Good evening! I have a quick note before starting this new chapter. Between this chapter and the last one (Chapter 13), a lot of time has passed. If you are very familiar with the Dragonball Z series, you should be able to figure out what is happening. For others that are not, it might be a little tricky to figure out what is going on, so you have been warned. The only reason I skipped so much is that I wanted to get back to the Piccolo and Elyon story and their interaction with each other 3 Now, this chapter begins right after Kid Buu destroys the Earth and Kibito Kai saves Goku, Vegeta and the others and transports them to the Sacred World of the Kais. I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 14: Finding Hope Again

Elyon stared down at the lush grass below her. She was holding herself as she stared intently at the ground. She wasn't on Earth anymore…she was somewhere else, but she didn't know where. She had escaped the explosion, the explosion that Buu created. She was heartbroken…heartbroken that the only place that felt like home to her was now gone, and all the friends she made were gone too. Even Piccolo was gone, which made her heart heavy. A mix of emotions were playing in her mind right now…confusion, sadness, uncertainty, anger, and of course, a sense of worthlessness. Vegeta's voice was ringing in her ears as he was yelling at Goku nearby.

"Idiot! You saved the Namek boy, that big oaf, and that stupid girl, instead of Piccolo and the boys! Are you out of your mind?"

Elyon resonated with that comment right now. She was stupid, horribly stupid to allow all of this to play out. If she wasn't so concerned about not revealing her true identity to everyone, then she may have been able to save them from Buu and they would all be alive and well right now. But what about the wrath of the King of the Fantasians, her father? If word of her victory against Buu reached her father's ears, he would find her and steal her back to Fantasia and she would never see Piccolo or her friends again. And if he was in a vengeful mood at that moment, they would all be good as dead anyway. Elyon remained pensive until the voice of Mr. Satan snapped her out.

"The Earth is gone you say? Who are you trying to fool…what do you think this is, huh?" He was pointing down at the ground and talking to a short purple man with pointed ears. His appearance was very old, and yet wise. "Put that in your timer, old man." The old man frowned at Mr. Satan.

"Please, you don't know who you're talking to," jumped in Dende. "That is not an ordinary old man…he's a Kai."

Elyon knew who the Kais were. In her universe, it had its own Supreme Kai. She had met him a long time ago, back when her father was more kind and gentle and allowed visitors to come to the kingdom.

"…No one in the universe has more authority than them," finished Dende. Mr. Satan didn't seem convinced.

"I have a question then. If these two are so great and powerful, why don't they stop Majin Buu?"

From nearby, Elyon could hear the Elder Kai say, "They saved this nut…my word."

Mr. Satan continued. "Hey, I know! This is all a dream. Just a silly old dream! Of course, of course…now it all makes sense. First of all, there isn't anyone stronger than me…the undisputed Champion of the World! Secondly, pink monsters like Buu don't exist and neither do purple people with pointy ears." Then, he turned to Dende. "And, there are no little green men that guard the world from evil." He looked up at the sky. "And how absurd is this! Look at all those moons!" He began running toward a cliff.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" yelled Dende.

"I'm gonna fly! It's my dream and I can do whatever I want." He stopped running as he reached the edge of the cliff. "Hey, Majin Buu! I don't care if this is a dream! No one hurts my daughter or the Earth, you got that pal?! I'm coming after you, you pink stink! Prepare to die!" Suddenly, Mr. Satan got a running start and jumped up into the air. He quickly began descending to the ground below and he landed with a crash. Elyon could hear him groaning in pain.

"How can someone be so stupid?" she said, under her breath. She didn't intend for anyone to hear her, but she heard Goku chuckle nervously.

"I agree," said the Elder Kai. "You can't pay for entertainment like this."

The group watched through the crystal ball as Buu began going from one world to the next, destroying them as he went.

"At this rate, he could destroy an entire solar system, in less than an hour. The universe will never be the same again," said Goku.

"Wait! I forgot…the Dragon Balls. The new ones on Namek. Frieza destroyed our old home world, but he couldn't destroy the Dragon Balls…not as long as they live in the hearts of my Namek brothers. I'm sure Elder Moori has made a new set by now." As Dende and Goku came up with a plan with Kibito Kai, Elyon stared into the ball. So there is a planet that has people just like Piccolo and Dende on it…if they know Piccolo, how would they feel meeting me? Would they accept me?

She looked up briefly to see Goku looking over at her. He seemed embarrassed. She seemed confused. Why was Goku looking at her, almost like he was guilty? She also noticed the Elder Kai looking at her and his eyes were wide. Goku began inching close to her until he was right beside Elyon. She knew Goku was up to something.

"So," he said, putting an arm around her and looking over at the Elder Kai, "we had a bargain. You help Gohan release his hidden power and you can kiss a beautiful girl." He gave Elyon's shoulder a pat. She then realized that Goku had played her into a bargain with a Kai. How dare he!

"You…what…" she said, backing up, completely furious inside. She wanted to beat the living daylights out of Goku!

"Well," he said sheepishly, "I figured it would be a small price to pay to save the Earth."

"Goku," she said, picking up the crystal ball, "if you haven't noticed, the Earth is gone! Buu blew it up! There is no price to pay!" She dropped the ball into Goku's arms.

"But, I promised…" said Goku meekly.

"But I didn't get a say in the matter," said Elyon angrily. "Why don't you let him kiss Chi-Chi?"

"Because you are much prettier than Chi-Chi is…it's a compliment."

Elyon's mouth hung open. What was going on here?!

"Well…I would much rather kiss Dende than that old man any day." Dende blushed and stared down at the ground, kicking his feet in the dirt.

"Wow…you must have a thing for Nameks, Ellie," said Goku innocently. "Is it the green skin and the pointed ears?"

That was it! Elyon's frustration had hit a point. She walked over to Goku and was about to punch him in the face. She could feel her energy spill out momentarily, making everyone take a step back. Thankfully, she noticed it in time and she stopped. Her head dropped. She was feeling mentally exhausted. She turned around and walked away toward a tree. She sat down, put her knees up, and laid her head on her knees, covering her face into her dress. She had to calm down and breathe before she did anything she would regret. Her heart felt heavy again…she missed Piccolo…so much.

"So, I'm guessing I won't get that kiss anytime soon?" said Elder Kai to Goku.

"Um…I guess not."

As the group continued to stare into the crystal ball to see what Buu was up to, Elyon remained under the tree, her head still buried into her dress. As she sat there, she began hearing someone saying her name.

Ellie…Ellie…

Elyon: What? Who's voice is that?

Ellie…Ellie…

Elyon: Wait…Piccolo…? Piccolo…is that you?

Piccolo: Yes, it's me.

Elyon: (softly as if she didn't want anyone to hear her) Where are you?

Piccolo: (chuckling softly) I guess where all people go when they die.

Elyon: (sadly) Oh, Piccolo…

Piccolo: Come now, it's alright. I'm just glad you are safe and sound.

Elyon: I'm sorry, Piccolo…I'm sorry I couldn't do more.

Piccolo: It's okay, Ellie. Everything is going to work out, you'll see.

Elyon: You seem so confident about it…why?

Piccolo: Because Goku is back. I have seen him do some amazing things and I'm sure he'll come up with an idea and make it work. Don't worry…you will see me soon.

Elyon: I hope so…I really miss you.

Piccolo: I miss you too. I hope you have another kiss for me when I come back (chuckling softly again).

Elyon: (smiling to herself) Of course…

Piccolo: I love you, Ellie.

Elyon: I love you, too, Piccolo.

As Elyon sat there, she could almost feel someone sit next to her and put two strong arms around her and give her a warm hug. The heaviness of her heart seemed to melt away, making it feel light and effortless again. She lifted her head up and of course, no one was nearby. She looked over in the distance and saw Goku and Vegeta facing Majin Buu. She stood up, fresh hope filling every part of her body. Even though impending doom was near, she walked over to Dende and put an arm around him and smiled, trying to radiate that hope into him as well.

Thanks, Piccolo.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you are looking forward to more of Piccolo and Elyon together, it is coming up soon! Thanks for reading! ~goldenbelle75