A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys! Hope you like this next chapter.

Chapter 3

The Sacred Hunt

Uub flew across the clear sky next to his Master, over the endless blue sea. And to think that only a few years ago he had learned how to fly and floated uncertainly in the air above his village; today he was able to fly almost as fast as Goku.

"Can you feel it, Uub?" His Master called with an almost childlike enthusiasm. "Can you feel that energy? Strong warriors had just landed on Earth!"

Uub nodded, unsure of what to say. Yes, he learned how to sense energy signatures, and he felt the new energy pulsing with a stable rhythm over the horizon. But he found it hard to understand why his Master was so enthusiastic. After all, if powerful fighters have landed on Earth, it probably meant they had evil intentions, didn't it?

But Uub learned over the years not question his Master's motives. Goku was a bit odd – Uub had a feeling he didn't think that way only because they came from different cultures – but he wasn't as slow as he seemed at first sight. Uub had learned that Goku was a gentle, wise and kind man. A person that could be trusted no matter what. He felt very close to him from the moment they met, as if he knew him from a past life. He once told him that. In response Goku laughed and then looked at him strangely with an knowing look, which made Uub suspect that Goku knew something he wasn't telling him.

"Look!" He called when he saw two distant figures flying in the same direction as they were.

Goku turned to look. He seemed confused for a moment, then a huge smile appeared on his face.

"Hey!" He called loudly and changed the direction of his flight. Uub flew after him.

Both of the figures halted and turned. Uub realized they were two girls. . He had never met someone except Goku who was able to fly, much less small girls who were younger than him.

"Pan! Bra!" Goku exclaimed. "I hardly recognized you two! You're huge!"

The girls stared at Goku in disbelief. Both were much shorter than Uub, both with fair skin. One had very long blue hair and the other had short black hair that was tied in an orange bandana. She was the first to shake off the shock. For some reason, she didn't look happy to see Goku. She looked at him with a strange look that Uub couldn't decipher, and had no desire to, because her black eyes made him feel an itch he couldn't explain.

It seemed that Goku didn't notice that look. "Uub, meet my granddaughter, Pan. And that's her friend, Bra."

The intense black eyes focused on Uub. His face flushed with shyness. Pan didn't look happy to see him any more than she was pleased to see her grandfather.

"Come on, Pan, won't you give me a hug?"

Uub desperately wished that Goku would understand what was going on.

Those words angered Pan even more. She gave him a look of resentment and continued to fly at high speed. Goku looked after her in confusion.

"You're an idiot, Goku," Pan's blue-haired friend said rudely and flew after her. Uub was shocked; he wouldn't have dreamed of speaking to his Master that way.

"Uh... Well, she certainly takes after her grandmother..." Goku said. Then his face fell. "Pan's mad at me, isn't she?"

Uub nodded with discomfort.

Goku sighed. "I hoped that when she grew up she'd understand..."

"She'll come around, Goku," Uub tried to cheer him up sincerely. He sometimes felt very uncomfortable with the fact that Goku had left his family to train him, but he also knew Goku didn't at all do that from selfish motives. He did it so there would be those who could defend the Earth when he would no longer be there – protect it from threats like that which had just arrived.

"You think so?" Goku asked uncertainly.

"I'm sure!" Uub said, trying to adopt his Master's usual confidence.

That caused Goku to smile with relief and stand up tall. "Okay, let's keep going!"

They flew after the girls and soon came close to catching up with them. Then a piece of land became visible beneath them, laid in ruins and shrouded in wisps of smoke. The girls landed there, Uub and Goku following. All the people on the island watched them. Uub felt very embarrassed.

"Hi guys!" Goku called excitedly as he landed.

"Goku!" A little man with graying hair cried, looking at Goku incredulously.

"Dad..." Muttered a dark-haired man who stood a few steps away. He was very similar to Goku – his son, obviously. Uub longed for the earth to swallow him at that moment, although he was curious to know which one of his Master's sons that man was. He heard a lot about his Master's two sons; Gohan, the eldest, who preserved an enormous hidden power that transcended that of his father, and the youngest, Goten, which was the world's most agile fighter.

"I hope you didn't start without me," Goku said, completely unaware of the shock his appearance caused.

"Goku!" A blue-haired woman shrieked from a distant hill, her voice carried out in a scream. "Now you come back?! Chichi's going to kill you!"

Goku chuckled in embarrassment.

"Ah, this must be the Saiyan Kakarrot, Bardock's son," said a strange man who wore on his face a green lens that showed all kinds of strange glowing signs. "Yes, definitely..."

"Uh... And who are you?" Goku asked.

"Those are survivors from planet Vegeta, Kakarrot," a short man with a pointy black hair said. Uub remembered him from the World Martial Arts Tournament where he meat Goku - he was very scary back then, too. "They have no hostile intentions towards Earth."

"If you say so," Goku said seriously, studying the thirteen tough and strange people standing on the edge of a huge crater littered with large white balls. Uub was very confused. There were many things he didn't understand about the big world, because he rarely left his village.

Pan went straight to Goku's son, who was no doubt her father. Bra went to stand next to the man with the pointy black hair, examining the foreigners with suspicion.

"Pan - what are you doing here?"

"We felt the energy, so we came to see what was going on," Pan replied. "Did you find –?"

"Not now," her father told her softly but seriously.

"Uub, meet Krillin, and this is his wife, we call her eighteen. This is... Marron? Gee, how you've grown! The guy with green skin is Piccolo, and next to him is my oldest son, Gohan. Pan and Bra you met already... That's Vegeta - He likes to pretend he's mean, but he's okay. On the hill there are Bulma and Master Roshi, and that guy with the purple hair is Trunks - and it looks like he's going to fight! Go, Trunks!"

The young man with the oval hair raised his arm and waved uncertainly at Goku.

"Watch closely, Uub," Goku said to his student. "Trunks is a very strong fighter, and he's been training from a very young age. You can learn a lot from him."

Gohan approached Goku hesitatly, Pan behind him, her arms folded tightly. Uub's gaze crossed her's by mistake and he felt very embarrassed.

"Dad, we need to talk," Gohan said gravely. He looked worn out, as if he hadn't sleep for several nights.

"We'll talk after the fight," Goku said lightly, looking at the place where the battle was about to begin.

"I'm afraid you'll leave again," Gohan said, no easiness in his voice.

Goku realized that something serious was happening. "I won't. At least not until we decide what to do about that bunch." He gestured to the group of strangers.

Gohan nodded in acceptance. Then he looked at Uub, and to his relief he gave him a gentle smile that reassured him.

The fight started. Uub didn't even see who made the first move, he only knew that both fighters began to exchange blows quickly, attacking and blocking, attacking and blocking.

"They aren't using all of their power yet," Goku's explained to Uub, who had never seen a real battle before. "None of them are really giving everything they've got."

Soon the battle began to heat up. Uub watched in amazement. Goku told him he was a talented fighter, but his technique wasn't quite as smooth as those of the two fighters – not even close. They were so fast, and so powerful. How were they able to predict so well what their opponent's next move was going to be?

"Their powers are absolutely equal!" He said, watching them throwing blow after blow, none of them managing to hit the other.

"No," Gohan said, smiling a little. "Trunks is winning. His rival is starting to get tired. See how she's straining her movements before inflicting a blow - it makes it easier for Trunks to predict her moves. Every moment now... There."

Trunks found a gap in his rival's defense and exploited it, landing a kick that hurled her to the ground. He landed in front of her and hit her repeatedly whenever she tried to get up. Uub felt a little bad for her.

"Finish it, Trunks!" Vegeta shouted impatiently.

The female warrior took advantage of Trunks' momentary distraction and fended him off with a yellow energy ball. Trunks managed to restrain the energy ball in his hands, preventing it from exploding. He seemed suddenly angry as he threw it back to her. She managed to escape and the ball of energy exploded on the ground.

"Behind you!" Uub shouted, totally absorbed in the fight. He didn't know whether Trunks heard him or not, in any case he managed to block the blow that came from behind him. The battle continued.

One of strangers, the one wearing a green robe, approached Vegeta.

"My Lord," he said softly. "Forgive me for my directness, but is the rumor that spread across the galaxy correct? Is there a Saiyan who had managed to ascend to the Legendary Form on this plant?"

Vegeta smirked smugly, not even looking at him.

"Trunks!" He called. "Our friend here wants to see if it's true that we can turn into Super Saiyans!"

Trunks looked toward his father for a moment and then smiled. He pushed his rival a great distance away. Then he spread his arms and with a shout his energy surged monstrously.

Uub stared in amazement. He never felt an energy that strong, and it was only getting stronger. Trunks kept on shouting, his voice filling the air like thunder. The air crackled around him, his hair flying in every direction around him and rising slowly. A golden light flashed over his body, surrounding him like an aura, and his eyes flashed brightly. Then with a final scream, his muscles almost tore off his shirt and his hair turned completely gold, sticking up around his head. His eyes, which turned a bright turquoise, looked at his stunned rival calculatingly, amused by her shock.

Goku laughed, placing his hands on his waist. "Trunks really likes to show off, huh?"

"That's our Trunks," Gohan replied lightly, with a somewhat proud smile.

Uub stared uncomprehendingly. "But... How did he do it? How did he suddenly become so powerful?"

"He turned into what we call a Super Saiyan," his master explained patiently. "It's an ability that warriors with Saiyan blood have. Me and Vegeta are Saiyans, so we and our children can do it. It takes a lot of practice, but it allows us to increase our power levels." He looked anxiously toward Pan, who was looking at Trunks. "So, Pan... Can you turn into a Super Saiyan?"

Pan looked agitated, as if she was waiting for him to talk so she could leash out at him. "In case you don't remember, I'm only a quarter Saiyan, so maybe I can't reach it at all!"

"Pan, he's only trying to be nice," her father said, pleading.

"Wow!" Uub called. Everyone went back to watch the fight. "He's so fast!"

He couldn't even see Trunks as he cut trough the air and slammed his fist into his rival's stomach. Then, as she was leaning forward in pain, he hit her upper back and threw her body into the ground with such force that it created a small crater in the ground. He landed next to her as she made an admirable effort to get up, despite the fact that all her whole body was trembling with shock and pain.

"That's enough," the green-robed man ordered. "You proved yourself beyond doubt, Prince Trunks. You really are a worthy heir to the throne of planet Vegeta."

All the strange people kneeled on the ground. Uub saw that none of Goku's friends did that so he remained standing, although he knew that when he was in the presence of an important person like a prince he had to bow.

Trunks left his rival to get up and returned to the others, landing next to his father.

"So, that thing that you're looking for," he said. "What is it exactly?"

"It would be better if His Majesty explained, I'm sure he will do it much better than me," said the green-robed man. "My people and myself should gather our strength, we went through a long journey. I assure you once again that we will not hurt a soul on this planet - apart from those who will stand in our way."

"Excuse me?" Gohan intervened. "Exactly who is going to stand in your way? If you dare hurt anyone innocent - "

"It's all right," Vegeta said. "They won't hurt the common people. It's not what he means."

"I'm confused," Goku admitted.

"In two days in this plant's count our reinforcements will land. They are a large number of workers from an inferior race, weak but industrious. Their job is to help us search the entire planet. They won't cause trouble."

He bowed before Vegeta and Trunks once again and motioned his men to follow him as he rose into the air and flew away.

"Are you going to enlighten us?" The green alien, Piccolo, demanded from Vegeta.

Vegeta let out a growl of impatience. "We'll talk in the city." With these words he rose into the air. The others flew after him.

"I'm going to ask Bulma to call Mom and Videl and tell them to come, too," Gohan told Goku. "Please don't leave again."

"Don't worry, Gohan. I want to hear what Vegeta has to say as much as you," Goku promised. "Uub - Let's go."

Uub intended to launch after his master as a movement attracted his attention. He looked in it's direction. He thought he saw someone moving among the rocks, rising into the air and flying away quickly before he could see exactly what he looked like.

"Uub?"

"I'm coming." He forgot about it almost immediately and flew after his master.

Uub never visited a big city before that day. He was very happy that he was with Goku, and that he was flying high above the buildings. It looked very frightening to be down there on the concrete, in the shadows of the shiny buildings that touched the sky. He could see people walking in the streets, living their lives, and it amazed him. Even in the sky he could hear the echoes of the deafening noise and smell the strong strange scents that filled the city air; How could people live like that, so crowded?

They landed in a large yard, in front of a huge house - almost a palace - that could accommodated within it all of Uub's village profitably. The yard was well kept and very beautiful, full of colorful flowers and shrubs cut in intriguing shapes. The interior was equally amazing. Everything was white or gray, shiny and strange, like the fairy houses in the children's tales the elders used to tell. Everything smelled so clean, like clear water.

"Welcome," said a strange voice near his ear and he jumped, looking around in fear. He couldn't see anyone.

The blue-haired girl laughed. "Relax, it's just a computer. There's a speaker next to you."

"A computer?..." He looked at Goku questionably. Goku gave him a look as if saying he wasn't quite sure what it was either, but that it was best not to ask too many questions.

Everyone gathered on a porch that was bigger than Uub's house. The blue-haired woman - Bulma - sat him down on a padded chair and gave him something to eat. He wasn't sure what it was, but it was sweet and tasty. He ate meekly while everyone gathered, feeling a little embarrassed. The young woman with the yellow hair - Marron - sat down next to him and asked him questions about his village. He thought she was very nice and polite. He almost started to feel comfortable, until he caught Pan giving him a scowl from her place next to the rail, and he felt an urge to lower his head.

"Now everyone's here. You can start, Vegeta," the small man called Krillin said.

Vegeta was standing at the railing, watching the seething silver city. He said, "So you want to know what Cassius is looking for here?"

"Stop teasing us, Vegeta," his wife answered, smoking something thin and white.

"Cassius and his men abandoned their quest for domination and destruction in favor of another Saiyan way of life. They decided to devote their lives to The Sacred Hunt."

"The Sacred Hunt?" Gohan repeated in fascination. "I didn't know the Saiyans had a religion."

"They don't. Not like you think, anyway," Vegeta said. "It is a very old way of life, restricted to a small number of followers. It became extinct long ago, or at least so I thought. The near- death experience Cassius went trough encouraged him to devote his life to something higher than power and riches.

"Many years ago, when the Saiyans still weren't what they are today, they worshiped a legendary warrior, an immortal being. They called her Aainha – the one who loves and protects nature. They called her that because she preferred to live in the wilds, and it was said that she was able to take the shape of any animal. She herself wasn't an extremely powerful entity - her enormous power derived from her ability to reveal the desires and fears hidden in the hearts of powerful fighters and use them to make them her servants. Those servants were treated as kings, and people called them 'The Guardians'. Over the years, The Guardians of Aainha became cruel tyrants who exploited the Saiyans' fear of the Goddess to gain wealth and influence. Therefore the Saiyans strengthened in order to rebel, and finally, after a bloody battle with the Guardians, they managed to kill every single one of them and exile Aainha from the plant. Since then it was told that she wanders through the universe in an attempt to strike roots in remote green plants."

"So what's The Sacred Hunt?" Krillin asked.

"I getting to it," Vegeta grumbled impatiently. "This story is considered a fairy tale for most Saiyans. Over time, fewer and fewer people believed Aainha had really existed. It was a dark time for the race, and nobody wanted to remember it. But once in a generation or so comes a fighter who claims that on the verge of death he saw a vision telling him that all the race's troubles and disasters are a result of a cruel curse Aainha had placed on the Saiyans before she was exiled. That's pure nonsense, of course. But these people created a cult whose goal was to find Aainha – to hunt her, if you will - and so put an end to the curse. This is the reason Cassius and his party landed here. They believe Aainha is here."

"Well, that makes sense," Gohan argued thoughtfully. "Earth is one of the most green plants in the galaxy. I understand why a being like her would want to settle down here. But, Vegeta - Does she have malicious intents?"

"She doesn't have any kind of intentions," Vegeta replied. "She's not what you would call righteous, but she she isn't evil either. At least that's what the stories say. The real threat had always been her Guardians."

"But they won't find anything, right?" Trunks said. "It's only a legend."

"I used to think that the ability to turn into a Super Saiyan was a myth until Kakarrot did it," was Vegeta's firm response.

"So what, we'll let them have a look around and leave? It seems they really have no intention of hurting anyone," Krillin said.

"We need to be vigilant," Piccolo said. "We have to keep our eyes open. They can't be trusted. I, for one, would like to see this inferior race they summoned to help their search."

"Piccolo's right. We should at least take a look," Goku claimed. Uub felt that his words sealed the discussion, as if everyone were waiting for him to express his opinion.

"Goku!" A female voice shouted from the sky. A flying woman with short black hair was carrying an older woman in her arms, which was shaking her fist toward Goku. She jumped out of the younger woman's arms and slapped Goku hard.

"Och, Chichi!" He cried, clutching his face. "You don't have to hit me!"

"You deserve it!" She yelled at him, "How could you leave?!"

Suddenly she burst into terrible and uncontrollable tears, burying her face in her husband's chest. They weren't tears of joy or anger - they were tears of loss.

Goku looked shocked, almost scared, as he hugged her.

"Chi..." he murmured softly, looking around for an explanation. "It's okay - I'm here now..."

She shook her head. "It's not... It's not alright... Goku... Our little boy..."

Uub felt as if a black cloud came over the sun. Everyone seemed suddenly very serious. Even Uub, who didn't knowing what it was all about, was struck with an unpleasant feeling.

"What are you talking about?" Goku asked her uncomprehendingly. Then, slowly, he surveyed the faces around him. "Hey... Where's Goten? Didn't you tell him to come?"

The silence was heavy as lead. Pan hugged herself suddenly and slid against the railings to the floor, staring at her feet.

"Dad... That's what I wanted to talk to you about," Gohan said quietly. "Goten's... Not here."

"I can see that. But where is he?"

"He... A few months after you left, he began to lose his memory... It probably started beforehand, but until we noticed something was wrong with him... Well, we couldn't do anything. It was already too late. We tried everything. People, Places events - he just slowly forgot everything. At the end he could barely remember his own name, and he could barely recognize only me, mom and Trunks... Then... He..." Gohan cleared his throat.

"He lost his mind," Trunks suddenly interrupted. His blue eyes were moist, yet hard and frozen. His hands were in his pockets, and Uub noticed his fists were clenched. "I said I'd watch him one night, while Gohan and Chichi went to consult with another doctor. We were sitting outside..." He stopped suddenly, swallowing, as if the words were suffocating him. He shook his head slightly, closing his eyes and opening them again, repressing the tears. "I thought for a moment that he was starting to act like himself again... And then he just freaked out. I've never seen him like that before. He attacked me violently and ran into the woods. We never found him."

"But - his energy? Couldn't you find his energy?" Goku immediately said, looking between everyone in search of a way out of the grave reality.

"His energy sign died along with his memory. It just faded away with time. We couldn't track him." Gohan stared at the floor as he spoke. "I did everything I could to try and help him, but it wasn't enough... If only I would've noticed earlier that something was wrong with him..."

"I should have been the one to notice," Trunks claimed in a very low voice. Uub was afraid he was going to explode at any moment. "I was his best friend, but I pushed him away. I was so self involved..." Trunks shut his eyes, as if trying to keep the memories at bay. The air around him started to crack, like before he turned into a Super Saiyan.

"And you!" He shouted suddenly, startling everyone. Goku, who was still holding his weeping wife, stared at him in confusion. "Where were you when he needed you more than ever?!"

"Trunks, calm down. He couldn't have helped him," Gohan said in a calm voice.

"Maybe not, but he could have been there for him! You know he asked about you? He couldn't remember where his own room was, but he remembered you! He wanted you to be there with him! And where you were?! Running around with this village boy, instead of taking care of your family! What kind of father are you ?! - "

"Trunks, enough!" Gohan shouted sharply. He seemed upset as much as his parents.

Goku's face was white as a sheet. Uub had never seen him like that. He was so ashamed - he longed to disappear from existence. He didn't mean for that to happen - he didn't mean to take Goku away from his family.

Trunks' shoulders dropped, as if all the energy had left him. His face went blank, his eyes still wet. Without another word he stepped inside. Marron hurried after him.

A very awkward silence followed. The only sound was Chichi's sobbing against Goku's chest. Gohan's wife went to him and hugged him. Bulma mumbled in her daughter's ear. Uub jumped when she suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled him inside, taking Pan's hand as well.

He gave his Master a last look before leaving. Goku leaned his head against his wife's, his face white and still as marble. Suddenly he looked very old and sad, at the level Uub didn't know he was capable of.

"I'm sorry..." he heard him whispering into his wife's hair. "I'm so sorry..."