--- Disturbance, Book 2: Divergence ---

Chapter D07-A - 1000 Words

Disclaimer: The fun about this sentence is that by the time you realise it doesn't say anything, it's too late to stop reading it. Also: See first chapter.

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-I know that you're hiding things-

-Using gentle words to shelter me-

"That's all very interesting, but where are Gohan and Goten?" They had all arrived safely at the Lookout, and those in the know had explained what had happened to those who didn't, but Chichi was no longer interested in that. She wanted one thing; her sons.

Krillin looked like he was about to have an aneurism, a look that only deepened as Bulma added, "And what about my Trunks? And Vegeta?" Piccolo just closed his eyes, hanging his head in silent remembrance.

The lack of a reply seemed all the reply most of the group needed. A hint of pleading in her voice, Chichi asked, "Goku, where are my sons?"

-Your words were like a dream-

"Come on Goku," Krillin prodded, his daughter Marron in his arms; after all that had happened today, he didn't plan on letting her out of his sight.

In a strained voice, Goku replied, "What I have to tell you isn't easy for me to say right now, but..." There was a moment of tense, awkward silence. "Goten and Trunks are going to be alright, but, Gohan and Vegeta... are dead." The announcement sent ripples of shock through all assembled, and it seemed, for one moment, too horrible to be believed, before it finally settled in. "Majin Buu, destroyed them both."

-But dreams could never fool me-

-Not that easily-

"But Gohan... He can't be... He just can't," Videl stammered out, water building up in the corners of her eyes. Chichi, befitting her normal style, fainted, her father rushing to catch her, and Bulma, in her usual style, began crying and wailing out her loss. As Yamcha rushed to console Bulma, and Goku checked on his wife, no one noticed a single tear slip from Videl's eyes, as she grieved alone. "How, can this be?"

The human girl could still see him in her mind, that happy, carefree smile on his face. She remembered the patient look he wore while she tried to fly, and the pure joy he radiated when she succeeded. She remembered how angry she'd been when he suggested she cut her hair 'because it would be better to fight', and yet, she'd done it anyway, because, despite what he may or may not have said, she could feel he'd like it better that way.

Most of all, she remembered how, on this very spot, he had given her, her first kiss. Finally, all the pieces fell into place, and Videl realised exactly how she felt about Gohan. "I love him..."

-I acted so distant then-

-Didn't say goodbye before you left-

She only vaguely noticed when the talking white cat with the walking stick showed up, telling them all that there was no time to grieve for their fallen; it was time for action. In the past, she might have questioned just how a cat could talk, but as it stood right now, it didn't matter; nothing mattered. The one thing in her life that had meant anything to her, the one person she felt she could really be herself with, was gone, and with him, all hope.

She did, however, notice when a squeaky voice began talking in her mind, as well as, she assumed, the minds of everyone else. The voice, which announced itself as 'the great wizard Babidi', informed everyone that he was looking for five meddlers, the pictures of which flashed through their minds: Piccolo, Goten, Trunks, Oran, and Lime. He told them that, if these five didn't reveal themselves, he would lay waste to the world.

And then he had Buu demonstrate.

-But I was listening-

She watched as, under Babidi's directive, the pink thing addressed as Majin Buu, the same Majin Buu that had supposedly killed Gohan, used his powers to lift everyone in the city below them (she believed it was Gingertown, but it was hard to tell, as she'd never actually been there, only having seen it during the news reports when Cell appeared) into the air, before turning them all into candy.

To her continued horror, Buu sucked them into his mouth, crunching them all down and swallowing audibly. That done, Buu then proceeded to destroy the entire city with a massive breath. The two waited there for a moment, as someone from the tournament contacted Babidi to inform them of three of the names, but as the tournament official couldn't supply a location, Babidi killed him with just a thought. That done, they flew off, Babidi riding Buu's back, with the final warning that this fate would be met by every city if the five weren't found in the next five days.

Hanging her head in sorrow, Videl begged silently, 'Gohan... We need you... I need you...'

-You'll fight your battles far from me-

-Far too easily-

The first thing Gohan noticed when he awoke was the acute lack of pain he normally associated with waking up after getting the shit kicked through him. The second thing he noticed was the grass under his back, which just conflicted with the first thing; if he was still lying on grass, meaning he'd woken up in the wilderness somewhere, why didn't he hurt?

The third thing he realised was that he wasn't alone. Opening his eyes, he saw the forms of Kibito and the Supreme Kai around him, the former leaning over him with one hand extended; that, at least, explained why he didn't hurt. Sitting up, he turned to the purple skinned being to his left, asking, "Supreme Kai, where am I?"

"You're on my home planet, the World of the Kais," Shin replied sagely.

Gohan sighed as he climbed to his feet. "I guess this means I'm dead huh?" He reached above his head, commenting, "Hey, don't I get a halo like my dad?"

"No Gohan, those are only for the dead," Shin replied with a smile, "And while you were in bad shape when we brought you here, you are very much alive."

"'Kay," Gohan commented dazedly, "But if I'm not dead, then why am I here?"

"I am curious about that as well master," Kibito asked from behind him. "No living mortal has ever stood on this ground. Not even the Grand Kai has permission to be here; it's not right!"

Raising a fist confidently, the Supreme Kai stated, "I brought Gohan here to get the Z Sword."

Kibito gaped. "The Z Sword! You... You can't be serious Supreme Kai! How can a mere Earthling do what the Kais themselves could not? Don't you remember? None of the Kais, not even you, were capable of freeing the Z Sword!"

"I am well aware of the power of the Z Sword," Shin replied with a cocky smile. "And I am also sure that Gohan is the one who can wield it." He started walking off. "Come on Gohan."

"Wait, aren't you gonna tell me what the Z Sword is?" Gohan asked; Shin's response was to fly away. "Guess not." Gohan took to the air moments later, a grumbling Kibito following after him.

-"Save your tears 'cause I'll come back"-

-I could hear that you whispered as you walked through that door-

"What! No way! That can't be! That could never happen to my dad!" Trunks wailed, tears welling up in his eyes he was too proud to shed. The two boys had woken up only minutes earlier to find themselves on a soft bed, in a cavernous room they didn't recognize. Fortunately, Oran and Lime were waiting nearby, to prevent them getting up to any mischief, and to inform them where they were.

The four had departed soon after, finding their way easily enough to the food Mister Popo had prepared earlier, and began stuffing their faces. It was there that Goku had found them, bringing the four of them with him saying he had important news to tell them. The news: Gohan and Vegeta were dead. Needless to say, they didn't take it very well.

Squeezing his eyes shut to prevent the tears from coming, Goten shouted, "My brother's not dead!"

"Stop that!" Goku shouted. "We don't have time for this now! We've got a lot of work to do, and you'll have to learn some new skills fast! You got it?" The two boys forced back the tears, turning to face him, though they kept their heads down, sniffling and twitching every so often. "I said stop that! There'll be no more tears from now on! You will have to be tough to stop Majin Buu!"

-But still I swore to hide the pain when I turn back the pages-

With these words, Trunks forced his face into a mask of arrogant neutrality, one his father had donned every day of the week, and seconds later, Goten followed suit. They may have been young, but they were still Saiyan to the core. They would grieve later; vengeance came first.

"So what's this almighty plan to defeat Majin Buu you've got?" Oran called out derisively from behind the deceased fighter. "I mean, it's gotta be big if you're not gonna have enough time left on Earth to teach it to them." For reasons no one could truly fathom, Oran seemed to have taken an instant dislike to Goku. Only two people on the Lookout knew him well enough to be able to say why: Lime, and Videl. Simply put, Kaen didn't like Goku, so neither did he.

Goku smiled confidently. "It's called the Fusion Technique."

-Shouting might have been the answer-

"THAT'S your big idea?" Oran shouted incredulously, before turning to his sister and saying defeatedly, "We're doomed." She nodded her agreement sadly.

"What're you talking about?" Goku asked confusedly.

Oran sighed. "I'll explain this in simple terms for you Goku." The fact he used his human name rather than his Saiyan name spoke a lot for how he felt of him. "Let's say, on a simple single-digit number scale, that Majin Buu's power level was a five, okay?" Goku nodded. "Now, would you agree that, in order to beat Buu, a person's power level would need to equal at least five as well?" Goku nodded again.

Lime took over. "Considering Gohan was defeated by Buu, that would make him a four. Vegeta, being weaker than Gohan, would be a three; three-and-a-half tops. Goten and Trunks, however, are both considerably weaker than Vegeta, so they'd be one. Now Goku, what is one plus one?"

"Two," Goku replied, still confused as to where this was going.

"Correct," Oran clapped sarcastically. "Now, if we include the bonus the Fusion technique gives, in this instance one plus one would equal three. Now tell me Goku, which number is bigger: three, or five?"

"Five," Goku replied with a nod.

"Well done," Oran drawled. "Now then Goku, tell me this: IF THREE IS LESS THAN FIVE, HOW ARE GOTEN AND TRUNKS MEANT TO WIN?"

Everyone assembled, including most of the rest of the Z Fighters who were drawn to the boys' cries, but save the twins, clapped their hands over their ears; the boy's shout resonated off the domed room. Recovering quickly, Piccolo asked, "How do you two know so much about the Fusion Technique?"

Lime took a few steps forward to stand beside her brother, and they both took a couple of steps to the side.

-What if I'd cried my eyes out and begged you not to depart?-

Flying over the lush green fields of the World of the Kais, Gohan couldn't help but comment, "You know, in a lot of ways this reminds me of where I live back on Earth."

Kibito turned back to the gawking Gohan with a scowl, taking quick stock of Gohan's attire; the ruined gi really looked atrocious. "Look at you! This is a sacred place and you're dressed like that!" Before Gohan could react, Kibito pointed a finger at him, focusing his ki for but a second before releasing it. Gohan was surrounded by a sphere of white light for a second, before his clothes rematerialised in a near replica of what Kibito himself wore, but in the same colours of the Supreme Kai's outfit.

Turning his head back to face him, Shin couldn't help but laugh a little. "Those clothes suit you well Gohan." Gohan chose not to respond, and the three continued onwards towards a massive stone spire in the centre of a purple lake; well, the lake was really only purple because the sky was purple. "Ah, we're here!"

The three landed atop the stone spire, and in the centre of it, Gohan could see the hilt of a sword sticking out; the rest of the sword was buried in the rock. The haft and the pommel of the sword were golden in colour, with an aqua jewel on the tip of the pommel, while the handle itself was black. Only the very start of the silver blade could be seen above the rock it rested in.

"This is the Z Sword Gohan," Shin explained, and the teen walked closer and crouched down to examine it. "Now try to pull it out. No one else has done it; Gohan, if you can pull it from the rock, you will be the first."

"The first one huh?" Gohan muttered quietly. "You know, this might sound strange, but I think I've done this before..."

-But now I'm not afraid to say what's in my heart-

The twins raised their arms, pointing them away from each other as they stood ramrod straight, in mirroring positions. Taking three equidistant steps towards each other, they windmilled their arms in a semi-circle, chanting, "Fu." They stopped with their hands almost touching, throwing them across their chest back to where they were before, raising their outside leg so their knees pointed at one another. "Sion." Leaning towards each other, they extended their legs again as they brought the tips of their fingers to touch, the 'inside' arm below their head, and the 'outside' arm above. "HA!"

A flash of blinding light consumed the pair, forcing the onlookers to shield their eyes, and a massive gust of wind swept around the room. The rapid power increase from inside the white light caused the room to shake, flakes of dust falling from the pillars. When the light finally died down, the twins were gone, leaving a single person in their place.

This new person was clearly female. Starting at her forehead, five distinct spikes of hair shot backwards, and directly beneath the central spike, at the back of her head, was a ponytail that trailed halfway down her back. The face was almost completely Lime's, though the eyes, and several hard, defining lines, were like Oran. She wore a black vest with red-gold trim over a white sleeveless undershirt, a deep red sash around her waist, and white baggy pants, finished off with black cloth shoes and wristbands of a colour to match the sash.

-Though a thousand words-

-Have never been spoken-

There were many things that ran through the minds of those who had witnessed the power of the Fusion Technique first hand. The first to speak up was Trunks, who shouted, "That is so awesome!"

"Yeah!" Goten cried out, turning to his father and asking, "Is that what you're gonna teach us?"

"Uh, yeah..." Goku replied dumbly, before turning to the fused being and asking, "Where did you learn fusion?"

The girl shrugged, her voice made up of the voices or Lime and Oran in perfect synchronisation. "Sis picked it up while she was searching for brother. She taught him, and he taught us."

Goku's face slipped into a mask of confusion. "Kaen and Pi know fusion?"

-They'll fly to you-

-Crossing over the time and distance holding you-

-Suspended on silver wings-

The look the fused girl levelled at Goku was one females everywhere recognised; the look of a girl/woman trying to get something through the thick head of a boy/man. In a deadpan tone, the dual voice replied, "No Goku, they just happened to be able to teach it. Of course they know it! Weren't you listening!" Her voice reached Chichi-esque volumes.

"How long does the fusion last?" Piccolo asked; Goku had been non-specific on the details.

"Traditionally, half an hour," she replied, "But because Oran and Lime are twins, my fusion lasts a whole hour."

From the doorway, Yamcha asked, "Why do you refer to yourself in the third person?"

She turned to look at him. "I don't. I am neither Oran nor Lime."

"Then who are you?" He asked.

The girl smirked. "I am the sum of their parts. I am Liran."

-And a thousand words-

-One thousand confessions-

"How come your fusion lasts longer than normal?" Yamcha asked curiously.

Liran shrugged again. "The only way to explain it would be to explain the very essence of the Fusion Technique itself."

"We've got time," Piccolo's gruff voice pointed out. "As you yourself have stated, we've got an hour until the fusion wears off, so we have an hour to wait until you can start training the boys."

"So I'm training them now am I? Figures," Liran grumbled to herself, before taking on her (their?) father's patented lecturing tone. "The fusion can only be achieved when two people of similar traits synchronise their bodies completely through the Fusion Dance; breathing, heart rate, everything. When the bodies of these two people combine, a new, hybrid body is formed; that much you already know."

"What about-" Goku began.

-Will cradle you-

"I'm getting to that!" Liran snapped irritably. "The minds of the two people, however, cannot be properly fused, so a new mind is born with the memories and abilities of both; thus, a fused person has a different personality to his or her original two. The soul, however, cannot be fused together, and this is where the time limit comes into it. Simply put, two souls can not survive in the one body for too long."

"They'd repel each other like two magnets of the same charge," Trunks piped up, pleased to have actually understood what had been said.

"Exactly," Liran nodded. "The magic, if you can call it that, of the Fusion Dance allows two souls to cohabitate the same body for a period of time. The length of time is proportional to the strength of the bond between them."

"What do you mean 'bond'?" Yamcha asked oddly, looking warily at the assembled Saiyans.

-Making all of the pain you feel seem far away-

-They'll hold you forever-

Liran levelled him with a flat stare. "Like the bond of friendship, or between family members. Get your mind out of the gutter." Turning back to the non-perverts in the room, she continued, "Fusion can't happen between just anyone; there needs to be this bond for it to work. So, Goten and Trunks could fuse because they're best friends. Goku could fuse with Gohan because of the familial bond, or with Vegeta because of the bond of rivalry. Oran and Trunks, however, could not fuse, as there's nothing connecting them."

"So this bond, this connection, is the bridge that allows two people to fuse," Piccolo stated firmly.

"Correct." The fused girl nodded. "Now, because Oran and Lime are twins, there is already a bond between them stronger than normal; a part of their soul they share in common. Because of this increased commonality between their souls, their fusion - me - can exist for longer than half an hour."

"The stronger the bond, the longer the fusion..." Goku mused to himself, before being struck by the veritable thunderbolt of inspiration. "If you can remain fused for an hour, how long can Kaen and Pi stay fused?"

Liran shrugged. "No idea. The last time they fused was about two or three weeks before they bonded. There's no telling how long Kai can remain in existence; it may only be half an hour, it may be a lot longer. The only people who may know haven't deigned fit to share that information."

-The dream isn't over yet-

-Though I often say I can forget-

Videl sat on the ledge overlooking the Lookout, in the room atop the ornate palace, with her arms around her legs, and her head resting on her knees. She wasn't crying, but in the event the tears came, she wanted to make sure that no one saw it. Well, to be accurate, there was one person who Videl would let see her cry; 'was' being in the past tense there.

Gohan was the only guy who had treated her like a regular human being for as long as she could remember. Even when she was young, her father was already famous, but when he won the title of World Champion, things just got worse. Then came Cell, and just when she thought life couldn't get more unbearable, it did. Erasa had been the one shining light through the dark times, until three months ago, when Gohan had started school, and chased away the night.

She'd hated him at first, because he treated her different, but somehow he managed to worm his way into her heart, and unlike the legions of fanboys she looked down at, he didn't even try to; it had just happened. Even now, Videl still wasn't sure just how he'd done it, or when it had happened, but somehow Gohan had gone from meaning nothing to her, to being a friend, to a good friend, to the centre of her world.

-I still relive that day-

Videl's concentration, and brooding, was broken suddenly when Bulma, sitting nearby, slammed her fists on the table before her, shouting, "It's just too hard...for me to believe! How could Gohan defeat something like Cell, but he couldn't stand up to that fat, disgusting..." The blue-haired scientist broke down in tears again. The unconscious Chichi lay nearby, her massive wall of muscle of a father fanning her slowly.

Videl scowled. The look only deepened as Gyu Mao replied, "Yes, it's hard to believe but it's true. Gohan is dead, and my poof Chichi... Now she's lost her husband and her son."

-You've been there with me all the way-

-I still hear you say-

Videl shot to her feet, shouting, "Dead, dead, dead! I'm so sick of hearing you people say that!" She felt the tears coming now, but she refused to shed them through force of will alone. "We haven't even found a body yet, and you just stand around, defeated, like we've already buried him!" She levelled a glare at the entire room, looking quite fierce despite, or perhaps because of, the unshed tears in her eyes.

Silence permeated the room for a moment, before Krillin stated softly, "Videl, I'm sorry. I lost a friend too, but if we can't sense his life force anymore, then that means that, well, that he's passed on."

"Stop saying that!" The girl shouted, causing the former monk to jump. "You think I don't know how this works? But just because we can't sense them doesn't automatically mean they're dead! What about Kaen and Pi? We can't sense them either; does that mean they're dead?"

Krillin scratched his cheek, "Quite possibly."

"Okay, bad example," she grumbled under her breath. "What about Kat? Or her parents? Are they dead; we can't sense them either."

"Well, no," Krillin admitted begrudgingly, "But that's because that ship of theirs masks it, if they're even still on the planet."

-"Wait for me, I'll write you letters"-

-I could see how you stammered with your eyes to the floor-

"So you admit then that there are loopholes to your 'if we can't sense then, they're dead' theory?" Videl crowed triumphantly; well, as triumphantly as one could be while grieving.

Krillin sighed, and nodded. "Alright Videl. I admit there is a chance that Gohan may just be somewhere we can't sense him, but where would that be? The only places on the entire planet that are able to block our ki sense are the Saiyan ship, and the various Saiyan training rooms around the place; why and how would Gohan be there?"

"Well maybe he's not on this planet then," Videl countered.

"Oh really?" The older man replied. "Then where would he be?"

Thinking quickly, Videl responded. "Shin; I mean, the Supreme Kai. I dunno about you, but I can't sense him anymore, so maybe he took Gohan somewhere."

"Come on Videl," Krillin scoffed, "Why would the Supreme Kai take Gohan anywhere?"

-But still I swore to hide the doubt when I turn back the pages-

-Anger might have been the answer-

Planting his feet on either side of the sword, Gohan crouched his knees and reached down, grasping the hilt with both hands. "Here goes..." Giving it a few practice tugs, an idea suddenly came to him, and he released it again, asking, "I was wondering, what's supposed to happen when a person actually frees this?"

"The sword draws on its master's deepest hidden powers," Kibito answered. "The two become one weapon, capable of cutting down even the mightiest of foes."

Gohan nodded his head appreciatively, joking, "Sounds like this sucker must be really sharp. Guess I'll have to be careful."

Not getting the joke, Kibito replied, "Don't worry. You can't free it."

"Kibito," Shin admonished, "We've all had our go trying to free it; let Gohan have his."

Grabbing the hilt again, Gohan muttered, "Here goes..."

-What if I'd hung my head and said that I couldn't wait?-

-But now I'm strong enough to know it's not too late-

"Gohan's still alive out there somewhere; I know it," Videl stated vehemently.

Casting a curious look in the girl's direction, Bulma asked, "Videl, what makes you so sure? I'm not saying you're wrong, but what makes you believe that?"

"I..." She paused, trying to sort out in her own mind exactly why she knew this to be fact. In the end, all she could say was, "I don't know. I just do." She placed a hand over her heart. "I can feel it somehow, almost like I can still sense him. I don't know why, but something tells me that if Gohan were dead, I'd know about it."

Bulma smiled. As the only person present with an in-depth understanding of Saiyans, she had a fairly good idea of what was going on, if her suspicions proved true. "Do you love him?" she asked softly, having not heard the girl's self-confession earlier.

Videl smiled back. "I do. I love him with all my heart." She sighed. "Maybe that's why I believe he's still alive. Maybe I'm just fooling myself, but I absolutely refuse to believe it." She walked over to the ledge again, leaning against it, before finishing quietly "He can't be gone before we ever had a chance together..."

-'Cause a thousand words-

-Call out through the ages-

Gohan's muscles strained as he tried to wrench the Z Sword free of its rocky prison, but the sword refused to budge an inch. At the corner of his vision, he noticed Kibito smirking at him, as if the minor god was pleased at his failure; this angered Gohan, and when Gohan got angry, there was only one logical conclusion.

With a roar, Gohan was wreathed in golden flames, his hair blonding, extending, and standing up rigid as the Super Saiyan transformation took over him. Kibito continued smirking, stating with every ounce of belief in his body, "Not even your Super Saiyan strength will be enough I'm afraid."

Not choosing to reply, Gohan grit his teeth and focused all his strength into his arms, blue lightning dancing around his hands where they grasped the sword, as he dipped further into his power. He heard Kibito taunting him again, saying, "Your efforts are in vain. If the Supreme Kai was unable to extract the sword, how can a simple mortal like yourself ever succeed?"

The smirk slipt off Kibito's face when Gohan's feet sank into the rock, and cracks began to splinter the surface of the spire's peak.

-They'll fly to you-

Bulma's smile remained strong. "Videl, if you truly believe that Gohan's still alive, then I'll believe in you."

"If you say so Bulma," Krillin replied sceptically; he may not have wanted to believe Gohan was dead, but the facts spoke clearly enough to him.

Videl turned to face the blue-haired genius, a smile on her face. "Thank you." Turning back to gaze over the Lookout again, she returned to her thoughts, he smile still on her face. 'Gohan... I know you're still out there somewhere. You promised me you'd come back to me safe and sound. I believe in you.'

-Even though I can't see, I know they're reaching you-

-Suspended on silver wings-

'I believe in you.' Somehow, these words rang out in Gohan's mind, as though Videl herself were standing next to him, whispering them in his ear. With a roar and a massive golden flare, Gohan felt his power increase exponentially, and with the sound of breaking rock, he leapt high into the air, the Z Sword trailing after him still firmly in his grasp.

"Gohan, you did it!" Shin cried triumphantly.

"The Z Sword is free!" Kibito gaped.

Still floating in the air, Gohan panted from effort, as he found his newfound power boost decreasing. He couldn't explain it, but he knew he'd heard Videl, and he also knew that it was from her voice, from her belief in him, that he found the strength to free the Z Sword. Clutching the hilt tighter, Gohan swore to himself, 'Videl, I promised you I'd come back safely. I intend to keep that promise. I will use this sword to end the threat of Majin Buu forever, so that we can live in peace. This I swear.'

-Oh, a thousand words-

-One thousand embraces-

-Will cradle you-

"Well Kibito, it would seem that you have underestimated our young friend." Shin was all smiles. The trio had landed on the bank of the lake, as Gohan tested the sword. "How does it feel Gohan, to hold the legendary Z Sword?"

"Let's see..." Gohan replied, tensing his arms as he forced himself to lift it; he had dropped out of Super Saiyan once they hit land. Giving it a few practice swings, albeit with much difficulty, he commented, "Hey, you know, I think I've figured out how I can use this thing to beat Majin Buu."

Shin blinked. "You have?"

"It's so heavy, if I can just get him to hold it he won't be able to move his arms," The Semi-Saiyan teen joked.

"How dare you make jokes?" Kibito roared incredulously. "Have you no respect for the power that is in your grasp? This sword is the ultimate weapon, and you removed it. Now you must master it. You must work harder than you ever have, because if you continue trembling the way you are now, your battle with Majin Buu will be over before it's begun!"

-Making all of your weary days seem far away-

-They'll hold you forever-

"Well Kibito, maybe you'd like to give it a try?" Gohan offered, holding the sword out to him, his hands spaced far enough apart on the hilt for the minor god to take hold of it. "For you, this should be no problem." As soon as Gohan released the sword, Kibito fell forward, the Z Sword slamming heavily into the ground before Kibito released it, whereupon it flopped over, digging itself a hole in the ground in which to rest. "See? It's heavy."

"Oh, how embarrassing," Shin muttered quietly, as Kibito moved to try and wrench the sword from it's new resting place, and failed.

"You can't even lift it off the ground," Gohan observed, as Kibito slunk away in disgrace. Flaring into Super Saiyan, he commented, "I think I should probably start off using it like this. Once I've adapted to that, then I'll move on to using it in my normal form, otherwise we'll never get anything done." Grasping the sword firmly, Gohan dragged it off the ground, and using the basic sword-fighting techniques Trunks had taught him seven years ago, his training began.

-Oh, a thousand words-

-Have never been spoken-

"We don't have time to wait for Liran's fusion to wear off, so I'll teach you what I know before then, and Oran and Lime can take over once they're back to normal again," Goku stated. "Just remember, even if you guys do manage to do a fusion, it'll only last for half an hour, and once it wears off, you can't do another one for a while. You follow me?"

"Argh, thirty minutes isn't long enough for this kind of fight..." Piccolo scoffed.

"Actually," Liran corrected, "If they do it right, and the fusion gives them enough of a power boost, then there's a chance it might be enough, but they're gonna need to train to make sure they get that boost."

Nodding, Goku turned back to the two boys. "Okay, I need you to become Super Saiyans for this." The boys just glared at him. He blinked, asking curiously, "What's wrong?"

"Listen," Trunks began. "We wanna know. You're supposed to be the strongest guy in the universe or something right? So why weren't you there? Why weren't you there to save Gohan? Or my dad?"

-They'll fly to you-

"I'm sorry Trunks," Goku replied softly.

"What?" The lavender haired child barked. "You're sorry? You could have helped! 'I'm sorry' isn't going to bring back my dad!"

"Gohan always told me that you could do anything," Goten continued in a betrayed voice, "So why didn't you save him from that Buu monster? Why didn't you save him?"

For once, it appeared that Goku had no reply to that. Angrily, Piccolo shouted, "Don't just stand there, say something!"

-They'll carry you home and back into my arms-

-Suspended on silver wings ohhhh-

"What can I say?" Goku replied to the green man, before turning his attention back to the boys. "Look, I wish I was the strongest guy in the universe. Then I could've helped. But I'm not. I can't beat Majin Buu. But, with the Fusion Technique, I know the two of you can!"

"That makes one of us Goku," Liran cut in. When Goku turned around to face her, she continued, "I know what you're thinking. You're wondering 'if she thinks it's so hopeless, why is she helping?' Well I'll tell you why: I've got nothing left." Everyone stared at the girl in shock at those words.

"What do you mean by that?" Piccolo asked.

"My parents have fled the planet, taking our people with them, and my brother and sister, the two people who mean the world to me, are missing. Stopping Babidi and Buu is all I have left, and as hopeless as it may be, I intend to go down fighting." She turned to face the two boys. "So, what about you? Do you intend to cower up here, waiting for the end to come for you, or are you willing to learn fusion, and take revenge on the monsters that have taken everything from us?"

Trunks folded his arms, turning to Goten and stating, "I'm game. What about you?" The younger boy nodded, and all of them turned their attention back to Goku.

-And a thousand words-

-Call out through the ages-

Before Goku could say a word, haunting laughter echoed in their ears, as the disembodied voice of Babidi shouted, "Your attention please Earthlings. It's me again, the great wizard Babidi, along with my faithful counterpart Majin Buu. The two of us have been out doing a little sightseeing, and what a glorious sight we've found. A perfect place for Majin Buu to grab a little snack. I here the local cuisine is to die for. Of course, what he was really looking for was some Ma Junior, Goten, and Trunks ala mode, but I guess we'll just have to make do."

"Why is that wizard guy talking about us?" Trunks asked.

Eyes screwed shut, Goten replied, "I dunno, but if you close your eyes you can see him too!"

"Don't do it!" Piccolo barked, "Don't close your eyes!" Of course, Trunks did it, and the two watched in horror as Majin Buu turned everyone in the city into chocolate, and began eating them.

-They'll cradle you-

-Turning all of the lonely years to only days-

They watched as Majin Buu seemed to surprise itself by becoming full, before he destroyed the remaining chocolate bars, and most of the city, with one massive explosion. "No..." Piccolo growled to himself, "They'll destroy it all..."

"Well, the fun is over here," Babidi announced. "It seems that Majin Buu is actually full for once, so I guess the next city will have to settle for being pummelled into oblivion. Okay, time for us to move on."

"Babidi! Majin Buu!" Trunks shouted, and he watched in his mind as the two stopped in mid air. "Can you here me? This is Trunks."

"And I'm Goten," the boy beside him added.

"So, you two have finally decided to find some courage," Babidi taunted.

"No, we've decided to find you," Trunks replied, "and you don't wanna know what we have in store for that day."

"It won't be pretty," Goten added firmly.

"You two, stop talking to him or he'll find us!" Piccolo barked.

"Hellooo! Where are you boys? Where'd you go? Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Babidi's voice laughed.

A battle-smirk on his face, Goku stated firmly, "I think it's time we got started, whaddya say?" With a pair of nods, the lesson began.

-They'll hold you forever-

To be continued...

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Author's notes:

Gyu Mao is Ox King (Chichi's father), for those who haven't seen the term before.

Well, this chapter seemed to drag on a lot longer than I'd thought it would, yet it still ended before I'd planned it to. Guess it just goes to show you really can't predict these things.

Bit of a late update, but this time it is totally not my fault. Now, while you people over in America probably won't even notice that it's late, down here we had a power failure last night, before I could update. Thus, the chapter is 9 hours late. Hopefully it's worth the wait :D