Once Upon a Dream

Part Four

She bolted upright in her bed, sweat dripping from her bangs and her heart pounding frantically. She calmed herself quickly and sat on the edge of the bed. "Was that a dream? Was the revelation just a dream?!" A soft glow told her otherwise.

The object was no larger than a child's marble, a tiny bauble for display. She grasped it in shaking hands and peered at it closely. "What is this?"

"Concentrate," Something whispered. "It will come back to you. Concentrate!"

She did as instructed and the result almost made her drop the marble-like thing.

It expanded, no transformed completely was the word. A bright light overtook everything and she shut her eyes, willing away the glare. Upon opening them again, she noticed that she was holding something very beautiful and very deadly at the same time.

"A katana? Why do I have a katana?"

The hilt was slender and plain, nothing decorated the weapon at all. But the blade was one of the longest Katrinka had ever seen. It was easily three feet (91cm) long. Then, all in a rush, the memories flooded back and she knew how to use it.

Kat crouched low, the katana held out in front of her in her right hand, across her face. She swept it in a wide arc and then pointed the tip at the ground.

"This weapon is fantastic! The balance is just perfect," She made another sweep. "It's like it was made just for me!

"This is the Soul Blade." The whispering came again. "It can cut through almost anything and will always feel perfect in your hand. It was forged in the fire of the spirit, tempered by the blood of the evil, and blessed by the High God himself. Basically nothing can withstand it."

"Why have you given this to me again? What did I do to earn this?"

"It is your birthright. *You* did nothing."

She swung it again, loving the way it felt overall. Willing the weapon back into it's smaller state, she grinned.

"This is so cool!"

***

Katrinka was extra happy and energetic the next day at breakfast and all wanted to know why.

"I've solved my problem!" Was all she would say but Bulma understood. Kat ate at record speed and jumped to her feet soon after.

"I want to show you guys something. I may need your help." She sighed. "I has to do with my problem."

"Do you think we need to call the rest of the fighters Kat-chan?" Trunks asked worriedly. She nodded.

"They might have to help too."

Vegeta frowned. "If we have to wait on them, it'll probably take forever!"

"Just call Goku first and have him pick everyone up with his Instantaneous Movement technique." Bulma suggested. "That way it'll only take ten minutes at the most."

"That's a great idea!" Kat said excitedly. "Let me do it. I like Goku a lot."

"More than me?" Vegeta asked suddenly.

She hugged him. "I would never like anyone more than you Veggie-chan."

The call was eventually made and soon everyone was gathered in Bulma's yard waiting on Katrinka to explain herself. Most of them had never even met her before and were just as surprised as Goku was to discover Vegeta had a friend. The short saiyan ignored them for the most part, and shouted to Kat to get it over with. Finally she stood before them.

"I've been having a dream for the longest time now and I never understood what it meant." She began. "But then last night, something really weird happened and I found out what it partially meant."

"You made me come out here for a dream?" Vegeta asked incredulously.

"Just listen bakayaro." Bulma growled softly.

"Thanks. Well, it's a dream about Vegeta-sei." This got everyone's attention immediately. "But not the Vegeta-sei everyone knows about. I think what I saw took place around a couple of millennia ago."

"Millennia?" Vegeta asked. "Our historical records don't even go back that far."

Katrinka whistled softly. "Then the dream is pretty accurate then. It must trying to tell me something." She cleared her throat. "That Vegeta-sei was entirely different then what you are used to Vegeta. It was beautiful and the people were extremely kind."

"K-kind?" Krillin asked. "As in *nice*?"

She nodded. "Very much so."

"They didn't kill or anything?" Gohan asked. "Hmmm."

"Then last night I had a vision," She continued. "Some glowing person showed me Vegeta-sei and gave me something." She pulled the orb from her pocket. "This is it."

"You got a marble?" Bra asked in confusion.

Kat grinned. "That's what I thought it was to! Until the voice told me otherwise of course." Then she began her demonstration, concentrating to bring her weapon out of hiding.

There was shocked silence when it appeared fully and more than one person's jaws dropped. Vegeta attempted to keep his air of nonchalance, but it failed when the light faded.

"The voice called this the Soul Blade and said it could cut through anything." She held it up. "And said I was a Time Warrior."

"It's sort of like the Zed Sword then," Gohan mused. "Before it got broken in half."

The red-haired woman blinked. "Then how is the Soul Blade like it?"

Gohan shrugged. "It was supposed to be able to stand up to anything."

She frowned. "That is *not* reassuring me further."

"Gomen."

"Anyway," She shoved all of that talk to the back of her mind until further notice, "I knew how to use it automatically. It was weird. Trunks?"

He looked up. "Hai Kat-chan?"

"Can you fight me? I need to test my skills."

"Er," He hesitated then pulled his katana free from it's sheath, "I wondered why you had me bring this. But that it one huge blade."

"I know. But I have no idea why. It doesn't need to be this long for what I want to do." Then, as if commanded, the blade retracted until it was only eighteen inches (45.72cm). "Uh okay. I didn't know it could do that."

"What *can* that thing to anyway?" Bulma wondered out loud. The whole object was fascinating her. "It would be great to analyze it further."

"Hai, it would." Gohan agreed. Then the fight was ready to commence.

"I don't want you to hold back at all, Trunks. Give it all your strength, I can take it."

"Are you sure?" He asked. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Oh she's sure," Vegeta spoke up. "As sure as she could ever be anyway."

Kat stuck her tongue out at him briefly before she ran at Trunks at full speed, her katana outstretched. Trunks did the same and they met at the middle, the blades crossing. Lunging back, they came at each other again.

"It's like a gut instinct," she muttered to herself. "I don't even really have to pay attention to this at all."

After a few more minutes of the strenuous exercise, Trunks faltered and it had him on the ground with Kat's blade pressed against the major vein of his next. He was shocked.

"You are good," He said as she helped him to his feet. "No, you are beyond good. You're excellent!"

"In this," She shrugged. "You would definitely beat me in hand-to-hand. For some reason I never had to use it much in the field and I'm sort of behind."

"What does a Time Warrior do exactly?" Gohan asked curiously.

"As of now I have no idea. I basically don't know anything. Actually, this might not be important but I'll tell you anyway. That figure said that I was a god child." She shook her head. "I don't know what that means either."

There was stunned silence. "Kat-chan!" Bra gasped. "That means you're a goddess!"

"So? I don't feel godly. I feel the same as always." She sighed. "I just wish that guy would contact me again with more information. I hate not knowing things."

"Well I can do this to help you." Bulma stepped forward. "I need the orb thingy so I can analyze it." Kat handed it to her but a very bright flash of light and Bulma's startled cry had her taking it back again.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Kat asked in concern.

Bulma shook her hand. "I'm fine now. I think that you're the only one able to touch that. It burned me."

She began to pout as she sat down onto the ground. "Well this is just great! I know next to nothing and this thing burns my friend. Did I do something to deserve this?!"

Bra walked up to her and gave her a hug. "It's not all bad. You now know *something* about your origin, it's more than before, and you have a cool job and a fantastic katana."

Kat's face slowly began to brighten. "You're right! I can just wait for the guy to talk to me again." She returned the hug. "Thanks a lot Bra-chan." She jumped to her feet and turned to them all. "I need everyone's help. Especially yours Bulma."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What do you need?"

"I need a space ship. To return to Vegeta-sei. Or rather," She smiled dryly, "the place it used to be. The pod I came in was only good for a one way trip and besides, it's a one-person aircraft."

Bulma's expression became one of disbelief but still she nodded. "Can you show me where your pod is? I can just modify that one instead of creating a whole new one. It would also take less time."

She nodded. "Sure and thank you." She began to launch herself into the air but Bra's voice stopped her.

"What are you looking for Kat-chan? What's at Vegeta-sei?"

She sighed. "I don't know but it's something important."

***

This ship was finished in less than a week, thanks to Bulma's skills. The blue-haired scientist had constantly made comments about the ship's superior craftsmanship and asked numerous questions about it's creator. Katrinka didn't have any idea but she told her it was just a low level transporter.

"Low level eh?" Bulma asked. "Then their fighters must be something!"

Kat shrugged. "I guess so. I'm sorry if I sound impatient, but can we go now?"

Bulma chuckled. "It's okay. I understand. Sure, you can leave whenever you want. I've already stocked it up with supplies and everything."

Kat jumped to her feet from the crate she was sitting on. "Good! I'm going to get V-chan, Trunks, and Bra okay? This shouldn't take too long. How much time would it take to get there?"

"Ordinarily it would take about a week but since the engines and the thrusters in your ship are better, I'd say around three days."

"Really? Wow! I was thinking along the lines of a month or two."

"It's in this part of the galaxy. How long did it take you to get to Chikyuu, Kat?"

"I guess a couple of weeks but that was because the planet I came from is in another part of the universe. The southern section."

"Are you serious? I thought the other parts were completely destroyed by Majin Buu!"

She blinked in confusion. "Majin who?"

"Nevermind. It isn't that important." The two began to walk towards the house, moving at a leisurely pace. "I wonder how Vegeta will react to seeing the place his home used to be? I might be hard for him...."

Kat appeared thoughtful. "I had never thought about that. I hope it isn't. Hey, maybe I should take Goku too!"

Bulma smiled. "He might be a little mad at you if you didn't. Son-kun always loved adventures."

She began to bounce up and down with barely contained excitement. "I'm gonna call him now and then we can go! Thanks for everything Bulma-chan!" She then took off for the house, skipping the entire way.

"Bulma-chan?" Bulma repeated. "No one's called me that in years!"

***

"Are you guys absolutely sure that you don't need anything else?" Bulma questioned the small group later that day.

"Hai Kaasan. We'll be fine." Bra responded for the third time as she hugged her mother. "Too bad Pan-chan couldn't come too."

"Gohan's just like ChiChi with the studying thing." Goku said. "He wants her to be a doctor or a lawyer when she grows up."

"But she's ten!" Bra protested. "She has lots of time to decide that."

Kat paced restlessly as they argued about Pan. "We're runnin' on a schedule here." When they gave her strange looks she grinned. "*My* schedule."

"I'm not that overjoyed at seeing that spot you know," Vegeta said mostly to himself but Goku heard him anyway.

Goku threw an arm around his shoulders. "From what you always said, you never liked it there anyway."

"I know but it's different when you say that about a place when it's still there! When an alien like Frieza comes out of no where and blows it to bits, you feel differently." Then he frowned fiercely and pushed Goku away.

"Frieza?" Kat said suddenly. "I know that guy. Small, pink, horns, looks like he wears lip stick and nail polish?"

Goku nodded. "Hai. That's him."

"He's the one who told me how to get here!"

There were a multitude of blinks. "Nani?" Vegeta sputtered at last.

She nodded. "He did. I asked where I could find you and all he could say at first was 'Super Saiyan'. I wonder what happened to scare him so badly."

Bulma began to chuckle and then it turned into full-out hysterical laughter. With tears running down her cheeks she pointed to the larger saiyan. "Goku happened."

"Huh?"

Goku's hand instantly went behind his head and that trademark Son sheepish smile came across his face. "I, uh, sort of kicked his ass."

She gaped. "You *did*? Wow! You have to be incredibly strong to do it! When I was small, everyone was scared of Frieza! But what did he mean by 'Super Saiyan'? I thought Veggie was supposed to be the Legendary one."

Trunks grinned. "That turned out to be Brolli."

"Be quiet boy!" Vegeta snapped.

"Brolli..." She trailed off thoughtfully. "I've heard that name before." She thought about it some more before she brightened. "I know! It was when I snuck off to the nursery that time and they said his ki level was 100,000. It was right before they said that Kakarott's was only at 2. I think they must've sent him to a easy planet. One like Chikyuu." Then she froze. "One like Chikyuu?" Moving over to Goku she began to walk around him. "Hmm. Yep. Spiky hair, wide eyes, ready smile. Oh wow! *You're* Kakarott!"

Goku blinked in confusion. "Um yeah. Last time I checked."

She hugged him suddenly. "I used to make you laugh by tickling your toes before they sent you away." She frowned. "That was also the day Frieza destroyed the planet. They tried to make Bardock come see you but he refused. I think he was a little disappointed that you were so weak as a newborn. If he could see you now!"

"My birthday was the same day when Frieza blew up Vegeta-sei?" he asked curiously.

"Hai. Some coincidence eh?"

"How old were you then?"

"Six. Still just a little kid. Veggie was seven and he was *so* kawaii!" She darted over and pinched his cheeks. "Yes you were! Yes you were!"

"Onna unhand me!" He slapped her hands away as everyone laughed.

She jumped away and smiled. "Shall we go now?"

The answer was positive. "Hai!"