45

~*****~


It doesn't seem like a surprise when Babidi's life force disappears completely. "What's the matter? What's wrong, Dad?" I hear Goten ask. I look up from my hands braiding Marble's hair.

"Goku, what is it you're sensing?" Piccolo asks.

"It's Majin Buu. He's-- He's..." Goku trails off.

"He's what?" Piccolo asks.

"He's killed Babidi." Goku says.

"He killed him?!" Krillen exclaimed.

"Well, this is a surprising turn of events." Piccolo comments.

"Is it?" I scoff. "The disgusting little imp did nothing but berate the monster."

Goku nods. "So, what happens now?" Piccolo asks. "Majin Buu has no one telling him what to do anymore. There's no denying that Babidi was definitely the brains of that particular operation.

"Maybe things will turn out happy after all, guys!" Bulma sighs.

"Yeah!" Krillen agrees.

"I'm not so sure." I sigh.

"Yes." Goku nods. "The only thing we can do now is hope."

Marble hisses in discomfort when I tug on a cord of hair just a little too hard. "Sorry." I hum softly before kissing her head. Marron is sitting besides me, her curious gaze on my hands. "Do you want me to braid your hair, too?" I ask her.

She quickly glances at her mom for approval, before nodding enthusiastically. Marble leaps up when I finish with her hair before going to sit with Goten. I smile fondly at the two children while my fingers comb through Marron's hair. I vaguely listen to the others talking.

"Tick Tock, Tick Tock, Tick Tock--" I finally glance up at the old witch Baba. "Greetings, Goku. At the tone, your time remaining on this Earth will be thirty minutes."

"Baba, what are you-- Thirty minutes!?" Goku asks nervously. "Is that all the time I've got?"

"At the tone, Goku-- beeeeep!"  Baba responds.

I snort. "You knew this would happen, you idiot." I mention.

Goku rubs at the back of his head nervously. "W-Well, I had to distract him somehow!" Goku whined. "C'mon, don't look at me like that, I don't like your scary faces!"

I shake my head at him before returning to Marron's hair. "Mommy, look at my hair!" Marron chirped. Eighteen smiles in response.


~*****~


I smile fondly at Goten, Krillen, and Marble sparring in the middle of the Lookout. She's not as skillful as the other two, but she manages to keep up, even if she gets knocked down from time to time.

"Hey, heads up guys! Mars just flew in!" Krillen cheered.

"Oh, my baby!" I chime as I run at him. I curl my arms around him as he stiffens in embarrassment. "Oh, you must be so tired!"

"M-Mom, I'm fine!" Mars complains.

I snort. "Of course you are," I chime. "My little man is such a grown boy, yes he is~" I keep nuzzling his hair affectionately.

"Mom!" Mars complains again. I reluctantly release him and pull Marble into my arms instead, who appreciates my affection. "Here it is, sir! Confirm: Is this your Dragon Radar!" Mars recites like little soldier.

"Confirmed! Good job, soldier. Mission accomplished!" Goku laughs.

"Thank you, sir!" Mars giggles.

Goku hands me the radar and I hold it up. "Thanks to Mars, we can track down those Dragon Balls and wish for everything to be brought back to normal."

A bright look fills Mars' face. "When do we get to train the fusion?! You guys didn't start without me, did you?"

Marble snorts. "You can't do a fusion with just one person, Mars!" She says with her hands on her hips.

"But wouldn't it be cool if I could do a fusion with myself and become two of me?" Goten asks eagerly.

Goten and Goku begin giggling at the thought while Mars and Marble just stare at them. "Did you get any of that?" Mars asks his sister.

She shook her head. "Boys are stupid." She mentions before tromping towards the temple.


~*****~


"Goten! Mars! We have to begin our training right away!" Goku instructs as we reconvene in the training room.

"Yes sir!" The two boys chime.

"Now, I don't have much time left, so we're going to need to work hard and fast." Goku explains. "The fate of the world depends on your cooperation. Got it?"

"Sir, yes sir!" Both boys chirp.

"Wow, what do you think got into them?" Goku wonders.

"Well, maybe you can teach these kids some new tricks after all, Goku." Piccolo huffs.

"Let's begin!" Goku orders. "First, you two have to realign your energies with one another." The boys shout in response, and begin to work.

The begin to power up, causing the building the shake once again. "It's amazing how great their powers are, especially at such a young age, wow!" Roshi comments.

When the energy finally dies down, Goku smiles. "Great! Your energies are perfectly matched. Just keep practicing, otherwise you'll slip out of sync with each other."

"Hey, you don't look so good, Goku. Even for you." Piccolo comments.

"Thanks, but I'll be all right. Just a little tired." Goku reassures him. "Yeah, it's nothing, really. Now, are you ready to attempt the most difficult part of fusion? It'll require a lot of patience, and some real discipline." The boys immediately agree. "Once you've matched your energies precisely, you must strike a delicate series of poses together. If either of you is even the slightest bit off, the fusion will fail. Now, I'm about to teach you the exact moves. So, pay close attention, 'kay?" The boys agree again. "To get it started, the two of you will stand right next to each other." He extends his arms past his right side. "Then go like this, and make sure your arms are straight. Then you say: Fu--" He does this weird crab walk and extends his arms to the left. "You'll approach each other with outstretched arms, moving exactly three steps over, and once you got that you say... Sion!" His arms snap to the other side with his knee turning over his body. "Quarter turn and watch the angle of your knee. Ha!" His pointer fingers extend as his body bows to the side, forming into a half arch. "Now watch! Point your fingers parallel, and don't forget the angle of your legs! It's very important."

"This... might be a little tough." Mars mentions with a flush on his face. Goten agrees.

"Listen boys, you two are gonna have to face off against Majin Buu in just two days. Now that's pretty soon." Goku explains in a breathless sort of tone. "So, it's crucial you know how to fuse before then. Do you understand?" Both boys agree immediately. I gaze at Goku skeptically. I'd never seen him like that. He was exhausted. "Okay guys, I hope you were paying close attention. You're gonna have to do the same exact moves, in perfect symmetry. All right? Let's give it a try!" Neither Mars nor Goten have the slightest clue how to continue. "What's wrong?" Goku asks.

Mars flushes and immediately spouts nonsense. "I don't think Goten knows what symmetry is, sir." He says immediately. I shake my head and sigh. Just like his father, that's for sure. Stubborn to admit his own faults.

Goku flinched. "Oh, right. Well, it's... how should I put it?" He begins to stammer.

I grunt irritably. "It's like a mirror image." I say aloud. "To get a better understanding of that, Goku, I think you should show the boys what a fusion would look like-- with two people." I state.

"Oh, yeah! That's perfect! Thanks, Mara!" Goku chirped. "Piccolo, we can show them how it's done!"

Piccolo is normally a very stoic and undisturbed man, but I'd never seen him so shocked and embarrassed in one moment. A wide grin split over my face. "Are you sure?!" He asked.

Both Goku and Piccolo get into position. "Now, watch us very carefully." Goku instructs. "We only have time to demonstrate this once. Just follow me, Piccolo, and do what I do. But in reverse, like a mirror opposite. Fu--" They begin to move together, albeit clunky and unpracticed, but it's perfect for training. "Sion! Ha!" Piccolo is not happy in the slightest. Marble immediately covers her mouth in an attempt to cover the giggle worming from her mouth. And it's another glorious day. Piccolo is flushing, and it's adorable. "That! Is symmetry!"

"What the heck was that?!" Krillen asks. "Is this fusion, or a junior high prom?"

I shrug. "I didn't go to school, so I assume it's fusion." I mention. "Although, I'm not so sure I want that to be the move that saves the world."

"Now, are you two ready to give it a try?" Goku asks. Both boys agree immediately.

"I've got a question." I mention to Goku. He hums curiously and gazes over at me. "Would you have really asked Vegeta to do this fusion move with you if he were still alive?" He hums again. "I'm sorry, but that would not have worked. Vegeta, well... he would not subject himself to something like... that."

"Why not?" Goku asks.

I pinch at the bridge of my nose. "It's hard enough getting that man to agree to dance with me. Why on earth would he dance with you?"

"Wait, you got him to dance with you?" Yamcha asks through his chuckling.

Before I can retort, Goten shouts. "Hey, Dad! Look at this!"

The two boys are in position, but Goten's arms are a little too low. "Right?" Mars asks for confirmation.

Goku nods with a smile. "That's it. Oh, but Goten, your left arm is a little bit low. It should be even with Mars'." Goten corrects his arms. "Good! Now take three steps. "Fu..." the boys take their three steps. "Sion!" Mars gets his move right, but Goten's knee is on the wrong side. He quickly corrects it. When they perform the last move, they're both bumbling with their fingers that it's definitely not symmetrical.

"Oh, brother!" Goku whined. "All right, let's take it again, from the top! Remember, symmetry!"


~*****~


The boys continue to work on their dance a few more times. One of their last ones was almost perfect. "Now that was much better than before!" Goku praises. "Just keep doing it like that!"

"Is it bad that I find this... incredibly adorable?" I ask lightly. "I kinda wanna see Piccolo do the dance again."

Bulma hums in agreement. "Yeah, it's kind of refreshing to see him anxious like that."

Piccolo flinches and glowers at us, a heady flush on his face depicting his embarrassment. Bulma and I just chuckle. "I think you two are just evil." Krillen mentions.

"Yeah, no doubt." Yamcha agrees.

The boys keep practicing while the others go down the courtyard. I remain in the room with them. But it seems that the boys are getting distracted. "Hey! Attention!" Goku barks in such a serious tone, that even I jump.

"Sir, yes, sir!" The boys immediately cry and stand stock still.

 Goku drills them again. "What's the matter, Mars?" Goku asks as Mars lowers his arms.

"I'm sorry, but this Fusion technique's lame." Mars says.

"What? You think it's lame?" Goku asks, as if it were a huge shock. Goku giggles. "Kids today! Fusion is anything but lame! The Metamorese people who taught this to me are some of the strongest warriors in the universe, thanks to Fusion!"

Mars lowers his head a little bit. "Okay, but first, can you show me how you change into Super Saiyan Three?!" Mars asks in such an enthusiastic tone, I nearly started laughing. Goku is stunned. "Those people may be powerful, but they're not Super Saiyan Three!"

"Hey, can you show me how to do it, too, Dad?" Goten asks eagerly.

"Instead of wasting our time with this boring old Fusion thing, wouldn't me and Goten be a lot better off if we became Super Saiyan Three?" Mars added.

"Yeah! I'm sure we can beat Majin Buu, then!" Goten says.

Goku is not happy with them now. "You can't." He says firmly. "The only way you two boys can beat Majin Buu is by fusing together! Just trust me on this one!"

Mars glances at Goten. "Maybe your dad is right." Mars concedes. 

"Great!" Goku smiled. "Take it from the top!" Both boys begin to pout. "They look so sad..." Goku murmurs and I know he's fallen for it. "Fine! I'll show you the Super Saiyan Three just one time!" Both boys immediately begin to cheer, but Goku cuts them off. "Not so fast. You have to promise me that you'll really learn to fuse afterwards."

"Promise!" Both boys chant.

"Be smart, Goku!" Piccolo barks. "You'll lose what little time you have left on Earth!"

"I'm already out of time, Piccolo." Goku reminds him. "Mars! Goten! Watch closely!"

We all take a step back as Goku begins to power up. "First, turn Super Saiyan! Then you go one step beyond that to Super Saiyan Two-- an ascended Super Saiyan! Then..." He stops and begins growling and groaning to power up to Super Saiyan Three. Being so close now, my body lights up with the energy. It begins to crackle against my skin like lightning and I have to fight from collapsing from the sheer power overload. "This next energy has to come deep inside! Push hard to find it!" His hair grows against his head and down his back until he's completed the transformation. My legs shake violently as I slump down the wall. "Tap into that, and you become a Super Saiyan Three.

"Mercy--" I murmur as I gaze at him through my bleary eyes. Was I attracted to this man? Oh, yes. Did I want Vegeta to ravage me while in this form, too? Yes! My body relaxes when Goku finally collapses and reverts to normal. "Goku--" I stammer in concern.

"Don't worry about me, I'm all right." Goku says in between breaths. "Let's get back to work. You two promised, remember?"

"Goku--" I flinch to the as Baba seemingly appears from nowhere. "Your times up, Goku."

"Now?" Goku whined.

"That little stunt you just pulled drained the last grains of sand through your hourglass." Baba explained.

"All right." Goku sighed. "Piccolo, just pick up where I left off, okay? I know these boys aren't too graceful but they learn fast and I believe in them!"

"But... Goku." Piccolo trails off.

"I'm putting all of my trustin you with this one, Piccolo." Goku states. "You've earned it." Piccolo nods and thanks his old rival. "Mars and Goten. I know you'll show Piccolo the same respect and dedication that you've shown me. He's the one in charge now." Both boys agree immediately.


~*****~


"Things aren't the same around here, without you, Goku." Roshi mentions when we all convene outside to say goodbye. "These guys won't let me have any fun."

"We'll miss you, Goku." Bulma hums.

"Goku, you still think about us when you're in Other World, uh, don't you, buddy?" Krillen asks. Goku laughs and nods.

"Goku!" We all turn our heads as Chi-Chi barrels through the doors. "No!" She sobs as she curls herself into his arms. "But, Goku... Goku, how can you say goodbye?" She asks through her tears. "Now that Gohan has left me, too!?"

"Chi-Chi, you'll be all right." Goku tries to reassure her. "You still have Goten to look after you."

I glare at Goku. That was no way to comfort his wife. "And what if Majin Buu takes him away from me like Gohan?"

"That won't happen!" Goku assures her. "Once he masters Fusion, Goten can't possible lose the fight! I'll tell Gohan how much you really miss him when I see him there."

"You won't!" Videl snaps loudly. "I know. Gohan is still alive, I'm sure of it!"

Goku hummed. "But how?" He asks.

"I don't know, I just feel him beating in my heart." Videl mentions lightly.

"To be young and in love!" Krillen sighs. "To be completely irrational. Boy, I miss those days, a lot."

I gaze down at him in confusion. "Your devotion to him is really great." Goku comments.

"Thank you, sir." Videl hums with a flush on her face.

"Hey! No more goodbyes! Your time's up!" Baba retorted.

"You know, sometimes, maybe it's best to be silent." I remind her as Goten whimpers for his father.

"What is it, Goten?" Goku asks.

The young boy twiddles with his thumbs for a moment. "Oh, I know. You want one last hug from your father, don't you, Goten?" Chi-Chi says for him.

Goten is flushing now. And now I'm tearing up. "Oh, of course!" Goku grins. "Hey, there's nothin' to be ashamed of, son. It's okay." Goku coos as he picks up his son. Goten is whimpering and fighting back tears. Goten is curled up in his arms, and now I'm full on bawling. "Goten, gonna take care of your mom for me?" Goku asks while he pats at his sons head.

Goten nods through his whimpering nonetheless. "Goku, you can't put it off any longer." Baba reminds him.

I grunt and glare at her. "Gotcha." Goku nods. He sets his tearful son back onto the ground and rubs his head one last time. "I'm proud of you, son." The two ascend into the air. "So long everyone!" Goku shouts down at us. I sniffle more and wipe at my face as he disappears from sight while we shout our goodbyes. "Good luck fighting Majin Buu! I'll see you all sooner or later!"

Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: AzTruyen.Top