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“You really don’t feel that?”
“Feel what?”
“I don’t know — oh! That!”
He ducked in time to miss the sideswipe from Vegeta’s left leg, then jumped back to dodge the right hook. “Damn it, Kakarot, all I feel is annoyed with you stopping to talk every five seconds!”
“I can’t help it, Vegeta,” Goku said. “Honestly, I’m surprised you can’t feel that.”
Vegeta scoffed like he always did whenever Goku was trying to tell him something and crossed his arms. Today didn’t seem to be a very good one for either of them. Goku had woken up feeling more drained than usual and Vegeta was, well, somehow even more annoyed than he normally was. He briefly considered asking if he’d had a weird sleep too, though he thought better of it. Goku made for the fridge and popped it open, staring at the contents blankly. He wasn’t even really hungry... but a snack probably wouldn’t hurt, right? If anything, it might distract him from that strange feeling in the pit of his gut.
He got about three bites in before it came again, like a lazy wave on the beach. It washed over him and receded just as fast, and even when he tried to focus on it he couldn’t quite place where it was coming from. All he knew was that it just felt off somehow. Like something was wrong.
“Say, Vegeta...”
“If you’re going to ask me whether or not I can ‘feel that,’ Kakarot, I will—”
“I’m serious!” Given the shade of red his face turned, Goku thought Vegeta might actually explode. He smiled awkwardly and held up both hands in apology. “Alright, you win! I’ll stop talking about it!”
But he couldn’t stop thinking about it. They’d been in the chamber for close to a year now and as the days wore on, the feeling only got stronger. It was getting harder and harder to ignore, even when he was in the middle of a fight with Vegeta, and it started to show in how often he’d hesitate or drop his guard. The other Saiyan certainly had no problem exploiting those openings and mocking him for it. Eventually, a few hours before their time was up, Goku threw in the towel to Vegeta’s incredible disappointment.
“Maybe I’m just tired, you know? We’ve been here a long time.”
He wasn’t convinced of that one himself, but when the door finally opened and they stepped out, he realized that he was right about his weird feeling. Something had been wrong after all, considering they were instantly greeted by a concerned looking Dende and Mr. Popo.
“I can’t believe it! You guys are really alive after all!” Dende said. Goku and Vegeta exchanged confused glances.
“What the hell does that mean?” Vegeta snapped.
“Why wouldn’t we be alive?” Goku asked, rubbing the back of his neck. “Did something happen while we were gone?” He had the strangest sense of deja vu, though he couldn’t quite figure out why.
“Are you kidding? You really didn’t... of course not,” Dende started, then looked to Mr. Popo awkwardly. Come to think of it, now that Goku was looking, Dende looked a bit different. Taller. Older. Did he grow that much in just a year?
“So it’s true. You’re alive.”
They turned to see Piccolo standing some feet away, staring at them with his arms crossed. “Hey, Piccolo!” Goku said with a wave.
“After all this time and that’s all you have to say?” Piccolo replied, though there wasn’t any anger in his tone.
“What are you talking about? It’s only been a year,” Goku said. The look on Piccolo’s face struck him as odd. “Uh, right, guys? It’s just been a year.”
Piccolo shook his head. “It’s been twenty-four years since anyone last saw either of you.”
The combined yells between him and Vegeta nearly shook the Lookout.
“What?! How is that possible?!”
“Why didn’t you get us out?!”
“What happened?!”
“Oh, Chi-Chi is gonna kill me...”
Several minutes of yelling and arguing continued on before both Goku and Vegeta had calmed down. According to Dende, something went wrong with the chamber and all attempts to get them out failed. The only explanation they could see was that the two must have been drawn into some kind of time-related vortex but if you asked Goku to repeat anything that they said, you’d be asking a lot. And not just for the fact that all he could think about was how mad his wife was going to be when he finally saw her again. Somehow, he knew this was probably going to be his fault. He was relieved to see Vegeta almost as nervous as he was because facing an angry Bulma wasn’t exactly a walk in the park either.
Piccolo joined Goku as he made his way home, catching him up with everything that had happened in his absence.
“Wow, so no one tried to attack while we were gone?” Goku asked, genuinely surprised. Piccolo nodded. “Huh. Well, that’s pretty lucky. Does everyone still train at least?”
“Gohan’s been keeping up, just in case. Goten and his wife run a dojo so—”
He practically screeched to a halt. “Whoa! Wife?!”
“He’s thirty-two, Goku.”
“Oh... oh, right.” Goku rubbed the back of his head awkwardly and tried not to think about how odd it was that only a year ago his son was still just a kid and now he was a married man. “Wait, then that means Pan must be, uh...”
“Twenty-five. And just married, in case you were wondering.”
He had to work not to let the dizziness get to him. Goten wasn’t even a teenager when he went into the chamber and Pan was just a little baby. Coming out to find all this out was a bit...much. By the time they got to his house, he wasn’t even sure what to expect. At this point, he was perfectly happy to see his wife running outside to yell at him. And, boy, did she let him have it.
“Do you have any idea how worried we were?! You’ve got a lot of nerve disappearing like that for so long! A couple of years is one thing but twenty-four?!” Chi-Chi was angry, sure, but she seemed relieved. When she finished yelling, she hugged him tighter than she’d ever hugged him before. “I missed you, Goku.”
“Aw, Chi-Chi. I missed you too. I promise I’m done with the chamber. At least until we find out what went wrong with it, anyway.”
He couldn’t really say how the rest of the evening went. She cooked him dinner and they talked a little, but for the life of him, he couldn’t remember many details. He chalked it up to being tired or overwhelmed or maybe both, and by the next morning, he was slightly less dizzy than he’d been the day before. As Chi-Chi prepared breakfast, he busied himself looking over their farm. It looked like someone had been taking care of it in his absence, and he frowned at the thought of Chi-Chi doing it on her own.
“Man, I really didn’t mean to be gone so long,” he muttered to himself. The sound and sight of approaching vehicles caught his attention. Two cars, one red and one blue, parked outside his house and as he got closer, he realized who they were.
“Dad!” Both Goten and Gohan rushed to meet him in the field. They all hugged one another, laughing and none of them really able to form sentences.
“Holy cow you’re tall!” Goku said, putting a hand on the top of Goten’s head. His son’s hair had grown out to his shoulders but it looked like his bangs still did the same thing his own did. “Your mom really let you get away with not cutting that?”
Goten grinned. “So long as I help with the farm, she doesn’t mind! Plus, I told her my wife likes it.”
“Oh, that’s right. I sure missed a lot.” Goku stepped back and put his hands on his sides so he could get a good look at his boys. Goten changed the most, of course, but for so many years to have passed, Gohan barely looked over thirty himself. He lacked his usual glasses and vest getup, instead wearing something more casual. Goten was in the same boat with his jeans and t-shirt.
“So, who’d you get married to? Anyone I know?” he joked.
Goten laughed. “Probably not, dad. Her name’s Valese. She should be inside with mom and the kids.”
“Kids, too?!” Goku could hardly keep up with all the information thrown at him, but he couldn’t deny how exciting it was.
“Yep! Two boys! Kaseru and Suna,” Goten said, beaming with pride. “Kaseru just had his tenth birthday and Suna’s six.”
“Wow! And Piccolo said you run a dojo, right? So I bet they’re fighters too,” Goku said, perhaps a bit too hopeful at the prospect. Goten nodded quickly.
“Come on, let’s go inside so you can meet them!” Goten said and turned to lead the way.
“Videl’s inside too,” Gohan added as they walked toward the house. “Pan’s on her honeymoon right now, but she said she’d come back early to see you.”
Considering everything, Goku didn’t really mind too much. Meeting Goten’s family took up enough of his time and attention. Valese was a nice lady and he could definitely see why Goten married her. And their kids were plenty of fun to be around. Kaseru was deeply interested in the time chamber and Suna seemed totally mesmerized by his hair. So much so that at one point, the little boy was practically sitting on his head pushing and pulling at the strands.
But even surrounded by his family, laughing and talking and eating, that uneasy feeling came back. He ignored it at first, though as the night wore down it became more and more difficult to do so. It felt like something was calling him. Or maybe someone.
“Grandpa?” He blinked and looked up as much as he could, barely able to see Suna leaning forward to look down at him curiously. Goku smiled wide and reached up to pull Suna down into his lap.
“Hey sorry, buddy! Why don’t you tell me more about that game you like playing?”
An hour later and Suna was asleep in his arms. Goten carefully picked him up and headed to the spare bedroom with the rest of his family. Videl and Gohan went to Gohan’s old room to sleep and Chi-Chi started talking to him about...well, something. Goku wasn’t really paying attention, not while that feeling was still nagging at him. His gaze was drawn to the window, looking out across the darkened fields while he tried to pinpoint where that feeling was coming from.
“Goku! Hello?! Are you even listening to me?” Chi-Chi demanded, waving her hand in front of his face.
“Huh? Oh, sorry, Chi-Chi,” he said, sheepishly. “I guess I’m still trying to take everything in! I think I need to go for a walk or something. Clear my head.”
Chi-Chi frowned at him. “You’re not going to leave us again, are you?”
“What? Of course not! You know I didn’t mean to be gone so long,” he said. She didn’t seem convinced, so he offered a wide smile. “Don’t worry! It’s just a quick walk. I’m here to stay, Chi-Chi, I promise.”
Once he was outside, though, there was nothing to distract him. He closed his eyes and focused on the feeling, blocking out everything else while he did. The more he reached for it, the more it seemed to pull away. Either it wanted to be followed, or it didn’t want to be found at all. Naturally, Goku chose to follow it. He hopped into the air and took off after it, hurtling through the sky as fast as his body could take him.
The further he traveled, the stronger it got. But something else happened too — uncertainty clouded his mind seemingly out of nowhere. Doubt crept in. His mind asked why he was chasing something that clearly didn’t want to be found. Second guesses. Questions.
All things that told Goku he was doing exactly what he needed to be doing. Something wasn’t right about any of this, and he needed to find out what it was.
The feeling led him to the coast of the mainland. There wasn’t much out here — further out were some islands, none of them worth much note. Yet even as he thought that he felt compelled to go toward them. He smiled to himself, but just as he was about to go forward, he heard a small voice behind him.
“Grandpa? Where are you going?” Suna asked, staring at him with wide, curious eyes.
Goku blinked. “Hang on...did you...did you follow me all the way here?” he asked.
Suna nodded happily. “You fly fast!”
“Yeah...yeah, I do.” It was odd. Really odd, actually. He’d seen a lot of weird things in his time, but a six-year-old flying that fast somehow seemed strange. Then again, Gohan had been pretty quick at that age too. “You probably should’ve stayed back at the house with your mom and dad. But I guess you can come with me if you want!”
Suna looked uncertain. “I wanna go home,” he said.
Goku awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck and glanced over his shoulder at the direction he’d been planning to go. “Well…” Suna sniffled and when Goku looked at him again, his eyes were full of tears. “Oh, hey, don’t do that, little guy! We’ll go back. Don’t worry about it. In fact, why don’t we take a shortcut?”
“A... a shortcut?” Suna asked. Goku nodded and moved to scoop him up in his arms.
“Hold on, okay?” He put two fingers to his forehead and winked down at his grandson. A second later, they were back in his living room. Suna shrieked and threw his arms around Goku’s neck in surprise, and he couldn’t help but chuckle at the reaction. “It’s alright! See? We’re back home, just like you wanted! And in record time, too.”
The boy reluctantly pulled away so he could look around, then let out a delighted giggle. “Again! Again!” he cried and Goku laughed. He popped them around the farm for a bit before he remembered that he was in the middle of something.
Getting Suna calmed down enough to go back to bed was a whole different challenge in and of itself, and he cursed himself for being so eager to amuse his grandson. By the time that was done, he was exhausted. That kid sure had a lot more energy than he expected. He couldn’t remember either Gohan or Goten being that determined to wear him down.
“I’ll try again in the morning,” he said to himself as he climbed into bed. The next morning wasn’t any less chaotic than the day before; both Suna and Kaseru seemed completely enthralled by his very presence, to the point where he was finding it difficult to focus on one thing at a time. Granted, he kind of loved it. Those boys were definitely going to grow up to be powerhouses in their own right if the strength of their hits was any indication. And when Vegeta showed up with his family, the chaos doubled. Trunks brought Mai with him, and he was surprised to see a totally grown-up Bulla. She didn’t really seem to appreciate his jokes about how much she’d grown, though Bulma assured him she was fine.
So far the gathering was a lot of fun, but Chi-Chi seemed to be having a hard time dealing with it all.
“They could’ve at least brought some food with them,” she grumbled to him when he walked into the kitchen for a glass of water.
“Hey, speaking of food! Any chance you can make those dumplings I like?” he asked, then immediately recoiled when she rounded on him with a glare.
“Do you have any idea how long those take?! You couldn’t have asked earlier?!”
He laughed nervously. “W-Well, it’s just that it’s been so long since I’ve had your delicious cooking!”
That seemed to soften her up, at least enough that she huffed and turned back to the stove. “I’ll see what I can do. You better go out there and make sure everyone’s happy, you got that! Go be a proper host to your guests!”
“You got it, Chi-Chi!”
Of course, by proper host she clearly meant entertain and by entertain she clearly meant training. He and Vegeta sparred before Goten and Trunks tapped in, and even the little ones got involved. They only got so much fun out of it before Chi-Chi came running out to scold him and tell them all that it was time to eat. About halfway through lunch, Goku realized that feeling still hadn’t gone away. He swallowed a dumpling whole so that he could address Vegeta.
“Hey, you know that feeling I was talking about? It’s still there,” he said. “I was thinking while you’re here, you and me could go see what it’s about.”
Vegeta scoffed. “And waste my time? I don’t think so.”
“Aw, come on, Vegeta! I’m serious, this could really turn out to be something. I can tell there’s something up with it,” he said, doing his best to keep his voice down so Chi-Chi didn’t hear.
“No, Kakarot. I’m already in enough trouble as it is without you dragging me into more.”
Goku frowned. “Aren’t you at least a little curious? This could turn out to be the reason we were trapped in there for so long.”
Something odd happened then. He could’ve sworn he saw Vegeta completely freeze — and not just freeze like not move, but completely freeze. No breathing, no blinking, nothing. But when he blinked himself, it was as if it never happened. Vegeta shook his head and scowled at him. “Drop it, Kakarot. I’m not going with you.”
“Huh... well, alright,” he said. He’d just resolved to go by himself when Pan arrived and he quickly threw that idea out the window. She hurried to hug him and once that was out of the way, he was pleased to see she’d taken after him in more than just a couple of ways.
“Holy cow, seriously?! World Martial Arts Champion twice in a row?!” Goku exclaimed.
“You know it! And I plan to keep the title longer than Granddad did, too!” Pan said.
“So that means you must be a pretty good fighter, huh?” he said with a grin.
“I’d watch out, dad,” Gohan quickly interjected. “Not just for the fact Mom will kill you if she catches you, but also because Pan’s a lot stronger than she looks.”
“It’s okay, Gohan!” Goku said, then turned back to Pan and whispered. “Come on, we can find somewhere where Chi-Chi won’t notice.” Pan smiled wide and the two managed to sneak off without Chi-Chi noticing. They fought for a time, with Goku genuinely and pleasantly surprised at how well she handled herself even against him. But by the end, he couldn’t be entirely sure of how the fight went exactly. She was fast, sure, though she couldn’t have been so fast that he couldn’t have kept up, right?
“You didn’t time-skip did you?” he teased.
She gave him an odd look and laughed. “No, but is that a technique I should learn next?”
“Best not! It’s definitely not tournament legal to use something like that.”
JIJI!
Goku paused. He thought for a second that one of the kids was calling him, but none of them called him that. They all just called him grandpa, not Jiji. He looked around, trying to see the source of the yell, and found nothing. Nothing except that realization that it’d come from the same direction that feeling was coming from.
“Grandpa, what are you—”
He didn’t hear the rest of what she said before he’d instantly transmitted back to the coast. Goku stared at the horizon only for a moment until he’d made up his mind. There was nothing to distract him now. He had to figure out what that was.
“Dad, wait!” Gohan hurried to get in front of him. “Where are you going?”
Goku had to do a double-take. “Gohan? How did you...but I was just...look, it doesn’t matter. I just need to check something. I’ll be quick, I promise.”
“You can’t. Dad, you just got back.”
He had to laugh. “I’m not gonna take that long, I swear!” Gohan was undeterred and quickly shook his head.
“If you go out there, you won’t come back,” he said. “Just come home. Stay with us this time. Please.”
His son’s pleas, the feeling in his gut, and questions once again filling his mind, asking why he would want to leave everyone behind again — all of it led him to the same conclusion from before: he had to go out there. He smiled and put his hand on Gohan’s shoulder, squeezing it gently. “I love you, son.”
“Dad, no,” Gohan started, but Goku had already made up his mind. He took off, ignoring Gohan as he yelled after him and ignoring the doubt that seized the edges of his mind. Whatever was going on, whatever was messing with him like this, he’d put an end to it.
As an island came into view, the feeling became so strong that it nearly overwhelmed him. It was like his entire body was enveloped in a cold blanket, wrapping around every limb and spreading out all the way down to his fingers and toes. What’s more, was that the island itself seemed strange. When he landed, the sand beneath his feet was black and smooth, and as he walked across the beach he realized that the trees seemed flat somehow. The treeline itself seemed to disappear the closer he got, though as he continued on he caught sight of a mesa off in the distance. He hopped up to fly toward it, but when he did it felt as if gravity had increased significantly.
“Gonna take more than that,” he said, both to himself and whatever it was trying to keep him away.
Like the sand below him, the mesa was smooth and solid black. Gravity continued to weigh him down, doubling in strength the second he got too close, so he relented enough to land at its base. He reached out to touch the side of it, laying his palm flat on it and closing his eyes to focus. This was the source of that weird feeling he’d been having. He knew it was.
He tapped the side of the mesa only a couple of times before he punched a small hole into it. Satisfied, he used it to lift himself up, then began repeating the process over and over, punching little holes to grab and use to climb up the side. Not being able to fly was kind of a pain, but at least he was getting some exercise out of it. The higher up he got the thinner the air was, and by the time he reached the top, he was out of breath. But he didn’t have much opportunity to breathe, not now that he’d come face to face with a massive skull. If he didn’t know any better, he might’ve thought it belonged to Shenron.
I have been waiting for you, Son Goku.
The voice was accompanied by indistinct whispers and rumbled deep, sinking under his skin and putting him on edge almost immediately. He could sense its power and yet it was unlike anything he’d ever felt before. “If you were looking for a fight, you could’ve just asked. Who are you?”
I am your salvation, Warrior Mine.
“Salvation? Salvation from what?”
From yourself.
“Myself?” Goku stepped forward. “Hold on a minute. It was you... you trapped us in the chamber!”
I brought you here so that you might find peace. I brought you here because you are special.
“Peace, huh?” He wasn’t sure he bought that. “What do you really want?”
You.
“W-Wait, stop!” Goku looked back to see a girl struggling to climb up the side. Once she made it, she took a second to brush herself up before she stood upright. “I- wow. Wow, you’re really...it’s really you.”
Between the skull, the voice, and now this girl, Goku was pretty much lost. He shifted his weight and sighed, one hand going to the back of his neck automatically. “You know, I’ve been hearing that a lot lately. So, are you here to tell me to go home?”
She shook her head, taking in deep breaths as she did. It was as if she was having trouble breathing. “Look, I don’t have a lot of time, but I...I’m here to stop you from making a mistake.”