"So..." Now that everyone had left, Erasa turned her attention entirely towards Gohan. Her spiked red-tresses reverted to their normal blonde hue and shape, and her stern black eyes became their regular sapphire glimmer and wide shape. Smiling, she continued, "What's so important we need to be alone?"

Gohan paused. He was trying to find words, and they were lost on him. Scratching the back of his head, he smiled, but Erasa could see it was a nervous gesture. He looked nothing like the mighty warrior who was instrumental in defeating Majin Bū — no, instead, he looked more like the secondary school student she'd been reacquainted with and fell for so many months earlier. But she kept quiet. He seemed to be working up the courage to speak, and she wouldn't want to ruin it by making him nervous.

"I...I don't really know how to phrase this," replied the half-Saiyan. "I have something to tell you — like I said I would back in the forest." He placed a finger to his shin, and looked at Erasa with a serious expression. "We've only known each other for six months, but it feels like its been much longer than that. Every day with you was an adventure, Erasa; some maybe a little more hectic than most. But it hasn't changed the way I feel about you at all. I don't have a ring, or anything like that right now, so all I can offer you is me. Erasa, will you marry me?"

There was a stunned silence, and Erasa looking at Gohan in complete disbelief. Her brain desperately tried to process the words she'd heard him say, and the girl was reduced to rapid blinking.

"I could understand if you said no right now," Gohan continued lamely, beginning to read her silence in a negative manner. "But, it would make me the happiest person in the world if you would be my—"

Gohan's next words were entirely cut off. He felt a weight press against his body as Erasa flung her arms at him, wrapping them around his neck. She was feeling a storm of emotions right now; happiness and confusion were among the two that were most prominent. "Yes," she said softly into his ear. Her voice was cracking, and it was clear she was crying tears of joy. "I'd love to be your bride, Gohan! But you don't get to be the happiest person in the world; that's me right now."

The half-Saiyan couldn't believe what he was hearing. He'd expected a refusal, or at least Erasa to cautiously say they should wait a bit long before something like a proposal. But she'd said yes. This was a moment he could only struggle to put into words; a moment of elation, of joy, and of triumph. "I'm...feeling a bit weak in the knees..." He said, and indeed Gohan fell to the ground, Erasa still clinging to him. Landing firmly on his rear, he started to laugh; weak laughter at first, but it became joyous in only moments. "I love you, Erasa!"

"Gohan, I love you too!"

The half-Saiyan pulled Erasa's face towards his, and their lips met. They kissed deeply, and in that moment, the entire world melted away from them. It had only been a short time, but Gohan had forgotten how soft Erasa's lips were; Erasa had forgotten how gentle Gohan could be with her. It was another moment — perhaps a minute, perhaps several — before the two finally pulled away from each other.

"Should we...catch up to the others?" Gohan suggested.

"We should...in a moment," replied Erasa mischievously, and she leaned in to kiss him again.

Palace of God, Earth

When they were finally able to tear themselves away from each other, Gohan and Erasa lifted off from the Earth. They felt light, and their souls free — so much freer now than they had been before. They were all smiles as they flew into the air, and made their way towards the Palace of God, where everyone was waiting for them.

From the surface of the Earth, at their top speeds, it didn't take long to arrive; in fact, they could have clocked their time within minutes. The towering form of the Palace, complete with the Nyoibō that connected it to Karin's Tower, came into view. A smile crossed Erasa's face. Karin Tower would be special to her from now on, and she would be eternally grateful to Master Karin.

It was the place she'd became stronger together with Gohan. The place where she'd survived death with him. It was a new, unique bond they shared and that wouldn't fade so easily. The duo made a curve, and landed smoothly onto the Palace of God's tiled floor. And then they were shocked; the two were greeted by a massive uproar, and their friends rushed to them, their cheers deafening.

During the few minutes they'd spent alone, Gotenks, Piccolo, and Videl had made it back to the Palace of God and had apparently explained everything. Suitably, everyone was in an uproar, congratulating everyone who had participated in the battle — but especially Gohan — for their efforts in stopping Majin Bū. Erasa went over to embrace her father, a wide smile on her face.

"It's...finally over..." said a tired Yamcha. "But...what are we going to do now guys? Kuririn and Chi-Chi...Eighteen and Tenshinhan...Vegeta...they were all killed by Majin Bū."

"Even worse, Majin Bū wreaked havoc across the planet," added Piccolo morosely. "Many of the Earthlings have perished, and those who haven't have been traumatized greatly."

Gohan cast a look over towards Dende, his expression hopeful. "We're going to need the Dragon Balls then, Dende. We need to fix the damage that Majin Bū caused." And we need to revive my mother, was a thought he added internally.

Dende's look, however, was far from encouraging. "I'm sorry, everyone. I haven't exactly had time to repair the damage to the Dragon Ball during all of this," his tone made it clear he was referring to the chaos that had just finished transpiring. "It's going to take some time. Dragon Balls are not something that should break so easily; to be honest, it would have been far easier had Shénlóng died. I'm going to need some time to work this out."

In an instant, the celebratory mood died out. It wasn't usually like this — Shénlóng had always been there to help them clean up the damage that Earth would unnecessarily suffer. The elation everyone had felt at the end of the battle was replaced by a hollow feeling. Their friends, family, and so many innocent others would be in the Afterlife for far longer than they needed to while Dende worked on a way to restore the Dragon Balls.

"It's alright, Dende," replied Gohan. "Please, take your time; we know repairing something like the Dragon Balls can't be easy."

"Thank you, Gohan!"

"I guess that all we can do now is head on back," suggested Bulma. "Waiting around on the Palace won't help anything, and I think we're going to want to pick up as normal a life as we all can, at least if we can summon Shénlóng."

There was a murmur of assent; no one could deny Bulma had a point. If they simply waited here at the Palace, it would just put needless pressure on Dende while he tried to mend the broken Dragon Ball. They also didn't know how long it would take to actually fix the Balls — the remaining Earthlings would start to realize that the imminent threat of Majin Bū was gone — and they might be needed down in the Lower Realm when that time came.

"I suppose its a mercy that the King survived," said Yamcha. "I wouldn't like to see the Earth in a state of global anarchy."

"Speak for yourself," said Lunch, who sounded assuredly disappointed that she wouldn't be able to enjoy prolonged periods of riots and looting.

"Then it's settled," replied Gohan. "Let's all return home for now; I think we all need a rest. We can focus on the Dragon Balls later, and let Dende work in peace."

As everyone made their move to leave, with Bulma having to whip out a Capsule Corporation brand plane those likes herself who could not fly, and Marron, the latter of whom Bulma agreed to watch until the situation with her parents could be sorted out. Shin approached Gohan, and extended a lavender hand, which Gohan gripped with his own.

"I shall take my leave now, Gohan," said Shin, a distant smile on his face. "With the situation of Majin Bū finally resolved, I'm nearing the limit I can truly interfere with this world. We Kaiōshin aren't meant to directly involve ourselves with humans like yourself, and I've been breaking that rule for quite some time." He let out a resigned sigh, and his dark eyes went blank, finally showing the true scope of the eons in which he had lived. "This entire journey of mine, the pursuit of Majin Bū that brought me here was at a great cost to the Universe. I am meant to be an overseer, but I've done nothing except drag others into my own issues, and it cost me Kibito, my closest friend, and it cost you all a great deal more. In truth, I question my position as Kaiōshin — but from here on out, I will carry out my duties with vigor. It has been a pleasure, Gohan. I wish you all the best."

In the end, Gohan had to agree that he was grateful for the deity's presence; if he hadn't shown up, they'd have been blind to Majin Bū entirely, and only known when it was far too late. Shin's arrival gave them an advantage; if he hadn't shown up, the casualties might have been far worse. The half-Saiyan conveyed this to Shin, who only shook his head respectfully, before removing his hand from Gohan's.

"If I had done my job properly from the start — no, if we all had — then I wouldn't have been needed here." He inclined his head towards Gohan, and with a final wave, shouted "KAI KAI!" and vanished.

The remaining party began to exchange their farewells; Bulma, Gyūmaō, Muten Rōshi, Oolong, Lunch, and Marron boarded her Capsule plane. Gotenks decided he would make it home on his own — the fusion would wear off in only a little while longer, and he didn't want to ride in a plane when he could lap the vehicle several hundred times.

"I'm going to go find Dad," said Videl. "This is going to be all new, everything. But I suppose we'll just have to adjust to it." She was referring to, of course, not only her new abilities and the permanent 'M' emblazoned on her forehead, but the fact that her father had befriended the fat Majin Bū that was still unconscious on the tiled floor of the Palace. She lifted the body with great effort, and turned to Erasa. "As soon as we sort this all out, I'm going to redouble my training. Don't think you're going to be stronger than me forever."

Erasa smiled, looking at her best friend with a kind of eagerness that was entirely separate from what she felt for Gohan. It was the excitement at competition. "I'll look forward to it."

Videl took off from the Palace as fast as she could, towing the large form of his father's new friend with her.

"We'll check back in soon," said Yamcha. "Nothing to do but keep up hope right now, am I right?"

Chaozu nodded. "I'm going to go with Yamcha," the pale-dwarf said. "I'm alone without Tenshinhan."

The former bandit, his feline companion, and Chaozu took off from the Palace as well. In the end, the only individuals left on the Palace of God were Gohan, Erasa, her father, Piccolo, Dende, and Mr. Popo. With the Palace emptied, and there being no reason to not bring up the topic of discussion now, Gohan turned towards Mr. Popo.

"I asked you before, Mr. Popo, and you couldn't give me an answer because of how chaotic everything was, but I think, especially now that Erasa is here, it's time for some answers," said Gohan. "How does the Chōshinsui really work?"

"Mr. Popo did promise you answers," replied the dark-skinned man, and he smiled. "Let us keep this brief, then? In a way similar to the current God, Dende, being able to create Dragon Balls, Shangdi was able to manipulate his own godly soul."

Gohan nodded; he'd heard this much from Master Karin earlier, that the Chōshinsui had imbibed a portion of the soul of this 'Shangdi', and that is what granted it its abilities. But that still didn't answer the core question...

"Mr. Popo is glad to see you do not interrupt," continued Mr. Popo, apparently aware of Gohan's internal musings. "This splitting of his holy soul into mortal water made the substance blessed by his godly essence. When one consumes the Chōshinsui, the person in question consumes a portion of Shangdi's soul — however much was in the holy drink they consumed from the cup. Those who survive incorporate this essence, infused into their soul, and are blessed by the former God in this way."

"So it isn't merely his will—" Erasa muttered, amazed.

"—but his actual soul," added Gohan.

"Yes," said Mr. Popo. "And that is how the Chōshinsu works — the soul of Shangdi lives on within the blessed water, and confers its blessing onto chosen humans."

"If I'd been hearing this only a few months ago, I'd've disbelieved it," said Erasa, with a weak chuckle escaping her throat. "But I suppose there was time for one final shock before we returned to normal, wasn't there?" Rubbing the back of her neck, she turned to Gohan. "I think it's time for me to head home as well — I haven't been to my house in six months, and I'm sure Dad is more than exhausted after all of this."

Marque laughed as weakly as she did, and his face looked worn. "I will honestly need a long time to process this; but the important thing is you made it out alive. We can finally go home."

Walking over to Gohan, Erasa kissed him, and they did not break apart for a full minute. His arm encircled her waist, and Erasa's arms were wrapped around his shoulders. When they finally broke off, she smiled. "I'm going to have to get used to the fact that you don't need to be so gentle with me anymore, but everything in time." Pulling away, she walked over to her father, and placed an arm gently around his waist.

"E-Erasa, what are you doing?" the man stammered.

"We'll be taking the express home," she replied, grinning. "I'm far faster than any of our capsule craft, Dad!" Amidst his protests, the girl lifted off from the Palace, keeping a firm, but gentle hold on Marque's waist, and took off towards the distance, flying pell-mell towards home.

"And what about you, Gohan?" asked Dende. "Will you be heading home?"

Gohan sighed. "I will, soon. To tell you the truth, even with Goten there, the house will be pretty quiet without Mom. So I think I'll take a more relaxing way home. Thank you for everything, Dende; if all goes well, we'll see you again soon. Our hope is truly riding on you. Piccolo, I'll visit soon."

The Nameccian smiled, the fatherly-gaze he reserved for Gohan, and regarded Gohan silently as the half-Saiyan went to the edge of the Palace. He took a leap down, and called for Kinto'un once he reached near Karin's Tower. The cloud rushed to him — inheritance from his father — and Gohan perched himself atop the old flying cloud. Despite it being far slower than he was, he was going to need time alone with his thoughts, and Kinto'un was a good way to do that.

"If we can't fix the Dragon Balls, Mom is gone for good..." thought Gohan on a depressed note. "How will we work that out? Goten, Grandpa, and I?" The half-Saiyan sighed, and could only pray that Dende would be able to fix the Dragon Balls.

Dende sighed, leaning on his staff. He looked around the empty Palace of God, where only the company of Piccolo and Mr. Popo remained. Things were quiet again, but at the same time, he could not, as God, rest on his laurels. Looking out over the edge of the Palace, he saw the destroyed surface of the planet; cities and buildings crumbled, fires smoking, cars crashed in the streets. The chaos caused by Majin Bū had been exacerbated by human riots.

He sighed.

If Earth had a voice, it would be crying. He knew it. Gohan and the others had done their part; now it was his job as God to handle the rest.

"How will you go about it, then?" asked Piccolo. "Dragon Balls are by no means an easy thing to mend."

"I know," replied Dende. "To be honest, it would have been far easier if someone had simply killed Shénlóng. Breathing life into a Shénlóng, or creating a new set of Dragon Balls, is admittedly easier than mending something that is not meant to break."

"But then—" Mr. Popo began.

"There is a method I'll employ," said Dende, and he turned away from the edge of the Palace, walking towards the inner sanctum. As they approached a dimly lit chamber, quartered off from the rest of the Palace, Dende stepped towards a pedestal at the center. "I discovered these while I was exploring the Palace, shortly after I become the God of Earth."

The Pedestal was covered in cloth, and Dende placed a green hand onto the worn material, pulling the cloth-covering away with a flourish. Atop their resting spot, seven orbs glimmered and shone, a dark light pulsating from their cores. It was obvious to anyone staring at them — this was a second set of Dragon Balls.

Piccolo's face hardened. He remembered these, or about as well as one could recall such a distant memory. He had made them, centuries ago, well before the split of Piccolo Daimaō and the previous God. A set of Dragon Balls, possessing immense power, but were made with a sardonic sense of humour.

"I'll use these to repair the Dragon Balls."

Satan City

"How're you holding out, Dad?" asked Erasa, giving her father an aside glance as the city closed in. She had tried to limit her speed to avoid causing her father any undue discomfort. The skyline was coming into view, and looking down, the blonde noticed a terrible lack of people, despite the fact that it was still daylight. The city was untouched — Majin Bū hadn't attacked it, and it was one of the few cities spared this fate — but the people had still evacuated in a panic.

"I'm...fine," replied Marque. "To be honest, this isn't something I'll be getting used to." His face was one of discomfort, and he was merciful that he wasn't prone to motion sickness.

"I'll try not to make a habit of it," replied Erasa with a smile. "Though I could always teach you, Dad."

"I'll pass," replied her father dryly.

Their familiar one-story house came into view, and Erasa briefly recalled when she brought Gohan to visit for the first time. He was shrewd but so shy back then; they've become more forward since then, and it was progress she couldn't be more grateful for. She couldn't help but giggle, however, when she remembered how she'd more or less forced Gohan along for the ride when he showed up, despite his protests, and wondered if they'd even be together had she not taken the initiative.

She landed neatly onto the paved road, and set her father down. Marque swayed on the spot, clutching his head with a groan. "From now on, I think I really will just go by capsule."

Erasa giggled. "You get used to it, believe me."

Her father sighed, and walked towards the house, unlocking the door and walking in. Erasa followed, and took a deep breath. Six months and some odd days. That's how long it had been since she'd been home. Her time on Elche Island had certainly not been wasted, but she was certainly happy to be home. She walked into the hallway, and looked around with a smile. Stepping into the living room, the furniture hadn't been adjusted in the slightest.

"I know it hasn't been long, but it feels like I was gone for years," she said, her eyes surveying her own home with the kind of fascination one reserves for walking into a new building.

"It certainly felt like you've been gone for that long," replied her father, setting his coat and hat on a nearby rack.

"But Dad, you visited me several times while we were training on Elche island!"

"That isn't any substitute for having my daughter home," replied Marque reprovingly, though his smile diminished any effect that would have had. In truth, he'd given his permission for her to do all of this from the start, so he couldn't say things like this now, six months after the fact. However, anything he could have said was cut off when Erasa crossed the room in a second to wrap her father in a hug. Winded at first from the sudden force, he caught his breath in time for her to speak

"Sorry, Dad," she said into the man's shirt. "I didn't mean to leave you alone like that. But, the good news is, I'm home." She looked up at her father, and a smile crossed her face again. "I'm glad to be home!"

"I'm glad to have you back, sweetie," replied Marque, smiling equally bright.

Breaking away from her father, Erasa turned and ran into the hallway towards her room. "I'm going to go get out of this gi and take a quick shower, Dad! After that, I've got to tell you something really important!"

Marque blinked. "Important?" He surely hoped it wasn't something life-changing, like quitting school or anything of that magnitude.

Erasa made her way up the flight of the stairs, and stopped right in front of her door. It was her room she was staring at. The same room she'd left behind six months ago before she went to go train with Gohan. It all felt so surreal — like waking up from a dream. She'd only went to train with Gohan a little over half a year ago, and now, with six months and some change having passed, they'd just saved the world in the strangest sequence of events she'd ever seen.

"I don't think anything is going to feel real for awhile," she though, placing her hand on the doorknob and pulling. The pull was accompanied by a crushing noise, and the confused girl blinked, looking at the crushed doorknob in her hand, as the pieces fell to the ground.

"This...is going to take some getting used to."

Feeling refreshed after a long shower, Erasa had slipped into a simple shirt and sweatpants, gingerly closed her door which was now bereft of its handle. It had taken considerable control not to break anything else; she couldn't recall being more cautious in her life, but her trip through the restroom and back to her own room had mercifully been devoid of accidents.

Heading downstairs, she saw her father sitting on one of their comfortable looking sofas in the sitting room. He motioned her over with a smile, gesturing to the space on the couch right next to him. She walked over and took a seat; for a moment, there was a brief silence between them. Erasa was trying to figure out exactly how to convey to her father what she wanted to say — she was only seventeen.

It was Marque who spoke first, as if trying to assuage his own worries. "You aren't thinking of quitting school, are you?" His tone was stern, and there wasn't any facetious tone behind his words this time. "I know I was supportive when you asked to take those six months off — even though the Budōkai didn't pan out as we intended — but I can't advocate you dropping out of high school."

"N-No!" Erasa denied hurriedly. "I'm not going to drop out of high school, it isn't that!" She sighed. "When everything is settled, and the Earth is restored, Gohan and I fully intend to go back to school!" She scratched the back of her head, smilingly weakly. "Though I don't fancy the six months of catch-up, I'll ace my Phys. Ed classes!" While her father looked relieved, she wished her own little joke could relieve her tension; her stomach was in knots. "This isn't something you just casually drop on your own father!" She thought to herself.

Marque flashed Erasa a look of concern. "Are you alright, sweetie? You look pale."

"I'm fine, I'm just a bit nervous," replied the blonde girl. "This certainly isn't something I want to just spring on you, Dad, but I'll try to say it as easily as I can. After the whole battle with Majin Bū had finished...well, Gohan proposed to me. And, I accepted." She went silent, analyzing her father's face, which went from blank, to confused, to stony, and melted into a more worried expression, all in the span of moments.

"Marriage?" Marque intoned. "But what did we just say about school? Erasa, sweetie, you're too young to think about getting married, you're only seventeen."

"I know," she replied, and sighed. "But it isn't like I'm going to weigh my options, and like I said, Gohan and I have no intention of quitting school. Just because we're engaged—" she felt a slight intake of breath from Marque at the word, and a feeling of amazement washed over her at the fact that it was true "—won't change anything. We're not going to run off and elope, Dad. Once everything is settled, we're going to return to being students, who just happen to have a certain bit of their futures already planned out."

Marque was silent for a moment, and placed a hand over his head, reflexively reaching for his hat. When he realized it wasn't there, he let his arm fall limply, and stared at his daughter. Their matching blue-eyes met, and his moustache twitched into a small smile. "You're firmly decided on this, aren't you?"

"I am."

"And no amount of arguing I do will persuade you?"

"It won't."

"Then I'll have to trust you," he grunted. "At the end this entire debacle, it almost seems foolish to get defensive about you becoming engaged when you just went through a far more arduous trial...but you're still the little girl I've treasured since she was a baby. Besides — that Gohan has a fine head on his shoulders."

Erasa breathed in an immense sigh of relief, and reached over to hug her father, taking care to keep her strength in check. The blonde man embraced his daughter in return, and sighed.

"Just another event Quille will miss, isn't it?"

"When it comes, we'll celebrate enough for us, and Mom," replied Erasa.

439th Eastern District, Earth

When Gohan had returned home, he had a brutal reminder. Where his house should be, there was only empty space. They'd taken the house with them to Elche Island, and his mother had Capsulized it. And the Capsule was with his mother when Majin Bū had killed her. After a quick trip to the Western Capital, he'd asked Bulma if she had a Capsule House they could use temporarily, and she him a model around the same size as their original home.

With a word of thanks, Gohan went back to the Eastern District and let the Capsule loose. The house had more modern amenities than their old house, so he was able to take a shower and relax in one of the bedrooms. Goten was at Capsule Corporation with Trunks, and Bulma had said he could spend the night, so Gohan had this time to be alone with his thoughts.

He was engaged. The thought of it made him smile. It wasn't something his father would do, proposing to a woman on his own spur of the moment; he'd heard time and time again from his mother how she'd had to be the one to remind him of their promise before Goku could even bring it up. It was a thought that made him a happy man, to have proposed to Erasa like he did. But it also sent other wild feelings through him; nervousness at the fact that they were engaged, surprise that she'd agreed, and relief that he'd been able to spring the question.

"If the Dragon Balls are restored, it'll be something good to tell Mom," he thought to himself. "She likes Erasa, so she'll love this." It might also soften the blow of something else he would tell her. His fighting days weren't over. Not anymore. With his father and Vegeta passed on, and his father he knew had no intention of returning, Dragon Balls or otherwise, the Earth would need his strength.

"Right now, I'm the strongest person on Earth," he concluded. "My strength will be needed again when the next threat comes." He moved a hand along one of the earrings he now wore. "And I'll be even stronger when it does."

A/N: So, this chapter took far longer than my previous recent chapters to put out. I know I spoiled you guys with my previous releases, so I'm sorry that this chapter took as long as it did. I got caught up in about a dozen other things — family events, my friends roped me into a new game, my work schedule has been earlier than usual — and to top it off, I did not want to rush this chapter out. I'm actually very fond of this chapter, and I don't say that about a lot of these. So, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I won't say much about this chapter, in fact, I'll leave this A/N pretty barren. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and the next time I see you, we'll have three years of the Erased Chronicles to celebrate! As always, thanks to Demod20 and also Firegod00 for giving this chapter the once-over for me! I'll see you all in the next exciting installment of the Erased Chronicles!