Gohan knew they should be returning to Mount Paozu; it didn't matter where he heard Bulla's story. The sun had set and it was dark. If they weren't home soon enough, his mother would worry and that wasn't fair to her. Nevertheless, they stayed put near Backpack Town on a secluded mountain overlooking Satan City. Gohan looked down at the small pinpricks of light clustered together, knowing whether he liked it or not, one of the few things that stood between them and total destruction was himself and according to Bulla, destruction was coming.

"So there's no timeline to go back to?" Gohan wasn't sure if he was hearing her right. Then again, when Piccolo read her mind he had mentioned seeing nothing and from what Gohan observed from Bulla, it wasn't because she was empty-headed. "How is that even possible?"

Bulla shook her head, clutching the broken sword she had previously wielded at him close to her chest. "I don't really remember everything. I was the first one cut down before everything started to disappear."

"Start from the beginning then," Gohan nudged her on.

"Ten years," she whispered. "It was ten years and we had almost rebuilt," she said through gritted teeth. Bulla paused for a long while and looked away from Gohan before taking a shaky breath and continuing. It was dark but he saw how her eyes had become red-rimmed. "My brother left me in charge of protecting the few remaining humans while he used the time machine to get help."

"Help from whom?" Trunks hadn't come here. If Gohan was doing the math right, Bulla was from twenty-two years in the future. There was a whole stretch of time in his own future unaccounted for, what year did Trunks go back to?

"I'm assuming you guys, the whole cadre of fighters—well, those willing to travel," she said, shrugging. "I didn't get to meet any of them. I had been sent to look for survivors in the small villages away from the big cities as soon as Trunks got back," she stopped to wipe her eyes with her oversized sleeves, "I didn't find anyone alive." Gohan froze knowing the implication of her words.

"I'm sorry." How many times was Gohan going to end up saying that through her story? He knew how little sorries meant in the face of a great loss but his mind was reeling. "Who did all this? Was it another one of Gero's creations? Was it Cell?"

"No," Bulla shook her head. "It was black."

"What was black? Was it a creature? An alien?" He had seen all sorts of species on Namek, but they were all dead. At the time, they seemed like the most ferocious beings in the universe. Were there worse things out there?

"No. A person. Just like you." Bulla's expression immediately transformed into ferocity and anger. "We called him Black because he was pure evil. He liked to toy with me; he got this sick pleasure out of it. I think more so than torturing my brother or just murdering people indiscriminately but he never really hurt me," she frowned. "He just liked to get me agitated and exhausted until I would retreat to fight another day." None of that really answered Gohan's questions but he figured it would be best to let her tell her story in her own way.

"He showed up one year ago killing anyone in sight, but not before destroying our food supply. Genocide is more effective that way I guess," Bulla said with a far-off look in her eyes, seemingly disconnected from the situation.

"That's terrible," Gohan couldn't help but blurt out. Bulla nodded and then took a deep breath.

"The reason I freaked out on you when you found me is because of how you looked," there was a pregnant pause in which Bulla seemed to be weighing her options. "Black has a face like yours, in my delirium, I thought I was facing off against him again."

"What?!" Gohan jumped back shocked. "Am I Black? Were you sent back in time to kill me before I kill everyone?" He began to fidget and panic, a cold sweat coming over him. Am I going to be the reason for the end of existence?

"What? No!" Bulla looked at him oddly. "Truthfully, I have no idea why I was sent here or even if it was purposeful. I am choosing to assume there is a reason." The first of many more questions on his mind was the revelation that she didn't choose to come here but he stayed latched onto the idea that she was escaping a guy who looked liked himself.

"But he looks like me?"

"Yes, but not exactly like you. My mom had taken to calling him Goku Black because he looked exactly like your dad."

Gohan's heart hardened and his demeanor became severe, "Have you come here to kill Goten? Because I am not going to let you do that." There was no way he would let her do anything to his little brother, destroyer of worlds or not.

"No! Would you stop and let me finish? Besides he was never born in my timeline," she growled at him. Gohan supposed he could have had more patience but her story was making him scared and wary.

"He looks like your dad—that's what both my mom and brother said since they actually knew him—but according to my brother, Black doesn't have the same energy signature as your dad and knowing Goten's energy, it's not the same at all either," she explained. "I have to admit Goten as the culprit did cross my mind," she said, giving him a wry smile. "It was as if someone had stolen your dad's body but according to Trunks, Black is far more powerful than your dad was and more to the point your dad is dead in both our timelines."

"Yes," Gohan said, sadness washing over him and the guilt creeping up on him. Gohan tried to stay focused on all the unanswered questions in his head instead of the distraction of his unresolved feelings. "So you have no idea who Black is?"

"Not a clue," she shook her head. "There wasn't much time to fill me in. I felt the battle taking place and I rushed over as quickly as I could but Black wasn't there. Instead, it was this strange deformed and grotesque creature; I never had a chance," she said. "It came right at me with a blade it made with its own energy to slash me across the stomach and it hurt so bad that I had to fight to stay conscious while the fighting went on around me.

"I don't know what happened; I could barely keep my eyes open. It sounds a little insane but some sort of robot cauterized my wound and gave me some energy?" she said questioningly like it sounded silly to her own ears. "It kept me alive at any rate. It put me in the time machine...I saw my brother closing the hatch and faces," she paused seemingly almost losing herself. "So many of the same faces everywhere laughing malevolently. Then the same faces panicking before everything started to dissolve and turn white but I was being sucked away in the time machine. When I woke up, I was here, in this timeline. Even though I was weak I felt their distress and their fear. I couldn't stay away; I had to help," she finished.

"The bank robbery," Gohan stated, realizing they had reached the present time in her story.

"Yes, and everything else. Lucky for me, there was a capsule case in the time machine so I didn't need to sleep outside," she said. They both stayed quiet for a while. Gohan stared at her, taking everything in, while she looked ahead at the city lights. Then much to Gohan's surprise, she smirked. "Did you get all that Mr. Piccolo?" Bulla called out loudly in no specific direction. Gohan heard rather than saw the normally stoic Namekian sputter before he floated toward them, with a purple blush appearing on his green skin. "The androids never gave off any energy. Trunks taught me not to rely on sensing ki," she explained without being asked.

"You two probably have a lot to talk about," she told the two warriors. "I'll meet you back at Mount Paozu, Gohan. It's dark enough that people won't see me or perhaps people will just think I'm a plane," she said before powering up and flying off in the distance, not giving them any chance to respond.

"She's not telling us everything," Piccolo informed him once Bulla was already hundreds of kilometers away.

"What do you mean? And how long were you following us?" Gohan asked his old mentor. From everything she said, and her behavior, Gohan found her incredibly trustworthy but he had to at least listen to his oldest friend.

"She's withholding something," the stoic warrior said. "And I never left when you first brought her to your home. I've been watching over her ever since."

Gohan opted to ignore the second part of Piccolo's statement and focused on the first. "Is it really that important that she's not telling us everything?"

"Not sure," Piccolo stated. "She could be thinking like Trunks and is cautious about changing too many things. She hasn't said anything about going to see her parents has she?"

"No, not exactly," Gohan said knowing part of that was his fault. He thought to himself what he would do if he had a chance to see his dad again. He would probably run into his arms.

"Whatever the reason, keep an eye out for anything," Piccolo said and with a swish of his cape he took off to who knows where.

If this Goku Black was the problem, why on Earth was she here and now? They would have years to prepare if he was a factor in this timeline as well. These thoughts preoccupied Gohan's mind while he rode the nimbus cloud home. No doubt, Bulla had gotten there far before him. He could sense her power, she was no weakling, the fact that she could turn Super Saiyan when she was on the verge of death said a lot too.

When he got home, he saw Bulla had already set up her capsule house. The lights were on and he wondered if it was an invitation to join her but as he stood there contemplating, the windows went dark answering his question for him and he went inside his own home fully expecting everyone else to have retired. Instead, he saw his mother waiting up for him.

"Did Bulla say anything before she went to bed?" Gohan asked his mom.

"Nothing in particular, just that she's tired," Chi Chi shrugged and got up, seemingly ready to head to her bedroom.

"Mom, can I ask you something?" Gohan blurted out, stopping Chi Chi in her tracks. His family was rarely the type to talk about their feelings and misgivings.

"Are you really okay with Bulla here? What made you trust her so fast?"

Chi Chi looked at him puzzled as if the answer was obvious, "Yes, and it's because you brought her here." She didn't wait for Gohan to say anything else and retreated to her bedroom leaving Gohan to do the same.

Before going to bed, Gohan took a moment to study Goten. Someone with a face exactly like his was responsible for destroying Earth, maybe even the whole universe. It was hard to believe; his brother was so innocent. Deep down, those thoughts frightened him. He had to take solace in the fact that it seemed like there was someone here who could hopefully prevent it from becoming inevitable. He wasn't so sure how he felt about it being him.

As he laid awake, Gohan's mind drifted to darker possibilities. Trunks' arrival had made a lot of butterflies, chief of which was Cell, but he did bring a cure for his dad, though it didn't even end up mattering in the long run. He still died, Gohan thought as he willed the tears not to form.

That night Gohan dreamed of his dad cutting down people who ran from him in terror, of Bulla being slashed across the stomach, bleeding out with no one to help her, and him standing there frozen and unable to move like he was that five year old boy being forced to face death again.

Gohan awoke with a start, surprised he could still move. Once she shook off the drowsiness and got his bearings he realized where he was and started to calm down, realizing his dreams were just that, dreams. Where was Goten though? He looked around wildly to see his brother's bed empty and the blankets disturbed. Normally, the little guy was quick to hop on Gohan to wake him up to play or something. Not waiting for an explanation, Gohan rushed out of their shared room and upon seeing no one—not even his mom—rushed outside to where he felt Goten's wild ki.

When he saw the scene in front of him, he didn't know whether to be relieved or alarmed.

"You're a Super Saiyan, Goten?!" Unfortunately, his outburst had distracted poor Goten and Bulla landed a hit that sent him flying a few feet.

"Pay attention, Goten!" Bulla demanded as she jogged over to the little Super Saiyan and helped him up. To his credit, Goten didn't look fazed in the slightest.

"Gohan!" Goten said rushing to Gohan excitedly. "Bulla is training me and she even says she can teach me to fly!" he threw up his arms enthusiastically.

"But—what—how?" Gohan stumbled over his words. "Since when are you a Super Saiyan? Since when do you even fight?" From what little he saw of Goten and Bulla sparring, Gohan could see Goten was making precise punches and kicks even though Bulla was blocking them all in her base form.

"Mom trains me sometimes but she doesn't like when I can change my hair, but Bulla said she doesn't care!" Goten said practically bouncing.

"It's not enough just to know katas," Bulla interrupted the two brothers. "You must be strong! Your spirit must be balanced and you must train your body to move without thinking. Gohan!" She turned sharply to the teen boy, her demeanor more like that of a drill sergeant than the timid but friendly girl he met yesterday.

"Me?" he couldn't help but squeak. Today he found her intimidating and serious.

"Of course you!" she barked. "Put your training clothes on and join us. I can tell you've gone soft," she poked his chest with her broken sword to emphasize her point. Where did that come from? Gohan wondered. "We can't have that, who knows what new crisis is on the horizon? The world needs you to be prepared!"

"And that goes for you too!" Bulla said sharply, turning her attention to Goten who Gohan had figured Bulla had been humoring at first. The little boy squeaked in surprise. "Now go pick up that boulder over there and run five kilometers and back!" she ordered Goten who hastily complied looking thoroughly intimidated. "And then do it ten more times!" she yelled after him.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" she asked him looking him up and down. Gohan had been in such a rush to find Goten to calm his nerves that he forgot how he was dressed, he even forgot they had a female guest—a female guest, his age.

His cheeks reddened and he rushed back inside feeling embarrassed. He quickly pulled out his gi before he stopped to ask himself a few questions: Why am I listening to her? What can I possibly learn from her?

Nevertheless, he complied. He didn't want to know what would happen if she got angry. His mother was pure of heart as well but that didn't preclude her from being scary when she was furious.

Gohan opened his front door a crack and warily peeked outside to see what Bulla was doing and much to his horror she was staring right at him.

"What are you doing?" she demanded and started to march toward him. Gohan screamed internally and ran outside to join her.

"Nothing!" he proclaimed his innocence. "I'm just not sure why we're doing this. It's been peaceful here for seven y—"

"And I thought the same thing," she cut him off. "We all did, but ten years later we were challenged again and we lost. I won't let it happen here too." Silence hung over them as Gohan considered her words. They had been forewarned of the androids and at least the extra training and preparation had spared the lives of their friends but his dad dying in the other timeline hadn't stopped Gero from releasing the androids there either. What if his dad's death wasn't the solution to peace on Earth like he hoped it was? Then that meant Goku's sacrifice had been in vain, Gohan thought bitterly. His father's words echoing in his head. "Gohan! You're the only one who can finish it!"

"Okay, fine. We can train for a while but I still need to do my homework and study," he compromised.

Bulla nodded in agreement, "Then show me what you've got." She got into a familiar fighting position, the one he had seen on her brother years earlier.

Knowing she wanted him to go all out, he effortlessly transformed into Super Saiyan but Bulla remained in her base form. "Why aren't you ascending?"

"I don't know. Do I need to?" she said smirking, still in her fighting stance. "I know what you're thinking and don't you dare hold back."

The girl was probably getting in over her head. As far as he could tell, her power level was adequate but no match for a Super Saiyan. He didn't want to hurt her but he knew she was testing him. He figured a good show of his speed would be a sweeping kick to knock her down, thinking that it probably wouldn't hurt her too much.

Knowing she was waiting, Gohan made the first move and closed the distance between them as fast as he could before sweeping her legs, but much to his surprise she caught onto what he was doing and jumped away in time, still in her base form.

"You can do better than that," she chided. "Don't be afraid to really come at me. I can take it, I promise," she reassured him.

Okay then, he thought to himself. He tried to knee her in the stomach but she was able to block it with her hands. When he tried to punch her, she moved out of the way effortlessly. Every limb thrown her way was dodged or blocked without her even trying to retaliate. It only went on for a few moments before Bulla stopped him by simply pushing him off his feet.

"Is that—" she looked at him in surprise from where she stood above him. "Is that the best you can do?" she asked without malice.

"Um, I don't know?" Gohan answered honestly. "I haven't felt the pull to train, so I didn't," he shrugged.

"But my brother said your power was unfathomable," she said, looking severely disappointed. She held out her hand which Gohan took and she helped him up.

"You've caught me off guard. I was never expecting a girl from the future to show up and demand I start training at a moment's notice," he said dusting off his pants.

"And that's why you won't be prepared for what's coming," she said looking serious and then sighing, rubbing her temples. "Trunks sent me here for a reason, I know he did," she wasn't even looking at him but staring off into nowhere, seemingly talking to herself. "But the best I can figure out is to make sure you are at your best," she said turning to him, looking as earnest as Gohan had ever seen. "Let's go again," she said. No room for arguments, Gohan guessed.

Gohan expected more of the same, him trying and failing to land a hit on her, but out of nowhere, she slapped him, hard.

"What was that for?" he said clutching his cheek where it started to sting. It wasn't enough to knock him off his feet but his face was throbbing with pain. Gohan had to dodge when instead of answering, Bulla threw another punch and then another, this one slightly grazing him. Despite the pain, Gohan couldn't help the smirk that was forming on his face. It had been a long time since he had been challenged like this and if he was being honest with himself, it was firing him up.

Slowly but surely, he was falling back into the old rhythm of fighting. Of course, at the moment he was on the defense. He was thinking a bit too much but it was hard to focus when he was trying not to get hit. Bulla was a little hellcat, going after him with such ferocity. When he thought he had managed to dodge one attack, Bulla was primed for another one. Ironically, he could tell that she was most definitely holding back on him.

Soon Gohan figured out the pattern to her attacks. If he blocked a kick she would be ready with a punch, if he dodged one fist to his head, the other would be headed to his core. He wasn't sure if it was deliberate on her part to have him figure it out but he was finally a step ahead of her and took advantage. Knowing she was going for his stomach once he dodged, he didn't give her the chance to follow through. He brought his leg up, effectively blocking her and with his left arm punched her cheek, finally landing a hit. She didn't even flinch.

"Good," she smiled, completely unbothered that she just took a punch that would blow any other human's head off. "You're learning," she nodded in approval. "Let's go again."

"No fair!" the familiar voice of his little brother interrupted them. "Why does Gohan get to play showdown with you and I have to carry rocks?" Goten crossed his arms and pouted.

Instead of returning to drill instructor mode, Bulla went to approach Goten and hunched down to his level. "You are absolutely right, Goten," she said ruffling his hair. "Gohan isn't going to get stronger with just sparring." She turned to Gohan with a wicked smile on her face, "Get into base form and carry that," she pointed to a boulder twice as large as the one Goten had carried in the distance, "Ten kilometers and back all the while doing lunges."

"What? Why?" he didn't see much wisdom in the action.

Bulla stood up and stared at him seriously, "You rely too much on the Super Saiyan transformation thinking that is the end all be all. Let me tell you, it's not. You'll never reach your peak if you turn Super Saiyan every time something gets difficult."

"B-But my studies," Gohan protested weakly. He had only meant to humor her but she was decidedly more determined to mold him into shape.

"That boulder walk won't take you long and you know it," she said, dismissing his concerns. "Come on, Goten," she ignored Gohan in favor of his little brother. "Before you can fly, you need to learn how to properly control your energy," she said leading him away.

Gohan looked at the daunting boulder in the distance. He knew it would probably take a human all day if humans were able to lift massive boulders but he could probably knock out the task in a few hours. He still didn't know why he kowtowed to her so easily but he wasn't eager to fight her on anything, unless she asked, of course.

I have gone soft, Gohan thought as he struggled to pick up the boulder. It was uncomfortably heavy but he was determined to make it through the day.

Twenty kilometers of lunges later and he was exhausted, his muscles were screaming, and he was ready to hit the shower. Luckily, he returned home in time for lunch. Already, Goten and Bulla were eating outside with his mom laughing about something. It was a nice scene, Gohan thought, especially because Bulla probably hadn't had a moment like this in a while and it was nice to see her relax. He opted to delay the shower and joined them.

Gohan was too exhausted to make conversation but it was pleasant enough listening to Goten tell Bulla stories about their animal friends that lived nearby and how he caught a really big fish one time. All the while Bulla indulged the little boy with her attention.

"I can help with clearing the table so Gohan can get started on his homework," Bulla said to Chi Chi while getting up after everyone had finished eating. It didn't look like she had even broken a sweat that morning and with how powerful she seemed to be, she probably hadn't.

"Thank you, Bulla, that would be a tremendous help," Gohan's mother said smiling sincerely at Bulla. "Now you don't have an excuse not to get started, Gohan," she added to him pointedly.

"I'll help too!" Goten jumped up excitedly and began gathering plates and taking them inside.

Gohan retreated to his room knowing he had a few hours alone to do his homework and get some studying in which he fully intended to take advantage of but his thoughts continued to wander to the blue-haired girl who came into his life like a hurricane and it became hard to focus, so much so, that completing his schoolwork took far longer than he had expected.

"It's Saturday, Gohan. Don't you have any friends?" Bulla said waltzing into his room once night fell. "I figured you would probably be done by now." He had just managed to finish what was due Monday but didn't find the time to get ahead in his studies.

"Um, maybe?" Gohan put his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair. "I just started school, a real school," he began to explain. "I was homeschooled before and if you couldn't tell, there's no one else around for kilometers," he said. "There's this one girl Erasa and she's really nice and I think maybe this guy Sharpner is warming up to me?" He paused wondering if he should mention the Videl girl, she wasn't exactly a friend nor was she warming up to him but he didn't exactly have anyone to confide in either. "Then there's Videl—"

"Who's Videl?" Bulla asked, settling herself on Gohan's desk with her legs crossed. It looked a little provocative to Gohan but he pushed that thought away though it was difficult. She was right next to him, after all.

"She's this girl at school who's been following me—"

"Following you?" Bulla scrunched her eyebrows in confusion.

"Yeah, I think she suspects I may be more than I seem," Gohan was actually finding it quite comforting he had someone to talk to about this. All he had at home was Goten, who was too young to understand, and his mom, who didn't seem to trust any outsiders and would freak out over Videl's snooping and probably pull him out of school which he didn't want; he liked it there despite the rumors about his bowels.

"Why would she think that?" Bulla scoffed. Gohan tried not to be offended.

Gohan scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed, "Um, before you got here. I was the one going Super Saiyan and stopping bank robberies. Now everyone thinks you and I are a crime-fighting team, The Golden Fighters, with secret identities, kind of like superheroes."

Bulla burst out laughing at his revelation. "Really? Me too?" she said in between giggles. "I can't say the people of Satan City come up with great names."

"I didn't get to go to school either," Bulla confessed once she had stopped laughing. "Large gatherings were like a beacon to the androids. Plus, a lot of people weren't having kids in the thick of it. My mom says I was the surprise of her life," she smiled sadly.

"Besides your stalker, what's going to high school really like?" She looked at him in fervent curiosity. "My mom and I would watch old movies; it was one of the few forms of entertainment we had around. I really liked the teen ones especially that one about that really rich girl who thinks she's got it all figured out but is totally oblivious. Have you seen it?"

Gohan shook his head, "My parents weren't big on that kind of media. I usually read books."

"I guess we're both just sad sacks, sort of living vicariously through other people's stories," she said self-deprecatingly. "Oh, but I think I have an idea to get Videl off your back if you need it," she added.

"Oh yeah?" Gohan hunched forward. "That's one less thing to worry about."

"Just let me take care of all the goings-on in Satan City. I can move fast enough that people won't be able to tell which Golden Fighter is beating the bad guys," she said and did a few shadow punches.

"Then would you mind wearing my spare school badge?" Bulla lifted a skeptical eyebrow at his question. "I, um, forgot to take it off the last time I transformed around there."

Bulla rolled her eyes but nodded.

"Do you also maybe happen to have a one-seater plane with you?" he asked, pressing his luck. He didn't think he could pull the same trick on Videl twice and he couldn't very well show her that his "ride" was a magical cloud.

"The time machine fits one but it won't fly. It's out of fuel and I doubt you guys have the capability to make it yet," Bulla offered.

"That's no good," Gohan slumped over in his seat. "I don't think Videl will leave me alone until she sees me take off."

Bulla looked at him with pity. "It was Trunks' capsule case, he might have something in there and if I do find one you can pay me back by taking me to one of your school festivals. I've never been to one," Bulla said jumping off his desk and holding out her hand.

"Of course," Gohan said, shaking her hand. He hadn't been to one either, it would be a new experience for both of them. "What are friends for?"

"I've never had a friend my age before," Bulla said shyly, not letting go of his hand.

"You know what? Me neither."