A double upload! As I said before, I've got a lot of the premise stories done, I just got to get the separate dimensions done...each of the seven have their own story, and I'll probably end up loading them separately just so I don't confuse you....oy, this is getting confusing.
N: Got that right, yowl! I've been looking ahead and it seems like this thing has a complicated series of too many jeopardies....it's like Angel gets into so much-
A: Neko, don't give it away! Angel can handle herself.
N: Doesn't look like it to me...it looks like Angel needs a lot more help than she made it out to be in the beginning.
A: Well...yeah....but that's the point of the story! *Growl* Neko, you're gonna make me give away the plot! On with the story, the Highs and Lows!
***
Chapter 5: The Highs and Lows
"Let's finish this," he said as he put me down gently, letting his lavender hair fall back into place. "You've got good technique when it comes to punching, but that's candy compared to the things you'll be doing." I nodded impatiently, I knew this already. "I'm going to teach you how to kick properly now. One thing you've got the remember is, don't kick all the way out so that your thighs line up with the rest of your leg, otherwise you'll more likely break your bones than cause much damage to an opponent." It continued like that the rest of the day, he explaining how to do something and then me trying to do it. By lunch time, I knew all the basics and could spar against him without using ki. In other words, he'd just taught me everything to know about karate in just half a day. But he hadn't allowed me to spar against him yet, just let me hit him the way I was supposed to and letting me block gentle attacks from him.
Everyone helped make lunch and I found that my expertise as a card dealer helped me "deal" the sandwich meat onto the sandwiches faster than even the Saiyans could. It reminded me a lot of this movie with Lucille Ball in it called Yours, Mine, and Ours. Pretty cool movie, but very besides the point.
The sandwiches were consumed three times as fast as it had taken us to make them, and the fruit and veggies were the same way. I ate as much as I could without bloating myself, but found that it was the same. I supposed that maybe I was one of the few training Saiyans that didn't have to eat. I shrugged this off, however, when Trunks led me away again and began to teach me how to fly on my own.
"T-Trunks, you know I'm afraid of flying," I stammered as he sat me down in the grass in front of him. He smiled gently, meaning to assuage my fears but only serving to make me more nervous than ever.
"Yes, I realize that," he said as he sat down cross-legged in the long grass, "But you gotta get rid of the fear. Believe me, once you make your first real flight on your own, you'll build confidence and you'll do it all by yourself."
"O-Okay," I stuttered as I stared at my hands in my lap.
"Come on, where's that stubborn girl I know? Where'd that Angel girl go, the one that challenged Vegeta, the Prince of the Saiyans?" he asked me. I looked up with a weak smile and was surprised to see him standing now.
"I don't know where that girl went, but the one who remains has a few more things to be afraid of," I told him.
"Okay, just forget it," he told me firmly, "Forget your brother, forget you're afraid of heights, of being touched, forget all that and focus on your energy, on your center. You can do it, Angel, I know you can, you just have to find that confidence within yourself."
"Really, Trunks?" I asked as I looked at him, "You really think I can fly?"
"You can do anything, Angel," he said seriously, "You can do anything if your heart is in it." I smiled and nodded.
"Teach away, Captain Briefs!" I saluted him with my left hand and cocked it at the wrist, crossing my eyes at the same time. He laughed as he sat back down.
"Just Trunks, Angel," he said as he calmed down, "Now, find your center. You've got one, I can sense it. You've just got to find it." I nodded and relaxed my shoulders and every cramping muscle in my body. I listened to my heart for my energy, the part of me that fueled every emotion and every action I did of every day. I felt it deep inside, a core of power unlike any I'd ever felt before.
"You've got it!" he shouted, "Now bring it out! Focus on it and bring it out!" I focused every neuron in my brain on bringing out my ki. The power I felt well up in me was indescribably amazing, unlike anything I'd ever seen or felt before.
"Now push it up!" He sounded triumphant as I pushed myself up into the air. I felt my short hair flying about in the wind of power I created, the tails of my belt flapping and the white and aqua fur of my tail flying in the breeze.
"Angel, you're doing it!" he shouted in joy, "Open your eyes! Take a look!" I opened my eyes and nearly screamed in fright at the dizzying height I was at. To my credit, I didn't waver one bit in the air.
Then, exhilaration of a first flight took over my fear and I flew up higher, zooming up as fast as I could. Trunks took off and I waved at him with a furtive grin. He shook his head and flew up to my level.
"Angel, a few minutes ago you wouldn't even look at the sky, but now look at you," he chuckled as he shook his head, "You've overcome it. You're too much."
"Hey!" I protested playfully, "At least I came, right? I mean, I could've refused to be trained by you, remember? I could've asked Goku to train me instead." He looked hurt, but I could see the playfulness in his eyes.
"Angel," he grunted sorrowfully, "You wouldn't have, would you?"
"Naw, not me," I said with a devilish grin, "But only because I knew you better."
"Come on," he laughed and started to fly in one direction, "I know a place that's really pretty this time of the day." I noticed that the sun was beginning to set and followed him uncertainly. I enjoyed the wind as it caressed my face lightly and brushed my hair against my temples and the front bangs tickled my cheeks.
"How come you got my mom to cut your hair like that, anyway?" he asked me as we were a few miles away from the training site.
"Because it was less-likely to get pulled," I said with a sly grin, "And I know that from watching you."
"I've been meaning to ask you something, but it's escaped me at the moment," he said thoughtfully, "I'll probably remember it by the time we reached the cliff."
"Cliff?" I questioned.
"That's where we're going," he smirked, "When the sun sets, it's the most beautiful place near Black Forest."
"Why do they call it Black Forest anyway?" I asked as we flew along.
"At night, it gets really dark," he answered.
"Dark?" I asked, my old fear seeping into my voice.
"Yeah," he said, "Like, pitch-black. Why, you scared?" He looked at me with a playful glint in his eyes.
"Yeah," I grunted in such a low tone that Trunks asked me if I'd said something. "I said yes." I answered softly. His eyes widened in concern and I knew he'd heard me. My face burned as talk of fear arose between us again. I hated my fears, but that didn't mean I could escape them completely.
"Why?" was the only thing he said.
"I-It isn't the dark alone, its really my own imagination of what could happen in it," he chuckled suddenly and I turned and punched his shoulder, "It's not funny! I'm serious, Trunks!"
"Ouch, you know, your punches actually hurt, Angel," Trunks said, "I'm serious! Don't do it again, not unless we're sparring." I complied and we flew in utter silence for about three more miles.
"Right here," he said, snapping me away from my thoughts of everything that had been going on. It didn't look like much from the air, but as we came closer, I saw that the ledge was large enough that a group of people could stand on it and all be well away from the edge. The hill behind it was sloped slightly, as though it were made to be leaned against.
"Wow, Trunks, this is pretty cool," I commented as I dropped from the sky at last. Suddenly, my knees collapsed beneath me in exhaustion. Trunks caught me and held me, blushing, until I could stand on my own again. "Was that supposed to happen?"
"Yeah, it typically does if you haven't been training for a while," he answered as he kicked some rock out of the way at the back of the cliff so we could sit down. "Sit down." He gestured to a spot beside him. I obeyed a little bit jumpily, but soon settled into the embrace of the rock.
"You know," I started uneasily, "Before all this happened, I wouldn't dream of watching the sunset on a cliff after flying there myself. I'd write about it, I'd think about it, but I'd never think that one day I would be doing it myself."
"Write?" he inquired.
"I used to write to escape my reality," I answered grimly, "I've sat at the darn computer for four years of my life. Over seventy stories written, each about meeting you guys in different ways and situations."
"That's what I wanted to ask you!" he slapped his fist into his palm, "How you knew us."
"I can't tell you that, Trunks," I said seriously.
"Why not?" he looked at me with a pair of pleading blue eyes that looked a lot like the ones David used to use on me when he didn't want to go to sleep early. I laughed at him and he looked a little hurt.
"I'm sorry, Trunks, you just looked like a little puppy-dog when you did that," I said with a grin, "You reminded me of my baby brother." I twitched a little at the reminder as my lips sagged back into a sadness. I looked out at the sunset to avoid his gaze. "It really is beautiful here, Trunks." He smirked as I drew up my right leg to lean my right arm nonchalantly on. I placed my left hand on the ground beside me and leaned most of my weight on it.
The red sun in the distance was sinking slowly over the horizon, leaving me entranced in its unbelievable beauty.
"You like it?" he asked, turning his head as he spoke. His hair brushed my cheek as he looked into my eyes and I blushed a bit as I answered with a soft, approving yes. "Good." He drew his own knees up to his chest and watched the sun slowly slip behind a small mountain in the distance.
I didn't notice the tears of my life running down my cheeks until Trunks touched my cheek, wiping one trail from my face.
"You can trust me, Angel," he told me seriously, "I know something happened to you in your dimension, something so awful you don't want to tell anyone." I shook my head, letting the tears fly as I released them.
"I do trust you, Trunks," I cried, "It's just that I can't tell you how I know you and you won't trust me fully until I do, but if I tell you everything will be just one big mess and I can't possibly get us, any of us, out of it after I dig that hole and-"
"Angel," he cut me off, and I realized I'd been rambling, "I think I know why."
"Why, then?" I asked, sniffling.
"Because you know us all through and through," he answered, "And you came from one of our possible futures. Perhaps you escaped Vegeta in your dimension." I shook my head.
"No, Trunks, I wish it were that simple, that I'd never wished on that Dragon Ball to get here, and then it wouldn't be so complicated," I sighed, "I didn't know any of you, not in my dimension." He looked me hard in the eyes.
"Then how-"
"Trunks," I cut him off, "If I tell you, you have to swear you won't tell anyone. Not your father, not Goku not Goten, no one must find out."
"You have my heart, Angel," he told me, "I promise with my love for you." My shock went through my body faster than a lightning bolt.
"L-Love?" I asked timidly, "Y-You love me?" He nodded at me.
"Angel, don't act as though you aren't worthy of anything," he reached out and touched my cheek gently and I shrank back slightly. "You are far more deserving of friends and a loving family and a good life than anybody I've ever met. You've lived a hell of a life with a sex-fiend for a brother, and probably a few other people, but you are still as innocent as the day you were born. I can tell." I smiled even as I shook from the touches he placed on my face so gently.
"Thank you, Trunks," I said with a smile that could only have come for him, "I'll tell you." I took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. "Do you remember when I said that yes in Japanese is hai?"
"Hai," he answered teasingly.
"Trunks, this is serious!" I reprimanded him angrily.
"Sorry," he said sheepishly.
"Anyway, Japan is very famous for its anime and manga. Manga is Japanese comic books and anime is that manga transformed into cartoons," I said in a professor-like way.
"What's that got to do with you knowing us?" he asked, puzzled.
"My favorite anime was Dragonball Z," I answered sheepishly.
"We're cartoons?!" he hissed under his breath. I nodded. "So that's why you asked if I had fought anybody yet. That Buu character must've come before I was 15 and I fought him, or at least knew him."
"Buu was an ugly fat monster with pink skin that was extremely hard to beat," I said with a wry grin, "He was much more powerful than a Super Saiyan or ascended Super Saiyan or Super Saiyan Level 2. He was about as strong as a Super Saiyan Level 4."
"Level 4?!" He shouted in surprise.
"Yeah, they never really defeated him," I sighed, "They turned him good and he lived with Hercule after Videl married Gohan. Then Vegeta killed him and he was reborn as Uub."
"Huh," Trunks grunted, "Why did Dad kill him?"
"Um..." I blushed, "He self-destructed himself and he and Goku went to live with the dead after Goku's day back was up and they trained and they returned and defeated Buu without a thought because they had become Gogeta and-" I took in a breath, "And I'm telling you way too much about something that never happened." Trunks chuckled and shook his head.
"This is too much," he sighed, "I mean-" he stopped himself. "Angel, why are you so sensitive?"
I blushed at this again and ducked my head.
"You would be too," I said, repeating what I'd said so many times, "My brother, Tiger. My father. My brother's gang. The Inn Motel's manager's little brother. My school principal. Several of the boys who had asked me out. I don't understand it. They all wanted to rape me. Then my mother didn't care about me. My baby brother, Dee, I took care of him. My life was pretty much a living hell, avoiding people who wanted to rape me, taking care of Dee, doing my schoolwork in the midst of it...it's enough to drive anyone to just all-out murder themselves. But only three things prevented me from it."
"What were they?" Trunks asked, interested now.
"DBZ, writing on my computer, and drawing," I huffed pitifully, "Writing and typing constantly allowed me to have an awesome grade in English. Science, I could do that junk with my hand tied behind my back. Math, a little trouble, but I always figured it out."
"You really are talented," he whispered, more to himself than me. I gave a bitter bark of laughter.
"Yeah, right," I said, bringing my left leg to my chest and resting my head on my knees, "Everything I'd ever done was out of survival alone." I was talking to my hands now. They were wrapped around my knees.
"Angel," Trunks said and I looked up. He was right in my face now, in front of my knees, standing on all fours like a little puppy. I gave a shout of surprise and fell backwards, but he caught my flailing arms in his hands, keeping me upright.
"Trunks, don't scare me like that!" I told him as I brought my legs down to sit Indian-style.
"Sorry," he grinned toothily, "You know, you're cute when you're mad." I stopped short and searched his face for a moment and found the same mask that always covered Vegeta's face.
"Trunks, you're scarin' me," I whimpered as I shrank away from him. He looked hurt for a moment before reaching down and taking my hand like the first time he saw me. He kissed the back lightly and stood, still holding my hand in his.
"Come on, we'd better be getting back," he said as he lifted into the air, pulling me with him. I obeyed gratefully and followed him toward the site.
***
Love? Trunks is in love with me? Jeez, in my dreams. The purple-haired wonder...wait, that's Mirai Trunks. Hey, we were talking about that in Bio yesterday, how if two people were cloned and then grew up in completely different circumstances how different they'd actually be. Trunks and Mirai Trunks couldn't be more different!
N: Angel, you need help...you're getting help from your Bio teacher.
A: HEY! I take offense on those terms, Mr. D is the smartest person I know! Well, besides myself, that is.
N: You think you're smarter than your Bio teacher?
A: No, just a little more organized, and he said so, too.
N: Oh...that helps.
A: I'm beginning to think I should fire you, Neko. But my councilor at school said to get along with your peers today and since it is National Kindness Week, I won't do it.
N: Oh, and it's also Valentine's Day.
A: I dislike Valentine's Day, too much going on and I don't get school off like I did back in VA.
N:....Ja, nekos.
A: Bye, guys, and Neko, for the last time, they are humans not cats!