It was the World Tournament, seven years after Kid Buu was killed. The Z-
gang were all waiting to get their challengers, and beat them to the
finish. Pan was laughing, as if she couldn't wait for the fun to begin, and
Goku, looking around eagerly, as if looking for someone. Trunks and Goten
both were complaining about how they would beat each other better than the
other one, and Vegeta he stood and with Goku, looked around, although not
as eagerly.
" Hello out there, people of the earth! Today is the World tournament!!! Our lucky fighters are all going to choose a number out of this box, and the game will begin!" The announcer yelled into his mike. " Pan, out first lucky fighter!"
Pan smiled. She skipped over to the announcer and dug into the box. She pulled out her number and looked at it. "Number one!"
"Little Pan is number one!!" the announcer yelled again, as pan skipped back to Goku saying "Number one! Number one!"
"Next!" The announcer kept calling names. Then Goku cheated and got himself and a boy named Uub into the second round. "Love!" the announcer called. No answer. "love? Love if you are."
A girl about Goten and Trunks' age fell from the sky and landed gently on the ground next to the box, and began to whisper something. The announcer turned red.
"Folks, we have some VERY bad news. Love's twin brother, Cloud, who is also a fighter, was stabbed in the back, and love could not alert the med. quick enough! Love will have to forfeit!"
The girl shook her head. Then she turned and yelled "Ranma! You can take cloud's place!"
A red headed Chinese girl wearing a black cloak with the Chinese symbol for fire on the back jumped down onto the platform too. "Lucky me!" she said, smiling.
"Yeah right, Ranma!" Love said, giving the girl a slight smile. "You can't hit a brick wall in front of you so."
"Oh, that's a threat! Now we'll get it!" Ranma joked, as both girls chose their numbers. Obviously, thirteen and fourteen, they stepped back, laughing.
The announcer yelled "now we have most- all of our contestants!" and started naming the matches.
Pan went first. Goku and Uub were next, but they flew away, and everyone decided they wouldn't ruin the tournament for them, so. then Goten against Majin Buu, and Goten, promising Buu ice cream, won that match, trunks against a gay guy, who Trunks practically punched to death, a Captain chicken beat this VERY jumpy idiot, and Vegeta had already KOed his opponent, leaving Love, and Ranma. Love won. Ranma retreated to her seat.
Pan went against Goten. Pan beat Goten.
On and on.
Until.
"Trunks against Love!!!" The announcer called.
Love turned and smiled out into the crowd and she smiled at Trunks. "Good luck," she said.
"? I'm against you!" Trunks said.
"Yes. Good Luck."
"Ok,..thanks."
Love smiled, what looked like a secret smile. She and trunks walked the path to the platform. The white shining bricks glinted as the white rays of the sun shone rather prettily on to them, and across Love's face, making patterns of waving hands and stomping cheering people fly over her clothes, as Trunks saw it. He couldn't believe this girl, like she knew something he didn't, and now, now, he wanted to know too.
Love and he reach the platforms steps, and love climbed them quickly, as if, she was speaking a language Trunks understood, meaning, come, come, let us finish this now. What was she.
She turned to her left. He went to went to the right.
"OK, let this fight.. Begin!"
Love protected herself. She watched as Trunks uneasily moved to his ready stance. Her foot moved forward slightly. That, Trunks saw. He moved to block it, if she decided to begin running at him. But she didn't. She just stood, in this very strange position, arms held tightly at her waist, her legs about an inch apart, and her face set .
Trunks gave up his pretense. He shot into the air, to land an aerial attack, but Love jumped too, to her left and bounced up and ended up right above him. She elbowed his neck. And, when both landed, she was maybe three feet away from him, and she turned and ran at him, her arms outstretched behind her. Trunks turned in time, her attack was a series of harsh slaps ending in a G-clef cannon, or that was what she called it, when Trunks had overheard her talking with her friend Ranma. Trunks decided it was his turn to have fun. He took her left wrist and with his left hand, delivered a perfect uppercut, good enough to knock out a human at any rate, but, she still stood, and like a crazed tiger, she rose and turned, and drop kicked him several times, before he caught her leg as well. Her face changed from steely determination, to surprise. She pried her leg away from him, quickly, and them, backfisted into his face. Trunks looked angrily at her, as if to yell, but he did nothing. He watched her movements, and discovered that her moves would get much weaker and slower, if he could only distract her. But she was hard to change fast enough. He thought. Then, he too, started darting around, easily stopping her attacks when need be she was very good, very good, and Trunks knew she was one of the strongest- but how had she survived that attack he made? Trunks hand, like a knife, slid through the air in a futile attempt to defeat Love, and for some reason, he got her collarbone. He heard a snap. Love touched her arm and winced. She looked up, no hate in her eyes, easily, at Trunks, and smiled.
"I guess. you win . huh?" she said, her voice, light and high, uncaring.
"You can still fight."
"That I could."
"Why don't you?" Trunks asked, puzzled.
"I guess. I feel that you should go on. not me. It's only a tournament."
"Are you sure? Cause, I don't care."
"You wouldn't" she gasped, "It's none of your business."
"What?"
"My arm really hurts, but I'll continue."
"No- wait- explain!" trunks said. Her eyes still on his, she set her left hand to her ready position. Her right hand hung limping, by her side.
Trunks couldn't believe her, but she did challenge him. She flinched when she hit him, and jolted when he hit her. Her eyes still showed determination, her jaw set, she would not scream out her pain in one yell. It came in small yelps, and she wouldn't tremble, not for her life. Trunks decided for her. He picked her up after she had fallen on her injured right arm, and then, turned to the announcer.
"She can't fight anymore." He said, although Love struggled violently in his arms. In a sudden movement, she cried out a word- he could not understand it.
A blue light surrounded her, her eyes shut- and she pulsed with an energy Trunks didn't know.
"Uh?" Trunks asked.
"Wow." Pan said, and the whole z-gang knew then this girl was different, like them.
"Oh no." Bulma said, slowly watching Chi-chi turn away. Love's eyes reopened, her face only showed confusion. "What?" she asked suddenly. Her arm, she moved it backwards, as if she felt a hand on the arm- her injured arm. "What is going on?"
Trunks went pale. The announcer did too. "Folks, you probably couldn't see it as clearly as I can but, this girl is fully healed- and her arm was just broken!"
"BROKEN?!" Love turned.
"Yeah, it was my fault." Trunks said, slowly.
She looked up at him. "And you tried to make me forfeit.yes I remember." And she disappeared
Trunks knew she would reappear, but where?
Love appeared next to him. "I'm sorry, I used a potion. so I forfeit the match."
The crowd was silent.
She continued talking. "So I have to find him and tell him I can't complete the task. that I promised him."
Trunks watched her carefully. She was hiding something.
"May I take my leave?" she asked politely.
"Yeah, sure." the announcer said, slowly.
"I guess I'll see you again, hm?" Love said to Trunks.
"If I ever see you in a crowd, I'll remember."
"Nah. I wouldn't be caught dead. You won't see me, I'll just see you." And with that, she disappeared.
Goten waited for Trunks, with Pan, who was watching ,looking amazed.
"Trunks- that girl was awesome- what did she say to you?" Goten asked.
"She said she'd see me again. but I wouldn't see her."
"Well, that's weird." Goten said. Pan turned.
"I wanna disappear too!" she said. "I'm going to train, really hard! I 'm going to save the world!" Pan said, smiling.
Trunks smiled. Pan had a lot to do. but would he ever see love again?
Love sucked in a deep breath. She promised Tifa and Aeris, she would get the money to pay for the surgery Mr. Kenshin needed. Mr. Kenshin had been her father because she had none. He would die if she couldn't pay for his surgery. Potions didn't even make a difference to his health. Tifa looked up as she opened the door. Her brown hair clouding her brown eyes, and her pale skin let Love know she saw all of this on TV.
"Lv."
"Dad." Love said, falling to her knees and ducking to listen to Mr. Kenshin chest. This sickness made him sweat and it sweat all of the fluid they gave him out of him.
"Oh, Lv." Aeris, a very good healer, but still not good enough to heal the sickness, walked in from the kitchen where she had been fixing an elixir, came and sat next to Love.
Tears began to well in Love's eyes. "If I only beat him. but I couldn't bring myself to. to cheat."
Tifa looked her in the eyes, "Lv, it's not your fault! You did what you thought was right." Love faced Tifa. Her tears spilled, onto her cheeks, onto the floor. "All the fourteen years in my life," she sobbed, "and Dad, he protected me with his life itself. I would be dead if it wasn't for him. I can't save him, not from this sickness. But I want him to live."
Tifa watched her nieces tears spill onto the ground slowly, rolling gently onto Mr. Kenshin's nose and cheeks, but he never woke. Not once. And Love cried herself to sleep.
Trunks and Goten were running away from Pan. Pan had a hammer, and she was not afraid to use it.
"Get back here! I want you to give me back my bandana, Goten, Right now!"
Goten only flew faster. Then suddenly he stopped. Pan nearly flew into a nearby tree. Trunks looked confused.
"Trunks, isn't that the girl at the tournament two years ago?"
Trunks looked. The same short hair. The same cocky steps and careful manuervfering. "I think so." He said.
"Let's find out." Goten said, interested. Pan took her bandana and agreed.
They landed behind her. She turned, slowly.
It was love. Her eyes were the same. They had no color, but kept switching rapidly. Without doubt this was the girl who gave him a run for his money two years ago.
"I thought you said you'd see me." Trunks said.
"But I have," she said. "Good morning, Trunks" Her voice was heavy, like she was carrying a weight.
"Something wrong?" Trunks asked.
"Lv!" a woman called.
"That's me. I gotta go." She turned and began to move away towards a grove of dense trees.
"Hey! Can we meet you here tomorrow?" Pan yelled.
"You can meet me here anyday." Love said over her shoulder. "I'll be here."
"Do you think?" Goten asked.
Love cried herself to sleep night after night.
Mr. Kenshin got worse.
Tifa wanted firewood to sweat the sickness out.
Aeris needed spring water.
When was her life going to become easier? She asked herself, praying a gentle prayer for healing while kneeling beside Mr. Kenshin. She stood up.
"Dad. please get better." she whispered as she went outside, holding her head higher.
Through the dense grove of threes was a small clearing, where she had met Trunks, Pan, and Goten, some time yesterday.
Today, they were waiting for her.
"Love" Pan said.
"Call me Lv. Love is a mouthful."
"Lv. you don't look too good."
She sighed. "yeah, I haven't been feeling great."
"You should meet Bra. That annoying punk makes everyone feel good." Trunks said.
Love laughed. "I doubt anything could make me feel good."
"Are you suicidal?" Goten asked.
"Nah. Just.I don't know."
"You're not as giddy as when you were fighting Trunks." Pan said.
"I haven't been feeling great, like I said, and." silence struck. "Enough about me. How are you? Has Goku returned?"
"No." Pan said, sadly. "Grandpa hasn't come back."
Love looked with concern in Pan's eyes, Pan's black eyes revealed nothing to her. If Pan would let her feelings go, she would understand. "What are you feeling?"
"Pretty much, empty." Pan replied, shaking her head.
"Lv!" Aeris called. "Lv! Hurry!"
Love stood and smiled at Pan. "He'll come. I feel him from here. He's fine. And no." she began to walk away, "he hasn't forgotten his promise."
Trunks didn't know how Lv knew what would happen, but Goku did return, and Pan told him about Lv. Sure enough, he went with them that day to see her.
They waited in the clearing. Soon, Lv, came, head bent. She was wearing along blue skirt and a white T-shirt, and bare-foot. She had her head bent like she was praying, and her eyes closed. She seemed to feel her way through the forest area, not even hitting a tree.
She sat on her stump, where they usually found her, and opened her eyes, slowly.
Trunks noticed her mix of blue and red eyes. What did that mean?
Goku leaned down. "Hey! I know you! You're the girl from the tournament! The one that was late!"
Lv made a small sad smile. "yup. Me. I'm always late."
"Dad's always late too." Goten said, and Lv winced. Trunks noticed.
"Where is your dad, Lv?" Lv didn't answer.
"Lv?" Pan asked.
"He's. I've." Lv began, but she stopped. She wiped her eyes in her sleeve, even though it was short. "I don't know."
"You mean you." Pan asked. Lv nodded.
"Man. you didn't tell us." Goten said.
"I'll bet you never asked," Goku said, full of concern.
"Right." Lv said, even though she looked like she wasn't sure.
"Lv?" Came a woman's voice.
"Aeris." Lv called back.
"Please get me some spring water?"
"Oh. all right."
"Thank you, Lv."
Lv got up and opened the stump she had been sitting on. The inside was hollowed wood. There was a wooden bucket inside.
"Can I come, Lv?" Pan asked.
"Sure. It's kinda boring though." Lv said.
"SO?" pan asked.
"Oh.." Lv turned on her heel and into another forest, and beckoned for them to follow. They did.
A sound like bells ringing, tiny bells anyway, was heard by all of them. "This is a sacred area, that it is. Shh!" Lv whispered over the noise.
The whole group quietly walked to the spring, which was actually a great fountain. The water shimmered in thousands of hues- red, orange yellow, blue, indigo, green purple and so many others that no one could count, as they flowed off the overflowing basins they were in, the color never dulling until it rested in the basin at the bottom of the pool.
Trunks, Pan, Goku, and Goten were mesmerized, but Lv simply got some water, and turned to leave.
"Lv, look! Isn't it.Pretty?" Pan asked.
"yeah, yeah, that's why I like it here." Lv said.
"Wow. what is the water for?" Goku asked.
"Eh. Cooking." Lv said, shaking away something that she felt. "I've gotta go."
Trunks noticed the gentle sway of her hips that made her walk look so arrogant. He couldn't believe that this gentle girl could be so violent if she wanted to.
Pan and Goku and Goten followed her, but Trunks, remembering that this was a sacred place asked whoever was watching this fountain, to deliver Lv safely to his arms- other wise, he was frightened, she would never see the world like a human being.
Lv walked home. Tears stung her eyes as if someone was scratching her with a rake right there, and she didn't want to go inside but she did.
"Tifa?"
"Hmm?"
Lv broke a sweat. "It's so hot in here."
Tifa smiled. "Yes. but now, you can take off that skirt!"
Lv smiled a sad smile, "I guess you're right."
"Do you have the water?"
"Yea." Lv said, holding out the cold water. "it's all yours."
"Thank you!" Tifa poured some into Mr. Kenshin's slightly open mouth.
Lv went to her room, and changed into a pair of shorts, and then she asked, "Can I go out this weekend?"
Tifa answered. "Get up early and bring lots of water and sure yes you can."
Lv clipped her sword to her back, and her bow and arrows too. "Thanks. I'm going to go train."
"Have fun," Tifa said.
Lv left the house. Aeris and Tifa, she knew, never left the house after Mr. Kenshin had been ill. Tifa had been putting heated bricks around Mr. Kenshin and putting water in his mouth. She cleaned the bucket that held the water after it was done being used. Aeris cooked, warmed the bricks, wrapped them in blanket, and put wood on the fire. Lv prayed that she e had a few more chances to earn the money to get some sort of medicine.
Lv shook her head. She wasn't supposed to worry, that, Aeris said. Aeris said that if everyone worked he would live longer. Forgetting the sickness, she strolled lightly through the forest area around her home, knowing that, she must become a better swordsman.
Trunks was upset. Another year had past, and he still felt that something was wrong. Bulma was scheduling a party.
"This time, Goku has to come! Or else." Bulma said.
"Mom, Goku never comes, no matter WHAT you say." Bra said, even though she could hardly wait.
"Yeah, mom. It's kinda obvious he won't come." Trunks put in.
"Oh, yeah? I didn't tell him, but I did say I was making his favorite food, so come visit."
"Mom?" Bra asked.
"Every food is Goku's Favorite food." Trunks said.
Bulma smiled. "That I know."
"You can't possibly cook"
"Never say never!" Bulma said, smiling. She took out a list. "I'm sending one of you shopping. Now.."
Trunks and Bra ran away.
Love turned and with one motion, cut through her target- an old dead tree. It had been burned and scarred, and the animals, sacred to live in it lived nearby, but never went close to that tree. As Lv cut the tree, she felt dizzy and sick, and all of a sudden, she was the tree. She was the tree long, long ago.
"Mr. Kenshin, that child is different, difficult! You'll never handle her!" said a woman.
"I do not think that." Said her father. her father ever since she was two or three, Mr. Kenshin.
"Rurouni, please! Stay with me!" the woman, desperate.
"I am sorry. I can not. not if you cannot live with love."
and then love began to sing. Her song. The one that she learned from a person so long ago, and there were so many like it. it was so high, so beautiful, she began to sing it in the tree. And her voice, no longer labored floated freely over every tree to the forest below.
Trunks landed in the landing where love said she would be. but he saw nothing. For a while he waited. And then, a faint hum. He followed it. The louder it got, the farther he went. Finally, he reach the source. A tree. A tree with a hole, and the hole was singing. So, Trunks, shrugging it off, he went into the hole. Lv was curled inside singing up into the tree. Blue dust was coming out of he mouth, and her eyes were closed.
Trunks looked, then sat next to her. She stopped singing, and opened her eyes. The blue swirls were replaced with bright green ones. Trunks watched her, both of them just stared at each other. Her green swirls got bigger, and brighter. And she closed her eyes and slightly tipped her head, and she had a genuine smile on.
No one talked, but both understood. Trunks wouldn't tell where she would hide. And she would continue her song, no matter how badly she was hurt. Trunks got out the hole, and Lv too. Her back had a quiver and a bow, and plenty of arrows clipped there, and a sword too.
Finally, Trunks spoke. "You any good?"
Lv touched her sword. "Very, I hope." She smiled. "What do you think?"
"I need to see to believe."
"You'll never achieve anything."
"What?" Trunks asked, bewildered.
"If you must see to believe, then you'll never achieve any goals at all."
"Why not?"
"You won't see it. And you can't believe it. So you won't do it."
"Oh."
"Come." She led him out of the dense trees.
"You must know where everything is here."
"Yes. I've lived here for my life."
"With who?"
Lv looked away. She didn't answer.
"Lv?"
"I don't want to tell you. Not yet."
"But"
"It's hard for me. You are one, well no, the second to show me compassion. You, at the tournament."
"I.. did?"
"You did me a favor. For that, I owe you my life."
"Did I?"
"But I have more than that to live on. My values, the ones I were taught, told me not to cheat. I cheated."
"What did I do for you?"
"Pointed out my weakness. The speed thing, you know?"
"WHAT? I never told you I figured that!!"
"you need not, I learned quickly enough by your actions."
"Uh."
She began to sing again. And the forest sang with her. Trunks felt like.he didn't know what he was feeling for her now. But it was enough to pull his stomach in and make him want tears to fall from his eyes. Maybe it was just his eyes. Just now, he felt that he must have scared her, by an action, because, she stopped her singing. And turned. And faced absolutely nothing.
Lv saw tall man, with flowing brown hair, that touched his ankles. He touched her face. "Sing for the moment." he said. "Sing for when your heart is free. Sing for when your soul can fly. Sing for the laughter. Sing for the tears. Sing for those, who aren't near. Sing, child, sing. Sing to heal. Sing, with all your might. One day, one day, it shall save you."
"Sing. for the moment? Sing for my laughter, and for my tears, the moment that he is near or far, sing to love, sing to hate? Sing for time, sing for joy? I must, I must, sing for all life itself," she said.
"That child is all up to you. believe me child, and your future will be clear to you." He smiled. "My child, you have grown. You're short, but you are a perfect height, I know, for your life."
"Who are you, that knows my past, present, and future? Are you Chrono?"
"No, no, not Chrono. I am a friend. A friend of Tifa's old childhood friend. And if you mention my hair." he touched her lips, lightly. "She will know. I will return."
"what.. do you" he faded slowly. "wait, come back!"
He smiled, but he didn't answer. He touched her cheek once more, and suddenly, she felt like she was burned there, or hurt and fell to her knees, working to fix this spell casted on her. and everything went black.
Trunks heard Lv talking to nothing, and in a language he could not understand at all. And then, she fell.
He moved forward, protecting her from whatever was there, speaking with her, but when he was not hurt, he turned to her. He got on his knees.
"Lv?" he asked, knowing she wouldn't answer. "can you."
she stirred, but all she did was put her hand on his leg. He understood. She couldn't move.
Picking her up, he noticed a mark. It was on her cheek. It seemed to be burned in. he didn't know what it said, but whoever Lv lived with might know. He went through the grove of trees she always came and left through. There was a house, a small house, but a house.
"So. this is where you live, Lv?" He asked her, though she could not answer.
She moaned. Her right arm came up to her chest and dropped. Trunks thought she was dying. So he entered the house.
The room was hot. Stifling hot. Like he could stand this for long. Kneeling by some blankets, A woman with chestnut brown eyes and hair, wearing a white T-shirt and shorts, only about twenty, and her companion, a girl with even longer chestnut brown hair and green eyes, wearing a pink shirt and shorts, about the same age, looked up to see him, holding Lv in his arms.
"Who are you, purple-haired one, and what are you doing with my niece?" said the brown-eyed one. Her eyes narrowed. She stood.
"Uh. I'm"
The green-eyed one took Lv out of his hands gently. "To tell her, purple- one, you must engage in battle. Otherwise, she cannot hear you."
Trunks gulped. This woman was crazy. "Listen," he told the green-eyed one, "I don't want to fight. I saw something strange, and all I'm going to do is tell you about it."
"T, he says he saw something strange."
T, or whoever, looked interested. "Well?" she asked.
"T.ifa?" Lv said from where she was as if sleeping. "Aeris. to s..ing.. my life. the man. with the. long. brown. hair."
Now identified as Tifa, the brown-eyed one opened her mouthing an 'o'. "Seproth. has he really come again?"
"Yes." Aeris said. "Lv will never tell a lie." Aeris said. "I hope, anyway."
"Yeah, I know. Little V has no idea what's going to happen."
"and neither do you, Tifa." Aeris said, as calmly as possible.
Trunks looked back and forth. He had no idea what they were talking about, but it must have been bad.
"What is your name, purple-one?" Tifa asked.
"I'm Trunks," he answered warily.
Tifa smiled. "I'm hostile, that I know. Sit for a while."
Trunks went towards where they had been sitting, while Aeris left with a docile and sleeping Lv in her arms. Tifa sat next to him.
"Trunks, has Lv been. well, seeming to hide something from you?"
"Yeah, me and my friend and his niece."
"She told us nothing about you at all."
"She told us nothing about you. No matter when we ask."
"I know." Tifa said. "She has become secretive ever since."
"Since?"
"I will wait for her to tell you."
"NOO! She won't talk at all"
Tifa laughed. "When she trusts you, she will talk. Now go! The time is running short."
Trunks left, but his mind brimmed with questions-above all, who is Lv? And why is she so important?
Lv woke. She remembered the man with the brown hair. She remembered how her cheek burned. And Trunks. Trunks had brought her home. She remembered because she smelt his scent all over her clothes. She also remembered how she felt. She was warm and safe in his arms, no matter where she was, and she knew it.
"Lv?" Aeris poked her head into Lv's room.
She turned. "Aeris, I"
"Yes, I know, you told us everything. And Trunks, your friend, he brought you home." At least that much she knew. What she wanted to know, she wouldn't find out until later, that she knew.
"No, Aeris, I'm. asking about something.else."
"Yes?" Aeris sat down next to Lv on the bed.
"It's personal."
"I won't tell."
"REALLY personal."
"Whisper it to me if you want."
At Bulma's party, trunks tried hard to have fun, but, his mind kept wandering back to Lv. Finally Goten cornered him.
"Whazz wrong with you?"
"Nothing."
"You're lying, man."
"Look, I can't tell you." Trunks said, trying to get away.
"Sure. You haven't been out with the Lv kid again, have you?" when Trunks didn't answer, Goten went on. "Man, I just want to know. You know me and Pan weren't allowed to go, what happened?"
"Nothing."
"Stop it! You're lying!" Goten yelled, and everyone stared.
Pan looked worried. "Is it about."
"Yeah." Goten said. Still staring into trunks eyes.
"What happened?" Pan asked, smiling.
"he's not telling."
"Then."
Goku looked around and figured it out in two seconds. "OH!" he said. "Trunks, what happened?"
"When I say I'm not telling, is it that hard to understand?!"
"YES!" Pan yelled. "you were supposed to tell us EXACTLY what happened, I heard none of it!"
Trunks couldn't believe this. Then Bulma said "Well, explain. Or even better, someone, bring me here, to this place."
Pan and Goten nodded, and rose gently into the air, Goku following, picking Chi-chi up too, Vegeta with Bulma,, Bra Majin Buu, and Yamcha, Roshi, and Tien followed suit. Trunks came as well.
At the forest, Trunks heard her voice again. She was singing, in her secret spot. Her eyes were probably closed and the sun warming her face too.
Trunks wanted to warn her. He whistled. One high, one low. Again. Lv stopped singing. Trunks didn't even hear her, though he knew everyone was staring directly at him.
Lv peered through some bushes. There, people stood. Lv was angry, but she composed herself. She knew, her eyes probably had red swirls, but so what? She got up and quietly walked to them, not rustling a leaf. Trunks was listening. And Pan was blaming him of something. Lv carefully swerved a poison Ivy plant and stood, waiting until the green one said, "She watching us."
Good enough. Everyone started looking for her. The green one went directly for her. She picked up a cloak and dropped and swished it over her in time. He looked in at her, and saw nothing. He still felt her probably so she dissolved away.
"? She's gone!" He said. She was in her stump now. Smiling she watched. Trunks wasn't looking for her. She smirked." Wait, she's here! He turned and she stepped out of her stump eagerly.
"You're funny!" she said, giggling. Trunks stared at her.
"You're eyes are red. You're angry." he said.
"You would know." Pan said. She looked in Lv's eyes though. "You haven't visited in a long time. Nice to see you, Pan."
"Yeah, same to"
"Lv! Hey come on, you've got to deliver more water!" Aeris yelled.
"Ok, I'm going, I'll be back in a minute!" Lv called, and opened the stump and took out the bucket.
Pan looked interested. "Can we come again?" She asked.
"If you want," Lv shrugged. "I don't care."
"Mom, you've gotta see it it's awesome!" Pan said. And Grandma! It's beautiful! You too Bulma!" Pan said.
Chi-chi nodded. "Let's see it."
Bulma snorted. "SURE. Let's see the beautiful water."
Lv looked at her, and her eyes were purple. That she knew. She was angry, but if someone insulted the gods, she knew, it was her who must kill that person. But she didn't know, so.
Lv walked to the end of the forest, and as everyone followed, she felt a pang of guilt. Trunks, who was walking behind the group seemed to be on a leash, pulled by this. Bulma.
When she reach the fountain, she leaned over and scooped water out into the bucket, and "oohs' and 'aahs' went on behind her. She washed her face and smiled.
Her violet eyes pointed to him. He wanted to talk with her but as it was, Goten and Pan knew he wasn't talking to him because he wasn't telling them what happened, and Bulma was angry at him for not telling her where he was going- his excuse was, I'm going to Goten's- and luckily no one else was mad at him. He thought.
Humming, Lv unnaturally jerked her hand in a motion to follow. She left the forest, and didn't spill a drop of water, even though she was running. Everyone followed, dying to go back to the spring, but still following. At the clearing where they met, she stopped them and walked away.
Vegeta looked at her. "Where are you going?"
"Home."
"Bye, Lv!" Pan called.
"see ya!" she said.
Bulma turned to Trunks. "If you were dating such a nice girl, why didn't you say so?"
Trunks Blushed. "I'm not dating her. She was Lonely. I only help."
"Oh, come on!" Bulma said.
But then, Lv cried out, and what ever it was, she was really upset. Trunks could tell she was, by the high tone in her voice. Lv ran back, her eyes bright blue, and her wood bucket too, and to the fountain, because when she came back, she was carrying the water in her bucket. She left again and they heard another splash and a high yell, and a slap. And then another slap.
"WHAT"D YOU DO THAT FOR?"
"YOU"RE IN THE HEAT WAY TOO MUCH, YOU FAINTED! I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!" Lv. Must be Lv.
"SO WHAT? YOU'VE WASTED WATER!"
"SO WHAT? YOU WASTE LOTS OF WATER!!!"
"AHH! LV!!"
"STOP! HE'S DYING, AND IT'S ALL MY FAULT!!!! NOW LEAVE ME ALONE!" lv yelled, and it was quiet again.
Bulma looked surprised. "Who's dying?"
"I don't know." Trunks said, sincerely.
"YEAH right, Trunks."
"It's true!"
But everyone didn't trust him, not at all.
Lv cried. Again. She cried until there were no tears. And then, she slept. She slept until she was full of drowsy sleep and tears that stung and spilled from her eyes. She lifted her head. Aeris sat, staring into her face.
"Are you still upset?" Aeris asked.
"Yes. Go away." Lv said angrily.
"I'm here to say, I'm helping you, no matter what."
"No. No. I killed Daddy, it's all my fault."
"Lv, you can't blame yourself if he's got that terrible fever."
"You don't understand."
"Daddy! Ook, I lost a toofh!" Lv cried. She ran into her dad's safe arms. At least he would stop some of the pain.
"We all lose our teeth." He said, giving her nose a poke. "it'll grow back, but only once, understand?"
"Really Daddy?" She asked, wiping tears from her eyes.
"Really." He said, hugging her. She put her arms around him too. She loved her Daddy more than life itself. He was called Badosai, the manslayer. But that was a mean lie. No, her Daddy was the Kindest man in the world, even if girls thought he was too young to have a child wandering with him, they never really ignored her, not when she saved his and their lives repeatedly. She was very good with a sword. She also had a pretty voice and was very cute and bouncy. She cried though, and never liked being alone, she liked staying with her Daddy. And then there was that day when her Daddy trusted her to a friend of his, who was called Tifa.
" Tifa's going to take care of you until I find what I'm searching for."
"But Daddy I want to help. I want to go with you." Lv said. Now age ten, with a smile that melted boy's heart's ending abruptly when she left,but still, adorable , cute Lv.
"Lv, I want you to come too. But you aren't bound to my pledge to do good for all the wrongs I've done."
"Then I want to be. I want to stay with you forever daddy, I'm scared."
"I'm scared too. But believe in me. And yourself."
"Ok. I'll do it Daddy"
"Good!"
"But write, ok?"
"Sure!"
"You didn't kill him!"
"Not yet."
Aeris, Tifa's friend, told Lv, why she could heal.
"You're magic, like me. I'll teach you all that you can learn about elements and healing, but the rest you learn yourself."
"Ok."
For days, Lv practicied giving her best. And one day, a letter.
"Lv," it said, "I want to keep my promise, and so. I have to tell you, this place is beautiful! I stayed here, in this forest like area for a very long time. But sadly, time is wearing thin. I've got someone for you to meet. He's called Cloud. He's about your age, and her too uses a sword. He has been travelling too. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to come back and get you, because, I think Tifa's taught you all you can learn by now. What do you think? There is no mail guy who'll take my letter, so I hope you don't mind this wet thing. Or at least it was wet. A friend of mine should give it to you, without doubt."
Lv couldn't wait. When her dad came, she bid Tifa good bye.. and began her journey,
Trunks flew over the forest again and again, but there was no song. None. He listened closer. And he heard.
White Refection (song name) I FEEL YOUR LOVE REFLECTION
Mitsumekaesu hitomi ni
[As you gaze back at me]
Egaite harukana "NEVER ENDING STORY"
[A far away never ending story is painted in your eyes]
Kanashimi [kanji: zetsubou] mo itami [kanji: kizuato, shoukon] mo
[Their fluttering seems to shake off the sadness)despair) and pain(scars)]
Furikiru you ni habataku
[I spread open in my heart]
Anata ga kureta tsubasa [kanji: yuuki] wo kono mune ni hirogete...
[The wings(courage) you gave me]
Aa kakegaenai ai no kodou [kanji: kagayaki, kirameki] wo
[Aa I want to feel the pain of irreplaceable love]
Setsunaku kuruoshiku kanjiteitai
[Of the pulsing(shining)]
I FEEL YOUR LOVE REFLECTION
Atsuku yume [kanji: risou] wo kasanete
[Pile up the dream(ideals) thickly]
Ayamachiosorezu ni motomeau seishun!!
[Young ones who desire each other fearless of mistakes]
I FEEL YOUR LOVE REFLECTION
Mitsumekaesu hitomi ni
[As you gaze back at me]
Egaite harukana "NEVER ENDING STORY"
[A far away never ending story is painted in your eyes]
Afuredasu omoi wo suhada de sotto tsutaeru
[I want to softly communicate to your bare skin the feeling that are spilling over]
Yasashiku nareru tsuyosa [kanji: junsuisa] wo dakishimeru mitai ni...
[As if hugging close to the strength(purity) to become gentle]
Aa hageshiku yureugoku jidai [kanji: hibi] wo
[Aa this unsatble age(these unstable days)]
Kedakaku shinayaka ni koeteikitai
[I want to nobily, lithily overcome]
I FEEL YOUR LOVE REFLECTION
Yurushiaeru shinjitsu
[The truth of out acceptance together]
Kuchizuke kawashitara mou nani mo iranai!!
[Kiss me and there is nothing else I need!!]
I FEEL YOUR LOVE REFLECTION
Akiramenai jounetsu
[Beleive in the passion that will not give up]
Shinjite tsuranuku [kanji: tatakau] "NEVER ENDING STORY"
[Our piercing-through (fighting) never ending story]
I FEEL YOUR LOVE REFLECTION
Atsuku yume [kanji: risou] wo kasanete
[Pile up the dream(ideals) thickly]
Ayamachiosorezu ni motomeau seishun!!
[Young ones who desire each other fearless of mistakes]
I FEEL YOUR LOVE REFLECTION
Mitsumekaesu hitomi ni
[As you gaze back at me]
Egaite harukana "NEVER ENDING STORY"
[A far away never ending story is painted in your eyes]
Trunks heard music behind it too. He couldn't believe it. Lv's singing had evolved into this beautiful music? How could she sit and sing so beautifully? And that feeling in his stomach- he reconized it. It was something that he never thought he'd feel-love.
Lv kept singing. Because as long as she sang, she would remember the good times. She would forget that Tifa was upset and that she wouldn't speak to her. She forgot Ranma needed her help to turn back into a boy. She forgot that Aeris needed water, or Trunks or anything. She only knew her, and she loved that feeling. It saved her the anger of Cloud's unnatural escape from the Tournament, and the heat she felt where her father lay dying. For all she knew was her song. Her song. The song she had sung since she was a child. What ever was sealed into that song, she didn't know. She only knew the faces she saw inside. Her real dad's and her mom's, and her Dad who she lived with since she was five, Mr. Kenshin? Was that his name? Yes, him. Tifa's, Aeris. Trunks, Goku, Goten Pan. All connected. And she the middle, the pulsing throbbing middle who sang to keep them together, who sang to keep them apart, to make them different, to make them angry or sad or happy, to make them worry, to bring them tightly into a web she could spin, like a spider. Her reign was only beginning here on this earth. Her friends could become her protection, her heart, her life itself. Her tears, her fears, anything she felt, she could weave them into her web and they could help her. Her eyes glistened, and she sang her song one last time.
Trunks felt like he was going to hurt himself, especially if he couldn't find Lv in all this forest. She was no easier to find than a needle in a haystack. Her music would die and begin again, and he mashed through the forest, trying to find her, but when he couldn't gave up and listened. Her song rang, right through the trees, through him, throbbing, off into the air where it stopped and it faltered blown by the wind into fragments, and scattered everywhere.
And then she came walking through the forest. The forest seemed to part in front of her. And there was something different about her. Something. But what? He didn't know.
Lv kept singing, and her feet moved gently, rolling through the forest, slowly, even though she didn't want to leave, the more she sang, the less pain she felt. It was unbeliveable.
Trunks walked over to her. The blue dust still coming out her mouth, she opened her eyes, but kept singing. Her eyes were fully green. Bright green. She and trunks both disappeared.
"Where are we?" Tunks asked her, the place was white and When he looked at Lv for an answer, she smiled. And then something else answered, while she kept singing.
"You are in a secret place, where no one can ever find you- ever- and here, you can stay, and return when you wish, if you could sing our passage song.. This area is protected by us- the Nameless ones, and You, Sajin Trunks, you and The ancient Lv shall Stay here one day.."
"Ancient?"
But no one answered him. And Lv walked over to him. Like he knew what she wanted, she waited, singing.
Trunks didn't know, but he noticed her arms were open. And he figured, she probably wants something like a...
But she took his hands, and they both changed. Lv had a flowing blue dress, like a bikini top and bottom were solid and the rest of the dress were made of water. And Trunks a tux, like he couldn't afford it. The sleeves were cool against his arms, and before he knew it, Lv was leading him, gently but firmly, through the steps of a dance. Trunks hated Dancing, but it wasn't like he had a choice. She kept singing and he kept following her steps. And after a while they both stopped. Again their clothes changed, only when Lv let go of trunks. Still not believing she could dance- which by the way, she couldn't, but so what?- she ran through the forest to her fathers side.
"Sorry I forgot the water" She mumbled to Tifa.
"Sa'right," Tifa muttered.
"T!!!" Aeris yelled.
"WHAT?" Tifa asked.
"DO it!"
"Sorry, ok? I was upset and I took it out on you and I shouldn't have and I'm sorry," Tifa pouted.
"Come on," Lv said. "Say you're sorry, not a speech!"
"Sorry."
"Better." Lv said, turning away.
"SEE?" Aeris asked. "Much better atmoshepere!"
"You're in the Kitchen It is TWO times colder in there. That's why," muttered Tifa. Lv laughed.
Today, Pan and Goten relcutantly went with Trunks to the forest again.
Pan and Lv got to giggling in minutes. Pan was explaining something, and Lv cut in time to time, but they both were laughing in the end.
"What's all the giggling about?" Goten asked. Both girls looked at him and started laughing again.
"SEE!" Pan said. "I TOLD you!!"
"Oh, come on you guessed!" Lv said, laughing still.
"Nah, I wouldn't lie." Pan said, and finally controlled herself to some glances and giggles. Lv too stopped laughing, and started glance+giggles too.
"Lv? What is so funny? Pan?" Trunks asked.
Lv and pan started laughing really hard and both fell down laughing.
"WHAT?" goten looked at Trunks.
Trunks shrugged. "I dunno."
"Ok.. I'll tell you." Lv siad giggling. "Pan siad that if she told me this and both of us stared laughing that you would ask us what was so funny. Goten first."
"Yeah?"
"I need you to do me a favor though." Lv said, looking at Pan, who was trying to compose herself.
"What?" Goten asked.
"I need you to give me something. sweet. I." Lv began. Pan blushed and laughed.
"I'll help," she said, getting up. "We'll say it together."
"I need you to give me something. I know you can.. its hard and stiff at first, but when I put it in my mouth, it'll be softer and sticky. I love how it feels, hard in the beginning and soft on the outside. And I can feel my tongue wrapping around it, sucking the flavor out till its dry." both girls recited.
Goten's eyes were wider than saucers, and trunks didn't know how he looked but he was amazed the girls would even do this.
"So." they finished, "Can you give me a piece me a piece of gum?"
"WHAT?" Goten asked.
Trunks looked at Goten. Lucky he was wearing baggy pants, Goten was. He was probably hard already. Trunks was. He was happy he had baggy pants on.
"You heard me, gimmie some gum," Pan said, Lv laughed really hard.
"I know you guys got hard hearing us say that!!!" Lv said, while giggling uncontrollably.
"Yea, they seem MUCH more tense!" Pan said, laughing.
"Ho, ho, ho, VERY funny, guys," Trunks said, making a smile on the tip of his lips.
"Yea, REAL funny. I'm dying." Goten said, smirking.
"I know!" Lv said. She brushed off her chest from rolling in the grass for so long. She was still laughing.
That's when trunks noticed her breast. They were large. he wondered what size cup she wore. Mentally, he slapped himself.
NEVER. He thought. Not Now, Not never.
"Hehe, I should get going," Pan said. "Remember we HAVE to go to the mall with Bra tomorrow, Lv."
"You've got it!" Lv said.
"WAIT!" Goten said, following Pan.
Trunks looked over at Lv. She smiled and truned her head to the side.
"Did I fool you, Trunks? Be honest, please."
Trunks sighed. "What do you think?"
"I think you went hard under there," she said, smiling all the while.
"What?"
"You did, didn't you?" She said, still smiling.
"Ok, I did." He said.
Lv began to sing again.
"Don't." he clamped his hand over her mouth. She looked at him, upset. "You could do something better."
"Lmmn Wnn?" (Like what?) Lv asked.
He moved his hand and said, "You think about it.
"Well," she said, giggling, "If you want a hand job, why don't you SAY so?"
"What? Did I ask that?"
"No. but you're acting like it."
"I meant something else."
"Oh. a blow job?" She asked, looking into his eyes. Her eyes were light purple.
"No. think harder."
"Uh. a chance to use my sword?"
"Way off."
"Err. I don't know. What?"
Trunks sighed and smirked. "You've become slow, Lv," he said softly.
"I know," she said, just as soft, as if she was going to blow him away with a breath.
He blinked and looked over at her. "I'll give you what I want you to do."
"Really?" She asked.
"But you have one more guess."
"Well. can I have a hint?"
Trunks ran his finger lightly over her lips. She jumped.
"Guess," he said.
"You want. a kiss." she said, looking up at him with bright green eyes.
Trunks smiled. She looked at him, almost like she was going to push her soft body against his and let him explore her, but she only smiled.
"Well?" Trunks asked.
She looked at him. "Why did I have to" He walked over to her, put his arms around her waist and lifted her chin and kissed her. It was all she could do to close her eyes and lift her arms until they reach his arms and run her hands up to his shoulders and to the back of his neck. She loved the feel of his skin pressed against hers, even though it was lightly. He broke the kiss and smiled at her.
"Wasn't so hard was it?" He asked. Speechless, she stared at him. He shrugged and waved at her and took off into the sky.
In ten seconds, she was at home writing n her diary EXACTLY what happened.
"Lv. come on!!"
Tifa was calling her so frantically, Lv dropped everything and ran.
"Look!" Tifa said, pointing to Lv's dad. He was moving, slightly and his mouth was forming her name, almost slowly, too slowly, and Lv looked up a Tifa. It was working! It was WORKING!
"Tifa!! He's gonna be OK!!!" Lv said, smiling. "He's gonna be ok!!!"
"YES!" Tifa said.
"We can do this!" Aeris said, laughing as Lv did a front flip and landed directly on her toes.
"He'll be ok! He'll finally be OK!!!" Lv sang, jumping and landing lightly on her toes.
"It might take a while, but let's help him through!" Aeris said, smiling at Tifa. "In the mean while, let's have some hot chocolate!"
"OK!" said Lv and Tifa, and Aeris went into the kitchen to make some chocolate. Trunks went to visit Lv the day after. He was surprised himself he had even dared to move the day before.
"Hey." He said, when he found Lv outside eating some bread.
"Hiya," she said, pleased.
"Well, you're happy. What's up?"
"Nothing really," She said.
He smirked. "Yeah right."
She only giggled.
Trunks was now staring at her chest as she looked away. Size c, he decided. C, maybe. a twelve c?
Again, a mental slap.
"Trunks," she siad, looking at him. He looked up into her face.
"What?" He asked. She sat down on the stump and he sat on the grass in front of her.
"About Yesterday." she said, deadly serious. He froze. Not the right move, he thought.
"What about yesterday?" he managed out of his thick throat.
"It was so."
Trunks held his breath.
"So."
Trunks lost circulation in his lower legs.
" sweet." Lv finished.
"That's it?"
"UH. yeah, unless you want something again?"
"I do," he said, getting up and when she stood, he grabbed her by the waist and brought her to the fountain.
She smiled. He put her down by the fountain. The little bells rang joyously and Trunks looked at her with an easy smile.
"This is nice." she said.
He smirked and looked into the fountain. "I want to know more about here."
Lv looked at him. "Ok," she said. "Long ago, there was a king, who wanted all of the people to pay a tax on everything. Even their hair! Luxuries like clothes and long hair withered away into nothingness. The king taxed the houses the farms the food the weight the children. And so, not a penny was left in his kingdom.
"A good man with a cane came and asked one man 'who rules this kingdom so that no one has hair?' and the man answered ' the king, the king, he taxes us bare.' Then the man with the cane asked another 'who rules the kingdom so no one has clothes?' and the person answered, 'the king, the king, his wealth grows.' The man asked a poor child, 'who makes you live all alone,' and the child said, 'the king, he does, I have no home.' So the man decided to help the people.
"using all his strength, the man went to the castle and begged the king to stop taxing his people. The king refused. 'Never,' the king said. 'Not for a flying horse!' the man looked upset and tried again. 'NEVER!' the king roared, 'not for three wishes!' finally, the man asked one more time. 'NEVER!' the king spat. 'not for two million pounds of pure gold!'
"The man looked into the king's face. 'You dare defy a god of his request?' the man asked. The king laughed and sent the man to jail and continued to tax the people. The man who was locked away was upset. He had to think of a way out. He decided that he wanted to look human, because he was a true god. He rolled until he was dirty, made himself look thin and useless, made his hands bleed and pounded on the dungeon bars. 'Let me out,' he called 'let me go!'
"The king had a son, who went by the name of Prince Andrew the third. Or in my words PA for short. PA heard the god's wailing and decided to go look. When he found the god he said, 'who are you' and the god replied, 'I am taxes.' so PA looked at him and said, 'Taxes?' 'yes,' the god said. 'You're father has use me so much and I must collect Taxes from him.' PA looked suspiciously at the god and said, 'are you sure your taxes?' 'I'll swear it to Chrono,' the god said. 'ok,' PA said. 'I'll tell father you need him.'
"The king couldn't believe what his son said. Taxes awaited him in the dungeon. The king ran to the dungeon only to find a whisper of a man. 'What do you want? Where are the taxes?' 'I am Taxes,' the god said. 'I have come to warn you. Do not tax the people anymore.' 'What if I do?' asked the king. The god floated through the bars and disappeared. 'You will see,'
"This god was actually Chrono, and he was upset because of the horrible treatment. He sent a futuristic dog to him. This dig looked like his precious puppy, Sir. Barkalot but wasn't. He was a mechanical version and he sucked up anything the king wanted. When the king wanted food, the dog would eat it. When he wanted drink, the dog drank it. He went to the bathroom and the dog barked until he left. He went to his wife to make love, and the dog bit him. He couldn't sleep, he couldn't play, and he couldn't do anything. He could hardly speak. On the third day of torture, Chrono asked him 'did you like the two days so far?' 'No, the king said miserably. 'I didn't do anything I wanted. I was bitten and barked at and peed on, I can't take it anymore!!' Chrono smiled. 'I shall stop it if you make me the best fountain in the world.' The king agreed.
" 'but, king,' Chrono said. 'You cannot use slaves or servants. You must be the only one to touch this.' The king was worried. But he got to work. He used wood. But he could not make the water flow. Finally he gave up. Chrono cam and the king said, 'I'm sorry Chrono please, I could not make the fountain you asked for!!' 'But you have,' Chrono said. When the king turned, a beautiful fountain was there behind him. The king listened and heard rushing waster. 'I will never tax again!' he said to Chrono. Chrono left the king for months. The king didn't tax anymore. His wife did. The king told his wife that if she ever wanted to lay next to him again that she must tax the people. The queen was upset. She called to Chrono. Chrono turned her into bells and added them to the fountain. The pretty sound made the king wonder, so he went to look. There was money at the bottom. That was what the king wanted. He reach to get it. It disappeared. Then as the water stilled, it reappeared. The king spent his life trying to get the money. Finally he sent the prince to do it. The prince tried. He got the money.
"The king made PA pluck the money out of the fountain everyday. PA began to pray to Chrono. Chrono changed him into the rainbows of water. and burned the castle to the ground after sperading the people all over the world. When those people died they came here. They are called, the Saints, and this is their graveyard. Buried deep under is the kings hidden stash, thousands upon thousands of gold coins. those coins have a curse placed upon them. It is, the one who FINDS the coins and DIGS them up is the kings long lost ancestor, who will die at the sight of money. so you can have the coins. but you cannot look at them. get it?"
Trunks looked at her. She smiled. "That was really long," Trunks said, "but I get it."
"I know," Lv said. She sat down with Trunks. She laid her head on his chest. "It's also a sad story. The wife and the child both died."
"But they made the fountain even prettier," Trunks insisted. "And they also shaped the fall of the kingdom!"
"yea, I guess you're right." Lv said. Trunks laid his chin in her hair. "Maybe one day, the queen and the son will be free. I hope so. but if they aren't."
"At least they can hear your wish." Trunks said.
"Yeah," Lv siad. They sat in silence for a little longer. Lv felt Trunks' heart beating and hers too, at the same time. She was so warm. she didn't want the moment to end. Trunks had his chin lightly on her head, and she didn't want to move. But Trunks moved first.
"Someones coming," he said, moving her gently. "I guess I have to go."
"come back tomorrow, ok?" She asked.
"Ok," he winked and flew off.
Lv sighed and sat and looked into the water when he was gone. She saw the money at the bottom of the water all the time. She never really wanted it. Since she heard the tale she believed she would never be able to touch it. She smiled and said, "Poor PA. He was probably such a nice kid, people wanted to give him gifts, but his dad took them away. He always sounded nice."
Goten caught up with Trunks. "What were you doing, screwing her?"
"NO!" Trunks yelled.
"Liar."
"Come on, Goten. You don't believe me?" Trunks asked, pushing his hair to the side and looking at Goten.
"And why should I? S'not like you've told me anything about it, you know?"
"Goten!"
"Look, Pan and I have figured it out already. She's different. She's not Sayjin or human. So what is she? We're interested, ok. And sometimes, we can't make it. Why? Because our parents aren't rich. They don't have slaves pouring into their house Begging to do their work, ok? We just want to know what's happening, god."
"Goten, I have to clean up too, you know. But that's the story of your pitiful life. I mean, Buu is living with us. As long as I promise him candy, he does the work. And Bra. She works too. I just GET AWAY from it all. I don't even come here sometimes, you know? Idon't even have to come here. And I wasn't screwing her, goddamn it!"
"So? What are you saying? You don't do anything for your self, like I do or Pan, or Lv." Goten snapped. "Buu or Bra. Aren't I right? Is it really true they do the work for you?"
"Obviously."
Goten sped up and flew away. Trunks didn't bother to follow him. Months later. Gathering all of her courage, Lv brought plenty of extra water to Tifa and Aeris.
"Bye," she called as she snapped her sword into place and grabbed her long black cloak. She fastened it under her neck and pulled the hood over her head. "I'm off to South City,"
"have fun," Tifa said.
"Bye," Aeris called from the kitchen.
Lv went outside and disappeared. She reappeared in an alleyway in south city. Coming out, she trotted eagerly down a sidewallk andstopped to lace her boots up, when she noticed a shadow above her. When she looked twice, there were two shadows, both over her not moving not talking, but silenced, like she couldn't see them. She put her knee on the ground and like a racer on a race track, began to run. The two people chased her, relentlessly, and she managed a peek at them. They were tall men, blonde, maybe two times Trunks height, and one was on the chunky side. She bounced over a womans head, ducked a passing vender, leaped over a fence, slild past rocy watersides,and came to a stop at a water edge. The men cornered her. She didn't know wheter it was right to do this but.
She had almost gotten her sword fully out of its seath, when another sword flashed and killed both men, instanly.
"Trunks!" she gasped.
Trunks smiled. Lv was simply staring at him.
"I told you." he said. Lv looked away. He frowned a bit, and then smirked. "Why didn't you kill them?"
"Not like that.." Lv siad. "Not at all."
Trunks frowned. "What do you mean?"
Lv looked at him. "Trunks."
"?"
"You are simply amazing with your blade." She said, with a faint smile. "Aren't you supposed to TRAIN with it?"
"Why I was looking for you. I need to train with someone other than Gohan for once."
"Gohan?" Lv asked, tipping her head.
"Goten's older brother." Trunks sighed. "Come on, let's go."
"Go where?" Lv asked. Removing her hood Lv shook her head and touched Trunks arm.
"Just follow" he said, "You'll figure it out."
She looked upset. "I can't fly."
Trunks put her on his back. "Ok, Let's go."
Lv had never flown before. She looked down at the cities and almost barfed on Trunks shirt. Then she realized she was on Trunks so, there's nothing to worry about, really. she looked over her shoulder and sighed.
"What is it boring? Trunks asked.
"So many clouds." she answered dreamily at first. "They can give you a headache!"
"that's life," Trunks laughed. "All pain and no gain."
"You tellin me?" Lv asked. "I'm not learning about clouds up here."
"More or less they're show," Trunks said, landing in a secluded area. "Here we are."
Lv climbed off his back and looked around. "Someone's here right now.. lotta people. I smell." Lv put her nose slightly in the air. "Goten.. Pan.Others."
Trunks gaped. How did she know from the air that everyone was here? "They were with me a minute ago, here," Trunks said.
"Well, they're here now." Lv sniffed the air for a little longer. Then she looked at Trunks and giggled. "Not fooled Trunks. You've obviously underestimated me."
"what?!" Trunks asked, breathless.
"I know." Lv giggled again. "You think I'm slow. But I'm not when It comes to scent. And the secent here is people. so."
"That's not right." Trunks said.
"So what? I owed you anyway." Lv took off her cloak. Her green tunic and perfectly shined leather boots glowed in the forest's only light. "If you want to take the ground, feel free to attack me." She said, smiling.
Trunks gasped, and then, he smirked. "Ok. I'll see how good you do." He pulled out his sword.
Lv took out her thin reverse blade. Trunks looked at it. It was much thinner and a little longer.
Lv looked at him. She cocked her head and smirked at him. "Well.." She said. "It looks like you're waiting for me to go first."
"No" Trunks lifted his sword and ran towards Lv. She hadn't had her sword even lifted.
Only flashs of light flew past Trunks' eyes. Then, black.
Lv looked down at Trunks as he sank to the ground. "Kuzu ryu sen." She said. "It always helped me out."
She leaned over. Eyes watched her every move. 'Gotta cut this one just right,' she thought. "Cura." she said putting her hand on Trunks' forehead. She felt a slight pulse as energy poured from her to Trunks.
In a minute, Trunks was up. "What happened?"
"I won," Lv said, giving him a huge grin. "Now, everyone who's hiding in the trees can come out!"
Trunks sighed. "Ok, guys, she's known since we've gotten here you're out there."
People stepped out from behind the trees surrounding them, in an exact circle.
"I TOLD you so, Trunks," Lv laughed. "Scents don't pass me!"
"I know. No fair." Trunks said. Goten looked, amazed, at Lv.
"Kuzu ryu sen?" He asked. "Where did you learn that?"
"From." Lv started. 'No,' she thought, 'too hard..' so she cocked her head. "Something's coming."
"Huh?" Trunks said, listening. "I don't hear anything."
"Listen close." Lv waited till all of them were trying to hear it. Then she disappeared.
Trunks looked back at Lv. "HEY!"
Gohan looked too. "She ran away. how come?"
Videl looked confused. "What did she say? What was the move?"
"Kuzu ryu sen," Goku said. "Very nice."
"Yeah, she could teach Gohan something." Goten said, laughing.
Pan sighed. "She's keeping a secret."
"Yeah." Trunks said, sadly.
"You might KNOW Trunks." Pan said.
"I do NOT!!!" Trunks yelled.
Pan laughed. "I'm kidding. I know you don't."
Trunks looked away. "So what?" he said.
"Any way, YOU have lessons, Trunks." Gohan said. "With your boring teacher."
"Shut up." Trunks said.
Lv took two deep breaths. She was hidden in a tree above all the people, and when they started to fly away, she almost suffocated herself. But they were gone now. She disappeared home.
"Aeris?"
"Lv." Aeris said. "I was wondering about your story." "Dad?" Lv, age ten, leaned over and tapped her dad's shoulder. "What's that?"
"I don't know, That I don't, Lv," he said, closing his eyes.
Lv watched her dad fall to sleep. It was night, and they were riding a train. Lv was tired too, but she loved watching the stars. They whizzed by so fast, she couldn't count one. Lv leaned ove and fell asleep too, her head on her arm, leaning against the window.
The next morning, Lv and Rurouni stepped into a large plateau, full of bustling people and STRANGE words.
"Dad."Lv hid her left leg behind his right one. "where. are we?"
"This is." Rurouni looked around. "I don't know. But where ever we are, I'm sure we can find out from a citizen."
"Ok," Lv said, and she saw an old woman at a small drug store. "She's not doing any thing. Let's ask her."
So they walked over. "Excuse me, Miss," rurouni said, slowly.
"What?" the woman answered rudely. "Do ya wanna buy sunin, or 're ya gonna stand around lookin stupid?"
"Uh. we were wondering"
"Weere wonderin what I sold? Well, DRUGS!" she held up opium. "Two cents."
"No. where are we?" Rurouni asked.
"In fronta my face that's were you is. Now scram!"
"But Miss!" Lv pleaded, trying to get an answer.
"I said ta beat it!"
"Come on, Lv," Rurouni said, signaling for Lv to follow.
"Lv? GET back here!" the woman said. Rurouni returned, Lv trotting beside him. "Let's see the kid."
Lv looked freaked out. She looked at Rurouni. He looked worried too. "What do you want with her?"
"Well, to see if she's in good shape! I'll buy the little cheap thing from ya. Sell 'er for good money. Be a wife to some fine peoples."
"No." Rurouni put his hand on Lv's shoulder. "Good bye," he siad, truning and pushing Lv ahead of him to get away.
"FIVE THOUSAND?? TEN MILLION??" the woman called. People stared after Rurouni and Lv. Lv looked at her father.
"You wouldn't sell me. would you Daddy?" Lv asked in a small voice.
"Not for a thing in the world." Rurouni assured her.
"Ok.." she said, looking a tiny bit better. "Just checking,"
Two years later..
Trunks was till figuring out exatcly who Lv was.
" Hello out there, people of the earth! Today is the World tournament!!! Our lucky fighters are all going to choose a number out of this box, and the game will begin!" The announcer yelled into his mike. " Pan, out first lucky fighter!"
Pan smiled. She skipped over to the announcer and dug into the box. She pulled out her number and looked at it. "Number one!"
"Little Pan is number one!!" the announcer yelled again, as pan skipped back to Goku saying "Number one! Number one!"
"Next!" The announcer kept calling names. Then Goku cheated and got himself and a boy named Uub into the second round. "Love!" the announcer called. No answer. "love? Love if you are."
A girl about Goten and Trunks' age fell from the sky and landed gently on the ground next to the box, and began to whisper something. The announcer turned red.
"Folks, we have some VERY bad news. Love's twin brother, Cloud, who is also a fighter, was stabbed in the back, and love could not alert the med. quick enough! Love will have to forfeit!"
The girl shook her head. Then she turned and yelled "Ranma! You can take cloud's place!"
A red headed Chinese girl wearing a black cloak with the Chinese symbol for fire on the back jumped down onto the platform too. "Lucky me!" she said, smiling.
"Yeah right, Ranma!" Love said, giving the girl a slight smile. "You can't hit a brick wall in front of you so."
"Oh, that's a threat! Now we'll get it!" Ranma joked, as both girls chose their numbers. Obviously, thirteen and fourteen, they stepped back, laughing.
The announcer yelled "now we have most- all of our contestants!" and started naming the matches.
Pan went first. Goku and Uub were next, but they flew away, and everyone decided they wouldn't ruin the tournament for them, so. then Goten against Majin Buu, and Goten, promising Buu ice cream, won that match, trunks against a gay guy, who Trunks practically punched to death, a Captain chicken beat this VERY jumpy idiot, and Vegeta had already KOed his opponent, leaving Love, and Ranma. Love won. Ranma retreated to her seat.
Pan went against Goten. Pan beat Goten.
On and on.
Until.
"Trunks against Love!!!" The announcer called.
Love turned and smiled out into the crowd and she smiled at Trunks. "Good luck," she said.
"? I'm against you!" Trunks said.
"Yes. Good Luck."
"Ok,..thanks."
Love smiled, what looked like a secret smile. She and trunks walked the path to the platform. The white shining bricks glinted as the white rays of the sun shone rather prettily on to them, and across Love's face, making patterns of waving hands and stomping cheering people fly over her clothes, as Trunks saw it. He couldn't believe this girl, like she knew something he didn't, and now, now, he wanted to know too.
Love and he reach the platforms steps, and love climbed them quickly, as if, she was speaking a language Trunks understood, meaning, come, come, let us finish this now. What was she.
She turned to her left. He went to went to the right.
"OK, let this fight.. Begin!"
Love protected herself. She watched as Trunks uneasily moved to his ready stance. Her foot moved forward slightly. That, Trunks saw. He moved to block it, if she decided to begin running at him. But she didn't. She just stood, in this very strange position, arms held tightly at her waist, her legs about an inch apart, and her face set .
Trunks gave up his pretense. He shot into the air, to land an aerial attack, but Love jumped too, to her left and bounced up and ended up right above him. She elbowed his neck. And, when both landed, she was maybe three feet away from him, and she turned and ran at him, her arms outstretched behind her. Trunks turned in time, her attack was a series of harsh slaps ending in a G-clef cannon, or that was what she called it, when Trunks had overheard her talking with her friend Ranma. Trunks decided it was his turn to have fun. He took her left wrist and with his left hand, delivered a perfect uppercut, good enough to knock out a human at any rate, but, she still stood, and like a crazed tiger, she rose and turned, and drop kicked him several times, before he caught her leg as well. Her face changed from steely determination, to surprise. She pried her leg away from him, quickly, and them, backfisted into his face. Trunks looked angrily at her, as if to yell, but he did nothing. He watched her movements, and discovered that her moves would get much weaker and slower, if he could only distract her. But she was hard to change fast enough. He thought. Then, he too, started darting around, easily stopping her attacks when need be she was very good, very good, and Trunks knew she was one of the strongest- but how had she survived that attack he made? Trunks hand, like a knife, slid through the air in a futile attempt to defeat Love, and for some reason, he got her collarbone. He heard a snap. Love touched her arm and winced. She looked up, no hate in her eyes, easily, at Trunks, and smiled.
"I guess. you win . huh?" she said, her voice, light and high, uncaring.
"You can still fight."
"That I could."
"Why don't you?" Trunks asked, puzzled.
"I guess. I feel that you should go on. not me. It's only a tournament."
"Are you sure? Cause, I don't care."
"You wouldn't" she gasped, "It's none of your business."
"What?"
"My arm really hurts, but I'll continue."
"No- wait- explain!" trunks said. Her eyes still on his, she set her left hand to her ready position. Her right hand hung limping, by her side.
Trunks couldn't believe her, but she did challenge him. She flinched when she hit him, and jolted when he hit her. Her eyes still showed determination, her jaw set, she would not scream out her pain in one yell. It came in small yelps, and she wouldn't tremble, not for her life. Trunks decided for her. He picked her up after she had fallen on her injured right arm, and then, turned to the announcer.
"She can't fight anymore." He said, although Love struggled violently in his arms. In a sudden movement, she cried out a word- he could not understand it.
A blue light surrounded her, her eyes shut- and she pulsed with an energy Trunks didn't know.
"Uh?" Trunks asked.
"Wow." Pan said, and the whole z-gang knew then this girl was different, like them.
"Oh no." Bulma said, slowly watching Chi-chi turn away. Love's eyes reopened, her face only showed confusion. "What?" she asked suddenly. Her arm, she moved it backwards, as if she felt a hand on the arm- her injured arm. "What is going on?"
Trunks went pale. The announcer did too. "Folks, you probably couldn't see it as clearly as I can but, this girl is fully healed- and her arm was just broken!"
"BROKEN?!" Love turned.
"Yeah, it was my fault." Trunks said, slowly.
She looked up at him. "And you tried to make me forfeit.yes I remember." And she disappeared
Trunks knew she would reappear, but where?
Love appeared next to him. "I'm sorry, I used a potion. so I forfeit the match."
The crowd was silent.
She continued talking. "So I have to find him and tell him I can't complete the task. that I promised him."
Trunks watched her carefully. She was hiding something.
"May I take my leave?" she asked politely.
"Yeah, sure." the announcer said, slowly.
"I guess I'll see you again, hm?" Love said to Trunks.
"If I ever see you in a crowd, I'll remember."
"Nah. I wouldn't be caught dead. You won't see me, I'll just see you." And with that, she disappeared.
Goten waited for Trunks, with Pan, who was watching ,looking amazed.
"Trunks- that girl was awesome- what did she say to you?" Goten asked.
"She said she'd see me again. but I wouldn't see her."
"Well, that's weird." Goten said. Pan turned.
"I wanna disappear too!" she said. "I'm going to train, really hard! I 'm going to save the world!" Pan said, smiling.
Trunks smiled. Pan had a lot to do. but would he ever see love again?
Love sucked in a deep breath. She promised Tifa and Aeris, she would get the money to pay for the surgery Mr. Kenshin needed. Mr. Kenshin had been her father because she had none. He would die if she couldn't pay for his surgery. Potions didn't even make a difference to his health. Tifa looked up as she opened the door. Her brown hair clouding her brown eyes, and her pale skin let Love know she saw all of this on TV.
"Lv."
"Dad." Love said, falling to her knees and ducking to listen to Mr. Kenshin chest. This sickness made him sweat and it sweat all of the fluid they gave him out of him.
"Oh, Lv." Aeris, a very good healer, but still not good enough to heal the sickness, walked in from the kitchen where she had been fixing an elixir, came and sat next to Love.
Tears began to well in Love's eyes. "If I only beat him. but I couldn't bring myself to. to cheat."
Tifa looked her in the eyes, "Lv, it's not your fault! You did what you thought was right." Love faced Tifa. Her tears spilled, onto her cheeks, onto the floor. "All the fourteen years in my life," she sobbed, "and Dad, he protected me with his life itself. I would be dead if it wasn't for him. I can't save him, not from this sickness. But I want him to live."
Tifa watched her nieces tears spill onto the ground slowly, rolling gently onto Mr. Kenshin's nose and cheeks, but he never woke. Not once. And Love cried herself to sleep.
Trunks and Goten were running away from Pan. Pan had a hammer, and she was not afraid to use it.
"Get back here! I want you to give me back my bandana, Goten, Right now!"
Goten only flew faster. Then suddenly he stopped. Pan nearly flew into a nearby tree. Trunks looked confused.
"Trunks, isn't that the girl at the tournament two years ago?"
Trunks looked. The same short hair. The same cocky steps and careful manuervfering. "I think so." He said.
"Let's find out." Goten said, interested. Pan took her bandana and agreed.
They landed behind her. She turned, slowly.
It was love. Her eyes were the same. They had no color, but kept switching rapidly. Without doubt this was the girl who gave him a run for his money two years ago.
"I thought you said you'd see me." Trunks said.
"But I have," she said. "Good morning, Trunks" Her voice was heavy, like she was carrying a weight.
"Something wrong?" Trunks asked.
"Lv!" a woman called.
"That's me. I gotta go." She turned and began to move away towards a grove of dense trees.
"Hey! Can we meet you here tomorrow?" Pan yelled.
"You can meet me here anyday." Love said over her shoulder. "I'll be here."
"Do you think?" Goten asked.
Love cried herself to sleep night after night.
Mr. Kenshin got worse.
Tifa wanted firewood to sweat the sickness out.
Aeris needed spring water.
When was her life going to become easier? She asked herself, praying a gentle prayer for healing while kneeling beside Mr. Kenshin. She stood up.
"Dad. please get better." she whispered as she went outside, holding her head higher.
Through the dense grove of threes was a small clearing, where she had met Trunks, Pan, and Goten, some time yesterday.
Today, they were waiting for her.
"Love" Pan said.
"Call me Lv. Love is a mouthful."
"Lv. you don't look too good."
She sighed. "yeah, I haven't been feeling great."
"You should meet Bra. That annoying punk makes everyone feel good." Trunks said.
Love laughed. "I doubt anything could make me feel good."
"Are you suicidal?" Goten asked.
"Nah. Just.I don't know."
"You're not as giddy as when you were fighting Trunks." Pan said.
"I haven't been feeling great, like I said, and." silence struck. "Enough about me. How are you? Has Goku returned?"
"No." Pan said, sadly. "Grandpa hasn't come back."
Love looked with concern in Pan's eyes, Pan's black eyes revealed nothing to her. If Pan would let her feelings go, she would understand. "What are you feeling?"
"Pretty much, empty." Pan replied, shaking her head.
"Lv!" Aeris called. "Lv! Hurry!"
Love stood and smiled at Pan. "He'll come. I feel him from here. He's fine. And no." she began to walk away, "he hasn't forgotten his promise."
Trunks didn't know how Lv knew what would happen, but Goku did return, and Pan told him about Lv. Sure enough, he went with them that day to see her.
They waited in the clearing. Soon, Lv, came, head bent. She was wearing along blue skirt and a white T-shirt, and bare-foot. She had her head bent like she was praying, and her eyes closed. She seemed to feel her way through the forest area, not even hitting a tree.
She sat on her stump, where they usually found her, and opened her eyes, slowly.
Trunks noticed her mix of blue and red eyes. What did that mean?
Goku leaned down. "Hey! I know you! You're the girl from the tournament! The one that was late!"
Lv made a small sad smile. "yup. Me. I'm always late."
"Dad's always late too." Goten said, and Lv winced. Trunks noticed.
"Where is your dad, Lv?" Lv didn't answer.
"Lv?" Pan asked.
"He's. I've." Lv began, but she stopped. She wiped her eyes in her sleeve, even though it was short. "I don't know."
"You mean you." Pan asked. Lv nodded.
"Man. you didn't tell us." Goten said.
"I'll bet you never asked," Goku said, full of concern.
"Right." Lv said, even though she looked like she wasn't sure.
"Lv?" Came a woman's voice.
"Aeris." Lv called back.
"Please get me some spring water?"
"Oh. all right."
"Thank you, Lv."
Lv got up and opened the stump she had been sitting on. The inside was hollowed wood. There was a wooden bucket inside.
"Can I come, Lv?" Pan asked.
"Sure. It's kinda boring though." Lv said.
"SO?" pan asked.
"Oh.." Lv turned on her heel and into another forest, and beckoned for them to follow. They did.
A sound like bells ringing, tiny bells anyway, was heard by all of them. "This is a sacred area, that it is. Shh!" Lv whispered over the noise.
The whole group quietly walked to the spring, which was actually a great fountain. The water shimmered in thousands of hues- red, orange yellow, blue, indigo, green purple and so many others that no one could count, as they flowed off the overflowing basins they were in, the color never dulling until it rested in the basin at the bottom of the pool.
Trunks, Pan, Goku, and Goten were mesmerized, but Lv simply got some water, and turned to leave.
"Lv, look! Isn't it.Pretty?" Pan asked.
"yeah, yeah, that's why I like it here." Lv said.
"Wow. what is the water for?" Goku asked.
"Eh. Cooking." Lv said, shaking away something that she felt. "I've gotta go."
Trunks noticed the gentle sway of her hips that made her walk look so arrogant. He couldn't believe that this gentle girl could be so violent if she wanted to.
Pan and Goku and Goten followed her, but Trunks, remembering that this was a sacred place asked whoever was watching this fountain, to deliver Lv safely to his arms- other wise, he was frightened, she would never see the world like a human being.
Lv walked home. Tears stung her eyes as if someone was scratching her with a rake right there, and she didn't want to go inside but she did.
"Tifa?"
"Hmm?"
Lv broke a sweat. "It's so hot in here."
Tifa smiled. "Yes. but now, you can take off that skirt!"
Lv smiled a sad smile, "I guess you're right."
"Do you have the water?"
"Yea." Lv said, holding out the cold water. "it's all yours."
"Thank you!" Tifa poured some into Mr. Kenshin's slightly open mouth.
Lv went to her room, and changed into a pair of shorts, and then she asked, "Can I go out this weekend?"
Tifa answered. "Get up early and bring lots of water and sure yes you can."
Lv clipped her sword to her back, and her bow and arrows too. "Thanks. I'm going to go train."
"Have fun," Tifa said.
Lv left the house. Aeris and Tifa, she knew, never left the house after Mr. Kenshin had been ill. Tifa had been putting heated bricks around Mr. Kenshin and putting water in his mouth. She cleaned the bucket that held the water after it was done being used. Aeris cooked, warmed the bricks, wrapped them in blanket, and put wood on the fire. Lv prayed that she e had a few more chances to earn the money to get some sort of medicine.
Lv shook her head. She wasn't supposed to worry, that, Aeris said. Aeris said that if everyone worked he would live longer. Forgetting the sickness, she strolled lightly through the forest area around her home, knowing that, she must become a better swordsman.
Trunks was upset. Another year had past, and he still felt that something was wrong. Bulma was scheduling a party.
"This time, Goku has to come! Or else." Bulma said.
"Mom, Goku never comes, no matter WHAT you say." Bra said, even though she could hardly wait.
"Yeah, mom. It's kinda obvious he won't come." Trunks put in.
"Oh, yeah? I didn't tell him, but I did say I was making his favorite food, so come visit."
"Mom?" Bra asked.
"Every food is Goku's Favorite food." Trunks said.
Bulma smiled. "That I know."
"You can't possibly cook"
"Never say never!" Bulma said, smiling. She took out a list. "I'm sending one of you shopping. Now.."
Trunks and Bra ran away.
Love turned and with one motion, cut through her target- an old dead tree. It had been burned and scarred, and the animals, sacred to live in it lived nearby, but never went close to that tree. As Lv cut the tree, she felt dizzy and sick, and all of a sudden, she was the tree. She was the tree long, long ago.
"Mr. Kenshin, that child is different, difficult! You'll never handle her!" said a woman.
"I do not think that." Said her father. her father ever since she was two or three, Mr. Kenshin.
"Rurouni, please! Stay with me!" the woman, desperate.
"I am sorry. I can not. not if you cannot live with love."
and then love began to sing. Her song. The one that she learned from a person so long ago, and there were so many like it. it was so high, so beautiful, she began to sing it in the tree. And her voice, no longer labored floated freely over every tree to the forest below.
Trunks landed in the landing where love said she would be. but he saw nothing. For a while he waited. And then, a faint hum. He followed it. The louder it got, the farther he went. Finally, he reach the source. A tree. A tree with a hole, and the hole was singing. So, Trunks, shrugging it off, he went into the hole. Lv was curled inside singing up into the tree. Blue dust was coming out of he mouth, and her eyes were closed.
Trunks looked, then sat next to her. She stopped singing, and opened her eyes. The blue swirls were replaced with bright green ones. Trunks watched her, both of them just stared at each other. Her green swirls got bigger, and brighter. And she closed her eyes and slightly tipped her head, and she had a genuine smile on.
No one talked, but both understood. Trunks wouldn't tell where she would hide. And she would continue her song, no matter how badly she was hurt. Trunks got out the hole, and Lv too. Her back had a quiver and a bow, and plenty of arrows clipped there, and a sword too.
Finally, Trunks spoke. "You any good?"
Lv touched her sword. "Very, I hope." She smiled. "What do you think?"
"I need to see to believe."
"You'll never achieve anything."
"What?" Trunks asked, bewildered.
"If you must see to believe, then you'll never achieve any goals at all."
"Why not?"
"You won't see it. And you can't believe it. So you won't do it."
"Oh."
"Come." She led him out of the dense trees.
"You must know where everything is here."
"Yes. I've lived here for my life."
"With who?"
Lv looked away. She didn't answer.
"Lv?"
"I don't want to tell you. Not yet."
"But"
"It's hard for me. You are one, well no, the second to show me compassion. You, at the tournament."
"I.. did?"
"You did me a favor. For that, I owe you my life."
"Did I?"
"But I have more than that to live on. My values, the ones I were taught, told me not to cheat. I cheated."
"What did I do for you?"
"Pointed out my weakness. The speed thing, you know?"
"WHAT? I never told you I figured that!!"
"you need not, I learned quickly enough by your actions."
"Uh."
She began to sing again. And the forest sang with her. Trunks felt like.he didn't know what he was feeling for her now. But it was enough to pull his stomach in and make him want tears to fall from his eyes. Maybe it was just his eyes. Just now, he felt that he must have scared her, by an action, because, she stopped her singing. And turned. And faced absolutely nothing.
Lv saw tall man, with flowing brown hair, that touched his ankles. He touched her face. "Sing for the moment." he said. "Sing for when your heart is free. Sing for when your soul can fly. Sing for the laughter. Sing for the tears. Sing for those, who aren't near. Sing, child, sing. Sing to heal. Sing, with all your might. One day, one day, it shall save you."
"Sing. for the moment? Sing for my laughter, and for my tears, the moment that he is near or far, sing to love, sing to hate? Sing for time, sing for joy? I must, I must, sing for all life itself," she said.
"That child is all up to you. believe me child, and your future will be clear to you." He smiled. "My child, you have grown. You're short, but you are a perfect height, I know, for your life."
"Who are you, that knows my past, present, and future? Are you Chrono?"
"No, no, not Chrono. I am a friend. A friend of Tifa's old childhood friend. And if you mention my hair." he touched her lips, lightly. "She will know. I will return."
"what.. do you" he faded slowly. "wait, come back!"
He smiled, but he didn't answer. He touched her cheek once more, and suddenly, she felt like she was burned there, or hurt and fell to her knees, working to fix this spell casted on her. and everything went black.
Trunks heard Lv talking to nothing, and in a language he could not understand at all. And then, she fell.
He moved forward, protecting her from whatever was there, speaking with her, but when he was not hurt, he turned to her. He got on his knees.
"Lv?" he asked, knowing she wouldn't answer. "can you."
she stirred, but all she did was put her hand on his leg. He understood. She couldn't move.
Picking her up, he noticed a mark. It was on her cheek. It seemed to be burned in. he didn't know what it said, but whoever Lv lived with might know. He went through the grove of trees she always came and left through. There was a house, a small house, but a house.
"So. this is where you live, Lv?" He asked her, though she could not answer.
She moaned. Her right arm came up to her chest and dropped. Trunks thought she was dying. So he entered the house.
The room was hot. Stifling hot. Like he could stand this for long. Kneeling by some blankets, A woman with chestnut brown eyes and hair, wearing a white T-shirt and shorts, only about twenty, and her companion, a girl with even longer chestnut brown hair and green eyes, wearing a pink shirt and shorts, about the same age, looked up to see him, holding Lv in his arms.
"Who are you, purple-haired one, and what are you doing with my niece?" said the brown-eyed one. Her eyes narrowed. She stood.
"Uh. I'm"
The green-eyed one took Lv out of his hands gently. "To tell her, purple- one, you must engage in battle. Otherwise, she cannot hear you."
Trunks gulped. This woman was crazy. "Listen," he told the green-eyed one, "I don't want to fight. I saw something strange, and all I'm going to do is tell you about it."
"T, he says he saw something strange."
T, or whoever, looked interested. "Well?" she asked.
"T.ifa?" Lv said from where she was as if sleeping. "Aeris. to s..ing.. my life. the man. with the. long. brown. hair."
Now identified as Tifa, the brown-eyed one opened her mouthing an 'o'. "Seproth. has he really come again?"
"Yes." Aeris said. "Lv will never tell a lie." Aeris said. "I hope, anyway."
"Yeah, I know. Little V has no idea what's going to happen."
"and neither do you, Tifa." Aeris said, as calmly as possible.
Trunks looked back and forth. He had no idea what they were talking about, but it must have been bad.
"What is your name, purple-one?" Tifa asked.
"I'm Trunks," he answered warily.
Tifa smiled. "I'm hostile, that I know. Sit for a while."
Trunks went towards where they had been sitting, while Aeris left with a docile and sleeping Lv in her arms. Tifa sat next to him.
"Trunks, has Lv been. well, seeming to hide something from you?"
"Yeah, me and my friend and his niece."
"She told us nothing about you at all."
"She told us nothing about you. No matter when we ask."
"I know." Tifa said. "She has become secretive ever since."
"Since?"
"I will wait for her to tell you."
"NOO! She won't talk at all"
Tifa laughed. "When she trusts you, she will talk. Now go! The time is running short."
Trunks left, but his mind brimmed with questions-above all, who is Lv? And why is she so important?
Lv woke. She remembered the man with the brown hair. She remembered how her cheek burned. And Trunks. Trunks had brought her home. She remembered because she smelt his scent all over her clothes. She also remembered how she felt. She was warm and safe in his arms, no matter where she was, and she knew it.
"Lv?" Aeris poked her head into Lv's room.
She turned. "Aeris, I"
"Yes, I know, you told us everything. And Trunks, your friend, he brought you home." At least that much she knew. What she wanted to know, she wouldn't find out until later, that she knew.
"No, Aeris, I'm. asking about something.else."
"Yes?" Aeris sat down next to Lv on the bed.
"It's personal."
"I won't tell."
"REALLY personal."
"Whisper it to me if you want."
At Bulma's party, trunks tried hard to have fun, but, his mind kept wandering back to Lv. Finally Goten cornered him.
"Whazz wrong with you?"
"Nothing."
"You're lying, man."
"Look, I can't tell you." Trunks said, trying to get away.
"Sure. You haven't been out with the Lv kid again, have you?" when Trunks didn't answer, Goten went on. "Man, I just want to know. You know me and Pan weren't allowed to go, what happened?"
"Nothing."
"Stop it! You're lying!" Goten yelled, and everyone stared.
Pan looked worried. "Is it about."
"Yeah." Goten said. Still staring into trunks eyes.
"What happened?" Pan asked, smiling.
"he's not telling."
"Then."
Goku looked around and figured it out in two seconds. "OH!" he said. "Trunks, what happened?"
"When I say I'm not telling, is it that hard to understand?!"
"YES!" Pan yelled. "you were supposed to tell us EXACTLY what happened, I heard none of it!"
Trunks couldn't believe this. Then Bulma said "Well, explain. Or even better, someone, bring me here, to this place."
Pan and Goten nodded, and rose gently into the air, Goku following, picking Chi-chi up too, Vegeta with Bulma,, Bra Majin Buu, and Yamcha, Roshi, and Tien followed suit. Trunks came as well.
At the forest, Trunks heard her voice again. She was singing, in her secret spot. Her eyes were probably closed and the sun warming her face too.
Trunks wanted to warn her. He whistled. One high, one low. Again. Lv stopped singing. Trunks didn't even hear her, though he knew everyone was staring directly at him.
Lv peered through some bushes. There, people stood. Lv was angry, but she composed herself. She knew, her eyes probably had red swirls, but so what? She got up and quietly walked to them, not rustling a leaf. Trunks was listening. And Pan was blaming him of something. Lv carefully swerved a poison Ivy plant and stood, waiting until the green one said, "She watching us."
Good enough. Everyone started looking for her. The green one went directly for her. She picked up a cloak and dropped and swished it over her in time. He looked in at her, and saw nothing. He still felt her probably so she dissolved away.
"? She's gone!" He said. She was in her stump now. Smiling she watched. Trunks wasn't looking for her. She smirked." Wait, she's here! He turned and she stepped out of her stump eagerly.
"You're funny!" she said, giggling. Trunks stared at her.
"You're eyes are red. You're angry." he said.
"You would know." Pan said. She looked in Lv's eyes though. "You haven't visited in a long time. Nice to see you, Pan."
"Yeah, same to"
"Lv! Hey come on, you've got to deliver more water!" Aeris yelled.
"Ok, I'm going, I'll be back in a minute!" Lv called, and opened the stump and took out the bucket.
Pan looked interested. "Can we come again?" She asked.
"If you want," Lv shrugged. "I don't care."
"Mom, you've gotta see it it's awesome!" Pan said. And Grandma! It's beautiful! You too Bulma!" Pan said.
Chi-chi nodded. "Let's see it."
Bulma snorted. "SURE. Let's see the beautiful water."
Lv looked at her, and her eyes were purple. That she knew. She was angry, but if someone insulted the gods, she knew, it was her who must kill that person. But she didn't know, so.
Lv walked to the end of the forest, and as everyone followed, she felt a pang of guilt. Trunks, who was walking behind the group seemed to be on a leash, pulled by this. Bulma.
When she reach the fountain, she leaned over and scooped water out into the bucket, and "oohs' and 'aahs' went on behind her. She washed her face and smiled.
Her violet eyes pointed to him. He wanted to talk with her but as it was, Goten and Pan knew he wasn't talking to him because he wasn't telling them what happened, and Bulma was angry at him for not telling her where he was going- his excuse was, I'm going to Goten's- and luckily no one else was mad at him. He thought.
Humming, Lv unnaturally jerked her hand in a motion to follow. She left the forest, and didn't spill a drop of water, even though she was running. Everyone followed, dying to go back to the spring, but still following. At the clearing where they met, she stopped them and walked away.
Vegeta looked at her. "Where are you going?"
"Home."
"Bye, Lv!" Pan called.
"see ya!" she said.
Bulma turned to Trunks. "If you were dating such a nice girl, why didn't you say so?"
Trunks Blushed. "I'm not dating her. She was Lonely. I only help."
"Oh, come on!" Bulma said.
But then, Lv cried out, and what ever it was, she was really upset. Trunks could tell she was, by the high tone in her voice. Lv ran back, her eyes bright blue, and her wood bucket too, and to the fountain, because when she came back, she was carrying the water in her bucket. She left again and they heard another splash and a high yell, and a slap. And then another slap.
"WHAT"D YOU DO THAT FOR?"
"YOU"RE IN THE HEAT WAY TOO MUCH, YOU FAINTED! I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!" Lv. Must be Lv.
"SO WHAT? YOU'VE WASTED WATER!"
"SO WHAT? YOU WASTE LOTS OF WATER!!!"
"AHH! LV!!"
"STOP! HE'S DYING, AND IT'S ALL MY FAULT!!!! NOW LEAVE ME ALONE!" lv yelled, and it was quiet again.
Bulma looked surprised. "Who's dying?"
"I don't know." Trunks said, sincerely.
"YEAH right, Trunks."
"It's true!"
But everyone didn't trust him, not at all.
Lv cried. Again. She cried until there were no tears. And then, she slept. She slept until she was full of drowsy sleep and tears that stung and spilled from her eyes. She lifted her head. Aeris sat, staring into her face.
"Are you still upset?" Aeris asked.
"Yes. Go away." Lv said angrily.
"I'm here to say, I'm helping you, no matter what."
"No. No. I killed Daddy, it's all my fault."
"Lv, you can't blame yourself if he's got that terrible fever."
"You don't understand."
"Daddy! Ook, I lost a toofh!" Lv cried. She ran into her dad's safe arms. At least he would stop some of the pain.
"We all lose our teeth." He said, giving her nose a poke. "it'll grow back, but only once, understand?"
"Really Daddy?" She asked, wiping tears from her eyes.
"Really." He said, hugging her. She put her arms around him too. She loved her Daddy more than life itself. He was called Badosai, the manslayer. But that was a mean lie. No, her Daddy was the Kindest man in the world, even if girls thought he was too young to have a child wandering with him, they never really ignored her, not when she saved his and their lives repeatedly. She was very good with a sword. She also had a pretty voice and was very cute and bouncy. She cried though, and never liked being alone, she liked staying with her Daddy. And then there was that day when her Daddy trusted her to a friend of his, who was called Tifa.
" Tifa's going to take care of you until I find what I'm searching for."
"But Daddy I want to help. I want to go with you." Lv said. Now age ten, with a smile that melted boy's heart's ending abruptly when she left,but still, adorable , cute Lv.
"Lv, I want you to come too. But you aren't bound to my pledge to do good for all the wrongs I've done."
"Then I want to be. I want to stay with you forever daddy, I'm scared."
"I'm scared too. But believe in me. And yourself."
"Ok. I'll do it Daddy"
"Good!"
"But write, ok?"
"Sure!"
"You didn't kill him!"
"Not yet."
Aeris, Tifa's friend, told Lv, why she could heal.
"You're magic, like me. I'll teach you all that you can learn about elements and healing, but the rest you learn yourself."
"Ok."
For days, Lv practicied giving her best. And one day, a letter.
"Lv," it said, "I want to keep my promise, and so. I have to tell you, this place is beautiful! I stayed here, in this forest like area for a very long time. But sadly, time is wearing thin. I've got someone for you to meet. He's called Cloud. He's about your age, and her too uses a sword. He has been travelling too. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to come back and get you, because, I think Tifa's taught you all you can learn by now. What do you think? There is no mail guy who'll take my letter, so I hope you don't mind this wet thing. Or at least it was wet. A friend of mine should give it to you, without doubt."
Lv couldn't wait. When her dad came, she bid Tifa good bye.. and began her journey,
Trunks flew over the forest again and again, but there was no song. None. He listened closer. And he heard.
White Refection (song name) I FEEL YOUR LOVE REFLECTION
Mitsumekaesu hitomi ni
[As you gaze back at me]
Egaite harukana "NEVER ENDING STORY"
[A far away never ending story is painted in your eyes]
Kanashimi [kanji: zetsubou] mo itami [kanji: kizuato, shoukon] mo
[Their fluttering seems to shake off the sadness)despair) and pain(scars)]
Furikiru you ni habataku
[I spread open in my heart]
Anata ga kureta tsubasa [kanji: yuuki] wo kono mune ni hirogete...
[The wings(courage) you gave me]
Aa kakegaenai ai no kodou [kanji: kagayaki, kirameki] wo
[Aa I want to feel the pain of irreplaceable love]
Setsunaku kuruoshiku kanjiteitai
[Of the pulsing(shining)]
I FEEL YOUR LOVE REFLECTION
Atsuku yume [kanji: risou] wo kasanete
[Pile up the dream(ideals) thickly]
Ayamachiosorezu ni motomeau seishun!!
[Young ones who desire each other fearless of mistakes]
I FEEL YOUR LOVE REFLECTION
Mitsumekaesu hitomi ni
[As you gaze back at me]
Egaite harukana "NEVER ENDING STORY"
[A far away never ending story is painted in your eyes]
Afuredasu omoi wo suhada de sotto tsutaeru
[I want to softly communicate to your bare skin the feeling that are spilling over]
Yasashiku nareru tsuyosa [kanji: junsuisa] wo dakishimeru mitai ni...
[As if hugging close to the strength(purity) to become gentle]
Aa hageshiku yureugoku jidai [kanji: hibi] wo
[Aa this unsatble age(these unstable days)]
Kedakaku shinayaka ni koeteikitai
[I want to nobily, lithily overcome]
I FEEL YOUR LOVE REFLECTION
Yurushiaeru shinjitsu
[The truth of out acceptance together]
Kuchizuke kawashitara mou nani mo iranai!!
[Kiss me and there is nothing else I need!!]
I FEEL YOUR LOVE REFLECTION
Akiramenai jounetsu
[Beleive in the passion that will not give up]
Shinjite tsuranuku [kanji: tatakau] "NEVER ENDING STORY"
[Our piercing-through (fighting) never ending story]
I FEEL YOUR LOVE REFLECTION
Atsuku yume [kanji: risou] wo kasanete
[Pile up the dream(ideals) thickly]
Ayamachiosorezu ni motomeau seishun!!
[Young ones who desire each other fearless of mistakes]
I FEEL YOUR LOVE REFLECTION
Mitsumekaesu hitomi ni
[As you gaze back at me]
Egaite harukana "NEVER ENDING STORY"
[A far away never ending story is painted in your eyes]
Trunks heard music behind it too. He couldn't believe it. Lv's singing had evolved into this beautiful music? How could she sit and sing so beautifully? And that feeling in his stomach- he reconized it. It was something that he never thought he'd feel-love.
Lv kept singing. Because as long as she sang, she would remember the good times. She would forget that Tifa was upset and that she wouldn't speak to her. She forgot Ranma needed her help to turn back into a boy. She forgot that Aeris needed water, or Trunks or anything. She only knew her, and she loved that feeling. It saved her the anger of Cloud's unnatural escape from the Tournament, and the heat she felt where her father lay dying. For all she knew was her song. Her song. The song she had sung since she was a child. What ever was sealed into that song, she didn't know. She only knew the faces she saw inside. Her real dad's and her mom's, and her Dad who she lived with since she was five, Mr. Kenshin? Was that his name? Yes, him. Tifa's, Aeris. Trunks, Goku, Goten Pan. All connected. And she the middle, the pulsing throbbing middle who sang to keep them together, who sang to keep them apart, to make them different, to make them angry or sad or happy, to make them worry, to bring them tightly into a web she could spin, like a spider. Her reign was only beginning here on this earth. Her friends could become her protection, her heart, her life itself. Her tears, her fears, anything she felt, she could weave them into her web and they could help her. Her eyes glistened, and she sang her song one last time.
Trunks felt like he was going to hurt himself, especially if he couldn't find Lv in all this forest. She was no easier to find than a needle in a haystack. Her music would die and begin again, and he mashed through the forest, trying to find her, but when he couldn't gave up and listened. Her song rang, right through the trees, through him, throbbing, off into the air where it stopped and it faltered blown by the wind into fragments, and scattered everywhere.
And then she came walking through the forest. The forest seemed to part in front of her. And there was something different about her. Something. But what? He didn't know.
Lv kept singing, and her feet moved gently, rolling through the forest, slowly, even though she didn't want to leave, the more she sang, the less pain she felt. It was unbeliveable.
Trunks walked over to her. The blue dust still coming out her mouth, she opened her eyes, but kept singing. Her eyes were fully green. Bright green. She and trunks both disappeared.
"Where are we?" Tunks asked her, the place was white and When he looked at Lv for an answer, she smiled. And then something else answered, while she kept singing.
"You are in a secret place, where no one can ever find you- ever- and here, you can stay, and return when you wish, if you could sing our passage song.. This area is protected by us- the Nameless ones, and You, Sajin Trunks, you and The ancient Lv shall Stay here one day.."
"Ancient?"
But no one answered him. And Lv walked over to him. Like he knew what she wanted, she waited, singing.
Trunks didn't know, but he noticed her arms were open. And he figured, she probably wants something like a...
But she took his hands, and they both changed. Lv had a flowing blue dress, like a bikini top and bottom were solid and the rest of the dress were made of water. And Trunks a tux, like he couldn't afford it. The sleeves were cool against his arms, and before he knew it, Lv was leading him, gently but firmly, through the steps of a dance. Trunks hated Dancing, but it wasn't like he had a choice. She kept singing and he kept following her steps. And after a while they both stopped. Again their clothes changed, only when Lv let go of trunks. Still not believing she could dance- which by the way, she couldn't, but so what?- she ran through the forest to her fathers side.
"Sorry I forgot the water" She mumbled to Tifa.
"Sa'right," Tifa muttered.
"T!!!" Aeris yelled.
"WHAT?" Tifa asked.
"DO it!"
"Sorry, ok? I was upset and I took it out on you and I shouldn't have and I'm sorry," Tifa pouted.
"Come on," Lv said. "Say you're sorry, not a speech!"
"Sorry."
"Better." Lv said, turning away.
"SEE?" Aeris asked. "Much better atmoshepere!"
"You're in the Kitchen It is TWO times colder in there. That's why," muttered Tifa. Lv laughed.
Today, Pan and Goten relcutantly went with Trunks to the forest again.
Pan and Lv got to giggling in minutes. Pan was explaining something, and Lv cut in time to time, but they both were laughing in the end.
"What's all the giggling about?" Goten asked. Both girls looked at him and started laughing again.
"SEE!" Pan said. "I TOLD you!!"
"Oh, come on you guessed!" Lv said, laughing still.
"Nah, I wouldn't lie." Pan said, and finally controlled herself to some glances and giggles. Lv too stopped laughing, and started glance+giggles too.
"Lv? What is so funny? Pan?" Trunks asked.
Lv and pan started laughing really hard and both fell down laughing.
"WHAT?" goten looked at Trunks.
Trunks shrugged. "I dunno."
"Ok.. I'll tell you." Lv siad giggling. "Pan siad that if she told me this and both of us stared laughing that you would ask us what was so funny. Goten first."
"Yeah?"
"I need you to do me a favor though." Lv said, looking at Pan, who was trying to compose herself.
"What?" Goten asked.
"I need you to give me something. sweet. I." Lv began. Pan blushed and laughed.
"I'll help," she said, getting up. "We'll say it together."
"I need you to give me something. I know you can.. its hard and stiff at first, but when I put it in my mouth, it'll be softer and sticky. I love how it feels, hard in the beginning and soft on the outside. And I can feel my tongue wrapping around it, sucking the flavor out till its dry." both girls recited.
Goten's eyes were wider than saucers, and trunks didn't know how he looked but he was amazed the girls would even do this.
"So." they finished, "Can you give me a piece me a piece of gum?"
"WHAT?" Goten asked.
Trunks looked at Goten. Lucky he was wearing baggy pants, Goten was. He was probably hard already. Trunks was. He was happy he had baggy pants on.
"You heard me, gimmie some gum," Pan said, Lv laughed really hard.
"I know you guys got hard hearing us say that!!!" Lv said, while giggling uncontrollably.
"Yea, they seem MUCH more tense!" Pan said, laughing.
"Ho, ho, ho, VERY funny, guys," Trunks said, making a smile on the tip of his lips.
"Yea, REAL funny. I'm dying." Goten said, smirking.
"I know!" Lv said. She brushed off her chest from rolling in the grass for so long. She was still laughing.
That's when trunks noticed her breast. They were large. he wondered what size cup she wore. Mentally, he slapped himself.
NEVER. He thought. Not Now, Not never.
"Hehe, I should get going," Pan said. "Remember we HAVE to go to the mall with Bra tomorrow, Lv."
"You've got it!" Lv said.
"WAIT!" Goten said, following Pan.
Trunks looked over at Lv. She smiled and truned her head to the side.
"Did I fool you, Trunks? Be honest, please."
Trunks sighed. "What do you think?"
"I think you went hard under there," she said, smiling all the while.
"What?"
"You did, didn't you?" She said, still smiling.
"Ok, I did." He said.
Lv began to sing again.
"Don't." he clamped his hand over her mouth. She looked at him, upset. "You could do something better."
"Lmmn Wnn?" (Like what?) Lv asked.
He moved his hand and said, "You think about it.
"Well," she said, giggling, "If you want a hand job, why don't you SAY so?"
"What? Did I ask that?"
"No. but you're acting like it."
"I meant something else."
"Oh. a blow job?" She asked, looking into his eyes. Her eyes were light purple.
"No. think harder."
"Uh. a chance to use my sword?"
"Way off."
"Err. I don't know. What?"
Trunks sighed and smirked. "You've become slow, Lv," he said softly.
"I know," she said, just as soft, as if she was going to blow him away with a breath.
He blinked and looked over at her. "I'll give you what I want you to do."
"Really?" She asked.
"But you have one more guess."
"Well. can I have a hint?"
Trunks ran his finger lightly over her lips. She jumped.
"Guess," he said.
"You want. a kiss." she said, looking up at him with bright green eyes.
Trunks smiled. She looked at him, almost like she was going to push her soft body against his and let him explore her, but she only smiled.
"Well?" Trunks asked.
She looked at him. "Why did I have to" He walked over to her, put his arms around her waist and lifted her chin and kissed her. It was all she could do to close her eyes and lift her arms until they reach his arms and run her hands up to his shoulders and to the back of his neck. She loved the feel of his skin pressed against hers, even though it was lightly. He broke the kiss and smiled at her.
"Wasn't so hard was it?" He asked. Speechless, she stared at him. He shrugged and waved at her and took off into the sky.
In ten seconds, she was at home writing n her diary EXACTLY what happened.
"Lv. come on!!"
Tifa was calling her so frantically, Lv dropped everything and ran.
"Look!" Tifa said, pointing to Lv's dad. He was moving, slightly and his mouth was forming her name, almost slowly, too slowly, and Lv looked up a Tifa. It was working! It was WORKING!
"Tifa!! He's gonna be OK!!!" Lv said, smiling. "He's gonna be ok!!!"
"YES!" Tifa said.
"We can do this!" Aeris said, laughing as Lv did a front flip and landed directly on her toes.
"He'll be ok! He'll finally be OK!!!" Lv sang, jumping and landing lightly on her toes.
"It might take a while, but let's help him through!" Aeris said, smiling at Tifa. "In the mean while, let's have some hot chocolate!"
"OK!" said Lv and Tifa, and Aeris went into the kitchen to make some chocolate. Trunks went to visit Lv the day after. He was surprised himself he had even dared to move the day before.
"Hey." He said, when he found Lv outside eating some bread.
"Hiya," she said, pleased.
"Well, you're happy. What's up?"
"Nothing really," She said.
He smirked. "Yeah right."
She only giggled.
Trunks was now staring at her chest as she looked away. Size c, he decided. C, maybe. a twelve c?
Again, a mental slap.
"Trunks," she siad, looking at him. He looked up into her face.
"What?" He asked. She sat down on the stump and he sat on the grass in front of her.
"About Yesterday." she said, deadly serious. He froze. Not the right move, he thought.
"What about yesterday?" he managed out of his thick throat.
"It was so."
Trunks held his breath.
"So."
Trunks lost circulation in his lower legs.
" sweet." Lv finished.
"That's it?"
"UH. yeah, unless you want something again?"
"I do," he said, getting up and when she stood, he grabbed her by the waist and brought her to the fountain.
She smiled. He put her down by the fountain. The little bells rang joyously and Trunks looked at her with an easy smile.
"This is nice." she said.
He smirked and looked into the fountain. "I want to know more about here."
Lv looked at him. "Ok," she said. "Long ago, there was a king, who wanted all of the people to pay a tax on everything. Even their hair! Luxuries like clothes and long hair withered away into nothingness. The king taxed the houses the farms the food the weight the children. And so, not a penny was left in his kingdom.
"A good man with a cane came and asked one man 'who rules this kingdom so that no one has hair?' and the man answered ' the king, the king, he taxes us bare.' Then the man with the cane asked another 'who rules the kingdom so no one has clothes?' and the person answered, 'the king, the king, his wealth grows.' The man asked a poor child, 'who makes you live all alone,' and the child said, 'the king, he does, I have no home.' So the man decided to help the people.
"using all his strength, the man went to the castle and begged the king to stop taxing his people. The king refused. 'Never,' the king said. 'Not for a flying horse!' the man looked upset and tried again. 'NEVER!' the king roared, 'not for three wishes!' finally, the man asked one more time. 'NEVER!' the king spat. 'not for two million pounds of pure gold!'
"The man looked into the king's face. 'You dare defy a god of his request?' the man asked. The king laughed and sent the man to jail and continued to tax the people. The man who was locked away was upset. He had to think of a way out. He decided that he wanted to look human, because he was a true god. He rolled until he was dirty, made himself look thin and useless, made his hands bleed and pounded on the dungeon bars. 'Let me out,' he called 'let me go!'
"The king had a son, who went by the name of Prince Andrew the third. Or in my words PA for short. PA heard the god's wailing and decided to go look. When he found the god he said, 'who are you' and the god replied, 'I am taxes.' so PA looked at him and said, 'Taxes?' 'yes,' the god said. 'You're father has use me so much and I must collect Taxes from him.' PA looked suspiciously at the god and said, 'are you sure your taxes?' 'I'll swear it to Chrono,' the god said. 'ok,' PA said. 'I'll tell father you need him.'
"The king couldn't believe what his son said. Taxes awaited him in the dungeon. The king ran to the dungeon only to find a whisper of a man. 'What do you want? Where are the taxes?' 'I am Taxes,' the god said. 'I have come to warn you. Do not tax the people anymore.' 'What if I do?' asked the king. The god floated through the bars and disappeared. 'You will see,'
"This god was actually Chrono, and he was upset because of the horrible treatment. He sent a futuristic dog to him. This dig looked like his precious puppy, Sir. Barkalot but wasn't. He was a mechanical version and he sucked up anything the king wanted. When the king wanted food, the dog would eat it. When he wanted drink, the dog drank it. He went to the bathroom and the dog barked until he left. He went to his wife to make love, and the dog bit him. He couldn't sleep, he couldn't play, and he couldn't do anything. He could hardly speak. On the third day of torture, Chrono asked him 'did you like the two days so far?' 'No, the king said miserably. 'I didn't do anything I wanted. I was bitten and barked at and peed on, I can't take it anymore!!' Chrono smiled. 'I shall stop it if you make me the best fountain in the world.' The king agreed.
" 'but, king,' Chrono said. 'You cannot use slaves or servants. You must be the only one to touch this.' The king was worried. But he got to work. He used wood. But he could not make the water flow. Finally he gave up. Chrono cam and the king said, 'I'm sorry Chrono please, I could not make the fountain you asked for!!' 'But you have,' Chrono said. When the king turned, a beautiful fountain was there behind him. The king listened and heard rushing waster. 'I will never tax again!' he said to Chrono. Chrono left the king for months. The king didn't tax anymore. His wife did. The king told his wife that if she ever wanted to lay next to him again that she must tax the people. The queen was upset. She called to Chrono. Chrono turned her into bells and added them to the fountain. The pretty sound made the king wonder, so he went to look. There was money at the bottom. That was what the king wanted. He reach to get it. It disappeared. Then as the water stilled, it reappeared. The king spent his life trying to get the money. Finally he sent the prince to do it. The prince tried. He got the money.
"The king made PA pluck the money out of the fountain everyday. PA began to pray to Chrono. Chrono changed him into the rainbows of water. and burned the castle to the ground after sperading the people all over the world. When those people died they came here. They are called, the Saints, and this is their graveyard. Buried deep under is the kings hidden stash, thousands upon thousands of gold coins. those coins have a curse placed upon them. It is, the one who FINDS the coins and DIGS them up is the kings long lost ancestor, who will die at the sight of money. so you can have the coins. but you cannot look at them. get it?"
Trunks looked at her. She smiled. "That was really long," Trunks said, "but I get it."
"I know," Lv said. She sat down with Trunks. She laid her head on his chest. "It's also a sad story. The wife and the child both died."
"But they made the fountain even prettier," Trunks insisted. "And they also shaped the fall of the kingdom!"
"yea, I guess you're right." Lv said. Trunks laid his chin in her hair. "Maybe one day, the queen and the son will be free. I hope so. but if they aren't."
"At least they can hear your wish." Trunks said.
"Yeah," Lv siad. They sat in silence for a little longer. Lv felt Trunks' heart beating and hers too, at the same time. She was so warm. she didn't want the moment to end. Trunks had his chin lightly on her head, and she didn't want to move. But Trunks moved first.
"Someones coming," he said, moving her gently. "I guess I have to go."
"come back tomorrow, ok?" She asked.
"Ok," he winked and flew off.
Lv sighed and sat and looked into the water when he was gone. She saw the money at the bottom of the water all the time. She never really wanted it. Since she heard the tale she believed she would never be able to touch it. She smiled and said, "Poor PA. He was probably such a nice kid, people wanted to give him gifts, but his dad took them away. He always sounded nice."
Goten caught up with Trunks. "What were you doing, screwing her?"
"NO!" Trunks yelled.
"Liar."
"Come on, Goten. You don't believe me?" Trunks asked, pushing his hair to the side and looking at Goten.
"And why should I? S'not like you've told me anything about it, you know?"
"Goten!"
"Look, Pan and I have figured it out already. She's different. She's not Sayjin or human. So what is she? We're interested, ok. And sometimes, we can't make it. Why? Because our parents aren't rich. They don't have slaves pouring into their house Begging to do their work, ok? We just want to know what's happening, god."
"Goten, I have to clean up too, you know. But that's the story of your pitiful life. I mean, Buu is living with us. As long as I promise him candy, he does the work. And Bra. She works too. I just GET AWAY from it all. I don't even come here sometimes, you know? Idon't even have to come here. And I wasn't screwing her, goddamn it!"
"So? What are you saying? You don't do anything for your self, like I do or Pan, or Lv." Goten snapped. "Buu or Bra. Aren't I right? Is it really true they do the work for you?"
"Obviously."
Goten sped up and flew away. Trunks didn't bother to follow him. Months later. Gathering all of her courage, Lv brought plenty of extra water to Tifa and Aeris.
"Bye," she called as she snapped her sword into place and grabbed her long black cloak. She fastened it under her neck and pulled the hood over her head. "I'm off to South City,"
"have fun," Tifa said.
"Bye," Aeris called from the kitchen.
Lv went outside and disappeared. She reappeared in an alleyway in south city. Coming out, she trotted eagerly down a sidewallk andstopped to lace her boots up, when she noticed a shadow above her. When she looked twice, there were two shadows, both over her not moving not talking, but silenced, like she couldn't see them. She put her knee on the ground and like a racer on a race track, began to run. The two people chased her, relentlessly, and she managed a peek at them. They were tall men, blonde, maybe two times Trunks height, and one was on the chunky side. She bounced over a womans head, ducked a passing vender, leaped over a fence, slild past rocy watersides,and came to a stop at a water edge. The men cornered her. She didn't know wheter it was right to do this but.
She had almost gotten her sword fully out of its seath, when another sword flashed and killed both men, instanly.
"Trunks!" she gasped.
Trunks smiled. Lv was simply staring at him.
"I told you." he said. Lv looked away. He frowned a bit, and then smirked. "Why didn't you kill them?"
"Not like that.." Lv siad. "Not at all."
Trunks frowned. "What do you mean?"
Lv looked at him. "Trunks."
"?"
"You are simply amazing with your blade." She said, with a faint smile. "Aren't you supposed to TRAIN with it?"
"Why I was looking for you. I need to train with someone other than Gohan for once."
"Gohan?" Lv asked, tipping her head.
"Goten's older brother." Trunks sighed. "Come on, let's go."
"Go where?" Lv asked. Removing her hood Lv shook her head and touched Trunks arm.
"Just follow" he said, "You'll figure it out."
She looked upset. "I can't fly."
Trunks put her on his back. "Ok, Let's go."
Lv had never flown before. She looked down at the cities and almost barfed on Trunks shirt. Then she realized she was on Trunks so, there's nothing to worry about, really. she looked over her shoulder and sighed.
"What is it boring? Trunks asked.
"So many clouds." she answered dreamily at first. "They can give you a headache!"
"that's life," Trunks laughed. "All pain and no gain."
"You tellin me?" Lv asked. "I'm not learning about clouds up here."
"More or less they're show," Trunks said, landing in a secluded area. "Here we are."
Lv climbed off his back and looked around. "Someone's here right now.. lotta people. I smell." Lv put her nose slightly in the air. "Goten.. Pan.Others."
Trunks gaped. How did she know from the air that everyone was here? "They were with me a minute ago, here," Trunks said.
"Well, they're here now." Lv sniffed the air for a little longer. Then she looked at Trunks and giggled. "Not fooled Trunks. You've obviously underestimated me."
"what?!" Trunks asked, breathless.
"I know." Lv giggled again. "You think I'm slow. But I'm not when It comes to scent. And the secent here is people. so."
"That's not right." Trunks said.
"So what? I owed you anyway." Lv took off her cloak. Her green tunic and perfectly shined leather boots glowed in the forest's only light. "If you want to take the ground, feel free to attack me." She said, smiling.
Trunks gasped, and then, he smirked. "Ok. I'll see how good you do." He pulled out his sword.
Lv took out her thin reverse blade. Trunks looked at it. It was much thinner and a little longer.
Lv looked at him. She cocked her head and smirked at him. "Well.." She said. "It looks like you're waiting for me to go first."
"No" Trunks lifted his sword and ran towards Lv. She hadn't had her sword even lifted.
Only flashs of light flew past Trunks' eyes. Then, black.
Lv looked down at Trunks as he sank to the ground. "Kuzu ryu sen." She said. "It always helped me out."
She leaned over. Eyes watched her every move. 'Gotta cut this one just right,' she thought. "Cura." she said putting her hand on Trunks' forehead. She felt a slight pulse as energy poured from her to Trunks.
In a minute, Trunks was up. "What happened?"
"I won," Lv said, giving him a huge grin. "Now, everyone who's hiding in the trees can come out!"
Trunks sighed. "Ok, guys, she's known since we've gotten here you're out there."
People stepped out from behind the trees surrounding them, in an exact circle.
"I TOLD you so, Trunks," Lv laughed. "Scents don't pass me!"
"I know. No fair." Trunks said. Goten looked, amazed, at Lv.
"Kuzu ryu sen?" He asked. "Where did you learn that?"
"From." Lv started. 'No,' she thought, 'too hard..' so she cocked her head. "Something's coming."
"Huh?" Trunks said, listening. "I don't hear anything."
"Listen close." Lv waited till all of them were trying to hear it. Then she disappeared.
Trunks looked back at Lv. "HEY!"
Gohan looked too. "She ran away. how come?"
Videl looked confused. "What did she say? What was the move?"
"Kuzu ryu sen," Goku said. "Very nice."
"Yeah, she could teach Gohan something." Goten said, laughing.
Pan sighed. "She's keeping a secret."
"Yeah." Trunks said, sadly.
"You might KNOW Trunks." Pan said.
"I do NOT!!!" Trunks yelled.
Pan laughed. "I'm kidding. I know you don't."
Trunks looked away. "So what?" he said.
"Any way, YOU have lessons, Trunks." Gohan said. "With your boring teacher."
"Shut up." Trunks said.
Lv took two deep breaths. She was hidden in a tree above all the people, and when they started to fly away, she almost suffocated herself. But they were gone now. She disappeared home.
"Aeris?"
"Lv." Aeris said. "I was wondering about your story." "Dad?" Lv, age ten, leaned over and tapped her dad's shoulder. "What's that?"
"I don't know, That I don't, Lv," he said, closing his eyes.
Lv watched her dad fall to sleep. It was night, and they were riding a train. Lv was tired too, but she loved watching the stars. They whizzed by so fast, she couldn't count one. Lv leaned ove and fell asleep too, her head on her arm, leaning against the window.
The next morning, Lv and Rurouni stepped into a large plateau, full of bustling people and STRANGE words.
"Dad."Lv hid her left leg behind his right one. "where. are we?"
"This is." Rurouni looked around. "I don't know. But where ever we are, I'm sure we can find out from a citizen."
"Ok," Lv said, and she saw an old woman at a small drug store. "She's not doing any thing. Let's ask her."
So they walked over. "Excuse me, Miss," rurouni said, slowly.
"What?" the woman answered rudely. "Do ya wanna buy sunin, or 're ya gonna stand around lookin stupid?"
"Uh. we were wondering"
"Weere wonderin what I sold? Well, DRUGS!" she held up opium. "Two cents."
"No. where are we?" Rurouni asked.
"In fronta my face that's were you is. Now scram!"
"But Miss!" Lv pleaded, trying to get an answer.
"I said ta beat it!"
"Come on, Lv," Rurouni said, signaling for Lv to follow.
"Lv? GET back here!" the woman said. Rurouni returned, Lv trotting beside him. "Let's see the kid."
Lv looked freaked out. She looked at Rurouni. He looked worried too. "What do you want with her?"
"Well, to see if she's in good shape! I'll buy the little cheap thing from ya. Sell 'er for good money. Be a wife to some fine peoples."
"No." Rurouni put his hand on Lv's shoulder. "Good bye," he siad, truning and pushing Lv ahead of him to get away.
"FIVE THOUSAND?? TEN MILLION??" the woman called. People stared after Rurouni and Lv. Lv looked at her father.
"You wouldn't sell me. would you Daddy?" Lv asked in a small voice.
"Not for a thing in the world." Rurouni assured her.
"Ok.." she said, looking a tiny bit better. "Just checking,"
Two years later..
Trunks was till figuring out exatcly who Lv was.