I have always been here

I have always looked out from behind these eyes

It feels like more than a lifetime

Feels like more than a lifetime…

- Pink Floyd, “A New Machine, Part I”

A thousand years later…

The sun shone on a glorious day as Son Goku and his family enjoyed the weather with a picnic by the lake.  A gentle breeze kept things cool, the air was fresh, and Goku’s wife ChiChi had outdone herself with her cooking.  Goku and his son Gohan were eagerly tearing into the food, with ChiChi watching and shaking her head at the two of them.

“I swear, you two eat more than the population of North City!” she sighed, nibbling on her own much smaller portion.

“But Mom, it’s so good!  And Dad keeps telling me that since I’m a growing boy, I have to keep my strength up!” Gohan told her cheerfully with his mouth still full.

Footsteps behind me… mocking voices… different enemies, but always the same threats… turn and run… no, no, not again… oh God, somebody help me… running faster and faster… spiraling downward into the depths of hell…

“How many times do I have to tell you not to talk with food in your mouth?  Honestly, you’re just like your father sometimes, living only to eat.”

Hear the pounding of feet… grating voices… raspy breathing… and laughter… once again, the chase begins… flee again, don’t let them catch me… how long must this go on… don’t stop running… can’t stop running…

Goku laughed, also with his mouth full, nearly spraying Gohan with a mouthful of food.  “Come on ChiChi, let’s enjoy the afternoon… the sun is shining, the day is wonderful, we have all this great food, Gohan has his homework finished, it’s just us today, and for once, nothing is going wrong with the world.”

Sprinting wildly through the trees… branches tearing at my clothes… the clutch of terror in my heart… no redemption, no solace… I’m so tired… no… must get away…

Famous last words, for no sooner were the words out of his mouth than a volley of gunshots and then an earsplitting scream echoed across the water. 

Goku quickly scrambled to his feet, sensing another person’s energy, terrified and desperate. 

ChiChi pointed across the water.  “Look, over there!”

The water… yes, I can hide, maybe escape… I can’t let them capture me… I won’t let it happen… don’t give in to the darkness… don’t let them win…

A group of men pursued someone through the woods on the opposite side.  They had rifles out and were aiming at the fleeing figure.  With a quick glance at one another, Goku and Gohan took to the air, zooming across the lake. 

“What in the world is going on?” Gohan asked his father as they approached the shore, when suddenly they saw a young woman stumble out of the woods.  Two of the men came right after her and as she staggered toward the lake, they raised their guns to fire.

Oh, God, they’re going to shoot… don’t look back, don’t look back, don’t look back, don’tlookbackdon’tlookbackdon’tlookback…

“NO!” the two Saiyans shouted, but it was too late, the woman’s cry of pain drowned out by the staccato crack of gunshots.  Horrified by such cold-blooded violence, Goku and Gohan dove toward her as she was thrown forward by the blasts from their rifles.  Sobbing in agony, she stumbled two steps closer to the lake, then fell to her knees as the men closed in.

Red haze… a roar like thunder… a voice screaming into the darkness… howling in pain, fierce and angry, like a lost soul… the voice is mine…

“Gohan, get her out of here!” Goku yelled at his son, who banked off to grab the woman, while Goku landed on the shore in front of the men to block their way. 

Trying hard not to make her pain any worse, Gohan carefully lifted the young woman in his arms, and she momentarily convulsed against him and cried out wordlessly.

“It’ll be okay, miss… shh… I’ve got you…” he whispered, trying to calm them both.  My God, there’s so much blood… that all can’t be just from them shooting her… Now that he was holding her, he could see that she had several other injuries besides the gunshot wounds.  I hope she doesn’t die…

Goku quickly glanced over his shoulder at his son.  “Move it, Gohan, go!  I’ll catch up with you in a minute!”

“Right, Dad!”  Careful not to jostle the injured woman any more than he had to, the boy leapt into the sky, heading back toward his mother just as the rest of the men arrived, twelve in all, and they formed a threatening circle around Goku.

The Saiyan studied them in a cold fury.  They looked like thugs, big, stupid, and unshaven, all dressed like mercenary soldiers.  Most of them were looking at him, but two others were watching Gohan as he carried the girl to safety.

“Why were you chasing that girl?” Goku demanded, folding his arms across his chest and looking unfazed by the rifles pointed at him.

One of the other soldiers recovered his wits quicker than the others and tried to look intimidating.  “That’s none of your concern, hotshot, we have business of our own with the woman.  And if we let her get away, we’re gonna lose a nice bonus, so I suggest you just quietly walk away while we go get her, and you won’t get hurt.”

“Whatever your problem is,” Goku said in cold anger, “you have no right to shoot at an innocent young woman.  Now I suggest you leave her and us in peace, since I’d hate to ruin my day by dealing with you.” 

“Look, wiseguy, nobody’s gonna take our prize away from us.  Hey, someone blow that kid and his load out of the sky while I deal with this moron.”  He raised his rifle and aimed straight at Goku, while another man took aim at Gohan.

“Oh, no, you don’t!”  Moving in a blur and snatching the rifles away, the Saiyan effortlessly crumpled them into a ball and tossed it over his shoulder.  This casual display of strength had the exact effect Goku was aiming for, which was totally unnerving the soldiers surrounding him. 

“What the…?!  Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” the man yelped, nearly falling over as he stumbled away from Goku.  “Don’t just stand there, you idiots, shoot him!”

Some people just never learn, Goku sighed to himself.  While he was confident he could easily defeat all twelve, he preferred to intimidate them to avoid violence. 

The other ten mercenaries opened fire on the Saiyan, who easily caught all of the bullets in one hand.  As the soldiers stared in stunned disbelief, he slowly opened his hand and let the bullets fall to the ground.

The circle of men growled and started advancing on Goku, until a white corona of light appeared around him as he powered up. 

Goku narrowed his eyes and met the soldiers glare for glare.  “I’ll only say this one more time.  Get lost.”

As the light blazed around him, the men stopped, looked at each other, and bolted for the woods, howling curses at Goku.

The Saiyan stood there long enough to make sure that they were not coming back or waiting in ambush, but after several minutes, none of them returned.  Well, that settles that.  He quickly took off into the sky and flew back across the lake.  But why were those guys after her?

Gohan reached shore with the young woman in his arms, and ChiChi came running over.  “I heard shots and yelling!” she called out, breathlessly coming to stand in front of her son.

“It’s okay, Mom…”

“Are you two all right?”

“Yeah, Mom, we’re…”

“And who is this girl?  She looks like a mess!  Come on, out of the way, put her down… SHE’S BEEN SHOT?!  And you’re standing here gawking?  What’s the matter with you?” ChiChi screeched as Goku arrived.  “Hurry up, Goku, do something, don’t just stand there!”

“I’ll be right back, ChiChi, I’m going to Korin’s tower to get some Senzu beans.  That should fix her right up.”  Goku touched two fingers to his forehead and concentrated on Korin’s energy, but his focus was thrown by a soft voice, hardly more than a whisper.

“Thank you, but don’t bother… I’ll be fine in a moment.”  It was the young woman lying on the ground, her eyes still closed.  “It never lasts anyway…”

***

“Wha…?” Gohan’s mouth fell open in shock, with ChiChi’s jaw even lower to the ground.  Goku carefully knelt down to stare intently at her.  Sure enough, the gunshot wounds and her other injuries were gradually healing on their own.  Opening her eyes, she slowly tilted her head to look at Goku. 

He found himself staring into stunning blue-violet eyes. 

“But how?  I’ve never seen anything like this before!” Goku stammered, as she carefully sat up and looked at Gohan and ChiChi, both with their jaws still hanging slack.

“I have,” Gohan said after finally closing his mouth.  “When Piccolo, Krillin and I fought Garlic Junior up at Kami’s place.  He did the same thing, even after I flew right through him!  He just stood there, and like that, the hole in him just closed right up!  No matter what we did, he just kept right on coming, until we blasted him into the Dead Zone.” 

Goku looked at the young woman as she slowly rose to her feet.  Her wounds… they’re gone… no scars, no bruises… like they never happened…

“Well, I for one would like to know who this girl is.  She’s ruined our picnic, nearly gotten you and Gohan killed, and looks like an absolute wreck,” ChiChi bluntly stated while Gohan cringed in embarrassment.

The woman turned those vivid eyes to ChiChi, and then she smiled a soft, sad smile before bowing politely.

“I apologize for the intrusion into your day, ma’am, as it was not my intention to get chased by those louts.  I thought for sure I had gotten away safely, but it seems I was wrong, and it would have been much worse if not for the efforts of your husband and son.”

Gohan turned to the woman and bowed to her in return.  “My name’s Son Gohan, by the way, and that’s my dad, Goku, and my mom, ChiChi.”

“My name is Kurenai.  And I thank you and your father for helping me.”

“So why were those men after you?” ChiChi asked.

Kurenai shook her dark head.  “If I tell you, you’ll think I’m mad.”

“You’d be surprised,” Goku said quietly.  “Try us.”

The woman hesitated, and then sighed.  “Because I am immortal.”

The Son family stared at her, all thinking the same thing.  Im-immortal?

“But… but how is that possible?” Gohan said in amazement.

Kurenai looked from Gohan to ChiChi to Goku.  “Well… I’m not exactly sure how, but I think it had something to do with… a Dragon.”

“A Dragon?” Gohan was puzzled for a moment, then he exclaimed, “Oh, of course, you became immortal because of the Dragonballs!  Like what Piccolo said when we fought Garlic Junior!  He said that the reason that Garlic Junior didn’t die was because he had used the Dragonballs to wish for immortality.”

Kurenai started.  “You mean… you believe me?”

Goku laughed.  “Well, yeah, of course!  Man, we’ve all used the things ourselves at some point or another.  But how long have you been immortal?”

“I don’t really know… sometimes it feels like I’ve always been this way.  But I remember that this strange feeling came over me while I was hiding in the mountains.  Everything that made me human was stripped away from me, and replaced with something… different.” 

“So, Shenron made you immortal?” ChiChi asked.

The other woman looked uncertain.  “Shenron… is that the Dragon’s name?”

Goku nodded.  “Yes.  And he had to have… what other way is there?”  He studied Kurenai thoughtfully.  “So why’d you wish for immortality?”

Kurenai’s eyes grew cold.  “I didn’t–” She stopped, having said more than she’d intended.  Then she looked away, her eyes sad and resigned.  “Anyway, it doesn’t really matter.  I thank you all for your help, but it seems that I must go into hiding yet again.”

In spite of all she’d heard and seen, ChiChi was still more than a little suspicious of the young woman, but it was hard to argue when she could see otherwise-fatal gunshot wounds healing on their own.  But her biggest concern was that Goku would insist on helping her, when ChiChi had only herself gotten her husband back a year ago.

Don’t even think about it, Goku, she thought fiercely, glancing at her husband.  I almost lost you and Gohan twice before, I won’t stand for it.

Gohan was studying Kurenai closely, openly fascinated by her.  I thought everyone wanted immortality so they could rule the universe, but not her.  Seems that immortality’s brought her more problems than it solved.  The idea of a benevolent and beautiful immortal was a new concept to him, as he was accustomed to psychotic, power-mad tyrants. 

Goku was also intrigued by the woman, but for a different reason.  He hated seeing injustice in the world, and always did what he could to right its wrongs. 

“Always running and hiding and looking for a way out… there’s not much I can do except run… living in fear with no way out, it’s terrible.” 

Trunks’ words came back to him, and while the young Super Saiyan from the future had been talking about humanity under the terrifying reign of the Androids, it seemed that he also could have been describing this young woman.  Now, having this mysterious woman stumble into his life, he realized that once again, he’d been given a chance to create a new future… her future.

“Well, maybe we can help you,” Goku said, ignoring his wife’s warning look.  “We know some pretty good people, we might be able to help you find a way to get your life back.  I mean, your normal one.  Well, not to say that you’re not normal now, but…”

Gohan elbowed his father in the ribs to shut him up.  “What he’s saying, miss, is that between us and our friends, we should be able to help you put your life back together.”

“HOLD ON JUST ONE MINUTE!” ChiChi bellowed, angry at being ignored.  “Don’t I get a say in this?  You have studies to return to, young man, and your father is not going to go running all over the Earth again!  He has too many chores of his own to catch up on, and I do not want him hanging out with his little gang!”

Goku turned to his wife with a pleading expression.  “Come on, ChiChi, the girl just had people try to kill her.  The least we can do is try and help her out!  It’ll only take a minute, I’ll just take her over to Capsule Corporation and see if Bulma can give us some more information on who Kurenai is.  Well, I might have to take Kurenai up to Kami’s place to talk to Piccolo and Kami, since they’re the ones who know the Dragon the best.  Then I’ll come right back, and mow the lawn or prune the bushes or whatever you want me to do!  I promise!”

“No, Goku, you are not going anywhere!  I know you!  It’s bad enough I let you talk me into letting Gohan train, but this is going to become a crusade for you, and you’ll be gone all the time again!  I didn’t wait a year and a half for you to come home just to have you chasing after some girl!”

Kurenai gave ChiChi an amused look at that one, but Goku missed the innuendo.

“It’s not like I’m trying to take Gohan with me, I’ll just go by myself!  What’s the big deal?  I’ll drop her off at Bulma’s, then I’ll come straight home!  Look, ChiChi, it just wouldn’t be right for me to ignore her when she needs help so badly.  And I won’t be gone for a year and a half, just a couple of hours!”

ChiChi threw up her hands in defeat.  “Oh all right, go ahead and take her there, then.  Gohan will just have to take me home himself.”  Gohan was about to protest when ChiChi turned on him.  “And don’t you tell me that you’re going to leave me here and go off with your father!  You are going to help me clean this stuff up and then we’re going STRAIGHT HOME!”

“Okay, okay,” Gohan grumbled under his breath as he helped his mother pack up the picnic stuff.  Darn it… I really wanted to go with Dad.  Then he looked up at Goku and Kurenai.  “But you are going to tell us about it when you get home, right, Dad?” 

“Sure!” Goku answered.  Then he turned toward Kurenai, who had been standing to one side watching uncomfortably as Goku and ChiChi had argued.  “Um, I kinda forgot to ask.  Do you know how to fly?”

Her eyes widened.  “F-fly?”

“Yeah.”

She shook her head.

“Okay, no problem.  I can just Instant Transmission us there in a heartbeat.  Just stand next to me and put your hand on my shoulder.” 

Confused, Kurenai stepped next to Goku and did as he told her while he raised his hand to his forehead, concentrated on Bulma’s energy.  But how is he planning on getting us from here to…

Suddenly she realized that her vision was going white, and with a rush of wind, the two of them disappeared.

“There he goes again,” ChiChi sighed.  “Hopefully this time, it will all work out okay.”

“Of course it will, Mom,” Gohan reassured her.  I hope…

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