Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ. Nor do I own all the scenes from this chapter as some of them are just modified versions from what you've seen on television so that it'll fit the story.
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Glimmers of Hope
An anxious, deathlike ambiance loomed over the Tenka. If anyone spoke, they did so quietly. Dende and Piccolo stood together near the edge of the tower, somberly conversing; Mr. Popo stood nearby, in case his lord needed him for something. On the steps that led up into the palace, Kuririn and his daughter sat on the middle step, both with their chins propped in their hands and looking equally despondent. A short distance away, Amara stood alone against one of the pillars (it was the same pillar that Juuhachi-gou had punched Vegeta into seven years ago), arms folded.
Amara stared down at herself. She was as good as new; Dende wasn't just able to get rid of all the bruises and wounds Juuhachi-gou had inflicted on her during their fight, but he mended her damaged clothes as well. With the way she looked now, it almost seemed as if Amara had never gone through the things she did earlier that day. Almost. More importantly, though, he had also completely cured her of Babidi's possession spell. That last bit had been accomplished by Dende having the Saiyajin Princess drink something known as the Ultra Holy Water. Completely free of Babidi's spell she had secretly feared that all of that incredible strength she had gained would be gone, too, but fortunately it was all still there. It was just waiting for her to unleash it at her leisure.
Ensuingly, Amara's mind turned back to the fight with Juuhachi-gou.
*And it had been some fight, too,* she thought, her mouth quirking into a smirk of Saiyajin delight.
Despite how she felt about the repercussions that came with her earlier deeds, in the end, she didn't regret going through her secret scheme to use Babidi's magic to increase her strength, and as well as Juuhachi-gou. Before she even knew of Babidi, Amara had managed to finally surpass Juuhachi-gou during the past several years, and could have easily challenged her and defeated her. But just as expected, Juuhachi-gou had been able to give her the fight she had wanted after being put under the warlock's spell, too. Though, she had still been both surprised and annoyed that they were evenly strong even after the warlock's magic powered her up.
*Hm. But she and I haven't really solved anything,* Amara realized, her expression turning a bit sour at the recognition. *After going through all of the trouble of getting myself purposely placed under Babidi's spell, I still haven't resolved my issues with Juuhachi-gou. Will it always remain like that?*
As she was pondering that, Goku appeared. Everyone out on the courtyard looked toward him right away with looks of surprise.
"Goku!" "Kakarott!" Kuririn, Dende, Piccolo, and Amara chorused at the same time.
Despite the grim mood he'd been in a few moments ago, Goku managed to work one of his cheerful smiles on his face and threw a friendly wave.
"Yo!"
A short while later, the group could be found sitting on the steps or standing close by. Everyone wore serious expressions as Piccolo filled Goku in on all the events that had transpired during his absence. From the time Piccolo and Kuririn returned to normal to find Koji, Goten, and Hoshi there and a beaten Kaioushin at the mercy of Babidi and Buu before Vegeta, Juuhachi-gou, and Amara arrived on the scene, to Vegeta's impossible battle against Majin Buu, to finally the Saiyajin Prince forfeiting his own life for his family.
"...and that's everything," Piccolo said, wrapping up his drawn-out explanation.
Goku, who was completely healed (even his clothes were good as new), remained silent for a time when the green warrior had finished, staring dismally down at his feet.
"This is real bad," he said at last. "Even Vegeta, Gohan, and Kaioushin-sama were no match for Buu. Chichi and Goten are gonna be pretty devastated about Gohan. And poor Juuhachi-gou and Koji...Vegeta died for nothing wanting to protect them."
"Hey, why are we all still looking so gloomy?" Kuririn asked everyone optimistically. "Goku's here, now! I'm sure he'll find a way to beat Majin Buu, right pal?"
Goku smiled over at his friend, half-appreciatively, half-regrettably.
"I don't know, Kuririn," Goku answered quietly, looking away from the ex-monk almost shamefacedly. "After Vegeta was powered-up by Babidi's spell, he and I were exactly equal. And if he couldn't defeat Majin Buu...then what chance do I have against Buu?"
Those who had known Son Goku for a long time stared at him in pure shock; they had never heard the carefree warrior sound so diffident before. Not even when he outright admitted to everyone that he couldn't beat Cell.
"And Majin Buu is far too strong that not even ganging up on him would work," Piccolo added.
"You mean...it really is hopeless!?" Kuririn asked, looking disappointed.
Seeing the expression on his best friend's face, Goku turned to Kuririn and looked as if he was about to say something, but stopped. Technically, he did know of something that might be a match for Majin Buu- something that might even destroy the djinn entirely. Only, he couldn't use that way, especially while he was back in the living world.
*And besides, is this really my home to defend anymore?* he asked himself. *Kuririn seems to forget that I only have twenty-four hours on this planet before I go back to Other World. Probably even less so, after all that energy I threw around while battling Vegeta. Using that technique would just speed up the time I have left here. Still, though, there is another thing that might just help. A technique that can prove to be just as effective as that other one.*
"Goku?" Kuririn asked, when his friend hadn't answered him after a long moment.
"That's enough, Kuririn," Amara spoke up, a bit impatiently. "Like Kakarott said, there was absolutely no difference between his power and Vegeta's, and Vegeta still lost. To be honest, I don't think having him here will make any difference at all."
Kuririn sighed in gloomy acceptance. "So, there's really nothing we can do, huh?"
"Actually..." Goku said, immediately drawing everyone's eyes on him. "While I said I couldn't beat Majin Buu, I didn't say that everything was hopeless."
A ripple of interest quickly ran through the group. Kuririn broke out in a triumphant grin.
"I knew it!" he enthused. "I knew you come up with something if you put your mind to it, Goku!"
"Is this really true, Son?" Piccolo inquired inquisitively. "Do you have some plan to beat Majin Buu?"
"Maybe," Goku answered, though he still sounded a bit uncertain about this plan. "If Vegeta and Gohan were still alive, there was this certain method I would have liked to have tried with them."
"Method?" Amara asked.
"Yeah, it's a technique I learned while I was in Heaven," Goku said. "It's known as Fusion."
"Fu...sion?" Hoshi repeated.
"What is this Few-whatever-you-call it business?" Kuririn asked.
"No, Kuririn. It's Fusion," Goku corrected him.
"Fusion?" Dende repeated, eyes wide with a realization. "You mean "joining"? That's a Natamoru technique!"
"Good, so you know it too, Dende," Goku replied. "Yeah, I met some Natamoruseijin in the afterlife who taught me the move."
"What exactly is this Fusion?" Amara inquired, looking a bit intrigued by it.
"Well, Amara, Fusion is..."
"Fusion is two beings of equal power merging into a single powerful being," a new voice finished for Goku.
The Saiyajin and everyone else blinked in surprise at the strange intrusion. Then, everybody looked around in time to see a pale-haired woman appearing in a flash of light.
"Kosumo-sama!" Goku, Piccolo, and Kuririn shouted together as the woman walked closer to them. Hoshi looked at the woman in curiosity, while her mother's narrowed at the sight of the mysterious woman.
"Welcome, Kosumo-sama," Dende said, inclining his head toward her respectfully. "I am Dende."
"Thank you, Dende-dono," Kosumo replied with the same respect, bowing to him.
"Kosumo, where have you been all this time?" Piccolo asked.
"Yeah, Kaioushin said you suddenly had gone off on another mission," Goku said, scratching his head.
"That's right," Kosumo said seriously. "Dabura showing up with Babidi today had completely taken us off guard. After he attacked us, I thought it was best to pick up a precaution to avoid more future surprises. Unfortunately, I arrived too late. The worst possibility has come to fruition."
"So, you know about Majin Buu?" Piccolo asked.
The God of Cosmos nodded gravely.
"I know," Kosumo replied, her expression turning downcast. "Even while in a completely different dimension, I could still see everything that was happening back here on Earth." Looking up at everyone, she sympathetically added, "Including what happened to Vegeta and Gohan."
There was a pause after that.
Then Kosumo asked, "Now Goku-san, you said something about using Fusion to defeat Majin Buu?"
"Yeah," Goku answered. He turned crestfallen. "Only, I'm not to sure if it'll actually work now."
"What do you mean?" Piccolo asked.
"Well, like Kosumo said, in order for Fusion to work, there must be two beings of equal powers to merge together into one powerful warrior," Goku clarified. "I had been hoping to either do it with Gohan or Vegeta since they were near my power level. However, with the two of them gone, the only other person I might be able to pull this off with would be Amara. And something tells me she'd really be against that." Amusement could clearly be heard in Goku's voice as he said that last part.
Kuririn shivered disgustedly at the thought of his wife and best friend (a man at that!) fusing into one person. "Ugh! Thanks a lot, Goku, for that wonderful image!"
"Sorry, Kuririn!"
"Idiot!" Amara hissed exasperatedly, blushing furiously at the implications of her and Kakarott becoming one person.
"Don't get so discouraged so quickly, Goku," Kosumo told him. "I too believe that Fusion is the key to destroying Majin Buu. That is why I left earlier."
Afterwards, the God of Cosmos held out her hands and golden light flared briefly in her palms. When the radiance disappeared, a large crystal had been left behind, and perched atop of the crystal in separate niches were a gold ring with a purple gem and a gold ring with a green gem. The others stared at it in shifting levels of interest.
"Oooh! Pretty!" Hoshi gushed.
"Is this what you went to go pick up?" Goku asked.
"But they're just rings, aren't they?" Kuririn asked.
"Yes, but these are no ordinary rings," Kosumo explained. "These are the Galactic Rings."
"Galactic Rings?" Dende echoed curiously.
"The Galactic Rings act like a sort of Fusion," Kosumo answered, "but for it to work, the warriors who wear these rings must be completely of the same mind."
"The Fusion technique I learned from the Natamoru is performed a bit differently," Goku said. "First you have to perform a dance and just bring your index fingers together."
"Oh, yes, the Natamoru technique, I know that very well," Kosumo said, nodding. "It's actually similar to my type of Fusion in the respect they last for the same period of time."
"Wow, really?" Goku replied, looking delighted. "This might work out after all!"
"This Fusion...is it something like what happened between me and Nail?" Piccolo inquired.
"That's right, Piccolo, you are the result of a type of Fusion," Goku said. "The one you did is known as Assimilation, but it's still pretty much the same."
"Hm. Using both your Fusions could be our last hope," Piccolo said. "But Goku, have you decided who would do yours."
"No, I still have to make a decision about that," Goku replied, his countenance solemn.
"The young ones resting inside," Mr. Popo spoke suddenly, and everyone glanced at him. "Goten and Koji- both are same size and similar in power. Maybe they could do it?"
"Hey, that's not a bad idea, Mr. Popo!" Kuririn agreed cheerily.
"With the potential those two have, they'll be perfect for Fusion," Goku added. "Only, the problem is it would take them a week to learn like I did, and I'm only here for today." The Saiyajin's face immediately lit up, as an idea came to him, and he turned back to Piccolo. "Piccolo, when I leave, would you continue to teach them?"
Piccolo nodded.
"Have you all lost your minds?" Amara interrupted. "You're really going to entrust the safety of this planet in the hands of two brats still wet behind the ears!? How absurd!"
"You shouldn't underestimate the squirts just yet," Piccolo told her. "Children will find a way to surprise you when you least expect it. Especially half-Saiyajin children."
"Gohan was only ten-years-old when he defeated Cell," Goku added. "While all the rest of us were pretty much powerless against him."
Amara paused for a moment, thinking that over. She couldn't exactly disagree with them, nor did she ever actually say the boys were weak or anything. Nevertheless, at a significant time like this, she just couldn't find herself to believe in their power.
"That may be so, but neither of them are Gohan," Amara said at last. "I refuse to rely on a seven-year-old and a six-year-old to win a battle for me!"
"Amara..." Kuririn said; as usual, lost for words whenever his wife became this difficult.
"Then why don't you fight alongside them?" Kosumo suggested. Everyone turned to her straightaway.
"What are you talking about?" Amara demanded. "Like this, I'm no match for-"
"No, not by yourself," Kosumo clarified, "but fused together with another woman just as strong using one of the Galactic Rings."
The Princess stared at the woman temporarily, and then she burst into scornful laughter.
"Thanks, but I'll pass," Amara replied. Smugly, she added, "Besides, there are no other females on this planet as strong as me."
A moment of silence followed the Princess's words. Then, Goku blurted, "Hey! What about Juuhachi-gou? She's just as strong as you are!"
"What!?" Amara bellowed, furious that the lowly warrior would dare suggest such a thing.
"Hey, you've got a point there Goku!" Piccolo agreed. "A Fusion between Amara and Juuhachi-gou should create something quite formidable!"
"Forget it!" Amara snarled, flushing a bit with anger. "There's no way in hell I'm merging together with some Jinzouningen! Especially her!"
"But honey you have to," Kuririn tried to reason with his uncompromising spouse. "All of Chikyuu is in danger!"
Amara just turned her back on him in good old Vegeta fashion, folding her arms. "I said the answer is NO!"
"Well, what about Hoshi here?" Kuririn asked. "What if Majin Buu was to happen to get a hold of her?"
Faster than thought, Kuririn was pulled right in the face of a woman who could crush him in half if it so pleased her. Amara's pretty face was twisted in a snarl at the audacity of Kuririn to use their daughter as some pawn in making her fuse with Juuhachi-gou, but deep down inside she'd understand where he was coming from. After a minute, Amara released him roughly.
"Then it's settled!" Goku said cheerily. "While Kosumo's teaching Amara and Juuhachi-gou her type of Fusion, I'll teach the boys mine!"
"You idiot! What part of I'm NOT doing it do you seem to understand!?" Amara screamed at him, the fierceness of her voice making the dead Saiyajin cringe.
"Oh, you'll do it," Kosumo told her with grim certainty. "Once you witness the destruction that Majin Buu is truly capable of, you'll then understand that this is the only way to defeat him."
"We'll see about that!" Amara muttered angrily under her breath. *I don't care what the hell they say! There's no way I'm fusing with that android! It will never happen!*
Small droplets of lavender blood stained a terrain already adorned with numerous scars caused by great battles here and there, but the one spilling it didn't even notice it. The only two things he was aware of were that he was seriously hurting, and also that he was moving slowly but surely to the east.
*K-Kibito would sure come in handy right now,* Kaioushin thought detachedly, as he steadily walked forward. Well, he was more like steadily shuffling forward as his injuries were really hampering his mobility. He couldn't even muster up enough ki to fly. The only reason he was even able to walk at all right now, was because of his strong desire to see the one who'd inflicted the wounds on him in the first place to be utterly destroyed.
*M-Majin Buu...* Fury crept into the grimace of pain he was currently wearing on his face at the mere thought of his attacker. His well-ordered mind started to replay the horrid events of Majin Buu's rebirth and his subsequent assault on Dabura, Gohan, and himself. The flashbacks were so vivid, that he thought they were still happening now.
*Damn you, Babidi...for freeing that damned devil back into this world!* the god seethed inwardly. *I truly hope that one day...Majin Buu ends up killing you...so you can finally get what you deserve!*
Through all the pain he was feeling, Kaioushin managed to quirk his lips into a faint, vengeful smile at the thought of Babidi dying at the hands of the very monster his own father created.
*You may think you've won, Babidi...but there's still hope for this world and the rest of the universe," he thought determinedly." ...Son Gohan.*
"I…lied," he confessed, crossing the small gap between them. "Forgive me. For everything."
Juuhachi-gou found herself gawping at Vegeta again. In all the seven years they had been together, he had never once asked her forgiveness for anything he's ever done to anger her. And she was really starting to become uncomfortable when she saw the look he was giving her now, one that was gentle and loving.
"Vegeta, you're starting to actually scare me now," she said uneasily.
It was due to her baffled state, that she hadn't been prepared when Vegeta suddenly pulled her towards him and kissed her, long and deep. As she stood frozen, utterly shocked, ki flared underneath Vegeta's right hand and tendrils of electricity started to cover her entire body. Juuhachi-gou's eyes widened and she tried to cry out, but it was swallowed by her husband's kiss. Resultantly, to avoid a burnout, all of her systems shut down. The last thing she saw before falling unconscious as well, was a mixed look of regret and joy flickering in Vegeta's eyes.
Juuhachi-gou's eyes snapped open, and she sprung upright like a bolt. Her eyes broadened from shock at the instant cognizance that she had just had a dream. She hasn't had a dream since- well, thanks to Gero she couldn't remember the last time she had one. Right after, surprise crossed her smooth features again upon seeing that she was no longer standing in that rocky desert with Vegeta, but now lying in a soft bed in an unfamiliar yet nice and elegant room.
Where was she?
How did she get there?
And where were Vegeta and Koji?
Then she realized that it hadn't been a dream at all. After saying in so little words that he was about to resort to kamikaze tactics on Majin Buu, he hugged their son for the first time in his life and consequently knocked out him and Goten. Following that, he asked her to forgive him for every wrongdoing he's ever committed against her, and then...he kissed her goodbye before rendering her unconscious as well by forcing her systems to shut down.
Hurriedly, Juuhachi-gou tried to search for her husband's ki, and her whole body stiffened with dread when she couldn't sense it at all on the planet.
"He's dead..." she concluded, her hollow voice echoing softly off the walls.
She couldn't believe it, Vegeta was really dead.
And he had died for her and their son.
Something unbelievable happened. An emotion-the very one that tried to surface earlier in the cave when she was pouring her heart to Vegeta, only for her to furiously deny it-rose up within her, and her eyes started to sting and become blurry. Shock registered across her face when she realized the twin wet trails falling down either side of her face. Looking around into a nearby mirror confirmed what she had always thought impossible.
She was crying.
She was crying over Vegeta. Instead of pushing the emotion away this time, she embraced it, covering her face as she wept silently for her husband.
Outside Capsule Corp in the front lawn, Bulma deliberately placed all seven of the Dragonballs in the circle. So close together, the enchanted orbs reacted to the proximity by glowing so brightly that the number of stars on each of respective Dragonballs could barely be seen. And overhead, the sky ever-so darkened. Smiling, Bulma took a step back to stand beside her husband and daughter. The others stood a short distance behind them.
While the others acted as if this was just another ordinary day for them, Videl stared down at the shining Dragonballs in anticipation. Seeing wish-granting dragons didn't happen to her every day. Her mind was telling her that she shouldn't be so surprised about all of this now, considering the impossible stuff she's seen Gohan and his brother do, and there was also the events that took place earlier today at the tournament. But her practical mind still had trouble accepting it all.
"So, how is this supposed to work again?" Videl asked uncertainly. "How are we supposed to make this dragon appear?"
"Now you just watch closely, Videl-san," Chichi told her with a knowing smile. "You're about to see somethin' you've never seen on TV before!"
"I think everything's set," Bulma said.
"Come on, Bulma," her father urged gently. "Let's hurry and bring back those poor people who were killed today at the tournament."
Bulma nodded. Holding out her hands over the glowing Dragonballs, she shouted, "IDE YO SHENRON!"
Immediately, the world went through a shift from day to night. Crackling, gold light shot out from the Dragonballs, becoming one as it hurtled into the sky and lanced through the black clouds, solidifying in a massive green dragon. Videl witnessed it all, dumbstruck. She wasn't the only one to react that way, as nearly everyone in West City stopped what they were doing to gasp and gawp at the large serpentine figure hovering above them.
"N-no way! This just can't be happening!" Videl said in disbelief. "To think that such a world like this existed all this time!"
"All right, in any case, I'm going to go get everyone," Kuririn was telling the others outside God's Palace.
"Kuririn, watch yourself out there," Amara told him. "As soon as you sense Majin Buu come into range, you make a run for it."
"Hey, you don't have to remind me!" Kuririn said with a laugh.
Kuririn only got a few steps, when the sky around the floating palace abruptly turned black. Kuririn slowed to a stop to stare up in surprise and confusion with the others.
Goku ran a few steps forward and stopped, then looked around in more confusion.
"What? It's suddenly gotten dark!" he said.
"Is it night already?" Hoshi inquired.
"This can't be right," Amara said.
"No, t-this is...!" Piccolo said, sensing something. Dende, Mr. Popo, and Kosumo sensed it as well.
Goku also felt the familiar presence.
"Shenron is coming out?" he asked, looking toward Kuririn. "W-why!?"
"Bulma and the others must have gathered the Dragonballs!" Kuririn guessed, turning to the Saiyajin. "But she doesn't know the situation yet! Why would she call up Shenron?"
*Shenron,* Amara restated to herself. During her first year of living on Earth, Kuririn had told her about this Shenron, the dragon that resided in seven magical balls that could grant almost any wish. Such as being able to resurrect someone from the dead. The rest of Kuririn's friends had no knowledge of what went on during the battle with Buu, so she knew there could only be one reason why they were summoning it at this time.
"She's trying to wish back the people Vegeta and I killed today at the tournament grounds," she told them, her eyes incomprehensible.
Everyone looked at her in surprise, though two of them for a different reason.
"K-killed!?" Kuririn asked. "W-what you mean, Amara!?"
"Mama...?" Hoshi said, looking up at her mother in bewilderment.
Now that they knew the truth, Amara couldn't even meet their eyes.
"T-this is bad!" Dende fretted. "If all three wishes get granted, it will be another year before any more wishes are possible!"
There was a communal cry of dismay.
"Okay, I'll go right away and stop them," Goku declared.
Drawing his right index and middle fingers to his forehead, Goku scanned the world below.
"Damn, Bulma and the others' ki are hard to search out," the Saiyajin grumbled.
Back at Capsule Corp, Shenron lowered his head toward the tiny specks who had summoned him from his peaceful slumber.
"I shall grant thee any three wishes," the Eternal Dragon rumbled. "Speak thy wishes now!"
"A-am I dreaming?" the thunderstruck Videl was wondering.
"Um, how shall I word this...?" Bulma wondered.
"Such a hassle!" Yamucha said. "Bring back everyone that died today! Oh, and leave out the bad guys!" The scar-faced warrior looked over to his wife. "That should do it, right dear?"
"Thank you!" Bulma replied with gratitude.
"Bring back those people from the dead?" Videl echoed. "Is that really possible?"
"All right," Shenron said, his eyes glowing a brighter shade of red for a moment. "Your first wish is granted."
At the half-wrecked World Martial Arts arena and the adjoining city, those who were wrongly killed were brought back to life just as Shenron guaranteed it. Overjoyed that they were back alive, the people rejoiced.
Over where Babidi's ship used to be, a revitalized Kibito was rising back up to his feet and staring at himself in amazement.
Goku was still having trouble searching for the ki of his wife and friends, when out of nowhere, he found them.
"There they are!" he cheered.
And Goku was gone in a flash by Shuken Idou...
At once, he reappeared in front the others at Capsule Corp.
"I shall now hear your second wish," Shenron boomed impatiently.
"Aw, hell!" Goku said in dismay. "I wasn't in time!"
The others stared back at the Saiyajin in surprise.
"-Son-kun!" "-Goku!" "-Goku!"
"Goku-sa, where have you been?" Chichi demanded promptly. Instantly noticing the absence of their sons, and she stepped forward to confront her husband. "Where's Gohan? Where's Goten?"
"Chichi, there ain't time for this!" Goku said pressingly. "I'll tell you later."
Goku drew the first two fingers of his right hand to his forehead again. *Dende, can you hear me?*
*Yes,* came the reply.
*I was a bit late. Shenron has already granted a wish, but just one. What should I do?*
There was a pause, as the question was thought over.
Then Dende's voice replied, *In that case, please tell him the other two wishes are all right for now. If there's only been one, then we can use him again in four months.*
*So that's it, got it!* Goku replied. *Oh, and one other thing. Everyone's gathered together here, so tell Kuririn for me that I'll bring everyone there.*
*Yes. Understood.*
With that settled, Goku jogged over to Shenron, stopping when he drew up in front of him.
"Shenron! That's all the wishes this time around!" Goku told him. "Thank you! We'll be counting on you next time!"
"Well then, farewell!" Shenron replied. So saying, Shenron dispersed into lightning and shot back down into the Dragonballs. The Dragonballs then rose into the air and scattered off in different directions. Afterwards, the sky quickly changed from ebony back to blue.
"What is it, Goku?" Yamucha asked, baffled. "What the hell is going on now?"
Goku explained to them what was going on, though not everything. That would wait until they were all back at the palace.
"Got it," Bulma understood. "In another four months, I'll be sure to find the seven Dragonballs again!"
"Yeah, we're counting on it!" Goku replied. "Okay, everyone grab onto me. I'm going to Shuken Idou us there."
"Sure," said a voice Goku didn't recognize, following someone placing a hand on his right shoulder.
"Huh?" Goku asked, looking sidelong to see who it was. He did a double-take when he actually saw who it was, yelping in surprise as he fell down on his rear. "Y-you're Juunana-gou, aren't you!? What are you doing here!?"
Juunana-gou burst out in laughter. "You're really just noticing I was here?" he asked, clearly very amused. He smirked. "Lucky for you I don't obey Dr. Gero's programming, Son Goku."
Goku was even further surprised when the dark-haired man held out a hand towards him. When a moment passed and Juunana-gou didn't attempt to kill even once, the Saiyajin smiled and allowed him to help him up.
"Er, thanks," Goku said, still not knowing how to react to the raven-haired cyborg's sudden appearance.
"You don't have to worry about Juunana-gou-san, Son-kun," Bulma said, smiling. "He came with us because he wanted to see Juuhachi-gou-san."
"Is that so?" Goku replied. "Okay, let's try this again. Everyone grab onto me."
A moment later, the group stood in more or less of a straight line with Roshi holding onto Goku's left hand, Oolong holding onto Goku's left leg, Puar perched on Goku's left shoulder, Chichi holding onto her husband's right shoulder, the Ox King holding onto his daughter's right shoulder and Juunana-gou's left shoulder, with Yamucha holding onto the Jinzouningen's right shoulder and his wife's left shoulder, who held her daughter in her arms. The only ones that weren't in line, was a confounded Videl, and Bulma's parents.
"Papa, Mama, what are you doing?" she asked. "Hurry and join hands."
Dr. Briefs and Mrs. Briefs shared a secret smile, then they turned back to their daughter. Dr. Briefs' pet cat, Tama, perched on his left shoulder as always.
"We can't bear to leave our animals behind, so we're going to remain here," Bulma's father said.
"W-what are you saying!?" Bulma demanded. "Surely seeking shelter for yourselves is more important than your pets right now! Right, Mama?"
"Bulma, if Mama is killed by this Majin Buu, you can just bring us back to life with the Dragonballs," Mrs. Briefs said simply. She turned to touch her husband's right shoulder. "Mama is staying with Papa."
"Y-you can't..." Bulma argued. She turned towards Goku. "Son-kun?"
Goku looked at his long-time friend remorsefully. "Bulma, if the worst happens, you have to search for the Dragonballs."
Seeing that he was right, Bulma nodded enduringly.
"Huh?" Chichi said, finally noticing that Videl hadn't gotten in line yet. "Videl-san, aren't you goin'?"
"Yes, I'm going!" Videl replied quickly, arms flailing. "I'm going!"
She hastily rushed over and placed a hand on Bulma's free shoulder.
"All right! Everybody, let's go!" Goku said. With those words, Goku transported himself and the others away.
To Be Continued