From the Future

Chapter 1

BOOM!!!  Amidst the dust and sand Bulma made out a small spaceship.    She didn't run to owing the way she had lived for many years, never knowing who to trust, what to expect, or who would be lost next.

                "Help me!" I screamed hoarsely from inside the ship.  Finally Bulma a decision, and yelled to the others.  Her voice commanded attention.

                "GET OVER HERE YOU GUYS!!!"

                "Krillin, help me with this."

                " Wonder if anyone survived the crash?"

                " What the heck happened over here?"

                " Quick now, lay her out on the sand.  See? She's coming around!"

                All around me on the sand hazy figures swam into my view. A boy my age with black hair, a young woman with blue hair, an older man with red sunglasses, a short guy without hair, and someone with spiky black hair.  Behind them was a house with the words 'Kamé House' printed just above the door.

                It was at that moment with everyone staring at me, that I noticed every single face.  All of them had scars; the men all had scars on their arms, and the older two had them on their legs.  Theirs faces were young, but their eyes were old as though they had already seen far too much.  It seemed as though they all were bearing a burden they shouldn't have Bulman bearing.

                I sat up disoriented and placed a hand on my temple to stop the throbbing pain.  Looking around, my eyes rested on the boy.  He had a look that was so familiar, but I couldn't place it.  Then the woman spoke.

                " Hi.  My name is Bulma. How ya doing?" she asked, smiling and speaking in a very fast bubbly way.

                "Fine," I said after looking at her a moment and removing my hand from my temple.

                "Well what's your name?" Bulma persisted failing to notice anything was amiss.

                " Kora."

"This is Gohan, that's Krillin, Yamcha, and Master Rochi," she told me smiling.

                "Krillin she has a powerlevel," whispered Gohan. "I can sense it."

                "I know Gohan.  Pretty damn high too.  Yer mom has a level of 5 and that's saying something considering she's from earth." said Krillin.  Gohan nodded in agreement.

                Gohan reached out his hand to pull me up.  "Well come inside for a cold drink and an icepack—if you want one."  I glared at his last words.  I could deal with the pain, it wasn't that great anyhow.

                "Well now you c'n jus' stay s'long as yer little heart desires Kora.  We ain't go'n nowhere we know an' time soon.  Hehehee!" Master Rochi said.  "We's not hav'n ta talk a'tall."  I smiled gratefully at his words.

                "I thank you for letting me stay, but I must leave as soon as I repair my ship," I said as tactfully as I could manage.

                 "Oh that's fine.  I hope that you don't mind sleeping on the front porch with some of us," laughed Yamcha, grinning madly.

                "Bulma's taken the spare bedroom.  She was insistent on having it."  Krillin said.  He pronounced each syllable very carefully in the word insistent.

                "And that is only because I am civilized unlike you!" Bulma snapped back punching him in the arm.  Krillin remained unfazed.

                "It's only 'cause she'd be to embarrassed if Yamcha saw her in her skimpy nightgown!" Gohan snickered.   Yamcha and Bulma both turned a brilliant shade of magenta at these words while everyone else laughed.

                "Gohan!  Shame on you!  How do you know Bulma's got a skimpy nightgown?  Have you seen it on her?" Krillin asked as he shook with laughter.  Bulma looked furious, Gohan looked shocked; Master Rochi had tears of laughter rolled down his cheeks.

                "Ooooohhh!  You are all impossible!" Bulma said.  "Now Kora.  You come with me and we'll find you something to wear—and get away from them."

                "No!  Do that and she'll turn into a miniature you!  I liker her better the way she is.  Grab her arm and pull her over here Gohan!" Yamcha ordered in mock seriousness.  Gohan reached out and gently took my hand and pulled me towards them.  I was skeptical, couldn't read the emotions that flashed in his eyes.

                "Oh, no you don't mister!" Bulma exclaimed.  Whereupon she took my other arm and tried to pull me over.  However Gohan was stronger and my tiny frame was pulled back to him as soon as it began its journey to Bulma.  This was when Master Rochi stepped in.

                "Now you three's jus' gonna leave Kora 'lone now s' she c'n get somefin' ta wear.  Y'all hear me?" asked Master Rochi.   Then with a wink and grin he added "Ya c'n flirt with 'er la'er Gohan." My jaw dropped.  It seemed the only thing that was stopping me from keeling over right then was Bulma's hand still gripped around my upper arm.  Gohan turned red and stumbled out the door with some help from the two laughing young men.

                Now in the quiet of Bulma's room she addressed me.

                "So do you want like sweat pants and a shirt or just a t-shirt?"  Bulma answered the question herself.  "You want a t-shirt.  Its summer and it'll be warm out there."  Bulma dug threw nine duffle bags before she found a shirt that she thought would work.

                "Was Gohan really flirting with me?" I asked slightly embarrassed for not knowing.

                "No.  But he likes you though—or at least he thinks you're pretty.  You see we're all fairly hard-core…people.  We usually don't let our emotions show—or try not to anyway.  If we do show our emotions it's usually because we like someone." Bulma explained.

                "But he doesn't even know me!"

                Bulma shrugged.

                "But just now with you and…?"

                "Oh that?  We were just joking around."  Bulma grinned.  "Its common knowledge between us wa—people that Yamcha likes me.  Now try this on."  Bulma threw me a t-shirt and I shed my own top and bra and put on her shirt, then took off my shorts, kicking them into a pile at the foot of her bed.

                "Good it fits."

                "What's Gohan like anyway?" I asked trying to sound casual.

                "Why?  You like him?"

                "No I don't even know him.  I'm just curious and I won't be staying long."
                "Well it's different for everyone.  Krillin thinks of him as the younger brother he never had, Master Rochi thinks of him as a second…son.  And then there's Piccolo, he's not here, but he thinks of Gohan as an equal which is strange for Piccolo.  You decide for yourself what he's like.  Now go out on the porch they probably have the blankets ready for you."

                Krillin pointed to a thin blanket spread out across the old worn wood boards that made up the porch.  It was big enough but, unfortunately if it rained we'd be in trouble.

                "We're outta pillow so we folded a blanket for you.  That'll hafta do."  Yamcha apologized.

                "Or you can have my pillow and I'll take the blanket." Gohan said much to the amusement of Krillin and Yamcha.

                "This is fine." I said to them as I followed their lead and lay down on top of the blanket.  "There are so many stars." I exclaimed.  Krillin raised his eyebrows.

                "We're pretty isolated out here." Gohan told me seemingly happy to have an excuse to talk to me.  "There aren't any cities for at least 150 mile into the mainland.  Basically to the coast and city borders is desert."