Ok, I'm back with another chapter everybody! Sorry that it's been a little over a week. I had more work hours this week than I usually get so it cut into my time to get inspiration and to write. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Now, onto some of the reviews!

X3runner: Thanks for the suggestion, but I didn't even mean to make a reference to Terminator. I've never even watched it! haha

OmniPlanckInstant: I was sad she died in the original OVA too! But, keep up the good work on your reviews! I really enjoy reading them! I find them funny!

victor0606: Thanks! Also, I didn't even know that was a quote from Terminator because I never saw it. I just thought it sounded cool in my head! haha

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z nor do I own Attack on Titan. Please support the official releases.

Chapter 4: A Story by The Fire

As the girl grabbed Gohan's hand, he noticed another thing about her. She had golden colored eyes and freckles. But that wasn't important. He had to get her to safety.

"Get on my back and hang on tight!" shouted Gohan as the girl stood up with tears still flowing down her face. But now, they were tears of happiness and hope.

So, she did as Gohan told her and wrapped her arms around his neck as she stood against his back.

"Alright, I'm going to move fast so, again, make sure you hold on tight." stated Gohan as the girl nodded in understanding and locked her hands together to make sure she stayed on tight.

As soon as she did that, Gohan started running. The girl had expected him to run fast but not this fast! All the trees around them seemed to blur as she got a sense of tunnel vision. Just who was this kid that saved her?

After about an hour of holding on for dear life, the girl finally noticed her savior was slowing down. They must be safe by now. Titans were fast but not this fast.

"Ok, we will be safe for now." Gohan said as he slowed himself down to a walk. Just up ahead was a small area where his now extinguished campfire was.

After walking for a few more feet, Gohan finally stopped as he gave the girl a chance to get off him. He was glad he was able to save her in time. She seemed like a nice girl.

Before he could do anything else though, the girl jumped at him and hugged him as she once again began to tear up.

"Thank you so much!" sobbed the girl as she squeezed him tighter and tighter.

"You're welcome, but there's really no need to thank me." chuckled Gohan as he rubbed the back of his head. He definitely was his father's son.

"What are you talking about? You saved me from that titan! By the way, my name is Ilse. Ilse Langnar." replied Ilse as she let go of Gohan and looked him in the eyes with a smile.

"My name is Son Gohan. Son is my family name so just call me Gohan. And what I mean is that I had arrived at the scene just as that titan, as you called it, cornered you up against that tree. I could have saved you sooner but my curiosity got in the way and for that, I'm sorry!" exclaimed Gohan full of grief. It was his fault she had to go through so much suffering.

It took her a second to process what Gohan had just told her but when she did, she couldn't help but hug the boy again.

"Don't be sorry. You saved me and that's what counts. And if we can make it out of here alive, I can also see my family again. That's all thanks to you. It's alright that you didn't save me right away. I forgive you." smiled Ilse as she took another look at the boy. However, she noticed something that he said.

"Wait a minute. You said 'as you called it' when I referred to the titan. Did you really not know what they are called?" questioned Ilse. Such a thing seemed impossible, but seeing as how Gohan was dressed in nothing but animal skins, maybe it was possible he's never lived with other humans before. If so, this was truly amazing!

"Uh. Yeah. I was never told about them. I more or less just dealt with them." Gohan said nervously as he rubbed his head again and looked away from Ilse.

'I was right! He has lived in the forest all his life!' thought Ilse as she looked at Gohan with sympathy. It must've been really hard for him to survive out here.

"So Gohan, how have you survived out here for so long without being eaten?" inquired Ilse as she looked at him in awe.

If her previous question didn't make Gohan nervous, this one certainly did. He was hoping to avoid this subject altogether but he felt like he owed her an explanation.

"Ok, I'll tell you. But first, can I start up a fire? I killed a couple deer earlier and I'm kind of hungry." laughed Gohan as he started gathering multiple sticks that were littered throughout the area.

"Oh! Sure! Can I have some too? I haven't eaten in a couple days." Ilse said as she started to frown as she remembered the recent events that had occurred over the past couple of days.

"Sure." Answered Gohan as he could sense the sadness in Ilse. 'She must've gone through something terrible before I saved her.' thought Gohan with a frown.

"Thank you." responded Ilse as she sat down on a rock that was nearby. She reached into her pocket to grab her book and start writing down this recent turn of events but noticed something.

'No! I must've dropped it on the ground back when I fell out of the titan's hands! Oh well. I guess I can always relay the information myself if I make it back alive. But if not, I hope somebody will find it someday.' Ilse thought with a sigh as she looked at Gohan rubbing some sticks together to start a fire. 'Actually, I think I will make it home.' thought Ilse with a smile. Gohan truly was amazing.

"Alright, that should do it." said Gohan with a cheeky grin as he successfully lit the fire. Now all he had to do was cook the deer and they could eat. So, he stood up and dragged the two deer he killed out of some bushes.

'Good. It looks like no predators got to them while I was gone.' Gohan thought with a sigh of relief. He would've been sad if this food had gone to waste.

As Gohan dragged the deer to the growing fire, he noticed Ilse watching him with a look of confusion on her face.

"What's wrong Ilse?" asked Gohan as he caught her off guard.

"Oh! Nothing! I was just wondering why you brought both deer out to cook. I wouldn't want to waste your food." stammered out Ilse in surprise. She hadn't expected Gohan to notice her watching him.

"Oh, that. Well, one of them is for me." smiled Gohan and causing Ilse to jump up in shock.

"What!? A whole deer!? Are you really sure you can eat that much!?" exclaimed Ilse in pure disbelief. Such a thing seemed impossible. Even for him.

"Nope! In fact, I might eat some of the second deer too since I'm cooking it now anyways." Gohan said with laughter. Ilse sure would be in for a surprise once they start eating.

With that said, Gohan proceeded to skin and skewer both deer. He then stood them above the fire so that they could cook. In the meantime, Ilse continued to watch Gohan as she patiently waited for his story and for food. And with a heavy sigh, Gohan decided it was time to talk to her.

"So, Ilse, you wanted to know more about me?" asked Gohan as he interrupted the silence.

"Yes! I mean... If it's not too much of a problem for you." Ilse said with excitement as she sat up straight in anticipation.

"Ok, I'll tell you. But please don't tell anybody else. I don't really want too many people to know right now. Can I trust you?" Gohan questioned as he noticed Ilse nod her head.

"Yeah. You can trust me." responded Ilse. And upon saying this, she saw Gohan motion for her to come sit by him. So, she did as he requested and came over to sit by him.

"Ok, now, I know all of this will sound absolutely crazy but it's all true." Gohan said with a serious tone. To which, Ilse just nodded.

"So, to start things off, the reason I didn't know that titans were called titans is because I'm not exactly around here." started Gohan as he looked sadly into the burning fire.

"Where are you from then?" asked Ilse as she noticed his sad look. She felt bad for him. Maybe she could help him in some way. It's the least she could do after everything he's done for her.

"Well, that's the thing. I'm not exactly sure where I am now. All I do know is that I am not from this world." responded Gohan with a calm voice.

"Wait! What do you mean!? Are you some kind of alien or something!?" shouted Ilse in complete surprise. She knew the boy was different because he broke a titan's skull and for being able to run so far so fast but she didn't expect this.

"Well, kind of. You see, I believe I came from a different dimension or universe than yours. Where I'm from, we still have all the same animals so it's not an alien planet. But, there are no titans there." said Gohan. He knew that would pique her interest as it was evident on her face.

"Seriously!? A world without titans! That sounds great!" Ilse exclaimed in shock. This was nothing like what she had expected when he told her it would sound crazy. But a world without titans? That sounded like a miracle world.

"Yeah." Gohan said with a small laugh. "But to answer your earlier question, although I come from a parallel Earth, I'm not exactly human either." responded Gohan.

"So, if you're not human, then what are you?" asked Ilse. This just got weirder and weirder.

"Actually, I'm am half human. My other half is a saiyan. Saiyans are aliens from another planet in my world." answered Gohan with a small smile. He could only imagine how ridiculous all this sounded to her but it was the truth and he'd do anything to prove it. He was proud of his heritage because it was his father's heritage too.

"Wow. That's amazing. So, did saiyans look exactly like us humans?" inquired Ilse. Such a claim seemed impossible. Even if she had seen his physical feats, she would like to see some more evidence to back up such an insane claim.

"Actually, the saiyan race looked pretty much just like humans. There's only a few differences. Saiyans have denser bones because their home planet had a higher gravity than Earth's. But that's not all. Nearly all saiyans have black spiky hair and black eyes. Not to mention, they had tails."
said Gohan as he unwrapped his monkey-like tail from his waist to show to Ilse, causing her to jump up and gasp.

"You have a tail!" shouted Ilse in surprise. She was surprised she didn't realize it earlier. She thought it was just a part of the rest of fur clothing.

"Yeah, I do." Gohan laughed out. He was certainly enjoying her eccentric behavior. It was really refreshing for him after being isolated for all this time.

"So, what else can you tell me about these saiyans and your world?" asked Ilse full of interest. This was all so exciting for her. She never would have believed it if she hadn't met Gohan.

"Well, the saiyans are pretty much extinct now. The only saiyans left are me, the saiyan prince named Vegeta, and his son. His son is half human like me so Vegeta is the last pure blooded saiyan." Gohan said with a frown as he stared at the fire in reflection.

"Oh wow. I'm sorry to hear that." Ilse said as she frowned. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to talk about this.

"It's ok." Gohan said quietly as he continued to look at the fire.

"So, if you're ok with me asking, what happened to the rest of the saiyans? Did something similar to us happen where they were hunted down to near extinction?" Ilse asked as she watched Gohan for any signs of the topic being too much for him to handle. The last thing she wanted was to make him sad.

"Kind of. The saiyan race had always been a race of super powerful warriors. So strong that no titan could stand up to them. Only weak children would have had any problems with them when it came to strength alone." Gohan started causing Ilse to look surprised.

"But that eventually turned out against them. After some time, a space tyrant named Frieza discovered the saiyans and decided to exploit their strength and love for battle for his own desires." Gohan explained as he turned his gaze from the fire to look at Ilse, and upon seeing her interest in the story, he decided to continue.

"What happened after that was terrible. He essentially hired the saiyans to be interplanetary conquerors. He would have them travel from planet to planet and have them kill off the native life so that he could sell them for profit." Gohan said with a grim look.

"That's awful! Those monsters!" Ilse lamented as she could only imagine how terrible the saiyan race was.

"Yeah. They were monsters. But one day, that all caught up to them. You see, although he liked using the saiyans to his advantage, Frieza also feared them. The saiyans had a legend of a saiyan warrior called a super saiyan and Frieza was afraid that someday a saiyan might become a super saiyan one day and overthrow him. So, he did the only thing he thought was necessary." answered Gohan as his expression grew more and more serious.

"What did he do to them?" pondered Ilse as she had a sinking feeling she wouldn't like the answer to her question.

"He destroyed the entire saiyan home planet along with all the saiyans that lived there." responded Gohan with a frown as he looked her in the eyes so she knew he wasn't lying.

It took a moment for her to register what Gohan had said as she stared at him. But as the seconds progressed, her eyes widened as she realized just what he meant.

"He destroyed a whole planet!? But how, that's impossible!" screamed Ilse at the top of her lungs as she grabbed Gohan by the shoulders in a desperate attempt to keep her from hyperventilating.

"Frieza was just that strong. He could destroy an entire planet with the flick of his finger. But thankfully my dad was sent to my planet just before it was destroyed." Gohan told Ilse as she attempted to recompose herself. It didn't help much though as she now knew there were not only aliens but beings capable of destroying entire planets with ease. Such a thought shook her to the core.

"Alright. I think I'm good now. But how did the humans on your planet survive with a saiyan there? No disrespect to your dad but you said saiyans would kill off whoever lived on a planet to sell it to Frieza." questioned Ilse as she was still soaking in all this new information. "Did they find a way to beat your dad despite his superiority in strength?"

"No, they didn't need to. When my dad was sent to my Earth, he was still a toddler so he was only about as strong as a human child. But he was adopted by an old man that lived alone in the woods. My dad was an aggressive child at first but at some point, he hit his head, got amnesia, and became a happy and innocent kid." Gohan replied to calm her nerves. Which worked as she noticed her once again sit comfortably.

"After that, my dad met this woman named Bulma, and they went on adventures together as my dad got stronger and stronger. It was during that time that my parents met. They got married a few years later when they were about 18 and had me a couple years later. But, that peace didn't last long though." stated Gohan as his tone grew serious.

Upon noticing this shift in tone, Ilse leaned forward with interest. She just had to know what happened next. So, after a few seconds of silence, Gohan continued his story.

"When I was 4 years old, my dad took me to this reunion between him and some of his old friends. However, that day ended up changing all of our lives forever. For better or for worse." began Gohan as he stood up and checked on the meat. Once he realized it still needed some cooking though, he sat back down.

"You see, as it turns out, my dad had an older brother. He was evil though and only came to the planet looking to recruit my dad to help him and 2 other saiyans in conquering a planet and told my dad about his saiyan origins. But, my dad refused his offer causing him to attack my dad and grabbed me as my dad laid on the ground in pain." Gohan said causing a small gasp from Ilse.

"He then gave my dad an ultimatum. He could either kill 100 humans and join them, or he would take me with him instead." stated Gohan with a grim look on his face as he continued to recount the events of that day and his past. Upon hearing this, Ilse covered her mouth in astonishment and disgust but just decided to let Gohan continue his story.

"So, after he left with me, an old enemy of my dad's showed up at the scene. Nobody knew he was there before that, but he was another alien but weaker than my dad. His name was Piccolo. But, he wasn't a saiyan. He was a green alien with antenna from a planet called Namek. Anyways, Mr. Piccolo had been following my uncle and decided that he'd help my dad defeat him as he didn't want my uncle to come between him and his plans for world domination." Gohan said with a smile as he remembered how Piccolo used to act before they met.

"After a long battle though, my dad and Mr. Piccolo defeated him but at the expense of my dad sacrificing his life to do so." continued Gohan as his smile once again turned into a frown.

"I'm so sorry to hear that Gohan. It must've been hard for you to deal with." said Ilse as she put her hand on his shoulder. She couldn't even imagine how she'd feel if her parents died.

"Yeah, it was tough at first. But on my world, we had these magical spheres called dragon balls. And with these dragon balls, you could wish for just about anything you wanted, and my dad's friends decided they'd wish for my dad to be brought back to life." Gohan said as he looked at Ilse to see her reaction only to see her eyes brighten and her mouth open.

"That's amazing Gohan! I only wish we had dragon balls too! Then we could wish away all the titans!" Ilse chimed with sheer joy at the thought. If only things were that simple.

"Haha yeah, the dragon balls are amazing but I don't know if that wish would be possible because while the dragon that the dragon balls summon can grant about any wish, it can only do so if it is within its power to do so." laughed Gohan as Ilse dropped her shoulders in defeat. It was a nice thought though.

"So, anyways, after my dad died, we learned that 2 more saiyans that were even stronger than my uncle was coming to get the dragon balls for themselves. As a result, Mr. Piccolo basically kidnapped me for a while to train me because he realized I had a lot of untapped potential." Gohan chuckled while he rubbed his head, causing Ilse to look at him in bewilderment.

"He kidnapped you!?" shouted Ilse as she leaned forward.

"Yeah, but only for a year because that's when the saiyans were going to arrive. For a majority of my training, he had me survive in the wild all by myself. That's why I'm able to live in the forest now. If not, I probably would've died by now from starvation or dehydration." answered Gohan as he continued to rub his head.

"But you were only 4 years old! That's way too young to live in the woods by yourself!" reasoned Ilse as she tried to wrap her mind around such an audacious act.

"That's true, but like I said, it definitely helped me a lot in the long run." admitted Gohan. He then checked the food again to check how done it was. Upon realizing it was about half done, he decided to continue his story.

"Anyways, after that, the saiyans arrived. One of which, was the saiyan prince I mentioned earlier named Vegeta. The other saiyan was a bald and muscular saiyan with a thin mustache. His name was Nappa, and although he looked much stronger than Vegeta, Vegeta was far stronger and faster than Nappa. But the bad part of it was the fact that my dad hadn't been revived with the dragon balls yet because Vegeta and Nappa arrived a little early and my dad was still training in Otherworld." Gohan said grimly as he sat back down beside Ilse.

"I'm sorry that I keep interrupting but what's Otherworld? I thought you said your dad was dead?" pondered Ilse as she looked at Gohan in confusion.

"Oh, sorry about that Ilse. Otherworld is the name in our world for the afterlife." answered Gohan as though it was no big deal. But for Ilse, that was a completely different story.

"So there really is life after death then. That's a relief to know. Maybe all the people here that have been killed by the titans can finally rest in peace." Ilse said quietly as her eyes started to tear up.

"Are you ok Ilse?" Gohan asked in concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just happy. I'm happy that everyone that has died has found eternal peace in Otherworld. Thank you Gohan." replied Ilse as she wiped the tears from her face and looked at the fire with a smile. She was really glad she met Gohan.

"Ok, well, I'm going to continue the story then if that's ok with you? I'd like to get through most of it before the food gets done because we'll have to take a break while I eat. I'm famished." requested Gohan as his stomach growled a little in agreement.

"Sure, that sounds good." Ilse said between laughs.

"Ok! So, when Vegeta and Nappa arrived, they wanted to know where my dad was. And when we told them that my dad would be back within a couple hours, they decided to wait. But as it turned out, my dad ended up being a little late so they decided to plant these weird little seeds that turned into some kind of green plant man." continued Gohan. He would have said what they were called but he just couldn't remember for the life of him. Oh well, it wasn't that important anyways.

"They then ordered the plant men to attack us one at a time. Unfortunately, though, they ended up killing one of our friends named Yamcha. He had decided to fight them knowing that if one of us did, they'd get killed themselves. So, he took it on knowing that he would die." Gohan stated with a sad frown.

"Well, I think he was really brave for that. It's not easy facing your imminent death. I learned that the hard way earlier. But thanks to you, that didn't happen." Ilse said in order to comfort Gohan and then gave him a small hug causing Gohan to smile and hug her back. He was just glad to help.

"Thanks for the comfort Ilse. Remembering my past makes me a little sad because it reminds me of how weak and useless I was back then. I appreciate it." Gohan muttered as he gave a small smile to Ilse causing Ilse to give him a warm smile back in return.

"After Yamcha died, another friend of ours named Krillin decided to take on several of those things at once and was able to beat them. Even Mr. Piccolo beat one. The worst was yet to come though because Nappa joined the battle." Gohan began as he remembered the events of that day.

"The battle with Nappa was tough for all of us. We were barely able to put a scratch on him and he even killed two more of our friends. Their names were Tien and Chiaotzu. Chiaotzu blew himself up in an attempt to kill Nappa but it was in vain as it did nothing to him other than destroy his clothes. Then Tien stepped up in a last-ditch effort to avenge Chiaotzu only to end up dead too. We were no match for him but we still tried." Gohan said sadly as his expression grew darker and darker.

Seeing this, Ilse decided to put her hand on Gohan's shoulder as he looked up at her and continued.

"After that happened, Mr. Piccolo, Krillin, and I were the only ones left to fight off Nappa but we were still no match. Mr. Piccolo even gave his life to save me because I was too terrified to move away from one of Nappa's attacks." said Gohan as he clenched both fists together and started to cry. Upon noticing this, Ilse decided to intervene.

"Gohan, if this is too hard for you to talk about, you can just skip it or you don't have to tell me at all. I've heard enough for now." Ilse calmly soothed as she pulled Gohan in for another hug. Even though she just met him, she just couldn't stand seeing him sad like this. He was her hero. He saved her life and now she would do whatever she could for him. For now, all she could do was comfort him, so that's exactly what she'd do.

"Thanks Ilse. I'll tell you the rest another time." Gohan said as he let her hug him.

After a few more moments of her just holding him, he finally felt some of the pent-up guilt release itself. "Ok, I think I'm good now. I'm going to check our food again really quick." claimed Gohan, which upon hearing, Ilse let go of him so he could get up.

As he got up and checked his food, he noticed the meat was finally cooked all the way through which also helped raised his mood a little.

"Alright, it's done. Are you ready to eat?" asked Gohan as he looked back at Ilse only to see her nod quietly.

"Ok, then let's eat." replied Gohan as he smiled at her. He only hoped she wouldn't freak out too much when she sees him eat.

That's it for this chapter everybody! I'm sorry if you thought this chapter was a bit slow since there was literally no action in it but I think it still turned out pretty nice. After the next chapter, I'm going to write the first chapter for another Gohan crossover but don't worry, I'm not abandoning this story so, don't worry! Anyways, I'll see you all again next time!