"Never seen anything like it, Tenshinhan," Yamcha murmured to the comatose figure on the hospital cot. Strictly speaking, visiting hours were over, but the hospital apparently never considered the need to lock or bar windows on the twelfth floor…Yamcha had flown in the moment the nurse had left. He'd been too busy helping Bulma comfort Chichi to come any earlier…twilight had been falling as he finally handed Chichi over to Bulma's care, extracted himself from Krillin's endless panicked questions, and made it out here.

"I suppose we'd sort of known about the wish," he continued softly. "For all we'd sworn we'd interfere, Bulma and I just looked at each other, and…and we couldn't do it." He sighed, staring at his hands. They were beginning to shake again…he'd thought he was past that.

"I'd never really thought what it would be like," he choked, "to see a dragon…die. I just can't think of any other way to describe it. He…well, I guess he'd finished granting the wish, but he didn't leave. He just started twisting…writhing, like something had hurt him; and Tenshinhan," Yamcha whispered, "he cried…screamed. I couldn't even really hear it, it just…ripped through me.

"I don't know if you heard it, if anyone but the three of us heard it. I hope no one did…I'll be hearing it in my nightmares for the rest of my damned life." Yamcha stared dully at the floor. "All the while he was screaming he was twisting, and his own claws began to tear at him. We'd started to run by that point, but I turned and looked back." His voice quavered slightly for a moment.

"The blood was running over him so thickly it looked like his actual hide was red. He shrieked and lashed his tail, and seven drops of blood spattered…one for each dragonball. The moment the blood hit them, they just…went up in a burst of light. This was all they left behind." Reaching into his pocket, Yamcha drew out a small handful of ochre-red powder.

"Bulma's got the rest," he muttered. "She insisted on keeping it, testing it. I just want to bury it and run. Things like this just weren't meant to be messed with…the best she could offer was that things were hardly likely to get worse.

"We never found a trace of Shenlong," Yamcha spoke quietly, watching Tenshinhan's various monitors flash and flicker. "The light from the dragonballs was so blinding, none of us really saw what happened. His screaming had finally stopped, but that's about where Chichi's began." He cringed. "I can't say I blame her, though. She thinks she killed him with that wish; that somehow breaking the vow did this to him.

"I don't know, my friend," he sighed. "I just don't know. Of course, the grand tragedy of it…apparently Shenlong brought Goten back, like she asked. He just…brought him back to the same place he died. Twisted justice, perhaps. Trunks says he's going to go get him; I guess I just don't see how they expect Goten to live that long on a planet full of those monsters. Still…wouldn't be the first or most impossible thing we've pulled off, eh?" Yamcha managed a weak smile and rested a strong hand on Tenshinhan's arm, taking care not to disturb the bandages, braces, or IV lines.

"You're missing so much, Tenshinhan. I can't be sure if that's a good thing or not. Just…come back, okay? You have to come back." For a moment he just sat there, staring at the bandaged, broken face on the pillow. As he stood to leave he thought he heard the barest whisper in his mind…Tenshinhan's voice…

'I'm sorry…'

And one by one, the monitors fell to flat-lines, their electronic alarms clashing with Yamcha's strangled cry.

* * * * *

Goten hadn't grown up in a rich family, and so didn't care much about the lack of creature comforts. He was, however, used to having food on the table…at frequent intervals; but if Otousan had survived all alone, then so could he. Granted, Goku's environment had been a bit more hospitable. By and large, the worst Goku had encountered as a kid in the wild was a crabby dinosaur.

Shape-shifters were, to say the least, more formidable.

Goten sighed and ran a hand through his rough hair, sniffing distastefully. He needed to bathe…physical appearances aside, he had some definite differences with his father. Perhaps he'd led too sheltered a life, but the prospect of having to live this…primitively irked him. He had no idea why he'd been returned here, but then the very fact that he was alive was a bit puzzling. At first he'd thought Moreviv had done it, but he was becoming less and less certain.

The thought that Moreviv had not yet settled her apparent score with him had given him a rather sleepless first night in his new surroundings.

Something shifted in the leaves above him and he froze, falling into a crouch, nearly blasting an inoffensive squirrel-like creature by reflex alone. Tittering nervously, Goten relaxed and continued on his way. Gods above, he was on edge. After that first attack, he'd sworn not to be caught off-guard again.

He winced as he gingerly touched his left shoulder; damned thing had been ready to take his arm off before he managed to transform and crush its skull. He'd been a bit surprised that he'd managed to kill it at all…Mordrig and those brothers must have been exceptionally strong; or maybe they were just skilled…or maybe Goten had just gotten lucky.

His usual self-assuredness aside, he rather suspected the latter.

He saw two main options before him now…he could hide out here and hope his family and friends back on Earth came for him; that plan hinged on their initial knowledge that he had been revived…which was a bit of a rash assumption. The other option was to hijack a ship from this planet and take it back home…or at least away from here. Perhaps he could find help somewhere, but it seemed best to avoid this planet whose ruler he'd helped destroy.

Of course, he grumbled to himself--his lack of sleep becoming a bit apparent--there was always the possibility that he'd just get killed again, in which case he'd go see Kaio-sama and maybe(for once)get some explanations. An earlier Goten might have been disturbed at taking death so lightly, but in his present state, Goten was still primarily concerned with finding out what had happened to his father; that could be done just as well alive or dead.

Goten shifted his torn gi on his wounded shoulder, grinding his teeth in pain. Perhaps escape was the best route. The idea of simply waiting to be saved or eaten didn't appeal much. Besides, he'd always wanted to pilot a pod, even just a small one.

Assuming he didn't get killed in the process, it might even be fun.

* * * * *

"I already told you what I know, god. Now shut the hell up and leave me alone." Vegeta leaned back against the tree, scowling, arms crossed defiantly. If Kaio didn't know better he'd say the prince was pouting. Fortunately, he did know better, or at least knew better than to say anything about it. Without knowing what Moreviv had tried to do, Kaio couldn't risk Vegeta's hair-trigger temper. If the state in which Vegeta had returned from Rabadoth were any indication, it had been a less-than-pleasant meeting.

"So you think he's still dead and Takira is protecting him?" Kaio asked casually.

"Of course he'd still dead, where else would he go?"

"You, ah, haven't been following the events on Earth, have you?"

"No," Vegeta snapped. "I've been traipsing through every chaotic mismanaged realm in your so-called hierarchy looking for that damned cretin. I haven't had time to spy on Earth. What's going on there that's so interesting?" Kaio paused, considering, then decided the matter of Shenlong was perhaps best left 'till later.

"Well, it seems your son is beginning to show considerable initiative..." The prince managed to only smile a little bit at that.

"Of course he is, idiot," he muttered less harshly. "He's my son." Kaio nodded.

"Of greater immediate relevance is the fact that Gohan has returned to relative normality."

"Why should that be relevant? We're talking about Goku, not…oh, don't tell me." Vegeta slumped against the tree, looking vaguely disgusted.

"Guess I don't have to," Kaio commended mildly. "Problem is, at this early date I can't confirm it."

"So wait."

"I'd rather this were settled now."

"That's nice." Vegeta just stood there, glaring at the ground. Kaio sighed; Vegeta was rarely in a helpful mood.

"Well, if it's any consolation, I wasn't going to suggest that you go back to Rabadoth; Moreviv won't be of any help." Vegeta turned slowly to face him, expression hard and deathly cold.

"How kind of you," he spat. "How can I ever repay you?" As though thinking of a few choice ways to do so, he managed a cruel smirk, but the effect didn't seem to reach his eyes. He didn't look playful or cunning…but he did look quite lethal. Not a good look to see on him; not that he could do a hell of a lot to Kaio, but the god feared he would come to depend on Vegeta's abilities even more strongly as time went on. He couldn't afford to make an enemy in the bitter prince.

"I was thinking you could speak with Takira directly," Kaio murmured, watching Vegeta carefully. The Saiyajin changed nothing in his pose, still looking away, but his expression altered very, very slightly…he wasn't answering yet, but he was listening. Satisfied, Kaio continued.

"I tried to talk to her myself, but she…ah, reacted badly. Seems she's a bit paranoid of gods at the moment, and since it was the first time I'd talked to her, I guess she panicked. You, on the other hand, should have more success. She does love you, after all, does she not?"

"Did," Vegeta muttered quietly. "Back when she was too fucking stupid to know what was good for her." Kaio tried not to smile; did Vegeta know he was this easy to read?

"You'll do it, then?"

"I never said that."

"That's why I'm asking. If you haven't located Goku anywhere else, she may be the only one who knows where he is." Vegeta looked at him out of the corner of his eye.

"This is really important to you, isn't it? This has gone beyond a passing interest." Vegeta shoved off the tree, turning to stand directly in front of the diminutive blue god, perhaps relishing the fact that there was someone around shorter than he himself. "If I were the suspicious sort," he murmured, "I'd say you know something that I don't."

"Vegeta, we don't have time for this…"

"No, I suppose we don't," Vegeta said in that same tone, now smirking just slightly. "You open a link and I'll try to talk with her; and once we find out what we want to know…" His smile abruptly faded as a steely serious look stole across his face. "You will tell me what's going on here. Got it?"

"Well, of course," Kaio replied easily, as though it were the most natural thing in the world. "Now put your hand on my shoulder and for goodness' sake don't squeeze so hard this time."