Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in the Dragon Ball series whatsoever, Toriyama-sensei does as well as Funimation. Therefore I am making $0 off of this story and have merely written it for my own personal enjoyment. Some of the characters may sometimes end up a little bit out of character, but I'm trying my best to keep them in as much as possible. Also, please pardon any spelling, spacing or grammatical errors...We all know that spell/grammar check isn't perfect! :) Enjoy!
Just a side note: This is a 'revamped' version of the original first part, a college class gave me the idea to go back and rework it a bit and this is the product...Not too different, but enough to notice a little bit. :)
A Stranger in a Strange World
By: 'Lil Bulma
Part 1:
Slowly, the girl opened her blurred, foggy eyes. With a start, she realized that this was not Troy, and it definitely WAS NOT any place to which she could put a name. Rubbing her eyes, she finally got her vision clear enough to get a good view of her surroundings. What she saw took her breath away. All around a lush, grassy field spread out before the girl, dotted here and there with trees and boulders. Out of the corner of her eye, she could just make out a dense forest. When she turned to face it, the girl saw the forest stretch out and behind her, looking none too friendly. Taking stock of herself, she noticed that she stood in the middle of the field, in her school uniform, her backpack resting against her feet. Then the realization of her situation hit her like a ton of bricks.
Where am I? She thought, blinking back the tears, which threatened. *When I closed my eyes, I was standing at the bus stop waiting for the school bus...Now I'm here...* For a moment, the girl thought that maybe, just maybe she, once again, had fallen asleep waiting for the bus. *Yeah! That's it! I'll just pinch my self, wake up and everything will be back to normal...* However, when the girl did pinch herself, she found she was not only not dreaming. *Damn! That really smarts!* Finally the feeling that she really was here *(Where ever 'here' is)* made it's true weight known, and a feeling of complete helplessness beset itself on her for a total of about 10 seconds. *Now wait a second! I may not be dreaming, but that doesn't necessarily mean that I can't try to get a grip on things.* With that though, she leaned up from the rock, bent down and picked up the backpack from the ground next to her. *Well, I guess that the best thing to do would be to walk around...I think that I see something in the distance. I guess I'll head for that general area.*
As she walked through the lush field, the girl tried to think of where in the world she could possibly be. This situation made no sense to her at all. In her mind's eye, she was trying to piece together the puzzle pieces to find out just where she was, because everything had a very strange familiar feeling to it. *I just can't quite put my finger on it. It looks like there's a city up ahead though. That's a relief.* She continued walking towards the city, absorbing all the sensations assaulting her senses. The green of the trees that looked so fresh and new, the soft springiness of the grass, even the air she breathed had a different feel to it. All the life and energy in every aspect of the area, the rocks themselves gave off a feel of life energy. Even the city, which growing closer by the minute, had a unique feel to it. It was a feeling unlike any that she had felt before, a feeling of such purity, peace and simple pleasantness.
*I do know one thing for sure though, I'm definitely not at home, or anywhere near it for that matter,* she thought, noticing just how pure the air and surroundings were. *There's so much urbanization and smog everywhere all around home... The simplicity of this place is enough to take my breath away.* She thought as she did another 360-degree turn getting a much better view of her surroundings. The girl was awestruck.
Suddenly, as quickly as the storms of spring, the sky became pitch-black. The girl stopped her trek towards the city to pause and look up at the sky. *Great,* she thought, her mood beginning to turn from the near cheeriness she had experienced a moment before. *Rain is just what I need when I'm out in the middle of nowhere.* The funny thing was... The rain never came. Puzzled, she turned once again towards the city. It was then that she noticed a strange gold light forming a serpent-like shape over a building near the other edge of the city. Something wasn't right about this, and she knew it. Suddenly the feeling of slight recognition dawned on her. *But it can't be...* she trailed off, dropping to her knees as they gave out on her. *That just isn't possible...* Jerking herself up off the ground, she broke into a dead-run towards the city.
Scenery became a blur as she raced towards the apparition in the sky. The girl had to see for herself! Had to see if her mind was playing tricks on her, or if what she saw really was true. Quickly, the distance of a moment ago was now no more than a few hundred yards or so, allowing her a better view of the creature in the sky above. Once again, she stopped dead in her tracks, both to catch her breath, and because she still couldn't believe what she was seeing. Directly above her in the sky posed a long, shimmering dragon.
Regaining her composure again, the girl drew closer to the building itself which the dragon appeared to be under. When she reached the spot, the girl noticed several figures standing around seven glowing balls. Step by painstakingly slow step, the girl crept closer and closer to the area where the people were standing. At least some of them looked like people. Finally she was close enough to actually hear what was going on. One of the figures was talking to the dragon in a strange tongue unlike any language she'd ever heard. He was a small guy with green skin and two antennae protruding from his forehead. If he were a kid, as he looked, he must be no more than 4 or 5. All around him were more creatures that looked just like him, as well as a group of people with hopeful, expectant looks on their faces.
*This is so familiar...Why can't I place it?!* It took her a few minutes, but then the realization hit her like ton of bricks... *I'm in that cartoon, no a-ni-me that my brother is always watching... What's it called? Dragon Ball Z? Yes, that's it...* she thought, as both interest and horror set in her mind at the same moment. *Wait a second... How am I here, why am I here? This makes no sense at all... I'm not even the person that watches it! I hardly know anything about it...* She stopped in mid-thought as she quietly knelt behind a bush to watched the events unfold before her eyes... One of the things that she had always been secretly proud of was her extra-good sense of hearing, which she was now using to listen in on the group under the dragon. It seemed as though they were making requests of some kind. But lack of knowledge prevented her from knowing what was going on at all. Then all of a sudden, a short little man popped right out of thin air in front of the balls. At this, the crowd around the balls erupted in a cheer causing the girl to jump from the sudden noise. *Strange... This is so interesting...* As she thought this, she was distracted once again by actions in the crowd of on-lookers. Another request was being made. However, there was not going to be such a happy ending to this one.
"The one called Goku refuses to return and says he'll comeback soon," the dragon was saying. The girl jumped again in startlement. *Ack! It talks? What the hell is going on!? * Turning her attention back to the group in front of the dragon, she saw a mixture of sadness, confusion, and mild annoyance. *The group seemed to be in shock that this Goku guy didn't want to come back. This is really confusing...* She leaned back on her heals thinking. Just then, the guy that had been leaning against the building took off running and jumped into a large, round ship marked 'Capsule Corp.' parked off to the side of the building. In the flash and cloud of dust he left behind, she turned back to see that no one was all that sad to see him go. ........ She really didn't know what to make of that.
"Oh yeah, there's three of them," a woman with turquoise-blue hair was saying, jarring her away from her place of observation. "But who should we wish back first?" *Whoa! Cool hair! I wish mine looked like that...* she thought while unconsciously fingering her own light brown locks.
It seemed as though the group was waiting for an answer of some kind. Then all of a sudden, the blue-haired woman started talking upwards to the sky, saying something about "Yamcha's our man!" *Huh? This is confusing...Why were they waiting, and why did it seem like the woman was talking to someone when she wasn't...* But her thoughts were interrupted as she heard was a loud splash in the pond off to her right, jarring her attention away from the scene at hand.
The next thing the girl saw was the dragon telling the group that they were out of wishes. Then with a burst of blinding light, the dragon disappeared. A shining ring of light remained, shooting up into the sky, scattering the balls to the 4 corners of the earth. However, the people all looked extremely disappointed about this turn of events... The blue-haired woman seemed especially disappointed. *Hmmm... So it's kind of like a genie, three wishes. Then you have to find the lamp again.*
Just then, her side vision caught a glimpse of the person whom the girl guessed Yamcha calling out to the group. (Whom she now knew was named Bulma). Bulma ran up to him and they stood there looking at each other with such tenderness in their eyes. *That's so awesome, I didn't know they were sweethearts! I love happy endings!* The girl thought, with a sniff. *It reminds me of someone I have back at home...*
With the departure of the dragon, the sky returned to a normal brilliant blue. It appeared that things were going to settle down, and the group began to disperse. It looked like the makings of a party were underway. *I love parties, and they have a good reason to party!* The girl thought with a smile, sitting back on her heels to revel a bit in their radiated happiness.
Suddenly though, she realized something... *I have nowhere to stay tonight, or any night for that matter! Oh man! What am I going to do?* This thought brought tears to her eyes, and it hit her for the third time since she arrived here just how far away 'home' was far for her, with nowhere to go no one she knew. *This is a cartoon for Heaven's sake! I shouldn't be here at all!* Finally succumbing to the despair that as though the weight of the world were on her shoulders, she put her head in her hands and sobbed... Feeling so alone, and also completely forgetting that there was a large gathering just beyond her hiding bush.
"Hey what's that?" a voice broke through her sobs.
"I heard it too," another voice said. "It sounded like a girl crying."
*Shit! Now I've done it!* She looked frantically around for a way out. But just as the girl was about to bolt, a pair of hands reached into the bush and parted the branches. It was the blue-haired woman, and she didn't look too thrilled with her.
"It is a girl!" Bulma called to the others. Turning back to her, she asked, "What are you doing here?"
The girl couldn't think of how to reply, but burst into sobs once again. The look on Bulma's face softened to a look of concern instead of annoyance. She pulled the girl out of the bushes and sat her down on a bench of a nearby table.
"Well, can you at least tell me your name?"
*My name? Well, that would make sense I guess...* she thought to herself. *It's about the only thing that has so far...* "My name is Marie," she managed to get out between sobs. Slowly the others were gathering around to get a look at this new arrival. "And I have... no idea what's going on... or where I am... or anything!" Marie put her head in her hands once again sobbing.
End Part 1
*** Note: direct quotes or paraphrases from Funimation Episode "Goku's Alive!" ***
Note: All words in *...* are thoughts. :)
Just a side note: This is a 'revamped' version of the original first part, a college class gave me the idea to go back and rework it a bit and this is the product...Not too different, but enough to notice a little bit. :)
A Stranger in a Strange World
By: 'Lil Bulma
Part 1:
Slowly, the girl opened her blurred, foggy eyes. With a start, she realized that this was not Troy, and it definitely WAS NOT any place to which she could put a name. Rubbing her eyes, she finally got her vision clear enough to get a good view of her surroundings. What she saw took her breath away. All around a lush, grassy field spread out before the girl, dotted here and there with trees and boulders. Out of the corner of her eye, she could just make out a dense forest. When she turned to face it, the girl saw the forest stretch out and behind her, looking none too friendly. Taking stock of herself, she noticed that she stood in the middle of the field, in her school uniform, her backpack resting against her feet. Then the realization of her situation hit her like a ton of bricks.
Where am I? She thought, blinking back the tears, which threatened. *When I closed my eyes, I was standing at the bus stop waiting for the school bus...Now I'm here...* For a moment, the girl thought that maybe, just maybe she, once again, had fallen asleep waiting for the bus. *Yeah! That's it! I'll just pinch my self, wake up and everything will be back to normal...* However, when the girl did pinch herself, she found she was not only not dreaming. *Damn! That really smarts!* Finally the feeling that she really was here *(Where ever 'here' is)* made it's true weight known, and a feeling of complete helplessness beset itself on her for a total of about 10 seconds. *Now wait a second! I may not be dreaming, but that doesn't necessarily mean that I can't try to get a grip on things.* With that though, she leaned up from the rock, bent down and picked up the backpack from the ground next to her. *Well, I guess that the best thing to do would be to walk around...I think that I see something in the distance. I guess I'll head for that general area.*
As she walked through the lush field, the girl tried to think of where in the world she could possibly be. This situation made no sense to her at all. In her mind's eye, she was trying to piece together the puzzle pieces to find out just where she was, because everything had a very strange familiar feeling to it. *I just can't quite put my finger on it. It looks like there's a city up ahead though. That's a relief.* She continued walking towards the city, absorbing all the sensations assaulting her senses. The green of the trees that looked so fresh and new, the soft springiness of the grass, even the air she breathed had a different feel to it. All the life and energy in every aspect of the area, the rocks themselves gave off a feel of life energy. Even the city, which growing closer by the minute, had a unique feel to it. It was a feeling unlike any that she had felt before, a feeling of such purity, peace and simple pleasantness.
*I do know one thing for sure though, I'm definitely not at home, or anywhere near it for that matter,* she thought, noticing just how pure the air and surroundings were. *There's so much urbanization and smog everywhere all around home... The simplicity of this place is enough to take my breath away.* She thought as she did another 360-degree turn getting a much better view of her surroundings. The girl was awestruck.
Suddenly, as quickly as the storms of spring, the sky became pitch-black. The girl stopped her trek towards the city to pause and look up at the sky. *Great,* she thought, her mood beginning to turn from the near cheeriness she had experienced a moment before. *Rain is just what I need when I'm out in the middle of nowhere.* The funny thing was... The rain never came. Puzzled, she turned once again towards the city. It was then that she noticed a strange gold light forming a serpent-like shape over a building near the other edge of the city. Something wasn't right about this, and she knew it. Suddenly the feeling of slight recognition dawned on her. *But it can't be...* she trailed off, dropping to her knees as they gave out on her. *That just isn't possible...* Jerking herself up off the ground, she broke into a dead-run towards the city.
Scenery became a blur as she raced towards the apparition in the sky. The girl had to see for herself! Had to see if her mind was playing tricks on her, or if what she saw really was true. Quickly, the distance of a moment ago was now no more than a few hundred yards or so, allowing her a better view of the creature in the sky above. Once again, she stopped dead in her tracks, both to catch her breath, and because she still couldn't believe what she was seeing. Directly above her in the sky posed a long, shimmering dragon.
Regaining her composure again, the girl drew closer to the building itself which the dragon appeared to be under. When she reached the spot, the girl noticed several figures standing around seven glowing balls. Step by painstakingly slow step, the girl crept closer and closer to the area where the people were standing. At least some of them looked like people. Finally she was close enough to actually hear what was going on. One of the figures was talking to the dragon in a strange tongue unlike any language she'd ever heard. He was a small guy with green skin and two antennae protruding from his forehead. If he were a kid, as he looked, he must be no more than 4 or 5. All around him were more creatures that looked just like him, as well as a group of people with hopeful, expectant looks on their faces.
*This is so familiar...Why can't I place it?!* It took her a few minutes, but then the realization hit her like ton of bricks... *I'm in that cartoon, no a-ni-me that my brother is always watching... What's it called? Dragon Ball Z? Yes, that's it...* she thought, as both interest and horror set in her mind at the same moment. *Wait a second... How am I here, why am I here? This makes no sense at all... I'm not even the person that watches it! I hardly know anything about it...* She stopped in mid-thought as she quietly knelt behind a bush to watched the events unfold before her eyes... One of the things that she had always been secretly proud of was her extra-good sense of hearing, which she was now using to listen in on the group under the dragon. It seemed as though they were making requests of some kind. But lack of knowledge prevented her from knowing what was going on at all. Then all of a sudden, a short little man popped right out of thin air in front of the balls. At this, the crowd around the balls erupted in a cheer causing the girl to jump from the sudden noise. *Strange... This is so interesting...* As she thought this, she was distracted once again by actions in the crowd of on-lookers. Another request was being made. However, there was not going to be such a happy ending to this one.
"The one called Goku refuses to return and says he'll comeback soon," the dragon was saying. The girl jumped again in startlement. *Ack! It talks? What the hell is going on!? * Turning her attention back to the group in front of the dragon, she saw a mixture of sadness, confusion, and mild annoyance. *The group seemed to be in shock that this Goku guy didn't want to come back. This is really confusing...* She leaned back on her heals thinking. Just then, the guy that had been leaning against the building took off running and jumped into a large, round ship marked 'Capsule Corp.' parked off to the side of the building. In the flash and cloud of dust he left behind, she turned back to see that no one was all that sad to see him go. ........ She really didn't know what to make of that.
"Oh yeah, there's three of them," a woman with turquoise-blue hair was saying, jarring her away from her place of observation. "But who should we wish back first?" *Whoa! Cool hair! I wish mine looked like that...* she thought while unconsciously fingering her own light brown locks.
It seemed as though the group was waiting for an answer of some kind. Then all of a sudden, the blue-haired woman started talking upwards to the sky, saying something about "Yamcha's our man!" *Huh? This is confusing...Why were they waiting, and why did it seem like the woman was talking to someone when she wasn't...* But her thoughts were interrupted as she heard was a loud splash in the pond off to her right, jarring her attention away from the scene at hand.
The next thing the girl saw was the dragon telling the group that they were out of wishes. Then with a burst of blinding light, the dragon disappeared. A shining ring of light remained, shooting up into the sky, scattering the balls to the 4 corners of the earth. However, the people all looked extremely disappointed about this turn of events... The blue-haired woman seemed especially disappointed. *Hmmm... So it's kind of like a genie, three wishes. Then you have to find the lamp again.*
Just then, her side vision caught a glimpse of the person whom the girl guessed Yamcha calling out to the group. (Whom she now knew was named Bulma). Bulma ran up to him and they stood there looking at each other with such tenderness in their eyes. *That's so awesome, I didn't know they were sweethearts! I love happy endings!* The girl thought, with a sniff. *It reminds me of someone I have back at home...*
With the departure of the dragon, the sky returned to a normal brilliant blue. It appeared that things were going to settle down, and the group began to disperse. It looked like the makings of a party were underway. *I love parties, and they have a good reason to party!* The girl thought with a smile, sitting back on her heels to revel a bit in their radiated happiness.
Suddenly though, she realized something... *I have nowhere to stay tonight, or any night for that matter! Oh man! What am I going to do?* This thought brought tears to her eyes, and it hit her for the third time since she arrived here just how far away 'home' was far for her, with nowhere to go no one she knew. *This is a cartoon for Heaven's sake! I shouldn't be here at all!* Finally succumbing to the despair that as though the weight of the world were on her shoulders, she put her head in her hands and sobbed... Feeling so alone, and also completely forgetting that there was a large gathering just beyond her hiding bush.
"Hey what's that?" a voice broke through her sobs.
"I heard it too," another voice said. "It sounded like a girl crying."
*Shit! Now I've done it!* She looked frantically around for a way out. But just as the girl was about to bolt, a pair of hands reached into the bush and parted the branches. It was the blue-haired woman, and she didn't look too thrilled with her.
"It is a girl!" Bulma called to the others. Turning back to her, she asked, "What are you doing here?"
The girl couldn't think of how to reply, but burst into sobs once again. The look on Bulma's face softened to a look of concern instead of annoyance. She pulled the girl out of the bushes and sat her down on a bench of a nearby table.
"Well, can you at least tell me your name?"
*My name? Well, that would make sense I guess...* she thought to herself. *It's about the only thing that has so far...* "My name is Marie," she managed to get out between sobs. Slowly the others were gathering around to get a look at this new arrival. "And I have... no idea what's going on... or where I am... or anything!" Marie put her head in her hands once again sobbing.
End Part 1
*** Note: direct quotes or paraphrases from Funimation Episode "Goku's Alive!" ***
Note: All words in *...* are thoughts. :)