Chapter 26: A Change of Heart

Okay, time for Chapter 26. I lied, there is one more after this, but I swear, it'll be the last chapter. Sorry for the delays, the site is going through some weird error at the moment.

Fashback:

"Come on," Said Goku, "This place isn't gonna hold out much longer." He shot a look at Valentina. "Hey, I'm going to try and buy us some time, I don't know how, but I'll figure it out." She nodded, and continued playing. Goku flew out across the hot, molten landscape. Circling around. Come on Goku, use that noggin of yours!

King Kai re-entered his head. "Thirty Seconds Goku!"

"Damn it!" He shouted. "Thirty Seconds!" Goku looked around frantically. Valentina heard the words and focused harder. By now, the magic had all left the flute, and was left to work on it's own.

"It's done, it's up to the magic now." She yelled.

"Ten Seconds!" Shouted King Kai.

Goku knew he needed to do something, and really really fast. "Alright." He said. "Here goes nothing!" His aura flared up, and he gathered all of his energy at once. "Not gonna happen!" He yelled. His reddish gold aura spread fast, covering the entire planet within seconds. Just afterward, the Planet began to explode. Goku began to yell. "It's over!"

Flashback End:

Goku screamed as he sat up quickly. Sweat dripped from his forehead as he sat still, frozen in fear. "Just a dream?" He said to himself. "Wild, all just a dream." He released the tension on his body, and let himself fall backward. He hit the ground hard and shot back up again, grabbing the back of his head, "Ouch!"

His vision was blurred for a moment, but he heard familiar voices. "Hey Goku, how's your head feel?"

"Krillin?" Goku said. Goku looked up and wiped his eyes. It was indeed Krillin. "Boy, am I glad to see you."

"Yeah Goku, you were in pretty bad shape when you got back." Replied Krillin, "But this new form of yours looks awesome!"

Goku scratched the back of his head and looked at his body. Then, he realized that he wasn't dreaming, and was still in Super Saiyan 4. "Oh, I remember now. I almost died trying to save that planet."

"Yeah, we we're told." Krillin lent down and whispered into Goku's ear. "And, that Valentina girl is pretty hot."

Goku and Krillin both chuckled. "Yeah, well I got to hold her." Goku smiled widely, "That was right before Eyce sealed his fate." Krillin helped Goku up and they walked over toward a group of people. "Hey, the sky is dark, what's going on?"

"The Dragon is waiting for the second wish, which we don't have." Krillin said quietly, so the Dragon wouldn't hear him.

Valentina stood at the center of the group, while everyone listened to her speak. Their attention was diverted when they heard one of Goku's footsteps. Chi Chi caught sight of her husband for the first time in a week. Her eyes began to water. "Goku?"

Goku smiled at Chi Chi, and she began to cry. She bolted from the crowd and right into Goku's arms. "I'm home." He said to her. She buried her head into Goku's chest and cried.

"Goku, you're back, I can't believe it!" She cried out. Goku held her tightly and smiled.

Gohan and Goten approached from behind Chi Chi. "Don't worry Dad," Said Gohan, "We got the same treatment when we got back here."

"Mom pinned me to the ground..." Grumbled Goten. Goku began to laugh. "It's not funny! There was red stuff all over my face when she was done!"

"Oh, so that's why your lip stick is smudged..." Chuckled Goku.

"Can it, It's been too long Goku!" Chi Chi dried up her tears and smiled. "I'm so glad your home."

Vegeta quickly approached Goku. As usual, he had something to complain about. "Kakarot, I would have rather stayed up there!" Goku scratched his head, "Where did that idea even come from, sending us back here?"

"You would have got in the way." Goku simply said.

"Why I oughta..." Vegeta cocked his fist back, but was interrupted by Valentina, who effectively got everyone's attention.

"No more violence." She said, "There's been too much of it lately. It has not been an easy time, that's for sure."

Vegeta lowered his fist and walked back to the group. Goku and his family followed. Goku lent over to Gohan and asked, "Where's Videl?"

"She still must be with Baba." Replied Gohan. He then whispered in his ear. "And I was really hoping to propose to her today, after all we've been through."

Goku sighed and streched. "They'll be here, I know they will." Goku stopped and thought for a moment.

Gohan stopped and looked back at him. "What's up?"

"I was thinking." Said Goku, "Ranza is still with Old Kai, you would think he'd want to be here."

Gohan sighed, "I can't imagine why, he's not from here."

"I know Gohan but." Goku sighed and ran up to Gohan. Quietly, he told Gohan, "Valentina is Ranza's long lost mother..." Gohan's eyes grew wide, but he knew not to say anything yet. "Old Kai may not have told Ranza about it yet, it's got to be a surprise."

"Sit down everyone." Said Valentina. Goku and Gohan ran over to the group and sat down with the rest of them.

"So what's the status on Arpalei?" Inquired Goku.

"Safe." Said Valentina. "The magic will hold it together as long as no more harm comes to it."

"Okay." Said Piccolo. "Now I want to know, what exactly is this magic, and why was it so important to Eyce?"

"Okay." Sighed Valentina. "I suppose I'll explain the story now. Just please don't ask any questions until I am finished." Everyone nodded in agreement. "Alright. I'm sure on your adventure, one of you met a boy named Ranza." Bardock raised his hand and nodded. "It was you? You must be Goku's father."

Raditz stood against a pillar on the lookout, not wanting any part of it. "Losers." He said. He examined the sky. Though it was dark due to the Dragon, it was clean, and Raditz new it. Nice to get some fresh air for once...

"I'm sure he talked about how he watched his father die by Eyce's hand." Explained Valentina. Bardock nodded. "I was known as the Great Magician on my planet. I was a healer, and only wanted to help people. I did not fully understand my power until one day I was asked a favor." Valentina looked over at the Elder of the people of Arpalei. "It wasn't that long ago when the Elder sent a message across the galaxy to my home world. He had heard of my powers, and wanted to put them to the test. I decided that I would travel to his home and see what he had to say."

Flashback:

"We finally meet." Said the Elder. "You're the Great Magician of legend?"

Valentina chuckled, "Well, I don't know about legend, but I am the Great Magician. My art was taught to me by my father, which he learned from his father, and so it goes." She smiled at him innocently, "Just call me Valentina."

The Elder nodded. "I summoned you here to make a request if possible."

"Anything fine sir." Replied Valentina.

"I'm sure you passed a planet on your journey here, one about the same size as this?"

"I did, it was sad looking. No life, no trees, no trees or grasses, or large ice deserts like your beautiful planet." Valentina sighed.

"That Planet is called Planet Yowai." Said the Elder, "It is Arpalei's 'Twin Sister' planet." The Elder sighed. "Sadly, it is now known as the Planet of Darkness, cursed with the power to drain life energy, spiritual energy, just about any energy you could think of."

"What cursed the Planet, if you don't mind my asking?" Valentina cocked her head left, and sort of hugged herself to keep warm from the cold.

"Evil of course." Replied the Elder. "Don't get me wrong, Yowai used to be just as beautiful and fruitful as Arpalei, the difference is that it's core burnt up." The Elder turned around and sighed. "Yowai should have crumbled, but it's natural core was replaced somehow. It's something I cannot explain, but it's a curse. Many beings who have landed there in search of a new home have perished. It's a bone field." The Elder wiped some sweat from his forehead before continuing. "And now I fear that Arpalei is suffering the same fate."

"What do you mean?" Said Valentina, "It looks just fine to me..." The ground began to shake, cutting her off.

The Elder pointed off into the distance. "Look." He said. Walls of Lava were shooting up from the ground in the distance. Valentina gasped. "That is the very thing that the Elder of Yowai told me was happening to his planet... Just before he died. He was swallowed up by volcanic rock, along with his own people. A week later, the planets core burnt up, and all of the life on the planet was wiped out. The molten rock swallowed it up. Somehow, and evil presence made it's way into the center, and cursed it."

The Elder turned to Valentina. "I don't want my home to suffer the same fate as Yowai. My people are the last of our kind, and if this keeps up, the planet will fall apart."

"What do you need me to do?" Inquired Valentina, her sweet blue eyes staring deep into the Elder's own eyes.

"As a Magician, and a healer," He said, "If it is at all possible for you to create a spell, a magic, something to heal this planet, I would be forever in your debt."

Valentina pondered on it for a moment. The thought about who she was and what she was capable of. "But I've only ever healed people before." She looked down at the ground, at her feet in her sandle like shoes, at the life filled grass she stood in. Then, something came to her. "Maybe I can help. My Grandfather always told me that I was something special, that I could 'heal the gods.'" She sighed, "Maybe he was trying to tell me that I could do more than I think I can."

She got down on her knees and clamped her hands together. She began to mumble a phrase to herself, then she pulled a flute out from a small bag on her belt and began to play it. The natives watched as she did this. She began to glow, and so did the ground. She played a soft, sweet melody for five minutes, then stopped. Slowly she got up, exhausted, and took in a deep breath.

"Madam, what did you do?" Inquired the Elder.

"I..." Valentina paused and looked around her, "I gave up some of my own power and gave it to the planet. The thing that keeps me alive."

The ground began to shake, and lava walls shot up in the distance again. The Elder went frantic, "It's still happening, it didn't work!"

"Hush now." She said softly, "There was only one way I could do what I did. Ten years." She paused and looked at the ground. "The power I gave this planet will only work if left inside of the planet for ten years. It will keep it from ending up like Yowai, but in order for your planet to survive on it's own, the magic, the power, must work on the planet for ten whole years. After that, you will no longer have to worry."

"So, is there a reason to worry between now and then?" Inquired the Elder.

"Yes." She said, "Technically, it is like my own spirit. It will move freely, but it is unprotected. It is can easily be taken away from the planet. Like me, the power is pure, but unfortunately, if another, 'pure' person comes along, it can be drawn out of the planet, causing it to go unstable."

The Elder nodded. "I understand. It is a risk we are willing to live with and, and I thank you sincerely."

Flashback End:

Valentina sighed and looked at the Elder once more as he stood with his people. "I did not know someone Pure Evil like Eyce would be able to harness it. But because his heart was pure anything, he was able to. And because he was pure evil, because it is like it spirit, it felt threatened, and was lethal, which I only learned later on." SHe sighed and looked up into the sky. "It would have self-destructed, and so powerfully, that it would have wiped out the entire universe."

Goku stood up. "What now then? They can't go back. While the planet is safe, and will not fall apart after all, they won't survive. There are no trees left, the water is gone, the air is almost gone. All because it pratically exploded." Goku's red fur was standing on end, and his muscles shook. "I did all I could do to contain it long enough, and now it's just a big rock in space."

Bulma rested in Vegeta's arms, saddened by Valentina's story, "And how did Eyce find out about it?"

"Simple." She replied, "He was like his father, power hungry after learning of his family history. He only found my planet due to his crazed obsession with blowing planets up. He invaded us first though. He interrogated many, and one of the citizens cracked and revealed who my family was." She looked to Bulma, "He kidnapped us, tortured us, and me and my son had to witness my husband, his father, die. I ended up cracking and told him about the power I left on Arpalei. Of course I thought it wouldn't work for him. But, everyone's creations has loopholes. I didn't think that Pure Evil could harness my power, but I was wrong."

Bulma smiled at Valentina. "A simple miscalculation can lead to catastrophe. I've done it, believe me."

"That's what my stomach says after eating your cooking." Vegeta added with a grin.

"Excuse me!" Barked Bulma.

"You go girl." Said a voice from behind the group. Atop her crystal ball was Fortuneteller Baba. "Wipe that grin right off of his face." She winked. She scannecd the group, and then her eyes came to Gohan. "I have a surprise for you." She said. She floated out of the way, revealing that Videl was standing behind her.

Gohan began to shake. "Videl?"

Videl's eyes began to water, "Gohan." Videl leaped toward Gohan, over the group of people. Gohan quickly got up off of the ground to try and catch her, but when she connected, he fell right on his back, with Videl pinning him down. She looked him square in the eyes and began to cry. "I thought you were going to die back there, oh Gohan." She pulled him up into a deep, passionate kiss. Their tails entwined with one another as they kissed.

A big "awww" erupted from the group. Mirai smiled and shouted, "Way to go Gohan!" Raditz leaned against the pillar, smiling, thinking about things, but trying to keep it under the radar. Vegeta seemed to the only one unimpressed by this display.

"Don't let the reunion end just yet." Said another familiar voice. Everyone looked to see Old Kai and Kibito Kai standing right next to each other. Old Kai spoke, "Valentina, we have a surprise for you." The two Kai's stepped away, revealing the young Ranza.

His eyes shot wide open while is pupils got really small. "Ma... Mom?" He was filled with confusion, joy, and disbelief. "Mom!"

"Son!" Returned Valentina. Ranza started running toward Valentina, who did the same. Valentina spread her arms and Ranza jumped into her arms. "Son it's been too long!"

"Mom!" He shouted. "I can't believe it's you!"

Videl got off of Gohan and ran to see her Dad. "Daddy!" She said, as Mr. Satan swooped her up into his arms.

"Videl, I can't believe you're still here." He rambled, "Well, I mean I can, but... Oh, I'm just so glad you're safe."

Everyone was smiling at this point, even Vegeta. Piccolo somehow wasn't getting grossed out by the mushy stuff, but wasn't exactly the highest on the happy list. "I'm going to need therapy after this." Said Piccolo.

"You and me both." Added Vegeta.

"Oh relax you two," Said Goku, startling the two warriors. "It's been a rough week, you guys need to loosen up a bit." Goku walked by, heading straight for Gohan.

"Kakarot, are you ever going to change back to normal?" Inquired Vegeta, "You may look cool, and be the most powerful being in the universe, this Super Saiyan 4. But it would look rather silly of you out in public to be covered in fur."

Goku chuckled, "Hopefully soon." As if on que, Goku turned gold, and his body changed shape. He went back to base form, fully clothed, no bruises, and tail waving in the air. "Oh look, Vegeta made me turn back. Thanks." He said with a chuckle.

"Funny, Kakarot." Commented Vegeta.

Goku turned around and walked up behind Gohan, placing his hand on his shoulder. He leaned in and whispered into his ear, "Make your move, go for it Gohan."

Gohan looked back at him and nodded. He gulped and approached Videl. Sweat was dripping off of his forehead, and he was still slightly bruised from the battle on Arpalei, but this was not going to stop him. Chi Chi waked over to Goku and rested on his chest, watching Gohan approach Videl.

Gohan tapped Videl on the shoulder and she turned around. "Hey, what's up?"

"Videl?" Said Gohan, getting down on one knee, "This whole time, since back when you learned of your herritage, since your tail grew, and even before then, I knew there was something special about you." Videl's eyes began to water again, and everyone stopped to watch him. "I fell in love with you, and now, after all we've been through, it's time. I've been meaning to do this for a long time." Gohan reached into his pocket and then pulled out his fist just as quickly. He turned his fist upward as he raised it to Videl, letting his palm side face up. "Videl Satan, will you marry me?" He opened his hand to reveal an engagement ring. The ring was gold with a 24-carat diamond.

Videl covered her mouth as tears began to roll from her eyes. Her emotions were a mix of joy and shock, as this was totally unexpected. Her knees shoo, and she bent them as if she was going to fall to her knees. "Yes." She said before sniffling, "Yes Gohan." Gohan smiled and Videl extended her hand. He slid the ring onto her left ring finger, and then swept her up into his arms, deeply kissing her. She returned the kiss, and their tails entwined with one another.

Cheers erupted from the entire group. Even Shenron shed a tear. A rather large tear. It dropped from his eye and landed right on Vegeta, knocking him down and soaking him. "Gah, blasted Dragon!" He shouted. Gohan and Videl discontinued the kiss and began to laugh, then everyone else joined in.

Goku turned his head and saw Raditz leaning against a pillar by himself. Goku decided to try and talk to Raditz. Slowly, he approached Raditz, trying not to startle him, but instead, Goku was taken by surprise. "I know you're back there." Said Raditz.

Goku walked up next to him. "I'm glad he finally did it." Goku chuckled, "I've been holding onto the ring for a few days, it was becoming really uncomfortable."

Raditz sighed, "Mairrage..." Raditz looked at Gohan's face. He was smiling, which in turn made Raditz smile. "It seems like only yesterday when he was a small boy. I did some pretty bad things back then. Everyone's changed so much." Raditz turned to Goku and smiled. "And yet, they haven't seemed to change at all."

"The more things change, the more they stay the same." Replied Goku.

"Indeed."

"What now?" Inquired Goku, "Do you still want to settle the score?"

Raditz chuckled and took a few steps past his brother. "No." He simply said. "I've undergone a change of heart, brother. This experience with Eyce has made me realize something. Life is too short and to fragile to spend it fighting all the time. It's something I should have realized a long time ago."

Goku smiled, "So what's next then, are you going back out into space?"

Raditz shook his head. "I'm done with pointless traveling across the universe. I think I'm gonna settle down right here on Earth." Raditz glanced back at Goku. "And by the way, I over heard your story about keeping Arpalei from falling apart. But, I know how to restore it completely."

"And how would that be?" Inquired Goku.

"Just watch." Replied Raditz. Radtiz looked in front of him and began to walk toward the center of the lookout, where the Eternal Dragon was summoned. The celebrating halted as Raditz cut through the crowd of people. "Eternal Dragon, I have a request!"

Everyone gasped, and Shenron nodded. "Speak your wish now."

"Over the past week, Arpalei has gone under the worst kind of destruction." Said Raditz. "I know how it feels to lose a planet that I called home. I don't want the people of Arpalei to know that pain." Raditz looked up with a grin. "My request is this. Could you restore Arpalie to the way it was before Eyce even thought about touching it? It would be a great honor to have this wish granted."

Shenron was silent for a moment, pondering on Raditz's shocking request. Grumbling, he yawned and opened his mouth. "I've been summoned for more than two hours, and my powers have depleted quite a bit because of it." Everyone was silent, Raditz kept a dead stare at Shenron. "But, I will see what I can do." Shenron went silent and began to focus really hard.

Deep on space, Planet Arpalei looked like a giant, reddish brown moon. However, Shenron was trying really hard to restore the planet to it's "Pre-Eyce" condition. A golden blanket of light began to consume the planet, entirely holding it within. The light then brightened so much that it looked like the Sun. After a good two minutes of this, the light began to fade away, and Planet Arpalie was a beautiful, thriving planet once more.

Shenron grunted, his red eyes flashed for a second, then dimmed again. "Your wish has been granted." He grumbled, "I bid you farewell." Light began to consume Shenron, who then flashed pure white and slowly receded back into the Dragon Balls. The Dragon Balls flew up high over head, and shot off in each direction. The sky went from dark to it's natural blue color.

Everyone began to cheer, and Raditz felt good. Finally, at peace. He thought to himself. Bardock approached Raditz and patted him on the shoulder.

"I'm glad that's over." Said Mirai.

"I know what you mean," Added Goku, who looked over at Gohan, "Well, we've got some planning to do kiddo."

"Right." Said Gohan with a nod. He then looked at Mirai with concern. "Will you be able to be at the wedding Trunks? I don't want you to miss this."

Mirai smiled. "Of course I'll be there, I'll just have to let my Mom know where I'll be." Mirai looked over at Goku and nodded. "I'll go back, re-fuel the time machine, then come back and stay here until after the wedding."

"Oh great." Said Vegeta, "Now I'll have to deal with two Trunkses." Everyone began to laugh at his comment. Even Mirai and Trunks began to laugh at him.

Gohan turned to Videl and kissed her once more. Planning for the wedding has begun.

One more after this and it'll be done. Thanks for all of your support, one more guys, just one more. Please review, thanks.