Chapter 40: Epilogue - The Last Plate

Three Years Later

"Whew! I'm beat!" Automatic glass doors swung open as Goten dragged himself into the café with Trunks in tow. His right hand trembled with the shock of an impact and his shirt was drenched in an arc of sweat.

The two saiyans ordered. Behind a bar topped by fluorescent lights the waitress poured their mugs. She was humanoid in form, but full-moon eyes, cat ears and a great bushy tail assured them she was something else entirely. Looking around, Goten noticed a whole host of alien life dotted around the coffee shop. One in every four customers had extra limbs or a different colour skin, and yet the people of Earth still conversed as if nothing was amiss.

Three years did much for human tolerance. Where once they rejected any and all alien life – with good cause no doubt – now there was peace. The waitress beamed a smile at Goten and winked before moving on to the next customer. The two saiyans took their seats.

"You really need to get her number," said Trunks.

Goten laughed. "Already did." He took a sip of his coffee, burning his lips on the scalding hot liquid before switching to simply blowing on it.

Opposite him Trunks pulled a towel off his shoulders and dabbed his forehead. Even after flying back through the gentle breeze of the planet's tailwinds the duo were still flushed and out of breath; every day's training was more intense than the last, and today was no exception.

As he sank into his chair Goten pulled off the device strapped to his wrist and plonked it on the table, freeing up his arm.

"Gotta drink these quick," he insisted. "Straight back to work."

"Are you sure?" Trunks gave him a look. "It's only one day Goten, and I know you probably want to spend time wit-"

"If we slack off we fall behind – my dad isn't going anywhere. Think about it: if my dad is here then Vegeta won't be far behind. Once he shows up it'll be back to group training. We can't have uncle Raditz showing us up!"

"True enough." Trunks took another gulp of his drink. After fidgeting with the controls on his mother's gadget the saiyan reduced the gravity back to New Earth's. In an instant his shoulders relaxed, his posture sagged and his breathing returned to normal. "Who's out today then?" he added.

"Raditz and Novus have the day off. Gohan's up on Trent; he wanted to show my dad all the best training spots," said Goten, pointing out of the window to one of the planet's five moons.

"What about Pan?"

"Doing her own thing I guess. Last I heard she's working on some new technique but she wouldn't tell me anything about it."

"No surprise there." Trunks shrugged; fighters and their secret moves. "How's Goku then? Where was he all this time?"

Goten shook his head. "I dunno exactly. You were there when he arrived yesterday right?"

"How could I forget? He steps out of a space pod barely big enough for a child, stumbles over to your mom like a zombie and just says 'how about that dinner then?'"

"Exactly. So anyway we had this huge feast – which was awesome by the way – then once he's full my dad immediately falls asleep. Must've had a really long trip."

"That sounds like Goku." Trunks couldn't help but laugh.

"Couldn't really get much from him to be honest. In between scoops of chicken he was going on about these 'Rekyite' things and Farspace and a load of other stuff I didn't understand."

"Just wait till he finds out about the Jiraiden – he'll be sad he missed that little scare."

As the two delved into discussion about little in particular the visitors came and went. An altercation between the waitress and some huge blue creature demanding his refund was promptly resolved by Goten driving a fist into his back; beyond that their half an hour break went entirely without incident until the clock struck noon.

A gigantic power on the planet's stratosphere suddenly forced their eyes to the sky. Around them the energy-sensitive beings perked up too. To those who could feel it the ki was impossible to ignore; a brimming mass of power that seemed to radiate from a single target. The mob of ignorant civilians began to panic, figuring another attack was on the way. Trunks grinned in delight.

Within five seconds the saiyans were bursting out of the café and onto the bustling streets of New Earth. Around them countless pedestrians turned their eyes to the clouds – past the floating highways of zigzagging cars to a spot in the sky where a foreign vessel punched through the clouds.

The architecture on the ship was like nothing from any race on New Earth. Spikes and spinning blades protruded from its every curve, asymmetrical and completely chaotic in its design. It was a fitting choice for the pilot in question, for the power they detected was almost definitely saiyan.

"Called it," said Goten. "Let's go welcome him home shall we?"

Trunks was already gone, launching to the air with no regard for the countless civilians watching his every move. He span through the traffic with Goten chasing his tail, emerging on the other side as the ship plummeted towards them. From there he could track its movements. The two saiyans followed the ship's every turn before it finally touched down on the roof of the new Capsule Corporation building.

Almost as soon as they landed Raditz and Novus appeared through Instant Transmission, followed shortly after by Pan.

Steam fled the scene as the 'air tight' door swung open, a slab of rusty metal already cracked across one of its hinges. Vegeta stepped out, hovering to the ground just in time for his wife and daughter to come rushing through the fire exit and onto the roof. They ran into his arms like they belonged there and the saiyan held them in a long embrace, coolly regarding Trunks with a grin and a nod of his head.

"I don't see Kakarot," he said when they parted. "Does that mean I'm the first one here?"

"Hey Vegeta!" The moment the prince finished his sentence Goku appeared, materialising in front of him with Gohan in tow.

"Blast it!" Cursing, Vegeta turned in frustration and aimed a kick at his ship. When his boot made contact with one of the four supporting prongs it buckled and snapped. The ship fell with an almighty crash, the chin of the cockpit scraping sparks along the roof.

"Aww don't do that!" said Goku. "You'll ruin your ship!"

"You mean you actually flew all the way across the galaxy in that deathtrap? It's falling apart!" Bulma was immediately furious. The inherent danger that came with flying such a craft was clearly lost on her husband.

"It gets the job done," said Vegeta, moments before the hanging door crashed to the ground. "It did," he insisted.

"We were worried you might never get back. How did you know where to go?" asked Gohan. Of all the Z-Fighters Vegeta was the only one who wasn't told about the move to Taulos.

"Believe me it wasn't easy. I drifted around for a while; eventually I found myself in a system I knew – the heart of the galactic underworld. The name Vegeta still means a thing or two to some people out there, so they welcomed me out of fear. Anyway, as vile as they are the smugglers, slavers and bounty hunters know their trade. It wasn't long before I heard word of this 'New Earth' place a dozen systems away."

"That's pretty badass," said Goten. Beside him Pan groaned. Vegeta said nothing, shrugging off the comment before moving onto his next point.

"Before we go inside there are a few things I'd like to know," the prince demanded. "I spent almost the whole war being manipulated by that freak. I couldn't see what was going on outside at all."

"That sounds awful. . ." muttered Bulma. Vegeta kept his mouth shut; if she knew how horrific it really was it would only keep her up at night.

"For starters, who got the honour of beating Frieza?"

"Oh! That was me! I did!" chirped Raditz, clenching his fist and tensing his arm as he remembered the first time he became a Super Saiyan 5.

Vegeta smiled and closed his eyes. "Ah well. At least it was a saiyan."

"Was that seriously the only thing you wanted to know?" Goku asked.

"No, there's still something else." To show them all Vegeta tugged down the collar of his blue vest. Starting at his shoulder a straight, thin scar was drawn diagonally across his torso. The prince then moved his hand down to the hem of the shirt, showing them where it finally ended at the opposite hipbone. His question was obvious.

"Who did this?"

Trunks froze as Z-Fighters left and right looked at each other with bewildered glances and shrugged in turn. He would've settled for just that, but behind him Goten sniggered loudly, barely containing his laughter. Trunks had told him all about his battle with Alpha Vegeta – he knew exactly how the prince got his scar. Now Vegeta rounded on Goten, knowing he had the identity of the man who forever scarred him.

Trunks stepped forward. He could say his piece now or Vegeta would beat the answer out of Goten; the former sounded marginally better to him.

"It was me."

Vegeta stopped in his tracks. The fighters watched in stunned silence as he turned towards his son, slowly and deliberately to instil as much fear as he possibly could. The prince walked right up to him; even at a few inches shorter his enormous shoulders and proud wave of hair made him a formidable sight.

"You?" he questioned again.

Trunks paused – was this a test? Swallowing his fear, the saiyan replied, "Yeah. Me."

When Vegeta raised a hand Trunks resisted the urge to flinch. Suddenly he was glad he did, for his father simply reached for the age-old sword Trunks constantly had glued to his spine. After pulling it from its sheath the prince held the edge to his scar, noting the similarity in width. He handed back the sword and clamped a hand on Trunks's shoulder.

"Nice work son," he said to the amazement of all. "I expect I'll be seeing the same kind of power from you in training." It wasn't a question – now he had expectations.

Fortunately Trunks felt confident in his abilities. Holding his father's stone cold gaze, the saiyan nodded. "You can."

"Good. . . And Kakarot!"

Trunks deflated like an old tire as Vegeta finally turned back to his rival.

"I take it you managed to access the Final Super Saiyan form all by yourself during your travels, am I right?"

"Nope." Goku shook his head. "But I feel like I'm getting close. I just need that little extra push in my training."

Vegeta smirked, cracking his knuckles in anticipation. "Funny. I know exactly what you mean Kakarot. . ."

A staredown ensued as the two saiyans prepared for battle, a second or so that felt like a lifetime with the atmosphere so tense one could cut it with a knife. Only Bulma stopped them destroying the new Capsule Corporation building. She threw herself in front of Vegeta and shoved him with an angry scowl.

"Oh no you don't! You just got back! I'm not having you two running off into space so you can punch each other to death already! We're going to throw a party in honour of you both getting back, sit down and talk like normal people – and then if you still feel like it you can fight when it's over."

"A bout between warriors does not wait for some foolish 'party'!" Vegeta insisted, suddenly finding he was alone in his argument.

Clearly that word meant more to Goku. At the mention of a social gathering his eyes sparkled and drool foamed at the corner of his mouth like a starving dog. "Another banquet! Did you hear that Vegeta?"

The prince already had a snappy retort lined up when a rumble from his stomach silenced any point he was about to make. Bulma eyed him with raised brows, maintaining her frown until finally Vegeta caved.

"You win this round woman."

A Few Hours Later

". . . And then they built this huuuge statue in my image," Goku finished his story. "They got my hair all wrong though, and I'm pretty sure the whole thing was made out of-"

"-Goku! The stew is ready!" Chi-Chi's voice cooed from the kitchen.

"Yay! Fifths!" In a heartbeat the saiyan was gone.

Goten was left alone, disappointed with only half a story. "What was it made out of!?" He called after him. Already too late; his father was now deaf to the world.

Using the whole fortieth floor as their venue the Z-Fighters enjoyed the hospitality of Capsule Corporation's upper level. On every side a bay window comprised the wall, looking out to the mayhem of the New Earth traffic from a completely soundproofed room.

In the kitchen ovens so smart they had voices prepared meals faster than even Chi-Chi. A buffet table was laid out in the dining room, already trashed with plates piled higher than Goku's head and wayward scraps of meat strewn across it like confetti. Where the table ended the living room began; six three-man sofas were arranged in a cosy circle. Wherever someone sat their bodies sank into the foam, like Buu himself was trying to hug them.

Mini-fridges became commonplace as more guests arrived. Roshi turned up to see Goku again, and with their prolonged absence the Z-Fighters of the past came to see the hoopla. Dende and Mr. Popo came at two, then Korin and Yajirobe before five. Later Oolong showed up, then Launch, Eighteen, Chiaotzu, Dr. Briefs, Mr. Satan, Puar, Ox King and even Yamcha.

Bulma would have the workers cart up drinks and more ingredients for some extra cash. At eight thirty – once the whole place was a wreck – Pan was put to bed for drinking a little too much. Trunks and Goten could only laugh at her misfortune as they watched the youngest Z-Fighter stumble around. Videl gave them an earful for that one.

After refilling his plate once more Goku walked into a nostalgic conversation. Vegeta, Raditz, Yamcha, Chiaotzu and Bulma were discussing something funny.

"No, no," Vegeta explained. "That was when I had my tail cut off – baldie with his stupid disk. Kakarot was already down for the count."

"So what you're saying is that without 'baldie's stupid disk' we wouldn't all be standing here today because you would've killed us all? Oh great honey, what a cheery story," said Bulma.

"Damn, where was I during all this?" Raditz groaned. Hearing them talk so fondly about past experiences always made him wish he'd been there for them.

"Dead!" squeaked Chiaotzu. "Piccolo fired a hole through your stomach!"

"Mine too, if I remember rightly." Goku sighed.

"Ah yes – back when you had the same power level as a Saibaman!" Vegeta minced no words, his bluntness gaining the laughter of everyone present, even Raditz himself.

"Yeah, I really was weak wasn't I?" he chuckled.

"Hey Yamcha didn't you get killed by one of those things?" added Bulma. More laughs followed at his expense.

"That doesn't count!" the bandit insisted. "It was a kamikaze attack! There's no way I could've known he was about to blow himself up!"

"At least his worked," lamented Vegeta.

"Yeah, mine didn't either," said Chiaotzu.

"When did this party get so depressing?" Goku looked around and shrugged. "C'mon we're meant to be celebrating! Another bowl for me!"

With a spring in his step the saiyan skipped back to the buffet table. Vegeta remained with the group, fuming as he watched Goku's back. Their stacks of empty plates remained at opposite sides of the table, both higher than the rest like two identical towers, already leaning under the weight of the china.

He couldn't allow Kakarot to overtake him, but the saiyan prince had a tad more social awareness than his counterpart. He couldn't let them see how petty he was, so he'd wait for an excuse to leave.

Seeing him watching, Bulma punched his arm. "Go on, I know how better than to come between a saiyan and their twentieth dinner."

Hardly ashamed, Vegeta took his cue, mumbling something like 'need the protein' as he strode for the food. Helping himself to a plateful of spaghetti he settled into a chair opposite Goku. Between mouthfuls of tomato it became increasingly hard to ignore the desperate attempts of Mr. Satan as he made every effort to sweet-talk Launch. Eventually he turned away in disgust.

"There's one thing I didn't miss in space," he grumbled.

"He'll regret it soon," Goku assured him. "Even Roshi knows better than to try it on with Launch."

"Good." Vegeta went back to his meal, twirling strings of pasta thrice around his fork before devouring it in one gulp. Neither said anything for a minute or so; a second plate tower was started for each of them during it. Once he found himself full – for now – the saiyan relaxed in his chair and glanced about the room.

"I haven't seen Piccolo – or baldie, Uub and three-eyes for that matter. Is there something I should know?" he asked.

With a glum nod of his head Goku replied, "They decided to stay in Otherworld. Didn't fancy taking that road until they get stronger – Uub might be stuck there for a while."

"Huh." The prince took a moment to consider it. "Shame. Then again it's not as if we desperately need the manpower. We got Novus this time around and Raditz with the last one – I hear he even made Super Saiyan 5."

"Years ago yeah! You still haven't seen it yet? It's really something."

"I'll see for myself soon enough."

"Back into training huh?"

"That's right," insisted Vegeta. His eyes found the window, focused and trained for any sign of attack. "We have to be vigilant. As much as I'm fond of this 'New Earth' it's also one of the most exposed and enormous planets in the universe. There isn't a captain worth their ship out there who hasn't heard of it."

"So? We can beat up regular old pirates." Goku didn't see the problem.

"Those aren't my concern. The universe is vast Kakarot – how long before another cosmic threat decides we've held on for too long?"

Goku scratched his head, confused as usual. "Well, that's why we're here isn't it? I mean look around you; I'd like to see a force in this world that could compete with the group of fighters gathered here."

"Yes Kakarot. So would I." Vegeta's blood boiled at the very thought of it.

"That's not what I – you're twisting my words!"

"It's not a question of if it happens; it's a question of when." The saiyan continued on his rant, oblivious to Goku's complaint. "We're not done here. Something else will come before we know it."

"From what I hear they already did. You hear about that thing with the 'Jiraiden'?"

"Yes, Trunks was very eager to tell me all about it earlier. Sounds like they held their own while we were away."

"Maybe we're not really needed here after all."

"I wouldn't go that far."

On instinct alone the two heads of spiky black hair turned in synch to the jangling roll of incoming trolleys. Another twenty plates were wheeled into the dining hall. Z-Fighters from every corner of the room made their way over to grab another dish. Goku and Vegeta were already on their third before anyone reached the table.

Ding ding ding.

The hollow chime of a glass being struck suddenly got the attention of everyone present. Silence took over as cutlery rattled to the table. Friends and family put down their forks to hear what Gohan had to say.

"Attention everyone!" With his natural height the half-saiyan was already a good head over most people in the room. Even so, he stood atop a chair so that everyone could hear him.

"Just to say first off, let's welcome back Goku and Vegeta. It hasn't been the same here without you guys."

Cheers and claps in agreement came next as the crowd parted to address the two saiyans. Goku put his hands behind his head and laughed awkwardly, relishing the attention as Vegeta tried his best to look as unfazed as possible with twenty pairs of eyes on him.

"We've had a rough couple of years," Gohan went on. "I know we've all been in separate places, we've had our own problems to solve and our own stories to tell. . . But we're all back here now – that's what matters most. No matter how many years we end up dead, trapped or even lost somewhere out in the galaxy. . ."

The man paused as his audience laughed. Vegeta turned an angry shade of scarlet.

". . . We always find our way home. This place is ours now, we've worked hard to maintain it and we've built a life here; something that's worth protecting. As long as this planet stands – as long as we stay united – there's no enemy out there we can't stand against."

Gohan raised his drink to a toast. "To Earth, and to enduring," he proposed.

Voices echoed his words as glasses rang around the room. Pressured by the gaze of the others, Vegeta finally gave in and clinked his drink against Goku's, eagerly holding out his cup in anticipation.

"See," whispered Goku. "Gohan agrees with me!"

"True, but he said it in a way that didn't make me think he was deluded and insane."

"Well you're probably half right."

"I don't do half measures."

At the same time the two saiyans reached across the table, not bothering to look as their hands slapped the surface, groping for another plate. They each found one and pulled, finding only a restraining force pulling on the other end. Finally turning their heads, Goku and Vegeta realised they'd grabbed the same plate.

The very last plate.

Vegeta pulled it towards him. "Let go Kakarot. This is my house, I should get the last dish."

"I'm a guest! I should get the courtesy! You'll have to do better than that!" Goku pulled harder.

"Last chance Kakarot, let it go."

"In your dreams Vegeta."

Sparks began to fly as the saiyans fixed glares at one another. Guests began to gather around the heated arm-wrestle, with only Bulma daring to intervene.

"Cut it out! You've been looking for an excuse to do this ever since you got back!"

To the men Bulma's voice was distant and far away. Neither bothered to register what she said. Instead Goku coiled a hand into his pocket and slapped one of her shiny new gravity enhancers onto his wrist. Before his mother could complain Trunks came rushing through the crowd, relinquishing his own to Vegeta.

"It's a new model," he went on, "much lighter and more resistant than the old ones. It goes all the way up to two thousand Gs."

"I suppose I should try it out then. . ." Vegeta's eyes never left his opponent; if he blinked even once Goku would get the first move.

Chi-Chi stomped over to pull back her husband. "Bulma's right, no fighting in here! Why don't you just play rock, paper, scissors like everyone else does!?" In her yelling spray of spittle the saiyan almost lost his composure.

"I have to see how much stronger he's gotten Chi-Chi," said Goku, still staring across the table. "I've been dying to know ever since he got back."

"Be careful what you wish for Kakarot. Last I counted I've still got more wins than losses where you're concerned."

"Don't think that means anything."

"We'll see."

Silence claimed the room as the crowd watched them both in nail-biting anticipation. No one dared say a word, fearing any sudden noise or movement would set them off like a gunshot - and they were right. Most backed up and some even made way for them, determined not to be the first domino Goku and Vegeta knocked over. As their hands coiled into fists Raditz leaned over and whispered in Novus's ear.

"Wanna see something funny?"

From the snacks behind him he seized a single peanut and threw it towards the bubbling saiyan cauldron. Like a well-aimed dart Raditz's missile sailed right across their field of vision, momentarily catching the eye of both Goku and Vegeta before harmlessly bouncing off a coaster.

The moment it hit the table was the signal for their battle. The pair watched it sail past their eyes, throwing themselves into combat before it left the surface. Most of the audience missed it; one second they were sat in their chairs and the next they were at each other's throats in a storm of fists.

Rising from their seats, Goku and Vegeta traded a round of ten punches so lightning fast that their crowd mistook it for a single exchange. As their arms became tangled they ended up grappling, Goku with both hands on Vegeta's collar and the prince with one around Kakarot's neck.

Before anyone knew it the orange clad saiyan sent Vegeta rolling halfway across the room with a throw. Auras flared as their powers reached heights most Z-fighters present never thought possible.

Bulma glanced around the room; they couldn't fight here without destroying the building, and yet there was no proper way out unless they ascended or descended at least twenty floors. As her husband got to his knees, grinning as he wiped away a finger of blood from his mouth, Bulma figured he had no intention of taking the stairs.

Goku remained at the table, nursing a bruised cheek. With his free hand the saiyan reached for the final plate, ignoring Bulma's protests.

"Not the window, not the window, not the window!"

Too late. Like a primed firework Vegeta set off, a blue meteorite streaming across the room, goring Goku off his feet before he could lay a finger on the last meal of the day. As a moving, spinning cluster of orange and blue sparks they headed for the window, their energy shattering it for them.

"You're paying for all of that!" Bulma screamed after them.

Unfortunately the window was also the entire wall. Z-Fighters old and new shielded their faces from the howl of the high wind as the traffic racing by finally made itself heard. The living room became an air-conditioned draft of crosswinds, horns, hollering drivers and engine sounds.

The audience gathered at the broken window to watch as the saiyans flew into traffic, dodging cars in a series of spins whilst at the same time trying to clobber the other. After Goku bounced from the bonnet of an angry taxi driver they both decided fighting here was too risky.

Trunks and Goten watched them fly through the maze of crosscutting cars and into the sky. Eventually they became two ascending comets in the distance, spiralling around each other as they searched for an opening on their way into space. Rummaging around his pockets, Goten eventually found his gravity enhancer.

Raditz squeezed past him and leapt out the window. "Hurry up Slowten!" he called. Behind him Novus followed in tow, joined shortly after by Gohan who – as Trunks noticed – was already tucking into the last plate. In just five seconds Trunks and Goten found themselves the only saiyans left on the balcony, Goten still fumbling with the strap on his gravity enhancer.

"Don't you need to get another one?" he checked with his partner.

"I'll be fine," said Trunks. "Just go, I'm right behind you."

"Alrighty." Goten turned to the crowd behind him, the friends his father had amassed over the years. They knew saiyans better than anyone; this couldn't have been anything new to them. "Wouldn't miss this for the world," he excused himself. "We'll let you know how it goes!"

Before any could stop them Trunks and Goten joined the tail of the five-man mission, already heading up through the clouds way above. In response the two saiyans transformed, gearing up to their fastest speeds as they headed for the atmosphere. With the air growing thin Goten flicked the switch on his wrist-strapped device. Trunks drew his sword and twirled it in a circle.

"Echo Force!"

A translucent dome of reflective ki kept the void at bay as the two saiyans propelled themselves into the depths of space. Gohan, Raditz and Novus hovered around them, far away enough to dodge an attack if some huge energy wave rebounded from the battle.

Goku and Vegeta stood poised in another staring match some hundred metres apart. At Super Saiyan 5 they were stronger than ever before – their energy readings spoke for them. Goten suddenly felt as though he were watching two rivalling titans; for years they'd fought and conquered, and yet as much as they loved to fight there was always one opponent their minds kept coming back to.

It was six years since their last true brawl. Six whole years with the saiyan inside them whispering: how much stronger has the other one gotten? What would it be like to fight them now? They were about to have their answer when another set of figures appeared.

Between Goku and Vegeta a group of holographic fighters made their entrance in a ghostly shudder of light. Having gotten much better at his new technique, King Kai relayed the image of all the fighters who helped them against Alpha. Piccolo, Uub, Krillin, Tien, Bardock and King Vegeta all appeared against the dark backdrop of space, joining the others in their wait for the battle to begin.

"Let's make this a nice clean fight guys," said Krillin, assuming the role of referee. "No gouging, no biting, no low blows."

Piccolo took it upon himself to raise an arm. Glancing left to right, he made sure both fighters were still in their corners before waving down the invisible flag.

"Begin!"

As the joust of the century Goku and Vegeta flew at one another. Blue and orange formed arrow-straight streaks as they raced for the centre, roaring war cries that echoed across the void. With fists full of focused energy they collided with a blast of colour that shook the system to its core.

Once more they became visible to their friends on the surface, each saiyan a lightning-bound aurora – the fireworks of celebration on New Earth's horizon.

The End

Author's Notes: And that's all she wrote folks! Thank you so much for reading guys. Whether you've been with me from the start or just began reading you've helped to make this story. Wouldn't have made it this far on my own. My only regret is that it took this long, and I hope that doesn't detract too much from the finished product.

So yeah, as I'm sure a few of you noticed I thought I might make the opening scene of this last chapter the same as the very first – Trunks and Goten in a coffee shop being rudely interrupted by Vegeta. Bit of an easter egg for you TROSAT readers there.

Anyway, the idea was to try and give the characters and the series a sense of closure (which I thought Z and GT's endings both lacked) whilst at the same time implying that a load of stuff happened off-screen during the three year timeskip.

As we saw earlier, Piccolo and the others stayed in otherworld to train so they don't really have a story.

Goku flew around the galaxy having wacky Dragon Ball-esque adventures in space.

Vegeta hung out in the galactic underworld for a time, gathering information and laying low with the scumbags out there until he finally learned about New Earth.

Goten, Trunks, Raditz and Novus defended New Earth from a mysterious alien race known as the 'Jiraiden'. I imagine Bulma also had a lot to deal with between housing, politics, organising galactic trade, granting asylum for new species and so on.

Gohan and Pan spent most of the time on Hyperion's road, although I imagine they arrived back just in time for the Jiraiden threat.

Also for Vegeta I was planning on having an extra scene (which I left out because it didn't really fit anywhere and would make this long ending even longer) where he flies past New Namek and is confronted by Porunga. As compensation for his evil alter-ego enslaving Vegeta's mind Porunga would give the saiyan his Dragon Balls, like Shenron does with Goku. Since Gogito used up all of Goku's Dragon Ball energy for the last Crimson Dragon Kamehameha they would 'reset' after that, effectively putting Goku and Vegeta back on the exact same level of power.

Anyone who wants to regard that as 'AF canon' feel free. It was always my intention to put that scene there but it just didn't seem to fit and would require a whole chapter to itself.

It seems we're coming to the end now. Unfortunately I don't plan on doing a third DBAF. If I get bored a few years down the line I might just revisit this and write a few short stories about the situations listed above, but I wouldn't hold my breath for those.

That doesn't mean this is the end of the road! Fanfiction has always been practice for me; I fully intend to become a published author at some point, and now that AF is over I can finally crack on with the fourth (and hopefully final) draft of a book I've been trying to write for the last six years. The idea with it is to blend elements and concepts from Western High Fantasy with Eastern Shonen Manga. So yeah, DBAF was essentially me practising putting those dramatic shifts and awe-inspiring action sequences into writing. Now I'm confident enough in my abilities - it's gonna be awesome.

The name's Josh Thompson. Keep your eye out in the fantasy/sci-fi market because hey, you just never know! On that note I suppose there's only one thing left I can possibly say:

. . .

"Until we meet again guys!"