I wish I owned DBZ, but I don't. I own DVD's and tapes, but it just isn't the same. I also don't own the rights to any of the music pieces you see selected, just copies of merchandise, such a shame. The artists that created them are geniuses and we all must bow to them.

Chapter 41: Verto's Resolution

Here's the weight of the world on my shoulders
Here's the weight of the world on my shoulders
On my shoulders!

"Well, this won't be a total loss, I suppose. I can always just take your body!" Viro declared as he floated towards me.

"I don't suggest trying that!" I warned as I quickly put up my energy shield. Viro's odd body made contact with it and was repelled quickly. I sent a small surge of Psi out from the shield, nearly hitting him with a series of lightning bolts.

"You can't get near me no matter what you do. I hope you're ready to die!" I shouted as I powered up.

Viro grew very nervous as my violent silver aura flashed into view, but seemed to keep his resolve and formed a large ki beam in his hands, firing a moment later. It was large enough to block him from my view, and judging by the amount of power he was sending down, I could use it to recover a bit myself. I quickly formed my sword just as the large ball of golden energy arrived, and I blocked against it so it could grow a bit to hide my intentions. Once I didn't see Viro anymore, I sensed him overpower his beam to attempt to finish me off, as he likely sensed that I didn't have much ki left. Stupid, very stupid. Must have lost his brains now that he isn't using Gohan's anymore. I quickly eased up off my block a bit before stabbing into the blast and turning my sword slightly, watching at the golden ki oozed into it. I pulled on this new energy and felt very refreshed as it soothed my tired body with fresh ki. I began powering up with it right away, and after a few seconds Viro shut off his beam, his power signal reeking with frustration. As soon as I absorbed it all, I fired a fresh ki blast right at Viro, one that was going to do more than sting. He panicked a bit before his form turned dull gray again and became that strange smoky cloud, to which the ki blast went right through, leaving a temporary hole that filled in right away.

"You won't be able to beat me now, boy, your attacks can't detonate if there is nothing to hit!" his voice said from the cloud.

"If you say so," I said, charging another frigid energy ball. The cloud started to move away, but due to his lack of form, he was now very slow.

"Psi Freeze!" I shouted again, launching it straight at Viro's gaseous form. The ice ball made contact with the cloud and instantly froze the small amount of water vapor it likely contained before expanding and forming a large crystalline stalactite standing about eight feet tall at the point and about six feet in diameter at the base. Okay, time to see if my idea works, I can't risk him leaking out of the explosion before it gets all of him, only problem is that I don't have as much ki as I need to be sure the job is done. Then I remembered Piccolo, who was standing by.

"Piccolo! Scattershot, but do not hit the Ice! Make them as equal in power as you can!" I shouted. Piccolo looked on in question, but nodded and fired fifteen separate blasts and held them in place around the solid stasis field as I rose into the air and locked my hand into position a little ways above. I relaxed and took a deep breath before concentrating my energy and loading up a lot of it for a massive lightning attack. My hand shook as I opened it and I steadied it with the other so I could focus.

"Shock Grenade!" I carefully split up the energy as it was discharged and sent it screeching into the ki balls, creating several smaller green Shock Cannon explosions around the Ice form, shattering it and wiping out anything in or around it. I sensed Viro's energy signal vanish instantly just as the collective explosions subsided. I didn't see much other than smoke and dust afterwards, but considering his true form, I wouldn't have anyway. Well, half of the problem is gone.

-

I dropped to one knee as Lenz rushed over with her congratulations, but I shook it off as Piccolo slowly stumbled over.

"Incredible, kid!" he said with pride.

"Piccolo, is there no way to use the dragonballs to wipe out this virus?" I asked straight away.

"I don't think it would be a problem for Shenron to grant a wish like that, but the problem lies in the fact that we can't wish everyone back once it has killed them off. The dragonballs aren't going to do a lot of good now because it's going to be another four to five days before they are recharged again! Everyone infected will likely be dead by then!" Piccolo pointed out.

"King Kai mentioned that we might be able to remove it with Porunga if we acted fast enough, but was concerned that the lingering virus in the air might be a problem. What about the third wish… " I started to ask before he promptly interrupted me.

"I'm sorry Verto, the battle took too long. Porunga can get very impatient and has likely retreated back into the balls by now and cannot be summoned again for several months." I punched the ground as I growled a bit, Viro had done his work well.

"Damnit, I was trying to draw him out of Gohan with my feedback wave so I wouldn't kill him. But in doing so, I've killed everyone! Even with a lot of Senzu beans, Dende and Kibito's help, there's only so much I can do to heal them. I'm not sure I can help them now that I'm tired," I said.

"That's what I figured, it seems that part of the population is beyond help now!" he said. Lenz looked quite alarmed at this as she helped me to my feet, but it was mostly due to my angry reaction.

"Come on, little bro, don't get down in the dumps! You did your best and that's all that matters!" she said, trying to comfort me, to no real avail.

"No, you don't get it. The only reason that this happened was because of me. I was abducted by the Zerg and taken off planet past that dimensional barrier into their dimension! You never would have met us if that hadn't have happened, and Frost wouldn't know about Earth being our home and Viro would never have come! It is all because of me!" I said in slight anger. Lenz remained silent to this, not really sure what to say. I sensed a large power level not far off, flying towards us quickly with a very low one in tow.

"Whoa, what is that?" Lenz screeched slightly, not used to all the high powers around her yet. I narrowed my eyes slightly until I recognized the power reading to be Fat Buu. He flew in quickly, dragging what looked to be Hercule along for the ride and alarming Lenz a bit since she had no real idea who or what the blob was.

"Mr. Satan get very sick and weak! Buu don't know what to do!" He said, very concerned.

"Set him down Buu, I can try to heal him but I'm gonna need some energy! You two bring the others over here and I'll see what I can do!" I ordered.

"Is that the pink monster Videl was telling me about?" Lenz asked nervously as she hid behind me.

"Hi, pretty lady!" Buu waved.

"Don't worry about him, he's been on our side for awhile now. Buu, heal me up so I can do this!" I said. Buu set Satan down and charged his forelock up with blue energy, focusing it on me instantly. My energy levels rose quickly as my body healed up, and I refocused into a positive mode while channeling pure Chi into Satan. I attempted to focus in on only the virus like I had done with myself, but found that my healing power seemed to take care of it automatically. Satan woke up a moment later, looking over himself and then around, trying to figure out what happened.

"Gohan? Was there a battle around here?" he asked, not realizing whom he was talking to.

"Wrong again, goofy, Gohan is over there!" I pointed out just as Piccolo was dropping his student over his shoulder and dragging him over. Satan just shook his head slightly as he continued through his cycle of confusion, but stayed quiet for the time being and helped Lenz pull the other Saiyans over for assistance.

-

With Buu's help, I was able to cure and heal everyone within about five minutes, including Krillin when 18 carried him in and Lenz when I noticed her stomach starting to empty itself a moment later. After giving them a brief rundown of what had happened, everyone fell into slight despair. Vegeta seemed convinced that we should use Buu and a bunch of Senzu beans and just start lining the humans up, treating as many as possible. This also meant though that several would have to be sacrificed just for the fact that I couldn't be everywhere at once, and it wasn't something Goku and I felt comfortable with. I suddenly had an idea come to my head when he finally convinced Goku and discussed it openly.

"Hey, what if I were to attempt to heal the whole planet at once?" I asked.

"What? That's impossible boy, even for you!" Vegeta pointed out.

"Hold on, I know how my power works, and I can channel the Spirit Bomb now. If I can pull up enough energy from both the earth and the sun, I think I can do it. I might have to resort to using the Kaio-ken technique again, but the extra power will certainly help, I can handle it now," I suggested.

"Even with the blob's help, I highly doubt you can pull that off. You're just going to have to deal with it boy, some of these humans aren't going to make it! Now let's get those Senzu beans and save who we can!" Vegeta barked out orders.

"It's basically the same fucking plan! I'm going to run out of Psi energy if I proceed too slowly and the Senzu beans are not going to restore very much of it!" I shouted back.

"What? How can you be sure?" Piccolo asked.

"Because it's my power and I mastered it. Spirit energy takes longer to recover than life energy!" I explained.

"Yeah, he's right about that one. I've had the same problem," Gohan added.

"So then, once the blob runs out of power, you won't be able to recharge again. Looks like most of the humans are out of luck then, we will save who we can and leave it at that!" Vegeta ordered.

"Fuck that, let me use the Spirit Bomb to supply the energy! With Buu, the Spirit Bomb and the Kaio-ken technique, there's no reason I can't pull it off!" I suggested.

"It's too dangerous Verto!" Goku interjected.

"He's right, kid. It's too risky, there isn't anything we can do for some of them! Let's just save who we can!" Bardock agreed as even Goku nodded slightly. I remained motionless as I glared back at Vegeta, a slight trail of salt water ran out from my eyes. I couldn't accept that for the people of Earth who were still alive and in need. It was bad enough that all of this happened because of me before, but I couldn't deal with the possible guilt of the aftermath if we had to sacrifice even a few.

"Come on, boy, what are you waiting for?" Vegeta growled, as I stood unmoving.

"It's my fault they are like this now. I won't be responsible for a millions of people dying because of our inability to act! Argh! Come on Buu, we're going to try!" I gritted my teeth audibly and then screamed as I quickly powered up to Super Mystic and blasted into the air, heading straight for outer space.

"Boy, what the hell are you doing?!" Vegeta roared after me, though I had no intention of listening. This might actually be too risky to pull off, but I've got to try. No more half assed efforts and barely getting by on what we have. It's time to put these powers to good use.

All alone I pierce the chain
And all in all the sting remains
And dieing eyes consume me now
The voice inside screams out loud

I am focused on what I am after
The key to the next open chapter

I soared past the clouds and into the upper atmosphere quickly, passing the threshold of outer space within seconds. Buu came up right behind me, looking unsure of my intentions.

"King Kai, I hope you're paying attention," I said aloud.

"Loud and clear," he replied.

"Have Videl speak to the people of earth all at once so I can channel the Spirit Bomb. I'm going to try something - something risky!" I said as simply as I could.

"I understand. Good luck, kid!" he acknowledged.

"Buu, charge me back up and keep it flowing. Once you get low on power, go back down to Earth, I'll do the rest," I said.

"Okay, Buu do!" he nodded and smiled, directing his healing wave towards me. I cleared my thoughts as I lifted one hand and aimed the other towards the planet.

"Okay, here goes. Earth, stars and heaven, please give me your energy!" I called out, hoping the mysterious force that guided the Spirit Bomb energy was listening again. I instantly felt energy coming towards me from the sun, a lot of it. Within moment I had a blue Chi ball the size of a car above my head. Slowly the energy from the earth filtered in, but there wasn't much of it since almost all of the Earthlings were close to dead and I had to start donating my own energy to even have something to start with.

"King Kai, repeat the message a few times, this might take awhile!" I said as I began channeling my healing energy towards Earth.

Cause I found a way to steal the sun from the sky
Long live that day that I decided to fly from the inside!

--

Bulma laid in her bed, sick as ever while the baby wasn't in much better condition, but was sleeping through a fever irregardless. Bulma knew that there was nothing she could do now but wait and suffer through it. Her parents and employees weren't in much better shape as many of them had simply dropped where they were and went through their own torment while this virus had its way with their bodies. Her computer had shown multiple high power levels duking it out shortly before the virus seemed to kick on in everyone, and she knew that whoever was fighting Gohan out there was their best chance at survival. She was about to doze off when she heard a call to her mind.

"People of Earth, this is Videl Satan. You must raise your hands if you want to save yourselves. Offer some of your energy and there's a slim chance we can still save the Earth and all of you from this horrible virus! Please raise your hands up!" Bulma knew what that meant, and despite her weak body, she managed to get to the nearest speaker and turn it on.

"Hey, you guys, do what the girl says! No matter how hard it is, you've got to do what she says!" she called out. The employees slowly stirred and did as requested, feeling their weakened energy leave them for a moment before a surge of green light passed through them and instantly made them feel much better.

"It's working, Goku!" Bulma said happily, but then staring in amazement when it focused on her for a moment. She recognized the feel of it instantly, "Verto?"

Every day a new deception
Pick your scene and take direction
And all in all I search to connect
But I don't wear a mask and I have no regrets

I am focused on what I am after
The key to the next open chapter

Cause I found a way to steal the sun from the sky
Long live that day that I decided to fly from the inside!

All across the world, those who were both healthy and sick heard Videl's call and lifted their hands towards the sky, and slowly some of them started being touched by a strange warm green light that seemed to give them even more strength to supply. The energy from the skies surged through them and gave itself back to the mysterious force guiding it. At the turtle house, Master Roshi and Marron were just recovering when they heard the telepathic call. In the mountains, Tien and Chiaotzu were looking themselves over until they heard Videl's voice, and they too gave their energy. At a large baseball stadium, Yamcha slowly got up from where he had dropped near home plate. Most everyone there wanted to get the game going again, but once they heard the voice in the skies, he was able to convince them otherwise for the time being. Across towns where people had simply dropped in the middle of sidewalks and roads, they were slowly recovering and waking up, offering more to the cause. The strange green wave of energy made its way through countryside and cities alike, healing those good and bad, young and old. The people responded joyfully by donating more energy at the time before collapsing into a happier exhaustion, knowing that they would be safe again.

I can't escape the pain
I can't control the rage
Sometimes I think that I'm gonna go insane
I'm not against what's right
I'm not for what's wrong
I'm just making my way and I'm gone

Here's the weight of the world on my, shoulders!

--

I focused hard on continually channeling both the spirit bomb and the healing technique, far from easily. I felt that I had been lucky, the Earthlings had donated even more energy once my surge of healing power passed over them, and so it was like a circuit loop almost. But expending so much energy was beginning to take its toll, even though most of it was not mine. Buu had long since run out of power, likely due to helping with the others, and he retreated back to the planet surface. I was almost done with the whole of the earth, but I found one last segment of land in the northern continent that I hadn't been over yet and felt my Super Mystic power slipping. No, I must keep going...! I - must!

"Kaio-ken!" I shouted suddenly, increasing the amount of strain on my body for the moment, and increasing the amount of energy I had. I poured it out and smothered the entire Northern continent in warm Chi energy, before my energy ran dry and I felt the gravity of earth pulling me back down. My breath became short and for a moment I couldn't breathe as I tumbled through the threshold of the upper atmosphere. Damnit, I'm out of power. I've done all I can. I just hope it worked. I smiled slightly when I sensed the Earth as a whole return to a normal level of energy a moment later, but there were spots of below normal activity scattered about. Before I could pinpoint them, I felt sleep calling me as my body quit responding just as a strong pair of arms appeared below.

"You did good, kid," a gruff voice said as I blacked out.

I am focused on what I am after
The key to the next open chapter!

Cause I found a way, to steal the sun from the sky
Long live that day that I decided to fly, from the inside!

That I decided to fly from the inside!

- "Fly from the Inside" by Shinedown.

Power levels:

Viro: 28,000,000

Verto's Shock Grenades: 450,000,000, or 30,000,000 each

Epilogue

"You're sure you don't want me to come back with you and help you deal with the Zerg?" I asked as the other Saiyans were preparing to leave with the help of Mom's time machine the next day.

"Yeah, kid, we're sure. You have a new life to get on with here, we don't want to get in the way! Besides, you guys changed our lives enough as it is! It may not come to that, and we have a changeling or two to deal with first!" Bardock pointed out.

"All right, but I don't want to hear any crying afterwards, this is probably your only chance," I pointed out.

"Forget it kid, I don't want to have to deal with your whiny ass anymore! That's her problem now!" Fasha said, pointing towards Lenz and matching the grin that I gave her.

"Good luck with your battles ahead," Vegeta said as the others nodded.

"And with yours!" Tora replied. Mom pressed the button and the blue wall of energy emerged and surrounded them until they vanished.

"I'm glad that's all over with, it sure has been awhile since we've had a real peace on Earth! Now we can get on with our lives!" she said with a slight sigh.

"How, boring," Vegeta grumbled as he walked off, "Come on girl, it's time to test your skills!"

"Yes, sir!" Lenz called back, chasing after him quickly.

"Typical," Mom muttered.

"So how many died?" I asked with grim look on my face.

"What do you mean?"

"I know I missed a few, and I tried as hard as possible to cure everyone, but I didn't get them all before I ran out of power. So how many died?" I asked again.

"Well, I didn't want to tell you that just yet. It might be hard for you to swallow right now," she hesitated.

"How many?" I said with a slightly raised voice.

"We don't have a confirmed number, but approximately fifteen percent of the population died as a result of the virus. Keep in mind that a lot of them were already dead prior to you guys being wished back, so don't feel too badly. You can't save everyone sometimes," Mom said. I sighed slightly, I guess I shouldn't be surprised, that was a reckless move on my part. I can't expect it to work exactly how I planned it. So be it, next time the villain is going down as fast as I can muster, no matter what. I'm tired of these war casualties. As much as I want to enjoy life, I just can't afford to anymore. Mom noticed my silence, and decided to continue.

"There is some good news though kid. Whatever you did to heal everyone also strengthened everyone's immune system. I even tested it again on fresh blood samples and the virus was wiped out by the natural defenses. Same thing happened with other minor infectious organisms I tested with. I'm not sure if that is a temporary thing or not, but it seems none of us will be getting sick for a while. I feel great in fact, haven't felt like this since my early twenties!" she exclaimed. I glanced her over when she said this, noting a slight increase in muscle tone and a more youthful look than the last time I had seen her. I really hadn't noticed it before, but that was only because of how tired I was.

"Your powers may induce mutations in those weaker than yourself if used too many times or recklessly. Whether they are good or bad may depend on the situation," I scowled slightly at the memory of what Old Kai had said. Well, I'm sure she won't complain if this is the extent of it, but I know I've healed her twice now, never mind any contact she might have had with Gohan while I was gone. This must be a direct cause of that.

"You do look good today, and here I thought it was all the makeup," I grinned.

"Very funny, but thank you. Hell, I almost didn't recognize myself in the mirror today, can't wait for Vegeta's reaction!"

"So any other odd things going on since I saved the world?" I asked carefully.

"No, not that I know of, I'll let you know though. Got any plans or are you just gonna train all the time as usual?" Mom asked with her unnerving smile.

"In reality I should be training everyday, there is always more I can learn about myself. But for now, I think I could do with a nice long rest," I replied as I turned on my heel and headed for my new bedroom.

"Yeah, you need to relax so you don't turn into Mr. Uptight all the time like a certain husband of mine," she chuckled.

I stopped for a moment, "If only I could."

"Here kid, you might want this. It should help a little bit, at least until the party guests get here," she called back as handed me my old music player and a set of compatible headphones. Here we go with another celebration party. Oh well. I smiled and nodded, before going up to my room and settling down on my bed. For the first time in a very long time, I was not dreading the future that was coming my way.

--

A/Ns:

Daio: Ah...another great saga added to the respected series known as Dragonball Verto. I don't know quite what to say, other than that it seemed more eventful and filled with action than other sagas. Might be just me, though. Anyway, for some of my loose thoughts formed from the second half of this last chapter of the sixth saga...perhaps, again, our hero Verto might have caused something inadvertently through saving the Earth's population through healing. Now, even though I'm the proofreader, I know next to nothing of what might happen, but it's fun to think about it - what mutations were possibly created because of him? Will they be good? Bad? Will there even be any mutations...? Speculation just kills, hey?

...Now, in closing...I hope you've had as much enjoyment reading Afterlife Adventures as I had proofreading it. Sit tight and keep an eye out for the next step in Verto's already tumultuous life.

--

In the next Saga, Verto finds himself being tested in all phases of his life, starting with the emergence of a very weak villain that keeps coming back to life even after being destroyed! More trials come, including the arrival of the spy sent by the Elder Gods and her agenda. Don't forget that Frost is also still out there, who knows when he is going to cause more trouble! All of this and more in the next installment of Dragonball Verto: Series 7: Fragile Peace!

Oh and if you think I am talking about a certain short and blue demon that wished for eternal life, I'm not.

Check my FFN profile page for updates on when Saga 7 posting will begin, as I do not have an exact date in mind. I am looking towards sometime around August or September, but that is not for certain.

And this is the part where you click the review button.