Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Ball Z, any element of it, or anything related to it. This is solely for entertainment.
Chapter 1: A Mysterious Youth
The seven-year-old Gohan froze in mid-air. Mere moments ago, a young woman stood facing the infamous Frieza, along with Frieza's father, King Cold. The young woman- a teenager?- threw her glimmering sword straight into the air. Without a second glance, she leaned slightly to her right as the sword plummeted toward her, cleanly landing in the sheath strapped to her back. Shoulder-length purple hair whipped around her face in the wind. She turned to face to her stunned audience with a look of indifference gracing her tanned features.
Gohan quickly closed his mouth when he realized he was staring. Blinking a few times to clear his clouded mind, he turned as he felt someone's eyes on him.
While the Z-Fighters struggled to understand how a random teenage girl just single-handedly defeated the greatest threat to the known galaxy, one warrior's attention shifted away from the young woman. Piccolo gave Gohan an odd glance, the Namekian's instincts telling him something was slightly off with the child at this side. As Gohan turned to face his mentor, his face flushed under his Piccolo's calculating gaze, a feeling of guilt and shame rinsing through him as if he'd done something wrong. Slightly worried by his pupil's fluctuating energy signature, Piccolo was about to ask what was troubling the child when another voice spoke.
"I'm going to go meet Goku. You can come if you want. He'll be here in a few hours- right over there," the mysterious female fighter said, gesturing over her shoulder.
Gohan's racing mind abruptly came to a halt. "Wait... Sh-she knows my dad?" He fumbled aloud.
Krillin gasped at the mention of his best friend's return, and Piccolo's brow furrowed. Tien and Chiaotzu hung in the air, in awe of the newcomer's power. Yamcha tightened his grip on Bulma, suddenly feeling more protective as the strange girl began to fly away.
Vegeta clenched his fists. "It took everything Kakarot had in his Super Saiyan form to defeat Frieza," he thought bitterly. "Yet a mere human girl slices him into two with little apparent effort? No, I don't believe it."
The fighters floated for a few moments, unsure of what to do. "Well, what are we waiting for?" Bulma announced.
Everyone turned to look at the young scientist in Yamcha's arms. He floated slightly lowered than the other fighters, knowing that if his girlfriend fell, the flightless woman could be seriously injured.
"We finally found a badass woman on par with you guys, and we're just gonna let her get away? Nuh-uh, I don't think so. Yamcha, you better take me to her!" Her tone of voice was demanding enough, but the look on her face could certainly kill.
"But Bulma, we don't know anything about her-" Yamcha argued, struggling to not wither under her expression.
"Well, I'm going," Gohan interrupted. "She knows my dad. So she must be a good guy. Or a good girl. I mean- you know what I mean," he said, his determined voice trailing off nervously.
"Gohan's right, any friend of Goku's is any friend of mine. In all the years I've known him, he's never steered me wrong," Krillin said, coming to Gohan's aide.
"I'm in," Tien offered. "I mean, she did just save the entire planet. She can't be that bad." Chiaotzu nodded in assent.
Yamcha's face hardened. "No, I don't trust her. Not when she's that powerful and just comes out of nowhere!"
Bulma scrunched her face in annoyance. "You don't trust me, either! I say GO!"
"Just because she's beautiful, doesn't mean she isn't dangerous," Yamcha continued. "Looks can be deceiving!"
"Oh, so you think she's beautiful, huh?" Bulma shot back.
"Coke on, that's not what I meant-"
"Enough with your mindless chatter!" Vegeta declared. "I'm going. I need to find out how an earthling has amassed such power. I need to know who she is." The prince shot off into the sky, feeling the young woman's strong energy signal easily in the vast wasteland. Gohan quickly followed behind, and the others soon trailed him.
"Hey, can you keep still for like five seconds?" Yamcha complained. Bulma shifted her grip on his shoulders once again, struggling to adjust to the sensation of flying. She hit his chest, showing her disapproval at his tone of voice. Yamcha sighed.
Gohan flew quickly, the shoulder pads on his Saiyan armour cutting through the wind with some resistance. He kept his eyes on the young woman, noticing her denim jacket had the Capsule Corp logo. Her hair blew aimlessly in the wind as she flew, her back straight from what could only be years if discipline. "Likely from martial arts," Gohan thought, "I mean, she looked incredible back there! Who taught her how to fight like that?"
For a few minutes, his thoughts never left the girl in front of him. "There's just something about her," Gohan muttered to himself. His thoughts drifted when he noticed his stomach felt strangely light and airy, despite having eaten a large breakfast not too long ago.
The girl pulled into a sharp dive as she descended into a rocky clearing. As everyone else landed, Piccolo and Vegeta looked visibly guarded. Piccolo knew her fighting style looked somewhat familiar, but with the incorporation of a sword, he really couldn't be sure. If it wasn't her martial arts, it was definitely something else about her that struck a chord in his memory. His sensitive hearing had also picked up on Gohan talking to himself- there was indeed something about this mysterious youth.
Vegeta glared openly and defiantly, seething at the powerful female before him as she reached into her cutoff jean jacket. She retrieved a capsule from its case and promptly pushed the plunger. The dynocap bounced on the rocky ground a few times before a puff of smoke revealed a small fridge.
"Help yourself," she said, pulling out a drink. "We've got two hours of waiting in the sun until Goku lands."
"Ooh, thanks!" Bulma chirped, making her way towards the fridge. Yamcha tried to grab her hand, but the independent woman slapped it aside as she passed him without a second glance.
"Oh boy!" Gohan said, running past Bulma with his childish glee. "Mom never lets me have soda!"
As Gohan drew near, the girl stepped between him and the fridge. Surprised, Gohan stopped and looked up at her.
"Gohan!" Yamcha warned as he took a step forward, protective of the small boy he considered a nephew.
The boy froze as his dark eyes met bright blue ones. The female warrior finally gave him a small smile as she handed him the drink she was holding. Realizing he wasn't in trouble, Gohan's face lit up again. "Gee, thanks, miss!" He laughed and looked at the can. "Orange is my favourite!"
The moment passed and the teenager quickly stepped aside so Bulma could grab herself a drink. "Wow, you've got great taste, girl. Thanks," the genius told her with a wink. The mild teen said nothing, only watching with curiosity as the older woman chose a root beer. Gohan's childish fingers wrestled with the tab on his soda for a moment before he managed to open it. He happily took large gulps, the heat already sticking uncomfortably to his skin beneath his tight, blue bodysuit. "Ah, that hit the spot," he said. Remembering his manners, he quickly wiped a drop of soda from his chin.
"Is there any grape?" Krillin softly asked, with a sheepish grin. As Gohan ushered Krillin over to look, the two women stood off to the side.
"You look kinda familiar. Do I know you?" Bulma asked. The younger woman avoided her friendly gaze. "No, sorry," she said curtly.
"Excuse me, miss?" Gohan's small, scratchy voice piped up. "How do you know my dad?"
The young woman's face lit up again upon seeing the little boy. "Well, I've actually only heard about him. I'll be meeting him for the first time today," she revealed.
"But then how do you know he'll be here? If he didn't tell you, how could you know?" Krillin asked, slightly suspicious.
The teen swallowed hard and looked at her feet. "Sorry, I can't really tell you."
Suddenly, Vegeta stepped forward. "Oh, and why not? Plotting something?" He demanded. "Now tell us- just who the hell are you?"
The woman closed her eyes, trying to keep her patience in the wake of the visibly angered Saiyan.
"I'm sorry. I wish I could say, but I can't. Not now anyways," she added under her breath.
"Do you work for Bulma's dad?" Gohan asked. The young woman looked taken aback for a moment. "What? No, why would I?"
Gohan took another sip of his soda. "You have the Capsule Corp logo on your jacket," he pointed out.
Bulma turned quickly towards the teen again. "Oh, look, you do! Are you an employee?"
"Um, no, I'm- I'm just a fan," the girl stuttered.
"Well, I'm sure I could get you an internship there if you wanted. All I'd have to do is give your name to my dad, and he can put in a good word for you!" Bulma offered, happy to meet a young woman interested in science and technology.
"I know it's strange, but I really can't tell you my name," the teen said, despite everyone's insistence. "I'm sorry."
Nearly two hours passed in uncomfortable silence. Once again, Vegeta caught the lavender-haired girl staring at him. "What?" He asked, making no effort to hide his annoyance or swelling anger. "Why do you keep looking at me?"
The girl's face flushed, and she silently reprimanded herself for being too obvious. "I like your shirt," she blurted out as an excuse .
Vegeta promptly turned away from her, nose in the air, revealing "BADMAN" written on the back of his neon pink shirt.
"I know I'm a fine specimen of Saiyan royalty, but keep your ridiculous fantasies to yourself, little girl," he sneered.
A look of horror and disgust crossed the teen's face, and she quickly turned around as well, hoping no one had heard their exchange.
Meanwhile, Gohan had quietly walked over to Piccolo, who turned as he heard his student approach. "Hey, Mr. Piccolo?"
"Yeah?" He spoke gruffly, but not unkindly.
"When New Namek was made, why didn't you leave with the other Namekians? Not that I don't want you here, but wouldn't you want to be with more people like yourself?" He asked innocently.
Piccolo took no offense. Instead, he shifted his gaze back to the sky. "They are my people, yes, but I don't belong there. Earth still needs me, and-"
He stopped abruptly, thinking, "You still need me, Gohan." He collected his thoughts before continuing out loud. "Sometimes, connections run deeper than where you're from, Gohan."
Gohan paused for a moment, letting Piccolo's words sink in. Then slowly, he nodded in understanding. His frown of concentration turned into a small smile.
"Knock it off, woman!" Vegeta growled as the teenage girl snuck one last glance at the man.
"You know what?Maybe she's wrong. How can she possibly know that Goku will be here?" Yamcha suddenly yelled in frustration. He crossed his arms in a huff.
"Just chill, Yamcha! Like seriously- have some damn patience for once!" Bulma screeched, one hand cocked on her hip dangerously as she stood up to face him.
"Well you can take yourself home, because I'm not sticking around-"
Yamcha's voice broke as his head whipped around to face the sky. The other fighters felt it, too. The strange young woman stood up.
"What? He's... He's really coming!" Krillin yelled.
"See, Yamcha? I told you my woman's intuition is never wrong!" Bulma said with a smug smile.
"It's his energy," Yamcha clarified. "I feel it, too... Guess she was right after all."
"Look! Daddy!" Gohan cried out. Forgetting he was in the company of others, the child slipped into the name he called his father at home.
A round, grey pod burst forth from the sky, hurtling towards the Earth with incredible speed. An enormous cloud of dust rose on impact as the Saiyan spaceship hit the ground with enough force to knock Bulma off her feet.
The fighters immediately launched themselves towards the newly formed crater.
"Come on, wait for me!" Bulma cried, struggling to keep up with her friends. Gohan lead the charge, skidding to a stop at the edge of the crater.
"Hey! What are you guys doing here?" Goku's voice rang out. While he had sensed their energies from space, he hadn't expected a welcoming party.
His friends cheered though a chorus of "welcome back" and "good to see you." Piccolo and Vegeta watched carefully, noting the obviously alien outfit Goku wore.
"How did you know I was coming?" Goku asked, jumping out of the crater to land next to his son, confusion etched in his ageless face.
"She told us," Bulma said, gesturing to the woman next to her.
Goku stared at the girl, wondering if they had met before. She was a few inches taller than Bulma, but clearly younger- perhaps fifteen or sixteen. She held herself with all the grace and confidence of a seasoned warrior. Her baggy, black cargo pants closely resembled gi bottoms, and a fitted black tank top was revealed through the opening of her dark blue jacket. The hilt of a sword on her back was barely visible through her straight, lilac hair.
"But I don't know you," Goku concluded in his usual blunt manner.
"Well, she knew the exact time and place you were going to land," Bulma told her oldest friend, not believing that Goku hadn't met this girl before.
"Wait, wait- what happened to Frieza, guys?" Goku asked, even more baffled now.
"It was her," Piccolo offered. "She defeated him and King Cold easily, and without assistance."
"Wow, really? Good job!" Goku beamed, the praise sliding easily off his tongue. "She must be much more powerful than she looks," he thought. "I wonder if she'd fight me so I can see just how strong she is."
The girl in question cleared her throat, gaining everyone's attention again. "Goku," she said. "Can I speak to you in private? Just the two of us."
"Hmm. Okay," Goku agreed after only a moment of thought. He began to walk away from the group, garnering protests.
"But- but you just got back, Goku!" Krillin yelled. Gohan closed his eyes, trying to hide his disappointment. "Yeah, what's such a big deal that you can't say it in front of us?" Yamcha added, indignant at the thought of not being trustworthy.
"I'll be right back," the easy going Saiyan replied, giving a small wave as he lifted off with the teenager. Once out of earshot, the pair landed.
Another Saiyan!
And a Super Saiyan.
A girl Super Saiyan.
The Z-Fighters had been in utter shock. They had known she was powerful, but a Saiyan? Despite their home planet having been destroyed decades ago, these alien warriors were harder to get rid of than cockroaches!
"Impossible!" Vegeta had ranted for hours on end, boiling rage evident in his harsh voice. "Kakarot and I are the last two Saiyans, not counting his half-breed brat!"
"Vegeta, seriously? I mean, she transformed right in front of us!" Krillin had argued.
"She's lying! She just has to be!" Vegeta countered in anger.
Gohan sat at his desk, twiddling his pencil between his thumb and forefinger. He didn't want to do his homework. Not after finding out a pair of androids were bringing the end of the world with them in just three years.
Three years. She said she would come back to help fight them, but Gohan didn't want to wait that long. That girl was a Super Saiyan, just like his daddy! And a Saiyan, just like himself. Well, he was half-Saiyan, but she certainly didn't act like the other full-blooded Saiyans he had met. His father, of course, was an exception- Goku always seemed to be an exception to the rules. But Vegeta and Raditz had been so aggressive- what made this girl different? Was it because she was a girl? "No," Gohan silently concluded. "My mom is human and sometimes she scares me more than Frieza ever did back on Namek." Maybe she was a half-Saiyan? Not likely. In getting to know Vegeta after the whole Namek incident, Vegeta claimed that interbreeding had been severely frowned upon on Planet Vegeta, and that Gohan was the first and only Saiyan hybrid in existence. He never failed to remind Gohan about the kid's Saiyan blood being tainted with that of a "weakling race." Thus, Gohan was sure she wasn't a half-Saiyan.
Yet Vegeta had insisted that the girl was lying about her heritage all together- but how could she? Her short, lilac hair had risen before their very eyes. She had turned golden! Her blue eyes had taken on a ferocious green tint. Her power had infiltrated Gohan's senses, much like his Super Saiyan father's energy had. Watching her fight Frieza and King Cold had been outstanding, but seeing how she demonstrated her power to his father while they spoke in private...
She was breathtaking.
Gohan felt his face grow hot. It did that a lot now, but only when he thought of her. "She's really pretty. Like, prettier than my mom. And even prettier than Bulma-" Gohan dropped his pencil.
The realization hit him fully then. He liked her. Like how his dad likes his mom, and how Yamcha likes Bulma! Gohan covered his face with his hands. "This is so embarrassing," he thought to himself. "I don't even know many girls… So what do I even do the next time I see her? What do I say?"
"Gohan?"
The boy spun around, knocking his chair over as he stood to face his mother.
"Gohan, are you finished with your algebra yet? Lunch is ready," she said softly, in that voice she reserved for her baby boy. She walked towards her only child as she wiped her hands on a yellow dishcloth. She eyed the chair on the floor oddly, and raised in eyebrow in question.
Gohan blinked. "Yeah, I'm- I'm almost done, I promise."
Chi-Chi frowned, and her eyes narrowed. "Gohan, what's wrong?"
"What? Nothing, mom!"
Her face softened. "Oh honey, your face is all read! Do you feel okay? Do you have a fever? Have you been drinking enough water today? It's very hot outside, sweetheart-"
Gohan stood still as his mother fussed over him, asking dozens of questions faster than he could answer. She dropped the rag on the floor as she felt his cheeks and forehead, repeatedly looked him over. She prodded his lower belly with two fingers, and he absently shook his head when he was asked if anything hurt. She inspected each hand to make sure he hadn't gotten another splinter from his small wooden desk. And despite having fought an evil alien overlord in outer space just a year ago, and being a half-alien with incredible superhuman abilities, she would always see him as the fragile infant she first laid eyes upon seven years ago. Gohan knew she loved him and only meant well. While he was a little embarrassed- he was too old to call his parents mommy and daddy, after all!- he let her express her concern in the only way she knew how.
Gohan closed his eyes as he imagined his mother was instead the purple-haired girl. He sighed softly as the exotic teenager gently took his hand in hers. He wondered if some day, possibly, maybe, if he asked really, really nicely, he could actually hold her hand. He felt his cheeks heat up again. "Woah," Gohan thought. "Imagine that- me holding hands with a girl!"
When she was satisfied with her spontaneous inspection, Chi-Chi patted her son on the shoulder. The boy's eyes snapped open as he was jolted from his thoughts. "Come on, maybe you'll be able to concentrate better one you've had a break for lunch," his mother said, her hands steering his shoulders out of his bedroom door. "After all, it is a little stuffy in your room."
Gohan nodded, letting her lead him into the kitchen. His father waited impatiently at the table, fingers inching towards the giant bowl of sticky rice situated just out of his reach.
"Goku! Wait for us to sit!" Chi-Chi reprimanded.
Goku laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck with one hand as Chi-Chi redirected her gaze away from her husband.
"But after you eat, don't you even think about running off with your father to train! You need to finish that workbook before you play outside today, mister," Chi-Chi sternly reminded her son. "You're a smart boy, but slackers don't become scholars!"
Goku's chopsticks began moving wildly as soon as his family took their respective chairs. Gohan looked at his parents with a small smile.
He may feel a little funny, but at least everyone else was still acting normal. "Well," he thought. "Maybe 'normal' is subject to interpretation."