18

Time passed quickly after Trunks became Earth's Kami, during this time Raditz and his messengers went ahead and met every single survivor group on planet Earth.

Even some brave sole survivors were no exceptions and were visited in person, anyone alive was given the choice to return to the newly forming society, a society of martial arts and Ki.

A large amount had returned and a new King was chosen by the surviving group, well, it was more appropriate to call the ruler the Queen because the King was going away, for a long time.

"I can't be Queen Earth, it's not what I am good at!"

Exclaimed Bulma, the newly appointed Queen, she was but a proxy of Raditz in public eye but with Raditz no longer around, she might as well be the sole ruler.

And although Bulma didn't like the work pushed upon her, Raditz didn't budge on the issue, it's either her or Satan and no way in hell is he giving the position to Satan.

"Trunks is the god of Earth, you will manage being the ruler."

"And I can't trust anyone else in this position, only you won't be abusing your powers...too much."

Raditz swiftly retracted that last statement in his heart after remembering this was the same girl who went on a journey to find the wish granting Dragon, just so she can have a boyfriend.

And it's not like she got a whole lot better over the years either, tightness of her ass was also within the category of her wishes in Super.

Not that Raditz was complaining about that last part, that's a fine wish if he had ever seen one.

"Hey! What's with the unsure sounding words! Huh! Hey don't look the other way!"

Looking the other way Raditz ignored Bulma and gazed at the calander, today was the day, he would have to leave.

Bulma also somehow became quite after seeing where his eyes foucused on.

"It's time..? I wish this would have lasted longer."

Said Bulma before sitting besides Raditz, although they spent a lot of time together he didn't belong here after all, Raditz has to leave now.

Simply holding Bulma's shoulder he sat in silence, watching the setting sun set.

After a sleepless night Raditz silently left the next morning, Bulma watching his leaving back from her room with a longing look.

*Woosh*

Flying through the air Raditz did rounds all over the Earth one last time, spending much of the quality time with animals he had promised to come back to.

But his forest would have to live without it's King from now on.

Raditz even visited 16 and 17, those two were helping rebuild Earth from behind the scenes, said his goodbyes to them and finally landed before his waterfall home.

"This is the right place, a miracle happening in a place where no one can see."

"Don't you agree?"

Raditz asked the empty surroundings, and received silence as a reply.

But he didn't mind, shrugging his shoulders, Raditz turned towards a dense tree foliage and said lightly.

"You have been following behind me all this time, hiding out of my sensing range, but you aren't as sneaky as you think you are."

"I am about to leave now, so if you have something to say, say it."

"18."

The leaves shook and 18 walked out with a look that seemed cold but was clearly hiding the shame of getting caught.

Not dwelling on her stalking- no, investigating being leaked, 18 stopped a bit away from Raditz and put her hair behind her ear.

Then silence was upon the duo, both weren't people who liked to talk much, so nothing was being said and only a staring contest was held.

A contest which 18 lost with a huff, again pushing her blonde hair behind her ears, she finally asked Raditz.

"Can I come with you..?"

Taken aback, Raditz pondered on her question, he had expected a questioning sessions on why he saved her, it was something that had confused her even in orginal when Krillin used his wish for her.

He had also expected a rematch request or a sneak attack from her, after all she was always tailing behind him since the day of the explosion, always hiding herself to not be seen.

"Come with me? Do you even know where I am going?"

"No..? Intriguing, you have piqued my interest a little."

"Tell me your reasons."

Looking at Raditz for a while without any response, 18 turned her head with a click of her tongue, and said with a slight annoyance in her tone.

"I don't have one, I just want to go somewhere that isn't here."

Folding his hands Raditz looked at her funny and shook his head.

"Those clumsy lies aren't going to work on me, if you insist on not speaking out, you can't be let loose."

"You'll have to follow me around, I'll keep you under close watch-"

"Deal..!"

18's excited voice stopped Raditz in his tracks, she also caught herself in the middle of it and turned the other way with slight blush on her cheeks.

That was too hasty and shameful to someone like her, but she wasn't tailing Raditz for so long without a purpose, she had seen all she wanted to see and she herself wanted to stay, being under watch or not.

But she felt the need to clarify herself a bit, lest her image be ruined in his eyes.

"Don't look at me like that, I don't know where you are going but you have been doing things like you won't be staying here any longer."

"Bulma didn't follow you either, I checked, so you are obviously alone, with me around you won't be, I can be useful, I am an android."

Raditz laughed loudly after hearing her reasons, she doesn't even know he's form the past, she even mistook Bulma staying here as her not willing to follow him.

"That's hilarious 18, you are going to be in for a nasty surprise if you think I am all alone and you'll be my sole company or something."

Huffing lightly, 18 said.

"Keep telling yourself that, you aren't fooling anyone."

"But the fact is no one has followed you."

Holding his forehead Raditz gave up trying to convince her, if she wanted to be that overconfident that's on her.

Waving at her, Raditz went inside his cave house.

"Come with me then."

Watching Raditz go inside a cave with a makeshift bed, 18 looked silently, but then huffed and went inside anyway, pretending to be nonchalant.

*Splash*

Walking below the waterfall 18 felt her clothes become wet, but she figured that won't be a problem for long.

So when she saw Raditz completely ignoring everything in the cave after cleaning it once, and taking out a capsule while constantly fiddling with it, she couldn't help but ask.

"What are you doing? Did you come here just to play with that thing?"

Looking at the wet 18, Raditz asked with confusion.

"What am I doing? What are you doing..? Standing all wet like that, we are going to travel aren't we?"

"I am preparing our vehicle."

Twitching her eyes, 18 asked with a tinge of annoyance in her voice.

"Travelling, from inside a cave?!"

Nodding his head Raditz completely ignored her annoyance and explained.

"I told you before, this miracle will happen in a place no one can see."

*Pooof*

The capsule dropped by Raditz poofed loudly, and the time machine inside it popped into existence, while 18 looked at it weirdly

"How are you going to get that out of the cave?"

Gesturing with his hands Raditz called 18 towards him.

"I don't need to, and come here, touch this panel."

Opening the time machine Raditz showed 18 a panel which 18 put her hand on after a few seconds.

*Wooom*

And quickly backed away with fear, because as soon as she touched the panel everything became bigger.

'No, it's not the surroundings which got bigger, I got smaller!'

Looking up from the ground, which now seemed like a massive rocky plane, 18 yelled loudly.

"What are you doing Raditz?!"

Smiling at the finger sized 18, Raditz bent down and picked her up in his palm.

With a look that meant shut up for a second, which 18 begrudgingly obliged, Raditz spoke while jumping inside the time machine.

"This is something Bulma made during her childhood, the shrinking device."

"It's reversible, but you need to use it if you want to fit inside the machine, so hold tight, we are going for a ride."

18 twitched her eyes before grabbing onto Raditz's hair, she figured after touching it that the top of his mane was most secure and flew to that spot and settled.

Which Raditz had to try hard and not swat her away from.

"You could just sit on the seat, you don't have to climb on my hair."

"...."

18 didn't say anything after that, pretending that she knew that and decided to do this anyway..

So Raditz didn't burst her bubble and let it go, it'll be a short journey anyway.

When he returns, it would be time for the androids to arrive in the past, and he was looking forward to android Gero, that brain held so much knowledge, knowledge that he wanted for himself.

*Swish*

With a slight hum the time machine vanished from the cave, and reappeared at the same spot once more, but this time, it was the past.

'I am back.'

Thought Raditz with narrowed eyes, he was sensing a lot of interesting auras on Earth too.

Many things have changed while he was away it seems.