I sincerely apologize for the extensive wait on this chapter. It has been written since what feels like ancient times, but unfortunately my internet location changed to Windows XP. Unfortunately, this lovely operating system refuses to accept any diskettes it hasn't already formatted. Note the irony of this statement, as no programmer with a shred of decency would refer to Windows XP as "lovely." I like my shred of decency, thank you very much.

It took some time to resolve this problem, and days slipped past without managing a chapter. By Wednesday, I decided it was a lost cause, and merely posted this week with last week's chapter.

Regardless, I now present you this story's very own version of the Bardock Special. It doesn't actually go into the past to explain previous events. It doesn't actually explain anything completely new, either. It actually takes place in this time and place. But it has Bardock.

In all seriousness, this chapter is the next extension of the story. By chance it focuses on Bardock, though the true focus of the chapter is elsewhere, as is relatively obvious.

To answer Dreamwraith: I find your comment about the previous chapter appearing rushed interesting, as it was actually extended beyond what I would have preferred. That applies to the entire Afterlife Saga, actually. I'm not sure why it would appear that way, other than the highly fractured nature of the chapter. But you said it doesn't detract from the quality, so I decided to let it pass.

However... in the process of reviewing the chapter I discovered that all my formatting has been erased. While this is mildly annoying, in later chapters this will actually matter. If anyone knows a simple way to resolve this issue, I'd be pleased. I could manually add HTML tags, but that would require more time than I have.

To the individual who referred to the end of the last chapter: I will assume that you are speaking tongue-in-cheek. All I will say is that I'll become no more suggestive than that.

-

Hovering in his usual place above Dai Kioshin's planet, Piccolo reconsidered everything. This had really changed the way he had to look at things. Looking back, he probably should have seen this coming, but hindsight always saw far better than foresight. Before, the end result of everything had been relatively clear. But Darkness changed all that. With an element that was outside of normal reality involved, the future had grown so much more hazy. Of course, if things moved their normal course, it would work. There was no guarantee they wouldn't change, now.

Dai Kioshin was still scheming, and he still had some tricks up his sleeve, unless Piccolo misjudged him. Somehow, however, that didn't seem nearly as important now. With Darkness involved, the entire battle had suddenly been placed on a cosmic scale. Before, it had all seemed a bit petty, Dai Kioshin and others trying to ruin everyone's lives, and they just trying to live in peace. Now, there was a mission.

The world was so twisted that Darkness would regain power relatively quickly. It wouldn't be able to do that sort of thing any time soon, maybe even ever again. But he was sure it would strike, when the time was right. Until then, he had only to train, and wait.

Concentrating, Bardock felt the conditions on Earth to see what had happened since he had last checked in on it. The Afterlife was almost enough to make him forget about the planet and androids, but not quite. Occasionally he needed to remember, and then he went back to see what had last been happening. Since everything up higher had finally calmed down, now seemed a good time.

"Kakkarrot- is, alive?" He murmured, surprised to feel his son, alive and well. So it must have only been an illusion that he had died. The androids, where were they? He found traces of some of them, they were all destroyed, except one. That 18 girl. Why wasn't she gone yet? Bardock hated her more then any of the others, and he felt for her presence. She seemed perfectly fine.

"If Kakkarrot didn't kill her, what did he do?" Bardock muttered, wishing he could go down there himself and get a better view.

"Perhaps you can," the voice spoke above him. Bardock jerked his head to the side, and saw someone standing there. Green hair stood up in a mohawk that curled to one side, like a breaking wave. Lavender skin was covered by a navy blue suit, one that he recognized.

"Kioshin."

"That is correct," his visitor nodded. King Vegita noticed that he carried a large, nasty looking sword across his back. "I am West Kioshin. I am in charge of the lower Afterlife."

"And why are you here?"

"I mentally felt your wish. It is within my power to allow you a day or two on the planet itself."

"You can do that?"

"We do so frequently. As a spirit, of course, not a body. But it is allowed me."

"Then I'll go."

"I thought you might," the Kioshin smiled a cryptic smile. It was always said that Kioshin could read minds, but this proved it to the say-jin. He stood up and waited for what would happen next. The Kioshin laid a lavender hand on his shoulder and they suddenly both vanished.

Finding himself floating above the planet, Bardock looked himself over, and found himself filmy and transparent, not quite there. West Kioshin still looked normal, and nodded to him.

"This is regarding your son, so watch your step. Master Dai has top security on everything involving him, so I'd be very careful if I was you. You may not have a lot of time, and if you lose your calm, that time will only get shorter."

"Right," Bardock nodded, repeating his instructions. "Be careful, stay calm."

"Good," West Kioshin smiled, then vanished into the air. A second later Bardock found himself transported closer to the planet. Breaking into a run, somehow floating across the ground, he headed toward where he could feel his son's ki. It took him a while to get there, but as a spirit he didn't seem to grow tired, and time was meaningless. Below he saw people working, lives being lived, but no one noticed him, and he never noticed them.

Eventually he neared the house, but didn't seem to find his son there. Floating up above it, he searched through the building, and found it empty. Turning slowly in a circle, he tried to find where his son would be, and eventually a ki seemed to appear in front of him.

Flying toward it, Bardock soon came up upon it, and found his son and the android floating above a field, facing each other. Creeping nearby, he did nothing, merely watching, quickly becoming less than part of the scene. It appeared a conversation had already been taking place.

"Sure you want to do this? This does mean there will be no secrets, no matter how small. Nothing will remain your own. Last chance?" Goku asked. 18 nodded.

"Then in that case, let's do it. First off, take your base power to max, but don't quite power up."

18 did so, and Bardock was surprised at the shock waves that he didn't feel as a ghost. She had gotten even stronger than she had been on Planet Vegita, if that were possible. Whatever was going on, it didn't appear that Kakkarrot was going to be killing her anytime soon.

"Now, I'll try to match yours exactly." Goku powered up as well, and frowned. "This is going to be tough. Could you lower yours just a little bit?"

"Sure, this better?"

"Right. Now that we're equal, concentrate your energy on me, and I'll do the same."

"Like a ki blast or like Instant Transmission?"

"A little of both, actually, but mostly Instant Transmission. Good. Now comes the tough part. Put your palm to mine, your left, shall we say, and then open your energy fields like you would fire a ki blast."

Concentrating, 18 did as he said; Goku's eyes flickered as he did the same.

"There is only one thing left. You have to leave yourself completely open, destroy every mental barrier that you have in your way. This will be harder for me than for you, so when you're done just wait for me."

There was a flow of ki around them, and then energy whipped through both of them. Searching deep within herself, 18 winched down whatever mental barriers that she consciously or subconsciously had in place. Without anything surrounding her, she felt incredibly vulnerable, and she faltered in lowering the last barrier. Opening her eyes, she saw Goku's closed, calmly stripping aside his own walls. She hoped that he realized that she would never do this for anyone else, then brought down the last barrier.

After a short period of time, Goku removed his as well. And then a jolt like that of electricity ran through both of them. Energy shot from one palm to the other, crackling through every fiber of their beings. There seemed to be a fusion of energy, an explosion of power, and in the resulting vacuum, two minds became one.

Their minds drifted together, in one single consciousness. Bardock saw only them drifting there, as still as death, but inside, there was a chaotic mix. Both found themselves inside the other's mental sphere, swimming in a sea of memories and thoughts. Realizing he was subconsciously holding his breath, Goku summoned his will power and opened his mouth, breathing in 18's essence.

Surprised by the initial shock of his mind, 18 instantly found herself immersed. Everything that made Goku who he was filled her, threatening to overload her mind itself. Pain, so much of it, lancing through everything. Still, a few moments shone through the rest of it like gold, and 18 found herself in his mind, a complete, tender love. Smiling, she returned to the darkness of the rest of his mind, and embraced it.

Goku found the incredible pain, but he had expected that. What he could never have been prepared for was the time during the years of Gero's rampage. Through 18's eyes, he saw every scream, every plea for mercy, every life destroyed. The weight of the memories bore him to a figurative ground, where he struggled to get to his feet again. Reaching for support, he drifted through her mind to more recent years, and was instantly rejuvenated. The more recent the memories became, the less dark they got. Eventually he reached the present, and found that the darkness was almost completely gone.

Whatever else had happened in her past, it didn't matter now. Everything was made new, now that they were together. He smiled, and then felt the gentle tug as their link began to separate slightly. Nodding to himself, he allowed his own mind to run back into his body.

Bardock still had no idea what was going on, as they had been standing there for a long time, merely doing nothing. He felt an energy trickled out from both of them, and it seemed unusual, if not unnatural. When he tried to feel their kis, he found merely a gigantic mass, and couldn't distinguish between the two. Sitting in silence, he waited.

Their eyes opened, both glowing brilliantly at the same instant. When they smiled at each other, there was something new in both. Bardock got to his feet, unsure of himself. He had expected to see a fight, or at least understand what was happening. A ripple of shock broke the unnatural quiet of his mind as he saw his son take 18 in his arms and kiss her.

"He didn't kill her," Bardock's anger began to mount, "he-"

Before he could finish the sentence, he felt himself being ripped from the fabric of the galaxy. He tried to maintain his calm, and for a second he stabilized and began returning to the world again, but it was too late and he found himself running through a tunnel of darkness and pain. It wasn't long before he reached the end and found himself back in the Afterlife again, crashing against the ground below.

"What...?" Bardock whispered into the wind. "Why didn't he kill her? They should have been enemies! He should have blasted her to pieces, not taken her for his mate!"

"Language, language," Piccolo admonished, standing behind him, slightly smiling as usual, "that's a bit of an outdated term. About three centuries, actually."

"How did that happen?" Bardock was still in shock. Piccolo smiled and casually inspected his pointed nails.

"I don't want to explain the details right now. But he's happy now; shouldn't you be happy for your son?"

"You!" Bardock growled. "I've never understood why no one attacks you, you're just a weakling Namek!"

Launching a larger ball of ki then he ever had, Bardock hurled it at him. It stuck dead on, and there was a tremendous blast that made a giant crater in the ground for meters around.

"There's a reason no one attacks me," Piccolo said, smirking. He hadn't moved or budged an inch. Leaping forward to attack, Bardock found himself suddenly in a choke hold. The Namek held him up a second, staring into his eyes.

"I'd love to stay and chat, but I have a date to make," Piccolo told him. "Consider everything that you've learned, everything you've done. At least know that your 'son' was better then you in every way, and that his life is complete."

Throwing him up slightly, Piccolo tossed Bardock backward. His mind began to slip, what was happening? He couldn't die now, his vision had said he'd be killed by a Namek in purple clothes, not this one in black and white.

"Fate is completely changed." Piccolo smiled, his eyes growing over everything. "Maybe you can predict some other world, but not this one. This is out of your hands. Goodbye."

And then there was nothing.