I dreamed I was back home, in my real body. My family and friends were there, everything was normal. I was so happy to be riaru again, to be among people and things that were familiar. Here there were no Dragonballs, no Frieza. No Vegeta . . .
Then I passed by a mirror hanging in the hallway of my parents' house and watched in horror as it began to change. My hair grew long and formed into a braid, my eyes stretched to the puppy eyes of a female anime character, and last my clothes melted to ragged clothing. My friends and family vanished.
I woke up in a start, bolting upright. My entire body spasmed in pain and I collapsed back into a soft pillow. What had happened to me? I was a wreak. Tears were streaming down my face. I didn't want to be back here. I'd rather die then face Vegeta again. Then it finally hit me that I might never get home. I might never see my family, my friends, my world ever again.
Slowly, I flexed my fingers, my cartoon fingers, the pain still tingling. I spread my hands pain-stakingly on both sides of me and braced myself to sit up. My chest was on fire and I felt tight bandages covering my chest and ribs. I tasted blood in my mouth and spat it out, wiping it with the back of my hand. I was sitting in a bed, a glass of water on a table beside it. The rest of the room was empty save a door to my right. Where was I? Had we made it to Guru's at last?
Grimacing, I touched my forehead. There was a bruise there too, and a large one on my cheek where Vegeta had struck me.
A door creaked slightly and I turned towards the sound. A small figure gasped and hid in the entryway.
"W- who's there?" I forced the words past my swollen tongue.
Two eyes large in that small face were frightened. I caught a flash of green and two stalks on his forehead.
"It's ok," I called weakly. "I won't hurt you."
I can barely sit up, I thought woefully.
The door squeaked as he opened it up a little more, still unsure.
"Are you . . . are you Dende?" I asked.
He started. "You know my name."
I smiled gently.
"They said you knew who they all were," Dende continued, fearful.
"Yeah. I take it we finally made it here?"
Dende just stared.
"You don't have to be afraid of me, you know," I said, trying to calm him. "My name is Ally."
"That's what they said." He moved a bit closer.
"You must mean Gokou and his friends."
He nodded.
I settled myself gingerly back in the bed, sighing. Dende finally found enough courage to come and stand by my side.
"They don't know anything about you, but you knew who they all were."
I smiled a little sorrowfully. "No one knows who I am . . . " I stared up at the ceiling for a moment. "Dende? Could you keep a secret?"
"About who you are?"
Bright kid. "Yeah. You can't tell Krillin or Gohan or any of them."
"I won't. I promise."
I was silent, what was the best way to say this? I felt I had to tell someone the truth so if anything happened to me, they would know who I had been. I took a deep breath.
"I'm from Earth."
His eyes were wide. "You're from the same planet as Gokou and his friends?"
"Yes . . . and no."
Dende just looked confused.
"Look. I don't know how exactly to put this, Dende. You might not believe me, but it's the truth. The Earth I come from and the Earth they are from are different."
"Two different Earths?"
"Well . . . not exactly. In my world, none of you exist. There is no Namek, no Saiya-jin, no Frieza, no Dragonballs."
"But how do you know all of these things?"
"This is the part you're going to find hard to believe. In my world, all of this is a child's cartoon."
"Cartoon?"
"Yeah. Like- like a simulation. All of you, all of this is a man's made-up fantasy. He created all of you, all your characters and then other people drew pictures of what that man said you looked like. Then they took all those pictures and flipped them really fast so it would seem like they, you, were actually moving. That moving picture is played for children in America every day." I sighed. "I shouldn't be here." I looked down at my animated hands. "I don't normally look like this but it seems that when I . . . crashed here or whatever, I became anime to fit the world."
I waited for Dende to look totally confused. To say I was crazy or tired and should get more sleep or at least get some mental help. Instead, he stood there blinking.
"You- you come from another dimension?"
"Yes! That's it. Two different realities yet more unlike each other than any two others could ever be."
"So you're stuck here and don't know how to get home?"
I nodded sadly. "Now you see how I knew so much. I know more than any of you could imagine."
"You should tell someone else. I'm just a kid."
"So am I. Besides, I wouldn't be taken seriously. They are a figment of someone's imaginations where I come from? It sounds insane. And Vegeta already doesn't trust me. Where are the others, anyway? I'd like to speak to Gokou."
"They're gone."
"Gone? When?"
"Right after they brought you here. They were in a hurry to find that fiend Frieza and put him in his place."
I gasped, sitting up with some effort. "They can't face him! Frieza's much too strong even for Gokou in his Super Saiya-jin form. They'll be slaughtered!"
Dende was scared. "What can we do?"
"I'll go after them," I said. "Maybe there's something I can do." I swung my feet over the edge of the bed, fighting against the pain.
"You can't get up," said Dende. "You have to rest."
"I got to do something! I can't let them be killed. Help me!" I leaned on Dende's shoulder and tentatively put my feet on the floor. Searing pain shot up from my injured ankle, reminded me that it was still broken. Dende helped me as best he could but I was almost twice as tall as he.
I stopped in the doorway, resting my head against the frame. Voices could be heard down the hallway.
"You heard the Saiya-jin Prince," said a young voice. I recognized him as the Namekian whose name I couldn't remember. "What if she really is one of Frieza's spies?"
"Her wounds are deep, my friend," the other voice said calmly. "Even if she is a spy, she is in no shape to hurt us."
I knew that was Guru. His voice held the deep wisdom from many, many years.
"Come on, Dende," I said and bit my tongue to keep from crying out as we began our slow journey again. We reached the half-ajar door from which the voices came from. Not bothering to knock, I let go of Dende, pushed upon the door with one hand and held myself up by the doorframe with the other.
Guru sat in a large chair and he seemed even more huge than I had thought. Nail stood before him. He did indeed look like Piccolo but I could tell his attitude was a lot more passive than Gohan's mentor ever was.
"You don't have to argue about me," I said. "I'm leaving anyway."
"I am amazed you are up, Ally," said Guru, looking pleased. "A normal person of your size would have been bed ridden for much longer."
I snorted. "I am a normal person, Mr. Guru. I should be dead."
"But you are not."
"But I feel I am," I winced as a breath stretched the wounds on my chest. "What happened to me?"
"We were not told by your Earth friends."
I wavered on my feet; Dende grabbed my arm to steady me.
"You should lie down," said Guru.
I shook my head but the movement upset my vision. Nail caught me before I fell.
"I'll take her back to her room," he told Guru.
"No," I objected, pushing at his chest weakly. "I said I was leaving."
"And where would you go?"
"To find Gokou and the others before . . . before Frieza does."
"And if you did?"
"I would . . . " I faltered. What could I do against the all-powerful Frieza? Get squashed like a pesky ant, that's what I'd do.
I escaped Nail's arms, but had not the strength to stand. I collapsed in a heap on the floor, crying softly.
"This is pathetic!" I shouted miserably, not caring if the three Namekians could hear every word. "I'm helpless like this. I- I can't even walk on my own much less fight Frieza!" Then I stopped my tears. Feeling sorry for myself wouldn't accomplish anything. "I'm going to the others," I said defiantly. "Even if I have to swim all the way there!"
Nail looked weary. "That you would have to do. There is no way to travel only on the land. Very well, I will take you to your friends."
I slumped. "Thank you."
This time I was glad Nail picked me up. I pushed away the feeling that I had become only excess baggage, a burden, for the Dragon Ball Z crew that I had admired so much.
Dende followed us outside. "Goodbye, Ally," he called. "And good luck!"
I raised my hand in farewell and then we rushed into the sky. I clung to the folds of Nail's vest. Flying was the only way to get around and still I was not used to it.
"Thanks again," I said, trying to spark up a conversation with the Namekian.
"You do not have to thank me."
"Yes, I do. I know you don't trust me. I overhead part of what you said to Guru."
Nail looked down at me, stunned.
I shrugged. "I guess I can't really blame all of you for not trusting me. Appearing out of thin air, remaining mysterious, and then telling everyone I know all about them. It isn't exactly a good foundation for trustworthiness, is it?" I sighed. "But then Vegeta has made it clear that he'd rather see me dead than anything else." I touched my swollen cheek.
"He hit you?"
"Yeah." I gave a little smile. "I did push him too far. I should have known to keep my mouth shut."
"What did you say to make him that angry?"
"I told him I wasn't a spy but a normal girl." I laughed. "As normal as normal can be around here. Look at me! I've been here less than a day and already I have a broken bone and possibly others, the flesh on my chest has been burned away but no one can tell me how or why, my clothes are in rags, my stomach is still empty, and a Saiya-jin Prince wants my head on a platter. To top it all off, I'm stuck on a planet with the most dangerous warlord in the galaxy and all I can do is fly back and forth. I've flown so much lately that I think I'll make up for all the rest of my life when I didn't fly."
"You have never flown before?"
"Not till I got here and now only in someone's arms. As you may have noticed, I have no superpowers."
Nail was silent for a moment. "It is strange that I cannot sense you."
"Sense me? You mean like feel my power level?"
"Yes. I tried several times to read it while you were asleep and again just now."
"And?"
"Nothing. It seems you have a power level of zero."
"And that means . . . "
"It means you should not be alive."
I didn't reply. Maybe they couldn't sense me because I didn't belong in this world. This place. This form . . . There must be a logical explanation for everything.
"How far to the others?" I asked, changing the subject.
"An hour. Maybe more. Depends on how fast they travel."
"Pretty fast," I said, remembering how the ground had rushed by with Gokou.
"Then make that two hours." He fell into a thoughtful silence. Then he looked down at me. "So you have never flown until you came to Namek?"
"Not this way, at least. It still makes me queasy."
He laughed suddenly. "You are strange."
"Me?" I asked in mock innocence. "Why, Mr. Nail?"
"Just Nail, please. Isn't it inconvenient not being able to fly?"
"Is that what it all comes down to? I'll have you know, Mr. Nail, that flying isn't a necessity where I come from. No one flies there. I'm not afraid of flying, you know. It just . . . makes me queasy," I ended lamely.
"Yes, you said that already." A smile was on his face, then his eyes lit up. "How would you like to fly, really fly?"
"I-I don't think . . . I mean . . . how?"
"Here, take my hand. Now I am going to swing you around to my side."
I stared at him. "Are you crazy?"
"Trust me. I will hold you, do not worry."
I swallowed hard, closing my eyes tightly. When I opened them, I was alongside Nail. Only his arm around my waist (gently, I noticed, because of my wounds) held me to him. I had a death grip on his hand. There was nothing below me, I was dangling thousands of feet above the ground. Oh, boy . . .
"Close your eyes again," he said softly.
I did. I felt his arm leave my waist, my hand still in his. My body felt lighter. And very unstable.
"Now open them."
I shook my head. "I- I can't."
"Do not be afraid. You won't fall. I am right here beside you."
Taking a deep breath, I forced my eyes open. And gasped, clinging to Nail's outstretched arm with both hands. "I... I'm flying."
Nail chuckled. "Sort of. Stretch out away from me."
"But how will I stay up?"
"By the force of the wind. I will help you. Just do not let go of my hand."
"Ok. Here goes . . . " Slowly, I used my hand to push myself away. I was flying! The wind ruffled beneath us. Suddenly I felt more alive then I had ever been before.
"Yah-ha!" I yelled in a rush, throwing out my other arm.
"You really for something more?"
"Yes!"
"Alright. Hold on!" He angled to the ground, whipping around boulders and almost touching the water.
As we raised back into the sky, I said breathlessly, "I've never experienced anything like that before."
"I am glad you enjoyed it." He turned serious. "We're almost there. I sense your friends as well as three other powers."
My blood turned cold. "Frieza?"
"No. They are not as powerful as Frieza. But still, I think they are much more powerful than your friends."
I gulped. "Will you help them, Nail?"
"I cannot. My place is with Guru, to protect him."
"I understand."
"Are you certain you want to rejoin them?"
I nodded. "I have to."
"Then we must part here." He took me to the ground where I could lean against a large rock. "Be careful."
"You too," I said. "And take care of Dende."
"Goodbye, girl of Earth. I now know you are not a spy."
I watched him lift into the sky. "Goodbye, Nail," I whispered as he vanished back toward the Guru's home. "And thank you."
Turning, I hobbled as best as I could toward the others.