The Hero of Justice

Too noble. Too much responsibility pushed upon strong shoulder–young shoulders. Gotenks might have the power to destroy the planet, but he was still a child. …An upset, possibly depressed kid that desperately needed a hug.

As it was, Vegito was good at giving hugs. So that was what he did, pulling the youngster closer to his person to coil his arms around tightly, uncaring of who or what could be watching. He didn’t miss the way the kid went straight to one of his earrings, didn’t miss the way his energy felt vaguely comforted by the motion. And what he said… it broke Vegito’s heart, and made it warm simultaneously. “Missed you too, little buddy,” he whispered, tone never deviating from the soft, gentle level he’d always had solely for Gotenks. “Undead life’s borin’ without my little troublemaker to cause trouble.”

Soft nuzzles of his cheek to the kid’s surprisingly soft hair came next. He could feel the unkemptness of it, could smell nothing but nature and wilderness within. Gotenks hadn’t stayed at home, for however long he’d been gone. He’d… run away? Fled to some forest by the smell of it and from the longing gazes of Trunks and Goten at the brief sighting. Maybe he could alter that, convince the boy to return to some sort of civilisation… perhaps even encourage him to stay with Chi Chi? Despite the initial surprise, he didn’t doubt the mighty woman’s power to keep toerags in line, and… to be motherly and loving when a child needed someone. Someone who wasn’t him, because he couldn’t stay.

Could he?

Thoughts of leaving again now he had Gotenks sitting on his lap pained him, so he stopped. Ceased speculating on the distant future and concentrated on the here and now, namely the distraught boy on his lap. Freeing up a hand from the embrace, he raised it to run through spikes of lavender and black, gently sieving out some leaves embedded within.

It didn’t take long for Vegito to piece together some of the situation, or at least where Gotenks’s mind was. At the question of whether he was upset over missing him, he knew he should probably make it seem more like he had simply lost control and any regard for life, but he couldn’t bring himself to lie. He gave a small, shy nod, chewing lightly on a thumbnail and listening carefully to all Vegito had to say. The acceptance of his transient nature, and the seeming certainty he had that he would be whisked away again soon made his heart sink. He started to shake his head, pausing when he heard those three little words.

Time to leave.

Sparing a final glance at each of the youths, who had started pulling in closer to better examine the child and the plausible situation they had a hand, he mustered the strength for an apologetic smile and released Gotenks with one arm, placing two fingers of the conjoining hand upon his forehead. Retreating was the best option for now, so before he concentrated enough on one ki he was certain played no part in all of this, and had stayed home completely unaware of the events unfolding, he murmured to the little one, “Hold on–this usually sucks for first timers.”

And he transmitted without time for questions. Or for the flailing hands of Goten to reach him or the child, the half-Saiyan swiping at nothing but thin air. In the meantime, he and Gotenks arrived at their expected (for Vegito) destination–and an ungodly shriek of surprise made him wince. But he was prepared for it, not stopping to wait for an interrogation once the shock dissipated, he was outside in an instant and leaping up on the roof of the Son house, dropping his energy to be untraceable. “Lower your ki, Bambi. We got some talkin’ to do and this place is as good as any.”

It was somehow more painful to see the innocent incomprehension in Goten’s eyes than outrage and blame would have been. He knew this had been a bad idea. Between Vegito, and his Goten and Trunks--who he could tell at a glance had never fully given up on finding him--he knew he would crumble and break character. It was only a matter of time. If only because he didn’t want them to think so terribly of him. Didn’t want his creators to think they’d failed in their innocent child endeavor to create a being who stood for justice and wanted nothing more than to protect the world. He wasn’t someone who thought he was better than others because he was physically stronger. His heroes, his mothers, were human, and he himself was half-human. His roots were in humanity, and yet it must seem that he had forgotten that. He must make it appear so.

Luckily, he was whisked away from the impending confrontation and Goten’s doe eyes. Vegito was mumbling something about bracing himself and how uncomfortable the ride might be, and Gotenks was thinking that there was nothing more uncomfortable than being without him, and then they were gone. Gotenks found himself staring into eyes of an identical shade to Goten’s, much more familiar ones. He winced as she screamed; he was getting very tired of making people scream. But they didn’t stay. Instead, they perched on the roof. Gotenks was very aware of the warm arms wound around him. Despite all the trouble he had caused, despite the fact that he was probably a wanted fugitive from the very same group of people he adored, he had never felt so safe. One thing was for certain, he was never ever letting him go again.

And then his energy went out. Gotenks’s heart gave a painful lurch, and his eyes went wide and wild with desperation. Had he not been destructive enough? Was his docility reason for Yemma to take Vegito back? He clutched clumsily at the very solid body as if it was in danger of disintegrating, holding on tight, refusing to let go. “N-no, no!” he croaked... before finally registering what Vegito had told him to do--lower his energy. Which meant--oh. Oh. Vegito wasn’t disappearing. He was being smart, making sure they weren’t tailed. Gotenks should do so as well! He was having trouble, considering how unstable his energy was with intense anxiety. Carefully putting his arms around him, he laid his forehead against him and pressed so close that it was as if he was trying to become an attachment. After a few moments reassuring himself that Vegito was alive and not going anywhere, he managed to push his energy just below the trackable level.

Locked in place and frozen in time. It was almost enough to make him wonder if it was some elaborate dream set on by the eternal, damning darkness; an illusion if you will. But nothing like this happened before, and he couldn’t even sleep, suspended in limbo without any hope of getting admittance elsewhere, not even Hell. Sitting by the blood-red lake would be better than an infinite void. So it suggested the scene unfolding before him was very real and the shock, the horror, the fear he was experiencing was very, very real.

A vice-like grip clutched at his heart when he witnessed his little Bambi firing upon an innocent woman. Although, the unusual thing was… the fear gripping him wasn’t for the stranger–it was for Gotenks. For the small soul untouched by evil. Because no matter what his eyes were seeing and what his mind was telling him, he knew. Knew this wasn’t Gotenks. No way on Earth would the child before him perform such malicious, ruthless antics without an exceptionally valid reason. But he hadn’t the time or chance to stop and ask questions, because Gotenks was on the move–because they were on the move. He could feel them, all of them, powering up to fly over. Too many energies that he wanted to see once upon a time, and now the opportunity came, was dreading it.

What would they try and do to Gotenks? Subdue him, or…?

Knowing their track record, the latter was a plausible option and one that turned Vegito’s veins to ice. Never in a million years would he allow anyone to touch the little one. Anyone. All who tried would be on the receiving side of his fist (and then likely Gotenks’ from daring to approach Vegito in such a manner–the kid was odd like that).

He subtly lightened his work when Vegito spoke up in a whisper, making sure he caught every word while acting like he was paying attention to nothing other than how much fear he could spread. The weakness in his tone made his heart ache. He heard so many things in those few words, how confused he was, how frightened... and yet, he wasn’t sharp or even firm with Gotenks. He still cared? Gotenks’s aim wavered and his vision blurred from sudden tears. Instead of missing a mother carrying a young child, his blast headed straight for them. He blinked away the tears as he felt Vegito’s arms wrap around him and gasped in horror...

Fortunately, a blur of lavender showed him that Trunks had arrived on the scene and harmlessly batted Gotenks’s blast away. Gotenks, however, could think of nothing but the wide eyes of the child who had been watching the beam of energy headed straight towards her and her mother. He was struck dumb with the horror of what a moment of carelessness had done. Trunks was calling for him. He was suddenly aware of that, of his name being called desperately and questioningly. His stomach clenched as he lobbed another blast straight at Trunks, then turned to look up at Vegito ‘carelessly.’ Only a slight tremble betrayed him. “F-Fine. For you... let’s go play elsewhere. This--this city’s getting boring anyway.”

Huh. He went running like his life depended on it. Was he really that hungry? She’d have to yell at Vegeta later for not taking proper care of Gotenks. Then again, it isn’t as if he couldn’t visit Chi-Chi… But before she could dwell too much on it, Gotenks was back in front of her, holding her hand. 

Reaching forward with his free hand, he opened the door, taking the lead down the path and to the driveway where the car was waiting. He’d missed this too. It was lonely to look out and not see the familiar sign of his mom. And that reminded him--”Oh! I know how to drive now!” (He was only talking about a new racing video game he’d started playing, but he was certain he was now an expert.) 

Time passed in a blur. He and Trunks went about their daily life after it being turned upside-down. Or at least, they tried. Really, how were they supposed to carry on as normal when their fusion–their fusion!–had dropped into their lives so suddenly, and left just as abruptly? And the bigger one… Vegito… he’d sacrificed the vitality he’d miraculously gained from being wished to life, all for Gotenks. And set the responsibility of caring for him upon their shoulders. They had already lost him! Too much turbulence had been thrown in to disrupt the flow of their commonly uneventful lives. No way in Hell could they return to ‘normal’.

They discussed the fusions a lot. Wondered about how Vegito came to be, and then, how Gotenks existed and so small. Since, you know, they were much older than the age the little fusion depicted. Almost like Gotenks had been frozen in time and just popped up at–what, seven and a half? …Seven and a half, and he had to witness someone close to him sacrifice themselves for him. Goten’s heart ached for the child, and he wasn’t personally close to Vegito, but the comparison could easily be made–if that was Gohan, was Mama, was Trunks… He shivered in displeasure at the mere thought. Trunks wondered  more about the origins than what he did; he wanted to learn more about Gotenks as he was, not where he came from. A few times the suggestion popped up of them performing the fusion dance, but… strangely enough, each time they both rejected the idea vehemently. It was like an invasion of someone’s privacy, now that the mysterious fusions were their own people. Did that mean Dad had a dance fusion wandering around somewhere out there…?

Regardless, despite their missing fusion, they had to carry on. The world didn’t stop for them, and as the days passed, their hope of seeing the youngster again lowered. Until it was a small, insignificant thought placed upon the backburner within his mind. One meaningless day came and he was located upon one of the many couches within the main lounge of Capsule Corp, flicking idly through the channels for something to watch. Trunks and him were spending the day together, before his best friend’s life became too hectic after accepting an important role within Capsule Corp (from his mother’s persistence), but hey! He was proud of him, and they were celebrating with chilled out downtime. Click, the program about different types of soil changed and a new broadcast was on. Idly, he was ready to flick it to a new one again, when an explosion demanded his attention, making him jump and throw the remote. It clattered against the wall, drawing Trunks’ attention from gathering munchies for him and his companion, questioning teasingly about whether some scary movie had startled him.

Wordlessly, Goten shook his head, mouth working but no words emitting as he stared at the screen in disbelief. There, causing chaos and destruction within a usually peaceful town, was… was…! “Tr-Trunks!” he stammered out, breaking free from the previously paralysed state and scrambling over the back of the couch in an attempt to get to his friend. “Trunks!” Hastily he, once over the stubborn obstacle of the furniture, ran to the half-Saiyan, eyes wide with alarm. Because, currently being broadcast over the particular station with all the terrible destruction, was Gotenks.

Being suspended in constant darkness, swarmed with nothing but hopelessness and eternal damnation… was nicer than being alive. Yes, he was forever conscience in the place he resided, left alone for all time, but gods, was it great to be away from them. Reflecting upon his time on Earth, he’d come to the painful conclusion that he had never been welcome. Countless times he’d given them all of himself, to have it thrown back in his face and, sometimes, stomped on for good measure. Naturally the most violent of rebuttals came from Vegeta (he guessed jealousy or defensiveness–like he feared Vegito would challenge him for Alpha male in his family, or something equally preposterous), and the general carelessness came from Bulma, and pure negligence from Goku. But really, with the latter, he wasn’t surprised. He knew what he was getting himself into there.

So, it was safe to say, the days (weeks? Months? He couldn’t tell how time passed in the void) spent away from them were the easiest, most relieving of his life. Or, er, non-existent life. Considering he was technically dead for good this time. Sucked that he always ended up back here, but better than being in Heaven and bugged by the Kais, right? Right.

He floated aimlessly around. Thought about Gotenks a lot. The boisterous youngster was a frequent visitor to his thoughts, more so than anyone else he’d interacted with. Regret swirled around memories of him, alongside Goten and Trunks. Because… the reaction he’d gotten from revealing himself to them wasn’t bad, like he’d been foretold all that time ago. Wonder, disbelief, bewilderment, yes, but nothing negative. They were curious, possibly wary, but not angry, or disgusted. Which clarified how much deceit he’d taken as truth. He hoped Gotenks was happy with them. Heck, he wished he could’ve been happy with them too, but he’d rather the kid live a magnificent, prosperous life with those who would rightly adore him. They had so much more to offer him than what a useless, broken mess such as him did. He’d be happy, he’d be safe, he’d be…

Wincing, he tried turning off the memories then. They were heading back towards the final moments in his life. The undeniable agony emanating from Gotenks, how the tiny face creased up with the pain, how the usually vibrant, eager energy flopped, twisted horrifically with the sheer volume of affliction slicing away at him. While he bore no physical wound, he might’ve well have been perishing the worst, most painful way possible for how his energy felt. That was one thing he couldn’t–wouldn’t–ever forget. The final pleas for him to reconsider and the devastated sobs accompanying them, and the fact that he was responsible.

Tugging sensations brewed. Blinking, he floated around, seeking out whatever was requesting his attention. Nothing was there–nothing ever was–so what…? There it was again! It pulled on his arm, his leg, his tail, his head; insistently and stronger with each yank. He thought about fighting, but honestly… what was the point? He couldn’t battle invisible enemies. Persistence growing, until he did begin squirming, comfort levels descending rapidly. His lungs felt like they were being squashed, all internal organs clenching in protest, like… like after so long, they were complaining about functioning again.

Wait… functioning?

That’s when he inhaled his first breath in a long time and the next time he blinked, he saw… light. He blinked again, several more times actually, to clear the bedazzled stars from his vision. A small shake of his head dispelled the final remnants and… he frowned. Profound confusion flooded his throbbing head and he remembered then he needed to breathe. At least in real life it was necessary, his light-headed state thanking him for his cooperation. Then, he used his watering eyes to survey his surroundings, before he rubbed at them with the end of a sleeve, confirming he was indeed alive (ugh) and in Yemma’s, er, pulverised office (double ugh).

“The hell d’you want? Can’t a man enjoy oblivion in peace?” he inquired, complaining as he cleared the tears from his eyes. Damn light always blinded him… “Y’know I’m s’posed to stay there, right? C’mon, godly-god, do your job right.”

He was rewarded with the most unimpressed glare, making him smile with amusement on the inside. On the outside, he simply stared back, waiting an answer for the disturbance in his awful peace. Firstly came the aggravated ranting over all fusions being arrogant imbeciles that deserved to be locked up. Secondly, he blamed Vegito for the obvious wreckage of his desk, of Snake Way (that surprised him), and for Goku currently being in Hell. Thirdly, he was ordered to go back to Earth and ‘clean up his mess pronto’. Now, All of this earned the most bewildered expression from the newly restored fusion, glancing up at the giant, fuming god like he was out of his mind.

“…You do know I’ve been dead for the past… however long, right?”

Yemma allegedly didn’t appreciate sarcastic or witty remarks, and Vegito found himself whooshed out of the office with a swish of a large, red arm, buffeted by the shock waves of force alone. Magically teleported to who knew where by the aforementioned god, he tumbled, firstly through the air, then along the ground. He finally came a stop in some sort of ditch, dizzy and feeling incredibly motion-sick. Gross. Pushing himself up slowly on shaky arms, he coughed up some dust from his lungs and peeked around through one squinted eye. Shock coursed through him and both eyes opened wide. He wasn’t sitting in a ditch, he was sitting in an impact crater. A very recent one, if the freshly upturned soil was anything to go by. Still damp, and… scorched? Ki blasts, he deducted in his mind, forcing himself to stand up upon quivering legs. Who knew supporting your own body weight was so much effort?

Honing in his detection skills was hard, them being fuzzy and frail after so long of not being used. Like dusting off a shelf long overdue for a thorough clean. Eventually, it was all sparkly and spotless, waves of energy fluctuating madly from a specific direction hitting him like constant tidal waves. A push and pull motion, almost hypnotising.

Because he knew that energy. He knew it in his soul.

Gathering up his unsteady energy (being dead was so much easier), he summoned the courage and necessary ki for flight, and blasted off, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake. Briskly he flew, onwards to the disturbingly outraged, familiar energy, feeling subtle hints of something else mixed in. He paid it no heed for now, focussing on direction and distance, increasing his speed. Soon enough, thick smoke from fires and screams of fright came into sight and sound. He grimaced at the scent of burning hitting the back of his throat, forcing another ragged cough, but still he persevered. He needed to, it wasn’t about obeying a grumpy god any longer.

Shortly after arriving within the outskirts of the town, he touched down and took to sprinting instead. Dashing over rubble, under low-hanging structures that toppled over by force, around fleeing citizens–he went directly in the direction they all ran away from. Many tried warning him against it, that some monstrous demon was afflicting the town’s folk, and it was gleeful and sinister, and after the innocent. He ignored them all, naturally, sending them to a safe zone before continuing. Hoping, praying… that what he felt was wrong. Because no way in hell would he do it. He loved the Earth, he adored the people, he wouldn’t… ever–

He would. He had. Vegito stopped cold, immobilised at seeing first-hand a ki blast let loose from a young boy’s hand, caving in a section of a grocery store (thankfully, it was empty). A knot formed in his throat and made swallowing hard. He… he’d been awakened to fight–to stop Gotenks. In a randomly calm piece of his mind, he saw two gleaming baubles hanging from the kid’s ears and his heart clenched–alongside his stomach that felt like he’d been socked in the gut.

Gotenks paused. It was impossible, this was an idiotic plan, he’d be stopped by the Z Fighters and Yemma wouldn’t even bring Vegito back. So he had terrorized the innocent people he swore to protect once, destroyed their peace of mind, become a figure in their nightmares most probably... for nothing. That was what he had started thinking, and so his stomach had been clenching with anxiety and uncertainty and buckets of painful remorse.

And then he heard the voice. He felt new life seeping into him again. It was all worth it after all. The violence, the destruction. The blast in his hand fizzled out and he turned to gaze at his living, breathing friend. Actually seeing him took his breath away. He felt tears coming to his eyes. Terror didn’t take long to swoop in, as he knew he couldn’t let him go, couldn’t lose this again. Then he registered the innocent shock and disbelief in his eyes, radiating off his person, and felt acutely ashamed. Vegito thought he was better than this, a better person. When would he learn that Gotenks had never been a person to begin with?

If he stopped right away, Yemma would simply take Vegito back. Thank him for his service, congratulate him for a job well done, and then send him hurtling through oblivion with a signature. I have to make him realise Vegito’s needed. It was easy. Being a destructive force of nature, a weapon--it was what he was born for. Vegito had made him think he could be something else, something soft, something permanent.

He turned to him. It took everything in his power not to reach out and hug him close, not to cry all over his shirt and beg him not to leave again. Not to kiss his head and his cheeks and his lovely, gentle hands. That look on his face, the one in which he regarded Gotenks as something too horror-provoking for words, helped him. Mostly, though, it was the knowledge of how tenuous it was, a world without Vegito. How swiftly it could be rewritten. He must tread very, very carefully, if he wanted the precious life preserved. If it meant sacrificing his friendship, his trust, his very life... fine.

And if it means killing someone else? If it means destroying Yemma? Could he go that far? He glanced up at the soft eyes above him, belonging to a person who had never done anyone any harm. His jaw set. For him, yes. He would hate Gotenks, but, well, Gotenks would rather he be alive to hate him. 

He cleared his throat. “Kept me waiting long enough, didn’t ya?” No, too soft. Too fond. Not enough batshit crazy--like holy crap, this guy is a ticking time bomb that only Vegito can soothe. He put on his best innocent smile. Against the backdrop of rising smoke and crumbled mortar, it hopefully had the deeply disturbed effect he wanted. “It was too quiet. I needed to make it noisy... do you want to help me? It’s like a game, seeing if they can all be fast enough...”

In truth, whenever he shot at people, he made sure to aim just slightly behind them, leaving them spooked, traumatized possibly, but physically unharmed. Abruptly, he powered up more blasts and tore himself from Vegito to swoop lower, swallowing his grimace and pretending it was a grin. Make believing he received any sort of satisfaction or gratification from wielding the power Goten and Trunks gave him above the humans, like some horrible schoolyard bully. It was easier when he thought of it like a play, like a role, and maybe Vegito was only pretending to be horrified, and soon they would all laugh about it behind the curtain. If only.

He fired at the retreating woman, expertly barely missing her heels. She wailed, he felt a little part of himself die, and he could practically hear the pulsing thoughts of the crowd, Monster, monster, monster. Monster who had his puppy back. That was all that mattered.

Five minutes, he reminded himself internally, somehow managing to hear that over the whirlwind of emotion swirling through his conscience. Limited time was what gave him the much needed boot to the rear, kickstarting him into doing what was necessary. Here meaning, he needed to calm Gotenks down and pass him over to the half-Saiyans standing by within the next, er, four minutes. He’d spent at least one of them stunned at the outburst of the distraught child hanging off him. So, he set his arms around Gotenks protectively as he stood upright, ensuring he wouldn’t fall (although with the death grip on his shirt, he doubted the child would move, let alone fall), and quietly wandered towards Trunks and Goten. Stopping within an arm’s reach, he raised his gaze from the precious boy to the older two that made him. Regarding them with uncommon trust, he asked quietly, tone feeling too tired, too old for his age, “Will you take care of him when I…?” He didn’t feel like finishing the question was necessary.

Goten was the first to move, nodding rapidly after breaking out of the saddened stupor. “Yeah–yeah of course,” the youth conceded, speaking in a rush. He understood what restricted time with a loved one felt like. At the very least, Gotenks could make the most of the grim situation with spending their last moments together without interruption. Although, that wasn’t to say all three of them weren’t trying to think up some solution, or a compromise, to win back the bigger fusion’s soul. There had to be a way, there just had to! “But you should be here too! It’s not fair!”

“Life’s not fair, pal,” he concurred with a thin smile, hand instinctively petting the lavender-black hair constantly. “In the end… it’ll always be him over me. He’s very important–and should be treated like the precious, irreplaceable troublemaker he is. S-so, you make sure you give him all the candy, all the cuddles, and all the pets he wants, okay? He likes havin’ his head petted, a-and flyin’. Take him out skatin’, and to arcades–oh, and he doesn’t like his vegetables, so you gotta compromise with him… like cake for d-dessert.” The more he spoke, the greater the strain on his voice and the smaller the pieces of his broken heart shattered into. He was wasting time–… no–no, anytime spent with Gotenks wasn’t wasted. It was a gods-damned blessing, and the two punks he was entrusting such a miraculous bundle of joy to had better learn it and live it. “He’s a real handful at times; a smug, cheeky lil’ shit all the time, but… but he’s the best thing to ever happen to me.” Voice softening at the end, dropping to barely being audible, he buried his face into the soft spikes and steadied his breathing.

I won’t cry. I won’t cry. This is for him, that’s nothin’ to cry over.

His time was up. He knew it before he felt it. Hands starting to tremble as his arms, usually strong and sturdy, felt like they had been turned to rubbed. Dark eyes widened as he saw his fingers; they were going see-through. Soon, his entire body (if he could call it that) would be transparent and Gotenks would have nothing to hold. Only then did his prone heart split for good. Nothing felt akin to leaving Gotenks–there were no words to describe the sinking feeling of despair, the absolute pain, the never-ending sorrow. Still, he didn’t cry–could ghosts even do that?–but choked back a distressed sob when his hands finally lost grip of Gotenks and the boy fell.

Fortunately, Goten was close enough to catch the kid in the air, pulling the small body close to his warm, alive one. Large, dark eyes that matched Gotenks’ were filled, and overflowing, with tears, startling Vegito, but in the end, all the fusion could do was smile. His time might be at an end, but Gotenks’ was just beginning.

It was all worth it.

“See ya later, Bambi. Behave yourself, y’hear?”

He felt useless and pathetic, babbling pleas, trying to bargain, doing anything to deny the inevitable. Sadness was replaced by anger. He cursed himself, cursed the gods, cursed the cruel world, but even in the midst of his hysteria, he would not curse Vegito’s name. If he would just stay, Gotenks would take good care of him, just the way he deserved. He just needed a chance to prove it. Please, gods, let me...

He was saying goodbye. Gotenks’s sore heart stopped. He struggled to fill his lungs, breaths hitching and unsteady. He knew Goten and Trunks were probably speaking, but he couldn’t hear them. All he could do was watch, hear, experience Vegito. He struggled to keep him in focus even as his body became more and more transparent, until it looked like he was nothing more than a mirage brought on by lightheadedness. One day, he may even fade to the point where Gotenks would wonder if he had ever existed, or if he had just been an elaborate dream. Right now, he felt all too real, and he was being ripped away. It was as if part of Gotenks was shriveling and dying. This is wrong, wrong, wrong. But it was happening.

He kept clinging to Vegito until the end, even when he was deposited into Goten’s arms. Nothing was going to make him let go. He shook his head fiercely. “No... I won’t. I won’t say g-goodbye, you c-can’t--can’t make me...” His voice petered out, failing as his hands gripped nothing but cold air. There was a second longer of a visible shade that was vaguely Vegito-colored and shaped and then...

Nothing.

He... he was gone.

His energy, his smile, his infectious laughter, his soft-hearted generosity. Gone cruelly in the blink of an eye.

Gotenks slumped. There was no future. It was all done. Even as his boys--his beautiful, grown boys--tried to speak to him, he simply went silent. The tears continued to leak from his eyes, but otherwise no movement came from the boy. He felt like he was dissociated from his body, floating somewhere far away, but not where he wanted to be, never with him. 

They took him away. He scarcely noticed. His location hardly mattered anymore. Everywhere he went was another place without him. Colourless, lightless. He resented how they were filled with life that went on while Vegito had been stripped of his. Time passed in a blur. He found himself on some sort of cushiony surface eventually--a beanbag chair?--and the two of them, bless them, fluttering around him, trying to help him recover from the blow. Bringing him food, bringing him toys. He saw it all as if from a great distance, and did not move or react to anything. Inside--inside, he was a raging, turbulent storm, destructive and defeated all at once. Outside, he was cold, empty... nothing. 

Even as it grew dark outside, they remained by his side, though eventually they fell asleep. It was a strange thing to notice, then, but his pocket was heavy and he could’ve sworn he had come here with nothing but the clothes on his back. Not sure what caused the whim--it wasn’t irritation or curiosity--he stuck his hand into his pocket, breath catching as he heard a little jingle. He knew that jingle, and his head whipped up, half-expecting Vegito to come jogging up with that great big smile and some dumbass explanation. Of course, there was no Vegito. He stared at the doorway, fighting a sob rising in his throat, and slowly raised his hand the whole way until he could see what he had already figured out had somehow landed in his pocket.

Trembling fingers closed around the significant, precious pieces of jewelry. Then, struck by sudden inspiration, he pinched his earlobe and swiftly stuck one into his own unpierced ear, barely wincing at the sting, then followed through with the other. Rousing himself with the small bit of motivation he felt, he got to his feet and made his way to the door. But, pausing, he looked back at the curled up Goten and Trunks, at all the untouched food and comfort items scattered around. A small sigh escaped him. He leaned down and kissed both of them on their foreheads, then straightened up again. Without a word, he stole away. He couldn’t stay there and burden them any longer. He had to be alone. It was the least he could do after condemning Vegito to an eternity of loneliness.

He didn’t know how long he traveled. The first day, after Goten and Trunks woke up to find him missing, he felt the frantic searching in their energies and lowered his to untraceable as a result. He was... sorry to have caused them any inconvenience or worry, but he had to go. He trudged aimlessly forward until he literally dropped, not even bracing his falls with his hands, not minding the cuts and bruises he gained, and passing out for small stretches of time. The nightmares were frequent, so he started awake, not feeling any more rested. But his body seemed able to move again, and so he went. Eventually, after what may have been days or weeks, he settled inside a dank, gloomy cave. His shoes were worn through and he discarded them. 

As he sat there catching his breath, he heard a growl from the cavernous depths of the cave. Too loud to be the feeble gurgling of his stomach, and he turned his head towards the darkness wearily. It appeared he had picked a place that was already inhabited. He was too weakened, too drained, for a fight. He closed his eyes, slightly surprised and slightly relieved. This was how the mighty fusion met his end, then--ripped apart by some wild animal or another... He hadn’t set out for this outcome, but it was the most favorable one he could imagine. Bambi... only fitting that a deer should end up feeding a predator. It brought a little sardonic smile to his face.

He didn’t even move as he felt a large, warm body smack against him. He could hear claws scraping the rock wall behind him, could feel squinted eyes on him. A second later there was wet snuffling around his face and his neck. His throat bobbed. In seconds, he imagined it would be ripped open... But no, the animal pulled back after a moment, and then without warning, it scampered away. Gotenks’s eyes flew open, but he could only hear echoing pattering, not even getting a glimpse of the creature that apparently didn’t think he was good enough to eat. Hmph. So what if he was a little dirty, he’d never known wild animals to be picky eaters.

He closed his eyes again and laid back against the cave wall, putting the bizarre incident out of his mind easily only seconds later. His mind was full of Vegito, replaying his final moments, the way he had faded... He sniffled, placing a hand to his earring and turning it gently in his fingers. But the animal had not forgotten him. A short while later, it returned, shuffling to the entrance of the cave, pausing, and shaking, spattering Gotenks with little water droplets which made his eyes fly open despite himself. He squinted, but in the dark of the cave, he could only catch a shadowy form. A small, delirious part of him wondered, Vegito...? He watched silently as it padded closer and closer, until it was almost upon Gotenks, and then he could only stare, mesmerized, into the big brown eyes of a fearsome great cat. One who could have easily snapped him in half with one snap of his jaw if the two protruding fangs were any indication. Instead, he had... gone fishing. And as Gotenks watched, struck dumb, he lowered his big head and dropped the fish at Gotenks’s feet. Then sat on his haunches and... watched.

Gotenks didn’t understand at first. In his haze of pain, he just wanted a swift end and thought he had been afforded the perfect opportunity. The dumb mountain lion had foolishly left his stash of food in Gotenks’s reaching distance. He was sure that if he pretended he was going to steal it, he would be ripped apart, no questions asked. That was why he pushed himself up from the wall and threw himself on the fish. He blinked, looking up expectantly, but the cat merely yawned and stretched himself out, blinking lazily at the boy. That was when it hit him--the cat, despite being a predator, despite his instincts, despite that he must be hungry too... was giving his hunt to Gotenks. Just helping him, and asking for nothing in return. He stared for a moment, blinking moisture away from his eyes. This cat reminded him of someone... “G-good boy...” he murmured, petting the cat’s head. He didn’t know why, as he normally didn’t believe in things like that, but it really felt to him in that moment as if Vegito had sent the cat to help him, that he was still looking over him like a guardian angel. Vegito didn’t want him to give up. “Okay, Vegito... okay.”

Time passed with nothing significant marking it in the cave with his unexpected roommate--lovingly named Vegito in fond memory. He nursed himself back to health, learned from Vegito Jr. how to hunt and fish, took walks with him, learned where he loved to nap and where he loved to be scratched and rubbed. It was a simple existence, one without real direction and little pleasure, but it was what he needed as he nursed the wound left from the abrupt absence of his dearest person. Until one day, much like the other days, one of the bad days. Vegito Jr. had been alarmed the first time Gotenks couldn’t stop pacing and ranting, but by now he was used to the child’s quirks and barely raised his hand.

“Just... took him... with the flick of a pen, like it was nothing--I bet he’s proud of himself, that smug, pompous, arrogant...”

And the answer came to him then. He grew quiet, and that alarmed Vegito Jr. The cat meowed softly, but Gotenks paid him no mind. He couldn’t figure out why it had never struck him before. He was sick. He was sick and tired of trying to do this, of struggling without his little one. He was heartsick. He was going to make this right... even if Vegito wouldn’t approve. The thought made him swallow a hard lump in his throat, but he pressed on regardless, beginning to train the body he had almost allowed to wither away.

Luckily for him, fighting was like riding a bicycle. He hadn’t lost the instincts, just needed to refine them a little. So it wasn’t too long until he was ready to go. With a pat to Vegito Jr and an extra fond rub, he took off. His first stop was to locate Goku. Not too difficult, but then he had to wait impatiently through the predictable amazement and questions. Once he could get a word in edgewise, he demanded a ride to Yemma’s--which was granted, though not without some confusion. It was enough. Gotenks gave a short nod of thanks, having nearly forgotten how to interact with other people as it had been so long. He stomped up to the big desk, wasting no time in kicking it in half.

“Gotenks!” Goku gasped. He hurried to the child’s side, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You--you shouldn’t! Ahaha, I’m sure he didn’t mean to, Yemma, you know us Saiyans, sometimes we don’t know our own strength...”

“I damn well knew what I was doing, Yemma. It’s your skull next,” he promised darkly, shrugging off Goku before flying up to face the giant. “I’m not stopping with you! You said the world wasn’t in jeopardy enough to warrant another fusion?! Trust me, I will be the worst thing you ever unleashed onto the world if you don’t bring Vegito back.”

“This is prepostero--” was as far as King Yemma got--before Gotenks started his path of destruction. Snake Way was the second thing to crumble beneath a hail of blasts and fists, as he beat the structure with all the grief, pain, and frustration he had suffered. He threw a large chunk at Yemma, another at Goku. Yemma snapped and made it vanish, but Goku wasn’t so lucky, letting out a comical yell as he stumbled off and fell down towards Hell. 

“It’s up to you, Yemma,” he told the glaring god. “Earth is meaningless to me without him. I will destroy it--unless, you send someone to stop me.” And with that, he flew down towards Earth with his grim purpose, blasting and smashing and destroying as soon as he landed. Mountains were leveled in seconds, large craters forming, trees and boulders stripped. He hoped he wouldn’t have to go to a populated area and cause a commotion there, but Yemma didn’t seem to be taking him seriously in the wastelands and forests. So, reluctantly, he made it to the nearest town and ripped up roads, smashed cars, broke buildings...

So when the frantic hands grabbed at his own and implored with him to revoke his decision, all the fusion could do was offer a wane smile and a gentle, reassuring squeeze to his hands before they fell. “Don’t worry so much, you’ll go grey before your old man.”

Falling silent, he observed in silence as the process took place. Twin spheres of light stole away from Trunks and Goten were essentially absorbed by Gotenks’ body, the latter of the duo marvelling more at that than he imagined Trunks was, although he was equally shook up at Vegito’s rash decision. The younger of the half-Saiyans trudged over to his buddy to cling to and hide his face against a shoulder, all the while, Gotenks… he–he breathed. Ironically, just as Vegito saw that, he felt like life had flooded back into his body, just as the god sucked it all away. He needn’t glance up to view the golden circle above his head to know it was there. He didn’t want to be reminded of his time being cut drastically short.

Five minutes… make ‘em count.

Naturally, as soon as the eyes upon the little face blinked open, the elder fusion was ecstatic. His previously lethargic tail slowly woke up and started flopping about in excited, relieved wags, and his whole demeanour brightened. Wiping away stray tears sneakily fell when he was unprepared, the tone of voice Gotenks used flew right over his head because, oh my gods, he’s really back and talkin’. Without any hesitation he closed in on the little one, fell to his knees beside him, and pulled him into a tight, affectionate embrace. “Bambi…”

“G-Gotenks, I–” Goten started, stumbling over his words from the franticness, “–we didn’t know he’d do it! It was so sudden, and we were in shock from seeing you in the first place, and K-King Yemma said–said it had to be ‘one or the other’! There had to be another way, we were going to find it, but then Vegito, h-he–he jumped in and took your place, and now you only have five minutes and–!”

“It’s alright,” Vegito interrupted softly, pulling back enough from the hug to glimpse the two hybrids huddled together. “It’s not your fault.” Then, he looked back down to Gotenks, expression gentle as always. Never could he be hard with the kid, even when he’d done something foolish and reckless. “It’s mine–I chose this. You… you can have everythin’ you ever wanted now–you can stay here with them.” He gave him a wholly genuine, utterly adoring smile, petting the wild spikes. “Happy Ever After’s just around the corner, buddy, all you gotta do is grab it.”

His newly beating heart ached fiercely. He wanted it to stop at that moment. He had never felt like giving up before, had felt obligated to keep going no matter what because if he gave up, he condemned two other precious people. But right at that moment, he couldn’t bring himself to care even about what had been his guiding principle for so long. He felt cold inside, chilled to the bone, despite the persistent warmth spreading to him as his returned soul flourished inside his body. Swallowing hard, he put his arms around Vegito and gripped tightly, relieved, at least, that he was still solid. For now. For--for five minutes.

“Ve--ah, V,” he said, none of the fury and harshness in his voice when he spoke to him. Nothing but excruciating pain combined with overwhelming fondness. His voice cracked in several places and he could feel tears filling his eyes, but he didn’t try to hide them. Not this time. If anything, Vegito deserved to know that someone would cry for him. He must not have known, to throw away his life so quickly. He deserved more than that, though--he deserved to be there! And if... if it meant Gotenks had to be gone. “No... no.” He shook his head, desperately and fervently. No, this wasn’t right. There had to be some way to reverse it, there just had to be! His mind worked feverishly, but it jogged in circles because it remained centered around the devastating fact hammered in by the presence of that terrible golden ring.

He could feel the wrongness even as he embraced him. He may still be solid, but he was much colder than usual, his body heat gone as all his systems had already stopped functioning. There was no subtle throb of a heartbeat, and none of that familiar energy blanketing him. It truly was like hugging a ghost, and soon he would be nothing more than a memory. Gotenks felt his heart break, and then, unable to help it, he yelled out his anguish to the skies. How--how could Vegito smile at him, how could he think this would ever be what he wanted! 

“No!” he shouted, frantic and halfway delirious with pain. “No, no, please! Don’t you leave me! Stay, stay, stay, I’ll do anything... I’ll be good, just don’t torture me like this.” He didn’t know when he’d started full on sobbing, but he could barely see Vegito through his blurred vision and that just made it worse. He sniffed, then hoisted himself up so that he was hanging from Vegito before wrapping his legs around him and burying his soaking face against him. His whole body shuddered and shook. “Or--or t-take me... take me with you... just don’t leave me here, please...”

Somewhere along the line, he noticed that Trunks was conversing with the giant, red man sitting on an equally giant chair. Subtly, he eavesdropped on the conversation (that wasn’t all that private with Yemma’s exceptionally loud voice), and his heart skipped a beat; they were speaking of Gotenks, and possibly… getting him back. Permanently. The helplessly hopeful flips his stomach performed weren’t helping the twisted sense of nausea he felt churning within his lower abdomen, but gosh, it felt nice to feel something other than trepidation. However, as the discussion deepened, he found out it was against whatever regulation to have duplicates. Mild fury ignited within him–Gotenks wasn’t a copy of anyone, he was his own being–but all the fire within him died before reaching any real height, his shoulders slumping with the pressuring weight of disappointed guilt lying across them. Bambi was gone and he–

Eyes widening, Vegito’s thoughts cut off mid-sentence when a huge hand opened to reveal Gotenks within the palm. Upon closer inspection (when his mind stopped cheering and tail ceased wagging by force), he realised that it wasn’t actually Gotenks, just his, er, container. All attention was upon Yemma then, undivided as he listened attentively to what the conditions of getting the obnoxious youngster back was… He went cold inside. To have Gotenks, he would have to become a sacrifice. So, in the end, he still wouldn’t have Gotenks, but the innocent child wouldn’t needlessly suffer such a cruel end when he’d finally gotten one of his wishes–Trunks and Goten.

Who was he to deny his best friend that?

But there had never been a tangible reminder in the form of a body before. He swallowed uneasily, unable to tear his eyes from the prone form, even though he wanted nothing more than to look away. It posed all sorts of hairy moral dilemmas that he didn’t feel up to tackling at the moment. And... anyway, there was Yemma to convince and cajole, and his terms to think over... and...

Did Vegito just say what he thought he had? Trunks’s breath caught. This wasn’t what he had planned when he invited their father’s fusion to tag along! He had so much to ask him, so many things he wanted to do with him. He couldn’t be disappearing forever when he had just dropped unexpectedly into Trunks’s life! But... of course he was. Hadn’t he already figured out that the bond between the fusions was powerful? Of course, if it came down to it, Vegito would give himself for Gotenks. But Gotenks wouldn’t like that, not at all. Trunks could already tell that much too, and the lurch in his own stomach told him that he didn’t want to accept this either. “Please!” he entreated the god. “There has to be another way! An... an exception, just one more exception...”

“Kid, you’ve made your case and I’ve granted you as much as I can,” the god grunted, the quirk of his brow betraying a little irritation and impatience. “There is no current threat to the world that would require bending the rules to allow for both your fusions. Vegito has agreed to return to his original form, so I’ll extract Gotenks from the two of you.” That said, he shifted in his seat and turned his gaze on Vegito. “You’ll have five minutes as a spirit before you return to Goku and Vegeta. Enough time to see that Gotenks is alive and well in your place.” He pulled open a drawer in his desk, retrieving the file on Vegito’s spirit and Gotenks’s, stamping them both and writing as he muttered, “Reversing permanence... changing that...”

So casual as he destroyed Vegito’s life. With a few words scrawled on faintly glowing, ethereal documents. To think, the afterlife operated on spiritual paperwork. It might’ve been funny if the circumstances weren’t so grim. “Vegito!” Trunks dashed to his side, seizing one of his hands with both of his. He didn’t know what was coming over him, but he felt more strongly for him than he would a stranger. It might’ve been the Gotenks in him that felt so distraught and desperate. “Don’t! Don’t do this, take it back!” Yet, as Yemma signed the bottom of the documents and stamped them with his official approval seal, Trunks felt his hands go slack. A shiver of weakness passed through him as he felt something tugging a small piece from inside of him. A second later, a small glowing ball appeared in front of him, and in front of Goten. He watched as the balls floated towards Gotenks’s body, sinking in through his skin. It only took a second for Gotenks to draw breath, but the second he did, a halo appeared above Vegito’s head. Trunks felt frozen in place and struck dumb, filled with grief and guilt. He had not been fast enough to stop it, and now...

Gotenks was opening his eyes. “What... what the! Where am I? Tru--oh.” He had sat up, eyes wide, but his shoulders lowered when he caught sight of Goten and Trunks. Then a faint blush spread across his nose. “Did I pass out on you guys? I don’t know why I...” As he spoke, he’d been looking around, searching for Vegito. He went absolutely quiet as soon as he found him, eyes darting up and staying up. He went as still as he had been just a second ago, not breathing, not blinking, until finally--

“Who did this.”

And then he registered the question and hastily changed the shaking to a rapid nodding. “Y-yeah, ‘course I can,” he said just as quickly, possibly appearing a little distracted but hey, it wasn’t everyday the guilt of unintentionally murdering someone–a child at that–weighed down on his conscience. “Just to Yemma?” Gods, it had been so long since he’d been in the Other World. He worried he couldn’t remember which was Yemma’s ki and would send them astray. Trusting his lack of direction was a horrible idea, and one Gotenks’ would’ve gotten a kick out of if they had accidentally gotten misplaced along the way. His breathing hitched and something cold and cruel squeezed his heart. “Sure,” he said again, quieter and without much life behind his tone. “I–I’ll just hold on–”

Goten was watching quietly–for once–witnessing the man (Vegito!!!) struggle for words, let alone coherent thoughts. Lightly squeezing Trunks’ hand back, he spared his buddy a sweet smile before reaching out to take the obviously upset fusion’s hand, delivering a hopefully comforting squeeze there too. “We’re ready when you are,” he assured softly.

Vegito’s breathing slowly regulated itself and he nodded, blinking away the tears that wanted to fall free. He had no right to cry, he wasn’t the one just wiped off the face of the planet. Unable to speak then, or unwilling, he merely nodded meekly and used his free hand to pop his forefinger and middle finger to his forehead, searching his mind for the correct ki. Once located and ninety percent sure it was the one they sought, he closed his eyes, gathered his energy and transmitted them from the land of the living to that of the dead and questionable status.Only when his feet hit solid ground did he dare squint an eye open and peer around. “D-did we make it?”

He left the comforting to his kind-hearted, innocent friend. Even Goten wasn’t truly cheering Vegito up, but he didn’t think anything could. Except Gotenks smiling up at him again. Still, Goten was more delicate and gentle than Trunks’s clumsy self would’ve been and, not for the first time, he thanked the gods for him. Imagining Goten being suddenly stolen away because some gods decided he wasn’t necessary or worthy of life made a chill run through him and he glanced at Vegito with profound sympathy. Until the area around them changed in the literal blink of an eye. Then his attention was drawn to their surroundings as he looked around to where Vegito had whooshed them away.

“GOKU?! OR WHO’S THAT, VEGETA?” A mighty, booming voice resounded, nearly blowing Goten back with its force. Fighting back a chuckle despite himself, Trunks made sure to steady him, then took a few steps back and craned his neck to behold the red-skinned deity. Yemma was bent over his desk, squinting down at them, and then suddenly sat back in his seat. “Ah. None of the above. What can I do for you? And make it snappy, I’m very busy.”

Trunks spoke up since Goten was too busy marveling at the giant person and Vegito looked like he was ready to collapse into tears any minute... What an impressive party they appeared to be. “This’ll only take a minute. We request the return of Gotenks please.”

“Eh? You need Gotenks for something, you don’t need to come all this way. Just fuse,” the god said impatiently, raising a brow before waving them off dismissively. “Is that all?” His attention was already waning, shuffling through paperwork on his desk and mumbling under his breath as he scribbled something on a top sheet.

Trunks ran a hand through his hair. “We want to be able to talk to him.”

That got Yemma’s attention and he peered down at them again. “Why? His purpose is to fight for you.” Then he seemed to shake himself out of it, returning to business. “No matter, it isn’t possible. We can’t let duplicates run around. Vegito over there--he’s an exception but I sure as hell didn’t authorize it. That was all Shenron’s doing.”

So Vegito was the product of a wish. Good to know. Whose wish though? He would have to ask him; preferably when he had a Gotenks back. “...Surely you’re not going to get beaten by a glorified serpent? If he could manage it, I’m sure you could pull an exception for us...”

King Yemma rolled his eyes, but he found himself amused at the Briefs boys attempt at flattery. Wasn’t above playing dirty to get face to face with the fused version of himself and his friend, huh? “You can’t keep asking to do this. There’s a balance--an order to things.” Thoughtfully, he pushed a stack of paperwork to the side and studied the three before him. “The best I can do is give you one fusion, or the other. Which would you prefer to walk amongst you, Vegito, or--” He procured a little egg-shaped pod from a drawer in his desk, looking even smaller than normal in the great hand. Bending way down, he set it on the ground before them. The silvery object slid open and there was Gotenks’s perfectly lifelike body, preserved from his last moment on Earth. But there was no soul inside, nothing to power it. Nothing but an empty husk. Trunks covered his mouth, sick and horrified at what had become of the child. At the same time, he felt curiously... drawn to the body, or something inside him did. Almost like the part of his soul that had made up Gotenks was eager to fly back in... He didn’t have time to think that over, whipping his head up as Yemma spoke again.

“Which will it be?”

Vegito couldn’t remember ever feeling so cold on such a warm day. On the outside, his skin was warm, his heart was healthy, and he his energy was still pulsing strongly beneath his forced suppression. However, on the inside… he felt sick. His stomach twisted and churned when idly listening to Trunks’ depiction of what had just occurred, realising that all three of them couldn’t co-exist. Dance fusions were obviously much different to their Potara cousins, and if only he had realised that before… Gotenks wouldn’t, essentially, be dead. I… I killed him, he thought bitterly, wiping at an incessant itching in his eye. It prickled. How could I be so stupid.

Head whipping up so suddenly at the sound of voices again (he’d been zoning out there), he peered up at the mop of lavender hair through partially clouded eyes, squinting. Bunching up a portion of his shirt, he rubbed at them fervently before sighing and peeking up again, this time without obstruction. “…Go with you?” he inquired, having missed out on where they’re going exactly and why he was welcome. Nonetheless, he shrugged half-heartedly, sniffed miserably, and dragged himself back up to his feet, patting down his pants. His tail dropped down from its confinements, suspiciously limp, and he regarded Trunks with a mildly weary, mostly fed-up glance, nodding. “Yeah, sure, what the hell.” An image of the kid and his look of wonder at seeing the two of them popped into his mind, and something gripped tightly around his heart. If… if Gotenks felt as though he could trust them (because without a doubt he did), then so could he. “N-name’s Vegito,” he mumbled with slightly reluctant admittance, “don’t need to call me V.”

He reached down to help the poor guy up. But as he did so, he froze in place, registering his name. Despite being in a hurry to rescue the kid from oblivion, he had to stare at the... other fusion? Vegito. Did they come from a world where their dads never unfused either? Or... no, because Gotenks had mentioned both fathers, hadn’t he? At least it made sense why they would be so close now. They must have a lot in common.

A small, insignificant part was smug, disobediently mooning a imaginative Bulma and Vegeta. But that piece stayed hidden and private for only him to see.

He lightly squeezed the little hand in his and turned back to watch the scene unfold–he got to witness Gotenks meeting his counterparts for the first time. The swelling of pride in his chest wasn’t at all for him; it was for the brave little one calling out Goten’s hairdo, and conversing with Trunks like it was no big deal. When in fact… Vegito knew it meant the world to him. Heck, it had meant the world to Vegito once upon a time…

“Heh, yeah, somethin’ like that,” Goten confessed with bashful sheepishness, running a hand up through the shaggy mop of hair. “Hope it’s not too shocking for you!” A pause. “What’s more shocking is the fact you’re here! How’s that even possible–?” And he went off into a rambling session of incoherent questions–mostly to himself while the magical tiny fusion of himself and Trunks stood by and spoke to his best friend. Never mind the theories of who the bigger, Saiyan-reminiscent man was too. Too much mystery at one time!

In the meanwhile, Vegito held his silence and merely watched as Gotenks acquainted himself with, well, himself in separated forms. Not that’s how Vegito saw him; they were them, and he was himself. Goten, Trunks, and Gotenks. He wasn’t just a combination, just a fusion. He was a wonderful, mischievous little boy with an ego larger than the planet, but–but that’s what he cherished about him. What he loved him for. Only when the significance of that hit him did Vegito’s heart skip a few beats.

And Gotenks disappeared.

The missing beats of his heart became painful as his chest tightened, like something was constricting his lungs and making it hard to breathe. Standing bolt upright, he searched the immediate area with intense concentration, trying to seek out the vibrant energy he’d become accustomed to. Fruitlessly, as he couldn’t find him anywhere, and with the questioning words from both Trunks and Goten, he assumed they were innocent in the vanishing act and were as clueless as he.

“Kid?” he called out, desperation already starting to show in his tone. Breaking free from his stagnated state, he began a thorough search of the surrounding area; peeking in bushes, behind trees, underneath objects… everywhere. “Kid, where are you?! Come out! This isn’t funny!”

Goten watched the strange man looking around for the invisible fusion in vain. Sharing a brief, puzzled look with Trunks, the teen pressed onwards fearlessly and helped the man in searching. He gained an oddly bittersweet glance from him, but it only motivated his aid. “Trunks, can you look inside? Maybe he’s in there–?”

After a few minutes, Vegito had… well, given up. While Goten continued his search, the fusion dropped in place, sitting with folded legs. He rested his elbows on his knees and put his head in his hands. Somehow, bringing Gotenks here had disrupted his existence elsewhere. It was the only theory that he could make sense of–no way would he voluntarily run away from the opportunity he had here–and… and it was all Vegito’s fault that he was g-… “Gone,” he muttered, hands gripping his hair slightly at admitting aloud what was his fault alone. “He’s g-gone, ‘m sorry.”

Trunks went cold inside at the word. It may have only been a mashed-up version of him and Goten, but still, that was a child. One with personality, and far too much on his little shoulders. But, technically, in this world, he was a duplicate of souls that already existed. Extraneous. Balance would’ve been restored, and so... he would’ve been wiped out. “Goten,” he said slowly, with a dawning sense of realization, “he’s not inside.” He reached out and grabbed his friend’s shirt to pull him back from his fruitless wild goose chase, warmed and aching at the same time at his obvious swift liking for the boy. “It’s impossible for him and us to be here at the same time. That it happened even for a moment was a fluke.”

He took a look at the large man who had treated the kid so gently, and who currently seemed distraught over his disappearance. Wouldn’t Gotenks get a kick out of that... someone upset about him disappearing, rather than Goten and Trunks. And he would. He would live and be aware of that, if Trunks had anything to say about it. He strode over to the man, who seemed much smaller somehow without his little fusion friend. He clearly had much more invested in him than they did. How long must they have known each other...? He placed a hand gently on the man’s shoulder. “Thank you, for letting us see him. He’s... even better than I thought. We’re gonna get him back.”

“I don’t need you to fight anythin’ for me, buddy. I need you safe and sound. Or, sittin’ here with me, cuddlin’ and all that sappy shit. This helps.” He spoke softly while nuzzling his face in the soft spikes of lavender-black, eyes closing briefly. Couldn’t help the pleased flutter of his heart at the endearing shortening of his name uttered in the tiny voice. Opening them a moment later, he glanced down and took over the job of mopping up Gotenks’ face with gentle dabs from a bundled-up sleeve. “What’re you cryin’ for, eh? There’s no reason to weep over–” Me. “–this. I doubt I would’ve gone through with anythin’ in the end–after all, I can’t go abandonin’ my best pal now, can I?” His smile widened as the ache within his chest doubled. Because he was going to leave without a second thought, without consideration of what effects the ripples left from his departure would create.

When Vegito questioned his tears, he gave a small shrug. Normally he’d try to protest that he wasn’t doing something so babyish and he just had something in his eye. Today was anything but normal. He kind of wanted to fight and kind of wanted to sleep forever. He felt like a big blah. He didn’t understand how Vegito could go on normally after being pushed to nearly obliterate his existence.

He felt miserable and heartsick. He didn’t feel like doing anything. He felt like he was failing Vegito, like the bigger fusion expected him to be over it in a matter of minutes. He wasn’t even over Goten and Trunks, and those two hadn’t even willingly gone anywhere. This was really a different case for him, and it left him speechless and helpless. Overwhelmed by the weight of it all, he curled up into a tight ball on Vegito’s lap and hid his face in his arms, going still and silent.

“We are doing this together,” he mumbled, again only for small ears to hear. Goten had backed away somewhat to give them their space after being gently pushed. Still, he had the biggest smile on his face as he retreated to Trunks, chattering animatedly, occasionally loud enough for the two fusions to overhear despite him attempting subtility. Pulling back from his fond affections, he smiled softly at Gotenks. “‘m here with you and I won’t be runnin’ away. I, just… there’s a lot about my world you don’t know yet, and this is one of ‘em–I’m literally a ghost. No one knows me and I… for now at least, would like it to stay that way. Hence, my name.”

During his conversation, he’d gradually been lowering his power level, too. Down to an almost normal resting level, or in this case, bypassing as nothing but a civilian. Naturally while hoping neither of the hybrids found it strange and were too preoccupied with comprehending how their child-fusion was here. “So, no worries, okay? I’m not going anywhere and they’re waitin’. I know you’re itchin’ to go say hello.”

Vegito told him not to worry, but he was worried. Why would the open book be so secretive? It had to be a lie that he ‘would like to’ be unknown. He was suppressing his energy too, hiding away something so wonderful and unique about him. Even though Vegito was smiling, it all left a sour taste in Gotenks’s mouth. He didn’t understand, but he sure did want to get to the bottom of this. For now, he supposed, it could wait. But he wasn’t willing to let this lie forever. “I’ll go along with this. For now,” he muttered, catching his gaze to let him know he was serious. “But you gotta talk to me later.” Then he kissed him on the cheek, keeping a firm hold of his hand as he turned back to his... his lost little ones.

Gods, they were beautiful. This was the future he had stolen. They had grown strong, and still together, thick as thieves. It made his lips curve in a bittersweet smile, full of genuine happiness but he couldn’t help the pang of longing. Almost jealousy of this world. He blinked back the tears wanting to form. “What’d you do to your hair? Too many comparisons to our old man?”

It was Trunks who spoke up then, not giving Goten the chance to confirm or deny the theory. “‘Our’?” Shrewd as ever. “Are we--inside of you, are we still...?” He shook his head, unsure of how to phrase the question that would help him make sense of this extraordinary circumstance. “Are you a Potara version of Gotenks?”

Gotenks bit his lip. Many times over in his head he had walked through this confrontation. But despite him knowing Trunks and Goten like the back of his hand, despite their personalities and tendencies being etched on the fabric of his soul, their reactions always changed every time. A positive reception to the news that heir existences had been permanently meshed together and, on an individual level, ended, was probably wishful thinking. He shook his head slowly. “We don’t know why we didn’t unfuse. It was an accident.” His voice got quieter near the end. He knew how lame that sounded and fiddled with the drawstring of his hoodie. 

Trunks’s brows drew together and Gotenks could see the wheels turning in his head. His thoughts were transparent. He was contemplating how this aspect of the timeline would’ve affected everyone he’d known. Finally, he spoke, and it was with a small grin. “You better have taken good care of our families then. What’s it like for our dads to share a kid?”

Oh, Trunks... Of course he wasn’t mad. It was silly to be afraid. But... “I don’t know. I don’t stay with Mama--on Goten’s side--too much. She finally got Dad back, but she lost... a-and Dad only got to meet... meet Goten for a few days... they’re so distraught. I know Mom is sad too, but at least she doesn’t feel so helpless. Every day she’s working on a way to get you back, in case she can do it before the dragon balls are active again.” Wow. Having to actually spell out the sorry state of his life made it sound even more miserable and pathetic. Sitting around waiting to be split up, spreading unhappiness and grief everywhere by showing his face. Hardly the image they’d had when they created their fusion. “But--but I met... my friend here,” he added, gesturing up, a smile coming to his face. “I’ve found a home in him. V is...”

He never got to say. In that instant, he vanished. Literally there one second and gone the next, gone without a trace like he’d never existed.