DragonBall AZ

Episode Six

The Long Awaited Return

Goku gazed into the deep blue sky of Earth, knowing that he had set in motion that could never be stopped now. Suddenly, he heard a voice, and it yanked him from his thoughts.

"Dad, is it really you?" Gohan yelled with joy. "Yes son, it's me, I'm finally home." Goku said, as he turned to face his eldest son, with a big smile in place. He glanced over, and saw that Vegeta had come also, who, despite his best efforts to suppress it, was sporting a really big smirk. "Its about time you returned Kakarrot, I was beginning to think that you were just afraid to return so you wouldn't have to fight me again." Goku began laughing, "Man, it's been more than 100 years, and your still the same, Vegeta."

"Bah, and your still the same old clown." Vegeta said, though his grin gave away the fact that he was just giving his old comrade a hard time. However, even though he didn't reveal it at the time, Vegeta had picked up on Giku's distance when they had arrived. "What was Kakarrot thinking about, I know its been more than 100 years, but he doesn't seem like himself?" Vegeta wondered.

"Dad, I can't believe its really you!! Where have you been all of these years?" Gohan asked excitedly. "Tell me about Shenron, what happened when you left, tell me about......" Goku began to gesture for Gohan to stop, "Take it easy son. Man, for someone so old, you sure do have a lot of energy!" Goku said with a smile. Gohan put his hand behind his head, his face flushed with embarrassment. "Its ok Gohan, but I would rather tell everyone what is going on at the same time, cause I know you all will have plenty of questions for me." Goku's glanced back toward the sky, and his voice took on a more serious tone, "You see, everyone must know what I have learned."

Again, Vegeta picked up on the change in his friend. "Something isn't right," Vegeta thought to himself. "I can't put my finger on it, but something isn't right here," Vegeta thought, gazing toward his friend. "He seems like he is keeping something from us, something that.....

......that scares him."

"What could frighten Kakarrot, he is the most powerful warrior in the galaxy?" Vegeta thought to himself. Still, despite his curiosity, he knew, somehow, everything that had transpired the last 100 years had been planned, at first by Shenron, and then by Kakarrot. There was something going on here that was larger than he could understand at the moment. Still, the thought of Kakarrot being afraid of something chilled him to the bone.

"Come on guys!" Goku yelled, bringing Vegeta out of his thoughts, "Goku Jr still needs his senzu bean, and I am really anxious to see everyone again! Lets get going!"

It was a joyous reunion, even with Vegeta knowing that his friend was holding some dark secret out on them. But looking at Goku now, he could hardly believe that it was the same person who they had met in the forest earlier today. He was....well....

Normal.

"Normal, and disgusting!" Vegeta inadvertently blurted out, and Shaft, who stood in a corner opposite Vegeta, turned ever so slightly and gave Vegeta an amused smirk.

You see, surrounded by his family: Gohan, Pan, Goten, Gozan, Giku Jr and the others, Giku was doing the only thing he does better than fighting.

He was stuffing his face.

"Kakarrot, I could have gone another hundred years without seeing another of your disgusting pig-out sessions." Vegeta growled. "Hey, come on Vegeta, I haven't had food this good in a long, long time." Giku chirped gleefully. "Bah, have you no decency!" Vegeta snapped. Giku looked at him with a big smile, "Of course I do, that's why I only ate four plates of pasta instead of five!" With that, everyone at the table began laughing.

"It's sure good to have you back, Dad." Goten said. "Well, it's good to be back son." Giku replied, giving his youngest son a hug in-between biting off a huge chunk of a chicken leg. "So, Grandpa, I can't hold the suspense, please tell us where you have been all this time." Pan pleaded with him. "Well Pan, it's kinda a long.......

"WAIT!!!!" Pan yelled, "answer me this first! Were you at the World Martial Arts tournament yesterday, and did you leave on the Nimbus?" Giku gave his granddaughter a confused look, "Yeah, how did you know?"

With that, Pan arose triumphantly from the table, and began to dance around, at least as best as her old body could, "I TOLD YOU I SAW HIM, YES SIREY, HE WAS THERE!!!! Eat that you guys!!!" Pan continued to dance around, and Giku Jr blurted "Watch it Grandma, if you fall you're liable to break a hip!" Immediately, he knew that he has said something wrong, because Pan's formerly gleeful face was now glowing red. She got right up in Giku Jr's face, and yelled, "LISTEN HERE SONNY! I AM STILL FIT ENOUGH TO TAKE ANYONE OF YOU GUYS ON IN A FIGHT!!! SO BRING IT ON RIGHT NOW!!!!"

Vegeta Jr just gave her a cocky smirk, "Yeah, that I would like to see, a 100 year old woman going up against the likes of me!" Pan turned her head toward him, anger all over her face, but Giku was laughing his head off at the table. "Man, Vegeta. He is just like you!" he said to the Saiyan Prince. Vegeta just gave Shaft a very amused grin, to which Shaft responded with a scowl. "Well, between Shaft and myself, he knows who the better fighter is. Naturally, he only wants to take after the best." Vegeta said. "Yeah," Vegeta Jr yelled, "and that's my Dad, no one can beat him!" which cause Vegeta to just slam into the floor, and Shaft lost control with laughter in the corner. "Serves you right, old man." he managed to say between laughs. "Why, you little ingrate!" Vegeta growled at his great grandson. Through it all, though, Goku's laughter could be heard, and everyone relaxed. It was comforting to have him home again, hearing his carefree laughter made them feel like everything was going to be all right.

Once he had finished laughing, Giku turned and gave Gohan a confused look, "Am I missing something here about the tournament yesterday though?" he asked Gohan. Gohan looked slightly embarrassed, although more about Pan's behavior than anything. "Well, Dad, see, she said she saw you at the Tournament, and well....."

"NONE OF THEM BELIEVED ME!!!!" Pan butted in. "Can you believe that Grandpa, they didn't believe me!!" she asked, Goku just laughed a carefree laugh, and continued munching on his drumstick.

Goku Jr looked up at Pan. "Well, I knew he was here before anyone did." Goku glanced down at him with a knowing look on his face, but everyone else turned toward Goku Jr. "What do you mean?" they all asked at the same time, puzzled.

Goku Jr gave them all a smile only a child can muster. "Remember, Grandma Pan, when I set out to find the Dragonballs to make you better? Well, I met Grandpa Goku that day, and he is the one who has been training me, and helping me understand what it means to be a decedent of this family." Goku Jr said, smiling up at his great grandfather. Pan also looked up at Goku, but she had tears in her eyes, "Grandpa, is this true, are you really the one who made him realize what he had been trying to tell him all this time?" she asked.

Goku's voice softened, "Yes, its true Pan. I met him at the hut where I have been guarding the four star ball two years ago. I told him if he ever needed me, all he had to do was come to that spot. He has really grown up since I first met him." he looked down at Jr and put his hand on his head, "I am very proud of him." Pan ran over to Goku, "Oh Grandpa, thank you so much, you have no idea how much what you did means to me." she said, giving him a big hug.

"So Goku, can you finally tell us now where you have been all these years, and why have the Dragonball returned?" Trunks asked, bringing everyones attention back to the real point of interest. "Yeah Dad, Mom was really upset when you never came home." Goten told him. Goku put his hand behind his head, "Umm, yeah, I kinda found that out when went to see her in Other World a few years ago," is face turned into one of fear, "she really gave it to me!!!" Everyone grinned at that, remembering ChiChi's fiery demeanor.

Goku leaned back in his chair, and gazed toward the ceiling. "Well, its kinda a long story, but its one that everyone here must know." Then, Goku became as serious as he ever did in the heat of battle. "What I am about to tell you guys is extremely important. We will all have a role in what is to come....."

"If we want to survive."

Preview of the next AZ:

Finally, Goku has returned home. But is his return only a sign of more ominous things to come? The truth behind what Goku's journey over the last 100 years is revealed next time, on DragonBall AZ.