Author's Note: So this is the end of the story known as The Plan. I hope this chapter proves to be worth reading it to the end. I'd like to know more about what you all think of it. For anyone who cares, I actually finished this story on Piccolo's birthday, which gave me a great sense of accomplishment. I also had a lot of fun with the presents that everyone got for Piccolo, yes, presents. What he will do with these presents, even he doesn't know, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Either way, I hope this section is as fun to read as it was for me to wrap it up. In the end, it's nice to know people care about you, isn't it? We've all been there. So have fun making your way through the rest of this, and thank you Crimson1 for your support.
The Plan
Part V
'Any sign of them yet, Choazu?'
'No Goku, nothing. But I'll keep my eyes open.' Choazu answered as he flew around in search of any sign at all of Vegeta and Piccolo.
'You do that, Choazu.'
'And if I see anything, I'll tell you.' Choazu assured Goku. He continued looking all around, and then in the distance he saw a glint of light. 'Goku, I think I see them! They're coming this way!'
'Good. Alright Choazu, are you sure it's them?'
Choazu looked hard and then answered, 'positive, Goku. It's them.'
'Great! Ok, get undercover now, and make sure you keep out of sight.'
'Right Goku!' Choazu agreed, and darted under the cover of the forest below.
'Now go to the house and tell everyone to get ready.'
'Got it!' Choazu commented, and then flew on towards the Son House, making sure to keep his power level down.
'Come on Vegeta,' Goku thought. 'Just a little more and you're here. That's it.'
------
Vegeta kept leading Piccolo closer and closer to where Goku waited. Just a little ways more and his job would be complete.
"Hey, Vegeta! Do you know where you're going? Or are you just stalling?" Piccolo asked him evilly.
"It's just a little further. We're almost there now." Vegeta assured him. "Have a little patience my namekian friend." Then Vegeta scanned the area. 'Where are you Kakarrot?'
'Close. Just keep on coming. I'll give you the word when it's time for you to dart away.' Goku told him in his mind.
'You do that, Kakarrot.' Vegeta answered back. With that, he turned his speed up a notch, and Piccolo did the same.
'That's it...ok...NOW!' Goku commanded.
Vegeta, at that exact moment, made a beeline down into the trees and flew on hard towards the Son House. 'It's up to you now, Kakarrot.' Vegeta thought as he flew on.
Piccolo, confused by Vegeta's sudden move, paused before he tried to follow the departing prince. But just as he was about to enter the forest, he came to a sudden halt. Goku had appeared directly in front of him. "Goku," Piccolo said. His expression quickly changed from surprise to his usual challenging stare.
"Piccolo, fancy meeting you here." Goku said casually back to him.
"I could say the same thing about you." Piccolo commented. For a moment he only stared at Goku, but finally he spoke again. "Goku, we need to talk."
The silence hit again. Both looked strait into the other's eyes, but this time it was Goku to break the quiet. "Well talk. I have to get home, but we can talk on the way, if you like." Goku offered. Then he walked forward through the dense trees.
"What's going on, Goku?" Piccolo asked in a stern voice.
"What do you mean?" Goku asked back.
"I mean, why did Gohan and Chi-Me come to train at 5:00 in the morning claiming you kicked them out? Next, exactly three hours later, Vegeta showed up with a message from you saying for them to come home at once to work on something. Then Gohan made a smart comment at Vegeta as if it was nothing. As if things weren't strange enough, after they left, Vegeta stayed and spared with me. After four hours he decided that he wanted to chance battlefields. I followed him to find you appear right in front of me. I lack an explanation to any of this and expect you know something I don't know. What do you have to say to that, Goku?" Piccolo said and then awaited an answer.
Goku was silent for a moment, and still looking ahead answered. "Coincidence."
"That's your excuse? That it was only a coincidence?!" Piccolo barked.
"Calm down Piccolo, if you like, you can ask them yourself. Our house is just through this next grove of trees." Goku offered.
"Do you think your wife will allow it?" Piccolo asked, changing the subject because it was getting him nowhere fast.
"I think she will." Replied Goku, keeping his head pointed away from Piccolo, so he wouldn't see his smile.
Without another word, the two friends walked through a narrow path in the tree grove. The path lead to a clearing, and in the clearing was the Son House. Goku smiled inside, and walked up to the door. He the turned to face Piccolo, and said, "Are you coming or not?"
Piccolo paused, and then finally glared at Goku and proceeded in walking up to stand by Goku at the door. He stayed silent, clearly not pleased with the turnout of his most dreaded day of the year. "Let's get this over with," Piccolo growled.
"Ok, Piccolo..." Goku said trying to keep his emotions inside. As slowly and casually as possible, Goku opened the door to the house. And then...
"SURPRISE!"
Everyone had jumped out from behind chairs and tables in a very successful attempt to surprise Piccolo. Piccolo could only stand there in shock. He stared wide-eyed at his surroundings. The living room was filled from ceiling to floor with party favors, and a huge banner was hung from the wall that read "Happy Birthday Piccolo!" Green, pink, purple, and blue streamers hung from the ceiling, and balloons floated everywhere. And beyond that was a huge Birthday cake sitting on the dinning room table. On it, written in emerald-green icing was "Happy 27th Birthday Piccolo". Even Vegeta was there, standing with a mocking smile stretched across his face.
Then Chi-Me and Gohan walked out of the crowd; both of them were wearing their purple training gis. Gohan smiled cheerfully and hopped up onto his trainer's back. He laughed at the sudden stiffness that shot through Piccolo, leaned over his right shoulder and beamed into his shocked trainer's eyes. Next, Chi-Me jumped up into his strong namekian arms. She too looked up into his eyes and smiled. "Happy Birthday Piccolo!" They said together.
"So what do you think of all this, Piccolo?" Gohan asked. "Do you like it?"
"Yeah, Piccolo? What do you think?" Chi-Me asked enthusiastically.
To say the least, Piccolo was speechless. "Goku...?" He managed to say.
Talking to Gohan and Chi-Me, Goku said, "How about you two get down from there, and show Piccolo what you've done." He suggested.
"They...did all this...?" Piccolo asked him as Gohan and Chi-Me jumped down and then they each clutched one of his large green hands tightly.
"With a little bit of help, yes." Goku answered. "This whole thing was actually Gohan's idea."
"Yep!" Gohan said proudly.
Then Chi-Me cut in, "C'mon Piccolo!" She said as she tugged on his arm. "We'll explain everything after we show you what we've done!"
"Wait until you see the fighting ring we set up in the back, Piccolo!" Gohan added in.
"And the presents!" Chi-Me added in after him.
"Presents?!" Piccolo asked, stunned.
At that everyone else in the room burst into laughter. "Oh, c'mon Piccolo," Chi-Me urged her trainer forward. "Loosen up! This party's for you!"
------
Late that night, after the party had finished, Piccolo stood in a cave behind a huge waterfall and looked down upon his new pile of gifts. Goku, Gohan, and Chi-Me had given him a small wooden chest with a brilliantly carved top, and a golden encryption that read...
"To our friend, trainer, mentor, and lifelong partner,
We give this chest.
And remember that no matter what the future beholds,
That you shall always be in our hearts.
Goku, Gohan, and Chi-Me"Inside the chest lay the rest of the gifts: a drawing from Gohan; Chi-Me's poem; a bag of senzu beans from Goku; XL earplugs, a nail file, and a stress ball from Yamcha and Puar; a new XL water bottle from Tien and Choazu; a pure silver piccolo in a leather case from Krillin; and a few assorted Capsule Corp. capsules from Vegeta.
Piccolo smiled, and then closed the chest. The day hadn't turned out so bad after all. He flew out from behind the waterfall, and sat cross-legged in the air, preparing to meditate. As he closed his eyes, a vision of his father's face appeared in his mind. For the first time, he just simply shrugged him out of his mind. "You will no longer haunt me, Daimaou. You no longer have any power over me." In the darkness, a new vision entered his mind. It was of Goku, Gohan, and Chi-Me. In back of them he stood, and together they were happy. All four of them were smiling. "I thank you, my friends." Piccolo said softly. "You shall all be in my heart forever as well." With that said, he drifted off into deep meditation once more. And for the first time, he was truly content.
The End (Owari)