Ken felt the soft leathery cushion of a sofa engulf his body as he let it carry his weight. It was comfortably soft, but to the point where it suffocated him. It helped ease the uneasiness that lingered in the air of the room he was in. This was the Son residence, and his previous home, or at least so he was told. It was slightly damaged with a gaping hole in the roof from some previous fire, but it was still habitable.

It looked like any regular family living room he'd seen before with a large oriental rug in the middle of the floor with a glass coffee table centered carefully on it. The others sat on seperate chair, one person recliners, or merely lay down on the floor, all of their eyes fixed uncomfortably on him. Ken sat on the long four person sofa alone, making the uneasiness even more obvious.

"So," a nerdy looking man with thick glasses began, "does any of this look familiar to you?" The gentle looking woman, with hair tied neatly into a bun, gave the nerdy man a nasty look.
"Gohan, you could be a little less direct," she said.

"Kind of," Ken replied, "but I'll have to wait for my memories to come back."
"This is kind of uneasy for you, I understand," the woman with the bun said sympathetically. "I mean, you're being asked to recall the memories of a child who died fourteen years ago. It's okay ... if you need some time, I mean." She placed a soft delicate hand on her chest. "My name is Chichi. I am that boy's mother - your mother."

"My name is Ken," Ken replied, "and yet ... although we've never met, I feel like I know you." "Remember," Gohan, the nerdy guy, said, "what you told me all those years ago?"

Put your faith in what you most believe in
Two worlds, one family
Trust your heart
Let fate decide
To guide these lives we see

***

Goku pulled Gohan gently away, holding him by the shoulders, and looked straight into his eyes. "You've done an amazing job without me," he said. "An amazing job in school, in taking care of your mom and your brother. And I need you to be strong and keep this up. Only this time, Goken won't be with you."
Gohan wiped the back of his hand against his nose. "I know," he said, "but he'll be safe in the afterlife right?"

"I'm not staying here in the afterlife either," Goken interrupted.
"What?" Gohan asked, "Then where are you going?"
"I've been given a second chance at life," Goken began. "In the afterlife, the gods have separated my soul from the Firebird's soul. He's in the underworld right now, paying for his crimes. They've determined that my course in this life was unfair, and they want to give me a second chance. They said it's up to me whether or not I want to take it."

"That's terrific! So that means you'll be coming back to stay with us, right?" Gohan couldn't believe it. All along he believed that by destroying the Firebird, he'd have to destroy his brother as well. It was a fact that always made him think twice about doing it. But here Goken was, being given a second chance at life!

"That's not quite the case," Goku explained, seeing a shocked
expression unfold on Gohan's face.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I'm given a second chance at life," Goken repeated, "I'll be living in a different world, a different dimension, and I'll have a different name. It's a completely different life and identity for me."

"Oh, I see…"

"They told me the decision is entirely up to me, so I don't think I'll be taking it." Goken said.

"What?! Why not?" Gohan asked.

"Because that means all my memories of this life will be replaced. Mom, you and Dad mean so much to me, I can't imagine not even remembering you. I can't do it!"

"That is a foolish reason," Goku said. "Do you think that's what we really want? For you to throw away a second chance at life?"

"I don't know. I just don't want to forget."

"You'll have new memories," Gohan said, trying to encourage Goken. "You'll have a much better life with a new family, new friends. How could you say no to that?"
Goken's lip began trembling and tears welled up in his eyes. "Because I'm gonna miss you guys."

"I promise," Goken tried to say in between sobs, "I promise in my next life, I'll make up for everything bad I've done in this life." Gohan was crying to hard to say anything. His face wet and red. All he could do was nod. "And in the end, when I'm done," Goken continued, "I'll come back here and see everyone again. I promise!"


A paradise untouched by man
Within this world blessed with love
A simple life, they live in peace

***

The memory came back to Ken in a flash, like it had been locked up in the depths of his mind his whole life. "Holy shit," he said. "That's so creepy. And now I'm back. It's like I kept my promise. So those dreams I had of an Eight Star Dragon Ball, ..."

"It kept you to your promise," Gohan said. "It brought you back to us. Do you remember the baby you gave to me just before we parted?"

"Vaguely," Ken replied. "I ... I named the baby didn't I?" The memory was too fuzzy, but the fact that he named the child he was sure of."

"Yeah," Gohan nodded, "and he's sitting right there." Gohan motioned over to Goten who until then, calmly sat cross legged on the floor. Goten's eyes were now wide open, his jaw hanging loosely open.

The woman beside Gohan, who wore her black hair in twin pony tails down the sides of her head, began to speak. "Why haven't you told us about your brother Goken?" she asked.

"Because it wouldn've been easier to get over his death, Videl," Gohan replied.

"But if you're going to make grieving easier, it would be better to tell others about it. I had no idea you and Chichi were that torn apart because of the death of your brother but how do you think would that make Ken feel?"

Gohan was thankfully saved by a muffled voice coming from outside, beckoning the others to come out. "Come on Gohan, Chichi, Videl, Ken, Goten! You've got some visitors!" The group got up from their seats, leaving a warm indentation in the fabric and headed out the door that broke off it's hinges upon opening.

Just in front of the house, the blue faced, amphibian like Kaiosama stood with his hands folded behind his robust torso. Beside him stood two familiar forms. To his left, Goku stood smiling happily, waving his hand childishly at them. To his right ...

"Doale," Chichi said endearingly. She approached the young Emperor and embraced him in a tight hug, kissing him on the cheek. He hugged her back, equally happy to see her, tears flowing slowly out the corners of his eyes. Doale's face was caked with dirt, his brown hair ruffled and all over the place. His once proud cape was torn and now only reached to his waist in places. His armor was cracked and rusty. Despite his beaten up appearance, his face smiled with pride and happiness upon seeing Chichi and the others. "We heard about what you did with your Empire. We're all very proud of you." Videl, Goten, and even Gohan nodded in agreement.

"It takes alot for someone to admit they're wrong," Gohan continued, "let alone sacrifice their wealth and power for the greater good. And for what it's worth, for how I treated you, I was wrong and I'm sorry."

"Thanks," Doale said, "but there's someone I owe this all to." Doale faced Ken and put a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks for giving me this chance. If it wasn't for the Goken's kindness I inherited, I would have never found this peace I'm experiencing right now. Thank you, Ken." Doale gave him a gratuitous hug.

Ken wasn't sure how to react, but returned the gesture after a few seconds of hesitation. "No problem, buddy," he said, patting the young emperor on the back.
Chichi smiled warmly upon seeing how they reacted with each other. She leaned over and whispered to Gohan, "Who would've guessed that the Firebird and Goken, two mortal enemies, would befriend each other and grow to think of each other as brothers as Doale and Ken?" Gohan smiled at the irony.

"Yeah, who would've known?"

"I hate to break this apart," Kaiosama said, clearing his throat, "But Doale, you have a decision to make."

Doale nodded, "Yes, I do."

"What decision?" Chichi asked.

"Just like the promise Ken made fourteen years ago, to make up for all the bad that he's done in his life, I was also bounded to that promise," Doale explained. "Since coming to this world, I've come to find the good in me, a good that I never knew existed. I've freed the slaves of my empire, and have destroyed the threat my own presence has posed."

"Therefore," Kaiosama continued, "having kept his promise, Doale's spirit can now be set free." Kaiosama turned to Doale. "He must now decide whether to live his life as a mortal here on earth, or up in the heavens, where he has earned a place for himself."

Raise your head up
Lift high the load
Take strength from those that need you
Build high the walls
Build strong the beams
A new life is waiting
But danger's no stranger here

In Chichi's mind, the answer was simple. "Stay here with us," she said. "You've become one of us now."

"Yes," Goku agreed. "You were partly responsible for helping us save this planet. You've lost your empire, but you've found a new, better home. Don't throw that away."
Even Ken joined in. "I've just left my previous home to discover my past life here. I'm starting over here too. You won't be going through this alone."

No words describe a mother's tears
No words can heal a broken heart
A dream is gone, but where there's hope

"You're all making it harder to say no," Doale said wiping the moisture away from his eyes. He sniffed. "But you know what? My purpose in life has been fulfilled. There is no reason for me to remain here anymore. Knowing that I have earned everybody's acceptance, trust, hell even everyone's love, you know, that's something I've never experienced before. And that's all I need to know to keep me at peace." He turned to Kaiosama. "Therefore, I'm going to have to choose the heavens. Kaiosama, I'm ready." And with that, the north God nodded and Doale's body was engulfed in a gentle, radiating light.

"Remember, that you will always have a place with us here, too," Chichi said. Doale nodded in acknowledgement and closed his eyes in peace. Just as his body vanished into thin air and headed for the heavens, for a split second, Chichi could've sworn she saw him lose his composure, breaking down into tears.

* * *

Softly tread the sand below your feet now
Two worlds, one family
Trust your heart
Let fate decide
To guide these lives we see

"Sixty six, sixty seven…" Ken had lost count of the stars in the sky. He decided to take his focus off the individual pinpoints of light and take in the view as a whole. They dotted the sky like millions of jewels of different colors. Some where white, blue, yellow and others were even red. They varied in sizes, ranging from a grain of sand to small stones, all against a pitch-black backdrop.

Ken hung his legs down the edge of the cliff as he looked onwards. A light breeze blew against his body. He closed his eyes and took the breeze in, savoring every moment. Never in his life, did things feel this peaceful. The night sky looked just like this when he left his friends behind on his world. As he continued looking at the ocean of stars, he couldn't help but feel they were looking right back at him across the universe.

Somewhere something is calling for you
Two worlds, one family
Trust your heart
Let fate decide
To guide these lives we see

He had started out his life as Goken, a warrior of the Eight Star Dragon Ball, only to be possessed by a creature called the Firebird and killed. He was given a second chance at life on another world, in another universe, and forgotten by his friends and family on this world. Now, he had returned to his birthplace to come back to his roots. His life had literally been spent sailing among the universe.

"Ken," a voice said. Ken turned around to see who it was. It was the nerdy guy, Gohan.

"Shouldn't you be asleep? It's late."

"I'm just thinking," he replied, turning back to the heavens. "I couldn't sleep."

"Yeah, I couldn't either," Gohan said. "Mind if I join you?"

Ken nodded, and he found a place beside him on the cliff edge.

"So tell me," Gohan began, "what was your life on the other world like?"

Ken smirked. "You wanna here it all?" he asked. "We're gonna be here awhile."

"The bad guys are all dead. We have all the time in the world."

"It starts out there," Ken pointed at a distant galaxy.

Another breeze blew, sending the grass blades and tree leaves into ripples. The land was dark, only slightly illuminated by the starlight. The silhouettes of Gohan and Ken could be seen, one leaning against a tree and the other lying back on his elbows. As he spoke, Ken's fingers pointed all over the sky, mapping out where he'd been in his lifetime, and explaining all of his experiences, against the backdrop of stars that represented the route of his entire existence.

 

 

Beneath the shelter of the trees
Only love can enter here
A simple life, they live in peace

 
 

                                                                THE END

Poetic Lyrics from "Two Worlds" by Phil Collins