I wish I owned DBZ, but I don't. I own DVD's and tapes, but it just isn't the same. I also don't own the rights to any of the music pieces you see selected, just copies of merchandise, such a shame. The artists that created them are geniuses and we all must bow to them.

Chapter 114: Origin of Lenz

Sunshine blared through a window belonging to Capsule Corp, annoying a certain half-Saiyan enough to wake up. Verto was slow to rise out of bed due to the fatigue he still felt, both physically and mentally. He wanted nothing more than to lie back and wallow in misery, but he knew that Vegeta wouldn't allow that, even on this day. He could even sense the Saiyan prince already threatening to move back in his direction if he didn't move soon.

Well that's an improvement, at least I can sense something again. His wounds and injuries had been healed the night before by a personal stop from Dende, but his energy wasn't up to par yet. About half of his Ki had returned during the night from both sleep and what food he actually felt like eating, which wasn't much. His Psionic presence was non-existent though, and that bothered him. He was overly used to sensing two signals from every life form nearby and now he barely sensed the one again, depending on how strong they were of course. It had made everything so much easier, being able to sense everything about a person allowed him to not only react faster but also see the early warning signs of any threat they posed. It also allowed him to detect their emotional states quite easily, as well as being able to decipher truth from lies from time to time. It didn't work with the Z fighters much, but normal humans were very, very easy to see through. The human-based androids Seventeen and Eighteen were the same, though they felt like regular humans.

Well, maybe it's for the best. It's almost as if I can see their thoughts or at least guess them. And I know how I despise that being done to me so best not be a hypocrite about it. I'm glad I never tried to learn how to read minds. Verto slowly got dressed as he gave the mirror a long stare.

I can't believe she's gone. If only I had made sure that damn demon was dead before… He found himself staring at the empty bed, where he had put her blue crystal necklace for the time being, as if he expected her to suddenly reappear. But this time was different, and he knew it because he had seen it with his own eyes. Lenz was gone, likely forever if Leira and her ilk had anything to say about it. Verto wasn't sure if he could convince himself to even speaking to that red-head again, but knew that he had to sooner or later.

He grimaced slightly as he attempted to put on the tie around his white dress shirt. He had always hated wearing suits in any situation but out of respect for the dead he was willing to tolerate it. That didn't exactly stop him from 'accidentally' shredding the tie after it snapped in half on him. Verto shook his head and slipped on the black jacket, foregoing the tie completely. He wasn't exactly looking forward to the funeral to say the least. Before his transformation and journey to this world, he had never coped well with the service. The Dragon Balls relieved that source of stress, but that was temporary. Eventually, everyone has to face the reality of death, a fact that he was being brutally reminded of now, despite dying twice himself.

Bulma had handled all of the details with the exception of where to erect the tombstone. Since it wasn't going to be a true burial with no coffin or corpse, it really didn't matter where the ceremony would be. Verto had specifically chosen the area where he and Lenz had frequently trained together. The battle site didn't feel right even if that's where it had happened. He knew Lenz had always been happiest training with him, thus that place would've suited her just fine.

The others were all still a bit confused by this, but didn't object. The fact that they couldn't use the Dragon Balls disturbed everyone. Once Verto had calmed down and been told what Piccolo suspected about Leira's actions, he had requested they perform the funeral service immediately. It was 'his way of coping' they all guessed. It was hard to say that it was a false assumption, but Verto knew that he had to get over this quickly. He knew from experience that if he let it drag on too long, it would destroy him as it nearly did with Fasha, depending on how you look at it. Strangely, he had taken this loss much harder than Fasha's, harder than losing his own world when this all began.

Maybe I've just grown too attached to this world and forgot that even with the Dragon Balls, I'll still lose friends and family. Attachment is only going to burn me again if I let it happen too much with anyone I might meet in the future. It may go against Lenz's wishes a little, but I've got to separate myself from getting too attached to other people. If I don't, the end result will be more of this misery. I don't have to change much for that.

The other issue with attachment was a potentially bigger burden, that being his inherited demon energy. While at the moment it wasn't rearing its ugly head, he knew full well that he could easily pop off and lose control again. Especially now with his emotions compromised and all this sadness and anger to fuel it. Verto scowled at the idea of that occurring again and slipped on his dress shoes before leaving his room. Capsule Corp had emptied out by then, as everyone had departed early in the air boat. Verto had elected to fly himself so he could be alone with his thoughts. Despite that, he arrived only minutes behind the rest of them.

The whole gang was there, most of which were dressed properly for the second day in a row, this time in black. Bulma was doing a lot of the directing on who was to sit where and how many chairs would be in each row. Chichi had taken on the duty of keeping Goten and Trunks under control, as well as baby Bulla. The newlyweds had already sat down near the front with Mister Satan, where Videl had broken down to tears next to her husband. Most of them were talking amongst themselves until Verto landed. His appearance silenced everyone to barely a whisper, though he needn't wonder why. Out of everyone there, Verto laid eyes on Kibito Kai first and an immediate warning sign was given. That didn't seem to stop the Kai like it normally might have, and he strolled up to Verto like nothing was amiss.

"I must speak with you, it's urgent," Kibito claimed.

"It can wait," Verto said in a low tone. As he moved by, Kibito dared to grab onto Verto's shoulder to hold him up.

Verto paused and raised his Ki level just enough to get the Kai's hand off of him, "Don't make me say it again. If you think I won't take my anger out of you, consider what's been happening lately. I doubt you can heal yourself."

Kibito recoiled from the oddly calm but elevated voice that Verto used, "Alright, you win. I will come for you this afternoon." He promptly teleported away, leaving whoever didn't hear the short outburst more than a little confused, but there weren't many. Once Verto moved towards the front again, the low level chatter resumed. He met up with Bulma first, whose makeup was running a little from the overall mood.

"I'm so sorry kid. Are you sure you can't use the Dragon Balls to bring her back?" Bulma asked as she wiped a tear away.

Verto was like a stone in terms of emotions, "I have a feeling that it won't work, but it's the first thing on my list of shit to look into. Is everything ready here?"

Bulma nodded, "We decorated the grave marker but I left the stone blank. I'll let you decide what to write on it. As you requested I brought her favorite music and told everyone no speeches. Can I ask why?"

"Whatever they want to say can be said at the reception. Just play the music and keep it simple," Verto said.

Bulma grimaced slightly, "Alright I guess." Verto moved straight to the grave marker to look it over. It was a fairly standard gray tombstone slab with a rounded top and a blank face. Around it was an array of purple and white flowers that dangled in the breeze. Verto eyed the attending priest for a moment before taking a seat at the front next to Gohan.

His friend started to say something inaudible before Verto held up his hand, "Later." Gohan nodded grimly and there were no further interruptions.

Once the funeral procession was finished, a majority of the group departed quickly for Capsule Corp. Verto did not do much more than stand and stare at the tombstone though, seemingly lost in thought. He had yet to shed one tear that day, as if he were unable to actually do it. After the airboat took off, only Vegeta and Piccolo remained to keep a close eye on their prodigy. There wasn't much concern that he would do something crazy, but neither of them felt good about leaving Verto on his own. They both gave him plenty of space during that time, not wanting to provoke an already upset Saiyan. At high noon, he finally seemed to come to his senses and turned on his heel, walking straight towards them as if he were finished grieving. Just as he laid eyes on them, he gave off an incensed snarl. His Ki rose sharply as he seemed to be focused on them with a deathly glare.

Vegeta folded his arms, "You want to have a go boy? I'm game. However don't think I'll just serve as a punching bag for you."

Piccolo frowned as he sensed another presence behind him, "I don't think he's targeting us."

"No, he's far too angry with me to bother with anyone else," Leira said as she came up from behind.

Verto locked eyes on Leira and turned his head just slightly to give her an even meaner expression, "What the hell do you want now? I'm not in the mood."

"So I noticed, but you'd do well to get in the mood. You probably want to hear what I have to say regarding the girl. If we can get a moment alone," Leira said, motioning Piccolo and Vegeta to leave.

"They can stay," Verto quickly cut in.

"What I have to say is for your ears only, not theirs," Leira claimed.

Verto shifted his feet slightly as his aura began to show, "And who do you think is going to keep me from ripping you to pieces?" Leira's eyebrow went up as she glanced at the two and then at Verto, who looked as if he was going to attack at any moment.

Leira grimaced slightly but sighed and ran her hand through her hair, "Fine, I suppose it won't matter with the Namek's hearing anyway. Now first thing's first, how do you feel?"

Verto's expression didn't change, "Like I want to tear someone's head off."

Leira shook her head, "Typical. I meant have you felt anything strange since yesterday?"

Verto finally seemed to relax a little as his aura faded, "My Psi energy is still gone, I can't even feel it or anyone else's. I assumed that it's a side effect from all the effort I put in yesterday."

"It's to be expected. Cosmic Energy isn't meant for someone like you or even me. Just because we have the potential doesn't mean we need to be trying it out like a new suit. What you're feeling now is minor compared to what could have been, as Etarb told you. I myself can't use it for much more than one technique and that's with a whole lot of control and training," Leira explained.

Verto snorted, "It wasn't that hard to be honest. Just had to push."

Leira shook her head, "Oh yes, push until you finally give out, then you'll understand. That's how you've been after all. What Etarb didn't tell you was that there's more than good chance that even a professional's use of Cosmic Energy can have dire effects. There's a reason we try to avoid it, because it can transform your body into pure energy. There needs to be a balance in all things, including matter and energy within yourself. However, the two are interchangeable, and the Kaio-ken technique contributes to this. With Cosmic Energy though, there is no fatigue factoring into the aftermath. You shouldn't need to do any math to know that when you eventually weaken in that state, you would vanish. There would be no afterlife for you, no Dragon Balls to restore you. You would be gone."

Verto looked slightly disappointed, "I get it, so I probably shouldn't use Kaio-ken ever again because of that risk?"

"Definitely not for as long as you can use your full power. One slip up and not only could you completely lose the ability to control your power, but you could easily wipe out this or any other planet just by drawing on it. And of course the whole vanishing into thin air and not existing part. I don't know what Kibitoshin was thinking teaching you that technique," Leira said.

Verto almost smirked, "Oh, he didn't do everything you told him to, isn't that a shame? While we're on the subject, when can I expect my power to return? It was starting to come back awfully fast there for awhile."

Leira looked away, "I can't answer that right now. It depends on what occurs over the next day or two. We'll know more by then."

Verto's lip twisted at the vague answer before he gave Vegeta and Piccolo a quick glance, "Fine, let's get to something you said you would answer. Why did you force Lenz into sacrificing herself and why won't you let us bring her back?"

Leira eyed him without turning back, "You won't like the answer, but it will be the truth, I'll swear to that."

Verto snorted, "Truth, you use that word so much but I doubt you know what it means. And I'm really sick of hearing that word when it's being followed by lies and deception. Now out with it."

Leira folded her arms and turned to him, "First I want to revisit another tender topic, regarding the twisted soul that you were implanted with when the Old Kai unlocked your power. As you may recall, it took on your darker, evil characteristics and then split off from you on its own. Do you know why?"

Verto's mood didn't improve any, "The way I remember it I forced it out. Between you and the Kais, it was pretty much explained that he was put in there to help control my hidden power. Specifically the extra negative demon energy that likes to come out when I'm pissed off. And that which I inherited from your brother, Auntie."

Vegeta's eyes went wide, "What? You two are related?"

Verto gave him a warning glance, "Indirectly, leave it at that. It's bad enough that I have to see someone that looks like me making out with her in my dreams. My turning from human to Saiyan was no accident, even if it's only half. I was selected, not randomly picked off by a passing satellite. That was just a cover story while you experimented on potential candidates, wasn't it? Hell I doubt that version of Frieza even believed that his technology was THAT good. You just happened to come up with results to make it somewhat believable." Leira frowned as Vegeta and Piccolo turned between her and Verto, more than a little surprised at this.

"You're a little too smart for your own good, as was my brother. It's almost sickening how like him you actually are, aside from the bratty disposition," Leira said.

"So what he said is true?" Piccolo asked.

"I won't deny that, but it's hardly the point anymore. Spilling information like that to try and gain leverage? Very clever, my brother was known for that as well. But that goes both ways, nephew. I wouldn't exactly call your life here a television show with a happy ending, would you?" Leira said in rebuttal.

Verto scowled at the hint and conceded, "Fine, what about that thing the Kais put inside me?"

"The Kais performed that risky procedure because they were ordered to do it by me and my superiors. When a potential prospect with overwhelming power comes along, there are always risks that they will become very…volatile. In this case it was proven correct, wouldn't you say?" Leira said.

Verto's face twisted just a little more, "Your point?"

"I'm getting there. With the case of an extremely strong and evil presence buried within, and the fact that we sort of put it there to begin with, it was necessary to attempt to handle it by adding a weak soul to take it all in. It worked, but there was the slight issue that it could split off and become its own being, which happened. A similar procedure exists that involves the same act to a degree, with the actual intent to split the two. The original remains roughly the same while the second becomes essentially their opposite or negative. Bear in mind that it works both ways, so the new soul could be a good hearted person too, assuming of course that it is provided a body. Obviously most evil prospects are not even considered by our group so that is a non-issue, nor do demon lords care to promote such activity," Leira explained.

Piccolo's eyes narrowed, "What are you two speaking of, what group?"

Leira was about to answer but Verto was quick to do so, "Her organization is above the Kais, I know that at least. And they want to recruit me. That's what a lot of the crap we've been through was about, a test. There was mention that they wanted all of us but I have my doubts about that."

"Above the Supreme Kai as well?" Piccolo asked in shock.

Leira gave Verto a warning glance, "That's right. They are the Guardians, a group of overseers that help keep the peace from a realm outside normal space and time. They are basically the last of the of the first sentient species in the multi-verse known as the Elduar, descended from the Elder Gods, who helped to create and shape the universe before they vanished and timelines began to form. While they are powerful, immortal beings, they are not gods. Many years ago, most of the pure Elduar died off in battle, so mainly hybrids remained afterwards. Now, with only a few surviving Elduar left, a vast majority of the group come from mortal realms like this one. We police the multi-verse, but we try not to interfere unless we have to. Our enemies are of the Demon Realm, another place outside of the normal that the Elder Gods created. The cold war you keep hearing about, that's who it is with."

Piccolo looked to be deep in thought, "So, these Elder Gods just vanished? Where did they go?"

Leira shook her head, "No one really knows. It's hardly the point now, literally billions of years later."

"So what about this cold war between these Guardians and the demons?" Vegeta asked.

"Of course you would ask that. In a nutshell, the war started the way most do, a disagreement over borders. The Guardians maintained peaceful control of most of the known universe and the demons didn't like that. A long, bloody war followed, spanning thousands of years and an equal amount of worlds suffered. Peace wasn't brokered until both sides agreed that they should remain out of mortal affairs. You see they both had nasty habits of interfering too much in the development in other species for their own gains. The result was even more chaos with multiple factions setting up within each side. Once it was decided that immortal beings needed to stay out of the lower realms, both sides retreated back to their own dimensions to carefully watch for the other side's eventual attack. Each realm then had overseers appointed, such as the Kais in this universe and it's adjacent timelines. Neither side has made any major incursions towards each other, thus a cold war. There have been continued and occasional intrusions into the mortal realms, but most of them have been minor, save for one," Leira explained further.

"Let me guess, the Super Saiyan civil war I heard about," Verto asked, turning Vegeta's attention.

"That's right. We can talk about that more later, I assume you want to focus on why I'm here now."

Verto nodded, "Anyways, why do this soul split crap to begin with? Seems like it would be a waste if you end up killing your recruits. And of course, if you create more problems and enemies than solutions and allies."

Leira was quick to agree, "Yes, and if things were up to me, they wouldn't even happen. Suffice it to say, they're not up to me. The procedure done to you was for containment, the other is for balance. I point out both procedures for a very good reason, and know that the balancing ritual is not done to anyone but our own agents when we need to keep our nose down so to speak. It helps keep our power below extreme levels, but it also limits us, more on that in a moment. With both procedures, duplicates are not only possible, but very likely if the right circumstances prevail. In the containment case, interference from an outside source or incredible trauma typically causes a split. I believe you experienced both."

Verto's lip twitched upward, "Not that I needed to be reminded of it again and again."

"You're coping with it well though. When a containment fails and splits off, it also takes on a negative and opposite characteristic. If it's able to find and use a body, then the effects literally come to life, as they did because of the Overmind. However it also maintains some of the more dominant traits. Your darker counterpart was like this, correct?" Leira asked.

Verto grimaced as he glanced at Vegeta, "Not that I recall, he was just a prick in my opinion."

Vegeta nodded in agreement, "He did display acts of both honor and cowardice. But that's all they were, acts."

"True that he wasn't around that long so it would've been tough to distinguish anything but a few core differences between you and him, but he was likely just you colored in a different light. Remember all of the changes you've been through lately, accepting the fact that you sometimes have to take a harder stance to everything you do," Leira pointed out.

Verto's aura threatened to flash on with a few sparks, "That guy was nothing like me!"

Leira let him simmer down before continuing, "In the case of the intentional split, it is the same with one exception. The negative's actions will often offset with the original. They can't always help themselves either, because it is in their nature. We call this the Counter-balance, and believe it or not, it exists in all things. It is a universal constant that helps maintain the balance between good and evil. As you know, where there is light, there must also be dark. Imagine for example if this world never spun on its axis and wasn't given a chance to cool down, the planet would cook eventually. Or maybe that Son Goku never struck his head as a child and became the beacon of darkness instead. Even when it seems like luck, many times it is the constant that is silently working to maintain balance. We Guardians must adhere to this universal constant at all times, even if it means making difficult choices. If the scales tip too far in one direction though, it will eventually correct itself, with sometimes catastrophic results. This planet nearly had that happen yesterday."

Verto's eyes narrowed at this, "So you're saying that we somehow sent the universe's good and evil gauge out of whack? We upset the balance?"

Leira sighed heavily, "Not exactly. I did, by interfering in the events that have occurred."

Verto was taken aback, "Okay, I'm confused."

"Damn it woman, make some sense!" Vegeta demanded.

"Be patient and I will. What happened here was due to multiple sources of interference by me, Vang and one other that was likely pulling some strings behind the scenes a bit. I still don't know who that was, but I have my suspicions. In my case, when a Guardian agent is sent to influence a particular outcome, even indirectly, they must go through the soul splitting ritual. The result of that means they are greatly weakened and their Counter-balance is hidden at random in the same realm, just in case things spiral out of control. It is sort of a way to clean up the mess that could be caused, one way or another. Sometimes this Counter-balance can directly affect the desired outcomes, for better or worse. In all cases though, a direct contact with the Counter-balance by the original often brings chaos and great destruction. The Counter-balance will become aware of the situation, and wreck havoc because that is what they do, even if their intent was not evil. I suspect that the one other that interfered intentionally placed my other self rather than letting it happen at random. I doubt I would've even encountered it if it wasn't for that one person being conveniently around. It's likely that the one other that interfered had looked ahead in time and saw that I would come into contact with this particular person and deliberately traveled backwards to implant the Counter-balance. Luckily, because of what happened yesterday, your planet and likely galaxy's end was prevented," Leira claimed.

"So Vang was your Counter-balance? Makes sense if you're partially demon too. I mean you knew everything about him and wanted him contained or dead at all times. Plus his first host was an Earthling that you ran into," Verto said.

"Not Vang. That demon was captured long ago and sent to live the rest of his existence as a lost ghost in the middle of a dead zone. Him being able to come back was another part of the interference that I didn't expect but I attempted to work around. You see I used to side with the demons over the Guardians and as a double agent, I would get sent into these situations to handle them one way or another. I made a deal with Vang so that I could complete my mission. My Counter-balance was the Saiyan-hybrid girl, Lenz," Leira said plainly.

Verto's eyes shot open, "What?!" Vegeta's own reaction was more reserved, but he was clearly just as surprised.

Piccolo shared Verto's expression for a moment, "So the demon Kaon, is actually your other self. And the bulk of her power came from you?"

Leira nodded grimly, "That's correct."

"So all of the attempts to have her eliminated were because of the risk she carried. How long did you know it was her?" Piccolo asked.

"Shortly after the first incident with Vang when Doctor Wheelo was starting to show his hand. Because you were weakened by the first emergence of your demon energy and your own self-doubt, I decided to contact the girl and release some of her potential to help you out. By attempting that, I woke the Counter-balance and set things in motion that eventually led us here, and at that point I couldn't manipulate the timeline directly anymore. When that happened, I was forced to re-broker my deal with Vang to have her killed and set him loose in the other timeline. I sent him there with the goal that he would return and motivate you a little more to master your powers, something that you had to do in order to deal with the eventual loss. That more or less happened as I had hoped, but I didn't expect him to act the way he did, nor did I expect him to actually join with the remnants of the Overmind. There were a lot of variables I didn't count on. The Saiyan Ranot and the other Renegades are another good example of this. I had to go well out of my way to give Frieza's son a chance at life and that put me in the exact situation I wanted to avoid," Leira admitted.

"That aside, you were trying to get the girl killed even before all of this, I don't buy it woman!" Vegeta claimed.

Leira sighed again, "It wasn't just her, Vegeta. Because of my interference in your early life, Frost took pity on Saiyans at a young age. Like his father though, he saw them as a means to an end and saved a handful of outcasts that should've died when Frieza destroyed your home world. Even though Frost eventually killed off the purebloods, I was ordered to make sure that all the surviving cursed Saiyans, specifically the hybrids, were eliminated or at least no longer a threat. Saiyan and demon bloodlines are not a mixture you want to see. Add to that any other race and whatever special abilities they might have. Bringing the girl back to life with the Dragon Balls shouldn't have been allowed, but those idiot Kais fowled that up with their own curiosity. And don't think I didn't know about what you were planning to do, Saiyan Prince. My fellow agents had to go through the afterlife and take care of the problem before you attempted to use Shenron revive the rest of the Saiyan hybrids. If you had, you would've introduced a very chaotic element into an already unstable section of the universe, one that I really didn't feel like dealing with again. As far as Lenz goes, it wasn't my intention to cause him so much emotional harm, but it was unavoidable. I'm sorry for that."

Verto didn't look very accepting, "Let's say I believe you, so why in the hell would you implant your 'Counter-balance' inside an innocent girl? That just reeks of wrong."

"It wasn't my choice and if you were listening, I said it was supposed to be at random. I knew before taking the mission that there was a small chance I would encounter my other half. Remember, I've been on this mission for longer than you know. It wasn't just time travel I was doing, as you found out from the other timeline and from the Pendulum Room," Leira pointed out.

"Hold on, if Kaon was your counterpart, shouldn't you be dead as well? I assume your splitting ritual is the same as the Namekians," Piccolo guessed.

"No it isn't, evidence of that is Verto being here as well, though there are some similarities and differences with each. Since Kaon was implanted in the girl, she had a body to begin with. She isn't like Vang, a shadow demon that can revert to an apparition-type form. And the process cannot be reversed unless joined with the original. So before you ask, the only way for Kaon or the girl to return is if they were joined with me," Leira explained.

"And the odds of that are…" Verto trailed off.

"None, both of them were obliterated by that explosion. I've already checked with King Yemma, there is no sign of the girl in the afterlife realm. And there is no probable way I can see that anyone could have lived through that anyway, you saw that yourself," Leira reminded.

Verto was undeterred, "Well then what about the improbable? If she died and went to Other World before, then surely…"

"This time was different, you know that. That was a tear in the fabric of space and time. If she had survived, she would have been trapped between dimensions and wouldn't have lived long anyway. She would be stuck in limbo and well out of anyone's reach, Shenron's included. Accept it, she is gone," Leira claimed. That silenced Verto for about half a minute as he seemed to be close to a boiling point but was also affected by her words. Despite all that had happened, he couldn't see any sort of lie in her eyes, and he so desperately wanted to at the moment.

"So that's it? You just stroll into our lives with all your bullshit and expect us to deal with it?" Verto asked in anger.

"Life isn't fair, you know that as well as anyone here. And I recall many chances to deal with the problem before it escalated. It's your own fault for getting too attached. Her death is just as much on your hands as it is mine. That may be a hard pill for you to swallow but it wouldn't be the first time you've made a mistake like that and certainly won't be the last if the trend holds, so get over it. And as far as Vang goes, you had two chances to bury him before it came to this, but you hesitated with the thought of killing his host. That's the mistake that you have to live with. Trust me, it was better that she went out the way she did instead of you having to kill her yourself later after she turns this planet into her own personal scorched playground," Leira said sternly. Verto's Ki rose sharply for a moment and stirred up the air around them. The expression on his face was enough of a signal of what he wanted to do. But he chose not to act on it and settled down.

"You're lucky I don't feel like checking to see if you actually have a heart," he muttered.

Leira smiled slightly, "Well that option is still open to you. But I want you to consider this: Kaon inherited all of my bad qualities, but Lenz was the opposite from the beginning. She inherited the same love I had for my brother and she directed it all to you. I'm not saying that I'm going to dye my hair purple or anything but I want you to remember that her feelings came from me. You're not the same brat that I once thought was a waste. And like you once heard, I did all this for love. You recall what you read on my brother's grave don't you?"

Verto's expression switched quickly to almost disgusted, "You're crazy if you think I'll be a life partner for you."

Leira chuckled, "No, I wouldn't expect nor want that. One Verto in my private life was enough, a second would drive me to suicide. I'm just saying that Lenz may be gone, but her feelings and love for you will live on in your heart and from me. I don't have to tell you to remember the good parts about her. If it makes you feel better, you can just train your ass off to prepare for the day you meet whoever else changed history."

Verto smacked his fist into his other palm, "As if you have to motivate me for that. So what's next, tracking that bastard down?"

Leira shook her head, "No, something a bit more formal. You'll find out what this afternoon, I suggest you clean up and be in your usual uniform for this. I doubt you'll see any action but one can never be over-prepared."

"What is this for?" Verto asked.

"Kibito will pick you up for it, all I can say is that your fate will be decided," Leira said vaguely. Verto's expression quickly went from angry to dazed and confused, but Leira shook her head to silence him. She pulled the one-star Dragon Ball from behind her back and tossed it to Piccolo, "You may have this back now, keep it safe." She then vanished without a trace.

After his long silence, Vegeta was first to speak after she was gone, "What trouble did you cause this time boy?"

"I honestly don't know, but I have a hunch that it has something to do with this Guardian group she works for," Verto replied.