This story begins just after Trunks killed both Freiza and King Kold. A month before, our heroine, Rylina, arrived on earth. She is Goku's niece, but has never encountered her famous uncle.
Rylina flew up to this mysterious new fighter. She'd never seen him before, and from the looks on their faces, neither had the others. But she didn't care. He was cute, after all. And she never missed an opportunity.
"Hi, I'm Rylina. That was awesome," she said, trying to appeal to the usual fighter's ego.
"Umm… hi," replied Trunks. He couldn't tell her his name. It was too dangerous. What if he was never born because he told the wrong person too much about himself? He could never let that happen.
"Don't worry. You don't have to tell me anything about yourself. I've been there, done that, bought the T-shirt."
Huh? What was this girl doing? Reading his mind?
"There's been plenty of times when I've had to keep things secret."
This was beyond weird. She seemed to be speaking his every thought, and helping him out even though she didn't know him.
"Thanks… I guess," Trunks managed. He was finding it hard to think. This girl seemed to be doing exactly what he hoped for, unconsciously. This was really strange. He turned to shout to the others, who were still standing on the ground.
"Goku will be here in about two hours" he called, then heard a gasp beside him.
"Really? He's my uncle, but I've never met him. How do you… wait, you don't have to tell me how you know. It's ok."
Trying to dislodge his bewilderment, Trunks flew to the spot he knew Goku would arrive at.
"Another saiyajin?" he found himself asking.
"Yes. My father… no, I won't talk about him. Anyway, I was abandoned as a baby, for being born without a tail. He hated me. There were some strange…side effects, you might say, to my condition. But he still hated my guts. I heard I was like my uncle Kakkorot, so here I am."
Trunks got out the fridge capsule, and chucked it onto the sand. It opened up, and Gohan ran over to open it. Gohan. So like, yet so unlike the teacher, brother and father from his own time. Trunks shook this thought away as an unopened can whizzed past his face and into Rylina's waiting hand.
"I told you there were side effects," she winked.
Trunks could feel a blush coming, so looked away. Bulma then chose to notice the one give-away he'd forgotten about.
"Hey… you have our logo on your jacket! Are you one of our employees?" She asked, curious.
"Umm… no. Just a fan." Trunks quickly responded, kicking himself for not having realised.
"Well, give me your name, and I'll put in a good word for you with Dad," she said, making the situation worse.
"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you my name." Trunks said sadly, knowing that if he did, their future could become more twisted than his own.
"Ooh, why can't I have a secret name too?" asked Tien, annoyed at this. "Is his shoe-size a secret too?" Bulma was just about to reply when Rylina stood up abruptly, dropping her can, still unopened.
"So people can't have secrets, even if it's for a good reason? I know, lets have a revelation. Revelations are good, huh? Well, let's see. I'm Goku's niece, right? That makes him the brother of my father. Goku only had one brother, though. I think you may have met him a while back. Guess what his name was. His name was Radditz! That makes me his daughter! And while I'm not a bad person, he was, which means that now you all hate me! Great! And while we're on the subject, at the age of three he dumped me in the woods alone for being a tail-less freak! F-R-E-A-K. So now you all hate me. Aren't revelations fun, Tien? Aren't they just great?!"
She stormed off to sit on a rock a little way off, and began to sob.
"Great Tien, look what you've done now!" Bulma snapped, going over to where Rylina was sitting.
"We don't hate you! Tien's just edgy. Ignore that knucklehead. Men have brains the size of walnuts."
"I know, Bulma. It's just… being made to tell things is wrong. I know that guy isn't telling because he can't, rather than that he won't. I don't know how I know. I'm sorry for exploding."
They walked back and Rylina apologised (though not with much meaning in it, it has to be said. All saiyajins have egos. )
So they sat back down to wait for Goku. Trunks found himself being constantly drawn to look at Vegeta, and after the second time he was caught, Rylina turned to him and whispered:
"Next time he catches you, just tell him that you're wondering why his hair looks like a paintbrush. He'll ignore you then."
Trunks looked at her and wondered if her "side-effects" involved reading minds.
"Why are you helping me so much? Can you read my mind?" he asked anxiously, knowing that if she could, it may cause trouble. Though for some strange reason, he didn't think she'd go against his wishes and tell anyone the things he had to keep hidden.
"I can't read minds, but for some reason I seem to be able to understand a lot about you. I consider you to be my friend already, and I don't know anything about you. I look after my friends, so I'm helping you out with old paintbrush-head over there."
Suddenly, her head jerked up to look at the sky. "He's here," she yelled, and sprang to her feet.
Sceptically, the others looked up just in time to see a small, round spaceship burst through the clouds.
"Woah, you're right," cried Yamcha, and they all jumped up and ran to the crater that the ship had just made. Goku stuck his head out, and was surprised to find all of his friends plus a couple of new faces looking at him from the rim of the crater.
"Hello!" he called, "How did you all know I was coming?"
"This guy told us," responded Kuririn, as Trunks was pushed forward by Rylina, who whispered in his ear, "You go first. I have a feeling your purpose is more important than mine."
So Trunks went to talk to Goku on the other side of the crater, and told him of the androids that would come in three years time. As Trunks prepared to leave, Rylina flew up and pressed something into his hand.
"For memories sake," she said, and returned to her friends. Trunks opened his hand. It was a glass model of all of them.
-Psychokinetic powers come in handy when sand can be pressed together to make glass- her voice whispered in his mind, as he jolted in shock. He looked at it again. Vegeta was right in the foreground, exactly as he was here. Trunks knew he'd made a new friend, as he climbed into the time machine and returned to face the horrors in his own time.
^^^
Three years later…the Z fighters have been knocked out cold after a battle with androids 17 and 18 on a rocky mountain road. Trunks wakes up, only to find that he's not where he was before he passed out…
Trunks looked around quickly. Where was he? The others were still unconscious, and Vegeta was nowhere to be seen. Looking around, he saw a female figure sitting on a rock a little way away. Her back was turned, but he recognised her all the same. He hadn't been able to forget her. She was so… strange. But like a magnet, his thoughts had returned to her time and again.
"Rylina?"
"Oh, hi Trunks. I see you're awake."
"How do you know my name?!" Trunks asked in horror, wondering if Goku had told all after everything he'd said.
"My ears don't just frame my head you know," she answered, "and when a purple-haired half-saiyijin is born after a visit from a purple-haired super-saiyijin from the future, I think it's pretty obvious. Don't worry, I didn't tell."
Relieved, Trunks looked again, and noticed various changes since he last saw her. Her curly, jet-black hair was longer, and she had…matured, was the only word he allowed himself to think. She was more beautiful even than before.
"Where are we?" he asked her, trying to distract himself.
"We're in the meadow above my house," Rylina answered. "I found you lot by the road, and decided I'd better get you somewhere where you won't be seen by normal people."
Piccolo was sitting up now, and asked the same round of questions. Then he added one.
"Where were you? You're hours late!" Kuririn and Tien had woken up by now, and were listening. Though Trunks didn't know it, she hadn't changed at all until yesterday, the day before which they had all met up.
"Well… you know how I said that female saiyajins mature fast? Well, I wasn't sure how fast, except I went to bed as normal last night and woke up needing bigger… you know," she said, blushing and embarrassed. "Chichi had to come over and help me buy some bigger clothes that fit okay. So I was late. I'm sorry."
This information was absorbed, and the conversation turned to more important (and less embarrassing) matters.
"Where's Vegeta?" asked Trunks, worried about his father.
"He woke up ages ago and went off in a huff to train alone. I didn't bother stopping him. "
"We'd better find those androids," said Piccolo, standing up to his full 7ft height.
"If you got thrashed now, how badly thrashed will you get if you're tired and hungry as well? I say that we eat, sleep, and find the androids tomorrow, but move Goku to Master Roshi's tonight. Trunks can stay at my place for now." Rylina said, and it was accepted as a good idea. Trunks didn't dislike the idea of spending more time with her. She seemed to be the one person who actually understood him.
Piccolo flew off, yelling wildly. After Kuririn explained about Komi and how Piccolo was going to fuse with him, they went down to Rylina's house to eat. Dinner was cooked in seconds, using a small ki ball, and there was no conversation as they each contemplated what tomorrow would hold.
After dinner, Tien pointed out the obvious. "Shouldn't we move Goku?"
"You're right, I'd forgotten!" Rylina cried out, and immediately came up with a plan of action.
"Kuririn and Tien , I'm going to teleport us to Goku's. Then we'll take all of us to Master Roshi's. Trunks, are you okay with staying here? I'll be back in five minutes."
"Yeah, sure." he found himself saying.
"You can listen to some music. There's a whole bunch of songs over there that I wrote, it's my job, so you can listen if you want." And with that, the others disappeared.
Trunks walked over to the hi-fi, and pressed play. A song he didn't know came out of the speakers. Before it, there was the message, in Rylina's voice:
"Hi, this is me. This song is meant to be about me, but give me some artistic licence, won't you? Seeing as this'll never be heard by anyone else if I can help it, I'll tell all. Like the girl in the song, my life seems to have everything. But there's still something missing. This feeling started three years ago, and I'm not 100% sure why. So, this is it. Enjoy, non-existent listener."
She's so lucky, she's a star, but she cry, cry, cries in her lonely heart, thinking… if there's nothing, missing in my life, then, why do these tears come at night? Early morning, she gets up, but there's no one there to wake her up…
We have more in common than I thought, Trunks realised.
^^^
Rylina teleported them to just outside Goku's house, walked in and was attacked. She grabbed the descending metal and crushed it. She flicked the lights on to find Chichi with a crushed ladle, scolding her for the fright she'd given her.
"Sorry, Chichi, but you're lucky I didn't fire a ki ball at you," she replied, unfazed. "We're here to move Goku."
"We?" asked Chichi.
Rylina looked behind her to see the other two hiding outside the door. She sighed.
They moved Goku to Master Roshi's and Rylina teleported back home. Trunks was dozing on the sofa. She woke him up and gave him the grand tour.
"This is the kitchen…eat as much as you want, we're ready for a 30year nuclear war when we can't go outside or a visit from Goku…"Trunks smiled at that.
"This is the TV room, though we won't be watching much of that at the moment with all these androids…"
They went upstairs and the tour continued.
"This is my room, that's the bathroom and this is yours opposite mine…" they entered the room and Rylina went over to a chest of drawers, opening it to reveal men's clothing.
"There's all kinds of stuff that belongs to the guys in here for when they've been training nearby. You can use it if you want, they won't mind."
Trunks nodded and asked a question that'd been bugging him for ages.
"You accepted me as saiyajin from the first time we met, in the face of the evidence…why? How did you know I was saiyajin?"
"Because you're good-looking," Rylina replied absent-mindedly, then realising what she had said and blushed like crazy. She turned to find Trunks directly behind her, and couldn't tear herself away from his eyes… so blue and beautiful… he softly bent down to kiss her and she let herself go for an instant, blushing when they ended the kiss and babbling like an idiot.
"Umm… it's getting late…I think I'll go to bed now."
Her mind reeling, she got into her night clothes and went to sleep, as Trunks did the same across the hall.
^^^
Later that night, Trunks awoke to the soft cries coming from the other room, and her rising power level made him hurry across to see her. He found her thrashing gently in her bad, crying to her father.
"Daddy…don't leave me here alone…please…I'll be good, I'll grow a tail…just don't leave me…"
He sat on the edge of her bed and shook her gently. She shot upright and threw her arms around his neck, weeping. She woke up fully to find her face buried in soft lavender hair, with strong arms holding her gently.
"I'm sorry…"she murmured. "Did I wake you? It was only a nightmare," she managed to say, trying to resist the urge to hold him tighter.
"I wasn't asleep," Trunks lied, enjoying this quiet moment. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm alright. It was…it was the time my father left me alone. I still have nightmares about that. It opened this big hole inside, one that's never quite been filled…loneliness, I guess. Though, actually, I don't feel lonely at all right now." she said, bold now that he didn't seem to mind sitting there like that. She pulled back to look at him, and once more found herself drowning in his eyes.
Trunks was just happy to sit there, holding her, seeing her vulnerability. She pulled back to look at him, and he noticed her eyes again. So dark, he felt he could see distant galaxies reflected in her eyes. He found himself kissing her, gently but meaningfully, and to his joy and slight surprise she kissed him back. After a while they just sat there, happy in one another's company. He looked down. She'd gone to sleep, and her soft breath brushed his skin. She was so peaceful asleep, a different person from the brave, distant person she normally projected. He'd never seen such a change in anyone. It must be the loneliness that makes her this way, he decided. She has all these walls inside her mind that she daren't let drop, in case she gets hurt. But I can see through them. Could she…could she love me, too?
Trunks had just admitted to himself that he loved her. And he knew he couldn't live without her. She was his oxygen. But it couldn't be. He didn't belong here, he was out of his time. Reluctantly, he relaxed his hold and lay her in her bed, returning to his, his mind full of sorrow.
^^^
Rylina awoke the next morning with memories of strong arms and lavender hair. Was he really here with me last night? she wondered, until she found his scent in the room. He must have been…I …I think I love him she realised, afraid. All those she'd ever cared for apart from Goku had rejected or betrayed her. But… Trunks was different. He understood her. She understood him. Could he be her soulmate? She was determined to find out. She went downstairs to find that Trunks hadn't woken yet. She made breakfast and left a note for him.
Dear Trunks- I've gone to cure Goku. I'll be back soon, and breakfast is on the table. Strangely enough, I don't feel lonely at all this morning, thanks to you. It's a strange feeling, not being lonely.
Anyway, gotta go.
See you later
Rylina
She rang Chichi at Master Roshi's and teleported over to cure Goku.
^^^
Trunks woke up and went downstairs. He found and read the note with a sinking feeling in his stomach and a blossoming in his heart vying for attention. He loved her, he was sure of that. But he was from another time. He had to return to help his world, and he couldn't ask her to come with him. All her friends were here. What could he offer her? Mass destruction? He was torn between two times.
^^^
Rylina walked over to Goku, crouched and placed his head on her knees and her fingers on his temples. In an instant she was inside his mind, and wandering, looking for Goku. She found him in the centre, fighting a dark evil she could feel jarring on her senses. The heart virus.
"Step back, Goku," she shouted, and blasted the virus, which disintegrated.
"Where are we?" Goku asked her, wiping his hands.
"We're inside your mind. I'm here to take you back to help us." Rylina explained. "Come on, this way. We have to walk through to your control panel."
"Huh?" said Goku, confused.
"Don't worry. It doesn't matter."
They walked through a door, and into a room hung with pictures.
"This is where you keep all the pictures of your friends and family," Rylina explained. "The bigger the picture, the more you like them. That's why Chichi's and Gohan's are so big."
They carried on walking until they reached a room with a large control panel in it. The chair in front was empty.
"Goku, you know how Piccolo can split into two or more of himself? I want you to imagine yourself splitting into two."
All of a sudden there were two Goku's. The new Goku walked over to the control panel and started to work, seemingly knowing exactly what to do.
"Now I have to take you back through my mind to get you back and conscious," Rylina told Goku. She snapped her fingers, and all of a sudden they were in another mind. Hers.
"This way, Uncle." Rylina led Goku through a door and into her hall of Friends. A large picture of Trunks decorated one wall. Goku said, seemingly innocently, "That's a big picture of Trunks, isn't it?" Rylina blushed violently, and hurried on, dragging Goku as well.
"This is my room of Fears. The images here are of things I'm afraid of. The bigger the picture, the worse the fear."
They walked along, and Goku noticed a common feature.
"Rylina… they're all of one of us being dead and you alive," he remarked.
"That's because… well, I couldn't bear it if one of you died. I won't be left alone again!" she shouted. Goku had a sudden impulse to be tactful and failed to point out that the biggest of the images was Trunks, dead.
They finally reached their destination, and Rylina took them into the room where their bodies were and placed themselves back inside. Goku woke up and yawned. Behind him, Rylina had collapsed, and was reliving her nightmare from the night before.
^^^
Rylina ran through the trees, after her father. "Daddy…Daddy…don't leave me here alone…" Radditz turned to look at her in scorn and sent her flying back with a small ki ball. "Quiet, brat," he snarled. "Stay here, or I'll kill you." Rylina still followed him, sobbing, managing to cry out: "Daddy, I'll be good, I'll grow a tail! Look how strong I am now!" she powered up as high as she could but her father just smirked. "Is that the best you can do? I would expect more from a new born than this! You pathetic ingrate. I housed you for three years, and I wouldn't have even done that if it wasn't for your mother." Radditz powered up, grinning evilly as his daughter cowered at his feet. "Now, leave me alone, and if you ever come back, I'll kill you." He left her alone, sobbing, amongst the trees and brambles, without food or warmth. She cried herself to sleep.
"Rylina! RYLINA!" Goku was shouting, shaking her hard to try and wake her up. She jolted upwards with a start, and Goku embraced her. But it wasn't comforting. There was only one person who could make her feel better, and now, anything less would be pointless.
"Sorry, Goku. It's a small side effect of mind walking. I'm alright now." She lied, knowing that they had to get moving.
"Listen, I know this place where if you go into this room for a year, you come out and only a day has passed. I think that me, you, Vegeta and Trunks should all train in there. It's only two at a time, though."
"Well… I'll train with you, 'cos Trunks needs to get to know his father," Rylina replied, unhappy about this tough decision but thinking it to be for the best.
"Alright, then" replied Goku. "Where are they? Do you know?"
"Trunks is at my house," Rylina replied, blushing at the knowing look in Goku's eye. "He stayed over to sleep. I don't know where Vegeta is."
They teleported back to Rylina's house, where Goku settled down to eat and Rylina ran upstairs to find Trunks.
"Trunks? Where are y-" she called out, going to open his door carefully but then finding him directly in front of her. Her eyes were about level with his nose, and she looked up to find those beautiful eyes smiling down at her. Swiftly locked in a kiss, Trunks then realised that he'd broken his resolution to try not to get close. He pulled away, troubled.
"I'm sorry, I- I can't do this. I don't belong here. It would never work."
The sudden recoil was something he hadn't expected. She pulled back like he'd slapped her, and the pain in her eyes was deeper than the ocean. It was then that he remembered. She'd been betrayed and rejected so many times before, that this had tipped her over the edge. "Damn!" thought Trunks, as she backed away, twirling to run into her bedroom. He slowly descended the stairs, only to see Goku sitting at the table, eating.
"Oh, hi Trunks!" Goku called, oblivious to the events upstairs. "Nice morning!" He explained the time chamber to Trunks, and five minutes later, Rylina came down. She had changed clothes. Now she was wearing saiyajin battle armour, and her beautiful black curls were scraped sharply back from her face. A few small ringlets had escaped and framed her face, beautiful in the starkness of her appearance. She was different. The pain had gone and now her eyes were void of feeling. The darkness in which Trunks had seen galaxies now held nothing. Her face told of nothing but detachment. She was worse than Vegeta now. She may as well have been an android herself.
Goku pretended not to notice- no point in making a scene- and teleported them to were Vegeta was, and then on to Komi's palace to the time chamber. Trunks and Vegeta entered first, but when Trunks looked back, Rylina was looking away, still as devoid of feeling as before. Damn it, why do I have to wreck everything, everywhere I go? Trunks screamed inside his mind as he walked through the door and it shut behind him.
^^^
A day (or a year) later, Trunks and Vegeta came out. Looking straight at Rylina, he saw that she was still the same. Emotionless. He knew that this cold exterior wasn't the reality. He could sense her pain and confusion through the intense bond they shared. But he didn't dare do or say anything, in case his resolution broke and the problems surrounded him again. He flew down to Earth with a heavy heart, on his way to confront Cell.
^^^
Rylina had been as stiff and feelingless as possible that day. She had to hide her pain. "Goku is the only one I can trust now," she thought. "The only one who hasn't discarded me like a ragdoll." The horrible thing was, through the bond that still existed between them, she knew exactly why Trunks had done it. But it still hurt.
After Trunks and Vegeta had gone, Goku and Rylina entered the Time Chamber and she threw herself into her training, trying to leave behind all the emotions she wished she'd been born without instead of her tail.
^^^
Another day/year later…
Rylina still hadn't got rid of her pain. It simmered and boiled in her soul. Her emotionless exterior remained. Goku hadn't tried to crack it. She was fine with him- she could trust him- but otherwise the shell remained. Empty and void. She teleported to where Cell was, but the scene she arrived at filled her with horror. As she watched, Trunks was shot through the chest with a giant ki ball. He had stopped breathing. Rylina screamed, primal rage roaring through her shell, shattering it into a million pieces.
"NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!" she screamed, and to the other's shock, her hair grew down to her ankles, long and golden, and her eyes…they were not green, like a normal super-saiyajins. They were pure silver, all over. With an almighty blast of her psychokinetic power, she slammed Cell into a cliff as hard as she could without killing him. She wanted to make it more painful for him before he died.
She raced over to Trunks, only 4 seconds after he was shot, and slammed into his mind. She grabbed it tightly so it couldn't leave, and placed her hand on his "batteries" on the control panel. She rammed in as much power as it could take, and to Goku's disbelief, from outside you could see the hole closing up, glowing golden like the sun. She had healed him.
Rylina stood up and floated to where Cell was. Using only the power of her mind she raised him in shackles of air, leaving him unable to move anything except his head. The look on his face said it all. From the expression on Rylina's face, he knew he would die.
Goku was shocked by the primal rage that was etched onto his niece's face. The pure power and anger were frightening to behold in this quiet, lonely girl he'd known for three years.
Rylina then chose to speak. "Cell. I see you now and you disgust me. How many lives have you taken? How many souls have been stolen to give you that tiny amount of power? Now you will pay. A hole in your body for each that you have killed!"
Cell screamed as, all over his body, hundreds of wounds opened, freely shedding blood.
"You took Piccolo's arm! He is my friend! So I shall take yours!"
The cry of pain from Cell was the loudest sound Goku had ever heard. His arm was pulled right off by invisible forces, leaving a disgusting stump on his shoulder. Cell tried to regenerate, but found that he couldn't. Panicking, he looked at this strange, omni-powerful being in front of him. In her hand she held a small globe of green light.
"Looking for this, insect?" she asked, grinning. "It's your regeneration power. And…" Rylina dropped it on the floor, where it smashed.
"Oops."
Unknown to Rylina, Trunks had now woken up behind her and was watching in disbelief.
"But the most heinous crime of all… you almost killed the one I love! You sealed your own fate, insect. And now you will DIE!!!" With that, Cell exploded. Rylina fell to the ground, unconcious, her features returning to normal. Trunks dashed over, still in shock.
"She… she loves me?" he repeated to himself. He hadn't realised before quite what that meant. The pain had been nothing compared to the depth of feeling she had for him. And he'd rejected it. But now… he couldn't stop himself. He picked her up in his arms and whispered to her: "I love you, Rylina. I can't help it any more."
^^^
Rylina woke up in familiar surroundings. My bed? But… oh my God- Trunks! the last thing she could remember was the death shot through his chest.
Panicking, she turned frantically to find someone to ask. She stopped in joy. To her left, lightly snoring, was Trunks, slumped in a chair by her bed. Filled with ecstasy, she jumped up and placed him in her bed to sleep. Wrapping herself in her dressing gown, she walked downstairs to find Goku at her table. He glanced up at the movement and was startled to find Rylina standing there in front of him.
"Rylina… why didn't Trunks tell me you were up?"
"He's asleep. I put him in my bed to rest. What happened, Goku? The last thing I remember is seeing him killed."
Goku explained the previous day's events as she stared in disbelief.
"I… I went further than an ascended saiyajin? Woah, ok…neat!"
After Goku had explained, Trunks came down the stairs. Rylina stiffened. She may have saved his life, but that didn't mean he loved her.
Goku tactfully proclaimed that he had to leave to help Chichi redecorate. Once he'd gone, Trunks ran over to Rylina and swept her up in his arms.
"Trunks…" she breathed, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I love you so much…"
"I love you too, Rylina," Trunks whispered into her ear, and was rewarded by the immediate warmth that glowed in her eyes again. The stark mask fell, and she was more beautiful than ever in his arms. He buried his face in her curls, and she just stood there and clung on for dear life. Pulling back, gazing at her in joy, she kissed him, meaningfully, as they both shared the sensation of oneness, they were truly bonded.
^^^
A few days later, Trunks awoke to the soft breathing next to him. They shared a bed, but only to sleep. He knew that he had to go home. He also knew he couldn't ask Rylina to go with him. He had nothing to offer her. Here were her friends and family. In the future was destruction and very little else. He rose and got dressed quietly, before slipping out of the front door and using the time machine to leave this timeline behind him. The emptiness was incredible without her. He didn't know if he could bear it. But he did it for her.
^^^
Rylina woke up cold and alone. Where was Trunks? She reached out with her mind… but came up against a cold wall. She looked more closely at it, and realised what it was. This wall was made of time. He had gone back to the future, without her.
^^^
Trunks arrived home and looked around. No. No no no… there was nothing left. His home was destroyed. He spent the next day digging in the rubble. In the evening he found his mother. Dead. His whole life here was gone, and he had abandoned his chance of happiness in another world. Once again, I've ruined everything, he thought bitterly to himself.
^^^
A day after he had left, Trunks returned to the other timeline. He reached out along his bond with Rylina. She wasn't in the house… where was she? He dashed to the front door. There was a note on it.
Dear Goku
I can't live like this, without Trunks. He was my oxygen, and now I am suffocating. Like all who suffocate, now I shall die. Don't come looking for me- it won't be pretty. Give this tape to Trunks. Make sure he listens to it. I know he'll come back someday, but by then it'll be too late.
Rylina
Trunks hurried inside with the tape. A song started to play.
I, I I I , really miss you…
"Oh, damn," Trunks yelled, and flew off, searching for Rylina with everything he had.
^^^
Rylina stood on the spot where Trunks had fallen in front of Cell. She couldn't survive without him. Dishevelled and dirty, she put her hand to her chest and gathered her energy.
"RYLINA! NOOOOO!" came a familiar voice behind her. She turned.
"Trunks?" she murmured. "I… I needed you so much… and you weren't there…" she fell to her knees and began to sob. Moments later she felt strong arms encircle her and soft lavender hair tickled her face. Trunks put his finger under her chin and kissed her gently. She hugged him as tight as she could, not wanting to let go. Trunks held her tightly, glad he'd reached her in time to stop her.
"My mother's dead and my house was destroyed," he whispered. "I needed you. I couldn't have survived there without you anyway."
"Promise me you won't leave again," she whispered.
"I promise."
Rylina flew up to this mysterious new fighter. She'd never seen him before, and from the looks on their faces, neither had the others. But she didn't care. He was cute, after all. And she never missed an opportunity.
"Hi, I'm Rylina. That was awesome," she said, trying to appeal to the usual fighter's ego.
"Umm… hi," replied Trunks. He couldn't tell her his name. It was too dangerous. What if he was never born because he told the wrong person too much about himself? He could never let that happen.
"Don't worry. You don't have to tell me anything about yourself. I've been there, done that, bought the T-shirt."
Huh? What was this girl doing? Reading his mind?
"There's been plenty of times when I've had to keep things secret."
This was beyond weird. She seemed to be speaking his every thought, and helping him out even though she didn't know him.
"Thanks… I guess," Trunks managed. He was finding it hard to think. This girl seemed to be doing exactly what he hoped for, unconsciously. This was really strange. He turned to shout to the others, who were still standing on the ground.
"Goku will be here in about two hours" he called, then heard a gasp beside him.
"Really? He's my uncle, but I've never met him. How do you… wait, you don't have to tell me how you know. It's ok."
Trying to dislodge his bewilderment, Trunks flew to the spot he knew Goku would arrive at.
"Another saiyajin?" he found himself asking.
"Yes. My father… no, I won't talk about him. Anyway, I was abandoned as a baby, for being born without a tail. He hated me. There were some strange…side effects, you might say, to my condition. But he still hated my guts. I heard I was like my uncle Kakkorot, so here I am."
Trunks got out the fridge capsule, and chucked it onto the sand. It opened up, and Gohan ran over to open it. Gohan. So like, yet so unlike the teacher, brother and father from his own time. Trunks shook this thought away as an unopened can whizzed past his face and into Rylina's waiting hand.
"I told you there were side effects," she winked.
Trunks could feel a blush coming, so looked away. Bulma then chose to notice the one give-away he'd forgotten about.
"Hey… you have our logo on your jacket! Are you one of our employees?" She asked, curious.
"Umm… no. Just a fan." Trunks quickly responded, kicking himself for not having realised.
"Well, give me your name, and I'll put in a good word for you with Dad," she said, making the situation worse.
"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you my name." Trunks said sadly, knowing that if he did, their future could become more twisted than his own.
"Ooh, why can't I have a secret name too?" asked Tien, annoyed at this. "Is his shoe-size a secret too?" Bulma was just about to reply when Rylina stood up abruptly, dropping her can, still unopened.
"So people can't have secrets, even if it's for a good reason? I know, lets have a revelation. Revelations are good, huh? Well, let's see. I'm Goku's niece, right? That makes him the brother of my father. Goku only had one brother, though. I think you may have met him a while back. Guess what his name was. His name was Radditz! That makes me his daughter! And while I'm not a bad person, he was, which means that now you all hate me! Great! And while we're on the subject, at the age of three he dumped me in the woods alone for being a tail-less freak! F-R-E-A-K. So now you all hate me. Aren't revelations fun, Tien? Aren't they just great?!"
She stormed off to sit on a rock a little way off, and began to sob.
"Great Tien, look what you've done now!" Bulma snapped, going over to where Rylina was sitting.
"We don't hate you! Tien's just edgy. Ignore that knucklehead. Men have brains the size of walnuts."
"I know, Bulma. It's just… being made to tell things is wrong. I know that guy isn't telling because he can't, rather than that he won't. I don't know how I know. I'm sorry for exploding."
They walked back and Rylina apologised (though not with much meaning in it, it has to be said. All saiyajins have egos. )
So they sat back down to wait for Goku. Trunks found himself being constantly drawn to look at Vegeta, and after the second time he was caught, Rylina turned to him and whispered:
"Next time he catches you, just tell him that you're wondering why his hair looks like a paintbrush. He'll ignore you then."
Trunks looked at her and wondered if her "side-effects" involved reading minds.
"Why are you helping me so much? Can you read my mind?" he asked anxiously, knowing that if she could, it may cause trouble. Though for some strange reason, he didn't think she'd go against his wishes and tell anyone the things he had to keep hidden.
"I can't read minds, but for some reason I seem to be able to understand a lot about you. I consider you to be my friend already, and I don't know anything about you. I look after my friends, so I'm helping you out with old paintbrush-head over there."
Suddenly, her head jerked up to look at the sky. "He's here," she yelled, and sprang to her feet.
Sceptically, the others looked up just in time to see a small, round spaceship burst through the clouds.
"Woah, you're right," cried Yamcha, and they all jumped up and ran to the crater that the ship had just made. Goku stuck his head out, and was surprised to find all of his friends plus a couple of new faces looking at him from the rim of the crater.
"Hello!" he called, "How did you all know I was coming?"
"This guy told us," responded Kuririn, as Trunks was pushed forward by Rylina, who whispered in his ear, "You go first. I have a feeling your purpose is more important than mine."
So Trunks went to talk to Goku on the other side of the crater, and told him of the androids that would come in three years time. As Trunks prepared to leave, Rylina flew up and pressed something into his hand.
"For memories sake," she said, and returned to her friends. Trunks opened his hand. It was a glass model of all of them.
-Psychokinetic powers come in handy when sand can be pressed together to make glass- her voice whispered in his mind, as he jolted in shock. He looked at it again. Vegeta was right in the foreground, exactly as he was here. Trunks knew he'd made a new friend, as he climbed into the time machine and returned to face the horrors in his own time.
^^^
Three years later…the Z fighters have been knocked out cold after a battle with androids 17 and 18 on a rocky mountain road. Trunks wakes up, only to find that he's not where he was before he passed out…
Trunks looked around quickly. Where was he? The others were still unconscious, and Vegeta was nowhere to be seen. Looking around, he saw a female figure sitting on a rock a little way away. Her back was turned, but he recognised her all the same. He hadn't been able to forget her. She was so… strange. But like a magnet, his thoughts had returned to her time and again.
"Rylina?"
"Oh, hi Trunks. I see you're awake."
"How do you know my name?!" Trunks asked in horror, wondering if Goku had told all after everything he'd said.
"My ears don't just frame my head you know," she answered, "and when a purple-haired half-saiyijin is born after a visit from a purple-haired super-saiyijin from the future, I think it's pretty obvious. Don't worry, I didn't tell."
Relieved, Trunks looked again, and noticed various changes since he last saw her. Her curly, jet-black hair was longer, and she had…matured, was the only word he allowed himself to think. She was more beautiful even than before.
"Where are we?" he asked her, trying to distract himself.
"We're in the meadow above my house," Rylina answered. "I found you lot by the road, and decided I'd better get you somewhere where you won't be seen by normal people."
Piccolo was sitting up now, and asked the same round of questions. Then he added one.
"Where were you? You're hours late!" Kuririn and Tien had woken up by now, and were listening. Though Trunks didn't know it, she hadn't changed at all until yesterday, the day before which they had all met up.
"Well… you know how I said that female saiyajins mature fast? Well, I wasn't sure how fast, except I went to bed as normal last night and woke up needing bigger… you know," she said, blushing and embarrassed. "Chichi had to come over and help me buy some bigger clothes that fit okay. So I was late. I'm sorry."
This information was absorbed, and the conversation turned to more important (and less embarrassing) matters.
"Where's Vegeta?" asked Trunks, worried about his father.
"He woke up ages ago and went off in a huff to train alone. I didn't bother stopping him. "
"We'd better find those androids," said Piccolo, standing up to his full 7ft height.
"If you got thrashed now, how badly thrashed will you get if you're tired and hungry as well? I say that we eat, sleep, and find the androids tomorrow, but move Goku to Master Roshi's tonight. Trunks can stay at my place for now." Rylina said, and it was accepted as a good idea. Trunks didn't dislike the idea of spending more time with her. She seemed to be the one person who actually understood him.
Piccolo flew off, yelling wildly. After Kuririn explained about Komi and how Piccolo was going to fuse with him, they went down to Rylina's house to eat. Dinner was cooked in seconds, using a small ki ball, and there was no conversation as they each contemplated what tomorrow would hold.
After dinner, Tien pointed out the obvious. "Shouldn't we move Goku?"
"You're right, I'd forgotten!" Rylina cried out, and immediately came up with a plan of action.
"Kuririn and Tien , I'm going to teleport us to Goku's. Then we'll take all of us to Master Roshi's. Trunks, are you okay with staying here? I'll be back in five minutes."
"Yeah, sure." he found himself saying.
"You can listen to some music. There's a whole bunch of songs over there that I wrote, it's my job, so you can listen if you want." And with that, the others disappeared.
Trunks walked over to the hi-fi, and pressed play. A song he didn't know came out of the speakers. Before it, there was the message, in Rylina's voice:
"Hi, this is me. This song is meant to be about me, but give me some artistic licence, won't you? Seeing as this'll never be heard by anyone else if I can help it, I'll tell all. Like the girl in the song, my life seems to have everything. But there's still something missing. This feeling started three years ago, and I'm not 100% sure why. So, this is it. Enjoy, non-existent listener."
She's so lucky, she's a star, but she cry, cry, cries in her lonely heart, thinking… if there's nothing, missing in my life, then, why do these tears come at night? Early morning, she gets up, but there's no one there to wake her up…
We have more in common than I thought, Trunks realised.
^^^
Rylina teleported them to just outside Goku's house, walked in and was attacked. She grabbed the descending metal and crushed it. She flicked the lights on to find Chichi with a crushed ladle, scolding her for the fright she'd given her.
"Sorry, Chichi, but you're lucky I didn't fire a ki ball at you," she replied, unfazed. "We're here to move Goku."
"We?" asked Chichi.
Rylina looked behind her to see the other two hiding outside the door. She sighed.
They moved Goku to Master Roshi's and Rylina teleported back home. Trunks was dozing on the sofa. She woke him up and gave him the grand tour.
"This is the kitchen…eat as much as you want, we're ready for a 30year nuclear war when we can't go outside or a visit from Goku…"Trunks smiled at that.
"This is the TV room, though we won't be watching much of that at the moment with all these androids…"
They went upstairs and the tour continued.
"This is my room, that's the bathroom and this is yours opposite mine…" they entered the room and Rylina went over to a chest of drawers, opening it to reveal men's clothing.
"There's all kinds of stuff that belongs to the guys in here for when they've been training nearby. You can use it if you want, they won't mind."
Trunks nodded and asked a question that'd been bugging him for ages.
"You accepted me as saiyajin from the first time we met, in the face of the evidence…why? How did you know I was saiyajin?"
"Because you're good-looking," Rylina replied absent-mindedly, then realising what she had said and blushed like crazy. She turned to find Trunks directly behind her, and couldn't tear herself away from his eyes… so blue and beautiful… he softly bent down to kiss her and she let herself go for an instant, blushing when they ended the kiss and babbling like an idiot.
"Umm… it's getting late…I think I'll go to bed now."
Her mind reeling, she got into her night clothes and went to sleep, as Trunks did the same across the hall.
^^^
Later that night, Trunks awoke to the soft cries coming from the other room, and her rising power level made him hurry across to see her. He found her thrashing gently in her bad, crying to her father.
"Daddy…don't leave me here alone…please…I'll be good, I'll grow a tail…just don't leave me…"
He sat on the edge of her bed and shook her gently. She shot upright and threw her arms around his neck, weeping. She woke up fully to find her face buried in soft lavender hair, with strong arms holding her gently.
"I'm sorry…"she murmured. "Did I wake you? It was only a nightmare," she managed to say, trying to resist the urge to hold him tighter.
"I wasn't asleep," Trunks lied, enjoying this quiet moment. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm alright. It was…it was the time my father left me alone. I still have nightmares about that. It opened this big hole inside, one that's never quite been filled…loneliness, I guess. Though, actually, I don't feel lonely at all right now." she said, bold now that he didn't seem to mind sitting there like that. She pulled back to look at him, and once more found herself drowning in his eyes.
Trunks was just happy to sit there, holding her, seeing her vulnerability. She pulled back to look at him, and he noticed her eyes again. So dark, he felt he could see distant galaxies reflected in her eyes. He found himself kissing her, gently but meaningfully, and to his joy and slight surprise she kissed him back. After a while they just sat there, happy in one another's company. He looked down. She'd gone to sleep, and her soft breath brushed his skin. She was so peaceful asleep, a different person from the brave, distant person she normally projected. He'd never seen such a change in anyone. It must be the loneliness that makes her this way, he decided. She has all these walls inside her mind that she daren't let drop, in case she gets hurt. But I can see through them. Could she…could she love me, too?
Trunks had just admitted to himself that he loved her. And he knew he couldn't live without her. She was his oxygen. But it couldn't be. He didn't belong here, he was out of his time. Reluctantly, he relaxed his hold and lay her in her bed, returning to his, his mind full of sorrow.
^^^
Rylina awoke the next morning with memories of strong arms and lavender hair. Was he really here with me last night? she wondered, until she found his scent in the room. He must have been…I …I think I love him she realised, afraid. All those she'd ever cared for apart from Goku had rejected or betrayed her. But… Trunks was different. He understood her. She understood him. Could he be her soulmate? She was determined to find out. She went downstairs to find that Trunks hadn't woken yet. She made breakfast and left a note for him.
Dear Trunks- I've gone to cure Goku. I'll be back soon, and breakfast is on the table. Strangely enough, I don't feel lonely at all this morning, thanks to you. It's a strange feeling, not being lonely.
Anyway, gotta go.
See you later
Rylina
She rang Chichi at Master Roshi's and teleported over to cure Goku.
^^^
Trunks woke up and went downstairs. He found and read the note with a sinking feeling in his stomach and a blossoming in his heart vying for attention. He loved her, he was sure of that. But he was from another time. He had to return to help his world, and he couldn't ask her to come with him. All her friends were here. What could he offer her? Mass destruction? He was torn between two times.
^^^
Rylina walked over to Goku, crouched and placed his head on her knees and her fingers on his temples. In an instant she was inside his mind, and wandering, looking for Goku. She found him in the centre, fighting a dark evil she could feel jarring on her senses. The heart virus.
"Step back, Goku," she shouted, and blasted the virus, which disintegrated.
"Where are we?" Goku asked her, wiping his hands.
"We're inside your mind. I'm here to take you back to help us." Rylina explained. "Come on, this way. We have to walk through to your control panel."
"Huh?" said Goku, confused.
"Don't worry. It doesn't matter."
They walked through a door, and into a room hung with pictures.
"This is where you keep all the pictures of your friends and family," Rylina explained. "The bigger the picture, the more you like them. That's why Chichi's and Gohan's are so big."
They carried on walking until they reached a room with a large control panel in it. The chair in front was empty.
"Goku, you know how Piccolo can split into two or more of himself? I want you to imagine yourself splitting into two."
All of a sudden there were two Goku's. The new Goku walked over to the control panel and started to work, seemingly knowing exactly what to do.
"Now I have to take you back through my mind to get you back and conscious," Rylina told Goku. She snapped her fingers, and all of a sudden they were in another mind. Hers.
"This way, Uncle." Rylina led Goku through a door and into her hall of Friends. A large picture of Trunks decorated one wall. Goku said, seemingly innocently, "That's a big picture of Trunks, isn't it?" Rylina blushed violently, and hurried on, dragging Goku as well.
"This is my room of Fears. The images here are of things I'm afraid of. The bigger the picture, the worse the fear."
They walked along, and Goku noticed a common feature.
"Rylina… they're all of one of us being dead and you alive," he remarked.
"That's because… well, I couldn't bear it if one of you died. I won't be left alone again!" she shouted. Goku had a sudden impulse to be tactful and failed to point out that the biggest of the images was Trunks, dead.
They finally reached their destination, and Rylina took them into the room where their bodies were and placed themselves back inside. Goku woke up and yawned. Behind him, Rylina had collapsed, and was reliving her nightmare from the night before.
^^^
Rylina ran through the trees, after her father. "Daddy…Daddy…don't leave me here alone…" Radditz turned to look at her in scorn and sent her flying back with a small ki ball. "Quiet, brat," he snarled. "Stay here, or I'll kill you." Rylina still followed him, sobbing, managing to cry out: "Daddy, I'll be good, I'll grow a tail! Look how strong I am now!" she powered up as high as she could but her father just smirked. "Is that the best you can do? I would expect more from a new born than this! You pathetic ingrate. I housed you for three years, and I wouldn't have even done that if it wasn't for your mother." Radditz powered up, grinning evilly as his daughter cowered at his feet. "Now, leave me alone, and if you ever come back, I'll kill you." He left her alone, sobbing, amongst the trees and brambles, without food or warmth. She cried herself to sleep.
"Rylina! RYLINA!" Goku was shouting, shaking her hard to try and wake her up. She jolted upwards with a start, and Goku embraced her. But it wasn't comforting. There was only one person who could make her feel better, and now, anything less would be pointless.
"Sorry, Goku. It's a small side effect of mind walking. I'm alright now." She lied, knowing that they had to get moving.
"Listen, I know this place where if you go into this room for a year, you come out and only a day has passed. I think that me, you, Vegeta and Trunks should all train in there. It's only two at a time, though."
"Well… I'll train with you, 'cos Trunks needs to get to know his father," Rylina replied, unhappy about this tough decision but thinking it to be for the best.
"Alright, then" replied Goku. "Where are they? Do you know?"
"Trunks is at my house," Rylina replied, blushing at the knowing look in Goku's eye. "He stayed over to sleep. I don't know where Vegeta is."
They teleported back to Rylina's house, where Goku settled down to eat and Rylina ran upstairs to find Trunks.
"Trunks? Where are y-" she called out, going to open his door carefully but then finding him directly in front of her. Her eyes were about level with his nose, and she looked up to find those beautiful eyes smiling down at her. Swiftly locked in a kiss, Trunks then realised that he'd broken his resolution to try not to get close. He pulled away, troubled.
"I'm sorry, I- I can't do this. I don't belong here. It would never work."
The sudden recoil was something he hadn't expected. She pulled back like he'd slapped her, and the pain in her eyes was deeper than the ocean. It was then that he remembered. She'd been betrayed and rejected so many times before, that this had tipped her over the edge. "Damn!" thought Trunks, as she backed away, twirling to run into her bedroom. He slowly descended the stairs, only to see Goku sitting at the table, eating.
"Oh, hi Trunks!" Goku called, oblivious to the events upstairs. "Nice morning!" He explained the time chamber to Trunks, and five minutes later, Rylina came down. She had changed clothes. Now she was wearing saiyajin battle armour, and her beautiful black curls were scraped sharply back from her face. A few small ringlets had escaped and framed her face, beautiful in the starkness of her appearance. She was different. The pain had gone and now her eyes were void of feeling. The darkness in which Trunks had seen galaxies now held nothing. Her face told of nothing but detachment. She was worse than Vegeta now. She may as well have been an android herself.
Goku pretended not to notice- no point in making a scene- and teleported them to were Vegeta was, and then on to Komi's palace to the time chamber. Trunks and Vegeta entered first, but when Trunks looked back, Rylina was looking away, still as devoid of feeling as before. Damn it, why do I have to wreck everything, everywhere I go? Trunks screamed inside his mind as he walked through the door and it shut behind him.
^^^
A day (or a year) later, Trunks and Vegeta came out. Looking straight at Rylina, he saw that she was still the same. Emotionless. He knew that this cold exterior wasn't the reality. He could sense her pain and confusion through the intense bond they shared. But he didn't dare do or say anything, in case his resolution broke and the problems surrounded him again. He flew down to Earth with a heavy heart, on his way to confront Cell.
^^^
Rylina had been as stiff and feelingless as possible that day. She had to hide her pain. "Goku is the only one I can trust now," she thought. "The only one who hasn't discarded me like a ragdoll." The horrible thing was, through the bond that still existed between them, she knew exactly why Trunks had done it. But it still hurt.
After Trunks and Vegeta had gone, Goku and Rylina entered the Time Chamber and she threw herself into her training, trying to leave behind all the emotions she wished she'd been born without instead of her tail.
^^^
Another day/year later…
Rylina still hadn't got rid of her pain. It simmered and boiled in her soul. Her emotionless exterior remained. Goku hadn't tried to crack it. She was fine with him- she could trust him- but otherwise the shell remained. Empty and void. She teleported to where Cell was, but the scene she arrived at filled her with horror. As she watched, Trunks was shot through the chest with a giant ki ball. He had stopped breathing. Rylina screamed, primal rage roaring through her shell, shattering it into a million pieces.
"NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!" she screamed, and to the other's shock, her hair grew down to her ankles, long and golden, and her eyes…they were not green, like a normal super-saiyajins. They were pure silver, all over. With an almighty blast of her psychokinetic power, she slammed Cell into a cliff as hard as she could without killing him. She wanted to make it more painful for him before he died.
She raced over to Trunks, only 4 seconds after he was shot, and slammed into his mind. She grabbed it tightly so it couldn't leave, and placed her hand on his "batteries" on the control panel. She rammed in as much power as it could take, and to Goku's disbelief, from outside you could see the hole closing up, glowing golden like the sun. She had healed him.
Rylina stood up and floated to where Cell was. Using only the power of her mind she raised him in shackles of air, leaving him unable to move anything except his head. The look on his face said it all. From the expression on Rylina's face, he knew he would die.
Goku was shocked by the primal rage that was etched onto his niece's face. The pure power and anger were frightening to behold in this quiet, lonely girl he'd known for three years.
Rylina then chose to speak. "Cell. I see you now and you disgust me. How many lives have you taken? How many souls have been stolen to give you that tiny amount of power? Now you will pay. A hole in your body for each that you have killed!"
Cell screamed as, all over his body, hundreds of wounds opened, freely shedding blood.
"You took Piccolo's arm! He is my friend! So I shall take yours!"
The cry of pain from Cell was the loudest sound Goku had ever heard. His arm was pulled right off by invisible forces, leaving a disgusting stump on his shoulder. Cell tried to regenerate, but found that he couldn't. Panicking, he looked at this strange, omni-powerful being in front of him. In her hand she held a small globe of green light.
"Looking for this, insect?" she asked, grinning. "It's your regeneration power. And…" Rylina dropped it on the floor, where it smashed.
"Oops."
Unknown to Rylina, Trunks had now woken up behind her and was watching in disbelief.
"But the most heinous crime of all… you almost killed the one I love! You sealed your own fate, insect. And now you will DIE!!!" With that, Cell exploded. Rylina fell to the ground, unconcious, her features returning to normal. Trunks dashed over, still in shock.
"She… she loves me?" he repeated to himself. He hadn't realised before quite what that meant. The pain had been nothing compared to the depth of feeling she had for him. And he'd rejected it. But now… he couldn't stop himself. He picked her up in his arms and whispered to her: "I love you, Rylina. I can't help it any more."
^^^
Rylina woke up in familiar surroundings. My bed? But… oh my God- Trunks! the last thing she could remember was the death shot through his chest.
Panicking, she turned frantically to find someone to ask. She stopped in joy. To her left, lightly snoring, was Trunks, slumped in a chair by her bed. Filled with ecstasy, she jumped up and placed him in her bed to sleep. Wrapping herself in her dressing gown, she walked downstairs to find Goku at her table. He glanced up at the movement and was startled to find Rylina standing there in front of him.
"Rylina… why didn't Trunks tell me you were up?"
"He's asleep. I put him in my bed to rest. What happened, Goku? The last thing I remember is seeing him killed."
Goku explained the previous day's events as she stared in disbelief.
"I… I went further than an ascended saiyajin? Woah, ok…neat!"
After Goku had explained, Trunks came down the stairs. Rylina stiffened. She may have saved his life, but that didn't mean he loved her.
Goku tactfully proclaimed that he had to leave to help Chichi redecorate. Once he'd gone, Trunks ran over to Rylina and swept her up in his arms.
"Trunks…" she breathed, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I love you so much…"
"I love you too, Rylina," Trunks whispered into her ear, and was rewarded by the immediate warmth that glowed in her eyes again. The stark mask fell, and she was more beautiful than ever in his arms. He buried his face in her curls, and she just stood there and clung on for dear life. Pulling back, gazing at her in joy, she kissed him, meaningfully, as they both shared the sensation of oneness, they were truly bonded.
^^^
A few days later, Trunks awoke to the soft breathing next to him. They shared a bed, but only to sleep. He knew that he had to go home. He also knew he couldn't ask Rylina to go with him. He had nothing to offer her. Here were her friends and family. In the future was destruction and very little else. He rose and got dressed quietly, before slipping out of the front door and using the time machine to leave this timeline behind him. The emptiness was incredible without her. He didn't know if he could bear it. But he did it for her.
^^^
Rylina woke up cold and alone. Where was Trunks? She reached out with her mind… but came up against a cold wall. She looked more closely at it, and realised what it was. This wall was made of time. He had gone back to the future, without her.
^^^
Trunks arrived home and looked around. No. No no no… there was nothing left. His home was destroyed. He spent the next day digging in the rubble. In the evening he found his mother. Dead. His whole life here was gone, and he had abandoned his chance of happiness in another world. Once again, I've ruined everything, he thought bitterly to himself.
^^^
A day after he had left, Trunks returned to the other timeline. He reached out along his bond with Rylina. She wasn't in the house… where was she? He dashed to the front door. There was a note on it.
Dear Goku
I can't live like this, without Trunks. He was my oxygen, and now I am suffocating. Like all who suffocate, now I shall die. Don't come looking for me- it won't be pretty. Give this tape to Trunks. Make sure he listens to it. I know he'll come back someday, but by then it'll be too late.
Rylina
Trunks hurried inside with the tape. A song started to play.
I, I I I , really miss you…
"Oh, damn," Trunks yelled, and flew off, searching for Rylina with everything he had.
^^^
Rylina stood on the spot where Trunks had fallen in front of Cell. She couldn't survive without him. Dishevelled and dirty, she put her hand to her chest and gathered her energy.
"RYLINA! NOOOOO!" came a familiar voice behind her. She turned.
"Trunks?" she murmured. "I… I needed you so much… and you weren't there…" she fell to her knees and began to sob. Moments later she felt strong arms encircle her and soft lavender hair tickled her face. Trunks put his finger under her chin and kissed her gently. She hugged him as tight as she could, not wanting to let go. Trunks held her tightly, glad he'd reached her in time to stop her.
"My mother's dead and my house was destroyed," he whispered. "I needed you. I couldn't have survived there without you anyway."
"Promise me you won't leave again," she whispered.
"I promise."