Author's note: Hey, guys, thanks for the reads, & the reviews. I love getting those alerts. Please feel free to keep them coming, & let me know your thoughts as the story progresses.
Written by: SparkerLightning.
Edited by: StevenBodner
Chapter 56
Later, at the Northern Wastelands
Gathered inside a rarely used shelter, two scientists watched a small dot move across a large screen. Slowly it slid from the outermost ring to the next one in, before shooting back out as the range increments steadily shrank, and the display continued to zoom. Every few minutes they took turns announcing the updated time of arrival.
Outside, Gohan sat, cross-legged, in the dirt. As he hastily drank a soda, his mother shook her head behind his back. In front of him to the left Turles matched his pace, and to the right his grandfather counted seconds. With one large swallow Turles, clinching his fist, crushing the can, and pounded it on the ground. Half a second later, Gohan did the same, leaving a small crater in the dirt.
"Darn it." Gohan said before letting out a restrained belch.
"Closer." Ox-King said, pulling two more cans from the cardboard box. "Round six?"
"I think that's enough." Chi-Chi injected, stepping forward. Before she could grab the can though, Turles already took one himself and handed it to Gohan.
"Last chance." He said, pulling the ring on the top of the drink. "You're not going to let an old man beat you, are you?"
Encircling them, Yamcha, Krillin, Roshi, and the others all shook their head. Not standing down though, Gohan looked away from his mother and pulled the ring.
"Last one." He said under his breath, promising his mother.
Sighing, Chi-Chi shrugged. "Okay. You are a growing boy... I just hope you continue growing up, not out…"
"Three..." Ox-King held up three fingers.
"I'm going to defeat a Super Saiyan." Turles smirked.
"Two..." Ox-King lowered his thumb and turned the back of his hand to the Saiyans.
Gohan gritted his teeth, tightening his core.
"One..." He lifted the empty cardboard box in one hand, preparing to crush it.
"Not a chance." Gohan said, touching his can to Turles'.
"DRINK!" Ox-King crushed the box.
Gohan's aura blazed to life. As he immediately transformed into his Super Saiyan form a heavy breeze shot out in all directions. Quickly gaining control of it, right after sending his mother and grandfather stumbling backwards, he focused it forward.
Turles leaned forward, into the storm. Finding himself unable to sip while sitting like that, he snapped his head and shoulders back. With his body acting as a sail, he found himself being shot backwards, into the distance. As he hit the ground, Gohan crushed his can.
"I win! I did it!" The boy jumped to his feet, dropping the aluminum sphere onto the rocky dirt. Dropping his aura he jumped into the air, clicking his heals together.
In a flash, Turles was in front of his great nephew. His wrist was in one of the boy's hands, and his soda was in the other, Gohan's thumb covering the opening.
"Watch out. You nearly spilled this on me." Gohan smirked. Tilting his head back he moved his thumb, letting the soda flow into his open mouth. "Thanks, though." He licked his lips. "A winner could always use a refreshing drink."
Turles chuckled to himself before dropping the can. It bounced off of Gohan's face before settling on the ground.
"Good match." He nodded, effortlessly pulling his hand free of Gohan's now loose grip. "Victory won like a true Saiyan."
Gohan's breath caught in his chest for a moment before he let it out.
"Thanks." He nodded back.
With an unseen gesture both competitors began gathering their discarded instruments of battle. As they did so, applause began to fill the air. A few seconds later, Yamcha confusedly joined in, followed by Krillin, Roshi, Chi-Chi, and the rest. As the group clapped for the cleaning efforts of the warriors, they looked around, unsure of who started the awkward moment.
Gohan was the first to realize. As he stood up, to point out the newcomers, he was interrupted.
"Guys." Bulma called over the speaker. "Their ship is slowing. I, I don't know why..."
"Because they're here!" Gohan called back into the house, before pointing at the roof. His father stood there, in the familiar Yardratian garb. At his side, his younger self stood as well. This was going to get confusing.
Goku excessively waived his hand over his head. "Hey, everyone!"
Gently, he hopped forward, levitating down to the ground. Gohan was at his side, more subdued, tired.
Slowly, Chi-Chi turned to face the voice. They were early, minutes early. She was enjoying the distraction, but she hadn't prepared herself. She needed that time. She needed to brace herself. She needed to make sure she held composure… She failed. Blinking away tears, she took in her son, her son, the son that only knew her, as well as her husband.
Gohan was alright. He was home, safe. He was well-fed, healthy, and the way he carried himself showed he was her boy.
"Gohan." She whispered, stepping forward. "Gohan."
She began to jog. "Goku. Gohan!"
She opened her arms, and her husband opened his.
Stepping back, Goku got his son between himself and his wife. Snatching the young boy off the ground in one arm, he met his his Ox-Princess.
"Chi-Chi." Goku whispered in return. Solidly, he wrapped his free arm around her. When Gohan got one arm around each of their necks, holding them close, Goku adjusted to wrap his other arm both around his wife and son.
"You're home." She didn't know who to look at. Left, Goku. Right, Gohan. She kept switching between them. Her boy, her man. Her husband. Her son. "You're home."
She tightened her grip around them, holding them close. Settling on both, neither, she pressed her head between theirs. Leaning left she kissed Goku's cheek, his neck, his shoulder. Leaning right she kissed Gohan's forehead, cheek, nose, forehead, neck, cheek, nose, forehead…
As she kissed Goku, her tears were wiped away by Gohan's soft skin. As she kissed Gohan, her tears were wiped away by Goku's rough cheek.
Taking a deep breath, inhaling his mother's scent, the familiar perfume, Gohan relaxed. "I missed you, Mom."
Blinking away her tears, Chi-Chi rolled left, into her husband's arm, facing her boy. "I missed you too."
She released her grip on her husband and grabbed Gohan out of the air.
"I missed you too, Gohan." She took a jagged breath, slowly letting it out. "Welcome home, Love."
She closed her eyes. He was here. He was safe. She knew he would be. She knew why he left. He's still here though. He wasn't, but he is now, her boy was back.
Assembled into a small group, the others watched the trio have their moment. The elder Gohan was the furthest back, the most entranced, and the least happy. This was his mother. This was his father. This was his moment, and he couldn't enjoy it.
No, when he came home, he was thrust into battle. Cooler. He was forced to transform into an Oozaru. Turles. And, when he got his reunion… the sound of a gold ring hitting the floor rang out in his ears… the sound of his mother's sob, not tears, wails… the shattering of his father's heart, of his family…
A happy ending for the Son family. Son Goku, proud father. Son Gohan, proud warrior, slayer of Frieza. Son Chi-Chi, the understanding, patient, mother. His mother, this was his mother, but not the one he belonged to, not the one that belonged to him… He didn't get a happy ending. He wouldn't get a happy ending.
Looking up, into the golden sun, he cursed King Cold and his family. He cursed Garlic Junior and the Hot Dog Henchmen. He cursed Vegeta, and, regretfully, he cursed Loa.
No. While his alternate self, his alternate family, had their reunion, had their happiness, his family, the true Goku, the true Chi-Chi, were stuck in a cage, in a dead or dying universe. And here he was, an outsider in his own home, with his own family. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. He didn't know how. He didn't know when. He did know it would be him, he'd get back to the future, he'd kill that Cold as he did this one. He'd kill Loa if that is what it would take to free his family. He wouldn't let them continue, not like this, not like they were, then, and now.
Opening his eyes, all attention was on him. A corridor was opened between him and his mother, between him and Chi-Chi. Goku was on her left, and Gohan, his past self, was in her right arm.
Chi-Chi tilted her head. "Gohan?" She sniffled.
Gohan blinked. Why was everyone looking at him.
"Well?" Goku asked. "Are you going to join the moment?"
He blinked twice more. To his surprise, his vision began to blur slightly. He nodded, walking forward.
Later that evening at Mount Paozu
As Chi-Chi danced her way from the dining room to the kitchen, and back again, the reason for her joy was beside her. She carried stacks of plates with each trip, and he shuttled the large quantity of bowls. She'd always been used to cooking for a Saiyan man, not that she knew what he was back when they were first married, but now she found herself feeding a sprouting teen, a growing boy, and that same man.
She took pride in her homemaking. The house was spotless. The food was delicious. The chores were done. This was her domain, and she was the master of it. That didn't mean help wasn't appreciated though, and now, not only were her husband and boy home, but her husband was helping. Without asking he began to collect dishes. Without instruction he washed them. He put them on the drying rack. She didn't know what happened in space, but this was wonderful.
As their parents cleaned up for the evening, the two Gohans sat across from each other at the table. The elder, the hardened warrior, the teen, leaned back in his chair. While seeing the reunion he could never have play out in front of him made him feel distant, disconnected, and deeply unsettled, this was still his home. He'd still lived here, with Chi-Chi, for long enough to be comfortable. His life was routine, and now it was going to be shaken, but he was still at the same table, eating the same food, and expecting to go back to the same school after the weekend. The younger, the boy, the rampaging Super Saiyan, kept his back straight and his hands folded on his lap. His mother was here, and he would make sure to use all the manners she taught him. He didn't realize how the presence of his older self had influenced her, how it had comforted her, and helped her relax.
"So..." The elder Gohan yawned and stretched. "You good? Would you like dessert?"
"No, thank you." The boy responded. He didn't know why he was nervous around him, around himself, but it was undeniable.
"Alright..." Gohan looked down the hall.
Gohan followed Gohan's gaze. "Are we going to share a room?"
"No." Gohan smiled at his younger self. "Mom set up the extra room as a bedroom for me. I was in my, our old room at first, but I figured it would be easier for you to come home to your bed, since you've got enough on your mind."
He closed his eyes in contemplation for a moment. "You've just come out of a real busy year."
The boy's expression stiffened. "It wasn't that bad."
Gohan slowly opened his eyes, forcing eye contact with his counterpart. "No, not as bad as it could have been, would have been, but you still went through a lot."
The younger Gohan swallowed. "Not as bad as it could have been? Frieza, Frieza killed Dad. I haven't been home in a year. A rogue Namekian attacked the planet we were on..."
The older Gohan choked back a growl. "And it could have been a lot worse."
Their parents were now working exclusively in the kitchen.
"When you came home, you received a warm welcome. I was thrust into battle with Frieza's more powerful brother. When you came home your family was together, reunited, mine fell apart. Tien could have been taken over by the leader of the Ginyu Force, but instead we used the Dragon Balls to get him his body back. The Dragon Balls, the Dragon Balls that still exist, because Kami is still alive, Piccolo and him aren't merged back into one, because the need didn't present itself, because Garlic Junior didn't stand a chance of taking over the Earth this time..." Running out of air, the older Gohan took a deep breath.
The younger Gohan looked down at his hands, still folded. Frieza's stronger brother? Garlic Junior, wasn't in the Dead Zone? And, and the family, his family, fell apart? He had a bad year, but he's only had a few years, so saying it was the worst year wasn't saying much … but, but it could have been a lot worse. It, it was a lot worse for this teenager, this other Gohan, this stranger. "I'm tired."
The older Gohan's face fell. That was unfair. He shouldn't have vented to the kid. It wasn't his fault. It had nothing to do with him. Was he jealous? Absolutely, but, he's the one who created this situation. And, all said and done, this was a good thing, even if it was hard for him to stand by and watch.
"I'm sorry." He tried to look into the boy's eyes, but couldn't. "What I went through has nothing to do with you. I came back in time to make a better life, a better future. I shouldn't resent you for benefiting from that."
The boy hopped off his chair before pushing it in. Walking into the kitchen he waited a few breaths to be acknowledged. "I'm tired. I'm going to bed."
"Alrighty." Goku said, waving a rag draped hand before going back to cleaning.
Chi-Chi stopped scrubbing for a moment to address her son. "I'll be in soon to tuck you in and say good night."
Gohan nodded and walked back through the dining room. He didn't make eye contact with his older self as he did so. He did nod in his direction, but that was it. Entering his room he took his time taking off his Yardratian clothes and putting on his pajamas, and by the time he was in bed, his mother was with him.
Later, atop Mount Paozu
Turles, Goku, Piccolo, and both Gohan's stood in a semi-circle around the gathered Dragon Balls. Goku had spoken the words, and Shenron had appeared. Now, with all eyes on him, it was time for Turles to speak.
"With the changes Kami made." Piccolo began. "There should be no issue, but just remember, one at a time."
Turles nodded and clinched his fists. He looked up at the massive dragon, who could swallow him in a single bite. "Alright."
"Shenron, hear my wish and make it happen!" His demand was answered with a low grumble, as if tectonic plates were shifting. "Please, bring my nephew, Raditz, back to life."
Shenron's eyes flashed red for a moment, before dimming once more. "Your wish has been granted."
Goku tapped two fingers to his forehead, and was gone with a pop. A few seconds later he had returned, Raditz at his side, on the ground.
"... happened?" Raditz finished his sentence, even more confused than when he started it. With his back to Shenron he looked over the group in front of him, the Namekian, the one who killed him, and, his nephew, and…
"Turles?" His eyes bulged. "You're, you're alive?"
Turles opened his mouth to respond, but Shenron cut him off.
The dragon's voice boomed out omnidirectionally.
"I have granted your first wish. What is your second?" The higher tones of his voice dulled and deepened as they rolled down the mountain, sounding like heavy thunder to the distant residents.
Raditz's back stiffened as his eyes bulged yet again. Slowly he turned to look over his shoulder. A wall, a big, green, scaly, pulsating, wall. He looked up, and up, and up … and atop the massive serpent was a monstrous head. His whiskers could easy bind his legs, his teeth were the size of his forearm, and his gaze was upon them.
Turles put a hand on Raditz's shoulder, bringing his attention back to the audience. "Yes. I'm alive. Now, if you don't mind..."
He looked up once more.
"Eternal Dragon!" He projected his voice as boomingly as he could, but the effect fell flat. "For our second wish, return Nappa, the general of the Saiyan army, to life!"
Shenron's eyes flashed red once more, and in a flash Goku was gone again. This time he took a few moments longer to return, but when he did, the brute was with him.
"... you?" Nappa demanded. Noticing the scenery changed he did as Raditz did and took in his new surroundings. The brat that killed him, the Namekian, and an older version of both the boy and the Saiyan who brought him here. His gaze settled on his subordinate. "What, the hell, is going on?"
And, fuck, Nappa was here, that, that wasn't good. No, this was bad, this was a return to normality.
"I, don't know, Sir." Raditz choked through the words.
"Your second wish has been granted." Shenron lowered his snout to be nearly level with the group that summoned him. "What is your third wish?"
Vegeta. Prince Vegeta. Raditz swallowed. They were going to revive Vegeta. If they revived Nappa, Vegeta must have been killed, but, they revived him, they revived Nappa, they'd revive Vegeta next. He didn't know what happened to bring the Earthlings and his brother under control, but Turles must have done it. He must have come here, must have beat them into submission, taken the Dragon Balls they mentioned, and, and that'd bring them to here, to now, to, to Vegeta returning…
"Shenron..." Turles took a deep breath. "We need a ship. It needs to be big enough for a large group. It needs to be fast enough to overtake any of the Cold Empire's ships. It needs to be sufficient enough to feed a large group of Saiyans for any length of voyage. It needs a training room strong enough for a group of Super Saiyans to battle all out in without endangering the ship. And, the training room needs to have adjustable gravity, with an upper limit high enough to strain a Super Saiyan. Our third wish, is for such a spaceship."
Shenron crawled his nose forward closer to Turles. Raditz frantically stepped aside, and Nappa watched with bewildered interest. Pulling his lips back the dragon snarled at Turles as he narrowed his eyes. For a moment they flashed red before dimming once again. A capsule appeared in the air between them, and Turles grabbed it out of the air. "Your wish has been granted. Now, I shall return to my slumber."
From the inside out his form brightened until just a serpentine light remained. Snaking backwards the energy reentered the Dragon Balls. Once the night was dark once more, the Dragon Balls rose into the sky, and shot out in all directions.
Turles turned the capsule over in his hand. One side was engraved with seven semi spheres. The other side had a stylized trident in silhouette. He held his finger over the release button, but decided the unstable top of a mountain was not the right place to examine his new craft. Turning towards the newest two arrivals, the Saiyans, he warmly smiled. "Welcome back."
Raditz flicked his eyes to his brother before returning them to his uncle. "Turles, what, what's going on here?"
"Raditz, Nappa." Turles crossed his arms. "I'd like to introduce you to Goku, my other nephew, as well as Gohan, and Gohan, his sons, and Piccolo." He gestured with his chin as he named each of his companions.
Nappa smirked as he subtly stretched his shoulders. "You were able to conquer them by yourself? Great work for a low-class deserter."
Slowly he clinched his fist. "But even though you got us a ship, you didn't revive Prince Vegeta, and you're still a deserter."
He cocked his arm back and threw a fist at Turles.
Turles didn't bother blocking. No, he expected this. He took the fist to his chin, and used his ki to anchor him to the ground. Neither the brute nor his victim moved.
Nappa slowly pulled his hand back, spun, and whipped his foot at Turles. The kick connected with Turles' ribs, but again, he did not react.
Turles shook his head. "Are you done? Or do you want to try a blast too? I promise you it will be just as effective."
In his boot, Nappa slowly tensed and released his foot. He wouldn't let the others know how badly that hurt. He wouldn't let them know that he'd almost certainly need to tape them later.
"I'm good." He muttered under his breath.
"Good." Turles grinned. "Because right now, you need me a lot more than any of us need you." He uncrossed his arms and took two steps forwards. Standing toe to toe with Nappa he delivered a single, swift, punch to the Saiyan's stomach. Nappa buckled over his fist and crumpled to the ground.
"And, try to remember, you are no more in charge of me, than Vegeta is, or ever will be, of you." Turning to Raditz he lifted his fist. "Do you want to try your luck as well?"
"No, Sir!" Raditz barked instinctively.
"Good." Turles stepped back, beside his younger nephew. "Now, to set the record straight. I did not conquer this planet, no. I was rescued from enslavement, and Goku here is the one that rescued me."
"A Saiyan, enslaved?" Nappa gasped as he pulled himself to his knees. "You're a ..."
Turles appeared beside Nappa, his boot barely not touching the back of his head. "Not another word."
His stomach did a flip. He knew this would be required. He knew he'd have to assert himself. But this felt just as wrong as being on the other side did. Slowly he lowered his foot beside Nappa's head, where he remained.
"Goku rescued me." He restated. "On his way to Namek. On Namek we intended to gather the Dragon Balls, to undo the damage that you two did when you, and Vegeta, came to Earth."
He paused for dramatic effect. "Frieza beat us there."
Nappa snorted. Turles stepped between his shoulder blades, forcing him back to the ground.
"My great nephew, Gohan." He waved his hand at both of them. "Killed Frieza. Gohan, the elder, well, would you like to tell the story?"
Gohan stepped forward. This was weird. His uncle, his friend. Both blood thirsty monsters, just as they had been when they first came to Earth. "On Namek, Frieza killed my father in front of me. I unlocked my Super Saiyan power."
Raditz scoffed and Gohan lit up the mountain top once again, this time with his golden aura. A moment later his younger self transformed as well, followed by their father.
Raditz shut his mouth.
"I killed Frieza. We revived my father. A wish went wrong, and you two, and Vegeta, were revived. Cooler came looking for revenge, my father killed him. We learned that Frieza was revived as well, and had a friend of ours captive. I wasn't in the group that went to rescue her, but Nappa, you were, as well as Turles, my father, Vegeta, and others. You found Frieza, who killed Vegeta. Nappa, you became a Super Saiyan, and killed Frieza yourself. Cold swore revenge, and the rescue team went to battle him to protect the Earth."
Gohan stopped for a second to let the information sink in. "It was a close fight, one of the most spectacular in our universes history according to a god himself, but Cold won. The Earth was invaded, and we fled. We were trapped on the planet we fled to, where we built a time machine, which I used to come back in time. When I arrived I killed Cooler with my own two hands. I killed Cold with my own two hands. I remember how you were in my timeline. I know what you two could become. We agreed that we would revive you, give you the chance to become the honorable, powerful, allies that I know you can be. Now, Turles?"
Turning his focus inward Gohan stepped back between his father and his alternate self. Those two had trained with each other. When they lost control, they could wear each other out. But not him, Gohan had spent the last year relaxing, enjoying every part of Earth he could. With no real threats, and no one able to spar at his level, he let himself go, and it was getting harder and harder to control the Super Saiyan rage each day. Videl was coming along nicely, but she wasn't even close. Piccolo was powerful, tricky, and durable, but Gohan would still need to pull his punches, and couldn't even consider transforming. But now, now that Goku was back, and Gohan as well, he could begin training once more.
"King Cold?" Raditz asked as Turles began to speak. "King Cold is dead? Lord Cooler is dead? Lord Frieza is dead? They're all dead?"
Turles couldn't help but smile proudly at the question. "Yes, Raditz. Your nephew, the first Super Saiyan in a thousand years, killed Frieza and Cooler as a child, and Cold as a young teen. We have some catching up to do."
Nappa rolled onto his back. "Why did you not revive Prince Vegeta? He hated Lord Frieza more than any of us."
"Because Vegeta was weak." Gohan answered. "Mentally and physically. He wouldn't be able to contribute anything good to what we have in mind. He hated Frieza, but he hated everyone."
Nappa pushed himself to his feet.
"I, I can't argue with that." He lowered his head and knelt in front of Turles. "What is it you have in mind."
Turles' hand shot forward, stopping, open palmed facing sideways, slightly in front of Nappa. "Get on your feet, Nappa. I may be stronger than you, for now, but that's not how things are going to go anymore. No, we revived you because we wanted you, and you, Raditz, involved. Not as subordinates, not as slaves, and not as cannon fodder. No, if you come with me, it will be as equals, as Saiyans, brothers in battle."
Nappa's eyes softened as they looked up Turles' body, settling on his once again warm smile. Slowly, cautiously, he took Turles' hand. Expecting to be flung into the air, attacked, he was surprised when the senior Saiyan instead pulled him to his feet. "Thank, thank you, Sir."
"Turles." He barked. "And that goes for you too, Raditz. The name is 'Turles', not 'Sir', not 'Prince' or 'King', or 'Lord'. The Saiyans have been oppressed enough. The Saiyans have oppressed enough. Now, I, hopefully we, are going to change that. When the Cold Clan fell, it created a power vacuum, a vacuum that is rapidly being filled by anyone with a notable power level, or by rogue armies.
Turles clenched his fist. "Planets are being enslaved, exterminated, and sold off, just like they were before. Except, with the different factions, the battles are a lot bigger, a lot bloodier, than ever before. I'd say let them kill each other, but civilians are in the middle of it all. I've been enslaved, and I will do what I can to make sure it doesn't happen again."
Nappa dusted himself off as Turles spoke. When Turles took a break to gather his thoughts, he asked his question. "What would you have us do?"
Turles warm smiled turned into a sadistic grin. "We are Saiyans. We are true Saiyans. Half or full-blooded, first life or second, from this timeline or not, we are Saiyans. On this planet, on this peak, we stand, the only remaining members of our race. We are known as a terrible race. A plague upon the universe. I don't like that legacy. I say the three of us head out there, find any and every planet being ruled by a Frieza, a Cooler, a Cold, or any type of tyrant, and we free it. We purged planets of lesser beings under Frieza. Now, let's purge the universe of evil, of dictators, of monsters like them!" As he spoke he grew more and more excited, more and more animated. As he finished his proclamation he thrust his hand into the air, launching a low powered blast into the sky. "What do you say, men, are you with me?"
Raditz instinctively turned to Nappa for guidance, but the elder Saiyan's expression was blank as he contemplated the answer for himself.
"What if I'd rather not?" He couldn't look Turles in the eyes. "What if we'd rather stay here?"
"You're more than welcome to." Goku spoke for the first time. "But, if you stay on Earth, you will follow Earth laws. Your only choice is to live peacefully here. I, we, will not tolerate someone, anyone, threatening our home."
"And if we go?" Nappa asked. "We'll find a planet, free it, and just keep doing that until we die?"
Turles nodded. "You'll die on your feet, what death could be grander for a Saiyan?"
Nappa scowled, shooting a glare at the younger, still Super Saiyan, Gohan. "I already died on my feet."
"And you'll do it again." Turles continued to grin. "You can only be revived once, so hopefully not for some time."
Nappa rolled his shoulders, trying to feel out his own power. "How strong are these enemies?"
"I have no idea." Turles said, looking towards Goku.
"We're not certain, but a majority of them can't be very strong at all, just foot soldiers working for rogue generals." Goku answered truthfully.
He looked up into the dark sky above. "Since Ginyu was Frieza's top soldier, I'd assume the strongest of the strongest wouldn't be anywhere near as powerful as him?"
"Makes sense to me." Turles agreed. "So, not a problem for a couple of Saiyans."
"Turles." Nappa interjected. "You may be able to say that, but I'm nowhere near Captain Ginyu's power, and Raditz is nowhere near my power."
"Not a problem." Turles held up the capsule containing their new ship. "We've got a training room."
Raditz's jaw fell open.
"Training?" He glanced at his nephew, strong enough to hurt him as a toddler. "You can't train to be that strong, it's, either you have the power or not."
The elder Gohan stepped forward once more while shaking his head. "Wrong. Raditz, in my timeline you were far stronger than Turles is now. And Nappa, you became a Super Saiyan, you killed Frieza. You battled Cold. You died, but Cold is dead now, Frieza and Cooler are dead. You have the potential, both of you, to be at the same level as the rest of us."
"You heard the kid." Turles smirked, putting a hand on Gohan's shoulder. "So, are you in? Do you want to go let out some anger at the Frieza Force? Or do you want to retire to this back water mud ball..." He turned to Goku. "No offense."
"None taken." Goku smiled.
"I'm in." Raditz spoke up first. "If you can make me strong, strong enough to get revenge."
"Not revenge." Turles interrupted. "The goal is to free planets from the control of the Frieza Force remnants. To do that, we will be fighting the remnants of the Frieza Force. But their deaths and suffering isn't our goal."
He paused for a moment. "And I can't make you strong. Only you can do that. I can train you, train with you, but that's it."
Raditz swallowed, feeling like a chastised child. "I'm still in."
"Same here." Nappa smashed his right fist into his left palm. "When do we leave."
Turles held his hand against his chest, feeling the capsule in his shirt. "Tonight."
Years later, on the side of Mount Paozu
Chi-Chi dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. It shouldn't have been enough, but it was. Her sobs had left her drained hours ago, and now, all she could do was shed drops as slowly as her body produced them. Her eyes burnt, and her sinuses were closed. She'd been tired before, she'd been sad before, but this was a whole new level of exhaustion for the princess.
Last time this happened, he was on Namek. She didn't know about it until it had long passed. He was home, safe and told her the story himself. Before that, it had happened before, he was here, on Earth, but it was over. She arrived after the battle, after he saved Gohan. He was dead, and she had to accept that. Now though, he was alive. He was in bed, he was breathing, and he was dying. She wasn't alone then, and she wasn't alone now, Bulma, Yamcha, Jeice, Panchy, and Dr. Brief were with her.
A pop sounded behind her and her son, both of her sons, appeared. Kami was with the older Gohan, the more independent, distant, Gohan, and Piccolo was with, with her Gohan.
Kami's expression sank as he took in the seen in front of him.
"Oh my." He said, turning his staff around in his hands.
"Kami." Dr. Brief stood. "I think we narrowed it down."
Kami didn't answer him, no one did. Instead, he approached the side of Goku's bed, standing beside the Saiyan's wife. Placing one hand on Chi-Chi's shoulder, he used the other to sweep his staff over Goku's unmoving, faintly breathing, form.
"It's his heart." Kami's sunken expression managed to sink further, as his already aged face aged several years in the moment.
Dr. Brief nodded in agreement. "Our best biochemists, virologists, and epidemiologists are working on a cure. However, these things take time. The virus is similar to others, but unique enough that we are unable to simply provide an existing medication."
"I see." Kami said, standing his staff upright and letting it go.
It did not move. Keeping one hand on Chi-Chi's shaking shoulder, he slowly swept his hand over Goku's body. The tips of his nails glowed a faint blue, and with each pass over his chest the light brightened and expanded.
"I've never seen anything like this before." He cleared his throat. "But whatever I can do, I will."
Piccolo silently walked up beside him. Hiding a smug grin, masking the joy in watching the old man break his vows, he placed a hand on Kami's shoulder. Now was not the time for needling. There would be plenty of time to remind Kami that he was not to directly interfere. But now, now was for Goku. Slowly, he funneled his ki into Kami's body, and the bright blue light darkened to a pale green, and covered the entirety of Kami's arm.
As Piccolo fed his energy into Kami, he allowed his mind to wander. This wasn't the first time Kami had gotten personally involved. No, he fought himself in the last World's Martial Arts Tournament. He trained Goku, he trained the others in preparation for Saiyans. This was nothing new, and it shouldn't get to him, at least no more than the other instances. But for some reason, this felt different. This felt, this felt like it was a selfish action, taken for selfish reasons.
Goku was a good man. Goku deserved to live as much as anyone. But Goku wasn't necessary, not now. There was no threat to the planet, no known threat anyway. The Saiyans were on their side, or at least claimed to be. Piccolo himself was on their side, or at least wasn't against them. And, if there were a threat, the boys, they were more than capable of handling it. No, that was it, that is why this felt different. Kami had no need to aid Goku, and yet here he was. He was willing to get on his knees, and beg Piccolo to come to Goku's aid. He refused, let nature take its course, but then the old man brought up Gohan, and, he'd not admit it, but if he could lighten the boy's burden, he would.
The green light vanished. Piccolo was snapped out of his thoughts. The connection between him and Kami broke.
"I'm sorry." Kami bemoaned. "I'm sorry, but it's not working. We can give him energy, to help him resist, but it won't work for long. I, I don't know if we have enough energy to wake him up. I'm sorry, Chi-Chi."
He squeezed her shoulder as she found a new well of tears to draw from. "I'm sorry."
The younger Gohan joined his mother. In place, and in sobs. He tried to set his jaw. He tried to keep them in. He failed, and he did not, would not, regret the display.
The older Gohan let his eyes fall shut. Tears were welling up, and he wouldn't force them down. He wouldn't resist crying, but he wouldn't aid their release either. This, this was wrong. He came back. He stopped the enemy. He won. But even when he won, he lost.
"Thank, you." Chi-Chi choked out. Shrugging the hand off of her shoulder, she took Goku's in her own. It was warm. It was hot. He was alive, but he was burning up. "Thank you for trying."
She took a deep breath. "I, I think I know the answer, but."
She clamped her eyes shut. "The Dragon Balls."
She prepared to be struck. A physical blow would be far more appreciated than what she knew was coming. "They can't revive him if he dies of natural causes, can they?"
The battle hardened Gohan's eyes reflexively snapped open. His breath picked up and his muscles tensed. An opening… strike...
"I'm sorry. No." Kami barely managed the words.
Pinpoint accuracy. One light among billions. One warm light, with a blue familiarity.
"I'm sorry. We will be here..." Bulma said, and Gohan's eyes shot open.
She was here, how could he be so blind?
"The radar!" Gohan unintentionally shouted. "Where is it?"
"Huh?" Bulma asked. "Gohan, the, Shenron can't..."
Gohan's eyes flicked green for a flash. "Give it to me."
Only himself, his younger self, and Piccolo, recognized it for what it was. His plead came out as a growl. His despair came out as anger. His helpless came out as a need for action.
Bulma flinched in fright, and both Jeice and Yamcha tensed. Both were ready to get involved if something happened. It wouldn't, it shouldn't, but these, these were dark times, and they were only to get darker.
Digging in her purse she pulled the familiar device out on a thin yet heavy cord. Before she could release it, Gohan had taken it. The necklace slashed a cut in her palm, and before the blood could seep through her parted skin, Gohan was gone. As the viscous crimson fluid stained her pale skin, Kami felt Mr. Popo leave the Lookout. As she pressed her stinging palm to her lips he felt him reappear far to the south, the near to the northeast, and again to the west. As Jeice reached for a bandage and Yamcha yelped in surprise, Kami realized that Mr. Popo wasn't alone. As Bulma began to curse through her hand, another voice dominated the room.
"SHENRON, GRANT MY WISH!"
The gathered family were jointly dizzy. Gohan's anger flared in one corner, Bulma's hand was cut in another, and through a window in yet another direction, Gohan was summoning Shenron.
As a majority of the group, Bulma, the Gohan with more emotional stability, his mother, and his mentor stayed behind, the rest left. By the time they exited the house, the dragon was already settling into his physical body.
Shenron's fang baring lips parted slightly. His tongue shifted, but did not appropriately bend and curl. "I AM THE..."
"SHENRON!" The dragon was here, he was necessary. The dragon was speaking, his voice did not matter. "CURE MY FATHER OF HIS ILLNESS!"
Shenron growled as he lowered his face to Gohan. He curled his lips further, allowing Gohan to gaze into his now gaping maw. Glaring deeply into, through the boy's startlingly green eyes, his whipping golden hair, at his gritted teeth, he submitted. His eyes flashed red.
In yet another flash, this one of speed, not Instant Transmission, Gohan was inside. The window was thankfully open, or this would have been uncomfortable for the people in the room. Carefully he tossed the Dragon Radar to Bulma, who fumbled it and dropped it on the floor. The display doing what the window would have, if it wasn't open.
Bulma yelped in surprise and looked down at the broken device, She did not notice as Gohan landed on his father's bed, one hand on either shoulder.
"We couldn't revive you." Gohan pressed the words into his father. "But we could cure you."
He gently shook Goku. His power was lightening. It wasn't growing, or at least Goku wasn't powering up, but the now heavy tint that slowly, barely noticeably, grew to cover Goku's energy, was clearing up.
"We could cure you." Gohan shook his father again.
As Gohan prepared to escalate his approach, the few that last reentered the room. More importantly though, Goku shot upright, knocking Gohan to the foot of the bed.
"Huh?" Goku looked around the room.
"What's, what's up?" He blinked confusedly.
Author's note: With this wish, the dragon has been summoned 3 times lately. First, to revive Tien. Second, to revive Nappa and Raditz, and create a ship, and third, to return Goku to good health. That being said, only one wish was made with Shenron this go around …
Author's note 2: Chapter 57 is coming along swimmingly, and should be up and the not too distant future.That being said, work is still crazy, and things will still be slightly slower than normal for the foreseeable future.