Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Time's Folly; A Bittersweet Symphony ❯ A Shrouded Attack ( Chapter 28 )

 

The blasts rapidly careened towards the two guards who were standing rather close to each other. Krillin and Yamcha both watched in alarm as the beings first contained the beams and then redirected them towards Autumn.

 

“Damn it! AUTUMN!!” they both yelled in warning. Since these particular ki beams were capable of being steered by their creators - as they stayed attached at one end - the two fighters were somewhat successful in diminishing the full strength of their blasts.

 

Autumn's attacker hit her backwards slightly into the air. After landing unsteadily on her two feet, she pulled her hands back with palms open and facing towards her attacker. As soon as her cupped palms quickly filled with ki, she thrust her hands forward, sending a flurry of sharp, pointed ki shards at her attacker.

 

While her opponent was busy deflecting the ki shard barrage, Autumn followed through by flying straight at it, then grabbing its neck, jumping up and throwing her attacker headfirst into the ground. She spun around to see the Kamhameha attacks racing towards her. Quickly, she pulled her fists back before punching them into the kis, turning them around and accelerating the blasts towards the “guards” to score a direct hit.

 

“Autumn!” she turned around at the urgent summons coming from Asia.

 

One of the cloaked figures was in the middle of executing a kick at her when it was knocked on the ground by a punch from Asia, who then lifted herself into the air.

 

“Why are those two just standing there?” Asia ventured, as Autumn, who now was in the air next to Asia, sent a blast toward the two grounded attackers.

 

Autumn looked back up again. “I'm not sure. Something very weird is going on here. That I'm sure of,” she answered back.

 

Suddenly she was shoved out of the way by Asia as a blast careened between them.

 

`Damn it!'

 

While Autumn cursed at the near-miss, Asia flew down, kicking away Videl's attacker. Autumn held out her hand as if stopping something. All three of the beings that had been attacking the girls froze in place. Asia and Videl immediately took advantage of this and executed a kick combo, which knocked out two of the opponents.

 

Autumn moved towards the last one standing, linked her fingers together and waited to get within a couple feet. She then raised her hands above her head and a ring of light purple energy rose from her feet up to her hands. Ki formed in the shape of a dome, which she then flung at the ground. The indirect attack flattened out and hit the creature, sticking to it like slime, further immobilizing it in place. Another strong, ki attack followed that one, heading straight towards the being.

 

Gauging the direction of Autumn's blast, Asia decided to pushed her own attacker into its path. Although it did manage to destroy the one it was aimed at, Asia's opponent ended up being only injured. With a great burst of speed, Asia made her next move towards the injured being. Her quickness caught it off-guard, but after she delivered a powerful ki-enhanced punch, it managed to fly away from her. She immediately leaped into the air to follow it.

 

A short distance later, the being touched down briefly, using the ground as leverage to jump up again. Asia met it in mid-air, engaging it in a short volley of exchanged punches before forcing it up with an upward motion of her hand. In her other hand, a shell of ki was growing around her fist. It came up in a great uppercut and the ki incased its head, rendering it immobile. She kneed it in the torso then both fists connected where her knee had made contact. Another kick followed, driving her opponent into the ground below. With the ki she had gathered in the hands raised above her head, she then put all of her body into the downward throw at her grounded opponent.

 

When she was certain that the blast had done its work and her attacker was no more, she turned around just in time to see Videl and Autumn each take a hard hit. As both of them were some distance away, Asia put on some speed to confront the one who attacked them. Suddenly, she stopped. Asia frowned then began to panic when she realized that she couldn't move.

 

“Asia!” Videl and Autumn yelled out.

 

“I can't move!” she yelled back, trying with all her might to make her body respond.

 

Videl, who was closer of the two, slid towards the being and tried to swipe at its legs. With a quick, short jump, it easily evaded her attack, but then it was caught in the side by a kick from Autumn.

 

She then outstretched her hand and the being abruptly stopped moving. Thanks to a powerful blast from Videl, the being was dealt a damaging blow as it slammed into an invisible wall, which immediately released Asia from its hold. Following close behind Videl's attack, Autumn shot at it again while Asia's strong, ki-enhanced kick sent it to the ground.

 

The being Autumn had originally kicked had light purple energy radiating from its side, rendering the arm useless. It raised its other arm with the palm facing towards Asia, and threw out thin strands of purple energy. She cried out as the strands pierced into both arms. Autumn stepped in to end it quickly, sending another direct and fatal blast at Asia's attacker. She spun around just in time to see Asia descending to the ground and falling to her knees after making a rough landing.

 

Videl immediately kneeled next to Asia and asked, “Are you alright?”

 

“Yea, it just… stings,” she admitted with little hint of pain and exhaustion. Autumn quickly came over and looked at her worriedly, touching a hand to her friend's shoulder. Asia looked up at her and gave her a reassuring smile. Videl went to say something but was interrupted by the sound of a powerful blast originating from 18.

 

While holding her daughter with one hand, a now-airborne 18 used her free hand to assist in a combined blast with Krillin and Yamcha.

 

Although the shared attack did manage to knock away the one attacker, Yamcha was not as lucky. He was smacked hard in the side by the other guard, which sent him flying.

 

Krillin growled with irritation. It was obvious now that their two “guards” were assigned to prevent them from stepping into help the girls and from leaving the general area. But what irked him the most was that he couldn't get his little girl out of danger. The guards had resumed firing on them just as the girls started to overpower their fellows.

 

“Jeeze! What's up with these things?” Yamcha complained as he recovered from his hit.

 

“I don't know, but this is really starting to piss me off!” Krillin answered back with a grimace. Suddenly, both of their guards were blasted backwards a good ways away from where they were. Autumn and Videl soon joined their friends, with an injured Asia held up between them.

 

“You guys alright?” Yamcha asked first, his worried glance pointed at Asia.

 

“Yea, I'll be fine,” she answered back, just as Autumn released her to jump back into the air.

 

Both of the creatures followed suit and leaped up to follow her. At the same time, the attackers extended their arms towards her. Autumn then found herself encased in a purple mist, which paralyzed her from her shoulders down. Turning her head slightly from side-to-side, she looked around and quickly accessed her situation.

 

Stay calm, stay calm, she repeated silently to herself as she looked directly at the cloaked beings. Summoning up energy from within, she forced it outwards into her mist-cage, breaking its hold and reversing its energy into a blast towards her attackers, driving them into the ground.

 

With arms outstretched in a kind of ballerina twirl and purple-tinted energy swirling around her, she then directed it downward at the grounded attackers. One managed to get out of the way just in time while the other was hit full-force.

 

The one that avoided the blast ascended into the sky, but Krillin was already there and immediately connected with a punch. That started an exchange of blows between the two. Below him, despite its injuries, the other stood back up again. At the same time, both 18 and Yamcha simultaneously dealt it a kick, knocking it backwards. When the creature got back up again, 18 was the one who immediately came forward to engage it in combat.

 

Yamcha fell back and resumed his defensive position with Videl around Asia and Marron.

 

18 then released a strong ki which enveloped the being and forced it down. In the pause that followed, the falling body of its comrade that had been battling Krillin in the air above, slammed down next of it.

 

Krillin glanced over at his wife as he landed next to Asia and Videl. Autumn stayed static in the air, hovering and continuing to scan their immediate area.

 

“It looks like they got a lucky jump on us…you doing okay?” Yamcha asked Asia as she slowly rose to a standing position.

 

“It's alright; the sting is fading,” Asia said waving it off.

 

“Are they down for good?” Videl wondered aloud.

 

The group looked towards the two downed guards some feet in front of them.

 

“Well, I think we should make sure either way,” Krillin stated firmly as he started to slide into a Kamehameha stance.

 

“Watch out!” they heard Autumn yell from above.

 

The entire grounded group was suddenly encased in an energy shield courtesy of Autumn right before a huge ki blast slammed against the shielding; its energy assault enveloping the top and sides for a few seconds. Krillin quickly noted that the blast had come from some feet above and to the side from one of the guards.

 

“Autumn!” shouted Asia, as she jumped through the slightly weakened shield to join Autumn against the now-airborne being. With her daughter clinging to her, 18 kept a sharp eye on the two girls in the air while Yamcha and Videl kept their attention focused on the solitary guard in front of them.

 

In the moment after that, Krillin left the group to engage that grounded guard. Autumn reinforced the shield to protect the remaining four within.

 

Despite her best efforts to beat it back, Asia didn't have a chance against the attacker. In a bold move, it grabbed at her neck with one hand as an energy-created sword materialized in the other. The tip of the sword's blade pierced into her shoulder a second before it was hit by a blast it could only partially block, from 18 that pushed it slightly away. Asia cried out in renewed pain as blood started to pour from the wound.

 

But at the same time the attacker was hit, one of its hands opened and swung around; the forceful blow sending Asia into a downward tumble.

 

Autumn promptly broke off her connection to the shield and dove towards Asia to intercept her friend before she could hit the ground. However, that also gave the blasted guard an opening, but then Videl shot up into the air and effectively held it off while the girls descended together to join 18 on the ground.

 

As soon as they touched down, Yamcha shot over to help Krillin. 18 continued to stand guard over their daughter, Autumn, and Asia, and stayed on the alert as backup for Videl.

 

<><><><><><>

Azure hit the ground hard. After getting up on one knee, she looked up at the smirking, hovering Gotenks.

 

“You thought you had me there, didn't you?” he taunted in his dual-toned voice.

 

Never taking her eyes off the fused child, Azure wiped a stream of blood from the corner of her mouth before giving a small smirk back.

 

Gotenks kept his smirk in place, watching in curiosity as Azure pointed her hands up and towards him. As she raised her ki, the energy swirled around her. A second later, she let go a blast.

 

“Heh-heh,” Gotenks chuckled in amusement as the beam zoomed towards him. He countered by simply getting into position and blasting a slightly stronger one back at it.

 

The two beams met and erupted into a bright display of energy just as the two opponents rushed at each other. Azure caught him with a knee to the stomach and a quick blast to the face, before finishing with a roundhouse to the head. Gotenks went flying backwards but stopped himself when a great blast coming from not too far away immediately caught both their attentions.

 

“Oh? What's that?” he said out loud.

 

Another blast, though less strong, quickly followed the first. This time it was accompanied by a couple stray blasts that strafed their immediate area. Before one of them could hit him, Gotenks easily batted it away. Then he caught sight of a distant something moving slightly in the air.

 

“Hey, who's that?” he called out. “I didn't think anyone was around here!”

 

Azure looked as well, but she was only able to see the random flashes of ki attacks. “Do you recognize any ki signatures?” she asked curiously. “The largest one?”

 

“Hmm,” Gotenks said after a moment of searching. “I can't really make out whose ki that is, but, it feels like a familiar one…maybe Krillin's?“

 

“Krillin?” she repeated, slightly confused. “Does he usually spar in this type of way?”

 

Gotenks shrugged. “I wouldn't know. I've never actually seen Krillin fight before.”

 

The two of them kept staring in the direction of the activity, while their own spar was momentarily set aside.

 

<><><><><><>

 

Mirai Trunks creased his eyebrows. His attention was so suddenly and unexpectedly sidetracked by something in the distance that Gohan never had the chance to divert his attack.

 

The powerful blast slammed into Trunks' side and sent him tumbling to the ground. As he picked himself up off the ground, his sparring partner landed next to him. “Hey! What was that all about?” Gohan inquired, giving him a weird look.

 

“Got distracted.”

 

Gohan studied Trunks for a moment before a surprised look crossed his features. He slowly floated upward and began to stare intently into the same direction as Trunks. Gohan's eyes went wide as he caught a faint flicker of light in the distance.

 

“What is that?” Gohan said aloud to himself.

 

“What?” asked Trunks as he flew up to join Gohan. Within a few seconds, he too saw a flicker of light. “Someone's sparring, maybe?” he ventured to say.

 

As a disturbing thought crossed his mind, Gohan frowned a bit. “That better not be Asia and Autumn…” he began to say then gasped aloud. “It is them! And I can feel Asia's ki …decreasing?” There was another short pause as he searched out more ki signatures. “That's Krillin… with that type of ki…”

 

Trunks looked at Gohan with a shocked raised eyebrow.

 

“Something is definitely wrong!” Gohan said, looking at Trunks with a grim expression. “Let's go!”

 

Trunks nodded and took off a split-second later, following slightly behind him.

 

Gohan! Piccolo's voice then called to Gohan in his mind.

 

<><><><><><>

 

Krillin and Yamcha were driven back towards 18's group; their last combined attack finally brought down the grounded attacker. A moment later, Videl was hit down hard but Autumn managed to cushion her fall. Autumn then encased her group within another energy shield against the last attacker, who stayed in the air looking down upon them.

 

“Jeeze, what is it gonna take to bring this thing down?!” Krillin yelled in frustration between tired breaths.

 

“I don't know, but it sure as hell isn't human!” Yamcha commented somewhat out of breath.

 

“I can't figure out these creatures. And we need to get these guys out of here,” 18 said, referring to the rest of their companions.

 

Just as Krillin started to say, “Isn't this about the perfect time for Goku or Gohan to show up… ” something dawned on Krillin and he stopped. “Wait a sec! If we can't feel them, they aren't going to either!”

 

“Krillin, we have to get these guys out of here, now! If we keep on like this, we'll be finished!” she said, shooting a concerned look at Yamcha and Autumn, the other two able-bodied fighters.

 

“You've got a plan?” Yamcha asked hopefully as he listened in.

 

“I'll draw it off,” 18 stated quickly before anyone could say otherwise. “Then I should be able to take out at least one of them. Either you or Yamcha need get Marron, Videl, and Asia out of harm's way as fast as you can.”

 

Krillin nodded. “Unfortunately, there's still two of them to deal with. Even though me and Yamcha did a pretty good number on that one over there on the ground, I don't think it's completely down for the count yet. You're the strongest out of all of us, 18. Still, it's better for at least two of us to stick around.”

 

“I can still fight,” Videl maintained firmly.

 

“But Asia can't!” 18 snapped back. “The faster you can all get away, the better.”

 

“And the faster someone can get to Goku or Gohan, the better,” Krillin added, looking at Yamcha. “They are all pretty far away…Gohan seems to be the closest.”

 

The former desert bandit nodded in agreement. “I'll take Marron and search out Gohan or Goku. Videl, you and Autumn take Asia and fly back to Capsule Corp.”

 

“Wait, let me stay!” Autumn insisted. “While Krillin and 18 are busy taking out that one in the air, one of us needs to stay behind, just in case that other thing decides to rally again and tries to come after us if we split into two groups!”

 

“No way! We can't let you do that!” Yamcha protested.

 

“I'm the only one left,” she said. “And I won't be engaging it, only distracting it. You'll be taking Marron with you to safely and can seek out the others' ki's better than I can. Videl is badly injured too, so she should get out of here.”

 

“What about a Solar Flare? We can blind both of them at the same time!” Yamcha suggested to Krillin.

 

“I thought of that already. I'm not even sure it will actually work on these guys since their eyes are covered pretty well by their cloaks; even that one, although, at least it's somewhat on its back. We'll have to draw their attention upwards pretty sharply and quickly. At my signal, fly directly upwards as high and as quickly as you can. Make sure you look away when I release the blast,” he said, ending his directions looking at Autumn and Asia. “And you make sure to get out of there with Yamcha,” he added, directing the comment to Autumn. She nodded.

 

With everyone in agreement as to their plan of action, Yamcha scooped up the frightened Marron in to his arms.

 

When it seemed that the airborne guard had his attention fixed intently among the group within the shield, Krillin gave a nod and Autumn released the shield. Then everyone flew high upwards.

 

“SOLAR FLARE!!”

 

“Come on!” Yamcha , with Marron clutched to his chest, beckoned to Videl, who had Asia's arm slung over her shoulder. She quickly nodded and flew off in the opposite direction to the airborne guard.

 

18 shot up next to Krillin; both simultaneously landing a good punch on either shoulder of their attacker, causing it to stagger backwards. 18 continued to engage it as Krillin jumped backwards, landed on the ground and gathered his ki, while extending and arm into the air, palm opened upwards.

 

“DISTRUCTO DISK!!”

 

18 moved to the side as he released the blast. The being dodged to the side, managing to only have an arm cut off. Immediately, it retaliated by shooting a blast back towards Krillin. Hurling a stronger blast at the attacker, 18 knocked the intended blast for Krillin off-course. The being fell to the ground but immediately re-shot a thin blast of ki at the advancing Krillin, who “tripped” over it.

 

The being was able to get another short shot off right before 18 pounded him into the ground with a powerful kick to its middle. Krillin was hit badly by the curious blast which left him unable to move.

 

Krillin saw as first his struggling wife, then the being, rose into the air. Thin strands of purple energy swirled all over her body, slowly permeating into it. An immobilized 18 hovered, visibly withering from the drain of energy.

 

“18!” he shouted, unable to come to her aid.

 

Suddenly a blast of ki shot from somewhere connected with the attacker holding 18. The force was powerful enough for the being to lose its concentration.

 

With the draining grasp loosened, 18 gathered herself and, with a great summoning of energy, sent a violent blast at her captor which fully freed her from the ki's constraining grip. Somewhat falling, she landed on the ground.

 

In the meanwhile, the creature that had been taken down earlier by Yamcha and Krillin was active again, only partially affected by the blinding Solar Flare. It began to deliver a series of wild ki beams launched in the direction of the fleeing group headed by Yamcha.

 

Autumn threw up a ki shield that held long enough for Yamcha, who had handed off Marron to Videl, to build up and release a Kamahameha wave towards the grounded being.

 

Yamcha took a couple deep, weary breaths and turned to look at the girls, who looked equally weary. As he was taking the little girl back into his arms, the group was suddenly incased in a circular mist before being pulled towards their attacker.

 

Autumn automatically stuck out her hand, returning a similar attack that surrounded the outstretched arm of the guard, freezing it in place. A burst of energy then shot out from around her body, throwing back everyone who happened to be near her.

 

“Asia!” Videl lost her grip on Asia, who was then incased in mist.

 

“Fuck!” Yamcha cursed. He was out of reach from Asia and just barely caught Videl before dodging out of the way of a more solid blast.

 

After sending a number of blasts towards the being, unable to help Autumn and Asia, Videl was grabbed by Yamcha who lowered them both out of range to avoid another volley of ki, then focused on searching out ki. Frustrated, Yamcha sucked at his teeth.

 

“Dammit! Gohan is in the opposite direction… There's Goku, he's actually not too far away!”

 

Videl growled in frustration when she realized that she had deflected a similar stream of the same mist that now encased Asia.

 

“Videl, one of us has to make it back. I promised Krillin I'd get Marron out of here, and I'd hate to think of what Gohan will do to me if I had the chance to get you out and didn't,” Yamcha said dejectedly. “I've already lost Asia and Autumn… that alone…”

 

“I'm right behind you, Yamacha,” she replied. “Don't worry about me, and just go. I think they are more focused on the other four now.” Each sharing a resigned expression, the two flew off.

 

With a fist pointing at both Autumn and Asia, the guard used its paralyzing mist streams to bring the captured girls back into the original fighting area. It slowly raised itself off the ground and glanced towards the departing Yamcha and Videl.

 

Meanwhile, Autumn and Asia were gasping for breath, the mist draining them of their energies. They were close to losing consciousness, they both suddenly felt lighter, as if an immense amount of weight was abruptly lifted off them.

 

Looking down, they saw the figure of Azure standing a few feet away from the body of the being, which was now on the ground. As second later, the guard shot back three thick strands of purple ki from its upraised hand. Each found its mark and pierced all three girls - Autumn in the chest, Asia and Azure in their shoulders. As her blood started to trickle down, Autumn automatically began to raise her rapidly depleting ki energy.

 

“Don't do that!” Azure snapped. “You're only giving it more energy!”

 

Autumn stopped what she was doing and looked down at Azure questioningly. As the being rose several feet into to the air, Azure took a look at it and began to slide herself upon the ki beam that was still buried in her shoulder towards the attacker. Slowly at first, then quickly picking up speed, she used the beam to zero in on her opponent. Once she reached the being itself, she quickly took the strong collection of ki she had been gathering in one of her hands, put it up to the creature's face and let go of the blast. All three girls were thrown backwards, and the being was blasted away from them. Autumn gathered what strength she still to catch the nearly exhausted Asia before they both roughly landed and tumbled on the ground. Azure's feet barely touched down before she rushed at the being.

 

With a kick delivered at the throat, followed by a second at the head, Azure landed her two hits. She spun around and followed those with a powerful backswing of her arm, which connected with its head, causing its body to fling to the side, while the head nearly snapped off at the off-angle contact with the ground.

 

<><><><><><>

 

 

A bothersome, frantic flicker of ki moved towards Goku. It managed to break into his concentration during an open moment in his spar with Vegita, who was delivering a particularly vicious kick combo, which nearly laid him out.

 

“Wait, Vegita!” he said as he fazed out and back way from his sparring partner.

 

Vegita rolled his eyes and folded his arms in annoyance. “What the hell is it now, Kakkarot?”

 

Goku frowned and looked into the empty distance behind him. “Yamcha?” he stated in a curious tone, which became worried. Although his friend was still not in view, Goku could steadily feel that it was Yamcha signaling him with his ki. He was also picking up on a fainter ki near Yamcha.

 

“Something isn't right. Let's take a short break, Vegita.”

 

Vegita rolled his eyes as he took off shortly after Goku did, both speeding towards Yamcha.

 

The moment he caught sight of Goku with Vegita right behind, Yamcha took a much-relieved breath.

 

Upon seeing a battle-tattered Yamcha with an injured Videl hanging off of his shoulder while holding a scared Marron with his other arm, Goku instantly knew something was very wrong. “What's going on?” he asked.

 

“We were attacked,” Yamcha said in a rush. “Autumn and Asia are in bad shape. Krillin and 18 need help themselves.”

 

“Attacked?” He asked, startled by the news. “By who?”

 

Yamcha shook his head. “I don't know what they are. They seem to be androids of some kind. And they don't give of any kind of ki reading.”

 

Goku and Vegita nodded to each other then shot off towards the battle zone.

 

<><><><><><>

 

“What the hell?” Trunks declared as he and Gohan came upon the scene.

 

A small child he had never seen before was hovering in mid-air, holding a cloaked figure at his mercy. Mirai Trunks watched in amazement as the cloaked being, despite having an arm missing, released a short, ineffectual volley of ki at the child before falling to the ground. It limped around a bit before repositioning itself to let go a second upward blast of ki. The Super Saiya-jin child only laughed while it easily doused the ki with a counter-blast of its own. Then, with an upraised hand, the child pointed a finger above his head and twirled it, forming a circle of ki. After throwing it towards the creature like a lariat, the ki circle wrapped itself around the being, drawing tighter and tighter until the being was snapped in half. With that final attack, the being was no more.

 

Trunks quickly spotted Autumn and Asia, both of whom had collapsed after moving away from Azure, who was still engaged in battle with the last being. After pointing them out to Gohan, the two demi-Saiya-jin flew down.

 

“Autumn! Asia!” Trunks called out, but the two girls just lay there, exhausted and unresponsive. While Gohan stepped in to examine them, Trunks stepped back a bit and stared up at the strange-looking Saiya-jin. Gohan glanced over, first at Trunks then at the airborne figure.

 

“That's Gotenks,” he explained, returning his attention to the girls. “Trunks and Goten fused together.”

 

“What?” Mirai asked, confused.

 

“Remember the boys telling you they fought with Majin Buu? Well, they did it in that form, fused as Gotenks.” Gohan said as he picked up Asia.

 

“Oh, that's right! I remember that now,” Trunks said. After he picked up Autumn, they walked over to join 18 and the now able to move, but still greatly injured, Krillin. Goku was there already kneeling next to his fallen friend. Gohan and Trunks gently laid the two girls down on ground, side-by-side.

 

Having landed, Vegita stood a few feet from Azure and observed as she calmly advanced on her attacker, which was greatly injured after its last fall.

 

Her opponent struck out again with a ki blast that she simply brushed away. As she stood right in front of it, the being hit her chest with a flattened hand while releasing a low ki blast; but due to its severely weakened state, the blast had little effect on Azure.

 

She delivered a bitch slap into the being's upraised face. Next, she grabbed the outstretched arm that had hit her and jumped over her opponent, pulling and twisting its arm at the same time. Landing behind it, she sent a kick at its back, completely dislocating the captured arm and rendering it useless. Azure looked down at it with an empty expression for a moment as it laid face-down on the ground. Lifting slightly into the air, she brought her wrists together, opened her palms, and released a sizable blast, destroying what remained of the being. Upon returning to the ground, she took a couple steps before she noticed Vegita standing there.

 

“What?” she asked him.

 

Vegita just stared at her as small drops of blood fell from her hand. He then turned around and leisurely made his way toward the group with Azure following behind him.

 

Krillin was relating what had happened as Mirai walked around the surrounding area where the battle took place, all the while keeping an close ear tuned to Krillin's story.

 

“They had no ki reading at all and they didn't really bleed when you hit them. The last two that were taken down were definitely the strongest of the five, and only towards the end did they start attacking. Man, it was weird! They were like androids. They weren't able to be sensed but they could use ki attacks. But at the same time, they were also using some other type of power.”

 

“And so were they,” 18 stated, referring to the unconscious girls.

 

“Yea. Some of those attacks the girls were doing were really similar. In fact, one of them looked almost exactly the same as what those aliens kept throwing at us,” Krillin stated. “Are they aright?” he asked worriedly.

 

“Yea, but in bad shape. We should take them back,” Gohan stated as he thought on Krillin's words, just as Azure walked up to the group, looking down at the unconscious girls.

 

“Where is Marron?” 18 somewhat demanded.

 

“With Yamcha and Videl, heading back to Capsule Corp.,” Goku supplied in answer.

 

“These can't be what we've been training to fight all of this time, right? I mean, they were easy to take out!” Gotenks complained. The group looked questioningly to Mirai Trunks.

 

“It couldn't have been,” Trunks stated, somewhat distanced. “I want to see if I can find where they landed.”

 

“You should stay and help him look,” Gohan directed to Gotenks, who responded with an unenthused whine, which was promptly quelled by a stern look from the older demi-Saiya-jin.

 

Krillin stood slowly, followed by 18.

 

“I need to go get Marron,” 18 stated simply, looking over her injured husband.

 

“Goku, you think you could help us out?” Krillin suggested.

 

“Sure, grab on to me. We need to take them back, too,” he said, indicating the girls. He bent down and gently picked up Autumn as Gohan did the same for Asia. Krillin and 18 moved in and made sure that everyone was linked up with Goku.

 

“Let's go.” When he touched his fingers to his head, barely a moment passed before everyone connected with Goku blinked out of view.

 

Vegita and Azure had stayed behind with Trunks and Gotenks, who was promptly sent off by Vegita to start searching.

 

Glancing at Trunks, Azure headed off into a different direction for her search, which left him alone with his father.

 

Trunks, consumed within his own worrisome thoughts, hardly noticed his father's presence or gaze as he continued his search around for any clues that might have been left behind.

 

There is no way… no way at all! Their presence here would have been obvious. And they wouldn't attack in such light; not in the middle of the day! And, I would have felt them…

 

He looked up and saw his father looking at him questioningly.

 

“You have an idea what these things were.”

 

Trunks couldn't decipher if it was a question or an accusation, but it felt like something that he didn't want to get into. Luckily, he didn't have to as he, and everyone else in the immediate area, felt the sudden spike in Azure's ki as a signal. The two Saiya-jin flew off towards her direction.

 

When they reached her, Azure was standing in front of a molten mass of melted metal, about the size and height of Krillin. As soon as he landed, Trunks quickly walked up to it. Bending down to his knees, he went to examine it further.

 

“I also found this,” Azure said to him, as she held hand out towards him. In it was a partially melted object which resembled some kind of band, with an open shape of a diamond cut in the middle of it. Trunks took it from her and looked at it.

 

“Well?” Vegita asked.

 

“I don't recognize it,” Trunks replied.

 

Gotenks then set foot on the ground nearby.

 

Trunks studied the fused being with curiosity and watched in amazement as the fusion wore out and the single Gotenks separated into two boys. Chibi, upon seeing the bewildered look of his “brother”, beamed happily.

 

“Look what we found,” Goten announced.

 

Both of their hands the boys each held the same band that Trunks now did.

 

Chibi then looked at the mound and pointed. “Hey, we found one of those, too. But it's gone now.”

 

“How?” Trunks asked.

 

“This weird purple steam came out of it, and it all just kinda… disappeared.” Chibi supplied in answer.

 

“Did you do anything to it?”

 

“No, it did it by itself,” confirmed Goten, while Chibi nodded.

 

It was clear that Trunks was at a loss. Purple steam? he then thought. He returned his attention to the heap of metal and saw Azure reach out to touch its surface. Almost immediately, she drew back her hand in surprise. That was enough to make Chibi and Goten want to put their hands on it as well.

 

“Hey, this feels really weird,” Chibi stated as the two boys also drew back their hands. Goten nodded.

 

“Hot?” Trunks asked.

 

“Yea, but it's soft.”

 

At that moment, a mist of purple-tinted steam rose out of the center of the heap and began to surround it. A few minutes later, whatever was encompassed by the mist started to shrink and become transparent; the process continuing until the heap was completely gone.

 

<><><><><><>

 

Gohan.

 

“Yea?” Gohan answered, seemingly to empty air.

 

Come to the Lookout.

 

“Right,” Gohan said with a nod.

 

“Dende is calling us to the Lookout,” Goku confirmed aloud.

 

“Got the same message from Piccolo.” Gohan took one more look at the resting Videl before he and his father headed outside of the Capsule Corp. building.

 

<><><><><><>

 

Trunks.

 

Mirai tilted his head and looked up into the sky. “Dende?”

 

Come to the Lookout.

 

“Right,” Mirai nodded as he turned to look at his father. “We're being summoned to the Lookout.”

 

Vegita only nodded, as Azure merely cocked an eyebrow. “Go back to the house and wait there until I return,” he ordered her.

 

Mirai looked to the kids.

 

“Don't bother; we're going, no matter what,” Chibi warned.

 

Mirai replied with a small, knowing smirk as the group disbursed to their destinations.

 

Before lifting up into the sky, Chibi walked over to Azure. “We'll have to finish up later,” he said in a low voice accompanied with a smirk.

 

She nodded back at him. “Of course.”

 

*~*~*~*~*