A/N: Enjoy!

WORRIED SICK

Never was there a pleasant thought when Harri had to spare some on her relatives. This summer simply proved and cemented that very theory.

The moment that Harri had gotten past the house threshold, Uncle Vernon had taken all of her school things and locked them away under the stairs in her old cupboard. If Harri hadn't taken out the Window Wood from her trunk in order to make room for the potions Madam Pomfry gave her and put it on her person, she would have been forced to spend the entire summer unable to speak to Goku once.

As it was, because all the potion vials were in her trunk, she spent most of said summer in pain whilst she healed without them and all without being able to speak to Goku once due to her magic and body still healing.

During this time Harri found that her relatives were especially hard to be around so constantly. There was no escaping the Dursleys, not even through one of Goku's stories, and Harri found that this was worse than her reoccurring nightmares.

Not once did she receive any letters either, from Hermione or Neville. It left Harri feeling very small, lonely and raw. Especially since, as soon as her relatives found out that Harri was hurting from a magical pain- something Harri deeply regrets informing them of, even as an attempt to get her school things out from under the stairs- they made sure to add to Harri's chores whenever they could. There was no rest for the raven haired school witch, and what little of it she managed to scrounge up at night was filled with reoccurring nightmares.

Then, somewhere near the start of July, a house elf appeared in her room. He'd introduced himself as Dobby, told her that she shouldn't go to Hogwarts this coming year, shown her how he'd been intercepting her letters, then promptly got her in so much trouble with Uncle Vernon that he'd put bars on her window, bolts on the door, installed a catflap so she could be fed, and kept her locked in the spare room for the rest of the summer.

Hedwig wasn't allowed out of her cage, so couldn't hunt for herself. Uncle Vernon had gotten a separate lock just for Hedwig's cage door and kept the key on his person so the girl couldn't even let Hedwig out to fly around the room while she cleaned the cage. He'd done it after the first time Harri had needed to clean Hedwig's cage. Her Uncle had the bad sense to show himself at the time and her owl had taken it upon herself to show him exactly what she thought of Harri's treatment. Suffice to say, Uncle Vernon did not appreciate the new spattering of white on his head, nor how it had fallen onto his shirt collar afterwards. It had been one of his best shirts.

Harri spared what little of her food she had to share with her owl but the magnificent bird was still much too thin and sickly. Every once in a while Hedwig would give Harri a feeble hoot, but then she'd go impossibly still and Harri worried that the creature wouldn't be able to make it till summer's end.

After spending most of her year in a castle that fed her well, Harri felt the hunger she had grown used to since childhood return with a vengeance that had her wondering how she'd survived her childhood at all.

She wished more than ever to speak with Goku, if not to hear of his adventures, than to hear of his well being.

Last she spoke to him, he described how the Dragonball's they'd spent all last summer and then all school year collecting had been stolen. They had their vehicle destroyed for the umpteenth time that year too and so had to walk to the enemy's location on foot. He'd inferred that they were close and that their enemies may or may not be dangerous given the equipment that was used against Goku's group. Despite knowing that Goku himself knew how to fight if need be, Harri still found herself worried beyond belief for her friend.

In her confinement Harri found that she quickly lost track of time but knew she'd been in the room since July thirty-first. She spent her days on the bed, staring out the window at the sunshine and greens whenever she wasn't in fitful sleep. She couldn't even exercise, despite all the time she suddenly had, because she needed to preserve her energy. Any progress that Harri had made that school year in getting herself fit and healthily quickly went down the proverbial toilet drain.

Then one morning Harri received a proper food portion, and the girl realized that it must have been nearing the start of the school year. She'd taken one look at herself and grimaced, knowing right away that if a stranger looked at her they'd think she was anorexic. A neglectful one at that, too. Any muscle she'd gained was gone, her ribs were visible, and her arms were incredibly thin. Her hair had become stringy with how badly it needed a wash and no matter how many times she risked taking a few extra minutes for a rinse in the bathroom sink it didn't seem to help.

In the forced silence of the room, Harri vowed to herself and Hedwig that she'd find a way to sneak food during the school year to come. Surely the magicals had ways of preserving food with magic. They used no electricity in the first place so they must have something that works to preserve their food.

Harri imagined fashioning herself a small bag of some sort- something easily hidden or can be looked over as unimportant so that it wouldn't get taken from her instantly like her school things had and can easily be carried by herself wherever she went- that had a bigger space on the inside so that she could put food in there, food that wouldn't go bad no matter how long it would be left there. And if the food couldn't quite fit, she could shrink it- like how she'd seen second years practice on their quills in the common room- to the right size.

Looking over at her Hedwig again, who was doing much better now that she had more food than before, Harri found herself promising that, as soon as she could find- then perfect- the spell for making things larger on the inside the first thing she'd use it on would be that cage. Hedwig deserved better than how the Dursley's treated her.

She didn't know how many days had passed since she started to receive proper food. But one day that seemed no different than the rest, Harri found that she'd done a bout of accidental magic.

Frozen, the raven haired girl stared at the suddenly opened padlock that now hung off of Hedwig's cage door. Her eyes had darted towards the window, expecting another ministry owl to come but instead of a warning, it'd be to inform her that she wasn't to bother going to platform nine and three quarters because she was now expelled from Hogwarts. As Hedwig happily stretched her wings for the first time in forever Harri slowly began to relax at the fact that nothing detrimental seemed to be happening.

That is, until Harri realized what she'd done.

With a bout of energy that was more than she ever exhibited throughout the entire summer so far, Harri went on her belly and stuck her hand under the bed. From between the bed frame and the mattress Harri carefully removed the Window Wood. Heart pounding so loud she could hear it in her ears, Harri snatched the thickest of her two blankets from the bed and pulled it around herself before she opened the wardrobe filled with Dudley's old clothes and stuffed herself inside.

Leaned against the back of the wardrobe in the dark, blanket wrapped loosely around her and clothes draped over her head into her eyes from above, Harri finally gave herself a moment to calm. She'd just had a bout of accidental magic. The words Madam Pomfry gave her when she was in the infirmary on the last day of school had seemed to haunt Harri the longer the summer dragged on. The last thing Harri wanted was to destroy herself.

Before Dobby came, Harri looked forward to the end of summer so she could at least confront her friends on why they hadn't written. Now she was fairly certain that it would be her friends who would be furious with her instead, which really put a damper on the entire idea of school. She'd brave it though; anything was better than staying where she was.

Harri's grip tightened on the wood in her hands. She'd amend her statement. It wasn't anything that was better than here. Everything was better than the Dursley's. And while Hogwarts suited Harri perfectly fine as an anything, she'd still much rather be with Goku in his reality where everything was just... better. Of course, Harri had the opinion from very early in life that anything that had to do with Goku was automatically better than everything in her own reality.

Even in the magical world there were restrictions on her. Yes, she had more leeway, but there were still people trying to leash her in. She'd met several witches and wizards who'd come up to her last summer, just to go back to their groups crowing about how they'd spoken to her. And while there were plenty of people who seemed to look at Harri with an awe the girl still couldn't understand, there were plenty more who looked at her with pity or plain disgust and anger- as though she'd completed some atrocious act unawares.

No, Harri would much rather be with Goku, where they could explore the world together as people completely unknown. There would be no expectation from the people there, about anything. They could be whomever they wanted, act as they pleased, help those who needed it instead of those who demanded it. Most of all, Harri would finally be able to spend time with her childhood friend. She'd make sure the very first thing she'd do was give him a much overdue hug.

Tears had sprung up on her and had fallen down her cheeks. Harri rubbed at her eyes, setting her glasses askew.

She missed her friend. She wanted to speak to him. While Harri knew she'd done accidental magic, she didn't know if her magic was healed enough to steal away a few seconds to speak to Goku. If she was wrong, she could possibly destroy her magic, her body. But if she was right she could finally speak to him again. Find out what happened. See if he was okay for herself. Desperately Harri wanted to talk to him. Ever since she discovered how, she'd never spent so long without speaking to him. The wait was torture.

Great halting gasps for air broke Harri's breathing, making her breaths uneven and shaky. She pulled up her knees and set her forehead upon them as her body shook.

She didn't know what to do.

There was something mind numbing about completing a singular task over and over again. Hands needed to be kept straight to mimic spades. Fingers were kept firm as they broke through root filled top soil, occasionally splitting stones that splintered into sharp flecks that liked to dig into vulnerable skin as recompense. Wrists were twisted just so, allowing the soil to turn over. Shoulders burned at the repetitive motion. Legs shook at the strain a constant squat brought to them.

By the end of the day Goku was properly spent. He'd trudge back to Master Roshi's house, where the old turtle hermit would provide him and his fellow martial arts student a place to rest, having not thought of anything but getting the soil turned in that field for the entire day. Quietly Goku would eat the food that Launch had prepared for them all day, where he'd robotically go through the motions, not having the energy to spare on doing anything else.

After, he helped clean up the table then went for a bath with Kuririn (and Master Roshi occasionally, since the old man didn't work out all day like they did), where they would relax from the day's trials. Kuririn would go to Roshi's room, where there was room for one more person while Goku would share his room with Launch.

As a condition to learning the Turtle Way under Master Roshi, Goku and Kuririn both had to set out in search of a person that would keep Roshi company. Specifically a female, was Roshi's demand. There was much trial and error on Goku's part, as finding someone who would be willing to spend a year with an old man as he taught students martial arts wasn't something just anyone would agree to do- and they had to be a good enough person that Nimbus would allow them passage.

Eventually, with Kuririn's help, Goku managed to bring back Launch. They found out very quickly how this person could change her personality with a single sneeze- of all things. The change was very literal too; one moment Launch was very kind and caring with fluffy blue hair and big blue eyes. Then she'd sneeze and suddenly she had narrowed green eyes and wavy blonde hair and a personality so on edge and quick to anger it made everyone feel as though they suddenly walked on eggshells. Being one who wouldn't allow this blonde angry Launch to simply be mean to him without cause, Goku was immediately offered up as the one who had to share a room with her.

Most of the time it didn't matter though. Launch had a bad habit of sneezing in her sleep, so she'd go to bed blue and wake blonde. But Goku woke with the sun while Launch usually slept most of the morning away before greeting the day. On the rare occasion Launch would wake simply because she'd noticed how Goku had woken, the blue side of her would bid him a cheerful good luck while the blonde side of her stayed grudgingly quiet. Only the very first time that Launch woke blonde and found Goku in the same room while they slept did she act out and he showed her just how he appreciated being attacked in the early morning- that being, he didn't like it. At all. Blonde Launch certainly hadn't tried to do so again after that. At least, not to Goku.

While blue Launch finished with whatever it was she did before bed, Goku would get himself comfortable under his own blankets. For the first time all day he would let his mind wander away from training and getting stronger. He'd look out the window to the dark skies and watch the stars that watched the Earth, and he'd finally let himself have a moment to think of Harri.

First he'd wonder if she was still alive. It was a terrible thought that made his heart heavy and gut twist and teeth grit with anger at just how helpless he was to acquire that knowledge. With someone like Bulma or Yamcha or anyone else he knew, he could simply hop on Nimbus and go see them if he wanted to. Not with Harri. Since she lived in another reality entirely, that proved to be impossible to do by himself. He didn't even have the means to contact her as that required magic- he had Ki but Ki was not magic.

With the last Goku heard of Harri being that she was to go into a dangerous forbidden corridor that had most likely been rigged with traps and deadly trials just to face an unknown adult- that was most likely Harri's parent's murderer- that had tried to kill her already that year... he felt like a coiled spring that had been wound up so long unwinding could most likely break him. Just thinking about the situation she was in, put him on edge- especially because he didn't know what had happened.

When in the glass cage Bulma had apologized to him for not telling him sooner that it was only one wish and that he'd have to wait an entire year before he could look for the Dragonballs, gather them and then summon the dragon Shenlong. He'd forgiven her then; he hadn't told her his wish- still hadn't, really (she'd never asked anyhow). Bulma only knew that the wish he had was important and she'd even told him that she'd decided- right after Yamcha joined their group- that she wanted Goku to have the wish anyway. So he'd forgiven her.

After all, at the time, they'd all thought that the night would be their last.

But then they survived the night. The morning after, Goku found that the entire place had been destroyed. He'd even somehow lost his tail. A loss that sent phantom pains up his spine each time he thought of it, so he tried his best not to.

And as the days went on and he continued to get no word from Harri, a small, nearly silent resentment started to grow within his heart. It was directed towards those who had imprisoned them, towards Oolong who had made the wrong wish, and even towards Bulma who had been willing to let him loose his Grandpa's keepsake over the entire thing. If he'd at least known that the Dragonballs would scatter, he'd been able to jump and catch the four star ball before it had the chance to leave- or better yet, catch them all so he wouldn't need to search when the year of waiting was up.

Not liking the twisted angry thing inside him that hissed and spat and batted at him at the idea of his friend being dead, Goku soon found himself contemplating the possibilities that might follow if Harri had survived her encounter with the would-be thief.

He'd shown her what he could of the kamehameha wave, with her being on the Window Wood and thus having limited vision and being unable to feel the Ki that burnt the ground it passed over. It was the closest that he'd ever gotten to doing magic but it had lit a fire in his friend that pushed her to look up and then practice more offensive spells and charms and curses that could help her. So Goku knew that Harri hadn't been helpless when she went up against her foe.

However, Harri had never been in a true fight. Sure, she went up against her cousin from time to time. But she usually managed to get away before a real fight could start and if she did get caught then she was ganged up on and overwhelmed. There was no battle there, just pain and injury and defeat.

If she did fight, Goku knew that she'd be quick. She'd told him numerous times how her speed got her out of trouble or how her quick reflexes had won her the flying games that she participated in. Her practicing the exercises that Grandpa taught them both would only help with that. So Harri might be able to retrieve whatever stone she had gone to get and leave before a battle even started.

But then, if that were true, she'd have opened the Window already and told him herself. So that possibility was scratched out.

Perhaps then, even with Harri's quick reflexes, she was caught by an attack and was injured. While Goku didn't like the thought of his friend being injured, he'd much rather that then her being dead.

So if she was only injured, why didn't she contact him?

For a long time Goku contemplated that thought, thinking over the possibilities. Eventually he reached in his gi top and pulled out the Window Wood to look at. It's round edges were now as smooth as a river stone. A string went through a single small hole that he'd burned with his Ki into the top- something he'd practiced on several pieces of discarded wood before he'd grown confident enough not to ruin or set fire to the Window Wood. The string was really once one of his Grandpa's old gi belts, cut to the appropriate size so he could wear it around his neck with ease. Bulma had even given him a water proof pouch to fit the Window Wood in for when it rained, but the pouch couldn't be worn around his neck so he kept it alongside his Grandpa's four star Dragonball until he needed it.

There was one conclusion that seemed glaringly obvious to him, which he couldn't get out of his mind. One way to keep Harri from contacting him would be if she literally couldn't. Her Window Wood might have gotten destroyed or taken irreparable damage in her fight. That thought had a cold feeling go through him. He'd have to spend the entire rest of the year without speaking to Harri once, and then whatever extra time he needed to gather all the Dragonballs by himself. Hopefully it wouldn't take another entire year to gather them- he wouldn't have to worry about walking everywhere, or food for cars; he'd be taking Nimbus.

A second option for that line of thought- a better one, but only slightly- would be that Harri had gotten so injured she was sleeping off the damage. His Grandpa had told him that something like that had happened to him when he was little. He also told Goku that he'd woken up as a completely different person too...

Dread wrenched through his gut like when a predator tried to sneak up on him. He didn't want Harri to have forgotten about him. Maybe... maybe he'd be able to ask the great dragon if Harri had forgotten him before he made his wish.

A near inaudible groan left Goku. He let the Window Wood fall to his chest as he brought up his hands to his face. Palms over his eyes, Goku tugged at his fringe when it tangled between his fingers. The slight pain it brought him pulled him back to the present.

It was decided- he hated not knowing.

"Goku?" A soft concerned voice broke the silence of the night. Said boy had no need to uncover his eyes to know who'd spoken. Only Launch would enter the room at this hour. "You're still awake? Usually you'd be sound asleep by now... is everything alright?"

It took a few moments for Goku to get his thoughts in order enough to give a reply. With a soft huff he let his hands drag down his face before settling them on his chest. He stared up at the white ceiling and the textured swirling flower patterns that were there. Out of the corner of his eye he could spot how Launch sat on her single bed across the room, head turned in his direction as she waited.

"I..." he paused, fisted part of his gi top over his heart. "It hurts."

"Well, you and Kuririn have been working real hard learning under Master Roshi and training for the tournament this coming spring..."

As she spoke Goku shook his head, and her words trailed off.

"What hurts then?"

He didn't know how to describe it out loud but he did his best. "My stomach feels like I skipped a meal.. and my chest... it's like something inside it is on fire."

Movement caught his eye and Goku found a concerned Launch now staring down at him instead of sitting on her bed. He blinked as she put a hand on his forehead and her other under her own fringe. A frown pulled at Launch's face when she closed her eyes.

"You don't seem to be running a temperature..." she took her hand away and tilted her head at him. "Did you injure yourself while training? Did something hit your chest hard? You don't sound like you have a cold, or move like you're injured... have you felt like this before?"

"When my Grandpa passed... it felt similar to this." Goku eventually admitted, looking away. Somehow these emotions felt more intense than when his Grandpa passed though. Maybe it was because he had Harri to grieve with back then. "It's not the same though."

"Oh, I see." Launch said softly. She'd backed up enough to sit on her bed again and now cast sorrowful eyes on him. "Do you want to talk about it? Someone once told me that it helps to do that. What's troubling you?"

Apart from making meals each day for him, Kuririn, and Master Roshi, Goku didn't know much about Launch. He spent much of his time training and was often too tired for trying to get to know people. He'd worked hard this day too but Goku found that he couldn't go to sleep yet. A sleeplessness seemed to have taken him over. Maybe though, it was because Launch was a virtual stranger that he felt comfortable telling her what worried him.

He lifted up the Window Wood so it could be in his hands and he felt the smooth edges with his thumb as he spoke. Goku started at the beginning, explaining how he'd discovered the Window, and then how he and his Grandpa had befriended the girl on the other side who desperately needed it. He'd glossed over the years leading up to the day Bulma found him, those being too many to account within one sitting, and explained instead how Harri had magic and had started to attend a school to learn more about it. He finished with how they'd managed to keep in contact all year, on a regular basis, and how he now hadn't spoken to her for the last three months- right after she told him that she was about to face down a possible murderer within her school.

At all the appropriate places Launch had given nods, exclamations and sounds of agreement. By the time Goku was done talking the blue haired Launch was quiet. When he'd looked over at her for the first time since he'd told the story, Goku found a properly horrified face staring back at him. Then she began to cry.

"I- I'm so sorry, Goku!" Launch blubbered as he sat up in his concern. "The things you and your friend have been through already...! I don't know what to say!"

It was he who didn't know what to say. Luckily enough for him Launch just kept talking instead. As she wiped at her eyes with her long sleeves she spoke in broken sentences that Goku could barely understand, all about how brave and strong he and Harri were and that no child should have to go through what they had.

"I never knew my father." Launch eventually told when her tears had slowed. Uncomprehending of the connection, Goku furrowed his brow in question. "But when I think of him I get a warm, sunny feeling. My mother on the other hand..." a shudder went through Launch, her voice breaking some on the word 'mother'.

The bluenette had to force herself to take a breath before she continued speaking. "We got along well in the beginning, she and I. But I think, at one point, she realized father wasn't going to come back- no matter how nice she was. My blackouts started soon after, when she took her frustrations out on me."

Goku knew then that Launch could not see as well in the dark as he could for she felt around her bed for the edge of her sheets even though she was looking down directly at it. She pulled up the sheets and tucked her legs under them, before folding her knees to lean forward and hug them. Unseeingly her blue eyes turned his way.

"I mean what I say when I tell you- no child should have gone through what you have."

Goku clenched his fists on his lap.

"That being said, your friend sounds very strong." Launch intoned quietly. "She won't leave you not knowing what happened if she can help it." Then, almost too quite for him to hear, "I know I wouldn't, if I'd found someone to be there with me."