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Nowhere: 37

King Kai was in a restful state of half-consciousness when a voice suddenly ripped through the air with high speed and a tremor of anxiety.

"King Kai, I have to ask you a question!"

The god flailed in shock before falling out of his lawn chair. Composing himself, he proceeded to reprimend his favorite, little mortal, "Goku! What is the meaning of this? You DON'T JUST BARGE IN AND START YELLING!"

"Sorry," Goku said out of necessity, not because he truely meant the apology, "but I have to ask you a question."

"This had better be good," King Kai grumbled as he straightened his crinkled antennae. Goku, instead, didn't reply, but took a seat in the now unoccupied chair, so that he could look the god in the eye. The elder suddenly noticed the solemn vibes that Goku emitted. He ignored the previous displeasure of his nap being interrupted. They looked at each other seriously. Finally, Goku spoke.

"What will happen to Vegeta if he dies?"

King Kai paled momentarily, "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean! Will he go to Heaven or Hell?"

At first the kai said nothing at all. Then, he took a deep breath and exhaled it in a sigh. His antennae now twitched and shifted position in contemplation. He opted to speak some moments later, "Vegeta has taken the lives of many innocent people. He has inflicted much pain and suffering upon those who did nothing to deserve his punishment. However, since his arrival on Earth, it appears that he has given up on the senseless destruction, at least, for the time being. He does appear to have hope for redemption, for his heart is not completely corrupt. And it is noteable that many horrendous things have happened to him. In a way, Vegeta was as cruel as he was merciful. However..."

"However, he's eternally damned?" Goku cut him off, "Does he deserve Hell? Have you looked at him? Have you spoke with him? He's been to his Hell and back already. It isn't fair. The afterlife should at least be fair!"

King Kai gestured for him to calm and to listen, "You didn't let me finish, Goku, and that's not fair. And yes, I have been watching him, as well as you - both of you. As for speaking to him.. I don't believe that'd be a wise course of action. We both know what happened to him on some very basic level. What I was trying to tell you is that the afterlife does try to be as fair as possible. I want you to follow me."

Goku did as he was instructed with the hope that all his immediate questions would be answered. What was King Kai going to show him? Maybe Vegeta's record? Maybe they had a court up in Heaven? He looked at the blue-skinned man in puzzlement as he headed towards his classic automobile. The god held the passanger door open for him and, with curiosity, he entered. When his immortal friend entered the vehicle, they both buckled their safety belts when the said friend decided to explain himself, "This'll be the fastest way there."

It was like any vacation-length car ride, except there was silence the entire way. Once or twice King Kai would murmur directions to himself, but otherwise there was only the accompanying sound of the engine. Goku stared out the window at the scenery as they passed - watching as familiar places came and went until they were just driving down what seemed to be a long, rural road. The vast plains were dotted with what appeared to be a mixture of trees and cacti. It was pretty - no - beautiful, to the point of awe-inspiring, yet he failed to notice. His mind was calculating, trying in vain to produce an answer to an older question. Something that ran through his head every night as he tried to fall asleep...

y1/square root 1-(v2/c2) 1

Damnit, he was no good at this!

Despite the efforts of the Yardat to educate him in their practices, he never could recall all their formulas and uses. The numbers just got jumbled in his head and it just made it hurt right between his eyes. Was he looking at the wrong item for a solution to his concerns?

Either way, he felt the answer. Seven days and three hours just weren't equal no matter how you looked at it.

The car slowed to a halt, and the god turned the vehicle off. Turning to face the Saiyan, he announced, "We're here."

Goku blinked a few times and allowed his vision to focus. He gazed at the sight before him and felt strangely at peace for a fleeting moment. The large ivory structure lay in front of them looking somehow like an office building from many different time periods, yet appearing to be singular and complimentary. He managed to climb out of the car and shut the door without tearing away from the sight, but then he noticed the other surroundings. It was as if they were in the middle of the most fantastic garden in existence. This place truly depicted Heaven well.

The duo walked up a small flight of stone steps and through a set of revolving doors thereby entering a great lobby. A secretary at the desk looked up at them and instantly stood. "S-Sir!" she stammered, "How may I be of assistance?"

"Please, at ease," King Kai implored, "I wish to know if Shelly is available."

"Of course! Ms. Hershmire is in her office. Please, straight down the hall. I will call her to inform you of your coming."

"Thank you, Candy."

At first Goku thought it would be pointless to call someone to tell them that their guests were just down the hall; that was until he saw the full length of the hall. It was, at a minimum, a two minute walk, but thankfully there were paintings to peer at as they passed room after room. Each picture had the same theme: nature in all its glory - rolling mountains with lush vallies, forests of several colored leaves, pristine lakes, and the list went on and on. Again, silence reigned between the mortal and immortal. There was the soft hiss from the air conditioning, and the quiet shuffle of their feet against the linolium, but other than that it was quiet and serene.

They came to the door at the end of the hall, and while Goku stood back, King Kai knocked politely. "Come in," a pleasant voice called out. With access granted, the kai opened the door and held it for Goku. Thanking him, the full-blooded Saiyan took a seat in front of the large desk in the room. King Kai shut the door, then sat down as well.

The woman known as Shelly finished reading over a document before placing it aside and looking at the pair. "North, it's great to see you. It's been since when.. the last barbeque? What brings you here? This isn't exactly a 'I was just in the neighborhood' case," she observed while offering a warm smile.

"Shelly, I want you to meet a friend of mine. His name is Goku," the god bypassed her questioning.

"Nice to meet you," the blond said cheerfully, standing partly to offer her hand, "I'm Dr. Shelly Hershmire."

"Hi, nice to meet you too," he replied, but then instantly spoke his mind, "It's.. doctor?"

King Kai coughed as he stood up, "I'm going to go get a drink. Shelly, why don't you have a discusion with him?" Goku eyed the kai as he nervously backed away and out of the room. Once the latch clicked, Goku turned to face the new aquaintance.

Again, he repeated, "Doctor?"

"Yes, Goku. I'm certified in After-Deceastion Medical Practice, and have been approved by the Directional Kais, King Yemma, and the Grand Kai for the past several millenia."

"After-Deceastion Medical Practice? You give medical care to people that are dead?"

"I know it may sound like a funny and pointless cause, but there's more to death than physical harm."

Goku began to wonder if this was heading in the direction he suspected. He figured, knowing his luck, it probably was. Instead of continuing her train of thought, however, she shifted the attention to him, "What brings you here?"

"King Kai brought me here after I... After I asked him a question," Goku said slowly.

"What did you ask of him?"

"I asked him if a friend of mine, Vegeta, would go to Heaven or Hell when he dies."

"Ah," the lady said as a small, sad smile crossed her face. This information shined light on the entire situation for her, "Why do you ask such a thing? Is he sick? Is he wounded? Will he be passing on soon?"

"No, no.. I just... He has this problem, you see? And I.. I don't really think it'd be fair for him to go to Hell," Goku responded with a slight blush due to his pathetic ability to explain the problem at hand. I must sound really stupid, he thought.

"What's wrong writh your friend?"

"I don't know," Goku snapped back, feeling irritated at the question.

"Well, Goku, I can probably tell you why North Kai brought you here," the lady said in a more clinical tone, "..There's a major flaw in the system of organizing the dead. Even though it only effects roughly point two percent of the population of the universe, it is a tragic thing. Most people, Goku, they live and die and have specific orientations for Heaven or Hell. Meaning if you do bad things - you rape, you steal, you murder - you go to Hell. If you do good things - help people, save people, work with people to protect them from evil - you go to Heaven. But there's a select few, just a thin band of people, who deserve fair and proper treatment by means of neutrality."

"I guess.. I don't understand what you mean," Goku admitted sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck from old habit.

"Think of it this way.. When you die, your body is repaired, or revoked, but we do not have the capabilities to 'fix' non-physical problems."

The Saiyan said nothing.

"Goku, I'm going to ask you a very important question, and I want you to answer me honestly."

He hesitantly nodded, then spoke softly, "Okay."

"Is your friend, Vegeta, mentally disturbed in such a way that, even in death, he is a threat to himself or others?"

"Yes," Goku whispered as his voice suddenly failed him.

"Then if your wish is for him to not be sent to Hell as punishment, you may rest easy," Shelly declared while standing from her chair in order to face the window, "..There was a debate. A debate that had been occuring long since before I was born, and long before the Directionals mapped the Cardinals. There was a man by the name Reg'ihan. Dr. Reg'ihan. He managed to single-handedly convince all the kais on council of his argument. Ever since then, the terminally ill have been sent here. The Kai Court found that it was improper to punish those, for example, who had killed and not even remembered due to their sickness. They wouldn't even know why they're in Hell, so how could that possibly be justice?

"The mentally ill deserve proper care and nourishment. I think what a lot of people don't understand is that they really aren't good or bad people. Their ailment causes them to be a whole different type of soul, which is neither of holy or unholy persuasion. However, our aim is to eventually cure our patients. Once free from their disease or disability, they can chose their destination through their actions."

"What exactly do you do here?" Goku was curious.

"We work with the patients and try to help them cope, then come to grips with their problem. Mental disorders affect the dead differently than the living, which is something else that isn't widely known. A disorder they couldn't overcome in life is merely an obstable between them and their eternity here. So what we exactly do varies from person to person."

"How many patients do get admitted?"

"Like I said, not many. Point two percent of the universe. Most are able to leave within a month or less. The longest we've ever had someone is a few years. Three, I think it was."

"So you deal with the most chronic cases of.. insanity?"

"You.. could.. say that. If someone only has a mild abnormality there's a commitee who can usually 'fix it' so the person isn't sent to us. It's time efficient. I know that must sound rather strange with this being eternity and all, but sometimes time is relative, and we have to take that into consideration. Goku, may I ask you another question?"

He shifted in his chair, "Sure."

"Do you have any idea exactly what is ailing your friend?"

He shook his head.

Shelly sat back in her chair and gave a wry smirk, "Well, I guess it'll be okay if we view his file. Any friend of North is a friend of mine." Goku lifted his gaze to meet hers. Only when he offered an uncertain smile did she swivel her chair around to a green filing cabinet. It was significantly smaller than the other three present - with black, white, and grey being their respective colors. Each cabinent had four drawers each.

She grabbed the handle and said aloud, "Vegeta." When she opened it, the first file was the one she removed. Double-checking, she commented warmly, "Your friend is special. He's the only 'Vegeta' alive." Manuvering herself close to the desk, she laid the file down and opened it in a way that Goku could only describe as neat and professional, "Let's see what's going on with him, shall we?"

She began to peruse the papers with infinite care and order. The Saiyan watched her expressions carefully as she read - noting any change and observing the crinkle of the brow or the pursing of the lips. Abruptly, she cocked her head to the side. "What is it?" Goku asked in a voice that betrayed his true emotions.

"Did your friend leave the Northern Quadrant recently?"

"Yes."

"Hmm.. That might explain this."

"What is it? May I see?" Goku asked, anxious. The doctor passed him a piece of paper.

-Return function 34: 25842.67905;2837.1.10. STOP. Time Stamp: 731.612.152.73654.1717.1
-Time Stamp: 732.1112.252.33654.1047.1

-Time Stamp: 733.312.352.43654.213.1

Goku handed it back, not comprehending the data, "Why was the page blank?"

"This is a log of all good and evil Vegeta has done. To conserve space, each entry is made directly after the previous one."

"Then why the blank page?"

"That's exactly the point. People are watched in their designated quadrant - the quadrant they were born, and live, in. If he left the North Quad it might have interferred with the proper recordings. I honestly cannot think of another explanation for the descriptionless time stamps."

"What exactly do those mean?"

"An empty time stamp is the same as saying 'on this day, sometime in the past, nothing happened'. It isn't very relevant, is it? The empty spaces could be reserved for the actions he displayed outside of his quadrant."

"It doesn't say if he left or not?"

"Files are supposed to only be evidence of a soul's orientation. As gods, we only want to pry so far. Why should neutral acts be forever immortalized in our system? We do have a sense of decency and privacy." Shelly became quiet, and Goku took advantage of it in order to absorb these latest developments. "Well," the doctor announced, "I'm going to go down to Records and convince them that this is a worthy investigation. In the meantime, you're welcome to take a tour of the facilities." She stood, shook his hand, and immediately departed.

In his head, Goku compared the data. An empty time stamp. Something didn't happen. Or, maybe, since a time stamp is only present in a major event, it just didn't know how to describe what happened that day. Vegeta left Earth to train in space. He went out to push his body to the limits and beyond. He left to become a Super Saiyan so he could rival him.

Vegeta left and never came back.

How long did it take for Bulma to become concerned? She must've known he'd be gone for awhile. She must've expected him to not return so quickly. But how much time had transpired till she began to wonder? How long did it take till she finally decided to contact him? How many times did she try and fail till apprehension took over, threatening to become panic?

How long had Vegeta been gone?