I'm back lovelies. Thanks for the reviews: Tiffany7898, Brii-Chan14, koryandrs, tabithascott923, Aquestra, Writer'sFantasy and Guests.

-Enjoy the next chapter, you may need a tissue box handy :'(

-My love goes out to all those affected by the devastating typhoon in the Philippines.

Love: HerosReprise

The Impossible

Chapter Four – The Losses Begin

The rain looked as if it was about to come crashing down hard and the girl knew she would have to find some shelter or she would die from the cold. She had been dragged by the receding wave almost the complete distance back to the ocean from the heart of West City and was utterly clueless on how she could get back.

Her long reddish brown hair was ragged and wet and her once yellow and blue work uniform was torn and dirty.

She had been aimlessly wandering around trying to regain full use of her balance and senses, calling out for help and being met with no reply.

Thunder and lightning cracked through the darkening sky, scaring the wits out of her and she dashed to the cover of the one tree nearby that was still standing. She tried to remember if it was good to be near or away from trees during a thunderstorm but was coming up blank.

She was frightened of the thunder, and winced when it belted another loud deafening noise. Apart from the thunder it was eerily silent, and the girl had to wonder if there was anyone still alive out there.

A strange new noise was heard from above her, this time it was not the thunder. No, it sounded almost like a baby's cries.

She looked up into the tree to find what seemed to look like a small child caught in the canopy, crying its eyes out. It was the first sign of life the girl had seen since the wave hit her and she felt an unusual sensation of joy that she was not alone.

"Hey!" she called up to the baby, but that was obviously stupid. She studied the tree to find the best way to climb it. Luckily, all the half broken branches meant it was not such a difficult feat.

As she climbed to the top she found the child howling in tears with its chubby little hands covering its eyes. It looked like it was only a newborn, no wonder it was so scared. It was amazing that it had managed to get up the tree at all.

"I've got you little one," the girl said as she firmly grasped the baby. It did not cease crying.
She went to remove it from the tree ledge it was atop when she noticed something very unusual.

A brown furry tail was tightly wound around a tree branch. As she traced it back to its origin she found it was connected to none other than this baby's backside. This was something the girl had never seen before.

Krillin and Videl were slowly limping their way inland as the sky grew even darker. If Krillin didn't know any better he'd half expect Shenron to appear, the sky was acting so strange.

Videl hadn't said a word to him, not even a 'thank-you' for pulling her off the tree trunk before she fell back into the receding water.

He thought about asking her if her voice had become obstructed but decided she just might be upset over the situation. Her right arm was badly injured, so before they started moving Krillin had wrapped it up tightly in a piece of fabric he ripped from the lining in his jacket.

Again, no 'thank-you.'

"I'm thinking if we just start moving inland, we'll be safer. Another wave could come and I'm sure the others will be moving that direction anyway, we'll meet up with them," Krillin calmly asserted.

Videl looked at him with eyes of dread and worry which made Krillin have to wonder if something had already happened to Gohan or one of their children. She had become white as a ghost.

"Videl, please tell me what's wrong? Did something else happen?" Krillin asked making her stop for a moment.

She cringed and started kicking at the ground with newfound strength. She was angry. This was supposed to be her day. Well her son's day, but it meant a whole lot more to her. She was so happy that she got to show off her little miracle child. The kind of attention her family and friends were giving her was the only kind of attention that she really lavished. Why did this have to happen? What did she do to deserve such a horrible thing?

All Videl could think about now was how Gohan probably would never be able to look at her again when he found out she didn't save their children. She let go of Hale. And she just couldn't force herself to forget it. Who knows where he is now? Or who he is with?

She started to cry again as she continued to kick up the damp earth.

Krillin wrapped his arms tightly around her, more trying to restrain her than comfort her. At least dealing with her could distract him from his own apprehension and fear of losing his family.

Yes his wife was strong and he had never really had to worry about her being physically 'ok' before. But he hated the idea of her being alone somewhere.

He started to usher Videl to continue moving, they had to put their own safety first right now. Videl was whimpering as she slowly continued along the destroyed path of unearthed vegetation and puddles of muddy water.

And Marron, well that's a whole other story. She was still a child to him. She was scared of a lot of things. She'd be hopeless, defenceless. How could she possibly survive something like this when someone as strong as Videl was falling apart? Krillin shook the worry out of his head.

Hope was the key. He would stay strong and find them, his girls. If it was the last thing he would do.

Gohan, Goten, Marron and Trunks had walked far enough inland, away from the remains of the city and into open terrain, which seemed to be less devastated by the impact and likely safe from the danger of another wave.

Goten was acting like he was a park ranger, as he regurgitated a bunch of tips or facts about survival in the wilderness as they had made their trek.

It was getting on Marron and Trunks' nerves as they limped their way behind him. It was obviously some form of coping mechanism, his own way of keeping calm because half the dribble he was saying wasn't making any sense. And there was no way he'd even know any of that, he's not the brightest of people.

"If we get hungry enough, Goten's the first to get eaten," Marron whispered to Trunks who chuckled.

"Heard that!" Goten called back from several metres ahead.

Goten had somehow managed to contain most of his energy during the impact. Unlike Trunks and Marron who had nearly drowned and were struggling to keep up with him. They were using each other as support which was making them even slower, but no one complained. It wasn't a race.

Gohan followed from the back several paces behind, making sure they checked thoroughly through their trails for anyone that was missing. He would occasionally shout out 'Hello!' or 'Is anyone out there?!' which would make Marron jump everytime.

The sky had become fully black with only a faint glow of the moon which was covered by clouds. It was becoming impossible for the four to see where they were going.

"Think I found a nice spot guys," Goten said cheerfully from up ahead. The other three caught up to him and looked over a small cave that could protect them from the storm that was rolling in.

"Good job Goten," Trunks commended and patted him on the back.

"So you won't eat me now?" Goten asked him.

"I never said that," Trunks chuckled and started to enter the cave.

Gohan balled his fists, becoming angry that the three seemed to think this whole situation was some kind of joke.

"Wait a minute! You don't know what's in there. There could be bears," Marron fretted, scared of entering a dark, unknown cave without any light.

"If there are I call dibs," Goten chuckled rubbing his stomach.

"Argh, Stop taking this so lightly!" Gohan snapped, he'd had enough jokes, "Don't you guys even realise what's going on!"

The three looked at a Gohan they had never seen before. One who was angry and fed up. That was not like him at all. He was always so happy and optimistic. He always laughed at their jokes, even if he was the only one.

"Sorry Gohan," Goten said and looked down in guilt. He rarely made his brother upset and felt like crying whenever he did.

Gohan just stormed past him and went into the cave to see if it was adequate enough. He was half hoping there would be a bear just so he could have someone to punch.

After 18 passed out from the pain of her dislocated shoulder, Yamcha carefully popped it into place and examined her head wound a little closer.

He almost thought he could see the computer parts from where her human brain had been replaced.

'How could and Android suffer amnesia?' he thought since he was fairly certain she didn't actually have a brain to injure. Her memory loss was more likely to be some form of computer malfunction.

'Bulma can probably fix you,' Yamcha thought, and lifted her into his arms making sure to keep her head upright. She still had blood running through her, and she still felt pain so she could certainly still seriously hurt herself if she didn't get her injuries fixed soon.

He had to get out of the open, before nightfall when the heart of the storm would surely hit. She had still been reluctant to accept any of his help, believing he was trying to hurt her or had succeeded in hurting her. Now was Yamcha's chance to get moving since she was unconscious. He couldn't just wait around for Goku to show up, who knows how long that would take. Finding Bulma, was imperative right now.

Pan guided the blinded Uub along with her as she followed behind Piccolo. Pan was grateful that they at least had him to take charge. She still felt like crying that she didn't know if either of her parents were alive but she decided to just focus on helping Uub right now.

Uub's eyes were worse than he originally thought. He literally couldn't see the ground where he stepped. He could see roughly 30 centimetres in front of him but even that was blurry. Pan was pulling him along but he was never sure where exactly he was placing his feet and thus tripped over several times not to mention scoring several bruises and cuts to his shins.

Without being able to use his ki we was forced to try and utilise his other senses; smell, hearing, touch. He could hear the crunch everyone's shoes were making as they stepped against the brittle remains of destroyed construction. He noticed that the shoes of the two people in front of him made different sounds to those of the one behind him.

Bulla cursed herself for having such a mature taste in fashion as she plonked her stiletto heels against the uneven earth. She was lagging quite far behind the others, feeling as if she might snap if any of them try talk to her again. Who was Piccolo to suggest her Dad wasn't coming to get her? Of course he was.

'He's just jealous because he doesn't even have a dad,' Bulla thought as she glared daggers into the back of Piccolo's head.

The shoes really were becoming problem. Her feet were very sore and she wondered if it would be better for her just to walk bare foot although she hated the idea of damaging up her perfect feet.

Just as Bulla was about to exhale and let out a long rant of complaints Pan beat her to it.

"I need to stop, I'm sorry everyone, but my knee just hurts too much, can we sit down for a little?" Pan asked and held her sore knee.

"We have to head a lot further inland to know we're safe. Are you sure you can't go on a little further?" Piccolo asked.

Bulla rolled her eyes knowing if it had of been her complaining he would not have met her with the same concern, rather just told her to harden up.

Pan shook her head, "I'm sorry."

'Here we go, she'll probably start crying now too,' Bulla thought.

"It's alright Pan, don't feel so bad about it," Uub reassured her.

Bulla narrowed her eyes once more, obviously everyone would bend over backwards for Pan to be ok. Bulla hated that. None of them ever expressed that amount of concern for her. In fact no one ever expressed that kind of concern for her. Not even her Mom or Trunks.

Piccolo offered to carry Pan some of the remaining distance and hoisted her up onto his shoulders. To be fair Piccolo could survive off just water, so he wasn't hungry like the rest of them, but Bulla was still feeling bitter that no one was giving her attention.

"Um, Pan, If you're going to be lazy like that," both Piccolo and Pan glared at her, "Can we swap shoes, these are not great to walk in," Bulla said, neglecting the 'please.'

Pan was used to her friend talking to her like that, "Yeah sure, but you'll have to help Uub."

'Oh Great,' Bulla sarcastically thought and swapped into Pan's fighting flats. Luckily Pan had behemoth feet for a ten year old and they fit Bulla perfectly.

Piccolo started back up walking and Bulla returned to where Uub was standing and grabbed his arm to make him follow.

"Thanks," he said.

"Whatever."

In their little bear-free cave, Goten, Marron, Trunks and Gohan attempted to warm themselves and get some rest. It was suicide to attempt moving further inland during the storm and Trunks in particular was in pretty bad shape. Goten was certain he just needed to sleep it off.

They were using the backlight of Trunks' phone as their light and had pulled apart the soft padding inside Gohan's Capsule bassinette to use as pillows. They huddled closer together to keep warm.

Marron snuggled into her spot on the hard rocky ground in between Goten and Trunks as they all attempted to get some shut eye. Marron couldn't help but feel a little lucky that she at least had these two to look after her. She always felt safest around them even though they were practically magnets for trouble.

She had learnt from the several ex-boyfriends they had beaten up, the shoulders they had been for her to cry on, the bitchy 'friends' they had purposefully stood up for her, the boring art shows they had come along to just so she could have some support; that these boys would protect her from anything and always had her back. They were like her brothers.

Marron knew it was horrible to think but if it was just the four of them that were the last people alive on Earth, she decided she was ok with that. It was enough for her. She wouldn't dare say that out loud though.

Goten handed Marron one of his candy bars.

"Share it with Trunks," he said as he opened a second one and broke it in half giving Gohan the larger piece.

"So you just casually keep 3 candy bars in your pockets?" Marron asked as she began to open the plastic wrapper.

Goten grinned a little, "I get hungry after work and it's a long trip home."

"But, wouldn't they melt from the heat?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean they're not edible."

Marron laughed lightly, "Nothings non-edible to you," she playfully punched him in the arm and then turned over to Trunks.

He was already falling asleep, and looking very uncomfortable.

Marron broke only a small piece of the chocolate for herself. Truth be told she was still quite full from the feast Bulma had put on. Although a bit of sugar was desirable after all of that physical exertion. But Trunks looked like her needed the food more.

"Trunks," she nudged him gently trying to wake him up from his delirium, "You hungry?"

His eyes fluttered half open as she dangled the precious chocolate in front of him.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you Goten," Gohan whispered to his brother, "You are doing a good job keeping everyone together. I just wish Videl was here instead of me. Then I'd know she'd be safe."

Goten smiled at his brother and wished he could tell him everyone was going to be alright. But he honestly didn't know anymore.

"Get some rest, we will probably find them tomorrow, but we need all the energy we can get," Goten suggested.

Gohan did try to sleep for a little but felt far to restless.

"I'm sorry, but I can't just wait around," Gohan said as he got up to his feet and began for the exit.

"Where are you going? It's thunder storming out there," Goten demanded.

"I just can't sit and do nothing,"

"Well just wait," Goten thought for a minute, he couldn't let him go by himself, he wasn't in the right headspace. He'd probably get lost, or worse, "I'll go with you."

"I don't think you should Goten its-"

"They're my family too Gohan," Goten said very seriously, he loved Videl and Pan and Hale more that Gohan knew and he wasn't going to accept the whole 'It's not safe for you' speech, "And so are you, so I'm coming with you. But when you pass out we're coming back here."

Gohan smiled at the man his little brother had grown to become. The two exited the cave into the pouring rain and began their search.

Vegeta and Goku had found a reasonable indentation in the terrain which could serve as adequate shelter, protecting them from the impending storm. They had said nothing to each other on the long walk inland. Goku focused only on keeping Chi-Chi alive and Vegeta was on the lookout for anyone else.

Goku set Chi-Chi down in the caved section bracing her back against a wall of stone. It was cold on her bare skin. A lot of her clothing had been torn off during the impact and she was really feeling the newfound icy weather.

Goku tried his best to warm her up but the shivering didn't stop.

"Vegeta," he called to where the man was attempting to start a fire, a task that was normally as simple as letting out a small energy flare.

"What do you want now?" he mumbled back, the agitation was uncalled for, Goku hadn't asked a single thing of him yet. But Vegeta was understandably on edge.

"Could you please just sit next to her on her other side to help me warm her up," Goku practically begged. If they were both either side of her she would be protected from the breeze and she could get warm.

Chi-Chi was dying, and Vegeta knew it, it wouldn't matter what Kakarot tried at this point, it was inevitable.

But in all the years he had known him. Even when he had faced him as a far stronger opponent, or watched him up against Frieza, Cell or Majin Buu, Kakarot had never looked so desperate then what he did at that moment.

It was poor warrior practice to express such emotional flaws. Kakarot's weakness was that he showed how much he cared, like a soppy little girl. Yet somehow, Vegeta's respect for the man was still intact. He had to wonder what he would do himself if he was in the same situation.

It disturbed Vegeta to see Goku like this, so he wordlessly complied and gave up on attempting to spark a fire in the rain.

He sat himself next to Chi-Chi on her other side to share some of his body heat and shut his eyes in order to try rest and block all of Kakarot's turmoil out of his mind.

Chi-Chi's shivering only eased a little, she felt the water collect in her lungs, she herself knew she would not survive without proper medical attention. She hated that this was the way she had to go. Without saying goodbye to her babies although maybe it was for the best.

She wouldn't have to see them upset at her departure. She could simply remember their happy faces at the party. The beautiful celebration for Hale, was ultimately the perfect send off for her.

She was happy and calm, and enjoyed for a moment the craziness of her life. As if that one little baby made everything ok, all the times she was suffering and felt alone or different. It was all worth it now to see Gohan complete his family and she knew Goten would follow suit one day soon.

Where Goku might have succeeded in saving the world countless of times, Chi-Chi finally felt like she had succeeded in her job too. That her boys were finally happy and at peace. She remembered how content Gohan seemed as he had Pan climb onto his lap and placed Hale in her's and they took a photo. He then had asked Chi-Chi to come and be in it. She hoped that he would be able to find that photo of the four of them. It meant a lot to her, more than anyone would know.

With her hands shaking, Chi-Chi reached them into Goku's and pulled him gently, signalling for him to come closer.

"M-My, Goku," she croaked with what was left of her diminishing voice.

Goku caught her fading gaze and felt himself hold back his own sobbing, "I'm here Chi-Chi."

She managed a smile, "I know I've b-been tough on you Goku, and I-I hope you know it's only because I L-Love you and our boys so m-much, and I am always terrified of something hap-happening to you," she whispered.

She paused to re catch her breath, "The truth is, I-I'm so proud of you, for who you are, and what you have done for the E-Earth."

"You-You, are a hero," she smiled at the words she had never before been able to say. She had always told him she wanted him to be more suburban and grounded, to be a normal dad like everyone else. She had never admitted to anyone or even herself she didn't really feel that way. She loved him exactly as he was.

"If I cou-could go back. I wouldn't ch-change anything. N-none of it. You-you've made me so happy," she moved her hand up to the side of his face to catch a few tears and look for the last time into his beautiful onyx eyes.

"Chi-Chi, please don't do this. You're going to be fine," Goku lightly cried, throwing his arms around her in a last resort attempt to squeeze the life back into her.

"You pr-promise me Goku… Promise you-you will take care of them," she coughed.

Goku nuzzled his face into her neck and she could feel him nod his head, "I love you Chi-Chi, I promise, you know I will."

Vegeta couldn't take it anymore, and got up from his pretend sleep and removed himself from their presence. There was nothing he could do, and surely Kakarot would know that by now.

Vegeta had never liked Chi-Chi, he had barely even tolerated her. She had no understanding of what it was like to be a Saiyan despite being the human with the most experience with them.

She had countlessly made Kakarot's and his Brats' lives difficult when it came to the important things such as training and fighting battles.

But somehow as her life began to fade away, even Vegeta was hurting. Chi-Chi was one of the few female humans who could actually reasonably defend herself. If she were to die so easily, what chance would… others have.

Vegeta refused to allow himself to become as emotionally flawed as Kakarot and shook the thoughts from his mind. As the rain fell with a vengeance upon him, he found a patch of earth and began digging madly with his hands. Sanity was losing its grip on him.

Marron felt Trunks shivering next to her, as she awoke from the brink of sleep. Goten and Gohan had left some time ago and she hoped they would come back soon, it was dangerous outside. The clap of the thunder was refraining her sleep.

"Trunks, what's wrong, are you cold?" Marron whispered.

His skin was pale and he was shivering pretty badly. She had never seen him sick before. Saiyans never got sick.

He opened his mouth to speak but sneezed instead and wiped his nose on his sleeve.

"If only the people from 'most eligible bachelor' could see you now," Marron chuckled as she got up.

"Where are you going?" Trunks chocked out, feeling even colder now that she wasn't next to him.

"Just a sec," Marron took Goten's oversized fireman jacket out of it's capsule and held it up, "How about a blanket?"

Trunks smiled at her good thinking, although she couldn't really see.

She was about to place it on him but noticed he was still wearing his dress shirt that was sopping wet. She had long since discarded her pink dress and was sleeping in her bike shorts and singlet.

'No wonder you are so cold,' she knelt down and unbuttoned his shirt, pulling it off of him carefully and without dispute. She hung it up in attempt to dry it overnight. He was just in a singlet now and of course was shivering worse.

"Come back," he whined, not used to feeling so painfully cold.

Marron returned to her spot and draped the jacket over the two of them like a blanket. Trunks continued to shiver so she curled in closed to him in a cuddle, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and rubbing his back to try warm him herself. He pulled her closer to his chest and placed his arms around her waist.

She had no issue with sleeping next to Trunks. She had slept in a double bed with him countless times. Heck; her, Trunks and Goten had even uncomfortably shared a single bed mattress onetime when they were out of options. It was never weird or anything, they were used to it.

But this felt different. Perhaps because both of them needed a little more support and comfort than they realised.

"I can't believe you saved me like that today," Marron whispered, still unsure how to feel about his bravery.

His shivering had calmed right down and his skin was beginning to feel warm again, which was an unusual sensation since a lot of it was pressed against her own skin. He seemed to fall back into a deep sleep.

Before he was completely out of it, he lent down and kissed her in the groove between her neck and shoulder. Obviously in thanks for keeping him warm.

Marron didn't know what to make of such a delicate kiss. It definitely didn't feel very brotherly.

Goku cradled the body of his wife while he allowed himself to cry. He wondered if this was the pain he had inflicted on her all the times he had died. Perhaps this is what he deserved, but it certainly wasn't what she deserved.

He pushed her hair out of her face and kissed her on her forehead once more, in utter sorrow.

Vegeta appeared in front of him, "Kakarot, bring her," he raised two fingers and motioned for him to follow.

Goku could hardly summon the energy to get up, but like a zombie he complied and followed Vegeta through the pouring rain to a large hole dug into the ground.

It was a grave, Vegeta had used up a fair amount of his energy to do this for her, or more likely for him. Vegeta didn't say anything he just waited.

"No," Goku said to him, "I can't bury her here, I have to take her back to Gohan and Goten and give them a chance to say goodbye, I told her I would take her to them."

"Kakarot! You are not going to have the energy to carry her however far we have to go, bury her here and now, it's time," he growled, without empathy.

Goku was still reluctant, and looking as if he might start crying again, which began to anger Vegeta.

"Kakarot! Would you just be grateful you actually got a chance to say goodbye to your wife," there was a choke in his voice as he said that and Goku understood where he was coming from or why he would do this at all.

He at least had the chance, he knew he did everything he could for her and it was time to say goodbye. At least he knew. Vegeta didn't know anything about anyone in his family.

Goku placed Chi-Chi in the grave and untied the orange scarf she had around her shoulders. She had once told him she liked it because orange had always reminded her of him. He took it and watched as Vegeta filled the dirt back over her.

Goku was a little to stunned to help, he merely clutched the scarf in his right hand and watched. He thought he could see tears forming in Vegeta's eyes, he must be seeing things.

He did still have some hope, that he would still be able to find the rest of them.

Vegeta filled the last of the dirt over the grave and patted it down.

"Let's get back to the shelter and we'll move out tomorrow," he ordered.

And Goku also hoped that he wouldn't have to return such a favour to Vegeta, that Bulma would be ok wherever she was.

As the girl rushed to find shelter holding onto the monkey tailed baby in her arms she slipped over in the mud and fell onto her back.

Luckily she had held the baby away from her so that he remained uninjured, he did start to cry again though.

"I'm so sorry kiddo," the girl said as she got back up, the baby was obviously upset the rain was falling on him so heavily, "I know, I'll find us some shelter soon. I promise."

She had been wandering around with him for some time now and had decided he was no regular baby. She didn't really understand why, but she just felt an unusual compulsion to learn so, and to ensure he was safe.

After a short trek, which the girl decided to briskly walk, since running proved too slippery, she was able to find a large portion of corrugated iron, lying in a tepee sort of fashion in the middle of what was now 'nowhere.' It looked like the roof of someone's house that might have been pulled off in the impact.

It most certainly was not enough to protect them if another wave were to come, but at least they could escape the storm for the night.

The girl hurried to the gap the roof made with the ground and carefully crawled in to discover there were others underneath with the same idea.

Some 8 other people were lying inside, most of them appeared severely injured, or worse, dead.

The girl tried to hush the crying baby as she made her way inside and tried to find the best place to sit and get dry.

"Wh-where, did you find that baby… He's not yours," a woman croaked out.

She was lying deliriously on the ground with her back only slightly elevated. Her face was scratched up and her clothes were nearly non-existent but the worst of it was her leg.

Her upper thigh had a large, thick piece of stick protruding out of it. Others must have decided not to remove it since she would more than definitely bleed out.

"I rescued him out of a tree," the girl explained her innocent intentions, but feeling the urge to protect the baby.

"G-Give him to me, he's my godson," the woman said, holding out her weak arms.

But the girl recognised the woman was in no condition to carry a heavy baby right now, even if she was really his godparent and was about to walk away from her but the baby held out his chubby arms at her in obvious recognition. She must have been telling the truth.

"Can I please sit with you and help hold him, I'd like to see that he gets back to his parents," the girl said.

The woman seemed annoyed with this girl's attitude, nobody just wants to help a random baby in a situation like this. She had to wonder what she was up to.

The girl knelt down and handed the baby over, but helped the woman into a more comfortable position so she could properly hold him.

"Why are you helping me," the woman snapped, deciding there were ulterior motives.

The girl took another look at that little baby's big black eyes and knew it was only the right thing to do.

"I guess I don't really know how else to handle myself right now ma'am," the girl admitted sheepishly.

"You mean, you don't know who I am, you're not trying to get money out of me?"

"Uhh, No sorry. Uhm, who are you may I ask?"

"I'm Bulma Briefs," Bulma said, and searched the girls chestnut eyes for suspicion. She nodded her head in question of her name.

"Valese," she said back in reply.