Hey everybody! Here it is! Finally! Chapter 1 of my longest story probably ever! I had tons of fun writing this. I'll be posting a new chapter about every week or so. Stay tuned! This idea was actually my first ever fanfic idea. The concept has been bouncing around in my head for months and months, since at least September maybe before that. I have a whole other version on my computer written in a totally different voice. My sister and beta reader liked the concept, but my writing was crumby lol. I scrapped the project for a while, filing it away on my computer and worked on other stuff for a while before revisiting it. I started from scratch, saving the main themes, but completely redoing it from the ground up. Finally, here's Chapter 1 of the finished product!

Thanks for reading!

**I do not own Dragon Ball or any characters. Just borrowing them for some non-profit fun.**

Fun fact: Cressa's name is inspired by a plant called watercress that is considered either a herb or a vegetable depending on the region and how it's prepared and eaten. Not to be confused with the herb cress that is not a vegetable. ;D

Chapter 1: Goku's Unexpected Encounter

Chapter Summary: Goku meets a close relative of Chichi's, Cressa, during a sparring session with Pikkon in Other World. She springs some shocking – and then worrying – news on him about his wife.

It was one month Earth time since my son, Gohan, killed Cell and I decided not to allow myself to be wished back by the Namekian Dragon Balls after sacrificing myself in the fight. I figured out the Earth was being attacked so often because of me.

I first made this realization during those nine wonderful days of quiet time with my family before the Cell Games after Gohan and I completed our training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. The realization troubled me so much. I put on a happy face and kept the mood lighthearted for everyone around me, but inside I was struggling with what to do about it.

I kept the world safe as much for the innocent people that live there as for my family. My wife. My son. Our unborn child. Keeping the world safe for my family and friends has always been one of my top priorities. I've always loved to fight and I'll admit to getting a massive thrill out of fighting enemies even if they want to destroy the world – I was a Saiyan, after all – but my priority was always to protect the innocent people of the planet and my family and friends.

I lay on my back in the grass a distance from the sparring fields as I stared out at the soft purple sky of the Grand Kai's planet, watching the clouds drift overhead. It was a big privilege to go to the planet after death. The planet was where warriors who sacrificed themselves to save others went to spend the afterlife and train almost endlessly. It was almost a dream come true!

I didn't have any reason to think I wouldn't be chosen to stay there once I found out about it, but I very much hoped I would. I had to do something to occupy my time and, up there, training was really the only option I had. I missed my family too much to sit around. I knew I'd go crazy if I didn't do something with myself.

A soft breeze tickled my face, and the fresh smell of grass reached my nose. If I closed my eyes, I imagined myself back on Earth, resting in my yard under my favorite tree, a big, beautiful oak in my front yard. I could almost hear her, my Chichi, calling for me to come in and eat…

No, Goku. Don't go down that road. Don't do that to yourself.

I reached into my pocket as I rested on the grass and my fingers brushed against a wrinkled piece of paper. I carefully pulled it out and looked at it – into the smiling faces of Chichi and myself with Gohan in front of us while Ox King towered behind us with a hand on both of our shoulders. The small picture was something I carried into the Cell Games with me and was the last picture taken of us just a day or two before the battle. It was an image I was allowed to keep when I died because King Yemma quietly bent that rule for me and I was eternally grateful for that – literally.

I couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen to me at Cell's hand. I made those nine wonderful days I had with my family as special for them and for me as possible. Not many people really have the chance to say their final goodbyes to their families. I am truly lucky to have had that chance. I said my goodbyes without really ever saying the word.

I think they knew – or at least she did. There were many times Chichi would cry herself to sleep late at night in my arms. Sometimes, she would wake up in the middle of the night from a nightmare and beg me to not to leave to fight, asking me to promise her I would come back and bring Gohan home. I only kept part of that promise.

I shed a tear or two late in the night before the Cell Games. No one ever saw me, but I did. A tear for the pain I would cause them and another because I was saying farewell without telling them. Those nine days were hard. That time with my family was so very precious, but hard. I knew I would leave them. I knew I would leave her, my beautiful wife, and leave my amazing son, but not without leaving them both one final gift.

In those nine days, I sometimes caught Gohan giving me a sidelong look. He asked me if we were strong enough to beat Cell. Gohan was stronger than me and didn't even know it! He didn't know the plan I had. He didn't know the plan I came up with while in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Nobody but did but me.

I discovered Gohan's massive power in the Chamber. He was training me in the Chamber as much as I was training him by our last month or two in there. He had depths to his power I couldn't begin to fathom. He fought with his heart, with his emotions. That was where his latent power came from. It was his drive to protect that brought it out. When he released it, it was a sight to behold.

It was then that I came up with the plan to have Gohan fight Cell. It was going to be him. Not me. I couldn't get strong enough fast enough. I truly did reach my maximum for a time in the Chamber. I couldn't go any further. Gohan did.

I knew I was going to leave them and I was right. When I realized Cell was about to self-destruct and take the planet with him, I used Instant Transmission to take him to the planet of my former master, King Kai, a small planet off of Snake Way up there in Other World. That was where I gave my life and so did King Kai, and his friends, Bubbles and Gregory. In my final seconds, my thoughts went to my family and the happy memories we made together as I closed my eyes and let death take me.

The fight wasn't over yet. Cell came back with a vengeance. King Kai helped me telepathically bridge the gap between Other World and Earth to encourage Gohan in those final minutes of the battle. In those final minutes, my son's incredible hidden power was funneled into the biggest Kamehameha Wave I've ever seen and Cell was obliterated. I was so proud of Gohan – my son did it! I knew he would defeat Cell, and he did. Protecting the planet would be his responsibility from then on, but there wouldn't be any need.

With Cell's defeat, the Earth had a chance at real peace for the first time in years with no huge threats hanging over it and its people. Peace that only seemed possible if I was out of the picture.

I knew they'd try to wish me back after the battle and they did, but I had a say in the matter. I nicely refused to return, explaining my realization to them. I knew I had to stay dead. It was for the best – even if it was so very tempting to go back.

I would be there to greet them the moment I sensed them crossover as their times came – especially my family. I told them they'd see me again. It was tough for them but it was hard being away from them for me, too. So I trained, but still needed to take breaks sometimes. Apparently, even dead people run out of juice.

After I was through with my break and through reflecting on the Cell Games as I sometimes did in quiet moments, I put the picture safely back in my pocket, stood up and walked back to my training partner: a tall green fellow by the name of Pikkon.

My heart began pounding at the prospect of continuing our sparring match, but nervousness was not the cause. My heart pounded with excitement. My body buzzed in anticipation of the coming adrenaline rush, in anticipation of the coming thrill.

I smirked as I walked up. "Hey, Pikkon. Ready to get back at it?"

He smirked back. "Took you long enough. Prepare to have your butt handed to you."

We settled into our fighting stances and flew towards each other.

We exchanged a flurry of high-speed, high-powered blows and Pikkon matched me blow for blow, blast for blast.

I powered up to Super Saiyan and still he kept up with me.

We began to drift into the sky, lost in the intensity of our match.

He launched a powerful kick aimed for my stomach and I Instant Transmissioned behind him to dodge it and punched him to the ground.

He recovered quickly and I could see his irritation in his eyes.

He moved so quickly he seemed to teleport above me, but my eyes followed his movement.

I whipped around and brought my arm up just in time to block a fierce kick aimed for my head and immediately countered with my own kick aimed for his stomach.

We exchanged a blitz of many more lightning fast, strong blows and blasts until a familiar voice shouted my name.

"Goku! A word please!"

I blocked another punch. "Kinda busy, King Kai!"

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye and my eyes snagged just a half second too long.

A fist collided with my cheek and sent me flying – snapping me back to my senses.

I could have sworn just out of the corner of my eye, I saw her standing next to my former master.

You've lost it, Goku. You're seeing things and that nearly cost you the match.

I recovered quickly and we exchanged more blows. Blows so strong and fast, I had to keep my head in the game.

Trying my favorite tactic, I Instant Transmissioned behind Pikkon to catch him by surprise once again.

The technique made me face King Kai's direction fully. I glanced at him and my eyes caught once more.

There she was, right next to him. She stood there with her beautiful long dark hair down, gently flowing in the breeze, staring at me with a halo over her head.

My heart shuddered to a stop and I felt my jaw go slack as half-formed questions raced through my mind. My distraction once again earned me a nasty bruise – that one on my stomach – as Pikkon's foot connected with my gut, knocking the air out of me.

Once I realized I wasn't seeing things, I dropped out of the air and landed hard. I landed so hard, I made a small crater and almost made her and King Kai fall over from the small shockwave.

I was vaguely aware of Pikkon yelling at me to resume our match, but I didn't care.

My next urge was to rush over to her and pull her into my arms – and ask her what the heck she was doing there so soon – but before I could take another step, my eyes took in her appearance in more detail.

Her hair was long and straight, but very dark brown. Not black. Her height and slender build were the same. Her ivory skin tone was identical.

Her eyes. Her eyes were exactly the same. Her eyes even carried the same fire in their depths. Fire that – just for a moment – brought me home.

That woman wasn't my wife. With that realization, my heart slowly resumed beating, bringing with it an unfamiliar ache that intensified with each sluggish beat.

I thought about her sometimes and I missed her, but where did that ache come from? That longing? At that moment, I missed her so much it was almost unbearable. I was doing just fine until I saw that woman. I was rooted to the spot, unable to move, staring at the woman who so closely resembled her – my Chichi.

Once I thought it, her name reverberated in my mind and I almost felt like I was crumbling.

"Hi. Are you Goku?"

She even sounded just like her.

I didn't trust my voice so I only nodded slowly, unable to tear my gaze away.

Part of me wanted to run, but part of me was desperate to hear her story. As I thought about it, no, I didn't want to run. What I really wanted to do was go home worse than ever before, but that couldn't happen.

They must be related! That much resemblance was no coincidence. My feet stayed firmly planted on the ground.

A light blue hand waved inches from my face. "Goku! Stop staring and snap out of it! You're so rude! There's something we need to discuss!"

I finally shifted my gaze to King Kai and inclined my head once.

"Not here, Goku. Follow me, please. Both of you," King Kai said as he turned around.

King Kai, the woman who looked so much like my wife, and myself walked a distance away from the sparring area.

"Goku, this is Cressa. She has something really important to tell you. I suggest you pay attention. It involves your family."

His last sentence snapped me out of my wordless, blank shock and I immediately found my voice as I turned to her. "My family?"

"Yes, Goku, this is about your family but we can't talk here." She turned to King Kai. "Is there anywhere we can go where we will not be overheard?"

"Yes, there is." He raised a finger and pointed to his left. "Head in that direction and you will find a tall mountain, the largest on the planet. Fly to the peak. Few people visit it. You will be safe to talk there."

"Thanks, King Kai." She turned back to me, jerked her head in the direction King Kai pointed, and then took off into the sky.

I merely gaped at her.

She flew like it was the most normal thing in the world to her! I couldn't help but wonder what else she was capable of, but I couldn't really sense anything special from her. Then again, Krillin, Yamcha, and Tien were human and they her flying really wasn't anything special.

"Well? Don't just stand there! Come on!"

That was even the exact tone Chichi used to get me to do something.

I launched myself into the sky and flew after her.

The air rushed over my face and through my hair and rustled my gi, helping to clear my head. My mind further processed her appearance. Chichi and that woman just had to be related somehow and I was going to find out how much.

The largest mountain on the Grand Kai's planet came into view. We flew up to the peak and landed.

She had her back to me as she looked out over the landscape. I was too focused on her to pay much attention to the scenery.

Finally, she turned to me and gave me a small, sympathetic smile. "I saw pain flash across your face when you first saw me. I know I bear quite a resemblance to someone you're very close to on Earth."

Heat rushed to my cheeks. I dropped my gaze to the ground and lightly pushed a rock around with my foot.

"I'm Chichi's mother, Goku."

My head snapped back up to stare her in the eye, mine wide. My voice cracked slightly. "Her mother?"

She nodded, her face gentle.

I knew they were related, but that close? I couldn't believe I was actually talking to Chichi's mother!

"I can see you miss her a great deal."

I nodded slightly as my gaze lowered back to the ground and the ache that wormed its way into my heart worsened slightly. I felt a gentle touch on my shoulder and looked up to see her staring into my eyes with a sympathetic smile still on her lips.

She lowered her hand and turned back to look out over the landscape.

She sighed and turned back to me, a troubled expression on her face. An expression that looked so much like the expression Chichi wore while we were alone during our final nights together before the Cell Games.

I knew what Cressa was about to say wouldn't be good.

"Goku, Chichi is…" She paused and her brow furrowed deeper. "She's in danger."

My eyes popped out of my head. "What? No! She couldn't possibly be in danger! Our son Gohan killed Cell! My other enemies are dead, too!"

She smiled slightly, despite the seriousness of what she was telling me. "I know I'm a grandmother. I peeked once. So… his name is Gohan."

I nodded as I felt the corners of my lips tug up at the mention of my son. "Yes. He's eleven years old, very smart, and way stronger than me!"

Her eyes lit up as she stared straight at me, giving me the smile that – when Chichi wore it – melted my heart. I couldn't help but give Cressa a big grin right back. Chichi's smile had the exact same effect on me. So that was where she got it.

Her smile faded and that troubled look took over her features once more. "Goku, it's not one of your enemies. It's one of mine."

"One of your enemies?"

Who wanted her dead? Why? She was human. I double-checked with my senses and yes, definitely human.

"Yes. One of mine and I think I know why. Before I can explain, Goku, there's something I need to show you first."

I nodded. I felt my eyebrows pull down as my senses alerted me to a power I hadn't noticed before.

Where did that power come from?

I looked around the area, but didn't see anyone else. I reached out further with my senses and realized it felt oddly familiar, but its sheer size made it almost unrecognizable.

My jaw dropped.

She cocked an eyebrow at me.

How in the world could a human have a power like that? It very much dwarfed Krillen's, Yamcha's, and Tien's. Heck, that power was far larger than even Piccolo's.

She smirked faintly. "You haven't seen anything yet."

She took a moment to quickly and smoothly braid her hair and tied it off at the end. Her expression shifted to one of concentration and her power skyrocketed. Her eyes turned brilliant teal, her hair flashed gold and her braid went straight up, as a familiar yellow aura exploded outward.

My jaw hit the ground and my eyes bulged. For once, I thought I might pull a Chichi and faint.

"Yes, Goku. I am a Saiyan."

She relaxed and her hair reverted to its original dark brown and her braid dropped limply behind her.

I ran a hand through my hair as my mind spun. "If… you're… that would make… "

She nodded slowly. "Chichi is a Saiyan, too – well half. My husband – the Ox King – is human and I'm full blood Saiyan. It's because of her Saiyan blood that she's in danger."

My mind stopped spinning and sharpened immediately. I looked at her and noticed her eyebrows were pulled down and her eyes were tight, her gaze on her feet. It was an expression Chichi wore sometimes, right before I had to leave to fight. Cressa was worried, but it really couldn't be that bad… could it?

I had a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that whatever she had to tell me was really, really bad, but Gohan was with Chichi and the rest of the gang would help, too.

I put a hand on her shoulder. "Cressa?"

She lifted her gaze back to my face and I dropped my hand. "I wouldn't worry too much about her. Gohan is stronger than me. I'm sure he can keep her safe."

She shook her head. "Goku, this enemy fights with techniques the likes of which you and your son have likely never seen before. She fights dirty. There's no honor in anything she does. She's utterly ruthless."

I shrugged. "A bad guy I defeated years ago named Frieza was ruthless and had some pretty weird techniques. I still beat him."

Her eyes narrowed and she blew out a huff of air, looking straight in my eyes. "No! You don't understand! I have to show you. Maybe then, you'll see."

Her frown remained, but it was no longer one of anger, but concentration. I watched her warily and instinctively slid into a fighting stance – which ended up being useless.

I felt invisible coils wrap tightly around my neck and limbs, and a spike of pain erupted behind my eyes. I wanted to scream, but no sound would escape – I couldn't even power up!

I was just hanging on by a thread to my sanity, panic – and unconsciousness – threatening to overtake me. The pain behind my eyes intensified, and I felt an unnerving feeling of… another mind in my head?

My vision was beginning to fade, but not from lack of air. I felt… something… reaching through me, reaching for my arms and legs and my senses. One by one, my senses left. I couldn't hear or see anything.

The pressure around my neck and limbs began to subside, but I still couldn't see or hear anything at all or move. Then, I felt my legs moving, walking a few steps, but I could see nothing but blackness.

I was being controlled, and I was painfully aware of it.

I fought to keep from panicking and tried to stay calm and figure a way out. Before I could come up with anything, a voice reached me in the darkness.

Now do you understand?

The moment that thought that wasn't my own concluded, all of my senses and control of my body returned to me, and sensation slammed into me like a train, utterly disorienting me and I had to fight to remain standing. A sick feeling bubbled up in my stomach and was so intense for a second or two I really thought I was going to lose my lunch, but thankfully the feeling subsided.

I felt small hands grip my arm, steadying me, and I blinked a few times to clear my vision and shook my head to try to shake my disorientation. "What… just happened?"

Cressa led me a few steps to a large rock and helped me sit, withdrew her hands and crossed her arms. "Sorry I had to do that to you, but I had to make you see just what Chichi and Gohan are up against. Don't worry; the weird feelings will go away soon. I didn't do any damage."

All said and done, that had only taken a few seconds! I tried to remember the sensations, the bizarre feeling of… someone else in my head.

"Was that really what you meant? Is someone else with this sort of power threatening Chichi and Gohan?"

She nodded slowly, her face grave.

"But why? What would this person want with you? What would this person want with my family?"

"This person – this Saiyan – wants revenge. I killed her mate and wounded her badly because they tried to kill my family and did kill most of our tribe in the battle."

"What did they want with you?"

"They sought revenge for something they thought my tribe and I caused. They blamed my tribe and a few others on the destruction of our race."

"But… why? What did you have to do with that? Frieza killed the saiyans when he destroyed the planet. What does the extinction of the saiyans have to do with you? For that matter, how did you come to be on Earth?"

"To answer your questions, I need to start from the beginning. I need to tell you about the tribe I came from."

I nodded again, hanging off her every word.

"You may find this surprising, but not all saiyans were bloodthirsty and battle hungry. Some were quite peaceful and preferred to stay out of the way of the more typical saiyans. In fact, these peaceful saiyans outright disliked fighting for the sake of fighting and very much hated the barbaric practice of the planet trade. Not to say they didn't train or that they wouldn't hesitate to protect their families, but they were happy to live and let live. The tribe I was born into fell into this rare peace loving category."

I cocked an eyebrow. "'Peaceful' and 'saiyan'… I don't think I've ever heard those two words in a sentence together before – at least not like that."

She let out a little laugh. "Generally, those two words are used to describe how saiyans destroyed a peaceful civilization. Not commonly used in this context, it's true."

"So, these Saiyans are on Earth now? Why did they leave their home planet?"

I couldn't believe it! Other saiyans on Earth!

Her face serious, she answered with, "It was because of certain inborn abilities we possessed that were somewhat rare among our kind."

I tilted my head. "Abilities? Like what?"

"Some had the power to seize control of one's mind–"

"That's what you did to me! I couldn't move or see or hear anything, but I felt myself moving. It was so weird!"

I shuddered at the unpleasant memory.

"Correct. Users of this technique can utterly subdue their foes with only a thought. Others were masters of Ki Blocking. With one touch, they could render their enemies powerless and also were able to hide their kis so completely, no one would ever be able to sense them even powered up, even if an enemy stood two feet away. The rarest skill of all was healing. Those few born healers can use the energy around them to heal themselves and others of even mortal injuries."

"Wow! I had no idea saiyans could have those kinds of powers!"

"These saiyans were capable of amazing feats, but, unfortunately, the rest of the saiyans didn't take these abilities seriously since many of us weren't as strong as the typical saiyan as far as power levels were concerned and they tended to forget about us. My tribe kept distantly separated from the rest of the saiyans, but that wasn't enough to keep them safe.

"Two kids were out practicing–"

"Kids? I thought Saiyans sent their babies away to conquer weak planets."

"That may be true for the general population of warriors, but my tribe preferred to keep their children to prevent them from being exposed to the typical saiyan programming.

"Two youngsters were out practicing their rare skills and they were spotted by one of King Vegeta's soldiers and he went straight to the King to tell him what he had seen. By this time, Frieza and his forces had long since seized control of the saiyan race and King Vegeta planned a resistance and needed all the help he could get.

"He attempted to recruit my tribe and the others scattered about the wilderness and one or two tribes agreed, but the rest refused. King Vegeta threatened my tribe and the others with an ultimatum: Either join his ranks or be executed for treason."

My eyes widened. "Wow! He would kill them just for not helping?"

"Yes. He was a very desperate man. The wisest of the tribes saw the dilemma for what it was, which was something of a catch-22. The tribe could – to a certain extent – teach their skills to warriors capable of learning them, aiding in the annihilation of the saiyans' most powerful foe who also happened to be a danger to the entire galaxy, thereby leaving the saiyans free to wreak their own havoc across solar systems, or refuse and face execution. Facing certain death, the tribe refused. Within days, the King put together a team of his strongest warriors to execute us all and my tribe got wind of this."

"He was serious! He was really going to kill you guys! How did you get away?"

She nodded. "We escaped just in the nick of time thanks to one of his soldiers on a decrepit old slave ship and drifted through space for two years. In that time, our elders discussed our options. Our supplies from our most recent trade stop were running very low and it was announced we were searching for a new home planet and it wasn't long before we found one."

"I'm guessing… that was when you found Earth."

She sighed and looked out over the scenery of the Grand Kai's planet, a distant expression and a faint smile on her face. "Yes. Earth was perfect for us. It was and is bountiful and vibrant with life. Nothing like the dead world we called home. We could even blend in with the natives if we hid our power. It was better than anything we could have hoped for. I was eighteen when we finally landed and I – along with the others of my tribe – fell in love with the place right away."

Her features grew serious, and her eyes and tone of voice darkened as she continued. "About four years after our tribe left, we sensed a terrible event. Even as far away as Earth, we could sense our planet's destruction and the immense loss of life. We knew it was Frieza."

Her eyebrows pulled down more, but the darkness in her eyes faded. "How old are you, Goku?"

"I was just shy of twenty-eight when I died."

Her eyes went wide and she suddenly looked just a little bit pale. "That means you missed the destruction of Planet Vegeta by just days!"

I feel my eyebrows climb into my hairline. "Wow! I guess I'm lucky, eh?"

Her eyebrows still raised, she giggled a little bit. "That you are."

She crossed her arms and frowned at the ground for a long moment, and bit her lip.

Her expression made it clear there was more to this story and I had to find out. I reached out to put a hand on her shoulder. "Cressa? There's more to this, isn't there?"

She jumped, I dropped my hand, and her eyes snapped up to mine. She blew out a breath. "Yes, there is more to this. We didn't realize it at the time, but while we were drifting through space and making stops on a few planets for supplies, we were being followed. We found out later the execution team was given orders to track us down and kill us all. Thankfully, we had a huge head start on them and kept our stops random or we would have been found in space as sitting ducks. While they were tracking us, Frieza destroyed Planet Vegeta.

"By the time the squad caught up to us, I was married to the Ox King and Chichi was six years old. The squad carried out their orders–" she shut her eyes tight and her hands balled up into fists as I felt her power build "–they killed so many of us, Goku. My tribe's innocent children, our sick and injured, none were spared! They were ruthless! Not even those that left the village were safe. There were precious few survivors."

She took a moment to collect herself before continuing. "The execution squad's number was small, but they were so powerful. Two among them could even use mind manipulation! Those two turned their backs on our tribe and allied with King Vegeta. They betrayed us all. Even our strongest were no match. Our strongest were no match because those two fighters were our strongest!"

She fell silent, her body trembling. I put my hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze and she opened her eyes and found mine.

A few tears lingered on her cheeks and she hurriedly wiped them away. "I lost my life when they caught my family and I unawares in our palace in the middle of the night. Two of our own turned on us, Goku! We all nearly died. I self-destructed because I was mortally injured anyway and took her mate with me and severely wounded her. My husband and Chichi were able to get away and she fled to space. Now, after all these years, she's back for revenge–" she snarled the next words but trailed off "–that traitorous wretch, that vile, awful…"

My jaw went slack. Chichi. Gohan. They really were in danger and Chichi was pregnant!

A surge of protectiveness shot through me immediately followed by frustration and I snarled, "I'm dead! I can't do anything for them from up here! I have to go back. How much time do they have?"

She didn't answer and instead lifted a few feet off the ground. "C'mon. We need to talk to King Kai."

I could sense King Kai at the base of the mountain, so the flight wouldn't take long but I was too impatient.

I hovered off the ground and grabbed her shoulder. "I know a faster way."

I touched my index and middle finger together to my forehead and we vanished and reappeared an instant later next to King Kai who screamed at me. "GOKU!"

When we touched down, Cressa staggered a little bit and shot me a glare so familiar it was as if I was back home again. "Some warning next time, if you don't mind."

I laughed sheepishly. "Sorry about that."

They grumbled under their breath for a couple minutes but got back down to business before too long.

Cressa crossed her arms and looked at King Kai. "Goku asked me how long Chichi and Gohan have before they encounter the traitor and where she is right now. Can you find out?"

King Kai's brow furrowed. "Let me see." He closed his eyes and was silent for a moment as his antennae began to twitch and a spark jumped from one to the other. "Got her. She's about two months away from Earth give or take and moving fast and she's bringing friends."

I crossed my arms and first said to myself, "Two months," then I turned to Cressa. "Are you positive Chichi knows so she wont be caught off guard?"

"Yes. Chichi knows. I peeked at her with Fortuneteller Baba's crystal ball soon after I sensed her hurtling toward Earth. I first sensed the traitor about a month ago, and immediately went about trying to track you down, which wasn't easy because Other World is a huge place." She fell silent for a moment before murmuring, "Finally… after two whole decades…"

My eyes widened. "Twenty years! That's an awfully long time to hold a grudge."

King Kai snorted. "That amount of time is inconsequential to a saiyan, Goku. Saiyans are – on the whole – rather long-lived, you know."

Cressa grabbed my wrist and pulled me into the air. "Two months. Thank you, King Kai. Come, Goku. We have a lot of work to do."

King Kai raised his voice as we flew off. "Goku! I'll monitor things on Earth and find you if anything changes. I'll also get in touch with the Namekians so they can begin to gather their dragon balls and bring you back as soon as they've found all seven. You just focus on your training!"

I shouted over my shoulder, "Thanks, King Kai!"