Four months later.
"Dad!" I yelled, throwing on my jacket. "I"m going out!"
Gokou followed me onto the porch. "Remember what I told you."
"Yeah, yeah," I said, rolling my eyes. "No flying where people can see us. I know, Dad. You and Mom have told me a million times."
Gokou grinned sheepishly.
"Nimbus!" I called and waited for the strange orange cloud to appear.
"ChiChi told me to tell you to stay out of trouble, Ally."
"It's Krillin, Dad," I laughed, and hopped onto Nimbus. "How much trouble can he be?" I patted my odd friend. "Come on, Nimbus! I'm late!"
We set off to the secret place. Krillin and I had made a promise to always meet on the small mountain ledge at a certain day of each month to make sure we never lost touch with each other.
"There he is, Nimbus!"
"Ally!"
I leapt off the cloud, landing in front of Krillin. As soon as my feet touched the ground, I ran to the short man, flinging my arms around him.
"Oh, Krillin! It's so good to see you!"
He blushed furiously. "You too, Ally. How long has it been?"
"A month, silly. I've got so much to tell you, Krillin."
"Well, let's get going. You can tell me all about it on the way to the movie."
I jumped back on Nimbus.
Krillin laughed. "Are you ever going to learn how to really fly?"
"Suppose not. Nimbus and I are like two peas in a pod and I couldn't bear to part with him anyway."
We flew of to the city together.
"How's the family been, Ally?"
"Oh, they're all fine. Gohan's starting second grade in a few days and he's all excited about that."
"And you?"
"Good, Krillin. In fact, I've never felt better." I fell silent, unconsciously playing with my necklace.
Krillin noticed my sudden melancholy mood. "Heard from Vegeta lately?"
I sighed. Krillin knew me all too well. "No. Not in a long time, actually. Not since I've been back. Maybe he left the planet and just didn't say goodbye."
"Believe it or not, Ally, I saw him just yesterday at Capsule Corporation. You know that's where he's staying."
I almost stopped breathing. "Go on . . . "
"Well, Bulma was having another one of her fits about Yamucha-"
I moaned. I should have seen this coming. In the original Dragon Ball Z, Bulma and Vegeta had ended up getting together after she had had a fight with Yamucha. She and Yamucha had been going out ever since she got back from Namek but I had been waiting for this to happen.
"Something the matter, Ally?"
"What? No, sorry. Go ahead."
"So Bulma was having a fit and you know what she told me?"
"What?" I asked weakly.
"She said she and Yamucha are- Hey! That's Vegeta over there."
I looked off to our right. Sure enough. I could spy the top of his spiky hair.
"Let's go say hi," suggested Krillin.
I hung back. "Um, well . . . "
"Come on!" He grabbed my hand, pulling me down to greet the Saiya-jin. Vegeta glanced up at us, not slowing in his situps. Always in training.
"Hey, Vegeta!" Krillin said loudly.
Vegeta flipped expertly back onto his feet. He wiped his sweat-beaded brow with a cloth, threw it over a rock, and went into one-handed pushups.
"I'm busy, chrome dome. Go away."
"So I see," answered Krillin, not letting Vegeta's sullen mood swipe the mischievous grin from his face. "Someone here wants to see you." He tugged me out from the rock I'd been hiding behind. I swear Nimbus aided the scheme.
Vegeta stopped in mid pushup, surprise flickering in his eyes for a moment. Then he continued his training, obviously ignoring me.
"Let's go, Krillin," I urged. "We're already late for our movie."
"Hold on." He turned back to Vegeta. "Want to come with us?"
"Hmpf."
"Alright then. Ready, Ally?"
I nodded and we proceeded on our way.
* * *
Vegeta paused, watching them leave. He was startled to find he felt he should have said something to the girl. After all, he had not seen her in a long time. Too long, he thought. Then he rechecked himself. There was work to do and thinking about that thorn in his side wouldn't get it done. He dropped down to his hands, training with more ferocity than before.
* * *
I stumbled home, half asleep. Both Gokou and ChiChi were in the living room and jumped to their feet when I wandered in.
"Where have you been?" ChiChi demanded. "With Krillin. I told you that's where I was going."
"It's a school night! And you come home at two o'clock in the morning!"
"Easy, ChiChi," said Gokou.
"I'm sorry, Mom. I guess I just lost track of time . . . "
"Right. Well, you can find it soon. You're grounded!"
I opened my mouth to protest but Gokou gave me a sorrowful look and I retreated upstairs. Gohan stuck his head out of his room, hair disheveled and sleep in his eyes.
"Late again?" he asked, yawning.
"Yeah. Come on, big boy. You've got school tomorrow." I picked him up, carrying him to his bed and pulling the covers up to his chin. I moved his hair off his forehead, remembering when I had done the same thing on Namek. A little tune popped into my head, the one Krillin once sung to me and I hummed it, caressing the boy's cheek.
"I'm getting too old for you to sing me to sleep," Gohan murmured, yawning again.
"You won't ever get too old," I whispered softly, kissing him on the forehead. "Good night, little brother." I rose.
"Ally?"
"Yes?"
"Do you miss your old home? I know you had a family... another brother."
"I do sometimes miss them. But, Gohan? I wouldn't trade you all for anything."
"I'm glad." His breathing grew shallow. I crept out silently, began to shut the door.
"Ally?"
"What, Gohan?"
"Are you going to leave us again?"
"No. Never. That's a promise."
He was silent for a while. Then he breathed a 'goodnight' almost inaudibly and fell asleep.
ChiChi's gonna kill me for waking him up, I thought. Ah, well. I'm grounded already. She can't do much more to me.
I closed my bedroom door behind me and collapsed on my back into bed. I'd seen Vegeta today... After the party during my first day on anime Earth, he had just vanished. At least now I knew where to find him but I don't think he wanted to be found to begin with. Ally, Ally, I chided myself. Might as well stop thinking about that pompous Saiya-jin Prince. You already know his future.
I cried out suddenly and clapped my hand over my mouth. I hoped no one heard that and listened for any sounds downstairs.
Nothing.
Daring to resume breathing, I picked up the phone receiver and punched in the number.
"Hello? Krillin? No, no, nothing's wrong. I got in trouble again."
He laughed on the other end. "What'd ChiChi do this time?"
"Ground me, again. I didn't wake you, did I?"
"No. I was just watching TV. What's the matter?"
"Well, I got to thinking and realized you never told me what Bulma said."
"What? Oh, yeah! I can't believe no one's told you yet! Bulma's getting married."
I was speechless. My worse fear had come true. "But why so soon, Krillin? They've only known each other for a few months."
"What are you talking about? Bulma and Yamucha have been friends since they were kids."
"Yamucha?"
"Uh, yeah. Yamucha and Bulma are getting married next month. Ally? Ally?"
I couldn't answer! I was laughing my head off! No way! She wasn't marrying Vegeta! It was too good to be true. I made a very baffled Krillin assure me that I hadn't heard wrong and burst out laughing again.
"Ally!" screamed ChiChi from downstairs. "You get to sleep or I swear by Kami you'll never see the light of day!"
Oh, crap. "I'd better go, Krillin."
"Yeah. I heard that little threat. Bye, Ally."
"Bye."
I hung up, grinning to myself.