When everyone departed for the lookout, Kukyo sat beside Bulma while Goku watched Roshi scan them from the distance of the window. When he looked at them through the darkness of his sunglasses, his eyes were eerily calm.
"Goku and Kukyo you both may want to sit down."
"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.
"I don't think he was lying about everything." Bulma said.
"Why do you say that?" Kukyo asked, looking to Bulma.
"We have never been honest with you two." Bulma started.
"We figure it's the time to finally tell you two the truth." Master Roshi finished.
"What do you mean, Roshi?" Kukyo asked.
"You guys remember having tails?"
"Of course." Goku replied.
"Long ago, your grandpa Gohan was walking in the woods when he came upon craters that had been recently made. When he went to examine them more closely he found spaceships. And next to them there you two were lying in little round pods. Gohan tried to take care of you both, but you were wild, and unusually powerful for babies. Then, one day there was a terrible accident, you both fell into a deep ravine and badly injured your heads. Your grandfather feared he lost you both, but, somehow, you both miraculously survived. You both recovered. From that day you both became loving and happy." Master Roshi explained, tone heavy.
"That can't be..." Goku could barely keep his composure.
He didn't want to entertain that long haired Saiyan'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. For him to come from a race of space barbarians that did nothing, but murder and pillage flew in the face of everything 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 destroyers of worlds like Raditz and the other Saiyans.
"I'm from outer space?" Kukyo asked.
Goku blinked, coming out of his thoughts.
"Yes."
"Well, that explains a lot." Bulma said. "So, you think Goku and Kukyo had some connection with that Raditz guy?"
"I wish I knew." Roshi admitted.
"Evil surrounded Raditz." Goku said.
"Lying is part of his trade." Kukyo seconded.
"That is true." Bulma said.
"Earth is our home. It's the only one we have." Kukyo looked deeply into Roshi's eyes, into Goku's eyes, into Bulma's eyes, and Bulma could feel the heat in her gaze.
"We must be prepared to protect it." Goku refused to budge.
Outside, the light was bright, and the evening replaced the afternoon, and soon night would begin its slow rise across the city.
Kukyo nodded her concurrence, a smile on her face. "We need to work as a team to bring down these Saiyans."
"Teamwork is the only way all of us are going to get out of this alive." Master Roshi agreed.
Kukyo felt a rush of satisfaction on hearing the words.
"Alright! We're on the same page!" Kukyo made the statement in triumph.
"Goku. Kukyo..." Master Roshi said quietly. "We always kept the truth from you. That's why Kami removed your tails when you were teenagers."
"Raditz said something about the full moon and our tails..." Goku said, stunned to disbelief, shocked almost speechless.
He was trying hard to reject what Raditz said, but there were bits and pieces of it that just made sense...
He wasn't able to remember, but it was right there in the back of his mind.
Bulma nodded, eyes steady. "I'm glad you guys had them removed."
"You did the best thing." Goku agreed. "You don't have to feel bad."
Master Roshi tilted his head contemplatively.
Kukyo searched the faces of everyone. She straightened and nodded with a smile.
Bulma took a quick look at Master Roshi then turned once more to Kukyo and Goku. "You guys make sure to train hard. I'll find the clue we need to unravel their other weaknesses."
Kukyo nodded. "You're the best, Bulma."
Goku took a deep breath, filled with anticipation and excitement at the unexpected turn of events.
"I will take care of any possible collateral damage before it gets that far." Bulma added.
Outside, the last of the evening faded into velvet, and soon the lights of the city would begin to blink on as night crept upon it.
The Lookout was always a place of reflection, study, meditation, hard training, 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.
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 as the others.
The entirety of the Lookout was busy this day, as it had never been before, with everyone hard at their warmups and internal deliberations of the daunting challenge ahead. Yamcha found Tien. He motioned with his hand and the tri-clops responded immediately, nodding sternly.
"How long do you think Kami 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."
"Hopefully you're right?" There was no hiding the frustration in Yamcha's voice.
"The way to beat the Saiyans isn't through brute force. The Saiyans may have not reached a technologically advanced state and need a secondary group to provide them with those weird pods." 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.
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.
Yamcha finger-combed his hair as he trotted towards the Temple near the base of the Palace. Far across the expanse of the lookout stood Piccolo glaring at nothing or anyone in particular. Yamcha glared at him.
"Finally." Yamcha muttered.
He roamed around the Lookout to get rid of his anxiety, and it did little to no good. It took a few minutes for him to compose himself. After what felt like an eternity, but in reality, it was only a few hours, Goku and Kukyo both landed on the lookout drawing the attention of everyone gathered. Once they landed Goku's brows furrowed.
"Kami isn't out here to greet us?" Goku asked.
"He's been a no show." Yamcha said. "It's good to see you, Kukyo."
"Good to see you too, Yamcha." Kukyo said, smiling.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Kami prompted gently.
Piccolo growled having more than enough. "Hurry up and take us to the Pendulum Room! I don't have time for the pleasantries, and I don't want you getting the wrong idea."
Kami stared grimly, looking the group over. "I will warn all of you in advance. The Saiyans you will encounter will be much stronger than you."
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 Bulma is handling the technical stuff, we can train as much as we can." Goku said with a smile.
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..."
"We don't need you slowing us down any. Your time in the sun ended at the last tournament when I defeated you. 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.
"Nonsense!" Came the roaring response from Piccolo.
"I suggest you reserve your emotions."
"I know the Saiyans are strong. Nothing matters besides stopping them!"
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." Piccolo rumbled.
"Masters see faults. It's the only way we grow." Kami retorted.
Kukyo smiled. "You have always been a great mentor, wise and powerful."
"It is true that I have nothing left to teach you...However...My conclusion..."
Piccolo rolled his eyes. "What's that conclusion?"
"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.
"I find that hard to believe..." Tien shifted only slightly, his eyes gone to slits, his three eyes turned toward Kami thoughtfully.
"More than just the Earth will be threatened..." Kami observed in his soft, grim 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.
Piccolo growled, his strong brow furrowing. "That isn't difficult to accept in of itself."
Kami snorted softly. "We must end this."
"This attack was with purpose, that much is clear. The earth itself was that pirate's target. The other Saiyans will try their hand." Sho said.
Kami lifted one skinny arm, pointing at everyone gathered. "We must protect the Earth."
The others murmured their approval, evidencing the confidence they felt in Kami's abilities.
Still Goku said nothing.
"With your permission, Kami." Tien said, gaze steady. "I'd like to skip to the hard training."
"There is a room like Piccolo mentioned." Kami said quickly. Everyone nodded. "It is there you will fight the Saiyans."
Goku pressed ahead recklessly. "We're ready, Kami."
Kami held up one hand, bringing the debate to a close. "Follow Popo. You will all be tested."
"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.
He led them to a room with a huge stone extension that had a clock on it, a huge circular star on the floor, and a huge pendulum that swung back and forth. It was pitch black save for one ray of light that showed the way deeper in the room itself. "In this room the past, present, and future become one. You'll start your time trip from here. When Goku and Kukyo were here, they spent most of your time training here."
"Really?" Yamcha asked.
"That's right. You better be ready." Popo said.
Tien smirked. "I think we are."
"Let's do it." Kukyo said.
"No thanks you guys." Yajirobe said.
"What do you mean?" Krillin asked.
"I'm going to do a power lunch." Yajirobe said.
"Gohan and I will stay with Yajirobe." Chi Chi said, nudging him towards the chubby man.
"Those of you who wish to go, step into the circle." Popo said.
Everyone except for Yajirobie, Chi Chi and Gohan stepped forward, the chubby man sharing some of his snack with Gohan.
"Okay. Everyone close your eyes. When you open them again, you'll be one hundred years in the past."
An aura blazed around them, rising to the ceiling and they were electrified. The pendulum continued its motion, leaving a green streak as it swung faster and faster.
They opened their eyes, surprised to see they were on a barren world.
"Where are we?" Chazou asked.
"I don't know, but there's been some serious fighting." Tien remarked, surveying his surroundings.
"No doubt." Krillin seconded.
"But it looks like the fighting has stopped. Don't let your guard down guys." Kukyo said.
Behind them on a crumpled mountain of debris, a body clattered to the ground.
Goku's eyes widened. "A Saiyan!"
"Not alive anymore." Krillin commented.
"Listen." Sho said.
"You hear it, too?" Tien asked.
"That could've been anything." Yamcha remarked. "Let's check this place out."
They didn't miss the stark contrast of this world. As vibrant and verdant as earth was this was barren and littered with bodies. All long past the stages of decaying. They were all in various stages of battle, the buildings in shambles. There was a huge fountain with a statue of a warrior holding a sword in the center of the whole area.
There were bodies littered around it.
"Man, these Saiyans must be tough." Yamcha said. "There's so many of them."
"Yeah, but Mr Popo could've been off on his calculation."
"No, he wasn't." Piccolo said.
Goku nodded his agreement. "We're one hundred years in the past."
"Are you sure?" Tien asked.
"Positive." Goku said.
"There's bound to be a few Saiyans alive." Yamcha said.
"We'll just look for them" Tien said.
Goku and Kukyo narrowed their eyes, surveying their surroundings.
Three Saiyan warriors surveyed the group from the shadows, shrouded in a purple aura. They kept their energy suppressed to avoid detection, but they could tell a few of them were aware of their movements.
The first, Shorty, had a similar look to many others of his race with long jet-black hair and donning the usual Saiyan Armor and Scouter.
The second was Scarface, a short Saiyan, bald with navy blue hair around his head, with two scars running down his face, and he had long and sharp canine teeth.
The third was rainth, very tall, she had black spiky hair that went to her waist and slightly tanned skin.
They tapped the buttons on their scouters, honing-in on the detected power levels.
"Combined power level of 2340."
"One has a power level of 350."
"Two of them have a power level of 340..."
Shorty smirked for a second. "It looks like they're closing in on this location."
"Do you think those three high power levels are Saiyans?" Rainth asked.
"Let's go have some fun with them either way." Scarface said.
They slowly phased away, dissipating into a green glow.
"I don't think we're going to find any training here." Tien remarked.
"But, how do we get back?" Krillin asked.
"You're a fool." Piccolo remarked.
"Goku. Kukyo. Do you know?" Sho asked.
"We have to get through whatever this is." Goku said, shrugging his shoulders. "That's the way I remember it."
"Is it that simple? Mr Popo didn't tell us a way." Tien said.
Chazou had wandered off and was staring at a helmet through a broken window. He wasn't sure what about it caught his fascination, but he looked at it with rapt attention.
"Let's go." Sho said.
"Yeah, don't want to stay around here too long." Tien agreed.
Chazou went to follow him but stopped, seeing red glowing eyes, almost as if he was being scanned. The helmet began to melt, revealing Shorty's face with a sinister smirk lighting up his features. He busted through the wall, kicking up a cloud of smoke as he reached out and gripped Chazou by the skull, crushing his fingers in.
"Hahahahahaha!"
"Let him go!" Tien yelled, charging up a blast.
Scarface fired off a triangular blast, but Tien was quick to fire his own, sending smoke flying around them. Shorty flung Chazou into a chasm that must've been torn into the world by an energy blast, his cry of pain echoing as if it came up from the bottom of a well.
Piccolo and Tien clenched their teeth, leveling glares with the three newcomers.
"What's the matter?" Rainth taunted.
"Are you responsible for what happened here?" Kukyo asked.
"If we are?" Scarface asked.
Kukyo came on in a sudden rush, fists and feet streaking right to left to right. But, with only a slight movement, Scarface blocked, rotating under the attacks, then moved his arms left and right, forcing each attack to fly harmlessly off the mark.
They split their numbers to better coordinate the attack. Kukyo and Yamcha on the left flank, Goku and Sho in the middle, and Krillin, Piccolo, and Tien coming on the right flank. The three Saiyans threw up a wall of defense, though they were outnumbered, and it appeared they'd be able to keep up with the group, they pushed themselves towards one of the nearby buildings, stopping short by an intersection that cut into a mountain of debris.
With a jerk of her wrist, Rainth stabbed straight ahead with a chop, and Krillin had to throw himself backward, bringing his shin across as he did, trying to parry, but Rainth already retracted her fist by then and had settled back into an offensive rhythm. Against these Saiyans, their sudden flurry of attacks seemed inefficient, for the trio blocked and countered each strike with a slight hand movement.
For while they were martial artists, these Saiyans were ruthless mercenaries, they had a killing style, one more effective against people in large groups, than a single person like their own. Now, as the battle played out between them and the trio, the Saiyans' ruthless style was starting to show its brilliance. While they all leapt and spun, slashing side to side with feet and fists, flying all about with great acrobatics, all of the trio's movements seemed far more efficient. They seemed far more direct.
They followed a single line, front and back, their primary focus being the head and center mass, their feet and hands shifting to keep them constantly in perfect balance as they came on suddenly with devastating chops that had all their attackers stumbling backward.
"Come on now! You're starting to disappoint me!" Scarface taunted.
His words spurred them forward, Piccolo racing ahead, vanishing into another series of spins and slashes, but Scarface only angled left and then down, just enough to send his slashing hand shooting off to the side. The group had to retreat soon after getting their footing, gasping for breath.
"I was expecting more than this. Let's make it good for sport." Rainth curled her lips in a wicked smile.
Kukyo steadied herself. Goku shifted from foot to foot, getting a better grip on the ground. Tien steadied himself. Then they exploded into motion, flashing ahead of Piccolo, ramming their elbows into Shorty's and Scarface's forearm, their limbs flashing all about as they attacked with twice the fierceness than before. Goku and Tien measured their strikes, reversing their angles as much as they could, turning knees into sudden reverse kicks. Shorty snarled, working furiously to keep them at bay.
Sho pressed forward more forcefully, trying to expose Rainth's flanks. And then, to his horror, Rainth began pressing her own attack, her feet stabbing and retracting so quickly that most of his swift parries and quick kicks hit nothing but air. He had to jump back, and then back again, as Rainth moved ever closer to hitting home. Rainth stepped forward suddenly, breaking her steps so they were like a stutter, and swung her shin low for Sho's thigh.
Rather than intercept the blow, Sho lunged back, but to his shock, Rainth shot right for him, never losing any speed and thrust her fist right back out, up high and across the other way. There was no way he could block or slide back fast enough. Rainth's fist smashed hard into his stomach, and as he lurched forward, the long-haired Saiyan retracted her hand and snapped it back out along its original course, digging hard into his side.
Sho flew back and away, crashing through the debris.
"Sho!" Goku cried out.
Krillin stumbled backward, tripping and crashing hard against the ground on his knees, but even as he fell, Scarface was right in his face, his boot screaming as it reached terminal velocity, and with a sudden crack, he sent Krillin bouncing across the ground. Shorty shouted in joy, laughing as he slammed his fist forward, watching with glee as Yamcha's arm cut under it.
"I thought you would learn your lesson."
"I'm stubborn." Yamcha replied.
Krillin came on, entire body whirling with such speed that he seemed almost encased by his limbs. For the first time, Scarface allowed his little confident smile to lessen. He had to work furiously to keep their coordinated attacks at bay, dodging and blocking. He tried to step out to the side, but stopped, and his eyes widened a bit when he realized that Krillin, in the midst of his kick, pivoted and swung his knee around.
"Impressive!" He sincerely congratulated.
His grin widened, and with ease, Scarface put himself back on even footing with the group, trading kick for punch and forcing them to dodge and block as often as they tried to strike. He came on hard, thinking to drive them back and off balance as he had driven Goku back. But, to his surprise, they struggled to hold their ground, stubbornly trading punch for punch so forcefully and precisely that none of their attacks got through the combined defense.
"Go for their faces!" Piccolo shouted.
Together they pressed the three of them. Goku and Tien on the left flank, Kukyo and Yamcha on the right, and Piccolo, Sho, and Krillin in the center, their combined efforts finally forcing the Saiyans into a more defensive stance. Their reactions were so keen, their combat instincts so pure, that they were able to sense and anticipate just not what the trio was going to do even as it happened, then use their attacks to their own advantage, but they could sense and anticipate what the other would do.
They were at an impasse, none of their attacks able to connect with the Saiyans.
Rainth came at Kukyo again, her fist changing directions so quickly in mid attack that it looked almost as if her entire arm was bending. Kukyo barely held off the assault with a furious defensive flurry, breathing harder and harder with each strike. Each time she made a move, she was forced to expend desperate, frantic energy, to keep her shins from stabbing into her. Another exchange drove her backward. The Saiyans were starting to cut off the landscape, pushing the three of them into a corner to limit their movement, trying to limit their agility.
Knowing she was no match for her strength, and there was nothing she could do about it, she took another step back. Goku understood that they couldn't hold out. All of them were expending many times the energy of the much stronger Saiyans, and as soon as they tired, they'd make their move.
Tien watched in admiration as Piccolo and Sho worked strikes in perfect harmony, spinning them over and about with blinding speed and precision. And he watched with horror as Shorty's and Rainth's limbs surged, flashing ahead and back with equal precision, picking off attack after attack and even countering once or twice to interrupt the flow of the barrage.
Yamcha's heart leapt in hope as Krillin charged forward suddenly, while Kukyo stabbed forward with a reverse high kick. He understood immediately, even before he noted Krillin's other leg coming up and over the other way. The attack would push both Shorty's and Rainth's fists out of the way, clearing the path for a victorious strike!
But Rainth and Shorty reacted impossibly fast, and the duo's down cutting strikes hit the ground. Goku's spinning reverse kick flew off Rainth's wrist, but he swung around his other leg, igniting his ki as it came into contact with an upraised forearm. Sho rushed the Saiyans with a frenzy he'd never known. Nor had they. They locked forearm to forearm. When Sho pushed back to break the clinch, Shorty struck his head with a chop. He stumbled backward even farther, and Shorty pursued him relentlessly, coming upon his other foes in the process.
Blow upon blow, he forced them to retreat—back onto the mountains of debris that crossed the vast, seemingly bottomless wasteland to the ruins. Sho and Yamcha were driven to their knees. They raised their arm to block yet another onslaught—and Rainth slashed Sho's and Yamcha's right hands off at the wrist. The hands, along with blood, thudded on the ground while the duo tumbled over their feet. They stared at their twitching, severed hands. They had little time for anything else. Rainth stabbed straight ahead clenching her fingers, then with a sudden twist, ripped the limbs from their elbow sockets.
Half of their arms flew to the side, hands still half clenched on the ground several feet away. Sho's arm thudded uselessly on the ground. Shorty channeled his ki into his fist, moving far too fast for Sho and Yamcha to even trace. He fell on them like a shadow, viciously stabbing with chops, punches, and kicks, leaving them to stagger back until he grew tired of the drunken dance and rammed his elbow hard into their cheeks.
"Sho! Yamcha!" Kukyo screamed.
"Now there's only three of you." Rainth said, eyeing the trio.
Piccolo growled, looking around for the others. "Finished just like that."
"Hahahaha! You'll be joining them soon enough." Shorty laughed, crossing his arms over his chest.
"You two are Saiyans. Where are your tails?" Rainth asked.
Goku scowled. "That's none of your business."
Scarface chuckled. "It doesn't matter if they are Saiyans. They're not getting out of this alive."