Joined Souls

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Dragon Ball Z or the Birdy the Mighty OVAs.

CHAPTER 1: The Accident

Two weeks after the Cell Games

A large explosion suddenly disrupted the otherwise calm night air, sending the tailed boy soaring through the velvet expanse dotted by points of white stars into a tailspin as he jerked from shock, but then he shook himself back into a stabilized altitude, and shot his gaze to the general direction from which the blast had issued.

He was passing not that far off from a city beneath him, centered perhaps a couple of hundred kilometers away to his left, and what he observed immediately caught his notice, for a circular-shaped dome of yellow destructive energy geysered forth from the urbanscape below, and even at this distance it was quite apparent that many lives had been lost with property wrecked, steel support beams twisted into blackened husks of metal and sheetrock burst wide open like a ripe melon with fires rapidly spreading in the wake of the detonation.

"What in the world?" he gasped. "What happened? Oh my God, all those people! There must be something I could do to help out!"

And with his mind now made up, the adolescent youth turned on a dime and plummeted towards the site of the thunderous blast. As the metropolitan sprawl grew closer and closer in his line of vision, without warning, another explosion erupted before him and several more in a series of colossal discharges that he instantly recognized from his personal history.

"Powerful attacks!" he cried, then frowned, shutting his eyes as he stretched out with his energy-sensing abilities, to confirm something he had started to suspect with this latest incident, and only a moment later his eyes shot back open again. "Yeah, just as I thought, there's two very strong fighters duking it out down there! The idiots! How could they do something this reckless in such a crowded area?! Too many innocent bystanders are gonna get killed! Well, not if I have anything to say about it!"

And, with a determined scowl, the furious child descended upon the unsuspecting city below that seemed to have become ground zero for a new wave of deadly battles, unaware of the imminent fate quickly approaching him at faster than light speeds...

The man ran, and spun around, his neck and lower jaw inflating up into radically insane proportions like a frog puffing out its mouth, and fired off another red blast that caught a couple nearby buildings, which collapsed under the power of the detonation, and landed catlike upon his shoes, then spun about and bolted off in the other direction as rapidly as his two feet could carry him.

His mind was filled with terror, for he now found himself in a very deadly game of cat and mouse, but, unfortunately for him, he was in the very unenviable position of being the prey and not the predator as he usually was. Ducking past a corner he shot off down the deserted boulevard, passing by storefronts and blaring advertisements at breakneck pace until he came upon an alleyway and slipped inside, hoping to gain sanctuary from his pursuer in the confined space.

With his breathing labored the curious man flopped back against the brick wall, sliding down the rough-hewn surface as his urgent panting largely subsided, and he soon was able to suck in oxygen more cleanly than he had done just a moment prior. Turning a glance to the street which he had just departed, the inflatable man found, to his great bewilderment that a young boy had just touched down onto the pavement.

"What a mess..." he sighed tiredly and then pivoted his head about from left to right — as if searching for something. "Hey, whoever you are, show yourself! I know you're responsible for this destruction!"

However, the boy's voice and forceful command wasn't quite what was on the man, Geega's mind at the moment for as he had swung about to gain a greater glimpse of the environment that he'd landed in, he caught sight of a brown, furred monkey's tail sticking out from the seat of the boy's pants, and he gasped in silent horror.

A Saiyan! he whispered to himself. But... but, I thought they were all wiped out! But then, suddenly, memories of a conversation he had had years earlier flashed past his brain and he winced from a fresh sense of dawning terror. No... it can't be! There were rumors of a gang of Saiyans from the Planet Earth who'd played a pivotal role with the downfall of Lord Frieza on Namek, but... no, surely that small punk can't be one of them! There's no way my luck is that bad!

Suddenly his head shot towards the small alley Geega found himself hiding in, and he covered up his mouth to prevent a scream from escaping his lips.

It's all right... he tried to reassure himself. There is no way he could know that I'm in here. I don't see a Scouter anywhere on this boy. Stay calm, stay calm... don't panic...

And then, the tailed child's next words shouted loud and clear to the night chilled his blood and sent a renewed surge of utter terror racing through his body so that he was practically shaking where he stood.

"Hey, you there!" he called out. "Yeah, you! I know you're hiding in that little alley over there! Come out and face me right now or I'm coming in there after you!"

Oh... no... Geega whimpered internally. Shit... he knows where I am! But how in the universe is that possible? How could he have pinpointed my position so precisely without the use of some sort of technology?

"Last chance!" And to punctuate his statement, the sound of shoe soles crunching noisily upon the concrete accompanied his words. "If you don't come out now, then ready or not I'm coming to see whether or not you're the one behind the death of all these innocent people!"

And Geega found himself left with few options.

What the hell am I supposed to do now? he contemplated fast and furiously. He has to be one of those Saiyans who defeated Frieza! It's the only explanation! How the hell do I get away from here now?! If he actually can locate me without a Scouter then nowhere on this whole damned planet is safe for me! Wait, hold on a second! "Innocent people?" He cares about the bugs who infest this planet? That's not like a Saiyan at all! And here a menacing smile crossed over Geega's features. Oh but how terribly convenient for me. He chuckled sinisterly to himself. Yes... I think I can use this to my advantage, and kill two birds with one stone...

As the steady approach of the boy's footsteps increased in volume, Geega returned to his feet, resolute, and turned about on his heel to face the mouth of the alley, as he spread his palms wide, and stepped out of the shadows to confront the apparent Saiyan warrior which he found himself dealing with.

The boy, Gohan, reacted as a man emerged from the darkened corridor, and instantly dropped in a defensive battle posture.

"So you finally came out," he observed coldly. "Tell me, are you the one responsible for what's happened here? Answer — right now!"

Geega shook his head frantically, putting on a good display of false innocence to the point that silently he felt he should be presented an award for his fine acting skills — why, if his pursuer wasn't keen on his true nature, he honestly doubted that even she would be able to see through the professional-caliber performance he was giving!

"No, no, no, no, you've got it all wrong, kid!" he belted out, with an apparent real undercurrent of fear to his tone that had Gohan feeling confused, and he clearly hesitated. "It wasn't me! It was... it was a monster! A monster, yeah!"

"A monster?" Gohan said skeptically.

Geega nodded empathically. "Yes, a monster! A really bad monster that's been chasing me for a long time now! He was the one who ruined the city, not me!"

And sensing he might need something more to make his role of terrified innocent bystander more convincing, he rushed forward and grabbed hold of the Saiyan boy's shoulders, desperately shaking them about where he stood as he rambled incoherently, letting true terror filter through his mouth, like he had done before, all the better to persuade the youth he was just as afraid as he seemed.

"Please, boy, you gotta help me!" Geega implored urgently. "Please! Don't let it find me, and whatever you do, don't make it angry! You've seen what happens when he gets angry! Look at all those buildings! Please, you gotta hide me! PLEASE!"

And the half-hybrid shook off his hands like a dog rinsing itself clean of water, though his skull had tightened into a determined glare, and he nodded at the other man, who struggled to contain his smugness.

"Hey, whoa — don't worry, mister!" he said confidently. "If there is a monster roaming about here, well, I'll deal with it, just you watch!"

Geega shook his head, seemingly in denial, injecting as much raw terror into his voice as he could so that on the outside he sounded, if anything, even more scared than he had not even a moment ago.

"You... you don't know what you're talking about, kid!" he cried frantically. "The monster, he's coming! We don't have any hope of defeating it! Our only chance is to run and call the authorities!"

"Don't worry... I'm a lot stronger than I look," Gohan reassured him, even while Geega suppressed a triumphant smirk. "Trust me, mister, if we come across the monster, I'll protect you. I give you my word on that."

"I... I-I don't kn-know why, but... I believe you..." Geega stammered. "All right th-then... j-j-just don't wander too far, okay?! Don't leave me all alone!"

Gohan nodded again, and moved off deeper into the city, with the deceitful hunter all but patting himself on the back for a job well done as even now, he maintained the façade of pure helplessness, trembling and wincing violently as they passed small crowds of stunned citizens while the half-Saiyan led him down streets and past various human structures, through flashing colored lights, his ever watchful gaze scanning to and fro for any signs of Geega's alleged "monster."

Finally, once Geega felt he could take it no more, that perhaps his speculation had gone wrong, and she'd moved on to another area in search of him, his plan looked to at last bear fruit as a large explosion detonated not a dozen yards in front of them, and Gohan held up an arm to cover his eyes.

"All right — that's it!" he barked passionately. "You're going down! You'll pay for all of the innocent people you killed here tonight!"

Holding back a laugh, Geega realized that would be premature, for right now the most crucial thing was to stretch outward, with all of his senses, his hearing, and intuition, and even his eyesight, to attempt to gauge the general direction she would be coming from — without that his scheme would be for naught! He strained to listen, to calculate it quickly without giving it away to the boy standing next to him, and was rewarded with the noisy crunching of approaching footsteps.

Geega tensed, preparing himself for his move. I need to be quick...

There was the sound of cracking knuckles, and, suddenly, a feminine voice wafted out from the night from around the corner to the building they stood beside, which surprised Gohan, and he momentarily lifted his eyebrows in astonishment as he temporarily dropped his guard.

This is it! he crowed silently, knowing he would never get a more perfect opportunity to strike than the one staring into him now.

"There's no way out from this now, Geega!" she promised.

"It..." Gohan said perplexedly. "It sounds like a... a woman..."

And suddenly, with desperate speed born from a frantic desire to continue living, Geega plunged forward and, reacting far faster than Gohan could process it latched onto the scruff of his neck-warmer and leapt out from the corner as he tossed the Saiyan at the new arrival with as much energy as he could muster.

The boy hurled at her as if he had been shot out of a projectile, and reacting equally quick, the woman caught the flying boy and, without even pausing to consider the ramifications of her actions, unleashed as much electrical power into his body as she could, and to his immense shock, Gohan could hear somebody screaming, though by the time that it even could've been possible for him to realize that it was himself, he was savagely electrocuted, and outwardly, reduced to, visibly, nothing more than a formerly living cooked hamburger.

And all of him went black as he knew nothing at all...

Birdy, as beautifully deadly as ever dressed in her skintight battle outfit, took the moment to calm her breathing and savor the victory she felt flooding throughout her bloodstream, expecting to witness the charred and lifeless remains of Geega staring her back in the face... only to discover, to her complete horror, that she clutched at a seemingly random, nondescript boy who appeared to be in his early adolescence, with shaggy black hair, and blank eyes gazing back into her own, in apparent mockery, taunting her in silent judgment as a wave of horrified guilt replaced the surge of triumph she had felt.

"What the?!" she exclaimed. "Oh no, what have I done?!"

And just then, scornful laughter rang through the night, and she lowered the corpse she held to spot Geega standing there across the way, wearing a posture of pure and utter triumph, as if their roles had somehow been reversed, and it was only now, far too late to change her actions, that Birdy fleetingly realized how she'd been suckered, and fallen right into Geega's trap.

He used an innocent bystander as a shield! she berated herself with numb shock, too stunned as well as disgusted with herself to even put down the unmoving body. The bastard! How could he do something like that?!

"Birdy!" he announced grandly. "It seems like you've just killed a civilian! I wonder what your superiors shall think of this! If I had to place a bet, I'd say your career in the Galactic Patrol is finished!"

And he pivoted and leapt off into the night, still laughing.

"Don't bother catching up!" he jeered. "Worry about yourself!"

Still too shocked to even so much as attempt to follow, Birdy turned her eyes back to peer down upon the fried youth and felt herself to be somewhat at odds to how to proceed, for nothing in her training with the Galactic Patrol could have prepared her for the total contempt she held for herself at the moment.

"How could I be so reckless?!" she wondered out loud. And then, suddenly, as her gaze drifted downward while she remained lost in thought, something yanked her full attention back to reality and she found for a second, a strange kind of desensitized curiosity welling within her. "Wait, what is that...?"

She shifted the position of the body a bit, and to her total bewilderment, as he was swung over, the smoking ashes of what appeared to have been a monkey tail caught her focus. He, he has a tail? But humans don't have tails! Wait, tail? Earth? The full weight of Birdy's actions now consumed her with a vengeance as she dropped the boy to the pavement, looking more appalled than she could've imagined possible for her grievous error and aloud she couldn't help but yell out for the surrounding landscape to realize the enormous depths of her crime, as if seeking judgment and absolution, that:

"Oh no! I killed one of the Saiyans who beat Frieza!"

He floated to weightlessly, drifting through a vague, non-corporeal space that felt to only exist in his own consciousness, as abstract and unreal as the distant galaxies were. He could just recall bits and pieces from his own life, flashes of pitched battle, a face belonging to whom had meant an important deal to him in his previous life there, but ultimately, how or where he had come to this blissful state of apparently nonexistence was beyond him, and past his ability to question or comprehend, even though logically a small part of his intangible mind was faintly aware this was nothing like his dad's descriptions of the Other World.

And then through the void came voices, reverberating through him as if he were a violin being plucked by a maestro performing on stage.

He appears to be ten or so, a feminine voice drawled. About five years ago, he would have been five. It has to be. He has just got to be one of the Saiyans who took down Frieza. I... I can't believe I'd actually run into one. We always thought they were just a legend...

It is as you say... another, male voice answered back. He would have been much too young to challenge Frieza at such an age. That said, he could be related to them. But for as fascinating his bloodlines and his origins may be, however, is a secondary concern, and more to the important, entirely irrelevant. You've made a grievous error, Officer Birdy Altera Cephon; the fate of this young Saiyan child now rests entirely in your hands. You know what you must do.

Who are they...? the formless mass wondered, finding their conversation to be both very irritating and unnecessary for it was getting in the way of his peaceful drift through the infinite abyss he found himself trapped in. Can't they see I'm trying to relax here?

Do I really have to...? the feminine voice demanded.

To keep this young boy alive, yes, you must, the male said.

No way! the female fired back. I'm not that crazy being stuck with somebody else, even if he is one of the legendary Saiyans who beat Frieza; couldn't you find another Galactic Patrolman to accept this assignment?

It's either this or face suspension pending an investigation into charges of manslaughter, the other being retorted. Birdy... given that you are the one responsible for this mess it is your duty to also be that same one to take ownership of this fact... and to pay the appropriate restitution.

I still don't know... the feminine voice, belonging to the girl named Birdy, murmured, clearly uncertain — but then a weary sigh echoed through the non-reality which the undefined consciousness floated through. There really isn't any other choice, though, is there?

No, there isn't, the other person said, a bit more urgently. HURRY! The window will soon close, and you will have overshot your only chance!

And then through the void, the non-being became aware of another equally abstract and shapeless presence, shooting through the shared non-corporeal universe as if it were drawn to him, seeking him out and determined to locate him as instantly in a flash of sensation and sight and color the whole world around him changed, as if through the serene state of massless nonexistence a very real physical form had grasped onto him, sending electric shocks racing through his intangible form, and he caught a glimpse through an imaginary vision of white stripes and pink stripes combined with blue pupils, affecting the child more profoundly and on such a deeply personal and emotional level than anything had ever touched him before...

And with that, his eyelids flew open.

Yes, yes, yes, I know... you might be thinking, another fic so soon? When already I have so many that are not yet completed? Well, look, here's the shakedown. The Saiyan Chronicles was only put back at the persistent nagging of somebody else, and like Intertwined Destinies it is on hiatus indefinitely. Same with Reliving History. Crossed Circuits, well, I'm not giving that up, and as I've stressed over and over, the edits on Pokémon Tails, A New Beginning, and Other World really are going very well. I am still working on Chapter 1 of Forbidden Love, and it's progressing amazingly well. All the works for my current batch of stories are, the ones that aren't on hiatus, with the possible exception of Crossed Circuits, but I do know how the story is going to play out, so when I do resume, it won't take long.

That said, this is also a concept I'd had in mind for years. At least since 2014, maybe even further back. I'm a huge fan of the original Birdy the Mighty OVAs, since I grew up with them and Birdy, like with Misty, was one of my FIRST childhood crushes. So, naturally, it'll be those very same OVAs that serve as the basis for this story. The premise is obviously, what if Birdy and her universe existed in the Dragon Ball universe? To such an end I have significantly pumped up Birdy, but don't expect her to hit unrealistic levels, at least not so early in the fanfic. Here's how I view the power levels at this point in time:

Gohan: 1,500,000
Super Saiyan Gohan: 75,000,000
Full Power Super Saiyan Gohan: 750,000,000
Super Saiyan 2 Gohan: 1,500,000,000

Birdy Altera Cephon: 32,000

Geega: 14,000

As you can plainly see, Birdy is lucky to be near the level of the average Ginyu Force member, which Gohan will eventually call out when he becomes aware what's happening. And yes, the ship will be Gohan and Birdy and it is Son Gohan and not Tsutomu who is the one that Birdy accidentally kills as she's pursuing a criminal. I mean, my way of thinking is that, how can you share your body with a girl if you're a heterosexual male, and not fall in love with her? It feels impossible. So... expect a lot of exploration into the intimacy of sharing a body. But, like with Forbidden Love, it won't just be about love and closeness, but exploring this concept and in this case what it would be like if Birdy was a member within the same Galactic Patrol that Jaco belongs to? So expect plenty of spacefaring adventures!

As I said, the OVAs are the ones making their journey to the composite universe I have created here. I doubt I'll be making any references to the Decode anime, but it's also not entirely impossible. Hell, when I first wrote Pokémon Tails in 2015, I REALLY hated the idea of the Fairy type, and now I've come to embrace it.

If you are curious about the progress on my stories, you could check out my profile since I occasionally post a status update over there.

You know what to do — slam your fingers down on the keyboard and leave an awesome review for me! Anyway, I'm out of here. PEACE!

KoS