"Bulma, are you sure about this?"
Piccolo's deep voice cut through the quiet of Capsule Corp's main laboratory. The Namekian stood near the doorway, arms crossed, his weighted cape hanging motionlessly behind him. His sharp eyes tracked Bulma's movements as she frantically typed commands into multiple computer screens.
Bulma didn't look up from her work, her fingers flying across three keyboards simultaneously. The glow from the monitors cast harsh shadows across her tired face. Dark circles under her eyes betrayed how little sleep she'd gotten in the past week.
"Sure about what? Using the Dragon Balls to bring back three of our friends who died saving the planet?" Her voice dripped with exhaustion and sarcasm. "Yeah, Piccolo, I'm pretty sure about that."
"That's not what I meant."
CLACK. CLACK. CLACK.
The keyboard sounds filled the silence between them.
Bulma's hands finally stilled. She leaned back in her chair, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her palms. "I know what you meant."
Across the lab, Chi-Chi sat on one of the examination tables, her legs dangling. She'd been silent for the past hour, just watching Bulma work. Her hands twisted a handkerchief in her lap...the same one she'd been carrying since... since everything happened.
"When they come back..." Chi-Chi's voice was quiet, fragile in a way it never used to be. "When Krillin and Tien and Yamcha come back, they're going to ask about Goku. They will even ask about Vegeta."
"I know." Bulma's fingers found the keyboard again, slower this time. "And we're going to have to tell them."
"That their friends are gone." Chi-Chi's voice cracked on the last word. "That they've been replaced by some... some—"
"He's not a replacement, mum."
The quiet correction came from the corner of the room. Gohan sat in a chair near the window, his scholarly posture unchanged but his expression was troubled. He'd been researching in Bulma's library for the past three days, trying to get his mind off the stuff that happened recently.
The books lay closed beside him now.
Chi-Chi's head snapped toward her eldest son. "Gohan—"
"I'm not defending him, Mom. I'm not saying I've accepted... this." Gohan's jaw clenched. "But Piccolo's fusion with Kami and Nail was permanent too. This isn't unprecedented. It's just—"
"It's different when it's your father."
DING.
All four of them jumped at the sound. Bulma's computer had completed its scan.
"Found them." Bulma's voice shifted into business mode, that analytical tone she used when emotions threatened to overwhelm. "All seven Dragon Balls. Three are in the ocean, two are in desert regions, one's in a mountain range in the Northern Continent, and one's..." She squinted at the screen. "One's in someone's backyard in East City. Some kid probably picked it up thinking it was a cool orange rock."
Piccolo moved closer to look at the monitor. "How long to retrieve them?"
"With my drones?" Bulma pulled up another screen, calculations running. "Four hours, maybe five if the ocean currents are bad. I've already prepped the underwater retrieval units."
"Do it."
Everyone turned to look at Chi-Chi. She'd straightened on the examination table, her back rigid. The handkerchief was still twisted in her hands, but her face had set into something resembling determination.
"Tien, Krillin, and Yamcha died protecting this planet. They deserve to come back." Chi-Chi's voice steadied. "We can worry about... about explaining everything else after that."
Bulma nodded once, sharply. "Gohan, can you go get Goten and Trunks? They should be here for this."
"They're training in the gravity room with—" Gohan stopped himself. "They're in the gravity room. I'll get them."
He stood and walked toward the door, his movements careful. As he passed Piccolo, the Namekian's hand briefly touched his shoulder, it was more of a gesture of understanding that needed no words.
The door WHOOSHED shut behind him.
---
THUD. THUD. THUD.
Inside Capsule Corp's gravity room, two small figures blurred across the reinforced walls. The room's indicator displayed "50x EARTH GRAVITY" in bright red letters.
WHAM!
Goten's kick connected with Trunks' raised forearm. Both boys immediately backflipped away from each other, landing in identical fighting stances.
"You're getting sloppy!" Trunks wiped sweat from his forehead, grinning. "That kick was way too telegraphed!"
"Was not!" Goten's face scrunched up in that characteristic Son family pout. "You just got lucky!"
"Lucky? I'll show you lucky—"
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
The gravity room's intercom crackled to life. The gravity reading on the wall began counting down.
"50x... 40x... 30x..."
"Aww man!" Trunks' shoulders slumped. "We were just getting started!"
The gravity settled at normal Earth levels with a final WHOOSH of equalizing pressure. The door opened, and Gohan stood in the doorway, his expression unreadable.
"Your moms need you. We're using the Dragon Balls."
Both boys' eyes widened simultaneously.
"The Dragon Balls?" Goten rushed forward. "Are we wishing for—"
"No." Gohan's voice was flat, cutting. "We're wishing back Tien, Krillin, and Yamcha."
The hope that had sparked in Goten's eyes flickered and died. Trunks' jaw tightened, his hands clenching into small fists.
"Oh." Goten's voice went small. "Right. Yeah. That makes sense."
Gohan's expression softened slightly. He crouched down, bringing himself to eye level with the two seven-year-olds. "I know what you were hoping for. But—"
"But it's impossible." Trunks crossed his arms, trying to look tough despite the wobble in his voice. "Because Dad and Goku are... they're..."
"They're gone." Goten finished, and the words hung heavy in the training room air. "And Gogeta is what's left."
Gohan's hand found Goten's shoulder. "Come on. Let's go. The others are waiting."
The three of them walked through Capsule Corp's hallways in silence. Through the windows, they could see the afternoon sun beginning its descent toward evening. A week had passed since Kid Buu's defeat.
From outside the building came the sounds of West City slowly rebuilding. Distant construction equipment. Hovercars buzzing overhead. Life continuing despite everything.
DING.
The elevator doors opened to the main lab level. The boys could hear Bulma's voice before they even rounded the corner.
"—already dispatched to the coordinates. Drone One is approaching the four-star ball now."
On the main screen, a small robotic unit descended through ocean waves. Fish scattered as it approached a glowing orange sphere resting on the ocean floor. The four-star ball...Goku's favorite, sat partially buried in sand and coral.
Goten's breath hitched when he saw it.
"That was Grandpa Gohan's ball," he whispered. "Dad always said it reminded him of Grandpa."
Chi-Chi turned at her youngest son's voice. Her expression shifted from grief to forced cheerfulness in an instant...that motherly armor she wore to protect her children from harsh truths.
"Goten! Trunks! Perfect timing." She hopped off the examination table, arms opening. "Come here, both of you."
The boys shuffled forward, allowing themselves to be pulled into her embrace. Trunks awkwardly patted her back.
"Are you okay, Mom?" Goten's voice was muffled against her shoulder.
"I'm fine, baby. We're all fine." The lie came easily. "We're going to bring back Master Roshi's friends, and then everything will be—"
"Mom, don't."
Chi-Chi pulled back, looking at Goten's face. His expression was too old for a seven-year-old. Too knowing.
"Mum..." Goten's hands twisted in his training gi. "I'm not a baby. I know Dad's not coming back. I know... I know Gogeta isn't really him."
Trunks nodded beside him. "Same. My dad's gone too."
The room fell into uncomfortable silence. Even Bulma had stopped typing.
Piccolo cleared his throat. "The drones are moving efficiently. We should have all seven balls within three hours."
"Three hours." Bulma grabbed onto the change of subject like a lifeline. "Which means we should prepare the summoning area. Chi-Chi, think we should do it here at Capsule Corp or somewhere more public?"
"Public?" Chi-Chi blinked. "Why would we—"
"Because people are going to notice when the sky turns black in the middle of the day and a giant dragon appears." Bulma pulled up a city map on another screen. "We could do it in one of the empty lots where Kid Buu destroyed everything. Less chance of causing a panic if people see it coming from a disaster zone rather than suddenly appearing over a populated area."
"That... actually makes sense." Piccolo nodded. "Shenron's appearance tends to cause chaos when civilians aren't expecting it."
BEEP.
"Drone One has secured the four-star ball," Bulma announced. "Surfacing now."
On screen, the underwater unit began its ascent, the Dragon Ball safely secured in its retrieval claws. Sunlight filtered down through the water in dancing patterns.
Gohan moved to stand beside his mother. "Have you thought about what you're going to tell them? Krillin and the others?"
"The truth." Chi-Chi's voice hardened. "What else can we tell them?"
"The truth is complicated." Piccolo's eyes never left the screen. "And painful."
"Yeah, well, so is life." Bulma's fingers flew across the keyboard again. "Drone Two has visual on the three-star ball. Estimated retrieval time: twenty minutes."
Trunks tugged on his mother's sleeve. "Mom? When they come back... are they gonna be confused? About Dad being gone?"
Bulma's typing slowed. "Yes. They're going to be very confused."
"Should we..." Trunks hesitated. "Should we call Gogeta? So he can explain?"
The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees.
Chi-Chi's hands clenched. "No."
"But Mom—"
"I said no, Goten." Her voice left no room for argument. "We can handle telling them ourselves. We don't need... we don't need him here for this."
"Chi-Chi." Piccolo's tone held gentle warning. "The boys have a point. Krillin, Tien, and Yamcha are going to have questions we might not be able to answer. Questions about the fusion, about what it feels like, about—"
"I don't care!" Chi-Chi's composure finally cracked. "I don't want him here! I can't... I can't look at him right now. Is that so wrong? Is it wrong to need space from the person who—"
She cut herself off, hand flying to her mouth.
Goten's eyes widened. "Mom, you don't think it's his fault, do you? Gogeta didn't mean for the fusion to be permanent. He didn't—"
"I know that!" Tears were forming in Chi-Chi's eyes now. "I know it's not his fault. I know Goku made the choice to fuse to save everyone. I know all of that. But knowing something and feeling it are two different things, and right now I just... I need time. Please. Just give me time."
The lab fell silent except for the soft BEEP BEEP BEEP of Bulma's computers tracking the drones.
Gohan wrapped his arm around his mother's shoulders. "It's okay, Mom. We understand."
"Drone Three secured," Bulma announced quietly. "Five-star ball is en route."
The next two hours crawled by. One by one, the drones returned to Capsule Corp, depositing their orange cargo into a secure container. The Dragon Balls gleamed under the laboratory lights, their red stars seeming to pulse with contained power.
CLICK. CLICK. CLICK.
Bulma closed the container lid. "All seven. We're ready."
Chi-Chi took a shaky breath. "Then let's do this. The empty lot on Fourth Street?"
"That's the one. Biggest open space in the destroyed section." Bulma hefted the container, surprisingly light for something containing mystical orbs of ultimate power. "Gohan, can you fly this over? My hovercar's in the shop getting repaired from... from all the fighting last week."
"I've got it." Gohan took the container easily. "Everyone else flying or do you need a ride?"
"We'll fly!" Goten and Trunks said in unison, already powering up. Their white auras flickered to life, hair standing slightly on end.
"Show-offs," Bulma muttered, but there was the ghost of a smile on her lips. "Let me grab a capsule car for Chi-Chi and me. Some of us can't fly, you know."
POP!
Bulma tossed a capsule, and a sleek red aircar materialized in the lab, thankfully, the ceiling was high enough. She and Chi-Chi climbed in while Piccolo simply folded his arms and levitated off the ground.
"Meet you there," Piccolo said, then shot through the open lab doors.
WHOOOOSH.
The flight to Fourth Street took less than five minutes. Below them, West City sprawled in various states of repair. Some sections looked perfectly normal, untouched by Kid Buu's rampage. Other areas were completely flattened, reduced to rubble and dust.
Fourth Street had been a shopping district. Is now a past tense. Now it was a field of broken concrete and twisted metal. A few construction crews worked on the periphery, but the center lot, nearly two blocks wide...stood empty, a clear testimony to kid Buu's wrath.
THUD. THUD. THUD.
The Z-fighters landed one by one. Gohan set down the Dragon Ball container gently. Goten and Trunks touched down beside him, their auras fading. Piccolo descended last, his cape billowing dramatically.
VROOM.
Bulma's aircar pulled up a moment later, hovering just above the rubble before settling onto a flat section of intact concrete. She and Chi-Chi climbed out, both women immediately wrapping their arms around themselves despite the warm evening air.
"Well." Bulma surveyed the destruction around them. "At least if something goes wrong, there's nothing left here to destroy."
"Bulma!" Chi-Chi shot her a look.
"What? I'm being practical!" Bulma moved to the container and opened it. The Dragon Balls spilled out, rolling slightly before settling into the rubble. "Besides, what could possibly go wrong? We've done this a hundred times."
Gohan knelt and began arranging the balls in the traditional circle. One star at the top, then clockwise: two, three, four, five, six, seven. The pattern was second nature by now.
"Everyone ready?" His hand hovered over the four-star ball.
Chi-Chi nodded. Bulma squared her shoulders. Goten and Trunks grabbed each other's hands, their usual rivalry forgotten in the face of what was coming.
Piccolo stood slightly apart, his cape settling around him like armor. His eyes scanned the area; it's always an old instinct or habit, if you will...for checking for threats.
"Do it," Chi-Chi whispered.
Gohan placed his hand on the four-star ball. "Eternal Dragon, by your name I summon you forth, Sheron!"
Nothing happened.
Trunks blinked. "Uh, isn't something supposed to—"
FLASH!
Brilliant orange light exploded from all seven balls simultaneously. The light shot upward like a pillar, piercing through the evening sky.
"WHOA!" Goten stumbled backward, shielding his eyes.
CRACK. CRACK. CRACK.
The sky itself seemed to split apart. Darkness spread from the point where the pillar of light touched the clouds, swallowing the blue evening sky in seconds. The sun disappeared behind a supernatural shadow.
From the surrounding areas came shouts of alarm:
"What the hell?!"
"It's happening again!"
"Everyone, stay calm! It's just a storm brewing!"
But not everyone was calm.
SCREECH. CRASH.
A hovercar in the distance swerved, clipping a building. Its alarm wailed into the suddenly dark afternoon.
And then—
ROOOOOAAAAAR!
The sound was primal, ancient, powerful enough to make the rubble around them vibrate. From within the pillar of light, a form began to emerge. Massive. Serpentine. Green scales gleaming with otherworldly luminescence.
Shenron, the Eternal Dragon, manifested in all his terrible glory.
His body coiled through the air, easily three hundred feet long, his antlered head large enough to swallow a house. Red eyes burned with power older than human civilization.
"YOU WHO HAVE GATHERED THE SEVEN DRAGON BALLS." Shenron's voice boomed across West City, echoing off ruined buildings and intact ones alike. Citizens up to a mile away could hear him clearly. "STATE YOUR WISH. I SHALL GRANT YOU ANY THREE WISHES WITHIN MY POWER."
Goten squeaked and dove behind Gohan despite having seen Shenron multiple times before. Something about the dragon's presence never stopped being terrifying.
Chi-Chi stepped forward, her voice remarkably steady. "Eternal Dragon! We wish to revive three warriors who fell in the battle against Majin Buu. Bring back to life Tien Shinhan, Krillin, and Yamcha!"
Shenron's eyes blazed brighter. "YOUR WISH IS SIMPLE. IT SHALL BE GRANTED."
The dragon's eyes began to glow, red light intensifying until it was almost painful to look at. Energy crackled around his form. like reality itself being rewritten.
"THE THREE WARRIORS SHALL BE REVIVED AT THE LOCATION OF THEIR DEATHS."
FLASH!
Three points of light erupted across West City, one in the downtown crater where Tien had fallen, one near the western shopping district where Krillin had been vaporized, and one in the industrial zone where Yamcha had died.
The light faded.
"YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED." Shenron's coils shifted, scales catching the otherworldly light. "YOU HAVE TWO WISHES REMAINING."
Bulma and Chi-Chi exchanged glances. Two wishes left.
"We don't need the other wishes right now," Bulma called up to the dragon. "Thank you, Shenron. That's all."
For a moment, the dragon's massive head tilted slightly, as if surprised. Usually, people use all their wishes.
"VERY WELL. FAREWELL."
FLASH!
Shenron exploded into light, his form dissolving into seven points of brilliance. The Dragon Balls shot into the sky in different directions, scattering across the planet to await the next summoning.
The darkness retreated from the sky. The sun returned, warm evening light flooding back over West City.
And in three separate locations across the city, three men opened their eyes, gasping their first breaths of renewed life.
---
GASP!
Tien Shinhan's eyes snapped open, all three of them. He was flat on his back in a crater, staring up at the early evening sky. His body ached in phantom pains, memories of overusing the Kikoho flooding back.
"What the—" He sat up slowly, checking himself over. Arms? Present. Legs? Working. Three eyes? All functional.
The last thing he remembered was pouring every ounce of his life force into that final Kikoho, holding back Kid Buu for just a few more seconds. And then... nothing. Darkness. The otherworld?
But now he was back. Back in the crater he'd died in.
"I'm alive?" His hands pressed against the ground. Real. Solid. "The Dragon Balls. They must have—"
WHOOSH.
A figure landed beside him in a swirl of disturbed dust. Tien's hand snapped up defensively before recognizing—
"Piccolo!"
The Namekian looked him over with that perpetually stern expression. "Good. You're coherent. Can you stand?"
"I think so." Tien got to his feet shakily, legs remembering how to support his weight. "What happened? Kid Buu—"
"It's destroyed." Piccolo's voice held satisfaction. "Completely annihilated. Earth is safe now."
"Goku and Vegeta?" Hope sparked in Tien's eyes. "Did they—"
"It's... complicated." Piccolo's expression darkened. "Come on. Everyone's gathering at Capsule Corp. We'll explain everything there."
Something in Piccolo's tone sent a chill down Tien's spine. "Piccolo, what aren't you telling me?"
"I can't tell you here." The Namekian placed a hand on Tien's shoulder. "Let's find the others first."
---
GASP!
Krillin shot upright like he'd been electrocuted, his bald head gleaming in the returning sunlight. He was in the ruins of what used to be a shopping center, surrounded by rubble and destroyed storefronts.
"Holy crap!" His hands patted his chest, his arms, his face. "I'm alive! I'm actually alive!"
The memory of Kid Buu's pink energy blast consuming him was still fresh. One second he'd been rushing to help Tien, the next—
"Damn...that thing really packed a punch."
"Krillin!"
He spun to see Gohan landing nearby, the young half-Saiyan's face breaking into a relieved smile.
"Gohan!" Krillin jumped up, immediately stumbling. His legs weren't quite ready for sudden movement. "Whoa, head rush. Being dead and then suddenly not dead is really disorienting!"
Gohan caught his arm, steadying him. "Easy. Take a second to adjust."
"What happened? How long was I...?" Krillin's eyes widened. "Oh man, Eighteen is going to kill me for dying again! And Marron! Does she know her dad died? Does Eighteen—"
"Everyone's fine." Gohan's voice was soothing in that way it got when he was trying to keep someone calm. "Eighteen and Marron are safe. They weren't anywhere near the fighting."
"Thank Kami." Krillin's shoulders sagged with relief. Then he straightened. "Wait. If everyone's fine and I'm alive again, that means you guys won! You beat Kid Buu!"
"Yeah." Gohan's smile faltered slightly. "We beat him."
"That's great! So Goku and Vegeta must have—"
"Krillin." Gohan's hand tightened on his shoulder. "I need you to come with me. We need to talk. All of us."
That same chill Tien had felt crept up Krillin's spine. "Gohan? What's wrong? Did something happen to Goku?"
"I'll explain at Capsule Corp. Come on."
---
GASP!
Yamcha's eyes flew open, and the first thing he saw was a broken streetlight hanging precariously above him.
"Oh thank god!" He rolled sideways just as—
CRASH!
The streetlight fell exactly where his head had been, shattering against the pavement.
"Still got those reflexes!" Yamcha pumped his fist, then paused. "Wait. I died. I definitely died. That pink monster blasted me and Krillin and—" His hands flew to his chest. "But I'm fine? I'm alive? The Dragon Balls!"
"Yamcha!"
He looked up to see Bulma's aircar descending. The blue-haired scientist waved from the pilot seat, though her smile seemed forced.
"Bulma!" Yamcha scrambled to his feet as the car landed. "Man, am I glad to see you! I thought for sure that was it for me. That Kid Buu guy was no joke!"
Bulma climbed out of the car, and Yamcha noticed her eyes were red-rimmed. Had she been crying?
"Bulma? Are you okay?" He moved toward her. "Did something—"
"Get in the car, Yamcha." Her voice was tight. "We're going back to Capsule Corp."
"Uh, sure, but—"
"Just get in." She was already climbing back into the pilot's seat. "Everyone's meeting there. We need to... we have to tell you something."
Yamcha's stomach dropped. That tone. He'd known Bulma since they were teenagers, and that tone never meant anything good.
He climbed into the passenger seat silently.
The flight back to Capsule Corp took five minutes. Five minutes of uncomfortable silence. Yamcha tried three times to start a conversation, but Bulma's rigid posture and white-knuckled grip on the controls stopped him each time.
Something was very, very wrong.
---
Capsule Corp's main grounds were already crowded when they started arriving.
THUD. THUD. THUD.
Piccolo landed first, Tien beside him. The triclops looked around at the assembled group, Chi-Chi, Goten, Trunks, Gohan, Bulma...his three eyes narrowing in confusion.
"Where are Goku and Vegeta?" Tien asked immediately. "I don't sense their ki anywhere. Are they still recovering from the battle?"
Chi-Chi's hands clenched around her handkerchief.
WHOOSH.
Gohan arrived with Krillin, the shorter fighter looking around with similar confusion.
"Yeah, I was gonna ask the same thing." Krillin scratched his bald head. "It's weird not sensing Goku's ki. Usually he's like a beacon, you know? You can feel him from miles away."
"And Vegeta." Tien crossed his arms. "Even when he's suppressing his power, there's always that edge to his energy. That stupid prideful intensity."
VROOM.
Bulma's aircar landed last, Yamcha climbing out and immediately joining the others.
"Okay, seriously, what's going on?" Yamcha looked from face to face. "Why does everyone look like someone died? We beat the bad guy, right? Earth is safe?"
"Earth is safe." Piccolo's deep voice cut through the rising tension. "Kid Buu was completely destroyed."
"Then what's with the funeral vibes?" Krillin's eyes fell on Chi-Chi, who had turned away, shoulders shaking. "Chi-Chi? What's wrong?"
Goten moved to his mother's side, wrapping his small arms around her waist. The seven-year-old's face was set in that too-old expression he'd been wearing lately.
Tien's warrior instincts kicked in, reading the body language of everyone present. "Something happened during the fight. Something beyond just defeating the enemy."
"You could say that." Gohan stepped forward, and Yamcha noticed the young scholar's hands were trembling slightly. "After you three fell, Kid Buu became even more powerful. More destructive. We were losing. Badly. Piccolo called Bulma, and they gathered the Dragon Balls to... to bring back help."
"Bring back help?" Krillin's eyes widened. "You mean Goku! That makes sense. He was already dead, so reviving him would—"
"They wished for both Goku and Vegeta." Gohan's voice was hollow. "Mom and Bulma used the Dragon Balls to wish both of them back to life. To help us defeat Kid Buu."
"Okay..." Yamcha drew out the word. "So they came back and beat Kid Buu. That's great! So where are they now? Off training somewhere?"
"Shenron couldn't find them." Bulma's voice was barely above a whisper. She'd moved to stand beside Chi-Chi, both women supporting each other. "When we made the wish, the dragon said he couldn't find two separate souls by those names."
The three revived warriors exchanged confused glances.
"Couldn't find them?" Tien's brow furrowed. "How is that possible? They were in the otherworld. The Dragon Balls can definitely reach there."
"He could sense them." Piccolo's arms were crossed so tightly his knuckles had gone pale green. "But not as separate entities."
"I don't understand." Krillin shook his head. "What does 'not as separate entities' even mean?"
Gohan took a deep breath. "Before they died, in the otherworld, Dad and Vegeta fought a demon named Janemba. They couldn't beat him separately, so they used the fusion dance."
"The fusion dance?" Yamcha perked up. "Oh yeah! Goku taught that to Goten and Trunks. So they fused into... what was it called? Vageku?"
"Uh...something like that." Gohan's voice cracked, he was too down to even correct him. "They became Gogeta. And something went wrong. The fusion was supposed to last thirty minutes like always. But the otherworld's spiritual environment, combined with the massive amount of power they used to defeat Janemba... it made the fusion permanent."
The evening air seemed to freeze.
"Permanent?" Tien's third eye blinked independently of the other two. "Fusion can't be permanent. It's always temporary. That's the entire point of the dance, right?"
"Normally, yes." Piccolo stepped forward. "But the otherworld isn't normal. Its spiritual energy is different, unique. When they performed the fusion there and then released that much power fighting Janemba, the otherworld's energy essentially... locked the fusion. Welded their souls together at a fundamental level."
"No." Krillin's voice was small. "No, that's... you're saying Goku and Vegeta are gone? Like, actually gone?"
"Their souls merged completely." Gohan's eyes were wet now. "There's no way to separate them. The Dragon Balls can't do it. Even King Yemma confirmed it's impossible. Goku and Vegeta no longer exist as individual beings."
"But—" Yamcha's brain struggled to process. "But you said Shenron revived them. How did he revive them if they don't exist anymore?"
"He revived what was left." Chi-Chi's voice was raw, broken. "The fusion. Gogeta. That's what came back."
Silence fell over the group like a shroud.
Tien's legs gave out. He sat down hard on the grass, his three eyes staring at the ground. "Gone. Master Roshi's student is just... gone."
"Goku..." Krillin's voice cracked. "But he always comes back. Every time. He always finds a way to come back!"
"Not this time." Bulma's composure was cracking again. "This time, he can't. Because he doesn't exist anymore to come back."
Yamcha was shaking his head in denial. "There has to be something. Some technique, some—"
"There's nothing." Piccolo's voice cut through like a blade. "I've researched every form of fusion known. Namekian fusion is also permanent, and there's never been a recorded case of undoing it. Once souls merge at that level, they cannot be separated. Ever."
"So this Gogeta guy..." Tien looked up, his warrior's mind trying to find logic in the impossible. "He has their memories? Their powers?"
"Everything." Gohan wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "He remembers being both of them. All their experiences, all their training, all their feelings. He IS them, in a way. But he's also someone new. Someone who's never existed before."
"Where is he?" Krillin asked quietly.
"Away." Chi-Chi's voice held an edge. "He's giving us space. Giving us time to... to process."
"So let me get this straight." Yamcha held up his hands, trying to organize his thoughts. "Goku and Vegeta fused in the otherworld. The fusion became permanent. They can never be separated. And now there's just... one guy. Gogeta. Who has both their memories and powers but is technically a different person."
"That's the situation." Piccolo confirmed.
"Holy sh##." Yamcha sat down next to Tien.
Krillin was openly crying now. "I just... I can't believe Goku's really gone. After everything we've been through. Every adventure, every battle. He was my best friend. My first real friend. And now..."
"He's not coming back." Tien finished, his voice hollow. "Neither of them are."
Goten's small voice broke the heavy silence. "Gogeta says he has their feelings too. He says Dad's love for us is still there. And Vegeta's love for Trunks and Mom. He says it didn't disappear with the fusion."
"But it's not the same." Trunks' hands were clenched. "Is it? It's someone else feeling those feelings. Someone who just remembers loving us."
"I don't know." Goten's voice was so small. "I don't know what it is."
Krillin wiped his eyes with his forearm. "Does Master Roshi know? Or Chi-Chi's father? Any of them?"
"Not yet." Chi-Chi's voice was strained. "I haven't been able to... how do I tell my father his son-in-law is gone? How do I tell Roshi that his student isn't coming back?"
"We'll help." Tien stood up slowly, his legs steadier now. "This isn't something you should have to handle alone."
"Agreed." Yamcha nodded. "Goku was our friend too. And Vegeta..." He glanced at Bulma. "Vegeta deserves to be remembered properly. Both of them do."
"They're not dead though." Piccolo's voice held a strange note. "That's the complicated part. They're not dead. They're just... changed. Permanently changed."
"So what do we do?" Krillin looked around at the group. "Do we... do we meet this Gogeta guy? Talk to him?"
Chi-Chi and Bulma exchanged glances.
"Eventually." Bulma's jaw was set. "Right now, we're all still processing. Still grieving. Still trying to figure out what this means for... for everything."
"But he's out there somewhere?" Yamcha gestured vaguely. "This fusion? Just... existing?"
"He's alive." Gohan confirmed. "Probably training somewhere remote. Giving us space like Mom asked."
"I want to meet him." Tien's voice was firm. "Not now. But soon. If he has Goku's memories, then he remembers training with me. Remembers the old days before any of this craziness started. I want to see for myself what we're dealing with."
"Me too." Krillin nodded. "Goku was my brother in everything but blood. If this Gogeta has those memories, those feelings... I need to see it with my own eyes."
Bulma looked at Chi-Chi. "What do you think?"
Chi-Chi's hands twisted her handkerchief so hard it was in danger of tearing. "I... I don't know. Maybe. Soon. But not today. I can't handle it today."
"That's fair." Piccolo nodded. "This isn't something that can be rushed. Everyone needs time."
RUMBLE.
All of them looked up as a shadow passed over Capsule Corp.
"Please tell me that's not another threat." Yamcha groaned. "I literally just got un-dead."
But it was just a passing aircraft. The city returning to normal operations. Life continuing despite the impossible grief of a few.
Goten tugged on his mother's sleeve. "Mom? Can we go inside? I'm tired."
Chi-Chi looked down at her youngest son, seeing the exhaustion in his young face. Not just physical exhaustion. But metal exhaustion.
"Yes, baby. Let's go inside."
The group began moving toward Capsule Corp's main building, their movements slow, heavy. Three warriors had been revived today, but the victory felt hollow. Incomplete.
Krillin hung back, falling into step beside Gohan. "Hey. Are you okay? Like, really okay?"
Gohan's scholar's mask slipped for just a moment. "My dad is gone, Krillin. But he's also not gone. He's somewhere else, living in someone else's body, with someone else's identity. How am I supposed to be okay with that?"
"I don't know." Krillin admitted. "I don't think any of us know."
They walked in silence for a moment before Krillin spoke again.
"But Goku wouldn't want us to fall apart over this. You know that, right? Even if he's not... even if he can't be Goku anymore, he'd want his family to be okay. To be strong."
"I know." Gohan's voice was barely audible. "I just... I miss him. And he's not even really gone. That's the worst part. He's not dead where we could honor his memory and move on. He's out there, alive, but as someone else. How do you mourn someone who's technically still alive?"
Krillin had no answer for that.
As the sun set over West City, three warriors had been returned to life, Earth had been saved from total destruction, and yet the victory tasted of ash.
Far away, on a mountain peak that pierced through the clouds—
Gogeta's eyes snapped open.
He'd been meditating in a seated position, legs crossed, hands resting on his knees. The evening wind whipped his black vest and white pants, but he remained perfectly still.
Three ki signatures had just flared to life across West City. Familiar signatures. Ones he remembered from both Goku and Vegeta's perspectives.
"Tien. Krillin. Yamcha." His voice was barely a whisper, carried away by the mountain winds. "Seems they used the Dragon Balls."
He could sense them all now, gathered at Capsule Corp. The three revived warriors. Piccolo's steady presence. Gohan's grief-tinged energy. The smaller, flickering signatures of Goten and Trunks.
And the two he felt most acutely...Chi-Chi and Bulma. Their ki signatures were faint, they were non-combatant after all...but burned in his awareness like beacons.
Every fiber of his being screamed to go to them. Goku's instinct to comfort Chi-Chi, to make sure his sons were okay. Vegeta's protective urge toward Bulma and Trunks.
But he stayed seated. Still. Waiting.
The wind picked up, howling across the mountain peak.
A small rock skittered past his meditation spot, dislodged by the wind. It tumbled over the edge, falling thousands of feet before disappearing into the clouds below.
Gogeta watched it fall.
And somewhere in that darkness, a warrior who was two people and no people waited for a world that didn't know what to do with him.
WHOOOOSH.
A particularly strong gust of wind swept across the peak.
When it passed, the meditation spot was empty.
Gogeta had vanished, leaving no trace he'd ever been there at all.
A/N: Happy new guys, it's been a while...I apologize for the late publishing...been going through school and stuff...not to talk about being shafted on dbl... but anyhow, we move, I guess...so about the book, well... I'm going to be updating it 4 times a week...If possible, but the good news is that I've started making each chapter longer... so I hope you enjoy.