DISCLAIMER: I don't own DBZ, nor any of its characters. This a non-profit work of fanfiction, done for my enjoyment and hopefully the readers. Jen and Kitsune, however, are my creations.

ANYTHING'S POSSIBLE: VERSION 2.0

PROLOGUE

"What do I do now?"

The words, heavy with weariness and sorrow, went unanswered except for the croak of a tiny frog hopping across the wet pavement. That evening the riverside road had been inviting with the newly freed sun breaking through the day's constant rain. The sunset of pastel orange and red had been breathtaking, with heaven's masterpiece reflected in the gentle flowing water, and the steam, rising from the still warm asphalt, parted as they drove along. Now however, the road was a terrifying place. The trees and their newly engorged canopies further darkened the night's gloom. The only light was from the faint stars and the waxing gibbous moon, but they were blotted out by the surrounding hills and rapidly replenishing clouds. A suffocating fog blanketed the river valley, which didn't help ease the girl's despair and nerve wracking apprehension.

"What do I do now?" she repeated again in the a hoarse whisper, hugging her scraped knees to her chest and dropping her head to rest on them. She ignored the light sting from her exposed and torn nerve endings, not caring that more blood and mud smeared her face. Her typically unruly black hair was a complete mess atop her head - her bangs further hindering the vision of her cobalt blue eyes and the rest falling to between her thin shoulder blades, which quivered in the gentle breeze. Despite it being early summer, the nights always had a slight chill and the unexpected plunge into the river had robbed her of any residual warmth she normally would have retained.

This was supposed to have been a summer of new beginnings and, for the first time in her 16 years of life, security. Security in that someone truly seemed to care for and maybe even love her. Care for her enough to formally adopt her into their close-knit family and begin to tend her physical and emotional needs. Those needs had been both neglected and abused in the dozen or so foster homes, until the memories plagued like a despicable, angry, parasitic worm. And now that worm was wrecking havoc anew, her defenses for the moment partially down – down with that tentative security and love resting at the bottom of the river, seat belts still securely fastened. A lone tear slid down the girl's cheek as she remembered the wonderful, kindly couple. For the last six months, the Candels had cared and loved her as they did their own daughter. This very night was to have been a celebration of the finalization of her adoption, the papers were finalized that very afternoon. She could still feel the warmth of Mr. and Mrs. Candel's arms clasping her in a fierce hug with tears in their eyes, while little Anna's arms wrapped around her waist as she gazed adoringly up at her new sister with her large, green eyes and blonde curls framing her round face. "Now we're one big happy family, huh, Jen?"

Suddenly, her stomach growled and she remembered that they never had made it to the restaurant for dinner. But that dull ache was nothing compared to the throbbing that was wrenching her insides like smoldering fire. Realizing there was nothing she could do to help herself at the moment, Jen remained huddled against the wind and pushed the pain to the back of her mind, focusing her mind elsewhere.

Hunger was nothing new to her. It felt as though all her life she'd been hungry, if not starving. Her appetite had always been fierce, and what meager provisions the foster homes had rationed to her and the other often minion-ish orphans was never enough. Her thin, wiry body gave testimony to her prolonged starvation. It was not a rare occurrence that she stole food from the more hateful orphans. But it was much more rarely that she ever profited from her attempts - as she either got a beating and the food taken away or she herself relented the majority of the spoils to a younger or weaker orphan, who couldn't defend his or her own limited portions. 'A bunch of dogs!' Jen spat a small mouth full of blood into the decaying leaves surrounding her. They acted like nothing but a stinking pack of starving, ferocious, wild dogs who must fight and steal to live.

And now sweet-hearted little Anna, whom had excitedly and self-importantly declined the invitation to their celebration dinner stating she had a prior engagement to her best friend's birthday slumber party, might have to suffer in foster care as she had …and most likely would again, now that they were both orphans.

'Again?!' Jen sat up straight with a jerk and stared wide eyed down into the darkness to the inky black, ominous river. That's right. Yes, she herself was alone again - an orphan once more. That meant when they found her sitting here, she would be taken back into children's protective services. Anna had a chance of being adopted by her other blood relatives or possibly even by her friends' parents; but she herself had no one. Certainly any family that adopted little Anna would not take in her 16 year old, newly adopted, historically delinquent sister who (Jen knew they would suspect) might have possibly caused the horrible accident that killed both Mr. and Mrs. Candel. Yes, knowing how all adults thought, they would say she was at to blame.

She'd had no control of the fox that had suddenly scuttled across the road in front of their vehicle in the twilight. Nor had she been driving and jerked the wheel so violently to avoid the animal that the car went off the road and slammed sideways against a tree, causing Mrs. Candel in the front passenger seat to bang her temple against the side window with a fierce crack of the blood splattered glass. Mr. Candel had just enough time to see his wife of 10 years lying limp in the seat, before the car slammed against another tree and the abrupt violent lurch, while he was in an awkward position, caused his neck to whiplash with a fierce jerk. Jen had screamed in the backseat as she witnessed this horror and the continuation as the car bounced down the river bank, before striking a large boulder which tumbled the car over and over again on it's side. Jen was battered about the interior of the car and her seat belt saving her from more serious injuries. Finally with one last roll, the car flipped upright and crashed nose first into the river. In a beaten daze and not yet looking up, she reached a hand to the front seat and touched Mr. Candel on the shoulder as the car began to sink into the inky, cold water. That slight push toppled the big man over and she finally noticed that his neck was broken. Jen screamed…

Another tear slid silently down her cheek before she angrily swiped it away, replacing the cleaned trail over her fine boned features with a fresh streak of mud and winced as it scraped into a small cut. No more tears. Tears had never helped her in the past and they would not help her now. What was she doing just sitting here anyway? Just sitting on the bank of a river in the dark and fog; tired and hurting, damp, cold, hungry, in despair and feeling sorry for herself. Well, no more of just sitting here doing nothing. An increase in the cooling breeze and a not so distant rumble of thunder made her decided that shelter was as good a route to start with as any.

Achingly, muscles stiff from the accident and desperate fight out of the sinking car, Jen struggled to her feet. Her knees threatened to give out on her, but grasping a tree trunk and with determined will, she kept her footing on the bank. It was hopelessly dark and she found herself feeling more than seeing her way.

'This is ridiculous!' she fumed to herself five minutes later, catching herself for the third time after tripping over a root. Her abdomen wrenched with renewed pain with each jerk and misstep. It was just too dark. Using her hands, she found the rough bark of the tree and with a sigh, sank down into the dead leaves at its base …Only to slip further down and sideways underneath the tree with a startled yelp. Fumbling in the in the pitch darkness of the hole, she discovered that the tree had grown over top a small pile of boulders that formed a sort of cave underneath, with thick tree roots weaving through the stones. It was rather tight, but dry and warm with dried leaves and a dirt floor. Jen's nostrils flared and she strained to hear. There was something in the tiny cave with her.

Towards the back of the hole, she judged probably 6 feet away from her, sounded a soft yip and growl. Almost like a dog. The teen debated leaving the cave, but outside she could hear the wind picking up and the soft patter of rain as a new storm blew in. She sighed. There was no sense in going out in that weather if it wasn't necessary. And whatever was in here was probably small. Still Jen didn't like sharing such a confined space with some unknown creature, so she turned to face the area where she could still hear breathing and a faint whimpering growl. If only she could see…

'Wait! You idiot! Why didn't you think of that sooner?!' Jen quickly dug in the pockets of her khaki capris and pulled out the key ring the Candels had given her with the key to their house and a tiny flashlight. Hoping it still worked after her dunking in the river, she quickly pushed the button on the side of the flashlight. After a flicker or two, a faint beam shown to the back of the cave. It was close to the size and fashion that she'd felt it to be and there at the very back, curled into a frightened ball in a clump of warm, decaying leaves was a lone fox kit.

Jen breathed a sigh of relief. The little pup was little bigger than a kitten and she guessed it was about 6 weeks old. The kit blinked in the light, growling at the strange, huge creature that invaded its den. The girl was surprised that the little cub was alone; then she remembered the fox that had caused the accident in the first place… Truthfully, she had no true idea if the fox had been killed or was even this kit's parent, but Jen figured that if it had been injured, the mother would return to this shelter with her young to nurse her wounds. But there was no other animal in the cave.

"Poor little baby. You're an orphan too," Jen crooned softly to the fox kit. A sudden gust of wind blew through the entrance at the tree's base and rain splattered on her back from the gust. Shivering, she crawled further into the cave and towards the frightened little animal. It cringed back into the wall, as she approached and reached out a cautious hand to stroke the baby fox's back. It quivered under her long fingers' soft touch, but eventually relaxed and the teen crawled forward a bit more to pick the kit up with one hand and the other holding the flashlight. The weary little thing nipped her hand, but Jen barely winced as she looked into the little goldish-red face with its white under-marking and large light brown, cat slit eyes. A clap of thunder sounded and the fox kit shivered.

"Poor baby," she crooned again, then put the flashlight back in her pocket and settled back against the wall of stone and tree roots, cradling the frightened pup in her arms. The fox continued to shiver, but when another roaring clap of thunder reverberated in the little shelter, she curled into the girl's arms seeking protection from this large creature that had not harmed her. Jen continued to croon and hum under her breath, soothing both the fox pup and herself from the fright of the storm. It was a familiar tune that she hummed, though anyone listening would think the sound was almost a growl. She didn't know where she had first learned this tune, it was just something she'd always did whenever she was nervous or unable to sleep. Her childhood friend, Patrick had called it her lullaby. And sure enough, the lullaby soon had both orphans dozing as the storm continued to blow through the night into the river valley.

Shortly before dawn, Jen jerked awake. For a second, she didn't know where she was; but a monstrous clap of thunder and the answering shiver and whimper from the small creature in her lap brought the memories of the previous day flooding back. The storm had yet to blow itself out and seemed to be getting worse. Kitsune, as Jen dubbed her, was shivering uncontrollably from fright. The raven-haired teen picked up the young fox and held her to her shoulder almost like a baby. "It's okay, Kitsune," she whispered, stroking the little animal's soft fur and little tail. This was a bad storm, she thought, and seemed to be right overhead. The rain was coming down in sheets and only the thick canopy from the tree kept the majority of the downpour away from the hole of an entrance, so little water trickled down the three foot grade into the cave. Jen couldn't ever remember a storm lasting so fiercely for so long.

Yawning and still holding the fox kit to her shoulder, she rolled onto her back on the soft dirt floor, some dried leaves crumpling underneath her head as a crude pillow. She didn't care if they stuck in her tangled hair or if more dirt accumulated on her still damp, ruined clothing and skin. She winced, feeling bruises she hadn't felt last night and cuts that strained against scabs at the movement. The throbbing in her abdomen had dulled to only a faint ache. She wished for a warm bath, food, a first aid kit and a soft bed. But despite all this, she felt fairly comfortable, for the first time since the terrible accident. She'd never had a pet and only one or two friends before, and with little Kitsune she felt that, at least for the moment, she had found companionship.

And so there was a faint smile on her face when it happened…

A searing, excruciating pain suddenly exploded from her abdomen and radiated throughout her entire body. A painful wail tore from Jen's suddenly dry throat, as it felt like every cell in her body was bursting into individual infernos and every drop of fluid in her body evaporated. Her back wrenched off the dirt in an arc from the pain, every muscle in her body locked in extension as she writhed pitifully. Her eyes rolled back in her head, never allowing her to view the lightning bolt that speared her sunken belly for this eternal second. Unbeknownst also to the girl, the baby fox at her shoulder shuddered in spasms too - the flow of electricity connecting the two creatures from the ground and up through the tree into the sky.

From beneath her, at the base of her spine, a long prehensile tail suddenly sprang out over the top edge of her capris and jerked, dark brown fur puffed out like a frightened cat. It just abruptly shot out as if the inward curved nub of her tailbone had just remembered its earliest primate ancestor, before the tree dwellers took to the ground and scorned their tails for long legs and feet with arches. Jen never noticed this or the pain it caused as she lay unconscious.

Then starting around the lightning bolt that still pierced her, faint shimmers of light expanded, leaving empty space in their wake, slowly dissolving her. And when the ring of shimmering particles reached the fox kit, digging tiny claws into the shoulder it lay on as the electricity pulsed through it, Kitsune too began to dissolve, starting at the white tip of the tail and moving up…

Then they were gone, leaving no trace in the tiny cave underneath a smoking tree in the stormy dawn…

TO BE CONTINUED…

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Originally, this story and chapter was written in late 2005. But as of today, 10-17-2009, despite a hellacious cold, I have performed a massive revision to this prologue.

If you've read this story before, then I thank you and appreciate you following! My sincerest apologies for the long delay in releasing Chapter 6. I had the chapter very nearly complete, when my hard drive on my old laptop died, taking several of my unpublished works to their graves. Argh! Hopefully soon, Chapter 6 will be rewritten and posted.