The night air was brisk as Eighteen made her way from the front door, more than ready to go a round or two with the mother of Gohan. It had surprised her to discover the woman was a fighter, what with how disparagingly low her ki was compared to Gohan, or even Trunks for that matter. Despite this, Eighteen had to admit that it technically was higher than the average human. She clearly maintained her training somewhat to be this way.

"Mom, please, don't do this."

"Your girlfriend seems more than willing." Chi-Chi said firmly as she stepped out past Gohan who was walking with his mother frantically trying to convince her to stop this.

"Oh, I am!" Eighteen called out, cupping her hands around her mouth as she did. She'd decided to stop after walking several paces away, leaving more than enough flat space for a spar. She wasn't particularly fond of having to fight in such a frilly sundress, but she would make do.

Gohan frowned as he turned sharply towards her. "Not helping!" He returned to his mother, who had stepped out so that she was facing Eighteen now. She slowly adjusted her stance until she'd drawn one arm back towards her hip and her other raised in a defensive posture.

It was practiced, and somewhat reminiscent to what she recalled of Gohan's stance. Was it possible some of his fighting experience he'd learned was from his mother?

Eighteen decided to hop from foot to foot, deploying a boxer's strategy as she wasn't particularly excited to reveal the underwear underneath the sundress with a poorly placed kick.

"Ladies!" Gohan announced, stepping between the two eager women. "We are absolutely not doing this right now!"

"Son, step aside."

"I'll handle this, Gohan. Don't worry."

The young man slowly turned his head, regarding each of them before letting out a sigh. "Fine. Why does everything always resort to fighting?" He took a defeated step back.

Eighteen turned her attention to the older woman as she regarded her with an equally critical stare.

Eighteen noticed that the woman was not moving from her position, leaving Eighteen to close that gap as she bounced from foot to foot, appearing cautious, even though she knew she was in no real danger.

Much to her surprise, once she'd close half of the distance between her and Chi-Chi, the woman became a blur as she dashed in, launching a forward knee slam that collided with Eighteen's forearm at the very last second. A moment later, Chi-Chi's hands were gripping Eighteen's shoulders, pinning her arm against her chest as the elder fighter rolled back, taking Eighteen with her before suddenly kicking out with her other leg, launching Eighteen up and over her.

The android's back slammed hard into the dirt and grass. She lay there, stunned as she stared up into the night sky. She had not seen that coming. Slowly, she picked herself up and turned around, seeing that Chi-Chi had fallen back into her vaguely familiar fighting stance again. She was wearing a confident smirk. "At least you can take a hit!" she called out.

Eighteen was absolutely furious. How dare this pathetic creature do this to her?! She thought herself better than android Eighteen?! She would not stand for such an insult!

She let her guard drop, her face scowling as she pushed her glasses up her nose. She began to walk forward, her legs and arms stiff as she approached.

"You should really consider…" Chi-Chi began as she drew closer. "A better guard!" She shot forward, unleashed a jab that Eighteen easily managed to avoid with a tilt of her head.

Chi-Chi blinked, surprised, before twisting on her back heel and delivering a spinning heel kick straight to Eighteen's neck. Or at least, She would have if Eighteen hadn't reached out and caught the woman by the back of her heel at the last second.

That was shortly before the blonde had unleashed a wicked leg sweep, sending the older woman spinning to the ground.

Eighteen rose to her feet, standing with her side presented to Chi-Chi, who was picking herself up now.

"Easy, ladies. I think that we've had enough." Gohan said, trying to step in.

"No!"

"Not a chance!"

Both women snapped at the same time. They were staring at each other with an undeniable outrage that needed to be resolved. Nothing would stop them until this fight was over, and Eighteen understood that.

Chi-Chi decided to go on the offensive again, this time engaging with a running, leaping kick straight to Eighteen's chest. How foolish. When would these pathetic humans learn how pointless it was to attack her? The android responded by stepping to the side, before reaching out and clotheslining Gohan's mother. Chi-Chi hit the ground with a hard smack, before she slumped.

Eighteen stood over the dazed woman, triumphantly. She crossed her arms as she leered over the elder woman who'd sought so foolishly to challenge her.

Suddenly, Gohan was there beside the woman who was still struggling to rise to her feet. He shot the Eighteen a serious look before crouching beside his mother, wrapping an arm around her and supporting her as they rose side by side.

Chi-Chi regarded Eighteen with a grimace, doing her best to conceal the pain in her features after being hit so hard.

Oh, no.

What had she done? She'd let her anger get away from her and actually hit Gohan's mom! She'd nearly gone so far as to knock her out! How could she have thought this could be a good idea?!

"I-I'm so sorry, ma'am." She stammered out, going into damage control.

Before she could get another word out, she suddenly felt a fist sink into her jaw. Unprepared for the attack, Eighteen's head snapped to the side before she felt a knee plant itself squarely in her midsection. Her eyes wide with shock, she barely registered when an elbow had swung around, cracking against the corner of her temple before Chi-Chi suddenly spun mid air and delivered a flying spin kick across Eighteen's cheek.

She spun on her heel, overwhelmed by the sudden flurry of blows. After a matter of moments to process the string of attacks that, while they hadn't really hurt, they had certainly taken her by surprise. She'd been so certain that the woman was done, only to discover that it had been but a ruse.

She eyed Chi-Chi as the elder woman fell into her typical stance. Gohan stood beside her, frowning, before turning to Eighteen with a concerned expression. She flashed him a smile to tell him it was okay, and that she was fine.

Gohan huffed out a slow sigh before stepping back and retreating from the fight.

Eighteen eyed the woman before her. She couldn't let herself fight this woman. She was scared her rage at being so utterly disrespected would take over her senses, and she would be left feeling the need to completely dominate, and potentially kill Chi-Chi!

Should I just give up, then?

Somehow, looking at those focused eyes full of frustration, Eighteen knew she wouldn't be getting out of this with a forfeit.

Then, she had an idea.

What if…I don't use my power? Or rather, Dr. Gero's power?

She had a suspicion that the rogue, hostile thoughts were somehow linked to whenever she was using her ki. Perhaps...she could test this through using her true Ki instead! She closed her eyes, sucking in a slow breath before she began to concentrate. She searched deep within herself, before finding where her true essence lived next to the massive pool of artificial energy Dr. Gero had installed for her. It took some effort, but she managed to push on her true energy enough to access it instead of the artificial ki.

Immediately, she felt somewhat exhausted.

Her eyes pulled open. Her human ki had risen since the last time she'd pushed it. She imagined it would be enough.

Chi-Chi suddenly leapt forward with an unpredictable speed, lashing out with a slashing backhand that transitioned expertly into a roundhouse kick. Eighteen's eyes were wide as she narrowly ducked the backhand, only to feel the woman's foot plow straight into her midsection, causing her to double over, wheezing as she clutched her stomach.

She hadn't expected that to hurt so much. Why hadn't her ki protected her like it normally did? What was she missing?

"You think you know what's best for Gohan?" Chi-Chi whispered as she loomed over Eighteen. The android did her best to catch her breath, pushing herself to one knee as she stared up at Chi-Chi with a growl. "You think you have any idea what it must be like out there for him?" She whispered, leaning in so that Gohan could not hear several feet away. "I want him to find someone to love him, Videl. Someone who can love him and everything that he is, so that he won't be all alone. I want him to leave behind a legacy, with children who will remember his name, before he's gone and there's only me to remember. I want him to be remembered in society for more than just the fighting he was forced to learn. He has an incredible mind, Videl, he really does. He deserves good things. Son Gohan, my only son, deserves to be remembered for all he's done." She blinked away tears, before adding, "And he deserved to be able to put all this fighting behind him, finally. He deserves peace just like all of us do.

Eighteen slowly rose until she was standing face to face with the woman again. Chi-Chi gave her a firm look. "Do you think you're the woman who can help my son live a life of good choices? Of good things he deserves?" She sniffled. "Because, as a parent, I know my son was denied a lot of those things growing up that he definitely deserved."

Eighteen's bark had lost all of its bite now. She could finally see who Chi-Chi was. This was not a snide woman thinking she knew best and acting disappointed of her son's actions because she disapproved—this was a mother who saw the noble sacrifice her son had to make into his earlier years of adulthood, and wanted him to finally enjoy a good life he was so cruelly denied in his youth. She wanted to push those things away, to help her son forget about the androids so that he could better live his life.

She loved Gohan, in such a deep and complex way that Eighteen knew she probably didn't even understand the half of it. But...those tears were real, and Eighteen knew she had to give an answer. An honest answer.

"...I don't know." She finally said. It was the most honest answer she could think of.

Chi-Chi nodded. Without a word, the woman turned and began to slowly walk towards the front door, limping ever so slightly as she did.

Gohan urgently went to his mother, offering his arm to help her walk as the pair made their way into the house. Eighteen had caught a glance from Gohan, with him mouthing the words, 'be right back', before the door shut.

Eighteen sagged as she was left in the dark. She looked down at her dress, and saw that it had been ripped and dirtied in places. So much for keeping up appearances. She sighed as she decided to walk even further from the Son household, over towards a sheer cliffside that gave an incredible overlook of the lushious greenlands beyond. She sighed as she found the cliff's edge and sat, letting her feet dangle off the side as she did. She replayed the night's events in her mind over and over again, finding places where she should have defused the situation, but had decided against it. She cursed herself. She'd predicted something like this would happen, and yet she'd still decided to come. How foolish!

She let the black strands of her hair fall forward. She couldn't believe she'd actually attacked her friend's mom. What would Gohan think of her?

Eighteen let her face droop into her open hands, before she let out a groan. She sighed, letting her head fall back as she waited. After several minutes, she decided to pull her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around herself as she looked over the sheer drop below. A part of her mind remembered back when she'd been a teenager, and she had been nervous to be this close to the edge. Things had been so simple back then.

After a wait that felt like hours but were actually more like minutes, Eighteen could hear the sounds of footsteps crunching in the grass coming up from behind her.

She felt Gohan's ki signature a moment later as he stopped a few feet behind her.

"I'm...sorry." She began. "I...sorta let my temper take control. I shouldn't have attacked your mom."

"Yeah, probably not." Gohan said, although Eighteen couldn't bring herself to turn around and meet his face. "She was pretty upset when she went inside."

"Oh, no." She grimaced as she buried her face into her knees. "I'm sorry. I screwed this up big time."

"Eh, I wouldn't say that." Gohan said as she heard the dirt shift beside her. The sounds of Gohan sitting down next to her? Eighteen slowly adjusted until she could sneak a peek to her left. She found Son Gohan, smiling as he looked out into the night.

She gasped, before pointing a finger at his face. "Why are you smiling?"

"Hm?" He responded with a noncommittal eyebrow lift. "What do you mean?"

Eighteen's eyes narrowed. "You're secretly happy about all this, aren't you?"

He tried poorly to hide a devious grin. "Whatever could you be talking about?"

Eighteen felt her own lips pulling into a smile now as she feigned outrage. She not-so-playfully shoved against his shoulder with her own. "Spill it, jerk! Why are you so happy I ruined your night?!"

Gohan let out a laugh that melted the harsh outrage she'd initially had at being led to believe he'd not secretly been enjoying the show.

"Because I can now finally say that my first 'girlfriend' tried to fight my mom the very first time they met." He let out another laugh. "How amazing is that story?"

Eighteen groaned and fell into her hands again. "I already said I'm sorry…"

"Well, that, and because of some of the things she said about you when I was in there."

"...What'd she say?" Eighteen grumbled against her knees.

She suddenly felt a hand pat against her back. "For one, she said she likes you."

Eighteen's eyes snapped to attention, now wide as she stared at Gohan. "What?"

"Yup." Gohan leaned back, removing his hand from her shoulder as he addressed the star-filled night sky. "She said that she doesn't agree with some of your views, but that any woman willing to defend her man to the point that she'll readily throw blows with anyone to defend him, is likely a good woman to have around."

Eighteen's mouth fell open wide. Gohan's mother had said what now?

Gohan let out a laugh upon noticing the look she was giving him. "I know, right? I couldn't believe it, either." He let out an easy sigh, smiling. "It looks like tonight went alright."

Eighteen slowly untightened her body, letting her knees slip past her arms so that they could dangle alongside Gohan's.

The night grew still, the wind picking up some as the seconds turned to minutes, until Eighteen was uncertain of just how long had passed. That being said, she was surprisingly comfortable sitting here. Was it the company? Something about having Gohan sitting just beside her made her chest thunder with anxiety, but it was the good type of anxiety, one washed away by Gohan's easygoing smile.

A gust of wind threatened to catch beneath her dress, forcing the Blonde to clamp her legs down against the cliff and press her hands down on the skirt.

"Cold?"

Eighteen shook her head, although the night air was turning rather frigid.

Gohan let out a warm chuckle, shaking his head as he rose to his feet.

"Here, let me try something…"

Eighteen peered over her shoulder as the young man took a step back and then another. "What are you gonna do, stop the wind?"

Gohan flashed her a grin. "Something like that." Suddenly his face tightened as he presented his forearm, before clasping his hand shut as his power began to swell. He threw out his hand a second later, producing from it a large dome of golden, shimmering energy that enveloped them and blocked the wind entirely.

Eighteen's eyes lit up as she regarded the spectacle. "Wow…"

Gohan sat back down beside her. "It's the same thing you do when you wrap yourself in energy before you fly, only bigger. Notice how you're never cold while flying?"

"Yeah…" She barely had the attention to answer, too transfixed on the glittering light casting them in a golden glow, and giving the night a strange and delightful duality between light and dark.

Gohan let out another laugh before lying back, folding his arm behind his head as he did. "I take it you like it?"

"It's incredible." She said in a wistful way, laying back in a way that mirrored Gohan, but with her hands on her stomach instead.

"Well, I'm glad. I...hope you had an alright night tonight...Videl."

Eighteen blinked, feeling herself pulled out of the immersive experience above as she turned to regard Gohan. He was staring up at the night sky rather than looking at her, his lips revealed a subtle frown.

"I did." She answered, truthfully. "I'd be lying if I said a part of me really didn't secretly want to fight your mom after you told me a little about her. To find out that she approved in a way was...well…" She looked away, rubbing her arm awkwardly. "I guess it was just sort of refreshing. I dunno."

When she turned back, she found Gohan's eyes studying her, a warm smile having replaced his frown. "You really wanted to beat up my mom back at the waterfall?"

Eighteen flashed a sheepish grin. "A part of me did…"

Gohan let out a laugh, letting his head fall back. "Man, really she was right about you."

"What?" Eighteen complained, frowning. "What'd she say?"

Gohan let out a calm breath of air, but remained silent. Eighteen let out a sigh but accepted his silence as an answer as she stared up through the glowing dome of energy and into the stars.

Minutes rolled past as they lay there. Finally, she heard Gohan softly speak. "She said...to hang onto you...because women like you will do anything to help those they love…"

Eighteen found herself unable to find words, her face a deep and burning shade of crimson as she focused on one star in particular so she could cool her thoughts.

"Hey, Videl?" Gohan asked, calmly.

"Yes?" She blurted out, feeling her chest pound a mile a minute.

"I don't know if this is really the right time, but it feels as good a time as any. Back at the club, you mentioned...not being in a relationship right now."

Eighteen sucked in a sharp breath of air. He was doing this now?!

"I don't know why I never thought to ask earlier, but...would you maybe want to go out sometime? Maybe dinner and a show?"

Silence.

Eighteen tried to form words, tried to decide upon what she should say to turn down Son Gohan's advance towards her, but nothing seemed right.

"I-I, w-well, you see-"

"You don't have to explain yourself to me. I understand." She could hear the sound of Gohan pushing himself to his feet beside her.

No! Please don't go!

She'd been loving this moment before this question! Everything had felt so calm, so right! She could have existed in those calm, night filled moments with Gohan for hours had she been allowed! She looked up and over at the young man, seeing him brush off his pants and shirt with one hand. He shot her a pleasant smile, but there was a shame in his eyes that he couldn't shake off despite his best efforts.

"I'll give the dome enough juice to last another fifteen minutes, alright? Afterwards, though, it might be best to come inside before it gets too cold." He turned to leave.

Eighteen rolled over onto her stomach. She felt panic set in the pit of her stomach, her chest felt like a stampede of bison as her heart thundered. She didn't want Gohan to go. She didn't want him feeling like she'd outright rejected him! Hell, if it weren't for the tricky circumstances surrounding their relationship, she probably would have accepted his proposal!

Oh, who the hell am I kidding, I definitely would accept!

She reached out a hand. "Wait!"

Gohan's moving form grew stiff, standing at the border of the ki dome, his head leaning against its wall. "Yes, Videl?" he said in a tone that was as polite as ever, but with an underlying disappointment.

"I'm sorry for not answering right away. I didn't mean for you to...feel bad." She pushed herself to her feet.

Gohan forced a soft laugh. "It's okay, Videl. I completely understand. I am your teacher, and you are only doing all of this for me as a friend. I should have respected your boundaries as a-"

Eighteen felt her own emotions stirring, pushing up and thrashing about within her as she felt a conflicted tug in her mind. It was this desire to wash that horrible, depressed look on Gohan's face away with how she really felt. It was also the most foolish decision she could make! She wanted to let Gohan know how she felt about him?! Was she insane?!

"-student. I'll let you know that this in no way will affect our relationship in your teachings." He turned to leave.

But...she didn't want him to leave.

He stepped out into the winds, which were beginning to pick up into violent thrashes that gripped at the corners of Gohan's clothes tightly before violently flailing about.

She wanted him to stay. She wanted to talk to him, and not have this horrible guilt residing in her stomach. She wanted to help him, to let him know that she was going to help him from now on, rather than be his tormentor. She wanted to be there for him, and...maybe even try to be the woman his mother thought she could be.

She took several long strides forward, following after Gohan before she too had stepped out into the storm. She could feel droplets of water against her skin as she pressed forward, squinting against the whipping winds before she finally caught up with the young man. She reached out and took his hand in hers.

"Wait!" She called out against the roaring winds. "You never got your answer!"

Gohan blinked, frowning as he turned back. "What?"

Eighteen growled before she thrusted her hands to either side of her. Immediately, a half-dome much like Gohan's emerged, blocking the winds as it had done before.

Gohan's eyes went wide as he took a step back, staring up and all around them with amazement. "Wow, Videl! I never thought you'd be able to recreate my technique so easily!" His voice sounded close to how he'd normally respond when she'd overperform, but it had lost some of its life as well.

"You never got your answer, Son Gohan!" Eighteen declared, crossing her arms as she stared him down with a glare.

"I'm...sorry?" He tilted his head, confused. "I thought...didn't you make it clear?"

"No." Eighteen corrected, tapping her foot. "I did not. Did you receive a yes or no?"

"...I guess not." Gohan grumbled, frowning at her.

Am I really doing this? This is definitely the wrong move, right?

A part of her thought it was. A part of her knew that taking such a massive leap would almost definitely lead to problems in the future. Big problems. This could possibly get her killed, if she wasn't careful. Of course, she'd thought all this before, hadn't she? She'd known what she was doing back at the club, what she was doing in chasing Gohan back through the storm.

She knew that, if she let this young man pass her up, she'd regret it for the rest of her life.

"So, try again!" She demanded.

Gohan frowned. "I'm sorry?"

"I said, try again!" She announced. "I wasn't ready for you last time. I am now."

Gohan shot her a coy grin, raising an eyebrow as he did. "Okay?" he righted himself, before clearing his throat. "Videl, would you like to have dinner with me sometime? Maybe see a show after?"

Eighteen could feel that thundering in her chest again. This was a major decision she was making! A very strong part of her wanted to say 'no', but a much larger part of her knew her answer.

"Sure. I'd love to."

Gohan blinked, before his cheeks began to burn a subtle scarlet. "I-uh, great!" He cleared his throat again. "So, er-when would you like to?'

"You have my number, Dummy." she scoffed. "We don't have to plan it right now. You can text any time.."

Gohan flashed an embarrassed smile, although she could see in his shoulders and the rest of his demeanor that he'd brightened. His arm went behind his head to rub the back of his neck in that insufferably adorable way he always did!

"Yeah, right. I guess we'll talk more about that later." He turned his head to regard the barrier around them. "How long do you think you can make this last, Videl?" His gaze flickered to her, before he frowned as he remarked. "Whoa! Videl! I can sense your energy again!"

She smiled. Again? "Impressed?"

He grinned. "Very. I...wow. I thought for a second I would…" His voice fell to nothing. He stared at her, in a trance as she continued to push out her power, her real power to protect them from the rain beginning to splash against the golden shield.

"You're...incredible, Videl."

She blushed. "Thank you." She didn't know why she'd immediately drawn upon her inner essence to form this shield. Was it because she'd not switched back over since her conflict with Chi-Chi? She decided that was most likely the reason.

"You think you can make this last for too much longer?"

"No." She admitted, beginning to breathe heavier. Dang it! Why did her own power have to be so pitiful compared to what she had as an android? "I think I have...oh, maybe five more seconds before I-oh, there I go." Her vision grew dark as her legs collapsed beneath her. She felt the wind against her back a moment later as the ground rushed to meet her. Thankfully, she felt an arm wrap around her torso just before she made contact. Gohan gently lowered her so that she could lay down against the admittedly wet earth. A few seconds later, their shield had returned with Gohan's shout.

Eighteen slowly pushed herself to a sitting position, placing a hand against her forehead as she shook off a headache.

"You okay?" He asked, sitting beside her.

"Yeah, just overdid it a bit." She smiled back at him, and she realized just how close their faces were.

"Think you can make it inside?"

"Y-" She stopped herself, having an idea. "...I might need a little help."

"A little help?" he grinned at her.

She raised both arms out to him. "Will the Golden Warrior please help little ol' me?" She pushed out her bottom lip in a pretend pout.

Gohan chuckled, shaking his head but reached down none-the-less. He slipped an arm to support her legs as she wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing the young man to stand easily, and allowing Eighteen to nestle against Gohan's chest comfortably.

Gohan's head turned towards the sky, where Eighteen could hear thunder followed by bright flashes of lighting. It appeared that this storm was coming in hard and fast.

"It's not looking like we'll be flying out of here anytime soon."

"Probably not." She frowned. "You don't think we'll have to spend the night, will we?"

Gohan flashed a worried look. "I hope not. Who knows, though? Weather out here can get sorta crazy sometimes. Either way, let's head inside and try to patch things up with mom. It's getting pretty bad out here."

"Agreed." Eighteen settled in, comfortably.

"You're gonna make me carry you, aren't you."

"I thought I made that very clear, yes." She smirked.

Gohan let out another laugh, shaking his head. "Well, prepared to get wet."

"Say what, now?"

Gohan's feet left the ground as suddenly the energy dome fell away, leaving the pair defenseless against the brutal elements as they raced towards the door.

Eighteen was smiling as they found their way inside.

Today had definitely been a good day.


-Trunks-

The teen swallowed as he looked at himself in the mirror. He'd chosen something nice, but not too nice. A light blue, button up shirt and some dark collared jeans. He nodded to himself, before turning and stepping out of his room.

Cupping one hand around his mouth, he called out, "I'm going now, Mom!"

From somewhere deeper in the house, he heard Bulma's voice. "Okay! Be safe, son! Don't stay out too late!"

"Got it!" He hollered back before he stepped out the front door.

After a not-so-short flight in which he got lost and had to double back through the world to reach North City, he slowly touched down on what appeared to be an apartment building rooftop. He peered down towards the gravelly floor, sensing people alive throughout the building. It took him some time, but eventually he found the little piece of essence he'd familiarized himself with a day ago. He breathed out a nervous sigh.

He'd never gone over to a friend's alone before.

He moved over to the roof escape door and made his way down the steps and to her floor, finding the apartment number easily minutes later.

He sucked in a tight breath of air, trying to calm himself but ultimately failing, before reaching out and tapping his knuckles against the door.

For a moment, he heard nothing. Then, there were voices calling out from inside the apartment, and Trunks could sense a familiar ki signature approaching from beyond.

The door opened.

"Hi, Trunks!" Said a girl's voice, bright and cheerful.

The teen lowered his gaze until he was met with the crystal blue eyes resting over cheeks littered with little brown freckles. She smiled as he smiled back.

"Hi, Peni. Is your mom here?"

"Yeah!" She exclaimed before pushing the door open. If Trunks remembered correctly, Peni was….eight or nine? Maybe ten soon. He wasn't too sure. All he knew of the girl was from what her mother told him on their helicopter ride back to this apartment complex.

He stepped into the home and immediately smelled food. The scent drifted down the hall and to where he was, Peni beside him. It made his stomach growl.

"Kick off your shoes there!" Peni ordered, pointing at a mat by the door. Trunks did so before making his way deeper into the house. Peni walked alongside him, swinging her head side to side, throwing two pigtails full of golden locks either direction.

Trunks grunted as he was struck in the shoulder. Peni seemed to notice his discomfort as she looked over her shoulder, frowning. "Did I hit you?"

"It's fine."

"I'm sorry if I hit you."

"It's fine, really. I'm not hurt."

"You sure?"

This little girl sure likes to keep talking!

He stared down at the kid. She was wearing jean overalls and a white T-shirt, staring up at him with all the interest in the world.

"Peni! Are you tormenting our poor guest?!" Called out a motherly voice.

Peni immediately turned. "No! I hit him with my hair and I was saying sorry for hurting him!"

"You didn't hurt me…" Trunks grumbled.
"Well, show him to the dinner table! I'm almost ready!"

"Ok, Mom!" She called back before gesturing a hand down the hall. "Right this way, Mr. Trunks."

The teen frowned. He'd never been called 'Mr' before!

They eventually arrived at a quaint looking dining room. The table had a clean circular cloth covering the circular wood table almost perfectly. At its center was a display of fruit which Peni eagerly plucked from before finding a seat just next to Trunks.

"Want some?" She asked, gesturing to the bowl as she took a large bite into an apple.

"I'm good, thanks." Trunks politely waved her away.

She shrugged. "Your loss." And took another bite.

A minute passed before Trunks could hear the sounds of footsteps drawing close. Erasa appeared at the doorway, holding what appeared to be a steaming tray of chicken and other foods. The woman smiled as she made eye contact with Trunks.

"Heya, Hero!" She exclaimed with a cheer, nearly dropping the food as she did. "I'm so glad you could come, Trunks." She'd chosen a modest looking blue dress for the occasion. Trunks decided it looked nice.

"It was the least I could do." He smiled politely.

"It was the least I could do after you helped me out last night." They'd taken to that as code for what really happened. Apparently, Trunks 'scared off' some mean guys last night, but it never got physical—to Peni's knowledge. Despite his protests, the woman had insisted on having him over for a meal in payment.

She began to make her way towards them, and before Trunks noticed why, Peni had hopped down from her seat and was wrapping the table. She moved with surprising dexterity for a nine-year-old, arriving at her mother's side in a matter of moments.

"I'll take these!" She chimed as she reached up and plucked two dishes from the tray before spinning on her heel in such a way Trunk was certain she would fall, but she righted herself at just the right moment and made her way to the table. It took Trunks the second needed to look back to Erasa to understand why the girl had so quickly leapt up to help her mom.

The woman was struggling to make her way to the table, one foot—the one she'd injured the night before—resting in a clunky looking cast.

Trunks winced before internally panicking.

Should I have helped like Peni did?

Before he could make a decision, Erasa arrived and set down the platter. "I hope you're hungry, because I made extra tonight!

Trunks found his guilt drowned out by the delicious scents now filling his nostrils. His eyes grew large as he regarded the table filled with food steaming and ready to be eaten. In one second, he had a plate in his hand and in the next a serving spoon. In a matter of minutes that felt more like a haze of devourment, Trunks found himself leaning back in his chair, his hands resting on his stomach with six plates neatly stacked beside him.

"Well, I'll be." Erasa said, smiling fondly at the teen as she leaned back in her chair, having only gotten halfway through her food. "I've never seen a young man with as thin a physique as yourself have such an appetite!"

Peni let out a drowned whimper next to Trunks, her posture sagging against her chair, appearing half dead with two empty plates and a half eaten third before her. For reasons Trunks did not know, the girl had immediately gotten herself into an eating competition with the young half-saiyan. A poor move on her part.

Peni let out one more slow groan before promptly keeling over and plopping to the ground, before sprawling out.

"Well, it certainly looks like Peni got her fill."

"I feel terrible." she groaned. "Like I'm a zit about to pop on its own!"

Trunks muffled a snicker.

Erasa frowned. "Can you please not do that when we're sitting at the dinner table?"

"But I'm not sitting at the dinner table anymore. I'm on the floor if you haven't noticed."

Erasa stomped her foot." Young lady, I will not have you behaving this way in front of guests!"

Peni paused. "Sorry, Mom. I didn't mean to do that." Slowly, she picked herself up until she was sitting neatly at the table. "I'll be better."

Erasa seemed to pause, conflicted, before nodding. "Good. Now, are you finished at the table?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Then can you please rinse off your plate before you're done?"

"Okay." Dutifully, the girl picked up her plate and cup before heading towards the kitchen. Trunks heard the sound of the sink soon after.

Trunks frowned. What had all that been about? There was so much to unpack, from the way Peni seemed to respond to her mother to...hm... Trunks decided it was none of his business. This was just a friendly dinner. He should be going soon anyway, right?

He rose from his seat, politely picking up his plate alongside his cup and making to go to the kitchen as he'd seen Peni do.

"Oh, dear, don't worry about that." Erasa waved a dismissing hand. "I can take care of that. You're our guest, dear. Rest, relax, watch a show if you'd like. We have all the channels and streaming stuff."

Trunks flashed a sheepish smile. "Thank you, really, but I think I should be going soon." He made a point to check his phone for the time in front of the woman. It really was starting to get late, he realised. "My mother said I should get back before it got too late."

"Oh, I see." Erasa's smile faltered for a moment. "Well, I'm glad that you got to spend this time with us. It was nice having such a polite guest."

Trunks smiled in response. "It was nice to be cooked such a nice meal." He blinked. "Oh! I can't believe I almost forgot!" He suddenly set down both plate and cup before a hand went to dig about his pocket, before producing a single, green bean.

"Um, I think I might need to wash this with water…" Trunks frowned as he regarded it, before racing past a confused looking Erasa and into the kitchen. There, he found Peni returning to the dining room, doing a little dance as she'd put headphones on. She looked confused as Trunks weaved past her, before turning around and starting to follow him back to the sink.

"What are you doing?"

"Rinsing off a magic bean."

His answer drew pause from the child. He took this time to reach the sink and rinse off any lint or dust that had accumulated onto the bean. Sure, in the heat of battle, it wasn't wise to be picky, but now, it wasn't as if he needed to spare cleanliness.

"Magic isn't real." The girl was behind him, but he could sense her leaning forward, leering at him as she spoke.

"Are you so sure about that?" Trunks remarked, looking over his shoulder as he presented the damp bean with his thumb and index finger. Suddenly, a golden flame rippled across the bean's surface like a crackle of lightning that made Peni gasp and recoil in shock.

He grinned at her, and a second later she was hopping up and down with an excited smile. "Do it again, do it again!" she cheered.

"Later." He promised as he moved past her, holding the clean bean in one hand, before pausing by a recently cleaned cutting board and knife. He studied the blade for a moment before deciding something.

"Hey, Peni, you want to help me make your mom feel better?"

The girl blinked. "Of course, anything."

Trunks grinned. "Good. Then, do you know where your kettle is in your kitchen?"

Without another word, the girl dashed off into a dark pantry, prompting clanging and annoyed littlegirl curses.

He shrugged as he went to the cutting board. He'd never tried this before, but it might help her better in the long run.


-Seventeen-

Huh, how weird.

He'd been so, so certain that Cell would betray him. In those final seconds with the bug man looming over him, menacingly, it was all but guaranteed in Seventeen's mind that Cell would attempt to devour him just like he'd tried to do at the river.

Of course, Seventeen would have then decided to break out once he'd confirmed as much. He'd been lying about wanting Cell to just absorb him.

He...he didn't want to...die.

He would have broken out of it. He really would have. A part of him questioned why it was so critical for him to convince himself of this fact. He decided it was best that he leave that question unanswered.

The android sat up, observing the room with a narrowed stare. His head was still pounding from the several cans of beer he'd consumed not so long ago. Almost immediately, the moonlight drifting in from the center of the room drew his attention. He decided to slowly push himself to his feet, teetering only slightly as he walked over until he was directly under the massive hole now in the ceiling.

Seventeen scoffed. And Cell had been getting on his ass about trashing up the place. The nerve. He let himself drift into the air, easily slipping through the massive gash the bug man had produced in the ceiling. How odd. He knew Cell was far larger than he was, but he didn't feel like the guy was this big. How'd he manage to make a hole this large?

He looked up into the night sky, idly wondering where big, green and ugly had run off to. He hadn't actually expected Cell to pass the test, a part of him very much wanting a reason to kill Cell once and for all; both to remove any more traitors to his cause, and to release some pent up frustrations from earlier. Then, Cell had passed. He hadn't betrayed him, much to his surprise.

He'd have to talk to Cell later about that. He smiled as his eyes rested on the night sky. It was a full moon. How nice.


-Trunks-

"Oh, oh! It's boiling, Mr. Trunks!"

"I told you just to call me Trunks, Peni!"

"Fine then, Underwear. It's boiling!"

"What'd you call me?"

"Boiling!"

Trunks let out an annoyed breath as he moved past the frustrating child and to the steaming kettling. He set down a cutting board he'd been carrying before finding the tea packets Peni had produced from the pantry. He tore a soothing variant open and into a ready mug he'd discovered on one of the upper shelves Peni couldn't reach.

Then came the water, which steamed nicely as if filled the cup. Finally, came the most important ingredient. He very gingerly positioned the half of a senzu bean he'd cut up into small, diced bits and slid them into the water.

He turned to Peni. "Now, this is a very important drink. Make sure to take it to your mother very carefully and instruct her to drink every last drop, and even after, fill the mug again and drink that water too, just in case."

Peni's eyes were wide as she nodded, before accepting the mug from Trunks with steady hands. Her face turned towards the mug, focusing with all a nine-year-old could muster as she slowly and carefully made her way towards where Erasa was cleaning up in the dining room. Trunks smiled as he leaned against the counter, listening as Peni very dutifully instructed her mother that she is to 'drink the magic liquid because Trunk proved that magic is real,'and 'to drink it twice!'. He chuckled, shaking his head as Erasa laughed, asking how she was supposed to drink it twice before he could hear the sounds of her sipping on it.

He let out an easy breath. Half a bean was probably enough to fix a messed up ankle, right? He only had the one bean, and it was something he was supposed to keep on him at all times. It was for safety purposes since his accident with Eighteen a month back. The fact that beans were so rare now meant that using one like this at all was a big rule break on his part. Hopefully, he wouldn't need any more than half a bean for the foreseeable future. The androids were gone, anyway, right? He probably wouldn't need this half senzu for a long time.

He frowned. His gaze had naturally landed on the corner of the room in his thoughts, not really seeing as he was lost in his mind. But, as he returned to his senses, he thought he...noticed something where he'd been looking, although it was hard to see. The end of the kitchen had a long, paneled window that nearly took up the entire wall from the floor to the ceiling. The weather outside had turned ugly quickly, with a violent, thrashing wind coupled with heavy rain and frequent lightning. It was pitch black outside, the rain against the glass making it almost impossible to see into the night.

Except...when the window flashed from lightning. In that split second, he forced himself not to blink. He paused, not sure how to react to what he saw once he had. A shiver ran down his spine.

"Peni?!" He called out, urgently, not daring to take his eyes off the window, lest he miss movement.

"Yes, Mr. Magic Man?"

"Has your mom drank the tea yet?"

"Not all of it, Trunks! I'm getting her through it, though!"

"Have her hurry up!"

He swallowed, feeling a cold sweat down his back as he regarded the sinister sight. "Is something wrong, Trunks?" Peni sounded concerned. He heard the sounds of her feet running towards him.

"No!" He screamed, pushing a hand out to her to stop as she reached the doorway, he felt terror settle in the pit of his stomach as he heard the glass beginning to crack.


-Cell-

Really, he had Trunks to thank for a number of things.

First, he had Trunks to thank for happening to fly above him at such a critical moment, providing a large enough energy source in the boy's frantic search to find this place for whatever reason. The distraction had only torn his thoughts free of devouring Seventeen for only a matter of critical seconds in which Cell had been forced to choose between staying and continuing to wrestle a losing battle to consume Seventeen, or to chase after a new target.

It had been a simple mistake, really, when he'd found himself in a full moon.

That had been quite the discoverly. It appeared his earlier estimates of when the moon would be full had been far off. An astrologist, he was not.

The resulting...change had given the teenager a good lead. This had deterred Cell's new form very little. His senses felt far sharper than ever before, having been able to determine where Trunks had flown to in a matter of moments afterwards.

Of course, that wasn't the only thing changed about him now that he'd entered the night. His entire body had undergone a radical, painful transformation. He'd grown unnaturally so that he now stood several heads taller than his former self, a giant in all regards. His legs and arms were no longer the thin limbs his carapace had protected, now expanding and growing so large with muscle that his carapace struggled to keep every inch of him protected. His sharp, darkened nails had lengthened into dangerous, claw-like knives, each one by itself longer than most people's hand. His feet had mutated to bear similar appendages, four onyx claws on each foot.

The new claws made for excellent tools when he'd chosen to scale the wall. Being unable to fly certainly had its disadvantages. He'd tracked Trunks down to this apartment in his hunt, slaughtering those he'd found on his way who he'd been unable to hide from. He would admit that he hadn't made much of an effort to hide. Of course, he'd also made sure his kills were swift and instantaneous, as to not draw the teen's suspicions through sensing panicked ki signatures.

It was strange how his mind worked now. It was as if he could think with reason, but only towards the objective of the next kill. He wanted to see death, and he wanted to be the reaper.

And so, he'd been brought here. Waiting, patiently choosing when he should strike as he hung there, his claws dug into the wall just outside the apartment.

He bumped his new snout against the glass, growling as he noticed Trunks frown, his eyes beginning to focus on him, now.

Oh no…

The teen seemed to shift uncomfortably, calling out something to the other occupants of the house.

Cell's face had twisted from it's former self, having mutated forward into a snarling snout to bear rows of sharp, jagged teeth. He pressed a claw against the glass.

It looks like someone else has discovered me…

He continued to push until a jagged crack spiderwebbed out from where he'd pressed the dangerous edge of his claw. He saw Trunks freeze. He pressed his hand further, and felt the glass shatter. As it rained, both from the storm and the shards of broken glass, upon Cell, cutting him in places as he let his power down so as to feel its pain, Cell let his head fall back, seeing a bright flash of lightning behind him, and waited for the few seconds he knew to wait. He let a primal, guttural roar that echoed as it slammed against the walls of the small apartment, a second before the home was filled with roaring thunder.

From the look on Trunks' face, Cell knew what they both knew.

Trunks didn't have a chance in hell of getting out of this alive.


-Author's Note-

So, there you have it! The real chapter to the fake I gave you all. A few reviewers revealed to me that, if I were to replace the joke chapter with the real one, that you all wouldn't be able to review it, so I decided to leave it. It's a little bit of fun for readers who don't read the title, lol.

What to say in regards to this chapter? I'm sure some of you will notice that it's slightly shorter than my typical length, but considering the content of the chapter...I don't think anyone will mind :).

Yes, our two protagonists are finally going out. I didn't want to drag it out forever like some stories do, and this felt like a natural progression to their relationship. I hope you all enjoyed it.

This chapter also played a serious setup for a battle I've been wanting to happen for a long, LOOOOOONG time now. What is most interesting about this specific conflict, is that I've been back and forth many times about how exactly I want it to be completed. I'm glad that I finally decided some time back how I wanted to use this conflict to serve my story, although that very much means that this fight can go either way ;).

Also! An announcement! The first chapter to my new story is now up on my secondary profile, 'Roxashade'! It's called 'Classroom A18', so, if you're interested in reading more dragon ball fanfiction written by yours truly, please swing by! Supporting that story will do so much in supporting me, so please consider!

I don't think there's very much more to say in regards to this update except for that the next one is definitely going to be exciting and starring none other than Trunks and Cell. Get hyped!

Until Next time!