There was something different about today. A stillness in the air. She liked it like this, when the air was still. It put things into perspective. Made it easier to see. She had the arrow ready. The target, a fat deer, stood a few meters away, blissfully unaware of the danger. It was big enough to feed a couple of families for the night. She aimed – right through the eye –

"Are you Chihiro?"

She spun in her heels, letting the arrow loose. It flew toward the speaker, true and deadly. In a swift movement, he dodged.

That wasn't the most shocking part. He was sitting on a cloud. Just sitting there. Casually. Legs crossed. Watching her with startling blue eyes and a cute lopsided grin.

Trouble, the alert in her head went off. This boy was trouble.

"Who's asking?" she said. She firmed the grip on her bow. She was ready for anything.

"Oh, I'm Goku. Your father and my grandfather were best friends. I came to put out the mountain fire. I'm told you can help me."

Wow. She wouldn't have been caught more off guard if he had told her he had come for tea and biscuits.

"You… You want to put the fire out?" It was impossible. Madness.

"Yeah. Come with me. We'll get the Bashoshen."

Her heart was racing. She had longed for this day. She stepped forward, then stopped. "Is… is it safe? Your… cloud, I mean."

He smiled at her. Butterflies danced in her stomach. "If your heart is pure," he said.

She felt breathless. "How will I know?"

"I believe in you." He stood on the cloud and reached out a hand for her. "Do you trust me?"

She looked up at him and smiled. Strangely enough, she did. She trusted him. She took his hand and he pulled her up. Next thing she knew, she was firmly standing on top of the cloud, still clutching his hand, their faces so close their noses were almost touching.

Goku felt caught between two swords. He wanted her to move away – he wanted her to come even closer. He watched, mesmerized, as her lips parted, unsure of what came next. Somehow one of his hands had ended up at her waist and he could feel the warmth of her body. Her breath smelled of cinnamon. He liked cinnamon.

This was the second girl he had ever met, but other than being pretty, she had nothing in common with Bulma. In fact, her features were quite the opposite — simpler, in a way, more natural, more... enthralling. She had chocolate hair and amber colored eyes. He found that oddly compelling. Her olive skin shone in the sunlight and he noticed that the hairs on her arms were bristly.

"Chichi," she whispered, warm breath on his face. "That's what everybody calls me."

Goku made a whimpering sound.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked him.

"Anywhere," he heard himself answering. "Everywhere."

Her cheeks colored. Chichi felt like she could fly without the magic cloud.

And then she saw the tail. "What—" she started, stepping away from him so she could see better, and slipped. She was about to fall off — her only choice was to reach for the tail. She grabbed the thing.

Goku immediately went stiff, like he'd been shocked, and fell to the ground, backwards, and pulling her along with him.

"Sorry," she said quickly, struggling to get off him and sit up. "Are you okay?"

He lied flat on his back. "I'm, uh, okay. Are you?" He sat up to check on her.

"Yes."

"I just... If you grab my tail like that... Well, I lose all my strength. I don't know why. It just… it hurts me."

"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to. I was just surprised. Why do you have a tail?"

"It gives me balance," he said, helping her to her feet.

Chichi didn't know why, but she found that funny. Yeah. Maybe that's what it was so endearing about him. He was funny. Strange. Diamond in the rough.

And she was captivated.

An entire plan had been forming in his head. Yamcha could already see it. Almost taste the success.

He and Puar had followed the gang to Pleasant Village and the Fire Mountain. They had been listening in their conversations, gathering bits and pieces of information. And what valuable bits and pieces they were.

First of all, Yamcha agreed with the fat man that the Dragon Ball would be inside the castle. Yamcha knew about the Ox-King, the man who became king. As soon as they arrived here, Yamcha had been sure: the Ox-King had wished for it.

Now they were hiding near the cliff side, watching Gohan's grandson talk to Princess Chihiro.

"No. Not talk," Puar said. "Flirt."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Lady Puar shrugged. "Just saying. The boy's got more game than you."

"That's not true, you old hag," he said. But he couldn't help smiling to himself. Things were turning out too easy. What were the chances of hearing such priceless information and right from the horse's mouth? "That's all the information we need," he told Puar. "The boy has a weakness. We can use that to get the Dragon Balls for ourselves. We've got very lucky today."

"Luck had nothing to do with it, you ninny. You used your brain. Things worked out. When you let your emotions take over, our plans go down the drain."

"Yeah, well—"

"You need to be sure this is what you want," she pressed on. "It's either the Dragon Balls or the girl."

But Yamcha wasn't sure. He hoped that, maybe, having the Dragon Balls meant he could have everything.

With Chichi guiding them, in just a couple of hours they reached Roshi's island. Goku was both glad and disappointed at that. The two of them talked the entire way, and he enjoyed every second of it. She told him about the things she liked, and every so often she would ask him a bunch of questions about his life.

It felt easy to tell her things. The trouble with Bulma was that Goku could never quite tell if she was actually listening to him. Chichi, on the other hand, would hang on his every word like the information was essential to her survival. He liked that about her.

Roshi's island was the only piece of land in several miles of water. The shack where he lived stood right on the center of the island. It was painted in a bright pink color. It had three stories high and was covered with a red roof. Above the third floor window, it read in large red words — KAME HOUSE. Couldn't mistake it.

The sand was soft under their feet. They smiled at each other. A crazy idea occurred to Goku — he wanted to push her down on the sand and lie on top of her. He bet her body would feel just as soft and warm as the sand. He bet that —

Whoa.

There was a cool breeze in the air, very refreshing after the Fire Mountain's inferno. That was good. Goku needed to cool off.

Distracted as he was by these strange thoughts, it took him a while to notice the old bald man standing by the porch. He was wearing a simple orange shirt, khaki shorts, flip-flops, sunglasses, and the purple turtle hull strapped to his back.

"My, my, my," Roshi said in a way of greeting. "What do we have here?"

"That's the invincible turtle master?" Chichi whispered in Goku's ear. Her breath made him shiver. He wasn't quite sure why.

"Uh... yeah. How are you, Roshi?"

"Never better, lad. Having fun in that, are you?" he gestured to Kinto'un; the cloud was parked near the shore.

"Yes," Goku replied. "It's amazing. Thank you."

"Have you come to keep your end of our bargain?" Roshi asked, heading toward them.

"Not yet."

"Hmmm." Roshi set his eyes on Chichi. "I know who you are," he told her. "Princess Chihiro. You father sends me pictures from time to time."

Chichi stepped forward. "Master Roshi. My father has sent us to find you. We need your help. To put out the eternal fire of Pleasant Mountain, we need the legendary Bashoshen."

"The soup?" Roshi scratched his chin. "That's an odd request."

"What?" Goku said.

"No!" Chichi said. "Not the soup."

"I believe they meant the magic fan that can raise a typhoon with a single wave, a thunderstorm with two, and a monsoon with three," the turtle, Umigame, clarified, as he slowly moved to join them.

"Hmmm. The soup I don't have anymore. I made it, not two days ago. I also spilled it all over myself, and lemme tell you, that's the kind of stain that doesn't come out. And the smell... It has a lot of spices, so it's quite—"

"We need the Magic Fan," Chichi said, voice urgent. "We will return it to you, surely, Master Roshi, as soon as we can. You have my word!"

Roshi was thoughtful. "I heard about that cursed fire. And of what caused it, too. But I'm afraid I can't help you, child. I've misplaced the Magic Fan a long time ago."

"What does that mean?" she asked.

"I seem to have lost it."

"You—what?!"

"If I'm not mistaken, master," Umigame started, "you were using it as a pot holder not long ago."

"A pot holder?" Chichi repeated, like she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Ooooh that was the Bashosen?" Roshi said. "I spilled soup on that, too! Like I said, the stain doesn't come off, nor does the smell, so I simply threw it away."

"Oh, no."

Chichi looked so sad that Goku's hand started to shake. He wanted to do something about it.

"Never fear, child," Roshi said, suddenly. "Since I'm to blame for this entire mess, and since I care deeply for Gyomaoh, I shall personally travel back with you to Pleasant Mountain where I will put out the inferno myself."

Goku's eyes widened. "You can do that?"

"Lesson number one, lad: there is nothing you can't do if you set your mind to it. Now, let's bounce, children. Umi, my friend, you're in charge of the island while I'm gone. Don't let those damned crabs get the best of you."

Bulma tried to wipe the sweat from her forehead but found that her hand was soaking wet as well. She cursed whoever was to blame for this fire. She wondered how much longer she would have to wait.

The sun had already set, but the heat wouldn't let up. It was sort of beautiful in a way, the fire of Pleasant Mountain, but it had soon grown tiresome. Bulma could very well leave this place forever and never think of it again.

When she heard Goku's voice in the distance, she thought she was hallucinating. He arrived on Kinto'un, a girl beside him. A girl that could ride the cloud. Bulma wasn't sure she liked her for that. The brunette got off the cloud and ran to the Ox-King's arms. "Father," she cried out, "Master Roshi doesn't have the Bashosen."

"He's coming here though," Goku told them. "Master Roshi says he can put out the fire."

Bulma stood up. "And you believed him? Really, Goku, what the hell—"

Right that instant, Roshi landed his flying jet and climbed out of it, his legs shaking. "I hate to fly," he explained. "I'm terrified of heights, see. A problem since childhood... Uranai's fault, really, if you ask me… Gyumaoh? Is that you, my boy? I find you very much changed. Bit of a bad reputation, haven't you? All those treasures must've cost you a few lives... Athenodora included."

The Ox-King's face turned red. He looked at the ground, shameful. "Yes, Master. 'Tis true." Suddenly, Gyumaoh let out a howl as he fell to his knees in front of Roshi. "Oh, the shame I bear!" he wailed. "I've been blinded by greed! Mah poor Athenodora, mah poor wife, how I miss her! 'Tis mah fault mah gurl had to grow without a mother... But I've seen the light, Master Roshi. If ye help me, I'll be good. I'll use the treasure to rebuild Pleasant Village. I'll help mah people. I'll take care of them like a king should."

"You won't owe me a thing, my dear friend," Roshi told Gyumaoh. "If you ever perform great deeds, do not do them in my name. Do them because your heart tells you to. Do them because your people deserve it. It is truly a shame you had to raise your child outside that great castle of yours. And I'm sorry about Athenodora. I remember how good you were together." He patted the Ox-King awkwardly on the back. "I must confess, though, I'm fairly disappointed you can't put out this tiny blaze yourself."

Gyumaoh raised his head, his almond-shaped eyes busting with tears. "'Tis part of mah punishment, Master. I can't get rid of the flames mahself. Someone needs to help me, ye see? But who would want to help the King of Demons, I ask ye? Who?"

"I will." Roshi removed his turtle hull which fell to the ground with a deep thump. Roshi took a deep breath and straightened his back. He closed his eyes and stood very still, indeed, as the others watched him. His breathing started to slow down and his skin seemed to glow as if some sort of aura was being formed around him. Then suddenly, he raised his arms and let out a sound like'Gawa!'

Gyumaoh gulped. "He's building the Kamehameha Wave!"

Very slowly, as if the energy within himself took time to build up, Roshi shouted, "KAME-HAME-HA!" There were a few hand movements involved and then a bright blue ball of energy left his body and sped toward the Ox-King's castle. They were all temporarily blinded by the blast of light, but there was no mistaking the powerful sound of something being destroyed.

"Uff, that was a big one, I apologize," Roshi said. "I thought I'd be rusty. I did well."

"That was awesome!" Goku shouted.

Gyumaoh gaped at his old master. "Ye did put out the fire, just like ye promised..." he said.

"But you've destroyed the castle!" Bulma yelled angrily.

"And the whole mountain," Oolong added.

It was true. Where once Pleasant Mountain stood, as tall as the sky, now there was nothing but a big pile of ruins.

Roshi glanced at Gyumaoh. "Oops?"

For hours, Oolong and Bulma searched the wreckage of Pleasant Mountain, looking for the Dragoon Ball. It dark now and they had to be extra careful as to not trip and hurt themselves.

"How do we know that freaky old man hasn't destroyed it?" Oolong asked Bulma.

The possibility had occurred to her, too. She had gotten so worried until she checked her Dragon Radar and saw the tiny point on the map that meant the sphere was intact and very near to where they stood. "I told you, it's showing on the radar so it's fine. A little bit to the left, Oolong. You're very close."

"'Tis getting chilly, ain't it?" Gyumaoh, sitting on the grass with Roshi and his daughter, let out a chuckle. "I never thought I'd feel cold again."

"I'm sorry about your house, lad."

"It doesn't matter, Master," Chichi said. "Mother used to say a house is not a home. We'll build a new one. A better one."

"I want to know how to do that," Goku told Roshi. "What you did. I want you to show me."

"Son, it took me fifty years of hard training to master the Kamehameha Wave."

"Maybe Goku will have better luck than you, Master," Gyumaoh said with a laugh. "He is Gohan's grandson, ain't he?"

Roshi gawked at Goku like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Gohan, you said? Son Gohan? Our Gohan, Gyumaoh?"

"Ye didn't know, Master?"

"No," Roshi said, watching Goku. "Gohan spoke to me once about a child – with a tail, no less. A gift from the sky, he told me. Lad, tell me, how is he?"

Goku hated having to be the one to tell them. Master Roshi winced at his words and Gyumaoh's body seemed to shrink a bit.

"Dead," Roshi said, the color leaving his face. "What a great loss to this world. We shall never meet another soul so gentle, so kind. Do you have a place to live, my boy? Are you all alone? I'd be happy to take you in."

Goku's eyes lit up. "You would?"

"I FOUND IT!" Bulma shouted suddenly, so loud that everyone jumped. "Six stars, Goku! The Ronshinchu!" She jogged toward him and wrapped her arms around him. Goku felt Chichi's eyes on him and he blushed. "There's only one left!"

Gyumaoh peered at Bulma with sad eyes. "Remember what I told ye, girl," he said. "Magic has its price."

Bulma nodded. "I'll remember," she told him. "Thank you for everything."

While the group said their goodbyes, Chichi and Goku stood a little farther away. Her courage seemed to have abandoned her. Her tongue felt like cotton, her legs felt like they were made of jell-o. There were many things she wished to tell him and no way of saying them.

Goku was nervous. He didn't like goodbyes. He had never gotten a chance to say goodbye to his grandfather. He didn't want the same thing to happen to Chichi. Part of him didn't want to leave her behind, but the other part knew she wasn't part of this quest.

Which, perhaps, meant she was part of something else. Something greater.

She took a step toward him and tilted her head up. He moved along with her and felt her lips ever-so-slightly brushing his. It was as if an electrical current had gone through his entire body. He had never felt anything like that before.

"Will you come find me again?" Her voice was soft, a little higher than a whisper.

"Yes. I promise."

Her amber eyes sparkled, and as he watched her, he thought this was how he was going to remember her. Happy and hopeful, and waiting for him.

He knew about waiting. He had waited his entire life for great things to happen — and now they had — and now she had — and he didn't have to wait anymore.

Someone else would do the waiting.

And Goku would look forward to his return.