Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this fanfic except for Katt. Dragonball Z and all related characters belong to some japanese guy. I am of Scandinavian desent...see my point?
Remembering the Past,
Reclaiming the Future.
Part 1: Gathering Storms
(A/N: Trunks is 17 in this. I said it takes place a year after the end of dragonball Z, and I don't know how old Trunks was then, when Pan won that tournament match against Goten, but in this story he is 17. Okay, moving right along! Oh, and that also means that Goten would be 16 too. And, if you couldn't tell, and I'm sure you could, all of you being intelligent beings and all that...*Glances at a chimp* ...not him. Anyway, that 'this' dictates thoughts and that "this" dictates speech. Okay, that's all! On with the story!) (Eh...sorry! I had to reload this chapter due to an error I made that REALLY got on my nerves. Sorry for the inconviencance.)
..............................................................................(Episode 6: Answers)........................................................................................
~(In orbit about Planet Saylari, Battlecruiser Equinox)~
The man on the throne frowned as he looked at the reports scrolling across the screen in front of him. His frown deepened as a particular piece of information scrolled across the screen, then stopped as he halted it's progress to read it more fully. His eyes scanned over the report, telling him that his agent had not reported in as of yet. It could mean that she was just busy, or it could mean that she was dead.
The man on the throne resumed the flow of data while he shrugged his shoulders. He didn't care. It would be a bit of an inconvenience to send another out there, besides the fact that Katt was one of his best agents, but that was all it really was to him, an inconvenience. His plans were in motion and nothing could stop them now, not even a few troublesome Saiyans.
Pressing a button on his desk, he waited while the serving woman brought in a tray heaped with exotic foods and drinks. Yes, he would not be set back at all by this, not at all. He then turned his attention to the serving woman, a Chi-arthai female, quite exotic. He smiled in anticipation. No one could stop him now.
~(Capsule Corporation)~
Katt woke with a start, sitting straight up in bed as the nightmare ebbed away, becoming just that, a nightmare. She sighed as she lay down again, closing her eyes to go back to sleep...then remembered where she was, and sat bolt upright again, looking around her anxiously.
She was no longer in the white room with the bright lights, but was rather in a richly furnished room, three doors lining the walls. She lay on a lush bed, intricate designs drawn onto the blanket she was clutching around herself. By this time, she was thoroughly confused. She was a prisoner, wasn't she?
However, when she moved, she realized that she felt weak for some reason, weaker even than she had felt when strapped to the table. There also seemed to be a dull, throbbing pain in her wrist. Holding it up for inspection, she realized the reason for that pain.
On her wrist was a metal bracelet, with no seeming way to remove it. She wondered about that for a few seconds, then came to a conclusion to her circumstances. The bracelet suppressed her power. The door was most likely locked, and with her power this low, there was no way she could get out. She hung her head in shame. 'How did I let this happen? How could I have been so STUPID!' She flung herself back onto the bed, tears coursing down her face. 'I can't believe...what will happen now? Wait...why am I crying?! I'm supposed to be an expert agent, not some little girl!'
The last word she thought seemed to echo in her mind as memories flashed past, too fast for her to see. At last one seemed to loom ahead, rapidly increasing in size as it filled her whole vision.
~(Flashback)~
The young girl again lay in her room, crying. It wasn't right! Her daddy couldn't be gone! He just couldn't! She continued weeping, her sobs drowning out the sound of the door opening a few minutes later, and a woman walking in to sit beside the sobbing girl, running a hand over her back and making soothing sounds. Her eyes also shone with tears, but were suppressed, as it wouldn't do to be seen crying also.
The girl looked at her mother, tears freely falling down her cheeks. "Why?! Why did he have to go!? It's not fair!" Her mother gathered her in her arms as she cried harder, trying to soothe her daughter.
"Katt, you know this is the way things are, and forever will be. He died for a noble cause, trying to save the life of another." She could hardly believe her own words, but as the priestess, she knew that she had to cope. "He wouldn't have wanted either of us to feel sad about him." She hugged her daughter tightly as tears threatened to spill from her eyes.
The girl's sobs lessened somewhat. "Y-you really thin-k so?" She said, almost pleading.
The girl's mother smiled down at her, a sad, tearful smile. "Yes, he would have wanted us to be happy."
The girl looked doubtful, but looked slightly better, although she was still crying. "If that's what daddy wanted...I'll be strong, just like he always said!" A determined look broke through the tears, then faded as she started sobbing again. "But it hurts so much...I wish he was here, I wish he was here..." The young girl curled up against her mother, crying.
Tears now flowed unchecked from her mother's eyes. "I wish he was here too..."
~(End Flashback)~
Katt lay back upon the bed, crying softly. After a minute or more, however, she sat up, clutching her head. "Why do I keep seeing these things, why can't I remember?!" A sharp pain made her clutch her head harder, more tears welling from her eyes as her head felt like it was splitting open. Then it stopped, just as suddenly as it had started.
She blinked her eyes to clear them of the last of the tears. She could figure out why she kept seeing these things after she escaped. If she could escape.
Pulling back the covers, she noticed for the first time that she was not wearing anything. And someone picked that exact moment to start unlocking the door, much to her dismay.
Realizing that she could do nothing to fight whoever it was in this weakened state, she opted to instead pull the covers around her, protecting at least her dignity. She would admit that she wasn't exactly modest, who could be, with her master around, but she still didn't want whoever was at the door to get any ideas. And she could tell whoever it was was indeed male, judging by the muffled cursing as the doorknob shook violently.
Finally, with a last thump, the doorknob twisted and the door swung open, revealing the person that stood in the threshold. He had lavender hair with blue eyes, and was carrying probably the most spectacular sight she had ever seen. Food. Her stomach growled in response to the aromas drifting across the room from the tray.
The teenager's blue eyes blinked. "You're awake?" He seemed both relieved and confused by this fact.
Katt, even though he was her stomach's savior, glared at him, clutching the blankets more tightly around her. "Obviously! Now who are you and where am I?" She practically shouted at him, startling him.
He got a slightly annoyed look on his face. "Hey, you're the prisoner! Why should I answer your questions, especially when you put them like 'that'!"
Katt grimaced, he had a point. "Okay, fine, you win. What do you want to know?" She couldn't help it as her eyes drifted to the food that was set on the table before her bed. 'Wait! Why'd I just volunteer to answer questions?!' She shook her head furiously. "Nevermind! I'm not telling you anything!"
The teenager before her managed something between a smirk and a smile, to his credit not bursting out laughing as her eyes again gazed longingly at the food. "Well, if that's the case...Dad told me not to give you any food if you didn't answer any questions." He picked up the tray holding the food in question, a slab of delicious smelling meat, some type of vegetable, another sweet smelling thing in a bowl, and a cup containing some type of liquid. Her stomach rumbled again.
Katt widened her eyes. He couldn't just starve her! Her stomach growled in agreement. "I...I still won't tell you anything! I don't care if you starve me!" It was a lie, and she knew it, but she still couldn't bring herself to reveal information just because of food.
This time the teenager did laugh. "Well, suit yourself...I'll tell you what, if you'll just tell me your name, I'll give you some." He exhaled, conveniently blowing the aroma more strongly over to her.
Katt couldn't take it. "Fine, my name is Katt." She looked away, ashamed that she had even told him that much.
The teenager looked at her quizically. "That's your full name?"
Katt glared back at him. "Yes! I don't have a last name!" There, she said it. It was also like admitting it to herself. Why didn't she have a last name? She supposed it was for some reason or other, one which she wasn't that particularly concerned about at that moment.
The teenager blinked, then shrugged. "Okay then...my name's Trunks, by the way." He sawed off a piece of meat with a knife that he pulled from his pocket, obviously not trusting her to a sharp object. He then speared it on a fork and presented it to her.
Katt tried not to grab it and stuff it in her mouth, instead carefully taking the fork from him and inserting the piece of meat slowly into her mouth, trying to taste if it had been poisoned or not. It's taste nearly overwhelmed her resolve to check for poisons, it's smokey flavor spreading around her mouth. After a particularly short test of it, she quickly chewed and swallowed the meat, carefully handing the fork back to her questioner. Her stomach practically begged for more.
Trunks took the fork from her hand, being careful that she wasn't going to attack him with it. After he had it firmly back in his possesion, he asked, "So, I take it you like it?" He again had that half smirk, half smile look on his face, looking ready to laugh at her.
Katt, however, was not going to admit to him that, at the time, it was the most wonderful thing she had ever tasted. "It's okay, I suppose..." Her stomach put up a fierce arguement, demanding that she beg for more if she had to.
Trunks was struggling not to laugh. Despite her words, her face said otherwise. "Okay, I'll give you another bite if you'll answer my next question: What were you doing here?"
Looking up at him, Katt could see that he was ready to start laughing. She gritted her teeth. How dare he do this, knowing how hungry she was! Still, her stomach was steadily winning the battle. "I think you can figure that out by yourself...I was trying to infiltrate this place." She managed to sound bitter, hoping that he wouldn't ask her why she had done that.
Her hopes, however, were crushed. "And why'd you try to do that?" He seemed to think for a second. "Wait...I think I can figure that out. You followed my dad."
So, her prey was his father. Interesting. A plan started to form in her mind. "Well? Your question is answered." Her stomach was still a factor in all of this, however.
An amused look crossed his face as he handed her the fork, another bite of meat speared onto it, which she took cautiously, this time not checking for poison. If she'd already eaten it, what harm in eating more?
His next question came as soon as she had stopped chewing. "Why?"
He was starting to remind her of those annoying questions on testing papers, but her stomach growled again, reminding her none too subtly that two small bites of meat were not nearly enough. She was starting to resent her stomach. "Because it was my mission." She was trying to make him ask more questions, and therefore get more food. This was making her look pathetic though, stupid stomach.
Trunks tried not to look exasperated. "And who gave you this mission?" He held out another piece, albeit unwantingly.
Katt took the piece, eating it. "My master." She then realized that she had told him more than she thought, and, unfortunately, he seemed to realize that too.
Trunks smirked. "And who is your master?"
Katt figured it was time to down his ego a bit as she chewed on the last piece of meat he had given her. Oh, how good it was...but she would not betray her master, even as her stomach told her to go ahead and betray him, the food was good. "I'm not telling."
Her questioner's face fell, then the smirk returned. "Then you won't be getting more food, not until you answer more questions."
Katt glared at him defiantly. "Why don't you ask other questions then?" It was a kind of compromise between her mind and stomach, but it was the only answer she could give to satisfy both.
Trunks rolled his eyes. "Okay, freebee then. How old are you?"
'Well, at least he gave me an easy one...' "I'm nineteen." She reached out and took the meat that was offered. She really did hope it wasn't drugged, however.
He looked suprised at her answer, muttering something about seeming younger than that. Katt wasn't sure whether she wanted to take that as an insult or a compliment. He composed himself again. "Okay-"
Katt wasn't about to give him the chance to speak, so interrupted him. "So, your name is Trunks? Why don't you tell me more about yourself?" She layed down, propped up on her elbow, but one arm was still keeping the blankets quite secure.
He was obviously taken by suprise again. "Um...okay then...well, what do you want to know?"
"Well, what your life is like for instance. I never had the chance to know what it was like to have a normal life..." She let a sad look cross her face. She could still succeed in her mission...if she played her cards right.
"I'm sorry to hear that...well, I'll tell you about myself then, although I would hardly call my life 'normal' by any standards!" He laughed. "Now...well, years ago, I fought a monster called Majin Buu, who looked like a giant piece of bubble gum, and was just about as hard to destroy. Anyway, he beat everyone else, so me and my friend Goten used a technique his dad Goku tought us..." He went on to tell her all about what he had done, up until present. "...so then I got a call from Mom telling me to come home as fast as I could, and, well, you know the rest."
Katt now let the slightest hint of amazement enter her voice. "You must have been very brave, facing down something like that as only a little kid..." If she could just boost his ego a little more...
Trunks sighed, "Actually, I was probably pretty stupid to do that...but now it's over, and you've shown up." He gave her a wry smile.
"Well, I hadn't meant to cause you that much trouble, my master just told me I was supposed to gather information on all of the Saiyans that lived here..." At least she was pretty certain that the food hadn't been drugged by some type of truth serum. She then gave him a wry smile back. "Say...you don't suppose you could possibly find me some clothes?" She let the blanket drop slightly below her neckline for emphisis, making Trunks turn slightly red at that gesture and at the fact that he had been talking to her all that time and that he had not really thought about the fact that all she was wearing was a blanket.
"Right. I'll...uh...be back in a minute." He turned and walked out, locking the door behind him, and also completely forgetting about the food which he had left behind.
Katt shook her head. "Men. Although, I suppose it did help some that he was my interrigator..." She smirked as she looked at the food. "And so easy to fluster, too. This should be both easier and more interesting than I thought..." With that, she helped herself to the food.
~
Trunks walked down the hall. 'That was embarrassing! Jeez, I really shouldn't get embarrassed like that though...' He shook his head to clear it, still trying to track down his mother's power signature, which seemed to be moving from place to place. 'It doesn't help any that she's...well, pretty....but...HEY! WHOA! STOP THINKING LIKE THAT! She is a prisoner! She blasted Gohan through a wall, so she was probably trying to kill us all! ...or maybe she was just acting in self defense, thinking they were going to attack her?' He shook his head again. She hadn't actually made any action indicating anything at all...'Okay! Stop! You really need to stop thinking like that.' He smiled wryly again. "I think she did that on purpose...
He walked on, still trying to locate his mother. 'Okay, how do I know if she's telling the truth or not...maybe a truth serum? I wonder what Ka-the prisoner would think if I betrayed her like that? Wait, why would I be betraying her...okay, this is too confusing, I'm just going to stick to the task at hand.'
Finally arriving at the room she was in, he was greeted by Bulma shoving a pile of clothes into his arms. "Here, take these. Vegeta insisted on stripping her to make sure she didn't have any type of weapon on her...so she'll probably be wanting some clothing if she wakes up. The prisoner, I mean."
Trunks shook his head as he accepted the pile of clothes from his mother. 'She can get so carried away sometimes...' "Ah, thanks mom, but...she's already awake."
Luckily, this comment made Bulma stop piling clothing onto the already giant stack that he was carrying. He blinked when a particular piece of underclothing relating to his sister's name fell from the top of the towering stack to fall in front of his face. Was all this really neccessary? Bulma, however, answered this. "She's awake? Well, you'd better go ahead and get these clothes to her then. I don't trust Vegeta to do it, because he's so supicious that he'd think she was up to something and stand there while she dressed. Phah!" She tossed a few more articles of clothing atop Clothes Mountain for good measure, then pointed back the way Trunks had come. "Okay, go on! And for goodness sakes, don't try to mimic what you father would do!" She glared at him on this last note, and he swallowed, both at Bulma's anger and...well, he DID have an imagination. A highly overactive one at the moment, unfortunately for him, as he staggered back to the prisoner's room.
As he reached the door, however, he found the act of opening the door would present quite a challenge. So, after about ten minutes of trying to balance the clothes and unlock the door, he finally just hit the stupid thing, causing it to open, and realizing at the same time that it had been unlocked for the past nine minutes. Supressing a groan, he marched dutifully into the room.
After setting the clothes down in a pile on the floor, he looked up to see that Ka-the prisoner was looking quizically at him from the bed, blankets again pulled around her. He figured it was his duty to explain. "These are for you. My mom picked them out so you would have something to wear. ...God only knows why she had to pick out so many though..." He muttered the last part, glancing down at the heap of clothes that was now safetly deposited upon the floor.
She seemed to think the same thing as he did as she too glanced at the giant heap of clothing, raising one of her eyebrows. He really wished he could figure out how to do that.... Her voice pulled him from his reverie. "Well, unless you would like to watch me get dressed...?" She phrased it as a question, obviously knowing that what he 'wanted' and what policy dictated were two totally different things.
Nevertheless, he managed to keep a straight face as he replied, "Right...I'll leave the room while you change..." He stiffly marched out of the room, shutting the door behind him firmly. He just knew that she was doing this on purpose...he just knew it...or maybe he was making things up to himself...he shook his head. 'She's a prisoner, I can't think like that. She probably tried to kill us all. Just keep that in mind, Trunks...' He wiped a thin sheen of sweat off his forehead, which he liked to think was from carrying the clothing.
~
Katt smirked as she watched Trunks shut the door firmly, most likely standing right outside of it. 'This is almost too easy...' She chuckled softly to herself, not wanting the teenager outside to hear, lest he become suspicious. Yes, she still had a chance....
Looking over the clothes that Trunks had brought her, she frowned. 'What to wear...?' She decided that his mother was definitely over-zealous, at least as far as clothes were concerned.
After picking out some underclothing, she looked at her choices for what she could wear. A t-shirt would be good, but it wouldn't serve her purposes, and would be easy to grab in a fight. She smiled as she found a spagetti-strapped tank top, a light blue color that seemed unfaded in the least. Perfect. She then pulled on some khaki-colored pants to complete the outfit.
She sat down on the bed and pondered a minute, pulling on some socks. If she was too forward, he might get suspicious. If she was too shy about it, she wouldn't get anywhere. Deciding to be careful of being overly forward, she chose the most likely far quicker path for her plan.
Walking over to knock on the door to signify she was presentable, she sat down on her bed, smoothing the covers where she had ruffled them. The door opened a crack, with his head poking in to see if she was indeed presentable. Seeing that she was, he opened it fully, admitting himself, then closed it behind him.
She smiled at him. "Thank you for the clothes...it was kind of...uncomfortable before, if you know what I mean?"
She nearly smirked as he blushed slightly. "Ah...yes. I see what you mean." He then noticed the tray of food for seemingly the first time, frowning, but Katt only gave him another smile.
"Thank you for leaving the food for me, too, that was really thoughtful..." He had looked like he was about to protest, but then subsided at her words. "So, did you want any more questions answered? I'm in a slightly better mood than I was earlier, what with my headache and all lessening." She propped herself against the head of the bed, leaning against a pillow with her knees pulled up, leaving him plenty of room to sit down. A clear invitation.
He took the hint and sat down, looking uncomfortable. "Okay then...well, why didn't you just ask us, instead of...well, blowing Gohan through the wall?"
"Well, I thought he was going to attack me, for one, so I was just trying to defend myself. Same with your...father? And my master wanted to make sure I got accurate information."
Trunks seemed to accept this. "Alright, that will work...but, why would you think we would lie to you?" He was now frowning, his pride obviously being pricked.
Katt adjusted herself to a new position, sitting on her knees and leaning forward. "Well, I didn't know what any of you were going to be like then...but now I can see that you, at least, are an honest and honorable person..." She let a ghost of a smile appear at her lips as she leaned in far to close to his face for it to have been entirely comfortable.
He leaned back a little, his discomfort obvious. "Well, I don't know about that..." He laughed nervously.
Katt was trying her hardest not to smirk in triumph. Instead, she leaned closer still, putting a hand on his leg. "You're one of the nicest people I've met so far...thank you...you have no real reason to be nice to me...but...you still do...."
Before she could do anything more, however, Trunks practically leaped up, walking quickly to the door. "Ah...I'm sorry, I've got to...um...go train. My dad is...uh...expecting me!" With that, he almost dashed out the door, locking it behind him before his footsteps echoed away down the hallway.
Now Katt allowed herself to smirk. Apart from advancing her plans considerably, she had just made sure that no more questions would be asked for a while at least. She leaned back, thinking. 'He's so sweet...not to mention quite gullable. It's really a shame that he's my enemy...' Her smirk widened. 'Not that I would let anything happen anyway.'
She thought back to the only other two times she had had to use this strategy. One of them was for purely political purposes, but the other, yes, a being that had been strong enough to even challenge her master. 'He couldn't have been allowed to live though, handsome as he was...' She smiled at the memory, then sighed. 'Oh well...might as well think about what my next move will be...' She froze as a thought struck her. 'If my master would be happy if they were dead, just how happy would he be if I brought the Saiyans to him...' It wasn't for personal gain that she thought this, just the thought of making her master happy. 'If I could find some way to lure them...' She set to planning, her mind working furiously on her newest plan.
~
Trunks sighed with relief as he left the room with Katt in it behind him. What was he, crazy? His mind and heart were having a full scale war over the matter as he made his way down to the prep. room. 'She is a PRISONER!...she's also an attractive...STOP! Now, she might have just been being grateful, so don't jump to conclusions...who's jumping to conclusions? She was right in your face...I don't know anything about what the customs she follows are. She could have just been being grateful, as I said.'
Finishing pulling on his fighting gear, he walked through the door towards the training capsule, noting belatedly that explosions were already emitting from it. 'You're crazy, she was just about to kiss you...HOW DO YOU KNOW?! She could have just been leaning in close, that's all...oh, c'mon! You're not new to women! Why are you denying...I'm not denying anything! I don't care what happens to her at all!'
He reflected that it was pretty weird to be arguing with yourself as he entered the training room, Vegeta giving him an annoyed look, then brightening slightly as he saw that his son wore training gear. Trunks was still distracted, however, as he got into a fighting stance and powered up. 'Sure you don't, I'm you, remember?...I don't like her at all!...Yes you do, you and I both know what you really think...Well, I suppose it doesn't help matters any that she's a beau-' He was jolted out of his thoughts adruptly as Vegeta's fist met his face, sending him flying back against the wall.
He gave his father a dirty look as Vegeta just stood there and smirked. "You should pay more attention to your opponent, brat..." Trunks just let out a snarl and charged him.
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(A/N: Well, that's the sixth chapter! This has got to be some kind of record for me as far as time goes...anyway! If you have any questions just post them in the reviews. I will acknowledge them, if I sometimes won't answer them, as if I answered all the questions, I'd give the whole story away. Go ahead, ask away! There will be more original characters in this story, if I haven't said that already. You think that they're just going to hear of all this stuff going on far away? Oops! That was a spoiler! Don't listen to me! Now...that's it then! Please, please review. Also, I must thank DBZ Chick1 for her devout support of my updating! *Grin* I would also like to thank Rai-en-chan for the support they have given me. I'll give you all a couple more chapters to answer the quiz question in chapter 5 before I tell it to any of you. And yes, Rai-en-chan, your answer is CORRECT! You win a cookie. Now, if you can just find out the answer to the one in chapter 5, you'll get to DOM DOM DOM DOOOOOM! Influence the story. As I said, I will not take any ideas that alter the story in a major way, but minor ones, yeah, I'll take those. That's for the quiz question. Now, for another question, this one's easy: What is Katt's race name? And I don't mean Saiyan. It's in the story. Now, that's it for today! Bye! Please review!)
Remembering the Past,
Reclaiming the Future.
Part 1: Gathering Storms
(A/N: Trunks is 17 in this. I said it takes place a year after the end of dragonball Z, and I don't know how old Trunks was then, when Pan won that tournament match against Goten, but in this story he is 17. Okay, moving right along! Oh, and that also means that Goten would be 16 too. And, if you couldn't tell, and I'm sure you could, all of you being intelligent beings and all that...*Glances at a chimp* ...not him. Anyway, that 'this' dictates thoughts and that "this" dictates speech. Okay, that's all! On with the story!) (Eh...sorry! I had to reload this chapter due to an error I made that REALLY got on my nerves. Sorry for the inconviencance.)
..............................................................................(Episode 6: Answers)........................................................................................
~(In orbit about Planet Saylari, Battlecruiser Equinox)~
The man on the throne frowned as he looked at the reports scrolling across the screen in front of him. His frown deepened as a particular piece of information scrolled across the screen, then stopped as he halted it's progress to read it more fully. His eyes scanned over the report, telling him that his agent had not reported in as of yet. It could mean that she was just busy, or it could mean that she was dead.
The man on the throne resumed the flow of data while he shrugged his shoulders. He didn't care. It would be a bit of an inconvenience to send another out there, besides the fact that Katt was one of his best agents, but that was all it really was to him, an inconvenience. His plans were in motion and nothing could stop them now, not even a few troublesome Saiyans.
Pressing a button on his desk, he waited while the serving woman brought in a tray heaped with exotic foods and drinks. Yes, he would not be set back at all by this, not at all. He then turned his attention to the serving woman, a Chi-arthai female, quite exotic. He smiled in anticipation. No one could stop him now.
~(Capsule Corporation)~
Katt woke with a start, sitting straight up in bed as the nightmare ebbed away, becoming just that, a nightmare. She sighed as she lay down again, closing her eyes to go back to sleep...then remembered where she was, and sat bolt upright again, looking around her anxiously.
She was no longer in the white room with the bright lights, but was rather in a richly furnished room, three doors lining the walls. She lay on a lush bed, intricate designs drawn onto the blanket she was clutching around herself. By this time, she was thoroughly confused. She was a prisoner, wasn't she?
However, when she moved, she realized that she felt weak for some reason, weaker even than she had felt when strapped to the table. There also seemed to be a dull, throbbing pain in her wrist. Holding it up for inspection, she realized the reason for that pain.
On her wrist was a metal bracelet, with no seeming way to remove it. She wondered about that for a few seconds, then came to a conclusion to her circumstances. The bracelet suppressed her power. The door was most likely locked, and with her power this low, there was no way she could get out. She hung her head in shame. 'How did I let this happen? How could I have been so STUPID!' She flung herself back onto the bed, tears coursing down her face. 'I can't believe...what will happen now? Wait...why am I crying?! I'm supposed to be an expert agent, not some little girl!'
The last word she thought seemed to echo in her mind as memories flashed past, too fast for her to see. At last one seemed to loom ahead, rapidly increasing in size as it filled her whole vision.
~(Flashback)~
The young girl again lay in her room, crying. It wasn't right! Her daddy couldn't be gone! He just couldn't! She continued weeping, her sobs drowning out the sound of the door opening a few minutes later, and a woman walking in to sit beside the sobbing girl, running a hand over her back and making soothing sounds. Her eyes also shone with tears, but were suppressed, as it wouldn't do to be seen crying also.
The girl looked at her mother, tears freely falling down her cheeks. "Why?! Why did he have to go!? It's not fair!" Her mother gathered her in her arms as she cried harder, trying to soothe her daughter.
"Katt, you know this is the way things are, and forever will be. He died for a noble cause, trying to save the life of another." She could hardly believe her own words, but as the priestess, she knew that she had to cope. "He wouldn't have wanted either of us to feel sad about him." She hugged her daughter tightly as tears threatened to spill from her eyes.
The girl's sobs lessened somewhat. "Y-you really thin-k so?" She said, almost pleading.
The girl's mother smiled down at her, a sad, tearful smile. "Yes, he would have wanted us to be happy."
The girl looked doubtful, but looked slightly better, although she was still crying. "If that's what daddy wanted...I'll be strong, just like he always said!" A determined look broke through the tears, then faded as she started sobbing again. "But it hurts so much...I wish he was here, I wish he was here..." The young girl curled up against her mother, crying.
Tears now flowed unchecked from her mother's eyes. "I wish he was here too..."
~(End Flashback)~
Katt lay back upon the bed, crying softly. After a minute or more, however, she sat up, clutching her head. "Why do I keep seeing these things, why can't I remember?!" A sharp pain made her clutch her head harder, more tears welling from her eyes as her head felt like it was splitting open. Then it stopped, just as suddenly as it had started.
She blinked her eyes to clear them of the last of the tears. She could figure out why she kept seeing these things after she escaped. If she could escape.
Pulling back the covers, she noticed for the first time that she was not wearing anything. And someone picked that exact moment to start unlocking the door, much to her dismay.
Realizing that she could do nothing to fight whoever it was in this weakened state, she opted to instead pull the covers around her, protecting at least her dignity. She would admit that she wasn't exactly modest, who could be, with her master around, but she still didn't want whoever was at the door to get any ideas. And she could tell whoever it was was indeed male, judging by the muffled cursing as the doorknob shook violently.
Finally, with a last thump, the doorknob twisted and the door swung open, revealing the person that stood in the threshold. He had lavender hair with blue eyes, and was carrying probably the most spectacular sight she had ever seen. Food. Her stomach growled in response to the aromas drifting across the room from the tray.
The teenager's blue eyes blinked. "You're awake?" He seemed both relieved and confused by this fact.
Katt, even though he was her stomach's savior, glared at him, clutching the blankets more tightly around her. "Obviously! Now who are you and where am I?" She practically shouted at him, startling him.
He got a slightly annoyed look on his face. "Hey, you're the prisoner! Why should I answer your questions, especially when you put them like 'that'!"
Katt grimaced, he had a point. "Okay, fine, you win. What do you want to know?" She couldn't help it as her eyes drifted to the food that was set on the table before her bed. 'Wait! Why'd I just volunteer to answer questions?!' She shook her head furiously. "Nevermind! I'm not telling you anything!"
The teenager before her managed something between a smirk and a smile, to his credit not bursting out laughing as her eyes again gazed longingly at the food. "Well, if that's the case...Dad told me not to give you any food if you didn't answer any questions." He picked up the tray holding the food in question, a slab of delicious smelling meat, some type of vegetable, another sweet smelling thing in a bowl, and a cup containing some type of liquid. Her stomach rumbled again.
Katt widened her eyes. He couldn't just starve her! Her stomach growled in agreement. "I...I still won't tell you anything! I don't care if you starve me!" It was a lie, and she knew it, but she still couldn't bring herself to reveal information just because of food.
This time the teenager did laugh. "Well, suit yourself...I'll tell you what, if you'll just tell me your name, I'll give you some." He exhaled, conveniently blowing the aroma more strongly over to her.
Katt couldn't take it. "Fine, my name is Katt." She looked away, ashamed that she had even told him that much.
The teenager looked at her quizically. "That's your full name?"
Katt glared back at him. "Yes! I don't have a last name!" There, she said it. It was also like admitting it to herself. Why didn't she have a last name? She supposed it was for some reason or other, one which she wasn't that particularly concerned about at that moment.
The teenager blinked, then shrugged. "Okay then...my name's Trunks, by the way." He sawed off a piece of meat with a knife that he pulled from his pocket, obviously not trusting her to a sharp object. He then speared it on a fork and presented it to her.
Katt tried not to grab it and stuff it in her mouth, instead carefully taking the fork from him and inserting the piece of meat slowly into her mouth, trying to taste if it had been poisoned or not. It's taste nearly overwhelmed her resolve to check for poisons, it's smokey flavor spreading around her mouth. After a particularly short test of it, she quickly chewed and swallowed the meat, carefully handing the fork back to her questioner. Her stomach practically begged for more.
Trunks took the fork from her hand, being careful that she wasn't going to attack him with it. After he had it firmly back in his possesion, he asked, "So, I take it you like it?" He again had that half smirk, half smile look on his face, looking ready to laugh at her.
Katt, however, was not going to admit to him that, at the time, it was the most wonderful thing she had ever tasted. "It's okay, I suppose..." Her stomach put up a fierce arguement, demanding that she beg for more if she had to.
Trunks was struggling not to laugh. Despite her words, her face said otherwise. "Okay, I'll give you another bite if you'll answer my next question: What were you doing here?"
Looking up at him, Katt could see that he was ready to start laughing. She gritted her teeth. How dare he do this, knowing how hungry she was! Still, her stomach was steadily winning the battle. "I think you can figure that out by yourself...I was trying to infiltrate this place." She managed to sound bitter, hoping that he wouldn't ask her why she had done that.
Her hopes, however, were crushed. "And why'd you try to do that?" He seemed to think for a second. "Wait...I think I can figure that out. You followed my dad."
So, her prey was his father. Interesting. A plan started to form in her mind. "Well? Your question is answered." Her stomach was still a factor in all of this, however.
An amused look crossed his face as he handed her the fork, another bite of meat speared onto it, which she took cautiously, this time not checking for poison. If she'd already eaten it, what harm in eating more?
His next question came as soon as she had stopped chewing. "Why?"
He was starting to remind her of those annoying questions on testing papers, but her stomach growled again, reminding her none too subtly that two small bites of meat were not nearly enough. She was starting to resent her stomach. "Because it was my mission." She was trying to make him ask more questions, and therefore get more food. This was making her look pathetic though, stupid stomach.
Trunks tried not to look exasperated. "And who gave you this mission?" He held out another piece, albeit unwantingly.
Katt took the piece, eating it. "My master." She then realized that she had told him more than she thought, and, unfortunately, he seemed to realize that too.
Trunks smirked. "And who is your master?"
Katt figured it was time to down his ego a bit as she chewed on the last piece of meat he had given her. Oh, how good it was...but she would not betray her master, even as her stomach told her to go ahead and betray him, the food was good. "I'm not telling."
Her questioner's face fell, then the smirk returned. "Then you won't be getting more food, not until you answer more questions."
Katt glared at him defiantly. "Why don't you ask other questions then?" It was a kind of compromise between her mind and stomach, but it was the only answer she could give to satisfy both.
Trunks rolled his eyes. "Okay, freebee then. How old are you?"
'Well, at least he gave me an easy one...' "I'm nineteen." She reached out and took the meat that was offered. She really did hope it wasn't drugged, however.
He looked suprised at her answer, muttering something about seeming younger than that. Katt wasn't sure whether she wanted to take that as an insult or a compliment. He composed himself again. "Okay-"
Katt wasn't about to give him the chance to speak, so interrupted him. "So, your name is Trunks? Why don't you tell me more about yourself?" She layed down, propped up on her elbow, but one arm was still keeping the blankets quite secure.
He was obviously taken by suprise again. "Um...okay then...well, what do you want to know?"
"Well, what your life is like for instance. I never had the chance to know what it was like to have a normal life..." She let a sad look cross her face. She could still succeed in her mission...if she played her cards right.
"I'm sorry to hear that...well, I'll tell you about myself then, although I would hardly call my life 'normal' by any standards!" He laughed. "Now...well, years ago, I fought a monster called Majin Buu, who looked like a giant piece of bubble gum, and was just about as hard to destroy. Anyway, he beat everyone else, so me and my friend Goten used a technique his dad Goku tought us..." He went on to tell her all about what he had done, up until present. "...so then I got a call from Mom telling me to come home as fast as I could, and, well, you know the rest."
Katt now let the slightest hint of amazement enter her voice. "You must have been very brave, facing down something like that as only a little kid..." If she could just boost his ego a little more...
Trunks sighed, "Actually, I was probably pretty stupid to do that...but now it's over, and you've shown up." He gave her a wry smile.
"Well, I hadn't meant to cause you that much trouble, my master just told me I was supposed to gather information on all of the Saiyans that lived here..." At least she was pretty certain that the food hadn't been drugged by some type of truth serum. She then gave him a wry smile back. "Say...you don't suppose you could possibly find me some clothes?" She let the blanket drop slightly below her neckline for emphisis, making Trunks turn slightly red at that gesture and at the fact that he had been talking to her all that time and that he had not really thought about the fact that all she was wearing was a blanket.
"Right. I'll...uh...be back in a minute." He turned and walked out, locking the door behind him, and also completely forgetting about the food which he had left behind.
Katt shook her head. "Men. Although, I suppose it did help some that he was my interrigator..." She smirked as she looked at the food. "And so easy to fluster, too. This should be both easier and more interesting than I thought..." With that, she helped herself to the food.
~
Trunks walked down the hall. 'That was embarrassing! Jeez, I really shouldn't get embarrassed like that though...' He shook his head to clear it, still trying to track down his mother's power signature, which seemed to be moving from place to place. 'It doesn't help any that she's...well, pretty....but...HEY! WHOA! STOP THINKING LIKE THAT! She is a prisoner! She blasted Gohan through a wall, so she was probably trying to kill us all! ...or maybe she was just acting in self defense, thinking they were going to attack her?' He shook his head again. She hadn't actually made any action indicating anything at all...'Okay! Stop! You really need to stop thinking like that.' He smiled wryly again. "I think she did that on purpose...
He walked on, still trying to locate his mother. 'Okay, how do I know if she's telling the truth or not...maybe a truth serum? I wonder what Ka-the prisoner would think if I betrayed her like that? Wait, why would I be betraying her...okay, this is too confusing, I'm just going to stick to the task at hand.'
Finally arriving at the room she was in, he was greeted by Bulma shoving a pile of clothes into his arms. "Here, take these. Vegeta insisted on stripping her to make sure she didn't have any type of weapon on her...so she'll probably be wanting some clothing if she wakes up. The prisoner, I mean."
Trunks shook his head as he accepted the pile of clothes from his mother. 'She can get so carried away sometimes...' "Ah, thanks mom, but...she's already awake."
Luckily, this comment made Bulma stop piling clothing onto the already giant stack that he was carrying. He blinked when a particular piece of underclothing relating to his sister's name fell from the top of the towering stack to fall in front of his face. Was all this really neccessary? Bulma, however, answered this. "She's awake? Well, you'd better go ahead and get these clothes to her then. I don't trust Vegeta to do it, because he's so supicious that he'd think she was up to something and stand there while she dressed. Phah!" She tossed a few more articles of clothing atop Clothes Mountain for good measure, then pointed back the way Trunks had come. "Okay, go on! And for goodness sakes, don't try to mimic what you father would do!" She glared at him on this last note, and he swallowed, both at Bulma's anger and...well, he DID have an imagination. A highly overactive one at the moment, unfortunately for him, as he staggered back to the prisoner's room.
As he reached the door, however, he found the act of opening the door would present quite a challenge. So, after about ten minutes of trying to balance the clothes and unlock the door, he finally just hit the stupid thing, causing it to open, and realizing at the same time that it had been unlocked for the past nine minutes. Supressing a groan, he marched dutifully into the room.
After setting the clothes down in a pile on the floor, he looked up to see that Ka-the prisoner was looking quizically at him from the bed, blankets again pulled around her. He figured it was his duty to explain. "These are for you. My mom picked them out so you would have something to wear. ...God only knows why she had to pick out so many though..." He muttered the last part, glancing down at the heap of clothes that was now safetly deposited upon the floor.
She seemed to think the same thing as he did as she too glanced at the giant heap of clothing, raising one of her eyebrows. He really wished he could figure out how to do that.... Her voice pulled him from his reverie. "Well, unless you would like to watch me get dressed...?" She phrased it as a question, obviously knowing that what he 'wanted' and what policy dictated were two totally different things.
Nevertheless, he managed to keep a straight face as he replied, "Right...I'll leave the room while you change..." He stiffly marched out of the room, shutting the door behind him firmly. He just knew that she was doing this on purpose...he just knew it...or maybe he was making things up to himself...he shook his head. 'She's a prisoner, I can't think like that. She probably tried to kill us all. Just keep that in mind, Trunks...' He wiped a thin sheen of sweat off his forehead, which he liked to think was from carrying the clothing.
~
Katt smirked as she watched Trunks shut the door firmly, most likely standing right outside of it. 'This is almost too easy...' She chuckled softly to herself, not wanting the teenager outside to hear, lest he become suspicious. Yes, she still had a chance....
Looking over the clothes that Trunks had brought her, she frowned. 'What to wear...?' She decided that his mother was definitely over-zealous, at least as far as clothes were concerned.
After picking out some underclothing, she looked at her choices for what she could wear. A t-shirt would be good, but it wouldn't serve her purposes, and would be easy to grab in a fight. She smiled as she found a spagetti-strapped tank top, a light blue color that seemed unfaded in the least. Perfect. She then pulled on some khaki-colored pants to complete the outfit.
She sat down on the bed and pondered a minute, pulling on some socks. If she was too forward, he might get suspicious. If she was too shy about it, she wouldn't get anywhere. Deciding to be careful of being overly forward, she chose the most likely far quicker path for her plan.
Walking over to knock on the door to signify she was presentable, she sat down on her bed, smoothing the covers where she had ruffled them. The door opened a crack, with his head poking in to see if she was indeed presentable. Seeing that she was, he opened it fully, admitting himself, then closed it behind him.
She smiled at him. "Thank you for the clothes...it was kind of...uncomfortable before, if you know what I mean?"
She nearly smirked as he blushed slightly. "Ah...yes. I see what you mean." He then noticed the tray of food for seemingly the first time, frowning, but Katt only gave him another smile.
"Thank you for leaving the food for me, too, that was really thoughtful..." He had looked like he was about to protest, but then subsided at her words. "So, did you want any more questions answered? I'm in a slightly better mood than I was earlier, what with my headache and all lessening." She propped herself against the head of the bed, leaning against a pillow with her knees pulled up, leaving him plenty of room to sit down. A clear invitation.
He took the hint and sat down, looking uncomfortable. "Okay then...well, why didn't you just ask us, instead of...well, blowing Gohan through the wall?"
"Well, I thought he was going to attack me, for one, so I was just trying to defend myself. Same with your...father? And my master wanted to make sure I got accurate information."
Trunks seemed to accept this. "Alright, that will work...but, why would you think we would lie to you?" He was now frowning, his pride obviously being pricked.
Katt adjusted herself to a new position, sitting on her knees and leaning forward. "Well, I didn't know what any of you were going to be like then...but now I can see that you, at least, are an honest and honorable person..." She let a ghost of a smile appear at her lips as she leaned in far to close to his face for it to have been entirely comfortable.
He leaned back a little, his discomfort obvious. "Well, I don't know about that..." He laughed nervously.
Katt was trying her hardest not to smirk in triumph. Instead, she leaned closer still, putting a hand on his leg. "You're one of the nicest people I've met so far...thank you...you have no real reason to be nice to me...but...you still do...."
Before she could do anything more, however, Trunks practically leaped up, walking quickly to the door. "Ah...I'm sorry, I've got to...um...go train. My dad is...uh...expecting me!" With that, he almost dashed out the door, locking it behind him before his footsteps echoed away down the hallway.
Now Katt allowed herself to smirk. Apart from advancing her plans considerably, she had just made sure that no more questions would be asked for a while at least. She leaned back, thinking. 'He's so sweet...not to mention quite gullable. It's really a shame that he's my enemy...' Her smirk widened. 'Not that I would let anything happen anyway.'
She thought back to the only other two times she had had to use this strategy. One of them was for purely political purposes, but the other, yes, a being that had been strong enough to even challenge her master. 'He couldn't have been allowed to live though, handsome as he was...' She smiled at the memory, then sighed. 'Oh well...might as well think about what my next move will be...' She froze as a thought struck her. 'If my master would be happy if they were dead, just how happy would he be if I brought the Saiyans to him...' It wasn't for personal gain that she thought this, just the thought of making her master happy. 'If I could find some way to lure them...' She set to planning, her mind working furiously on her newest plan.
~
Trunks sighed with relief as he left the room with Katt in it behind him. What was he, crazy? His mind and heart were having a full scale war over the matter as he made his way down to the prep. room. 'She is a PRISONER!...she's also an attractive...STOP! Now, she might have just been being grateful, so don't jump to conclusions...who's jumping to conclusions? She was right in your face...I don't know anything about what the customs she follows are. She could have just been being grateful, as I said.'
Finishing pulling on his fighting gear, he walked through the door towards the training capsule, noting belatedly that explosions were already emitting from it. 'You're crazy, she was just about to kiss you...HOW DO YOU KNOW?! She could have just been leaning in close, that's all...oh, c'mon! You're not new to women! Why are you denying...I'm not denying anything! I don't care what happens to her at all!'
He reflected that it was pretty weird to be arguing with yourself as he entered the training room, Vegeta giving him an annoyed look, then brightening slightly as he saw that his son wore training gear. Trunks was still distracted, however, as he got into a fighting stance and powered up. 'Sure you don't, I'm you, remember?...I don't like her at all!...Yes you do, you and I both know what you really think...Well, I suppose it doesn't help matters any that she's a beau-' He was jolted out of his thoughts adruptly as Vegeta's fist met his face, sending him flying back against the wall.
He gave his father a dirty look as Vegeta just stood there and smirked. "You should pay more attention to your opponent, brat..." Trunks just let out a snarl and charged him.
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(A/N: Well, that's the sixth chapter! This has got to be some kind of record for me as far as time goes...anyway! If you have any questions just post them in the reviews. I will acknowledge them, if I sometimes won't answer them, as if I answered all the questions, I'd give the whole story away. Go ahead, ask away! There will be more original characters in this story, if I haven't said that already. You think that they're just going to hear of all this stuff going on far away? Oops! That was a spoiler! Don't listen to me! Now...that's it then! Please, please review. Also, I must thank DBZ Chick1 for her devout support of my updating! *Grin* I would also like to thank Rai-en-chan for the support they have given me. I'll give you all a couple more chapters to answer the quiz question in chapter 5 before I tell it to any of you. And yes, Rai-en-chan, your answer is CORRECT! You win a cookie. Now, if you can just find out the answer to the one in chapter 5, you'll get to DOM DOM DOM DOOOOOM! Influence the story. As I said, I will not take any ideas that alter the story in a major way, but minor ones, yeah, I'll take those. That's for the quiz question. Now, for another question, this one's easy: What is Katt's race name? And I don't mean Saiyan. It's in the story. Now, that's it for today! Bye! Please review!)