A/N: This story originates from the author Berryberrykix6 and is being continued with her permission as requested by loveSetoxSerenity4ever. Hope you all enjoy my continuation of this, xoxo. :)
Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ (though I wish I did :( ... )
It had been six months since Goku had died saving the world from Cell's explosion, and ChiChi was just beginning to put her life back together. She and Gohan had managed to keep a steady routine throughout the weeks and she had begun to grow accustomed to the absence of her Saiyan husband. She'd been thrilled when Gohan had told her he wanted to resume his studies and quit his training, but she had also known deep down that it wasn't really what he wanted. Despite this knowledge of his feelings, she let him study his days away and occasionally let him train as a reward for his hard work.
She hummed to herself as she moved about the kitchen putting away the dishes she had just finished washing. She enjoyed the peace and quiet that came from living so far away from the rest of society, but she could never ignore the sharp pang of loneliness that often came as a result of Goku's death. She couldn't help but stare out the window at the tall trees and think, ' Oh Goku, why'd you have to go and leave me all alone?'
[flashback]
It had been six days since Grand Kai had summoned Goku to his planet in order to discuss the trouble that had brewed on Earth. It turned out a beautiful princess named Aurora had been kidnapped by an evil being and was being kept prisoner in a dark tower. The tower was located in the darkest corner of the Earth, surrounded by land as black as night and a treacherous ocean filled with horrors. Rumor had it that not one soul that had stepped foot on that island had ever come out alive, and Grand Kai had chosen the Z warriors to fulfill this rescue mission and defeat the evil that had taken the princess. In order to insure the success of their quest, Grand Kai had granted Goku his life so he could aid his comrades.
"What's so special about this so-called princess anyway? We should just let her rot in that tower until she dies and then bring her back with the dragon balls," Vegeta griped, clearly wishing to be anywhere but there at the moment. "This is just a stupid waste of my time, I should be training right now, not standing around waiting to rescue some helpless wretch with these idiots." He shot a look at Goku and crossed his arms tightly around his chest, spitting on the grassy floor.
"I'm sorry to say it's not as simple as that," King Kai sighed, giving Vegeta a small frown. "If it was then we wouldn't have bothered to ask for your help."
"Hn, whatever," he muttered, refusing to make eye contact with the blue guardian.
"Geez, talk about a drama queen," Krillin whispered non-discreetly into Goku's ear, earning a muffled snicker from the raven-haired Saiyan.
"I heard that you little prick, Saiyans have better hearing than humans," Vegeta snapped, stepping forward as if about to punch him, but quickly relaxing his posture a bit as he thought better of it.
"That's enough Vegeta, we have enough trouble on our hands as it is, we can't risk you harming a team member," Grand Kai reminded him, his expression stern. "This particular princess is responsible for keeping the sun and the moon in harmony, without her the Earth will soon fall into darkness and the planet shall perish. We need all of your individual strengths in order to bring this woman back safely."
"Interseting. I think I've heard of this princess before. I just have one question, what exactly are we dealing with here. Who is this person that took her?" Piccolo inquired, perplexed.
"His name is Durza. But he isn't like anything you've ever experienced. You see, this evil creature is a Shade. You cannot kill a Shade as you can any other being, it's impossible. The only way Durza can be finished is by plunging this weapon deep into his black heart." Grand Kai produced am ornate box from underneath his robes, removing the lid and brandishing a medium-sized sharp object in his right hand.
"Whoah," Goku breathed, staring wide-eyed at the gleaming knife. "That's the coolest knife ever." He reached out to touch the tip of the blade, but was quickly stopped by Grand Kai.
"I wouldn't if I were you. This knife's blade has been enhanced by magic and its powerful enough to slice right through your finger if you even graze it. It was made by the first Supreme Kai in the universe's history, the most powerful to have ever lived."
Goku paled as he heard the Kai's words, creating a sizable space between himself and the knife, not wanting to be too close to it just in case. He had just received another chance at life, he wasn't about to let it go to waste just yet.
Grand Kai carefully returned the weapon to its box and handed it to Piccolo. "Guard this with your life, it's Earth's last hope."
[End flashback]
Goku's thoughts were interrupted when he heard a disoriented cry come from King Kai. "What happened King Kai? Are you alright? Where you able to see anything?" His excitement prevented his sentences from making any sense, the words coming out to quickly to understand. It was only until after the jumble of questions left his mouth that he realized King Kai's antennae were sparking and short-curcuiting before he tumbled to the floor. He quickly ran to his side and shook his shoulder. "Hey, what happened?"
"I- I can't see it anymore! The island has become too dark for even my antennae to spot it! You guys will just have to see what's going there on your own," he said, dusting himself off and gesturing for Goku to move out of the way so he could stand.
"Well I guess that's it then, we have to get there as soon as possible before the situation gets even more complicated," he replied with newfound conviction. He knew rescuing princess Aurora would definitely be difficult, especially now that they couldn't see what was happening to her. But he couldn't help feeling elated that he'd finally get to see if his training in Otherworld had paid off. Not to mention he always loved a challenge, and this Shade called Durza certainly sounded threatening.
"I'm gonna head to Earth and get the gang together, it shouldn't take more than an hour or so," he informed King Kai, who was currently in the middle of an argument with Bubbles.
"Yes yes of course, be careful," he nodded distractedly, turning back to the screeching monkey in front of him. "Oh and one more thing Goku, this is a very special girl we're speaking of, protect her with your life." His face was serious this time, startling Goku a little.
"Sure thing..." With one last look at King Kai's back, he put two fingers on his head and teleported away to Piccolo's energy signal.
"Hey Piccolo." The Namekian opened his eyes from underneath the waterfall and rose from his meditation position, grabbing his turban and cape before flying down to meet his old rival.
"I presume it's time," he said as he landed. With a small nod Goku placed his fingers on his forehead and de-materialized, reappearing a small ways off his backyard with Piccolo.
"I'll go get Gohan and explain the situation to him. You wait here," he smiled, spotting his 12- year old son shadow boxing a few meters away. He was relieved ChiChi hadn't forced him to quit training in his absence, Gohan's strength would come in handy during the fight with Durza.
At that moment Gohan spun around in surprise and stared at his supposedly deceased father, having sensed his energy only seconds after his arrival. His mouth firmed the word "Dad" but no sound came out, his eyes welling up with tears. Never in a million years would he have imagined his father would return, and now he was so overwhelmed with joy that it was all he could do not to jump up and down and squeeze the living daylights out of his father.
"When did you come back? Why didn't anyone tell me?" he cried, throwing his arms around the person he admired most.
"Whoa take it easy there Gohan, you've gotten along a lot stronger since you fought Cell and I'm not exactly indestructible." Goku laughed while just Gohan hugged him tighter, patting his son on the head and setting him down.
"It's been such a long time Gohan! You've really grown! I wish we could catch up, but time's short and the Earth is in danger. Grand Kai gave me his life in order for us to save a princess that controls the balance of the moon and the sun. A shade named Durza is keeping her in a dark tower located- "
"Wait just a second Dad, it's kind of hard to understand you when your talking so quickly," Gohan interrupted.
"Oh. Sorry about that, I guess I got a little carried away." He chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head. After carefully explaining all the events that had taken place in the past few days he was glad to see that Gohan was more than happy to help, saying something about wanting to redeem himself after failing to save him during the Cell Games.
"How about we go inside and let my know you're back," Gohan suggested. Goku almost face-planted at his son's words, his eyes growing as wide as saucers. He had forgotten all about ChiChi! He was sure she'd have another one of her screaming fits as soon as she found out he'd been there for 20 minutes and hadn't even bothered to say hello. He'd always hated when she did that, and somewhere in the back of his mind he wondered how much better his life would be without her.
"Goku!? Oh is that you darling!" I shrill voice wailed from inside the small house, footsteps quickly making their way to the door. It flung open to reveal a distraught ChiChi. Her hands were clasped tightly together and tears were watermarking down her cheeks. "It is you!" She wasted no time in embracing her husband as tightly as she could, planning to stay like that forever.
"Y- You mean you're not mad?" he said, the tension in his muscles lessening. Well that went a lot better than he thought it would.
"No of course not! How could I be mad if you're back!" she cried, resting her head on his chest. This was more than she had ever dared hope for.
"Uh, ChiChi? I hate to sound rude but we're kind of in a hurry," Goku said, releasing his grip on her small frame and scratching the back of his head nervously.
"What do you mean?" she asked, puzzled. "What could you possibly have to do after you just got back?"
"Well you see, Grand Kai gave me his life in order for us to rescue a princess from an evil Shade named Durza. I have to go or else the world will be in grave danger, and I have to take Gohan with me. I'm really sorry Chi, it just can't be helped."
It took a minute for her to process what he was trying to tell her, but when she got it, she began to have a mental breakdown. She couldn't believe he would do this to her when he had just returned.
"So you're going to leave me again when you just came back-and take Gohan away from me so that he can get killed?!" she hissed in between sobs, turning her back on him roughly and storming into the house, not caring that she'd left him gaping.
"ChiChi I promise Gohan and I will come back to you safely, but this is our duty, if we don't save her shell die along with the earth." He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly and stepped back. "See ya later ChiChi."
She bit her lip hard, knowing full well that what he said was true. But that didn't stop the tears that once again began streaming down her face as she watched him disappear along with Gohan, leaving her alone once again.
She fell limply onto the couch and buried her face in her hands, sighing. "Goku do you even care about me? Do I still care for you?...
/
After picking up Krillin and Vegeta, Goku, Gohan and Piccolo arrived at the Lookout and were immediately greeted by a smiling Dende.
"Gohan! Long time no see!" he beamed, running over to his best friend. After exchanging hugs and smiles, Dende's expression turned from as he turned to look at the rest of the Z Warriors. "You have to save the princess or the planet will fall under darkness!" His eyes pleaded for their help, and Goku was quick to assure him that they'd do everything in ttheir power to save the world.
"I can't believe I agreed to go on this ridiculous mission," Vegeta scowled, muttering about idiots always wasting his time.
"Aww lighten up Veggie, I'm sure you won't regret it when you see how strong our opponent is," Goku said in his usual go-lucky way, giving him a slap on the back.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that baka!" he seethed, grabbing an unsuspecting Goku by the throat. "And what the hell was that slap for?"
"Relax Vegeta, we have to get going. He didn't mean to offend you, right Goku?" Krillin raised his eyebrows expectantly, waiting for the nervous heap in Vegeta's hands to answer. He nodded quickly, eyes wide with innocence.
"Ugh, just don't call me that again Kakarrot," he growled, dropping him roughly and walking off in disgust.
"Heh, I guess Vegeta still hates me for no apparent reason," Goku shrugged, his expression turning serious. "Alright guys, let's go save princess Aurora."
The band of fighters positioned themselves next to Goku and waved at the young Namekian, disappearing to the dark island that held the woman and a mysterious new foe.
Alright, that's it for the first chapter. I made a lot of changes, I know, but I think they improved the story quite a bit. Review and let me know what you think! ^_^