Trunks stared at the ground, waiting. Every five minutes or so, he glanced at his watch, trying to estimate Goku's arrival. About a half hour left! He stood.

"Alright guys, he should almost be here."

"Why are we even listening to this punk?" a man with spiky black hair retorted. "All he's done is sit on that rock for two hours and look at his silly little watch."

"Vegeta, quit your complaining," a blue-haired woman scolded him. Aside to her short, bald companion, she added, "besides, this new guy is kinda cute!"

"Shut up, woman!"

It seems like everyone is here, thought Trunks. Mom, Gohan, Krillen, Yamcha, Tien, and even Dad. The green-skinned one must be Piccolo. I don't really know them that well, but I hope they like me. He glanced over at his father, who caught him staring.

"What do you think you're looking at," he growled. Trunks quickly averted his eyes.

"Nothing," he mumbled. He stole another glance, and stuttered, "It's… uh… I like you're shirt."

"Dumb kid. Keep your eyes to yourself."

Sighing, he complied and picked some dirt off his boots. Next to his ear, his watch beeped again, and he quickly turned it off. About the same time, Piccolo stiffened and looked to the east. "He's almost here!" he called to the others. Everyone but Vegeta stared at the sky, growing excited by the second.

"Is he really coming?" Gohan asked his friend Krillen.

"I sure hope so!" he answered, shielding his eyes from the sun.

Suddenly, Bulma pointed a little to the right. "I see him!" Sure enough, there was a small black speck in the sky, that grew larger every passing second. The roar of the small pod's engines slowly faded into earshot, and then the ship sped past the elated group, crash-landing in the ground. Everyone rushed to the large crater and gathered around the edge. The door flashed and beeped, and then it hissed as it started to open.

ΩΩΩΩ

"We're here."

The simple phrase caught Bulma by surprise, and she looked suspiciously at the once-prosperous city, now laying in ruins. "Where is 'here'?" she asked.

Yusira nodded at the rubble. "This is the best place to hide. There are many vantage points and hiding places, and it's really easy to defend. We should be safe here for as long as we need to."

"You know this place?"

Again, the alien nodded. "I've explored it from top to bottom. Unless there are a few new residents, this area is clear."

Bulma sighed and sat down next to a large slab of concrete, which may have once been a sidewalk. Now it leaned, cracked and broken, leaning against a pile of rocks and twisted metal. "Who knew how much destruction those two could cause," she breathed. Yusira crouched next to a bent green sapling and gently helped it straighten.

"How could they do this?" she asked the plant. "It's… just not right. They can't be doing this on their own." Naturally, it didn't answer.

Bulma caught the last sentence and tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

The alien stood. "Those two… what did you call them?"

She snorted. "Androids, but monsters really is a better term."

"Those androids, they're not humans. Their… robots, right? That means someone must be controlling them." She rested her head on her hand and leaned against a charred wall. "This just isn't right. To destroy and kill… even if it is for revenge, it should never be like this." Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, and she quickly wiped them away.

"I see," Bulma mused. She stood and walked over to her friend. "Where are we staying?" she asked. "Surely not out here. If it rains, we'll get soaked!"

Yusira brightened and pushed herself off the wall. "Let's get moving then," she said, leading the way deeper into the ruined city.

"It's him, it's really him! Goku's here!"

Soon, most of the crowd was jumping up and down and waving at the black-haired figure standing in front of the space pod. It was easy to see the surprise on his face as he looked up at his friends standing on the crater's edge. "Hi, guys! How did you know I was going to be here?" he called up. Then he noticed a small silhouette standing a little apart from the group. "Hey, who's that?"

Trunks stepped forward. "I can't tell you my name," he said softly.

Goku leapt onto the side of the crater. "Ok. Well, my name is Goku!"

"Dad!"

The pair turned, and a small body crashed into Goku. "Gohan! How are you?"

Tears were brimming on his son's eyes. "I always knew you would come!" he exclaimed. Soon, nearly everyone was crowding around their newly returned friend, asking questions about the fight, how he escaped, and celebrating he had come home safely.

"Oh, no! I forgot! Guys, Frieza's still alive! He could be-"

"Oh, don't worry about it!" the blue-haired woman said happily, pointing at Trunks. "The mystery guy took care of him!" She smiled at him adoringly, earning a mournful look from Yamcha.

Ugh, Mom! Cut it out! Trunks thought as his face rapidly turned red.

"You killed Frieza?" Goku asked him, snapping him from his thoughts.

"Uh, yeah. Actually, can I talk to you…" he paused as he glanced around at the group. "alone?"

"Sure! I'll be right back, you guys." Goku waved briefly at his friends and flew up to the other side of the crater, with Trunks closely behind. When they landed, he turned to the younger Saiyan. "So, what did you want to say?"