Everyone was strapped in their seats and ready for take off, Tayhei at the pilot’s seat once more. Unlike the last time that they had all been together in the ship, this time there had been no arguments over who sat where, or tension between anyone at all. Instead of bickering and fighting now, the atmosphere in the ship’s control room was almost peaceful. It was strangely silent as they took their seats, moving fluidly and gracefully, as if they were underwater or moving in slow motion. The mood was heavy and still; it was a mood of quiet reflection, a mix of exhaustion and mild shock. So much had happened. There had been so many different emotions and feelings swimming through their minds in the past few days, and so many experiences that they couldn’t even bring themselves to dwell on quite yet. But it was over now. Once again, they had conquered their enemy and come out of the battle victorious --- It was over. And although they weren’t off the planet quite yet, everyone could sense that they were no longer in danger from any kind of threat. As their pilot confidently flipped switches and dials, gripping the steering wheel in her steady hands, everyone seemed to relax, knowing that they were taken care of, knowing that it was finally over and that they were going home.

ChiChi and Gokuu had fallen asleep immediately, ChiChi’s head leaning on Gokuu’s strong shoulder. Both of their mouths were wide open, and they looked like children sitting in the big seats of the ship, gripping each other’s hands lightly as they slept. They had survived more than anyone could have thought together, and in the end, they still managed to look as innocent as ever. However, beyond that sweet innocence, they had hearts that were more pure and strong than perhaps anyone else in the world. Those hearts had carried them through a lifetime of trouble, and they would continue to do so until the end of time. They were the kind of people that accepted life as it was and took everything that fate handed them with open arms.

Piccolo glanced over at them thoughtfully for a moment, and then leaned his head back against the seat and looked to the front of the ship again, out the window at the snowy landscape. There would be many adventures of course. Excitement and danger would never leave them alone it seemed, and though it was painful, though it sometimes hurt when it was all over with, he was thankful for that. Piccolo was not the sort of being who accepted a mundane existence. He was here to help, here to protect, and so far this group of people had never let him down. It was always something: a new enemy, a new fear, a new mission, a new fight --- it never truly ended. And he had been there with them for every step of their journey, standing over them like an eight foot tall shadow, guarding over their every thought and action. It seemed as though he had been through everything with these people; seen every emotion, felt every hit and seen the glint of every tear. Through it all, he remained apart; he was a distant, trustworthy companion, a stable fighter, a true friend.

Gohan, who was sitting next to him, suddenly leaned forward towards Koronu --- the Saiya-jin woman, and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Koronu-san, are you sure you want to leave? You may never have a chance to come back.”

She spoke without glancing back at him, her hands folded lightly in her lap, her head held high. “There is nothing left for me here. Nothing left at all.”

At her words, everyone seemed to flinch, and Piccolo noticed that Vejiita’s eyes seemed to travel out to the snowy field before them, with a look that he could not begin to dissect for meaning. Bulma and Yamucha’s lack of presence was sorely felt. There were empty seats and empty hearts, but Piccolo knew without a doubt that they would pull through in the end. They would, and they had before. They were survivors, all of them. They had a strength that existed not only in muscles and ki, but in their hearts. So far they had managed to overcome any oversight and any kind of pain, pushing through it with the strength of ten-thousand soldiers. There had been no talk of dragonballs or wishes, and it seemed as though they were going to leave it that way. Bulma and Yamucha had lived their lives to their fullest, and they ended. Abruptly, but rightfully so. In life, there should be no second chances, no lives brought back. There was fate, there was destiny, and everyone had a predetermined time to leave the world of the living.

Death, it seems, is the most powerful one of us all. Piccolo thought, lifting his eyes to look out at the snow falling before them. The blizzard was still swirling outside, winds whipping past the window, carrying shards of ice and flurries of snow. He watched all of this with calm and unblinking eyes, his heart growing lighter with every glint of light that fell in front of his view. He thought about what the planet would be like after they left. Would the snow continue to fall after they were gone and would the cold melt into warmth now that they were no longer there? Or would the blizzards and the snowstorms stop, because all opposition was now gone? The snow itself was a righteous enemy, one that they had to push through much like they had pushed through Sukuashi’s forces, perhaps even worse than the soldiers they had battled with. The snow was unrelenting, the snow was something that would never stop and would never give in. It followed them, just like death would always follow them, to the very ends of the planet. But they had conquered the soldiers and they had conquered their leader and they had conquered the snow as well.

So, perhaps the most powerful one is life and the inclination to live, to experience, to be. The chance to love and be loved, to make memories, to make others smile, to see the sunset, each and every night, faithful and true. It was the chance to accomplish what your heart truly desired, letting nothing stand in your way; the chance to become the person that fate intended you to become. That kind of hope and power existed outside of the boundaries of normal life and physical reality --- it lived on in a soul, in a spirit that was unchangeable and unbreakable. There was something there that not even the cold hand of death could touch. You could keep someone alive if you tried hard enough, but it wasn’t by using magic or wishes or revenge. The only way to keep someone alive, to keep someone with you always, was to lock that soul and spirit, their vivid memory, away in your heart --- To keep living on for them, becoming stronger and experiencing everything, tasting life as if it were the last drink of water.

They would go home, and give the Bulma and Yamucha their proper goodbyes, but their memories would forever remain. Death could take many things away from them, but the hope and love that they had felt would always remain. Each time it snowed, or each time the night took on a freezing chill, they would be remembered. Remembering a love and the life of someone special is what keeps people alive.

That’s what kept ChiChi alive, Piccolo guessed and he let his eyes wander over to where she and Gokuu sat, hand in hand, asleep. It was the memory of Gokuu, of her family and friends that kept her strong. If you measured strength by the love you had for other people, ChiChi would always come out on top. Maybe that’s why she and Gokuu worked so well together: they had the strongest, purest hearts on Earth. And ChiChi had changed; he could see that from the very second that he saw her again. She had always been strong, but no one had ever known how strong she really was. She had survived all of this time, having nothing but her own self-respect, and her love for her family. It was admirable, and if Piccolo had a way with words, he might tell her that one day.

Trunks, who had been standing next to Tayhei at the pilot’s seat, turned and took a seat next to Goten, flashing him a small, sad smile. “Who went into outer space?”

Goten hesitated, blinked then: “We did.”

Everyone looked up, a glint of hope in their eyes, smiles playing at the corners of their mouths.

“Who beat the tar out of some Saiya-jins?” Trunks asked again, this time cracking a bit of a grin.

Goten smiled too, and with reply, a bit of the stress everyone was carrying suddenly seemed to be lifted off of their shoulders. “We did.”

“Who’s going to come home like heroes?”

“We are!”

There was a pause, and everyone on the ship turned back to look at Vejiita, expecting him to say his ‘line’. He remained completely expressionless, almost as if he hadn’t heard them at all.

Then a small smirk appeared on his face, and Vejiita’s deep voice replied. “I’m not even going to bother asking. Just shut the hell up.”

The ship rumbled to life, the engines whirring to full blast behind them. Piccolo knew that this would not be the last adventure, or the greatest. They would have many missions in their lifetime and there would be many more enemies to face. But through it all, they would always come out victorious. All of them had stared death straight in the face and tossed it down into the ground as if it were nothing. Because life and fate were stronger, because they had the kind of power that was unshakable and unerring, they won. They had been tested many times before and they had always passed. And they would always pass, as long as they remembered the most important part of them and the love for which they fought for. That was what had kept them alive so far and what made them grow stronger and stronger each day.