"Mom, can’t I go outside now? I’ve finished studying," Gohan asked hopefully.

"I suppose, Gohan, but not for too long. Its cold outside." Gohan grinned ear to ear and raced to his room to put his coat on. Coat on, he began to race for the door, but Chi-Chi caught him en route and tied a scarf tightly around his neck. Goku, who was doing one-fingered pushups in the corner, watched with a brief shake of his head, smiling.

Gohan opened the door wide and jumped out of it, but Goku saw him freeze just outside the door. Chi-Chi, who was bent over the stove, glanced over. "Gohan, close that door. You’re letting the . . .the . . ." she did not finish her sentence, her mouth dropping open in shock. Goku jumped up and strode quickly over the doorway, standing behind Gohan and looking out the door.

A woman stood in the snow, her black hair swirling about her in a cloud, her back bent in exhaustion and cold. Her face was smeared with blood, obscuring everything but her gray eyes that locked in Goku’s--he saw the strength and determination held within. She was obviously freezing--she wore only a thin, ragged, sleeveless white shirt tucked into black pants that were of the same, thin material, and raggedly ended just below her knees, revealing bare legs and feet below them. She was trembling in cold, and her eyes were raw and animalistic in pain. She took one step forward, reaching out towards him, then collapsed and fell into the snow.

There was no movement, not even the slightest twitch, as Goku carefully wiped the blood off her face, revealing a face he assumed to be about twenty, maybe twenty-five years old with beautifully shaped features which were noticeable even though her skin was deathly pale. Thin, she was a small, fine woman, who looked almost as if she were made from porcelain. Gohan came over and peeked over his father’s shoulder.

"She’s a pretty lady, huh dad? She looks kinda like Mom, but with more hair."

"I guess so, Gohan. Chi-Chi, should I lay her down in the spare room?"

"I suppose," Chi-Chi said nervously. "But, Goku, do you think that’s a good idea? To keep her here I mean?"

"Sure, it’ll be fine. Besides, she needs help."

"Yes . . .Well, put her in there and I’ll get her out of those wet clothes. She needs to be warmed up first of all. I don’t know what she was doing out there dressed like that in this weather, but I don’t suppose it matters, now does it? Gohan, why don’t you go back to your room and study."

"Yes, Mom," Gohan said, not feeling like playing anymore. Instead, he went to his room and sat looking out the window, and listened to his mother speak with his father.

There was a knock on the door, and Goku stopped doing sit-ups to open it. "Krillin! Hey buddy, where’ve you been?"

"Here and there," Krillin replied with a grin. "How’ve you all been?"

"We’re great," Goku said, stepping aside so Krillin could come into the kitchen.

"Goku!" Chi-Chi’s voice came from the guestroom.

"Yes dear?" Goku called back.

"Could you bring me another blanket? She’s starting to shake again."

"Sure," he replied. To Krillin, he said, "We’ve had some interesting stuff happening around here though," he admitted. "Come on." After stopping to get the blanket, he walked back down the hall and they went into the guestroom.

"Wow, Goku, who is she?" Krillin asked after seeing their guest for the first time.

"We don’t know. She wandered into the yard the other day, half-frozen. She fainted and has been asleep ever since."

"She’s beautiful," Krillin said in awe. Goku laughed.

"She does look rather nice," he mentioned, but met Chi-Chi’s glance with a smile, as if to assure her that the mystery woman was not more beautiful than she, his wife, was. Chi-Chi smiled back as she lay the blanket over the woman, and she came over.

"Krillin, how have you been? It’s been awhile."

"Oh, just fine," he said cheerfully, "Can’t complain."

"Good. Goku, do you know where Gohan is? He should be in his room studying, but last I checked he wasn’t there."

"I don’t know, Chi-Chi. I can go take a look if you’d like."

"I would. He’s going to get behind and then . . ."

"Hey Goku," Krillin interrupted. "Look." The woman had opened her eyes, and was looking around the room dazedly. Suddenly, she sat straight up in bed, her face darkening momentarily, but she showed no trace of fear.

Eyes locking with Goku’s, she let out an unintelligible string of language.

"I don’t understand what you’re saying," Goku commented, looking at the woman. "But we don’t want to hurt you." She cocked her head, as if trying to comprehend his words, and then she spoke again, incomprehensible words, while she beckoned Goku to come stand beside the bed. He glanced at Krillin and at Chi-Chi, who was clinging to his arm. "I think she wants me to go over there," he mentioned.

"Don’t do it, Goku!" Chi-Chi cried. "She might hurt you!"

"I don’t think she will," he thought out loud. He took a step forward and released himself from Chi-Chi’s grasp. He walked slowly forward; eyes on her face the entire way, and finally stopped beside the bed, turning to face her. She smiled then, a grin that split her entire face. Murmuring a string of her own language, she slowly reached out and placed two of her fingers on his forehead. She smiled and nodded, and her fingers began to glow. Goku’s eyes froze in hers in amazement as the world began to fade into darkness.

In the background, he heard his wife’s alarmed cry and Krillin’s immediate response. For what seemed like only a moment, he hung suspended with the world only a small reality in the back of his mind.

Suddenly, it was over. With a rush of feeling, all of his consciousness returned and he came crashing back to reality--literally. His knees were weak underneath him, they gave out and he almost fell. "Wow," he commented, looking back up at the woman, whose eyes had closed tightly, almost as if she were still concentrating. He glanced at Krillin, who had caught him before he had fallen. "That was something else entirely."

"We were getting scared, Goku. She kept you like that forever."

"How long was that?" he asked.

"Almost twenty minutes."

"Twenty minutes? That’s impossible."

"Really! Chi-Chi was getting so upset I had to lock her out of the room."

"You locked her . . ." At that precise moment, there was a pounding on the door.

"Let me in this instant! Goku, are you all right? Krillin, open this door!" Goku laughed.

"Man, she is not going to be happy." Krillin laughed.

"You won’t let her kill me, will you?"

"Of course not." Finally steadied on his feet, Goku glanced at the woman whose eyes had just opened. They met his and to his surprise, she spoke in clear, exact English.

"Thank you." Both Goku and Krillin were so amazed they could say nothing, and they stared at her. "My name is Aimari.’" she told them. "I am the youngest daughter of Shitanra, Empress of Kanterra." The two men glanced at each other, not knowing what to say.

Finally, Goku spoke. "I’m Goku, and this is Krillin. Tell me, where did you learn how to do that?"

"It was part of my training."

"From where? And who?"

"All Kanterran warriors are taught this. And I was trained by Hitani of the House Mishanra." Goku glanced at Krillin again.

"Where did you say you were from?" Krillin asked.

"Kanterra. It is a world that is quite a distance from this one. Tell me, what is this world called?"

"Earth," Goku told her. "What brings you here?" The woman did not speak for a long moment, and her eyes saddened.

"I am in exile from my home," she told them, "I was arrested in a revolution and I was to be executed, but one of my old friends aided my escape. I had to get offworld or I would have been killed. Some time ago, I picked up this world on my scanners and it indicated that it had a similar climate to my own home. I decided to come here, for I knew it was a place I could survive for a time. At least until I can return home and find out what happened to my family."

"You don’t know what happened?" Krillin asked, incredulously.

"No," she replied, "I only know that my mother and eldest sister are dead. I have not head anything of my other three sisters and their families nor of my brother and his wife and children."

"That’s tough," Goku responded.

"Yes," she said, her voice losing some of its indifferent air and replacing it with sadness. "But I will survive. I am a Kanterran warrior." She seemed to be trying to gain some courage by saying that, but neither man was sure if she had. At any rate, she straightened in bed a moment later and they could see the change in her posture and bearing. If anything, this stranger, this warrior would not let weakness show for long, and her withdrawal into her imperious posture was anger at her own self for having been seen as emotional. Krillin thought that she was cold and haughty on the outside, but he suspected that was only because it was what was expected of her. He could see in her eyes the passion and fire held within. He could not understand how she could hold such fierce feelings inside of herself. She spoke again, her voice again taking its detached air. "I’m sorry. My troubles really are my own. Do not bother yourselves with them." She cleared her throat. "Thank you, by the way, for taking me in and allowing me to rest here."

"You are welcome," Goku replied, "We should leave you. Am I right in thinking you need some rest now?"

"Yes, thank you," she replied, and Krillin followed Goku out, wondering how the woman could keep herself so aloof when her eyes yearned to break out of the cold, expected shell.

Gohan did not see his mother or his father in the hallway, and he paused, debating whether to enter to guestroom or not.

Momentarily, his curiosity overwhelmed him and he opened the door, stepped in, and slid the door closed, not noticing that it fell open behind him.

He didn’t think he had made any noise, but the woman, who was sitting in front of the window, turned to face him. He though she was beautiful--her skin had regained some color and her eyes were smiling, her hair had been brushed and braided and her torn clothes had been replaced by a white robe of his mother’s. He wasn’t quite sure what to say to her. However, she smiled and spoke and his apprehension faded.

"Hello," she said, her voice soft and gentle, the cold demeanor she had taken with Goku and Krillin totally non-existent with the child, "Who might you be?"

"I’m Gohan," he told her.

"I am Aimari," she replied, "Come over here." He did, and looked up and smiled.

"You’re pretty," he said with a shy smile.

"Thank you." She smiled.

"Gohan?"

"Oh, oh," he said, as he turned around, his tail coming out of his pants.

The woman’s eyes narrowed when she saw the tail and she rose silently to her feet.

"I got to go," Gohan told her, turning, "I don’t think I’m supposed to be in here."

"Wait," she said in a tone that left no room for protests. Her kind demeanor was gone and her voice now had a sharp edge to it, and Gohan stopped mid-stride.

"Gohan?" Goku’s voice was closer then, but Gohan felt he couldn’t go but couldn’t stay, but then the decision was made for him when Goku stuck his head into the room. "Here you are, buddy," Goku mentioned, "I see you’ve met Aimari."

"Yeah," Gohan replied, uneasy. He glanced at Aimari, whose eyes had locked on Goku’s face.

"How are you feeling?" Goku asked Aimari. She didn’t answer. She owed so much to this man--he had saved her life!--but a deep pain and anger sparked deep inside over her circumstances. "Aimari?" Goku asked, "Is everything all right?"

"You are a Saiyan?" she asked. Goku was taken aback. He glanced down at Gohan, realized the boy’s tail was visible, and looked back up at Aimari.

"Supposedly," he admitted, "But I don’t agree."

"What do you mean?" she demanded, her unease and anger causing her to become very edgy.

"Well, I was sent to Earth as a baby, but when I was young I fell and hit my head on a rock and never knew what I was. It was only a short time ago that I found out the truth." He paused, feeling her anger and contempt, and tried to think of something else to say. "Truth to be told, I’m ashamed to be one, even if it is only by blood. I am a human now." Aimari thought for a moment, back to a rumor she had heard, and came across the truth.

"Are you Kakorot?" she asked.

"At one time, yes. But now I am Goku." After a pause, Aimari nodded.

"Very well." They were difficult words for her to say, but she knew he spoke the truth.

"Why does it matter?" Goku asked after a lengthy pause. Aimari turned to him, her grey eyes flashing in anger, anger that was not directed at him, he understood.

"Years ago," she began, "The Saiyan and the Kanterran races were one. A long time ago, however, the ancestors of Kanterra became ashamed of many things in Saiyan society. We left the planet, and ever since, Saiyans and Kanterrans have been enemies. That is the way it has been for a thousand years, and that is the way that it will be until every last Saiyan is dead. You see, Kanterra evolved. Not only our genetics but also our civilization. We no longer have tails, and on my world, the females rule and males have no place in the warrior’s world. We also have a strict code of honor that must be followed at all costs, unlike the dishonorable Saiyan race. We have become better than them with time, and it will continue to be so."

"That doesn’t explain why you hate the Saiyans," Goku replied.

"Since the time we left," she told them, "We’ve been at war, each group trying to destroy the other. It is an ancient feud that will soon be finished. The comet did our work for us in the destruction of the planet Vegeta. You and the Prince Vegeta are the last surviving Saiyans, and since you have become other than what you are, that leaves only Vegeta to take care of. Someday . . ." Aimari finished, feeling she did not need to complete the statement.

"I see," was all Goku said.

"Since you saved my life, I am indebted to you, bound by honor until I can repay the debt. And I believe what you say. You are no Saiyan--if you were, you would have killed me or left me to die. You are a good man," she finished, turning away. "Forgive me. I was shocked when I saw the boy’s tail, and I did not think through the situation."

"It’s okay," Goku assured her, "Now tell me, do you need anything?"

"I must return to my ship. I will survey the damage, and then I will be on my way. Perhaps I can repay my debt by not troubling you anymore."

"It’s no trouble at all. Besides, where would you go?" Aimari froze at this, and Gohan detected a sadness in her grey eyes.

"You speak the truth. I have nowhere to go. I cannot return home, and there is no other place for me."

"Why can’t you go home?" Gohan asked. She smiled sadly, gently at him.

"On my world, Gohan, I was a member of the royal family--the last born child of the Empress. I had an older brother and four older sisters. However, my mother was never well liked among the other warrior houses--she tried to do too much for the common Kanterran and took away from their own profits. Several months ago, several warrior houses rose up against her. My family was arrested--my mother, sister and I were taken to a prison for execution. The night after my mother and sister were executed, a childhood friend of mine managed to sneak into the prison where I was being held and she helped me escape. I managed to get offworld, thanks to her, and I have survived. Unfortunately, if I return home I will be captured and executed. I must wait for the right opportunity--when I am stronger perhaps. And then . . ." her voice trailed off, but the anger was still present. Goku looked at her face and was impressed by the determination and strength they held. He cleared his throat.

"Do you want to go find you ship?" he asked.

"Yes, I would," she replied.

"Let me go get you some clothes, okay?"

"Thank you."

Several months later, Aimari was still living with Goku and his family. She trained Gohan every morning in various Kanterran methods of fighting and, in return, she studied with him in the afternoon. Often, Goku taught her various attacks--the Kamehameha, the Solar Flare. Once she got to know them, any cold posturing she had put on when she had first been among them was gone. She laughed easily and learned everything Gohan and Goku taught her with such affability that even Chi-Chi had no complaints about her.

She also met and befriended the rest of Goku’s friends--Tien, Yamcha, Chaosu, Master Roshi, and Bulma.

It was the ninth month after her arrival when . . .

Aimari, Gohan, and Krillin were wandering through the forest in silent camaraderie when she stopped suddenly and her eyes closed tightly. Gohan, not noticing her pause, continued on for several steps before he turned and noticed her standing there, hands clenched, eyes closed. "Aimari, what’s the matter?" he asked. She did not reply for a long moment the muscles about her eyes twitching almost imperceptibly. "Aimari?" he asked again.

"There . . ." she paused, her concentration too great to break with speech. "There is a large power coming, Gohan, Krillin."

"A large power? I wonder who it is." His eyebrows raised and he gasped. "Vegeta?" he wondered aloud. Krillin tried to sense what she was sensing, attempting to confirm if it was actually Vegeta.

"No, it is not the Prince Vegeta," she told them with assurance, "This is a power I do not recognize." She opened her eyes. "I am surprised I did not notice this before. He is almost here."

"We should go home and get my dad," Gohan told Aimari and Krillin.

"No, there is no time. We must go face him." She turned to the two shorter warriors. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah!" Krillin told her, fire in his eyes. "We can take whoever it is, right Gohan?"

"Yeah!" Gohan replied, although he didn’t sound as sure as Krillin had.

"We can do it, Gohan. Aimari’s as strong as Goku is."

"You’re right, Krillin." Aimari smiled and closed her eyes.

"We must go west," she told them and they jumped into the air.

Landing in the middle of a wasteland, Aimari’s senses told her the power was very close and it had evil intent. Her grey eyes narrowed and she pushed her power level lower, thankful for the trick Goku had taught her. She pushed it down until it was practically at zero and they waited for the person inside to emerge from the spaceship in the smoking crater before them.

They did not have to wait long. Shortly after, there was a mechanical sound of a ramp being lowered and then, above the rim of the crater, appeared a large being. Approximately six feet in height, his muscles bulged off his body all over. He had no hair and he wore Saiyan style armor on his burly body. His power level was incredibly high, but Aimari could not get an accurate reading. She assessed it at somewhere near hers, but she could not be sure if it were higher or lower. He glanced at them and with an evil smirk on his face he called out.

"Look, a welcoming committee," he said sarcastically, "How thoughtful." Aimari’s grey eyes hardened and she dropped into a fighting stance along with Krillin and Gohan as the massive warrior advanced.

"He’s not a Saiyan," she whispered to Krillin and Gohan, "He doesn’t have a tail. But whoever he is, he’s powerful."

"And I’ve got great hearing too, missy," he suddenly said. "No, I ain’t a Saiyan. I’m Turan, and I’m only going to ask this once. Do you know anything about these so-called Dragonballs? I’m sure they ain’t the legends I’ve always been told they are, and I mean to get them one way or another. So are you going to tell me now, or when pieces of your pathetic little bodies are scattered all over this sorry excuse for a planet?"

"We won’t tell you anything!" Gohan called out bravely.

"Yeah!" Krillin agreed.

"Well, I was hopin’ you weaklings would feel that way. You see, it’s going to be a lot more fun getting it out of you the hard way." He gave an evil grin, slamming his fist into his palm, and stepped forward. "Which one first? The kid? The shorty? The woman?" He spat the final word out with contempt, and it was obvious he believed her a weak excuse for a being let alone a warrior. He laughed in derision and Aimari’s resolve hardened.

"I wouldn’t be so quick to judge her just ‘cause she’s a girl," Krillin warned him, "It’s not healthy."

"What’s she going to do to me?" he demanded, "She probably never’s even seen a fight before." Aimari kept her snort of derision and her true identity bottled up inside, but she couldn’t resist attempting to put him partially back in his place.

"When you’re writhing in pain on the ground, you’re going to wish you hadn’t said that," she threatened, her eyes so hard and angry they could have burned holes through sheet metal.

"Not only is she delusional, but she’s a comedian! I love it!" he said mockingly.

"You’ll see," was all she replied.

Suddenly, she whirled around in alarm and Krillin and Gohan started at her sudden movement. "What’s wrong?" Krillin asked her.

"Another high power level, heading this way," she told them. "I can’t get a reading on it. Whoever it is, I’ve never encountered them." Gohan stretched out to sense the presence, but suddenly there was a whoosh and with a swirl of white cape, Piccolo landed beside them.

"Mr. Piccolo!" Gohan cried.

"Hey, kid," Piccolo said in his gravelly voice. "You got a new friend?" he asked, giving Aimari the once-over.

"This is Aimari!" Gohan explained.

"Aimari?" their enemy snorted. "You mean Aimari of Kanterra, one of those Kanterran hot shots?"

"I am," she said, "daughter of Shitanra, Empress of Kanterra."

"I see. Well forgive me, your majesty!" Sarcasm dripped from every word and Aimari felt the anger burning hotter and hotter in her chest.

"I think you need some help," Piccolo said. "So lets get this over with."

"I think we should," Turan said, "I’m looking forward to beating you all into a mass of unrecognizable pulp." With a yell, he jumped forward, heading straight for Aimari. She dropped lower into the fighting stance and waited calmly, unmoving as he raced closer and closer towards her.

At the last second she moved, so quickly that she went out of focus, and Turan stopped in midstride. "Hey!" he cried, "Where’d she go?" He kept glancing around, astonished. Aimari’s disembodied voice came and it had a happy smirk to it.

"Looking for me?" she asked, and suddenly she slammed into his back.

He fell hard and when he stood up, he was bristling angry. Wiping blood from the corner of his mouth, he turned to where she was standing, several feet away, with Gohan, Krillin, and Piccolo. "You’re going to pay for that," he growled, "All of you."

He began to power up and Aimari, for the first time, got a closely accurate reading of his power. "By the Goddess," she whispered fiercely and prepared to dodge his blast.

"Gohan, get ready," Piccolo growled to the boy, and Gohan glanced up at him for support. Piccolo moved his gaze only to give him a momentary glance, but it was all Gohan needed to strengthen his own resolve.

"Why don’t you get ready," Turan mocked, his entire body breaking into a glow. "Even though it won’t do you no good. It may make it more interesting, but it won’t do you no good." He fired, and Aimari, Krillin, Gohan, and Piccolo were instantly in action. Aimari sprang out of the blast radius, but she barely made it. The edge of the blast caught her and she went flying out of control, landing hard on the ground. She groaned and struggled to rise, mentally chiding herself for not being prepared.

Finally attaining her feet, she glanced around to where the rest of their small group was doggedly trying to rise. Gohan was already on his feet, as was Piccolo, but Krillin was on his hands and knees on the ground. "Krillin?" she called out, "Are you all right?"

"Just great," he called back weakly, finally pushing himself to his feet. Turan laughed.

"This is going to be easier than I’d expected." She glanced over at Gohan and Piccolo, then quickly walked over to where they were standing together. Krillin struggled over to them as well.

Speaking so quietly that she was sure Turan would not hear her, she said: "Ii think we could use some help from Goku."

"I think so too," Krillin said. Gohan agreed and Piccolo gave a non-committal grunt. "Very well," she said glancing around at the three. Piccolo could not go and she shouldn’t either--they were the strongest of the pair--and so that left the choice between Gohan and Krillin. She did not want to send either away, and the decision for her was difficult. She weighed her options and came to her decision. All this had only taken her seconds to sort through, all the while keeping her eyes on their enemy. "Krillin," she told him, "You ought to go."

"What!" he demanded, "Why me, Aimari?"

"Gohan is in better shape than you are," she told him, "And we need that."

"I don’t want to go."

"Don’t argue," Piccolo demanded, "What she said makes sense." Krillin looked up at Piccolo. He had never quite gotten over his fear of the Namek, and he knew better than to argue.

"All right," he said resignedly. "I’ll go."

"Thank you, Krillin." She reached out and touched his hand, a smile on her face, and he looked up into her eyes. "We’ll need you so hurry back."

"Right," he said, and jumped hurriedly into the air.

"No more talking!" Turan replied.

"No," she said, turning to him. "No more talking." She began to power up, glancing over at Gohan and willing him to do the same.

"Right," he said and he began to concentrate.

Turan watched without much interest, almost as if he was casually reading her power level with no concern. "Not bad," he commented, "for amateurs."

Aimari saw Gohan powering up and felt Piccolo behind them. She knew that both he and Turan were gauging her strength and she did not want to disappoint either.

She decided to start with a simple attack, the one Goku had taught her. She cleared her mind of everything but and at the instant before, yelled "KAMEHAMEHA!" and fired. She could tell Gohan had done the same, and she could feel the power of their combined blasts. She had the mad desire to laugh, but she quenched it and refocused her concentration on the attack.

After a long moment, she ceased firing and Gohan did as well. The dust and smoke they had created was astounding, and Aimari could not see the effect of their attacks. She heard Gohan laugh, but she knew it was too early to tell what kind of effect they had had. "Wait, Gohan," she said, knowing that in most cases an enemy of that power would not be defeated so easily. She had seen too many battles, even as a child, to assume their victory.

She was right. When the dust settled, Turan was standing there, an arrogant smirk on his face, with only a few bruises to show he’d been attacked at all. "Is that all you got?" he asked. Aimari glared and her resolve strengthened, while Gohan gasped in shock.

"Gohan," she said, "Never assume anything in battle." Piccolo was silent, but suddenly he jumped forward with a yell and attacked. Aimari watched as he flew towards their powerful foe and began punching and kicking, so fast she could barely follow the battle, but she and Gohan watched carefully and did not miss much. "Wait for an opportunity, Gohan," she said gently. "Wait. Wait . . ." With a sickening thud, Turan landed a punch and Piccolo went flying backwards, blood streaming from his broken nose.

"Now, Gohan!" she yelled and attacked. They did the same thing Piccolo had, their punches blocked more often than not, and Aimari got the feeling this enemy was right at her level. They needed Goku’s help unless . . .she pushed the thought aside. Hitani had, she remembered, told her not to use that except as a last resort. They were not there yet. That idea had taken seconds to process, and her brain was already working quickly through options even as she dodged his punches and threw her own. Gohan was down already--Turan had hit him hard in the stomach--and he wasn’t moving. Piccolo was standing several feet away, and she knew he was watching her and waiting, possibly powering up but maybe not, and she hoped he would take initiative and attack as soon as she was finished.

With a sickening crack, his fist slammed into her left shoulder, sending her flying backwards and skidding across the ground. She analyzed the injury--her arm would not move, which meant her shoulder was dislocated or crushed. She used her left arm to reach up and touch her arm--with a quick examination, she realized that it was not dislocated but it was shattered at best. She rose steadily to her feet, however, knowing that this would be a terrible disability against this particular opponent. She ignored the pain and instead concentrated on reforming her battle plan to account for this new injury. There could be no frontal attack, at least not from her and, as she glanced over at Gohan, who was on his hands and knees, gasping in pain, he probably would not be able to do it either. Piccolo was already attacking Turan and, in a flurry of kicks and punches, she could not see how wounded he was.

All this had taken only seconds and she continued to push through options, deciding that they could attack head on but they would have to be careful. However, their best bet would be the Kamehameha or the like. She began to power up, turning back to the old attacks, the ones she had learned as a child. She knew they required more power than the Kamehameha, and so they would possibly be more effective.

Piccolo was again smashed hard, this time in the chest, and he went down hard. "Mr. Piccolo!" Gohan yelled, launching himself back into the attack.

Good, Aimari thought, this will give me time to power up. Perfect, Gohan. "Almost there," she whispered to herself, closing her eyes tightly to force her power level up still higher. The sensations were constant and she used them to gauge how far she had gone and how far she had to go. Suddenly, the feeling in her body changed and she grinned. "Ready," she said, glancing over to Turan just as Gohan was knocked away by a particularly hard kick to the shoulder. Aimari, glancing over, saw Piccolo watching her, not attacking, and knew she had time. Turan laughed.

"Look, she’s going to try it again." He laughed. "Bring it on." Aimari grinned and fired a powerful steady beam that headed straight for Turan. At the last moment before it struck him, he realized the power and jumped in a vain effort to remove himself from danger.

It did not work. The blast caught him at the waist and he went flying backwards, hitting the ground hard. He twitched a little and stayed down. Aimari knew it was not over, however, even though he was twitching and his chest was heaving. And she was right.

A moment later, Turan slowly pushed himself to his feet, turning to her with a glare. "That hurt!" he yelled, "You’re going to pay!" She dropped into a fighting stance, her grey eyes locking onto him as he powered up. Suddenly, he whirled around, his power up forgotten as Gohan and Piccolo attacked him from behind. Aimari grinned and began to prepare herself for another attack.

She didn’t have time, however, because Gohan and Piccolo were hit and fell hard. Gohan rose, his working arm holding his side, a large gash on his forehead. His face was pasty white, suggesting damage far beyond the visible. Piccolo stood with a jerky, awkward movement and there was something in his eyes that made Aimari realize that he did not have much left to give. Neither did Gohan, for that matter. In that instant her mind flipped into high gear as she began to rapidly go over her options.

She cast her gaze to the sky, looking for Goku, or anyone whom Krillin would have brought to help them. No one. Her mind raced and she went through all their options, coming back again and again to the only one she knew had a chance to work. In that instant, she made her decision.

A strange calm settled over her as she watched their enemy rise to his feet. "Piccolo, Gohan," she said, her grey eyes growing hard and determined.

"Yeah?" Gohan asked, turning to her. Piccolo was silent, his gaze never leaving Turan.

"You guys are in no condition to fight much longer." She cast her glance to the sky, looking for Goku, anyone who had the power to change the course that the events of the battle were taking her down.

"Neither are you!" Gohan insisted.

"No," she said slowly, and it was true. She imagined that her face looked like Gohan’s, deathly pale and pinched slightly in pain. Every bone in her body ached, but the pain was not overwhelming yet. She surmised that another attack would take it out of her and then all would be lost. "Listen," she managed to say, "I have a special attack. To make this work, you both need to hit him fast and hard while I’m powering up so that I have the time I need. Can you give me that?"

"We can keep him off until you’re ready!" Gohan told her.

"You don’t understand," she told them firmly. "You have to be out of the blast zone or it will kill both of you as well. You know the atomic bomb that landed on Hiroshima during your Second World War? This attack has three times that power contained in a much smaller area. You need to hit him hard and hit him fast, and get out before I fire it. Got it?" she demanded, giving them no choice.

"We need to do this together," Piccolo told her flatly. "What if the blast doesn’t work?"

"It will," Aimari said, assurance in her voice. "It can kill a transformed Sayian." She paused.

Piccolo’s eyes widened. He had seen how powerful Gohan became. I knew she had great power, but I never realized it was to that level.

"All right," he told her. "We’ll do it your way. But if it doesn’t work, we’ll be close by."

"Thank you," she told him, "Because after this, I won’t have anything left to give."

There was a laugh from Turan, and Aimari didn’t know if he had heard what they had planned to do. "Don’t just stand there," he said in his mocking, deep voice. "Attack me before I die of old age. Or have you given up and faced the fact that I am unbeatable?"

"Never," Gohan called out. "Ready Piccolo?"

"Yeah." Piccolo replied. He gathered his remaining strength and launched himself towards Turan, Gohan right behind. In that instant, Aimari began to power up, first her hand and then her body began to glow.

Another moment later, and Gohan got in a lucky shot that left their enemy twitching and immobile on the canyon floor. Piccolo made sure he would not rise, then together he and Gohan flew as quickly as possible up to the top the canyon, where Piccolo hoped they would be out of the way, and Gohan tried to see what was happening all those feet below.

Gohan collapsed to the ground, his feet not holding him up anymore, then looked down into the canyon where a golden prick of light had appeared. Aimari, he thought, wondering when she would fire.

Suddenly, a tiny blue speck appeared, and Piccolo knew that Turan was also powering up to attack. At that precise moment, the speck that designated Aimari disappeared in a flare of golden light just as Turan loosed his own blast.

Piccolo watched as Turan’s small blue beam broke through the golden light, but it was then he noticed the power flying up the canyon walls, disintegrating chunks of rock and knocking large boulders and debris down the cliffs. Jumping to his feet, he yelled "Gohan, get back!" and began to race away from the edge of the canyon.

Seconds later, the rocks that they had been perched upon shuddered and broke away, some of the smaller pieces disintegrating before they had a chance to fall.

"Wow," Gohan commented, after the blast had dissipated. Piccolo was silent, eyes wide.

"Piccolo! Gohan!" A voice came from above them. Piccolo looked up at saw Goku and Krillin above them. "What was that? Are you all right?" Goku asked, as he landed beside them, glancing around.

"Where’s Aimari?" he asked, trying to sense her power.

"She’s down in the canyon," Piccolo told Goku and the rest. "I can’t sense Turan’s power, and . . ."

"Aimari’s is shaky at best," Goku concluded, "I think we’d better go find her," and he began his ascent into the canyon, the rest of the group following. They were all drawn to a large pile of rocks and boulders. Goku paused for a brief moment before a large pile of boulders, than began to lift them off the top.

After several minutes of working, Gohan spoke worriedly. "Hey I see something!" They worked quickly then, and soon Aimari appeared in the rubble.

She lay broken across the top of a large rock, her head hanging down one side, her feet down the other. They could only see her head and shoulders, and they hurriedly uncovered the rest of her.

Krillin gasped, and Gohan gripped his father’s leg. Aimari was unconscious, a fact that was not surprising due to the extent of her injuries. Her legs were crushed and broken--several edges of ragged bones stuck through the skin-- and were deathly still, even when the rest of her body shuddered. The worst damage was to her chest--there was a large hole where her stomach had been. Her ribs were visible, but pieces of them were broken away, and underneath, they could see her heart beating.

Gohan felt sick to his stomach.

Goku reached down and gently lifted her up off the boulder, feeling her back shift uncomfortably, and he realized that it had been snapped, most likely by the impact of her fall onto the boulder. He did not say anything to the others, however, for the point seemed rather moot considering the extent of her other injuries. Even a Kanterran, whose specialized healing systems could heal many major wounds, could not survive from this.

He laid her down on the ground, on a level place cleared of rocks. Krillin knelt down beside her, and watched her face without speaking, pale in the pain of his wounds and in shock. Piccolo stood without speaking several feet away, and Goku and Gohan stood above her, across from Piccolo.

They were not expecting her grey eyes to open, but after several minutes, they did, and she looked out of them through a haze of pain. Her eyes looked even grayer in the pasty whiteness of her face, and they met Goku’s after a moment of struggling to focus them.

"Goku . . ." she gasped out, her voice weak and breathy, "Where . . .where is Piccolo? What about Gohan? Are they . . .are they all right?" Gohan leaned over into Aimari’s field of vision.

"We’re fine," Gohan told her, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat, "Thanks to you."

"I did what I had to," she rasped, reaching up and taking Krillin’s hand, "and I would have been fine if he hadn’t had the chance to fire." Her head rolled to the side, and her breathing came in short, rapid gasps, her eyes clenching shut--her face deathly pale, her beautiful black hair soaked in blood. "Aimari?" Krillin asked, alarm seeping into his voice, "Aimari?" Her hand fell from his, too weak to be held up anymore.

Krillin took it back as he watched her silent agony. She had never screamed or even groaned--something he supposed was a point of Kanterran pride--but instead she endured in silent suffering while her blood flowed from her body and the pain remained a constant, tormenting reminder of what was happening.

"Wish me back, okay?" she whispered her voice barely audible as her body succumbed to the pain. Her gray eyes met his for the last time, and they held his gaze steadily. He could see no trace of fear in her eyes--only a warrior’s acceptance of death after a battle well fought.

"We will," he whispered, not knowing whether she had heard him or not. Her eyes were open, but they were glazed over and unfocused, as if she were looking to something they could not see. She began to cough, and her face turned from peaceful to a look of violent agony, blood gurgling in her throat.

With a final rattle, her breath ceased, and her chest ceased rising and falling, her eyes falling closed. Her body slowly began to phase out, and her hand turned to air in Krillin’s. He clenched his fist, his own eyes closing angrily.