Disclaimer: don't own DBZ

Warning: … I wouldn't know what to warn for this time.. maybe violence, as usual. Just check out warnings. I'll probably only just put this up when anything sexual comes up.

CHAPTER 18: HEED THE WARNING

"Goku, calm down, please!" tried Krillin. Goku didn't seem to hear him however, but let out a final, blood-curling scream before falling down to the ground, not to move again.

"GOKU!" Everyone hurried panicking to the prone form of Earth's greatest defender. Bulma immediately checked his pulse.

She sighed relieved "He's just unconscious." Everyone sighed as well, but still looked very worried to Goku. "Alright…" said Bulma while looking to Yamcha, Tien, Krillin and Chaozu, "What happened back there?"

"Erm… well…" started Krillin, "There were indeed several people we, er… didn't know, but … erm…"

"Spill it, baldy!"

Krillin's eyes widened at Chichi's sudden outburst "Those three aliens all had monkey tails like Goku had as a child, and one of them looks almost exactly like Goku!" Everyone blinked momentarily in an awkward silence after Krillin had yelled all that out.

"What?" yelled Bulma and Chichi at the same time.

"B-But… that's impossible…" Bulma muttered "I thought only Goku's family would have… Oh my god…" She gasped.

The others nodded "Those guys must have something to do with Goku." said Yamcha, "especially since we saw them fight. They're incredibly strong, just as Goku was somehow always stronger than the rest of us."

"Yeah, it must be." agreed Tien.

"Wait a sec, guys…" interrupted Bulma, "You said you saw them fight; against each other? Or against Piccolo? Or…"

"No, against an entire bunch of other, strange aliens. They arrived a bit later… and then some guy, er… something… appeared, with this enormously high powerlevel. Its pl was a lot higher than theirs, and still they… somehow managed to beat it."

"How?"

"Ah, Bulma, I…" Yamcha sighed, the memory was still vivid, but that didn't mean he felt that much for telling it entirely "One of those three, the tallest one, just… simply seemed to flip out at the moment that 'something' was about to kill an other one of them, but… I don't really get what happened next."

"Well… What happened?"

"Hm… the only thing that we could see, was that that guy just suddenly exploded in fire, and a large fire blast went through the 'something'. Just a bit later, the 'something' was apparently reduced to ashes, and that guy was lying unconscious in the grass, a bit further away."

"Ah… How strange."

"Yeah, it is…" mumbled Krillin.

"Well… We should go meet those people then." Bulma stood up determined.

Krillin's mouth, and pretty much everyone else's, fell open. "Bulma, are you crazy? What if they're… er… hostile? Which is most likely! And from what we've seen, those guys can kick our asses in seconds flat!"

"But Krillin, those guys have obviously something to do with Goku. I think Goku has a right to know who he is and where he comes from."

"I think it's rather because she's so damn curious herself…" whispered Yamcha to Tien. Tien nodded in agreement.

"You had some commentary, Yamcha?" Bulma said with a glare at the former bandit.

"Er… erm, I … Yes, I have! What if those guys have something to do with the reason why Goku is acting so strangely lately?"

"There's only one way to find out!"

The guys sweatdropped and sighed. "Erm, Bulma?"

"Yes, Chichi?"

"It's getting late, we'll meet those 'aliens' tomorrow." She said while looking down to Gohan in her arms, who was yawning tiredly.

"Hm… You're right. Let's go back to Capsule Corp."


"Ah, so you're finally back." Raditz walked through the open doorway and looked to his elder brother, who had stood up now.

"You're still awake?" Raditz answered a bit surprised.

"Hai, apparently. Where have you been?"

"I… couldn't sleep. I went out to get some fresh air and think some over the… rather strange things that happened lately."

"Hm…" Turles nodded, apparently accepting the 'excuse', "You really missed out on something."

"I did?"

"Yeah, we noticed that the forest appeared to be on fire, so we went to check it out. But it turned out to be the fire creature that had killed Cold, together with that black creature that saved us earlier. There was also someone else with them, but we hadn't seen her before."

Raditz' eyes widened slightly while Turles told this 'He looks alarmed?… Why?' Turles thought curiously while observing the other's reaction.

"You saw… er.. 'them'?"

"Yeah, we did. Something wrong with that, little brother?"

"N-No… just… no, it's nothing."

Turles eyed his brother suspiciously for a moment. "Hm, fine then. Let's just go to bed, to get at least a few hours of sleep before the sun rises."

"Hai."


The mood at breakfast at Capsule Corp. that morning was very grim and filled with a heavy silence. Even Chichi and the four-year old Gohan were silent.

Finally Bulma broke the silence "He's still unconscious?"

Chichi merely nodded, worry written over her entire face. No other replies followed.

Then all of a sudden the bell rang. "I'll get it." said Roshi, who had been sitting the closest to the hallway that led to the front door. For once, even his mind was set on something else than usual.

"Why, if it isn't my dear sister!" Roshi's surprised voice was heard from the hallway. Everyone blinked in equal surprise. What was Baba doing over here?

"Don't you 'dear sister' me, you old pervert." The old woman's voice joined the old sensei's. A few moments later, she floated into the dinner room where everyone was, seated on her glass sphere as usual, and followed by the turtle hermit.

"Well, what a surprise…" Krillin confirmed everyone's thoughts, "Why on earth are you here?"

"Show some more respect, young man" The elder woman spoke, her still keen eyes set in a glare at the bald monk "I have come for various, but very important reasons. I cannot tell you all of them. Also know that I'm doing this, partially, in order of someone."

"Someone that orders you around?" Roshi looked quite amazed. "Who might that be?"

"Shut up, you good-for-nothing brother of mine." She glared at him, before looking to everyone else, her voice sounding grave and very serious "I have to admit, it amazed even me. I cannot tell you yet who I'm speaking of, but it must be something of very high importance before he meddles in the affaires of mortals."

"So you're speaking of a god?" noted Bulma.

Baba's eyes rested for a moment on the blue-haired woman "Indeed. But all of you know next to nothing of the gods that live in the Otherworld. Perhaps you will know of them some day, but that's highly doubtful."

"But what have you come to tell then?" remarked Yamcha, getting a bit impatient.

"First of all a warning. You are planning to go to these 'aliens' that have landed on your planet. I advise you not to. Leave them alone, especially do not let Goku meet them. Let them be, no matter how curious you might be."

"But…!" protested Bulma.

"No buts, young lady. They are very dangerous, you should listen to your friends."

"There's more behind it than they being dangerous. You just don't want us to know the truth about something! I'm sure of it!" Bulma retorted.

"You are perceiving. However, I am not telling what you will find when you confront them, only that you won't find it pleasing. None of you. Not just 'pleasing', but you will get involved in a danger that's threatening this entire universe to an extent none of you can comprehend yet."

"What? Just by going to meet them and talk with them? Now you're speaking nonsense, you old hag! Are you sure you aren't getting senile yet?" Bulma yelled at her, getting more angry by the minute.

Baba, however, remained as calm as ever "You think you know so much, woman… A scientist, a self-proclaimed genius who knows all of the secrets of this world, right? Wrong. There is so much you don't know or don't understand. You think that something doesn't exist because you can't comprehend it. How wrong you are, child. Do not go to them. Even they do know what destiny lies ahead of them, or what part they will play in the fate of this universe."

"Nonsense! Nothing but bullshit you are telling us! 'Fate of this universe', yeah right! If I want an old woman telling me crap about my 'fortune', I'll go to the fair! Enough 'psychics' and fortune-tellers there! Well, up your ass with all your crap, Baba!" Bulma looked to the others, practically seething "I'm… going to check up on Goku." She left the room.

Baba sighed and shook her head "So stubborn that she can't see the truth until it explodes in her face. Alas, I can only advise and am not allowed to meddle in your actions."

"Anything else you wanted to tell us, Baba?" Tien added.

"Ah, yes… I wanted to tell you a story."

"A story?" Everyone blinked.

"Yes! Don't interrupt me, damn it! Stories aren't only for children! A lot of them are very important warnings. It is what you will face when you do not heed my warning…" She looked meaningful in the direction Bulma disappeared to.

But then she fell silent until a little while later Bulma re-entered the room, along with a very tired-looking Goku. Before anyone could ask worried questions to Goku, she started.

"Burning Ice, Raging Flames, Wicked Poison and Creeping Shadows. Once these forces are freed, they will conquer this plane of existence for their master and all living beings will eventually fall before them. They cannot be released! However, two of these four horrible beings have already been awoken. We cannot risk further course of these events."

"What the hell are you talking about now, old hag?" Bulma exclaimed "We have enough of your fairy tales."

"Shut up and listen for once! This is important! You can't comprehend the consequences if another one of these creatures is awakened! If all four live once again…"

"Then what?" Chichi spoke this time.

"Then this universe is doomed."

"You're speaking too cryptic, Baba. What do you mean with that? How would our universe be doomed?"

"The Four Riders will summon their master back into existence… The Prince of Darkness."

"The Prince of Darkness?" Everyone said simultaneously.

Baba nodded solemnly.

"Who's that?" asked Yamcha.

"He is the ultimate evil and a force of extreme power. Even his knights, the Four Horsemen, are foes of the likes you've never faced before. In a long forgotten past, they and their race were defeated by powerful heroes… but these virtuous heroes have died out. We fear that no one in this time and age has the strength anymore to stand against the full power of the Prince and his Knights. That is why we cannot risk the Four Horsemen to be awoken. Only when they have returned, the Prince of Darkness can rise. But if he does… we are all doomed."

Baba fell silent, and let the information sink in. But it was clear they still didn't understand what was going on. She saw that they all just thought of it as a story. 'Except for Goku… But… poor Goku. He has to stay strong now. But he's losing the fight, I can see it… don't let 'him' win, young one. I hope he understands now, and can stop it all before it's too late…But if 'he' comes in contact with the two risen Horsemen…It's just a matter of time before the Third Horseman awakens, and Goku will be the only thing in their way to awaken the last of them. I fear for what happens if Goku loses the fight. Can even the gods stop them then? I am sorry if they still go to meet the Saiyans, Kaioshin, but I cannot make them believe me. I have tried to warn them, like you told me to.'