NOTE: Welcome back to another chapter! To the few people who suggested names, I like your suggestions. I'll let you all know when I've finalized a name for her. Don't be afraid to keep suggesting names for Death.

I really wanted Nayuta to have a bonding moment with Goku before he went SSJ3. Makes it feel more...special to have that talk be where she opens to the idea of him more.

Makima is Goku's biggest fan. You'll see when she eventually meets a certain body-stealing God.

Enjoy and Review!

Chapter 16: Time's Up

"Do you miss them?"

"Hm?" Goku stopped his hand-handed pushups to look at King Kai. He stood back up onto his feet with a confused look. "What are you talking about, King Kai?"

"What do you think I'm talking about, Goku?" The Northern Kai asked.

"...Your planet?"

A tick mark appeared on the God's face. "And who do you think I have to blame for that, huh?!"

Goku waved his arms in an apologetic manner. "I said I was sorry, jeez! How long are you going to yell at me for that?!"

"For however long it takes for me to get my planet and life back!"

"Oooh! Oooh!" Bubbles agreed, clapping his hands.

"We'll be sure to do the same." Gregory added for himself and Bubbles.

"Jeez…! A guy can't catch a break, huh?" Goku smiled, nonetheless.

"Anyway, that wasn't what I was asking about." King Kai stood up from his chair to make way towards his student. "I was talking about your family and friends."

"Of course, I miss them, King Kai. Why ask a question like that?" Goku crossed his arms with a head tilt. As much fun as he's been having these last seven years in the Fighter's Realm, he does think back about his family and friends. He does wonder how Gohan and Makima were doing all this time. There were also those two kids in that photo that Death sent him. Goku had to assume they had to be his kids, right? He did remember that he and Makima did some stuff together before the Cell Games.

They did a lot of things in that short time.

"You'll be seeing them soon for the tournament, so I was just wondering how you were feeling. It's been seven years since you last saw them." King Kai said. As many liberties as Goku is usually given for his good deeds, he wasn't allowed to communicate or look at the world of the living unless the circumstances were called for it or requested by a God. Just like the living, the dead need to move on in order to find a sense of peace in their afterlife.

Goku hummed with a finger to his chin. "Well, I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious to see how they're all doing. I'm sure not too much has changed in all this time, and I bet they're all excited to see me too!" He laughed a bit. "It'll be a fun day!"

"Is that all you want, Goku? Just a day?"

"A day will be more than enough to-"

"A day where you'll be busy fighting in a tournament that'll take most of the day to finish. That's barely enough time to catch up with everyone and to get to know the children you've never met." King Kai interrupted him. The Northern Kai stared at his student's blank face, knowing the gears in that brain of his were slowly turning. "You could've chosen any other day to go back to them-to see your family again, but you chose a tournament. Why?"

Goku didn't answer immediately, but he did manage to put his thoughts together. "I just want to see everyone again, I guess. Even if it's not enough time to fully catch up, I just want to know they're doing okay."

"They aren't dead as you know."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean they're happy."

"But what if they are happy? What if your visit does nothing but open up old wounds that managed to heal after your death?" King Kai's words drive a nail into the Saiyan's heart. An uncomfortable feeling that he wasn't used to and didn't really like. "What if they've moved on, Goku?"

"...Then, maybe I have to move on too." His voice sounded uncertain. It wasn't common that you'd hear the usual confident Goku sounding nervous. All this time he was more than certain everything would be fine after his death, and even still a part of him still believed this. Nobody was dead yet. If a threat did pop up, he was more than certain Gohan and the others would handle it.

King Kai walked around to face his pupil in the face. As much as the two would usually joke and laugh with each other, there was still a sense of respect held for King Kai's position. His wisdom and knowledge had proven useful repeatedly and Goku would continue to be incredibly grateful for everything King Kai has done for him. "Goku, if by the end of this day you wish to stay with everyone, then I'll contact the Namekians to use the Dragon Balls to bring you back to life."

Goku's eyes widened in shock. "King Kai, you can't-"

"I can! I know we all agreed to leave the Namekians out of our problems. But it wouldn't be right for you to remain miserable here after everything you've done for your world-no-the universe."

"But I can't just leave you guys alone after getting you killed like that!" Goku exclaimed.

King Kai sighed at Goku's selflessness, a pure heart indeed. It baffled the God upon meeting him for the very first time. How could such a pure-hearted Saiyan ever come to exist, someone from a race born and bred to cause chaos around the universe to fulfill their battle-hungry needs. This didn't mean Goku was completely selfless, the battle with Freeza came back to his mind, but the Saiyan was selfish in the sense that he made decisions that he believed would benefit others more than himself.

A selfless selfish person. That was Son Goku.

He turned away from his pupil to look up at the pink sky. "Goku, there is nothing more valuable than time. We all have to use our time wisely or else we'll come to have regrets. In a way, you're still young, Goku. Don't waste the time you could be spending on the things most important."


"Sorry, King Kai, I don't have a choice." Goku thought after fully transforming into his newest form. His Super Saiyan 3 power filled the air, clashing against Buu's malevolent aura that threatened to consume the world.

"HA HA HA! Super Saiyan nothing! Humiliate him in front of the whole planet, Buu!" Babadi ordered.

"Hup! Hup! Hup!" Buu started winding up his arm in a silly manner.

"Let's go!" Goku charged forward faster than Buu expected. His foot smashed into the chubby cheeks of Buu, blasting him through the air. His hand grabbed the antenna on his forehead to yank Buu back towards him. Goku started treating Buu like a paddle ball, punching the pink bubblegum each time he was pulled back in. Then he swung Buu around and tossed him down into the sea.

"That's it, Papa!" Nayuta cheered.

"Get him, Goku!" Yamcha exclaimed.

Buu immediately came out of the water, unharmed from Goku's assault. Buu released a barrage of KI from his palms. Goku grit his teeth and deflected each of the blasts that came flying at him. When each one had been dealt with, he saw that Buu was no longer below him. Suddenly a pink fist smashed into his jaw, propelling Goku through the air for a brief moment.

After steading himself, Goku frowned slightly. "My attacks didn't hurt him at all. That barrage he just did was Vegeta's technique. Did he learn that just from watching Vegeta do it once?"

"Enough, Goku! Stop using Super Saiyan 3 or else you'll run out of time! You still have to teach the kids fusion!"

Goku ignored his teacher's shouts to focus on the fight in front of him. He smashed Buu's head to the side and was greeted with a similar punch in retaliation. Goku flipped around and kicked the pudgy pink ball in the stomach. Cupping his hands to the side, Goku charges up a powerful Kamehameha and fires. The beam tore through Buu as if he were paper, a gaping hole left in the monster's torso. Unfortunately, just like before, Buu easily regenerates the damage as if it were nothing. What shocked the Saiyan more was the way the Majin copied his movements by cupping his hands to his side.

"No way…! He couldn't be…!"

"HAAAAAA!" Buu gleefully shouts as he fires his own Kamehameha! Goku was forced to deflect the attack, grunting as the force of the attack made his bones rattle. The attack flew back at Buu, who gladly deflected the attack himself. All three, along with the entire planet, felt the sheer impact of the blast hitting the Earth. The Lookout vibrated violently, and they were nowhere near the battle.

"S-such…power!" Piccolo grunted.

Babadi released a shaky breath, then turned to his monster. "Buu, you idiot! That attack almost hit me!" Sadly, for him, Buu didn't seem to care about that. Rolling his eyes, Babadi turned his attention to the Saiyan. "Looking at the damage, it seems that attack took out a 10th of the planet! What kind of Hero of Justice are you?!"

Goku ignored Babadi to focus on his powerful opponent. His Saiyan blood was racing with excitement at Buu's might and adaptability. "You don't look smart, but you learn fast. You really are strong, Buu."

"Hee! Hee!" Buu rubbed his nonexistent nose.

"Let's continue!" Goku dashed forward with a punch to Buu's stomach. However, the Majin grabbed the Saiyan's arm and started spinning him around. Majin Buu tossed Goku away and pushed his palm outward. A pink chain extended from his palm and wrapped itself around Goku's leg.

"A chain?! But he never fought Makima!" Goku noticed the similar energy flowing through the chain as it tried to erode his mind. He pulled his leg back, yanking Majin Buu towards him. "If he never fought Makima, then the only person could be-"

"How dare…!" Makima's bloodlust started leaking out as she came to a similar conclusion as her husband. Anyone other than Piccolo and her children started scooting away to avoid her potential wrath.

Growling at the thought, Goku backhanded the Majin in the face. Then he flinched when he felt a wave of pain flow through his body instead. "What?!" Looking down at the chain still wrapped around his leg, Goku saw the brief static surrounding it. "Is he channeling the pain I deal back to me?!"

Buu rocketed back up with a headbutt into the Saiyan's stomach. Buu extended his head upwards with a breath blast that knocked Goku backwards. With the space given, Buu placed both of his thumbs in his mouth. His hands enlarged to a comical degree that left everyone gaping at the ability. "HEEEE!" Buu whipped the chain downwards to place Goku in the perfect position for his attack.

Goku crossed his arms as Buu unleashed his gargantuan fists upon him in rapid succession. Shockwaves shook the planet with each impact that continued to throw the whole population into panic. Goku grunted under the weight of Buu's attacks and pushed back against his fists. His KI rose as twin bursts of energy blew the gloved fists away. Goku charged in and unleashed a barrage of attacks that pummeled the pink gummy bear. He kicked Buu back towards Babadi and released a breath. Before he could re-engage Buu, his senses reacted to Trunks' energy that was moving back towards the Lookout. "Trunks' KI is moving fast. He must've found the radar. Good." Goku relaxed his body and dropped back down to his base form. Sweat was beating down his face, clear exhaustion from using up some of his time is shown.

Buu gasped at him. "Why turn back?! Buu is having fun!"

"Sorry, Buu, but I don't have time to keep playing with you. I'm heading back to my friends." Goku apologized.

"Do you think you have a choice?!" Babadi yelled. "Kill him right now, Buu!"

"Babadi! The ones you're looking for will be here in three-no-two days! Stop this killing and just wait two days!" Goku requested.

"Are they strong?" Buu asked.

"Yup! It'll be much more fun than fighting me!" Goku promised.

"Why should we do what you say?! Maybe we'll just kill more people just to spite you?!" Babadi laughed, trying to get the situation back under his control. He didn't like the way Buu was clearly listening more to their enemy than him. Neither of them cared much for him in this conversation, simply treating him as an insignificant fly.

Goku put two fingers to his forehead. "That's too bad, Babadi. I'm certain Buu would've had a lot of fun fighting them. See ya." He vanished from their sight, confusing the warlock and monster.

"Grr…! What do you think you're doing, Buu! Find that bastard and kill him!" Buu didn't turn to face him. "Are you listening to me?! I AM YOUR MAS-" Buu's hand stretched out, wrapping itself around Babadi's throat. "B-Buu…gah!" He choked.

"Master Babadi…"

"B-Buu?!" Babadi choked as pink chains extended out of Buu's arm, embedding themselves into the warlock's head. His eyes grew wider as he felt Buu's influence stretch across his brain. Babadi attempted to say something, to say the spell to seal Buu, however no sounds were coming out of his mouth. As if his voice had been stolen by him.

"Babadi…"

"M-my voice! That's my voice!" The warlock's body trembled from hearing his voice come from Buu's mouth. The monster's head did an unnatural 180 spin to face him, then the rest of the body followed. Buu shortened the distance until the two were nose-to-nose.

"It feels bad, yes?" Buu's voice was still Babadi's. Then his face shifted into the warlock's to add to the unnatural horror. "To not be in control, yes?"

"B-Buu…!" Babadi clawed at the glove that was restricting his breathing.

Buu's head then shifted into Dabura's with the Demon King's voice following suit. "I warned you, Master Babadi."

"M-Master Babadi…Buu will never be your loyal servant. That monster will one day prove too much for you and will be your undoing!" Dabura warned him.

The pure fear in the warlock's eyes as he realized the truth of the situation was delicious eye-candy to the pink monster. He savored every bit of his pathetic "master" before raising him higher into the air. Babadi tried to do anything, desperately wishing to shout something, but his muted voice prevented that. He could feel the chains draining away his knowledge and magic, all of it flowing into his "pet".

Buu's face morphed back to normal. "With this, Buu knows how to avoid spell that can seal him away! Buu will no longer be controlled! BUU IS FREE!" His eyes glowed and all at once Babadi's body was engulfed with anguishing shocks of pain. Every bit of tremor Buu had felt from his battles since awakening transferred into the warlock's small body. Buu made sure the torment was nice and slow before allowing the warlock's body to crumple to dust within his grasp.

"WHOO-HOO!" Buu cheered happily at the death of Babadi. "BUU DID IT! BUU DID IT! WHOO-HOO!"


Goku's head snapped towards the direction Buu was in, his eyes widening slightly. "Darling." He looked over to see Makima and Piccolo approaching him. "He killed him, didn't he?"

"Yeah, Buu finally killed Babadi. I expected it to happen, but not this quickly." Goku responded.

"Pity, I wished to do the deed myself." Makima sighed.

"If there's nobody left to control him, then Buu might not act violently." Piccolo hopes. His words instantly proved futile as they felt the rapid decrease of small KI signatures around Buu. Seems even without Babadi, the monster was planning to do the only thing it knew how: Destroy. "Tch..! It really was too much to hope for!"

"It's actually worse that he's doing it for fun." Goku said.

"Hm, most Devils usually cause mayhem due to their inherit natures to do so. However, there are some who have enough intelligence to simply mind their own business. Whatever Majin Buu seems to be, his natural instincts gravitate towards destruction." Makima adds.

"I wonder…" Goku hums. There was something about Majin Buu's behavior that reminded him of a child with too much power in his hands. However, the monster was simply too chaotic for its own good.

"Buu may just destroy the planet at this rate before the kids even learn Fusion."

"Nah, I think it'll be the opposite. I told him that three fighters will arrive to challenge him in two days. As long as they learn fusion in that time frame, then everything should be fine till the Dragon Balls are ready to be used." Goku said.

"Darling, I have a question." Makima turned to her husband.

"Yeah?"

"If Fusion is required for two people, then how are three children going to benefit from this training?" Her question genuinely stumped Piccolo and Goku. She sighed for a moment and crossed her arms. "I figured this thought hadn't crossed your minds, so I'll be taking over training for Nayuta from this point forward."

"Wait, but how is she supposed to get as strong as Goten and Trunks' fusion in that case?" Piccolo asked.

"Unlike the boys, Nayuta has a natural talent of properly utilizing my abilities, even adding her own spins to them, as destructive as they tend to be." They all thought back to her technique at the tournament. "As hardheaded as she is, there's a level of control and patience she has whenever she wants to learn something new. It's an intrigue that I've only ever seen in your eyes, darling." Makima explains. Goku smiled softly at those words, pleased to see there's something that he shares with his daughter.

"I take it that it'll close the gap between them all?" Goku asked.

"No, I have no guarantee of how strong Goten and Trunks' fusion will be, but our daughter won't be a burden to the battle. This is my way of fixing my mistake with Gohan." Makima softened her words.

Piccolo understood what Makima was talking about. His pupil's fear of his Devil heritage left him to stagnate and his mother's attempts to help him control it had failed. Eventually, she gave up on trying to get him to control the power since he refused to listen. The guilt of not helping him master those powers must be eating away at her, a sense of blame for his death.

"Alright, then. I'll leave that to you, Makima." Goku agreed. His breathing had started growing more ragged as he talked, something that neither had missed. The Saiyan chuckled and wiped his brow. "My time must be running out."

"What?!"

"Darling…you should have more time." Makima's voice betrayed any sense of calmness she was holding.

"Super Saiyan 3 drains too much energy, which uses up the time I have here on Earth. So, I basically have to borrow with the time I have left." Goku explained.

"Have Dende heal you!" Piccolo suggested.

"No, only the afterlife can heal this." Goku said.

"Goku!" The three turned around to see Uranai Baba floating down on her crystal ball. "Prepare yourself. You only have 30 minutes left."

"30 minutes?! That's it?!" Goku cried. "Dammit, Trunks! Hurry it up!" He felt Makima's hand slip into his own to help calm him down. It worked and slowed his breathing to allow him to not stress too much.

"Goku…I've wanted to ask you something." Piccolo gets his attention. "With Super Saiyan 3, couldn't you have defeated Majin Buu yourself?"

"...No, I don't think I could've." It wasn't the first time they've heard Goku admit that he wasn't strong enough to win, but it was still surprising. "In that brief fight, I can see why Gohan, Vegeta, and War struggled so much with Buu. His level of durability far outstrips Cell's, and his power is almost unheard of. Maybe if I really tried, I could've killed Buu…"

"The world doesn't live on 'what if', darling." Makima reminds him. "If your power wasn't enough, then that's it. We have to live with that."

Piccolo mulled on his old rival's words before surrendering. "I understand. Then…give Gohan my regards when you see him."

"I will."


"Hyrah!" Gohan swung the Z-Sword much easier this time. Though there was still weight to it, he at least didn't need to be in Super Saiyan any longer to move with it. Kibito watched with an actual impressed gaze at Gohan's speedy process. "Dad trained hard, even in the Afterlife! I have to live up to that! To make up for my failures, I have to become better!"

Over by a tree, Asa sat in a meditative position in front of Shin. The Kai held her only hand as he linked their energies together. Thankfully, Asa was able to access Yoru's energy enough to not have to worry about the Devil throwing a fit about connecting with a God. "We Supreme Kais are Gods of creation. We breathe life into the universe to bring about balance. When there is destruction brought about by others, there must also be those who create the world."

"Gods of creation? Wouldn't that mean there's a God of Destruction too?" Asa wondered.

"You and War are similar in that regard, Asa. As the War Devil you have the ability to both breathe life in destructive ways and to wipe it out in equal capacity. Yoru already possesses the ability to create weapons with whatever she touches, however your weakness lies in the inability to create weapons out of things out of your touch." Shin opened his eyes to look at her. "You can create powerful weapons out of things that hold meaning to you, yes?"

"That's right." Asa replied. "It doesn't necessarily have to be entirely positive. My first weapon was using the spine of a perverted teacher that had me killed to kill another student turned Devil that he was sleeping with."

"I see."

"Yeah, sorry, my life is pretty grotesque at this point."


"So, you're depressed too?" Denji looked over to see Videl plop down next to him on the edge of the Lookout. A pretty dangerous thing to do, but they're both capable of flying so it wasn't that dangerous in hindsight. She tapped her fingers on the golden ring edge and looked at him. "Thanks."

"For what?" Denji asked.

"For believing that they're not dead. Everyone else seems to have accepted it." Videl shrugged. She then looked back at the rest of the group, who were minding their own business as the kids were training. "Can't say I blame them though since they're much more experienced in this stuff than either of us are."

"Doesn't mean shit." Denji spat. "I can't accept Gohan's death and if he's not dead then neither is Asa. He wouldn't let anyone die under his watch no matter what."

Videl stared at him and thought back to his outburst when the news was given. She's never seen the school's infamous pervert so…emotional. If anything was true about Denji it was the absolute faith he held in his friend. "How did you two meet?"

"Eh?"

"You and Gohan. How did you guys meet?"

Denji scratched his cheek as he thought back to the worst and best(?) day of his life. "Let's just say that he and Mrs. Makima found me after somethin' really bad happened. Stayed with the Sons for a few days before getting dumped on Aki's doorstep. They were…the first people to ever show me kindness."

Videl didn't know what could've possibly happened in his past to make Denji the person he is today, but it wasn't her place to ask. It wasn't like they were super close for that kind of conversation anyway. "But should that change?" It wasn't like there was anyone else other than the Sons she could converse on here with. There was nobody else that would understand the thoughts running through her head other than Denji. She looked back at him. "What are we gonna do, Denji? About all of this stuff?"

Denji shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I ain't smart enough to come up with complicated plans like the rest of these guys. But I do know something that I do want."

"And that is?"

"To cut Majin Buu to pieces!" Denji declared with a clenched fist. "I don't care how much he can regenerate. Even Devils have a limit to how much their bodies can handle getting sawed to pieces."

Videl smirked. "I guess that hero routine you and Gohan were going on with is still present in you, huh?"

Denji smirked at her. "Chainsaw Man can't exactly give up, can he? His partner is gone, supposedly dead, and all he can do is sit here? Like hell!" Denji stood to his feet. "I'm gonna make that pink bastard pay! I swear on my heart!"

"Okay, then. Let's train." Both teenagers flinched, Denji almost falling off the Lookout, at Fami appearing behind them. She was munching on a creampuff as they tried to get themselves back together.

"Ms. Fami, you're-" Denji was surprised to see her actually talking.

"My brother-in-law will be returning to the afterlife soon. My nephew, niece, and their friend will be taking over the fight with Buu. My little sister and oldest nephew were killed by Majin Buu." Fami crunched the creampuff between her jaws and swallowed it. "Even if it's just a little bit, I want to ensure that I don't lose any more family." It was the most emotional the two have ever seen her be. "So, Denji, I'll help get you stronger in time to hopefully assist in the fight."

"R-really?! You'll do something like that?!" Videl gasped. Fami nodded her head as she pulled out another creampuff.

"That's great, but I need Mrs. Makima's permission at this point to transform."

"She's given permission in case shit hits the fan." Fami answered. "So, come with me. We'll head to the lower levels so that we don't disrupt the Fusion training." Fami turned around to walk towards the entrance way. Both Videl and Denji scrambled after her with smiles on their faces for the first time in hours.


"Are you sure you're okay, Goku?" Piccolo asked.

"I'm fine, Piccolo… It won't be long now." Goku assured him.

"Does Super Saiyan 3 really sap that much energy?" Piccolo wondered to himself.

Goku placed his focus on Goten and Trunks. "Okay, so once your KI levels have matched, you'll have to go through a series of movements at the exact same time. I'll demonstrate." As Goku went through the movements, even roping Piccolo in to help, Makima and Nayuta were outside of the room. The mother had her hands connected to her daughter's head.

Their energies were intermixing with one another. Dark and yellow aura mixed between them both, red and white chains were crossing into each other's bodies. Nayuta could feel waves of information being processed inside of her brain. "Mama…"

"Focus, Nayuta. I'll be granting you just a bit of my power, the max that you'll be able to handle at this stage of your life. Once your blood has responded correctly, we'll move into the stage of controlling the power granted." Makima explained.

"And if we can't…?"

"Remember that movie we watched? Where the main character lost himself to his transformation?" Makima mentions.

"Yes…"

"You don't want that to happen." Makima hummed humorously at her daughter's shiver before resuming the process.

"Makima." Their process was interrupted by Goku's voice. Makima lowered herself and her daughter back to the floor, then turned to see her husband. He was sweating much more and looked a lot more tired. She grimaced at the reminder that he didn't have much time left before he had to return to the Afterlife.

"Papa?" Nayuta looked confused at his state. "Are you okay?"

Goku lightly ruffled his daughter's head. "I'm okay, Nayuta. The boys are taking a break for the moment, so go play with them while I talk with your Mother, okay?" She nodded her head and scurried off to leave her parents alone. He smiled softly at the loud noise generated by the kids talking. "Those three…they're good kids."

"Yes, they are." Makima closed the distance between them. She stared into his eyes and remembered the very first time she saw those dark irises. Makima placed a soft hand on his cheek with a concerned look. "Darling, your time is almost up."

"I have a few minutes left."

"Don't leave."

"Don't leave me again."

He reached up to softly remove her hand from his face. Goku gently rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand, memorizing the feeling of her skin. "I have to."

"No, you don't. You never had to leave."

"It's better for everyone."

"Who is everyone, darling?" She placed her head against his chest to listen for a heartbeat that wasn't there. A heartbeat she'd never hear again if he were to remain dead. "Not a single thing that happened has ever been your fault. You are not responsible for the acts of a deranged old man hellbent on revenge, you are not responsible for your brother or Vegeta, and you are not responsible for Freeza coming to Earth. They all made their choices and none of that was on you."

"But I'm the cause and you know that."

"You had no choice-"

"We all have a choice. You said it yourself that they all made their choice. But we both know that those choices wouldn't have been made if it weren't for me." Goku felt her arms tighten around his waist.

"Please…don't break my heart a third time, darling."

He thought back to what King Kai told him before his free day back on Earth.

"Goku, if by the end of this day you wish to stay with everyone, then I'll contact the Namekians to use the Dragon Balls to bring you back to life."

It was hard, incredibly hard. To many others it seemed so easy to make the choice to come back to life to be with the ones they love. But Goku was a selfish person at the end of the day. He fell in love with the twins immediately upon meeting them, and he was so proud to see how strong they were for their age. When he saw the light in Makima's eyes upon his return to the living, that alone almost made him contact King Kai. He saw his oldest son all grown up, a young man having fun with his life as he should. The rest of his friends had all moved forward with their lives, they were all so different from how they were the last time he had seen them.

Life had moved on without Son Goku and it hurt more than he cared to admit.

He thought during the tournament that it wouldn't be so bad to come back to life. And then…

"What I care about is the fact that our son is dead and neither of us were there to save him."

"I'm not angry at you, darling. But I want you to understand that we failed as parents."

Gohan's death proved one thing and it was that he didn't deserve that kind of happiness. He got so focused on giving Vegeta the fight he wanted that he ended up losing his son in the process. Gohan was alone, likely blaming himself for everything, and Goku wanted to reassure his son that it wasn't his fault. He wanted to be there and apologize for failing him.

Even though he'd be leaving, he didn't want it to end on a depressing note. He'd use these last few minutes productively. "Makima, can you tell me about them?" She looked up at him. "Can you tell me about the twins and Gohan as they were growing up?"

Makima closed her eyes for a moment and exhaled a soft breath. "Yes, I'll tell you everything, darling."


"Goku, it's time." Baba's announcement brought a wave of sadness over the Lookout. Everyone stood outside, surrounding the Earthly Saiyan before he departed from this realm. Goku said goodbye to all of his friends with a smile, not wishing to see any of them looking upset. Goodbyes shouldn't be depressing at all, at least that's what he always thought.

"See ya, Goku." Krillin gave his friend one last handshake. "It was nice having you here while it lasted."

"It'll be fine, Krillin. We'll see each other again when you die."

"Not exactly the kind of thing you should say in this situation…" Krillin shook his head with a smile.

"Goku…" Bulma walked up to him. "Thanks for everything." She hugged him tightly and Goku returned it with just as much love as he could.

"Sorry for making you sad, Bulma. I'll see about Vegeta when I get to the Afterlife." Goku assured her.

"You don't have to. I know he's probably sulking in Hell right now. He needs some time to…think things through." Bulma said as she broke the hug.

Fami came up next and handed Goku a cream puff. "A going away present."

"Thanks, Fami!" He put the cream puff into his GI to eat for later. Then she handed him several more. "Uh…?"

"You get hungry quickly even as a dead person."

"True. Hehe!" He quickly eats a few of them in one gulp, enjoying the sweet taste of their filling. Goku could always trust Fami to find something delicious to eat. "I'll share some of these with Gohan when I see him."

"He's still alive." Goku and the others turn to Denji and Videl as they approach him. "There's no way he's dead."

"You know…I hope so too." Goku smiles.

"Papa…"

"Daddy…"

Goku looked down at the twins, who were fidgeting around their mother. Makima softly smiled at her children and pushed them towards Goku. They were trying to look tough in front of everyone and didn't know how to properly express their emotions. 24 hours ago, they barely had any idea who he was, and now he had managed to worm his way into their hearts enough for them to care. They had seen his kindness, they had seen his power, and they had seen his love for their family.

And they wanted more.

"PAPA/DADDY!" The twins jumped onto him, clinging to Goku's clothes tightly. Their tears stained his shirt, but that didn't matter to him. Goku held his youngest children with arms filled with warmth and love. A sensation they wanted to feel forever and ever.

"D-don't go, please! I-I want to know more about you, Papa!" Nayuta cried.

"I want to know more about you too." Goku said.

"D-don't leave us too!" Goten cried.

"I'm sorry, but I have to. Though, I'll always be watching you guys, okay? And the next time we see each other we can spend the entire time talking about everything you've done in your lives. I want to hear about all of it over a delicious meal, okay?" He received reluctant nods from his kids. "You two need to be strong for your Mom. Can you two do that for me?" They nodded once again. He gently removed them from his body, handing them off to Makima.

Husband and wife stared each other in the eyes one last time. Everything they needed to say to one another went unsaid.

Stay with me forever.

I'll always be here for you.

"Till death do us part…" Makima muttered into her son's hair as she held the twins.

Goku and Baba flew above their heads, the Saiyan waving goodbye with a smile. "BYE, EVERYONE! THANKS FOR EVERYTHING!"

POP!

"...And he's gone." Yamcha sighed.

"Mrs. Makima." Aki got his boss' attention. "Your husband was a special guy."

She smiled softly and turned away. "Yes, yes he was."


"I'm certain you can find your way yourself?" Baba asked as they floated over the Check-In Station.

"Yup! I'll be all good from here! Thanks, Baba!" Goku exclaimed. After Baba teleported back to her palace, Goku made his way down to Yemma's desk. He skipped past the long line of souls, those who had been killed by Majin Buu, to talk with the huge ogre. "Hey, Yemma!"

"Goku?! You're back pretty early!" Yemma noticed.

"Yeah, some stuff happened." Goku shrugged.

"You're telling me! What the hell is happening on Earth for all these souls to be popping up?!" Yemma motioned at the long ass line.

"Sorry, Yemma, the entire Earth population may end up here in a day or two."

"HUH?!"

"By the way, can I ask you something?"

"DON'T JUST SKIP OVER THAT!"

"Did my son Gohan pass through here earlier?" Goku ignored the ogre's shout to ask his question.

Rolling his eyes at Goku, Yemma searched through his checkbook to find Son Gohan. "Nope. There's nobody named Son Gohan in my book."

Goku's eyes widened at the revelation. A spark of hope and relief washed over him. "You mean he's still alive?!"

"There was someone else though. Dabura, the King of Demons, came through here. Never thought I'd end up judging him, but I was all too happy to send him up to Heaven. Someone like him would thrive in either Hells." Yemma explained.

"I mean…Death wouldn't let him have his fun."

"You would think, but that damn woman came through and snatched that other Saiyan's soul before I could judge him! I have no idea what's going through her head!"

"Other Saiyan…? Oh, you mean Vegeta!" Goku realized with a gasp. "Huh, I wonder why she took him. I mean, I guess she probably wanted to punish him for something but I can't think of anything he's done recently to warrant that." Goku shrugged. Well, it wasn't his business at the moment since Bulma told him to leave it alone for now. His focus should remain on the fact that Gohan was still alive. "Thanks for the info, Yemma!"

"Goku, wait-" The Saiyan was already flying out of the station before Yemma could stop him. The Judge just sighed and decided to just get back to dealing with the line before it could get any bigger.

Goku floated in the air with a pleased smile. "Gohan's alive, just like his friends said! Awesome! But why couldn't I feel his KI?" Searching outward, Goku's senses managed to pick up the trace of Gohan's KI. "That's Gohan's energy! But where is he exactly? He's not with King Kai…so where exactly is it? Welp, only one way to find out!" He locked onto Gohan's energy and teleported.


Goku's boots touched the soft grass of the Supreme Kai's Planet. His arrival didn't go unnoticed as everyone turned to the Saiyan with stunned shock. "GOKU?!" Shin and Kibito exclaimed.

"Gohan's Dad?!"

"DAD?!"

Goku stared at his son and his weird state of dress. Seeing his son standing and still breathing sent a cooling sensation down the Saiyan's spine. A wide happy smile graced his features and he flashed towards his son in an instant. "GOHAN!"

The teen dropped his sword as his dad picked him up for a hug. "D-dad?! W-wait!"

"You're alive! That's awesome!"

Gohan saw the pure relief in his father's eyes and relaxed himself. He wrapped his own arms around Goku and released a breath. "Yeah, I'm alive, Dad. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Gohan. Everything's going to be alright."

Asa smiled at the scene and tried nudging her other-half. "Hey…! Your brother-in-law is here!" She felt Yoru stir slightly and could only wonder what was going through the Devil's head.

Yoru stared at Goku through Asa's eyes. As she watched the reunion between father and son, a certain emotion bubbled in her chest. She didn't know why, but the scene in front of her was…reliving. She hated this feeling and wanted it to go away. To bury it forever to never feel it again.

Chapter End

NOTE: Goku leaves his family and friends to discover that his son is still alive! Yoru has some strange feelings going through her that she's trying to avoid. Will it all come out soon? Who knows.

Fami is taking Denji under her wing for the moment to have him assist the kids as best he can.

This chapter was very Goku focused (Something this story hasn't been AT ALL up till now). With him gone it's now up to the kids to get their acts together to fight Buu.

Gohan, Nayuta, and Goten all have their 'Devil sides'. However, they all vary in degrees to how dangerous they can be. Gohan's is the MOST dangerous if not controlled (I think we can all tell when he'll finally reach his full potential for that). I can't elaborate on Nayuta until you see more of hers. Goten in general is very weird and that'll probably be highlighted more when Gotenks appears.

Buu's killing of Bababi was much more sadistic than the original.

Super Buu MIGHT appear in the next chapter. Depends on how far I end up going.

Have a great day!