Goku's POV:
Something is wrong with my family.
I've been watching them change, one by one, over the past few weeks. First Mark, then Lelouch, and now Mikasa.
Each transformation was sudden, as if they'd gone to sleep as one person and woken up as someone else entirely.
The changes aren't obvious to outsiders. They still attend school, complete their assignments, participate in family activities. But I know them too well to miss the subtle shifts in their behavior.
Mark, once boisterous and carefree, now moves with a strange wariness, as if expecting an attack from any direction.
He flinches at sudden movements. His eyes track exits in any room we enter.
Lelouch, always analytical but previously warm with family, has developed a new intensity in his gaze.
His strategic mind seems to be working overtime, evaluating and calculating even during casual conversations.
He's started making cryptic comments about "second chances" and "living differently this time."
And Mikasa, who was always reserved and protective, has somehow become even more vigilant while simultaneously more... present.
She makes eye contact now when she never did before. Yesterday, she initiated physical contact, squeezing my hand briefly - a gesture so uncharacteristic it left me momentarily speechless.
I pull into the driveway of our modest Gotham townhouse, cutting the engine with a sigh.
My afternoon class at Gotham University had been canceled, giving me unexpected time to think about the changes in my siblings - my kids, really, since I legally adopted them when I turned eighteen.
The house is quiet when I enter, which is unusual. Normally at least one of them would be home by now. I check my phone again, rereading the group text I sent earlier.
Meeting with Professor Ashley ran late. Anyone need a ride home?
Three separate responses:
Staying late for chess club. Home by 6. - Lelouch
Training with Elena. Will walk home. - Mikasa
At the library. Don't wait up. - Mark
All perfectly reasonable activities, yet something about their synchronized absence feels deliberate. Are they avoiding me? Avoiding each other? Or am I being paranoid?
I drop my backpack on the kitchen counter and open the refrigerator, staring absently at its contents.
My scholarship at Gotham University covers tuition and provides a modest stipend, but feeding three teenagers and myself still stretches the budget.
I make a mental note to pick up extra shifts at the coffee shop this weekend.
As I reach for a bottle of water, a sudden, sharp pain lances through my skull. I wince, nearly dropping the bottle. The pain intensifies rapidly, a pressure building behind my eyes until my vision blurs.
I stumble to the kitchen table, gripping the edge for support. This isn't a normal headache. It feels like something is trying to claw its way out from inside my brain.
"What the-" I begin, but the words die in my throat as the pain crescendos to an unbearable peak.
And then, like a dam breaking, memories flood my consciousness.
A small house in the mountains. An old man who called me "grandson." Training. Always training.
Adventures across a world of martial arts masters, demons, and aliens. Friends who became family. Enemies who became friends.
Power. Incredible power flowing through my veins. The thrill of battle. The joy of pushing limits. Super Saiyan. God. Blue.
Death. Multiple deaths. Always returning.
And then... something different. A shift in perspective. A new body. Green skin. White hair. Divine energy.
Zamasu. I was Zamasu. Supreme Kai apprentice. Disgusted by mortals. By their violence. Their pettiness. Their waste.
Meeting Son Goku. Being defeated by him. Stealing his body. Becoming Goku Black.
The Zero Mortals Plan. Slaughtering entire civilizations in the name of divine justice. Merging with my other self. Fighting Vegito. Being almost erased by Zeno.
But before that... another life. My first life. Samael. Normal. Human. A fan of anime and comics. Dragon Ball. Attack on Titan. Code Geass. Invincible. DC Comics.
I crash to the kitchen floor, my legs giving out as three distinct lifetimes simultaneously occupy my mind.
The pain is excruciating, not just physically but existentially. The cognitive dissonance of being Samael, Son Goku (since apparently I did gain his memories after stealing his body), and Zamasu all at once threatens to tear my psyche apart.
"I am..." I gasp, unable to complete the sentence. Who am I? Which identity is real? Which memories are true?
I curl into a fetal position on the cold tile floor, clutching my head as the memories continue to pour in, each set more vivid and detailed than should be possible.
I remember training with Master Roshi. I remember studying under Gowasu. I remember binging anime series in my bedroom.
All real. All me.
Gradually, the initial shock subsides, allowing my mind to begin organizing the chaotic influx of information.
I focus on breathing, using meditation techniques I learned as both Goku and Zamasu to center myself.
Slowly, carefully, I push myself to a sitting position, back against the kitchen cabinets. The physical pain has receded, but the existential vertigo remains.
Three lives. Three distinct identities. All now residing in one consciousness.
I look down at my hands - young, human (are they still human?) hands, not the green skin of a Kai nor the battle-hardened hands of a Saiyan.
Yet I can feel it now, humming beneath the surface: ki. Divine ki, specifically. The power that made Zamasu immortal, that fueled Goku Black's transformations.
With a thought, I summon a small ball of energy to my palm. It glows with a familiar rose-hued light, illuminating the kitchen with its divine radiance.
The power feels natural, effortless, as if it had never left me.
I extinguish the energy and close my eyes, extending my senses outward.
The ki signatures of Gotham's millions of residents wash over me like a tide - ordinary humans, mostly, with a few notable exceptions.
Somewhere in the distance, I sense lifeforce levels that could only belong to metahumans or aliens.
But more importantly, I can now sense what I couldn't before: the unique energy signatures of Mark, Lelouch, and Mikasa.
They're different from ordinary humans in subtle ways that my previous human senses couldn't detect.
Mark's energy has a strange duality to it - mostly human, but with an alien undercurrent that seems dormant yet potent.
Viltrumite energy, I realize, remembering the anime I watched in my first life. His powers haven't manifested yet, but they will soon.
Lelouch's energy is purely human in origin but unusually focused and sharp, like a laser compared to the diffuse light of most human souls.
And there's something else - a faint echo of a power that doesn't belong to this world. Geass, perhaps.
Mikasa's signature is the most fascinating - human, but with a distinct pattern that speaks of genetic optimization.
The Ackerman bloodline, engineered for combat and protection. Even without the superhuman physical abilities she possessed in her world, her soul still carries that template.
I open my eyes, a new understanding dawning. "They remember too," I whisper to the empty kitchen. "They all remember their past lives."
The coincidence is too great to be random chance. Somehow, the four of us - characters from different fictional universes in my first life as Samael - have been reincarnated together in the DC universe, another fictional world from that perspective.
I stand up, my legs steady now, and move to the window. Gotham sprawls before me, its Gothic architecture silhouetted against the setting sun.
This world is real now, as real as the Dragon Ball universe was to Zamasu, as real as Earth was to Samael.
And it's dangerous. Perhaps one of the most dangerous fictional universes that existed in my first life's media.
Aliens, so called gods, interdimensional beings, cosmic threats - all exist here. And my family, my kids, are part of it.
A strange calm settles over me as I process this realization.
As Zamasu, I had the power to destroy universes but was consumed by a misguided sense of justice and divine superiority.
As Goku, I had incredible strength but often lacked the wisdom to use it responsibly.
As Samael, I had knowledge but no power to affect change.
Now, I have all three: power, wisdom, and knowledge.
I close my eyes again, this time looking inward. The divine ki flows through me, responding to my will.
With barely a thought, I transform, my hair rising and shifting to a vibrant rose pink light, a divine aura enveloping my body.
Super Saiyan Rosé, the transformation unique to Goku Black due to his divine ki inhabiting a Saiyan body.
The power feels right, natural. But the mindset that accompanied it in my previous life - the arrogance, the contempt for mortals, the self-righteous fury - is absent.
Instead, I feel a profound sense of responsibility.
I power down quickly, ensuring no energy signature would be detectable to any sensitive beings in this universe.
The last thing I need is to draw the attention of this world's self-proclaimed gods or heroes before I'm ready.
As the transformation fades, I consider the philosophical implications of my situation.
As Zamasu, I had believed myself a true god - perfect, infallible, the arbiter of justice for all creation. I had looked down on mortals as inherently flawed, unworthy of the gift of existence.
What arrogance. What delusion.
I was defeated. I made mistakes. I died. No true god would be so limited, so fallible. My divine ki may grant me immortality and tremendous power, but it doesn't make me infallible or omnipotent.
The logical conclusion is inescapable: I am not, and never was, a true god in the absolute sense.
I was simply a being with supreme power who failed to use it wisely.
The Samael I once was would be embarrassed by Zamasu's illogical thinking, his inability to see the contradiction in claiming divine perfection while demonstrating very mortal flaws.
If my first self could have confronted my second, he would have torn apart Zamasu's philosophy with simple logical arguments -
and if he had possessed the power, he might well have destroyed Zamasu for the atrocities committed in the name of "divine justice."
I move to the living room and sit on the couch, continuing to process my new reality. The memories of three lives integrate more smoothly now, the initial shock fading.
I am all three, I am the soul who experienced all three lives, and now am living my fourth life.
My phone buzzes with a text from Lelouch: Heading home now. Need anything?
Such a mundane message, yet it grounds me. Reminds me of what matters in this new existence.
We're good. See you soon, I reply.
I set the phone down and lean back, considering my next steps. My priorities are clear: protect my family, help them navigate their own remembered lives, and prepare for the dangers this world will inevitably throw at us.
Mark's Viltrumite powers will emerge soon - I can sense the energy building within him. When they do, he'll need guidance to control abilities far beyond human limits.
Lelouch has geass and possesses a strategic mind that could rival Batman's with the right training.
And Mikasa, already a formidable fighter, could become truly exceptional with access to the training methods I learned as Goku.
But there's another concern: mortality. As a being with divine ki, I am effectively immortal - my body will remain in its prime indefinitely, immune to disease and aging.
But Mark, Lelouch, and Mikasa are human in this world (or mostly human, in Mark's case).
Mark's Viltrumite heritage should grant him a lifespan of thousands of years once his powers activate. But Lelouch and Mikasa would age and die within decades without intervention.
The thought sends a chill through me. I've lost people before - as Goku and as Zamasu. But the idea of watching Lelouch and Mikasa grow old and die while I remain unchanged is unacceptable.
There must be a solution in this universe of gods and magic. The Lazarus Pit? Too unpredictable, with dangerous side effects. Apokoliptian technology? Too risky. New Genesis? Perhaps, but difficult to access.
I'll need to research, to plan. This world has many dangers, but also many possibilities. For now, though, my immediate concern is helping my family adjust to their remembered lives.
The front door opens, and Lelouch enters, his school bag slung over one shoulder. He pauses when he sees me sitting in the dim living room.
"Goku?" he says, his voice cautious. "Everything alright?"
I look at him - really look at him - with my newly awakened senses.
His ki signature confirms what I already suspected: he remembers his past life as Lelouch vi Britannia, the revolutionary who conquered the world to change it.
"Just thinking," I reply, keeping my tone casual. "How was chess club?"
"Predictable," he says with a small shrug. "No one there presents much of a challenge."
I smile slightly. Of course not. Lelouch was a master strategist who outmaneuvered entire nations. High school chess players wouldn't stand a chance.
"Mark and Mikasa will be home soon?" I ask.
Lelouch nods, setting his bag down. "Mikasa texted me. She's picking up Mark from the library."
There's a new awareness in his eyes as he studies me, a calculated assessment that wasn't there before his memories returned.
He's trying to determine if I've changed too, if I remember as they do.
I decide to give him a hint without being explicit - the strange compulsion that prevents direct discussion of our past lives seems to affect all of us.
"It's interesting how people can change overnight," I say casually. "One day you think you know someone, and the next, it's like they've lived an entire different life."
Lelouch's eyes widen fractionally, the only indication that my words have hit their mark. "Yes," he agrees after a moment. "People contain multitudes, as they say."
Our conversation is interrupted by the arrival of Mark and Mikasa. They enter together, both carrying the same hyperawareness that Lelouch now displays.
All three move differently than they did before - more precisely, more efficiently, with the muscle memory of their past lives influencing their current bodies.
"Hey," Mark says, his eyes darting between Lelouch and me. "Sorry I'm late. Got caught up in research."
"No problem," I reply. "I was thinking we could order pizza tonight. I don't feel like cooking."
The normalcy of the suggestion seems to relax them slightly.
We go through the familiar routine of debating toppings and placing the order, but there's a new undercurrent to our interactions - a shared secret that none of us can directly acknowledge.
As we eat dinner, I observe them more carefully with my enhanced senses. All three are hypervigilant, watching each other and me for signs of change.
They've each adapted to their remembered lives in different ways: Mark with wary defensiveness, Lelouch with calculated observation, Mikasa with protective readiness.
They're still adjusting, still reconciling their dual identities. But they're handling it remarkably well, all things considered.
Later, after they've gone to bed, I stand on the small balcony outside my bedroom, looking up at the stars.
The constellations are familiar from my life as Samael, alien from my perspective as Zamasu. I extend my senses upward, feeling the ki signatures of the various extraterrestrial beings in Earth's vicinity.
Some are benevolent, others decidedly not.
This world needs protectors. It has them in the Justice League and others, but the threats it faces are numerous and devastating.
With my power, I could be one of those protectors - perhaps one of the most powerful.
But my first priority is my family.
Mark, Lelouch, and Mikasa need me not as a world-saving hero, but as the brother and guardian who has looked after them since our days in the orphanage.
They need stability as they adjust to their dual identities.
I form a small ball of divine ki in my palm, watching it pulse with rose-colored light.
The power that once fueled my campaign of genocide across universes now feels like a tool - neither inherently good nor evil, but defined by how I choose to use it.
As Zamasu, I believed mortals were inherently corrupt and unworthy of existence. As Goku, I believed in the potential for goodness in everyone, even former enemies.
As Samael, I understood the complexity of human nature through stories and observation.
Now, with the wisdom of three lives, I see more clearly than ever: power without compassion is tyranny. Justice without mercy is cruelty. Pride without humility is merely arrogance.
I extinguish the energy ball and look back toward the bedrooms where my family sleeps.
Whatever comes next - whether it's helping Mark control his emerging Viltrumite powers, guiding Lelouch's strategic mind toward constructive ends, training Mikasa to reach her full potential,
or finding a way to grant them the immortality they would need to stay with me through the centuries - I will face it with the strength of Goku, the intellect of Zamasu, and the heart of Samael.
I am Goku, adoptive brother and guardian to three reincarnated souls from worlds that existed only in fiction in my first life.
I possess the power of a many believe a god but the wisdom to know I am not one. I have lived three lives and died multiple deaths.
And now, in this new existence, I have something worth protecting, worth living for.
Not abstract ideals of justice or the thrill of battle or the pursuit of knowledge, but something far more precious: a family.
People who depend on me, who care for me, who make this strange new reality feel like home.
Whatever challenges this dangerous universe throws at us, we will face them together. And with the power that flows through me - power I once misused so terribly - I will ensure that no harm comes to those I love.
The stars shine coldly above Gotham, indifferent to the dramas playing out beneath them. But I am not indifferent. I am awake, aware, and ready.
Let the world bring its worst. This time, I will be its protector, not its destroyer.
This time, I will get it right.
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(Author note: So... I threw a little twist in there. In this case Zamasu possessing Goku's body gave him Goku's memories too, his life experience,
but rather than experiencing it, it was sealed in the body, but with the power of the body now becoming that of the soul, it flooded through so he is Goku as well in a way.
Also, he won't be a superhero in the conventional sense like Superman, but he will protect the world when necessary since he lives there and has empathy and a desire to redeem his sins.
So yeah, do tell me how you found it and I hope to see you all later,
Bye!)