"What?! You mean... They even knew about the senzu beans?" Piccolo said in shock, looking at Krillin as he nodded.

"I don't get it..." Luna mumbled, looking around at her friends with a confused expression. "They know everything about us... Why didn't they just finish us off?"

"Those two could have squashed all of us like flies..." Tien agreed, clenching his fists as he thought about what had happened. "They were just toying with us! Man... This is all Vegeta's fault!"

"Hey! Don't blame him..." Piccolo spoke up while glaring at the other fighter. "We all underestimated their strength... Which was a mistake!" He went on, looking at everyone intensely before continuing. "But we can't afford to make anymore... The androids may not be so forgiving next time..."

Before anyone could say another word, Vegeta took off, blasting away as fast as he could as everyone could do nothing but stare after him.

"Vegeta!" Krillin shouted, knowing it was already too late to stop him.

"H-hey! Wait!" Luna said quickly, watching as Trunks began running after his father.

"Trunks! Let him go..." Piccolo shouted, getting the boy's attention as he stopped. "Leave him alone..." Piccolo continued, knowing that the only thing that would help the Saiyan was time..."

Ever since Vegeta became a Super Saiyan his ego has been out of control..." Piccolo explained, everyone listening to his words as he spoke as though he had dealt with these problems first hand. "Honestly, I think what that android hurt the most today was his pride. He is very ashamed of his defeat..."

Trunks just sighed, powering down as he knew Piccolo was right.

"I know how he feels..." Luna said quietly, lowering her head as she thought about how hard they had all trained, just to be tossed aside like rag dolls. "We worked so hard... But they were still stronger than all of us put together..."

"No Luna, I'm sorry..." Krillin said suddenly, surprising everyone as he frowned. "I should have been fighting right alongside with you guys but I was just too scared..." He admitted, looking down as everyone remained silent for a moment.

"Don't sweat it." Piccolo said, looking at him seriously. "Trunks is a Super Saiyan and it only took one punch from those androids to take him out of the fight... Even if you had joined us Krillin, we would not have won today." He finished, saying the words as though they left a sour taste in his mouth.

"Rrgh... I wish Goku was here!" Krillin shouted, knowing they had to do something about the killer androids that were searching for him at this very moment.

"Trunks... You were able to take out Frieza single-handedly..." Luna said, looking at the boy to her left as she thought back to that battle. "And you're one of the strongest people I've ever met... But even if we have Goku... How will we stand a chance?"

"Goku is strong..." Tien added, seeing her point as he thought about it. "But in all honesty, I don't see how he can be that much stronger than Trunks or Vegeta... And if that's the case, we're done for!" He finished nervously as Krillin shuddered.

"I don't get it... These androids are much stronger than the ones I fought in my time..." Trunks admitted, looking at the ground as he thought back to his fights with Gohan.

"Wait... Trunks, what do you mean?" Piccolo asked suddenly, getting everyone's attention."The androids I fought were stronger than me but not this much..." Trunks replied, wondering how this could even be possible. "The kind of strength these new androids have is off the charts... I don't understand how the timeline could have changed so much!"

"Then we really are out of luck..." Tien said, his tone desperate as he turned around to glance at Piccolo and the others. "What should we do?"

"You guys go to Goku's and move him some place safe... He'll be able to join you once he's well." Piccolo explained, looking at them all seriously as his tone grew more ominous. "It's obvious that we're going to need all the help we can get to defeat these androids..."

"Good idea-"

"But Piccolo..." Luna interrupted, cutting Krillin off as she raised an eyebrow in his direction. "What are you going to be doing?"

"Rrgh... I- I don't know..." He answered awkwardly, looking away as he tried to avoid making eye contact with her.

"Come on Piccolo!" Luna pried, taking a step closer to him as she wondered why he was being so stubborn. "You can tell us your plan! We're friends, right?" She finished lightly, smiling up at him as he frowned.

"Listen to me... Stop asking questions!" Piccolo snapped, shouting at her as she looked at him in shock. "It's none of your concern!"

"Wha... Why? Why can't you tell me?!" Luna asked, sounding slightly hurt as she glared up at the larger fighter. "You don't have to do everything by yourself you know! I could help-"

"This is something that I have to do ALONE!" Piccolo shouted, gathering a ball of ki in his hand before blasting it towards where they were all standing.

Everyone dodged the attack easily, more surprised that it had even happened in the first place as they watched their comrade hovering above them for a moment before taking off.

"Piccolo! What do you think you're doing?!" Krillin shouted, wondering what the heck had gotten into everyone all of a sudden. First Vegeta takes off and now Piccolo?! We can't be splitting up like this...

"I'm leaving and anyone who tries to follow me will be sorry!" Piccolo shouted, glaring at each and every one of them before turning around. "Find Goku and forget about me!" He shouted, blasting away as Trunks, Luna, Krillin and Tien watched him go.

"What's with him? Did I miss something here?" Tien asked in confusion, watching as his figure vanished into the distance. "I haven't seen Piccolo act like that since back in the old days when he was trying to destroy Goku and take over the world..."

Luna froze, already shocked enough that Piccolo was leaving for whatever reasons. Did... Did I hear that right? She thought, feeling herself becoming a bit lightheaded suddenly. Piccolo... That's what he meant earlier when he was talking to Dr. Gero...

"It doesn't make sense... Last I heard, Piccolo was fighting on our si- Hey... Luna?" Tien said, looking at the purple haired woman who seemed to be a bit lost in thought. "Uh... You alright?"

"Yeah... I... I just..." Luna mumbled, not sure what to say as she shook her head, suddenly knowing what had to be done. "I'm sorry... We have to go! We have to go get Goku now!" She finished urgently, looking at Krillin as he nodded.

We need to focus on what's important... Luna realized, chastizing herself for letting her selfish problems interfere with what needed to be done. Even if it won't make that much of a difference in the battle, we can't let those monsters get a hold of Goku...

"You're right... Come on!" Krillin said quickly, snapping her out of her thoughts as they all prepared to take off. "And don't worry..." The smaller fighter added, giving her a knowing look as he smirked. "Piccolo's still a good guy... He's just doing whatever he thinks he has to do to win..."

"Wh-what! I know that!" Luna stammered, her cheeks getting a bit red as she frowned at her bald friend. "Besides, how do you even-"

"I'll explain on the way." Krillin replied, jumping into the air as Tien, Trunks and Luna followed after him.

...

On the way to Goku's...

...

"Piccolo and Kami are one in the same..." Krillin explained, glancing back at Luna as she continued to listen with a fascinated look on her face. "Piccolo is the embodiment of all the negative energy that's inside of Kami... They were once one being but split in two. That's why they'll always share a common bond..."

"What?! One being split in two..." She repeated, not entirely understanding how that was possible.

"I remember Master Roshi telling me something long ago..." Krillin went on, a tiny smile on his face as he contined his story. "He said that if Kami and Piccolo hadn't split into two, they'd be the strongest being in the entire universe... So if I had to guess, the reason Piccolo's gone to Kami's place is so that he can join with him again!"

"It's just like on Namek..." Luna remembered, thinking about how Piccolo had fused with Nail to become stronger in order to defeat Frieza.

"If those two unite again into one being, they'll become the ultimate Namek warrior!" Krillin said excitedly, "And Piccolo is stronger than he's ever been before so together they'll be an unstoppable force! Look, you know what a Super Saiyan is... Piccolo and Kami will become a Super Namek!"

"Wow..."

"You say a Super Namek, huh?" Tien mumbled, smirking as he thought about facing off against the androids again with an upgraded ally by their side. "We could sure use that! But wait a minute!" Tien realized, his eyes going wide for a moment as everyone turned to glance at him. "If they unite, Kami will disappear and the dragon balls will too!"

"Yeah, that may be true..." Krillin replied calmy, feeling somewhat positive about their situation for once. "But it's no better than if Piccolo is destroyed by the androids... In either case, the dragon balls will disappear..."

Everyone remained quiet, all of them continuing to fly in silence for a moment before Krillin spoke up again.

"Think about it... There's no other way to defeat these androids on our own... If Piccolo is thinking of uniting with Kami he must be desperate and he figures that this is our last chance to get out of this mess..." He explained, frowning as he thought about what a tough choice that must be to make. "It's too bad... Piccolo and Kami really don't get along..."

"My father... I mean, Vegeta..." Trunks said quickly, thinking about how he was going to convince the stubborn man to work with them instead of alone. "We can't forget about him..."

"There's no reason for you to hide it anymore Trunks..." Luna said lightly, smiling at him as they all continued towards Goku's house. "We all know about Bulma and Vegeta and the fact that they had a baby... And that baby is you." She grinned, enjoying the surprised look on his face. "I guess Vegeta's the only one who doesn't know..." Luna finished with a chuckle, wondering what the Saiyan was doing right now...

"I kept it a secret... I'm sorry." Trunks apologized, looking down as Luna tilted her head in confusion."Well, I kind of knew all along..." She laughed, pointing to her ears as Trunks' eyes went wide.

"O-oh, I see..."

"You don't have to apologize." Tien said simply, thinking about what their next moves needed to be. "As for Vegeta, I'm sure he'll be back once he cools off a bit... I know he's too proud to run away from a fight. He just needs some time to work things out for himself, then I'm sure he'll be back stronger than he ever was.

"Krillin and Luna smiled as Trunks seemed to be happier as well after hearing Tien's words.

"Yeah!" Krillin shouted, knowing he was right."I'm going to go pick up Chiaotzu so we can get back to training..." Tien said, frowning as he realized they would all have to become stronger if they wanted to stay alive.

"Sure, sounds good!"

"As soon as things get dicey again, we'll be there to help!" Tien promised, nodding at each of them once before continuing in a quieter voice. "Although I'm not sure how much good we'll do..."

Luna frowned as she watched him stop, blasting off in a different direction as she felt his energy slowing fading away...

"Good luck Tien... We'll need it, that's for sure..."

...

Up on Kami's lookout...

...

Piccolo soared up towards the lookout, coming to an abrupt stop once reaching the top as he noticed a very surprised Mr. Popo. A second later, Kami appeared in a flash next to him, smiling at the other Namekian wearily as they stared at each other in silence.

I know Kami senses something's wrong... Piccolo thought, glaring at the older man as he watched him stare back quietly. Why doesn't he say something?

Hmm... Things must be more serious than I thought... Kami realized, sensing the turmoil inside Piccolo's mind.

"This isn't a social call... It's business." Piccolo stated, looking at Kami seriously. "I think you know that..."

"Yes, I know... Of course I do." Kami answered calmly, knowing already what the outcome of this conversation would be. "The bond we share is of the mind as well as the body, remember? I know exactly what's on your mind Piccolo..."

"Hmph... Good. That saves me some time..."

"What an unexpected honor this is..." Kami said with a smile, trying to see the positive in this situation. "I never thought that you and I would be united again-"

"Stop smiling!" Piccolo growled, frowning at the older Namekian as he hated what he was having to do right now. "I'm not doing this because I want to, it's because I need our combined powers... That's all..." He said lowly, knowing just how to get under the old man's skin. "To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure how I'm going to tolerate being so close to you..."

"Oh my..." Kami sighed, shaking his head slowly as Mr. Popo watched them both in shock. "How does Luna put up with this?" The older Namekian questioned, smirking a bit as he watched Piccolo's frown deepen. "But I would have to hope that you would treat her with more respect than what you've shown me..."

"Tch..." Piccolo grunted, thinking back on what he had said before he left her and the rest of his comrades to come here. I can't exactly say that statement is true... He thought, frowning as he realized he would have some explaining to do later...

"I have to say, it has been quite interesting watching you show a more... Unfamiliar side of yourself around her..." Kami said lightly, changing the subject while trying to find the right words to express himself without taking the conversation too far. "You two have grown rather close, haven't you?"

"Aren't you supposed to be watching more important things than what I'm doing?!" Piccolo spat, unable to believe what he was hearing.

"What could be more important than watching young love bloom?" Kami said innocently, smiling at the fighter across from him who looked like he wanted to jump off the lookout right now to avoid this conversation.

"Kami..." Piccolo warned in a low voice, glaring at the older man as he knew they all had more important things to worry about right now. "The force that threatens Earth is bigger than both of us... But at least when our powers are united we still stand a chance... And no matter how slim that chance is, we must take it!"

"Hold on," Kami said suddenly, surprising the other Namekian as he paused for a moment before speaking. "I haven't agreed to anything yet... Time may still be on our side..." Kami explained, ignoring the angry look in Piccolo's eyes as he went on. "Listen... I would like to let things play out further before I make my desicion."

"You want to see how things play out?!" Piccolo shouted, unable to believe what he was hearing. "Have you lost your mind?!"

"Silence." Kami said seriously, knowing that the younger fighter in front of him still had a lot to learn. "Sometimes things are not always what they appear to be Piccolo... And I am not entirely convinced that the aim of these androids is to destroy the Earth."

"Is this a joke?!" Piccolo growled, "You've sat here and watched everything that's gone on below and you're still going to let it continue?! Don't you remember what Trunks said? The future will be destroyed by these androids!"

"Yes, but Trunks made a mistake. He told you that the androids you encountered today are not the same ones that he fought in the future."

Piccolo chuckled, laughing at the old man's idiocy. "Yeah right... And these androids are a real great bunch of guys once you get to know them..."

"I'm serious." Kami went on, knowing it would be hard for anyone to understand the position he was in right now without all the information in front of them. "I know you may not agree with me but all I'm saying is I still need more time to make up my mind."

"Have it your way... You're scared, I know..." Piccolo rationalized, calming down a bit as he knew being in this position had to be hard. "If you need time then take it. I'll be waiting right here..." He finished, sitting down to meditate as Kami and Mr. Popo watched him silently.

"You can wait as long as you want, but remember... The clock is ticking." Piccolo said seriously, not bothering to turn around as Kami held onto his walking stick a bit tighter, afraid of what was about to happen next...

...

Meanwhile, at the Son house...

...

"I think the worst of it is over now Yamcha..." Chi Chi said happily, letting out a sigh of relief before turning around to glance at the other fighter. "Don't you?"

"Yeah, let's hope so..." Yamcha answered, putting down his magazine for a moment as he looked at his friend who was now resting much easier.

Chi Chi sat down beside her husband's bed, fixing his blanket as she watched him breathing evenly, hoping he was dreaming about something pleasant. And hoping he would wake up soon...

The sound of someone knocking at the door startled them both as Yamcha and Chi Chi headed downstairs to see who it was. Not recognizing the energy outside of the door, Yamcha gave Chi Chi a serious look, holding up his hand as he silently warned her to stay back. The dark haired fighter's eyes narrowed momentarily as he grabbed the door knob, opening the wooden door slowly before finally getting a good look at the person on the other side...

Pale skin and snow white hair were the first things he noticed as the strange looking man took one last drag of his cigarette before tossing the butt to the side. He adjusted the strap across his chest that held his sword as he tilted his head towards the orange clad fighter who had yet to speak.

"I'm looking for someone I think you know..." The mysterious fighter explained, his icy blue eyes focusing on Chi Chi for a moment before continuing. "May I come in?"

...

A/N: This is where the story finally starts focusing more on Luna's story arc!! I hope you guys are enjoying the adventure so far ^u^