whipped around to find that he was not alone. "Krillen?" he asked.

The short man shrugged a single shoulder. "Sort of," he explained. "Past told you about us, right? How we're part super-Spirit, part person you know, so we have crazy, cool powers but shared memories with you?"

The Saiyan blinked, trying to sort out his thoughts. "Oh, yeah," he affirmed. "So, you're part Krillen, part Present?"

"Yup!" Krillen laughed, hopping next to his lifelong friend. "So, let's get this show on the road!"

"There's a show?"

Krillen slapped his hands over his eyes. "Man, you are so bad at colloquialisms, aren't you?"

Goku raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Never mind," the human said with a roll of his eyes. "So, in case you haven't put two and two together, as the Spirit of Christmas Present, I get to show you how people celebrate Christmas today with the family and the friends and the good times."

"But I know how they celebrate it," Goku insisted. "I know about the trees and the presents and Santa and all that stuff. What else is there?"

Krillen groaned. "You know, you never were particularly good with the whole 'big picture' concept. Now, get over here and focus!"

With a small yep, Goku quickly moved over to his best friend. "Um, if you're supposed to be teaching me about Christmas, why are we here?"

The human rolled his eyes. "You were aware of the fact that Christmas is celebrated in places other than your house, right?"

"Well, yeah," Goku agreed, "but why Capsule Corp.? Isn't that kind of a bad idea to try to get me into the spirit of something? I mean, I'm sure that Bulma and Trunks are into it, but having anything involving Vegeta seems like a great way to kill the spirit in something."

"Hey, hey, watch the spirit-killing jokes, will ya'?" Krillen scolded. "And it's my job to show you the damn season everywhere, not just at your place. After all, you already know what happens at…" He paused for a moment, considering something. "Actually, you might not know what's happening there…"

The Saiyan raised an eyebrow at his short friend. "What's that mean?"

Krillen shrugged. "Well, if you had any idea what was really going on at home, you probably wouldn't have made the short list of people to haunt this year." He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "But we'll get to that later. You're here to see how other people celebrate the season."

With a shrug, Goku put his hands in the pockets of his snow pants. "I still don't see what I'll learn here," he honestly told the Spirit.

Mrs. Briefs entered the kitchen, twittering about as usual. With her standard grin on her face, the blonde slid gracefully into her oven mitts and removed what had to be at least the third fully cooked turkey. "Ooh, it's perfect!" she gushed, placing the bird on a cooling rack. Instantly, she whipped around and grabbed another one from dozens, sliding it into the oven. "Oh, this is going to be wonderful!"

A thought suddenly struck the Saiyan as he watched the blonde work. "Hey, Mrs. Briefs makes her food right before it's served! Why is she doing it the night before?"

Krillen suddenly found himself staring at the floor. "Um, it's Christmas morning here."

"WHAT?" Goku shouted. "It's morning already? Oh, man, I can't be here! I need to be training! I promised Chi-Chi I'd only be gone for a day!"

"Goku, chill!" the short human commanded. "It's not Christmas in real time! It's the middle of the frickin' night, and you're not missing anything."

"Oh," Goku responded, calming down a little. "Good, 'cause I was really worried that…wait, you're the Present. How can we be in the future?"

Krillen rolled his eyes. "Look, I get a twenty-four hour window of leeway," he explained. "If I could only show you what was going on right now, we would be studying something very different in this household."

Again, Goku took a moment to figure out what, exactly he was being told. "Oh…OH!" As though he were twelve years old, Goku started to giggle. "Well, that could be fun…"

"Wow," Krillen deadpanned, "you really aren't nearly as innocent as we think you are, are you?"

"Not even close."

Krillen shook his head. "Unbelievable." He placed his hand on the small of the tall warriors back and shoved him into the next room. "Back to the topic at hand, this is Christmas morning with the most functional dysfunctional family the Earth has ever known."

They staggered into the living room, which, much like at Goku's own home, was decorated for the season. However, Capsule Corp did everything on a grander scale, and Christmas was no exception. The tree was enormous, standing over twenty five feet tall. Thanks to Mrs. Briefs, it was flawlessly decorated in store bought ornaments. There were decorations everywhere in the room, covering almost every single square inch. Beneath the massive tree lay dozens and dozens of immaculately wrapped presents. It was early in the morning. The only one that seemed to be up was the blonde matriarch as she tried to prepare a feast for the entire family.

Softly, the sound of padded footsteps sounded from the staircase, and the two warriors watched as Bulma crept quietly into the room. "Come on," the heiress mumbled to herself, "it has to be around here somewhere…"

"What are you looking for, dearie?" her mother asked, magically appearing in the room.

Bulma jumped with a start. "Geez, Mom, don't do that to me!" she whispered.

Mrs. Briefs just giggled, putting the back of her hand up by her mouth. "Oh, sweetie, I always do that. Now, what did you lose? Maybe I can help you find it!"

"Um, no," Bulma very quickly answered, turning bright red. "I got it. Why don't you go make sure that the croissants are ready for breakfast? I can take care of things in here."

The blonde just giggled before doing exactly as she was told as her daughter began to scan through the presents. "Come on," Bulma said again, shifting some of the presents to the side. "It had to land somewhere around here…"

Krillen's eyes widened as he realized something. "Oh, geez, I got my timing off! Here, just take my hand and I'll get us…"

"Hang on," Goku interrupted, moving out of range. "What could she be looking for?"

"Nothing!" Krillen insisted, making another grab for his friend. "It's nothing important!"

The Saiyan easily dodged, stepping closer to the heiress. "You don't think she's looking for…"

"Found it!" Bulma triumphantly whispered, pulling a very nice red thong from the back of the presents. "Oh, I was afraid I wasn't going to find it!"

"Whoa!" Goku laughed, looking at the undergarment with an impressed look on his face. "They were doing it here?"

Finally able to grab his friend, Krillen shifted the two of them two hours into the future. "Okay, here we are. Christmas morning, yay!"

Goku, though, was still laughing at what had just happened. "Wow, they really get around, don't they?"

"Christmas, Goku," Krillen reminded. "We're here to fill you in on the spirit of the season, remember?"

"Seriously, I knew that they did it a lot," Goku went on, "but next to the tree? The night before Christmas? Damn!"

Krillen stomped on the Saiyan's foot, gaining a yelp. "Focus!"

Goku pouted, but did respond with "Focusing." It was clearly later in the morning, and the hints morning rays of light could be seen bouncing into the room. They were not near the outer wall, but they could still tell that the sun was up.

The senior Briefs were jovially talking with one another as Bulma hopped down the staircase, giggling as she tied the bow of her pink robe. "You are such a Grinch!" she teased up the stairs.

"I keep telling you, I do not know to what you are referring," a deep voice growled from behind her. "Insulting someone is not nearly as effective if the person you are insulting is unaware of the source material."

Goku watched, stunned, as Vegeta followed the heiress down the stairs, dressed in a blue robe that otherwise matched hers. They descended the stairs together before simultaneously making their way to the waiting mugs of coffee.

Wrinkling his nose, Goku shook his head. "How can they drink that stuff?" he wondered out loud. He had only tried the brew once, but he had absolutely hated it. It completely escaped him how anyone could drink such a thing, let alone do it every morning.

"Once again, that was Son Goku with the big picture," Krillen chimed in. "Remember? Christmas? The season? Being haunted by three Spirits?"

Goku stuck his tongue out at his best friend, but he did quiet down and watch as the morning festivities. As the adults took a seat on the couch, Vegeta powered up just slightly, calmly taking another sip from his beverage.

From out of nowhere, a purple blur flew into the room. "Aw, that's and awesome haul!" Trunks cheered, his eyes remarkably bright as he took in the impressive number of presents underneath the tree. "Okay, which one should I open first?"

"Sit down, boy," Vegeta commanded, taking another sip. "You know how this works."

With barely contained energy, the boy did exactly as he was told. In his younger days, he had ended Christmas Day in enough trouble to keep him from his presents for over a week. He may not want to sit still, but Trunks was going to get through it if it killed him.

Goku could not wipe the look of utter shock from his face. "No," he quietly said with disbelief, "there is no way that Vegeta actually celebrates Christmas."

Krillen shrugged as the Briefs matriarch began her annual lecture on the importance of family. "Well, he doesn't really celebrate," he did admit, "but he does spend the day with the family as they celebrate."

"Right," Goku laughed, still not believing it. "And that lasts for how long before he goes off to train?"

With a roll of his eyes, Krillen crossed his arms and sighed. "Is it really that hard for you to get this?" he impatiently demanded. "I mean, you are the guy who keeps telling everyone that Vegeta's not that bad."

Goku glared at his short friend and crossed his arms over his chest. "And I meant it," he firmly insisted. "He's not the same guy he was when he first came to, well, kill us all. But we can barely get him to come outside for half an hour at a barbeque!" He glanced over at the couch, clearly still skeptical. "How on Earth does he spend a day doing…what does he call it? Oh, yeah, 'Uselessly absurd sentimental crap.'"

Krillen shook his head. "You remember the strangest stuff." He pointed at the family again as Mrs. Briefs finished up her Christmas speech. "But I want you to look at this, Goku. I mean, really look at it. I know you sometimes have the attention span of a napkin, but you need to keep your eyes on this right now."

"Yeah, I get it!" Goku countered. "I'm looking!"

"Okay, tell me what you see."

The tall warrior focused on the scene before him. "I see Bulma's family sitting on the couch with Trunks on the floor…nope, Trunks rustling under the tree for something…now being wrestled back by Vegeta as Bulma scolds him for trying to go straight for the big one in the back…"

Krillen rolled his eyes again. "Not just the physical images," the former monk clarified, "what else do you see?"

Goku shrugged. "It's Bulma's family opening presents Christmas morning," he stated as though it was obvious. "Look, I know it's a big deal to open presents together on Christmas morning, but I'll be back by Christmas night and we'll all be together then, so I'm still not sure why you're all haunting me."

Slapping his best friend in the side, Krillen responded, "That statement alone sums up why we're here."

"What?" Goku insisted. "I already told you that I know it's important…"

"But you don't know why," Krillen pointed out. "Listen, we gave up almost a millennium ago trying to point out the religious points of the holiday. We've even given up most of the secular parts of it. Our job now is to get on the whole family aspect of it. And that means that we're here with you, because you are clearly not understanding that aspect of the day."

Goku blinked. "Hey, wait," he asked, casually pointing toward the couch, "these are just, like, shadow images, right?"

"Um, yeah, but…"

"So they can't hear me or see me, right?" Goku asked.

Krillen had a confused look on his face as he hesitantly affirmed, "Yeah."

With an almost giddy look on his face, the juvenile Saiyan crept over to where his rival was sitting. He barely contained his joy as he leaned down toward the prince, grinning ear to ear as he giddily said, "I'm stronger than you!"

Slowly, Vegeta's head turned in Goku's direction, and Goku and Krillen both squawked. "You said he couldn't hear me!" Goku accused, scrambling away.

"He shouldn't!" Krillen insisted, ducking behind the stack of presents.

Poking his head out from around the Christmas tree, Goku watched silently as Vegeta turned his attention back toward his family. "Hey, genius," the prince muttered to his mate, "you missed the top half."

Bulma, Goku, and Krillen all glanced up and simultaneously saw the racy red bra hanging off the far side of the tree. As Bulma began to turn the same color as the discovered undergarment, Goku and Krillen both sighed with relief. "Thank goodness," Goku sighed. "For a second, I really thought he heard me!"

Letting out a nervous laugh, Krillen agreed. "Yeah, me too." He hopped out from behind the presents and glanced between the two Saiyans. "I can't believe you just did that!"

"I have honestly wanted to say that for eight years," Goku chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm just not dumb enough to actually say it out loud. You know, unless I think no one will hear me."

Krillen shook his head, but he was still laughing. "Man, when I wake up in the morning, I'm going to think this is one weird dream." The diminutive man fully walked up to his oldest friend and used his head to indicate the family on the couch. "But are you at least kind of getting what the point of all this is?" he questioned. "The whole family togetherness thing?"

"Hey, do I smell gingerbread?"

Krillen slapped his forehead. "Moving along," he muttered. He grabbed Goku's arm and they were swiftly pulled to their newest destination. "Maybe this one will get something through."

Goku looked around. "Hey, this is my house!"

"Brilliant observation."

The taller warrior stuck his tongue out at his friend. "I just wanted you to know that Past already brought me here."

"Past was in the past," Krillen explained. "I'm Present. This is the here and now."

"Oh," Goku responded with a blink, "so it's tomorrow morning, like it was at Capsule Corp?"

Krillen nodded. "Yup."

With a nod, Goku looked around the house. Sure enough, the house was decorated exactly as it was when he had stepped out the night before. The flawless tree, the little figures, and all four stockings. But there was a very noticeable difference. The tree had about ten presents underneath it, and the stockings had dozens of very small gifts in them. It seemed to be earlier in the day than it had been at Bulma's place, as the rays of light were just barely filling their quaint little living room.

From the kitchen wafted the smell of fresh baked chocolate mint muffins, a treat Chi-Chi only pulled out on Christmas. Following his nose, Goku began to walk in that direction, eager to get closer to that wonderful scent. However, he found himself stopping abruptly as another one of his senses picked something up.

There was crying. Not harsh crying, not sobbing, no signs of hysterics at all. Just a tiny sniffle, small and miserable.

Goku stood utterly frozen. "Chi-Chi?" he gently called out.

The mother stepped out of the kitchen, blotting the corners of her eyes with her apron. Quietly, she poked at the fire, sparking it up and giving the room a very soft glow. A small puff of ash floated up in to her already moist eyes, and a few more tears began to roll down her cheeks. "Damn it," she grumbled. Once again, she pulled up the base of her apron and dabbed at her eyes. "Get it together." With a stern huff, she shot to her feet, put the poker away, and gave her eyes one last sweep with her sleeve. She took a quick breath and put a strained smile on her face.

"Boys!" she called up the staircase, her smile settling in a little more. "You're clear for landing!"

A small whoop came from the top of the stairs, followed by a grunt and a "Whoa!"

Goku watched as both his boys rushed down the staircase. Goten was trying to sprint down at full bore, but Gohan was grappling at the younger boy's shoulders. "Gohan, leggo!" the younger brother insisted.

"Firstborn, first dibs!" Gohan teased, literally hopping over his brother and taking the lead.

Goku stared, shocked. Gohan had always composed himself with a level of maturity that well exceeded his years. In fact, he had been acting like an adult since the age of five. Never, in Goku's memory, had Gohan actually done something so…childish.

He found himself smiling at the action. It was odd to see Gohan behaving that way, but it was extremely endearing. Watching the levels of maturity melt away to a sense of childish glee might have been one of the greatest things that Goku had ever seen.

"Wow!" Goten gushed, going straight for the tree, "look at all the presents!"

Gohan quickly grabbed his brother and tucked him under his arm. "Not yet, Squirt!" Gohan laughed, hauling his brother over to the couch. "Food first, then we get to this!"

The younger of the brothers sniffed the air and seemed suddenly recharged with life. "Mint muffins!" he cried. "Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! How many do I get?"

Chi-Chi smiled at her younger son, wiping her sooty fingers on the apron. "Well, take your time on the first one as I figure that one out, okay, honey?"

As the younger brother bolted for the kitchen, the older one's smile began to fade. Gohan leaned down to his mother, making sure that his brother did not hear him as he whispered, "He's not here, is he?"

The mother cringed slightly, her smile looking quite forced for a moment. "Not yet," she gently answered, "but he promised he would be back tonight."

"Where did he go?"

"Training at the summit," she calmly explained.

Gohan's eyes narrowed, and Goku actually took a step back. His son looked genuinely angry. "What?" he asked.

The teenager took a very long, tense breath, trying to maintain his composure. "He went to train on Christmas morning?" Gohan hissed.

His mother gently took him by the arm and led him to the far side of the room, trying to ensure that Goten would not hear them. "Gohan," she very softly explained, keeping a hand on her son's shoulder, "he went to go train last night, and he promised to be back by tonight. I'm not any happier about it than you are, but if the worst thing that happens to us today is that we have to open presents after dinner instead of breakfast, than I shall consider it a good day."

Gohan closed his eyes and nodded. "I'm sorry," he sincerely apologized. "I shouldn't have snapped like that."

"Apology accepted," Chi-Chi responded, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "Now go get yourself your breakfast treat. We'll do the stockings now, have a big breakfast, play games, go for a walk, have a holly jolly time, and we'll have big presents just after dinner."

Off on the side, Goku frowned. "I didn't think it would bug them that much if I missed the morning," he said. "I wasn't going to miss the whole day…"

"Yeah," Krillen agreed, "we gathered that. But as even you can see, it clearly does bug them. So, you think you'll be heading home in the morning?"

Goku nodded. "Yeah," he answered. "I'll go home in the morning, do Christmas, and I can head out for training in the afternoon. It won't be exactly the same, but it'll still be good training. Besides, that way I don't disappoint the boys."

With a shake of the head, Krillen grabbed Goku by the elbow. "Look, as much as I think you need to stick around and see a little more than this, we're actually out of time. The detour we took this morning drained a lot more than I wanted it to, and I have to get you back for Future."

Before the taller man could really register, Goku found himself once again out in the snow, fully encompassed by his sleeping bag. "Man, how do they do that?" Goku asked, wriggling his hands up to pull off the hood. "I can't even teleport that fast!" With a quick little shake, Goku got himself out of his sleeping bag. "Okay, I'm going to go home, do Christmas morning, and then I'll go train. Everything will be great!"

"Is that really what you think?"

Goku's head shot to the side, and he watched a shadowy figure approaching. "Future?" he called out. "Is that you?"

"Man, you're casual with supernatural beings, aren't you?" the figure asked, still hidden in the dark of the night. "Do you have no sense of awe at all?"

Holding his arms across his chest and rubbing them in an attempt to keep warm, Goku shook his head. "Not really," he admitted. "I've been told that I was from an another world, I've traveled through space and met alien races, I've hit power levels that I hear haven't been hit in thousands of years, I've been alive and dead, I've met every level of Kai there is…there isn't a heck of a lot left that I haven't seen."

The figure snorted. "Well, it sounds like you've done just about everything there is to do in life. Why bother sticking around at all?"

"Hey!" Goku shot back. "That was mean!"

Still standing out of visual range, the figure was only silent for a short moment. "So it bothers you when people are not nice to you," it stated.

"Well, yeah!" the Saiyan shot back. "Who wouldn't?"

"Interesting," the figure responded. "Then does it also bother you when people just ignore you? When they dismiss you as unimportant?"

Goku paused and warily eyed the shadow. "Yeah, I guess," he answered, moving into a slightly more defensive stance.

"Hn," the figure answered. "Then why are you so quick to do it to others if you don't like it yourself?"

Narrowing his eyes, Goku demanded, "Show yourself!"

Slowly, the figure emerged from the shadows and stood before the Saiyan. Goku blinked, but his eyes remained hard and focused. Something was not right. It could not be who he thought it was, but still… "Gohan?" he hesitantly asked.

"Swing and a miss," the man before him said. "Think younger."

All the tension in Goku's body melted away. "Goten?" he asked, astonished. "Is that really you?"

"Give the man a prize," Goten responded with an eye roll. "He finally got one right."

Goku frowned. "Goten, why are you being like that?" he asked.

The younger man shrugged one shoulder, his hands in his pockets and a bored look on his face. "Call it repressed anguish," he finally answered. "That's what the others do. Now come on, let's get this done and over with. You have training to do, and I have my first disappointing Christmas to wake up to."

"You seemed perfectly happy when Present showed you to me just a little while ago," Goku countered. He was not at all happy with the way his son was treating him, and he wanted to find a way to make the young man feel better.

Goten rolled his eyes. "Had I been told that Christmas was being held hostage so you could go out and play?"

"I wasn't playing," Goku explained, "I was training. But no, I guess you're right. You didn't know that yet when I saw you. But I already told Present that I was going to be home for the morning."

Goten opened his mouth to respond, but he closed it for a moment, considering his words. "True," he relented. "Look, Christmas just isn't that holly-jolly for me. It hasn't been for a while."

Goku frowned, fairly oblivious to the sensation of his arm being touched. "Why?" he asked.

Without saying a word, Goten took used his head to indicate that they had changed locations. Goku looked up and found that once again they were in his home, but things were extremely different. There was no perfectly decorated tree, no polished figurines on the mantle, no stockings or presents or any of it. There was nothing at all. In fact, it appeared that no one had been there in some time. What little furniture was left was coated with thick layers of dust.

"Where is everyone?" Goku asked, looking around at the dust filled house. "Where's Chi-Chi?"

When the young Spirit did not answer, Goku raised an eyebrow in his direction. "Not talkative, are you?" he teased.

"You're lucky I speak to you at all," Goten grumbled, frowning at the ground. "Back in the day, when we first started haunting people, I didn't talk at all. You're getting off easy. If Goten wasn't as naturally talkative as he is, you'd be getting the silent treatment, too."

Nodding at the explanation, Goku focused once more on the house around him. "Seriously, what happened?" he asked.

Goten silently put a hand on his father's shoulder and brought them to the next location. As Goku glanced around, he instantly recognized the main living room of Capsule Corp. It was the same room he had stood in earlier, but it, too, held no signs of Christmas at all.

There were people, though. They were quiet, but they were there. Adult Goten was laying down on the couch, his head in the lap of a girl who closely identified Bulma. The girl could not have been his oldest friend, though. Bulma was already an adult woman during his visit from Present, but the girl on the couch could not have been more than eighteen. She also had sharper angles along her cheeks and her eyes than Bulma did. Slowly, she stroked her fingers along Goten's cheeks. Both of them seemed miserable.

On the other couch lay Gohan, completely asleep. The man clearly had not been taking care of himself. Gohan was pale and had very definite bags under his eyes. There was a thin layer of stubble on his face, and his sleep was clearly not a restful one. He was mumbling and tossing on the couch, clearly having a nightmare.

Trunks was in the armchair, his elbows on his knees and his chin on his hands. He, too, had a very small stubble line, along with pale features and rings around the eyes. But his eyes were open, and they were completely bloodshot. Small trembling motions seemed to run through him as he slightly rocked back and forth in his chair. He seemed almost oblivious to anything else going on in the room.

Off in the corner sat Piccolo on the floor. Like the others, the appeared exhausted, but he did not seem to be quite as worse for wear as the others. He was meditating, but he was not peaceful about it. His face contorted slightly as troubling thoughts crossed his mind.

"What's going on?" Goku asked, looking at the miserable bunch.

Still maintaining silence, Goten pointed to the entryway of the living room. Vegeta entered, holding a tray of food that the he put down on the coffee table in the middle. He glanced over at the girl who looked like Bulma and handed her a bottle of water. She took it gingerly, making certain that the restless boy in her lap was not disturbed further, and she mouthed a silent thanks. The Saiyan then grabbed a mug of coffee and approached his son, but the lavender haired young man did not seem to see him.

"Here," Vegeta insisted in a firm, but oddly gentle, tone. "You need this."

When Trunks did not respond, Vegeta pushed him slowly against the back of the chair and held the cup beneath his lips. "Drink it," he commanded.

Trunks blinked as though coming out of a trance, but he remained silent. Vegeta took one of his son's hands and placed it on the base of the mug before commanding again, "Drink it."

Still not fully registering his surroundings, Trunks was barely able to follow the command. He very slowly took small sips from the drink, and his father did not leave his side until the entire cup had been drained. "Good," Vegeta quietly said, pulling the cup away. "Rest."

The girl on the couch watched quietly as Vegeta handed a different bottle of water to Adult Goten. She seemed to notice something and opened her mouth, but closed it again without making a sound. Adult Goten accepted the beverage and drained it quickly before simply tossing the empty bottle over the back toward the prince.

Vegeta seemed utterly unphased as he caught the container and placed it on the coffee table. He simply tidied silently, watching as the two young men slowly began to drift off into their own somewhat restless slumber. The girl who looked like Bulma slowly slid her way out from underneath Adult Goten's head and quietly said, "Papa?"

Goku watched, astonished, as Vegeta turned to the girl and grunted a quiet, "Hn?"

"I'm glad you gave it to them," she whispered. "They needed the sleep."

Vegeta nodded and kept working, but the girl placed a hand on the Saiyan's shoulder. "You need rest too, Papa."

Goku leaned over to the image of his son. "Bulma and Vegeta had a daughter?" he softly asked.

Goten simply nodded, watching quietly as the scene continued before them.

The girl continued to watch her father, a worried look on her face. "Papa," she gently spoke, "you haven't slept either. You need the rest just like they do."

"I am fine," the prince insisted.

"What's going on?" Goku asked. "What's wrong? Where's Bulma?"

Once again, the girl got in front of her father. "It's been six days since any of you last slept, Papa," she pointed out. "That means you, too."

"I am of pure blood," Vegeta replied, though Goku noticed that the prince paused slightly at the last two words. "I do not have the same limitations that you and the boys do. I am fine."

"Why hasn't he slept?" Goku asked the Spirit at his side. "Goten, what's happening here?"

No words were spoken between the Spirit and the Saiyan. They continued to stare at the people in the living room.

"Papa," the girl firmly stated, placing a hand on her father's chest, "I know what you're doing. I know you like to work when you're in pain, because it keeps you from actually facing it. But making yourself sick keeping tabs on the others is only going to postpone it, not make it go away." Tears were starting to drizzle down her cheeks, and for the first time, Goku realized that he could see the dried trails left by earlier tears. "I miss her, too."

"Bra…"

"No," Bra interrupted, her voice cracking, "don't do this. Don't just push it down so you can torture yourself in the gravity room later. Just…just get it out of your system and then go take a nap, because that's what you need."

"I am fine," the prince insisted again, steeling his own resolve.

All of the color drained from Goku's face. "Oh no, Bulma died, didn't she?" he gasped. "What happened to her?"

A sharp exhale sounded through Goten's nose. "The same thing that got the rest of them."

"What?"

Goten shook his head and pointed to the inhabitants of the room. "How many humans do you see?" he bitterly asked.

With fear in his eyes, Goku realized what he was being told. "So…Chi-Chi's gone too?" he softly asked.

"And Krillen and Yamcha and Videl and Marron…and Ceylon and Pan."

Goku's hands were trembling slightly as he took in the death count. "Who…who are Ceylon and Pan?"

"Pan was your granddaughter," Goten softly explained. "She's Gohan and Videl's daughter. She was fifteen. And Ceylon was Trunks and Marron's three year old daughter." An angry huff sounded as Goten thought about that day. "We all took blows we would never recover from. We all lost too much."

"No," Goku whispered. "What happened?"

Goten shook his head, his eyes closed. "For the first couple days, we all thought it was just the flu," he quietly explained, watching Vegeta ward off his daughter's suggestions. "But it was so much worse than that. It spread all over the planet. Millions and millions of people died."

Goku swallowed. "Are you, Trunks, and Gohan sick?" he asked, looking at the boys in the room.

"Not yet," Goten answered. "But grief is going to leave us weak and vulnerable. We all lost so much…"

In the room before them, Vegeta draped a blanket over his son and ordered his daughter to do the same to the Son boys. As they did that, Goku began to figure things out in his head. Goten had lost his mother, sister-in-law, and niece. Gohan had lost his mother, his wife, and his child, and Trunks had lost the same, plus a father-in-law. The pureblooded Saiyan slowly began to realize what he, personally, had lost.

His wife was gone. His oldest friends were gone. His daughter-in-law and granddaughter were gone. His two sons were falling apart at the seams. And he was…he was…

"Where am I?" he quietly asked, dreading the answer.

Goten shrugged. "We don't know," he honestly answered. "You left years ago to train some kid and left for some training adventure after that without telling us. We have no idea where you went or how do get a hold of you."

Goku shook his head. "No, I would never do that," he insisted. "I would never just leave."

"I'm going to let you figure out the folly of that statement on your own," Goten coolly repeated.

"No," Goku insisted, "I wouldn't…I mean, I know before I've been gone, but I wouldn't…I'm there to protect them!"

"Sometimes," Goten muttered. "But you have a gift for being too busy training to show up on time when we really need a hand."

"Wait," Goku asked, realizing something, "you said that they weren't sick yet. What did you mean? Are you guys going to get sick?"

Goten did not answer.

"Are you going to be okay?" he demanded. "You boys are going to be fine, aren't you?"

Still there was no response.

"Answer me!" Goku begged, grabbing the front of Goten's shirt. "Please, let me know that you'll be alright! Tell me that everything will be okay!"

The Spirit offered him no comfort.

Goku began to shake Goten by the shirt. "If I don't leave, will it be better? Is there something I can do to save them? Please, tell me that I can stop this from happening and I can save them! Please tell me that there's something I can do!"

Goten slowly shifted his eyes to the pureblood before him. "There usually is," he quietly answered. "But I guess we'll never know, will we?"

"Yes, we can!" he insisted. "I will stay with my family! I won't leave my family again, not even for training! Please, tell me that I can save my family and my friends! I promise I won't leave again! I promise! I promise!"

As Goku begged and begged, he could hear Gohan starting to cough behind him. "No," he whispered, turning to watch his firstborn start a coughing fit. "No, not him, too." He whipped back to the Spirit. "Let me save him!" he pleaded. "Tell me I can save him!"

Goten fell silent again.

"TELL ME I CAN SAVE THEM!" he shouted, violently shaking the spirit.

Suddenly, the sensation of something hard and cold slapped him in the face. Goku realized that he was once again cocooned in his sleeping bag. He gasped slightly at the feeling before ripping his way through the sleeping bag and frantically looking around.

"I'm back," he panted, quickly taking in his surroundings. Over the hill, the first few delicate rays of light were beginning to make their way over the mountain top. "It's morning," he realized, his eyes growing wide. "I'm back in time! I can still make it!"

Abandoning all of his gear on the summit, Goku raced down to his house at the base as fast as his long legs could carry him. He arrived in a matter of seconds and immediately floated up to his bedroom window, peaking inside.

He smiled as he saw that his wife had not yet gotten up. Keeping as quiet as possible, he kicked his boots off, dropped his jacket in the snow beneath him, and opened up the window. He slid silently inside, closing the window behind him before climbing into their bed, nuzzling next to his wife.

The beautiful brunette mumbled sleepily, barely turning her head in her husband's direction. "Goku?" she asked, confusion evident.

"Yeah, it's me," he chuckled behind her, wrapping his still cold arms around her body. "I came back."

Chi-Chi smiled and closed her eyes, leaning back against her husband. "Thank you," she whispered, cradling his head with her arm. "You don't know how much that means to me." They were quiet for a few minutes, just enjoying each other's company before Chi-Chi muttered, "How long do we get you before you need to go train?"

Goku smiled, once again nuzzling the back of his wife's neck. "Actually, I was thinking that after we open presents and eat breakfast, we could all bundle up, go outside, and you guys can throw snowballs at me."

Chi-Chi was suddenly wide awake. "Really?" she asked.

"Sure," Goku chuckled. "That way I can still get some training in, but we can all be together as a family." He hugged her tightly and kissed her on the cheek. "After all, that's the most important part of today, isn't it?"

"Oh, Goku!" Chi-Chi gasped, a look of joy on her face. She leaned in and kissed him passionately before pulling back and giving him a dazzling grin. "This is going to be fantastic!"

Goku laughed behind her, keeping his arms wrapped protectively around her. "Rest, honey," he chuckled. "We're getting up in an hour to get everything ready for the boys."

With that grin still spread on her face, Chi-Chi snuggled against her husband and happily drifted off. From behind her, Goku hugged her gently. "Don't worry," he whispered to his sleeping wife. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here, with you."

And Goku was as good as his word. He stayed with his family and loved ones, keeping close by their sides. The lessons he had learned from the Past, Present, and Future Spirits stayed with him, and he lived his life by them. They filled his heart and mind whenever he was tempted to leave on another journey, and never again did he leave his family behind.

For that, he was grateful, for it gave him years of memories and joy he otherwise never would have gotten. They lived and loved and thrived, and he never missed a moment of it.

And he loved every second of it.