Please be warned that the next two chapters contain sexual themes. Again, the next two chapters contain sexual themes. if that isn't to your liking, move along. I was hesitant in even posting this chapter because the story is getting more adult and explicit, but I figured why the hell not since you deserve to know how the story is going. I was actually waiting for a few more reviews before I posted here. Just a day ago I received that, that's why I'm posting the next chapter. More reviews means a quicker response. Honestly, this chapter has been on my computer for months, just wasn't sure whether to post it or not until yesterday. I will repeat for the last time (no, you're not stupid but people easily skip author's notes), THE NEXT TWO CHAPTERS CONTAIN SEXUAL THEMES.

Apologies for the short chapter. Had to break it up into 3 parts because it was too long in my opinion. Chapter 8 and 9 are 8000 words each and I needed to make sure that people were well-informed that sex is going to happen in the story before it occured.


Moving Forward: Part 1

It had been 7 months since 18 started her training with Trunks. In all honesty, it was pretty awkward in the beginning. Trunks was still dealing with issues long since past concerning her. Yes, even if Bulma was able to prove without a shadow of a doubt that she was never in control of her actions; that killing so many people and destroying earth was not her fault, neither she nor Trunks have fully processed the evidence. To that point, they were still at square one.

It affected how they trained together, that was for certain. Now that they had adjusted to themselves (with the addition of Blair) it became awfully difficult to hide the fact that they still didn't trust each other, or even liked each other. Sure, they were able to put those feelings aside for the sake of helping 18 become stronger to protect the earth, but that didn't mean those feelings were unimportant. And as the months flew by, it was becoming increasingly obvious that that distrust was definitely holding Trunks back from taking her progress seriously.

"You don't think he's taking your training seriously enough?"

18 looked towards Bulma. They were both in the kitchen washing and drying dishes together. Trunks was outside with Blair teaching her how to fine-tune her ki and flying.

That was another subject that brought a sense of paternal joy to her: the fact that Blair was also learning with them. In these few months, she had gotten extremely close to the little girl, to the point they openly trusted each other and acted somewhat like mother and daughter. What made it far better was that Trunks was filling the male role of their 'partnership'. This wasn't about being a parent or Blair being their child. It didn't make sense, really, but none of them were looking at the relationship in critical detail. It just was what it was – none of them felt like fighting it.

But as much happiness as that bought 18, it was still frustrating to feel like nothing has really changed. Trunks openly distrusted her. There are many evidential factors, of course – one being their horrible, horrible past. She had been a literal killing machine. The reason humanity was in the desperate state it was currently in was due to a large part of her actions. Bulma could refute it all she wanted. It didn't change the fact that it was real. Adding to the fact that she had also killed and helped kill some of Bulma and Trunks' closest friends…it was no wonder that they were in a rut.

She felt very trapped about talking to anyone about her vexation. Bulma, Trunks and Blair were the only people she could actually confide in. They knew who she really was (even Blair). There was no way she could bring Blair or Trunks into this type of conversation, however. For Blair, it was an adult problem and she wouldn't understand. For Trunks, he probably wouldn't listen to her and an argument would ensue. She didn't need that. She needed to feel safe to speak her mind and be heard. Bulma was her best choice.

"Yeah. I know we have a pretty shitty history, but I don't think it's fair for him to hold back on me if he wants me to protect earth with him. Every, single time the training gets physical, he does his best not to touch me or just make sure I'm at a distance. It's driving me insane! Close quarter combat is a huge part of battle and I cannot believe he's ignoring that!"

Bulma allowed herself a bemused smile at 18's irritation. It was honestly refreshing to have someone to talk to about anything and everything, especially considering that she was literally alone for years when Trunks wasn't around. She would never forget the things the androids did or were made to do. She would never forget 18 was an enemy of humanity not so long ago. But she felt no room to judge or condemn her. 18 was no longer that person and actively changing herself for the better. Truthfully, Bulma felt appreciated by the fact 18 habitually confided in her about her inner-most demons or just silly stuff like Trunks refusing to touch her… She might be looking a little too into the latter, though.

"What?" 18 asked with a frown.

"Have you talked to him about it?" Bulma asked.

18 rolled her eyes. "You know how he is: stubborn and pigheaded. Do you think he'll listen to anything I say? Not too long ago was a bloodthirsty monster."

"You're not like that anymore," Bulma reasoned.

"Tell that to him! He keeps giving me dirty looks and watching me like I'm going to change the next instant and kill everyone! I can't stand it anymore!"

Bulma eased the tense cyborg with a hand on her shoulder. "Keep it down. You don't want him to hear that, do you?"

The sarcastic tone really drove the words home. 18 stared at Bulma for a long while. "But…"

"He might listen or stay stubborn. You never know until you really try. Yes, we all have a crappy history. But we're not letting that hold us back and moving forward…together. I know you feel like Trunks is still holding a grudge against you."

18 nodded, albeit undecidedly.

"And maybe, to a certain extent, you're still holding a grudge against him."

The nod came far later than the first.

"That's perfectly normal," Bulma said. "People died, so it's perfectly normal. I would even go as far as to say that hate is still in the air."

18 was at a loss on how to respond. She had never entertained the last bit, but it could be plausible.

"That is also fine. Something like that takes a lot of time to change or even heal. I don't like that he still has a perceived notion of who you really are, to be honest."

"What do I do?" 18 asked.

"Depends on what you want to achieve, 18. Seriously, that's important. What do you want?"

18 absentmindedly handed Bulma some more dishes for her to dry. "… I'm not sure. I just want us to communicate properly, maybe openly? It feels like there's still a lot left unsaid, like we're just rug-sweeping, hoping to avoid the issues at all costs. It's getting us nowhere, and I don't want that to affect Blair either."

"You need to talk to him," Bulma said.

"About what?"

"Everything you're telling me now. He needs to hear it from you."

"I… don't know."

"Look, I'm going to be honest with you. The only reason I forgave everything you did and moving on has a large part to do with being with Vegeta. Vegeta killed a lot of innocent people, but he reformed. I'm not saying it was okay for him to slaughter innocence, but I have every right to let his past be just that if he's changed for the better, more specifically, for me. You're not in a good position living on the planet that you decimated, but you have every right to change yourself for the better. People will always hold what you did against you. That's their right and as terrible as it sounds, there's not much you can do about it. Even so, I don't think that's where Trunks is right now."

"What do you mean?"

"When he spared your life all those months ago, he did it with a black and white view that he was the hero and you were the monster. You needed to suffer because you were one-dimensional and could never feel remorse. Now that his black and white view has been shattered; now that you've shown you're sorry and are willing to change your ways and fix yourself for the betterment of human kind, he is having a hard time believing any of it. It conflicts with his earlier perceptions. It makes it seem like the world doesn't make sense and is not fixed on variables or statistics."

"I see." She honestly did. The brain and heart were two different things. There would always be findings of logical conclusions in the illogical. There would always be findings of sense where there was none. It all had to do with the individual, their experiences, what they'd learned. Trunks was in a different position than anyone else on earth. He had seen all her personal struggles and witnessed her changes every day. The world had not. The world had not been given ample transparency as to her activities. If it had been, then the way society viewed her now would also be conflicting. No, she was merely information to the world: one of the androids. But to Trunks, she was a person, more importantly, flawed in a way that did not fit his black and white outlook.

Bulma smiled at her. "There you go. The simple thing is it's impossible to know someone or what they're capable of until you give or get a chance to know them. I try my best to keep this in mind. I think you should, too."

"… Thank you, Bulma. I'll talk to him."

Bulma's smile turned to a grin. "Atta girl."

They got back to the dishes. 18 relaxed her earlier stiff posture. "I'll be training with him in just a moment. I have to change my clothes."

Bulma glanced at her. "One more thing. If he's still stubborn, give him hell."

18 blanched, not expecting that from Trunks' own mother. "What?"

"All I'll say further is that actions speak louder than words."


18 was dressed in a light blue vest and grey leggings with matching shoes when she walked out of the reformed Capsule Corp building into the back yard. Her murky hair blew sideways from a rush of wind. Watching the black string of locks in front of her eyes made her frown briefly. She really loved her blonde hair. She missed it; it was part of her identity but understood she might never reveal it again. Before, it wouldn't matter to her what anyone thought of her. But now, there were much more important things that played a factor in her choices. She wasn't alone anymore. Blair was very important to her and she had never forgotten how she was almost killed because of her association with her. And she could admit that Trunks and Bulma were also important people in her life, too, although the former was more begrudgingly acknowledged.

She watched on as Blair gleefully flew around with the half-Saiyan. They looked quite good together, and her giggling girl seemed ecstatic. As soon as Blair noticed her, she quickly flew down and enveloped her in a rushed hug.

"Hey, Mommy!" she exclaimed, very much still in her excitement.

"Hey, kiddo. Enjoying your time with Monkey?" 18 asked in kind, returning the gesture.

Blair giggled at the nickname. Trunks merely glared at her from his vantage point, having heard her quite clearly, but he didn't rebuke her.

"Trunks is awesome!" she cheered. "I can fly really high now! I almost got hit by a plane!"

A sudden chill filled the air as 18 processed the words. She looked at Trunks, her piercing eyes demanding an explanation.

Trunks, all things considered, had the decency to look sheepish. "Sorry. We flew too high and I wasn't really paying attention."

Their relationship was odd, though. It was like…normal but not normal. It had no category. They couldn't classify themselves as friends, lovers or even enemies. It was just one of those things they never talked about.

18 lightened her glare when she noted that he was truly apologetic. "Make sure that doesn't happen again. You know she can get hurt easily. I don't need to tell you this."

Trunks nodded in agreement, feeling a bit irresponsible. "It won't happen again. I promise."

"Oh, I know you'll keep your word. Otherwise, you'll be enjoying instant noodles for a week."

Trunks grimaced, not liking the implied punishment. For one, he couldn't stop her if she enacted it.

18 dropped Blair. "it's time for Mommy to train, darling."

"Okay. I'll go play with Grandma!"

"No flying in the house!" 18 called after her.

The flying girl dropped to the ground in an instant. "Sorry."

"It's fine. After my training, how bout we go see Sai?"

"Yay! I'll go to Grandma now!"

"Okay…" 18 wanted to tell the girl not to run in the house either, but she was already gone.

She turned her attention to Trunks, who landed swiftly across from her.

Trunks eyed her as well, taking note of her choice of clothes. To anyone else, 18 looked absolutely sexy. He had been noticing it more and more. Of course, he completely squashed the stupid thoughts as soon as they came. There was no way in any shape or form that he was going to give in to the notion of paying attention to 18's sex appeal. He was above that…or at least that's what he told himself.

Her training – in his opinion – was going quite well. He wasn't sure if she was improving or not. It was hard to tell anything because of her masked Kai level. But he was sure that his continued methods of teaching (all adopted from Gohan) were doing a world of good. It was difficult at times for him. He had relapses and often found it hard not to think of her as a murdering monster; not to give in to the temptation of finally ending the Android's (or Cyborg's) life. Even he could admit it was hard to change his views of her no matter what she had done to show him otherwise. Strangely, this didn't exhibit any sort hate from his side. Those destructive feelings were finally gone. That didn't mean everything was peachy. Resentment was still very much on the table. They had history, something neither of them could ever change.

It's not as if he wasn't trying to see the better picture or how much 18 had changed from what he once knew. It was just damned difficult to put his thoughts of reconciliation into practice. It felt like he would be losing a piece of himself if he ever ended up forgiving her for all her crimes. He was stubborn, but not really trying to be. It was hard finding a resolution.

A deep part of him knew that this was playing into her training. He could easily give her more or focus harder on making her stronger, but his Saiyan heritage made it difficult. It often screamed for him to give into his deep-seated desires and destroy her, make her suffer. It was that prime reason he held back so much. He didn't want to touch her at the possibility of being triggered in any sense. He knew instances where instinct overtook rationality, and they were never pretty.

18 folded her arms, unintentionally giving the healthy, young Saiyan full disclosure of how developed of a woman she was. He struggled to keep his eyes on hers, feeling embarrassed that the thoughts were even flooding his mind.

"Ready to get started?" he asked, happy of the impending distraction from subjects of the opposite sex.

Tragically, this was not going to be the day.

"No, we have to talk, Trunks. It's important."

His body stiffened and he frowned at her. "What is it?"

She noticed immediately that he was on the defensive. It had always been this way when they talked. Trunks would take whatever she said out of context, or dismiss them altogether and they would end up arguing – never getting what was intended out of the conversation in the first place. Well, he wasn't getting his way this time.

"You're not taking my training seriously."

A part of him was expecting that kind of statement, but he still scowled nonetheless. "Seriously? That's what this is about?"

"No, Trunks. Don't even try to argue this. You know it and I know it. Every time, Trunks, every time we trained it never turned physical. You always keep your distance from me! Why? You already know that I'm not this flimsy flower that will break! I can take as much as I can give!"

Trunks shook his head in apparent disappointment. "You just don't get it. If I mistakenly went all out on you, you'd be dead before anyone of us realised what happened. You seriously want to take that risk?"

"What the fuck? Hell yeah, I want to take that risk! How else am going to become stronger! More often than not a fight is determined by the finishing blow. How the hell am I supposed to achieve that when all I do is chase after you with Ki Blasts and Powerblits? That's stupid!"

Trunks was beginning to show his displeasure more plainly. "Listen, 18, we need to take this slowly. You can't hope to achieve anything if you're this impatient."

"Seven months," 18 growled. "Seven, fucking months, Trunks! This is ridiculous! I am not human. You shouldn't treat me that way!"

"Fine. What should I treat you as, huh? An android? A killer? What?!"

Oh, that was low, she seethed. Definitely one of those things that they were never able to address. He was not going to listen to words. Bulma was right.

"Fight me," she took a fighting stance.

Trunks rolled his eyes. This conversation reminded him of the time that Blair was discovered. He was not going down that road again. "Forget it. If you don't want to follow my teachings, then whatever. I don't have to do this but I am-"

He was honestly surprised that she actually punched him. It was a pretty hard hit, but not meant to knock him out of kill him. Even so, as he struggled to regain his footing, he stared at her in genuine shock. Was she nuts? Did she have any idea how easily he could kill her?

She had not wavered and looked at him in open hostility. "You better put up your dukes cause I'm not going to stop!"

She didn't even give him time to respond. She was on him in the next second, punching away at his face. Trunks easily, but barely blocked. He was still holding back from lashing out and it increased her fury. She struck harder, trying her best to get him to retaliate, but the stubborn monkey did nothing of the sort.

"Stop it, you crazy woman!" he screamed. "You really want me to kill you?"

She didn't answer, merely kept trying to punch him. She landed a few blows on his chest and face.

Trunks had enough of her. He didn't know her game, but certainly wasn't going to be anyone's punching bag. He blocked a fist aimed at his face, and used 18's momentum to try and strike her in the gut and end this altercation quickly.

She intercepted the blow, moving out of the way and using his retaliation against him. She caught him off-balance by wrapping her legs around his waist and using her weight to bring the surprised man to the ground. She straddled him, finding great delight by his astonished face and aimed again.

This time, Trunks was able to grab her hands. Soon they were grappling, both determined to be on the top.

"Will you stop?!" Trunks screamed, almost pleaded. This is not how he wanted his day to go.

"No!" 18 spat back as she fought him, keeping her legs firmly locked around him. It had not occurred to her that anyone passing by might interpret their position for something else.

"Stop it!" This time it did sound like a plea from the lavender man.

18 was not giving in to his requests. She had a point to make, and that point was not to screw with her. All the anger and resentment came bubbling out like an overstuffed washing machine.

They had no idea how long it was before they both were left panting for breath, like they were involved in very rigorous 'activities'. Their faces were extremely close to each other. They could feel the other's breath tickle them. They were still in the moment, adrenaline pumping hard in their veins. Emotions were still raw, still fresh. Both had no idea how vulnerable they were.

Trunks was forced to stare at the panting woman above him. Her face was nearly red. Her eyes half closed from fatigue and in some sort of trance. He briefly wondered if he looked the same as she did, but was swiftly distracted by the very feminine curves rubbing against him. He could feel her soft rump insistently against his crotch. He could feel her generous breast tightly squashed against his chest. Her scent, rosemary with a hint of lavender, exuded from her body and caressed his nose. In the moment, he was very much aware of the sensuality that was Android 18; how soft and light she felt against him; how utterly attractive she was.

18 stared into his eyes. She saw many conflicting feelings in them. Some she could relate to. She was suddenly aware of their close proximity. It had never occurred to her how much Trunks had grown and how different he was from the scared boy she remembered years back. His large body that could easily wrap around her lithe form was quite a sight for her. The detail of his muscles, the feeling of his pecks against her tight belly, she was conscious of everything. She had never really considered him a man until now. Oh, he was absolutely, positively a man. She had never felt strong emotions such as the ones going through her mind. She felt small compared to him, but a good kind of small, like she was a piece of the puzzle that fit him. It was a powerful feeling, yet very disturbing. She couldn't understand it.

She jumped slightly when she felt something poking her ass. It was big, hard and left no room for imagination.

She stared back at Trunks, stunned.

Trunks avoided her gaze like the plague. He quickly untangled himself from her, in a hurry to create distance and hide the evidence of his weakness. But it would do nothing now. She knew without a shadow of a doubt how much his body reacted to her.

His face was fixed in dismay, surprise and mortification. He stood up on shaky legs, never meeting her eyes and took off into the air without a word. He was gone in the blink of an eye.

18 was still processing what had happened. She was huddled on the ground, looking at the sky, as if trying to will Trunks to come back… Trunks… Was he attracted to her? Her? She had never in her life entertained the possibility. It had always been back and forth with them. There was never a time to think about anything or anyone sexually. Hell, she didn't even think there was anything sexual between them. But she had been wrong – very, very, very wrong.

It wasn't just Trunks. She felt incredibly aroused, too. She could feel how wet she was down below. The most shocking bit was how immediately her body welcomed his reaction. She could not make heads or tails of it. It was safe to assume that there wasn't going to be any training today. She gathered her scrambled thoughts and went inside to change her clothes and get rid of the evidence.

She needed time to think about this – apparently, he did, too.


Nothing explicit yet, but the next two chapters (that are ready to be posted) are VERY GRAPHIC. Do not say that you were not warned. Those chapters will be released when I have felt like I have enough reviews. I don't want you to feel like I'm forcing you, but please review, guys. That's the only motivation I get for these fics, anyway.