The dying rays of the setting sun painted the plaza outside Kami's Lookout blood red.
A white jet bearing a blue "C.C." logo sliced through the sea of clouds, its engines screaming shrilly.
The jet wheeled sharply through the air before descending vertically into the center of the plaza.
Krillin was the first to jump out.
Yamcha jumped out right behind him.
Before leaving Kame House for the Lookout, Bulma had taken Krillin to find Yamcha.
It was rather funny, really.
When Krillin went to find Yamcha,
Yamcha hadn't even known what had happened.
He had just finished playing a baseball game.
The two stood with their backs to the plane, looking around.
The Lookout's plaza was deserted.
Even Mr. Popo, who was usually outside taking care of the cleaning, was nowhere to be seen.
The wind swept through the empty corridor, carrying an unsettling chill.
Krillin swallowed.
He closed his eyes, trying to calm his mind and sense the ki around him.
His mind was in chaos.
Although the oppressive, despair-inducing ki that had covered the entire Earth had vanished, its lingering effects remained.
His ability to sense ki had been severely affected.
A piercing rush of air suddenly rang out.
Two afterimages burst through the clouds with sharp sonic booms, shooting straight into the sky.
Krillin instinctively raised an arm in front of his face.
Two figures landed steadily on the stone tiles a few meters away.
Krillin lowered his arm.
He got a clear look at the newcomers.
He breathed a sigh of relief, and his tense muscles relaxed.
"Tien Shinhan! Chiaotzu!"
Tien Shinhan spotted Krillin and the others too.
"Krillin, Yamcha."
Krillin waved and hurried over to meet them.
He walked halfway around Tien Shinhan, his face full of surprise.
"You guys were so fast! We only called you when we were already on our way."
"You were farther away and left so much later than us, but you still got here at the same time!"
Krillin patted his bald head.
"You've gotten that good at the Flight Technique!"
Tien Shinhan nodded slightly.
"We haven't slacked off in our training," Tien Shinhan said.
He looked Krillin over.
"Krillin, your ki has gotten a lot stronger since we last met too."
The compliment from his old friend eased much of Krillin's earlier fear and tension.
He smiled sheepishly.
"I'm doing okay. I don't want to fall too far behind you guys either."
"Hey, Tien Shinhan, Chiaotzu, long time no see."
Yamcha brushed the bangs off his forehead with one hand and walked over with his usual smile.
He stopped beside Krillin and gave Tien Shinhan a nod.
Yamcha might have thought the atmosphere was too tense and was trying to lighten it.
Tien Shinhan's gaze fell on Yamcha.
"Yamcha."
"Huh? What's wrong?" Being stared at made Yamcha uncomfortable all over.
"You've been slacking off in your training lately, haven't you? Your ki feels a lot more scattered..." Tien Shinhan frowned.
Yamcha's face flushed red in an instant.
He instinctively took a small step back.
"N-no, I haven't." Yamcha gave a couple of awkward laughs. "I train every day... Baseball is physical training too!"
"Baseball?" Tien Shinhan looked puzzled.
Then he shook his head in disappointment.
"You really need to take it more seriously. Don't let Master Roshi's teachings go to waste."
"Have you forgotten that King Piccolo still wants to take over the Earth at any moment?"
Tien Shinhan's words left Yamcha speechless.
All Yamcha could do was laugh awkwardly.
Having said that much, there was only so much more Tien Shinhan could do.
Tien Shinhan said no more.
He looked toward the inside of the Lookout.
"Goku's in there, right?" Unlike the unsettled Krillin,
at such a close distance, he could just barely sense Son Goku, even though Goku had restrained his ki.
Prompted by Tien Shinhan,
Krillin realized it too.
"You're right. The ki inside must be Goku's."
Bulma had also walked over.
Hearing them say Goku was inside, she turned to head in.
"Is Little Son inside? Then let's go in."
Everyone turned and prepared to head inside together.
Just then, several figures emerged from the Lookout's entrance.
"Hey! Krillin! Bulma!"
Son Goku came out from inside.
He waved to Krillin and the others outside and strode toward them.
"Bulma?" Tights, who was following behind him, froze the moment she heard Son Goku's call.
She unconsciously quickened her pace too.
"Goku!" Krillin smiled and ran toward Goku at the same time.
This was the first time they had seen Son Goku since parting ways after the World Martial Arts Tournament.
Joyful smiles filled everyone's faces.
After the brief joy of their reunion, Tien Shinhan turned serious. "Goku, do you know what happened?"
"That ridiculously powerful ki today..."
"And Kami's ki disappeared..."
"What on earth is going on?"
Son Goku scratched his head, seemingly unsure where to begin.
"Well... how should I put it? I still don't completely understand it myself... Kami seems to have been..."
"Bulma?"
Son Goku was racking his brains, trying to find the right words, when the sudden voice behind him interrupted him without warning.
Everyone instinctively looked toward the voice.
Bulma in particular.
She looked behind Son Goku in the direction of the voice.
Her eyes immediately widened.
That familiar figure.
It was her sister!
"Sis?!"
"Sis??"
The second cry came from the others, who exclaimed in unison.
Bulma and Tights both looked surprised.
The sisters jogged toward each other.
"Bulma!"
"Sis!"
The two ran straight into each other's arms.
They embraced.
And laughed together at their long-awaited reunion.
After the sisters let go of each other,
they began catching up after so long.
"Hey, Bulma, you've grown so much, little girl. I almost didn't recognize you." Tights held out her hand to compare their heights.
They were about the same height now.
Bulma pushed her sister's hand down.
"What do you mean, little girl? I've been an adult for ages, you silly sister!"
"Oh, sorry, I almost forgot. You were still a little kid when I left Earth, Bulma."
Though Tights said that, she didn't sound apologetic at all.
Hearing her sister's words, Bulma thought of something.
A look of surprise suddenly appeared on her face.
Then she reached out and poked Tights in the face.
"What are you doing, Bulma?" Tights stepped back in confusion.
"Come on! This is so unfair! You still look like a teenage girl, Sis!"
"You're almost forty!"
Hearing Bulma's somewhat envious, jealous praise,
Tights instinctively touched her own face.
"Huh? A teenage girl? Is it really that exaggerated?"
"Come to think of it, I haven't even kept track. How old am I now...?" Tights murmured.