When everyone departed for the lookout, Nia sat beside Bulma while Goku and May watched Roshi scan them from the distance of the window. When he looked at them through the darkness of his sunglasses, his eyes were anything but calm.
They had gone narrow and cold.
"Goku and May...You both may want to sit down."
"I can stand." May replied in her brusque manner.
"What do you want to tell us that it had wait until everyone else left?" Goku asked, blinking when he looked between the people gathered.
"That space pirate you guys fought...He told you something a mite strange, didn't he?" Master Roshi asked, his tone grim.
"Yeah, but I didn't pay it too much mind..." Goku said slowly, before he completely stopped.
May frowned briefly. "He was evil. Lies are part of his trade."
"I don't think he was lying about everything..." Bulma said.
"Surely, you cannot believe that." Nia said, looking to Bulma swiftly.
"It doesn't matter. All that matters now is the intent of the three Saiyans who plan to have Earth in their grip. And all of us may be all that stands between them and galactic domination with the Dragon Balls. I don't care about what he had to say the slightest. I have my objectives."
"You have to care, May. We...We've never been honest with you three." Bulma reasoned.
"But, now we figure it's the time to finally tell you three the truth." Master Roshi finished.
"Do you not understand the implications of what you both are saying?" May looked ready to lose her temper.
"It no longer matters." Bulma said.
"The Saiyans and anyone listening to their feeds know where the power is." Roshi added firmly.
"Even if what he said is true, we would still be protectors of Earth and not destroyers of worlds. We've had to save the world more than once, and we've always trained to help the weak and not to lord over the weak. I am training to become Guardian of Earth after Kami relinquishes the position whenever that may be, and I know my goals and objectives."
"May, I understand where you are coming from. Still, this has to be said." Bulma shot a frustrated look at Goku and Nia, who picked up their cues smoothly.
"Goku and I hit our heads a long time ago, but we were still really little..." May turned away from everyone, clenching her teeth in agitation.
"All I have are memories of Bulma for the most part...I don't know if I hit my head like you guys, but I don't like Raditz anymore than you do May. We should still listen regardless of that. Master Roshi and Bulma want to tell us this. It's been a long time coming. We should give him that benefit." Nia said, trying to be reasonable.
"We can be certain that Raditz and the Saiyans are not to be trusted. Not anymore. I don't really care about what he said, but I agree with Nia." Goku seconded.
"You guys remember having tails?"
"Of course. It was my greatest weakness." Goku replied.
"Grandpa Gohan, and in your case Nia, Bulma, found the three of you in the mountains right by a strange space-pod. You were all violent, and neither of you listened very well. You and May fell into a ravine after fighting while he was carrying you two on his back. After that day, you two were kind and selfless...Like you are right now." Master Roshi explained, tone heavy.
"That can't be..." Goku could barely keep his composure.
He didn't want to entertain that long haired man's speech. He didn't want to believe that he could be right. Goku was a human, he always believed he was a human. He had a tail, but there were a lot of people who had tails, and there were animals that could talk as well on Earth. People had become beasts themselves as well. For him to come from a race of space barbarians that did nothing but murder and pillage flew in the face of everything he stood for and risked his life against.
It flew in the face of everything that he and his friends gave their lives for.
He was not Kakarot. That was not his name. Planet Vegeta was not his origin. He was an Earthling. Grandpa Gohan named him Goku. His name was Goku, he was from Earth, raised on Earth, and Earth was his home. He had his family and friends. None of them were unabashed psychopaths or outright murderers of billions like Raditz and the other Saiyans.
"Was I mean?" Nia asked, looking at Bulma for clarification.
Goku blinked, coming out of his thoughts.
He could agree with May's sentiment of fury towards all of this.
"You had your moments at times, Nia. You weren't even half as aggressive or terrible like these two. Keeping you still and out of everything was the harder part."
"Evil surrounded that menace. Evil has surrounded and cloaked those Saiyans since even before that idiot came here. I refuse to believe that I have such evil running through my blood."
"Your merits speak louder." Master Roshi thumped the floor with his stick. "There's no need to take what he said to heart."
"He's stood over hundreds of billions laughing while he murdered them. He is a worse evil than King Piccolo! We must be ready to act! Those Saiyans cannot be allowed to move against us. They cannot be allowed to live past this battle. We've seen such evil with the Red Ribbon and King Piccolo-slavery, torture, and worse-we've seen it all...I saw what it did to all of us and the world, and it's why we had to use the Dragon Balls to make a wish that everyone would have no memory or recollection of those battles waged..."
May's face darkened with the same distant, haunted shadow Bulma had seen on her just minutes before.
"Fair enough." Bulma said.
Master Roshi shook his head. "Anytime one strives for great power, great care must also be taken."
"Earth is our home. It's the only one we have." Goku looked deeply into Roshi's eyes, and into Bulma's, and Bulma could feel the heat in his gaze.
"We must be prepared to take radical action if we have to. It is our duty." May refused to budge.
"But, you are talking about wiping out the threat completely and showing no mercy..." Nia protested numbly.
"I'm not afraid of words, and I am saying this to all of you! If it's ruthless and heartbreaking, then so be it. I would kill those Saiyans right now if they were here, if I had the full support of everyone. The real heartbreaking thing wouldn't be ganging up on those bastards and butchering them. It would be failure to act and showing mercy to those damn savages so they can go and ravage another world and murder billions!"
"But to do that would make us no different than them." Goku said.
"No disrespect, Goku, but that's a frivolous argument. We can't let a higher moral ground stop us from doing what's right for the whole planet. The implications of this battle may have far reaching effects just beyond our planet.''
"I'm not convinced being ruthless is the right way." Goku said severely.
"Everyone will need to move as a single mind when the time comes. These Saiyans could be using Earth as their staging ground to get immortality or something worse before they go on a conquest. Immortality, eternal youth, infinite ki...These the Eternal Dragon can grant with ease!" May was halfway across the room, almost in Goku's face.
"To show compassion gives them the advantage-"
"They already have the advantage, May." Roshi jabbed at her with his stick.
"We will only increase their advantage if we act with haste." Bulma said coolly.
"Guys, please..." Nia said. She looked from one to the other and inclined her head respectfully. "Perhaps there is a middle way."
"Ah, of course you'd step in...I should have guessed that is why you were quiet this whole time just watching us bicker back and forth. You are so sure of your skills that you can mediate our differences? I don't think anyone is going to mediate the differences Goku and I have." May settled back into her spot at the window, her glare leveled on Goku.
Outside, the light was bright and the evening replaced the afternoon, and soon night would begin its slow descent across the city.
Nia nodded her concurrence, her smooth face expressionless in the light. "We need to work as a team to bring down these Saiyans."
There was emphasis on the word we as she spoke.
"Teamwork is the only way all of us are going to get out of this mess alive." Master Roshi agreed.
May felt a rush of satisfaction on hearing the words, a vindication of her insistence that Raditz's crap story didn't mean anything, and that she was human, not a barbaric Saiyan.
"Good, so we can just forget what Raditz said and get to the training."
May made the statement in triumph, however there was an uncomfortable silence as everyone else looked from one to the other.
"No, we can't." Master Roshi said quietly.
"We always kept the truth from you...That's why Kami removed your tails when you were teenagers. They were a nuisance, but it was to keep you from...Changing."
May's face tightened, and there was fury in her eyes as she glanced at Goku.
"Change? You don't mean..." Nia trailed off, her heart sinking to her stomach.
"He said something about the full moon and our tails..." Goku spoke in a monotone, stunned to disbelief, shocked almost speechless.
He tried hard to ignore the hard look May was giving him.
He was trying hard to reject what Raditz said, but there were bits and pieces of...
Something.
He wasn't able to remember, but it was right there in the back of his mind.
Bulma nodded, eyes steady. "You would transform into giant apes and wreak havoc. There was too much anger and destructive rage in you guys whenever you got like that..."
May was incensed, but she held herself in check. This made no sense. Why was this being said? Why were they validating what that space pirate said, rather than rejecting it? It could not be allowed to stand.
"I am not one of these Saiyans! You must be able to see it!"
Master Roshi tilted his head contemplatively. "We know, May."
May searched the faces of everyone else, but found no help. She straightened and nodded. "Very well. I will be leaving now. I will be at the Lookout with everyone else, if you need me."
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Goku stiffen.
She saw, as well, the sudden flicker of wariness that crossed Nia's face.
May did not respond to either, keeping her gaze directed Bulma. "I'm done listening to this. I didn't want to hear it from Raditz, and I do not want to hear it from two of the people I've known the longest in my life."
"We know you are a good person, May. All three of you are. It's just...We should have told you before, but you three have always been content. You guys were always good. It was better if you didn't know, but I never thought..." Bulma trailed off, eyes shading darkly.
"Never thought a psychopath would posture as my older brother." May declared.
"Yes." Nia agreed heatedly, trying unsuccessfully to mask her disappointment in May's unexpected decision.
"I am leaving."
Roshi's eyes shifted. "Will you leave before we finish?"
May and the older man exchanged quick, hard looks, and the measure of their newfound antagonism was palpable. The breach in their relationship was widening so quickly it could no longer be mapped.
May took a deep breath left the room.
"May can be quite headstrong still...That is good. She has much to learn still about the way, but she is more than capable to be Guardian."
Nia smiled in good nature. "The Guardians have always kept their own counsel as to who is ready. Kami will always believe May has more to learn."
"May is so emotional still. I guess she has a good reason for it." Bulma stated with a cool tone.
"Everything is moving too fast for distractions like this." Goku added.
Bulma took a quick look at Roshi then turned once more to Nia. "You guys make sure to train hard. A few of us may find the clue we need to unravel their weaknesses."
Nia's nod was slow and brooked no argument. "I got it."
Goku took a deep breath, filled with fear, anticipation, and excitement at the unexpected turn of events. He bowed his thanks to Nia. "Thanks for keeping Gohan under your charge. Don't go easy on him."
Nia smiled easily "He is a student of Chi Chi and I. We do not dispute that."
"Make sure to train him good!" Goku said sharply.
The words struck, the force behind them unmistakable.
Nia nodded steadily, but said nothing.
"I will take care of any possible collateral damage before it gets that far." Bulma added.
"Make sure to tell them not to fight the Saiyans."
There was a long silence as everyone regarded Goku gravely. He stood there, trying to think of something more to say, something else to offer, but he had nothing else to bear.
Outside, the last of the evening faded into sunlight, and soon the lights of the city would begin to blink on as night crept upon it.
"Let us make it a point to be ten or twenty times stronger in one year as a goal. We can make a contest out of it so we do our best." Bulma said at last, signaling that the audience and the silence was over.
The Lookout was always a place of reflection, study, meditation, hard training, overseeing, and it was also a place of great information. The Guardians were traditionally the keepers of the peace, and also of knowledge. Beneath the high ceilings, off the main corridor of the palace, stood the stone cubicles, study rooms, filled with books, scrolls, and tomes of various shapes and sizes, and various purposes.
Yamcha was thinking of the most recent fight as he wandered around the pristine tiled outside. He wondered, not for the first time and certainly not for the last, about the wisdom of just not wishing the Saiyans away. The eagerness with which everyone had embraced their new duty and objective set off his warning bells, but he had allowed himself to go forth anyway, mostly because he knew that he would be left behind if he didn't train as seriously, and there was also uncovering the source of the Saiyans' weaknesses.
The entirety of the Lookout was busy this day, as they had never been before, with students and Masters alike hard at their warm ups and internal deliberations of the daunting challenge ahead. Yamcha found Tien, one of the few he could relate with at this point in time. He motioned with his hand and the tri-clops responded immediately, nodding sternly.
"How long do you think that old geezer is going to make us wait?"
Tien was already contemplating the fact, perhaps, Kami would not be greeting them and it would be his ever loyal assistant. As soon as the thought came, it receded, as Tien knew that Popo could offer nothing aside from esoteric techniques that may surprise the Saiyans. "It shouldn't be too much longer. He is probably sensing them right now, as to know where they are coming from."
"I'm not too sure..."
More thoughts rolled by his mind's eye, more flashes of emotion, and then it all stopped, showing an explosive wave. But it wasn't an attack like theirs by a long shot. It was pure destruction. Images of the blast flashed up before him, imposing its swell on him. Nothing he could think of matched the nature of this blast.
"I wouldn't worry too much. Your abilities go beyond just combat in the first place. A few of us for that matter excel outside of combat. Maybe their ships' markings cannot be identified. They could be made by a freelancing group, not associated with any known culture."
"Could you try saying that again?" There was no hiding the frustration in Yamcha's voice.
"The way to beat the Saiyans isn't through combat and brute force. We can use strategy. The Saiyans may have not reached a technologically advanced state and need a secondary group to provide them with those weird pod ships. There was also some device you put over your eye, and it measures combat power or something relative to that..." Tien looked at Yamcha, and sighed, not so sure that he agreed with that particular assessment himself.
"Thanks for your optimism." Yamcha said.
"You may not be able to figure these Saiyans out, but I think I know someone who might."
"What are the odds of that?" Yamcha started to reply, rolling his eyes.
Tien was long gone, walking briskly along the great tiled sphere and towards the Lookout's palace. He left without a word to Yamcha, his thoughts turning inward, trying to find some focus. He needed a trump card and quickly. He knew that instinctively, but he had a nagging feeling that it wasn't necessarily the Saiyans. He sensed that something more might be at stake, a greater threat beyond the Saiyans, though what it was, he could only guess.
Perhaps he was just being jumpy because the normally reliable and confident Kami still hadn't made his presence known before them. He needed answers to a weakness, and conventional methods of finding the weaknesses wouldn't suffice.
But Tien was not a conventional fighter, in many ways. Although he tended to be reserved, especially when dealing with his friends, his former Master, Tao, had left a mark on Tien.
He knew where to get his answers, and it wasn't in this reality.
Yamcha finger-combed his hair as he trotted towards the Temple near the base of the Palace. Far across the expanse of lookout stood Piccolo glaring at nothing or anyone in particular. Yamcha glared at him, then looked at Rai and Tabby flanking him just a few meters away keeping their distance from the main gathering of their group.
Coming toward him from the direction of them, shielding her eyes and leaning against the morning wind that whipped across were Goku and May.
"Finally." Yamcha muttered.
He roamed around the Lookout to get rid of his anxiety, and it did little to no good. He had nearly lost it when Chaozu mentioned that the person who had been screaming at him mentioned his attack name. Now he was looking upon May's scarred, but otherwise flawless face and seen there that she was ready for this battle, and that she knew it was a team effort.
It took a few minutes for him to compose himself. After what felt like an eternity, but in reality it was only a few moments, May and Goku both landed on the lookout drawing the attention of everyone gathered. Once they landed May's furrows on her brow had deepened further. "Kami isn't out here to greet us or lead us to the proper training place. He's always rambling about premonitions...Premonitions...He calls it a deep question. He even says the future can be seen, but very few have this skill. Visions...Gifts...Curses. Signposts and snares. These visions..."
"It's good to see you too, May." Yamcha had said with an eye roll.
"I merely tire of how he speaks of suffering these days." May barely whispered out.
"And death as well. In these troubled times, it is no surprise. Yourself you see, or someone you know? Do you all see yourselves or each other?"
Tabby didn't trust herself to answer, and she was kicking herself for not being aware of Kami standing there with Popo at his side.
"Someone close to you? Any of you gathered here right now?" Kami prompted gently.
"Yes..." Goku replied, eyes turned away from Kami's wise stare.
Kami's voice was still gentle, and understanding. "The fear of loss can lead to a dark path."
"I won't let any of the visions or dreams come true, Master. I won't." May said firmly
"Rejoice for those who pass on. Mourn them not. Miss them not."
"Then why do we fight at all, Master? Why save anybody if that is the case? Why be a Guardian of this world and its people?"
"We are not talking about just anybody." Sho said sternly.
Kami nodded slowly. "This is speaking of everyone here, and your visions, and your dreams, and your fears. You must be wary of greed in all forms. What you fear to lose, what you crave the most, train yourself to release it. Let go of fear and angst...The nothing will harm you."
Piccolo growled having more than enough. He knew Kami wasn't going to be any help at all, but he didn't expect the ancient idiot to dribble on about his own ideals. The greatest sage of the Earth had nothing better to offer than more pious babble about letting things pass. Like they hadn't heard that a million times already. That was too easy for Kami to say.
Who had Kami ever cared about? Really cared about? What did he care about? More to the point Kami never left the solitude of the Lookout. Piccolo was more than certain the ancient Sage had never been driven by pure emotion or motive. If he had been he would have known better than to expect anyone gathered to just fold their hands and close their eyes and settle in to meditate while what was left of earth evaporated like the ashes of a corpse in a scorching desert dawn.
"Hurry up and take us to the Pendulum Room so we can get the first part of our training complete! I don't have time for the pleasantries, and I don't want you morons getting the wrong idea. When these Saiyans are vanquished I will be coming for all you next."
Kami stared grimly, looking the group over. "I will warn all of you in advance. The Saiyans you will encounter will only be half as strong as genuine Saiyans...And, the Saiyans who are coming here...Will be even stronger."
Everyone shared a smirk, rather than being frightened at this declaration, it only renewed the group's convictions to fight as hard as they could against the imminent threat.
Goku's eyes followed the ancient guardian, but any levity or sense of calm he felt from that last exchange was washed away a moment later, when Kami addressed him in a tone that reminded him that he was not in the best of moods, and always spoke emphatically. "To defeat the Saiyans you will all have to work together. Even if one of you is stronger than the rest, that doesn't mean you will not need assistance."
"Don't worry. Now that we're training and Bulma is helping us with other stuff, it won't take her long to find out who hired that first Saiyan. We should have done this from the beginning."
He could see, though, that Kami's eyes were already beginning to narrow, so he quieted and let him speak. "While you guys fight, I have to hide away..."
"That would be most prudent. We don't need an old worm like you slowing us down any. Your time in the sun ended at the last tournament when I defeated you without break a sweat. I haven't been training so hard to conquer this world just for it to be taken by another." Piccolo snapped in frustration.
"Sometimes we have to let go of our pride and do what is requested of us." Kami replied-a rather unconvincing statement, coming from him-and he knew as soon as he spoke the words that he probably shouldn't have phrased things quite like that.
"Pride!" Came the roaring response from May.
"May, you're young, and you don't have a very firm grip on certain things. I suggest you reserve your emotions."
"I know the Saiyans are strong! Pride is the last thing that should be on anyone's-"
"May! Can you chill it out?"
"Save it, Krillin." Piccolo snapped.
"What?"
"She doesn't want to hear it from you. Quite frankly I really don't want to hear you yammer on."
"Excuse me for being realistic. Not all of us live in the clouds like you do."
Moving on from that debacle." Tabby said calmly, her jaw firm, her eyes strong.
"Fighting like that won't get us very far."
Goku paused and looked at everyone gathered, measuring head to toe, nodding as he took the sight of comrades in completely. He could see sincerity on their faces as everyone, even Piccolo nodded their agreement.
"I just hope Kami does not begin criticizing our every little move, as if we are all still little brats." Piccolo rumbled.
"Mentors have a way of seeing more of our faults than we would like. It's the only way we grow." Kami retorted.
With a thought, May focused her ki, forming a sphere of purple. "Don't get me wrong. I am not above reproach. You have always been a great mentor, wise and powerful..." She paused and shook her head, looking for the words.
"I'm ready for the trials. I know I am! You know it too Kami. I know I started my training late, but your insistence on letting me move on in certain regards is stifling."
Kami's expression grew curious, and May could understand his puzzlement, for she, too, was surprised at how openly she was speaking, critically, of her Master and teacher. May thought perhaps it was better to stop right there, and silently berate herself for letting her emotions get the better of her.
But then Kami spoke up. "That must be frustrating. It is true that I have nothing left to teach the lot of you...However...My conclusion..."
Piccolo rolled his eyes. "What's that conclusion you old prune?"
"The Saiyans are only the tip of the iceberg of the enemies we'll be facing..."
The silence that followed was palpable. Then there was a stirring of robes, stirring of gi, and a shifting of bodies and limbs. Glances were exchanged and murmurs of disbelief quickly voiced.
"Just the beginning?" Yamcha repeated with a growl, leaning forward.
"I find that hard to believe..." Tien shifted only slightly, his eyes gone to slits, his three eyes turned toward Kami's thoughtfully.
"More than just the Earth will be threatened..." Kami observed in his soft, gravelly voice.
The others began to mutter anew among themselves.
Goku said nothing, waiting them out. They had believed the Saiyans to be the real enemies. They had believed them to be so consumed by their own lust for power that they were the most dangerous. But, there were beings even worse than them. He could feel May shift uncomfortably at his shoulder, having trouble maintaining her silence.
Piccolo growled, his strong brow furrowing. "That isn't difficult to accept in of itself...Yet I do not understand how the Saiyans or any other beings could come here to earth or any other world, without us knowing."
"Those in darkness are hard to see..." Kami said with a small snort. "End this threat we must."
"Perhaps they will reveal themselves again with their space ships." Yamcha suggested with a nod to Sho.
"It is possible...This attack was with purpose, that much is clear. The earth itself was that pirate's target. Since he failed once, his comrades, and perhaps their enemies may try their hand."
Kami lifted one skinny arm, pointing at everyone gathered. "Protect. We must."
The others murmured their approval, evidencing the confidence they felt in Kami's abilities.
Still Goku said nothing.
"With your permission, Kami sir," Tien said, gaze steady. "I'd like to skip to the hard training."
Kurisu's eyes widened slightly. "Hard training you say? You mean you've been holding out on us this whole time?"
"Located around a person?" Mace Windu asked quickly. Qui-Gon nodded. "A boy. His cells have the highest concentration of midi- chlorians I have ever seen in a life-form.
Kami's eyes shifted back to Goku. "To be trained as a noble warrior..."
Goku pressed ahead recklessly. "I have no doubt of it. We're all ready for the trials, Kami."
Kami held up one hand, bringing the debate to a close. "Follow me. You will all be tested, and when you pass...You will meet someone far stronger than I am, and you will learn from this Master."
"Really!? That sounds exciting!" Goku grinned.
"It is time to be going...Follow me and prepare yourselves..." Popo advised, moving to gather up a pile of scrolls while moving deeper into the palace.