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duhragonball · 6 months

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[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (210/?)

Disclaimer: This story features characters and concepts based on Dragon Ball, which is a trademark of Bird Studio/Shueisha and Toei Animation. This is an unauthorized work, and no profit is being made on this work by me. This story is copyright of me. Download if you like, but please don’t archive it without my permission. Don’t be shy.

Continuity Note: This story takes place

[??????????????????????]

The Time Vault had been destroyed, and with it, all of history. All that remained of the universe was Demigra, who had committed the destruction, and Luffa, the last warrior left to oppose him. They were all that was left of the universe, or so it had seemed.

"Demigra has withdrawn to the Crack of Time, his former prison. Since the Crack is cut off from the natural flow of time, it shelters him from the effects of the Time Vault's destruction. And you, Luffa, are here, with the Scroll of Eternity, and your friend Dotz, and with.... me."

Luffa looked down at the Scroll of Eternity, which she had dropped on the white ground of this empty space. Then she looked up at the being who had emerged from the parchment. "Who are you?" Luffa asked. "What are you? For a moment, you seemed to be Tokitoki, the bird from the Time Nest, but that doesn't make any sense..."

"Because Tokitoki can't talk," said the mysterious figure. "And Demigra absorbed the Divine Tokitoki Bird, so how could he be here now, speaking with you?"

"Divine... Bird?" Dotz asked. "Luffa, what's going on?"

"I'm not sure I understand it myself," Luffa said, glancing back at Dotz. "I mean, I'm still confused to see you here, and I still haven't figured out where 'here' is."

"The truth is," the figure explained, "that Dotz is not truly present in this moment. Her psychic abilities allow her to peek into her own future. From her perspective, this is all a vision of things to come."

"Well, uh, yes, that's how I understood it," Dotz said. "I've been trying to find out what happened to Luffa ever since she disappeared on Planet Nagaoka. I've been improving my abilities, trying to get a better fix on her, until... now. But I have to admit, it feels like I'm standing here with you both. I can see and hear and touch Luffa, even though I know I'm still in my dining room at home."

"It's an impressive achievement, Dotz," the figure said. "The reason your vision is so clear is because so little remains of this moment in time. Only Luffa and Demigra, and the Divine Toki Toki Bird, which he consumed to achieve his power over time."

"And you," Dotz said. "Whoever you are. Was it you who lead me here?"

"No, you made it this far on your own," the figure replied. "I could have prevented you from tracking Luffa to this point, but I was pleased with your efforts, Dotz, and so I chose to allow you to share this moment with Luffa, as a reward to you both. Your long quest to find your friend has reached a successful conclusion."

"A reward to us both? Why reward me?" Luffa asked. "What did I do?"

"Funny you should ask that," the figure said. "Even now, you position yourself between Dotz and myself. You don't know what to make of me, or what my intentions are, but you still make every effort to protect your friend, even though you doubt you have the power to do so. It's no wonder that you inspired her so."

"Inspired?" Luffa asked. "What do you mean?"

"He...uh, I guess I should say 'they'. Well, they're right," Dotz said. "You're the reason I went to all this trouble, Luffa. Ever since you brought me out of that coma with your powers, I've been intrigued by who you are, what you represent. It was like my psychic foresight was intensified, and I could see things more clearly. And yet I couldn't tell your fortune, which only intrigued me more. And more than that... You stood up for me. Like that day in the Federation Council meeting. I don't think you should have killed that person, but it still meant a lot to me. No one's ever really stood up for me like that before."

"Hmmph. That was nothing," Luffa said. "You did a lot for the Federation during the Jindan War, Dotz. That honorless toad should have shown you some gratitude, but instead she spoke to you with nothing but contempt. She was lucky I made it quick."

"Yes, well... it still meant a lot to me," Dotz said. "After you went to Nagaoka, I got involved with some activist movements. I wanted to try to make a difference, like how you always did. Using my abilities to help others, it was kind of like how I tried to help you. And it changed my life. I could tell you all sorts of stories, but... mostly, I just wanted to say 'thank you.'"

"That's..." Luffa began to say, though she couldn't find the rest of the words. At last she crossed her arms and turned away. "I didn't..." she said, trying again to respond, but she couldn't.

"I don't know what's happening here, Luffa," Dotz said. "I'd like to help if I can. But even if I can't, I know you'll do what's best for everyone. It's not a prediction. It's just something I've very sure about."

"Thanks, Dotz," Luffa finally murmured. "I... don't know if you're right, but I appreciate the support. It's good to see you again."

"Yes, but it's time for Dotz to return to her dining room table," the mysterious figure said. "As I said earlier, I was impressed by your efforts, Dotz, and I wanted you to reach Luffa so you could express your gratitude, but you've done that now, and I have business with her that I don't want to reveal to others."

"Oh," Dotz said. "Well, I hope I didn't overstay my welcome."

"Not at all," the figure said. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Dotz." It was difficult to make out its features, though Luffa thought she could see a friendly smile within the diffuse glow of its form.

"Uh... well, oh goodness. I guess I really am going back," Dotz said. Luffa turned to look at her, and found her body was beginning to fade away. Dotz held up her hands and watched them with detached fascination.

"Dotz!" Luffa said with a sudden urgency. "Tell Zatte I'm sorry! Tell her--!"

"Zatte?" Dotz asked. "Oh, dear me. I didn't even think of it! I should have told you before..."

"Tell me what?" Luffa asked. "Dotz! What do you mean?"

Dotz continued speaking, but Luffa could no longer hear her. She continued to fade away, and when Luffa reached out for her, her hands passed through Dotz's body as though she were not there at all. Indeed, she never had been there. Soon, even the image of Dotz was no more. Luffa stared at the emptiness that remained, then looked back at the mysterious figure.

"What was she trying to tell me?" Luffa demanded.

"If I thought you were supposed to know," the figure replied, "then I would have allowed her to stay and answer you."

"Then you're in charge of... whatever this place is?" Luffa asked, waving her arm at the emptiness. "You're the one who brought me here?"

"It was Demigra's idea to corrupt the Scroll of Eternity and leave it in reach," the mysterious figure said. "I just used his plan to suit my own purpose."

"You said you had business with me," Luffa said. "Well, here I am. Is it about me fighting Demigra? Because the rest of the universe is gone, so there's not a whole lot else left for me to do."

"Are you ready to fight him?"

"Does it matter?" Luffa threw out her arms in exasperation, then stared down at her boots. "I don't know. Probably not. I just know I couldn't leave things where they stand."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," the mysterious figure explained. "You've been fighting for the Time Patrol, but mostly to take your mind off your problems. You never really understood their cause. And now you're about to rush into another battle without pausing to prepare yourself, or to appreciate the stakes."

"Why does that matter to you?" Luffa asked. "You seemed to be Tokitoki, but Demigra absorbed him. You don't look like any of the gods I've met so far..."

As she considered this, she looked back at the unfurled scroll lying near their feet. "You rose up out of the Scroll of Eternity. So maybe you are the Scroll, assuming humanoid form?"

"Interesting guess," the figure said. "But that's not it. The full truth would be difficult for you to comprehend."

"Ninth Eye..." Luffa muttered. It was an ancient oath used by her old friend Dr. Topsas. He had spoken it in reference to his religion. Luffa only said it because Dr. Topsas used to say it.

"Well, that's an even better guess," the figure said. "Let's approach it from that direction."

The figure did not change, and yet it assumed a more distinct appearance all the same. Luffa might have expected it to transform in some observable way, but this did not happen. There was no flash of light or colorful metamorphosis. She was now looking at an arachnoid creature, similar in appearance to Dr. Topsas, but with nine eyes atop his head instead of the usual eight. Each eye gleamed a dazzling blue, like sapphire gems. Where Topsas' pedipalps constantly fidgeted and wiggled to indicate his mood, this arachnoid remained very still, suggesting a preternatural calm that no mortal could achieve. He stood on four of his eight legs, and held out the hands on his other four limbs in a welcoming gesture.

Luffa was not impressed. "Are you telling me that you're God?" she asked. "That Doctor Topsas picked the right religion, and everyone else is doing it wrong?"

"You recognize this imagery, Little Mammal," he said patiently. "I'm not claiming this as my identity, but it makes a useful model."

"Then you're some sort of overseer?" Luffa suggested. "Chronoa's boss, if she has one."

The arachnoid divinity was replaced with a new form, one Luffa had never seen before, but was somehow recognizable nonetheless. It looked like an alien child, with a large, egg-shaped head, blue in the center, and purple on the sides. The child's innocent eyes looked up at Luffa, and he smiled enthusiastically.

"Nuh-uh, this is Chronoa's boss," the child said with a giggle. "He thinks she does a good job, but she still gets really scared whenever she meets him. I mean really really scared."

"I'll take your word for it," Luffa said. "But I still don't understand."

The child was gone and the Divine Tokitoki Bird appeared. It spoke with a voice that reminded Luffa of Son Goku, if he had a beak and ate birdseed for every meal.

"You were right when you said I couldn't be Tokitoki, but let's consider him for a moment, shall we? Chronoa once told you that Tokitoki creates time. That sounds rather important, doesn't it? And yet, Tokitoki doesn't appear to be able to speak. He can't even feed himself, which is why the Kais chose one of their own to look after him."

"Just like how the Scroll of Eternity can't protect itself," Luffa said. "Demigra erased all of history pretty easily now that I think about it. I mean, it was an impressive attack he used, but the power behind it wasn't that intense."

"All of history? Then how are we talking to each other now? And what's that lying on the ground there?"

Luffa shrugged. "I just assumed Demigra left a chunk of time for me to exist in," she said. "Or he made all of this with his new power. I mean, he absorbed Tokitoki, the real one. That means he can create time now, right?"

"That's right."

The divine bird floating before Luffa was gone, and Demigra now stood in his place. Luffa's eyes narrowed, but she did not attack. The body language was all wrong, and though it was a perfect recreation of her enemy, she knew instinctively that this was not the same being.

All the same, it was still unnerving to see Demigra with such kind eyes, gesturing at himself like an elementary school teacher giving lessons.

"Demigra took the Divine Tokitoki Bird and assumed its powers for himself. He wants to control time in a way that Chronoa never could. After all, the Supreme Kai of Time isn't supposed to control time at all. She is a steward, tending her charge. The gardener doesn't command the plants to grow, nor does he bloom the flowers himself. There's an order to these things."

"Is that what you are, then?" Luffa asked. "You're some sort of... personification of nature?"

The not-Demigra raised an eyebrow, as though considering her question. "That's an interesting way of looking at it."

He was gone, and a new speaker was there. Luffa did not recognize this one. He looked like an Earthling, but not like any of the Earthling Time Patrollers Luffa had met. He was a civilian, tall, middle-aged, and entirely unremarkable. Without making eye contact, he paced around the emptiness, as though unsure what to do with himself as he talked.

"They wrote all those stories about you back then," he said, occasionally running his fingers over his beard. "You used to read them in your spare time, remember? Back when you lived aboard the Emerald Eye."

"You know about that?" Luffa asked. It had felt like a lifetime ago, but in her early career as the Super Saiyan, she had developed a fan following, and since they knew little about Luffa herself, they began to write their own stories and share them through subspace communication networks. Luffa had sampled a number of these for her own amusement.

"Yeah, like that one where you were a werewolf or whatever. Chapter... hold on. Right, Chapter 23. Sorry. I had to look it up. 'Sergio Blackthorne'. Great stuff."

"How did you know...?" Luffa asked. "Wait, 'Chapter 23'? What are you talking about?"

"One way to look at this is like you're a character in a story," he explained. "That someone is writing all of this down, right now, as you experience it. Everything you've ever said, done, or felt is in that story, no different from that other one you read, the one where you get sold to a boy band and they--"

"Could we not talk about that one?" Luffa said, blushing.

"Oh, right, sorry about that. Anyway, your whole life is the story. The Divine Tokitoki Bird just makes the paper that it's written on. The Scroll of Eternity contains the text, and the Supreme Kai of Time makes sure no one rewrites Chapter 23 and turns you into an accountant, or a space whale. But who's putting the words on the page? Who decides what happens next?"

"You?" Luffa guessed.

"Well, that would be telling," he said with a smirk. "It'd certainly be easier to just say that. Free will is an illusion, and everything you say and do is decided ahead of time by an old man with a beard sitting on a cloud. Or an old man with a beard sitting in front of a computer. Or it's a Kai with a magic wand, or a nine-eyed spider, or a disembodied Providence. But if it was all laid out for you in advance, then you and I wouldn't need to have this talk, would we? Demigra wouldn't be a problem either. You'd just do what you're predestined to do, and he'd do what he's predestined to do, and it would all be a formality."

"He gave me a choice," Luffa said. "He planned everything out, but he couldn't be sure about anything after he took out the Time Vault, so he offered a peace deal if I left him alone."

"And you chose to reject his offer."

She shook her head and made a desperate groan. "It was all wrong," she said. "I mean, I thought it was a trick at first, but it all seemed so real, and the longer I was in that world he created for me, the more I wanted to stay there. But it just wouldn't work..."

"I know. For what it's worth, it was real. Demigra really did use Tokitoki's power to preserve a slice of the old history for you to live your life over again. But you did well to refuse his temptation."

"Don't misunderstand," Luffa said. "I didn't leave that world because of any sort of selfless nobility or keen insight. I was in there for six weeks, living out my days on Dorlu Prime, trying to make things the way I wanted them to be. But in the end, I just found new ways to screw it all up."

"Exactly. You saw through Demigra's lie."

"What are you talking about?" Luffa asked.

"I'm talking about why it's forbidden to change history," the mysterious figure said. The form he took became that of the Supreme Kai of Time, and for a moment Luffa thought Chronoa had somehow joined them in this empty place.

"You always wondered, didn't you?" she asked. "Trunks changed history, and Chronoa allowed those changes to remain, but no one else gets the same exception. What's so wrong with changing the past? How could it be a crime to prevent a tragedy?"

"Trunks was trying to save his world from those killer cyborgs. Or androids. I forget which," Luffa said.

The figure changed again, this time assuming the form of Cell, in his perfect form. "And Trunks' actions led to a much greater crisis," he said. "Who's to say which changes were justified and which were not?"

"But it all worked out for him," Luffa protested. "Kakarot died either way, but at least he got to come back to life later on in one timeline. At least one version of Trunks got to grow up with his father."

"Perhaps, but what about some other boy who might have lost his father in the altered world? Trunks might have made a better world for some people, but it could have become worse for others."

"You don't know that," Luffa objected. "And even if you did, how could he be expected to anticipate every possible consequence of...?"

The mysterious figure looked like Trunks now, and he raised his chin triumphantly as the realization finally dawned on Luffa.

"Oh," she said.

"Oh," the mysterious figure replied.

"In the world Demigra made for me," Luffa said. "He killed all the Tikosi, so that I'd never become the Super Saiyan. My father never had the chance to betray me, never had the chance to turn my husband against me. I thought I had it made, except I never had any reason to go to the Plutark system, which meant I never had the chance to save Wampaaan'riix's life."

"Go on."

"I... I had no idea what to do with my husband and my future-wife. And while I was still making up my mind, they worked it out on their own. Some sort of dopey 'arrangement.' You're saying that was all real? That wasn't some crappy illusion Demigra came up with?"

"It was a real scenario, yes."

Luffa threw back her head and punched her right palm with her left. "I could have murdered them both," she growled. "The way they talked about... about sharing me like some half-empty canteen bottle! I expected Kandai to treat me like dirt, but she was special!"

"She would be special," he said. "Later, when time had passed and certain things happened between the two of you. Just because you and Zatte fell in love at a certain time, that doesn't mean you were compatible at an earlier time. She had feelings for you, even back then, but she wasn't ready for those feelings yet. Neither were you."

"The cake," Luffa said.

"Cake?"

"Chronoa tried to explain it to me," Luffa said. She began to pace around the void in wide arcs as she considered it. "She said time is what keeps everything from happening all at once. You can speed things up or go forward or backward, but the batter still needs time to bake."

She turned back to the figure with a worried look in her eyes. "What are you trying to tell me here?" she asked. "That there's only one way that everything has to turn out? Only one path that we all have to follow, no matter how much it hurts?"

"No," the figure said. "That's not it at all. I'm saying that the pain you experienced in the past may lead to something worthwhile in the future. When someone like you or Trunks tries to change the past, there's a chance it may make things worse, or different, or maybe even better. But how could you, with your limited perception, ever know for sure? In the end, all you can do is trade one sequence of events for another."

"Like with Cell," Luffa said. "He was designed to absorb 17 and 18, but they were already dead in his lifetime, so he had to go back in time to when they were still alive. Except that just wound up getting him killed."

"Very good," the figure said. Now it looked like Luffa herself. "Do you think Cell would rather be imperfect or dead? The point is that the time machine never actually offer him a better path. In the end, it only gave him a choice between two bad endings."

"I get it," Luffa said. "I mean, I sort of understood when I picked up that scroll to come here. But now it's a lot clearer to me. Sooner or later, no matter which friends I got to keep, no matter how strong I might have become, I probably would have run into some other problem. I could keep Keda from dying or disappearing, but for how long? I could avoid becoming the Super Saiyan, but that wouldn't just solve everything. Maybe I'd find myself in a pinch where I'd need that kind of power. It might have taken me years to get there, but sooner or later, I'd realize Demigra's 'gift' wasn't really worth it. It's just that..."

"Yes?"

Tears began to well up in her eyes. "It hurts," she said as she began to ball up her fists. "Not just the Tikosi, but all the other things that went wrong. And maybe Dotz turned out better off, but I let so many people down. Maybe if I'd done things differently, the Saiyans could have done something about Frieza, or... I don't know. Maybe my wife and I could still be together."

"You carry regrets," the figure said. "Things you wish you could undo."

"Yes," Luffa said. "I guess someone like you wouldn't know anything about that."

"Not exactly. But that's just why changing history is so dangerous. Trunks learned the hard way that regrets and good intentions aren't always enough. Your friends prayed to gods who could be called 'all-knowing'. They would exist outside of time. Everlasting. Eternal. They would know everything that ever happened and everything that ever will. To them, it's all like reading every page of the book all at once. And such a being would be wise enough to know how to alter history without any unwanted side-effects. But you? It just wouldn't work."

"Then what good am I?" Luffa asked. "If I'm bound to fail, then what's the point of going on?"

"Going on is the point," the figure replied. "If I were one of those eternal beings... I think I'd take some interest in the temporal existence of someone like you. Someone who can fail and succeed. Someone who doesn't know how the story ends, and so she has to do the best she can with what she does know. She makes her decisions based on what she's learned in the past. Life experiences, information gathered by others, and stories passed down from her ancestors. It's not perfect, but it gives her a code of conduct, a way to decide what to do when the path isn't so clear, and the answers aren't so obvious."

The figure took a new form, this time resembling Son Goku. Despite the physical resemblance, his expression lacked the care-free cheerfulness of the real thing. He looked down at Luffa with a sort of detached warmth in his eyes, like a person looking at a photo of a beloved pet. She didn't care much for this.

"Eventually," he went on, "you might go on to set an example for others, and they can learn from your mistakes or repeat them all over again."

"If that's supposed to make me feel better, then fat chance," Luffa said. "Kakarot's gone, remember? Demigra destroyed the Time Vault, along with the rest of history. And even if he survived somehow, he doesn't know a thing about me. He grew up on Earth, barely knowing what a Saiyan was. All he ever heard was that I was a man who blew himself up one day. Whatever legacy I might have had is through him, and he's gone now."

"You think so?" the figure asked. "So why did you take the scroll and come here, then? Demigra left it for you so you could fight him. But if everyone's already gone, then what would be the point?"

"I just wanted to get away from that other world he made for me," Luffa fumed. "He took away my Super Saiyan power when he stuck me in my younger body, but I still wanted to fight him, if only just to show him I wouldn't play along with his dumb plans."

"I see. Then you expect to die."

"Either he kills me, or I win and I'm stuck in the Crack of Time for the rest of my life," Luffa said. "What else is left?"

"Maybe you should take a closer look at that scroll and see for yourself."

Luffa was confused for a moment, then she reached down to fetch the Scroll off the ground. As she held it open, an image appeared in the parchment.

*******

[21 April, Age 850]

"After everything is destroyed, I'll make a new history! My history!"

As Demigra shouted these words, there appeared around him dozens of copies of his scepter, only they were blood red, and glowing ominously.

"What?" Chronoa asked. "What do you mean by that? What are you thinking?"

"A new history?" Luffa asked. "Can he do that?"

As she contemplated the question, Son Goku transformed into a Super Saiyan and attacked. Luffa followed his lead, but Demigra was ready for them, and he flung his hands forward, sending the crimson scepters down at them like a hail of arrows.

The two of them managed to dodge some of the energy spears, but there were too many of them, and one finally went through Luffa's chest. Soon enough, she was pinned to the floor of the Time Vault, and Goku was brought down only a few moments later.

As Chronoa knelt beside Luffa, the Time Vault echoed with the howls of the arcane wind, mixed with Demigra's triumphant laughter.

"Everything!!" he shouted. "Begone!"

"Demigraaaa!" Chronoa shouted. She stood between Goku and Luffa, and watched helplessly as Demigra produced a large energy distortion in the atrium of the Time Vault. There was nothing anyone could do...

*******

[???????????????]

In the empty world, Luffa looked up from the Scroll of Eternity and her eyes narrowed with quiet fury.

"That bastard..." Luffa muttered.

"You noticed something?" the mysterious figure asked.

She rolled up the scroll and waved it at him angrily. "This was all another temporal incursion!" she shouted. "It's the exact same crap I've been dealing with since I joined up with the Time Patrol!"

"Oh?"

She pointed to the scroll with her free hand. "Look!" she shouted. "It's got the same purple smoke coming off of it, just like every other time Towa or Demigra screwed around with history. I didn't realize it until just now, because I'm used to letting Chronoa or Trunks tell me these things, but it's the exact same deal! Which means I can go back to before it happened and fix it! Just like every other Time Patrol mission!"

"Well that is good news," the mysterious figure said.

"Which means," Luffa continued, "I can save the Time Vault! Kakarot and the others can survive! The history we knew can still exist!"

She began to pace back and forth, pumping her arms furiously as she talked.

"You seem upset about this," the figure observed.

"I'm upset because that coward Demigra knew all of this could be prevented!" Luffa seethed. "He knew this scroll would be left behind, and he knew I'd use it to undo his final attack, so he needed a way to keep me guessing instead of figuring that out! That other Dorlu Prime... that was no peace offering, it was a damn diversion!"

"Then it sounds like you're ready to face him," the mysterious figure said. "I suppose I should let you get on with your work. Good luck, as they say."

"Wait," Luffa said. "You never explained who you are."

"That's right. I didn't."

"Then whatever you are, at least tell me why you bothered appearing before me like this," Luffa asked. "You must be some sort of big shot in the hierarchy of the universe. So why take time out of your day to talk with little old me?"

The figure's form became vague and undefined again. It shrugged its shoulders, and Luffa had trouble making out the gesture. It was like looking at a shadow among shadows.

"Well, at the moment, you're the only one left in the whole universe," the figure explained. "So that makes you more important than you might think."

"I guess so," Luffa said.

"And the Divine Tokitoki Bird likes you," the figure continued. "That matters to me. He doesn't befriend people easily. There's a legend that says those befriended by Tokitoki receive a special protection."

"Is that what this is?" Luffa asked. "Did he send you to help me out? Are you some aspect of his time power or something?"

The figure turned and walked away from Luffa. "I never said that," the figure replied. "Anyway, Tokitoki is trapped inside Demigra, so how could he send anything to you? But maybe if you defeat Demigra, you can free him, and ask him yourself."

Luffa wanted to know more, but she lost sight of the mysterious figure as his form faded into the white expanse of the world around her. She was alone again.

"No," she insisted. "I was never alone. Dotz was with me in spirit this whole time. All of you were, in your own ways..."

She held up the scroll and stared at it. When held a certain way, the scroll would send a Time Patroller back to the moment of a temporal incursion, where she could intervene and set things right. The trip would be instantaneous.

But Luffa decided to wait a moment before proceeding with her mission. Instead, she held the scroll and began raising her power level, increasing her ki higher and higher, and directing her senses inward to monitor it.

It only took her a few moments to surpass her maximum level from when she lived on Dorlu Prime. Just as she had suspected, the younger body Demigra had "given" to her was another trick. Illusion or not, it was only temporary, and she was back to normal.

She continued to increase her power, letting her anger drive her on.

Then, after a certain span of time, when she was ready, she used the Scroll, and disappeared.

NEXT: Into the Crack of Time.

#dragon ball #fanfiction #lssjluffafic #luffa #dotz

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duhragonball · 6 months

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[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (209/?)

Continuity Note: This story This story takes place about 1000 years before 66 years after 1000 years before the events of Dragon Ball Z.

[12 March 238 Before Age. Dorlu Prime.]

Luffa had once been the Legendary Super Saiyan, until the Demon God Demigra offered her a chance to do it all over again. She found herself in a new history, where the alien hordes who captured and tortured her were all dead. With the Tikosi's extinction, and Luffa's foreknowledge of events to come, she had a chance to live her life the way she had always wanted. All of the friends, the love, the triumphs, with none of the loss, the regrets, the tragedies.

Or so it had seemed.

She was still trying to decide whether to accept Demigra's truce. His terms were simple. If she agreed to remain in this new reality, he would leave her alone. But if she refused to accept his triumphant ascension to godhood, then Luffa could confront him for one final battle. She only had to take the magic scroll he had left for her, and she would instantly travel from her world to his. Since that path lay open to her, she decided to take her time and see what this new world had to offer.

At first, it had seemed like a dream come true. She was back on Dorlu Prime, where she had spent her teenage years guarding the planet as a mercenary. Her treacherous father had left the planet in a profound despair. His plans for the future had died with the Tikosi, and only Luffa knew just how shaken this had left him. That suited her well, as it meant she could chart her own course without him.

Keda was alive in this world, still a healthy nine-year-old child, unaffected by the terrible conflicts that only Luffa could now remember. The same was true for Zatte, the captain of the Dorlun militia. In this era, she had been Luffa's best friend, although later they would fall in love and marry. However, in this era, Luffa was still married to her first husband, Kandai.

Luffa's plan was fuzzy in places, but the basic goal was to divide her time between the Dorlu Colony and finding mercenary work in the surrounding space sectors. That way, she could still have Zatte and Keda in her life, without taking them away from their home. From there, Luffa could reach out to other close friends she had made in the old reality. It would be a challenge to make contact with them all and befriend them all over again, but Luffa cared for them too much to simply ignore them.

But that part of the plan had ended before it could truly begin. She had contacted Dr. Topsas on Plutark VII, hoping to strike up a friendship with him while he put her in contact with Wampaaan'riix. Instead, he informed her that Wampaaan'riix had been killed in a Deathmatch tournament.

This had been a huge blow to Luffa, who had never even considered the possibility. In the old reality, Wampaaan'riix had survived the tournament, thanks to Luffa's refusal to kill him. This time, she had skipped the tournament, never suspecting that her Yetitan friend might lose his life to some other opponent.

After hearing the news, she was inconsolable for hours. The worst part was that she couldn't even tell anyone what was bothering her. There was no way to explain it.

In the old reality, she might have commiserated with Zatte through her telepathic abilities, which had become much more sophisticated after Luffa became a Super Saiyan. But in this reality, Luffa was still at the power level she had been at the age of nineteen. Telepathy on that level, with an alien, was impossible.

And eventually, after Luffa had neglected enough mealtimes in her despair, it was Kandai who reached out to comfort her. He didn't know why she was upset. Indeed, she had been distant towards him for days without any apparent reason. But he still knew how to charm her, and how to get her to vent her emotions without hearing the context behind them.

The answer was combat.

Their battleground was on the far side of the planet. Dorlu Prime was mostly a primeval wilderness covered in sparse vegetation and inhospitable wastes. The Dorluns had grand dreams for the planet, but their colony was only a tiny speck of civilization on an otherwise uninhabited world. And so it was easy for Luffa and Kandai to find a suitable place to fight without damaging anything important.

It was a one-sided affair. At her present level, Luffa's powers were no match for Kandai's, but that didn't stop her from hitting him with everything she had. As for Kandai, he held back, allowing Luffa to fight to her fullest without shutting her down too quickly. He still fought back, but only to keep her motivated to try harder.

In the end, Luffa put everything she had left into a final assault, charging all of her power into the fingertips of her left hand, and firing a focused beam of ki at his heart. But he was too fast to hit, and before she could react, he was grasping her by the wrist and spoiling her aim. She tried to headbutt him, only for Kandai to use his free hand to deliver a chop to her neck. Luffa collapsed to the ground in a heap. She was still conscious, but too weary to move.

"Not bad, Luffa," he said as he alighted beside her. "I guess training those blue folks really helped you improve."

"Th-thank you," Luffa said between gasps. When she finally found the strength to roll over onto her back, she saw Kandai had lain down beside her.

"Something's got you all riled up," Kandai said. "I don't know what it is, and I guess you're never gonna tell me, but I could sense it in those punches of yours. Oh, and that red laser beam thing you just used a minute ago. Where'd you learn that one?"

"Long... story..." Luffa said.

"Yeah, well your emotions were all over the place," Kandai said. "It's like you wanted revenge for something, and I don't even know what for. If I didn't know better, I'd think you wanted me dead."

"Maybe..." Luffa said with a bitter chuckle.

"Whatever it is, I'm sorry, okay?" Kandai said.

With a loud grunt, Luffa sat upright, and began grabbing at her black, sleeveless shirt.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"The same thing we always do after we spar," Luffa said as she pulled the shirt over her head and tossed it to the side. "Unless you're not up for it."

"Well, yeah, but I didn't think you'd be in the mood," Kandai said. "You haven't been... I mean, for the last month or so..."

Luffa started taking off her boots next. "I know. I've had a lot on my mind, that's all. And... and..."

He kissed her before she had to struggle to find the words that she couldn't say. Luffa returned his embrace, and they continued on in this way, lying in the crater they had made in the dusty wastes.

She was conflicted about making love to him this way. She was married to him in this world, but in the old reality, they had become enemies, and she had pledged herself to Zatte. It felt wrong to pursue her feelings towards either one, but after the news about Wampaaan'riix, she couldn't stand the isolation any longer. She needed to be held, and to be reassured, and Kandai could understand her without the need for words.

Later, as she lay beside him, her head cradled between his chest and his arm, she decided to ask the question. "Did you know my father was negotiating with the Tikosi?"

"What?" he asked, somewhat drowsily.

"I found out," she said. "Don't ask me how. He was plotting something with them. That's why he was so grim after he found out they were all dead."

"You're kidding, right?" Kandai asked. "No... no, you're serious, aren't you? Well, no. He never said anything to me about it. What the hell were we doing during all those patrols then?"

"They wanted a Saiyan specimen," Luffa said. "That's what the Tikosi would do. They wanted the Dorluns to study their abilities, and they wanted to study our zenkai."

"Luffa, why are you telling me this now?" Kandai asked.

"Because I want a straight answer," Luffa replied. "And you're a lousy liar after we've... well, you know."

"No! He never said anything about this," Kandai said. "What, you think he was going to hand me over to them?"

"I don't know," Luffa lied. "He might have had someone else in mind. Maybe even me."

"You're his daughter."

"So tell me," Luffa said. "If it had been me, he would have had say something to you, sooner or later. Would you have gone along with it?"

"The Tikosi are dead," Kandai said. "Your dad's long gone."

"Answer the question," Luffa insisted.

He sighed, then said: "Well yeah, I probably would have. I mean, what else could I do? Fight your dad and take on all the Tikosi all by myself? I'd just get us both killed."

As chilling as the answer was, Luffa found the honesty refreshing. "I see your point," was all she could think of to say.

"I mean, what would you do if they had picked me instead?" Kandai asked. "You're telling me you'd rush off and die in a fight you knew you couldn't win?"

Luffa was about to say that she would, without question. Her pride as a Saiyan would have demanded it, and the example set by the tales of the Old Heroes would have inspired her to fight in spite of the odds. She had proven her convictions time and again during he career as the Legendary Super Saiyan.

But then she thought of Demigra's truce, and how she still hadn't decided whether or not she would accept it. The conflict with Demigra seemed pointless now. The Time Patrol no longer existed, and the history they had fought for was already gone. How would the Old Heroes of Saiyan Legend have dealt with that?

"I think, once, I would have died for you without hesitation," Luffa said. "Now... I'm not so sure."

"So it's this business with your dad that's been bothering you this whole time," Kandai said. "And you were worried that I was in cahoots with him."

"Let's just say I've been rethinking my whole life," Luffa said. "And I'm seeing everyone I know with a new perspective."

"Oh yeah? And what do you see in me?" Kandai asked.

"You're a pushover," Luffa said.

"Hmph. Yeah, I suppose you've got me there."

"You said before you prefer to go with the flow, that you prefer to be a follower. The truth is you're just a doormat. You'll play along with whoever offers you the safest or most profitable path."

"I never pretended otherwise," Kandai said.

"You're probably right," Luffa said. "I just assumed you were more principled than that. I saw something noble in you, but that was only what I wanted to see. I put you on a pedestal because you were so much stronger than me. The ideal man."

"You weren't complaining a few minutes ago, when I was--"

"Yeah, yeah, you do that part just fine," Luffa said with a wry smile. "I guess I let that cloud my perception too.

"So we can call it off here," Kandai said. "If that's what you want. No hard feelings. Strictly business between us from here on out."

"I didn't say I wanted that," Luffa said.

"Then what do you want?" Kandai asked. "You've always had this glint in your eye, Luffa. Like you craved something with all your heart, and you could never put it into words. So how do we get it for you? You always talked about starting a family, but... well, I think we already know how to do that."

Luffa sat up and looked around for her clothes. "I... I think we should head back to the settlement," she said.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing!" she said, more anxiously than she wanted to sound. "I just... remembered I needed to check on something."

*******

Luffa did not spend long in the settlement, and headed directly for the Saiyans' ship. She fetched the medical scanner, and waved it around herself. She had done this before, but only to investigate the lack of certain scars on her body. Now, she understood that Demigra had somehow transported her into her younger body, that was no longer a mystery. But something Kandai had said to her in the wastes had convinced her to perform a more thorough examination.

The results were as she suspected, but before she could truly react, she heard Zatte and Kandai on board. They were looking for her, and so she stepped out to greet them.

"I just got back from meeting with the Elders," Zatte said. "It's not perfect, but I think I have a way to join your crew, Luffa."

Luffa was confused for a moment. She had completely forgotten Zatte's report to her superiors.

"Wow, you really worked her over, huh?" Zatte said to Kandai as she pointed at several scrapes and bruises on Luffa's arms and head. "I could sense you two going at it all the way from here."

"Whoa whoa! Hey...!" Kandai said. "You could tell we were--?! Oh, wait, you meant fighting. Well, yeah. Sometimes a little spar is the best way to get out of a funk."

"Sure, it's just weird to see Luffa be the one who gets all worn out," Zatte said. "I can come back later."

"No, it's fine," Luffa said. "The Dorlun Elders. What did they say?"

"In principle, they like the idea of a Dorlun operative maintaining a presence in space," Zatte began. "The problem is that I have obligations here, to this place. I'm not at liberty to explain that, but I can't just be re-assigned offworld so easily."

"So they want some other Dorlun to go with us instead?" Kandai asked. "That wasn't the idea. It's you or nobody."

"That's what I told them," Zatte said. "And they agree, I'm the best qualified for the position. The Elders just don't like one Dorlun running off by herself with a pair of aliens. But I've read the Holybook, and I think there's a way to flip this around to satisfy them."

"Holybook?" Kandai asked.

"Their religious text," Luffa said.

"Oh."

"Basically, if there was a familial connection between us, that would clear everything up. A legal relationship-- like adoption or marriage-- can be just as valid as blood." Zatte paused and looked at them both before continuing. "All right, so this might be a little too radical for you Saiyans, but hear me out. If I was married into your family, then I would have sufficient justification to go with you, and the Elders would approve of my transfer."

"What?" Luffa asked.

"Married to who?" Kandai asked.

"Well, Luffa," Zatte said. "I mean, scripturally, it could be to either one of you, but you're not my type, Kandai. No offense."

"Are you out of your mind?" Luffa exclaimed. She pointed at Zatte, then at Kansai. "I can't marry you, I'm already married!"

"No, this could work," Kandai said. He began to rub his hand over his chin as he considered it. "Once we make it official, we're free and clear, aren't we?"

"That's right," Zatte said. "The marriage itself is the thing. Once that's accomplished, well, I can play it any way you'd like."

"Well, this could work, I guess," Kandai said. "Luffa and I had been talking, and maybe things aren't working out between us as well as we thought."

"Oh?" Zatte said. "I don't want to cause any trouble between you..."

"It's fine," Kandai said. "I'm not that thick-headed. If things play out that way, then so be it. Or Luffa can switch back and forth for a while until she makes up her mind. Right, Luffa?"

"I... I need to get some air," Luffa said.

"What's wrong?" Zatte asked. "Look, if this is a problem for you, I apologize. I just thought--"

Luffa ran past them and kept going until she had made it through the entrance hatch. She did not stop until she reached her personal quarters in the settlement.

It was all wrong. So very wrong. Wampaaan'riix was dead, and Dr. Topsas didn't even know him or Luffa well enough to care. Kandai barely seemed to value their marriage at all, and Zatte was willing to exploit that to get a berth on their ship.

Perhaps it would have been simpler to part ways with Kandai and make a clean break, but even that option was muddied by the results of her medical scan. She was pregnant. It was so early into the term that she hadn't noticed it before, but the scanners could tell. He was only a cluster of cells in her uterus, but her only son, Katem, was already beginning to enter this reality.

She could still cut ties with Kandai anyway. His behavior in the old history had already proven that he cared little for their son. He might have been grateful to be excused from the responsibility of fatherhood, but it still rankled her to consider it.

Then there was Zatte. Luffa felt like their relationship in this reality had gotten off to a wrong start. There was something cynical about Zatte's approach, something she couldn't put her finger on. Then it hit her: The Makyans.

In the old history, the Makyans had captured Zatte after the Tikosi massacre. Luffa never learned exactly when that was supposed to have happened, or why the Makyans had been on Dorlu Prime in the first place. Luffa had rescued Zatte from their power, and that had changed the entire dynamic of their romance. Luffa had no intention of letting Zatte fall into their evil clutches again, but that meant her relationship with Zatte would never be quite the same as what Luffa had once known.

And that only raised further questions. Was it right to keep Zatte off Dorlu Prime to protect her from a possible Makyan raid? Would the Makyans even go to Dorlu Prime without the Tikosi attack to precede it? How could Luffa warn the colonists of a threat she wasn't even sure about? And whatever she decided, what would be the effects of those choices?

Her son, Katem, had died in the old reality, betrayed by everyone who claimed to be on his side. She imagined him as a grown man, still calling himself "Xibuyas"-- the name King Rehval had given him. She imagined him dying, abandoned on some nameless battlefield, wondering why his mother had been too weak to spare him from such a fate. Now, she had a second chance to get things right for him, but was it right? Was it worth Wampaaan'riix's life? And even if it was right, how could Luffa be sure that her son wouldn't end up suffering the same fate, or worse?

She couldn't stand it any longer. Every action, every inaction, every decision she made in this new world was fraught with consequences. It filled her with a dread she couldn't describe, and in her haste to be rid of it, she flung open the cabinet in the corner, and reached out for the glowing scroll that lay inside.

Demigra threatened to kill her if she used it, but that no longer mattered. If he had the power he claimed, then she would die in battle and have done with it. And if not...

She had no idea what a victory over Demigra could even be. If he had truly destroyed all of history, then killing him would mean there would be nothing left, except for her. What then?

The thought of drifting alone in the emptiness was enough to stay her hand. Was that her fate? To be the last survivor of a doomed universe?

Her hands began to tremble. She set her teeth and balled her fists, drawing blood from her palms as she tried to force them to be steady. Then, with a defiant snarl, she reached out and took the scroll, moving as fast as she possibly could, faster than her mind could second-guess herself.

The scroll glowed more intensely as she drew it towards her chest . And just as she wondered what was supposed to happen, the world around her went white.

*******

[??????????????????]

Luffa remembered this place, or at least another one just like it. It was a featureless expanse. The ground was smooth and snow white, while the skies roiled with turbulent aurorae. The scroll was still in her left hand.

"I'm back?" she asked. "This is where I was before I ended up on Dorlu Prime. Isn't it?"

"Yes. It's good to see you, Luffa."

The sound of another voice startled Luffa so much that she nearly jumped out of her boots. She spun around, and found a familiar face, one she had never expected to see.

"Dotz?!" Luffa gasped.

She was a fortune-teller Luffa had befriended at the beginning of the war with the Jindan Cult. Much of her appearance was the same as the last time Luffa had seen her. Dotz was tall, dressed in a long purple gown with hood around her face. A mauve shawl was draped across her shoulders, and her thin bony hands were clasped together in a hopeful gesture. The only differences lay in some of the arcane ornaments she wore, and her age. The Dotz Luffa had known was middle-aged. Now, she looked to be much older. Her once-subtle wrinkles now cut deeper lines in her face, and the greying hair under her hood now shone stark white.

"Oh, goodness. You look just like I remembered," Dotz said with a smile.

Luffa stepped toward her and placed her free hand on Dotz's shoulder. "Where are we, Dotz? Did you bring us here? What happened to you?"

She took a deep breath before answering. "It's funny," she said. "I've been wanting to find you for so long, and now that you're here I can't think of what to say. I, uh, well... I didn't bring us here. Let me start with that. This is just where you happened to be when I finally found you."

"You've been looking for me?" Luffa asked.

Dotz nodded solemnly. "Yes," she said. "Ever since you vanished that day on Planet Nagaoka. Everyone believed you had died. I mean... well, the planet exploded and everyone knew you were there when it happened. It made sense that you had perished there. It made sense to everyone, but not to me."

"I survived," Luffa said. "A magic dragon rescued me and took me into the distant future."

"Yes, yes," Dotz said. "I knew it had to be something like that. Shenron."

"You know about Shenron?" Luffa asked. "Then you know the rest? The Dragon Balls? The Time Patrol?"

"No," Dotz said, "but I've seen bits and pieces in my visions. What I meant was that it had to have something to do with you being sent forward in time. That was why I could never get a proper reading whenever I tried to tell your fortune. My psychic abilities improved after we first met, do you remember?"

Luffa nodded. "We couldn't have fought the war without you, Dotz," she said. "Well, we might have, but it would have been a lot bloodier without your ability to predict which planets the Jindan Cultists would attack. And you worked so hard to improve your abilities even further. I... never really got the chance to tell you how much I respected you for that."

She became overcome with emotion, and before she knew it, she dropped the scroll and embraced Dotz with both arms.

"Oh, well, I wasn't expecting this..." Dotz said.

"I've missed you," Luffa said. "You and all the others... I..."

"There now... it's okay," Dotz said as she patted Luffa on the back. "I... forgot how young you were when you disappeared. To tell the truth, I've been trying to find you for so long, it started to feel like an abstraction. Now that you're here, I... well. It's very good to see you."

"How did you find me?" Luffa asked. "I don't even know where this place is."

"After the war, I continued to develop my abilities," Dotz explained. "It always bothered me that I couldn't tell your fortune, even a little. That's why I didn't believe you died on Nagaoka. That should have been easy to foresee, but I had no idea until it happened. Well, over time, I got better at telling fortunes. I learned some new tricks, and improved on some old ones. I found out you were still alive in the far future, but there was still something obstructing my vision. It took me a while to get it right, but I finally managed to get past that obstacle. And uh... here I am."

"You transported yourself through time?" Luffa asked. "You never had that kind of ability before?"

"Well, no, and I don't have it now," Dotz said. "I'm not really here, Luffa. I can talk to you and touch you, but I think that's just because this vision I'm having is so focused, so clear. There's nothing else here in this time and place. So there's nothing to distract me from what I came to find, which is you."

"Then... then there's nothing you can do," Luffa said.

Slowly, she released Dotz from the embrace and stepped back. "When I saw you, I thought you might have had something to do with the scroll, or this place. Or maybe you could take me back with you."

Dotz shook her head. "I'm sorry. I'm not really clear on what's going on. I saw visions of a man, screaming something about making a 'new history.' Is that why there's nothing here? But how did you survive?"

"It's a long story," Luffa said. "A goddess of time needed my help to stop an evil wizard, and I failed. He destroyed... everything." She waved at the emptiness around them, as if Dotz had not already seen it for herself. "He said he made a timeline just for me to live in if I left him alone... but... it's no good, Dotz. I'd just make a mess of that world too."

Luffa pointed at the scroll she had dropped. "He told me that if I changed my mind, I could use that scroll to take me to him for a final battle. But instead it just took me to this place. I don't know why. I don't understand any of it."

"What about the other one?" Dotz asked. "I sensed another presence in this time."

"Who?" Luffa asked. "As far as I know, it's just Demigra and myself at the end of existence. Who else could there be? Wait... you don't mean..."

"That's right. She's referring to me."

The new voice was not one Luffa had heard before. She and Dotz looked around, but found no sign of the speaker.

"Who's there?" Luffa asked, unsure whether she actually wanted answer. She nearly suggested that Dotz should stay close to her, but thought better of it. Even if Dotz were truly here, what could Luffa possibly do to protect her?

At last, she noticed the scroll beginning to glow a brighter shade of purple, and it unfurled all on its own. Luffa watched as something began to emerge from the parchment, like an animal rising up from a murky swamp. The form was indistinct, more like a glowing fog than a person. Then, as it cleared the parchment, it took shape, and Luffa could recognize the vague outline.

"It can't be," Luffa said. "I mean, you're the only one left, but how can you be here?"

Despite Luffa's confusion, there was no mistaking the Divine Tokitoki Bird. He floated there with outstretched wings, and stared intently at Luffa.

"Well then, Luffa," the voice said. "Are you finally ready to fight?"

NEXT: One With Everything.

#dragon ball #fanfiction #lssjluffafic #luffa #dotz #kandai #zatte #dorlu prime #i gotta crosspost some chapters i already had up on ao3 #then we'll see if we can get the brand new stuff queued up #november's coming and i want this thing caught up nice and neat before i write more

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