AN: I'm soo sorry about having most of the words cut off on chapter 4. I didn't realize it until

after it was posted and you know how things are… Anyway here's the fixed version with a little

editing I hope all of you enjoy and sorry again!

Learning to Trust

Chapter 4 School House Blues Part 1

"So," Bulma began glancing at her son curiously. "How was your date?"

"It wasn't a date." Trunks insisted grabbing a jog of orange juice from the fridge. "Goten was

there."

"You just keep telling yourself that, Trunks. You are completely in love with that girl." She said

sighing at her son's stubbornness. [He's just like his dad.]

"No I'm not." He automatically, once he saw she wasn't buying he added. "Is that obvious?"

"Come on Trunks, she might be the one." Not answering her question. Trunks blushed at his

mom's comment.

"Cut it out." He said embarrassed.

"Once you tell me what happened."

"Then it was a date." She explained happy after Trunks had finished talking. "But, Trunks." Her

face grew serious. "Let me give you some advice, not just as your mom but as a woman."

"Sure what is it?"

"Go slow with her…"

"What?!" Trunks asked shocked.

"I don't know if you know but Makoto's not like all of the other girls so be careful." She pleaded

with him. "Don't ruin it."

"What do you mean by that?" Trunks asked a confused look on his face.

Bulma thought about it for a while trying to find the right wording. "She's not like the other girls

you've dated. She thought about her son's various relationships with girls and how they seemed

to be replaced the second she met them and she explained this to him.

Trunks blushed in embarrasses at getting relationship advice from his mom. And Trunks wasn't

sure but was his mom suggesting that Trunks was flighty in relationships?

"Makoto's been hurt before, you can't just date her a couple of weeks and break it off from no

apparent reason. It would be defestating." She added quietly to herself. [For you and her both.]

"Are you saying that I purposely get out of relationships? Because I don't. Like the…"

"No, I'm saying you never had a serious relationship with any of your girlfriends before and if you

want to date Makoto you have to seriously put effort into it. You're almost 18 for crying out loud

you should have by now have had a serious relationship. Now if you'll excuse me I have to get

back to my experiments in the lab."

No sooner had Bulma felt then another person appeared when Trunks didn't want it, when all he

wanted to do was be alone and to think. But no one had ever excused little sisters of having

perfect timing have they?

"Mom's right you know."

"Bra, where you listening in on our conversation?" Trunks asked already knowing the answer of

course she was, it was Bra after all.

Bra's current obsession was talk shows, you know the kind where people try to solve other's

problems by putting their heads where they didn't belong or trying to change someone into

something they thought they should be. She in turn, felt that it was her calling in life to help out

'lost souls' wheither they want to or not and more often than not, they didn't.

"Trunks you're a nice guy and al, but when it comes to dating, you're less than perfect." She

laughed to herself before continuing. "She's right you are flighty when it comes to relationships.

What are you so afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid of anything." He insisted.

"Come on. Then why haven't you ever had a serious relationship?" she wanted to know. "I've had

a more serious relationship than you and I'm almost 4 years younger than you are."

Trunks felt taken back by his sister's words. He had never considered himself to be perfect at

relationships, but to find out that his sister had have a more serious relationship and even his

family considered him flighty was embarrassing.

"You're flighty." Bra shrugged. "So what most men your age are, but just remember that if you

want a serious relationship you have to work for it. She explained using her best understanding

physiatrist voice.

"Are you telling me this because you want to help or because you like to be a physiatrist?"

"Trunks." She said annoyed. "You know I care about you."

"I didn't ask for your advice, Bra." He told her annoyed. "And as far as I'm concerned I never

needed it."

"Gosh, someone is angry, and at me the little physiatrist, think about all of the built up anger…"

"Who never knows when to shut up," He finished for her.

'If you didn't want my advice you could have said so."

"I did, now if you'll excuse me, Dr. Phil. And if you get anymore advice, do everyone a favor and

keep it to yourself." Trunks wasn't purposely being mean to his little sister, but the aggravation of

what to do about Makoto and having so many people telling them they understood when they

didn't and knew what to do when they didn't wasn't building up to much.

*~*

Makoto slowly dragged herself out of bed. She had intended to wake up early and train, but

intentions are only as good as the people who made them and Makoto obviously wasn't feeling all

that good that morning.

Blindly she walked down stairs. The events of last night were still fresh in her head and had she

hadn't slept because of it. It was something that Makoto was used to, for she was constantly

loosing sleep lately.

The young saiyan looked around the house which was unusually quiet. None of Goten's music he

liked to blast extremely loud, no TV, no arguments between Chi chi and Goku, nothing. All she

could hear was soft humming coming from the kitchen.

There inside was Chi chi humming to herself by the sink washing dishes. Chi chi didn't realize

she had an audience as Makoto stood there for a while watching.

Makoto cleared her throat before entering. "Morning."

Chi chi jumped a little before turning around and sighing "Oh it's only you."

"Where is everyone?" Makoto asked.

"Oh, Goku is off training I think, you never know with those saiyains, always flying off and…."

"Did Goten go with him?" she interrupted not wanting to hear Chi chi's opinions on saiyains.

"Goodness no, he's at school getting and education."

"Education?" Makoto parroted confused.

"Goodness, you've never gone to school?" seeing Makoto shake her head she sighed. "Saiyans

have never been a race that is concerned about being smart have they?"

"No." Makoto agreed. "About this school thing…"

"Someone you're age should be in school." Chi chi said. "After all that is where Goten is right now."

"School?"

"School is a place where you learn things that will help you for the rest of your life. About science

and math and the world around you. You can start tomorrow." She decided, "I'll go call them right

now."

"Them?" Makoto repeat yet again. She clearly didn't understand what was in store for her.

*~*

"Hey, Trunks anything wrong?" Goten asked his friend noticing he was being unusually quiet.

"Do you think I'm flighty?" Trunks asked. Trunks unable to shake the women in his family's words

need another opinion, so he decided to ask Goten. "In relationships." He added seeing Goten's

blank expression.

"What?" Goten demanded. "What you've been quiet and haven't because of that?" he said laughing

a little before talking another bite of his sandwich.

It was later on that day and they were both sitting in the cafeteria. "You haven't answered my

question yet." Trunks reminded him.

"Not really." He admitted. "Well maybe a little, you just haven't had a serious relationship yet, take

me and Rei. I was just like you until I found the right girl, you're the same way, and I know it."

"But what if I'm not?"

Goten sighed. "You'll find her soon enough, Makoto might be the one, you know."

"Goten." Trunks said embarrassed.

"I'm only saying you never know unless you try. Give her as shot, a real one to." He winked at his

friend.

"Goten, stop it." Trunks complained realizing that Goten would not be straight with him.

*~*

"What's a school?" Makoto demanded once Goten came home. Trunks she noticed, a little

uneasily, was following right behind him.

"Where's the hello?" he teased. "Someone isn't very sociable today."

"Fine, hello. Now what is a school?"

"You don't know?" Trunks asked incredulously laughing to himself. "How can you not know?"

Makoto just glared at him. "Shut up idiot boy." Turning to Goten and ignoring Trunks she said to

him. "Wherever this school place of yours is, Chi chi decided to drag me along too."

[Great now I'm going to have to worry about her not only when I'm at Goten's but at school to?]

Trunks shook his head.

"What's wrong with you?" Goten asked.

"Nothing."

"Thank you both of you for the wonderful explanation of what your school is. I really appreciate it."

She stated sarcastically.

Trunks deciding on a little revenge said "Well you wake up early and get dragged to a place full of

adults who try to fill your head with useless garbage you won't need and adults who say they

understand when they really don't."

"And when do you get to leave?" Makoto asked. At first she was only mildly anti-going but now

she was dreading it.

"If you survive they let you out when you turn 18. But sometimes if they feel you didn't get the full

horror of it they make you stay for four more years." He smiled as Makoto gulped.

"Trunks stop it." Goten ordered. "Don't listen to him. He's only trying to scare you. How old are

you Makoto?"

"16."

"Good." Goten seemed pleased. "You'll be in our grade."

"Grade." She echoed baffled.

"Yes, grade you see." Goten explained, with some commentaries from Trunks, the basic idea and

what happens at school.

"Well," Makoto started a little hesitantly. "I'm not sure if I want to go."

"It'll be fun. Plus who knows you might meet some new interesting people and you won't have to

hang out with boring Trunks and me anymore." Goten assured her.

"If you're sure…"

*~*

Trunks wasn't so sure how he felt about having to spend more time with Makoto. Sure she was

pretty with those big bright green eyes that seemed to sparkle more than normal when she

teased him. Who wouldn't feel attracted to her? But that was the thing; he was even though she

didn't feel the same. He wanted her to be with her whenever she was around and yet when she

was he wasn't sure how he felt.

"Trunks get out of the bathroom." He heard his sister complain and was snapped out of his train

of thought. "No matter how much you try you won't be handsome so just get out of there right

now."

"Ha ha very funny." He splashed some cold water from the sink onto his face before opening the

door to his annoyed sister. "It's all yours."

"Bout time." He heard he mutter before walking in herself and slamming the door.

Trunks sighed thinking about the day in front of him.

*~*

"What's with all of the people?" Makoto demanded once Goten, Trunks, and she had pulled up

into the parking lot. She looked around the parking lot in astonishment, never had she seen so

many teenage humans all gathered in one place.

"They're your classmates remember, or have you forgotten already?" Trunks teased her.

"But they are so many of them." Makoto explained. "Do we have to stay with all of them at once?"

The two other people in the car laughed. "No, you don't. Now let's go get your schedule."

"Schedule?" Makoto had decided that they wasn't going to be a good day, but one of the long

dreadful kinds that seemed to drag on forever.

*~*

"Here you are." The secretary said in a robotic voice. "I hope you enjoy your stay at our school

miss Kino." She finished her speech offering a smile

"Kino?" Makoto said confused before figuring out she was miss. Kino. "Oh, I hope so." She said

returning a just as fake smile.

"I didn't know your last name was Kino." Goten said after they had left the office.

"It isn't. It's probably something Chi chi made up." She offered shrugging.

"Come on. Let's go." He said grabbing her upper arm leading her to her first class.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

AN:I didn't plan on orginally adding Rei into the story but she'll come in to play in later chapters ::wink::.

And those who are interested the next chapter and hopefully last will be out later this week. I want to

Hopefully finish most of this story and completely finish Piolet before school starts in about 3 weeks

so I can start a Yugi-oh and Sailor Moon crossover in early September. Until next time!