Goku stepped onto the planet he had been seeking for quite some time. The gravity had already crushed down upon him, but he wasn't entirely cognizant of its force until he reached solid ground. Then he fell flat on his face and it took him more effort than anticipated to climb back to his feet. King Kai had warned him that this planet was smaller than his and had more mass. Though Goku hadn't been entirely sure what that meant, he now understood that the gravity was much greater. Perhaps that was why King Kai had suggested he find such a place to train on.

To most, the hefty gravity might have been more than a minor annoyance, but it was already filling him with excitement. It was a challenge, something he had to work at to conquer. Once more he had a purpose—a goal to strive for. For a while, he'd not had that. He'd defeated all the powerful warriors he could find in Other World, competed in the Grand Tournament countless times, and found that there were no challengers left, at least not in this universe. Now he could train to his heart's content, but he decided he would take his time and savor the challenge lest it disappear too quickly.

Goku decided he'd at least scout out the relatively small planet to see if there was anything of interest. So far, the planet reminded him a lot of King Kai's. There was pleasant weather—clear skies, subtle breeze, and bright green grass everywhere his eyes could see. As he traversed around the curve of the planet—now a bit more pronounced since there was less surface area—a small, bare tree seemed to appear out of nowhere. It was still yet in the distance and he was forced to move slowly because of the immense gravity. His curiosity was piqued when he could make out a singular figure sitting against its trunk.

A sleeping man, serene and seemingly untroubled sat against the tree. A halo floated atop his head. Goku didn't recognize him, but immediately he was wondering if he wasn't some sort of unknown warrior he had stumbled upon. His dark hair, long and flowing almost reached the ground in its length. The constant light breeze seemed to forever sway his hair back and forth. He was glowing, at least his skin seemed to have that attribute. Maybe he wasn't just a warrior but some deity that he hadn't heard of before. Goku didn't claim to know everything about Other World despite living there for so long. Every time he visited King Kai to bug him to death, he always endowed him with some other tidbit of information about this dimension that he hadn't known before. He only bothered remembering the most pertinent things and discarded many other details. How many other smaller planets were out there yet uninhabited? Which one of them had the greatest gravity? But a better question at this moment was why King Kai hadn't mentioned that there would be someone else here as well. Was it some sort of surprise? Or had King Kai simply not known?

Goku, without further ado, attempted to wake the strange man first by causing some racket with his voice. Then he approached the man further and yelled directly into his ear for good measure. Surely anyone would wake from that kind of disturbance. He parted his mouth to do it again when the man didn't respond accordingly but paused when the dark-haired man finally made some movement though it was only to turn his head away from him with an annoyed groan. Goku realized after another few minutes of making all the noise in the world that he was getting nowhere. The man wouldn't budge. Goku saw it as a challenge.

Then a thought came to him. He sought out a small rock which he found quickly enough. He stood a few feet from him and then threw it at him just to see if he'd get a reaction. However, that was easier said than done, considering the heaviness of the rock and the amount of force he'd have to put behind his throw for it to make a difference. In fact, it took him several attempts to finally throw it well enough. Perhaps it was part of training. Maybe this was some sort of test he had to pass. He had been aiming for the chest, but all within a split second, that same rock came flying right back at him again and it took tremendous effort on his part to move out of the rock's path. He hadn't been ready for that at all as he found himself crashing into the ground. When he finally managed to look up again, dark eyes were peering down at him with clear annoyance in them.

"So, did I pass?" Goku asked the man at once when he climbed back to his feet.

The man yawned and his expression became weary. "What are you going on about?"

"The test," Goku replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Aren't you like some sort of Kai? This gravity is something else on this planet—I've never felt anything like it."

"Small radius, more mass and density."

Goku looked at him questioningly as the man seemed to be uttering foreign language. "I think King Kai said something similar," he said uncertainly.

The man yawned again. "How about you do your odd little ritual a bit further away? I don't particularly fancy people yelling in my ear."

"Is that the next test?" Goku asked genuinely curious. "How do you do that ritual?"

The man sighed wearily, and he looked at Goku for only a moment with a raised eyebrow. It might have been confusion. It might have been him considering what his next test might be. "Walk until you no longer see this tree on the horizon. Then I want you to hop on one foot a thousand times consecutively. If you misstep, you have to start over again."

"Geez, you really don't pull any punches. Alright, I'll get right on it. My name's Goku, by the way."

"Malachi," the man said plainly before yawning again. He waved Goku away dismissively.

Goku had wanted to ask more questions, but he seemed to have fallen asleep again right before his eyes. He probably wasn't asleep, Goku concluded. Maybe this was some quirk of his to throw people off. He'd have to ask King Kai exactly who this Malachi was later and why he'd never heard of him before. He seemed quite powerful.

Goku made his way across the planet until he could no longer see the tree and began in earnest. It was much easier said than done; Goku knew this already. The first five hops were torture, the next five was cruel and unusual punishment, anything else after was masochistic. The challenge was enthralling. Knowing that this might be impossible to do at the moment, made him go further and further. He spent an untold amount of time attempting to do this over and over again. The highest number he'd ever reached, with much huffing and puffing, was twenty. Then after the millionth attempt, or at least what felt like the millionth attempt, he fell onto the ground in complete exhaustion. He was utterly worn out and he couldn't move even one muscle without crying out in pain. In time, he was able to stand back up though with some difficulty. Slowly, he made his way back to Malachi despite not accomplishing his task. It would probably be a good idea to rest first before going for more rounds. In the meantime, he wanted to learn a bit more about this unknown deity.

When he came upon Malachi again, Goku found that he hadn't moved in the least. He wondered if the man had really been asleep the whole time. Before he tried to get his attention, Malachi awakened on his own to grace him once again with an annoyed expression. Not all deities were as friendly as King Kai, but it didn't matter as Goku treated them all the same.

"Back again so soon?" Malachi asked him wearily.

"Didn't quite reach the thousand—"

"You weren't even close," Malachi interrupted with a subtle grin.

Goku knew that he must be somewhat omniscient since Goku hadn't even physically seen him or sensed him anywhere nearby as he attempted the task at hand. "You got me there, but I'm starving now—you wouldn't happen to have some food around here, would you?"

The subtle grin hadn't left his face. "Maybe you should have thought about food before wasting your energy jumping around like an idiot."

"So," Goku began drawing out the word, "Is that a 'no' on the food?"

"That is a 'no'," Malachi confirmed. "Now will you leave me be? I've already had enough of your antics."

It was then that Goku felt as if he was definitely missing something vital about this situation. "Do you live here by yourself?" he asked. After all, what kind of person didn't have food around?

"I suppose I do. I'm always quite tired and you're disturbing my rest."

"Are you a warrior? I don't think I've heard of you before even though I've been in Other World for a long time now."

"I've heard of you," Malachi said wearily. "I wouldn't consider myself in the same vein, but I suppose I could defend myself should push come to shove."

"Well then, would you be up for a spar?"

Malachi sighed. "No. Sounds unnecessary."

"But wouldn't it be fun?" Goku asked energetically.

"No," Malachi said simply.

"But aren't you curious as to who you're training?"

That subtle grin came to his face again. It was then that Goku felt as if there was some joke he was missing. "Not at all."

"Are you sure?" Goku asked.

"I'm more than sure," Malachi reassured him.

"What if I keep asking the same question?"

"Well, that would annoy me."

"What if I still keep asking the same question?"

"Now you're starting something you probably shouldn't with a complete stranger."

Malachi appeared so confident about this that his subtle threat did more to encourage his need to spar with him. Maybe he'd give him a good challenge. Goku was well aware that Kais were more like teachers than actual fighters, but Malachi seemed like he was a bit more than that.

"Ah, c'mon, it won't be that bad—what will it hurt anyway? It's just a spar."

Malachi looked at him silently, but then Goku noticed a mischievous glint in his eyes. Immediately, Goku was wary. "How about this, Saiyan? If I spar with you, you teach me that Instant Transmission technique I know you're capable of doing at a moment's notice."

Goku honestly couldn't see the downside to this as he thought it over for a moment. "Alright, deal, but you have to promise to take this seriously."

Malachi climbed to his feet smoothly. "Oh, I promise."

"And also, it's not all that easy to teach that move. I've tried and failed to do it a lot of times in the past. It's just hard to explain."

"I can only imagine."

With this, Goku leaped back a few yards to give a respectable space between the two of them. A sudden bout of déjà vu struck him as he watched him move into his fighting stance—right arm held before his face with his fingers curled in a distinct fashion and his left arm held out beside him, bent backwards with hand fully clenched, his knees bent and spread apart, his center of gravity low. It took him a moment to realize that it was an exact replica of Vegeta's usual stance. Goku wondered if he was actually fighting a Saiyan—one that he had never seen before. It hadn't escaped him that he knew his race without him ever saying it aloud. Goku moved into his own stance and for the first time in what felt like ages, he felt a little tingle run down his spine, a mixture of fear and excitement.

Goku didn't say when to start, but it began in earnest when Malachi sped towards him, gliding across the field. When Goku stepped forth to land a punch he was launching, Malachi disappeared from his line of sight and then a sudden and intense pain spread through his back causing him to fall to his knees. The intenseness took him by surprise. What just happened? He cried out despite himself. By the time he looked up with gritted teeth, he felt the scorching heat of a ki blast, and he knew what was coming next. There was nothing else he could do in that moment other than to bear the pointblank explosion.

Goku realized that he hadn't even so much as seen Malachi for the full minute he was being bombarded with attacks. He still wasn't sure what the first attack had been—it felt far more sinister than a simple ki blast. Goku leaped back to his feet as quickly as he could and he paused, reaching out with his senses to figure out where he might attack. He looked behind himself when he sensed him there clearly. Only his peripherals caught any part of him and that was questionable.

"You move like an old man. Maybe you've been at this too long, Saiyan."

Goku looked up and finally caught a full sight of him. Sparing no seconds at all, Goku dashed upwards. He struck his fists out again and this time, he met flesh. Encouraged, he followed up with a flurry of fists and kicks all meeting their marks without any resistance. Quickly, he moved back expecting some sort of retaliation, yet it never came. Malachi stood before him, they were both levitating in midair and he wore an openly amused expression.

"So you're Earth's greatest defender," Malachi stated matter-of-factly. "I can't say I'm impressed. You disturbed my rest with this pitiful display. I will end this quickly."

Goku knew that he was a great deal slower than usual and that his opponent had a clear speed advantage. He was also just testing the waters in his base form trying to get a feel for him. Malachi could have lived here for a very long time and this gravity made no difference to him. How could someone who appeared like such a capable fighter have been so far under the radar? He wondered if he should ascend. He decided against it seeing as the other hadn't so much as powered up. Besides, this was a spar. With his speed advantage, if Malachi could match his output, it would be a waste of time. Still, he needed to do something.

Goku powered up somewhat as a spurt of clear energy sprang up around him and then he sped towards Malachi's waiting form. Just like when he first started, he was attacking the air, only seconds off from making contact. A fist slammed into his face, but he caught the very next one before it landed. Malachi pulled away aggressively—Goku must have surprised him. Goku unleashed a ki blast of his own towards Malachi. He sped towards him knowing that he was likely to evade him again. This time, he did not stop there, using his senses to locate him far quicker than he had before. In this way, he continually pursued Malachi, but it didn't last for long. Something stopped him in his tracks.

A massive force of energy slammed into him and he felt it slice through his flesh—straight through his left shoulder and then another force sliced through his right. It was so startling and instant that he could not stop himself from falling from the sky. Thankfully, it was a short ways to the ground as he hadn't been that far above it. Then he felt that same impact slam into him, piercing through his torso. He cried out pitifully—he'd never felt anything like it. The feeling of anything piercing through his body was utterly foreign and he grasped one of his shoulders now in momentary shock. It was bleeding profusely. What was this? What happened? He looked up when he heard footsteps. Malachi stood before him now with crossed arms.

"If this is a spar, I would hate to see what a serious fight looks like," Goku said still maintaining a good-natured tone.

Malachi seemed quite unamused by this and he remained silent. His eyes narrowed slightly. Within another split second, Goku felt what was likely a knee crash into his face with astonishing force and speed enough to send him flying back quite a few yards. Determinedly, Goku climbed back to his feet, but his hand still held one of his shoulders. He was feeling a bit weak by now. He was probably losing too much blood and he knew it was getting too dangerous to continue this fight in earnest. He looked behind himself sensing Malachi's unhurried approach.

"Alright, alright, you win—can we call a truce for now?" Goku asked. "Geez, this was just a spar, you know."

"You should run back to your little friends. I would hate to somehow be responsible for your death."

"King Kai is not that far away. Maybe you should join me—he always has food."

"I'd rather not."

"Well, a deal's a deal—I'll teach you that move."

Malachi looked thoughtful for a moment and then shook his head. "I'm no longer interested, Saiyan. You should leave since your life now depends on it and don't come back. I hope I've made that abundantly clear."

"But—

"There's plenty of other planets of even greater gravity of which you could train to your heart's content. I have no interest in humoring you any further and I will not be bated into another ridiculous fight with you. If you choose to ignore that, then I won't be so considerate next time."

Malachi took off into the air after this. "Wait!" Goku called out. Even if he could hear him, Goku doubted he'd acknowledge him.

He watched him leave wondering if he should follow or not. He thought better of it after a while. He pressed his index and ring finger to his head and then transmitted himself to King Kai's planet which wasn't too far away. His sudden presence on the planet just outside his house startled the Kai, but he quickly went to work healing him much to Goku's relief. He climbed back to his feet once his energy returned. He hadn't expected to fight such a perilous duel so arbitrarily.

"What in the world happened out there? I haven't seen you come back like this in a long time."

Goku looked at him with eyes alight with curiosity. "I found the planet you were talking about with all the gravity. When I got there, I saw this guy—maybe he's some kind of deity. Maybe you know him. His name's Malachi."

"Ah, Malachi," the short deity said after a moment of contemplation; he put his arms behind his back. "Yes, I know him. He's been keeping to himself these days. He's certainly not a deity," King Kai said with a hefty laugh, "Nothing of the sort."

Goku stared at him not completely wrapping his head around this.

"He's just a human who managed to get his body back a long time ago."

"So, he's some famous Earth warrior? I guess I haven't been back to Earth in a long time."

"His name popped up a lot in the past," King Kai remarked. "Apparently, when he first came here having died on Earth, he was sent to Hell and King Yemma sent him to prison. Now, that's not really a thing King Yemma likes to do with people going to Hell; it doesn't exactly help one purify themselves, but he got recommendation from a source he trusts. I'm guessing there's some perceived egregious thing he did while living. So he's in prison, but soon the people who live there find out about it. Hell can be a rowdy place at times. There's always someone stirring up trouble down there one way or another. I don't envy King Yemma's job of trying to keep peace and balance. Malachi was someone of some regard on Earth and people started to visit him—other people in Hell. Soon there were just hoards of Earthlings with nothing better to do, seeking him out just to see him, causing an uproar, disturbing the peace. Then Malachi was moved elsewhere, but the same thing occurred.

"Now, Malachi's not the first person like this to enter Hell and have so much popularity that it begins to disrupt the community. King Yemma just sends them to some obscure section of Hell to exist without causing trouble. So that's where he was for a long time. Then there was another uprising in Hell—it happens over and over again. People are in place who can deal with the more serious incidents, but that time, things became far more precarious. The opposition was far more organized. Quite a few of the enemies you fought on Earth in your latter years had joined forces along with many, many others. It was definitely something I kept up with at the time. Good warriors from Heaven had to come down and put an end to it—many of them lost their lives, but so did many of the masterminds behind the revolt."

"Hold on," Goku said cutting across him, "How come I wasn't told about this? I've been here now for a long time."

"A few years at best, but you've done a great many things since then. When all this was happening, you were resting."

"Resting?" Goku asked puzzled.

"Supreme Kai said that you were still recovering."

This still didn't clear anything up and Goku continued looking at him with the same expression.

"You want me to finish this story or what?" King Kai asked in irritation, wanting to finish his train of thought.

"Okay, what happened next then," Goku said, letting the matter rest.

"Because of the losses, King Yemma started looking for help from unlikely places still trying to contain the problem and not having to rely on getting help from other dimensions. So he started recruiting denizens from Hell itself, claiming that if they fought against the tyrants that he'd give back their bodies. Sounds like a good deal on the surface, but most people didn't actually bite. You'd be putting your life on the line, potentially erasing your entire existence and never being reborn. Those people in Hell were ruthless especially to those who turned on them—they had a strong hold there. Eventually, word gets to Malachi. Most in his position probably would have just sat the whole thing out. Because he and many like him were so isolated from everything, they wouldn't be affected one way or another. In those prisons, they were trapped there and couldn't get out unless King Yemma allowed them. Likewise, no one could arbitrarily come in or even touch them. It's the perfect place to hide. But Malachi chose to fight. Many people say that when he joined the fight, that it was a turning point in the ongoing battles. Others say, it would have happened anyway. Good always wins, yadda, yadda. There's also a lot of safeguards in place to keep the denizens of Hell in that sector. Anyways, he joined and made himself very useful with tactics that many warriors from Heaven weren't exactly thrilled about. King Yemma had already stated that he wanted to put a stop to the ruckus by any means necessary and Malachi took that literally."

"What did he do?" Goku asked.

"Well, I was getting to that," King Kai answered in frustration—he hated being interrupted. "Malachi was utterly ruthless. He fought without regards to his opponent's life and he killed with surprising regularity. People might not have liked stooping to those levels, but he certainly wasn't the only one—he was simply the first, at least, on the side of good. Just like that as soon as they started to adopt this sentiment, order was eventually restored to Hell and, to be honest, it's been a whole lot quieter down there. True to his word, King Yemma gave him back his body and he was free to go wherever he pleased."

"So he just decides to stay on that planet by himself forever?" Goku asked.

"Not quite. There are other planets that are far more accommodating and habitable that he attempted to settle on, but his exploits preceded him. Even though King Yemma gave him his body back, no one liked the things he'd done while in Hell. Like I said, he wasn't the only one, but because he was the first, the perception became that he was the sole reason for it. Not that he was kicked out forcibly, but the way Malachi put it, the environment wasn't exactly welcoming. He did come to my planet, at some point. Top notch comedian—I offered to train him, but he said he wasn't interested. I said he could stay here, but he also declined that. He just wanted some place away from everyone else. That's when I told him about the smaller planets with gravity that were virtually uninhabitable to those who wanted to live comfortably. I told him, it would probably kill him instantly if he went there at that point. I ended up training him to some extent, at least just to build up his tolerance to intense gravity. Then, after that, I hadn't seen him since."

"Wait, so you knew he was there when you told me about that place?"

King Kai could only smile. "Perhaps. It's not good to be so isolated for that long of a time period. I don't think anyone's sanity is cut out for it—why do you think I have my two companions here with me?"

"To bounce jokes off of?" Goku asked.

King Kai snickered a little. "No, it's so I'm not stuck in my head all day. Talking long distance with people all the time takes its toll after a while. I had no idea your visit would turn out like it did. I'm guessing you asked him to spar with you."

"Yeah, I did, but I could tell immediately that he wasn't really into it. Then it seemed like he wanted to learn Instant Transmission. Then later he just wasn't interested anymore. One thing was clear though, he definitely doesn't want me to come back. I think, it's like you said before, he just wants to be alone. He seemed tired."

"That's not good," King Kai said after a moment, "Not good at all."

"What do you mean? What's wrong with him?"

"I want you to go back there—if it's not too much trouble—I understand you have all the time in the world on your hands and you like challenges."

"Sure, I can do that. The gravity there really is intense. You trained him and then he could just handle the gravity there just like that?"

"I just made it so he wouldn't be crushed immediately. I'm sure he was even worse off than you when he first went there. But he sparred with you today, I'm sure he's improved."

"By a lot," Goku agreed. "I wonder if I could get him to spar with me again."

"Oh, I forgot—you're a glutton for punishment," King Kai said turning now to walk back to his small house.

Goku followed him knowing that he would likely have food there. By now, King Kai knew his habits well and figured out long ago to have a lot of food stocked whenever he came around. It was a day like any other that ended much the same. Gregory and Bubbles who had been roaming the small planet joined them as well.

Once Goku was fully restored, he returned to that planet without delay. It was the one thing that had remained on his mind, an anomaly which had piqued his interest. There was, of course, the draw of a good fight possibly occurring, but there was also the possibility of making a new friend. He had plenty of them to be sure. He'd ventured to many other planets housing the great warriors of old and he'd taken to them instantly. He was a bit of a nomad, traveling from one place to another always seeking a worthy opponent, always wanting to test his limits. He amassed quite a bit of skill and power in that time. Malachi showed promise, but so did many, many others. He wondered how much of a challenge he could get out of him seeing as he was human and not a Saiyan or deity as he had originally assumed. Malachi had a clear advantage and he'd had no qualms using it to its utmost. At the very least, he was a capable strategist.

Goku found Malachi exactly where he'd left him last time. He did not lie against the old tree, but upon the ground on his side. His hair now obscured his face and he looked just as deeply asleep. Goku had quite some trouble waking him. He shook him and then called out his name loudly until he finally responded. Malachi, of course, was none too happy, but he supposed things could have gone far worse.

Malachi groaned with displeasure as he turned away from him. "You again—I should have known."

"Thought you might like the company." Goku sat cross-legged now beside his lying form.

"I wouldn't."

"I didn't come to ask for a spar," Goku said further. "And sorry for mistaking you for a Kai of some sort, but you never corrected me."

"Maybe you're not as stupid as I thought," he said just as he yawned. "How did you come to that conclusion in the first place?"

"You were by yourself on this planet and you'd have to be pretty strong to live here so casually. I don't think I would have ever jumped to the conclusion that someone's just willingly decided to exile themselves from everyone else. Are you some sort of hermit?"

"Perhaps that is an apt description."

"But why be here by yourself? Doesn't it get boring?"

"Well, you interrupted a glorious dream of mine, one where I imagined myself still living in days long past. It doesn't happen very often and when I inevitably wake up again, I remember how I could never return to that, I remember that my own weaknesses are the sole reason for that."

"You're talking about your time here or when you were on Earth?" Goku inquired.

Malachi sighed and then finally sat up, pushing his hair back out of his face. He didn't seem nearly as irritated as he had last time. "Earth, of course," he said wearily as he looked at him with solemn eyes. "Being here has been nothing more than a bad dream, completely divorced from what I considered reality. Heaven, supposedly a paradise seems so devoid of love and compassion. Could this really be it?"

"Well, you don't stay here forever. Eventually, you're reborn."

"Eventually," Malachi said. "Whatever that means. Not that it matters. You cease being the person you were, once they wipe your memory—it's like you're a new person altogether."

"That's the point of being reborn," Goku said.

"Yes, I understand that, but it's no more satisfying. Death is one thing. Complete elimination of everything you know yourself to be, is something else."

"Everything must end, eventually. That's what I've always known," Goku replied simply.

"And when will that ever happen for you, Saiyan? You've chosen to live here permanently, it seems, where time does not exist or at least, it doesn't age you as it would elsewhere. You could continue on for an eternity, never worried about things ending."

"I never thought of it like that, but yeah, I guess you're right. But I'm not afraid of it. I welcome it. I could have all those adventures again and it'll feel like the first time."

Malachi shook his head again. "Or you're not born a Saiyan and you don't meet the same people or have the same experiences. You could be born into a life in which you struggle physically and emotionally until you die utterly unfulfilled and having not accomplished anything you set out to do."

"That sounds…"

"Depressing," Malachi finished, "And yet it is entirely possible. Maybe it has already happened. How would we know after all?"

"Is that what happened to you? You died before you could do everything?"

"I accomplished a lot. I can't say I'm completely unsatisfied with how it turned out. I just wish I was back there again. I hate it here, this supposed paradise."

"But you weren't always here in Heaven, were you?"

Malachi shook his head once. "No. It was such a startling change when I found myself here, that I was sort of in shock for most of the beginning. I was just in a line for what felt like an eternity and I had no idea what to think. No one told me anything. I didn't know what I was waiting for, but something told me I had to stay in line or else. Strange looking people—now I know them as ogres—would walk around to make sure everything was orderly, shouting on their megaphones. I was no longer myself, but something else. It was very disconcerting."

"I think I always skipped over that part when I died. Kami escorted me there the first time and I always had my body."

"I see. How fortunate for you. Likely because you were a powerful warrior of some regard by then. I, however, was not. Once I arrived before King Yemma, he deliberated for a short while. He received a recommendation from Dende as to what should be done with me and he did exactly that—he held Dende in high regards. I soon found myself in a very dark place. Only the light coming through the bars gave me any sense as to where I was. He'd sent me to Hell, of course, but I had no idea what that would be like. I'm glad it was nothing like how I imagined it to be. I expected to be thrown into a pit of fire and to be in agony for eternity. This was far kinder."

"How long were you down there?" Goku asked.

"I couldn't exactly count down the days. Besides, I was still this amorphous entity and I wasn't making full sense of everything happening around me. I felt discarded and abandoned. I felt like I no longer wanted to exist. I only had myself to keep me company. Perhaps I deserved that. Not too long after, I was confronted with strange, foreign memories that, at first, made no sense to me. Why was I seeing these things? But the longer I was privy to them, the more I realized that these were my own. It was so long ago, it felt like another lifetime. It felt like the experiences of a different person. How had I forgotten it? At the time, I couldn't quite piece it together, but I've had all the time in the world to figure it out. It's really quite nice to not have such gaps in my memories, ones I did not know I had in the first place. It was not at all pleasant, however, regaining those lost memories."

His gaze intensified and then he looked elsewhere. He seemed lost in thought and Goku decided to draw him back out. "What were they about—your memories?" Goku asked, figuring this was the best way to gain his attention.

"Oh, sorry," Malachi said with a start as he looked at him again. It was a phrase Goku didn't think would ever come from him, but it seemed natural. "I doubt it would matter to you, Saiyan. You came here for a spar, but for some reason you've elected to deny that fact. I'm sure you don't want to hear me ramble on and on."

"Well, you're definitely not as annoyed as last time."

"Last time, you thought I was someone I wasn't and you wanted me to train you. Today, you've seemed to have gained some sense."

"King Kai told me about you."

"Oh, did he? You're friends with him? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. You're practically a celebrity around here. Goku, the legendary warrior."

"People get carried away sometimes. I just like finding a good challenge and improving my skills—there's nothing like finding someone who not only matches your skills but surpasses them. I need that kind of challenge to improve myself. I thought I'd found someone like that when I came here. Sorry for jumping to conclusions."

"I can hardly call myself a warrior. Like I said before, I could defend myself if I needed to, but lately it feels as if my interest in most things have faded."

"Is that why you want to be here by yourself? Is that why you sleep all the time?"

"Yes, I suppose that sums it up."

"Why don't you come back with me to King Kai's place? He's been asking about you. I think he's worried."

"Worried," Malachi repeated with a raised eyebrow. "That's ridiculous," he said with an exasperated sigh, "I don't want to be the cause for anyone's worry. I'll simply tell him I'm fine so he can stop wasting his time and energy."

This bothered him more than Goku had anticipated. He was someone who wanted to be left alone. Would it be so much of a stretch to also assume that he didn't want to be remembered or thought of by anyone as well? He wanted his existence to be of no consequence to anyone. He wanted to be forgotten completely. Goku wondered what that would accomplish if that was the case.

"Alright then," Goku said as he stood up, "I'll take you to him. All you gotta' do is put your hand on my shoulder."

Malachi looked at him as if he was speaking a foreign language, then realization came to him. "Ah, Instant Transmission."

"You'd be right," Goku replied.

Malachi soon, though with some reservation, stood and placed a hand on his shoulder and in the snap of a finger, they were transmitted to King Kai's planet. Goku wasn't altogether certain that this was what King Kai had wanted specifically, but he had seemed concerned about Malachi's wellbeing. What better way to make sure he was fine than to see him in person? Goku hadn't even expected for things to get this far. The way Malachi had been acting yesterday—he expected a short, curt conversation and to be sent on his way.

King Kai, on his part, was only a little startled of Goku's abrupt entrance. Even after all this time, he still wasn't completely used to it. Then again, Goku rarely ever warned him that he was coming. This was one of those times. But even more startled was Malachi himself who was looking around himself in amazement.

"That's just incredible," Malachi said with muted astonishment. "You could pretty much travel anywhere you want."

"Unless it's really, really far away—then it might take a little time."

"And when you say really, really far away, I'm assuming it's places where it would be impossible to gain access using standard modes of transportation otherwise."

"Yeah," Goku said thoughtfully, "Like all the way on the other side of the universe or was it galaxy—one of those."

"Both of those are unfathomably distant either way. I'm impressed," Malachi replied with a grin.

"Glad to see you again after all this time," King Kai said stepping forth towards them. He'd been speaking to Malachi.

Malachi regarded him with a brief nod. "Likewise, your highness."

"Oh, you don't have to bother with formalities. Hardly anyone does," King Kai said with a laugh.

"I've noticed, but how else am I going to show you respect? Besides, I know you secretly like that."

"No, seriously, he's totally fine without all that. I call just him King Kai all the time," Goku explained.

Malachi glanced at him before returning his gaze to the short deity. "Where are my manners?" he said as if in spite of Goku. He bowed deeply to the North Kai.

King Kai laughed off Malachi's antics, but his laughs were a bit more high-pitched than normal. "You're not even five minutes into visiting me and you've already passed the first test."

"As I recall, that's pretty easy to do. I can't imagine anyone finding it difficult."

"I get all kinds of people here," King Kai answered, "And you wouldn't believe the kind of personalities some of them have."

"I've met a few stoic fighters before," Malachi said, "I suppose that has its own merits."

"I meet them all the time on Grand Kai's planet," Goku added, "Everyone's really focused on training all the time."

"But it's no fun to work with. Let all the serious people go there, if they're so inclined," King Kai said back. "Speaking of which, Malachi, you wouldn't happen to have another joke for me, would you?"

"Well, your Highness, you're really putting me on the spot—I'm still surprised you were so taken with the last one. It was pretty bad."

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that?"

"Okay," Malachi said with a sigh. "Alright, well, maybe you'll like this one too. It's just as terrible as the last."

Malachi could hardly keep a straight face, Goku noticed. This was still the same guy who had nearly killed him just yesterday. Of course, Goku held no gripes with the man, but he certainly had a wide range of emotions. He still couldn't determine if he'd make for a good sparring partner despite King Kai showing obvious interest in him. Goku waited almost impatiently for the other to continue, but he paused and procrastinated longer claiming how silly and old it would be and that maybe he'd heard it before.

"A ham sandwich walks into a bar and orders a beer," Malachi began—King Kai was already snickering. Goku had to admit that picturing a sandwich doing anything other than being eaten was comical—maybe that was the whole thing, but Malachi continued. "Bartender says 'sorry, we don't serve food here'."

It flew right over Goku's head, at least for the time being, as King Kai burst out into a fit of laughter. Malachi was clearly amused by the other's reaction. "Hey, I don't get it," Goku said despite himself. It had all happened far too quickly.

"Ah, it's already bad—explaining it would make it worse," Malachi said, "Don't worry about it—it's really not important."

"Hold on, I need to get something," King Kai said as he turned.

Goku's attentions turned to King Kai as he made his way back inside. Seconds later he came back out holding a rectangular glass bottle. He'd seen it many times before on display in the small house, but only with passing interest. A large stick stuck out of the bottle and stretched the entire length of it. It's width very nearly matched that of the bottle's neck. Two holes near the bottom of the thick wooden stick was occupied with a metal pin and the other—on the hole above it—with a screw and a nut to tighten it into place. A single wooden ball moved freely on the bottom. King Kai handed this strange contraption to Malachi who accepted it graciously though with some confusion.

"I guess bottles are always useful no matter what they happen to have in them," Malachi said as he studied it. The ball moved about the bottom with a "ting" as it hit the glass surroundings. He turned the stick on its axle back and forth a little and pulled it up and down as far as it could go. The screw and nut stopped it each time.

"It's a puzzle," King Kai explained. "It's possible to remove everything out of it and it's also possible to put everything back in just the way it is."

"Really?" Malachi asked as he turned it over in his hand. "That seems rather difficult," he said slowly as he continued to turn the bottle this way and that.

"Do you think you can do it?" King Kai asked.

"Well, perhaps, if I had enough time. It looks doable. May I?"

"Well, I just gave it to you. It's a gift. Take all the time you need," King Kai said.

"Yeah, that's right," Malachi said laughing softly.

Goku looked at the bottle a little closer, noticing all the objects inside and the obstructions. It seemed a bit impossible to do—maybe it was some elaborate joke that he didn't quite understand. There was really only one way that Goku could think of at the moment. Malachi had already begun finagling with the stick though it didn't seem he was doing much. The ball continued to move about, and the stick continued to be impossible to remove. After he'd turned the bottle at every conceivable angle, Goku was already getting bored with the whole thing. King Kai, on his part, had already made his way back into the house.

"Any ideas?" Goku asked him as he continued to play with the bottle.

"Maybe. Not yet," he said back though in a tone that suggested that he was preoccupied. "But, there's so many pieces, the ball, the pin, the nut, the screw, the stick, the bottle itself. It can't be too hard as there's only a finite space, a finite combination of ways to use the pieces, and finite relationships to each component."

"That's true," Goku said slowly. "Or you could just break the bottle. Maybe that's the trick. The one least expected."

"I see. You think I'm being misled into thinking there is a solution when there isn't."

"Exactly," Goku said.

"Only, he didn't say that. He specifically said that these items could be placed back in again. You can't place them back into a completely shattered bottle unless he honestly thinks I'm going to sit around and glue them back together. I'm bored, but not that bored. Would he really do something like that?"

"Ummm," Goku said as he thought back on all the times he spent with King Kai. He was a pretty straightforward person. Though he did like a good joke, he wasn't exactly into tricking people. "Seems unlike him," he said finally after a while.

"Then I'm going to assume that it isn't that sort of trick," Malachi said as he sat down on the ground, making himself comfortable. "It would be quite disappointing otherwise."

Goku watched him for a while and then sighed exasperatedly. That could probably take all day. He wondered what the purpose of it was. He'd never seen King Kai give something away like that. There had to be an ulterior motive. Or maybe he really did like being called 'your Highness'.

"You know, it's strange," Malachi said breaking the ensuing quiet. "You can go wherever you like and yet you never choose to go back to Earth—at least, as far as I know."

"It's safer that way," Goku explained. "Earth was always in peril when I lived there and some of it might have been my fault. My enemies would want revenge and hurt so many other people in the process."

"So you think if you eliminate yourself from the equation, Earth is no longer afflicted with danger."

"Well, not entirely, but it would definitely mean less trouble."

"But what is less trouble and what is more?" Malachi asked.

Goku looked at him confused. "I'm not sure what you're talking about."

"Does less trouble mean the Earth being on the verge of complete annihilation a little less often?"

"Well, yeah," Goku replied.

"Then the difference is negligible, don't you think? It becomes a non-reason especially if your goal is to actually save Earth. That's like saying your home will be bombed a bit less, however it will still happen and when it does, you won't be there to help anyone fix it. In this case, however, good luck trying to 'fix' Earth once it's destroyed."

"It's not like that," Goku explained further. "There are people who live there that are more than capable of defending Earth in my stead."

"You mean, Vegeta?" Malachi questioned.

"Yeah—hey, how do you know him?"

"Our paths crossed once upon a time. He trained me."

"What?!" Goku exclaimed incredulously. This caused even Malachi to pause in his tinkering and glance up at him albeit with a raised eyebrow. "How did you manage that? I can't see him ever agreeing to training some random person. But that totally explains yesterday when you fought me—I thought it was my imagination, but the way you fought reminded me of him."

It could also be the reason King Kai wanted to train him. He must be special somehow, Goku concluded, though he couldn't see anything especially remarkable about him. He was a decent fighter—a ruthless one at that, but that didn't exactly mean he also had a lot of skill. Now that he knew he'd received training from someone he respected, it did change his opinion of him somewhat. What were the chances that he'd stumble upon someone who happened to have some relation to the same circle of friends on Earth? It was a tightknit group and they didn't let just anybody into it. Bulma always saw to that. Goku was quite lax in that regard; he had been preoccupied with training and fighting.

"I was dating his only daughter," Malachi replied, "And he's quite protective of her."

"Dating?" Goku said a bit puzzled.

"Yes, dating," Malachi confirmed.

"But…what is that?" Goku asked, "Is that something you guys do together?"

"Uh, yeah," Malachi said with uncertainty in his tone. "It's what you do when you really like someone, and you want to have a future with them or something along those lines. Am I really explaining what 'dating' is to you? Didn't you live on Earth? I met your granddaughter."

"Oh, you did?" Goku asked interested. "How was she?"

"She's a very strong and capable woman and thankfully not as clueless as you are."

"That sounds just like her. I only knew her for a short while, but even with that, I knew she'd be a lot like Chi-Chi."

"If you're so interested, why don't you go and visit her from time to time?"

"It's like I said before," Goku replied, "It wouldn't be a good idea, not for Earth."

For a while, he heard the "tink" of the ball hitting the glass and the stick being moved around. Malachi seemed to be pressing the ball into the top corner and pushing the nut up against it. It still didn't look like he was making much progress.

"I miss them," Malachi said after a while. "I miss all of them. Every time I think about them, my family..." He let the sentence rest and then continued with a new thought. "I don't know how you do it."

"I'll see them all again eventually," Goku said. "Earth has been at peace for a long time—that's what King Kai told me. Me being there would only ruin all that."

"Right," Malachi said quietly. "I wonder if I knew how to do that move of yours, if I'd be able to go back. Would that be against some unspoken law?"

"Maybe if you got King Yemma's permission it would be okay, but it would probably be for only a short while like a week or so."

"That makes sense. It wouldn't be fair to just let people live again arbitrarily. King Yemma would have no reason to grant me permission either."

"I could vouch for you."

"You really have that much sway with him?"

"Well, I've helped him out a few times and we're pretty good friends."

"Friends in high places," Malachi said with a chuckle. "Well, of course, for the likes of you—the great and legendary Saiyan warrior breaking untold amounts of records and levels."

"I just like a good challenge," Goku said back, "And I like helping people, if I can."

"How nice," Malachi replied.

"Baba could do it too, if you ask nicely. I bet King Kai could get in contact with her. She's a witch on Earth and really, really old."

"Another friend of yours?" Malachi asked. "Very convenient. I'm guessing that would also only be for a short while. Nothing permanent."

"Nothing permanent," Goku confirmed. "I came back one time for the tournament and I got to meet my other son. It was nice meeting him for the first time."

"My hands are getting a bit sweaty," Malachi said to himself as he put the bottle down and wiped his hands on himself. Goku couldn't understand why he was still bothering with the bottle, but he seemed very determined. "I don't belong there, it seems. Seeing her for just a moment would be more like torture. What if she's already moved on and I come back for a brief moment to remind her just to make it that much worse. I don't think it would be a good idea."

"Maybe if you came back for an event and not just for that one person, it wouldn't be so bad," Goku suggested.

Malachi shook his head at this. "No matter how you spin it, it would be the same. After all this time, I can't believe I'd be more excited about anything other than seeing her again. I hope she has moved on or found happiness somehow. I have to believe she hasn't been suffering for this long. I mean, why would she—a woman like that, beholden to some guy like me."

"You probably know her better than me. If she's anything like Vegeta, then she's fine. I just can't get over the fact that Vegeta actually trained you—is that how you died?" Goku asked in all seriousness.

Malachi chuckled at this. "Not quite. It wasn't like it was years of training. I really only got an introduction from him and he wasn't as brutal as I thought he would be. He gave me a lot to work with—a good foundation: ki control, endurance training, and fighting habits. I took it from there. Tien taught me as well."

"Tien too? You got the best of both worlds. Let's see, I was trained by Master Roshi, Mr. Popo, King Kai and even Grand Kai eventually. Then I learned things in bits and pieces from other people who lived in Other World. And I trained a great deal on my own."

"I see—a regular trainaholic. I was interested only in becoming stronger in the beginning, but Vegeta was teaching me how to fight and I found that I liked that—the inherent danger, figuring out someone's weaknesses and exploiting them, not really knowing how a given duel might end. The risks were far too great for one who could die so easily, but that was what I liked the most. Bra hated it for good reason. That wasn't why I died, surprisingly enough."

"Was it because of old age then?"

"No, it's because of what I am—a human—and I had my own issues that I never dealt with. I wonder how it was when they found me. Bra must have been so angry seeing that." He closed his eyes for a moment. "I'm not really sure how exactly I died, but I know my doctor had been there administering the drugs. I couldn't do it myself otherwise…Well, I thought it would be safer if he was there. I guess it wasn't. I shouldn't have…I don't know why I did that. I keep thinking about it over and over again. I was just being stupid, but the state I was in—I don't think I was capable of making a rational decision. And he warned me that it wasn't a good idea to take those specific drugs, but he also didn't have any other suggestions. I just wanted to sleep because I hadn't been doing that very well for months. I know it sounds silly, but not getting enough of that or none at all was really taking its toll on me. I couldn't really function well at all. Everything was…Well, it's hard to explain. I felt trapped like I was in a waking nightmare that continued on and on and on. I'd be lying if I said I never thought of suicide. I didn't want that, but it was something I couldn't stop thinking about. Turns out, I did it anyways. Unintentional or not. I can't even say for certain if it was really unintentional or somewhere deep down I wanted it to happen."

Goku looked down when he heard the sound of tiny objects hitting the ground. His eyes widened at the sight—Malachi had done it. He'd emptied the bottle and they all laid separately on the grass. He hadn't even been paying attention that closely. What exactly had he done? "How did you do that? That's incredible." He studied the pieces now wondering if he could spot something that would explain how he was able to do it.

"Magic," Malachi said wearily, "Not that it matters. The hard part is putting it back in exactly as it was."

Goku noticed that the other wasn't nearly as enthused as he was. He'd never been good at reading people's moods, but he doubted that the bottle had anything to do with it. He hadn't really been following what he was saying, but his tone had become solemn and it had something to do with drugs. He'd died, it seemed, not from old age or battle, but by something of his own doing. Feeling trapped in a nightmare sounded quite unpleasant. He couldn't imagine experiencing that for days on end.

Goku watched him place the pieces back together but outside of the bottle and he did so deliberately slow and then for a long while, he simply gazed at the configuration. "How are you going to put it back in?" Goku asked as the silence stretched. He decided to sit down as well.

"Slowly," Malachi offered, "I have an idea. I'm just trying to see if it would work. Seeing it like this helps."

Goku watched as Malachi undid and redid the configuration many times over on the ground. Then Goku laid on his back in boredom. "Well, at least you got your body back."

"When I was given the choice, I wanted it so badly. I thought if I could only have that, things would be better."

"Are things better?" Goku asked.

"They're not. I don't know why I'm here—in Heaven, I mean. It was better before when I was in Hell. That's what I deserve. It was fitting that I had no choice in the matter. That was shitty, but…it made sense. Not being able to escape, always seeking refuge but never finding it—that makes sense. I was confronted with myself, the part which I've ignored for so long, even denied its existence. I don't belong here, but circumstances allowed it anyway. I've done nothing of consequence ever since. I plan to keep it that way."

Goku watched the clouds pass overhead as he silently mulled over his words. "But isn't that boring?"

"At first, but now I feel so tired all the time. Days seem to slip by without me even knowing. All I do is dream about things that could have happened, about things that did happen, about things that make no sense at all. You, of course, had to rudely interrupt that. It was quite jarring."

"Sorry about that, but it's not good to be so idle."

"I know," Malachi said with a sigh.

"Then you'll spar with me again, one day?"

"No."

"Ah, c'mon!" Goku whined, "Maybe after King Kai trains you?"

"Trains me? Who said anything about me agreeing to such a thing?" Malachi asked with some annoyance. "Finished."

It took Goku a moment to realize what Malachi was referring to, but when he did, he sat up and saw that the bottle was indeed put back into its original state. "Geez, you must be some sort of magician."

Malachi held the bottle up showing some pride in his accomplishment. A subtle smile graced his face.

"No," King Kai's voice said from nearby as he stepped back out of the house, "But I'd say he shows a good amount of ingenuity. I've always had my suspicions. Looks like I still have a good eye for that kind of thing."

"Was this some sort of test?" Malachi asked wearily.

"I knew it!" Goku exclaimed excitedly, "So you're going to train him?" he asked King Kai.

Malachi stood up at this. "Goku, would you be so kind as to take me back? I think I'm done here. You can have your bottle back, your Highness."

"I gave it to you," King Kai said stubbornly, "And I'm not in the habit of taking back gifts."

"Well then, if you insist, fine, I'll keep it, but that doesn't mean I agree to being trained. Honestly, I don't know why you would waste your time."

"It's not for you to question my motives. But it's for your own good ultimately. Why do you think you're so tired all the time?"

"I don't know," Malachi said exhaustedly.

"It's been a very long time since I've seen it myself, but it is possible to fade away completely out of existence without any external influences. Your form will eventually lose all energy and then disappear. As that time grows nearer, you become persistently tired as you are now and then one day never wake up. Though it is a very peaceful way to die and very few people manage it as it takes many years, I don't want that to happen. It would be a waste. You couldn't be reborn again. The life that you lived would be the last one you ever will."

"Maybe it's better that way. I'm not sure if I'd want to do life over again even if it might be better next time. I've already done it before and maybe many times before. I doubt deciding not to do that anymore wouldn't really matter to anyone—

"What about Bra?" King Kai asked.

"What about her? I'm sure she's doing fine."

"You'd never be able to meet her again. You know that one day she'll die as well."

"What kind of person do you think I am? Hoping that someone I love so dearly dies having never moved on and having never found anything else of substance in her life so much so that she would run right back into my arms as if nothing ever happened. I expect her to find happiness elsewhere. I'm not waiting for her and I hope she's not waiting for me. Whatever we had is long gone."

"But what if you could be revived permanently?"

"After so long? I don't belong there anymore. I've been debating with myself for some time, but I think it would be better if I could stay where I was before in Hell."

King Kai approached Malachi until he stood only a few inches in front of him. "You don't belong there. I've read your files. The check-in station has a detailed report of every single spirit that comes through the door. Were it not for Dende's recommendation, King Yemma would have undoubtedly let you into Heaven with your body intact, but he never read it fully. It's not rocket science what he does. Every single spirit that comes there has both good and evil and his job is to decide which one does the person lean towards the most and for you, for all your shortcomings and mistakes, you lean towards good and you were instrumental in saving Earth from certain destruction. Laputa has destroyed many, many worlds before, but you successfully fought against its control and you were the only one to befriend it and help it find peace. He's in Heaven. Why do you think you shouldn't be?"

"Because…because…" Malachi was at a loss of words and he appeared quite caught off guard.

With the power of telekinesis, King Kai forced him to sit down so that that they were at similar levels. "You're going to let me train you because I haven't seen someone with so much mental prowess step foot on my planet for ages and it would be a monumental waste if it's never put to any use whatsoever. Now do you agree?"

"I…"

"Do you agree, Malachi," King Kai repeated.

The short deity stepped back a little when Malachi didn't respond immediately. It took Goku a moment to realize that the other was crying. His head was bowed and the soft part of his palm was pressed firmly against his face as tears steadily rolled down his face. Goku didn't know what to make of it. He looked from King Kai to Malachi knowing that he'd missed something once again.

"Fine, I'll do it," Malachi managed to say with a surprisingly steady voice, "If you insist."

"Good. Maybe one day you'll forgive yourself and stop blaming yourself for every single thing that didn't go right in your life." Malachi looked up at him as he spoke. "For now,"—King Kai took out a small clear plastic ball with multiple strings and colors stretched through it, settling on the surface of the ball on each side of the string with a cone-shaped face—"I want you to bring all four colors together without getting the strings inside tangled." He placed the strange clear ball on the ground before the sitting Malachi.

His eyes were red rimmed as he observed the ball and took it into his hands. Much like the bottle, he studied it slowly. With this, King Kai took his leave, but this time he made his way over to the red car he had in the driveway.

"King Kai never had me do this kind of thing when he trained me," Goku commented.

Malachi sniffled a bit before speaking again. "I can't imagine why not," he said as he began to move the cone-shaped heads around. He soon laid down flat on the ground on his back and continued in this way. "But I do love puzzles. I could probably do this all day," he said distantly.

"Well, good luck with that. And when you're done with King Kai's training, we should spar again."

Malachi sighed at this. "I'd hardly be a match for you, Saiyan. I think for now I'll just focus on this."

AN: This will be probably one of the worst Christmas's I've had and that's saying something for me. Funds are low. Won't be seeing certain family members because they're currently trying to get tested for the virus due to being exposed at work plus people don't have health insurance...I'm just trying to distract myself with writing. I would write some Christmas themed chapter, but it would probably be a depressing one and I'm just not in the mood. With that said:

Enjoy and Happy Holidays, everyone.