The day had been calm. Trunks and his mother had woken at the crack of dawn and traveled nearly all day. There was no sign of the androids, nor any reports of attacks. For once, things seemed peaceful. It was a strange feeling, but pleasant and very welcomed.

Bulma chattered for most of the drive. She mostly spoke of the old days, which was something she liked to do. Things seemed like they were so much happier back then and so much easier. Trunks had always loved to listen to his mother tell stories of what it was like growing up. Her favorite story to tell was the time she first met Goku. Trunks imagined that his mother was a lively, but reckless teenager. She had to be if she almost ran over a kid. He smiled at the thought of his teenage mother stuck with a naïve boy. He assumed his mother made herself seem more patient than she really was. The memories, however, made her happy. Trunks had never heard his mom laugh, truly laugh, unless she was regaling him with tales of the past. The thought that times would never be that happy again for his mother suddenly struck him. She must want peace just as badly as he, if not more so.

Bulma's voice was soothing, and so, guiltily, Trunks dozed off in the passenger seat of the car. The cool wind gently caressed his face. It seemed as though it was only moments later when he was prodded awake gently by his mother. Trunks sat up and surveyed his surroundings. They were in the calm, quiet woods. Everything was normal here, as though the small district hadn't suffered from the androids' deadly touch. There were even birds chirping; something he hadn't heard in a long time.

Trunks stretched and stood. He followed his mother up to the snug cottage belonging to Chi-Chi. It was well kempt, yet still had the feeling of abandonment. There was a cheery glow coming from the windows, yet there was an unwelcoming cold in the air. Bulma knocked on the door and stepped back, waiting for the door to open. There was audible movement inside the Son house, and finally the door slowly opened. The Ox-King's hulking figure filled the doorway. His expression brightened as he saw Bulma and Trunks. He opened the door and beckoned them inside.

"Hey, Chi-Chi," he called excitedly. "Look who's here!" Chi-Chi, who had been sitting in the living room, stood and walked towards them. She seemed to have aged a decade since Trunks saw her last. Her eyes still held the same eternal sadness, but upon seeing her old friend they brightened. She pulled Bulma and Trunks into a tight hug.

"It's wonderful to see you again," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. She released Bulma, but held Trunks out at arm's length, examining him. She almost smiled. "You've grown, Trunks. You're not the little boy I remember anymore."

"Strange, isn't it?" Bulma mused aloud to Chi-Chi. "They grow up so fast." Trunks shifted his weight from his right leg to his left. He hated it when his mother talked about him and he was standing right there. It made him feel extremely out of place, as though he were merely an ornament or a piece of furniture that was there to be studied.

"You two showed up just in time," the Ox-King said, cheerily, "I was just about to start some dinner." He grinned hugely.

"I think I'll take over tonight, Papa," Chi-Chi spoke up. "We have guests." Her father's grin widened.

"I guess that's a better idea, but are you sure you're up to it?" he asked, his concern showing clearly in his tone.

"I'm fine, Dad," she said, laughing lightly. "Besides, it'll be good to do something. Bulma can help me," her attempt at cheeriness faltered. "Oh, I'm afraid we don't have any meat," she sighed.

"I can go get something," Trunks offered. He didn't know why. He hadn't ever hunted before, but the concept didn't seem to be too difficult. Chi-Chi's face brightened.

"Would you? That would be wonderful," she smiled at him, but her smile didn't reach her eyes. It pained Trunks to see her putting on this façade when he knew that, deep down, she was drowning in agony. Trunks smiled back and ducked out of the house.

The sun was almost ready to set, but still had several hours of blue sky to travel. Trunks shoved his hands in his pockets and walked off towards a cluster of trees. He looked around him. He'd only been in the woods once or twice. Being raised in the city, or what was left of it, he never had to worry about hunting for his food. He was sure it wouldn't be long before he ran across some form of edible animal. It was the forest, after all. He walked, vaguely aware of the crunch of the ground underneath his feet. Once he realized how loud his footsteps actually were, he attempted to silence them, having little luck. Perhaps if he stood still, an animal would come to him. He'd have better luck at not being heard that way. Trunks stopped walking and waited. Shortly, he heard the soft padding of footsteps across the forest floor. He stood completely still, holding his breath.

A magnificent looking stag wandered into sight. Trunks smiled to himself as he laid eyes upon it. Bingo. Catching it couldn't be too difficult. He waited several seconds more, until the stag began to turn its attentions to the forest floor, and then charged forward. The stag reacted quicker than he had expected and darted off. Trunks growled underneath his breath and began to pursue. So much for an easy catch. Trunks had only been chasing the stag for mere seconds when he realized he had nothing to kill the animal with except his hands, and that seemed rather primitive. As he ran, he picked up a rock from the ground. He hoped he could throw it hard enough.

As Trunks raised his arm to throw the rock, an arrow whizzed past his cheek. Trunks saw it hit the stag, and bring it crashing to the ground. Stunned, Trunks looked around to see where this arrow had come from. Arrows weren't exactly common anymore, but perhaps here in the district they weren't all that out of place. Behind him stood a smiling girl, firmly clasping an elegant bow in her hands. She walked forward toward her kill.

"A word of advice," she said as she knelt down to remove her arrow, "Learn to attack quieter. You sounded like a stampeding dinosaur." She turned her face in Trunks' direction, still smiling. Trunks' pride was hurt. He would have caught that stag if she hadn't come barreling through.

"That was my stag," he retorted childishly. The girl laughed, angering Trunks more.

"It would have eventually outrun you," she shrugged. "Stags run a lot faster than you think. Maybe you'll have better luck fishing." She stood and walked towards him, wiping her blood stained hands on her pants. "You're from the city aren't you?"

"So what if I am?" he asked, crossing his arms. "It's different there. You have no idea what things are like." Trunks knew this girl didn't mean to be offensive. She was probably just joking. But she spoke of the city with such disdain and it struck a wrong chord with him.

"Actually, I do," she whispered. Her reply took Trunks by surprise. "I left when I was thirteen. I guess escaped is a better word. But that's all in the past," she sighed, and turned back to the stag. "What's a city boy doing out here in the districts?" she asked, trying to lighten the conversation.

"Uh, visiting," Trunks said, nervously stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"You got a name?" she asked, as she dragged the stag back towards him.

"Trunks," he replied. He was shocked at how easy it was for her to drag her kill. "Trunks Brief."

"Oh, a famous Brief, eh?" she said, smiling. "My father's a fan of your grandfather's work. He used to tinker when we lived in the city, but he gave it up after my mom died. He wasn't any good at it anyway," she laughed a little. She began to walk off, but paused when she noticed Trunks wasn't following. "You coming, Brief?" she asked. Trunks hesitated. This girl was… unusual. She acted so calm and casual around him, despite his earlier hostility. He studied her face. She was still quite girlish, about his age, and looked innocent enough. There was something about her that drew him to her. In the city, he'd never really had anyone to talk to besides his mom. He fell into step beside the girl.

"Where are you headed?" she asked. "I'll split the stag with you. My father and I couldn't eat the whole thing anyway."

"My mother and I are staying at the Son house," Trunks said. "It's not too far from here." A pleasant silence fell upon the two. It was nice to have someone close to his age around. Trunks hadn't really had any sort of connection like that since Gohan had died. This girl reminded Trunks of him in subtle ways. She was eager to help and was quite confident, but not in an arrogant way. Maybe those attitudes just came with living in the districts. At any rate, it was lucky he ran into her.

Shortly, the two came upon Chi-Chi's cottage. The sun was just beginning to set, casting an orange glow on everything. Trunks halted, and the girl stopped beside him.

"We're here?" she asked. Trunks nodded. "Why don't you go let your friends know we're here, and I'll start cleaning the stag," she suggested. Trunks began to walk away, when a question popped into his head. He knew it was stupid to ask, but it was a matter of pride.

"Hey," he said, turning back to the girl. "If anyone asks, I killed the stag, okay?" It came out as more of a command than a question, but it was too late to rephrase his wording now. The girl looked up from the stag and flicked her scarlet hair out of her eyes.

"Right," she said, smiling. Feeling a little better, Trunks walked inside.