((OOC Note from the Author - I apologize for the massive delay in getting new chapters up lately. Work and other stories are consuming my time, and I've had little DB access lately. Sorry ^_^; ))

Towering high above the earth, the bowllike shape of Kami's Lookout was home to the ancient deity who watched over the planet that was Earth. The lookout itself, though large, didn't seem to Raditsu to be as splendid as it should have been. Kami was a deity, after all - the lack of blatant gold and gems sheathing the Lookout sort of hinted at either a humble or a lazy nature on Kami's part.

Standing in a white archway was Kami himself. Again, the ancient deity was not what Raditsu had been expecting - Kami was an ancient green being, his flesh wrinkled and his more prominent muscles tinted a sickly shade of yellow. He wore a simple white surcoat over a long blue robe, and in his fist was a gnarled oaken staff.

"What?" Kakarotto murmured in Kiwi's direction. "No godly white robes? No angels? No golden swords of judgment? What a gyp."

Raditsu couldn't help but chuckle a bit. After a moment, he composed himself and stepped towards Kami.

The ancient deity didn't seem at all intimidated by the sight of a massive Saiyajin bearing down on him - in fact, he returned Raditsu's gaze with a level gaze of his own. The Saiyajin stopped a few feet away from the frail green god.

"So what exactly brings you up here?" Kami inquired. His voice was quiet, somewhere between a wheeze and a croak.

"We have a favor to ask of you, Kami-sama."

"Oh?"

"I'm sure you know that Dai Shinnoma is lose, hmm?"

"I've heard some rumors to that effect, yes."

"We've been trying to kill him, but we've concluded that we need your help. You confined him in the Daimahi Volcano once before. We need you to do it again."

Kami's face hardened. "Absolutely not," he declared. "Dai Shinnoma is infinitely more powerful than all of us - even me. I wouldn't have time to charge up a technique."

"You underestimate us," Bardock stated, stepping up beside his son and turning a cool gaz towards Kami. "We've already managed to kill one of his henchmen."

"His henchmen are nothing," Kami told the elderly Saiyajin. "And if you had any sense at all you'd just let him take over the world. He won't live forever, and when he dies you can just procreate like rabbits."

"You fear him." It was not a question.

"Of course I fear him! He's the most powerful being ever to exist on this planet! Why SHOULDN'T I fear him?"

Piccolo Daimaou suddenly pushed between the two Saiyajins. "Let me handle this," he muttered.

Kami suddenly exploded into a fit of rage. "YOU!" he screamed. "Get off my lookout, foul hellspawn! Get out! Go back to Hell and burn!"

"You're infantile," Piccolo said simply. "You're going to help us, whether you like it or not - because if you don't, I'll fuse with you again and take your power for myself."

An expression of horror crossed Kami's face. "You wouldn't!" he said in a shocked tone.

"Oh, I would, Kami. You may not like being a part of me again, but I'll have your power AND your knowledge, and I'll be the Kami of Earth to boot."

"You're unqualified to be Kami!"

"Better me than Dai Shinnoma."

"At least he has a degree from North Galaxy Kami College."

Smiling slightly, Piccolo withdrew a rolled paper from somewhere among his garments. "So do I," he noted. "Piccolo Daimaou, Ph.D. in Kami Sciences."

"You're kidding."

"Class of 4981 BC. But that's not the point here. The point is that you're going to help us defeat Dai Shinnoma."

Kami sighed slightly. "Well, I suppose I might be able to help you," he said in a defeated tone.

Piccolo smirked in Raditsu's direction. "See how easy that was?" he said smugly. "You just have to know which buttons to push."