11 – Celestial Symphony
Gohan, having spent the morning studying, had come to one conclusion: his Super Saiyan form actually increased his mental capacity, as well as his physical strength. He was now breezing through the humungous calculus textbook his mom had given him to complete by the end of the day, solving complex problems most geniuses would struggle in fewer than five minutes.
Of course, this wasn't that much of a change. Gohan had always been leagues above anyone his age when it came to academics, although he'd never met anyone his age to actually confirm that.
Miku's eyes were fixed on Gohan's homework, her expression burning with curiosity, as she silently hovered behind the young half Saiyan. She had absolutely no idea what any of it meant, but it didn't stop her from being engaged in watching Gohan work through each problem.
Gohan found this rather amusing, but tried to refrain from showing it.
Eventually, Miku spoke up.
"How are you getting these answers so quick? I can't keep up…" she said. Gohan chuckled and scratched the back of his head, much like his father would.
"This kind of thing is second nature to me by now," he said, "although, uh, since you're an android, don't you have like…"
Gohan trailed off awkwardly, aware that he was touching on a heavy topic, but Miku laughed it off.
"Oh yeah! I always forget I have scanners and calculators and whatnot, eheh."
The android leaned closer to Gohan's homework, and scanned the contents of the page. Gohan glanced up at her from where he sat, watching Miku concentrate fiercely.
Eventually, Miku glanced at Gohan's answers.
"Well…I think you're right?" she said hesitantly, "although I had no idea I could do stuff that complicated…"
"Dr Gero must have put some really high tech stuff in you, huh?"
"Yeah…but I'm not the best at understanding how the scanners work," Miku admitted, "Luka always pays attention to hers, though. And Rin was really clever, even without her scanners, but she was always quick to panic…"
The air grew heavy as Miku trailed off, Gohan struggling to find the right words to say.
"It's okay, Gohan," Miku waved off his look of concern, "I can't be sad forever."
The Super Saiyan smiled softly, and made to return to his homework, but was interrupted by the sound of the front door swinging open.
"Oh hey, you two," Goku greeted cheerfully, striding into the room, "watcha doin'?"
"Still doing homework…" Gohan responded, eyeing a clock. It was still midmorning.
"Oh! Lemme have a look," Goku said excitedly, staring at the homework with excitement.
It only took a few seconds before he frowned and scratched his head in confusion.
"Geez…this completely different to what the turtle guy taught me."
"The...turtle guy?" Miku repeatedly blankly.
"Master Roshi, I mean," Goku explained, "back when I was a kid, I didn't even know how to read or count, eheh. So while training me, he also taught me how to do all that."
"But, uh," he continued, "I was never that good at it, anyway."
"Heehh…" Miku said, "completely different from Gohan…"
Goku patted Gohan's head with a kind smile on his face.
"I was only a bit older than you are now when I sat out on my first adventure to get the Dragon Balls," the Saiyan said fondly.
"It's a shame they're gone now…" the half Saiyan sighed. Miku looked at the two in confusion.
"Hey, how about a break from studying?" Goku said after a moment had passed, an idea forming in his mind. Gohan nodded slowly, and Miku followed suit.
Goku grinned, placing his hands on their shoulders.
"Hang on tight!" he said, teleporting instantly.
Luka was the first to emerge from the time chamber, briskly walking a few steps out before tilting her head back to see Trunks, who was carefully stepping out, closing the door behind him.
"So, Trunks, I guess we're headed back to Capsule Corp?" Luka said, ignoring the awed silence of the group in front, who were staring at Trunks in wonder. He looked in rough shape, his clothing in tatters, with cuts and bruises all over his body. In stark contrast, Luka looked almost completely unscathed.
"Yeah," he responded, "need new armour. And I gotta get this hair cut, anyway."
"Do you think, if I asked politely, Bulma would let me…help?" Luka asked, twirling a lock of her hair with an amused look on her face.
"She'd probably let you do it for her…"
"Ah, splendid. Does that mean I have your blessing, too?"
"Not on your life."
The two were smiling, much to the surprise of everyone else on the Lookout. Trunks glanced at the group, his eyes shifting between each of them before resting on Vegeta for a while.
"So, Trunks," Piccolo spoke up, "how confident do you feel?"
"Well, I don't know. I haven't been in my Super Saiyan form for almost a year now," the half Saiyan responded, causing the group to widen their eyes in surprise.
"What?" Vegeta growled, "what is the meaning of this? Haven't you even bothered training seriously?"
In response, Trunks turned Super Saiyan, erupting with power.
Vegeta scowled, while Tien and Piccolo looked overwhelmed. After a few seconds, Trunks powered down, satisfied he'd gotten the point across.
"It's probably still not enough," he said, "but I'd have more of a chance than I did before."
He eyed his father once again, who nodded.
"Not bad," the former prince grunted, before launching himself into the air and away from the Lookout.
"What was he even doing here? He's already used up all his time in the chamber," Tien said.
"Probably waiting to see how Trunks would turn out," Luka answered, looking up at the young adult in question.
"I'm…sorry," she said after a pause, "I thought that training would be more than enough."
"No, it's fine," Trunks said, watching the sky where Vegeta had flown away, "you helped me understand a few things. And I'd never have been able to push myself like this alone. Cell is just…unimaginably strong, I guess."
At the mention of Cell, Luka bit her lip, fearing what was to come.
Could anyone beat it?
"My turn again, I suppose," Piccolo said, moving towards the time chamber.
Without warning, Goku, Gohan, and Miku materialised out of nowhere in front of him, Goku cheerfully waving at the group while Gohan and Miku looked very bewildered.
"Hey, guys!" Goku greeted, "I see you've gotten a lot stronger, Trunks and Piccolo."
"Oh, hey, Goku," Trunks responded.
Luka, noticing he was in his Super Saiyan form, began scanning him and Gohan.
The results were interesting, to say the least.
Their power is so…restrained.
They've made their Super Saiyan forms their natural states…amazing.
Son Goku…I hope you don't disappoint when the time comes.
"You must be Luka!" Goku had noticed the android's gaze, and offered his hand to shake. Luka carefully took it after a moment of deliberation.
"I heard all about you from Miku! Have you been training too?" the Saiyan continued.
"Ah, no, not quite, I've just been helping Trunks."
Goku was oddly cheerful, especially considering they had less than a week until the Cell Games, Luka noted.
But it was a welcome change, she supposed.
"I'd say you've done a pretty good job," Goku said, looking at Trunks.
"So, what brings you here, Goku?" Piccolo said, not caring for the pleasantries.
"Well, it's about the Dragon Balls…"
Luka looked past Goku to see Gohan and Miku slowly approaching, still slightly confused.
"Miku…" the pink haired android muttered, running over to her, overwhelming emotion rising within her. She wanted to cling to her, apologise for everything, promise to protect her forever…but she froze in place, unable to even say a word.
Instead, Miku leapt at her, gripping her in a tight hug, a joyous smile on her face.
"Luka!" Miku practically squealed in delight, "how have you been? Where have you been?"
"M-miku…? I…"
"Oh, have you met Gohan?"
Gohan smiled shyly, giving a Luka a small wave. Luka nodded in response, still dumbfounded by Miku's complete change in behaviour.
Goku had mentioned that Miku had been talking about her.
She'd been…talking.
Talking about her past?
"Are you…okay?" Luka asked in a hushed tone. Miku looked at her in confusion, before leaning into their hug once more.
"They're all really nice…Goku, Gohan, and Chi-Chi," Miku whispered, her head resting on Luka's chest, "I think I know what I want to do now. So you don't have to worry about me anymore."
Luka sighed, resting her head on Miku's, relief flooding over her.
"I may not have to," she said, catching Trunks' eye, who was stood next to Gohan, "but I'm still gonna."
Miku giggled as she stepped away from Luka.
"Whoa, Trunks, you look way stronger," Gohan commented, drawing the androids' attention to the half Saiyans. Luka took a moment to take a good look at Goku's son. Short, with blue eyes and bright blonde hair, the android couldn't help but be reminded of Rin and Len.
"Heh, thanks."
Trunks paused, turning to look at Goku briefly before continuing.
"Gohan…do you know what's going through his mind? He's already said he's not sure he can beat Cell, so how is he so…calm? And cheerful?"
"I dunno," Gohan said, shrugging, "but he seems confident, so…"
"I trust him," Miku said firmly. Trunks and Luka raised their eyebrows in surprise.
Trunks especially, not just from the outburst, but from how different she was in general. Luka had seen Miku happy before; to her, she was just back to normal. But for Trunks…it was like she was a whole different person.
It was so strange to see Gohan and Miku standing next to each other, with barely any height difference, able to converse merrily, with seemingly no worries in the slightest. A complete contrast to his time; Gohan had lost everything to Miku, including his own life.
Luka glanced at Trunks in concern, but the half Saiyan merely closed his eyes, clearing his mind of his own past.
"Guys, I'll be right back," Goku declared, using his instant transmission again.
"Where did he go…?" Trunks asked.
"He's looking for New Namek, to find a replacement Kami for Earth," Piccolo explained.
"Does that mean we'll have a new set of Dragon Balls?" Gohan inquired.
"If all goes well…yes."
Small talk was exchanged for little over half an hour until, eventually, Goku reappeared, with a familiar Namekian.
"Dende!" Gohan cheered happily, dashing over to meet his friend. Goku vanished once again, reappearing a minute later with Krillin, just as happy as Gohan to see Dende.
"Hey, Goku, can I ask you something?" Trunks said, as the reunion took place.
"Hm?"
"Are you calm because you've figured out Cell's weakness, or…?"
"Geez…does it even have a weak point?"
Trunks looked perplexed as he took a step back.
"Maybe you should trust him," Luka said, leaning against him.
"Just because Miku does?"
"No. Because he's our best hope."
Trunks found he had no way to argue with that, and fell silent.
"Wait, you went into space to get him?" Miku asked Goku, looking carefully at the Namekian.
"Yeah! Although most of the time I was just standing around tryna figure out where to go."
"Aw…I wanted to see…"
Goku smiled and patted her head softly.
"Maybe another time. Besides, I have a cooler idea," he said, winking at her.
Miku watched him walk towards Piccolo, Dende, Gohan and Krillin blankly, wondering what he had meant by that statement.
"I gather you have no idea what's going on, either?" Luka said, standing beside her with her arms crossed. Trunks had gotten closer to the group, to get a better look of what was going on.
"No…but I figure something cool might happen," Miku replied.
Dende uttered several incantations, the strange model in a case at his feet glowing, until a huge light shot up into the sky and split into seven directions. The group stood and watched the sky in awe.
"All done!" Dende declared.
"A-already?" Goku said, dumbstruck.
"That's right! Remember, you get two wishes from these ones," Dende continued.
"Alright! Thanks, Dende!" Goku said, before turning to his son and the blue haired android, "Miku, remember when you said you wanna see places all over the world?"
"Yeah…"
"It's time for a Dragon Ball hunt! You wanna come too, Gohan?"
"Sure!" Gohan chirped happily.
"Okay! We'll need to grab the Dragon Radar from Bulma, first," Goku stated, as the three walked towards the edge of the Lookout. Trunks and Luka quickly followed behind.
"We may as well join you until we get back to Capsule Corp," Trunks said, as the five leapt off the Lookout and soared down towards ground level.
On the way, Goku explained what the Dragon Balls were to the androids.
"Any wish…at all?" Miku repeated, almost breathlessly.
"Well, almost. Sometimes Shenron can't grant our wishes, but that doesn't happen often."
Miku glanced at Luka, who caught her eye, and nodded.
"Does that include…bringing people back to life?" Miku asked hesitantly, "could we bring Rin and Len back?"
"I don't see why not!" Goku responded, as West City came into view.
Miku felt more elated than ever, turning to look at Luka before flying straight at her, swinging her arms around the pink haired android and laughing with joy.
They can come back!
We can get Rin and Len back!
All we have to do is beat Cell, and…!
The joy was infectious; Luka, despite her doubts, felt a smile creeping on her face. Trunks couldn't help but watch Luka's smile with interest, while Goku and Gohan chuckled, sharing Miku's delight.
For the first time in what felt like forever, the two androids felt a bubble of hope swell up within, ready to explode with jubilation.
It was good to be alive.
Dragon Radar in hand, Goku led Gohan and Miku to the closest signal, only a few miles away from the city. Goku had stated that, since Miku wanted to see the world, they'd be flying rather than teleporting.
Despite the fact that this was exactly what she wanted, Miku looked visibly glum, prompting Gohan to inquire in concern.
"What's the matter, Miku?"
"Oh, I, uh, well," Miku mumbled, "I guess I just wanted to spend more time with Luka…"
"Did you invite her to come along?" Gohan asked.
"Yeah, but…she said she had something to do," Miku said glumly, "she was holding a pair of scissors and stroking Trunks' hair too…he looked kinda scared."
"Oh…wow."
Gohan wondered what could possibly frighten Trunks, while Miku shook her head suddenly.
"I guess she's having fun, at least," she said, her smile returning.
"Yeah! And we're gonna have fun, too!" Gohan said. Miku giggled in response.
Goku hadn't indicated he had been paying attention, but smiled to himself as he heard this.
"We're just about there," he called out to the other two, dropping altitude. His son and the android quickly followed.
Goku pressed the switch on the Dragon Radar, and stared at it for a moment. Gohan stood beside him, peering up at the radar with interest.
Meanwhile, Miku gazed at the landscape, seeing the outline of West City's skyline in one direction, and a vast, expansive desert in the other. The stark contrast was impressive enough; Miku could hardly think of words to describe what she saw. On the one hand, the city, even from this distance, still looked as impressive as it had up close. On the other hand, there was so much of the desert, and the shimmering gold and hazy heat mirage in the far distance looked so fascinating and beautiful.
Miku was torn between both views, ultimately not noticing Goku procure a Dragon Ball from behind a rock.
"Hey! We found it!"
Miku's attention snapped to the Saiyans, and the glowing orange ball in Goku's hand. As she approached the two, she noticed the ball had six stars on it.
"Man, this one was in a kinda boring area…maybe the next one will be better," Goku groaned.
"No! This is really cool!" Miku interjected, "the city looks amazing, and the desert looks weird."
"If you say so…"
"Is that a Dragon Ball? It's so shiny…"
"Yeah, one down, six to go. Ready to go get the next one?"
"Uh," Gohan suddenly said, interrupting the two, "dad, did you tell mom that we're doing this…"
A silence gripped the air, as Goku stared at his son, frozen in place.
"We should, uh, get a move on," Goku laughed nervously, shuddering at the thought of having to face his wife getting angry yet again.
A day passed, and despite Goku's (and to a lesser extent, Gohan's) fears of an angry Chi-Chi awaiting them at the end of it, the Dragon Ball hunt continued at a leisurely pace, Miku never ceasing to show her boundless excitement every step of the way.
Along with the six star ball, they now had the one star, three star, and seven star balls. On the way, they had bought a bag to hold them in, which was now slung over Goku's shoulder, while Gohan now held the Dragon Radar.
The half Saiyan was now leading his father and the blue haired girl across the ocean, painted a bright orange by the setting sun. Miku's eyes shone a similar colour as she took in the sight, descending to sea level and running her hand across the surface of the water as she flew.
A sly smile crossed her face as she eyed Gohan, who was not as high in the air as Goku.
"Heads up, Gohan!" she yelled, splashing him directly in the face. Taken totally off guard, Gohan looked absolutely stunned, as water dripped down his face. Goku and Miku clutched their stomachs in laughter, while Gohan scowled at the offender.
"Oh yeah? See how you like this!" Gohan's scowl became a confident smile as he swooped down, swamping Miku with water. The android looked almost horrified, as she looked at herself and how soaked she was.
"You're in for it now," Miku said, trying to keep a wide smile off her face. The two began splashing each other, pausing only to laugh.
Goku grinned, catching the two by surprise by further drenching them. Gohan and Miku exchanged a look, simultaneously returning the favour to Goku.
As the sun dropped out of the sky, the three slowly made their way to land, completely soaked, but in high spirits. Each of them flopped onto their backs in unison, sighing and staring at the stars.
"The ocean is so pretty!" Miku said, "I've never had so much fun!"
Goku gave her a thumbs up, while Gohan glanced at the Dragon Radar.
"The Dragon Ball isn't too far from here!" he declared cheerfully. Lazily, the three stood up, drying themselves with their aura, or in Miku's case, her autodry function.
A small flight to a nearby island, not too far off from where Cell had gotten perfection, Miku noted, led them to the four star ball, which Goku excitedly picked up.
"This sure brings back memories," he reminisced, "this is the Dragon Ball my grandpa left me when I was just a kid. It's like he…lived on in it."
He gazed at the ball fondly, while Miku and Gohan listened with interest.
"It's because of this ball I was able to meet Bulma and start a journey around the world. Life's been hectic and fun since then, I'll tell you that much. Boy, that was a long time ago…"
"Bulma was the first person you met?" Miku inquired, remembering the day before when she'd only caught a glimpse of the woman, while they were getting the Dragon Radar.
Goku nodded, and a sudden, burning question jump to the android's mind.
"So how did you meet Chi-Chi?"
"Yeah, how did you meet mom? I don't think you ever told me," Gohan added, as both he and Miku looked up a Goku with interest, who scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"Well, it's kind of a long story…best I start from the beginning."
And so Goku spent the night recounting his early adventures to a sleepy-looking Gohan and an almost hyperactive Miku.
The four star ball, the catalyst to this trip down memory lane, rested calmly on the ground between them, as though it was also listening with rapt attention.
