A/N: OMG, Two chapters after four months? Amazing, isn't it? It's sort of a tease, though, since my output won't be anywhere near as prolific, these two chapters though, had been getting worked, off and on, for several months now, and I knew I was never going to be satisfied with them until I got another opinion of them (*cough* please review *cough*). So, while these two chapters may not be as good as the first two, they will be. They're just in a state of development. I just needed to get them out of the way so I can move on to more interesting material...


I'm very happy with this chapter, for some reason, though. The writing doesn't quite satisfy me, but the issues therein I think are good. Hopefully, you'll like it too. For any of my readers wanting a bit more plot development, don't worry. That will come soon. I really wanted to deal with some of the emotional fallout first before I moved on to "The Next Big Thing" (TM) That's OK, though, I think you guys like this, anyway...


As always, I don't own the franchise, I'm just living in it...





Aftermath, Chapter 5


Pride wenteth before the fall



Thunder roared across the heavens as two titans, the world's strongest, fought with everything that they had, the empty, featureless plain stretching for an infinite distance around them. A struggle of titanic proportions as two beings, each at the peak of his respective power, one clearly visible with a powerful yellow aura and a wild mane of long, blonde hair, the other looking little different from usual, other than the pure white aura that, to a casual observer, made him appear similar to a normal, human fighter, belying the nearly infinite well of hybrid Saiyan power that fueled it. Since the final restoration of the Earth as it once had been with everyone ignorant of Buu and the events surrounding his existence, these spars between father and son happened with regularity, each being the only other living being that could conceivably test the others' strength and ability.


The field they fought upon was very reminiscent of the Room of Spirit and Time, destroyed when the former Demon King Piccolo blasted the dimensional gateway linking Kami's Lookout to the pocket dimension. Whatever magic or physics that had bound the mysterious realm to the Earth failed to restore with the revival of the Earth. In a feat that proved that the Earth's new, young Guardian had the potential for true greatness, Dende had managed to restore the room, quite the feat given that the origins of the room were lost in the seas of antiquity . . .


Of course, not everything was perfect. The same, empty, tableau greeted any visitor to the chamber, but time passed at just the same rate here as on Earth, and visitors could leave at any time. It would take a bit more practice before the chamber could be restored to its previous specifications, though for now, the room still had its uses, as proven by the two warriors sparring above, neither daring to show this much power outside, where people could be killed and landscapes altered just by the act of powering up. It was in this setting that Gohan was fulfilling a promise to himself.


He wasn't a warrior, at least, not by choice. Destiny and a Saiyan father had forced that role upon him, and it was one that never truly called to him. Sure, he felt the cry for battle in his blood, the need to test himself, but, unlike the Saiyan race from which he partially descended, those cries didn't always manifest on the battlefield. That same determination, that drive to succeed and be the best, had also helped him to become a world class scholar. The warrior race's ability to memorize and duplicate battle techniques after just a demonstration had been applied to mathematical disciplines, rules for logic and debate, and the scientific process.


Gohan felt the drive, all right, just as strongly as the pure blooded Goku and Vegeta. But the drive took him to many places besides the next fight, and those places fascinated him far more than the bloodshed and pain he associated with fighting, that had cost him so much of his innocence at such an early age. In a way, it was a backlash against everything the Saiyan race had stood for. In another way, it was a validation, a means of atonement. Gohan wanted to prove that the Saiyan legacy could be more than just destroyed planets and ruined lives. He wanted it more than anything . . .


At the same time, he understood the necessity to keep training, and to continue fighting. He'd already fallen into the trap of complacency once, after Cell, ceasing his training entirely for seven long years, never once considering that something else could come along and bring danger to the world. In a fair universe, it wouldn't have.


But, though many things about the universe are unknown, one thing is obvious: Life isn't fair . . .


Buu's coming had shown Gohan that, despite his desire to become something more than just another fighter, he still had to maintain the role, somewhat, especially now. With the Mystic power up he'd gotten from the Old Kaioshin, he was, theoretically, the strongest fighter in the universe right now.


His father was a close second, and growing closer. Though his Super Saiyan 3 transformation yielded more power than Gohan could summon at its zenith, there were two major problems with it. One was that it wasn't a stable transformation. Like the Fusion dance, it wore off after a short time, and couldn't be maintained.

Secondly (and this was the big one), it hemorrhaged as much ki as it gave the user. This related to the first problem, and, while it could be managed, it couldn't be stopped entirely. While the energy boost was incredible, Goku lost as much as he gained in the transformation, and it cost a lot to maintain. This level of energy just wasn't sustainable in a Saiyan body . . .


At least, a full Saiyan body.

Gohan had pondered a lot about the Old Kaioshin's power up, and it's nature. At his maximum, nearly as high as Goku's, Gohan didn't bleed any power at all. Even the basic SSJ transformation at least took some amount of power to maintain. This amounted to a great advantage for Gohan, since all he really had to do to beat his father was avoid him until he couldn't maintain level three anymore. Of course, he never did that. It just wouldn't be fair, and it would defeat the point of the exercise. Goku could practice sustaining his ultimate transformation by himself. He needed a partner, though, to test his skill.


Gohan, on the other hand, apparently didn't need the assistance of transformations of any kind to sustain those levels of power. Could it be his human half? Could Trunks and Goten become as strong as he without the aid of Super Saiyan transformations? For that matter, could the normal humans? Gohan wasn't sure about the latter. The humans were supremely adaptive, and capable of manipulating ki in many ways to compensate for the fact that they were relatively weak compared to most humanoid species. Despite the fact that the Saiyans had eclipsed them utterly in power, the humans of the Earth's Special Forces were far stronger than nearly every civilization that had developed ki this side of the afterlife (and even some from the other side).


On the other hand, they just didn't have the adaptive mechanisms that the Saiyan body exploited so well. Strength increases after every injury. A photographic memory for technique, a body much better designed to channel large amounts of ki, and several transformations for being able to channel more, from giant Oozaru to the Super Saiyan. Humans may have the potential for this level of power, but they had a much harder road to travel to get to it.


Gohan had the best of both. An adaptive body and mind derived from two very different species; Gohan had the potential to be many things. Right now, all he wanted was to become as strong as Buu had been in his final form. He'd caught a faint glimpse of that power in the afterlife, and known that, even with his awakened ability, it still wasn't near enough.


Of course, Goku had fared little better, since it wasn't his personal power that beat Buu so much as the collected power of planet Earth. Both knew this, and both wanted to be prepared in case it happened again. If nothing else, history had proven that they only come back stronger than before . . .


Gohan took a kick to the back, plummeting to the ground at supersonic speeds. He barely had time to right himself before crashing hard into whatever surface served as the 'bottom' of the Room of Spirit and Time. Dodging out of the way of the expected follow up attack, Gohan was caught by surprise when Goku materialized right in front of him, ki blast already leaving his hand.


Instant Transmission. I'll never get used to that . . . Gohan cursed himself as he flew away, again hard, but also, unhurt. Goku's power was already waning. At first, Goku could only sustain this power for a few minutes at best. Now, he could do about an hour before collapsing from exhaustion. It had been 45 minutes since he transformed, and Gohan knew that their time was almost up . . .


Adapting a technique he'd learned from Piccolo, Gohan folded his arms in front of him and used the Split form technique. Sure it effectively split his strength among each incarnation, he also knew that he had to challenge his limits if he was going to become stronger in this form.


It's always a strange thing to fight in more than one body. The funny thing is, it isn't the actual body split that's difficult, it's training your mind to perceive and fight across two different perspectives without completely losing your sanity in the chaos. Gohan didn't really like using it often, but, at least he was getting a challenge now, as each half was completely dominated by Son Goku's strength. It took every bit of Gohan's skill not to get completely mopped by him.


Of course, it wasn't a one-sided fight. Two Gohans meant effectively four arms and four fists, and the same number of legs and feet. Goku only had two, so he was taking many hits that he simply couldn't block. He took care of the most damaging blows, but he was wearing down fast. Normally, at this point, he would have yelled a kai, blowing his opponent away from him, and powered up even more, but all his energy was going to sustaining his transformation, with a little going out to block the incoming blows. He couldn't fight Gohan at level two, and certainly not level one, so, for now, it was an endurance test. Who would fall first? Despite the fact that this was just a spar, Goku took this as seriously as if the earth depended on it (though to some that may not mean a lot).


The Super Saiyan 3 transformation was based upon a lot more than just ki. A good bit of the user's own life force went into it, as well. As a result, willpower could only go so far in sustaining it. Willpower finally gave up on Son Goku, and he collapsed to the ground after a particularly hard hit by Gohan, his hair shrinking back to it's normal, much shorter, black, his features morphing back into his usual self . . .


Gohan wasn't much better. A nasty burn mark up one arm from a Kienzan that nearly got him was blistering. Both hot and sharp, the cut had cauterized as soon as it was made. It kept the victim from dying immediately, though that isn't much comfort when you lose a limb to it. Face blackened, muscles sore, Gohan collapsed in a heap by his father, both of them laughing softly, sporting ridiculous identical grins on their faces.


They stayed like that a while, both catching their breath, and trying to recover their energy. Gohan was getting better. This was the first time he'd fought his dad to a draw in an all out slugfest. Finally, Goku spoke, his words slightly slurred since he was utterly spent, having put his all into his power up.


"Son, thanks for doing this. I really appreciate it. You're the only one who can really give me a good fight anymore."


"I know, Dad. It's Ok. It's not as if you put me out or anything just because I'm helping you train."


"Yeah, son, but I know how much you don't like fighting." There was a long pause, as Goku thought about something he wanted to say. Finally, he said, "I'm sorry that I tried to make you take my place as defender of the Earth. I know you're destined for greater things than just a fighter like your old man . . . " He chuckled at that last part.


Gohan sighed. He'd thought a lot about this, as well, and wanted his father to understand him. The fates only knew if, or more likely when, he would be taken from his life again. "Father. You're right. I don't have what it takes to be like you. I'm strong, yes, but I'm a lot of other things, too. I think I could do more to help the world than just as cannon fodder." He paused for a moment, then continued. "I've never been sure why there has to be just one great defender, anyway, Dad. Why can't we all be powerful, so that, when the next threat comes, we don't have to tackle it alone."


"Because, son, that's the Saiyan way, to fight alone," Goku could see his son mounting a protest. It was an argument that they'd had many times since Buu, and Goku could no longer really defend his position. He still had nightmares of that moment. When he failed against Buu on the Planet of the Kais. Arrogantly, without thinking, he and Vegeta both trashed the idea of Fusion, a sure bet, for the idea of fighting individually, one that, inside, both knew couldn't work, but they did anyway.


Pride demanded it.

Even without fusion, they could have both attacked at once. Instead, they made a game of who went first. After all, they couldn't horn in on the other's credit.


Pride demanded it.


When Goku fought Buu, he took his time, testing Buu, playing with Buu, even though he'd seen Buu fight numerous times at that point and knew his style by heart. He could have powered to his fullest right off the bat and destroyed him utterly, but he didn't. He wanted a match, not a walloping . . .


Pride demanded it.


However, pride didn't take into account that Super Saiyan three had limits, and Goku exhausted himself before even getting close to his maximum.


Vegeta, strangely, swallowed his pride first and suggested the idea of a spirit bomb. Goku had taken a dislike to the attack, personally. Perhaps it was his time with Vegeta, but he'd taken the attitude that, since it wasn't his own energy, it wasn't fair to use against another. It didn't prove his strength, just how much energy he could gather from everything else.


Pride was wrong.


Despite his platitudes of needing to save the Earth, the universe, and all of existence, it was at that moment that Goku fully understood just what was at stake here, and that this fight was about more than just selfish pride.


So they gathered the energy, finally, and thought it was finished when Goku sent it off. They hadn't counted on Buu stopping it. They hadn't counted on his pushing it back. Goku was utterly spent. He had no more, and, finally, couldn't even raise his arms anymore. At this moment, that was when the Dragonballs wished his power restored and he beat Buu. His nightmares told another story. He saw the spirit bomb, meant for Buu, coming toward him. Goku was helpless, not even enough power left to use Instant Transmission. Even if he could, what was the point? Buu had won. It meant death for them all . . .


I failed. He thought, totally given to despair. He thought of the chances they had to destroy Buu, and how he and Vegeta had thrown them away, just because they each wanted credit for beating Buu, and didn't want to share.


Pride was wrong. It had cost them everything. Only then, did Goku realize that pride wasn't worth it, but it was too late. He felt the Spirit Bomb reach him, felt the burning as his body was utterly consumed by it, a small drop added to the ocean of ki that made up the whole of humanity. They had that much power in them? Amazing . . . His last thought before utter annihilation . . .


That was when he awakened, body in a sweat, his heart pounding, and guilt on his mind. His wife, happier than he'd ever seen her, asleep at his side. It was all a dream.


But that was no excuse . . .


Goku turned to his son, guilt in his eyes. Gohan still poised to argue with him on the merits of Saiyan wisdom and what he thought of it. "You're right son. You're absolutely right. I may like to fight alone, but that isn't always going to cut it, is it?" They sat in silence for a moment as both got into a sitting position, facing each other. "It reminds me of something I told Vegeta when we were fighting Buu. 'The Saiyan race is gone, but that doesn't mean we can't find another way to live.' That wasn't exactly it, but it was close."


"You were absolutely right Dad. I understand the need to train, now more than ever. I just can't dedicate my life to it, not when there's so many other things that call to me. This world is about more than just the next battle. Humanity is more than just a warrior race. I'm human, too, Dad, and you know what? So are you . . . "


Seeing nothing more natural to do at the moment, Gohan embraced his father, and he returned it. Such moments are rare for a father and son, when they emotionally connect with one another. It just isn't in the nature of males to bond with one another in this way, especially when they have Saiyan blood in their veins. Seven years of separation expressed themselves in the short hug, seven years of guilt, one for leaving and the other for causing him to leave, a moment of joy, when they realized that they were together again, this time for good. Forgiveness, as well, forgiveness for everything.


Eventually, as all things do, the moment passed, and father and son passed out of the chamber, and went in search of healing and food, a renewed bond between them . . .