The Past Returns

Part Nineteen

"Finally," Ami said in relief as she saw their spaceship emerge after she removed the hologram. She opened the doors and everyone rushed inside. "This way," Ami said leading Trunks to the sick bay.

Trunks never entered all the rooms on the ship so seeing the sick bay room was a complete surprise, especially at how it resembled Ami's lab room at Capsule Corp. He laid his wounded father on an exam table. He stared at his father. Trunks hadn't seen Vegeta this badly beaten since his fight with Majin Buu so many years ago.

'I should've been there. I could've stopped this. Gogeta, you better be making Apollo pay.'

Ami tugged on Trunks' arm, pulling him out of the room. "Okay, Trunks. Time to leave."

Trunks saw what Ami was doing. "W-What are you doing, Ami?"

"I need you out," Ami told him. "You will only be a distraction."

"He's my father. I'm not leaving him!" Trunks argued.

Ami looked at Trunks sympathetically. "I know you care about your father, but I need to see if I can fix him up and I can't concentrate on him fully with you here."

Iris and Goten were standing in the doorway listening to the conversation. She stepped in the room quietly. "I'll assist you, Ami. I feel partially responsible for Vegeta being injured anyway. It was my brother who did this."

"I need to be here!" Trunks argued.

"Be here and do what?! Watch us fix your father? What if we can't revive him? Do you want to see that?"

"She's right," Goten jumped in. "You may want to be here but not being in here is best now." He pulled on Trunks' shoulder. "Come on. We'll wait for my parents and our brother."

Trunks really wanted to stay with Vegeta but the others were right. It would be best if he left. "All right," Trunks reluctantly agreed. He turned and walked out the room with Goten.

Ami shut the door and walked over to Vegeta. She tore off the top of Vegeta's uniform and looked over his chest for wounds but didn't find anything. Ami was confused. "Where are his wounds? He had so much blood on him."

"I sealed up the wounds," Iris admitted sadly. "But I did it too late. I thought Vegeta was dead after my brother stabbed him, but when I felt his faint heartbeat, I knew he was still around so I sealed up his wounds and gave him a little of my ki to get his heart beating a little faster."

Ami took in the information as she looked over Vegeta. "So, what you're saying is that you sealed up the wounds after his massive blood loss and he's still in critical condition." Iris nodded but with a frown on her face. Ami smiled to cheer Iris up. "Hey, don't look so glum. If you hadn't sealed up Vegeta's wounds or give him some of your ki, he would be dead right now. Your powers saved him." She looked at Vegeta. "Of course I wouldn't tell him that. He has a strong amount of pride in him and to know he was saved by two women…" Ami shook her. "I don't want to think about his reaction. He'd deny it to his dying breath."

"What can we do then since bandaging him won't do anything?" Iris asked.

Ami looked reluctant to share what she had in mind. "I know of someway to help him…" she rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "But it's never been tested and my batting average of making things that deal with magic or Saiyan technology hasn't been good. The only thing I have made that works is the armor that Vegeta wears and that was based on Bulma's blueprints."

"We don't have a choice. You better use it or Vegeta may die," Iris suggested.

"Okay," Ami said as she opened the large double doors in the room. Inside, it was shaped like a giant walk in storage room. Her voice echoed as she got further in the room. Iris stood by the doors waiting for Ami. "When I was talking to Gohan about his adventures on Namek, he told me about this rejuvenation tank his father was in and how it healed him in an hour. I asked Vegeta about it and told him I wanted to try to make one. He told me I couldn't do it."

"Why?" Iris asked as she waited for Ami to come out of the closet. Ami was out of Iris' eyesight so the noises she heard was a bit disturbing. What was Ami doing in there and was this strange invention of hers that she was going to test on Vegeta?

"He said with me being a human, I would be too dumb to comprehend anything Saiyans used. Still, that didn't stop him from telling me as much as he knew about it, so using his knowledge and my scientific expertise, I created this!"

Iris watched as the noises in the storage room got louder. She saw Ami was pushing out a large object in the shape of a giant washing machine. Iris blinked confused. Ami wasn't suggesting they put Vegeta in that was she? "What is that?"

Ami giggled excitedly. Although nervous about this invention, the thought of her finally showing it made her excited. "My rejuvenation tank."

Iris looked on bewildered as Ami hooked the hoses up the sink in the exam room and babbling on how excited she was to try this out. "What the…"

"Come on. Let's put Vegeta in," Ami said excitedly. "I can't wait to try to this out."

"Um…sure," Iris said as she carried Vegeta from the examine table to the strange invention Ami created. Ami lifted the top and help put Vegeta in. Iris put a mask over Vegeta's nose and mouth and Ami closed the top. Iris was certain this contraption looked more like a washing machine than a rejuvenation tank. The strange dials on top were further supporting her theory, especially when Ami set the dial that was label 'load' to large, the 'water' to warm/warm and the 'species' had buttons of humans, Saiyans and Namek under it. Ami pressed Saiyan. Iris watched as water begin to pour in and covered Vegeta until his whole body was submerged.

"Ami, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Did you make this out of a washer machine?"

Ami smiled surprised Iris guessed it. "Yeah, I did. How you'd figure that out? We have so many at Capsule Corp and I didn't know how to make a rejuvenation tank from scratch so I made one using parts of a washing machine. Cool, huh?"

Iris laughed half heartedly. "Uh, sure. What about the cycles--wash, rinse and spin? He won't be thrown around in there will he?"

Ami laughed at the thought. "Oh, no, of course not." She became quiet and thought for a moment, wondering if she was right. "Um, no definitely no. I'm sure I took those parts out. I'm not crazy. I wouldn't put Vegeta in a machine where will he get tossed over and over."

Iris wasn't too sure about that. One thing was certain by Ami. Not only was she a genius, she was a bit strange.

Goten and Trunks stood floating in the air above the castle from a safe distance. Most of it was crashed in from the outside and the rest of the palace was on its last leg. It had been nearly an hour and there was no sign of Goku, Chi-Chi or Gogeta.

"They should've been out by now."

"Don't worry, Goten. If the building falls on them, your parents and Gogeta will be all right. A collapsing building can't stop Saiyans."

Goten smiled agreeing with his best friend. "That's true…" But a serious demeanor took over his carefree face. He looked more like his father now in intense battle. "But I'm worried about Gogeta."

"Why is that?" Trunks asked.

"I don't know how I know this, but I know my brother is hurt."

The two were startled by the large rumbling of the palace and flew even farther away. They looked back to see the palace crumble to the ground. It was like watching a building being demolished by bombs and dynamite collapsing. Smoke, dust and heavy debris filled the sky. Trunks and Goten had to fly further away to not get caught in it. Who knows what they will be inhaling if they got caught up in the smoke.

When the smoked cleared, all there was left of the palace were heavy piles of rubble. All the fascinating interior of the palace were useless wreckage now and no where to be found were Goku, Chi-Chi or Gogeta.

That was until Goten saw some specks coming towards them and getting larger. One appeared to be a man with wild hair and another was female. "It's them! It's Mom and Dad!" Goten cheered. "Mom!! Dad!!" Goten screamed waving in the air. They were coming closer and their faces were becoming clearer. Goten was glad of his Saiyan heritage for it gave him eyesight stronger than 20/20 vision. The dots were coming towards them but they stopped suddenly and turned around looking at the rubble. "What?" Goten thought confused. "Why aren't they--No!" Goten screamed as he realized something was wrong with his brother. "Gogeta," he whispered.

****

The longer she stayed in Goku's arms the more right this felt. More memories awakened inside her as she remembered the birth of her second son Goten and raising him alone with Gohan. Then she remembered Goku as Vegito and the conception of her other son, Gogeta. Chi-Chi pulled back from Goku suddenly.

"Gogeta has two fathers?" Chi-Chi asked.

Goku nodded. "So, you're remembering that."

"It's faint but I'm seeing visions of all that has happened. It's not complete yet but they are slowly coming together." She looked at him puzzled. "Did we actually made love in the barrel days after your de-fusion with Vegeta and almost got caught by Goten?"

Goku laughed nervously as a slight blush appeared on his face. "Yeah, well Goten woke up in the middle of the night, scared of a nightmare and was looking for us. He thought we were taking a bath and play fighting and wanted to join in--"

"But you said that it would be kind of cramp with him, too and you got out to talk to Goten about his nightmare. After you calmed him down, he went back to bed and we finished what we started," Chi-Chi finished blushing.

"Yeah," Goku admitted. Just thinking about that night made him blush. "We never did it again though because you thought the next time we wouldn't be so lucky."

"Really?" Chi-Chi was surprised. "I can't remember saying that but I may reconsider it when we get home."

Goku could feel his excitement rising but everything went cold when the palace began shaking again. Walls and ceiling pieces crashed in. Goku quickly grabbed Chi-Chi's hand and the two raced out of the room seconds before it crashed in.

"This place is coming apart!" Goku said as he ran with Chi-Chi beside him. "We've got to get out of here now!"

Chi-Chi looked around in hopes that she and Goku made it out before the building crashed in. Chi-Chi held a hand over her head as she ran alongside with Goku to avoid the debris flying over the palace as it was about to come down.

Goku gritted his teeth in frustration. There was no way they would get out of here now by running. "We're gonna have to fly out of here," Goku said. He put Chi-Chi in front of him and placed an arm around her waist. Her head was just under his chin. He lifted the both of them and flew out of the hall at tremendous speed. The floors above them were collapsing just after they passed.

Parts of the ceiling fell on Goku's back and head as he flew but since he was holding Chi-Chi protectively in his arms, she never got hit. Goku flew around another corner of the palace zooming down another hall. Goku halted suddenly as the floor above them crashed in. Goku stopped just a few inches from getting hit with the heavy material. Looking for another way out, Goku flew upward to the next floor and continued his flight. Chi-Chi looked back to see the palace falling on them. She wondered if they were going to make it out in time.

"Don't look back!" Goku told Chi-Chi. "Keep looking forward."

The corners were endless and Chi-Chi wasn't sure how they were going to get out.

"I see a way!" Goku said. "We're going through the window! Close your eyes Chi-Chi and keep your head low." Goku instructed.

Chi-Chi did as she was told. Goku lowered his head and closed his eyes so he wouldn't get glass in them. He extended his right arm and tore through the window. Chi-Chi felt the wind flowing through her hair and clothes and knew they were out.

"We made it!" Chi-Chi cheered. She heard a large rumbling and looked back to see the palace crumbling to the ground. She saw the heavy smoke and dust caused from the buckled fortress coming at them.

Goku flew higher in the sky avoiding the dust and debris from swallowing them. He waited until the dust and remains of the castle settle before flying again, heading towards the ship and then home. As he flew further away from the demolished castle he saw two figures in the sky. Goku smiled with relief seeing it was Goten and Trunks.

"It's over?" Chi-Chi asked as she floated in Goku's arms towards two dots in the sky. She couldn't make them out but judging from the look on Goku's they were people they knew.

"I hope the others made it out." Goku said as he flew to Goten and Trunks. Something inside him twisted badly, letting him know something was wrong. He stopped in mid-flight and turned around facing the wreckage. Something was terribly wrong. "Gogeta."

****

Gogeta let out an ear splitting scream as he felt the sword slice through his arm. The sword tore through Gogeta's left arm so badly that it was nearly cut off. Blood poured out of his arm like a river. Gogeta clutched his left arm in pain in hopes of slowing the blood flow, but it wasn't stopping as it oozed from the fingers that were trying to stop bleeding and making a small puddle on the floor.

"You tricked me!" Gogeta hollered as he fell to his knees in pain.

Apollo rose to his feet despite being weak from his attacks by Gogeta. "Any way to win," he sneered. "Your pride got the best of you and it cost you your arm." He laughed arrogantly and kicked Gogeta in the face, causing blood to spit out of his mouth.

Gogeta grunted in pain as he collapsed on his loose arm and screamed out in pain even more. Gogeta breathed heavily as he examined the wound. His left arm was nearly torn off at the junction of his elbow. He never felt so much pain in his life. Gogeta tore off the last remnants of his shirt and wrapped his wounded arm holding in place. The last thing he wanted was to lose an arm. 'This isn't good. I can't fight like this.' Gogeta shook his head refusing to submit. He wasn't going to quit. His fathers wouldn't. 'No! I won't give up! I'll kill him even at the cost of my own life. He's done so much damage and can't get away with it any longer!'

Apollo laughed at Gogeta fixing his wounded arm. "How hilarious! Your arm is as good as gone! There's no way it would be the same again!"

"As long as you die, I don't care," Gogeta told him as he struggled to stand. "I won't give up!" He smirked confidently at Apollo. "Shall we continue? I still have a lot of fight in me."

Apollo was surprised at Gogeta's behavior. He still wanted to fight? Apollo thought for sure Gogeta would cower and begged for his life like so many fighters he defeated. Apollo wasn't in good fighting condition as well. He was beaten badly with Gogeta's sudden attacks earlier, but if Gogeta can still fight so can he. After all, he still had two working arms while Gogeta only had one.

"Since you have a death wish, let's resume."

Apollo started to strike Gogeta, but Gogeta summoned the bulk of his draining energy to move swiftly behind Apollo and knocked him to floor with a sharp elbow attack that hit the center of his back. Apollo stumbled to the torn floor. Gogeta quickly grabbed Apollo's right arm with his good arm and twisted it until a loud popping sound was heard and a terrible cry pain escaped Apollo's mouth.

Gogeta released him, but not before giving Apollo the same treatment Apollo bestowed upon him and kicking his face causing him to bleed out of his mouth and knocking a few teeth loose. "Now you have one useless arm like me." He glared at Apollo evilly as he spoke in a cold voice. "Consider us even."

The room began to shake violently as the tremors rose. The fortress was on its last leg as it was slowly collapsing. The two knew it was going to give away soon, but they weren't caring about that. All that mattered to them was the battle and their opponent's death.

Apollo rose and held onto his broken arm. He was in hundreds and fight and was defeated before he came back to conquer all his enemies, but never was he so hurt that he had a broken limb. This boy was going to pay. Apollo spat out a mouthful of blood and glared at Gogeta viciously. He screamed summoning his power and attacked Gogeta head on.

The two began fighting their best with single punches at each other. Several times there were blocks with the right and left arms colliding and at other times, they made hits on each other. Apollo got a blow on Gogeta's face, while Gogeta got a blow on Apollo's guts. Apollo tried tripping and kicking Gogeta, but the young half Saiyan flipped himself on his good arm several times before he was backed in a wall. Gogeta jumped in the air and kicked Apollo in the face knocking him back. Though with a very injured left arm, Gogeta was still putting up a good fight.

After a while of dodging Apollo and hitting him, Gogeta could feel his energy draining fast. With the heavy lost of blood taking affect on his body, Gogeta's eyes were becoming blurry and his reflexes weren't as quick as before. He was slowing signs of his slipping when he jumped to avoid Apollo but Apollo was able to grab Gogeta's right leg and slammed him on the floor. His left arm came in contact with the floor hard. Gogeta screamed out in pain as the horrible stinging shot through his body like a shockwave.

Apollo walked over and stepped on Gogeta's injured arm. Gogeta screamed out even louder as his arm was being tortured. "By the time I'm through, there won't be any arm to save!"

Gogeta was determined to not lose this way. He was after all the son of the greatest Saiyan ever, and he told his father Goku that he could do this on his own. If he failed and die, then his father would've been wrong about him. He then thought about the pain Goku felt Chi-Chi was in, the last moments of his grandfather and Vegeta. He couldn't give up. Gogeta scream summoning his life power. He wasn't going to lose. A golden aura surrounded his body and exploded knocking Apollo back. Gogeta rose with a bright blinding light oozing over his body.

Apollo looked on in horror at the power in Gogeta. How could he summon this much power in his weakened state? It wasn't possible to Apollo, but he felt it as Gogeta have him a super punch that slammed into a column summoning another tremor in the castle. Each blow was tougher than before. This angered Apollo that he might lose.

'There's only one way to beat him and get out alive,' Gogeta thought as he focused his energy on the Kamehameha Wave.

Apollo retaliated throwing punches and ki blasts at Gogeta and missing. Gogeta began to perform the Kamehameha Wave with one hand. Seeing Gogeta power up this amazing attack with a single hand infuriated Apollo at Gogeta's power and that he was going to lose. "I'm older, stronger, and smarter than you!! I will not be defeated by an amateur!!"

"Considered it done! HA!!!" Gogeta screamed and put all his Kamehameha Wave punch straight through Apollo's chest. The whole wave shot in Apollo's chest destroying all this vital organs in his upper body from his lungs to his stomach. The villain's blood ran on Gogeta's lower right arm and hand. When the wave faded, Gogeta pulled his arm out of Apollo's body to see a gaping whole in Apollo's chest.

Apollo gasped weakly as he realized what was down. He fell to the floor and looked at Gogeta in disbelief. "Impossible…to be defeated…by an amateur." His eyes fell shut as he was finally dead.

Gogeta was left breathing heavily from the attack. That was all his energy. His body went from Super Saiyan Two to his normal state in seconds and collapsed on his knees exhausted. He didn't have anymore energy to give. Gogeta was glad that Apollo was gone because if he had survived that, Gogeta knew he would've died.

Unfortunately that last wave Gogeta created, triggered the final beams and foundation of the castle to give away. The whole palace was falling now and there wasn't a way to stop it. Gogeta holding on to his injured arm, slowly rose and made his way out of the room. His body was giving away of exhaustion but Gogeta managed to hold on. He ran as fast as he could but he was getting hit with heavy debris on his head. Even though he tried to escape in time, his weakened condition couldn't get him out as the floors and eventually the whole palace falling on him.

To Be Continued

Sara: Thanks. Well, you don't have to suffer much longer since this story is almost over.

Chi-Chi: YES! YES! YES! They both got hurt but hey Apollo is gone now.

Chuquita: I had to scare you for a moment with Vegeta. I love G/CC. They are the best couple in DBZ after all. Iris' power only closed up the wound and she gave him some of her life energy, but he still has ways to go so he's not healed, just in critical condition.

Lady Athena: LOL! Yes, there is one for letting me post. Ah, go ahead and beat those Vegeta lovers up with a crowbar. Apollo's gone for good now. I wouldn't have gone easy on Frieza either but then again I'm not so pure hearted as Goku or his sons.

Moon Girl: Nope, Gogeta didn't die by Apollo, but yes, Vegeta is alive and sadly Apollo's gone. Hee. Hee.

Carrie: Yeah, you knew about Vegeta with that hint I gave you. Hee. Hee. I guess you'll have to wait on that talk. Hey the story is almost over anyway.

Saiyan Vamp: Gogeta is in SS2 form. That's to show how powerful Apollo is.

SSJ Chika: Yeah, Goku actually did that to ChiChi in the anime, Uncut English version and manga. That's the reason why ChiChi pushed him off Nimbus and not that boyfriend and clothes thing in the English version. I always knew Goku did something besides make that comment because it didn't sound like him and it didn't sound like ChiChi to push him off Nimbus for that comment.

Gogirl: When I learned Goku did that, I wasn't too surprised because I always had a feeling he did something to ChiChi that we couldn't see on TV. It didn't sound right to me for Goku to comment on ChiChi looking for a boyfriend and her clothes because he would walk around naked if he had to without a problem. He almost did at the 21st tournament. It also didn't sound right for ChiChi to push him off like that. When I learned what he did, it made sense.

Lady Kouga: Thanks. I'm happy I'm getting them back together too.