"Over?" Krillin asked, looking to Master Roshi. "What does he mean 'it's over'?"

With a few ideas forming in his mind, Roshi furrowed his brows. Either Vegeta was defeated, or Frieza. Or maybe what King Kai meant was that it was over for the rest of the universe. Still, Roshi was trying to err on the optimistic side, so he disregarded that last thought and instead focused on who came out of that fight as the victor. When he really thought about it, he wasn't sure he wanted to know. With Goku dead, there was no telling what the winner had in store for the universe.

"I mean," King Kai paused, then burst out with a jubilant exclamation, "the fight's over!"

"Wait." Master Roshi said, ending King Kai's brief celebration. "Who won?"

"Is Frieza dead?" Krillin asked.

"Or Vegeta?" Chiaotzu added.

Master Roshi grunted as a scowl crossed his face. "I'm afraid the Earth won't be safe from either of them."

"Well," King Kai removed his glasses, wiping them clean with his robes, "it just so happens that Frieza's dead, so it's Vegeta your planet has to fear now."

Chiaotzu gasped. "Is Frieza really dead?"

"That's hard to believe." Krillin knit his brows and crossed his arms. "The guy was powerful enough to kill Goku. You're telling me Vegeta really killed him?"

"Yes, Krillin." King Kai said. "Frieza is definitely dead."

"I never thought I'd see the day. And of all places you could end up, you're here at my check-in station." Queen Ennu smiled down at the soul most recently landed at her desk. "Do you have anything to say for yourself before your judgement, Lord Frieza?"

The halo-adorned tyrant gaped, blinking as he took in his surroundings, including the trail of fluffy clouds of souls lined up behind him, before setting his gaze on the smug woman behind the desk.

Frieza wrinkled his nose as he peered at Ennu. "Wh-what happened? What am I doing here? Where's Vegeta?!"

Before Ennu could answer, a bout of boyish laughter drew Frieza's attention to the figure hovering above and to the right of Ennu's desk, who hadn't been there a second ago.

"He really did it!" Goku laughed again as he lowered his fingers from his forehead and marveled at Frieza's presence. "Wow! Way to go, Vegeta!"

"Goku?!" Frieza growled through his teeth as he clenched his fists and glared at the mocking, hovering Saiyan. "You're supposed to be dead!"

Goku placed his hands on his hips and tossed his head back, laughing again. "I am, Frieza!"

Frieza paused in the midst of his motion, as he had already raised his palm in preparation to blast at Goku. Watching Frieza hesitate with his brows furrowed in realization, Ennu tittered in laughter herself. She couldn't resist. She never found amusement in souls realizing the reality of their deaths before, but this was a special case. She'd been long waiting for the invincible Lord Frieza to perish.

"Lord Frieza," Ennu addressed him once she decided he'd come to the appropriate realization, "it is time for your judgement. I don't think I need to bother with the unnecessary details of why you're going to hell, so I'll just send you straight down."

While Ennu raised a finger in the air and then pressed it on a button at her desk, an organized team of deceased warriors from various races, but in matching uniform responded, strategically surrounding the murdered tyrant.

Goku gawked at the raucous display, while Ennu crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair with a confident smile. Frieza raised a brow as he glanced over his shoulder at part of the team, then to the other side, an amused smile briefly crossing his face before he turned a furious glare on Goku.

"Now don't be difficult, Lord Frieza." Ennu continued grinning, even with the murderous intent she felt emanating from Frieza. "If you don't cooperate, it'll only make matters worse for you when you receive your punishment."

Ignoring Ennu's warning, Frieza growled at Goku. "You worthless Saiyans are nothing! NOTHING! I can't be killed by the likes of you!"

"Uh…" Goku blinked at Frieza, before rubbing the back of his head while meaningfully examining their ethereal surroundings.

Ennu leaned forward, narrowing her eyes at Frieza as she tapped a finger on her desk to signal her men. Someone was in denial. They would have to be ready to act fast with this one. She would even probably have to get involved herself, though she preferred not to. Then again, there was always an easier way.

Sending her commander of the warriors a wink, Ennu raised a finger in the air and drew a small, discrete circle. At the same time that she gathered her unique power, Frieza gathered power between his palms and raised his hands over his head, his intent directed towards a gawking Goku.

"Disappear, monke-!" Frieza froze, his body jolting forward as he attempted to launch the blast, but aside from his pupils darting side to side, all of his movements had ceased. The light of his attack disappeared as the ki between his palms dwindled into nothing. Like a statue, Frieza stood, while the warriors moved in to escort his paralyzed body from Ennu's office.

Garbled protests flew from Frieza's frozen lips as he was lifted and carried out like an inanimate object. Goku's posture slumped as he watched the scene unfolding before him in utter disbelief. Ennu gave an approving nod to her men, smiling at the last green-skinned soldier as his eyes met hers and he gave a courteous bow on his way out.

Goku gasped and looked at Ennu with wide eyes. "That was great! How'd you send Frieza to hell so easily, Ennu? Can you teach me that technique?"

Ennu stopped smiling, narrowing her eyes as she cast a sideways glance at the hovering Saiyan who'd returned to her office. "What are you doing back here? Aren't you supposed to be in hell already?"

"M-me?" Goku's eyes widened in realization before he slowly drifted away from Ennu's desk with a nervous chuckle. "No, you never wanted me down there. I'm exactly where you wanted me to be."

Ennu turned to face Goku, narrowing her eyes further with irritation at his lingering presence. She would assume any reasonable man would use that technique of his and get out of there before it was too late, but Goku didn't seem to be catching on. She couldn't just let him go if he was going to stay there, though. She had a reputation to uphold, and servants and a long line of souls witnessing her actions. She would have to go through with sending him to join Frieza.

Seeing the determined look in Ennu's eyes, Goku yelped and waved his hands defensively. "Actually, I'd better get back! See ya, Ennu!"

When Goku finally disappeared, Ennu rolled her eyes. She cradled her head in her hand, rubbing the tension away, which was quickly dissipating after the two latest disappearances from her office. She would admit to herself, and only herself, that she was scared for a minute there. Being handed the task of sending Lord Frieza to hell could have been a monumental challenge. She hadn't foreseen the additional provocation of a Saiyan presence appearing before her desk. But it had gone smoothly enough. No one was killed a second time. And Frieza would get an eternity of the torment he delivered to others rightfully served back to him. Ennu could check off another smooth judgement, even if she was allowing one unusual Saiyan to slip through the cracks.

Hovering over the massive crater that had formed from his devastating blast, Vegeta closed his eyes and raised his chin, taking a deep breath of satisfaction. He could smell it in the air. That vile stench of Frieza was gone. All that was left behind were the sweet smells of destruction- blood, dirt, the burning of plant life, and charred asphalt.

Vegeta cracked a smile, slowly baring his teeth to the vacant planet below as he spread his arms and stretched towards the sky. "Frieza is dead!" Tossing his head back and holding his stomach, Vegeta laughed, "I destroyed that lizard scum. Finally."

Vegeta slowly descended towards the ground with a smile on his face. It felt so good to finally be rid of not only Frieza, but also Kakarot. Those two had challenged him, mocked his pride, and somehow managed to stay ahead of him in power all along. But not now. Not after this fight. The end of their existences marked the beginning of Vegeta's era as ruler of the universe. His vision was finally becoming reality. As a Super Saiyan, his power was far beyond anyone else's. He was number one now.

If he was going to rule the universe, he had to decide where to begin. This deserted planet had turned into a barren wasteland from that fight, as was made evident by the crumbling buildings surrounding him and smoke-filled dark sky. The first thing he would do would be to leave and assemble his underlings. It was too bad Planet Vegeta and all its warriors were gone. He couldn't tolerate another Zarbon or Dodoria. And yet…there was one Saiyan still. Out there in the universe, though his blood wasn't pure, he was the only surviving Saiyan aside from Vegeta. Kakarot's half-Earthling child was Vegeta's best choice to serve as his right hand man.

But then, Vegeta realized returning to Earth could be troublesome. On that planet, they had Dragonballs, which the Earthlings more than likely had gathered again since the Saiyans left. Who knew what kind of wishes the Earthlings might think up to try and stop him if they knew his intentions. Vegeta would have to approach this carefully. Still, there was no doubt in his mind. As Vegeta smirked decisively, he flew for his landing site, intent on boarding his space pod and returning to Earth.

The repetitive clicks of Bulma tapping the scouter and the scouter's responsive beeping that always followed filled the quiet kitchen of Capsule Corporation. While Bulma was sitting at the kitchen table, scribbling notes over whatever she was hearing, Chi-Chi was keeping busy making dinner for the hard-working fighters tearing up Capsule Corporation's yard with their training.

Chi-Chi stirred the pot of steaming meats and vegetables as Mrs. Brief began humming beside her and stirring the batter of the sweet dessert she was making to complement Chi-Chi's meal.

As a loud crash sounded from outside, Mrs. Brief tilted her head and hummed. "Those men are working so hard out there. I think they deserve a yummy treat after all that work. Chi-Chi, does Gohan like vanilla frosting or chocolate?"

Hardly hearing Mrs. Brief's question, Chi-Chi frowned into the deliciously scented meal cooking in front of her. She could be at home, cooking this solely for herself and Gohan, perhaps even her dad, but she knew that would never happen as she wished. Their meal would be intruded upon by Dodoria or Piccolo, or both. Besides, as long as Chi-Chi knew Gohan was going to be involved in all of this, she didn't want to leave his side or Capsule Corporation.

She wanted to be one of the first to know when news came. Already, she had an emergency bag packed for Gohan in case the plans changed and he needed to leave the Earth for his safety - with his mother, of course. She also had her dad on alert to be ready to collect the bag from their home on Mt. Paozu at a moment's notice. And she'd made it crystal clear to Bulma that she was to be the first to be informed as soon as Bulma knew who was coming to Earth or when to expect their arrival.

Thinking along those lines as she replaced the lid on the steaming hot pot, Chi-Chi turned towards the kitchen table. "Anything yet, Bulma?"

Bulma hummed pensively as Chi-Chi skirted around the long counter between them to get a better look at her. When Bulma came into view, Chi-Chi noted that her face was scrunched in concentration and her hand was working fervently with the pen.

"Maybe. I think so."

Chi-Chi gasped and clasped her hands together. "Really?"

She was more than surprised to hear that promising response from Bulma. For days, all Bulma was getting out of that stupid device were cryptic messages and one-worded communications. It was a far cry from being prepared, and it was putting Chi-Chi on edge.

"I just have to piece together these last few messages, but I think I've got something. They definitely mentioned Vegeta."

"Vegeta?"

"Oh!" Mrs. Brief gushed with a smile over her shoulder. "That's the Saiyan! Right, Bulma?"

Bulma sighed before returning to her work. "Yes, Mom. Do you think you can get Dad in here? I might decipher this faster with his help."

"Sure, sweetheart. Should I offer the boys some lemonade before I get him?"

"If I can get this message across to them," Bulma removed the scouter from her face to get a clearer view of her writings, "they'll be much more interested in hearing this news than drinking lemonade."

"All right! I'll get your father, then."

As Mrs. Brief shuffled out of the kitchen, Chi-Chi approached the table, sliding into the empty chair beside Bulma and glancing over her shoulder at the scribbles of odd symbols and random words. Unfortunately, as she studied the page with curious fascination, she couldn't make heads or tails of it, but she'd figured it was worth a glance.

"Bulma!" Dr. Brief's voice alarmed both Bulma and Chi-Chi to look up from the page. "You have something?"

"Take a look at this." Bulma said with a nod, angling the paper towards her father and out of Chi-Chi's line of sight. "I heard this yesterday, and this early this morning, and just now this one. I think they're all related."

As Dr. Brief nodded at everything Bulma was pointing at and stroked his mustache with a pensive grimace, Bulma slammed her fist on the table. "I just wish we weren't getting all these messages so garbled or we'd know what's going on already!"

"What is going on, Bulma?" Chi-Chi asked, standing from her chair to look Bulma and Dr. Brief in the eyes. "You two better find out fast! It's bad enough I'm already a widow, but now my little boy's in danger!"

"We're all in danger, Chi-Chi."

Chi-Chi glared at Bulma and crossed her arms. "No one is in as much danger as Gohan!"

"Look!" Dr. Brief's finger struck at one of the odd symbols on the page. "Isn't that the same symbol from the message you received a few days ago about Frieza?"

"It is," Bulma groaned, "but without knowing what that symbol means, I have no ide-"

"Hey, guys!" Everyone snapped their heads towards the door as Yamcha paraded inside with a big smile on his face.

Puar came flying out of the spare bedroom. "Yamcha!"

Yamcha smiled at Puar before turning a curious look towards the kitchen. "What's happening in here?"

As Gohan filed in behind Yamcha, looking dirty, sweaty and tired, but otherwise fine, Chi-Chi sighed in relief. "Bulma thinks she's found an important message from space."

"About the fight?" Gohan eagerly chimed in, skipping ahead of Yamcha to join them in the kitchen.

Chi-Chi nodded and smiled fondly at her son as both Briefs continued puzzling over their paper. "Taking a break from training, Gohan?"

"Yeah." Yamcha answered for Gohan as he took the empty seat Chi-Chi had occupied earlier. "Piccolo and Dodoria had to have it out for a while on their own."

Chi-Chi immediately noticed how Gohan winced and glanced towards the door to the outside. Placing her hands on her hips, Chi-Chi glared towards that door. "What are those two hooligans doing now?"

"You know," Yamcha shrugged, "just being Piccolo and Dodoria."

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Gohan forced a hopeful smile, "if we just give them some space for a while."

"What happened to Tien?" Bulma asked with a brief glance at Yamcha.

"I think he got irritated by Piccolo and Dodoria." Yamcha said. "He took off to train alone for a while."

"I think I've got it!"

Dr. Brief's outburst made everyone turn towards him and stop talking. Bulma gasped and scrutinized what her father was pointing at on paper, before smiling wide and jumping in the air.

"Yes!" As Bulma leaned over the table and continued studying the message her father had decoded, her excitement quickly vanished. "It looks like I have good news," she whimpered, "and bad news, guys."

"What's the good news?" Yamcha asked.

"I know who won the fight."

"And the bad news?" Chi-Chi asked.

Everyone stopped and looked at her as she crossed her arms. But they had to know. And the sooner they knew the bad news, the sooner they could do something about it.

Bulma grimaced as she spoke. "He's already on his way here."

Gohan gasped and braced both hands on the table to lean eagerly towards Bulma. "Who, Bulma?"

"Vegeta."

As Gohan, Yamcha and Puar gasped, Chi-Chi bit her lip. So, okay. The monster who killed Goku wasn't coming after her little boy, too. So this meant he was dead. That was a relief. But a Saiyan was coming to Earth, which is what killed them all the first time. If this guy was anything like Goku's lousy brother who had the nerve to steal her husband away from his home and kill everyone on the planet just for existing, she didn't want him anywhere near her baby. She didn't want Gohan associated with these Saiyans in any way. As far as she was concerned, Goku never was a Saiyan, and Gohan would have no part in that violent race of people.

But this guy killed the monster who killed Goku. He had to be very powerful, and Chi-Chi worried that no matter how much training Gohan and the others were doing, they wouldn't be able to stand up to him. Even worse, she couldn't stop imagining all the horrible intentions that man might have for her baby. What if he wanted to take Gohan away from her, just like Goku's brother took him? That would be worse than knowing her baby would die again. And then there was that. If this Saiyan killed her baby, Gohan couldn't be revived. They all couldn't be revived by Shenron again after that purge. Shaking her head fervently in denial, Chi-Chi finally reached for Gohan and squeezed him to her as tightly as she could.

"Chi-Chi!" Bulma's eyes bulged in alarm as she watched the sudden attack.

"Hey, go easy on the kid." Yamcha said.

"No!" Chi-Chi felt tears welling in her eyes as Gohan's warmth comforted her, even though he wasn't returning the embrace. "No, I won't let that Saiyan get my baby!"

Yamcha snapped his fingers. "We should wish Goku back! Once he's revived, he can defend the Earth from the Saiyan."

"That would be a waste of a wish." The sudden intrusion of a grim voice from the outside doorway made Chi-Chi's eyes go wide and her grip on Gohan loosen as she turned to face a bloody and battered Piccolo.

"He's right." Dodoria agreed as he stepped in behind Piccolo, looking just as gruesome. "If Vegeta really killed Frieza, Goku wouldn't stand a chance against Vegeta."

"Hey, guys." Yamcha crossed his arms and smirked tauntingly at Piccolo and Dodoria. "Nice of you two to join us."

"It wouldn't be a waste of a wish!" Chi-Chi yelled at Piccolo indignantly. "Goku would be alive again!"

"Right. I want that, too, Chi-Chi." Bulma said with a sorrowful smile. "But in this case, Piccolo's right. Even if we wish Goku back and he can help us with Vegeta, he'll be millions of miles away. He'll never get here in time to help us. We need to hold off on using our wish for now. We may need the Dragonballs to help us in some other way."

"Maybe Vegeta won't attack us when he gets here." Gohan said. "I mean, if Raditz purged the Earth for Frieza, maybe that doesn't matter to Vegeta now that Frieza's dead. Maybe he's coming back here for some other reason."

"If that's true, you're in worse trouble, Gohan." Piccolo said, making Chi-Chi gasp along with the others. "Vegeta's chosen the Earth above other planets for some reason. If it's not to destroy us, then he's coming for you."

Gohan balled his fists, looking more angry and defiant than Chi-Chi had ever seen him. "If that's what he wants, let him come! I'm not scared of him!"

Chi-Chi gasped. "Gohan!"

"Don't be stupid, Gohan." Piccolo said. "Vegeta's the strongest in the universe now. He could easily destroy this entire planet."

"So what chances do we have with Goku gone?" Yamcha cried.

Dodoria snorted. "It doesn't take a genius to see we don't have much of a chance if we fight him."

"So what if we don't?" Bulma asked.

Chi-Chi gasped and clenched a fist to her chest as she looked to Bulma. "Bulma, what do you mean?"

Dodoria furrowed his brows. "Don't fight him?"

"Right." Bulma smiled. "Gohan might be onto something. Maybe if Vegeta sees that humans and Saiyans aren't that different, he might like staying here and keeping us all alive!"

"But Saiyans and humans are different, Bulma." Yamcha said. "I mean, have you met Goku? Besides, I don't think being similar to Saiyans would help our cause. Being half-Saiyan didn't save Gohan from getting killed by the first Saiyan who came here."

Chi-Chi winced and clenched her fists by her sides. "Do you have to remind us of that?"

As Yamcha grimaced and issued Chi-Chi and Gohan an apologetic smile, Bulma crossed her arms. "Fine. Forget about convincing him that we're like Saiyans. We'll just have to show him that humans have something to offer to Saiyans."

After issuing the men a smug smile, Bulma pointedly locked her gaze on Chi-Chi and briefly directed a look at Gohan. Chi-Chi tilted her head, considering what Bulma might be thinking as their eyes met again. The first thing that crossed Chi-Chi's mind immediately offended her.

"Bulma!" Chi-Chi cupped her hands firmly over Gohan's innocent ears. "Are you honestly suggesting we offer ourselves as Saiyan baby makers?"

Yamcha grunted. "Huh?"

"Oh," Piccolo wrinkled his nose, "that's disgusting."

"What? No!" Bulma's eyes bulged before she pressed a finger to her chin with a pensive tilt of her head. "I mean, as a last resort, I suppose that's something to consider. But think about Goku. What does he like?"

Yamcha placed his hands on his hips and smirked. "Fighting."

Piccolo crossed his arms. "Acting like an idiot."

As memories from their peaceful early years of marriage raced through her mind, Chi-Chi flushed and pressed her lips tightly together. There were many things she could say about what Goku liked, but she knew what she had to say would be too sweet and personal for the purpose of this conversation.

"Being outdoors." Gohan offered, causing Chi-Chi to sigh in relief.

"Food." Dodoria said so definitively that everyone turned to him with a gasp.

Chi-Chi nodded fervently, knowing first-hand just how much Goku liked his food. "Yes! Food!"

Bulma smirked. "Right. Yamcha! You, my mom, Chi-Chi, Dodoria and anyone else you know who can cook needs to get to work. When that alien gets here, we'll show him that Earth has the best food in the universe and blowing us to bits would not be in his best interest!"

Piccolo scoffed. "You're going to save the planet with food?"

"Why not?" Bulma shrugged. "If Goku's appetite is a Saiyan thing, there's no way Vegeta would let all of our great dishes and the people and materials that create them go to waste."

Dodoria stubbornly shook his head. "I am not cooking for Vegeta."

Bulma shot the alien a taunting smirk. "Maybe you're right. I'm sure you two have history. There must be some issues there that need working out. In your case, your cooking probably won't save you. Maybe you should plan on a good old-fashioned apology."

Dodoria huffed, glaring at Bulma with an affronted expression before pouting stubbornly towards the ground.

Piccolo rolled his eyes. "This plan is ridiculous."

"Hey, it's worth a try!" Bulma braced her hands on her hips and glared at Piccolo. "Got any better suggestions?"

"I'm willing to give Bulma's plan a go. And if it doesn't work," Yamcha snickered, "we still have that baby making idea to fall back on!"

Chi-Chi glared at Yamcha for that remark, which Gohan unfortunately heard. But then she refocused her attention on Bulma's plan, knitting her brows in concern. "If we do this, won't Vegeta just see us as slaves here to serve him?"

"That's exactly what we want him to think." Bulma smiled smugly. "That'll keep us perfectly safe long enough for me to invent something powerful enough to protect us from a Super Saiyan before he decides to change his mind."

"What about Gohan?"

Bulma whirled towards Piccolo. "Huh?"

"What about Gohan?" Piccolo repeated irritably. "Vegeta won't forget about the fact that he's Goku's son and the only other Saiyan survivor. No amount of appeasing this guy will save Gohan."

At Piccolo's words, Chi-Chi met his knowing gaze and whimpered. Piccolo was right. There was no telling what was going to happen to her son. It was bad enough that Goku had to be taken from her in such an awful way. She just couldn't bear the thought of a similar fate befalling her little boy. As Bulma's gaze fell to the floor, and Yamcha's as well, Chi-Chi placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder, wrapping her fingers around him in a tight hold.

"Well," Bulma sighed and gave Gohan a sympathetic look, "we'll just have to do the best we can. If all else fails, there's always the Dragonballs. But I really want to save our wish so we can use it to revive Goku."

Chi-Chi felt through her fingers the vibration of Gohan's trembling as he nodded at Bulma. Chi-Chi couldn't stand the thought of her son being denied his father, not when they already had such a short-lived reunion before he had to run off to another fight and get killed. There were a lot of things Chi-Chi planned to say to her husband when she finally saw him again, but right now, all she wanted was to know that he would come back to them safely. Unfortunately, she realized that if it ever did happen, it wouldn't be any time in the near future.

First, they had another Saiyan to welcome back to Earth.