Disclaimer: Kid Golden in no way claims ownership of Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, or Dragon Ball GT, or the characters that are featured in those series. I do however own all characters not seen or mentioned in the series, namely Tarra, Shinji, Sakana, Kirikuzu and Makkura.
Only one more chapter to go after this... to be honest lol, I could've ended it in this chapter, but I kinda want to expand on the ending bit a little more than I originally intended... so yeah lol, this is the second to last chapter, chapter 23 is the grand finale lol... well okay, let's get into it!
The Torch Is Passed.
A figure clothed in an orange top, matching slacks and navy blue boots touched down on a solid white surface. The figure, a youthful man, stood with his raven locks spiked upward and his onyx pupils focused forward.
He gave himself the onceover and shook his head incredulously. "This is my dad's gi…" He looked around the seemingly endless white plain. "Where on earth am I?"
"Nowhere on Earth," answered a booming voice, "Nowhere in reality, for that matter." It paused for but a moment, then, "And yes, that is your father's gi… But it is only half of who you are."
Gohan spun around, looking for the source of the voice. Finding no one, he looked up to the white sky. "Who are you?"
"That, my young half breed, is of little consequence," replied the voice, "What's more important is what you are wearing now."
Gohan cocked a brow. "What?" He looked down and saw his body now dressed in navy blue spandex beneath an orange and white armor. "What is this?!"
"There are two sides to you, Gohan," answered the voice, "The compassionate, determined human… and a ruthless Saiyajin." The voice chuckled. "But, somehow, you found a way to unite the two and awaken me, who lied dormant within you."
Gohan turned back around, sure that the voice originated from behind him. And truth be told, the most powerful being the half Saiyajin would ever encounter stood opposite him.
He stood garbed only in solid black, baggy pants. The rest of his form, save his face, chest and feet, lie covered by a luminous golden fur. His pupils, a piercing gold, stared intensely at the younger man before him.
"Who are you?"
"I'm not supposed to say... but who gives a damn about rules, right?" The figure asked with a grin, "I am Saruo, the first Super Saiyajin."
"Well… What are you doing here?"
"Sheesh kid," muttered Saruo with a sigh, "Coulda at least gave me a 'wow' or something, I'm the freakin' first Super Saiyajin for crying out loud."
"Sorry, I'm not easily impressed," said Gohan in a not so apologetic tone, "What are you doing here?"
"Fine, to business then… spoil sport," bemoaned Saruo, "You being here means you've tapped into my power…With which, you will be come unrivaled."
Saruo grinned. "If you can handle it, that is."
Gohan cocked a brow. "What?"
Saruo smirked, his golden fur leaving him, revealing a man that mirrored Gohan in looks and body frame, save a disfiguring scar across his right eye and his darker complexion.
Gohan stared at him for a second, then found himself swallowed up in a whirlwind of flames, the fires eating away at his flesh. Gohan screamed in pure agony as his body left the white plain, transported by the damaging energy.
Saruo smiled.
"Do the Saiyajin race proud boy."
--Scene Change--
Makkura, through Goku's eyes, stared at the enormous electric blue aura, the whirling flame shrouding Gohan's form.
Balling its fists, the demonic being growled then said, "I don't care how many times you transform… You will never be able to stop my revenge!" It lifted its right fist and swung it, firing a tightly packed violet ball of energy.
The sphere struck the blue aura and dissipated, canceled out by Gohan's power.
"Impossible!" screamed the beast through clenched teeth, launching a furious barrage of violet orbs. Yet each ball met the same fate as the first, inciting a cry of, "How can this be!"
The massive, brilliant blue aura flared out once and fell away, revealing the new Gohan.
Makkura stared angrily, taking in the half Saiyajin's features. His hair, now a whitish gold, stood completely erect, not a single strand hung down over his now more pronounced, ape like brow. His body, save his chest neck and face, lay covered in a thick, dark goldenrod fur.
Gohan stood stilly, with his eyes shut.
"Is that it?" Asked Makkura, "Is that all you've got?" It laughed and hurled a purple orb at Gohan, "Die!"
The explosive stopped a foot or so shy of Gohan, rotating rapidly against a translucent blue aura.
The Saiyajin's eyes opened, revealing jade green pupils with tinges of black.
As soon as Gohan's eyes opened, the purple orb launched itself back at Makkura. The demon gasped in momentary shock, then swatted the attack away with ease. Bearing its fanged teeth, the demon growled at Gohan.
"I'll kill yo—" Started the demon, only to be cut short as a hard sack of knuckles buried itself into its abdomen, the demon doubling over a little.
Reacting quickly, Makkura feebly swung her balled hand to try and fend off her attacker. Keeping wits about him, Gohan adeptly dodged this swing, gracefully leaning out of the way of Makkura's fist. Unhesitant, Gohan drove his fist square in her jaw, the purple demon's bone cracking sickeningly.
The impact from the blow sent Makkura flying backward. Growling, the demon flipped over and let her aura flare out, abruptly ending her flight.
Gohan stood partially sideways, menacingly glaring. "This is over, give up now."
Makkura chuckled, wiping the radiating purple blood from her jaw. "You idiot! What makes you think you've won?!"
Gohan turned to face her fully, his eyes radiating with a golden aura all their own.
"I am the most powerful darkness in the universe!" Cried Makkura.
"My father was always the light that destroyed the darkness," said Gohan, scowling darkly, "And when I see you, I know I am not the darkness." He stared at Makkura intensely. "But I see my father locked in you, and I know that I am not the light either. I am the gray that the clash of light and dark spawned… And I am greater than you both, because a whole is greater than the sum of its parts."
Gohan clenched both of his fists. "And believe me when I tell you… its over." He hunched over slightly, cupping his hands at his sides.
Makkura growled. "You arrogant little idiot!" Roaring in rage, she began to charge him.
Gohan eyed his foe indifferently as purely white ki collected between his palms, slowly taking the shape of an unstable ball.
Makkura snarled. "No attack can stop me!"
The sphere between Gohan's palms began to grow, gaining its own golden aura as it swelled in size, gradually equaling and then doubling Gohan in size.
Time seemed to slow as Makkura drew closer, readying herself to destroy the half-Saiyajin.
Gohan arched his hands back a little further behind him, letting the ball engorge itself on ki, the orb rivaling a small meteor in size as it sat behind Gohan.
"For my friends who you killed," whispered Gohan, the golden aura around the orb meshing with his own. "For my daughter you murdered…" He continued in his soft tone, the planet trembling violently as the orb began to shake with instability, its form mirroring a small moon in girth. "Goodbye…"
"Dad."
With a slow, languid motion, he thrust his palms forward, launching the most powerful attack this world and the next had ever seen.
A single tear rolled down his cheek and was instantly evaporated by the intense heat of the wave, all other sound drowned as Gohan roared, the name of the attack lost in the wake of the resounding boon created as the blast shattered the sound barrier.
Makkura's eyes went wide, not even having enough time to scream as the attack swallowed up and enveloped all that was…
--Scene Change--
Gohan blinked a few times, trying to make sense of what had just happened. He looked around, finding himself back on the plain where he had first met Saruo.
"Saruo?" Asked Gohan to no one, "Anybody?"
"Hello," came a meek voice.
Gohan turned to face the voice, finding someone he never expected to see.
Standing before him was his father, with a weak smile. "I guess I have a lot of explaining to do, huh son?"
Gohaneyed the man speechlessly for a few moments, dumbfounded by encountering his father in this strange place.
"Gohan… " Goku started softly, "I never—" He found himself cut off, the arms of his son locked tightly around his torso, the boy's head buried in the crook of his neck.
Goku's eyes widened with shock. "Gohan…"
Holding his father tight, Gohan let all of his emotions surge to the surface, his tears carrying with them all the sorrow, all the woe, all the doubt and all the pain.
After a moment of shocked stillness, Goku silently returned the embrace, holding his firstborn in his arms for the first time in a long time. Feeling Gohan's grip start to loosen, Goku reciprocated the action, the two letting each other go simultaneously.
"Gohan…" Whispered Goku, "I never meant to hurt you or your mother… I was just—"
"Dad," cut in Gohan, interjecting, "You don't have to explain… because I finally understand. I used to cry myself to sleep begging the skies to bring you back… Until one day I just stopped crying… I just stopped caring." He looked away. "Or… at least, I made myself believe I didn't care anymore."
Sighing softly, Gohan continued, "I used to idolize you dad, and I wanted to be everything you were… but then when you left… It broke me. I'd never felt so hurt… so abandoned…. So rejected. And I vowed to never be like you, and to never leave my family… To never be the coward you were. But even in doing that, I still failed as a father… and watched my only daughter die."
Goku stared at his son. "Gohan, you didn't—"
"Please, let me finish," interrupted Gohan. Goku nodded silently, and Gohan resumed saying, "And it was then that I understood that what you know in your heart as right for you, won't always be what everyone else agrees to… in fact, it almost never is. And you were brave enough to go against the grain and do what you thought was right… while I… I lived my life trying to make you look bad as a parent." Gohan sighed again, falling silent.
Goku looked at his son. "Son, I'm sorry I made you feel that way… But I was only trying to do what I felt was right. I know that doesn't change or lessen what I've done to you… I just want you to know that I am sorry for everything, I'm sorry for not being there, I'm sorry for missing Goten's birth, I'm sorry for missing your growth into a man… I'm sorry I put us both through that. I don't know if you can forgive me, and I don't want to try and equate our pain, but I want you to know… it hurt me too."
"It hurt for so long…. But I can finally let it go, I can finally say its not eating at me anymore," whispered Gohan, "I forgive you," looking into his father's eyes, he finished his acceptance softly and meekly, "Dad."
Goku's smile brightened a few watts as he embraced Gohan a second time. Upon the second release, Gohan returned the smile.
"But dad… what is this place?"
Goku sighed. "When you beat Makkura, the power you used sapped you of your life."
Gohan's eyes widened. "You mean I'm dead?!"
Goku nodded. "Yeah… but not exactly. See, when you beat Makkura… you and I both were saved, and everything else there was destroyed."
Gohan cocked a brow. "Saved? By who?"
"That would be me," came a rich, baritone voice.
The father son duo turned around, seeing a man garbed in gold vestments, his attire matching the piercing color of his pupils.
"Who are you?" Asked Gohan confusedly.
"That is of little consequence, considering that after this meeting you will not remember me," responded the being with a guarded mysteriousness, "But I will tell you that you did the universe a service by destroying the greatest of the dark matter beings, a feat I myself had for millennia upon millennia failed to achieve." He nodded. "And for that, I will forever recognize the importance of the Saiyajin race, and should it near extinction, I will… gently nudge it back on track."
"Wait… what?" Asked Gohan, puzzled.
The being chuckled. "Do not worry if you do not comprehend my meaning, it is not truly your concern." He eyed them both. "But what is your concern is the universe that is totally out of whack. While I can correct the mortal realm easily, I will need one of you to permanently reside here, assisting me in the restoration of the Otherworld."
Gohan's eyes went wide. "What? Why?!"
"The delicate balance of the universe has been upset, I could only ask the person who achieved what I could not, to help me restore what I cannot."
Goku put his hand on his son's shoulder. "Go ahead son."
Gohan turned to face his father. "But dad… I don't want to leave Videl… I can't leave Pan… I can't leave mom… there are too many people back home that I just can't up and leave…. They need me."
Goku searched his son's eyes, then smiled. "I understand." Goku turned to the being. "Then take me instead."
Gohan looked at his dad. "What? But why?"
Goku looked back. "Son… I left you, your mother and everyone back home because I didn't want you all to continuously face danger because of me. But when I rushed back to try and save you… I failed… and I saw you succeed. That for me… was a greater victory than beating Frieza, Majin Buu or even Shenron."
Gohan's eyes watered a little. "Dad…"
Goku smiled broadly. "I kept coming back because while I felt it would be better for me to stay away, I had a deeper feeling that no one would be able to handle the dangers alone… But in seeing you succeed where I failed, I can finally leave… Because Earth doesn't need me anymore."
"But dad… I need you."
"No… no you don't Gohan. Everything you ever needed was always inside you… it just took a little while for you to bring it out." Goku's smile grew a little sadder. "And I will always be with you Gohan, for as much as you are different from me… you are a part of who I am… and I am a part of who you are." He gripped his son's shoulder gently. "And I have never been more proud of you than I am right now."
Tears rolled down Gohan's cheeks as he nodded. "I love you dad…"
Goku hugged his son one last time. "I love you too Gohan…" He whispered in his son's ear, "Everyone back home is counting on you now Gohan, you and only you… don't let me down."
Gohan smiled and returned the embrace, uttering two words that gave him a feeling of déjà vu. "Goodbye… dad."
And then everything went white once more...
Kinda left it at point like... "What more can he add", huh? lol... well there's more, stay tuned... the conclusion to this story is up ahead. Thanks for reading, KG out.