Prologue
Two Years after Son Gohan's death…
The late morning summer air over Mt. Paozu rang rhythmically with the sounds of weapons clashing, loud booms, and yelling as two warriors rapidly exchanged blows, matching each other with every move. The aerial struggle continued for some time before one of the fighters began to tire.
Sixteen year old Son Goten landed smoothly on the grassy peak of a nearby mountain, leaning on the Nyoibo as he panted a few times. His sparring partner, the twenty year old Trunks Briefs, landed next to him, smirking and sheathing the Brave Sword over his right shoulder as he did. Both of them were covered in scrapes and bruises, but Goten seemed to have taken slightly more hits.
"Not bad, Goten." Trunks remarked as his best friend stood up straight, "It's only been a year, but you're pretty dangerous with that thing."
"Yeah, I'm kinda glad Dad gave me it before he left with that kid." Goten agreed, still taking deep breaths, "No wonder why Erza thought I should use it."
"She definitely knew her weapons." Trunks recollected, adding sadly, "I miss training with her."
"She wouldn't be too happy if she knew you left your sword behind, though." Goten stated with a grin, "You're lucky that Iga guy's been looking out for you."
"Yeah." Trunks agreed, still slightly embarrassed over his error. He had taken and returned most of his personal effects from Earthland with him, but none of them were his most precious belonging.
In the Battle for Magnolia, Trunks had thrown his sword in the fight; but in his hurry he had neglected to retrieve it before Whis rushed him back to Earth. He had not noticed it was missing until it was too late, and Trunks had trained for the past two years without his prized weapon. But sometime last night, the Brave Sword appeared on the floor of Trunks' bedroom. He had found it in its scabbard when he woke in the morning, also discovering a letter on the underside of it that said:
Trunks,
I found this laying around after the fight in Magnolia. It took some time to figure out how to get it back to you, but here it is. Hopefully by now you've assumed I've FINALLY figured out the amplifier, and you would be right. Lisanna's still living at the Sanctuary with me and she's doing okay; and with the amplifier running, we'll both be keeping an eye on you. I still owe you for helping me land my own personal cook, though, the food she makes is so amazing. I'm worried someone important would notice if we traveled to Earth or directly communicated with you, so we're not going to do that any time soon; but we've been thinking about sneaking some food over to you. It's not fair to gloat if I'm not going to share, right? So far, the worst thing happening is that I've had to pick up your part of the chores around here. Anyway, things have been slow since you left; and I won't bore you with the details. I just wanted to get the sword back to you, since I know how much it means to you. Hopefully someday you'll return; you wouldn't believe some of the surprises we've got for you. Until then, stay safe and stay strong.
Your undying friend, Igneel.
Trunks had read the note with an amused smirk at his Master, and he was happy to hear Lisanna was doing fine; but he immediately felt the need to fight someone with his favorite weapon once again, also thinking if Iga or Lisanna were watching, they would take the sight of the fighting as a form of thanks. He quickly got dressed and flew to the Son homes to wake his best friend up for a sparring match; and the two had been dueling for the past three hours since then.
"At least we know someone from Fairy Tail's okay." Goten remarked as he put the Nyoibo in its case over his left shoulder, "I've been worried ever since you told me about the battle that was going on."
"I'm sure Wendy's fine too." Trunks assured his friend, knowing exactly what he was worried about.
"I just wish she knew I was alive." Goten said, slightly sour, "Like your girlfriend does."
"Master only works a certain way." Trunks explained, "Lisanna's only in the know because she's part of his team."
"So why can't Iga make Wendy a part of his team?" Goten questioned.
"I don't know." Trunks answered with an honest shrug, "Maybe she's busy. I don't know what's going on over there."
"Yeah, I guess." Goten gave in with a sigh.
"Hey, don't worry about it, man." Trunks said with a reassuring smile, stepping closer and patting his friend on the shoulder, "Let's go get some lunch and stop thinking about this depressing stuff. There's this awesome place by my house you might like. I'll buy this time, too."
Goten nodded quickly at the mention of free food, matching Trunks' grin before following his best friend into the air.
Not too far from the demi-Saiyans' training area…
Son Videl was busy cleaning dishes after having just enjoyed a late breakfast with her daughter and mother-in-law. Pan had left with her grandmother after they ate, planning on helping the oldest Son woman with running errands; so Videl had some time for herself. She was glad for it, too. It had been days since she had much alone time; so she was relieved Chi Chi had offered to take Pan off her hands. It was also the anniversary of her husband's death; and though she knew that it was all part of Gohan's plan, she still felt the pain of his absence, especially today.
As soon as she had finished cleaning the last of the dishes, she checked the time and saw it was nearly midday. Guessing she had somewhere around an hour and a half before Pan and Chi Chi would be done with the groceries, she hurried to her bedroom to change. Getting out of her sleeveless red dress, black thigh-high leggings, and matching red shoes as soon as she entered the room, she quickly exchanged them for a long-sleeved orange shirt, a pair of loose-fitting white pants, and an orange pair of boots; and she began to rush out the room when a thought hit her. She stopped halfway out the bedroom door before turning around and moving for one of the dressers. Going through her husband's clothes, she quickly found what she was looking for before attempting to hold it in front of herself.
"Wow." She remarked as she felt her arms straining to hold up an old blue shirt, "This thing really is heavy."
It took her a moment, but Videl was able to put the weighted shirt on before she left the room. As soon as she was out behind the house, she immediately began to stretch. Nearly a half-hour later, while Videl was trying to see how quickly she could deliver successive punches and kicks, she heard the noise of someone landing nearby.
"Hey, Sis!" She heard Goten greet, and she stopped in midair to see him standing next to Trunks, who waved a greeting to her.
"Hey, you two." She replied amiably before landing, "You're here early; Chi Chi and I are making a late lunch today."
"That's okay, Videl, we already had lunch." Trunks informed her, "We came over to check on you, actually. Your energy was going crazy, so we just wanted to make sure you were okay."
"I'm fine." She told them before apologizing, "I guess I'm just working off a lot of stress at the moment. I'm sorry if I took you two from something."
"Nah," Goten replied with his usual smile, "We were done eating when we felt your ki."
"That's good." She replied before looking over the two. She had seen Goten nearly every day for the past two years, but she still could not believe he had grown so quickly. Seeing him standing at the same height as Trunks, she could not help but smirk at the clone of her father-in-law.
"What?" Goten asked, seeing her smile, "What's so funny?"
"Nothing." She lied, "I was just thinking about a joke your mom made earlier."
"Oh, okay." Goten accepted the answer before changing the subject, "Is Pan with Mom right now?"
"Yup." Videl answered with a nod, "I was trying to get some training in before they got back."
"Need any help?" Goten questioned, "I can spar with you for a little, if you want."
Videl took a moment to think the offer over before accepting it.
"Well," Trunks said with a thought, "If you two are gonna do that, I guess I should head on home and see if Mom needs my help with anything."
"Okay," Goten replied before adding, "I'll see you tomorrow!"
Videl added her goodbye as well before Trunks shot into the sky.
A few days later…
Trunks finally finished helping his grandfather and a few others on a company project before ducking out the lab so no one in the workspace could start a conversation with him. Trunks did not have a problem with the workers of his family's company, but the Saiyan in him did have a problem with bootlickers. And with his grandfather only getting older; Trunks and his mother both were having issues with people constantly trying to get in their good graces. Every day like clockwork, there would be a handful of CC employees offering their services in any way they could or pitching their own ideas directly to them. In a company built around innovation and advanced sciences, new ideas were certainly encouraged; but its workers were never encouraged to chase down their bosses in the hallways and follow them to their destination, chattering the entire time. He knew no one meant any harm, probably; but none of the CC employees were aware of his heightened senses. So when Trunks would get trapped in a room with the press or over-zealous employees, he would quickly get headaches from all the noises and scents. Trunks also was still not used to all the attention, and he was beginning to think he actually had an aversion to the limelight. Also unfortunately for Trunks, his mother spent more time taking care of Bulla than actually working nowadays; so he had to deal with most of these annoyances on his own.
But tonight, luck seemed to be on his side as he stepped into the hallway to find it empty. Moving quickly while he had the chance, he hurried to an elevator that quickly brought him up to the next floor, a.k.a. his home. Employees at Capsule Corp. were almost never allowed onto the second floor; so Trunks was confused when there was a woman in a lab coat waiting to greet him as he stepped out the elevator. She seemed to be a typical employee, so he was curious as to how she managed to gain access to this floor.
"Um…" Trunks greeted her, "Hi?"
"Hello, Trun- I mean, Mr. Briefs." The woman said nervously as she felt Trunks look her over. Her voice sounded vaguely familiar, but he did not recognize her medium-length black hair; and he definitely did not remember knowing an employee that ever wore as much makeup as her. If she hadn't been moving around when he arrived, Trunks thought he would have confused her for a misplaced mannequin. Besides her voice, the only trait she had that stood out to Trunks was her bright blue eyes.
"Do I know you?" Trunks questioned.
"No, I don't think so." The woman replied, "My name is Anna, I'm new around here."
"That would explain why you didn't know to avoid this floor." Trunks commented, getting the feeling she was hiding something from him, "Actually, you're not allowed on this floor entirely. How did you get here?"
"I don't really know, sir." The woman explained, "I'm actually very lost."
"Clearly." Trunks remarked, not liking her non-answer, "Well, let me at least show you the way out."
Trunks turned back to the elevator and called for it before turning back around to see the woman had disappeared.
"What the hell?" Trunks said, looking around in confusion until he saw a sliver of white cloth turn down the hallway to his right.
Oh crap, Trunks thought as he jogged after the woman, She's heading for Mom and Dad's room!
"Hey!" He called out as he turned the corner, only to find no one in the hallway. Quickly deciding to use his ki sense to locate her, he furrowed his brow when he could not. The young man was beginning to question his sanity, but he still felt he needed to find this woman. If she was real, Trunks knew she could end up in real danger, especially if she stumbled across his father; and he also knew his mother would kill him for allowing a security breach to wander around their home. He walked into his mother and father's bedroom after finding the door slightly ajar, only to see an empty room. There were no other doors in this section of the hallway, so Trunks knew she had to be in here; but after a quick inspection of the entire room, he found nothing.
"What are you doing in here?" He heard from the door, jumping with surprise at hearing his father's voice.
"Nothing, Dad." Trunks said as he tried to explain, "I just thought I saw someone come in here."
"Who?" Vegeta asked with his arms crossed.
"I don't know," Trunks answered, "She said her name was Anna, but I think she was lying."
"I don't see anyone in here." His father remarked.
"Yeah, I couldn't find her." Trunks agreed before asking, "You didn't see anyone sneak past me while I was in here, did you?"
The look on his father's face showed his answer was a no. It also showed clear annoyance.
"I'm going to go look somewhere else." Trunks said quickly, and his father gave him a "you go do that" sort of look before he hurried past him.
Where the hell did she go? Trunks asked himself as he walked further down the hallway, knowing he would find his mother and sister in the dining room at the moment. And sure enough, he was greeted there by his four year old sister and his mother.
"Trunks!" Bulla cheered as he entered the room.
"Hey, Trunks." His mother said before giving him a concerned look, "Are you okay? You look stressed about something. Did you get ambushed by employees again?"
"That's not it." Trunks began before he considered asking about Anna or not. It took him a moment to decide.
"I'm trying to find someone around here." He explained, hoping he was not losing his mind in front of his entire family.
"Someone?" Bulma questioned, "Who?"
"I don't know," Trunks told her, "It's this woman, I saw her when I got out the elevator; but I lost her after I turned around to call it back and put her on it."
"The only person I've seen walking around was your father." Bulma informed him before asking, "Are you sure you're okay? You know how hard it is for people to get in here without permission."
"I know." Trunks replied, "Maybe I am losing my mind."
As soon as he said that, his mother gasped at something behind him.
"What?!" He asked worriedly, spinning to see what was behind him.
"I saw her!" his mother declared, running to the doorway and looking down both sides of the hall, "Where did she go?"
"I knew I wasn't the only one!" Trunks remarked happily before asking, "Did she have black hair and a lab coat?"
"I think so." Bulma answered before adding, "I should probably call security."
"No." Trunks told her, to her surprise, "I can't feel this girl's energy. She might be hiding it, and if she knows how to do that…"
"Then security's probably not going to be enough." His mother agreed.
"Which way did you see her go?" Trunks asked quickly.
"Towards your room, I think." Bulma said nervously.
"Stay here with Bulla." He told his mother, "And get Dad if I don't come back in a few minutes."
Bulma nodded tentatively before Trunks walked out the room, walking down the long hall until he reached his bedroom. Opening the door quickly, he heard a gasp as he nearly knocked his uninvited guest over with the door. He stopped instantly when he saw the woman, however. This was not the brunette Anna, but some redhead.
"Okay." He questioned impatiently, "Who are you?"
"I'm Anna." The woman answered with a familiar smirk.
"Why can't I feel your ki?" Trunks questioned.
"You taught me how to hide it, silly." She answered, and Trunks noticed her bright blue eyes again as she added, "You haven't changed much since you left, you know."
"No way…" He muttered, knowing he had only taught one person how to use ki, "Lisa-"
"SHHH!" She quickly told him, gently grabbing him by the jaw to silence him at the same time. Brandishing a small white orb with her free hand, the woman tapped it twice; and sure enough, Lisanna Strauss was standing in front of him, wearing what appeared to be one of her sister's old red dresses.
"What are you doing here?" He questioned.
"You haven't seen me in two years, and that's the first thing you say?" She asked, acting irritated.
"Sorry, I just…"
"Relax, Trunks, you know I'm just playing." She interrupted with a smile before hugging him, "I missed you so much."
"I missed you too…" Trunks replied after returning the hug, taking a moment to enjoy the embrace before slowly releasing her as he asked, "How did you get here?"
She held the small white orb out once again before pointing it at a wall. A small white portal appeared where she pointed before it rapidly closed.
"The amplifier works amazingly, Trunks." She explained, "You wouldn't believe some of the things it can do."
"Really?" Trunks questioned.
"You bet." Lisanna answered with a grin, "This little remote here lets me use some of Iga's powers whenever I need to."
"That's the remote?" He asked, remembering how long Iga had been working on it before adding, "So then that disguise magic, that's his?"
His girlfriend nodded.
"But…" Trunks remarked, "The note from the other day said you two weren't going to directly contact me."
"I didn't help write that note." Lisanna stated before adding, "But, um… Iga doesn't know I'm here, not yet anyway."
"You mean you snuck over here?"
She gave him a look that said, "It's complicated."
"Why?" Trunks asked, "I mean, I'm insanely happy to see you; but you could get in a lot of trouble coming here."
"I know, but…" She began as she tried to think of where to begin, "But there's something going on with Iga."
"What do you mean?" Trunks asked, intrigued.
"I mean he's been acting weird," She elaborated.
"This is Master Iga we're talking about." Trunks remarked.
"It's not his normal kind of weird, though." She informed him, "He's been acting like he's worried about something, but he won't say why."
"Edo's not up to something, is he?" Trunks asked with concern.
"I don't know." She said with a shrug, "But I'm getting worried. Even after you left, Iga always told me what was going on."
"So he's hiding something." Trunks agreed before questioning, "But what did you think coming here might do? I don't know what's going on in Earthland."
"I know you don't." Lisanna replied, and he could see she was genuinely confused, "I just thought, maybe talking to you might help me think of something. You are the only other good person alive that's known him."
"Yeah." Trunks agreed, sighing before adding, "Look, Lisanna-"
"Save it, please." She interrupted him, "I know I risked a lot coming here. And it was probably really stupid of me, but-"
Trunks cut her off with a kiss, one with immense emotion and passion. She froze before happily returning it, letting him pin her against the wall as she melted into him. Their display of affection was relatively brief, but it was long enough to be interrupted by the noise of a woman's gasp.
"Trunks?!" Bulma said, surprised at the sight. The two instantly jumped apart with bright red faces.
"Hey, um, Mom…" He said, staring at the floor.
"Vegeta, let me deal with this one." He heard his mother say before the bedroom door closed.
"What the hell is going on around here?" She suddenly asked the two angrily, "You had me worried about some possibly dangerous stranger lurking around our home, when clearly she's your girlfriend?!"
"Ms. Briefs, I can explain-" Lisanna tried but was cut off.
"I don't think I need any explanation for what I saw." Bulma remarked with force before glaring back at her son, "And I thought the woman you were looking for had black hair."
"That was me, ma'am." Lisanna replied before her boyfriend could, pulling out the remote and tapping on it. Instantly, the same black-haired woman in a lab coat was standing in place of Lisanna.
"How did you-?" Bulma began to question before guessing, "Is that some kind of hologram?"
The bluenette pulled on the sleeve of the lab coat to find she had guessed wrong.
"No, ma'am." Lisanna said as she changed back to her usual appearance, "It's magic."
"Magic?" Bulma repeated, thinking she was being mocked until remembering, "Wait, you're not from Earthland are you?"
"She is." Trunks answered for her, scratching his left shoulder and looking at the floor bashfully. A nervous silence fell over the room as Bulma tried to figure out what to say next, looking around the room in thought as she did.
"Huh, um… I don't really know where to begin," Bulma admitted, turning to Lisanna, "So… I guess we'll start with who are you and how did you get in my house?"
"Mom," Trunks answered for Lisanna, "This is Lisanna, my girlfriend; and she, uh, teleported here."
"And why am I hearing about her just now?" His mother replied; her tone was a mixture of confusion, curiosity, and annoyance.
"Trunks thought he was never going to see me again." Lisanna defended him, "And I'm guessing it was just too painful to think or talk about; at least, I hope that's the reason he never told his family about me."
"It is." Trunks affirmed quickly and nervously.
"You see, I tried to teleport into Trunks' room; but I messed up the destination." Lisanna explained before looking to Trunks, "You never told me your family has dinosaurs on the main floor!"
Trunks shrugged an apology.
"So you disguised yourself to get around the building, I put that together." Bulma remarked, getting the couple on topic, "But how did you get to the second floor?"
"Oh, that?" Lisanna replied, "That was easy. Watch this."
Bulma watched with amazement as Lisanna turned herself into a tiny and bizarre-looking multicolored mouse.
"I crawled under the doors in one of the stairwells." A squeaky voiced mouse stated before it turned back into Lisanna.
"Showoff." Trunks joked before asking, "Wait, you can use magic here?"
"I asked Iga about that once." Lisanna replied, "He said it was more than likely, but Earth doesn't have a source of ethernano like back home."
"What the heck is 'ethernano'?" Bulma wondered.
"It's the stuff on Earthland that gives wizards their magic." Trunks filled her in before turning to Lisanna, "But if there's none here, that means your magic won't recharge after you use it."
"That's what these are for." Lisanna stated, digging through a pocket before pulling out a small container; inside it were several small pills.
"Master Iga created these things." She continued, "He calls them X-Balls. Apparently, he helped Mystogan make them. Here, try one."
Lisanna opened the container and pulled one of the tiny red spheres out before tossing it to Trunks, who caught it with ease before popping it into his mouth.
"Trunks, wait-" His mother tried to warn him, worried about him taking strange meds; but he did not listen, swallowing it the next instant.
"Wow." Trunks replied as he felt his magic return to him almost instantly, "It worked."
To demonstrate, he held his hands out; and Bulma jumped when her son's hands lit up with red and white flame.
"Awesome! I was worried I'd never get to do this again." Trunks remarked before putting his hands out, "Thanks, Lisanna."
"Don't spend it all in one place." She joked.
"Okay, you two, before I start acting nice I want to know," Bulma chimed in, looking directly at her son, "Why did you think you'd never see her again?"
"Because travelling between universes isn't allowed." Trunks explained, "Whis told me that before he dragged me back here."
"Oh, I see." Bulma replied before adding with a smirk, "Forbidden love, huh?"
"Mom!" Trunks whined while Lisanna giggled.
"Don't 'mom' me, Trunks Briefs." Bulma quipped, "Be happy I'm taking my anger out on you this way."
"Yes, ma'am." Trunks replied nervously, looking at the floor to hide his slightly reddened face. Lisanna giggled at the interaction before Bulma turned to her.
"Well, Lisanna," Bulma offered, "You may be an unexpected guest, but you're still a guest. How would you like to come eat dinner with the family? And don't worry, no one untrustworthy is going to know you were ever here."
"I'd love to, Ms. Briefs." Lisanna accepted.
"Please, call me Bulma. 'Ms. Briefs' makes me feel old. Are you coming, Trunks?"
"Oh, yeah." He replied, realizing he had been standing around watching them as they left his room. As he followed the two, he could not help but think he heard movement coming from his room just as he closed the door. The thought went to the back of his mind when they finally reached the dining room, however. To Trunks' dismay, his father was sitting at the table with his back to them, already chowing down on what appeared to be his eighth bowl of rice.
"Wow." Lisanna remarked as she thought aloud, "So that is where Trunks gets it."
"You better believe it. I've certainly never eaten with that little manners." Bulma half-joked before introducing Lisanna to Trunks' father, "Vegeta, I've got someone you may want to meet."
Vegeta made a noise of disinterest before turning around to see the three standing in front of him.
"Lisanna, this is my husband Vegeta," Bulma said, "And Vegeta, this is Lisanna, your son's girlfriend."
Trunks did not know how to read the expression his father had before he said indifferently, "Good for him."
Lisanna giggled as Vegeta turned his back to them and resumed eating.
"Vegeta!" Bulma scolded, "Where are your manners?! That's not how you treat a guest! Turn around and greet her properly, or else."
Vegeta slowly turned around before muttering, "Welcome, girlfriend of my son."
Bulma ushered Trunks and Lisanna to their seats. Trunks sat on a corner between Lisanna and his father.
"You should forgive Vegeta," Bulma remarked, "Where he's from, the concept of courtesy apparently never existed."
"The Saiyan Planet right?" Lisanna asked, "Trunks told me about it. He said that you're a prince, too."
Vegeta glanced at her as he ate, but he said nothing in response as Bulma passed Trunks and Lisanna their food.
"I'll be right back, you three." Bulma said after giving the couple their food, "Mom and Dad might want to meet you too, and Bulla."
The room was awkwardly quiet after she left until Trunks tried to break the silence.
"So, um, Dad," Trunks began, "Lisanna's a fighter, of sorts."
"How strong are you?" Vegeta questioned her. Trunks was both surprised and not that his father asked her that question.
"I'm sure I'm nowhere near you or Trunks' level," Lisanna replied, "But I'm pretty strong against other humans."
"Hmph." Vegeta remarked as he looked the girl over again, "And how did you manage to travel across a universe?"
"You know she's from Earthland?" Trunks questioned curiously.
"She doesn't live on this planet, otherwise I'd have seen her before." Vegeta pointed out, "Unless what happened in your room earlier was a first time occurrence."
"You saw that, huh?" Trunks replied sheepishly. He was spared from the response when Bulma walked in carrying Bulla.
"Oh, wow." Lisanna remarked as she saw Trunks' sister, "Trunks, she's way cuter than you describe her."
"She's got my looks, fortunately." Bulma remarked before addressing her daughter, "Bulla, this is Lisanna. She's a friend of your brother's."
"Hi, Lisanna!" The little bluenette greeted.
"Where's Grandpa and Grandma?" Trunks wondered aloud.
"Dad's still busy in his lab, and Mom just left to go shopping." His mother answered. She was going to continue talking, but her husband put his last bowl of rice down rather forcefully.
"Trunks." Vegeta addressed his son.
"Yes, father?" Trunks replied, seeing his father stand up.
"You and I need to talk." Vegeta told him before adding sternly, "Now."
"Yes… sir…" Trunks replied nervously before his father led him out the room. Trunks was quiet as he followed his father down the hallway before he suddenly spun on his son, grabbing him by the collar and shoving him against the wall.
"Are you freaking serious, Trunks?!" He questioned his son angrily, "What game are you playing at?! Do you wish for this planet to get destroyed?!"
"No!" Trunks replied quickly, "Dad, I didn't bring her here!"
"Do you realize the dangers she brings with her?"
"I do, Dad." Trunks answered, "I was about to send her away until you and mom interrupted, and it was mom that invited her to dinner!"
"I'm talking about your relationship with her!" Vegeta clarified, "She wouldn't be here at all if she didn't have a reason to be here!"
"I know what you, mean, father." Trunks agreed, "But I can't go back in time and undo falling in love with her, okay?!"
Vegeta was surprised when Trunks shoved his hand away boldly.
"Are you going to tell anyone she's here?" Trunks asked, uncharacteristically taking charge of the conversation, "No, well, then I don't see anything wrong with her eating dinner before she leaves."
"She's leaving, now!" Vegeta argued, "Whether you like it or not!"
"If you even think about touching her…" Trunks warned.
"You forget your place, brat." Vegeta warned him, nearly fuming.
"I never forgot it, father." Trunks remarked.
"Good." Vegeta stated, "Then you will send her away immediately. We don't need any more threats to this planet."
"Why do we have to follow these rules?" Trunks questioned, suddenly unable to stop himself, "Is it just because you're afraid?"
"You know nothing of the people that make these 'rules', and they are not to be played with." Vegeta told his son, "You'd know that if you listened to me!"
"Well, I'm sorry;" Trunks remarked sarcastically, "I guess I got your stubbornness."
"You're testing my patience. And it won't be long before Whis notices her presence." Vegeta warned him, but something in Trunks seemed to snap.
"You know, what?" Trunks finally decided, "I think Lisanna should stay permanently."
"What?!" Vegeta replied, shocked, "Have you lost your mind?!"
"Actually, I think I'm using it for once." Trunks answered, "I want to know why these stupid rules are in place, and I want to know who made them."
"Shut up, right now." Vegeta replied.
"No, Dad, I won't!" Trunks continued, "I'm sick and tired of going about feeling half-empty all the time! Either Lisanna stays, or I go with her. Either way, I'm fine with fighting anyone that wants to say otherwise."
Vegeta stared at his son for a long moment before sighing, "Damnit…"
"She can stay." The Saiyan Prince finally decided, "But if anything or anyone comes to enforce those 'stupid rules', you'll have to pay the price."
"That's fine." Trunks agreed before asking, "Can I go back and eat now, father?"
"Do as you wish." Vegeta replied sourly before turning away. Trunks watched his father turn around before he began to head back for the dining room. He stopped when he heard his father speak one more time.
"Trunks," Vegeta called from over his shoulder, "I may not like the tone you gave me, or the hazards that girl risks on us, but I am proud of you for fighting for what's yours. Just make sure you're not risking everything for nothing."
"I'm know I'm not." Trunks replied, looking at his father's back before seeing him enter an elevator. Trunks took a moment to collect himself before going back into the dining room.
"Everything okay, Trunks?" Bulma asked as her son came back in, "Where's your father at?"
"Everything's fine." Trunks replied, "Dad just went to the GR, I think."
"He wasn't too angry with you, was he?" Lisanna questioned, cutting straight to the point.
"Nah," Trunks half-lied, moving to sit where his father had a few moments ago, "Actually, he said you could stay here for however long you wanted."
"He did?" Bulma and Lisanna both asked, surprised.
"That's right." Trunks affirmed as he reached his seat.
"But what about the rules?" Lisanna questioned.
"Eh," Trunks remarked, "Saiyans are pretty stubborn people. I'm sure whoever made up the rules would understand."
"And what are you going to do if Goten sees her here?" Bulma questioned, "Is he going to be allowed to bring that girl Wendy over here?"
"If he wants." Trunks answered.
"I don't want you putting yourself in danger for me, Trunks." Lisanna stated.
"I will do exactly that if I have to, even if you don't want me to." Trunks replied.
"Trunks…" Lisanna remarked. Bulma watched the exchange with interest, knowing the look on Lisanna's face showed that the argument was not over; but someone else had come to interrupt it.
"Well," A new voice chimed in, making everyone in the room jump, "I guess I just walked in at an interesting time."
"Master?" Trunks questioned as soon as he turned and saw the ever-shirtless redhead standing in the doorway.
"In the flesh." Iga affirmed with a grin as he entered the room. He looked at Lisanna, who averted her eyes to avoid meeting his gaze.
"We'll have a talk later about your hijacking my magic, you little sneak; you're lucky this little reunion's got me in a good mood." He told her before turning to Bulma, "And you must be Trunks' mother, Bulma, right? My name is Iga."
"Mom, this is the guy that saved me back on Earthland." Trunks filled her in, "He's also the one that trained me to use magic. I probably wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for him."
"He's the guy?" Bulma questioned. Trunks, Lisanna, and Iga nodded.
"Well," She said as she approached the redhead, "What would the man that saved my son like in return? I don't know if Trunks told you about our family's wealth, but we-"
"Please, Bulma." Iga interrupted her, "Trunks already repaid that debt threefold. And it wasn't like I helped him out of the kindness of my heart either; I needed his strength. Besides, a guy like me doesn't have a need for much, anyway."
"There has to be something." Bulma replied, "There's always something."
"Ehhh, if you really insist," Iga gave in, "I guess I'll just steal some food and we can call it even."
"You said it like you weren't thinking it in the first place." Trunks joked to his master.
"What?" Iga questioned with a grin, "I'm hungry."
"Before I make your food, Iga," Bulma remarked, "Is there anyone else I should expect to show up in my house?"
"Not that I know of." Iga remarked, grabbing Trunks' bowl of rice and starting to eat it thoughtlessly, "But then again, none of this was expected. Lisanna and I should be on Earthland at the moment, for all our sakes."
"Because you're from another universe, right?" Bulma questioned the man, looking between him and Lisanna as she did, "I didn't know there were rules against that kind of stuff. I mean, since Lord Beerus had just brought us to Universe 6 so casually I figured it wasn't too big of a deal."
"I don't think Lord Beerus cared about the rules." Trunks remarked before adding, "And neither should we."
"No, Trunks." Lisanna argued, "You know how much danger we'll put you in, and how much we're already putting you in."
Bulma and Iga glanced at each other after Trunks impatiently knocked his foot against the right leg of the table.
"I don't care." Trunks insisted, "You can't keep me away again. Either you stay here, or I go back."
"We'll just give you two a moment." Iga suddenly chimed in, preparing to stand up and walk out the room.
"No," Trunks replied quickly and apologetically, "You don't have to do that."
"Can you excuse us for a minute?" Trunks asked his mother, who quickly nodded before watching him stand up with Lisanna and lead her out the room.
"Well," Iga commented to no one, reaching over and grabbing Lisanna's food while Bulma and Bulla stared at the doorway the couple had just walked through, "That was almost awkward."
Trunks and Lisanna did not speak until they were in Trunks' room and the door was closed behind them.
"Trunks…" Lisanna tried to continue arguing, but she stopped when her boyfriend suddenly took both of her hands into his and looked straight into her eyes.
"I'm not leaving you again." He repeated, "And I don't care if someone's going to attack me for it; I'll train so that I'm strong enough to beat them."
"But you could get killed!" She argued back, "Everyone's afraid of whoever made the rules up, and I think there's a reason for that. I don't want to be with you if I know it's going to get you killed!"
"Stop, please." Trunks pleaded with her, taking his hands off hers just to grab her gently by the waist, "This is my decision, too, okay?"
"I'm never letting you leave my sight ever again." Trunks continued, pulling Lisanna closer, "And I won't hear anything else on the subject other than where we're staying tonight."
"We can stay here, or go to Earthland; I don't care, as long as we're both there." Trunks added to further his point, "You'll have to kill me to keep me away, and even that might not be enough."
"You're right about Saiyans and their stubbornness." Lisanna joked with her eyes beginning to water.
"We'll figure out everything as we go, okay?" Trunks asked, using his right hand to wipe Lisanna's tears away, "But you have to promise me you'll never ask me to stay away again."
Lisanna nodded, but that was not good enough for him.
"Lisanna, do you love me?" Trunks questioned rhetorically before adding, "Then promise me it."
There was a brief pause before Lisanna nodded once more and then replied.
"Okay, I promise." She gave in, "But you have to promise me that we're not going to get everyone killed by being selfish."
"We won't, Lisanna, I promise," He quickly agreed, "Because as long as you're with me, I can do anything I put my mind to."
"And that's one of the hundreds of reasons for why I love you." He added to end his response. Lisanna smiled warmly once again in response.
"Just hundreds?" She asked sarcastically, getting a chuckle from Trunks before she moved his lips to his; and the two enjoyed the small moment of pleasure before they separated.
"I may love you with everything I've got, but," She added humorously, "I still don't think that compares to Iga's love for food; and I think my dinner might be in danger sitting in that room with just him, your mom, and your sister."
"We should go save it then." Trunks suggested with a smirk, releasing Lisanna as he added, "Before it meets the same fate as my dinner."
Lisanna moved to open the door before Trunks suddenly grabbed her right hand and pulled her back to him; and the sudden moving only ended when the two were once again in the middle of a passionate kiss, with Lisanna moaning faintly before Trunks pulled away from her and explained his actions.
"Before you ask, that's for putting up with me. Now let's go make sure Master doesn't bankrupt my Mom's company on dining expenses."