11

Despite her strong determination, the truth was that Chi-Chi wasn't sure how exactly she would find Piccolo and Gohan. So her first instinct was to return to the battlefield where she had last seen them. When she arrived at that place, it was already night, and only the light of the moon and the stars illuminated the field.

She flew aboard the Flying Nimbus, hoping to spot something in the shadows that would give her some clue, although she knew that was highly unlikely. Raditz's body was still there on the ground, right where they had left it earlier, with everything and that big hole through his torso caused by the same technique that had ended Goku's life.

Chi-Chi wondered what would happen to him. Would his body serve as food for the beasts of the field? It seemed like a fitting end to someone who, in just a few minutes of meeting him, had caused her so much pain. But on the other hand, he was Goku's brother, or so he had claimed. What would Goku have done if he were there?

Probably, despite everything, he would have wanted to bury or cremate him, she concluded with certainty. That was the kind of person Goku was.

There wasn't much she could do to do the latter, but perhaps she could do something about the former, considering there was already a large hole in the ground only a couple of meters from them. So, although somewhat reluctant, Chi-Chi took the time to carry that heavy body on her back and take it toward the crater

"I'm doing this for Goku, not for you," Chi-Chi uttered to herself, though the words were directed at the dead man on her back.

Carrying it was not an easy task, but in the end, she reached the edge of the crater and threw the body inside. It rolled down the side until it reached the bottom. Chi-Chi also descended, ready to put some dirt on the body, but nothing more. Already at the bottom, she noticed the remains of metal and circuitry scattered all over and what appeared to be a larger part of a round structure.

His ship? Chi-Chi wondered curiously. Had it been destroyed during battle? It was likely.

She did not give much importance to it and concentrated again on covering the body with soil to leave it completely buried. It was a tiring task, especially considering that she wasn't at her best after all that had happened that day, but she managed to complete it.

Once done, she stood dirty, sweaty, and tired next to the lump on the ground, taking even a minute to say a few words.

"I wish you had been a good man like your brother was. And of having met in other circumstances, we could have been brother and sister or even friends. But I suppose that how you were is not entirely your fault but the result of how you were raised and taught. Perhaps you lacked in your life the love of a true mother, the guidance of a father, or someone to teach you the things that are truly important. For that reason, I feel very sorry for you. But I promise with all my might that I won't let Gohan turn into anyone even remotely like you. Whether he has Saiyan blood or not, he is my son..."

Finished with her makeshift funeral, Chi-Chi climbed out of the hole and remounted the Flying Nimbus. She looked around, just contemplating the night and the stars. She didn't know where to go now; she didn't even know which way Piccolo had gone with her son. How would she find them?

If only I could feel his ki like Goku did, Chi-Chi thought with frustration. Although thinking back, she could try it.

Goku once tried to teach her to do just that a few years back, before Gohan was born. It had been long since she last thought about that, but she forced himself to remember. She sat on the Flying Nimbus with her legs crossed, her eyes closed, and began to breathe slowly, trying to calm her spirit.

That day years ago, both were in Mount Paozu, where they had made their home not long ago. They both stood in a forest clearing, and Goku told her to close her eyes and clear her mind. To focus solely on feeling what was around them. Chi-Chi did precisely what he was told, but deep down, it was a bit absurd to her, and the only thing she managed to feel was a little cold.

"We've already tried this several times, and I still don't feel anything out of the ordinary, Goku," she commented with some frustration, slightly opening one of her eyes. "Why is it so important that I do this?"

"For safety, I suppose," her husband commented. "So if an enemy approaches, you will be able to sense their presence in time, and they won't take you by surprise. In addition, better control and knowledge of ki will help you learn new techniques, such as flying."

"Flying sounds good, but I don't know if I can do everything you do."

"I'm sure you can," Goku replied optimistically. "You have good skills; they just need polishing."

"You speak like a master."

"You think?" Goku laughed, apparently amused by the comment.

Chi-Chi closed her eyes again and took a deep breath. She really didn't think she'd be able to do what he told her, or she wasn't even sure she was interested in that. Now that she was married and knew she was having a baby, her interest in martial arts had waned. Now, Chi-Chi was more worried about things like learning to cook better, having the house tidy and prepared for the arrival of her baby, and everything that this entailed.

However, that issue seemed to be something important to Goku (or something like that), so it didn't hurt to try to please him a bit.

Chi-Chi tried to clear her mind and focus on her surroundings. In the feel of the wind against her skin, the sounds of animals or swaying leaves, the smell of the river that ran not far from her position. She felt all that clearly, but nothing like how Goku described to her that someone's presence should be felt... until something suddenly came up.

It was like a little tickle at the back of her neck, but that wasn't quite the right word to describe it. Feeling that she couldn't help but open her eyes and turn around quickly.

"Did you feel anything?" Goku asked curiously.

"I'm not sure," Chi-Chi whispered, a bit shaken.

She tried to focus her senses in the exact direction in which she thought she had perceived that, isolating any other stimulus. The feeling returned, more clearly, accompanied by the distant sound of footsteps.

"It's a dinosaur," Goku informed from behind her.

"Really?" Chi-Chi asked, surprised. Goku nodded.

"Very well, you noticed its presence before its footsteps became noticeable."

"Are you sure it wasn't just a coincidence?"

"We can try something else to verify it. Stay here, count to ten, and I'll hide in the trees. You will then try to find me feeling only my ki. What do you think?"

Chi-Chi laughed in amusement at the sudden suggestion.

"Are you asking me to play hide and seek?"

"What is hide and seek?" Goku asked, blinking in confusion.

"Nothing, forget it. Let's do that then, but don't make it easy for me."

Chi-Chi covered her eyes with her hands and slowly counted to ten. She barely heard Goku moving, the sound of branches waving, and then nothing. By the time she reached ten, there was indeed no trace of her husband anywhere, as if he had never really been there in the first place.

"Okay, here we go."

She began to walk cautiously, going into the trees. She looked around, hoping to make out Goku's flashy orange suit in some direction, but she had no luck. Apparently, he had indeed hidden himself very well.

"Okay," she murmured slowly to herself. "Let's try it..."

Like a moment before, she stood firm, closed her eyes, and began to breathe. Similar to a while ago, the sensations, sounds, and smells were present, but nothing out of the ordinary, at least at the start. After a few moments, the same tickling returned from a few moments ago, but in the same direction as before, so she assumed it was the dinosaur. Chi-Chi tried to isolate that along with everything else.

To her surprise, the more she concentrated, the more little tickles appeared, like little fireflies fluttering in a completely dark space, and lightly touched her skin like little sparks. They were smaller sensations than the dinosaur's; other animals, perhaps? Birds? Fish? Insects...? She didn't know if beings like that could also have a ki that could be perceived that way.

And suddenly, a bigger one became present among all those small sensations, standing out as much as the sun among the fireflies. Chi-Chi widened her eyes in surprise. That great feeling had come...

"Above!" she exclaimed aloud, looking up over her head. And right there, several meters up, standing on a branch, she could make out the silhouette of Goku, who was looking down at her with a wide smile.

"You did it, congratulations," Goku exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Did I really make it?" Chi-Chi whispered, still surprised. "But how did I do it if I had so many problems at the beginning...?"

"When you manage to do it once, it becomes almost instinctive," Goku replied, instantly dropping down and landing next to her. "Over time, your body will do it on its own without you focusing too much."

"I get it," Chi-Chi whispered slowly, outlining a small smile. "Thank you for teaching me, Goku. But I don't think I'll ever have to use this again, though..."

Apparently, she was wrong with that statement. Well, now, being there on the Flying Nimbus, she did exactly the same thing at that moment: closed her eyes, breathed slowly, and tried to expand her consciousness around, but much further away.

Goku was right when he said it would be easier the following times because even though she hadn't done it in a long time, she could adjust her senses to perceive all the multiple sensations surrounding her. It took her a while to be able to clear her mind sufficiently, but after several attempts, the same fireflies that she had perceived that time reappeared. And the more she tried to expand her senses, the more they became present; some larger than others, but most were barely noticeable shimmers.

None of those were Piccolo. He would be more extensive and shinier than anything, just like Goku had been. But surely his ki would also convey an unpleasant and suffocating sensation; that presence that made her feel that way would have to be him.

Chi-Chi was there for several hours without realizing what she was looking for. She was frustrated, and on more than one occasion, she was inclined to leave that for good and go home. She was tired, sleepy, and hungry, and the night in that place felt colder than at home. However, imagining her son hurt or suffering motivated her to keep trying. He had to be somewhere; she had to be able to find him. If she couldn't even do something like that, how would she rescue her little boy...?

After a long time, something came up. It was very brief, just a tiny flash that was noticeable by her consciousness in a very small fraction of a second, but that did not go unnoticed by her because, as had happened with Goku, it stood out quite a bit among the other presences.

Chi-Chi turned quickly in the direction where she had felt it and tried to focus only in that direction without any success. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't feel the same again.

But it went in that direction, I'm sure of that, she told herself.

She didn't know if what she had felt was Piccolo or even if she had actually felt something. But it was the only clue she had. If she was heading in that direction, perhaps she would start to sense it better as she got closer. It was risky, and if she wasn't right, she would end up going around the world looking for a needle in a vast haystack.

But she was more than determined to do it.

"Let's Go, Flying Nimbus!" she ordered seriously, and her transport began to move precisely in the marked direction, moving away into the night from that place.