"...and honestly after that I switched back to ketchup."

Most of the Z Fighters burst into laughter at the punch line, snickering and giggling at the joke. Senza and Raditz didn't but Gohan was quick to explain why it was funny while I didn't but I had a feeling it was just a matter of English vs. Japanese. Even though, apparently, I had been speaking Japanese the entire time I'd been in the world of Dragon Ball Z. Even Isco was chuckling but I think that had more to do with him downloading his own movie to watch in his head or cackling over how he could use the slapstick comedy to destroy all of humanity.

We were only a week into our flight to Namek and ha all decided that we could use a night to just relax; now that we knew the ship could handle the super fast travel (Bulma had been VERY clear that it wasn't "light speed") needed to get there before we were all reduced to gray haired fuddy-duddies we could actually settle into routines and not constantly glance at the warning alarms waiting for them to go off.

It had been Yamcha who had suggested doing the movie night, arguing that he hadn't gotten to do them what with him being, well, dead. The rest of us had done them once a week back on the island as a way to unwind after a day of training.

"Want to try out that new Kung Fu movie?" Krillin asked. Bulma had made sure to get downloads of hundreds of movies so we had a vast selection, new and old.

"I don't know," Chichi said, glancing at Raditz who had already begun to snicker, "I don't want anyone to hurt themselves laughing." The Z Fighters had found the movies hysterical, pointing out all the mistakes the "fighters" were making in them. We'd watched one with Raditz before our launch and he'd nearly pulled a disc laughing at some of the moves the so called "great warriors" had used to defeat the bad guys. That had led him to describe how he could defeat such a hero... and the others had joined in.

'Nothing is scarier than Goku explaining how he could crush a resistance with a smile on his face,' I thought to myself as I stood up.

"Kayos, you okay?" Bulma asked.

"I just need to stretch my legs," I assured her, forcing myself to smile. "Go ahead and start without me." I made my way out of the room, waving off their words of concerns, and ambled my way to the front of the ship. The windshield (which wasn't a windshield at all but I didn't really understand any of it when Bulma explained how it worked) gave me the perfect view of space blasting by us; the stars distant points that suddenly blurred and elongated as we blasted past them, creating a beautiful dance of light. It was... breath taking, honestly, and no matter what happened next I was glad to have gotten to see it.

"You okay?" Goku asked, coming up to me and placing a hand on my shoulder; honestly I wasn't surprised that of all of the Z Fighters he was the one to follow me. For as much as people played him off as some fool Goku was rather perspective of people and their emotions.

"Just thinking," I said softly. Goku didn't press me, allowing me time to gather my thoughts. "I'm thinking about the Dragon Balls. And... and wishing people back."

"Oh?"

"There are people I've lost that I wish I could use the Dragon Balls on to bring back," I said. "And not just them but others. People I've never even met. People who were brilliant and creative and brought not just me but so many others such joy with their stories and tales. Its... its sad to think they won't tell us any more adventures. And sure, sometimes I disagreed with how they told the story but.,.. what I wouldn't give for even a single new tale. Just one." I let out a melancholy sigh. "But... that isn't going to happen."

Goku considered my words.

"You know," he finally said, "I don't think anyone is ever truly gone." He squeezed my shoulder. "I miss Grandpa Gohan every day. He used to tell the greatest bedtime stories. Did the voices and everything! I was the only one that got to hear them. And then he was gone and... no more bedtime stories." He took a breath and I turned to see he was smiling. "But now when Gohan needs a story before bed... I tell him one of Grnadpa Gohan's. I used to try and do it JUST like he did but I realized that I can't do that. Because I'm not him. But I can make the stories my own. Do the voices my way. Maybe change up a fight or two or make a villain a bit nicer. Make them my own. But its not taking away what Grandpa Gohan did... its adding to it.

"I don't think anyone is ever truly gone. They remain with us when we pass on what they taught us. And when we add to it? Well... that just makes it like they are still with us."

I smiled at that.

"You... are a wise man Goku. A very wise man."

"I'm flying by the seat of my pants, never creating with a thought to what's up ahead!"

In Memory of

Akira Toriyama