King Kai only slept for about four hours. When he woke to check on Gohan, the kid's halo was gone. The only possible solution was that he'd been wished back, but that couldn't happen for another year. The dragonballs were just used to wish back the others.

King Kai turned around and went back to his seat. Even though he had an AWFUL crick in the neck from sleeping in a chair, he put his hands to his head to ease the ache and tried to contact Kami.

"King Kai?" came the instant reply, thought-spoken.

"Yes. Kami, what's going ON down there?!" he demanded sternly. "I think Gohan just got wished back!"

Kami's answer was just started when a third person interrupted. "Hey! Who's talking in my head?! This isn't Guru!"

"Dende, don't worry. I'll explain in a minute," Kami said calmly. "Yes, he just was, King Kai."

"How?! The dragonballs were just used less than two months ago!"

"It seems that Dende is more powerful than I," he answered carefully. "He improved them so Shenlong can now grant THREE wishes and can regenerate by Namek years instead of Earth's. In short, they can be used more."

"So when is Gohan coming home? I want to see him again," Dende asked.

"As soon as he wakes up," King Kai answered. "Which should be very soon I think. He'll probably be there tomorrow morning. But don't tell Chi Chi," he warned Kami.

"Why not? She has every right to know."

King Kai silently cleared his throat. "If you've ever spent time with the woman you'd know. BELIEVE me. Even Goku is afraid of her."

That seemed to convince the old Namek. "All right. I'll take your word for it, King Kai. You've never led me wrong before."

They both felt Dende closing his mind off to their conversation even though he didn't realize he was doing it. King Kai immediately snatched the opportunity. "So, what is this kid to you, Kami?"

"He will be the next Guardian of the Earth. He's already proven he will be a very strong leader, and he's already well-liked with the people. Now I'm glad that Piccolo turned down the job." Kami gave a short, soft chuckle and smiled. King Kai could feel the motion over their link.

King Kai looked over his shoulder at Gohan, who was stirring. "He's waking up. He'll be back soon."

"All right. I'll be there to meet him."

King Kai closed off his mind to concentrate on his now ex student. Princess Snake in the other room was also waking from the deep sleep. She stumbled out of the chair and into the room just as Gohan was getting up.

Still groggy, he took one look at her and giggled. "You don't look so good in the morning," he said as he flung the blankets off and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, rubbing his eyes.

"Neither do you. I probably don't look half as bad as you," she muttered back as she collapsed on the bed next to him.

"I can believe that," he said as he stopped rubbing his eye and had a little trouble opening it. "Man, I feel funny."

"You've been wished back, Gohan," King Kai told him as he helped the little boy out of bed.

"What?!" Princess Snake instantly snapped out of her foggy, just-woken-up stage. "How?"

"Apparently Gohan's friend improved the Earth's dragonballs. The new cycle just got started."

"Gohan, is there anyone you DON'T know?" Snake asked, but Gohan was gone.

It wasn't hard to find him. Apparently he knew where the bathroom was because he was traipsing there repeating, "Wakey, wakey, wakey, wakey."

She smiled and shook her head. "At least he's not asking for coffee."

"No, he likes hot chocolate," King Kai muttered. "But what's he doing now?"

A loud cry followed by more and louder splashing answered the question. Gohan came back, dripping from everything on his head and a wet stain down the front of his clothes. "I'm awake now," he announced.

"So I see," Snake said, eyeing him.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Go?!" Gohan looked up at his teacher, then back at Princess Snake.

"Kami, I hope this child never gets attacked in the middle of the night," Princess Snake muttered. She mock-punched him affectionately. "You got wished back. We just told you that."

"Oh, yeah." Gohan padded out to the other room in search of clean clothes. "Hey, King Kai! I need to stop by and get the work from your house! Mom will NEVER believe that I kept up with my studies!"

Princess Snake pulled King Kai over to the corner of the room. "Is he going to be all right?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't he be?"

"Well, I would love to keep him around forever, but I WOULD like him to HAVE a life. Literally."

"Well, just think of the day that he dies for good."

She chuckled. "Ah, yes. I'll just make him young again. And then he can live with me forever."

"How young are you planning, Snake?"

"Well, he's rather adorable at this age, don't you think?" she asked, tapping a finger on her cheek. She smiled, making King Kai open his mouth to say something.

Gohan came back in at that precise moment. "Um, excuse me, but... what am I going to wear when I go home? My boxers?" He tugged at the legs of them and looked up. "I would die of embarrassment before Mom could kill me."

King Kai stood and put a hand on Gohan's shoulder. "I have just the solution. I'm going to give you new clothes." Gohan looked absolutely horrified. "BUT," he added, "YOU'RE going to choose what they look like."

"All right!" Gohan cheered. "Anything I want?"

"Any fighting outfit," King Kai agreed. "Just close your eyes and concentrate."

Gohan did as he was told and let the magic wash over him. When he opened his eyes, the same gear Piccolo had given him was there, complete with weighted white cape. "All right! This is COOL!"

King Kai blinked. "PICCOLO'S uniform?"

"Yeah!" Gohan said as he twirled the cape. He grinned up at King Kai. "Thank you!!"

That face and cheesy smile combined with Piccolo's gi made King Kai blink a few times and shake his head a little. "No problem Gohan. How about going and getting your work now?"

"Yeah. I really don't WANT to leave, but I want to see my mom again," he said sadly.

"Well, you can stop by again on the way back, Gohan," Princess Snake promised.

"Really?" The hopeful young warrior looked up and saw his friend's smile.

"Yes. I'll even give you more cookies than you can eat." Then remembering Saiyan stomachs, she added, "In five minutes."

"Really?!"

"Sure. What kind do you like?"

"EVERYTHING!"

Every maid, servant and assistant withing hearing range suddenly stopped, looked at each other, then hurried to the many kitchens.

As they passed by, snippets of conversations could be heard. "There's always been this recipe I wanted to try..." "...peanut butter cookies for me!" "Yup! Chocolate chip. Kids LOVE chocolate chip!"

Princess Snake grinned. "O, hell, I'LL even cook. Peppermint cookies from me."

King Kai leaned against the table. "You? COOK?"

"Yes, me cook. I AM a princess after all."

"More like a pampered old bitch," he muttered under his breath.

Gohan's lowed jaw hit the floor. "YOU know how to curse?" he asked in wonder.

"Don't tell anybody," he muttered, this time to Gohan. "Come on."

"And you're calling ME old. How long have YOU been around?"

"I don't think you want to know. Probably as long as you."

"What do you mean by that? I'm only 19!"

"I've know you longer than 19 years."

"I didn't say 19 YEARS. But in that case, I have plenty of experience at being 19."

"Come on King Kai," Gohan urged. "I have to go!"

"How many zeroes are after that?"

"King Kai!" Gohan shouted in the blue ear just inches from his face. "WE HAVE TO GO!!" Finally he grabbed the master's sleeve and dragged him out, King Kai still yelling insults.

"And people call ME immature," Gohan muttered. It was going to be a LONG trip. He heard that Princess Snake could hear them all the way to King Kai's place.

============================================

Surprisingly, Bulma didn't put the job off for two days. It took her only half an hour to get herself together and find Vegeta. Well, the second part wasn't hard. It was a spaceship. There was only so many places the idiot could be.

"Lunkhead! Dummy? Little bastard! VEGETA, I'm TRYING to get your attention!"

He merely turned his head to give her an I'm-listening, what-do-you-want look. Then he smirked and said, "Woman, you're picking up the laws faster than I though you would."

"Forget the goddamn laws," she snarled. "I want to tell you something."

He cocked his head in a nonverbal "What?"

"I wanted to say that I'm ssss. That's I'm s-s-o--a. That I ap--apo--" She clamped her mouth shut and turned red as she clenched her fist and tried counting to ten. Under Vegeta's amused glare she made it halfway to two. "Bastard," she began through gritted teeth. "Ishouldn'thavemadethatremarkaboutFrieza," she finished as fast as she could. "So, I'm ss-- I'm done."

She turned and took one step before slamming into him. "Was that an apology, woman?"

"As close as you'll ever get," she answered as sweetly as possible without sounding like she wanted to wring his neck.

"Aw, man! I missed it!" Krillin said as he came into the room. "That sucks!"

"Sorry he got away," Goku muttered as he dragged Krillin back out saying, "You wouldn't understand it anyway. She said it too fast."

Krillin's voice drowned out and Bulma turned to Vegeta again. "By the way, when you want to get someone's attention, CALL them. DON'T just do that little speed thing. It gets annoying."

"Bulma."

"Huh?" The sound of her name coming from him was almost more foreign than any language she'd ever heard. "What?"

"You talk too damn much."

"Gee, thanks. Can I go now?"

"No."

"Why the hell not? You want to crash-land on ANOTHER planet?"

"If it gets rid of Cueball."

"Yeah, well. He goes, I go, you probably go and then we'll ALL be happy, then won't we?" She tried to push past him, but he moved so she fell against the wall. "I take it back," she said evenly as she scrambled to her feet. "I take the damn apology back!"

"I've already accepted it, woman. You can't."

"I can do whatever the hell I please."

"You won't when you're my mate."

"How many times do I HAVE to tell you? I am NOT your fucking MATE!!"

He smirked at her. "You will be woman. I can guarantee it."

"Bet me," she hissed.

"You'll lose. And I don't bet on something that is sure to happen. It takes the fun out of the game."

"Arrogant bastard. How the hell are you so sure?"

He yanked gently on a piece of her hair and smirked. "Make no mistake woman, I'm determined. And I get EVERYTHING I want."

"Well this time the damn pampered palace brat isn't getting what he wants. Sorry, your MAGESTY, but I'm just as damn stubborn as you are, and I say no."

"You'll change your mind."

"Why the hell are you so damn cocky about this?"

He turned, then looked at her over his shoulder. "When you come around, you'll know." With that he smirked at her and left to torture Krillin.

============================================

Bulma tried to avoid Vegeta as much as possible, but it wasn't going to happen in the confined space of the ship. So she'd taken to locking herself in her room and nonverbally daring Vegeta to blow it up.

Which is why he was currently yelling, "Woman! Get out here now!"

"Screw you!" she yelled back as she rolled over to face the wall. He was silent for a moment, then Bulma thought about what she just said. "Forget it!"

Vegeta smirked even though she couldn't see it. "Woman, Cueball doesn't know how to use the telephone. He told me to ask you for help."

"Well, you're not ASKING, and since WHEN do you listen to Krillin?" She sat up enough to see over her shoulder and looked at the closed door. He didn't answer, and Bulma didn't expect one. She knew perfectly well the only reason he was doing as Krillin said was to annoy her. "So then get Goku to do it. I was TRYING to sleep!"

"Kakorrot's asleep," Vegeta answered, crossing his arms. "I'm getting impatient."

"I don't give a damn, your HIGHNESS," Bulma said acidly. "Why the hell don't YOU do it?" Another silence, and Bulma knew she'd gotten him there. He didn't want to admit he didn't know how to do something, but he still wanted her out of the room. "Human technology too advanced for you?" she mocked.

"Forget it woman," Vegeta snapped and stalked back to where Krillin sat.

Bulma laced her fingers together and folded her hands behind her head. "Game, set, and match," she said. Rolling over she smiled and said faintly, "It's a wonderful life."

============================================

Two days later, Bulma was trying to get one hand out of Vegeta's grasp while hitting him with the other. "I take it back. I take it back!" she said through gritted teeth. "Let me go, bastard!"

He only smirked at her. "Woman, please. We've been through this before."

"I know. Which is why you should already know my answer. NO!"

The next bit of argument was interrupted by Goku clearing his throat. It didn't sound like the first time he'd done it. "Um, Bulma? Chi Chi."

Bulma sighed and shook her head. "Let me go! I have a goddamn phone call!"

As she yanked on her arm, Vegeta let her go. She stumbled back a few paces and glared at him. "Finally," she muttered, rubbing her wrist. "Goddamn good-for-nothing pain-in-my-ass." Vegeta smiled at that, even though she couldn't see him THEN either.

"Bulma? What's going on?" Chi Chi asked as Bulma plopped down in front of the newly-installed camera and moved it up to focus on her face.

"Nothing. Just planning on how to make a certain man my own personal Saiyan pincushion." At the baffled look on her friend's face, Bulma laughed. "Never mind. So, what's up?"

"What's TAKING you so long? You were supposed to be here MONTHS ago! Even DENDE is here!"

Bulma vaguely remembered the little green kid Gohan had instantly bonded with. "Wait a sec. DENDE'S there? WHY?"

"I have no idea!" Chi Chi shook her head. "It's crazy over here!"

"Great," Bulma muttered sarcastically. "Just what I need."

"GOHAN is back before you guys!" Chi Chi said, then her eyes narrowed. "Which reminds me…"

"So, how IS Gohan?" Bulma broke in, loudly enough for Krillin to hear. The ex monk immediately turned white and fell back against the wall.

"Well, he's not dead!"

"That's always a plus," Bulma said cheerfully. "But when you're dead you don't have to worry about anything! Just think of it that way."

"My father told me the same thing," Chi Chi growled. "And let me tell you, it didn't work any better then than it does now!"

Bulma looked past Chi Chi and her eyes lit up when she saw the visitor. "Yamcha!" He turned and saw it was indeed his battle-scarred face that was facing her direction.

He grinned and pushed someone out of the way. "Bulma! Hey! How are you? I've missed you!"

She smiled happily. "Me too. I'm all right, I guess."

"What's taking so long? I've been waiting for ages!"

"I know," Bulma said sadly. "But this damn hunk of junk doesn't seem to want to stay in space."

Chi Chi was still between them, only now Yamcha was pushing her away. Bulma saw him and started to laugh. "What?" he asked, obviously confused.

"Your... HAIR!" she choked out, holding a hand over her mouth. "It looks like Chi Chi put you through a blender!" She almost howled with laughter at how stupid he looked.

"Bulma, he looks like he went at it with a weedwhacker," Chi Chi chimed in helpfully.

"No, it looked that BEFORE. NOW it's the blender look!" She winked at him and grinned. it was SHORT, almost a crew cut and was NEAT.

"Jeez, Bulma, that wasn't very nice," he mock-lectured half-heartedly.

"Well standing me up wasn't very nice either," she shot back.

He winced. "You STILL mad about that? How about I make up for it when you get back? A night on the town, you and me."

She cocked her head to one side. "I'll consider it. Right now I have other things to think about."

"Tell me about it," he said, asking instead of replying.

"Oh, just the other man lusting after my body," she replied simply, waving her hand regally.

"Oh. What?!" Then he seemed to think about it. "Goku wouldn't notice, Krillin wouldn't dare... Who else IS there?"

A loud commotion from the other side of the room made Bulma give Yamcha a wait-a-minute signal. Hands on hips, she turned to the direction and said as loudly as she could, "Vegeta, stop that! No! Put Krillin DOWN! GENTLY! Will you stop squishing him! You're killing him, and that's MY job!" Vegeta obeyed and made an "after you" motion with his hands. "No, I'm not going to kill him NOW! Sheesh! EVERY time I TRY to have a conversation, you go and screw it up!"

Yamcha was sputtering on the other end. "V-V-Vegeta! What's HE doing there?!"

Bulma turned her attention back to Yamcha warily, ready to yell at Vegeta again if necessary. "Don't ask me. Goku invited him. And his thumb works."

"He hitchiked a ride with you," Yamcha said with some disbelief.

"Pretty much," Bulma admitted, almost in a defeated tone. Then she could make out Chi Chi saying, "Well, hello Marron. What a pleasant surprise. Are you here with Yamcha?" One look at her boyfriend's face and Bulma knew she was.

Seeing the turquoise-haired beauty was about to explode, Yamcha grinned the most winning smile in his repertoire and started to say something...

...only to be promptly interrupted by Bulma. "You LIED to me AGAIN Yamcha?! You have another girl with you, and you're asking me out again? You're cheating on me right under my nose, then asking me back out in front of your latest girl?! What kind of sick person ARE you?" She thought about that. "MARRON! You're with MARRON?!"

She was about to launch into another speech when she was pushed away. Vegeta smirked at her before she could ask what his problem was. "I want to see this Yamcha."

"You HAVE, moron!" she yelled as she smacked his arm. "Excuse me! I was having a conversation with my ex boyfriend!"

As usual, he ignored her. Instead, he turned his attention to Yamcha and chuckled. "It's the weakling."

"Well, then I guess he's perfect for me since I'm supposedly weak too!" she yelled back. "Get away! This doesn't concern you."

"Anything that concerns you concerns me. You're my mate," Vegeta snarled. While Yamcha sputtered some more, Vegeta smirked at her. "He doesn't deserve you. Why else would he be choosing another mate over you?"

Yamcha finally got a coherent word out. "WHAT?! She's your WHAT?!"

Vegeta barely glanced at him. "Shut up, weakling."

"You're hitting on my girlfriend! No way!"

"BOTH of you shut up!" Bulma shouted over the bickering men. "I have a few things to say to you morons!" At least now she could speak without having to yell at the top of her lungs.

She stopped and finally Vegeta crossed his arms and said, "Well, go on, woman."

"One: Yamcha, I'm NOT your girlfriend Vegeta, NO! Yamcha, you're a lying, cheating, ignorant bastard. Vegeta, NO!" She turned to Vegeta and then back to the viewscreen. "I can't believe you're cheating on me with HER. Vegeta, NEVER!"

"Are you done yet woman?" he asked smugly.

"NOT until I get it through you goddamn THICK head that even IF I could stand you for more than two minutes, I STILL wouldn't HANG OUT with you let alone MARRY you!"

"You mean be my mate," Vegeta corrected.

"Same freaking THING," Bulma hissed, crossing her arms. "Only MY way is SO much better-sounding."

"No it isn't," he said. "And you didn't answer my question."

"No. I'm NOT DONE!" she yelled at him. "I'm gonna kill someone. Where's Krillin?" she asked, inspired.

Chi Chi could clearly see the tiny man sneaking behind her friend, one finger to his lips. She swallowed a giggle and looked Bulma in the eye. She wasn't THAT mean to her husband's best friend. Vegeta smirked as he saw the little monk tiptoe by, but even HE wasn't going to say anything. Yamcha was still too dazed to do much anyway.

Bulma's attention was brought to Krillin when he made it to the training room and slammed the door. The sound of two clicking locks followed, then heavy panting. "Krillin!"

"Leave him be, woman," Vegeta ordered.

"Shut up! I don't have to listen to you!" She smacked him in the center of his chest.

He smirked and looked down at the spot where she'd half-punched him. "You're getting better," he admitted. "I almost felt that."

"Good! Which means you aren't as tough as you think you are, you tailless freak!"

For the second time in as many hours Bulma was hanging from the end of Vegeta's arm, her feet swinging carelessly above the floor. 'All right, so that's ANOTHER button not to push.'

"Put me down!" she ordered calmly. "Now."

Vegeta only shook her. "I do not appreciate being insulted by a weakling!"

"Really?" Bulma asked, sounding like she was on a roller coaster from his shaking. "It didn't seem that way before."

"Vegeta! Stop! You're gonna break her neck!" Krillin shouted over whatever Vegeta growled. "You can KILL her that way!"

That seemed to break through the other warrior's thoughts. He stopped, scowl frozen on his face. Everyone at Chi Chi's house was trying to see what was going on because they were out of camera range. Yamcha was practically purple from rage and Chi Chi was nearly blue from worry.

Vegeta growled and put her on her feet. She rolled her head to try and crack her neck, then mistook Vegeta for the wall and leaned on him until the world stopped splining. Getting both her spinning head and her stomach under control, she glared at him.

Putting a hand to the aching base of her neck, she kept her eyes on Vegeta, but spoke to Krillin with death clearly defined in her voice. "I'm going to bed now. Tell Chi Chi goodnight." Then she dropped her hand and stalked off toward her room without another word.

"Woman!" Vegeta barked after her. She only gave him the one-finger salute over her shoulder and continued on. Until she got to the -- locked -- door.

"Dammit! What IS it today?" She turned around and scowled out at her companions. "Kami, what do you want with me?" she asked despairingly.

"Woman."

She looked up and glared at him. "This better be good," she warned.

"Did I hurt you?"

She seemed surprised by the question. "No, Vegeta. You only almost broke my neck. No big deal," she said sarcastically. "Of course, you bastard! You do THAT to me and expect me to NOT be hurt? I'm only human!"

Suddenly they heard tapping on the other end of the viewscreen. "Hey! Is anyone over there?"

Bulma turned red, then white at the sound of Master Roshi's voice. She scowled and stood up, then crossed her arms over her chest. "Kami, why me?" she moaned to herself. "This can't be happening to me!"

Goku looked up at the tone of her voice. She'd never sounded so... DEFEATED. He guessed she'd worn herself out being pissed off at Vegeta 24-7. This last bit was just her undoing.

"I'm not talking to ANYONE right now," Bulma hissed, just loud enough for him to hear. "Especially YOU, Roshi. And that stupid pig with you!"

"Hey, how'd you know I was here?" Oolong asked as he popped up next to Mater Roshi.

"Because my life is hell," Bulma muttered as she let her head fall back against the door. "That's just my luck today."

"What's HER problem?" Oolong asked Goku, who was the only one he could SEE.

Goku looked her over. "She's having a bad day."

"Goku, that is the BIGGEST understatement I have ever HEARD!" Bulma ranted from her corner. "I am with three idiot MEN, I've crash-landed this damn piece of SHIT more times than I want to remember and I'm dressed in an outfit that isn't fit for the BEACH!" At that last part she slapped her forehead and slouched. "Oh, shit!"

Master Roshi's eyes lit up and Oolong crammed gainst the screen. "Really?"

Vegeta smirked and started playing with the camera, swinging it back in fort in a narrow arc, bringing it close to revealing Bulma.

"Vegeta, I swear, if you let them see me..." Bulma threatened. Seeing the superior look in his eyes, she growled and said evenly, "I'll give you rat-sized portions for the rat-sized RAT!"

He swung it again, then flipped it down so they could only see the floor. "I wouldn't let them see you like that."

"That is the ONLY thing you've done this ENTIRE trip that either hasn't hurt me or gotten me pissed off. VERY GOOD! Now, Goku. I want you to open my door."

He looked up. "Huh? How?"

"I don't care, just do it!" She leaned against the wall as Goku got to his feet and out a hand to her head. "I need some sleep. A lot of sleep."

Goku fumbled with the lock, and Bulma saw he had the key in his hand. When he looked up at her sudden rise in power, he could practically SEE the steam coming out of her ears. "Bulma?" he asked hesitantly.

"Goku," she said as calmly as possible, holding out her hand. "Give me the key." He set it in her palm and she grabbed it as soon as he started to back away. 'Well, he's smarter than he looks,' she thought to herself. "I think Cactus Head would've just--" She couldn't finish the thought she was so pissed at Vegeta. "Thank you," she said through gritted teeth, then slammed the door.

Krillin let out a low whistle. "I wonder how many of us are actually going to MAKE it back to Earth."

============================================

"Woman!" Vegeta barked, rapping on the door and cracking it in several places. "Get your ass out here!"

Bulma, still mentally exhausted and coming up with new threats every other second, picked her head up and glared at the noisy door. "Shut up!"

"Woman!"

"Vegeta, I swear..." she began, only to find the door had been thrown off its hinges and Vegeta was tumbling toward her even as she fell off he bed.

Vegeta shook his head and glared at the opening in the wall from the impact. "As I was telling you, Kakorrot doesn't know what he is doing."

"WHAT?!" Bulma groped around for a sheet and wrapped it around her, momentarily forgetting they'd all seen her like that already. "Goku!"

He turned, a sheepish look on his face. "I can't beat this level," he said with a small grin. He stepped away from the joysticks and said, "Help me?"

Bulma stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the controls. "Goku, what are you doing?"

He had a lost little boy look on his face when he looked up. "I can't get past this level in the game," he explained, pointing out the window. "Help?"

Bulma's eyes rolled back in her head but she stayed on her feet. Leaning against Vegeta, she quickly scanned the controls from where she was. Goku had somehow completely disoriented the map, broken the lasers and destroyed the other controls almost beyond recognition. She sagged against the slightly shorter Saiyan warrior and shook her head.

"Goku, this is NOT a video game!" she lectured, standing up.

He wasn't listening though. His gaze was focused out the window and was grinning from ear to ear. "Hey! I made it!"

"What?" Bulma asked, a little confused.

"The scene changed! I made it to the next level!" Goku crowed cheerfully.

Bulma stood next to her friend and gasped at the speeding planet. Somehow he'd gotten them into a nosedive and they were headed straight for a planet that was completely blue with swirling lighter shades in rings around it. She then fainted at the high speed they were traveling at and completely missed the wonderful crash landing.

============================================

Bulma found herself waking up as she often did now: with a pounding headache and having a total of two places she WASN'T sore. She groaned and picked her head up, spitting out dirt and a chunk of rock. From some of the scrap metal laying around, Bulma guessed the ship had finally had it and exploded.

She painfully pushed herself onto her knees and glanced around. It was a forest, with a mountain not far away and a steep gorge opposite it. A thick blue fog blanketed the ground, making it nearly impossible to see. Grumbling and swearing under her breath, she stumbled to her feet and leaned against a tree until her head stopped spinning. Now facing away from both the mountain on her left and the gorge on her right, she found she was on the edge of a cliff, and below, a river of ashy lava.

"Perfect," she muttered to herself. "Great." She scooped up a piece of the Namekian vessel and scowled at it when she realized it was part of the control board. About two inches square. She looked at it, then carelessly flipped it out away from her and casually watched it fall into the rushing molten rock, as if saying "The hell with it."

Battered and bloody. but definitely NOT defeated, she began to climb up the semi-steep stone face to see where she was. Either than or shimmy up the tree about fifty feet before reaching a branch.

Finally getting worn out and no closer to the top of the mountain, she slid down a dirt path deeper into the woods. At the bottom, she rested her head back and looked at the sky. Blue and a dark navy color swirled together to form marvelous patterns and pictures.

She laced her fingers together and folded her hands behind her head, content to just lay there for a good long while. She was probably resting a total of about five minutes when she heard the bushes rustling, and something that felt somewhat like ki approaching. She opened one eye and saw a boy, maybe ten years old, staring down at her curiously. So she screamed.

============================================

Krillin shook his head and glared and the inside of his eyelids. Slowly opening his eyes, he could SWEAR they creaked with the effort. He rolled onto his back and coughed once, taking in a deep breath. As if that were a cue, he started again, a hacking cough that wouldn't stop. It took a few minutes for him to settle down, then he took in the new surroundings. It was hard to make out anything farther away than four of five feet, other than the jet black tree trunks that stood out like beacons in the cobalt-colored fog.

Groaning inwardly at the pain, he got to his feet and tried to sense Goku or Bulma. Hell, he was even ready to travel with Vegeta if he had to. But he couldn't feel anyone, not even a dying power. He felt something vaguely like what he was used to, but it wasn't ki. Unable to distinguish the foreign source, he headed toward the nearest... thing in hopes he could figure out what was going on.

He pulled the tattered remains of his gi around his chest and shook his head slowly to avoid dizziness. If it wasn't for Goku, the ship wouldn't have crashed yet AGAIN and they would still have transportation that WASN'T in literally a million pieces. But he couldn't really blame Goku. The taller fighter had this air about him that made it impossible for Krillin to stay mad at.

Tripping over rocks, tree roots, pieces of the ship, and what looked like half of a magic wand, Krillin cursed Goku's childishness. To a certain extent.

Realizing he wasn't going to get too much farther, Krillin sat down and shook his head. "Might as well," he muttered to himself. Kicking a joystick, he scowled. "It's not like I'm going anywhere anytime soon."

============================================

Goku plopped down on the tree stump, elbows propped on his knees, chin in hands, and a small pout forming. He'd been looking ever since the ship crashed for Krillin, but the monk was nowhere to be found, or felt.

Depressed, he drew a heart in the sand with his toe and stared at it. "I miss you, Chi Chi." Then he drew a smaller one inside and colored it in to the best of his ability. "You too, Gohan." He bit his lower lip and sighed, sitting up a little to stretch his back.

A sudden noise caught his attention, the sound of someone falling. He looked up, a familiar grin sliding over his face. Getting up slowly, he listened carefully, his sixth sense not feeling a ki.

"Hey Krillin!" he yelled as he started to run. "Wait for me!"

============================================

Vegeta scowled as he kicked down another tree. The explosion hadn't knocked him out, but it DID scratch him quite a bit. "Damn you, Kakorrot!" he yelled to the trees. He couldn't sense the others either, but he could feel the natives of his place. "Why HERE of all places did you choose to crash?!"

Another row of trees fell neatly to the ground, chopped into fifths by Vegeta. Now the sense was getting stronger and he smirked. These people liked to give him a hard time, but they were no longer protected by Frieza's treaty. He had longed to get back at the magic users, wizards and magicians here since his youth. Actually grinning, Vegeta prowled on.

"Now, you are mine."