Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Another Time ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

Another Time

By Karete-chan

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball, Z, or GT. All elements of these used belong to their creator. I do own anyone I make up.

~thoughts~

Chapter 1: How, what, who in the where now?

The girl woke. Disorientation clouded her mind for a moment. Something should have happened or at least changed. She smiled to herself. ~No, that's what they said I'd think.~

She sat up and looked around. Nothing in the room had changed. Not even the furniture had been shifted. She got off her bunk and made for a large door. Just as she was going to open it, she stopped. ~I wonder how long I slept for?~ She looked down at herself. ~Technically I only put these clothes on yesterday. I should probably change and have a shower.~ She debated the thought for a moment, then turned and went through a smaller door on her left. ~Better to be safe than sorry.~

An hour later when she emerged from the bathroom (when you have long hair this is a very easy time to achieve) she headed straight for the large door and the outside.

There was no one in the large hallway she stepped into or anyone in the large, domed room at the top of the stairs. ~Strange, someone should have come for me by now but there doesn't seem to be anyone around.~ The high archway that led out into the open was filled with sunlight. The brightness hurt her used-to-the-dark eyes but she headed there anyway, not wanting to be inside any longer.

Again, just as she was about to step through the archway and into the brilliant light, she stopped. Coming from somewhere outside she had caught the faint sound of a voice, one that she didn't recognize. She peered around the corner.

A fair distance away, two figures were standing on the edge of the compound. One she recognized as the loyal servant of her sensei. He was talking to a shorter figure that she didn't recognize. From its build she concluded that this was a child.

Because of the distance she was from them, she could hear them talking but not catch what they were saying. She stayed in the doorway thinking that they would turn and see her at any moment now. She soon came to realize that their conversation was so intense that neither was paying much attention to anything else. She wondered idly if they even knew she was there but decided that they didn't.

Not knowing what the situation was she was wary about wanting to meet this small stranger but a sudden desire to know where her sensei was overcame her caution. She had just taken a step towards them when the child started. She froze. Neither of them turned to watch her and it became evident that it was not she who had caused the distraction in the small form.

Distracted from her original path of seeking her sensei she wondered what had startled the child so. Then she felt it. A growing ki. A ki that was already too high for her to fathom and it was growing. If she hadn't been the girl she was it would have scared her. ~Who the hell is that? No one I know is even remotely close to that level.~ A second thought struck her. ~Are they fighting or sparring?~ She shuddered at the thought of something that needed that much power to bring it down.

She glanced back at the two in the compound. They were suddenly looking very excited. Struggling with the desire to find her sensei, her curiosity got the better of her. She turned and ran back into the domed room and out into the sunlight on the opposite side of the compound. Slowing slightly she concentrated on the massive ki. Then finding the direction it was coming from swayed in her path to face away from the glowing orb in the sky. Without breaking stride she ran to the edge and took off into the beautiful day.

*****

Since flying was such a mundane thing she used her traveling time to concentrate on the massive ki. The day suddenly didn't seem that beautiful anymore. She cursed herself for not being as attentive as her sensei had taught her to be.

Around the massive ki she felt at least fifteen others. None of these were anywhere near the large one but most of them were still very high. It was almost with relief that she realized some of the levels were closer to her own maximum. ~Hmph. I wouldn't have thought I was away long enough for that kind of power to emerge.~

The land below her had turned from a lush green to the harsh yellow of the desert. Then from over a ridge an explosion rang out and dust flew everywhere. She stopped and hovered in mid-air. ~They wouldn't notice me if I flew down but then again it's better to be safe than sorry. Especially in this case.~

She landed on a flattish piece of land away from the dissipating cloud of dust and began to hike towards what seemed to be a large valley. ~Heh, heh~ she grinned ~I'll keep my power level down and they'll never know I was there.~

As she walked she realized that one of the kis had disappeared. She stood in stunned silence. ~Wow. It's completely gone. Which means that this is no sparring match.~ She shuddered. ~Thank Kami my curiosity doesn't wipe all my training. I wouldn't want to be seen by whatever did that.~

Still wanting to see what was going on she ran towards the ridge. As she ran two more kis disappeared. ~Someone is doing some serious business down there.~ She reached the edge and found a boulder to block her from the view of whatever was down in the valley. Then she carefully peered out at the scene in front of her.

Six of the fifteen power levels had gone. From her vantage point she could see one person down in the valley and seven others crouching or lying on another ridge some distance away from her. ~Where are the other two?~ Her answer came as, in the distance a small, black cloud of smoke appeared were a ki had just been.

She slowly started to regret her decision of coming here as she felt that unfathomable ki come towards her. She wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know what kind of foul creature could hold that kind of energy. ~You baka. If you're careful it won't even know you're here.~ So her curiosity finally getting the better of her, she crept along the ridge trying to find a hiding spot with a better view.

She stopped when she came to within 50 meters of them. From here she could see almost the whole valley. Including another six people huddled in a pile as far away as they could get from the person in the valley without scaling the sheer cliff behind them.

One of them seemed to be pulling his hair out and screaming but he was too far away to be heard. She did a quick scan and saw that most of their power levels were next to nothing so she turned her attention to the person in the valley.

Upon closer inspection she saw that the man (or something that looked like a man) had his back to her. He was tall, a fact that was emphasized by the strange hat he wore on his head. He was dressed in a kind of spotty green as well as black boots and what appeared to be some kind of demented cloak. She was so caught up in wondering who this strange person was that she didn't notice the large ki until it had almost landed.

At first she couldn't believe her eyes. So she blinked. ~My eyes are broken.~ She blinked again. It was a kid. ~Impossible! How could he have this type of power?~ The green guy seemed to share her thoughts, as he took a step back from the boy.

She guessed that the kid was maybe fifteen or so. It was difficult to say because someone had gone to a lot of trouble to make him look like shit. The one thing about him that was unfazed was a golden mass of spiky hair. Not one strand looked out of place. ~Damn. Why couldn't I have hair that did what it was told?~

The kid strode towards the green guy and took something from his hand. She jumped backwards and nearly fell over. He had moved faster than her eyes could follow. That hadn't happened to her since she was little.

The boy tossed the bundle to someone on the ledge. He said something but she was still to far away to hear. His attention had never left the green guy. ~Mine wouldn't either. Always be wary of someone in a gross outfit.~ She laughed hollowly under her breath trying to rid some of the tension in the air around her. Down in the valley a heated exchange of words had begun.

Though she could still sense everybody's flared ki's she could tell that for the moment at least, nothing was going to happen. So she turned her attention to the figures on the cliff top. Unlike the green guy these were all facing in a direction were she could see…well…their faces.

The one the boy had thrown the thing to seemed to be tipping something into his hand. He, like the boy, had golden hair but it was spikier and much longer.

Now that she was paying more attention she saw that two of the others on the cliff top were the same. ~I wonder who they are? Or more, what they are. I've never seen hair like that on one person, let alone four at once. Ooo, maybe they're some kind of fanatical cult.~

The man with the package stared walking towards one of the other golden haired; a tall guy who was lying on the ground. He bent over him for a minute, then stood and went to the other goldie guy. The first thing about this one that caught her attention (apart from his hair) was that he was short. ~Doesn't look any taller than myself.~ She considered herself tall for her age.

She was about to check out the others when something happened that she would never forget. The hair on the guy who was carrying the package changed. It was as if the gel he'd been using had just suddenly worn off.

His hair fell. It was long, past his shoulders and it was now a light purple colour. ~What are these guys?~ Her attention was stolen then as the two in the valley began to fight.

Such a fight she had never seen before. Or rather she didn't see it at all. They were too fast for her eyes to follow. The most amazing thing was that the boy seemed to be winning.

The fight raged until the boy placed a well-timed kick directly into the green man's stomach.

He looked as if he were about to be violently sick. And he was. He transformed before her eyes in to some kind of hideous monster. A girl that looked to be about her age, had been expelled from the green guy's mouth. She lay comatose on the ground as the monster received another beating.

Suddenly the monster began to laugh. ~What the hell has he got to be happy about? He's getting the shit kicked out of him.~

Her question was soon answered as the monster began to swell and she caught the fringes of his words. "…blow up the Earth!"

The boy was now on his knees in front of the monstrosity and it was taunting him, jeering. Then from nowhere the tall blond guy who had been lying on the cliff appeared in between the two fighters. He spoke to the boy, then turned and placed a hand on the swollen belly of the monster. Then they both disappeared. The boy's scream seemed loud even from the distance she was from him.

~By Kami, what is going on here? A young boy with the largest ki I've ever felt, monsters and people who disappear in thin air! I've woken up in a crazy world.~

The fighters almost looked lost now as they just stood around. It gave her another chance to have a good look at them but for some reason she just didn't feel that anything was as important as it was before. It almost felt as if a small part of herself had been stripped bare. She didn't know why.

She had decided to turn and go home when one of the fighters caught her eye. ~It…couldn't be.~

In her excitement she crept out from where she was hiding and sat on the cliff in plain view. Her sensei! That looked like him down there. She concentrated. ~Why can't I sense his ki?~ Taking a closer look she realized that she was wrong. He was far too young to be her sensei, although the resemblance was uncanny. ~But that means that that's…~

Recovering from her excitement she realized that she was sitting in plain view. She cursed and threw herself behind the rock. It was good timing too. Just as she jumped an explosion ripped out behind her.

She turned in time to see an energy beam emerge from the cloud of dust and pass straight through the middle of the purple haired guy. He wasn't quite dead when he hit the ground.

She watched the dust clear to reveal what she already knew: the monster, in his original form. He stood there laughing as if someone had just told an amusing joke. The awful sound was cut short as the boy began gathering his energy again.

Suddenly the purple haired guy moved. This distracted the other fighters, two of whom rushed to help him. ~Why? There's no point, he's too far gone.~

As she swung her attention back to the boy the last thing she expected happened. The short guy from the cliff, whose hair had changed to a midnight black, went nuts. He yelled then flew into the air. He went straight for the monster and as he did so his hair returned to the brilliant golden colour. She swore that for the first time since she had come upon this strange scene, the monster looked genuinely surprised.

It disappeared into another cloud of dust and she could feel the golden haired guy's power draining as he fired beam after beam into the center of the chaos. Almost as quickly as it had begun it finished.

~That's stupid. The monster…~

She didn't even have time to finish her thought. Before she could even breathe, the monster appeared from the dust and Mr. Golden Haired was sprawled in the dirt. He was down, out for the count and a million other corny sayings that mean unconsciousness. He was all of them. At once.

But that wasn't all. He was about to die.

The beam the monster fired was fast but the boy was faster. Just. He reached his elder look-alike a second before the beam hit.

When the dust cleared she could see that the boy had tried to shield Mr. Golden Haired. They were now lying on top of one another and both unconscious. No, the boy had moved.

He stood shakily, on arm hanging limply at his side. The monster laughed. He could afford to. His power was still intact.

She felt the winds begin to rise again and saw the monster begin to gather energy for another beam. It was going to be huge! There was no way anyone could stop it, let alone the half dead kid that it was aimed at.

She shut her eyes and braced herself for the deadly impact.

After about ten seconds of nothing happening she started feeling stupid and gingerly opened one eye.

The world was still there. She could see the monster in the valley, the glow of a power beam cupped between his hands. He was talking.

~Dammit! He's holding the Earth's fate in his hands and he's having a chat!~ She growled, wanting to throw something at him to make him end this ridiculous game.

She glanced at the boy; he was talking too but it didn't seem to be with the monster. A quick look at the other fighters told her that it wasn't them. A look of bewilderment had taken up residence on each of those faces.

Then she heard it. Or rather she didn't hear it. In the back of her mind a small part of the emptiness that had appeared was filled in. It made her feel…happier. That wasn't exactly right but it was close enough.

The monster fired. Just before it hit him, the boy fired a beam of his own. The two met and formed a giant sphere of energy that ripped apart the ground around it. ~Beam battle. Now it's just a matter of who gives out first.~

Because of his injuries it was the boy began to back down. The edge of the monster's beam slowly crept forward, enveloping the boy's. ~It's over…~

Once again the emptiness in her head sang with a presence and down in the valley the boy fought back with strength that she didn't think was possible from one who had been beaten so badly. Slowly the size of the boy's beam grew.

She and the other fighters on the cliff had the same thought at that moment. Too big! They all took flight.

Though she sensed that the others had only moved out of range (including Mr. Goldy the Unconscious) she kept flying. ~This is not my fight but if I have to die it will be with people I know.~

She kept tabs on the fight while she flew. ~It's still good to know what's happening.~ She allowed herself a small grin. ~There goes my training taking over again.~

The boy and the monster were back on even ground again. ~Geez kid, I don't know who you are but you wallop that bastard for human kind, hear me?~ She could sense the monster gathering more energy to put into the blast.

Before he could the other fighters joined in. Their efforts were almost futile. They distracted him just long enough for the boy to put the last of his energy into his beam.

As she touched down inside the compound the last of the monsters ki faded away. ~Good. Now I don't have to worry.~ She smiled smugly and went inside.

She walked slowly through the rooms of the house towards her own brightly lit chamber under one end of the compound. She hoped to find something that she had missed, something to tell her what was going on and where on Earth her sensei was but there was nothing.

She finally made up her mind to ask her sensei's servant and to confront the small stranger who had invaded her home.

As she traced the same route as she had earlier that morning, a feeling of dread grew in her mind. ~The fighters! Those guys from the valley. They're coming. They're coming here!~ She ran for her vantage point in the archway and arrived in time to see them land inside the compound. Her sensei's servant and the strange child ran up to them.

The group was in much worse a condition than when she had last seen them. The short Mr. Golden Haired was nowhere to be seen and the boy was hurt badly. So was the man carrying him who had short, black hair and scars on his face but he was at least still able to fly. The tall bald one who had three eyes was carrying the dead purple haired guy. ~This is nuts! Since when do people have three eyes? And why carry around someone who's dead? It's not like they can do much to help him. Maybe the monster knocked their brains loose?~

The group turned and greeted the two figures that were running towards them. ~They know each other?~

The boy was placed on the ground and the child knelt over him. She was then finally able to get a good look at his face. ~What the hell? Where did he come from?~

She didn't have time to wonder as her attention was snared by the dull glow that enveloped both the child and the boy. When it faded the boy opened his eyes and sat up.

~Amazing! Who would entrust a child with such a power?~

The small boy (at least she assumed he was a boy) then moved to each of the others in turn but glided silently past the prone body of the purple haired guy. His last patient was the girl who had been expelled from inside the monster. She had pale blonde hair and was being carried by a short bald guy who seemed to have no nose. As soon as she woke up she jumped into a defensive position. She seemed wary of the others and the guy with the scars was not so subtlety keeping his distance.

Words were said but blondie didn't seem to want to hang around. She watched as the girl ran to the edge of the compound and flew over the edge. ~This can't be happening~ she screamed silently ~I didn't even sense a ki for her!~

She was so wrapped up in what a weird world she had woken up in that she didn't notice the sky grow dark. When it finally dawned on her, the first thing that caught her eye was a growing mass near the gathered fighters.

She did a double take. ~Dragonballs? They're summoning the dragon. Not just anyone can do that! Why isn't Kami stopping this?~ She didn't have time to wonder as the massive shape of the Eternal Dragon Shenlon filled the sky. A small movement caught her eye. ~His hand. He moved!~

The purple haired guy sat up. He looked at the eternal dragon with awe and she was sure that look mirrored her own. He made his way over to the others who seemed to be discussing about another wish. ~They can't do that. Kami told me that the dragon only grants one wish and they've already used it to bring back that guy.~

She stopped. There it was again. The voice that was there but wasn't. It filled the space in her mind. A warm feeling spread over her and she became lost in the moment. When she was next able to focus, the dragon was gone and the emptiness had returned to that corner of her mind. ~They must've made their wish. I wonder what it was?~

The group was now just milling around again and blondie had returned. ~How does she do that? Why can't I sense her ki? This is so annoying!~ She sighed and wished she could hear what they were saying.

The short bald guy and blondie were talking. ~I've seen that look on his face somewhere before.~ The kid entered the conversation and then received a knock on the back of his head from a scarlet faced bald guy. ~He's embarrassed? That's it! He likes blondie. The mystery of these people grows deeper.~ She laughed silently. ~I am so pathetic.~

She watched them talk for a while longer as one by one they all took off into the sky. Soon only the child, her sensei's servant and the guy that looked like her sensei were left. The depressed feeling that she had back on the battlefield began to envelop her again and she started to become seriously pissed off.

~This world is nuts! Monsters, super powerful kids, people with no ki. I expected some things to have changed but not this much.~ She glared at the guy that looked like her sensei. ~I don't care how much stronger he is. If he doesn't tell me what's going on then I'm going to beat the crap out of him.~

As the small group approached the house she stepped into the sunlight to meet them.