Life With You

Part 39: Tragedy

"We must register before it closes."

Piccolo was practical but the words were a harsh reminder of Goku's limits on Earth.

Bulma checked her watch. "There's still time before the preliminaries start. Let Goku and the kids register first and while everyone else is registering, Goku can spend time with his family. We'll meet up when registration ends."

It was a sound plan. Goku, Gohan, Goten and Trunks got in line ahead of everyone. As they waited to register, Goku chatted with Aki and his family.

"Goku!" Aki embraced his friend in a brotherly hug. "It's great to see you!!" Aki wore a mustache and goatee. He still had a full head of thick, blonde hair but Goku noticed a few grey strands in Aki's goatee.

"Good to see you." Goku noticed the children with Aki. "You had more kids! Kala?" He pointed to Aki's eldest daughter. "You've grown!"

Kala was the only child of Aki's with a memory of Goku and the only one not shy for she ran into Goku's open arms for a hug. "I've grown a lot, Uncle Goku. In a few years, I'll be old enough to marry Gohan!"

"Gohan?!" Goku sputtered stunned. He looked at his eldest son. "You two are together? Isn't she young?"

"We're not together!!" Gohan screamed. "It's all in Kala's mind!"

"I kissed him," Kala confessed.

"You tricked me!" Gohan screamed. Eyes of everyone but Aki, ChiChi and Gyu-Mao stared for an explanation. "It's not like that!"

Kala winked at Goku. "I'm working on him."

Goku chuckled at Kala's confidence. She always had an attachment to Gohan so her pursuit wasn't a surprise. He noticed another girl behind her. Aki also had a baby girl when he died. "Is that....?"

"Yup," Aki rubbed Naoko's head. "This is Naoko. Naoko, you don't remember your Uncle Goku but he held you when you were a baby."

"I remember the picture," Naoko softly spoke of the picture on their family's mantle. She waved shyly at Goku.

"This is Jun," Aki spoke of his third daughter born after Goku's death. "She's four and this," Aki took a two-year-old boy from his wife and handed him to Goku, "is Haruto."

"And it's the last one," Reia told Goku. "When I was pregnant, we agreed boy or bust."

Knowing their time was limited, Aki ushered Naoko and Jun to stand with Goku and Kala. "I wanna get a picture." When Aki snapped the photo of Goku with Aki's kids, ChiChi took the camera and took another photo with Aki and Reia in the picture.

As ChiChi handed the camera back to Aki, Aki noticed his son reaching for Goku's halo. "What's with the halo, Goku?"

"This is what you get when you die if you're lucky to keep your body."

Aki stared speechless before chuckling. "I thought that was only for TV. Leave it to you to find out if it's true. I've missed talking to you, friend."

As Aki pocketed the camera, Goku noticed Aki and his family weren't the only ones here from ChiChi's village to see him. "Kaifun?" He aged more than Aki. His long black hair was short and sparkling with strands of silver. Next to him was an old grumpy lady he never expected to see again. She's still alive?

"Hey, Goku," Kaifun spoke as a man carrying a heavy burden. He didn't give Goku the scornful gaze he was used to seeing. "I'm the last person you expected to see but when I heard you were returning, even for a day, I needed to see you again to apologize for how I was to you. I wasn't a good person to you. I should've been a friend. I'm so grateful for what you did for us." He held out his hand to Goku. "I don't blame you if you don't forgive me but I am sorry for how I treated you."