Chapter 2: (insert disclaimer) enjoy the show!
Back in the park, Vegeta was still conversing with Paragus. The small remainder of people that had opted to stay watched on with fear and curiosity of the newcomers.
The older, battle-scarred saiyan stood before Earth's alien prince, draped in a long white cape, combat armor underneath. "I've come to graciously ask you to be the king of our new planet. Its name is New Vegeta, in your honor," Paragus announced, still bowing before him.
"What?" Vegeta's attention was caught. "A new planet Vegeta?" The younger saiyan questioned, taking a step forward.
... It couldn't have been easier in Paragus' wildest dreams.
"Yes, my lord… and at long last, we can once again show the entire universe the strength―" he began, rising to his feet and holding his gloved hands to the sky. "The strength of our forgotten race—the mightiest race: the saiyans! And with you as our leader, we will build an unstoppable empire!" he exclaimed, throwing a fist up into the air.
There was a hearty chorus of "Hail Vegeta!" heard throughout the soldiers, but the newly rekindled spirits did not reach their destination as well as Paragus had hoped—assumed they had.
For a moment, Vegeta contemplated the fresh smell of cherry blossoms playing with his senses (all the while with his usual frown) until he realized that they were awaiting his approval. Were they not able to read body language? It wasn't as if he were jumping up and down like an idiot, proclaiming YES, YES! So to answer their proposal, Vegeta scoffed and turned his back to them, returning to the gang. He had no time for that kind of foolishness…
But a casual voice caught Vegeta as he walked away. "Of course...we will have to stop The Legendary Super Saiyan... my lord." Paragus smirked at Vegeta's back. "Only you can do this." He purposely stroked the prince's ago, chuckling under his breath.
Vegeta halted in his tracks. He simply stood there, silent as his brain digested what he'd just heard. "You found The Legendary Super Saiyan…?" His tone was low, with a hint of doubt.
"Yes—he's wreaking havoc all over the South Galaxy with his awesome power. At his current pace, even our new Planet Vegeta, that we've strived so hard to rebuild for you, will be destroyed!" Paragus exclaimed dramatically.
Trunks, Gohan and Krillin were watching from the sidelines in astonishment. Legendary Super Saiyan? Sounded like something they would have rather lived on without knowing…
Vegeta's narrowed eyes fell to the grass, as if he were truly considering what Paragus had just told him. His son from the future saw this and knew something had to be said.
"Father!" Trunks jumped in, hurrying around Vegeta to block his path. "You're not going to fall for such a story, are you?"
But, as Vegeta's mind was already made up, it didn't take much for the prince to turn his back on Trunks as well. "Paragus, lead the way." He continued on as if nothing had happened.
Trunks couldn't believe his eyes. No, he couldn't get over how hardheaded Vegeta was. "Father!" he called out, running after him. "Listen to me!" But his pleas fell upon deaf ears.
Before the teen could get any farther, Paragus intercepted him. "Of course, you're welcome too, Prince Trunks. After all, you are of our blood..." the older saiyan informed him, smirking inwardly at the teen's blatantly distrustful expression.
As the ship's engine roared to life, nobody really noticed Master Roshi darting up the access ramp, still quite drunk. "Wait—Vegeta! What're you thinking?!" His slurred yells were almost drowned out by the shuttle as Gohan, Krillin and Oolong tried to hold him back.
Bulma watched from a distance with a light frown. "The king of his own planet? Yeah, that just what he needs," she muttered sarcastically.
The Capsule Corp. heiress could only watch as her son soared past. "Mom, I'm going! I'll bring dad home with me!" Trunks called, flying up to the ramp and landing smoothly inside just before the door closed.
Gohan, Roshi, Krillin and Oolong ultimately ended up inside, too.
"Good luck, son," she whispered helplessly, holding baby Trunks close to her chest as the ship finally took off.
There was an abundance of meaty, steamy, teasingly aromatic platters—all of which were requested by Goku—sitting on the table in front of King Kai. The God watched with both brows raised as the food mountain disappeared by the seconds.
His saiyan pupil sat on the other side of the table, stuffing his mouth with the delectable cooking that Bubbles and Gregory had set out for him. Meanwhile Bubbles would run back and forth between the house and the table, bringing in dishes. Poor thing.
Goku bit into a large drumstick-like piece of meat, ready to tear it apart in the name of his unfulfilled stomach, but let go of the rubbery flesh to no avail. "So, there's a Super Saiyan in the South Galaxy, is that right?" he inquired, still eyeing the piece of meat.
"Actually, he's already torn up most of the South Galaxy and it appears he's on course to hit the North next. That's our galaxy, you know..."
A simple "Oh..." was heard from Goku before King Kai continued.
"And what I'm really afraid of, Goku, is that he might be stronger than you—"
"REALLY?" Goku was now leaned over the table, eyes wildly happy, his food long forgotten. "That's so amazing!"
"This is not the time to be excited. This is in a 'bad thing' category, Goku," scolded King Kai. Sometimes the saiyan's enthusiasm could be trying on the old king's nerves.
"Oh! Right." Goku dropped his lunch and rose from his seat for a brief leg stretch. "Where do I go to find him, King Kai?" he asked, genuinely excited to have found a strong or stronger opponent.
King Kai sighed, replying grimly, "I'm not sure."
"Hey, I thought you Kais were supposed to know everything!"
"It depends on my mood!" King Kai snapped. "All I know is that he's somewhere in the South galaxy. Just use your instant transmission!" he exclaimed. Really, how he put up with that man sometimes…
"Yeah—then I can just search for his energy…" Goku agreed, placing two fingers on his forehead and concentrating.
As the seconds ticked by, both men stood in silence before Goku finally looked back up at his former teacher with an embarrassed expression. "Uh, King Kai, could you tell me which way is south again?"
Bubbles (who was walking back to the little house) tripped and fell over, causing the dishes in his hands to fall and break with a loud clatter.
King Kai furrowed his thinly-shaped brows and pointed to his left.
"Okay, I'll search that way then," Goku said, putting his fingers back on his forehead and closing his eyes. "...Got it. It's weak, but that's definitely saiyan energy alright. See you soon—take care!" He smiled before vanishing.
King Kai sighed again as he stood and looked up at the clouds. "Oh well. Let's hope he's right..."
…
Goku whizzed by at the speed of light, watching the colorful blur of planets, stars, and other celestial bodies pass him until he stopped at his destination.
'I just missed him,' he thought.
While looking around the desolate wasteland that was once a world of its own, he noticed the black night sky, with no moon or stars. It gave the harsh environment a horror-film affect. Craters and ruins were what populated the area.
'But for him to leave such a trail of energy behind...That's unheard of!' Goku walked through a city, examining the damage dealt. The saiyan shivered at the thought of his home planet looking anything like the current location. 'Whoa...This is unreal! Maybe King Kai really was right! This guy just might be stronger than any of us!'
The Next Morning:
I was stationed anxiously at the main entrance of the palace with a small army in attendance. Broly as well. He was ever the more silent as usual.
I perked up. 'Ah, finally.' Paragus' ship could be seen breaking through the atmosphere. 'I can feel a couple of extra energy signals as well. He must have convinced Vegeta to come along one way or another,' I concluded with a faint smirk.
After another period of waiting, Paragus drove up to the palace with Vegeta seated next to him, followed by another car with guests. But, the strange thing was: one of the energies coming from the second car was much like Vegeta's and my own.
Another blood relative... Another sibling?
"Hmm…" I let my mind wander as my eyes followed the cars up to the palace. Why they didn't fly was beyond me…
There was a chorused greeting of "HAIL VEGETA!" as the saiyan-in-mention finally came into view; I cringed slightly, almost moving to cover my sensitive ears.
Paragus, whilst leading him our way, explained, "These men have gathered here from the far regions of the universe. They are here to serve you, King Vegeta." Both of them stopped just before Broly and I. "My only son, and his mate. They are at your service, my lord." The older saiyan gestured towards the two of us.
"I am Broly." He may as well have been mumbling.
"And I am Midori," I added, bowing my head slightly.
Vegeta narrowed his eyes at us. "So I guess both of you are saiyans as well," he stated in a matter-of-factly tone, locking his eyes with mine as he said this.
Was something on King brother's mind?
"Yes... sir." Broly answered with a tiny smile, quickly returning to his normal, dull state. I could tell he wasn't too fond of the formalities.
"Yes, you are correct." It was hard trying to hide the smirk that was forming on my lips.
"But your name is not saiyan." Vegeta eyed me with such a bone chilling stare that the smirk on my face vanished.
"You are correct again, sir… I was born and raised on a foreign planet." This seemed to satisfy him. It was the truth after all.
I then noticed a small boy and others standing behind some guards, watching on with an unbound curiosity about them. I had to strain to hear them over the dull roar of the crowd.
"It's amazing," murmured the child, while a short, bald man in an orange jacket and some kind of clothed animal made questioning noises. Alongside them were an elderly man and... a tall, strapping, young man with long, lavender hair and eyes like sapphires. He smiled at his friends before a shout caught his attention, as well as mine.
"Your majesty!" a soldier yelled, running past me to Vegeta.
The prince (erm... KING) stopped walking to turn around slightly.
"Your majesty—The Legendary Super Saiyan has appeared on planet Totokama," he informed, kneeling down.
"What?" Vegeta was fully facing him then.
"Kais..." I mumbled to myself. 'So they are going through with that plan. He must have refused at first…' I thought, sighing.
The mysterious young man with long hair eyed them in heavy suspicion.
'Hey, that boy catches on mighty fast.'
Vegeta turned again to look over the rest of the soldiers. "Alright, I'm going to take care of this super saiyan freak right now! Broly—come with me!"
To make things seem natural, I waved a goodbye to Broly and he smiled back at me, eerily.
'Well… Vegeta was right about The Legendary Super Saiyan being a freak.' When Broly wasn't facing me anymore, I frowned. 'Let the wild goose chase begin...'
But, suddenly, "blue-eyes" dashed up to Broly and Vegeta. "Father!"
Father?
"We have to collect more intelligence before we act! It's too dangerous!" he exclaimed.
Vegeta swiveled sharply on his heel with a scowl and barked, "The only danger lies in standing against me!" The prince glanced behind him. "Broly, hurry up!" he called roughly, practically storming off.
So my brother was arrogant… and he didn't like taking orders from 'subordinates'.
Broly smiled one last time before following Vegeta out.
The teenager was left standing alone, his shoulders drooped in dismay. "No... Father..." he whispered in total defeat.
… Father? I grinned, despite the not-so-funny situation.
"Poor boy..." I whispered as I shook my head, smile easing up a little.
I was grateful that I didn't turn out like Vegeta. The thought caused me to chuckle quietly. But, who knew, we could have something in common...
Something bumped my backside then, and I arched an eyebrow while turning smoothly.
"Oh, sorry about that!" came a rather childish voice.
"It's fine," I assured, smiling down at the black-haired boy. Upon further notice, my smile widened a bit. "Child, are you a saiyan?" I didn't notice at first because of his lack of a tail, but there were certain features… and his energy.
He blinked a couple of times before answering.
"Yes ma'am, and my name's Gohan," he introduced himself, grinning cutely at me while holding out his hand for me to shake. Even the Grinch (a fictional character from Earth stories) wouldn't have stood a chance against the kid. But Gohan probably knew that already.
I shook his hand, figuring the boy was about ten or so. He was strong too… 'Nice firm grip.' I flashed him a toothy grin of my own.
"And you're a saiyan, too?" he asked, eyeing the brown tail that swayed in the soft breeze behind me.
"Why yes, I am. My name is Midori," I replied, nodding my head. 'I'm also figuring that he's half human.' I released Gohan's hand.
Gohan then turned slightly, saying, "Oh―er, my friend Trunks is looking for me, Miss..." With a formal bow, he added, "It was nice meeting you."
"Likewise, Gohan." I nodded, amused by the boys politeness as he ran off to his group. "Trunks, eh…?" I whispered as I laid my eyes on the other demi-saiyan that Gohan had referred to.
When he had called Vegeta "Father!" it had only confirmed my suspicions.
"Wow, Vegeta... You've made me an aunt," I whispered to myself, not able to stop a grin from taking hold of my lips again. "Well, he must favor his mother, that's for sure." I shook my head once more, not believing what I had just found out.
…
We all watched as Paragus' ship launched for so-called Totokama, but my curiosity got the better of me and I looked to Trunks instead. He was staring at the ground in frustration. Some of the soldiers were laughing in the background.
I rolled my eyes.
The adorable Gohan was there, trying his best to cheer up his older comrade. They talked rather loudly though, as if they assumed nobody was listening to their conversation.
"Hey Trunks, that lady over there—she's a saiyan too! Her name's Midori. She seems pretty nice." Gohan nudged his friend in the arm and thumbed over in my general direction.
'Half-saiyans must not have as an acute sense of hearing as full bloods…' I thought. 'I can hear them as if they're right next to me and they don't even know it.'
At this new information, Trunks' curious eyes scanned the area until they landed on me. And by the Kais, Trunks would have choked on the air itself if he were able to. Instead he let his mouth fall open and his eyes widen generously. Gohan looked a bit taken back by Trunks' reaction and nudged his arm again.
Of course I pretended not to notice any of it.
"Hey Trunks. What's up?" He eyed the teen inquisitively.
Trunks shook his head roughly once, causing the lavender strands of his hair to fly around his face. "Gohan, do you know who that is?" He seemed extremely happy.
"Er... No. Well, yes?" Gohan nodded his head slowly, lost at what else there was to know.
"That's my aunt! My aunt Midori!" he exclaimed, grabbing the young half-breed child by the shoulders. "I haven't seen her in so long..." he finished in a mumble, his bright eyes holding a far off look.
"Then go say hi to her," Gohan replied. The boy then lowered his voice to say, "You don't have to tell her who you are or that you're from the future."
I almost didn't catch it.
Trunks removed his hands from Gohan's shoulders and smiled awkwardly. "I don't know..." He sighed, scratching the back of his head, but Gohan insisted on him doing so. "Well... Okay, I guess." Trunks turned around, but blinked in surprise when he looked where I'd been standing.
Their bald friend cocked his head to the side in confusion. "What is it?" he asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
Trunks blinked his eyes a few more times to make sure he wasn't going blind. "She's gone. But I can still sense her nearby. Like she's right on top of us or something." He then turned his attention back to his friends.
The whole time they had been talking, I was standing on top of a massive balcony that was placed strategically above them. 'What...? How has he ever met me? And he's from the future? …What?' I was totally perplexed. 'Following them around for a while might answer some questions.'
A small breeze stirred my hair, prompting me to move some of it behind my ears.
...
As Gohan, Trunks, and the bald one flew through a dense forest just outside of the palace grounds, I stealthily trailed them.
The human asked, "Hey Trunks, do you think this legendary Super Saiyan really exists? I mean, it all seems kinda' far-fetched to me."
"I agree with you Krillin, but my dad doesn't. That's the problem," Trunks replied, expertly dodging trees, left and right.
Eventually the forest vegetation came to a halt and they were left free to fly off into the horizon. I, on the other hand, had to dip low and travel along the jagged rocks to keep hidden.
Krillin then asked, "So hey, what's up with the story about your aunt? Care to explain?"
Trunks smiled slightly whilst running a hand through his hair to prevent view-blockage.
Gohan looked over at the teenager curiously.
"Well," he began, "She showed up on Earth when I was still in diapers, a few months from now actually. Midori—she came to find my father, claiming that she was his sister. You know, I shouldn't have been surprised when you pointed her out, Gohan. She told me that she'd lived most of her life with a saiyan named Broly. I should have looked for her as soon as I noticed him. Anyway, by the time she'd arrived, everybody had been killed by the androids..."
Trunks paused with a somewhat solemn expression.
"I guess throughout the time she was around, her and Gohan formed some kind of strong relationship," he murmured, then gave a short laugh as he noticed Gohan blushing. "Not like that!" he added quickly.
"Midori had this big thing for kids. It was more of a teacher-pupil kind of relationship. She trained my Gohan into the strong warrior he was. But, when I was about nine, the androids... they got her." Trunks stopped and gave a deep sigh. "She was like a big sister to me, you know? It was like the fewer people I had in my life, the more they mattered," he finished quietly.
I never really appreciated the art of hiding my energy until I was in one of these situations… It had been well worth it, for all the information I'd overheard.
By now, the trio had stopped above an abandoned city that looked like it had been destroyed ages ago.
Krillin, now aware of the sudden anguish Trunks was feeling, changed the subject. "No matter how you slice it, this planet is pretty barren," he said as he looked down upon the ruins of a city.
The three of them began additively agreeing how much of a dump the planet actually was.
I sighed and scratched my head in utter befuddlement. 'I've never met this kid in my life, but he has some sort of life story on me.' Arms folded over my chest, I leaned against the wreckage of a building behind me. 'And androids? How can this be true? Maybe they're just saying these things because they know I'm here...'
My gaze shifted over to the right, where the looming sunset sat over the drop of some nearby cliffs, catching my attention. 'Those three are getting dangerously close to the slave site... But... This might work to my advantage.'
I closed my eyes and smirked the tiniest bit. "They're obviously all suspicious of this getup. And all of them seem to be exceptionally strong… Trunks, Gohan, Vegeta… I could tell them the truth, about Broly… They'd be all over him. Then I could leave with them… But…"
If Vegeta came all the way out here, was he willing to see eye-to-eye with Paragus? Or was he just here for The Legendary Super Saiyan? I hoped for the latter.
'It doesn't really seem like he wants to rebuild our race for some reason… Not here, at least.'
Krillin's voice echoed across the landscape, pulling my eyes back towards the group.
He was pointing at something below the cliff. "What's that over there?"
I sighed, my demeanor turning slightly gloomy. 'Paragus... He just wants there to be more of us. But, I can't stay here forever… These misguided wishes... I changed my whole life to accommodate them, and it'll be the death of me if I can't get away.'
Trunks replied "It looks like they're pumping some kind of energy from underground."
I sighed. 'That's where the answer lies… Will he return to Earth after he finds this saiyan, or restore saiyan dominance here?'
Gohan scanned the whole area in front of them. Thousands of tiny alien creatures came into view. They were the ones working about the area. "Why would they need to do that?"
A hard decision came to my mind at that moment. One way or another, Broly had to be out of the picture. 'As selfish as this sounds… my sanity—my life comes first. And they definitely don't, here with Broly.'
"Wait. I got it!" exclaimed Krillin. "They send it to the palace. It's the only place I saw that had plants growing!"
'Uh-oh, there they go.' I walked around the crumbling structure to get a better view of the threesome as they interacted with two small aliens. They seemed to be in distress.
Folding my arms, I frowned at what I saw. Apparently I wasn't the only one spying, as one of the guards came out and began to beat the two slaves.
Gohan, being the good boy he seemed to be, intervened, knocking the guard off his feet without any effort. But, seeing the number of guards that began to surround him, I thought it'd be time for me break things up.
Those guards weren't powerful, but they had an assortment of electrically charged weapons… very nasty when hit by one.
Powering up, I took off towards the skirmish. Judging by their shocked expressions, they weren't expecting me to land directly in front of Gohan, forget even being there to begin with!
"Midori—" Trunks didn't get to finish his sentence before I interrupted him, frowning at them in disapproval.
"You shouldn't be here, it's unsafe. What are you all doing out here anyway?" I couldn't show my cards just yet…
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Gohan fall into a fighting stance. He looked so… mature.
The guards were forming a circle around us.
"I have this under control… Step down, men." I warned.
They moved closer; they never liked me.
But Krillin swaggered up behind the guard who blew the whistle and tsked at him like nothing. "Hey, if I were one of you guys, I wouldn't even think about messing with us," the human threatened, taking a fighting stance and punching the air as if it were the guard.
Surprisingly… they began to turn tail.
Then it hit me.
'Hold on!' I gasped and took a step back. But not at Krillin, oh no. A tremendous energy was coming towards us, and fast. 'What in the world? It's…' I clenched my fists, unable to gauge it.
Damn-it, why now? That's all I needed!
Gohan regarded the slave guards with confusion as they all fled the scene.
Krillin laughed, his face then taking on a more serious exterior. He threw a few punches and kicked the air, as if boasting.
Meanwhile Gohan made his way over to Trunks, and I stood, trying to feel out the new energy signal. It was moving too damn fast!
'It's― here!' I snapped my head to the left, gritting my teeth.
Krillin then gave the air a good upper cut. Right then, everything stopped and seemed to play out in slow motion:
An orange blur appeared in front of Krillin as we all gasped, his fist connecting with its then visible jaw, knocking him over.
What in the hell?
Krillin's eyes widened drastically. "Eh, sorry," he apologized with a sheepish smile.
Gohan blinked in surprise. "Uh, daddy?"
"Hey, Goku." Trunks greeted a little offhandedly, seeing as how he was still surprised as well.
The way he appeared like that… it reminded me of Yardrat's instant transmission. I stared at the one named 'Goku' that had gotten knocked over. That was the strong energy I had felt?
"Aye-aye-aye, that hurt!" he exclaimed, cradling the sore cheek in his hand.
Right away I knew that this Goku person was a saiyan. "Strange..." I looked him over skeptically, muttering under my breath, "I pictured this new power to be a threat... not some weird saiyan man in flamboyant clothing."
With my hands on my hips, I watched him for a moment. Apparently he was a part of their group, so I had no reason to feel threatened… Not that he was in any way… threatening.
"Goku, what are you doing here?" exclaimed Krillin.
The one in mention rubbed his cheek gingerly, looking the whole group over with wide eyes, similar to the way his son did. "I'm not sure, really. I was just following a saiyan's energy. What are you guys doing here?" Goku asked, looking up at the gang from his seated position.
'Who could he have been following..? Vegeta, maybe? They seem to all know each other…' I turned around slightly and began to edge away.
Krillin folded his arms and replied, "Vegeta was asked to destroy this legendary Super Saiyan and we had some extra flyer miles to spend."
"Really? I guess King Kai talked to him as well," said Goku.
My eye twitched slightly. 'He's after Broly too, eh? One more person to sway, I guess.'
Goku then laid his eyes on me for the first time. His reaction was a confused blink. I stopped, seeing as how I'd been spotted, and reflexively flashed him a sly smile, flicking my hand up in a sort of wave.
As Trunks finally went to help him up, he said, "Oh, Goku, that's Midori." The teen then whispered something in Goku's ear, earning him a big, goofy grin in return as he smiled at the older man.
"NO WAY! She's your aunt? Vegeta's sister?" he exclaimed, looking back and forth between Trunks and me.
Trunks tried desperately to shush Goku, but failed, finally glancing guiltily in my direction.
I sighed in frustration. 'I have to straighten some things out with this one later'.
Meanwhile, Goku had approached me with his hand held out. "Hi, I'm Goku! That there's my son Gohan, and my best friend Krillin." He thumbed over to the pair. "It's nice to meet you," he greeted sincerely.
I smiled politely and grasped his hand. "Yes, Goku. And I've already had the pleasure of meeting your son," I replied, then smirking as I looked into his eyes.
His eyes, though... they seemed to mirror his soul; an honest, kind soul... His eyes... I liked them.
My smirk widened a bit as I gripped his hand. It was a sort of unspoken test. He returned the squeeze, his face similar to mine. The two of us stood like that for what seemed like minutes. But in reality it may have only been a couple of seconds. I mentally sized him up.
Probably noticing my scrutiny, Goku finally released my hand.
I then broke the silence with a short laugh. "So, I'm assuming you're here to help Vegeta find The Legendary Super Saiyan?"
Of course he was.
"Yes, I am. This saiyan destroyed the whole South Galaxy and I have to stop him before he gets the North Galaxy—" His tone went from serious to casual as he smiled. "—that's the one I live in, by the way."
I frowned, memories of that day resurfacing. I was about to question him again when another voice beat me to it.
"How good of you to come, Kakarot. Or as you are now called, Goku." Paragus spoke out from the edge of one of the many surrounding cliffs.
'Kakarot? That name sounds too familiar,' I thought, pursing my lips.
…No. Not That Kakarot.
Broly… I'd heard him scream that name far too many times over the last nineteen years. In his sleep, sometimes on his rampages, or... the night that he…
I felt my blood run cold.
Could this Goku have something to do with Broly's issues?
I snapped out of my trance when Goku demanded rather loudly, "Hey! How do you know that name?" before blinking in surprise. "You must be a saiyan, too!" he exclaimed, pointing at Paragus.
…Very observant, I see.
"Yes, and you must be Bardock's son. I see you have also met Midori," he said, gesturing towards me.
I tipped my chin in acknowledgement.
Goku only stared at him coldly without speaking.
"Now, would our guests care to have some dinner?"
Goku narrowed his eyes but quickly brightened up at the mention of dinner. "Are you kidding? That sounds fantastic!" he exclaimed, overjoyed.
And that was where I would take my leave… I had to get a few questions answered…
…
...
Trunks' voice drifted through the wooden door that I was leaning against. "So then, it was Paragus who tore up your planet."
"No, it was not Paragus!" said one of the little aliens as what sounded like dishes clinked together. "Stronger, bigger!" another one exclaimed.
Gohan spoke up, "Hey, slow down you guys, you're gonna' pop."
"No we won't!"
'Come on… get to the good stuff…'
"I know it's not Midori. Besides, she told me that female saiyans can't even transform up to super levels. And it couldn't be Broly, that guy's a toothpick." Trunks paused for a moment, sighing wearily. "…Maybe Paragus is telling the truth. If The Legendary Super Saiyan really exists, we might have a lot of trouble on our hands..."
Just outside of the door I stood with my arms folded, waiting for the ideal moment to come in. 'This is interesting...' In my mind I went over a couple of scenarios again.
One: They don't find The Legendary Super Saiyan. Vegeta either stays here (and the saiyans repopulate, partly at my expense) or he leaves. If he leaves (there's one sad Paragus), I follow along. I'll be rid of Broly… then… Broly follows… fighting ensues... Huh.
Two: They find the saiyan (AKA Broly) and they fight. With five saiyans against one, there's a good chance of victory, then they go back to Earth? And… I follow? Or Vegeta stays on this planet. Hmm…
I placed my hand on the doorknob and twisted. They must have sensed my energy there the whole time, seeing as how they were all dead silent, staring at the door when I entered. But I wasn't about to waste time. I had an objective, and they were part of it.
Walking straight up to Trunks, the teen turned to face me fully. Stopping a short distance from him, we stood eye-to-eye, sapphire to onyx.
"I have some business to settle with you, boy," I stated bluntly.
"Safe to say it was you following us earlier, right?" Trunks questioned back, smirking.
A simple "Hn" sufficed for a reply.
Everyone in the premises was quiet; Gohan and Krillin exchanged confused glances.
"I'm going to make this quick and easy for the both of us..." he stated. "My name is Trunks Brief, I'm your half human, half saiyan nephew."
Not quite what I was looking for. Most alien species could have detected the blood relation with natural senses alone, including the fact that he had human blood in him. Then there was the small detail that involved him calling Vegeta 'father' for everyone to hear.
I narrowed my eyes. "You think I didn't know that already?" I asked, growing a bit irritated. 'Settle down, it's just been a long day… sigh.'
Trunks furrowed his brows. "I am actually from the future, though. And in my time, which would be in about a year, you come to Earth in search of your brother, Vegeta, but he's already been killed by androids. You train Gohan—" he paused and gestured to the other half breed, "—and you fight the androids. You also befriend my mother, and from what she's told me about you, there was more than one occasion where you had almost beaten the androids. But they finally got you. It was a sneak attack—when you had sustained some major injuries."
… That was some story.
I gazed into Trunks' eyes, trying to find any signs of a lie.
He stood there expectantly.
"Well… That's quite a far-fetched story you laid out there. But—sadly, I do believe you more than I doubt you. I mean, who would go that far as to lie?" I asked him (and partly myself) with a chuckle. "Just answer me two simple questions."
"He's telling the truth, though!" argued Gohan, taking a step forward.
I turned to him slowly, smirking. "Son, I already know of his blood relation... it's his background and knowledge of me that is questionable."
"Name your questions," Trunks urged.
I turned back to him, expression sobering. "If you know so much about me, then you know of my troubles with Broly. How did I manage to get to Earth without any trace of him?"
"Um, well, I don't really know that much about the guy..." he said slowly. "But I do know that you loathed Broly, so you poisoned his food. You had told me about him being 'sick in the mind'." The last part was added quickly.
This kind of surprised me, but not enough to falter my appearance.
Food poison, eh? And Sick in the mind? That's exactly what I'd told people in the past…
"Alright... How old am I?" My eyes narrowed slightly as I waited for his answer.
Trunks brightened up at the question. "You're twenty-nine years old, turning thirty on October 17th!" he exclaimed, making a triumphant fist with his hand.
I gaped at the boy. "How could you have known that? NO ONE knows my birth day," I stated, shaking my head in disbelief. Not a soul besides Broly and Paragus…
Krillin chuckled and rubbed where his nose should've been with an index finger. "It's like the man said: He's your nephew from the future."
Gohan nodded in agreement and let out a short laugh.
The look of amazement on my face slowly faded away and was replaced an apologetic smile.
There was somewhat of an awkward silence after that. 'Well… It was no mystery that he was Vegeta's son, which also made him my family, but this whole future business threw me for a loop.' I sighed.
From the future... When I thought about it, it was only slightly more fantastic than some of the things I'd experienced in life...
After pursing my lips for a few seconds, I finally took a small step forward, lifting my hand up and extending it as a sign of peace. 'I should get to know my own flesh and blood, right?'
Hesitant at first, Trunks reached out slowly, feebly grabbing my hand as if still unsure.
Laughing softly, I then took another step forward and even gently touched his arm to fully initiate the handshake.
He suddenly yanked my arm forward, the space between the two of us vanishing in a split second as Trunks enveloped me in his arms, giving one of the tightest embraces I'd ever known.
This caught me off guard, making me laugh again, awkwardly. Realizing that I still didn't know him all that well, Trunks let go and gave an embarrassed cough.
A sudden clapping and cheering in the room made me raise an eyebrow.
"Now that's what I call a Kodak moment!" exclaimed Krillin, making hand gestures as if he had a camera with him.
I stepped away from Trunks, feeling slightly more natural enough to joke. Keeping him at an arm's length distance, I placed my hands on his shoulders. "Well, I'd have to say that you are just the most handsome thing to walk on two legs. He gets it from his father's side, of course." I couldn't help smirking again as I watched him blush a deep shade of red. So the boy was modest? Cute…
"Aw, look Krillin, he's blushing!" Gohan exclaimed, clasping his hands together.
We all laughed and talked the remainder of my time there, and Trunks told me stories of how he grew up with an adult Gohan, his mother (the genius) and me.
With as harrowing as the young man's life had been, I felt a connection with him. I felt at ease... for the first time in a while... But, it was soon time for me to be on my way. It was late after all.
By now the tiny aliens had all drifted off to sleep on the other side of the room as the four of us sat in a circle away from them.
I cleared my throat, gaining three pairs of eyes in the process. "Trunks, Gohan, Krillin. You're all here in search of The Legendary Super Saiyan, am I correct?"
All three of them nodded.
"And I know you're all suspicious of this whole getup. Paragus… his intentions are good, but yes, he set this all up. He just wants to re-establish the saiyan race with Vegeta as king, but he's playing with fire, using The Legendary Super Saiyan as bait."
"If you don't mind me asking, what's that supposed to mean?" asked Gohan.
I ran my tongue over my bottom lip once and sighed. "What I'm trying to say is… Well, in the simplest terms, Broly is the one you're after."
"Broly?" All three of them exclaimed in unison.
"Yes. And now that you know, you'll probably inform Vegeta… and he will go after Broly, right? Well, you can probably infer that I'd give anything to escape this place. And whether or not he finds out about Broly, I have a feeling there will be a large conflict," I answered slowly, carefully choosing my words.
Gohan propped his head up on his hands as he waited for me to elaborate.
"You father's name is Kakarot, is it not?" I asked the boy.
Gohan nodded in response. "Yeah, but what does that name have to do with anything?" he inquired shamelessly.
I gave him a small smile, knowing something like this was coming. "Broly has a sort of compulsive anger towards a saiyan named Kakarot. I had no idea who that was until today, when I met your father. I don't even know if they've ever met, but..." I continued to explain that the two of them being in such close proximity would cause problems sooner or later.
Gohan just stared back, his lips ever so slightly parted.
"I plan on going back to Earth with you all. So, if Vegeta were to return to Earth, Broly would follow me. That would end in conflict. Then there is Kakarot… Broly is most likely going to lose it when he meets him… That will end in conflict. But, I'm not afraid of Broly when I have you three, Vegeta and Kakarot here."
Trunks blinked slowly. "So let me get this straight. You think that no matter what happens, Broly is going to be found out, and you want us to defeat him, so that you can return to Earth with us?"
The next word came out whispery, as if I was hissing. "Precisely."
Paragus stared at a large computer-like screen as some kind of circular object appeared on it. It was a planet—or was at least planet-sized. It turned out to be something else.
"Yes...Yes! You're right on target, comet Kamorai. Come and get us!" he cackled wickedly. "DESTROY US!"
As Paragus made his way down a set of stairs, an assistant alien whimpered, "Lord, I'm afraid..."
"Come now, Moar, there's no reason to be afraid anymore..." Paragus answered casually.
"But sir, the comet is getting closer by the day!" he tried to reason.
Paragus smirked down at him, a cold chuckle escaping his lips. "Don't worry about that..." he replied darkly, holding out his hand as it started to glow a bright green.
Only the screams of the small creature could be heard afterwards.