A hand stroked my cheek, brushing the hair back from my face. I shifted, moaning as I fought the last remnants of the sedatives. I pried my eyes open, seeing a dark shape kneeling next to me.

"Go away, Bulma," I said, my voice weak.

"I should be insulted you mistook me for my mother."

I shot up from the couch, looking wildly at the person before me. Trunks knelt next to the couch, smiling at me.

"But, you died," I said. "I felt it. My..." I stopped, gripping my chest.

"The Dragon Balls brought me back," he said. I stared at him, wandering if I was dreaming. The pain I had felt had been all consuming, maybe this was my grief stricken minds way of-

"It's not," Trunks said, taking my hand which hovered between us, reaching for him, but not daring to touch him in case he wasn't real. He brought that hand to his cheek, nuzzling my palm before he pressed a kiss to my wrist.

"I'm real," he sighed. I flung my arms around his neck, sobbing as we both fell to the floor. He laughed, hugging me tightly, returning my frantic kisses. He rolled over, putting himself on top of me, his long hair framing our faces as he bent down and kissed me passionately. I trailed my fingers over his face, mapping out every line and curve, committing it all to memory and ensuring myself that it was all real. If I were to wake and find it was a dream, it would kill me.

"The pain...it was..." I began, sobbing.

"I know, my love," he cooed, stroking my cheek with his knuckles. His gaze was pained and I knew he felt my grief through our bond. His lips were on mine again, soft and tender.

"It's alright," he said. "I'm here. I'll always be here." I nodded, unable to speak, but I didn't need to. He smiled down at me, his thumb tracing along my lower lip.

"My love," I whimpered.

"My soul," he breathed, hugging me to his solid body tightly. I returned his embrace, holding him with all the strength I had and his own grip became tight, his arms the only things keeping me from falling apart.

When I was calm, I relaxed against him and he pulled back, his hand moving to caress my cheek again.

"The others?" I asked.

"All fine, except," he paused. "Except Goku. He sacrificed himself." Tears gathered at my lashes once more.

"That feels like a huge failure," I said with a watery smile.

"He's okay with it, though," Trunks told me. "We talked to him through King Kai."

"Who's that?" I asked.

"Apparently a guardian of the afterlife," Trunks said. I nodded, feeling him brush my tears away.

"So what's the plan?" I asked.

"A good night's sleep, then home," he said. I smiled. Trunks lifted me into his arms and stood, sitting down on the couch with me in his lap. Vegeta sat across from us on the couch with Bulma next to him. I smiled at them.

"By the way," I said. "You're keeping the long hair." Trunks laughed.

"Oh?" he said. "Why is that?"

"Because it's sexy," I replied with a grin.

"If that's what you want, love," he said.