At this time, Trunks was at the meeting point given by the man who sent him the letter: it was a smoky and hazy part of town with lots of bars, whores and brothels: he hated it instantly.  Trunks found the road and stood under a street lamp: it was only 9:30 so he decided to wait for his mysterious possible partner in crime here in some remote form of comfort.  He had smirk at the big business men and rich people that seemed to come here for a bit 'slam-bam-thank-you-ma'am' despite the amount of women who would willingly marry them.  He found it really funny too as young barely legal teens went up to seasoned hookers and tried to be cool, he could almost hear the prostitutes laughing on the inside

[So where are you, you son of a bitch?] Trunks wondered as he scanned the city for an overly raised power level.

It was precisely 10pm when a power level appeared on Trunks's mental radar, only a few feet from where he sat, he looked in the general direction of the power and saw nothing but he knew the person was there

"So, do you want a password or a secret handshake or are we dispensing with the spy bullshit? Trunks asked

"Your jokes are a little stale," the man told him dryly

"Humour has never been something I invested a great deal of time in.  What have you got for me?" Trunks asked

"This is the address of a doctor who works the black market in operations on the brain.  And now, I want you to something for me" the man gave Trunks his information

"What?" Trunks asked

"There is a man in this area; he had a certain vice that must be exposed.  The camera under the bench you're sitting on is loaded with a film.  Use it: my fingerprints are not on it.  When you have the photos, take the camera to the police station, I have contacts whom will tell me if you have done so" the man explained at length

"Okay.  How do I find him?" Trunks asked

"The address is on the camera" was his answer

Trunks looked under his seat and there indeed was a camera: he bend down and picked it up, nothing special, a plain 35mm camera with no real functions.  It is then that a thought occurred to Trunks: was this a real deal, or was this git playing a game, because if he was, Trunks was going to show him some of the nastiest things this side of Andromeda.  Nor was there an address on the camera in any shape or form.

"Tell me, are you really here to help me, or are you playing me for a sap?" Trunks enquired, grinning lightly

The man said nothing

"Okay, well the camera is empty, and on top of that it's a tourist 35mm, how close to you want me to be to this man for incriminating evidence huh, 3 feet?" he snapped

"You are a sharp one" the man retorted and took a puff on a cigarette

"Yeah I am, so what is to keep me from beating the information out of you?" Trunks said aloud

"Nothing, except the fact that I am obviously important in Nerv, I would be missed or noticed if I was beaten up" he outlined the problems faced by Trunks in hurting him

"You argue well old man", Trunks said bitterly

"Good night Mr. Briefs" the man said and left the area, seemingly to just disappear

************

Trunks spun at those words, but the man was gone, as if he had not been there at all.  He searched the whole suburb for him, to no avail.  The man had just disappeared out of existence on this plane faster than Trunks had ever seen.

"So, what I do with this camera now?" he asked himself and looked at it

Shrugging, he smashed it on the ground: then he looked and inside the debris was a bit of rolled white paper, and a used film in its canister.  Trunks knelt and picked them up.  There was an address written on the paper.  He put it in his pocket and turned his attention to the film canister.  Its film was either used or not so he decided he'd check it out.  Quickly finding an all night chemist and photo developer shop, he went and asked the clerk to check the film for him.

"Won't be to long sir" the man said politely and went into a back room

True to his word, the clerk returned a minute or so later

"The film had been used sir, do you want it developed?" he asked

"How much?" Trunks replied

"50 yen" the man looked at a list

"Okay.  When will they be done?" Trunks asked

"By 2 o'clock tomorrow" the man answered

"Okay, I'll be here around 3 tomorrow avo, make sure that no one looks to closely at them" Trunks made his point by motioning at his sword as he spoke

The man behind the counter was a wise old buzzard though, the kind that doesn't scare easily and he simply nodded at Trunks, not a microbe of fear in his eyes or on his face.  Trunks had to return the smile at the bravery of the man as he walked out of the shop and went home.  He would deal with the address in the morning.

************

Else where, a young albino girl lay on her bed: tossing and turning in her sleep from the disturbing images that assaulted her in her sleep.  They were of the same origin as the ones in the Dummy Plug testing tank: only these were even more bloody and dark.  The worst one so far was a group of all these evil looking reptile creatures ganging up on a small girl of some sort.  Then a great golden field shoots up and shakes them off, a warrior; one with blonde hair, green eyes and a temper as fiery as his field had protected the girl, it was also filled with that odd language

"Askra mashiry itoa"

That was the only thing spoken this time, and although Rei had never heard of any language that sounded remotely like that, the phrase still managed to chill her to the bones; whether it was the tone of voice in its delivery or if on some odd level, she knew what it meant.

Then as before, an energy blast headed in the direction she was looking from and she woke up, screaming

"AAAAGGGHHHHHH" her voice was still quiet but still noticeable and very frightened.  A thin sheen of sweat covered her body

[I have to rid myself of these images, somehow] Rei decided, her neck was also still really sore and her head thumped in pain.

Rei carefully lay back down to sleep, her head clearer now and began to snore.  The images returned, but these ones were different: they were happy ones, she saw a young boy with purple hair, a little girl with blue hair and another boy with black hair.  Two adults were in sight: a man with head of hair that to Rei looked like a flame of black: the woman was very tall with blue hair.  Rei compared her to the little girl' they looked related.

Rei watched the family for a few minutes and saw that they were very close, and it seemed as if the adults shared a bond of almost unbreakable strength; she saw this in the ways they looked at each other and smiled, and all sort of little facial movements.

The scene however soon shifted to a dismal scene at a graveyard: the little girl, the woman and the man were gone, a larger group was flanking the young boy with purple hair; presumably the deceased were his family.  Rei felt a short stab in her stomach, who ever the boy was, she shared his pain.  Before the dream faded totally, she saw the names on the tombstones:

Bulma Briefs

Bra Briefs

Vegeta Briefs

Briefs, she knew that name.  Somewhere in the deep recesses of her mind that word used in the context of a name, was familiar to her.

[Purple hair, the boy who I slapped, Trunks, Trunks Briefs] her mind finally put 2 and 2 together.

Then she woke up: it was morning and it was a school day.  Rei groaned a little; she was always very board at school.

***********

Today however, promised to be a little different for all the pilots and the two aliens hiding among them, Hikari too.  In a week, an interschool tournament for good Ki fighters was to be held.  Shinji and Asuka briefly thought about entering, but as soon as they saw the looks on Goten and Trunks's faces, they knew it would be pointless but their resolve to try made them join.  Rei also, in a surprising move, signed up to compete, her reason was that it would help her train as a warrior and a pilot in some regards; an opportunity not to pass up.

In the school yard, Shinji was beginning to notice things about Asuka, she and Goten were almost always together, when it was appropriate and although her aggressive and fighting nature was still there, it had dulled a bit.  Trunks knew why: he could sense their bond getting stronger.  They all sat together under a large tree in the schoolyard; even Rei sat near them

"Well Asuka, what's going on between you and Goten, huh, you two haven't left each other's side if you can help it all today?" Hikari teased

Asuka blushed and grabbed Hikari, pulled her into a head lock, and gave her a noogie

"Hey, don't man handle my girlfriend" Shinji said as he pried the red head off the grumbling Hikari

"I forgot Shinji, that's your job" Asuka said with a wink

Shinji blushed and said nothing.  Goten watched with a big smile on his face.  It faded a bit when he saw Trunks looking, sort of forlornly at Rei, although he knew the proud son of Vegeta would never show it or admit to many, he had been hurt by what happened after that party

"Trunks, why don't you go and speak to her?" Goten suggested

"Because I will respect her wishes; until she revokes that wish, I will not go near her" he responded, eating his sandwich

"By god you are a stubborn bastard aren't you?  Trunks, you are bonding with her.  Now we both know that if the process fails and the bond deteriorates that it can be dangerous for you and it will be dangerous for her" Goten whispered through clenched teeth

"Only if it was more advanced like yours is," Trunks argued

"Bullshit.  You know that if you don't restore your relationship with her then she's going to go through a painful and frightening process with no one to help her.  Are you willing to do that?" he asked, knowing Trunks's weaknesses in this matter.

"No" he choked out

"Then get your ass over there and speak with her" Goten said, nearly kicking Trunks over to Rei.

Before that could happen though, the bell rang and the children were ushered into class

[Damn it] Trunks cursed

**************

Rei's head was again thumping like mad, so badly her vision began to blur and double up.  She began to feel dizzy and nausea had set in from something.  She tried to stand up.

"Ms. Ayanami, sit down" the teacher said, but he stopped as soon as he saw what sort of state she was in

Rei walked forward a few steps and then fell down.  Quicker than the eye could see, Trunks was beside her and had caught her, several desks had been knocked over.  Rei had begun to shake and convulse.  Some of the weaker students backed away in horror.  Rei began to speak in an odd tongue: few in the room had ever heard it before

"Makra, janir mafoo" Trunks recognised it instantly, Saiyen gibberish

[SHIT!], he would of yelled but managed to keep quiet

"Is that some kind of relapse?" someone asked

[I have to get her out of here] Trunks realised; he looked at the wall

A thought crossed his mind and for the second time for the girl in his arms, Trunks refused to think rationally and using an invisible Ki wave, shattered the wall to the outside and picked her up.  As he stood paramedics bearing the Nerv logo ran into the room and drew weapons

"Put the 1st Child down" the tall one commanded

"Put the pop gun down idiot" Trunks snarled, his voice was like wind, cold and strong

"If you do not put the 1st Child down, then I will shoot you," he repeated

"Are you mad man, you're in a room of kids" the teacher shouted

"Silence" the other medic said

"Listen to me now humans.  I hold a great power in myself, one far greater than all your warriors put together.  And if you come near this girl, you will face my fury.  All of it" Trunks said and began to float up into the air

The medics were not convinced and were about to open fire when Shinji and Asuka jumped in front of them, powered up and ready

"Stand down, private" Asuka said, her hair flicking in the wind her field made

"That's an order from a superior officer.  Stand down!" Shinji went drill sergeant on them.

With a great deal of reluctance, the pair lowered their guns and stood to attention

"Now, you were never here, this never happened, you heard none of what Trunks said and you didn't see her.  Get it?" Asuka asked the two men

"Yes ma'am" they chorused

Trunks thanked them and flew out of the window towards his apartment to help save his bond mate, even if it killed him.

************

Ritsuko was in her lab: she had finally managed to grab a private moment and was testing the knife Trunks cut his hand on: there was enough blood on it to do several tests.  She put it in the analyser and asked the computer to scan it against the small sample on the plug metal; she waited and had a smoke while she was at it.  Ritsuko nearly burst into fits of laughter at the sight of Maya's face that morning: she was so nervous that Trunks had said she was gay and Ritsuko was her lover that she's avoided her long time friend almost all day

"That girl will give herself an ulcer if she's not careful" Ritsuko smirked to herself as she thought of all the stress Maya put herself under

Just then, Sub-Commander Fuyutski walked into the lab, startling Ritsuko

"Sorry to disturb you Dr. Akagi, but I need to borrow your expertise for a minute" the old man explained tiredly

"Sir, in this doctor's opinion, you look like hell and need sleep.  Go home" she said; that man pushed himself to hard, even for a military man

"Yeah, maybe you're right doctor, I'm sure the sync test results can wait till morning.  Goodnight" he replied, yawning in the middle of his sentence.  He went on his way

Ritsuko sighed in relief; if she'd left the lab, anyone could of seen those test results, and then all hell could break lose, and given the current situation with aliens, she doubted the public would welcome new ones, even those who would help them.

Ritsuko laughed; she was only playing along because no one had ever done something this sweet for her sister and she was willing to play this bit out for fun.  She had given Maya's question of was he dangerous some thought, Ritsuko had concluded that no, Trunks was not dangerous, a bit odd yes but not dangerous

The machine beeped after nearly an hour to tell Ritsuko that it was finished.  Smiling the scientist clicked the PC on and she nearly dropped her cigarette:

SCAN CONCLUDED.         RESULT:         SAMPLES = PERFECT MATCH

Ritsuko thought the boy was joking, taking a chivalry thing way too far and she ran the test but it was true, this boy was the force of nature that decimated an Angel with his bare hands, well, with Ki too but it was a quantum leap above what they could do.

"Sweet Jesus, he wasn't joking", she gasped.

Thinking quickly, Ritsuko grabbed the knife and put it in the nearest incinerator, she locked both the plug metal blood sample and the knife blood sample in her safe.  Then encrypted the test results onto a private database.  She was sure that it would be safe there.

Now she faced the dilemma of what to do: her sister was the object of affection of the most powerful being on the planet Earth, and now her previous judgement of him was called into question and Maya's question now held more relevance than when it was asked

"Is he dangerous?" she asked aloud, not knowing that listening devices recorded her every word.