Son Gohan The Destroyer

by EmeraldSaiyan

Death greets Gohan at the end of the Cell Games, yet instead of passing on to the Otherworld, Whis takes an interest in the young half-saiyan's incredible power and decides to train him as Lord Beerus' successor. With the balance of the universe at stake, Gohan accepts the deity's offer. (AU)

23. Achievement Unlocked: Divinity

A/N: LONGEST. CHAPTER. EVER. Nearly 29,000 words! :O! And I sincerely hope that every word is worth it! I finished this on schedule too! Yay!

This chapter has been a LONG time coming I am sure you will agree, I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did writing it. Now we are about to reach a pinnacle moment, I just want to thank you so much for all your love and support over the course of this story. I cannot believe just how much love this little fanfic of mine gets. You guys are amazing! How am I up to over 1400 followers?! To me its just insane. I am so happy that you enjoy it, something that I just write for fun and cannot thank you enough! I cant tell you how much I love reading your reviews too, it really makes my day.

This chapter is dedicated to all of you, what a journey it has been so far!

ES x

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Chapter Twenty-Three

Achievement Unlocked: Divinity

Son Residence, Mount Paozu, Planet Earth - Three weeks later

Time is a fickle thing, Whis had told him many years ago when he was all but a year into his Destroyer training. Sometimes there was never enough of it, and other times it stretched on endlessly. Gohan had never really understood what his mentor had meant by that back then, though he was certain that it had something to do with how much he could develop in such a short space of time should he continue to push both his body and mind to the limit. He was right, in a way. But the reality of the Angel's words had never struck him so profoundly until now.

The last three weeks had gone by in a blur, a whirlwind even, and as much as he wanted to savour every moment that he had back on Earth, the fickle mistress that was time appeared to have escaped him. He'd been given a second chance, a chance that he never thought he would get in all of his wildest dreams. And he had relished in it. He had spent time with his family and friends, those he thought he would never see again when he had first accepted to train to become the next Destroyer on Lord Beerus' world.

He had sparred and trained, laughed and reminisced with them all, tried to escape the sense of duty that hung over him like the sharp edge of a guillotine for but a moment, and pretend that his head didn't rest upon the chopping block. His days with them numbered.

He had fallen in love.

Now that was a chance he had previously allowed to pass him by, for the sheer notion was surely impossible what with all the rules imposed on him as a junior deity. That was of course, until he had met Videl. And there seemed to be no rhyme nor reasoning to this wondrous predicament that he found himself in. Videl was just, Videl and he had basked in every second that he spent with her, even though the guilt of what he was doing threatened to crush him.

He didn't want to imagine what would happen when he had to leave, or how he would even begin to hide his certain heartbreak away from Whis and Lord Beerus - or even if his heart would mend at all. How could he continue to exist without those beautiful sapphire eyes in his afterlife? Eyes that could see into his very soul, eyes that lit up with passion and longing, glint with amusement and mischief, exposing his vulnerabilities and pulling him into their depths to which he would gladly succumb to time and time again.

Every time he saw her, it was like the first time. And he wasn't talking about when they met at his grave when he had reappeared back on Earth after eight long years of absence. No, it was with a steady realisation that Gohan remembered dreaming about those very eyes in his first few weeks at the training camp after his death. Granted, his eleven year old self didn't quite understand just why that strange girl he had saved from Cell made his stomach give a funny jolt whenever her dazzling eyes popped into his mind.

Though now he understood. And he couldn't bare Videl being banished only to the deepest, most private parts of his mind once more.

Even though he was quite suitably dead, he felt parts of himself come alive at her touch. He couldn't get enough of her, her kisses, her laugh, her smile, her light driving out the darkness that welled within him. Whenever he was entangled in her embrace, it was as though everything else faded away. His task, his duty, his destiny, for he could see only her.

Just last night he and Videl had bathed together in the old metal tub outside of his family's cottage when his parents and brother were tucked up in bed. His family's sleeping Ki beating steadily as the hands on the kitchen clock ticked past the stroke of midnight.

The lovestruck teens had talked and laughed quietly under the myriad of stars that shone overhead, basking in one another's presence. The moonlight kissed their wet naked skin as they passionately savoured every second of their last night together. The young saiyan was incredibly surprised that they hadn't woken his family up, especially due to the fact that he had been so enthusiastic that he had accidentally tipped the entire tub over, causing an enormous crash that sent their entwined bodies as well as a cascade of steamy water spilling out onto the grass.

They had erupted into a fit of raucous giggles, both soaking wet and still panting from their interrupted coupling, which they had more than eagerly resumed in a forest clearing not too far away, the gentle summer breeze sweeping over them and the long grass brushing their bare skin as they finally fell asleep in each others arms. It was almost dawn when they had returned, sneaking in back through Gohan's bedroom window like the pair of giddy giggling teens that they were, sharing another flurry of heated kisses before Videl retired to the camp bed that his mother had set up for her in the living room.

She had been staying at the Sons all weekend in preparation for Bulma's birthday extravaganza, which would be held on a cruise ship docking at the Southern Isles before it cruised its way around the South Pacific Ocean. He wasn't entirely certain why Bulma had decided to go all out for her birthday this year. The thought did cross his mind that it may have been a big birthday so to speak - though he thought it rude to ask.

Still, it was more than convenient that Bulma's birthday party just so happened to fall on the same day that he could finally summon Shenron, and thus make headway with the Super Saiyan God prophecy. The whole gang would be present for the celebration, and it would give Gohan one last hurrah with his family and friends before he had to leave them behind forever.

His heart was breaking apart already. For he knew that when the blanket of stars swept the Earth and day would succumb to night, then he would have to leave them for good. His adventures with Videl would come to an end and he would eventually take up the mantle of a fully fledged Destroyer like he was meant to, and hopefully save the cosmos from complete annihilation in the process.

There was still no hide nor hair of Zamasu, and by extension Perses. He had checked in with Whis via his communicator on occasion over the last few weeks, but it appeared as though the corrupted Kai's apprentice had vanished into thin air. According to his mentor, the alarm had been sounded throughout the cosmos, and Zamasu's misdeeds had indeed been taken incredibly seriously by The Grand Minister. The entire multiverse were on the lookout for the evil Kai, but still - nothing.

It was a wonder where Zamasu had gotten to, but alas, not even Gowasu had experienced anything untoward. His newly constructed realm in the tenth universe was being protected by The Supreme Guard who were also on high alert, flitting between his universe and theirs, continuing their search. Lord Beerus had awoken a few days ago, and was utterly furious that Zamasu had managed to escape. Gohan had yet to speak to him, and Whis had informed him that it was probably best that he didn't, for the God of Destruction was - understandably - a little tetchy at present.

Call him crazy, but the teenager couldn't help but feel a little grateful towards Zamasu by all accounts - although he would never admit it out loud. For despite the eerie calmness that was worryingly palpable throughout the universe, at least the Kai's disappearance had allowed Gohan to spend the last few precious moments with the ones he loved in peace.

Well, sort of.

THWACK!

Gohan jumped, snapping out of his blissful slumber as something hard smacked him right over the head.

"OW! What the - ?!"

He sprang up, tears in his eyes as the blankets fell from his bare chest, his onyx eyes darting rapidly around his bedroom before settling on the culprit to his rude awakening.

His gaze narrowed.

"Mum and Dad said that it's time for breakfast," Goten told him cooly from where he stood at the side of his bed. He was already dressed, a pair of smart purple trousers with a matching blue and purple flannel shirt. Light and weightless for the heat of the day, the long sleeves protecting him from the relentless June sun.

The teenager scowled, rubbing his sore head, "Did you have to hit me?"

His younger brother shrugged indifferently, resting the long wooden pole in his grasp upon his shoulder, "You wouldn't wake up."

"Is that the power pole?" Gohan asked, recognising his father's old weapon almost instantly, the red-painted wood unmistakable.

"Yep," he replied, his lips drawn into a thin line as he regarded him, "Dad gave it to me."

"Oh," the young Destroyer mustered awkwardly, the tension thick between the two brothers, "That's cool."

"Yeah, it is," said Goten, before spinning on his heel and exiting the bedroom, the door closing with a sharp snap behind him.

Gohan sighed begrudgingly, his estranged sibling had yet to warm up to him it appeared. Although they had been civil to one another over the past few weeks, they hadn't spent any real time together, not for want of Gohan trying mind you. Instead Goten would rather hang around with Trunks and Marron, and similarly didn't seem all that interested in him. His mother and father had noticed the strained relationship between them also, but had refrained from pushing it too far past eating together at meal times and the occasional finishing trip with their father.

For some reason, Goku had refrained from allowing Goten and Trunks from training together with them in the wastelands. Which was odd, considering that the halflings were already super saiyans. Though even Vegeta wasn't bothered by this development, stating that he had his own training for his son planned anyway, more than enough to defend himself should any trouble arise on Earth.

Still, the halfling supposed that it didn't really matter. After tonight he would be gone forever, and Goten could have their parents back all to himself.

The old bedsprings groaned and creaked under his weight as he lifted himself from the mattress, shaking his head as he did so. He was being childish after all, he shouldn't be getting jealous of an eight year old.

Once dressed and ready, Gohan made his way down the creaky staircase, where the tantalising smell of bacon and eggs awaited him. Stepping into the kitchen, he found that the rest of his family, along with Videl, were already seated.

Greeting them all a good morning and kissing his mother on the cheek, the young saiyan plopped himself in the empty chair opposite Videl, whose sapphire eyes practically danced at him as if to say - 'I know what you did last night.'

The young saiyan gave her a wicked grin back, 'I know, I was there. And if I recall correctly, you loved it.'

She winked, the small exchange going unnoticed by his father and brother, who were both inhaling their breakfast like a pair of starved beasts.

"Bacon, Gohan? Videl?" His mother interrupted suddenly, giving them both a knowing smile.

"Uh, thanks," the teenagers flushed, lifting up their plates and accepting their fill from the metal prongs in Chi-Chi's hand before she bustled away from them. Her satisfied smile unwavering as she sat herself at the head of the table, taking a rather smug sip of her coffee as she continued to eye them.

"What time are we heading over to Bulma's, Chi-Chi?" asked Videl, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She was dressed for the sun that was for certain, high waisted denim shorts and a short red t-shirt that showed off her toned midriff and the black bikini underneath. It was enough to make Gohan drool.

He himself sported a pair of deep blue, knee length swimming trunks, along with a plain white t-shirt and a pair of sunglasses atop his head. The shirt clung to his muscular torso, and it was with delight did he notice how Videl had been unashamedly checking him out ever since he had entered the kitchen.

"Change of plan actually," the ox-princess replied, the sound of clinking plates and cutlery filling the air as Gohan too tucked into his breakfast, "I heard from Bulma this morning, she seemed rather stressed by all accounts. She asked everyone to meet at the cruiser instead, apparently its docked at an island not too far from Kame House."

"Did she say how the dragon radar was coming along?" Gohan quirked, swallowing his mouthful.

"I stopped by Capsule Corp. to see how things were going last night," his father informed him, pushing the mountain of empty plates away from him and tapping his full belly in satisfaction, "She yelled at me and threw a screw driver at my head. So er, not too good I suppose."

The teenager let out a defeated sigh. He was hoping that Bulma would have finished the universal dragonball radar before he had to leave, but it appeared to be even more complex a task than he had originally thought - even for her.

He knew full well that the blue-haired scientist would not stop until it was finished, however long it took. Gohan could always come back at retrieve the finished product at a later date of course, he was certain that Whis and Lord Beerus wouldn't mind if it was going to help them in their cause to outsmart Zamasu, though it would probably be too dangerous for him to do so - especially if he bumped into Videl. He would have to ask a member of The Supreme Guard to pick it up in his place instead.

Chi-Chi tutted at his father, "It's your own fault Goku. You know full well not to interrupt her when she's working - "

He frowned as the conversation unfolded around him. Despite everything, his family were acting so… normal. As if this wasn't the last day that they would get to spend with him forever. Did they know that he was going to summon the Eternal Dragon today? They must do, the countdown to his leave was obvious after all, inevitable. But all the same, Gohan didn't really want to draw their attention to it. He would rather them enjoy this last day with him and celebrate Bulma's birthday like they should, not succumb to the solemn shadows that seemed to await in the corners of the room, threatening to engulf them should anyone even so much as mention the reality of what the end of the day would bring.

Though now, just as the thought crossed his mind, did he see it. The way his mother's eyes would keep glancing to him, as though trying to drink as much of him in as possible whilst she still could. He could see it in the way his father's smile had a slight crook to it that wasn't there before, as though it was forced and somewhat painful. He noticed how Goten was even colder towards him than usual, keeping his head bowed over his plate and barely making eye contact with him.

He realised how Videl's touch lingered under the table, how her fingertips reached to brush his knee, and not in the usual teasing, suggestive manner. No, it was calm and soothing, as though she wanted to savour the feel of him, and in turn let him know that she never wanted him to forget her touch.

His chest suddenly felt heavy, as if his heart had turned into a swinging solid brick, weighting him down and battering against his insides. Could he really leave them all like this? Without them knowing what he really was? Believing that he was some golden child - wonder boy, that protected the entire universe from peril when in reality he had a hand in its destruction?

The self-sabotaging feelings swirled around him much like Eris' devastating twister of doom, the violent tornado sweeping him up and threatening to plunge him into the dark abyss of his mind. The conflict raged within himself for quite some time, following him all the way to the Southern Isles, where the entire Z-gang were awaiting them on the biggest cruise ship that Gohan had ever seen.

At least thirty foot towered from waterline to rail, spanning a hefty chunk of the harbour in length, the aptly named Princess Bulma glittered in the high sun. Pristine white in colour, and housing numerous cabins that the large gang would accommodate tonight after he had left to continue his own voyage beyond the stars. Canvas deck chairs lined the large wooden deck, along with numerous glorious smelling food stalls with friendly waiting staff handing out copious amounts of champagne as they boarded.

A full length swimming pool sat proudly in the centre of the deck, the blazing sun reflecting off of its stagnant surface before it was quickly disturbed by Goten, Trunks and Marron enthusiastically dive-bombing into it, a yapping Bee swiftly joining them much to their amusement. The subsequent scolding of their mothers seemed to be lost on the excited trio, as well as drowned out by the party music that played from the numerous speakers set up near a makeshift stage. Gohan had even heard rumours of a band playing later, as well as a rather extravagant game of bingo.

An enormous banner hung above centre stage, with the words 'Happy Birthday Bulma!' embodied into the fabric in royal blue lettering. Colourful bunting and streamers were tied to the rungs of the ship, along with a multi-tiered iced cake atop one of the buffet tables. Oh yes, Bulma had most certainly gone all out for the occasion.

The ship set off once they were all accounted for, and glided through the calm waters as though it was floating on air. The whoosh of the cruiser accompanied the hearty rounds of laughter that rang all around him, sounds of sizzling barbecue, catchy music and chinking glasses raised in salute as toast to the birthday girl.

It was all very surreal, Gohan thought, as the loving, cheerful atmosphere buzzed around him, the Z-gang so happy and carefree, dressed in their summer clothes and lounging in the afternoon sun - though he made sure to stay clear of Majin Buu, and he him. As another round of jovial laughter rang around him, it was as though everyone had just forgotten that he was leaving today. Or trying very hard to ignore it.

"Isn't she amazing?!" Bulma spouted after he had embraced her and wished her a Happy Birthday. She leaned a little heavily on his shoulder in order to straighten herself, a half-drunken glass of champagne in her hand - she was already on her third or fourth glass, much to Vegeta's agitation.

"It certainly is grand Bulma," his mother replied, in awe of their surroundings, he doubted that she or his father had ever been on a cruise ship before, "You must have gone through a lot of trouble to make all of this happen."

"Ah it was no trouble at all!" The blue-haired heiress winked back, nudging her scowling husband in the ribs, "Besides, only the best will do for your princess, eh Vegeta?"

The hard-faced saiyan scoffed beside her, dutifully yet rather begrudgingly holding an opened bottle of champagne that he had apparently been commanded to use to fill up her glass whenever he saw it getting empty.

"It's a pointless display," said Vegeta, his eyebrows knitted closely together, "I don't understand why you Earthlings even bother to celebrate the year of your birth. And you've already celebrated forty -"

"OH! Would you look at that!" Bulma interjected rather swiftly, smacking the man hard upside the head, and pointing frantically at something over the deck, "I think I just saw some dolphins! Lets go Vegeta!"

"You dare to strike me - !" He started to growl.

"NOW!"

Chi-Chi giggled, shaking her head as Bulma pulled her sulking husband away and grabbed her own by the arm, "Come on Goku, let's dance."

"Aw but Chi-Chi!" the man whined, "I wanted to go to the buffet table first!"

The ox-princess rolled her eyes, "You've already eaten your body weight in breakfast. One dance and then you can eat all you like!"

"Fine," Goku pouted, before looking towards him, "You coming son?"

"Nah I'll sit this one out," he replied with a small smile, realising that he had lost sight of Videl after boarding, "I'll catch you two up later."

Quickly brushing off the small spark of disappointment that had appeared within his parents eyes, the young saiyan ventured off in search of Videl, catching sight of Dende relaxing in a deck chair by the pool and giving him a short wave as he went.

The young Guardian of Earth had been instructed to bring along the dragonballs that Gohan had collected weeks ago. Although he was glad that Dende had managed to get a rare afternoon off his duties by bringing them here, the halfling felt a sickening pang in his chest as to his old friends presence. He had already decided that he would make his wish after everyone had gone to bed, he didn't want any one to see him disappear after he had made it, no matter how curious they were, else he might not be able to bring himself to leave.

He singled out Videl's Ki in no time, finding it hovering towards the stern of the ship. He stopped as he reached her, for she seemed deep in thought. Her long raven hair whipped about her in the salty wind, free of its pigtails for the occasion, her features stoic and solemn almost, as she remained unaffected by the foamy spray that sprinkled though the air. It bubbled relentlessly from the propeller several feet below her as the ship pushed on, the disturbed ocean waves crashing against the hull.

The young woman breathed in the fresh salty air deeply, her hands grasping onto the cool metal rail so hard that it made her knuckles turn white. Her eyes closed as if in silent prayer, paying no mind to the beautiful vastness of the sparkling sea that stretched out towards the horizon in the distance.

His stomach jolted at the captivating sight of her, butterflies performing somersaults against his gut. He walked towards her slowly, tentatively, making sure that no one was around before he brushed her long hair from her back and gently kissed the soft skin of her neck.

Videl did not jump, nor was easily started by his presence. Instead, she hummed pleasantly in her throat, craning her neck ever so slightly to the side, allowing Gohan's rough lips to continue teasing her collarbone, his arms snaking around her waist and drawing her closer to him from behind, her glorious curves pressed all against him.

"Just who do you think you are?" she asked him playfully, her breath coming up short, shuddering with longing as he pushed her a little harder up against the rails, one hand reaching cheekily under her shirt and caressing the softness underneath, "S-sneaking up on me like that?"

"Someone who would very much like to continue where we left off last night," he found himself saying, lust clouding his brain once more, his lips against her bare skin causing her chest to heave in anticipation. The sudden tightness below his waistband making itself known as he brushed his hips eagerly against her.

"Really now?" Videl quirked, a bark of laughter escaping her, though her voice quaked ever so slightly, "We're in a public place. I could get you arrested for indecent exposure, you know."

Gohan snorted disbelievingly, removing his mouth from her throat and making to untie the string of her bikini around her back, "I'd like to see you try."

She whipped around suddenly, causing him to retract his hands from their current mission and instead rest them on her hips. Videl raised an eyebrow in challenge, smirking as she pushed an accusatory finger into his muscular chest, "You Son Gohan, have the right to remain silent."

"Oh really? I hope there's a search involved," The halfling's lips curled into a wicked grin, before lowering his voice to a whisper, "Though I must warn you, I have a concealed weapon."

Videl almost laughed - almost, but kept her eyes fierce, "In that case, I'm going to have to confiscate it."

"Ouch, that sounds brutal."

To his delight, the girl's response came to him in a bombardment of heated kisses, slowly backing him up against the opposite wall that led to the cabins. He moaned into her mouth, eagerly deepening the kiss that caused his head to spin from the captivating sensations that he just couldn't seem to get enough of.

It was dangerous, he knew that, and in reality they probably should be winding down what with his upcoming departure. But at that moment, Gohan failed to care as her hands smoothed under his t-shirt, fingertips brushing over his hard abs before reaching towards the waistband of his swimming shorts. The moment was heating up all too quickly, their hot breaths intermingling as they continued to tease one another, even though they knew that anyone could walk around their secluded little corner and easily catch them in the act.

He quashed the annoying voice of reason as quickly as it had come, pulling Videl further against him and grasping at her rear through her denim shorts, retreating his lips from hers and trailing across her jaw, back to her neck and causing her to groan with ecstasy.

The sounds of the party seemed to grow even more distant, as Videl's bikini top slowly began to unravel, allowing Gohan's hands to become more daring in their stride, wishing nothing more than to rip those shorts right off of her. He didn't realise that the girl in his embrace had suddenly stopped moaning, or that her breath had become a little more laboured than before. What he did notice though, was the salty wetness that trailed into their entwined mouths, hitting his tongue and causing to pull back in alarm.

"Videl?" He mustered, a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as he realised that she was crying, the track marks streaking down her flushed cheeks too unmistakable to miss, "Videl, why are you crying?"

"Oh Kami," she sniffed, suddenly embarrassed as she hurriedly wiped her eyes, "Shit, sorry, I-I didn't - "

"Why are you crying?" The halfling pressed again worriedly, grabbing her hands and running his thumb lovingly over the back of her palms, "Gods Vi, please please don't cry. I hate it when you cry…"

Videl shook her head, feeling silly, though still couldn't quite look him in the eye, "You're really going to do it today, aren't you?"

Gohan stopped short, as though he had been punched in the gut and all of the air had been expelled from his lungs.

"I-I -," he started, beginning to explain, though she already knew. He had told her last night before she suggested they take a bath together in the old tub in the garden.

He all but nodded in response, causing her to let out a shaky breath.

"I know you have to," she said, "I've even counted down the days, but I didn't expect it to be this hard."

He stared at her for a moment, the heat evaporating suddenly and leaving nothing but a cold chill that brushed between them. He let go of her hands, pulling her to him instead in a fierce hug and allowing her to bury her face into his chest. Her arms encircled him tightly, as he reached up and stroked her hair, planting a lingering kiss on the raven silk and closing his eyes to stop his own tears that threatened to build.

"D-do you think that your guardian angel would go berserk if you postponed it for a few more days?" She asked lightly, her voice muffled by the cotton fabric of his t-shirt. Though the answer was clear.

"I'm sorry Vi," The young saiyan smiled sadly, using the cute nickname he had so lovingly bestowed upon her weeks ago, "but we've always known that it would come to this."

"I know," she sighed, breathing him in, her fists clutching at his shirt, "But it doesn't make it any easier."

He kissed her hair again. He was so sad. So unbearably sad. He didn't want to wake up from this, this captivating dream that he found himself in whenever he was with Videl. It was almost like a reverse nightmare, in that instead of waking up from one, where there's a sudden rush of relief and tranquility, it was the opposite. As though he was about to wake up and be propelled into a nightmare that he could never snap out of.

He didn't want to leave her. And because he had to, he wanted - no needed to say it.

"Videl, I -," he began, when her head snapped up suddenly, her beautiful eyes shining with a clattering storm of emotion.

"Don't," she said definitely, knowing all to well what he was about to say, "Don't say it, Gohan. I-I can't - ."

The young saiyan swallowed his words, and they tasted like poison going back down. His heart screamed at him to tell her just how much every fibre of his being ached for her, to tell her the whole truth of what he was. But he couldn't.

Instead, he leaned down and kissed her. Hard, desperately, telling her just how much he loved her through his very actions. Hoping that she knew, praying that she would always know. He wanted to tell her how sorry he was, to explain everything, but he held his tongue and hoped that with every kiss that he bestowed upon her that she would forgive him for not saying.

Videl sighed longingly into his embrace, her fingers breaching his hair and running through the thick spikey mane. They were against the wall again, clinging to each other desperately and just drew back for air when they heard a small noise behind them, sneakers skidding on the wooden deck as the person to whom they belonged careened to a halt in shock.

The teenagers broke apart suddenly, and Gohan's eyes widened in horror as he realised that they had been caught red-handed. Though silently thanked his lucky stars that he and Videl hadn't gone any further.

Yamcha stood before them with a cocktail in his hand - complete with a loud pink umbrella and other sparkly paraphernalia, his mouth falling open at the sight of the entangled young couple, before his lips quirked into an approving smile.

"Nice," he nodded towards the halfling, giving him a wink that resembled one that a proud uncle might bestow upon a wayward nephew, sipping smugly at the swirly straw in his glass, "I'll just… leave you two crazy kids to it."

The young saiyan spluttered blindly, unable to find his voice as he watched him go, retreating back to the party with a knowing grin plastered across his face.

"Oops," Videl giggled, as Gohan finally came to his senses and frowned back at her.

"There is no way that we are going back there for at least another ten minutes," he told her firmly, his cheeks burning bright crimson. Knowing the gossip queen that was Yamcha, he would have taken to the stage with a microphone and announced to the entire party what he had just stumbled upon.

"You worry about what other people might think too much," she told him, smiling wickedly, "So what if he blabs to everyone that he caught us snogging? At least your mum will be pleased."

"She'll be bloody beside herself is what she'll be," Gohan sighed, rolling his eyes in despair, remembering how the romance-crazed woman had wanted to marry her dead son off to Videl, and secretly still probably did, "And I wanted to spend my last few hours on Earth in peace too."

The Satan girl chuckled darkly, reaching up on her tiptoes and giving him a long kiss on the lips, "You'll be getting no peace from me, wonder boy."

"Is that a promise?" he mumbled against her mouth, momentarily forgetting his embarrassment as his tongue teased hers before she pulled away with a smirk.

"Come on," said Videl, pulling him by the arm, "Let's head back there and see if we can do some damage control."

As it turned out, Gohan didn't have to perform no such thing, for - oddly - the Z-gang refrained from teasing or pestering the pair about it. At first, he thought that the ex-bandit had actually kept quiet about the encounter, that was until he noticed how the adults kept glancing at them on occasion, and it was incredibly difficult to ignore the wolfish grins sent their way - namely from Krillin, Yamcha and his own parents of all people.

Luckily, the rapidly building Gohan and Videl fan club remained respectful of the situation, and he couldn't help but think that it was due to the fact that he only had a few hours left on Earth to enjoy. He just prayed that his father would be just as tactful and refrain from telling them about walking in on them after their first night together.

Ignoring the knowing gestures that continued to shoot his way, the young saiyan made headway for the food stalls whilst Videl went to help Eighteen and Marron find the ladies restroom. Piling his plate high with all of his favourite Earth delicacies which he was also certain to miss, he sought out a quiet table in the corner of the deck, finding himself enjoying the welcoming solitude for a moment under the shade of the large umbrella.

Gohan smiled, as he felt the presence of his old mentor behind him before he had chance to speak, "Hullo Piccolo."

"Hey kid," the Namekian greeted, the sound of metal scraping against the wooden deck as he pulled up a chair next to him, setting down a cool glass of iced water upon the linen covered table.

They sat in silence for a while, relishing in each others presence just like old times. It was comfortable, even though no words were spoken between them, and if Gohan closed his eyes then he could just imagine himself meditating with Piccolo in the mountains like he did as a young boy.

He liked the spring best, when the baby birds chirped sweetly and the flowers had just begun to bloom. Cool, crisp mornings where the dew drops clung to the long blades of grass in the meadow below them. As the clouds swept a path above, he could always feel his mind clearing, as though the fluffy white clouds had been in his head all along and they had filtered out of his ears and into the sky, his troubles and worries evaporating into the air and disappearing into the atmosphere.

Piccolo always had that affect on him. He helped to ground him, to curb his emotions when they threatened to bubble over time and time again. His old mentor had always reprimanded him for it after all, and even now Whis had picked up on the fact that his actions, fighting or otherwise, were fuelled by his feelings - especially when he couldn't control them.

"Your mind is clouded," Piccolo said finally, watching him as he finished the last morsel of food from his plate.

Gohan looked towards him, putting down his knife and fork as the wise son of Namek spoke again, giving him no chance to reply.

"When are you going to summon the Eternal Dragon?"

He sighed, "Later. I don't know, I'd rather not do it in front of everyone."

"Probably wise," he said knowingly, folding his arms across his chest. Unlike the rest of the gang, Piccolo hadn't made an effort to change out of his gi and into swimming trunks or a loud Hawaiian shirt. After all, like a true warrior, Piccolo was always ready for battle, always waiting, always watching. His long white cloak draped over the side of his chair and his turban perched atop his head, protecting his green skin from the relentless sun.

The silence engulfed them again, though it was less comfortable than before.

"Do you think they - ?" Gohan started, though his old mentor cut across him just as quickly.

"Yes, they know Gohan," said Piccolo, beetle black eyes surveying him intently, "Everyone does. But it's better to celebrate rather than mourn in these circumstances, I'm sure that you'd rather the former."

"Y-Yeah," he mustered, "You're right. Sorry."

The strong Namekian tutted in disapproval, "You have nothing to be sorry for. You're just doing your job."

"Not very well," he said glumly, drumming his fingers on his glass of cold lemonade, the ice already rapidly melting in the heat, "It's been weeks and I'm still no closer to stopping Zamasu, we don't even know where he is."

Piccolo frowned, "You'll be one step closer to obtaining divinity after tonight, and that's got to help your cause. You sabotaging your progress so far isn't doing you any favours. I don't have to tell you again just how annoying that shit is. So stop wallowing before I make you, junior deity or not."

The teenager couldn't help but chuckle at that, memories of training with his former master springing forth, "You know, I never got to say thank you before I died."

"Thank you?" He blinked in confusion, "For what?"

"For being there," said Gohan, smiling up at him, "For training me, protecting me, calling me out when I was self-destructing and making me stronger for it. Hell, you pretty much raised me Piccolo."

He stared, his features stoic yet his eyes curious, as the halfling continued, "I used to think 'why me', you know? Like, why did all this horrible shit always happen to me? Getting kidnapped, fighting for my life, watching the people I loved die around me. Why did I have to be the only one who had the strength to defeat Cell? Why was it me who was blessed with all of this power and not anyone else?"

"Gohan -," Piccolo started, but he did not let him interrupt.

"But in the end, after everything that's happened, and that includes me dying, I don't think that I would have changed any of it," he said somewhat sadly, "I had friends that loved me like a big family, ones that would do anything for me. My parents too, who gave me everything that they could, fought tooth and nail and protested for me to have a better life than what they had. But I didn't just have two parents, I had three."

Piccolo's head inclined towards him, listening, his eyebrows raised.

"I mean, I know that I joked that you were like my big green uncle," Gohan laughed, as the Namekian's lips twitched into a small, yet nostalgic smile, "But really, you were so much more, you were like another dad. And what kid is lucky enough to get a mum and two dads?"

He bristled uncomfortably at the halfling's words, though his cheeks were flushed, his eyes holding an emotion that Gohan knew was only reserved for him. And that was enough.

"It's why I cant tell them," the young Destroyer sighed, looking out at the small crowd across the deck, "I can't tell them what I am before I go. It might ruin everything."

The Namekian cleared his throat, "You don't know that."

"No, I don't," said Gohan, looking down at his scarred and calloused hands, "And that's what scares me the most. At least that when I go, I'll leave them believing that I'm doing something good in the universe."

"You are doing something good," said Piccolo, placing a reassuring hand on his hair, "You're just confused right now, what with spending all this time being back here. But deep down, you know that becoming a Destroyer was the right thing to do, without them the universe would cease to exist. If it wasn't right, then you wouldn't have accepted the role in the first place. I have never doubted you Gohan, so you shouldn't doubt yourself."

He felt like a boy again, as his old mentors long fingers brushed through his ebony locks, the sharp nails carefully tracking over his scalp so as not to break the skin. His touch so gentle for such a hardened warrior.

"Thanks Piccolo," he told him, his voice breaking slightly, "I'll… I'll really miss you, you know."

"I'll miss you too kid," he smiled back, a rare smile that was wide enough to show off his fangs, "I wish I could have done more to help."

"You've done plenty," said Gohan, "And you can carry on protecting the Earth from Zamasu until we manage to capture him."

Piccolo sighed, his hand retracting back to rest on the arm of his chair. But it's not enough.

"I just wish that I didn't have to leave so soon," the young saiyan said again, his gaze cast back out over the deck once more, where he spotted Videl laughing with Launch and his mother on a nearby table, the musical sound reaching his ears in a soothing symphony that caused his useless heart to strain to flutter.

"The universe is at stake, Gohan," his old mentor said wisely, following his stare.

"I know," he mustered, "It's just - "

"Videl?"

"Yeah," he replied, without thinking, until Piccolo raised an eyebrow at him, "W-wait! I mean er - I - I don't - I didn't mean - !"

The Namekian rolled his eyes as he continued to splutter, "Being subtle isn't exactly your strongest quality, kid. And I'm not just talking about the fact that Yamcha announced to everyone that you were both canoodling at the back of the ship earlier. It's been obvious for a while that you're mating with her."

"WHAT?!" Gohan gaped, his jaw hitting the floor, "H-How did-?! M-mating?! Piccolo!"

Piccolo all but scoffed, wrinkling his nose in mild disgust, as the halfling's outburst all but confirmed his suspicions.

"P-Piccolo I -!" He tried desperately, his face heating up considerably as he attempted to explain himself, when an excitable shout cut through the air.

"Oi Gohan! Come over here for a second would you?!" Bulma called, waving enthusiastically at him over the other side of the ship, before disappearing around the corner of one of the food stalls.

Thank you Bulma, the teenager thought gratefully, hurriedly getting up from his seat and turning towards his former mentor, "Looks like Bulma wants me for something, I-I've er, got to go, and leave this conversation immediately."

Piccolo all but smirked at his flustered demeanour, "You do that."

"Gods Piccolo, you are SO embarrassing right now!" Gohan snarled, cheeks burning as he stomped angrily away from him. Mating?! Seriously Piccolo?! He seethed with mortification at the use of alien lingo, he would rather the man had the decency to use the proper Earthling word for it at least!

He made a beeline for Bulma, who he found leaning against the railings of the ship, now on her fifth or sixth glass of bubbly. Vegeta accompanied her, his face paler than he had ever seen it, his lips drawn into a thin line and his hands positively trembling - so much so that the bottle of champagne he was holding nearly slipped from his grasp. The saiyan prince looked so stunned that he didn't even seem to care that his wife was shamelessly flirting with the two oddly dressed newcomers before them.

The young saiyan stopped short, his mouth falling open in shock - Just how long had THEY been here?!

"Gohan, you never told me how nice your friends were!" Bulma giggled, giving Lord Beerus a wink, her words slightly slurred, "So, you said that you train Gohan or something?"

He was utterly dumbfounded, as Lord Beerus, in all his Destroyer glory, smiled back pleasantly, "That's correct Madam, although it is Whis here that does the majority of the training. I am the boy's superior and predecessor."

"Wow so you're like an actual God then?" The blue-haired genius cooed, ignoring Vegeta's sudden snarl of ("Will you shut up, woman?!") "Well, isn't that something. You know, we always knew that our little Gohan would grow up to be something special."

"Oh give me a break," Vegeta muttered under his breath, though quickly snapped his mouth shut as the God of Destruction all but glanced in his direction.

"How charming," said Whis, before casting his eyes over to the young saiyan in question, "Oh hello Gohan, you're looking rather summery."

"What are you two doing here so early?" he hissed, folding his arms haughtily across his chest. This was all he needed.

"Wondering why you aren't a Super Saiyan God yet," Lord Beerus glowered, "Have you summoned the Earth's Eternal Dragon?"

"Well, no but - "

"Then stop stalling boy," he snapped, "What in Zalama's holy name are you playing at?"

"I'm not stalling," the teenager griped, "It's just that it's Bulma's birthday and - "

"Ah yes, Prince Vegeta's wife," the Destroyer observed, eyeing the couple before him, "A fine example of the female species that any prince would be lucky to take as his bride."

"T-Thank you my Lord," Vegeta managed to stutter, bowing his head in thanks as Bulma blushed deeply.

"Aw come off it!" She chimed, though was lapping up the compliment for all it was worth, "Hey, I've got a good idea! Why don't you stick around for the party?"

Gohan and Vegeta's eyes widened simultaneously as they chorused, "That is NOT a good idea!"

"Why not?" Bulma scoffed, "Don't be so rude you two. There's plenty of food to go around, and they'll be dancing and a bingo tournament later. You should stay and let your hair down for a while before you have to go back and do boring old God stuff!"

Vegeta looked as though he was about to strangle his wife, until Lord Beerus interrupted -

"Food you say?" He said with interest, "My, my what a generous offer Earth woman, you've peeked my interest. To be quite honest with you, my nose has been tantalised by the most intriguing aromas since we came aboard, and unfortunately the boy has selfishly offered us only a sample of Earth's delicacies so far."

His gaze narrowed dangerously at Gohan as he finished, prompting the halfling to roll his eyes.

"Oh go on then," Whis chuckled guiltily, "It appears that you have twisted my arm."

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Bulma gushed, wrapping her arm around Lord Beerus' bicep and linking with Whis, pulling them both towards the main throng of the party - causing Vegeta to squeak in panic.

In all honesty, the young saiyan would have laughed if the situation wasn't so serious.

"Wait, Lord Beerus!" Gohan called, and halting them in their tracks, "Y-You don't have to stay, really! I know! I can get one of the venders to put some food in a box for you and you can take it home! I'll catch you up later - !"

"Uh oh, who invited the party pooper?" Bulma jested, "What's gotten into you kiddo? It'll be nice for everyone to meet your teachers!"

"Yes Gohan," Whis quipped, "After all, nobody likes a pooper of parties."

"I don't even know where to begin to tell you what was wrong with that sentence," he deadpanned, as his predecessor scoffed.

"You'd do well do be quiet brat," he said, his long ears twitching in the pleasant salty air, "Ah yes, it would be rather nice to unwind for a few hours after all this Zamasu business. Or do I have to remind you of that fact?"

The teenager clamped his mouth shut, scowling as he continued, "It'll give you time to get your affairs in order whilst we accept Princess Bulma's most gracious invite and await the Dragon's summoning."

"Oh you're too kind!" Bulma practically swooned, calling out to her friends in the distance, "Princess! Hehe, hey Chi-Chi do you hear this-?!"

Gohan sighed in defeat, as Whis winked back as if to say, 'Don't worry, we won't tell.'

It was a good job too, he thought, giving him a small yet grateful smile back. He would rather his superiors not let on to the fact that he was a Destroyer. Similarly, he would rather Whis and Lord Beerus remain oblivious to what he had been getting up to with Videl during his stay on Earth. Speaking of, he was rather miffed that he couldn't just sneak off with her now for want of keeping an eye on the divine duo.

Vegeta had every right to be nervous, it would not to well for anyone or anything to set the cantankerous kitty-cat off.

"I'll warn you now, brat," The saiyan prince spoke lowly, as he watched Bulma happily introduce them to the rest of the gang, "If Lord Beerus gets angry and decides to blow me up along with this miserable planet, then I'll kill you."

The halfling opened his mouth to reply, when his father's cheery voice reached their ears.

"Woah, are you two really Gohan's mentors?!"

Vegeta's eyes widened to the size of saucers, shoving him roughly in the back, "Oh FUCK no! Stop him quickly before he dooms us all!"

He did as he was told, hurriedly making to intercept his father as the gang gathered around the new arrivals. Dende was positively sweating bullets as he stared unblinkingly at the God of Destruction, who all but smirked back knowingly, eyeing the young Namekian's ceremonial garb. Piccolo had risen from his chair, his jaw clenched tightly as he too caught sight of them.

Gohan was glad that only Vegeta, Piccolo and Dende knew of Lord Beerus' true nature, or else it he was certain that it would be utter pandemonium. Though the young saiyan was indeed too late to intercept his father, as Goku bounded up to them with an infectious smile, vigorously shaking their hands, much to their bewilderment.

"Kakarot are you insane?!" Vegeta snapped harshly, causing the man to freeze, "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Catching on, his father gasped, and quickly bowed his head in an exaggerated show of respect, "Oops! I am so sorry your sir-ness! I am most grateful that you have graced this vessel with your might and - and - godly… face! It is a present for you to meet me in the skin - er flesh! - How was that Vegeta?"

The saiyan blinked, and blinked again, as Gohan bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from laughing.

"You know what, I take it back," Vegeta told him, his lips curling into a smirk, "He can carry on all he likes. This is gold."

"Er, Goku? What are you doing?" asked Tien disbelievingly, as Whis and Lord Beerus too attempted to hide their laughter.

"Well," he shrugged, straightening up again, "King Kai always told me to be respectful in the presence of Gods. He said that if I'm not careful that one might take it the wrong way should I ever meet them and destroy me. He never did tell me who though…"

Gohan sweated, as Lord Beerus smirked ominously, "And he'd be right."

"So are you like, a real life Angel?" His father continued, looking Whis up and down curiously.

"That is correct," Whis smiled, as the man frowned.

"But you weren't what I expected at all," said Goku, "I mean, I only saw your face before. I thought that Angels were little winged babies with their butts hanging out."

The teenager snorted along with Lord Beerus, the pair of them trying and failing to contain their mirth as Whis pursed his lips in annoyance, clearly unimpressed.

"Hardly."

Luckily, Krillin chose that moment to intervene, carrying a large tray full of delicious looking dough-balls, "Do you two want to join us? We were just about to play Russian-roulette takoyaki!"

"Oh?" Lord Beerus quirked, recovering swiftly from his chortling as the glorious smell wafted towards his nostrils, "What is this?"

The young saiyan gaped in horror, he had seen this game being played on numerous occasions at get togethers with the Z-gang. This could not end well.

"It's a party game!" The short warrior explained happily, "The way it works is that most of these batter balls are filled with a tasty filling, but there's one that has a bucket load of wasabi inside instead and you won't know until you eat it!"

"Er Krillin," Gohan started tentatively, "I don't think - "

"It seems as though it is in the spirit of the occasion to try our luck, my Lord," said Whis, lowering his head and sniffing lightly at the wonderful aroma, "And it does look and smell quite delectable."

"Exactly!" Krillin grinned, as Vegeta cut across him.

"Of all the stupid - !" He growled, starting forwards and glaring at him, "No! We are NOT playing your childish game! Are you that thick skulled?!"

Poor prince, he looked as though he was about to explode from the stress of it all, especially when the Destroyer narrowed his gaze towards him, "Now, is that really the way to act on your wife's birthday Prince Vegeta? Especially when she has been so kind to accommodate us."

Vegeta stuttered, visibly paling as Lord Beerus spoke dangerously, "And I would watch your tone in a God's presence if I were you."

"He's right Vegeta," his father chuckled, clapping him on the back, oblivious to how green he suddenly looked, "Lighten up, would you? It's only a game."

Yeah, a game that could end up with the world exploding if he picks the hot one, Gohan thought bitterly, as his predecessor inspected the tray Krillin was holding.

"Hmm, I've never heard of this 'wasabi' you speak of," He frowned, resting a hand on his chin in thought, "But this roulette aspect adds a fascinating mystery, and Whis is right in that visually it is quite pleasing."

"That drizzled topping reminds me of the ultra sweet black-fruit sauce on Planet Bana," said Whis, "Although it doesn't smell nearly as potent, at least we won't have to worry about Gohan getting sick this time."

"As long as it's not alcoholic," Lord Beerus hummed in agreement.

The gang turned to the young saiyan curiously, who scowled at his superiors in response.

"Well, what the boy has brought us from Earth thus far hasn't displeased me yet," the Destroyer reasoned, picking up a fork and stabbing one of the balls lightly, "So why not? I'll volunteer to take the first bite!"

Gohan's eyes widened. Shit!

"Yeah! Go Beerus!" A resounding chorus sounded, cheering the deity on.

It was as though it was happening in slow motion, as Lord Beerus salivated, the tasty treat mere millimetres from his lips and the fate of the planet resting on his temper. He reached out his tongue to lick at the sauce that threatened to drip onto his claws, his jaws opening wide when suddenly time sped up again, and a black-haired blur knocked the takoyaki right out of his hand.

Gohan skidded on the other side of the deck with lightening speed, grasping a hold of Lord Beerus' fork as Vegeta, Piccolo and Dende let out a collective sigh of relief.

"You snooze, you lose!" He grinned back cheekily, waving the treat mockingly in between his fingers.

The God of Destruction was livid, as he watched the halfling stuff the snack into his mouth, swallowing it whole - much to the shock of everyone present.

"You brat!" He roared, swiping Whis' sceptre from the Angel's grasp and walloping the teenager over the head with it before anyone could blink, "How DARE you steal food from the sweet sanctity of my Almighty hands! I thought we talked about this you little - !"

Though Gohan could not respond, as all at once the heat it him, and he buckled to his knees, his hands wrapping around his burning throat. It felt as though his mouth was on fire. Like a volcano had erupted in his mouth and spilled forth molten hot lava into every crevice. It burned right down his oesophagus and up through his nostrils, tears streaming down his bright red face as he choked and gasped for air. He paid no mind to his throbbing skull, as the pain on his tongue was much much worse.

The Z-gang stared at him in bewilderment, before Videl rushed to his side with a large jug of water, which he downed in no time, uncaring that it spilled from the corners of his lips and drenched his t-shirt, for his mouth was now completely numb.

"What are you playing at?" The girl hissed, just as flabbergasted by his display, "You know that's not how the game works!"

Gohan shook his head, unable to speak as he leapt up, sprinting to a nearby table and chugged down another jug of water that was being kept cool by the shade of an umbrella. Tears were still stinging his eyes, as he berated Krillin for even suggesting the blasted game in the first place. Trust Lord Beerus to select the only takoyaki with enough wasabi in it to down an Oozaru!

Though, at least it had been him to take the fall, if Vegeta had done that and stolen food straight from the Destroyer's awaiting mouth, then he was certain that he would be staring at nothing but purple particles right now. The thought alone was enough to make him shudder.

"Well, I suppose that game is over with," Krillin shrugged in disappointment, as the rest of the gang eagerly grabbed the safer snacks off the tray.

"Good!" Vegeta snapped at him, before turning to Lord Beerus, positively seething that the shorter warrior had unknowingly put the lot of them in danger, "L-Lord Beerus! Why don't you try one of the food stalls? And er, less dangerous food-types. I'd be more than happy to show you around, my Lord."

"Very well, Vegeta," the cat-God sighed, shooting another glare at his successor, "As long as you keep that damned runt away from me until it's time for us to leave…"

"Absolutely, a-as you command!" He implored, leading the way towards the port-side, Whis trailing behind them and humming a whimsical tune, "You know, he hasn't changed in the slightest, disrespecting his elders like that. Has he ever told you the story of when he tried to challenge me as a boy, my Lord?"

"Oh I do hope that you beat him suitably?"

"But of course! I believe that I kneed him right in the gut."

"HA. Classic!"

Gohan growled in annoyance, his tongue still prickling with heat as the pair continued to rant about his aversion to authority, that was until he noticed Vegeta giving him a subtle thumbs up behind Lord Beerus' back.

The party continued without much fuss after that, save for a near run-in with Majin Buu when he had attempted to take all of the pudding cups for himself. It was with a threatening glare from Gohan did the pink blob of a being put half of them back on the buffet table, allowing Lord Beerus and Whis to sample the smooth, sweet delicacy for themselves.

The music had steadily picked up tempo, as the cruiser sped further through the ocean, the deeper waters choppy and protesting against the hull. At one point, when the coast was clear, Gohan and Videl had snuck away for some much needed alone time at the back of the ship, when they were rudely interrupted by Trunks, Marron and a rather reluctant Goten. Though the latter soon perked up as they spotted a school of dolphins and whales way out from any land, jumping and diving over the rapid waves, trilling and squeaking a delicate song as the youngsters waved back at them.

As the day went on, the horizon streaked with picturesque summer colours of amber and gold. It reflected in the deep blue sea, spanning the cloudless sky, the air still warm, fresh and inviting. Seagulls and other exotic birds flew overhead, as though following the ship in its destination, though the Princess Bulma would be shortly turning back, and by morning they would dock up again on the same island as they had left.

Lord Beerus and Whis appeared to be settling in well, relaxing on sun loungers and ravenously eating their way around every food stall. The Angel even putting together a sampler platter for them to take back home - "Could you put some more of those things you call sushi rolls in there too?" He had gushed at the rather perplexed vender, eyes sparkling in delight when he nodded, "Oh! You truly are a peach!"

Vegeta had taken to keeping a firm watch on their spot, should anyone be in danger of angering the Destroyer. He and Piccolo had even jumped in the way of Goten and Trunks' water guns that had narrowly missed the sunbathing God, which had sent Gohan and the rest of the gang into hysterics.

"You blasted rug-rats!" The prince of all saiyans had screamed, sopping wet as he charged after the mischievous duo, a similarly drenched Piccolo hot on his heels, "Come back here before I final-flash you little bastards to kingdom come!"

After that, there had been no more close calls, and the children's water pistols had been safely locked away in the control room of the ship.

Gohan sighed as he rested on the deck chair next to Videl, a small table between their respective loungers and a blue and white striped umbrella shielding them from the sun that was still high and hot over the South. He had discarded his t-shirt much like her, his scars and muscles exposed to the world and his sunglasses balancing on his nose.

His gorgeous companion hadn't spoken for a while, and he thought that maybe she had fallen to sleep, her own sunglasses covering her eyes when she groaned, "I'm roasting, I could do with a drink."

"I'll get it," he said, sitting up readily and stretching, "Any preferences?"

She shrugged, pulling down her sunglasses ever so slightly, her sapphire eyes raking over his exposed torso, "Why don't you surprise me, wonder boy?"

"Well if it's a surprise you want," he grinned wickedly, similarly ogling her bikini-clad body that glistened with a light sheen of sweat and suntan lotion, "We could just go down to your cabin…"

"Won't your bosses be a little suspicious if the boat starts a rocking?" she quirked, amused.

The halfling shrugged, propping his sunglasses up on his head, "All they care about right now is food, and trading hellish stories with Vegeta about me. There don't care about what I'm up to."

Videl rolled her eyes playfully, "Drink now, shag later. Honestly, it's like your never satisfied."

"Oh believe me I am," he implored, still smiling at her vulgarity, "But I can't help that you're so beautiful."

She flushed, much to his elation, before chucking a towel at his face, "Go and get me a drink already, before you threaten to turn me into a puddle of mush."

He laughed, blowing her a teasing kiss and making his way to one of the drinks stands. It was nice, the normality of just relaxing together and pretending that he didn't have to leave in a few short hours. He wanted to savour her presence for all it was worth, and similarly share one last private goodbye with her before he had to summon Shenron. But he had to admit that Videl was right, it was unbearably hot, as though the sun itself was following them on their voyage. It didn't take long for Gohan to catch the attention of the bartender, the sounds of his family and friends jovial chatter ringing in his ears.

Just when he was about to order a couple of hilariously named cocktails that he was certain would amuse the girl immensely - tempted monkey and screaming orgasm, did a loud rumble of an engine distract him. At first, he thought it was the cruise-liner making a turn, until he heard the awe-filled gasp of little Marron, followed by the excitable shouts of Goten and Trunks.

"Woah, is that a space-ship?!" Trunks gasped, climbing on the rungs of the railings and squinting up at the domed-shaped, red and white painted vehicle that had come speeding towards them from the horizon.

"Looks like it Trunks," said Goten, peering upwards with his hand across his forehead, blinking out the sunlight, it certainly didn't look like any vehicle of Earth, "But it can't be anything bad, the energy signal feels really weak."

Gohan looked up, his little brother was right. Whoever was driving the one-man spacecraft certainly wasn't anything to worry about. Though the squiggly symbol painted onto the front of it appeared very familiar.

He inwardly groaned, as the small vessel came to a halt, floating in midair, the emblem of The Galactic Patrol all too clear in the shining sun. What the bloody hell were they doing here?

The Galactic Patrol were a cosmic force that policed and kept order throughout the Milky Way. Directly led by the Galactic King himself, the patrol enlisted numerous elite warriors throughout the galaxy, who upheld the Galactic Laws and took out evil where they could. Despite this seemingly noble endeavour, they were a constant thorn in the young Destroyer's side, and he'd had many run-ins with them as he strived to maintain balance across the universe, often clashing on many decisions that he made in regards to Destroying or not Destroying.

They were just trouble makers as far as the halfling could see, and although he tried his best to distance himself from them, he would no doubt have to pay a few visits to their headquarters in order to clean up one of their messes. It's not like he thought that a galactic police force was a bad idea, not at all, it was just that they didn't exactly… execute things the way that Gohan thought they should, more often abiding by their own rules rather than that imposed by the Divine by sheer ignorance alone.

Z had once pointed out that the reason for Gohan's short temper with them was because he was still sour about the fact that they had arrested him when he was a very new Destroyer-in-training. When he had first started out, word hadn't quite yet spread beyond the Gods that there was a new Junior Destroyer at Lord Beerus' side. Not knowing who the fourteen-year-old halfling was, they had apprehended him for taking down a rather destructive solar-system wide crime syndicate singlehandedly - dubbing him a no good vigilante meddling in Galactic affairs.

However, the situation had been swiftly rectified, when Lord Beerus had shown up and threatened to Destroy the lot of them for their incompetence.

"Goten, be careful!" He heard his mother shout, as the three children floated upwards to inspect the vessel, "What have I told you about talking to strange aliens?!"

Goten smiled back, "Aw don't worry Mum! I'll mind my manners!"

Chi-Chi nodded, satisfied, as the small craft shortly drew the gang's attention. Goten, Trunks and Marron reached the spaceship where it hovered just above their heads in midair, the glass dome top springing open and revealing the newcomer in the form of a purple and blue-skinned humanoid alien, with large yellow eyes and a small nose and mouth.

The alien rested his hands on his hips, standing strong as he observed the children before him, the unmistakable symbol of the Galactic Patrol emblazoned across the white armour on his chest.

"Greetings Earthling Human pups," he spoke professionally, his voice slightly high-pitched and nasally, "I'm looking for the Earthling known as Bulma. I was given instructions by the servants at her usual dwelling, and was informed that she would be on this vessel."

"Uh yeah, that's my mum, and this is her birthday party," Trunks said rather haughtily, his sharp blue eyes narrowing at the alien, "What do you want?"

He frowned, "Your mother? Fascinating. You're telling me that you're Bulma's son?"

"Yeah that's right," the purple-haired prince glowered, as Goten frowned deeply beside him, "You got a problem with that, mister?"

"To think, she's become a broodmare now, dear me, times really have changed," The alien sighed, muttering to himself before eyeing the children once more and gasped, "Speaking of time! We don't have any! I need to speak to Bulma right now!"

"Hang on a minute, we don't even know who you are!" Goten argued fiercely.

"Yeah!" Trunks agreed, "My mum is a busy lady you know. You might have to make an appointment."

The patrolman looked flabbergasted, "A-An appointment?! Listen little lava, I don't think you realise just what's at stake - !"

"Maybe he's one of your mummy's friends, Trunks?" Marron suggested helpfully, prompting the boy to snort.

"Yeah right, there's no way that she would be friends with him," He scoffed, eyeing him up and down, "Just look at his fashion sense, he's wearing full body tights!"

"These are not tights youngling," the alien told him proudly, tapping his knee as proof, "This is my skin."

"Ewww," Marron grimaced, sticking out her tongue as both boys shared a rather perplexed look.

"But where did you buy that mask?" Goten asked, giggling, "I think that it's pretty funny!"

"Mask?!" He guffawed, "What are you talking about? This is my face!"

Unfortunately for the elite policeman, this revelation seemed to intrigue the children even more so, and at once they jumped full on his back, poking and tugging at his face as they teased him.

"Wow, what a costume!" Trunks laughed, poking him in the eye as he struggled in annoyance.

"Yeah did you make this at school?" Goten jested.

"How old are you?" Marron asked in awe.

"Would you get off me?!" The patrolman cried, "I'm NOT at school! I'M AN ADULT!"

With his final shout, he grappled the dastardly trio off him, flinging them through the air until they crashed into one another.

"He's mean!" Marron pouted, looking over at her friends when her eyes widened in horror, "Er, Goten - ?"

Trunks shrieked, as he realised what was in the younger boy's hand, "Goten you idiot! You pulled his ear off!"

"I-I didn't mean to!" He yelped, holding the dome-shaped device in his palm, "I-It just came off I swear!"

"It is NOT my ear you ruffians!" The alien snapped, snatching it out of Goten's grasp, "It is a radio communicator- the latest model I'll have you know. And it is the same communicator whereby my latest command was given to me, filtered down through the ranks with the upmost urgency and importance. Now, will you let me through so that I can speak to Bulma? The entire universe demands it - !"

"Fine, whatever, chill out," Trunks griped, blowing a stray bang away from his eyes, "But you still haven't told us who you are, mister…?"

"Aha! A simple request!" The patrolman bellowed suddenly, posing on the hood of his ship. Balancing on one leg, he took his guns out of his belt and swirled them around his fingers in what he thought was a dazzling display, raising his arms in salute, "I am the shield protecting millions of stars! I am the blazing torch of justice! The SUPER ELITE GALACTIC PATROLMAAAAAN! BEHOLD, TINY EARTHLINGS! I…. AAAAAM….- !"

"Oi Jaco!" Bulma shouted suddenly, having finally spotted him dancing in the sky, "Is that really you up there?!"

He jolted, almost toppling over himself as he lost his footing, snarling angrily down towards the blue-haired scientist, "Damn it Bulma! You ruined it!"

"Long time no see!" She grinned, oblivious to his irritated scowl, "Get down here!"

Jaco sighed, jumping from his craft and lowering himself down to the deck with the help of his jetted space boots. By now, he had gained the attention of the whole ship, who stared at the alien with interest. Bulma did have some pretty strange friends after all.

"Mum, do you really know him?" Trunks quirked, as the kids landed before them.

"Of course I do!" She chortled, her cheeks a little ruddy from a mixture of alcohol and sun, "Jaco and I go way back - "

"Is that so?" Vegeta glowered, glaring reproachfully at the patrolman and causing him to shrink away slightly from the mighty prince.

"Well, I suppose he was my sister Tights' friend first," Bulma explained, "but I've known him since I was about five, I even fixed his ship up for him!"

"Ah yes," said Jaco thoughtfully, "How is Tights?"

"Keeps herself to herself nowadays, she's a busy woman," she told him, before turning towards him with a wink, "So what do we owe the pleasure? Or have you just stopped by to wish an old friend a happy birthday?"

"Pfft, as if," he snorted, "I have no use for such sentiments, and besides, what's so special about another birthday. Haven't you had about fifty of those by now?"

"Why you -!" Bulma growled, looking as though she might just punch him, before the patrolman cut across her.

"No time Bulma, I am on a mission of the upmost urgency," he pressed, "Tell me, aren't you friends with the people that took out Frieza and Majin Buu?"

"Well yeah," she replied haughtily, as though it was obvious, inclining her head towards Goku and the others who were watching intently, "Goku over there defeated Frieza, although technically it was my son Trunks who delivered the final blow -"

"WHAT?!" Jaco cried, looking over at the boy in question, "You're telling me that small fry killed the evil emperor?!"

"Of course not silly," said Bulma, "He wasn't even born then, that wouldn't make any sense at all. No, I'm talking about his older counterpart who came from the future in a time machine."

He looked utterly confounded, "Er… what the hell Bulma? You tell me that as though it's no big deal! Galactic Law states that altering time is a high felony offence, punishable by exile to a penal colony! But just because it's you, I'll pretend that I didn't hear that…"

"Well, no one told us anything about some stupid law," she shrugged, causing him to blanch, "But either way, Majin Buu was a combined effort, led by Goku, my husband Vegeta, Piccolo and the rest of the warriors of Earth."

"W-Wait, Vegeta?!" He gasped, "Like Planet Vegeta?! Prince Vegeta?! You married that Saiyan?! Holy crap, no wonder your kid was strong enough to defeat Frieza! I didn't know that there was a Saiyan on Earth…"

"My husband isn't the only one," Bulma informed him, pointing at Goku, "Goku is a Saiyan too, and he has sons."

The patrolman looked a little green, before averting his eyes and muttering to himself, "Hm, I wonder if that Goku was the one I was supposed to stop from landing here? Ah it doesn't matter… it's not as if anyone's going to check the record log for that long ago…"

Behind them, Vegeta snarled, "And what of it? Did you come here just to get my wife's life story, or did you have something important to tell her?"

Jaco squeaked, whispering up to Bulma, "Yikes, he's pretty scary! How do you put up with him?"

"Ah, I have my ways to tame him," she chuckled suggestively, causing the now red-faced prince to huff angrily.

"Will you just get on with it already?!

"Ah yes," the patrolman fumbled, clearing his throat before pulling a rather crumpled piece of parchment out of his armour, and shouting dramatically, "Warriors of Earth, slayers of the Evil Emperor and Majin Buu, I'm afraid that I have grave news, behold - !"

Gohan rolled his eyes in annoyance from where he was still standing at the bar. Bloody Galactic Patrol. What a load of show-offs.

The Z-gang stared as Jaco dangled the parchment in front of their eyes, an incredibly bad drawing of what looked like a cross between an elf and a pig in thick green crayon upon it. Complete with a spikey mohawk and dangling earrings.

The young saiyan frowned, keeping himself a good distance away from the group. He suddenly had a very bad feeling.

"Er, what is it?" He heard his father enquire, causing Jaco to tut in annoyance.

"Not what Saiyan, but who!" He sighed, his features becoming stern once more, "He is a corrupted Supreme Kai's apprentice from the tenth universe who has disappeared completely off the grid! His goal is to release an ancient evil so terrifying that even some of us super elite patrolman fear to utter his name! The entire cosmos is in danger! My mission is to be only on the lookout for this fiend and not engage, and this very command has come from the Gods themselves! But I have a plan to enlist the mighty warriors who defeated Majin Buu and bring this villain to justice once and for all!"

"Plus," Jaco added, nudging an unsuspecting Tien in the ribs, "If I get this right then I'll be sure to get a hefty bonus this year, am I right big guy?"

"Do you mean Zamasu?" Bulma quirked, "We already know all about him."

"Y-You do?" The elite patrolman blinked disbelievingly, as the gang nodded, "Ah! Of course! By defeating Majin Buu, you must have had dealings with the great Supreme Kai! No doubt that he has already warned you all about the horrors of Zamasu… damn it, and I was hoping to get to you first."

"Actually, The Supreme Kai didn't tell us anything," Videl piped up, a pale orange sarong now wrapped around her hips, "Gohan did."

Uh oh.

The young saiyan stepped back in an attempt to shield himself. He needed to get away quickly, just incase the stupid space patrolman actually had half a brain cell and - !

"G-Gohan?" Jaco spluttered suddenly, the piece of parchment slipping from his hands in shock, his features paling considerably, "Please tell me that this is a different Gohan you're talking about…"

Videl frowned in confusion, as Goku cocked his head to the side curiously, "Do you know him? There can't be that many Gohan's out there surely."

"Well I -" he started to reply, when his highly trained vision caught sight of someone attempting to scarper in the background. Jaco's yellow eyes focused, and he practically screamed bloody-murder when he realised who it was.

"OH MY ZENO!"

Gohan winced, as the patrolman's shriek cut through the air. It stopped him dead in his tracks, the fear rooting him to the ground, a feeling of intense dread engulfing him completely. And for some reason, he could not move. His legs solidified like cement stuck uselessly to the deck, his brain suddenly not cooperating, his entire nervous system shutting down completely.

Why?

Why him? Why now?! No, he couldn't, he wouldn't. He needed to shut this idiot up! But alas, Bulma got there first.

"Jaco what - ?" She started, as Earth's protector's were suddenly on high alert, their Ki raised in alarm and dropping into their fighting stances, looking around should someone - like Zamasu - attack them.

"No," Jaco gulped, shaking his head in disbelief. His horrified gazed was still fixated upon the halo-topped Junior Destroyer as he crawled backwards, hyperventilating and on the verge of a panic attack, "No. No. No. No. NO! I-I didn't know that this planet was on the chopping block! I-I've got to get out of here!"

"Jaco calm down! What the hell has gotten into you?!" Bulma demanded, as the patrolman toppled backwards and straight into her arms, "You look as though you've just seen a ghost!"

"P-Pretty close! Death itself more like!" He squeaked, turning towards her before she could get a word in, "Bulma, what have you done to warrant such a visit?!"

"He's obviously disturbed in the head," Vegeta cut across him gruffly in an attempt to diffuse the situation, his gaze glancing momentarily to a stunned Gohan and back again, "I'd best take him for a lie down."

"I'll help," Piccolo chimed in, moving over to pull the fretting alien away from the group.

Jaco seemed to panic even more so at their threatening tone, before Bulma rolled her eyes, stopping them from interfering, "Don't be ridiculous Vegeta. Now Jaco, just breathe for a minute, and tell us what's wrong."

"D-Do you not see him?!" He mustered, scrambling out of her grasp and backing away so that his back was pressed up against the stage, the furthest distance he could give himself from the halfling at that moment, "I-I must be having a nightmare! A terrible nightmare! Look! O-Over THERE!"

His eyes locked with his again, as the teenager glowered menacingly, "You'd better shut your mouth whilst you still can, patrolman."

"EEK!" Jaco squawked, tumbling to his knees and bowing his head. The others looked utterly bewildered, "Y-Yes sir! S-Sorry sir!"

"Gohan!" His mother snapped disapprovingly, "That is no way to speak to a guest, you're being incredibly rude."

"ARE YOU CRACKED WOMAN?!" The trembling alien bellowed, "Don't talk to him like that! Not if you value your existence!"

"What are you talking about?" Goku demanded, unimpressed by how the strange visitor had just spoken to his wife.

"Yeah," said Krillin, perplexed, "You're talking a little crazy, even for one of Bulma's friends."

"Simple-minded Human!" He panted, pulling at his face in frustration, "Don't you realise who you have in your midst?!"

Gohan remained frozen in place, his breath coming up short, his chest constricting painfully. Please, no. Don't do it.

"Who? Vegeta?" blinked Yamcha, as the saiyan in question bared his teeth in anger, "Look mate, I know he looks a little scary, but he's - "

"I'm not talking about him! I'm talking about him!" Jaco interrupted, drawing up his arm and pointing an accusatory finger straight at the petrified teenager in the middle of the deck, "L-Lord Gohan. Lord Gohan The Destroyer."

---

The stunned silence was thick and palpable, disturbed only by the roar of the ocean waters as the cruise-liner sped through the clashing waves. Jaco's words cut right through them, so sharply that it penetrated their skin. Shocking them to their very core, like an audible tremor that quaked their bones. The warmth of the summer sun fading away, the sudden chill freezing the blood that fled through their veins. He was certain that he just heard everyones hearts stop for beat, before starting back up again.

Gohan felt as though he had been momentarily chucked overboard, plunged into the icy depths of the deep blue as the entirety of his family and friends looked towards him with a mixture of flabbergasted eyes and disbelieving open mouths. He caught sight of Dende giving him a sympathetic glance through the silent crowd, though Piccolo's brow was knitted in concern. Vegeta remained still and stoic, watching it all unfold with dark, awaiting eyes.

The young saiyan opened his mouth to reply, as Jaco's shriek hung like a hangman's rope in the air, the noose wrapping around his neck and squeezing it tight - for the teenager knew that he had been sentenced. Sentenced to admitting the truth, that he had lied - and worst of all to the people he loved and admired the most.

He moved his lips in an attempt to say - something, but all that came out were broken stutters that refused to cooperate with the rest of his body. His mind was frantic, the static coming back full force as the chaos unleashed within, his onyx eyes wide and unbelieving to the fact that this was all really happening.

His father was the first to break the surface of the tension that seemed to grip every single one of them, "L-Lord - ? D-Destroyer - ? Gohan, w-what - ?"

But Goku couldn't finish his sentence, his own voice failing him, as he stared at his eldest son with wide obsidian eyes. The confusion and trepidation evident in his tone.

"D-Dad I -," he tried, desperately, pleading with him not to make him say it out-loud.

"What does he mean, Gohan?" His father asked again, this time more firmly. His mother stood next to him, a hand upon to her chest, her features suddenly forlorn. Goten grasped at her other hand, frowning deeply up at him.

"Kakarot…," Vegeta started, as though in warning, but his fellow saiyan ignored him and demanded -

"Gohan, what does he mean by Destroyer?"

The halfling scrunched up his eyes, wishing the ground to swallow him whole and the waves to wash him away, the guilt finally crushing him down. He suddenly felt so small and insignificant under his father's penetrative stare. But just as he opened them to explain, did Whis cut across him.

"A Destroyer is a God," the Angel told them upon his and Lord Beerus' approach, the patrolman's irate shrieking having caught their attention. Jaco cowered in terror ("Lord Beerus too?! Oh what a sorry world I've stumbled upon! Why me?!"), "The opposite side of the coin compared to a Supreme Kai, whose divine role in the universe is to create and maintain life, whereas a God of Destruction seeks to eradicate it as they see fit. It is what Gohan is, or rather what he will be once Lord Beerus here eventually kicks the bucket, therefore Gohan - or Lord Gohan as per his proper title - is currently the Junior Destroyer of Worlds for Universe Seven."

Gohan sighed heavily in defeat, as the harshness of those words sank in, unable to look at the gang who gasped at the revelation, he didn't want to imagine the look of upmost horror on their faces.

"I was lying low to give my successor the chance to explain before we departed, if he so wished," said Lord Beerus, wrinkling his nose in agitation, "But it seems as though the patrolman has let the cat out of the bag."

The galactic patrolman in question squeaked at his mention, cowering behind an equally astonished Bulma.

"D-Destroyer of Worlds?" His father staggered, his gaze searching him disbelievingly. "B-But I thought you said that you maintain the balance in the universe? Y-You said you protected it…"

"That is correct," Whis spoke for him, for he knew that the halfling could not summon the courage at present, "Although Gohan does this by Destroying that which threatens that balance. It is a very important role, one that he has so far executed well."

"Like what? What threatens the balance?" Krillin mustered weakly, hardly believing his ears, though there was a hopefulness to his tone, "You mean like evil people, right?"

"Not all evil!" Jaco suddenly scoffed, "Over-populated planets, entire species, whole solar systems - ! Ones that tick him off!"

"And you'll be next on my list if you don't shut your trap!" Gohan snapped, his fierce gaze narrowing at him.

"Eep!" He squealed, burying his head in his arms, and tumbling to his knees, "S-Sorry your destructiveness sir! I'll be quiet my Lord!"

"I-I," The halfling started more tentatively, backing down as his family and friends gaped in shock at his sudden outburst, "L-Look, I don't do it unnecessarily. It's like I said before, i-if I didn't accept this role, then everything in the universe could have imploded in less than a few centuries. If the universe doesn't maintain balance, upholding both the roles of a Supreme Kai and a Destroyer then it collapses in on itself, and I… I couldn't let it happen, I couldn't let that happen after everything you've taught me, after everything that we've strived to keep safe. I couldn't let it happen to you."

The silence swept over them once more in the wake of his desperate words, though no one knew what to do, or to say. He locked eyes with Piccolo, who was the one that had previously suggested that he tell them of his current role in the universe. His old mentor had told him that he understood, and in turn, to just be himself. But it seemed as though whenever he tried, he seemed to always end up disappointing someone.

The Namekian opened his mouth to speak, when he was interrupted by a short figure cutting across him. Her quiet, yet angered growl reaching Gohan's ears and stabbing at his heart as though a dagger had just driven straight through it.

"You lied," Videl stated, tears welling in her beautiful eyes that were so full of hurt and anger, "Y-You lied to me."

"Videl please," he begged, pleading as he took a small step towards her, "I only kept you from the truth to protect you -"

"BULLSHIT!" She yelled suddenly, catching everyone off guard, including him, her fist flying towards his head.

He dodged effortlessly, eyes wide as her wild limbs blurred in motion, desperately trying to unleash her fury upon him.

"I knew it!" She snarled in frustration, as her attacks all but collided with thin air, "I just knew that there was something that you weren't telling me!"

Gohan ducked as her leg came sailing right over his head, his hair wavering in the sharp breeze. The Z-gang - along with Whis and Lord Beerus, were utterly flabbergasted by the display.

SWIPE! "Do I mean that little to you?!"

Yamcha shared a glance with Krillin, "Is it just me, or is any one else getting a weird sense of de ja vu?"

"I'll say," Master Roshi blinked in bewilderment, his eyes averting to a similarly stunned Goku and Chi-Chi.

"Videl, wait - !" The young saiyan yelped, dodging another knife hand that came speeding his way. But the girl wasn't listening, her eyes fierce and feral, driving him back with impressive gusto, and Gohan was so shocked, he narrowly side stepped a punch that aimed straight for his nose. "If you would just listen - !"

"A God of Destruction?! - WHOOSH - what the - SWING - bloody - SWIPE - HELL - !" She panted, already winded, not one of her hits landing, "I thought - ! I-I don't know - pant - what I thought! WHIR - I just don't believe it! - SWIPE! - I-I don't WANT to believe it!"

"Videl STOP!"

She struggled suddenly, as the halfling swiftly caught her fists out of the air, stopping her in her tracks. He blinked, her nose inches from his, her teeth bared as she growled.

"Was any of it true?! ANY of it Gohan?!" she spouted hotly, tears falling freely now, all eyes upon them, but Videl didn't care, "How can I believe anything of what you said to me when you've kept something like that from us?! From me?!"

"I-I, I j-just -," he tried miserably, "Vi please, I meant everything, everything that I said to you. How I feel. Just let me explain -!"

Videl's features softened ever so slightly at his use of her nickname, though her gaze hardened back up again just as quickly, not giving him chance to finish, ripping her hands out of his grasp and glaring up at him.

"And what about The Supreme Guard?!" The girl bellowed, as though plucking her anger straight out of the heated tension in the air, her blood boiling over, her agony burning right through him and intermingling with his own, "Did you get your so called friends in on it as well?! Were those stories they told everyone just a crock of shit too?! Did you all have a good laugh about it afterwards?!"

"N-No!" He blundered, "It was all true, I swear - !"

"How many?"

His father's harsh tone cut in between them, his features dark and serious, stopping even Videl in her arduous ranting.

"What - ?" Gohan blinked, unsure of what the man was asking.

"How many planets - people Gohan?!" Goku demanded, his jaw clenched, his brow furrowed in what he was certain was anger, "How many?!"

"Please," the teenager mustered hopelessly, "D-Don't make me answer that."

Though it appeared that his reply was all that his father needed to know. The full-bloodied saiyan let out a shaky breath, breathing deeply as though trying to pull himself off the ledge of his disappointment.

It made Gohan feel a million times worse.

"I don't understand son," he tried again, locking eyes with his, "This isn't you. Us. The Gohan I know would never - !"

"Well the Gohan you know is dead!"

The halfling spat the words before he could even wrap his head around what he was saying. It was sudden, cruel, and he faintly heard his mother gasp, his emotions getting the better of him.

"The Gohan you knew and loved died eight years ago at The Cell Games!" He shouted hotly, taking the man aback, "And you know what, I made peace with that. I made peace with the fact that I would never see any of you again, even though it hurt. And believe me it hurt so fucking much!"

Goku blinked, as his words echoed around the ship.

"I-I was only a kid!" He pressed desperately, "A kid who once again had the power to make a difference, but I thought - I thought that it was the right thing to do! I never asked for this power, I never asked to die! But I threw myself into every challenge, into every single moment on the Destroyer's world because I thought that YOU of all people would be proud of me!"

Gohan closed his eyes, attempting to steady himself for but a moment, the occupants of the deck still and silent, "I never liked killing, I don't particularly like Destroying. But sometimes it has to be done in order for the universe to keep going. It took me years to understand that. And I only became a Destroyer to keep my universe safe, because I knew that I had the power go beyond that of any other recruit. I worked so hard and freed the legendary Z-sword when no one else could! Thousands of warriors and Gods alike, Makhai, Alala, even Kratos couldn't do it where as I could! That has to mean something doesn't it?!"

He panted, his breath heaving as he spoke, "All these signs… all these signs pointed me towards the thought that this was what I was meant to do! And I did it to keep you safe because I couldn't - "

The young saiyan stopped short, the only sounds that of the retreating seagulls and the ocean spray crashing against the hull.

His friends and family stared. They stared at the frantic young man and saw nothing but the little boy whom they had lost eight long years ago. For Gohan looked back at them with wide onyx eyes, full of hurt and regret and anger. The dark, haunted orbs shining with tears - a look, they realised, that they had seen all too often before.

"I couldn't save you Dad," Gohan finished, looking towards the sky in defeat, his golden halo glinting in the sunshine, attempting to stop his hot tears from falling. His father looked stunned, his mouth hanging open as he addressed him, "You sacrificed yourself for my mistake."

"I-If I hadn't of taunted Cell," the teenager said quietly, coming clean, "if I hadn't enjoyed every second of ripping that bastard to shreds and tried to make him suffer even more for what he'd done - then Cell wouldn't have tried to take his anger out on the world. I-I nearly lost everything because of my stupid mistake - !"

"Son," Goku started, his voice thick with emotion, "You were just a kid -"

"Maybe so," he shrugged, his own words quaking as he tried to quell the deep aching burn behind his throat and eyes, "But you all taught me better than that. I felt as though I had let you all down, and it hurt so much that it was almost suffocating. And, in a way, when I died I felt like I could finally breathe again. I suppose that you could say that a part of me ran away that day. I-I needed time, space to come to terms with my carelessness. I needed to accept that I had made a horrible mistake and watched my dad die in front of me. I needed to choose what to do, and when Whis recruited me…"

He stopped short, looking at both of his parents, "I-It was something so much bigger than me becoming a scholar for you Mum or a warrior like you wanted Dad. I could carve my own path and be who I wanted to be, I could keep you all safe and happy. But for that to happen, I knew that I had to do it my own way, I had to make my own sacrifices, so that no one would ever have to sacrifice themselves for me ever again. It was hard to accept that I could never see any of you again, believe me when I say that it was the hardest thing I'd ever had to do."

Gohan averted his eyes, as tears began to spill down his mother's cheeks, the reality of his words sinking in, "But I suppose that deep down, I couldn't face you, I thought that you would be so disappointed in me… but I suppose that it doesn't matter now, because it looks like I was right."

His father said nothing, none of them did. Though he wasn't entirely certain if it was due to the fact that he had either stunned them into silence, or that they couldn't even bare to look at him, let alone speak. He was betting on the latter.

He felt it swirling inside him, the ache, the burn, the negative well of emotions pulsating and drumming underneath his skin - just threatening to escape him. This was such a mess…

"Excuse me, my Lord, but could I get a picture with you? The fellows back at HQ aren't going to believe this!"

"ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!" Gohan roared, sending both Jaco and his polaroid camera flying. Unable to curb his rage, the sudden dark power rushed through his veins so intensely that he couldn't stop it from protruding outwards.

The negativity exploded around him in the hot, pressurised power of the Energy of Destruction. A violet burning aura burst around his frame, sending a crippling shockwave across the deck and overboard, the ship rocking in motion as the ocean rippled with the sudden influx of staggering power.

The sparkling blue vastness of the ocean seemed to grow several shades darker, as the entire Z-gang fell to their knees, the sudden pressure catching them off guard and knocking them off balance. Looking towards Gohan, whose onyx eyes were glinting in the light of the violet fire that danced around him, blowing back the long mass of black hair away from his face, they all felt the same sinking feeling of dread that told them that doom was suddenly upon them.

The presence of a Destroyer.

The young saiyan panted, berating himself for losing control like that, as his father slowly staggered to his feet, shaking his head in disbelief as the purple particles escaped his aura and floated into the air. Videl was in a similar state of shock, and barely noticed when Goten moved swiftly in front of her in order to protect her and his mother, his obsidian eyes hardening at his older brother, his Ki heightened in warning incase the junior deity made any sudden moves.

"W-What is that?" Goku stuttered, aghast, staring at him as though he didn't even recognise who he was any more. "I-It's so … dark."

"It's mind-boggling," Vegeta mustered, "The pressure, it's unreal."

"I'll say," said Tien, with calculating eyes, "It looks as though it's true. Gohan really is a Destroyer."

"Calm down boy," Lord Beerus scoffed at the teen, dangerously eyeing the warriors before him.

"You would do well to mind your tongues, mortals," he told them fiercely, "You speak as though Gohan has committed a great offence, or as though he has changed in some way. Balderdash is what it is, he is embarking on something honourable, and like it or not it is in his destiny. Correct me if I am mistaken, but you have all seen it, mostly in the way he fights. The way he turns pain into power, his hidden strengths, the way he can push his potential even further than the likes of the warriors that bore him. And despite the tendency to lose his cool on occasion, he has the very essence of what it takes to be a God of Destruction, starting with the furious hidden potential that lies within."

Gohan blinked, his aura dwindling in light of his predecessors words. He had never heard Lord Beerus speak about him like that before. There was almost a hint of pride to his tone - almost.

"But I don't -," his father started to protest, just as Whis cut in.

"Let me show you what we mean, it might help you have a better understanding of why Gohan is most suited to the role," the Angel quipped, tapping his staff so that a rounded projection emitted from the gem and protruded high above them, the greenish glow reflecting off the ocean waters below them.

The young Destroyer's eyes widened, as a familiar backdrop greeted them. The scenery all too recognisable to himself, his father and Piccolo, for they had all been present for the battle that had taken place many years before. A vast green meadow with rolling hills and high white-capped mountains stood out in the distant horizon, the emerald green fields laden with scorch marks and debris from the ensuing chaos.

The occupants of the deck became deathly silent, as the image came into focus and a gruff voice cut through the air - though more youthful in its nature than they were now accustomed to.

"GOKU!" Piccolo roared, panting hard and wounded from fighting. His eyes were wide in bewilderment as he clutched at the severed stump of his bicep, the jagged green flesh mangled and broken, "L-Look over by the crater! It's your son!"

Goku looked over from where he lay broken and beaten on the ground. Only a few years older than what Gohan was now, his features youthful yet marred with agony. He was bleeding heavily, thick crimson fluid leaking out of numerous wounds and spilling over the cold dirt he lay upon. His orange gi was torn off of one shoulder, scorched and ripped in several places and displaying even more horrific injuries.

His estranged brother Raditz loomed over him, the least unharmed of the three, with wild hair and a wicked, sadistic grin. His large boot painfully pressing down on the younger saiyan's sternum, causing him to cry out and cough up another heap of blood and saliva.

Though the saiyan invader's eyes were no longer on his brother. Instead, he had been startled, shocked out of his current affliction of torturing his kin - his jaw dropping at the appearance of the small half-saiyan child that had come crashing straight through the space pod that he had been trapped in, landing outside the enormous crater and trembling with a staggering amount of unyielding rage.

"W-What the - ?" Raditz spluttered, the numbers on his scouter flashing wildly as it honed in on the four-year-old. "I-It cant be!"

"G-Gohan," Goku gasped, his voice strained with pain, trying to process just how on Kami's great Earth the boy had managed to break through a supposedly impenetrable space pod - completely destroying it in the process, bits of broken and smoking electrical wiring and melted metal littered around him, "Gohan, D-Daddy can't g-get up r-right now. R-Run. R-Run a-away from here!"

The teenager didn't remember the encounter at all, he realised, as his father and Piccolo looked on intently. The latter biting his lip in anticipation of what was to come and the former clenching his jaw tightly, his eyes full of emotion - and longing, almost.

No, all Gohan remembered was his father's screams of agony, screams that had utterly terrified the young boy who was trapped in his evil uncle's spaceship. He was utterly helpless, he couldn't do anything. And then, as his father's cries grew more desperate and agonising, Gohan felt his heart shatter. He felt pain like he had never felt before and then - nothing.

The next thing he recalled was his lungs filling with water, and Piccolo telling him that his dad was dead, and that it was time to save the world.

His father and Piccolo had filled in him on the parts that had escaped his memory - and they had done so many a time after when he was younger and less in control of his power. Every time he was consumed with anger or fear, he would completely black out and have to be updated later. For a child, it was incredibly scary, especially when he realised just how much he had hurt someone in his blinding fit of rage. Being academically minded didn't help ease his fears either, and he recalled one moment of panic where he insisted that his mother and father take him to a neurologist to be checked out, waving an information leaflet about seizures in their faces that he had printed off the internet.

It wasn't long after his father had returned from Namek, though with some reassuring comments from both Goku and Piccolo, along with lots of meditation and a stint in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, did the young halfling finally manage to tap into deeper wells of his power without blacking out or having hazy memories.

The thought had once crossed Piccolo's mind that maybe his body had easily succumbed to this power because he was so young and his little brain and body couldn't handle it. His father had simply argued that maybe it was just the way he was, and this strange occurrence was just Gohan. His logical mind liked to think that his old mentor's explanation was far better to latch onto rather than some unexplainable phenomenon.

In any case, Piccolo's theory seemed to check out, for as he got older, he was able to get a much better handle on his power.

Little Gohan snarled, looking so vulnerable and yet so furious. His onyx eyes glinted with rage, his teeth bared, hot tears and snot cascading down his baby-rounded face. His fluffy, brown tail whipped around behind him as if in warning, his wild black hair wavered as he shook violently - something was building.

"Gohan run!" His father called out again, fighting his agony and the urge to scream in front of his only child, "L-Listen to me son! Y-You have t-to r-run away!"

But the young boy did not listen, his murderous gaze was fixed solely on Raditz, who suddenly took a very wise step back, the scouter sounding out a rapid alarm in an unrelenting succession.

"P-Power level one-thousand three-hundred and seventy?! Impossible for a kid!" He gasped, and for the first time since his arrival on Earth, the bulking saiyan looked unnerved, the colour completely draining from his face, "A-And yet… i-it's still g-going UP?!"

Goku and Piccolo looked similarly stunned, their jaws dropping to the floor as the four-year-old growled like a beast possessed, the raw power radiating around his tiny form, his small hands balled up into enraged fists as he bellowed to the heavens -

"LEAVE MY DADDY ALONE!"

It was ear-splitting, as a blinding flash of brilliant light encompassed the rocky planes in a spectacular display of power. It seemed to exude out of the boy, vibrant rays of silver spilling out and scorching the ground in white hot waves beneath his small booted feet.

Gohan roared and screamed, a sign that the enormous spike in power may have been too much for him to handle - but in reality, it wasn't. His pupils went completely white, slipping into the abyss, pure RAGE flooding every inch of his body, flooding through his veins and heating up the air rapidly around him.

The sky itself sizzled and popped as the energy surged through every atom, the violent light encasing him just like a rapidly building aura as he kicked harshly off from the ground, leaving indents from his small boots, cracking it apart on impact.

Goku and Piccolo threw their arms in front of them in order to shield their eyes from the dazzling haze, just as Gohan fired himself across the planes, speeding towards his uncle before anyone could so much as blink.

BOOM!

A sonic, crippling boom echoed around the landscape, a deafening crack of hard armour, a sickening snap of ribs as the halfling's skull collided with Raditz's chest. The large saiyan stumbled, shocked and wounded, blood spewing forth from his lips as he was pushed back a few feet, barely managing to catch himself as all the oxygen was forcibly knocked out of his lungs.

Gohan landed with a dull thud, his back hitting the hard ground as Raditz continued to cough and splutter. Goku gaped at his son, and it was clear that from their expressions that both he and Piccolo thought that the child might have been knocked out - or worse.

But suddenly, Gohan sat up, blinking around him with no idea of how he had managed to escape his prison. Or indeed any clue to what he had just done, let alone actually land a devastating hit on the enemy whereas the two adult, much more experienced warriors had failed.

"D-Daddy?" the little saiyan mustered innocently, wide eyes watering once more at the sight of his gravely injured father.

"G-Gohan?!" Goku managed to choke out, more than relieved that the boy was unharmed, coming to his senses swiftly, and trying to sooth his tears, "G-Gohan, don't worry about me okay? I-It's… It's going to be alright. N-Now y-you need to run, hurry!"

"B-But -," he sniffed, until a large shadow blocked out the sun above him, causing the tot to squeak in terror.

"You little fucker," Raditz snarled, baring his teeth that were marred with dark crimson blood, bubbling from his lips as he spoke, "H-How dare you… no one has ever done such damage to me!"

"N-No! Stay back!" roared Goku, trying and failing to sit up, hands reaching desperately towards his son. "Gohan GO!"

Gohan was terrified, unable to process his father's commands, almost tripping over his tail as he took a backwards step, the numbers on Raditz's scouter whirring rapidly once more - until, they stopped.

"What?!" The burly saiyan spat viciously, not quite believing the results of the device attached to his ear, "Brat! What happened to all that power you had?!"

"W-What p-power?" He whimpered, hot tears streaming down his chubby cheeks, though this appeared to enrage the brute even more so.

"Pah! Play games all you want!" Raditz glowered, taking a dangerous step towards the boy, "You'll pay all the same!"

Gohan squeaked helplessly, unable to move his quaking legs that threatened to buckle underneath him, "D-Daddy… help."

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" His father bellowed, though his pleas fell on deaf ears, as the crazed saiyan raised a deadly hand and struck the boy in the temple with a sickening THWACK!

Gohan winced, as did the rest of the gang, unconsciously rubbing the same spot on his head as their sharp intake of breath echoing around him. It looked so much worse on the outside looking in. Even though the teenager didn't really remember it, there was something about watching himself get hit like that that caused his stomach to churn.

Maybe it was because he was so young, and therefore it looked more violent. However, he wasn't nearly taking it as hard as his mother, who slapped a hand over her mouth in an attempt to stifle her sudden scream. She hadn't been there after all, and his father had most likely refrained from telling her about that particular part of the battle when he had come back to life after the Saiyan invasion.

Videl had also let out a horrified shriek at the sight, burying her head in her hands as Goku clapped a reassuring hand on her shoulder, though did not tear his fierce gaze away from the hologram.

The young boy flew several feet, his head snapping horrifically to the side. His body slumped at an odd angle as he fell, tumbling across the grass in a pitiful heap before he came to a sudden stop.

"GOHAN!" Goku cried with tears in his eyes, managing to roll over with a great amount of difficulty in a vain attempt to apprehend his wicked brother. Even Piccolo looked shocked, as the fiend from another world spat on the ground in disgust, before walking over to the unconscious child with deadly purpose.

"P-Please!" His father tried again, gasping as he shuffled on his hands and knees, crawling towards him, fingernails embedding into the dirt and leaving a vibrant trail of fresh blood behind him, "Please, d-don't hurt him! H-He's just a little boy!"

"Yes, he's 'just a little boy' that's true," Raditz turned, a snarl evident on his lips, painfully clutching his shattered ribs, "But he's very strong, with a power level even higher than yours, brother. And if he ever learned to control it then it would mean very bad things for us."

Goku stared, unbelieving and horror-stricken as his sibling spoke again, low and dangerous, "So you can see that I have no choice. He must die!"

"N-No, Gohan…" The earth-raised saiyan wept, trying and failing to move his broken body. "W-Wait! You can't! P-Please!"

But Raditz ignored him, approaching the half-breed that now lay still and silent at his feet. The brute stared at the child for a moment, regarding him with calculated eyes, pausing as a cool breeze swept over them.

"You are the first person to damage me like this, my nephew," He muttered under his breath, his lips curling into a snarl, "A true abomination that's for certain. It's a shame that you've had to perish, you would have made a fine saiyan warrior. And so… I will give you a death that is worthy of one."

Raditz raised his right hand, his fingertips buzzing with electrifying energy, where a lethal blast was waiting just beyond them. His entire fist crackled with lightening, and Piccolo gasped from afar, just as a thunderous roar reached their ears, and Goku hurtled towards the space pirate with venom in his eyes - !

"I think that's enough," said Whis, cutting the projection short and causing it to retreat back into the gem of his sceptre.

"Awww, I wanted to see the end!" Trunks whined, but was quickly hushed by his mother.

"You see, Gohan has always had this wild, untapped power that he has steadily been learning to control," The Angel continued to explain to the stupefied group, "In fact, this particular event is what drew me to his potential many years ago. And like the rest of you who have bore witness to his hidden strengths, I was both perplexed and intrigued by it."

"Wait a minute," the young Destroyer frowned, "I thought that you just felt my power against Cell. You were watching me all that time?"

His mentor gave him a knowing smile, "But of course. Although it was but a happy coincidence. At the time, Lord Beerus was taking a nap for a few decades, so I had been keeping an eye on Frieza and the Frieza Force for him, making sure that he wasn't causing too much havoc that would threaten the universal balance. Therefore, I was rather perturbed when I saw one of his men in a Saiyan space pod divert off the beaten track and land on Planet 4032-Green-877, or Earth as you know it fondly. From what I saw that day, I knew that I had found another suitable candidate to join our recruitment process for the next Destroyer. I had been following you ever since that day - your training with the Namekian Piccolo, your battle with the Saiyans Vegeta and Nappa, The Ginyu Force, Frieza and all the way up to Cell. I was waiting for the day where you would finally pass on and be able to be tested for the Destroyer's role as I knew that you would be a most ferocious challenger. Though I must admit that I didn't expect you to die so young."

Gohan was left reeling, as Whis turned back to his father and the rest of the gang, "But I suppose that didn't matter, as Gohan had already achieved a fearsome amount of power, power that could be trained further, honed into something much greater - divine. You cannot pretend that you never thought this about his hidden strengths too, and dreamt about what he could have achieved given the chance. You saw but a hint of that true potential within the depths of The Hyperbolic Time Chamber Goku, and in turn it is what drove you to put the boy forward in your place against the fight with Cell."

Goku swallowed, the realisation hitting him full force, his mouth running dry as all eyes averting to him for but a moment, and Whis spoke again, "What I have seen from this young man over the last fifteen years has been nothing short of astounding, particularly in the last eight he has been under my charge. His training is most certainly paying off, and despite what you may believe, he is serving a purpose and a duty to the universe and is on his way to becoming a well respected and mighty Destroyer."

"But I still don't get it," said Krillin, trying desperately to understand, "You said that Destroyers eradicate planets and stuff that threatens balance, but what does that even mean, w-wiping from existence? Surely that's not the same as -!"

"It means that which it implies," Lord Beerus spoke up suddenly, clearly aggravated by the mortals questioning, "Wiping something from existence means that there is no coming back. It is gone forever, as though it never existed in the first place. Souls are unable to pass on to The Otherworld, they do not await judgement from King Yemma or have chance for redemption. A fate worse than death should you be so unlucky to have angered a God of Destruction, for they will bring said judgement unto you."

"G-Gohan," his grandfather all but whispered blindly, causing the teenager to shrink away from his stare, "Is this really true? Why couldn't you just tell us my boy?"

Piccolo scoffed, glaring angrily at the group, "Because he was terrified of what you all might think of him. Gohan has made his choice, and as his family you should be supportive of him. No wonder he didn't want to explain himself, if this is the way you're acting. It's laughable really, the majority of us have done much worse, and without reason. At least the kid has a reason for Destruction."

"Piccolo, that's not - " Bulma said tentatively, before Goku cut across her.

"Are you kidding me Piccolo?!" The earth-raised saiyan yelled, his chest heaving with anger, "You KNEW- ?!"

"Please Goku, don't reprimand him for this," Dende implored, just as Gohan thought that his father was about to blow a gasket, and Piccolo therefore shortly afterwards, "Gohan only told me as the Guardian of Earth in search of the meaning behind the Super Saiyan God prophecy, Piccolo overheard. If it was up to him, he wouldn't have told anyone."

His father's eyes widened, "But I - !"

"Stop this at once Kakarot," Vegeta snapped, sticking up for the halfling much to his bewilderment, "Of course the boy didn't want to tell you, what with your aggravating self-righteous ways. Not everything in the universe is full of warm fuzzies and placid Gods like The Supreme Kai. Piccolo is right, no wonder Gohan didn't say anything, your soft-minded brain wouldn't understand."

"Vegeta, you too?" Videl asked suddenly, quietly, staring at the three of them with a mixture of shock and betrayal.

The saiyan prince's words were hard for Goku to accept, it appeared, for he refrained from replying and instead looked at Gohan with a solemn expression, "You should have just told me."

The teenager gulped, his mind drifting back to when they were washing the dishes together in the kitchen, "Dad, I-I tried, but …"

His voice trailed off, no longer having the will nor energy to defend himself. His words dying on his tongue.

"Tch, this is ridiculous," Lord Beerus snapped, breaking through the tension that swept the ship, "I've had enough of you blasted Earthlings twittering on. Gohan is to become my successor, end of discussion. Now, let's hurry up and summon the Earth's Eternal Dragon before my noodles get cold."

The Z-gang were suddenly fearful of the Destroyer - all expect one, who strode angrily across the deck towards him, her hands placed defiantly upon her hips as she leered up at the deity, her lips twisted into a furious snarl.

"How dare you!" Chi-Chi cried, her onyx eyes shining with fury, causing Gohan to sweat, "I don't care just who the hell you are! But my Gohan isn't going to be summoning no dragon mister!"

Lord Beerus' ears twitched in agitation, "I said he's going to summon the dragon so he will summon it! Do you not realise that the fate of the universe could rest on fulfilling this prophecy?!"

"I don't give a damn!" His mother snapped viciously, causing the gang's eyes to widen in terror, especially Gohan and Vegeta's, "He needs to be with his family right now so that we can sort this all out! Don't you see how upset and confused he is?! Do you even CARE?!"

"Er, Mum -," the halfling in question started tentatively, but his words fell on deaf ears as his predecessor fumed.

"He's here to set about his destiny, not to play happy families, you stupid Earth woman!" He growled, "I can see why he didn't want to come back here in the first place, what with your insufferable screeching."

Chi-Chi was positively wild, causing everyone to wince, "Destiny or not, he is my SON! And you and your cherub here took him away from us! He was just a child and you made him make a decision far beyond what a grown man should make, much less a little boy! He should have been with his mother and father where he belonged, he had just died and you - !"

"Tch, somebody silence this annoying wench before I lose my cool," Lord Beerus spat with a roll of his eyes, before Gohan saw pure rage spark across his mother's features, and it happened before anyone could stop her, and the teen could only so much as shout -

"MUM NO!"

SLAP!

The young saiyan gaped, as the headstrong woman struck the God of Destruction across the cheek with a vicious open palm. A resounding gasp echoed over the ship, as the sound carried over the thrashing waves below them. Even Whis looked a little taken aback by Chi-Chi's gall.

His mother looked rather satisfied with herself, though unfortunately - it was short-lived. Lord Beerus stood stoic and unwavering, the hit not even having tilted his head in the slightest, not a mark to be seen. A low growl rumbled within his chest, his dark eyes glinted with malice as he beheld the woman in front of him.

"Lord Beerus, don't -!" Gohan cried suddenly, before it happened in slow motion, and then all at once.

He was indeed too late to stop it, as the Destroyer brought up his own arm and effortlessly backhanded Chi-Chi across the jaw in retaliation. Her entire body jolted from the force, sending her careening across the deck where she landed in a pitiful heap.

Bulma and Launch screamed, as Ox-King raced over to her unconscious form, the entire gang shaken from the deity's cruel actions.

"MUM!" "CHI-CHI!" Goten and Videl yelled in horror, sprinting to her side as a trail of blood escaped her lip, her reddened cheek already bruised from the attack.

It took a second for the halfling to come to his senses, staring at his wounded mother before her positively shook with anger, whirling around to face his superior, who seemed rather indifferent to the situation.

He was about to give Lord Beerus what was coming to him, before he was stopped short, by the alarming spike of crippling power that flooded his senses, slamming into them like a freight train. It built rapidly, surging and swelling, causing the ship to shudder and rock from the exertion.

"Y-You," his father snarled, teeth bared, seething with unyielding rage, his energy sparking all around him as a brilliant golden aura ignited around his frame. His emerald eyes seemed to grow several shades brighter, before the iris' disappeared completely, his veins bulging with fury, "Y-You bastard!"

Goku's power continued to grow, washing over them in waves, his black hair flashing gold and spiking upwards, waves of electricity zipping and clashing over his hulking muscles as he burst directly into the third level of super saiyan and bellowed into the high winds that roared with crackling energy. His thunderous roar of fury chilled the teenager right down to the bone, for it was just as loud and ferocious as the howl of an Oozaru.

Indeed, his father could be, if not was scarier than his mother when he was angry.

"DON'T YOU TOUCH MY CHI-CHI!"

With that, he kicked off from the ground, the hard wooden deck splintering apart completely beneath his feet as he took to the air and charged straight towards Lord Beerus.

BOOM!

The Destroyer God was just as dumbfounded as everyone else by the saiyan's sudden surge in power, so much so that he didn't even block Goku's oncoming fist that rammed into his cheek, snapping his head backwards and causing to him to stumble. A sonic boom ricocheted over the ocean, sending a quaking tremor rippling across the deck.

Gohan's mouth fell open in shock, as his father poured all of his anger into following up in his attack, sending a powerful uppercut straight into Lord Beerus' stomach and striking him again with a crippling head-butt that sent the deity soaring into the air.

How the bloody hell had he even managed to land a hit on him?!

Ignoring Vegeta's irate cries of "KAKAROT ARE YOU INSANE?!" Goku cupped his hands to the side, a bright blue hue of energy swirling in his palms before he unleashed it into the sky. It hurtled towards Lord Beerus, where it connected with a devastating shockwave that blew the clouds away from the upper atmosphere. The cruiser nearly tipped over from the sheer force alone, sea water spilling onto the deck as an enormous wave crashed over them.

Though his father appeared not to have noticed that he had subsequently drenched the passengers of the ship, as his emerald eyes steadily came back into focus, the blackened dust clouds clearing and revealing the Destroyer hanging in the sky - completely unharmed.

"Are you done?" He asked, picking his teeth in a bored manner, his dark eyes narrowing at the flabbergasted saiyan looking back at him, panting from the effort, a bead of sweat trailing from his brow.

"H-How - ?"

Faster than lightening, Lord Beerus phased in front of him, his lips drawing into a smirk as he managed to startle the strong super saiyan three, "And here was me thinking that the man who sired my successor would've proven to be a formidable adversary. What a disappointment."

He didn't give Goku a chance to reply, nor any warning to the sudden strike to the chest that sent him crashing into the railings of the ship. The metal rungs groaned and bent outwards, his crumpled body smashing out of the other side, skidding across the waves and sending a raining cascade of salty water up into the air before he was engulfed by them completely.

"DAD!" Gohan cried, making to speed after him when he was stopped suddenly by Goten, who blocked his path with hatred in his eyes.

"Stay the hell away from my dad!" He spat cruelly, his hands balls into fists, "This is all YOUR fault!"

He followed his gaze over to their mother who was being tended to by Videl and his grandfather. She was awake, thank goodness, though a little dazed and clutching her face in pain. She looked fearfully out towards the ocean where their father had fell and back to them, tears in her eyes.

"G-Goten I -," he stammered, though the young boy didn't let him finish.

"Just hurry up and leave already," he snapped viciously, "Nobody wants you here!"

His heart sank, the reality of his brother's words hitting him full force like a punch to the gut. He was stunned into submission, as Goten burst into his super saiyan form, blowing the hair away from his face before shooting after his father.

"H-He took Goku out with one blow!" Yamcha spluttered blindly, looking horrified at the God before them.

"Great Kami, what is he?" mustered Krillin.

"He's a monster!" Puar squeaked, trembling as she hid behind an equally fearful Oolong.

"Well, if he's going to attack us, then there's only one thing for it," Master Roshi glowered, his sunglasses flashing in the summer sun, grasping his staff tightly as his muscles bulges with power, "Let's roll!"

"Oh dear, this isn't going to end well," observed Whis calmly.

"DON'T!" Gohan gasped desperately, snapping to his senses as the Z-Fighters suddenly sprang into action.

But it was in vain, as with a battle cry, Tien, Eighteen, Roshi, Krillin, Yamcha, Videl, Trunks and even Majin Buu leapt towards Lord Beerus with furious intent. Their white, pulsating aura's intermingled with the gold of Trunks' super saiyan energy and the red Kiao-ken of Videl's as they charged headlong at the Destroyer.

"Oh for the love of - !" Vegeta griped, exploding into super saiyan three and making a beeline after them, giving in as Lord Beerus struck the first wave of Tien, Eighteen and Master Roshi down with a single shockwave of Ki.

They hit the deck harshly, Marron running over to her mother whilst shouting up at her father to 'Go get the bad kitty-cat!' Though Krillin wound up in the same predicament as Eighteen, catching himself on a rubber dingy just before he plunged into the sea, before he was pulled back up to the ship by Launch and Chaiozu.

Gohan was rooted to the spot, feeling utterly helpless, not knowing what to do or where to turn as his predecessor took down the Z-Fighters one by one.

Yamcha and Majin Buu cried out in agony, as Lord Beerus flung a fired-up Videl effortlessly over his shoulder by her elbow and smashed all three of their skulls painfully together, sending them flying back through the skies and towards the deck.

The Destroyer easily evaded a combined Galic Gun from Trunks and Vegeta, blowing it away with his breath alone, the brilliant purple beams firing up into the atmosphere where it exploded with a cataclysmic BOOM that surged through the air around them. Piccolo, reluctantly brought up the rear of the charge, though before he could so much as fire up his own attack, was his bicep grabbed by Lord Beerus and he was sent spiralling across the clouds, crashing into both Trunks and Vegeta with a loud WALLOP that caused all them to howl in pain.

The halfling was horrified, as in seconds, it was over. Done. And Lord Beerus was left suitably furious.

The Z-Fighters cringed and hissed from their afflictions, tentatively struggling to their feet where they had landed, left reeling from shock and frustration as the God of Destruction glared back at them, enraged by the mortals' performance.

There was a cough and splutter behind them, as Goku and Goten landed back on the ship. Coughing up a lung full of water, his hair and eyes now back to black as he allowed his youngest to steady him, the earth-raised saiyan glared up at Lord Beerus with a snarl before Chi-Chi barrelled into him.

"Goku! Oh Goku, are you alright?!" She gasped, uncaring that he was sopping wet and hugging him tight, sea water dripping onto the wooden deck.

"I-I'm fine Chi," he mustered, his fingers gently brushing her jaw as his eyes searched the wound on her cheek, "Are you okay? I'm sorry I couldn't stop him, he moved so fast and I… he's stronger than anyone I've ever faced. I don't think that I've ever been punched that hard before."

"Oh Goku," she sniffed.

"Don't worry Mum, Dad," Goten said boldly, his golden hair wavering in the salty breeze as his eyes narrowed at Gohan, who was watching the exchange intently - longing to go over to them, "I won't let either of them hurt us again."

The teenager looked away quickly, missing the obvious shock that swept over his parents' features.

"Sweetheart," Chi-Chi tried, "That's not -."

"Earthlings," Lord Beerus glowered suddenly, causing them to jump into their fighting stances once again, as he lowered himself back to the ship, "Today is your lucky day. I have a mind to Destroy you and your pathetic world for your blatant disrespect towards a God, though I would rather not put up with Gohan's whining that would no doubt plague me for the next few centuries. But just know this, you have displeased me a great deal, and should you so much as raise a finger towards me again then I won't hesitate to wipe this entire solar system from existence."

They were silent with both fear and anger, as the cat-like God turned towards Gohan, "Now, hurry up and summon the dragon so we can get off this hell-hole of a world!"

"B-But - ," the halfling stuttered, "Lord Beerus, I - !"

"NOW, boy!" He snarled, "Don't make me tell you again!"

The young Destroyer winced at his harsh tone, looking towards his family and friends in desperation. He couldn't believe that it had come to this, the lot of them beaten and left disgusted and fearful of his new role in the universe. Goten was still holding up his father, glaring daggers at him whilst his mother began to cry, hot tears streaking down her bruised cheeks before she buried her face into his father's wet gi. He couldn't even bring himself to look at Videl - it hurt too much to see the anger in her eyes.

And worst of all, he wouldn't be able to stick around long enough to make this right. He didn't want it to end like this.

"Damn it, just do as he says!" Vegeta growled, his own exhaustion evident as he had dropped out of his transformation minutes ago, looking towards a nervous Dende, "Hurry up and get the dragonballs before he changes his mind and condemns us all to oblivion!"

"O-Oh!" The young Namekian blustered, cheeks reddening, "Y-Yes! Of course! R-Right away L-Lord Beerus s-sir!"

"You know, Vegeta," Lord Beerus observed with a wry smile, "That's the smartest thing that you've said all day."

The prince gritted his teeth in anger, as Dende scrambled over with a large brown sack, tipping it upside down so that the seven orange orbs spilled out and rolled rather heavily upon the wooden decking, coming to a halt directly in front of Gohan's feet.

Dende quickly bowed his head deeply towards Lord Beerus, backing away as he did so, "T-The dragonballs, my Lord."

"Excellent," the Destroyer quirked, the small size of them amusing him somewhat as he looked towards Gohan, "I think it's only proper for you to do the honours."

The young saiyan sighed heavily, pausing for a moment. Well, he thought, it is what I came here to do.

"Eternal Dragon," He spoke formerly, concentrating his gaze solely on the mystical dragonballs and purposely not looking his family in the eye. Reluctantly recounting the words that he had heard so many times and raising his hands over the orbs that began to glow and pulsate with light, "By your name I summon you forth, Shenron!"

The dragonballs glowed even brighter, a brilliant golden hue escaping them and lighting up the ship in its entirety. The waiting staff had long disappeared to the safe sanctity of the cabins since the fight had broken out, and it was a good job too, for they would have gotten quite the fright as the blue sky above them steadily turned pitch black and a sparking tunnel of golden light sprang from the seven magical dragonballs.

It swirled and spiralled upwards, before the green scales of the almighty dragon of dreams became prominent against the black backdrop of the sky. Shenron roared, his long, world-eclipsing body twisting around himself as he towered over the deck of the cruiser, sharp claws pointed towards him, pointed teeth glinting as the light died down.

He observed the awaiting summoner with glowing crimson eyes, his voice booming around them, "You have summoned me. State your wishes and I shall grant - !"

To their bewilderment, Shenron suddenly stopped short, his breath hitching in his throat as he regarded the young saiyan before him.

Gohan frowned in confusion, was he… sweating?!

"O-Oh!" The dragon stammered, "I-It's you Lord Gohan! F-Forgive me, I didn't know it was you! N-Nice to meet you, I-I'm sure you don't remember b-but we've met before actually… I'm a big fan!"

The halfling was just as astounded as everyone else, their jaws dropping to the floor. He had never seen Shenron so frazzled before.

"You know who I am?" Gohan asked uncertainty, he didn't think that the Eternal Dragon took note of those who had summoned him before.

"B-But of course!" He implored, his bold voice resonating through their chests, "You are one of the great Destroyers of this universe, and celestial entities such as myself are well informed about the Gods, old and young, and ones that come into fruition. T-That being said, e-excuse me for looking down upon you like this, i-it's the height you see, and you aren't exactly… I-I m-mean er! Not that y-you're short my Lord, n-not at all - ! I'm just rather big -!"

"It's fine," The teenager interrupted, wondering just how many beings knew about his height problems when he first started out in his Destroyer training - he refused to believe that he had developed a complex, "Really."

Shenron breathed a sigh of relief, before clearing his throat, "So, what can I do for you oh great one?"

"Well, I just wondered if you knew anything about a Super Saiyan God," he began to explain, "You see, Lord Beerus had this dream that -"

"LORD BEERUS IS HERE TOO?!" The celestial being shrieked in pure terror, his large head looking all about him before his red eyes settled on the Destroyer in question, who raised a hand in salute. "Oh there you are my Lord, it is truly an honour to - !"

"Yes, yes," Lord Beerus sighed in annoyance, "Stop grovelling and get on with it, Dragon. We're in a bit of a rush. Do you know of the Super Saiyan God or not? I had a premonition of a mighty warrior that would take on this supposed divine form that could rival the Gods themselves."

"O-Oh y-yes my L-Lord, right away," said Shenron, before straightening up and clearing his throat once more, suddenly becoming serious, "I am aware of the God that you describe."

Gohan's eyes widened, hope rising in his chest and momentarily chasing away the hurt that lingered there - and he thought that Lord Beerus' daft dream was going to be a dead end!

"That's great!" The halfling spouted, "So is it a transformation? Has someone achieved it before? Because I could really do with someone teaching me how to do it to have any shot of defeating Perses if he escapes…"

"L-Lord P-Perses?" Shenron gulped, "Oh goodness, it appears that the universe is falling on hard times once more… Well, er, the truth is that someone has indeed achieved this form before, many eons ago. Although I can't exactly summon one at this time I'm afraid."

"Why not?" He frowned, causing the Dragon to fumble over his words once more.

"W-well, Lord Gohan," He mustered nervously, "I humbly regret to inform you that although the Super Saiyan God was spoken about in ancient Saiyan mythology that has since been lost to time, no such deity exists in the present day, unfortunately."

"But you said that there was a Super Saiyan God before?" he asked.

Shenron nodded, "Long ago, a small group of pure-hearted saiyans questioned the evil committed by their race. The good saiyans decided to lead a revolt against the bad, and to ensure victory pulled their powers together to create a saviour - a Super Saiyan God. The saviour easily defeated the evil saiyans with his immense divine power, but he then vanished as quickly as he came, as the energy that the good saiyans offered him could not last for long. In time, evil again took root on Planet Vegeta, and the memory of the Super Saiyan God became all but myth and lost altogether."

Gohan looked over to Vegeta, whose mouth had fallen open at Shenron's tale. It really did look like the Dragon was right and that the myth of this supposed saiyan deity had disappeared along with the saiyan's home world. He couldn't help but wonder if the legend may have referred to that of the super saiyan too, or if both legends had gotten muddled up somehow.

"And so it remains trapped in myth, and there is no Super Saiyan God in existence," Shenron continued, "However, if you would like to know the method for creating one, then it would be a great honour to tell you."

The teenager waited, along with Lord Beerus and Whis, causing the magical being to blanch.

"O-Oh now? Y-Yes, right away my Lord!" He fretted anxiously, "The process is as follows - five pure-hearted saiyans must join hands and instil their inner light into another, with their friends energy flowing through them, this saiyan will take on the form of a Super Saiyan God. A-And that's pretty much everything you need to know, so er, c-can I go now?"

"Wait," said Gohan, his eyebrows knitting together in thought as he ignored Shenron's pleas, "That's not enough! There are only five saiyans, we need six!"

"What a waste of time!" Lord Beerus positively snarled, a vein throbbing in his temple as he aimed a deadly open palm towards the Dragon, "Useless! I might as well Destroy this incompetent bumbling lizard!"

"NO PLEASE!" Shenron cried desperately, his sudden shriek echoing around them as he quickly became embarrassed by his outburst, "I-I mean, there are actually six saiyans here my Lords. Well, I mean technically speaking… one isn't exactly here here if you really think about it, but that's not objectively - "

"What are you talking about?" Gohan griped, starting to get annoyed. There were only five saiyans after all, he had counted them himself. Shenron must be getting old - or desperate.

"W-well, you see, there is yourself Lord Gohan, a half-saiyan," the Eternal Dragon tried to explain, tilting his head to each saiyan as he counted, "along with two more halflings here - Goten and Trunks, the two full-bloodied saiyans Prince Vegeta and Kakarot which makes five, and then of course, the unborn saiyan that lies within the womb of that Human girl over there."

Snapping his head towards where Shenron had pointed at the same time as everyone else did, Gohan visibly paled. His onyx eyes nearly boggled right out of his head, his mouth running completely dry and a horrible sinking feeling of dread hitting his stomach like a deadweight. No, it couldn't be.

Videl looked just as shocked as he did, her mouth hanging open as she all but whispered, "W-What?"

"VIDEL?!" Mister Satan let out a strangled cry before anyone could so much as speak, grabbing her shoulders and looking into her disbelieving eyes, "Y-YOU'RE PREGNANT?!"

The girl shook her head frantically, tearing her gaze away from Shenron and towards her father, before looking down at her flat stomach and back at him again, "N-No! I-I… I mean WHAT?! I-I mean, I-I don't know?!"

Though it seemed that what Videl thought didn't matter, as Hercule was suddenly furious, whirling around and staring daggers at a similarly flabbergasted Goku, who had not taken his wide eyes off his son.

"YOU!" He roared, nose to nose with the saiyan warrior, his entire face red with anger, "Just what the hell do you think you're playing at?! You were supposed to be training my daughter, not -!"

"Woah woah Hercule!" Goku squeaked, his hands raised in defence as he looked all shades of mortified, "You've completely got the wrong idea - !"

"That's right!" Chi-Chi yelled back at him, utterly livid, "Just what do you think you're accusing my husband of?!"

But the ex-champion of the world wasn't listening to reason, rounding on a rather perplexed Vegeta, "Then it must be HIM! That mystical Dragon doesn't LIE! And you can look tough all you want pretty boy! I don't care just how strong you are! Super saiyan's or not I'll STRANGLE you for putting your filthy alien hands on my little girl - !"

Vegeta growled, though he was clearly embarrassed by the accusation, his cheeks turning a dark shade of crimson, "Don't be absurd!"

"Yeah, are you crazy?!" Bulma shouted hotly.

"DAD FOR GOODNESS SAKE!" Videl bellowed, stepping in between her father and Vegeta, the latter whom she was certain was about to blast the former into oblivion, "Of course it isn't Goku or Vegeta's, great Kami! It's Gohan's!"

She seemed to realise her mistake just as the words flew from her lips. Videl slapped her hands over her mouth, her sapphire eyes wide as she looked towards Gohan - who had yet to summon enough brain power to speak.

"W-What?" Hercule blinked, calming down considerably, though he seemed incredibly confused, "G-Gohan's?"

"Sweetheart, i-is this true?" Chi-Chi mustered, though the young saiyan couldn't help but notice the smallest sparkle to her eyes as she regarded him.

He was frozen, as all eyes averted to him once more. His entire body was numb, until fear and trepidation hit him like a sledgehammer, his chest growing unbearably tight with guilt, longing and a hefty handful of regret that threatened to eclipse him. No one spoke for what seemed like a full minute, all of them too stunned to do so, probably even more so than when Jaco revealed that he was a Destroyer.

Speaking of, the patrolman's voice was the only sound that filtered through the air, though no one seemed to have noticed. Jaco rested upon the hood of his spacecraft, wolfing down a bag of popcorn as he mustered quietly under his breath, "Ooooh! What a scandal!"

In all honesty, he wasn't quite certain which revelation was worse - although he was about to find out, as raging fist suddenly thwacked him right over the head.

"YOU STUPID BOY!" Lord Beerus roared, spit flying into his face and causing him to wince, the Destroyer was positively seething, "You had one job! ONE job! Summon the transformation of a Super Saiyan God, not sire a demigod!"

"B-But how?!" The teenager spluttered, the more logical part of his brain suddenly kicking in and overriding everything else, "T-There must be some mistake! I'M DEAD! I-I don't understand how that could even happen!"

Above them, Shenron cleared his throat, a slight blush to his green-scaled cheeks, "Well you see, my Lord, when a man and a woman love each other very much - "

"I KNOW HOW IT WORKS!" Gohan bellowed hotly, causing the poor dragon to shrink back out of sheer fright. Though before he could unleash his embarrassment and anger any further, was his predecessor upon him again.

"IDIOT!" Lord Beerus cried, frothing at the mouth by this point, "Have you learned nothing from your time amongst the divine?!"

The halfling was utterly confounded, as the God yelled so hard that his ears started to ring, "You still bleed don't you?! Huh?! Do you still feel pain?! Do you still get hungry? Tired? Thirsty?! Why?! Why out of everything did you think THAT wouldn't work?!"

His eyes widened in realisation, damning his stupidity straight to HFIL, "I-I -!"

"Damned, randy brat!" He continued with fury in his eyes, "Gods aren't subject to the rules of the dead, remember?! We are allowed to mix with mortals and as such have certain privileges, dead or not! WHY do you think that there are rules you imbecile?! They existed long before Perses was even born! When are you going to grow up and start acting responsibly?! You fail to Destroy things as we tell you, you run head long into situations without thought for your own safety or do I NEED to remind you of your battle with Zamasu?! And NOW - !"

"Do you think that I plan for this kind of thing to happen?!" Gohan snapped back suddenly, "I just lost it with Zamasu alright?! Sometimes you just LOSE it!"

"And it appears you lost all of your senses whilst shacking it up with that floozy!" Lord Beerus seethed, ignoring the teenager who snarled at the insult, "We cant afford to 'lose it'! Other people 'lose it'! Lower Gods and mortals 'lose it'! We are supposed to find it! We are held to higher standards of behaviour, we are the ones that others look up to! Can you at least try to grasp that concept boy?!"

"The concept is grasped!" The halfling yelled, causing his predecessor to scoff.

"Well CLEARLY the execution is illusive! Do have have any idea what you've done?!"

He didn't answer, didn't know how to answer, for he had broken about a million ancient rules in the worst way possible.

"So er… may I go now?" Shenron whimpered, causing both Destroyers to snarl up at him.

"YES!"

The Eternal Dragon left hurriedly, a great tunnel of golden light shooting upwards as he vanished, the dragonballs firing into the atmosphere before splitting up and shooting across the sky, scattering around the Earth once more, the darkness lifting from them as the blue skies returned.

Whis walked briskly past them at that moment, his features troubled and knitted in concern as he strode over to Videl, pointing the gem of his staff at her lower abdomen.

"W-What are you -?!" She demanded, though her words were a little weak, as her stomach began to hum with a soft silvery glow, much to the shock of everyone present.

"Hm, it appears as though Shenron is right," the Angel spoke aloud, his frown deepening considerably, "This embryo is just over two Earth weeks old in its development. It has a genetic make up that equates to one quarter saiyan and three quarters human. Its life energy is incredibly strong for its gestation, almost… divine in its nature."

"D-Divine?" Gohan stammered, as the glow around Videl's stomach dwindled.

"Yes Gohan," his mentor nodded solemnly, disappointment in his eyes, "The child would grow to be very strong if allowed to live."

Videl gasped along with his mother and Hercule, unconsciously smacking Whis' sceptre away from her, "A-Allowed it to live?! What the hell do you mean by that?!"

"Y-You can't -!" the young saiyan started, his mind whirring with the fact that his and Videl's child was nestled comfortably within her womb, growing with life, unbeknownst of the danger it was currently in.

"Oh, can't I?" Lord Beerus spoke dangerously, "And do you think that this will go down lightly?"

He snapped his mouth shut, as the Destroyer continued, slapping a hand to his forehead in despair, "I can't believe that you could be so stupid! So reckless! Breaking the code! Running unprepared into battle is one thing, but THIS?! Ugh, the Divine Council is going to have a field day."

"But I-I -!"

"Lord Beerus is right Gohan," said Whis firmly, eyeing him, "This has certainly put a spanner in the works, we'd best hope that they don't strip you of your divinity and standing for this."

"WHAT?!" The teenager balked, as his mentor sighed.

"There might be a smidgen of leeway for us to work with so that it doesn't come to that," he informed him, his expression still grave, "You are only a junior deity after all, so that has to count for something. Either way, your actions are still punishable by default, siring a bastard with a mortal is a big no, no."

"I-I don't want them to get hurt," Gohan pleaded, attempting to ignore his hurtful words. His eyes averted to Videl who was staring at him with an expression that he couldn't quite read, her father pulling her into a protective one armed hug that she did not return, "Please. I didn't mean for this to happen, any of it - !"

"Enough with your excuses," snapped Lord Beerus, his dark eyes narrowing at him, "We have enough on our plate without you screwing things up… LITERALLY. This is going to take an age to sort out! Now hurry up and perform this blasted saiyan God ritual before I change my mind about blowing up this pestilent world that appears to be the source of your incompetence!"

He paused, looking longingly at Videl once more. Everyone else seemed to fade into the background along with their astonished expressions, their flabbergasted mutterings, even his parents and Piccolo, who were all rendered speechless in light of his apparent fatherhood.

His eyes locked with hers, he wished that he could take them both away from this place. He needed to talk with her, plead with her. Tell her how sorry he was, to try and figure this whole mess out, even if it was futile. His heart strained painfully against his chest, threatening to shatter. He didn't want to leave. And how could he? How could he just disappear like this and leave Videl, leave her... pregnant and alone...

This wasn't right, none of it was right. He didn't want to achieve the power of Gods like this. He didn't think that any of them would be even willing to help him anyway. Not after what he had done.

"GET ON WITH IT!" Lord Beerus snarled, following the halfling's gaze and pointed a deadly open palm towards Videl and the surrounding saiyans, fingers reaching towards the sky, the Hakai waiting right behind it, "Before I lose what's left of my patience and Destroy the evidence and take the Earth down with her!"

Gohan swallowed thickly, feeling utterly defeated, his stomach in knots as his eyes pleaded with them, "Please everyone. H-he's not joking around."

Vegeta regarded him for a few moments before breaking the silence. "Let's just do it," he told them gruffly, walking towards the halfling with Trunks quickly following suit, "I'm quite curious as to this Super Saiyan God myself."

Goku sighed heavily, letting out a shaky breath and glancing worriedly between him and Videl before looking back at Goten, "Come on son."

The young boy scowled, before reluctantly following his father, joining the circle that had quickly started to form around the teenager.

Videl's sapphire gaze quickly averted away from him as she joined the group, though Gohan needed to talk to her, to say - something. Turning towards her as she brushed past him, he opened his mouth to speak, but all he managed to muster was a weak, "V-Videl, thank you. I - "

"I'm doing it for the Earth," she said coldly without a second glance, holding hands with both Goten and Trunks as they stood behind him, grasping onto their respective fathers.

The halfling faltered, he could have sworn that his heart had broken completely in two, though he had no time to plead with her any further as Vegeta and his father rested their palms upon his back, feeling their eyes burning into him as they did so. The Z-gang stepped back a few paces, watching intently, whilst Whis and Lord Beerus stood a ways off - waiting.

"Remember," he heard his father speak, though his tone sounded a little strained, "Focus your inner light into Gohan. This is important, no holding back."

The young Destroyer waited, quashing down his heartache as much as he could, the salty sea breeze grabbing at his hair, closing his eyes in the same manner as the rest of them. Seconds passed, and then about a minute, but Gohan didn't feel any different, or anything at all for that matter.

"Brat," Vegeta spoke up, opening one eye curiously, "Do you feel anything?"

"No," he replied, frowning, "Not a thing. It must be you Vegeta, Shenron said that the saiyans doing the ritual had to have a pure heart, right?"

"Don't blame it on me!" He guffawed in offence, opening his eyes fully, "And look who's talking mister Destroyer!"

"No Dad, that's can't be right," Trunks argued before Gohan could retort, blinking up at them, "Gohan was able to ride Nimbus, he can't be all that bad."

"Maybe it's the baby then," said Goten, shooting his older brother a glare, "I mean, it is part Gohan."

"Oi!" The teenager glowered, whirling around to face him, "Watch what you're saying you little - !"

"BOYS!" Goku shouted, staring them down, "Stop it, the both of you. This isn't helping. If we don't want Lord Beerus to destroy the planet then we need to do this."

"Kakarot is right," said Vegeta, "Let's brush off our indifferences and focus. Forget Lord Beerus, this transformation could be the only thing to stop Zamasu and Perses. The entire universe is at stake here."

Their eyes suddenly hardened with a fierce determination, even Videl's. "Alright," said Goten, "I'll do it."

"Good!" Lord Beerus called angrily, "Now hurry up and stop dawdling!"

A silent understanding filtered between them, as they closed their eyes in perfect sync.

The air felt different, calmer, more purposeful than before. The seagulls and exotic birds had long retreated, no whales, dolphins or even any fish dared to threaten to break the surface of the ocean. The waves lapped slowly against the hull, the ship creaking steadily in motion.

His father and Vegeta's strong hands pressed more firmly against his shoulder blades. He could hear their breath from here, relaxed yet etched with anticipation at the edges. The warmth of their palms radiated through his bare skin, despite a passing cloud blocking out some of the sunshine overhead.

Ba-dum. Ba-dum.

There was a beat. A sudden, rapid beat that came out of nowhere. It drummed through his chest, as though his heart was attempting to beat when it was gone as quickly as it had came.

He kept his eyes closed tightly shut, though it was difficult, as a yellow glow crept into his line of sight, lighting up his eyelids and prompting him to open them back up again, squinting at the sudden brightness. The Z-gang gasped, staring disbelievingly at the space behind him, and the halfling was about to ask what the hell was happening when his brother's awe-filled shout echoed in his ears.

"Woah Videl! Your belly is glowing!"

Gohan whirled around in panic, his focus wavering as he caught sight of the brilliant light that was without a doubt shining from Videl's womb. Golden fingers of light stretched out all around them, casting shadows on the wooden deck and lighting up the saiyans stunned faces.

He could feel it, and he was certain that the rest of them could too. The Ki inside of Videl that shone out suddenly from her own. It was something so magnificent and terrifying all at the same time. But not because of its strength - he doubted that such a tiny fetus could be detected under normal circumstances - no, it was because it was so connected to him.

His child.

Goosebumps erupted over his skin, causing the small hairs on his arms to stand to attention, a rush of longing and something much warmer that he had come to associate with Videl filled every part of his body without warning. It was something even stronger, barreling into his broken heart and mending it momentarily, as if the very feeling was emitting from the tiny little being itself.

"M-My body," Videl gasped lightly, experiencing exactly the same sensation as what Gohan was, "I-It feels so warm…"

The breeze picked up around them, blowing her long raven hair away from her face before it swiftly turned golden. Though Gohan wasn't sure whether it was from the others energy that swept around them all at once, or from the child inside her.

The warm light passed around them, filtering to Goten and Trunks, and then to their fathers. The young saiyan swiftly felt his hair spike upwards, the furious power of the super saiyan transformation flooding his veins in one foul swoop - and it felt much stronger than he had ever thought possible.

Though before he could offer his own bewilderment, Vegeta suddenly snapped at him.

"Damn it, concentrate boy!" He growled, forcing the young saiyan to turn back around.

The light shining around them grew even more intense, as their intermingled energies poured into him like a vessel. His power swelled, and he could feel the heat from their transformations burning right through him. They gave him everything, their hearts, their courage, their fight, their love and also their regrets and anger. He felt it swirling and fester inside of him, pulling at his heartstrings and intermingling with the core of his own Ki.

He felt his veins begin to burn too, as though the searing heat was boiling his very blood. A wavering golden aura built around the five, before feeding unto him. He gasped, as his feet lifted from the ground of their own accord, his father and Vegeta keeping their hands firm against him, as a tunnel of yellow light began to filter from the centre of their entwined circle, golden particles lifting into the air and causing the skies to darken for the second time that day. The air started to pressurise around them, becoming heavier, thicker, denser - the sudden weight on his senses all too familiar to him as divine energy.

No sooner had he thought it, did it start to spread across the sky in humid wisps of yellow clouds, as though it were fingers reaching to touch every inch of the atmosphere. The ocean below bubbled and popped, encircling around itself from the pressure and causing several maelstroms to materialise within its deep blue depths, quickly turning yellow in colour as though someone had replaced the entire sea with liquid gold.

Luckily, no vortex was close enough to the ship to pull them in, the Princess Bulma coming to a halt all on its own. The Z-gang gaped, as the golden mist of clouds swirled around the sky above, eclipsing the blueness completely before the rest of the saiyans and Videl were lifted into the air to join Gohan.

"Videl, are you okay?" he heard Goten ask in concern, golden particles sparkling all around them.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," she replied tentatively, her wide eyes glistening in the soft glow, still bowled over by the warm energy emitting from her womb in pulsating waves.

His body gave a sudden jolt of pain, as the heat was becoming unbearable. It burned like white hot flames that wrapped around his muscles and attempted to melt his tendons away, spreading to his bones and threatening to reduce them to ash.

He accidentally let out an involuntary hiss of pain, his father quickly catching on to his discomfort, "Gohan, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing," he breathed, although everything was hurting dreadfully right now, "I-It's just that I feel really achy all over."

"Tch, stop whining," Vegeta spat in annoyance, "You're about to obtain the power of a God. If you want, we could switch places."

The teenager couldn't help but roll his eyes through the haze of agony, though his retort was promptly cut short, as a dazzling hue of silvery blue engulfed them. The pain stopped suddenly, although the subsequent surge of divine energy took his breath away, protruding from the saiyan baby inside Videl, passing through the circle and right the way to him until his entire body began to glow.

It filled him up until it was blinding, all consuming, as a torrent of hurricane-like winds picked up around them. It fled over the ship, blowing back the umbrellas and uprooting the tables and deckchairs. Food stalls screeched and skidded on the hard wooden deck, some of them toppling overboard and plunging into the now golden waters.

The Z-gang crossed their arms in front of their faces in order to protect themselves from the tempest, shielding the less strong amongst them as best they could when - it stopped. The cloud filled sky still remained, though the dazzling silver light disappeared, flooding into Gohan's being, along with the golden tunnel of light that quickly disintegrated, painting his body completely with the bright light so that only a shining silhouette remained.

"I-Is it over?" Bulma whimpered, grasping worriedly onto Eighteen who had been protecting her from the rapid winds.

Piccolo grunted. His eyes narrowed, "Not yet."

KA-BOOM!

The light erupted again, though this time, more vibrant and gleaming than ever before. It seemed to exude right out of Gohan like a gigantic beacon, pouring over the sides of the ship as it eclipsed the entire South Pacific Ocean. It cloaked the sky, building and building with rapid gusto, hitting the yellow mist and parting it as though it had just burned a hole right through the atmosphere.

A plethora of glistening stars and colourful, twinkling galaxies shone back at them, as if the rest of the universe were watching the birth of a Saiyan God take place. The cruise ship was encompassed by the thick yellow clouds, so much so that no one could see anything past them, their only way out of the pressurised abyss was the vastness of Space above them.

"I-Incredible," Tien mustered, as the occupants of the cruiser couldn't believe what they were witnessing, the ritual more grand than they had ever thought possible. Though in all honesty, they weren't entirely certain just what they had been expecting.

The heavens opened, allowing for heavy rain to batter the deck, large globules of water pattering against every inch of the ship as a cascade of lightening bolts rippled and thrashed overhead. The only ones not bothered by the sudden change in weather were Whis and Lord Beerus, who hadn't once kept their eyes off of their student, even when the rain froze and turned to hail, then snow, nor when the sun shone brightly back at them once more.

Day turned to night, and night turned to day, the sun peaking through the gap in the clouds before disappearing and reappearing again, as though the Earth was rotating rapidly around the sun as it spun wildly on its axis. And then whether the planet stopped spinning or something even more spectacular happened altogether was anyones guess, as golden rays shone down upon them, bathing the Princess Bulma in a brilliant glow.

But it didn't stop there, as a quaking tremor shook the whole world, and the pressure in the air built even further so that it was suffocating. Goku, Vegeta and the others struggled to hold on, the heaviness constricting their lungs painfully, the staggering rise in temperature not helping in the slightest. They grasped each others hands even tighter, sweating profusely and digging their fingernails into Gohan's skin as he became even more luminescent, the golden light swiftly turning an alarming red.

Though they quickly had no choice but to recoil, the heat radiating from the halfling suddenly too much to bare. Both Goku and Vegeta hissed and rubbed their burning hands, dropping out of super saiyan at the same time as Goten and Trunks, Videl's now raven locks coming to a rest over her shoulders.

They stared as they were lowered back to the deck not of their own accord, panting as they suddenly felt incredibly weak. Vegeta quickly grabbed Videl, being the closest to her as she stumbled, steadying the girl as her knees buckled underneath her. Goku's features knitted in concern, though nodded at the prince gratefully, his gaze drifting to his eldest son who was still floating in midair, surging with a pressurised force and was engulfed by the crimson light that painted his entire form, nothing was recognisable but his reddish silhouette that hovered before them.

It was unlike any transformation that they had seen before, especially from Gohan. From what they had seen from the halfling in all their years, his transformations had always been explosive, like a volcano erupting and spilling out a cascade of power that flooded them completely like bubbling hot waves of lava. Always accompanied by screams of anguish or fury that shook their bones to the core. But this was not like any super saiyan they knew that was for certain. For despite the staggering force that battered against their senses, it was calm, quiet. One might say almost eerily so.

Nobody dared to utter a sound, that was except Whis, whose musical chuckle echoed around them.

"Well, my Lord," he said, eyes alight with the crimson glow, "It appears as though that premonition of yours has come to light. His Ki his ultimately Divine."

Lord Beerus hummed in agreement, though refrained from saying anything as the light slowly began to fade.

"G-Gohan?" Krillin asked tentatively through the silent and dumbfounded crowd, "I-Is that really you?"

The pressure lifted all at once, the yellow clouds breaking apart and dispersing immediately as the Junior Destroyer was finally revealed in a sprinkle of divine energy that filtered into the air. A resounding gasp sounded at the sight of him, the gang hardly believing their eyes.

His long mass of hair was a startling shade of magenta, though the ends were not at all spiked upwards like it was as a super saiyan, instead it was long and flowing, still tied back in that messy ponytail of his. He looked as though he had shed a tiny bit of weight too, his muscles leaner and his cheekbones a little more defined. He stared unblinkingly back at them with wide crimson irises, lowering himself back down to their level, his feet tapping soundlessly against the wooden deck.

An aura of calmness encompassed him, a far cry from the emotional cyclone of desperation and despair that he had been moments earlier.

Though despite the hot air that continued to unfurl around them, the most noticeable difference was that they couldn't feel - anything from him, his energy completely undetectable. Well, amongst the mortals at least.

"Well, well," Lord Beerus smirked, looking the halfling up and down in satisfaction, "It looks like you've done it. A Super Saiyan God."

Gohan finally broke out of his trance, looking down at himself. Power like he had never felt tingled through every part of him. It felt strangely calming, effortless. Divine.

"Y-You really think so?" He asked. Even his own voice sounded different! It was rounded and wholesome, with a small delay like an echo as an undertone that seemed to reverberate through every one of them.

"Let's test it out, shall we?" The Destroyer smirked, a malicious glint in his eyes that was borderline playful, "If you win then I'll strive to make sure that your punishment for breaking the Divine Law isn't so damning. Lose, and I'll break my promise and Destroy this planet along with that gravid Earthling girl, you've obviously become oh so… attached."

"You dare," The young saiyan growled, feeling the iron enter is soul. His godly tone reverberating over the ship, his crimson eyes as hard as steel.

"Oh I dare," Lord Beerus goaded, "Are you going to stop me, Gohan?"

A startled cry of horror echoed around the ship, as the Destroyer released a deadly blast from his palm without warning. It careened straight towards a terror-stricken Videl, the vibrant violet light illuminating her wide, frantic eyes, and it happened so fast that no one could intercept - !

BOOM!

A cataclysmic explosion rocked the cruiser, just as an enormous amount of heat and pressure slammed into their senses all at once. The feeling was so intense that even the non-ki users felt heavy under the sudden influx of power. For there, as the dust clouds parted from where he had cancelled out Lord Beerus' orb of destruction with his own - was Gohan.

A swirling sea of red and amber billowed around him, ignited like a dazzling fire around his frame. It was so hot that it had set alight to the wooden slats beneath his feat, the flames intermingling with his burning Ki that swelled upwards from the depths of his new found power. The remains of purple particles drifted through the air, reflecting in the halfling's livid stare. He was so fast, that no one had even seen him move.

Videl let out a trembling gasp of relief behind him, her sapphire eyes in awe of the sight of him standing there, his blazing aura sending shockwaves rippling over the ocean in unrelenting waves, "G-Gohan?"

Though whether or not the young man heard was beyond her, as Lord Beerus grinned maliciously, quirking a curious eyebrow as he beheld his junior before him.

"Nice to see that you're acting serious for a change," The God of Destruction observed, "A rarity in itself."

"And it's rare for you to get a decent challenge," said Gohan, his sonorous voice low and dangerous, the divine power of a Super Saiyan God surging around him in a raging inferno, "Allow me to fix that."

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20th July, 2019.

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A/N: And there you have it. Son Gohan has become a God. The battle between Lord Gohan and Lord Beerus is at hand. Who will come out on top I wonder? Will Gohan and Videl redeem their relationship? Will our favourite Junior Destroyer be punished for breaking the divine code and siring a demi-god? How do his family and friends truly feel about all of this? I am soooo excited for you to find out in the next episode of SGTD ;)

I also wanted to plug a little project that me and a couple of friends have started up, Chosen To Die and Nyx. We have started a group on Facebook called Gohan Fanfiction Appreciation Society. Please do check it out! Its very new in its development, I am so amazed how much fanfiction can bring people together, especially a love of all things Gohan. We aim to provide discussions, post Gohan and DBZ related memes and just have a good laugh. So check it out if you're interested! xD

I so hope you enjoyed this chapter, and it was worth the 23 chapters to get here!

ES xx

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Reviews:

Aaron Leach: thank you!

hawkeyestratos1996: SSG down! Lots more potential for more transformations to come ;)

Pie 555 : thanks for your review! Ha yes poor Makhai no one understands how amazing his technique really is! There will be much more revealed about his mortal life in upcoming chapters too! That I can promise XD

EleazarTheUnforgotten: wow truly amazing words! Thank you so much, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the last!

Naite-Laef: thank you! I am a huge Gohan and Videl shipper so that certainly helps :P hope you enjoyed them in this chapter too! lots of Gohan and Videl love - and heartache! SOB!

X3runner : ooo lots of questions! I do aim to go down a slightly different route than super. so no body jacking Gohan. I do however, have something much more heartbreaking in mind!

Hek'UnnSkipper: Thanks! Glad you liked the Majin fight and comparisons! Sad I cant twist your arm round to the Gohan and Videl though.

o- Nyx -o : yaaaay! Thank you darling! Hope you liked this new and improved chapter! Surprise!

x2leoj: hell yeah SSG GOHAN!

Erin: did you manage to read?! :O hope the bbq went well!

FireEmblemMaster101: thanks for your review! haha yes I think its so funny to imagine the saiyan fathers giving the talk to their kids, both for different reasons! so glad you enjoyed the last chapter! yes I loved writing that line for Gohan with him calling Zamasu a hypocrite! haha! Oh and you were so right about Gohan and Videl - notice how I made baby Pan two weeks old instead of three, didnt want it to happen on the first time, way too cliche! im glad I managed to get this chapter out on schedule! I wanted to try and do a chapter a month so yay!

keyblademeister88 : thanks so much! I want Gohan to give up his role to be with Videl too - but sadly, not gonna happen :(

DarkFireCat5241999 : not too sure about the demon thing, I couldnt find any where that Majin magic didnt work on Gods!

RabbitMelody : he really is! dont worry, zamasu will come back soon :P

KeynoRules : thanks so much! I cant wait to see what you come up with next! xD

Heseltine: thank you! Glad you liked the heartfelt scene between Gohan and Videl, for me I really wanted to get Gohans heartbreak across. He loves her so much that he just wants her to be happy! Gohan's death has really affected Goku, he is a lot more serious than before, kind of carrying on from how serious he was in the cell saga, I really liked that Goku, he seemed more mature. so I wanted to keep exploring that here :) glad you liked it!

Iwik: ahhh thank you! you are nearly there with it hahaha glad you enjoyed beerus falling to sleep, i couldnt let them win THAT easily after all :P haha yes, Im tying to get some saiyaman persona across here with Gohans lines. He is still goofy even though hes a badass outwardly - most of the time! yess zamasu probably could have latched onto gohan with his magic, but he really wanted to see him suffer, knowing that the best way to do it is by hurting his friends! Yay gohan and videl! and also glad you liked chichi's outburst haha! I love writing her she is too funny! Oooh now the z-sword breaking? youll have to wait to find out my friend! :P

Jim: thank you!

Robthekiwi121: :O :O

HKGlenstid: thanks for the review! now as for Videl getting death flags, ooo that is a doozy! I dont plan on her dying, but in this story, anything could happen.

jrayeni: thank you! Gohan didnt use the Hakai on Zamasu so he wasnt destroyed, Gohan sliced through his attack and not him. If you are destroyed (hakai) by a destroyer then yes there is no coming back from that. hope that makes more sense!

super mystic gohan: aw thank you for your reviews! glad you are enjoying the story!

Marbbles123 : haha thanks so much! Loving the scooby doo vibes! Really hope the anticipation for this chapter was worth it! xD

Nieri: omg omg omg your review made my day! Thank you so much, I love that you took the time to write such a huge response! I laughed and cried at your response at various points, i am so happy that you are enjoying this story. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter too, i am so humbled by your review thank you so so so much! xD Hell Gang and Sassy Gohan comments were my fave!

MadmanJrs : thanks for your review! we have certainly gotten into the thick of the story now. Glad you liked the battle last chapter and also the gohan and videl vibes ;) hopefully this chapter will give you some more idea for what is in store for them and their relationship.

DragonCrusader : curious to know what you think after your last review! hope it answered some questions! xD

ARandomGuest : truly I am amazed and humbled by your review, thank you so much you wonderful reader! really happy that you love the story so far, and the fact you think its top tier just WOW! you made my whole year! haha the adventures of sparky and the supreme guard?! I would totally read that! yes! I want to do some kind of spin off from this, but my full focus is on finishing this first! I do want to do a bonus chapter of 'the lost buu saga' as it were though, so please look forward to that because it is more likely to happen! :) I may do a few snippets here and there of gohans adventures with his friends. along with revealing more stuff to the z-gang in later chapters. :P ah and goten and gohan, what did you make of that in this chapter i wonder? The angst is real! And Makhai level fawning is ALWAYS appreciated! xD thank you!

Guest: thanks so much! so glad you like the british terms of this story yay! hope you enjoyed this chapter xD