DBZ: Married to Another Saiyan (AU)

by Monokub

Stories unravel in a multitude of ways. Some see our heroes become evil. Some see Villains become Heroes. And others simply add another character to the mix. What happens when a new character is thrown into the plot? What changes from the original version? Most importantly: What would happen if Goku married Caulifla instead of Chichi? Rated T for Safety

8. Ep4: The Wary, Wicked, and Wounded Pt 1

A/N: Final Word Count: 13.6k

Goooooood morning reader people! Your host Monokub back with another exciting episode! I should note- yes, im aware this chapter is massive in size (and i apologize), but that's primarily due to the intro that takes up nearly half the chapter. Today's intro request comes from a fellow fan of my writing Luckybrad, who had quite zee challenge for me since the scene takes up most of the episode. I will note at this time, i dont necessarily mind writing a lot (dear god im only on chapter 8 and i already have near if not over 100k at this point XP), but as a future notice, try to keep the scene an actual scene length instead of the episode XP It can be up to five minutes long, or even ten minutes long. Heck it can be an entire fight scene if people desire :P I just dont want to write out 2 entire episodes in one chapter (one from Dragon Ball, and one from DBZ), otherwise complaints might follow about some people getting longer scenes, some might complain about scenes being too short, and so forth.

This doesnt really help the fact i tend to get paranoid easily XD

Again not that i mind but if I keep doing intros this long, people are going to complain about how long it takes to read each chapter (unless they like long chapters in which case you guys let me know ^^) My usual goal is to shoot between 7-10k a chapter when i can help it XP If i get another intro scene that ends up like 5-6K+ words, i may have to make an entirely separate chapter entirely just to keep the chapters shorter... All the same, if people want to just read the chapter/episode itself, they can just skip the intro I suppose ^^

Again, no worries.

Also some Trivia facts today! As a fan named Sixdry in the reviews wanted to know, yes- Goku is stronger than his anime counterpart in this in part thanks to Caulifla's eagerness to train constantly with him ^^ His canon version had a power level around 420 or so with his weighted clothes off, while in this version its around 740, and Cauli's 720. While it is indeed higher, it still wasn't a match for Raditz's power level at the time with an average rating of 1200 (and these PLs get even higher when people use their special attacks, Raditz included). So yeah, thought i'd bring up that little trivia for the day ^^

So without further ado, enjoy!

...

...

...

"Aaaahhhhhh!" The three screamed in unison as they fell.

Trying to maintain some sense of balance and integrity, Caulifla focused her mind like she was taught, keeping a steady breath she flipped through the air and landed perfectly on her feet. She grinned from her accomplishment as she raised both fists into the air. "Hah! Nailed the landi-"

*thud*

"Ack!" She yelped, finding the posterior of a certain someone sitting on top of her.

Goku blinked a little as he found the soft landing strange before realizing he was sitting on top of Caulifla herself. "Oops. Sorry, Cauli."

"Ghhhhh!" The girl grumbled, seeing her perfect flip now and forever ruined by Goku's butt. "Would you get off of-!"

*THUNK*

"Ugh..." Eighter moaned a bit dazed as he landed, rubbing his head still disoriented from the fall. Regaining some sense of his composure, shaking his head, he turned around in horror to see the two young children he crushed under his fall. "Oh no, I killed them!" Such was the fate of a monster such as he. He would have to go into hiding for the rest of his days, find a way to atone for his grave sin, and carry on their memories for the rest of his days!

...Or just wait several seconds before the two moaned, slowly unflattening themselves, especially Caulifla who was forced to take the weight of both Goku and Eighter.

"Owie..." She moaned, eyes briefly in swirls as Goku rolled off her back almost as delirious.

"That's going to be sore tomorrow..." He rubbed his head from the slight throbbing he was experiencing.

"Oh good. You're both alive." Eighter apologized as he helped them to their feet. Caulifla was a bit more worse for wear, having taken the brunt of both their falls, but managed to shake it off with only a minor headache. Taking a look around, it took a short while for Eighter to realize where they were. "Ah, the 5th floor."

Goku cracked his neck a little bit to straighten himself out before looking around. "What happened?"

"Mmmmmh, you happened, that's what!" Caulifla yelped. "I told you not to go charging straight on in!" Sometimes she felt like she was the only ones with brains between the two as she turned away crossing her arms. "I said, repeatedly, 'don't charge on in because the leader always has a trap on the top floor', but you didn't believe me." Once again, her logic based off of television was clearly on point.

And yet it left Goku with a perplexing question. "Well if that's true, then why'd you get caught in the trap?"

Caulifla opened her eyes at the remark, blushing a bit with her back still to him. "Well-! That was... um... because I wanted to help you out of it by falling for the same trap too!" And it was totally not because she got ahead of herself and completely forgot her own warning!

"That doesn't make any sense."

"IT MAKES PERFECT SENSE!"

"If you say so." Goku still didn't understand the flow of her logic, but she had been right at least two more times than him in all their travels together. He examined the barren room they fell in, noting the strange smell, the dirty brick walls and floors, and the weird speakers over the corner of the walls. "What is this place, anyway? It looks gross."

"Uhhh... I don't know." Eighter replied looking around. "I was told floor five was secret, and off limits."

"Hahahahha!" All three heads turned to the ceiling as they heard the cackling of the perpetrator who trapped them in here to begin with- General White. "Glad you could all drop by!"

"That pun was lame!"

"You're lame little girl!" The general barked before remembering he was arguing with a child. "Now listen carefully fools. That is if you ever want to climb out of this pit." Goku and Caulifla grumbled at the general, still hating him for hurting the nice village that saved them awhile ago. "Hand over that Dragon Ball, along with that nice little radar you have. I don't care who. Whoever does first, I'll be sure to set free, you have my word."

"Why would either of us trust a bad man like you?" Goku yelled back.

"You tried to hurt Suno and her mom, and took the village chief hostage!" Caulifla added.

The man's despicableness knew no bounds as he just laughed at the children throwing a tantrum. "Believe me, it's just business. But if that's how you feel, then I'll be glued to my monitor watching as you are reduced to nothing but a pile of little chicken bones that you put in soup." He could be heard laughing again as the doors to the ceiling were closed.

"Uh-oh, he closed the exit!" Goku stated, distraught that his power pole would be to no use at this point. "What did he mean by that, anyway?"

"I'm not sure, but why are you collecting Dragon Balls?" Eighter asked curious about the news. "Are you planning some bad wish?"

"Uh-uh. One of the balls belonged to my Grandpa. I'm trying to find it so I can keep it, to remember him by." Caulifla remembered his reasoning behind it, still having a nice bit of respect for the boy who cared so much about his family.

"It wouldn't matter if we did make a wish." Caulifla didn't care if Eighter knew her wish or not. "I'd just ask for money at most. But I wouldn't wish for something selfish or evil. Those kinds of people get on my nerves."

A warm smile spread across the seeming Frankenstein's monster as he heard this. There was a sincerity he could trust in the girl's voice. "That's a relief. I just knew you were good people."

"Of course. Cauli's always been a good person. Why do you think we hang out together?" Whether he was being genuine and forgetting how they first met, or considerate and didn't think she was a bad person even when they first met, Caulifla couldn't tell. All she could feel was the light blush of embarrassment on her face quickly fading in and out as Goku continued. "So how do we get out of this place? There's no other door or anything."

"Well it can't be the only exit, can it?" Caulifla wondered walking around. "If they built the room to begin with then they would've needed a way in and out, right? I bet there's a hidden switch of something around here!" Caulifla suggested confidently as she felt along the bricks.

*rumble*

*rumble*

As if to answer her prayers, thinking she had something to do with it, there was a low rumbling noise echoing through the room as the wall she felt against started to rise into the ceiling. Caulifla smiled with a satisfied grin as she gave a triumphant nod to her compatriots. "Ha! Told ya!" Once again, her TV logic bested the odds!

"..."

Caulifla was a patient 12-or-so year old, she could wait forever for their praise and applause.

"..."

Any moment now they were going to congratulate her again for a job well done.

"..."

Ok now they were really pushing her by testing her limits.

It took several more seconds before the young girl noticed their eyes weren't focused on her but rather the sight that behind her. More unsettling was how their view was pointed upwards a little bit rather than directly at her.

"...What?" Caulifla finally asked before turning around. And immediately wishing she hadn't.

She didn't know how to describe it in any word other than monster. Right behind her, barely a foot away, was a sight quite unlike anything Caulifla had experienced in the past, which quite a bit for the numerous wildlife and creatures she's seen. Standing on both its giant feet, Caulifla saw what appeared to be a massive blob of flesh staring down at her, some bizarre form of creature that was huge in size, height and girth. With a head that nearly touched the ceiling sporting two small antennas on it's head, was a chubby mound of pink that had it's arms curled against itself and just-as-chubby tail that could knock over a truck with a simple flick.

It was hideous, revolting, and currently drooling on top of Caulifla's head as it gazed towards its next potential meal.

"Eeeeeek!" Caulifla screamed, bolting from her spot and making a mad dash behind Eighter.

"Did you just shriek?" Goku asked with a laugh, never hearing the girl scream in fear like that before.

"N-No! I was just startled, that's all!" Caulifla yelled blushing for a third time now. She swore her head was going to pop if she ended up blushing anymore than this. She quickly regained her composure stepping out from behind Eighter as she shook the disgusting drool from her hair. "What is that thing?"

*Gaaaaaooooooooooooooo!*

"It's enormous!" Eighter yelped as the beast let out a tremendous roar that shook the entire room.

rr

"Ah-Ahhh..." Goku stared at the creature in amazement, partly afraid, partly curious, about the gelatinous creature that gazed at its next meal. Watching the creature, the three saw as it unfurled its massive green tongue from its mouth, scooping up the boney remains of a dead cow's skull and crunching down on it as if it was nothing. "M-Maybe it only eats bones?" Goku said trying to sound supportive as Eighter ran terrified towards the closest wall.

"We're all made of bones you ninny!" Caulifla yelled back, squeezing her fist as a means to calm down from the terrifying sight. She then noticed Eighter's terrified expression as she realized Goku was just trying to cheer him up. "Um... I mean... at least me and Goku are? I-I'm sure you'll be fine, Eighter!" She did her best to try and support her new friend for a change despite her lack of practice at it.

"Hahahahaha!" The room filled with the mocking laughter that was General White as the speakers picked up. "This is the end my little friends. Buyon there is going to eat you alive!"

"Oh yeah?" Goku wasn't afraid of this big slug! "He's big, but I can beat him!" As if sensing his words of challenge, the Buyon creature took a couple tentative steps towards its new prey, crushing debris and bones alike beneath its feet.

Their courage and support did nothing to falter Eighter's continued fear of the creature. "Oh, Goku!" He gulped. "I-I'm scared..."

"Don't worry, Eighter." Caulifla smiled back. "He might be big but that just makes him an easier target!" She punched her fist into her hand with confidence as she stepped forward.

"Yeah, and we've both fought tougher guys than him before!" It was almost exciting to the young boy as he prepared for battle.

"You poor saps." The General spoke into the mic again. He was smoking a small golden pipe as he watched through the monitors, already celebrating his upcoming victory. "You may be strong, but nothing will stop Buyon from satisfying his hunger!"

*Gaoooooo!*

Taking the first move, the hungry Buyon raised its tail and slapped upon the ground where the two kids once stood, Caulifla and Goku jumping out of the way in different directions. As Cauli landed on her feet, Goku made his own first move as he jumped from the approaching wall, using his momentum to kick off from it and launched straight at the Buyon's face with his fist. It was big and may be strong, but it was still a slow mound of fat when it came to it, and it could do nothing to react as Goku's fist sank right into his face.

"You got him!" Caulifla congratulated, surprised the fight was going to be over so soon as Goku landed again.

Goku smiled cheekily as he rubbed under his nose. "It was nothing. Big guys like that are always easy to take down."

"Heheheh, what are you celebrating for?" The two looked to the sky as White's voice spoke again. "The fight's only just started!"

"Huh?" The two looked back in confusion before realizing what he was getting at.

There, the Buyon just stood as its body shuffled a little, the creature grunting to itself until its face popped out like an inflating sponge. The creature acted like nothing ever happened as it continued to grin with its menacing green tongue hanging out from it's mouthwatering expression. "Hahahahaha!" The creature bellowed with the closest thing to laughter, mocking their futile attempt at taking it down.

"Wh-What?!" It didn't make any sense. Anything Goku punched in the face usually went down with ease! Or at the very least got incredibly angry. Laughter was a whole new ballpark to the young boy. "That punch didn't even faze him!"

"Step aside, Goku." Caulifla ordered as she walked ahead. "Let an expert show you how it's done~"

"Wow. Do you know any?"

"I meant me!" Ignoring the obvious or oblivious Goku, the young girl roared herself as she jumped straight at the Buyon's belly with her feet. If this thing didn't mind a punch to the face then a precise kick to its gullet definitely should do the trick! After all, with legs having three times the strength that arms had, not to mention her increased strength over Goku's, there was no way this thing was going to-!

*boingoingoingong*

"Mmmmh! Mmmmmmmph!" Was all Goku could hear of Caulifla's muffled cries.

The attempt was definitely a decent one but apparently worked a little too well and not at all somehow. As she expected, Caulifla delivered a mighty kick that sank right into the monster's stomach, the monster letting out a small yelp and sliding back a good inch, as Caulifla anticipated.

What she hadn't expected, however, was the end result: instead of toppling the beast like she planned, her entire body sank into the monster's belly like a spoon diving into a bowl full of jelly. On top of that, due to the vacuum of air the ongoing suction caused, Caulifla now found herself stuck within the monster's flab of flesh, unable to breath and with a stock of black hair being the only noticeable part of her sticking out, making it look like the creature had a hairy bellybutton going on.

"Hang on, Cauli!" Goku yelled so she could hear as he jumped to the creature's stomach. Grabbing onto her hair, the young boy gave a good tug against the creature's flabbiness until he managed to pry Caulifla loose, the sudden jolt of flab causing the young girl to shoot out like a bullet and causing both children to slam face first into the wall.

The creature laughed at the comedic sight as it mocked the young heroes. Caulifla and Goku were dazed as they slid down the musky interior, falling to their backs with a stamp of red temporarily marking their faces.

"Thanks..." Caulifla breathed heavily as the air flowed back into her lungs. "I think..." Between her face and her pride, she couldn't tell which hurt worse.

"Goku! Cauli! Are you two okay?" Eighter asked worriedly.

"Grrrr! What's with this guy?!" Goku grumbled trying to understand. "His body's so jiggly that everything we try just bounces right off of him!"

"He's cheating!" Caulifla complained rubbing her face. She wasn't against the idea of using underhanded tactics to win a fight, depending on the circumstances, but she still had the decency to fight her opponents on an equal footing.

"Ha-Haaaa! Now you get it!" White sneered watching the comedy unfold. "He's invincible! Nothing you pipsqueaks do to him will ever work!"

The sound of the general's voice was really starting to irritate the two. It wasn't enough he was getting amusement out of their inevitable defeat, he also had to mock them while doing it.

"Let's try going for the face at the same time!" Caulifla suggested. "I bet if we squish it from both sides, that'll show 'em!"

"Right!" Goku quickly nodded as the two charged at the same time.

The monster didn't seem bothered by their announced attack. Quite the opposite, actually. It took great delight at the sight of the two jumping into the air as a static of electricity began to form around it's antennas.

"Wait! Guys!" By the time Eighter noticed, it was already too late.

*Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt!*

"Gahhhhhhhhhh!" The two kids screamed in pain. Faster than they could blink, the two found themselves suddenly encased in an aura of pure electricity, several thousand volts traveling through their bodies as their hair stood up on ends. Both of them screamed as it circulated, their bodies smoking from the heat burning at them from every angle as their fingers twitched.

"What's happening?!" Eighter watched in horror as the two were struck, unable to lend a hand at their time of need. They were his new friends and he still couldn't bring himself to harm another creature, even for their sake.

It was impossible to tell who took greater enjoyment out of the children's screams between the general or the Buyon. The only thing they had in common right now was the fact they were both monsters. After what felt like years of grueling electrocution, the monster's energy depleted as the two heroes fell to the ground, side by side. Both of them were still twitching a little as the smoke rose from their bodies, a small trickle of electricity zipping between the two for several more seconds.

"Ah! Snap out of it!" The giant man checked on the two worriedly. "I need you two! Don't let him eat me!"

Goku was eventually the first to speak up as his tongue continued to dangle off the side of his mouth. "Is it warm in here...?" Every step he took felt like the static one would take after rubbing their feet against a rug and touching someone.

"Can someone call my auntie? I'm ready to go home now..." Caulifla stammered as she wobbled standing up, unaware of what she was saying.

Giving the weary children no time to rest, the Buyon's tongue shot from its mouth and made a mad sprint for the young Goku, wrapping around the boy from the neck down as it began to pull him in. Caulifla just managed to shake her head in time to regain her senses as she realized what was happening.

"Goku!" She quickly ran for the tongue and grabbed it, pulling it with all her strength as she tried to save the young friend. Even after Eighter attempted to join behind her, pulling the girl by her shoulders, all it managed to do was slow the upcoming consumption, scraping their feet against the ground as the three of them were pulled closer and closer towards its hungering maw.

"Heh, why bother resisting when you will all meet the same fate?" General White took another puff from his pipe as he watched. "Why not make things easier for yourselves and you can all join in Buyon's stomach together? Bahahahha!"

The young girl zoned out of the general's demeaning speech as she continued to pull with all her strength. There was no telling if Goku could survive the Buyon's stomach or not, and what would be the point? Either fighting it from outside or fighting it from within, none of their physical attacks seemed to work against the terrible creature even with the two of them together. And at the rate things were going, they were all about to be on the monster's menu.

Nearing the creature's massive gait, Caulifla finally grumbled to herself as she came up with the only solution. "If you want to eat something so bad, then how does this taste!"

*chomp!*

"Eeeeerup!"

*Aaaaaaaooooooooo!"

The monster screamed in pain as it finally released its hold over the young boy who finally came to his senses. The three of them fell back from the unexpected release as the poor Buyon retracted its tongue back into it's mouth. The poor creature whined as it rubbed its aching tongue in pain, having no defense over such a horrible attack! It never would've expected a move like this, much less one from a seemingly harmless girl.

The girl had grown desperate, unable to think of a way to stop the creature or find a way to pry Goku loose from it's green slimy protrusion. So, when push finally came to shove, Caulifla resorted to her primal instincts as she relied upon the one weapon hidden in her arsenal.

A mouth full of dentures, and a bite force that would've made an elephant cry, clamping down on its tongue.

"Blegh!" Caulifla spat as she wiped her tongue like the Buyon, out of disgust rather than pain. "It tasted like nothing but pure slime!"

"That was close..." The young boy slowly got to his feet at long last as he checked on his disgusted friend. "Thanks for the quick thinking."

"You owe me big time!"

"But I saved you earlier, so we're even."

"You didn't have to taste a mouthful of drool!"

"You little brats!" White shouted over the microphone. He was disgusted at watching the sickening display about as much as Caulifla was being forced to taste it. "Look what you did to my poor Buyon! What kind of monster bites another person's tongue like that?" It would've been humorous to listen to the whines of the poor Buyon at this point if the creature itself wasn't so revolting.

"He deserved it just like you do!"

*thud*

*Thud*

*THud*

The creature picked up its pace as it started stomping towards the young heroes, its face filled with anger as its injured tongue stuck out. It was going to show no mercy to the troublemakers that left a permanent bite mark on its tongue.

"What do we do now?" The monkey girl asked taking a step back. Looking around, she noticed how the creature's massive frame took up a majority of the room from side to side. There was no chance of getting around it, at least not for Eighter if it cornered them.

"Well..." Goku thought for a moment. "If our fists don't work, we could always go with plan B!" A grin immediately crossed Caulifla's face, feeling like forever since she got to use it.

"What's plan B?" Eighter asked curiously.

"Stand back, Eighter. We got this." Cauifla shooed away for his own protection. Doing as instructed, the two kids gave a nod to each other as they set their hands side by side, preparing for their ultimate technique.

"Kaaaaa..."

"Meeeee..."

"Hmm?" The general blinked in confusion at the strange chanting the kids were preparing. "What are you two doing?"

"Haaaaaa..."

A small sphere of light started to grow between the two combined fighters that caused the Buyon to stop in its own sense of confusion.

"Meeeeeeee..."

And then, they launched.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

**SHROOOOOOOOOOOM!**

With a battle cry, the two launched a massive energy of blue as a roaring wave of power burst from their combined hands, shooting across the room like a rocket and straight into the monster's stomach. Everyone watched in wonder, the villains more so with fear, as the immense beam of energy collided with the pink slob, pushing the monster back for the once as the monster's eyes bugged out.

"H-Hey! Stop! What are you doing?!" The general yelled, worried for the monster and himself, knowing he was defenseless if it was dealt with.

The two kids continued to pour all their energy into the combined blast as they gave it their all, channeling as much energy as their bodies could handle against the ferocious creature. Both of them were hungry at the start of the attack and were growing hungrier with every second they fired. But until they freed the mayor and the village from the Red Ribbon Army's grasp they refused to give up.

Whatever happened from this point would be in fates hands as the energy began to dwindle. The force they were exhibiting was enough to push a good distance into the monster's flabby belly, yet incapable of penetrating it as the room was enveloped by a white light that blinded everything. After nearly ten seconds of an endless barrage, the two felt their energy wane completely. By the time the Kamehameha wave came to an end, the results of their combined might finally spoke for itself.

"It didn't work?!" Goku was nothing less than shocked. Even with their combined Kamehameha, everything the two could share between each other, it still failed in the end. All it accomplished was the display of a massive ball of energy from the wave bouncing off the Buyon's tummy like everything else had, dissipating until it was a mere baseball in size. "But that's always worked before!" And, much like a baseball, shattered one of the small rectangular windows that lined the walls every few yards.

"Hahahaha!" He couldn't believe he was worried as the monster stood triumphant. "What's the matter little boy? No luck? I could be persuaded to give you another chance. Hand over the Dragon Ball and radar, and I promise to get you out of there. I'll even let you pick which of your friends will get to walk away with you."

"No deal!" It didn't matter to the young boy how many times he made the offer. The answer would always be the same. "I already told you! I'm not going to give you anything!"

"Grrr... Stubborn fool!" It's almost like the boy wanted to die at the hands of a murderous fiend. "Do as you wish. It makes no difference to me. You can't protect the ball when you're a pile of meat. I just hope you don't mind fighting the Buyon by yourself now."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Goku..." All that energy also managed to accomplish something else as Goku heard Caulifla's weary voice. The young girl was unable to stay on her feet as she suddenly collapsed onto her hands and knees, eyes half opened like she was struggling to stay awake.

"Cauli! Are you okay?" Eighter bent down to check on her as Goku asked.

"I'm... really hungry... Ooogh..." Goku had almost forgotten the one setback about Caulifla's Kamehameha compared to his. While it always sported more strength and size, it came at the cost of almost always leaving the girl temporarily powerless soon after, the amount of energy she dispersed always being outside of her control.

And that said nothing about the hunger it caused. While Goku shared a similar pain of hunger after each Kamehameha, Caulifla's left her stomach practically in the state of a blackhole. It would be near-endless for some time and take boatloads of food just to replenish her energies. Some would almost call Goku's appetite understandable compared to hers if one saw the two eat together.

That alone was a nightmare for anyone to think about.

"No more playing around, Buyon. Finish them!" General White instructed the insatiable creature. Buyon wasted no time as it marched towards its potential meal, wondering what little children plus android tasted like.

Goku stared down the creature as he stood in front of Caulifla, weighing his options. If it was difficult alone to keep Eighter safe then protecting him and Caulifla at the same time was going to be impossible. He could grab one of the two and potentially get around the creature, but with his stomach growling almost as much as Caulifla's, there was no way he would have the strength to keep them both safe, much less himself at this rate.

*What do I do...?* Goku took a stance as he prepared for any attack. He couldn't leave either's side given how active he was with the Tongue, and he couldn't just wait here for the thing to approach on its own. He had to find some form of weakness to exploit, anything in the room that could at least slow the creature down.

*swooooooosh*

"Huh?"

"Oooohoooohooo!" The creature started trembling as it hugged itself, actually taking a step back for once.

"What's wrong?" Blinking in confusion, Goku looked around the room to see what was causing the creature such discomfort. When he came upon the broken window, he stopped. "The window?"

"Goku..." Caulifla moaned, still paralyzed from the immense hunger. "The cold..."

"The cold? ... Wait a minute!" Goku spoke with a realization.

...

"A-Ah-Ahchoo!" Caulifla shook fiercely as she continued to huddle right next to the fire. No amount of blanket or fireplace seemed to warm the young girl up as a large wad of snot dripped from her nostril. "W-W-Why i-is it s-so c-c-c-cold around here?!" It should be illegal for the weather to feel like it was freezing you in a solid block of ice!

"Sorry, it's just the way things are up here." Suno laughed a bit as she pressed the blanket close along Caulifla's back.

"W-Wh-Why not m-m-move t-then? I-It's too c-cold!" She almost wished she was living back at her old home, the temperature was so horrendous!

"I wish I could, but a lot of people were born here, so we have too many memories attached to this place. Besides, the weathers not so bad when you get used to it."

"T-Th-That's a l-lie!"

Suno just laughed again, understanding the girl's frozen pain. After all, it was like the 30th time her village came across a traveler with the same complaint since she was born. "I'm just glad you're both okay." She smiled as she placed another blanket over the shivering girl, then to Goku on the rocking chair. "I didn't think we'd be able to thaw you out!" She pulled the cloth around him snug as she comforted the boy, making sure the blanket was wrapped nice and tight.

"H-How did we get here, anyway?" Goku sniffled, only shaking half as bad thanks to his earlier soaked-free condition.

"Me. I found you two stuck out there in the woods. You were frozen stiff!"

...

"That's it! I got an idea!" Goku announced proudly, thinking over and nodding to himself as the simple plan unfolded in his mind. "Yeah, I got it!"

"Just give up!" The General shouted angrily, getting annoyed with how long the charade was taking. "He's unbeatable!"

"He's beatable! Just wait and see!" Goku's plan was foolproof, he was sure of it! Scanning the room, he sprinted towards the closest outer wall available to him. With all the energy he could muster in his hungering condition, Goku pulled back his fist and slammed heavily against the rocky station, collapsing a massive hole in the wall as if it was nothing.

*WHOOOOOOOOOOOOSH*

In an instant, the room was filled with a massive gust of wind as the negative temperature air outside rushed within the tower, filling the room with a mighty chill. The entrance Goku had recently made was already forming with ice around its edges, it was so cold!

"Ha!" Goku's plan had worked flawlessly, and there wasn't a single thing he didn't consider!... Well except one he came to realize. "Ahhhhhhh! It's f-freezing in here!" He ran back, trying to find the warmest place he could think of.

Getting a bit of her energy back, Caulifla gave a small smile at the accomplishment. "Good job... Gok- huh? Acccckkkk!" The severe lack of energy suddenly found itself instantly restored as Caulifla braced against the mighty chill wafting through the room. It was amazing how possibly freezing to death could motivate someone to get back on their feet. "G-G-God that's c-c-col!"

As the two scampered around the room, Buyon felt the same affects of the chill, to a much worse degree. Being entirely naked along every inch of his body, and having one that was massive in girth as it was, Buyon was powerless to help himself as his stubby arms could do nothing to shield himself against the oncoming cold. Even his tongue that was still hanging out was already going numb to touch as the bitter chill encircled his body.

Meanwhile the two children ran for several more seconds before noticing Eighter's lack of reaction to their new misfortune.

"E-Eighter, ho-how can you st-stand t-t-t-this cold?!" Goku stuttered, wanting to know the secret behind the giant's warmth.

"Y-Y-You have to t-te-tell us!" Caulifla was prepared to give or do anything if it meant turning off the freezing wind surrounding them.

"Oh! I am not affected by temperatures at all." Eighter explained, shocking the duo.

"WHAT?!" The two shouted in unison.

"W-Well we're f-freezing over here! C-Can you keep us warm in your j-jacket?" Goku pleaded.

"Ladies first!" Caulifla yelped. She didn't even bother waiting for a response as she dove headfirst into it, followed by Goku. If there was a source of heat, she was going to dive right into it, not caring if it was her friend's jacket or even the belly of Buyon at this point.

"Wait for me!" Eighter could feel the two wriggling around the jacket, the both of them seeming to come to a stop as they reached his back.

"I-It's still freezing!" Caulifla complained to Goku, shivering as she spoke from within the large coat.

"At lea- At least it's warmer than out th-there!" He stuttered.

"I-If we s-s-survive this, we are n-ne-never coming back here!"

"Agreed!" The two spoke about anything they could to ignore the frost nibbing at their skin. "D-Do you have a-any other i-ideas to stay w-w-warm?""

Caulifla shivered for a small bit before she could reply. "I h-heard that people w-would sp-spoon in a time of c-crisis like this!"

"..." Goku just stared at her. "What does silverware have to do with anything?"

"I don't know, but make sure we bring more spoons the next time we go anywhere cold!"

The two continued to shake as the cold sat upon them. Even Eighter was starting to feel a light stiffness in his joints, even though the temperature itself did nothing to slow him down. The same couldn't be said for the Buyon who had icicles beginning to over across the corners of his body. It was actually a marvel the Buyon hadn't died already given the immense drop in heat. Between it and the children, it was anyone's guess who was currently colder.

In the meantime, Caulifla peeked at Goku as the two continued to shake. She couldn't tell if she was about to die now, nor if she was just exaggerating given the circumstances, but if she was about to meet her fate, then she needed to say something.

"Goku..." She sniffled, waiting for Goku to perk an eye open. "T-There's something I n-need to tell you..."

"Y-Yeah?" He wondered what could be so important at a time like this.

Through all their time together and all that they've been through, she needed to get this off her chest here and now. If anyone did, Goku deserved to hear her precious words the most. "I-If w-w-we're about to d-die, then I want you to kn-know... I'm the o-one who ate your leftovers in R-Roshi's fridge!"

"Huh! I knew it!" Goku gasped. How could he ever be betrayed by such a close friend?! "I knew Krillin didn't eat it! I should've suspected something was off when you said he said the smell was too good to resist! He doesn't even have a nose!"

"I'm sorry, I was starving! I was practicing the technique and went overboard! I was powerless to resist, they were the only things in the fridge that could fill me up!"

"You owe me my 80 Sandwiches when this is over! That was my snack!"

"Hey, guys?" Eighter finally spoke up.

"WHAT!?" They both shouted back simultaneously, popping their heads out on each side of Eighter's and looking like a 3-headed giant.

The two didn't need an explanation as they saw the giant monster in front of them. The pink hue that once shrouded the entire creature had drained to a darkish, sickly, blue color that covered every surface of the pink blob, save for its eyes. Icicles were already forming at the corners of its stubby arms and it showed little to no signs of movement as it remained literally frozen in place. The frustration that was building up over the two instantly vanished as they both grinned, pleased to see a pleasant turn out for a change.

"That's more like it!" Caulifla cheered as the two of them vacated the warm jacket. Side by side, the two raced for the previously-pink giant as they delivered a firm, this time, solid kick to the beast's stomach. Instead of sinking in like before, the two finally managed to deal a decisive blow as two cracks formed along the chest of where they struck. Just as quickly as they accomplished this did the two start shaking from the intense chill once again, racing even faster back into the confines of Eighter's clothing.

"No way!" General White was outraged at the spectacle. He watched helplessly through his camera as the two kids did the unthinkable. "You children are monsters!" From the small cracks both children had formed, a sizeable trail of lines started to spread in every direction around the trembling Buyon. There was nothing it could do, no power to resist the oncoming death that awaited him. All it could do was watch helplessly for what manner of life it had left before the cracks formed over its entire body, and began shattering the colossal creature until it was no more than a pile of frozen slab.

The Buyon had been defeated.

"Yaaaaay!" All 3 cheered in victory, happily celebrating their immense victory.

"Nooooooo!" Now, the General was all alone, and he was soon about to meet his match.

Finally, Caulifla, Eighter, and Goku could rest easy, feeling relaxed for the first time since they entered this dreaded tower. There was just one piece of unfinished business Caulifla had to address as she raised an eye to her friend.

"By the way, what do you mean 80? I only ate 70!"

"Oh... I guess Krillin had some after all..."

...

...

Don't stop, don't stop, we're in luck now
Don't stop, there's so much to be found
We can find paradise, all we have to do is go, go
Free your soul

Mysteries abound, made of a deep energy (Energy)
Foes all around, but I will go fearless and free
I'll give you strength, you give me love
That's how we live (That's how we live)
Our courage won't fade if you're with me
My enemies will never win
We will fight for love and glory
We will live to tell the story
There is nothing we can't live through, nothing ever dies
We will rise again

Don't stop, don't stop, we're in luck now
Don't stop, keep your spirit proud
And ride upon the wind, all we have to do is go
Don't stop, don't stop, we're in luck now
Don't stop, there's so much to be found
We can find paradise, all we have to do is go, go
Free your soul

~Dragon Soul~

...

...

Last Time on Dragon Ball Z...

The Saiyan Raditz proved a formidable threat as Goku, Caulifla, and Piccolo were clearly outmatched, even with their combined power. After a startling hidden strength that saved her mother's life, Goku was forced to make the ultimate sacrifice to save Gohna. While their victory was obtained, it was short lived as they were informed of the time until the coming Saiyan threat, and their immense strength.

One full Year.

Now, our weary and withered warriors will need to find a strength to combat this new threat, before all is lost, and Goku's sacrifice will have been in vain...

*chrip-chirp-chirp*

The sky was just as sunny as it was an over ago as the birds flew over the Son Family household. Within it's safe and clean walls sat Chichi at the table, smiling to herself with a hum as she continued sewing Goku's and Caulifla's clothing, wondering what sort of fun the three were getting up to.

I bet those three are having the time of their lives right now at Master Roshi's. She thought to herself. I do hope Gohna's getting along with everybody. And hopefully Cauli can restrain herself from too much excitement... For all their sakes, including Chichi's heart, they better not be up to anything dangerous. She couldn't imagine if something terrible happened to her goddaughter. She knew her parents cared deeply for the girl as much as Chichi herself, but it didn't make the situation any less worrisome when the parents almost seemed less mature than Gohna herself!

Actually... now that she thought about it... the fact Gohna was more mature than most children, perhaps she would be alright. Sure, she got into the occasional mischief here and there growing up, like typical drawing on the walls and trying to break a chair one time to be "as strong as mommy and daddy", but outside of that, she was almost never a troublemaker. If anything Chichi found herself cleaning up whatever destruction or ruin her parents caused around the house more than hers.

What am I worried about? She smiled as she resumed the sewing. She's a smart girl, and Cauli's surprisingly protective of her. It almost seemed silly to her now that she used to fear the possibility of anything happening to the three on their outing. After all, this was the family that defeated King Piccolo. If they could handle that guy, there wasn't a single thing capable of standing in their way. She would be perfectly fine!

...Just as long as Cauli wasn't overeager and tried to train her during their outing. It took Chichi several hours and a beef dinner to convince her not to.

"I wish I could've gone with them..." She commented as she stared at Goku's old house. The idea that he entrusted her with the house that he and his grandpa grew up in went to show the amount of care and respect he had for her.

*whirrrrrrrrrrr*

"Goooooooohnaaaaaaaa!" A familiar voice called from outside as the sound of machinery went off. It brought a laugh and smile to the woman's face as she quickly rushed outside at her surprise guest.

"Dad!" She greeted warmly as he excited the car. Like always, the loveable godfather of the girl had his arms filled with presents and treats galore, like the stuffed unicorn in his left arm. "You're back!"

"Hello there, Chichi!" The Ox King chuckled. "I brought a few things for Gohna!" These were the moments Chichi truly wished Gohna was her child. She could only imagine how happy her father would be at being her grandpa if this was how happy he was being her godfather. "Goooohnaaaa, your favorite godfather's heeeere! Come out and see all the new toys you have!"

"Hahaha, oh dad..." Chichi shook her head with a wide smile, incapable of stopping her father from spoiling his favorite kid. From day to night, summer and winter, her dad always made sure the family had whatever it needed, and that his favorite child was always happy.

It was a bizarre life they had but one that Chichi was happy to be a part of. She could hardly wait to see Gohna's face when she saw her godfather again...

...

...

"Goku!" Krillin cried out again, trying to shake the man awake. "GOKUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

The air was still heavy among the plains as the heroes were still reeling from the results of the battle. To think, the day began with one of the best gatherings ever held between friends, and now, one of those friends lied dead, the other barely hanging on by a thread, and out of the three, the dreaded Piccolo was left standing. If there was any consolation to the endeavor that transpired, it was that Raditz lied died among the four, having been defeated with the combined efforts of Goku, Caulifla, and Piccolo, at the ultimate price.

"Goku, come on! You can't be dead!" Krillin never thought he'd see the day, not like this. His friend was supposed to be unstoppable, and now he was nothing more than a corpse that continued to grow colder. "Come on, wake up!"

"Goku..." Roshi didn't know what to say as he lowered his head. One of his best students, and closest allies, lied dead at his feet. The poor lad never deserved such a fate, not a man as noble and inspiring as him.

"Goku's gone... I can't believe our Goku is actually gone..." Tears formed in the corners of Bulma's eyes as she trembled, trying to keep herself from bawling her eyes out as she held the young Gohna.

"S-Shut up, he's not gone!" Blonde Launch yelled angrily, wiping away her tears as Caulifla's head rested in her lap. "We're gonna bring him back with the Dragon Balls, so q-quit making a scene!" She wanted more than anything to stop the depression rising within the air. After all, he was just as much a friend to her as the rest of these nitwits. And every sniff and a sob she heard added fuel to the dreary fire that was her sadness.

"Goku... Goku..." Krillin squeezed his eyes as he gritted his teeth. His rival. His training partner. His friend. He lost all three of them at the same time. The two were practically brothers of war in their own right, unlike the vile brother that took his.

*shiiiiiim*

"Ah!" Everyone was caught off guard at the sight of the Goku's body fading from existence. Where there was a corpse now laid a small puddle of dried blood, one still marking what remained of the old fighter.

"He disappeared!" Roshi rubbed his eyes wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him out of the severe trauma.

"Figures..." Piccolo grinned looking away. "This is Kami's doing." The others looked to him in shock, never knowing about this supposed hidden ability Kami had. Then again, it wasn't like the Earth's Guardian was a phone call away to ask him how his life was. "I can't think of anyone else capable of doing such a thing. He's probably come up with some sort meddling plan, just like always..." The green man walked away agitated, recalling several other times he interfered with his desires like the Tournament and such.

"I wonder what he's up to..." Krillin walked away as he regained a bit of his composure at a time. He couldn't bear to look over the red remains of his friend as he walked over to the sleeping Gohna.

"Well, if Goku isn't safe with the Guardian of Earth, he's not safe anywhere..." Roshi resolved stroking his beard. On top of that, he was also in the afterlife. How much safer could one get when they were already dead?

Checking over the slumbering girl, still trying to piece together how they were going to tell her when she woke up, Krillin removed the Dragon Ball necklace she was wearing as he examined the Four Star Ball. "All the same, we need to start gathering up the other six Dragon Balls so we can wish Goku back to life right away."

"Yeah..." The tears finally dried from the scientists tears as she stood up. "But we're going to need all the help we can get. And of course, Yamcha's running about who knows where."

"Well you're the one who chased him off..." Krillin muttered under his breath.

"Say that reminds me, I've been curious about something." Given her expression one would think she had completely forgotten about the recent death of her close friend. "How did Goku's brother manage to track him down so quickly?"

"With that device he's wearing, attached to his face." Piccolo answered as he put his weighted equipment back on. "Apparently it reads 'power levels' and tracks their locations."

Is that so? Bulma grew curious at the detail as she handed the sleeping child off to Roshi. "Come here, Krillin."

"Yeah...?" Krillin followed behind the young woman as she approached the body, but not before placing the necklace back on top of Gohna.

The two stared intently at the fallen Raditz, the hairs on their skin rising as they felt like he could leap out at them at any moment, even from death. "Ok... Now see if you can get that thing off his face for me."

"Huh?!" She was crazy right? She wanted him to remove scouter from a dead man's body? The man responsible, indirectly or otherwise, for Goku's death?! "Y-Yeah, sure, whatever..." He gulped, figuring it would be better to do it and get it over with like ripping off a band-aid. "But if he so much as twitches, I'm out of here."

This felt wrong. Whether the guy was alive or dead, this just felt wrong. Every touch of the man's skin as Krillin fumbled with the removal sent shivers down his spine. If he truly came back to life like he expected, he was absolutely going to pin the blame on Bulma and say it was her idea.

Luckily that possible dilemma never happened as he managed to pry it from he man's corpse. Handing it to Bulma, the scientist examined it as she tweaked with the buttons on the side, getting an immediate reaction that displayed weird symbols and numbers to her. "Hmm..." She dug through her pocket as she pulled out a small red square multipurpose tool. Fiddling with the side, Krillin watched as she managed to unscrew the cover, revealing a circuitry that was still active. "Huh... well that's good. It looks like it's still got power, at least." She poked at one of the many small pieces of circuitry.

"Wow, this is some cutting edge stuff!" It was a true marvel to Bulma as she examined every inch of it. So much of this thing was beyond her years, with possible schematics and data filling her head about how such a craft was put together. "It's a little banged up, but I think I may be able to do something with it."

Krillin was more impressed than usual. Bulma was an impressive person as is, so when she did something that really made her shine, it was saying a lot. "You really think so? That's awesome, Bulma!"

"Well, I haven't actually fixed it yet. I'll need some time to figure it out first. But if I can get it working, we can use it to find Yamcha, and Tien, and all the others-!"

"NO! Not Tien!" The two looked back at Launch's sudden outburst. "You can find anybody you want with that hunk of junk but you are NOT bringing Tien with us!"

The two were rather surprised by the sudden shouting from the blonde friend. Bulma and Krillin looked at each other bewildered at the outburst before Bulma spoke again. "Why not Tien?" She didn't get an immediate response like she was hoping. Instead, all she got was Blonde blushing to herself as she looked away.

"I... I have my reasons..." It was hard to tell what was going on between the two.

Thanks to Caulifla's insistence in the past, the two had started dating, and were actually getting along pretty well. There were a few hiccups here and there along the way, especially when it came to breaking the blonde version of Launch out of her old habits, but they managed to maintain a semi-stable relationship for a few good years after the tournament.

However, that all changed one fateful day when Launch showed up at Roshi's out of the blue, and and that doesn't mean her hair. Nobody knows what exactly happened or why Launch had tears streaming down her face. She never explained her sudden behavior or why she broke up with Tien so suddenly. Some of them almost wondered if Tien had been killed until he called over the phone a few weeks later. All they knew was what since that day, they had seen very little to nothing of Tien, and whenever a conversation was brought up involving him, a large streak of red would cover Launch's face before threatening to gun down anyone who didn't shut up about it.

Or cry her eyes out until people agreed to stop talking about it in the case of the blue Launch.

"...Ough..." Roshi let out a forced cough, trying to break the silence. "In any case, I think we should head back home. You can work there after dropping off Caulifla at Kami's."

"Oh, right, I almost forgot." The blue eyed blue hair genius glanced over at the resting mother. In some cases, she had it worse compared to Goku since she was still living and suffering from her injuries. She saw how Cauli's fingers jerked every now and then when she winced in her sleep, clearly in pain from the heated battle. "Poor girl. I hope Kami's back by the time we get there."

"Do you know where it is though? I think I remember Goku saying it was above Korin's tower, but that's not much to go by. I never once saw some lookout like that and I was training at Korin's for 3 long years!"

"I can get you there." Launch announced. "Cauli took me there once before, I know where it is." Technically, she tricked Cauli into taking her there after getting the impression someone named "Kami" would have all sorts of valuables to steal from, but they didn't need to know that part.

Or how she was thoroughly chased off the lookout by a Mr. Popo soon after.

"In that case, I'll start looking for the Dragon Balls." Krillin decided as the group's strategy meeting came to an end. "Cauli said they already had two of the others so by the time I grab them and get back to Roshi's-"

"-we should be back from the Lookout with the Dragon Radar ready." Bulmia finished with a nod, proving they were in synch with the plan.

"What are your plans in the meantime, Piccolo?" Roshi's question would go unanswered as several pairs of curious eyes watched the green demon grabbing his own arm. "Picco-"

*riiiiiiiiiiiiiiip"

"Gahhhhhhh!" Everyone screamed in horror at the sight they witnessed, unaware that it was only half the terror they were going to see.

"HaaaaaaaaaH!"

*CRINCH*

It was quite fortunate Bulma didn't have any food from Roshi's yet, or she would've lost her entire lunch in the process just now. For whatever ungodly reason, the four of them all bore witnessed as the last remaining ally suddenly ripped off his own left arm, and immediately regenerated a new one in it's place. He tossed away the torn arm like it was nothing, uncaring about where it would end up or the simple matter he did it in the first place.

To him, it was no different than tossing away a paper plate.

"What the heck's wrong with you?!" Even Launch was at a loss for words. Admittedly, she found it slightly awesome, but that didn't diminish the overall grossness that took place.

"That Raditz crushed every bone in my wrist while we were fighting." Piccolo replied, cracking his new wrist a little to even out the small cricks he felt. "I can regenerate a great extent of my body including bones, but they take longer in the process. It's a lot faster just replacing it."

"Just like a lizard's tail..." Krillin gulped, barely keeping down his own lunch he had before Bulma showed up.

"You should start looking for the Dragon Balls immediately." He instructed rubbing his new arm. "Wherever Goku is now, he'll still need you to wish him back to life. But..." The demon eyed the young child in Bulma's arms. "You can leave their daughter with me. I'll be taking her from here."

Everyone stared frozen for a few seconds as if Piccolo was speaking an entirely new language. By the time anyone did register it and had something to say, it was Launch. "W-Wai- Wha? Excuse me?!" She misheard him, right? All four of them clearly misheard his demands.

"What are you going to do with her?" Bulma couldn't tell if she as more fearful for her own life or Gohna's at the moment, just that she was afraid in general.

"How powerful that girl becomes depends almost entirely on whether or not she receives the proper training." He stated firmly. "One year from now, two more Saiyans will arrive on Earth. When that day comes, we'll need Gohna and Caulifla to be ready. Along with Goku, they're the only chance we'll have at stopping them. There is little time and much for her to learn. So for the next year, she's with me."

"Whoa, you're really serious, aren't you?" Krillin never prayed so hard in his life that for once Piccolo had a sense of humor. It was way darker than the average joke, but he would accept it if it was the reason.

"A whole year? Don't you need a parent's permission for something like that?" Bulma chuckled nervously, hoping for the same prayer.

"W-Well, let's see..." Roshi stuttered. "Goku's gone, but I guess we could ask Cauli when she wakes up-"

"Look! I don't have time for this nonsense!" Piccolo shouted, clearly incapable of humor like they hoped. "I'm not asking for yours or their permission! I'm taking the girl with me, by force if I have to!"

"The hell you will!" Launch yelled angrily as she stood, SMG at the ready. She didn't care if he could easily topple her in the blink of an eye! There was no way in this world or the next that she was gonna let some A-Hole try to steal Cauli's kid and-!

*Achoo!*

"Ughhh..." The disorientation came like it always did followed by the sneeze. In part thanks to the simple breeze of dust in the air that happened to pass by, the young woman's ravenous, courageous, and wicked side found itself replaced by the gentle, caring, and nurturing side that was the other personality of Launch. Which also happened to come with a sporty blue hair color. "Oh my..." Launch blinked looking around, having little to no idea of what transpired within the last few hours. "What happened he- Cauli!" She knelt down worriedly to the battered mother. "Are you okay?"

Of all the times I would've enjoyed seeing Launch go postal... Krillin moaned in his mind.

"Hmph..." That was the one bit out of this ordeal to get a grin out of the green menace. With no one else refusing him, or capable of doing so, Piccolo lifted a finger as he telekinetically raised the girl out of Roshi's arms, levitating her over for him to scoop into his arm.

"Once the year is up and her training is complete I'll bring her back, but not a day before." Everyone else was still baffled this was actually happening. All they could do is stare in shock and silence. "When you wish Goku back to life, tell him he can look forward to seeing his daughter again when he returns." He eyed the injured mother behind him that was still unconscious. "And tell her she doesn't need to worry about Gohna."

"Tell the overprotective mother that a demon kidnapped her daughter and not to worry..." Master Roshi couldn't tell how to begin that explanation, already having a look at her protectiveness firsthand when Raditz appeared. "I don't see that going wrong..."

Without another word, the group watched as Piccolo levitated high into the air, taking off at high speeds like a jet into the distance. None of them could keep track of Piccolo's movement as he did, unable to discern which direction he was heading for as his muscular frame slowly shrank to a tiny dot in the distance, then nothing at all.

"Whoa... This is really bad, isn't it..." Somehow the day continued to get worse for Bulma as time went on. First they get invaded by a single alien, a child of their two best friends gets kidnapped, one of the parents get killed, and then the same child gets kidnapped again by a demon this time. It was like a bad video game that gets harder every time you lose!

"Gohna's gonna die." Krillin could tell he was going to die painfully if Caulifla found out he was too powerless to stop it. "Or worse, she's gonna turn out like Piccolo!"

"Bulma!" The distraught faces turned to the nearly weeping Launch as she continued to cradle Caulifla's head in her lap. "What's going on?!" It was impossible to tell what was going on, given that the other Launch didn't have the time to write in their Memory Journal, and a possibly-dying Caulifla was lying injured on the ground.

"It's... a long story." Bulma rushed over, checking on Caulifla's condition as she explained the situation to the Blue Launch.

Master Roshi and Krillin could only talk amongst themselves as they tried to think of what to do. This situation, however you looked at it, was terrible. One of their friends died, a child was still kidnapped, and another friend was bleeding, possibly internally as well. None of them could tell where to begin with their dilemma other than getting Caulifla to the Lookout as soon as possible. All they knew was that the Earth was in ever-present danger, and their hope for Humanity currently lied dead...

...

...

"And that is why this young man stands before you today." Kami explained as he stood at Goku's side.

The afterlife was a lot more orderly than Goku had anticipated when he first arrived here. As opposed to going to Heaven or Hell right from the start depending on one's actions, there was an actual line to follow that lead up to the massive building he currently stood in. From the back of the line to the interior, there was a near endless stream of souls and spirits, all of which looked like ghostly white clouds, all waiting patiently for their sentence from King Yemma, the ruler of the afterlife. The one thing he took note of, as he found out later, was that he was one of the few people with an actual body, not some disembodied spirit like the rest.

The king himself was surprising in stature as the building was in its size. The large red man loomed over a desk that made the average person look like an ant in comparison. With blood red skin, massive horns, and a rather snazzy purple suit, the great King Yemma ruled over all souls that came in, judging their worth based on the info found in his little notebook. And right now, the King was the only one who could decide whether or not to go along with Kami's unorthodox plan.

"To make this one request." He continued, placing a proud hand on the curious Goku's shoulder. "All he asks is to be trained. On his behalf, I beg you to allow him to call upon King Kai for guidance."

"Hmm..." The king contemplated as he tapped a pencil to his cheek, reading his little book. "Goku, huh? I'm looking at his file and it's certainly impressive... So let me get this straight. Even though this friend of yours is a shoe-in to get into Heaven, he still wants to risk Snake Way just to meet King Kai for training?"

"Yes sir. As soon as possible, if you'll allow it."

"Hey... So this is the place everybody comes when they die, isn't it?" Goku asked, still trying to understand the whole process.

"That's right." His friend nodded.

"Aliens, too?"

"Yes. Every living being, human or not, comes here to be judged and learn where they will spend their afterlife." It was charming to Kami when the young man he knew as a boy wanted to broaden his horizon and knowledge.

"Yo! Did a big guy named Raditz show up here a little before us?"

"Hmm...?"

"Goku! You do not address King Yemma with a "Yo"!" And at other times, it was a total nightmare to deal with for Kami.

"Yeah, I know him..." The king flipped through his pages a short ways back as he found his file. "Says here he's your older brother. Is that true?"

"Well, I don't know myself, but I guess." While he didn't have any way to prove he was who he claimed to be, Goku did sense a similar thrill of battle that he shared coming off the young man. "Did he give you any trouble?"

"Actually... I've been meaning to talk to you about that."

"What? Did he do something? I don't mind fixing it if it's not too boring."

"Goku, please speak with the King with more respect!" Kami's heart raced with every word Goku uttered. The young man truly had no idea how powerful the great King Yemma was.

Kami was almost envious of him for that...

"No, no, nothing of the sort. Quite the opposite actually." The giant king turned his head as he looked to the foot of his desk. "You can come out now."

"Huh?" Goku's brow had risen as he followed his gaze to the foot of Yemma's table. Coming out from his covering, much to Goku and Kami's shock, was the very man himself responsible for Goku being in the afterlife in the first place. "Raditz?!" He screeched.

Raditz himself didn't look any more amused than the last time they met, crossing his arms with that demeaning look in his eyes. He pretty much looked the same as he did on Earth, except for the missing scouter. Raditz couldn't bring himself to look at Goku, though, Goku couldn't tell if it was out of disdain, or something else. "Hello... Kakarot..." He greeted, almost sounding like he was spewing poison just trying to greet him.

"Wow! I guess you really are here too, huh?" It bothered Raditz more to see the look of casualness on Goku's face, for some reason the younger brother giving a common smile as he waved to his older sibling. "What've you been up to?"

He's joking, right? Raditz couldn't comprehend Goku's behavior or reason for it. Did he completely forget who he was, or what happened on Earth a few hours ago?

"King Yemma, with all do respect, I must know what is the meaning of this." Kami requested. While he wasn't as knowledgeable about the afterlife compared to the great king himself, there was no reason to let a man actually capable of destroying the planet wander around here.

"I simply wish to talk, nothing more." Raditz stated, turning his head away.

"Raditz has agreed to his sentencing peacefully on the condition he could speak with this Goku one more time." King Yemma explained. "He said it was urgent news that would determine the entire planet's fate if it went unsaid."

"Wait- for real?!" Goku nearly jumped at the news. To go from kidnapping and nearly killing him to wanting to talk to Goku about how to save the planet seemed very farfetched, even for Goku's crazy antics from time to time. "Are you gonna help us deal with the Saiyans?"

"Tch, something like that." Raditz lowered his arms as started walking towards one of the large doorways on the left. "Follow me. I wanna talk in private." Which felt redundant to say since Yemma could hear everything from within his palace.

"Oh... ok." Never before has Goku been interested in a possible conversation with someone he's never met before. Not counting Earth, of course.

"Now Raditz, don't wander off too far." King Yemma instructed. "Remember-"

"I know, I know." Raditz rolled his eyes like a disobedient child. "What would be the point in running away anyway? There's nowhere else to go..."

The great King Yemma and Kami watched as the two left the large room, continuing their walk until they stood over the side of Snake Way. To many it might seem like a large distance, but to a giant king like Yemma, he could easily walk over to the two within a couple steps if he needed to intervene for some reason. As for Kami, he had his own set of questions going on in his mind. About the Saiyans, about the fate of their world. And just what it was Raditz was up to...?

...

"So? What'd you wanna talk about?" Goku wondered, deciding to break the ice as Raditz continued to stare over the clouds off the path of Snake Way. The man didn't say a single thing for a full minute as if processing something deeply. If he wanted to talk about something, the empty silence wasn't the way to do it.

"... What's your plan?" He finally asked, confusing the younger brother more.

"Huh?"

"Your plan!" Raditz angrily shouted, unwilling to play games at a time like this. "For the Saiyans! What do you plan to do about them? You mentioned some sort of Dragon Balls before we both perished, remember?"

"Oh, those?" Goku looked up in contemplation as he ran through the steps in his own head. "Well, for starters, I was gonna get revived sooner, but Kami insisted that I get some training from King Kai instead."

"Who?"

"I dunno." Goku shrugged. "But Kami said he's a lot more powerful than King Yemma could ever be."

"He said what!?"

"I don't know what he's talking about!" The two brothers looked back into the building as they heard the shouting from King Yemma and Kami, confused and unaware of the superior hearing the two god-like entities held.

"... So, yeah. First I'll get the training I need within the year, get resurrected with the Dragon Balls, then race back here for Kami to bring me back to Earth."

"Why don't you just wish for the Dragon Ball things to simply kill the Saiyans instead?" Raditz questioned, still not fully grasping the limits of the Dragon Balls.

"Well we could try, but Kami said the dragon might not be able to if the Saiyans were more powerful than him."

"Oh..." Raditz looked down to the clouds again rather troubled by the news.

Goku scratched at his head as he continued to try and understand the reason for Raditz's discussion here. This was the same man who kidnapped his daughter and now he wanted to have a conversation about the impending invasion he tried to warn them about. Just what was he planning? "What's with all the questions, anyway? Why did you want to talk to me?"

Raditz remained silent again as he squeezed his fist. Looking into the eyes, Goku could see a lack of hatred he once wore when speaking to his brother. Now, it seemed disheartened, almost lost. "...Kakarot." Goku's ears perked at his Saiyan name being called out. "I'm going to give you a single piece of advice, just this once." Now that would definitely be a surprise on Goku's end, getting advice from his big brother for the first and only time in his life.

The little excitement that transpired at the announcement quickly drained as Raditz glared back to him. "Run."

"Huh?" Goku was rather puzzled by the sudden advice. He couldn't mean here in the afterlife, could he? He was already dead, what could he worry about?

"When you get to Earth, take your family, your friends, whoever, and run. Get off planet. Find somewhere new to start a new life, and stay there." Goku was taken back by the sudden news and the fact Raditz immediately turned to walk inside again.

"Wait, that's it?" Goku asked, stopping Raditz in his tracks. "What kind of strategy is that?"

"It's not a strategy, it's a retreat." There was a firm sternness in his tone.

"Then what about that whole thing about the "fate of the world" and all that?"

"That was nothing more than a lie to get the red menace to let me speak with you."

"RADIIIIITZ!" The whole palace shook as King Yemma's voice boomed across the afterlife. Raditz just grinned to himself, knowing that was definitely going to affect his judgement.

But he didn't care. Why would a man who knew he was already destined for Hell?

"You have no idea what you're up against, Kakarot. Those two Saiyans are nothing like you've ever met. They're ruthless, cunning, and care for nothing save their pride. And that doesn't even touch the surface of Vegeta."

"Vegeta, huh?" Goku smiled with excitement at the very idea. "He sounds strong! I can hardly wait to fight him- Wah!" He jerked as he Raditz suddenly grabbed him by the gi, lifting him up to his face.

"Did you ignore every word I just said?! Under no circumstances are you to fight Vegeta! No amount of training within the year will prepare you for him!"

"Well how do you know unless you actually try? I mean you were stronger than us and we beat you." Goku shrugged, taking Raditz back for a moment. His brow twitched but he decided to ignore the minor comment just this once.

"My power level is nothing compared to Vegeta's! I could throw a hundred of myself at him and we'd be lucky to so much as scratch him! Do you even understand what's at stake here?"

"Yeah, my family and my home." For once, Goku's mood shifted with a stern look in his own eyes. "That's why I can't afford to just run and hide. I'd rather stay and fight with everything I have!"

"... " Raditz lowered his brother back to his feet. "You're serious? You actually think you stand a chance against him, don't you?"

"I don't know, but it beats just running. Even if I did, there's no guarantee he wouldn't find me anyway, is there?" He wasn't just foolishly brave, but he also had a wisdom to his words.

While Raditz wouldn't be able to do anything to tell Vegeta of Goku's whereabouts, not that he would at this point, there's no telling if Vegeta would find another means of tracking Goku to another planet. And what would he do then?

"If I don't stop him when he arrives, there might never be another chance." And like before, his serious expression changed to the usual cheeky grin he always had. "And besides, Cauli would kill me if we just turned around and ran. Hahaha!" Remarkable was still the only word that came to mind.

Remarkable.

Wise.

And an idiot.

That was the only way Raditz could describe his brother right now. Despite being so young, so far from acting the way his Saiyan bloodline should be telling him, Goku was an abnormality in almost every way. He didn't have any fear over the potential threat an opponent like Vegeta had, he was smart enough to see the bigger picture than just the end of the year, and he was stupid enough to believe he actually stood a chance against Vegeta. Was he truly an idiot like he appeared, or was Goku's bravery much higher than anyone could anticipate? That even Raditz could only dream of reaching.

Still, despite all these features, there was one genuine trait he still carried that left Raditz a little proud: his desire to fight. The driving force behind nearly every Saiyan born, and of those that few remain. To denounce the urge to fight was basically lose all sense of purpose in life for a Saiyan, and Goku clearly held that in high regard.

It almost impressed Raditz in some way.

"So that's your final answer, then?" Raditz turned to the clouds again as he asked.

"Mhhm." He nodded. "Thanks for the heads up, but there's no way I'm planning to miss this fight."

"I see... so be it then." If he foolishly wanted to die, then there was nothing else for it, he supposed. "Then if you truly think you have a chance, then you need to train with everything you have. Including your mate."

Goku blinked. "My what?"

"Your wife! Caulifla or whatever you call her!" He yelled sharply. "A Saiyan grows stronger not just from training but from surviving to the edge of defeat. What I did to her will leave her stronger if she survived, but she'll need rigorous training if she even wants to last a few minutes against someone like Vegeta, or Nappa for that matter."

"Who's Nappa?"

"The one Saiyan who's stood by Vegeta's side since he was a child. And even his power is incomparable to someone like Vegeta's." Raditz shook his head as he felt them getting off track. "If you want to save the Earth and your family, you'll both need to push yourselves to the limit, and that's to have the faintest chances of winning." With this, Raditz finally turned his head back in the direction of the giant office-like room. "That's all the advice I can give you. From here on out, you're on your own." And without another word, he marched.

"Advice?" He was giving him advice? Not that it wasn't helpful, but the entire fact it was helpful was unlike the man who tormented his family a few hours ago. "Hey, wait! What are you doing? Why are you telling me all this? Did you change your mind about us or-?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself." His older brother snapped back, taking a pause in his step. He barely turned his head enough for Goku to notice, not even bothering to look him in the eyes. "I'm not doing this for your sake, if that's what you're thinking."

"Then why do it in the first place?" He had to have some reason, anything, for Goku to understand him better. "You could've just gone wherever you're going and left me out of this, couldn't you? So you have to care about something."

"I already told you, I don't care about what befalls you, Kakarot. You and the whole planet can be wiped out for all I care." A mental flash of Gohna's and Gine's face whisked passed his eyes for an instant. He turned his gaze back ahead, waiting a few seconds as he took a deep breath through his nose. "I'm just... trying to fulfill someone's last wish as best I can. That's all."

"What? Who's wish?"

Silence was all that came from Raditz as he waited for an answer, and silence was all he received as he walked away, leaving the "little brother" to his thoughts.

There was still no way to get a grasp on what Raditz wanted or what he was thinking. He was still shrewd, lacked any form of respect for others, and didn't appear to care enough about him or anyone from Earth to provide Goku with a decent answer. He was somehow more mysterious than when he first arrived to their planet!

And yet, there was something far different about him to. There wasn't an ounce of resentment from him like he emanated last time, he didn't hold any disdain or animosity in his voice, and he didn't appear to have any hatred in his eyes no matter how angry he got. If anything, he was almost like a whole new person in some cases, actually acting like the older brother for once that was giving his younger brother advice. It was hard to tell what sort of person he was, but it was at least one that made Goku smile.

"Maybe he's not such a bad guy after all."

...

...

...

A/N: Ah, i'm happy with this chapter for a number of reasons- one of which primarily is due to the fact that, as you can see from above, the changes to the fic start to sprout ^^! I do apologize if the writing seems jumbled/forced in some regards, im usually a bit smoother with such things, just that i havent written entirely in like 3 years. But i feel myself getting back to the flow of things like they used to be so that's a good sign ^^

Again, today's scene comes from Luckybrad, a fellow long time fan of my many works and I appreciate the enthusiasm and support, who wanted a scene involving the Buyon fight from Dragon Ball- primarily the humorous scenes here and there as well as the scene of Caulifla and Goku hiding inside of Eighter's giant coat (and yes i had fun writing that bit out XP lol).

As I said earlier, things are going to start changing starting from this chapter from here on. Some changes will be a nice surprise, others will be expected, some may be shocking, but overall, like those whove read my Cat-Ra fic, the changes will continue to mount higher and higher as the series goes on, in the fun exciting ways ^^ And if people have fellow questions or something they wish to know about, feel free to PM me (speaking of PMs is anyone else getting spammed with people wanting commission stuff lately? saying they "want to collaborate" or "offer art work" or something? Its been weird..)

Anyway, with that all said, if you have a request for a scene that takes place during Dragon Ball for an intro scene,, be sure to leave it in the reviews, though i will also take requests off and on if you want to message me directly. Leave a like, fave, follow, review, and I hope to see you soon!