Thanks for reviewing! I'm sorry I didn't update this for a while…schoolwork comes first. On to the story…
Disclaimer: I am a college student. Akira Toriyama is not. Thus it means that I cannot own DBZ because I am (logically) not him.
Note: The first part of this chapter follows the original storyline rather closely. I do have a twist, though, and the whole rest of the story works from that difference. Enjoy!
Chapter Two
"You have summoned Porunga. You shall be granted three wishes. Speak them now!" The massive green dragon towered over the small group of mortals huddled below him. He was growing impatient. After all, that blue-haired woman and the son of Goku had been explaining to his young summoner exactly what they wanted. In his midst, they figured out that wishing to life two people on a dead planet would only kill them again. Porunga growled to himself, making several of the Earthlings jump in surprise. It wasn't that he had a time limit in the physical plane, but he preferred not to spend long on it. These people were taking their time, and in the process they were stretching his patience to its limit.
"Speak, now! I do not have the time to waste listening to you argue among yourselves. Either make your wishes now, or wish for nothing three times so I may leave!" the dragon rumbled again, this time making his anger known by raising his voice.
"Are those the wishes you want to make?" Dende asked. "I don't want to mess up another wish because I didn't understand it right." He reflected back upon the second wish he had ever asked of Porunga; the dragon was to bring the Namek known as Piccolo to the planet Namek to aid in the battle against Frieza. He hadn't quite grasped the unspoken addition to the wish, though: Piccolo was supposed to have been brought to their very location, and Dende had neglected to speak it. The way things turned out did make the Earthlings glad that Piccolo wasn't wished to that location with them, that he had found a dying Namek warrior on his flight to the battleground and had fused with him, among other benefits, but Dende had no desire to botch up another wish. "You would like to wish Goku and Krillin to the check-in station in the Afterlife? And then you would like to wish them both to this very place?"
"Yes, Dende. That is, if you don't mind," Gohan said, barely containing his excitement at being able to see his dad again. It would be the first time in a long while that he would be seeing him outside of a fight, and he was looking forward to it. He even began to bounce slightly as Dende began to speak the wish in the Namekian tongue.
Standing far behind the Earthlings and the few Nameks that chose to accompany them to the summoning, Piccolo smirked. The self-proclaimed demon had folded his arms across his chest in his usual stance of defiance, and he watched the scene before him with no small amount of interest. That's right. Then I can match my strength against a "Super Saiyan", whatever that is, he thought. True, Gohan had explained to him before what his dad had become, but Piccolo wanted to see Goku in that form with his own eyes. Preferably, he would also like to fight him while he was in that form for the experience. And for the fun, although I should learn how to combat such a power. Feh. They don't even know that Vegeta is sitting inside that spaceship over there and is preparing to take off. That man is most likely going to attempt to reach Goku's level, too, and he'll be coming back when he does. Piccolo scowled at the thought of Vegeta, the power-crazed Saiyan prince, becoming a Super Saiyan as well. It was quite possible that he could even surpass Goku's current level of power, and if that happened, the Earth's defenders would need all the help they could get.
Piccolo stopped himself, surprised at his own train of thoughts. Since when did I start caring about what happens to this planet? He growled low in his throat and turned his attention back to the trio of figures in front of Porunga. Apparently something had gone wrong with the wish, judging by the half-panicked exclamations coming from fully three-quarters of all those present. Interested, he cocked his head slightly to the side so he could hear better what exactly had happened.
"What do you mean you can't wish Goku to the check-in station?" Chi-Chi screamed to the dragon. "He's my husband, damn it! Why can't you grant our wish?" The woman known as Son Chi-Chi was furious. She had waited for more than a year to have Goku home where he belonged, and now this dragon was telling them it wasn't possible? Outrageous!
Her father, the Ox-King, grabbed her arm before anyone found out what results her sudden movement towards Dende, Gohan, and Bulma would have been. Aptly named, the man was several feet taller than even Piccolo, who stood well over seven feet tall. His arms were the size of tree trunks, and he wore a massive horned helm on his head at all times. "Chi-Chi, honey, don't you want to wait and hear what the dragon's explanation is?" he asked his struggling daughter.
"No, Papa, I want my Goku back!" she snapped as she unsuccessfully tried to free her arm from his grasp.
Bulma smacked herself on the head in exasperation. "That woman is going to drive me crazy!" she told Gohan. "I feel sorry for you, kid. At least I don't have to live with her." She then shook her head, slightly disgusted.
"Why can you not grant this wish, Great One?" Dende asked in a trembling voice.
"Because the one known as Goku is still alive. To bring him to the check-in station would only kill him." Porunga growled for the third time that afternoon.
The dragon's response was met with varied reactions. Chi-Chi collapsed into her father's arms. Master Roshi, Goku's old master and "dirty old man", and Oolong, the shape-shifting pig, both raised their eyebrows. Pu'ar, a shape-shifting cat who was the companion of Yamcha, one of the deceased warriors, squeaked. Gohan's and Bulma's jaws dropped. Dr. Briefs, Bulma's father, and his wife simply stared at the dragon. Piccolo didn't even blink. The other Nameks began to talk among themselves as Dende asked the dragon if he was sure that Goku was alive.
"Porunga, is it possible that you are wrong? Is the one known as Son Goku truly alive?" Dende asked quickly.
"Child, I have never been wrong. Now make your wishes so I may leave!"
Dende turned around and looked up at Bulma. "What should we wish for, then? We really can't keep him waiting."
Gohan answered before Bulma could recover from the shock of hearing that her long-time friend was still a resident of the land of the living. "Why don't you wish Krillin to the check-in station with the first wish, wish him to life with the second, and then wish my dad to this spot with the third?" he suggested. "Give that a shot!"
Although Dende had no idea what giving the whole situation a shot would do to help, he assumed that his half-blood friend meant that the plan he had just outlined would be what he should do. He raised his hands to the sky and began the wish in Namek: "I wish that the human known as Krillin would be brought to the check-in station in the Afterlife!" he shouted.
Porunga's eyes glowed bright red with the power he expended on the wish. After no more than five seconds had passed, the glow began to fade from his eyes. "It is done," his voiced boomed across the complex. "State your second wish."
"I wish that the human known as Krillin would be brought back to life, to this very spot!" the young Namek shouted again.
"It shall be done." Once more the dragon's eyes glowed, and once more the glow faded. A bright light flashed in front of the gathered Dragonballs, and when it faded, Krillin was standing before the group, looking about as amazed as everyone else was that he was alive again. The short monk gingerly touched the hole in his armor, surprised that there was no blood, and looked up just in time to see a demi-Saiyan his size leap at him.
"Krillin!" Gohan exclaimed, hanging on to the man for dear life. "You're alive!"
"Hiyah, kiddo!" Krillin exclaimed as he detached the child. "It's great to be back!" Then his tone changed to questioning. "But look at you…last time I saw you, you were a rough-and-tough Saiyan warrior beating the snot out of Frieza, and now you're back to studies, hmm?"
Gohan blushed a faint pink color. "Yeah. Mom has me studying again. I missed a lot of calculus on our adventure, she says. I'm almost caught up, though."
Krillin opened his mouth to say something more, but Dende interrupted him. "Hold off the reunion, guys," he told them. "We still have one more wish to go. When we bring Goku back, then you can celebrate." Once more he held his hands up to the dragon and shouted: "I wish that the Saiyan known as Goku would be brought to this very spot!"
The dragon's eyes glowed red a third time, but Goku did not appear when the glow faded. "Your wish can not be granted. He is in a state such that moving him from his current location would be his death."
"Say what?" Krillin cried. "How can that be possible?"
The whole of the crowd was shocked for a second time that afternoon. What could the dragon possibly mean by that? Was Goku mortally wounded? Had something happened? Could he be trapped between dimensions? What was going on here?
Vegeta cursed to himself from inside the Capsule Corp. spaceship, forgotten by all gathered outside save Piccolo. That idiot! How could Kakarot possibly put himself in such a situation? The Saiyan prince clenched his hands into fists, grimacing. He's probably going to find some distant planet to train on so he can become even stronger! Damn him! He's made a mockery of me by first becoming a Super Saiyan and then by killing Frieza! Can there possibly be anything else he can surpass me in?
Vegeta set his course in the navigator before leaning back into the chair. "Some day, Kakarot," he said to himself, "I will find you! I will return to this pitiful planet again, and I will show you who the strongest Saiyan in the universe is!" Then he slipped into the safety harness and pressed the buttons that would activate the launch sequence. Some day, Kakarot, some day…
The daze that had settled over the Earthlings was disrupted by the roar of the rocket thrusters on one of the space shuttles. Each person in turn stared at the ship as it took off into space, leaving a trail behind it. "Vegeta, you asshole!" Bulma shrieked, knowing fully well that he wouldn't be able to hear her. "Where do you think you're going? Come back here! You're going to wreck that spaceship!"
Piccolo, of course, laughed silently through the whole mini-drama that had unfolded itself. Thought so. But damn that Goku. Only he could get himself into that kind of situation. What an idiot.
"Well," Dende finally said, "what do we do now?" He shrugged helplessly to indicate that he was clueless.
Bulma stopped her ranting about how all men are imbeciles and glared at the young Namek. "Why don't you just wish back one of the other fighters from this planet, shrimp?" she snapped. "Can't you guys figure out anything on your own? Aaaarrgh!" The blue-haired woman returned to her one-sided soliloquy about the evils of men in general, leaving two amused Earthlings and one thoroughly bewildered Namek to stare at her antics.
"Do all girls do this?" Dende asked.
Krillin stifled a laugh. Nameks only came in one gender, so it was only natural that Dende knew absolutely nothing about females. Still, it had amused Krillin on the day they met, and it didn't cease to amuse him now. "I don't know, Dende," he replied truthfully.
"I do not have time for this foolishness!" the dragon roared, all but forgotten by the group below him. "Make your final wish!"
The trio standing directly below Porunga flinched, half-expecting him to flatten them into the tiled floor.
Hey, Krillin, came a voice. King Kai says it's okay to wish me back. Tien and Chiaotzu decided to stay here for a while longer, and he says Goku's gonna be okay, at least until we can find some way of contacting him.
"Okay, Yamcha. Will do. Nice timing, by the way." Krillin grinned at the thought of seeing one of his oldest friends again. Then he looked back at Gohan and Dende. "You heard him, guys. Go for it," he said, waving his hand in a shooing manner.
Understandably, the whole concept of telepathy was rather new for Dende, and he only became more confused. He had only experienced it once before, and that was when Guru, the recently deceased Namekian patriarch, had told him to wish everyone save Goku and Frieza to the planet Earth. These Earthlings are a paradox, he thought. I could probably spend my whole life here with them and still never learn all there is to know about them. He sighed as he held up his hands for the final time that day. "I wish that the human named Yamcha was wished to this location!" he yelled.
And for the final time that day, the dragon's eyes glowed and faded again. "Your wish has been granted. I bid you farewell." With that final statement, Porunga's body suddenly melted into a glowing mass of golden light. That light drew the Dragonballs upward into itself, and with a shrill whine, the magical orbs shot forth at seven different angles across the Earth, faster than the untrained eye could see.
When the light faded, there was no sign of Yamcha.
"Um, Dende," Krillin asked, removing his hand from over his eyes, "didn't the dragon say he – oh." The monk cut off his sentence as he heard a loud splash from the pond around the side of the building. He joined the now-running crowd of people, save Piccolo, Chi-Chi (who was still out cold), and the Ox-King (who was still holding her), as they rushed to the pond to see what the commotion was all about.
Of course, they arrived at the pond to see none other than Yamcha, dripping wet, standing waist-deep in the water and trying to pull the seaweed out of his hair. "Uh, hi," he said, more than a little embarrassed. "What's the party for?"
"Yamcha!" Bulma cried, launching herself at her boyfriend. "You're alive! This is great!" To his credit, the soaked warrior managed to catch the airborne woman and keep the two of them from falling back wards into the water. "I've missed you so much!" she gushed.
"I missed you, too," he said with a smile as he began to rise out of the water. He was just high enough that he was able to see Pu'ar running full-speed ahead towards him, and he braced himself for the impact that was sure to come. She had, after all, been traveling with him since his desert bandit days, and she still traveled with him now. The shape-shifter deserved some of his time, too. Sure enough, Pu'ar dove into his arms and snuggled herself happily between himself and Bulma, and the trio enjoyed their happy reunion.
"And to think this is going to happen all over again in a few months," Krillin commented. "How fun that will be."
True to Krillin's prediction, the Namekian Dragonballs were activated again after 130 days, the Namekian equivalent of a year. The entire population of Namek was gathered before Porunga this time, because it was the day the Nameks would be given a new home. Tien and Chiaotzu were brought back to life with the first two wishes, to the joy of the Earth's defending warriors, and there was only one wish to go.
"Dende, I'm going to miss you," Gohan said as he held back a sob. "You've been a great friend. I'll never forget you!"
"I will miss you, too, Gohan," the young Namek whispered. Then he turned his gaze to the dragon before him. "Porunga!" he shouted. "I wish that those living on the planet Namek would be taken to a new world, to be given to them as a new home!" Tears welled up in his eyes at the thought of never seeing his Earthling friends again, and he could no longer contain them. As the wish was granted and the people of Namek began to disappear, a single tear rolled down his cheek and onto the ground as he said goodbye. Then he, too, vanished, ready to continue his life on a new world with his people.
Gohan stared at the wet stain on the tile for a long time. He tore his stare away from it only when he felt a hand come to rest on his shoulder. "You okay, kid?" came a familiar, gruff voice.
"I'll be fine, Piccolo," the boy said softly. "He needed to stay with his family, not here with me. I just hope I'll see him again some day." Gohan turned around and faced Piccolo. "Why didn't you go with them?"
The other warrior grunted. "I might, eventually, but I'm not done here yet. There are still so many things I have yet to accomplish in this place. And besides, kid," he added with a smirk, "someone needs to make sure you keep up with your training. You can't possibly study all the time."
That comment cheered Gohan up immensely. "Thank you, Piccolo."
Their moment together, however, was interrupted when Krillin called to them. "Hey, guys, would you come over here for a minute?" the midget shouted across the lawn.
What could these weaklings possibly want now? Piccolo growled to himself as he and his student approached the rest of the Earth's special forces, where a debate had started over the situation with Goku. Master Roshi was waving his arms about, trying to catch someone's attention. Tien and Chiaotzu seemed amused with however the argument was going, and Krillin was attempting to placate Bulma, who was busy arguing with Yamcha. Chi-Chi was just yelling in general, and the sharp cries she emitted were enough to make the stoic Namek cover his ears and wince in pain. This had damn well better be worth my time, he growled again.
After five minutes of listening to their pointless bickering, Piccolo had had enough. "SHUT UP!" he bellowed, effectively silencing the group. He still had that effect on people; after all, he wasn't the Demon King for nothing. "What in Kami's name are you trying to do?"
"We've been trying to decide how we're going to find out what's happened to Goku," Krillin replied fearfully, apparently torn between whether or not he should run and hide from the fearsome Namek or stand his ground.
"And I said that we should just build a tracking device that will use DNA samples to track him down!" Bulma growled. "We already have Gohan to use as a base. The rest would be simple!"
"And I said that it would be best to just wish ourselves over to wherever he is when the Earth's Dragonballs are active again!" Yamcha growled back.
Piccolo was aware that another altercation would begin if he didn't do something right then, and he already had a pounding headache. How do I manage to get myself into these situations? If it wasn't for Gohan, I would personally deal with the lot of them, one by one, and they wouldn't dare do this in front of me again. I must be getting soft. "And are there any other ideas?" he snarled, fully aware that he had silenced the group yet again.
"Yes, there is!" Master Roshi shouted, finally able to make himself heard now that the roar of the masses had ceased.
"And what would you suggest, old man?" Bulma snapped.
Master Roshi chuckled. "You all seem to have forgotten something. Dragonballs and devices are nice for most things, but there's still something that has them all beat when it comes to finding people."
"And what would this be?" Krillin asked.
"A witch!"
"What?" came the almost universal exclamation of surprise.
"That's right," Master Roshi continued. "I think it's high time we paid a visit to Uranai Baba."
* * * * *
Ah, a long chapter. Anyway, after this, the story deviates from the manga and etc. Please review and let me know if you like it. Thanks for reading!
~Dreamwraith