Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Z.

Author's Notes:  Wow.  I am extremely pleased with the response I got for that last chapter.  I mean, that's what I've been looking forward to.  This is what I've been building up to all these months, and had to force myself to slow down and take my time.  Let me tell you, it just gets better from here.  I couldn't help but laugh evilly at all your reactions.  I felt ready to get this chapter out really quick… and then it hit.  I was BUSY.  I really should be doing something else right now, but this chapter has been staring at me for weeks.  And I want to move the story along.  I've gotten the necessary, though admittedly rewarding, transitional phase over, and now I'm into the fun.  Now, I'm not going to comment on this chapter just yet.  You'll have to read it and see.

Chapter 35: Grief

"Wh-what just happened?" Trunks asked in a shaky voice.

Vegeta refused to answer.  He was no stranger to death, but this had momentarily overridden his senses.  All he could see was his sister disintegrating in a flash of green light, replaying over and over in his mind.  That didn't just happen.  That didn't just happen.

"I-I can't feel them," Trunks continued, oblivious to the lack of attention he was getting.  "I can't feel them at all.  Goten… Jita… Jiten…  They're gone."

Gohan inhaled sharply, his bloodless face meeting Trunks'.  "You're sure, Trunks?  You can't feel Goten?"

Trunks gulped and shook his head, biting his lips to keep from screaming in grief.  They'd been right there.  And then they were gone.  No warning.  No noble speeches.  Not even a quick glance of goodbye.  Just… nothing.

The once highly organized and happily hectic Budoukai was in shambles.  The air was filled with flying children, all students of the Spider School.  All screaming for their teachers' killer to come out.  All delirious with shock and grief.  All just as worthless as the infinitely more powerful and just as grief-stricken Saiyans that had landed in the grassy outskirts of the ring.

A sharp wail rose over the crowd, above the shouts of the children who had begun to land and gather in a group.  Vegeta looked up, startled by the sound of grief when he was working so hard to repress such shows of emotion, hoping the sound had not emitted from his own throat.  But no… it had come from the stands, and was hard to miss, since the surrounding spectators were craning their heads to get a better glimpse of the source of that heart-rending sound.  Vegeta wasn't surprised to see that it was coming from the area of the stands he'd just left, and the cry had come from a newly bereft mother – Chichi.  Even if he was in the practice of feeling sympathy for other people, which he wasn't and never had been, he still couldn't now.  His brain just couldn't function at that level.  The shock was too much to take.

"PAPA!"

Out of the waiting area of the arena came a bruised, limping Pan, pushing her way easily through the law enforcement that had already begun to gather.  She ran to Gohan before he could react, her eyes scanning the area fearfully, unfocused.  "I – Papa – I – Jiten was kidnapped!  I tried to stop it, but the man was too fast and too strong and –"

Gohan put a hand on her shoulder, instantly silencing her as she dissolved into tears.  Just as she'd been taught, Pan began to search for everyone's ki, making sure all was all right.  The three missing kis brought her further into misery.  She knew this wasn't just suppression.  They were all gone.

"What do we do now?" Trunks asked, again meeting with futility as he searched for Goten and Jita's killer.

Vegeta partially regained his senses at the question.  At the moment, Kakarrot was at Kami's Lookout.  And if there were any resources for finding the – whatever it was – that had killed Jita and Goten and kidnapped Jiten, it would be at Kami's Lookout.  Motioning with a head jerk for the others to follow, he took off in the sanctuary's direction.  Understanding, Trunks, Gohan, and Pan followed.

The eyes of the Spider students followed the Saiyans' departure.  Low and angry moans came from within the group as the full weight of what just happened pressed in on them.  And now they had no one to turn to.  No leadership.  No kind and concerned Goten to listen to their grief.  No strict and exacting Jita to tell them what to do.  No one…

"Right," Pecon said, breaking the stunned and grief-stricken silence with sudden determination.  "You all go back to your parents."  He waved off the shocked protests.  "Don't worry.  I'm going to follow them and find out more of what's going on.  Remember, people have been raised from the dead before.  So…" he paused, gulping as he realized what his pain had driven him to do – to get in front and make order like some kind of leader, "I'll let all of you know."

He rose in the air, keeping his ki-sense carefully trained on the swiftly departing Saiyans.  He would probably arrive far behind them – they were moving so fast that they must have been going at top speed – but he didn't care.  They were the only ones who knew even a little of what was going on, so he took off after them, not even looking back at the other students.  Now if I could just be as hopeful as I sounded back there, he thought grimly, tears stinging his eyes.

                                                        *****

Goten opened his eyes, his brain fuzzy at first, but then the past few – minutes? hours? – came back to his mind.  His hands quickly felt for his chest, and he was both relieved and horrified to find that it was whole again.  Relieved because no one likes a big gaping chest wound.  Horrified because he couldn't remember any senzu or any other healing.  A quick hand above his head confirmed his fear.

"I'm dead."

"You ain't just whistlin' Dixie," a booming voice came from above.

Goten's eyes shot up to meet the gargantuan demon, clad in a conservative business suit.  He remembered the man vaguely from his childhood – from his previous death.

"Enma-sama?" He called up, his voice cracking from the shock and the absurdity of his situation.

The giant rumbled in laughter.  "I'm sorry, but I've been watching a bit too much Bugs Bunny.  It's been slow lately.  The universe has become extremely peaceful, and life-prolonging medicine is improving all over…" Enma broke off in a frustrated sigh.  "Don't they know we have quotas to meet?" he said exasperatedly to no one in particular.  Large sweatdrops appeared on Goten and many of the other demons.  The smaller demons had pretty much given up telling Enma that it was rude to speak so flippantly about death around newly deceased mortals.

Enma, noting the others' discomfiture, cleared his throat and began shuffling papers again.  "Erm – yes – Son Goten… looks like you're scheduled to go to the Grand Kai's planet for some training – at least until you get resurrected again," he added with more exasperation.  "I'm telling you, you Earth people are sometimes more trouble than you're worth.  I've just had to make separate files for all of you…"

"Oh, there you are!"

Goten had been zoning out as the tirade began, but his attention was grabbed by the sudden exclamation behind him.  Stumbling and gasping in exertion, with little of the dignity that his title implied, the blue catfish-like North Kai pushed past a few office demons, stopping in front of Goten.  He tried to speak further, but his breathing was too hard.  The blue god bent over, hands on his knees, and let out loud pained gasps.  Then, realizing his ungodlike behavior, he straightened and looked up at Goten.

"Greetings, Goten," King Kai began with all the dignity he could muster.  It was especially difficult with the monkey that seemed to be playing a one-ended game of leap-frog with him.  As soon as the kai produced a large wooden mallet, the monkey shied away.  "I am Kaio-sama, guardian of the North galaxy.  Perhaps your father has told you about me?"

Goten frowned, still off-balance.  "H-he told me that you told really corny jokes."

King Kai's pleasant face turned from blue to red.  "MY JOKES ARE NOT CORNY!" he yelled in Goten's face.  Then he seemed to regain his composure a bit.  "Goku just doesn't have a sense of humor, that's all," he said defensively.

"HAHAHA," Enma's booming voice came from above.  "That's one way of looking at it."

King Kai glared up at the big red demon, who, despite the definite difference in size, shrank back a bit.  "You can be replaced, you know.  Besides, I won Grand Kai's Galactic Stand-up Contest, so I'm the best."

"Yeah," a strange floating cricket screeched behind King Kai.  "At standing up."

"What is wrong with you people?!" Goten screamed.  "How can you be joking when I just died and my wife just died and my son was taken…"  Goten sank to his knees, the situation crashing in on him.  He'd failed in protecting his wife and son.  He knew Jiten wasn't dead, since he'd have seen Jiten, but who knew where Jiten had been taken.  And Jita…

Calming himself, Goten looked up at Enma.  "What happened to Jita?  I know she died; I saw her disintegrate.  So where is she?"

Enma, used to such outbursts from the recently deceased, began shuffling through his files.  At least, until the name Goten had said registered in his brain.  "Jita?  You mean, your wife's name is Jita?  The Saiyan?"

Goten opened his mouth to answer, but no sound came out.  Instead, he simply nodded.

Enma shook his head in sympathy.  "I'm sorry, but there was nothing anyone could do.  There was a prior claim on her soul, so none of her actions in life counted.  She was not mine to judge."

Realizing that the young man was still kneeling on the floor, King Kai pulled Goten up.  "I know it's hard," he began solemnly, forgetting the light mood from before, "but you looked like you knew this was coming.  I've checked up on Earth now and then, and you gave Jita a good life, while she had it."

Enma nodded.  "If it means anything to you, she went willingly.  No tears, no protests, no threats of violence… she just went on her own."

Goten drew out of his daze.  "Forgive me, Enma-sama, but that doesn't comfort me at all," he answered quietly.

Wanting to get Goten away from the staring crowds and give him some time alone, King Kai began to pull the Saiyan toward the hangar deck to go to the Grand Kai's planet.  "Come on.  You can train until you get wished back to life.  That always cheered your father up."

Goten's head jerked up, and a small smile began to form.  "Yeah…" he said slowly.  "I think I'd like that.  Only…"

"Yes?" King Kai asked, completely missing the calculating look Goten was giving him.

"I'm sorry," Goten said, giving a forced laugh and scratching the back of his head, trying his darndest to look as carefree as his father.  "It's just… I may not be dead for long, and Dad told me some stories about Snake Way, and I just wanted to see it this time around.  I wasn't dead long enough last time to take in the sights."

King Kai sighed, not liking to waste time.  But he felt sympathy for the warrior who had just recently lost so much, and wanted to preserve any happiness the young man could find.  He started leading Goten toward the road that had used to lead to his home.  "Of course you can see it!  If I could tell you how many times I've walked down this road…"

Within minutes, King Kai lecturing and reminiscing the entire way, they were there.  Goten folded his arms, surveying the snake-mouth entrance and a seeming endless stretch of winding road suspended over an expanse of golden clouds.

"… but I just don't get why you would want to see it," Goten tuned King Kai back in.  "It's just a road, and the planet at the very end of it is, well, gone."

Goten walked a few steps past the entrance and onto the actual road.  "So this used to lead to your planet.  And down there…" he squatted to stare downward into the depths of the golden clouds.  "That's where Hell is?"

King Kai cleared his throat.  "Yes, that's right.  Goku could attest to that; he took a spill and landed there when he was first coming to see me.  He had to start all over again, and then he was held up by Princess Snake.  She lives at the midpoint of Snake Way.  But you wouldn't want to visit her.  When she invites you to dinner, she REALLY invites you to dinner!"  King Kai ended with a snorting laugh, not really expecting a response from the young Saiyan.

"But down there," Goten interrupted the kai's amusement, "Since that's where Hell is, then that's where my wife is."

King Kai's head cocked with confusion.  Well, I guess, but…"

Goten took one last look at King Kai, a look that almost resembled an apology, and jumped off the road, falling into the golden abyss.

                                                            *****

Bulma stared straight ahead, her mouth pressed in a fine white line and vision sparkling and swimming with tears, making it difficult to pilot the plane.  But she wouldn't dare give the controls up to someone else.  Then she wouldn't have anything to do, and she needed to have something to do.  Either that, or just break down.

I hate this.  I hate fighting.  I hate these stupid muscle-headed villains who come and make life miserable for my stupid muscle-headed friends and family.  Why can't they just leave us alone?  Why can't…

Bulma's thoughts broke off as she abruptly flew to higher altitudes to avoid a mountain range.  She felt bad for thinking such bitter thoughts.  She wasn't suffering the worst from loss by far.  It was just… she'd seen Vegeta at the barrier, trying to break through it like a madman.  She knew by the way he'd whipped around – the way he'd carried himself – he was feeling far worse than she ever could.

But why did it have to be Goten?  And Jita, of all people?  Haven't they been through enough?  I mean, they've barely lived.  And Jiten…

Bulma could hear the low, halting rumble of awkward conversation in the back of the airplane.  When Vegeta, Gohan, Trunks, and Pan had flown off, followed by Pecon and Darjili, Bulma had taken charge.  As soon as Tien had read Goku's ki at Kami's Lookout, Bulma ushered everyone into a plane and set a course for the familiar sanctuary.  She didn't actually like going there.  The air was too thin, the gravity was too light, and she couldn't remember if she'd replenished her stores of oxygen pills since the Buu incident.  But it was where all the Saiyans were going, and Bulma wanted to know what was going on.  They all wanted to know what was going on.

Hearing some glasses clink, Bulma hazarded a glance behind her.  Videl was trying to serve everyone tea, taking Chichi's usual job.  Chichi, for her part, was sitting ramrod straight in her chair, her fists clenching and unclenching convulsively around a tissue.  Her first outburst had quickly subsided, and now she was just staring blankly forward, not acknowledging any attempt at conversation or sympathy.  Not that many such attempts were made.

Not long after they'd been underway than they'd caught up to the two Spider students Darjili and Pecon, convincing them that it might even be faster to ride in the plane rather than fly.  Although Pecon had seemed reluctant about this arrangement, not really knowing Bulma or anyone else in the plane, Darjili had willingly given in the Bulma's request when she saw her father in the plane.  Now, next to her father, Darjili felt like she could break down a little.  Tien was holding his daughter.  Bulma's face softened to a slight smile at the sight.  Tien was patting the weeping girl awkwardly on the back, clearly not used to physical affection.  But at least he was making the effort.  Unbidden, images of Vegeta's first rare attempts at affection surfaced in Bulma's brain.  Bulma almost laughed at the thought.  Well, at least Jita was a little better at it…

Oh, yeah.  Jita.

Pecon was sitting on the floor away from everyone else.  No tears fell from his face, though he looked completely miserable nonetheless.  His eyes looked like they'd been frozen wide open, and his skin was an unhealthy pale, making an extreme contrast with the incense burns on his forehead.  But his fists were clenched, and his lips looked clamped together, as if he was forcing himself to stay strong.

It may seem hopeless now, Bulma thought, feeling that for once it was inappropriate to speak of such things aloud, but we always have the dragonballs.  Neither Jita nor Goten have been revived with the Earth set of dragonballs, so it should be easy enough.  In fact, she continued a little more brightly, we can probably revive them with the same wish, and have one left over to wish Jiten from wherever he is, or at least to find out where he is.  Yeah, it should be all right.

Everything should be fine…

                                                        *****

Goku stood at the edge of the Lookout, waiting.  Piccolo and Mr. Popo wisely left him alone.  That was alright.  Goku really didn't feel like talking right then.

Of course he noticed the various approaching kis.  He also knew that he could make things go a little fast if he'd meet everyone and teleport them all to the Lookout – both the group of flying Saiyans and the plane full of humans.  Of course he realized this.  But he just didn't feel like teleporting.

What he felt like doing was something he'd never EVER done before.  He felt like crying.  It was strange.  The man had gone through battle after hardship after death, and nearly ever family crisis in between, but he had never cried.  It's just… something he'd never felt comfortable doing.  It was something for people who couldn't fight out their problems, and Goku had never had a problem that he couldn't fight out.

But now there was no one to fight.  The guy had disappeared, and all Goku could do was just…

… Goku couldn't really do anything.

Goku sighed, numbly keep dibs on everyone's progress to the Lookout.  Every ki was as unbalanced as he knew his was.  He'd hoped to have some answers before anyone got there, but it didn't look like it would happen.  Dende hadn't gotten back from the Otherworld yet, where he'd gone to gather information about the killer.  Goku considered teleporting to the Otherworld to check on some of his own sources, but he was technically not supposed to be in the Otherworld.  He'd found that out not long after he'd been revived, when he'd tried to find Pikkon for a sparring match.  Not that he cared about rules, it was just…

He didn't want to see Goten standing there with a halo over his head.  Cause then, he'd know that the boy was truly dead.

"Kakarrot."

Goku turned at the hoarse utterance, a bit too hoarse for the speaker, and just stared at the newly arrived Saiyans. 

"Goten is dead," he said unnecessarily.

After that announcement, a tense silence filled the air, awkwardly pronounced by Pan's sniffles.  No one knew what to say.  Uncomfortable, Goku went back to staring blankly at the horizon.  After waiting so intently for the others' arrival, it seemed a bit anti-climatic.  Only Pan made a move to go to her grandfather, but Gohan restrained her with a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head slowly, wearily.

Piccolo walked over to Gohan, Pan, Trunks, and Vegeta, knowing why they had come.  "Dende has gone to the Otherworld to look into that strange warrior," Piccolo said lowly, without overture.  There was no need for one.  "He should be back any minute."

Only Gohan nodded.  The rest merely found a place to wait.

While Trunks and Gohan talked quietly to each other, with Pan standing silently near them, Vegeta leaned against a wall and crossed his arms.  In contrast to the tense Goku standing at the edge of the Lookout, Vegeta slouched, seeming to have the energy drained out of him.  It was all…  He'd seen Jita die… again.  Before it had been hard.  It had nearly torn his soul out.  But he'd survived out of necessity.  Everything about him back then had been geared solely for survival, including the numbing of feelings that preserved his sanity.  But this time… he'd grown too used to her.  He felt he had to break down, but…

"So, did you recognize him?"

Vegeta looked up at the Namek, wondering about Piccolo's motivation for talking to him.  Was it merely curiosity, or was it… concern?

"I would have mentioned earlier if I had recognized him," Vegeta spat out.  Still, he was actually glad for the distraction.  "He obviously didn't use a spaceship," he began to theorize, "so he couldn't be any normal space-going person.  He could teleport, and to places that we can't sense him, unless he's doing a phenomenal job of hiding his ki.  It couldn't be anywhere in the Afterlife, because Kakarrot would have sensed him.  So, it could be other dimensions, such as the one Kaioshin mentioned when he talked about Daburah, or possibly another timeline."

"I can look into temporal anomalies on or near Earth," Trunks cut in, overhearing his father's train of thought.  "Maybe we can find a portal that way.  And even if it isn't temporal, and more spatial, I think it would be a similar type of reading, and portal.  I can get Mom to work on that.  She knows more about that stuff than I do."

"In the meantime, of course," Gohan picked up, "we can collect the Dragonballs just in case.  I'm sure they'll come in handy.  Hey, maybe we can even wish Jiten to Earth, or something.  And then, if that warrior comes back to get Jiten, we'll be prepared for him."

Piccolo cleared his throat.  "Right now we need to wait for Dende.  He's our surest source for information right now.  Then we can go from there."

The idea-charged mood died down at this, and the group lapsed into uncomfortable silence yet again.  Piccolo growled softly.  What was taking Dende so long, anyway?

In the timeless atmosphere of Kami's Lookout, no one really knew how long they waited.  For some it felt like hours, and others, only minutes.  Time passed, however, and finally Dende appeared, gripping his knotty wooden staff and looking the grimmest he'd even been in ages.

Everyone broke out of their reveries, intent on receiving news.  Dende was about to speak when, at that moment, the plane finally arrived at the Lookout.

A solemn group filed out of the plane, Bulma capsulizing the vehicle as soon as it was emptied.  Darjili and Pecon automatically walked over to their fellow student Pan, both uncomfortable in the unfamiliar place, especially since Tien had told them that it was literally the dwelling of god.  Both Bulma and Videl stayed together, no sure of what to say or what to do.  Tien and Chaotzu went to the edges of the group, feeling much the same.

The group anxiously watched Chichi as she wandered a bit, looking lost and confused.  Finally her eyes found her husband, who was still standing at the edge of the Lookout, his back to the others, staring off in the horizon.  It was like he hadn't even noticed the recent arrivals.  Chichi walked slowly to him, and touched his shoulder.  He jumped slightly at the touch, and turned around.  While her face was slightly blotchy from tears, his was an unhealthy white. 

After a few minutes of merely staring at each other, Chichi sighed deeply and put her arms around Goku, laying her head on his chest.  His eyes widened in surprise.  He'd been expecting loud cries or curses that he hadn't been able to prevent the death of their son or… something.  Finally, ever so slowly, he relaxed in her embrace, and even patted the back of her head a couple of times in awkwardly affectionate movements.  Those who were watching looked away, overcome by the scene.  Chichi pulled away from Goku, feeling just the tiniest bit better.  At least he was here.

"What did you find out?" Piccolo asked Dende.  He knew the deaths of the young couple was pretty hard to bear, but there was still a child out there suffering not even Kami knows what.

Dende shifted a bit when all the attention focused on him.  "Um… There weren't many sources in the Afterlife, but I found out enough.  Jiten was kidnapped by a Leech."

Everyone turned to Vegeta when they heard him take a sharp intake of air.  "But… that's impossible," Vegeta said harshly.  "There hasn't been a Leech alive in ten thousand years."

"I thought you said you didn't recognize the creature," Piccolo pointed out.

Vegeta snorted.  "I only know about them from legends.  There is a myth that the Legendary Super Saiyan killed a Leech, but paid for it with his life.  The book I read it from didn't have a picture."

Gohan started.  "Yeah, I read that book too.  It was in with the pile that I got from J—"  He stopped suddenly, as if the name would burn his tongue.

"Even if it had," Dende continued, "it wouldn't have helped.  Leeches aren't a race all to themselves.  Anyone can become a Leech, so appearance varies greatly.  The thing they DO have in common is the ability to drain people's power, and an insatiable thirst to do just that."

"So is that what he wants with Jiten?" Trunks asked.  "Then why did he leave?  He could have drained all our powers, if there was no way to stop him.  And why didn't he do that to… Goten and Jita… instead of killing them?"

Dende cleared his throat, gathering his thoughts.  "There is one requirement that the Leech must meet before he gains his ability.  He must have an acolyte – a devoted follower that is powerful in his or her own right.  That thing, where no one could hurt the Leech without hurting Jiten, must have been the first stage in the plan.  And I think he killed Goten and Jita to make an impression on us, so everyone would train to beat him and therefore get stronger.  More energy for him to absorb."

"So he wants to get Jiten on his side?" Bulma said incredulously.  "That's impossible.  He's too good a kid.  Jiten will never…"

Her voice trailed off at the looks she received.  She frowned slightly.  Jiten was NOT such a good kid, and anyone can be corrupted at so young an age.  After all, Vegeta was only five…  And what a coincidence that the child who looked so much like Vegeta could have something happen to him like this.

"So where is he?" Goku said in a strangled voice, speaking for the first time since he'd pronounced his son's death.  "I can find him if I know where to look."

Dende bowed his head, reluctantly saying the hardest thing he'd had to say yet.  "He's… unreachable.  By any means.  He's in another dimension that is only open to a Leech and his acolyte.  The entrance is untraceable and impossible to enter.  We'll… just have to wait a year until the Leech returns."

Trunks cursed.  "By then he'll be able to absorb our power.  That's not something you can fight against."

"Is there…" Pecon spoke up, but quickly clammed up, his throat constricting as soon as everyone turned to him.  The vast amount of power and experience made him feel little more than nothing.

"Go on," Piccolo nodded to the boy encouragingly.

Pecon gulped and continued.  "Is there a limit to how much energy the Leech can absorb?  What if he absorbs too much too quickly?  That could give you the advantage if he tries to absorb everyone.

Dende nodded.  "He DOES need time to adjust to each new power level, just like anyone else, but that resting period can be as short as a matter of minutes."

"And the more he absorbs," Gohan continued, "the more difficult defeating him will be.  Looks like we'll need all the help we can get on this one."

Goku had brightened just the slightest.  "That's right!  We still haven't talked about gathering the Dragonballs."

Trunks grinned.  "Oh yeah!  I forgot that Goten and Jita haven't been revived by Shenlong.  It was Porunga that brought us back."

"The Dragonballs," Chichi said forcefully.  "Of course!  It's just been so long, that I almost forgot about them."

The atmosphere at the Lookout began to improve tenfold with all the planning and hopes, as well as the prospect of reviving the recently deceased couple.  It was the easiest thing in the world to gather those Dragonballs and wish two people back to life.  Those two would certainly be needed in the coming war with the Leech.

"They might want to train in the Afterlife, of course," Goku said cheerfully, his grief forgotten.  "They're probably with King Kai.  I'll have to ask when they want to be revived.  They can train on the Grand Kai's planet better than they can on Earth, so they'll probably want to stay dead for a little while.  But before the Leech comes next year, we can revive Goten and Jita—"

"No we can't!"

Vegeta pushed himself off the wall, and was standing there, shaking with… rage? grief?  No one could really tell, the two emotions could be so intertwined within the man.  Needless to say, the happiness that had been spreading to everyone had not affected him.

"What's wrong, Dad?" Trunks said quietly.  "Why can't we revive them?"

Vegeta had been confused about the repressive nature and hopelessness of his sadness at the death of his sister.  But now… he realized.  And remembered.

"Goten's fine.  The boy's just fine," Vegeta strangled out.  "But Jita…"

"No…" Chichi whispered.  "Dear Kami, no."  She put a hand on her husband's arm, steadying herself.

"What?" asked Dende, voicing the thoughts of everyone there.

"Jita's gone," Vegeta forced out, his voice gravelly.  "Forever.  She—"

"GOKU!!!"

The high-pitched yell came literally out of nowhere, deafening the people that were straining to hear Vegeta's low voice.  Goku sighed, but greeted the voice.  "What is it, Kaio-sama?"

"YOUR—"  A few muffled words that couldn't have been very complimentary could be heard before the blue god continued.  "Your… SON…  That's what it is.  When did you teach that boy to be so sneaky, and so INSUFFERABLY IDIODIC!!!"

Eyes widening, Goku tried to calm the short-tempered god down.  "What's Goten done, Kaio-sama?"

"HE'S—"  King Kai took a few audible breaths to calm down.  "When Goten got here, he was pretty upset about dying and about his wife, but he seemed to take it fine.  Then he tricks me into showing him Snake Way, where the… IDIOT… jumps off the edge into Hell.  Let me tell you, he's started a fine mess now!"

Goku paled, not believing what he, and everyone else, was hearing.  "Say that again?"

"AREN'T YOU LISTENING TO ME?!  He said he was going to look for his wife, and he's sure enough found her, 'cause now he's gotten himself captured by the Lord of the Lower Realms of Hell!  Do you realize how much danger this puts the universe in?  We could all die any second now!  And it's all the fault of your son!"

"Universe in danger?" Goku replied, the moisture leaving from his mouth.  "Who is this Lord of the Lower Realms of Hell?  Someone I've met?"

"Heaven forbid," King Kai said forcefully, for once unaware of his own pun.  "No one knows too much about him, except that he's locked in the lower realms of Hell with an extremely complicated seal that only a few people can cross, but those that cross without proper protection can become part of the seal, and if they try to leave without special circumstances, they can break the seal.  We can't let that happen, because if the Lord of the Lower Realms of Hell gets loose, we'll all die.  He's too powerful!"

"Oh, come on, Kaio-sama," Goku said with a touch of pride in his voice.  "He can't be all that powerful.  I mean, he can't be more powerful that Kid Buu, can he?"

"Let me put it this way," King Kai said with a thread of impatience in his voice, "Take ten Kid Buus and add all their strength."

"Yes?" Goku prodded.

"MULTIPLY THAT BY INFINITY!!  This is an unstoppable force, and your ki won't protect you.  Even the genki dama wouldn't protect you.  The only thing that's protecting us is that seal, and for the first time in millions of years, since it was first erected, its in danger of being destroyed.  Who knows if anyone can contain him ever again?"

"Why is Jita with the Lord of the Lower Realms of Hell?" Gohan asked quietly.

Vegeta scowled.  "Who do you think trained her all those years when she was dead?  How do you think she was brought back to life?  She… sold her soul for training to… to kill me.  And since she didn't, that… that THING is going to torture her for all of eternity."

And so it was out.  The big secret… the one that Jita had only divulged to three people in all the world.  Of course others had been curious about how she'd come back to life after around thirty years of being dead.  And where she had gotten her unique fighting style, and learned all those techniques.  But no one had ever asked, interpreting it as something that was too personal, and not their business.  But now… it was out.  And it was too late.

King Kai continued after a few beats.  "I'm very sorry about Jita, but she made her decision and accepted the consequences without protest.  She is lost.  If anyone tries to get her out, the seal would definitely be broken.  But Goten… someone who's familiar with Hell needs to go in and get him.  Since the Lord of the Lower Realms of Hell only affects the dead while he's in his prison, it needs to be someone living.  Someone slightly responsible for this whole mess…"

"All right, Kaio-sama," Goku interrupted the catfish god, relief that there was finally something he could do.  "I'll go and get him out.  Let me teleport over to you to get directions."

Goku raised two fingers to his forehead and began to concentrate.

"Wait, Kakarrot."

Goku turned to the Saiyan prince, who was walking toward him.  "What is it, Vegeta?"

"Well, you don't think you're going through Hell alone, do you?  Kami knows what trouble you'd get into.  I'm going as well."  Vegeta crossed his arms, daring him to either refuse, or to think this was a gesture of friendship.  It wasn't, of course.

Goku grinned.  "All right, Vegeta.  I'm sure if there's any way to get Jita out of there, we can find it."

Vegeta tried not to flinch as Goku touched his shoulder, reminding himself that it was necessary if he was going to do this.

"Good luck, Goku," Chichi said, forcing a cheerful tone out of her thin white lips. 

"Bring 'em back, you two," Bulma called out after them.

If there were any more well-wishers, Goku and Vegeta did not hear them.  With a smile from Goku and a scowl from Vegeta, the two blinked out of sight.

The next thing Goku and Vegeta knew, they were standing in Enma-sama's pagoda, appearing before a very irate King Kai.  Vegeta quickly moved away from Goku and crossed his arms, acknowledging the familiar place and the none-too-pleasant memories it invoked with a soft grunt.

"Oh, so you brought company," King Kai addressed Goku in a tone with a slightly unfriendly tinge.  "Good.  You two work well together."

Goku nodded, while Vegeta's scowl deepened.  He had to remind himself that he couldn't fry a kai.  "Cut it, Kai.  Tell us how to save Goten and Jita."

The god's cheeks quickly turned from blue to red as he tried to contain his ever-mounting temper.  He'd NEVER had to withstand such disrespect from a mortal.  He had to remind himself that this particular mortal was MUCH stronger than he was.  That didn't stop him from answering the question angrily.  "You DON'T save Jita.  Didn't you hear me?  Jita is gone.  She knew it… you knew it…  She is beyond redemption.  If you try to save her, you'll be dooming the universe to a fate worse than any Frieza, Cell, or Buu.  Do NOT try to save her."

Vegeta's eyes hardened, but before he could say anything, Goku interrupted.  "We understand.  Now," he continued, ignoring Vegeta's glare, "how do we get to the Lower Realms?"

King Kai cleared his throat.  "Good to see you've got the best interests of the universe at heart, Goku.  All right, pay attention, 'cause I'm going to say this once.  You're going to take the usual way to the highest realm of Hell, and keep traveling west.  Each staircase downward is going to be further and further west.  I don't know how many levels of Hell you'll have to go through, because there's levels being added and destroyed every day.  Just don't get caught in any level that's being destroyed for too long."

Goku frowned slightly.  "That'll take forever.  Isn't there a quicker way…?"

"I'm giving you the long route, and that'll lead to the equivalent of the back door to the lower realms of Hell.  He won't be expecting that, and he's too busy tormenting Jita, and maybe even Goten, to notice you two."

"But if I use Instant Transmission…"

"DON'T!!" King Kai yelled just in time, because Goku had already gotten in the position and had his hand on Vegeta's shoulder, ready to teleport.  "JUST… don't."  Kaio-sama took a few breaths, shaken at the tragedy he'd just prevented.  "Since Goten weakened the seal so much, Instant Transmission would definitely break the seal.  You'll have to go the long way.  It's the safest and…"

"All right, Kaio-sama," Goku replied cheerfully.  "Go west.  No transmission.  Gotcha.  If there's nothing else, we need to get going.  Come on Vegeta."

"Don't do anything stupid!!" Kaio-sama called after them.  "Look who I'm saying this to," he mumbled to himself fatalistically.

As the two walked to Snake Way, office demons nervously making way for the duo they'd watched kill Buu, Vegeta turned angrily at Goku.  "How could you agree so easily, Kakarrot?" he growled.  "He forbids us to save Jita, and all you can say is 'I understand'?  Whatever happened to your stupidly optimistic 'If there's a will, there's a way' attitude that I usually can't stand?"

"You worry too much, Vegeta," Goku answered as the two jumped off Snake Way into Hell.  He had apparently momentarily forgotten the grief and worry he'd nearly succumbed to earlier that day.  Now, he was grinning fiercely in anticipation of adventure and rescue.  "We'll get her back.  I was just saying that to get Kaio-sama to tell us where to go.  He'd never have let us go if he knew what we were going to do."

As the two Saiyans finally landed in front of a lake of blood amidst thousands of floating spirits and the occasion demon to supervise the inhabitants of Hell, Vegeta eyed his rival.  "Sometimes, and I do mean very infrequently, Kakarrot, I don't give you enough credit."

Author's Notes: So, what'd ya think?  Am I evil or what?  Just wait till you see the next chapter.  It's… in the works.  It'll be lighter in some places, darker in others.  But definitely fun to write, and hopefully fun to read.

Thanks to all my reviewers: Silver Warrior (You better believe it.), Dark Wolf (And the madness continues.  Sorry, but the Leech's description was not inspired by Ixion.  I wrote the description long ago, before I read Fullmoon Light.), aqua-illusion (Well, hope you're still juiced, cause here's more.  And the really big action gets ever bigger.  I just hope no one gets overly worried with you running around the room shrieking.), Tonifranz (Umm… as you see, I've included Tien, and I'll probably include a few other people as well.  When I got Tien up there, as well as Chaotzu, I realized that there wasn't much for him to say.  I'll do the best that I can with other character, but I just didn't have a place for them in the beginning of the story.  I certainly can't wait to see your writing in March.  I remember how difficult it was to not have a worthwhile computer.  I had no computer, so I had to rely on the computer labs on campus.  Not very convenient, though probably more convenient than Internet cafes, especially since I live too far our in the sticks to be near such new-fangled things as Internet cafes.  Oh, and yes you are right about Nappa not mentioning his rampage on Earth.  Plus, you have to take into account that he was scribbling that final note in chapter 12 while Vegeta was probably wondering where he was.  He didn't have a lot of time to go into detail.  I… have mixed feelings about GT.  I just feel that all those powerful demi-Saiyans became over-glorified batteries, even as early as the Baby Saga.  That's just me, though.), tim333 (I'm sorry that I could only use two of my regular reviewers names.  The rest of the author names just wouldn't work.  But I found your last name from your e-mail.  And it's part of your e-mail address too.  I'm sorry if you didn't want it included, but I didn't think it would be a problem, since you had it as your e-mail.  Oh, well.  And, yes, I now know precisely what I'm doing and where I'm going.  There may be a few things here and there that I haven't worked out, but those are just details.  Now that I've gotten past the transition, I pretty much know what I'm doing.), and Omega (Thanks for the profuse praise.  I was wondering where you were.  As for the point of view… I'm going to go back to my old thing where the point of view jumps from person to person.  At least, up until a point.  Won't say any more.).

Shameless Plug:  In between my admittedly long gaps in updates, please read my new story Sarie Mue.  I don't self-promote much (HA!), but this time I'm not only promoting myself, I'm promoting my gifted co-author Howler.  Those of you who have read a lot of my stuff, or even just this story, know that my usual style is angst-filled drama with a few attempts at wry humor.  Sarie Mue is completely different.  It's still well-written (I wouldn't have it any other way), but it's a parody.  One which cracks us up just writing it.  Sarie Mue is an annoying pathetic fangirl who is put in hopefully romantic situations with various men of the DBZ world by the Great Will of the Cosmos.  There are fifty chapters planned, so the different characters get pretty obscure.  Right now we've gotten three chapters written, with Trunks, Goku, and Krillen, respectively.  The chapter we're working on now is with 17.  We'll of course cover all the heroes and villains, but imagine a romance with the Budoukai announcer guy.  Or King Kai.  Or Master Roshi.  Just a few of the chapters that will pop up.  This, of course, parodies self-insertion romance fics, as well as Funimation, the anime itself, anime in general, and anything that stays still long enough.  Believe me, it's worth your while. 

This chapter didn't have as much… well… any action, but it was a necessary explanation chapter.  And definite emotions running through.  Next chapter should have some action.  Mostly in a "journey through the Underworld" type thing.  Hope y'all enjoy.

Until next time.