Happy Birthday Vegeta
Chapter Three: Search and Retrieve
"Good Kami Krillin! What happened?"
Krillin's face was covered in soot, his clothes scorched to indecency, and in his trembling hand, was one smoking dragonball. If they hadn't been burnt away, Krillin would have arched an eyebrow before answering Bulma's inquiry.
"You don't consider volcanic activity to be 'sentient hostility?'" His throat was raw from exposure to volatile gases, his voice rough.
Bulma paled, feeling immediate guilt for Krillin's state of advanced…toastiness. "Are you hurt? Do You need medical-"
Krillin shook his singed head. "Nah, just surface damage."
There was a snicker behind Bulma, and another, and Krillin began to smile. At his grin, Gohan and Bulma burst into laughter. "Kuso for a camera!" Chuckling, Bulma pulled on large thick mitts and stole Krillin's prize from his palm, gasping at the radiant heat it still held. She juggled it precariously until it had cooled enough to be inspected. It was approximately the size of a softball, covered in a smoky film which Bulma wiped gently away from the globe. When she was finished, the four stars within were easily seen. "Konnichiwa Grandpa Gohan." Bulma acknowledged honorifically as she placed the fourth dragonball in a foam lined security case, which she then encapsulated.
"Well, that's three of the seven…." She updated her computer log and then pulled geographical charts onto the screen. "Piccolo shouldn't have any problem really with the fifth dragonball. I mean, the locale is mountainous, weather looks quiet though cold…" She squinted at the screen as her fingers flew over the keyboard, the charts changing and resizing to her commands.
The remote mountain village of Khishan
"If I find out she knew about this, she's dead." The Namek flew painstakingly through the heavy snowfall. He tapped the scouter he wore, and adjusted his direction according to the radar. Bulma had modified the scouter to function as a dragon radar in addition to it's usual applications. The blinking light on the screen in front of his eye indicated that he was right above where the fifth dragonball should be. He powered down and as he landed, he sank thigh deep, in cold, wet snow. His armor became immediately soaked and clung soggily to his form, a shiver racked his body. 'So dead.' He thought with a smile that chased away the local wildlife.
He surveyed his surroundings through very limited visibility, and thought he saw the outline of several houses huddled together against the ferocity of the storm. Slogging through at least three feet of densely packed snow, unable to see through the screen of the scouter, and freezing his Namekian parts off…Piccolo got angry. With a disgusted sound he drew on his ki, drying his clothes from the inside out and enclosing himself in a softly glowing sphere. However risky the expulsion of his energy was, it paid dividends in that it improved both his mood and his vision.
He stopped in front of one of the windowless cabins, and the wind tore around him howling but unable to affect him. He was getting no ki reading from the scouter, 'useless damn thing,' but his own senses, told him the dwelling was occupied…perhaps, even a threat. He stood a moment longer before the scraping sound of a door being opened reached his ears.
Sirabi looked at the tall, muscled and gently glowing form in her doorway, and made the only assumption she could.
"Kami!" she breathed, eyes wide and hopeful.
"Not anymore." Piccolo replied.
Well, this is where is went awry from what I thought it should be…grins and also where the chapters start getting a little more substance…