Disclaimer: I obviously do not own Dragon Ball Z. If you thought I did, then you have been living under a rock for far too long. Come, join the rest of the world. =P Heh heh. Anywho, that be all.

A Stolen Future

Chapter 1

The night was cold; the streets, busy. People hurried back and forth between the stores and restaurants in the heart of the city. Some were alone; others, with family or friends. But, the majority of people out at the late hour were young couples, couples taking advantage of the romantic, star-filled night.

Perhaps in part, because these people were absorbed in their own business or in each other, few people noticed a girl standing near an almost deserted street corner. She stood leaning back against a brick wall, one that had been the victim of many late night excursions by local self-styled, self-proclaimed artists.

Or perhaps their ignorance of her was because she stood half-hidden by the shadows caused by the dim lighting. Several of the streetlights in this more neglected area of the city had long since ceased to fulfill their purpose of lighting the streets, due either to poor maintenance or lack thereof. Nevertheless, the people of the city continued to pass by her hurriedly.

Or maybe the reason they stayed away from her was not due to their ignorance of her presence. No, possibly it was her own less-than-friendly expression. Her eyes were icy, and the glare she had given the few people who had mustered the courage to approach her was colder than the chilling night air.

She stood there silently, watching as the people passed in front of her, but she saw nothing. She was not interested in the people of the city, or even in the city itself. She had no reason to stay; she would leave soon.

* * * * *

Elsewhere, a young man walked the streets alone. He was searching for something, anything that might break the monotony of the pattern his life was slipping into. Whatever it was he hoped to find, there was little chance he would find it here.

The cold night air whistled loudly as it blew in from the north. The young man pulled his blue jacket a bit tighter, an effort to block the chill of the dropping temperature. He pushed his wind-blown lavender hair back out of his eyes. He didn't know why he even bothered; his hair would inevitably end up where he least wanted it, but maybe he did it more out of habit than out of need. He continued to walk silently.

This city had been one of the few that had escaped destruction during the androids' reign of terror. But now that the android twins were gone, the world had moved towards an era of peace. Cities had been rebuilt, and people had begun to put their lives back together again. Already some people had forgotten the intense fear they had felt during those long years, and it was only a matter of time before their recollection of their lives during the time of the androids' reign would be nothing more than a distant memory. A memory they hoped to soon forget.

But he had never felt that way. He had lived through too much while trying to free his world of the control of the androids to dismiss these memories carelessly. He had learned a great deal; he had grown up quickly, perhaps faster than he should have.

Now, there seemed to be little left for him. At least before, he had known his place in life; he had known it was his duty and responsibility to liberate the Earth. Even after his long-awaited victory over the androids, there had still been a place for him. He had helped tirelessly at the restoration of cities, towns, and villages. But now, the period of reconstruction was nearly over, and he had yet to find his place.

"Hey, have you seen that girl?" asked someone.

The voice intruded noisily upon his thoughts, and his reverie ended short. He looked around slowly for something familiar but realized that he no longer knew where he was. He had been so lost in his own thoughts that he had ceased to pay attention to the world around him.

"You mean the one standing near the corner of Third and Eighth Street?" asked the companion of the first speaker.

Trunks turned away slowly. There was nothing more for him to do here; perhaps it was time for him to leave.

"You saw her too, then," continued the first boy. "She's been standing there forever. I heard someone say that she hasn't moved at all in the last hour."

"Yeah, I heard that the last person who tried to talk to her got scared off. They said he couldn't stand her glare," responded the second boy, his voice awed and a bit scared.

"Come on. Let's go see her," suggested the first.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea."

"Aw, come on. Don't be such a scaredy-cat!"

"Leave me alone!"

Trunks had stopped and listened in on the conversation of the two boys. Their voices faded as they ran off, still bickering. Their conversation had, of course, not been directed at him, but nevertheless it had piqued his curiosity. The corner of third and eighth, they had said. That wasn't far from where he was. He would go and find this girl they had been talking about, if only to satisfy his own curiosity.

He hurried on quickly, weaving his way through the crowded streets. In his haste, he bumped into one of the many people around him.

"Oh! Sorry," he apologized hastily as he walked on.

Why am I in such a hurry?

Was it the distant, hopeful promise of adventure, or simply the desire for some small event to break the pattern of his now ordinary life? Maybe all he wanted was some unusual occurrence to mark this day as different from all the others. He slowed down as he reached his destination.

Nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary. Had he heard wrong? He walked slowly up the dimly lit street but still saw nothing. The two boys he had heard earlier were nowhere to be found, but it was better that way. From what little he had heard from them, this girl seemed a bit hostile.

Suddenly he stopped where he was. He had the distinct feeling that someone was watching him. He looked around quickly and noticed a dark shadow being cast from one of the many alleys that lined the street. He quickly walked forward, towards the source of the shadow.

Then he saw her.

Beautiful.

He shook his head, surprised at the thoughts that were going through his mind.

Why am I thinking this way?

He realized with a start that she was staring at him. Had this been what the two boys had been talking about, her frosty glare?

Why? Why is she looking at me like that?

But he was not as easily dismissed as most. He moved his gaze over her quickly, but the darkness prevented him from seeing her completely.

Blue eyes.

Even in the darkness, he could see the shade of her eyes; they pierced the shadows, and the wintry stare she gave him was unsettling.

Her eyes. They're like ice.

He moved his gaze over her slowly, taking in her appearance.

Black hair.

Her long hair was dark, wild but only to the point of adding to her allure.

Exotic charm.

Was that what he thought of her?

Deadly.

He flinched involuntarily as those words came to his mind. He had no reason to suspect that she was dangerous, but something in her expression made him feel that way.

A rose.

No, a rose was too common.

A blue rose.

Yes, that suited her better.

With thorns.

The girl stared at him, unable to determine why he was still there. She was surprised, but her emotion did not show up in her face. She had learned long ago to hide her emotions. It had been almost necessary to her survival. It could make the difference between life and death.

Who is he?

He hadn't left yet; moreover, he was staring back at her. She followed his gaze for a moment before she became lost in one of her own.

Lavender hair?

She thought this with some amusement. He was the first she had seen with hair of that color; but amazingly enough, it seemed to suit him. Perhaps on another it would have appeared strange; but on him, it just seemed right. She moved her gaze down a bit.

Blue eyes.

The bright intensity of his eyes contrasted with the pale color of his hair. This unusual combination seemed to set him apart from all those she had seen in the hours that she had been standing here.

What am I thinking?

She reproached herself for losing focus on what she was doing. She had allowed herself to drift too deep into her own thoughts. Now, she would have to make sure that she had not given him the wrong impression.

Trunks broke his gaze for a moment. Standing here would do him no good. He had to talk to her.

But will she let me?

He started to approach her slowly.

"If you come any closer," she warned, her voice barely above a whisper, "I'll kill you."

The End. Heh, kidding. Wouldn't that be a perfectly lovely way to end this? Mmm, probably not. ^_^ Well, what'd you think? Decent, passable, horrible? Ah, I know it had the makings of a Mary Sue *gasp* but don't judge it just yet. Keep an open mind, 'k? Um, well, that's it for now.

~Azuri

dbzazuri@yahoo.com