Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters

Well, this is the first time I'm going to do this. Let's see if I can keep it up, but I've been on a writing spree with this fic, nearly done with Chapter 20…yes, 20. So, this Friday I'm going to do a chapter double feature to this story, so I hope you all enjoy. Chapter 14 is soon to follow. :)

Monday came around quickly, and true to Mai's word she was absent from class. Trunks had really been hoping that a day of rest would help her. He even suggested she take vitamin C pills, 5000 mg, and use some zinc cough drops within the first forty-eight hours. His grandmother always told him and his mom to do that when they felt the oncoming cold. It would shorten the length of the cold and ease the symptoms. Mai had thanked him for the input, but it must not have helped. Trunks hoped she'd get better soon.

Unbeknownst to the boy, his mother had taken the day off, Vegeta allowing her to work from home. She had called Juu and asked her to meet her for lunch. Juu thought nothing of it and agreed. The two women met up where Krillin worked for lunch, just like she and Goku had the previous week. "So, how have you been?" Juu casually asked.

Bulma smiled. "I've been well. I'm sorry I called you so soon after you guys got back from vacation."

Juu shrugged. "It's fine. Marron's really excited to be back in school. She doesn't like missing time."

"I forget where she goes again," Bulma replied.

"Enterprise High," Juu scoffed. "I'm looking into transferring her to the school where yours and Goku's boys go. That place is full of kids belonging to some high-strung businessmen. Marron hasn't been happy since a friend of hers left. Rumors of abuse at home going around. Her stepfather taking her out didn't help alleviate Marron's concern."

Bulma frowned, especially from being reminded as to why she came out to see Juu in the first place. "Speaking of, I have a couple questions about abuse cases."

Surprised, Juu asked, "What for?"

"It's…" Bulma spoke cautiously, and Juu immediately picked up on it. "It's just a hypothetical case type thing."

Juu seemed to be calculating something before she nodded. "Go on."

"Well…hypothetically, if someone suspected a person being abused but that person is wary of CPS because the abuser is able to hide who he is during interviews and investigations, what else can be done for the child?"

"That's difficult to say," Juu stated. "No system is perfect, but usually the abuser slips up eventually. Repeated injury is a clear indicator of possible abuse and worth being investigated. If this hypothetical child has had dealings with CPS before, then it's possible that, as you said, the abuser was able to appear like the perfect caregiver and explain away the injuries. But there's already a red flag drawn over them. The next thing to watch out for is multiple absences from school or work. Depending on the type of abuser, they don't want it to be obvious, but the body can only take so much abuse, so multiple or lengthy absences could indicate a severe beating."

Bulma cringed as she thought about it. "What about if they child confesses, but begs someone not to do anything about it. What can a person do then?"

"Be there for the child," Juu stated, "if you can be, that is. Eventually, something will have to give. I would suggest getting the process started, at least interviewing the child or getting them into therapy."

"How can they get out of that situation?"

"Well, I basically stated telling you. It's a difficult and long process for someone who feels like there is no hope, but talking to a friend or family member about it and a counselor can give the child insight on what to do. There are hotlines that help teenagers create escape plans to get away from an abusive household. If they truly want to escape the situation, they can find a safe place to stay, such as a friend's house. It's not illegal for someone to take in a teenager they believe is in danger, but if the police call and ask about the whereabouts, a person can't lie or they could be charged with either kidnapping or aiding delinquency of a minor. There's also the shelter which is always ready to take in people."

"This person, hypothetically, would have a place to go," Bulma stated. "What can be done for the child?"

"Bulma, be honest," Juu stated. "I've known you for years and you're a terrible liar. This isn't hypothetical, is it?"

The woman sighed and shook her head. "Trunks's friend," she stated. "He doesn't know yet, but I figured it out. Her stepfather left her home alone for the week and she stayed with us. She was so scared when I confronted her, Juu. She's so worried that this man has so much power. She said that she and her stepfather's brother have tried to get her away from him, but it never works and she only gets hurt more. She said her stepfather can't know she has friends. I convinced her to call if she needs anything, but she said if I said anything to anyone she'd alienate herself from us."

"That is a problem," Juu droned. "Now, this is all off the record, obviously, but in my opinion try to include her in as much as possible. If she can't get away from her stepfather now, she'll be able to eventually. When he's gone, she can take steps to run away, but as a minor he will still have the right to send someone for her, and if he lies to keep custody and makes it look like she's the problem, it may still be a challenge. That's what happened to the girl at Marron's school."

"That's terrible," Bulma breathed out. "I just had a thought. My boyfriend Vegeta filed for emancipation when he was a teenager. Would this girl be able to do something like that?"

"If she's sixteen or older, but younger…I don't think they'd do that, and to be emancipated, she'd need a few things," Juu explained. "A place to go, definitely, and normal every day skills like the ability to care for herself, cook, do laundry, and stuff like that. She'll need to have a job and her own income and be in charge of her own finances and living apart from the parent, or the court can find it in her best interest. She would then have to file a petition for emancipation and then a judge would meet with her and her stepfather separately."

"Hm…and there's no way to get around him," Bulma pondered shaking her head. "Damn. That's not really fair, is it?"

Juu shook her head. "We do our best with the laws at our disposal, but what it comes down to is that we can't just take a child from their parents. Parents have rights, too, but there's definitely still hope of her getting free. All you can do for now is be there for her, and when she's ready she'll have her options in front of her and be safe."

"And…what if something really bad happens?"

The blonde's expression darkened. "If that's the case, I'll submit a report myself and handle the case myself with you and most likely Trunks as witnesses. If I handle it, even if that stepfather of hers tries to make it look like it's her fault, I would already be aware of his deceit. I'd like to start an investigation immediately, but I don't want to alienate that girl further from you. She needs a support group."

"Okay," Bulma sighed. "Not exactly what I was hoping for, but it's at least something. I just don't want anything to happen to her. She's a sweet girl and Trunks is crazy about her."

"It'll work out," Juu replied, holding her head up with her hand as she held up the bottle of soy sauce in front of her face.

Bulma was thankful that the normally stoic and cynical woman she had ever met had said something positive. It meant that she had faith in the situation, though Bulma was certain things would get worse before they got better. She was just a little fearful over how worse it could get. Well, she would continue to hope and pray and be there for the girl. Mai deserved so much better than what she had been dealing with.

"Well, now that that's settled," Juu stated, her voice full of surprising mirth, "why am I just hearing about this boyfriend now? Spill."

Bulma chuckled at Juu's interrogation and began telling her a little about Vegeta and the time they had spent together so far. Of course, Goku knew more and would always know the most. She didn't really feel like telling Juu that she had let Vegeta spend the night with her, even if nothing had really happened. No, she could only trust her best friend and her mother with that fact.

Trunks was not happy. It had been almost a week since Mai had been in school. He texted with her daily, mostly in the middle of the night which was disconcerting enough. Trunks had even offered to forgo a day of texting so she could get some rest and get better. She had denied that offer saying something that tore into Trunks's heart, that talking with him made her feel better and she refused to give that up. Her words felt so real. Trunks could almost feel the emotion behind them. Still, she clearly wasn't getting any better if she wasn't in school yet. She had even missed the first language club meeting, and she had been so excited about it, too.

"Trunks, would you mind staying after class?"

The lavender-haired teen was broken out of his thoughts, his math teacher's voice reaching his ears. Some of the other students snickered, but Goten just looked concerned. "Sure?" he replied skeptically.

Surprisingly, the teacher just smiled and didn't press any further, and that was definitely unusual. "Anyway, class, it's that time of the year where I'm planning on assigning my group packet project. I'll have two people working on the packet and it will be due in a couple of weeks. Unlike my other years, though, I'll be assigning partners. You'll have to work together to complete the work. There's a lot of it."

Most of the class groaned at the claim, but simply waited to be assigned. Goten was slightly dismayed when he was paired with that girl, Paigen. He really didn't want to work with the rumor queen, but she seemed pretty pleased about the outcome. Goten would have to set her straight right at the beginning. He really didn't need her figuring out about his anxiety condition. He just needed to survive the couple of weeks.

Trunks, though, was surprised when the teacher dismissed the class early without assigning him his partner, but then he realized she hadn't called Mai's name either. The teacher came over to him regarding him with a warm smile. She usually treated him like a troublemaker, so it was weirding him out. "Trunks?"

"Yes?" the teenager pressed, slightly on edge. What was his teacher's deal?

"I noticed that Mai has been absent for nearly a week," she explained. "Many of her teachers have been trying to get her work together, but none of them knew anyone who could bring it to her. The guidance office attempted to call her stepfather, but he hasn't returned calls as to when he would pick up her assignments. I've seen the two of you talking many times, and because of that I figured you'd be the best option to getting her work to her. Since she's missed the majority of the week, I decided to pair you two together as well. You can help her learn the material."

"Uh, yeah, I can do that," Trunks stated, "but I don't know where she lives."

"Don't worry," the teacher stated. "In cases like this, the guidance office sometimes makes exceptions about giving out someone's address."

"Really," Trunks deadpanned hoping that his school's bizarre policy wouldn't affect him in any way in the future. He wondered what would happen if someone told the school board about the distribution of addresses. Still, it worked in his benefit this time. He needed to make sure Mai was okay. "I'll get her work to her," he stated.

"Her other teachers already have her assignments together," the woman explained. "And thank you for being so helpful."

Trunks's brow quirked in astonishment, surprised that the woman was treating him so differently. He wondered why that was, but decided not to question it since he needed to go to Mai's other classes and gather her missed work. What he didn't know was that the teacher had been monitoring the rumor situation from the week. She had seen Mai so upset many times, and yet Trunks and those he hung out with all had stepped up to defend and support her. Trunks and Goten always seemed like troublemakers constantly talking in class even when they were supposed to be working silently, but even that made sense now. The guidance counselor had spoken with the Sons recently and the parents learned that the teachers actually hadn't been informed about Goten's condition. When she was told, she realized that Trunks was only trying to help his friend when he was struggling. Her opinion of the boys instantly changed.

The teenager started meandering around the school picking up the assignments, thankful that his teacher had dismissed class early for him to do so. During his trek, he found Goten glaring at Paigen and frowned. It looked like Goten was fighting with himself to hold his rage back. He needed to run interference. "Hey, what's going on here?"

"Oh, nothing much," Paigen said slyly. "Your friend and I were just coming to an agreement about how to do the work."

"You're a bitch," Goten hissed, seething. "Just get the hell away from me. I'll meet you at the damn coffee shop later."

Paigen only laughed light-heartedly. "Sounds like a plan. Just, leave the attitude here, or your girlfriend will regret it."

The two boys watched her leave, Trunks getting an idea of what happened. "The hell just happened?" he asked his friend.

But Goten didn't hear him, still enraged. He punched the wall near the locker making Trunks jump slightly. "Damn it, I hate her," he growled before looking to his friend. "Uh, sorry…"

"No problem, bro," Trunks assured him placing a hand on his shoulder. "What did she say?"

The palm tree-haired teen sighed and pressed his head against the wall. "I didn't want to work with her, so I tried to arrange for us not to spend time together during the assignment," he started. "I don't need her finding out about my stress and anxiety. The rumors she'd spread about that would be fucking unbearable. So, I told her we'd divide the work evenly and that I'd take half the packet and work on it by myself. I figured if I had questions, I could just ask you, but she didn't take kindly to that suggestion. She said she wanted me to be an active participant in the project even if that meant going on a study date with her. I rejected that idea immediately. Then she said that if I didn't agree to go out with her, at least for the course of the project, she'd start spreading rumors about Valese. Her parents are going through a separation right now, and Paigen heard her confiding in me about it. She said she'd tell the whole school if I didn't agree."

"Goten, talk to Valese," Trunks suggested. "Tell her what happened. She knows how Paigen is, and I doubt she'd care if it meant you not having to deal with her."

"Trunks, I can't let Valese be stressed out more," Goten stated. "I…I don't want that for her. I'm just pissed that Paigen is using her to get me to agree to this. I mean, it's just for a couple weeks. I'll survive it, but I just don't trust that bitch. What if she decides to do it anyway?"

"Again, Goten, talk to Valese," Trunks mandated again. "She cares about you, and she'd want you to come to her with this. The two of you can figure it out together."

"Yeah, sure," Goten scoffed before Trunks eyes narrowed at him. "What?" he sighed.

"Goten…you're still taking your medication, right?" The teenager flinched before looking away. "You can't do that," Trunks reminded him. "You know your moods and anxiety go out of control when you're off of it."

"Trunks, it wasn't helping," Goten complained. "I was just feeling worse."

"That's when you're supposed to tell your dad and psychiatrist," Trunks retorted. "He warned you this could happen. Both he and mom told us that there was a time when your dad was so depressed and the same thing happened. Mom told him to talk to his mother and psychiatrist and they found him a different medication that worked so much better and then he felt great."

"Yeah, I know, but I'm not my dad," Goten replied. "What if I'm so messed up that no medicine works, huh?"

Trunks was getting worried by what his friend was saying, but he understood that he was very negative right now. "You won't know unless you try, and you really need to try, Goten. I love you, man, but you need to talk to your parents about this and make an appointment like today. You have to promise me, Goten. If you don't, I'm going to have to say something."

"Yeah, I know," Goten heaved with a slight chuckle. "And thanks, I needed to hear that, bro. If you were dealing with this, I'd say the same thing."

"I know you would," Trunks responded, smiling. "So, you promise you'll talk to them?"

Goten huffed. "I promise. I'll keep you posted on it, too."

"You better," Trunks warned, "or I'm going to harass you with phone calls and texts, and if you dodged them, I'd call the house, too."

"I don't doubt it," Goten murmured sheepishly, his earlier ire gone. Then he sighed again. "I guess I should definitely talk to Valese, at least to warn her that Paigen knows about her parents."

"Jeez, that's gotta be tough," Trunks empathized. "I know that mom had trouble when Gramma divorced her stepfather. No matter what, separation and divorce is always tough."

"Yeah," Goten agreed, feeling immense guilt at the reminder of why Trunks's grandmother had gotten divorced in the first place. "I'm such an idiot. I shouldn't have stopped the medication."

"Goten, it's okay," Trunks reassured him. "You're nothing like that guy. He was manic depressive and stopped his meds just because he didn't want to take them. It wasn't because they stopped working that he stopped. He just didn't want to. Besides, you're issues are a little different and you manage them really well. Don't ever give it a second thought."

"Well, alright then," Goten sighed. At that moment, the bell rang. "I guess we should head to class, now."

Trunks nodded and grinned. "I'll see you and Valese at lunch, okay?"

"Yeah, later," Goten agreed waving Trunks off. Strangely enough, he felt better, though he knew talking to Trunks would help. Still, he had been so afraid that his friend would be angry with him if he found out about the medicine. He knew Trunks and knew that he wasn't like that, but his mind would always picture the worst case scenario, even if it would never happen. It was like what happened with his mother about his grades. That had ended up working out so much better than he expected.

He really needed to stop thinking that the world was going to crumble underneath him.

Mai couldn't believe how long it was taking the bruises to fade. She had already missed four days of school and the first foreign language club meeting. Her only bright side each day was that Trunks had texted with her even though it was the middle of the night. Talking with him made her feel happy, and that was something she didn't feel often. She had already come to terms with the fact that she felt more than friendship for her friend, and she knew he liked her as well. She didn't want to bring him down with her life, though, so just having his presence was enough for her.

A knock on the door pulled her out of her thoughts. She had been sitting in the kitchen since Zarbon had called her downstairs. It was his day off and for some reason he wanted her downstairs with him. He had had a couple of drinks which was very unlike him. She could only assume that today had something to do with her mother. And then she remembered the date. It was the anniversary of her death.

"Tell them whatever they're selling, we ain't buying," Zarbon slurred talking in an uncouth manner Mai rarely ever heard.

Mai got up to answer the door, but she really wished she hadn't when she saw her lavender-haired friend standing on the other side. He had a smile on his face until he took notice of her full form, no doubt seeing the bruises littering her arms and face. Trunks was stunned, his mouth dropped open and eyes narrowed. Mai just stared back like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Mai, I don't hear you sending them away."

Both teenagers flinched when they heard Zarbon's voice, though Mai shivered and closed her eyes. They heard footsteps approaching them before the man came into sight. He glared down at Trunks taking notice of his lavender hair, sneering. "Who are you?"

Mai tensed again and looked to Trunks with pleading eyes. The boy put two and two together, and now all of Mai's behavior made sense. He looked up at the tall, pale man, his green hair pulled into a crisp ponytail. He was what others would consider a pretty boy and didn't look very strong, and yet he clearly had hurt his friend. However, he couldn't say or do anything without details and while Mai was standing in between them, so he got control of his emotions. His lips pressed into a firm line before he took a deep breath and forced a smile.

"Good afternoon, sir," he forced out. "I'm one of Mai's classmates. Her teachers sent me here with the work she's missed." Trunks then looked over to a fearful Mai. "Our math teacher paired us together for a project. I have that work, too."

She sucked in a nervous, shaky breath before looking to Zarbon who seemed more neutral than when he had first seen Trunks. "Whatever," he scoffed making the boy frown as he walked away.

"Um," Mai murmured nervously stealing back her friend's attention. "Thank you. We can got into the dining room to work on the project, okay?"

"Yeah," Trunks responded. "Sounds like a plan."

The two teenagers sat down and Mai could see Zarbon sitting on a position on the couch that allowed him to peak up over at them. She knew he'd be watching them the entire time. He was clearly displeased with Trunks's arrival to the house, though to be fair she wasn't thrilled either. She couldn't believe he had come to bring her homework. It was normally against a school's policy to give out personal and private information such as an address. Mai had no idea why they made an exception, but maybe it was because she and Trunks were nearly inseparable during school hours. It was the only time she had away from Zarbon unless he was working or on a trip, and the only time she could be with Trunks. She took advantage of that, and now she was terrified that she had screwed her friend over massively. Zarbon would never let this go.

Trunks got out his notebook and the math packet. "Okay, so let's divide this. I guess I'll take the odds and you can take the evens? We can work out the problems in out notebooks and submit our scratch paper with the packet. It's based on the stuff we've been learning this week. I have extra paper, so you can take my notebook and use my notes as a guide. You can keep the notebook and copy them later so you can do the regular classwork."

"Alright," Mai replied catching Zarbon's eye over the couch. She forced her body not to react to his gaze or her fear. In that moment, Trunks shifted his notebook to her on a page where he had just written something.

You aren't sick…

Mai's eyes widened and then looked up to Trunks. His eyes were angry, but his voice was light. "Yeah, I know it looks complicated, but it's actually pretty easy once you get the hang of it." She immediately caught on to what he was trying to do. They were not going to be doing work, but he was definitely going to make it look like it in front of her stepfather.

She sighed and then looked to the packet pretending to take down a problem in her own book. Glancing back into Trunks's book a couple times to keep up appearances, she wrote down a message and made it look like she had taken the time to work through the problem. "Do you mind checking this to make sure I got it right?"

"Sure," Trunks chirped, but he still looked serious.

You can't say anything. I'll be in for it worse if he thinks someone else knows. Your mom figured it out, but I told her if she told anyone I'd stop contacting either of you. I mean it, Trunks. Say nothing.

Trunks's expression grew grim as he read the words. He couldn't believe Mai threatened to isolate herself if his mother tried to help. "Eh, there's a couple problems here," he told her. "Let me show you how to do it, okay?"

Mai nodded and moved over closer to Trunks. He was writing with his right hand, but his left hand was shielded from view as he placed his on hers that was resting on her leg. She looked up at him for a moment, tensing, but relaxed as she saw his determined eyes. "See, here's where you made the mistake," he stated. I understand, but you don't have to do this alone. "And if this is different, then down here changes too." We have to talk about this at some point. "Got it?"

Her eyes wavered, but she nodded. "Yeah, I think so. I'll try again on the next one."

She did the writing work again and then showed him again. "How's this?"

Trunks looked over the page, his mouth nearly dropping open. I don't want to involve you. I can't let you get hurt. I wouldn't be able to handle it. Please…just walk away. Now that you've seen me and he's seen you, I can't protect you anymore. You don't need me.

His startled eyes flashed over to her saddened orbs and he shook his head. "You're getting closer. This problem was a lot harder, though. There's a couple of different ways to manage this stuff. I'll show you the alternate method."

I'm not going to do that, Mai, Trunks wrote. You mean a lot to me. I don't need protection. He can't do anything to me. I'm more worried about you. You shouldn't stay here.

Mai pretended she was getting the hang of it and took over. Oh yeah, and where can I go where he wouldn't be able to pull me back.

Trunks forced a smile and nodded and wrote a few more things down. You could stay with us. "Yeah, that's right. See, you're getting it."

Mai nodded and took the book back to try the next problem again herself. When she was finished, she asked Trunks to review it again. He would come after me, and you guys by association. I can't put that on your family. There's no escape. He'll never let me leave.

Trunks took the book and then decided to "work out the problem himself" on a piece of paper. He imitated a grin. "Yup, that's the right answer." How often does he go away?

As soon as Trunks asked the question, Zarbon's phone rang and her stepfather got up to answer it. "Yeah?" The man scowled. "Son of a bitch, Dodoria. You can't keep fucking up deals."

Mai was surprised to hear Zarbon talk like that, but she remembered he'd been drinking. "It's my day off. I can't come in. Driving isn't an option right now." There was some more silence before an angered sigh. "Fine, give me an hour. You're paying for the cab."

Zarbon slammed the phone down and then came to the kitchen entryway. His eyes landed on Trunks. "You're leaving. You can work on the stupid assignment another day." Then he looked to Mai. "See him off."

"I will," Mai assured him. She closed Trunks's notebook and put it with her assignments as Trunks's put the packet and papers back in his backpack. He stood up and let Mai lead him to the door.

He took one last look at her before saying, "If you want, we could meet up after school tomorrow somewhere. You could even come to my place if you want."

Mai looked over to a disgruntled Zarbon. "Do whatever you want," he grunted.

She looked back over to Trunks. "Okay," she replied. "See you tomorrow, then."

Trunks left, but what Mai didn't know was that he only went around the side of the house and crouched down. He was not leaving Mai alone to deal with Zarbon. Of course, he knew he'd be staying there for an hour. What he didn't expect was to hear Mai's screams at one point before she started crying. He realized that Zarbon had left the windows open. The man then walked out as a cab showed up. Trunks did his best to remain hidden until the car was far away. He crawled out of his space not seeing the cab anywhere before he went back up to the house. He turned the knob of the door surprised that it was unlocked. He was not prepared to see what he had.

Mai knew Zarbon was angry about Trunks, and when her friend exited the house, Zarbon started. "So, that's 'Lavender,' huh? And Kuriza was so sure he was a girl." His voice was low, quiet, and dangerous.

Mai panicked. "Uh, I just didn't want Kuriza to get the wrong idea. The guy is just a classmate. The teacher pairs us up a lot, but I knew if I told Kuriza that he was a guy, he'd get angry and make assumptions."

"Liar," Zarbon hissed before chuckling. "You can't lie to me, Mai. I saw your eyes. That boy is your friend. Haven't we talked about making friends before? I own you, and maybe you need another reminder."

"B-But," Mai stammered. "I can't miss anymore school. I mean, the teachers already sent work home. I can't miss anymore."

"You're right," Zarbon stated, "but you can use makeup to cover up the faded bruises on your face. I know what to do."

"Please, don't," Mai begged. "I…I can't keep doing this."

Zarbon chuckled. "You don't have a choice."

Mai wasn't expecting Zarbon to move at such speed while he was drunk, but he managed to get ahold of her and dragged her by the neckline of her shirt. She tried to struggle and get away, but it only made his toss her across the walkway into the staircase. The wind was knocked out of her, her ribcage aching as she felt the wound on her back open up. Her eyes widened as warm liquid ran down her body. Her pleading eyes stopped Zarbon for a moment, his breath hitching before he remembered that Mai was not his beloved. His eyes narrowed as he lifted her off the ground again. She cried out in pain as he threw her into the living room before he went to get the rod.

Before he could hit her with it, his phone went off again and he saw that Dodoria was once again calling. He cursed under his breath before he through the metal pole down in front of the sobbing girl. The man rolled his eyes and turned to leave. He paused in the doorway. "You got off lucky. Don't ever fucking lie to me again."

Mai nodded, still crying though she felt immense relief. The door shut, but she couldn't get herself under control. When she heard the door open again, she tensed and cried harder. She was surprised that Zarbon decided to come back. "Holy shit," she heard a familiar voice, that was not Zarbon, muster out. It was Trunks?

Trunks couldn't believe what he was seeing. Once he had entered, he followed the sound of Mai's heavy sobs and saw her crumpled into a ball on the floor. He could see red seeping through her shirt, his eyes widened in fear. "Oh my God," he breathed out before he moved to where she was and got down to the floor. Instantly, Mai latched onto him holding him as if her life depended on it. Given the heavy bleeding, it was very possible. He wrapped his arms around her ignoring the sticky liquid pouring onto his hands. "Mai…"

"Trunks," she sniffled out before she buried himself against his chest. "I…I…"

"Sh," he cooed moving her hair from her wet and red face. "Mai, we need to get you to a hospital. You're bleeding."

"No," she refused. "I can't go anywhere. Trunks…he'll know. He always knows. I can't escape."

"What do you mean?"

Mai hesitated in telling him, but she realized that he already knew what was happening. "I…I called Child Protective Services when I was younger and tried again before the summer," she confessed. "But he got out of it. He always makes it looks like I'm this grieving, masochistic, suicidal child that he took in out of the goodness of his heart. Whenever someone questions it, their lives get ruined. They lose their jobs or practices, or something happens to their family. I can't…I can't go. He knows you now. He'll destroy you. I won't survive if he does."

"Mai, listen," Trunks said, his voice soft and comforting. "I didn't witness what happened today but it was pretty darn close to having proof. I heard you scream and cry and watched him leave. You're bleeding. If you did this to yourself he wouldn't have fucking left you. And I don't care. Let him come after me. I can handle it."

"No you can't," Mai growled more forcefully. "No one can. He's powerful. Too powerful. I…ah!"

Mai felt so much pain as she shifted to sit up, and Trunks was there to steady her. "Easy," he chided. "If you won't go to a hospital, you at least need to let me get you cleaned up. I can treat your wound, okay? You need to tell me where you keep all your first aid supplies."

The teenager nodded, her black hair falling into her face. "U-Upstairs, second door on the right. There's a bathroom in there. Under the sink is where I keep everything."

"Got it," Trunks replied, his voice still soft. "I…don't want to move you."

"I'll be fine here," she assured him.

Trunks wasn't convinced, but he released her and rushed up the stairs. He went to where her room was and noticed how sparse it seemed. His expression went from concerned to solemn to completely enraged. How dare that bastard lay a hand on his stepdaughter? Who did he think he was that he thought he could touch her? Trunks swallowed down his anger and raced to get the first aid kit. He noticed that the majority of the materials were gone, but looking to the garbage he realized that Mai had been using the kit to treat herself all on her own.

He didn't allow himself to think about it. He was so disgusted by the whole ordeal. Mai was such an amazing and beautiful girl. She didn't deserve this life, this fear. Now he knew why she so desperately clung to him when her stepfather texted her. Had she been afraid he'd kill her?

Back in the living room, Mai was quivering and looked pretty pale. He needed to work quickly. His primary concern was cleaning the wound and stopping the bleeding. It didn't even bother him that he needed to remove her shirt, although he did blush slightly when she nervously and weakly raised her arms and they both realized she needed to remove her bra.

"Uh…" Trunks muttered, looking away and closing her eyes. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable…so…"

"It's okay," Mai replied. "I can do it." She removed the bloodstained fabric and tossed it aside before turning around to display her back to him. "You…you can open your eyes now."

Trunks did but he nearly choked when he saw the giant gash on her back. It looked like the wound had been healing, but had reopened. "What the fuck did he do to you?" Trunks growled.

"This…this was from that night, well the night after," she admitted. "He was so angry, Trunks, but even the dance didn't do this. His boss and his son came over the other day and well, Kuriza has been pursuing me for years, but he's a disgusting and vile human being like his father and Zarbon. He told Zarbon he thought I was seeing someone and denying his advances and when I told Zarbon I wasn't he didn't believe me. I thought telling him Kuriza lied would get me out of it, but later he dragged me to the basement and he…he…" She shook her head as she thought about it.

Trunks felt his chest constrict at the thought of Mai being struck. "What did he do?"

Mai just withdrew inside herself holding her arms to her body as if that would keep her safe. Trunks could see her tears cascading down her face. He couldn't get information out of her, so he just focused on cleaning. He had grabbed a couple of towels from the bathroom and used it to wipe up the blood so as not to waste the limited material she had left. Then he took out peroxide and soaked a clean towel. "Mai, this is going to hurt, but I need to make sure to clean the wound thoroughly so it won't get infected."

"I know," she responded. "Just do it. I can take it."

Trunks hesitated, but he knew what he needed to do. He scrubbed that wound, the peroxide burning Mai as it disinfected the wound. Trunks grimaced and tensed but still continued to scrub even when Mai was crying out. When he finished, Mai was just whimpering. He started to line her body with gauze and then wrapped clean, white bandages around her torso. It took about twenty minutes to do it all, but when he finished, Mai was relieved. She looked up to her savior with thankful eyes only to see him looking at the ceiling and holding out another towel so that she could cover herself up. Because of that, she was very aware that she was sitting in her living room half naked and her face turned red. It was strange, now that the horror was over, that she was hyperaware and skittish. She grabbed the towel and wrapped it around her torso. When her movements stopped, Trunks looked down to her and offered her his hand to help her up.

Mai and Trunks stood in front of each other staring into each other's eyes. Hers were still full of tears, red, and puffy, and his just looked pitying but also still just as loving. "I'm so sorry," he told her. "If I had known he'd do this to you…"

She held her hand out to stop him. "No, I'd do it all again if it meant a chance to be with you," she stated. Realizing her mistake, she looked away. "I mean…"

"Come here," Trunks demanded, though his voice was still very gentle. Mai hesitated but walked over to him. He wrapped his arms around her and allowed her to lay her head on his shoulder.

The two stayed like that for a while and Mai finally relaxed. "Thank you," she quietly whispered. "Where…where did you learn all of that?"

Trunks shrugged and chuckled moving Mai's head slightly. "Well, my grandmother is a nurse, and mom used to injure herself a lot when she was younger so she got good with all the first aid stuff. Goten and I would do really stupid stuff when we were kids and let's just say mom knew what to do. So basically I learned by watching and experience. How…how have you been doing it all this time?"

Mai pulled away and met his concerned orbs with hers. "Survival instinct, I guess," she answered. "I didn't have much of a choice. The first time he hurt me he cursed and then left and returned with a first aid kit and threw it down in front of me telling me to fend for myself."

"Bastard," Trunks hissed. "Mai, there's gotta be something we can do. You know we'd do anything for you."

"Why?" Mai snapped at him. "You barely know me, Trunks. We've been friends for what, a week? Maybe two? And yet you want me to believe you'd involve yourself in this just because you want to help the girl you barely know?"

"Yes," Trunks replied seriously. His voice left no room for argument, and Mai's resolve weakened before she began crying again. This time she wrapped her arms under Trunks armpits and rested her hands on his shoulders. Her legs nearly gave out, so Trunks gently lifted her careful not to hurt her back. "There, there, it's going to be okay. Trust me."

She clutched him tighter, hiding her face in the crook of his neck. He sighed and then got a better grip on her before he started to walk. Mai panicked and tried to push him away. "Relax," he commanded lightly. "I'm just bringing you to your room."

"Trunks, you have to leave," Mai warned. "Zarbon won't be gone forever."

"It'll be fine," he assured her. "Let me take care of you, please. It'll put my mind at ease."

"O…Okay," she reluctantly accepted. Trunks smiled sadly as he brought her upstairs and gently placed her atop her bed.

She started to feel the effects of her day and lied down feeling overwhelmingly exhausted. She curled up, her back facing Trunks, but what surprised her was that she felt him get into bed beside her, embracing her from behind. She tilted her head back eyeing him nervously. Her heart thudded in her chest when he pressed his lips to her temple resting there for a moment before nuzzling against her and holding her. "Rest," he ordered. "I'll be right here. I'll make sure I'm gone before he gets back."

The girl nodded and removed her hand from underneath the towel. She took one of his hands in hers and lied them both on her stomach. Trunks felt something inside him stir and allowed himself to relax and lay his head down on the pillow. He didn't fall asleep, though. His mind was still on high alert, questions racing. How long had Mai been suffering like this? No, how long had Mai been suffering alone like this? She clearly didn't have anyone to take care of her. Where had her mother gone? He knew the woman left, but she couldn't have left her daughter with this madman.

Mai's soft snores broke him out of his thoughts, his eyes wavering as he took in her distressed features. Even in sleep she looked terrified. He kissed her temple and pulled away again, quicker this time, and noticed her features soften. He breathed out a sigh of relief.

He felt a buzzing against his thigh and realized it was her phone in her back pocket. Cringing, he grabbed the device careful as to not touch the poor girl in any way deemed inappropriate. She had enough to deal with that day. There was a text from Zarbon and Trunks glared daggers at it. He knew it was an invasion of privacy, but he didn't give a shit. He opened her phone without a second thought.

You must be really damn lucky, it read. I'll be out of town until Monday. You better have a different attitude when I get back. Go nowhere but to school and to meet with that boy tomorrow and that's it. If you're missing from home again this time, I'll be reintroducing you to the whip.

"Whip?" Trunks harshly whispered. Mai stirred slightly but didn't wake. "That damned son of a bitch."

Trunks couldn't believe he'd threaten her like that. He couldn't believe he used a whip on her. Now he knew where that gash came from and he felt his stomach churn viciously. He needed to get her out of here, away from that man. He knew he felt strongly for her, and to see the woman he loved hurt like this killed him inside.

Wait, loved?

Even he was surprised by his own thought. He had had a crush on her, yeah. Was interested in getting to know her, sure. But loved? He hadn't expected that to happen within a two week period. Damn, that song was really accurate, Trunks thought forlornly remembering his quiet serenade as they danced. He shook out of that thought.

Trunks was sure anyone would think him crazy to have fallen for someone so fast. Hell, he thought it was a little crazy, but then he looked down at Mai's sleeping face and it didn't seem so crazy. She deserves love, Trunks told himself freeing his hand from hers and stroking her face.

He hated that he skin was marred by bruises. It wasn't that she wasn't attractive, but those splotches, however faded, disturbed him. Each one meant another time this girl was hit. His hand clenched into a fist. Oh, how he wished he could make that bastard pay.

Well, at least Zarbon would be gone for a while, so he could make sure she got some rest. He decided to get some sleep as well, pulling her closer to him. "It'll be okay, Mai," he whispered in her ear. The girl muttered something incoherently. He chuckled. "Rest easy. We'll figure this out tomorrow. I promise."

It was a promise he intended to keep.