Author's Note: This is an AU Future Trunks timeline. Please remember this was written for my enjoyment, and if you receive enjoyment as well, that is wonderful! However I didn't think about what everyone else would enjoy when writing it, so please don't hate on me if you don't like the way I the story goes, or my habit to be descriptive. Please don't be afraid of all the text!

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z, or any of the characters that reside in the Dragon Ball universe. They were created by the masterful Akira Toyiyama, and belong to him and whoever he sells them too. Any character created by myself are mine, however I don't really care if anyone, for whatever reason, has the desire to use them. I doubt that will happen, but still! ^_^

An Unlikely Love

Her mother was laughing. She could hear the soft, rich sound as it reached her from the adjoining bedroom. Crawling from her bed, her small feet quiet on the floor, two blonde pigtails bouncing with each step, she slowly crept toward the door. Her nightgown danced around her ankles as she raised her arm and twisted the doorknob, testing it first in one direction, and then in the other. She had only just learned to open doors by herself, and still found it difficult to master, especially in the dim light of her bedroom. Finally, with a deep breath, she gave the knob one final twist and the door gave away, pushed open by the weight of her small body pressed against it.

Marron went tumbling to the floor in a heap of small limps. She had barely managed a surprised gasp before Juuhachi swept her up off the floor and into her cradled arms, soothing her as she returned her to her bedroom. "Shh, Marron. Silly girl, what are you doing out of bed? I told you that mama and uncle are busy tonight. You have to be a good girl and stay in bed, no playing tonight." Her tone was that of a loving mother, stern but caring.

"You were playing, though, mama." Marron said, frowning sadly up at Juu as she tucked the covers back around her.

"What do you mean, baby?" Juuhachi soothed back the small wisps' that had broken free from their pony tails, gently stroking her daughters head.

"You were playing with all the red paint, mama." Marron ran a small hand down her mother's cheek, and then offered her palm to her mother as proof. "You have it all over your face."

Juuhachi looked down into her daughter's small hand and something inside her, though she couldn't have said what it was, ached. These human emotions, she thought with both anger and sadness, were a bane. She could not have told anyone why, for she didn't know herself, but at the sight of the red smear upon her child's palm, she felt…sickened. She had no misconceptions of who she was, of what she was created to do, but she had vowed upon giving birth to this child, this miracle that should never have been given life, that she would shield it from what she was.

"Mama was painting the city red," Juuhachi mumbled against her daughters forehead as she planted a quick kiss, "Now go back to sleep, love."

The city of Satan had long ago been destroyed, and what remained of the city was practically a wasteland. Buildings that had once stood tall and gleaming were skeletons of their former selves, their walls covered in the graffiti of the gangs that roamed, consisting mostly of abandoned or orphaned children who grew up uneducated and troubled. People still remained; those who had managed to survive the android attacks and the hardships of the aftermath, living in broken down apartments and buildings, refusing or simply too tired to move to one of the many shelters in the neighboring towns. They continued to try and forge a life for themselves, for their families, to try and rebuild what had been taken from them, but so few still had the hope to actually accomplish what they dreamed. In this very town, amongst the broken down rubble, is where our story begins.

Under a fallen bridge, wrapped in several tattered and dingy blankets, a tiny form slept, twisting to and fro in her dreams. At first one would assume the small body belonged to that of a little girl with a dirt smudged face and low hanging, tangled pigtails, but as she moved in her sleep, slowly undoing her covers, it was clear that her body was not that of a child's, but that of a young woman's - a rather petite, fragile looking young woman. Her face grew sad in her sleep, her lips tipping downward, "No, mama, don't go…"

Blue eyes flickered open as she let out a small sob, her knees coming up to her chest and her arms wrapping herself together. She tried to fight the tears that threatened to spill over, to fight the sadness that welled in her heart each time she dreamt of her mother. What she would have given to feel safe once more in her mother's arms, even for just a few moments. Tucked into a ball, she waited for the waves of emotions to pass, waited for the pounding in her heart to soothe. Slowly her breathing returned to normal, her eyes dried, and color – what little color she still had – returned to her face.

Drawing in a steady breath she unwound herself from her arms and blankets and set up, her eyes taking in the fallen pieces of the bridge. For what she could tell she was alone, but often she thought the same thing only to turn around and find him there, waiting for the perfect moment to break her neck. Standing, Marron stood and started gathering her things. She folded the dirty and stained blankets as if they were precious and placed them gently into her backpack, directly on top of an old jean jacket and a faded red bandana. Zipping the bag, she had nearly slid it over her shoulders when she heard the sound of footsteps. She froze, her breath catching in her lungs, her face caught in terror.

Directly above her, on what remained of the bridge, was the sound of quiet steps, and over the years, she had learned quiet steps were the ones to be weary of. He was silent, moving with a stealth and speed she had never seen before. It was rare that she heard him coming, rare that she saw him before he was in front of her, but she did not want to take the chance. One chance and she could be dead, discarded and broken like her mother had been, like her uncle. She often wondered if he was an android, like the ones the townsfolk talked about, if he was one of the things that had destroyed her world. Marron knew she could not stay where she was, as she was an easy target from the three different entrances into her hideout. She usually knew better then to choose such an easy accessible place to sleep, but she had been exhausted the night before after leaving the other side of town and had simply wanted to stop.

The bridge had been a happy sight then. She could sleep beneath the rubble and go unnoticed by those passing by. Now, as she stood pressed up against the very wall she had slept again, Marron wished she hadn't of been so foolish. The footsteps moved, and to Marron they sounded as if they were closing in on her. She guessed the person was standing directly above her now, and her heart caught in her throat. Please Kami, she thought, her eyes closing tightly, please let him leave.

A voice suddenly broke through her terror, and Marron had to concentrate to make out what it was saying. Not because it was quiet, but because she had been so intent on listening only for the footsteps, she had closed everything else off. "Found you, Makota! You're it now!" The footsteps were suddenly loud as the children ran away to play, their laughter trailing behind them. Marron fought for breath. She felt as if she was choking, and on whether it was a sob or a laugh, she didn't know. It had not been the lavender haired man with the cruel eyes and twisted mouth. She drew in a shaky breath and willed her fists to unfold, trying desperately to calm herself.

Shrugging her arm through the second strap on her backpack, Marron glanced around the dirty shelter that had been her home for the evening, and longed for the warm, colorful room from when she was a little girl. She missed the warmth and comfort of having a home. Willing herself to be strong, she walked through the widest hole of her hideout leading into the city.

Her stomach was growling, but then again, it often growled, especially because she rarely had anything to eat. This probably had something to do with the fact that she didn't have any money to purchase any in the even rarer event that someone was selling anything remotely edible. The pain of not eating, however, was as constant a companion as the growling was, and so she had simply learned to push the feeling aside and keep moving; to put her mind elsewhere so she didn't think of her hunger. So Marron sang a song she had learned from her mother – a song her mother had said she had learned in a previous life. Marron had never understood what that meant, but that didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered anymore, except staying alive, and sometimes… she wasn't even sure why she did that.

"Got up this morning on the right side of the bed, these crazy thoughts running through my head," Marron sang as she followed the broken road, stepping over fallen trees and picking her way through huge piles of beams that had once been buildings. She tried to imagine the city as it had once been, in its entire splendor, like in the torn pieces of magazine pages she had seen, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't seem to form the image in her head. She had never seen a city like the ones she had seen in pictures. She had grown up in a nice place, but it had not been a city… it had only been a building, a building larger than any she had ever seen since she had been forced to leave it.

"I can't wait to see what this world holds for me. It feels so good to be alive," Marron smiled, losing herself in the song, "even if a little rain should fall, because it's a neeeeeew daaaaay!" Climbing over a boulder, Marron paused to look around, realizing she was finally on the outskirts of the city. The sun had risen high into the sky, and she guessed it had to be sometime in the afternoon. Raising her face to the sky, she let the feel of the sun soak her through to her bones. Winter was coming; she could feel it during the evenings, when night was beginning to creep over the city. The days were getting darker sooner, the nights longer. She wasn't sure where she was going, but she knew she had to find somewhere safe before the first snow fall.

With that thought she started walking again, following the highway as it lead the last few miles out-of-town. She wondered what she would find next. The town had been a welcome sight after she had spent so much time trekking through the forest, but soon the broken down buildings had lost their appeal, and she wanted nothing more than to leave the decaying city and its people with their shattered dreams. Lost in her thoughts, it took Marron several moments to register the sound of falling rocks. The sound of them tumbling down, knocking into other fallen stones as they made their downward topple toward the ground.

She froze for a moment, but instinct kicked in a moment later and she took off. She was not in the safety of a fallen building; she was a target, out in the open. She would not stand around to be murdered; she would at least be a moving target. She ran with all the speed her tired, hungry body could muster, her heart pumping, her adrenaline taking over. She didn't want to die. No matter what happened, she just didn't want to die… but he was so much faster than she was.

She saw the blur of him, nothing more than movements that were too fast for her to register, and then she felt the pain as she was sent flying backwards, back toward the city she had been escaping. She landed in a pile of rubble, the ground breaking up around her as she made contact with the torn cement. She had been kicked, she realized, her adrenaline numbing the pain. Get up, Marron! Fight! She could hear her mother's voice just as she had sounded when she had been training Marron. To teach her to use ki, something she herself could neither use nor feel. It had been the hardest thing Marron had ever had to endure with her mother, and she hadn't understood then why her mother thought it was necessary for her to learn how to protect herself.

In the last five months, however, she had come to understand. Somehow her mother had known there would come a day when Marron would have to protect herself, a day when she herself would not be there to protect her. Marron would never know it, but Juuhachi had known that her brother and she would not be around forever. The boy, every time they faced him, was changed, stronger then he had been the time before. They remained the same, with the same strength and speed they had been made with. They would not evolve, they would not grow stronger, but the boy, the Saiyan, he would one day become stronger than they were, and he would kill them. Marron, a human, was fragile, and despite what she was, Juuhachi loved her daughter. These human emotions, as her brother often said, but even he himself had grown to love the child of his sister.

Marron let out a wheeze of breath and forced herself to get back on her feet. I am not going to die, Marron thought fiercely, I will not die! She started running, forgetting the fact that she had been starving a moment ago, forgetting the fact that her body felt heavy and tired. She ran with a speed that mirrored her fathers, though she had never known him – never seen him, and could never guess that they were similar in the least. Never guess that from somewhere in the afterlife, he watched her, and was proud that he had fathered this child, even if her mother had become his downfall. Marron's mind became focused, her eyes searching out the form of the lavender haired devil that tormented her.

She found him only a second before he landed a punch to her back, and she managed to dodge the assault with a quick sidestep, moving directly into a round house kick as she twirled on him. Catching him off guard, the kick landed squarely against his upper chest, sending him spiraling backward in the air. If she hadn't been so focused on simply trying to out maneuver him, she might have felt pride at the fact that she had managed to hurt him. Not wanting to give him the time to recover, she immediately went on the attack. Her arm came out above her head, and with all the strength she could muster, she yelled, "SOOOLAARR DIIISSSSK!" A bright yellow, swirling disk appeared in the open palm of her hand, and with a quick slashing movement she sent it spinning toward him.

Fuck. His chest burned from the kick, but the pain lasted no more than a second before he forgot about it, his mind focused on his purpose. He had come to eliminate the android's offspring, and this time, he was going to finish it. His head snapped up as soon as he heard her yell, but instead of trying to dodge the attack he flew toward it, toward her, and just as it seemed like he would collide with the disk, that it would tear right through him, he simply moved. One moment he was directly in its path, the next he was gone. He heard her gasp of surprise and couldn't help the smirk that raised the corner of his mouth. It was only a recently learned ability, but one he was finding extremely useful.

Fist balled, he brought his arm back, and his ki rising, he threw it into her face. Before she fit the ground he grabbed her by the back of her grimy, worn shirt and tossed her into the air. Following suit, he flew after her, hurling his knee into her stomach. The quick catch of her breath as she tried to draw air brought a satisfied gleam to his eyes. His fist balled once again, he bought his elbow hard into the middle of her back and this time let her fall back to the ground with a loud thud. Her body sent up dust around her as she landed, and he grinned at her feeble attempt to stand up.

"Now you'll die," his voice was harsh, as it always was when he spoke to her, his hatred for the androids clear in his tone, "for everything your filthy, disgusting mother did. For every person she murdered, for everyone person she took from me, you'll pay just as she did, just as that stupid fucking piece of scrap metal of her brother did." Bringing his hands to his side, he summoned all his energy to the core of himself, his body already forming the attack his mouth had yet to speak. "Kaameee," he breathed deeply, drawing in energy as he spoke, "Haaaameeee," a yellowish orange light begun to grow in his hand, and with each syllable he uttered the sphere grew in size, "HA!"

Marron hit the ground with a loud thud, and she felt as if her entire body had been broken. It isn't fair, she thought numbly, that he could fly. Her mother had tried to explain to her the fundamentals of flying but no matter how hard she tried, it was the one ability she had not been able to master. She imagined that it had something to do with her irrational fear of heights. Though, to be perfectly honest, it had never felt irrational to her. People truly did die from falling from high places, so shouldn't the fear of heights be a rational fear? She fought to find some strength inside herself to stand up. She was tired, and hungry, and now she felt as if she had broken nearly every bone in her entire body, but she didn't want to die. She didn't want to give up, but she just… she couldn't will herself to move.

Then she heard the words that fell so callously from his mouth and her anger was flared. Her mother, and her uncle, she had loved them with every bit of her young heart. They had been her entire world, the only people she had ever known for nearly nineteen years. To her, they were her everything, and this… this monster had stolen them from her. She listened to his lies and her anger grew. Her mother and uncle would never have hurt anyone! They would never have murdered anyone, she was sure of it. They had never hurt her; they had never even yellowed at her…

She heard him speaking now, and knew that he was going to use that blast she had only just narrowly missed the last time the two of them had fought. The blast that had torn the earth where she had been standing seconds before into a crater. I don't want to die! Get up and fight, Marron! GET UP! Marron mentally yelled at herself, willing herself to find the energy, the strength, to find anything inside herself that would allow her to continue living. She slowly struggled to her knees, pushing off the ground, her hands digging into the dirt. "I have to get up," She muttered to herself, tears streaming down her face. She wasn't sure why she was crying. Maybe it was the pain that radiated throughout her body, maybe it was the fear that threatened to overwhelm her, or maybe it was simply because she had to release the built up sadness that she had been storing inside the deepest corners of herself.

Fighting the need to give up, she climbed unsteadily to her feet, knowing she had only one chance to get this right. If she failed, she would die, she had no misconceptions. She could not survive this attack, she was too weak, too tired… she wouldn't have the energy to recover, she would simply fade away into the afterlife. She waited until he uttered those last syllables, until his hands flew out from his side and guided the blast to where she was standing. She ran, as fast as she could, away from the blast, away from him, giving her just enough room to turn around, to watch as the blast broke the earth with a bright yellow light. This was her chance, her only chance. Her hands flew to her forehead, level on either side, and, her eyes closing, she yelled, pulling everything she had left inside herself, everything she could give, "SOOOOLAAAAR FLAAAARE!"

The light was blinding, covering the entire surrounding area in a bright, white light. She didn't bother to open her eyes; she knew she wouldn't be able to see. Where he was, what he was doing, she didn't care, all she knew was that he wouldn't be able to see, either. No one would be able to see. She turned away from the battle, not caring in what direction she was running as long as it was away, and ran, pushing herself, pushing her body to move at a speed she had never before been able to reach. She could feel the ground underneath her grow rocky and she knew she was heading back into town, back into the broken city she had wanted to leave. Believing herself far enough away from the fight, she opened her eyes and frantically searched the area for some place to hide. The first thing that caught her interest was a broken down office building, and she ran for it, climbing through the busted window, not bothering to stop when her skirt snagged on a piece of glass and ripped.

Sliding behind a tipped over file cabinet, she wedged herself between it and the wall, willing herself to calm down, willing her ki to drop. For her, this was the hardest of everything her mother had taught her, as Juuhachi had not been able to feel or sense her daughter's ki. Closing her eyes, she let her mind slip away, let herself drift into happy, calming memories. Her breath evened out, and body relaxed, and before Marron knew it, she was fast asleep, her head resting back against the wall. She had been running on pure adrenaline and as her body and mind loosened up, and the fight or flight mentality left her, she had no more energy to stay awake. She drifted off into nothingness, into the bliss of her dreams, which was a truly a blessing, because her body was screaming in agony.

The night was covered in bright, shimming stars, the large moon but a half crescent in the sky sending its light down on earth. Marron awoke to the feeling of her entire body throbbing. Every inch of her ached, and she wanted nothing more than to simply fall into a laying position and drift off back to sleep. Even after all the hours that had past, she was still exhausted. She didn't want to move, let alone stand up and start on her journey again, but she had fought for a purpose, and that purpose had been to stay alive. She had learned better then to stay in one place to long. She had outstayed her welcome in Satan City, which was clear by the fact that he had found her. So often she was able to just avoid him by simply staying on the move, traveling from place and place and rarely staying long enough to make friends. She had made that mistake in Satan City.

She had not made friends, but she had spoken to a few people on occasion when she craved human companionship. What had made her stay longer than she should was the abandoned house she had stumbled upon while searching the city. Once upon a time she could tell the house had been loved. Though everything inside was broken and dirty and had long ago been forgotten, she had felt as if she had found a place she would like to stay. She had moved in with the thought that she would only stay for a couple of days, that she would rest up until she felt strong enough to leave, and then she would continue on. After a while, she had simply forgotten to leave, and had ended up spending nearly a month, three weeks longer then she had ever spent in any location. Two days ago she had woken up and realized she needed to leave. A nightmare chased her from the few comforts the house had offered and back into the dirty city.

She had made the decision to leave town and the very next day he had found her. Sighing, Marron slowly stood, using the wall as a crutch to lean against. Her legs felt weak and wobbly, but she forced herself to stand anyway. Pushing away from the wall, she nearly fell back to the ground, but catching herself, she slowly waited until she regained her balance, giving her legs time to adjust to the weight of her body once more. Taking a deep breath and ignoring the pain that shot through her with each step, she exited the building the same way she had came in. The city was dark, quiet, and Marron had to think a moment to try and figure out where exactly she was, and how to get back to where she had been. Though she had little hope of finding her backpack, she had to try. What little remained of her life was in it.

Deciding on the right direction, she started walking, slowly at first, but building speed as her legs grew numb to the pain. She was used to feeling pain now, had grown to accept it these last few months. It took her nearly an hour to reach the location in which their fight had taken place, and as soon as she arrived she began searching the rubble for her bag. Through piles of stones and dirt she looked, tipping over large pieces of toppled buildings until she found it nestled in between a turned over bench and a light post. She signed, relieved, and pulled the backpack over her shoulders. Weary, she turned back toward the road that lead out of the city and stared out into the darkness. She was just about to start walking again when she heard the sound of tumbling rocks crashing against stones as they made their plummet to the ground. For one second she thought about just giving up, allowing herself only one second to wallow in her pain and her sorrow before she turned around, her hand raising in the air, "Solar Disk—" Her words fell short as she turned around and the sight before her was not what she had suspected. It was not her lavender haired devil.

Standing upon a small hill of broken cement and earth was a tiny child, his body covered in filth and clothed only by a pair of rather tattered looking underwear that had possibly once been white; atop his head his dark hair was matted with dirt. She stood frozen in her spot, unsure at first what to do. She had seen many children over the months, though they had been older, and had traveled in a gang rather than alone. This child, with his huge, frightened eyes, stood upon the makeshift mound alone. Looking at him, seeing the fear in his eyes, the downward title of his small lips, Marron couldn't bring herself to leave him. He looked half starved, as if he too had not eaten in quite some time, and Marron could sympathize with his pain, though she imagined for a child it was much different. She had never known hunger as a little girl, and something inside her ached at the idea that there were children all over that did.

She wasn't sure if she should speak or not, if she should move toward him or not. She could hardly take care of herself, she didn't know what she would do with another person to protect, but nothing inside her would allow her to leave this child, this infant behind. From the sight of him, she imagined he was no older than three, though she couldn't be certain. Hesitantly she took a step forward, and then stopped as soon as she saw him cower back. He watched her with his haunting eyes, his hands tucked under his chin, and Marron suddenly felt helpless for an entirely different reason then she normally did. Kneeling down to his level, even though he stood taller than her with his advantage of the hill, she offered him a friendly smile. "Hello," Marron crooned in a soft, quiet tone, "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise."

The little boy tilted his head, as if pondering her words, and Marron hoped even if he could not understand her, he would hear in her voice that she meant him no harm. Slowly she opened her arms, and though she didn't know if her arms were strong enough to hold him, it looked as if he could use a pair of them wrapped around him, holding him, protecting him, even if those arms happened to be hers. He seemed to think this over, as if he was truly weighing the pros and cons, and then suddenly came rushing down the mountain, his bare feet quick even as he crossed over the debris. He was in her arms in a minute, his arms wrapping around her neck even before she could close her own around him. Pulling him close against her body, offering him her body heat, she slowly rocked back and forth. In her arms, feeling him, she could tell he was only skin and bones. Her heart ached as she wondered who could possibly leave this child, helpless and defenseless, alone to fend for himself.

She stood, and the little boy's arms became tighter around her neck, as if he feared she might put him down. Wrapping one arm under his butt, making a small seat for him, she held him close and gently patted his back, "Shh, it's okay little one, it's okay…" Looking around, she was once again torn as to where to go. If this child had simply lost his family, she didn't want to leave the city in fear they might be looking for him. The only light in any of the buildings close to her was coming from what looked like it used to be a convenient store, and so Marron started toward it, hoping who was ever inside might know the child she carried in her arms. As they walked his head fell to her shoulder, and Marron wondered if he was simply very still and quiet, or if he had fallen asleep.

She knocked quietly, not knowing what time it could be, and not wanting to wake those who might be sleeping inside. A woman answered the door, dressed in an old, faded dress, her face weary with age. Marron gave her a tired smile, "I…" Marron started, cleared her throat, and then started again, "I'm really sorry to bother you, but I just found this child, and I was wondering if perhaps—" The women shook her head and spoke up before Marron could finish.

"I can't take any more children," She muttered, and opened the door a little wider to reveal the makeshift beds on the floor, and with what Marron quickly counted, had to be seven children.

"Oh, no, I'm sorry," Marron said quickly, "I wasn't trying to give him to you, and I was just wondering if you might know who he is? If perhaps he has any parents?"

The woman pulled gently on the boys underwear until he turned to face her, and she nodded quickly, "I've seen him around the neighborhood, even fed him a few times, but I can hardly feed the children I already have without someone going to bed hungry. Anymore, and my husband just won't allow it. The boy though, he just showed up one day by himself, never saw anyone else with him, and if he belongs to someone, they certainly aren't taking care of him." The sound of a child whimpering filled the doorway, and the woman smiled sadly, "I'm sorry, I have to go." Marron tried to understand this woman's plight. She didn't think she could ever allow a child to go hungry, or without a place to sleep, but then again, she was not in this woman's predicament. She could not pass judgment fairly.

The door closed and Marron, sighing, turned back around and scanned the distance. She knew she had to leave town, there was no other option, and she knew she couldn't leave the child alone. She would simply have to take him with her and pray to Kami that she wouldn't be leading him into danger. Kneeling down again, she gently set him on his feet, but as soon as she had released him he threw his arms around her neck again and held on, afraid that she would leave him. Marron's heart caught in her throat, and she had to take a deep breath in order to keep her tears at bay. How a parent could leave their child, she didn't know. She wasn't this little boy's mother, and she had only known him for moments, but even she could not stand to leave him behind.

"Shh, listen, I promise I'm not going to leave you, okay? I need to put you down for a second though so I can open my bag, alright? Just one minute." He raised his face from her shoulder and looked into her eyes, as if he was trying to find out if she was being honest with him. Finally his arms came down and he blobbed over on his butt, his thumb finding his mouth as he looked up at her, watching her every movement. Marron slid her backpack from her shoulders and set it in front of her, unzipping the zipper as soon as she set it down. She pulled out one of the dirty blankets she had folded this morning and then the jean jacket that had rested at the bottom of her backpack since she had started running. Reaching over, she gently plucked her new ward off the ground and set him down in front of her, and though the jacket was meant for an adult, and obviously too large for him, she slid his little arms into the holes, rolled them up as far as she could get them, and then wrapped him tightly in the blanket. Rezipping the pack, she put it back on before picking him up once more.

Settled this time at her hip, Marron turned toward the little boy and offered him a small smile, "Do you have a name, honey?" He only shook his head in response.

"Well then," Marron said, and took a moment to think, "How about we call you Kiyoshi? I believe it means quiet, and it's possibly the most fitting name possible." This time, as Marron turned toward the highway leading out-of-town, she was not alone.