Here ya go, the next installment of Between Two Worlds!! I know, it's been a while since my last post, but I've been having a bit of writer's block (that seems to have cleared up somewhat, so don't worry). So here it is, enjoy!
Disclaimer: Characters aren't mine, but you knew that already...
"Are you sure you're strong enough to take him on?"
"It's not like I have a choice."
"Hai, you do. I could always fight--"
"Iie!" she interjected, startling Trunks. "Iie," she repeated more quietly. "This is my
fight."
Trunks knew better than to argue. In the short time that Usagi had been there, she
had more than proven that she would not give in when her mind was set on something.
Still, he worried. She was strong, both physically and mentally. But she was still
fragile, and no matter what she thought or felt, she might not be able to fight-especially
her old love.
As if reading his thoughts, Usagi let out a deep breath. "I don't know if I can do
this... All of these memories rushing back, not to mention what's been happening
lately, it's all so much."
He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly, replying, "I know it's a lot to take in, but
you're strong. You're strong, and you're beautiful, and I can honestly say that you are
one of the most amazing people I've ever met. I admire you more than you know, and I
have complete faith that you will win." He blinked in surprise, not knowing where that
little speech came from all of a sudden.
Apparently Usagi was surprised too, for her mouth was agape. She glanced up at
his face quickly, then averted her gaze to something interesting on the carpet.
He took her chin in his hand gently, making her look up at him. He gulped. 'It's now
or never.'
He tried to speak, but his brain couldn't get the words to form. A streak of fear
attacked him as he imagined how she would react to his confession. Then again,
everything that had happened so far had been unpredictable, so why bother guessing at
her reaction now? Plus, the way she gazed at him gave him the courage he needed to
speak.
"Usagi..." her name floated off of his tongue and hung in the air as she waited for
him to continue. "I don't know if I told you this, but I'm really happy you've been here for
these past few weeks. I enjoy your company--"
"Aww, Trunks, that's so sweet," Usagi interrupted cluelessly, not aware that he had
more to say.
After her outburst and the way the conversation was slowly turning, Trunks was
unsure that he should continue, but he finally forced himself to keep talking.
He cleared his throat. "Usagi, you've been through so much, and I know you don't
need any added stress, but I really need to tell you something." He took a deep
breath. "Usagi, I lo--"
"There you are." Vegeta's voice echoed in the room.
Trunks growled in frustration. Damnit! Would he ever get to tell her? He looked up
to see his father standing there with his arms crossed, obviously pissed. He groaned
inwardly. Now what?
"Vegeta, what is it?" Usagi asked when no one spoke. A look of confusion crossed
her face.
"The one you call Mamoru is back," Vegeta stated bluntly, his voice devoid of
emotion.
"Nani?" Usagi screeched, jumping up. "How do you know?"
"I recognize his ki from before." He was impatient, annoyed that she even asked
such a question.
Trunks glanced at his father, all too aware of Vegeta's glare accusing him of not
noticing the ki himself. But Trunks had other things to worry about first.
Usagi paid no attention to the two. 'He's back so soon after attacking me? How
-why--' she could barely finish a thought. How was she supposed to deal with this now?
Then she thought about everything that had happened, how she had been hurt. He
would go after her senshi, her friends... He wouldn't stop.
Usagi knew what she had to do. She stood quickly. Her eyes softened when she
glimpsed at Trunks' worry-laden expression.
"Trunks, I have to go," she said calmly, as though her life were not on the line.
"Iie, Usagi, you can't," he interposed. "I refuse--"
"This is not your decision," she stated firmly in a voice that made even Vegeta's
cool stance falter for half a second. "This is my fight and I will fight it."
She moved to fly out an open window but turned at the last second. Crossing the
room, she grabbed Trunks' face and kissed him quickly. She whispered in his ear, "I
know what you were trying to say. Just so you know, I love you, too." And then she
was gone.
The only evidence that she had said anything at all was Trunks' wide eyes and
gaping mouth and Vegeta's knowing smirk as, with a Saiya-jin's keen sense of hearing,
he knew of Usagi's confession.
'She loves me?' Trunks' mind was trying to process. 'She loves... me? She knew!
And now she's going off to fight the most difficult and dangerous battle of her life.'
"I have to go after her!" he burst out suddenly, following in the direction Usagi flew off
in.
"Damn these human emotions," Vegeta muttered before also taking to the skies.
Usagi's mind was focused on only one thing: victory. She had to defeat Mamoru.
She just had to. Her life depended on it. Her senshi's lives depended on it. They
depended on her.
"But am I strong enough to do this?" she asked aloud, afraid of her own answer.
"Of course you are," a voice came from behind her.
Usagi was so startled at hearing another voice that she forgot that she was flying
and promptly began to lose altitude. Giving a small yelp, she quickly regained her
composure. "Trunks?"
The young Saiya-jin sped up so that he was flying beside her. "I couldn't let you go
without me."
She heaved a sigh at this same tired argument. "Trunks, I told you that--"
"You want to fight by yourself and, although I do not agree, I will comply to your
wishes. Demo, I wasn't about to let the woman I love face such a situation alone."
At this Usagi abruptly stopped, hovering in midair.
Trunks did the same. "Why did you stop?"
"You said you loved me."
"I know," Trunks replied hesitantly. He watched Usagi carefully, looking for any sign
of-what, he wasn't sure, but something, anything, that would give him hope.
It didn't take much. Usagi launched herself at Trunks, taking his lips with hers in a
kiss that defied passion itself. Her body molded perfectly to his, as she knew it would.
Trunks finally pulled away when that nagging alarm went off that he needed to
breathe. "You know, for a novice flyer, it took me some effort to catch up to you," he
teased, a sparkle in his eyes.
She slapped his arm playfully. "You must be losing your touch."
"Oh, I hope not." He lightly ran his index finger up her arm, making her shiver. He
smiled wickedly. "Guess not."
A pretty red blush crept onto Usagi's cheeks. "We'll just have to see later." Her
grin widened when the same blush she sported now adorned his face.
But she quickly lost her grin as a note of seriousness entered her voice. "Trunks, I
wasn't joking when I said that I would fight alone."
"Demo--"
"Trunks, would you step in and fight for Gohan? For Goku? For your father? Iie,
because it wouldn't be honorable. Let me do the honorable thing."
'Damnit, she's right!' Trunks admitted to himself in frustration. 'The worst thing you
could do to a Saiya-jin is to take away his honor. As much as I hate this, I'm going to
have to step back.'
"Fine, I'll let you fight," he gave in with reluctance. "I understand why you have to do
this. I hate it, but I have no choice."
"You're right, you don't." She took his hands in hers and held them tightly over her
heart. "Don't worry. I'm going to win. I'm going to win because I want to come back to
you, to the man I love."
He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. "And you will."
They both glanced to the east as something glinted in the sky.
"Here comes Vegeta," Usagi observed. "Guess we better go."
"Guess so." He gave Usagi's hands a quick squeeze before letting go and flying off,
Usagi not far behind.
I know, it was a lot shorter than the other chapters, but I figure I'd give you guys something instead of making you wait longer for a really long chapter. I estimate that there are only a couple chapters left. At least, I'm gonna try and wrap everything up in a couple of chapters. We'll see what happens. Well, as always, thanks for reading and please review! It motivates me to write faster.
Disclaimer: Characters aren't mine, but you knew that already...
"Are you sure you're strong enough to take him on?"
"It's not like I have a choice."
"Hai, you do. I could always fight--"
"Iie!" she interjected, startling Trunks. "Iie," she repeated more quietly. "This is my
fight."
Trunks knew better than to argue. In the short time that Usagi had been there, she
had more than proven that she would not give in when her mind was set on something.
Still, he worried. She was strong, both physically and mentally. But she was still
fragile, and no matter what she thought or felt, she might not be able to fight-especially
her old love.
As if reading his thoughts, Usagi let out a deep breath. "I don't know if I can do
this... All of these memories rushing back, not to mention what's been happening
lately, it's all so much."
He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly, replying, "I know it's a lot to take in, but
you're strong. You're strong, and you're beautiful, and I can honestly say that you are
one of the most amazing people I've ever met. I admire you more than you know, and I
have complete faith that you will win." He blinked in surprise, not knowing where that
little speech came from all of a sudden.
Apparently Usagi was surprised too, for her mouth was agape. She glanced up at
his face quickly, then averted her gaze to something interesting on the carpet.
He took her chin in his hand gently, making her look up at him. He gulped. 'It's now
or never.'
He tried to speak, but his brain couldn't get the words to form. A streak of fear
attacked him as he imagined how she would react to his confession. Then again,
everything that had happened so far had been unpredictable, so why bother guessing at
her reaction now? Plus, the way she gazed at him gave him the courage he needed to
speak.
"Usagi..." her name floated off of his tongue and hung in the air as she waited for
him to continue. "I don't know if I told you this, but I'm really happy you've been here for
these past few weeks. I enjoy your company--"
"Aww, Trunks, that's so sweet," Usagi interrupted cluelessly, not aware that he had
more to say.
After her outburst and the way the conversation was slowly turning, Trunks was
unsure that he should continue, but he finally forced himself to keep talking.
He cleared his throat. "Usagi, you've been through so much, and I know you don't
need any added stress, but I really need to tell you something." He took a deep
breath. "Usagi, I lo--"
"There you are." Vegeta's voice echoed in the room.
Trunks growled in frustration. Damnit! Would he ever get to tell her? He looked up
to see his father standing there with his arms crossed, obviously pissed. He groaned
inwardly. Now what?
"Vegeta, what is it?" Usagi asked when no one spoke. A look of confusion crossed
her face.
"The one you call Mamoru is back," Vegeta stated bluntly, his voice devoid of
emotion.
"Nani?" Usagi screeched, jumping up. "How do you know?"
"I recognize his ki from before." He was impatient, annoyed that she even asked
such a question.
Trunks glanced at his father, all too aware of Vegeta's glare accusing him of not
noticing the ki himself. But Trunks had other things to worry about first.
Usagi paid no attention to the two. 'He's back so soon after attacking me? How
-why--' she could barely finish a thought. How was she supposed to deal with this now?
Then she thought about everything that had happened, how she had been hurt. He
would go after her senshi, her friends... He wouldn't stop.
Usagi knew what she had to do. She stood quickly. Her eyes softened when she
glimpsed at Trunks' worry-laden expression.
"Trunks, I have to go," she said calmly, as though her life were not on the line.
"Iie, Usagi, you can't," he interposed. "I refuse--"
"This is not your decision," she stated firmly in a voice that made even Vegeta's
cool stance falter for half a second. "This is my fight and I will fight it."
She moved to fly out an open window but turned at the last second. Crossing the
room, she grabbed Trunks' face and kissed him quickly. She whispered in his ear, "I
know what you were trying to say. Just so you know, I love you, too." And then she
was gone.
The only evidence that she had said anything at all was Trunks' wide eyes and
gaping mouth and Vegeta's knowing smirk as, with a Saiya-jin's keen sense of hearing,
he knew of Usagi's confession.
'She loves me?' Trunks' mind was trying to process. 'She loves... me? She knew!
And now she's going off to fight the most difficult and dangerous battle of her life.'
"I have to go after her!" he burst out suddenly, following in the direction Usagi flew off
in.
"Damn these human emotions," Vegeta muttered before also taking to the skies.
Usagi's mind was focused on only one thing: victory. She had to defeat Mamoru.
She just had to. Her life depended on it. Her senshi's lives depended on it. They
depended on her.
"But am I strong enough to do this?" she asked aloud, afraid of her own answer.
"Of course you are," a voice came from behind her.
Usagi was so startled at hearing another voice that she forgot that she was flying
and promptly began to lose altitude. Giving a small yelp, she quickly regained her
composure. "Trunks?"
The young Saiya-jin sped up so that he was flying beside her. "I couldn't let you go
without me."
She heaved a sigh at this same tired argument. "Trunks, I told you that--"
"You want to fight by yourself and, although I do not agree, I will comply to your
wishes. Demo, I wasn't about to let the woman I love face such a situation alone."
At this Usagi abruptly stopped, hovering in midair.
Trunks did the same. "Why did you stop?"
"You said you loved me."
"I know," Trunks replied hesitantly. He watched Usagi carefully, looking for any sign
of-what, he wasn't sure, but something, anything, that would give him hope.
It didn't take much. Usagi launched herself at Trunks, taking his lips with hers in a
kiss that defied passion itself. Her body molded perfectly to his, as she knew it would.
Trunks finally pulled away when that nagging alarm went off that he needed to
breathe. "You know, for a novice flyer, it took me some effort to catch up to you," he
teased, a sparkle in his eyes.
She slapped his arm playfully. "You must be losing your touch."
"Oh, I hope not." He lightly ran his index finger up her arm, making her shiver. He
smiled wickedly. "Guess not."
A pretty red blush crept onto Usagi's cheeks. "We'll just have to see later." Her
grin widened when the same blush she sported now adorned his face.
But she quickly lost her grin as a note of seriousness entered her voice. "Trunks, I
wasn't joking when I said that I would fight alone."
"Demo--"
"Trunks, would you step in and fight for Gohan? For Goku? For your father? Iie,
because it wouldn't be honorable. Let me do the honorable thing."
'Damnit, she's right!' Trunks admitted to himself in frustration. 'The worst thing you
could do to a Saiya-jin is to take away his honor. As much as I hate this, I'm going to
have to step back.'
"Fine, I'll let you fight," he gave in with reluctance. "I understand why you have to do
this. I hate it, but I have no choice."
"You're right, you don't." She took his hands in hers and held them tightly over her
heart. "Don't worry. I'm going to win. I'm going to win because I want to come back to
you, to the man I love."
He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. "And you will."
They both glanced to the east as something glinted in the sky.
"Here comes Vegeta," Usagi observed. "Guess we better go."
"Guess so." He gave Usagi's hands a quick squeeze before letting go and flying off,
Usagi not far behind.
I know, it was a lot shorter than the other chapters, but I figure I'd give you guys something instead of making you wait longer for a really long chapter. I estimate that there are only a couple chapters left. At least, I'm gonna try and wrap everything up in a couple of chapters. We'll see what happens. Well, as always, thanks for reading and please review! It motivates me to write faster.