18 hopped over to the door before Gohan could react. She undid the mechanical lock and turned the nob just as Gohan dashed to her side in a burst of speed, his aura flaring. "Be calm," she whispered, then opened the door.

The two strangers were not Human, although they were Humanoid, more Human-like than Cell at least. The blue-skinned taller man stood over two meters with the last foot being his upstanding hair. He wielded an ornate blue and gold staff, which was topped with a black, glassy orb inside a vertical blue ring, resembling a miniature planet. The shorter man, around Gohan's father's height, was a humanoid feline with large ears and hairless purple skin. Their clothing was not dissimilar from each other, adorned with the same diamond patterns. Gohan could not sense even the tiniest amount of energy within either, similar to Android 16.

"Hello," 18 said, "I'm Android 18. It's nice to meet you. Are you creations of Doctor Gero or his computers?"

Their expressions were unguarded. They were mostly amused and a bit surprised. The feline answered, "The feeling is mutual, Android 18. I'm Lord Beerus, this is Whis, and you will address me as such. We are not creations of Doctor Gero or his computers." Even though he was clearly not from Earth, he spoke far more naturally than 18. His attention moved to Gohan. "You're Son Gohan, correct?"

Feeling more at ease but very confused, Gohan answered politely, "Yes, Lord Beerus. How may I help?"

Beerus lifted his paw in a threatening manner. He rubbed his chin. "Are you going to invite me inside?"

"Sorry, I would, but this is 18's apartment."

"Yes, it is," she said, "and you're welcome inside, Lord Beerus. Would you like a cup of water?"

"Not for the time being, no," Beerus said, walking to the sofas. He sat at the coffee table's head, lounged on the single sofa, like a lord. Meanwhile Whis sat opposite to Gohan and 18. The tension in the room dwindled, mostly thanks to Whis' friendly demeanor. They did not seem like bad guys. They were more like circus acts, but Gohan knew he couldn't judge an opponent by looks and personality alone—one of Father's lessons during their training in the Time Chamber. It was possible that 18's read was right.

Beerus yawned, and his ear twitched, but his eyes did not leave Gohan. "Vegeta told me," he began, "you are this planet's strongest guardian. I find it hard to believe you could defeat him in battle even with your… Super Saiyan transformation. It would be a close fight."

They knew both Vegeta and of Super Saiyans. Gohan tried to hide shock under a goofy face, "I was stronger five years ago, but I've slacked in my training to tell the truth, and Vegeta's trained every day. So he may be stronger now."

"Hmmm." Beerus looked around the room. His tail whipped around the back of the sofa. "I suppose it makes little difference, but given your level of power, do you consider this planet's safety primarily to be your charge?"

It took Gohan a few seconds to think. "Not really, that would be Dende. He's the God of Earth."

Beerus' sneer was a different kind of amusement. "Indeed he is."

"You've already talked to him?"

"I have."

If Dende, Piccolo, Vegeta, and the others hadn't raised the alarm yet, then this probably wasn't another massive crisis. Beerus wasn't a bad guy. Gohan slouched into the sofa. He knee brushed against 18's leg, a nice feeling. She was soft yet firm. Really nice.

Whis spoke up for the first time, "May I interrupt, my lord?" His voice was jovial. He was staring intently at 18.

Beerus cut him a semi-annoyed glance, "What is it?"

"It appears that Android 18 has our energy. Have you noticed?"

"Yes, yes." Beerus waved him off dismissively. "She possesses a puny amount. I can hardly discern it. Pitiful, really. Even Vegeta could defeat her."

Gohan cut in, "What do you mean your energy? Are you androids?"

Head shaking, 18 answered, "Doctor Gero said we have the purest and strongest form of energy, the primal energy of the universe itself, whatever that means."

"I see," Whis said far too happily.

Beerus yawned and said, "No more interruptions. Your god was unable to answer my questions, but you can never be too certain. Answer truthfully, Son Gohan." His feline eyes narrowed. "Do you know of a being called Majin Buu?"

Gohan's answer was immediate: "No, I don't."

Beerus threw his head back and let out an exasperated groan. His body flared a dark purple aura, and a horrific feeling saturated Gohan to the center of his spirit.

18 said, "I've heard of Majin Buu."

The dark aura ceased. Beerus exclaimed, "You have?! Tell me what you know!"

"Doctor Gero sent dozens of probes into deep space. One returned with rumors of a sealed magical being of pure evil—Majin Buu. A second probe reported Buu possesses unmatched fighting power far greater than Freeza. Gero then sent countless additional probes to find Buu, but none returned with anything tangible, so he gave up, rare of him, really. The last I heard of Buu was that he may've been in this region of the universe."

Unsettling. Deeply unsettling. Gero must've wanted a sample of Buu's cells. What if he had succeeded? Cell may've been on an entirely different level. Twice as powerful? Ten times? A hundred? A bead of cold sweat rolled off Gohan's chin.

Beerus asked, "When was this?"

"Perhaps a decade ago." 18 shrugged. "I'm not sure. I was also sealed for years."

Beerus dramatically sighed in disappointment, as though he were expecting to have found Buu on Earth by now. He grumbled, "Very well. Before I leave, I have a request. Other than Vegeta, you are the last remaining Saiyan alive, yes?"

"There's also Vegeta's son, Trunks, and my younger brother, Goten. We're half-Saiyans, but yes, as far as we know, we're the last of our race. Although there could be survivors on other planets. You'd never know."

Beerus' chin lifted, challenging. In a mocking tone, he said, "Then I shall ask you, the strongest of your great warrior race, for a gift. I would appreciate this world's finest silk pillow."

Gohan blinked twice, his jaw sagging. "World's. Finest. Silk pillow?"

"Yes, you heard me." Beerus pointed at Gohan. "I demand it. It shouldn't be a difficult task, judging from what I've seen of your planet."

"Uh…" Gohan scratched his cheek. "My mom says fine silk is really expensive, and I don't have any money. Can I get back to you after—"

18 said, "If I may interrupt, the three top brands are Santel, Silk King, and Carrie. Silk King is more of a budget brand for mass-market consumers while Santel and Carrie sell the highest quality fine silk on order. The finer of the two is up to debate; however, my personal preference is Carrie. I have a spare in my bedroom. Would you like to have it?"

Eyes closed, Beerus held out his palm. "Bring it to me."

18 stood, hurried to her room, and was back after ten seconds. She passed over the pillow. "The sealed plastic keeps it fresh, so you can be sure one's used it."

Beerus tore open the package with his fingernail. The extra-large pillow was plain white embossed with gold floral patterns at the edges. He sniffed it, patted it, stroked it. He smiled. "What do you think, Whis?"

"It is indeed very fine, my lord, but is this pillow the world's finest pillow?"

18 said, "I can't say for certain, but it's the priciest they've got. The silk is mold and corrosion resistant. It's from genetically engineered worms."

"Most fascinating," Whis agreed.

Beerus kept examining the product's quality until he yawned again, loudly. He stood, and so did Whis. "So be it," Beerus declared, "I find your gift satisfactory, but if I discover that you have deceived me, there will be consequences." He cracked his neck twice. "Whis, we're leaving this instant." He placed his left palm on Whis' back.

"Yes, my lord."

There was a sustained flash of blinding white light, and the strange duo vanished, leaving a bewildered Gohan to stare at the spot they had stood. They are good guys, he thought. They seem like the space police, and if they're here for a evil being stronger than Freeza, then it might be big trouble. But how strong is Buu? Cell was at least ten to twenty times stronger than Freeza. What if Buu is even stronger than Cell?

Then a deeper voice echoed in Gohan's head, That's what I want to know.

Piccolo! Gohan thought. What's happening? Who were those two?

It's not in your place to know. Piccolo's tone was extremely harsh. Stay far away from Lord Beerus. Forget that you ever met him. Forget he exists. Understand?!

What? Why should I foget—

Trust me, Gohan. It is not in your place. Concentrate on your own training. If this Majin Buu ever appears, we will be prepared.

Okay, I hear you, but I'm not forgetting about Beerus just yet. What if he needs help? I couldn't even sense his energy.

Piccolo didn't respond. His energy signature faded from Gohan's mind.

18's fingers waved in front of Gohan's face. She asked with exaggerated inflection, "Are you in there? Hello?"

"Sorry, I was speaking with Piccolo. He's telepathic. He knows who Lord Beerus really is but won't tell me." Wires connected in Gohan's brain. "And if he knows, then Dende knows! He'll tell me what's happening if Piccolo won't."

18 looked at Gohan curiously. She tucked strands of her silky hair behind her ear. "Isn't it obvious?"

"You figured it out?"

"It's in his name. Lord Beerus." Her eyes rolled. "He's obviously a ruling monarch from some distant planet. Majin Buu must've threatened his people."

"But why wouldn't Piccolo just say that?"

"Maybe he's the monarch of this galaxy and he likes his privacy. I certainly would."

That made more sense, although Gohan wasn't all convinced. Call it Saiyan sense; every cell in his body was screaming at him that Beerus wasn't a distant civilization's monarch. Maybe he was a Kai; Whis' outfit had some likeness to Father's description of King Kai, but why would Piccolo want to keep that a secret? This was maddening, chewing up Gohan's insides.

"Gohan," 18 sighed. "There's no point in fussing over something which you can't be certain of. It'll only stress you out. You're stressing me out."

"You're right. Let's go see Dende."

"Let's?" Her thin eyebrow arched.

His stomach sank slightly. "You don't want to come?"

"No, I'd rather sunbathe on a deserted beach. Actually, I think I'll go do that now while the sun is still young." She give him that incredible naughty smirk. "You're welcome to join me." She walked off into her bedroom in such an alluring way. There were rummaging noises, then a window opened, the wind howling. She flew out.

He could either follow her or go to the Lookout. The choice was his. The choice was harder than it should be. He had a feeling that it was going to drastically effect the future, and his decision was already made. His aura flared vigorously. He shot out the window above the spa pool at top speed.

Author's Note:

Previous chapters were edited for typos/grammar/etc. "Ki" is now simply "Energy"