1 The Song of an Angel

By ssj Kinara

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ. All I own is Jackie. She came from my overactive, anime-centered imagination. So don't look for her anywhere but this story. You'll be wasting your oh-so-limited time.

A/N: I'm so sorry that this took so long! I had writer's block and then a huge English project and then my mind was elsewhere...you get the idea. Anyway, sorry again!! Gomen nasai! Please forgive me! I was going to make this longer but I decided to make it two chapters instead.

Thanks again to anyone who reviewed! Every time I get another one I feel sorrier for taking so long!

Recap: The silent visitor has spoken! Her name is Jackie and she and Trunks are touching on something that might be more than friendship...

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Chapter four: Past's films

Bulma stood n the hall, silent for a few moments. Then, pushing all of her groceries into Trunks' arms, she gathered Jackie into a hug that no mother could resist at such a moment. She had spoken! The silent little orphan, injured yet seemingly strong, had finally found her voice.

It was as if Jackie had arrived for the first time again. Bulma gushed over her, assuring her that she was welcome in their home and that she would be well cared for and how happy Bulma was that they could finally have a real conversation! The two women went into the den to talk, leaving Trunks forgotten with the groceries.

"Well," he thought to himself as he began to put away the foodstuffs, "at least they're getting along. That's more than I can say about that snapping turtle that I brought home a few years back..."

Trunks soon joined them and the threesome talked for hours. Bulma kept asking Jackie questions about herself, her family, her friends, how her life had been, how Trunks had gotten her to talk, everything! Sometimes, before Jackie would answer, she would pause to keep herself from crying again, and Bulma would apologize for bringing it up.

By lunchtime, Trunks could've written a biography on this girl he'd only met the day before. Jackie Shiro was an only child living with her close- knit family always being in walking distance. All she'd ever really known was in that city. Her best friend, Kathryn had lived next door. She knew the streets well enough to walk them blindfolded. Then, that one awful night, the Androids had come and everything was gone. She'd seen the clean streets turn to rubble, and her memories dashed. She had even seen her family and friends die, everyone that she'd ever loved...

At this point in her story, she couldn't hold back the tears anymore. Her will broke and she bent over, covering her face with her hands and wept.

"Oh!" Bulma exclaimed sympathetically. She got up from the loveseat and kneeled in front of her taking her hands in her own. "Look, Jackie, it's all right. You don't have to say anything else."

"Yeah," said Trunks, who'd seated himself next to her. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We already know the rest of the story."

Jackie sniffed, trying to recover and nodded.

"Okay," said Bulma. "How about we have some lunch? We can talk some more while we eat, if you want. Trunks, you help Jackie to the table and then I need your help in the kitchen." She left, her mind bustling with things to do.



Trunks stood and offered her his hand, but Jackie refused, her eyes still damp. "Why is the world so cruel?" she wondered out loud. "Dad wasn't a bad person, Trunks, and neither was Mom, or anyone back home! None of them deserved to die like that..." She closed her eyes and the tears ran down her face.

Trunks sighed and sat next to her again. "Jackie, nothing that I can say could ever bring back your family."

"I know," she said, wiping away the tears. "But why did it have to be us? We never did anything to those two Androids."

"Jackie," he fished for the right words. "Sometimes...sometimes the worst things happen to the nicest people. And then the best things happen to the worst of people. Other times thing seem to be the way they should. It's just...well, the world never seems to be fair. Maybe we're all supposed to learn something big from this, but I don't know. All we can do is live...and help others live."

Her eyes dryer, she nodded.

Trunks smiled and tried to help her up again.

Jackie shook her head. "I can do it on my own," she said obstinately.

"But your foot—"

"Hey, it's all right." She smiled. "I have a crutch." She gripped the walking stick and eased herself up carefully. "Besides, I hate to feel like useless mass."

"No! Don't think that—"

"No, don't you think that I can't walk." She grinned. "Because I can." Jackie took a wobbling step forward. "Sort of."

Trunks smiled. She sure was something else! "It's not a bad thing to be the one being helped, you know." She tried to ignore him as she tried to walk further. He chuckled. "So, were you always this strong willed or is it a cry for help?"

Still making her way forward, she looked over her shoulder at him, a playful glint in her eye. "Well, it looks like you'll have to figure that out for yourself."

"Ooh, a challenge!" He rubbed his hands together as if in preparation. "I accept!"

She laughed with him and, like a true gentleman he opened the door for her. Both smiling, they made their way to the kitchen.

As soon as Jackie was seated, Trunks went to help his mother in the kitchen.

"It's about time you got here," said Bulma. "C'mon, I already heated up the chicken. You carry out the salad, here."

In a few minutes, the table was set and the chicken and salad were in the center of the table.

"I'm sorry that there's not more to eat," Bulma apologized to Jackie. "We were talking so long that I didn't have time to cook more. Not like there was much anyway, thanks to the Androids."

"It's all right," said Jackie. "I don't mind."

"That's not the point," Bulma was beginning to make herself angry. "Those Androids destroy everything that resemble a normal life. I know you two don't remember how it was before them, but you're young and you shouldn't have to live in fear!" Frustrated, Bulma put her head in her hands. "I grew up in this very house, and it was so different for me. I didn't have a care in the world where my next meal would come from or if I would live another day! You two on the other hand have grown up learning every safety measure known to man by heart! It's like all that Goku worked for in his life was for nothing!"

Jackie had sat through Bulma's rant, letting her get all of her anger out and still listening to what she had to say. "Goku?" she wondered under her breath so no one heard her. "Who's Goku?"

Trunks on the other hand, knew what Bulma could do when she was angry. "Mom, calm down. What's done is done and all we can do is to fight what might happen."

"No! We can still change what happened! We have the time machine, right? We'll finish it and then we can go back and change what happened! We'll avenge your father's death! We'll make what he did worthwhile!"

Jackie, getting even more confused, was now thinking, "What did Trunks' father do?"

"You make it sound as if you know that he fought for us! You told me he never really said what he was thinking, so how do you know that he didn't go into it thinking that it was just another battle to get him stronger?" Trunks had caught Bulma's attitude.

"Go into what?" Jackie asked the air.

"Trunks Briefs, don't you dare talk about your father that way! You should have seen the way he looked at you before he left for South City! He knew what he was getting into! He knew he might never see you, his only baby boy again! I saw him hug you and tell you he loved you and to take care of me! There was a true fatherly love in his eyes! Anyone could tell right then that he was willing to die for us!"

Jackie pressed her hand to her head, as if trying to remember something vague. "...South City...dead..."Suddenly, the picture came together for her and she gasped. "Oh my..."

This time Trunks heard her. He was startled by her stressed appearance. "Jackie? Are you okay? Do you have a headache?"

Bulma finally noticed Jackie holding her head. "Oh, Jackie, I'm sorry." The anger was completely gone from her demeanor. "We didn't mean to upset you. Sometimes I just get worked up and I start yelling without thinking."

"I remember him..." Jackie murmured, a slight panic in her voice.

"Remember who?" Trunks asked, a concerned look marring his handsome face.

Ignoring his question, or maybe not hearing it, she frantically took Trunks' hand. "Trunks, what did your father look like? Was he tall with scars on his face and an orange outfit?"

Taken aback by her questions, he stumbled to find the right words. "N-no. That actually sounds more like...Yamcha."

"Then was he the one in blue with black hair that stuck strait up?"

At the same time that Trunks nodded, Bulma asked her, "Jackie, what are you getting at?"

Jackie leaned back into her chair, her eyes not focusing and tearing up. Slowly she took a breath. "I...I was there... at the first attack. I remember your father... and the rest."

"What?!" both cried together.

"Jackie, you can't remember it," pleaded Bulma. "You couldn't have been more than two!"

The girl shook her head. "No," she said. "My dad...he made a home movie of that day."

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A/N: Ooh, bad me! A cliffhanger! I'll try to get the next chapter out faster, promise! But, the more y'all review the more likely I'll be to working really hard at getting it posted! The button's right at the bottom of the screen, so review away!

Next chapter: Trunks and Jackie go searching for the video! But will they want to watch the horrors on it? If they do, how will Trunks react to it? Find out in chapter five!