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Chapter 3

The sounds of hooves pounding the ground and neighs woke me from a not-so peaceful sleep. I stayed up terribly late going through website after website trying to find scans of the original DBZ manga and several articles regarding the origins and backgrounds of the story and the author. After midnight came and went my eyes forced me to remove the contacts and drag out the gaudy backup frames I kept around. The drinks I had made it tough to stay awake for more than a few hours after that, and last I remembered I set the laptop aside and closed my eyes for a few minutes.

Well, that was almost 8 hours ago. I looked up at the clock to see it was almost noon.

"Good lord, that's the longest I've overslept in years…" I ran my hand through my poor ruffled hair and grabbed the contact case. After switching out the glasses I was being followed by the hungry pups that were clearly distraught over such a late meal. I apologized and gave them a bit more to make up for it. I dared to look out the back window but saw nothing had changed. The barn was still up and there were no smoking craters. Hopefully it was a good sign.

"Guess I should make sure I didn't just have a weird dream last night over this whole thing. If the world is still here, then maybe it didn't actually happen," I laughed aloud. The dogs were back at my feet, ready for the next set of chores they were used to doing. Opening the back door made me a bit nervous, but as soon as they took off and started sniffing around, I relaxed and waited by the door. I waited for them to do their rounds and called them back to the house. "Sorry pups, not taking chances today." The barn chores were next as I tossed out the hay for the day and filled the water buckets. Satisfied with their meals I locked the gate and turned towards the woods.

"If he's still there..." I bit my lip. What would I do? What could I do? He would never respond to threats and certainly not force either. He would have to be absolutely desperate to ask for any help. A few ideas played through my mind, but nothing overly realistic, so I headed back to the house. I needed to change out of my pajamas anyway.

Lying on the couch ended up being the only thing to settle my pacing. I still made no progress on trying to go back outside. I couldn't tell if it was more because of fear or purely being nervous to face him. His power would be truly frightening, but as long as he was grounded, I was more nervous of being in his presence. It almost felt like meeting my favorite celebrity or music band. My thoughts trailed to the image of him draped over the broken branch again, and pit formed in my stomach, trying to figure out how he got into such a state.

"He really looked beaten, but it didn't look like a defeat in battle."

What force really had the power to bring him down? Even his final battle with Gohan was going to be a close fight. And why was he dropped off here? There were so many questions I knew he wouldn't be able to answer, but I couldn't help myself from dwelling on so many possibilities. I looked to my laptop again, wondering if I should have even bothered pulling up all of the information I did.

"Well burning daylight won't get me any answers, and really… I think I should at least try again," I talked myself into going back out. I stood up, the biggest movement in the past few hours, and stretched my legs, desperately dragging out the inevitable. I went to turn for the back door, but my eyes skimmed the table and caught a glimpse of my cell phone. An idea sparked and I grabbed it on my way out.

It was a warmer day than yesterday, which was welcoming for the middle of May. I was able to go out in jeans and a light tee comfortably with my phone in my back pocket. Making my way to the edge of the woods again I stepped a bit lighter, trying my best to stay quiet. The broken branch still hung from the tree trunk. I held my breath as I stepped around, half expecting him to not be there. But as soon as I saw the flash of green and black armor, I felt my pulse start to soar in first response to my fight-or-flight instinct. I fought it back, determined to get over my nervousness. I stepped closer, glancing him over to see if he had moved much, and figuring he hadn't, knelt down as close as I dared to the branch. I watched his face carefully, seeing his eyes closed again, and wondered if he was asleep or out cold again.

"You humans are certainly stubborn." I fell back at the sudden statement, cursing lightly at my lack of bravery. I watched the one eye open again, and decided sitting was a better option.

"Well it is difficult to sleep well with a weapon lying in my backyard," I muttered. He made no attempts to move this time, but still took careful breaths. The fact he needed to breathe didn't reflect the cells of Frieza and King Cold in his blood very well. I figured I could bother him about that at a different time. "I won't force you by any means, but you may want to set that pride aside and just take the help I can offer." He sneered at the last bit.

"Girl, I can't even lift myself off of the ground, what help could you possibly offer?" I was getting annoyed with the 'girl' name, but I let it slide. Getting snarky wouldn't gain any ground at this point.

"For a 'girl'," I stressed, "I am a bit tougher than I look." Getting no response from him I continued, "And your power seems to eluding you at the moment." Silence again. I sighed loudly, finally expressing some frustration. "You are making for very tough conversation here." The sound he made seemed to be a mix of a cough and a snort, apparently showing his frustration with his predicament now.

"I apologize for not wishing to waste the little breath I have with a lower lifeform." Now that was a low blow. I couldn't help my next retort.

"You could give us a sliver of credit; a human did design you." My eyes seemed to narrow on their own, subconsciously challenging him. His eye seemed to glint back.

"My my, getting braver with your opponent still grounded. I doubt you would be so sharp-tongued if I were suddenly on my feet," he warned. My mind froze as my eyes widened a bit. I don't know what the hell came over me at that moment, but I took the challenge.

"Then do it. On your feet, I dare you." I held my breath. What if he really sandbagged his power and called my terrible bluff? I would have to accept that disaster of a fate…

"Foolish," he started, and I feared I did just sign my own death warrant, "but good call." I felt the breath I was holding escape quickly.

"I'll be honest, you had me going there," I laughed this time. But the shake in my voice gave me away, "I actually expected you to get up." I saw his brow rise a bit.

"And if I had?" Now he seemed to humor me a bit more.

"After a few colorful words, it would be a toss-up between saying goodbye to this world or just laughing at my terrible gamble." The fact that he was continuing this engagement was getting more and more enjoyable rather than making me nervous about whom I was engaging with.

"Not the usual response I get. Almost makes me want to be able to test your prediction," I saw him grin a bit, and I was torn between thinking it was adorable and the scariest thing I might see in my last moments on the planet.

"And I couldn't be happier with the fact that you can't right now," shaking my head to emphasize that fact, I quickly added, "but this is quite the improvement from yesterday. Sure you still don't want any help?" That grin faded away faster than I could blink.

"I thought I made that quite clear yesterday." I shrugged my shoulders with a tilt of my head.

"Can't hurt to offer." No snarky remarks this time, but I didn't want to give up the conversation just yet. "Just going to wait here on the hopes your power returns then?" A small sigh escaped his lips before he took a deeper breath to respond.

"I have waited years for this power; I can be patient for it to come back. Even if it takes years again." I felt my heart drop at this. How do you argue with that kind of logic? He was technically the closest to biologically immortal to ever exist. Of course he could wait years. Centuries even so long as his body didn't need a source of energy to operate. Of course, my mind couldn't help the first images of him laying here through the winter, spring, rain, and other elements beating down on him. I had to laugh.

"And you thought waiting ten days for the tournament was boring." I saw his eye narrow at me again.

"How do you do that?"

"Pardon?" Did I miss something?

"Don't feign ignorance girl, you have shown that ability a few times now. You knew of my fight with Goku and you know of Dr. Gero." Another deep breath, "And I was bored those ten days. Not that I voiced that to anyone…so, how do you know?" I waited, unsure of whether it was worth sharing the knowledge I had yet or not. I wondered if a few taunts would be useful.

"I know a heck of a lot more than that. More things about you too, things you don't know yet." His eye closed again with a sigh. "I wasn't lying about how it would be easier to show you rather than explain. It's a lot to take in," I offered.

"You offer information. You offer assistance." I could practically see the gears turning in his head. He opened his eye again and warily looked me over, "Yet you have not asked anything in return. What are your motives?"

I let my instincts guide me through this one. "I would like to survive our encounter. I would like to ask that of my planet too, if at all possible." Again he looked contemplative.

"You know who I am and of my purpose."

"Very much so."

"Yet you ask this much of me."

"I didn't feel it was too much of a stretch."

The air between us was tense. My breaths slowed and became shallower as I waited for some sort of final response. At the moment, he seemed to weigh out his options. Suddenly his face became stoic.

"You speak as if you have seen several things that have happened and will happen. Do you have some sort of ability?"

"No, this is merely information that is available. And it's not really common knowledge, only those of us that have taken interest really follow it. There are actually a lot of people around here who would not have known who you were." I have no idea how I was keeping my composure, but I felt a more professional side of me at work, one who was trying to make a business deal rather than help someone in need.

"This information, is it something I could see myself?" I laughed, entertaining the idea that he must have thought I was a fortune teller or witch.

"Of course it is, and there is plenty of it. There's no big secret, you just have to know where to look. And there are plenty of items and figures that are pretty neat too…" I started rambling but caught myself before revealing too much.

"Bring me a tangible sample of this information. I would like to be well informed before making a decision." That did it; my composure started slipping as I broke out into a full-hearted laugh. "What is so funny?" he snapped. I put my hands up in defense.

"Relax, this whole thing feels like you're worried about it being a contract bound by blood or something," I smiled. "I promise you are going to do nothing but benefit from this." He didn't seem to lighten up much, but at least he didn't snap back at me.

"Can you provide what I request then?" I brought my hand up to my mouth and bit my knuckle in thought.

"Yes, but what to show you is the bigger question. Honestly the books themselves would be an awesome option…" My hand went to the phone in my pocket, "but I do think this is more than enough." I turned the volume up to the highest and scooted a little closer. I pulled up the browser and put YouTube in and a list of recent videos I had watched came up. I started flipping through the titles before I felt a bit of a roadblock. What version of the series should I pull up? The original release from so many years ago? Or the recent release, Kai? I needed to know which would be more accurate. I would hate to show him something that didn't jive with his memory or else it would look like I was deceiving him.

"I have to ask one thing of you before showing you this. But I need you to answer accurately." He eyed me carefully.

"Go on."

"Think back to the point where you first obtained this form, just before you went and beat the snot out of Vegeta." I swear I saw the corner of his mouth twitch into a small smirk before continuing. "Who actually attempted to attack you first?" His response was quick.

"Krillin." Nothing else after that.

"Just Krillin? No one joined him?" He kept his eye on me with his responses.

"No one else." Nodding in my understanding, I clicked on a video.

"Kai then. This could be fun." I paused the clip quickly before turning it to face him. I was still a good three feet away from the branch, not really daring to move closer. "Can you see the image?" He glanced at it before looking at me again.

"What am I watching for?"

"This is a few minute clip of a fight. Tell me if it's accurate and we can go from there." I flipped the phone again to hit play before being stopped.

"Come closer. The screen is too small to make such an observation." I looked back up at him. The look on my face must have given me away something terrible because he ended up chuckling. "What? Are we afraid now?" I swallowed hard at the comment. Afraid? The only reason I wasn't on the other end of the world at the moment was because he couldn't stand when he threatened to. Now he was asking me to close the gap between my sense of security and possible death?

"Not afraid, just like to distance myself from potential danger." There was that glint in his eye again. I was starting to feel like I was being lured into a trap.

"So you don't fear me?" I shook my head.

"Not really. I fear many things, but mainly things I don't understand. Once you understand something, fear usually turns into respect." Those gears seemed to be turning in his head again.

"So you respect me then?" Alright, maybe I can go along with this and see where it went.

"Your power and the potential you have, absolutely. You have earned that right."

"Then you would respect my wishes to complete this deal." My eyebrows furrowed a bit at this.

"We made a deal? Funny, I don't recall agreeing to anything other than showing you this…"

"And with this clip I can decide on our deal, but I need reassurance that this is no trick. Come closer so I can evaluate your claim." Damn, he had a way with words that left me speechless. I pulled the phone back to my chest, feeling my pulse race.

"How close?"

"As close as you can get." I felt that knot form again. My throat was tight from the nerves getting to me. My mind and body were screaming 'NO NO NO!' but I forced it down. I was absolutely convinced that this was going to be a bad idea. Changing my position to sitting again I turned my body so my back was facing him. I took a few deep breaths, trying to get my pulse down again. "Well?" I was terrified of both keeping him waiting and getting closer, but that one word made me decide. Putting my heels down and closing my eyes, I pushed back across the ground until my back hit the downed branch. I waited, holding my breath and shaking with the sudden realization that I was right freaking next to him.

'I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die…' my mind raced. And raced. Moments passed and I let the breath out slowly, realizing I was still breathing. Opening my eyes, I looked a bit to the right and realized just how close he was. A small smirk greeted me.

"Not bad girl. Didn't expect you to do it." I gasped for air for my next breath.

"I still can't believe I did." I looked down at my phone, the very reason I was in this situation. I held it out at the angle I would if I were watching a video with a friend next to me. "Close enough?" I breathed out. The response came after another low chuckle.

"As per the agreement." With that I hit play on the video. It was the fight with him and Trunks right after Vegeta was rescued. I didn't get 5 seconds in before I heard him gasp aloud.

"A cartoon? That's definitely me, but with whom else…?" I paused the clip quickly to clear up a few things.

"Careful, this is anime. You could offend an entire country calling it a cartoon," I laughed. "And yes, it's you and Trunks in case you don't recognize him…" and I clicked back on the video again. The clip was a direct cut from the fight and was over in 2 minutes. The scene ended with the line Cell's VA became famous for, "However, you don't have a chance of defeating me; not a chance in hell."

It was quiet for a moment.

"It was…word for word… That was our fight," he gasped out quickly. I could hear the surprise in his voice. I pulled my phone back to my chest again, finally feeling how badly I was shaking. I quickly scuttled away, really needing to get the distance back again. I was able to breathe again as he stared, still looking stunned from the video.

"Told ya it would be a bit overwhelming." He took another deep breath again, reminding me again of how helpless he was. The look on his face changed again, going from shock to confusion, then to something else.

"So, it was a video…of an animation of us fighting…" the suspicion in his voice was evident. "It was like a window directly to our world… but on a television screen." I waited, really hoping he wouldn't draw so many conclusions from just that little bit. But he continued with a realizing tone. "It was entertainment."

I could see where this was going. I knew he wouldn't like it. I warned him.

"We are entertainment. For your world, aren't we?" It wasn't much of a question. It was definitely a statement of distaste. His eye locked with mine again. "Are we created? A creation by your world's design?" My mouth went dry. I looked down to the ground.

"Yeah." I heard the light scoff from him. It was quiet, but it was there. My throat choked up a bit. "I'm sorry." It was hard trying to see it from his point of view, but I could understand the disappointment.

"Sorry for showing me that my entire purpose is the side story of a human entertainment show?" he barked in a low tone. I looked back up at him, feeling more upset over the accusation than his reaction to the show.

"No, I'm sorry for showing you at all. You've been ripped out of a world, dropped into another one in this condition with no explanation. You didn't need this information yet." I rattled that off quicker and a bit sharper than I liked as I twiddled the phone in my hand. "You had more than enough on your plate already." I stood up, feeling like I said more than I should have. "You can forget the deal if you like. I figure you don't want to know anything else." I stepped quickly, making sure I didn't look back. Getting back in the backyard, I finally felt the dam break and tears started falling. Gritting my teeth kept me from making any sounds, but the tears kept falling, making sure to remind me just how bad my choices were. If I suddenly found out that everything I knew was a creation for someone else to watch and whether I lived or died was merely for someone else to enjoy, would I be so excited to learn more? And I baited him the whole way, telling him he would benefit from the knowledge. I never thought about the other possible consequences that could come from it.

That night was the worst I slept in a long time.

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