Facing the Future

Chapter 2

All she could feel is the sensation of falling. There was no up or down, left or right. She was just falling into nothing, and she didn't think she would ever feel solid ground again. She couldn't see, which was ironic because her eyes were wide open. There was nothing to stop her descent, nothing to halt her thrust downward. Was she ever going to feel solid-

THUD!

A grunt came out of her as she slammed the ground, her breath momentarily leaving her. Athea lay there, staring unseeing at the sky, shock and shortness of breath halting her thinking for a moment. A breath suddenly left her, and she groaned. She rolled onto her side slowly, every muscle in her body aching. It felt like she'd been hit by a semi-truck...repeatedly. She closed her eyes, taking a huge breath before struggling to her knees. Her head started pounding, the pressure almost making her fall back to the dirt underneath her. She squeezed her eyes shut, pinching the bridge of her nose before slowly opening them again. She briefly glanced around, swallowing with difficulty as she stared at the surrounding forest around her. How the hell did she get outside anyways!? Where did her computer take her!? She bit back a sob, letting her head falling dejectedly for several minutes before sniffling and attempting to stand. A small sigh of relief left her as the pressure in her head alleviated a little, the blood rushing away from her brain. She could almost feel the relief. Athea glanced down at herself, pausing for a moment to take in the tattered condition of her clothing. Her shirt and pants were ripped and shredded. The damn things looked like she had a fight with a cat! And the cat won! She bit her lip so hard she almost drew blood, wincing a little as she sighed again. She glanced around her once more, taking a hesitant step forward before steadying herself and walking a little more purposefully towards the trees. Athea stopped right before entering, looking back behind her to where she landed. The only indication that she had even been there was the slightly bent grass, the shape of a body outlined on the ground. That is if she squinted her eyes. Athea swallowed again, feeling tears threatening to spill over. She cleared her throat, trying to tamp them down. She took a deep breath as she looked forward again, staring into the foliage for a moment before disappearing into the forest.

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She finally came upon a small house, after walking for what seemed like hours. Taking a deep breath of relief, she quickened her pace, noticing the smoke coming from the chimney of the quaint little house. A feeling of deja vu swept over her, making her furrow her brows a little. She knew this house. But from where? Athea eyed it as she made it to the front door, lifting her hand and knocking softly. She swallowed, the smell of food cooking making her mouth water. She had to quickly wipe her mouth as she heard footsteps heading towards the front of the house. What sounded like conversation was heard through the door, the sound of a males voice making her heart thud. Suddenly feeling a little queasy and not knowing why, she took a shuddering breath. Her focus zeroed in on the door as it was jerked open. All thoughts blanked out, her heart beating overtime as she stared into the eyes of the man standing in the doorway, a small smile on his face. His eyes questioned her, as the silenced lengthened between them. She opened her mouth, but no sound would come out. Her eyes widened even more as the man took a step towards her. She watched him tilt his head, his brows furrowing a little as she stayed mute. Her lungs were screaming for air, but its like she couldn't function! She couldn't get passed the presence of the man standing before her, someone that shouldn't even exist! She heard more footsteps as her vision started to blacken, little spots appearing before her eyes. Athea couldn't look away from him, almost hoping that maybe this was an illusion, that maybe she had bonked her head or something and that she would wake up in her room. A harsh breath finally passed her lips as her eyes rolled up into the back of her head.

"What's going on? Who's that Goku?"

That's the last coherent thing Athea heard before her world went black.

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She could here someone talking softly as she slowly regained consciousness. Athea slowly opened her eyes, blinking up at the ceiling for a moment before hesitantly glancing around. She swallowed, looking around the living room before her eyes settled on the couple seated by the fireplace, their heads almost touching as they spoke softly to one another. Athea shuddered a little, feelings of trepidation going through her. How in the world did she get here? And why here of all places? She looked back up at the ceiling, her mind racing. Was her mother looking for her right this minute? Was she freaking out, or had she not even noticed her daughter was gone!? Athea closed her eyes, swallowing again as her head started pounding once more. They flew open a moment later at the sound of clothes rustling. She gasped softly, her eyes wide. Goku was standing beside the couch, looking down at her with worried eyes. ChiChi appeared moments later, pushing the big saiyan out of the way. The woman leaned forward and felt her forehead.

"Are you okay? You kind of scared us when you fainted!"

All Athea could do is nod, still not being able to utter a word. She figured it was due to shock, because she wasn't afraid of them. Okay, so she was afraid of being in a different world, and how she got here in the first place, but she wasn't afraid of ChiChi or Goku. Not in a million years! She cleared her throat, taking a deep breath before she tried to speak.

"I..." she bit her lip for a second before continuing. "I don't know why I fainted. Must be due to shock and lack of food," she finished, a small nervous laugh coming out of her.

She watched ChiChi straighten, the woman's eyebrows narrowing. ChiChi put her hands on her hips.

"Well," the loud woman said, "lucky for you I was just about to serve supper! You're welcome to join us if you want." ChiChi studied her for a moment, making Athea blush slightly under the scrutiny. Goku still hadn't said anything.

"What's your name, sweetheart?" she asked, her gaze unwavering as Athea sat up, scooting back a little and staring at the couch cushion for a moment.

"My name's Athea," she said softly, licking her lips in nervousness. She was feeling a little light headed, and butterflies where furiously fluttering in her stomach. She looked up after a few moments of silence. ChiChi was studying her, the woman's brows furrowed a little.

"Where's your parents?" the woman asked, perching on the cushion next to her.

Athea cleared her throat, shifting a little in apprehension. "They're not here," she explained softly, briefly glancing at the woman beside her before letting her gaze slide away. A grunt escaped her as arms suddenly wrapped around her, squeezing.

"Oh you poor girl!" ChiChi screeched in her ear. Athea winced a little. "To be all alone in the world and not have anyone to take care of you!"

Athea opened her mouth to correct her, but didn't get a chance. The woman grabbed her hand and practically jerked her off the couch, dragging her behind her as she left the living room. Athea heard Goku slowly follow, his footfalls a little stronger than his wife's. She was pushed into a chair a moment later, opening her mouth again to straighten out this little misunderstanding.

"I-"

She was stopped yet again, a bowl of rice and a fillet of fish was set before her, ChiChi thrusting a spoon into her hand. Athea looked up, her mouth open to speak the words right on her tongue.

"Now I don't want you wasting time talking to me! Eat! You look like you haven't had anything in days!" ChiChi turned from her and marched to her husband. Athea sighed as she looked back down at her plate, wincing a little as her stomach growled. She chanced a glance back at the couple. ChiChi was pushing Goku out of the room, telling him to go wash up before coming to the table. Athea pinched her lips together to keep from laughing out loud at the sight, her cheeks puffed out a little as she tried to contain her giggle. She succeeded in dispelling it, clearing her throat.

"ChiChi," she finally got out, watching the woman turn towards her, lifting a questionable brow. Athea bit her lip in hesitation for a moment before slowly telling the woman the truth.

"I have parents," she stated softly, "but..." She paused, not sure how to put into words what happened to her only a few short hours ago. She let out a breath, setting her spoon down and rubbing her hands together. "I...I don't know how I got here," she finally said, not meeting the woman's eyes. "I was in my room, and this whirring hole opened up and sucked me in."

Athea swallowed before looking up, meeting ChiChi's gaze before her attention moved behind her, to where Goku was standing. He was leaning against the door frame, arms crossed, his brows furrowed. He was frowning. Athea felt her heart skip a beat, looking back down. She could feel nervousness creeping down her spine at the look both adults were giving her. They obviously thought she was crazy! She took another breath before opening her mouth again.

"I'm not crazy you guys! I..." she paused, licking her suddenly dry lips. "I don't know why I was sent here." Her brows furrowed for a moment. "Maybe..." she spoke softly, mostly to herself. "I was sent here to help with future events."

"What do you mean?" Goku asked softly, speaking for the first time since she appeared on his doorstep. He slowly walked over, stopping beside his wife, who was surprisingly silent.

Athea glanced from one to the other, hesitating slightly before sighing in defeat. Might as well tell them! She closed her eyes for a second, before opening them again and meeting Goku's eyes.

"I know what's going to happen soon," she said softly, "I know what's going to happen with you and Gohan-"

"How do you know my sons' name?" ChiChi asked loudly, her eyes widening. A hand came up and clutched her shirt, her gaze never wavering from Athea.

"I know a lot of things," Athea exclaimed, "I know that Gohan wears a hat with the four star dragonball on top of it, belonging to your grandpa Goku. I know that your brother," her voice softened, and she paused, swallowing before continuing. "He's coming here soon."

"I have a brother!?" Goku asked excitedly, a smile forming on his lips.

Athea nodded, not sure if she should tell him Raditz intentions or not. She studied the ground for a moment before looking back up at them.

"I mean no harm in coming here," she stated, meeting both their eyes. "I think that maybe I could help in a lot of ways, seeing as how I know what's going to happen."

"Like what?" ChiChi asked, crossing her arms.

Athea fidgeted a little under the woman's scrutiny.

"Um...that there's going to be some epic battles happening in your lives very soon. It's going to open up a whole other world for you," she said, looking at Goku. "You're going to become insanely strong just to fight off this evil that plagues earth, and your going to learn a lot about yourself that you never even knew."

She paused for a minute, taking in the silence in the kitchen before continuing.

"I know what's going to happen in years to come, and its going to be difficult and scary, but I would gladly stay by your sides and help anyway I can."

No one spoke after she finished, and Athea could feel them analyzing her, wandering if she was lying or not.

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" ChiChi asked, her eyes narrowing.

Athea swallowed, not sure how to answer that. She kept her gaze on the floor, shuffling her feet a little.

"She's telling the truth."

At the sound of Goku's voice she looked up, meeting the tall man's eyes. A small smile graced his lips, and his face was once again clear and 'innocent'. ChiChi looked at him for a moment, her brows furrowing even more.

"How do you know that Goku? She could be lying to try to buddy up to us or get money, which of course we don't have!"

A small chuckle escaped Goku as he rubbed the back of his head, sending his wife a smile.

"I just do," he stated, looking back at Athea. "I can sense that she's not lying."

Athea listened to ChiChi humph, before going to the stove and stirring whatever was in the pots. The woman glanced over her shoulder at her, before turning back to her task.

"Eat before it gets any colder," ChiChi said, not turning around.

Athea did as she was told, picking up her spoon and taking a big bite of her food. She looked up as Goku sat across from her, a blush rising on her face as he shot her a smile before digging into his own plate. Athea stared, wide eyed, as he shoveled food into his mouth, seeming not to stop to take a breath! She had only taken a few bites when he started on his second plate, not even looking up when Gohan came in and sat at the table.

"Hi," the boy said, peeking up at her from underneath his lashes.

Athea smiled, holding out her hand. She shook hands with Gohan, saying her own hellos before turning back to her food. Gohan glanced at her throughout the meal, his face innocent and full of curiosity. Athea could feel the smile spreading on her face, looking from one person to another. How did she get the chance to meet the greatest fighters in the world? No! The universe! She felt privileged just sitting here with them, even if neither one of them knew the extent of their power just yet. Her smile turned into a grin, looking back over at Gohan. She suddenly felt so giddy she wanted to start clapping and jumping up and down! But she refrained. She didn't want to look stupid in front of them after all! She peeked at Goku and Gohan again, who were oblivious as they both ate at an astounding rate. She could tell Gohan was only four years old or so. Her heart thudded, thinking about this part of the series.

Raditz was due to arrive any day!

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~Chapter written by GVLuver~