Gotenks was unable to think, unable to function. He had never been stricken with such an overload of powerful grief before. Grief, over someone who was technically still there. There, but fading more and more by the second. But present enough to hand him over--no, no, I donât want this, I donât want to go, donât let me go--to make sure Trunks and Goten knew what he liked. Hearing him rattle off facts about Gotenks just made it clear how much heâd paid attention, how much heâd cared, treating everything he learned like a treasure worthy of keeping forever. But now he wouldnât get the chance to keep anything forever. In minutes, he would be erased from the world. And there was nothing anybody could do about it.
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 Vegitoâs 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. Gotenksâs sore heart stopped. He struggled to fill his lungs, breaths hitching and unsteady. He knew Goten and Trunks were probably speaking, but he couldnât 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 Gotenâs arms. Nothing was going to make him let go. He shook his head fiercely. âNo... I wonât. I wonât say g-goodbye, you c-canât--canât make me...â 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...
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.Â
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.Â
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 couldâve sworn he had come here with nothing but the clothes on his back. Not sure what caused the whim--it wasnât 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 couldnât 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 didnât 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.Â
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 hadnât 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 didnât 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. Gotenksâs eyes flew open, but he could only hear echoing pattering, not even getting a glimpse of the creature that apparently didnât think he was good enough to eat. Hmph. So what if he was a little dirty, heâd 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 Gotenksâs feet. Then sat on his haunches and... watched.
Gotenks didnât 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 Gotenksâs 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... âG-good boy...â he murmured, petting the catâs head. He didnât know why, as he normally didnât 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 didnât want him to give up. âOkay, Vegito... okay.â
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 couldnât stop pacing and ranting, but by now he was used to the childâs quirks and barely raised his hand.
âJust... took him... with the flick of a pen, like it was nothing--I bet heâs proud of himself, that smug, pompous, arrogant...â
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 couldnât 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 wouldnât 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 hadnât lost the instincts, just needed to refine them a little. So it wasnât 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 Yemmaâs--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.
âGotenks!â Goku gasped. He hurried to the childâs side, putting a hand on his shoulder. âYou--you shouldnât! Ahaha, Iâm sure he didnât mean to, Yemma, you know us Saiyans, sometimes we donât know our own strength...â
âI damn well knew what I was doing, Yemma. Itâs your skull next,â he promised darkly, shrugging off Goku before flying up to face the giant. âIâm not stopping with you! You said the world wasnât in jeopardy enough to warrant another fusion?! Trust me, I will be the worst thing you ever unleashed onto the world if you donât bring Vegito back.â
âThis is prepostero--â 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 wasnât so lucky, letting out a comical yell as he stumbled off and fell down towards Hell.Â
âItâs up to you, Yemma,â he told the glaring god. âEarth is meaningless to me without him. I will destroy it--unless, you send someone to stop me.â 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 wouldnât have to go to a populated area and cause a commotion there, but Yemma didnât 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...
King Yemma watched the maelstrom, dumbstruck, then looked at the broken Snake Way. Sighing heavily, he picked up one half of his desk, sifting through a drawer until he came up with Vegitoâs file. Hurriedly, he stamped it and approved the return on the separated fusion. Someone had to control this damage! Or else the consequences would fall on Yemmaâs head, as he was the one who had made the exception to approve of the soul in the first place. âCome on, come on...â He waited impatiently for Vegitoâs return, while keeping an eye on the terror Gotenks was inflicting mercilessly and without control.