Chapter 67: Home is Truly Where the Heart is…
The sleep was blissful and restful, and the first thing I saw when I woke up was Mirai, asleep with his head on the side of my bed.
I'm in a hospital. I was really tired, but was a hospital necessary? It brings back so many memories, both good and bad.
Shaking the thoughts out of my head, I gently began to stroke Mirai's hair to wake him up. He stirred, and I don't think I had ever seen him look so relieved since we had been together.
"Katie, you're awake." Mirai said as he sat upright.
"Yeah, how long have I been asleep?"
"Just over a week. You had me worried."
"Hey, I'm the Angel Sayjin, remember? It'll take more than Roxx to beat me. A week…"
"If you keep up that train of thought your head will get as big as my dad's." we laughed then, finally the nightmare was over. We could be together.
There was a knock at the door, and Goku came in. He was carrying boxes, and as I looked in my room I saw that there were lots of boxes all around.
"Katie, you're awake! That's great!"
"Hey, Goku." I greeted as he searched for a place to set the boxes.
"Now that you're awake, you can get out of here. That's what the doctor said." Mirai told me.
"What was wrong with me?"
"The doctor said it was severe exhaustion and malnutrition. Makes sense, you were tortured and Roxx hardly fed us at all. And of course, your transformation. I only wish I could have seen it."
"If I know this place, you will, eventually." I sighed. This place was home now, permanently. No, it wasn't that bad here, but still, everything I knew is gone forever. The Dragonballs, even if they were combined with the Namekian Dragonballs somehow, couldn't change that.
"I'll go get the others, they're all in the waiting room down the hall." Goku said, heading out.
"Goku?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you, I mean, can you just get Vegeta for right now? I want to talk to you guys first. Then the others can come when I'm done."
"Sure, I know they'll understand. We were the one's who took on Roxx."
"Thanks, Goku." Then he slipped out the door to get Vegeta.
"What was that about?" Mirai asked.
"I just wanted to talk to you guys who were with me first. We have a lot to talk about before I see the entire group."
So we sat in silence as I thought over exactly what I wanted to say. It was important, so I had to choose my wording carefully. A moment later Vegeta and Goku came back in.
"Stupid human hospital. A Sayjin should have been placed in a healing chamber and been let out fully recovered a few hours later."
"Thanks, Vegeta." I understood what he meant behind what he said. He had worried over the past week for me and a Sayjin healing chamber wouldn't have made him worry for so long.
"So, what was it you wanted to talk about?" Goku asked. I inhaled deeply as I began.
"You guys are great. You stuck with me the entire time, even though if I failed it would have meant an instant and permanent death for all of you. I meant it when I said I couldn't have done it with out all of you. You guys are the best fighters and the best friends anyone could ever wish for. And now that I'm stuck here for good, I'm glad it's with you guys."
"Is this place really all that bad compared to your home planet?" Vegeta asked. I shook my head.
"Piccolo asked me the same thing once. What I meant was I love all of you guys, and I have since I was just a kid. You have to understand my home is gone, just like it is with you Vegeta, and you, Mirai. I can never go back, and I'll never see my family again.
"But there is something else I wanted to tell you guys. I told you I'd explain about my Inner Light, so I'll do it now. After the incident with the Majin symbol, I was in the hibernation state. I was shown what my Inner Light was and why certain things had happened to me. Those are personal, but my Inner Light is my love. In my soul it is in the form of myself as if I were still human. After Roxx tried to feed me his blood I went back into the hibernation state and she brought me back into my soul. That's what the tomb is. But she told me I needed to find the key to releasing her. She explained it like she was a tiger in a zoo; still ferocious but locked up. I needed to free her to stop Roxx. After you guys were turned to stone I got mad, but then Sarah, the elf who had helped us so much, pleaded to Roxx to spare me, and he killed her. I was able to transform; the key to freeing my Inner Light was love. My love for you three, my love for Sarah, my love of my home that Roxx destroyed, the love of this dimension, everything I loved channeled into freeing my Inner Light."
They were silent as they absorbed what I just said.
"I never knew love could be so powerful." Vegeta said.
"It brought me back from the edge of death." I said.
"Well, I'll get the others in here. They're all dying to see you." Mirai said. Then he went out and disappeared down the hall.
"That boy really loves you, Katie."
"You just figure that out, Vegeta?"
"No, I saw it when you two first met. The two of you were-"
"Destined to be together? I'm sick of destiny. The only good thing out of it was you guys."
"Yeah, well, you're stuck with us now. Like it or not." Goku said, being serious.
"Mirai never left your side, Katie. I hope you appreciate that." Vegeta said, staring out the window.
"I do."
"Hey, it's our hero, finally awake!" Pan cried as the group entered my room. Luckily it was a nice, big private room, so there was room for a few visitors.
And by a few visitors, I mean the entire Z group, including Hercule, Tien, Choazu, and all of the families.
"Welcome back, kid." Piccolo said.
"Hey guys." I greeted.
"Katie, you have to tell us how you defeated Roxx." Trunks said as Mirai followed him.
"We should let her rest." Bulma said.
"I'd be glad to tell it. Besides Bulma, I've been asleep for the past week. Did these guys tell you much?" I asked, pointing my thumb toward Goku, Vegeta, and Mirai. Though Bulma had a point, I was still tired. But I could rest later, they needed to here what happened.
"They told us about tricking Roxx and about blowing up the castle. The middle part they were statues." Krillen explained.
"Alright, Roxx had just turned Goku, Vegeta, and Mirai into stone…"
I told the tale, including the near-death experience. Though a more accurate name should be a beat-death experience.
"And to think, no one outside this room will ever know." Tien said.
"I wouldn't say that. May I come in?" Supreme Kai was standing in the doorway.
"Yeah, come on in. Enough room for everyone." I said.
"The word in the Otherworld is you're a hero. Even the ones in HFIL were cheering for you."
"Yeah, I know. It was part of my vision."
"But that's not all. Sources above me-"
"There are people with positions above you, Supreme Kai?" Pan asked.
"Yes, an entire council of beings. They have informed me of something very… enlightening for you, Katie."
Well, he got my attention. I sat straight up in the bed. It didn't matter what the news was, and I had hopes it was about my home.
"The place you thought was your birth place really wasn't. You were born a Sayjin on Planet Vegeta, in this dimension."
"What!" everyone cried.
"You were born with the name Katrin, and your Sayjin parents died on assignment shortly after you were born. The council sensed your true calling was to be the Angel Sayjin, possibly only a potential, as Roxx told you, but it was still worth saving you. They decided to take you to another planet where Frieza couldn't reach you, and if you were raised Sayjin you would have been a bloodthirsty warrior and never learn to love as you did here. The council sent you through space and time to the dimension you grew up in. Only in a dimension that already had a potential Angel could you be safe. But Sayjins didn't exist in the dimension they chose, so you were turned into a human. In that dimension you learned of this dimension's future. Once you were old enough you were brought back here."
"That is incredible." Goku said first.
"This dimension has always been my home?" I asked, still trying to absorb what Supreme Kai just finished explaining.
"Yes." he responded.
"Please Supreme Kai, tell me about my Sayjin parents. You must know something."
"Your father was Captain Kanji of the Sayjin elite army. Your mother, Andorra, was in his team of fighters, and she happened to be Bardock's sister. Technically, you're older than Goku by three years, but you have to add in the space-time continuum and dimensional travel."
"My parents were elite Sayjin warriors?"
"Yes, Katie."
"I'm sorry I keep repeating you, Supreme Kai, but this is a lot of information." I said as I shook my head clear.
"Perfectly understandable."
"I knew you were a true Sayjin." Vegeta said, placing his hand on my shoulder.
"I really don't want to be rude, but I would like a word with Katie in private." Supreme Kai said.
"Oh, sure." Goku said.
"Okay."
"I'll be right out there if you want me." Mirai said before he left with the others. Once the room was clear I turned to Supreme Kai, who had walked over to the window.
"What did you want to talk about, Supreme Kai?" I asked. He took a deep breath and turned to face me.
"Otherworld politics."
"I'm sorry?" I asked.
"It's about your new abilities. The council is afraid you may become… dangerous."
"I'm not evil, Supreme Kai."
"No, of course not. That isn't what I meant. The council is concerned that you may lose control of your abilities and hurt someone, or worse."
"That's the feeling I had after I defeated Roxx. It didn't feel like I had true control over my power. It was more like my power knew what to do and didn't bother to ask me."
"You have to do something about it or the council has voted to do something about it themselves."
"Like what?"
"Kill you, for instance. Or steal you powers."
"They can't do that!" I screamed, unnerving Supreme Kai.
"They can, and they will." he said once he regained his composure.
"I want to see this council myself."
"They knew you would. In one month you are scheduled to appear before the council."
"Good." I said, calming.
"I'm sorry you lost you human parents. And I'm sorry about the council's actions. I'm sure you could get control of your power with some training."
"Just like I did with Super Sayjin 2 form."
"I have to go now, but I think there are a few parties in HFIL who would like to see you."
"Yes, I was thinking of thanking them. Those two really are something. I still can't figure them out."
"See you in a month, I'll pick you up for your audience with the council."
"Find me a good lawyer in HFIL Supreme Kai." I laughed.
"You won't need one, I'm your lawyer." Then he teleported out.
The council is right. I have to get control over my Angel Sayjin form before I need it again.
"Katie, is Supreme Kai done yet? The doctor is here."
"Yeah, come on in, Mirai."
So the doctor droned on and let me out of the hospital that very day. We went home, carrying more boxes that I needed, and finally got to rest at home.
"I guess home is where the heart is, right?" Mirai asked as he brought me dinner.
"I told you I'd get it!"
"Relax, you did just save reality as we know it." he said as I began to eat.
"Yeah, you're right, on both parts. Without you I don't know how I would go on without my parents."
"Mom made up a plaque honoring those other dimensions and the people killed by Roxx. It's hanging in the Lookout."
"I need to visit someone, Mirai. I don't want you to ask who, because I won't lie if you ask me."
"If you don't want to tell me you're going to visit Frieza and Cell, then I won't ask."
"Hey! How did you know?"
"One night you said their names while you were in the hospital."
"I did?" Mirai nodded, "At the very end they encouraged me to keep fighting. I know that sounds weird, but they did."
"If you go, be careful."
"I will. No one down there can beat Super Sayjin two, and Roxx would be held up somewhere really bad for what he did. I'll be back soon, Mirai."
