A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in ages. I've just had a really bad time with writer's block. Hehe, I think I've lost all confidence in my writing skills ^^; Ah well, as long as I still enjoy it. I'd like to thank my friend Kat (author: Fiona Rayne) for editing this chapter for me. You rock Kat!! ^_~
Btw, thank you all for the kind reviews!

Z Warriors A.E.
~Chapter Four Pt.1~

Far away in another dimension, a frustrated King Kai waddled back and forth on his small, grassy planet. Pausing shortly, the little blue man stroked his chin idly.

"I wonderno, no, no! That's impossible, utterly absurd!" King Kai muttered away as his mind continued to do battle with him. He sighed, disgruntled, and turned toward a hyperactive Bubbles with an irritated expression. The little monkey was tugging on his sleeve with a curious expression etched on his face.

"Leave me alone Bubbles, can't you see I'm trying to think? Go on! Scat! Shoo!!" King Kai yelled at his pet who quickly scurried away. The North (A/N: is he the northern or eastern kai??) Kai sighed and clasped his small blue hands behind his back and bowed his head in thought. Goku?Goku?! Can you hear me?

Once again, there came no reply...


~*~*~*~

The sparkling stars, which once shone brightly above the city of Tokyo, were now concealed by an enormous smoky grey cloud. Every once in a while a flash of light could be seen through the cloud of ash and dust and a brilliant explosion shook the ground, quickly followed by the shrill roar of another toppled building.

Radditz towered over Ami and sneered. "Now that you've witnessed the power of a Super Saiyan," he boasted, "I trust you'll hand the little moon princess over." Ami, frozen with fear, could do nothing in protest. With one fell swoop Radditz snatched the unconscious Chibi Usa from her arms and slung the child over his shoulder.

The princess of Mercury collapsed beside Luna, berating herself for not being able to do anything, when she felt Radditz's shadow fall over her again. Her watery, blue eyes wavered as she forced herself to meet his gaze.

"How pretty." he murmured almost to himself. Slowly he reached out a large hand and cupped her chin between a rough thumb and forefinger. "Such beauty gone to waste." He whispered, his crooked lips curling back into a sneer. Then suddenly, Ami's world turned pitch black as her body was hurled into a large, gnarled oak tree several yards away. She hadn't even seen his attack coming.

Radditz tutted and bowed his head with a heartfelt sigh. "Such a waste indeed" He tossed his head back and let out a blaring howl, which Luna guessed was meant to be laughter. After a few minutes of this bizarre laughter his pinhole, onyx, pupils snapped to the little feline and his lips returned to his devil-like smirk. "Here kitty, kitty, kitty" he chuckled.

"P-put her down!" Luna demanded, attempting to take some control of her voice.

Radditz quirked an eyebrow. "What? No please? My, my, you creatures of Earth are very rude."

"I'm warning you!" Luna cried desperately. She knew the odds of defeating him were near a million to one. But still she had learned in all her long years of experience that one chance was sometimes all you needed.

Radditz growled. "Listen, pretty-kitty, you've already scarred my face," he winced as he imagined what the others would say if they ever found out just how he got this battle scar, "I believe it's time I got my revenge for tha-"
Beep-beep-beep!!

Radditz growled as the scouter sounded off in his ear. With a heavy sigh he tapped the button on the side. "Yeah, whad'dya want?!" He snapped, irritated.

What in the Hell do you think you're doing?! Hurry up and finish the job! A voice raged through the static. Radditz's cocky face faltered slightly.

"Just clearin' up a little business. I'll finish the job soon." He replied to Malachite curtly.

You're wasting time again, aren't you monkey? Surely you haven't forgotten who the ranking officer is, now have you? Malachite goaded.

Radditz growled inwardly at the Saiyan pet name and tried his best to disguise the irritation in his voice. "Yes sir. But there are some complicati-"

No more excuses, officer. He cut in. I wouldn't want to report you to Master Muu. Malachite chuckled darkly before cutting the transmission short. Radditz growled and cursed under his breath before stomping away towards the burning city of Tokyo.

"The three of you seem to have caught a lucky breakfor now." He smiled ruthlessly back at them before blasting off into the air; Chibi Usa sprawled lifelessly over his shoulder.

Mamoru cursed sharply as another explosion sent shock waves coursing across the land. He was at a loss. How could he possibly beat someone with such tremendous speed and strength? His icy blue eyes snapped to Usagi's broken form. She was weeping hysterically. Mamoru grit his teeth. He had let her watch this; had let it happen!

"Thisthis," Mamoru growled beneath his breath, his entire body shaking. "This isn't happening." Mamoru tossed his cape and mask to the side and jumped to his feet.

Luna's bright eyes widened as she watched him go. The feline's ears lowered as she turned to Usagi's frozen body.

Usagi Her heart skipped a beat as realisation hit her. We have different paths to take now. I can no longer be your guardian. Luna trotted ahead a little before turning and pausing for a second longer. May we meet again. She sighed. With that last thought, Luna raced after Mamoru; towards the burning city of Tokyo.

White lightning crackled in the sky, lighting Usagi's forlorn expression as she watched Mamoru disappear. She couldn't even call him back. She was paralysed from her head to her toe. The Scouts, her friends and possibly her family were all dead. All of them. And she couldn't do anything. Where was the point in being a guardian or a hero when you couldn't even save your friends? This was a heart wrenching torture

Smoke rose from the city engulfed in scorching hot flames. Another thundering clash, another flash of fork lightning lit up the area showing that Mamoru and Luna had disappeared into the smoke for good.

~*~*~*~

Piccolo's eyes snapped open as he felt the surge of fear race through his former student's mind.
It's here. The Namek cursed and forced himself to fly faster. Only a few more miles to go


~*~*~*~

ChiChi raced outside as the violent tremors shook her little house to a large pile of rubble.

"No!! My beautiful house!" ChiChi wailed, tearing at her hair. Collapsing to her knees she began punching the ground furiously. "I can't believe this is happening! Goku! Where are you when I need you!" She screamed her onyx eyes aglow with red-hot fire. "I swear if I ever cook for him aga-" all of a sudden, ChiChi cut herself short when she noticed the small, purple-scaled, Hiiya dragon, growling fiercely. His small, but deadly sharp teeth were bared and he seemed to be watching the dark clouds on the horizon with wary golden eyes.

"Hmm? What's wrong with him?" ChiChi pondered to herself. Although Hiiya dragon was no help towards Gohan's studies, ChiChi never worried about him ever attacking her son for she knew the dragon was very sweet tempered. However, at that moment he looked like a rather formidable opponent.

ChiChi shrugged her shoulders and turned her curious gaze towards the horizon. Her face instantly paled. The once, white, puffy clouds gathering in the background, were now black and crimson red and, unless she needed glasses, were travelling at the speed of sound across the lands. Soon she could make out tiny bursts of fire on the ground below the enormous, fiery red storm.

ChiChi's ebony eyes widened with fear. In a flash, she had turned on her heel and fled, dead set on escaping the terrific storm charging towards her. But to her horror the extraordinary phenomenon was closing in over her valley at an indescribable speed. The Hiiya dragon quickly leapt to her defence as the roaring storm rained down upon their home, engulfing them both in its raging heat. Fire, lightning and snow howled through the lands, ripping the very crust from the earth and chewing it up in its massive fiery maw. It sped across the Earth, gathering more speed as it ate away the land.

Within no more than a few minutes, the valley in which Son Goku had raised his family had utterly disappeared from the Earth. But the horrific assault was far from over

~*~*~*~

An icy chill swept through the deserted back streets of Western City. The cavalry of unnatural swirling purple clouds charged across the skies above, thundering like the hoof-beats of a thousand raging horses.

Little pockets of fire burned on the ash covered ground. High-pitched sirens and forlorn cries filled the night air as the two dark figures snuck in and out of the shadows; creeping through the maze of alleyways and slowly winding their way towards Capsule Corps.

"C'mon, Yammcha. We're nearly there." Krillen spoke softly to his drowsy counterpart. The violent earthquake earlier had caught everyone off-guard - including Yammcha. His arm was now twisted at an awkward angle and the skin around his eye was turning black and blue. Krillen swallowed the hot lump in his throat. It looked as if his friend's arm was hanging by a thread.

Yammcha's vision was growing hazy. "Heh, great three weeks this has been. First Bulma dumps me, then I get kicked outta my apartment, now this." He chuckled, risking a glance at his defective arm.

Krillen smiled and gently shifted Yammcha's weight on his shoulder as they wound their way through the debris.

When at last they arrived at the gates of Capsule Corps. the pair were shocked to find that the entire building was tilted at a peculiar angle at the cause of the tremendous earthquake.

"Aw man, I don't believe it! The entire building's sinking!" Krillen yelped in surprise. Yammcha forced himself to raise his head. Sure enough, the entire left side of the building was slowly sinking into the ground. An enormous rugged crack split down the centre of the Capsule Corp residence. The domain building was in a shambles.

Yammcha gasped and attempted to pull away from Krillen and struggle to his feet. It was, of course, to no avail.

Krillen managed to catch his friend before he fell. "Steady on, Yammcha! You'll have to stay here. It's too dangerous for you to come with me." Krillen ordered, sweating again as he noticed the state in which Yammcha's arm now was. A puddle of oozing crimson blood had begun to pool at his feet.

Yammcha nodded his head sorrowfully. As Krillen turned his back, the scar-faced warrior reached out his good arm and grabbed his long-time friend's shoulder. "Hey Krillen. Make sure she's safe, alright?" Yammcha winked at the little monk-like warrior, smiling sincerely.

Krillen paused then returned the smile. "You betcha!" he called, then raced down the path towards the ruined building of Capsule Corps.

The insides of the once magnificent Capsule Corp. headquarters were in complete ruins. The little monk/warrior could barely recognise it as he carefully treaded through the wreckage. Small bursts of fire were his only source of light in the dim, murky tunnels. Dark shadows flickered against the now cave-like walls of the building. A foul, damp smell lingered in the air as he crept through another narrow crevice and into what he supposed used to be the living room.

The passageway through to the kitchen was blocked off by an enormous pile of rubble. The ceiling had partially collapsed on the living room, leaving only the couch, which now grey with soot. Krillin's hand suddenly swooped down to pick up a torn family photograph of the Briefs from the ash-covered floor. The partially burnt photo flickered in the orange firelight.

"Bulma" Krillin winced as he gazed at the little picture of the cerulean-haired beauty. His true feelings for her had been his only secret from Goku. Krillin bit down on his lip as he gazed around the broken establishment, the prospect that Bulma may have not survived the shattering earthquake becoming all the more real.

Unbeknownst to the little warrior, a dark shadow flitted through the narrow passages, quickly closing the space between them. The creatures' red eyes gleamed in fire as he spotted the object of his great search through the wreckage of Capsule Corp.

Krillin looked warily up at the partially collapsed ceiling and began turning his options over in his head. He knew it was risky to call out for Bulma or her family. Any sudden movement or vibration and the entire building could collapse in on itself. That he could survive easily, but Bulma and her family were your everyday average Humans.

Shoot! Standin' around here all day isn't going to help anyone though. Krillin mused. Taking a careful step forward, Krillin gave a soft call, barely above a whisper. He pricked his ears back and slowed his breathing, hoping in vain he would hear a cry for help.

Slow minutes ticked by and not a sound passed his sensitive ears. Krillin was about to call again in his soft whisper before suddenly a muffled groan from beneath the collapsed ceiling caught his attention.

Krillin nearly jumped with joy. "V-Vegeta? Is that you?"

"Of course it is you idiot." Came the muffled reply.

Krillin's heart was beating like a jackhammer in his chest. "Do you know where Bulma is?!" he asked excitedly.

"Quiet, fool. Any louder and you'll bring the entire house down." Vegeta snapped in a harsh whisper. "The woman's with me, now hurry up and dig us out."

Krillin nodded his head. "Hai. But what about Bulma's parents?" For a long moment the Saiyan Prince didn't answer. Finally his discomforted reply sounded from beneath the rubble.

"Just dig us out."

Krillin's heart sank as realisation hit him like a ton of bricks. Rolling up his sleeves, he dragged his feet towards the large pile of rubble. All of a sudden, a peculiar croaking sound reverberated off the murky walls in the dusky room. A dark shadow flickered against Krillin's face and a bizarre green blur caught the corner of his sharp eye. With spectacular speed the creature sped across the room towards him, squawking in its terrible gravelly voice.

"W-what on Chikyuu?!" Krillin screeched before the creature slammed, full force into his stomach. His skull smashed off the solid, rock-hard floor, creating its own miniature crater. The house gave another low groan and shuddered violently.

Head spinning, Krillin let the darkness slowly fill his vision as he gradually slipped into unconsciousness

~*~*~*~

Jeice: When the Hell 'ahm I gonna show up in this??
Starkiller: Geez, be paitient! I'm still battling the writer's block demon!
Writer's Block: *hisses*
Jeice&Starkiller: O_O;
Starkiller: Er, well that's it for Part one. After Part Two the real action starts and everyone comes together in a far off place called-
Jeice: Never-Never Land? -_-'
Starkiller: That's it, I'm gonna start charging you rent!!