A/N: Hey, I've finally found the time to update. Sorry for the long wait, hopefully the two chapters that I'm posting tonight will help make up for it. Before I get on with the story, let me answer a couple of reviews and also make a request. I need a little bit of help from those of you who have seen Dragonball GT. The first thing I need to know is whether or not Vegeta has his tail after he reaches the SSJ4 transformation (when he's in his normal state, not when he's transformed because I know he has it then). The second thing I need is an approximate time frame from the first time Vegeta becomes a SSJ4 to the end of the series (I just want to know if one year passes or five months or three days). And finally, I know that Uubu and Buu fused (or something like that), but I don't know if there was any outward manifestation of that fusion (is Uubu pink now?). If anyone knows any or all of that info and can stick it in their review, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Alien-wp;f-32— There are two reason's why they didn't just use instant transmission to get from New Namek to Earth. The first is that I didn't think of it until after I'd already written about them being on the ship and I thought that I needed to keep those scenes. The second is that Goku wasn't able to reach New Namek from Earth without going up to King Kai's planet first. As far as Vegeta being a SSJ4, well, depending on the answers to the questions above, I'll either come up with a reason for him losing that ability or just say "oops, oh well."

Phantom 1— I haven't decided how far up the Super Saiyan chain Akira's going to progress, but I'm pretty sure he won't go as high as eight. If he goes beyond what was on the show it would only be to level 5.

To everyone else: Thanks for the reviews (over 50 reviews, yay!).

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Chapter 36

Akira felt sick to his stomach as he sat on the floor in his room, wondering how he was going to explain things to Pan when he didn't even understand them himself. He'd managed to avoid her for almost twenty-four hours, but knew that he couldn't—and shouldn't—continue it much longer.

How do I tell her that I'm... whatever the hell I am? If I don't say anything then she'll be pissed at me and if I do tell her she'll probably be freaked out and pissed at me. He leaned his head back against the wall and let out a long sigh, then got to his feet and, with every ounce of will power in his body, forced himself to walk toward the gravity room.

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Pan didn't even look up when Akira walked into the gravity room, but her back stiffened slightly, letting him know that she was aware of his presence. He decided not to disturb her until she was ready so he walked to the far corner of the room, sat down cross-legged, levitated himself slightly off the ground, and closed his eyes.

He'd been meditating for less than five minutes when Pan's voice called out, "You know, you look a lot like Piccolo when you do that."

Akira smiled, "Thanks, he's the one that taught me. Are you ready to take a break?"

"Not really, but it's distracting having you just sitting there after the way you've been acting," she said in an annoyed voice.

Akira floated higher in the air and the uncrossed his legs and lowered his feet to the floor. "Yeah...we need to talk."

"Oh? Now we need to talk?" Pan crossed her arms and suddenly looked very Vegeta-like. "But for the last twenty hours we didn't even need to see each other?"

"Look, I just needed time to think. I...I had a lot on my mind." The excuse sounded lame, even to him. He looked up at her and, as his eyes met hers, she read the truth or at least part of it.

"It's me," she said sadly. "Whatever it is that's bugging you has to do with me," she thought for a moment and then added, "or with us."

Akira shook his head; this was not going the way he'd wanted it too. "No, you don't understand it...it's not you, it's—"

"No, you know what? Don't worry about it. I don't need to know. You made your feelings towards me pretty clear the other day. I should have expected it. Grandma said that Saiyan males, especially full blooded ones, have trouble with commitment."

"What are you talking about?" Akira asked in bewilderment.

"Didn't I tell you? Bulma ran some tests on your blood. You're as Saiyan as they come."

"And? Am I, you know, related to Vegeta...or Goku?"

Pan was a little taken back by the question. "No, of course not. You're no more related to them than I am to Bra."

Akira felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders. At least I'm not related to Goku by blood, he thought. He walked over to the computer and turned the gravity down to 50G. Well, here goes nothing; he turned back to Pan, "There's something I need to tell you..."

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Vegeta and Gohan were training alone together. Goten and Trunks had left earlier saying that training for seventeen hours straight was their limit. The two eldest Saiyans kept going, something drove them on, some instinct told them every possible second of training was going to be needed.

Their bodies were passed the point where sparring would do anything but harm, so they spent their time doing simple exercises in the intense 500G. They went as hard as possible until Bulma turned the power off, as had become her customary way of letting them know it was time to go to bed. The two Saiyans left the room in silence and Vegeta headed to bed while Gohan went to the kitchen and found Trunks and Goten in the middle of an intense battle.

"What? No way! I got you, I know I did!" Trunks cried out as Gohan entered the room.

"Ha! Sorry buddy, but you fell victim to my Proximity Mines first!"

Gohan stared at the two and then looked at the TV, 'Bond,' I should have known. Those two are suckers for the classics. "Goten, I think we need to head home. We all need to rest up as much as possible... and you're wife will be pissed if you spend the night here again."

Goten's eyes widened for a moment and then he was out the door in a heartbeat without even saying good-bye. Gohan and Trunks smiled at each other and shook their heads.

"You want to play a game Gohan?" the younger man asked politely.

"Nah, you always beat me at that game. I think I react to quickly for the computer to keep up."

"Yeah, sure, that must be it. Well, see you tomorrow I guess."

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Every fiber of Akira's being did not want to have this conversation. It was too weird, too uncomfortable. But he had to do it and he knew it. Pan was giving him her complete attention and that only seemed to make it worse. He almost wished he could have just thrown it in during an idle conversation and then kept talking as if nothing were different.

He took a deep breath. Then he took another. "Okay," another deep breath, "When I was in Other World, I found out why I can't remember my past." Pan's eye's widened slightly, but she didn't interrupt. "King Kai and the Supreme Kai both read my mind and they found something... something that neither of them had ever seen before," Akira stopped, struggling for the right words.

"What did they find?" Pan prompted quietly after a moment of silence.

"I can't remember anything from before because... there wasn't anything before. I remember back to the moment I came into existence."

"How is that possible?"

"No one knows, but we do know where part of me came from. Someone gave up their soul, either because they didn't need it, or for some other reason, and that soul..." he stopped, looking frustrated, "I don't even know how to say this..."

"You're doing fine," Pan said, trying to sound encouraging, "I don't have the slightest clue what you're talking about, but you're doing fine."

Akira smiled weakly, took another deep breath and said, "Okay, here goes. Somehow I was created with your grandfather's soul. Apparently that's why I am a Saiyan, that's why I'm so strong, and that's why I've been keeping my distance from you since I got back."

Pan suddenly looked a little green and was taking quick shallow breaths. "So, do you mean you're a reincarnation of Grandpa, like Uubu is of Buu?"

"Well, not exactly, at least not according to the Supreme Kai. I don't really know Uubu that well, but from what I've heard about him he was actually born and raised somewhere. I just popped into existence; even King Yemen didn't have any idea who I was. But aside from that, I guess the comparison works. I mean, I'm no more Goku than Uubu is Buu...probably even less." Akira studied Pan's face, trying to gauge her reaction. It was better than he'd expected, but not by much.

Pan was quiet for a long time. Finally she stood up and walked unsteadily out the door without saying another word. Akira considered calling out to her, but then thought the better of it and remained silent.