Many thanks to my reviewers! Sorry I took so long in updating again. I've been busy with midterms, and on top of that, I hit writer's block so hard that my head spun. I also figured that I should pay attention in class rather than outline a chapter for the story, so you'll just have to bear with me. Class comes first.
Reviews and constructive flames are welcome.
Okay, enough with the rambling again, and on to the story.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of Toriyama's characters, nor do I own his plot or ideas. Deal with it.
Chapter Three
"What do you mean, we're going to see Uranai Baba?" Bulma shrieked, causing Piccolo to clamp both hands over his sensitive ears and wince. "That old hag can't tell the time of day, much less locate a missing numbskull like Goku! How do you know this idea is going to work, anyway?" The angry woman stomped her foot impatiently, waiting for an answer from the old man.
Master Roshi grunted. "She's a witch, girl," he said simply, "and there's nothing better at finding people than a witch." The sun glinted off his black-tinted sunglasses as he shook his head in disgust.
"You are impossible, old man!" Bulma ranted, frowning and waving her arms in the air. "I can't believe that you're going to put us all at the mercy of a capricious old witch who'll probably try to enslave us all with a spell or something! Don't you know that witches and crystal balls are practically obsolete now that we have solution generators? They're completely useless!"
As his girlfriend continued to list the reasons why machines and technology were better than witches and magic, Yamcha turned to Krillin and sighed. "Y'know, Krillin, there's got to be some way to shut her up without her hating me for the rest of her life. Got any suggestions?" The bandit-turned-baseball player hunched his shoulders in defeat, at a loss for ideas.
The midget shrugged, angling his head so he could see the face of the taller man. He squinted slightly and clicked his tongue softly as he considered the various actions they could take against the raging woman. "Well," he said finally, "I suppose we could knock her out and take her inside. Anything else, and she'd kill me." Krillin shuddered involuntarily at the thought of Bulma chasing him with a meat cleaver. "There's gotta be something wrong with that woman's head," he added as an afterthought.
I agree with your theory, Krillin, Tien agreed telepathically, causing the midget to jump slightly before he realized who was doing the talking.
Tien! Warn me before you do that next time! Krillin thought as loudly as he could. Voices in one's head aren't a sign of sanity, you know. I don't want to think that I'm losing my mind. He was sure the telepath would receive his message, or at least the emotion attached, even though he himself couldn't send any messages. The other man was skilled enough that he would pick the thought out of Krillin's mind himself. He needed no help.
Then again, neither did Piccolo.
I like that idea, Krillin, the Namek responded, though no one had commented directly to him. When are you going to do it? Now would be a very good time. Out of the corner of his eye, Krillin saw that Piccolo was smirking at him. And not only was Piccolo smirking at him, he was also shaking his head slightly. I do pity you, human.
Krillin took the hint, slapping his hands against his thighs in frustration. "Why do I always have to do these things?" he groaned before realizing that Bulma could, and would, hear him.
Predictably, the pissed-off woman immediately turned toward him and stomped her way in front of him. "What on earth are you talking about, Krillin?" she yelled into his ear. "You aren't doing anything, if you haven't noticed! In fact, what you should be doing is backing me up here! But are you doing that? No! You're never doing what you should be doing, like helping friends that you've known for half of your life! Why don't you – " The woman's angry tirade was cut short as she fell forward into Krillin's arms, unconscious.
Evidently Piccolo had had enough of her ranting and raving; he stood just behind the spot the woman had occupied a second before, arm outstretched. "Take the woman inside and make sure she doesn't come out again while we're here," he growled. "She's a pain in the ass and isn't helping us any."
Of course, the scene that unfolded before Chi-Chi was too much for her. "You monster!" she cried before collapsing herself.
"Well," Krillin sighed, "there goes the other one." If his hands were free, he would have slapped his hand to his forehead in disgust. But because he was still supporting Bulma's unconscious form, he rolled his eyes instead. "Are we putting her inside, too, Piccolo?" he asked the Namek.
All eyes turned to Piccolo as it was his turn to roll his eyes. "Don't ask me such a ridiculous question ever again, Krillin. You know the answer already, and you and Yamcha had better do it before I decide to become angry." The alien's eyes glinted dangerously, though no light had passed over them.
The group of men assembled before him could not mistake the tone of his voice for anything but what he meant to convey, and Krillin scurried into the house with his burden. Yamcha followed suit with Chi-Chi, disappearing into the house with as much dignity as possible. A gust of wind came up, gently blowing the tall warrior's cape behind him, leaving the remaining four fighters in awe of the imposing figure before them. Piccolo was not one to be ignored, and he commanded every ounce of respect from the other men.
The only fighter present that was still not mortally afraid of Piccolo was Gohan, and after a few minutes, it was he who approached the demon-Namekian. "Piccolo?" he asked, "When are we going to go visit the witch?" As always, the demi-Saiyan watched his mentor's face carefully for any emotion it might betray, especially the eyes. His father had once told him that the eyes were the window to the soul, and if you were to really know what a person was thinking or feeling, you should look into them. So Gohan watched as Piccolo's eyes flashed briefly with annoyance before he composed his features into their typical collected set.
The jade-skinned man growled softly. "We'll go when we're ready, kid," he said through clenched teeth.
"So, we'll leave when Krillin and Yamcha come back out?"
Piccolo gritted his teeth in frustration. "I told you that we'd leave when we're ready!" he replied, allowing his emotions to color the tone of his voice. Naturally, Gohan closed his mouth at that point, realizing that he had almost pushed the irritated Namek to the brink of an argument, one that he wouldn't be able to win. He stepped back among Tien, Chiaotzu, and Master Roshi.
Krillin and Yamcha chose that tense moment to step out of the house. They exchanged glances as they watched the glaring Namek stare down two telepaths, an old man, and a demi-Saiyan. Krillin decided that the whole thing would have amused him had the situation been different. As it was, it was all he could do to keep from laughing, although a smile did cross his face for a fleeting moment.
"What's the deal, guys?" Yamcha called to the group, breaking up the potentially lethal silence. "Are we going soon or what?" He sauntered up to his fighting comrades, ignoring the evil look shot in his direction by Piccolo, who was now thoroughly pissed off by human stupidity. Krillin followed closely behind him, shaking his head in disbelief at the man's complete lack of logic and tact.
Well, judging by the look on Piccolo's face, I'd say that Yamcha's gonna be toast in about three seconds, Krillin thought to himself as he glanced from the irate Namek to his oblivious target. Yamcha's never been very tactful, but I think he crossed the line back there. Then he felt a familiar tingle in the back of his mind.
You've got that right, Krillin, Tien chuckled in his mind. Although "crossing" the line is an understatement. I'd say it's more along the lines of erasing the line, cracking the chalk, and stomping their remains into the dust. Though it does look like Piccolo's about to do that to him, doesn't it? Krillin watched as the triclops tilted his head in their direction; Piccolo looked like he was going to lunge at the black-haired man at any minute.
Geez. "Hey, Piccolo?" Krillin asked before the Namek could do anything to Yamcha. Piccolo turned the full force of his withering glare on the midget, and Krillin gulped, knowing that even though Piccolo was considered to be one of the "good guys" now, it was still highly possible that he wouldn't stop himself from maiming anyone who got on his nerves. He cleared his throat nervously and continued. "What should we do if Baba's busy? I mean, what if she's not even on the planet…say, she's got some business to settle in the Afterlife?"
The thought had not occurred to Piccolo before, and if Krillin hadn't been studying the Namek's reactions, he would have missed the faint glimmer of relief in his eyes. Not that he would see it for long…Piccolo slammed down his mental defenses again and assumed his usual calm demeanor. "Then someone should check with Kami," he growled. Then he glanced over at Tien.
The triclops did not miss the hint. "Give me just a second," he replied coolly, knowing fully well that Piccolo didn't have anything to do with Kami unless it was absolutely necessary. There was bad blood between the two Nameks, literally, and Piccolo loathed his older counterpart with an intensity that rivaled even his love of battle. The man closed his eyes in concentration and sought out a lone ki among billions. After a few minutes, he located the person he was looking for and linked minds with them. Kami, can you hear me? Tien asked telepathically.
Quite well, thank you, Kami said quietly. What do you need?
I need to know if you know where Uranai Baba is right now.
Tien felt the Guardian pause as he reached out for the mind of the old woman. I cannot find her energy on this planet, Tien, Kami told him after half a minute. I believe she was summoned a few months ago by King Yemma to help track down stray souls. There was a big commotion in the Afterlife when Frieza went through for his judgment, and a few souls got loose in Hell. Yes, I believe that's where she is.
The other man stifled a gasp. Can those souls get out of Hell, Kami? No one knew how much trouble a rogue soul (or demon, for that matter) could cause on the Earth, and Tien did not care to find out. He hadn't actually fought Frieza, but he had trained for the battle. Piccolo had actually fought the monster…he had been much stronger than Tien, Yamcha, and Krillin combined at the time, and he had still been defeated and nearly killed. He had a healthy sense of self-preservation for the most part, and a group of renegade Hell-bound spirits with a combined might equal to that of Frieza would not bode well for the Earth's defenders.
I don't think so. Why do you need to know where Baba is, anyway?
We're trying to locate Goku, Kami, and we were going to ask her to try to find him. Would you be able to let us know when she returns?
That shouldn't be a problem.
Thanks, Kami.
You're welcome.
Tien felt a sense of satisfaction as the Guardian closed off their temporary link. He opened his eyes and found that nearly everyone was staring at him. "Well?" Krillin prompted.
He sighed. "I know this sounds crazy, but you were right, Krillin. She's in the Afterlife cleaning up after Frieza. Kami's going to let us know when she returns." He then jumped slightly at Piccolo's sarcastic chuckle.
"Of course. He would try to control us that way, wouldn't he?" Piccolo mused, more to himself than to the others. "I would suggest, then, that if you wish to visit this witch, you will meet back here when he calls us," he added in a louder, more agitated tone of voice. Without a backwards glance, the Namek launched himself into the air and sped away, leaving a ki trail and a crater in the ground behind him.
The remaining six men looked at each other quizzically.
"So," Krillin said, "I'll be seeing you guys around then, right?"
"Sure," Yamcha interjected. "You know where to find me. Keep cool, you guys!" he added before strolling back into the Capsule Corp. building.
"We'll find you guys later. Bye!" Chiaotzu exclaimed as he and Tien took off in the opposite direction of Piccolo.
That left only Master Roshi, Krillin, and Gohan. "I should probably wait here with my mom, Krillin," the boy said sheepishly. "Piccolo was being a little harsh today."
"Eh, don't sweat it, Gohan," Krillin consoled him. "He's just got a lot on his mind. And besides, you're the only one that can find him, so you can at least talk to him. It could be worse. And we're going to get your dad back!"
Gohan's face brightened at the thought of seeing his other hero again. "You're right. Thanks, Krillin!"
"I'm waiting!" Master Roshi interrupted.
"Blast him," Krillin muttered under his breath to his fighting partner. "He always does this when I try to socialize." The boy stifled a laugh as the midget patted him on the shoulder. "Hey, if you need to escape from your mom, you just come over, got it?"
"Okay. Thanks, Krillin! I'll see you soon!" Gohan waved as he ran into the building to retrieve his mother.
"Bye!" Krillin yelled back as he lifted Master Roshi into the air. Then he, too, headed off for home, ready to work off the day's events with a nice, long nap.
And out in space, a lone ship flew, piloted by an inexperienced man and headed toward the farthest reaches of the known universe, waiting for someone to discover its whereabouts…
And in a place unknown to all save a few, an evil stirred…
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And that is my third chapter. Please review and let me know how I did. Thanks for reading!
~Dreamwraith