Woo! How are you feeling after that last one? Well, I am a writer of my word (just go with it), and it has been a few hours. Oh, even though the summary says it covers the Frieza saga, I'm thinking it will cover a little bit more than that, so it'll dive a little into the famed 3-year gap. Yes, yes, yes, I will be trying my hand at it. And as a further heads-up, this will be a saga of sorts. Frieza, the 3-year gap, Cell, and lastly, Buu. The most heart-wrenching of the series. Yes, things are going to be ultra-different, things are going to stray from the anime, but keep in mind, they have at least one additional member to Team Z. Dare I say, time and space is already different.

Women. They change everything!

Sorry, got a little ahead of myself. Let's get this disclaimer rolling. Disclaimer-bot! Go!

Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fan-based work of fiction. Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball GT are all owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, and Akira Toriyama. Please insert girder- *spaz*

Ugh, I need a new one.


Chapter 6: Something, Someone

My meditation had worn me out mentally, so I had decided earlier to perform my katas. Control over force, restraining my muscles, and with a snap of some nearby twigs, I snap my head in the direction of the disturbance, and set my limbs into a defensive pose. Legs spread apart and hands ready to grapple any enemy near or far. My eyes squint in concentration, and I flare up my ki in warning. I focus on the area, and realize there is no ki. I release a sigh as a white ball of fluff bounces from the greenery. I growl, scaring away the defenseless creature.

I resume my katas, picking up the speed in my movements, and blending my punches with different types of kicks. If I had an enemy in front of me, they would be pummeled into the ground, even without any ki attacks. High, low, middle, elbows, split punches, knee hits, roundhouses... everything that pops into mind. Strictly offense. I spend an hour giving the non-existent opponent my best moves, moving in tactical combinations that would make an expert martial artist green with envy.

After my hour, I switch to defensive maneuvers, back flipping, crouching, and keeping my arms up to block any subsequent hits my opponent may have. I think of each possible move my adversary would have, and refrain from mixing any counters into it. I want just my defensive maneuvers practiced. I hadn't worked on my actual technique in a year. Sweat beads along my furrowed brow, and my blanched tendrils stick to my chin. I growl as my unruly mane desires to hold me affectionately through my training. I strip off a layer, the orange top of my gi sinking heavily to the ground. I maneuver side to side, feeling my hair spring freely with the movement, but with the weight, it still gravitates to the moistened shirt on my back. I grumble with frustration. I refuse to continue training this way until I can find a suitable way to contain or shorten my hair!

I give in, plopping down onto the cool grass near the lake. I take in the shades of gold and pinks littering the sky.

"Oh shit, I should clean up and grab something to eat!" I say out loud. I disrobe and dive into the lake with a light splash. I glance around for a sizable fish. I grumble to myself and watch a school of tuna swim past with fervor. I grin, and swim after them with much speed and grab two by the tail. I leap out with the two still in hand, squirming in hopes to be free. The massive fish, both about as big as Goku is tall, settle down as they slowly suffocate. Once they do, I set them down and quickly dress again, not caring about my long tresses sticking to my back and face. I pick them up and sling their bodies over a shoulder, and I gaze into the sky before taking off.

I should definitely talk to Chi-chi. I know she cares about me, and she worries about me. No doubt about it, it's genuine. I see the small cabin in the clearing and land softly. I knock on the door with a smile. The door opens, and Chi-chi stands there with a small smile on her face.

"I see you got fish," she says with a sigh.

"Figured I'd kill two birds with one stone. Didn't want to come back stinking up the place with my BO," I tell her, an embarrassed smile stretching across my face. She shrugs, and nods. We walk in, and the smell of delicious foods waft to my nose. Absolutely heaven on Earth. Bowls of stew and rice, plates of spiced curry, and rolls of different sushi and sashimi are organized neatly on several platters. She takes the fish from me, and runs through a cabinet nearby. After rummaging through it, she hands me a pair of bottles and a small cloth.

"You still stink. Go wash up more thoroughly," she tells me. I hang my head and give a defeated sigh. I guess I do still stink pretty badly. I walk to the back and prepare the large metal bathing barrel. Its usual rusted appearance is only distinguishable through texture, the setting sun blending the colors smoothly. I carry it to the nearby pump and fill it with the water. I pump the lever gently, and carry it back to its spot. I spark a fire with a lighter close to the wood pile. The fire licks at the bottom of the barrel, heating up the water. I disrobe once again, only bringing the clothes in with me.

I settle into the boiling water, surrounding myself in the soothing heat. My muscles ache from the katas and going over my strategies. My mind also hurts from my first astral projection since coming back to life. I should talk to her about it. I guess I'm overdue for "girl talk" anyway. I sigh. I hate that term so much, but I don't have any other name to call it. I lather the shampoo into my hair, washing out the extra oils from my sweat. I take a breath and dunk my head it, careful to keep my eyes closed. Even if I am a Saiyan, the hair soap burns my eyes. The stuff could leave anyone defenseless like a Solar Flare. After surfacing, I quickly wipe straggling suds away from my eyes before opening them. I dive under, grabbing pieces of my weighted gi, and I resurface and scrub them with soap. I know this seems really strange, but to me it makes some sense. The only issue I have is standing outside with nothing but sudsy water and maybe my ki cloaking my body in heat and drying it, all while protecting me from some elements like, oh, say that pesky breeze that sends shivers down my spine and caresses my tail spot. Guh.

I scrub my body with the soapy wash rag hastily, and rinse off with another dunk. I ring each piece of my gi out in hopes when I get out, it'll dry out the rest of the way once I flare up my ki. I jump out, hoping I can eat some delicious food soon. I slip into my slightly damp gi and flare my ki, drying me off. I smile with my victory. I hear the door open and close with Chi-chi calling me.

"Hey, I was able to cook your fish so dinner-" she stops mid-sentence once she sees me. I quirk a curious eyebrow as she covers her mouth, no doubt holding back strained giggles. The dam finally breaks loose and points at me. "Oh my Kami, Hayashi! Your hair!" She struggles to breathe in between words and bouts of laughter. I sigh. I'm chopping it off. I don't care.

I grumble and pass a window. I catch my reflection to see the fuss. My hair, which usually falls pretty smoothly in feathery spikes, resembles more of a classical halo behind my head, and my white tresses fall flat against the sides of my face. Am I the only one with this sort of problem? On the bright side, food smells amazing, the scent of grilled fish drifting past me ever so casually. Alright, I'll talk to her calmly, but only because you smell heavenly, grilled fish. I lick my lips, nearly salivating all over myself.

I hear her laughter die down, and footsteps behind me. "I'm sorry, I just haven't seen your hair after a bath," she states. Figured that much. She opens the door and we sit at the dinner table. "Have you ever wanted to cut it?" she asks. I nod my head.

"I was thinking about it earlier today," I say. It's the truth. Before today, I hadn't thought about it. As of late, though, it feels a lot like a weakness more than anything. I grasp the chopsticks in my hand and place three amazingly delicious sushi rolls in my mouth. I try to keep my mouth closed as much as possible.

"Would you like me to cut it?" she asks. I look up at her and nod my head a few times. I chew and swallow.

"You know how to cut hair?" I ask. I shake my hands. "Nevermind, I know the answer to that. You've cut Gohan's hair," I say. She nimbly eats a bowl of rice with barbecued unagi placed strategically on top.

"That's right I have!" she declares proudly. "His hair grows pretty fast too, so I've had some time to practice," she says. "If your hair is like Goku's though, it won't last long."

I smirk, an idea running through my head. "How long?"

"Maybe a day, day and a half," she says. "It always seems to re-grow literally overnight." I blink, thinking of the possibilities. Another thing Bulma would surely be jealous of me. A different hairstyle every day. I chuckle lightly to myself.

"I'm not sure you'd want to cut off most of this hair very often," I say, running my hand through it. By the way it feels, it seems to have settled down since the bath. "There's a lot of it." Chi-chi nods her head.

"Well," she says, placing her elbow on the table and pointing her separated chopsticks at me, "we need to figure out a way to contain it. Control it. A ponytail could work, but your hair could probably break through any restraint unless it was made of titanium, and even then-" My eyes widen at her words. I smile, causing Chi-chi to stop. "You're thinking Bulma, aren't you?"

I chuckle again, placing a piece of grilled fish in my mouth. I quickly swallow it and smile. Heaven! "Absolutely! She knows fashion, she knows my hair, there's got to be something she could figure out to help me," I say. My chopsticks make quick work of a bowl of rice and the rest of the fish. I pick up a stuffed dumpling and quickly devour it.

"So, how was training?" she asks. I begin choking on the dumpling and quickly recover.

I hesitate on telling her the truth. I tell her about how I can now project my spirit to anywhere in the universe as long as there is a person to focus on. I notice her staring intently, intrigued. I feel a tingle in my spine and a rush of heat drift over my cheeks as I tell her the subject I had spied on.

"Hayashi, you're definitely the weird one. What kind of self-respecting woman falls for the man who KILLED her?" she asks rather loudly. I flinch. I should have expected that. I watch her form loosen up a little, her shoulders sag with a sigh. "I know he claims to be Goku's brother, but he's nothing like him from what I had heard from my husband. If you do try any 'funny business'," Chi-chi's eyebrows raise in a suggestive manner, "just take precautions, and don't get too hurt by him."

I'm now officially confused. "Wait, what are you trying to say?" I ask. She grins at me.

"Though I may not approve of your feelings toward the young man, I will not stop you," she says with a sigh. The redness lingers on my cheeks. "So, was it..." she attempts to ask, but at those words I stand up.

"Chi-chi, you're a married woman!" I yell at her furiously. She covers her mouth as she giggles.

"I need some way to prove they're brothers-"

"Oh my Kami, I'm going to bed!" I say loudly in hopes to drown out those thoughts. I shake my head to avoid thinking and either one of the Saiyan brothers. I can almost feel the blood ready to shoot from my nose with how much heat is being emitted from my face. I round a corner and almost close the door forgetting one thing.

"Thank you for dinner, Chi-chi," I say meekly from behind a corner like a child in trouble. I hear her chuckle and the water running with the clanking of porcelain dishes.

"You're welcome, Hayashi. Hope you enjoyed it," she says. I can hear the sad smile in her voice. I'm too tired to ask right now, so I decide to ask in the morning.

"I did. Good night," I say softly. After her reciprocation, I close the door softly. This must be Gohan's room, the telltale stack of college-level books towering in the middle of the desk. Papers are neatly organized next to one particular book, and I recognize it as a Physics book. Kami, physics?! I glance at the top sheet and see that half the page is filled with formulas and problems. Just looking at the different figures makes my head spin. I should probably sleep before these equations give me a headache.

I lay on the bed and feel my eyelids become heavier. Firm knocks break the sleep-inducing trance.

"Hayashi, do you need any sleepwear?" Chi-chi's voice asks through the door. I take a look at my attire. She knows I sleep in my gi usually. It's not hot enough to sleep with only the sky to clothe me.

"Actually, I do," I say, "but I don't need anything fancy." I hear some rustling through the door, and then a brief knock. "Come in."

Chi-chi stands in the doorway holding a pajama set. Light blue bottoms and what looks like a white spaghetti strap top. "Are these fine?" she asks. I nod reassuringly.

"Of course!" I say. I watch as she places them on the back of the chair. A sad smile.

"Great. I'll see you in the morning then." With that, she closes the door behind her. I slip off my gi and sports bra, place them on the seat of the chair neatly, and pull the garments onto my body. They snuggle close to me like a second skin. I lay on the bed once more, hands resting under my head and legs slightly crossed. My eyelids feel heavy once again, and the fuzzy warmth and promise of sleep lures my spirit and body into a deep slumber.

A towering shadow looms over me, peering into my very being with red glowing eyes.

"You're such a weakling," it chuckles harshly. The voice, dark and husky, bounces endlessly off the walls of my mind. "You got defeated-no, killed!- by me of all the people in the universe!" My jaw clenches, as well as my heart. I recognize the voice now. The shadowed figure reveals itself to be Raditz, arms crossed and smirking. "What's wrong? Do you feel your incoming defeat?"

I scream out in a rage, leaping out to hit him square in the jaw, only the impact never comes. I watch as his image fades away like a puff of smoke. His laughter rings in my ears, and I feel a presence over my shoulder.

"And yet, why do I sense your arousal?" the image asks, raising an eyebrow and flashing the cockiest grin I have ever seen. I elbow the image in the gut, yet still, it fades out.

"Come out, you damn coward!" I yell out, growing more and more aggravated by the moment.

"Why? So you can pounce on me?" he asks. He knows how much of a rise this subject gets out of me. But how? Please tell me this is all just inMYmind, and that he doesn't know in real life. He releases a belly laugh, seeing my uneasiness. "Oh, Arugelle, I know much more about you than you know about yourself," he says. I can sense his body moving closer to me. I close my eyes and open them in time to see his face nose to nose with mine. "You see, I know your thoughts. Your actions. Your body. Your mind. Your spirit. Every fucking piece of you, I know very well." His hand runs down an arm smoothly, leaving a tingling trail in its wake. "You weren't sent on a mission, you escaped our home planet's destruction like a coward."

My eyes widen in rage and I let out a battle cry.

"I escaped to live longer and be stronger! I wasn't in battle, so my actions were not 'cowardly' as you had put it. And frankly, Raditz, I doubt you know every fucking thing you know about me, otherwise-"

Lips seal my tirade against him, almost like I can feel the firm warmth of his mouth. His arms wrap around my body in an embrace. His lips release mine, already feeling the absence of warmth.

"You know, it's a beautiful moon out tonight," I hear him whisper. I love a full moon... I hear a roar in the distance.

"Indeed. Young ones in the Oozaru form-" I feel my thoughts snap back to the realm of the awake. "Oozaru! Shit, Gohan!" I cry out, feeling the cover of sleep slipping off.

"Gohan!"

I look up to the sky and, sure enough, a large full moon lights the Earth in a pleasant yet eerie glow. I feel the soft vibrations of heavy footsteps from out a distance, along with fluctuating ki.

"Piccolo needs help," I mutter, quickly getting off the bed, and placing the sports bra on. I seriously don't care if I'm still in pajamas. I do care, however, if I do get them dirty or bloodied. They aren't mine, so why wreck them?

I open the window softly, and glance around the darkened room. I'll be back. No need to worry Chi-chi or anything. Everything will be alright. With those thoughts, I fly into the twilight sky, and head to help Piccolo with the "Oozaru" problem.

"Definitely a new-sounding word to me."


Did you enjoy your gift, my dear readers? Think it could improve? Just tell me! Obviously, no flames, no blatant "it sucks" comments. They aren't constructive, and it makes me go crazy seeing those.

If you comment as a guest, I'll mention you and respond to your review, so keep an eye out for it. Unless I get repeat questions. I'll address it in the next Author's Note. But I'm afraid next chapter will be out the 18th. So, until then, Miika, out!