Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty

Written by: Feraligreater328 and StevenBodner

Chapter 134: Season of Dragon Ramen, Part 2

In the wilderness…

Chi-Chi groaned as she continued her trek forward with all of her travel companions in tow. What was meant to be a quiet journey of solemn reflection, peace and quiet, and genuine assessment of her life had turned into another gathering of her husband's friends.

She snuck a furtive glance over her shoulder and couldn't help but smile at the sight of her daughter. Chika was bouncing up and down, going from Tien to Chiaotzu to Piccolo and saying just whatever seemed to be on her mind. And all three of them were humoring her, responding to her questions and offering whatever insight they could whenever they could. Tien had at least a dozen flowers threaded through the fabric of his shirt and Chika was eagerly offering him another one.

For a moment, Chi-Chi forgot her woes. Then she remembered that thug in the Crane Uniform chasing her through her own home and tensed up.

Why was this suddenly a problem?

She had hung around with Tien and Chiaotzu before. They were at her wedding. Why was she suddenly so uncomfortable around them? But that was a pointless question. She knew the answer. The answer was weighing down her head. She had become so much more conscious of the past since Goku had convinced her to let her horns start to grow back. She was nervous. Antsy. She sneaked another glance to make sure that Chika's horns hadn't slipped into view and breathed a heavy sigh of relief at seeing them still firmly wrapped.

And then there was Piccolo. Chi-Chi had never really liked him. He killed her husband once. He kidnapped her son away for a year. And yet, her entire family adored him! Chi-Chi had even broken down and confided in him before the Cell Games! Why would she do that? Why would she confide in that wretched green ghoul?! That demon?! The PRETENDER demon?!

Why would sh-

*flomp*

A sharp hand slapped Chi-Chi's cheek and she groaned. "Unh... what...?"

Piccolo was looming over her. "Chi-Chi. Hey."

A second light slap crashed into Chi-Chi's face and she sat up like a bolt. "Ugh. What? What do you want, Piccolo?"

Chika cried out. "Mommy!'

She crashed full-force into Chi-Chi's chest and hugged her tight. "M-Mommy! I was so scared!"

Chi-Chi's head was full of static. Tien spoke up. "You suddenly fell over. No warning. No swaying. You flopped onto your face like a grain sack."

Chiaotzu stepped forward, producing a canteen. "Try some water. You might be suffering from heat exhaustion. It is pretty hot out here all of a sudden..."

Chi-Chi nodded in thanks and took the water. She took a few small sips, swishing the first one around her mouth and spitting out dust from the road. She groaned. "It's only so hot because we're nearing Dragon Rock. Demon summer is hotter than mortal summer and Dragon Rock is demon territory..."

Tien cocked his head. "Demon summer, eh?"

Chi-Chi held her forehead. "Mhm. Just over that ridge up ahead. You should be able to see Dragon Rock by now."

Chika's eyes sparkled with wonder. "Really?!"

Springing up, the little girl ran to the top of the ridge. Chiaotzu followed quickly. "H-Hey! Be careful!"

Chi-Chi, Tien, and Piccolo all watched as Chika came to a stop at the ridges apex. "Holy cow!"

Chiaotzu gasped. "Holy hell! That wasn't here before!"

He turned and called down. "Tien! Come look at this!"

With a curt nod toward Chi-Chi and Piccolo, Tien scaled the ridge as well. Chi-Chi sighed. "I guess we better follow them..."

She stood and started to follow Tien, but Piccolo quickly seized her by the wrist. "Hold on."

Chi-Chi turned on her heel, glaring at Piccolo. Piccolo's face was mute of any real emotion. Chi-Chi sighed. "... what?"

Piccolo spoke bluntly. "Tien and Chiaotzu were distracted by your daughter. And when they noticed you fell, they started to panic. But... I was watching the entire time."

Chi-Chi scowled. "And?"

Piccolo looked upon her, not so much looking down on her as trying to study. "Your hair turned white. It shot through each strand like a wave and then quickly turned black again. And your Ki jumped up to a level that would easily take down Frieza in his third form."

Chi-Chi looked away. "F-Frieza? You must have been imagining things..."

Piccolo spoke bluntly. "Am I imagining those bony growths jutting from the sides of your skull? What are-"

She slapped him across the face. It was a knee-jerk reaction, but loud enough that it made Tien and Chiaotzu both turn and wince. Chika turned as well. "M-Mommy? What's going on?"

Chi-Chi's eyes were wild, a hateful sneer arching her upper lip. But, she quickly tried to gather herself. "Oh! I... uh... I..."

Piccolo spoke up. "I sometimes forget human customs. Your mother had a spider crawling across the seat of her pants. I reached to grab it and committed some form of slight, I'm assuming?"

Chiaotzu nodded. "Ah. You pinched Chi-Chi's butt. I see."

Chika broke out into a fit of giggles. "That's so silly~! Why would Mr. Piccolo do that~?"

Tien sighed. "No reason, dear. Piccolo was just trying to knock away the spider..."

As the three of them turned around, Chi-Chi turned to Piccolo. "Look, I'm sorry. I-"

Piccolo waved her off. "Save it. I don't care about a knee-jerk slap. But, we should have a serious discussion about what happened later. That wasn't in the norm for you."

As Piccolo walked up the hill, the wind blowing his cape behind him, Chi-Chi growled under her breath. "What the hell would you know about me?"

Regathering herself, Chi-Chi scaled the ridge and looked out over the horizon with her daughter and the rest of the group. Sitting before them was a massive mound of scarlet rock in the shape of a demonic wyvern's gargantuan horned head. Piccolo crossed his arms. "So, that would be a landmark of the Demon Realm crossed over into the Mortal Realm, by my estimation..."

Tien nodded. "It feels wretched. Heavy in an off-putting way."

Chika stared at the rock with fully-rapt attention. Chiaotzu swallowed a lump in his throat. Chi-Chi sighed and adjusted her backpack. "Yep. That's Dragon Rock, all right."

She stepped forward and began scaling down the sheer cliff-face. "Come on. Let's go get a few Tatsuenoki Mushrooms and get out of here..."

On the outskirts of Dragon Rock…

Chi-Chi led the way through the tangle of forest leading up to the base of Dragon Rock. Tien looked up and around at the trees in astonishment. "All of the leaves are scorched. The bark on these trees is blackened..."

Chi-Chi nodded. "Yeah. Dragon Rock is big and no one knows why something as large as it slips through dimensions so easily. It just shows up whenever a new season shifts and it shows up with a bang."

Chiaotzu smiled. "You're pretty knowledgeable about this stuff, Chi-Chi."

Chi-Chi blushed. "Yeah... I, uh... yeah..."

Chika giggled as she held her mother's hand. Piccolo remained silent. As they came to the base of Dragon Rock, Chi-Chi sighed. "Okay. We're here. Now this is where things get to be complicated. I normally make this trip by myself, sneak in, and then sneak right back out. This is the first time I've ever come to forage for Tatsuenoki with a group."

She turned a sharp eye toward the group that made Tien flinch. Chi-Chi was blunt. "So, here are the ground rules. Keep quiet. Stay together. Follow me. And don't let any of the demons see you. These are rowdy folk on this rock, they gather for this every year specifically to come here. DO. NOT. ENGAGE."

All four of the tagalongs nodded. Chi-Chi nodded back. Then she motioned with her hand. "Come on. I know where they usually grow."

With a single leap, Chi-Chi entered Dragon Rock and started following along paths with the same familiarity as the back of her hand. The others followed, genuinely in awe of her ability to navigate this new and dangerous territory. Chiaotzu whispered. "She's really good at this..."

Tien nodded. "It almost seems instinctual..."

Piccolo thought to himself. 'It probably is.'

Chika simply clung closely to her mother, all but hanging onto the hem of her pants.

Meanwhile…

As Chi-Chi and her co-conspirators made their way deeper and deeper into Dragon Rock, a truly wicked party was coming to a boil in the center pit of the demonic landmark.

Demons of all shapes and sorts were hooting and hollering, making a fuss and having a laugh. Troughs of fragrant sake flowed like river water and the demons drank their fill. Roasted animals of all varieties, both demon and mortal, were set upon sumptuous banquet tables for the wretched folk to enjoy. Scantily clad demon women danced upon rocky spires with the rougher sex screeching for a chance at romance beneath them.

And standing above all of this was a massive throne befitting the leader of this rowdy band of ruffians. Next to his chair were three familiar faces of demon kind, three who had once dealt with a denizen of the mortal realm before. Their names were Gola, Melee, and Shula.

Shula groaned and downed a large mouthful of sake. "I hate this place. Why did we even come to this party? Eh?"

Melee rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Shula. It's been decades. So a kid beat you in a fight? So what? Get over yourself."

Gola chuckled. "Besides, can't rub elbows with the big boss if you don't party, Shula! How are you ever going to get back on top without being a people person?"

Shula growled. "If I ever see that little, monkey-tailed brat again..."

Heavy footsteps made the entire platform shake. "Whatcha gonna do, eh Shula~?"

The three demons turned and faced their new, big boss. Melee chuckled. "He's just grumbling, Boss Ghastel~"

Looming over the three onlookers was a massive, scaly-skinned red demon. He had glazed yellow eyes, massive pink horns, and two enormous fangs poking out from beneath his upper lip. From the belt at his waist, two massive clubs clanged together.

He laughed a dreadful laugh that smelled of sulfur and meat and death. "Yeah! That's Shula the Sulker for ya! Beaten by some monkey boy and all he does is pout!"

Ghastel wrapped a massive arm over Shula's shoulder. "But not for much longer buddy~ Soon enough, we'll be able to scour this miserable realm for that boy that hurt your feelings! We'll include him in the slaughter with all of the other worthless humans on this planet~"

Melee sighed. "Honestly, why does everybody aiming to fill the empty throne go for the vicious conquest route? Dabura disappeared, guys. Towa is gone too. Why not give living in peace a chance?"

Ghastel blew a raspberry. "I can't stand you peaceniks! Disgrace to demon-kind! I'd bash you senseless if you didn't have a pretty face, Melee!"

Hearing the threat, Melee crossed her arms and went silent. Nervously, Gola looked away and slugged back a massive mouthful of sake. Ghastel cackled. "It's gonna be great. With the heirloom I stole all those years ago, and with Dabura gone, the Demon Realm will be mine!"

He turned to the crowd and hooted. "PARTY HARD YA SONS-A-BITCHES! THIS IS MY CORONATION CELEBRATION!"

The party down below cheered and roared in excitement. And then, one drunk demon skank cried out. "WHIP IT OUT, GHASTEL! WHIP OUT THE TREASURE!"

Another demon roared in a deep voice. "WHIP IT OUT!"

Then everyone started to chant. "WHIP IT OUT! WHIP IT OUT! WHIP IT OUT! WHIP IT OUT! WHIP IT OUT!"

High above, on a nearby ridge…

As the others watched the raucous celebration below, Chi-Chi searched between various razor-sharp stones. She knew the Tatsuenoki had to be around here somewhere. As she searched, Chiaotzu had a bead of sweat drip down the side of his face. "Sh-Should we have Chika cover her eyes? They're chanting whip it out..."

Shoving a stone, Chi-Chi growled out. "Yes. Please don't let my toddler see some demon's naughty bits! I would appreciate it..."

Tien crossed his arms. "They're talking about invading and slaughtering humanity. Should we handle this now?"

Piccolo shook his head. "No. Nothing to worry about. They're a bunch of rowdy drunks. If they start acting maliciously, you, me, or most of our allies could kill all of them with one attack."

Tien nodded. "Hm."

Hearing the two of them so nonchalantly talk about slaughtering a whole score of demons made Chi-Chi's skin crawl. She wasn't angry at them. At least they weren't threatening death over the simple concept of demon's existing. Chi-Chi bit her lip and whispered. "But still... listening to Demon King Piccolo and the Leader of the Crane School talk about things like that makes my mouth taste like vomit..."

Piccolo's ear twitched. He turned and gave a brief glance to Chi-Chi as she shifted another rock. He started to say something when a ghastly wail from Ghastel drew his attention. Ghastel laughed out loud down below. "All right, ya bastards! You wanna see it?! You got it!"

The demon reared his fist back and then seemingly punched a hole in reality. The trespassers all watched on as, slowly, Ghastel pulled a massive, ornate naginata and then began to swing it around above his head. "HAVE A GOOD LOOK, YA BASTARDS!"

The crowd cheered in amazement. Piccolo looked unimpressed. "A polearm? That's it?"

Chiaotzu shook his head. "Kinda wimpy..."

Tien stroked his chin. "Pretty fancy though. It's a stolen treasure, they called it?"

Chika, however, was transfixed. Her eyes locked onto the naginata that Ghastel was swinging and they couldn't be pried away. She whispered under her breath in total reverence of the weapon. "It's... so pretty..."

Not paying any attention to the showing, Chi-Chi shoved another rock out of the way. And, underneath this rock, she finally found what she was looking for. It was a small thatch of Tatsuenoki Mushrooms. Pulling a container out of her bag, Chi-Chi carefully plucked the delicious fungus from the ground and sealed it away. Wiping a curtain of sweat from her brow, she turned to the others. "Okay guys. I got 'em! Let's go!"

None of the others budged. Chi-Chi frowned. "Hey! Guys!"

She marched over. "We can go now, guys! What are you... all..."

Chi-Chi stopped at the edge of the overhanging ledge and her eyes widened to be fully open. She stared down at Ghastel, down at the weapon he was swinging. An ornate polearm, a royal polearm, a very, very familiar polearm. Chi-Chi swallowed a lump in her throat with an audible click. And then, she dropped her backpack and leaped over the edge without a word.

Down below…

Ghastel laughed out loud. "That's right, boys and girls! Have a look! Have a look at the naginata that once belonged to the 'mighty' Gyuhime! A demon so fearsome she got knocked up by some random human~!"

Everyone gathered below laughed. Ghastel swung the weapon. "I found the poor thing in a burning castle! It was just waiting to be stolen! And now that it's in proper hands, it can be used for its real purpose! It can be used to conquer the Ear-"

A boot crashed into Ghastel's jowl and sent him crashing to the ground. Shula, Melee, and Gola all gasped, Gola dropping his drink. Ghastel sat up, a trickle of blood running down his chin. "What the hell?!"

Chi-Chi glared down at the hulking demon and took on a fighting stance. "Give me that naginata! NOW!"

She took on a vicious fighting stance, her teeth gritted, and her jaw clenched so tightly it seemed as if it might break. She snarled at Ghastel, sounding more animal than woman. Ghastel scowled. "What the hell is this?! A human woman?! You sure you ain't meant to be sliced up and set on the food table, toots?"

Melee rolled her eyes. "Gross."

Ghastel took a step towards Chi-Chi. She clenched her fists, ready to attack. A shuffling behind her made her turn her head and she saw that other demons were beginning to climb up onto Ghastel's platform, their eyes full of hunger and murder.

Ghastel guffawed. "Yer outnumbered!"

Chi-Chi snapped back. "If you don't drop that polearm right now, I'll bust your teeth out!"

Before things could escalate further, Tien, Chiaotzu, Piccolo, and Chika all leapt into the fray. They stood in a back-to-back formation, Chika sticking close to her mother. Piccolo glared back at Chi-Chi. "Nice and stealthy. How could they have ever spotted us being here?"

Chi-Chi grunted. "Bite me, Piccolo. This isn't the time!"

The other warriors all took on fighting stances as well and got ready for the brawl to come. Ghastel rolled his eyes. "These humans seem to forget whose soil they walk on. Let's press some fear into 'em before we eat 'em up~!"

Ghastel turned the polearm over in his hand and jammed the blade into the ground. Chi-Chi flinched, a vein popping out of her forehead. Ghastel cracked his fingers, then reached behind his back and produced a massive, black taiko drum. Pulling his clubs from his belt, Ghastel smirked. "Let's see how you fools like my music!"

Banging the clubs against the leather hide of his massive drum, Ghastel began to echo out a deep, foreboding melody. As the melody became faster and faster, more clouds started to roll in. Black clouds. Angry clouds. The sky began to rumble and shake with hateful, demonic anger. Tien cocked his head toward the sky. "What the hell?"

Chiaotzu's eyes went wide. "Huh?"

Piccolo snarled. "Get ready! Here comes a downpour!"

Unsure what to make of the rain, the three warriors rushed forward. If this was meant to be some sort of camouflaging tactic, they would certainly get the first jump. But then, as the rain struck their skin and as it began to shower, the three of them found their strength rapidly fading away. Chiaotzu hit the ground like a stone. Tien fell flat onto his chest. Piccolo fell to one knee.

Piccolo snarled. "What the hell?"

Ghastel chuckled. "The Demoniac Downpour! It's my special demon art! Mortals entering this realm without the formal invite of one with demon blood shall have their very lifeforce drained by this hateful drizzle!"

A larger demon with a sword stomped up to Piccolo, hovering his blade over the Namekian's neck. "Not that you'll be allowed to suffer long, meat!"

He raised the sword, but then a heavy kick slammed into the demon's gut, and he went flying all the way into a nearby rocky spire. The rock formation crumbled, and Chika landed with an angry, pouting look. "Leave Mr. Piccolo alone, you meanie!"

Ghastel flinched back. On the ground, Tien, Chiaotzu, and Piccolo all gasped. Chika, by no means a trained warrior, took on a basic fighting stance. Her tail curled and wagging behind her bristled on the end.

Shula gasped. "Y-You! You're just like that brat from all of those years ago!"

Without waiting permission, Shula charged forward and tried to chop Chika in the neck. She instinctively ducked and then punched Shula in the jaw, making one of his eyes bug out and sending him crashing into the table behind him.

Gola cried out for his comrade. "Sh-Shula!"

Melee face palmed. "Not again…"

Chi-Chi looked back at her daughter, totally stunned. Stomping in a puddle of fetid, demonic water, Chika glared at the monsters threatening her loved ones. "I won't let you hurt Mr. Piccolo, or Mr. Tien, or Mr. Chiaotzu, or Mama!"

Hearing the girl's courage, Tien used all of his strength and started pushing himself up. The other demons started to gasp. Some of them even started to panic. Staring down this uppity little brat and this mouthy human woman who seemed unaffected by his rain, and the three fools on the ground who were, Ghastel rolled his eyes. "Gimme a break…"

The demon twitched his finger with a smirk. "Can't believe Shula lost to a brat~"

*SHUNK*

Chika's eyes went wide. She shot forward, out of her own power, and sailed over Ghastel's shoulder. Her tummy was hot and her pants felt wet. She didn't quite understand what had happened. Her forward momentum stopped and then she began to rise into the air, her arms dangling limply beneath her. She groaned as a trickle of blood ran from the corner of her mouth. "M-Mommy... help..."

Ghastel cackled as he waved around Gyuhime's naginata, totally unknowing that he had Gyuhime's granddaughter dangling on the end of the dire blade. "Man! Shula sure is pathetic! Gahahahahaha!"

Melee looked utterly disgusted. "That's a kid, Ghastel. Shit…"

Chi-Chi's eyes went wide, her pupils shrunk. "CHIKA!"

She charged at Ghastel, her nostrils flaring. Ghastel used his free hand to raise one of his clubs, smashing it down onto the drum. "SHUT THE HELL UP!"

A bolt of black lightning shot down and crashed into Chi-Chi. She shrieked in agony, but the sight of the light fading from her daughter's eyes kept her from buckling. Chi-Chi gritted her teeth and took a heavy step forward. Ghastel flinched in a brief flicker of fear, and then beat his drum again. And then three more times for good measure. Four bolts of lightning hit Chi-Chi in sequence. They frazzled her hair, they singed her skin, they made her body spasm, and, finally, they burned the scarf from the top of her head.

Chi-Chi's hair flopped down and her massive, shining horns were exposed for all to see.

A fearful hush fell over the party of demons. Ghastel went green in the face, his fist clenching the polearm so hard that his knuckles turned white. Piccolo, Tien, and Chiaotzu all stared in shock.

Then one drunken demon cried out. "HOLY SHIT! IS THAT FRIGGIN' GYUHIME?!"

Panicked rambling began to fester among the demons below. Some shrieks of fear and then genuine panic. Ghastel had a lump in his throat the size of a cannon ball. "W-Will all of you shut the hell up?! This can't be Gyuhime! She's dead! Long dead! Murdered by those dumbass human martial artists! The Birds, er, uh... THE CRANES!"

On the ground, Tien and Chiaotzu's eyes went wide.

Ghastel pointed the polearm at Chi-Chi, Chika still hanging limply from the tip of it. "Who the hell are you, woman?!"

Chi-Chi shot him a truly hateful glare, her eyes blood-red pools with lunatic spirals circling round. Ghastel shuddered. She seethed. "I am Chi-Chi, daughter of Chika the Ox-Princess! And you..."

Chi-Chi stomped forward, grabbing her daughter's limp, cold hand. She pulled Chika off of the end of her mother's weapon and held her daughter close. "... you..."

She was too weak. Too damaged. Ghastel cackled. "HAW HAW HAW! So, this is what Gyuhime's legacy is?! That's pathetic!"

He raised the polearm into the air. "WHY DON'T YOU JUST DIE AND JOIN YER HUMAN-LOVIN' MOM?!"

Chi-Chi held Chika close and closed her eyes. As the blade fell, the wife of Goku fully passed out. Death came closer to her neck second by second.

And then, Piccolo jumped between her and the blade, blocking it with his arm and calling out. "NOW!"

Tien and Chiaotzu both leapt into the fray, their strong bodies barely able to budge under the demon rain. They both splayed their hands in front of their faces and cried out in unison. "SOLAR FLARE!"

A blinding light engulfed the entirety of Dragon Rock. All of the demons cried out in pain and held their eyes. Once some of them, Ghastel first, regained their vision, they looked at the spot where their prey had collapsed. All that remained was a small pool of purple and red blood.

Later and elsewhere…

Chi-Chi's achy, gummed up eyes fluttered open and she groaned. Her entire body ached like she was beaten with a bamboo rod. She shakily and slowly started pushing herself up. Then, the image of a little girl skewered on a blade flashed through her mind and her eyes cracked wide open. She sat up rail straight and cried out in panic. "CHIKA!"

Chi-Chi felt a rustling next to her and looked over, she saw her daughter resting peacefully on Tien's folded up shirt. Her face was restful, the wound that once was split on her torso only apparent by the bloody gash on her shirt. The sunlight gleamed down through the treetops above and sparkled against her tiny, fledgling horns.

Chi-Chi reached up and touched her own horns. "My poor baby…"

Tien spoke. "She's fine. We had an extra Senzu."

Shuddering in her own skin, Chi-Chi snapped her attention to Tien. He was sitting with his back pressed to a tree. Chiaotzu was sitting next to him, looking troubled as he drew in the dirt with his finger. Piccolo was hovering in a meditative state. His eyes opened and he looked over at Chi-Chi.

The housewife gasped in horror, reaching up to her exposed horns as the dawning horror of her current situation dawned on her. She looked at Piccolo and saw not the protector of her children, but the dreaded Demon King that made her kind so hated. She didn't feel any comradery with Tien or Chiaotzu, just the fear of being chased through her childhood home by some murderous thug. Chi-Chi scooped Chika up off the ground and pushed herself backward.

Tien flinched. "Chi-Chi?"

He reached out and, to his shock, Chi-Chi shot a blast at him. "BACK!"

Tien withdrew his hand, looking hurt. Chiaotzu grimaced. "... same as always."

Chi-Chi snarled. "Monsters! Bastards! Hateful Crane killers! Stay away from me! Stay away from my daughter! S-Stay away!"

Piccolo growled in disgust, shame heavily present on his features. Tien receded back. Chiaotzu sighed. Chi-Chi kept a hateful gaze trained on all three of them, ready to snap and attack at a moment's notice.

A long, tense silence followed. The wind rustled through the tree leaves. Then, Tien spoke. "The Crane School... it murdered your mother?"

Piccolo spoke in a gruff whisper. "And your mother was a demon. A real demon, unlike King Piccolo."

Chi-Chi didn't speak a word. She kept her gaze trained on these men. These brutes. These (friendsofherfamilyandherhusband) instinctual killers. She'd watched them throughout this entire trip. Violence was their first response (inyourdefense) with never a consideration for talking things out. Those Cranes (TienandChiaotzu) and that fake demon (yourkidscallhimtheiruncle). She hated (noshedidn't) them!

And then, Chiaotzu spoke. "That's the same reaction we get every time, you know? When Tien and I come face-to-face with people whom our school has wronged, I mean. We face them, tell them who we are, and they call us monsters and brutes and killers and they tell us how we ruined their lives and how they see the Crane emblem as a blight…"

Chi-Chi flinched. Chiaotzu's face crumpled, but not in a way that suggested tears. He sighed. "... and they aren't wrong."

Tien nodded. "The Crane School wronged many people, Chi-Chi. Countless many. Part of Chiaotzu and I taking it over included a genuine desire to make amends, to beg forgiveness, to earn a second chance. We just... we never would have thought..."

As the two of them fell silent, looking genuinely ashamed, Piccolo finally spoke. "Every day, as I look down from the Lookout or as I travel the Earth for training, I see the results of what King Piccolo did to this world. Most people never think about him as anything more than a fairy tale or a section of history, but there are still negative repercussions that affect every inch of this planet, direct or indirect."

Piccolo's feet touched the ground and he walked up, getting down on his knees between Tien and Chiaotzu. All three of them looked at her.

Chi-Chi sneered. "Don't think I'm just going to forgive what happened to me! I won't! I refuse! My mother didn't deserve to die! I didn't deserve to lose her! I didn't deserve to be so scared and so alone for all of those years! I-"

Tien began to lower his head. "We never considered that a victim of the Crane School's sins would ever be this close to us..."

Chiaotzu began to lower his head as well. "We never even thought about it, and that was short-sighted."

Piccolo began to lower his head as well. "We would never demand forgiveness or immediate clemency for any anguish you might have suffered either."

Chi-Chi's eyes went wide as all three warriors pressed their heads to the ground, submitting themselves to her wrath. And all three of them spoke in unison, their voices rich with regret. "We humbly beg your forgiveness."

—-

Chika's eyes fluttered open at the feeling of something dripping onto her face. Fat, warm drops hit her cheeks and exploded like miniature water bombs. Chika groaned and sat up, wiping her face. She looked up and frowned. "Mama? Wh-What's wrong, Mama?"

Chi-Chi's eyes were shimmering, tears flowing freely as she stared at these three noble people in her life so easily bowing their heads to her. Begging forgiveness. And for something that none of them even did. Chi-Chi sniffled and sobbed, speaking in a thick, wet voice. "Wh-What am I doing? H-How could I be so childish, taking my anger out on the three of you...?"

Chika reached up, pressing her hand to her mother's cheek. "Mama. It's okay, Mama. You don't have to cry or be scared. Mr. Piccolo, Mr. Tien, and Mr. Chiaotzu are here! And Daddy says we can always rely on them!"

Chi-Chi looked down at her daughter and sniffed, her eyes red and puffy. She roughly scrubbed her hand over her face and then looked out to her husband's three friends... to her three friends. She smiled at them. And the three of them smiled back. Chika giggled and smiled too.

30 minutes later…

Chi-Chi adjusted the wristbands on her fighting outfit. She'd requested that Piccolo use his Magic Materialization to make one that resembled her outfit from the 23rd Tournament. Piccolo tossed his cape and turban to the side. Tien punched his fists together and Chiaotzu gave Chika a pat on the back. "Looks good on you! Just like your older brother~"

Chika was wearing the same outfit that Piccolo had given Gohan so long ago, when the fight with the Saiyan had begun. Chika beamed. "Thank you!"

Chi-Chi turned to her four travel companions, her horns gleaming in the sun. "We've made all of our preparations! Now it's time to go back to Dragon Rock! I need my mother's weapon, and we need those mushrooms!"

Chika, Tien, Chiaotzu, and Piccolo all pumped their fists in the air. "YEAH!"

Back on Dragon Rock…

Ghastel cackled as he poured an entire barrel of sake down his gullet. "Stupid Earth-dwellers turned tail and ran the second they faced the power of the great Ghastel! Too bad you missed it, Shula~"

Shula groaned, holding his hand over the bandage covering the left side of his face. He sneered. "Damned monkey brats!"

Gola placed a commiserating hand on his friend's back. Melee rolled her eyes as she drank. Ghastel sighed. "Shame we couldn't string 'em up! Gonna have to remember their faces for when we-"

A cry cut him off. "GHASTEL! THEY'RE BACK!"

Ghastel sat up. It was indeed the same group of Earth-dwellers again. Except, this time, they didn't jump in for a surprise attack. They marched through the crowd with determined looks on their faces. The lead one, that woman who called herself Gyuhime's daughter, glared right at Ghastel with fire in her eyes. They stopped in the middle of the crowd of gobsmacked partiers and Chi-Chi glared. Something seemed different now.

Ghastel chuckled. "Well, well! I never expected to see you fools again! Not after-"

Chi-Chi spoke bluntly. "There are two choices in front of you, right now."

Ghastel flinched, fear once again festering in his eyes as Chi-Chi stared a hole through him. Chi-Chi continued. "Option 1: You give me my mother's naginata and you and every other demon with murder in their hearts goes back to the Demon Realm until you can learn to behave. Option 2: I take my mother's naginata back and your nasty little thug minions head home on the end of our fists. Choose."

A hushed silence fell over the crowd. The wicked fires of the Demon Realm shined on Chi-Chi's horns. She was dead serious.

Ghastel cleared his throat, then gave a nervous little laugh. "S-Seems like you might need another dose of my Demoniac Downpour! Let your friends suffer and then you all can die in despair!"

Ghastel heaved the drum off of his back and then began to hammer the same raucous beat from before. The sky grew dark, clouds rolled in, black lightning flashed, and then it began to rain. Neither Chi-Chi and Chika, nor their friends flinched. The water cascaded down on them, and none of them so much as shuddered.

The gathered demons all gasped. Ghastel shuddered. "Wh-What?!"

Chi-Chi nodded back to her entourage. "You said when you did this technique last that they would be okay so long as they were granted permission to enter this place by someone with recognized demon blood. Well…"

Chi-Chi punched herself in the chest. "I'M DONE HIDING FROM MYSELF! I AM CHI-CHI, DAUGHTER OF THE GREAT GYUHIME CHIKA! I AM A DEMON, DAMMIT! AND I WELCOME MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO MY HOME!"

Behind her, all of Chi-Chi's companions smiled. Ghastel snarled. "S-So what?! I'll just redo the spell! I'll drum out a new tune! I'll-"

In a flash, Chi-Chi's foot was splitting right through the center of Ghastel's drum. The rain immediately stopped. Ghastel shrieked in horror and Chi-Chi glared at him. "Option 2, then."

Before the demon brute could react, Chi-Chi charged forward and unleashed a savage assault.

Left jab to the ribs. "GIVE!"

Right kick to the upper arm. "ME!"

Palm thrust to the chin. "MY!"

Right hook to the jaw. "BIRTHRIGHT!"

Ghastel went flying back, crashing into the rock. He groaned and Chi-Chi struck a fighting stance. She glared at Melee, Gola, and Shula.

Melee shook her head. "Nope. Not our circus, not our monkeys."

She grabbed Shula and Gola by the collars of their shirts and leapt over the side of the platform. She looked up at Chi-Chi from the ground below and shot a thumbs-up. "We'll talk once this is settled. Kick his ass, girl!"

Chi-Chi nodded as Ghastel stood up. The demon snarled and tossed his two clubs aside. "YOU WANT THE GYUHIME'S TREASURE?!"

He summoned the polearm from thin air and charged Chi-Chi. "THEN TAKE IT!"

Down below…

As Chi-Chi fought her battle up above, the others were enjoying a fight of their own. Piccolo, Tien, and Chiaotzu were putting the minimum effort into their blows as they casually sent drunken demons flying back.

Piccolo sneered. "Without that blasted rain, this is embarrassing."

Tien caught a punch and easily snapped the offending wrist, flipping the screaming demon over his head and then flinging the poor bastard into a crowd of his friends. "These don't really seem like the warrior-types."

Chiaotzu kicked one across a table. "We're basically bar bouncers at this point."

He looked around. "Hey, where's the kid?"

Standing on a nearby table, Chika picked up a crock of some kind of sauce. She stuck her finger into it and gave it a taste, then smiled and nodded her head. "Okay. That tastes good. I'll have to remember that and get Mama to help me later. Daddy'll love it!"

A demon rose up behind Chika, pulling both arms high up for an overhead smash on the unsuspecting toddler. Piccolo elbowed the demon in the jaw. "You're not fighting, kid?"

Chika shook her head. "Nope. Nobody here can hurt the four of you. I don't like fightin', so I'm trying all these yummy foods and stealin' recipes to make for my Daddy later~"

A demon tried to stab Piccolo with a knife, he caught it in a headlock. "Not a fighter, eh?"

Chika chuckled. "No, silly. Daddy's the fighter! Big Bro Gohan likes studyin', Goten likes games, I like cooking with my Mama~"

Piccolo was a tad taken aback, but then he smiled. "Excellent! Follow your own path!"

Then he tossed the demon in his grip into a charging crowd of others.

Back on top of the platform…

Chi-Chi deftly dodged strike after strike from the furious, fearful Ghastel. She glared at him with disdain. "You could just stop this, you know? You know I'm stronger than you! Just give it to me and shove off!"

Ghastel snarled. "Never! I'm a real demon! I'm the next Demon King! Not like you or yer human-lovin' mother!"

Chi-Chi arched her back, just missing a stabbing blow, then responded with a punch to the center of Ghastel's face. He flinched, blood pouring from the corners of his eyes. He then raised the polearm with a mighty roar and tried to slash down on Chi-Chi with it.

Easily, she caught the weapon by its wooden haft and held on tight. Ghastel snarled and tried to yank the weapon from Chi-Chi's hands, but found himself unable. He looked up from the tug-of-war, wanting to snarl in Chi-Chi's face, but immediately came upon a sight which made him piss his pants.

Chi-Chi stood there, a determined expression on her face. But, she didn't look the same as before. Her eyes were once again blood red pools with lunatic spires swirling in them. Her formerly ebony black hair was now a flickering sea of pure white, as if her hair were caught in some holy fire.

Chi-Chi took a deep breath and then sighed. "You know, you talk about what a human-lover my mother was as if she were some sort of traitor. As if, because she and my father fell in love, she told him about every secret of demon-kind. But... my dad doesn't know about this..."

Chi-Chi looked down at her hands, stronger than she'd ever dreamed they could be. She felt her power and smiled. As it turned out, Piccolo wasn't embellishing at all. She was strong, fierce even. Forget third form Frieza, she was ready to take on the full-powered one. And she felt deep within that she could easily become even stronger if it ever suited her fancy. Chi-Chi grinned from ear-to-ear. "My mother was a Beast Demon. One who could command legions of lesser creatures with little more than a thought. SHe fought my father with this form, but she never shared what it was with him, only me... because I am her daughter!"

Ghastel flinched, and then began to cry out in anguish. Smoke rose from his palms where he was touching a treasure that proved to be far above his register. He couldn't let go, he couldn't pull away.

Chi-Chi's smile faded. She looked furious. "Now, I will repeat myself once more... GIVE ME MY BIRTHRIGHT!"

Ghastel burst into pure, white flames. He shrieked as if death were the least concern he'd ever felt and flew backward, crashing into rocks and continuing to burn. Chi-Chi watched until nothing but ash remained, and then she marched to the edge of the arena. Raising her newly-acquired polearm into the air, Chi-Chi engulfed it in her beastly flames and slammed down the ornate form of her mother's naginata. She shouted in her most authoritative voice. "EVERYONE CEASE THIS VIOLENCE AT ONCE!"

The rabble down below, alongside Chi-Chi's travel companions, screeched to a halt. They all looked up at the regal silhouette of Chi-Chi above them and then all of the fearful demons took a knee. Instinctively, they recognized that a higher power had arrived.

Piccolo, Tien, and Chiaotzu stared in awe at the change that their friend had undergone. Chika, still stealing brief tastes of the party spread, smiled a wide, beaming grin. "That's my Mama~"

Chi-Chi put a hand on her hip and spoke in a steady, intimidating voice. "Hear me! And hear me well! I will not be repeating myself!"

The demons tensed up. Chi-Chi continued. "I am both a proud demon and a proud human. I love my heritage from both sides. However, love is not something I give lackadaisically! It would do my heart good to see a day when humanity and demon-kind could share this realm and the next. Working together and supporting one another. But that can never happen if you come here with intentions of malice!"

She scanned over the shivering crowd. She sighed. "If you wish to come here, to this realm, whenever Dragon Rock does and throw a party, I see no issue with that. But you do not come to this planet to wage war! We don't put up with that from our own kind, and we will not put up with it from you all either! Just like Cell, just like Frieza, just like the Saiyans and the pretender demon before you, if you come to this planet and try to do anything that Ghastel suggested, then I will have no qualms if my peers were to give you the same violence you plan to inflict!"

Chi-Chi frowned, looking genuinely sadly down at the demons below. "M-My mother never wanted to harm humans. She wanted to live on this planet in peace and solitude. She didn't deserve to die because people assumed that she would automatically be violent towards them... so I'm asking you all to please not help support such awful rumors. Please..."

The demons were all silent. Then, Melee spoke. "I agree."

Everyone turned their attention to Melee as she walked up behind Chi-Chi. Chi-Chi turned to face her as well.

Melee sighed. "Ever since Dabura disappeared, we've started to get more and more greedy. Without him roaming the Demon Realm and tormenting us, we've started to become tormentors ourselves. While I have no particular love for humanity, I don't think that morons like Ghastel should be taking charge of us."

She turned to Chi-Chi. "I take it you have no plans to stay here and try to govern the Demon Realm yourself?"

Chi-Chi threw up her arms in an X-shape. "Nope! Not at all. I just wanted my mother's naginata and to pick some Tatsuenoki mushrooms! I have a family to tend!"

Melee chuckled. "Fair enough. Go collect your mushrooms. We won't cause any more trouble."

The two demon women smiled at each other, and then Chi-Chi looked down to her comrade. The white fire in her hair extinguished and her ebony locks draped over her shoulders, across her horns, and down her back. "Did you hear that, guys?! You know what that means?"

Piccolo, Tien, and Chiaotzu all smirked. Chika jumped up in delight and shouted in her loudest, most joyful voice. "RAMEN TIME!"

Hours later, in the Son Family kitchen…

Chi-Chi wiped sweat from her brow using a towel that she kept hanging over her shoulder. The hustle and bustle of the kitchen was sweaty work, especially when she had so many people to cook for. But this sort of pressure never bothered her. Chi-Chi stirred the broth, a soy base with garlic, green onion, and several other aromatics mixed in. In the pan next to that, she had all of the Tastuenoki mushrooms frying alongside several dozen strips of salted, cured pork belly and a few ears of corn. The noodles each boiled in their own individual basket, one portion for each of the many guests.

She also had oba gyoza and a heaping wok of fried rice sizzling and steaming on the range next to her.

Chi-Chi stepped back and cracked her neck, watching everything cook. She reached beneath the scarf wrapped around her head and scratched her left horn. "Okay. Everything is looking good. Need to start whipping the egg to pour over the rice…"

Chi-Chi opened the oven and reached in with her ladle, making sure the beef roasts within were staying nice and moist. "Everything is looking great~"

Out in the den…

The Son Family Household was lively and raucous as everyone gathered within engaged in conversation or horsed around with one another.

Piccolo and Blonde Launch politely listened as Gine described the rigors of being a kindergarten teacher. Goku and Raditz both talked about something, furtively whispering back and forth. Goku looked at his brother sympathetically and placed a hand on his slumping shoulder. On the floor, Chiaotzu busily played around with the kids, engaging in several wrestling matches at once as Goten, Chika, and Ranch all piled into him. Finally, Gohan sat between Tien and the Ox-King, pouring over a book on geography that he was learning in school. In spite of neither having a formal education, Tien and the Ox-King both kept up in conversation, enthralled by Gohan's genuine enthusiasm.

It was a regular family scene. Everyone was content with each other's company and just living their lives in relative peace.

Peeking out from behind the kitchen doorway, Chi-Chi had a warm smile on her face. Her heart was nothing but love for this family that she was allowed to be a part of. Taking a deep breath, Chi-Chi stepped out and called to the entire room. "Okay, y'all! Dinner time!"

In the kitchen…

To accommodate for the extra mouths, an additional table and chairs were dragged out of the shed. Chi-Chi watched everyone sit down and admire her spread. Goku was, surprisingly enough, behaving and waiting until given permission (most likely because Gine was sitting right next to him, but progress was progress).

Chi-Chi nodded. "Okay, everyone! This is the first time the season of Dragon Ramen has occurred in a while! I've made everyone one bowl to enjoy, so please take the time to savor it!"

Everyone cheered. Chi-Chi led the group in a blessing and then they all sat down and enjoyed a sumptuous banquet together as a family. The food somehow went even quicker than Chi-Chi expected, with even Piccolo greedily reaching for more, though she suspected he was just being polite.

Once the table was cleared and everyone had eaten their fill, chairs started to scrape, and folks began to say their goodbyes. Then Chi-Chi stood. "Before you all go, I have something that I want to share."

Everyone froze. All eyes were on Chi-Chi. Chika smiled a warm, little smile. Chi-Chi stammered. "S-Some of you are already aware of wh-what I'm about to tell you. B-But, some of you aren't. And all of you, a-as well as others who aren't here, are... my family."

Everyone smiled at that. Chi-Chi reached up to the scarf around her head and gripped it tight. "S-So... I... I wanted you all to know that... that I... am..."

Chi-Chi pulled the scarf from her head and revealed her horns for everyone present to see. They glimmered in the low light, and Chi-Chi immediately began to avoid eye contact. "... I am part demon. On my mother's side."

A thick silence fell over the room. Several people present were well-aware of Chi-Chi's heritage, but there were also several who weren't. Namely, the entire Raditz household. Raditz's eyes went wide. "Whoa..."

Blonde Launch gasped. "Wh-What the...?"

Chi-Chi's face erupted in a bright red blush. "I'm sorry if this comes as a shock. But... I'm tired of hiding myself from the people I love. Bit by bit, I'm going to tell everyone else, so I would appreciate if you'd keep this quiet until I let them know myself, but-"

Ranch leapt up into her aunt's arms. "AUNT CHI-CHI! ARE THOSE REAL?! THAT'S SO COOL!"

Without waiting to ask, Ranch reached up and grabbed Chi-Chi's right horn, giving it a tug. Chi-Chi winced but gave a small smile. "Y-Yeah. They're real, Ranch. Very, very real~"

Blonde Launch rushed forward. "R-Ranch! Don't just jump on someone and grab parts of 'em! That's rude! Maybe even insensitive!"

Soon enough, everyone was moving in on Chi-Chi to ask her more. Or, to congratulate her on being brave. Standing back from the crowd, Ox-King smiled. "My little girl..."

Looking at the relieved, joyful look on Chi-Chi's face brought tears to old Ushio's eyes. He reached under his glasses and wiped them away with his thumb. Then he looked over at his granddaughter. "Hey, Chika-"

Ox-King flinched in shock. Standing behind little Chika's chair was the ethereal form of Gyuhime. Chika the First stared at her daughter with a relieved, wide smile on her lips. Tears sparkling in her eyes. She looked over at her husband and smiled.

Ox-King blinked, and then she was gone. Little Chika looked up at him. "You called me, Grandpa Ox?"

Ox-King's face sagged, but then he adopted a warm, grandfatherly smile. "Aw, I was just wonderin' if you were gonna show off yours too, hon?"

Chika's face lit up. "OH MY GOSH, YOU'RE RIGHT!"

She leaped up out of her chair and ran into the crowd of her family. "EVERYONE, LOOK! I HAVE HORNS, TOO~!"