Sea of Hazel
Child of the Goddess
Chapter III: Protection of a Warrior
Beneath the cover of darkness she fled, senses on edge despite her weakened state. She pumped her legs harder, faster; sweat
matting golden bangs to her forehead just beneath the hooded cloak. Usagi cursed. Her first assignment and she gets captured by the enemy.
And whats worse, she didn't even have the heart to kill them while they slept, just beyond the walls of the room she had awoken in. Yet for the life
of her she could not remember how she came to be in that unfamiliar room, weak and powerless and alone.
But one thing was for sure. She had been captured by the enemy. And she had failed Vegeta.
'Weakling.' she cursed herself, 'You're a damn weakling.'
She ran faster, determined to somehow wash away the shame with the burning of her tired muscles. Her weakened body, however, soon began
to protest and she reluctantly gave in, coming to rest at the edge of a small pond. She collasped to her knees, breath ragged as she stared into
the placid water at her own reflection. Where was Vegeta? Had something happened to him? No, of course nothing had happened to him-- he was
Vegeta, Prince of Vegetasei, and the strongest man she had ever known. But then, why could she not find his ki? Was she so weak that her senses
were also depleted? She sighed, her pulse begining to slow. She was such a fool, and between her three candid mentors, she'd never live this down.
"Did you really think you'd get far?"
She gasped, spining to face the voice behind her. A figure leaned impassively against a nearby tree draped in shadows, arms crossed as he
peered at her through a mildly curious sapphire gaze. She mentally cursed. What was the matter with her? She should have felt his pressence
from a mile away.
"What are you doing out here anyway?" He spoke again, but she opted for silence, glaring her hatred towards the man who dared follow her.
Her eyes shifted to the sword handle protruding from behind his broad shoulder. Noticing this, he stepped forward and she stood, falling into a
fighting stance.
"I'm not going to hurt you. What kind of fight would that be? You can barely stand."
She scowled, knowing the statement was all too true, but as she opened her mouth for a vicious retort, her vision blurred and her knees gave out,
sending her into the murky water. She coughed at the liguid invading her lungs, her chest burning with the lack of oxygen as she sank further into the
grimy deep. She almost had to laugh at herself... it was such a stupid way for a trained warrior to die. Though trained as she may be, she knew nothing
of swimming-- Vegetasei wasn't renown for it's water, after all. Just as her consiousness began to ebb away, strong arms encased her from behind,
pulling her back to life. She gasped for air, coughing out the vile liguid as she clutched the man's soaken shirt like a life perserver.
Trunks heaved a sigh of utter annoyance, raking a hand through drenched lilac hair as she coughed into his chest. He couldn't believe he was
out sauntering around in the middle of nowhere at two in the morning. He had better things to do then go after some strange woman to whom he
had just pledged his life not twenty-four hours ago. Sighing, he glanced down at the girl in his arms as her breathing calmed, absently brushing a few
matted bangs from her paled face. She really was more trouble then she was worth.
Usagi buried herself further into the warmth of his chest, her pale fingers clutching his shoulders as the sodden cloak began to weigh her down
further into the already neck-high water. Her eyes flickered up to his dark visage beneath lowered lashes, watching sheepishly as his frown deepened
with every drop of water that rolled languidly down his face. He really was quite handsom, she absently realized, noticing his uncommon shade
of lilac hair, drenched though it was.
Her eyes lowered to his broad chest as she let out a shaky breath.
"Thank you." she said almost inaudiably in a voice that sounded more like an angel's then a half-drowned blond bombshell, "For saving my life."
He didn't answer, only gathered her in his arms as they levitated from the chilly water and flew through the black sky. She didin't protest, feeling
her heavy eyelids drooping. She vaquely realized that Earth seemed to have a clearer sky than that of her home planet, a much more peaceful,
brighter star-ladden sky.
Usagi shivered against the cold of the wind and he slowed, tightening his warm embrace.
"Why did you do it? Save my life, i mean." Curiousity got the best of her as her gaze traveled to his higlighted face, wondering in all truthfulness
why he hadn't just left her there to die.
He returned her gaze. "I made a promise. I keep my promises."
It didn't help that his limbs were threatened to be torn one by one from his bloody and mangled body, of course, but he had made a
promise to protect this girl and he intended to keep it. Usagi left the subject at that and the rest of the trip was made in silence, her head falling to
his chest sometime during the flight as she gave in to slumber.
Trunks leaned against the frame of the doorway, watching the woman who slept with unmasked curiosity. She was one of stealth, stamina, and
power; and yet she looked for all the world as if she were no more than a mere girl laying in that bed, slender fingers loosely clutching the silk pillows.
Golden tresses fell out in waves over the side of the large canopy bed, only now having dried with the first light of dawn.
She had been soaked to the bone when they first arrvied back at his future mother's home, and he, despite the blush that even now stained his cheeks
to think of it, had removed her from the sopping clothes and slipped a borrowed gown on it its place. It had been dark however, and he had seen nothing,
but the feel of her soft skin was not something one might easily forget.
"Stay the hell away from her."
Caught off guard but not willing to admit it, he turned slowly, his gaze impassive and his voice holding no emotion.
"She almost drowned trying to escape. Maybe if you watched her more carefully, i wouldn't have to."
Vegeta's mouth twitched.
His face reddend.
His eyes bulged.
No one told him how to raise his brat.
"How dare you speak to me that way, you insulant little Earthling!" His voice was low and dangerous, a growl beneath his harsh breath.
However, much to his own surprise, it was only when Trunks had the gall to smirk that he calmed, a deep sense of recognition overpowering
his fury. He then turned partially, calling over his broad shoulder to the sleeping woman upon the bed.
"Usa. Time to go."
Long sooty eyelashes fluttered against her ivory skin as she awoke, pulling the sheets aside as she rose to gather her armor from the chair beside her bed.
Her voice was strong when she spoke, despite her lack of sleep.
"Hai. I'll be ready."
Vegeta nodded and, after giving one last glare towards Trunks, dissapeared down the long hallway. Trunks watched him as he dissapeared into the blackness,
silently wondering at the man's quick change in attitude. He would have sworn by the way he had looked at him that his body would be reduced to a bloody and
mangled pulp, but as if on second thought, he had returned the smirk and left without another word. These people were certainly odd- but then, could he really
find anything more unusual than normal in them when he had been living with Goku for a month? Usagi's steely voice interupted his thoughts before he had the
chance to agree with himself.
"Get out," she said from behind him, glaring defiantly beneath finely arched brows as she dared him to do otherwise.
He only vaguely realized that the apple didn't fall far from the tree in this case as he met her unwavering gaze with an equal icyness.
"As you wish, Princess."
Her glare deepend with his mockery even though, he mused, it wasn't at all far from the truth. Smirking in a way that reminded her all too much of her own Vegeta-sama,
he turned and the only sound made as he left the room was the slight squeak of the door's hinges as it closed softly behind him.
Usagi smiled as she adjusted her armor, pleased to see that it still fit like a second skin even after she had been forced into that frilly, loose-fitting Earth gown.
And, she thought with a scowl, she would make it a point to find out exactly who had the nerve to undress her. In her mind's eye an image of a man with lilac
hair stood out, his sapphire eyes mocking yet void of emotion. Her scowl deepend. It better not have been him.
"Nappa, Radditz," Vegeta began from beside her, his arms crossed in a stance that had become very familiar to her over the years, "We still have an assignment to
do. Survey the land, kill any who stand in your way. Report back to me tonight, and then we'll deal with these pathetic Earthlings." His lips curved upwords even as he spoke.
Nappa and Radditz smiled viciously as they took off into the oddly colored sky without so much as a by-your-leave; Vegeta, however, payed no notice.
Thick brows drawn together in silent fury, he turned to the girl at his side.
"Usagi," she winced as he used her full name, growling it as though it were a curse, "What the hell did you think you were doing! I told you not to interfere!
Now look what you've done. Supid girl." He turned away in disgust, fixating his intense gaze at the towering mansion he wished he could just destroy and be done with.
"I don't know! I don't know why i did it! I don't even remember what happened!" She felt on the verge of tears as she pleaded for him to understand, to forgive her, to not
feel so dissapointed in her. But she would not cry, she couldn't. Crying was for the weak.
Her gaze fell to the dirt at her feet. "Vegeta-sama... please forgive me."
Vegeta's cobalt gaze shifted to her as she began to fidget with her long golden hair now loosely tied in a braid, a frown still marring his face yet his eyes softening
under thick creased brows. Damn woman.
"Go find something useful to do, Brat. I have to contact Frieza."
She smiled, having sensed his change in attitude. He never really remained angry with her for long, but during those seemingly endless moments when he was,
she felt worse than if he had physically struck her. This time was no different, and as she expelled the air she had unkowningly been holding in a sigh of relief,
he levated from the ground and flew off towards the pod's landing site. She smiled up into the orange and yellow sky, finding that she rather liked this small
planet of more than just blues and greens. A bright sphere mounted itself upon the horizon, and she kneeled, gloved fingers reaching out to gently stroke the petals
of a lone, vibrantly colored flower. She drew her hand back to her chest with a gasp as a drop of blood seeped through the small hole in the material, staring at the
thorns in confusion.
"It's a rose."
She stood and faced the deep monotone voice. Although they had exchanged few words, she knew without question that sapphire eyes would be there to greet
her when she turned around.
"Is this what the men of Earth do? Stalk their women?"
It was as she crossed her arms over her armored chest that he noticed the tail curving tighting around her waist, tip flicking in aggitation. She was a Saiya-jin.
But a white tail? Although his knowledge of the Saiya-jin culture and their appearance was limited, it was something he himself had never heard of. His eyes then
shifted to the spot of red at the tip of her finger, seeming out of place on the immaculate whiteness of her attire.
"You're bleeding," he said, taking her hand in his and bringing the injured finger to his mouth, gently wiping the spot clean with his tounge. She pulled away
from his grasp, wide cerulean eyes staring at him in wonder and confusion. Her finger felt cold without the warmth of his mouth.
She shuddered involuntarily, but managed to plaster a scowl opon her lips.
"Why are you trying to protect me? I'm not weak. I do not need your protection."
She had so much pride, almost to the point of arrogance, this little slip of a girl. Trunks' lips curved into a smile, and then a laugh. He vaguely wondered when
the last time he had laughed was.
"Why are you laughing?" Her indignant voice only worsened the situation.
His delight came to an abrupt halt, however, when her small fist collided with his cheek. Having been a warrior for the majority of his life and had trained
as such, he didn't move to touch his throbbing face, but the surprise was there as his eyes returned to the woman before him. She raised her chin higher,
staring up at him in defiance.
"Fight me."
"What?"
"Stand up and fight me. I will not be insulted." And as if to prove her point, she fell into a fighting stance, waiting for him to do the same.
He couldn't believe this girl. She saves him from her own ally one day, and wants to fight him the next. In the few hours he had known her he had come to
realize that her mood hung on a dime and she was about as predictable as the wind. She was indeed like no woman he had ever met before.
"Alright, i'll fight you. On one condition," she looked at him with unmasked skepticisim, "If i win, you agree to stop being so damn stubborn and let me protect
you." At her look of abhorrence and indignity he continued, a smirk playing at his lips, "Trust me, i don't like it any more than you do."
She finally smiled, and although it held little more than loathing he absently found that she was still beautiful.
"Fine. But if i win, i will hear and see no more of you. Deal?"
"Deal."
He fell into a similar fighting stance, the smirk never leaving his face even as she came at him. They began slowly, testing eachother's limits, searching out
strengths and weaknesses in their opponent. She swung her leg in a high kick and he blocked, returning the strike with a punch that she easily dodged.
To all it would seem as though they were of equals; she had the agility, he had the strength, and as they grew faster in their manuvers it appeared their speed
was well matched. To the average eye they soon became but a blur, soaring into the heavens even as they continued in their attacks.
"Dammit," Trunks hissed as she dissapeared, his eyes skimming the horizon for her familiar form. He turned to her just as she appeared, raising her clapsed hands
high above her head and sending them down upon his shoulder. He grunted as the force of it sent him crashing into the earth, cracking the ground beneath him.
She materialized beside him, breath slightly ragged and cheeks flushed with the excitment of battle.
"How did you know where i was?"
He smirked, before tackling her with a speed she had only found in Vegeta and pinning her beneath him among the tall grass. She stared up at him in surprise,
his equally labored breath warm against her lips. A blush graced her cheeks as she realized just how close they were, his body along the length of hers, his nose
grazing her nose, his lips mere inches above her own. Her eyes traced his well-chisled features, following his bronze skin along his full, parted lips up to his cheekbones
and his straight, strong nose. She paused in her admiring when she reached his eyes, feeling rivited to them; an deep blue ocean beneath the starless night. They held her there,
entranced her both with their mystery and intensity. Lilac bangs fell over them, making her wish her wrist wasn't being held to the ground by his strong hands so that she
may push them back and revel in its softness. He smelled of sweat and rain and something else she couldn't place, but it made her stomach twist in a pleasure foreign
to her mind as she inhaled it. She briefly wondered if his kiss was as impassioned as his eyes, or as strong as the large hands that so easily covered her own.
"Your smell," he said in a voice more husky than usual, sending shivers through her forgotten limbs.
"Ex-excuse me?" she stammered, her brows creasing in utter confusion.
He smiled. "I knew where you were because of your smell. I recognised it."
"Oh," she offered pathetically, her blush becoming more apparent. "So, um, who won?"
"I did."
Her blush quickly faded into an icy glare as she struggled to free her hands. "You are the most presumptuous man i've ever met!"
He laughed, unaffected by her insult as she continued to fight against his overpowering strength. He vaguely wondered why he didn't let her go, as she so
obviously wanted to be free of him. But he wasn't ready to release her, not yet. Not when he could feel her every curve pressed so intimately against him. Memories
of her unclothed skin against his fingers came to him in vivid detail, and the intensity of his gaze on her flawless countenance heightened. Usagi turned away from him in
mute anger, her fists clenched tightly beneath his unrelenting grasp but she no longer struggled. Breathing out in a frustrated sigh, she blushed lightly as her chest was
restricted by his more powerful one. Her blush steadily grew as she realized she could feel every muscled contour of his body, every breath he took pressing himself
further against her, his heartbeat pumping rythmaticly against her breast, and she despretly hoped he wasn't experiencing her body in the same graphic detail.
"We can be here all day, Princess. Just tell me what i want to hear, and i'll let you go."
She scowled, turning flashing eyes to the man whose face was close enough for her to feel his warm breath against her lips. Her frown softened as a thought struck her,
and she smiled seductively, having every intention of gaining the upper hand in this fight.
"Does my tormentor have a name?" she breathed, turning the full effect of fathomless cerulean eyes on him. He cocked an eyebrow, suddenly wary of this woman-warrior.
He knew from experience that women were a breed that could not be trusted, especially one as intelligent and dangerous as this.
"Trunks," he said simply, before adding as an afterthought, "You?"
He hadn't realized until then that he only knew her by "Serenity," the name Sailor Pluto had addressed her with. But the Saiya-jin he had crossed
paths with earlier that morning had called her "Usa." What was that name short for? And why was he suddenly so despret to know?
She smirked, something he had seen on the face of the man who guarded her so fiercly more often then not, and gathered ki into the palms of her encased hands
before he had the chance to react.
"Dammit!" He grunted as he lept back, lending his furious attention to the young woman rather than his burning hands as she casually stood, dusting her armor and
smiling smugly.
"It's Usagi."
And with that, she was gone.
End of Part 03
Chapter III: Protection of a Warrior
Beneath the cover of darkness she fled, senses on edge despite her weakened state. She pumped her legs harder, faster; sweat
matting golden bangs to her forehead just beneath the hooded cloak. Usagi cursed. Her first assignment and she gets captured by the enemy.
And whats worse, she didn't even have the heart to kill them while they slept, just beyond the walls of the room she had awoken in. Yet for the life
of her she could not remember how she came to be in that unfamiliar room, weak and powerless and alone.
But one thing was for sure. She had been captured by the enemy. And she had failed Vegeta.
'Weakling.' she cursed herself, 'You're a damn weakling.'
She ran faster, determined to somehow wash away the shame with the burning of her tired muscles. Her weakened body, however, soon began
to protest and she reluctantly gave in, coming to rest at the edge of a small pond. She collasped to her knees, breath ragged as she stared into
the placid water at her own reflection. Where was Vegeta? Had something happened to him? No, of course nothing had happened to him-- he was
Vegeta, Prince of Vegetasei, and the strongest man she had ever known. But then, why could she not find his ki? Was she so weak that her senses
were also depleted? She sighed, her pulse begining to slow. She was such a fool, and between her three candid mentors, she'd never live this down.
"Did you really think you'd get far?"
She gasped, spining to face the voice behind her. A figure leaned impassively against a nearby tree draped in shadows, arms crossed as he
peered at her through a mildly curious sapphire gaze. She mentally cursed. What was the matter with her? She should have felt his pressence
from a mile away.
"What are you doing out here anyway?" He spoke again, but she opted for silence, glaring her hatred towards the man who dared follow her.
Her eyes shifted to the sword handle protruding from behind his broad shoulder. Noticing this, he stepped forward and she stood, falling into a
fighting stance.
"I'm not going to hurt you. What kind of fight would that be? You can barely stand."
She scowled, knowing the statement was all too true, but as she opened her mouth for a vicious retort, her vision blurred and her knees gave out,
sending her into the murky water. She coughed at the liguid invading her lungs, her chest burning with the lack of oxygen as she sank further into the
grimy deep. She almost had to laugh at herself... it was such a stupid way for a trained warrior to die. Though trained as she may be, she knew nothing
of swimming-- Vegetasei wasn't renown for it's water, after all. Just as her consiousness began to ebb away, strong arms encased her from behind,
pulling her back to life. She gasped for air, coughing out the vile liguid as she clutched the man's soaken shirt like a life perserver.
Trunks heaved a sigh of utter annoyance, raking a hand through drenched lilac hair as she coughed into his chest. He couldn't believe he was
out sauntering around in the middle of nowhere at two in the morning. He had better things to do then go after some strange woman to whom he
had just pledged his life not twenty-four hours ago. Sighing, he glanced down at the girl in his arms as her breathing calmed, absently brushing a few
matted bangs from her paled face. She really was more trouble then she was worth.
Usagi buried herself further into the warmth of his chest, her pale fingers clutching his shoulders as the sodden cloak began to weigh her down
further into the already neck-high water. Her eyes flickered up to his dark visage beneath lowered lashes, watching sheepishly as his frown deepened
with every drop of water that rolled languidly down his face. He really was quite handsom, she absently realized, noticing his uncommon shade
of lilac hair, drenched though it was.
Her eyes lowered to his broad chest as she let out a shaky breath.
"Thank you." she said almost inaudiably in a voice that sounded more like an angel's then a half-drowned blond bombshell, "For saving my life."
He didn't answer, only gathered her in his arms as they levitated from the chilly water and flew through the black sky. She didin't protest, feeling
her heavy eyelids drooping. She vaquely realized that Earth seemed to have a clearer sky than that of her home planet, a much more peaceful,
brighter star-ladden sky.
Usagi shivered against the cold of the wind and he slowed, tightening his warm embrace.
"Why did you do it? Save my life, i mean." Curiousity got the best of her as her gaze traveled to his higlighted face, wondering in all truthfulness
why he hadn't just left her there to die.
He returned her gaze. "I made a promise. I keep my promises."
It didn't help that his limbs were threatened to be torn one by one from his bloody and mangled body, of course, but he had made a
promise to protect this girl and he intended to keep it. Usagi left the subject at that and the rest of the trip was made in silence, her head falling to
his chest sometime during the flight as she gave in to slumber.
Trunks leaned against the frame of the doorway, watching the woman who slept with unmasked curiosity. She was one of stealth, stamina, and
power; and yet she looked for all the world as if she were no more than a mere girl laying in that bed, slender fingers loosely clutching the silk pillows.
Golden tresses fell out in waves over the side of the large canopy bed, only now having dried with the first light of dawn.
She had been soaked to the bone when they first arrvied back at his future mother's home, and he, despite the blush that even now stained his cheeks
to think of it, had removed her from the sopping clothes and slipped a borrowed gown on it its place. It had been dark however, and he had seen nothing,
but the feel of her soft skin was not something one might easily forget.
"Stay the hell away from her."
Caught off guard but not willing to admit it, he turned slowly, his gaze impassive and his voice holding no emotion.
"She almost drowned trying to escape. Maybe if you watched her more carefully, i wouldn't have to."
Vegeta's mouth twitched.
His face reddend.
His eyes bulged.
No one told him how to raise his brat.
"How dare you speak to me that way, you insulant little Earthling!" His voice was low and dangerous, a growl beneath his harsh breath.
However, much to his own surprise, it was only when Trunks had the gall to smirk that he calmed, a deep sense of recognition overpowering
his fury. He then turned partially, calling over his broad shoulder to the sleeping woman upon the bed.
"Usa. Time to go."
Long sooty eyelashes fluttered against her ivory skin as she awoke, pulling the sheets aside as she rose to gather her armor from the chair beside her bed.
Her voice was strong when she spoke, despite her lack of sleep.
"Hai. I'll be ready."
Vegeta nodded and, after giving one last glare towards Trunks, dissapeared down the long hallway. Trunks watched him as he dissapeared into the blackness,
silently wondering at the man's quick change in attitude. He would have sworn by the way he had looked at him that his body would be reduced to a bloody and
mangled pulp, but as if on second thought, he had returned the smirk and left without another word. These people were certainly odd- but then, could he really
find anything more unusual than normal in them when he had been living with Goku for a month? Usagi's steely voice interupted his thoughts before he had the
chance to agree with himself.
"Get out," she said from behind him, glaring defiantly beneath finely arched brows as she dared him to do otherwise.
He only vaguely realized that the apple didn't fall far from the tree in this case as he met her unwavering gaze with an equal icyness.
"As you wish, Princess."
Her glare deepend with his mockery even though, he mused, it wasn't at all far from the truth. Smirking in a way that reminded her all too much of her own Vegeta-sama,
he turned and the only sound made as he left the room was the slight squeak of the door's hinges as it closed softly behind him.
Usagi smiled as she adjusted her armor, pleased to see that it still fit like a second skin even after she had been forced into that frilly, loose-fitting Earth gown.
And, she thought with a scowl, she would make it a point to find out exactly who had the nerve to undress her. In her mind's eye an image of a man with lilac
hair stood out, his sapphire eyes mocking yet void of emotion. Her scowl deepend. It better not have been him.
"Nappa, Radditz," Vegeta began from beside her, his arms crossed in a stance that had become very familiar to her over the years, "We still have an assignment to
do. Survey the land, kill any who stand in your way. Report back to me tonight, and then we'll deal with these pathetic Earthlings." His lips curved upwords even as he spoke.
Nappa and Radditz smiled viciously as they took off into the oddly colored sky without so much as a by-your-leave; Vegeta, however, payed no notice.
Thick brows drawn together in silent fury, he turned to the girl at his side.
"Usagi," she winced as he used her full name, growling it as though it were a curse, "What the hell did you think you were doing! I told you not to interfere!
Now look what you've done. Supid girl." He turned away in disgust, fixating his intense gaze at the towering mansion he wished he could just destroy and be done with.
"I don't know! I don't know why i did it! I don't even remember what happened!" She felt on the verge of tears as she pleaded for him to understand, to forgive her, to not
feel so dissapointed in her. But she would not cry, she couldn't. Crying was for the weak.
Her gaze fell to the dirt at her feet. "Vegeta-sama... please forgive me."
Vegeta's cobalt gaze shifted to her as she began to fidget with her long golden hair now loosely tied in a braid, a frown still marring his face yet his eyes softening
under thick creased brows. Damn woman.
"Go find something useful to do, Brat. I have to contact Frieza."
She smiled, having sensed his change in attitude. He never really remained angry with her for long, but during those seemingly endless moments when he was,
she felt worse than if he had physically struck her. This time was no different, and as she expelled the air she had unkowningly been holding in a sigh of relief,
he levated from the ground and flew off towards the pod's landing site. She smiled up into the orange and yellow sky, finding that she rather liked this small
planet of more than just blues and greens. A bright sphere mounted itself upon the horizon, and she kneeled, gloved fingers reaching out to gently stroke the petals
of a lone, vibrantly colored flower. She drew her hand back to her chest with a gasp as a drop of blood seeped through the small hole in the material, staring at the
thorns in confusion.
"It's a rose."
She stood and faced the deep monotone voice. Although they had exchanged few words, she knew without question that sapphire eyes would be there to greet
her when she turned around.
"Is this what the men of Earth do? Stalk their women?"
It was as she crossed her arms over her armored chest that he noticed the tail curving tighting around her waist, tip flicking in aggitation. She was a Saiya-jin.
But a white tail? Although his knowledge of the Saiya-jin culture and their appearance was limited, it was something he himself had never heard of. His eyes then
shifted to the spot of red at the tip of her finger, seeming out of place on the immaculate whiteness of her attire.
"You're bleeding," he said, taking her hand in his and bringing the injured finger to his mouth, gently wiping the spot clean with his tounge. She pulled away
from his grasp, wide cerulean eyes staring at him in wonder and confusion. Her finger felt cold without the warmth of his mouth.
She shuddered involuntarily, but managed to plaster a scowl opon her lips.
"Why are you trying to protect me? I'm not weak. I do not need your protection."
She had so much pride, almost to the point of arrogance, this little slip of a girl. Trunks' lips curved into a smile, and then a laugh. He vaguely wondered when
the last time he had laughed was.
"Why are you laughing?" Her indignant voice only worsened the situation.
His delight came to an abrupt halt, however, when her small fist collided with his cheek. Having been a warrior for the majority of his life and had trained
as such, he didn't move to touch his throbbing face, but the surprise was there as his eyes returned to the woman before him. She raised her chin higher,
staring up at him in defiance.
"Fight me."
"What?"
"Stand up and fight me. I will not be insulted." And as if to prove her point, she fell into a fighting stance, waiting for him to do the same.
He couldn't believe this girl. She saves him from her own ally one day, and wants to fight him the next. In the few hours he had known her he had come to
realize that her mood hung on a dime and she was about as predictable as the wind. She was indeed like no woman he had ever met before.
"Alright, i'll fight you. On one condition," she looked at him with unmasked skepticisim, "If i win, you agree to stop being so damn stubborn and let me protect
you." At her look of abhorrence and indignity he continued, a smirk playing at his lips, "Trust me, i don't like it any more than you do."
She finally smiled, and although it held little more than loathing he absently found that she was still beautiful.
"Fine. But if i win, i will hear and see no more of you. Deal?"
"Deal."
He fell into a similar fighting stance, the smirk never leaving his face even as she came at him. They began slowly, testing eachother's limits, searching out
strengths and weaknesses in their opponent. She swung her leg in a high kick and he blocked, returning the strike with a punch that she easily dodged.
To all it would seem as though they were of equals; she had the agility, he had the strength, and as they grew faster in their manuvers it appeared their speed
was well matched. To the average eye they soon became but a blur, soaring into the heavens even as they continued in their attacks.
"Dammit," Trunks hissed as she dissapeared, his eyes skimming the horizon for her familiar form. He turned to her just as she appeared, raising her clapsed hands
high above her head and sending them down upon his shoulder. He grunted as the force of it sent him crashing into the earth, cracking the ground beneath him.
She materialized beside him, breath slightly ragged and cheeks flushed with the excitment of battle.
"How did you know where i was?"
He smirked, before tackling her with a speed she had only found in Vegeta and pinning her beneath him among the tall grass. She stared up at him in surprise,
his equally labored breath warm against her lips. A blush graced her cheeks as she realized just how close they were, his body along the length of hers, his nose
grazing her nose, his lips mere inches above her own. Her eyes traced his well-chisled features, following his bronze skin along his full, parted lips up to his cheekbones
and his straight, strong nose. She paused in her admiring when she reached his eyes, feeling rivited to them; an deep blue ocean beneath the starless night. They held her there,
entranced her both with their mystery and intensity. Lilac bangs fell over them, making her wish her wrist wasn't being held to the ground by his strong hands so that she
may push them back and revel in its softness. He smelled of sweat and rain and something else she couldn't place, but it made her stomach twist in a pleasure foreign
to her mind as she inhaled it. She briefly wondered if his kiss was as impassioned as his eyes, or as strong as the large hands that so easily covered her own.
"Your smell," he said in a voice more husky than usual, sending shivers through her forgotten limbs.
"Ex-excuse me?" she stammered, her brows creasing in utter confusion.
He smiled. "I knew where you were because of your smell. I recognised it."
"Oh," she offered pathetically, her blush becoming more apparent. "So, um, who won?"
"I did."
Her blush quickly faded into an icy glare as she struggled to free her hands. "You are the most presumptuous man i've ever met!"
He laughed, unaffected by her insult as she continued to fight against his overpowering strength. He vaguely wondered why he didn't let her go, as she so
obviously wanted to be free of him. But he wasn't ready to release her, not yet. Not when he could feel her every curve pressed so intimately against him. Memories
of her unclothed skin against his fingers came to him in vivid detail, and the intensity of his gaze on her flawless countenance heightened. Usagi turned away from him in
mute anger, her fists clenched tightly beneath his unrelenting grasp but she no longer struggled. Breathing out in a frustrated sigh, she blushed lightly as her chest was
restricted by his more powerful one. Her blush steadily grew as she realized she could feel every muscled contour of his body, every breath he took pressing himself
further against her, his heartbeat pumping rythmaticly against her breast, and she despretly hoped he wasn't experiencing her body in the same graphic detail.
"We can be here all day, Princess. Just tell me what i want to hear, and i'll let you go."
She scowled, turning flashing eyes to the man whose face was close enough for her to feel his warm breath against her lips. Her frown softened as a thought struck her,
and she smiled seductively, having every intention of gaining the upper hand in this fight.
"Does my tormentor have a name?" she breathed, turning the full effect of fathomless cerulean eyes on him. He cocked an eyebrow, suddenly wary of this woman-warrior.
He knew from experience that women were a breed that could not be trusted, especially one as intelligent and dangerous as this.
"Trunks," he said simply, before adding as an afterthought, "You?"
He hadn't realized until then that he only knew her by "Serenity," the name Sailor Pluto had addressed her with. But the Saiya-jin he had crossed
paths with earlier that morning had called her "Usa." What was that name short for? And why was he suddenly so despret to know?
She smirked, something he had seen on the face of the man who guarded her so fiercly more often then not, and gathered ki into the palms of her encased hands
before he had the chance to react.
"Dammit!" He grunted as he lept back, lending his furious attention to the young woman rather than his burning hands as she casually stood, dusting her armor and
smiling smugly.
"It's Usagi."
And with that, she was gone.
End of Part 03