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Epilogue Summary: The entire Son Family returns home to the peacefulness of Mt. Paozu. Cressa joins them. That evening, a very special, bittersweet meeting takes place between two lovers separated by death two decades before.
Chapter 10: Epilogue
"Uh oh! Dad! Quick! Mom's gonna–"
"Chichi!"
My heart leaped into my throat and beat double-time as her eyes rolled up into the back of her head, her brilliant golden hair fading to black and she dropped as her energy plummeted. I sprang the few steps forward to catch her before she hit the sharp rocks on the ground.
I carefully lifted her limp form and her head drooped onto my shoulder with her face in the crook of my neck. I was extremely relieved to feel her warm, soft, even breaths against my skin. I checked her over for any major injuries once again. I didn't think she got hit with anything, but I wanted to play it safe. I thought I could count the number of scrapes and bruises on her on one had. She made it through the battle almost completely physically unscathed!
Gohan stared at her worriedly. "Dad…? Is Mom… alright?"
"I think she'll be fine, Son. She's just exhausted."
Cressa tenderly stroked Chichi's cheek with a finger. "She did it! Right at the end, she did it!"
I extended my senses and checked on that not-so-little energy. I gasped and nearly dropped Chichi in my shock when I realized that power-boost from her at the very end wasn't hers. I was so focused keeping that giant blast from hitting us that it didn't occur to me right then exactly where that power surge came from.
That little one was definitely going to be strong.
The rest of the gang flew over to us with huge grins on their faces, but their grins faltered when their gazes settled on Chichi.
Krillin got to us first. "She's okay… right?"
I smiled very tiredly. "She's just fine. Just very tired."
Even Vegeta approached, looking utterly thunder-struck, so much so that it was funny. A small chuckle slipped through my lips.
"She transformed!?"
I stared down at her proudly. "Yes, she did, Vegeta."
Yamcha approached. "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it!"
Vegeta grunted in agreement.
With the last of the adrenaline leaving my system, I wobbled a little on my feet. That last huge blast took a lot out of me.
Piccolo walked up to us. "She did well. You all should go home. You look exhausted. Can you fly?"
Before I could respond to Piccolo, someone with a familiar, gravelly drawl spoke up as its owner approached us. "You don't have to worry about that."
"Yajirobe! You just can't seem to stay away from a fight, can you?"
He shook his head. "You all would be dead many times over if it wasn't for me!"
I chuckled. "You're right about that!"
I swayed dangerously on the spot, not sure how much longer I could stay on my feet. Flying was definitely out of the question.
He withdrew the most beautiful brown bag on the planet from his pocket. "Here, dude. Eat this before you drop her."
He tossed a Senzu Bean in my mouth and I chewed and swallowed. Instantly, I was rejuvenated.
He passed one to Cressa. "Wow. She looks just like your wife, Goku!" He glanced at me and at my wife and then gave another to Cressa. "This other bean is for Chichi."
Cressa quirked an eyebrow as she took the beans. "Of course I look like Chichi! I'm her dead mother!"
She pointed to her halo.
Yajirobe's eyes about bugged out of his head. "First Goku gets wished back to life… twice! And then dead people visit the living. Now I've seen everything."
Cressa laughed lightly – and I did, too – and then eyed the tiny green beans in her hand. "What are these things?"
I twitched my head toward her hand. "Those are Senzu Beans. Eat one. You'll feel way better!"
She shrugged and tossed one in her mouth, chewed and swallowed and then made a slight face. "Tastes like fish."
Yajirobe – who was busy handing Senzu Beans out to the rest of the group – gasped. "Finally! Someone noticed what I've been saying all along."
I laughed again. "Well, Gohan, let's get your mother home. You comin' Cressa?"
Her eyes crinkled as she nodded. "Oh! Let me give this to Chichi real quick."
She floated a foot into the air and stuck a bean in Chichi's slightly open mouth and stroked her cheek and called her name so she'd come to enough to eat the bean. After struggling to stay conscious long enough to eat it, the few scrapes and bruises she had were completely gone.
Chichi pulled her face out of the crook of my neck as her eyes fluttered open. She stared up at me and smiled faintly – still awfully dazed.
I smiled, relieved to see her awake – sort of. "Hey, Babe."
She sighed and nuzzled back into me. The bean had worked its magic, but she was still exhausted. Senzu Beans were great for healing and restoring power, but nothing beat a nice long sleep.
I yawned so widely my jaw popped. "Let's go."
Gohan, and I flew toward our home in the mountains, leading the way for Cressa.
A couple hours later, we came in for a landing, touching down lightly in our front yard.
Cressa gazed around her. "It's so peaceful and quiet here!"
"Yeah, it is. Our nearest neighbor is miles away. C'mon inside. Let me show you the house. Gohan, would you get the door please?"
"'K!"
He stepped around me and opened the door and we moved to the side to allow Cressa to go in first, Gohan walked in next and I did after him with Chichi still sound asleep in my arms.
I carried Chichi upstairs and into our bedroom.
"C'mon, Grandma! Let me show you my room!"
Gohan and Cressa chatted in his bedroom down the hall while I placed Chichi on our bed. She stirred and groaned softly as she rolled over but didn't wake up. I kneeled on the floor next to her, content to watch her sleep.
While I tried to free Chichi from Sabi's control, I really thought I was a goner when I felt Chichi charge her energy and then unleash that blast at pointblank range. Those few inches Gohan managed to create between us and my gi tearing were my saving grace.
I was able to Instant Transmit a safe distance away just in the nick of time, deciding to land on the ground.
Until Chichi was forced to round on Gohan.
My heart clenched when her hands darted out and wrapped tightly around his neck but before I could come up with some sort of plan – some way to free her when a direct attack didn't work – Chichi's power sky-rocketed.
I couldn't believe what I saw out there! Her power. The look in her fierce, newly teal eyes once they opened… I was nearly to tears. I had seen her awfully angry, but never that angry. I was very glad that expression wasn't aimed at me.
And Sabi was terrified.
Chichi had the upper hand until Sabi's mate fired that weapon and I had less than a few seconds to get Chichi out of the way. After one last huge push – one last massive explosion of energy and a powerful surge from an unexpected source – it was over.
We were safe. We won.
Watching her sleep, I marveled at the fact that my wife was a Super Saiyan. To find out she was half-Saiyan was amazing enough, but then she transformed! My wife of all people…
That combination of pure rage and massive power was a whole different animal from just being angry and very difficult to tame and I knew from experience. It would be a while before I could help her truly harness and master her power. Not until some time after our baby was born.
I rested a hand on her stomach while she slept, feeling that not so little energy again and grinned to myself. I kissed her forehead, reluctantly pulled my hand back, and left our room to let her rest.
When I stepped into Gohan's room, Cressa was thumbing through one of Gohan's textbooks. It had some kind of scary looking things Gohan called equations printed on its pages – equations that involved numbers, letters and all kinds of weird symbols and even shapes.
"That's my geometry textbook. I just started it last week."
"So, Chichi likes you to study, eh?"
"Yep! But I don't mind it!"
"I get the feeling she doesn't like you to fight all that often."
Gohan nodded vigorously. "Oh, yeah! She hates it when I have to fight. I was sort of surprised she actually asked me to train with her after her powers came back to be honest with you."
That was news to me. My eyebrows shot up. "Wait a minute… She actually asked you to train?"
The whole time, I had assumed Gohan asked Chichi to teach him.
"Yeah! She told me she wanted me to be able to defend myself, and then she asked me to train with her."
"Wow! Well, if it wasn't for you and Cressa, I don't think we'd be here right now. I'm proud of you, Son."
I reached over to ruffle his hair and his eyes lit up.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm hungry. Why don't we go pick some apples for a snack so we don't wake up Chichi?"
The three of us walked out of the house and flew to the apple tree, Gohan leading the way and – in no time at all – we were there.
"This tree has the best apples, Grandma!"
She giggled. "I can't wait to try them!"
"Watch this!"
Gohan charged up some energy in his right hand, rested his hand on the tree trunk and released it and one by one, the shiny red morsels fell.
He jumped in their air, flying in wild zigzags, moving far faster than the human eye could keep up with. When he landed, he had an armful of apples and he didn't miss a single one.
A glint caught my eye and I looked up. I spoke too soon. He did miss one. Lodged in the hole that went straight through the thick trunk was an apple just like that day right before the Cell Games.
Cressa followed my gaze and flew up to grab that apple and then touched back down in front of me. "That's quite a hole. It goes clean through the trunk! I wonder what put that there."
I chuckled softly at the memory and glanced at Gohan. "I know what happened."
"By your expression, it looks like quite the memory. Can I see?"
"Sure!"
She reached up and put her fingertips of her left hand on my temples and I closed my eyes…
Chichi and I walk down our favorite path as I push one-year-old Gohan along in his baby carriage.
As we leave a particularly dense copse of trees, patches of sky grow more visible as the trees thin. A clearing full of beautiful wild flowers comes into view and Chichi gasps delightedly.
"Oh! Isn't it beautiful, Goku?"
I sigh. "Yeah, it's really nice!"
Birds chirping in a nearby tree catches our attention and Chichi looks up and then points. I follow her gaze and shield my eyes from the sun
"Look! A mommy, a daddy, and a baby just like our family! Can you see them, Gohan?"
No response.
I glance down at him.
My heart almost stops and then restarts in my throat as we immediately take off after the run-away baby carriage with our son in it!
We both scream, "GOHAN!"
I pushed myself faster and faster, as fast as I could possibly go, Chichi hot on my heels.
Gohan's baby carriage came to a deep ravine, hit the edge, soared over it and straight for the trunk of the tree!
What have I done? I overshoot it! I completely misjudge the distance and go straight passed the tree while Gohan and his baby carriage fly closer and closer…
And then there is a sudden bright flash of light and a sharp, very powerful spike of power and then Gohan goes through the tree trunk as his carriage is destroyed on impact.
Then, he landed safely in my arms and cooed happily, not even a little bit upset – and completely unscathed.
The whole thing was over so quickly, I wasn't really sure what just happened. Did I really sense that energy or did I just imagine it?
I stared up at the tree and there was my proof: A gaping hole clean through the trunk. I'm not crazy. I really did sense a massive power surge from my baby boy!
As I'm processing all of this, Chichi catches up to where we stand near the tree.
She snatches him out of my arms and frantically looks him up and down. "Oh, Gohan! My baby! Are you alright!?"
Gohan coos happily in response.
"Oh, Goku! You saved him!"
"Actually, you see, I… didn't…"
She quirks an eyebrow as she looks down at Gohan. "Your father isn't taking any credit for this." Then she rounds on me. "Since this whole thing is your fault, you shouldn't!"
She walks off with him toward the path. "C'mon, Gohan! Let's get home."
I automatically raise my hand to try to stop her. "But, Chichi…!"
She ignores me and continues toward the path as I chase after her…
Cressa withdrew her fingertips from my temples and stared at me with her eyebrows in her hair. And then burst out laughing. That threw me for a loop. I glanced at Gohan and he seemed every bit as confused as I was.
After a few minutes, she got control of herself and stared up at the tree. "So the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Gohan inherited Chichi's secret power. I wondered if he would when I saw him that one time I peeked down at him from Other World."
It was my turn for my eyebrows to find my hairline. "Hold on… you mean Gohan gets his hidden power from Chichi!?"
She nodded with a proud, "Mmm-hmm."
I knew Gohan didn't get all of his fighting ability and strength from me! Even if Chichi was human, she was still very, very strong in her own right.
"Well… come to think of it… I guess it makes sense."
"Yes. Notice how Chichi's power was unlocked through her protectiveness of both of you. She wouldn't have stood a chance otherwise. She needed to be pushed to reach a new level and she was. The catalyst must have been when she was being controlled. Like in that memory you just showed me, there were tons of little moments I remember of her as a baby and small child doing similar things completely unexpectedly and then behaving as if nothing unusual ever happened."
I rubbed my chin. "When Gohan unleashed his huge power as a small child, it was like a bolt of lightning. Very powerful and deadly but didn't last very long at all. He didn't remember it, either."
"Exactly. When Gohan learned how to harness his power, it made him a force to be reckoned with from what you told me. If Chichi can do the same, she'd probably get stronger than me!"
I grinned like a kid in a candy store. I smelled more training in our future!
An energy growing slightly higher from the direction of home caught my attention. "Chichi's awake!"
I touched two fingers to my forehead as I glanced at Cressa and Gohan. "Here's your warning, Cressa! Gohan? You coming, Bud?"
Cressa giggled as they both ran up to me and Cressa grabbed my elbow as Gohan leaned against my side, his arms too full of apples to be able to grab me.
I took us home, materializing in the living room where Chichi stood. Gohan ran into the kitchen and came out empty handed a minute later.
I put my hands on my wife's shoulders. "Hey, Chi! You feeling alright?"
She nodded happily. "I'm fine! That nap really did the trick."
I released her shoulders and stepped back so Cressa could hug her. Cressa dropped a hand to Chichi's stomach and closed her eyes for a moment.
When she opened them, her eyes lit up. "This little one is going to be very strong. You both must be proud."
Chichi flashed me a stunning, brilliant smile and butterflies erupted in my stomach and I couldn't help but smile back at her.
Chichi stepped away from Cressa and headed toward the kitchen. "Say, Gohan? Would you call your grandpa and invite him over for dinner in a couple hours?"
Cressa gasped.
"Okay, Mom!"
With that, he grabbed the phone to make his call.
Chichi headed toward the kitchen. "I guess I better get started, then. I don't think I've ever tried to feed this many Saiyans before. This ought to be interesting."
After staring off into space while biting her lip for a little bit, Cressa shook herself and walked after Chichi. "Let me help, Chichi. We can talk more as we cook!"
Together, they disappeared through the kitchen door.
A few seconds later, Chichi poked her head out. "Why don't you boys go fishing and maybe hunting, too? We're going to need a lot of food tonight."
My stomach rumbled. "Mmm! Fish! Oh, Oh! And dinosaur!"
Gohan whooped. "Both sound great!"
Chichi's eyes crinkled. "Then, get going."
We did.
A short while later, Gohan and I returned with both fish and dinosaur steaks. Careful to take off our shoes first, we carried our game inside and into the kitchen so the real cooking could begin. Gohan and I sat down in the living room to let Chichi and her mother cook.
After about twenty minutes, Cressa emerged from where all the delicious smells were emanating from, staring at the front door longingly, tears shining in her eyes. "He's almost here… after all these years…" She took a deep, sort of shaky breath. "I'm suddenly… very nervous."
Chichi came out, too and hugged her mother. "He'll be thrilled to see you, Mother."
I put a hand on Cressa's shoulder. "He's here."
Cressa gasped and darted back into the kitchen, closing the door behind her.
Gohan jumped up and ran to the door, throwing it open to see Ox King with his fist frozen midair, ready to knock. "Hi, Grandpa!"
He laughed and ruffled Gohan's hair. "Hi, Gohan!"
Chichi walked up to him and gave him a hug. "Hi, Papa!"
"Hi, Chichi!"
He waved at me and grinned. "Hi, Goku!"
I waved back, giving him a smile, too. "Hi, Ox King!"
"Did you hear about that huge, unexplainable explosion? It's all over the news. People are saying it looked like what Cell died in. I assume you two–" He nodded at Gohan and me "–had something to do with it?"
I glanced at Chichi and nodded, but frowned slightly. "Yeah, we definitely had something to do with that…"
"Well, tell me about it! What happened?"
I looked at Chichi again and she nodded. Tell him, Goku. It's over now and he needs to know.
I nodded once at her and faced Ox King again. "You see… that explosion was the end of a battle against two very powerful enemies working together who were stronger even than Cell."
Ox King gasped. "Another huge battle! So soon! And Gohan here defeated Cell just a couple of months ago! Tell me about these enemies!"
I frowned, thinking of the best, most gentle way to explain it, but before I could say anything, Chichi beat me to it. "We will, but first, there's something else you need to know. Remember when Goku said the reason he was brought back was meeting my mother in Other World?"
Ox King nodded, seeming confused.
Chichi bit her lip for a moment and then took a deep breath. "Papa… I know this is going to seem crazy, but you've seen a lot of amazing stuff since I married Goku, including him coming back to life. The truth is, Papa, we have company and she's in the kitchen."
Chichi looked toward the door and on some unspoken signal, Cressa opened the door and stepped into the room, her eyes immediately locking with Ox King's.
My eyes darted back and forth between the two of them. Ox King's face immediately went pale and his mouth fell open as he rocked back on his heels. He looked like he was about to pass out.
Cressa merely stood there just a few steps passed the kitchen, staring at him, looking like she was ready to burst into tears, but stayed seemingly frozen to the spot until Chichi walked up to her and gently nudged her shoulder.
That was all it took.
After a few quick strides, Cressa jumped into Ox King's arms and firmly latched her arms around his neck as his huge arms wrapped around her. Ox King fell to his knees – shaking our house when he landed – and wept and so did Cressa and that was how they stayed, holding each other for dear life.
Chichi's consciousness brushed mine and I felt her form a link with Gohan as well. I think we should give them some privacy. Let's step into the kitchen. They'll join us when they're ready.
In Chichi's mind, I felt a torrent of emotions ranging from immense joy, sadness, and even anger all so intense it was a little dizzying for me as the three of us quietly slipped into the kitchen.
I wrapped my arms around her, kissed her forehead, and rubbed her back, knowing that was what she needed when she was upset. After a minute, she turned and resumed cooking.
Soon, Cressa and Ox King walked into the kitchen, their eyes red and puffy, but smiling.
Cressa went to help Chichi cook the old-fashioned way while Ox King sat down with Gohan and I. The whole while, Ox King couldn't keep his eyes off Cressa as she cooked. His expression really tugged at my heartstrings, as tender but so very sad as it was.
Soon, the massive amount of food was ready. We ate pretty quietly – the Saiyans in the room were too hungry to carry much of a conversation and the human was somewhat in shock.
After dinner, Cressa and the Ox King went out for a walk by themselves for an hour or so. I sensed them out by the stream, talking. We let them have their privacy. When they came back hand-in-hand, he seemed serious and lost in thought.
I glanced at Cressa and then looked at Chichi. Think she broke through his block?
Seems so. In fact, by the look on his face, I'd say she told him all about what happened today.
Ox King's gaze settled on Chichi. He walked up to her and pulled her in for a big hug. "I'm so proud of you, my daughter."
Chichi's eyes welled up as they held each other for a little while longer.
Then Ox King went back to stand with Cressa, one of his huge hands coming to rest gently on her back.
We talked for hours longer, all the way through the night right there in our sitting room, enjoying the time Cressa had left with us, sharing stories and laughing. Ox King's arm was wrapped around Cressa's shoulders and mine around Chichi's with Gohan next to us.
All too soon, Fortuneteller Baba appeared in our house floating on her crystal ball. "Cressa, your time is up."
She sighed and looked around at each of us gathered around her with tears in her eyes.
Chichi and Cressa held them back and even managed to smile at each other as they hugged tightly, neither of them able to say a word. As strong as Chichi was, I knew she'd break down the moment we were alone.
Next, Cressa hugged me and then a teary-eyed Gohan as she worked her way around the room.
Finally, she stood in front of Ox King. They stared into each other's eyes. I couldn't see Ox King's expression since his back was to me, but Cressa had the most tender expression, her eyes more than a little moist. Ox King swept her up in his arms and they kissed one last time before he reluctantly set her down.
Baba and Cressa stepped outside and we all followed. Baba – floating on her crystal ball – tilted her head toward the sky and floated up. Cressa followed, and then, when they were just about out of sight, Cressa paused for one last look and a wave and then the two of them vanished just as the first golden rays of sunshine lit up the horizon.
Gohan hugged me and there was a slight tremble in his shoulders. I hugged him back and rubbed his head as he walked into the house with a wide yawn.
Chichi hadn't yet pulled her gaze away from the sky. I hugged her from behind, resting my chin on her shoulder and a hand on her stomach.
Her knees buckled, both from exhaustion and grief as she broke down. "Oh, Goku!"
I caught her and scooped her up. She sobbed with her head lolled onto my shoulder, her tears soaking into the front of my gi. I carried her inside and up to bed as she continued to cry her eyes out and – suddenly realizing how tired I was – I slid under the sheets next to her. I rubbed her back and pulled her against me as she continued to cry.
She cried herself to sleep and we both slept peacefully for several hours with my arms wrapped around her.
When we all woke up later that afternoon, she seemed… okay. She grinned at me as I made my way into the kitchen, already deeply into the task of cooking a huge breakfast… or I guess an early dinner.
We ate in silence, but stuffed our faces voraciously. Once we were done, I helped her with the dishes while Gohan excused himself to go catch up on his studies.
I put the last bowl she passed me in the cabinet. "So… what do you want to do today?"
"Uh…Not train?"
I surprised myself. "For once, I think that sounds like a great idea!"
She gaped at me and I laughed hard at her expression. Soon, she joined in, the sound and her smiles sending butterflies in my stomach all over again and I wrapped my arms around her as she wrapped her arms around me.
The End.
Look out for the prequel and sequels! The prequel and first sequel are coming soon!
