"Come on, Lazuli! I bet you can't do it!"

Lazuli gritted her teeth and raised her voice in challenge. "Oh yeah? We'll see about that, little brother."

"Hey, we're not that far apart." He grinned from across the river. "Are you scared?"

"No way!" she called back and grabbed the thick vine. "I'm gonna go even faster than you did!" With that, she took a few steps back from the drop-off bank, sprinted to the edge, and jumped. She let out a whoop of excitement as she sailed above the swirling waters. Just before her feet crossed over the land on the far side, she let go.

"Careful!" her brother shouted from below, but he was a little too late. He barely got the word out before she barreled into him, knocking them both to the ground. "OW! Next time, watch where you're landing!" he complained as he pushed her off.

"Sorry," she giggled. "Should I teach you how to dodge?"

"I already know how." He picked up a handful of dirt and flung it at her. "The question is, do you?"

She knocked it down and sprang at him. "Oh, you're in for it now!" The boy rolled backwards so she landed on top of his feet, and he shoved her off. She hit the ground roughly, but somehow managed to kick out as he pushed her away, and the both of them tumbled over. Suddenly, there wasn't ground underneath her, and she let out a small cry as she scrabbled for something to hang on to. Below her, the river hit the side of the bank with a loud crash, and water sprayed all over her. Sputtering, she called out. "Lapis!"

"Lazuli? Are you alright?" he called back, peering over the edge. Seeing her normally neat clothes wet and disheveled, he couldn't help fighting a grin. "Quite the predicament you're in," he laughed.

Lazuli looked up from her white-knuckled grip on a tree root to her brother's face. "Yeah, yeah, just shut it and help me out!"

"Sure." He kneeled down on the bank and reached for her hand. "Now hold on tight, sis, I almost got- uuhn…" Quite suddenly, she heard a noise like a small explosion, and her brother keeled over and lay limply on the edge.

"LAPIS!" she cried, fighting to control herself as he was dragged away from her. The water below her was in disarray, almost as if it sensed some great danger. A hand grabbed hers, and she kicked and struggled, letting out a stream of curses that would be best not repeated. Over the roar of the water, she heard someone say, "Now, now, play nicely. You wouldn't want anything bad to happen, now would you?" Despite her fighting, she was pulled up and over the bank. Immediately, she wished she had just let go and climbed out on the other side. Holding her arm in a vice grip was an elderly man with white hair and a beard. Behind him, a man (or was it even human?) with pale skin and green hair held Lapis over his shoulder. At the sight of her brother, she kicked and fought even harder than before, but to no avail. A sharp pain blossomed in the back of her neck, and a single thought ran through her mind before the world went dark: she did not at all like their smiles.

~ıııı~

"Ugh, it's so damp and dirty in here," Bulma complained.

Yusira glanced over at her and shrugged. "Sorry. Nothing I could do about it. This place has pretty much run wild. Very few people ever come here."

She heard a loud slap, and a quiet "Got you, you little biter", before Bulma spoke up. "Well, I can see why they wouldn't. Where is this place, really?"

"I believe I saw a sign once, and it had some writing on it. I don't understand your people's written language yet, so could you help me figure it out?"

Her friend looked up at her suddenly, and laughed a little. "Oh, right. I almost forgot you aren't from here!" She stood and stretched. "Let's go!"

"Well, first, could you… um… turn Super Saiyan?" Trunks asked nervously.

Goku looked at him kind of funny. "Sure, no problem." He powered up effortlessly, and a golden aura sprang up from around his feet, turning his eyes green and his hair yellow. "Now what?"

"Now it's my turn." The younger Saiyan transformed as well, and Goku stared at him, surprised.

"You can go Super Saiyan, too? Wow!" Soon, however, a puzzled look replaced his excitement. "But Vegeta, Gohan, and I are the last Saiyans… How can you be one too?"

"I… er- tell you later. I want to test something first." Without warning, he whipped out his sword and swung it directly at Goku's face! Just before he hit the other Saiyan, he halted, with the point quivering barely a millimeter away. "Why didn't you try to block it?" he asked, confused.

Goku smirked. "I searched your feelings. There was no malice in your attack, so I knew you would stop."

Trunks considered the statement as he settled into a fighting stance. "Hm. Well, this time I'm not going to stop. Got it?"

"Alright." Calmly, Goku transferred some of his Ki into his hand, holding up his index finger. "I'm ready when you are!"

You've got to be kidding me! Trunks thought, but he attacked, the blade spinning and slashing in nearly every direction. To his surprise, Goku blocked every hit with just his finger!

‡‡‡‡

"I saw it right around here somewhere," Yusira said softly as she stepped around what may have been a light post. Bulma glanced around her nervously. This place was giving her the creeps.

"Are you sure no one else is here?" she asked. Her friend turned sharply, eyes narrowed. For a moment, Bulma thought she was mad at her, but then she realized the alien was looking past her.

"There shouldn't be," she answered, obviously disturbed by the possibility. A small frown creased her forehead and she hissed something under her breath. "Get down! Quickly!" she whispered urgently. Already frightened, Bulma ducked under two slabs of concrete that formed a little A-shaped refuge. Once she had settled, she started to look around for Yusira, but soon gave up. She'll be just fine. After all, she reasoned, she can camouflage herself. She also had a feeling that Yusira was a better fighter than she let on. She continued looking out of her little hiding place, trying to see what had unsettled the girl.

Dry-mouthed, Yusira stood frozen, mentally kicking herself for her inattentiveness. Nearly two hundred meters away, partially hidden by a wrecked popcorn stand, stood the two androids, currently unaware of her presence, thanks to camouflage. Anywhere closer than two meters, one might distinguish something like a mirage, but from their distance, they saw nothing. However… a memory stirred in her mind. The black-haired android had said something about sensing her the last time she tried hiding from them. Fear spread through her as she remembered her close call. She glanced back to where Bulma was hiding, and a different kind of dread gnawed away at her gut. What if the twins find her? I must keep them away from her! Yusira thought, horrified.

Already, a desperate plan was forming in her head. It was suicide, she knew, but she couldn't risk her friend's discovery.

Well, hello again, after a looooooooooooooooooong time. Summer was chaotic for me, with driver's ed and sports and trying (and failing) to keep up with personal goals. Oh, well. At least I FINALLY got this finished. Hope the next one won't be as long, but with school, you can never tell. As always, please rate and review so I can get a better idea of how to continue. Thanks for your support!