"Dragonball AS"

Epilogue

By- Tiny

On a small island in the pacific, just off the coast of Japan, a young man stood quietly gazing out upon the ocean, his brown eyes sparkling with the light that was characteristic of his family. His hair waved about in the wind like a flag or some sort of banner, it's thick spikes standing up on his head like the worst case of bed-head imaginable. The young man was named Son Goken, the only son of Son Goten and the youngest grandchild of Son Goku, one of the last Saiya-jin remaining on the blue planet known as Earth.

When the others had left for their new home world, anxious to begin their new lives among the people they had never met, Goken and Lin, Trunks' youngest daughter, had stayed behind. For Goken it had seemed a shame to leave the home he had come to love so very much, as his grandfather and father before him, and he couldn't bring himself to go. As for Lin, she had opted to stay behind and take over the title of president of Capsule Corp., running the business alongside her lover Taya and their little boy, whom they had named Tailor.

It had been six years since the little boys birth and Goken was still confused as to how two women had had a child together, but the explanation Nappa had given was lengthy and confusing, so he left it alone. Goken had prompted to take over the role as Turtle Hermit upon himself, a role that had previously been held by his grandfather's mentor, and was now cursed with the eternal life that came with the job. As such, he had resolved to never have children or even to select a mate, as he didn't want to have to live and see them die before him.

The young Saiya-jin did still hear from his family often, but tried not to talk with them very much anymore, as he would live after all of them save Kimuchi had already passed on. Seeing them would only make the news of their passing as the years drove on all the more upsetting to the young warrior and he now knew exactly how Kame-Sennin must have felt before he finally passed on by giving up his title. Still, Goken was not about to feel sorry about his decision as he would be the most well known trainer on the planet, despite how widespread the Kame style now was. His only real competition in the world was Lee, the newly proclaimed Crane Hermit, and he knew that there was no real comparison between the human and himself.

The young warrior was about to turn back inside and settle down for the afternoon when he heard the hum of a boat motor running off to the northwest, drawing his attention to the approaching party. There was a young man in a small motor boat, heading for the island at easily eighty miles per hour or so, so Goken assumed he had been traveling for a long time over the water. He had a fairly decent ki level, at least three thousand or so from what the Saiya-jin could sense, and there was room for quite a bit more improvements as the boy pulled onto the island's surface.

"Hello sir, my name is Yoshihara, a former student of the temples in the north who now seeks the guidance of the famous Son Goken," the boy rattled off, somewhat anxiously, "Do you know where I might find him?"

"You're looking at him," Goken smirked, "What makes you think you have what it takes to be trained under me though, Yoshi?"

"I don't know, sir, but I am willing to put all I have into whatever you can throw at me," the boy said flatly, kneeling before Goken, "I am here to gain the strength to protect my town from a group of vandals that have been raiding it lately. Please, I need this training!"

Goken just smirked at the boy before him before turning back towards what was now his home, his stomach rumbling from the immense hunger that had overtaken him, signaling that it was lunch time. The young boy was left to stand there in confusion on the sandy shoreline, his face a mixture of sadness and pain as he saw the older man turn back with a smile on his face. The brown-haired Saiya-jin allowed his tail to come loose from around his waist, hanging limply behind him as he walked over to Yoshi again, kneeling down in front of him with his eyes sparkling.

"Man, I'm kind of hungry!" Goken grinned, "What's say you join me for a quick bite and tell me about your town? After that, we'll start your training....."

High in the clouds over Saiyasei, a young man gazed out upon the landscape of his new home, a place where people actually came to him daily for advice and to express their concerns. He had not had any such luxuries back on Earth, even when the younger warriors came to visit, and it actually felt good to get the prestige you knew you so richly deserved. The young warrior went by the name of Kimuchi, son of Raditz and Reyna, and the current guardian of the Saiya-jin race, a title that brought with it a longer life span and infinite knowledge of the events that are, were, and will be.

It's not that he enjoyed the position as guardian, since that meant he would, like his cousin Goken, be there long after his relatives and friends had passed on to join their loved ones in the next life. Even the still young, by Saiya-jin standards, King Trunks would die before Kimuchi even began to show his age, a fact that both upset and relieved the young Saiya-jin. Still, he was not about to reflect on such matters as he turned his attention back to the seven spherical stones on the ground before him, which pulsated with raw energy.

The seven stones were about the size of your average soccer ball, each a perfect sphere in shape and all the same exact size, and Kimuchi had been sitting without moving in front of them for several weeks. His energy was being transferred into the stones, allowing something wondrous to happen as the sphere's became a glassy orange color with red stars inside the balls. They were surrounded with an eerie bluish glow about them as the young guardian dispersed them across the planet, sweat pouring from his brow as he stood back up and headed inside his living quarters.

"As my father once said, peace cannot and will not last forever," Kimuchi mused, lying down on his bed, "And with those seven orbs, I will be certain that we are prepared...when the time comes...."

On a plain far from the reaches of the living world, even to the most trained of senses as Kimuchi's, an unseen force looked over the entire universe with the most watchful gaze imaginable. The man was dressed in a pair of white pants lined with golden trim and a matching shirt over that, tied down with a black leather belt and a pair of gold boots. Standing off a bit behind him was a young looking woman with flowing raven hair, dressed in what looked a bit like an old Amazon warrior's outfit and she came over to the watchful man with a slight sway in her hips.

"You look happier now then you have in over a hundred years," the woman smiled, sliding into the man's arms, "Care to share what's on your mind, Goku?"

"It's just that everything is finally over, all the pain and hardships, and yet my people and yours keep on improving themselves for what might lie ahead," Goku smiled to his mate, "I couldn't be more proud of them then I am right now."

"It isn't going to last," Chi-Chi sighed mournfully, "After another thousand years, you and I both know what will come about. What do you have to say about when that happens?"

"That is the future and it's something we can't dwell on now," Goku waved the notion off, "For now, the present is peaceful and let us hope that everyone, our family included, make the best of it..."

Back on Saiyasei, the king for now close to eight years watched in awe as two young teens converged in the center of the battle arena, giving it all they had against each other in a grudge match the likes of which was practically unheard of. The two fighting were the finalists in the 4th Saiya-jin Budokai, and they were well known as the descendants of two great warriors, even carrying their namesakes! As far as Trunks was concerned, however, it was a match between two of his grandchildren and that was all he cared about.

Vejita, like his namesake, was the more cunning of the two fighters and tended to rely a bit more on his brain then his muscle, making him a heavy favorite among the crowd that had gathered around the ring. Gokou, on the other hand, was a slightly more skilled warrior, drawing the fights between these two into virtual stalemates as they tried to see who was the greater warrior. As for this match, that man turned out to be Vejita as he smashed his twin into the outside of the ring, ending the fight in one move that made Gokou curse himself for not paying better attention.

The crowd cheered with enthusiasm as the young champion waved to them in victory, bowing slightly as was expected of the prince, before heading out of the ring to congratulate his brother on a good match. As he moved by the stands, Trunks swore he spotted a man watching the young warrior walk away; a man with flame-like black hair clad in a blue bodysuit. When he looked again though, the man he swore he had seen was gone and there was only Trunks' great-nephew, Koshi, cheering on his cousins alongside their other relative, Chiku.

"Are you alright Trunks?" Marron asked, leaning up next to the king, "Is there something wrong?"

"No, not at all," Trunks smiled, looking at a statue of his father in the stadium walls, "As a matter of fact, I think things are just starting to go right...at long last..."

Author's Notes: Well, that's it folks. It's a bittersweet moment for me, seeing as this was my first fan-fiction and also my longest running one, but I am happy that it is finally over and done with. I thank all those who've read this story and reviewed and would like to take this moment to thank some of you personally.

Erica: You have probably been my most loyal reviewer and I thank you for sticking with it for so long.

Dark Miroku: Yes, it's sad to see it go. But don't cry, because there will be other stories...

Gomer: My first reviewer and a long standing reader, thanks for giving this story a shot pal.

The Author: A sequel you say? Well, I guess now is as good a time as any to announce that yes, there will be a sequel to Dragonball AS, as well as two related stories that are already in the works. The sequel won't be ready for a while yet, but look out for it, alright?

Supreme Hyren: Yeah, I had to give Gohan some power man and I'm glad you've stuck with this story for the long haul.

Nadz: Even though you haven't read the story all the way, you thought it was good enough to add to KyLewin's C2 community and for that I thank you. I'll look for your stories as I surf !

Everyone Else: Thanks for the reviews and I'll see you in the future! Until then, have a nice day and I hope you've enjoyed it all!!!!!!