A/N: It's an anniversary special! Four chapters in one day! We'll give our usual thoughts and reflections at the end of the last chapter uploaded today.
Chapter Hundred-thirty-six
Peace at Last! Majin Boo Defeated!
Through the multi-ringed neon explosion of a thousand colors, Xibito watched and was filled with relief. Finally, her friends' souls could be at peace. It was finally over.
Goku couldn't help but feel a little sad as the last traces of the light faded away. 'I know how the whole reincarnation thing works by now,' she thought mostly to herself but also to who she knew was probably listening. 'And I know he'll come back as a better person. But we didn't really settle things. I hope that when he comes back, he'll keep his strength. As a favor to me. Ya owe me one.' She drifted down to the ground with Gohan as Xibito went to work healing Lapis and Vegeta. Lapis was already back on his feet and Vegeta at least wasn't bleeding to death anymore. "We make a good team, huh, Vegeta?" she asked as she gave the King a thumbs-up. He returned it weakly and, to her amazement, actually smiled. Then, Goku noticed something even more amazing. "Hey, Vegeta! Your halo's gone!" Vegeta tilted his head back as much as he could and his eyes widened in shock when he realized she was right! "I guess you're one of the good guys now!" The revelation was so absurd to Vegeta that he actually burst out laughing. Goku let out a giggle and soon enough, she was joining him. Then Gohan was laughing and even the Kaioushin and Lapis.
"...Wait," Lapis asked, "What're we laughing about?"
'Uh, not to interrupt,' Dende suddenly thought in their heads, 'But Porunga's giving us the stink eye. Is somebody gonna make a wish?!'
Goku, Gohan, and Xibito looked between themselves indecisively. Lapis started to speak up and point out that he had been thinking about buying a boat when Vegeta cleared his throat.
"Considering all the money that Bulma spent on convincing everyone that I was not a mass-murderer," he pointed out, "Perhaps you could wish to have everyone forget that I killed all those people at the Tenkaichi Budoukai. Just make them think it was Boo!" Lapis looked a little deflated but everyone else agreed with a nod.
'Did you get that, Dende?' Goku asked.
'Get what? I don't have cross-universal hearing and Pracya dispelled the spell. If you're not thinking it, I have no idea what you're doing.'
'Oh, right! Wish for everyone on Earth to forget that Vegeta killed those people at the Budoukai and have them think it was Majin Boo instead!'
OoOoOoO
With a slight sting of regret for having to help Vegeta, Dende relayed the wish to Porunga. Although, he did change the wording slightly to make sure that, if no one else, their friends would remember what Vegeta did. He couldn't get off totally scot-free, after all.
OoOoOoO
Vegeta let out a sigh of relief and, to his own surprise, let Kakarot help him to his feet. Then Xibito repaired Vegeta, Lapis, and Goku's clothes which relieved Gohan as well since he could finally stop staring at the sky and the ground.
"Okay," Goku said when everyone was ready, "Gohan, you take Vegeta, Hercule, and Lapis back to Earth. I'll go pick up Dende real quick and meet you there!" Gohan smiled and pulled his mom in for a tight hug, catching her by surprise before she hugged him back. "You okay, Gohan?" she asked as she patted him gently on the back.
"I'm just… I'm just really glad you're back, mom," he whispered softly as he pulled away and wiped his eyes. It took Goku a second to realize what he meant before she broke into an enormous grin. He was right! She was alive again! She'd get to go home and live with Suno and Gohan again and help raise Goten!
Vegeta gave an irritated "a-hem!" as his grip tightened around Gohan's shoulder. Gohan grabbed Hercule and Lapis's hands with a slightly embarrassed chuckle.
"Right, right, sorry!"
"See ya in a bit!" Goku told the others with a grin. Then, they were gone, leaving the Gods by themselves. For the first time in millions of years, Xibito was free of her burden. Majin Boo was gone. Her quest was over. She had… no idea what she was going to do now.
"I'm gonna take a nap," she muttered to herself. Zenou knew she needed it.
OoOoOoO
After the vision faded from her mind, Goten was left with a bright and excited feeling at seeing her brother's triumph and knowing that they'd defeated the bad guys. But without having to focus on the fight or on donating her energy to her mommy, she realized something. "Hey! I can sense mama's ki!"
Trunks' own expression brightened at that and, after searching for a second, "Hey! I can sense my mom's ki, too!" The children gave an excited cheer and flew off toward the direction of their mothers' ki, full of energy and joy while Piccolo trailed behind them.
The Namekian was left alone with his thoughts as he flew silently, well behind the children. The fact that he couldn't even keep up with these children, practically infants, was maddening. Gohan's future children would probably be even stronger. He was only 21 years old, technically, but they made him feel so… old. So useless and in the way. He'd done less than nothing in this latest crisis. His last desperate grasp at relevance had been to return to a singular being with Kami. He had once been a Demon King, the single most powerful being on the face of the Earth. He had ruled the entire planet with an iron fist. Was this all he was now, a glorified babysitter?
Maybe he really would just leave for New Namek.
No, Piccolo told himself, that's not like me. He couldn't just leave. What about Gohan and Dende? Trunks and Goten would still need more training, too. And Gohan's child, whenever it came. He had… friends, he had to admit to himself. He had a life here. Maybe he wasn't powerful anymore but being all-powerful didn't have the allure that it once held. There was more to life, after all.
But that didn't mean he was just going to stop training, either.
OoOoOoO
On the Lookout, the mood was celebratory and triumphant even before Goten and Trunks arrived.
"Mama!" Goten exclaimed as she rocketed toward Suno like a golden rocket.
"Goten!" Suno shouted with delight as she caught her daughter in her arms with a slight "Oof!" from the impact. "Oh, my baby! I'm so proud of you, you were so brave!" She peppered Goten's face in kisses as they both wept tears of joy.
"Mom!" Trunks cried, throwing his arms around his mother and burying his face in her chest as he totally didn't start to cry.
"My little man," Bulma cooed as she tenderly stroked Trunks' hair, also pretending not to cry because she didn't want her makeup to run. "You did great. I know that your dad would be proud of you–"
"Yes," a voice suddenly said warmly that caught everyone by surprise, "Yes I am." Everyone turned to see Gohan, Lapis, Hercule, and Vegeta standing there. A Vegeta that was absent a tattoo on his forehead or a horrifying amount of veins running all over his body.
"Dad!" Trunks exclaimed delightedly, rushing past everyone to throw himself at his father, who hugged him tightly with a laugh. "You're okay! You're back!" Vegeta only nodded, touching his son's hair fondly as he held him to his chest.
"Big Bro!" Goten cheered as she leaped out of her mother's arms and into Gohan's, both of them tackled a second later by Suno, burying her face in the crook of her son's neck as she wept openly with relief, finally knowing that her son was alive. In all of the excitement, she hadn't really noticed whether Gohan had a halo or not but now she could see that he was okay.
Videl ran straight past the very emotional Son Family and right at her father, somewhere between an attack and an embrace as she hugged Hercule. "Oh my gosh, Dad, you're insane! What's wrong with you, what were you thinking?!" Hercule only laughed and hugged his little girl tightly, gently patting her back.
"It's okay, Videl," he told her. "Everythin' worked out, right? Your old man ain't all show after all." Then he pulled away from her with a sudden realization. "Yer ma must be worried sick! C'mon, we gotta go get her!" He started running off the Lookout and got to the edge before he remembered that he couldn't fly. That would definitely be something he'd have to look into changing.
Videl was sorely tempted to stay and talked to Gohan but Hercule was right. She hadn't spoken to or seen her mother since the Budoukai. She was hit by a sudden rush of guilt at the fact and a desire to fix things. "Hang on, dad!" she called to her father before running over to him. With a slightly amused smile, she picked her father up into her arms and flew with him off the Lookout.
"Ya think Gohan might be able to teach me how to fly?" Hercule asked as they flew. Videl could only laugh but she did notice that his ki was just a little bit bigger than it had been the day before. Where did that come from, she had to wonder. Then, belatedly, she noticed a small yellow lab pup nestled carefully in Hercule's arms, nuzzling against his chest. So… they had a dog now, it seemed.
Suno had managed to recover from seeing Gohan, at least to some degree, and let Gohan and Goten help her to her feet. "I really am proud of both of you," she told her children with a beaming smile. "You gave me heart attacks today, but I'm proud of you." She gave a soft, wistful sigh and shook her head. "I just wish your mom could still be here." She knew she shouldn't ask for too much, that she shouldn't be greedy. Her son was alive and he'd helped save the universe, she got time with Goku that she didn't think she would get for decades, she should just be grateful for what she–
"Hey, guys!" Goku greeted excitedly as she arrived in the middle of everyone with Dende and Lapis. Everyone (except Gohan and Vegeta, obviously) took a moment to gawk at Goku as their eyes slowly drifted upward to the conspicuous absence of a halo floating over her head. In all of the excitement, they hadn't really noticed before. "What's everybody staring at?" she asked jokingly. "It's not like it's the first time I've come back from– whoa!" Before Goku could finish, Suno tackled her hard enough to send both of them hurtling over the edge of the Lookout. Since everyone knew that neither was in any actual danger, they just laughed.
Goten turned to Gohan with a slightly confused but hopeful expression. "Is mommy gonna stay with us?" she asked, a smile already forming on her lips. Mama had told her so many stories about mommy when she was little– well, littler– so she'd always wished that she could live with them.
With a grin, Gohan ruffled his little sister's hair. "Yeah, she is, Goten," he assured her. "Yeah, she is."
Lazuli and Krillin walked quickly to Lapis with Krillin carrying Marron in his arms, all three of them grinning excitedly. Lazuli threw her arms around her brother's neck and hugged him tightly before pulling back so that they could exchange a quick, complicated sibling handshake. "So much for this not being your fight, huh?" she asked with a smirk.
"Yeah," Krillin added, "What happened to 'laying low'?" he elbowed Lapis jokingly in the side– or, more accurately, in the leg– and laughed.
Lapis just rolled his eyes. "Hey, you should be glad I did," he retorted. "If we'd all come up here with you, I'd have died with the rest of you idiots and I wouldn't have been able to help save the univ–" he stopped in mid-sentence as his eyes widened with a realization. "Amy! The kids! What the heck am I still doing here?!" he asked, slapping himself in the forehead. He got a running start and then leaped off the edge of the Lookout, rocketing through the blue afternoon sky with an excited whoop.
"Uhhh… see you later?" Krillin called after him in confusion. Then he shrugged and shook his head with a laugh, turning his head up to look at Lazuli. "We should probably head home, too, huh?" he asked his wife.
Lazuli nodded, running her fingers through her husband's hair affectionately. "I think after this," she said as they took off lazily, "We need a vacation." Krillin certainly didn't have a problem with that.
Piccolo and Popo walked to meet with Dende and smiled at him proudly. "You did very well today, Dende," Piccolo told him with an approving nod. "Kami would be proud of you, as I am."
That confused Dende and his expression made that clear. "But I failed," he objected. "The Earth was destroyed. I abandoned it."
Piccolo shook his head. "To be the Guardian of Earth means more than looking after a rock. It means protecting and caring for its people and you did that. Down to the very last human being," Piccolo jerked his head in the direction that Hercule and Videl had gone off in. "You've proven yourself a worthy successor as Guardian of the Earth." Dende couldn't help but beam with pride.
"Hey, dad," Shouronpo asked her father as the Ox and Wolf family flew away from the Lookout, "Do you think Aunt Suno would be willing to teach me like she taught that Videl girl?" On the one hand, part of Yamcha felt a little offended that his own daughter wanted to learn from someone else. But on the other hand, if he was honest with himself, Suno was a better martial artist than him and it probably wouldn't hurt to have Shouronpo learn from her if she was serious about continuing to fight. Heck, part of him was glad, even proud, that she wanted to keep training with anyone at all. She definitely had that fighting spirit.
"I'll tal–" was all he managed to say before Chi-Chi pushed her way into the conversation.
"We'll talk to Suno," she told Shouronpo firmly. "After the semester finishes and if your grades are good." Yamcha gave his daughter a sympathetic look and a shrug. It seemed fair enough to him.
Speaking of Suno, she and Goku Instant Transmissioned between their children, grinning like idiots as Goten hopped eagerly to her feet and Gohan rolled his eyes. As glad as Gohan was that his mom was alive again and she was going to be living with them… he wasn't looking forward to dealing with that again. "Alright," Suno sighed as she pulled her family in for a group hug, "Let's go home." Her family had helped save the universe, she was the Budoukai champion, and she had her wife back. Who said you couldn't have it all?
"Oh, hey, what've I missed?" Goku asked suddenly as she prepared to use Instant Transmission again. Gohan and Suno looked at her in confusion, wondering if she was going to be more specific with that incredibly vague question. "Is Peridot still a bad guy?" The other three looked at her and just laughed.
"Oh man," Suno teased, "You have a lot to catch up on."
"Pink Diamond's really–!" Goten started to blurt before Gohan put a hand over her mouth.
"Goten!" he chided. "Don't spoil it!" Goten gave a muffled apology before squirming out of her family's grip.
"Wait, I almost forgot something!" she exclaimed before rushing over to Trunks. She threw her arms around the boy and gave him a big hug, lifting him off his feet. Trunks, who had just seconds ago been talking to his dad, froze in the embrace, his arms awkwardly at his side. He wasn't much of a hugger to begin with– which could probably be blamed on a lack of hugs from his father– and with his mom and dad literally standing right there, he was desperate to retain his coolness. But, after a second, he returned Goten's hug.
Bulma and Suno exchanged knowing smiles and Vegeta, to Bulma's surprise, nodded approvingly.
"Okay, I'll see you later!" Goten told trunks as she pulled away and ran back to her family. "We'll spar tomorrow after school!" she called back over her shoulder.
"U-uh, y-yeah, sure! Bye!" Trunks called in response, his cheeks reddening slightly as the Son family vanished. "What're you lookin' at?!" he demanded indignantly as he looked up at his smiling parents. It was… weird seeing his dad smile this much. He wasn't sure if he liked it.
Bulma's smile fell away after a moment as she turned to Vegeta and gave her husband a stern look. "Don't think you're off the hook just because you helped save the day, mister," she told him firmly, "We've still got a lot to talk abou–"
Before she could finish that sentence, though, Vegeta put his arms slowly around her and held her close in a shockingly tender embrace that left her stunned. "Bulma," he whispered softly, "I'm… I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. For everything." Bulma was at a loss for words. She'd never heard Vegeta say those words before. Hell, she didn't know that he could. If that was a surprise, what came next absolutely floored her. She felt something warm and wet touching her skin where Vegeta's face was buried in the crook of her neck. Was… was Vegeta crying? Then he pulled away to look her in the eye and the sheer reality of the situation shook her. Vegeta was crying. "I took you and Trunks for granted," he said sorrowfully, "And I almost– no, I did lose you because of it. I'm so sorry," he told her again, emphatically. Bulma's lip trembled and she felt like she was on the verge of tears again as she hugged him tightly.
"You… you jerk!" she sniffled. "You make it really hard to be mad at you, you know that?" he chuckled and held her close with one arm, the other reaching down to pull Trunks close and ruffle his hair. Trunks protested wordlessly for a moment to try and keep face before he relented and let himself be hugged. The trio shared that embrace for a long moment before Bulma pushed herself away from Vegeta slightly and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Alright," she sighed, "Alright. We'll… we'll talk about this later," she told Vegeta, still trying to sound stern. "But for now… let's just go home, okay?"
"Oh, hey, Bulma!" Dende shouted before they could take off. "What about the moon?" he asked, pointing at the sky. They looked up and around in all directions and… yep. No moon. "Are you gonna make another of those mega-whatevers?"
"Gohan did it," Trunks said quickly. Which was kinda true. Yeah, Majin Boo had been the one who threw the moon at Gohan, but Gohan had been the one who'd kicked Boo into the moon, so it was kind of his fault, right?
Bulma ignored Trunks and shook her head at Dende's question. "Nah," she told him, "To be honest, I was starting to get embarrassed by that thing every time I saw my face in the sky." It was a dumb thing she'd done as an egomaniacal young woman that, now that she was more mature, just felt tacky.
Besides, she basically owned everything else. Did she really need the moon?
"Just put a regular moon back in the sky!" she told Dende. The young God gave Bulma a thumbs-up and with a few flicks of his wrist, a pale half-moon appeared in the blue sky as if it had been painted there. Vegeta cleared his throat and gestured with a jerk of his head down at Trunks, whose tail was wrapped around his waist. "It'll be fine," Bulma assured her husband, "We'll just have to shut the curtains when there's a full moon until you can teach him not to turn into a giant monkey."
"Wait, what are we talking about?" Trunks asked in confusion. No one had ever told him that the moon could turn him into a monkey! Mostly because the moon had been destroyed and replaced nearly a decade before Trunks had been born.
"Alright," Vegeta muttered as he lifted Bulma into his arms bridal style, "But one of us will have to tell Kakarot's family about the change. If their home is destroyed because Goten changed into an Oozaru, you'll have to deal with Suno."
"No, seriously," Trunks asked as they all flew off, "What?"
With Piccolo, Popo, and Dende entering the Lookout's temple, that left only Launch, Tenshinhan, and Kani on the Lookout. Before they could take their leave, though, Kani held her sketchbook up for her parents to see, waving it insistently with the book closed around one of her fingers to save her place. "What is it, Kani?" Ten asked curiously as he took the book from her, carefully putting his finger in the same spot. "What were you drawing?" He opened the book and he and Launch just… stared.
It was the Lookout, there was no mistaking it, and everyone was there. The Son family, Lapis, Krillin's family, Hercule, Videl, the Ox and Wolf family, even them, right now, holding the book in their hands. It was all far too detailed for Kani to have drawn it recently based off what she'd just seen around her, and there were too many small details she'd gotten right, including where people were standing and how Goku, Vegeta, and Lapis's clothes were damaged, for it to have been wishful thinking on Kani's part.
"A happy ending," Kani explained with a confident little smile as her parents looked up from the book and then to each other. It seemed that Kani's third eye might have allowed her to manifest abilities far different from that of her father.
OoOoOoO
"Monty?" Linda called out, holding a hand over her eyes to keep away the sun. Her eyes widened when she saw her son through the glare, grabbing James's arm with her free hand and tugging it emphatically to get his attention. "James, look! It's him!" Both parents broke into a mad dash toward their son, who froze for a moment before running to them in return.
"Monty!" James cried as he and Linda lifted their son up in their arms. "Oh my God, I'm glad you're alright! We've been looking all over for you!"
"Mommy! Daddy!" Monty cried ecstatically, running his hands over their faces. "I can see you!" Their mouths fell open in unison as they looked into Monty's eyes and saw that the cloudiness that normally filled his eyes was gone and he could look clearly at their faces.
"Oh my God!" Linda cried, already starting to cry. "Oh my God! It's a miracle!" The reunited family wept openly as they hugged each other.
OoOoOoO
All across the world, people were reunited with their loved ones. From Lapis flying back to his family and eagerly accepting their hugs and tears with a smile and a laugh, to Hercule and Videl hugging Miguel between them as she broke down into hysterical sobs from all her worrying and panicking, each of them promising themselves that they wouldn't leave her out of the loop like this again. Miguel was against Bee living with them, but all it took was for the pup to lick away her tears for her to change her opinion on him.
OoOoOoO
"Wish for something outrageous, say I-I want the Nile, wish for the Nile!"
"Uh… I wish for the Nile?"
"NO WAY!"
Providentially, the defeat of Majin Boo and the return of Goku to their lives had just happened to fall on movie night, something that Goten had been particularly insistent that they follow through on. Despite this, Gohan was the only one that was awake, with Suno and Goku leaning into each other on the couch and Goten resting across both of their laps, all three of them snoring. And, if Gohan was honest with himself, even he was starting to nod in and out. It had been… a very long couple of days. But then he noticed a very familiar ki nearby and, moving ever-so-quietly off the couch to not disturb the rest of his family, tip-toed to the door and opened it, catching Videl just as she was raising her hand to knock on the door.
"Should've guessed you knew I was here," she admitted with a bashful smile as she slowly lowered her hand. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" she asked while trying to look over Gohan's shoulder to peek into the house.
He shook his head. "Just movie night," Gohan explained with a tired smile, closing the door carefully as he stepped outside to be with Videl under the moonlight. "What's u-whoa!" Videl tackled Gohan with nearly enough force to knock him off his feet, her arms tight around his neck.
"I'm just… I'm really glad you're alive," she whispered, her lithe frame trembling as he held herself against his body. "I-I didn't get a chance to say it earlier and I've been with my parents all day but… I-I'm just glad you're okay. I knew you weren't dead! I could feel it."
Gohan gently rubbed Videl's back and leaned back so he could look down into her eyes. "I'm okay," he assured her softly. "You're okay. Everything's okay." Then, after he thought for a moment, he let out a small lift. "But… nothing's ever gonna go back to normal, is it?" he asked. Everyone at the Budoukai had seen that Gohan was the Great Saiyaman. Plus, thanks to Pracya's spell, they'd all seen him kill Majin Boo. So much for his hope of just pretending to be a regular guy.
Videl just smirked at him and cupped his face in her hands. "Normal's overrated," she told him playfully. Then she grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him down into a kiss, one that he gladly returned. Slowly, absentmindedly, they drifted up into the air, silhouetted against the moon. Inside the house, the movie kept playing.
"A whole new world-"
"A whole new life-"
"For you and meee!"
Interlude/Boo Saga
Xi/Kaioushin/Xibito – Kari Wahlgren (Saber; Fate/Zero)
Kibito – Liam O'Brien (Archer; Fate/Stay Night)
Bei – Richard Riehle (Bumi; Avatar: The Legend of Korra)
Nan – Ryan Haywood (Professor Port; RWBY)
Dong – Robin Atkin Downes (Obi-Wan Kenobi; Star Wars: The Clone Wars)
Shengda – J.K. Simmons (Tenzin; Avatar: The Legend of Korra)
Bibidi – Ben Diskin (Ground Dragon; One Punch Man)
Pikkon – Max Mittelman (Saitama; One Punch Man)
Olibu – Rick D. Wasserman (Thor; Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes)
Gohan – Kyle Hebert (Teen Gohan from the Funimation Dub of Dragon Ball Z)
Goten – Grace Rolek (Connie Maheswaran; Steven Universe)
Trunks – Tara Jayne Sands (Kaiba Mokuba; Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Dark Side of Dimensions)
Videl – Caitlin Glass (Ashida Mino; Boku no Hero Academia)
Shapna – Michael Jones (Sun Wukong; RWBY)
Erasa – Samantha Ireland (Nora Valkyrie; RWBY)
Shouronpo – Kate Higgins (Haruno Sakura; Naruto)
Ocha – Maile Flanagan (Uzumaki Naruto; Naruto)
Upa – Crispin Freeman (Doug Maheswaran; Steven Universe)
Mercury – Marcus Toji (Wei and Wing; Avatar: The Legend of Korra)
Shu (Upa and Iris's son) – Miles Luna (Jaune Arc; RWBY)
Keri – Amber Cotton (Koto; Yu Yu Hakusho)
Babidi – Ben Diskin (Ground Dragon; One Punch Man)
Spopovich – Joshua Tomar (Tank Top Black Hole; One Punch Man)
Yamu – Sam Riegel (Metal Bat; One Punch Man)
Mighty Mask – Patrick Warburton (Buzz Lightyear; Buzz Lightyear of Star Command)
Pintar – John DiMaggio (Again, pick any role he's done)
Pocus – Josh Grelle (Armin Arlert; Shingeki no Kyojin)
Dabura – Jason Marnocha (Nijimura Keicho; JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable)
Yakkon – Fred Tatasciore (The Hulk; Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes)
Majin Boo – Josh Martin (Majin Buu in the Funimation dub of Dragon Ball Z)
Majin – Fred Tatasciore (The Hulk; Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes)
Super Boo – George Newbern (Superman; Superman vs. The Elite)
Gotenks – Charlyne Yi (Ruby; Steven Universe)
Pracya – Kent Williams (Old Supreme Kai in the Funimation dub of Dragon Ball Z)
Vegetto – David Vincent (Gilgamesh; Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works)
Pure Boo – Josh Martin (Kid Buu; Dragon Ball Z Kai)