What should have been

by TriggerhappySOB

(REMASTERED) Rewritten story-line of DBZ post-Cell. Focused mainly on Gohan, who I felt was not done any justice during the Saiyaman/Buu Saga. Goku is still dead, but not for the lame reason given in the Anime. Gohan is more scarred than he appears in the Anime, both mentally and physically. New roles for old characters, and a whole new sequence of events. Warning: Graphic

36. Final Preparations

Chapter 36: Final Preparations

It was already night, the stars were burning bright in the sky by the millions, and the gentle thrum of the giant dragon's breathing provided a comforting sensation for Videl. She'd given up on trying to move Icarus shortly after nightfall, instead plopping herself down to sit against his warm belly. She'd done as much as she could to clean his wounds, but several of them still looked painful, and Icarus seemed to have lost the will to do much.

Not that she could blame him.

In the short time she had actually spent with him, she had come to realize that even with his lack of speech, Icarus had the same level of personality and spirit as any person she had ever met. He was intelligent, understood everything she was saying and was able to respond in his own way. And after the magnitude of the bomb she had dropped on him, he looked exactly how she and the others had felt immediately after Gohan and the others had been murdered. It was still painful for her to think about, and she had been coping for days. It was still fresh to Icarus, and after he'd managed to drag himself onto the grassy shore of the lake, he'd immediately curled up to the best of his abilities and laid his head down. If he was capable of crying, Videl knew he would be doing it now.

She offered what she could with her presence, laying her drenched and blood-soaked shirt over his spiny back to dry and settling herself against his stomach just to let him know she was there. It was an odd sensation really, being so close to such a large beast as this. If any of her friends were to see her, she knew they would probably panic and run about like headless chickens in worry. After all, this creature was an apex predator of legend, capable of mythical feats of strength and – dare she say it – magic. She was a mere human and barely a snack for him. Just being able to touch him, much less communicate with him and to share in his grief, and to know that was what was happening, seemed like something out of a fantasy book. Yet here she was.

She laid her head back to rest against his belly, feeling the gentle rise and fall of his chest as his massive lungs filled and deflated slowly. Sleep began to settle in slowly, and her eyes were getting heavy counting the millions of pin-pricks in the sky above.

"You know, I can heal him."

Her breath hitched and she jolted into full awareness. That was definitely a male's voice, and it was definitely coming from very close-by. Videl snapped her head up and saw the little green man from the lookout standing before her, with the small black genie hovering close-by on a… Magic carpet? What in the world?

Videl almost jumped clean out of her skin at the sight of someone else being near them, something which Icarus noticed and caused him to tense anxiously. Dende held his hands up apologetically and waved down the giant beast, who seemed to recognize him and laid his head back down, "Sorry! I didn't mean to startle you!"

Getting her breathing under control, she eased the tension out of her body and wiped her hands down the front of her face in irritation, "Kami, you scared the shit out of me. Please don't do that again?"

Dende hesitated, wondering if she realized what she had just said, but dismissed it and scratched at his cheek, "Sorry, but we've been looking for you for a few hours now. Even though I knew roughly where Krillin dropped you, you were hard to sense until I got close. If it weren't for Icarus here, I doubt I would have. I suppose it's for the best though, after all you're supposed to be hiding right now, right?"

She pushed herself up, leaning lightly against Icarus' flank and looking between the two newcomers with dozens of questions on her mind. But she decided to put them aside for the time being, considering his earlier offer. She stepped aside and gestured for Dende to approach, "You sure you can help him? I mean, he is a dragon, quite a bit larger than a human or Saiyan. He's got a little bit more than a minor flesh wound too."

Dende chuckled lightly and rubbed his hands together, throwing a grin her direction, "Please Videl, Dragons aren't any more complicated than Saiyans, and they don't use up as much energy, despite their size. I might be a bit tired afterwards, but I'll have no problem getting him back into shape."

And without another word, he held his hands up to the dragon's side and his eyes shut. For a split second nothing seemed to happen, and Videl wondered if he had actually healed her wounds when she had been beaten by Spopovich. But as she peered closer, she began to see things happening. A faint hissing sound was barely audible, and she could see the fibers of muscle beginning to weave back together all along Icarus' side. Skin melded back together, leaving a defined scar in each place where the scales had been damaged. The fabric of his wings seemed to take on a brighter tone as the blood vessels in them were repaired, along with the limbs that made up the wing itself. She could only watch in fascination as he worked what she could only describe as magic. There's that word again. Magic. Just what the hell kind of world have I gone and fallen into?

"Now Videl, I've been meaning to ask you, did you know you were suppressing your ki?" asked Dende curiously.

Icarus snorted, looking between the two of them before trotting off through the tree line, completely ignoring his wings but proving that he was swift even on foot. Videl shook her head and blinked away her semi-awe-struck state. Quickly recalling her thoughts, she rubbed at the back of her neck, "I… Suppressing my ki, you say? No that's something I haven't learned. To be honest I haven't even learned how to sense others' ki, which is probably why you were able to sneak up on me so easily."

Dende wiped his hands on the front of his robe and furrowed his brow in thought. Popo must have been thinking the same thing as him, because he hopped off the carpet and peered at her in the darkness. The sensation from it was that she was being x-rayed. It wasn't pleasant. "You mean that Gohan didn't teach you how to hide it," he began, puzzled. "but showed you how to draw on yours? How peculiar. I figured for him, ki sensing would be a priority, what with his need to protect everyone."

Dende waved his comment away and considered Videl with a goofy grin, "Nah, if I know our Gohan, he probably decided to train her how she wanted to be trained, am I right?"

Videl thought back on it, considering what he meant. Sure, she had asked Gohan to train her, but left her request very vague. When she thought back on it, he pretty much had followed what she wanted, even without her saying anything to direct him, "Well, I don't really know for sure. Yea, I'm much better as a fighter now than I was a couple months ago, but I didn't really say what I wanted besides just fighting. I wonder if he thought I should have had different training… But anyways, what do you guys want? Why were you looking for me?"

Dende hesitated a moment before answering, pulling out a small capsule from his robe in the process, "Well, it seems that the powers that be are planning something. Krillin passed on to me that I was to find you and hide the dragon balls, just in case… To be honest I'm not really sure what's happened in the last couple hours. He stayed behind on the lookout while everyone else escaped, and I haven't heard or seen anything since. I can't afford to risk searching out with my ki or else Buu might find us, so we'll just have to wait it out until something happens."

Videl sighed and sat back down on the soft grass, staring up at the heavens. It was quite a beautiful night to say the least. Stars pocked the sky from horizon to horizon, and the dense cloud of the Milky Way was visible to the naked eye. Dende silently strode over and sat down next to her, turning his eyes towards the heavens as well. She understood the grim implications of what he had said, but by now she felt numb. If Krillin had died, it would only add to the pit already present in her chest. It didn't feel like there was much more hurt she could realistically take, so it just felt numb. She didn't even feel the urge to cry. A calm acceptance of their collective fate had finally set in, "Dende…" she began hesitantly. Dende didn't look towards her, but grunted, "Hm?"

"… When this is all over, will I be in the same place as Gohan? My mother?" she asked anxiously. Dende considered her out of the corner of his eye, a small frown etched into his face, "Do you want my honest answer, or the one you want to hear?"

She smirked at him, rolling her eyes, "I don't need to be babied Dende, I want to know the truth."

"Well… I don't know." he said earnestly. "You'd definitely end up in the same place as most other earthlings, since very few of you deserve to be sent to Hell. So, your mother? Most definitely… Gohan however, has been personally claimed by the Kais. I don't even know what they intend for him. Very few people get to retain their bodies upon entry into other-world. Just the most powerful of warriors, which are usually given bodies to perform tasks after death, and those sent to hell, for less pleasant reasons."

Videl focused on the brightest star she could find and thought about his words. She didn't really want to think about hell, since such a place really existed. She was curious about what would happen to her. "But what of those who just die like normal? No bodies, no Kais, no hell. What?"

Dende turned to look at her, his eyes seeming to glow in the dark, "I pray that you won't have to experience that until you're ready, but suffice to say you kinda just linger in otherworld amongst other souls. I hate to say it, but when he goes, I don't know if Gohan will be able to just be in other-world like most people. Take for instance, Goku's situation. He was given a body and kept on the Grand Kai's world, a bridge between the physical and other-worldly realm. With the exception to his apparent visits to hell on missions for the Grand Kai, he hasn't seen anyone in Otherworld of his own free will. I can't promise that Gohan won't be in a similar situation."

Now she could feel the burn of tears in her eyes. She tried blinking them away, but only succeeded in forcing them out onto her cheeks. She clenched her jaw, fighting to keep her emotions in check.

"But Videl, you mustn't dwell on these things." said Dende quickly after noticing her struggles. "Call it a hunch, but whatever they're doing up there right now, I'm positive it'll get us out of this mess. Gohan and the others are going to be back before you know it, and when they are, he'll be there for you."

Videl blinked and finally turned her eyes from the heavens above to look at the guardian. He smiled warmly at her, and she couldn't help but feel a bit relieved when looking at him. "You're good for him, you know that, right?" he asked warmly.

She blushed a bit, caught off guard by the change in tone, "I… Umm…"

"I mean it Videl," he continued. "You've brought out a change in him I haven't seen for years. And I may not be omnipotent, but I've seen how he's impacted your life as well. You two have something special, and when he gets back, not if, you need to hold onto it, for the sake of you both."

She couldn't muster a response. He seemed so sincere, so convincing, that she truly wanted to believe him. Her mind was telling her that it was all a load of shit and that she needed to face reality, but it was such a pretty picture. In the end, she merely settled for mumbling out a small thanks, and standing to give herself something to occupy her mind. She brushed herself off and reached out to give the Guardian a hand, which he took with a smile. She took a look around her for a reference point and pointed off in a western direction, "Well, I can remember Krillin saying that I should make my way to the Son home. It's that way, right?"

Dende nodded and scratched at his cheek, laughing sheepishly. They both turned towards the noise of Icarus poking his head through the foliage, a dark unmentionable substance dripping from the edges of his maw. She made a look of disgust, but didn't dare try to figure out what he had eaten, "Man, I feel bad for anything that winds up between those teeth… Speaking of…"

"Heh, yea." said Dende with a grimace, suddenly remembering the dire situation. "I'd almost forgot we were supposed to be hiding from Buu… Out in the open is probably not the best place, huh?"

She sighed and nodded, turning and beginning their trek, "Well, no time to waste Mr. Guardian. We should be there pretty quick."

Dende and Popo followed her silently with Icarus trudging along behind them at a distance. Thankfully they weren't offering to take her on that little carpet thing floating in the air behind them. She didn't know how she would feel having to ride on something that seemed so flimsy. She welcomed the silence, mulling everything over in her head. She hoped Dende was right about Gohan, but always at the back of her mind: I may never see him again…

*OTHERWORLD – WORLD OF THE KAIS*

The pressure vanished as quickly as it came, and Gohan found himself once more being spat out onto the surface of the Kais world. He immediately sensed the presence of his father and Vegeta near him, as well as that all too familiar kai. He shook the minor spell of dizziness from his mind let his breath out. When it all stopped spinning, he barely had time to think before Prince Vegeta was forcefully grabbing him by the chest-plate and dragging him off without a word. Gohan focused on him, noting that the Prince was pointedly ignoring the others and had a determined look on his face. Gohan couldn't help himself, he felt like giving Vegeta a bit of a hard time. "You know, most would take a guy out to dinner first."

Vegeta visibly reddened with anger but surprisingly had no retort as they approached Goku and Shin with the other three in tow. Gohan smirked down at the prince and snorted in amusement, "Hmph. It's okay, you're not my type anyway."

"Brat! Just because you saved my son from me back on earth, I won't hit you for that." snarled the Prince irritably. "Shit's happening, so I suggest you put on your game face, because you're about to be put on the spot."

Goku overheard their conversation and reached out to clap Gohan on the shoulder with a grin. One which Gohan couldn't help but return. Goku gave his usual childish laugh and said, "Hey Vegeta, take it easy on him huh? He's just trying to make a light bit of fun."

Vegeta grunted in irritation and released Gohan, turning towards the supreme Kai with a scowl, "Alright runt, everyone is here. Now will you tell us what the hell is going on? You said it was important."

That caught everyone's attention, though Shin seemed to not notice the presence of a new face amongst them. Gohan put it to the back of his mind, wondering inwardly what amusing situation this was going to create as the Kai began, "Buu's escaped from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Fortunately, these two have managed to get to the point that they can use the fusion dance with some… eh… who is this?"

For the first time, Shin seemed to notice the old Kai standing there with a visible vein pulsing in his forehead. The two locked eyes and Shin paled slightly, "Um… Kibito… who… is that an old me?!"

The response from the old Kai was immediate and harsh, forcing those around him to cower slightly, "NO, YOU'RE JUST A YOUNGER, DUMBER, ME! WHO IN THE WORLD EVER HEARD OF A SUPREME KAI LOSING SO MUCH OF HIS ABILITIES, NOT TO MENTION THE LACK OF RESPECT FOR HIS ELDERS!"

"Ehhh… Do… have we met venerable elder?" asked the supreme Kai with an anxious smile.

"I'm you, dumbass!" snapped the old Kai. "I don't even want to gander at how many generations have passed in the last sixty million years, but if you're the outcome then OBVIOUSLY something was done wrong!"

Gohan smirked and crossed his arms with a smug expression. He enjoyed Shin's discomfort, "Sixty-five…"

Shin's mouth opened and closed a couple times as he tried to figure out what he was supposed to say. Oddly enough, it was King Vegeta who was the one to bring it all back down, "Yea this is hilarious and all, but what the hell do you want?! First this old guy interrupts our training and does that 'unlocking' crap to the brat, then we get dragged back here, and you tell us that Buu has escaped! We can put this squabble on the back burner, just tell us what needs to happen!"

Gohan could have smacked himself in the head for somehow forgetting their situation so easily. How the hell can I be thinking about that sort of shit when Buu is out?! "Where is Buu now? You said he's escaped, so I'm guessing you know where?"

Shin wiped a stray bead of sweat from his brow and fought to collect himself, casting a wary glance towards the fuming old Kai occasionally, "Yes. As I was saying. Goku and Vegeta have managed to do fusion with a relatively successful rate, and I trust that you've been trained as well? With Z-sword in hand, you three collectively have the most power at your disposal to take down Buu for good. He reappeared in an uninhabited area of your Galaxy, more towards the core, but still within a relatively close range of your system. He doesn't need to breathe so he can travel in space without hindrance, and he's extremely fast. I estimate his arrival at Sol in something like ten hours. But that's a rough guess, it could be much more or less. The choice is yours to make now. Do you want to go back now and prepare, or would you like to continue training until you know you can beat him?"

Silence followed his words. Gohan thought hard about the situation. He was certain that ten hours wasn't enough to finish his work with the Oozaru form, and he hadn't tested out his abilities just yet with this new form he'd been given. He had no clue what the fusion thing was that Goku and Vegeta had been doing, but the Kai's seemed to think it would help. Then came thoughts about the people left behind. If the Kai was right, ten hours could be enough time to find them all and evacuate them somewhere else in case he did have to use the Oozaru. Or at least to get the important ones away. He weighed his options.

"Well I don't know about Vegeta, but I think that we have to keep going at this fusion thing to get it down perfect. We can't afford to be out of the game for half an hour because we goofed it up." said his father. Gohan looked towards his father and Vegeta and the both of them were looking intently at Shin, with no doubts in their eyes. That accounted for them. Gohan scratched at the back of his head and furrowed his brow in thought, "Alright, you two should do that then. But we need a plan in case this gets worse before it gets better. If Buu arrives there sooner, then we need someone to at least hold him off until more help arrives, and I think that it had better be me. If for some reason it takes longer, then I can find a way to contact you and tell you that you have more time. We have to take advantage of everything we have at our disposal, especially time. I'm already alive again, courtesy of this old geezer-", "HEY!" he ignore the old Kai and continued, "- so if I go back, I can get a good scope of what's going on, and we can go from there… Kibito, can I ask you to do me a favor?" The pink Kai quirked an eyebrow at him and gestured for him to continue, much to the confusion of the others present. "I want you to be on standby to move, at a minimum, one person from Earth to new planet Namek. Do you know where that is?"

"Of course I do. Why?" asked the Kai hesitantly. Gohan shrugged his shoulders and explained, "It's our guardian, the one who the fate of the dragon balls is tied to. If he dies, this is going to be a lot more complicated. I want to save more, but if all else fails, he has to be evacuated. That may be our only chance of bringing this guy down and repairing the damage if things go the wrong way for us. Now, dad-" He turned to Goku, who was already looking at him with an excited expression. The halos burning above his and Vegeta's heads were the first thing that stuck out at him. Second was what had been done to himself, "You two are still dead, but you were able to return to Earth for a time. Regardless, I think it would be best if you were revived before coming back. Also, if we can get you two to have your potential unlocked like me-"

"Not happening." Interrupted the old Kai, catching him completely off guard, and all eyes were now on him. Gohan felt his temper flare slightly. If he was refusing to do it for some silly reason, then he'd have to coerce the old guy to do it. "What?" he asked in a dangerous tone.

"Not happening." repeated the old Kai. There was no emotion behind the words, in fact it seemed that the old Kai seemed a bit let down.

"Why not?" pried Gohan, pressing his anger down for the moment.

"To put it bluntly, there's nothing for me to do with these two." he said, waving at them dismissingly. "Your soul was in turmoil, and that prevented you from achieving your full potential. These two are of solid mind and spirit, and I can't do anything else for them. They're at their potential already. Like I said, I sensed it in you. Not them."

"You mean they're maxed out?!" Gohan asked incredulously, his stomach sinking slightly.

"Well I can't do anything for them." said the old Kai pointedly. "That doesn't mean they're maxed out, but judging by their current strength, a fusion between the two of them would be impressive to say the least. To be honest I'm surprised that technique survived for so long. I thought it had died out before I was entombed… Speaking of… Why in the world are we not going to Beerus for this?!"

Goku and Gohan shared a confused look, still unsure who this Beerus character was, while the other three Siyans exchanged what appeared to be an unsure glance. It was like the name struck a chord in them all, which hinted that they had all met this Beerus before. But Kibito cut in, his voice grim, "Lord Beerus hasn't been seen for almost forty years, and nobody has actually seen where he rests. He doesn't emerge from the abyss very often. Before that it was over a hundred years since his last visit. Simply put, we don't know how to find him."

The old Kai crossed his arms and mumbled something that sounded oddly like "Traitorous old bastard." Gohan discarded the information, deeming it unnecessary for the problem at hand. Regaining his train of thought, he shook the old Kai's shoulder lightly, "Okay yea, whatever. Look, even if you can't help them to unlock any more power, you can revive them, right?"

"Well… I don't see why not. After all, it doesn't look like Junior here can do it now can he?" said the old Kai. Shin flinched under the hard glare Gohan sent him. He'd had his suspicions that the supreme Kai wasn't really able to return Goku's life, but now that he knew, he kinda wished he'd just beaten the Kai instead of letting him off so easy. Gohan sighed and ran a hand down his face, "Fine, if you wouldn't mind? I suppose you could use it as training for these two as well. Who knows, maybe they'll stop crashing people's lives and start using some of the power that they're supposed to have."

"Oh, they're going to have plenty of training while I'm still around." grunted the old Kai, glaring pointedly at the two younger Kais again. "The state of the universe has fallen to the point that I don't really have a choice."

"Great." he muttered, halfway meaning it. "Okay, so I go back, I'll get to Dende and make sure he's secure and ready to move on a moment's notice. I'll try to grab the others and get them to safety too. As soon as I sense Buu, or he makes an appearance, I'll contact you through Dende or… Yeah, make sure that King Kai is on board with all this too? He could be a big help here. When things start happening, I'll need Kibito to come get as many away as he can. Dad, I'll leave it up to you when to come back, but I don't exactly know how long I'll be able to stall. We're gambling a lot on timing here… You guys got any issues with that?"

After a few moments of deliberation, nobody posed a counter argument. It was strange, but given the situation, Gohan was loving his newfound confidence. He felt in control, really in control for the first time in his life. He was laying out the plan, not following orders or simply acting on a gut instinct. This time he would be prepared. This time he was going to make it work. This time he had the jump on his enemy. Goku clapped him on the shoulder and grinned up at his son, "We'll be ready in time Gohan, don't you worry. Vegeta won't say it out loud, but he's ready to do his part too."

"Don't put words in my mouth Kakarot!" spat Vegeta. "The only reason I give a shit is because you and I have unfinished business when this is all over, and you will not be dead when we have our rematch!"

"Yea yea." laughed Goku dismissingly before turning back to his son. "We'll get him Gohan, and when it's over you and I can go fishing, just like old times!"

Gohan allowed a small smile to turn the corners of his lips up. It was a nice thought, though it felt weird being talked to like he was a young boy again. Actually, it was kind of embarrassing. He noticed Bardock and Vegeta Sr. out of the corner of his eye and couldn't help but notice they seemed to be a bit too accepting of this plan, "You two got anything to add?"

Bardock shrugged and reached up to pull the red headband off of his forehead, holding it out towards his grandson, "No. We've long accepted our fate in this universe, so we don't expect to be able to have any say in its happenings. This is your world to conquer, your enemy to vanquish. We will watch from afar, but more than that, we cannot do. I wish you luck Grandson… This was my best friend's, fallen in battle against Frieza's men. Think of it as the blood of the Saiyan race riding with you into battle, so that we may at least have some hand in it all."

Gohan accepted it with a nod, knowing what the symbolism of such a thing meant to his grandfather, and to the King. He stared at it hard for a moment before wrapping it tightly around his wrist and tying it off, holding it up for them to see, "The first hit that lands is going to have the power of the Saiyans backing it. You'll get your wish. Buu will fall at the hands of a Saiyan."

Bardock and even King Vegeta gave a confident smirk at that and nodded. With things out of the way, Gohan hefted the weight of the Z sword on his back and turned towards the red Kai, "Kibito, I think it's time I go home. There's no time to waste."

Kibito nodded and reached out to grasp his shoulder. Gohan turned towards the other two Saiyans and gave them a meaningful look, "I'll be seeing you both soon on the battlefield. Don't be late or I'll be forced to destroy him all by myself."

He let himself smirk at the challenge, which the two of them accepted with smirks of their own before darkness closed in around him and he vanished into the void once more. With a pop mere seconds later, he emerged to the familiar scent of the Earth's air. But it was tinged with a foul odor. It smelled of fire and death, and of fear. The air was rank with it. As his eyes opened, a horrific sight greeted him. They were standing on top of what remained of the lookout. Most of the platform was completely destroyed, blasted out from the center like an enormous bomb had gone off. There were no signs of life there. He felt his breath hitch at first, but then relaxed when he felt the presence of life below. He gritted his teeth, recognizing where the tinge of fear was coming from without having to look hard at all. Shit… What a fucking mess. Things are worse here than I originally thought.

"We will await your word, young Saiyan." said Kibito, and Gohan noticed he looked winded. "A dead Kai cannot remain amongst the living long, so time it carefully. Remember, the Supreme Kai said ten hours. Good luck."

Gohan nodded towards him and Kibito vanished without a trace, leaving Gohan alone. Taking a moment, Gohan closed his eyes and breathed deeply, feeling his new lungs fill fully and sensing all of the peculiar smells on the air. He'd never realized how much he appreciated his senses until they were taken from him. The Kai's planet was nice, but it lacked the feel of the Earth. It lacked that feeling of home. He allowed himself to get lost in the nostalgia of being back on his own planet for only a moment before extending his senses out in search for the strongest ki he could find. "Okay guys, where are you?"

After a few minutes he still couldn't find anything and felt a slight pang of panic. Refusing to succumb so easily, he shook his head and thought about the whole picture. Buu was obviously not there, so Krillin was probably with the others trying to do damage control. Dende was likely hiding somewhere and needed to be found. Another consciousness pressed against his and he immediately put his guard up, blocking his mind off before he could identify them. The result was a pained wail of an oddly familiar voice echoing in his mind, "OW! What the hell did you do that for? Jeesh, I just sensed you were alive and thought I might be able to fill you in!"

He paused, placing the voice but still a bit unsure of his own judgement. King Kai?

"Yea it's me! Why did you go and zap me like that? That hurts you know?"

Umm… Sorry about that, you just surprised me is all. What's up?

"Ugh… between you, your old man, and these damned Saiyans… Look, I communicated with Krillin earlier and told him to send Dende to find Miss Videl."

Videl?! Is she okay?

"Yea, but she barely made it out of the fight with Buu. She disappeared along with Dende and I have no clue where they are since they're hiding their ki. I don't know the layout of your planet so I can't tell you where to look. But I bet if you find Krillin, he can tell you where he dropped her, and you can go from there."

Thanks, i'll do that.

"I've been able to keep watch, but you should probably hear the situation from someone who's been there the whole time, and I want to focus on my current task. I'll keep my eyes on the sky, and I'll let you know as soon as I can sense Buu getting close, okay? It's the best I can do from my current position.

Gohan sighed and smiled a small smile. It was nice to know that somewhere out there was a Kai still willing to help him out without having some sort of skewed motive. Thanks King Kai, it means a lot. I'll get going, please let me know as soon as you get an update okay?

"Yea, just do me a favor and don't try to block me again? My antennae can't withstand that sort of power surge multiple times."

With that the consciousness disappeared entirely. Gohan shouldered the heavy blade on his back once more and sprinted towards the edge of the lookout in the direction of West City. Excitement surged through him as he realized he was mere minutes away from seeing any of his old friends again. That he was going to see her again. Hang on a bit guys, I'm coming.

*CAPSULE CORP. – 24HR AFTER BUU'S ENTRAPMENT*

Chiaotzu calmly settled onto the top of the family dome that all of his friends were resting in. Even Krillin had just dropped away into what he knew was a fitful slumber. He kept his eyes glued to the sky, watching for any hint of light, any sort of indication that something was happening. He could sense nearby humans scuttling about the mostly abandoned city. They'd evacuated and scattered across the country, trying to find hiding in any place they could until the all clear could be given. The only real gathering of people left was directly beneath his feet. The remaining Z-gang was all here, along with Hercule, who had accompanied them in the hopes of finding his daughter. He didn't particularly like the big buffoon, but even Chiaotzu had to admire the man's sheer determination to find his only child.

A disturbance in the air caught his attention, and he looked in the direction he thought it was coming from. Nothing stuck out, but he held his breath in anticipation, preparing to call out the alarm. But he found himself completely floored by the explosion of power that shot through his senses as it entered within the city. He'd restricted his ki sensing to a small area of a few square miles to prevent anyone noticing, and this thing was closing on them fast. He could barely breathe for the amount of shock it put him in. It was intense, vast, and most importantly, it was familiar. His eyes widened as the worst possibility sank in. Oh kami, its Buu!

He turned and prepared to dart into the building and rouse the others when the ki spiked twice, an indicator that the Z fighters had made to identify each other with ki alone. He pulled up short and turned back towards the direction the ki was coming from, and vaguely made out a lone figure coming towards him, shrouded in darkness against the night sky. He could feel Krillin's ki stir below him, shortly followed by the three children. But his eyes were glued to the figure. A numbness spread from his chest as it became more and more clear until Chiaotzu had no doubt who it was he was looking at. That tall figure, the spiky black hair, with a scar on his face and decked out in Saiyan battle armor complete with a sword across his back. There was only one man who he could have been. "Gohan!"

Chiaotzu couldn't help himself, he leapt into the air and rushed towards the incoming Saiyan with a grin on his face. Gohan slowed and allowed the little man to crash into his chest, hugging him around his middle. The two of them laughed with their happiness to see the other, even though the two of them hadn't been particularly close. For Gohan, it was seeing a familiar face that was still alive and well, and for the other it seemed like a miracle come to life. After a short embrace the two parted and Chiaotzu stammered over his own words, "I can't believe it! When-. How-… What's going on? We weren't sure if you were going to come back or not! And look at you! You're so different than before!"

Gohan chuckled and motioned for them to settle on the ground at the base of the dome, still grinning from ear to ear, "That's a long story, and one I intend to let you all in on once this is all over. Suffice to say that I'm back, stronger than before, and that's just the start of it. We've got a lot to talk about, where are the others?"

Chiaotzu looked towards the building, sensing that Krillin had met up with the three children on their way down to greet him and that Roshi was rushing upstairs, no doubt to "wake" Bulma in her private room. "They're all inside right now. We came here yesterday after Krillin and Master Roshi managed to trap Buu. I'm sure you noticed, we're all suppressing our Ki since Buu could be back any moment."

"Well, actually that's part of the reason I'm here right now. I'll explain it all soon. Don't worry about hiding your ki anymore okay? It's safe for now." said Gohan with a smile.

Chiaotzu nodded and took a careful step away from Gohan, pointing towards the front door, "Yea, well you had better prepare yourself Son, you're about to get a welcoming committee."

Gohan knew it was coming, but he couldn't stop the racing of his heart. He could feel them, they were so close to him now. Then the door burst open and there, frozen in the door-frame like a perfectly timed reaction photo, was his little brother and sister, closely followed by an equally dumb-struck Trunks and Krillin. It took a mere fraction of a second for the anxious tension there to break, and the twins were rushing towards him. "GOHAN!", "BIG BROTHER!"

He didn't even have time to react as they plowed into his midsection, knocking him back and off his feet. The three of them fell to the ground with both the kids clutching to him with a grip that could have strangled a dinosaur, and he returned their embrace with just as much fire. The two kids were already in tears, not even attempting to hide what they were feeling in that moment. He sat up with the two of them still attached to his chest and squeezed them both to him tighter, "Goten… Ria… I missed you both."

Ria just buried her face further into his chest and sobbed, but Goten managed to look up at him with those painfully adorable features of his. Tears still streaked down his face, but he managed to find his voice through his constricted throat, "Big brother, don't leave us again! You didn't come back with dad and the others! Don't leave us anymore, please!"

Gohan pat his hair down and smiled reassuringly at him while gently stroking his little sister's back in an attempt to calm her, "Don't worry squirts, I'm back, and I promise it's for good. You two have been watching out for mom and the others for me… I'm so proud of you."

For a few seconds he just held them, reveling in the warm feelings that were flooding him. He looked up and found Krillin grinning at him and holding onto a clearly emotional Trunks. Deciding that he still had work to do, he picked his brother up to rest on his shoulders and cradled his sister with his left arm. He stepped forward and reached out to meet Krillin's outstretched hand, "Hey old man."

"Gohan, you have no idea how happy I am to see you." said Krillin, relief flooding his voice. "Most of the remaining guys are all inside resting, but we can rouse them if you want."

Gohan couldn't help but feel bad at how choked up the short man's voice was. He knew his death would hit them all, but he hadn't anticipated such a strong reaction from those he'd greeted already. Nevertheless, he had a job to do, and information to pass on. There wasn't much time, so he grudgingly shook his head and put on a slightly more serious face, "Could you? I know it's late and you're all tired, but this is important. Listen, I have to find Dende, and King Kai said you might know where he went?"

Krillin nodded knowingly and patted Trunks on the head, "Yea, I sent him and Popo after Videl, who hopefully went to your home in the mountains. Go, I know you wouldn't be back unless Buu was either dead or about to make an appearance. The little soldiers and I will hold down the fort until then."

Gohan dropped to his knees and gently pried the twins off of him, holding each by one of their shoulders and smiling reassuringly at them all, "Don't worry about that okay? We'll know a long time before Buu comes back. I'll go collect Videl, Dende, and Popo, and be right back. Then I'll explain the situation. You don't have to do anything more guys, trust me."

"But big brother!" whined Goten angrily in tandem with Ria saying, "You just got back Gohan…" Even Trunks threw in his two cents, "Why are you leaving again when you've been gone for days?"

Gohan chuckled and ruffled each of their heads in turn before standing straight, "Don't worry you guys, I'll be back before you know it. Krillin, can you take them in and settled down? I won't be long."

"Alright, will do. But Gohan…" said Krillin. Gohan turned to him with a grunt, "Hm?"

"Don't get too distracted when you see her again." He let that hang in the air with a devious wink, which made Gohan blush nervously for the first time in a while. He laughed sheepishly and turned with a wave, taking to the air to hide his nerves. Man, did he have to bring that up? I'm already nervous enough as it is…

Quelling his anxiety, he took a deep breath and powered through the air, breaking the sound barrier without any effort and quickly making his way to the mountains, and his home. It took him a mere ten minutes to cover the distance, and he was immediately relieved to see that someone had started a fire in the chimney. He grinned and tried to spot someone in the darkness from the long distance he still had to cover, still not sensing anyone there. His heartbeat pounded in his ears as he approached, and then there was a sudden rush of sensations. It caused a momentary pause for him as he continued to hurtle towards home. Videl, he thought with a small smile.

When he considered it all, there was no doubt in his mind now, they were more than just close now. They must have not been able to tell before he died, but now that he was back home, preparing to meet her, there was no other explanation for what he was feeling. He wondered what she was feeling for a moment, if she had any clue what was about to happen, and nervously prepared himself for what he knew was going to be a momentous reunion. He was within a few hundred feet now, and slowed himself rapidly to touch down. He could sense one ki now, but it wasn't her. His feet touched the ground a mere fifty feet from the door, and he jogged to a stop, noting that the ki inside was at a constantly low level, barely fluctuating.

He reached for the door and hesitated when he heard a soft voice from inside. He couldn't make it out, but it definitely sounded like a young man. Realizing that it couldn't be Videl inside, he prepared himself to act. He grabbed hold of the door-handle with one hand and the hilt of the Z-sword with the other. He took a sharp breath and pushed the door inwards without a sound. What greeted his eyes made him freeze.

There wasn't one person, there were three. And all three of them were the people he was looking for, but couldn't feel for some reason. On the couch in the living room, facing away from him, was Videl. His heart jumped in his chest as he caught a brief whiff of her scent. Across from her, seated in his mother's rocker was Dende, grinning at him as if he had been expecting him for a while now. Popo merely stood there with his ever-blank stare, "Oh. Hello Gohan."

At the mention of his name, Videl shot up and spun, freezing on the opposite side of the couch, facing him with a look of complete shock on her features. Their eyes locked, and in that brief moment everything froze. Gohan couldn't believe how intense his own feelings were at that moment. They were so strong as to render him immobile. She blinked a few times as if to make sure that he was really standing in that doorway. Gohan nervously smiled and took a deep breath, unsure what to do with himself, "Hey Videl."

It was all he could struggle out. She seemed worse for wear, as if his voice had thrown her into an even deeper state of shock. Her jaw worked, her lower lip quivered, and tears began to brim her bright cerulean eyes. Without any warning, she vaulted the couch and sprinted the short distance to him, crashing into him and throwing her arms around his middle. Gohan, slightly caught off guard, hesitated to catch her at first. But as soon as she made contact nothing else really mattered. She clutched to him with all her might and Gohan held her as her sobs were buried in his armor. Kami, how good it felt for him to hold her again. It had never occurred to him how amazing the sensation was, just holding someone you love like this. That it took him dying to realize it brought a small amount of regret and shame to him. But no more, this was something he would never take lightly again.

"D-dammit… Dammit Gohan!" she sobbed. He was caught off guard by her words, choked out and thick with emotion. She backed off enough to look up at him and he felt his heart sink rapidly at the look on her face. Those bright azure eyes had lost a lot of their light, and her face had lines of worry and pain etched into them. He hadn't been gone long, but in that time, he knew she had been through a lot. She bit her lip, and without warning, slapped him. Gohan blinked rapidly to try and figure out what had just happened, feeling the stinging mark on his cheek. She then resorted to pounding on his chest, "Don't do that to me! You died on me - and I thought I'd - never see you again! Do you- have any idea- how horrible I felt?!"

She yelled at him between involuntary shudders and he couldn't do anything but sit there and take it. Really, he couldn't expect anything else in the situation. But then she threw another curve-ball at him. She ceased her beating of his chest and pulled him down to her level, crushing her lips against his. Every one of his senses were tingling with excitement now. Her scent, her taste, the warmth of her skin against his. It was all so intoxicating that he was left completely disarmed. She wrapped her arms around his neck and parted her lips with his, burying her face in the crook of his neck. Once again, he was left to just hold her and speculate on how he was supposed to react. In the end, he decided that just holding her while she let out all of these emotions was the best course of action. Talk about crazy… It's like she can't decide if she wants to hit me or hug me.

His eyes caught motion from the edge of the room and he looked up to find Dende getting to his feet, his grin still in place. The guardian clasped his hands behind his back and cleared his throat, "Well, really I could hug you right now, but I doubt that miss Videl would be okay with letting go of you. Regardless, I hope your return means that the all-clear has been given?"

Gohan swallowed the lump in his throat and shook his head. He felt Videl tighten her grip, and the tension in her body shot up. "Unfortunately, no." he said resignedly. "There's a lot to explain, and I will explain on the way back, but we're not out of the woods yet. There's one more obstacle left before we can say this is all over. Now come on, we've got to get headed back to the others. You don't have to worry just yet, we've got plenty of time. Buu isn't on the planet right now, and I've got an early warning system in place for when he does come."

That clearly wasn't what any of them were hoping to hear, but the fact that they were in no immediate danger set them a bit more at ease. Dende sighed and rubbed the back of his head, and Videl stepped away from him, looking up at him with a look of pure worry, "You're going to fight him again?"

He smiled weakly and held her by the shoulders, "I have to Videl. But this time we'll be ready."

"We?" she asked with a quirk of her eyebrow. He chuckled, remembering that none of the others knew what he knew yet, "Yea, I'll tell the whole thing when we get to Capsule Corp okay? But we have to go, there isn't any time to spare."

With that they began their way towards West City. They didn't have to gather anything besides the capsule holding the dragon balls, and Gohan was pleasantly surprised with how adept Videl had become with flying. With her clinging to one of his hands and the other two following close by, the land began to dart by beneath them. It wasn't nearly as fast as he was capable of going, but they would reach west city within an hour easily. Right at the start of their journey, Gohan was nearly taken clean out of the sky by the giant purple dragon that bolted up towards him from the trees below. Only a quick dodge and release of Videl's hand prevented him from accidentally shaking her like a rag-doll. Instead he found himself laid out on top of Icarus' head, spread-eagle as the behemoth let out a deep rumble of a growl. "Whoa! Hey Icarus, it's good to see you too bud!"

The response was a groaning whine of sorts that elicited a chuckle from the others. Just like Videl, it was clear that Icarus had been going through a lot recently. He stroked the dragon's cheek and smiled down into the giant blue-green eye that stared back at him. He hopped off the dragon's head and took to the air flawlessly, resuming his position next to Videl, now with Icarus in the middle of their formation.

"He missed you Gohan." said Videl warmly. Her voice rang in his ears, and he realized that statement was halfway meant to be from her. He didn't think that his leaving would have such a profound effect on so many. It tugged at his heart, and he squeezed her hand reassuringly. Man, it's just like when dad died after Cell… Kami, is that what I did to my friends and family? There's no way I can make that up to them. I get the feeling that I'm going to be getting a lot of "I was worried"s from everyone…

"Well, you gonna come with us boy?" asked Gohan, giving Icarus a large smile. "I don't think an empty city is going to mind too much if a Dragon takes up residence in the middle of it."

Icarus Yapped at him and beat his wings a little harder, sending himself tossing about randomly with excitement. Videl chuckled and grabbed onto Gohan's arm, "Well, I think that's a definite yes. Come on, let's hurry there. I wanna see the others, and I want to know everything that's happened."

Gohan smirked and looked over his shoulder towards Dende and Popo, who was sitting calmly atop his carpet. "You guys, keep up! Videl, hold on tight, I'm going to give us a boost."

She complied all too willingly, and Gohan couldn't help the smile on his face at her warmth. With his spirits higher than they'd been in a long while, he pumped his ki out behind him and together they shot off towards west City. Needless to say, it didn't take hardly any time at all to actually reach Capsule corp., and the two of them had left the others far behind. They touched down and Gohan checked around to see where the others were. It appeared that most of the Z-gang had risen from their slumber, no doubt due to Krillin and the others. He could feel them moving about inside the huge complex. He glanced down at the girl still within his grasp and felt the happiness in his chest dim a considerable amount. There's not enough time left before Buu arrives for us to actually spend any time together. I've no doubt that once I step inside that building, I'm going to have my work cut out for me planning everything. I don't like it, but we're going to have to wait until after this is all over.

It must have shown on his face that he was slightly put out, because her smile shifted to a worried frown and she linked her hands together behind his neck, forcing him to look back at her, "Gohan, what's wrong? Are you worried about the fight?"

He hesitated, wondering what he was to say. Should he tell her that she needed to hold on? To wait? He decided that he wanted to just enjoy what he could get, since it was possible he would never get the chance again. He put on what he thought was a reassuring smile and leaned in to plant a soft kiss on her forehead, "No. I'm alright Videl, don't you worry about me, okay?"

She was skeptical, and he knew it. But she didn't say anything to get him to say otherwise. For a few moments they just stood there, holding each-other and waiting for the other to say that they had to go in. Gohan sighed, feeling Dende and Popo arriving on the scene as well, "Well… shall we?"

Videl merely nodded grabbing onto his hand and walking with him up to the front of the building. As they approached, she elbowed him in the ribs, catching his attention and smirking up at him, "You ready?"

"For?" he asked quizzically. She gave him an incredulous smile and said, "Well… You just got back."

"Yea…?" he pressed, still oblivious. "Really?" she deadpanned, "You saw how I reacted back there, now you've got four more grown women who are probably going to do something similar. Just imagine what your mom is going to say, or Bulma…"

He groaned and looked towards the sky for support, "Hnnn… I hadn't thought of what mom was going to do yet… Thanks, now I'm scared."

She chuckled at his new-found discomfort and squeezed his hand comfortingly. As if she knew what he was worrying about earlier, she halted him right outside the door and turned him to face her, "Listen, Gohan… I know that things are about to get a little crazy when we go in there, but… well… just tell me that you and I will get to be together after this is all over… Okay?"

Gohan nodded, sealing their deal off with a simple kiss before pushing open the main door to the family dome and stepping inside. It was a short journey through familiar halls to make it to the large recreational area where Gohan could feel the ki of almost everyone gathered. He hadn't even been able to gather who was where before he was being attacked by several people at once.

"GOHAN!" First was his adopted sister, shortly followed by his mother and his little siblings once more. They all slammed into him, barely making room for the others as they re-embraced him. Videl politely stepped out of the way, only to be nearly tackled by her distraught father as Lime and Chi Chi crushed Gohan's chest with hugs, and the twins immediately attached to his legs. Were it not for the fact that he was naturally stronger than all of them combined, he would have been completely unable to breathe. True to his and Videl's predictions, he was given a whole list of reasons why he shouldn't have made them worry, a short tirade by his mother about how he never should have left in the first place, and several "don't ever do that again"s between bone-crushing hugs and several kisses to the cheek. It was all happening so quickly that he had no idea what to say or do. So, he just waited patiently with a nervous smile on his face as all at once the entire gang greeted him and Videl.

Finally, the crowd seemed to calm a bit and Lime grabbed a hold of him again, pulling one of his free hands towards her and placing her clenched fist into his palm. Her eyes were full of tears and her face was streaked, but Gohan was just glad that she was okay and happy to see him. He smiled at her, breathing deeply to control his own emotions. She sniffled once and gave a sobbing sort of laugh, "This is yours Gohan. I've been holding onto it for you…"

She planted something in his outstretched hand and then pulled him into a hug, gentler than before. Gohan returned it and looked over her shoulder at his hand she had dropped his ring in. It was exactly as he remembered it, though now it was free of its leather cord. The sight of the little relic in his palm choked him up, and he was at a loss for words. All of his friend's gaunt and strained faces surrounding him again, welcoming him back with such enthusiasm and happiness… It seemed as if this was the first good thing they had had in days to rejoice over. It was all so much for him to take at once. He regretted not being able to be there, even before dying. His being so absorbed in his own problems before prevented him from realizing that he wasn't alone in the world. He held Lime out at arm's length and addressed them all, "I'm sorry guys… I know that you've been through a lot, and I'm afraid that I may have to ask you to hold out a little while longer. Bulma, can we take this to one of your conference rooms? We've got a lot to talk about."

*A SHORT WHILE LATER*

"Okay, so that's it…" he said, finishing his speech. Silence fell through the entire room. All eyes were on Gohan, and several of them seemed unhappy with what he had said. His mother in particular seemed opposed to it, as did Videl and Bulma. But his mother picked up the conversation first, "So, let me get this straight. You, your father, and Vegeta are all going to stay here and fight Buu, and your plan is to have that pink Kai take us off-world when he arrives?"

Gohan already knew that she wouldn't like the idea, but in his mind, this was the only way to be sure. He had to protect them, and the best way to do that was to get them away from the fight, "Yeah mom… That's it. King Kai is keeping an eye out for us, and should be letting us know as soon as he detects Buu incoming. Once that happens, I'm going to use Dende's connection with him to relay a message to Kibito. Dad and Vegeta will come back then and we will stop Buu here."

"No." said Chi Chi simply. Gohan shook his head in confusion, staring hard at her, "What?"

"I said no, Gohan!" she repeated loudly. "If this is to be the final battleground then we should stay! If you can't stop him then nowhere is safe, right? Why-"

"Mom!" he yelled, cutting her off and leaving a heavy silence in his wake. Bulma grabbed onto her shoulder and the two of them shared a despairing look. The bluenette sighed and gave Gohan a piercing glare, "Look Gohan, I don't like this plan… But I think I know why you're going through with it. You want to get Dende out as a priority, right? So, we'll go with them."

Chi Chi stood up and glared down at her friend, "Bulma! What are-"

"Look Chi! I don't like it, but if we're here then Gohan is going to be worried about our safety instead of how to kill Buu." she said firmly, looking towards the demi as if searching for an answer. Satisfied that she wasn't wrong, she continued, "Whether or not we like it is irrelevant. If we're here, then we will be in the way."

Gohan held his breath as he awaited their reaction. Almost everyone there seemed to be on his mother's side with this, particularly those who he had been closer to. But none of them could pose a counter to her logic on the situation, and Gohan was thankful that she was there as a voice of reason. Chi Chi sighed in defeat and sat back down, looking at her hands clasped on the table while Bulma patted her back affectionately. Those blue eyes found his again, and a more worried look crossed her face, "But I wonder Gohan, what about the rest of the people on Earth? If I'm correct in my guess, you guys are going to make a mess of this planet, and I won't consider it an impossibility that it might get destroyed. There's still an enormous amount of life here, what will you do about that?"

There was the subject he was hesitant to approach. While he had been able to determine that less that one sixth of the Earth's population remained, there were still too many people there for him to remove to safety in the time afforded. Even if he had several days, he couldn't get them all out. He cast his gaze to the table, leaning forward onto his elbows and furrowing his brow, "I want to get them away… All of them… But I know that I can't. The best I can do is try to clear the battleground and hope that everyone else stays away. You're right, I can't afford to get distracted in this fight. Krillin, Bulma, I may need your help for this one. You too Mr. Satan."

At the mention of his name, Hercule jolted up in surprised. He wasn't the only one who seemed shocked either, as many shot quizzical looks between the two. Gohan locked eyes with Bulma and gestured towards the older fighter, "Bulma, can you send out a short-range broadcast using your equipment here? I want Hercule to be the one sending the message: Everyone who can make it, gather at the city hall as soon as possible for Evacuation, and if they can't, flee to beyond the country's borders. When Kibito arrives, I want to try and get them out in one go, and clear the city. Krillin will have to try and help you round everyone up, along with anyone else here who can help…"

"Ummm… Yea kid, sure… But why me?" asked Hercule with an anxious expression. Gohan smirked and leaned back in the chair, "Because you're the world savior to these people. They'll listen to you far sooner than they would listen to me. No doubt if they know you're there, then they'll come flocking to you… Are we all agreed?"

A moment of silence followed before a chorus of affirmations rang from around the table. Gohan stood with a nod of his head and looked towards the clock on the wall, trying to guess as best he could how much time was left, "Okay, so if I'm correct, then we should have another six hours or so until-"

He never got to finish his sentence, because King Kai chose that moment to interject. "Hey! Can you guys hear me?"

The sudden interruption elicited a shocked yell from a couple at the table who had never been subject to King Kai's telepathy before. Gohan felt his heart drop into his stomach. Crap! We can't be out of time already?!

Gohan and Krillin waved them all down and asked them for silence. After a second or two, it was Gohan who responded, "Yea King Kai, we hear you. What's going on?"

"Well, I've got good news and bad news."

"Great…" muttered Gohan under his breath. "Okay, bad news first then."

"Well… It's to do with the Saiyans actually. I'm back on my own planet now at the end of snake way. The Supreme Kai sent me back here, stating that the Saiyans were no longer able to protect me, so I have no clue what's going on with that. All I managed to gather before I left was that your father and Vegeta were involved somehow. At the moment, I'm completely in the dark as to their status."

Gohan silently cursed whatever plan Shin was hatching in his absence. Everything hinged on whether or not his father and Vegeta would make it back. Of course, if they couldn't, then he would have to make his final stand. He didn't have a choice. Not wanting to jump to conclusions yet, he buried his worries behind a mask of calm acceptance and crossed his arms, "So be it… what's the good news?"

"Well, believe it or not, Supreme Kai was way short with his estimate about Buu's arrival. I've found Buu, to be honest it's kinda hard not to… He's leaving a huge wake of destruction on his way there, but he's still far beyond the edge of your cluster system there. I'd say about twenty more hours, give or take a couple."

That lifted a bit of a weight off of his chest, realizing that he had even more time to act. A collective feeling of relief seemed to radiate through the room. Gohan nodded and said, "Okay, that's good. Let's operate on the assumption that we have another 18 hours to be safe. Can you get in touch with Kibito or Shin and make sure they know to be ready?"

"Of course! I'm way ahead of you kid."

"Thanks King Kai… Okay, Bulma?" he said, turning towards his godmother with a confident smile. "Let's get that broadcast out. We've got a bit of time. Everyone, I'll be up for a while longer making preparations. Please, do me a favor and go get some sleep while you can. Tomorrow is going to come quickly."

*LATER – GOHAN'S ROOM*

Gohan sighed heavily and removed his sword from his back, his skull hurting from all the events of the night. He leaned the heavy blade up against the wall and pulled his chest plate up and over his head. He paused a moment, staring down at the armor and thinking about it all.

It hadn't taken long to get a recording of Hercule's message and start the broadcast. What had taken a while was trying to get everyone settled enough to get some rest, and he had personally gone around to try and make it happen. Everyone had a reason to want to talk, all of them curious about the details of his time in otherworld. But he had decided that he would have to just tell them about it once his job was finished, and left them all with a promise to watch over them and that he would see them all soon. He knew that not everyone was going to be able to sleep given the situation, but he managed to make it so that they at least tried. He spent what time he could with his family, staying with them until sleep took them. It had been difficult removing himself from Lime's unconscious grasp when he decided that he had to try and get some sleep himself. Once again, I'm reminded of how precious time is, especially when it is so fleeting. Man, I can't believe that I spent so long avoiding everyone… Funny, how death makes you realize what you were missing in life.

He shook the thought from his mind and dropped the plate next to the Z-sword. A quiet knock echoed in his room and he looked hesitantly to the door. It swung in a little and a familiar face pushed around the side of it. Videl locked eyes with him and looked nervously towards the ground at her feet, "Gohan… Can I come in?"

"Of course." he said warmly. He turned and found himself staring at his reflection in the mirror, seeing his body fully for the first time since before he had died. It was familiar, yet alien at the same time. His frame was identical, his build as refined and sturdy as before, but no more were all the scars that showed his history. Gone was all but one of the scars that had given all who witnessed it a story of his life. A fact not lost on Videl as she quietly padded into the room, shutting the door behind her. The sound of her footsteps caused him to turn towards her, watching her out the corner of his eye. Her presence alone soothed his aching mind.

"Your scars… They're gone." she said quietly, awe etching her words. Gohan nodded and sighed, "Yea. The Kai's deemed me worthy to have my body back, so they made me a new one…"

He hesitated there, looking back to the mirror and running a finger over the scar on his face, the one memento he had of his old life, "But it's funny, what they've given me really is another chance to do what I should have been doing in the first place…"

"I don't understand." said Videl after a short silence. Gohan laughed dryly and began, "Heh… You know me Videl, better than the overwhelming majority of people who have met me. My friends and family, those people around me who I knew cared for me, yet didn't acknowledge for fear that they would be in danger. Fear has ruled my life for a long time, as if I thought that by distancing myself from them to the point of nearly removing them, I would remove the fear of them being hurt."

Videl stopped, and Gohan knew she was looking at him with those same piercing blue eyes with a dissatisfied frown, "Gohan, you know that shutting us out doesn't work."

He smiled and turned around, taking a step forward and sitting on the edge of his bed. Just as he had predicted, she didn't seem to like where he was going with this, "I know Videl… It shames me that it took me losing everything to realize what I'd been doing, and for me to figure out what is really important in life… Time, and what we do with it. I've spent so much of it hiding in my own little world, and in the process, I messed my own life up when I could have made it so much better. I have had the greatest group of friends, and been part of an even more incredible family… It seems so silly to me now that I even refused to think of myself as my mother's Son, and I did it all in the name of protecting them… There isn't enough time for me to be doing such stupid things, I have to take all the time I've got to be with those people that matter."

She patiently waited while he spoke, letting his own thoughts out into the open for the first time since his revival. When he looked at her again, she seemed nervous, not looking at him and wringing her hands together.

"Videl?" he asked tentatively.

"It's… That's what I wanted to talk to you about Gohan…" she said, pausing nervously. "I really didn't think I was ever going to see you again. I agonized over it, and now that you're back, I don't want you to go again. I don't want to lose any more time with you."

Gohan sighed and hung his head, knowing all too well what she was feeling. He was feeling it too, "Videl, you know I have to-"

"I know… Just… well for now…?" she said, a new tone lining her words. He looked when he heard her move again. She came closer and closer until she was directly in front of him, her unsure and nervous expression giving way to a profound sense of hope that Gohan could feel shedding from her in sheets. His heart jumped in his chest as he realized what was going on, and he backed up a bit further on the bed nervously. But he didn't do anything else as she leaned in and pressed her lips firmly against his. She lingered there for a moment before joining him on the bed and straddling him. He had no clue what he was supposed to do. Part of him desperately wanted what she was leading them towards, while another kept telling him not to. She broke the kiss, leaning her forehead against his and wrapping her arms around his thick neck, "For now though, I want to make the most of what time we have left."

Just hearing those words was enough to make his stomach do a flip, while the rest of his senses kicked his hormones into over-drive. Her scent flooded his mind, her touch warming him as she was pressed against him. The taste of her lips on his left him hungering for even more. He felt his reluctance rapidly falling away to desire, and her excitement started building rapidly. Their kiss grew more desparate, their hands straying to new lands. As if in sync, their lips parted, and Gohan found himself reveling once more in the battle for dominance between their tongues. His hands strayed to her waist, and he found himself wishing that the clothes covering the curves he so longed for would disappear. Without warning, her shirt was gone. Pulled up and over her head by the raven-haired beauty herself.

Whoa… The view was unreal to him. He'd seen her in her bikini before, but there was just something so different when she was undressing for him. It certainly didn't help for his self-control. They resumed quickly, locking lips once more, their breathing coming in much shorter as their collective excitement built fast. Now she was grinding her hips down into him, sending shivers up his spine and sensations through him he never thought he could feel. It was barely in him anymore to resist taking her right there. She parted from their kiss to trail her lips down his jaw line, leaving tingly sensations down his neck until she hit a sensitive spot at the base of it. He inhaled sharply at the jolt of sensation running through him, and almost pure animalistic need boiled in his blood, demanding he do what he was urged to. He vaguely realized through all of his sensations that something was happening to his teeth. They ached slightly, and he drew a little blood from his tongue as he accidentally bit it with his elongated canines.

Grabbing Videl gently by the shoulders, he pushed her away just enough to look at her. She seemed surprised at first, but it gave way shortly to worry. Before she could voice them, he looked her dead in the eye, willing himself with the last of his restraint to remain in control, "Videl, are you sure…? This… There's no turning back."

She seemed to hesitate, biting her lip nervously. But it wasn't a long wait for him. Her anxiety shifted until she was smiling at him warmly, and she nodded her head in affirmation. She came back in for another kiss. He let his hands run up her sides, feeling the warmth of her soft skin as he went. He began to trail his own lips down her neck, enjoying the sound of her breath catching with each one. He reached up and pulled the straps of her bra aside, falling off of her shoulders, but she was too occupied to notice. He could smell her blood, sense it just below the surface. He reached the base of her neck and ran his tongue across the sensitive surface, and she gasped. He held her around the waist and shut his eyes. With his heart pounding in his chest, he took a deep breath and bit down on the place he had just cleaned. His teeth sank in enough to draw blood, and she gasped, somewhere between shock, pain, and pleasure.

The sensation that followed was unbelievable. As soon as the blood passed his lips and touched his tongue, a jolt ran up his spine. A flurry of emotions and instincts fought for dominance, and it seemed that hers were mixed in as well. In that moment, what barrier remained between them was shattered, and their souls were bare for the other to see. A brief moment of pain existed between the two of them, fading until animal need and ecstasy was all that remained. He released his bite on her neck, pulling back enough for them to see each-other. He could taste a mixture of his own blood and hers on his tongue, but it didn't matter. As their eyes locked, he could see the desperate need in hers. A mere second was all it took for them to lose it completely, and she forcefully pushed him back onto the mattress, locking their lips and continuing what they began.