The Horse with No Name

by Bonsim

Some months after Buu, Gohan's walking the road paved out for him. He's studying for college, dating Videl, and enjoying normality. But normality is fragile and Gohan doesn't know that he's on borrowed time. When Death takes him to his reawakened destiny Gohan's dual nature pulls him between two very different lives; one of Gohan Son, and one of a god.

38. Kith, Kin and Sins of the Righteous

The Horse with No Name

---

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Kith, Kin and Sins of the Righteous

---

"I'm giving you this. Go home." Gohan spares Piccolo a glance. "We're done."

"G-Gohan, wait—"

Goku tries to make chase as his son – God, as Gohan – thunders up the stairs, two at a time in the opposite direction. Yet not only does Piccolo hold him back, but also his injuries. He balks, falling as blood bursts from his mouth.

"Goku!" Piccolo admonishes, catching him before he lands. "Stop! Just stop – wait a second!"

"That's Gohan!" he argues. The hand around his arm is a vice. "Get offa' me! That's Gohan!"

The fire around spreads but he doesn't care, even as it engulfs the stonework and the wooden furnishings. The pews crackle, glass screeches, smoke builds and Goku coughs. He splutters, still pulling. But Piccolo won't let up – why won't he just let him go? That's Gohan, for sure, that's him!

"You're a mess, Son!" Piccolo snaps, hauling him. "Get it together. Can't you see that you're in no position to go after him?"

"Let go!"

"You're dying, you idiot. We need to leave! We need to find Vegeta and go – this isn't safe for us. Who knows what's become of Lord Beerus? We'll be damn lucky if we even manage to find a way back."

"You go. I need to go after G—"

"You follow him and you DIE! Don't you realize that something's clearly very wrong with him? He's not himself, or at least, he's not who we thought he was. Did you hit your head that hard? Do you not see what state he put you in? What he's capable of?"

It'd been near impossible to keep up with that speed, that vigour. Mori – no, Gohan – had danced circles around him, he'd battered Goku around like he'd been nothing. The display of raw might had been horrifying. Goku still feels the agony from it, his entire body throbs, he wants to be sick, he's stinging from inflicted burns; and all this had come from Gohan after subduing Rixas. What power.

Yet, more than anything, Goku's chest hurts.

"I can't leave him again."

"He left you! Don't be stupid. For now, we need to retreat to Earth and consider what to do next. There's nothing here for us. We need the senzu beans."

There's barely a handful left. Are they really going to waste their precious stock on Goku? He'll… he'll walk this off and…

He cries out when he attempts freedom.

Piccolo looks around the burning church. "I'll… I'll carry you." Whilst not as badly beaten, he's still in no position to be encumbered with the injured. "I… s-stay still."

Over the cracking, crunching and splintering, there's the familiar echo of footsteps against stone. Goku perks. It could be Gohan. Has he come back?

No. He's not.

Piccolo sucks in a breath, never having sounded so relieved in one single moment.

"Supreme Kai."

Shin, the epitome of cleanliness in this rotten scorching world, stands by the other staircase leading down. Behind, Kibito stumbles into the church. His eyes grow wide upon seeing them crumpled in the embers.

"Be quick, Kibito!" Shin orders, "Goku looks incredibly unwell."

"No, wait! Not here," Piccolo calls out, "Take us to Earth first. If you heal Goku here then he'll just fly upstairs and get himself killed."

The Supreme Kai looks grave, but he nods regardless, ignoring Goku's pleas as Kibito collects him and Piccolo, teleporting them back to the safety of planet Earth.

Goku never once believed he could feel worse after being healed.

Kibito's hands wobble in focus over Piccolo's wounds. The light momentarily dims, sweat trickles down the kai's face; it must be hard on him. Dealing with Goku's substantial damage hadn't been easy, and Piccolo isn't exactly the shining example of health. He, at least, looks somewhat eased by the healing process; the long burn across his arm finally closes up after a stretch of time. Goku's burns hadn't wanted to fade either – especially the ones Gohan had given him.

Gohan. Gohan. Gohan…

Those eyes… Why were his eyes like that?

Shin is not yet here. He'd stayed to look for Vegeta amidst the chaos. When was the last time Goku had even seen Vegeta? Surely Gohan wouldn't hurt him. He must be safe – he has to be.

Goku stands, running his hand through his hair, groaning. He doesn't want to be here – back on Earth, outside 439 Mountain Area – he needs to be on that stinking planet with his son. Obviously, there's something wrong with Gohan. They've done something to him. Goku needs to help him.

He puts two fingers up to his forehead and thinks. He tries to recall Gohan's energy signature. There'd been no sensing it on Old Planet Geo but if perhaps Goku could just remember it then he'll have luck in transporting there. Maybe he could make his way back to Old Planet Geo, or even that mysterious Realm of the Almighty if Gohan's now there.

Kibito's healing hums over the sound of the forest's early morning birdcalls. It's the white noise he latches onto.

C'mon…

"That isn't going to work, Goku," Kibito says, sweat dribbling down his nose. "The planet is protected."

"Arghh…"

"Goku, please rest."

"Don't be an idiot," Piccolo snaps. He groans as he shifts higher. Like Goku, his adrenaline had taken a dive the moment they made it back to Earth; they'd both nearly collapsed upon hitting grass. Unlike Goku, Piccolo doesn't look like he's rushing to move anywhere – how can he just take this lying down, literally?

"Gohan's back there," Goku returns through clenched teeth, eyes pressed in concentration. He remembers Gohan's ki; the soft flavour of it. But it's not enough. Instant Transmission just isn't working. For God's sake, why won't it work? "We… We can't just leave him with those people!"

"He handled himself just fine," Piccolo bites back. "I'm sure something must have addled in that brain of yours because you mustn't be able to recall how Gohan made mincemeat of you!"

Goku snatches his hand down. It's not working, and trying is just piling on top of a brewing headache. "Damn it!"

"Don't exert yourself," Kibito scorns, "You need to take it easy right now. How's that, Piccolo? Are you feeling well enough to stand?"

Piccolo experiments by leaning up and jumping forward. There's a stumble but otherwise he's fine, and so rejects Kibito's extended hand. "This'll do."

The kai wipes his brow, stern. "You both will not be able to operate at full capacity for a few days. Godly energy burns so much deeper into the soul, as well as the body – you must remember to accept that time is the true healer of such attacks. I am, of course, talking to you, Goku. Lord Quell and Lord Mori's energy burns have proved themselves no joke; you're both lucky to have use of your body at all. Let us hope the same can be said for Vegeta..."

"You don't think he's dead, do you?"

"One cannot say. The Supreme Kai favours positivity so let us… try to remain as such."

Goku's positive that he can't just stand around for Shin to rescue Vegeta from that hellhole of a planet. Gohan had just been as wrecked as the best of them, despite what Piccolo's saying. Rixas had done some real damage – he'd been a terrifying cyclone of chaos; entirely concocted for Gohan to deal with. It hits him. Goku had helped the Majin magic control Rixas – he'd been the one to turn Rixas against the other gods, and in doing so, against Gohan. Dread fills him. Gohan… He… Gohan could have died. His son could have died as a result of Goku's direct involvement.

Goku feels sick.

Absently, he overhears the whoosh of teleportation; Shin has returned and not alone at that. He's floating an incapacitated body behind, yelling something at a rapidly moving Kibito, yet all Goku can think about it how very nearly everything went wrong. His hand covers the eclipse of his mouth and he presses his back against a tree, feeling suddenly weaker.

Kibito is scrambling over the body. A glow emits. Through the grass, Vegeta's wide unseeing eyes stare into Goku's.

What the hell is going on? Why is it all going so wrong?

"Wake up, Vegeta!" Piccolo growls above, "Don't you dare die!"

He just might. His chest is moving but only barely, its jutting barely visible as raspy, hollow echoes sound, like a speaker submerged in water. Burns coat him from top to bottom, with his jumpsuit scarcely covering what's left of unmarred skin. How he still has his hair Goku'll never know.

Kibito's gasping. The healing energy frazzles and he splutters, spit hacking. "A little longer, Kibito," Shin encourages, "Come on…"

Goku advances, dropping next to his friend. Burnt flesh chars the nostrils, dried and wet blood alike stains what little remains of Goku's gi. A new, unsettling wave of panic creeps in, transitorily halting his thoughts about Gohan. Vegeta is a mess. He really might not…

And finally, there's a wheeze.

Vegeta rolls over, hacking wetly, and all at once, the others breathe out vocal noises of relief, even Goku, of who captures his head in a bow. His heart beats rapidly. Thank God. If Vegeta had died… he… he wouldn't have forgiven himself for that either. As Vegeta gasps, his throat sounds like a broken wind instrument. Kibito continues to heal him, albeit his pace less intense.

"You had us worried for a moment there," Shin says, "I felt that the day had almost gotten the best of you."

Vegeta is hardly in any position to retort. As soon as he's finished coughing up a lung he unceremoniously collapses back down, and as on brand, he tries his best to glare. "Shud…dup... Wha'… 'appened?"

Piccolo and Goku simultaneously look at one another.

"Lord Beerus lost his fight against Lord Quell and lost ownership over the dragon ball, as expected," Shin replies in their stead. "He must be alive as, well, I would be the first to know, wouldn't I? Whis salvaged what was left of him once I let him know of Lord Beerus' location. Brutil however was killed."

Yes, Goku remembers. Gohan had…

Goku gulps against the dryness. His fists clench.

Shin turns to him next, eyes softer. "I see that you have come to a revelation of your own, Goku. It must have been as much a surprise to you as it was to me."

Hearing the Supreme Kai refer to this shock is all the more harrowing. It makes it real.

Piccolo is less than impressed. "What? You knew? And for how long? Just where have you been all this time? We've needed you! If you'd known about Gohan then why didn't you at least tell us as much?"

Kibito grumbles but doesn't have the energy to scold. The light over Vegeta hisses unhappily however.

"I wanted to," Shin replies, fast and earnest, "Honestly, this is true. I only found out the day that Lord Quell and Lord Rixas came to Earth – the day the Council was killed – yet I was warned away under duress. Lord Mori… Gohan, to you, rather… he had been clear that my further involvement on the side of the kai would result in my death."

Vegeta makes an undignified noise of confusion.

"W-What? Gohan wouldn't do that. And he isn't Mori—"

"Goku, I understand that you care for your son very much, but I need you to have an open mind for what I'm going to say. Do you think you can do that?"

"I-I… Gohan… there's something wrong with him. They've done something to him. He—"

"That's a no, then," Piccolo mutters.

Shin breathes out with patience befitting a parent dealing with an unruly child. If anything, it frazzles Goku more. "You didn't see it," Goku elaborates, "It was like he was a different person. I've never seen him so mad."

"That's because he is a different person," Shin says, slow, "I am not mistaken in calling him Lord Mori, for that is who he is, and has always been for millions of years, prior to even your conception."

His heat drains. "…Eh?"

"And to answer your question, Piccolo, I have been keeping a calculated distance from the on-going situation and working on an objective of my own, incognito. You have my apologies for leaving you in the dark for as long as I did. I had to do the same with the kais for some time also, as not to jeopardize both my life and my goal. In the near future, I hope for your assistance when the time comes as I feel that I will not be able to... counter Lord Mori's ambitions without you all." His mouth becomes a thin line "I have returned here earlier than anticipated only now because I feel we have little time to act. With Lord Beerus' super dragon ball secured, Lord Mori will be after the one best hidden."

"When you say 'Lord Mori' you're talking about Gohan, right?" Goku really doesn't get what he's getting at here. "Gohan isn't some god. He's my son."

"He's more than that," the Supreme Kai says, deathly serious despite the ludicrous nature, "Gohan Son had been but an alter ego of the one true self; Lord Mori. The mortal half-saiyan, half-human boy had been a vessel for him to grow his strength. You may not remember but the Gods of Revelation require a strict balance between combative and non-com—"

"Yes, we remember," Piccolo interrupts, fast, "Are you saying that Gohan was never even real?"

"I… I don't understand all of the gritty aspects of the situation," he admits, downcast, "Lord Mori had mentioned reincarnation last we spoke, but I'm no expert on the matter so that means little to me. From the one person I've briefly spoken to, who has since aligned with the kai, she told me that she has a deep understanding of the case, and that Lord Mori and Gohan Son both seem to simultaneously exist within the same person. She says that something had apparently gone wrong in the reincarnation process, yet we're still determining how reliable of a source she is."

...What? Shin must be joking. Goku breathes out a laugh, "C'mon. This is ridiculous."

Even Piccolo is on the same page for once. "There must be a mistake, Supreme Kai. Whilst I believe something is afoot with Gohan, I can't believe that… well, that this—"

"B-Bullshit," Vegeta agrees.

"This has been planned for decades," Shin asserts, "Remember that Lord Mori is the one who has been hunting the relics and leading the Zealites; he's been the driving force behind the latest rendition of Revelation. And I can tell you that, of my own witnessing, he had also been the one to murder the kais of the Council."

Goku takes in a deep breath. "I don't believe it. Gohan wouldn't—"

"That's not the Gohan you once knew."

He recalls the anger, the unhinged fury, the hurt; Goku knows what his son looks like when pushed to the edge. Gohan had been hurting… because of Goku's idiotic assistance in turning Rixas senseless with Majin rage. He'd had to take the beast on. He could have died.

Yet… admittedly, there'd been a cold anger at the heart of the fire. The quiet fury, the dead eyes; Goku'd barely recognized that. The last time he'd seen anything like that was at the Cell Games.

"I am Mori of Revelation," Gohan had said just above a whisper, "And your actions today caused the murder of one of my people. As you've already seen, I'm not above stripping anyone of life, and normally, you would already be dead for what you did."

Murder? Of who? Rixas? No, Gohan had incapacitated him but he was very much still alive when Goku had attacked. The Zealite, then? The woman captain?

"What the hell happened?" Vegeta demands from his horizontal position, still looking very much like a talking corpse. "You're telling me that Gohan and that god are one in the same? Tch! How hard did I hit my head? You expect me to believe the boy became that strong in just a few years?"

"That's hardly the point!" Piccolo snaps, "Supreme Kai, there'd barely been much a difference at all in Gohan's personality during his time here, at least nothing resembling what we just bear witnessed on Old Planet Geo. Goten and Videl had noticed inconsistencies but they'd been minor in comparison to… the ruthless fervour we're talking about. Surely, there must be something more to this. I know Gohan. I… mean, I knew Gohan. He… like Goku said… he would never have done anything so immoral as to kill the kais. This is the same boy who cried for a better part of a day after stepping on a snail, for God's sake! I refuse to believe that child never existed. Whatever we're dealing with now is in spite of that fact. Something has changed him for the worse."

Goku stares at his friend with renewed respect. "Piccolo…"

Piccolo rebukes. His cheeks turn rosy. "Don't look at me like that, Son. I'm simply… relaying facts."

"You're so stubborn."

"Shut up."

"Look, Shin, Gohan was still very much himself on Earth," Goku asserts, remembering the flurry of emotions, reactions and enjoyable moments shared during his time here. "You're saying he would have known all this stuff already, right, about the gods and Revelation, even here on Earth?"

There's a grim nod from the Supreme Kai. "Yes. He did. He told me as much."

Goku runs his hands along his neck, breathing in, trying to make sense of it all. "Then, the Gohan I know is very much still there because there's no way he could fake it. If Mori is in his head then we'll just have to get him out."

"I do not know how it works. I do, however, feel that Lord Mori's strange predicament will be integral in combating Revelation. He is a being of two, a monster of nature even by divine standards… beating him will not be as simple as taking him down in a fight, especially with the odds stacked against us as they are." There's a sigh. "Honestly… I'm gone but only a couple of weeks and everything turned to madness so quickly. What had Brutil been thinking in his plans? The attack on the Realm of the Almighty had been foolish and outright dangerous. Majin power? In what world…? Truly, fixing this mess will be a nightmare. I just hope that no catnaps are needed for Lord Beerus' recovery because time is of the essence, and we are already on the back foot in terms of manpower. No other gods will intervene."

Piccolo folds his arms. "How about that one you mentioned long before? Lord Haed?"

"He… is not being the most cooperative. I fear the worst that perhaps Lord Mori managed to recruit him before I could – or perhaps, the other way around considering how conniving Lord Haed is."

"And again, against us is yet another god," inputs Vegeta, "Honestly, how many more will there be? They're emerging from the woodwork at this point. You want manpower but what can we even offer you at this point? Kakarot could barely handle the lone Zealite, never mind the gods – and that was with the Super Saiyan God transformation and training in the Room of Spirit and Time. If you want our assistance then you must provide us avenues to grow our strength!"

"Vegeta!"

"No, he's right, Piccolo," Shin says, "I will talk to Lord Beerus when he is well enough to see what we can arrange. Perhaps there will be another way for you to achieve Super Saiyan God."

"I never said I was going to help," Vegeta says, obstinate.

Goku understood before why Vegeta had been hesitant to involve himself but this now directly includes one of their own. Gohan is tangled and needs their help. "What about Goh—?"

"What about him?"

"Eh! W-What're you saying?!"

"That he seems fully capable of handling himself. Let him do his Revelation or whatever and stay away from Earth. Ever since the gods involved themselves with Earth it's been one thing after another."

"You're just sore he took you down so fast!"

"H-He did not! He caught me off-guard!" Vegeta tries to sit up only to be shoved back down by an increasingly irritated Kibito. "And if he's relying on divine power then he can just wait until I am able to achieve it, then I'll show you all how to really make use of it."

"So you'll help?"

"I-I didn't say that!"

"Vegeta, please stay still," Kibito implores, his face redder than usual. "You'll open your wounds."

"Let me talk to Lord Beerus and we can go from there," Shin mediates, "You can make your decision if Lord Beerus agrees to assist you both in your training. Whilst I doubt any level of training can truly impact the Gods of Revelation's plans, I do believe that the increase of power will be better than doing nothing at all. Every little help will be imperative, now. With so many kais now slain, our community is growing weaker and weaker; truly, a miracle would be excellent about now."

Goku smiles wryly. "Sorry, you've just got us."

"Yes, and that's more valuable than what you may think. Lord Quell had seen your worth, Goku, and that is why he was so threatened, for I think you will be the key in managing Lord Mori. But first, we must stop him from getting his hands on what I believe must be the last super dragon ball."

"Gohan has six already?"

"Quite possibly. He at least has five. The sixth would have come from Lord Haed should they be in alliance. Let's just assume he has it as a worst case scenario, and that he'll be hunting the seventh."

"And where is the seventh?"

Shin grimaces, staring out over the dimly lit trees of the forest. "This has been my current objective… finding the route of something called the Dizzy Throw. And I… might have just done it."

---

"You do not look like you are having the best time, my lord."

Gohan, as Mori, feels his body react feebly, barely offering a shrug. His gaze remains fixated on the usual viewpoint of the estate ahead as he offers little to no reaction to Roarg's approach. There's a crunching of icy grass breaking beneath her boots until she is barely a fraction away from him, close enough that Gohan manages to feel her warmth, particularly so when her fingers curl around his, tensing, pausing, as if asking for permission.

Still, he doesn't turn to her; the setting winter sun is too difficult to look away from.

"I thought you were stationed on Geo."

"I was."

"And you felt it acceptable to return without your lord?"

"Lord Rixas says he does not need me and so I was dismissed to return to my men."

"And to me, apparently."

The hand releases him. "Did I overstep?"

"No." There's a sigh, and with great effort he finally turns to her. She's as Gohan knew her; pretty in an understated way, feminine whilst also being strong and commanding, yet there's a crack of vulnerability in her shell when she looks at him. Mori sees this too. "No, I'm weary. Do not take my disposition personally, Captain. My apologies. I… I…"

"You do not need to say."

"Then I will not."

"Lord Mori…"

"Let me rest a while."

He's leaning against her as quickly as he had been to brush her off. Gohan spots the active conflict crossing Roarg's expression, but she quickly accepts him. Her familiar fingers brush through the trail of his hair as Gohan allows himself to be spoilt. The budded discontent in Gohan's chest slowly simmers. She smells of kindling and the forest; of times comfortable.

"You were concerned," Mori doesn't ask. "I can appreciate that much."

"I… was," she admits, "I know Lord Quell's strict rules of keeping you here—"

"The imprisonment."

"—is not doing you well. You are not a bird meant to be caged but if you bear with it a time longer then I'm sure he will dissolve the rules. I know it's not my place to say but I don't believe he understands the personal strain he is putting you under. As wise and intelligent as he is, he is overestimating how long one can remain trapped in one place, but should you remain dutiful in the face of that, I'm sure he will appreciate the devotion—"

"Beautifully optimistic," he teases, and then kisses her neck. Her fingers pause and so he does it once more. "I think, Captain, as always, you see the best in those who do not deserve it. You-" He breathes out against her nape and she shudders, "—are far too good for a place like this. As I always say, I do not think you should remain here, nor should you work for my brother, either of them, in fact."

"Oh? Should I work for you?"

"No. Most definitely not. You would never look at me the same."

"Yes, I suppose I wouldn't. You have many secrets, don't you, Lord Mori?"

"Roarg," he says lowly, pressing against her. It's unexpected, but Mori enjoys her barefaced manner, and so honesty is rewarded with honesty. "If only you know what kind of monster I will become. One day, I do not think you will think very much of me at all; and that will break my heart, should I even have one at all."

"You do," she insists.

He chuckles, mirthless. "Do you say that for your sake or mine?"

"You are once again pitying yourself," Roarg then says, rather brazenly, Gohan thinks. "You do not fight a mystery monster within. Your actions and intentions present you. Nobody judges you by your imagined inferiority."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes."

"I will make sure to will my inner demons away when they next come knocking, then. I will tell them what for, just for you."

She clicks her tongue. "You mock me but a douse of positivity might do you some good."

Mori barks a laugh, dry, as his head falls back. "Really now. Stop acting as my life coach when you so much as experience none of it for yourself. When was your last day off? What did you even do?"

It's a trick question. Gohan knows from the swill of excitement in his stomach. Roarg spares him a look of admonishment when he leans in, waiting. "I was with you," she returns slowly, "As you well know, sir… doing things we should not be… much like now, in fact."

"Should we stop?"

"That would be the right thing to do."

As the sun drops behind the horizon, his hands also droop lower. "Are you here to both coach me and tease me at the same time? I'm not hearing a 'no'. What do you want from me; my tears or my body?"

Roarg laughs at that. "I'm opposed to neither, perhaps you can give me both at the same time should you wish."

A streak of warmth touches him and the smile Mori offers next is not hostile. When he unravels her hair from that tight braid of hers, it falls like a curled waterfall, and he threads his fingers through it with tenderness unexpected. "Really," he mumbles against the dirty blonde, "Please consider yourself more. You know I am too selfish to protect both of us from hurt feelings." A sigh follows. "I really do not need a counsellor, Roarg. No good will come of it however well-place your heart is, or perhaps more so because of it. Your investment in me is misguided. I can't… offer more than my position allows."

"Yet you're the one holding me."

"I am selfish."

"How easy for you to say it, more so than for you to challenge it."

"Oh my. Such barbed words."

She levels herself, stealing the warmth when she pulls away, her eyes flared. "You know how I feel, Mori. Don't act apathetic on the matter."

At the scolding, Gohan huffs, a steam of smoky breath escaping as the world grows darker. Roarg is but a silhouette of fiery blues now but her expression remains steely. It angers him a little, forcing him to pull her back much like the brat he is. "I know. I am not unintelligent. I understand that I cannot have my cake and eat it forever."

"I am not cake."

Mori can't help but laugh even given the serious nature of her tone. "It's an idiom," he tells her, amused. "Do not worry. I have no interest in eating you whatsoever. You would make foul cake, so bitter and full of life lessons. I would not be able to stand it."

She's quick on the play. "Better yet than a cake that eats itself from the inside, one that's both conceited and moody, oh, and full of too much sugar."

"Ah. There is nothing more beautiful than the topic of a sugary sociopathic self-mutilating cake."

The joke finally breaks Roarg's demeanour and she relaxes against him. As Gohan strokes her hair, there's an odd sense of finality lingering between them, as if he knows what she's about to say before even she does. It's a memory, Gohan knows, all of this must have happened years ago and something about has definitely ingrained something into him because his chest hurts, just a bit.

"I love you," she eventually tells him, "But I know that we could never…"

"No, we cannot."

"Would you… if you could?"

Because, as Mori, Gohan had been an asshole, he doesn't lie to her in this moment, despite him having shown himself capable of such a thing. "No," he says, likely breaking her. "I care for you but… I do not serve matters of the heart."

Roarg splutters a wet laugh. "Because you do not have one, right?"

Gohan smiles thinly. "That's right."

There's silence up until she scoffs, irreverent. "That just sounds like an easier pill for you to swallow. Oh, look, there is an idiom for you."

She's hurt. She's definitely hurt but Gohan doesn't feel an ounce of regret about it. There is mourning there, in Mori's chest; he does seem to truly care for her but it's controlled, measured even. Mori would never have let it take him wholly after all.

"Then let us consider this, whatever this relationship can be mounted up to, over, and let us advance professionally. Rixas will then never need to know of it. That… will be easier for the two of us, then, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Roarg."

"You said 'professionally'. You are Lord Mori and I'll treat you as such, then."

"Do not be difficult. You wanted to discuss this tonight, clearly. We discussed it and we have our conclusion."

"Yet I feel you took the easy way out once more. Is feeling something troublesome like affection too difficult for you? Is love too inconvenient?"

"You're hurt," he finally notices.

It doesn't downplay her frustration. "Too inconvenient for me, I understand. What about your brothers? You feel no guilt in lying to Rixas about me, only hatred for Quell these days, and so embarrassingly little for Famis' death."

Mori matches her fire. "Now you are overstepping."

"You have never ackno—"

"Captain!"

Her breath hitches, her eyes widen and she realises. Her place is remembered. "I-I… You're right." She doesn't sound sorry, however. "I will say nothing else on the matter."

"Good. Should you have been anyone else I'd have cut your tongue free. Consider that affection, if you will."

"Yes, sir."

He spares her a look. She's so prideful. It's surprisingly adored and so he takes her back into his arms, sighing. Roarg doesn't pull away, instead leaning herself against him entirely and staring out over the estate with him. This is likely the last time they did this together, nestled like this, open.

"Let us enjoy the last of the sunset together before Rixas stampedes his way back to the estate," he whispers, "Talk to me a final time like this. Tell me of your travels. I wish to know all I can before I walk inside and resume my imprisonment tonight."

Roarg nods, eyes wet.

Mori, too, is heavy with unease and feelings most unsuited to a monster such as himself. Together, he and Roarg watch the sun be swallowed up by the mountains before then parting.

Gohan knows he won't see her again.

---

Eyes open to a world his friend is no longer in.

Gohan rotates, pulling his sheets ever higher as the morning light courses through a crack in the curtains. Birds are singing outside – Gohan wants to strangle them. He drags himself up, his body about as dense as lead, and lumbers over to the window before wrenching the blasted curtains open. The streak of light explodes into daybreak and Gohan cringes against it. Whatever birds were there are long gone. He's alone.

Alone…

He turns to his bed to see the neighbouring side occupant-free.

"Goten?" he calls out, voice hoarse from yesterday's escapades. "Goten? Goten?"

Combing through his room, he finds it devoid of any company. What the hell? Where is he? The wards should stop Goten from being able to leave so he has to be around here somewhere.

Privacy aside, Gohan thrusts open the bathroom door. "Goten?" Nothing.

Gohan doesn't even dress, emerging from his room in only a pair of night slacks. He rushes down the hallways, opening and closing doors when he finds the opposing rooms empty. Goddamn it! How the hell did the slithery little headache get out? If Quell finds him then he's as good as…

He stops his step, coming to a complete halt at the dining room.

What the…

The world could have fallen under him at that moment and it would have been less horrifying. Before seeing this, he'd first expect the kais and gods to sing and dance together in merriment, the sun to glow black, the Earth to turn inside outside; yet…

At the elongated table, adorned with a banquet of breakfast foods usually served at this time, Gohan sees a pair most unusual sitting together. Goten notices him first, choking on a glass of juice. That's when Quell looks up from his book. Gohan is frozen and time stilts with him. What's going on? Did Rixas hit him too hard yesterday? Is this really happening? He's really just come downstairs to Quell and Goten breakfasting together, right?

Only when Quell's eyes drift back down to the pages does Gohan find it in himself to approach his little brother. Goten, on the other hand, doesn't look nearly as frightened as he does cautious, and helps himself to more bread and meat.

"Do not overthink it," Quell says, eyes glued to his book, "I went to wake you this morning and had forgotten that you'd in fact been harbouring a child. You looked like you needed a longer rest so I broke your shoddy wards and brought him downstairs."

It's probably one of the nicest things he's yet done for Gohan. How it must have pained him to not kill Goten on the spot. Gohan actually does appreciate it, though; the consideration must be in due to… to Roarg's…

Gohan averts his eyes.

"Just sit down, Mori."

"You scared me," Gohan finally snaps, sitting after immeasurable deliberation, "I thought I'd lost him."

"Such a pity that would have been," he drawls, flicking a page.

Goten looks between them, eyes unfocused, understanding none of what they're saying due to the nature of the language spoken. Despite not being as frightened as expected, Goten seems to be considerably more reserved than usual. He at least recognizes that Quell is not one to be crossed. Good. It seems that he has a sense of self-preservation after all.

"Have something to eat," Quell next says, sliding over a plate of pastries. "You look abysmal."

Gohan doesn't touch a single thing. "I'm fine."

"Gohan, you look sick. Are you—?"

The book flattens against the table with a bang. "Child, hold your tongue before I cut it free! You will also only speak when spoken to."

Goten squeaks, sinking low in his chair.

"Such wretched manners…"

"Where's Rixas?" Gohan asks, returning the conversation to Lanit-Tongue, "Is he still resting?"

Quell sighs. "No, and I am unsure to his whereabouts."

"…Understandable." There's a moment of quiet. "Why did you need me this morning?"

"They found Eyrelle."

Gohan's chest stills. "…Dead?"

"No, alive. Byleath salvaged her from the wreckage and brought her back to the estate. She's resting in her quarters. I thought it would be worth telling you to ease your ever easily manipulated conscience. " Quell takes a sip of tea, his eyes following Gohan's reaction. "We don't have much time for your heartbreak however. We need to prepare for further action. Zamasu has possible intelligence on where the next dragon ball is."

Goten shuffles next to him, watching with hungry curiosity as he crunches into his bread. "I need to return Goten back to Earth before I set off anywhere else," Gohan says, "And I need to speak to Rixas about matters of Revelation and, um, also about what happened yesterday with the fight… and with Roarg…"

Quell sucks on his teeth. "Yes, well, I hope you have better luck than me. I tried last night to little fruition."

"Rixas and Roarg had been close," he says emptily.

"She was a fine captain, and died honourably in a most disturbing fight. At least we now know why the kais had been rummaging through Famis' research earlier. Majin magic; such a foul, wicked thing from a mind too invested in the darkness. How uncouth of the kais to dredge up dirt like this. Yet the magic didn't affect you, no?"

"No."

Quell studies Gohan, sighing, before then submitting to the expectations of day. He wipes his mouth before throwing down the napkin onto his emptied plate; his book is collected and pointed at Goten when he finally does stands. "You, boy, are remarkably fortunate to be leaving here without the necessity of a body bag. I do not want to see you in this realm again, do you understand?"

Goten frazzles.

"…Hello? Yes, no? Use your words, mortal."

"Y-Yes, sir!"

When Quell leaves, Goten immediately sags. He hunches over the table, haggard in his breathing as his posture goes to die. Hands rub along pallid cheeks.

"D-Does that energy not bother you?" Goten eventually gasps. "I thought I was going to die."

"…Not really."

Gohan takes a lone apple and bites into it, staring forward. Everything feels fuzzy to him, as though the world is built on static. Next to him, Goten says something but Gohan ignores him, lethargically chewing. The apple doesn't even taste sweet. It's sand in his mouth. Minutes trickle by, and Goten tries to speak to him a few more times before giving up and eating the rest of what's on his plate.

Soon enough, Myra drops by – definitely aware of yesterday's situation, especially with how tentatively she steps – and offers her greetings. She passes Gohan a log from the blacksmiths on the weapons he'd previously wanted, and apple in mouth, he flicks through the paperwork with Goten peering over his shoulder. The weapons have arrived too little, too late. Though, it's not like they won't be useful in the future. Gohan tells her to send someone from Rixas' platoon of fighters to collect them on his behalf. There's a twist in his stomach knowing that this would have been something he would have asked Roarg to do.

Gawkily, Goten eventually greets Myra, with the most demure of waves.

"Do you have any news on Eyrelle's current condition?" Gohan asks, ignoring the awkwardness and taking another bite of his apple, tired.

"I don't think she's well enough to serve today."

"What? Has she not been healed?"

"Mentally well enough," Myra elaborates, hands tapping awkwardly over her clipboard, eyes sad.

"Ah." Well, that's Gohan's plan of her chaperoning Goten back to Earth out of the window. "Then, please can you try and find where Rixas has hidden himself. I doubt he's left the estate considering the situation."

"Oh, that I can tell you now. He's in the staff barracks, in… Captain Roarg's… old quarters. He's going through her belongings..."

Gohan throws the rest of the apple down, wiping his hands together. He feels suddenly quite full. Nauseas even. "…Makes sense. I suppose that's where I'll be, also"

The chair scrapes as he strands. Goten, surprised, stands too.

"Myra, can you accompany Goten back to my quarters," Gohan then asks in Common, ready for Goten's prompt lack of cooperation and so thusly dreading it. He has even less patience than usual to deal with him. "No," Gohan says, fast, raising a finger to his brother's face when the latter goes to speak. "This isn't a democracy. I didn't ask for your input. Do as you're told."

Teenagers be damned, Goten has a mouth. "You're going again? Where this time? Two days, Gohan. TWO; I'd been waiting for you in your boring-ass dusty room."

"It's not dusty," Myra bites back.

"You won't be in there that long this time," Gohan assures, pinching his brow, "I'll be up to deal with you shortly once I speak with Rixas."

"Eh?" He's confused as opposed to ill-mannered.

"What now?"

"I didn't understand you. You, uh, you said that not in…"

Gohan groans, realizing he'd been speaking Lanit-Tongue. He takes a deep breath, making sure to focus on his words this time. "Just do as you're asked."

"…Are you okay? What happened yesterday?"

"I'm fine." He places a hand on Goten's shoulder, giving a tentative squeeze, forcing a smile. "We have some things to talk about as well, before… well—"

"Before you send me home?" Goten challenges, jerking free. "Talk to me now. I'm not going upstairs."

Myra looks between them, mouth puckered as she watches with wrapt interest. This would be the ideal time for her to intervene and remove the troublemaker – yet she just stands there, rapping false nails on the metal of her clipboard. He sends her a pointed look and she turns away.

"Oh, for God's sake."

Gohan collects Goten by the scruff, dragging him out of the dining room and along the maze of corridors. Like a worm, Goten squirms, but unlike a worm, he's loud about it, shouting and using words that Gohan's never heard surface from his mouth before. He thrashes about yet with him now being even weaker than before, it's like paper fighting the wind.

"You're being an asshole!" is one of the family friendly swears. "Talk to me, you giant jerk. You left me the other night because you were scared to admit what's really going on – why you're helping these gods with that stupid Revelation plan!"

Gohan passes two scampering cleaners, turning up the stairs.

"What will Dad say?" Goten next says, trying to cut deep. "When he learns that you're helping these guys?"

"Dad knows."

"W-What?" The flailing halts. "I… Gohan, yesterday… Did you go to Earth?"

"No."

The door opens to his room, and he throws Goten in, locking it behind.

"But you saw Dad?" Goten questions, "What happened? What did he say?"

"Goten, sit down."

Goten looks like he'd rather backflip twice over than cooperate, so Gohan first sits on the arm of one of his armchairs as a peace offering. He gestures for Goten to sit opposite. Gingerly, Goten does. He looks about ready to bounce up at any given moment, however, but Gohan'll take the victories where he can get them.

"You can speak to Dad yourself about the situation," Gohan replies, "When you arrive back on Earth later today."

"I'm not going without you."

"I'm going out – but not to Earth. Do you want to stay here with Quell, alone?"

Goten can't contain the shudder. "How can you even be around that guy? He's the worst." Wryly, Gohan manages to smile, agreeing. "I don't get it. Why does he hate mortals so much?"

"It's not that. Whilst he doesn't have any kindness for the mortal experience I wouldn't say he hates them – or you, even – it's that he doesn't view you much different to how one views vermin."

"That's worse. What an asshole!"

"Well, he's not out to win a popularity contest."

"You're enabling his shitty racism." Goten digs his fingers into the plush fabric of the armchair. "What's he got over you? Why are you helping him? Why does he call you Mori?"

"He's my brother."

Goten balks. "What?"

"It's as simple as that." Gohan stretches his vacant smile. "And they're helping me. I want you to know that – and you can tell Dad as much as well. I'm not being manipulated. I'm not being controlled or brainwashed or whatever they think may have happened here. I know what I'm doing. The achievement of Revelation is one step closer after yesterday's success; we have yet another dragon ball."

"Dragon ball…" Goten mouths, silent.

"I told Dad that he is to have nothing to do with this anymore," Gohan continues, "That he needs to focus on what matters; you and Mum, Earth perhaps, but little else. I warned him that if he keeps chasing after me he will face repercussions, and I don't mean just from Quell. Yesterday had not been kind to him."

"W-What did you do?"

"'What did I nearly do?' is more the pressing question." He recalls the fire, the anger, the hatred that curdled in his gut. "Yesterday wasn't kind to me, too," Gohan then tells him, quiet, "I don't think I can forgive Dad for what he did."

"Gohan?"

"Don't worry about it. That's for me to deal with." Gohan leans forward on his chair, rolling his hands over and over, "Look, I want you to keep trying your best, okay? When you get home, don't let what happened to you – to your power – define you. You have a bright a future ahead of you, Mum tries her best even though she might not go about it the best way, Trunks is a good friend, I think that if you just apply yourself more in school you could—"

Goten stands. "What's this; your goodbye speech?"

Yes.

"You're just gonna' leave us? We're your family—!"

"No, you're not." A torrent of air leaves Gohan's nose, his eyes press. "You're not. I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I cannot stand in the middle of the road any longer. It's thwarting my responsibilities and ambitions; juggling you and Dad and all this… is not cohesive. There are too many conflicts. I cannot manage both my role here as a God of Revelation and the protection of you all – of Earth – at the same time."

"Then you pick Earth," Goten spits.

"No."

"Whatever Dad did – that doesn't speak for the rest of us. Think… Think about Mum! Are you really gonna' do this to her?" Panic has Goten's chest bounce, up and down, up and down. "T-To me? I'm… Gohan… You're… You're my…"

"Calm down."

"Fuck you!"

"Breathe."

"You're just the same as Dad! You're abandoning your family, too!"

"W-What? It's completely different!"

"You're… You…" There's a series of hiccoughs. "You act like you're better but you're doing the exact same thing. Y-You're deserting me! You're the same as HIM!"

Gohan stands, too, taller than Goten ever will. "I'm not your father!"

"You might as well have been!"

It hangs in the air, stilting between them. What the hell can he say to that? It's true. God, Gohan had raised the kid. He'd fed him, changed him, schooled and played with him. He'd been at Gohan's hip far more than anyone else's. Only when Dad first came back had Goten tried to latch elsewhere, and even then, Gohan had still dealt with all the gritty bits; the injuries, scolding, life lessons – it's as if Dad had forgotten how to raise a kid. Perhaps he had, he'd been dead for so long, and Gohan had been devoted to the role.

Shit, Goten's crying now. Gohan hates seeing him cry. Yet, he can't fold. He's already come this far.

"…Yesterday, I was on a planet called Old Planet Geo, where I faced Dad, Piccolo and Vegeta. Once they were dealt with, I ran my sword through more kais," he tells, lowly, "And Brutil; I killed him, too, and I can't say that I found no satisfaction in it. Over the years, I've killed a lot of people. They begged me not to yet I did. They weren't good people but they were still people. I'll yet kill more. Had I the opportunity, I would have killed Beerus, too. Do you understand what I'm saying, Goten? I'm not the role model you once thought of me – I'm not perfect, like we discussed the other night – I'm not even a good person. I want to help others. I want to save people but I'm not above slaying those who get in my way.

Even if I returned to Earth with you and lived out the fantasy life I momentarily experienced, I would still not be Gohan Son, your brother. That's not me anymore. I'm… different. The person who raised you died, and is evolving into someone new as to achieve something important. Revelation – my life here – is what I need to cherish now. No longer am I compatible to be someone special to you. I tried and… after yesterday, I know… that it's not possible. I've been selfish to want duality. I see that now."

"It's selfish for you to throw away your family!" Goten hisses between tears. "I don't care who you've killed – you're still Gohan!"

Bittersweet, Gohan smiles. "That's sweet of you to say… But, it's untrue."

"I w-won't let you do this," Goten sniffles, red faced. "I won't let you leave us, or do the Revelation or – or take orders from Quell. That guy isn't your brother – I'm your brother!"

Gohan brushes his hair back, fingers splaying. "By the Almighty… This is going nowhere. I'm sorry, Goten, but this isn't up for deliberation, and when you get back to Earth you can tell Dad as much, too." He makes his way over to the door, reactivating the wards Quell knocked aside when he'd come for Gohan this morning. "I'll be back shortly."

He turns the knob, returning his gaze to Goten, who shakes with either fury or sadness, perhaps both. Thin lips don't part. Goten has nothing more to say.

The door closes, clicking softly.

---

The staff barracks are a collection of finely sized self-contained homes, ensnared with the overgrown tree roots that also reside in the grassy garden. Ancient, over-arching trees shade the quarters, today dancing softly in the wind as a light drizzle of rain falls. Gohan walks along to the oldest and grandest of the trees. It's shale, dull almost, but with the most vibrant of leaves – Roarg had always liked looking out of her window at it. She'd often say. He's not been in her quarters for any inappropriate measure of time – not since before his reincarnation – yet he remembers her mentioning the tree, and the creatures that dwelled in it.

She'd hated the birds as much as he does.

Gohan stops at the weather beaten door, containing a breath. It's already open. It feels wrong to enter someone's home without them there, dead or not. There's an uneasy bop to his step – God, it smells of her. Roarg had been like Gohan in that she'd liked her place tidy. She'd been a minimalist. There are barely any belongings at all, really; a guitar-like instrument she'd once shown him, some books, weights for working out, health supplements. She'd very rarely been home anyway.

In the centre of the room Gohan finds who he came here to see. Rixas sits at the lone wooden table, thumbing through a series of papers. He looks haggard, as though he hadn't slept at all. Purple – almost black panda-like rings run under the eyes, contrasting hollowed cheeks. Never has Gohan seen him so sickly.

Soon enough, Rixas notices Gohan, barely managing a smile in acknowledgement. "Ah. I was wondering when you'd come."

"What are you doing?"

Rixas looks at his hands like he'd just realized something's there. "Well, someone has to go through her belongings."

Apprehensively, Gohan takes a seat opposite. "That shouldn't be you."

"She'd been more than my underling."

"I know…" Gohan looks over the scattering of papers strewn along the table. "I just don't think you should be doing this… so soon after…"

"Murdering her?"

"Rixas."

Rixas laughs, derisive. It's a pitifully sad sound. "It's true. Don't look at me like that… Look, if you're going to bother me then you can at least pass me those photographs over there." His hands outstretch; expectant. There's no arguing with despair, and so Gohan sighs, before leaning over and passing the sun-damaged images – he halts, grip stilling before Rixas can take it. "Ah," his brother notices, "Yes…"

Gohan recognizes himself, or really, the Mori of the past. His hair is long and straight, blonde too, and pulled back into a loose ponytail as he stands side by side with Rixas and Roarg, swords in hands. They're smiling despite looking like they'd been dragged backwards from the shrubs, bruises, dirt and cuts galore.

"We don't usually take pictures," Gohan says numbly. Even Roarg is bright. She looks so… His throat closes. "You guys don't… didn't look any different. Whereas, I mean, I've never seen me so clearly… from before."

Rixas hums, expression torn, somewhere between the brink of exhaustion and nostalgia. "She shouldn't have kept these. Very naughty of her. Unsurprising however, considering how sentimental she could be. Ah. Here's another."

Rixas is asleep in this one, sprawled across Gohan's lap like the Labrador he is. Meanwhile, Gohan sees himself reading a meaty book, engrossed. He doesn't remember anything from this moment at all. The moonlight is bright behind; there are glow-bugs in front of the lake. Is this in their garden?

"What a sap," Rixas mutters, quiet. Gohan doesn't quite know what to say.

The pictures are dropped on the table.

"I've come to tell you about Revelation," Gohan then announces, hating the silence.

Rixas doesn't even look at him, his fingers now trailing over another emerged picture from the pile. This one is of someone Gohan doesn't know, but he doesn't ask who it is, or why they look like Roarg. What's the point? Gohan doesn't want to torture himself.

"We should burn them."

"Um, sure."

"Do you want to do the honours?"

"I can, after we talk."

Dirty-blonde eyebrows knot together, and nothing is said.

"Rixas."

His brother then looks up; gaunt, off-colour – shattered – it's done so suddenly that Gohan doesn't know where to stare. It's a bit much; Rixas is nothing but a corpse with a heartbeat, and sad, sad eyes. God, Majin ruined him.

"Aren't you upset?" Rixas whispers, "Didn't you love her?"

I can't afford this right now.

What was it he'd said to Roarg as Mori those many years ago? "I care for you but… I do not serve matters of the heart."

"…Of course, I loved her. She was a close friend," Gohan says, hollow from within and letting himself feel little else. There isn't enough room right now for heartbreak. He's poor in affection – he's poor in emotion overall right now. The moment he gives in to his feelings is the day the Revelation disappears. "I… I'm doing my best to focus on our work. We're… at war."

"Tch, war… I understand war. What happened yesterday… to me... What I allowed myself to become, heh, well… That was an evil that goes beyond even the bloodiest of battles. I thought I'd seen it all. I'm… not a good person, but… on Old Geo, I… I was – no – am utterly disgusting for… God." Rixas splutters, capturing his head. "God, for enjoying it. I enjoyed slaying Roarg, Mori. I relished in fucking carving her up like a carcass. Her blood; it… it'd been so sweet and—"

"Stop it." Gohan takes a breath, shaky, as he takes his brother's hand once again. He places a fierce kiss on the knuckles. "If it was I who killed her would you blame me?"

Rixas's expression grows stupid like a dumb, lost animal. Moisture soon appears.

"She'd be beside herself if she saw you now," Gohan continues, "She'd know as much as I do that it hadn't been your fault at all. The kais saw to the power of Majin being used, as did… my father, but—"

"It d-didn't work on you," Rixas wetly returns.

It didn't, like it hadn't the first time around back when Gohan had been sixteen and the revival of Majin Buu had been their biggest threat. And now, it doesn't work on Gohan in the same way it doesn't work on Goten or his father. Gohan had figured it out last night after getting home, after pondering it for hours and long into the night as Goten snoozed.

"For the reincarnation, I was reborn pure of heart," he says, almost laughing at the absurdness of it. "Tch… Think about it, Gohan Son was born with the best possible defence against Majin magic. Lucky, huh?"

"You definitely planned it," Rixas snorts, wiping his tears. Amusement stuns the misery.

"Maybe. I can't say… Yesterday, back on Old Planet Geo, I think that it shook the kais some when they couldn't take my mind; it's probably why they lost control of Quell."

"…Thank the Almighty…"

"Yeah…"

Rixas leans down and presses his head against the joined hands, taking in air vocally. He doesn't move for some time. He's motionless like a toy soldier, broken and static after too much time being crushed under the weight of the hands controlling him. Rixas has never seemed so vulnerable to Gohan until now. He's a person, too, Gohan realizes. After all the years of Gohan relying upon him, finally does Rixas ask for something more. It's funny. Gohan had called Goten out for the same thing – for seeing Gohan only as his pillar of support, as more of a role model and less than an individual – yet he's been doing the same to Rixas in his own way.

Gohan truly has just taken, taken and taken from Rixas.

"I'm here," he says for his brother. "I love you."

Rixas squeezes the hand that holds his.

"Roarg loved you, too."

"…Y'know, I've lost a lot of captains," Rixas chokes out, "But she was special… She was a good person, and generous and someone I could trust with the world on my shoulders. G-God, I'm sorry. I am. I know how you felt about her, too, Mori… I'm so sorry. Please… I'm sorry."

The threat of wetness in his own eyes has Gohan cough, turning away. "Stop thinking about me all the time, you idiot. Ah, n-no, I don't actually mean you're an idiot. I just—"

"I know. Majin magic… messed my head up. I said a lot of terrible things."

"Some… were true."

"Most were not."

"We've still got a lot to talk about, I guess."

Gohan rests a hand on his head, like how he would have done for Goten some years ago. The irony is not lost on him, especially after his last run in with Goten not at all long ago; there's something raw to the feeling, dirty perhaps, like he's betraying something fundamentally Gohan despite loving Rixas deeply, both before as Mori and as the person who he is today.

They stay like this for a while, with Rixas intermittently being swallowed up by his own grief until Gohan has to ground him once again. He reminds Rixas of the evilness of the magic, of the kais, and of the general foulness surrounding the entire situation. There's been so much terribleness in so little time; the Spire had been a great tragedy on Gohan's shoulders.

"I was just trying to hurt you when I blamed you," Rixas says when Gohan reminds him of the incident. "It's not your fault."

"Then, this isn't yours."

Neither believes one another.

After a time, Rixas does calm, especially so after Gohan finds a bottle of Roarg's well-hidden rum atop her wardrobe. They both need a hard drink after yesterday. He pours Rixas an extra thumb's worth. With this, they go through the rest of Roarg's contraband pictures and Rixas talks in detail about each of the occasions. Most of the stories are uplifting and Rixas even laughs as he relays a particularly eventful day when the three had attended an open mic night. Rixas may have a nice voice but Gohan (as Mori also) has never been quite as blessed.

"She offered to teach you."

Gohan raises a brow at the prospect. "I'd rather let Haed swallow me in the pits of Hell then get on-stage."

"Yes, you weren't up for it back then, either." Contemplative, Rixas churns his tumbler in Gohan's direction. "Well, what about this; once we're done taking vengeance on the kais how about you learn in her memory?"

"To sing?"

"Yeah, why not?"

Gohan snorts into his own glass. The fruity undertones don't make the idea any less bitter. "And what will you do in her memory?"

"I'll..." Rixas' eyes grow glassy and he stares out of the window and at the old tree beyond. "I'll actually try and become a good person."

Gohan smiles, admiring his brother's strength, however fleeting it might be in this storm of self-loathing. Another glass is had and Rixas pours one out for Roarg, all over the pictures before Gohan sets them alight. On the table, they burn between them, casting warmth.

"She terrified me at first," Gohan admits, thinking about when he first met her in the forest here as Gohan Son.

Rixas smirks wearily, watching the flames dance through puffy, pink eyes. "Long may she terrify the other sleeping children of the Almighty, as she did us before her ascension."

"Amen."

Time draws on and together they finish collecting everything together. They talk about Roarg best they can without delving into dangerous territory, remembering the good times and so delicately avoiding the topic of the fight yesterday. Rixas won't be looking to replace her any time soon, understandably. He'll need to grieve properly once all this is done with. Several times over, Gohan's tempted to bring up Revelation but the timing never feels right, and Rixas never once pushes for the conversation despite the itch he must suffer.

Later, cleaners arrive, surprised to see Gohan and Rixas packing up the last remaining belongings. Gohan and Rixas pass along one box to be taken to Eyrelle when she's up and about; knick-knacks, mostly, a few memorabilia that she might know what to do with. Rixas and Gohan are more versed what to do with her less sentimental pieces. Roarg's weights will be moved to the armoury, along with her swords, armour sets and a collection of blunt spears Gohan has never once seen her use. It'd apparently been a phase. Amused, Rixas had twirled one around in the kitchen area, smashing at least three china cups on the shelf opposite.

It's well into the throw of the afternoon by time they emerge from Roarg's home. Gohan pats the tree before leaving.

"Hey… Um… Are you really okay?" Rixas asks as fingers scale the bark. "First with Jivel and then… Roarg…"

Gohan twitches his shoulders, moving away. Together, they turn towards the main entrance of the estate. "It's to be expected in war…"

"You can't just… with me, and then… Mori. Talk to me, too."

"So long as you and Quell don't die then that's what matters to me."

The statement rocks his brother. He actually flinches, capturing Gohan by the shoulder and twisting him until face to face. The grey pallor just enhances the dismay. "And the earthlings? How about Goten, the mortal boy?"

"You were right. It's time for me to know who my family is."

Rixas should look pleased with the answer but he is not. There's a flash of shame – of guilt for some reason – in the tired gold. "Is… Is this because Goku Son had been involved in—?"

Torturing you? Yes.

"Revelation," Gohan instead offers. "He'll never understand it."

"This is because of me, isn't it? Did Quell push you?"

Gohan groans, scratching at the back of his head. "No. It's my decision. I'm trying to take back control. You should be happy about this. What…? What's with that look?"

"I just… with that magic screwing my head up, I… I came to understand myself somewhat better, like how sour it was making me, how much of an asshole I was." He sighs, leaning against the crunch of gravel underfoot. "Look, I feel bad for forcing you to pick between us and the mortals like I did… I… I was in a dark place, even darker after the kais scrambled all my petty feelings up. I'm not Quell. I'm not going to force you to make any life decisions, and really, Goten isn't a bad kid; I shouldn't have put him through what I did."

Hauling the door to the estate open, Gohan lets loose a breath of air. This yo-yoing is driving him insane. "So? Now, what? You want Goten to move in and take up Famis' old wing?"

"Shut up. I'm saying it doesn't have to be black and white. You don't need to sacrifice everything, even if you think you're doing it for me or Quell, or Revelation."

Gohan has already made his decision and it hadn't come lightly. There's no going back now. Not only will this space help Gohan and Revelation, but also his mortal family. They'll be safer – happier, too, if they allowed it for themselves.

"Revelation must be achieved."

Pausing at the base of the spiralling stairs, the case that leads to their respective wings, Rixas rubs the space between his eyes with great fatigue. "You're so married to it, aren't you? Tell me, Mori, where does this come from? Why have you always been so keen on reaching this goal?"

Gohan also stops. His mind, however, doesn't. It races with the images of all the wrongdoings he's seen, the murders, the torture, the things worse than both. How can he not want to make this right? Gohan doesn't know or care about why as Mori he'd wanted to achieve Revelation, but as Gohan – he must make the universe right, or at least, a little more right than now.

The sheen of a freshly glossed bannister reflects his disgust. Everything is so broken.

"I don't want to see people hurting," he replies, flippant. "That's the root of it."

"You're kind. Even before, when you were not as… pure, you still didn't take pleasure in the suffering of others. You've always had a decent heart in your own way."

Gohan laughs, bitter. "You do remember that I tried to kill Quell, right?"

"That was… terrible, but you were not right, then. Being stuck here messed you up."

"Just yesterday, I nearly killed my own father for what he did to you… and to Roarg. The gratification I felt when I…"

"Yes… It's hard to control yourself when you have so much divine power brewing within." Rixas smiles, sad. "I know better than most what it's like to have a monster in your heart. As you grow stronger, it'll only get hungrier for the darkest of desires, Majin magic be damned. Quell knows such anger, too. It's the way of our kind. We must strive to balance a deal with the monster otherwise it'll eventually run rampant if not satiated a least somewhat. Be lucky in that you have the outlet of ki. I do not and that's why sometimes I become aggressive and… stupid."

"You're not stupid."

"I know."

Gohan looks up at the ceiling, and in the direction of his ward where Goten waits for him. He, too, cannot harness the power of ki.

"Do you dislike that you cannot use energy, Rixas?"

There's no hesitation. "No."

"Truly?"

"I am strong in my own way. I am simply happy that I can fly and perform basic defensive measures. Otherwise, I don't need it, never have; in the same way we don't need magic."

Gohan nods, eyes pressing. "That's good to hear. It will probably relieve you that I have no intention in acquiring a magical skillset either."

"Glad to hear it." Rixas smirks, taking the first few steps up the stairs.

A hand snags him. "Wait."

His brother turns on his heel, the glow of the afternoon sun behind him, bright like a halo and basking all behind the silhouette and beyond. The rain has paused just for the fleeting light of day. Gohan suddenly can't see his brother's expression very well. His throat closes.

"About Revelation…" he continues regardless, taking a step closer. "It's ki."

"…What?"

"We'll inhibit the use of it for mortals."

The sun stretches to an almost blinding degree when Rixas canters back down the stairs. "What?" he repeats, "What do you mean?"

"The mortals have misused it not unlike how we do, but we can stunt their use. We can withhold their access to the more dangerous elements that allow for mass destruction. No more will the war lords or—"

"And Quell agreed?" Rixas' voice is high-pitched, questioning. "W-Well, I mean, of course he would eventually, to you b-but… Mori, ki?"

"It's my speciality. I know better than most how perilous it can be in the wrong hands. I've seen planets destroyed – one after the other – just because of one man's blatant mishandling of energy."

"And planets go the same way by bombs, too. What about those?"

It's an argument he's had multiple times now. "Taking away one opportunity for carnage will not increase violence. It statistically reduces it. By restricting access to ki—"

"Their natural energy," Rixas bites out. Gohan fumes, quiet, for Goten had pointed out the same thing. "I… I…" The bannister is slapped, hands are thrown out. "You really want to go after something so personal to them? How about if they stripped you of your manna, Mori? How would it feel to be made weak? If someone said I would never be able to fight I feel like I'd simply not get up again."

"Our roles require us to have power. Mortals aren't us," Gohan asserts.

"You sound like Quell."

Gohan grits his teeth, spinning an arm out. "Then maybe he's right. Mortals don't need to be able to reach the heights only those of divinity should. It merely brings on more destruction. Look at people like Frieza. He led an empire off the back of his own undeserved power. The mortals are not born with equal energy. It's a system ready to fail those who are at the bottom."

"You can say the same about those born with disabilities."

"That's false equivalence! One cannot make a weapon out of a missing limb or a sickness of the mind. This unbalance will create a snowballing effect until the universe's population grows bottom heavy, with so few evil individuals at the top controlling the masses under a boot of fear."

"And this is why we have Destroyers. They take care of these individual cases."

"Beerus doesn't work," Gohan bites back, "Nobody is doing anything about this issue and it'll only get worse. The system is broken."

"The system is flawed. Challenge it, don't break it. God, Mori, there are some things we shouldn't interfere with," Rixas looks a man haunted with those wide, darkly-circled eyes glowing, "And this is one of them. This is a part of – not just the mortal experience but – the experience of existing. And you want to take that away?"

"The Gods of Revelation before us changed many a thing; magic, relics, Hell, divine creatures…"

"And so many of them were mad! You can't compare them when so many created more issues in the system than fixed!"

"It's our duty to change what needs to be changed!"

Rixas groans into his fists, looking desperate. "This is not the way to do it," he manages, "Revelation doesn't have to be dramatic… Really, do we need to do it at all? Come on. We've existed long enough without it – why now? You've persuaded Quell by using the Kai's demise as bait, but how can you persuade me?"

"So you don't care that they killed Famis?"

"Of course I do! But after yesterday…" Rixas trails off, leaning against the bannister as if it'll not only support him physically but also emotionally. "I saw what going eye for an eye can do… Roarg is dead now, and that's because we'd wanted to avenge Famis, before that, we lost Jivel. We take, they take, we take, they take… There must be another way."

"So now you don't even want to fight against the kais?"

"Yes! N-No. I don't know. I hate them as much as you do but…" His gaze slacks. Vacancy flashes as he disappears into his own mind, however dark that must be.

"Rixas?"

"I've seen evil. Following this path will just lead us to more of it. Revelation—"

"Is not evil," Gohan snaps, "It is the way of the universe. Our people for millennia have followed these old ways to bring the balance of change to existence. By denouncing that as evil is just privileged dissonance."

"The only privilege here is in you believing you can strip the mortals of their autonomy," returns Rixas. "I… I can't do that. I'm not taking something so personal from them."

"But that's the will of Revelation!"

"That's the will of you – for matters of your own personal belief!"

"Whether you like it or not, this is the way we're going. Quell and I are in agreement. Zamasu knows. Haed knows. The plan is unfolding." Gohan takes his brother's arm, face almost splitting into a smile. "This is happening – now – and it won't be long until the dragon is called and our most sacred wish is made. Think about it… Think of a universe where the mortals don't worry about whether or not the fleet of murderous tyrants will be upon them, harnessing only the fire from their hands. Rixas, so many will be spared ill fates."

Rixas watches Gohan become more and more enamoured with the idea, still grimacing, somehow still looking like all his nightmares have just burst to life before him.

Gohan does smile this time, he grins. "There'll never be another Frieza again."

Words try to leave his brother's mouth but there's only silence.

"Balance will be maintained so much more effectively… Yes, so much more. Children will be safer… and, yes, yes…" Gohan nods, knowing. He just knows. This is the way. "Revelation will bandage the wound left open by the poor creation of this existence."

"…Mori."

Gohan looks at his brother. Why does he look so…

So apprehensive?

"It'll work," Gohan assures, "And I won't let you or Quell die. We're so close, brother."

"Just listen to yourself… I can't get behind this. It's madness," Rixas says, "You and Quell both; you're being eaten up by your own obsessions. How can you not see? This Revelation is… God, it's really wrong. Taking their ki is wrong. It feels dirty. I know you mean well but think of the mortals and their self-sufficiency; would they want this for themselves?"

Goten had already said he wouldn't.

At the memory of his little brother's rejection on the matter, Gohan frosts over. "It's not about what they want. It's about what they need. They don't know another way. They deserve to be better governed by a system that doesn't fail them!" Rixas is staring at the ground, eyes wide. Gohan's never seen him look so defeated. Why's he looking like that? What the hell's wrong with him? Revelation will help the mortals; the weakest of them – the victims. "Rix—"

"I'm not doing it," Rixas tells the ground. His shoulders tense and he repeats himself, louder this time, as though he's imaging the reflection of Quell's expectant face to stare back up from the stairs. "I'm not. This… No. No."

"What…?" Gohan tries to touch him, but Rixas is fast on the back foot. "You have to help us. You're our brother."

"You didn't give me a choice," Rixas says, quiet. "You didn't even ask me. I… No, this is wrong. I'm not."

"What are you saying?"

Rixas looks at him, lips pulled together with golden almonds most panicked. "I'm sorry," he whispers, before then disappearing along the stairs and in the direction of his quarters.

Alone, the swill of emptiness makes Gohan uneasy before, he too, makes his way back to his own space.

Gohan expects Goten to greet him as he has done the last few times, like a jubilant dog who has been anticipating its master all day, yet nothing of the sort happens. After a few moments, Goten is easily found despite the attempt at a hiding spot; the curtains are drawn around the four poster bed, a small crack giving away the subtle movement behind. That's fine. Gohan doesn't want to talk to anyone right now anyway. In fact, it would have been even better if Goten had already been on Earth and out of Gohan's hair for good. Solitude sounds fucking great right about now.

He sits at his desk, running his hands through his hair and leaning against them as though his head weighs the same as a black hole itself. A drink really is warranted.

Rixas will come around…

There'd always been a concern that Rixas wouldn't be as enamoured with the concept of ki elimination. He's always been in tune with the mortals in a way Quell isn't. Rixas loves mortals. So does Gohan, differently; in a way that makes him want to do everything he can to help them instead of just enjoying their companionship at surface level. Rixas will see sense, eventually. He just gets emotional about these sorts of things.

Gohan spins the cap on a white spirit and sips straight from the neck. He's been drinking a bit more than usual, but considering the situation… Roarg, Goten, Rixas now; he'll allow himself to indulge a little. The clean ki training can start from tomorrow. Fire trails all the way down to his empty stomach, joining the rum. This vice will be his last in a long while so he'll give himself the short breath of time to calm down. Gohan just needs… to relax, just for a moment.

By the time he's supped a quarter of the bottle, his desk seems like the most comfortable place he could quite possibly be. His head lowers to the wood.

He has his dragon balls, at least, he reminds himself when all feels lost. But why…? Why does he feel so lost when they came out of yesterday victorious? There will be so few who oppose them now, and once Goten is back on Earth, Dad will have no reason to chase after Gohan. They know the truth. They know what Gohan is now. And Gohan will have free range to exact his vision.

Even if it costs him those he cares about, like Roarg or Doctor Jivel, he'll still be doing something great.

So why does it feel wrong? Something… hurts – in his chest – there is something that wants to get out and drown itself in that bottle sitting on the table in front. He'll allow himself time to grieve Roarg after Revelation, Jivel too, so why—?

His father's face comes to mind.

No. Gohan's fine.

He is.

He has to be.

I'm glad I hurt him, he thinks bitterly. For what he's done, he deserves no less… To Goten… To Rixas… To Roarg…

Eyelids flutter, heavy.

To me…

When he blinks, the afternoon sun grows weary. The day becomes the night. Someone is shaking him awake.

"I'll take the kid for you."

Gohan sits up, wiping at his eyes. "R-Rixas?"

His brother is but a blur in the darkness. The bounce of blonde is as familiar as always, yet that tightly tuned gaze isn't; there's a sombre undertone to Rixas that has Gohan immediately sober to the situation. He sits up. A stale smell of spirit follows.

"Myra asked one of my men to escort Goten," Rixas elaborates, tone soft, unlike him. His hand presses against Gohan's back almost soothingly. "But I'm not letting them go to Earth with your father there. He could easily overpower them, Eyrelle too."

That's when Gohan sees Goten just a bit further back, behind Rixas. He has a jacket on; one of Gohan's old ones from when he was younger, for days white and icy here at the Estate. Goten doesn't even look at him. His hands squeeze at the bunching fabric of the jacket, curling around his chest.

"You shouldn't go," Gohan returns his attention to Rixas, "Not after yesterday."

"It's either me, you or Quell."

Gohan's brow knits. "I could ask Byleath."

"I'll take him."

There's something final about it. There's never a loss of confidence to Rixas but even this is a bit much – why is he so determined? "When you return," Gohan starts, quiet, unsure, "We can continue our conversation, right?"

Rixas squeezes his shoulder, smiling, tired still, but smiling. "Right."

Gohan smiles right back. A weight lifts from off his shoulders. Okay, this is something at least. Whatever rift there was is being sewn together. Gohan stands from his chair and approaches Goten. He switches to the common language.

"I'm trusting you with him," he says for Goten's benefit. The latter doesn't react. The floor seems so much more inviting to glare at so it seems. "And you, Goten—" Still, nothing. "Look at me."

Goten does. There is not enough water in the universe to extinguish the fire in his eyes. Betrayal singes.

"I guess you want to leave now," Gohan continues, "You're ready, I see…"

Fists curl and Goten can't look at him a second longer. "Why drag this out?"

Where Gohan wants to feel nothing, his chest tightens. He looks to Rixas – as what for, he's unsure, comfort perhaps – before be rewarded with very little. Impassively, Rixas watches the exchange as though one might watch grass grow.

Gohan remains brave. "So… Goten, this is it? Goodbye?"

The teenager keeps his eyes averted, shrugging. What a stubborn little bastard.

Still, Gohan has the decency to feel some guilt in how this has ended. "I know this isn't how you wanted this to go—"

"I don't care about your speeches, Gohan."

Gohan's mouth closes.

The vehemence has Goten's cheeks burn bright. Teeth grit, eyes are glassy.

One day, you'll understand that this was for you…

"Okay," Gohan breathes. He attempts to cover the hurt with a soft smile. "Then… Goodbye, Goten."

From Gohan's side, Rixas folds his arms, raising a chin expectantly. At first, Gohan thinks the gesture is for him to read but Goten is the one to react. His head falls lower. Those fists shake.

"Goten, this will be that last time you see your brother," Rixas says knowingly. "Don't regret this moment. Do what you need to do to make it count."

Something about the statement makes Gohan thinks that Rixas and Goten must have spoken before Gohan had been woken up. It unsettles him somewhat. When Rixas returns, he'll ask what he said to Goten – like an apology, knowing him. Still, there seems to be some kind of tension between them, between all of them, really.

Finally, Goten takes a step forward, slow, as if his feet were cement blocks and the floor sand.

"Goten?"

"One last hug," Goten then mutters, the bob of black spikes so low. "I just… want it one last time, please."

Gohan nods, mouth open. "O-Of course." He breathes, grinning, relieved, chest heavy regardless, "Yes, of course you can have a hug."

He leans down and Goten so quickly jumps against him that Gohan's body recoils in surprise. Arms coil around his neck. Goten presses close, so much so that Gohan can feel his baby brother's heartbeat against his own.

"I've got you, Squirt," Gohan whispers.

Goten doesn't say anything in return.

"I'm sorry that it's turned out like this," he continues into Goten's ear. "Just know that I want everything and more for you. I'm proud of the person you're becoming, ki or none, fighter or scholar or artist. The world is yours. You have the power to carve your own existence… And… Remember that I love you."

Fingers brush by Gohan's hair as finally Goten pulls away. Those hands clench even tighter.

He still can't make eye contact with Gohan. Pooling tears congregate there, the obsidian fogs. Gohan knows that it's too much for him. Even for Gohan, it's… God. Throat tight, Gohan turns to Rixas and nods for him to take Goten away.

"C'mon, kid." Rixas jerks his head. "It's time to go."

As obedient as Gohan's ever seen him, Goten mutely nods and falls in line directly behind Rixas' arching shadow. The wards are knocked aside and Goten is out the door without so much of a look back. Rixas, however, lingers, holding the doorframe as he gives Gohan one last bit of acknowledgment.

"I'll see you soon," Gohan promises through the haze of unwanted emotion, keeping himself together best he can. "Then we'll come to an agreement on what to do next."

I'll make you see sense…

"You're… not going to change your mind on this, are you?"

"I'm sorry, no."

"Ah... That's what I thought." Rixas rolls his lips, eyes crinkling in discontent. "Goodbye, Mori."

"Be safe."

The door shuts.

In the end, neither brother returns.

---

Swollen from the ice, the creaking wood that makes up the Son family house's door holds firm. It wedges deeply into the concrete-like mud. Despite the snow having stopped, the chill remains. Goku's barely been at the house for the best part of two weeks and as a result the property protests. To ease it, Goku heats the wood ever so gently so trickling water releases. Steam rises, meeting the fog of breath.

He's done nothing but sleep since the fight on Old Planet Geo, and still he feels like his body might never reach full capacity again. Never before has Goku felt so drained.

Gohan sure can pack a punch.

The laugh is ironic. He rests his head against the door, hunched in a squat and unsure of how to tackle the rest of the day. Shin told them to wait so… wait they must. Whatever Beerus is doing up there better be more productive than what they're doing on Earth. Whilst Goku does not a lot, Piccolo is resting, or rather, meditating so he says; contemplating on what to do next. Vegeta is practically bedridden, to his absolute utter dismay, with the only thing he's able to do is to answer a million questions from Trunks.

After dropping Vegeta off, Goku had updated Bulma. She'd been less shocked than imagined.

"I don't know," she'd said when Goku had questioned her lack of reaction, "Something did seem off when he was here but I mean; a god. I… I don't know if that can be right, surely. Gohan's always been strong but, well… I know - knew the kid; he's not exactly the type to sit on a throne assert himself."

Shin had been certain however. Gohan and Mori are one in the same. He really believes Goku's son… is a god. Gold had dazzled, haunting as Gohan stood above back on Old Planet Geo. Goku can't remember what Gohan was saying, only how powerful he'd looked, how much older he appeared, how mature.

You were so strong.

Goku slaps his cheeks.

Uwah. Is it wrong to feel proud? Drolly, he grins. Yeah, it's pretty bad… Still…

That ki blast – that horrid white one – that burnt him like overcooked bacon was definitely impressive. Where had Gohan learned that? There was also the shield he made, and the swordplay; oh yes, that was cool, too. Goku would love to get his hands back on that sword again.

Then, he remembers how many Gohan slaughtered.

Oh, man.

From inside the house, the screaming of the kettle calls him in just before it clicks. His bones deserve a hot drink to see him through the rest of the day. Perhaps if he can recover quicker he'll be able to –

There's crunching on icy grass.

His neck cranes, his eyes thin – and then widen. Two figures stand on the other side of the yard.

Goten.

Immediately, Goku lumbers up, jumping to his feet and in the direction of his son. Surprisingly, Goten wastes no time at all, and is in Goku's arms before Goku reaches even the edge of the garden. Goku swings him like he would when he was a boy, pulling him close, squeezing.

Gohan had of course promised to return Goten, and here he is.

It's emotional in a way unexpected. They both have gone longer without seeing one another so why does it feel like he's not seen Goten in years? Goku feels the weight of fatherhood. It's crushing and so suddenly too much. God, it's so good to see his boy, his second born, brilliant boy.

"Dad," Goten mumbles into Goku's shoulder, throat congested. "I-I…"

"You're home, bud. I've got you."

Goten holds onto him like a child half his age and Goku complies so greedily.

"D-Dad," he tries again after a moment, "I… look."

Goku leans back and between them, unfurls Goten's fist, where a tiny fractured earring lies in the centre of a sweaty palm. He looks at his son's blotchy face, confused. Goten urges him to look again, and then, upon realizing what he's looking at, Goku's lungs deplete.

"Goten, you have a dragon ball…"

Goten nods, face warped with anxiety. "I stole it from him," he whispers.

When the tiny ball is snapped free from what's left of the thin metal, it's pressed into Goku's hand. It's the six-star ball. However, soon enough, crunching of grass reminds Goku that they're indeed not alone. He quickly clasps the ball and shoves Goten behind him.

The gold eyes that stare back are about as exhausted as Goku feels.

Rixas stops a few feet away.

"We need to talk."

---

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Firstly, I want to say a huge thank you for all the feedback. I go through each and every comment and it's really inspiring to me. The dragon ball fandom is a bit on its last legs however I'm feeling really supported with this fic. Actually, I wrote this chapter less than a week after posting 38, and then 39 a couple days after. It's in the beta stage now with Kags, my angel. I honestly feel so guilty. She's beta'd the last chapter, this one and now will do another all within a week or so. Let me remind you that we do in fact have real life jobs, haha. Thanks, Kags. You're literally a STAR.

So, Gohan's earring has been referenced a good few times previously - the sneaky git has been hiding the ball in plain sight. Not even Rixas had known (Ah well, easy pickings for Goten). Actually, this chapter has a strong focus on Rixas and Gohan's relationship, or the crumbling remains of it rather. After everything they've managed to pull through, their relationship should be even stronger yet Gohan's ambitions are testing them. Sad boys... Meanwhile, Goku is very much coming to terms with the truth and realizing that he's been a lil POS, bless. So much for him to come to terms with going forward. Aaanyway, on a brighter note, we welcome back, Shin! Ever since the Kai massacre, he's been behind the scenes and trying to find the final dragon ball. So he's been pretty busy and keeping on the down-low. Let's see if his work has paid off.

I hope to have this story finished before winter this year. I'd originally said that I see this story finishing in it's 40's... I'm gonna push that to 50's and pray for no more, haha.

Thanks again for all your support (I can't reply to guest reviews, but I'm slowly replying to all others, here and on AO3)!

I'd really appreciate any and all feedback! Cheers!