Chapter 6: The Search

Bulma watched him leave from the window and turned back to Chi-Chi. 'Please hurry Vegeta. Chi-chi doesn't look like she'll last much longer. We are both counting on you, my Prince…' Time was not on their side this time and every second the two Saiyans were missing, seemed like an eternity for those waiting. Gohan sat beside his mother the whole time, praying that she would recover and his parent's relationship would return to normal.

Despite his deep hatred for Goku, Vegeta was also concerned about his fellow Saiyan's condition. According to Vegeta, the only way Goku should die, was by his hand in a battle to end all battles. There was no way he would let things end like this. The Saiyan prince flew out to the most secluded area near his home, knowing that Goku would want to get away from people. From his knowledge this was the best place to start his search for the happy go lucky Goku. The spiky haired prince stood on the high cliffs and simply remained silent, hoping to pick up some sign that he was on the right trail.

At first there was no evidence to suggest that Goku was anyway in the area. It was strange not being able to pick up on his life force, which made Vegeta believe that Goku was unconscious. This fact would make the search even more difficult but he was determined to find his rival. The prince looked out at the area from his lookout point and growled at the vastness of the area. He took a deep breath and then without any hesitation Vegeta floated back up into the air and continued to scan the ground for Goku.

Recent events weren't kept secret for very long as the rest of Z Fighters had caught wind of the sudden predicament. There was a huge commotion down the halls of the hospital and before Bulma could check it out, Goku's other allies and friends rush in. The four look over to see Chi-chi barely clinging to life and then look over at Bulma for some answers. "What happened to Chi-chi Bulma?" Krillin questioned.

Bulma let out a small breath and then looked over at the four Z Fighters. Trying to explain it proved to be rather difficult since she didn't have much knowledge on Saiyan bonding. She placed her hand on her chin and began to think before giving an explanation to the rest of the gang. "I don't know how much you guys have been told, but this is what I know. Apparently Goku and Chi-chi were having some problems and decided to separate. It was a shock that Goku just couldn't handle and has gone missing. From what Vegeta has told me, Saiyans have a very strong connection with their mates and a separation like this can be rather deadly if not taken care of at once. Despite their problems it seems the two of them are still connected and this is why Chi-chi is such a state."

Gohan looked up from his mother and then looked up at the four fighters that he had known since he was very young. "Please you have to help find dad." There was no hesitation from any of the Z Fighters as they all nodded in unison. Before they left they noticed that Vegeta was also absent from the room. Gohan took a deep breath as he looked out the window, checking for any site of Vegeta or his dad.



"Vegeta went on ahead. He's searching in the woods as we speak. I'm sure he'd welcome your help." Bulma explained as she walked back over to Gohan and placed a hand on his shoulder reassuring the young boy that everything would be alright. Without much discussion Piccolo ordered everyone to move out and they all headed toward the woods to catch up with the Saiyan prince. The scientist and the young boy watched as they flew away and they could only utter a good luck to them as they vanished into the horizon.

Meanwhile, Vegeta was busy searching high and low for Goku without many results. Being that he wasn't getting much done from the air; he decided to take his search downward to the hidden pathways that couldn't be seen from above. His dark eyes scanned the area, making sure not to miss anything. After a few moments he stopped as he started to hear someone or something moving around in the bushes. "Kakarot?" Vegeta stopped in his tracks and prepared himself to take on whatever was there, if it turned out to be a vicious creature. There was a dramatic wait as the wind began to blow, moving his spiky hair to the side.

A few seconds later a semi large cat jumped out and but ran away at the scary site of the Saiyan Prince. He let out a small sigh as he dropped his guard and continued to look around. The rest of the Z fighters were on their way and quickly approaching his position. Vegeta's senses picked up on their presence right away and then flew up to see who was approaching. A small growl excited his throat as he saw it was those human friends of his rival but at the same time he was relieved that he was going to get some help. The four of them stopped when they approached, their aura's dissipating. "Took you guys long enough." Vegeta stated.

The three human fighters frowned and growled a bit at his statement and then looked around to see the vastness of the forest. Tien and Yamcha already looked a bit overwhelmed. "Where do we even start?" Tien questioned.

Krillin looked over at Piccolo, who had a thoughtful expression on his face. "Alright everyone, listen up. We are going to split up and search this place from top to bottom. Vegeta and I are going to head toward the north, Krillin you take the east, Yamcha you take the west and Tien you will cover the south end. If anyone sees anything call it out." With the instructions given the group separated and disbursed to their given locations.

Things were silent for the most part as each group looked diligently for any sign of Goku. There was no location not checked as they picked up their pace, knowing every second wasted could be deadly to the couple. They were just about to give up all hope when suddenly Krillin got lucky. As he looked down he saw what appeared to be Goku's famous orange gi. He went in closer to take a look and sure enough it was him. A relieved sigh escaped him as he looked back to the sky and powered up his kai. 'You guys I found him! He's over here!'

As Vegeta was looking around on the ground he suddenly felt the increase in power and then flew up to see Piccolo had also noticed it. They nodded at each other and then headed toward Krillin's location. Within seconds the rest of the crew arrived and then landed beside Goku's unconscious form. Yamcha and Tien looked at each other and decided to help him up. The two of them held him up over their shoulders. Vegeta looked him over and noticed he wasn't doing 

too well either. "We have to get him back to the hospital quickly. There aren't any guarantees but I think we can snap him out of it."

The group all had that same determined look on their face as they lifted themselves off the ground and started to head toward the hospital. His childhood friends looked really concerned, hoping they wouldn't lose him a second time. At the same time Gohan looked back up the clock and noticed they were gone for about an hour. "Please hurry you guys…I'm counting on you."

To be continued…

A/N: I'm back! I know it took forever for a new chapter but I finally pulled one off. I hope you enjoyed it. Goku has been found, but will they get back before it's to late? Find out next time. Please review.