~*****~

I sat outside as the others inside complained and argued. I'd thought about going to them, to give my support, even if it wasn't needed. "Mara!" I hear Bulma chirp loudly. She rounds the back of the house and places a hand on my shoulder. "C'mon... Babba came, she's going to let us use her crystal ball to see the battle."

"I don't want to see anymore..." I murmur. "Our friends... are gone."

"Guys! Goku is there!" Chi-Chi cries loudly.

Bulma gasped and shook my shoulder again. "You heard her! C'mon! Let's go!"

I sniffle again and nod.

"Gohan, my baby! He's all right!" Chi-Chi screeches as we step into the house again.

"GOKU! TEAR THEM UP! COME ON! KNOCK 'EM OUT!" Bulma cheered loudly as we took a seat.

"Piccolo!" Roshi shouted. "If Piccolo's gone... that means... Kami's gone as well! And the Dragon Balls! They're gone, too!"

I'm sobbing again. "Damn those-- those bastards!" I screech. "GOKU! YOU BEAT THEM!" We all begin to cheer loudly at the crystal ball.

As the fight began, it was very clear that Goku had the upper hand against the taller one. No matter what he did, he couldn't keep up with Goku.

"Just how much as Goku grown in this past year?" I ask desperately. "He couldn't even beat Raditz alone!" I let out a yelp as the crystal ball cuts out. "What happened?!"

"There's a disturbance in the Earth's energy," Baba explains.

"Well, fix it!" I exclaim loudly. "Fix it and I-- I'll start making fashionable outfits just for you!"

A greedy look came over her face. "Look into my crystal ball, with your own eyes, you'll see it all! Crystal ball, bring to our sight, news of this important fight..."

Nothing happened. "Uhh... we're all waiting..." Oolong mentioned.

"What's wrong?"

"Her banging it around, that's what!" Babba blamed Bulma.

"All right! I've had it with you!" Bulma retorted.

"BRING IT ON, BOW-HEAD!"

"WILL YOU BOTH STOP IT!" I shriek as I slap them over the heads. "THOSE TWO ARE EXERTING SO MUCH POWER, THE BALL MUST'VE GOTTEN OVERWHELMED! It's not your run of the mill fight..." I reiterate softly.

"So, it's started?" Oolong asks. "I mean, Goku and that Guy are fighting?"

I gaze out the window and inhale softly. Their energy levels are impressive. My body is thrumming at the feel. "Yes... I'm sure of it." I explain softly. "Why don't you try out that scouter, Bulma," I mention.

"Oh, yeah!" Bulma chirped.

"Good thinking, Mara!" Roshi exclaims. "What does it say?"

"Let's see... Two huge power levels due west!" Bulma states.

"Only two?" Chi-Chi asks nervously. Bulma nodded sullenly, causing the mother to begin sobbing.

A tremor shook the island. "Oh-- Oh my--" I gasp as shivers run up my body. "That power-- It's-- It's amazing!" I exclaim as I fall to my knees, grasping at anything I can to stay up right. "It's-- too-- much!" Drool is pooling in my mouth as I slump over the table, my nails digging into the wood so much, it causes my nails to crack.

"Mara--" Bulma yelps, her hands grasping at my shoulders. She releases me immediately as if she's been electrocuted. "You're burning up, Mara! Someone, get some ice! Mara! Mara!"

~*****~

It's like I've been teetering on a harsh cold for days. My body keeps shaking violently with each influx of energy given off by the fight. When I'm finally lucid enough, we're loading up the jet. "What happened?" I ask desperately.

Bulma dabbed at my face with a cool rag. "You began seizing. We did our best to get you comfortable after they subsided, but after that first fit, you started calming down, like you were getting used to it. Babba's ball broke, so we're heading over there now."

I nod gingerly and take a seat on the plane. "I'll drive. I need something to distract me."

"You sure?" Bulma questions. I give her a breathless nod and start the plane up. In the air, my body has finally stopped shaking enough to fly the plane normally. We found Goku laying on the ground, motionless.

"GOHAN!" Chi-Chi shrieked, causing my eardrums to pound. "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! OPEN THE DOOR!" She shouts.

"I'M DOING IT, YOU BANSHEE!" I shriek back. I hadn't even landed the plane before she opened up the cargo bay and bolted. We landed safely and exited the plane as Chi-Chi leapt over Krillen and Goku. "Jeez, what about Goku?" I wonder irritably as I approach the duo. "Can you move at all?" I ask softly as I kneel down to him.

"Sorry if I can't get up to say hello..." Goku murmurs.

I chuckle. "You're okay, I promise. You just rest. You've done enough."

"She's right, you know," Master Korin mentions.

"Oh, Master Korin!" Goku hums.

I chuckle again and turn to Krillen before hugging him. "I'm glad you're all right, Krillen." I mention.

"Th-Thanks, Mara... Listen guys, I'm afraid I've got some bad news, guys..." Krillen murmurs as I pull away. "Bulma, you know, there's no easy way tot say this... But, Yamcha, well, he..." Krillen hesitated. "He didn't make it..."

"We... We know..." I murmur softly. "We know everything.... Even... The dragon balls.... That we... can't wish them back."

"Shut up!" Bulma snapped at me. "You said we already knew, that's enough!"

"Don't you dare blow up at me-- I'm hurting too!" I shout back.

"Now, now, this is no time to start fighting amongst yourselves," Korin scolded us. "We need to get Goku to the hospital... I'm all out of Senzu beans."

"Why are you always running out? I swear, every time we need one, you're out." I mention irritably before receiving a bonk on the head by his staff.

"Listen, um, Mara? I've been thinking.... And I don't know..." Krillen stammered. He adverted his gaze as I kept wiping at the tears on my face. "It's probably impossible, but... But still... as long as there's a chance, I gotta say something... I can't get it out of my head."

"Krillen, what is it?" I ask meekly.

"It's-- It's something that... Well, it's something that the Saiyans told us... There might still be a way to bring everybody back!"

"What-- What do you mean?" I ask. "Krillen, are you sure?"

"I-- I don't know... It's a shot in a million..." Krillen explained.

"That's okay, Krillen," Goku mentioned as we loaded him up in the back of the plane. "One chance in a million is better than no chance at all. Don't be afraid, tell us your idea..."

Krillen began wracking his brain again as the plane lifted up. "Well, you see, uh..." Krillen trailed off and gazed out the window. "Hey, hold on. This is the spot," Krillen pointed out as we flew over another part of destroyed landscape. "Yamcha and the others are down there... We'll talk later, okay?"

It was the hardest thing I've ever done. Watching the men load Tien's body into a capsule to preserve it, well, it made my heart feel so tight. I thought I was going to die. Even knowing that we weren't going to find.... Find Chiaotzu...

"I'll drive the rest of the way, Mara," Bulma hummed softly to me as I gazed into Tien's capsule, trying to memorize his features one last time. "You're still probably feeling bad, so just go rest, okay?"

"Okay..." I murmur and take a seat besides Krillen.

The plane roared to life and we began to fly again. "Oh, Gohan! You're awake! It's okay, you're safe, now! I've got you!" Chi-Chi exclaimed loudly, causing me to flinch to the side.

"Mom, is that really you?" Gohan wonders softly.

Chi-Chi began to wail. "Oh, that's right! Mommy's here! My sweet, little boy! I never thought I'd see you again!"

"Don't worry about a thing, son... It's all over now." Roshi hummed softly.

"Yeah, we did it, Gohan," Krillen added.

"We did? So, what happened to Vegeta?" Gohan asked.

Krillen deflated. "Well, I guess you could say he... he got away." Krillen mentioned. "But listen! The important thing is, we ran that creep back to wherever it is he came from! That's all that matters, right?"

"What about my dad?!" Gohan yelped.

"He's in the back, Gohan, he's okay-- just a little banged up." I explain as I nod my head to the back.

"You did great today, son," Goku adds. "We really showed him, didn't we?"

The two began to giggle. "Hey, Chi-Chi... What the heck's going on here?" Yajirobe asked. "Goku just came back from the dead and saved the world, and you've hardly even looked at him! He's your husband! Aren't you at least gonna say hello?"

"What? Say hello? Oh, no... I don't have a single thing to say to that man right now." Chi-Chi snapped. "It's his fault my baby almost got killed."

"Ouch." I chuckle.

"Mom! But the Saiyans were gonna destroy the Earth!" Gohan retorted.

"They can blow up the universe for all I care!" Chi-Chi bellowed. "That's no excuse for putting my little boy's life at risk!"

"Uhm, Chi-Chi, it took two to make Gohan." I mention irritably.

"What's that mean?" Goku and Gohan ask.

My face flushes as I quickly turn to Krillen. "What were you gonna tell us earlier?" I ask immediately. "About the Saiyans?"

Krillen hummed thoughtfully for a moment. "The way I understand it... Well... The Saiyan's found out about the Dragon Balls, and they wanted to use them to make a wish. That's why they came to Earth. They were ready to kill us... Except they wanted Piccolo alive. They were convinced he was the only one who could lead him to the Dragon Balls."

"Really?" I hum.

"Yeah. And the whole time, they kept calling him this... This really weird name..." Krillen explained. "They called him a Namek. I think Namek is where they're from... I mean, Piccolo and Kami-- they're aliens!"

"Yeah, I always said they were funny lookin'." Yajirobe put in.

"Then when Goku was coming, they said something else...." Krillen explained what Vegeta had said.

"And you believed them? You dope." Yajirobe scoffed.

"No, you're right, Krillen!" Gohan barked. "I mean, if Kami made the Dragon Balls, and he's a Namek, why couldn't other Nameks do the same thing?"

"Exactly, and maybe they already have.... Vegeta said he's heard legends about the Dragon Balls on Namek... He never believed them, but what if they're really true?" Krillen continues.

"Then, that's it!" I nod. "If we can somehow get to Namek, we can use their Dragon Balls to wish everyone back!"

"And we can wish Piccolo back first!" Gohan added excitedly.

"Now Gohan, you shouldn't get too excited..." Chi-Chi reprimanded her son.

"That's a great idea!" Krillen exclaimed. "And if Piccolo comes back, then so will Kami! And that means we'll have all the Dragon Balls here on Earth back again, too!"

"Well, it's definitely worth a shot!" Roshi exclaimed. "Besides, what have we got to lose? Let's go to Namek!"

"All in favor, say Aye!" Krillen shouted.

"AYE!" Everyone yelled.

"Just stop it, you guys!" Bulma scolded us. "It's pointless... I wish it was really as simple as that, but it just isn't! It won't work!"

"What? What do you mean? What's the problem?" Krillen asks.

"Krillen, think about it... For starters, do any of you have the slightest clue where Planet Namek is?" Bulma asks.

I lean over my seat and gaze at Goku. "Hey, didn't you train with someone in Other World? Could they figure out where Namek is?" I ask curiously.

Goku hummed and grinned. "Oh, yeah! Good idea! King Kai, are you there? I hope you're listening... We could really use your help right now."

"Yes Goku, I'm here," An unfamiliar voice echoes out. "So, you're looking for Planet Namek? Well, of course I know where that is!"

"Thanks, King Kai, I knew I could count on you... Go ahead, we're listening." Goku sighs.

"Sure, but as long as I have the podium for a minute... Let me congratulate you all on a battle well fought. I was worried there for a while. It looked like that Saiyan really had you guys on the ropes! But you pulled through!" King Kai exclaims.

"I hate to say it, but he even had me a little scared," Goku hums. "I mean, even a Kai o' Ken times four attack wasn't enough to stop him!"

"Yes, and those were my best techniques, too." King Kai answers. "I hope you can think of something before you have to face him again... I'm sorry, but I'm all out of tricks."

"Yeah, I was afraid you'd say that... Maybe I shouldn't have let him go." Goku chuckles.

"No, you did a good thing," I explain softly. "As bad as the guy may be, showing mercy is the strongest thing anyone can do."

"Ah, there's just something about an Empathian's compassion that warms my heart." King Kai sighs. "Now, back to the matter at hand... Now where is it...." King Kai wondered aloud. "I'm sure I have the coordinates for Planet Namek in here somewhere... 'Kay... there's Planet Nambo, Namcheck, Namcheno... Namee.... Ah, yes! Here it is! The coordinates are SW-66! Or maybe SU-83... No, no! 9045 XY! Definitely!"

"9045 XY?" I ask worriedly. I began tapping at at my thigh impatiently, sifting through the numberes. "A trip to those coordinates on the best ship money can buy... that would be..." I trail off, writing numbers in the air. "4,339 years, give or take. And that's a one way trip." I explain.

Everyone gazed over at Bulma fiddling with a calculator. "That's exactly right." Bulma agrees.

"Wow, that's long," Gohan hummed.

"What do you think, King Kai? Any ideas on how we can get there?" Goku asked.

"No, I'm afraid I'm stumped on that one..." King Kai answered.

"Okay, so you got me there, it's impossible," Krillen laughed. "But, hypothetically speaking, what would happen if we used a Saiyan spaceship?"

"There's an idea," I hum in response. "But I thought you said Vegeta got away." I explain.

"Well, yeah, and it looked like Vegeta's ship was only big enough for one person," Krillen explained. "There's absolutely no way that Nappa guy could've squeezed in there with him. He had to have had his own ship!"

"Hey, that's right! And what about my brother, Raditz? He had a ship, too!" Goku mentions.

"Yeah, no dice on that one." I mention. "Not only did I ruin my manicure getting Gohan and I outta there, it exploded. My guess? Nappa's ship is in East City."

"Hey, I think I have something that might help!" Krillen hummed. He produces a remote from his shirt. "Check it out! Vegeta dropped it... I saw him punch a couple a' buttons... And then, boom! His spaceship came right to him! I think it's a remote control or something."

I gingerly took it and gazed at it. I grinned widely and leapt onto Krillen, pressing several kisses to his head. "Pack your bags! We're going to Namek!" I shout happily.