Notes or answers to questions would seem out of place here. If you believe that questions remain to be answered, merely keep in mind both that some are left unanswered and that the answers to others require searching.

This is it. The end; the last chapter. I have been posting this work here for well over a year and now it is finally reaching its completion. Strangely, I find that I have very little to say. All I can do is hope that this story has brought to you the enjoyment that it has brought to me, and that this final portion will be a fitting conclusion. When this chapter is complete, it will be time to move on to other things.

But for now we are not at that point. For now you do not know of the ramifications of Goku's darkest incarnation, of broken souls, of Darkness' i ultimas /i form, of The End. For now, the chapter is not over. It will not be long, I know... but not yet.

-

Episode LV: Final Saga

Bashing aside another warrior, Piccolo continued blazing forward. This wasn't so difficult, though he was being forced to fight a bit. Still, it wasn't causing that much of a drain on his ki. Before he could continue on, arms suddenly clamped over his, forcing them back painfully. Sensing his attacker, Piccolo realized that it was one of the fighters he had dodged before. Piccolo cursed himself for failing to consider them in his calculations. Though he struggled, Piccolo realized that at this point, using enough ki to break loose would be more than he could spare. Especially since it seemed that all the other warriors were fusing their strength into this one so he could hold him.

In front of him, a warrior held out a finger and began charging. A sparkle of energy began to grow around his finger, and steadily got larger and larger. Feeling the ki in the attack, Piccolo realized what it was. Basically a copy of his own Special Beam Cannon. It had already been charging for nearly a minute, and it had quite a bit of power. Piccolo doubted it was strong enough to slice through him, but it would definitely hurt. Worse yet, it might drain a good deal of his ki to block it.

The warrior fired the blast, and Piccolo forced himself to act quickly. Though he was being held with considerable strength, they had failed to adequately hold his legs. Flipping his legs up, Piccolo did what was basically a hand stand on the warrior holding him, while still having his arms held behind him. Just underneath him, the blast ripped through the pack of warriors, demolishing all in its path, including the one holding him.

Free from the hold once more, Piccolo moved back forward, slamming his feet into the head of the warrior who had fired the blast. He collapsed, and Piccolo breathed a sigh of relief that he had been mostly unnoticed. Landing on his feet, Piccolo sprang off and began running now, to avoid ki detection. There were warriors all around the building, carefully watching for ki.

Which was a mistake. Piccolo leapt up to the nearest wall and began quickly climbing it, using no more than muscle. Jumping from one section of roof to the next, Piccolo carefully avoided notice and any manner of conflict. Eventually, he had moved around to the upper part of the building, and saw his goal.

Atop a spire in the center sat a crystal that glowed with a brilliant light. Risking being seen, Piccolo raced across the clearing toward the spire. Jumping to it, Piccolo barely caught the edge and pulled himself up. From there, however, he was almost done. Light radiated out from the crystal. For a moment, Piccolo found himself feeling distinctly out of place. This, this was a person's soul. Something about it seemed different, too, as if there was some authority that hadn't been there before. It wouldn't do anyone any good if it didn't get into Goku's body, however.

Taking the crystal, Piccolo almost jumped as an alarm began to sound. Instantly, warriors began flying into the air, looking for him. Great.

.

They had been sitting on the rock pillar for a short while, when 18 suddenly felt several kis appear nearby. Magical energy, too, probably hopping from a portal here to elsewhere. She instantly glanced up to check who it was, and noticed that Goku didn't even move. 18 recognized them as some of Dai Kioshin's warriors. If they were just passing through, they had terrible luck. If they were dispatched to eliminate them... terribly inadequate.

"I'll handle this one," she told Goku. He didn't move, so she took that as a yes and flew into the air.

"Dai Kioshin has sentenced you to die," the first warrior intoned. "We are the executioners."

Making no response, 18 waited for the response from them that was inevitable. Three warriors converged on her, and 18 easily blocked or dodged their blows. Ducking under a few attacks, 18 nailed one through the stomach, sending him flying. Whirling, 18 caught another off guard, crushing half of his head with an elbow jab. From off-side another warrior launched several kienzan-like attacks. Stiffening ki around her, 18 allowed them to bounce off, into the other warriors, where they caused massive damage.

Slicing her hand through the air, 18 sent a cutting line of ki into the main mass, leaving whatever the kienzan didn't finish off to fall toward the ground in pieces. Though it disturbed her slightly, 18 found herself smiling. Being able to fight again felt pretty good. Two warriors had been far enough away from the blast to still attack, and they did so now, from opposite sides. Ki began to build up along their fists as they charged up attacks. Waiting until the last second, 18 then ducked. Their fists smashed into each other, sending shockwaves back along each's body. Lightly touching each on the chest, she sent burst of ki ripping through both. Glancing up, she realized that all of the so called executioners had been destroyed.

Not having moved from his vantage point at the rock pillar, Goku's mouth bent upward in a slight smile. 18 returned and sat down on the opposite side of the rock pillar again, to wait. She had to wonder what he was waiting for, and how he knew it would come here. This apparently hadn't been it, judging from his lack of a response. he seemed to know what he was doing, so she gave him the benefit of the doubt.

Idly she began wondering what it would be like trying to live with Goku without a soul. Piccolo was trying to retrieve it, and she had faith in him, but that didn't keep her from pondering the worst. He still seemed to care about her, and seemed to have traces of his personality, but whatever he still possessed was almost impossible to see. Could she still be in love with a husk like this?

A portal opened nearly in front of her, and 18 started slightly. Dark Buu emerged from the portal, but seemed just as startled as she.

"And so it comes to pass," he intoned, dark eyes fixing on her as the portal slammed closed behind him. "It appears that things will be finished far sooner than I expected."

Before he could make any further move, a dark bolt of ki suddenly slammed him backward. Another barely missed 18's shoulder, slicing into Buu again. This must be what Goku had been waiting for; he somehow knew that Dark Buu would happen to warp here. Ducking, she allowed Goku to fire a much larger shot through the air where she had previously been.

Clenching a fist, Dark Buu healed the damage done to him, and gritted his teeth.

"I do not care how you are alive, or what you are, but you will be eliminated as you were before."

Goku stood, then floated into the air, facing off with Buu. Both of them drifted into the middle of the field, and their eyes locked. For a second, even Dark Buu faltered as he saw Goku's eyes. Then, a flicker of black light shone around him, and Darkness glowed in his eyes briefly.

"Die."

.

Ducking under another warrior, Piccolo realized that now dozens of them were surrounding the building. It wouldn't be easy to make it out. Of course, had he been at full strength, he could have finished them all off without much effort, but as things were now, he was short on options.

The instant he managed to avoid their attention, Piccolo dived directly down, into the stone below. Above, warriors searched around frantically for him. Gather energy, pushed ki into his hands and began eating through the rock. He continued on beneath the ground, pulling away rock as was necessary. So far, none of the warriors above noticed the small amount of ki being used below, with everyone flying about above.

When he got clear of the crowd of warriors, Piccolo blasted up from the Earth again and flew into the sky. Instantly his presence was felt by the warriors back at the building, but it was too late. Closing his hand around the small crystal that contained Goku's soul, Piccolo forced himself to fly faster. Regardless of logic, somehow it felt as if time was growing short.

.

Flipping back with Dark Buu's blow, Goku, still upside down, fired a massive wave of ki that sliced directly through his opponent. As the monster began to heal himself, Goku flipped around on one hand and smashed a kick into Dark Buu's side. Instantly he followed up with a series of blows that left Dark Buu a crumpled, misshapen blob. Growling, Dark Buu snapped himself out to his original form.

"You cannot win," Dark Buu intoned, not arrogantly but merely certain. "Your power is not nearly enough."

For a moment, Goku gave no response, merely looking Buu directly in the eyes. Then, he threw back his head, and his ki seemed to explode. His mouth opened as if to yell, but no sound came out. It didn't seem to matter, as his power began to effect the area around the warriors. All around the battlefield, rocks were shattered to nothing but dust. A crater was formed on the ground below. Air all around them was completely ionized. 18 had to brace herself to keep from being blasted backward.

A dark column of light burst up around Goku, obscuring him completely. It began widening, forcing Dark Buu to back off slightly. Just as it seemed the power would destroy the planet they were on, the beam closed to a much smaller and more concentrated form, then shrunk down to surround Goku's form. Darkness completely surrounded it, then the darkness shattered, leaving only Goku.

He had changed; now, his hair stood up as if it were Super Saiyan. But it could never have been mistaken for that form. It was an unearthly black, far darker than his hair had ever been before. 18 quickly recognized it as the same type of darkness that was in his eyes. His aura was now also black, and it had the same touch of nothingness as did the rest of him. Black lightning swiftly arced around his body.

Dark Super Saiyan. That's what this was, 18 realized slowly. She had heard him describe when he had made his transformation to Light Super Saiyan. That had been when he had been linked to all of the good in existence. Now, soulless, he was completely divorced from anything good.... what could this form be called but Dark Super Saiyan?

Still in shock, Dark Buu was unable to defend himself when Goku rushed forward, a karate chop slicing entirely through Dark Buu. Healing himself as quickly as possible, Dark Buu threw a fist toward Goku, who caught the punch, then drove a fist into Dark Buu's stomach. Falling and crashing heavily into the ground, Buu fired a massive burst of ki toward Goku, who batted it aside. Rushing forward without slowing, he shattered through Dark Buu.

Shrugging off pain and reforming himself, Dark Buu attacked further, driving Goku back into a purely defensive mode. On one punch, Dark Buu found that Goku managed to catch his wrist, his grip tight nearly to the point of breaking it. Turning aside Dark Buu's other fist and knocking his legs away briefly, Goku head butted him with his hair.

The black locks pierced Dark Buu, who yelled in obvious pain, then reformed himself again. Smashing a knee into Goku's face, Dark Buu sent him hurtling back, them slammed down into him from above. Flying down into the dust cloud to finish him off, Dark Buu had a glimpse of Goku's raised hand before a bolt of ki slammed into him.

Both began fighting once more, now with Goku slowly chipping away at Dark Buu. The ultimate Darkness manifest found that he had almost no time to launch anything, barely enough to deflect what was coming his way. Pushing all his energy into a burst of speed, Dark Buu slammed a fist into Goku's stomach. The saiyan winced for a second, then attacked in return, his fist slammed into Dark Buu and sending him flying.

Landing on the side of a rock pillar, Dark Buu launched a series of blasts toward Goku, who seemed to just vanish before they reached him. A second later, the entire pillar Buu was standing on was shattered to dust as Goku attacked from behind. Whirling where he knew the saiyan had to be standing, Dark Buu fired a blast point blank, but Goku's aura absorbed the damage. Jumping to the other side of the field, Dark Buu watched carefully for Goku's next move. Something horrible had happened to him, to cause this. Had it been something Dai Kioshin had done? Would the answer to the question also explain why he was alive?

Raising his hands to the sky, Goku fired a multitude of thin blasts in the air. They quickly vanished from sight. For a few seconds, Goku continued firing blasts, then he stopped and lowered his hands again.

"What was that?" Dark Buu asked, voice vaguely mocking, "A show of strength? You'll have to do far better than that to impress me."

Of course, Goku said nothing, gazing at Dark Buu with blank eyes. 18, who was still concentrating on the sky, sensed the true nature of the attack before Dark Buu did. A veritable storm of ki bolts rained from the sky, blanketing the entire surrounding area in destruction. Within the first instant of the attack, the entire field had been leveled. 18 found herself on the very edge of the storm, and she was safe; the bolts weren't aimed at her anyway.

At first Dark Buu was caught off guard, and the bolts tore through him. Healing himself and raising a shield, the monster weathered the storm. Rushing forward amidst the blasts, which didn't seem to harm him, Goku stabbed a hand into Dark Buu's shield. For a second the shield was forced away under his hand, then it sliced through, finishing off the entire shield. Suddenly Dark Buu was again vulnerable to the destructive rain, and it ripped him entirely apart before the attack finally ceased.

All around the ruined field, dark flames were lit up everywhere. Dark Buu had healed himself, but stood wavering in the middle of the destruction, barely on his feet. Shifting to his clawed metallic hand, Goku leapt into the sky above Dark Buu. For an instant his claws gleamed darkly, then he rushed down on the grey warrior.

Slashing repeatedly, Goku sliced the monster to ribbons, then stepped back and began gathering energy. Slowly, Dark Buu began to piece himself together. Eventually he had made it to his original form, but was too drained to avoid the Kamehameha that Goku fired into him point blank.

Unable to stop his fall, Dark Buu was blasted in a continual straight line, and off the planet. Before the beam had even ceased to fire, Goku teleported to near Dark Buu and uppercutted him from the planet's gravitational field. Unable to keep up with that much speed, 18 merely found Goku's ki and used Instant Transmission to get closer to the battle that was about to begin.

Both warriors faced off in space, then at the same instant both blurred from sight.

.

Just as Piccolo sensed the battle going on, he found himself suddenly blocked by massive vanguard of warriors, all forming a cluster in his way. Nervously, Piccolo considered his odds while they faced him. They could hardly hurt him, but still, there seemed to be hundreds off them. If he tried to go around them, they'd just fan out. Going through the cloud of them would surely fail.

"Surrender at once!" one of them called. Piccolo ignored him.

"You cannot possibly win!" the same one called. "Surrender and save yourself some trouble!"

"Give us the soul and we'll let you alone," another promised. All began jeering at him. Smiling inwardly, Piccolo realized that they did so because they were afraid. They knew that even if they won, most of them would die. Still, if they won, it was all over. Glancing down, Piccolo cupped the glowing soul in his hands. What was he going to do now? As he looked down, the soul shimmered brighter, and Piccolo realized his own eyes glowed along with it.

He knew what he had to do; he knew that he could do it. Whatever it was that allowed Goku to overcome the odds flickered within his soul. Closing his hand over the shimmering, Piccolo glanced up at the warriors, and something in his gaze stopped all their calls. With a short yell, Piccolo put the last of his energy into a massive fireball of ki that swept forward. It blasted through the entire cluster, which failed to expand in time. Shadowing the ball of flame, Piccolo swept through the flaming explosion and then he was suddenly out in free space, sailing through the air with only dust floating behind him.

For a short time he merely flew through the air, far too tired to change his momentum. It was not much longer until he saw the battle scene. Floating some distance from the conflict, 18 was apparently merely watching. As Piccolo had expected, Goku seemed to be a twisted shell; his hair was also a deep black, standing as if he were Super Saiyan. In one hand he held up Dark Buu, who looked almost defeated. None of that mattered at the moment. Unless Goku's soul returned to his body, he could not actually destroy Dark Buu.

"Here!" he called, hurling the crystal toward Goku. The saiyan turned slightly, just in time for the crystal to strike him. The instant it did so, it shattered into a fine crystalline dust, the light within flooding into Goku. His hair lost its black luster and fell to its original position, his clothing faded back to its typical orange, his eyes began to clear. Just before the transformation was complete, Dark Buu raised a hand.

A massive sphere of Darkness collided with Goku, wrapping around him and sending him hurtling backward. Quickly Goku stopped flying back, but merely floated motionlessly, eyes closed. Piccolo realized with horror that Dark Buu had capitalized on the moment when Goku's link to his soul was weakest. That spell... he recognized it with a shiver. Now Goku was trapped in an unreality dimension, one where he would remain forever, in tormented non-existence. It wouldn't end this way. It couldn't.

But nothing that Piccolo could tell himself changed the terrible facts. Goku lay unmoving, effectively incapacitated from all life. For the first time, Dark Buu grinned slightly, and the expression sent waves of Darkness cascading from him. Focusing, the monster began to draw all of Darkness into himself. A force from outside of the galaxy flooded inward, cracking the edges, shredding through portions of reality. Darkness swept over and into the being known as Dark Buu, eclipsing him completely. When it again attained a physical form, it was entirely black from head to toe. It was no longer Dark Buu... for the first time, pure Darkness walked the galaxy.

Piccolo didn't care. All that mattered now was Goku. He rushed toward the fallen saiyan, and arrived at the same time that 18 did. Dark Buu glanced at them as though they were insects and did not move as they carried Goku away. First, he would revel in the final destruction, the final cataclysm of the universe. The galaxy had been calling for it for centuries. Then he could brush aside these offenders effortlessly. Their survival was irrelevant, now that Darkness was incarnate within existence.

.

Agonizing pain wracked Goku's body and soul, the world around him growing fainter and fainter. It was as if he was falling back, through endless shadows. Images flashed through his mind, everything he had ever done. His life seemed to pass before him, from his earliest days with Bulma, to Namek, to the androids. There was good, there was evil. Corruption flooded most things, but certain events stood golden amid all of the others. Everything became darker, fading into oblivion.

This was not the clean, welcome touch of death; this was the final destruction of everything that he was. All that he represented was draining away from the existence that he understood. The pain redoubled, and he struggled to shove it off, but the darkness continued to draw him down.

Suddenly two hands touched his. One was Piccolo's, the other was 18's. Looking out into the darkness, Goku saw them there, pulling him out of the fate that was trying to claim him. Momentarily he had hope, but then the dark power welled up even greater, threatening to overwhelm him. Even the hands upon his started to fade away, his limbs growing numb and unresponsive. Shadows surrounded him, and he remembered...

.

The last star went out, and as one they fired their beams forward. Their clash sent a massive crack through reality, making a chill breeze that swept both being's clothes around them violently. The Legendary One's cloak was likewise flying in the wind, and sweat fell from his hood. Eventually the wind blew away the hood of the cloak, making his face be fully revealed. Goku's jaw hung slackly, and his anger dissipated.

Beneath the black hood, the face that he was staring at was his own.

.

Darkness swirling around and through Goku shattered like dust, giving way and being completely consumed by the power of a glorious light. Both of Goku's eyes blazed with white infernos, and a serenity fell over his face. The same serenity that he had felt before, returning as his body and soul merged. Firmly gripping both hands, Goku came up, out of the darkness.

.

Raising a hand, Darkness began to expand its being from itself, to touch the Darkness within the hearts of every living creature. There it was, pulsating, filled with a lust for destruction. In a moment everything would fall into chaos. Reality would destroy itself, as it was had been meant to be from the dawn of time. Then would be left only nothingness, which would be ripped apart by Darkness.

A sudden presence made Darkness turn, sensing something terrible, something it had not believed truly existed. It trembled slightly as a ripple expanded through reality. Where the ripple passed the cracks through existence healed, repairing themselves effortlessly; where it passed people suddenly reflected upon the terrible evil that was working throughout their lives. Raising its hands, Darkness shielded itself from the onslaught of glorious light flooding over it.

For a moment Goku's form still hung limply, and then his head slowly turned up. His eyes opened, glowing brilliantly. The edges of his body seemed to glow with a soft white light, and something else intangible about him had changed. Though faced with the terrible Darkness, Goku seemed unaffected, surrounded by an i authority /i . Floating of his own power, he smiled serenely at Piccolo then nodded briefly to 18.

Turning, he i stepped /i across the stars to stand before Darkness. A terrible roar shook reality as Darkness flooded around its form, seeming overwhelming, ready to consume all three of them completely. Goku merely glanced back at him, eyes defiant yet tranquil.

And then the power was unleashed.

.

"No," Dai Kioshin whispered, his voice barely audible even to himself. Without words, he fell to his knees, staring into the distance, unable to bring himself to move. Behind him, the great golden seal lay across the ground, utterly destroyed. The millions of dust like particles were even now being consumed by a silver flame. How? How had something so completely overwhelmed the seal that should have stopped this power?

Feeling the ripple pass over the galaxy, Dai Kioshin, ruler of the entire universe, curled up into a ball and whimpered. His plans, his dreams... never, even in the darkest moments of disaster had he imagined something like this. All his plans now lay shattered on the soil, forever without repair.

Years of work had been based upon what they thought they knew. They had studied, had calculated, had planned exactly where and when the Legendary One would appear. They knew how the power transferred, how it came to rest upon a newborn individual, what might it gave. They knew nothing.

Everything had been based upon the idea of the Legendary One being born. Never once had it occurred to him that the Legendary One could have been i made /i , refined by the flames of existence. Never had he thought that a meddlesome saiyan who seemed no more than a determined annoyance could ascend beyond his very being to a height that even now he could not comprehend.

"We had no idea what we were dealing with," he sobbed, "absolutely no idea..."

.

A cosmic wind blew gently throughout space, curling around Goku and softly blowing his clothing. He did not seem powerful, mighty, or unstoppable. But something had changed. The Light burned intensely in his eyes, and the faint white glow around his body still shimmered; his clothing had become a pure, snowy white, shimmering in dark contrast to Darkness before him.

" i You are the Darkness /i ," he stated simply, looking incarnate Darkness in the eyes and not flinching. " i Though your place is no more, the galaxy has chosen you. You are the end to the story, and the scales cannot remain unbalanced. All must come to pass. /i " Darkness found it could say nothing, bound by his words. For the first time feeling anger, feeling its own hatred, it began to build energy for the time when it could strike. " i However, /i " Goku spoke up again softly, " i focus your destruction on me. Pour out the end of the galaxy on my being. Then everything shall be complete. /i "

"You are a fool!" Darkness rumbled, voice seeming to shake the foundations of reality. Raising a hand, Darkness launched a burst of dark flame that shot out over the distance faster than Piccolo or 18 could begin to blink. The moment it neared Goku it vanished from existence as if it had never existed.

Growling, Darkness expanded itself, sending lashes of Darkness to surround and encompass Goku, to crush his soul alive. The very instant the Darkness touched Goku's soul it evaporated, unweaving as if it had never existed. Shrinking away, Darkness returned to its concentrated form, eyes blazing.

" i End this, /i " Goku commanded.

"As you wish!" Darkness cried, voice thundering over the galaxy. Bursting higher into the void, Darkness raised a hand. Energy began to gather above his palm, collecting from every corner of the universe. The sphere of crackling black power continued to expand, growing larger than a star. It was so dark that the void of space seemed only a light grey compared to it.

All Piccolo and 18 could do was watch. This was the end, Piccolo realized. All the battles, all the games, all of them came to this point. Every move had been played, every card set down, both positions built to this final point. Turning from the Darkness, 18 instead focused on Goku, who had not even slightly moved from his position. He wasn't even looking at the gargantuan sphere, as if disinterested.

Dark energy began to vibrate in every living creature throughout the universe, throughout existence. Shadows, hatred and Darkness poured from every heart, building into the ultimate attack. Darkness began to laugh slightly, its plan becoming reality before its eyes. This was the end. All of existence was giving its power willingly, fueling knowingly or unknowingly the force that was Darkness.

Reality cracked once more as the massive sphere abruptly contracted down to a relatively small sphere of pure, concentrated Darkness within Darkness' hand. Its eyes snapped down toward the Light, toward the foolish three that stood outside of its galaxy. It was time to end this, to destroy all in the way of his final destruction. In the final moment, Darkness laughed.

"This Darkness is the path the galaxy has taken! This is the will of fate!"

" i So be it. /i "

In a clean, swift motion Darkness launched the sphere of Darkness. It streaked across space, ripping a void through the foundations of reality. The resulting explosion lit up every plane of existence, every possible dimension, blinding every being for a brief moment. Darkness and Light crashed against each other, the conflict shaking all that had been, was and was yet to be.

After the explosion there was a long, unnatural silence. Then with a silvery tone a ripple spread from the conflict, binding the cracks in the galaxy. At last the cosmic storm faded, revealing Goku. He was completely motionless, in exactly the place he had stood before the all encompassing explosion.

"That isn't possible!" Darkness roared, trembling slightly. "You cannot have survived the cataclysm! I cannot be defeated! There is Darkness even within your hearts!"

" i You lie. /i " Brilliant white light burst around Goku. His hair flew into the air as if in Super Saiyan, blazing so golden it seemed molten white. Light poured from him with such intensity it was impossible to look directly at him. Against the presence of the Light, Darkness shuddered.

Then Goku's eyes locked onto Darkness, blazing like a holy inferno. The brilliant light expanded from him, not diminishing even slightly as it flew out to encompass the entire area in which they stood. Piccolo and 18 were almost instantly swept up in it, and Light met Light. Filled with a slightly cool power, 18 tilted her head back in rapture, floating into the air not of her own power. Piccolo's halo abruptly shattered, sizzling in burning pieces that fell away into the void; the Namek flexed his fingers, wondering at his first instant of life in years.

Being torn apart within the Light, Darkness struggled to resist. Its blazing eyes locked upon Goku, flaming in final hatred. Surely there was something that it could do, some weakness that it could escape into to avoid complete destruction. But no... in the eyes of each there was nothing but the Light. Raging, it focused upon the hated being that now destroyed it one final time.

"You cannot destroy me! As long as there is hatred, as long as there is destruction, I will survive! I am the darkness within every heart! I cannot die!"

" i It is finished, /i " Goku answered softly. White flame consumed all that was Darkness.

With a rushing wind it was over. Reality stood intact, Darkness completely gone from it. The glorious light seemed to be blown away by the same wind, returning to the figure standing alone. Slowly Goku turned back to face them, and on his face was a serene, ascendant smile. Though his eyes had returned to normal, they still shimmered silvery; he seemed outline by a faintly glowing light that set him apart from all near him.

" i It's over, /i " Goku said finally. All three of them met between them, for the first time realizing that it had all ended. Everything that had been building up to this point was gone, leaving only a quiet peace.

Piccolo and Goku clasped hands firmly, both their eyes laughing slightly. For a long moment neither let go, both simultaneously thinking of things past away. They were the last remnants of something that once was, but was no more. Though their lives had been consumed by flame, what had remained had been refined into something truly beyond what had ever been.

Then Goku turned to 18, and they embraced. Overwhelming power was pouring out from his body, washing over her. She ran a hand through his silky hair and then they kissed passionately. Chuckling, Piccolo glanced away. At least they understood the time and place for such things. But the time and place was now and here.

When they were finished, a Light wrapped around them, and they vanished. There was some final business to attend to.

.

Gripping his chair so hard it cracked, Dai Kioshin abruptly hurled it over the horizon with a slight cry. Rushing to the nearest pillar he slammed it with his full strength, reducing the column to dust. His anger slowly ebbing, Dai Kioshin merely grated his palms together. He was left with nothing. Absolutely nothing. For once in his life he was at a loss, completely and totally unable to react to what had taken place. Against what had faced the terrible Evil, he was as nothing.

Now his own power was waning, even as the dawn of the universe was beginning. There was no hope for this age. No hope at all. It would be futile to even begin to plan again. All was given up for lost, now. But not forever. Slowly Dai Kioshin calmed himself, a slight smile appearing on his face.

Plans could change, and power was fluent. For now, he would concede defeat, but the condition was far from permanent. No, it didn't have to end this way at all. Collecting himself, he moved into the building behind him. Now was the time to seal himself away from existence for a very long time, and let perhaps an eon or two go by. Then he could awake, refreshed and ready to conquer a new galaxy. Hate would have fostered once again, and things would be back to normal. Yes, that was the way to do it. Perhaps next time there would be no meddlesome saiyan.

Passing through the threshold and into the room, Dai Kioshin paused and looked out over his planet slowly. The universe would be completely different when he woke again. He bid it a silent goodbye and continued walking. Whatever shape the universe took next, he would possess it then. They had done nothing to harm him; he had merely learned from the experience, and when the time came, he would strike again.

Light faded as Dai Kioshin moved away from the door and into the unlit building. He crossed the floor toward the pale blue capsule he would seal himself away in. The room was completely dark now, the Afterlife's light lost in the twists and turns, but it hardly bothered him; he didn't really need the light. Just as he neared the capsule, a light flared up before him.

Illuminated by a strange glow, Piccolo sat calmly on top of the capsule. He opened his eyes and glanced at Dai Kioshin with a slightly amused look on his face.

"Imagine meeting you here."

Cursing, Dai Kioshin turned and rushed from the room, hoping to make it before the Namek could attack. He was forced to skid to a halt as he realized there was someone else in the doorway. A soft light surrounded 18 as well. Between both of them, the room was covered in a half-light that seemed to blur the line between imagination and reality. In the flickering shadows, a shape formed and moved over to him.

Goku stood in front of Dai Kioshin, and he found himself unable to escape the warrior's gaze. Nearly whimpering, Dai Kioshin backed up slightly. For the first time the eternal enemies actually came face to face, and Goku found that he had nothing to say.

"Why are you here?" Dai Kioshin stammered, forcing himself to speak.

" i It is very simple. I am going to grant you your heart's desire. /i "

"What do you mean?"

" i You've always wanted to rule everything that you understood. I'm giving you a chance. /i "

Dai Kioshin's eyes suddenly widened in horror, as he realized what Goku meant. 18 found herself wondering exactly what it was that they both understood. The Kioshin staggered back, waving his arms frantically.

"Not that! You can't do that to me!"

" i I cannot allow you to hurt anyone else. /i " Goku took hold of the Kioshin's arm, forcing him to remain where he was. Dai Kioshin realized how much the saiyan's grip burned. It was almost as if the saiyan's very being ate away at something within him.

"I'd rather die!" Dai Kioshin told him, forcing back the pain. Goku shook his head.

" i I'm afraid I won't allow that. /i "

"Game over," Piccolo said from across the room, smiling at him a final time. Dai Kioshin felt a surge of hate as he realized that the Namek had beaten him once again.

"No! You ca-"

Touching Dai Kioshin's forehead with two fingers, Goku silenced him instantly. The Kioshin's eyes widened suddenly and then closed as he slumped to the floor softly. His being wavered slightly as he lost reality, only a shred of his consciousness remaining in a ghostly form. For an instant Goku remained looking at the shadow of Dai Kioshin, then he turned and left the room. The others followed, Piccolo blowing up the blue capsule for good measure.

They lifted off into the sky, and quickly moved away from the planet. Goku opened a portal back to their own dimension and they flew through it and down toward Earth. The mostly desolate planet had never looked so welcoming, so much like home.

"I'm not sure I want to know," 18 said finally, "but I'll ask anyway. How did you grant his heart's desire?"

" i He wanted to rule all he understood, /i " Goku spoke as if that meant everything. After a while, 18 understood and merely nodded. They flew on in silence, and Goku smiled.

.

Back at the planet, Dai Kioshin grabbed at another of the wooden blocks. Placing the small rectangle atop another, he clapped his hands joyfully. The house was perfect. Turning back to the collection of things that sat in the corner he grabbed a small tin soldier. He placed it upright beside the house and smiled broadly.

Shuffling a few plastic trees, Dai Kioshin looked over the effect and decided he liked it. Briefly his mind screamed in anguish. Reduced to this. Already he found it difficult to keep this imposed thought process away from him. He would suddenly notice a pretty block, or a particularly good tree, and then he would nearly lose his hold on reality. But he had to keep fighting. He wouldn't let himself be reduced to this.

Sitting back, Dai Kioshin gazed over the miniature town before him, then gurgled happily. Now, at last, he was master over everything he understood.

.

Swiftly arcing over the planet, Goku flicked a finger to the rubble below. The bowl portion of Kami's Lookout jerked into the air, glowing with a white energy as it repaired itself, then sat hovering in midair. It continued to float there, and Piccolo took the initiative and landed upon it. He touched down on the cool stone and glanced about at the place that had held so many memories.

"It'll do, but I'll have to hire an interior designer," he commented over his shoulder. "This clashes so terribly." Jauntily he entered the building and sat down upon Kami's old throne. For a moment his face cleared, completely serious. There was an enormous task before him, as the new manager of a tired, ruined planet. He was going to enjoy the challenge.

Outside, Goku raised a hand silently, and 18 understood that she was to wait. She sat down on the edge of the Lookout and gazed over the planet while he vanished from sight. Already things seemed to be clearing, the sky fading to a light blue, light clouds slowly forming. Things were returning to the way they were, healing from the terrible damage that had been done to them. Smiling slightly, she awaited what was to come.

.

The podium stood alone in the center of the city. All four open roads from each corner of the city met together in the square. A gigantic wooden structure had hastily been constructed for the festivities. Thousands of adoring people stood in the massive crowd, all eyes focused upon the man standing behind the podium. He was the only one on the structure, and seemed to practically glow with the light of heroism. At the moment he was animatedly retelling his story.

"And then I was like this! And this!" Hercule shouted, violently thrusting into the air. "And then he started doing the Big Attack of Evil! The sky got all dark like, but I wasn't afraid. I stepped up to him, right up in his face and said 'I will defeat you, evildoer of evil deeds! And then I did my Super Great Dandy Ultimate Power Megaton Kick and destroyed him completely!"

As the crowds cheered wildly he flashed them a heroic grin, puffing up his chest and proudly putting his hands on his hips. Ah, the glory, the splendor. This was life.

A brilliant light shone over the crowd, and a being descended to the platform. Complete silence reigned, as the crowds fell silent, unable to watch the brilliant figure descend. The silence was broken only as the figure's foot touched down lightly on the wooden structure. Goku stood before Hercule calmly, his eyes arresting. Before anyone could speak, a light shone out over them.

Screaming and yelling in terror, the people cowered away from the sphere of burning light that lit up the platform. Their hero and the evil saiyan were eclipsed by it, and none of them could begin to see what was going on. Slowly they began to calm, as it appeared that nothing was going to be destroyed and that they were safe. After all, their brave and victorious hero was there to protect them. What had they to be afraid of?

When the light faded the platform remained exactly as it had before. Hercule and Goku were both standing there, eyes locked, no words passing between them. Calmly Goku stepped away, retreating, they thought. Briefly he looked back, over his shoulder, and it seemed as though he said something, but none of them could comprehend the words that were spoken.

Then the saiyan was gone, as if he had never stood in the square. The crowds seemed confused, disoriented, dazed by the light they had seen. A few began to cheer for Hercule once more, some drifted by the edges as if unsure of where they were. Eventually all eyes looked to Hercule, waiting for his explanation of the terrible battle that must have been fought. Their hero remained motionless.

Those who had seen the sight would remember it for years to come. Hercule had slumped to his knees, and something significant had been gone from him. When he finally rose to his feet, his gaze was haunted. Hundreds had clamored about him, asking what had happened. Their champion ignored them, and had slowly walked through the crowd to the horizon, a stunned expression on his face.

In the years to come, there were no stories told of Hercule. He was never remembered as the hero who had saved the planet and the galaxy. A few of his greatest admirers tried to preserve his legacy, but in the end they found they could not bring themselves to do it. Every time they thought of him, all that came to mind was a small man with a blank expression, slowly trudging away...

.

Frantically glancing about, Hercule discovered that he was trapped within a glowing white sphere. He couldn't see out the sides, and all that was inside it was the saiyan calmly standing and watching him. Utilizing all his strength Hercule wrenched his gaze away from those terrible eyes, trying to escape their searching. Shaken, he stumbled back but was stopped by the pulsing wall of the orb around them. Goku stepped closer to him calmly, and bent down to look directly into his eyes.

" i You probably don't know me, /i " he began softly, voice brooking no argument. " i I am the being who did everything you've taken credit for. /i "

Somehow, Goku felt like he was far above Hercule, looking down at him. The man shivered under his gaze, now unable to turn away. As their gazes continued to meet, Hercule felt all of the lies he had shielded himself with stripped away, and he faced the truth.

" i I could destroy you now, /i " Goku continued even softer. " i I could leave you in a state of complete pain for an eternity. I could humiliate you in front of all of them. /i " The saiyan who was so much more than a saiyan smiled slightly. " i But I won't. /i "

Hercule trembled slightly, not quite believing his ears. Goku shook his head sadly and continued.

" i Go ahead, take credit for scaring me off or defeating me. As soon as I am finished I will leave and never interfere with your life again. However much you might deserve it, you will not be punished for what you have done. If you truly wanted, you could remain the Earth's hero for the rest of your inconsequential life. No one would ever know. Things don't have to change- /i "

As he spoke the light around them began to fade slowly, and the world outside began to appear again. Goku turned away, but just before he left he glanced back at Hercule significantly and finished his sentence.

" i -if you want to live a lie. /i "

.

Softly Goku touched down at the edge of Piccolo's Lookout. 18 had already risen to meet him, and they exchanged a soft smile briefly. Piccolo emerged from the shadows of the Lookout, coming to stand beside them. The end of the day was approaching, the sun slowly sinking toward the horizon. It was not truly an end, but a beginning. Everything was fresh and new, and perhaps all of existence had another chance at humanity. Fate that had been guiding the galaxy was gone, Darkness destroyed, the universe free to decide what path it would trod.

Slanted, glowing eyes exchanged an intangible truth, and then as one the Light awaited the sunrise.