AN: It's the second anniversary of The Next Dimension Over as of 8/16/17 (Which is 'today' on the day it was posted). Many things have happened since that time. In respect for that, I made a couple of arts to commemorate it. Progress may be slow and the future uncertain, but there's a few things I've gotten many many inquiries toward. So have some 'teasers'. (i imgur com/obZ9a7X png) ( i imgur com/z2mqisB png) (i imgur com/n9Ibmhp png) (i imgur com/uqVGPI1 png) (i imgur com/hqnPxPu png)

Also a bit of trivia- while I don't plan things out extensively so I don't force things or get disappointed, the original idea for this phase of the story was for Krillin to survive. Sakura or Krillin would have been injured by Tien's battle but remain on-site due to her healing jutsu. The tournament would progress in a method closer to canon, so that when Tambourine appeared Krillin wouldn't be alone and they would manage to escape. Things rippled more than I anticipated, and so the end result was closer in this way to canon. It seems some things are fixed points.

And a final note I really shouldn't have to repeat - I write this crossover because I am a fan of both Naruto and Dragonball, not because I'm a fan of just Naruto. If anything, I would have flipped the situation to have one person from Dragonball arrive in Naruto's world if I preferred Naruto to Dragonball, because it would mean writing more of it, rather than this way. Let's not make silly assumptions that I want to show up Dragonball and prove 'my favorite' is better somehow.

The Next Dimension Over

Chapter Eighty-four

His face hurt. As would be expected after it smacked into solid tile a good dozen times. And the tail whip to the cheek sure didn't help. Probably. But hey, Goku didn't look like sunshine and daisies either. The fruits of their training showed in the bruises forming on each other's skin.

The changes to Goku's technique were subtle but he couldn't help but notice them. Was it age, experience, or had they changed because of learning under someone else? Then again, maybe Goku's technique changed because his own had improved enough to need it. He couldn't decide if that sounded like something he wanted or not. On the surface it seemed kind of like a compliment, but...maybe it wasn't.

Anyway, he couldn't focus on that. No matter how much he'd improved under the Turtle Hermit's teaching, he still had to put his all into fighting Goku...and if he were completely honest...he probably wasn't the stronger fighter. Even if he could blame his missteps on just how trashed the ring was around them. It sure didn't help, after all.

In fact, nearly tripping and falling into the hole that Ino'd created in giving that Tien a ring out escape made it perfectly clear that holding back and playing fair was just going to lose him the tournament sooner rather than later. It sure wasn't like Goku would be holding back, after all. The kid looked way too excited to be even thinking about that kind of thing.

Or...he did until that moment.

For some reason, like he'd just remembered something, Goku's smile evaporated into a confused and shocked expression, and he tripped over one of the jagged edges of the uneven ring. The flicker was sudden, without any kind of preamble. He really couldn't help but wonder what could have invaded Goku's mind during a fight.

But he also couldn't help but seize the advantage when it was offered to him. His fingers curled into a fanged fist, and he connected solidly with Goku's jaw. The smaller boy twisted from the impact and flew a few feet, crashing just shy of the edge of the ring.

Which was just...a shame, because it would have been convenient to end the battle right there.

He took a quick step forward, lurching across the distance, and before his old friend could climb back to his feet...he seized the long, furry tail that stuck out into the air to balance the...strange, tailed youth.

"Hey, sorry." He muttered as the boy cried out in pain and flopped back onto the tile limply. As expected, no matter how much Goku trained and got stronger, this weird tail of his was still a weakness. Even if it messed up Goku's balance...it probably would be better in the long run to get rid of it every time it appeared. But...that was pretty barbaric.

He planted his foot in the middle of Goku's back, keeping a hand gripping the tail tightly. "But I still want to win. You gonna start counting or what, guy?!"

(*)

She stumbled and nearly crashed to the ground, the weight of the small body in her arms shifting heavily. The ground - rather, the debris she'd been standing on - had shifted so suddenly it might as well have collapsed under her. Only a quick adjustment and a short jump saved her from collapsing with the boy. A second time.

But she had...

She needed to keep going. It was hard to think, hard to see, but she needed to keep going, because that man had wanted to know about the martial arts tournament. Maybe it hadn't meant anything. Maybe he'd just wanted to kill, and they were the ones unfortunate enough to be in his path. Even if he had, the tournament might be an appealing prospect for one as monstrous as he. It was the only lead she had as to where he'd gone, and the danger he presented was too great to risk the chance that he might go and hurt the people there.

Really...

Really, did it matter? After all, they could just wish at that great dragon, bring him back like nothing ever happened, they could...

kill

that

monster.

She'd kill him. She'd...she'd tear the lizard creature apart, piece by piece, little bits and pieces so that he could survive and suffer for as long as she could. She'd make him pay. She'd hurt him. She would. If she could get her hands on him - her real ones, those which wouldn't just disappear the moment he hit her once - she'd unleash all of her rage and all of her pain and all of her guilt.

Damn it.

Why...

Why was it always revenge? Why could she only make people pay for what they did? Why was she always struggling so desperately just to reclaim the things she cared about? Why couldn't she ever protect them, instead? Once, just once. One person. One thing that she cared about. Was all of her effort and all of her struggle really only good for making up for every mistake she made? Every short coming, every time she tried and she failed and watched the things she loved fall apart just out of reach?

At some point she remembered laughing, a broken and bitter sound, because after three years surely she should have trained enough to have made a difference. After failing over and over, watching her world die and her team turn to dust, she should have finally learned how to avoid it because she'd...really tried. She'd promised to fix it, so she must have also found a way to stop it.

He felt cool against her chest as she held him tight, jumping from rooftop to rooftop now, eyes fixed on the stadium in the distance.

This is...

all my fault.

If she hadn't picked back up that silly disguise, if she'd admitted who she was and that she'd wanted to see the boys fight with her. If she'd been the one to fight Tien the first time. If she'd abandoned that pointless battle with some stranger and gone herself with Krillin. If she'd put the welfare of her teammates and her friends over her own frivolous desires...

She wouldn't have to be carrying him now.

At the very least, maybe she'd stop escaping things while everyone around her died instead.

(*)

Yamcha rubbed at the back of his head and grimaced down at his friend. Honestly, he did feel a bit dirty winning that way, but...if it was even possible to win, there was no way he'd pull it off with that damaged ring. Goku's balance and speed would win out for sure. The kid had scrambled over the damaged tile like it wasn't even there until the end bit. And that seemed to be some kind of distraction.

Still...Goku just made him feel worse with the sour grimace he wore on his face.

"I'm pretty sure this proved you're still way stronger than me after all..."

Goku blinked and shook his head, frowning, staring off in the distance. Was he seriously that messed up over just losing?! That wasn't like Goku at all.

"Hey, Goku-"

"I'm worried about Krillin."

He blinked. "Huh? Why? Sakura went with him, right? Considering the kinds of things I've seen and heard about her healing from, he's probably just grabbing a bite to eat or trying to antagonize her into teaching him some secret at this point." If they hadn't just gone right back into the crowd by now, anyway. But he didn't think he'd seen them so...

Goku shook his head and took a step in the direction Krillin had gone. "No, something's wrong, I'm sure of it!"

"You two..." That announcer guy who'd been real reluctant to do his job and actually count stuck his head into the room. "You didn't happen to see contestant Ino Yamanaka, did you?"

He blinked, and glanced around the room.

...They...were alone?

Where the hell had she gotten off to? Not...to go searching for her escaped opponent?! No, no. No matter how gung-ho she'd been about fighting the guy, it wasn't like there was anything personal going on there, she wouldn't just skip out on the tournament for it. Not the finals, anyway.

He frowned. "...I haven't seen her since the match."

"Well...this is..." The man gave a huff of annoyance. "The finals should have started a minute ago. If she isn't here in ten minutes, she'll just forfeit."

Forfeit the final match?

Again?

"Damn it, she'd better not..."

In the distance, the far door of the participant's room opened with a loud bang. Like...maybe Ino had just been outside taking a smoke break and heard the conversation through the door. Well, at least whatever she'd been doing, she wasn't just skipping out on the finals again. Not when he was still going to get that rematch with her. And some revenge for letting Tien escape so easily.

"It-..." His words died in his throat as his gaze fell on the person in the door. It wasn't Ino after all. It was...Sakura.

She stood, chest heaving like she'd been running for some time, dust and dirt streaked along her face and neck. Her knuckles were scraped red and bleeding. In her arms...on her face, her green eyes stared wide around the room, desperate and almost terrified. Her eyes were red, tracks of wetness cut through the fresh dirt caked on the side of her face where she must have fallen or run into something.

In her arms...

Goku raced across the room. Krillin, whose clothes were damaged more than they had been when he'd left, whose arms and face looked red and black and burned somehow, lay sprawled in her arms. He certainly didn't move. Even if his eyes were closed, he...

"Krillin!" Goku shouted in horror, reaching out for the boy in her arms. The pink haired woman fell to her knees, head falling forward in defeat. His old friend clutched the small, lifeless teammate by the collar, shaking violently. "Krillin...Krillin, no! No!"

Dead...

He really was...

Yamcha stumbled a few steps himself, not really feeling the weight of his legs, neither...very sure of why he was moving at all, or to where. "How...I don't...?" If somehow she'd just failed to save Krillin, then...that wouldn't account for all the new damage. It might have been a car accident of some sort, but surely students of the Turtle Hermit could survive something that minor?!

Sakura shook her head, still not looking up, teeth grit. "I...there was...someone. One of the lizard types, I don't know where he came from, and-"

A lizard man? Some strange...person did this?! If they were surprised, at least it explained somewhat how it could have ended up like this so quickly, but...just what kind of person out there could even manage to do it? Neither Krillin or Sakura were weak.

"I...I'll find him!" Goku growled, arms shaking. Actually...his whole body trembled. "I won't let anyone get away with doing this to one of my friends! They'll...they'll pay! I'll make them pay!"

"Now...that sounds entertaining."

Yamcha turned on his heel immediately, spinning to face the unfamiliar voice. A man who indeed was one of the lizards - but with wings, so a bit more draconian than lizard - stood in one of the doorways that led off to other facilities. The kitchens, if he remembered correctly. The man didn't look like much...but the intent to kill and the smell of death radiated off of him almost palpable.

Just who the hell...what the hell was he?

Pink and red streaked across his vision. Sakura and Goku both moved at a speed he hadn't witnessed from either of them before. Her fist slammed into the ground, and Goku flew past where the man had been a moment ago, crashing into the hallway instead.

Fast.

Whoever this guy was...he was definitely quick enough to get a sneak attack off. Which meant he really must have been the killer.

Yamcha grit his teeth. Krillin's body propped against the wall where Goku and Sakura had knelt moments before.

"Before I kill you two...you wouldn't happen to have seen any dragonballs around have you?" The man gave a laugh that sounded a bit like the rattling tail of a snake. His arms crossed, watching the two who attacked him. And...of course he wanted dragonballs. After all, they were only legendary, almost mythical orbs of magical powers that he'd never heard of five years ago, why wouldn't there be yet another group of powerful monsters after them already?

"You don't get to talk!" Goku shouted, reappearing in the room and pointing at the lizard man. "You killed my friend!"

"What...that weakling over there?" Another laugh, and the man leaped from the ground, bouncing off of the ceiling this time to avoid another dual attack from the two enraged fighters. "I'd almost feel bad taking credit. He practically killed himself."

Yeah.

No way in hell he'd just stand there and let those two fight alone.

He curled his fingers into a claw - a technique he'd developed training with Krillin that he hadn't gotten to show off yet. The man jumped once again, and he struck.

Wolf Klaw. He liked the sound of that name. Krillin had suggested something like that.

Maybe that's what he'd call it.

His fingers cut through the air, and that air sliced through the man as the lizard passed in front of him, cutting those wings to ribbons. On a more satisfying note, it finally got the creature's attention on him. Even if he hadn't had the chance to react properly...hadn't made any of the bold declarations Goku had, or carried Krillin through the city like Sakura...it didn't make him any less murderously furious.

"I wouldn't worry too much about that dragonball, actually. Dead men don't get to make wishes."