It's exam week so this may be the last chapter I post for awhile. I apologize in advance. Hopefully I'll have more up soon. See ya! ~ ladymoonlight
Bulma stretched and yawned leisurely, grimacing as the bright morning sun filtered in through her windows. Poking Yamcha, who was snoring beside her, the scientist gathered her clothes and headed towards the shower. Yamcha untangled himself from the sheets and sat up.
"Want me to join you?" he offered in a sexy voice.
"No thanks," Bulma called.
Yamcha frowned. That wasn't the reaction that he had wanted. He sighed to himself and put on his fighting gi. He was stealthily moving towards the bathroom door when he heard a knock on the door.
"Come in," he called out.
The door slowly creaked open and Trunks warily entered the room. He frowned when he caught sight of the tall warrior.
"I think I'm going to be sick," he muttered.
"What was that?" asked the ex-bandit.
"Er...nothing," quickly covered Trunks. "Where's ...um...Bulma-san?"
Yamcha bit his lower lip. He decided to test a theory he had.
"Your mother is in the shower."
Trunks nodded, then suddenly blinked.
"What did you say?" he asked incredulously.
"Come on, Trunks, it's kinda obvious Bulma's your mom. The hair, the eyes, the way she instantly took to you...." Yamcha trailed off.
Trunks' gaze wandered around the room as he tried not to focus on the older man's face.
"Who's your father?" asked Yamcha, his voice barely audible.
The boy looked up at him with wide eyes.
"What do you mean?" he asked, his voice trembling with fear.
"Whatever connection that Bulma feels between you and her is there because she's your mother. There's no such connection between you and me. If I were your father, there would be something there, wouldn't it? But when I see you, I just see a kid, not someone who means something to me."
Trunks adverted his eyes.
"I...I'd rather not talk about this. Tell Bulma-san that I'm in the lab waiting for her."
The young boy left without another word. Yamcha shook his head, trying to clear his mind. Bulma burst into the room, nothing but a towel wrapped around her delicate frame. She cast him a mischievous look as she went about the room gathering clean clothes.
"I think I'm going to head downstairs for breakfast now," commented Yamcha weakly.
"OK," replied Bulma, slightly disappointed.
Bulma fidgeted slightly as she watched Yamcha head out the door. She had overheard the conversation between him and Trunks. Growling, Bulma flopped down and began to pull a brush roughly through her hair.
'How dare he question Trunks like that. Of course Trunks is his son. Who else could be the father?' she argued inwardly.
The brush snagged a tangle, causing Bulma to yelp in pain.
"That's it," she declared to the empty room. "I'm going to find out for sure."
Marching towards the door, the scientist set out in search of a certain former Demon King.
Piccolo was outside in Mrs. Brief's prize garden, meditating quietly. As much as he cared for Gohan, he enjoyed a few blissful moments of solitude away from the child's overflowing energy.
He opened his eyes when he felt the ki of a very disturbed Bulma Briefs walk towards him.
"Piccolo-san, I need to talk to you," she demanded.
The Namek simply looked at her, somewhat admiring her for the bravery to be so forward with the Demon King.
"Yes?" he replied coolly.
"I'm Trunks' mother, aren't I," she stated more than asked.
She received an affirmative grunt.
"And Yamcha isn't the father."
Piccolo twitched involuntarily and sweatdropped.
"Thought so," murmured Bulma. "Do you have any ideas who it is?"
The Namek shifted uncomfortably.
"Trunks has a fairly strong fighting aura, so his father was definitely a warrior. Anything else would be pure speculation," stated Piccolo.
Bulma chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully.
"Who could it be?" she muttered more to herself than to Piccolo.
The Namek grunted and shifted, trying to hint that now that she had her answers, she could leave him alone.
"Thanks Piccolo-san," stated the woman, setting out towards the labs.
Piccolo watched her leave, shaking his head. As much as he wanted to know the identity of Trunks' father, he couldn't help feeling uneasy knowing that Bulma was searching too. Trying to clear his mind, the alien fighter closed his eyes and steadied his breathing once more. Within moments he was interrupted by Gohan coming up behind him and throwing his arms around the warrior's neck.
"Whatcha doing all by yourself, Piccolo-san?" asked Gohan innocently.
Sighing in defeat, Piccolo stood up, the young boy still draped around his shoulders like a second cape.
"Alright! Piggy-back ride!" squealed the demi-Saiyan.
Piccolo sweatdropped and grunted but made no effort to extricate himself from the child's hold. He headed off towards where the other warriors had gathered, Gohan shouting with glee the entire way.
Back inside the labs, Trunks and Bulma had begun working on altering a few spare parts for the machine. The two hadn't spoken since she had walked into the room. She kept glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. Part of her wanted to ask him point blank about whom his father was, but she knew that the question would unnerve Trunks and possibly push him away. So, Bulma suffered silently. For a woman who often openly voiced her opinion, this was torture.
The silence between the pair was finally broken when Trunks tilted his head slightly and smirked.
"Vegeta-san and the others have returned," he stated.
"How do you know?"
"I can feel their kis," he replied, returning to work. "Vegeta doesn't seem to be in a good mood either. Probably because of Kakkarot."
Bulma stared at the child blank.
"What did you say?" she asked.
Trunks winced when he realized his mistake.
"Oops. I meant Goku. 'Kakkarot' must have gotten stuck in my head after listening to them all afternoon yesterday," he stated casually.
"Oh," replied Bulma, looking away.
She paused before she continued.
"Are Vegeta and the other Saiyans still alive in your time?" she asked carefully.
Trunks dropped the screwdriver that he had been using.
"I probably shouldn't tell you that," he answered quickly. "I don't want to mess up your reality or anything."
Bulma watched the boy intently. She noticed that he was shaking slightly.
"Vegeta's still a threat in your world, isn't he?" she said softly, mistaking his reaction for fear.
Trunks opened his mouth to respond, but stopped suddenly. He seemed to be focusing on something far away, something that couldn't be seen with his eyes.
"Oh, no," he whispered, taking a step back.
"Trunks-kun, what is it?" cried Bulma, gently grabbing his shoulders.
He looked up at her; there was a trace of fear in his eyes.
"Someone's just arrived on earth. A bunch of someones."
Outside Bulma could hear the other warriors shouting in surprise. The pair hurried outdoors to where the group was. They were all staring off in the direction that Trunks had been gazing towards.
"What's going on, guys?" demanded Bulma.
"It seems we have some visitors," commented Kami calmly.
From their corner in the courtyard, Vegeta was ranting and raving in the Saiyan language. Nappa and Radditz both wore solemn expressions on their faces.
"It's the Ginyu Force," Radditz explained.
"The what?" asked Goku, confused.
"One of Freeza's teams of elite warriors," replied Nappa with a snort.
Goten turned to Trunks.
"Didn't our dads say something about fighting them?" he asked the older boy.
"Yeah," replied Trunks. "From what they said, they weren't too big of a deal."
"What?!?!" screeched Vegeta. "You arrogant little brat! I highly doubt the pathetic creature that helped spawn you is any challenge for the Ginyu Force."
At that comment, Goten had to cover his mouth to suppress giggles.
"What's so funny, you pointy-haired freak," snarled the Prince.
"Nothing," replied the boy, practically choking on laughter.
"Kakkarot, you might want to get that brat of yours checked out. I think he's defective," growled Vegeta.
Goku smiled down at his son. Then he became extremely serious.
"How about we welcome our guests?" he suggested.
The other fighters smiled grimly and nodded.
"Coming, Vegeta?" asked Goku, turning towards the shorter Saiyan.
Nappa and Radditz watched their Prince as he silently fumed. He finally gave an affirmative grunt.
"This doesn't mean we're allies. We take orders from no one," stated Vegeta.
"OK. It's settled. Let's go guys," ordered Goku.
They didn't have to go far though. The Ginyu Force had already arrived.
Bulma stretched and yawned leisurely, grimacing as the bright morning sun filtered in through her windows. Poking Yamcha, who was snoring beside her, the scientist gathered her clothes and headed towards the shower. Yamcha untangled himself from the sheets and sat up.
"Want me to join you?" he offered in a sexy voice.
"No thanks," Bulma called.
Yamcha frowned. That wasn't the reaction that he had wanted. He sighed to himself and put on his fighting gi. He was stealthily moving towards the bathroom door when he heard a knock on the door.
"Come in," he called out.
The door slowly creaked open and Trunks warily entered the room. He frowned when he caught sight of the tall warrior.
"I think I'm going to be sick," he muttered.
"What was that?" asked the ex-bandit.
"Er...nothing," quickly covered Trunks. "Where's ...um...Bulma-san?"
Yamcha bit his lower lip. He decided to test a theory he had.
"Your mother is in the shower."
Trunks nodded, then suddenly blinked.
"What did you say?" he asked incredulously.
"Come on, Trunks, it's kinda obvious Bulma's your mom. The hair, the eyes, the way she instantly took to you...." Yamcha trailed off.
Trunks' gaze wandered around the room as he tried not to focus on the older man's face.
"Who's your father?" asked Yamcha, his voice barely audible.
The boy looked up at him with wide eyes.
"What do you mean?" he asked, his voice trembling with fear.
"Whatever connection that Bulma feels between you and her is there because she's your mother. There's no such connection between you and me. If I were your father, there would be something there, wouldn't it? But when I see you, I just see a kid, not someone who means something to me."
Trunks adverted his eyes.
"I...I'd rather not talk about this. Tell Bulma-san that I'm in the lab waiting for her."
The young boy left without another word. Yamcha shook his head, trying to clear his mind. Bulma burst into the room, nothing but a towel wrapped around her delicate frame. She cast him a mischievous look as she went about the room gathering clean clothes.
"I think I'm going to head downstairs for breakfast now," commented Yamcha weakly.
"OK," replied Bulma, slightly disappointed.
Bulma fidgeted slightly as she watched Yamcha head out the door. She had overheard the conversation between him and Trunks. Growling, Bulma flopped down and began to pull a brush roughly through her hair.
'How dare he question Trunks like that. Of course Trunks is his son. Who else could be the father?' she argued inwardly.
The brush snagged a tangle, causing Bulma to yelp in pain.
"That's it," she declared to the empty room. "I'm going to find out for sure."
Marching towards the door, the scientist set out in search of a certain former Demon King.
Piccolo was outside in Mrs. Brief's prize garden, meditating quietly. As much as he cared for Gohan, he enjoyed a few blissful moments of solitude away from the child's overflowing energy.
He opened his eyes when he felt the ki of a very disturbed Bulma Briefs walk towards him.
"Piccolo-san, I need to talk to you," she demanded.
The Namek simply looked at her, somewhat admiring her for the bravery to be so forward with the Demon King.
"Yes?" he replied coolly.
"I'm Trunks' mother, aren't I," she stated more than asked.
She received an affirmative grunt.
"And Yamcha isn't the father."
Piccolo twitched involuntarily and sweatdropped.
"Thought so," murmured Bulma. "Do you have any ideas who it is?"
The Namek shifted uncomfortably.
"Trunks has a fairly strong fighting aura, so his father was definitely a warrior. Anything else would be pure speculation," stated Piccolo.
Bulma chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully.
"Who could it be?" she muttered more to herself than to Piccolo.
The Namek grunted and shifted, trying to hint that now that she had her answers, she could leave him alone.
"Thanks Piccolo-san," stated the woman, setting out towards the labs.
Piccolo watched her leave, shaking his head. As much as he wanted to know the identity of Trunks' father, he couldn't help feeling uneasy knowing that Bulma was searching too. Trying to clear his mind, the alien fighter closed his eyes and steadied his breathing once more. Within moments he was interrupted by Gohan coming up behind him and throwing his arms around the warrior's neck.
"Whatcha doing all by yourself, Piccolo-san?" asked Gohan innocently.
Sighing in defeat, Piccolo stood up, the young boy still draped around his shoulders like a second cape.
"Alright! Piggy-back ride!" squealed the demi-Saiyan.
Piccolo sweatdropped and grunted but made no effort to extricate himself from the child's hold. He headed off towards where the other warriors had gathered, Gohan shouting with glee the entire way.
Back inside the labs, Trunks and Bulma had begun working on altering a few spare parts for the machine. The two hadn't spoken since she had walked into the room. She kept glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. Part of her wanted to ask him point blank about whom his father was, but she knew that the question would unnerve Trunks and possibly push him away. So, Bulma suffered silently. For a woman who often openly voiced her opinion, this was torture.
The silence between the pair was finally broken when Trunks tilted his head slightly and smirked.
"Vegeta-san and the others have returned," he stated.
"How do you know?"
"I can feel their kis," he replied, returning to work. "Vegeta doesn't seem to be in a good mood either. Probably because of Kakkarot."
Bulma stared at the child blank.
"What did you say?" she asked.
Trunks winced when he realized his mistake.
"Oops. I meant Goku. 'Kakkarot' must have gotten stuck in my head after listening to them all afternoon yesterday," he stated casually.
"Oh," replied Bulma, looking away.
She paused before she continued.
"Are Vegeta and the other Saiyans still alive in your time?" she asked carefully.
Trunks dropped the screwdriver that he had been using.
"I probably shouldn't tell you that," he answered quickly. "I don't want to mess up your reality or anything."
Bulma watched the boy intently. She noticed that he was shaking slightly.
"Vegeta's still a threat in your world, isn't he?" she said softly, mistaking his reaction for fear.
Trunks opened his mouth to respond, but stopped suddenly. He seemed to be focusing on something far away, something that couldn't be seen with his eyes.
"Oh, no," he whispered, taking a step back.
"Trunks-kun, what is it?" cried Bulma, gently grabbing his shoulders.
He looked up at her; there was a trace of fear in his eyes.
"Someone's just arrived on earth. A bunch of someones."
Outside Bulma could hear the other warriors shouting in surprise. The pair hurried outdoors to where the group was. They were all staring off in the direction that Trunks had been gazing towards.
"What's going on, guys?" demanded Bulma.
"It seems we have some visitors," commented Kami calmly.
From their corner in the courtyard, Vegeta was ranting and raving in the Saiyan language. Nappa and Radditz both wore solemn expressions on their faces.
"It's the Ginyu Force," Radditz explained.
"The what?" asked Goku, confused.
"One of Freeza's teams of elite warriors," replied Nappa with a snort.
Goten turned to Trunks.
"Didn't our dads say something about fighting them?" he asked the older boy.
"Yeah," replied Trunks. "From what they said, they weren't too big of a deal."
"What?!?!" screeched Vegeta. "You arrogant little brat! I highly doubt the pathetic creature that helped spawn you is any challenge for the Ginyu Force."
At that comment, Goten had to cover his mouth to suppress giggles.
"What's so funny, you pointy-haired freak," snarled the Prince.
"Nothing," replied the boy, practically choking on laughter.
"Kakkarot, you might want to get that brat of yours checked out. I think he's defective," growled Vegeta.
Goku smiled down at his son. Then he became extremely serious.
"How about we welcome our guests?" he suggested.
The other fighters smiled grimly and nodded.
"Coming, Vegeta?" asked Goku, turning towards the shorter Saiyan.
Nappa and Radditz watched their Prince as he silently fumed. He finally gave an affirmative grunt.
"This doesn't mean we're allies. We take orders from no one," stated Vegeta.
"OK. It's settled. Let's go guys," ordered Goku.
They didn't have to go far though. The Ginyu Force had already arrived.
