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Chapter 11 - Chemistry

"You wanna go to the market?" he replied in confusion. Of course he'd expected this. He couldn't expect her to be satisfied by being kept strictly to his own area and their shared training space. Her eyes lit up slightly as she nodded her head in excitement. "I mean sure, but why?"

A stupid question to say the least. They both knew the answer. "Well why not? I know I'm you prisoner and everything but is there really a rule to say I can't? Or do you have a specific reason to not let me?" she knew he didn't. And whether he liked it or not she was going to that damned market even if she had to make herself a thorn in his side for hours. Not getting what she wanted didn't sit too well with the beautiful princess of Venus, and somehow she got the gist that he knew this already.

"You might run." he pointed out, stalling pointlessly.

"To where? And I'm pretty sure you're fast enough to catch me if I decided to make a break for it. I can barely fly and this gravity is punishing." She knew he had no retaliation to that. When he sighed in defeat the princess knew she had secured her victory.

"Fine. But don't do anything stupid. There're worse saiyans than me out there." Trunks' voice took a surprisingly serious tone with her which took her by surprise a little bit.

"Okay." was the meek reply, which was quickly subsided by her excited grin at finally being able to expand her horizons. Trunks left the room for a second as Minako awaited their departure. The two minutes he had left her felt like a lifetime as the anticipation of going out and exploring a little built up.

Hurry up, hurry up! she thought to herself, somehow hoping he would listen to her mental command. And as fate would have it, a couple of seconds later he returned holding a black headscarf and a spandex one piece. He threw it to her which she caught with ease and told her to get changed which she hastily rushed to the bathroom to do. The thing was tight but extremely comfortable and allowed for easy manoeuvrability and she quickly understood why saiyans commonly adorned this under their armour. They were a light blue colour and stopped halfway down her thighs and the top piece was armless but cupped her neck nicely. Of course Minako couldn't resist looking at herself in the mirror and admired the way it made her curves pop, maybe a little too much. She assumed the scarf he handed to her was for her hair which she wrapped in the garment, leaving only her bangs and a few strands exposed. She didn't know how many others there'd be without black hair and a tail so the more blonde was covered the less attention she'd draw.

Making her way over to the half-breed, Minako asked him if there'd be many other non-saiyans to which he nodded. "Yeah, sometimes when a saiyan is off world they'll bring back a slave and they stay with them and do their shopping for them." Trunks felt guilty after saying that as he watched the blonde's expression fall a little; she knew that she was in a similar position, but her captor wasn't a savage. Maybe she'd even dare to call herself lucky.

Venusians didn't have slaves and the same could be said for the rest of the solar system. The idea in itself was vile and horrendously outdated. Knowing that, in essence, she was one, was not a pleasant thought and knowing that she'd be going to a place where there'd be loads much worse off than her made the idea of going out to the market a lot less exciting. But even still she couldn't wait to see what normal street life was like here; curiosity had gotten the better of her and she couldn't stand being confined to her 'prison'.

"Let's go!" she ordered, opening the balcony door and habitually hopping on Trunks' back like she had been for the past fortnight to go and spar. Securing her almost bare legs around his waist and wrapping her arms around his neck, Minako held on lightly as Trunks soared through the sky.

She didn't know why, but this time she felt particularly relaxed and brought her head to rest on his shoulder. It almost felt natural, like a perfect fit which brought her a small wave of relief from her previous thoughts on the slaves. But when she sank into him, the pit in her stomach went away and she felt as content as she could in her situation.

This didn't go unnoticed by Trunks. And while the feeling of such natural contact was unusual for him on this world she smelled far too good for him to tell her to get off, not that he wanted to anyway. He wasn't totally convinced that she didn't have some sort of weird power that made him feel this way, or if it was his uncontrollable reaction to her pheromones. If the latter was the case and he was beginning to feel a pull towards her then he really needed to get a grip and put his foot down; there was no way in hell he was going to consider claiming the Venusian Princess as a mate. He did not need the added complications.

Before too long they touched down in the foot of the market place and Minako hopped off of his back. Even with the brightness of the sun and the short distance they were from the main stalls, Minako could already see how busy it was. "Damn, this place doesn't look all too bad." she commented as chipper as usual.

Trunks raised an eyebrow. He hated the over-crowded place but for some reason he didn't seem to mind going today. Maybe it was because he wasn't alone like he usually was. Maybe having company would make it far less tedious.

"Wait till we join the crowd, princess." Minako smiled at him, feeling a lot better now that they were almost there. She seemed to like her nickname as well, getting the feeling that Trunks called her 'princess' as more of a nickname than out of respect for her title and yet she really didn't mind. It felt casual which was what their relationship was turning into.

Walking towards the crowd, Minako's head turned in all directions trying to look into the less busy stores and stalls to see what she could recognise. A few of the words made sense now that she was learning to read saiyan-language and it was damned convenient that she was already fluent in the native tongue. She recognised a spice stall, clothing stall and a few others. The saiyans behind them didn't seem to pay her much mind so she tried not to stare and bring unwanted attention.

They soon approached the crowd and Minako immediately understood what Trunks meant when he said there'd be loads of non-saiyans. Peoples of all different species were wandering about, some following a faster and some alone but with braces around their necks or wrists. Trackers, maybe? She didn't want to guess.

"Stay close, Vee." he warned, scanning ahead for any weirdoes. "If you wander off looking lost, some freak would definitely take the opportunity to try something weird." from his side she met his serious gaze, nodded in acknowledgement and continued ahead with him.

The deeper they got, the more obvious it became that so many saiyans owned foreign slaves. Some even looked like they were children. A particular woman caught the Venusian's eye; about 5'4", green hair and sunken dark eyes and grey skin. She lagged behind a tall saiyan brute, clearly a warrior, who had an angry look in his eye. Upon closer inspection and an inability to take her eyes off of the noticeably worn out woman, Minako noticed multiple red patches on her neck and bruises on her legs and arms and no doubt under her clothes too. It was obvious what was happening to her and Minako stopped dead in her tracks, a wave of nausea gathering in her stomach, her previous cheer slowly diminishing. This was disgusting. On Venus, that man would have long since been publicly beaten or even executed and yet nobody batted an eyelid here.

It didn't even take a second for another saiyan to collide into her due to her abruptness and send her crashing to the ground. The blonde was too disturbed to rush to her feet and found herself dizzying quickly.

"Hey!" she heard, but didn't reply. "Hey!" came the voice again. The blonde stood back up and faced the man who sent her on the ground, his angry eyes burning into her. "Are you dumb? Deaf?" she slowly shook her head, clearly agitating the man. But it only took a quick look of her unusually slender figure, long hair, and striking blue eyes to realise that he had landed upon an exotic, gorgeous girl.

Still in her dazed state, Minako didn't pull away in time as the brute grabbed at her arm, but before he could lay another hand on her, the princess felt a hand grab her hip and a possessive growl sound right next to her.

"Hands off." Trunks glared at him, and as soon as the man recognised who he was talking to, his hands were back to himself immediately. The man quickly corrected himself.

"I'm sorry, your highness. I didn't realise she was yours. And I must say she's a fine one at that." the man's stare was back on her, looking her up and down like a piece of meat. Minako snapped out of her daze enough to send a menacing glare his way as Trunks pulled her body into his hip as if to hide it from the brute's eyes.

"Yeah, that's right. She's mine, and yet you had the nerve to look at her like that right in front of me. Why shouldn't I blast your eyes out right now?" Trunks' voice was dangerously low that it even made her tense up on him. He still had her pressed into him and when she looked up to him, he had a small ki ball charged on his other hand raised to the brute.

People were starting to stare. The man could either take the insult to his pride and back down, or challenge Trunks and suffer a humiliating defeat. He took the easy option, apologised again, and hurried off before more people could watch him be humiliated. There was laughter and a little brown-nosing from what she could tell. "That's the power of the throne!"

"Yeah! Run away, coward!" and other comments that Trunks paid no attention to as he turned and tugged Minako away with him. The princess was a little too overwhelmed to react. 'She's mine' and that girl and that man's stare played over and over again in her head as she allowed Trunks to keep her in tow. But she forced herself to snap out of it; the panic could wait until another time.

Trunks hastily pulled Minako into a side alley and pulled her to face him. His face almost looked concerned, but pissed off at the same time. "I told you not to fall behind, dammit!" he didn't shout but he definitely elevated his voice enough to let her know his point.

"I-I only stopped for a second…" she trailed, still processing what had happened.

"We made a scene! I-" but he couldn't bring himself to berate her anymore. Her expression said it all. And the last thing he wanted right now was for them to fall out after finally starting to form at least some sort of respect for one another. "Vee, do you want to go back?" his expression softened as he looked at her, sympathising with her anxiety. He'd seen this before. He'd been this before.

The princess took a deep breath and shook her head. "No. I just saw something that caught me off guard is all. But I'll have to get used to it, I guess." Trunks admired her resolve. It wasn't easy to come from a peaceful planet and then be thrown into the depths of saiyan culture. He'd know.

"You saw a girl, didn't you?" he knew all too well what her eyes would've landed on. She simply nodded.

"So, what are we shopping for?" she pondered, forcing her expression into a happier one and completely changing the subject.

"Hmm. New boots I guess. You can get some too. Everyone else wears them." he looked to her own , very different boots. Every saiyan owned combat boots whether they were a fighter or not, and her different style made her stand out more than necessary.

"Sure, why not." she smiled, pulling herself together as they walked back to the main street and a little while to a vendor.

"Excuse me. I'd like two pairs of boots. One for me, one for her." he nodded in her direction and the older saiyan behind the stall smiled politely at her. It took her by surprise. Since when were saiyans nice or polite? Probably because he wanted to make a sale.

"Of course, si- your highness. Please stand on the measuring block." Trunks did as he was told as the machine slab measured his feet.

"And where are you from, young lady?" the man pondered. Minako couldn't detect a hint of malice in his voice and he generally seemed curious. She found herself looking up to Trunks for his approval and he shrugged in nonchalance.

"Venus, sir. I'm a long way from home." she said half jokingly. The man made an 'o' with his mouth as if he actually found that interesting.

"Certainly so, young lady. Your highness, what colours would you like?" he began tapping on a screen with a model of a boot on it.

"Main colour black and a gold tip, if you can."

"Of course. Young lady, if you'd like to go next." Trunks stepped off as a machine behind the counter began building his boots. It really didn't take long at all. The machine felt tingly on her feet. "If I may, young lady, you have quite small feet. Definitely not from around here." he joked, which brought out a small smile from the princess who did not expect such chatter from a saiyan.

"Not at all." she replied. The man asked for her colours and she decided on a main colour of grey and a light pink tip. They were made even faster than Trunks' and the man handed them to her.

"That'll be 126 jins, please." Trunks handed him a bunch of notes and by the man's face he'd been given quite a but over the actual price. "Thank you for your generosity, your highness. Enjoy the boots." he handed them over the counter and Minako already loved them!

"Thanks, old timer." Trunks spoke, and Minako uttered her own thanks as well.

The pair walked further up the market towards wherever the hell Trunks wanted to go next. "I can't believe he was so nice! I just don't get it!" Minako exclaimed in shock. Trunks shot her yet another raised eyebrow.

"He's just a regular man. They're not all horrid, the higher ranking warriors are usually the dicks."

"So you're telling me that not every saiyan is a total ass?!" The expression on her face was just too much for Trunks at that point as he couldn't help but snort at her shock.

"Yeah, you know that a lot of them are just ordinary people." It was something that Minako struggled to get her head around and something to which Trunks couldn't help but find amusing. Their casual talk calmed her down almost completely. Trunks ended up buying a new undershirt for his armour and a pair of sweatbands as well as a strange but tasty fruit that Minako had never even heard of before. It was weird how some saiyans, especially vendors, were so casual and decent and others were openly brutish and abusive to their slaves and it all happened in the same market place as if it was the norm.

"Ready to go?" he asked, clearly in a better mood than earlier. She nodded and hopped onto his back again. Instead of resting on him this time, she tried to enjoy the rush of wind to her face in the tormenting heat and couldn't wait to get back to some well needed air-conditioning.

They landed on the balcony and went inside. The cool air slapped her right on the face and she'd never been so grateful for it. "Well that was something else." she bemused, letting out a yawn. Damn, all of that walking after training with him earlier had really gotten to her. Well, a lot of things had gotten to her that day.

"It was different." he watched her unravel her blonde locks as they cascaded down her back and shoulders. He didn't even notice that he was biting on his lip.

"Anyway, Trunks. Your mood sure went up and down today. Care to elaborate?" she held him in her daunting gaze. There was no way she was going to let him get away with his whole 'she's mine' comment without an explanation. The Venusian Princess belonged to nobody. And while she technically did belong to him on Vegeta-sai, he'd never put it across that way before. They both knew she wasn't 'his'.

"I hate crowds and that's all there is to it." he shrugged, completely disregarding her want for further conversation. She rolled her eyes.

"I get you're a prince and everything, but what was with the display? I thought you couldn't give a damn about what people here thought of you." and he'd told her that as a fact a couple of weeks ago.

"I don't. But it was what they would've expected me to do. It was either that or you could continue having his sleazy eyes on you. And there's worse than him." he replied. Minako didn't expect that; he did it to stop the perversion. Maybe this asshole wasn't as bad as she thought. He turned to walk off back down to his warehouse.

"Um, thanks for that, I guess." she spoke, struggling to get the words past her ego. Trunks gave her a friendly wink and continued on his way.

An early night for me, I think she decided after doing some light gaming on his console. She was way too drained to help him with the ship. And gaming was a hobby she enjoyed all too well for a princess with responsibilities.

#####

Before long, she was asleep in bed and faraway in dream land. But it wasn't a night for pleasant dreams at all.

Pain.

The memory of her on that electric chair during her first interrogation.

Loneliness.

Locked in that damned prison cell all by herself with no company.

Defeat.

Surrendering to Trunks in exchange for the safety of her people.

Terror.

That day in the throne room with all of those damned saiyans.

Misery.

The look in that woman's eyes at the market.

Captivity.

Kia, all alone in that cell for Aphrodite-knows how long.

You can pretend it's not there all you want to, Minako. It's all there a voice sounded in her dream.

"Who's there?" she called out to the darkness, reaching out to try and find someone, anyone.

Silly, I'm you. A figure stepped out of the shadows. It was Minako, her eyes sunken and her skin bruised and her hopes diminished, just like that girl at the market. She was behind bars in a cell all by herself. Just like Kia.

"W-wha-" I'm what's gonna happen to you eventually.

Minako gasped in horror. No. She wouldn't let that happen. She couldn't give up. Just because you're in his bed, under his wing, and he hasn't hurt you doesn't mean he won't.

"Don't say that. I don't wanna think about it!" Minako ordered the figure.

Remember when he made us surrender to him? Remember when he fought us in the dungeons when we tried to be free? Remember what he did to that poor child in his past?

"That's not fair! You know that's not fair! He didn't want-"

WHY THE HELL ARE YOU MAKING EXCUSES FOR HIM?! the figure yelled, reaching through the bars to try and claw at Minako. We're no different from the girl at the market. We're his slave! He owns us, Minako! It's only a matter of time before he hurts us in a way we can never forget. He won't protect you forever, silly girl. You're not his friend. Just something to keep him company until he gets bored.

Minako was crying. What if she was right? But no, the last thing she needed right now was those thoughts lurking in her head.

We'll never be free from this place.

"Shut the hell up!" Minako shouted, but not into her dream. She shouted so loud that she woke herself up. She couldn't fill her lungs fast enough as her eyes flew open, escaping that hellish landscape.

Trunks rustled in his sleep and Minako couldn't think to do anything but slam her eyes shut and pretend she was asleep again. That had to have woke him up. And of course she was right.

"What was that?" he mumbled in a heavy, sleep-filled voice. She didn't answer, trying to steady her slightly shaky breathing and hope that he wouldn't notice the difference. He turned over to look at her and despite the dark, he could see well enough. Her face was scrunched into a frown and he could hear the unevenness in her breathing.

She was either in the middle of a nightmare or she'd woke up from one and was pretending to be asleep. Either way she needed to wake up. He gently shook her shoulder. "Vee." Minako opened her eyes and made out the faint line of a figure in her peripheral vision.

"Sorry I woke you." she whispered.

"It's fine. Nightmare?"

"Yeah." she sighed deeply. The words from her nightmare were still in her head. It's only a matter of time before he hurts us. "It was like there was this voice and it was telling me all of my worries and doubts. I just didn't want to hear it anymore." that was about as much as she could tell him. She couldn't tell him that she was beginning to grow scared of him again, or she was beginning to doubt him. She didn't want to either because she didn't want to believe what was in her head. Would he really hurt her like that? In a way we can never forget.

"Sounds shitty. Wanna talk?"

"Not about that." she made that very clear.

"Fine…games console?" Minako even smiled at that. Hells yes she would like to play videogames. They were a guilty pleasure of hers and she wasn't ashamed to admit it.

"Prepare to get your ass kicked!" Trunks smirked, knowing full well that they probably wouldn't go back to sleep tonight. There were four hours until daybreak when he usually got up, and as he was shit at consoling people, this would be perfect to take her mind off of her nightmare.

####

Three hours and twenty-eight minutes later, they decided to call it quits at a draw. It was fun to just have somebody to do normal things with instead of worrying about the war and escaping and what was around the corner.

"Not bad, blondie." Trunks complimented. They were sat at the edge of his bed both staring at the screen as he turned the machine off. Maybe now they'd get some sleep. Maybe.

"Heh, I am pretty good. And you're tired as hell with those bags under your eyes." she teased, playfully punching him in the arm as the pair laughed together. His lavender locks were all over the place sticking out here, there and everywhere.

"You're one to talk." he pointed to the reflection on the screen and she snorted at how much worse she looked. Her hair had come undone from its plait and was doing what it wanted, her eyes looked as though she hadn't slept for days and her eye whites were bloodshot.

"Dammit you're right!" suddenly she felt all of the exhaustion come at her at once and couldn't resist the urge to scoot further up the bed and go back to sleep. "Night, night, Trunks." she yawned, and fell asleep almost immediately after.

"It's morning." he said in vain; his words fell upon deaf ears. Being gentle as not to wake her, he pulled the blanket over both of them and soon began to feel the tiredness, too. Somehow, her scent made it a lot easier for him to drift off to dreamland.

#####

They'd slept in for four hours and had decided to go sparring straight away. Minako tried her best to dodge the hits he was putting her way, even going in for the occasional block sometimes. She was definitely improving and while, in combat terms, she still wasn't a match for him, she was feeling more confident in her abilities as a fighter.

Trunks had forbade her from using energy attacks when he was teaching her to fight. They were only allowed to use them when they were having a full on brawl which she preferred as she stood a much higher chance of landing some blows.

"Ouch!" she wailed, as a kick to the gut sent her flying back as she landed on the soaking ground. That's right, the skies were crying today and yet Trunks had said nothing about stopping or going to warm up. Despite her endless protests he had not given in and the dirty, wet clearing added a tonne of blotches to her training attire. Today was not the day for a vest top. The blonde pulled her self up, trying not to feel the dirt up her back and on her legs. Gross.

Trunks loomed over her and gave her his hand. "You lasted longer today. Now you can show me those blasts of yours." she took his hand and smirked. Finally she could change into a clean senshi attire.

"Venus Eternal Power!" and in a flash of light she wore her boots, fuku, and bows.

"Y'know, the fuku is okay, but the healed boots aren't a great idea." he pointed out, sparking a look of annoyance from his blonde companion.

"Shut up and go blonde, asshole!" he'd clearly hit a nerve as he powered up to the higher end of level one. He'd only gone level two on her a few times due to how quickly she tired after combat training in the heavy (for her) gravity. And they usually worked up to it instead of starting going full force.

But Minako was in no mood for that today. Oh no, her adrenaline was only getting higher and higher. Putting a massive amount of energy into her palms, the blond shouted for her 'high beam' attack and fired a massive energy beam at her opponent.

It would be an understatement to say that Trunks was not at all prepared for her attack. He felt his back smash apart at least a dozen trees behind him before he finally crashed to the ground, just like she had done earlier. He heard his opponent yelling in victory before hurrying over to offer her assistance and boast about her win on him.

"That's what I'm talking about!" she cheered, panting before offering him her hand which he took out of appreciation and not necessity.

Minako was taken aback from her cheerful grin when Trunks reached a hand to the side of her face. W-what is he… he brushed the skin on her cheek, maintaining eye contact with her the entire time. She gasped, it was like a spark of electric ran between his fingers and her face, and yet it was somewhat soothing at the same time.

His fingers continued back into her hair and found what he had originally reached for - a twig that had gotten caught in her locks. "Umm, I got it." he mumbled, not taking his eyes off of her for a second.

"Thanks." she whispered, a small blush starting to form on her cheeks. They locked eyes for a very long five seconds as Minako watched the movement of his Adam's apple when he gulped. So you felt it too, huh…

Snapping out of her daze, she noticed the countless leaves and shrubs in his hair too and chuckled. "Hold still, you're just as bad as I am." Minako reached for the top of his head and pulled out a few of the leaves from his lavender locks. "Actually, you're worse." she corrected, smoothing out a bang as her fingers left his head. It felt nice, the saiyan admitted to himself, really nice. And his stomach was starting to do the whole flip-flop thing again. Always when he was around her…

Such a pain in my ass, Venus he thought, but he didn't mind her at all. He liked this girl, she was more than just a bratty princess. She was somebody he actually didn't mind spending a lot of time with which definitely was appreciated, especially on Vegeta-sai.

Minako navigated to his back and picked off some of the leaves that were stuck to him thanks to the cohesion of the dirt that coated his shirt. The senshi dispelled her gloves as her fingers found their way into his hair and undid the tie holding them together. "Don't mind me." she excused herself as her fingers went to work, gently pulling out the leaves and twigs from his now soft fibres. Being careful not to hurt him, she ran her fingers through when she'd gotten the majority out and could've sworn she heard a quiet, satisfied moan from his end. Oh dear, they'd both seemed to have noticed the chemistry growing between them. This could make things quite awkward if they didn't control themselves, but this man, this beautiful man was so alluring to her that she just couldn't stop herself from being intrigued.

She eyed the tail that was no longer bound to his waist and its tip faced upwards. There was a twig stuck in there too. Giving his hair one last comb through with her digits and without even thinking twice, her left hand reached for the brown, swaying appendage and her right hand unstuck the twig that clung to it. Wait, what was it he'd said to her again? 'Don't even think about touching my tail.' Ah yes, that would explain why his body suddenly went stiff. Oh dear. Only a couple of seconds later did she think to let go. The sound of his shaky breathing, although quiet, was so apparent to her that it may as well have been played through a speaker. Oh shit.

Before she even had time to register what had happened, Trunks spun round and pinned her to the ground on her back. She tried to move her head up and sit, but his face came dangerously close to hers.

"What the-" she started, trying to move her arms but her wrists were held above her head with his ridiculously strong grip. She tried the same with her legs but it was useless, his massive bodyweight preventing her from getting anywhere. Her struggle was pointless against him and the difference in strength was clear.

"Stay still." he ordered. What was happening to him? It was as if something had snapped. Something animal. Something deep. Thankfully she did as she was told, because her struggling did not help the situation in the slightest. He needed to concentrate but he couldn't, his senses were clouded with her. Her face in his line of vision, her body in his grasp, her scent becoming more apparent in his nostrils. He felt his body vibrating; he was startled, confused and taken off guard. What is she doing to me?

Minako was scared. He was literally shaking and staring her down with a blank expression, her face and his own in too close a proximity. She couldn't move. She couldn't help herself. She just had to wait for him to calm down. Was he angry? She didn't think so, he wasn't giving off that kind of energy. Was this all because she had touched his tail? She didn't mean to upset him like this. Breaking their staring contest, Minako's eyes travelled to his chest where she could see how fast his heart was beating in coordination with his breathing. It was almost suffocating. Minako squeezed her eyes tight shut when he made an almost pained noise. Like he was fighting something within himself. This wasn't normal and she was too thrown off to even try and read what emotions he was feeling.

The rain and her white fuku were not an ideal combination at all. It clung to her like a second skin and left nothing to the imagination. His line of vision changed when she closed her eyes. New specks of rain making more parts stick to her and certain bumps reacted to the cold weather. It was like a new form of enlightenment; straddling her like this and watching her chest rise and fall beneath him and seeing almost every dip, crevice and mound beneath that fuku…fuck. His tongue ran a circle along his lips. Stupid fucking saiyan instincts! Why did this have to happen now? His mind was growing filthier and filthier and he tried, he really did try, to concentrate on getting his senses back. "Please," his voice shook too as the rain washed off of his face and onto hers. "I need to…I'm trying to control it. I am I just…" he couldn't finish it and hoped that she understood that he wasn't trying to hurt her or scare her.

Minako picked up on the desperation behind his voice. She opened her eyes and gulped to see him clenching his jaw and keeping his own eyes shut. "Hey. I-it's getting really cold and wet. Can you take us back please?" she kept her voice as soft and as steady as possible in that moment. Maybe changing the subject would throw him off of his weird train of thought.

Keep her safe. Take her back. She's cold. A voice ordered in the back of his head. Was that his inner saiyan voice? Then, was this his instincts trying to take over? No, he couldn't let that happen. He let go of her wrists and sat up bringing forth a sigh of relief from Vee. Thank the gods he'd gotten a hold of himself… sort of. Bringing himself to his feet, he backed off and gave her plenty of room. He had a lot of explaining to do when they got back.

Minako took a second to take a deep breath, not realising how much she'd slowed down her breathing. What in the hell was that. She crawled to her feet, not caring about how muddy she was and forced herself over to Trunks, who looked like he'd just seen a ghost.

"I-I'm sorry I just…I don't know what that was." he stammered. Minako was still having a hard time clearing her mind so it would be hard to know what emotions he was feeling. But she had to know. She reached out to his arm and concentrated, trying to find out what it was. She could sense confusion, panic, uneasiness… he wasn't angry at all. He was shocked.

"Calm down." she tried. Come on, Minako. You have to get him over this somehow… "I'm fine, see?" she broke a smile out, daring to reach a hand over to his face to coax him into looking at her. This was a bat shit crazy reaction to having his tail touched and now she knew not to do it again. Their eyes met again and she saw the panic slowly start to dissipate. He nodded his head slowly. "Are you back?" his head nodded slowly again, the rain water making his face glisten and drip. "Then let's go." Minako tried her best not to make things uneasy. Aphrodite knows what that would cause. He needed to relax and pull himself together. She hopped on his back and let him fly them back through the air to the balcony.

They got in and Minako breathed a huge sigh of relief. She detransformed back into her training attire and made an effort to try and remove the filthy vest from her person. But Trunks was there, holding the vest by its hem and keeping her from taking it off. ]

"Look." he started, taking a deep breath and readying himself for what he was about to say. "Don't strip in front of me. Not right now. I owe you an explanation and I'm sorry, Vee. I really am." Her concerned expression staring up at him really made the banging in his chest rise. This girl was really something else.

"Okay." she nodded.

Once his clothes were off and the water was cascading down his back Trunks sighed and leaned against the wall. What was wrong with him? Nothing is wrong with you, Trunks came a voice at the back of his head. What was it? You're half saiyan. You should've expected this eventually. Her pheromones are driving you through the roof and when she touched your tail it clicked, didn't it? No, is this what he thought it was? How could he be so careless? His time here was supposed to be lonely and closed off, and now she was keeping his company and opening him up. Should he send her back to the dungeons far away from his stupid saiyan instincts and urges. No you can't. Just because you're not on her case doesn't mean another saiyan won't be. It could even be Gumel- hell fucking no! There was no was Gumele was going to go get his twisted mitts on her. Getting territorial now are we? That damned voice in his head, the amalgamation of his saiyan instincts beginning to form a voice in his head. Of course he'd expected it, especially when he first caught her scent in Magellan Castle. But he'd resist for as long as he could. That was the last thing either of them needed right now.

Images replayed in his head. Her soaking in the rain beneath him, their faces centimetres from touching. Her nubs hardening in the cold on her gorgeously toned body. Her pheromones, her scent, her hair, her eyes, they were all playing on loop in his head, his member hardening in response. 'Oh shit' he thought. It was never meant to be this much trouble. The pent up sexual chemistry between them was dangerously close to overflowing if he didn't take care of the problem between his legs right now. This wasn't her problem and he refused to drag her into this. Tentatively, he stroked himself and closed his eyes, those saiyan urges forcing him to relive every moment of attraction he'd had to her. And that was a lot. Then new images came in; trailing his fingers down her belly, watching her grip the sheets in response to his thrusts. 'Fucking hell, Trunks. When did you become a teenager again? Let's get this over with.' he thought, refusing to hold back anymore and trying to get rid of his attentive erection as fast as he could.

Meanwhile, Minako was sweeping the bits of dirt that they'd trailed in from outside. That's right. She was sweeping. If only mother could see me now. Or Rei, Makoto, and Ami. They'd die of shock. She chuckled to herself. The thought of home made her happy and sad at the same time. She'd far from given up hope though, she'd go back and see them again and she'd never leave them alone. They'd be sick of her, but they'd know she was safe with them. Her mother would be a blubbering mess too! The thought brought a smile to her face. Not if she saw them again, when she saw them again. A few minutes later, the bathroom door opened and Trunks emerged in a pair of loose fatigues and a loose t-shirt.

"'s all yours." he motioned, she bowed and thanked him. She was freezing her ass off out here! Trunks finished sweeping up and when she came out in a pair of high waist leggings and a crop top that showed a tiny bit of her midriff, she made her way next to him.

"So, was that because I touched your tail back there?" she started, shifting to cross her legs and face him. She had all but forgiven him after seeing how confused and stressed he was. But he didn't need to know that yet.

The hybrid prince shuffled too, making sure to get a good hold of the girl he'd just gotten off to. Fuck. "Look, there was something I should've told you about tails. You wouldn't think it but they're ridiculously sensitive." her eyes lit up in intrigue.

"Oh, I completely forgot you told me not to do that until I did…heh." she gave an awkward smile and scratched her head. For a princess she was really lacking grace.

Trunks sighed and rolled his eyes. "Of course you did. Vee, tails are a really weird part of our anatomy. It can really, really hurt when someone touches it in the wrong way and-" he didn't even get a chance to finish before her booming voice chimed in.

"Oh dear Aphrodite, I hurt you didn't I? Oh my god I'm so sorry Trunks I really didn't mean to!" she practically threw the words out of her mouth so fast that he barely understood what she had said. He smiled.

"You didn't hurt me, Vee." he began, she looked up from her bow and sighed in relief. "You only ever touch a saiyan's tail when you're really trying to get a low blow on the battlefield, when they're a baby or small child and you're their parent, and then the last reason."

"What's the last reason?"

"Mates touch each others tails when they're courting, claiming and affectionate with one another." Minako clasped her hand to her mouth. Oh no! She didn't mean to do that at all! She only wanted to get that stupid damn twig off.

"I…I must have set you off, huh? But that doesn't explain why you went all weird after that." she caught his eyes, he looked ashamed and didn't seem to want to elaborate on it. He'd already embarrassed himself enough today.

"I don't know what that was." he lied. Liar, we both know her pheromones set you off like dynamite. "Maybe something to do with you being a beautiful, kick-ass, powerful princess." he winked playfully at her, bringing a small laugh from her lips.

"Well you're not wrong. Hey! I'm sure I heard something about saiyans finding strength and power really attractive in each other! Maybe that and that I touched your tail so carelessly flipped a switch or something!" she buzzed, trying her best to put the little pieces together one by one. Yeah, something like that.

Oh, if only she knew what she does to us, eh, Trunks? That stupid voice of his was back again. And to top it off his gut tensed even more than it had earlier that day. His body and his mind were trying to throw him at her. Why the hell couldn't he control his damn urges!

Trunks had later on managed to come up with an elaborate lie to get him to work on the ship earlier. She'd been a little apprehensive to offer her support but he encouraged her to relax after that session. Getting away from her was his biggest priority at that point; there was no telling what those stupid voices and hormones would have him thinking or feeling towards her.

Hours of tinkering went by until Minako finally found the gall to approach him again. She couldn't deny the fear and doubt that ran through her spine, but the thrill…oh the thrill of it lingered in her thoughts. What was she coming down for again? Oh, that was right! They'd ran out of clean cutlery. It wasn't really an issue until he came upstairs and ate with her, but her mind knew that she just wanted an excuse to talk with him, to be around and observe him. "Hey, Trunks." she greeted, uncharacteristically bashfully. "We forgot to get cutlery last night and I'm sure you're hungry too."

Oh yeah, that. But just looking at her again…he looked at her differently now. He saw her legs, her midriff, her gorgeous lips rather than just her, knowing full well that it was his inner beast's way of trying to force him to make a move. No.

"On my bedside there's a metal bracelet. It'll let you in and out of my room and get you into storage. You know where to go, right?"

Of course she did. They'd gone a few times before to get clean dishes. But she couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed that he was avoiding her, even though she knew he was only trying to give her some space. I don't want space, dumbass. I'm lonely enough as it is here. "Right. I won't be long." the dismay in her voice more apparent than she'd meant for it to be and his inner beast didn't fail to pick up on it.

She clicked the bracelet onto her wrist when she went down and when she tried to adjust it, it just wouldn't come off. Now that she thought of it, it looked just like what a load of the slaves had on when they'd went to the market. A slave band…it made sense now. She didn't really mind; Minako got the feeling that he'd take it off if she asked him. Hell, he probably only had her put it on so that guards wouldn't ask questions.

She tried opening the door to leave his room and to her surprise it worked. It had never worked before so maybe this derogatory band had its perks. It only took her a few minutes to get to the big storage cupboard which also opened for her on demand. Wow, how exciting, Minako! You can open a fucking cupboard; even her thoughts spilled with sarcasm. She grabbed a handful of knives and forks and other crap that they might want and shoved it in a little basket to carry back. But when she closed the door of the big cupboard she felt it. It was him. That terrifying tingle in her spine. Why was he here.

"Hello, princess." the emphasis on her title was somehow really disturbing. Gumele. He was stood right there, hovering over her like a predator about to devour its prey. Suddenly her heart couldn't pump blood fast enough and her lungs needed more air. Memories of being choked in that damned contraption and shocked half to death in the fucking chair. No, Minako. Don't engage him.

"Your highness." she forced off of her tongue, keeping her eyes peeled on the ground as she bowed. How could you bow for a monster like him? His aura alone gave her goosebumps - and not the pleasant kind in any sense. What did he want?

Minako kept her eyes down while his travelled across her arms and her chest. He was looking at her bruises and smirked. "I assume my brother is giving you quite the harsh time?" he spoke politely, almost soft. She wouldn't fall for it. He was sizing her up, sticking his nose in where it didn't belong.

The princess gulped. Of course a sick bastard like him would go there in his mind. Trunks was supposed to be hurting her and treating her like shit, and the bruises from training gave that impression. If there was one thing she could do, and there was more than one, she could act. Putting strain in her voice and a sunken look in her eyes, she sighed and ran a hand across a bruise on her collar bone.. "That's one way of putting it, your highness."

Gumele chuckled darkly, once again making Minako uncomfortable. "It must be awful for you, girl, addressing other royals while being demoted yourself. I can only imagine how ironic that it." and with that he laughed. Minako almost scowled, but his terrifying aura may as well have knocked out any hope of challenging him at all from her. She just nodded slowly.

His hand gripped her free arm and squeezed, pulling her closer to him as she yelped in the unexpected sensation of pain. His face edged closer, his sternness forcing her to look at him, her jaw clenching, her eyes tearing up as his lips ghosted over her ear. "I really hope he gets bored of you soon. I really, really want my turn." the hot breath left moisture on her ear and he leaned his head in again, opening his mouth and biting at her lobe. She grimaced again and nausea began to dwell in her once again.

It was painful, suffocatingly painful. Not the nick of his teeth, but his close proximity in general.

She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. But her voice was trapped in the middle of her throat scared to come out in case he hurt her for it. She could feel the sweat droplets start to form as he slowly edged away.

"What the fuck is taking you so long, blondie?" the familiar, angry voice sounded from behind Gumele. Oh thank Aphrodite…

"Nice to see you, brother, the girl and I were just becoming acquainted. Weren't we, princess?" he turned his head back to her and she flinched, gulped and started to shake. This man was the embodiment of fucking terrifying. Nothing good game from him and he wanted to hurt her. He had it out for her. Him. The most terrifying saiyan she had ever fucking met.

Trunks' expression almost faded. The beast inside of him was ready to let loose and fuck Gumele up. A battle he couldn't hope to win. His tact overruled his instincts at the minute as he grabbed Minako roughly by the arm and dragged her along with him, muttering something about her being annoyingly slow until they were out of the eye and earshot of Gumele. He let go instantly, his beast wanting to check her over and press her into his body so that she could feel how much he wanted to protect her from his brother. It was as if an alarm was going off inside of him. Keep her safe. Protect her. Calm her down.

"Are you okay?" he whispered hurriedly, inspecting her for any signs of damage. He could let go of the façade now that they were alone. She looked around before even considering answering. Was he there? Was he following them?

Trunks knew what she was doing. He'd definitely done something to her for her to act like this and decided she'd feel safer telling him when they returned to their confinements.

He slammed the door shut as soon as they stepped foot and her breathing immediately intensified as she leaned against the wall. "He was- I don't know why he- he was just so…"

"Slow down, Vee, you're safe, you're safe."

Those words echoed within her. Safe. she clung to the like a person in panic, because that's exactly what she was. Safe. Safe. He'd really gotten out of that situation. Safety. She looked at him again, her figure straightening as she tried her best to regain herself. Trunks. Safety. Safe. Trunks. I'm safe with him. I'm safe. She clung to those words, trying to crush her panic by throwing herself onto them. Which is exactly what she did to him when she threw her arms around his neck and pressed herself as tightly to him as she possibly could. And boy did it feel good.

Trunks was more than alarmed. How badly had he spooked her for her to throw herself at the man who had her pinned beneath him just hours ago? But he wasn't going to waste time asking that question when her and those fucking amazing pheromones of hers were pressed against him so desperately. The light purring in his chest wouldn't stop as his arms wrapped themselves around her waist, keeping her close to him, pressing their bodies together as if they'd fall apart if he didn't. Her scent filled his nostrils and he could only focus on her.

Rage pooled inside of him. How dare he lay a finger on our woman. His beast wasn't wrong. He wanted to rip Gumele apart right now for reasons that he couldn't explain. The rage was bubbling until a quiet but audible whimper escaped her luscious lips. Then it all went away. He didn't care about Gumele right now. Every thought in his mind was concentrated around her and keeping her close to him, protecting her, comforting her, making her feel safe. Yes, that's what any mate would do. 'She's not our damn mate!' But he stopped arguing with himself when he heard her speak.

"He's not going to take me from here, is he?" her voice was trembling.

"Is that what he said?" the low pitch in his husky voice did not go over Minako's head in the slightest. He was angry. Enraged even, she could feel it oozing off of him. And yet that made her feel even more safe with him, because she knew he'd protect her from Gumele.

#####

The last couple of nights had been eventful to say the least. When Trunks had caught the scent of his brother near Vee's ear last evening his brain went haywire. He wanted to go and fuck up Gumele like nobody's business but at the same time he'd wanted to stay and make sure she felt safe. He'd picked the smarter option. That morning he'd woken up to her face closer to him than he'd expected. And instead of waking up straight away he lay staring at her for a good couple of minutes, memorising as many details as he could.

Now they were sparring, throwing punches at each other and firing blasts. But with all that had went on recently, Trunks was sloppy. Everything about her was a distraction. The way she looked. Her smell. Her movements. Her energy. He felt it all.

Narrowly dodging a beam from her, he charged and kicked at her but she dodged it like he had taught her too. She kept her distance, firing beams at him from all directions that he managed to deflect or counter. Her prowess with battling made her even more alluring as well. Damn it.

Minako leapt onto a tree and as high as she could jump, firing a blast at him from a above and holding herself in the air for it to subside. Had she hit him? The dust made it hard to see as she began to descend from the air. "Gotcha." she boasted in victory. The thought of their bodies pressed together yesterday had been running its course through her mind as well. But she hadn't won just yet.

"Got you." she heard from below her as her roommate grabbed at her and caught her by her hips. Fuck! She thought she had him this time too! Her slender arms habitually held his shoulders to stop herself from falling, but their shared contact only reignited her wanting of him. She felt safe in his arms, strangely enough. But she wasn't done just yet!

The beauty leaned into him, pressing herself against him like she had done the previous day and let his presence overwhelm her senses again. She locked his eyes into her own and encouraged him to hold her tighter as the two kept themselves afloat. "Got me, huh?" she spoke, barely a whisper tailored for his ears alone. Trunks' head slowly nodded, gulping again at her overpowering scent. A small, mischievous smile graced her mouth and she leaned in, delicately pressing his lips with her own.

His tense hold on her tightened as her, causing her frame to tingle against his chest and arms. It felt…natural. And when the goddess felt no hesitation on his part, she dared to part her lips a little and let him return the affection. His hand lifted her leg to his hip and she mirrored the action with her other one, wrapping them around his hips and pressing herself tighter against him.

And oh did he waste no time in kissing her back, heat rising from his stomach to his chest, his heart pounding. His brain finally content with him as his inner beast simmered down. Fuck, this felt too good to be just a kiss. The feeling of her slenderness against him felt almost like a sin, it was too good to be true. But she'd made the move on him.

Her fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer so he could claim her mouth again. He had been starving for this for longer than he cared to admit, sliding his tongue into her mouth and exploring. She tastes so good. Too good. His fingers found a place in her hair as well while his other hand focused on tracing the shape of her figure. Their lips grew desperate for each other, scorching each other with their own passionate intensity. They gave more but it just wasn't enough. They needed more. He needed her, her taste and her scent and her body…he needed it all. He was burning, his lips were going to swell as he opened his eyes and pressed his teeth into her bottom lip, revelling in the pleasured expression on her gorgeous features. She was enjoying this too, maybe even as much as he was.

And while she couldn't deny the butterflies in her stomach and the wet warmth beginning to pool in her core, she'd initiated this for a reason. Summoning her love chains from the ground, she bound Trunks' legs and arms, securing her own victory.

"I think I got you." she panted, her lips scarlet from their fervent kiss. Realising he'd fallen right into her trap, Trunks laughed, holding onto her where he still could. He could smell how aroused she was, and for him that was a victory in its own right.

"I don't think I care." he admitted, closing the distance between them and taking her mouth once more.

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Hi, guys! Long time no see! I hope everybody is feeling okay! I put a lot of effort into this chapter and I hope you're glad we finally got some action from these two! Please review! Even if it's a little message or criticism I really appreciate your thoughts. Thanks for reading!