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Chapter 35: A Way Out?

As much as he hated to admit it, 18 was probably dead. There wasn't any way he could confirm it with his eyes alone, but he knew deep down in the bottom of his stomach that she was gone.

Even if it was just a feeling.

17's lips turned downwards in just the slightest of ways; he seriously needed to get out of here.

Meanwhile, Goten was letting out a frustrated cry. He was tired of staring at the same space and he was starting to get hungry again.

"Hey," Trunks called out with a knowing look, "Don't be a baby, Goten."

Goten's brows knitted together. It was obvious that Goten had taken offense to his friend's words. "I'm not being a baby. You take that back, Trunks!"

Trunks winced at Goten's sudden change in volume; it was piercing.

If things kept going at this rate, Goten would end up outright bawling - which would then turn into a temper tantrum. Trunks spared a glance at Piccolo and 17; they were both off on their own and seemingly concerned with their own matters. Trunks sighed.

In other words, it was up to him to deal with Goten when he was like this - as always.

"Goten, listen - "

" - WAHHH!"

Trunks clamped his hands over his ears, wincing further as Goten literally yelled at the top of his lungs. The older Saiyan groaned in annoyance. There really was no getting through to Goten when he was like this. Frustrated, Trunks eventually decided he had enough and drove his fist into Goten's head.

Goten released an "Ow!" as he grasped his head and only screamed louder. Trunks released a slight curse.

"What's going on over here?" Piccolo asked reluctantly after making his way over to the two Saiyans; sometimes his hearing was really more of a curse than a blessing.

"Goten's having one of his fits." Trunks explained dismissively, all but preparing to walk away. That was until he saw what looked to be a small... rip in space?

"Wait a minute," Trunks began slowly. "Piccolo, I could be seeing things but - " Trunks pointed in the direction of the rip - "is that really what I think it is?"

Piccolo stoically looked in the direction Trunks pointed to, eyes near bulging. "Impossible! How could this be?!"

Trunks cocked a brow as if he was still doubting it himself.

"That," 17 began thoughtfully as he joined aside the others, "looks like our ticket out of here."

~0~

"What are you doing?"

Raditz blinked owlishly. "...Proposing?"

Silence.

Raditz cursed. This was Bulma's and Chi-Chi's idea. He and 18 had already mated and were technically married per Saiyan law; however, the women insisted that since 18 was part human, it was only fair to follow her traditions as well.

If that was the case, then why the hell was 18 looking at him like he was an idiot? Was he even doing this right?

The longer 18 took to say anything, the more tinged Raditz's cheeks became; he was getting embarrassed.

It certainly didn't help that they had an audience.

"18," Raditz tried again, "Will you marry me? You've already said yes before, what makes this any different?"

"Raditz!" Chi-Chi hissed heatedly, "Don't pressure her!"

Raditz 'tsked' in annoyance; nonetheless, he tried his best to stifle any further remarks.

"18! Give him an answer," Bulma encouraged lightly.

The petite woman in question felt her cheeks tinge even more if possible. This was such a public display of things and that wasn't something that they usually did. She and Raditz usually did things privately and out of the eyes of others. "Yes."

Bulma and Chi-Chi shrieked in excitement whilst Raditz released the breath he didn't know he was holding in; he really hoped he didn't have to do this shit again.

Buu clutched his head until the memory faded away, grumbling lowly in annoyance. Why did this keep happening?

Originally, Buu figured that as time passed and he got used to his new powers, he would stop seeing such things. If anything, they only worsened and hit him at the most inopportune moments. Raditz's body and powers were supposed to be one with him and Raditz's mind wasn't supposed to be active.

Buu 'tsked'.

Buu had seen so many of Raditz's memories at this point that he knew his name and Raditz's background. In order for this to stop and for Buu to continue enjoying and testing his powers, Super Buu would have to find a way to deal with this. The pink being reluctantly sat down Indian style on the ground and closed his eyes; he was going to meditate.

~0~

"Where are they?" 18 inquired impatiently. "Where are my kids?"

"Ma'am, please calm down! You can't cause a ruckus here in Heaven!"

18 narrowed her eyes, "I've been getting the run around since I've been here. I want to see my kids. NOW."

"But ma'am - "

"Itadori," King Yemma interrupted, "It's okay. I'll handle this."

Itadori released a sigh of relief and eagerly scurried on; that woman was beyond scary.

"Well?" 18 inquired.

"I understand that you're worried about your kids; they are in good hands. However, seeing as my words probably mean nothing to you, I'll take you to see them."

18 seemed to relax at this, noticeably perking up. "Thank you."

King Yemma gave a short nod, gesturing for 18 to follow him. "Not a problem at all. I have kids of my own, so I truly sympathize."

"You sympathize?" 18 repeated. "Is that why I have my body and why I'm not floating around like a cloud just like the others?"

"Truth be told," King Yemma began, "everyone's case is situational and that is what determines whether we grant you a body or not."

18 fell silent for a moment as if debating on whether or not she should ask her next question. "Do you know what's currently going on with Earth? With Raditz?"

"No," King Yemma answered honestly, "but I'll let you know when I find anything out."

The two fell in silence and then they were eventually coming to a stop. "They're probably here. Gine usually takes it upon herself to look after all the young ones here."

"Gine?" 18 repeated back slowly. For some reason, that name sounded pretty familiar, but 18 was having trouble registering why. Lazuli's brows furrowed slightly in irritation as she repeated the name over and over in her head like a mantra. Who did she hear that name from?

The blonde 'tsked' in frustration before letting it go.

"Alright, then," King Yemma concluded none the wiser to 18's thoughts, "I'll leave you to it; I have other matters that I must get back to."

18 gave a curt nod in response and trekked further ahead. She could hear laughter and joyous screams and 18 felt her heart melt in just the slightest of ways when she eventually saw her children. "Marise! Taro!"

"Momma?" The twins questioned in perfect sync.

Hurriedly, her teary-eyed twins made their way towards her, and 18 dropped down on a knee to embrace them.

Lazuli had been so worried the moment she realized that she was dead and put two and two together. She hated that she hadn't been able to properly avenge her kids. Furthermore, 18 hated that her kids were in such a horrific situation in the first place. It angered her that she and Raditz tried their best to normalize their kids' lives as much as they could and they still end up being put through trauma.

How would she and Raditz even begin to reverse the damage done?

For Raditz to have the childhood that he did, he still turned out alright. However, 18 feared that she was a different matter altogether and that she wouldn't be much help.

"How are you two feeling?"

"We're okay," Taro answered bravely, "Ms. Gine has been looking after us."

For now, 18 decided not to prod her kids too much on their answer or feelings; the most important thing was staying by their side and making sure they never left her side again.

"Where is Gine?" 18 inquired curiously.

"I'm right here," a soft voice butt in lightly.

18's icy blue eyes diverted off of her children and onto the woman in question. Immediately, her eyes widened. "You look like...Raditz!"

Lazuli had been so caught off guard that her composure fell. Meanwhile, the twins shared a look of realization as did Gine.

Then, a slow smile was spreading across Gine's features as she spoke exactly what the twins were thinking. "That explains why I got an air of familiarity from them. Then, that must mean you're the woman my son spoke of the last time I saw him!"

18 blinked, slowly regaining her composure as she rose to her feet. "When was this?"

"Years back," Gine answered easily. "At the time, I believe you were facing someone called Cell and he ended up dying in the process."

18 offered a silent nod in agreement. After all, the blonde woman felt slightly awkward all of a sudden. Raditz was actually her first boyfriend and her first husband; therefore, she didn't have any experience when it came to meeting parents.

Gine cocked her head slightly, smile widening with ease as she seemed to pick up on what was troubling the blonde. "I'm Gine! I'm the mother of Raditz and Kakarot; it's nice to finally meet you!"

18 tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, "I'm...Lazuli. It's nice to meet you as well."

Gine squealed in excitement. "Bardock would be so delighted to meet you. Would you be willing to come down to Hell?"

18 seemed hesitant. After all, she was just reunited with her children. "Maybe some other time. I don't want to leave the kids just yet."

Gine couldn't resist pouting in response and 18 couldn't help but think that Gine looked like a spitting image of Goku.

Marise looked up at her mom curiously, "Did you run into Aunt Bulma or Aunt Chi-Chi?"

"No," 18 answered with a cocked brow, "My main priority was finding you two."

Admittingly, now that she thought about them, 18 couldn't help but feel slightly guilty. "But we can certainly look for them."

~0~

"I knew it was only a matter of time before we were needed again."

"Gotenks," Piccolo checked with narrowed eyes, "Don't start."

17 harrumphed. For once he was in agreeance with Piccolo. Gotenks really did need to lose the arrogance; it was quite annoying.

"Alright, alright!" Gotenks responded with ease. "Transform and then scream as loud as we can, right?"

"Right." Piccolo confirmed.

And without further ado, Gotenks released a short battle cry whilst jumping into Super Saiyan with ease. "Let's start off with Super Saiyan!"

Gotenks lavender and black-colored hair was now a golden yellow. It was more than apparent to 17 and Piccolo that Gotenks was quite proud of himself. "Next uppppp is a huge surprise! I bet -

"- Cut it out, already! We don't have all day, Gotenks!"

Gotenks looked slightly taken aback; nonetheless, he was powering up even further after an eye roll. "Well, here's to Super Saiyan 3."

17 cocked a brow. "Wait? Super Saiyan 3?" That couldn't be possible. Raditz hadn't even shown that to them yet. Did he miss something? Instead of trying to figure it out, 17 diverted his attention onto Piccolo, "Do you know anything about this?"

"N-No," Piccolo answered sharply. "Raditz didn't show them this! This makes no sense whatsoever."

But then again, weren't Trunks and Goten able to turn into a Super Sayian without much training? Goku, Raditz, and Vegeta all worked hard to become Super Saiyan while the younger Saiyans were able to do it at a drop of the hat. Could Gotenks being able to turn Super Saiyan 3 have anything to do with this as well? Piccolo continued observing Gotenks in silence.

It would appear that he was finished with his transformation and that he was basking in his power.

"17," Piccolo began carefully, "Now that I think about it, these boys were able to transform into Super Saiyan without any rigorous training; they made it look ridiculously easy from what I heard. This might not be too far-fetched."

"They skipped Super Saiyan 2. Perhaps Super Saiyan 3 is something they can only achieve together?"

"Perhaps." Piccolo responded distractedly, "But if this works, our main concern will be what we will do once we get out of here."

"As much as I hate to say this, "Dende brought up sadly, "I have a feeling that no one will be waiting for us outside."

"I have a similar feeling," Piccolo admitted. Then he was shooting Dende a knowing look, "You didn't find any other ways out, did you?"

Dende shook his head, "No. You were right in the end, but it was still worth a shot to look around the Time Chamber and see if anything could help us."

"Well, the sooner Gotenks get started, the better."

Gotenks took that as his cue to get started and took one deep breath.

~0 ~

"If you have something to say, you should just say it you know."

Raditz looked taken aback by 18's words; as usual, she was blunt and to the point. It only took a second, but the male was quickly gathering his composure just as quickly as it fell.

"It's nothing. You're just beautiful, 18. I know this may sound strange, but you're all the more attractive to me right now."

The blonde flushed slightly, diverting her eyes away from Raditz. He was definitely right about it sounding strange. As it stood, she was not at her best. If anything, she was a mess; she was literally in the process of giving birth to their twins.

Her hair was sticking to her face and her skin was sweaty.

Not to mention, she had put on a good bit of baby weight.

Throughout her pregnancy, Lazuli had tried to stay active as much as possible so the weight gain wouldn't be too crazy, but Raditz had been overprotective. If she so much as moved, he was literally by her side within seconds. As much as she appreciated the gesture, it definitely got annoying pretty quickly.

"Are you still OK in here, 18?" Bulma opened the door to the infirmary and peeked her head in.

"Yeah, I'm fine." 18 answered back calmly.

"Good," Bulma answered sweetly, trekking inside and checking 18's vitals. "You still seem to be fine. Are you sure you don't want a shot to deal with the pain that may come?"

18 winced slightly, "No, but I could really use that glass of water Chi-Chi promised to get me over a half-hour ago."

Bulma chuckled lightly. "Right. I'll go check on Chi and see that the water gets to you."

18 gave a nod in response and Raditz cocked a brow at his wife; she was being stubborn. "18, I know you don't like needles because of Dr. Gero, but you can trust Bulma. That's why we're here at her place and not at the hospital; she's nothing like Dr. Gero."

18's shoulders fell slightly. "I know; I just still can't help but feel a bit uneasy."

Raditz squeezed 18's hand reassuringly. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

18 winced again before she could answer; the contractions Bulma told her about were happening a lot faster now. "Maybe I should get that shot after all."

"I'll be right back," Raditz stated with urgency. "I'll go get Bulma."

18 gave a slight nod and watched as her husband ran off to go get Bulma. This was a strange feeling. All of it was.

Never in her life would she had thought that she'd be in a position where she would be married and giving birth. And with Raditz of all people.

Especially when there was a point in time where she going to kill his brother.

18 cracked a light smile despite the situation; Raditz played a huge role in her turning her life around.

In a sense, he saved her and she trusted him with her life and her heart.

"18?" Chi-Chi called out, all but running in. "I'm so sorry! Gohan was - " Chi-Chi shook her head and decided not to bore 18 with why she took so long - "Nevermind that. Here's the water you asked for."

Lazuli eagerly sat up and took the glass of water from Chi-Chi's hands. "Thank you."

"No problem at all. How are you feeling?"

"I'll feel better when Raditz gets back with Bulma."

Chi-Chi cracked a knowing smile. "Is the pain getting worse?"

"Hm." 18 agreed distractedly.

"Well, you're doing a great job, so don't you worry about that at least."

Before 18 could respond, Raditz, with Bulma in tow, was quickly rolling back in. The blue-haired scientist was quickly making her way towards an exhausted 18 and administering the shot.

"There." Bulma soothed, "It'll probably take about 20 to 30 mins to kick in, but once it does, you'll be fine."

Buu made a face of distaste.

He figured that if he meditated he could maneuver his way through Raditz's conscience somehow, but even that was proving difficult and time-consuming. This would probably take longer than he thought it would. If he hadn't killed Babidi, then Buu probably would have had an answer by now.

This was definitely something that Buu didn't have the patience for.

Super Buu released an inaudible grunt of frustration as he closed his eyes once more.

If he kept starting and stopping, he'd do nothing but set himself back even further; Super Buu needed to overcome this in order to move forward with the next phase of his plans.

A/N: Thanks for the patience! And thank you for the continued support! Please continue to stay safe and healthy! Updates are supposed to be weekly or bi-weekly! If there's any interference, I usually leave a note on my profile. Remember to keep an eye out on that!

coldblue2015 seems to like the Super Buu/Raditz bits, so thanks to that go to him! I wanted this chapter a little bit longer, but I've been working on it all day - fighting through writer's block - and this seemed like a good place to stop. Next chapter we will probably have some more Buu/Raditz and we may see some Hell interactions; it all depends!

SuperBlue: Thanks! Glad to have you back as well!

Derek83: Ah yes, who will fuse indeed? *evil laugh* And how Raditz handles all of what happened will definitely play a huge impact on 18 & Raditz's marriage! So I look forward to writing about it!

Yasho360: Things keep getting worse for Raditz indeed! And 18 is about SSJ2 level! I did start with someone doing the power levels for me when I first started this series, but since then I try to use the other characters as a guide & estimate regarding how strong characters are. When 18 first showed up in the dbz series, I believe she was stronger than a Super Saiyan and took on Vegeta easily.

Super Saiyan 2 Gohan was the strongest form in the Cell arc & Gohan was the strongest at that time, so I have 18 right around the level currently during the Buu arc.

Gamelover41592: Thank you!

Hamza9236: Marise & Taro for sure have their tails! So I believe Trunks & Goten still have their tails as well. I don't write about it much, so I can see how it would come into question.

coldblue2015: Thanks! I really appreciate your understanding! Q1, S1& S2: I haven't thought about Vegeta and Zanya POV at all, to be honest. I have thought about just writing different perspectives, but I'm trying to tread lightly and not overwhelm you guys with too much "filler. I wouldn't want to risk boring you guys with bits you might not want to see & I was quite worried about that outcome. Q2: The Z-Warrior Gang did make it to Heaven for the most part and thanks to your idea, we have the 18 in Heaven this chapter! I did throw in a bit of a twist though!

Q3 & S3: This is a really good idea! I probably would have used it and gave you credit for it if I didn't use the Goten route! Q4&S4: Great idea! However, I didn't plan on having Super Buu get stick in the Time Chamber, but I definitely want to do something with Piccolo, 17, and Gotenks; we will probably see more of this next chapter! Q5&S5: So I definitely like the thought of this because it is super interesting! I will probably incorporate more of this.

Q6&S6: As I've been having insane writer's block for some reason, I haven't given much thought to characters after the Majin Buu arc. I will say that I was bothered by 17's growth as well. It definitely wasn't explained that well and I think they brushed it off by saying he got that strong from training with the animals on the Island?! I can't remember exactly. I will say I did have 18 train with Raditz a bit in this story so that if I do continue with DBSuper, it won't seem as if she got stronger out of thin air. 17 training with 18 and Raditz would definitely be a nice twist!