Genre : Angst – Drama – Romance

Disclamer : I don't own the DBZ's characters. Also, this is a french fiction in the first place and I wanted to translate it to practice my English so don't hesite to tell me if I've made some spelling mistakes :)

- Dragon Ball : Xenoverse -
– Destiny -

Chap. III - Troubles

Silence was starting to get heavy. Absolutely no one had laid out the slightest movement, not daring to break this moment. The sounds of the rest of the city seemed far away to the ears of the present people.

The newcomer didn't flinch. One knee down in front of the Namekian, her head remained lowered and her auburn hair masked part of her face. Piccolo didn't know what to think, just as he had no idea how to react. Should he stop her so that she stops kneeling before him? Did he have to be formal about it? After all, she came from another universe other than theirs… greetings had to be like this. Probably.

This could have been the case indefinitely if Goku hadn't finally spoken:

"What are you doing?"

Gohan approached with Videl and invited her to get back on her feet. Satan's daughter seemed quite embarrassed by the situation and kept her arm around the one of the warrior, probably to prevent her from doing this kind of thing again.

"You should go to downtown and the mall." suggested Goku's son to his girlfriend.

"Yeah! That's a very good idea. We'll see you later!"

In the company of the rest of the small group, they quickly drifted away under the gaze of the Namekian. Once again, their eyes crossed. For a few seconds, he saw something other than the initial terror he had previously perceived in her: a deaf anger mixed with a deep hatred. The next moment, this impression had completely disappeared. Could it be that it was only his imagination?

Gohan was the only one who stayed with his former mentor. He waited until they were alone enough to express themselves:

"Do you knew each other?"

The warrior Namekian lowered his eyes to the young Saiyan. He had difficulty knowing whether he was serious or joking.

"No. Not at all. However…"

He paused.

This whole thing was really weird. Especially since the words of this Vetra still resonated in his ears: "I didn't know you were present in this reality." Could it be that in the alternate universe from which she came, her presence was different from that of this world? If so, what role could he play? Probably not that of God, in any case and based on her reactions.

"However, I wonder if the Kaio Shin of Time might have answers to these questions."

After all, she was the one who summoned this warrior to help them in their fight. Her knowledge of the subject was therefore much more important than his. Perhaps he was going to have to pay her a little visit to get more information about it… especially if he had to train this woman.

Especially since the anger he had seen in her eyes and felt in her aura had not come out of his mind. On the contrary. Certainly, it was not the first time that he met someone with so much resentment towards his own person but perceived so much hatred towards him… That yes, was a novelty for him.

A novelty he did not understand. This tended to annoy him somewhat.

"It's probable, indeed." said Gohan as if he wished to put words on Piccolo's thoughts. "Even if the ideal would be to ask Vetra directly, right?"

The Namekian shook his head slightly:

"No. She will lie. It's not because the Saiyans are honest and frank that everyone is." he added to tease the young man.

The concerned raised his eyebrows for a moment before leaving in a burst of laughter. Piccolo kept his amused smile for a few minutes before the latter disappeared. He didn't want to waste more time in questions without any answers. It would be useless to tie knots in the brain.

"You should go back to your friend and others so that you can get an idea of our new…warrior. I'm going to the Kaio Shin's temple to get an explanation of it. I'll let you know when I get back."

The young Saiyan nodded and, after having greeted him, flew immediately to join Videl.

The Namekian followed him for a moment with his eyes until his figure became a black spot in the sky. Then, in his turn, he took off but towards the Temple. The journey was rather fast and he set foot on the ground in front of the large arch, to finish on foot. Internally, he was relieved to find the mistress of the place who seemed - strangely - to wait for him.

"I suspected that you would soon visit me." she said as a preamble before inviting him to enter the Temple itself.

"You know why I'm here."

His black eyes were staring at the Kaio Shin of Time. She didn't avoid his look, holding his gaze without flinching, but didn't seem comfortable either. The smile she offered him had something... sad, which surprised him somewhat.

"First of all," she said, "tell me what happened."

The Namekian crossed his arms again.

"I met with Vetra. Officially. I had seen her come to our universe before I slid away. She kneeled in front of me and called me "Majesty" and then… she seemed so terrified. A terror that I had never seen in anyone, even in human beings. But..."

"Yes?" The Kaio Shin encouraged him while he had interrupted himself.

"But then, when she moved away, it was not fear that I perceived in her: it was hatred in the raw state."

His interlocutor let out a slight exhalation as her shoulders sagged. He waited for her to put her thoughts in order for a few seconds and then, as he went to ask her what it was really about, she was the first to speak:

"In another case, I probably would have refused to give more explanations about an alternative reality to ours. But since you promised to take over her training...I guess I have to tell you what it is. Honestly."

She raised her head.

"Vetra comes from a world entirely dominated by your alter ego. Son Goku died trying to fight you during the Tenkaishi Budokai and you took over the Earth. I mean… literally, the control of the Earth : you became the Emperor. The God of Evil.

Piccolo was speechless. He had expected everything. Everything! Except this.

"Vetra was part of the personal guard of this God of Evil, but also one of the greatest figures of the Resistance. She was both the closest to the Emperor, but also his greatest enemy. That's probably why—"

"She knelt before me, and I felt her hatred for me." concluded the Namek.

The Kaio Shin of Time nodded to the warrior.

"Playing with masks and appearances is something she certainly controls as much as fighting. However, she doesn't know that you have nothing to do with the Piccolo of her world. You'll have to earn her trust on many points." she added with a slight smile.

"You knew it? Is that why you accepted without discussing my offer to be the instructor of the person you would call?"

"Yes." she confessed in a breath. "Among other things."

Piccolo didn't know if he was angry or admiring.

"What else should I know?"

This time the Kaio Shin waved him to follow her. The Namekian followed her lead as they entered deeper into the Temple. He recognized the many scrolls stored in the alcoves of the walls, each parchment of Time. Nevertheless, his guide didn't stop there. She took the stairs to a small room in the basement where there was a sort of round pool. The water was clear, almost translucent.

Without a word, she invited him to go to the middle of the pool.

"The best thing is that you see it for yourself. Don't worry, it won't take long."

The warrior obeys without a word and steps forward. The water reached him at knee level and, under his eyes, the light color became darker and darker until it reached a deep pitch black.

As he advanced, the room around him changed. The pool, water and walls of the Temple have disappeared, as well as the Kaio Shin. Instead, he found himself in a sort of large hall-like room. Torches were lit there, human guards in armor were there at regular intervals.

Hearing footsteps, he found himself and found himself facing…

"Vetra?"

The scarlet-haired woman did not seem to hear him and continued her way with a sure step until… crossing him, as if he were only an image. A ghost. The Namekian quickly understood the situation. Everything he saw here was just a memory. The events of an alternative reality to his.

Piccolo followed in the footsteps of the young woman. They passed many corridors to the point of stopping in front of a massive door. The warrior pushed the heavy wood door that squeaked on her hinges and penetrated into what the Namekian considered to be the throne room. They walked again to some kind of platform. There she put a knee on the ground as he had already seen her do in front of him a few hours earlier.

"Your Majesty. You asked to see me?"

A deep and dark voice resounded in the shadows before them. The massive doors closed in a heavy squeaking. Armed guards have come forward, weapons pointed at the woman on her knees.

Piccolo held his breath as he watched his own evil "reflection" emerge from the shadow, a bitter grin to his lips. Vetra didn't flinch.

"Yes. Indeed, my dear."

The Namek sovereign of the Earth stopped before his general on his knees in front of him. His silhouette cast a massive and sinister shadow over the scarlet-haired woman as he watched her from his height. His grin stretched out to turn into a carnassie smile, showing his fangs. A smile that made Piccolo shiver, still in the room.

He choked on the words of his evil alter-ego:

"Vetra, my sweet and beautiful Vetra. My faithful general of my armies... I sentence you to death for betrayal."