Landing on the ground where they killed King Piccolo brought a few strange feelings to Kit. There was only two times in, oh, okay, three times, that she had nearly been killed. But she didn't really count Tien's attempt. She didn't feel that one like she did the others. The first time was when she was nearly roasted to death in the fire that killed her parents. The last time was King Piccolo…

It had been so close. So damned close. He had been a freaking inch away from raising that hand and piercing her heart with a precise beam of power. She had been helpless, just like with the fire. Powerless to fight back. Broken and beaten. Maybe that's why she didn't count Tien's attempt, because she had still been very much able to fight back. She had felt so damned vulnerable.

Kit wasn't going to lie to herself. That really freaked her the fuck out. She stared around with a shiver. There was some construction going on with the nearby destroyed buildings. Tien came to her side, looking around with a critical eye. It was him, Kit thought, he had saved her life. If he had been a second too late…

"I think, from what I remember, it must have landed in that forest over there," Tien was saying, but his voice sounded so far away, "Maybe we should start there."

Kit was seeing King Piccolo stalking toward her with that power lacing up around his arm. She blinked and he was gone, but she was still rigid.

"Kit?"

Kit startled, looking at Tien as he frowned at her.

"I- I'm sorry," she laughed, "The forest, you said?"

"Are you okay?" Tien asked.

"I'm fine," said Kit, looking away from him.

Despite everything… admitting her feelings to him, and them, what, were they dating now? Was that it? In any case, her pride wasn't going to let her tell him about how much Piccolo, even dead, scared her since he nearly ended her life. Like the fire…

"Let's go! Can you fly us there? Seems too close to bother with the flyer," Kit smirked at him.

"I… yeah, I could," Tien replied, "But why are you smirking at me like that?"

"Because I totally get to ride on your back, and that means gripping those muscular shoulders."

Tien turned red.

"You better just get used to this, hot shot," Kit winked and then hiked herself up on his back, "Mush!"

"That's not funny."

"I disagree."

Tien sighed and took off, flying toward the forest he had indicated before.

"You will teach me how to fly, right?" Kit asked as they went.

"I was planning to, yes," said Tien, "But let's see where this egg is, if anywhere."

They landed in a clearing and began to scout about. They spent nearly three hours scouring through the trees and undergrowth with nothing. They finally emerged on the other side, both put out.

"Well… I don't know if there's a leaf we didn't turn over in there but…" Kit sighed.

"Yeah," Tien muttered, "I don't think it was in there. Even with my sight I couldn't… wait… what's that?"

Kit followed his gaze to see that he was looking out over to the hills to their left, and there was smoke rising into the sky.

"Well that doesn't look good."

"Get on," Tien motioned to his back.

Kit jumped onto it, and he flew them swiftly over to the source of the smoke. It looked like a house had burned down. There was an elderly couple sifting through the rubble and ashes, seemingly attempting to clean up the mess.

"What happened here?" Tien asked, landing, and Kit sliding off his back.

"Hello there," the older man looked up, perking up his hat so he could better see them past its brim, "I don't suppose you young folks would mind helping us out?"

"I never thought this would happen, I never did…" muttered the woman as she tried to dig through the ashes, "So much lost…"

"Of course," Tien walked forward.

Kit did so a bit more hesitantly. Despite there not being flames, being in the wreckage of a fire still made her nervous.

"What caused all this?" she asked.

"Oh… it's probably nothing you'd believe," sighed the man, "The wife found this egg in the woods just there. Massive egg, thought it was going to birth a little dinosaur, or something."

"An egg…?" breathed Tien, exchanging a look with Kit.

"Yes, and wouldn't you believe it, a child hatched from it!" cried the woman.

"A child?" Kit blinked in surprise, "Not some… demon…? Or monster?"

"No, well that's what we thought at first," sighed the man, "He had green skin and pointed ears, and little antennas on his forehead. No hair. And eyes black as night."

Kit and Tien stared at one another for a moment.

"He shot light out of his hands!" the woman wailed, "And burned the house down. All of it… so much lost…"

"Where did this child go?" asked Tien sharply.

"Don't rightly know," said the man, "He took off, muttering about revenge. But how can a babe that was just hatched crave revenge? It made no sense."

"Crap," Kit sighed, "Well, that must be why it's waiting until the Tournament. It's too little to do real damage now, even though it can already shoot lasers."

"What's this about a Tournament?" asked the man.

"Don't worry about it, sir," said Tien, "Let's help you get this sorted out.

They spent the rest of the day with the elderly couple. With Tien and Kit's strength, they were able to help them collect the rest of their valuables that survived the fire. Once they got their things all packed into their car, the couple saw them off.

"Thank you both so much for all your help," said the woman, bowing, "You're both incredibly kind souls."

"No problem," Kit beamed, "And don't worry about the little brat that burned your house down. We'll find him soon enough."

"Is that what you came here for? You were looking for that egg?" asked the man.

"Yes, but now that its hatched, it was very useful for you two to give us a description of what came from it. Now we know what we're dealing with," said Tien.

"Well, we wish you the best of luck," said the man, bowing, "We won't forget you two in a hurry."

"Good luck with everything," said Tien, bowing to them.

Kit and Tien piled back into the flyer and began to head back to Roshi's Island. Kit leaned back in her seat, lacing her hands behind her head.

"So it sounds like a child form of King Piccolo," Tien muttered thoughtfully as he flew the flyer out over the ocean.

"Yeah…" Kit sighed.

She didn't like the sound of that at all. She could handle another demon. The Drum guy was cake to take down. She just figured King Piccolo just wanted to spit out one final little pawn to maybe cause a little bit more destruction before they could find and destroy it. Just as a final fuck you. She did not expect that King Piccolo could make what sounded like a little clone of himself…

Another King Piccolo…

The image of the monster stalking toward her with the lighting around his arm flashed in her mind and Kit winced and let out a small gasp.

"Kit?" Tien glanced over at her warily.

"It's nothing…" Kit said softly.

She didn't get it. She had never let anyone scare her before. Not even Tao, who tried to kill her. Instead, she feared the fire. She prided herself on only being scared of that, not any one being in particular. She could honestly say, 'I'm not scared of anyone!'. But Piccolo… Was it because it was so much like the fire? Because she was backed into a corner, helpless, vulnerable, unable to stop it, seeing it coming for her, seeing it so damned close.

So close…

"Kit…"

Kit flinched and looked over to see Tien glaring out the windshield, but his third eye was trained on her.

"It's okay, you know," he said.

"What?" asked Kit with a half laugh, trying desperately to be her normal self.

"He was a terrible foe," said Tien, "Incredibly strong, incredibly deadly. It took all three of us to take him on, and we still barely managed to defeat him. It took a surprise attack, even."

"How would you…?" Kit began.

Tien shifted a little in his seat, "There are some things about you that are easy to read, Kit. I know you hate admitting any sort of weakness, but it's okay to be afraid of something."

Kit snorted, "I never feared any one person though, Tien. Not even Tao. Not even you."

"I understand why it can be frustrating to you," said Tien softly, "I was afraid of him too, but not in the same sense, I think. When I got back… and saw him there in front of you… I was so scared I wasn't going to make the shot in time. That…"

Kit stiffened and she saw that damned image of Piccolo in her face again.

"I'm sorry," Tien said, "I didn't mean…"

"No," said Kit firmly, "If this is really a second Piccolo, I have to get over this. Or else when we finally face him again, I might just become a blubbering mess like I do with fire. I can't let that happen. Or he will kill me this time."

"I wouldn't let that happen," said Tien harshly.

"I appreciate it, Shinhan, but I don't think you can protect me one hundred percent of the time. Besides, I told you how much I despise the damsel in distress role. I have to be able to take care of myself."

"Being able to take care of yourself doesn't mean you have to give up letting others help."

"What if you're not there? For whatever reason you can't be there to save me the next time? I still have to keep that possibility in my head. If I go relying on you or Goku to come along and be my back up all the time, that will just get me killed one day."

"… I suppose you're right."

"Of course I am."

Tien sighed. He gripped the steering wheel for a moment, "Just don't think you have to face something alone to overcome it, Kit. I'm here for you."

"I know," said Kit, "And I appreciate it. Now let's get our asses back to the island so we can start training."

Once they returned to the island, they relayed the information they had discovered to the others.

"You mean to tell me he somehow… what… had a son?" asked Bulma, "And if as a baby he could burn down a house…"

"Yeah," Tien sighed, "We're not sure just how strong it's going to become as it grows."

Kit was leaning on the wall by the kitchen, arms crossed, eyes closed. She had let Tien explain the situation. She didn't want to let out how freaked out she was by the whole thing.

"This isn't good," said Kaijo softly, shaking his head, "It doesn't sound like a typical demon that he would hatch from those eggs… it's more like…"

"A reincarnation," finished Roshi gravely.

"So all there's to do now is train," said Yamcha, "Right? I mean, we could go out there like Goku did, travel everywhere by foot to get stronger, and keep an eye out for the little monster while we're at it."

"That seems like the easiest thing to do," said Tien, nodding.

Kit glanced at the TV. The news was on, revealing the phenomenon of all the martial artists that King Piccolo and his minions killed had miraculously come back from the grave. She smiled a little at a shot of Kiran and Lucas, the twins from the tournament. It appeared Kiran had revived with a fixed leg as well. Convenient. Chiaotzu was also looking at the screen, and she saw him smile a little at that news. Good, she thought. That would make the little guy feel better since he was the one that caused the injury in the first place.

"Well, then, there's no time to lose," said Krillin firmly, "Let's go!"

"What right now?" asked Bulma, blinking in surprise and frowning at Yamcha.

He smiled sheepishly at her, "Well, I wasn't much use when King Piccolo was around, and I don't want that to happen again. I want to get stronger."

"Same here," said Krillin, "So I can make a difference when that thing rears its ugly mug."

Bulma sighed, "How long are you going to be gone?"

Kit smirked a little. It was cute, seeing her relationship with Yamcha. Yamcha took her hand.

"I don't know, Bulma. But I'll come back to you, I promise."

Bulma continued to frown at him.

"I'll keep an eye on him for you, Bulma," said Kit, shrugging off the wall.

"I want to come too!" Terrel came bursting in from the other room, looking determined, "Come on, old man, it'll make me stronger!"

Roshi was on the couch. He glanced over at Terrel with a perked brow, "I don't think so, Terrel. You're not ready to leave my teachings yet."

"That's not fair!" cried Terrel.

"What, are you trying to take off, Terrel?!"

Kit winced as a very blond Launch stormed into the room. Terrel looked over at her sheepishly.

"Eh- babe, this is important…" he half-heartedly mumbled.

"I don't think so!" Launch snapped, grabbing him by the front of his shirt, "Don't even think about trying to ditch me, you bastard! I'll follow you no matter where you go, got it?!"

Terrel's eye twitched and he looked down at her hand grabbing his shirt, "It's terrifying, but so… damned… hot…"

Kit rolled her eyes. Launch had become quite attached to Terrel. Even when she had blue hair, she hovered around him and blushed whenever he complimented her. It was cute, if not a little scary.

"Well that leaves Tien, Kit, Chiaotzu, Krillin, and myself," said Yamcha, looking over at them, "Where should we head first?"

"We'll swim to the mainland," said Kit.

"What?!" yelped Krillin, "But… that's so far!"

"It'll be good training!" said Kit, smirking at him, "Unless you think you can't handle it?"

"Of course I can handle it!" Krillin snapped, but then frowned, "It's just going to be really tiring…"

"No pain, no gain!" Kit started pushing him out the door, "See ya later, Bulma! Take good care of the happy couple, Roshi."

Her eyes then went to Kaijo. He was leaning against the wall near the kitchen, looking her over with a small smile.

"I know we technically decided your training is finished with me, but this still feels odd," he said with a sigh.

"Kaijo," Kit went to him, hesitated for a moment, then wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.

Her Master seemed stunned for a moment, then slowly, he returned her embrace.

"You've given me so much," Kit murmured, "Thank you. You're like a father to me, Kaijo. Take care, got it?"

"Yes," said Kaijo softly, pressing a kiss to her hair, "Remember your training, little Kit."

Kit backed away from him, a little embarrassed from her moment of sap, but she beamed at him then glanced at Roshi, "Keep an eye on him, got it?" she said playfully.

"No problem," Roshi laughed, "Good luck. We'll see you at the tournament, at least, right?"

"Of course!" Kit cast him a wink, "I have a title to defend."

"I'll be back," Yamcha smiled at Bulma.

"I'll be in West City," said Bulma, "Back at my house. You DO remember where that is, don't you?"

"Of course!" Yamcha laughed nervously.

Bulma gave him a final kiss, which silenced him. She pushed him away when she was done, "Go on. Go get your training. And you better be five times stronger next time I see you!"

"Make it ten," said Yamcha, grinning.

"Alright, love birds, let's get going," Kit called from the door as she shoved Krillin out into the sand.

The five of them stopped on the shore. Kit took out a storage capsule and popped it.

"Clothes in here!" she said.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" asked Tien.

"Do you wanna run around is sopping wet clothes when we reach the mainland? No. Strip," Kit winked.

"I- but- not nude-?" Tien was bright red.

"Of course not, you moron. You DO wear underwear don't you?" Kit laughed.

"Well… yeah…"

"Damn."

"Kit!"

Kit laughed again, "You're so easy to mess with."

And what happened next was the biggest surprise for even her. It just felt natural. Kit felt her body making the movements before she even realized it. She kissed him. Tien's body was frozen in shock for a moment before melting against her. Kit had planned on it just being a simple peck, but the second her lips touched his, a whole new instinct took over. She pressed herself to him, feeling his muscular torso beneath his tank top, running her hands along his toned back. Tien's hands found the nape of her neck and the small of her back, pushing him against her.

And then, quite suddenly, Kit remembered they had an audience.

With a gasp she jumped back, Tien doing so in the same motion as if he just thought the same thing. Krillin, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu were all staring them in slight shock. From Kame House, Terrel's voice called: "About fucking time!"

"Heh, sorry about that, couldn't help myself," Kit smirked crookedly at all of them, rubbing the back of her neck.

"When did this happen?!" Krillin yelped.

"Uh…" Tien was bright red, looking at the sand, "Well that was the first kiss."

"And you just… did that… in front of everyone?" Yamcha blinked.

"My bad," Kit shuffled her feet.

"Believe me, you're not as surprised as me," Tien muttered.

Kit shrugged. In all honesty, she wasn't embarrassed at all. It actually felt like a huge load had just been lifted off her shoulders. It was out now, that she and Tien had something. And now, she could act how she wanted around him.

"Well, I figured it was going to happen sooner or later," said Chiaotzu with a smile up at Tien, making him turn even more red.

"Come on, we're wasting time," said Kit, peeling off her shirt, and tossing it in the storage capsule.

"Kit!" Tien yelped.

Kit looked over at him as she pulled off her pants, "What? I don't want to get my clothes wet."

Even Yamcha was red as Kit stood up in just her underwear.

"Hoo hoo!" came a crowing call from Kame House, then a smacking sound.

"Eyes off my student, Roshi," Kaijo's growl came out.

"Roshi knock it off, you perve!" Bulma's voice snapped.

"Let's go!" Kit gestured to the storage box.

Eventually everyone stripped down to their boxers, placing their clothes in the box. Kit made it into a capsule again and tucked it into her bra, which made all the boys turn even brighter shades of red.

"Seriously, you boys need to get out more," Kit sighed before diving into the water and starting to swim.

So, she thought as she heard the splashes of the boys following her, she had managed to discover and reveal her true emotions with Tien today, and steal a kiss. Kit smirked crookedly. Even with the baby Piccolo problem looming in the back of her mind, Kit thought to herself, Yeah, I'm pretty lucky. And now, with three years of training stretching out before them, she wondered where her crazy life was going to take her next. So long as Tien Shinhan was at her side, she honestly didn't care.

*.*.*THREE YEARS LATER*.*.*

"Ah, Papaya Island, we meet again!"

Kit stood on the beach with a big grin on her face. Three years hadn't changed too much about her. Her red hair was still kept short and spiky, her green eyes still flashed mischievously, and she still wore the green tunic with the Fox Hermit symbol on her chest and back. She had new boots, yellow Capsule Corp ones she'd snagged in a shop a year ago, thinking about Bulma. And she had a leather bomber jacket that looked rugged and worn. It had been a gift from Tien a year after they left Kame House, on a bitterly cold week when she'd been refusing to get a jacket herself. He told her if he wasn't going to kiss her again until she put the jacket on. Kit hadn't lasted long.

"You think Goku will be here?" Krillin asked beside her.

Kit looked down at him. He'd grown since they left, but he still was only four foot ten. Poor guy was probably doomed to be short. But he was a young adult now, nineteen years old.

"Goku, miss a tournament?" Yamcha laughed, "Not likely."

Yamcha's hair had grown out, and he wore it tied back in a ponytail. He also had a couple of scars on his face now. Kit remembered that adventure with a near smirk. One should never fight bandits while drunk. Yamcha learned that the hard way. She'd been the one to save his sorry ass, and he'd made her promise not to tell anyone how it actually went down so the scars seemed sexy instead of hilarious.

"And Piccolo's son will be here too," Chiaotzu said softly, a grave look on his face.

"Let's not focus on that," said Kit, "We need some time to relax and fun, right? Green bean shouldn't ruin everything…"

Her underlying fear of Piccolo and a potential clone of the bastard wasn't as strong as it had been. She felt confident she could handle it now. But she still hadn't seen this kid that hatched from the egg. But after all, it had only been three years… how bad could he be?

"Yes," Tien came to her other side, giving her a gentle smile, "After all, we get to see our old friends again. This is a happy occasion."

Kit smiled back at him. He looked just the same, other than the silly wide rimmed hat he had on, and elaborate robes. She'd teased him about it, but he'd brushed her off. He'd gotten much better at putting up with her shit, so to speak, in their three years together.

"Damn straight, Shinhan," Kit said with a firm nod before gripping his hand, "Now c'mon, I don't think we have much time left to sign in!"

She rocketed forward, Tien letting out a yelp of shock as she pulled him behind her, straight up into the air.

It had taken her six months to get the hang of flying, but once she finally had it down, she soon began to outpace Tien. He never could quite keep up with her speed. But he always outmatched her in strength.

When Kit spotted the familiar Tournament grounds, she flew downwards, touching down on the ground just across the street before sprinting to the stand where they were taking contestants, all the while pulling Tien with her. The others were around them in the next heartbeat. The poor man behind the stand just about fell out of his chair when they appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

"Hi!" said Kit cheerfully, "Name's Kit. I'm here to defend my title."

The man was stuck in a stunned silence for a moment before he managed to recover, "U-uh, yes, of course!" and scribbled down her name,

"Tien Shinhan," Tien said from her side, throwing an arm around her and leaning toward the stand casually. He'd long since gotten used to physical contact with Kit, and no longer blushed so easily.

The others gave their names as Kit looked around with a grin.

"So where do you suppose-?" she began but then cut off when she spotted a head of light blue hair.

Down the sidewalk a ways was a group of familiar faces, looking toward them with shocked expressions and slowly emerging smiles.

"Bulma!" Kit cried, ducking out from under Tien's arm and rushing toward them.

Bulma's hair was shorter, but Kit found that it suited her quite well. She was in a cute little blue dress with matching boots. Kit pulled her into a hug and spun her around.

"Gah! Hi Kit!" Bulma choked in surprise then laughed as Kit set her down, "It's good to see you guys again!"

"Definitely!" Kit beamed over to spot Terrel standing next to a blue haired Launch, "Hey you two!" she said, then spotted their hands and repeated the same phrase again with much different meaning, "Oh, hey you two!"

Terrel looked smug as ever, sporting his signature goatee and one size too small shirt that allowed his muscle definition to really pop. Launch giggled a little, turning slightly pink in the cheeks.

"It's nice to see you again, Kit!" she said.

"Yeah!" said Kit, "I mean," she looked at Terrel and gave him a wink, "Nice catch, man."

"Oh, you've no idea," he said with a grin.

"Kit! You look like you've put on some muscle," said Roshi, looking just as she'd last seen him, even down to the blue suit, "Let me just check your definition…"

There was a loud SMACK, and Roshi stumbled as a familiar older man glared down at him.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Kit's off limits?" Kaijo growled.

"Kaijo!" Kit squealed before latching her arms around him.

Kaijo laughed as he returned her hug, "How are you, little Kit?"

"I'm great!" said Kit as she stepped back.

The others finally finished signing in and were with them now, all smiling and greeting their old friends warmly.

"Hey, Bulma," Yamcha approached her with a smile, "I love what you've done with your hair."

Bulma gaped at Yamcha for a moment, almost seemed to get angry, but then she sighed and said, "Likewise, you jackass."

"Ah, true love," Kit sighed, earning a glare from both of them.

"Hello Master Roshi, Master Kaijo," Tien said, bowing respectfully to both of them.

"Hello, Tien, it's good to see you've all been training hard," said Roshi.

Kaijo looked over Tien almost suspiciously for a moment before saying, "Have you been treating Kit well, Shinhan?"

Kit felt her cheeks go a little red, "Oh, c'mon, Master, don't get all mama bear on me!" she groaned.

"Wow! You guys all look great!"

That was a new voice. Kit looked over to see a young man standing a head over her, grinning down at them. He had wild black hair and wore strange robes. Kit tilted her head to the side as she gaped up at him.

"Hold on a second… that hair style… Goku?!" she wailed.

He beamed, "How's it going, Kit?" he asked cheerfully.

"G-Goku?" Krillin stared up at Goku with a slack jaw and wide eyes. Kit remembered with a near chuckle that the bald boy was hoping Goku hadn't grown too much since they last met. He was almost twice the size of Krillin now.

"Krillin!" Goku looked ecstatic at the sight of his old friend, "You got taller!"

Krillin leapt at Goku, forcing him into a hug as he buried his head into Goku's chest.

"Goku, I never got the chance to thank you! I died, but you brought me back! Thank you so much!" he cried.

"Ah, more true love," Kit said, grinning over at Tien.

He chuckled.

"I'm just glad your back, Krillin," said Goku.

"Man, I barely recognize you, kid!" Yamcha said to Goku as Krillin backed off with a tearful smile.

"Have I changed that much?" Goku asked with a half laugh, rubbing the back of his head.

"Well, how about some dinner to catch up?" asked Roshi, smiling at everyone from under his beard.

"Wouldn't miss it!" Kit said, gripping Tien's arm, "We best fill our bellies to prepare for the preliminaries!"

Tien gave her a soft smile as they turned and began to head down the street with their friends. But even as Kit laughed and grinned with them, she felt a small sense of dread building up within her gut.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:::

Okay. Yes. I know. It's literally been FOREVER since I've touched this puppy. But I've gotten a few PMs and such requesting I continue it, and so here we go! I've missed Kit. She's too much fun. And her and Tien are an item now! WOOT! And we're finally at the last tournament for DB, the one with Piccolo Junior, and of course, the return of Tao. What's gonna happen?! WHO KNOWS?! I might know… :P

Anyways, sorry it took so long for an update. Thank you all so much for the continued support and patience, and as always the reads, reviews, follows and favs!

-Red