{This is an alternate timeline event that takes place in the Dragonball:Kira AU. These will be posted separately in their own "Story" from now on.}
Since the battle with Buu had ended, things on Earth had been peaceful. It was a nice change, but we still couldn't let our guard down. I took Trunks out to the Wasteland for some training, high above the emptiness. It wasn't long into the training session that all three of us froze. I felt a cluster of powerful beings appear not too far away.
"Woah…" Trunks said, shocked. "Who do you think that is?"
My heart pounded in my chest. They're strong.
"I don't know…" I replied. "But I don't like it." I floated higher in the air, planning to head closer to get a better idea of what was going on.
"Let's go check it out!" Trunks exclaimed. I grabbed his ankle as he tried to fly away.
"Not so fast, Trunks." I warned. "We don't know who or what they are, or how friendly they are.
There was a loud crash and a cloud of dust rose in the distance.
"Someone might need our help!" Trunks whined. I pondered the situation silently, fists clenched. It didn't feel like anyone we'd faced before...but there's definitely a Saiyan amongst them. That could be dangerous.
"Trunks, go home and get your father, tell him what's going on and where I went." I instructed.
"But Momma, I can help!" He protested.
"Go. Get. Your. Father." I repeated sternly before taking off towards the strangers. I flew quickly but quietly, and arrived to find an unfamiliar male Saiyan in a stand-off against four creatures. I'd never seen this species before.
With Trunks on his way home for backup, and my energy cloak still functioning beneath my skin, I decided to observe from the sky, remaining high enough in the air to be unnoticed.
The young man had been standing, his Saiyan tail unwrapped, and softly wiggling about behind him as he was seemingly on the defensive for the time being. He wouldn't stay in a defensive posture for long. Quickly adjusting on his feet, when the four creatures charged at him at once.
"You FOOLS! HHRRRAAGHH!" He shouted as he pushed both of his hands back, firing a powerful Ki blast behind him, to help him take off at an incredible speed, raising his right hand into a clenched fist. "SUICIDE BLITZ!" He'd collide with the aliens, the blue energy in his clenched fist going off as he'd slam, full force with his body like a speeding projectile. It seems he was trying to take them all out in one instant. However, two managed to speed off to the sides, avoiding the blast narrowly, while the male Saiyan was skidding and bouncing off the ground.
Having a hard tumble, and coming to a halt nearby, it would seem he'd spent all of his energy. These strange enemies emanated an inexplicably dark aura. The aliens raised their hands, ready to fire two deeply reddened beams of energy at the helpless man. The two beings definitely looked nothing like earthlings, standing tall, having long, pointy ears, no nose, and their eyes just appeared to be black, and soulless. Strange garb, or armor on them made them stand out all that much more. Alien warriors, from somewhere out in the universe apparently hunting down a Saiyan.
The Saiyan's power level seemed to fade significantly. If I want to learn who this man is, I need to intervene. I channeled my energy into a bright crimson aura around me, turning Super Saiyan. Charging more energy in one hand, I used instant transmission, putting myself between the aggressors and now defenseless warrior.
I really hope Trunks and Vegeta are on the way. I don't know if this attack will finish these two off, and even if it does, how do I know this Saiyan isn't a threat? What if this is some elaborate trap?
"GALICK BLAST!" I screamed, unleashing a powerful ball of light that appeared to obliterate the black-eyed creatures.
The strange, black-eyed aliens were easily dispatched, turned into nothing more than dust before my eyes. It seemed that this Saiyan had either managed to whittle them down quite a bit, was weak and could barely handle the fight...or had fought a lot
more than were present. I heard the man cough a few times, as it sounded like he was making his way to his feet. I lowered my energy back to normal, allowing my crimson aura to quickly fade.
"Damn... thanks for the save... though... gotta ask... who are ya?" He asked.
"I'm Ki-" I began to introduce myself, but was cut off by my own shock as I turned around and found this wounded Saiyan...naked. I felt my face starting to turn red as I averted my eyes, looking to the sky. "Hooookay, you seem to have lost your clothes." I could feel Vegeta and Trunks in the distance, headed this way. Oh, that is just fantastic timing... The Prince of All Saiyans would surely love to find his wife with a random nude Saiyan man.
"Yeah... that happens from time to time... kinda... comes with the job..." He rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry 'bout that..." I removed my cloak, revealing my deep burgundy bodysuit and Saiyan armor underneath. Vegeta and Trunks grew near.
"I um...can you..cover yourself before my husband and son get here?" I threw the cloak to the naked Saiyan, he put it on.
I took a deep breath and studied the Saiyan's face as he put the cloak on. There was something strikingly familiar about his emerald green eyes that locked on me curiously.
Suddenly, images flashed before my eyes. That couple from my nightmares. The woman, on the bedroom floor, soaked in blood. The man was in the hallway, leaning up against the wall, lifeless, his eyes still open.
His emerald green eyes.
My heart raced. What the hell is happening?
"So, you were telling me your name? Mine is Kaiban, but most people call me Kai." He said, extending his hand for a... handshake? I crossed my arms.
"Kira." I replied, studying this man's face. It wasn't the same face from my nightmares, but he must have been related. What was another Saiyan doing here on Earth? How did he survive the destruction of Planet Vegeta? "Why have you come here? This planet is protected."
Vegeta and Trunks landed behind me as if to accentuate my last statement.
"Wasn't at all by choice that I came here, was chasing down those aliens you helped me finish off. Bastards have been wreaking havoc everywhere for some time. Hopefully that's the last of them..." he replied.
"Who the hell are you?" Vegeta yelled, looking Kaiban over. "Wh- WHY ARE YOU WEARING HER CLOAK?"
"Vegeta," I put my hand on my husband's shoulder. "I gave him my cloak to cover himself. He..erm...lost his clothes in battle."
"Look, I'm not here to spark up a fight, or anything like that, like hell I'd even be any shape to fight after the beating I've taken today.. If ya can help me out and let me rest, I'll pay ya back if I can." He said, chuckling. "As for who I am? Name's Kaiban, or Kai. Just here finishing up some work was all."
There was something that felt...trustworthy about Kaiban. I wanted to trust him. I couldn't explain it.
"Why don't you come back with us?" I suggested. "Surely we have some clothes that'll fit you. Maybe a Senzu bean."
"Huh?" Vegeta asked.
"Look... I understand it's weird... but I promise, I'm only chasing down criminals, that's all I do for my work." He said, shrugging.
"If those creatures lead him here, we might have a problem. What if there are more coming? Who sent them? We need to know." I said quietly. Vegeta grumbled in response.
"I don't like it." He growled.
"Here!" Trunks said, handing me a Senzu bean. "Mom told me to bring these when I went home to get dad!"
"Remind me to thank her for thinking ahead." I replied. Bulma had always been the most sensible one of the three of them. Her quick thinking was one of the things I loved most about my wife. I tossed the bean to Kaiban.
"Eat this, it'll help." He caught the bean and quickly ate it, as if he knew what it was. I paid attention as his power rose. He's stronger than he seemed.
"Aaaahhh that really helps out a bunch, thanks!" he said, smiling, cracking his neck. " I really appreciate the help you're giving me. So uh... just lead on, I'll follow."
"Everyone come here, this will be much quicker." I said, taking a step toward Kaiban and opening my arms. Trunks hurriedly wrapped both of his arms around my waist, I chuckled. Vegeta stood behind me, his hand on my shoulder. I reached over and put my hand on Kaiban's shoulder, using my free hand to focus my energy and transport the group back to Capsule Corp.
"Hmph." Vegeta grumbled, probably frustrated that he had not yet learned Instant Transmission.
After we arrived back at Capsule Corp., Kai began looking around.
"Trunks, go ask Bulma if she can find some clothes that'll fit our new friend." I instructed. Trunks nodded and ran off on his new mission.
"Oooohhh not bad... almost looks exactly like one of the labs we have back where I work..."
"Labs?" I asked, crossing my arms. "Where is it that you came here from? You couldn't have been here long, we would've noticed you sooner."
"Yeah, Labs, back where I'm from we have labs that research and develop new tech for us to use to well... hunt down people who... more or less mess with things they really shouldn't." That wasn't much of an answer.
"And you ended up here, where there were other Saiyans completely by accident?" Vegeta asked in disbelief. Before Kaiban could answer, Trunks returned with a pile of folded clothes.
"Mom said to find out if our 'new friend' is hungry." Trunks said. He handed the clothes over to Kaiban. Kira chuckled. Typical Bulma, making sure everyone is fed.
"Well, are you hungry?" I asked as he slid the clothes on underneath the cloak.
"Yeah, sure, I'd love some food! Would... probably beat my boss' cooking..." He said, tossing me my cloak. I handed it to Trunks.
"Could you put that in the laundry, please?" I directed. He nodded and ran off once again.
"And you would be surprised at the situations I'm thrown into going after people. The people I meet are pretty wild too." He said, turning to Vegeta.
"Come on." I said, turning and heading into our home. Kai followed, with Vegeta and Trunks returning quickly to walk behind him.
I couldn't stop seeing those lifeless emerald eyes staring back at me.
"So, Kai," I was curious to a fault. "When was the last time you went to our home planet?" The way he answered this question would tell me a lot about him.
"Hmmm... last time visiting our home planet huh...? Well... let's see... it's been a while... quite some time in fact... why? Was there something specific you wanted to ask about it...?" He cocked his head quizzically. Hm…who the hell is this guy?
"Have...have we met before?" I asked.
"Huh?" Vegeta asked. "You know this guy, Kira?"
"I didn't say that, there's just something...overwhelmingly familiar." The closer we got to the kitchen, the better the variety of foods smelled. Bulma undoubtedly had staff cooking an abundance of food, knowing the way Saiyans can eat.
"Perhaps... there is something that is familiar... though I can't... fully place it myself..."
"Why do you have a tail?" Trunks asked curtly. Trunks had his tail removed at birth, and I...did we ever have a conversation about his tail? It wasn't a popular topic of conversation. Vegeta had lost his tail many years ago and I...never had one.
"Well... all Saiyan's are born with tails, it's just how we are." He said cheerfully, flicking his tail.
I let the conversation die, and opened the door to the dining room. A feast of various foods covered the table.
"This must be our new Saiyan friend Trunks was telling me about." Bulma said, entering from the other door.
"This is Kaiban." I responded. "Kai, this is Vegeta and I's wife, Bulma."
"Hello Bulma! Nice to well... meetcha! Glad to be a guest in your home, and thanks for offering me food!"
I'd lost my appetite, and had very little interest in the table of food. There was something about this situation that just didn't sit right. I leaned against the wall, arms crossed. Trunks and Vegeta quickly sat and began to devour their food.
"It's nice to meet you, too." Bulma said. "I'm sorry those two have no manners. Please, help yourself to some food." He sat and began to eat.
"Aaahh don't worry about it, I've dealt with much worse out there, besides, It's not like they have a reason to trust me right now anyway."
Bulma didn't eat either, and instead stood with me.
"I've seen him before." I whispered. Bulma turned to me, surprised.
"What?" I shook my head subtly, never taking my eyes off of Kai.
"I don't know. There's something weird going on, here."
"How did he survive the destruction of Planet Vegeta?" She asked quietly. I shrugged.
"He sidesteps every question we ask him." I replied. "And he still has his tail." Bulma suddenly looked incredibly nervous. The last thing we needed was for a new and unpredictable Saiyan to transform into Oozaru.
Kai finished eating sooner than Trunks and Vegeta. He stood and streched.
"Aaaahhh, that's muuuuch better! Thank you a whole bunch Bulma! I really appreciate the good food!"
"So, Kai," Bulma started, stepping away from me. "How did you get here? Surely you must have a ship or something, right?" It took everything in me to fight the instinct to protect my wife. Instead, I stayed against the wall, arms crossed, watching his every movement. Who the hell is this guy?
"I guess... the absolute best way I could word this... is that I teleported here? I mean, that's the word I'd use to describe it anyways." He chuckled softly. "It's not too weird of a way to transport though I think."
I could help but giggle.
"Vegeta really is the last one to learn Instant Transmission, then." I said.
"Damnit, Kira!" Vegeta growled.
"It's not my fault you haven't gone to Yardrat yet." I said, laughing. I enjoyed pushing his buttons. It was a special skill I'd developed growing up with him. Kai laughed. Trunks finished eating and walked over to stand with me.
"Is that what you mean?" Bulma asked, looking at Kai. "Instant Transmission?"
"No not quite, it's similar, only I can choose exactly where I'd need to go. Or rather, where my handler is sending me. Depends on the work day really." He'd say with a little bit of laughter, only to fold his arms over his chest. "Still though, not too far from it, and... well... I am able to use Instant Transmission myself... Though I hardly use it as I don't have much of a need to."
"Handler" Vegeta scoffed. "Like you're somebody's pet"
"Hardly the case, they just line up the work, I get the fun job of beating the crap out of people. Make good money for it too." Kai answered.
"Momma, why don't we have tails?" Trunks asked. "Kai said all Saiyans have tails...but we don't, and neither does Goku, or Gohan or Goten!"
"I-" I didn't know how to tell my son that we were afraid he'd go on a murderous rampage. "I didn't have one when I was born." I shrugged, trying to avoid the topic.
"Your tail was removed at birth." Vegeta said curtly. "Mine was removed years ago in battle."
"Aaahh, guess I should have shut up about that topic then huh? Well... listen, Saiyans are born with it, sometimes, just like your mom, they are born without tails. It all comes down to just if ya got em or not. Isn't really all that important." Hm… "Anyways... anything I can do to prove I'm not up to no good?"
"Can I go play with Goten?" Trunks asked, looking up at me. I nodded, and he ran toward the exit of the dining room.
"Don't tell him the tail thing!" Bulma called after him. I pondered Kai's comments. Most Saiyans care about their tails.
"Those creatures you were fighting," I started. "What were they? What did they want?" Kai sighed, and flicked his tail in what seemed to be a frustrated manner.
"Ahh yes... those... things... they are an unpleasant bunch. Henchmen that give all of us trouble across the universe and beyond. Quite a pain in the ass if I say so. Causing ALL kinds of trouble..." He huffed and shook his head. "Glad ya wiped out those last two, didn't think they'd learn of my kamikaze blitz so easily, or even dodge it for that matter... seems I need to step up my training." He won't answer a single damn question directly.
"How did you survive the destruction of our planet?" I asked. "You want to know how to prove you're not up to no good, then start answering some questions."
"Alright, fair enough..." He scratched the back of his head. "You want to know, you need to PROMISE, no matter what, you do not discuss anything about what I'm going to tell you..." The three of us nodded. "Moments before the destruction, I was summoned to what was, at the time Toki Toki city, a place that exists outside of our dimension. I was rescued by the Supreme Kai of time, who oversees ALL existence of time, for every universe and dimension of each universe. It sounds complicated, and I'm glad it's not my job. But in exchange for saving my life... I was essentially given a single do-over... starting, from around when I was a kid, I was... removed... from my home, and... my sister. Raised to work for the Supreme Kai of Time."
He'd softly say this, before looking directly at me.