TWO

It took a full hour for Bulma to shower and dress. Some things never change... He thought, packing various items of food into containers. 17 helped him in silence; while they got along, Trunks had the feeling that the Android's manhood still hadn't recovered. All of their strength, their perfection - and yet there Trunks was, better by design. The boy could understand that sort of frustration.

"Much better!" Arriving in a pair of slacks and a simple red blouse, his mother entered the room with a large grin that touched her aqua eyes easily. "Oh wow, you even started packing! Best son in the world, I tell you what!" She planted a ruby kiss on her boy's cheek, causing Trunks to flush slightly. Rather than help, Bulma picked up a piece of fruit and munched on it thoughtfully as she leaned against the countertop, lost out in the sunshine that entered the room. Nostalgia swept over her face like wildfire, but she still managed to beam happiness. It was a relief.

"I was thinking, maybe we could go out to Goku's...pay respects." Trunks could tell his mother was hesitant about the suggestion; her words came out slowly and deliberately, with an edge of hope. "It's always beautiful this time of year out there. Everything's blooming - 17, 18, you'll have to come along. You simply can't miss it!"

How could he say no?

"Yeah, that's a great idea, mom." The Saiyan said, absently. His thoughts lingered on Gohan, and their last trip to the little mountain home they'd lived in. It was to bury his friend, his mentor. And older brother. He swallowed back the lump in his throat, managing to keep his composure. Bulma had hardly noticed her son's reaction, merely happy that he'd agreed to her suggestion. She then set herself to work, packing away food and finding the correct Capsules. Finally ready, his mother climbed into a small air craft, loaded with their supplies, while the other three took to the skies.

The sun felt spectacular on Trunks' skin, and he soared high above the others, black sleeveless shirt and jeans billowing slightly from his speed. The boy's muscular arms were exposed, soaking the sun's energy graciously. He loved to fly; the weightless feeling, coupled with the sun and the scenery, always left him with a goofy, childlike grin on his face. He could see 18 eye him from his peripherals, and allowed a smile to crease his lips without looking to her. Instead he looked behind him, to his mother and 17. The android flew closely to his mother's craft, as if protecting her. For a moment he felt mixed emotions, the protectiveness over his mother a bit irritating. Instead he ignored the feeling.

They arrived in a short amount of time, and he was stunned to silence as he descended upon the earth. Trunks could have been looking at a photograph; time seemed to be frozen here, looking exactly as it did before, despite the large volume of foliage that had taken over. All it was missing was a line of laundry and the sound of their former occupants. His gut filled with sadness, and while the other three began to set up, he found himself creeping into the old tattered home.

It seemed an intricate formation of ivy had covered most of the interior by now. All of the items, the knick knacks, remained in their rightful place. When they had all gone, he and his mother hadn't had the heart to remove anything or take anything. They left it, a monolith to their entire family. The boy took the space in slowly, eyes scanning each wall, before falling upon a framed picture. Goku, a goofy grin spread across his face, holding a young Gohan in his arms. To his other side sat Chi Chi, beaming at her two boys.

"I did it." Trunks whispered, reaching a tentative hand towards the photo. "I wish you were here to see it." As his hand contacted the frame, he attempted to remove some of the ivy that had laid a path overtop of it. To his surprise, the vine recoiled and curled into a tight spiral, right before his eyes. He let out a small gasp, eyes wide.

Normal plants don't do that, dude. He thought to himself, leaning in closer to examine the foliage that had just avoided his touch. Upon further inspection, he noticed it was...pulsating, ever so slightly. All of the ivy was.

For a moment, the Saiyan considered calling his mother, then fell short. No, not a good idea. With his luck, he figured, something dangerous would present itself and he'd have put his mother at risk. Instead he powered up, sensing the faint Ki that resided in the distance. He crept forward now, deeper into the home; at Gohan's door, the plant had become so thick he couldn't even see the wall. It was like a green beast, waiting to swallow him up. His eyebrows crashed downwards, although one side of his smile tipped up at the silly thought.

Trunks forced the door open and stepped inside, carefully avoiding the strange plant that had now caught his attention. On the floor, in the middle of the room, lie a woman - or, at least the hourglass silhouette of a woman, that he was quite sure - on her back, the tendrils of ivy seeping from her fingertips. He felt himself tense, nearly shifting to ascended form. A few minutes rolled by, however, and the creature didn't stir. Their Ki...they're dying.

He could feel it now, how little their life force really was. Pity swept over him momentarily, and he studied her while she lay there, eyes closed. She was thin, almost fragile looking, with smooth looking skin in a faint, sickly olive hue. Her impossibly long hair, blood red like roses, fanned around her like a halo, set into snug little ringlets that shone even in the dull light within Gohan's room. There was a soft scent of spring that seemed to hover around her, and it drew him in, his brain growing slightly hazy. His eyes drew towards her most intimate, plump areas, scantily clad in thin leafy vines. The gentleman in Trunks begged him to look away, but he found himself mesmerized. She was beautiful, despite being so...alien.

But who was he to say anything?

Finally his mind returned to him and the young man knelt down next to her, only now noticing the clear fluid leaking from the puncture wound in her abdomen. Shit. He thought, quickly. She's dying. While there was no guarantee the creature was good or bad in nature, Trunks felt more than obliged to help her - albeit his attraction helped. Something about her face, her features, seemed angelic and innocent. He made up his mind, racing towards the others.

"...been super productive this year. I've never seen cucumbers so big!" Bulma finished, before following 18's bewildered gaze to her son, who's eyes were wide in panic.

"What's wrong?" 17 asked from his left, brushing dirt from his hands. He strolled over to the boy, who wasted no time in explaining.

"No, nothing like that. Or, at least I think." He took a quick breath before continuing. "There's a girl...or, well, I don't know. But she's hurt. She's dying." The Saiyan struggled for the correct words, failing to find them. 17 ushered him forward, 18 following in his wake.

"Just hang on, Bulma." The blonde called over her shoulder before disappearing into the building. After a few moments, 18 returned, waving her inside. Bulma followed into Gohan's room, before gasping excitedly.

"An alien." 17 remarked coolly as Bulma knelt beside him, examining - but not touching - the creature before her. Then she set to work, investigating and prodding and poking. 17, true to his nature, tore a piece of his shirt off and offered it to the woman."To investigate the liquid. Precautions." A warm smile spread across his lips, one that seemed genuine - truly a rare sight to see. Again uneasy feelings rose within him, but he turned his attention to the creature on the floor and ignored the whispers of worry in the back of his brain. His mother took the cloth and dipped it within the clear body fluid, smelling and examining. After about five minutes of inquiry, his mother stood and brushed off her slacks.

"Well, shes definitely not human. In fact, I don't even think she's a mammal of any sort." Bulma pointed to the tendrils that snaked away from her body, tracing them around the room. "See those? They're literally a part of her, you were right. And her skin feels like...rose petals. Leaves. Bark in some places, even. Whatever that clear stuff is, it's odorless; I'm assuming it's an exudate.* My personal and professional opinion, she's more like...well, a rose bush. That looks like the sticky clear stuff that plants excrete when they're cut. And she smells pretty good, too. But hey, that's just me." With that, she folded her arms over her chest and offered the group a triumphant grin.

"A...rosebush." He stared down at the woman, who's face twisted in pain slightly, with disbelief. "Well...what do we do? I mean, I don't know if she's friendly-" He was cut off abruptly.

"Plants like water and sunshine," 18 began, already kneeling down and snaking her arms beneath the creature on a whim. The tendrils began to recede from the walls back to their owner looking almost like serpents, at first shying from the android's artificial touch before enfolding themselves around her creamy skin. Her eyes grew wide momentarily, and Trunks could see goosebumps appearing on her flesh. There seemed to be something of a blush on her cheeks, and she stood up gruffly with the sagging creature in her able arms.


A/N: * Exudate: A fluid that has exuded out of a tissue or its capillaries due to injury or inflammation.