Chapter 7: Sins of the Father

"Who?"

It was the natural reaction to Seymour's accusation, as Goku had no idea who this Bardock fellow was. And yet, although Goku didn't know the name, something about it seemed oddly familiar. It was if it was a name he should know, mentioned many years ago but forgotten soon afterward. Still, it didn't explain why Seymour believed that Goku was this other person, and Goku wondered exactly who in the world he was talking about. And it looked like Seymour wasn't going to accept plain ignorance for an answer, certain that he was right about who Goku really was.

Even Auron seemed surprised by the accusation, having long since dismissed the possibility back when met Goku in Luca. "Seymour, I knew Bardock long ago. This is not Bardock."

Hearing it again dredged up a memory from about nine years, when a certain galactic tyrant mentioned it somewhere during their fight. "Wait a second, I think I've heard it before."

Seymour crossed his arms, eyes narrowing as he continued to glare at Goku, not buying the act. "Quit the act already."

"Quiet," Goku interrupted. He turned his gaze upward, not caring for how silly he might look. "King Kai, I'm sorry to bother you so soon."

"I haven't found your thing yet," King Kai said. It took a moment for him to notice that Goku wasn't alone. "I see you've made some friends."

"Put them on the line please," Goku asked.

"Okay," King Kai said. It only took a moment, though he still wanted to know if it was working. "There, is everyone hearing loud and clear?"

A variety of shocked and/or terrified reactions answered him, confirming that four more people were added to the telepathic conversation. Even Auron was startled by the voice in his head, something he had never thought he would have to prepare for. Seymour was immediately suspicious, imagining all the various ways a telepathic entity could hurt them all. Rikku had stumbled backwards and fell on her behind, head turning every which way in search of where the voice came from. Tidus had drawn his sword and searched as well, until he saw that Goku remained completely calm.

"Everyone's on board," Goku reported. He took a moment to help Rikku get back up again. "Guys, that's King Kai you're hearing. He's one of my friends in high places."

"Oh…" Rikku muttered. She calmed down a bit, but still looked around for the voice. "That's… good to know. I didn't realize you were friends with God."

"I'm not that high up," King Kai corrected. "Goku, what did you want again?"

"We've got a case of mistaken identity," Goku answered, glancing at Seymour. "I was hoping you could help us out with it."

"I suppose I can," King Kai grumbled. "Could one of you show me an image of the guy, a memory will do."

"Okay," Seymour said. He focused on his memory of Bardock, drawing up the image exactly as he remembered it. He saw confused looks from most of the others, confirming that it was working. "I presume you all see what I see?"

What they saw was a man that looked very similar to Goku, though with a few distinct features to set him apart from the man here in the flesh. There was a pair of scars on his face, a red bandanna covering his forehead, and a hardened expression that spoke of a lifetime of war. Green armor covered much of his body, though his arms were left bare to show off well-toned muscles. Tidus and Rikku took another look at Goku, comparing him to the image Seymour shared, noticing the similarities between the two and understanding why he might think they were the same person.

"Got it," King Kai said. "I do see the resemblance, but I don't know who this guy is."

"So much for that," Tidus grumbled.

"I didn't say I couldn't help," King Kai said. "I don't know this guy, but I know someone might. Just give me a moment to get him in the call."

Meanwhile, on a world half a universe away, the only living pure blooded Saiyan was doing what he always did. Training in a high gravity room was how the Saiyan prince spent his days, mostly to improve his skills and keep from losing his edge in a time of peace, a little bit because he didn't have much else to do on Earth. The woman and the five year old boy were doing something they referred to as 'family time', which he had no intention of ever participating in personally. Granted, if there was any chance of them being threatened he would be there immediately, but that was hardly necessary these days.

Vegeta would never admit it to anyone, but he had settled into life on Earth quite well. It wasn't his favorite planet by any means, and it was no substitute for the loss of Planet Vegeta, but this was a place that he could call home. It helped that all his needs were provided for by the locals, from the plentiful food to the gravity room that enabled his training. And the few moments he shared with his boy were something he cherished on the inside, though he would never tell anyone that. It was a good life, even if it lacked any real challenges to test his might.

"Hello, Vegeta, can you hear me down there."

Hearing the voice in his head was disconcerting, and Vegeta stood in the gravity room looking around for where it came from. "Who is this?"

"It's King Kai. I just need a moment of your time."

Although he had never met or even spoke with King Kai before, Vegeta had overhead others talking about him before, enough to understand his position in the cosmos. "What do you want from me?"

"Hi Vegeta, how've you been."

He knew that voice all too well, a voice that he hadn't heard in five years. "Kakarot, there had better be a good reason for you to contact me like this."

"Just need you to help clear something up for us."

Vegeta sighed and put a hand to his forehead. "Fine, but make it quick."

"We're trying to figure out who this guy is," Goku said. "Someone seems to think it's me."

The image of a scarred Saiyan was relayed telepathically, and immediately Vegeta scowled and clenched a fist. "Dammit Kakarot can't you even recognize your own father on sight?"

There was a bit of silence in the telepathic call, interrupted by the quite murmuring of understanding, then Goku's voice in a surprised tone. "I never really thought about my dad all that much, or at all even. It didn't seem all that important."

"It isn't really," Vegeta said. "Given that he died along with our planet decades ago, along with the rest of our race."

"Oh…" Goku said. "Thanks for that Vegeta. It really helps a lot."

"Good, now stop talking in my head," Vegeta demanded. Sure enough, there weren't any more voices there, and Vegeta went back to his training. "Waste of my time…"

"Thanks for that King Kai, I think that's all we'll need right now."

The brief long-distance call to Earth had been quite revealing, even if most of this group standing just outside the Farplane didn't understand the mechanics of the communication. Still, the core of the matter had been resolved, enough for even Seymour to admit that he had been wrong about Goku. Whoever this Bardock person was, it wasn't Goku, but the father of Goku instead. In hindsight it seemed to be a simple enough mistake for anyone to make, though now it appeared to be obvious to everyone.

Although reluctant to concede any point on any topic, Seymour was man enough to acknowledge his mistake. "It seems that I must apologize. It is not every day that you discover a father and son that look nearly identical. The resemblance is rather extraordinary."

"Yeah, it really is," Goku said, mind racing with the possibilities this revelation presented. "So are we cool now? You're not going to accuse me of being someone else?"

"Yes, I believe we are," Seymour said. He gave a polite curtsy, and he made eye contact one more time. "I will take my leave, if you don't mind."

The matter settled, Seymour turned and walked away from everyone, heading back into Guadosalam for rest in his manor. Everyone else watched him leave in silence, and there was much relief when Seymour was gone. No one still here had any liking for the maester, most tolerating his presence solely because of his position. Still, even with the maester out of sight and out of mind, there were still questions about the matter he had brought up. Only now it was Goku who had questions, and it was Auron who could provide the answers.

Goku turned toward Auron, trying to picture a man like himself standing beside the guardian. "So you knew Bardock? I wish I could say I did. I never got to meet him."

Auron gave him a bemused look. "You never knew your own father?"

"Lucky," Tidus grumbled.

Ignoring that remark, Auron gestured to Tidus and Rikku, telling them to stay put. "Remain here while we speak in private."

"What?" Rikku blurted out.

"Why?" Tidus demanded.

Again ignoring their complaints, Auron walked toward the far end of the tunnel, Goku following right behind him. He stopped at the midway point, out of earshot of the others. "Ten years ago, Bardock arrived in Spira."

Thinking back to where he was then, Goku remembered the first time he died. "That was when I fought a brother I didn't know I had. Bardock would have been long dead by then."

Auron nodded. "That hasn't stopped you or me. Being dead didn't stop him."

Goku looked toward the barrier, remembering the path he had taken to get to Spira. With enough time and will to live again, he supposed anyone could find the way here eventually. "So what happened?"

"Braska gave him purpose," Auron said. "From him, Bardock found a reason to make life worth living."

"What was he like?" Goku asked.

Auron closed his eyes, remembering back to a different life. "He was strong, and fought to serve his own ends. He did selfless things for selfish reasons. At first he seemed like he wanted to be anywhere but here, yet eventually came around to seeing Spira as a new home."

"Huh…" Goku muttered, putting one hand to his chin and thinking about it. "Somehow, I thought he might have been a brilliant scientist. I must have dreamt that."

"Oh he was a fighter, through and through," Auron said.

"I'll have to look for him," Goku promised. Granted, he hadn't sensed any powers that might be him, but that meant very little in Spira. "Where should I try first?"

"I wouldn't know," Auron admitted, wishing he could provide a better answer. "I haven't seen him in years. He could be anywhere."

"Well thank you for telling me about him," Goku said.

"I'm sure he would want to meet you," Auron said. He tried to suppress a laugh, recalling a memory from long ago. "Bardock once said that if either of his sons arrived, I should run as far as I can. It seems that he was wrong."

"Well half wrong," Goku said, thinking that the advice would have been true for Raditz. He turned his head back to the far end of the tunnel. "They're coming back out now."

Several gasps echoed down the tunnel, which got Goku and Auron's attention, getting them to hurry back down to the deep end. They saw Yuna standing in front of the barrier, Kimahri close to her with Wakka and Lulu right behind them. Tidus and Rikku had gotten closer, but still kept their distance from the barrier. Auron stopped even further back, not daring to even approach the Farplane. Goku in turn stopped at the barrier, standing beside Yuna and her guardians. And someone else was there, struggling to pass through the barrier to the side of the living.

"Does anyone know this guy?" Goku asked, staring at the guado before them.

"Lord Jyscal?" Yuna questioned, knowing the guado only through pictures.

"He does not belong here," Auron said from afar. "Send him."

Recognizing that word, and remembering what it would do to him, Goku knew he didn't want to stick around. "I'll just leave you to that."

Goku put two fingers to his forehead, and everyone saw him vanish into thin air.

"Huh…" Rikku muttered. "So that's how he does it."

Beyond the deepest depths of the Farplane, the black pyrefly soared through the skies of the afterlife. It's only thought was of the golden warrior that was a threat to its mission, everything it did was meant for that sole purpose. Memories taken from the failed possession guided the black pyrefly, seeking out souls that had been similarly thwarted by the warrior before their demise. This time the black pyrefly flew into the outer levels of hell, where relatively minor damned souls were imprisoned. Various oni guarded the prison, a few even spotting the black pyrefly before it arrived.

One of them sounded the alarm. "Battle Stations!"

The call to arms was in vain, for the black pyrefly simply smashed through the gate and entered the prison. Oni were tossed aside like nothing, and in moments the black pyrefly found the souls it searched for. Three of them in fact, imprisoned in adjacent cells, granted the small comfort of remaining near those they had been close to in life. Though they were varied in appearance, they wore the same uniform, having been part of a team long ago. The black pyrefly flew through the cell bars and absorbed the souls one by one, taking all three of them before departing the prison.

Afterward, a short green guy was all that remained. "Hey! What about me?!"

Not having a particular destination in mind, Goku had focused on the closest energy he recognized and teleported there. He found himself standing in the foyer of an ornate mansion, facing a pair of staircases leading to a second floor, the walls adorned with the portraits of various guado leaders. There were guado servants tending to the place, making it presentable for incoming guests, startled by the sudden arrival of someone they hoped would come later in the day. Goku wasn't the only guest here at the moment, and he looked around to see the others visiting this place.

"Hi again," Goku said, waving to the members of Crimson Squad. "Sorry to drop in like this. I didn't check where I would end up."

Baralai had been drinking a glass of water when he saw Goku appear from nothing, and in his surprised stupor the water was dribbling down his chin. "Huh…"

Turning away from the portrait he'd been looking at, Gippal could have sworn that Goku hadn't been here a second ago. "How do you sneak up on people like that? I didn't even hear the door open."

"That's because it didn't," Baralai said, finally realizing his mess and wiping the water from his face. "One moment there was nothing, the next he was here."

"Yeah, it's called Instant Transmission," Goku said. "Anyway, I'm just passing through. I'll just be on my way now."

"Wait," Nooj interrupted, looking down from atop one of the staircases. "Can you go anywhere doing that?"

"If there's someone there for me to sense, yeah," Goku said. "That's kind of why I ended up here. I didn't look before I leaped."

"Can you take other people with you?" Nooj asked.

"Yeah, of course," Goku said. "Do you need to go anywhere?"

"Bevelle," Nooj answered. He noticed Baralai and Gippal looking his way, and he produced a note for them to read. "New orders from Maester Seymour, we're supposed to go to Bevelle and assist Maester Kinoc in preparing the city."

"Preparing it for what?" Baralai asked.

"He didn't say," Nooj answered. He walked down the staircase to get up close to the others. "But we are supposed to leave immediately."

"Sounds like the maester just wants to get rid of us," Gippal speculated. "We haven't done anything worthwhile since Kinoc gave us to Seymour."

"It's not our place to judge their intentions," Nooj said. He turned his attention back to Goku. "Can you get all of us to Bevelle instantly?"

"Yup," Goku said. He held out a hand for them to take. "All you have to do is hold on."

"I'll go get Paine," Gippal said. He was already walking off to go get her. "She'd never forgive us if we left her behind."

It only took a minute for him to find Paine, and on the way back she had been told what they were going to do. "So let me get this straight. You're going to make us all disappear, and then reappear in Bevelle, faster than any of us can blink?"

"That's the gist of it," Goku said. "Just hang on to me, or someone hanging on to me, and we'll be going."

Paine shrugged. "Okay, sure why not?"

Four different hands were placed on Goku's, and he put the first two fingers of his free hand to his forehead. "Alright, here we go."

The group of five vanished, leaving the mansion empty of guests. They reappeared elsewhere, and four of the five were shocked by the sudden change in scenery. "What the…"

They had appeared inside the temple of Yevon in Bevelle, right in the middle of a religious service. Behind Grand Maester Mika in fact, currently delivering a sermon to the people gathered in the temple. He only stopped when he heard many surprised gasps, and nearly had a stroke when he turned around and saw two people there. Once again Goku regretted making a blind teleport, not expecting to arrive in front of a crowd. He blushed, put one hand behind his head, and closed his eyes, making a weak laugh at his own expense.

Goku promptly walked out of the temple, ignoring all the people gawking at him along the way. After passing through the doors he took to the air, flying into the sky above Bevelle. He hovered high above the city, and took a moment just to listen to the wind and collect his thoughts. He didn't sense any big powers appearing anywhere, and figured he had some time to decide what to do. The revelation that his father had been here sunk in, and curiosity got the better of him. Goku picked a random direction and flew toward the horizon, wondering where to search for Bardock.

After forcing the late Lord Jyscal back into the Farplane with the Sending, Yuna put her mind back on task. She hadn't noticed Auron's discomfort during the ritual, remaining unaware of his true nature as an Unsent. Afterward Yuna put the Farplane behind her and walked away, her guardians following her back into Guadosalam. The people here were more than welcoming to a summoner, and Yuna's presence put them at ease. The group passed through the underground settlement, heading for the northern tunnel to return to the aboveground world.

Along the way Rikku slowly drifted behind the others, and when they were in the tunnel she stopped altogether. "Do… Do we really have to go through there?"

"Yes," Auron answered.

Walking in between them, Tidus stopped and turned around. "What's the problem? Is it something up ahead?"

"We're about to enter the Thunder Plains," Lulu said, standing up ahead and looking back at them. "It's a storm that never stops. We have to pass through it to reach Macalania Temple."

"Can't we go around?" Rikku asked.

"It would take over a week," Wakka answered. He walked back to where Rikku stood, crouching a little to look friendlier to her. "Come on, we'll be in and out in a day. It'll be over before you know it."

That would have calmed Rikku, if it weren't for the echo of thunder coming through the tunnel. "I don't know… I mean… are we really in such a big hurry? There's really no rush to finish the pilgrimage while Goku is around, is there?"

"He won't be around forever," Auron said. "Only Sin is eternal."

"Still…" Rikku muttered.

"Maybe we don't all have to go to Macarena," Tidus suggested.

"Macalania," Wakka corrected.

"Aye," Tidus said, and then got back on point. "Anyway, is there some place we can meet up afterward? Or is the pilgrimage a straight line from here?"

"The Calm Lands," Lulu answered. "It's on the opposite side of Bevelle from Macalania. Going around the Thunder Plains, you could get there at the same time we do. Not that you know where to go."

"I know the way, mostly," Rikku said.

"Fine," Wakka said. "We'll meet you up there then."

"You guys mind if I go with her?" Tidus asked. "Going through an eternal storm does not sound appealing to me."

"If you wish," Auron said.

Soon enough most of the group were passing through the tunnel, while Rikku and Tidus were going back the other way. Rikku was certainly relieved, for several reasons. "Thanks for doing that."

"No problem," Tidus said. In a few minutes they had gotten outside Guadosalam, and could look for the road that would go around the place and the Thunder Plains. "Say… do you think we'll have time to swing by Bevelle? It sounds like an impressive place to visit."

"Only if we hurry," Rikku promised.

It took some time, but Goku finally found something.

After circling the globe several times, each path being somewhat further south than the last, Goku finally found something that he could sense. Granted it wasn't much bigger than the usual powers he sensed, but that meant little on Spira. More important was the fact that this power was alone, isolated from the rest of the world on a small island several miles out to sea. It seemed like a good spot for someone that wanted to stay hidden, a place where it would be difficult to accidently stumble across him.

The island was covered in ancient ruins, half submerged by the ocean around it. The ruins looked like they had once been an elaborate temple, built during a time when the sea level was much lower than it is today. The roof of the largest structure had collapsed long ago, and the wide open space inside was filled with water. Various statues of various deities or mythological figures were submerged, many of them broken apart or eroded by the tides. But there were places in this ancient temple that were still intact, places that the sea had yet to attack.

Goku descended and landed on a crumbling pillar, overlooking the water-filled pit below. The person he sensed was inside the ruins, and he saw a path inside that was underwater. "I could use a bath."

He took a deep breath and jumped off the pillar, diving head first into the water. Goku swam towards the underwater entrance, passed through broken down doors, and found a flooded corridor that led to an intact part of the ruins. At the end of it he swam up and surfaced, now inside a large chamber that was mostly dry inside. He stood up and walked into the domed chamber, looking at rings of balconies that made up several levels to this place. Only now did he notice a hole in the far wall, looking like rather recent destruction, and would have made entering a whole lot easier.

Goku turned and faced the opposite direction, where he sensed the sole individual here. "Hello! I know you're over there! Please come on out!"

The only answer was his own echo, but Goku didn't let that deter him. He sensed the person coming closer, but not coming into direct view. Goku thought he saw him around the corner of a passageway, eyes peeking through cracks to get a look at his visitor. Goku smiled and waved at him, and the person pulled his head away. A sudden spike in power hit Goku's senses, far beyond anything he had sensed besides from Sin, right before the whole wall exploded. A man in a bright white aura came out, flew straight toward Goku, and tried to punch him in the face.

Goku blocked with his arm, and got his first good look at the man. "Huh… Who knew I could look so mean?"

At first glance the man's face was like looking in a mirror, but only for that first glance. The illusion was broken by the scars this man had, resembling an X branded onto his cheek. A red bandanna covered his forehead, framing a face that held plenty of fury. His hair was a near perfect match for Goku's, black and spiky in several directions. Then Goku looked down and saw the armor the man was wearing, definitely Saiyan armor though of a style he hadn't seen before. Green and dark blue armor covered his chest and the sides of his legs, though his arms were left bare and with only straps over the shoulders.

The man noticed the similarities too, and he did not strike again. "What trickery is this?"

"You must be Bardock," Goku said. He lowered his arm and took a step back, watching Bardock lower his fist as well. "I hear we have a lot in common, Dad."

Reminded of his Saiyan name, the relationship claimed by the stranger in front of him, and the sheer similarities between their appearances, Bardock had only one explanation. "Kakarot…?"

"It's Goku," he corrected. "Really, only Vegeta calls me Kakarot."

"King Vegeta's alive?" Bardock questioned.

"He's always calling himself the Prince of all Saiyans," Goku said.

"Oh, you meant his son," Bardock said.

"But now that you mention it, shouldn't Vegeta be calling himself king now?" Goku pondered, wondering why he never thought of it before.

"Not until a coronation," Bardock said. "Which I presume never happened, what with our planet being blown to bits."

"Point," Goku conceded. "I suppose you can't be king if the kingdom is gone."

Reminded of the destruction of Planet Vegeta, Bardock looked Goku in the eye, and feared that the worst had happened. "If you're here, that must mean you died. Was my last vision wrong? Did you fall to Frieza like everyone else?"

"What?" Goku blurted out. "No. Frieza's been dead for a good eight years now. Cell's the one who did me in, though that was kind of my fault."

"Who's Cell?" Bardock asked.

"No one you would know," Goku answered, not wanting to delve into that subject. "Hang on. You said you had a vision about me?"

"I did," Bardock said. "I had several in fact, before our planet's destruction. But the visions stopped when I died. I guess whatever that alien did to me didn't carry over through death."

"So you really are dead too," Goku noted. "Funny, a lot of dead people show up here."

"I never expected you to arrive," Bardock admitted. "Why did you come?"

"I was sent here to find out what was going on," Goku answered. "So far I've come across Sin, destroyed Sin, went on a celebrity thing in Bevelle, destroyed Sin again, and again, found out you were in Spira through your friend Auron, and now I'm here."

"You destroyed Sin?" Bardock questioned. "Multiple times?"

"Yeah, and it got stronger each time," Goku said. "You didn't sense the battles?"

"I've been here for the last few months," Bardock said. "I have no idea what's been going on in the wider world."

"So you can't sense energy," Goku surmised. He turned his head to the northeast, looking at something he felt far off in the distance. "Like that. You're not sensing that big energy over there."

"What are you going on about?" Bardock asked.

"I'll explain later," Goku promised, already putting fingers to his forehead. "This should not take long. I'll be right back."

Goku disappeared, leaving Bardock very confused. "What the…"

The mansion had gotten awfully quiet in the last half hour.

Seymour had been resting and meditating in his inner chamber during that time, needing to refocus his mind and process the latest revelation. The news that Goku was in fact who he claimed to be, albeit still not telling everything about himself, instead of someone he knew in the past was still a shock for him. The conversation had revealed plenty about the both of them, more than just the fact that they were Unsent, but that they weren't from Spira at all. And unlike the brat who claimed to be from Zanarkand, Seymour could believe that Goku and Bardock were from another world.

And it seemed that Crimson Squad had taken his order seriously, for they weren't in the mansion when Seymour emerged from his inner chamber. He had thought they would remain for at least another hour, resting and preparing for a long journey ahead of them. It didn't really matter to Seymour, just that they were now Kinoc's problem like they should have been. He didn't need them here, where the guado people served his every whim. He preferred the company of his own kind, even if he was only half-guado.

As he entered the foyer, Seymour found his most trusted advisor. "Tromell, is Lady Yuna still in Guadosalam?"

"She departed about fifteen minutes ago," Tromell answered. "Would you like me to send a messenger? I'm sure she has only started to cross the Thunder Plains by now."

"That will not be necessary," Seymour said. "I know where she is going. It will be a simple matter to catch up with her at my leisure."

Tromell nodded. "Shall I prepare your entourage?"

"Please," Seymour said. He turned toward the front doors, thinking on what he might need. "I think the usual accompaniment will suffice. I do not expect trouble on the road."

"Of course," Tromell said. "I shall arrange it at once."

He left immediately, and Seymour did not need to think about the matter any further. Tromell was an excellent guado in Seymour's opinion, the obvious choice to lead his people in his absence, should the worst ever happen. Seymour spent a few moments preparing for the trip ahead, taking a small meal while he was here, and cleaning himself up a little bit. It wouldn't do to be in a shabby state when he would arrive at Macalania Temple, and soon he was ready to depart. But just when he was about to leave, there was a tremor that shook all of Guadosalam.

It had Seymour wondering what could have caused it. "What in the world was that?"

Back over the mainland Goku reappeared, hovering in the skies not far from Guadosalam. Directly below him was a reborn Sin, now in a form that was best described as a chimera of sorts. The torso resembled a muscular bear, the legs and arms were like a kangaroo, and a tail that ended with the head of a snake. And yet this version of Sin was smaller than the others, only thrice the size of a great ape. Its head almost resembled that of a regular human, albeit with sharp fangs and black eyes that were like a bottomless void.

Right off the bat Goku transformed, his Super Saiyan light shining down to cast away the darkness. "Alright big guy, here we go again."

Sin noticed Goku's arrival and transformation, both bear and snake heads looking up at him. Sin leapt into the air with surprising speed, swung a fist that struck Goku, knocking him away towards the north. A black aura appeared around Sin, bursting with power as Sin took flight, chasing after Goku across the sky. Goku stopped and flew back the other way, swinging his fist just as Sin did the same, their blows impacting each other and unleashing a mighty shockwave. Sin's middle finger broke apart, spilling black blood all over Goku, his arm ending up half buried in dark flesh.

Opening his fist, Goku blasted with his palm, creating a blast that disintegrated what was left of that finger. Goku flew straight up, only to be hit by Sin's other fist, knocking him away and a little bit down. Goku flew back up and punched Sin's face, knocking the whole head back, and slammed both fists into the bear head, tipping Sin all the way back and upside down. But then the snake head reached up, fangs bare and ready to clench, moving to strike from behind. Goku dodged the attack, grabbed the tail just behind the head, and pulled hard enough to swing Sin around.

After a few spins Goku let go, tossing Sin away to crash into the ground near the Moonflow. Catching his breath, Goku realized that the base Super Saiyan form wasn't going to cut it anymore. He clenched his fists and held them apart, aura intensifying as he started powering up. He yelled as he channeled the power within, ascending to a level beyond a Super Saiyan. Muscles thickened a bit, hair growing the slightest bit longer, and aura brightening to the point where his very flesh glowed with it. In the Ascended Super Saiyan form, Goku charged at Sin far faster than before.

Sin was just getting up when Goku punched it, the blow knocking Sin backward, stepping all over a forest near the riverbank. A flurry of punches followed, denting Sin's chest over and over, quickly breaking the skin and letting black blood ooze out. Goku aimed a palm and blasted the wound, creating a bigger hole in Sin's flesh. But then Sin's fist came crashing down, hitting Goku and slamming him into the ground, only for Goku to push back up. Goku flew and pushed the fist up with him, lifting that side of Sin and tipping the monster over.

The tail coiled up and sprung at Goku, the snake head opening its jaws and baring its fangs. It bit down around Goku, as if to swallow him whole, only for him to get lodged in the snake head's throat. Goku unleashed his power in a mighty explosion, disintegrated the black flesh all around him, and saw the snake head fall to the ground. The tail flailed around like made, the bloody stump at the end pouring black blood everywhere. It came back around the other side of Sin and slammed into Goku, tossing him away while Sin roared in pain.

The roar changed from pain to rage, and the black aura around Sin intensified. Power built up within the monster, and when Goku flew in for an attack Sin unleashed it. Arms apart, knees wide, Sin detonated a mighty explosion, shockwaves spreading in every direction. While the forest flattened Goku hit the shockwave head on, fist first and forcing his way through. He struck Sin right in the gut with his elbow, got a sense of déjà vu, and left a big dent there. Another strike broke the skin, and more black blood oozed out of the wound.

But then Sin swung both of its fists inward, striking Goku and its own gut at the same time. Pressed between fists and flesh, Goku sank into the open wound. The black flesh coiled around Goku, snaring him and pulling him inside. Outside light quickly vanished, leaving Goku with only his aura for illumination. Not that there was anything to see, other than darkness that went on without end. Goku detonated another explosion around himself, opened up an empty void within Sin, only for the black flesh and blood to fill it back in again.

Something changed when all that matter hit Goku, flesh and blood becoming a bottomless black void. Like there was a whole other world inside of Sin, and Goku had gone deep enough to enter that place. It felt like falling into a bottomless pit, even when Goku tried to fly back out to escape it. The void just went on forever, no matter how fast or how far he went. Goku put his fingers to his forehead and focused, but was shocked to find that he did not sense anyone outside, only Sin's energy surrounding him.

"What is going on?" Goku muttered. He fired energy blasts in several directions, heard them going off into the distance, and not a single impact or explosion. "This is bad."

A black light appeared in the distance, and Goku flew off after it. Yet the black light did not get any closer, and Goku wasn't sure if it was keeping his pace or if he wasn't even moving at all. The void around him changed, images of places flashing by, until the void was replaced with a place that looked real but felt like it wasn't. Goku found himself hovering over something that looked like a city, towers of glass and iron reaching up for the black light above, yet none of it seemed real. More like a dream, where things warped around as the mind saw fit.

Yet it reminded Goku of a place he had been, left in ruins for a thousand years. "Zanarkand…"

This dreamlike place was like an intact version of those ruins, the way it had been before the destruction of the city. But the city was empty, not a single soul walking the streets. Hovering over this empty city, it felt like being underwater, and the buildings rippled like waves on the ocean. The black light hovered over the dream stadium, slowly moving down to land inside. Goku slowly followed the black light, the only thing in this place that seemed real. The black light landed in the center, and Goku landed halfway to the stadium's edge.

There was a bright flash, and the black light changed form. A dark orb appeared in its place, slightly bigger than Goku's height. Within the orb was a man-sized tick, branded with the symbol of Yevon on its back, which was facing Goku at the moment. The tick's left half shed its carapace, exposing a humanlike left arm and left leg connected to a half humanoid torso. The remaining right side stretched out into a wing, like a ladybug preparing to fly, revealing an insectoid arm and leg on that side. But the head remained like that of a tick, cracked in places with a few strands of silver hair poking through.

This half-man half-tick turned around, looking at his ultimate foe with compound eyes. "Goku…"

The word was mangled by a deep voice spoken through mandibles, and Goku knew who was standing before him. "So you're Yu Yevon."

"Yu Yevon…" he muttered, as if to get a feel for it again. "I have not heard that name in a very long time."

"So this is what you really look like," Goku said. He aimed a palm at Yu Yevon. "So you're the one I have to kill to bring this all to an end."

Goku fired a large energy blast, near point blank range, and it did not miss his target. But the blast passed through Yu Yevon, as if he wasn't even there, and exploded on impact with the far end of the dream stadium, which reformed in seconds. Goku fired again to the same effect, only damaging the dream stadium instead of Yu Yevon. He clenched his fist and flew at Yu Yevon, punched him in the chest, only to pass through to the other side. Goku turned around and faced Yu Yevon, wondering what was going on.

"You're not really there, are you?" Goku asked.

"Here, I am everywhere," Yu Yevon proclaimed.

"Let's test that," Goku said. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, and his whole body glowed with power as he concentrated his energy. "Take this!"

Goku threw his arms out and unleashed his power, creating a massive explosion that blasted outward in every direction. The dream stadium disintegrated instantly, quickly followed by the rest of the dream city. Shockwaves passed through the entirety of Sin, slammed against the walls that were the inside of its torso, bringing the entire monster to a halt. After ending his attack Goku found himself surrounded by nothing but an empty void, and he saw light coming through cracks in Sin's skin. Seeing a path out Goku flew towards it, knowing that it would close at any moment.

That moment came too soon, as the cracks were closed before Goku could reach them. Plunged back into the dark void again, the sensation of flying nowhere fast returned. Goku turned around and saw the dream city reform, the bits and pieces reassembling into bigger chunks that came together as buildings and streets, returning to the way they were before Goku's explosion. And it reformed just underneath Goku, as if to erase the distance he had flown after destroying it, all to make his efforts seem utterly futile.

Even Yu Yeven reappeared exactly as he was, now hovering above the dream stadium and in front of Goku. "This is my domain. Your power, immense though it may be, is utterly meaningless here."

Yet as he heard those words, Goku noticed something different. He felt three small but distinct energies, coming from far below Yu Yevon, and just barely recognizable. "We'll see about that."

Goku flew down to the energies he sensed, heading into the streets of the dream city below. With a fist in front he smashed through the pavement, shattering the dream and passing into the void even further below. The very nature of the void changed here, black fading into an ever shifting mosaic of every color in the rainbow. Floating in the colorful void was a gigantic sword, its edge horizontal and the side reflecting Goku's image back at him. Goku landed on the hilt of the sword, staring at the source of the energies he sensed.

Above the blade was a dark sphere, holding three individuals within. It took a moment for Goku to recognize them, having been well over eight years since he had seen the Ginyu Force. He didn't know any of their names, remembering them as the muscular redhead, another being the big blue snake guy, and the red skinned short fellow from the space down under. All three of them were pounding their fists against the inner surface of the dark sphere, desperately trying to get out to no avail. They recognized Goku on the other side, silently pleading for release despite their hatred of him.

"Hang on," Goku said, even if they couldn't hear him. "I'll have you out in a bit."

Goku punched the dark sphere right in the center, and there was a brilliant flash of black light. The dark sphere split into three smaller spheres, each containing one of the three aliens. They were drifting away from each other and away from Goku, and their occupants pounded on the inner surfaces harder than ever. All of Sin shook violently, from the outside to the core and everything in between. The colorful void and the floating sword blurred together for a moment, but immediately returned to clear separation.

Yu Yevon appeared in front of Goku, hovering just above the sword. "Stop. You do not know what you are doing."

"I've got a pretty good idea," Goku countered. He aimed a palm at Yu Yevon, glowing as he charged an energy attack. "I'm taking you apart from the inside."

He fired an energy blast through Yu Yevon, and struck the middle dark sphere behind him. It contained the muscular redhead, and there was a mighty explosion on impact. That dark sphere shattered and evaporated into black mist, releasing the occupant from captivity. His appearance expanded to several times his normal size, and he became transparent and ethereal and filled with pyreflies. He looked at Goku, all animosity forgotten, greatly relieved to be freed. And then the muscular redhead vanished, sent back to the afterlife from whence he came.

All of Sin changed.

A loud and painful roar was heard across Spira, booming echoes heard by every man woman and child. The monster itself collapsed onto both knees and an arm, the other arm wrapped around the wound in its belly. The stump of a tail shriveled away, and the legs fused together and morphed into a much larger snake tail. Hands grew much longer and sharper claws, while the arms and torso became slim and lean. A long growth sprouted from the back of Sin's head, like a long plume of hair that reached its lower back.

Inside of Sin everything went out of focus, the illusion of a void and floating sword disrupted by the change. Only Yu Yevon remained in focus, the only thing that could be considered real. Yet he did not remain unchanged, for a piece of carapace on his right arm broke off, revealing a more humanoid elbow underneath. Goku saw a chance and fired another energy blast, but this one passed through Yu Yevon like all the others. Still, Goku could see that Yu Yevon was furious. That much was obvious even through his half-insect face.

And Goku sensed a sudden drop in power all around him, sensing Sin growing much weaker than it had been before. For a moment Goku felt energies from outside of Sin, but they were temporary blips immediately blocked by what remained of Sin's power. It got Goku smiling brightly, knowing that he was on the right track. Yu Yevon saw the look of revelation on Goku's face, growled something unintelligible, and swept his right arm toward the remaining dark spheres, sending them away through the void.

Goku flew after the dark spheres at high speed, yet they moved faster than him through the void. "Get back here!"

Suddenly a tremor shook Sin, the void itself loosing color and cohesion. Another tremor hit, and the void itself faded, permitting view of something else entirely. Goku saw bits and pieces of the outside world, before the void returned to full color. A third tremor hit, the void faded further, and Goku saw the world through the perspective of Sin. It lasted long enough for him to see the land and a light in the sky, and Goku felt a large power coming from within the light. Another tremor reinforced the view, and Goku saw the light up close.

"Bardock?"

There he was generating the light, a golden aura radiating with power. Bardock flew in the form of a Super Saiyan, his hair golden and rising according to the standard transformation. Bardock punched Sin in the face, knocked the monster's head back, and sent Goku's view spinning. More blows came and shook Sin to its core, but now Goku compensated for it and his view stabilized. Now the sight of Bardock as a Super Saiyan sunk in, and Goku wondered just how long Bardock had been able to use that transformation.

Yu Yevon appeared above Goku, seeing the same sights through Sin. "Him again…"

Distracted by an enemy on the outside, Yu Yevon's focus on the internal enemy wavered. The dark spheres stopped moving upward, and started drifting back down. Goku's aura flared as he made a sudden burst of speed, finally reaching the dark sphere that contained the red skinned alien. With both palms forward Goku focused his energy, charging up a large attack, and unleashed a massive yellow beam at point blank range. The dark sphere disintegrated in an instant, the alien inside released, and quickly vanish into the ether.

Once again the very nature of Sin changed, its body taking on another form. The arms shrank and withered away into nothing, the mass absorbed back into the torso. The head grew larger and more reptilian, connected to a longer neck complete with the hood of a cobra. A new set of extra-long fangs grew in the massive mouth, dripping with black venom as the monster hissed at Bardock. The torso merged with the tail and grew to three times as long as before, coiling up like the universe's largest snake.

Goku felt Sin's power drop again, and now he could sense energies from the outside world again. "Okay, two down, one to go."

With more pieces of carapace breaking off his body, Yu Yevon hovered above Goku. "You will stop now!"

"Try and stop me," Goku dared. He flew upward and threw a punch, only to pass through him, and keep on flying toward his real target. "Oh right, you can't."

In a short moment Goku reached the last dark sphere, its occupant hitting the inner side faster than ever before. Goku put one hand up against the surface of the sphere, and then he fired another energy beam at point blank range. This dark sphere disintegrated like the other two, and the alien it held captive was released and returned to the afterlife. The moment the blue alien vanished there was a tremor that shook Sin to its core, accompanied by a sudden drop in power quickly withering away into nothing.

Sin stopped moving altogether, not even able to make the weakest of roars. The eyes sank into the monster's skull, leaving only empty pits behind. Scales dried out and flaked off, exposing tender flesh underneath the skin. Cracks appeared in the underbelly of the snake, spread across the flesh to both ends of the tail, growing wider and wider as they reached the head. Pieces broke off of Sin and fell toward the ground, disintegrating into pyreflies before making impact. Soon the whole thing was crumbling from head to tail, Sin vanishing before Bardock's eyes.

Not fast enough to his liking though. Bardock's aura flared as he flew toward Sin, pulled back his fist, and punched Sin in the face. "Die Already!"

Bardock punched a hole clear through Sin's head, and that hole quickly grew bigger as the flesh crumbled further. In second the entire head had disintegrated, leaving only a cloud of pyreflies rising out from the monster's neck. The rest of Sin soon followed suit, every last bit of black flesh breaking apart and vanishing into the pyreflies. Bardock looked down and saw two things appear inside the cloud, released from the interior of Sin and into the outside world. He knew who one of them was, and had a good idea about the second.

Yu Yevon floated in the air at Goku's altitude, both surrounded by the pyreflies and seeing the outside world through the transparent mists they created. "You're quite persistent. Both of you."

"I'm told Saiyans are known for that," Goku said. Now free from the interior of Sin, Goku wanted to test a suspicion he had about his foe. "Let's see if you are too."

Goku flew towards Yu Yevon and threw a punch, and this time his fist connected with Yu Yevon's face. The blow knocked him away and into the thickest part of the pyrefly cloud, broke off a large piece of insectoid face, revealing a human left eye and nose. Yu Yevon wiped blood off his bleeding and now part human face, realizing that being outside of Sin left his current form tangible and vulnerable. So he conjured a black mist around himself, reverting to the form of the black pyrefly, and flew out of the pyrefly cloud to flee.

"Oh no you don't!" Goku yelled, flying after him with his hands cupped at his side. "Kamehameha!"

Goku thrust his hands forward and unleashed the Kamehameha, aimed at Yu Yevon and following his flight through the sky. In the black pyrefly form Yu Yevon flew away at great speed, but the bright blue beam was faster and closed in on him very quickly. At the last second the black pyrefly made a sharp right turn, and the beam kept going straight forward, just barely missing its target. From there the black pyrefly disappeared in the glare of the Kamehameha's light, flying away to return to the afterlife once again.

But as he departed for the Farplane again, Yu Yevon thought about this last encounter. "This calls for another approach."

After he stopped firing the Kamehameha, Goku looked for the black pyrefly, but it was long gone. "Damn it! It got away again!"

Bardock flew up to Goku's altitude, knowing that frustration in a different form. "It'll be back."

"I know," Goku said. He let out a sigh and reverted to normal form, feeling tired after a long fight against an unconventional foe. "It's just so frustrating when I can't sense his energy to track him. It's like he only has energy when he's using someone's soul."

"Sensing energy," Bardock muttered. He also reverted to normal form, and then looked Goku in the eye. "You mentioned that before."

"Yeah," Goku said, turning to face Bardock. "I keep forgetting there are people who can't do that."

"Could you show me?" Bardock asked.

"Sure," Goku said. "There's a lot we can tell each other about, Dad."

From the road that led directly from Guadosalam to Bevelle, Tidus and Rikku were watching the skies.

It had been impossible to ignore the latest battle Sin fought, the sounds of which were heard well across Spira. Fortunately the damage to the surrounding environment had been minimal, and the number of lives lost kept to a minimum as well. The view from this road had been a spectacular one, permitting Tidus and Rikku to see most of the fight. They were very relieved when it was over, since as far as they could tell none of it had happened at the Thunder Plains or beyond, meaning that Yuna and the others had been spared from collateral damage.

Now they saw the two warriors in the sky flying away, and Tidus kept his gaze on them for as long as he could. "Now where are they going?"

"I dunno," Rikku said. "Since when were there two of him flying around?"

"I was wondering that too," Tidus admitted. He kept his gaze on the horizon where they had vanished, wondering when they might reappear. "The other one, I'm sure he has quite a story to tell."