Standard Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z or it's characters. I do own Mahi though.

Searching for a Solution

"Are the others on their way behind you?" Asked a worried Chi-Chi, settling Mahi in her bed.

"No, Chi-Chi." Goku said sadly. "They aren't coming back."

"Nani?!!!?" Chi-Chi shouted, then promptly fainted.

"Can't we collect the dragonballs and wish them back?" Bulma asked.

"Baka onna!" Vegita yelled. "The dragonballs died with Piccolo!"

"Aaaaah!" Bulma cried. "Piccolo died too?"

"We are the only ones that survived." Goku explained, carefully. "Mahi-chan almost sacrificed herself so that we could win. Petorochi was too strong for us. I should have trained myself as well as the boys." Goku lamented, starting to blame himself.

"It doesn't matter now, Tousan." Mahi whispered. Suddenly, noticing that Mahi was awake, everyone started talking at once, demanding that she lay down and rest.

"You baka chit!" Vegita chided. "Do you think that you can just jump up and start fighting again so soon after nearly getting yourself killed?"

"I'm sorry, Vegita-san." Mahi whispered, her voice as thin as a breath of air. "But I had a vision of something that I need to do." She explained.

"Oh, no. No running off on new adventures just yet." Chi-Chi scolded. "You must rest for a while and get your strength back."

And so Mahi agreed to remain in bed and recover. When Corin came with some sensu beans a week later, Mahi gladly popped one in her mouth. Feeling recovered and full of energy, Mahi jumped out of bed.

"Oh! Finally!" Mahi sighed. "I'm out of that bed and back to my training."

"Okay, but only for a little while." Chi-Chi stipulated.

"Hai." Mahi lightly agreed, flying off to find her tousan and Vegita.

Finding them fighting not far off, Mahi flew over and interrupted them.

"You two are at it again?" She asked, laughing. "When will you two quit fighting each other?"

"You're better?" Goku asked, surprised to see her up and about.

"Hai, Corin brought me some sensu beans. Now answer me. Are you two ever going to stop fighting each other?" Mahi demanded.

"Hai!" Vegita shouted. "As of now, we're both going to fight you!"

Mahi quickly powered up as Vegita charged her. "If you can take it, so can I." Mahi challenged. And so began the ritual of the next year and a half. Goku, Vegita, and Mahi trained all out trying to keep busy so they would not think on their family and friends who had died. Bra joined in on occasion, to distract herself as well.

Meanwhile, King Kai was having a ball as the fallen fighters reunited on his tiny planet at the end of Snake Way. Piccolo advised King Kai of the existence of Mahi, and filled him in on the strange mix of powers she had. Everyone was surprised at how strong and talented the little girl was. They all decided that they must train and hope that Goku would find a way to wish them back. Piccolo did not tell the group about Mahi's attempt to create dragonballs. He did not want to give them a reason to hope for what might not happen.

One day, after much hard training, Mahi decided that she needed to get away for a while. "Tousan?" She asked tentatively. "I need to go away by myself for a while. Can you tell Kaasan that I will return after a while?"

"Hai." Goku agreed, thinking that Mahi simply needed a place to grieve for her brothers. "Do you know how long you will be gone?"

"When I find what I am looking for." Mahi answered quietly. Goku nodded, and flew towards home.

Feeling the need to talk, Mahi asked Vegita to fly with her for a while.

"I don't have time for your chatter, brat." Vegita rebuffed her.

"I just wanted to let you know that I feel what you feel, and I understand why you are you." Mahi blurted out.

"Oh? Honto?" Vegita questioned.

"Hai, I know you are grieving for your son. Just as I know that you also grieve for your tousan and your home." Mahi explained. "Just as I grieve for the parents I never knew."

"You know nothing of me!" Vegita shouted, unnerved that she had been so perceptive. "I grieve for nothing and no one!"

"Very well." Mahi nodded. "I will see you again in a few months."

"Fine. Go away!" Vegita waved her off, like a prince dismissing a servant.

Mahi just smiled. "Aishiteru, Ojisan Vegita." She shot back just before she disappeared.

"Don't love me!" Vegita shouted at the empty sky around him. Ever since Chi-Chi had taught the little imp to speak, Mahi had called him Ojisan Vegita or Vegita-san. 'She does it on purpose.' Vegita thought, angrily. 'She knows I do not like her.' Although deep down inside, Vegita felt a need to protect her as he tried to protect his son.

Not quite knowing where to go, Mahi flew aimlessly. Suddenly she felt the need to head to Yanzibit Heights, the end of the world. The closer she got the more intense the feeling grew. 'Why do I feel the need to be in such a cold and desolate place?' Mahi wondered. But she knew that she should trust her instincts on this.

Although the wind blew fiercely, Mahi did not feel it's chill. Silently, she floated above the plateaus, carefully scanning her surroundings. When she was satisfied that she was indeed alone, Mahi landed lightly. Amused that her location matched her mood, the lonely girl went in search of food.

'A full stomach first.' she thought. 'Then I can worry about everything else.'

Mahi was very sad, and as she searched for sustenance, she thought back to the fight against Petorochi. A fight she could have helped end before Petorochi destroyed her friends, and her family. She had been very careful not to let anyone see exactly how hard all those deaths were for her to bear. How she blamed herself for not helping them sooner. They would not understand. They had always had a set of dragonballs to wish people back with. But Piccolo had died, and the dragonballs with him. So here it was that Mahi tried to come to grips with the terrible truth that she had failed to protect those she loved, and who loved her in return. They had been trying to protect her when it was not necessary. She should never have agreed to stay out of the fight. What Mahi needed to do was accept what had happened and quit thinking about all of the "what if?"'s, but she could not.

And so it was that Mahi spent the next six months trying to put her past behind her. No more wondering about where she came from. She was here now and that was all that mattered anymore. She was part-Sayjin and part-Namek, and that was all she needed to know. Though Mahi never could seem to completely forget, and the horrible memories stayed in the back of her mind

She was standing on the top of a great cliff. Nothingness was all that was before her. Not knowing why, Mahi raised her left hand out before her, palm up. Without warning, they appeared. The seven perfectly round balls, silver in color with blue stars on each ranging from one to seven. Yet as beautiful as they were, Mahi wasn't in awe of them. She used her other hand to expel a series of light blasts at each of the balls in the air before her. Then directing the balls with her left hand, Mahi settled the balls on the ground behind her.

As she turned around, Mahi uttered a name she had never heard before, "Shen-Kara!"

Suddenly there was a bright light.

Mahi woke up in a sweat. It was the first time she had dreamed such a dream since she had come to this place of nothing. 'Why?' she wondered. 'What does this mean? I tried before to make them. Maybe I should try again now that I'm stronger.' Mahi meditated on this for a while. Finally she came to a decision, if the dreams continued and she saw more of what to do, she would attempt to create the balls again. Until then she would train.

With her plans firm in her mind, Mahi powered up to super-Sayjin and used her multiple form technique to begin her training. The days passed quickly for Mahi, but in the dark emptiness of nighttime seemed to last forever. Night after night, Mahi lay awake missing her family and friends, blaming herself. Each day she trained with increasing fervor, pushing herself to the limit. A year passed by without her realizing it. The dreams had stopped, because Mahi didn't take the time to sleep. She couldn't sleep for more than a few minutes here and there anyway. Until something happened to take the choice out of her hands.

She was training with her two multiple forms when she was distracted by her thoughts. Using it to their advantage, her multiple forms unleashed a furious attack. Usually, Mahi would have been able to deflect such a move, but her mind had wondered at the wrong time, and it hit her head on. Knocked unconscious by the blows, her multiple forms rejoined her. And she dreamed.

Meanwhile, Chi-Chi was furious that Goku had let Mahi just wander off. He had said that she would return shortly, but that was almost two years ago! Worried about Mahi as well, Goku stopped sparring with Vegita and set out to search for her.

"I can't believe that we still have to drop everything and go look for that little brat." Vegita complained, as if the task was too low for him.

"Well, she did say she'd be back soon." Goku reminded him. "And there's been no sign of her in almost two years." The two men were flying through a deserted area, looking for any trace of the young girl.

"She's not here, Kakorot. Let's look somewhere else." Vegita suggested. "You do realize that she could be anywhere, even the end of the world?"

"Hai. But we have to try to --" Goku began.

"Wait a minute! That's it!" He shouted, interrupting himself.

"Nani?" Vegita demanded.

"The end of the world. Yanzibit Heights!" Goku explained, turning in that direction. "It's where Piccolo grew up. It's where he goes to be alone."

"That still doesn't tell me why you think that baka girl would go there." Vegita remarked.

"Piccolo would have told her about it when he trained her. She may just think it's the perfect place to be by yourself." Goku answered.

"Alright. Then we head home."

As they approached, Goku spotted someone lying on the ground. Alarmed, he sped forward and landed beside Mahi.

"Kuso! Someone really did a number on her." Vegita swore, amazed that the chit still lived.

Goku gently cradled Mahi as he tried to get her to respond to him. "Mahi-chan?" He called. "It's Tousan. Mahi-chan, please wake up."

Slowly Mahi started to stir. As she looked up, she swore she was still dreaming.

"Tousan?" She asked. "Are you real?"

"Yes, Mahi-chan. I've come to give you a sensu bean."

Carefully Goku placed the sensu in Mahi's mouth and encouraged her to eat it.

"Why do you have to coddle her like that?" Vegita butted in. "Why not just teach her a lesson and let her find her own way home?"

Feeling completely refreshed by the sensu bean, Mahi cut in. "Please. Arigato for the sensu, Tousan. But I need just a few more days."

"I can't return home without you this time, Mahi-chan." Goku told her. "Chi-Chi sent me to find you. She's very worried."

Deciding to give in, Mahi told Goku and Vegita that she would return home with them if the would grant her one more day. Seeing no harm in one extra day, Goku agreed. Vegita however, had his doubts.

"Why should I stay?" He demanded to know.

"Well, because if you don't then Bulma and Chi-Chi will be all over you the moment you return without us." Goku explained.

"Humph." Vegita grunted. "I guess a little vacation from the two of them would be all right."

Feeling sure that they had a deal, Mahi set about fixing dinner. As they ate she filled them in on her progress in her training, as well as the reason they had found her the way that they did. Vegita kept silent. He knew that this girl would surpass everyone eventually. He couldn't let that happen! No silly little child was going to be stronger than he. Especially this little slip of a girl.

As they fell asleep that night, no one expected what was about to happen.

Mahi dreamed of the seven perfect balls again. But this time when she woke up, she wasn't in a cold sweat. She wasn't even scared at all. Quietly, so as not to disturb the others, Mahi flew away.

Up, up, up she flew. Until she found where she was looking for. Lightly she landed at the edge of a great cliff. The moment had come to do it. Staring out at the nothingness before her, Mahi raised her right hand up, palm out. She then closed her eyes, and pictured seven perfect balls of silver with blue stars. After a few moments, Mahi opened her eyes slowly. Just a few feet from her fingertips, the seven silver balls she had pictured were floating. She raised her left hand and repeatedly shot each ball with light ki blasts. Satisfied with her work, Mahi used her right hand to direct the balls to the ground behind her.

Suddenly, Mahi spun around. There stood Goku and Vegita, their mouths wide open with shock. "What are you doing here?" She asked them with quiet authority.

"W-we, um, we..." Goku stuttered.

"We felt a strange power and came to check it out." Vegita finished for him.

"What are you doing?" Goku asked, after he gathered his thoughts.

"I felt the need to create something, Tousan. So I made these balls that I had dreamed of." Mahi explained.

"You created these dragonballs?" Vegita sneered. "I don't believe it. Only Nameks can create dragonballs."

Mahi turned back to her dragonballs, ignoring his comment. Raising both of her hands to the sky, Mahi commanded quietly, "Shen-Kara, come."

To Vegita's astonishment, the odd colored dragonballs began to glow. The sky darkened, and a bright beam of light shot up from the dragonballs. Twisting and turning in the air, the light began to fade, and a dragon could be seen.

"Mahi-sama, you have created the perfect home for me. So in thanks to you I will grant any three wishes in my power, when these balls are gathered together and I am called." Shen-Kara informed them.

"You are most welcome for the gift, and I humbly accept your gift in return." Mahi replied.

"Farewell, my friend." Shen-Kara said, as the bright beam once again shone around the dragon. The beam then disappeared as it had come and the dragonballs were scattered over the face of the earth.

"Sugoi!" Goku gasped. "That was amazing."

"I must admit, even I'm impressed." Vegita commented.

"Now I am ready to go home." Mahi announced, feeling a familiar emptiness settle in her heart.

And so it was that an excited Goku, a mystified Vegita, and a emotionless Mahi that sped on towards home.

To be continued...