hiraeth - part thirty-nine
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"Today was absolutely wonderful, Bulma." Whis spoke as he and Bulma walked toward Capsule Corporation, coming back from visiting multiple different food shops. His hands were full with bags of food and snacks to take home and save for Lord Beerus, who was currently still napping.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it, Whis. Will you come another day?" Bulma asked. Whis chuckled, nodding his head.
"Perhaps one last day, but Y/n's meditation training is ending after tomorrow, after which I will be too busy. I may come by to pick up food for her, but that is it." Whis said. As he spoke, a young Saiyan half-ling suddenly landed in front of him, startling Bulma.
"Jeez, Gohan, you could give some kind of warning!" She yelled, but was completely ignored as Gohan glared up at Whis, hatred burning in his eyes.
"Do you even know what Y/n's doing right now!?" He yelled. Whis hummed, placing a finger on his cheek as he pretended to think.
"Likely meditating with Shin, I'd imagine. Why?" He asked. Gohan clenched his fists, practically shaking with anger.
"Because she's not! Are you even aware that she's fused with him!? Y/n's permanently fused with the Supreme Kai until the Dragon Balls can split them up, if they even want to! Y/n's gone, and it's all your fault!" Gohan yelled. Whis looked genuinely surprised at this information, sighing.
"And how did you come to know this? Did you go and see her?" Whis asked. Gohan flinched, but didn't back down.
"We did. We didn't talk to them, I don't think they saw Dad and I. But Dad's pissed. I've never seen him act like this. You've got to split them apart." Gohan said. Whis chuckled, waving his staff over his groceries, the bags disappearing.
"That is a predicament. I should've seen this coming, both are quite emotional people when they want to be." Whis said. He turned to Bulma with an apologetic smile. "My apologies, Bulma, but I'm afraid today will have to be cut short. Take care, now."
"W-Wait, where are you going?" Gohan asked. Whis looked back at Gohan with a smirk, chuckling.
"Going to retrieve Y/n, of course. If she's grown comfortable enough to trust somebody that much again, even opening herself up to them, then she's ready to begin her real training. Farewell, then. I doubt I'll return for some time." Whis said. Gohan and Bulma watched in surprise as Whis abruptly cut his visit to Earth short, leaving immediately.
The Supreme Kai hummed happily as they landed on the ground, going home after yet another day of just relaxing under their wisteria tunnel. They didn't even feel the sour looks they received from Kibito and the Old Kai as they passed, completely unfazed by everything around them. Everything had been going perfectly well for them; their emotions from both counterparts never bothered them, they never experienced any of Y/n's pain, nobody was capable of splitting them apart, and Whis had yet to show up. Everything was perfect, and they didn't want to split up. Or at least, that was how they seemed on the surface.
Laying down on their bed, they ran their fingers through their hair with a sigh, before looking up at their palm. Everything was perfect, so why did they feel like everything was wrong? Despite it only being a temporary solution, they were mixed on how to feel about everything. About their existence, why they had even fused. It was an impulsive and irrational decision to just suddenly fuse, especially when they'd only spent a few days together.
It wasn't hard to deduce why they were feeling this way, considering they were a Supreme Kai. It was just frustrating, knowing that even though their best qualities had combined, so too did their worst qualities. They forced out a chuckle, sighing.
"I guess I was wrong. Supreme Kais aren't so perfect after all," They mumbled, still unused to the sound of their own voice. Despite Shin having experience with fusion, it still felt jarring to be a whole, brand new being with new feelings, a new body and voice. Their voice, though rarely hearing it because the others refused to talk to them, was what brought them back to reality and reminded them of their situation. They weren't their own individual being, despite having their own body and voice. "It's kind of lonely, honestly. I miss having you for support during our meditation."
They smiled at the thought as they stared up at the ceiling. They didn't even know whose side they were voicing, that's just how much they missed being apart, but together. It was honestly ridiculous in their opinion, how attached to each other they'd grown, that even being one whole being together made them miss each other.
Sighing as they pushed themself up straight, their mind drifted back to Shin and Y/n's original plan. They had never even thought to split up until now, after being entirely alone for days now. When they fused, they had assumed that the bond they shared would be enough to keep them company. It seemed, however, that both Shin and Y/n desired to be themselves once again, and that feeling had manifested within their fusion, the Supreme Kai, as isolation. It almost felt sad knowing they were going to wish theirself away, likely never to become one again.
That thought was put to rest though as a sudden noise sounded outside Y/n's small home, startling them. Jumping to their feet in an instant, they rushed to the door, swiftly swinging it open. Their dark eyes widened as, under the tree the Kais sat under in the field, stood Whis.
They yelped, jumping to hide beside the door, peeking around outside. Whis was staring directly at them as Kibito and the Old Kai rushed to him, the two making eye contact. The Supreme Kai hissed as they hid inside again, nervous. Even though they were ready to unfuse, they didn't want it to be like this.
"You're going to split them apart, right? They're the rudest person I've ever met!" The Old Kai exclaimed, stomping in anger.
"You'd think the Supreme Kai's kind attitude would rub off on the mortal, but they've only gotten worse." Kibito huffed. Whis chuckled, calling out to them.
"Come on out, it's okay. You can ignore these two here." Whis said, making Kibito and the Old Kai gasp, offended that Whis was siding with the Supreme Kai.
The Supreme Kai peeked out, nervous. They hesitantly approached Whis, bowing. Even they had to bow to Whis, despite seeing themselves as higher than everybody. Whis smiled down at them, looking into their eyes.
"I don't see anything wrong with this. Why are you two so apprehensive?" Whis asked. The Supreme Kai smirked, chuckling.
"They're just upset because I've been a better Supreme Kai than both of them combined, ever. I don't even need them here, you can take them away. I only enjoy my own company." The Supreme Kai hugged their self, smiling. Whis sighed, looking down.
"I see what you mean. Y/n's teenage rebellious nature makes them more bold and, well, rebellious. That, on top of Shin's need to be independent has turned them into this." Whis said. The Supreme Kai huffed, glaring up at him.
"You could wait till I'm not around to diss me." They said. Crossing their arms, they flipped their hair and smirked. "You can't split me up without the Dragon Balls, so you don't need to worry about me anymore. Y/n's injury won't open up while we're fused, so she's fine. You may leave."
Whis deadpanned at the rude fusion, tapping his staff on the ground. Their body began to glow, making them look down at them self, panicking. It was happening so fast, they didn't even know what to think. They didn't even have time to form one last thought before Shin's body tore apart from Y/n's, taking away his side of their shared mind as the fusion unwound. The two yelped as they fell to the ground, pain shooting through Y/n's body as she remembered she was still quite fragile.
"Well? How do you feel, now that you've wasted most of your time here?" Whis asked, sounding slightly annoyed, but more amused than anything. Y/n huffed, glaring at Whis.
"It wasn't a waste of time, I liked being with Shin—!" She tried to defend herself, but Whis cut her off.
"Regardless of how you felt, you didn't consult anyone of this. Are you even aware that the Namekian Dragon Balls are currently null because of the Supreme Kai's last fusion shenanigans?" Whis asked. Y/n's eyes widened as she looked back to Shin, who looked both upset with himself and surprised.
"I-I completely forgot that they take a whole year to reset, I'm so sorry!" Shin apologized nervously, making Y/n sigh and pinch her nose. So they were lucky Whis was even capable of separating potara fusions. Shin was quite the questionable person sometimes. Whis chuckled, holding a hand out to Y/n, which she hesitantly took and stood up.
"So, how was it?" Whis asked. Y/n looked up at him in confusion, before realizing what he meant. She hardly even noticed a difference, besides the fact that she didn't have Shin's feelings and thoughts mingling with her own anymore.
"It was... Weird. As much as I like Shin, I think I prefer being close to him like this, instead of fusing. It was kind of lonely." Y/n said, sending him a small smile, to which he returned. He understood fully, as he'd missed the warm comfort of Y/n's smiles and words.
"I understand. But, despite what I said about you wasting time, you made phenomenal progress, willingly opening yourself up like that again." Whis said, giving Y/n a bright smile, surprising her. Whis turned to Shin, thanking him. "You've done a wonderful job taking care of Y/n and befriending her, and I thank you. But I'm afraid it's time for us to part ways again, as Y/n's training will now begin."
"Y-You're leaving?" Shin asked, eyes wide. Whis nodded, his smile dropping as he noticed the disappointment in Shin's face.
"Of course. With Y/n's condition as bad as it is, we'll need to start right away. We're lucky she's not having any problems at the moment." Whis said. He stepped closer to Y/n, placing a hand on her shoulder. She jolted at the sudden contact, looking up at him. She was just as, if not more disappointed than Shin. She was having fun, forgetting about the stress of life on Earth. But now she'd have to spend months in pain, training her body to accommodate her powers. She sighed, looking down. Whis noticed her sadness, clicking his tongue. "Ah, but as a Supreme Kai, you're more than capable and welcome to visit us any time. Lord Beerus is napping right now, so I'm in charge. Please drop by any time, I'm sure it'd be a great motivation to Y/n."
"Really!?" Shin and Y/n said in unison, the two looking at each other in surprise before giggling, a blush overtaking both their cheeks. Y/n cleared her throat, sending Shin a bright smile.
"Then, I can't wait to see you, Shin. Please visit as often as you can, I'll be waiting." Y/n said. Shin nodded excitedly, just the thought alone of getting to see Y/n in action making him burst with excitement. He'd never had a best friend to care about like this before, it made him ecstatic.
"I will, I promise." Shin paused, as if unsure, glancing back and forth between the grass beneath his feet, and the girl before him. Squeezing his eyes shut with a nervous whine, he rushed up to her, hugging her. He could hear the exaggerated, offended gasp from Kibito and the giggle from the Old Kai, but was curious about Whis's reaction. Shin looked up to Whis to see him smiling softly, as if aware of what Shin was feeling. Whis always seemed to understand everything, and that was slightly comforting.
Pulling back from their hug, Shin looked up to Y/n to see her reaction. She had a small blush on her face, trying to hide her feelings. Shin had gotten a good understanding of her conflicting feelings while they were fused, but he still couldn't help feeling both happy and nervous to know that Y/n somewhat liked him. And he was almost certain Y/n was aware of his feelings too. Clearing his throat, Shin tried to distract himself from his wild thoughts and emotions.
"Then... I guess this is farewell for now." He said, looking up to them. Whis nodded, taking a step closer to Y/n.
"It is. I thank you all for working with us, but we'll be taking our leave now. I hope to see you all soon." Whis said. He looked down to Y/n, waiting for her to say her goodbye. She shifted nervously, sighing.
"Please don't wait long to visit, Shin," She spoke softly, the Supreme Kai immediately responding.
"I won't. I'll visit right away." He said, his confident voice promising it. Y/n smiled, relaxing.
"Thank you. Then goodbye, Shin." Y/n said. She glanced over to the other irrelevant Kais, giving them nasty looks, to which they were both appalled by. Whis immediately interrupted before they could even sound a complaint, tapping his staff on the ground.
"Farewell, Supreme Kais. Thank you for your help," Whis said. As the light surrounded them, Y/n held eye contact with Shin, who watched with a melancholic smile. Whis spoke up, but she didn't break eye contact with Shin. "Are you prepared for what could possibly be the hardest few months of your life?"
"I'm sure it's easier than having to deal with my emotions constantly," Y/n said as Shin finally faded from her view, the light surrounding them entirely. Whis snickered, knowing that she was entirely correct. Training was far easier than the grueling task of sorting out a love triangle.
But he was sure she'd forget those words within a few weeks.
And that was what begun the next few months of harsh, unrelenting training, accompanied by horrible bursts of pain as her wound tried to heal, both Shin and Whis having to take turns healing her for months on end.
Meanwhile, things on Earth had gone completely silent for most everybody. Nobody had heard from Goku or his marital problems in some time, having assumed they'd been fixed. Even Gohan, who visited often, had no idea what was going on. He'd been kept somewhat out of the loop by Chi-Chi out of spite for his randomly moving out.
Even when the sky had gone dark one day, nothing had come from the mysterious usage of the last remaining wish available in the Dragon Balls. The fact that the Earth Dragon Balls were now void and useless put a bad feeling in the warriors though, despite nothing coming of it for months.
Six quiet months passed with nothing. No word from Whis, no word from Goku, no word on what happened with final wish. It almost unsettled Gohan how quiet things had been. It seemed it freaked Vegeta out too, because he'd recently started forcing Gohan to take up training for as long as he stayed at Capsule Corp.. It was difficult, but Gohan would much rather train than face his problems at home. Besides, he knew Chi-Chi and Goten were perfectly fine, Chi-Chi never let Goten know about anything. As far as Gohan could tell, Goten always thought Gohan was staying at Capsule Corp. for a school thing. He always mentioned it when he stopped by.
Gohan sighed as he walked inside with armloads of groceries, having replaced Vegeta as the new grocery man since moving in. It was a nice distraction, but he'd been doing it nearly everyday for months. It was just that difficult feeding him, Vegeta, and Trunks.
Gohan's eyes widened as he noticed a peculiar person in the corner of the lobby, mumbling to himself. He was quite the odd looking person too, virtually no human qualities at all besides being bipedal and speaking English. Gohan dropped the massive load of groceries onto the floor, the loud sound of the bags catching the stranger's attention. They gasped, smiling as they rushed up to Gohan.
"You! You look like someone who's important! Tell me where Bulma is!" The tiny person spoke. Gohan raised an eyebrow, tilting his head.
"Bulma? Why do you need her? Who are you?" He asked. The man smirked, striking a pose.
"The name's Jaco, Jaco the Galactic Patrolman. I'm like, a super important guy, and I demand to speak with Bulma this instant." He spoke, but something seemed to click in his brain when Gohan began to glare slightly. "Oh, but I'm also an old family friend, you can ask any of the Briefs. Come on, man, this is important!"
Gohan groaned, begrudgingly agreeing to take the strange "Taco" person to meet Bulma. Only after putting away her groceries, of course, much to Jaco's annoyance.
Gohan had finally found Bulma outside in her massive, oversized backyard near a pond. Calling out to her, Bulma looked back in slight annoyance at being interrupted, before her eyes widened as she spotted the small man.
"Hey, Bulma, this Taco guy was looking for you, he said it's pretty important." Gohan said. Jaco huffed, crossing his arms.
"It's Jaco, I've corrected you like three times now. Anyway," Jaco placed a hand on his hip as he looked at his nails, relaxed and casual. "You know the Saiyan who beat Frieza, right? You might want to call him, cause you've got trouble."
"Trouble? What kind of trouble?" Bulma asked, tilting her in confusion. Jaco smirked, huffing.
"As a super awesome patrolman, I was the only one brave enough (and the only one who knows the Earth) to come warn you that Lord Frieza is alive and on his way to Earth right now." Jaco said. Both Bulma and Gohan's eyes widened as they started frantically yelling at Jaco, making the small patrolman uncomfortable. "Woah, back up, guys. It's no biggie, you've beaten him before right?"
"W-Well, yeah! But I haven't seen Goku in months." Bulma said. She looked over to Gohan, who shrugged his shoulders sadly.
"He's been kinda ignoring me for everything. I could go talk to him though, don't worry." Gohan tried to give Bulma a reassuring smile, but Jaco's words ruined it.
"Oh yeah, he's also apparently a million times stronger than before. My boss said I don't have to fight him, so sorry, losers!" Jaco said in a teasing tone.
He was quite lucky Bulma didn't leave Jaco to Vegeta after that.
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// word count - 3064 //
I forgot to update, sorry. Also, this chapter is extremely rushed because, idk if anybody can tell, but I'm running out of filler ideas, and getting tired of this filler haha. Hopefully that won't continue after the rof saga, but also, I've been feeling very lazy about writing lately, sorry. I hope you enjoyed, see you next week.