DISCLAIMER: I do not own nor profit from Dragonball, or any works based on it. All characters associated with such are easily recognizable to those that care. If you do have a problem with this, I have no money!

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is actually a revamped note. This chapter was originally published on May 15, 2001. It has been edited on September 4, 2001. Currently I'm shooting to end around Chapter 15. It may run long though and defiantly not short. Plotting has been done up until Chapter 13.

Dragonball:After Earth
By Blood Wraith

Chapter 2:Homecoming


Golden light flared within the ruined structure that had once been Capsule Corp. Silence had reigned for a few minutes before Medon's scream had broken it, announcing his rise to that which surpassed the Super Sayai-jin. Now the ground shook and explosions again ruled, the sound of the dying echoing from within.

He wasn't sure where he had come from. Everyone had said he was gone after all, but still Medon knew was his grandfather was indeed here. Standing by his side, giving him the strength he needed to get through this moment. It was as if Goku's grip on his arm had touched his soul and calmed his heart. Now he watched Goku streaking around the sky, engaging the daemon lord, Baal, and the warlock, Vecna, in battle. He had given a single command to the boy before he had entered into Super Sayai-jin and began his attack, to gather the survivors.

So Medon was doing now, picking through the rubble and seeking out any source of ki he could find. The remains of the legions that had made the first attack would come at him from time to time, repelling them was easy enough though. Most were having limbs or heads torn from their body with a single punch, a feat only Gohan and Vegeta had been accomplishing. The boy knew nothing of that though, he still felt a bit hazy, the rage and sadness of loss clinging tightly to him. He had his mission though and was not about to stop. Besides Bra's extremely low ki within the building he felt two more within the courtyard. He was coming up to the first one, having nearly dug down far enough when it came to him. A man's hand broke through the rubble reaching for something to help free itself. The demi-sayai-jin gripped to it tight, the feeling of another person, someone he knew lending him strength as he pulled them free.

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The newcomer was completely beyond what either Baal or Vecna had expected resistance wise. He was in a form similar to what the two middle age men had taken. Golden hair and the crackling flame aura. He was putting up more of a fight then even Vegeta had however. They had no way of knowing what they faced.

Son Goku had vanished seventeen years ago, upon the back of Shenron, the Eternal Dragon of Earth. They had bonded in that time, for all intents and purposes becoming one and the same being. Exploring this reality and the next. They had no intention of returning to Earth until the set time that Shenron had stated had passed. Things had changed however. Goku had felt the awakening of his grandson's power. Across untold distance of space and time he had felt it. So he had separated himself from the dragon, which though it had weakened him a bit, still left him with power far surpassing what he had known previously. He had used his Instantaneous Movement to return to Earth immediately and found the situation as it stood now. Goku knew who was alive and dead, he raged inside, but he knew they had no options now. They had to take those that were still alive and escape. He could win this fight he was sure of that, but not the one that was coming.

Baal chose that moment to charge in. His great axe spinning a deadly arc as it came for the Sayai-jins head. It didn't even come close. The blade passed right through Goku's body as if he didn't exist. The extra image from his zanzoken vanishing at that moment as he came in from the side, his heavy boot slamming into the top of Baal's head, causing a curled horn to crack and break free. The daemon lords roar of pain was cut short as Goku's steel like fist crashed into his face a thousand times in the blink of an eye, sending him flying backwards from the force of the attack.

Vecna had backed himself away from the battle as soon as he had gotten a good idea of the power this stranger possessed. It was mind boggling, as was the boy's below. The man had the slight advantage though, both over the teenager and it seemed Baal. The warlock decided it was time to change targets.
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Medon was shifting the last bit of weight off Trunks when he heard the sound behind him. Grabbing the wounded man he curled his legs under him, kicking them both up and to the side as the lightning like bolt of energy tore into the ground where they had been.

Their landing wasn't soft, bringing forth a grunt of pain from Trunks. Medon gave him a quick look over. He wasn't conscious and probably wouldn't be anytime soon. A large gash was across the side of his head, his lavender hair matted with blood. His other wounds were minor in comparison, but still nothing to laugh at. He didn't have a choice, he had to fight. So it was that the sixteen year old boy turned to face the warlock.

Vecna watched the teenager turn around. He wouldn't play games with this one. His ki was rising again as soon as he had turned and seen his enemy. The daemon snarled and folded its' hands together before it, index fingers extended and pointing forward. This attack was a bit draining but well forth the effect; even with the power the boy was giving off he wouldn't survive. The warlocks energies shot up as crackling black light gathered itself around the extended claws, finally streaking towards Medon, a shrill wailing sound coming forth

"Soul Reaver!"

Medon didn't move. The moment he had turned things had changed. He had forgotten all about Trunks, all about Bra, and all about the third ki he still felt. It was all about this creature. This was the one that had killed his mother. That had killed Chi-Chi, Bulma, Marron, Satan, Yamcha, and Kuririn, this disgusting beast before him. The surrounding steel and stone took flight as gravity itself was altered in the area around him. Shocks of electrical energy shot themselves outward from his aura, tearing ruts into the ground around him. He had only seen what he was about to do twice. Once by Pan at a tournament and his Uncle Goten had shown him once. It didn't matter, he wouldn't fail. Medon brought his hands down to his side, cupping them together, feeling his ki building.

"Kame..."

The small blue ball formed quickly growing in size to where it was ready.

"Hame.."

The monster had fired its' attack, the black death was rushing towards him. He had no fear for it, only anger.

"HA!!"

The glowing blue beam burst forth from his hands as he threw them forward, striking Vecna's attack head-on. The Soul Reaver pushed against it, all the warlock's considerable might behind it, then it melted into nothing. The warlock's red eyes grew wide as he watched the blue energy rush up at him. If he thought of it he might have been able to erect a shield, it didn't come to him though. All he saw was onrushing oblivion, backed by emerald eyes with contained more hate then a species which thrived on it had ever seen.
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Baal and Goku both halted as the warlocks tormented yell reached their ears and also at the sight of the huge glowing blue ball of energy that was ripping it's way up towards them. Medon's Kamehameha had torn through Vecna like he was paper, vaporizing the warlock without even slowing, now it hurtled upwards to where Goku and Baal battled without any signs of dissipating. Both of the combatants blurred from the spots they had been occupying, super speed movements taking them far from the beam. The Kamehameha continued, breaking free of Earth's orbit and continuing into space, not stopping until it hit the asteroid belt past Mars and struck a planet sized chunk of rock. The asteroid exploded at the impact, lighting up the night sky.

Goku looked down at his grandson, that was why he had returned. The boy couldn't die yet, he had a destiny in front of him. Both he and Shenron had agreed upon that. Goku was just not one to take a passive role in the boys development. Baal on the other hand was worried for the first time today. The teenager had managed to generate enough energy to destroy Vecna and if it had made contact injure him. Also the one he was battling was giving him problems. He had only landed a light punch while he had been hit repeatedly. Perhaps reinforcements were in order. His long snout crinkled as rows of razor teeth were displayed.

"You survive this time sayai-jin but it means nothing. Within a day, I shall be feasting upon your remains and we shall be well on our way to dominance of this world."

Goku's only response was a smile and to straight his blue gi.He had no intentions of letting the creature go, they would have enough problems when the daemons decided the wait had been to long.

"No, you made this into a fight. It ends for you here!"

Golden flames flared up around the sayai-jin, crackles of electricity joining them to dance around his body. His hair lengthened stretching down his back, nearly to his knees, his brow sloping forward. When he had been restored to an adult he had again lost his tail, the Super Sayai-jin Three was once again his ultimate form. It didn't matter though, with the additional energy he had been granted by Shenron this form surpassed his power when he had been in Stage Four. The daemon was opening its' mouth to speak. Goku didn't wait, he sped forward, his fist stretching out towards Baal as his ki flared.

"Ryu-Ken!"

The golden flames surrounding Goku seemed to rush forth, condensing into the image of the dragon, Shenron. They slammed into Baal, tearing a hole through his chest, the daemon captains green blood exploding out his back with the impact. Then the ki-dragon twisted around, wrapping itself around his flailing limbs and squeezing as it burnt its' way through scaly flesh, until the managed pieces fell back to the earth.
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Son Goku powered down his black hair standing up again as his ki level lowered, then he landed besides Medon. The boy was standing almost totally still, staring up to where Baal had been destroyed. His ki had lowered a bit, Goku could feel that and it had become evident. The golden locks of his hair, which had been standing straight upward in sharp spikes except for a single piece that had jabbed downward from his bangs, had softened. The piece in front had joined the rest and thought it still stood up and was gold the condensed feel was gone. Electrical jolts no longer danced around him. Goku gave his head a little shake in disbelief. At least he knew the boy was capable of the first form, even if not by choice.

His breathing slowed even more and then Medon gave a slow shaky breath, turning to face his grandfather. Goku was starting to give a smile to the lad when the fist smashed into his jaw, knocking the surprised Sayai-jin from his feet and into a rock pile besides the unconscious Trunks.

"Where were you when we needed you?! You could have saved everyone! You left though! You left all of us when we could have been a family! Now you have the balls to show up again! You think you can just save the day and it's all OK!"

Of the many reactions he had expected, this was not one of them. He brought his hand up and wiped the back of his hand across his mouth, a thick red smear his reward for the effort. Slowly Goku raised himself to his feet, his hands held up before him, palms outward towards his grandson. He had never been the genius at handling people that were honestly angry at him for good reason. Sure Chi-Chi had been before, but he could always smile and promise never to do it again and she'd just cook him dinner and take care of him, even if she grumbled some. Medon had a good point though, he could have come back earlier if he had tried, but it was a new adventure, new people to fight and train with. Even for all he did for the world, he still tended to do what he thought would be the most fun sometimes. This wasn't the time for it though, they had to get out of here. Baal's death had put out more energy then he had expected and back up would be along soon enough. He was also using the focus on the tasks at hand to stop him from realizing what had happened, what he had lost as well.

"Medon I'm sorry. I really am, but we don't have time for this now. We have to get out of here, this isn't the time to fight what's coming yet."

It was the wrong choice of words. He knew that as soon as the boy's hair changed again and his ki shot upwards. It seemed the transformations were based fully on his state of mind, and he was getting angry again.

"Don't have time? What the hell else are we going to do? There is no where to hide! Everyone is dead! EVERYONE!"

"No..they aren't. Feel Medon, and save your sister. Save Pan."

The mention of his sister's name was like a drought of cool water. When the daemons were dead he needed a focus for his anger, Goku had been it. He knew everyone was incredibly hurt when Goku had vanished, they didn't try to show it but it was evident, so he had focused on his savior. His sister was alive though, he knew that now, he could feel her ki, even if it was weak. Gold gave way to ebony, and emerald eyes faded back to lavender as he tore into a pile of rocks seeking her.

Goku sighed and gave a sad smile as he checked on Trunks. He hated having to use that to calm Medon down, but they really had to get away right now. He estimated what they had left at maybe, a day and a half. It was enough time for what he had planned. Trunks was slowly stirring, he would be awake and able to perform soon.
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For all he had seen in his days, the inside of the Capsule Corp. still nearly caused the sayai-jin's stomach to turn. The first sight he was greeted with was Satan and Videl. Satan had died from the same thing that had killed Videl, the falling rock and steel of the structure. A metal support beam had come down and crushed into his head, popping it like a rotten melon and covering the area around him with skull fragments and gore. Videl had been laid out a few feet to the side of her father, he hands folded atop her. The garish fatal wound on the back of her head wasn't visible, if not for the red stain that had continued to spread despite Medon's placement of her.

Goku continued in further, his goal was only to find Bra at this point, but he continued to look around, hoping his friends hadn't suffered. He had found Kuririn just before he entered. The little monk had died instantly from the bone jarring impact of Vecna's fist to the side of his head. Yamcha and Bulma were the next two he found. Yamcha had actually died before the roof had fallen, the shock of Baal's beam that severed his arm having caused his heart to stop. The falling rock had also crushed Bulma. The majority of the falling roof had come down atop her, only her head and one arm were still visible, the rest having been turned to goo beneath the debris. Reaching down Goku shut her eyes and smoothed out her faded hair, she had been his first friend, she hadn't deserved this, none of them had.

Finally he reached the pile of rubble which Medon had hidden Bra in, along with the last two bodies. Moving the huge rock aside he looked within and felt his breath caught in his throat. He had to assume the smaller of the two bodies was Marron, there was no one else it could have been but it was the sheer damage done to the other charred and burnt corpse. It had been Chi-Chi. Vecna's attack had struck Marron directly, the heat ray passing through her to kill his wife. Closing his eyes tight, Goku reached past the still form of his wife to take hold of Bra and pull her out of the hole, then let the rock fall back into place. He didn't want to see anymore.
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Trunks sighed and ran his hand through his hair, wincing slightly at the dull throb it sent through his skull. He had never thought anything like this was possible, much less that it would even occur. His father had always told him to be strong, he was of royal blood after all, but he still felt the sting of tears in his eyes as he looked around him. While Goku was inside he and Medon had dug out everyone and lined them up while Pan had slowly awoken. Vegeta, Goten, Gohan, and 18, they had all given their lives today, for nothing. Even that wasn't enough to bring the tears to him, what broke Trunks heart was when he looked over to the two siblings. Pan held her brother like one would a small child, one hand smoothing his ruffled hair as he held her around the waist, sobbing as he let out all the horrors he had seen today, the lines of blood and dirt on her own face being washed away in her own tears.

He wiped his face and looked over to the main structure or what was left of it. Goku was emerging now, helping an unsteady Bra stumble out to join them. The knowledge that his sister had survived eased Trunks a bit, but not much. He loved Bra, but they had never been as close as many siblings, most notably Goten and Gohan, or Pan and Medon. Goku helped her into a seat besides Trunks, giving her arm a light squeeze as he went over to his two grandchildren.

Pan looked up when she felt the strong hand touch her cheek, despite it all, a smile spreading across her tear covered face. She removed her hand from her brothers back, and grabbed tight to the hand of her grandfather, squeezing it with all her might, assuring both of them he was real.

"Grandpa.."

Goku gave a small nod and another squeeze of her hand, a small smile on his face. He had missed her, and no matter what he was glad she was here. Part of him though, would never forgive himself for allowing these tears to come to the faces of his grandchildren. Still holding her hand he focused within himself, his mind reaching out.
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The North Kaiosamma's head jerked up from his nap as he felt the telepathic touch. His antenna stood straight out, it was incredibly faint, almost like a veil had been pulled between him and wherever it was coming from.

"Goku?"

He stood there, still as a statue for a few minutes, then nodded, sending his agreement to the proposal his one-time student had come up with. Normally he would never do something this drastic, but he was Kaiosamma of the Northern Galaxy and it looked like it would be the first to be destroyed.

With a sad sigh he looked over to the small insect that was hovering about, looking at him curiously. The halo that floated above his apprentices head a strong reminder of what Goku had cost them all in the past, there was no choice now though.

"Gregory, I need you to take a message to Demon King,Lord Enma."
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The group had moved into another part of the structure that had only been lightly damaged. It was not worth living at all but would provide some shelter until Goku's plan could go into effect. Medon had managed to cry himself to sleep, and Bra's injuries had worn her out enough she to was curled into a ball, resting. Pan, Trunks, and Goku sat in the dark, discussing their best course of action. Trunks looked up from his attempt to clean the thick black crust of the daemon warriors blood from his blade.

"Alright, I understand part of the plan. The part I don't is why are you used Medon for this? I mean don't get me wrong, I like the kid, but he's not a fighter."

Goku gave a short nod, he understood Trunks point, but he was putting complete faith in his course of action. They honestly had no choice at this point.

"Your right, but he will be. You two are going to make sure of that."

One of Pan's eyebrows arched at the comment, she didn't like the sound of that. If they were to help teach Medon anything it meant Goku had something else up his sleeve for himself.

"Why us? I'm pretty good and all, and Trunks is exceptional, but you could teach him more then both of us combined. We also don't have time for any of this. You even said that more of those things, and stronger ones mind you, will be here within a day."

"Correct, but there is a place you can get him more then enough training in that time period. The Room of Spirit and Time on Kami's Lookout."

Trunks liked the suggestion but he saw a few problems. The room had previously been destroyed almost totally, including the exit, by Piccolo while Gotenks had battled against Majinn Buu. Though the Dragonballs had been used to repair the room later on, two people was still the maximum in it. How could he and Pan both teach Medon.

"You'll take turns, after one had taught all the basic techniques and styles they know, you'll flip off."

Pan gave a snort at the follow up. When it came to anything besides fighting and food, Goku tended to be a little dense, on those subjects though he almost would seem to read minds at times.

"While one of you is teaching him, the other will keep a watch with me. I'm also going to take God away from here and to New Namek if he's still alive."

"Grandpa....I know you have faith in us, and in Medon, but, honestly, there is no way we can teach him anything to make him that more powerful in a year. You seem to think he'll be able to do more then you."

The Sayai-jin looked at her a moment, then he did something none of them thought they would ever see again. He smiled and winked. It was something so uniquely Goku, it put her at ease. The stories told by the others had said he was the same way before the battle with Cell.

Pan only shook her head and returned the smile, giving Trunks a short pat on the knee hoping to install him with the same confidence she now felt. They had lost a battle, but not the war.
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The herald stepped into the throne room after a minute of hesitation. The daemon never liked reporting to his lordship, and bad news could be dangerous at times. The creature snarled to itself and moved forward, delay could be just the same, its' steps took it across the skulls of thousands of creatures from as many planets that served as the main walk.

The massive form in the throne shifted at it's minions approach. The shadows that covered the alcove where the beast sat were lit by the large glowing red orbs that awaited the announcement of victory.

"M..Master, Lord Baal and Lord Vecna have been defeated as has their entire raiding force of ten-thousand warriors."

Silenced reigned for what seemed like hours to the doomed herald, then the deep grating voice echoed from the darkness.

"Who destroyed them and how many?"

"We do not know your Lordship. Lord Vecna's link was broken before firm details could be sorted out, two large power sources were detected how.."

The herald didn't even finish its' words before the pain engulfed it. The goat like creature was twisted over by agony, pressure slowing building up within it. It felt it's body twisted and torn as it's muscles and tendons tore free from it's bones and then finally from it's body, leaving an unrecognizable puddle on the floor.

"Lord Mephiston...take your full legion."

To the side of the throne the daemon lord nodded and gave a short bow before leaving the raised platform that Asmodius sat upon and heading for the exit of the great chamber.

Mephiston smiled to himself as he left the throne room. He had been waiting for the orders to go to Earth. It had been his idea to invade it after all. Mephiston was possibly the most powerful being within his dimension save Lord Asmodius himself and a few select others, but strength wasn't everything. His was a race of conquerors and tormenters of worlds without end. They had destroyed or taken over every race and planet in this dimension and had expanded to almost a dozen others. Their current choice though was different; Mephiston had been using various spells and energy manipulation techniques to watch it for years, even after a large power had attracted his attention. The power in question had been Cell, his perfect form generating enough energy to reach between realities. He had seen the Z-Warriors gather and battle Cell, and the trials that came after.

It had amused him and at that time he had decided this was to be the next dimension they occupied. One warrior had worried him however, but when Son Goku left upon the back of Shenron he knew their time would come soon. They just had to wait for the rest to grow soft with peace. The current situation was all together unexpected. The daemon lord was the magistrate and a lord commander of all the armies of the dimension though, he would not be beaten by a monkey. He already had a plan in mind. They would occupy this world and in the process learn the secret of the Dragonballs, from one of these annoying creatures. Then his true goal would be within reach.

The seven foot tall daemon stopped his path before the portal that accessed the alternate dimension. The Northern Continent was visible through, the sky black from the initial assault of the first legion. The thin smile across his face grew further, razor sharp white teeth gleaming in the odd light shed by the portal.

"Welcome home Son Goku, let us see if we can make it more enjoyable for you."