#poor Goku ended up with like 4x the wait

[cloudedblades]

Switcheroo

Two thousand years ago, an extra-terrestrial alien life form arrived on the planet of Gaia, and began systematically slaughtering the native Cetra. This being, later known as Jenova, proved to be nearly unstoppable, driving the Cetra race to near-extinction. in the end, a handful of Cetra pressed into the Northern crater and sealed Jenova within, though nearly all of them died. Among them were Son Goku, a child with strange power; and Konzen, Goku’s guardian. Goku was the only survivor.

For nearly all of those next two thousand years, Goku wandered Gaia alone, watching as the last remaining Cetra devolved into ordinary humans. In that time, Goku never aged; but his power with the Lifestream slowly grew stronger.  eventually, he found that Konzen and his other companions had never truly passed away - their minds remained in the Lifestream, memories shattered, yet held together by their desire to protect him. 

Slowly, gradually, Goku found that he was able to manipulate the Lifestream into giving his friends new life while still keeping the core of their minds intact. Though he couldn’t retain all of their past selves, he was able to keep far more of each intact than the natural process of rebirth would have allowed. Kenzon was the first to be reborn, though know he was known as Genjo, and was born a human, rather than a Cetra. He took the ancient title of Sanzo, but he seemed to have little truth faith - his old ideals were warped and chipped away by the realities of life among humans, especially in Midgar.

In time all of the friends were reunited and reborn. But it wasn’t long at all before Son Goku learned of an old threat: Jenova had returned. Only his newly-reborn friends, the same guardians who had sealed her away so long ago, could hope to stop her again.

… Or so they thought.