AN: Hey guys, I know it's been awhile since I updated this, but I wasn't satisfied with the way it was working out so I decided to rewrite it. I apologize to those of you who read my previous attempt and liked where I was going with it, but I promise that I haven't given up on that storyline yet. It just wasn't working out in this particular story. ForeverNDarkness, thank you for urging me to update this story. Without you I would never have decided to go back and try to finish it as soon as I had.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the character Alyssa.
Chapter One: Wishes, Adrenaline, and Bonding
"Your wish has been granted." a deep voice growled and the wind whistled fiercely before all became quiet once more.
"Wow Dad. She's so pretty." a young sounding voice breathed, breaking the silence.
"I'll say. Yowza." an older voice whistled.
"Knock it off Yamcha." a third voice growled.
"Geez Goku, who pissed in your Cheerios?" the voice identified as Yamcha whined. "I'm just saying, the girl is a knockout."
"And if you lay one hand on her I won't stop Vegeta the next time you flirt with Bulma/Mom." two distinct voices warned at once.
The tone of the voices and the subsequent shocked silence in the room was enough for me to open my eyes to see what was going on. The first thing I saw was a blur of orange kneeling tensely next to me. I tapped him/her on the arm and he/she looked down at me, the tension instantly draining from his/her body.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" the voice was definitely male and sounded very concerned.
"G-san, is that you?" I asked, rubbing my eyes to clear them.
When I lowered my hands, the person next to me came into focus. "Of course silly."
"Good." I smiled sweetly, looking innocently up at him. Before anyone could blink, I lunged at him, pinning him flat on his back in seconds. "Because I would hate to kill a total stranger! Do you know what time it is Goku?!"
Goku laughed nervously. "Calm down P-chan."
"Calm down? Calm down?! You bring me here, at 3 am, in my nightclothes, in front of total strangers, one of whom I've admitted to having a slight crush on, and for what? And by the way, thanks for asking if I wanted to be wished here." I growled, sitting back on my heels and crossing my arms over my chest in irritation.
Goku looked me up and down and blushed. "Sorry P-chan. I forgot about the time difference."
A light weight settled on my shoulders and I turned my head to find Trunks smiling shyly at me. I smiled in thanks and shrugged my arms into his jacket, looking back at my old friend.
"Okay G-san, I know you wouldn't have gone to so much trouble to bring me here unless it was important. What's going on?"
"Cell." the orange-clad man said flatly.
My mouth dropped open. "Goku, don't take this the wrong way, but have you lost your mind?!"
"What?"
"I'm nowhere even close to being ready to face that butt ugly son of a bitch."
"Alone, no. But if you were to say, do that fusion thingy you told me about—"
I shook my head quickly, knowing what he had in mind. "Oh no. No way. I am not fusing with Trunks."
"Fusing?" Trunks asked in confusion.
"Goku learns a fusion technique in the future that his second son and your chibi self learn in an attempt to defeat an enemy even more powerful than Cell." I sighed.
"Did it work?"
"No. But then, your chibi self wasn't nearly as powerful as you are. He and Goten were only nine and eight at the time."
"What about me?" Gohan asked, looking up at me.
I smiled and ruffled his hair. "You had your own quest to go on kid."
"Excuse me, but would you please mind explaining why we had to waste a perfectly good wish on the onna?" Vegeta growled.
"Alyssa is the only one who knows this fusion technique. Besides, it might buy us some time to train in the time chamber."
I groaned and rubbed my temples gingerly. "I knew I shouldn't have told you about the future. Now I'm gonna screw everything up."
"C'mon P-chan, what could you possibly mess up by being here?"
I glared at my old friend. "Does the name Marron ring any bells? Or how about Pan?"
"Gohan's still gonna meet Videl, and Krillin is still going to meet you know who."
"Well—"
Goku gave me puppy dog eyes. "Please P-chan? Think of all those people you can save. You always said that you wished you could make the world a better place."
I sighed. "Trunks, what do you think?"
"Let me get this straight. You know a technique that can take two people and transform them into a completely separate entity?"
"That's about the size of it. The fusion lasts for thirty minutes, and once defused it takes the warriors one hour to regain the energy needed to fuse again. The two beings are mentally, emotionally, and physically joined."
"Will it make us powerful enough to defeat Cell?"
"I don't know Trunks. The fusion won't work unless we are at the same power level before, during, and after. I don't know if I can raise my level to the same range as yours in such a short amount of time."
"It'll work P-chan. Trust me. You have amazing power for a human."
I was skeptical, but while he didn't act very bright in everyday situations, Son Goku was a strategical genius. I shrugged. "I'm game if Trunks is. He is the one with the highest stake in this."
Trunks studied me for a long time, so long that I began to squirm uncomfortably. "I have my doubts, but I trust Goku's instincts. If he thinks it can work, I'm willing to give it a shot."
"Enough of this nonsense. Cell grows stronger as we speak."
I nodded and turned to Piccolo and Tien. "Whatever you do Piccolo, do not let him absorb those androids. I'm taking a big risk here, but maybe, just maybe I can prevent a boy from growing up without his father."
Piccolo nodded gravely. "You'll need something more appropriate to train in."
I nodded and slipped out of Trunks' jacket, handing it to him. Piccolo put a gentle hand on my shoulder and my nightshirt promptly morphed into a gi identical to Goku's, except that the blue undershirt was a skin tight tank top. I knew from the subtle blush on his cheeks that Piccolo had included underwear and grinned, kissing him on the cheek quickly.
"Thanks Piccolo."
I moved in front of Tien and looked up at the three-eyed warrior seriously. "Tien, I want you to remember how proud we all are of you out there. You'll understand once this is all over."
"Thank you Alyssa. You and Trunks be careful in there."
"We will." I turned to Trunks. "Are you sure you want to do this? This fusion may be a bit awkward."
"We have to try."
I nodded and followed him and Mr. Popo to the time chamber door. The short black man warned us gravely about the dangers of the void dimension and then opened the door, revealing the same vast, white-tiled emptiness that was so famous in the cartoon. Trunks and I exchanged a wary look and stepped forward, jumping when the heavy door slammed shut and the lock clicked into place with an ominous sound.
I had the nervous feeling that this was a bad idea, but it was too late now. Like it or not, we were trapped here for an entire year, for better or worse. I found myself inching closer to Trunks as we walked toward the little house in what appeared to be the middle of the void although we both knew merely seemed that way.
I didn't realize I had gotten so close until I bumped into him halfway there and I blushed, beginning to move away. To his credit, Trunks didn't make me feel weak for seeking his reassurance, merely taking my hand in his and squeezing it gently. I relaxed and rested my right hand on his arm, the firm muscles under my palm reassuring. We crept into the house this way, hand in hand and so close that we were practically glued to the hip. The door crept open and a dark shape shot out of it, and I found myself in his arms before I knew what was happening.
"It's just a bat." Trunks laughed, and I could hear the note of relief in his voice.
I blushed against his chest. "I'm sorry."
He looked down at me with a smile. "Don't be. It scared me too."
I had to smile at that. Most guys I knew wouldn't have been caught dead admitting fright and it was delightfully refreshing to hear it from someone as strong as Trunks. We looked at each other for a moment and burst out laughing at how terrified we had been. Trunks grinned and moved away, keeping one arm around my shoulders.
"C'mon, let's get settled in."
I nodded and we walked into the house, exploring it thoroughly. The kitchen had enough food to last even a Saiyan for two years and thankfully, the bedroom had two beds. The bathroom was tiny, but I knew Bulma had likely instilled a solid set of manners in her son and it wouldn't be much of a problem. The only thing that really bothered me was that there wasn't a television or radio. I knew it was going to be too silent for my taste and that it was going to be a long year without any outside noise.
* * *
I sighed as I sat on the bed I had chosen with a pen and a pad of paper I had found in the desk. We had decided to forgo training until after a good night's sleep and Trunks had insisted that I take the first turn in the bathroom. I had found a pair of gi pants and a t-shirt in one of the drawers, so it looked like I wouldn't have to wear the same clothes 24/7. But we were going to have to figure out a way to do laundry or things were going to get unpleasant real fast.
A sudden weight on my legs drew me out of my thoughts and I moved the pad to find Trunks grinning charmingly up at me. I raised an amused eyebrow at the childish gesture, but his sparkling blue eyes stilled any protest I might have had.
"What are you writing?" Trunks asked curiously.
I shrugged and handed the pad to him since it didn't involve him. I found myself running my fingers through his wet hair idly as he read my writing with an intrigued face.
"Who's Goten?" he asked inquisitively.
I smiled slightly. "Gohan's little brother. He'll owe his life to you."
Trunks blinked in surprise. "Me?"
I nodded with a smile. "If you hadn't given Goku the cure to the heart virus, he would never have been conceived. He'll be born around nine months from now."
"Wow. I never thought about that."
"That's only one of the wonderful consequences of your intervention Trunks."
Trunks smiled and took the hand that was idly playing with his hair in his, pressing it to his lips gently. "Thank you."
I blushed. "You deserve to know what a gift you gave everyone here."
He smiled again and looked at the pad again. "So who's Marron?"
I winced inwardly. Me and my big pen. "Krillin's daughter." I said carefully.
"With who?"
"Tell you later."
"Come on, tell me."
"I'll make you a deal. I'll tell you before you leave, all right?"
Trunks pouted, but I wasn't about to risk Eighteen and Krillin's potential relationship. This was one secret that I'd keep no matter what.
"I'm sorry Trunks, but that one's too risky. I don't want to risk her not being born."
"Oh come on, I won't tell anyone."
"No Trunks." I said gently but firmly. "I just can't do that. It's just as important for me to keep that to myself as it was for Goku to keep the identity of your parents to himself."
Trunks had the grace to look sheepish. "Okay, you're right. I'm sorry."
My fingers returned to their idle trek through his hair. "It's all right Trunks. But please don't ask me for more information than I can safely give."
He nodded and we were both quiet for a few moments, reflecting on that. Then Trunks looked up at me with a charming grin.
"Tell me about yourself."
I laughed. "What do you want to know?"
"Well do you have a boyfriend?"
I blushed. "Not exactly."
He smiled. "How can you 'not exactly' have a boyfriend?"
"Well there's this guy I talk to over the Internet that told me he loved me."
"Do you love him?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. I've never been in love before. What about you?" I countered, changing the focus off me.
"Me? Been training and fighting the androids since I was fourteen. Doesn't leave much time for a personal life." Trunks shrugged.
I put a gentle hand on his chest. "So you've never been in love either huh?" I said sympathetically.
Trunks shook his head. "Nope. You're relieved." He said in amusement.
I shrugged with an impish grin. "At least I'm not the only twenty-something virgin. Right Boxer-boy?" I teased.
He blushed. "That's none of your business."
I laughed and slid my hand down to his ribs. "You are! Admit it."
"No." Trunks said stubbornly.
I smirked and without warning, attacked his ribs with my fingers while he laid defensively in my lap. Trunks squirmed and pushed on my hands, but I was relentless, and tickled him until he was breathless.
"Okay, okay." He gasped when I stopped. "I'm a virgin."
I smiled slightly. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about Trunks. And hey, you have a damn good excuse."
Trunks sighed and moved so that he was lying on the bed beside me, staring up at the ceiling. "Yeah."
I set my abandoned pad on the table beside me and slid down so that I was lying flat, propping myself up with the pillow.
"Are you worried about the fight?" I asked quietly.
"A little. I don't want to put you in that situation."
"I don't want to be in that situation any more than you want me to be Trunks. But I can't just sit back and let you risk your life if there's something I can do to help."
He turned his head to look at me and nodded thoughtfully. "Are you really as powerful as Goku says you are?"
I shrugged. "I don't know what he's talking about. I've never been able to do any of the things you can do."
"How did you and Goku meet anyway?"
I sighed. "This is going to sound totally insane, but we met in one of my dreams. You see, I figure that some dreams are really glimpses into other dimensions. That's why you and your world are fictional in mine. The 'creator' of the series caught a glimpse of your world in his dreams and decided it would make a fascinating comic. Then he decided to turn it into an animated television series."
"Makes sense. After all, dreams are low-level connections to the astral plane. You just happened to meet the one person in the one dimension that could actually bring you across the dimensional barrier, that's all."
I nodded. "I'm still not sure why Goku brought me here. I don't buy that it was because of the fusion thing. He's long since mastered the process to bring me into his dreams at will. I would have gladly taught him then and he could have fused with your father."
Trunks nodded thoughtfully. "Goku's smarter than he looks and acts most of the time. He's definitely up to something."
We were silent for a long moment, then I looked up at him through my eyelashes. "Trunks?"
"Hmm?"
"Are you scared?"
"Yeah. You?"
"Definitely. I've seen what Cell can do and I don't doubt that the real him is a million times worse than the cartoon."
Trunks reached out to put an arm around my shoulders and drew me close to him. "I promise Alyssa, I won't let you fight if I'm not one-hundred and ten percent sure that you can hold your own."
I bit my lip and looked up at him. "You'll train me? Not just teach me the basics?"
He nodded solemnly. "I give you my word."
I smiled slightly and laid my head on his shoulder. "Thank you."
Trunks smiled too and bent his head to kiss me on the forehead gently. "What are friends for?"
I smiled wider at the gesture and gave into my body's exhaustion, slipping into a deep sleep. But the last thing I remembered before I was gone from the world was the feeling of being safe and cared for in his arms.
