by
Hung (Animeaddiction) Nguyen
Disclaimer: Dragon Ball Z and El Hazard are the property of their creators. I'm just using them to tell a story, so don't bother me with legal technicalities.
: Thoughts
Hot Springs and Hotter Tempers
Trunks squinted a bit as he looked over the vast and hot wasteland that the cruiser they were riding in was jetting over. The heavy robes he was wearing were not suited for the arid climate and he was sweating a bit. Beside him, Allielle was dying for a drink and Fujisawa was sitting with his jacket draped over his head. Ura was sitting at the front of the craft and didn't seem to be minding the intense heat, which was surprising considering that she had a very thick pelt of fur.
Behind the group were the two drivers in which they had paid to take them to the Spring of Arliman. They were both wearing some kind of weird umbrella hats to shield their heads from the sun's blistering rays and goggles to keep the sand out of their eyes. They were a couple of short, stocky individuals that were of the unsavory type and Trunks didn't really trust them. However, they were the only ones that he and Fujisawa could find that would to take them to Arliman. The caravan people were unwilling to travel to the sacred place for fear of angering the holy ones there.
Trunks shook his head again as the trip was taking too long, by his standards. They had been traveling for more than two hours and they were only one-quarter of the way there. He could have made better time flying on his own or using one of the supersonic jets that his family owned; rather than riding this antique bucket of bolts. T the rate they were going, it was going to take them more than half a day to reach Arliman, and time was severely limited. He wanted to get this over with. The sooner the Eye of God was unsealed, then the sooner he could get home. By now, his family and friends were probably worried sick over his disappearance.
----------
Back on Earth, on top of Kami's Lookout...
"So no one has seen Trunks for the last couple of days, Bulma?" Dende asked.
The mother of Trunks shook her head sadly. "No. He never came home from school and he's been reported as missing along with two other students and a history teacher. The last time he was seen was when he finished his classes and was heading home. What worries me is that Goku and the others can't sense his energy anywhere. They been looking everywhere for him. Though Vegita may not show it, he's also worried and has been searching the Earth and even out in space. Oh Dende, I'm so afraid that Trunks might be..."
Dende held up a green-skinned hand. "Don't even think that. I know for certain that Trunks isn't dead. King Yamma or King Kai would have informed me if Trunks had died. His soul would have appeared at the Check-In Station in the Spirit Realm. Though your telling me now of Trunks' disappearance a couple of days ago does seem to fit with something that I sensed at that time."
"What do you mean?"
Dende walked over toward the edge of the platform and gazed out at the clouds below. "It was about two days ago that I sensed a powerful and ancient spike of energy, around the time that Trunks would have gotten out of school. It was only there for a brief moment, and I'm certain that the others sensed it as well. I then felt a slight disturbance in the dimensional fabric of reality and then a momentary rift appeared. I didn't think it was anything important at the time and nothing bad had happened. However..."
Bulma put a finger to the side of her cheek in thought as she was well-versed in the theories of dimensional universes. "Are you saying that Trunks might be in some other... universe?"
"It's only a hunch, but it is possible. That can also explain why Goku and the others can't sense Trunks' power, since he would no longer be in this dimension."
"Then... where would Trunks be now?" Bulma inquired with concern.
"Good question. I... don't have the answer, but I know someone who might." Dende then began reaching out with his telepathic powers to the other side. Bulma began hearing the Namek's voice in her head as he reached out to contact an old friend.
King Kai, are you there? It's me... Dende.
----------
On the other side, the squat and joke-making Kai of the Northern Quadrant perked up his head and antennae when he received the call. Beside him were his pet monkey Bubbles and his grasshopper assistant, Gregory.
Dende! It's good to hear from you again.
Hello, King Kai. It's good to hear from you too, but I'm afraid that this isn't a social call.
Yes, I know. Trunks has been missing for a couple of days now. I too have noticed his absence and I have been scanning around for him. If you were thinking that he might be somewhere else, then you'd be right. He isn't on Earth anymore.
Then... he's still alive?
King Kai nodded. Yes. I can sense him, but just barely. Somehow, Trunks got transported to another universe that's so distant, even I don't know its exact coordinates... at least not yet. It'll take at least another day before I can lock in on him.
Dende then asked King Kai, Is there any chance at all that you can bring him back after you've found him?
King Kai shook his head. No. He's too far away, even with the Instant Transmission technique. There's only one way I can think of to bring Trunks back.
The Dragon Balls?
You got it. However, it will take another three days for the Dragon Balls on Earth to be reenergized. They were used last year when some joker found them and wished for wealth and stuff. And transporting Trunks across that far of a distance is going to tax Sheng Long to his limit.
Well, what about the Namekian Dragon Balls and Porunga? Dende asked. We can ask Goku to use his Instant Transmission technique to go the Namek home world. He's done it before.
King Kai shook his head again. Nope. The Namekian Dragon Balls have already been used and turned to stone. Last month, the Nameks wished to be protected from a deadly meteor shower, restore the ecological balance of their planet, and bring back another one of their people that Vegita had killed during the Frieza incident. It will take another one hundred and fifty days before they can be used again.
Dende sighed. All right then. Sheng Long is the dragon we need to bring Trunks back.
Right. I'll keep scanning and tell you where Trunks is when I find him.
And we'll start collecting the Dragon Balls on Earth as soon as they reenergize.
King Kai bid farewell as he turned and began scanning the cosmos.
----------
"Bulma, do you still have your Dragon Ball Radar?"
The mother of Trunks paused for a moment before replying. "Well, actually I don't. The old circuits burnt themselves out, but I'm pretty sure that I can make a new one, no big deal." She then cocked her head in thought and smiled. "Come to think of it, Vegita still has a couple of those old Scouters and it wouldn't be any problem to adapt them with the Dragon Ball Radar circuits. That way, we can have two or three people out looking for those Dragon Balls and collect them even faster."
Dende nodded as he told Bulma of the plan. "Good. We need to get a hold of them as soon as they reenergize. King Kai told me that Trunks is alive but in a very distant, alternate universe. We'll need the Dragon Balls to bring Trunks back from wherever he was transported to. King Kai told me that we'll be able to summon Sheng Long in three days."
Bulma nodded with a large smile as she went to her parked cruiser. In three days, she would be reunited with her son again.
However, a LOT can happen in three days...
----------
In the Desert of Bleached Bones, the cruiser continued to jet across the sand dunes. However, the two drivers were in a terrible state with multiple bruises on their faces. The pair of unscrupulous characters had tried to abandon their riders at the halfway point to Arliman, saying that they would not carry them any further unless they were given more money. They had threatened Trunks and Allielle with their clubs, but the young Saiyan was unimpressed and not at all frightened. He had been ready to give the two of them a very painful beating, but Mr. Fujisawa had beaten him to the punch... literally.
Being out in the scorching desert heat had made him sweat out every last drop of alcohol in his body. A sober and angry Fujisawa was someone that one should not try to threaten. The history teacher was now standing behind the drivers with both of their clubs in his hand and keeping a stern watch over them. The craft continued to skim across the heated landscape for another hour before suddenly coming to a stop.
"Oh no! What now?" Allielle complained.
Fujisawa glared at the drivers. "What this? Do you dare taste Fujisawa's Fist of Justice again?!"
Both men shook their heads frantically as one of them pointed out in front of them. "N-N-No! Look!"
The group saw two rows of stone pillars that marked the path toward the Spring of Arliman.
The other driver groaned as he explained. "Even if you beat us up again, we still won't go in there. Only the holy people can go past this point. That place is BIG trouble!"
"Are you saying that we've got to WALK the rest of the way?!" Fujisawa roared.
The two drivers nodded as the second one replied. "As much as we fear for our lives, Mr. Justice..."
Trunks and his party could only groan in despair at these words.
----------
The Bugrom Citadel...
"Damn you Trunks! Damn you to everlasting HELL!" Jinnai ranted as he paced Diva's throne room. "How dare you have the final weapon?! I should have it!!!"
"Well there's nothing we can do about it." Diva said as she relaxed on her throne.
"This is a battle of wits! An all-out cold war! I need a weapon that can utterly terrorize our enemies!"
Diva became silent as she went deep into thought.
"Eye of God, phah!" Jinnai snorted in disgust. "If I had an ultimate weapon, I would have called it demon-something."
At the mention of the word demon, Diva made a sharp intake of breath in shock, which Jinnai caught. "What is it? Do have such a weapon?"
Diva swallowed as she replied hesitantly. "Yes... no, it's nothing...."
"You do have a weapon! tell me!"
'No! You can't mean..."
"Tell me now!" Jinnai pressed. "Or are you siding with the Alliance?"
The Bugrom ruler was shocked at the accusation. "No! But..."
"But what?! WHAT IS THIS WEAPON?"
----------
The Desert of Bleached Bones...
The heat continued to beat down on the desert sands as three travelers and their cat continued on their way to the Spring of Arliman. At this point, even the fully-sober Fujisawa was beginning to falter. Allielle was just about to collapse from heat exhaustion. Only Trunks maintained his stamina as they hiked their way toward their destination.
"Water.... I need some... water..." Allielle moaned.
Fujisawa gritted his teeth. "Just one cold beer! I'm dying out here!"
Trunks stopped as Allielle fell to her knees. He ran over to where she was and supported her in his arms. "Allielle are you all right?"
"Water... I'm so... tired and thirsty..."
Trunks looked over to where his teacher was just barely standing on his feet and frowned. If his friends did not get something to drink and soon, he would have to risk revealing that he could fly and get them to Arliman. His eyes then widened as he slapped his forehead.
"What is it, Trunks?" Fujisawa asked as he was about to collapse.
"Oh good grief! I'm so stupid! I forgot that I had them!"
"Had what?"
Trunks reached into the front of his robes and took out a small case. He opened it up and took out a cylindrical object.
Masamichi's eyes widened as he recognized it. "Hey! Isn't that a capsule?"
Trunks nodded as he pressed the top of the device.
"W-What is it?" Allielle asked.
Trunks smiled as he tossed the capsule off to one side. "Drinks are on me."
BOM!
The capsule exploded in a puff of smoke revealing a boxlike object with some coils and tubes on the rear. Ura let off a startled hiss and hid behind Fujisawa when the strange thing appeared. Trunks then walked over to it and opened the front door.
Allielle thought she was suffering from sunstroke when she felt a cool breeze. Trunks returned to her side and placed something to her lips.
"Here. Drink up!"
Allielle opened her mouth and her eyes widened as a refreshing and ice-cold liquid started pouring down her mouth. She quickly sat up, grabbed the bottle out of his hands and greedily took large gulps. The taste was kind of fruity and sharp, but it seemed to revitalize her better than water. She didn't stop until she drained the entire bottle dry. She let off a contented sigh and looked down at the empty bottle, which had strange label on it with words she didn't recognize. The label said Gatorade.
"Felling better, Allielle?" Trunks asked.
"Yes... but, how...did you...?" She pointed at the strange device which had saved her life. "W-W-What is that thing and...?" She looked back down at the plastic bottle. "What is this stuff? How...? What kind of magic is this?"
Fujisawa let off a whoop of joy as he raced to the cooler and looked inside. He frowned as he saw that there were no alcoholic beverages.
"Awwww... where's the beer and sake?!"
Trunks shook his head. "Sorry sensei. You know I'm underage. There's bottled water, soda, sports drinks and fruit juices. Besides, you'd die of thirst faster if you drink alcohol out here and we might need your super-powers when we get to Arliman."
The history teacher sighed and nodded as he took out a bottle of spring water and chugged it down. Trunks went over to the cooler and took out a shallow bowl and a white bottle. He walked to where Ura was, placed the bowl in front of her and poured the contents of the bottle into it.
Ura was still tensed up and suspicious, but Trunks smiled at her and said, "Don't worry Ura. It's just milk. I know that you must thirsty, especially with that fur coat of yours."
Trunks was right. Though Ura's body did conserve moisture more efficiently than Earth cats, she was feeling dehydrated at the moment, having nothing to drink since the journey through the desert had started. She looked up at her new and strange master and then, after a moment, edged to the bowl and took a tentative lick. The white liquid was smooth and ice-cold, which made Ura meow with glee as she started lapping it up. "Trunks good to Ura! Ura thirsty!"
The half-Saiyan smiled as he stroked the cat's ears. He then addressed to his companions, "There's a few sandwiches and some leftover chicken in that refrigerator if you're... hungry?" His voice trailed off as he glanced over his shoulder and saw that his sensei was already on his third sandwich.
----------
A bit later...
"Ah, that was great!" Fujisawa said as he rubbed his belly. With their thirst appeased and something in their stomachs, the group continued on their journey with new energy. "Man! Am I glad that you brought those capsules with you to this world, Trunks!"
"I'm glad too. I guess I'm really lucky that my mother owns the Capsule Corp." In more ways than one Trunks added silently. Trunks had stored away his refrigerator back into its capsule form. The capsules had saved his friends and he didn't have to reveal that he could fly. They were now approaching what appeared to be an oasis.
Walking beside them, Allielle had another bottle of Gatorade in one hand and was periodically taking a sip from it. In her other hand, she was studying one of the empty capsules. "So that's what you call these things? Capsules?"
Trunks nodded as he took back the device and placed it in the carrying case. "Yes. On our world, we use them to store things. Their small size makes it easy for us to carry a lot of things or large objects. My mother owns the company that makes them."
"So how do they work? Is it some kind of magic?"
"Well, it's a little hard to explain, but I guess you could call it magic."
"How much can one of these capsules hold? How big can an object be?"
"Well, I'm not really sure. So far, my mother's been able to shrink a three-story building into one of these things and even a spaceship."
At that moment, Allielle stopped and pointed excitedly at the oasis in the distance. "Look! That's it! That's the Spring of Arliman!"
The trio and Ura stopped atop a sand dune and gazed at the sacred place where only the holy people travel to. It was about the size of a shopping mall complex and was filled with lush vegetation, such as palm trees, ferns and bushes. In the center was a large spring that was walled off to keep intruders and Peeping Toms out. Trunks and his party stood in awe that such a beautiful place was in the middle of such a harsh wilderness. They nodded to each other and quickly made their way toward the oasis.
----------
At one of the large pools, a woman in her late twenties yawned as she stretched out her arms and sat up from one of the sunken areas. She then arched her back and thrust out her ample bosom as she stood up naked from the warm waters and waded to the edge of the pool to grasp a towel. Her light purple hair was done up in twin tails that started from a braid at the top of her head and went down the sides of her head, framing her face. Water dripped down her pale skin as she stepped out of the pool and went over to where her bath things were. She stood in front of her stool and let off an annoyed sound as she saw that it had been knocked onto its side. With one flick of her foot, she righted her perch and sat down on it.
"That clumsy oaf." She muttered to her self as she placed the towel in her lap and clapped her hands. "Sansuke, attend me!" She called out.
From out of a nearby servants' quarters, a large and furry mass of green and white fur stepped out with a vase in its hands. The creature looked like Cousin It from the Addams Family, but it had large, penguin-like feet. One could not make out its face as it was covered in fur and seemed to have some kind of large white eyebrow across its forehead. The creature that was named Sansuke waddled over to his mistress and nodded to her.
"Your big feet knocked over my stool again!" The woman complained.
Sansuke tried to grunt out an apology, but the Water Priestess named Miz Mishtal shook her head. "Oh never mind that now! Just get to work."
Sansuke nodded as he set down the jug and dipped a fur-covered paw into it. It came out dripping wet with soapy water and the attendant rubbed both paws together to work up a good lather. He then applied his paws to his mistress' back with gentle motions.
"Harder, Sansuke! Put some more back into it!" Miz commanded.
Sansuke nodded as he increased the pressure.
Miz sighed as he felt Sansuke's ministrations work away the tension. She then became lost in thought. Keeping beautiful as an unpicked flower is so tedious! Where is my handsome Prince? What is keeping him? Those girls! Even Afra and Shayla have forgotten about me by now. When they get older, that'll wake them up!
It was at that moment that Sansuke rinsed away the soap with a bowl of water... icy water that is. Miz, having spent a good hour soaking in heated waters, naturally screamed at the sudden drop in temperature.
----------
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!"
As soon as they heard the shout, both Fujisawa and Trunks began racing down the path toward Arliman.
"Did you hear that? Someone's in trouble!"
"Sensei! Hold up! We don't know what's behind that..."
Too late, for without alcohol, an ordinary stone wall wasn't anywhere near enough to keep Fujisawa out. With one jump, he was already on the other side.
"... wall." Trunks finished. He then heard his sensei cry out. Then he heard that woman scream out again.
"FUJISAWA..."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!"
"... MONSTER KICK!"
WHAMMO!
Sansuke became the first giant hairball to be launched into the stratosphere. He soon came down into the trees on the other side of the hot springs.
Fujisawa was now kneeling down with his back to the confused Miz and smiled as he spoke to her. "You are safe now. That beast will never bother you again, fair maiden."
The Water Priestess was absolutely puzzled at the sudden appearance of this man and the unexpected rescue. However, as he stood up and faced her with his whimsical smile, Miz thought that this was a sign from the heavens. She had never been treated with such gallantry before, and though she had not been in any real danger, she still felt her heart beating at the heroic act. The least she could was to thank him.
"Good sir. I am most.. grateful for your... timely rescue." Hmmm, not bad-looking either.
Fujisawa smiled as he kept his eyes on her face and made certain not to look lower as Miz only had her towel in front of her unclad body. "It was my pleasure, er... Miss...?"
"Oh yes! Miss!" Miz exclaimed as she dropped her towel and grasped both of his hands in her own. Having no serious relationship in her long and lonely career as a high Priestess of Muldoon, she immediately became attached to this man.
"Uh, yes... well, I'm just doing a hero's job." Trunks' sensei stuttered out, trying to keep his eyes from straying.
"And might I know the name of the big, strong man who saved me?" Miz asked coyly.
"It's... Masamichi Fujisawa."
"Such a long name. And your occupation, good sir?"
Masamichi smiled as he proudly proclaimed his profession. "Teacher! Firmly established and highly respected at Shinnanome High School!"
This got Miz extremely excited. "You're a government employee?" Income! "You are my hero!"
It was then that she noticed that they weren't alone, and quickly wrapped her towel around her. She then introduced herself to Allielle and a blushing Trunks.
"I'm terribly sorry, that I have not properly introduced myself. I am Miz Mishtal, High Priestess of Muldoon."
The three gasped in surprise as they had just found another who could help them unseal the Eye of God.
----------
Jinnai became more impatient as he followed Queen Diva's entourage down a mountainous cavern. After being told of a powerful force as equally terrifying as the Eye of God, he wanted to waste no time in finding this Demon-God... Ifurita. However, the Bugrom Empress was insistent that he see something first. After following a long and winding tunnel, they came to a ledge that overlooked a vast area, which contained the devastated ruins of what was once a great city.
"Incredible!" Jinnai cried out was he surveyed the result of some great and terrible force.
Diva took a deep breath. "All this destruction, all this chaos; an entire civilization reduced to rubble in a heartbeat... all of this was caused by one, terrible weapon. And her name was... Ifurita."
"Amazing!" Jinnai remarked as his dreams of conquest became even more grander with the thought of having such a weapon at his disposal.
"Long ago, during the Great Holy War, Ifurita caused such unimaginable suffering and devastation that the Elders of El Hazard feared that nothing, not even the Eye of God could stop her. Even the mighty Bugrom Empire trembled in fear of her. The ancient texts say that he who controls the Power Key Staff of Ifurita becomes the master of the Demon-God. However, with such destructive power at her disposal, no one person can truly control her."
"Well, I'm not just anybody!" Jinnai boasted. "Your Lord God Jinnai shall be the one to control Ifurita!"
"What?!" Diva gasped as she sat up from the lounge chair that four of her minions carried on their shoulders. "Even after everything I've told you, you're still intent on awakening the Demon-God?!"
"I not only dare, but I relish the prospect! With Ifurita, I shall make all of El Hazard tremble before me! WA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"
The laughter of Trunks' rival echoed throughout the cavern. In a way, the laughter was a signal of darker times ahead.
----------
Arliman...
"You know, this isn't quite what I expected." Trunks remarked as he and his group walked with Miz, who was now wearing a robe. "This looks more like a hot springs resort than a holy place."
Miz laughed a bit. "I suppose to the uninitiated, it would appear to be like that. But Arliman is the one, the only respite to our work. The only time in our busy schedules that we are given a chance to relax."
As Trunks continued to survey the area, discretely averting his eyes from the numerous, nude women that were either soaking in the springs or sunbathing around them, his history teacher spotted a nearby fountain and went over to it. He reached into his pocket and tossed a coin into it. He ten placed his palms together and prayed.
"Dear God. Please get us back home safe and sound. Oh, and if you have some extra time, could you please fill out the teacher's absence request form?"
"Sensei! Come on!" Trunks called out. Fujisawa nodded and rejoined the group as they approached the other end of the springs. It was then that they stopped as two familiar figures were seen, with armloads of packages, coming up the pathway.
Miz frowned as she called out to Shayla and Afra. "Well it's about time you two got here!"
The two priestesses looked up and were surprised to see their colleague. "Hey Miz! Why are you here so early?"
"An forgivable breach of conduct!" Miz proclaimed, not even caring for any excuse Shayla and Afra had for being so late.
"I'll say! Can you imagine the bargains we got at the barrage?"
Afra nodded as she too smiled. "Can you believe it? Returning things the day after a holiday!"
"You two are a disgrace!" Miz said as she continued to berate her sister Priestesses. "What if the devoted were to show up while you were out shopping?"
"Oh lighten up Miz...huh?" Shayla looked over past Miz and noticed the people standing behind her. "You guys again?!"
Trunks could only laugh sheepishly as he waved to the dark-skinned Shayla-Shayla. "Hello again."
Allielle found herself feeling herself getting warm again, and it wasn't because of the heat. She smiled warmly as she gazed on the exotic-looking Fire Priestess.
----------
"Ahhhh, I can feel the tension melt away." Afra sighed as she sunk deeper into the pool.
Shayla nodded as she too lounged in the heated waters. "Oh yeah..."
Sitting between them, Allielle trembled with delight. "Ooh, I can't believe that I'm actually bathing with a Priestess of Muldoon!" She sidled up to Shayla and took her arm seductively. She then snuggled close to the redhead, much to her discomfort.
"Hey! Watch it! Let go of my arm! Whoa! That's even worse!" Shayla became extremely agitated as Allielle's hands roamed over places that were considered off limits to the priestess.
Sitting near the edge, Miz poured Fujisawa another glass of wine as Trunks sat nearby, obviously in great discomfort.
"I'm terribly sorry about the blindfold." Miz said as she held the pitcher.
Trunk's sensei nodded as his vision was blocked by a white band. "I understand perfectly, since I'm... the only man here."
Trunks winced at his words. Though he did know about the 'facts of life,' and all of that, he didn't have any real experience with girls. He had kept the girls at school at bay, for fear of hurting anyone with his Saiyan strength. Now he was surrounded by dozens of beautiful, naked women and in a very hot robe. It was all he could do not to faint from the heat.
"Er... excuse me, but there's something very important that we have to ask you." Trunks began, while keeping his eyes averted. "We need you to... unseal the Eye of..."
"Delicious boxed lunches here! Delicious and nutritious! Get 'em here!"
Both Trunks and his sensei turned their heads at the sound of the voice and Trunks became pale as he saw who the person was.
She got transported here too?!
Allielle momentarily stopped in her attempts to get closer with Shayla. "Lunch! Oh, I just realized that I haven't eaten in hours after we got out of that desert."
"Lunch sounds good." Afra agreed.
Miz nodded as she called out to the girl. "Lunch Girl! Over here!"
----------
Nanami saw the woman wave to her and walked over to where she and her party were situated. "Hello! Are we hungry? Good!"
Allielle then noticed how fine-looking the new girl was and licked her lips.
Katsuhiko's sister knelt down and placed her serving tray on the ground. "I have some very nice selections for you today and..." It was at that moment that she saw a very familiar face...
Trunks quickly turned her back to her and tried to hide his face from sight, but it wasn't enough.
"Trunks...?"
Oh boy.
"Trunks, is that you?" Nanami let off a gasp as she dropped her tray and ran over to him. "TRUNKS! IT IS YOU! I'M SO HAPPY!"
"No! Wait! You've made a big mistake!" The half-Saiyan tried to move away, but Nanami already had her arms wrapped around him and was sobbing hysterically.
"Oh Trunks! I'm so glad to see a familiar face!" Nanami exclaimed as she began speaking quickly and hugged him even tighter. "You have no idea what I had to go through when I came to this place! I had to get a job as a waitress and saved enough money to start my own business! And... some guys... grabbed my butt!"
"Look! I'm not who you think I ..."
Nanami then broke from her embrace and sat back with a puzzled look. "Say Trunks. When did you become a drag queen?"
Trunks winced as he tried to explain, but all he could manage was, "Uhhhh..."
"This place is weird, but it's not THAT weird." Nanami commented. She then glanced over her shoulder and saw another familiar face. "Mr. Fujisawa! You're here too, sensei? Oh this is wonderful!"
Their sensei gulped as he too was at a loss of what to say in this situation.
"What's going on?" Miz asked.
"This girl seems to think that Princess Fatora is someone else." Afra remarked.
"Yeah, I guess it's heat exhaustion." Trunks laughed nervously.
At that point, Shayla-Shayla reached out to tap Trunks on the arm. "Hey Princess."
Both Nanami and Trunks turned to face her.
"Are you going to get into this bath or aren't you?"
Trunks could only smile nervously and replied. "No, I don't think so."
"Are you saying that you have a reason for refusing my invitation?" The fire priestess asked with suspicion.
"Hold on. I think I can come up with a good one."
"If you don't have a reason, then I suggest that you get in the water, Princess." Shayla then came out halfway and grasped one of his arms.
"Er, sister Shayla, I don't think you should do that." Allielle said nervously.
"And why not?"
"Sort of because it's like deja vu?"
At that point, Allielle gabbed hold of Trunks' other arm. "Now wait just a minute! Maybe I can get used to your cross-dressing, Trunks, but there's no way that I'm going to let you go in there with her!"
Shayla glared at Nanami. "Take a hike, lunch-chick!"
"Get back into the water, honey!" Nanami retorted as she returned the glare.
At that moment, they began a tug-of-war with Trunks as the rope.
"Get in the water, Princess!"
"You're staying right here, Trunks!"
"Mr. Fujisawa! I need help!"
The history teacher stood up as he heard his student's cry. "Danger!" He began running forward, but with his eyes blindfolded, he didn't get very far. He immediately tripped over a bar of soap and fell flat on his back. Plus, with all the wine he had been consuming, his super-strength was all but nonexistent.
Trunks' strength however, was not only intact, it was far greater than his sensei's or any other Earthling's. As he saw that his robes were starting to tear from the constant pulling, he started to become desperate. He had to stop this before his cover was blown.
"I said, get in the water!" Shayla couldn't understand it. She was pulling as hard as she could, but it seemed that the Princess was stronger than she appeared, for Fatora wasn't budging an inch. As the hot-tempered redhead pulled even harder with both hands, she felt some very rock-hard muscle in Fatora's wrist. She assumed that the Princess must work out, especially after seeing her swing that sword on Mount Muldoon.
When Trunks heard his sleeve was about to tear off his arm, he panicked and... reacted.
"I SAID NO AND I MEAN NO!" Trunks then hauled back on his arm.
"WHOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAA!" Shayla was sent flying out of the spring and hurtled toward the distant outer wall. At the speed she was going, she would slam into the wall like a truck going at 60 mph.
"Damn!" Trunks swore as he had to stop Shayla from being splattered. In that instant, he blurred from view. At that moment, the half of the robe that Nanami still held onto tore free. And unfortunately for Trunks, another part of his disguise came off. He had not tied down his wig at the time, As he sped to save Shayla, it fell off and drifted to the ground.
The Fire Priestess only saw the wall for an instant and shut her eyes as she braced for impact. However, just before she hit the wall, she felt a rush of wind and a pair of strong hands gabbed hold of her as her body's momentum suddenly shifted and she found herself changing direction and slowing down. Then she suddenly stopped.
The others were in a state of shock after seeing Trunks seemingly disappear from sight, reappear in front of the wall to catch Shayla before she hit it, then blur back to almost the same place where she started. However, they continued to stare at 'Princess Fatora' for another reason entirely. The top half of his robes had been torn completely off and that they were now staring at his muscular chest. The rest of the dress had fallen off with his wig when he sped to save Shayla, leaving him only in his muscle shirt, boxers and sandals.
It was at that moment that Shayla-Shayla opened her eyes and looked up at the face of the person who had saved her.
That was when things got ugly...
----------
"YOU PERVERT!"
BWOOOM!
The other women at Arliman began running for their lives as a maddened Fire Priestess began shooting out scorching gouts of flame to barbeque Trunks. However, the half-Saiyan proved to be too fast for her as he blurred in and out, easily evading the attacks. He restrained from retaliating with his own energy blasts as he tried to clear up this misunderstanding. He knew that despite Shayla's intense fire powers, she wouldn't be able to survive one of his blasts. Furthermore, this place was too crowded and someone may get hurt in the exchange.
"Would you just please calm down and listen to..."
"DIE, YOU PEEPING TOM!" Shayla roared as she let loose with another inferno blast. More property damage was done as a huge trench was dug through to the other side of the Springs.
"Shayla! Stop it now!" Miz cried out as she saw more and more people become endangered. However, the Fire Priestess paid no heed as she continued to pursue Trunks, intent on frying him into a cinder.
Nanami and the others dove for cover as Shayla continued on her maddened rampage. After dodging a few more of her attacks, Trunks decided that enough was enough. When he came to a dead end pathway, he turned around and faced Shayla as she rounded the corner.
The hot-headed priestess smiled as she reared back an arm to throw a huge fireball. "HAH! I GOT YOU NOW YOU... "
WHOMP!
Shayla gasped as she felt something slam into her gut like a freight train. At the same time, she saw Trunks' face in front of hers as their eyes met. In less than a heartbeat, he had covered the distance between them and drove his elbow into her abdomen. Fortunately for her, he had only delivered enough force to do the job.
"Sorry. I saw an opening that screamed for me to attack... so I did. Nothing personal."
Shayla then slumped down to her knees, clutching at her stomach and still gasping for air as Trunks stepped back. The young Saiyan hated to do that, but that was the only thing he could think of at the time, to get her to stop before some innocent bystander got hurt or killed.
The others stepped out from behind the rubble and cautiously approached the two.
Trunks sighed as he looked them and nodded to both Afra and Miz.
"Hi. My name is Trunks. Sorry about all this."
----------
"What were you thinking, Shayla? You could have killed someone!" Miz scolded as she and the other women were now dressed in towels and standing with Fujisawa and Allielle in an undamaged area of Arliman. She gestured with a hand at all the property damage that the hot-tempered redhead had caused.
Nearby, Trunks was bending over a fountain, washing out the brown dye in his hair. He had decided that since his Fatora disguise was ruined, there was no need for him to keep his false hair color and makeup. He also had on his boots and black pants. His sword lay in its scabbard beside him and his jacket was hanging over the rim of the fountain.
"Hey! Don't blame me! Blame Mr. Fashion Statement over there!" Shayla-Shayla shouted while pointing at him. She still saw in her mind the image of herself naked in his muscular arms, which made her blush. She still wanted to fry Trunks, but her sister Priestesses forbade her from any more violence.
"You should have told us right from the start that he was standing in for the missing Princess Fatora." Afra remarked to Fujisawa as she leaned against a tree with her arms crossed. Fujisawa had explained the situation to the others and about their mission to get the Eye of God unsealed.
"Hmpf! He probably enjoyed watching us naked in the spring, the little weasel!" Shayla sent another angry glare at Trunks as he stood up and shook his head to dry his hair. She couldn't help but notice how well-formed he was, along with several other girls in the area. The Priestess angrily dismissed that thought from her mind as Trunks picked up his jacket and slung it over his right shoulder while carrying his sword in his other hand.
Trunks had heard Shayla's comments about him and he wasn't all happy. It had been bad enough that he had been going around dressed as a girl. "Listen here. We would have told you about the disguise on Mount Muldoon, but you and Priestess Afra had left us before we had a chance to explain. Then we had to trek through twenty miles of desert to get here. I couldn't tell you that I was a guy with all those other people around, but I did try not to look. If you hadn't tried to drag me into the water, we wouldn't have gone through all that!" He gestured with a thumb to the devastation behind him. "So don't go blaming me for this mess. I didn't want to agree to dressing up like a girl, but it was the only thing I could do. We had to see you in order to unseal the Eye of God so that we could end the war and get back to our world."
Shayla-Shayla's glare became even more intense as she began to glow with a red aura. Trunks was unimpressed as his hand clenched his sword even tighter. He was just about to light up his own aura, (which would have dwarfed Shayla's by a billion times), when Miz gave her sister priestess an annoyed ahem. She powered down but very reluctantly, keeping an angry look trained on Trunks.
"Well, now that you've explained to us the purpose of your mission, we can understand the gravity of the situation." Miz said as she tended to the scratches that Fujisawa had received during the melee.
"Yes, but I'm afraid that we can't grant your request to unseal the Eye of God, even though you have come to us on Princess Rune's behalf." Afra added.
"Huh? Why not?" Trunks asked.
"For one thing, the legend says that the Eye of God needs two princesses, not a queen." Shayla quipped.
"Will you knock it off with that queen crack?" Trunks growled.
"Hmpf! Well you can count me out!" Shayla said to Miz and Afra.
Miz sighed as she explained another factor to Mr. Fujisawa. "Another thing is that all three Priestesses must be in agreement to unseal the Eye of God. We can only release the locks on the weapon only in the most special of circumstances due to its enormous power."
"Please sister Shayla?" Allielle pleaded as she cuddled up to the redhead again.
"Hey! Cut that out! They're all weird!"
Trunks sighed as he saw that things were not going as he hoped. It was then that he noticed another person approaching them. He swallowed hard as he saw the woman. She had long blonde hair, a voluptuous figure with a more than ample bosom, and was wearing an outfit that accentuated her curves to the point that he was feeling his body heat up.
Trunks gave a low whistle, which made Nanami frown in jealousy. Fujisawa also ogled her, which also made Miz very upset.
"Would you stop staring!" Nanami said as she pulled on Trunk's cheek, snapping him out of his trance. "Maybe Shayla was right! You've turned into some sex-crazed deviant, haven't you?!"
"Hey! Excuse ME for being human!" Well, half-human anyway. I wonder if this is how Dad must have felt with Mom? Wait minute... I'm sensing something from her.
They both looked up at the stranger as she smiled at Trunks and extended a hand to him. To Trunks and everyone else, it looked as if some seductress was trying to get close to the half-Saiyan, but to Nanami's eyes, she was seeing something completely different. To her, it was a blue-skinned, dark-haired woman pointing a wicked-looking knife at him.
"Uh, what's that for?"
The woman was startled for a moment, then composed herself. "Oh this? It's for your boyfriend."
This made Nanami extremely embarrassed as she had yet to make the first move with Trunks. "Er, well he's not really my boyfriend and if he really wants to see other people, it's... all right with me. If he started a very nice, blue-skinned girl like you, I wouldn't mind."
This made everyone tense when they heard this.
"Are you certain that she has blue skin?"
"Yeah... can't you see that?"
Shayla immediately raced toward her with her flames blazing. "You little Phantom bitch!"
Kiria leapt out of the way as the flames lanced at her and raced toward Trunks to kill him. However, Ura proved to be faster as she sped past her and wrapped herself around Trunks' body before hardening her skin to the consistency of steel. The knife was deflected as she used her hind legs to push Kiria away.
Trunks smiled down at his feline friend. "Thanks Ura." He hadn't seen the knife, but it wouldn't have made any difference. Along with his super physical abilities and ki-powers, he had also inherited the ultra-tough Saiyan skin from his father. The blade wouldn't have done more than scrape a few epithelial cells.
Shayla attacked again, but Kiria evaded and tried once more to fulfill her mission. However, dying was NOT going to be on Trunks' agenda for a very long time.
"YOU WILL DIE!" At this point, she had dropped her illusion and everyone could now see her as she truly was.
"Not!" Trunks commented as he causally swatted Kiria like an annoying fly. At that moment, Miz began focusing her will through the Lamp of Water, which was a bejeweled ring on her right third finger. She then sent a column of water at the Phantom assassin as she flew backward. The water lance pierced through her chest and Kiria let off a death scream as her body faded away, leaving only a faint mist of powder that blew away in the breeze. Her knife clattered to the ground.
Shayla's eyes narrowed as she went over and picked up the weapon. "Nice little parting gift that Phantom tribeswoman left us." She remarked.
"What I don't understand is why she was here to kill Trunks and how you were able to see through her disguise." Afra asked as she turned to Nanami.
"You mean, you didn't see the knife or that she had blue skin?"
Afra shook her head. "No. None of us could."
Miz nodded. "Somehow, you have an ability to see through the illusion she cast. She was a member of the Phantom tribe, a race that live deep in the caverns of El Hazard. They are our most ancient of enemies."
At that moment, a servant rushed toward the group and knelt down in front of them "Your Holiness! I bring terrible news!"
"What is it?" Miz asked.
The servant took a deep breath. "The city of Pernon has fallen and reports say that the Bugrom forces are on their way to the Forbidden Island!"
"What?! It can't be!" Miz exclaimed.
"The legend..." Afra breathed out in shock.
"Are you sure that it isn't some mistake?" Shayla demanded.
The servant shook her head sadly.
----------
Off the coast, in the Burgom territory, Jinnai set sail with hordes of Bugrom as Queen Diva waved them off. She was still curious as to how her new general would be able to find the Forbidden Island. Only the three Priestesses of Muldoon knew of its exact location.
Jinnai however was not worried. He had a plan to obtain the weapon known as Ifurita and this time, no one would be able to get in his way. Not even that irritating Trunks!
His mad laughter was carried over the waves as dark storm clouds brewed overhead.
----------
"I don't get it! Where are we going and what's so important about this Forbidden Island?" Trunks asked as he, his group and the three Priestesses raced across the waters on their cruiser.
"Just shut up and enjoy the ride!" Shayla-Shayla replied as she gritted her teeth and gazed over the horizon.
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The palace of Florastika...
Princess Rune gazed out from the balcony of the room and became very worried at the dark cloud formations that were in the distance. She then recited the prophesy to herself.
"When the Eye of God blinks, the path to the sky will open... and the shadow nation will become one..." She then looked back at a nearby mural which depicted the Eye of God and a scene of a great battle during the Holy Wars. Up near the top was a depiction of the Demon-God that was battling against some heroic figure in gold.
"... and the Golden Champion shall return... to save us all."
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On Earth...
Bulma smiled as she closed up the last of the new Dragon Ball Scouters. The work was done and all she had to do was wait until the Dragon Balls would once again come to life. With Vegita and the others helping, they would collect all seven balls in no time and Sheng Long would return her son to her. She couldn't wait.
End of the Third Night.
Author's Notes
Well, the story is now almost halfway done and Trunks will become more heavily involved as the war begins to heat up. Next on Dragon Ball Hazard, Trunks will face his most awesome challenge of his young life as he goes up against the Demon-God Ifurita, who happens to look very familiar. Stay tuned for Dragon Ball Hazard, the Fourth Night: Trunks Vs Ifurita! Place Your Bets!