Bulla knew meeting the Z Fighters was risky, and inviting them to come chat with her while she waited for Goku seemed even riskier. But in her mind it was the only smart thing to do. If she ignored them, they might perceive her as a threat and want to fight. If she invited them in, though, it was her chance to control the narrative.

She knew she looked just like her mother, but they weren't twins. Anyone could look that much alike, Bulla tried to convince herself, and if they didn't know she was from the future, there would be absolutely no reason to assume their relation. She tried to conjure up a story that might seem plausible enough for the Z Fighters to leave her alone until Goku arrived.

The group touched down a short distance from where the battle had occurred, and the group cautiously eyed Bulla up and down. It was Vegeta who was first to speak.

"Alright, let me get this straight," He barked, staring her down suspiciously. "Who are you?"

"I'm here to see Goku," she said matter-of-factly.

"I didn't ask why you were here, you idiot!" he shouted. "Are you hard of hearing? I asked you who you are!"

Bulla found it hard to look her father directly in the eyes without blushing. It was the first time she had ever seen him, at least, the first time she could remember seeing him. And even though he was screaming at her, it took all of her might to not run to him and ask him a million questions about his life. Vegeta spied her suspiciously, oddly curious about her reaction to him.

"Well?!"

"I'm curious as well," Piccolo interjected. She broke her gaze with Vegeta and saw all the Z Fighters looking at her suspiciously. Bulma, Yamcha and Krillin in particular were watching her with a frightened curiosity.

"I can't help but notice that you look so much like Bulma," Yamcha said aloud. The rest of the group looked at one another, as if confirming those were their suspicions as well. "Are you...do you...Bulma—do you have some secret sister no one knows about?"

"She's not my sister," Bulma stammered, almost frightened. Bulla knew her response would make or break her story, which she had yet to fully form.

"I've never met this woman before," Bulla said so confidently she almost convinced herself. "So I don't imagine there's any possibility we can be related."

"So, it's just a coincidence?" Krillin asked skeptically. Bulla shrugged.

"I mean, well, Bulma does kind of look like your ex-girlfriend, Krillin," Yamcha pointed out. Krillin made a face and shook his head frantically, which prompted Bulma to slap him on the shoulder. It made Bulla laugh.

"I'm just saying," Yamcha continued. "It's possible for people to look alike and not be related."

"What's not possible, though, is how she can claim to be a Saiyan," Vegeta angrily retorted.

"I don't claim to be a Saiyan," Bulla quipped. "I am one."

"Impossible!"

Vegeta was uneasy by this woman's presence. She did not look like a Saiyan, for one. She looked like an Earthling, or at least some type of Earth—like alien that he had never encountered before. What was even stranger was how much she looked like Bulma. As vile as he found he woman, he had observed her for the past several days. There was no doubt they shared many physical similarities. For a moment, he considered maybe she was a shapeshifting alien of sorts who was able to change her form and power at will.

"There's no way of knowing how many Saiyans were off planet when Vegetasai exploded," Bulla said calmly. "I've never met my parents, so why is it not possible that they happened to survive the genocide?"

Her words struck him like a lightning bolt. It wasn't like the destruction of his planet was a secret, but its true cause was. He was dumbfounded as to who she might be, and as the young woman continually dodged her true identity, the angrier he became.

"My identity is not important right now," she said coolly. "Just know I am an ally."

"Oh, sure!" Vegeta yelled back. "We should just go ahead and trust you, just like that?"

Gohan had been watching the young woman during her terse exchange with Vegeta. While she was definitely hiding a secret, something told him she was not there to fight them. In fact, he caught her glancing over at him just for a few seconds as they landed. When their gaze met, it felt like seeing an old friend.

"You either believe me or you don't," Bulla said. "I don't care either way. But I'm not here to talk to you."

Vegeta let out a yell and began to power up, but was stopped when Piccolo stood in front of him. The two stared at each other in a tense silence. Piccolo didn't have to speak for Vegeta to understand—if he was going to attack the girl, he risked being attacked by all the others. Their powers combined with hers might be enough to overtake the prince, and he wasn't going to be shut out from his rematch with Kakarot. Vegeta relented, and turned on his heel to move far away from the group. He shored up on a rock, his eyes fixated on Bulla.

As he sat down, Bulla turned her back to him, finding a seat of her own. The others darted their eyes between Bulla and Vegeta, gauging whether a fight would really erupt.

An hour passed with the group sitting in relative silence. Yamcha and Krillin whispered among themselves about where the young woman could've come from, while Bulma was still struck by their resemblance. Vegeta, on the other hand, never took his eyes off her for fear she might be some sort of alien sent to infiltrate and destroy the group. Bulla took the time to relax, leaning up against a rock and closing her eyes. She only opened them when she felt Goku's ship coming.

"He's here," she said standing up.

Goku's ship shot down like a missile, landing only a few yards from where the group had been situated. The ship formed a huge crater and the Z Fighters rushed to its edge. As the door opened, Goku popped his head out, surprised to see all of his friends there waiting for him. How had they known to expect him here?

"Hi guys!" Goku smiled at them, albeit a confused one. They all shouted and cheered, happy to see their friend back home after a long while away. His heart swelled—he has missed them all. But there was one face he didn't recognize among them: A young woman who strangely looked just like Bulma. He floated up to meet them, and was greeted with a flurry of hugs.

"Woah, hey!" He said as Gohan gripped him tightly. "I missed you guys, too!"

"You just missed it, Goku!" Krillin exclaimed. "Frieza and King Cold were here, but our new friend defeated them! Just in the knick of time, too."

"Yeah Goku," Yamcha added. "She knew exactly when you were going to be here and everything. And get this, she's a Super Saiyan!"

Goku looked over at the young woman again. She smiled at him calmly as he examined her. He didn't look like any of the other Saiyans he had met.

"That's incredible," he said, walking over to her. "You're a Super Saiyan—but you're so young!"

"I think you're missing a huge discrepancy, Kakarot," he grunted. "You and I are the only Saiyans left. If you count your son, that makes three of us. She's claiming one of her parents managed to escape the planet before Frieza destroyed it, but I know that's a lie!"

"Woah, calm down Vegeta," Goku pressed. "Why don't we let her explain herself."

Bulla smiled as the group's attention was back on her once more. "Gladly," she said. "But, if you don't mind, I'd like to do it privately. Just me and you, Goku."

Everyone cautiously watched Goku's face. If Goku trusted her, it would be a reason for the others to do so as well. Well, all except Vegeta. Goku nodded and motioned for her to fly on the other side of his crater. She followed and they touched down just out of earshot from the others.

"So you beat Frieza!" Goku was impressed by this stranger's skill. "You know, I almost came back to fight him myself, but then I felt you overtake him. I wasn't sure who you were, but I figured if you were fighting Frieza you must be on our side."

Bulla was surprised. "What do you mean you 'almost came back?'"

"Well, I learned a new trick while traveling in space, called Instant Transmission. Essentially I can travel instantly to a place by locking onto someone's energy. When Frieza and his father passed me, I was prepared to come back, but didn't see the need."

His words cut her like a knife. She needlessly put herself in harm's way by exposing herself. Had she known about his new technique, she could've waited to meet with him privately.

"Had I know that," she said, crestfallen, "I would've never fought Frieza."

"Why?" Goku cocked his eyebrow.

She took in a deep breath. "If I tell you, you have to promise me you'll keep this a secret."

"Of course," Goku nodded.

"My name is Bulla, I'm from 20 years in the future. I am here because I need to warn you about a threat that is poised to come your way soon. In three years, on May 12 and 10 a.m., two androids will appear near South City. They're incredibly strong—so strong in fact, that they will kill all of Earth's fighters except for Gohan."

"What?" Goku stammered.

"Yes," Bulla said stoically. "In the future, they terrorize the planet, destroying everything and killing millions of innocent people around the world. They're the creation of Dr. Gero, the former scientific head of the Red Ribbon Army."

"The Red Ribbon Army?!" The name brought back a flood of memories. Then he remembered: Android 8. He was forced to fight Eighter in the RRA's compound during a mission to recover the last Dragon Ball. He had always assumed Commander Red was the mastermind behind the RRA's advanced weapon technology, but now it seemed silly to believe that. Red had men who did everything for him. Even during his final battle with Goku, Red sent General Black to finish him off in a robot super suit.

"Yes," Bulla said. "You never met him, but Gero was the true villain of that group. I don't know his motivations for building the androids, but I do know he's working on them now as we speak. If I knew where his base was, I would be paying him a visit, not you."

"I don't understand," Goku's voice fell. "How does everyone die? Why did I not fight?"

"You die of something else: A heart virus. It's going to start popping up in the news here soon. You die weeks before the fight even begins, and without you the other's are left defenseless. Gohan and I fight them off in my time as long as we can, but three years ago my time he was killed by them, too."

Goku looked at Bulla in disbelief. How could he die by something so inconsequential as a virus?

"The only other survivors are me and my mother," Bulla said solemnly. "We are trying our hardest to survive, but it's been difficult. I can't take on the androids by myself. Since it appears we can't save ourselves, we devised a plan to save you instead."

"Your mother?" Goku paused. "I know your mother?"

"Yes," Bulla blushed. "Bulma is my mother."

Goku was stunned. "But...you're a Saiyan?"

"Yes," her blush deepend. "My father is Vegeta."

The revelation was a complete surprise. Vegeta and Bulma? Goku was nearly knocked off his feet by the news. How the two of them would end up together was truly a shock, one that he wouldn't believe himself if this girl wasn't the spitting image of Bulma.

"It's...it's a complicated story," Bulla looked down. "Yamcha and my mom break up here soon, and, well, my mom kind of develops a thing for my dad. The way she tells it, he does love her too, but he's, I mean, he's…"

"He's Vegeta," Goku said, letting out a laugh. "Wow. That's incredible."

"I've been thinking about this a lot in the past hour," Bulla said. "They're already very suspicious of me, so you can't let them know I'm from the future. It will be too easy to put two-and-two together. Tell them I'm a space traveler, a former associate of Gero's. Their disbelief hinges on the fact that I am from this time and yet do not know any of them."

For a second, Goku considered what the mysterious youth was asking him to do.

"I know it sounds crazy, but you have to trust me," she grabbed Goku by the hands. "I am telling the truth."

"I believe you," Goku said, smiling. "And I will keep your secret."

"Thank you," she grinned. "Oh! I almost forgot."

She reached into her breast pocket and pulled out a tiny vial full of purple liquid. "In my time, there is a cure for that heart virus you're going to catch. Take this when you start feeling sick and you should recover in no time."

Goku examined the bottle in his hands, still processing the fact he would die an early death. Before he could say anything further, Bulla interrupted him.

"I have to go," she said softly. "But please, be well. And keep my secret safe."

Clutching the vial, he smiled at her once more, giving her a nod as if to say he would. She returned it and took off into the sky. As soon as she was out of sight, the others flew over to Goku. They were all filled with curiosity as to what the two could have possibly been talking about. Before Goku could even get a word in, they were flooding him with questions about the mysterious teenager, what she had told him and his journey in space.

"She came here to deliver a warning," he said, the other Z Fighters hanging on his every word. "She was a space traveler, and she knows of a plot to destroy us all."

They leaned in, listening to the story that would change the next three years of their lives.

Author's Note: It always bothered me that Trunks looked so much like Vegeta and they knew he was a Super Saiyan from the future but they never could figure out he was his son! Lol. Hope you guys liked my twist :) From here on out, it's very much NOT canon.