Author's Note: Um hi everyone…I apologize for taking so long to update! I don't remember ever taking a year to update a fanfic but yeah. I'm so ashamed, sorry to keep you waiting! D: A lot has been going on in my life to keep me busy, especially as of lately. I've recently moved from my cozy home in New Jersey to southern Florida. Plus I'm usually quite active on Deviant Art so sometimes I push aside my writing for drawing.
In any case, I've been working on seeing this fic through the end. I have it all set up on how I want it to go. From here, there are about 10 chapters left to the end, so please bear with me because I don't know how long it'll take me to write 10 chapters xD I'm going my best to make it dramatic and interesting yet realistic so I hope I do it right :)
To make up for my absence, I hope the surprise at the end will make up for it :) Enjoy!
Chapter 25:
Preparations
The loud roar of airplane engines filled the quiet and peaceful skies over a mostly remote area of forest a couple hundred miles from West City. The aircraft was quite small with room enough for only its two passengers, Charisma and Trunks. As Trunks manned the vehicle and handled the navigation, Charisma sat beside him reading a magazine.
"Is it me or is this thing seriously lagging?" he asked all of a sudden as he quickly tapped at some buttons.
"Maybe you're not using it right," Charisma said casually as she flipped through a page and didn't even glance up at him.
"Oh? I'll have you know I can drive a plane with my eyes closed," he retorted and sighed. "I'd much rather fly over there the old fashioned way. What do you say? Should we ditch this thing?"
Charisma finally looked up at him and pursed her lips thoughtfully. "I really don't feel like flying…"
"At this rate, we'll get there by next week," he explained with a shake of his head. "Let's go!"
Charisma shrugged with a sigh and dropped her magazine as Trunks pressed a button to open the glass door above them. Charisma carefully levitated off of the plane as Trunks pressed another button to turn it back into a capsule. He grabbed onto it as it hovered momentarily in the air and stuffed it into the pocket of his jacket. He smirked mischievously at Charisma, to which she returned with a confused glance.
"Hey, I'll race you there…" He took off like a flash into the distance.
Charisma gasped and fumbled in the air before following suit. "Hey, you idiot! Don't leave me!"
…...
The area was mostly forest and grassy landscapes with a few mountains off in the distance. It wasn't long before two small houses came into view resting beside a gently flowing river.
"I told you it wasn't much further," Trunks said as they landed in front of Goku's house. "It's been some time since we've been here, huh?"
"Yeah, I'll say," Charisma replied as she looked around with her eyes. "A lot has changed…it's definitely gotten bigger…It still looks really nice and peaceful compared to the city."
Trunks knocked on the front door of Goku's house. After waiting for a few moments, no one answered at all and there wasn't any indication of anyone even being home. Trunks attempted knocking on the door again but with no success. With a confused sigh, he turned to Charisma and exchanged a glance.
Charisma shrugged at him. "What a bummer. I guess no one's home…" Charisma turned away from the door and placed her hands on her hips. "I wonder where they went…"
"WE DON'T WANT ANY!"
Charisma and Trunks were both practically startled out of their skins at the sound of a sudden and booming voice. They looked up above instantly to see Chi-Chi hanging some clothes to dry on a wire on a different part of the house.
"Oh, it's you two!" she said and smiled warmly at them. "How have you been? Welcome to Mount Paozu!"
"How are you, Chi-Chi? We've been great!" Charisma replied with a bright grin. "It's nice to be out here again!"
"I'll say," she replied. "You two barely come around anymore."
"Yeah," Trunks agreed before asking her. "Say, is Goten around?"
"Well, when he wants to be," Chi-Chi replied as she turned her full attention back to the clothes she was hanging on the line. "Right now, he's out training with his father. Go ask Gohan. He should know where they are."
"That's great," responded Trunks as he motioned for Charisma to continue on and they went on their way. "I wanted to go see him anyway. It's nice to see you again Chi-Chi."
Charisma waved at Chi-Chi as the pair proceeded over to the house right next door. Trunks led the short way to the door where he once again attempted to knock.
"Hello!" Trunks announced and knocked on the door twice, only to have the door open on its own and no response. Trunks and Charisma hesitantly peered inside from their side of the door. "Hello? Is anyone home?"
"I don't see anyone," Charisma began to say. "Maybe he's not home right now, either…"
"But the TV is on," Trunks replied to her as he slowly entered. "They must be in here…"
Charisma hesitated for a moment before followed behind him. "This is a little rude, isn't it?"
"Gohan?" Trunks called out, ignoring her comment, as he wandered further into the living room. Charisma grumbled to herself and crossed her arms as she stood near a small table. She noticed the pretty white trimmed picture frame that sat atop it housing a beautiful photo of when Gohan and Videl had gotten married.
"How pretty…" she swooned quietly with a smile.
"Trunks, Charisma, is that you?"
Charisma and Trunks looked up to see Gohan high on a ladder on the far side of the room with a stack of books he'd gathered from his enormous bookshelf.
"I can't believe it! How have you two been?" he asked excitedly and descended the ladder carefully. "You guys barely come to visit anymore." Charisma and Trunks simultaneously scratched the backs of their heads nervously.
"We've been great!" Charisma greeted as she came closer to him. "A little busy with college preparations and all. That's why we barely have time to visit anymore. But it's so nice to see you again, Gohan!"
"Oh I see. Life's keeping you busy, but that's great," Gohan responded and began descending the ladder. "Hey, would you mind giving me a hand with this, Trunks?"
"Uh, sure," Trunks stepped around Charisma and grabbed the large stack of heavy textbooks from Gohan's arms and placed them on a nearby table. "Wow, my dad was right!" he added. "You really are a big nerd, aren't you?"
Charisma rolled her eyes at him.
Gohan chuckled as he adjusted the thick-rimmed glasses on his face. "I guess you can say that!" His eyes caught sight of Videl coming down the stairs behind them. "Oh hey, Videl. Look who's here!"
Videl descended the steps and smiled warmly when she noticed the two teens. "Oh wow, how nice of you two to visit us. It seems you're both growing a little more each time I see you! How's life been after graduation?"
"It's been great," Trunks said, nervously scratching the back of his head again.
"Yeah, we're just getting ready for college now," Charisma added with a chuckle. "It's all one thing after the other, you know."
Videl was about to add something to that statement when the TV boomed with the voice of her father rambling on about how he was going to win the next World Martial Arts Tournament.
Charisma giggled and shook her head. "He's really quite something, isn't he?"
"That's my father, all right," Videl said with an exasperated sign.
"He is the World Champ," Trunks explained. "My dad said he helped out in defeating Buu all those years ago."
"Yeah, but I just wish he'd stop taking credit for things he never really did," Videl added as she shook her head. "His act is getting pretty old…"
"So, what brings you two here from West City?" Gohan asked, changing the subject.
"Oh, I almost forgot! I was just looking for Goten," Trunks said. "Do you know where he is?"
"He's out training with my dad in the South Face," Gohan replied. "Your folks are out on there with them, too."
Trunks and Charisma exchanged a glance. "What really? They didn't say anything to me!" Trunks exclaimed. He turned back to Charisma and shrugged. "I guess we'll be heading there, then."
...
After departing from Gohan's house, Charisma and Trunks once again took to the skies in search for Goten.
"I'm really surprised they didn't say anything," Charisma remarked. "We could've come along, too, if they'd told us."
"They probably thought I wouldn't want to come," Trunks replied. "Although, I didn't even see them this morning before we left. They were already gone by then."
"Oh well, we'll find them soon anyway," Charisma dismissed it and took a deep breath. The wind blowing through her hair felt nice along with the sun shining warmly on her skin. "It does feel nice to fly freely like this again…It's almost impossible to fly in the city."
"And you said you didn't feel like flying, huh?" Trunks teased her. "I told you it'd be better like this."
Charisma went belly up in the air and looked over at him. Her eyes squinted slightly at the feeling of the sunshine stinging through them. "I guess you were right…I guess…" she grinned at him.
Trunks rolled his eyes at her and stuck out his tongue. "You mean I was right. You were wrong, I was right. Isn't that how it always is?"
Charisma gasped and returned to her normal flying position. "What do you mean? I'm not always wrong. You're always wrong!"
"You're a sore loser, too," he continued with an arrogant smirk, stopping in place and crossing his arms thoughtfully. "I can beat you in poker with my eyes closed. You always have a surprised look on your face when I win, too, as if it'll be any different after playing it a thousand times."
Charisma stopped in her place as well and her pout became more pronounced. "That's because you're always cheating. I don't know how, but you are!" She pointed an accusing finger at him.
"You're funny," Trunks said with a hearty laugh. He came close to her and patted her on the head and messing up her hair further than it'd been with the wind alone.
"You're a jerk," Charisma growled and swatted his hands away. Trunks continued laughing as Charisma repeatedly pounded her little fists against his chest playfully. "You're lucky I don't have it in me to sock it to you, right in the stomach. You're always letting your guard down with me. What makes you think I won't come back someday and knock you out for real?"
Trunks hesitated for a moment and stared down at her. She didn't stop for a second in her little sorry attempt at an assault. The childish pout that remained on her brought a smile to his face for reasons he couldn't explain. "…you love me too much?"
Charisma immediately stopped with her hands paused in midair. She felt a blush creeping across her face and staining her cheeks rosy. She felt an uncontrollable smile coming to her face and turned away from him coyly. There was something about him that made her feel tingly, even down to the tips of her toes.
Charisma twiddled her fingers shyly as she tried to regain some of her composure. She laughed softly and looked back at him from over her shoulder. "…That maybe true…" She winked at him and suddenly flew off.
Trunks froze in his place for a second and a blush quickly replaced the smile on his face. "Is that a yes…?" he mumbled to himself before realizing Charisma wasn't even there anymore. "Ugh, wait! You're going the wrong way!" He called out and took off after her.
"Hey, isn't that them?" Charisma asked with a pointed finger to the ground below a few minutes later. Sure enough, Goten was nearby on the ground, along with Goku.
"Yeah, and there's my mom and dad, too," Trunks replied and began descending.
"Hey, you!" Charisma called out once they neared the ground. Goten looked back from his seat on the grass and waved.
"I don't believe it!" Goten chuckled. "You two actually came all the way out here? That's a surprise. So what's up?"
"Nothing much," Charisma answered as she landed on her feet. "Oh, but Misa says you need to call her more often, Goten! You know how she gets," she added with a raised finger.
Goten laughed nervously. "All right, all right."
"Well, on to more important things," Trunks sighed only to get elbowed by Charisma for his words. He grinned at her. "Anyway, I thought you'd be training for the tournament. Or have you decided to chicken out?"
"I really don't want to go, to be honest," Goten said with a depressed sigh. "My dad is making me do it. I was actually supposed to go on date-" He stopped midsentence when he saw the look on Charisma's face. "I MEAN—other obligations…" He coughed nervously.
Charisma looked unimpressed and crossed her arms. "…I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that, all right?"
"Aww, don't worry, Goten," Goku laughed at him. "There'll be plenty of time for those things after the tournament."
"Looks like your son is getting lazy like mine," Vegeta remarked.
"Well it is easy to get soft in times of peace," Goku chuckled. "Oh look, she's back already!"
"Hmm?" Everyone turned to the sky to see a small figure zooming closer from the distances. The little girl zipped through the sky and landed perfectly in front of Goku.
"Grandpa!" she said happily. "I just flew around the world again!"
"Wow, you did it in even less time than before," Goku remarked and patted her head affectionately. "Great job, Pan!"
"Do you think I'll be ready for tomorrow?" she asked cheerfully.
"What?!" Trunks exclaimed. "No way! Don't tell me Pan is entering in the tournament, too?"
"Really?" asked Bulma with surprised. "But there isn't going to be a Junior Division this year, Goku!"
"Oh, she'll be fine," Goku casually replied, while still patting Pan's head. "She probably won't win, but she'll do great!"
"Hmm, that's a good attitude to have," Vegeta said and looked at Trunks. "Guess what? Trunks is entering, too, aren't you son?"
Trunks gasped and shook his head. "What? No!"
"You're entering," Vegeta said as-a-matter-of-factly. "Or I'll cut your allowance in half." Trunks lowered his head in defeat. It would be pointless to argue.
Goten stood up and cheered with is fists in the air. "Yeah! Trunks is entering, too!"
"Wow, so you're both entering in it, now?" Charisma asked cheerfully and raised a fist. "I guess I'll join in, too! It'll be like last time!" She stuck out her tongue and flexed her triceps. "…except I'll win, of course."
"Well, good luck with that!" Goten chuckled with a wave of his hand.
Charisma's smile faded quickly and she turned to glare at Goten. "What's that supposed to mean?!"
...
The three friends were left scurrying for the next few days as they urgently tried to get in as much last-minute training as possible. As children, Goten, Trunks, and Charisma spared at almost every opportunity they got. As they grew older, however, those moments of sparing became increasingly uncommon. Sparing session would only take place in cases of extreme boredom.
The following day after their visit to the Son family, Trunks and Charisma sat in the Capsule Corp house, watching television, while waiting for Goten to show up as he'd promised. Their eyes were glazed over with boredom and a look of complete forlorn.
"It's getting late," Trunks commented as he glanced down at his watch. "At this point, we'll never get enough training done for the tournament."
"Maybe something came up," Charisma responded and stretched her arms lazily over her head. "Still, I think he would've called. I can't wait too much longer, either. I have to go visit the college later with Misa…Although, I don't see what you're so worried about," she added with a smirk.
"What do you mean?"
"You don't really have that much to worry about as far as advancing is concerned," she casually explained. "It's not going to be much of a challenge until we face each other."
"I guess," he responded as he cross his arms. "But I don't think any of us want to end up looking bad in front of such a huge crowd."
"True…" Charisma agreed and stood up. She stretched her arms over her head. Her hands opened and closed continuously to stretch the fingers as well. "Well, we might as well start training now while we wait for him. We can just spar with each other for the time being. It'll be like old times!"
"I guess we don't another choice," Trunks said and stood up as well. "I'm getting bored just sitting around like this."
...
Within a few moments, Charisma and Trunks were sprawled outside on the grass and warming up for their training.
"All right," Charisma announced and positioned herself in a battle stance. "Let's get started!"
"If you insist," Trunks replied and got ready as well. "I have to warn you first, though: I don't train that often, but that doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you."
Charisma narrowed her eyes teasingly and scoffed. "Oh, we'll see…"
In a flash, Charisma jumped into the air and charged towards Trunks as fast as she could. After exchanging blows with him at the speed of light, she spun around behind him and latched on to his arms. She flipped him over harshly and he landed on the grass with a loud thud and a groan. She did a series of quick back flips away from him and stood alert.
"How was that? Didn't see that coming, did ya?" she chortled haughtily. Her smile faded when she noticed more than a few seconds had passed and he still hadn't even bothered standing. "Oh come now," she pouted breathlessly. "Don't tell me you've lost your edge. I know you're a lot stronger than that! You don't have to let me win on purpose so that I won't feel bad. I'm not a child anymore."
Trunks took a deep breath and stood up on his feet again. He dusted himself off and turned to face her. "Fine. But don't cry when I don't go easy on you…"
Charisma rolled her eyes and got into position again. "Just come at me! You'll be the one crying."
"As you wish!" Trunks suddenly charged towards her, stomping on the ground harshly.
'Crap, he's so fast!' she panicked mentally. The sound of his footsteps sounded horribly loud in her ears. 'It's been so long since we've last trained! I can't let him see I've faltered.'
Charisma was barely able to slip past him by diving on the ground and somersaulting away. Quickly getting on to her feet, she wasted no time in running after him and attempting a drop kick. Needless to say, she flew past him, swishing the purple strands of hair over his eyes as a breeze blew by.
"Heh, you've gotten slow, Charisma!" he taunted with a cocky tone, earning an annoyed glare from her. "You'll never defeat me like this!"
Charisma kicked up grass and dirt off the ground as she came to a screeching hault and quickly turned around. "Oh shut up!" she grumbled angrily. She really hated it when he prattled on like this, reminding her of her faults in battle and all.
Trunks charged towards her once again, faster than he'd gone before. She froze in her spot as he seemed like nothing more than a blur quickly advancing towards her. Once close enough, Trunks swung a fist at her.
"I've got you!" he cackled proudly. Instead of feeling the impact he expected, however, he felt thin yet strong arms wrap around his waist. He looked behind him to find Charisma had managed to get behind him again and grapple onto him.
"Sorry!" she winked at him cutely, throwing off his guard for a second.
"…C-cheater!" he flustered as he barely exclaimed.
That single second that was just enough for Charisma to flip him over with all her strength and slam him against the ground. The thump of his body seemed to echo louder through the atmosphere than before.
Charisma took a deep breath and grinned. The thought of leaning over and laughing in his face just barely crossed her mind when she began to lose her footing, having landing in a slightly awkward position. She squealed piercingly as she suddenly went down and fell directly top of him with enough force to cause them both to groan painfully. Grass and dirt flew up in the air above them from the impact.
Trunks groused angrily to himself and rubbed the back of his throbbing head. He was sure a big, bright red lump was starting to form there and flinched at touching it. With a rumbling growl, he swiftly looked up at her. "Charisma, you know you're such an-" He was cutoff by his breath getting stuck in his chest. "…idiot…"
A cold sweat ran through his body when he looked up to see Charisma's face lingering only a few centimeters from his. She was so close to him, he swore he could even feel her labored breath on his face. Her cheeks were dyed a rosy pale red, cutely accenting her peach skin, and blond strands of hair sticking to her face with sweat.
'…We haven't…gotten this close…yet…' he mentally noted. His cheeks burned brighter as his lips parted breathlessly.
Charisma propped herself up on her hands and groaned. She resisted the urge to smack herself in the face. "I'm such a klutz…" she cried pathetically. Her eyes slowly opened, her cheeks already colored from embarrassment of having fallen, when she noticed how close Trunks was, as well. The look he was giving her was making her body feel funny all over and she couldn't understand why.
"Eh…Trunks…?" she whispered nervously.
Charisma couldn't even remember what she'd wanted to say. The words dissolved before they became solid enough to escape her mouth. Her eyes studied his face, from his eyes to his lips, and only now realized how much she'd failed at noticing his handsome features before. She swallowed hard as her heart throbbed loudly in her chest, not sure if she'd felt her heart beat this way before.
Meanwhile, from this angle, Trunks came to notice the awkward position they'd fallen in. Her legs were on either side of his hips as she hovered closely above him. She seemed somewhat oblivious to how funny the position really was.
'…we really haven't gotten this close yet…' he reminded himself again as he gulped and sweat ran down the side of his face. '…This is getting bad…but…'
At last, their eyes met at the same time and the look in either had them grown more nervous by the second. It was as if time was standing still and they were waiting for the other to make a move, neither one ready to stand up, and neither one really wanted to, either. They didn't even seem to notice how their faces were levitating closer together as if being pulled together by the force of a magnet.
'I don't know what to do…' Charisma thought shyly. '…But I love being close to you, Trunks…'
Their breaths mixed as Charisma slowly placed her forehead against his and smiled coyly. Trunks jumped slightly at feeling her against him but took a deep breath to relax his jumpy nerves. A smile gently appeared on his face.
'…I think it's time…' he thought to himself, lifting his chin slightly and ready to bring his lips to hers. He hadn't realized until now how badly he'd longed to kiss her lips, to see if they were really as soft and sweet as they looked.
"I'M HERE, GUYS! SORRY I'M LATE!"
Goten's jolly voice came out of no where, immediately extinguishing the fire of the moment and sending Charisma flying off of Trunks as if she'd sat on spikes. It was beyond her how she'd even managed to get onto her feet. Her legs were trembling horribly and she pretended to look at something interesting in the other direction, maybe a bird or an airplane. Goten ran over from his position at doorway of the Capsule Corp house.
"I see you guys got started without me," Goten said joyfully and stretched his muscles. "I'm ready for some action!"
"Ready…?" Trunks mumbled, still on the ground.
"For action?" Charisma ended his sentence. They slowly turned their heads towards each other and their eyes met. Instantly, their entire faces became bright red in the flip of a coin.
Charisma couldn't stop herself from squealing loudly and bringing her hands over her mouth. She dashed madly towards the house. "I-I-I GOTTA GET SOMETHING!" She shouted as she raced past Goten, nearly dragging him along, too.
With a confused expression, Goten turned to Trunks. "What's wrong with…?" He noticed the flushed look on Trunks face.
Trunks shrugged as he slowly sat up and scratched the back of his head nervously. His purple bangs shielded his eyes from Goten's view, yet failed to shield his rosy cheeks. "…I…don't know…"
...
"Don't be jealous!" Charisma laughed into her cell phone as she sat down on her bed. She'd just changed into her pajamas and brushed her hair. The room was kept cool by the ceiling fan despite the slight air of mugginess produced by the evening summer winds.
"But you're so lucky," Misa spoke from the other end. "I wish my parents would've gotten me a car for my gradation present. That's really great! Now we can drive around the city and wreak havoc everywhere we go!"
Charisma chuckled and nodded. "That sounds like a lot of fun! Hey, and thanks for coming with me to visit the college today. It would've sucked if I'd had to wander around alone. It's such a big place and all."
"Hey, it's not a problem," Misa replied, but sighed sadly. "It's really such a nice place…I'm kind of jealous of that even more so than of your car…"
"Hey, don't say that," Charisma replied. "Central is such a big and exciting place, too! You'll see so many things there, and meet so many new people. It'll be fun!"
"…I know you're trying to cheer me up," Misa said with a half smile. "…but it's really not working this time. I still can't get over the fact that we're all going to be separated. I really saw the four of us together in life's adventures like this…"
Charisma sighed and threw herself onto the fluffy blue covers of her bed. "You're thinking too much about it again!" she gently scolded. "We really need to do something to get your mind off of it. Maybe we can all hang out together some time before you leave. Just because you're going far from here doesn't mean anything. It won't change anything, you know. So stop thinking it's the end of everything, because it's really not!"
Misa stared up at the sky from her seat beside her bedroom window. "You're right…"
"I really didn't think you'd be so upset about this…"
"Me either, to be honest…but…I still don't know what I'm going to do…"
Charisma sat up slowly. "…what do you mean? There's not really anything you can do about it, is there?"
"…That's not what I mean…"
Charisma paused momentarily before it hit her. "Oh! You…haven't told Goten about it yet? Why haven't you?"
Misa looked down at her lap and shook her head. "…I've tried. Believe me, I keep trying. I just don't know how to say it…I guess I really don't want to go…but what choice do I have?"
Charisma took a deep breath and laid back down on her bed. "…If it's really tormenting you that much, maybe you shouldn't go at all?"
"…If only it were that easy…" Misa sighed. She stood up and sat down on her bed, sinking onto it's warm and soft surface. "Mom and Dad aren't gonna like that one bit. What else is there for me to do besides college, anyway?"
Charisma remained silent, not really knowing what to say. "…Just do your best, Misa. You know, you'll always have me to talk to. And Trunks and Goten, too. But you have to tell Goten that you're going away. You've only got about 2 months before you have to go. The more you put it off, the harder it'll be. What do you think he'll feel if you just up and leave without having told him first?"
"I guess…I'm just scared," she said silently. "…of what he'll say."
"…Just do your best, Misa. Be strong, all right? It'll be fine…I'm sure he'll understand. You know how he is. He wants what's best for you, too, remember?"
Misa nodded. "Yeah…you're right. I'll try. I promise you, I'll do it. I think I'm going to bed now. I need to think about how I'm going to do this, too. Thanks for listening, Charisma."
"No problem!" Charisma replied warmly. "You know you can call me whenever you need me!"
"Yeah, I know, thanks," Misa responded. "Bye…" She hung up her phone and drew her knees closer to her body, resting her head on top of them.
...
Charisma was already falling asleep, buried under her warm blanket, when her phone beeped incessantly a half hour after she'd spoken to Misa.
"Ugh," she mumbled sleepily. "…who could be texting me at this hour?" Charisma hand emerged from under the blankets and fumbled on her nightstand for her phone, which she ended up knocking on to the ground. She growled exasperatedly and flipped the covers off of herself to reach for the phone. It only took a few seconds for her eyes to brighten up when she saw the name on the screen. "Trunks!"
'Are you asleep yet?'
"Well, I was," she answered out loud with a roll of her eyes but shook her head and punched at the keys. 'No. What's up? Can't sleep?'
She laid down back on the bed and anxiously waited for his response. In about two minutes, the phone beeped once again. Charisma quickly opened it and read the message. 'Not really…do you want to do something? We can go out and flying around the city or something. If you want to.'
"At this hour?" Charisma looked at the digital clock on her nightstand. It's blinking red letters announced '10:15 p.m.' "Oh, it's the perfect time for a walk! What am I saying?"
'Sure! Give me 10 minutes then come by,' she texted back. She set down her phone and hurried to make herself look presentable. She quietly changed into a pair of jeans and put a sweater on over her pajama top. She quickly brushed her hair and set a high ponytail atop her hair.
Charisma sat back down on her bed to wait for Trunks to come by. Her heart seemed to be pounding stronger than before. 'I don't know why I'm so nervous now,' she wondered. Her mind flashed back to earlier in the day. The image of Trunks' face so close to hers made her heart skip a beat again and again. Charisma scratched the sides of her head. 'I'm so nervous!'
Charisma's train of thought was derailed by the sound of a gentle knock on her window. Charisma took a deep breath and headed over to find Trunks hovering outside in front of it. She opened the window and stuck her head out.
"Hey," he greeted her softly. "Sorry to make you come out so late…"
"It's not a problem," she smiled at him. She levitated out of the window and joined him. "Where should we go?"
"Everyone's asleep right now," Trunks said with a sigh and grinned at her. "We can go anywhere…"
Charisma smiled back and nodded. "Let's go over the city," she said. "I always wanted to go star gazing from the top of the tallest building."
"Sounds like a plan," Trunks replied and they both took off downtown.
The pair flew quietly in the dark night skies. Neither of them seemed to know what to say. Even so, the air between them wasn't awkward or uncomfortable, but both of them were thinking about million different things and feeling many different emotions.
Trunks looked over at Charisma. He wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say. He'd forgotten his words soon as she smiled at him wholeheartedly.
She spun around in her place in the air, her hair blowing wildly around her face, and giggled. "…What a beautiful night! The air is so crisp and cool. It's a perfect night for flying…" Charisma sighed happily. "Hey, there's that building! That's the tallest one in the city. Let's go up there."
"All right."
They swerved amongst the other buildings in the area, their eyes squinting slightly from the bright city lights below. Once they'd reached the top of the tallest building, most of the lights didn't reach them anymore and stars were bright and clear.
"The view from up here is amazing," Charisma said happily as she peered over the edge of the building into the distances. Darkened silhouettes of other houses were visible, and even shadowy mountains painted in the distant background. She stretched lazily with her hands over her head and sighed. "It's such a clear night, too. I love it!"
Trunks reached into his pocket and pulled out a capsule. He threw it onto the ground and it popped open into a blanket. Out of his pocket, he also pulled out a small pair of binoculars. Charisma eyes widened with surprise.
"Wow, you came prepared for stargazing, huh?" she remarked with a smile. "You know me so well."
Trunks chuckled as he sat down on the blanket and looked up at the sky. "Yeah, I guess that's true. Your favorite thing to do on a crisp night is look up at the stars."
Charisma jovially took a seat on the blanket beside him. "Yeah. It's even better having you here watching them with me." Their eyes met. "Would it be all right if I moved a little closer?"
"Y-yeah that's fine," he replied, hiding his nervousness. "Why wouldn't it be?"
Charisma chuckled as she shuffled closer to him. She took a deep breath and slowly put her head on his shoulder. There was a long yet comfy silence in between them as their eyes remained glued up to the heavens. Stars were twinkling from afar and reflecting off their eyes.
"…can I tell you something?" Charisma almost whispered, breaking the silence.
"…Yeah…what is it?" he responded after a few seconds.
"…I'm a little nervous."
Trunks looked down at her. "Really? Why?"
"I'm nervous about everything," she confessed, drawing her knees closer to her body. "Everything's happening so quickly. Misa's going to head off and away to college soon. I'm going to college, too. And you? You're starting your internship with Capsule Corp soon, right?"
Trunks groaned silently and swallowed at a curse that threatened to escape his lips. "Don't remind me…"
"And Goten…" Charisma paused for a moment to look up thoughtfully. "Goten…well, I'm not sure what he's doing, to be honest…"
"He's just hanging around…" Trunks said casually.
Charisma looked at him and laughed. "Yeah, that." She looked back up at the sky and stretched her legs out in front of her. Allowing herself to relax, she lay down on to the blanket and drank in the sight of the soft night. "Don't you worry about it sometimes? Life moves really fast. We're all going in our own directions and sometimes…I feel like I don't want it to change. I know it probably sounds stupid, but it feels like we're all moving in different directions for the first time. I'm not used to this feeling, I guess."
Trunks turned his head to stare down at her with the intent comfort her. Looking at her, however, his breath barely escaped him and his words wouldn't come out. His mind replayed the events of that morning: the memory of having her so close during their training was impossible to shake off all day. The feeling seemed to grow stronger at the moment than before, however.
Trunks' blue eyes stared intently at hers while they remained stuck on watching the stars in the sky. His gaze soon traveled down the bridge of her nose and onto her small and peachy-colored lips. Charisma felt his gaze on her and looked over at him quizzically.
"What is it?" she asked, titled her head slightly.
Trunks suddenly cleared his throat and shook his head. "Nothing!" he said quickly, trying to catch himself. "It's just that…there's no use in worrying about it at all."
Trunks slowly stood up and walked over to the edge of the building to stare down at the city below. He needed a little time to compose himself and being next to her wasn't helping with that at all. "That's just how it is," he added calmly. "A lot of things are going to change within the next few years and this is just the start of it. But I'm surprised. It's not like you to look at it so nervously."
Charisma looked down. 'Misa's feelings seem to be rubbing off on me…' she thought to herself. 'But I know she'll be okay…'
Charisma sighed as she sat back up in her place. "Yeah, you're right. I truly believe the four of us will always be together. If we're all together, it'll all be fine. We'll always have each other, right?"
A calm evening breeze ruffled strands of lavender hair past Trunks' eyes. He smiled down at himself and looked over his shoulder to her. "Right," he grinned with a thumb up.
Charisma felt her heart throb a little faster at his smile. She smiled back at him wholeheartedly with rosy cheeks, feeling giddy like a little girl, and got up on her feet. She dusted off her hands before stretching her arms lazily over her head again. She tucked her hands shyly behind her back and looked up at the sky once again.
"I think that's better than any wish a star could grant," she said so delicately Trunks barely heard her. She took a deep breath and coyly glanced over at him again. Their eyes met perfectly on cue. "…You and me, too, right?"
Trunks' heart clenched at her words and the look on her face made him lose his breath for a moment. He took a deep breath.
"I haven't been able to stop thinking of us lately," Charisma explained, her cheeks still red. "We've really been through a lot, haven't we? Not just in high school, but in many ways before that. There were many times when I wondered if you and I were really friends like I am with Goten and Misa. Now, though, I feel like I'm finally starting to understand it."
Trunks looked down and scratched the back of his head nervously. "…We've certainly had our moments…"
"But even so," Charisma continued gently. "Through the good times and the bad, we've both come to accept each other. You're always there for me when I need you, without fail. We've been able to pull through together through everything and all of those awful things that ever happened only brought us closer in the end."
The sound of gravel under Charisma's shoes echoed as she stepped over to stop in front of him. Their eyes studied over each other, reflecting more than just shining city lights and stars. Emotions that they'd collected over the past years welled up inside of them, wanting to spill forth.
"When I think of the future with you," she said softly. "I know it won't be easy. But at the same time, I'm not afraid of it. I look forward to it as long as you'll be there with me."
Trunks stared down silently at her, not really knowing what to say. Anything that he wanted to stay remained stuck within his mind. Instead, he carefully broke the distance in between them, ignoring the slight surprise in Charisma's face. He slowly brought his hands to cup her chin delicately.
She didn't turn away. Her heart was pounding too harshly to let her move. She didn't want to move. His touch sent shivers throughout her body unlike anything else she'd ever felt before. She was lost in his eyes and knew what she wanted. Her eyes slowly shut and he knew it was all right to proceed.
Their lips met timidly at first. Trunks could feel her flinch against him yet press her lips stronger against him. She wanted him just as much as he wanted her.
No other kiss compared to this. Charisma couldn't remember feeling so much happiness from a kiss. Even in her imagination couldn't adequately compare to feeling him against her. She pulled herself closer to his body, grasping onto his waist and holding onto him tightly.
Her lips were soft and sweet. He never imagined it'd feel like this. Nothing compared to the bliss he felt at the moment, and he didn't want to let her go. But their lips parted after a long moment and they stared breathlessly at each other.
Charisma looked up at him lovingly. All the emotions she'd felt for him since long before she could remember seemingly overflowed from her entire being.
"Trunks…" she said in a shaky voice, exhilarated from the kiss. "…I love you…"
Trunks felt his heart throbbing faster at her words. Was it normal for one's heart to almost hurt at the sound of those words? "…I love you, too, Charisma," he said in a tone soft than she'd ever heard. He pulled her in for another kiss, nipping at her lips, before joining their foreheads together.
"I'll always stand by you, Charisma," he said. "It doesn't matter what happens. Even if the world falls apart, you'll always have me."
"And you'll always have me, too," Charisma smiled up at him happily. "Let's promise to always stay together, no matter what the future brings."
"It's a promise," he agreed and kissed her on the forehead before pulling her in for a warm, tight embrace. She smiled against his shoulder and clenched tighter onto him under the glistening night sky.
I hope you liked it! I wasn't sure if 'I love you' here was too soon in the relationship, but in the end I felt that they knew each other long enough to be able to say it ^_^ Anyway, thanks for reading!