King Piccolo stared at his surroundings. He was in the wilderness… The beautiful, alive wilderness. He could feel fresh air on his face; he could feel the Earth underneath his feet; he could smell the trees, the ground… the world of the living! King Piccolo closed his eyes and inhaled, breathing in the scent of life… Yes… Yes! Finally, he was here! And there was no time to lose – he only had today to find the dragonballs. King Piccolo instantly suppressed his ki; there was no way he was allowing Junior or Goku to find him! Not until it was too late, and then they could watch as he dominated Earth. Now… the dragonballs. Frikiza and Baba had made King Piccolo spit out the two he'd gathered last time. Tch. Bitches. Why had Frikiza even let him collect them if she was just going to make him surrender them? Because she was insane, that was why! He was better off without her. Much better off. Now… the dragonballs. All seven of them needed to be collected. Well. King Piccolo already knew the location of two – if they were still there. He would be furious if they weren't! He leapt into the air, and wasted no time in flying towards his dragonballs.
XXXXX
Meanwhile back in hell, the crowd that had gathered outside King Piccolo's cave started to walk back to their dwellings, muttering with a mixture of disinterest, bitterness and jealousy.
"Oh, no…" Gine uttered, looking over at Frikiza. "She looks heartbroken. Oh… I hope he finds some way of saving her."
"I doubt it." Bardock shrugged. "Kakarot'll send him back here before he can even gather the dragonballs."
"Oh!" Gine gasped. "I forgot to give King Piccolo a message for Kakarot!"
"A message?" Bardock looked at her. "What?"
"Well…" Gine blushed slightly. "On the off chance that he does manage to kill Kakarot… I wanted him to tell Kakarot to stop by here and visit, before he goes upstairs."
"Right…" Bardock mumbled sceptically. "Gine… sorry to disappoint you, but I don't think Kakarot would do that…"
Over by Frieza's crowd, Dodoria was looking at Frikiza with concern.
"Lord Frieza… She looks really upset. Should we say something?" He asked.
"Yes. Good idea, Dodoria." Frieza growled. "Go over there and tell her to stop being so pathetic. She's making me look bad."
"But Lord Frieza –"
"Leave it!" Frieza snarled, instantly silencing Dodoria.
"Dodoria… if you want to feel sorry for anyone, how about them?" Zarbon remarked, looking over at the deceased members of the Ginyu Force. Jeice, Recoome, Burter and Guldo were all huddled together a few feet away, desperately clinging onto each other as they cried loudly and dramatically.
"Ugh. They're your best warriors, Frieza?" Cell sniped.
"They're nothing without Captain Ginyu." Frieza growled, looking disapprovingly at the wailing Ginyu Force. Idiots. They didn't even know Frikiza! "Come on – let's go before they see us." He turned and flew off towards his cave, followed by his companions.
Meanwhile, as her audience flew away one by one, Frikiza let out a long sigh, and wiped away her tears. Dammit… She hadn't meant to cry, and especially not in front of all these people. It had just happened! And maybe she overdid it a little with the 'I love you's… She hadn't meant that either – but she'd just said it without thinking. Why was she so impulsive? It wasn't like he cared, was it? King Piccolo didn't care about whether or not Frikiza loved him, or even liked him! She didn't matter to him. He'd spent the whole morning telling her that. … Why had she even bothered with King Piccolo? Maybe everyone else was right; maybe he hadn't changed. Maybe she was just imagining it… … No. No, he had! It was only a little, but… King Piccolo had become a better person, Frikiza knew it. She could feel it. Maybe he would use the dragonballs for good after all…
"Um… Frikiza?" Frikiza snapped out of her thoughts and looked up at the sound of the mutant nameks' voices. They were standing in front of her, staring at her with a mixture of concern and awkwardness. It was so sweet…
"Are you okay?" Piano asked. Frikiza didn't reply. She couldn't find the words. They were just… touching.
Piano let out a sharp cry, taken aback when Frikiza suddenly threw her arms around him.
"Yes." Frikiza answered. "Thank you."
"Um… don't mention it." Piano replied awkwardly. He looked at his brothers for guidance, unsure of whether or not he was supposed to touch her back. He'd never been hugged by anyone before… The mutants simply grinned and nodded encouragingly, and Piano cautiously put his arms around Frikiza, freezing when she started to laugh. Was she supposed to be laughing? Had he done something wrong?
"You don't feel comfortable." Frikiza commented.
"No, I…" Piano's face darkened as Frikiza pulled away, and she looked at him.
"Sorry." Frikiza mumbled sheepishly.
"… It's fine." Piano smiled, and stretched out his arms. "We're still here for you, Frikiza."
"Oh, Boys…" Frikiza sobbed. "Thank you!" She hugged Piano again, and was soon joined by the rest of King Piccolo's mutant sons.
XXXXX
Back on Earth, King Piccolo was racing across the wilderness as fast as his ki could carry him. He recalled his dragonballs' exact location; it wouldn't be long before he was there. His heart was tingling with excitement; he could practically feel the power that would soon be bestowed upon him. After he'd made his wishes there would be no more hell, no more Goku, and no more opposition! He would rule the world, for now and the rest of eternity – dammit! King Piccolo stopped dead only a few feet away from his two confiscated dragonballs. They weren't alone. There were two women there, picking them up. Damn… Why did something always have to get in the way? This was ridiculous!
King Piccolo darted behind a tree, out of sight, and watched the women. Shit. What was he supposed to do now? If he killed them he would be sent straight back to hell! … Wait. King Piccolo frowned as he studied the women. One had blue hair, the other black… He recognised her. It was… it was her! Goku's wife! Chi-something! What the hell was she doing with his dragonballs? Hadn't her family done enough damage to him? The devious bitch!
"Unbelievable…" King Piccolo seethed, his fists clenching in anger. Maybe it would be worth killing her, just to get at Goku. If that loud-mouthed little witch thought for a second that she was getting his dragonballs… Hm? King Piccolo stopped when the women started talking. He continued to watch them closely, and listened.
"Chichi, are you sure this is necessary?" The blue-haired woman questioned. Oh, what was her name…? King Piccolo was certain he'd heard it before. "I'm pretty sure if he ever does come back to Earth, Goku and Vegeta can handle him."
"Oh yeah? What if they're not there!" Chichi argued. "Goku's already over at King Kai's for the next God knows how long!" Hmm, Goku was away? King Piccolo smirked. That was interesting… This might work out well after all. Yes… Yes! With no Goku, King Piccolo was unstoppable!
"So what? Vegeta's still here." The blue-haired woman reasoned. "And we've got the kids."
"Well either way, it still makes sense to gather them." Chichi said. "Then if we don't need them, you can give them away as a prize as your birthday party."
"Oh yeah, that's a good idea!" The blue-haired woman exclaimed. "Okay."
King Piccolo watched as she tucked his dragonballs away into her pocket, then looked down at a device in her hand. What was that thing? Come to think of it, how had they found his dragonballs all the way out here? There was nothing but trees and mountains for miles around. King Piccolo's eyes widened as he suddenly thought of something. The last time he was alive, that little idiot – Emperor Pilaf – he had used some sort of map device to locate the dragonballs for King Piccolo. Could this device be the same thing? So, if he could just swipe that… "The next one isn't far from here, and there's only two left to go after that!" What! They had four already? Oh, that was it. King Piccolo had to intervene. After all, Frikiza had just said he couldn't hurt or kill anyone… she never said anything about threatening to hurt them, did she? A wicked smirk came across King Piccolo's lips as he eyed up the women venomously. Perfect…
XXXXX
Back in hell, the mutant nameks were still gathered round Frikiza outside King Piccolo's cave.
"Frikiza… listen." Cymbal said softly. "I know you like King Piccolo, but I wouldn't put too much hope in him if I were you. Killing Goku is something he's wanted ever since he came down here."
"Yeah – and no offence to you, but I'm not sure you've changed that." Tambourine agreed.
"I know…" Frikiza mumbled. "But – wanting to do something and actually doing it are two different things. Just because he wants to kill Goku, that doesn't mean he'll use his wishes to do it. Maybe he'll realise that there's more to life than getting your revenge on somebody."
"But what makes you so sure, Frikiza?" Piano pleaded. "He is evil. What makes you think he would change?"
"Well… you guys did." Frikiza replied. "And you're his clones, right?"
"Well, uh…" The mutants all mumbled sheepishly, reluctant to admit that she had a point.
"And Junior was more like King Piccolo than anybody!" Frikiza protested. "Your father put everything he had into Junior, and yet Junior is a completely different person now. If Piccolo was pure evil, then he wouldn't have even be capable of creating someone so good."
"… Hm." The mutants grunted.
"She has a point, Piano." Drum uttered. "Junior isn't evil – that's why King Piccolo's so mad at him."
"Yes, but…" Piano looked at Frikiza. "Even if he is capable of turning good, that doesn't mean he will. You do know that, right?"
"Of course." Frikiza nodded. "But… I'll find out, won't I? I just want to know, that's all." She smiled at the mutants. "I'm going to watch him from King Yemma's office – I'll see you guys later."
"Okay…" The mutants answered robotically, and watched Frikiza fly away.
"… King Piccolo's gonna really upset her." Drum stated. "He didn't even care that she was crying, he's not going to use those wishes for good."
"Yeah, and I don't even want to think about how mad he'll get when he tries to use his wishes for bad stuff." Tambourine whined.
"Uh-huh!" The other mutants nodded in agreement.
XXXXX
Meanwhile back on Earth, Bulma and Chichi were just about to hop back into their capsule jet when a dark shadow suddenly came over them. They looked up, and their eyes widened at the sight of King Piccolo standing over them.
"Hello, Ladies." King Piccolo smirked wickedly. "Would you care to help me? I'm looking for the dragonballs."
"… Um… Bulma?" Chichi uttered. Bulma, that was it! The blue-haired one was named Bulma! Chichi looked at her companion. "Maybe now would be a good time to call Vegeta?"
"Don't even try." King Piccolo snarled, causing Bulma to freeze on the spot just as she was about to grab her cell phone. He held his hand up to the women and glared at them, forming a ki ball in his hand. "Do as I say or you will both burn."
"Oh yeah?" Chichi frowned. "As if Frikiza would let you! Where is she?"
"She's not here." King Piccolo smirked. "I escaped." Well… it was just a little white lie. Just to make this whole transaction run smoother.
"Yeah, right." Chichi scoffed, folding her arms stubbornly. "Prove it!"
"Fine." King Piccolo shrugged, and dispersed his ki ball. He looked at Chichi, and before she could even blink King Piccolo smacked his large hand into the back of Chichi's head, knocking her out cold.
"Oh my God!" Bulma screamed, rushing to Chichi's side.
"Hmph." King Piccolo snorted, looking disapprovingly at the unconscious Chichi. Some martial artist she'd turned out to be. That way payback for grabbing his antennae! Bitch. Bulma checked Chichi's pulse and breathed a sigh of relief when she realised Chichi was still alive, then she glared up at King Piccolo.
"What the hell is wrong with you!" She barked. "My husband will be here any second to kick your ass!"
"Oh, really? And how do you supposed he'll find us?" King Piccolo sneered.
"He – he just will!" Bulma pouted. "So you'd better not do anything to hurt me – or Chichi!"
King Piccolo paused. Hm… She had a point. As long as King Piccolo didn't have the dragonballs, Goku's friends could still send him back to hell. King Piccolo had originally planned to knock out these two women and leave them here to rot, but… what would be the point in that? As long as they weren't with him, Goku's friends would have no reason to do whatever King Piccolo said, but if he had these two women… they would make the perfect hostages!
"Get in there." King Piccolo ordered, pointing at Bulma's jet. "We're going to get the dragonballs."
"Oh we are, are we?" Bulma growled.
"Yes." King Piccolo snarled, raising his hand to her. "We are."
Bulma hesitated, watching as King Piccolo formed a ki ball in his hand. He wouldn't, would he? Why did he even want her to go with him in the first place? Oh… Right. Bulma understood it now. It didn't take a genius to work out what he was doing – this big ogre didn't stand a chance against Vegeta or Krillin, or pretty much any of Goku's friends! He didn't have any leverage… except her and Chichi. She was a hostage. He was going to use her to make Vegeta keep distance – well that wasn't happening! She wasn't being a hostage for anybody!
"Listen." Bulma pouted. "We both know you need me, so you aren't going to hurt me. So why don't you just turn around and –" Bulma suddenly screamed as King Piccolo grabbed hold of her jacket and lifted her up, dangling her in front of him.
"And… what?" King Piccolo breathed.
"And uh… uh…" Bulma stammered, losing her nerve under his dark demonic gaze.
"I thought so." King Piccolo smirked. He threw her to the ground and kicked her, causing Bulma to howl in pain. "Take me to the next dragonball." He demanded, and then he picked up the unconscious Chichi and followed Bulma into her jet.
XXXXX
Over in Otherworld, in the check-in station, King Yemma was watching the scene in anger, through a giant TV screen at the side of his desk.
"Look, Frikiza – one's unconscious and one's just been kicked in the ribs. I told you he wouldn't listen to you! Did you really expect him not to hurt anybody? He's a demon!" King Yemma yelled.
"I didn't think he'd break the rules this soon…" Frikiza admitted, blushing slightly in embarrassment. Maybe she'd misjudged King Piccolo a little… He was like a kid in a candy store, going wild!
"He's been there for ten minutes and he's already got two hostages." King Yemma growled, staring at the TV. "What were you saying about him changing?"
"He has!" Frikiza protested. "If he hadn't, he would have at least killed Chichi."
"How do you know he won't still do that?" King Yemma argued.
"Trust me." Frikiza nodded. She looked at King Yemma. "Can you tell King Kai not to tell Goku?"
"What! Are you insane!" King Yemma barked. "Some lunatic from hell has taken his wife hostage, and you don't want him to know about it?"
"If he knows he'll try to save her." Frikiza protested. "I want to see how this plays out." She smiled at King Yemma. "Don't worry. King Piccolo won't take over the world – and if he does kill Chichi, we can always wish her back."
"You know, some people find dying traumatic." King Yemma growled.
"Well I'll find that out next week, won't I?" Frikiza argued, and glared at him. King Yemma let out a sigh, suddenly feeling guilty, and he reluctantly surrendered.
"Fine…" He mumbled. "Seeing as you're dying next week…"
"Thanks." Frikiza muttered.
King Yemma closed his eyes and silently spoke to King Kai, instructing him not to let Goku know about the situation on Earth.
"But Frikiza," Fortune-teller Baba spoke from Frikiza's side. "Goku may not know about it, but what about the rest of them? I'm sure Chichi and Bulma's families will be able to sense that something's wrong."
"I thought of that…" Frikiza replied. "But… we'll just have to hope that Piccolo gathers the dragonballs before they can find him."
"Oh yeah, let's hope that." Baba replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "I think you're putting a little too much faith in this whole situation."
"Don't worry." Frikiza assured. "Piccolo will wish for something good, I promise!"
"Hm." Baba grunted, not convinced. She looked at Frikiza. "… If he tries to take over the world, I want your hot tub."
"Fine." Frikiza huffed, folding her arms. She was a little pissed that everybody seemed to be cashing in on her upcoming death. Why didn't they all just kill her now and save her family the bother? Bastards.
XXXXX
Back on Earth, King Piccolo was seated in Bulma's jet with the unconscious Chichi next to him, keeping his eyes fixed on Bulma as she navigated them towards the next dragonball.
"Are we there yet?" King Piccolo asked impatiently.
"For the fifth time, no!" Bulma yelled. "You're worse than a child!"
"How long?" King Piccolo demanded.
"This long!" Bulma snapped, throwing the dragon radar at him. "See! Look at the distance!" King Piccolo looked down at the dragon radar, but immediately lost interest.
"You insolent little witch!" He snarled, glaring at Bulma. "I'm not interested in graphs! All I want to know is how long it will take! And why is it taking so long!"
"Well by all means, go and get them yourself!" Bulma argued. "Unless you're not hungry anymore?"
"I told you, I'm not eating them, I'm storing them!" King Piccolo barked. "And I wouldn't have to if I could trust the likes of you."
"Me? I'm not the one that knocked out Chichi and hijacked a jet!" Bulma pouted.
"I'm warning you!" King Piccolo snarled, leaping over to her. Bulma cried out as King Piccolo grabbed her by the hair and started to dig his claws into her skull. "You know, I only need to hold one of you hostage; I could kill the other at any moment. So if I were you I'd watch your tongue, Bulma, otherwise the worthless little life I spare will be hers." He watched as Bulma's shoulders shrunk and she timidly retreated from him, not speaking a word. King Piccolo smirked, and released her. "Good girl." He sneered. "Now… How long?"
"We're here." Bulma said, landing the jet.
King Piccolo looked out of the window to see that they were beside a lake. "In there." Bulma uttered, pointing at the lake. "It should be at the bottom."
"Good." King Piccolo grunted. He looked at Bulma, and noticed that she wasn't moving. What was she doing? Why was she just sitting there? "Go on then." He ordered.
"What? Me!" Bulma cried. "I'm not going in! You're the one that wants the stupid dragonballs, you go in and get it!"
"You were gathering them when I found you!" King Piccolo protested. "You would have had to go in anyway!"
"Actually, if we came across water, I was going to make Chichi do the swimming." Bulma argued. "But you've put her out of action, so now you have to go in."
"What, so you can fly away while I'm gone?" King Piccolo snarled. Bulma paused for a moment. Yeah… that was what she'd been planning to do… Damn.
"Uh… I won't, I promise." Bulma nodded convincingly. "Go on. A tough guy like you – it'll only take you a second."
"No." King Piccolo growled. "You go."
"I already told you, I am not – hey!" Bulma screamed as King Piccolo grabbed her. "Put me down!" She struggled and squirmed, desperately trying to break out of his grasp as he carried her out of the jet. King Piccolo ignored Bulma's protests and dropped her down next to the lake.
"Go on." He ordered. "I won't tell you again."
"Listen." Bulma frowned. "This is pointless. You might as well give up now, because even if you do gather the dragonballs there's no way Goku and Vegeta would let you summon the – aii!" She let out a loud scream as King Piccolo slapped her into the air, and Bulma went cascading down into the lake, head first.
"You were saying?" King Piccolo smirked. He let out a satisfied sigh, and made his way back into the jet.
King Piccolo sat down and leaned against the wall, relaxing for a moment. Ah, that felt good… to bully someone, and make them do his bidding because he was more powerful than them. That Bulma was afraid of him, he knew it. He could sense it. She had a loud mouth, but they both knew that the Demon King Piccolo could kill her at any second – and that made her terrified of him. It was… wonderful.
King Piccolo frowned suddenly, moving from his thoughts when he heard a noise. "Hm?" King Piccolo turned his head to see Chichi stirring. Was she coming round already? That was fast. Maybe she was stronger than he'd expected. King Piccolo watched as Chichi slowly opened her eyes and made sense of her surroundings… then she looked at him, and her faced become filled with rage.
"You!" Chichi yelled, leaping onto her feet. "What have you done! Where are we!" She demanded. "Where's Bulma!"
"She went for a swim." King Piccolo answered calmly. She was a little aggressive, wasn't she? How did Goku live with her?
"A swim? What the hell are you talking about!" Chichi barked, and her eyes suddenly widened. "Oh my God…" She whimpered, turning pale. "Did you… did you drown her?"
"Drown her?" King Piccolo frowned. Oh, crap… He hadn't checked – Bulma could swim, couldn't she? Dammit… "Wait here." King Piccolo muttered, and stood up angrily. Really, couldn't these humans do anything right? They couldn't even die at the right time!
King Piccolo was about to exit the jet to retrieve Bulma's body, when a dragonball came flying at him. He caught it effortlessly, then looked up to see Bulma standing in the doorway of the jet, soaking wet and panting heavily.
"Y… You…" She seethed. "You bastard!"
"Bulma!" Chichi gasped, staring at her. "What happened!"
"He threw me into the lake, that's what!" Bulma yelled.
"You did what!" Chichi screamed, turning to glare at King Piccolo. "What's wrong with you!"
"Oh, shut up." King Piccolo snarled, sitting back down. Why did they have to make such a drama out of everything? "You're alive, aren't you?" He looked at Bulma, and smirked at the sight of her shivering. "Albeit, a little cold."
"My clothes are soaked!" Bulma hissed. He could have at least let her get changed first! Who the hell pushes someone into a lake fully clothed? She took a seat in the pilot's chair and let out an angry sigh. "You're buying me a new wardrobe."
"Fine." King Piccolo sniggered. Of course, he would do that. Not that she would live long enough to make use of it…
He watched as Bulma took off her shirt and threw it over her seat.
"Dammit… Do you have any idea how hard it is to take off wet jeans!" Bulma yelled, struggling to undress herself. After a lot of wrestling with her clothing she finally yanked off her jeans and threw them over her seat as well. King Piccolo's eyes widened slightly as he stared at the now semi-naked woman in front of him. That was… unexpected. Hm. King Piccolo eyed her up and down. Well… she wasn't bad, for a middle-aged human. She'd kept herself in relatively good shape, and her breasts were still rather firm… He'd seen better, though. He was definitely getting a younger woman to be his next sex slave.
"Um… Bulma, what are you doing?" Chichi blinked.
"What?" Bulma frowned. "He's a namek, it's not like he's going to look. They're not into this stuff."
"Ha." King Piccolo smirked. How wrong she was. He was no ordinary namek! She was just lucky she didn't have a better body, otherwise she really would be in trouble...
"But… he is." Chichi said. "He has a girlfriend."
"He – he what!" Bulma cried, her eyes widening. Oh God… So had she just stripped to her underwear in front of a powerful demonic psychopath that was interested in women? Crap!
"She's not my girlfriend!" King Piccolo roared, glaring at Chichi. "I thought we'd made that perfectly clear last time!"
"Oh, right. You were pretty adamant about that, weren't you?" Chichi smirked. "But she was obviously into you… I just thought that maybe something would have happened by now."
"Well…" King Piccolo grunted. "We have sex. That doesn't make her my girlfriend."
"What!" Bulma gasped, turning to face him. "You have a fuck buddy? Since when?"
"Since none of your business, that's when!" King Piccolo barked. "Go and get the next dragonball!"
"Well – what's she like?" Bulma asked.
"Bulma – she's the female version of Frieza." Chichi gasped.
"Frieza!" Bulma screeched, and stared at King Piccolo in astonishment. "You're fucking Frieza?"
"No!" King Piccolo roared. "I am not doing anything with Frieza, she's completely different! And she's going to die in a few days anyway so it doesn't matter what I'm doing with her, I'm never going to see her again!"
"Well why is she going to die?" Bulma questioned.
"Because she –" King Piccolo stopped himself. Wait. Why was he even talking to these women? They had absolutely no right to ask about his private life! All they were permitted to do was keep their mouths shut and gather his dragonballs! "Because she can't follow orders, that's why!" King Piccolo snapped. "Now take me to the next dragonball!"
"Okay, okay… Jeez." Bulma sighed, turning back round. "Sorry. I didn't know it was such a sensitive subject…"
"It is not a sensitive subject!" King Piccolo screamed. This was unbearable. His eyes were almost popping out of his skull he was that angry. It was taking every bit of self-control he had to stop himself ripping the heads off these women. Why did they insist on talking about Frikiza? They didn't even know her! "Just go!"
"Okay." Bulma said, holding back a smirk. "Whatever you say." She put the jet back into gear, and started to fly them to the next dragonball.
XXXXX
Back at Capsule Corps, Vegeta suddenly stopped in the middle of his training session with Trunks. All of a sudden he'd had the most disturbing feeling, like something was wrong…
"Dad?" Trunks' voice came from somewhere beside him. "What is it? Why have we stopped?"
"… Trunks. Do you sense something?" Vegeta asked.
"Um… no?" Trunks uttered, staring at his father in confusion. "Like what?"
Vegeta paused. What was it? He couldn't sense any unfamiliar ki, but… it felt like something was happening. Something… dangerous.
"… Stay here." Vegeta ordered.
"But Dad –" Trunks began, but his father had left the room before Trunks could utter another word. What was going on…?
Vegeta raced through the city and towards the wilderness, trying to identify the source of his uneasiness. What the hell was going on? Why did he feel so uncomfortable? It felt like someone was in danger… Bulma. Bulma, that was it! It had to be! She'd gone looking for the dragonballs – oh, what had that idiot woman done now? How many times had she collected the dragonballs in her life? Why was she still struggling! She could be anywhere… Vegeta couldn't feel her ki; she obviously wasn't nearby. Dammit! He could spend all day looking for her –
"Vegeta." Vegeta suddenly stopped at the sound of a familiar voice. He turned around to see Piccolo Junior staring at him.
"What?" Vegeta barked.
"What are you doing out here?" Piccolo asked.
"What's it got to do with you?" Vegeta demanded.
"… Can you sense something is wrong?" Piccolo replied, looking at him. Vegeta hesitated a little. Yes… Yes, he could sense something, but how did Piccolo know? Could he sense it as well?
"What is it?" Vegeta growled. "What's going on?"
"I'm not sure…" Piccolo mumbled. "I… have this feeling." He paused, wondering if he should even mention it at all. It couldn't be… It was impossible! "I think my father may be on Earth."
"Your father?" Vegeta repeated.
"I can't feel his energy." Piccolo stated. "But…" No… No, it couldn't be. Why would his father be here? Nobody had wished him back to life. And Frikiza wouldn't have brought King Piccolo back unescorted, and certainly not without telling Piccolo Junior first. She knew what damage he could do, and she didn't want any harm to come to Earth. Surely she wouldn't risk letting him loose up here. … Then again, she had seemed a little too trusting… and it was her job to turn King Piccolo into a good spirit. What if she believed that he wouldn't…? Oh, hell. What if Piccolo's father was here? "Look – let's split up." Piccolo Junior said. "Whatever it is, something bad is going on – you sensed it as well, right?"
"How can it be your father?" Vegeta demanded. "Isn't he supposed to be dead?"
"Yeah, he is." Piccolo Junior growled. "Listen, just help me track down whatever this thing is before it gets out of hand – but Vegeta." He looked at the saiyan sternly. "If it is my father, don't kill him. I want to find out what the hell he's doing back here."
"Fine." Vegeta smirked, turning to leave. "Better hope I don't find him first!" He flew off before Piccolo Junior could speak another word, ready to kill the demon king if he so much as looked at his wife!
Author's Note:-
I know this chapter was shorter than the others as well! I tried to pad it out, but at this point in the fic there's a lot going on at different places, so the next couple of chapters may be shorter but more action-packed, I guess we'll see how it plays out. Anyway, I hope this one was still as good quality as the others even if it was shorter! I was concerned that a shorter chapter might not seem as good, but it felt like I'd just be dragging it out unnecessarily if I tried to make it longer, so it just seemed right to let it end where it felt natural. I hope it paid off! Please let me know what you think.
Also, I've decided not to make Monday my upload day anymore, because recently I've been finding a bit more time to write so I'm just going to upload each chapter as it's finished, but I'll still aim to upload at least every 7 days, if not sooner. Anyway, enjoy! And please R&R :)