Note: Sorry for the heinously long delay on updating this story... I was caught up in a ton of other things (NaNoWriMo, moving, finishing other stories, etc), but now I'm back! And so is the rest of the gang! For all of you who have been so patient, this one's for you...

Twisted Timelines

Chapter Eleven

"Just how long have you known about this?" Piccolo accused Kami, who did not take his eyes off Kurenai.

"I had my suspicions since the night that all of you rescued her after she had been abducted. But I didn't know for certain until the day you brought her back her at her request." He sighed heavily. "She had asked me to keep her secret, after being hunted for so long. I saw no harm in her request, so I agreed."

Vegeta was absolutely stunned. While he'd always suspected his wife's power, he'd had no idea that she was actually the Dragon's living avatar. But all of the pieces were falling into place.

Kurenai's immortality.
Her almost limitless power.
Her occasional flashes of intuition or knowledge.

Whispers of the Dragon, indeed.

A moment later, all of them turned to see Gohan come flying up past the edge of the Lookout to land beside Krillin.

"Mom wasn't at all happy about letting me go," he began, "but I told her that I wanted to make sure you were all right..." His words died away as he saw the serious expressions on all of their faces, and Kurenai's tears. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"We... we know what we need to do, Gohan," Krillin said quietly. "Piccolo and Kami... are going to have to unite. It's the only way Piccolo will be strong enough to beat the Androids."

"But that means we'd have no Guardian... and no Dragonballs!" Gohan protested.

Yamcha nodded. "We know... but Kami says that Kurenai can become Guardian in his place, what with her being a Dragon's avatar."

Gohan nearly fell over in shock, but Krillin and the others quickly explained to him what Kurenai had revealed earlier about the true source of her power.

"An immortal Guardian," Gohan whispered, staring at Kurenai. "So we'd never have to worry about the Dragonballs disappearing again..."

"And an even more powerful Dragon," Tien replied. "It's almost too much to believe."

Kurenai knelt with her face in her hands, quietly sobbing, while Vegeta stood beside her, holding Keiki. The others watched helplessly, awkward and uncomfortable, but only Kami stood placidly before her, waiting for her decision.

"Please, Kami... I've had so little time, so little happiness of my own," she wept. "Don't ask me to do this."

Of all present, Kami was most familiar with the loneliness and emptiness that the immortal had endured for so long. "We have no choice, Kurenai. And believe me, while I cannot begin to imagine the pain and sorrow you have lived with, it will be nothing compared to what lies in store for the Earth if you do not ascend to the position of Guardian in my stead."

Vegeta looked down at the baby in his arms, part of him still marvelling at the miracle he and Kurenai had created, the other part dreading the idea of a life without the woman he had come to love.

"If... and I am not saying I am agreeing to this," he said slowly, "but if she were to become Guardian... what would happen to Keiki and myself?"

Kami looked somber. "I don't know, Vegeta. I have never heard of a Guardian being married, or a parent, before. It might almost be considered a conflict of interest, as it were, if Kurenai were tempted to put your well-being and that of your daughter above the good of the Earth."

"So... they couldn't be married anymore?" Gohan asked softly, and Kami shook his head.

"Well, whatever we're going to do, we'd better decide fast," Piccolo said, not looking at the rest of them. "We're running out of time."

He turned to look at Kurenai, then walked over to her, crouched down, and took her chin in his hand, forcing her to look up at him.

"Will you do it?"

For a long time, no one said anything while Kurenai and Piccolo stared at one another.

Then she turned her eyes to Vegeta, who sighed heavily and nodded to her.

"Yes," she whispered.

Slowly, unsteadily, she got to her feet, walked over to her husband, and took her daughter back into her arms. Vegeta put his arms around them both, holding them close, looking over Kurenai's shoulder at Kami and Piccolo.

"The Namek is right - we don't have much time. If you two are going to unite, you'd best do it now."

"And when we unite, we use my body," Piccolo told Kami, who nodded in agreement.

"Yes - yours is much younger and stronger than my own. We will unite within you. Place your hand upon my chest."

Piccolo reached out and did as Kami instructed, while Mr. Popo and the others watched with wide eyes. Not once did the two Nameks look away from each other, even as Kami spoke again.

"What was once one became two, and what are now two will become one. I thank you all for all that you have done to protect this world. Goodbye."

Abruptly there was a blinding flare of light, the sound of a mighty wind, and Piccolo howled in agony as unimaginable power shot through him. Kami was also shouting as every aspect of him began to change, shifting from mortal flesh and blood to pure energy, his soul merging and recombining once more with Piccolo's. Instinctively Mr. Popo and the others covered their eyes from the searing flare of light as the two Nameks fused together, but they could not shut out the sound, nor could they ignore the almost unreal surge of energy radiating from Piccolo.

Then it was quiet.

Cautiously, the others opened their eyes, but there was no sign of Kami. But Piccolo's body, half-crouched on the ground, was surrounded by silver energy, arcing and dancing around him, and he was gasping for breath, his eyes huge.

"Such... power..." he rasped, staring at his hands, watching energy glow and shimmer around them. Inside his head, he could hear Kami's quiet voice, not unlike the occasional comment he still could detect from Nail's personality, but his personality was still very much his own.

Then he straightened and turned to face Kurenai.

"It's time, Kurenai," he said quietly, and for a moment, the others were struck by his resemblance to Kami. He stepped forward and rested one hand on top of her dark head. Without looking at him, she nodded.

Vegeta stared down at his wife, and she lifted her gaze to his, her eyes filled with tears. Not caring who was watching, he kissed her hard on the mouth, putting all of the love and need he had ever felt for her into it until he thought he would die where he stood.

I love you... he thought to her. Nothing will change that.

I know... he heard in his mind. And I love you. I always will.

"Take care of our daughter," Kurenai whispered aloud against his lips. Then she leaned down and kissed Keiki on the forehead. The baby, as though sensing her mother's distress, began to cry, clinging to Kurenai, but the immortal resolutely handed the child over to Vegeta, and then stepped away from them both.

One by one, she stood before each of her friends, making her own farewells to them.

Krillin hugged her awkwardly, more than a little uncomfortable embracing her with Vegeta standing there. "You'll be fine, Kurenai," he told her. "You're the strongest person I know..."

"I hope so," she said quietly. Then she stepped over to Yamcha and hugged him as well.

"I'm glad you're going to be Guardian," he told her abruptly, and she glanced at him, startled. "I think... it's what Goku would have wanted for you."

"Yeah," Tien agreed, moving forward to embrace her as Yamcha let go of her. "Don't ask me why, but I think Yamcha's right."

"Maybe so," Kurenai whispered sadly, resting her head against Tien's chest. "I just... I just wish it didn't have to be like this."

Finally she turned to Gohan, and the boy wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tightly.

"I'll come visit you..." he said, his voice muffled against her stomach. "I won't let you be lonely."

Despite her tears, she laughed, then she leaned down and kissed the top of his head.

When she finally straighened up, Piccolo held one hand out to her, and she placed her small hand in his.

It's time, she heard inside her mind, and she nodded.

I understand.

"Shall I fetch the model of the Dragon for you?" Mr. Popo asked her, but Kurenai shook her head.

"No... it will not be necessary."

And a blaze of energy shot down Piccolo's arm and up Kurenai's until a corona of silver fire surrounded them both. Both of them gritted their teeth against the massive flow of energy, but they never looked away from each other. The light around them grew brighter and brighter, until Kurenai finally threw her head back and screamed.

"Eternal Dragon, by your name, I summon you forth... SHIRYU!"

Darkness fell over the Earth, and thunderclouds gathered as lightning flickered across the sky. A brilliant coiling light began to spiral up and outward from Kurenai's body, racing around them faster and faster as it climbed toward the sky.

"Whoa..." Gohan said in amazement as the Dragon raced toward the heavens. "He's huge..."

Yamcha, Tien, and Krillin could only stare in astonishment at the vast silver and black Dragon that was filling the sky. It was as though the night had taken form.

Seven bolts of lightning suddenly arced down from the Dragon to strike the ground around Kurenai and Piccolo. The others leapt back with a chorus of shouts, but neither the immortal nor the Namek flinched.

Then, seven globes of light shimmered into existence at Kurenai's feet, roughly eight inches in diameter each, until they solidified into seven clear crystal spheres, shot through with strands of black and silver. Within each of the spheres was a single black star, gilded in silver. In unison, they began to chime until they were ringing with a single perfect tone that made the heart fill with hope and awe.

"The Dragonballs," Tien whispered. "They're beautiful..."

Then Piccolo, Kurenai and the Dragon roared in a single powerful voice.

"IT IS DONE..."

To be continued...