Hello! I am Dragoncat, and this is my first attempt at a DBZ story. I don't own any of the DBZ characters, but I do own all the others.

So sit back, relax and enjoy...

CHAPTER ONE

"What in the world…?"

Mari stared in disbelief and horror as she approached the Labyrinth Canyon.

It was the perfect place for her to be away from the people who filled her heart with pain and misery on a daily basis. When she first came here, with its gigantic rock formations creating a natural maze, it was ideal for someone trying to escape. And in one particular spot she had found an opening that led to a deep cave that seemed to welcome her as home sweet home. She christened it as her secret sanctuary, and it became her best link to sanity.

But now, when she needed it most, it looked as though someone had dropped a bomb there. Thankfully, just a small area had been hit; but, judging from her distant view, it looked as though it was close to her sanctuary. After she waited a few minutes, she didn't hear any more explosions. She started her car and slowly drove to her destination, and prayed that home away from home was still intact.

She drove deeper into the canyon, and soon found the path littered with rocks and boulders that weren't there before. So she capsulated her car and continued on foot. She had to check on her cave. She invested so much into that little piece of real estate. And if it had indeed been destroyed, then she would just have to start over elsewhere. But she had to see the damage for herself. Not knowing would not ease her mind. Not knowing was what brought her here in the first place.

Mari continued down the path, walking around the boulders, and soon she stopped by the river that flowed near her cave. It's one of the reasons she liked coming here. It's a good source of freshwater from the Ice Alps further north, fish swam there, and she could see her little private cove where she bathed in peace. (Well, at least that's still intact.) She was about to continue down the path when a bright sparkle caught here eye. It appeared to be just a few feet away from her cove. She never noticed that sparkle there before, so she gave in to her curious impulse and checked it out. What she found there was a small orange orb. She picked it up, dusted off its surprisingly smooth surface, and saw four red stars inside it. She decided to keep the orb. If she did have to start over elsewhere, at least she'd have a souvenir to remind her of her times here.

When she reached her sanctuary a minute later, she found it safe and sound, despite a few extra rocks here and there. The bomb, or whatever it was, landed a good distance away, and the nearby rock formations shielded her cave from the blast. Needless to say, she was very relieved. But before she settled in, she decided to have a look at the bomb site, just out of sheer curiosity.

When she approached the bomb site, she wondered what kind of bomb it really was. Mari may not be a world-renown scientist, but she figured when a bomb lands in an area like this, the impacting explosion would scatter the debris for miles, leaving a huge crater. Instead, whatever landed there caused the debris to collapse in a pile on top of itself. Maybe the bomb was a dud. Then again, there are probably lots of underground caves here, so maybe it was just erosion doing its thing.

She began to feel a little weary from all the walking she's done, so she decided to count her blessings and return to her cavern.

And that's when she saw some boulders move.

Feeling her heart jump from fright, she ducked behind a nearby rock formation that miraculously withstood the commotion. If she's lucky, whatever it is will leave without seeing her. She carefully peeked over to see what was emerging from the huge rocks.

Whatever it was, it looked…human?

It's hard to tell from where she was, but after the figure crawled out from under the rocks, it stood and barely managed to walk a couple of steps before it collapsed on the rocks. It did not get back up again.

Mari took a few breaths to calm herself. Someone…was…in there…when it had collapsed? She's never seen anyone else here before. How could anyone survive being buried under such huge boulders?

Mari was not considered to be extremely social. She kept to herself, and had very good reasons to do so. So for her to just walk up to a total stranger is completely unlike her. Nevertheless, someone was injured and needed help. And right now, she was the only one who can do that. After she took one more deep breath, she willed herself to approach the victim, hoping to remember everything she ever learned about first-aid.

After maneuvering past some boulders, she made her way to the injured person. "Hello…? Hello, there. Can you hear me?"

She kept her bag close to her as she cautiously came closer to what was definitely an injured man. Compared to most men she's met, this guy was a giant. His jet-black hair was in a hairstyle she's never seen before; she has never seen hair spiked like that. His clothes – or what was left of them – just barely covered his hips and upper thighs. And despite the bruises and deep cuts, he has the body of a Greek/Roman god.

Unfortunately, one of those deep cuts was on his head. There's a lot of blood on the stone his head was on. It must have taken everything he had just to make his way out of the rubble.

Mari tried again. "Hello? Can you hear me?"

He was definitely unconscious. Mari was cautious to avoid the hole he crawled out of as she crouched down to slowly place two fingers on his neck. (Such dense muscles, they're rock hard!) Somehow, she managed to find a pulse. He's alive, but he still needed medical attention.

She got her capsule case from her bag and chose a hover-car. The car she used earlier was not designed to run over boulders. Now came the hard part: hauling this huge, muscular giant of a man inside. Mari was no stranger to manual labour. For years, she worked hard doing her chores…and other people's chores, but there's no way she could move this body on her own…not without doing something rather drastic.

After taking a quick glance around to make certain no one else was looking, she clasped her hands together and concentrated. Suddenly, the unconscious body rose from the ground and floated to the car. Mari squeezed her hands tighter, putting all her concentration into carefully placing him into the backseat. If she dropped him, she could make his injuries worse.

With the injured man safe in the hover car, Mari fell on her knees, weakened momentarily. She caught her breath, only to deal with a throbbing headache. Using that technique takes a lot out of her. She grabbed her bag to get some aspirin and a bottle of water. Two minutes later, she was in the car, driving to the nearest village over thirty miles to the north-west.

A FEW HOURS LATER…

Itlaia Village is located in a lush valley just minutes away from the Ice Alps. At first glance, the village appears to be a simple, quiet little place; not like the huge metropolis cities with their tall buildings and elevated roadways. In fact, Italia Village was the kind of place one could go to get away from such things, to be free from the grip of advanced technology. With, however, one notable exception…

The biggest building in the village is Italia Hospital, a white ten-storey building as big as a metropolitan city block. It is one of the few places in the village to remind people of the advanced technology available to the world today. Mari was not a total stranger to this village. It's a good place to shop for supplies while staying at her sanctuary. It's also the only hospital closest to where Mari found the injured giant. What better place to take him?

The injured man, known as John Doe for now, was being treated by the doctors while Mari waited in the lobby. Even though she never saw this man before, she can't help but want to make sure that he'll be okay. But a big part of her wanted to get back to her cave in the Labyrinth Canyon, mainly because she was being stared at by everyone in or near the lobby. She read a novel she carried in her bag, but she felt the stares. She could even sense the glances from the hospital staff walking by, getting a glimpse of this strange girl.

It wasn't the clothes she wore that people found strange about her. In fact, the wide-legged denim jeans and the purple, waffle-stitch V-neck sweater looked rather nice. It was her face that grabbed people's attention. Her black sunglasses didn't completely hide the marks that seemed to flow down her right cheek.

Mari continued to read her book. She wasn't here to show off her face.

Her ugly, hideous face...

"Umm…Excuse me, Miss Kanata?"

Mari looked up from her book to see Dr. Pinocher, one of the doctors examining the giant she brought in. He had such a young face for a doctor; he looked more like a surfer than a doctor. All the other doctors she encountered in her life were more her father's age, and they were very little or no help to her at all.

She followed Dr. Pinocher out of the lobby. They stopped just outside the reception area.

The doctor explained. "Miss Kanata, we've just finished working on him. I've never seen anyone so banged-up. He had multiple bone fractures, and took quite a blow to his head. He's still unconscious, but at least he's stable. You said you found him near a cave-in?"

"Yes, that's right. He had just crawled out of the rubble when I found him. I don't know how long he was in there, though. I haven't been there for a couple of weeks. I had just arrived when I found the place in shambles."

"Well, it's a good thing you found him when you did. It's a miracle he's still alive. Although, I am curious as to how you were able to bring him here. It took three of our orderlies to haul him out of your car."

(Oh, Lord…! He was that heavy?) "Okay… I admit it wasn't easy, but I like to think my inner strength was a big help."

The doctor decided not to press her further. "Well, you can come to me if you're feeling any pain later on. In the meantime, would you like to leave a number where you can be reached? When John Doe regains consciousness, we'll be able to identify him and contact his family. I'm sure they'll be happy to meet the woman who saved his life."

(That might be up for debate…) "Sure, okay."

She gave Dr. Pinocher her cell phone number and left the hospital. She couldn't believe the day she's having. Here she was, trying to get away from her problems, only to come across a man in an even worse situation. A big, hulking hunk of a man… That's all she could think about as she drove back to Labyrinth Canyon.

When she returned to her cavern, she hesitated before entering. The man she found… What was his story? Was he living in a cave of his own when everything just collapsed all around him one day? She knew that feeling all too well. But why would he need to live in a cave, away from a society that loves to judge according to what they see. Aside from the injuries, he looked rather cute. She can think of a few women who'd give anything for a man like that…one in particular.

Mari descended the passageway. As she made her way down, she conjured up a little ball of light and sent it hovering near the ceiling. And now, she took a good look at her little sanctuary. She came here to get away from people, and people didn't come here…at least, she never saw anyone else here until today. The cavern has served her well. Here she was able to heal her wounds and concentrate on her special talents. It's too bad that she couldn't talk to her family about what she can do, but they've made it perfectly clear what they really think of her.

Yet she couldn't help but wonder… If this place was to cave-in one day, who'd come along to save her?

With a deep breath and a heavy heart, she decided to pack everything and move out. She capsulated the few pieces of furniture she kept here – a bed, a desk and some chests – and returned to Italia Village. Sure, there are people there who'd stare at her… But maybe she'll have a better chance of dealing with it in a place where her family isn't around to make things worse.

Besides, there was John Doe to think about.

MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE HOSPITAL…

Dr. Pinocher was just about to complete his rounds when he decided to check in on John Doe.

John Doe was presently in a private ward. Once his recovery progressed, he would be transferred to a semi-private room. For now, his legs and right arm were in casts and elevated by straps. His left arm, chest and forehead were bandaged.

Pinocher still could not figure out how that one young woman was able to lift him into her car. He's quite a large man. The sunglasses she wore couldn't completely hide her bruises. (Just how much 'inner strength' does she have?)

"Uhhh…" John Doe stirred.

(He's coming to…) "Hello, there. Can you hear me?"

The mummified patient slowly opened his eyes. When his vision finally cleared, he saw a young man in a white coat staring at him. He did not recognize the face.

"Hello, there. I am Dr. Pinocher. You're in a hospital. You've had quite an ordeal…"

"H-H-Hospital…?"

The doctor could see the fear in his eyes. "Yes, that's right. You were trapped in a cave-in. A young woman found you and brought you here for treatment. You're very lucky she came when she did. You have quite a few broken bones; not to mention some cracked ribs and quite a blow to your head. But you're safe now, and we're going to help you recover and find your family. Can you tell me your name?"

"My n-name…? I… I… I don't know…"

TO BE CONTINUED

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