Goku still held onto Kagome's hand as they rode on Nimbus to go find the last dragon ball. They had just left the others, and soon they would bring Bora back - but part of him felt like he had just lost his grandpa all over again, even if he wouldn't have traded the chance to get to talk to him one more time for anything. Holding her hand helped.

"It was nice seeing them again, wasn't it?" the girl spoke up quietly.

He blinked up at her. She had a small smile on her face, and her expression was full of understanding. He smiled back and nodded in agreement; it was true. Even if trying to figure out how it had happened did make his brain hurt a little.

Inuyasha had disappeared right after apologizing to the priestess, and Baba'd explained how she sometimes went between the Living World and the Other World when she needed new fighters. It turned out that Goku's grandfather had approached her in the hopes that the boy would wind up at her Palace someday, but she had admitted a bit absentmindedly that she hadn't planned on taking Inuyasha as well. Apparently someone really important had asked her to do so as a favor, and she hadn't been able to refuse.

He still felt warm from the hug Grandpa had given him when they'd said goodbye, and he grinned. At least now he knew that the man was happy, even if he was still dead. "Maybe if we're lucky we'll run into them again someday!"

She laughed brightly, and something in him relaxed as that last little bit of melancholy left his chest. Everything would be alright; saying goodbye to someone you loved might be sad, but the two of them were partners! Neither one of them was ever going to really be alone so long as they stuck together.

"Hey, is that it?" Kagome blurted out, leaning forward on the could and pointing down at the road.

The boy turned quickly, his eyes widening and a grin stretching across his face as he took in the red car zooming towards them. "It's gotta be!" he agreed excitedly, letting go of her hand and jumping to his feet. "Come on, Nimbus!"

They swooped down, and his partner shot him a look when she realized what he was about to do. "Goku..."

He grinned at her. "What? We have to talk to them somehow!" He defended, right as he jumped onto the roof. It made a loud thud as he landed, and he looked back up in time to see Kagome smacking her forehead.

"W-w-what was that noise?" He heard a voice question from inside the vehicle.

"A rock, maybe?" Someone else suggested uncertainly. "Or a bird?"

The priestess hopped down beside him, making another thud. "Twerp," she huffed.

Goku made a face.

"T-that didn't sound like a rock," a third voice said nervously from inside the car.

The boy peeked in through the windshield with a friendly grin, hoping that these people would be nice. "Hi, there!" he called. "Have you found a dragon ball?"

Then he saw who was inside, and his eyes went wide. They seemed familiar...

"Hey, do I know you?" he asked. A person in a long coat, a dog dressed like a ninja, and a little blue guy... He'd met them before, right? He was pretty sure he had. Especially the little blue guy. "Haven't I seen you around someplace?"

"What are you talking about?" Kagome questioned, leaning over to look in as well.

The trio in the car screamed and swerved violently, throwing the two of them off. He and his partner both managed to land on their feet, but he couldn't help but think that reaction was pretty familiar, too.

The boy crossed his arms with a frown. He knew these people! He was sure he did!

"Goku, wasn't that the little creep that called you a monster way back when?" Kagome spoke up, looking a little worried.

He jolted, realizing that she was right. He could even hear them talking, something about a safe that was supposed to be able to block out his radar, and that cemented it for him.

"Hey, I remember you!" He accused, running over into a better position so that he could see them through the windows but still have plenty of space between them. "I've fought with you before - you're bad people! You tried to hurt me and my friends!"

Kagome was right behind him, her hand already on her sword. "Well, I guess this means we've definitely found the last dragon ball," she murmured.

Goku blinked up at her. "What do you mean?"

She gave a wry little huff. "These idiots have a history of trying to collect them, right? It would make sense if they'd have been able to find at least one. It's a lot more likely than if some regular person had come across it by accident, at least."

His eyes widened and he nodded a few times in agreement before turning his attention back on the car with a frown. "Get out of there!" He shouted at the trio. As easy as it would have been to catch back up to them on Nimbus, it would have been frustrating if the bad guys tried to run away.

The doors opened and the three did as they were told, but the smiles on their faces were making him a bit nervous. Why would they be so happy to see him?

"They're up to something," Kagome murmured, apparently thinking the same thing.

The group walked towards the pair after returning the car to its capsule, the wind picking up around them all. Right behind him, the boy heard his partner unsheathe her sword.

"So," the little blue guy spoke up with a smirk. "We meet once again. Or should I say one last time?"

Goku frowned darkly. "I know that you only want to get all the dragon balls to make some awful wish, but we have something really important to do with them. So hand it over!" He ordered, holding a hand out expectantly.

Blue burst into laughter. "What? Do you think that you have some puny little dream that's worthier than my imperial ambitions? Maybe we should flip a coin for it! Wait, I have an idea; why don't we have an old-fashioned showdown right here? Winner take all. If you beat us, I'll personally hand over this dragon ball - but if you lose, we get the six you already have in your possession!"

"Like hell, you little idiot!" Kagome barked, surprising the boy and making the other three squawk with indignation. "I'm not too sure how you knew we already had the other balls, but in what universe does that 'deal' of yours make any sense? Not only are you suggesting a three-on-two brawl, but the prize is completely uneven!"

Well, she did have a point...

The blue guy growled at her. "In that case, we'll just have to beat you up and take them from you anyway!"

Goku scoffed and shifted into a fighting position. "Let's do this!"

"Well get a load of this!" Blue creamed angrily, each of the three pulling out a capsule and throwing them into the air.

When the smoke cleared, it left behind three giant robot-looking things.

"Let's go!" The dog yelled, rushing towards the green one.

"Hurry!" The one in the coat shouted as well, leaping for the cockpit of the pink one.

"Wait! Hey! Wait!" The last of the trio ordered with a yelp, scurrying over to the one that was the same color as him but a shade or two darker. He jumped up dangled there, unable to quite pull himself up as he squirmed in the air. "I need a boost!"

The priestess moved up next to the boy, a look of utter disbelief on her face. "Are these morons serious?"

Goku blinked, feeling a bit uncertain himself. "What in the world...?"

"Ta-dah!" Blue's voice laughed, sounding like it was coming out of a speaker. "We just thought we'd slip into something more comfortable-"

"What is this, a date?" Kagome interrupted with a scoff. "Shut up and fight!"

The trio started squawking indignantly once again.

The boy, on the other hand, tilted his head up and to one side as he looked over at his partner curiously. "What's a date?"

She sighed tiredly. "Well, you see..."

xxxx

"... And that's what a date is," Kagome finished explaining, jumping out off the way of a giant robotic fist without even looking.

"I don't get it!" Goku sighed, ducking and rolling out of the way of what looked like a laser aimed his way as well. "How is it special to just do things like eat or have fun with someone? We do that all the time!"

The priestess groaned and rolled her eyes. "You'll get it when you're older."

"Kagomeeee!" He whined.

"Stop ignoring us!" The military-looking woman wailed pitifully.

"You'll regret this!" The little blue idiot shouted. Kagome was pretty sure that one of the others had called him 'Emperor Pilaf' at one point and was half tempted to start making rice jokes, but that probably would have been inappropriate. "I swear you'll regret underestimating us like this!"

"But swearing's bad!" Goku yelped, his eyes going wide.

The priestess fought down a laugh, even as rice-boy screamed with outrage.

"Shu! Mai! We're back to the original plan!" Pilaf ordered angrily, looking about ready to start tearing his hair out. Well, if he actually had any hair hiding under that beanie at least. "Just shove the girl out of the way if you need to!"

"Yes, sir!" The other two responded dutifully, the trio all rushing to circle the pair on three sides.

Kagome gripped Reikenkon a little more tightly, despite the fact that a sword was pretty much useless in this fight. If nothing else, the weight of it in her hands put her at ease; she was actually getting a little bit nervous with this unexpected show of strategy.

"Okay!" Their leader yelled. "We'll go on my count! One!"

Without a word, the priestess moved so that she and her partner were back-to-back.

"Two!"

"Wai - hang on a second, Emperor!" The talking dog suddenly called out, interrupting his boss's count-down.

"What's the problem now?!" Rice-boy barked.

"I don't see his tail anywhere!" The flunky shouted. "Maybe he's got it stuck inside his pants or something?"

Oh, those rotten bastards. Kagome wasn't sure where they'd learned about Goku's weak point, but one thing was for sure: the dishonorable idiots were fully prepared to fight dirty if it meant getting what they wanted.

"What!" Pilaf yelped. "Uh, let me think-"

"Aim for the joints," she snarled to the boy. "They're more likely to break."

Crush the fools! The Shikon hissed in her ear.

She darted forward and, reinforcing Reikenkon with a thick layer of ki, smashed it solidly against rice-boy's robot's kneecaps like she was swinging a baseball bat.

The trio screamed as the metal shattered.

Goku followed right behind her with one of his Kamehameha waves, blowing off one of the pink suit's arms.

It was downright one-sided after that, and they had the last dragon ball in no time.

xxxx

"I can't wait to tell Upa!" Goku announced excitedly as they sped along on Nimbus. They were bound to get back to Baba's place quickly - the cloud was going so fast that everything below them was a blur.

Kagome smiled a bit worriedly, her hands tightening over the last ball.

The boy frowned. "What's wrong?" He questioned, his own nerves rising up a bit as the concern washed over her face.

She just shook her head and avoided his gaze. "It's nothing."

He knew that she was lying, but he didn't have enough time to get the truth out of her before they saw the palace pop up on the horizon and Nimbus began to slow down some for their descent.

"Hey!" The priestess called out to the group below them, drawing Krillin's attention.

"Look, guys!" The bald boy shouted excitedly, pointing up at them. "Goku and Kagome are back!"

The rest of the group quickly turned to look up at them as well, each and every one of them smiling and rushing up to greet them as the partners reached the ground.

"Is that really it?" Upa questioned eagerly, seeing the ball still in Kagome's hands. "The last ball?

"So you did find it!" Bulma grinned.

"That's right!" Goku laughed happily, crossing his arms over the back of his head.

Yamcha stepped a bit closer. "Hey, tell us about your trip!" He requested. "Who was in the car?"

The younger fighter waved him off. "We'll tell you about it later. You ready, Upa?"

"You bet!" The youngest agreed excitedly.

Goku grinned and held out a hand to his partner, silently asking her to give him the ball. She did so with a small nod, and he grinned even brighter. "Now that we've got all of the dragon balls, it's time to bring your dad back!" He told the smaller boy, reclaiming his bag even as Kagome picked up her own from where she'd left it next to the arena.

"Sorry, Nimbus," the priestess said as she settled back onto the cloud, her partner right beside her. "No time to rest quite yet."

"Here, be sure to hold on tight," Goku instructed as he helped Upa up into Kagome's lap. "This thing goes pretty fast."

"The faster, the better!" The smaller boy grinned, clinging to the girl's shirt.

"Okay," the young fighter announced to the others as Nimbus lifted them slowly into the air. "We'll be back as soon as we get Bora back where he belongs!"

"Thank you!" Upa called out as well. "I'll never forget you guys!"

"We'll miss you!" Pu'ar shouted.

"Now you mind your father, boy!" Master Roshi added.

With tears in his eyes, the child nodded. "I won't ever disobey him again," he promised.

Goku and Kagome shared a smile.

"Let's go," the priestess suggested gently.

The boy in her lap nodded again, giving his face a quick scrub with the back of his wrist. "Okay," he agreed.

"See you soon!" Goku shouted to the others as finally left, shooting off into the distance.

xxxx

"Um... Goku?" Upa questioned after they'd been in the air for a few minutes. "Is this... really going to work?"

Kagome fought down a wince. She'd been wondering the same thing since they'd gotten the last ball, but she hadn't had the heart to actually put it into words. What if all of this was for nothing? What if they summoned the dragon only to be told that it couldn't do that - or worse, what if Bora was brought back as an undead or a ghost like Kikyou had been?

"Don't worry so much," her partner assured easily. "Everything'll work out! You can trust the Eternal Dragon."

The smaller boy was immediately soothed, but Kagome was still nervous.

"Faster!" Upa requested with a laugh. "Let's go faster!"

Nimbus obliged.

Even the priestess started to relax some when the scenery around them took a turn for the more peaceful, though, and she couldn't help but smile as the two boys played together like a couple of normal kids. Well, normal kids with a flying cloud at least.

By the time they reached Korin's Tower again, she was more resolute. If the dragon said that bringing Bora back was out of its power, she would offer up her own strength as well.

Like Goku had said, everything would work out. She would make sure of it.

"That's Father's grave right over there," Upa murmured once they'd landed, pointing over to a large dirt pile a small distance from the tent.

Goku nodded in understanding. "I see."

The smaller boy looked like he was about to burst into tears, and Kagome bent down to give him a hug. "He'll be back before you know it," she promised gently.

Upa sniffled and squeezed her back tightly, but nodded. "I know."

The young fighter walked a short ways away and tugged the off his backpack, opening it up and dumping the dragon balls out onto the ground with an eager grin. The jewels rolled out, pulsing with a soft orange light.

"Are you ready to call the dragon, Upa?" Goku questioned excitedly. "Kagome?"

"O... kay..." the younger child gulped, hiding behind a tree.

Kagome walked up to stand with her partner, keeping a cautious eye on the balls as their power swelled up around the three. Judging by that monstrous ki, the dragon just might be strong enough to bring Bora back after all.

"Let's do it," she agreed determinedly.

The older boy nodded and took a couple of deep breaths, then opened his mouth wide. "Eternal Dragon!" He shouted, his voice loud enough to echo. "We have a wish!"

At the surge in the energy around them, the priestess was abruptly reminded of the few times she'd seen Sesshoumaru taking his true form. It was like an explosion, and the part of her that was the Shikon expanded its own ki to full-blast in an instinctual effort to either earn this potential threat's respect or at least inform it that she wouldn't go down without a fight.

It was making her jittery as hell, and the dragon hadn't even made an appearance yet.

"I think it's working," Goku announced beside her a bit nervously.

She followed his gaze upwards, feeling her eyes go wide as she saw the thick layer of storm clouds roiling in what had previously been a clear blue sky. Thunder and lightning flashed down around them in wide blue arks, glancing off of the tower itself over and over as the earth began to shake beneath their feet.

Finally, a massive bolt seared through the air and struck the now rapidly flashing dragon balls, exploding in a shower of sparks that had her covering her eyes - and then the ki finally reached a height that made her knees shake. She glanced back up just in time to see those same orange sparks solidifying and shooting back towards the sky in a cluster of seven long, serpentine shapes that she recognized immediately.

"It's so bright!" Goku gasped as Upa screamed.

The streams twined together, forming a single outline and solidifying.

"I didn't know it would be this big," the young fighter gulped.

"That thing's gonna bring my dad back?" The smaller boy shook.

Deep green scales became visible through the electric haze as it coiled up in the space just above the balls, and red eyes set in a horned and whiskered face turned to pin them all with an incomprehensible gaze.

It would seem that the dragon had arrived.

xxxx

Goku gulped. Was it just him, or had the dragon been smaller last time?

"Why have you disturbed my slumber?" An impossibly deep voice rumbled.

"He seems mad," Upa whimpered.

The older boy really thought that his heart would stop when the dragon suddenly turned its entire attention onto Kagome.

"A fellow wish-granter?" The dragon spoke again, sounding surprised.

The priestess met the fathomless red gaze without flinching, but Goku could tell from the stiffness of her shoulders that she was nervous. "Yes, my lord," she agreed simply.

The dragon studied her for a long, nerve-wracking moment before coiling a bit tighter in on himself and shifting so that his face was directly in front of her. "Your name, little one?"

"Kagome, my lord," she bowed.

He gave a surprisingly quiet hum of acknowledgement. "I am known as Shenron," he responded. "How curious. Why is it that I have been called upon when your own strength would have sufficed?"

She drew in a shuddering breath. "I'm afraid that my power is nowhere near yours, Lord Shenron. In order to grant a wish without it being tainted, my body would be burned to ashes."

His massive head tilted curiously. "You are bound to the mortal planes by flesh?"

The girl nodded, blue eyes turning silver. When she spoke again, there was a bell-like ring to her voice that sent a shiver up Goku's spine. "Immune to time, but not to death," she told the giant being calmly. "Should I live a few hundred years, perhaps I would grow into powers not unlike your own - but as things stand, my lord, I am but a child compared to your strength."

The dragon nodded in understanding. "You are still young," he agreed. "It is good that you have come to me, then. Speak your wish."

Kagome turned to Upa, an almost cold smile on her lips that was nothing like her usual one, and gestured the younger boy over. "The wish belongs to this one," she explained to the dragon as the child inched nervously towards her.

For a moment, Upa looked like he wanted to run away - but the priestess caught him by the shoulder and held him in place.

"Tell him," Goku encouraged when the other boy just shook. "Tell him your wish."

The shaking only increased. "B-but..."

"Speak up, human," the dragon rumbled impatiently.

The young fighter sighed, seeing that his friend didn't seem to be in any state to say what needed to be said. "I'll tell him," he murmured, trying not to be disappointed in the smaller boy. He turned his gaze back up to meet pure red eyes. "Hey, dragon!"

"Wait!" Upa burst out. "I can do it!"

"Then hurry up and do so," Kagome demanded with a frown. "Lord Shenron is already using a great deal of energy merely to sustain his form in this realm."

The smaller boy winced, turning determined black eyes up to the dragon's own. "M-my apologies," he stuttered, obviously taking the priestess's cue and speaking more respectfully. "Please... Please help me. Please bring my father back to life!" He requested desperately, his hands clenched together just below his chin.

Goku took a half-step forward, a hopeful smile tugging at his lips. "So... can you do it?" He questioned.

The dragon huffed. "Yes," it rumbled, "I can. Your wish is granted."

The young fighter grinned brightly and turned to his smaller friend. "See?" He beamed. "I told you there was nothing to worry about! He just seems a little scary!"

Upa nodded happily in agreement, and Kagome's cold smile became a bit more real as the dragon's eyes flashed. Another bold of lightning hit Bora's grave with a sharp crack, and the dirt began to shift around immediately.

"Go to him," the priestess ordered, giving the younger boy a small push.

One step turned into two, and soon Upa was running - right in time for Bora to push up out of the dirt and to his feet with an uncertain look on his face.

The boy immediately babbled happily and latched onto the man.

"Thank you, Lord Shenron," Kagome spoke quietly, giving the dragon another bow.

"You have my thanks as well," Bora added in also, his voice hoarse with disuse and his son clutched tightly against his chest.

The giant creature just stared down at them blankly. "Your wish has been fulfilled," he rumbled out. "I take my leave."

Then with a flash of light he turned into that same orange electricity as before and bolted back up towards the sky, disappearing into the clouds and leaving behind only the seven dragon balls hanging in the air.

"Now where's number four..." Goku murmured, his eyes sharp.

After all that trouble to get back his grandpa's memento, as Kagome kept calling it, there was no way he was letting it slip out of his grasp again. He spotted it quickly, and - knowing what had happened to the dragon balls last time the eternal dragon had been called on and fearing that he was already too late when they started glowing again - jumped up to grab it before it could shoot off to who-knew-where like the others.

Almost immediately after the six free dragon balls all darted off in different directions, the sky was clear again.

His feet touched back down on the ground, and Goku felt like cheering.

He'd known everything would work out!

xxxx

"Goku!" Upa yelped, rushing up to the older boy worriedly. "Are you okay? Why did you do that?"

Kagome just shook her head and gave a wry smile, the last bits of the silvery mist finally receding from her vision. That had definitely been an interesting conversation, that was for sure; she was just glad that Lord Shenron had granted the smaller child's wish. She hadn't been fully certain that it was even possible after Bora had been dead for so long, but there stood the man right next to her - alive and healthy if not still a little disoriented.

She was glad to be proven wrong.

"I knew the dragon balls would be scattered all over the world right after the wish was made," she heard her partner explaining to their tiny friend. "I had to get Grandpa's four-star ball before I lost it! But look at it," he prompted, holding out what looked like a simple, perfectly round rock.

"What happened?" Upa wondered, looking stunned.

"After the dragon appears, the balls become regular stones for one whole year!" Goku said, tucking it away in his shirt. "That way no one can find them and the dragon can rest."

The priestess wasn't too surprised. After all the power that he'd used to bring Bora back, Lord Shenron definitely deserved a nice, long nap in whichever realm he called home for a little while to get his strength back.

He probably wouldn't sleep the whole year, but she didn't begrudge him the reprieve.

"Goku," Bora spoke up, smiling quietly the whole while. "Kagome. I do not know how to thank you."

The young fighter laughed. "You just did, silly!"

Kagome chuckled and nodded in agreement, moving to stand beside her partner as the man shook his head with fond exasperation.

"Someday, I will find a way to repay you," he vowed, reaching down to shake both of their hands. "If you ever need help, please come find me."

"Father!" Upa called excitedly, finally acting more relaxed now that he had his dad back. The kid looked like he was about to start bouncing. "Goku and Kagome made it all the way to the top of Korin's Tower!" He reported with a grin. "Not only that, but they beat that bad man who hurt you, too!"

Bora blinked, stunned, but his expression quickly shifted into a happily surprised smile. "You are both gifts from the stars, young ones," he declared proudly.

The partners shared an amused glance. Kagome didn't really feel as though they deserved so much praise for doing what was only right, and it was easy to see in the boy's eyes that he felt the same.

Upa made a distressed little noise in the back of his throat. "You're going already?"

"Are you sure you don't want to stay?" Bora checked. "I'll prepare a feast!"

Goku shook his head. "Thanks, but our friends are waiting for us."

"Well," the priestess corrected wryly when she saw the father and son wilt just a bit, "our other friends, at least. But we did tell them we'd be right back."

The two smiled, successfully calmed.

"We'll come visit sometime," Kagome promised, accepting a tight hug from the little boy as her partner called for Nimbus.

"Take care of each other!" Upa shouted after them as the pair climbed up onto the cloud and lifted into the air once more. "Be careful and don't stay away for too long, okay!" His arm fell back to his side and he sniffled, his recently-revived father gently patting his back to sooth him. "Farewell, my friends..."

With the goodbyes threatening to draw out tears already in the smaller child's eyes, the two partners each gave one final wave and took off back to Baba's.

xxxx

It didn't take long at all before they had returned to Baba's Palace once more, and Krillin immediately started questioning them before they'd even landed.

"You're back!" The bald boy declared. "What happened? Did the eternal dragon help Upa's dad?"

"Or as they used to say, 'hello'," Kagome huffed wryly.

The older apprentice blushed. "Hello," he amended. "But did it work?"

Goku grinned and held out two of his fingers in a 'V'. "Oh, yeah!" He assured. "It was a piece of cake!"

"Yay!" Krillin cheered. "Good job!"

"I bet they were really happy to see each other," Yamcha grinned as the pair finally hopped off of Nimbus.

"Yeah!" The younger boy nodded happily, proud of their work.

"You did good, kids," Master Roshi praised.

Pu'ar floated over to them. "After all this time, you finally collected all the dragon balls!" She chirped.

"Tough break that you'll have to wait a whole year before you can find your grandpa's keepsake again, isn't it?" Bulma commiserated.

Goku grinned. "Wait!" He requested, reaching into his shirt and digging around for the rock that the jewel had become. "No," he explained, pulling it out and showing it to them, "I caught the four-star ball before it had a chance to fly off!"

"That must have been one nice catch," the younger of the girls blinked, impressed.

"Does this mean you won't be looking for the dragon balls anymore?" Krillin wondered.

"That's right," the younger apprentice agreed. "I think I'll start training for the next martial arts tournament now!"

"That reminds me!" Yamcha spoke up eagerly. "Guess what? I'm training, too! With you guys, under Master Roshi - he agreed to take me on as a student!"

"We'll have so much fun!" Goku grinned excitedly.

"Yeah," the older boy chuckled. "A complete training refresher, right from the beginning!"

Bulma sighed. "I guess that's okay. Just don't pick up any of his bad habits!" She warned with a slight glare.

Master Roshi turned to her, confused. "Goku doesn't - oh wait, you're talking about me aren't you," he realized.

"That's great!" The youngest fighter laughed. "Master, we can train together, right?"

The old hermit sighed and stared down at him. "That's a bad idea," he negated, catching the boy off guard. "You're already exceptionally well-trained," the man explained. "Don't you want to try and grow stronger now?"

Goku didn't understand. "Sure," he agreed slowly. "Of course I want to get stronger, Master..."

"Then I can be of no more use to you, son," Roshi apologized. "You've officially outgrown my teachings; it's time for you to set out on your own and learn from the adventure of life! There are many things to see in this vast world, and they can only truly be experienced in person. Go wander, my boy! And keep your eyes peeled. There are endless opportunities out there for you."

The youngest disciple stared up at him for a moment before laughing. "You lost me!" He admitted, causing the old man to fall over himself. "Can you start over?"

"Actually," Kagome spoke up a bit sheepishly, "I was going to request something along those lines as well. What would you say to traveling with me, Goku?"

The boy blinked up at her. "Huh?"

"Well, I still have to find Suzumiya," she explained with a sigh. "If you wanted to go back to your training, that's fine - and if you want to split up, I understand. I was just hoping that we would stick together a while longer, and it's not like hunting down the stupid pheasant won't include a fight or two along the way..."

Goku gaped at her for a second before breaking into a wide grin. "Of course!"

Master Roshi yelped. "Er, actually, I was going to offer Kagome a place to stay with me-"

"I guess we should leave soon, then," the priestess stated, talking over the hermit. "You'll want to be back in time for this tournament thing, right?"

The boy nodded eagerly. "Yeah! And we can both join this time!"

She smiled. "Sounds good."

"W-wait!" Krillin burst in. "You're saying we won't see you again for five years?!"

Kagome just blinked. "Er... is that when it is?"

"No, no," the old man spoke up again, this time actually drawing all of their gazes. "The tournament is in three years!" He corrected. "They've drawn so many new participants that they're holding it every three years from now on.

Goku tugged on his partner's hand to get her attention. "Will that be long enough?"

She smiled and nodded. "Should be."

He beamed. "It's a deal!" He announced, looking back to his Master happily. "We'll meet you guys at the tournament gates!"

"But that's so long," his fellow discipline objected sadly. "Couldn't we have a reunion or something before the tournament?"

"Don't worry," Goku assured. "The time will fly!"

"I'll be so much stronger in the ring next time that you won't even recognize me!" Yamcha vowed excitedly.

The younger boy laughed. "Listen to Master Roshi and you're bound to get better!"

"Promise us you'll be careful out there!" Pu'ar chimed in.

"Don't worry about us," Kagome chuckled. "You just keep this idiot in line, huh?"

The ex-bandit growled at her.

Goku turned to Bulma next. "Do you think three years is enough time for you to get happy?" He wondered.

It was the blue-haired girl's turn to snarl. "What are you trying to say?!" She shrieked.

Krillin moved over and elbowed his friend playfully. "Know what? I'll be a lot taller by the time I see you again," he teased. "Maybe even taller than you!"

The younger fighter just laughed. "I wouldn't count on that. I'll grow too, you know!"

"As fun as all this is, we should probably be on our way now," Kagome spoke up with an apologetic smile.

The boy nodded in understanding and they finished up their goodbyes quickly.

Walking a short ways away, Goku took a deep breath and opened his mouth. "Nimb-!"

"No cloud!" Roshi immediately interrupted, pointing his cane at him. "Just feet. You won't get any stronger if you rely on any help outside yourself! Run, swim - do whatever it takes to get around on your own."

The younger fighter squawked. "What?!" He panicked. "We're supposed to travel the world on foot?!"

Kagome sighed. "Damn it," she complained. "I thought I was done walking everywhere."

Goku stared up at her for a second, taking in the fact that she didn't actually seem afraid or anything - just a bit annoyed. He remembered from her story that it wouldn't be the first time she'd done something like this, and that made him relax a little bit.

Well, it wasn't as if he was going to be alone in this.

"Okay!" He finally announced, nodding determinedly and turning to start jogging away. "See ya!"

His partner was already right next to him, easily keeping up with his speed.

"So," she chuckled. "Where should we start?"

He thought it over for a moment before shooting her a grin. "Forward!" He declared.

They both burst into peals of laughter, and forward they went.

xxxx

A/N: Urk! Over a month late?! I can't believe I let time get away from me this badly... I'm so, so sorry for the delay, everyone. On the bright side, I actually broke down and bought all of the DVDs for DB, so I'll be able to go ahead and get everything put together more quickly. (Once I get my ass in gear, at least.)

Alright! Extra long chapter for your forbearance, and I should have more out soon. Again, sorry for the delay and thank you very much for your patience.