I don't own Dragon Ball or any of its characters. This story is based on the events of the official Dragon Ball Online timeline. GT never happened.

The great tree provided the young woman with a fresh shadow. She was hugging her legs, her head resting against her knees. She could hear the birds chirping at her, the squirrels scurrying from one branch to another and in the lake before her, a fish would try now and then to fly towards the sky. But she wasn't sure she would ever enjoy them again. She felt numb.

Three days. She had cried for three days. There weren't any tears left. She was spent. Now, she just held to herself wondering how was she supposed to go on without him. How did he expected her to go on without him? Did he ever understand that when he took off? He had been the world to her. She had dwell on these thoughts until she fell asleep, and then woke up three times to the terrible absence of his essence from this planet. He wouldn't come back.

She bit her lip.

She immediately realized that an old familiar ki slowly made his way to her. She made no move to avoid him. She was just so tired. So tired of running, so tired of hiding.

Three days ago, she had broken down, and with that burst of golden energy, she had flown fast like never before, away from everything, away from her father. Then she had disappeared her ki and simply hid in the forest. She didn't want them to tell her that everything was going to be alright, because they would be lying. Nothing was going to be the same and to face that reality just froze her. She had heard her father calling her from the sky, asking her to come out, pleading her to let him help her. He eventually left to look somewhere else for her.

The familiar ki finally arrived and landed a few feet from her.

"You are hard to find, Pan" Krillin said softly at the young woman.

Pan didn't answer. She simply turned her head to the other side.

"Your dad and mom are really worried"

"Did they send you to look for me?" her voice sounded so alien to her. So coarse. She had screamed for hours at the sky... at him.

"Nope. They called me to know if I had seen you... and I kinda figured out you would be here"

Pan lifted her head to watch him.

"How did you know where I was?" she frowned slightly. She made sure to hide her ki completely. There was no way someone could have sensed her.

"Well..." he stepped closer to her and looked slowly around "This spot. We came here once before, a long time ago. Goku told me he used to bring Gohan here to fish and for picnics with your grandmother. I just had the hunch that he would have brought you here too... and you would like to find a place connected to him"

Her expression had changed drastically, going from pain from hearing his name, to confusion, to anger.

"He left us" she said in an accusatory tone.

"Pan...-"

"HE LEFT US!" her fists were ready to punch someone.

"Pan, you need to understand..."

"What is there to understand!? He left his family! He's not coming back! I thought... I thought... I hoped he-"

Krillin sat at her side in the cooling shadow.

"Pan, please, don't blame him"

"How can I not!? First it was Uub! And then-"

"No, kid, this goes way back. Before you were born... before Gohan was born. I'm sure you had heard the stories from when he was young. The truth is, we are partly to blame for how he is. He would be sent to train alone for years at a time, all by himself. And we would be waiting for him all that time. We placed our hopes and lives on him, and he trained as hard as he could and never let us down. To leave was the way he had learned to live. I was actually surprised he had managed to work out his marriage to Chichi. But the thing is... he never changed. In a way it was his greatest strength and his greatest fault. Being a Saiyan never helped his case either. He would look out for the next big challenge, the next big adventure, the next journey... He never changed. Even when he died against Cell, I bet that the idea of meeting the strong warriors of the Otherwold intrigued him. With the years, the rest of us just learned to accept the way he was."

"He had changed" she assured him almost offended. "When he went with Uub he promised to visit us. He kept his promise! He didn't just left! Even when grandma died, he went out on his own for a while, but he also came back to us!" the memory of him also disappearing that time assaulted her heart. He had come back after a month when she reached out worried for him. She knew this time he wouldn't answer her call.

"Have you ever thought he did it for you?"

"...what?" she whispered.

"When you were little and he left with Uub, Gohan was a grown man, and believe me, he was more than used to him leaving. Goten was a teenager begging for space and his own identity. But... Goku knew that you and Chichi needed him. I'm sure that promise was for you and her. He loved you both deeply"

Pan looked at the ground biting her lip. "And now? Just because I'm older doesn't mean I don't-..."

"Pan, you must understand, he needed to do this. Both of them"

"To what!?" she stood up not wanting to hear the rest "Run around from planet to planet with Vegeta, beating baddies in their last years?"

Krillin's eye bucked in shock. "Wait, Pan, you haven't... you didn't hear the rest?"

"I haven't talked to-" she felt a knot on her throat, there was just so much emotion she could barely control herself.

"Pan" he gave her a stern look. "He's dying"

"He was getting old, and just for that they leav-"

"No, he IS dying" Krillin cut her short "Bulma explained it to us. He didn't have time left." Pan stared at him in disbelief. "In a matter of days he would have been gone"

Her legs gave out and she fell down to her knees. "What?"

"The moment I saw him at the party, it just clicked. He wanted to say goodbye to everybody with a smile. No crying, no sadness. He wanted everyone to have a good memory with him. You see now? It was his only chance to do it"

"But he could have told us. He could have-" Pan shook her head trying to make sense of her own thoughts.

"Stay here and die quietly?" the words hit her stronger than any punch in her life. Krillin cleared his throat; he hadn't meant to be so direct. "For them... there is no other way to end their story. This is their final journey." Pan's hands grasped the dirt and grass below, she looked up at him trying to hold back tears she didn't even knew she had left. "They are going to fight each other for the last time"

Pan whimpered hanging her head and Krillin held her shoulders giving her some time to let it all out. After a minute of two of sobbing, she finally got a hold of herself and sat back against the tree sighing deeply. Sometimes, it just scared her how much, how deeply, she loved him. And right now, it was hurting so much to agree with Krillin. If given the choice, she knew Goku would prefer to die fighting. The last fight. The best fight. There would be no tomorrow for them. And she knew he would love it. She could picture him now; the expectation to fight Vegeta at his full strength. The ultimate challenge.

"You are right" she whispered with a bittersweet smile. "He never changed"

"Hn" Krilin looked at the tranquil lake. "Pan, don't worry, you will meet him again one day."

"Yes" she nodded as a strange peace invaded her. "One day"

They stood there like that for a while, just enjoying the cool breeze of the lake.

"You would be a good teacher" Pan said with a smile.

"Are you trying to recruit me for the Satan Martial Arts School, Miss Son?" Krillin joked. "Nah... I'm not sure I'm a good teacher... I mean, 18 would kill me if I start behaving like Roshi"

"You do have a way" she chuckled.

"Hey... I wanted to ask you" Krillin sat straighter looking at her.

"Uhm?"

"Did you really... ascend?" he let the question linger in the air. Every other ki user in the planet had felt the spike of energy three days ago. But as soon as it had appeared, it was gone. That was the first sign for the rest of their friends that something was up, and Krillin had a pretty good idea of whom that energy might have come from.

"Does it even matter now?" she rested her head back against the tree, closing her eyes.

"Well, that's a big accomplishment and I'm sure you would have loved to-" he stopped talking, leaving his mouth open in surprise. They felt a ki... Pan's eyes opened in shock.

His ki. THEIR ki.

She was on her feet looking around before even registering getting up.

"Where is he!? Did he change his mind!?" she said hopefully that they had turned around their ship or teleported back to Earth.

"No, no. They are releasing they power... they are not hiding their ki at all."

"We... we can feel that from another planet?" she asked baffled. Pan had never tried to feel something beyond Earth, there was no point. Goku and Vegeta would keep their energy always partly hidden, just enough to let everyone else aware of their presence when they were not fighting.

"Heh, that's right. You missed those fights. When they fought Kid Buu, you could feel them from another dimension" he snickered.

"Wait, that means-" she gasped.

"...Their fight is starting" Krillin concluded and they looked at each other anxiously. Pan didn't know what to do, but it wouldn't last long. Hundreds of miles away they felt several kis heading towards one point: Capsule Corp.

"They are all going to meet up at Bulma's" whispered Pan.

In a blink, both of them were flying towards West City.

"Do you know how is Bra taking this?" Pan shouted back as they flew.

"The last thing I heard is that she was in the Gravity Room with Trunks" Krillin said loudly as the air hit them in the face.

"They are training!?" she was surprised and the old man shrugged.

"They are Vegeta's"

Now, she felt awful. She could imagine Bra having such a crisis. Vegeta had always asked her to come and train with him but she simply had other interests in mind. Sure, she knew how to fight, fly and blast things away, but her power was way below any of the other fighters. This incident might have shook her deeply.

-And what have I been doing? Brooding on my own sadness and anger. No. He would have never wanted that- she shut her eyes close -No more tears- she promised herself.

They heard a voice calling them getting close rapidily.

"Pan! Krillin-san!" Uub immediately arrived at their side. "Pan, are you ok? We have been looking for you"

Pan opened her mouth and it took her a little will power to speak. She was still embarrassed for what Goku might have implied with him. "You were looking for me?"

"I felt your ki spike and when I headed to your house to investigate I found your dad in the way" Uub explained "We split to cover more terrain to find you"

"I'm sorry. I just... needed space"

"It's alright. I'm just glad you are fine" Uub nodded at her, but then he became more serious "They are really going to fight, aren't they?"

"Yes" said Krillin.

"We better hurry with the others then"

In less than 15 minutes they arrived to the huge yellow dome of Capsule Corp. Outside, Gohan and Videl were already waiting for them.

"Pan!" Gohan hovered quickly to meet his daughter.

"Dad!" she almost tackled him and hugged him. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I just couldn't-"

"Hn" a sad smile on his face "I get it... I really do" he turned to Krillin "Thank you"

"Don't mention it. I promised I would look out for them"

Videl had also come up to hug her daughter and when all was said and done they looked back at the building. They made their way through the lobby and then to the great living room. Everyone was there: Piccoro, Yamcha, Dende, Popo, Tienshinhan, Roshi... even Buu and Grandpa Satan were present. He ran to her looking her from head to toe.

"My Pan! PAN! Are you alright!?" he said with big tears in his eyes.

"I'm fine, grandpa. I'm sorry I worried you"

Trunks and Bra were standing beside their mother. It struck Pan that she indeed looked like a queen with her children. With Goku and Vegeta gone that could very well be the case.

Pan feared that somehow Bra was going to hate her now. Goku was after all the one that was going to die sooner, so losing her father too was technically his fault. Pan stood there not really knowing what to say or do. Bra stepped closer, her eyes giving small hint that she had been crying. She was still dressed in the full blue training suit. She simply reached out to Pan and hugged her tightly. They held each other for a while, realizing that this incident had brought them closer. Trunks and Goten in the other hand were strangely quiet and, to her surprise, Trunks had his old sword strapped to his back.

"Can any of you tell me what's happening with them?" Bulma spoke and looked at everyone present.

Uub sighed. "Not exactly... right now we can tell they are fighting. Their ki spike with every hit. It's like they were sparks every time they clash."

Piccoro nodded. "Most likely they are warming up, measuring their current strength."

"I see" Bulma grabbed Trunks hand on her shoulder.

"I'll tell you if there's-"

Gohan's eyes widened. "Kamehameha" he whispered as they felt a very distinct ki signature flare up. Vegeta's ki dodged it and responded with-

"Big Bang Attack" Trunks grinned.

Everyone smiled with him.

It was strange. Their friends were out there, trying to kill each other, but now that they knew the situations it felt right. In truth, they were honoring each other in their own Saiyan way. They knew how important this was for them.

What came afterwards was what Pan could only describe as a breathtaking dance. They were fighting rarely using any blasts. It was slowly escalating, at each passing second one of them was trying to best the other. After almost an hour, both of their Ki suddenly raised.

"Level 2!" Uub called out excited. He had only sparred with Goku twice in that state. It had been way too much for him to handle but Goku had assured him that he would be able to surpass even that one day.

Pan was nervous as the end was drawing closer.

Bra frowned. "Wait...will Goku reach SSj3 to finish the fight?"

Piccoro shook his head "No, I was even doubting they would be able to hold this transformation with the state of their bodies. There's no way Goku will be getting that one"

"They have been doing this for a while now..." Yamcha pointed out. "How long do you think they can keep this up?"

"There's no telling really" Krillin face was focused, his eyes closed trying not to miss anything.

They stepped up the game. There were 'sparks' everywhere as Uub had described them.

Pan gulped, all her body tensing up. Everyone else clenched their teeth. Those were serious... SERIOUS hits. The planet they were on must have been getting chunks thrown out into the space with that force. And as clear as the day, Goku hit Vegeta and suddenly, the prince's Ki disappeared, followed by Goku's.

There was complete silence in the room. No one dared to move a muscle.

"That's... it?" Pan asked, afraid of the answer. Uub shook his head.

"I doubt it"

"How can you be sure?"

"You need more than that to kill my dad" Trunks nodded. It was true, he had seen his father get horribly beaten by Majin Buu and still hold his own.

"Dende, can you contact Kaio-sama to know what's happening?" Bulma inquired with the Earth's Guardian.

"I apologize. I tried earlier. Goku asked him not to intervene... but Kaio-sama promised he would let us know when it's over" the only thing they could do was to wait. Another half an hour passed without any signal of their ki. Maybe they had lowered theirs to a point they wouldn't be able to sense from such a distance.

Goten was about to leave to find something to drink. His mouth was dry and he wasn't sure he would be able to stand waiting much longer. Just as he was going to ask Trunks if he needed anything, their Ki reappeared.

"THERE!" he shouted startling most of them. They were back in their base level but steadily raising their Ki.

"The real fight is about to start" Piccoro assured smiling. But after a minute or two, nothing happened.

"They are... just standing there" Krillin looked at Gohan and Piccoro with a puzzled expression.

Somehow, the truth hit Pan in that moment.

"They are saying goodbye to each other" he eyes widened and she clenched her fist. She felt Goku' ki washing over her from that faraway place, and he was about to be gone forever. That dreadful feeling caught her heart again. She wished... she wished to say goodbye as well, a proper farewell. She had just waved at him before. She wanted him to know that she would never forget about him, that she loved him, that she had ascended-...

Pan froze for a second. Next thing, she was running out of the room.

"Pan!" it had been too fast even for Uub to realize that she was gone.

"Again?" Krillin said sighing.

But she didn't ran way far. She got to the yard and flew over Capsule Corp, reaching as high as she could. Where she got to a point where she was still able to breath, she let her Ki out. She let it all explode.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH"

A golden aura surrounded her, transforming into a Super Saiyan.

"Pan, what are you doing?" she heard her father closer by the second, but she did not answer, her mind was focused on only one thing: Raising her ki to the limits. Trunks, Bra, Uub, Piccoro, Krillin and Goten had chased her up wondering what was she up to too. "Pan... are you trying to... contact him?" Gohan asked figuring out.

"YES!" she shouted through the golden energy. Suddenly, Bra was besides her also screaming her lungs out. Pan was impressed. In three days in the Gravity Room Bra had managed to raise her power almost tenfold. She was still leagues behind Trunks and Goten but it was quite a feat on itself. Soon the rest were letting their ki felt as far as possible, wondering if Goku and Vegeta would be able to sense them.

...

Goku's Ki pulsed in a very distinct way. Almost like a wink. He was answering to their collective signal.

Pan burst out in tears realizing Goku had managed to sense her. "I DID IT GRANDPA! I DID IT! I became a Super Saiyan!"

"Dad..." Bra gasped as she felt her father's ki do the same "I'll make you proud! I SWEAR!"

Goku smiled looking up, his face was covered in dirt and blood. His gi, as always, was halfway torn and his black hair waved gently with the cold wind. On the other side of the great chasm, another figure was standing against the desolate skyline of this forgotten planet. Vegeta was looking up too, a prideful grin decorating his face. So very much like their first encounter, they had come full circle.

-Pan, this is your Super Saiyan ki- his smile couldn't get any wider.

"Vegeta... they are watching the fight too" Goku turned his attention to his lifetime rival, his friend, the only individual of his race he had come to regard as family. A kindred soul.

"Hn" Vegeta gave him a meaningful smirk. "Let's make this worth watching, Kakarot"

Yes.

Goku beamed in excitement. They were not afraid. Any doubt they had during their trip was now a blurry memory. The very moment they started to fight without any other concern was something they had longed for decades. A dream come true indeed. Goku could barely believe he was experiencing such joy in this last battle.

They looked at each other in silence. They had already said what there was left to say. It was time to finish.

The planet rumbled in anticipation. The air howled. Particles of dirt and rocks levitated from the ground around them.

The two of them flew in the others' direction, leaving a golden trail of aura behind.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Pan and the others were already back on the ground. She was panting heavily, totally spent. Bulma and the rest had also gone outside to see what was happening with them.

"Are you alright?" Bulma asked her children. Bra almost jumped on her laughing and with tears in her eyes.

"He sensed us! Dad answered!" Bra was ecstatic. This time, Bulma wasn't able to keep the mask and tears of joy rolled down her cheeks holding her daughter.

"They are starting again" Krillin said drying a tear from his eye.

They agreed with smiles, but soon enough they were speechless. Their power wasn't diminishing at all after their last encounter. On the contrary... It kept going and going! Goku's Ki would raise and Vegeta would reach him soon after, forcing him to power up in turn.

"...Ah..." was all Pan could say. It was simply overwhelming.

Even Bulma started to get chills down her spine.

"That's just not possible" Gohan murmured in disbelief. They were going beyond their limits! If he didn't know better he could have sworn both of them had reached Super Saiyan 3.

More. Higher. Brighter!

Piccoro and Krillin looked at each other. This power... what they were feeling seemed awfully similar to Vegeta's Final Explosion. Only both of them had gotten to witness its power, but this was even beyond that technique. The result would obliterate everything, local solar system and all.

Their splendid Ki collided and burned brighter than the sun, relentlessly raising. Everyone froze into place in awe as a magnificent radiance that overwhelmed the senses exploded somewhere in the galaxy. Goku and Vegeta's ki flared one last time and were engulfed in that blinding brilliance.

Then, nothingness.

Everyone was quiet. Bulma squeezed her children hands. "How was it?" she asked softly.

"It was glorious, mom" Trunks said still in awe "It was glorious" he repeated it whispering.

Sunset had already come and gone over West City. Inside the building, family and friends were sharing their stories, tears and love for the two Saiyans, and even if they had all been terribly sad to learn the truth days ago, there was a distinct feeling of hope and satisfaction in their hearts. After almost four decades of waiting, their wish had become a reality.

Goku and Vegeta were now truly gone, but they had left on their terms, and Pan was sure they had done it with a smile in their faces. She sighed standing outside looking at the stars, wondering which one was the final resting place of her grandfather.

The cold night breeze moved her hair and she heard steps on the grass coming close to her.

"You know..." Uub timidly approached her "I think I understand what Goku meant the other day by asking me if I was afraid of your strength"

"Oh, Uub... I don't think this is the right time-" she remembered the conversation she had with Goku about the wedding dress, and she was sure she was not ready to give awkward explanations.

"No, no, this is important, hear me out" he raised his hand motioning her to wait "Look, I think he wanted me to take over your training"

"huh?" she turned around raising and eyebrow.

"I believe he knew you were close to ascend and that the news of his leave would have such an impact on you. When you went up there to say goodbye with your Ki, I felt your power and I can say it's great, but...erh... you were not controlling it properly..." Pan could tell he was trying not to offend her with that last line.

"But Uub, how could you help me with my Super Saiyan transformation?"

"I know I don't have Saiyan blood and all that, but... your dad won't be able to supervise your training any time soon because he has his research" he scratched the back of his head "You see, I was used to spar with Goku even when he transformed and I'm very familiar with the way he managed his ki. I kinda feel I must help you with that in any way I can, because I'm sure he wanted for you to reach your full potential. Is the least I can do after all what he did for me"

Pan stared at him and Uub was unsure how she had taken his offer. A small warm smile appeared on her lips.

"You cared for him a lot, right Uub?" her voice turned soft, just realizing truly how good and kindhearted he was.

"Yeah, he was like family" Uub nodded relaxing a little seeing she wasn't mad or offended.

She turned her gaze back to the stars and, for a second, she swore that one of those stars winked at her in a complicit way.

Pan's smile widen.

"Hn. We will being training tomorrow then" she gave him a thumbs up, very much like Goku had done hundreds of times before "We will train hard and protect this planet that he loved so much."

"Right!" Uub beamed and shook hands with her "It's a promise!"

Something had just born on Pan's heart. A warm and happy feeling she hadn't guessed she could feel for the young man. She wasn't sure if Goku had planned all this for her training or to match them up. After all, he knew Pan better than anyone... and he knew Uub better than anyone too. Maybe he had seen something they had missed until now. A possibility.

-Alright, grandpa. I'll give it a try…- she gave a last look to the sky before following Uub inside.

It was well past midnight when everyone left Capsule Corp. Videl, Gohan, Pan and Goten left flying holding hands towards their home in the mountains. There was no Goku or Vegeta to save the day anymore. The future was scary and maybe someday a new powerful foe would come to Earth, but she was going to be ready for them then. Goten too had changed too. The look on his eyes showed resulution to live up to his full potential and return training.

Gohan had been quiet in deep thought for most of the way, but offered a warm smile every time he caught Pan looking at him. Together, they made a silent agreement to take over the protection of this planet in memory of their beloved Son Goku.

Everyone was so focused on their feelings and wondering on how would they fare, that no one remembered what Dende had said hours before. Even the Namekian had simply forgotten about it. Kaio-sama had promised to contact them to let them know when everything was over.

He hadn't.

Thank you so much for all your support and kind messages! I want to give a big hug for everyone who felt like crying on Chapter 5. I hope this finale lifts your spirits. This has been a journey on itself for me with my writing. I wasn't sure I could pull it off the way I envisioned but I'm very satisfied with the results.

When Dragon Ball Online came out, I was just baffled to learn the details of the new timeline. For those who didn't know, this is the official text that was the inspiration for this fanfic:

Age 801

Goku goes missing. Both Goku and Vegeta knew their lives were near an end, and leave Earth for a final battle. Years later, supernovas are detected; they are assumed to be from Goku and Vegeta's battle.

It struck me that their "lives were near and end". Vegeta was just on his 70's and Goku was way, WAY younger than that thanks to his 7 years on the Otherworld. I started wondering what exactly might have been the reason for this and the only thing I could think of was the SSj3. He was beyond exhausted after he used it, he simply wasn't even able to transform. And for Goku those are big words. I also left the ending open as the same text doesn't say "Goku/Vegeta dies". They simply "go missing". If anything, I'm sure they will try to use that interpretation in the game's main story line later down the road. ;3

On a DBZ related comment, I must say that I'm very excited for the announcement of the new 2013 movie. Given the timeframe available it must be in the following 5 years after the defeat of Majin Buu. Why not during the 10 years until Uub? Well, if you remember well, Bulma complained with Goku at the end of DBZ that he had not seen them in 5 years. Also, the official movie poster shows Trunks and Goten still as young kids so I guess it must be around the time of the 2008 Special.

In any case, I want to thank everyone again. I'll start writing another DBZ Fanfic soon, most likely an oneshot but I might change my mind if I can make it work properly. I would love to have your input there and hear your thoughts.

Remember, this is not a goodbye but a farewell, MATANE!