And the story goes on!

"I've got a plan."

Those were words that Kibito Kai feared coming from the mouth of the blue Kai, especially when he was looking at him so mischievously. Whatever this plan was, he was almost positive that he fit into it somehow. And he didn't like the idea of being one of North Kai's pawns, especially when it was in a game with rules he obviously didn't understand. In all of his life, he had never been beaten down by an inferior Kai, but it seemed as if all of the natural laws had been bent in favor of the blue Kai all in one day.

Kibito Kai crossed his arms, prepared to point out obvious flaws in whatever North Kai was about to propose. Elder Kai looked up temporarily, still trying to awaken the maid. Gregory sat, interested, on Bubbles' shoulder, complaining to himself about how he never got to come up with ideas, while the monkey absentmindedly scratched his rear end. King Kai exhaled deeply before explaining, "Well, I suppose it's time to confess something to you two: Chi- Chi remarried a few years ago, not long after Goku left to train with Uub." The younger purple Kai looked up, vaguely interested. If the blue Kai wasn't just making this up, it did make for a rather intriguing subject to talk about.

"So Goku's not married to Chi-Chi?" Elder Kai clarified, stroking his chin while leaning back against the mowed grass. As King Kai shook his head to affirm his question, Elder Kai continued, "But why is he going to talk to her now? To harrass her?"

"No, but I don't have time to explain all of the details. So listen up!" This last command drew the attention of everybody further, instilling a silence amongst the planet's inhabitants. They all waited for him to speak, and when he did speak, he spoke quickly and with purpose. "Piccolo doesn't want Goku to talk to Chi-Chi for reasons even I'm not completely sure about, but I just managed to distract him. He's heading back to Kami's Lookout, which should give Goku ample time to work things out with Chi-Chi. In the meantime, however, we have to think of something to keep Piccolo busy. If nobody else has any ideas, I'll tell you mine."

As nobody offered any suggestions, King Kai plowed on, "I'm not sure how my plan of distraction is going to work, but we'll see. Kibito Kai, I need you to meet him at Kami's Lookout. I'd go myself, but for some reason, Piccolo doesn't respect me as much as he does you." Then, under his breath, he added, "He must not be a very good judge of character, as I'm the most respectable Kai here, but oh well..." He raised his voice, ignoring a peeved Kibito Kai to explain further, "You'll talk to him about how great you are, yadda yadda, and all of that other stuff you always bring up to every big Kai meeting held each millennium. Just keep blabbering, and if we need a bigger distraction, I'll think something up. But you got it?"

Kibito Kai scowled, puffing his chest up and saying, "I'm not doing it! It's a stupid plan, and I doubt it'll work. I'm sure that I can think of something better."

He hadn't noticed Elder Kai stand up behind him, slapping the younger purple Kai across the back of the head. "Don't be such a party pooper!" he chastised, Kibito Kai cowering in pain. "Just follow the plan; it could be worse."

"But, Elder, he's a lower Kai... I shouldn't have to listen to him..."

Elder Kai waved off Kibito Kai's protests, saying, "I don't care. Right now, it's the only plan we've got to thank Goku, for which I must do for this little favor he's done for me." He smiled dreamily, staring at the fainted maid. Then, snapping out of his thoughts, he said impatiently, "And right now, you're keeping me from trying to wake up the sleeping beauty! So go to Earth and distract the Namekian! It's a lot more normal seeing you on the planet than the rest of us, especially seeing as we're both dead! So if you don't want to end up with a halo over your head, too, I'd suggest you get a move on!"

Kibito Kai's shoulder sagged as he argued, sounding like a small child, "Elder, I really don't..."

"Don't disobey my orders!"

"But..."

"I will take none of that!"

Kibito Kai only sighed, sending a last glare towards the snickering blue Kai before transporting out of sight.

Samuel Kahn began choking on a strain of saliva dribbling down his throat in his sleep, but he was too exhausted from his medicine to be able to sit up. After a few spasms of coughing, however, he finally mustered the strength to bend his upper body off of the bed and turn the bedside lamp on. Then, with his mouth hidden in his night sleeve, he reached forward to grab a glass of water off of a tiny table carrying an array of books. He swung his head back and gulped the rest of the water down, exhausted from this action. It seemed as though the drugs had been taking a heavier effect upon him than they used to, as he found it to be even harder to do small tasks such as these.

It was then, as he was sitting up, that he noticed Chi-Chi wasn't lying in bed next to him. He frowned, turning his fragile head towards the clock. It was nearly eight o'clock, which meant that she might have still been doing dishes. He hadn't been asleep for very long, so he considered falling back asleep, but he heard something to make him jump.

He heard the final gunshot.

His mouth was cracked, slightly ajar and crooked, as he listened to the noise. He wasn't sure if his medication was simply making him imagine sounds, but he then heard a loud cracking of flesh on flesh, making him wince. He knew that would be a sore spot in the morning for whoever was getting beat up. He blinked and heard an unfamiliar man's voice, and then a very familiar woman shrieking death threats. He smiled, certain that she could defend herself, especially as he noted that rifle being gone from her bedside. Yes, and if that failed, she had years of martial arts to fall back on, but he was certain that whoever it was wouldn't be able to get past her dangerous shooting. It must have been somebody intimidating, however, if Chi-Chi really pulled a gun out on them. She had always threatened using it on the maids who broke her china, but she had never actually used the rifle, except for against rodents infesting the house.

Yes, this certainly was very strange, but Samuel couldn't find the strength or will to pull himself out of bed. Not even as he heard more of that man's chuckling and more of Chi-Chi's fruitless screams. But when he thought about it, he knew that they weren't a good combination of sounds. It didn't sound as if the rifle shots had done much to subdue Chi-Chi's victim, unfortunately. He felt too light-headed to be bothered, however. If there was any real trouble, he was certain one of the maids would get him.

He knew that Chi-Chi was a woman that could handle herself, which had been one of the many reasons he loved her. So with these doubts cleared from his mind, Samuel rolled to his side, falling asleep again.

Goku averted his eyes from Chi-Chi's face. He had listened to her, but she was giving him a puzzled expression, as if he had done something wrong by letting her drop to the floor. He supposed that he could have set her down gently, but it had been a spur-of-the-moment action. There had been no time to think; the moment she reminded him that he wasn't her husband, he had to release her. The slight teasing that had always been between them ceased immediately. Holding her in his arms like he had would have been as bad as holding Bulma in such a way, only worse. Bulma was family. With Chi-Chi, he wasn't sure if he was still considered a part of her family.

He clenched his fists together, his forehead furrowing in thought. This was more awkward than he had anticipated this meeting being, though he supposed there would be some uneasiness between the two of them. He had grown up from his carefree childhood, realizing that matters weren't so easily settled amongst adults. If only Chi-Chi would stop gazing up at him in such a surprised way, perhaps he wouldn't feel as uncomfortable. But she had her lips slightly apart in awe, her color flushed from its reddish hue. He had done something to offend her, and he wasn't sure what. All he had done was follow her orders.

Chi-Chi was shocked. Goku had followed her orders for once in his life. He was now standing above her, looking quite helpless, as if waiting for her next command. Chi-Chi could only shake her head, continuing to stare at the Saiyan. He was a different man when he wasn't her husband. The familiar twinkle in his black eyes had dulled, and his face had fallen, realizing that she was with another man. She had lost her anger all at once, the feeling replaced by regret. She wished she hadn't come down on Goku so hard; he hadn't even remembered that she was remarried.

He had lost that playfulness that she had always associated with the man since their childhood together, when she used to dream of marrying him. He was keeping distant, and she knew that conflicting feelings were battling inside of his heart. She had fought that same battle earlier that night. All she could do was watch the Saiyan, her eyes drifting from him and back down to her hands. Without looking up at Goku, she muttered, "We need to talk." But Goku didn't reply, instead crossing his arms and examining a piece of artwork on the wall, as if intrigued by it. But Chi-Chi, after living with him for so long, knew that he was only thinking, even if it was in several, individual, short thought processes. He did this seldomly, but when he did, Chi-Chi knew that the man did have ideas. She decided not to interrupt him, as doing so might make him forget something important, so she waited on the floor patiently.

Finally, he turned towards the his old wife, his face showing stress as he said, "Come with me, Chi-Chi. Just one last night. I need to talk to you."

"Goku..." Chi-Chi protested, blushing. Of all of the things he could have said, she hadn't expected him to make an offer like that. She placed a hand to her reddening cheek, finding the thought hard to resist, but she knew she was married. She was married...

"Not to Mt. Paozu," Goku explained further, alleviating her qualms. She glanced back up at the Saiyan, who was now holding his hand out for her to take. "I think we should have a family conference. I haven't gotten to see my sons for eight years, and I think it's fair to tell them what's happening."

Chi-Chi's face fell, hoping that she would have a chance to talk to Goku alone. But that wasn't how the Saiyan worked, and it never had been. If he made a decision, he wanted the whole world to know. So she agreed with a murmur, adding, "I think they will want to see you, Goku. I think that's fair to everybody."

Goku nodded, silent and waiting. Once she grabbed his hand reluctantly, he pulled her to her feet. Then, with a spontaneity she hadn't expected, he threw her into the air and caught her in his arms. He smirked slightly as she noticed finally a small cluster of gathering maids at the top of the stairs, watching the pair of them curiously. She was speechless by his holding her, if not just for one more night, so Goku told them, his tone lightening a little, "We won't be gone long, so don't wake her husband."

He placed his fingers on his forehead and disappeared, a hiccup of fear from Chi-Chi the last sound the two of them left. The maids all blinked, in awe at what just happened. Then, one-by-one, they all began giggling, whispering the next batch of rumors for the men coming to work the next day. They thought that Chi-Chi knew what she was getting into, but she didn't. Only Goku was sure of what they were doing, and he knew that he was set on only one thing: he was going to get his wife back.