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Chapter 5
Gohan had no idea what was happening above him. After his initial reaction, he had turned his eyes towards the body of his mother and began to drift down towards it. He wasn't entirely sure what he planned on doing once he got down there, maybe just find something to cover the grotesque sight, but he never got the chance to find out. Just before he touched down, Gohan heard a loud crash behind him. Turning, he gaped at the scene before him. Piccolo lay embedded in the ground, senseless. Above him, Goten had jumped to Super Saiya-jin, and was powering up a huge ki blast that would be more than enough to kill the older Nameck.
Gohan's brain simply refused to acknowledge what was happening. How could his brother be attacking Piccolo? It simply didn't make… and then his befuddled senses registered Goten's glazed eyes and fevered mutterings.
"I've gotta stop you! No more people, everyone's gone… You did it! You're not him, you're not my dad, you can't be! Gotta stop you… No more! You…"
Understanding hit Gohan so hard it almost made him reel. Goten had cracked under all the horrors he had witnessed, and in this state had mistaken Piccolo for Kakarotto and had attacked. Unfortunately, the revelation came seconds too late. As his mind finally came to grips with what was occurring, Gohan's eyes continued to take in the events. Piccolo had just begun to stir, but Goten had already launched his blast and there was no way for the Nameck to move in time. Without even consciously realizing it, Gohan began to move.
Piccolo could feel the energy as it approached, and knew it would certainly kill him. Vainly, he tried to get up, to make his body respond to the commands his mind was giving it. It would only take a few more seconds before he could recover enough to move a non-lethal distance from the point of impact, but those were seconds he simply did not have. Still trying to escape the blast, Piccolo mentally braced himself for the moment of searing pain that he knew would come.
And then, it didn't. Another voice let out a sharp cry, as Piccolo felt another energy appear between himself and the one meant to kill him. Piccolo opened his eyes, squinting against the brightness of the ki blast he knew was hanging just above him, and gasped. Standing between himself and death was Gohan, arms outstretched and taking the full force of the blast. Hearing his mentor moving behind him, Gohan managed to smile through his pain. It had taken sixteen years, but he had managed to return Piccolo's gift from so long ago. As the blast dissipated, Gohan fell forward and was caught by the one he had seen as a second father for so long.
"Baka," Piccolo said softly, holding Gohan. "They need you more than they need me."
"Gomen… Piccolo-san…" Gohan gasped out, still smiling. "Please tell… Goten… I understood…and… it's… okay……" And then the warrior was still.
Above them, Goten looked at what he had done in horror. He had come to his senses right as Gohan threw himself in front of the blast, but there was nothing he could have done. Tears cut twin paths down Goten's cheeks as he watched Piccolo bow his head over the son he had adopted as his own.
A raucous laugh interrupted the tender moment, cutting through pain and tears like a rusty blade, leaving harsh wounds in its wake. Piccolo and Goten turned to see Kakarotto observing the scene, laughing at the irony of it all.
"Oh, how touching," he said, still chuckling at the sight of Gohan's still form. "And how fortunate for me!" He turned to Goten and gave a mocking bow to the boy. "I really must thank you for taking care of that pesky little problem for me. How funny, taking the Nameck to be me, and then the boy jumping in front of that blast…" Kakarotto began to laugh again, squeezing his eyes shut in mirth.
Lifting his lip in a snarl, Piccolo let loose with a blast that would wipe the laughter off Kakarotto's face in addition to taking his head off. And at the last possible second, Kakarotto dodged, smirking at the green alien.
"Too slow," he taunted, but was brought up short as a burning pain engulfed his body, brought on by the second blast he had not noticed and had moved directly into. With a last effort, he turned and saw Goten, his eyes twin pools of undiluted hate, his hand still smoking slightly from the huge amount of energy that had just left it. He managed to growl out, "You…" before the blast overcame him and he felt no more.
Only after Kakarotto's blackened body landed and adamantly refused to move did Goten allow himself to give in to the exhaustion of releasing so much energy twice in a short time. His eyes rolled back into his head as his hair changed from gold to black and he fell from the sky. Piccolo caught him halfway, checking to make sure exhaustion was the only thing that had caused him to black out. Satisfied, Piccolo carried the young warrior and his brother away from the battle scene to the small cave where Dende and Mr. Popo were waiting for them.
It took awhile to fully explain to Dende what had occurred from the time Piccolo had left to help fight until he had returned. Not a few tears were shed by the young Kami as he heard the story, his strong sense of empathy redoubling the pain. He healed Piccolo and Goten, and the four survivors began the labor of collecting the dead and gathering the dragon balls. Goten remained silent and withdrawn as he went about his tasks, never speaking nor acknowledging when he had been spoken to. Countless times Dende assured the boy that everyone could be returned to life, including the Goku side of his father, and Kakarotto could be destroyed, but still Goten refused to be part of the world.
In a little over a day, everything was complete. A place on Kami's lookout out been cleared, the dragon balls were gathered, and the bodies of friends and family who had been killed were laid out, waiting for life to be poured back into them. After a last assurance by Dende that a wish to revive everyone destroyed by Kakarotto would include Goku, the young Kami began.
"Come out, Shenlon, and grant my wish!" Dende shouted to the sky as the seven dragon balls glowed orange in front of him. Still as impressive as ever, Shenlon rose from the balls and hung in the now-black sky, his massive form filling the heavens.
"State your wish."
Dende's voice rang out clearly as he spoke. "Shenlon, I wish for all who were destroyed by Kakarotto to be brought back to life!"
"It shall be done," the dragon rumbled. His eyes glowed red, and a few moments later everyone who had been dead a moment before took a sudden breath. Smiling, Dende began the next wish.
"Shenlon, I wish for the evil side of Goku, Kakarotto, to be sealed away forever!" The dragon's eyes glowed.
"It has been done," he replied.
Piccolo put his hand on Dende's shoulder. "Remember, Goku has been wished back to life by this dragon before, so we need this last wish to get to Nameck and use their dragon balls."
Dende took a breath, then stiffened before he was able to speak a single word. After a moment, his shoulders slumped and he managed a reply.
"Th-that won't be… necessary," he said, fighting back tears. Turning to face everyone who was now alive and staring at him in puzzlement, Dende drew in a shaky breath.
"If you kill somebody who is already dead, they simply cease to exist and the dragon balls cannot bring them back."
"W-what do you mean?" Chichi asked nervously.
"When Kakarotto was killed, he was naturally sent to Hell. There, all of Goku's old enemies who weren't reincarnated attacked him. H-He was doing really well, but when we wished Kakarotto sealed away it made him black out for just a moment, and… and that was all they needed…"
Nobody could think of anything to say. The dragon rumbled, reminding all gathered of his presence. Shaking himself a little, Piccolo managed to think of a wish and restored all the property that had been damaged or destroyed by Kakarotto's rampage, but it seemed a paltry offering in light of what had happened.
At last, the group began to move off, everyone wrapped in his or her own thoughts. Solemnly, they headed for their homes, still unsure of what to do or say. Worst off of all was Goten. This new development had caused him to sink even further into himself, and while he allowed himself to be led towards home by Gohan and Chichi, he never raised his eyes or spoke a word.
Sadly, Dende watched as the Son family left, tears in his eyes. Piccolo stood beside him.
"They'll never be the same," Piccolo said as he followed the group with his eyes. Dende nodded.
"That is true. But hopefully… hopefully they will recover. In time."
The End.
Author's note:
PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!!! With that out of the way, I just wanted to assure everyone who was tremendously upset at the end of this story and wants me to put things right again, there is indeed a sequel in the works. I have no clue when it will get written, but the plot is worked out and it just needs filling-in. And for those who like the dramatic ending, feel free to skip the sequel. Thank you.