And the time has come to wrap things up here. It has been a fun road with a lot of surprises and maybe a few bumps along the way, but man does it feel good to be here. Anyone who knows me knows I am terrible when it comes to ending a project. So this story in a way has been kind of a test that I gave myself to push my concentration and endurance towards one making the regular updates as close to weekly as I could, and two sticking with it until the bitter end. Well here we are at the end… and you know what? It's not so bitter, is it? See you at the bottom!
Epilogue: Terms of Divergence
The light had long since faded. The glow of eternity settled back down to its calm infinite luminescence. A strange silence remained hovering amongst the heroes in the void.
Gohan had yet to move an inch as he stared at the spot Ru had vanished from. The last few days were replaying through his mind. Everything that had happened, everything he did, and he found himself wondering how much more he could have done.
Slowly Piccolo and Goku approached him. Goku sank to his knees and embraced him while Piccolo kneeled at his side with his arm around Gohan's shoulder. Gohan sniffed slightly and sighed.
"You were great Gohan. You did nothing wrong and saved more people than you'll ever know…" Goku whispered consolingly.
Piccolo smiled, "You did good kid, real good."
With his eyes closed a smile slowly crept across Gohan's face and he nodded, "Thanks dad, thanks Piccolo."
The group was slightly startled as the sound of clapping hands approached from behind, "He actually did it, I guess that means we're a little late," Lao Harknoss grinned as he stepped up beside the Kai.
Gohan returned the grin to all of the present members of Serius Prime who stood behind them, "Figures you'd get here now that it's all over."
Lao shrugged, "I had faith in you that you could handle it."
Phips poked Lao's leg, "He just didn't want to get beat up in front of everyone again." The rest of the team laughed as Lao shook his head. His proud look never left his face.
"There are still a few things that need to be taken care of," The Sovereign Kai stepped forward and held his hands above his head. A bright glow emitted from his palms as his energy made contact with the universal essence of Gohan's home dimension, "Hear me dragon Shenron of earth, I grant thee energy to rise!"
A spot above the ethereal surface began to cloud over and swirl as the eternal dragon broke free of the confines of its reality and soared above the weary warriors, "You have called me to this place, speak your desire and it shall be so."
With a nod the Sovereign Kai stated, "Dragon, within the past few weeks of your timeline there has been much turmoil. Upon your return to the physical dimension I ask you to repair the damage done by the misdeeds of foul creatures. Restore the lives, restore the cities, restore the prosperity to the point before all of this started, especially for the earth."
"Your wish will be granted…" Shenron's echoing voice boomed over the emptiness of the void as its body exuded a bright light and returned to its home realm.
Shin let out a relieved breath knowing his universe would be repaired of the trouble caused by the recent villains by the time he returned.
"This leaves only two issues remaining…" The Sovereign Kai grinned as he turned to face Lao.
With a nod Lao stepped forward and closed the distance to Gohan. Piccolo and Goku stood at either side of Gohan while Vegeta was close by behind them, "Gohan, your training has completed. You have successfully completed the test assigned to you by the Sovereign Guard despite the additional… unexpected… hardships encountered throughout the task. You did so on your own without the aid of other experienced Sovereign Guardians…"
"Hey I was there!" Phips grumbled.
"Without the aid of other experienced Sovereign Guardians…" Lao repeated.
"Awww…" Phips whined.
Gohan gulped as Lao continued, "You have exemplified your remarkable talents and abilities by defeating an opponent ranked as one of the greatest threats to all of reality. From this, not only have you earned our thanks…" Lao reached his coat and pulled out a box, "…but you have earned your place…" Lao opened the box revealing the coat of arms rank of Serius Prime, "…as a member of the most elite force of Sovereign Guardians."
The other members of Serius Prime clapped as Lao attached the rank to Gohan's shoulder. Gohan stared at the insignia completely silent for a moment. He finally smiled to himself as his father and Piccolo patted him in support, "Congratulations son, I'm so proud of you."
Piccolo didn't say a thing, but the confident smile on his face said everything that he meant.
"Thank you… This means a lot to me coming from you guys," Gohan grinned at his rank as it shimmered reflecting the streams of energy around them.
The Sovereign Kai stopped his clapping as he stepped up to Gohan, "And allow me to confirm just one other thing…"
"What is it?" Gohan questioned as the Kai's hand began to glow and wave in front of Gohan. Gohan felt a strange tingle run through his body.
"It's just as I thought," The Kai smiled warmly.
"What is?" Gohan gulped wondering if he should be worried about something.
The Kai put his hands behind his back as he turned and started walking away, "It's almost disheartening knowing that here is this amazing prodigy before me who I'm just going to have to learn to live without for a while…"
"What do you mean, what's going on?" Gohan stepped over to the Kai hurriedly.
The Kai grinned slyly down at Gohan, "I just mean I'm going to miss you while you spend the next hundred years with your family."
Gohan's eyes widened, "I'm… what?"
"Consider it a vacation; just be ready to report back to active duty once your hundred year holiday is up. The anticipation is going to be eating me alive. I've never had an immortal among my guardians before," The Kai spoke last sentence so low key that it took a moment for Gohan to understand what he meant.
With a puzzled look on his face, Gohan mumbled, "Did you say…?"
The Sovereign Kai smiled and nodded, "As you noticed upon your separation, you and Ru swapped conditions. This resulted in his death and your acquisition of immortality."
Gohan blinked a few times. His mouth hung loosely not quite grasping the information he was being given, "Isn't that… wrong?"
Shaking his head the Kai spoke, "Gohan, you are alive, and what's more you are immortal… An immortal saiyan. No divine intervention or wish had to be granted for you to attain this. You earned it all on your own. Now I command you to spend the next hundred years enjoying it. Understand?"
The look of shock slowly lifted from Gohan's face replaced by one of excitement. Goku almost snuck up to Gohan as he lifted him from the ground, "You're coming home Gohan! You're coming home!"
The two Sons laughed with each other as the rest looked on in serene contentment.
Once he was set down, Lao placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder, "We'll be waiting for you to come back."
Gohan smiled back, "You bet!"
Shu ran up to Gohan and clasped his hand to the other boy's, "A hundred years isn't that long. You better keep training or I'll be stronger than you by then!"
"I bet!" Gohan grinned.
"Really though, we'll make an awesome team, just like before!" Shu grinned before running back over to Lao.
Saila and Laudria walked over to Gohan. They gave each other a knowing wink before leaning down to Gohan, "You were wonderful Gohan!" Saila said first.
"We'll be waiting for you to come back," both girls kissed his cheeks at the same time before calmly turning around and walking away leaving a deep blush across Gohan's face.
"It's been fun man!" Torjuk waved.
"Good bye my friend," Morkup nodded calmly.
"Try not to get yourself in too much trouble," Pendyne chuckled idly.
Gohan waved to all of them. It was still sinking in that he would be finally going back home for a good long while.
A strange chill ran down Gohan's spine making him feel as though something wasn't right. He looked over the Kais, Serius Prime, everyone seemed fine. Looking down and to his side he noticed Phips sulking by himself. Gohan chuckled to himself as he stepped over to his partner, "Hey…"
Phips shuffled his feet a bit and refused to make eye contact with Gohan, "Hey…"
"Are you alright?" Gohan asked quietly.
Phips nodded, "Oh yeah… I'm doing… great really."
"Come with me," Gohan offered.
Phips smiled, "Thanks Gohan, but I can't go spend all that time on earth… That'd be boring! And you probably wouldn't let me have my fun with anyone. How about this, I'll hang out with the Kai and then hide out at your place when things go too far, deal?" Phips extended his hand.
"Deal!" Gohan caught Phips' hand and winked at him.
"Are you ready Gohan?" Shin called as he stood by Goku and the others.
"Yeah," Gohan ran over and huddled close to his family.
Phips plotted over in front of the Sovereign Kai, "Five one way tickets to the land of ignorant bliss, all aboard!"
Vegeta grunted as he crossed his arms, "We never did get the chance to fight Hercule Satan at the tournament."
"There's always next year Vegeta," Gohan smiled, "Next year… on earth… I can't wait!"
A rift began to open around Gohan, Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, and Shin as Phips pushed them through the dimensional boundary.
"And Gohan," The Sovereign Kai called, "This life is all yours, do things your way!"
"I will, see you all later! Good bye!" Gohan called as they vanished.
The Sovereign Kai sighed as he placed a hand on Phips' head, "How will we ever get along without him?"
Phips snickered, "I'm sure we'll all find a way to… coexist."
The Sovereigns all turned to leave together, "Don't you think maybe a hundred years is too long?" Shu asked as they walked.
Saila cocked her head slightly, "What do you mean?"
"Well in a hundred years it could be possible he won't want to come back," Shu rubbed his head as he though, "heck he might get weak if he doesn't have any decent fights in that amount of time."
The Sovereign Kai laughed heartily, "Oh you don't have to worry about that… From the kind of ordeals that take place on that tiny planet Gohan calls home so often… I wouldn't be the least surprised if the strength Gohan possesses now is absolutely nothing compared to the state he'll be in when he returns."
Shu along with the many of the other members of Serius Prime stared agape at the Kai while Lao only chuckled to himself, "Of this I have no doubt."
"Let's go home Phips," The Kai beckoned Phips over to the center of the group.
Phips began harnessing his rifting powers once again, "Yes sir, one large group transport coming up!"
"Try not to miss the time zone this time Phips," Torjuk laughed as they were overtaken by light.
The rifting energy flashed and everyone but Torjuk was transported out from the void. Torjuk stood by himself and blinked a few times, "One of these days…" With a snap of his fingers, Torjuk transported himself through the dimensional boundary with a loud pop.
Dende gazed out at the earth from the top of the lookout in awe. He didn't see the Shenron, but somehow felt the dragon's spirit sweeping across the planet. The cities below burning in ruin were all being restored and the people who were killed were brought back from the other world.
"This is amazing!" Dende smiled excitedly watching everything take place, "Everything is going to be fine!"
"What about Goku and the others?" Krillin asked trying to sense any sign of their return.
The light around the lookout faded as a rift in space opened just above the temple grounds. The light emitted a final violent flash before fading and revealing the triumphant warriors. "Yo!" Goku greeted with a friendly salute once everyone was able to open their eyes.
Chichi came running out of the temple after hearing Goku outside. Standing to his side just as she had been wishing was her oldest son. The blur was almost unrecognizable as Chichi stormed across the lookout and tackled Gohan in a burst of pent up emotions, "My baby! My poor poor baby! You've come back!"
A warm fuzzy like feeling overcame Gohan as he sniffed and hugged his mom back, "Yeah, I'm home mom… and I'm not going anywhere."
Everyone around noticed the halo missing from Gohan's head and cheered as Chichi finally released her boy. Goten and Trunks watched from the side of the temple. Looking tentatively toward his friend, Trunks gave Goten a nod in Gohan's direction and immediately the younger boy ran to his family's side, the bright green prism still held tight in his hand.
"Gohan!" Goten yelled as Gohan put a hand around his shoulder and pulled him close.
"Hey, I heard you back then, thank you Goten. You helped more than you can you know," Gohan pushed the prism in Goten's hand tighter motioning for him to keep it with him.
"I didn't know what to do, but I'm glad it worked! What makes this thing so special Gohan?" Goten spoke quickly.
"Don't worry, I'll tell you later," Gohan promised.
"Well now…" Bulma joined the Sons in the center of the lookout, "The world is safe, Gohan, also, is home safe and sound, and after so many years life can get back to normal. I don't know about you guys, but this sounds like the perfect excuse for a party!"
"YEAH!" The kids shouted as everyone gathered to move the festivities to the Capsule Corporation Dome.
Within moments robotic servers littered the Capsule grounds with tables topped with enough food to feed ten saiyans. Krillin looked around at the food, "Somewhere an army is starving right now," He joked.
Music blared through speakers throughout the complex as the livelier members of the group immediately danced. Goku looked surprised as Chichi actually dragged him out to the makeshift dance floor. Gohan and Goten whistled cheering them on.
"Your parents are so weird…" Trunks snickered to himself. Vegeta had been leaning against a wall a small distance away from the others. Bulma walked over and poked him slightly, and with grins they joined Goku and Chichi on the dance floor. Trunks's face dropped taking in the unusual behavior.
"Don't worry Trunks, one day you'll learn that parents are weird period," Gohan teased.
Even Eighteen dragged Krillin out to the center.
Yamcha grabbed a camera and started taking pictures of everyone. He made sure to catch pictures of each of the couples dancing. Gohan posed with Goten and Trunks, an arm slung around each of their shoulders as they threw peace signs at the camera. A shot was snapped catching Master Roshi on the ground at the edge of the dance floor trying to look up the women's skirts as they danced. In the next photo both Chichi and Bulma had hit Master Roshi with frying pans. Even Piccolo posed for a shot as Gohan floated a few feet off the ground and the two stood back to back with their arms crossed. In the next picture, Gohan looked blue in the face as he was being crushed in a tremendous bear hug from his grandfather. A surprise shot was taken during desert catching Goku, Gohan, and Goten with full mouths and chocolate ice cream smudges on their faces.
"Gohan, please, oh please, oh please, will you show us?" Goten whined.
"Yeah Gohan, come on, we want to see your hyper saiyan up close!" Trunks bellowed in.
Gohan closed his eyes and grinned as he threw his soda away, "Alright, alright, hyper saiyan it is!" All of the Z-Fighters gathered around after hearing the two boys cheer. Gohan released a calming breath as he reached deep into himself and brought the transforming power forward. In a flash of light that altered the air pressure in the room Gohan's hair changed color to a sparkling platinum, his eyes to a vibrant gold.
"Whoa… That is so cool!" Goten and Trunks circled around Gohan. Another photo was taken as Gohan had Trunks in a friendly arm lock while Goten grabbed onto Gohan's tail.
The night drew to an end and everyone began to leave for home. Chichi's expression looked as if she'd gone to heaven as she held both her boys tight up against her as they walked, "Gohan's gonna stay in my room right?" Goten asked excitedly.
"Hey it was my room before it was yours!" Gohan grinned happily.
Piccolo and Dende floated above the Capsule Corporation building watching the Sons leave before flying back to the lookout themselves.
"Hey Piccolo," Dende asked as he flew close by the earth's old guardian.
"What is it Dende?" Piccolo gently asked.
"I was just thinking," Dende beamed proudly, "After facing such a thing… one of the strongest interdimensional threats known to even the Sovereign Kai, earth should be considered the safest place in the universe with you and the others around don't you think?"
Piccolo crossed his arms, "If there is one thing this whole ordeal has taught me, it's that the universe is much larger and far more infinite than even I believed before. And that means that even after besting a being such as Ru this same event is bound to be happening in countless other realities, perhaps involving beings much, much stronger."
Dende blinked a few times processing Piccolo's words, "So… the earth could still be in danger then?"
Shaking his head Piccolo continued, "Once you've been guardian long enough you will learn that earth is in constant danger, but you shouldn't worry. No matter what comes next…"
At that moment Goku and Chichi stood in the doorway of the boys' room watching both Goten and Gohan sleep peacefully on their mats and pillows. Goten had already become restless in his sleep, his legs somehow ending up on Gohan's stomach as he rolled. Goku only laughed as he pulled Chichi to their room to sleep as well, assuring her that come morning everything would still be this way.
"…When that time comes, we will be ready…"
The End
A big thanks to EVERYONE who has read this story, whether you reviewed or not I'd imagine if you've come this far that it's because you enjoyed the story. That in itself makes me feel pretty good. The story is technically complete, but now I have the daunting task of going through and proofing this whole beast! Man, that's going to take forever! But I just want to be sure that when I make the official status change from "In-Progress" to "Complete" that the story is in actuality as complete as possible, and I know for a fact there are a ton of typos that need to be fixed. But I think overall this story came out so much better than its previous incarnation. It feels satisfying to me, and I hope the readers were given a similar feeling.
So thanks again everyone. Thoughts, comments, reactions? Let me know!