A/N: Welcome back, beloved readers! If you haven't read A Saiyan's Family, I do suggest reading it, but I'll try to add in enough context so you can still understand this story, even if you haven't. This story will be in the form of episodes, with each episode having two chapters (unless they're really big, important episodes, those might have four).

For those of you who haven't read the first fic, or would like a bit of a recap, here's the short version: Goku made a wish on the dragon balls, and got his family back. Because of that, events happened a little differently, leading ultimately to everyone in the universe with Saiyan blood getting wished to Earth, Kami making Krillin and Upa Guardians of the Earth (at the cost of his own life), and the battle with Frieza taking place on Earth, which Vegeta and his royal guard Kakarot finally won. The Ox Kingdom has allied with the Saiyans, and has grown considerably. The humans in other parts of the world have understandably mixed feelings about the Saiyans. And many of their enemies are still out there…

EPISODE 1, PART 1

DECISIONS

The Ox Kingdom, on first glance, seemed like nothing but farm land, as far as the eye could see. Indeed, if you were walking along the winding roads to where the Ox Kingdom was said to be located, you'd wonder where all the houses were, you'd wonder who tended the freshly tilled farms you were passing, who milked the cows you saw in the pasture, who fed the chickens you could hear clucking in the distance? But, if you followed those winding roads, you'd come to see that the Ox Kingdom was right there, the whole time. And it was massive.

In the center of all that farmland was a deep crater, impossibly deep, practically a canyon. It was perfectly round, as though it had been literally carved out of the earth, and the walls of it were riddled with holes, which closer inspection would show to be windows and doors. The winding roads sloped down into the canyon in spirals, inevitably leading to the very bottom, which was covered in rows of booths that spanned inward towards a single point. Standing in the middle of that point was a large arena, made half of heavy gray stones, and half of black obsidian. The half of it that was obsidian, came up on the edge to form one tower, and on the other side the gray stone came up to form another. The whole thing looked like two castles at war with each other. In truth, there were two castles… but the kings who resided in them were strong allies.

King Vegeta and the Saiyan people had been taken in by the Ox Kingdom when they first arrived on Earth, and had once had their own village, but it had quickly become apparent after their village was destroyed that there was no real point in separating the Saiyans from the people of the Ox Kingdom; they needed each other, relied on each other. Their cultures had become intertwined, so after Frieza's forces attacked the earth one month ago, the architect who had created the now destroyed Saiyan Village began a new project, one that expressed how closely knit the two cultures really were.

This relationship was embodied in the architect's son, who was currently sitting on the ground on the edge of the great canyon, looking down at his father's work. It always amazed Beet how his father was able to make something as simple as a building, express the spirit of the people living inside it. He wished he could express himself that way; his father, the gruff warrior that he was, was a genius when it came to architecture. Beet was lucky if he could make one brick sit atop another.

It wasn't that Beet was unskilled. He was a good fighter, showing a natural talent and a high power level from an early age. His grandfather had been quite proud of him in that respect, as was his father. He was intelligent enough; his mother, on her gentle days, would often drill him in math, science, and literature, and he was able to hold his own, despite his rather spotty education. But in none of it did he ever really express himself. None of it was really him. He fought, because he was a Saiyan, and he had to fight. He learned, because mother insisted he learn. But he was only really doing what he was told. He wasn't passionate about any of it. Not like his father was about architecture, or his uncle Kakarot was about fighting.

And yet… and yet. His passion, hadn't that been what had caused him to do it? This place, this crater that his people now called home… it wasn't that different from the crater that was left of West City, was it? If he wasn't passionate about fighting, then why had he done it? A whole city of people, of lives, had they all been snuffed out because of something he wasn't even passionate about?

"You missed my training," a voice said from behind him, and Beet jumped slightly, glancing up to see Saru standing behind him. The mustached priest sat down next to him, arranging his robes neatly so as not to put undue pressure on his mangled tail. Beet kept his eyes respectfully away as he did; the priest could be a bit sensitive about his tail. Any Saiyan would be.

"Sorry, Saru," Beet said, his dark hair falling into his eyes again. He didn't really care; it hid the fact that he'd been crying again, something he'd rather die than be caught doing by another Saiyan. "Lost track of time," he said, keeping his voice even. All the cubs were supposed to meet with Saru first thing after breakfast, for his 'training', which was nothing but a lecture about the War Path, the ancient Saiyan religion lost to time. Saru had recently decided to indoctrinate the cubs as much as possible, in hopes that they would avoid the mistakes that nearly led to their species' extinction.

"It's my experience," Saru said after a moment of silence, "that the ones who need guidance most, are the least likely to seek it out."

Beet swallowed hard. "No offense, Saru… but the War Path probably says I did the right thing," he said, trying in vain to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

Pain blossomed in the back of his head, and Beet realized that Saru had just smacked him. He hadn't even seen the man move! "No, you idiot, the War Path says you're a moron. You really don't listen to my lectures, do you?" he accused, causing Beet to wince. The older Saiyan sighed. "The people of West City were weak. They barely put up a fight. The War Path says, to kill an unworthy adversary is to rob yourself of the worthy adversary they may one day become. There's honor in killing an enemy that is your equal. What you did was… what's the human expression your mother uses? Shooting fish in a box?"

"A barrel," Beet said, feeling as though Saru had punched him with his words. He looked away, desperate not to cry again. "Then what does the War Path say I should do now?" he asked, his throat tight.

Saru narrowed his eyes. "Sorry, cub, my ancestors didn't think of any pearls of wisdom for sulking half-human cubs. Trouble with you hybrids is, you don't get bloodthirsty. If you did, you'd be over this by now. At least you're still young… better to make your mistakes when you're young, learn from them before you can do any real damage," he said, standing up. "My advice? Get up, dust yourself off, and go do something. In the end, that's all you really can do," he said, and with that, he walked away.

Beet watched him go, frowning. He was right. It was time to do something. He stood up, and looked up into the clear blue sky.

It had been one month now, one month since Beet had lost control, and destroyed the city he was trying to protect. The Guardians of the Earth had told him to come to them in one month. It was time to see once and for all, if there was anything he could do to make up for what he'd done.

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East City was still rebuilding after what the world was calling the Great Alien Invasion. Detours had been built to replace the highways that used to run into the city, and many buildings were still in ruins. It was in one of these ruins that two children were playing a game of tag. Laughter echoed through the empty abandoned office building, as the dark haired boy stopped in a hallway, scowling. "I'm gonna find you, Lazuli! You can't hide forever!"

His protests only brought about more laughter, and the scurrying of feet. "You couldn't find water in the ocean!" came his sister's taunting, and Lapis smirked, following the direction the sound came from. All he had to do was keep acting like he didn't know where she was, and…

Suddenly, something heavy hit him from behind, and he fell to the ground, pinned underneath a giggling blonde-haired girl. "Gotcha!" she sing-songed.

Lapis scowled up at her. "You dummy! You're supposed to hide, I'm supposed to find you… that's how hide and seek works!" he protested.

Lazuli shrugged as she got off of his back. "I got bored waiting for you to find me. I kept leaving you hints and everything. You're the dummy!" she retorted.

"I was waiting to make my move!" Lapis argued back, to which Lazuli merely rolled her eyes.

"You know… neither one of you are any good at hide and seek," a voice said from nearby, and both children spun around to see a woman with curly purple hair, wearing a black trench coat with a strange red symbol on it. Instinctively, the two twins drew close to each other, backing away. The woman smiled patiently. "Don't worry… I'm not here to hurt you. I'm hiding, too," she said conspiratorially, and the two children glanced at each other dubiously.

"What are you hiding from?" Lapis asked, wondering why a grown-up would need to hide… and not really wanting to know the answer.

The woman frowned slightly. "Aliens," she said darkly.

"The aliens all got killed," Lazuli pointed out. "The soldiers said it was safe now."

The purple-haired woman fixed her dark blue eyes on Lazuli's ice-blue ones. "Not all of the aliens are dead. There's still the Saiyans," she said, scowling. "And they're the worst of them all."

Suddenly, Lapis grinned. "Well, don't worry, we won't tell where you're hiding. Right, sis?" he asked, his hand surreptitiously grasping hers.

Lazuli's eyes widened. "Right! Your secret's safe with us," she said, smiling.

In the next instant, the two bolted away, splitting up, and in no time, they were gone.

Eleven watched the street urchins go, musing to herself. Yes… those two were perfect…

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Master Roshi gazed at the shapely bosom of the beautiful brunette laid out in front of him, unknowingly drooling a little on his shirt. In the distance, he could hear his two students sparring. Well, students was a loosely applied term. Those two had surpassed him in speed, strength, and skill… one would think they had no more to learn from the old martial arts master. But then… if that's all it took to master martial arts, there would be many more masters than there were…

There was a lot those two needed to learn, still, but it wasn't the sort of thing one could sit down and learn in one day. And those two weren't training for a martial arts tournament… no, they were training for something bigger. And they would only learn what they needed to learn by facing it.

And yet, Krillin, his student Krillin, had the nerve to ask him to take on more students? Didn't becoming the Guardian of Earth come with enough sense for him to know Roshi was a retired old man? He should be on his island, looking at dirty magazines, drinking himself silly, not going on a recruitment drive…

Master Roshi sighed. He couldn't even really enjoy Miss February without thinking about it, it seemed. With a sigh of resignation, he took a deep breath, and let out a whistle so loud, the animals in the trees nearby scattered. The sounds of fighting ceased, and shortly two young men stood before him. The one with black hair and innocent looking eyes spoke. "Master Roshi, you know you don't have to whistle like that, my hearing is exceptional, I could have heard you if you just spoke our names quietly," he said ruefully, bringing a hand to his head. "My ears are still ringing," he complained.

Master Roshi's eyebrows shot up. "You mean, you were listening in on me, when…"

The other man, the bald one with three eyes, looked away studiously, his cheeks turning uncharacteristically red. The black haired man seemed non-plussed, however. "When what? Oh, when you were masturbating? Or when you were defecating? I just ignore all your grunting sounds altogether, Master," he assured the old man, then paused at the mortified looks he received from both Master Roshi and Tienshinhan. "Oh. Looks like I'm missing a social interaction file," he said, looking down self-consciously.

Tienshinhan placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Twelve. Not a big deal," he said, causing the man to look up at him. "We don't talk about Master Roshi's grunting. File added, we move on, right?" he said softly.

Twelve grinned. "Yeah, file added," he said, then turned his attention to Master Roshi as Tien's hand fell away. "What's up, Master Roshi?" he asked, as though nothing had happened.

Master Roshi blinked behind his sunglasses, suppressing a sigh. As much as the young man before him looked like Yamcha, and sounded like Yamcha, and usually acted like Yamcha, it was hard not to remember that Yamcha, the real Yamcha, was actually gone. Well… technically gone. Dr. Gero had committed murder, plain and simple, by turning Yamcha into an android. But the poor man wanted so badly to be his former self, to hold on to what remained of his humanity, that small reminders like this that he was, in fact, a machine, tore at his mechanically-altered heart. It was easy for Tienshinhan, who had only known him as an android; for those who knew him back when he was Yamcha, it was like living with the ghost of their old friend.

Realizing he was staring again, Master Roshi cleared his throat. "Tien, has Chiaotzu come back yet from North City?" he asked.

Tien scowled. "Not yet, Master, but he called yesterday, and said he'd probably arrive sometime this afternoon. He'd found some potential students, but he wanted to wait an extra day, said there was something that needed taken care of there, and not to worry," he grumbled. He didn't like Chiaotzu going off on his own, but he had wanted to do it, and his smaller size made it easier for him to blend in.

Master Roshi sighed. "Okay. Then I'm putting you two in charge," he said with a nod, then turned back to the side of the house, where the encapsulation panel was. He pressed the button, causing the pink house to instantly collapse into a capsule with a loud bang.

The two younger men's eyes went wide. "You're leaving?" Twelve asked, surprised.

Tien was scowling. "You're not leaving us to train those kids ourselves, are you?" he asked incredulously.

"I'm over 300 years old! I've been teaching martial arts since before your grandparents were in diapers! You two are grown men, ain't ya? Consider this a part of your training, then. The best way to learn is to teach. You two teach those kids about hard work, perseverance, and humility. You've both taken my training. Show them what you've learned. If you have any questions… you know where to find me," he said, picking up the capsule that was his house from the ground. He then glanced up at the Tower of Korin, and shouted up at the sky. "And if you two got a problem with that, you can bite me!" he yelled, shaking his fist. He then turned the opposite way, and took a deep breath. "COME TO ME, BABY GAMERA!" he yelled.

Twelve frowned. "Baby Gamera? What's that?" he asked.

Tien shook his head. "I don't know. I think the old man's finally lost it," he sighed, just as they saw something in the distance, approaching very fast. As it got closer, they could see it was a large spinning turtle… with fire coming from its feet? The turtle landed before they could get a closer look, poking its head out at Master Roshi. When it opened its mouth, a harsh sound emerged, sounding like large rocks being scraped together.

Master Roshi smiled. "Thanks, Baby Gamera," he said, climbing onto the turtle's bumpy back. He leveled his gaze at Tien and Twelve. "You two be good. Try not to start any wars, if you can manage it. If you'll excuse me, I've got my retirement to get back to," he said, and patted the turtle on its shell. "Take me back home, Baby Gamera," he said. Suddenly, the strange turtle took to the air, fire coming from its shell, and it began to spin so quickly that Master Roshi looked as though he wasn't even spinning at all. In seconds it was gone, disappearing off into the distance.

Tien sighed. "Well… I guess that means we're teachers now," he said, frowning.

"We can do it," Twelve said, grinning. "It can't be that hard. All Master Roshi did was sit there and read magazines the whole time Krillin and I trained. All we need is some land to till, some milk to deliver, and some really heavy turtle shells," he said, and his face fell. "Oh, I guess Master Roshi took the turtle shells with him," he said, frowning.

Suddenly, they could feel the pressure of energy nearby, and a number of turtle shells appeared out of nowhere, lying on the ground near the base of the tower. The two men glanced at each other, and Twelve picked one up. "Fifty pounds," he said, then glanced at one of the two larger ones, that had appeared off to the side. Walking over to one, he picked it up. "One ton. I think these two are meant for us," he said, handing it to Tien.

Tien glanced at the turtle shells, then back up at the tower. "You know, it's weird when you guys do that," he said towards the Guardians obviously responsible. His expression softened. "But thanks," he said softly, and looked back at the turtle shell Twelve was handing him. As he hefted the heavy shell onto his back, he sighed. "If Master Crane could see me now…" he muttered sardonically.

Twelve slipped the other shell onto his back. "Would he have preferred you wear a hat with a bird on it?" he asked, as his body compensated for the added weight.

"He would have preferred I didn't join forces with his arch rival," he grumbled, "much less accept training from him. And now I'm going to be teaching at his rival's school. I know his ways were wrong, but… I still feel like a traitor," he murmured.

"But you aren't," Twelve pointed out. "Crane and Roshi might have started out as rivals, but in the end, they both did what they did to protect the Earth. And that's what you're doing right now," he said, looking the man over. "It was the same with Dr. Gero. What he did to me was wrong, but he did it for good reasons. If we're doing something good for those same reasons… then we're not really betraying them. We're just finding a better way to fulfill their goals," he said, shrugging. "At least, that's the logic that lets me get around his primary programming," he added with a smirk.

Tien laughed at that. "Primary programming, huh? Yeah… I guess I could do without some of my primary programming, too, then. Come on, spar with me. I wanna see if we can still move with these things on our backs. Won't do any good if the students see us falling over ourselves," he said, getting into battle stance.

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Krillin was looking over the edge of the Lookout, smiling softly to himself. Shortly the adolescent Guardian was joined by a much taller adolescent Guardian. "They're starting the school?" Upa asked, looking over the edge himself.

"Yeah. Master Roshi's letting Yamcha and Tien take over. Can't say I didn't see that coming," he chuckled.

Upa blinked, then looked away and to their right. "We have a visitor," he said, causing Krillin to glance in that direction. Upa smiled. "Right on time," he said softly.

As they watched, Beet landed on the stone floor of the Lookout, his eyes seeking them out instantly. The pain he felt was obvious to the two Guardians, who cast him the same sympathetic gaze. Beet stepped forward bravely, scowling. The boy was tall for his age, and carried himself like a warrior, which caused him to be quite intimidating. "I'm here to see what I can do about West City," he said, his expression fierce.

As one, the two Guardians stepped forward, walking towards him. They regarded him for a long moment, reading his thoughts. Then, Krillin spoke. "There is a way that what was done can be undone," he said.

Beet's eyes widened, and a hint of a smile appeared. "Really?" he asked hopefully.

"But," Upa added, holding up a hand, "the knowledge of it must be kept secret. It will require a journey on your part, that may take a long time, and no one may know what you are doing, or where you are going," he warned.

Beet scowled. "That doesn't make any sense. My people know how to use Instant Transmission. If they want, they can just focus on my energy and find me," he said.

"We can teach you how to hide your energy, so no one can sense you," Krillin said. "As for the rest, though… you have to promise first that no one else will learn what we tell you," he said, and scowled. "Especially not King Vegeta."

Beet's eyes went wide again, and he took a step back. "You… you want me to keep a secret from the king?!" he asked, and some of what his father had told him before, after the battle at West City, came back to him. Raditz had told his son that things like this were not for him to decide. That matters of war were to be left to their leaders, that their job was only to follow their orders. Beet had thought at the time that such advice was cowardly. But now, faced with this… "You're talking about treason," he said softly. His eyes were hard. "This secret you want me to keep… is it something King Vegeta would want to know? Something he'd be upset if I kept from him?" he asked.

Upa frowned, and nodded. "That much we can tell you."

Beet's eyes filled with tears, and he looked away. His heart was torn. What he had done… he would give anything to undo it. But… could he commit treason to do it? Was keeping valuable information from his king really that bad of a thing? It wasn't as though he was doing what Ruta did, harboring a dangerous creature in their midst, helping it murder people. "Will keeping this a secret hurt my people?" he asked, not looking at the two Guardians.

"It's not our intention to hurt anyone, Beet. We're trying to stop a war, not start one," Krillin replied, but Beet turned on him, glaring.

"That isn't an answer! You're asking me to commit treason. Tell me the truth… if I do this, will it hurt my people?" he insisted.

Krillin met his eyes. "Not if you protect this secret, as we do. Not if this knowledge doesn't fall into the wrong hands," he said.

His father's words filtered into his mind. This decision was too big for him. But…

"We'll give you the day to think it over," Upa said softly, earning a sharp glance from the cub. "Take some time, and clear your mind. Focus on what's truly important. We will await your answer tomorrow," he advised.

Beet sighed, and gave them a short nod. Then, he took to the air, and flew off, back towards the Ox Kingdom.

A/N: Okay, guys, that's part one. I'll try to get part two up this weekend, but if not, it'll be next weekend. As always, I welcome your questions, and especially your suggestions, via PM. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for part two!