Chapter 1: The Intro ~ - . LAD . - ~ Post Dragon Ball Z.

Beep-beep. Beep-beep. Beep-beep.

Where am I? Beep-beep. Beep-beep. What is this noise? Beep-beep. Beep-beep. Why is it so black? Beep-beep. And cold?

Beep-beep.

I'm floating in this big black void. There is a light. I know this light. The glow of the afterlife, that's what it is. I know that light well, and I also know that place well. Usually I come back from there, but something about this seems… Final. Like I'm never going to come back.

Beep-beep.

And that. The noise. That's a heart monitor... Right?

Beep-beep.

Yes. It is. I'm sure of it now. So… I am dying. I don't feel any pain, which means I'm either too far gone or there isn't any pain to feel… What was happening before this?

Beep-beep.

I was somewhere. There wasn't any fighting, but I was there for some reason. And then… That's right, I collapsed. I knew it was coming though. My power level has been constantly dropping for weeks now. Old age really is the worst. Youth is wasted on the young.

Beep-beep.

He smiled in the void of darkness. It was nice and quiet, completely peaceful. There was nothing to do, nowhere to be, and no one to fight. However, after a while, he noticed he was drifting too close to the light. He tried to get away, but he couldn't get very far. He was stuck. Damn. That's the end of this short-lived peace. Well, I might as well get out of this coma and say goodbye to whoever I find on the other side of my eyelids. Now all I need to do is gather my power and…

Beepbeep, beepbeep, beepbeep.

His eyes slowly opened, filled of wisdom from a long life, lined with the grey hairs of his old age, and surrounded by the creases and wrinkles of stress, sadness, and happiness. There were several scars as well, some small and simple, and others that weren't. The first thing he saw was complete white. At least I know I'm not dead yet. The afterlife is much more colorful.

The beeping from the monitor was still going strong, but now there were other noises. The quiet hum of the air conditioning, the subtle buzz of the electric blanket, the sobs of some people in the room, and the tick of the wall clock. Even with all of her advanced technology, she still keeps that piece in this room. I'd recognize that clock anywhere, Bulma. At least I know where I am now.

"Hey, he's moving!" Someone said. Their group half expected the dead to rise again after all of the adventures they had together. A little age hasn't really hurt anyone, at least, not yet.

"Geez, he never could get a girl. Do you think Death rejected him again?"

Heh, very funny Krillin. But that isn't the reason this time. I just wanted to say one last goodbye before I start watching you from the other side.

He tried sitting up, but his body wouldn't move. That's a feeling that he hasn't felt in a while. Once, an enemy subdued him with some paralysis. Didn't matter to him, he moved himself through the power of Ki alone to stall for a time. He finally won the fight after his limbs started to get feeling back in them.

But in trying to gather up power now to manipulate his body, he found he had no power to use. Only a trickle remained inside of him, aka, his last breaths. He didn't want to use it up yet. He was, however, able to look around with his eyes. He couldn't see much. Just some tubes and blurs of people. That isn't good. I was easily able to see the wall clock, but now I can't see the definition of people. I guess I'm going to have to use some energy to blink.

So, he did. Now he was able to see everything a bit more clearly. He was inside the Capsule Corporation's hospital. The only ways he was able to tell was the faint grey "C" logo that was inside even fainter "C", which was then inside an even fainter circle. After a second look, they were everywhere. The walls, the chairs, the desk, even his bed sheets. At least that hasn't changed since the last time I was here. Since everything else stayed the same, I know the best equipment is taking care of me.

Which it was. Everything that could possibly be in a room to keep a person alive was there. Besides a full size healing tank, this was the best equipment they had on earth. Also, the best people on earth were surrounding him. The easiest to notice was the tall green man. Still looking as young as ever, the Namekian barley aged at all. Like half of the people in the room, he is a dear friend that once upon a time tried to kill him and everyone on planet earth. As bad as that might sound, it's not so bad considering he was born that way. He did learn the ways of good, and is now teaching the new generation how to fight and spread the good will. Namekians tend to live very long, so unless he somehow dies in a fight, the green warrior will see at least another 8 or 9 generations of Z fighter.

Over to his left is the current strongest human in the world. Uub, the reincarnation of Buu. Master of the traditional way of the Kaioken, this warrior is one of the ones that stopped the massive uprising years ago just by pushing everyone back with his crimson aura. The usually content fellow is saddened by the loss of a good life, although the two never got to fully know and understand each other like true friends would.

At the complete opposite side of the spectrum is one of his closer friends, old man Roshi. When his students got old enough, he thought it was ridiculous that they still referred to him as "Master", especially since it caught on with people he never trained, like Uub. He said "I am no longer your master. We are all equals now." Even though everyone surpassed him in strength before the second Saiyan came to earth, he still insists that they are all equals. Well, he does have one trick hidden up his sleeve that almost no one else can say that they have. His immortality. Whether he got it from the fountain of youth, or the gift of his deceased immortal phoenix doesn't matter. The only thing that does, is that he will spend the rest of eternity watching adult-themed material, and protecting the earth.

Beep-beep.

Krillin was a good friend, and also a couple years younger. That could be why he is still alive. Others would say that he lives a more stress-free life, having a wife who literally can't be hurt by conventional methods. His daughter sometimes gets into danger, but she is usually strong enough to defend herself. He doesn't really fight bad guys either anymore. Sure, for a while he was a police officer, then had a martial arts school going, but besides that he had enough money from the tournament his wife won. He lived a comfortable life with a loving family. Maybe that's how he still looks so young. It could also be that his prior monk wisdom keeps him in such good health. Whatever the reason is, it was nice to see him before his life ended.

Speaking of humans, one wasn't present. He usually isn't, so one could not expect him to show up, but it still would have been nice for him to be there. Everyone knows it has been hard for him to keep going, especially since his best friend Chiaotzu died. Tien now tours the universe in a space ship, going from planet to planet, cleaning up any evil and learning all he can about everything. It's what he always did back on earth, but now in space, and without his best friend.

Gohan was sitting far in the back. Even with his head down, trying to not look at his friend passing, he could still very easily feel what was happening. Even with all his knowledge he had put together over the years, he couldn't prolong his friend's physical existence. A wish from the dragon would not only be a waste, but also a curse. Eternal life has long been agreed upon in the friend circle to be taboo. Even more so, who in their right mind would do that if they know that they will live forever in heaven? Even extended life comes at a cost; you would have to watch all your friends die. There is also the chance to live in suffering. No, it is the best to let things naturally take their course. But even knowing that rational, this half Saiyan feels like he could do so much more. He is frustrated that he can't. And he is sad that his friend is leaving him for a while.

Trunks is a good kid. It's easy to say. He helps fight evil, kind of manages the capsule corporation, and has a good moral complex. But he mostly just relaxes and has fun. The dying person has also lived his life similarly to this. Among many women, never staying with one. He regrets it. But Trunks? Nope. Trunks never really wanted one partner. All he wants is someone to go up into his clean high-rise apartment with him, and then get down and dirty with them. He already has someone who is a platonic lifelong partner. And that person's name is:

Goten! This man used to be a player back in the day, but then stopped after his teenage years. Nothing really satisfied him. He went from playing with toys, to playing with friends, to playing with girls. For a while, he was satisfied with nothing. But then he got bored, and went to the next best thing. Dressing as a superhero and beating up evil was also fun, but that got boring after a while. These days, he mostly hangs with Trunks and puts his energy into understanding what the capsule corps does, and how to manage it better. He also has a wife who he constantly tries to impress, and in every way he can. On top of all that he gets a page from Tien once in a while, and goes to space to put down the stronger evils. He isn't entertained by one thing only; he needs at least 3 things going on in his life to be satisfied.

Beep-beep.

These two were of a generation one rung younger, and never truthfully got to know the dying man. But someone who knew them better then he wanted is standing next to those two. Vegeta, the Full Saiyan. He liked this title for some reason. It does have a ring to it. He stopped being the prince since his race was destroyed, and needed a new title for himself. Hey, anything works, right? Anyways, Vegeta and Yamcha, the guy dying in bed, never saw eye to eye. Vegeta took his woman, his self-esteem, and he was once again knocked down on the "Strongest beings on earth" list. It didn't help that Yamcha was kind of killed by his former partner.

Things kind of eased out between the two when the androids came, and then Vegeta's whole demeanor changed after Buu was dealt with. He softened, was less venomous, was better able to fit into society. Yes, he was still an outcast, but he was more accepting of those who accepted him. As the time passed, he only mellowed out even more. Even though he still felt some opposition to Yamcha, everything was ok between them. At one point, Vegeta even said "I was surprised that he started to actually get some muscle. I have no idea where it came from, but now I might be able to trust him enough to let him watch me fight. But only if he can prove that he will be alive at the end."

Even though they haven't seen eye to eye recently, Yamcha started searching Vegeta's eyes. Throughout all the dangerous encounters of Frieza, Cell, Buu, and others, he has always done all he could do. They were part of the same team, and that had to at least warrant a last goodbye. Their eyes did lock for a second, and the Full blooded Saiyan let his face soften, the corners of his mouth dipping slightly into a frown, but became distant again when he saw Goku was looking at him from the corner of his eye. He knew that the 'bed-ridden fool' would keep his body in the afterlife, and most of the sadness he felt was suppressed. Maybe it was even replaced with envy, for there is no certainty that the same privilege would be allowed for Vegeta, even though it was highly likely.

Beep-beep.

Goku, in all right a Full Blooded Saiyan as well, preferred not to have any prefix attached to his name. Having a last name was extremely rare on earth, and "Son is all the name I need. It keeps me close to those I care about." At the moment, he wasn't so cheerful. He looked visibly sad. Not angry though, as he came to terms with the fact that everyone dies, but sad nonetheless. As with Vegeta, true Saiyans did not age as fast as humans, but the aging he has done turned out well. He has started to get facial creases that make him look happy all the time, even if he isn't smiling. But now was the first time in a while that they make him look strangely sad. It's almost like he was remembering good memories, but was unhappy enough to resist the pleasure in such recollection. A single tear formed up in his eye. Goku's sense of sensing Ki was stronger than most in the group, having learned it first and also being inherently phenomenal at manipulating Ki. He could feel Yamcha's Ki rapidly diminishing. He also knew that this time, the death would be permanent. He hoped that when Yamcha was granted a body, it would be his body of 25 years ago, and not be his current old flesh. Goku would have to go and check on him later, as they agreed to all meet on King Kai's new place each time one of them died.

Chi-Chi should already be there. Stressing out in her late 20s to early 50s did not do her body good. She aged faster than she should have. At one point, she looked 80 while her husband looked 40. He knew from her death that he would be next. He was given a lot of responsibilities for protecting the people of earth from each other, on purpose or by accident. Just like the title of president, being head of PM-AM aged a person several years for every year in that position. Nothing more can really be said about the two, who only saw each other Wednesdays at Bulma's house. They were never really friends, and she couldn't be with them currently due to already being dead. Well, it's never too late to get to know someone better, right? The only thing he knew is that if she kept her body, she would try to train up on King Kai's place until her body got used to it. That way, she could more easily spend time with her family that will one day be there. No one likes dying alone, but knowing that there are others on the other side is reassuring to everyone.

Sinto wasn't there, but that was expected. He tends to get over emotional, especially when something happens to someone he cares about. He was the newest member of the original Z Warriors. He just made it before they started a second one, aka the younger division. An alien to earth, like most of the people in the room, he also tried to takeover/rule/destroy the earth. The usual story is that the evil people come, try to do part of the above, then become friends. It was different for Sinto, though. He made friends with everyone first, then he 'attacked' earth. To tell the truth, he never really attacked it to gain anything, other than to fight his friends without them holding back. Yamcha knew that once he passed, and Sinto felt it, that he would start another attack on the earth that Goku and friends would have to stop. Though no one would enjoy it this time. Not even Sinto himself.

Beerus was also absent. Sleeping, most likely. They had their interactions, but nothing worth noting.

Bulma… The person who he once loved and lost, was the one paying for every moment he was currently alive. Sure, manipulation of Ki could extend his life, but only by so much. Medical techniques and technology were the real reason he was still breathing. Looking at the last person in the room, he saw how lovely she was, even in her old age. What he would have done differently to be with her. But sadly, he blew it. Every chance he got; he screwed over with a different girl. For a while, he thought 'Why me? Why do I always get caught? It wasn't my fault they all wanted to get with me, I mean, look at this!' He soon realized the problem was him, but by that time, she was taken by the Saiyan. The two lived a happy life together, always arguing, bickering, and never agreeing on anything. But they got along so great, it warmed his broken heart. Yes, it was his fault that he wasn't with her, but to be honest, he knew he would never be enough for her. I guess that's one of the main differences between him and Vegeta. He felt below everyone, where Vegeta felt above.

A pang of regret rushed tough him. Yamcha thought to himself how he would do everything over if he could. He wouldn't wait to train, to start working towards his goal. And that goal would be relatively simple. He would save the day, and get the girl. But he would only get ONE girl. Whoever she was, she would be his, and only his. He would also be hers, and only hers, forever in the bond of marriage. That's not too much to ask for, right?

Going back to the room, Krillin was trying to lighten the mood, like always. "Hey everyone, there is no reason to be sad. We have done this for him twice already, and we will see him again soon enough. Knowing him, he'll find some way to come back!" a couple people smiled, but the older ones didn't. They knew the same fate would happen to them, and that it would be permanent.

Beep-beep.

Yamcha smiled a bit, but he was seriously thinking now. He did wish to come back. To start anew; to live life again with a better approach. He wished he could help. He wished and wished as everything started to turn shades of grey and disappear. He knew his power level was dropping, and thought his last though. I really wish I could have a do-over, and get a woman this time. I wonder what woman from heaven look like…

He went back to the black void.

And then he woke up.

~ - . LAD . - ~

If you have read this story before, you would know I was very fond of author notes before and after each chapter. I am going to be removing them all with this round of 2024 updates.