(Two Days Later, Current Location, North Quadrant of Universe 7, Planet Earth. . .)
Earth was as peaceful as it could be without the majority of the Saiyans around. From the constant explosions to intense sparring matches, it felt pretty good to have some time to relax while they were off somewhere fighting some intergalactic threat within the Universe. Though, for one particular individual, she was currently anxious and waiting for one of them to return. Sitting underneath the balcony of the Capsule Corp president's home, 21 along with Chi Chi were enjoying their lunch outside despite the chilly weather. Well, for Bulma at least. Compared to her, Chi Chi and 21 were quite used to it considering they live near a mountainside. If anything, it was akin to a cool summer breeze and not winter near the end. Nevertheless, 21 made sure to wear proper clothing at least, a yellow-colored sweater and some warm gray joggers that brushed against her brown boots were all she needed. Sighing more times than she could count, she took a sip of the hot cocoa Chi-Chi made her.
"You've been sulking awfully a lot over there. Tell me, what's wrong?" Chi Chi asked, her jacket is a pink replica of Goku's during their fight against Broly.
The majin scientist placed her cup on the table with an assuring smile, "Nothing serious, just my hormones being all over the place is all. . ."
"Well that's to be expected," Bulma noted, "Although, that was you yesterday as well. If I had to guess, you are starting to miss him aren't you?"
21 nearly knocked over her mug as she fidgeted in response. It was embarrassing to admit that even after all this time, she still couldn't bare to not be with him for even a day. They are married after all so, of course, she'll speak on her feelings— "N-No. . .I can handle being away from my husband for at least two days. I'm not lonely at all." Never mind, she was denying it but her face said otherwise. Not wanting to spark something that would result in her house getting destroyed, Bulma simply chuckled.
"Fine, fine, anyways, have you thought of any names for your expecting kid?" Bulma asked instead.
It seemed to work as she saw 21's flustered face calm down a bit into some deep thought, "Uh. . ." Chi Chi's eyes narrowed.
"You haven't?" Goku's wife frowned.
"Well, to be entirely truthful here, no?" 21 admitted which earned a disproving groan from her though she was quick to explain herself, "I mean, it's still a bit early to be thinking of names so there's a lot of time till then. I want Kuzuku to be here so we can decide together. . ."
The sentiment itself was pure and innocent. Although, it only sparked some bad memories between the woman accompanying her this afternoon. 21 couldn't decipher why, but it was like they were glaring at her with envy as Chi Chi was looking like she was plotting some long overdue revenge, "Must be nice to have a Saiyan husband that's willing to sit down a name their child. Mine was really contemplating over fishing than naming his son."
"At least yours was there while mine was somewhere in vast emptiness called space," Bulma added, "Though you don't have to worry about Kuzuku. We made sure that he'll have enough common sense so that whoever he ended up with wouldn't have to suffer as we do."
21 gave a weary smile as she notice the fire in the two woman's eyes. A fire that was forged as seasoned veterans of eternal partnership with two of the strongest Saiyans in the universe. Though, she did have to mention one thing, "Right. . .Although, Kuzuku does have his moments he's definitely way more sensible than them. I remember one time we went to a pool party and he thought it was a good idea to take a high dive from 20ft at full force. Let's just say, no one was swimming afterward. . .,"
"Sounds just like a Saiyan in their natural form," Bulma shook her head, "Hopefully, your baby will be a girl. They seem to be more tamed than the male ones surprisingly enough. Though I'm sure you'll love them all the same."
21 nodded, "Of course, I plan to give this child everything of course and maybe. . ." She trailed off at the thoughts of the future. It was embarrassing to admit, but she did think about expanding when the time was right. But that was far into the future, something that she hadn't entirely set her mind onto. Besides, her husband had to come back first of course. Considering how grave the threat was, it'd likely be tomorrow or even the day after until she can see him again. She just simply had to wait. . .
*WHOOSH*
Or not.
As soon as that thought itself came to mind, a pillar of light crashed just near the balcony as the cold winds picked up and blew some of the napkins off the table. The three women watched as the light faded, revealing the all too familiar angel along with the rest of the gang. Judging from their attire and current faces, the fight was certainly one that satisfied them for a while. Although, the temperature change made them visibly shudder as the cold breeze brushed against their skins.
"Damn, totally forgot how cold it is here at this time. . .," Caulifla noted.
Whis somewhat agreed before turning to both Kuzuku who was yawning after waking up from his nap on the way back, "I'll be seeing you guys shortly. Now that I've returned you back to Earth, I must go to the Grand Priest and inform him of what transpired on Sadala. For now, take a good rest." Kuzuku nodded with the Angel as he was enveloped in a pillar of light before shooting up into the sky as quickly as he came. He didn't even greet Bulma as usual which was already foretelling how serious things were. Although, this was undermined by 21 and Kuzuku who were locked onto each other.
"You're back. . .," 21 muttered.
Kuzuku raised an eyebrow, almost confused at her tone of voice, "Yeah, I'm back." Before he knew it, her face shifted from disbelief to teary eyes. The whole sharp turn in her mood was enough to send the Saiyan into a panic and wondering what exactly he did wrong.
"*Sniff* You. . .actually came back. . ." 21 repeated in between her tears. It was almost comical at this point and Kuzuku should have expected this was a possibility. Sighing, the soon-to-be-father walked over and pulled her into a hug to soothe her, prompting Chi Chi and Bulma to shoot their own husband's resentful glares that made them jolt in confusion.
Although, as Kuzuku was busy dealing with his wife's mood swings, Bulma decided to start things off, "Well, how did it go? Seeing that you're not all dead then it's safe to assume it went well?" Goku nervously chuckled, his hand scratching his head as the details far exceeded his capacity to remember properly.
"It's complicated. Short answer, the issue, and the threat were dealt with. Long answer. . .," Goku paused, his eyes glancing at Vegeta for help.
The Universe 7 Prince sighed and explained further, "The person responsible has accomplices. Dangerous ones at that."
"How dangerous are we talking?" Chi Chi raised an eyebrow for further elaboration.
"Dangerous enough to potentially get Angels involved," Vegeta simply answered, "To be frank, we barely got out with our lives on that Planet and our loyalty. . ."
Bulma raised a questioning eyebrow as the last part came out in an inaudible whisper, "And your what?"
"You also don't smell like another woman. . .! I don't have to kill you after all. . .!"
Everyone turned to 21 who was still hugging Kuzuku tightly and staining his damaged Gi with her tears. Though the context didn't really register with the two Earthly women, Kuzuku couldn't help but nervously sweat and whisper silent gratitude to whatever god he was speaking to. Vegeta cleared his throat, knowing full well that if the other two knew then they'd find themselves back on Sadala trying to prevent whatever carnage may come in that future. Being a high-tech super genius capable of creating a time machine, he didn't want to know what else his wife was capable of when she decided to get creative.
"Nothing, it wasn't important at all," Vegeta assured, "The real problem is that we don't know what their end goal is. What we do know is that they are aiming to unite all 12 Universes into one to open the passage to another realm. After that, it's all up for grabs."
Hearing this, Bulma leaned back into her chair and sighed, "Sounds just about right. So, what are you guys gonna do now?"
"Well, we have no idea where or when the enemy will strike. We just know their target is likely Beerus for some key to take down the barrier," Goku remarked, "We'll likely have to wait for Whis to call us for help. Until then, I suppose we continue as normal and make sure we are ready. . ."
"Which means. . ." Chi Chi trailed off with almost a sense of disappointment.
"More training, come on Cabba! Time to hit the Gravity House!" Vegeta ordered, his feet leaping off the balcony.
Nodding with new determination, Cabba followed suit replying, "Yessir!" Before they knew it, the two were gone and making their way to their training ground despite their current entire. The blue-hair scientist shook her head at how quickly her husband was ready to get back into his daily routine. It was almost insane but at the same time, she smiled with pride.
"Typical," Bulma chuckled before finally noticing, "Wait. . ., Kale, Cabba, and Caulifla are here but where's Lottus? Did he stay behind?"
Everyone fidgeted a bit and averted their eyes away trying to see if it was best to bring up the reason why. However, out of everyone, Kuzuku decided to be the one to break the ice, "He did, he had no other choice considering the current state of Sadala. He'll be there until things get situated." Bulma understood and nodded, leaving Kuzuku to take the chance to let out a breath.
"Anyways, I think I'll be heading home. Two days traveling through Universes in a cramped cube is draining enough," Kuzuku informed before looking down at 21, "You staying, or do you want to head home too?"
21 looked up with a warm smile as she completely forgot about her hot cocoa, "Of course." Smirking, Kuzuku simply gave Caulifla, Kale, and Ryo a nod, the three barely awake from all the space-traveling they had to endure without any soft surface. With not much left to be said, they all huddled together underneath the cloudy sky and waved their friends farewell before Kuzuku teleported them away for some well-earned rest.
(After Some Time Passing, Back At The Ayoma Residence. . .)
Kuzuku yawned, his body working out the aches that lingered around as he sat up from his bed. It wasn't morning to say the least, in fact, it was an afternoon nap. As soon as they arrived, it was apparent just how exhausted they were as his company from another universe tossed their shoes across the floor before passing out on his couch. There weren't many complaints to be made simply because he had triple-guessed himself on doing the exact same thing but with a little restraint, he found the patience to neatly leave his shoes at the door before heading to bed. If he didn't, then he'd be sleeping on the couch with the girls or worse. . .outside in the freezing cold with Ryo who crawled into his spaceship-like nothing had happened, which left a feeling of indignation in his heart. Regardless, he rubbed his eyes in an attempt to clear up his vision until he felt something warm press against his cheek. Jolting, he lifted his head only to be greeted by an amused smile from 21.
"Look who awake, thirsty? It's hot cocoa," 21 offered.
The Saiyan licked his lips and nodded, accepting his personal mug, "Yeah, thanks. How's everyone else doing?"
"Still sleeping, even though I just got out of the lab, it's been about 4 hours. Guess it must have been as crazy as you guys described it to be," 21 remarked.
Her husband nodded, recalling everything that had happened like it was yesterday. His hands subconsciously gripped tighter around his mug as he took a sip, "Yeah, it was pretty insane. Nearly died more times than normal too." Hearing this, 21 gave him a disapproving glare that he notice all too quickly. He nervously chuckled, adding to his claim.
"But it wasn't too much for us to handle. . . . ." Kuzuku's words trailed off into a whisper once he really did begin to think about it. If things didn't play out the way they did, then they all would have been goners. His face sunken, causing 21 to relent on her stares before taking a seat near the bed while she waited for Kuzuku to explain further. He knew what she wanted: exact details. Not the vague story that Vegeta told but the gaps that needed to be filled in. She knew just how powerful the God of Destructions was and hearing that someone actually managed to defeat one of them speaks volumes that this wasn't an easy battle that didn't come without risks. Even so, the fact Angels were involved too yet Whis wasn't mentioned ever partaking in the battle made her skeptical about how they won.
Things simply didn't add up, which was why she decided to take things slow, "Kuzuku. . ., please tell me, what's on your mind? What truly happened on Sadala." The Saiyan sighed, his fingers rubbing the bridge of his nose before answering with an equal gaze.
"For starters, most of what Vegeta said is true. However, the specifics on it all is. . .complicated," Kuzuku began, "The person we fought was ridiculously powerful. In fact, if Ryo wasn't there then even with Super Saiyan 5 as it is now wouldn't have stood a chance."
21's eyes widened, "Ryo? How did he help. . .?" The question she gave made him scratch his head in slight irritation in an attempt to recall things clearly.
"It's difficult to find a place to begin. Ryo wanted me to keep it a secret from most everyone but I can't really keep it from you. . .," Kuzuku admitted with a disgruntle smile
Despite the mood, 21 playfully nodded with pride, "Yup! Yup! No secrets at all!"
"Right, right, hehe," Kuzuku chuckled before continuing, "According to him, he returned some treasure owned by someone who is considered an ancient deity called Wisdom Kings. Apparently, I'm some incarnation and once that treasure fused with me, I awakened into a new Wisdom King with all of their powers. In fact, I think I even met him personally in some inner world or whatever. It's hard to explain though I feel some sort of connection to him which validates some things. . ."
21 cupped her chin as she tried to process everything. She didn't know the true meaning behind the mentioning of a Wisdom King but she could tell it was something beyond science could figure out. She could only infer mythical backgrounds were at work though one thing stood out still, "I see. . .but how does Ryo know all this?"
"That, I don't know many details other than he comes from the Tenkai Realm and served under the same Wisdom King I mentioned. That and he said his true name was Ryong. . ." Kuzuku sighed, his back leaning against the bedframe.
21, a bit more enlightened than she may be, was still a bit in the dark. Although, she wasn't much worse than everyone else who knew about what was going on. Compared to Chi Chi and Bulma, they wouldn't really be able to comprehend the first couple of sentences on top of whether Chi Chi really cared to or not. Unlike the two scientists, she doesn't go out of her way to partake in their husband's endeavors to protect the planet. Not a rude take considering everything else she's done as a mother raising one boy who became a successful scholar and another one practically on her own for seven years. Satisfied, 21 reached over to place her mug on the counter before welcoming herself to rest her head on Kuzuku's chest, the latter careful not to spill his cocoa at the cost of her touch.
"Ryong. . .If translated from another language, it means Dragon," 21 remarked.
Without even looking, Kuzuku nodded as he took another sip from his mug, "Hmm, I guess so. Though I don't think it matters too much now. For now, I'd like to take my mind off the whole thing." Letting out a satisfied sigh, he placed his mug next to 21's and wrapped her arm around her waist before relaxing. As confused and self-cautious as he may be when it comes to him being an incarnation, he simply didn't have the energy to deal with it right now. He was going to be a dad afterward. Plans needed to be made and for the sake of his wife's pregnancy, he needed to protect them at all costs from here. Regardless of the mystery behind his very existence itself, newer and more dangerous threats are lurking. That was a fact, and as a bonus, his Saiyan urges to combat these threats were bumping through his blood.
He looked down at 21 who was lost in her own thoughts, her face blushing likely due to feeling comfortable with him, "Looks like this new journey is on its way, huh?" He smirked a bit his eyes closing in hopes of clearing his mind a bit more. Though of course, in the heat of the moment, 21 just had to drop something that would make his brain explode upon hearing it.
"I'm craving a nice batch of ice cream mixed with pickles. . ." She said
*CRASH*
The sound of glass shattering made 21 perk her head up and look around for anything that was broken. Although, nothing stood out and from what she could sense, Caulifla and Kale weren't awake and Ryo was still outside. Sighing with relief, she look back at Kuzuku only to find him with a petrified smile on his face. There was a long moment of silence before her husband asked a question with his lips barely moving. . .
"I'm sorry, I think misheard what you said. You just wanted ice cream right?" Kuzuku asked.
Confused and a bit annoyed by the way he phrased his question, 21 frowned and her eyebrows scrunched together, "With pickles. . ." Kuzuku froze again, this time nervous sweating becoming visible on his face. Who in their right mind–well he couldn't really argue considering the glare she was giving him. One wrong word was all it took and he just got back. Besides, all he had to do was not be there to see her scarfing it down to avoid vomiting from the sight.
"Yes, dear. I'll get it right away. . ." Kuzuku chuckled nervously.
(Meanwhile, Somewhere Within The Center of The Multiverse, Zeno's Palace. . .)
Zeno's Palace. The central point around which the Twelve Universes revolve around and the home of the king of everything. Its outer appearance serves nothing more than being a deceptive illusion when compared to the insides. Though now standing at the gate with his sister, Whis was collecting his series of questions and current information to bring to the Grand Priest. It was the first thing he sought to do once he returned his inhabitants home along with the current students they decided to take in. However, the Angel found such a thing to be quite difficult when he was already face-to-face with his father, the Grand Priest. He was a man of short stature and silky slicked white hair with a face that imposed no immediate threat to those who laid eyes on him. However, all the Angels knew personally how powerful and dangerous he was, his status landing him as the Omni King's grand minister as well as the pinnacle of all angels ever created.
"Whis. . .? Vados. . .? What brings you two here? I believe there were no scheduled meetings and if you needed to inform me you could have simply called through your staff." The Grand Priest asked, raising an eyebrow at the action of his son and daughter.
Whis was about the first to snap out of his thoughts, believing now was the time to speak up, "I apologize great Grand Priest but something rather peculiar came up and we needed to ask you."
"Peculiar enough to come in person?" He added.
Vados nodded, "Yes, there was an invasion on Universe 6's Planet Sadala. As you already know, Sadala has helped plenty with conserving the universe's mortal level and preventing it from being as chaotic as Universe 9. Under normal circumstances, we would look the other way if the invader hadn't been the former God of Destruction of Universe 6, Krugel." The Grand Priest raised an eyebrow at the name, quickly recalling the past incident that lead him to become a deserter.
"Krugel? I remember him quite well," He noted before asking, "But why would he want to attack Sadala?"
"According to Lord Champa, he was aiming to find a candidate who turned out to be the eldest prince. Unfortunately, he met his demise, and with the king current dead, the youngest prince took charge until the Namekian can potentially revive him," Vados noted, continuing on, "However, what was concerning was the strange Ki Krugel unleashed on Universe 6. When we arrived, there was a portal unleashing monsters from another realm on top of him possessing a strange Ki that seemed foreign even to him. Unfortunately, he had successfully taken Universe 6's World's Key from Lord Champa after defeating him."
The Grand Priest's eyebrow twitched a bit, "He did what?" His voice resonated with irritation that made Whis and Vados flinch despite them maintaining a bit of composure. Although, Vados continued on with her report.
"Yes. . ., as problematic as it may be, with the help of the Universe 7's Saiyans, Krugel was defeated. We couldn't intervene due to the laws of the Angels as well as containing the dangerous Ki within the planet before it could spread too far. However, after his defeat, an accomplice flew past and retrieved the artifact after Krugel had died. From all this, they are aiming to destroy the barriers between universes as Krugel mentioned something about gaining access to the Tenkai Realm. . ." Vados further added.
Hearing this, they notice the Grand Priest's face stiffen. His eyes grew narrow and serious with a frown now shown present as his Ki began to rise. Whis and Vados stared with anxiety beginning to fill them. It had been a long time, millions upon millions of years, but. . .their father was showing signs of anger. That led them to confirm that the things that did happen were certainly bigger than they could have imagined it. If so, now was the time to learn.
"Father. . .," Whis called out, disregarding calling him by his status, "You know something, don't you?"
Now his expression shifted from irritated to genuine concern. He cupped his chin, his mind is far too complex for the likes of his children to comprehend at the moment. He had to make sure it was for certain. That the enemy they were facing was indeed the same one. Portals spewing out monsters. . .Ki that negatively affects the natural world. . .Krugel. . .the barriers. . .World Key. . .and a person lurking through the shadows, "Damn. . ." The single word thought said it all. There was no way he could bury this History any longer.
He sighed, "Whis, Vados. I need you two to listen carefully to what I'm about to say. I'll be informing the others about the same thing as well." The two nodded and used motioned their staff in a way they both could sit and listen. The vibrant starring sky surrounding the Palace of the Omni Kings began to grow dark, an effect that usually happens when the Omni-Kings are required to take a nap as per advised by the Minister himself. A cranky child king only tends to cause unnecessary destruction after all. That aside, the Grand Priest took in a breath and began.
"Long ago, there was a time when all the Universes were in fact one. A Super-Sized Universe that if you look through several old documents within our archives is known as Genesis. During that time, we never had a proper structure and Kusu was still too young to be a proper angel. I was in charge of mostly everything as well so you could imagine how hard it was managing all 18 Universes when combined into one entity," He noted, "Though, Genesis wasn't the only Super-Sized Universe within our reality. . .Existing just above the central point of Zeno's Palace is a dimensional line that separates us from what is known as the Tenkai Realm. It's a realm that is similar to ours yet the size is drastically bigger. If I were to compare, it'd be like trying to compare a large planet to the sun itself."
"That huge. . ." Whis muttered with a bit of awe.
The Grand Priest nodded, "Yes, although to this day, the Tenkai realm hadn't split and has a lack of planets. It's mostly clouds that surround a collection of land masses where the creatures reside in. It's normally peaceful, though each of these land masses is governed by a primordial deity. Beings that were born with not just divine Ki but also 'enlightened'. They are known as Wisdom Kings." Whis's eyes widened at the mention of the term, quickly recalling that Kuzuku had been called that by Krugel. Though, he decided to keep his mouth shut for now and listened some more before making his decision to speak out about it.
"Throughout that time, Wisdom Kings had constantly fought over territory which wasn't an issue until they eventually found unity under two prominent powers of the Tenkai Realm. One being a Wisdom King known as Sarutaku and another known as Enshoku. Soon enough, the two would find out that another realm existed below theirs and would try to start compromises for coexistence as another problem was lurking around within our universe. If what you describe was correct then those creatures were certainly Mara. Due to the instability of Genesis's structure, gaps opened to a special rift in space-time within the World of Void that exists below us and flooded those creatures across the cosmos. They are mindless, only seeking death until they are destroyed. To combat this issue, I along with the Wisdom Kings of the Tenkai realm took care of the issue after a couple hundred years. It was then that I decided it'd be best to split Genesis into 18 pieces that became the Universes you know today," The Grand Priest explained before adding, "But. . .things went south after that."
Vados raised an eyebrow, "South? After all that, how could it have gone south?"
"Quite easily to be exact," He answered with a low chuckle that had mixed emotions in them, "As time passed, Enshoku and I didn't get along, our views on mortal matters simply didn't align. Neither of us couldn't make a refutable point in our stance and with two sides holding just causes then. . .war was inevitable. It was then that the first few Gods of Destructions were created. It became a standstill, with neither side seemingly gaining an edge until one person was enough to change everything. Sarutaku joined our side and with him, Enshoku was defeated. I took the opportunity to seal away the Tenkai Realm by splitting up the gate into twelve fragments and sealing them away into each Universe's afterlife in a pocket dimension."
"Was sealing them away the only option? Why couldn't—" Whis tried asking before being cut off.
The Grand Priest shook his head, "Zeno erase him? To be frank, Enshoku isn't an ordinary Wisdom King, to begin with. Though, I suppose you could simply chalk it up to the simple fact that Lord Zeno simply didn't have the power to."
"Even Lord Zeno. . .? That's just unbelievable," Vados muttered.
Although, the Grand Priest added in a matter-of-fact tone, "Well, not entirely I suppose, but those details are something I'd rather keep secret unless necessary." The two Angels from sister universes could only ponder on what he meant by that. There were more secrets his father was hiding? If so, then how detrimental is their knowledge of them in comparison to this new problem? Then again, they wouldn't have learned of this if it hadn't been for what happened. The Multiverse in itself was something they all collectively understood and strived to learn more about. From civilizations to their laws, to the development of ethnicity, species, and the general people themselves. They alongside the Kais and Gods of Destruction, play quite a role in their existence. A prime example is Universe 2. Although a weak Universe, the influence of their God of Destruction had spread the emphasis on beauty and love. However, all of them ever truly knew about the origins of the early stages of the Multiverse. All of them except the Grand Priest himself. A person from what their eldest sister Kusu had described as a being who had existed since the beginning and acts as a gatekeeper. Whatever that means. . .but nonetheless, her words are only based on what the Grand Priest had told her eons upon eons ago.
That said, as they delve into their thoughts, The Grand Priest finally decided, "Now that you two have some more insight into what you dealt with, I'll be issuing a statement." The mention of a statement caused the two to snap out of their train of thought as this was the first time they heard their father sound this serious. He placed his hands behind his back and stood tall, his voice coming out firm and his eyes not showing signs of hidden intent.
"As of right now, we are at war. All Angels and Gods of Destruction are permitted this one thing when confronted by a potential enemy seeking the remaining World Keys. . .," The Grand Priest looked up at the vast cosmos surrounding them, his eyes narrowing, "Kill on sight. . ."
A/N: A bit of a shorter chapter compared to what I usually post. I felt this was a good spot to end things since there wasn't really a lot more detail needed at this point of the story. I suppose you could consider this part two of the epilogue of the Sadala Invasion Arc and it would have been posted earlier if I didn't forget lol. Work has been piling up a lot on me lately. That said, I hope you enjoyed this chapter of Tenkai! Until we meet again!
