Meys landed on the cliff where Raditz had fought Kakarot and his team. It was cold and windy, and Meys was wearing little more than his armor and underclothes, but he didn't let the chill bother him. He had a fire inside him, one he hadn't felt before. After decades of scurrying under Freeza's boot, slaughtering millions, acting like a rat, he was on the verge of understanding what it truly meant to be a warrior. He could feel it in his gut.

This was right. Meys listened to the wind whip by. He felt the chill bite at his ears. He could feel the battlefield around him. Raditz's grave called to him. He didn't know how long he stood there, listening. Time lost meaning while he prepared his mind and his body.

He could feel the Namekian coming to him. He wasn't alone, either. Meys gathered power, but not into his arms or legs or mouth for an attack, but into his core. For the first time, Meys felt power. Real, actual power.

"It's him, all right," one of the humans called out. It was the short, bald one, accompanied by the scarred one with the black hair. The three landed in front of Meys.

"Piccolo," Meys called out. He opened his eyes, and stared down the Namekian.

"Meys, right?" Piccolo asked, " Where's the girl?"

"Brussa isn't here," Meys said, "Neither is my Scouter. There's nobody here but us. Nobody listening, nobody to interfere."

"That's fine with me," Piccolo said. Meys scowled.

"You killed Raditz and Kakarot. There are only six of us left now. I thought our scarcity and our pride made us special. But the only people you've hurt is us. Nobody else cares what happens to the Saiyans," Meys said, "Slaughter is beneath us. So we do this, you and I. Nobody else gets in our way."

Piccolo pulled off his turban, and removed his cape and pauldrons.

"I'm ready when you are, Saiyan," Piccolo said.

"This is for Raditz! AND KAKAROT!" Meys charged at Piccolo. He punched at Piccolo's side, and then high. Piccolo blocked both, grabbing Meys's wrist and punching him across the face.

Meys recoiled from the hit, but attacked low with his fists, sending Piccolo recoiling back. Meys floated in place, letting Piccolo make the next move; the Namekian obliged, charging a Ki strike, and moved in for a close-range hit. Meys rolled a kick across Piccolo's shoulders. Piccolo twisted with the blow, landing the strike on Meys's chest. Meys tumbled back, and then flew down and around, coming at Piccolo from beneath.

Piccolo, however, fired a rapid series of Ki blasts, some of which struck Meys along the back. He let out a cry, but still had the senses to roll around, and fire a blast from his mouth.

Piccolo flew straight at Meys, keeping his flight pattern irregular to make it hard for Meys to hit him. After closing the gap, he slammed into Meys, who began to punch at Piccolo's head and ribs, trying to get the Namekian off him. Piccolo, meanwhile, struck at Meys's back, causing the Saiyan to recoil and gasp as they sped towards the ground. Meys charged Ki into his fists. These strikes were enough to force Piccolo off him, and sent him flying away from Meys. Keeping up the momentum, Meys charged and fired a narrow blast at Piccolo.

"They're pretty evenly matched," Krillin said.

"We can't let Piccolo die, or we lose any chance of getting Goku back. The Dragon Balls will be inert!" Yamcha said, "Do you think we should get involved?"

Krillin let out a gulp, "We might have to, but we should trust Piccolo's skill. If things get dicey, we'll save him."

"But with the three of us, we can take the Saiyan," Yamcha said. Krillin clenched his jaw.

"I'm not sure if that's the right thing to do...Do you remember what he said?"

"Yeah...He said slaughter was beneath him...What do you think happened?"

"I don't know. Wait, hold on, he said he was doing this for Raditz and Kakarot. Kakarot is what Raditz called Goku!"

"You don't think…"

"Yamcha, stay here, and keep Piccolo safe if you need to. I've got an idea."

"Wait! Krillin! Oh, man!"

Meys glanced over his shoulder when he noticed one of the humans had taken off. Piccolo took the moment to strike Meys in the chest with Ki. Meys grunted, and took a swing at the oncoming Piccolo, losing interest in the human.

XXX

Krillin had a long way to fly. When he saw Chi Chi's house come into range, he hoped this would work. It was dawn, and he could see that everyone was already training. Chi Chi was folding laundry, heavy weights on her arms, back, and legs. With the speed she was moving, they didn't seem to be of any bother. Gohan was standing on a thin log on one foot, the log on its edge. Tien was performing the same exercise next to him. When Krillin landed, Gohan lost his concentration and hopped off.

"Hi Krillin!" Gohan called to him, running up to him.

"Hey, Gohan, how goes training?" Krillin asked.

"Real good! Mr. Tien makes it fun!"

"I'm glad. Listen, can you get your mom for me? I need to talk to her," Krilling said. Gohan nodded, and ran to Chi Chi. Tien approached Krillin.

"What's this about, Krillin? Aren't you supposed to be with Yamcha and Piccolo?" Tien asked.

"We were. Piccolo had us practicing his Masenko technique, when he took off back to where we fought Raditz," Krillin explained. The others had joined them, and Krillin continued, "That's where we found the Saiyan, Meys. Hopefully, they're still fighting, or Piccolo's won, and hasn't killed him yet."

"What about Yamcha?" Roshi asked.

"I told him not to get involved unless Piccolo gets in trouble. Listen, Chi Chi, I had an idea. Meys talked about fighting for both Raditz and Goku, and about how there aren't many of his people left. But we're planning on bringing back Goku, right? What if we make a deal with the Saiyans, instead of trying to fight them?" Krillin said.

"A deal?" Chi Chi asked, "What kind of deal?"

"Well, what if we brought back both Goku and Raditz? And in exchange, the Saiyans agree to leave us alone. And if they go back on their agreement, we'll have Goku, with all his training, on our side."

"That's a lot of risk. We could be adding another enemy to fight, when they'll have their toughest warriors with them," Tien pointed out.

"But we won't just have Goku and Raditz, will we?" Chi Chi asked. Krillin looked to her, and nodded. He looked down to Gohan.

"Raditz, Goku, and the girl-" Krillin said.

"Brussa," Chi Chi said. Krillin nodded.

"-and Brussa, they're siblings. And that makes Gohan their nephew, right? They're family. That's all they want back. So let's give it to them. Maybe we can get Brussa to tell Meys to stand down, and we can make our deal."

"When I'd captured Brussa, I was going to bring her to Bulma to keep her contained, but try to reason with her, and maybe introduce her to Gohan. Maybe I could reason with her better than we did with Raditz…" Chi Chi said, "We should try."

"I felt them coming to the area earlier," Tien said, "They don't know how to hide their power levels. It should be easy to find her."

"Let me talk to her first," Chi Chi said, "Help keep her at ease. Nimbus!"

The Flying Nimbus arrived, and Chi Chi climbed on, pulling Gohan up with her. The team took off, following the nearest power level. The battle between Piccolo and Meys ate at the back of their minds, as both warriors flared and waned as they went back and forth.

"Gohan, I know things have been scary lately. I want you to know that I'm very proud of you," Chi Chi said, "I didn't want you to be a warrior like your father."

"I like it," Gohan admitted, "But I also like studying. Maybe I can do both? I'll still be a scientist, just like you want!"

She hugged him tightly, "We're about to meet someone. A little girl, older than you. She's your aunt, her name is Brussa, and she's very scared. You remember Raditz?"

Gohan nodded, "If she's my aunt, that means she's dad's sister, and Raditz is her brother."

"You're such a smart boy! Well, Brussa misses her brother a lot. I hope, if she meets you, she won't be as scared," Chi Chi explained.

"I know, I was listening. We could bring back both Dad and Uncle Raditz. When he kidnapped me, we moved into this family's house. They took care of us. Raditz told them what to do, and could have really hurt them. I don't think he was all bad," Gohan admitted, "He was still a mean bully. But maybe he doesn't have to be."

Chi Chi rubbed Gohan's head, "I hope so, too."

They quickly arrived at what Chi Chi recognized to be Chaztke, a small but growing town in the Eastern District. It was the closest town to her home, and she was familiar with most of the shopkeepers. The open air market was starting to open up.

"Keep back," Chi Chi told the others, "Let me handle this."

She landed before the house she could sense Brussa in. It was a square, wooden structure with two floors, meaning it was built rather than manufactured like most of the Capsule Corp dome homes that made most villages like this. Chi Chi took a breath, and knocked on the front door.

"Who is knocking at this time of the morning?" a man grumbled. The door opened, "Oh! Chi Chi! It's good to see you again!"

"Hello, Dice! I'm sorry to drop in unannounced, but-"

"Are you here for Brussa?"

Chi Chi opened her mouth to ask, but closed it, and nodded.

"We gave her a bed after what happened last night. She's still asleep. I'll get the stove warmed up for breakfast. The girl sure can eat!"

"I believe it," Chi Chi chuckled, "So can my Gohan, if you don't mind?"

"Of course," he nodded, letting them inside. He gestured for them to sit at the dining table, and poured Chi Chi a cup of coffee, before going upstairs. Dice knocked on Bell's door; his daughter answered.

"Is Brussa still here?" he asked.

"Yeah, she's asleep. Messy eater, messy sleeper. She's been having nightmares all night," Bell said.

"I'm not surprised," Dice said, "Listen, her brother's wife, you remember Chi Chi? Buys tuna and pork by the kilo? She just showed up, with their son and wants to talk to her. From everything Meys told me, it's a super touchy situation."

"Yeah. I don't want to ambush her. I'll talk to her," Bell said. Dice nodded, and went back downstairs. Bell sat at the edge of the mat Brussa was sleeping on, and tapped on her leg.

"Mmm. My power...Is maximum…" Brussa mumbled.

"Brussa? Can you wake up for me?"

"Hmm? I smell cooking, mom, is it time for breakfast?" Brussa said, sitting up.

"Almost," Brussa chuckled, "Do you remember where you are?"

Brussa looked around, and then at Bell. She nodded.

"Your bed's super comfy. Thank you...I didn't think I'd sleep…"

"It's just a mat," Bell chuckled, "But you're welcome. Listen, something just happened, and I don't want you to think we're ambushing you with anything."

"I can deal with any ambush!" Brussa declared, holding up her fists, which turned into a stretch and a yawn.

"I bet you can," Bell sat criss-cross, "Brussa, someone showed up looking for you. I want you to know that you're safe here. If you want them to leave, that's what I'll tell them, okay?"

Brussa looked at her, "I mean, if I want them to leave, I can defeat anything your planet can throw at me."

Bell smiled, "Probably. But this is about your brother. Not Raditz, but the other one?"

"Kakarot? What about him?"

"His wife is downstairs, asking to speak with you, with their son, Gohan."

"Kakarot's mate? How does she even know about me?" Brussa asked, standing, "I guess I can talk to her. You Earthlings like to talk a lot."

"Yeah, we're chatterboxes. Listen, I know a lot hurts right now. If you want the conversation to stop at any point, let me know, and we'll have her leave, okay?" Bell said. Brussa nodded, and accompanied Bell downstairs. When they reached the bottom, Brussa was rubbing her eyes. When she opened them, she saw Chi Chi, and immediately went into a fighting stance, her tail bristling and standing on edge.

"You! You're the one who grabbed my tail!" Brussa growled.

Chi Chi stood, and held her hands up, "I'm not here to fight, Brussa."

"That was a cheap trick, but I'm not falling for it this time! What've you done to Meys? I'll rip you apart, Earthling!" Brussa threatened.

"Meys is still alive, but we need your help, Brussa. Please, I need you to listen. It's about your brothers, Brussa," Chi Chi said.

"What do you care? You're working with their killer! And now he's going to kill Meys!"

"We can save him, Brussa. Your brothers, too, they can come back. But I need you to listen," Chi Chi pleaded, "Please. I don't want to hurt you."

"They can come back?" Brussa blinked, relaxing a bit.

"Mmm hmm. Here on Earth, we have something called Dragon Balls," Chi Chi said. Brussa perked up at the mention.

"Yes, the woman told Raditz they could grant wishes. We were going to gather them. Wait, do you mean-"

Chi Chi nodded, "Will you listen?"

Brussa cautiously approached the table, and sat at the table. Dice put a plate of food in front of her, and Brussa started eating. She gestured for Chi Chi to talk.

"The Dragon Balls don't work if Piccolo dies. We need Meys to stop fighting Piccolo, but we don't have much time before one of them wins the fight. We've been training, because Raditz told us more of your people were coming. But we don't have to fight. If you promise not to hurt the Earth or its people, we'll bring back Raditz and Goku," Chi Chi said. Brussa chewed on her food. She gestured to Gohan.

"What's your name?" she asked. Gohan's tail flicked.

"I'm Gohan. I'm your nephew!" Gohan said, "I'm sorry about your brother."

Brussa grinned, "I'm sorry about your dad. I was looking forward to meeting him. Do you want to meet your grandmother?"

"Is she a bully like Raditz?" Gohan asked. Brussa shook her head.

"No, my mother's the kindest Saiyan. She's going to be so happy to meet you."

"Then yeah, I do."

"All right. Let's save Meys, and get my brothers back, then," Brussa picked up the last of the T-Rex steak off her plate, and took a huge bite.