Just as she had promised, Bulma took Raditz out on a day out in the town. They found a nice little business street on the east end of West City and walked around it, taking in all of the sights and sounds. She couldn't even remember the last time she had gone out like this. She had an even harder time recalling going out with a friend. Vegeta didn't care for those kinds of things, so it was nice to share some of what she loved with a friend.

What had surprised her was how well he was taking to it. He had been overjoyed looking at all of the window displays and visiting the nice shops and boutiques. He was getting along so well with the other Earthlings they'd meet, and struck up a lot of conversations with them. She would practically have to drag him out of shops to put them to an end. Raditz was an amicable guy, to be sure, but she never took him to being a social butterfly. Saiyans weren't particularly known for their social skills, after all. Yet he fit right in.

Raditz slammed his fist down on the table, making it shake. Bulma grabbed her cup, before it could fall onto the ground. "Who made this," he shouted. "It's delicious!"

She laughed. She never thought anyone could have this reaction to frozen yogurt, but here it was. "If you think this is good, wait until you have ice cream."

He started shoveling more of the frozen yogurt into his mouth. "We gotta bring this to Planet Vegeta," he said, with his mouth full. "You gotta talk to someone, or something."

Bulma shook her head. She had forgotten how nice it felt to just hang out with someone for the sake of it. These past few months were so stressful and so full of worry. She thought she forgot how to relax. And to think she got on Vegeta for this same thing. She smiled, as she shrugged. She was glad to be taking her own advice for once.

"Hey, I've got a question," Raditz started. He pointed at her with his spoon. "What are you thinking about naming it?"

Bulma blinked as she looked down at her stomach. She had only just started to show, but not enough for most people to notice. "I don't know. I never really thought about it. We haven't even been able to figure out what it's gonna be yet."

"Yeah, but if you suddenly gave birth right now, what would you call it?"

She thought, for a moment. "Trunks."

He leaned backwards. "Trunks? What kind of a name is that?"

She put her hand on her stomach. "My great grandfather was named that, and… I've just always liked that name. I think it's perfect"

He shrugged. "Seems like a weird name, to me. Not one worthy of a future Saiyan prince."

"Would you rather have another Vegeta running around?"

"Good point," he said as he shoveled another spoonful of yogurt into his mouth.

Their conversation was interrupted, when something violently crashed into the window behind them. Bulma fell out of her seat, ducking her head from the wind and debris. The crowds began to gather, trying to figure out what was going on. When the smoke cleared, a large marble pillar was sitting in the middle of the ruined shop.

A man jumped down from on top of it, with his hands behind his back. He wore a long, lavender changshan, with the words "KILL YOU" printed in bold, red letters on his back. He flicked his braided hair over his shoulder, letting it hand behind his back freely. He paid the onlookers no mind, as he examined his surroundings. His eyebrows were pointed downwards into a permanent glare.

Bulma recognized him immediately. "Mercenary Tao," she said underneath her breath. That wasn't possible. Last anyone ever saw of him, he was a half-human, half-cyborg monstrosity. Now, he was back to how he looked when he was in his prime. What was going on? What poor soul was on his blacklist?

His hardened, emotionless gaze focused on her. A chill ran up her spine.

"You must be Bulma," he said. He slowly walked up to her, never taking his eyes away. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way – your choice. You can either come with me willingly, or we'll have to make a scene."

Raditz marched up to him, standing in between him and Bulma. The man stopped. "I'd like to see you try, asshole. You're no match for a Saiyan warrior."

"If you insist on playing this game, you'll discover that your skills are quite inadequate." His voice held no sign of fear or anger – only a cool indifference. "In fact, I will defeat you with my tongue, alone."

Raditz laughed. "Sure. We can play your game." He put a hand on Bulma's shoulder. "Don't worry – I've got this."

Bulma nodded. She wanted to have faith in Raditz, but she knew of Tao's reputation. He might look old, but his strength was unimaginable. There were rumors of him taking down groups of men with only one hand. She didn't want to know if that was still true. "Be careful," was all she could say.

Raditz crouched down in front of him. He ran towards him, charging an attack in his hand. The man did not move away, as he got closer, staring at him with indifference. Right as Raditz was about to attack, his opponent vanished, reappearing next to him, still keeping his hands behind his back. Raditz's eyes widened – he was so fast. Not one to give up easily, Raditz tried to knock him in the ribs with his elbow. It was no use, as it was caught with one hand.

The man smirked. Without any warning or preamble, he stuck his tongue against his forehead. Raditz froze, when it made contact. Then he fell forward, hitting the ground with a loud thud.

Bulma stared at his fallen body, unable to move or speak. Raditz, a trained Saiyan warrior, had been taken down in just one hit. She knew Tao's reputation, but seeing it on display right in front of her… how strong had he become?

She slowly crawled up to him, and touched the side of his neck. Relief came over her, when she felt his pulse. It was slow, but still there. If they got help fast enough, he'd make it.

"Pathetic. All bark and no bite. Now, as I was saying before I was interrupted, I'll be collecting you." Tao grabbed her arm roughly and dragged her onto her feet, pulling her away.

"Hey, let me go," she screamed. She kicked and scratched at him, but he wouldn't budge. He was more annoyed than anything else. He rolled his eyes and grabbed onto her hair, pulling on it as he dragged her along. She cried out, in pain.

"Leave her alone!"

Behind them, two young men were standing. One was tall, with long hair and a scarred face. The other was short and bald, with six dots on his forehead. It took a moment, but Bulma recognized who they were. They were fighters at the last tournament. The short one was Krillin, and the tall one was Yamcha. Yamcha was the one that fought against Piccolo.

A look of recognition seemed to come over Tao. "Ah, I remember you two. You were friends of Tien Shinhan. It would be wise for you to not interfere. Lest you end up like that one, down there." He nodded his head towards Raditz's fallen body.

"Not gonna happen," said Yamcha, as he stepped forward. "We don't take kindly to bullies like you."

He sighed. "I had hoped not to make a scene, but very well." He dropped Bulma onto the ground. Before she could scurry away, he looked at her over his shoulder. "If you make any attempts at escaping, know that I will find you. And I won't be so kind a second time."

If it were anyone else, she would have called their bluff. But knowing Tao's reputation, she believed him.

Krillin and Yamcha crouched down into fighting stances. Tao took his own.

"Just like old times, huh Yamcha," Krillin said with a smirk.

"Yeah. We can reminisce on that once this creep's been defeated."

Yamcha and Krillin leapt out towards him at the same time - the latter with a kick and the former with a punch. Without even flinching, Tao blocked both of their blows with his forearms. Krillin quickly raised his leg and landed a hit in the chin with his knee. Then, Yamcha turned in the air and kicked him in the back of the head. Both of them landed on the ground with both feet.

Tao straightened his back and turned towards them. He pointed his fingers towards them and, in a split second, a fast beam of energy came flying towards them. They suddenly phased out of sight, avoiding the oncoming blast. Yamcha appeared next to him, crouching down and kicking his legs, knocking him off of his feet. Tao landed on his hands and flipped himself back onto his feet.

Krillin quickly came up behind him and moved to hit him in the neck. Tao grabbed his wrist before it made contact, and threw him into the sky. Krillin stopped himself mid-air and flew right back down towards him. He spun around, ready to kick him in the face. Tao crouched down, guarding himself from the oncoming attack. However, Yamcha caught him off guard and punched him in the shoulder, which quickly followed with Krillin's kick.

Bulma watched as they fought, with wonder in her eyes. She never knew that a couple of regular fighters from Earth could move like that. It was as impressive as anything she'd seen from the Saiyans. Yet, despite the challenge, Tao was still so calm. This match could go either way.

A fact that still terrified her.

Tao blocked both of their hits, quickly jumping in the air and kicking them away with both feet. They both jumped back up to their feet, looking each other in the eyes and nodding. Yamcha ran towards him. He threw punches at him, which Tao caught with ease. But, with both of his hands occupied, he couldn't do anything to stop Krillin from hitting him in the back with a ball of energy. The move stunned him, allowing for Yamcha to punch him in the stomach and jump into the air. Krillin quickly followed him.

Without wasting a moment, they pulled their hands back and fired at him simultaneously. Two bright blue ki-blasts came spiraling towards him, and the impact created a huge burst of light and debris. Everyone on the street stared at the display, ooing and ahhing, seemingly unaware of the danger this posed to them.

Krillin and Tien landed back on their feet, and everyone watched with bated breath, waiting for the smoke and dust to clear.

However, Tao was still standing. His clothes were tattered, burned and singed all over and marks littered his body, but he had not gone down. Krillin and Yamcha crouched down, once more, ready to fight for as long as it took.

Tao stood up and wiped the dirt off of himself. "Well," he said, "I can see that you two are stronger than I was led to believe. If that's the case, then I suppose it will be best if I take my leave. Be glad I'm letting you live to fight another day."

The shock from that statement could be felt in the air. "W-What," Krillin stammered. "Why?!"

He flicked his braid over his shoulder. "I haven't faced an opponent like either of you in such a long time. I'm a wise enough man to know when to fold my hands. As for you," he said as he set his cold gaze on Bulma. "I will come back for you another day."

She swallowed the lump of fear in her throat. "Before you leave," she said, her voice shaking, "tell me what you want. Who's making you do this?"

"All of that snooping you've been doing should have told you that."

Without another word, Tao grabbed the pillar from the shop of rubble, and threw it into the sky. He jumped into the air and caught up to it, flying across the horizon and disappearing without a trace. The crowd shrugged and went back to what they were doing before.

Bulma slumped backwards. What the hell had just happened?! A legendary hitman had come after her, specifically, was strong enough to incapacitate Raditz, and was bested by a couple of human fighters. She had just experienced it, and even she was having a hard time believing that it actually happened.

She was brought back to the present when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Krillin was crouched down in front of her. "Hey, are you okay? You looked like you had gotten into some trouble, back there."

She shook her head. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said in a breathy voice. "Just peachy keen. Nothing to worry about!"

"I don't know who you crossed to get on Tao's list," Yamcha said, with his hands on his hips, "but hopefully, we scared him off for a little while."

"You can say that again," she said.

In a split second, a feeling of horror overcame her. "Oh god, Raditz!" She scrambled across the pavement over to him. He was still lying face down, and hadn't even moved a centimeter. She put a hand on his cheek- he had grown so cold. When she checked his pulse, it was still incredibly slow. She looked back at Krillin and Yamcha. "Please, you need to help me get him somewhere quick! I don't know how much longer he has!"

Both of them looked at each other with concern, then back at her. "Sure," Krillin said. "Where do you need to go?"

She put her hand on her forehead, pushing her bangs back. She shook her head, as she tried to speak. "I-I don't know! The nearest hospital, or something!"

"Wait! You mustn't go there right now."

Bulma froze. She rubbed the inside of her ear. Was she going crazy or did she just hear someone talk to her that wasn't there? After what she'd experienced today, she wasn't counting out either option.

"Kami? Is that you?"

She whipped her head around. Both Krillin and Yamcha were looking up at the sky. "You guys heard that, too? What was it?!"

"That it is. I'm sorry that we don't have much time for introductions, but I need you to come to the Lookout at once. Krillin, Yamcha: bring both Bulma and the Saiyan with you. Bulma: I'll explain everything when you come."

She almost laughed from the absurdity of it all. She guessed when the Earth's guardian told you to do something, you do it. "Alright," she reluctantly said, "whatever you say, sir."

Krillin walked over next to her. "We'll be up there in no time, Kami. Yamcha, can you take the big guy?"

Yamcha looked down at him, and his eyes widened. "Oh, him? Well, uh, I guess I can," he laughed nervously, as he scratched the back of his head. After a few seconds of awkwardness, he cleared his throat. "Okay, I will."

Bulma and Krillin glanced at each other, not sure what to make of this.

Regardless, they continued on. Krillin took off holding Bulma around her waist with one arm, while Yamcha took off with Raditz over his shoulders. The flight was silent, letting Bulma think about what she had just experienced. Tao had said that her snooping would let her know who had sent him after her. Was this connected to Gero and the androids? Was he somehow aware of what she had been digging into? The only ones on Earth who knew about how deep her research went were her family, Raditz, and Piccolo. How could he have found out? Was that even the reason he sent Tao after her?

Somehow, she had even more questions than she had, before.