NOTE: Welcome back! We're honestly at the last half of this story at this point. It's time for battle after battle...after battle.

I don't own anything in this story.

Enjoy and Review!

Chapter 20: Get Back Yourself

"Alright, kids, we'll be doing something a bit different today. Instead of our usual fun lessons that I'm sure you were all excited for." The teacher ignored the whispers and jeers from the kids. "I want you all to write about who you would all spend your last day on Earth with."

Goten gasped loudly. "It's the last day on Earth?!" The kids around him laughed at his air headedness while his sister just groaned from embarrassment. "Wait but doesn't that mean no more school?! Yaaaay!"

"No, Goten. It's just a hypothetical." The teacher sighed.

"A hypocritical?"

The teacher decided to ignore him. He moved around the room to hand them all slips of paper to write on. Goten took his, then looked at his sister. "Nayuta, who are you gonna write about?"

"None of your business." She turned away, so that he wouldn't copy off of hers.

"But I don't know who to write about."

"Too bad."

"Can I write about you?"

"No."

"Oh, okay." Goten nodded his head, then turned back to his own paper. He picked up his Scooby-Doo themed pencil that his mommy bought him recently and tried to think of something. He could write about Gohan, but his brother probably didn't want to write about him either. There was Piccolo, but he liked brooding too much. Denji was funny but acted weird around girls for some reason. Trunks would make fun of him too much just like Nayuta would. His other aunts and uncles were kinda weird at times, so he didn't know if he wanted to write them either.

"This is hard." Goten thought.

He looked at his pencil, and suddenly a light bulb went off in his head. "Oh yeah! Mommy!"

Goten decided to put his mommy's name down on the paper. His mommy is awesome! She's nice to him, makes time to play with him, and makes yummy food all the time! If there was anyone, he'd love to spend his last day on Earth with, it would be her!

He loves his mommy! Does his mommy love him? She's never said it, but he sure hopes so!

He wants to be with his mommy forever!

Piccolo hurried towards the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, holding the twins in his arms as Trunks followed closely behind. The death of Makima had sent the twins into an emotional spiral that he was praying wouldn't hamper their abilities in battle. He made a promise to her to keep them safe, but he honestly wasn't confident in his own abilities at this moment. All he could do was have hope. Piccolo glanced down at the twins to check on their conditions.

Nayuta still looked distraught, as if she was still struggling to come to terms with what had transpired.

Goten had gone completely silent, he was conscious, but the Namekian couldn't read a single emotion on his face.

"A-are they…going to be okay?" Trunks spoke up. He looked terrified and concerned for his friends after what had happened. The heir had tried to get their attention earlier, but nothing he said could get them to respond.

"...I don't know. But I do know that we can't waste time focusing on what happened! If they wish to get stronger, if they wish to avenge their family members who have died by Buu's hand, then they'll need to grow stronger from this!" Piccolo answered.

"Avenge, huh?" Trunks thought back to his father, who had also died against Buu.

When they arrived at the room, Piccolo pulled the door open. He placed the twins down on the ground to look them in the eyes. "I know you two are in a lot of pain right now, but you have to move forward! Your mother and brother can be revived by the Dragon Balls, all hope isn't lost yet!" The two of them twitched slightly. "As long as you three still live, as long as you can still fight, then everyone can still have a future!" Piccolo turned them around, giving them a nudge to walk forward into the room. He looked to Trunks next. "The same goes to you, Trunks."

"Right." Trunks hurried into the room.

"I'll buy you three as much time as I can. Get strong, stronger than you ever have before." Piccolo gave his final words before shutting the door to the room. He turned away to hurry back to ensure Majin Buu didn't get too impatient. As bad as it was, he was hoping that the fight with Makima had satisfied him just a bit.

Too caught up in his own thoughts, Piccolo failed to notice someone had sneaked along with them. The messy blonde hybrid opened the door to the room and entered to join the kids.

Falling.

That's what everything felt like to her.

As if she had been falling for a long time.

Where was she? She didn't really know.

All she could think back to was the face of that monster. Any time she tried to think of something else, her head would scream.

Pieces.

That's what she could see around her.

Shattered pieces of something bigger floated all over. It reminded her of glass. Each piece reflected something that she couldn't make out. Like there was a smudge smeared all over the pretty glass.

She wanted to touch them, to clean them.

But she was scared of ruining them further.

She wanted to see them, to connect the pieces back together.

But there were just too many. Where would she start?

She needed help.

Her hand reached out for someone to take. For some reason, somewhere deep inside, she waited for someone to take her hand. A light that had always held her hand gently, like a blanket keeping her warm in the cold.

The light wasn't there to take her hand. She couldn't see it anymore. She figured that she truly was alone.

But she wasn't alone, someone grabbed her hand. Suddenly, she no longer felt like she was falling. As if the floor manifested beneath her feet to keep her standing up. Confusion littered her features as she took in the person that appeared in front of her.

It was a man. A short, stubby old man whose face was covered by a white fox mask. He wears a Chinese martial arts uniform, which consists of a sleeveless orange jacket over a long-sleeved black shirt and wears a green hat.

Who was this person?"

"My, my, miss. You seem to be lost, are you not?" The old man chuckled softly.

Instead of answering, she narrowed her eyes slightly. "W-who are you?"

"Me? Well, my name wouldn't hold any merit to you the way you are now. Just call me Fox." Fox said. "Do you know your name?"

"My name? My name is-guh!" Static surged through her brain like a brick wall preventing her from remembering everything. She held her head for a moment before giving him her attention. "...No. I don't know who I am."

"That's okay." Fox gently took her hand. The feeling his gesture gave reminded her of that light she so desperately wanted to find again. "I'll help you remember."

"I'm scared." She admits, feeling ashamed. "What if I don't like what I find?"

"No need to feel ashamed. Everyone is afraid, it's a natural part of life. Beating fear simply means having the courage to walk forward. And if you can't do it alone, then we'll do it together." Fox reassured her.

"...Right." She tightened her grip on his hand. "Together…"

All she had to do was take a step forward.

She wanted to find that light again.

So, she walked forward and didn't look back.

Trunks observed their new environment, frowning at the lack of…well…everything! Other than the small building they'd have to stay in, the place was literally a blank void. He couldn't tell where it began or where it ended. The gravity was also pretty heavy, but nothing he couldn't handle after all that training with his dad. "Pretty boring place, huh? I checked the fridge and even the food sucks."

There was no response. He shouldn't have expected one, after all. The twins had done nothing but stand in the void for the past few minutes. Trunks didn't know what to do to help them, he wasn't used to dealing with situations like these. He had never seen his friends look so…lifeless.

His father, a prideful and stubborn man, wasn't in his life much. He was there physically, but never actively took part in things with him unless it had to deal with training. The only emotional bond they had was the sense of pride his father held for any accomplishments he made strength wise. Trunks genuinely wasn't sure if his father loved him.

But then, his father hugged him for the first time ever and proved him wrong. It hurt to lose his dad and the potential chance to form a true connection with him. They weren't as close as a father and son should be, so maybe that's why he struggles to understand the twin's pain.

Their mother had always bonded with them emotionally, she's shown them how much she cares time and time again. To lose her in such a way without being able to do anything about it struck harder than hearing about Gohan and their aunt.

However, like Piccolo said, they'd never have the chance to see a future with everyone if they didn't stop Buu. He had to take the necessary step to help them. It's his responsibility as their friend, after all.

Nayuta started trembling, which stopped Trunks from moving. His ears picked up heavy breathing coming from her body as the ground beneath them shook slightly. A well of fear started sprouting in the heir's chest just in anticipation at the bomb that was about to explode.

Goten moved for the first time, but his actions were different. There was a sense of calm and acceptance from him. He reacted to his twin as if he was picking up on the distress his twin was under. The youngest stared at his older sister. Tears were falling from her eyes, and he knew that prior events were finally coming to sense within her head.

A bright and loud explosion occurred, creating a huge gust of wind that threatened to blow the boys off their feet. Nayuta turned into a Super Saiyan, but it was far more animalistic and berserk than previous times. Crimson energy started coursing around her, mixing into the golden light of the Super Saiyan transformation. Blood red chains emerged from her body, swinging around like wild whips. Trunks had to take cover to avoid getting struck down by her destructive power. Goten stood there unconcerned at the potential pain that could be inflicted on him.

Nayuta's power continued to skyrocket to higher levels. Whatever limit that had been holding her back previously, the one she had almost broke before, shattered to pieces instantly. Her turmoil, grief, regrets, and pain were spiraling out of control. Lightning surged around her body as her hair grew a bit longer in length. She roared like a mighty beast howling at the moon.

The second child of Goku and Makima had ascended into the second level of a Super Saiyan.

"W-woah…! Nayuta's power is crazy!" Trunks cried. With the way she was currently, there was no way he'd be able to get close to her at all. However, his eyes widened when he saw Goten walking calmly towards her. "H-hey! Goten, don't get too close!"

The boy didn't listen to him and continued walking towards his sister. Goten transformed into a Super Saiyan. He pushed past the raging force of her aura in order to close the distance between them. When he was finally face-to-face with his distressed sibling, Goten wrapped his arms around her to comfort her. "It's okay."

Nayuta's screaming stopped.

"I miss Mommy too."

Her powers started to decrease in volume, much to Trunks' surprise.

"Mommy is still with us, even though she's not here."

The crimson energy and chains vanished slowly. Nayuta's breathing started to return to normal levels as well.

"Mommy tells us it's okay to cry, because we can't help it. Bad things happen, like when you get a really bad bruise or scar. It'll hurt, but it'll get better soon."

Nayuta turned back into her base form, and so did Goten. Her arms wrapped around him tightly as she cried into his shoulder.

"It hurts…! It hurts so much…!" She cried.

His eyes were tearing up too, but the boy fought through it for her sake. "It'll be okay. I'm still here with you."

"I can't lose you too."

"I don't want to lose you either." He pushed her back gently to smile at her. "I love you, Nayuta."

She managed a smile as she wiped away her tears. "I love you too, Goten."

"And Mommy loves us too!" Goten added.

"She's never said that to us. We weren't enough for her to keep living." Nayuta said.

"...I don't think that's it." The two looked over to see Trunks walking over. "I can tell that more than anything that your Mom loved you guys."

"How can you tell?" Nayuta asked.

"Because my Dad did the same. He sacrificed himself, because he loved my Mom and I." Trunks sat down next to them. "I guess love just makes adults do really stupid things…like getting themselves killed. They love us so much that even if it means they'll die, they'll give everything to protect us."

"We-"

SLAM!

"GUH!"

"What the heck?!" The twins and Trunks looked back at the entrance to see Denji struggling to move. "Denji?!" Goten exclaimed.

"H-hey…! Damn! It's hard to move in here!" Denji was thankful for all of the KI training and the training Fami put him through. His body was much stronger than it ever had been before.

Goten and Nayuta rushed to his side, helping him over to one of the beds. Trunks caught up to them to make sure the teenager was alright. "What are you even doing here?" Trunks asked.

"To check on you kids." Denji answered. "After everything that just happened… I just want to make sure you're okay."

Nayuta held her arm, looking embarrassed for once. "W-well…! We're perfectly fine! There was no need to throw yourself in here like an idiot!"

Denji smiled at her. He raised his hand and softly ruffled the girl's hair, making her blush more. "Yeah, I'm sure you guys are just fine."

"S-stop that! That's embarrassing!" She pushed his hand away. Nayuta could hear the boys giggling and glared at them to shut up.

"Besides, I want to help you guys out against Buu." Denji continued on.

"Really?" Goten asked.

"I know what it's like to lose a family. To see 'em get hurt and be unable to help 'em when they needed it the most." Denji said with a pained look.

Nayuta remembered something. "You said something like that before… You had someone close to you, right?"

"Yeah. His name was Pochita, he was a dog and a Devil. He was everything to me, especially when I had nobody else to rely on. No matter how many times I went to sleep hungry, got hurt, or sick, I knew everything would be okay as long as we were together. But then we were betrayed, and he gave his life for me." Denji pulled down the collar of his shirt to show his ignition cord. "He became my heart."

"So, that's why you're a hybrid." Trunks realized.

"Yup. I miss him every single day, but I swore that I'd continue livin' for the both of us. That I'd achieve our dream of livin' a normal life. Since then, I've met so many people that mean a lot to me just like him. You guys, Gohan, Ms. Makima, Aki, Power, Videl, Asa, and…" His thoughts drifted to a certain bomb hybrid that he hadn't seen in a long time. "I don't want to lose this life that I've got. So, I want to protect it along with you guys." Denji held out his fist at the three hybrids.

Goten, Trunks, and Nayuta stared at Denji with impressed awe. The words from Piccolo echoed in their heads.

"As long as you three still live, as long as you can still fight, then everyone can still have a future!"

They pushed their fists into his with confident grins of their own. "Yeah! We'll kick Buu's stupid pink butt together!" Nayuta declared.

Trunks put his hands behind his head. "Yeah, but if we're gonna do this then we're gonna need to come up with some cool attacks! To really take Buu by surprise!"

Denji slapped his fist into his palm. "Like some kind of hidden move in a video game?!"

"You got it!" Trunks grinned.

"For once, I'm liking what you're spittin', rich boy. I'm in." Nayuta agreed.

"OH! OH!" Goten jumped up and down with his hand raised. "I got an idea! How about we make ghosts that explode on contact?!"

"Goten… That is the single best idea you've ever used that pea sized brain of yours to make!" Nayuta, Trunks, and Denji gave him high-fives!

"Heh! I can't wait to see the look on Piccolo's face when he sees the result of our hard work! C'mon, boys! Let's get busy!" Nayuta ordered.

"RIGHT!"

Shattered pieces of glass floated around the dark void that she and Fox continued to walk through. She really had no idea what this place was, but somewhere inside of her she felt like she should know. Her eyes trailed across the fragments with curiosity, clearly wishing to know what each one entailed. A finger reached for a shard; however her hand was swiftly grabbed by Fox, who shook his head. "No. Not that one."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Each piece represents a part of you, or at least who you used to be." Fox explained.

"Why are there so many?" She asked, scanning over the hundreds and thousands of fragments that littered the void.

"You have lived for a very long time. Many different lifetimes exist within you, but each one is different from who you are now. They all lacked a key component that separates you from them."

"But they're still me, right? I want to be whole, but you said I can't interact with those. Doesn't that mean, you don't want me to be whole?" She asked.

"Far from it. I simply think it would do you good to remember the lifetime that you treasure the most. The identity that fulfilled the one desire all of you had shared."

"...And what would that be?"

Fox gently grabbed the shard, and placed it in her palm. "Why not find out for yourself?" A bright white light illuminated from the fragment, almost blinding her. She covered her eyes to protect herself from the brightness. Once it had died down, she tried to figure out where she had been transported to. Looking around, she realized that Fox was no longer with her. The void had turned into a small cozy home, one that she didn't recognize. Or at least, she thinks she doesn't recognize it. "Fox?! W-where did you go?!"

"I'm still here. However, this piece of you is only for you. Just know one thing, that no matter how many times the head may forget something, the heart never shall."

"The heart never shall…? What does that mean?" She wondered.

"Hi, Mommy!"

She jumped away and turned her head downwards to see the small boy that had snuck up on her. He was a cute child with messy black hair tied into a ponytail. He wore a white sleeveless shirt and green pants with black boots with white lacing, this outfit was covered in a Hanfu-style top that was yellow with green sleeves and on the front his family name, 'Son', written in kanji within a large white circle with black lining. A brown monkey tail was seen waving about behind him. The boy was smiling at her with a smile that was as bright as the sun itself.

"W-who are you…?" She asked.

He tilted his head. "Mommy, are you feeling okay?"

"Why are you calling me that? I'm not your Mom." She shook her head.

"That's not true! You're my Mommy!" He argued.

"I'm not! Someone like me can't be a Mother to a sweet-looking child like you. I don't even know who I am." She argued back.

"That's funny. Mommy is Mommy, no matter what anyone says. She protects me from all the bad things in the world and always makes sure that Daddy and I are happy!"

She shook her head. "Then there's no way I can be who you think I am. I'm afraid, too scared to even figure things out on my own." When she felt something touch her hand, she looked down to see that the boy was holding onto her hand. In a similar way Fox had done.

"It's okay." He smiled. "Mommy, you told me something once when I was afraid of a nightmare that I had."

"And what was that?"

"Fear isn't something that hurts us. It only makes us stronger."

CRACK!

Her eyes widened. The chains that had rooted themselves inside of her very soul started to break. A flood of memories invaded her mind like a waterfall. The more she looked at this boy, the more she started to recognize him. Tears covered the corners of her eyes as a single name danced around her lips. "Gohan…?"

The boy blinked owlishly, then smiled. "Yup! See, Mommy! I knew you still remembered me!"

"Gohan…"

"Yeah!"

"Gohan!"

"Hmm-hm!"

"GOHAN!" She took the boy into her arms, squeezing him with all of the love imaginable. Tears streamed down her face without any signs of stopping. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"You don't have to apologize, Mommy. I love you!" Gohan smiled softly. His body started to fade away, along with the house they were in. She choked out a cry, trying to keep the little boy in her arms.

"Gohan! I-I love…" She stopped when the house completely vanished. She was back in the void with Fox, who simply waited patiently for her to register his presence. "That was…"

"That was what?" Fox asked.

"That was my son. I forgot my own son."

"No, you didn't forget anything. Just a misplacement, is all. Your love for him always existed even when you couldn't see his face clearly." Fox said.

"It's not just him. The other two…" She remembered them more clearly now. The children who were crying for her, reaching for her before she crumbled to dust. "Goten… Nayuta… My children."

"Do you remember who you are?" Fox asked.

"I am a Mother. The Mother to three beautiful and strong children. But that's not all…there's more, isn't there?" She turned back to him.

"Just the last piece. The most important one of them all." Fox took her hand once more. "It's around here somewhere. Let's go find it together."

"Okay." She took a deep breath to steady her own heart.

She was a mother. A mother to three children, who lit up her world more than anyone could think possible. They never feared her, instead they feared facing the world without her. What kind of mother leaves her children alone? What kind of mother isn't there for them in their time of need?

She wants to see them again. To tell them that she loves them more than anything else in the world.

All she had to do was keep walking forward.

To find that light that would guide her to them again.

Piccolo stood cautiously close to Buu, keeping a close eye on the pink monster. He still kept his own eyes on the hourglass, but the former guardian could tell that the Majin's senses were as heightened as ever. Even if the idea of a sneak attack was possible, it would only end in more needless death.

Videl looked around the palace, confused by their numbers. She turned to Aki. "Where did Denji go?"

"He followed after the kids when Piccolo took them." The hunter answered.

"And you didn't stop him?!" Videl asked.

"For the first time since I've met him…he looked serious. Honestly, I don't think he would've listened if I did." Aki took out another cigarette. "It's at least better than Power running off on her own." He softly held the hybrid as her head rested on his lap. "She's been out for a while now, probably for the best."

After at least having that question answered, she needed to know something else. When Buu first appeared, Piccolo had mentioned her father to him to get the Majin to cooperate. She didn't understand why he had done so. Which led her to approaching Piccolo carefully. "Um…excuse me?"

"Hm?" Piccolo turned to her.

"Buu seemed to know my Father, do you know why?" She asked.

"Simple. Hercule is one of the two humans Buu trusts. While we were trying to crush him with seer power, your Father chose to befriend him. Although, his motives were strategic, of course."

"R-really?" Videl was surprised to hear that.

"As proof, Buu just wiped-out humanity. But Hercule and that girl are still alive. Your Father's strength may be fabricated but he truly is the world's champion." Piccolo smirked.

"M-my Dad did that…" She was honestly impressed by it. To think her father almost saved the world by befriending Buu. It was-

"NO MORE WAITING!" The monstrous shout from Buu interrupted her thoughts. She, Piccolo, and everyone else stared at the pink monster with fear. Buu smashed the hourglass to pieces, then shot a KI blast through the Lookout. "I want to fight now. COME ON OUT! I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Tch…! Dammit! Get back with the others!" Piccolo ordered Videl. When she was safely away from the danger, he gave his attention back to Buu. "All right. Follow me. This way." Piccolo walked into the palace with Buu close behind him.

"W-wait! Is Piccolo gonna take him to fight inside the Hyperbolic Time Chamber?" Krillin asked.

"He's probably planning to prevent further damage done to the planet. Or in any case…trap Buu inside." Dende said.

"B-but what about the kids?!" Bulma questioned.

"...The Dragon Balls will restore them to life." Dende responded. Bulma did not like hearing that answer.

"Isn't he taking the long way?" Yamcha had noticed.

"He's probably trying to buy the kids as much time as possible. One minute out here is six hours out there." Krillin said.

Fami watched Piccolo and Buu vanish and wished the kids a sweet victory. If they didn't win…then it was nice having a family for once.

"Is this the fragment?" She asked Fox. The two were standing in front of a shining blue fragment, which looked the most different from every other fragment, even the one that reminded her of her children. Its shape resembled a heart, a perfectly shaped fragment in every way.

"Why yes, this is the one." Fox picked it up. "Honestly, this one shouldn't take as long as the previous fragment had."

"And why not?" She asked as he placed the fragment in her palm.

"It's your most treasured memory." He said as the fragment illuminated brightly, encompassing the entire void. "No matter what has happened or did happen, this part of your life changed everything. I'm sure that once you see this one, then everything will be clear once again." Fox vanishes once the light has disappeared. She now stood in a grassy park on a bright sunny day, vastly different from the void beforehand.

"I don't get it. What part of this is supposed to remind me of who I am?" She wondered. Then, she turned around to find herself face-to-face with a small boy with a monkey tail similar to Gohan. He was standing on a floating yellow cloud that made him look like the Monkey King from Chinese folklore.

The boy smiled brightly at her and pointed at her face. "Your eyes look funny!"

CRACK!

An unrelenting torrent of memories came flooding into her head. So many different things, all relating to the boy in front of her, were making her head spin in a way that had seemed foreign just moments prior.

Their very first meeting in this park.

His strength that put even Devil Hunters and Devils to shame.

That incredible appetite that put several restaurants out of business.

The kind nature that he shows towards even his worst of enemies.

His drive to constantly grow stronger, to surpass his limits whenever a new challenge appears before him.

The fact that he was so socially inept that it made her smash her head against walls several times over.

That light that broke through her walls without a care in the world. His light, which had illuminated the darkness in her heart and had constantly paved a road towards their future.

His light made her fall in love with him several times over.

"...Darling?" She reached forward and let out a small gasp when he pressed his hand against hers.

"Hey, Makima! It's me, Goku!" He laughed. Suddenly, his body started to change, but not like how Gohan had done. Instead, he transformed into his adult self, now standing over her in height. Goku pulled her in close, hugging her with as much love and affection that he could give.

Makima melted into his body. Whatever chains that had previously locked her soul in a cage were shattered by her darling's light. "Darling…!" She started crying into his chest. "Darling!"

"It's okay. I'm here." Goku's smile was full of warmth.

The park faded away, back into the void, where Fox could be seen once more. He didn't say a word as the couple continued to hold each other tightly.

Makima blinked and noticed that Goku had not faded away. "W-wait…you're still here?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Goku asked.

"These fragments are my memories…even the Gohan I met was from my memories. How are you still here?" Then she saw the halo above his head, which explained everything. The Goku she was holding onto was real, not a memory. In her time of need, during her most distasteful distress, her light still managed to find her.

"Sorry it took so long, Makima. Death managed to get in contact with us, so she broke the rules to let me down here to help you." Goku answered. "It was hard, but thanks to some help we were able to reach you." He pointed at Fox.

Makima looked back at the old man and finally noticed the halo above his head. He removed his mask to reveal the elderly face underneath. "It was a pleasure to finally meet the woman who managed to capture my naive Grandson's heart."

"Grandson…?! Then that means…!"

"Yup! That's my Grandpa Gohan!" Goku laughed.

Grandpa Gohan walked up to the two. "Sorry I had to keep my identity hidden, but my identity wouldn't have meant much to you if you didn't have your memories back together. It was the only way to slip past the chains that trapped your soul."

"The chains that trapped my…!" She thought back to what Buu had done to her. He had sealed away her memories, turning her into a lifeless puppet with nothing. His sadistic plan to tear her apart would have succeeded if it hadn't been for her sister, husband, and grandfather-in-law. "I see. I hadn't been myself because of those chains…no, I don't think I've been myself for a long time."

"What do you mean?" Goku tilted his head.

"It means, darling…" Makima turned back to him. "That I've been weak. Ever since you decided to stay dead after the Cell Games I had lost myself entirely. I thought that I could keep going, especially for our children, but not even they could fill the hole in my heart. A stronger woman would've moved on…but I had been stuck trying to keep everything together. I was stuck trying to close that hole that kept sucking in everything around it. I was afraid that if I didn't, then what was left of our little home would fall apart." She thought back to her future counterpart, who failed to close that hole in her heart. "Pathetic, isn't it?"

"No way!" Goku shook his head. "If anything, you're strong, Makima! The strongest one between the two of us!"

"Darling-"

"You've done so much for all of us since the beginning. You stayed strong for the kids and everyone else, even though you were suffering. Everyone got their happy ending, but we never did, did we?" Goku smiled softly. "I was running away, because I thought that I was dragging everyone down by being alive. That all of the problems were because of me. But I was wrong." He thought back to the twins, who were putting everything they had into training to fight Buu. His thoughts went to Gohan who still held so much power within him that Goku was starting to think Gohan didn't have a limit at all. He looks at Makima, who suffered so much because he wasn't there with her.

She needed him.

Their kids needed him.

All of his friends too were so happy to see him. They wanted him too. Even Vegeta wanted him back.

Even though the world had moved on without Son Goku, that didn't mean the ones living in it didn't want him back.

Goku held Makima's hands into his own. An action that brought a soft gasp from her lips. "When all of this is done and Buu is finally beaten, let's go home."

"Darling…are you saying…?!" Her eyes widened.

"Yeah! Let's be a whole family again! You, me, Gohan, Goten, and Nayuta! Let's go home together!" Goku declared happily.

SHIIII!

Suddenly, all of them rose into the air. Goku and Gohan watched in amazement as all of the fragments started piecing themselves back together. Makima was the happiest she has ever been in her entire life. The despair, regret, depression, fear, and self-loathing she had been suffering from melted away by the wave of love thrown her way by Goku. "He wants to come home, he wants to be with me, he wants to be with us…!"

The world of void shined brightly, swallowing the three up into a whirling vortex of light. Goku just laughed loudly, while his grandfather held onto him for dear life. The old man looked at her, and loudly screamed. "Do you know who you are?!"

Makima, whose hands were still interlocked with Goku's, smiled happily. "I am Son Makima."

The three vanished from the light now that her heart had finally been pieced back together.

Piccolo knew he couldn't stall Majin Buu any further or else he'd risk getting himself killed. He used his telepathy to alert the kids that he was approaching with Majin Buu. That gave them at least six more hours to finish their preparations. He wished that he could've given them more, but there's no helping it. "We're here." Piccolo grabbed the door's handle.

"Heh." Buu smiled as he and Piccolo entered the Time Chamber. The Majin examined the separate dimensional space with a hint of curiosity. "Funny place."

Piccolo shut the door and turned around to see the kids and Denji standing within the white space. He gawked at the Devil hybrid's appearance and the fact that the kids weren't fused or transformed. "W-when did that brat even get in here?! And why aren't they already prepared?!"

"Da Da Da Da Dum!" Trunks yelled.

"We've been waiting for you!" Nayuta went next.

"Majin Buu!" Goten finished.

Buu narrowed his eyes, counting four people instead of three. That weird guy in orange didn't say anything about four opponents, but oh well. "Is that them?" He asked Piccolo.

"Yes…" Piccolo answered. "Please, don't do anything stupid."

Trunks frowned. "What the heck? Piccolo's our only audience."

"Well, at least there's someone to see our super cool moves." Denji replied.

"Denji's right. We'll have to make due with this." Nayuta said.

Buu's anger started to grow. "Just them? I waited for this…?"

"Alright, let's get started!" Goten and Trunks got into position for their fusion dance. "FUUU-"

POW!

Majin Buu struck Trunks across the face, knocking him into Nayuta. The two tumbled across the floor before glaring angrily at the pink menace. "Hey! Watch it, bub!" Nayuta yelled.

"What the heck was that for?! You didn't even let us get ready!" Trunks hissed angrily.

"We're gonna do something super cool!" Goten exclaimed.

"Yeah, don't you want to see something awesome?!" Denji added.

Buu was steaming a bit, but he did want to see something cool. He took a few steps back to let the kids get back into position.

Piccolo was still confused as to why the kids aren't turning Super Saiyan. Just what the hell had they been doing in here this entire time?

"FUUU-SION-HAAA!"

SHINE!

Gotenks made his third debut! "Aw yeah! The Grim Reaper of Justice, Gotenks!"

Something in Buu's head clicked. "You! Buu remember you! Buu beat you up!"

"Heh! You think I'm the same as last time?! Just watch, I'll beat you down!" Gotenks declared.

Piccolo felt the fusion's power and felt a bit of hope. "Yes! Yes! His power does feel much stronger than before! Maybe he can-" That hope died the moment Gotenks started dancing around Buu, throwing out wacky little attacks with little sense.

"Heh! How was that?!" Gotenks smirked.

Buu, who was completely unfazed by the fusion's barrage of attacks, frowned deeply. "Is that it?"

Nayuta shoved the fusion out of the way. "Move, doofus! Denji, let's show him ours!"

"Yeah!" He reached into his shirt and whipped out the torn out chains from his chainsaws. The chains wrapped around Nayuta's arms, acting as braces. She used her abilities to get them revving as they would while attached to a chainsaw. "Chainsaw Ballistas!" She cried out. She proceeded to throw out a multitude of punches into Buu's body, who still stood there unfazed.

When she realized that her attacks were doing nothing, she backed up slightly. "Uhh…?"

"Can I attack now?" Buu asked.

Piccolo pinched the bridge of his nose. "We're gonna die in here…"

His nonchalant tone infuriated the young girl slightly. "That's it! Gotenks! Denji! Let's hit him with our good stuff!"

The boys stood by her side-by-side. "On it, boss lady!" They exclaimed. All three charged at Majin Buu with renewed energy that heavily contrasted the bored look on Buu's face.

"Rolling Thunder!"

"Chain Sickle!"

"Dynamite Punch!"

"Power Knuckle!"

"Wild Boar Attack!"

"Double Sundae!"

"Axe Slice!"

"Burning Spin Ki-"

Buu casually grabbed Gotenks and Denji by their faces, he then sandwiched Nayuta between the two of them. He raised the three into the air and then grand slammed them into the ground hard enough to shake the void. Majin Buu glared down at them with disappointment. "This is boring…! I'm going to kill you three now!"

Quickly scrambling back up to their feet, the three glared angrily at the Majin. "Y-you stupid pink stick! You don't understand the point of a routine!" Nayuta yelled.

"I'm really mad now! We're done playing around!" Gotenks shouted. He and Nayuta raised their arms into the air. "SUPER SAIYAN!" The Saiyan hybrids transformed into their Super Saiyan states.

"Great! Gotenks can go Super Saiyan after fusion! Not only that, their combined power is much higher than before!" Piccolo cheered.

Gotenks danced on the balls of his feet. "Denji! Let us handle this blob, alright?"

"It's time to get the next part going!" Nayuta pointed back towards the entrance. Clearly knowing what to do next, Denji hurried off towards the rest area. Buu was about to grab him before Nayuta and Gotenks flashed in front of him.

"Not so fast, Buu!"

"We're your opponents here!"

Piccolo turned to Denji, who started pulling something out from behind the curtains. "What are you doing?!"

"Settin' the mood! Duh!" The Chainsaw hybrid pulled out a stereo and plopped it down on the stairs.

"Where did you even get that?!" Piccolo demanded to know.

"Nayuta summoned it."

"This is a completely separate dimension! How would she even do that?!" Piccolo questioned if these kids were really taking things seriously. As he was having that crisis, Denji pressed the 'play' button on the stereo. The music emitted from the stereo was able to naturally increase volume due to the acoustic capabilities of the void.

Bye, bye, bye

Bye, bye

Bye, bye

Majin Buu paid no heed to the music, since his focus was entirely on the two hybrids in front of him. The kids felt the music hype them up even further and lunged for the genocidal creature of destruction.

I, I'm doing this tonight

You're probably gonna start a fight

I know this can't be right, hey baby, come on

Nayuta's leg struck out towards Buu's midsection, but the monster caught it in his palm. However, Gotenks' knee struck his chin before he could think of attacking her. Then he flipped through the air to slam his joined hands into the monster's head.

I loved you endlessly

And you weren't there for me

So now it's time to leave and make it alone

Buu recovered from the assault and blasted Gotenks back with a KI blast. The female hybrid swooped in and kicked Buu's feet from under him. She pushed herself off the ground to place herself above him. Nayuta clapped her hands together to create an invisible barrier to keep Majin Buu in place.

I know that I can't take no more, it ain't no lie

I wanna see you out that door

Baby, bye, bye, bye

Majin Buu brute forced his way out of her hold, then smashed his knee into her ribs. The girl went flying back before getting grabbed by Gotenks. The fusion spun her around and tossed her right back at Majin Buu. Then he took off right after her to engage in the battle once more.

The siblings unleashed a powerful KI blast at Majin Buu, knocking him back. The Majin snarled slightly, then gasped when he saw the two decided to take this moment to taunt him by dancing to the music.

(Bye, bye) I don't want to be a fool for you

Just another player in your game for two

You may hate me but it ain't no lie

Baby, bye, bye, bye

Buu flashed behind the dancing children, surprising them. His foot smashed into Gotenks' head to knock him into the floor. Nayuta spun with a heel kick that was easily blocked by a pink arm. She tried to retreat back but Buu's arm stretched out to grab her by the throat. Buu dragged her across the floor, then slammed her into Gotenks. The two went tumbling across the floor from the force of the hit. When they got up, they gasped at the sight of karma.

Majin Buu taunted them by somehow following the next steps of the song's dance number.

(Bye, bye) I don't really want to make it tough

I just wanna tell you that I had enough

It might sound crazy but it ain't no lie

Baby, bye, bye, bye

Snarling at the monster's smug look. Gotenks raised his finger into the air and created a golden ring of KI. He threw it at Buu, trapping him within the golden ring. Gotenks slammed his fists together to tighten the ring around Majin Buu.

Nayuta clapped her hands once more to increase the pressure of the air around Majin Buu. The two continued to pour their power into crushing him for good, but Buu clearly had enough of their games. He opened his mouth and unleashed a pink ball of energy at the two. The kids released their techniques to avoid getting hit by the blast, which unfortunately left Piccolo and Denji in the way of it.

Piccolo acted quickly by grabbing the stereo and chucking it at the energy blast. It exploded on contact and protected them from getting blown to bits. But it also stopped the music, which the kids and Denji were clearly upset about. The Namekian's patience was growing thin. "Gotenks! Nayuta! Enough jokes! Take things seriously!"

"Fine!" Gotenks huffed. "Since you want to be boring! I'll bust out my sure-kill move!"

"We're using that already?" Nayuta was surprised.

"No, but I'll be using this one." Gotenks took a deep breath before releasing a white substance from his mouth. The white mold took the shape of a ghost whose head resembled Gotenks'. "It's my Super Ghost Kamikaze Attack! Get him, ghost!"

"Hm?" Buu was confused until the ghost approached him and tapped his forehead. The exact moment it made contact the thing exploded harshly. Everyone had to brace themselves from the impact of the explosion.

The smoke cleared to reveal that Buu had taken massive damage from that singular ghost, and now had to focus on putting himself back together.

"W-what kind of technique was that?!" Piccolo gasped.

"Aw yeah! That's what I'm talkin' about!" Denji laughed.

"Take that, moron! The ghosts explode on contact! It's over!" Gotenks declared.

"Alright, let's finish this thing." Nayuta said.

"Right!" Gotenks started making more and more ghosts. There were ten ghosts in total this time. "Here's the Ten Ghost Final Strike!"

Nayuta released her chains, using them to become the core for the ghosts to encase their essence around. "Alright, you ghoulie bozos!" She addresses the ghosts. They each stand in a single file line, giving the girl a salute. "You see the stupid pink idiot over there!" She points at the recovering Majin Buu.

"Yes, Ma'am!"

"You're all gonna attack him together, do you understand?!"

"Yes, Ma'am!"

"I said, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!"

"YES, MA'AM!"

Nayuta lowered her hand. "FORWARD MARCH!"

Unfortunately, she didn't account for the lack of brains the ghosts possessed. Two of them somehow managed to trip over each other, and that small bit of contact was all that was needed. She turned around to see the two glow brightly. "Oh for the love of-"

BOOM!

Piccolo watched Nayuta go flying across the empty void with an embarrassed growl.

Gotenks eyed the last remaining ones with a stern glare. "Did you lot see what those two did?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Don't do that!"

"Yes, sir!"

That's when a shadow loomed over Gotenks and his ghosts. The group looked up to see Majin Buu smiling evilly over them. "Oh crud."

BOOM!

Another embarrassed growl escaped Piccolo's throat.

Luckily, only one ghost had blown up that time, meaning there were seven left to use. Gotenks and Nayuta huddled up the ghosts to come up with a gameplan, while Buu stood waiting for them to do something. When they finally decided on something, Gotenks gave the following command. "Ghosts, attack!"

Six of them charged forward while one stayed hidden behind Nayuta. Buu was ignorant to this though and focused on dodging the six that attacked him. He jumped out of the way and laughed arrogantly. "Ha! You missed me!"

"Did we?" Nayuta pointed upwards.

Buu looked up to see the seventh ghost had snuck into the air above him. The ghost pushed into him, surprisingly it didn't explode on contact. That second of surprise was enough to leave him open for the next six to converge on top of him.

"Finish!" Nayuta and Gotenks posed like Sentai characters as a bright explosion erupted behind them.

"They did it!" Denji cheered.

"Not at all!" Piccolo rushed out into the open space and Denji hurried behind him. "Majin Buu can regenerate from even the smallest of pieces! We need to destroy every piece of him now!" The four of them quickly got to work blasting the smaller pieces to ash.

"It's too bad that we didn't get to show off our best stuff." Gotenks sighed.

"Still! That stupid pink bastard didn't stand a chance! That was epic!" Denji exclaimed.

"We were pretty cool, weren't we?" Nayuta was pretty smug.

Piccolo finished off the final pink blob. "There. That should be all of them gone."

"Pretty anti-climatic wouldn't you say?" Gotenks said.

"As long as the world's safe, I don't really-"

FWOOOOO!

Suddenly, wind started kicking up all around them. The four looked up to see that the essence from the burnt pieces of Majin Buu were gathering back together in the air above them. "N-no way…!" Denji cried.

"Even from this level of destruction?!" Piccolo gasped.

"T-then how are we even supposed to kill him?!" Nayuta yelled.

Majin Buu fully reformed and dropped back down across from them. And by the looks of things, he was NOT happy at all.

"Yeesh! He looks really mad now!" Gotenks exclaimed. Then he realized something. If he can make the situation look pretty desperate, then it'll look even cooler when they bust out their biggest surprise. Yeah, that'll do it. "Oh no!"

"Eh?" The others turned to him.

"I'm totally out of juice now! There's nothing I can do!" Gotenks pretended terribly. Though, he did give his sister a wink for her to get the idea. She raised a brow before it clicked in her head.

"H-he's right! There's no way I can take Buu on my own! Without the mighty-" She gagged a bit. "-Gotenks, we're surely dead now!"

"W-wait, really?!" Denji completely fell for it. And by the looks of things, Piccolo clearly had as well.

"HRAH!" Majin Buu took advantage of this moment to grab the brats with his arms. He swung them around like ragdolls before smashing them into the ground repeatedly. Buu lifted them up into the air, giggling like a sadistic beast.

Nayuta flipped him off.

Buu released her to use Gotenks as a hammer to bash her into the ground. Then he dropped Gotenks on top of her. Buu pulled back his leg and kicked the two away like a soccer ball.

"Are you guys, okay?!" Denji asked. He started reaching into his shirt to yank on his cord, but the kids recovered quickly.

"Yeah, we're good! It's just time for us to whip out our super special new-"

BOOM!

The four of them stopped and looked over to see that Piccolo had blown up the entrance. The kids' faces dropped at the rubble in front of them. "Uh… P-Piccolo…wasn't that-"

"It's over, Buu!" Piccolo yelled. "With the door gone there's no possible way to escape the Time Chamber. You're strong, too strong for the kids to have a chance to defeat you. We may die, but you'll be trapped here for all eternity."

"WHAT?!" The kids and Denji screamed.

"E-e-e-eternity…?!" Buu trembled. "B-b-but…are there snacks?"

"No."

Buu's heart broke.

Nayuta was the first to reach Piccolo, grabbing him by his cape. "YOU STUPID GREEN MORON! WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!"

"W-what?! But you said that you couldn't do anything!" Piccolo responded.

Gotenks was next to get into his face. "WE STILL HAD OUR ULTIMATE MOVE TO USE! YOU RUINED EVERYTHING!"

…

…

Piccolo's patience had reached its end. "ME?! HOW IS THIS MY FAULT?!"

"WE JUST WANTED TO HAVE OUR FUN FOR ONCE! BUT NOOOOOO! YOU HAD TO BE ALL MR. MEAN PANTS!"

"YOU STUPID LITTLE BRATS DOOMED US ALL!"

"NO! YOU DID, DUMBASS!"

"IDIOT!"

"MORON!"

"STUPID!"

"CLOT!"

"DUMMY!"

Denji was the only one to notice that Buu was about to lose his cool. He tried to alert the others. "U-uh…! Guys-!"

"IGNORANT BRATS!"

"JACKASS!"

"PEA-BRAIN!"

"SHITHEAD-"

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Majin Buu's roar shook the very dimension itself. The four of them were almost blown off their feet just by the amount of power pouring out of the Majn. "NOT FAIR! THAT'S NOT FAIR! I WANT CANDY! CHOCOLATE! ICE CREAM! CUPCAKES! CAKE! THIS IS NOT FAIR!"

TEAR!

They could only watch in terrified shock as Buu's scream actually managed to tear a hole in the fabric of space and time. A portal leading to the Lookout which was connected to this dimension opened right in front of Buu.

"P-Piccolo…is that?" Gotenks asked.

"I can't believe it! He opened a portal between dimensions! Whatever happens, don't let him escape!" Piccolo yelled.

Nayuta and Gotenks charged forward to stop Majin Buu. But they'd never reach him in time to stop him. The Majin liquified his body and escaped through the portal right before it closed for good. The hybrids stopped right after missing their targets. They were now the only ones stuck inside, while Buu was out there to terrorize their loved ones.

"Oh man…" Denji muttered.

Goku, Makima, and Grandpa Gohan appeared in Death's throne room in a bright flash of light. The Control Devil was still happily embracing her husband without a care in the world. Her heart finally felt complete after seven long years.

"Looks like everything went well." The three looked to see Death resting on her throne. "Baby sister finally got her shit together?"

Makima glared at her older sister. "Don't expect me to thank you."

"I'm not. You never thank me for anything." Death smirked. "Just think of this as a big sister doing her sisterly duties." She turned to Gohan. "And you can head back to Annin now. Tell her that I'm still on for brunch next week."

Gohan gave a respectful bow to Death before looking back at his family. "It was nice to see you again, Goku."

"You too, Gramps. Stay safe, okay?" Goku smiled.

"Oh, oh, oh! I should be the one saying that to you." Gohan chuckled. The old man shifted his gaze to Makima. "Take care of him, okay? Goku can be a handful, but it makes me happy that he has someone who is willing to put up with him."

"You really don't care that I'm the Control Devil?"

"Devil or not, anyone who my Grandson seems to be so infatuated with can never be a terrible person." Gohan smiled softly. His body began to fade away, signaling his departure from Hell.

"See ya, Grandpa." Goku smiled.

"Your Grandpa is an amazing person. I think I see where you get it from, darling." Makima said.

"Really? Well, it makes me happy to hear that." Goku replied.

"Ugh! Don't start getting all lovey dovey in here! Go take that somewhere else!" Death waved off.

"She's right, darling. Isn't there somewhere else we need to be now?" Makima smiled knowingly.

"You can feel him, can't you?" Goku chuckled.

"My baby is alive. I need to see him." Makima said.

"Alright, then." He looked back at Death. "We're gonna take off now, Death! See ya later, okay?!"

"Unless you all get killed, then I'll be seeing you pretty soon." Death smirks. She watched as the two vanished away thanks to Goku's Instant Transmission. Her eyes shifted back to the other Soul Crystals, or more specifically, the one where Vegeta was kept. Her sister didn't take as long thanks to her bonds with her family, but Vegeta has been in there for awhile now.

Eh, she's sure he's fine.

Chapter End

NOTE: Come on, guys. Did you really think I wasn't going to have Makima remember everything? She's a big part of this story just like Goku. The only bad ending Makima was ever going to get was in the future timeline where she lost Goku and Gohan permanently. Our Makima is moving in the right direction.

Nayuta does achieve Super Saiyan 2, which she was close to doing in her fight with Gotenks but Makima stopped her. The only reason Goten doesn't do it is because there was no build up to him doing it. I write him as a bit more emotionally intelligent than his siblings. He somewhat remembers the beatdown Gotenks gave Nayuta, which is the reason why he ignores his own pain in favor of helping his sister.

The kids being goofy goobers is their way of coping with all of the bullshit that's happened to them in the past few days. They're goofy by nature but acting like idiots takes their minds off of it.

Someone did ask if Denji was going to end up turning into the Chainsaw Devil. He will, but you won't know when.

Yes, I saw Deadpool and Wolverine. Best movie of the year.

The moment Death saw how shambled Makima's soul was, she got into contact with Goku and his grandfather. This was just me wanting to have Makima meet Grandpa Gohan. Goku couldn't get through initially because of the chains on her heart, so Grandpa Gohan had to guide Makima into doing so. Just seeing Goku was enough to bring her back to normal. That's how important he is to her.

The next chapter will be a much more chaotic battle with the kids fighting with everything they have. Makima will be reuniting with Gohan (And War too, but we know how she feels about that). We will also see how Vegeta's doing next chapter, since I've been ignoring him a bit.