A/N: Hello everyone! I am really glad that you have joined me for this story! It's been a few years since I have uploaded a story and I really appreciate that you have taken the time to read this. I took an unplanned and abrupt hiatus and I took that time to really improve my writing style so I hope you all enjoy!

Just a reminder that this story is set in the future timeline and it features Gohan and his relationship with many of the characters. However, there are many characters I would like to focus on in this story so it won't just be Gohan. There are some characters that I haven't yet decided if they should be in the story. The only character I know for sure that will not make an appearance in this story is Chiaotzu. I'm sorry, but I am just not familiar enough with his character and when I started writing I just did not see his presence within this story actually serving a purpose. I'm really sorry to those that like him. Also, if you could, I would really appreciate a review or a PM about this; if you like it, dislike it, if I should continue, if this is something you're actually interested in reading, requests, questions...really anything. I will appreciate anything you say about the story. So, now for the disclaimer:

I do not, have not, and will not own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Super, or any of it's characters. The only thing I own is this story and its plot line.

Alright, I think that's it for announcements.

Enjoy!

...

Chapter 1: When Saving One Another, There Are Consequences

The sweat rolled off of his well toned arms as he huffed, out of breath. His hairline soaked with salty sweat the longer he continued to work. His white wife beater was quite soaked as well. He worked while music blasted in the small lab. The room itself, with its surprisingly clean white tiled walls, seemed to sweat with the intense heat just as the young man did.

Putting his torch down and stepping back from his project, the young man took off his mask and exhaled deeply, wiping his forehead with a towel.

The swishing of the sliding door entrance alerted him to his visitor before the voice reached him, "Ugh! Gohan!" the woman exclaimed, "It's like a steam room in here. How many times have I told you to open a window when you do torch work? You're going to suffocate yourself." the woman stated, annoyed and waving a hand in front of her face in a futile attempt to alleviate the heat that was assaulting her. Her normally well kept blue hair starting to frizz with the added moisture in the air. She also glared at the blaring radio.

The young man, Gohan, turned to look at her with a sheepish smile. "Sorry, Bulma, but there aren't any windows in here." He gestured to the four walls around them.

Bulma turned to his radio and turned down the volume, the offending noise fading to quiet murmurs in the background. She turned back around to face Gohan while her hands tried to pat down her hair. The scowl she wore immediately slipped off of her face as she caught sight of something in the corner of her eye. Temporarily forgetting her plights, Bulma tilted her head to the side to peak behind the teenager that stood in front of her. Spotting his work bench, she blinked owlishly and stepped past the dark haired teenager to get a better look. The teen side stepped to the side to allow her passage.

He turned toward her back as she got a closer look. Bulma gaped and brought a hand to her mouth, the other one coming to rest on her chest above her heart as her eyes skimmed each item on the table. The teen watched her silently, gauging her reaction.

After the shock wore off, Bulma lowered her hands to grasp greedily at the many blueprints that were scattered over the workbench. Her blues scanned each blueprint and then the bench, matching each item on the table surface to its respective blueprint. She let out a breath that she wasn't aware she had been holding and, with disbelief shining in her aquamarine eyes, she slowly lowered the prints back onto the table surface. Inhaling and exhaling slowly, she rested both hands on the table, she let her gaze travel over the contents again.

Gohan took a step towards her, head hung slightly while one hand came up to rub the back of his neck. "I know that, lately, you've been pretty frustrated with the progress you're making so far with your big project. I mean, you've got to worry about taking care of Trunks and trying to salvage what's left of your dying company; I thought you could use some help." He stated with a one shouldered shrug.

Bulma turned, her eyes shining with unshed tears, and pinned the young man with her gaze. Slowly, she asked, "You...you did...this" she turned and gestured her at the table before turning back to him, "...for me?"

Gohan cocked his head. "Well, yeah." He stated bluntly.

Bulma laughed lightly with disbelief, a few tears escaping the corner of her eyes. She swiped at her eyes and smiled brightly at Gohan, the corners of her eyes crinkling slightly. After a second, she turned back to the gadgets with amazement in her eyes.

Gohan stood behind her, not sure what to do, waiting for her to take it all in.

Bulma gazed at each part garnered to a bigger picture. There, on the table, were many small parts to her latest hope for the future. These were parts to her big project; parts to her time machine. Bulma let out a soft giggle, one of giddiness, as she gently let her fingers glide across each piece.

She was amazed that this boy, a boy she had known for most of his living years, someone who was only a fraction of her age -not that she would ever admit to anyone her real age- had, not only built the parts belonging to a very complex and laughable idea to most, but had also took the time to improve upon her theories and edit her blueprints. If possible, her smile became wider as she picked up one of the smaller parts to inspect it.

Bulma's eyes widened as she brought it closer to her face, "Gohan, the welding work on this is...it's,,," she paused as she searched for her words, "Well, it's just-it's absolutely pristine! You can barely tell you welded this at all!" She exclaimed as she turned to him, holding out the piece in his direction.

Gohan rubbed the back of his head as he let out a chuckle. "Why do you think it's so hot in here? I had to make sure it was done right." He smiled.

Bulma's smile slowly slipped off of her face. She took the moment to watch Gohan, his hand behind his head, his smile, and his overall posture…

She let her mind wonder as her lips quirked into a smile filled with sweet sorrow. Her eyes glazed over with images of a spiky, black haired man with similar mannerisms, laughing. A dark haired woman who scowled at him stood next to him. However, her glare didn't last long as she gave way into a soft smile and girlish giggles.

"...ma?" a distant voice sounded.

The two figures in her vision embraced each other, the woman wrapping her arms around the man's middle, while the man settled and arm around her slender shoulders. They looked at each other with so much love. The people started to laugh again as they turned to look at her.

"...ou alright?" she heard the voice again.

Bulma closed her eyes as they filled with fresh tears. She was filled with sorrow as memories of a happier time flitted underneath her lids.

"Bulma!"

Bulma opened her eyes, blinking back tears that threatened to escape them, and sucked in a breath. She shook her head to rid herself of any sad thoughts or memories that lingered in her mind. She noticed that Gohan's face had become serious and filled with concern; the complete opposite of what had triggered her memories.

"What?" She muttered as she let out the breath she was holding and pulled her lips together, rubbing them.

Gohan's brows creased a bit closer together as her replied, "I just asked if you were alright." he stated hesitantly.

Bulma blinked again. A soft smile crossed her lips as memories dipped themselves into the forefront of her mind again. She lifted her hand up to rest against his cheek, caressing his gently. She took a short breath before saying, "Yes. Yes, I'm fine. I just-" she paused and took a deep breath. She let it out and stated, "You look so like your father." she paused again, letting her statement linger in the air before continuing, "That's what I was thinking."

"Hmm…" He hummed in disinterest, never breaking eye contact. Her thumb softly brushed against his cheek, back and forth, a couple of times.

Bulma allowed her smile to fade, her face pinched, as no other words were offered in reaction to her statement. She felt sympathy bite at the edges of her heart as she gazed at her best friend's son. Bulma let her arm fall to her side.

Gohan broke eye contact and moved passed the woman he had known most of his life to busy himself with cleaning his workspace.

Bulma watched him as he did so, her shoulders sagging slightly. She knew that the topic of his parents, specifically his father, was a very sensitive subject. She watched as he carried out his meaningless tasks, thinking again about how he had accomplished something, that she, a renown inventor and well respected scientist, could not. She was in awe of his knowledge and skill; especially for his age. She had always been in awe when he displayed his knowledge or skill.

The silence that had befallen them was broken as she stated, "Your parents would be very proud of you."

There was a hiccup in Gohan's movements, one which he was quick to cover up as he stumbled slightly, as he hummed in disagreement, refusing to meet her eyes.

"They would." She reaffirmed in response to his reaction.

He said nothing back. She stood, watching him even after he had finished his tasks. She opened her mouth to say more, but was interrupted by a purple and green blur running into the room.

"Mommy! Mommy! Look! I fixed 'im!" The child proudly proclaimed as he held out his teddy bear to his mother.

The bear itself looked like it had seen better days. Its brown fur was coated with multiple stains of who knew what, most of which were lost to time. One of its black eyes were missing, the stuffing poking its way through the hole. There were stitches where multiple limbs had been lost, including one ear, half an arm, and a newly refurbished leg. It was obvious that the purple haired child had tried to do the stitching himself.

Bulma blinked and looked at the teddy bear she had come to dub as 'Amp' -short for amputee- because of the multiple limbs that had threatened to be lost if not for her stitch work. Her son, however, likes to remind her that its name is Stumpy because he claims it had lost its limbs fighting in a war and deserved a cool name. She smiled and shook her head at her son's imagination.

Fought in a war, indeed.

Bulma put a hand on top of her son's head and ruffled his hair.

"Mom." He whined as he lifted his arm to swipe his mother's hand away.

She smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "That's very nice work, Trunks, but why don't I take good ol' Amp-"

"Stumpy" Trunks interrupted in an exasperated sing-songy voice.

Bulma sighed before correcting herself. "Stumpy. Why Don't I take Stumpy and give 'im a once over, eh?" She winked at Trunks, reaching for the bear. "Just in case he gets an infection in that nasty wound." She really just wanted to fix Trunks' horrid stitch job; though, she would never tell him that.

Trunks examined his bear as he contemplated his mother's words. Bulma flicked her eyes to the older boy in the room who was standing stock still with his back to her. She frowned slightly at his attitude.

Her son brought her attention back to him as he stated, "Okay, but let me show Gohan first 'kay?"

Without waiting for an answer from her, he skipped towards the other boy, the teddy bear's gimp leg gripped tightly in his fist. Bulma sighed and stood, putting a fist on her hip, letting her other arm hang limply by her side, and watched as the two interacted. Trunks came to a stop behind Gohan and, smiling, presented his teddy bear to Gohan's back.

"Look Gohan!" He demanded.

Without turning to face the child, Gohan stated, "Go let your mother fix it before you ruin it again."

Ignoring the older boy's dismissive, Trunks stated, "But look Gohan! Look at what a good job I did!" Trunks shook the bear by its leg towards Gohan's direction as emphasis.

Gohan turned his head to stare at the child from the corner of his eyes. His eyes flicked briefly over the bear held in Trunks' hand before he addressed the kid again, "You're going to undo the stitches you've made if you keep shaking it around like that. You don't want to ruin it, do you?"

Trunks, feeling slightly putout, lowered his arm. The leg of the bear still in his fist and its head touching the ground. At Gohan's question, Trunks shook his head.

At the purple haired child's response in the negative, Gohan turned his head again to face forward. "Then go give it to your mother before I have to hear you whine about how it has been ruined again." He stated.

The smile that had previously been on young Trunks' face completely vanished as his faced pinched into one of hurt. His aquamarine eyes darkened a few shades. He sighed and let his shoulders sag as he averted his gaze to the white tiled floor.

Bulma scowled fiercely at Gohan's back; her eyebrows lowered over her eyes and her jaw jutted and tightened as her lips rolled into a fine line. Both of her fists tightened. Her posture was reminiscent of a black haired woman who was recently in the forefront of her mind. Nothing gave him the right to be so mean and rude to her son. He needed a reality check.

However, her face strained to relax as her son turned and walked back to her. Without raising his gaze to meet hers, Trunks dejectedly held out the teddy bear to his mother. Bulma kneeled and put both of her hands on each of his shoulders. She smiled softly.

Bulma took a breath and said, "Why don't you take Stumpy to my room, and wait for me there? Hm? Does that sound like a good idea?" She asked.

Trunks shrugged as he pulled his own lips into a line and, pouting, met her gaze solemnly. Her nostrils flared at the action. Gohan was going to get a mouth full later.

"Why don't you do that, okay? Wait for me there?" She asked.

Again, he shrugged and then nodded to his mother. He then turned and walked out of the room, his teddy bear dragging on the floor as he went.

After he left Bulma turned to Gohan putting her hands on her hips and leaning forward slightly, ready to give her best friend's son a good reprimand. She took a deep breath, but sighed instead deciding to save it for later. She turned to follow her son, but stopped right before she crossed the threshold of the door and stated, "You really didn't have to be such a jerk to him ya'know." She stood for a few seconds, glaring at him, before finally turning and leaving the room.

Gohan watched her go in silence. He let his head hang for a few seconds while he ran a hand through his hair. He walked to his stereo and turned the music back on. He then turned to set himself up on another task, but stopped almost immediately when a voice came on over the speakers.

"We interrupt this program for a very important announcement…"

DBZ

The man in orange frowned and stopped mid-punch. He found that he was starting to do this more often over the years. The first time he had felt like this was shortly after his death. The next time he felt this strange was right after he had one again gotten acquainted with his long time friends. He furrows his brows. He has no idea what had caused this...this feeling he gets, but he knows he doesn't like it. It makes him really ansty for something he somehow knows he can't get. He stands up straight, frown still on his face.

"Goku?" His best friend, Krillin, says to him, concern lacing his voice.

Goku's other friends, who had been watching their spar on the sidelines, stood and approached as well; all except Piccolo and Vegeta, who chose to keep their distance and wait for the fighting to begin again. Among them were also the Grand Kai and King Kai. Goku's brows sunk lower on his forehead as he ran a hand through his spiky, gravity defying black hair and let out a hum of frustration.

"Is it that feeling again? The one you say happens occasionally?" Tien asked as he put a hand on the orange clad shoulder.

"Yeah." Goku huffed. "I can't figure out why it's happenin' and it's becoming frustrating."

Vegeta, who had been surprisingly quiet for an extended amount of time, humphed out a laugh at this. Most turned to scowl at him, some choosing to ignore him in favor of their friend. Vegeta stood from his leant position against a tree and walked towards them.

Vegeta had joined them all on the Grand Kai's planet shortly after his death, which had surprised everyone. King Yemma had asked him to spend a short stint of time in Hell and then was granted a stay in upper heaven with them for the rest of his after life. Even though he had stayed with them for almost a year, and for many years when they had all been alive, the group never got over his attitude.

"Got something to say Vegeta?" Yamcha bravely asked.

Vegeta smirked and looked Goku directly in the eyes. He crossed his arms and stated, "If you haven't figured this out what this is by now, then you must suffer from more brain damage than I originally thought, Kakarot." His smirk grew as the others growled at him, standing slightly in front of Goku, ready to defend him if necessary, their fists clenched in anger at the prince.

Goku stepped forward approaching the other saiyan, while gently brushing his friends to the side. He then addressed the Saiyan Prince, "What do you mean, Vegeta? What are you talkin' about?"

Vegeta's smirk slipped off of his face and was replaced by a serious frown. "You really don't know anything about your heritage do you?" He paused, waiting for a response from the other saiyan before he growled in frustration and continued, "During the time of my father on planet Vegeta, before it was under the control of Frieza's rule, we believed in being involved in a full, rounded culture. We delved in things like music and art. We lived by stories being told to the younger generation about those who had come before us. The royal palace walls were decorated with paintings of the super saiyan legend, as well as our most ancient mythos." He paused and tilted his head back to gaze at the pink sky, his eyes glazing over. Everyone else listened with uncertainty and interest.

"One of the things we valued most was family; especially Saiyan cubs. There was a point in time where we respected the innocence of a Saiyan child, much like you humans do. That was one thing we hated about being a part of Frieza's empire; being a warrior race like we are, he demanded that we send out as many people as possible on missions for him.

"Eventually, he started ordering the cubs to go on missions; even the ones that were born only days before. This angered many of our people, but being under his control we could not do anything about it. After some time, our culture became monochromatic and we only cared about one thing; fighting." Vegeta lowered his gaze to look again at Goku.

"However, there was one thing that he could not stomp out of us. And that is our primal instincts. Our instinct to fight, to survive, and our basic and most primal instinct; to help our children survive."

At this, Goku's back straightened. Vegeta's eyes narrowed at the action. 'Just as I thought.' He thought to himself.

"My father never let me forget that fact." He paused to let the information sink in, then continued, "This feeling you have, it's part of a primal instinct all Saiyans have. It means that your cub is in danger."

Goku's face contorted into one of concern as he quietly muttered, "Gohan?"

Piccolo's eyebrow twitched at the sound of his pupils name. He opened his eyes and stood from his meditative position. As soon as his feet softly hit the green grass, he stalked closer to the group so he could pay closer attention to what was being said. He stopped a few feet behind Vegeta and crossed his arms.

Ignoring him, Vegeta spoke, "However, you can get this feeling when your cub is in emotional distress as well as physically in danger." He scoffed, "It's never specific." He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms against his chest while averting his gaze to the ground.

Goku took a few hesitant steps forward, his head angled slightly towards the ground, as if he were a child afraid of being reprimanded by his parent, until he was in between his group of friends and Vegeta. "Do...do you...feel it too?" he asked shyly.

Vegeta flicked his eyes to the blue and orange clad saiyan warrior before him, his battle hardened onyx eyes pinning the other saiyan with an intense gaze. He inclined his head slightly and took a breath before answering, his voice surprisingly soft. "I do."

Goku took a full breath, his lungs filling with oxygen and forcing his back to straighten out. "How do you deal with it?" He asked, allowing the air he sucked in to flow from his mouth.

"I don't" He replied. At Goku's confused look he continued, "There isn't a way to suppress the feeling if that's what you're after. You just have to deal with it."

That's when the Grand Kai decided to step into the conversation. He stepped forward to gain everyone's attention. His face became grim as he folded his hands behind his back. "I believe it's time for us to see what our friend has endured over the years." He stated.

"You mean Gohan?" Goku asked in mild interest. In response, the Grand Kai nodded. "But how?"

"Not here. Too many could be listening." He replied. He jutted his head in the direction of his mansion and turned to walk away, signaling for the others to follow. One of Goku's eyebrows raised and he scratched his cheek with his index finger while he hummed in question at the Grand Kai's odd behavior. The others exchanged looks. Then, coming to a silent consensus, they all followed the Kai.

The Grand Kai led them to the backyard of his mansion, a place where almost no one has been before. Those privileged enough to stand in the Grand Kai's backyard can be counted on one hand, not including the other Kais below him.

The grass was a brilliant green, just like the rest of the planet. The mansion's wings bordered the yard, allowing one side to be completely open. In the middle there was a three tier water fountain with four spouts flowing with crystalline water that sparkled in the sunlight. It was surrounded by a circle of cobblestone which had four cobblestone paths sprouting from it. Three of the paths led to each wing of the mansion while the fourth led to another path that wrapped around to the front of the mansion to converge with the main pathway that led up to the mansion.

The Grand Kai turned, hands still behind his back, and eyed each person behind the lenses of his red rimmed sunglasses. He then looked around with his head and said, "Well, this is as private as we gon' get."

"Privacy for what?" Piccolo spoke up for the first time. He's usually the first to voice his suspicions.

The Grand Kai answered him, annunciating each word, "I am goin' to allow you," he gestured to the group, "to do somethin' that isn't," he paused, squinted his eyes, pursed his lips, and then clicked his tongue before continuing, "well, it's not typically allowed."

Vegeta's eye twitched. "Stop kicking around the bush and spit it out old man!" He exclaimed while clenching his fists. Vegeta was usually the one who voiced frustration first. Everyone had gotten used to his not so up to code attitude and rude mannerisms.

The Grand Kai had learned quickly not to try to correct the Saiyan Prince, and even more quickly not to anger him; and so he continued, "I am going to you to get a first hand experience in the going on's down on Earth." He punctuated his sentence by bringing his hands in front of him and clapping them together once, giving them a tight smile, before folding them and letting them drop to his sides.

"What do you mean?" Vegeta snapped when it seemed no one else would say anything, "With how strong the boy is, I thought he would have dealt with those tin-cans by now."

King Kai stepped forward, sweat dripping down his blue forehead as he addressed the prince, "You are gravely underestimating the androids power, Vegeta." He paused to dab at his forehead with a rag before continuing, "Those two are deadly individually, but even more so when they work together.

"I've been secretly watching the Earth for a while now and while Gohan is very strong, especially for his age, he is barely a match for even one of the androids. If one of you had survived, then he would have had a better chance at defeating them." King Kai explained somberly.

The Grand Kai brought a fist up to cough into it, clearing his throat while also disrupting the heavy atmosphere that hung over the group. He then gestured to King Kai. "If you would, King Kai."

"Right" King Kai also cleared his throat, more out of nervousness than anything else. "You all will get a front row seat, for a lack of a better phrase, to life on Earth right now. We are hoping to-" He was interrupted by the Grand Kai coughing quite loudly. He gave the blue skinned Kai a severe look.

King Kai laughed nervously and rubbed the sweat that started to roll down his cheek off with a rag. After composing himself, King Kai continued, "We are going to send you to Earth and when you get there, you will have your spiritual bodies. No one will be able to see or hear you. You will essentially be ghosts."

His face became serious as he looked each fighter in the eye. "You are able to interact with the people and events that go on down there, however!" He exclaimed when he noticed some of the fighters fidget in excitement.

He held up an index finger in warning again gaining their attention, "however," he continued, "I urge you, and warn you, not to interact with anything in the physical world. Because if you do," He pushed his black round rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose, "you will not be able to come back to the other world."

The group of fighters looked down at the short Kai with sharp looks, almost in disbelief. "You will be forever banished to the physical world." He emphasised. "And without the protection of the upper world, eventually, your spiritual bodies will disintegrate and your spirits will be lost forever."

After a moment, Goku stepped forward and clenched his fist, a look of determination crossing over his face. He nodded and said, "Okay. I'm ready."

The others, except Vegeta and Piccolo, stumbled back in surprise.

"You're crazy Goku! You'll be completely powerless!" Krillin exclaimed.

"That's the point." The Grand Kai interjected before Goku could respond. "You are meant to feel that way."

"But-but-but-but why?" Yamcha stuttered.

Ignoring him, the Grand Kai looked to King Kai and nodded. King Kai nodded back, understanding his intentions. He then turned his attention to each fighter there. "It's time to go. Are you all ready?" After receiving multiple, some hesitant, nods, King Kai turned his attention back to the Grand Kai, as did everyone else.

The Grand Kai then thrust his hands out toward the group, palms flat and fingers spread. The world seemed to spin and darken. The Grand Kai's words seemed to come from a distance, "When you wake, you will be on Earth. Good luck to you." Then everything went black.

They heard remnants of a conversation and then silence. After a few seconds, the blackness started to fade and they were able to see. They were in what seemed to be a blindingly white room. Other than their group, there were two other figures in the room.

The blue haired woman, who obviously had to be Bulma, hadn't changed at all. The second figure, however, really caught their attention. Almost none of them recognized him. Goku stepped forward and reached out to touch him, however only let his hand linger in the air, remembering King Kai's words. "Gohan." He exhaled in amazement.

He looked so different, changed so much from when he was a child. Goku pulled his hand back, feeling a strong longing to run his hand through his son's hair and pull him into a hug. Along with this, the feeling he had experienced in other world was intensified as he stood next to his son, unable to comfort the hurt he was feeling. Goku stepped back towards his friends to ease the feeling a bit.

A sigh from Bulma tore his attention away from his son and to her. She turned to walk out of the room, but paused and said, "You really didn't have to be such a jerk to him ya'know." Then she was gone.

The group turned to look at Gohan as he stared after her. Goku frowned as the feeling intensified again. Hurt was coming to him in waves. His son was hurting, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He was never good with emotions anyhow. His frown deepened and he gently bit at his lower lip. What had happened here?

Gohan sighed and ran a hand through his hair before turning up his music and turning to busy himself with something. However, before he could get anything started, a voice on the radio caught their attention.

"We interrupt this program to bring you a very important announcement! The androids have been reported to be attacking Ginger Town. I repeat: the androids are attacking Ginger Town!"

Gohan ignored the rest of the announcement. He walked over to a map hanging on the wall, rubbing his chin, and muttered, "Ginger Town, huh? That's not too far from here." he paused and turned his attention to the door where Bulma and Trunks had disappeared through just a few minutes earlier. "I don't think I'll be wanted around here for a while, so I might as well go check it out. "

Gohan sighed and whipped off his gloves and strode out of the room, the others becoming his invisible entourage.

Gohan ran to the nearest window, jumped out of it and into the air, the others following him silently. The smell of fire and the sight of smoke reached them long before the outskirts of the city did.

Reaching for his right wrist, Gohan pressed a button on his wristband and his clothes changed from his wife beater and jeans to an orange and blue gi; one that was identical to the one his late father wore, except his navy blue sleeves reached down to his elbows.

Witnessing the change, Goku smiled with pride; however, the pride was quickly overshadowed by sorrow.

Goku fisted his gi top, clenching at his chest as his heart was engulfed in a type of fierce pressure that threatened to suffocate him. His eyebrows hung low over his eyes and he watched his son's face become hard and closed off as they neared the city of Ginger Town.

As if reading his thoughts, Krillin sped up next to him, gaining Goku's attention. As he stared at his friends trouble face, Krillin reached up and put a hand on Goku's shoulder with a small nod, giving Goku silent reassurance.

Goku gave his friend a strained smile as thanks. As Krillin turned away from him so to did Goku. He removed his hand from his chest, took a refreshing breath, and focused on the situation ahead; they had finally hit the city limits.

Gohan slowed to a stop above the heart of the city and slowly descended. His feet hit the shattered concrete with a soft thud. He stood and looked at his surroundings; the still fresh fires burned hot and bright around him. The few buildings that managed to survive the android's attack, burned and cracked under the pressure. The sky had blackened with smoke, making the once bright city even more dark and dreary. Ash and cinder rained down from the sky and lightly dusted the ground.

Gohan listened for any sounds to indicate life; he found none. Only the sounds of the crackling fire and crumbling buildings filled his sensitive ears. No life remained.

"Woah." Yamcha huffed out in morbid amazement as he took everything in. He slowly turned in a three step circle, trying to drink in as much as he could, as if he didn't want to miss a single detail.

Tien's arms hung limply by his sides as he craned his neck to look up into the sky as smoke continued to fill it.

Krillin stood, hand clenched into fists, his head angle downward, his eyes downcast and misty.

Vegeta stood strong, arms crossed against his chest, eyes closed, and brows furrowed.

Piccolo stared blankly into the fire, the bright light it gave lighting up his dark pupils and accenting the shadows on his grim face.

Goku took a brief second to look at his surroundings before locking eyes with his son's back. His body felt heavy as he once again looked around, catching sight of each of his friend's visage, before filling his lungs with much needed air and only inhaling the thick and suffocating stench of smoke. The smoke permeated and stuck to the insides of his lungs. He breathed out slowly, coughing softly, and deemed to take shallow breaths.

Gohan was also careful not to breathe too deeply; having been in this situation before. Scanning his eyes over the landscape again, Gohan paused as he thought he spotted a figure not too far away. As he walked towards it, he felt his stomach drop.

Before he could react further, Gohan stopped in his tracks as his foot stepped on something soft; too soft to be concrete. Looking down, he lifted his foot and spotted a small teddy bear. He crouched to inspect it, his eyes shimmering slightly with the fire.

It was the same teddy bear that Trunks owned, the same one Trunks had tried to show him earlier.

The fur of the teddy bear was spotted with dark splotches of blood, much of its body blackened with ash, and it's left leg smouldering.

Red flashed across his vision. Gohan flicked his eyes to blood that coated the ground, near the bear, and followed its path with his eyes. His eyes landed on the figure he had spotted earlier. Gohan stood and continued his trek. He stopped in front of the body and tilted his head downward to look at it.

Below him, lying on the ground, was the body of a little girl. Her brunette hair in high pigtails, her yellow sundress decorated morbidly with blood that did not seem to be her own. Her face was streaked black as if someone, or the girl herself, had tried to wipe ashes off of her face; a vain attempt since ash now settled in a light layer over her body. Dried tear tracks lined her cheeks and, as Gohan lightly touched them, found that her cheeks were still flush and slightly warm as well. She had not died long ago.

He wondered what had happened to the girl. She looked to be about Trunks' age. Suddenly, his mind replaced the little girl's body with Trunks' own. Gohan's eyes watered as guilt at his previous behavior slowly inched its way into his heart.

The little girl was hardly old enough to be around here alone. He would never have left Trunks here alone.

Gohan noticed that her arm was stretched out towards the fallen teddy bear. He flicked his eyes to said object. It must have been hers. He drew his eyes back to the girls body.

'It doesn't look like she suffered a fatal wound.' He thought to himself as he crouched down and brushed a few stray hairs from her face. 'This blood isn't hers.' He brought his hand back to rest on his knee as he studied her face. After a long moment, he lifted his chin slightly in realization. 'She suffocated.'

She died alone.

That thought stuck out above the rest. He couldn't help but focus on it. It's how he imagined his own death would be.

Gohan wondered at that moment about the girl's family. Did she have family? Where were they? Were they alive? Did she watch them die?

The thought sobered him up as his eyes filled with visions of his own parents deaths, which were immediately followed by visions of his friends dying. Gohan shut his eyes to shield himself from the onslaught of painful memories, but his mind was stubborn and he continued to relive their deaths quietly in his mind; just as he had the day they died.

He refused to cry, even when they flooded his eyes and threatened to spill out from under his closed eyelids. When he felt his tears recede slightly, he opened his eyes and swallowed convulsively at the uncomfortable feeling that still resided within his chest.

"How could the androids do this?" Krillin whispered quietly through the air, breaking the heavy silence. "I mean...I just…" He exhaled heavily. "Why?" he asked no one in particular, unable to come to terms with what he was seeing.

No one else said a word after that, but nothing needed to be said. They all understood the seriousness of the world they had willingly walked into. They were all silent as they each processed the situation at a different pace.

Gohan took a deep, shaky breath to release the tension in his body and to purge himself of he suffocating emotions that tried to overwhelm him. Then, his sensitive ears caught the sound of shifting concrete.

Instantly Gohan was on edge. He looked toward the location of where he thought the sound had originated from, but nothing sounded from the area again. He flicked his eyes back and forth across the landscape waiting for an indication that he was not alone. He continued this pattern for a few cautious moments.

Just as he was about to relax, a disembodied voice sounded through the area, "Look who it is, Eighteen."

"It's our favorite...friend." Another voice replied, this one female. Their voices echoed across the landscape.

This made it hard for Gohan to pinpoint their location. His eyes scanned the area in an attempt to spot them before they could attack him, but was unsuccessful.

The heat and roar of the flames expanded before they exploded, reaching new heights and disrupting the layer of ash and cinders that coated the ground. The heat and intensity caused Gohan to cross his arms over his face to shield himself from the soft, but hot, debree.

After the wind had settled from the explosion, the flames slowly die down to low embers, revealing the android duo.

They stood, perched on a pile of rubble, angled towards each other and looking down at Gohan; Eighteen stood on the right with her arms crossed against her chest and Seventeen, who stood on the left, had placed both hands on his hips. Both twins had smirks on their faces as Gohan turned to face them.

"What do you say we kill him this time?" Eighteen asked, her eyes still focused on Gohan.

Seventeen shrugged his shoulders in response. Bending his elbows and turning his palms to the sky, "Fine by me." He replied nonchalantly.

Eighteen let her arms fall to her sides and turned her heat toward her brother, her shoulder length blonde hair swaying slightly. "And if he should somehow survive?" she asked with an edge to her voice.

"It's really not a problem either way." When his sister growled slightly in irritation, the smirk slipping from her face, Seventeen sighed and in equal irritation, "Look...if he survives, then he poses as entertainment for another day and if he should die, then we get the satisfaction of seeing the look on his face when we finally kill him."

Satisfied with the answer, the smirk returned to Eighteen's face. Then she turned to fully face Gohan, her brother mirroring her actions. The light of the fire danced across their faces, accenting the shadows and allowing their lifeless eyes to stand out.

"Those are the androids?" Goku asked, having died from a heart virus six months before the androids made their first appearance.

Piccolo was the one to respond, "We only got to see them very briefly, but yes. Those are the androids."

"They look like a couple of kids. They couldn't be much older than Gohan." Goku replied.

They may not look like much, but believe me when I tell you they are not to be underestimated. Their power is superb, but since they don't have their own energy signature it's hard to tell how powerful these androids really are."

Goku nodded and swallowed. "I noticed." He focused his gaze of his son before flicking his eyes back up to the android duo. "Ehehe...they look terrifying." He stated. No one responded to his statement.

Gohan swallowed nervously as the sight left an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach and sunk down into a fighting stance. He was determined not to let his nervousness show. He eyed each android carefully, dark eyes meeting icy cold blue ones. He held their gaze. His body tensed as in preparation for a fight. Each muscle in his body tingled with anticipation as he waited for the duo to make the first move.

Together, Android's Seventeen and Eighteen lifted from their perch and slowly descended to the ground. Moving in sync, as soon as their feet touched the cracked pavement, they dropped into mirroring fighting stances. Their emotionless eyes trained on Gohan's form in cold calculation, betraying the malicious smirks that adorned their faces. Then, almost mockingly, they each stood and started to calmly walk towards him.

Gohan frowned, feeling irked at the notion. He blinked and they were gone. He put up his guard just in time to receive a strike from behind.

He lifted up both arms to block each androids legs as they shot out to connect with his head. He pushed their legs away, knocking them both slightly off balance, and backflipped away from them to gain some distance.

The android duo pursued him, arms pulled back in preparation for a punch. As soon as his feet touched the ground again, Gohan crossed his arms in front of his face catching a fist from both androids in each palm of his hands. Powering up slightly with a yell, Gohan uncrossed his arms and threw the androids away from him causing them to crash into the surrounding buildings. Dust filled the air as the walls caved in from the force of their bodies.

After the dust began to settle again, the androids emerged from the debree. They stood for a few seconds, as if silently communicating with each other, as they stared down their prey with murderous intent.

Gohan crouched, adjusting his fighting stance with both arms to either side of his head. He watched each android out of the corner of his eyes, waiting to see who would attack first. As he shifted his eyes over to android Eighteen, who was to his left, rubble shifted as Seventeen moved to attack his right.

Gohan turned his full attention to Seventeen, blocking each blow that was sent at him, unable to go on the offensive. That was when Eighteen moved to attack. Gohan's mind and fighting style shifted slightly to accommodate for Eighteen's presence. Gohan lost focus on the fight as he tried to strategize a counter attack.

Taking advantage of Gohan's lapse in concentration, Seventeen whipped his legs out and connected it with Gohan's side.

Gohan was sure he heard a few ribs crack, but had no time to register the pain as Eighteen followed up her brother's attack. With a fist to fer palm and elbow outstretched, she connected her attack with the nape of his neck.

Seventeen attacked again before he could recover, and crouched to deliver an elbow to Gohan's stomach while Eighteen finished the combo with a kick, the heel of her foot connecting with his temple.

Gohan was thrown through the air with the force of the kick, pain emanating from his ribs and head. Because he was unable to recover fast enough, his body hurtled into the already broken blacktop and skid across it for a few meters, his skin becoming littered with minor scratches. When he finally came to a stop, Gohan laid on the ground, allowing his body time to rest. He did not get long though as he felt the unnatural heat of energy approaching.

Gohan sucked in a quick breath, filling his lungs, before flinging his feet into the air to perform a backflip. As soon as his toes made contact with the ground, Gohan jumped to the side quickly to avoid the ki blasts meant for him.

The blasts exploded against the tar, the force pushing Gohan forward and knocking him off balance. He put his arm out in front of him to catch himself. With his hands flat against the warm pavement, Gohan rolled himself to the side just in time to avoid an attack from Eighteen.

She growled as her face contorted into an ugly snarl; her foot had embedded itself in the concrete.

As he got to his feet, Gohan quickly sidestepped an attack from Seventeen and shot out a fist which connected with the dark haired android's side. Seventeen stumbled backwards in surprise from his attack. Pulling back, Gohan grounded himself in a defensive fighting stance.

Seventeen stood up straight and rubbed his side as his sister came to stand beside him. Eighteen eyed her brother out of the corner of her eye. She huffed in amusement at his actions.

"You actually allowed one of his strikes to land?" She asked in a teasing manner.

Seventeen growled at her. "Shut up!" He yelled in humiliation.

"Why?" She pressed, "I'm not the one who let this worthless nothing," she jutted her thumb towards Gohan, "hit me." She finished with a satisfied smirk and a click of her tongue.

A look of rage passed over Seventeen's face at her statement. Then, just as quickly as the rage had come, it was gone and his face strangely blank as he stared at Gohan.

Gohan's eyebrow twitched as he felt a bead of sweat form on his forehead. He watched the android warily.

"Ya'know what?" The android stated, each word dripping with acid. Seventeen took a deep breath and screamed. His power exploded from his body, the dust and wind whipped around from the force.

Gohan tried to keep his stance, but failed and had to stumble to keep his balance. He crossed his arms in front of his face to protect it from flying debris. He tried as hard as he could to stay put, but in vain as it seemed his feet started to slide inch by inch across the concrete.

Goku and company was also startled by the force of the android's power, most stumbled backward because they were unprepared for the outburst. Goku copied his son's actions and shielded his face while grunting from the force.

Finally, the wind died down and Gohan dropped his arms. Android Seventeen's arms hung limply at his sides while his head was angled downwards, his hair covered his face. "You know what?" He repeated more calmly this time. Then he brought his head up, lilted it to the side, and angled his chin up, a look of sadistic glee shown across his face. "I know how I want to kill you."

The android phazed out of existence before reappearing in front of Gohan, his fist planted deeply in the Saiyan's stomach before he could react. Seventeen gripped Gohan's shoulder to whisper harshly in his ear, "And I am going to make sure I enjoy it."

Gohan's blood froze in his veins in terror. Reacting quickly, Gohan brought up his arms in between the ones that rested on his shoulders and knocked them away. He followed up with a backflip, his foot connecting with the underside of the android's chin. The android shifted a few feet back from the blow. Gohan took that chance and powered up. The familiar golden glow of hi aura spread a familiar warmth through his body. His hair exploded into a golden color, similar to his aura, as his eyes changed from deep brown to a bright turquoise. He scowled and got back into a fighting stance.

Goku's eyes widened as Krillin exclaimed what was on everyone's minds, "Woah! Gohan's a super saiyan?!"

"And at his age." Piccolo stated in amazement.

Android Seventeen had stood and waited for him to finish powering up, staring at him with an intense, emotionless gaze. His face betraying his eyes as his mouth twisted into an excited, sadistic smile. "Good!" He yelled, "It's no fun if you don't fight back!"

He pivoted to address his sister who had not moved during the exchange. "Stay out of this Eighteen. The punk is mine."

Eighteen shrugged her shoulders in the same nonchalant way her brother had before. She turned and settled herself on the remnants of a building. She sat with her knees bent and her elbow resting on one knee, her chin sitting on the heel of her palm and her finger resting lazily across her cheek in a bored fashion.

Seventeen watched his sister sit and settle, making sure she kept good on her promise, before turning to look back at Gohan. Then he charged.

Gohan narrowed his eyes. This time, Gohan was ready for him. Gohan pulled back a fist, just as Seventeen did, and their fists met. They glared at each other, and let loose.

Fist me fist, knee met knee, elbow met elbow; each blow was block by the opponent's same appendage. Their fists became blurs as attacks were sent out before the last one had finished its course.

Seventeen was the first to break the stalemate as he jumped back and then propelled himself forward again, landing a punch in Gohan's sternum.

Gohan flew back through several buildings and Seventeen followed his path. His back bounced off another wall, but before he could collide with the ground Seventeen wrapped his fingers tightly around Gohan's neck and slammed him back against the wall, causing small spider webbed choked out a gasp and raised an arm up to grip Seventeens wrist.

"Would you like to hear how I'm going to kill you?" Seventeen asked unessiccarily. Gohan brought up his other arm to grip more firmly at Seventeen's wris. His eyes watered as his lungs started to burn.

"I haven't thought through all of the details, but I have a few ideas of what I'd like to do." Seventeen continued, ignoring Gohan's struggles. "I thought I'd start by beating you until you're black and blue, because that's always fun." He tightened his grip on Gohan's neck and he let out another pitiful gasp. He then continued nonchalantly, "Then I'll have Eighteen hold you down as I kill you as slowly and as painfully as possible."

Gohan clawed desperately at the android's arm as darkness started encroaching his vision. He saw android Seventeen smirk through his hazy eyesight. "You better hurry or you'll choke to death, and that's just no fun."

In a last desperate assault, Gohan tightened his grip on Seventeen's arm and brought up his legs and kicked out with as much force as he could muster.

Seventeen stumbled back and Gohan dropped to the ground, coughing and gasping for air. He lightly massaged his neck to ease the throbbing pain.

Seventeen watched as he recovered much needed oxygen. He chuckled. "I've forgotten just how much I love to watch you suffer." He walked up to Gohan just as he was getting to his knees and planted his knee in Gohan's abdomen, causing the saiyan to spit up blood from the force.

Severely stunned from the blow, Gohan leaned onto Seventeen's still elevated knee and wrapped his arms around his ribs, gritting his teeth, and hissing in pain.

"Humans are fun to hunt and all, but even that gets boring sometimes. They just don't pose a challenge. You however..." He fisted a few locks of Gohan's hair and lifted his head.

Gohan cracked an eye open to look at him. Seventeen outright laughed at this point while continuing his earlier statement, "Despite failure after failure after failure to defeat us you just keep coming back! And everytime you do, you always say how you're going to defeat us. I mean come on...really?!" He paused and brought Gohan up by his hair to meet his gaze. "How many years have we been at this Gohan? Hm? Going on six years now right? And you still haven't got it through your thick head that it's useless." He sighed and got an almost soft look on his face.

"I guess I'll just have to beat it into you." With that, Seventeen pulled back his fist, the other still gripping Gohan's hair, and punched Gohan in the face.

Blood seeped from Gohan's now broken nose and dripped onto the ground. Seventeen pulled back his fist, and again punched Gohan in the face. Gohan felt another bone crack under the pressure of the blow.

This time, Seventeen threw Gohan's body into the air above them and fired multiple ki blasts. Gohan felt like a rag doll being tossed around as he felt the ki blasts explode against his skin.

Seventeen paused in his ki blast assault and soared into the air, rising above Gohan. Once he felt he was high enough Seventeen started his descent, gaining as much speed as possible. He straightened his legs and drove them as hard as he could into Gohan's abdomen.

Gohan, who had not recovered from the last attack, was unable to protect himself as Seventeen's feet dug into his abused abdomen. Gohan was flug, hard and fast, toward the ground below. His body collided against the harsh concrete, causing a huge crater to form. Large cracks sprouted out from the edges of the crater and weak buildings crumbled. Gohan sat in the crater, his body bleeding from several spots now. He panted heavily, gathering as much strength as he could muster to get up.

Seventeen witnessed his descent and chuckled with glee. Then, he brought his hands together and gathered as much energy as he dared; he didn't want Gohan to die yet after all. A huge yellow ki blast started to form in his hand. As it grew, the center contorted into an ugly brown color.

Goku and the others watched on in morbid horror as they watched the android gather energy.

"Not even a super saiyan is enough to defeat these androids?" Tien cried out, terror lacing his voice.

Goku ignored them. His eyes were focused solely on his son. "Get up Gohan." He chanted quietly. "Get up." Goku flicked his eyes up to the android and eyed the ever growing ball in his hands. "Get up, Gohan." He chanted louder. "Come on. Get up." He looked back down at his son, who had still not moved from his earlier position.

Goku could feel his breath quicken as panic edged its way into his body. "Get up Gohan!" He practically screamed. "Get up now!" He looked back up at the menacing ball of energy that was sure to mutilate his son, if it didn't kill him. "Please." He added in a whisper.

Seventeen launched his massive attack with a yell. It started to move slowly at first, but eventually started gaining some speed.

Gohan managed to prop himself on his elbows, his blonde hair covered in a light layer of dust and drops of blood, and tilted his head up towards the sky. His eyes widened in fear at the giant ball of deadly energy that was making its way towards him.

With a burst of adrenaline, Gohan flipped over onto his stomach, his hands flat against the ground, and, with as much energy as possible, he fired a small Kamehameha wave; propelling himself off the ground and guiding himself to the side, away from the large blast. However, he was not quick enough and was still caught in the massive explosion.

Gohan screamed as white hot searing pain ripped through his body.

Goku squeezed his eyes shut at the sound of his son's voice. When the light of the explosion faded from behind his eyelids, he opened them just in time to see Gohan bounce across the pavement, his limbs in disarray as they limply whipped about. His body landed and skid across the blacktop.

He did not get up.

He didn't even struggle for strength to get up.

He did not move.

The only signs of life in his body was the harsh way his shaky lungs took in breath and exhaled out, wheezing pathetically. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut and his face was contorted in a grimace of pain.

Goku moved to take a step towards his son, but stopped when android Seventeen emerged from the remaining smoke of the blast and walked slowly towards Gohan's limp body.

Seventeen reached out and grabbed the front of Gohan's gi top and violently lifted him up off of the ground, some of the material ripping slightly as he did so. He continued to punch Gohan in the ribs, shoulders, face, and abdomen for several minutes.

Eighteen, it seems, decided she had sat on the sidelines long enough. She stood from her spot and bellowed, "Hey! Don't kill him without me Seventeen!" She lifted off the ground and flew to their location just a few meters away.

Seventeen let go of Gohan, allowing him to fall to the ground, and held up his hands in a non-threatening way. "Why dear sister, I would never kill him without you."

Eighteen landed and put her hands on her hips, walking the rest of the way to him. "Yeah right. You were just about to kill him!" She accused.

He responded by chuckling and shrugging his shoulders. Then he said, "If it really means that much to you, then let kill together right now."

Eighteen scowled at him, "I thought you said you wanted him to survive."

"No," He corrected, "I said that it didn't matter to me."

Eighteen flipped her blonde hair back and folded her arms. "Whatever. Let's just finish this."

They turned their attention to Gohan. His body was beaten and broken and bleeding from many places.

Gohan cracked open one eye and peered at both androids through blurry vision, the only sign that he was still conscious. He exhaled sharply and closed his eye again. 'So this is how it ends.'

He couldn't help but laugh at the thought. So he was right after all. He would die alone. For some reason unknown to himself, he started to cry while he continued to laugh. Tears seeped from underneath his eyelids and poured down his cheeks, the ground below him soaking them up.

Seventeen reached down again to pick him up. "How shall we end it sis?"

"I don't know. We could just lay him down and fire a bunch of ki blasts."

"But that's so anticlimactic, plus I already did that." He responded.

"Then you come up with an idea." She refuted.

Seventeen put his hand to his chin, the other still holding Gohan, and his brows furrowed in concentrated thought. Then he gasped, eyes alit with excitement. He snapped his fingers and said, "I know! Let's tear him limb from limb until he begs for death."

Eighteen smiled sadistically. "That sounds good to me." She walked over to her brother and grabbed Gohan from him. She positioned him so that he was forced to stay on his knees his back to them.

"And you know what I think?" Seventeen asked his eyes never leaving Gohan's body. His sister hummed questioningly at him. "I think we should start with this arm." Seventeen grabbed Gohan's left arm and pulled it backwards, immediately pulling the appendage out of its socket.

Gohan's eyes shot open and he screamed. Seventeen continued to pull back, his face twisting into a look of malicious glee. Eighteen's face was strangely blank as she watched her brother. Seventeen pulled back even further, putting more of his body weight into the tug.

Gohan screamed louder as he felt his muscles ripping apart. Fresh tears sprang to his eyes as he cried out, his body shaking with pain and choked out sobs.

Seventeen laughed insanely at his reaction and continued to pull as hard as he could. Eighteen smirked and said, "I think you're having way too much fun with this."

"Just wait Eighteen." He responded, "When you get your turn, you'll understand." He emphasized his point by tugging again on Gohan's abused arm, causing him to scream again.

Eighteen just shook her head in amusement and chuckled, tightening her grip on Gohan as he lashed out.

His body seemed to move on its own. His mind was blank. The only thing he knew was desperation. He powered up into super saiyan and sprung forward with a yell, ignoring the protests of his friends. He pulled back his fist as he charged. Goku grounded himself in front of the android that could not see him, and let his fist loose.

Seventeen let go of Gohan's arm in surprise, his eyes wide, as he was flung backwards and away from his victim. Eighteen gasped and let go of Gohan, letting his body fall limply to the ground, eliciting a small wounded cry from him.

This enraged Goku even more. His aura flared slightly as he got ready to charge the other android. However, arms grabbed him from behind. He turned his head slightly to see Yamcha and Tien on either side of him, each one gripping one of his arms.

Goku whipped both of his arms back, forcing his two friends to lose their grip on him. Yamcha flew into Krillin and both of them hit the ground with a hard thud. Piccolo managed to catch Tien before he could do the same.

Goku turned back to the still stunned blonde android in front of him. He pulled back his fist to strike her in the same manner he had her brother.

Eighteen's eyes widened and she brought up her arms to try and block the attack, but was too late. She too was thrown backwards.

His anger at the androids was overshadowed by worry as Goku kneeled by his son's head and turned his body over in his arms. Gohan was unconscious. Goku looked over his son's beaten face, and instantly the rage he had felt returned. A yell ripped through the air as android Seventeen rushed towards him.

Goku was about to put his son down and counter the android's attack, but someone else beat him to the punch and knocked the android back and away again.

Vegeta had phazed in front of him, right before the android had reached him, and had kicked the machine away. He still stood with his leg outstretched, in his super saiyan form, and his arms crossed.

Goku looked up at him and smiled slightly. "Thanks Vegeta." He said. Vegeta just stared at him as he powered down again.

Suddenly, Krillin stepped toward the duo, a look of disbelief upon his face. "Goku." he whispered. "Goku, what did you do?" He asked sharply, panic seeping into his voice.

Goku gazed at his best friend, a look of confusion covered his face. After a moment, his eyes widened at just what his friend was implying. He opened his mouth to reply, but shifting rubble interrupted him. He snapped his head in the direction of the androids, knowing they had only managed to stun them.

He was right. He could see android Eighteen picking herself up, her hand cradling her head.

Goku turned back to his friend and stated, "There's no time right now. We have to get out of here."

Goku put one arm behind his son's back and the other underneath his knees and lifted his limp body off the ground. He gave his friends a quick nod and took off into the air with his son, the others following him.

Goku stared at his son's face for a moment before looking forward at the now setting sun. It was getting late, he noticed. Then, a look of uneasiness crossed his face. He tightened his grip on his son as he asked himself, 'What did I just do?'