Heero Yuy stood on a mountain top, staring off into the camp he had made below.
The year was After Colony 196, and now, after the Earth and Outer Space were no longer at war, and the Gundams were needed no more, Heero searched for his new place in the world.
"Heero!"
Rileena Peacecraft, having a few days off from her new position as the moderator of sorts between Earth and the Colonies, had trapped Heero and demanded a camping trip for just the two of them.
"Why did you follow me up here Rileena?" he asked quietly as she sat on a rock next to him.
"I wanted to talk to you." she replied, still out of breath from the twenty minute hike up the side of the hill.
He sighed, partially because he didn't feel like talking, and partly because she did, though he felt like listening for a while.
"What's on your mind?" he asked, sitting next to her and staring off at the sunset.
"It's about you, and Wing Zero."
"Wing Zero?" he asked, the name of his Gundam hadn't been spoken in nearly six months, since the war had ended.
Rileena sighed herself now, as she usually did before talking a while.
"I was on my way back to Earth from the Colonies last week, and I was approached by a man who asked if I knew where the Gundams were."
"What did this guy look like?" Heero asked, looking at her now.
"Well, I didn't see his face too well, but he was tall, and his voice was really deep, almost dark. He seemed sincere in finding the Gundams, and he almost looked desperate when I said I had no idea where they were."
Heero stood, starting down the hill in silence.
"What's wrong Heero?" Rileena said, noticing the look on his face as he quietly made his way down the hillside.
Without turning, he called back over his shoulder.
"I'm hungry."
Rileena smiled, and all was right with the world.
Gally flinched as her arm jerked slightly for the fifth time today.
"Sorry." Bulma apologized. "This is majorly weird electronics... and the tools I have weren't made for this delicate a job."
"No problem." Gally replied, smiling. "Next time, I won't let anyone bash me around so bad."
"Are you kidding?" Bulma exclaimed. "From what I hear, you're lucky you're functional!"
Looking out of the workshop behind Bulma's house, Gally could only gaze in amazement at the wondrous smells and sounds of the city around her.
"There, that's as good as it gets." Bulma said, putting her tools away.
Gally hopped off the table and tested her newly repaired right arm, moving it various ways.
"Not bad." she replied. "Thanks."
"Any friend of Gohan's is a friend of mine." Bulma said, smiling. "Besides, I've always loved tinkering with machines, and working on technology like that is a dream."
"I'd trade it any day for a real body." Gally replied sourly, and walked out the doorway into the back yard, where a party was in full swing.
Everyone Gally had met since she had arrived in this world was there, Goku, his wife Chi-chi and their son Gohan were there, as was Piccolo and Dende. Vegeta was there as well, sitting on the roof drinking a bottle of water. There was some new friends Gally had recently met there too, Krillin, Tenshinhan, Chaozu and Yamcha, as well some other people Gally wasn't sure what to make of just yet.
One of those people, an old man named Roshi, who everyone except Gally called 'Master', walked up behind her and tapped her with his cane.
"Hey there, why you looking so down?" he said in his usual tone.
Gally looked at him, sighing at her haggard looking reflection in the old man's sunglasses.
"Sorry." she replied. "I'm just kinda homesick."
"Well that's normal enough." Roshi said, leaning on his cane.
"You haven't been where I'm from." she replied.
"Nope, can't say as I have." he said. "But now isn't the time to worry about that."
Before Gally could resist, he grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the group of happy people.
"Young people like you shouldn't be worrying all the time, that's for old folks like me." Roshi said as he dragged into the crowd.
Gally looked around as Roshi asked for the first dance.
"I... I don't... dance..." Gally stammered.
"Nonsense, it's easy." he replied. "Like this."
Roshi started to teach Gally to dance, and only got his toes stepped on.
"My body is for fighting, not dancing." Gally said, excusing herself and running off through the crowd, embarrassed.
"What's with her?" Krillin asked Master Roshi as she darted through the crowd.
"She's dreadfully alone." he replied, watching her go.
"Alone?" Krillin thought for a second "I know, someone should talk to her... someone who understands her."
"And who did you have in mind?" Roshi asked.
Krillin froze, then sighed.
"I don't know yet."
The two watched her leap over a small fence and dash toward town an incredible speeds, both hoping she would pull though this.
Gally raced toward town as fast as she could run, her mind filled with doubt and sorrow that she would ever get home.
What was I thinking leaving my home and Ido she pondered as she flew around a corner and sprinted through an alley Will I ever get home?
She finally skidded to a stop as a hovercar flew past her, and she stopped to get her bearings.
The city was massive around her as she shivered suddenly, feeling small in a huge world that could never understand her. The crowds and hustle and bustle of the area seemed to her like muted laughter, and she was wondering when someone would come out and say what she knew everyone was thinking...
"We don't want your kind here, robot."
She could almost hear it on the wind, and all around her. Bolting once more to outrun it, she nearly hit two cars and an old lady on a corner as she sprinted into an open door.
"Well Hello child." a woman's voice said from somewhere within the dim room.
Gally shut the door, and stood quietly, letting her eyes adjust naturally, savoring the beautiful fragrances and wafting aromas that filled the small shop.
"Young people like you shouldn't be in such a hurry." the lady smiled warmly, and most of Gally fears melted as she hugged herself in embarrassment.
The shop was a beautiful place of ornaments, rare spices, herbs, vials and other useful things for the casual shopper looking for a good luck charm or something of the sort, though Gally sensed a power of sorts emanating from everywhere, a strong power, but one of goodness.
"Sorry I barged in..." Gally said, walking toward the counter. "I... kinda had a lot on my mind."
"You seem troubled?" The woman said, and then frowned. "Where ARE my manners."
She walked out from the tall counter and curtsied her long red hair and glowing green eyes seemed wise beyond her years. Her dress was also unusual compared to the clothes Gally was used to seeing, a long blue dress that draped to her ankles and a brown silk scarf tied around her slim waist. As she introduced herself, Gally couldn't help but blush, as if in the presence of royalty.
"I am Countess Mystara, the good luck maker." she said in a formal voice.
Gally thought about imitating the move, and decided against it, holding her hand out to shake. "My name is Gally."
Countess Mystara took her hand and shook it warmly with a smile.
"I'm glad you made it." Mystara said "I have something for you."
"You do?" Gally wondered aloud.
"Follow me, child"
Mystara led Gally through a curtain and into an attached house alongside the shop.
"Welcome to my home," Mystara said "Make yourself comfortable while I get your gift."
Gally strolled over and sat on the couch, looking around the room while she checked the status of her reserve power supply.
40% she sighed That'll have to recharge... that run really drained me good.
She leaned back now, taking in the simple beauty of the woman's home was overwhelming.
Leaning back, she closed her eyes for a moment, and promptly fell asleep.
Rileena woke up to a strange noise outside her tent.
She unzipped her sleeping bag as quietly as she could, and crawled to take a peek.
An instant later, the tent collapsed and rolled up around her, and some type of fight erupted.
"Heero?" Rileena said, struggling inside the tent.
"I'm fine." his reply was quiet, as if far off.
"Are you OK?" she asked.
"Hold still" came his reply.
A knife blade missed her head by inches, and she gasped, but stayed perfectly still, and was soon free as Heero put the knife away and helped her up.
"What happened?" she asked.
Heero nodded over his shoulder to a man who leaned against a tree, dressed in a large black hat and black trenchcoat.
"My name is Doctor Daisuke Ido." he said quietly, sounding winded "I need your help."
"The man from the shuttle!" Rileena said.
"Yes, and I am sorry to break up your weekend, but it is urgent."
"What can we do for you?" Rileena said, sitting by the tiny fire and offering the man a seat.
Ido eased down, obviously injured, and requested to see the Gundam Wing Zero.
"Why do you want Wing Zero?" Heero said, sitting across the fire from the man.
"I need to send a message to my daughter, Gally."
"What's the Wing Zero got to do with that?"
"I need to re-work the 'Zero System' to send a temporal pulse that will carry a small box."
Heero nodded, and stood.
Rileena on the other hand was utterly lost.
"Temporal pulse?" she asked dryly.
Ido smiled.
"Forgive me, what I meant was..."
"He needs to send a box through time using the technology in Wing Zero." Heero said, helping the man up.
"Oh." Rileena blinked a few times "What happened a while ago anyway, and why are you hurt?"
"Two guys jumped him as he entered camp." Heero said "I ran them off."
"And I thank you..."
"Heero."
"Heero." Ido finished. "And you?"
"Rileena." she said, helping Heero with the wounded man.
"Nice to meet you two... I only wish it was under different circumstances." he said though clenched teeth.
"His arm is broken, and his leg looks like it may have a pulled muscle." Heero said, grabbing a first aid kit as they lay him in Heero's tent.
"We should get him to a medical center."
"No, he'll be fine, he needs rest, and I need to get Wing Zero."
Rileena nodded and sat down next to this man she barely knew while Heero drove off in the jeep they had arrived in, anxious to see his Gundam again.
"Gally was it?" the woman's voice said softly.
Sitting up, Gally blinked in surprise.
"You fell asleep child, be at ease."
"Sorry, that was rude of me."
"Nonsense." the Countess replied, sitting next to Gally on the couch "When one is tired, one should sleep."
Mystara handed Gally a small box, covered in a familiar wrapping.
"Where did you get this?" Gally asked, taking it eagerly.
"A few days ago, a man in black appeared and gave it to me, and told me to find you and give it to you."
"Ido." Gally smiled.
"He said you could... 'upgrade' with it, whatever that means."
Gally bent over the box, and carefully unwrapped a small computer chip and a mini data disc.
"Countess..."
"Call me Molly." she replied, smiling and dropping the fake accent she had been using. "I just use the 'Countess' bit for the customers."
"Molly then." Gally replied "I need your help."
"Sure, anything you need."
"I need some way to contact a friend of mine, like a communications device."
"You mean a phone, sure I got one, in here."
"No, just call them for me, my power reserves are too low just yet."
"Power... reserves?" Molly said.
Gally sighed, and took off her gloves.
"A robot?"
"Yes... long story."
"Hey, no problem, it's none of my business." Molly said, walking for the phone. "Who did you wanna talk to?"
"Her name is Bulma..."
"Hmmm, ok, I'll try to get in touch with her, you rest."
"Thanks." Gally said, laying down and falling asleep once more.
"System in place, ready for activation!" Heero called down from the cockpit of Wing Zero.
Ido, between the massive hands of the crouched Gundam, pulled out the box and nodded.
"Fire it up!" he yelled. "And remember, five minutes, and no longer!"
Heero nodded and pressed a button in the pilot's compartment.
The kneeling Gundam's hands glowed green, a doorway appearing between them as Ido stepped forward.
"Good luck!" Rileena called as Ido disappeared through the doorway into time.
Heero lowered himself down on a rope from the cockpit and landed next to Rileena.
"Do you think he'll make it?"
"I can't say." Heero replied. "I hope so though."
Rileena smiled, feeling somehow honored to help someone in trouble, and possibly change some part of history.
Gohan sat in a chair inside Bulma's house, quietly sipping a glass of milk.
Krillin walked in as Gohan stared off into space.
"Hi Gohan!"
"Oh... Hi Krillin."
"Something wrong buddy?" Krillin said, spinning a chair around and sitting on it backwards. "You look bummed out."
"Krillin, you ever been in love?"
Krillin's eyes grew large and he scratched his bald head.
"Too many times Gohan."
"Hmmm. I wonder what she's doing now."
"Earth to Gohan." Krillin said, waving a hand in front of the boy's face "Who are we talking about here?"
"Hmmm? Oh... No one Krillin, forget it."
Krillin chuckled
"What's so funny?" Gohan asked.
"Man Gohan, you're hooked on this girl, aren't you?"
Gohan's face turned red and Krillin laughed.
"Yup, that's love, that's for sure."
"But Krillin, I know she's not the one for me."
"How do you know that?"
Setting his glass on the table, Gohan stood up and sighed.
"First of all, she's way too old for me, and not only that, she's... just not right."
"Well, if you say so Gohan... I won't pry... but I have to say, you at LEAST have to tell her how you feel, at least I believe that anyway."
"Maybe..."
"Trust me, it's better she knows." Krillin said, patting his friend on the back.
"Yeah, I'm gonna go tell her."
"Atta boy Gohan!" Krillin said as Gohan ran out to find his mystery girl.
"He's growing up so fast."
Krillin nearly fell out of his chair as he saw Piccolo appear from a dark hallway.
"Geez Piccolo, you nearly scared me to death!"
Piccolo simply watched Gohan tear through the crowd looking for someone and smiled.
"You're right though." Krillin said, turning to watch himself. "He is growing up fast."
"Master Roshi!" Gohan's cheerful voice cut through the crowd and brought a smile to the old man's face.
"What's up Gohan?"
Gohan ran up, out of breath from running.
"Have you seen Gally?"
"Hmmm." Roshi pulled on his moustache thoughtfully. "Last I saw of her, she was running for town."
"Town?"
"Yup, I think I kinda upset the poor dear."
"Which way?" Gohan said, standing and closing his fist.
Master Roshi pointed and Gohan nodded, turning and shooting off in a flash and a gust of wind.
A moment later, Bulma dashed out the side and jumped in a truck, heading the same way Gohan went.
Something's up Roshi thought, pulling on his moustache again. I hope Gally's OK.
Ido stumbled out of the doorway and crumpled to his knees.
Heero instantly shut the power off and grabbed the winch to lower himself to the ground as Rileena rushed to help Ido.
"How'd it go?" she asked.
He smiled and fainted.
"Mission Complete." Heero mumbled, walking for his Gundam.
"We have to get him into town." Rileena said.
"You get him ready, I have to re-wire Wing Zero for the flight into town.
"Right."
After putting Wing Zero back to normal by re-arranging some internal circuitry, Heero thought for a second, and sat in the pilot's seat, punching up info on Ido or his daughter.
"Nothing, as I thought." he said quietly, grabbing a pistol from a compartment under the pilot's seat.
Leaping off the massive Gundam, Heero landed, rolling and pointing the gun at Ido.
"Heero, what are you doing?"
"He doesn't exist in any database Rileena, his story isn't checking out."
"That's no reason to kill him." she replied "When he wakes up, we'll find out the truth."
Heero watched her for a moment, then put the gun away, standing and dusting himself off.
"Fine... if anything happens, it's on your hands."
Rileena sighed, and finished preparing Ido for a trip into town.
Gohan hovered over the area Master Roshi had pointed out, and clenched his fist in confusion.
I should be able to sense her, but I can't.
As he struggled to see her or sense her below, he noticed Bulma's truck bounce to a stop in front of an old curio shop, and descended in curiosity
"Hi Bulma!" he said as she hopped out of the truck.
"Gohan? what are you doing here?"
"Looking for Gally." he said, blushing slightly. "I wanna tell her something."
"Well then, follow me kid because I'm going to see her now!" Bulma said with a huge smile.
They went into the shop, and met Countess Mystara, who after their introductions, led Bulma alone back to where Gally was sleeping.
"Don't worry Gohan, I'll tell her you're here and you an see her in a bit, I promise." Bulma said "She has to have a reason for only wanting to see me."
Gohan nodded, and looked around at the wonders of the outer shop as the two women went in to talk to Gally.
Gally awoke when she heard Bulma's voice and showed her the computer chip and the data disc.
"Wow, COOL." Bulma said after a moment.
"What is it?" Gally asked.
"You'll love this... where's your data port?"
Gally thought for a moment, frowning.
"I didn't know I HAD a data port."
"Well then... we'll need some time alone." Bulma said, and the Countess nodded, going back out to entertain Gohan while they worked in privacy.
"OK, First Gally, take off your clothes." Bulma said quietly "I have a feeling I know where the ship goes..."
Gally looked confused, but undressed anyway, revealing her entire metallic body to Bulma for the first time.
"Wow." Bulma said, admiring the craftsmanship.
"Thanks... I think."
Bulma walked around Gally once, looking for a certain spot in the body design.
"THERE it is."
Taking the tiny chip in trembling fingers, Bulma placed it in a small hollow in Gally's chest.
Gally stood for a moment, then, realizing nothing would happen, she blinked.
"Now for that data port..."
Gohan watched in amazement at the Countess shuffled a beautiful deck of Tarot cards.
The two sat at a small table in the corner of the shop.
"What are those?" Gohan asked.
"These? they are Tarot cards." she replied. "They are used for answering questions, or seeing the future."
"Can you do a reading for me?" he asked eagerly.
"Of course child." she said, sparked at his sudden interest.
She picked a certain card out of the deck to start the reading, the Magi card.
As he watched, she explained step by step a basic reading.
"I first pull out a card that I think fits you." she said, laying the previously drawn Magi card on the table.
"There are 78 cards in a Tarot deck." she explained carefully "They are divided into two categories...Minor and Major Arcana."
"Seventy-eight?" Gohan said quietly "Wow."
She smiled and continued.
"Minor Arcana is fifty-six cards, divided into four suits... Swords, Coins or Pentacles, Wands and Cups. They are numbered Ace through Ten, with a Page, a Knight, Queen and King."
"The Major Arcana is,of course only twenty-two cards in number, each a figure or symbol with its own meaning."
She lay the deck on the table.
"Now child, shuffle the deck." she said quietly. "Concentrate on what it is you wish to know."
Gohan reached out and grabbed the deck, having a bit of trouble shuffling it in his small hands, but smiling as he did so.
"Cut the cards with your left hand, and stack them to the left into three piles."
He did so, carefully so as not to bend the cards.
"Good," she smiled. "Now, pick up the piles, the middle one first, and place the right hand pile on top of it..."
She watched as he did as she directed.
"Take the remaining left hand pile and place on top of the rest."
Gohan finished, and put his hands in his lap.
"Now we can begin the reading itself."
Mystara spread the cards out across the table in front of Gohan, and had him pick ten cards, one at a time as they still lay face down.
She placed the first card face down over top the Magi card she had chosen earlier to represent him in the reading.
The second card she placed cross-wise over that one.
Gohan watched in fascination as she placed more cards on the table, the next above the first two, the fourth below, the fifth to the right and the sixth to the left.
The last four of the ten cards the Countess laid out, one above the other, off to the far right of the design she had made.
"I get it, it's a cross!" Gohan said, and she chuckled.
"Indeed, the Celtic Cross, a basic layout, but a very powerful one."
As she turned over each card in the order she had put them down, she explained what they meant to Gohan's still unspoken question.
"First the card I chose to represent you." she began "The Magi. It means you are at the beginning of your journey, you have skills that have yet to be manifested, but that will develop through your studies."
Next she turned over the 'Cover card' or the card covering the Magi.
"The Queen of Cups." she said. "A female in your life that is the general air of your problem."
"Say what?"
"In essence, the reason why you are here in the first place."
Gohan's eyes widened, but he said nothing.
"Next, the Crossing Card."
She flipped over the second card covering the first two, and she gave a small gasp.
"The Lovers." she explained "It means you are caught in the middle of making a decision, in this case, I gather it deals with love, perhaps a decision about this woman."
Should I tell her how I feel... he thought.
Countess Mystara turned over the card above these next.
"Card three, your aims and goals." She smiled as she saw a familiar card.
"The Emperor."
"Emperor?" Gohan managed softly.
"Yes, it means you will be challenged to make something manifest, or possibly to build something in the world." she thought for a moment "Basically to establish yourself where you think you should be... In a nutshell...to become great."
"Oh."
The next card was the one below the others.
"Interesting..." she smiled. "Card four represents the real you, or your unconscious self, is the King of Swords. This card shows us that you have initiative, typically. you are a leader, and perhaps a heroic figure?"
"Well, yeah.. I guess." he replied as she flipped the next card, the one on the right.
"Card five, the Page of Cups." she said quietly. "This card shows the past, but it is confusing... It heralds a new relationship that has started, one that comes in the wake of a time of hurt and withdrawal."
Gohan shrugged.
"Perhaps this pertains more to the woman in the reading." she said and flipped the next card.
Gally? Gohan thought of what she may have been through in the past and shuddered.
"Card six, or what is immediately coming into effect." Mystara said "The Two of Cups, that represents that there is the beginning of a relationship, or the reconciliation of one where difficulty and separation has already taken place."
"I don't get it exactly." Gohan said.
"Perhaps feelings are stirred up?" She asked, and Gohan nodded.
Now she turned her attention to the four cards that lay separately, flipping the top one first.
"Card seven, How will you fare in the immediate future..." she smiled. "Ahhh, the Six of Swords... That one means that the time will come where your mind's capacity for understanding will help to ease a difficult situation."
"So all the studying I do will maybe pay off?" Gohan said.
"Indeed."
"Cool." He smiled.
"Card Eight" she flipped the next one below. "The King of Cups, representing those around you. They empathize with you,yet, cannot help you ease that which troubles you."
Gohan smiled as he remembered Krillin talking to him earlier, and wondered what his Mom would think of the situation.
Turning over the next card, Mystara frowned slightly in concentration.
"The ninth, your hopes or fears... though I think this may be more the latter."
"My... fears?"
"The Five of Cups... you are worried if you choose wrong, you will be left to regret it later on."
Shivering slightly, Gohan nodded.
As she flipped the final card, both of them were shocked to see the most famous Tarot card.
"The Death card." she shuddered.
"She's gonna die?"
Mystara shook her head.
"No child... at least I doubt it. The Death card means more than someone dying, it can be used for sudden change, and if I read it right, something must come to an end. Whether or not this end is painful depends upon the person's capacity to accept and recognize the necessity of endings."
"What's that mean exactly?"
"I am in truth, not sure. I only hope it means that it means you may lose her, though not to Death, but perhaps in another way."
Gohan stood and paced the floor now, sorting through his thoughts.
"Remember child, your heart is a powerful thing, and can be a double-edged sword... listen to it wisely."
As they talked in the shop area, Gally found herself behind a changing screen Bulma had pulled out from against a wall.
"These are a bit big." Gally said as she tried on some clothes Bulma had given her from a suitcase she had gotten by tossing a capsule to the floor.
"Well, they were sized for me..." Bulma started, and then let it drop.
"OK." Gally said, stepping out. "How do I look?"
Gally now wore a red, baggy shirt, which she had tucked into a pair of shorts, showing off her new upgrade, an artificial skin, which covered her entire body.
She also wore a pair of high top sneakers, the socks folded to be baggy to match the shirt. Her hair, which was now fully customizable, down to length and color, back in a ponytail, though left in the original black.
"Oh YEAH!" Bulma screamed. "You look GREAT!"
"This may take a while to get used to." Gally replied, walking around and getting a feel for the new upgrades.
The chip had given her the skin and hair, the skin could heal itself like normal skin. The data disc was a new set of commands to work along side her brain, to give the the synthetic skin a real feeling not only to her, but to anyone else.
"Oh yeah, that reminds me." Bulma said "Gohan's here to see you."
"Gohan?"
"He said he had something to tell you."
Glancing at herself in a full length mirror, Gally smiled and walked out into the shop area, wondering what Gohan wanted.
Ido opened one eye to see a beautiful Nurse smiling at him.
"Welcome back to the land of the living." she said.
"Thanks." he replied dryly. "Where am I?"
"District thirty-two General Medical Center." The Nurse said, raising his bed to a sitting position and looking at his shoulder.
"Rileena and Heero must have dropped me off."
"Who?" the Nurse asked.
"Just some friends." he replied.
Heero stared up at the once again hidden Gundam, Wing Zero.
"Rest well." he said, and hopped in the Jeep with Rileena, who was glad they had let Ido go.
Rest well yourself Ido. she thought as Heero started the drive to take her home.
Gohan stared at a picture of a two girls, now fairly old, but still held vivid colors.
One was a blonde, with funny pigtails, and the other looked like the Countess, but much younger.
"Who's this?" Gohan asked the Countess as she tidied up a bit.
"That is a very dear friend of mine and myself a long time ago." She replied.
"Where is she now?"
"I can't say for sure, but I know she's happy."
"Is she royalty too?"
Mystara laughed.
"Perhaps... indeed more than I am."
As Gohan turned to look at the picture again, he heard a familiar voice from behind him.
"Hi Gohan."
He turned slowly, and his mouth fell open as she leaned against a wall.
"Gally?" he said "I...is that you?"
She giggled.
"In the flesh."
"Wow, you look great." he said, smiling.
"Thanks." she said, standing and getting suddenly dizzy.
Gohan appeared next to her instantly, sitting her on the floor for a moment while she got her bearings.
"You OK?" he asked.
"Yeah." she replied softly, her eyes still closed as she ran internal checks. "Just a bit low on power."
"How low?" Bulma said from behind her.
"Low." she said.
"Let's get her back to my place." Bulma said.
Helping her up, Gohan let her lean on him as they made their way to the truck.
"Thanks for everything Mystara." Gally said, smiling.
"Come back anytime." she replied as they left.
Gally had to voluntarily shut down before she made it out the door, her power level dropping to caution levels.
She awoke laying on a bed, covered in a sheet, and back to her normal metal self.
"Was... it... a dream?" she said quietly.
"Gally!" Gohan exclaimed. "We thought we'd lost you."
"Go...han." she tried to speak, but was still weak.
"Take it easy, Bulma has you hooked up to a power supply, but you can't say too much just yet.
"I... had to..."
"Relax." he stressed. "You're OK now."
Gally closed her eyes, wishing she had the power to speak.
Remembering suddenly, Gally reached out and tapped Gohan.
"You need something?" he said eagerly.
Nodding her head, she pointed to his mouth, then to her ear.
Gohan thought for a moment.
"Oh, you wanna know what I wanted to talk to you about."
She nodded again.
"It can wait." he said. "You need rest."
He stood to leave, and she grabbed his hand.
"I... have to...tell...you..."
"You rest." he replied. "I have to go home anyway, but I'll be back tomorrow after my homework is done."
Gally held his hand a minute, then let it go with a sigh, a sound that reminded Gohan of gears grinding.
He smiled bravely and turned and left, hoping Bulma was serious when she said she could fix Gally.
She watched him go, and closed her eyes again.
What a great kid. she thought He's the only one around here that treats me like a normal girl.
"Gally?"
The strange voice made her open her eyes in surprise.
"Pic...colo?"
"Take it easy." he said.
"But... why?"
"Why am I here? That should be simple for a smart girl like you to figure out."
Gally pondered a moment, and the her eyes lit up with a reddish glow.
"He... he's..."
"Exactly." Piccolo said, turning to leave now as well. "Just a warning, don't go hurting that kid, or I'll return the favor."
She collapsed again, her power levels dangerously low as she shut down her motor functions to think.
Oh Gohan, where did I go wrong with you.
Gally lay in that quiet, silent world for a long time, until a little timer in her head told her she should be at at least fifty percent power.
Flipping on her external systems one by one, she opened her eyes to in time to see Gohan fly over her and crash through the wall.
Her audio sensors cranked up next, and she heard a hideous laugh coming from beside her.
A moment after her upper body motor functions flipped on, she punched and connected to the side of a massive, deformed head.
The creature roared in pain and Gally's legs came to life, and she rolled to avoid the counter strike of the monster's tail as it split the bed it two.
Gally, in her normal metal body, pulled Gohan from the wall.
He was unconscious, but he looked to be OK.
"Foolish robot." the creature's voice echoed through the house "You dare strike me?"
"Who are you anyway, and why did you attack Gohan?"
Maniacal laughter filled the air, and Gally roared in defiance.
"I'm tired of always doing the right thing and trying to give people a chance!" she screamed "Die!"
She leapt high in the air, kicking off the metal ceiling and putting her fist through the monster's head with a splash of purple liquid.
What was left of the half reptile, half plant creature thrashed and squirmed as Gally kicked it in revulsion.
Warning. her internal computer boomed in her ears Internal structure compromised. Reading alien structures in quadrant two, section eleven. Attempting to eradicate...
Gally's hand lit up in blue fire, as her plasma vents overloaded and super heated her right hand to the wrist.
Warning, Unable to eradicate, Attempting to disable...
Her hand suddenly spun at the wrist joint as she watched in horror.
Disabling of alien agent has failed, prepare for emergency detachment...
Gally aimed her hand at the floor and watched it suddenly fall of into the puddle of fluid she slowly backed walked away from.
Searching...
Gohan woke up now, and floated up when he saw the purple stuff all over the floor.
"Gally?"
She silenced him with a look of pure terror.
Internal structure no longer compromised... Terminating warning system...
Sighing, Gally slumped to the floor, watching her right hand melt into the purple liquid.
Gohan landed beside her and she hugged him with her left arm like a sister would.
"Well, I dunno what that thing was..."
"It was a lab experiment that escaped from downtown." Gohan said quietly.
"I'm just glad it's gone."
"Me too."
They sat in silence for nearly an hour before the purple liquid finally evaporated enough for them to walk out.
As Gally turned to look at Gohan, she found him asleep, and smiled.
She picked him up and carried him into a living area, placing him on a couch.
"Sleep well." she said, kissing him on the cheek and disappearing into a dark hallway to get dressed for her trip.
A trip that would take her home.
Gally crouched on a nearby roof across from the Capsule Corp, where Bulma lived and Gohan had just woke up and was looking for her.
Current status of reserve power... seventy-five percent...
That should do until I get home. she thought, watching Gohan fly around the area looking for her.
"Sorry Gohan." she whispered "It has to be like this, you'll understand one day."
She sat down behind the barrier on the roof and sighed, hoping the fake clues would be found soon so she could get a head start.
"Gohan!" Master Roshi's voice called "She's headed to the docks!"
A second later, Gohan shot overhead like a streak of blue, heading for the docks as fast as he could fly.
"It's time." she said quietly, and stood, dashing the other direction, toward Goku's house, and where she had arrived.
As she traveled, she scanned the data disc Ido had somehow sent her, and the instructions on how to rebuild the dimensional door and return home.
"I hope this works." she said, running through a forest now, making incredible time.
"Gally!"
She slid to a stop, but didn't turn around.
"Don't try to stop me Piccolo, I'm more than a match for you now."
"Maybe." he said, his voice almost a growl "But I warned you, didn't I?"
"And that's why I'm leaving." she replied, spinning to look at him as he floated a few feet off the ground, his cape billowing in the wind.
They stared each other down, neither afraid or intending to back down one inch.
"Fine, go." Piccolo said finally "but if Gohan DOES find you..."
"I'll tell him the truth." she replied, turning and running off without another word.
Piccolo grumbled, counting to ten before turning to find Gohan and tell him where Gally was.
Molly, having just closed her shop, sat on a second floor patio, enjoying the sunset with a warm cup of herbal tea, as she did every evening.
As she sat this evening though, she had a strange feeling, and she went and got her Tarot cards.
Using the same cross she had used with Gohan earlier that day, she went through the usual routine and dealt the cards, and the flipped them one by one, until she gasped in amazement.
There were two Death cards...
Impossible...
As she blinked, she checked the entire deck, card by card, and indeed, had somehow gotten a second Death card, and gasped.
"This is bad." she said to no one as she drew on her shawl and jogged for her seldom used vehicle, a brown station-wagon hovercar.
"Spirits... Guide me." she said and drove toward the edge of town.
Gally reached the spot, and slid to a stop in the fading sunlight.
I have to work fast.
Rolling up her sleeve, she pulled a chip out of her right arm, now mostly useless without the hand.
Taking that chip in her left hand, she reached up her shirt and connected it with the upgrade chip Ido had sent her.
Warning, Internal power drain will be severe... do you wish to disconnect the temporal doorway?
"No." she said, already feeling weak.
Auto shutdown aborted... Temporal doorway charging...
Gally dropped to her knees as she heard the expected sound of someone landing behind her.
"Gally?" Vegeta's voice called from down the small hill.
"Stay back!" she yelled. "I'm going home, but if something happens..."
Vegeta kept his distance, saying nothing.
"Vegeta?" Gally called, her voice getting softer as the power drained slowly into charging the device.
"What is it?" he called back.
"This... isn't your fault you know..."
"Nonsense!" he scowled, then after a moment, he called back softly "Thanks."
Gally fell to her side now, the stress tremendous as the power was draining out of her
Three minutes remaining...
"Three... minutes..." she repeated.
Gohan and Piccolo landed now, though Gally couldn't hear them over the hum of the temporal device.
"Gally!" Gohan started to rush up the hill and Vegeta stopped him, shaking his head.
"She's fine, just weak." he said quietly.
"What's wrong with her?"
"She's trying to go home... though I don't understand how."
Gohan clenched his fists as he remembered the final card in the Tarot reading.
"No! Gally!" he tore free of Vegeta's grasp and sprinted up the hill.
Gally lay quietly on her back now, staring at the stars and smiling.
"Gally!" Gohan cried again, sliding to a stop on his knees beside her.
"Gohan... get away...I don't know... what this thing... might do..."
"No!" he screamed. "I won't let you die!"
Gally's look of concern made him take a deep breath and try to calm down.
As he did, he related the events of the Tarot card reading that afternoon.
"Just... a bunch of... cards." she replied with a smile.
He sniffed once and held her left hand.
"Gally, I... have to tell you something..."
"Gohan..."
"No." he silenced her with a finger to her lips. "Just listen."
"I... know what you want to... tell me..." she said, her voice a harsh whisper. "And.. I understand..."
He blinked in surprise.
"You.. you do?"
"Yes... and I feel the same..." she sighed "But..."
"There's someone else you still love." he said, smiling.
"Yes..."
"I understand." he replied, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. "But at least... tell me one thing."
"Anything..."
"Never forget me?"
Gally's smile faded a bit, but Gohan new what she was trying to show without words.
Never Gohan he almost heard her voice on the wind You'll always hold a special place in my heart
"Gohan!" Piccolo's voice called from down the hill. "Get back, her power level is going crazy!"
"No Piccolo." he said, the first time he had ever disobeyed his Martial Arts trainer "I... have to stay."
"OK Gohan... good luck." he said as he floated backward, Vegeta doing the same.
"I'm with you Gally." he said, and the light show began.
Temporal doorway fully charged... Prepare for activation...
With Gohan's help, Gally struggled to her knees, and the doorway opened in front of her.
As she looked through it, she saw Ido waving her through eagerly.
Gohan smiled, tears in his eyes.
"Your father?"
Gally's nod was faint, but Gohan waved at the man.
"Everyone should be with their family." he said softly, as he pushed her through the doorway into her own world.
She rolled into Ido's arms, and as she glanced back once through the fading doorway, she saw Gohan stand up and stare at her, as if in a silent salute to her bravery.
And a tribute to a love that can never be...
Gally shutdown without another thought.
Gohan watched the door disappear, and continued to stand there for a while as his own dad, Goku walked up and stood beside him.
"It was for the best." he said, having been filled in by The Countess, who leaned against her car and cried.
"Yeah Dad... I know." he said "But why is it the best things are always the hardest to do?"
"Gohan, if I knew that, I'd be the smartest man in the Universe."
As the two chuckled, they turned and walked toward their own house, Chi-chi on the doorstep in shock at the events she had just witnessed.
"What was that?" she asked as they walked in.
Goku put a hand on her shoulder as Gohan walked to his room.
"Love." he said softly, smiling.
"Poor Gohan." she said. "I should go talk to him..."
"No Chi-chi, let him be, he understands, he just needs some time to himself just now."
Piccolo flew off one way and Vegeta another, leaving Molly to her own thoughts as she hopped in her car and drove home.
Gally woke up in her bed to a knock at her door.
"Ido?"
The door opened, and Ido appeared, smiling.
"Feeling better?"
"A little." she said quietly.
She had been repaired and fully recharged, though at the cost of the new upgrades Ido had made.
"Who was that boy?" he asked, then blinked.
"I'm sorry, that was rude..."
"No, it's time I talked about it..." she replied "Ever since Yugo..."
"Hush." he said "You get some rest, when you're ready, I'll be here to listen."
As he turned off the light and closed the door, Gally snuggled down in bed and smiled through a river of tears.
"Someday." she vowed "Someday I'll have the life I truly want... I just need to find it yet."
Then, she slept.