ChiChi and Bulma looked at Eighteen in shock. She looked on with a placid gaze.

"What are you doing here?" ChiChi finally asked.

The Queen interposed. "We'll make time for trivialities later. Aurelia, what do you have to report?"

"Ziven's compound is huge, larger than any of us would have anticipated." His troops have been growing in number for days; every sunrise bringing more. They are composed of all manner of creatures useful in a war. He's even enlisted the aid of the vultures."

Bulma and ChiChi shuddered in unison at the mention of the winged carnage feeders. It was just like them to be there, benefiting off of someone else's war.

"Disgusting," muttered Bulma in revulsion. The Queen remained impassive.

"How much time do we have before battle is imminent?" Piercing blue eyes met her clear, gray ones.

"Three days at most."

Bulma jumped. "Three days? THREE DAYS!" she yelled. "He's been preparing for Dende-knows-how-long and we've got three days? This is insane." She shook her head disbelievingly. ChiChi remained silent.

"We will make the most of it," the Queen quiet, but firm voice broke through the outburst.

"But- "

"This is what you were born to do, Bulma. Do not deny your destiny." Bulma was silenced. She ran her hand through her hair agitatedly, tugging at the blue strands.

"Did he at least talk about motive?" she asked, searching for something - anything - that could help them.

"He is after something," Eighteen acknowledged. "What it is remains elusive. He would only refer to it as the 'Prize' and that he would have ultimate power once he got it."

ChiChi, who had looked pensive throughout the entire altercation, spoke up. "Was there any mention of us, and how plans to defeat us?" She motioned to herself and Bulma.

"He said once he got the Prize, your power would be negligible."

Bulma gasped. "The nerve! He shouldn't underestimate us. That'll be his mistake," she crowed triumphantly.

"I see," was all ChiChi said before lapsing back into thoughtful silence. The Queen noticed ChiChi's reticence, but saved delving into it for later.

"Bulma, don't count your chickens so soon. As thorough as Aurelia has been, much remains unclear. With such little knowledge it would be foolish going into battle assuming victory."

"I'm sorry," Bulma replied in apology. "I just got a little carried away."

The Queen managed a small smile. "It's alright, my child." She turned to Eighteen. "Go oversee preparations for battle, noting what we need the most and what will be most efficient. Bulma, accompany her. With her information and your genius we may be able to devise a few things Ziven won't see coming." Eighteen and Bulma kneeled in salute, then left. ChiChi turned to follow them. "ChiChi, stay here," called the Queen. "I'd like a private word with you."

Outside, Bulma turned to Eighteen.

"So. . . your name's Aurelia now?"

"Yes. Ledell has christened that as my tribal name."

"Yeah, I guess it's better than just being a number."

"Yes, Mother?"

"What was behind that serious expression I saw earlier?"

"Oh, 'twas nothing. This whole situation strikes me as rather odd. It's as if he already seems to know what this 'Prize' is, and that once he has it he'll be unstoppable. I think that the reason he is making war on us is because we have it, and I have a hunch I know what it is. I have a plan, Mother, but I don't think you'll like it."

The Queen laughed. "I don't have to as long as it will work. Out with it, my child."

ChiChi gave her a nervous smile. "I think Bulma and I should let ourselves be captured. Ziven, in his ambition, may try to pump us for information and unknowingly reveal certain facts to us, or at least confirm my suspicions."

Ledell looked at her thoughtfully. "Can you tell me your suspicions? I don't like surprises in the least."

A serious expression came across ChiChi's face. "I think the Earth incarnate is among us."

The Queen gasped. "Your mother's spirit has finally been born into another? How come we didn't know? Shouldn't that make the Balance off-kilter?"

"Yes, but I don't think she's realized her powers yet. I do know that it has to be someone of the younger generation, one of our own, but I don't know whom."

"I see," the Queen agreed. "And what do you propose to do about this?"

"I think all the elders and children should be escorted to safe refuge, preferably in the caverns. Bulma and I will infiltrate Ziven's camp and try to find out who it is. Meanwhile, I think Eighteen, er, Aurelia, should keep an outside reconnaissance in case we need back-up. What I'm hoping is that Bulma and I can learn the identity of the Earth incarnate, get it out to Aurelia, and bring it back to camp. Get that child to a safe place. We will then proceed with the battle, led by the Princess Deverell. Bulma and I will attack from the inside and work our way out to meet you."

Admiration and pride showed in the Queen's eyes. "I still wonder why you never became a queen."

ChiChi smiled. "Because Your Highness, I'm a Guardian."

"So you are, so you are," the Queen sighed. "Took a husband, too. I still can't understand why you would want to keep a thing like that."

"You'll understand someday, Mother. Hopefully you'll get to meet him and our wonderful son, Gohan. You can't not like them."

"I can see that by the look in your eyes. Well, all in due time. Go grab Bulma and get yourselves captured. You heard Aurelia; we only have three days. That's just enough time for the two of you to go through the standard torture procedures in order to find out anything. Get going."

ChiChi kneeled. "Yes, Queen Mother."

Goku, who had been listening outside, turned to Krillen. "Is my wife insane? She's going to let herself be captured and tortured to find out this Earth person's identity? Why doesn't she just ask around the village?"

Krillen shook his head at his friend's confusion. "You heard her. The child's powers, whatever they may be, aren't realized yet. I bet the child herself doesn't know she's got 'em."

Goku scratched his head. "That's true. But torture? That's a little much."

"Well buddy, you saw that there's more to the two of them than meets the eye. I'm sure they can handle it, or she wouldn't have volunteered. Plus, she's your wife. After living with you, I bet she can handle anything," he laughed.

Right then Vegeta stomped up. "What's this I hear about torture, Kakarot? What the hell kind of notions is your harpy putting into my mate's head?"

"Hey man, your mate's just as crazy!" Krillen interjected. Vegeta grabbed the shorter man by the front of his shirt and hoisted him up to eye level. "Don't EVER insult my mate, little man!" he hissed, then dropped Krillen none too gently. Krillen rose up and dusted himself off.

"Okay, Vegeta. You got it," he stammered. He gave a sidelong glance to Goku, who had a far-off look in his eyes. "What are you thinking, Goku?" The taller man's eyes suddenly focused and met his friend's.

"I was just wondering what Eighteen was doing here. And how exactly she got here. Obviously ChiChi and Bulma were surprised so she didn't come with them."

Krillen nodded in agreement. "I don't know either man but it's definitely worth looking into."

Vegeta coughed. "I'd still like to hear what scheme Kakarot's mate has concocted that involves my mate being tortured!"

"Oh don't worry, Vegeta," Goku responded cheerfully, "ChiChi will be right there with her!"

"That doesn't make me feel better, Kakarot!" Vegeta's face was becoming quite red. Suddenly Goku was all serious.

"Well, I don't want ChiChi getting hurt either. But they're not supposed to know we're here, right? And it's obviously there are things they've been hiding for years that we've never known about. I think Vegeta and I should follow the women as they let themselves be captured. If they get in trouble, we can help them."

"Yeah, but Goku," Krillen interrupted, "this isn't our dimension. For all we know we're not even equipped to fight anyone here. I mean maybe Bulma and ChiChi have these power things here but not at home or something, and it's vice versa for us, y'know?"

"Well I'm always ready for a challenge!" Goku put his hand behind his head and laughed.

"Oh, brother," was all Krillen could muster in reply. "Well I guess the others and I will stay here and keep watch then. I think I'm going to keep an eye on Eighteen, find out what she's doing here and whatnot."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," said Goku.

"Alright everyone, listen up!" Bulma cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted. All the women milling around the camp immediately ceased what they were doing to listen to the Guardian. "As you know, ChiChi and I didn't just come here for a visit. Our presence here is necessary for very serious reasons." She took a deep breath. "We will be going into battle in 3 days." A collective gasp arose from all the women. "Ziven is our enemy. He wants something we have, but we don't know what it is yet. We are in a very grave situation and I need everyone's cooperation. We need to make provisions for everyone. Elderly women and children will go into the caverns. Take enough with you to last for up to 6 months. I do not know how long this will drag on. ChiChi and I are hoping for a quick victory." She gave a faint smile. "Everyone else, make preparations for battle. Sharpen your swords, knives, etc. Make sure your bowstrings are tight. We will be going up against more than men. The vultures are allied to Ziven as well." Another collective gasp." Don't worry, we will survive this. Right now, our focus is to be adequately prepared. Get moving!"

A flurry of activity burst forth in the compound as women started hurriedly making preparations for the upcoming battle.

Bulma turned to Eighteen. "Would you mind helping me with the front gate? It's a bit rusty. And now more than ever we'll need it in prime condition."

"Sure," Eighteen replied evenly. They began walking toward the front of the compound.

"Sooo," said Bulma. "If you don't mind me asking, umm, what are you doing here?"

"After Cell was destroyed, I didn't know what else to do with my life. I had been created for destruction. I wandered around aimlessly for a while, and then one day I chanced upon a dragon ball. I decided that since I had nothing better to do, I might as well search out all seven."

Bulma chuckled. "Sounds a lot like me when I was 16. So what did you wish for?"

"Well, I didn't really know what to wish for. So I asked for a purpose, since the one programmed into me had been destroyed."

Bulma blinked. "That's an odd wish. What did he do?"

"He was silent for a moment, then said that was a wish he could not grant. Everyone has to find their own purpose."

"That must've been disappointing," Bulma murmured sympathetically. Eighteen nodded.

"But after he said that, he went on. He said while I had to find my own purpose, he knew some people who could help me. He then brought me here. Queen Ledell welcomed me into the tribe, though the others were leery at first."

Bulma nodded. "Yes, most of the women in our tribe can trace their bloodlines back for eons. It's very rare for an outside female to come in."

"Well, my skills came in handy for the Queen. I'm an able fighter and a hard-worker. I soon proved myself among the other women, and now they have accepted."

Bulma smiled. "I'm glad. And your new name?"

"Aurelia. It means 'golden.' Ledell liked my hair."

"I think it fits," Bulma said as they stopped in front of the gate. "Alright, let's get busy with this and then we'll move on to other things."

Yamcha turned to Krillen. "Man, this just keeps getting weirder and weirder."

Krillen had a far-off gaze in his eyes. "Aurelia… it fits."

Yamcha looked a little startled. "Whatever, man. All these empowered women are giving me the heebie-jeebies. Let's go look for Goku."

"Huh? Oh… okay." Krillen followed behind Yamcha.

Eighteen looked up and watched the two men walk away.

"Hey, Aurelia? Why are you staring into empty space like that?" Eighteen gave Bulma an odd look.

"You didn't see them?"

"See who? There was nothing there." Bulma looked puzzled.

Eighteen shook her head. "Right… nevermind." She went back to holding up the gate while Bulma fixed the levers.

The fire blazed brightly in the forge as the sound of clanging metal rang out in the small building. ChiChi leaned against the doorframe and watched her old friend work. Abira stopped and looked up. She noticed the serious look on ChiChi's face and walked over.

"What's up?"

ChiChi stood up and walked over to the forge. She slipped her hand in the flame and wiggled her fingers. When she pulled it out, a sliver of fire was snaked through her fingers. She continued to play with it as she talked.

"You're going to have to make a lot more swords than that if we're to beat Ziven."

Abira narrowed her eyes. "So there's definitely going to be a battle?"

ChiChi nodded.

"How long do we have?"

"Three days."

"THREE DAYS?" Abira banged her fist on the table. "How could we not find out sooner? That's impossible!"

"He's a lot stronger than we expected. Don't worry, Bulma and I will take care of it. Look… I need to ask you a favor."

Abira looked at her friend's sad face and walked over, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Sure, anything Chi. Just name it."

"If anything should happen to me…" she trailed off. She cleared her throat and looked her friend in the face. "I need you to go to my husband and tell him the truth. He deserves the truth."

Abira nodded. "Okay Chi, but you know… conversing with men isn't something I'm skilled at."

ChiChi gave a weak smile. "That's okay. You're a fighter. You'll have that in common."

Abira laughed. "Alright, so why all the seriousness? Do you really think we can't defeat him?"

"Honestly, I don't know…" ChiChi looked worried. "We know he wants something, but we don't know what. I have a hunch though. And with the Queen's blessing, Bulma and I are going to find out. But that means we'll be removing ourselves from the compound. We will not be on the front lines in this battle. We're hoping to get the information we need, send out the message, then attack from the inside."

Abira nodded. "That's a sound plan. Dangerous, but sound." She lowered her voice. "Can you tell me what your hunch is?"

"It stays between us."

"Of course."

ChiChi looked around to see if anyone was nearby who could eavesdrop on what she was about to tell Abira. The fire was still winding through her fingers. She brought it to the tip of her index finger and pointed it at the ground. She wrote in the air, but the fire burned slowly into the earth. Abira gasped when she read what she wrote.

"THE EARTH INCARNATE IS AMONG US."

ChiChi immediately stamped out the message. "We don't know. That's what we're going to find out. We need to know if Ziven knows. If he does, we'll isolate that person and protect her. I don't think her powers have come out yet, that's why it's not a sure thing. But if he does get his hands on a Guardian, the entire Balance could be in danger."

"Alright. So how are you going to find out? We already sent out a spy."

"Yes, Aurelia. I met her. No, Bulma and I have to go deeper than that. We're going to let ourselves be captured."

"Are you nuts?"

"Nope, just a Guardian."

Abira laughed. She hugged ChiChi. "Good luck. Know that I'm always at your service."

"Just get forging!" With that, ChiChi leaped into the fire and disappeared. The flames roared to life, then died back down to their original size. The Guardian had left. Abira's smile was replaced with an intense look of concentration as she returned to her work.

ChiChi soared up through the chimney and erupted from it in a burst of flame, flipping toward the ground. She solidified as her feet touched the soil. Bulma and Eighteen approached her.

"Bridge is fixed. You ready?"

ChiChi nodded. "As I'll ever be." She turned to Eighteen. "I'm sure you and Bulma have had some time to chat, but when this is all over, I would like to catch up with you too. I have a feeling there's a whole different side of you I haven't met yet, and I'd like to, especially as you're one of us now."

Eighteen nodded. "We shall." She alternated looking at the two women. "I know there is more I need to learn about the two of you, much more so than from my first impression back in the other world, when I was merely an Android and your husbands were out to destroy me."

Bulma grinned. "Well, they protect their world. We protect ours. And we're pretty damn good at it too."

ChiChi smiled grimly. "Enough talk, Bulma. Let's make actions out of words." She turned to Eighteen. "This will be our goodbye for now. We don't want to make a big ruckus leaving, for reasons of morale and secrecy from Ziven. Bulma, let's go."

"I'll be waiting on the outskirts of Ziven's camp if you should need anything. Grandmother Agatha has concocted some sort of stew for me to be invisible from all males."

Bulma's eyebrow rose. "She finally perfected that? Hmm… I'll have to try me some. Hey Chi, just think of the damage we could do with that!"

ChiChi rolled her eyes. "I'd rather now. Can we go now Bulma?" Her tone had an air of impatience.

"Right. Let's go."

The two women unceremoniously walked out of the compound. Eighteen watched them go, an unreadable expression on her face. She turned and strode off toward the trees by the lake.

Krillen was sitting on a branch of the apple tree, looking over the compound. He was lost in thought. Suddenly, an apple appeared out of nowhere and slammed into his head, knocking him off-balance. Before he could catch himself in flight, he slammed into the ground.

"Oww…" he moaned. He opened his eyes and saw stars and beyond them, a person. She had golden hair and looked like an angel. "Am I dead?" he asked. The golden-haired woman said nothing. As his vision cleared, he found himself lost in her light blue eyes. "You're so beautiful," he whispered. The persona blinked.

"What?"

Krillen frowned. That voice sounded familiar. He blinked. Once. Twice. Once more for good measure.

"Eighteen? What are you doing here?" He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Actually, he could. He had seen her before. What he couldn't believe, was how she could see HIM.

"I think the more appropriate question is, what are YOU doing here?" She gave him a steely blue gaze.

Krillen gulped. "I. . ."

I DID IT! I FINALLY DID IT! WOO HOOOOOOO!

I deeply apologize for my tardiness in not writing this sooner, but I'm sure as many other can relate, I was caught up in life. I do not know when I will post the next chapter. I can tell you, HOWEVER, that I have outlined the rest of the story, so it will be finished, I promise you!

Please review, I'm probably not on your favorite persons list at this moment, but it was your feedback, pleas, and begging that really got me to finish this chapter! Thank you all for your support and patience!

Spitfire Maguire, at the moment, the object of much ire