Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Redeeming Darkness ❯ Back at the Ranch ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Author's note: I refuse to make Goku a dumbass. No one, strong or not, could fight as well as he does and be dumb. It's just that his entire education from before he even met Bulma was in how to fight well. Ignorance is not stupidity.

Okay, I'm done ranting now. Enjoy!

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CHAPTER 4: BACK AT THE RANCH
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Goku stood with his sobbing wife in his arms, trying his best to comfort her. For nearly two days, he and the rest of the Z fighters had been trying to find Goten and Trunks, with no luck. Chichi was frightened and worried, and truth be told, so was he. Yes, his and Vegeta's sons could fight off any number of enemies, but they had disappeared without a trace. There had been no violent upheavals of energy anywhere on the planet that would indicate a battle. The not knowing was killing him.

Suddenly a thought intruded itself into his mind, a thought that was not his own. **Goku!**

"Dende?"

**Piccolo came and told me what was going on. The boys found all of the dragonballs and called Shenron two days ago. I don't know what their wishes were, but I'll be willing to bet that's the reason we can't find them.**

Goku was about to reply when Gohan slammed the front door open and came in at a run. "Dad! I think I've found them!" He held a video in his hand as if it was the answer to all their questions. The cover was very distinctive declaring that it was one of the Star Wars movies. But the presence of two very familliar little boys on the cover was enough to get Goku and Chichi's attention. It was deffinitely Goten and Trunks. Goku took the proffered video from his elder son's hand and read the title; Star Wars: Redeeming Darkness. Gohan said, "I was going through Trunks' room at Bulma's, just hoping to find a clue. You know he collects everything Star Wars, but this one was different. Read the back."

Goku turned the movie over to read what was written about the film inside.

"Well that explains things. Did you show it to Vegeta and Bulma?"

Gohan nodded. "They should be here soon. Bulma made him pick her up. They can't go as fast as me that way, but it's got to be faster than her plane."

"Right." Goku took the tape out and looked at it. There wasn't very much tape on the reel. "It's not very long."

Chichi had finished reading the back of the cover and looked at what Goku was talking about. "Well, maybe that's because they're still making it?"

Gohan agreed. "Yeah, that's what I figured. I don't think they're just making a movie, either. It's being created as they go. The movie won't show everything, and it probably won't grow every day. It will skip around as interesting things happen that would go in the movie if it were being filmed by a professional company."

The reactions to the fifteen minutes of film were varied, mostly pride or bewilderment, but Chichi was subdued and Vegeta walked out of the house, lost in thought.

Chichi finally spoke. "So who's going to Namek to get the dragonballs? I want my son home as soon as possible. He didn't take any of his homework with him, and he's going to fall behind!"

Gohan cringed at the words, words that he'd had to deal with all his young life. True, she wasn't as strict with Goten as she had been with him, but slacking on the studies was still not allowed. Still, what Goten and Trunks were doing was a good thing. He decided to try and convince her. "Mom, why don't we just let them finish what they've started? I mean, sure, homework is important, but don't you think that being a good and decent person is just as important as being an intelligent and knowledgeable person? It'll take a year for the dragonballs to activate here. That should be enough time for Anakin to at least get past the largest obsticles in his return to the good side. And if it looks like the movie is winding up before that time, then we can go to Namek."

Chichi looked like she was about to explode. "I will NOT have my son fall a YEAR behind in his studies!" She whirled around to her husband. "Goku, I know you can get to Namek with no trouble. I want my son home NOW!"

Goku surprised everyone by standing up to her. "No, Chichi. He's doing the right thing, and I'm not going to stop him. He's bright enough to make those studies up when he gets back, and by the time he's ready to start highschool, he'll be just fine."

"They've given this guy his second chance! Why can't they just come home?"

Bulma answered her. "Because there's a lot of people who are going to want to see him dead!"

"So let his son protect him!"

"One human, even a Jedi, against the entire Alliance? He's strong, but not THAT strong. Our boys will be a big help. Hopefully, they'll be able to get to a point where he's only known as Anakin Skywalker, rather than Darth Vader. Then he should be able to move on without having to look over his shoulder so much. Especially if they let it be known that Anakin killed the Emperor, not Luke. A lot of people are going to assume that it was Luke because he's the famous hero. It's not much, but it will give them a foundation to build trust on."

Still mad, but not ready to fight everyone on this, Chichi just huffed and turned to go into the kitchen.

Goku sighed. He was proud of his younger son for what he was doing, but he knew that it was going to be a long year, both worrying about his son and Trunks and dealing with Chichi. She was certainly going to make him regret standing against her on this if she could. He just hoped that she didn't take it out on Goten once he actually brought them home. It was going to strained, to say the least.

Vegeta stood on the front lawn, staring at the rapidly setting sun without actually seeing it. His son. Trunks had no idea how hard it was going to be for the man he'd chosen to champion to change his ways completely. He could so easily fall backwards, as Vegeta himself had done when confronted with Babidi's magic. He would have to make that choice every day, to remember that his family was more important than his lusts and his anger. Not an easy thing to do, to be sure. And he would have to deal with the guilt over all that he had done in the name of his master.

And yet, the boys would be a bright spot to help him see that. No matter what, the two of them were always happy, always making the people around them smile, even himself at times. They could keep the dark thoughts away, at least somewhat. It was what had helped him when things had settled down after Buu's defeat. He'd had to deal with the fact that he had allowed himself to be controlled, and that he had killed a lot of innocent people.

Vegeta had once held physical strength and power to be the most important thing that one could achieve. But through his family and Kakarot's interference, he had learned that strength of character was a much greater achievement. It sounded corny as he thought about it, but it was the truth. It was not only more valuable in the long run, but it was far more difficult to change the heart than to train constantly and beat yourself nearly to death on a regular basis. It required different motivations and a different kind of training. It required that you want peace, not vengeance.

Goku came out to see how he was doing. Before the other Saiyan could say anything, he said, "This is going to be a hard road."

Goku nodded. "I know. But he's got a lot to work for. It'll be worth it to him."

Vegeta's eyes narrowed, though he never looked at Goku. "Let's hope so, Kakarot. If he decides that power is more important, he could decide to take over the Empire, as I tried to take over Frieza's empire for a time after his death. Our sons will stand in his way. They are strong, but I think that these are two different kinds of energy. I don't know who will be the stronger."

A smile crossed Goku's face, like he knew something that Vegeta didn't. "I wouldn't worry about that just yet. And don't underestimate our boys. They'll be curious about that themselves, and I don't doubt they'll challange Luke to a spar. Then they'll know for sure."

Ooo! What does Goku know? You'll find out later! ^_^ R&R please!