So what did you guys think of the story so far? Criticism would be nice. Let me tell you, this chapter is a little longer and, in my opinion, an improvement from the last chapter. I hope you enjoy it and give me reviews.
Chapter 2
Strange but Familiar
The days following after meeting the new, mysterious girl, Trunks felt the oddest sense of déjà vu. The further he thought about it, the more he became confused. So he did the easy thing; he forgot about it. He pushed it to the back of his mind, thinking it was no big deal. It's been almost two months, and the pair had already become close friends. But there was one thing for sure, and that was Serina was defiantly not normal, no doubt about it. Will Trunks figure out what's troubling him?
"Psst! Trunks, you're going right?"
"Huh?" asked Trunks, looking up from the paper he was writing. He glanced over to Mike, a rough looking character who played on the varsity football team at Orange Star University.
"Are you going?" asked Mike again, "We need more people--"
"Going to what?" Trunks asked, looking fully at him now. He didn't like this Mike guy at all. He was stupid, arrogant, conceded . . . the list went on and on. Mike let out a sigh.
"The party, you idiot! There's gonna be booze and stuff. Plus, that foreign exchange student will be there, you know, the hot one?"
Trunks didn't really feel like going to a party full of drunken idiots. Nor did he want to see Mike flirt with some poor girl who probably wouldn't have a clue what he was saying. It definitely didn't seem like a fun-packed night, so he said the only thing that came into his head.
"I don't drink." He stated flatly.
It was true, too. He couldn't stand the taste of alcohol at his friends wedding, so he was pretty sure he wouldn't like it now. (Plus he got a little drunk and decided to put on a starburst orange brides maid dress that just so happened to be laid out because the girl who was wearing it couldn't come. He vowed to never drink again. . . and kill whoever snuck in the dozens of pictures and pasted it all over Capsule Corp. Try explaining that one to Bulma.) Mike placed his most arrogant look on his face that he could muster. Trunks hated that look. They were in their last class, the professor was busy grading papers, and he didn't have to stand that guy for much longer. Only the rest of the period to go . . .
"You don't drink," he gaffed stupidly, "oh, please don't tell me that you have some kind of moral complex , or something."
"So what if I do?" exclaimed Trunks, his eyes narrowing, "I donno about your family, but I was raised to have morals."
"What kind of bull is that? Did you're father teach you that?" said Mike. For a moment, there was nothing but silence. There was some pain express on Trunks' face, but it went as soon as it came.
"He's dead . . . so would you mind your own business?" snapped Trunks in an un-nerving tone that came barely above a whisper, but having the affect of silencing Mike for a moment. Soon, however, a wave of glee spread along his mean face, ending the awkward quietness.
"Your father's dead?" he exclaimed with extreme enjoyment, "Aww, does Trunksie have a soft side? Does he miss his daddy ." He laughed annoyingly. Serina's head shot up, and her gaze fixated on Mike.
"Hey you idiot, shut up! Why don't you leave him alone before I kick your ass?" Serina said angrily. Her face was in a set look, her cheeks red from the rage she felt.
"Serina, don't mess with this guy, he'll cause nothing but trouble." Trunks said feverishly, "You don't have to defend me." Mike eyed Serina with a smirk. He looked her up and down, licking his lips as Trunks' face screwed up with a look of disgust. How dare he look at her like that!
"No, Trunks, old buddy, I think the girl wants a fight, though I'd much rather go on a date..." said Mike, placing his hand on her "way" upper leg as his friends cheered. Serina just slapped him upside his head, causing Mike to launch into his desk, sending pencils to scatter everywhere.
"Go find someone else to molest, you ass, because I won't take it!" she whispered as loud as a whisper could go, and pushing the hand that was just on her leg away from her as if it were diseased.
"Serina, don't get involved," Trunks advised, "Look, it's ok, really." His voice was rather pleading now.
"What, Trunks? Afraid of losing her just like your loser dad?" Mike laughed yet again.
"That's IT! I've had enough, "Serina yelled, "You want a fight? I'll be more than happy to give you one. You and me, outside of campus!"
Mike simply raised his eyebrow in surprise.
"Serina, please, you don't have to," Trunks pleaded once more, "it takes a lot more than that to get me down." He gave a re-assuring smile, though it did not stop the anger that still burned inside of her.
"No, it's not just this. I need to show him his place," she turned to Mike, who was still giggling like an idiot, "You in?"
"Yeah, why not?" he responded. The professor looked up angrily, throwing down his pen.
"QUIET UP THERE!!!" he screamed, sending spit in all directions. He gave a look around as the student's stared at him wide-eyed, some wiping off the flecks of saliva from their faces, "Erm, well, get back to work." And he started to grade again. The three took one last threatening look at each other and quietly finished their papers.
As soon as the professor dismissed them, Serina, Trunks, and Mike ran out of the class.
"See you outside, m'dear!" said Mike as he made to the door leading outside. He zoomed off with his friends, laughing and making jokes about Trunks.
Serina walked to her locker with Trunks not far behind her, drinking a soda. She opened it and threw all her books in, leaving a huge dent. Trunks raised a brow with surprise. She really was angry.
"Urg, I hate that guy!" she screamed, thrusting her arms up, causing Trunks to duck out of the way, "God I wanna punch his head in! I'd feel better if I could hit something!"
"Serina calm down!" he tried to reason. She looked around for something to strike, and then she saw a good place to vent her anger. Crunch was the sound heard as her fist made contact with her already abuse locker. Trunks' eyes widened and his jaw went slack. Serina turned around to see Trunks' shocked face, his can of soda was forgotten as it dripped onto the floor.
"See, I told you I'd feel better." She exclaimed in a slightly calmer tone as she pulled her hand out of the fist shaped hole she created. Trunks shook off his stupor and chose to leave the locker out of the conversation for now.
"Serina, you know you don't have to do this." Trunks said calmly. He didn't want to try her patience at the moment. Though he knew he was far stronger than she was, he didn't want to end up like the locker all the same. When she got angry, it was . . .how do you put it? Ah, yes: terrifying. ' If Chi-Chi were alive, I would've said she had a rival.'
"I know I don't have to, but I want to. . . How'd your dad die, if you don't mind me asking?" Trunks looked down, feeling a little embarrassed that the attention was focused on him now.
"No, I don't mind," he said softly, "Well, I was just a baby, and all I know is that he was murdered by the androids." As soon as those words left his mouth, Serina's expression changed to a surprised but sad look.
"Well, if it's any consolation, my family was picked off by them, too," she began, "My Mom went shopping one day when I was five, and she left me with my brother. That day, the store was attacked... and then I had to live with my brother. You see, my father died when I was born, of a disease type thing. So all I had left was my brother...we lived alone for two years before those things massacred him before my very eyes. If only I had stayed behind . . ."
She looked up at Trunks quickly to see what he thought, seeing a look of concern on his face. She sighed lightly.
"That's why I was so mad, I know what it's like to lose someone." She finished, and he nodded solemnly. He then thought this sounded strangely familiar to him, but he put it to the back of his mind yet again, "I wonder who defeated them, anyways. I never found out. Do you know?"
Trunks blushed. He couldn't tell her. He didn't want her to think of him as some kind of freak. A part of him thought that she might understand, that he could tell her anything and she wouldn't judge him for it. He even thought for a moment that she would be able to relate, but now was not a good time to tell her.
"N-no, why would I know if you don't?" A moment passed before they spoke again. The subject turned back to the fight.
"Well, it doesn't change the fact that I could've stopped you guys from fighting. If anything happens to you... this guy is pretty tough." Trunks finished.
"Chh, this guy is nothing. I'm not half bad, either!" she exclaimed, trying to defend herself.
Trunks raised a brow again. Mike was nothing? To him, Mike wasn't, but her? He looked Serina over, and he realized that she was rather muscular for a ballet dancer, but compared to Mike...it seemed like she hadn't the chance in heck. But then again. . .
Trunks looked back at the locker and smiled. He severely underestimated her sometimes. He would expect her to be one thing, but then she'd proved him wrong. Knowing Serina, she could do most anything if she wanted to. Mike didn't know what he got himself into.
"Trust me, I'll be fine." She assured him, "and you can be my second guy if he gets that far, but you can bet he won't. You look pretty strong to me, and if you can lift me up then you have to be." she said as they walked toward the door, "I guess you can say I'm kinda heavy." Trunks shook his head, rolling his eyes.
"You're not heavy, "Trunks exclaimed as they stepped over the threshold, "just not flimsy and breakable, that's all." He wasn't going to add in that her chest was bigger than any ballerina he knew. They weren't huge, but it brought it to their attention when Madame Minkaso suggested a breast reduction clinic. Serina turned it down without hesitation.
"Plus, I think you fine the way you are." Trunks said as Serina blushed. In fact, he thought Serina was pretty.
Actually, as they made their way across the football field, Trunks found himself putting more thought into that subject than he had wanted to. He couldn't help but think that she wasn't just pretty; he thought she was beautiful. She was strong willed, but gentle. Her long hair was swaying in a ponytail as she marched toward the end of campus. She had this personality that was so colorful that it draws you to her. This pull made you like her. And her eyes were the most brilliant shade of deep blue that always seemed to smile in a friendly manner. But right now, they were in a cold stare that looked like it could burn a hole right through you. (Ouch . . . ) Trunks had never seen her look like that before, and he had a feeling that she reserved it for times like this. . .when things got really serious.
They crossed the street to a group of people that were surrounding Mike. He stared at them expectantly.
"I didn't know you were going to have your fan club here with you." Serina sneered.
"Whatever." he said, "I see you've brought that idiot with you." He jerked his head toward Trunks, "I thought that he wouldn't want to witness you being ground into the pavement."
Serina gave an "as if a jackass like you could" look and rolled her eyes.
"Shut up," she said angrily, "Let's just get this over with." She threw he bag to the ground. Serina looked around at all the punks surrounding Mike and shook her head
"I'm ready when you are." She said as Mike stepped away from the group. She looked at him as if this wasn't going to take long. The way she lolled her head to the side made it seem that she was actually quite bored.
"Ok, let's get started." he said standing there with an arrogant smile plastered to his face.
Serina scowled and sank into a battle stance, and glanced over at Trunks with an exasperated look. Mike clenched his fists and also took a battle stance, trying to make it look like he was experienced, which he was, thank you very much. He suddenly dashed toward her, running as fast as he possible could. Serina just stood there, watching him as he came closer and closer. When he did finally get there, he attempted to aim a punch at her side, but Serina, surprisingly, blocked it with ease. He tried again, but she quickly grabbed it and squeezed it to his side. He yelped and she let go. He tried to kick her head, but she grabbed it with one hand, and punched him with the other, which didn't look anything special to her, in the stomach. All the while, there was a slight glint of excitement in her eyes.
His air escaped him as he sank to the ground. His "fan club" were all yelling at him to get up as he tried to regain his strength. He grabbed his stomach in pain, even looking like he was going to faint. But finally, he was able to stand on his feet, his arrogant smirk replaced by shear hatred.
Mike let out a yell and ran yet again, his anger blinding him. Serina sighed and shook her head as he came along, aiming a punch for her nose, but she got to him first. She hit him hard enough to send him launching into a tree a couple of feet away from them, and little cracks developed on the trunk by the force of the impact. Mike, though half conscious, looked bewildered. Serina, however, wasn't surprised in the least. The punch she gave him looked nothing more than a tap to Trunks, who was rubbing his eyes, trying to grasp this. 'Did she just do that?' he thought to himself, trying to believe it.
Serina watched Mike for a moment to make sure he wasn't dead, then turned to see Trunks' surprised face 15 feet away. The silence between them held out for several minutes. She laughed nervously.
"Hee, hee, it's pretty windy today, isn't it?" she asked weakly, "Well, let's go, I've had enough for one day--"
"Serina, watch out!" Trunks screamed. It seemed that neither of them noticed that Mike had been standing quite steadily for a minute or so, or the fact that he was right behind Serina, pulling out a long, six-inch blade.
It was as if both Serina and Trunks were watching the whole thing in slow motion. Serina swirled around only to see Mike embedding his knife into her side, the blade breaking with a "crack". She kicked him hard, sending him to another tree. This time it did shatter under the tremendous force as he screamed with pain.
"Let's go!" Serina yelled as she grabbed Trunks' hand and sped off. Mike was unconscious.
They didn't stop running until they were three blocks away from the fight. They ducked in the forest by the University.
"Do you think they followed?" asked Serina with a hint of pain. She leaned against a tree to hold herself up as she clutched at her side.
"No, I don't think so," he responded. He looked down and saw the knife mangled in her blood-soaked t-shirt, "God, Serina, the knife!"
The handle hand broken off and it left the blade. The knife looked as if it was cracking down the middle. It hadn't gone in more than three to four inches. How did the blade shatter like that?
Serina looked down, and then slowly looked back up.
"Trunks, you might want to look away." She said, but Trunks looked at her stubbornly, as if he was supervising. She sighed, and then grasped the blade firmly. She clenched her teeth as she pulled the knife out. She let out a small scream of pain. Blood came pouring out, and the knife glistened with it maliciously.
"Ahh, damn it, maybe I shouldn't have done that . . ." Serina panted out, dropping the knife with a soft "thud" as she sank to the ground.
"We need to stop the bleeding, or at least slow it down." Trunks said in an unusually calm voice, though he desperately looked around to find something to apply to her wound.
As if she read his mind, she asked, "How about we use my sweatshirt?" She pointing to the thing tied around her waist.
"That'll work." He said as she took it off.
"Ok," he said after a minute, "I have to look at the wound, to see how bad it is. Could you lift your shirt up a little?"
She looked as if she was about to protest, but she did as she was told. Trunks raised his brow at the sight. He was slightly horrified. It looked rather painful and irritated. Blood pumped profusely as he looked at it closer. The knife barely grazed her rib.
"Oh, Serina...it's not looking good. We need to get you to a hospital," he said softly, lifting his gaze to her eyes, "now."
"And then what would we do?" she asked, "What would we say to explain this? Mike would just lie, and we'd get kicked out of school for fighting. Mike's on the football team, he'll tell the police anything to get out of it. No, I've worked too hard to get here."
"But it looks so painful . . . " he argued softly.
"I've had worst, trust me," she retaliated, "I don't need a hospital, or anything. Give me a day or two, and I'll be fine."
"Do you not see how serious this is?" he yelled, his voice becoming desperate.
"I'm fine, Trunks. All it would do is cause problems. With your help, I can get better, ok? Whoa.. . . " she tipped over slightly.
"Serina!" Trunks cried. She stood up to steady herself, and also prove to Trunks that she was ok.
"I'm fine, just a little dizzy. Take me back to my dorm, I have a first aid kit somewhere, bad stuff always seems to find me . . ." her eyes began to glaze over.
"Serina . . .?" he asked as he walked to her.
"Trunks . . . when did you grow another head?" she asked as she swayed on the spot, a sedated-looking smile swept her face, "hee, hee, it looks good, kinda like a potato . . . heeee, potato . . . " and she collapsed on Trunks.
"Serina, oh God . . . " he yelled. She was unconscious. He grabbed the forgotten sweatshirt and applied it to her wound gently. Three minutes later, it was soaked in blood. He looked around apprehensively. He didn't want to be seen...
"It's time to go. I just hope she doesn't wake up." He said to no one as he swept her up swiftly and leapt into the air.
He passed over campus quickly and landed on the roof of the University. He ran to his dorm unseen and placed he on the bed, dripping blood as he went.
He gasped as he looked at Serina. Her face was cold and dead looking, her usually red lips pale. If it weren't for the fact that she was still breathing, (rather shallowly, I might add) he would have thought her gone.
He looked around as he said in a shrill, "Where's that damn sensu bean?" He threw boxes and containers everywhere, searching frantically. He finally found one in a box under his drawer. His face fell as he looked at it. It looked kind of moldy.
"I don't know if it'll work, it's really old and it looks like I spilt something on it . . . but I've got to try."
He crushed it in his palm and put it in her mouth. He coaxed it down by rubbing her throat. When he was done, he sat patiently, waiting for any sign of life, but it didn't come.
"Please, Serina, oh please . . . " he looked at her desperately, his eyes etched with concern, "I was too late. Damn it!" he punched his knee, shutting his eyes furiously, trying to fight off the pain. His face drained of all its color as he thought, ' Not her,. . . please . . . there have been so many deaths in my life . . . don't take her from me too . . .'
All of a sudden, Serina shifted. She began to cough furiously, holding her side. (Scared you there, didn't I?)
"Ahh, ow, ow!" she yelped, "God, that hurt!" she exclaimed as she tried to get up
"God, Serina, you scared me!" he said with relief and hugged her tightly, placing a thankful kiss on her forehead, "Don't you ever try something that stupid again!"
"Ow, watch it, Trunks, that still hurts!" she cried out, almost suffocating from the pressure.
"Wait a second...let me see something." He said.
Trunks lifted her shirt up to see that the wound was still there, but it stopped bleeding. It looked much better; it was even healed a little.
"Good news, Serina," he said, "The wound has stopped bleeding, so I can sew it up now. I'll be right back." He tried to hide his amusement as he looked at her scared face.
"S-sew it up?" she whimpered with a squeak.
"Nothin' to it." He said with a smirk, "I've done it a million times. Though a lot of them were dead at the time..." she looked at him with worry. He loved to mess with her, "Don't worry, I just gotta go to the medical room and grab some supplies. I'll be back in a minute."
Soon after he left, Trunks was back again, his arms full of medical supplies. He walked over to his bed, placing them down.
"I'll put on this anti-bacterial solution on your tummy, and I'll stitch you up. But first, an anti-bacterial agent to help." he said calmly, and stuck a syringe in a bottle of liquid.
"This won't hurt," he told her as he stuck the needle in her stomach, and slowly entered the anti-biotic into her body, "Now, some of that solution." and he rubbed liquid stuff with a cotton ball around her wound, "And finally, the stitches."
"Nothin' to it." Said Serina, smiling weakly. Trunks had his hand over her stomach, preparing to start.
"Now, this might sting a little, but it's nothing compared to what happened to you today." He said, his soft smile comforting Serina, who was still a little shaken, "You don't have to look." She snorted sarcastically.
"Believe me, I've seen worse." she assured him. He just nodded.
"Ok then." And he stuck the needle in and out of her skin, slowly mending the injury. The sharp pain made Serina sigh.
"Trunks," Serina said after a moment of silence.
"Yeah," he said as he pulled on the needle.
"Remind me to never trust Mike again, that bastard." she muttered angrily. This made Trunks laugh through his nose.
"He, he, sure, as long as you remind me to never piss you off. You were really scary back there, like you were a whole different person."
"I was just getting into it . . . " she said sarcastically, "Was I any good?"
"Well, you can defiantly hold your own. It didn't look like much of a fight from where I was standing." She gave a questioning look, "You kicked his ass in a matter of a minute, and it looked like you were barely touching him, there was hardly any pressure in your hits at all."
"And how would you know all of this?" she asked slowly.
"Ah..."
What would he tell her? That he could fight? That he really was half alien? Or maybe that it was he who defeated the androids?
Nah . . .
"Well," he said as he came to that conclusion, "I guess I have a certain knack for seeing specific things, I guess. What about you? How do you know how to fight?" He caught her there. She couldn't say anything.
"S-self defense class. That's all I really know." She let out at last. He gave her a curious look, but decided not to bug her about it any more.
"All done." He exclaimed cheerily. Serina looked up in astonishment. He was really good.
"Really? That was quick," and she tried to get up, but couldn't, " Ow, ah damn!" she said in frustration, "I hate being useless." Trunks only smiled.
"You, I'm afraid, won't be able to get up until tomorrow. I gave you something that'll speed up the healing process." She didn't really have to know what it was, just that it's helping. The sensu bean might not heal her as quickly as he had hoped, but it would help her move around easier. He then eyed her shirt and realized something.
"You're not going to like this..." he started, "but I need you to take off your shirt so I can wrap gauze around your ribs." She flushed.
"No." she stated flatly.
"Serina, you need bandages to help keep pressure on you're injury, it's still unstable..." he said softly.
"Urg, do I have to?" she asked pleadingly.
"You have to change before you go out anyways," he argued, "I'll just give you a shirt of mine." He gave a smirk, and Serina glared.
He had a point.
"Sigh, alright...but I better get a sucker for this." She said lightly.
"Sure." He said with a smile. She lifted the blood-soaked shirt over her head, and threw it to the side. Trunks blushed as he tried not to stare and put the stuff on her at the same time. She still needed her personal space after all. He wrapped gauze around her ribs and over a shoulder to make sure it wouldn't fall off. He thanked god that he didn't have that stupid nose-bleeding problem.
"Ok, I'm done, and here's a clean shirt." He said, handing it to her while looking away. She put it on and he faced her again.
"I think I need to help you get to your dorm." He laughed as Serina tried to get up, but failed miserably.
"Shut up..." she muttered
"Oh, so you wanna stay here?" he asked, and he gave a mock look of seduction, "You know that I wouldn't mind at all, who knows what kind of fun we could have..." She rolled her eyes.
"Take me to my dorm, you dork." She said firmly as she blushed more.
"Aww, do you always have to ruin everything?" He gave a fake frown and picked her up of his bed. He carried her to her dorm and laid her down on the couch.
"Hey Trunks?" she asked slowly.
"Hmm?" he said back as he placed a blanket over her.
"Thanks for everything...and I'm really sorry you had to deal with this." She said quietly.
"Don't apologize. I just don't like seeing you hurt. Promise me you'll get some rest."
She gave a stubborn look, but agreed anyways. He gave her a kiss on the forehead.
"See you tomorrow." He said softly.
"Yeah, goodnight." She replied. He gave her one last smile before leaving. Trunks walked out the door, and leaned on the other side. .
"She's ok," he said to himself, "She's alright." He sank down to the floor for a moment, placing a hand on his forehead to calm himself down. He suddenly heard a yell from inside that sounded a lot like "hey!" He ran back in the room to find her sitting up. She looked at him with a wide smile.
"Where's my sucker?"
So what about this chapter? I have hope for this story, and I truly think it's worth reading. I'll keep updating. I hope I got the spacing right this time. I hate Microsoft word. Ciao!
Chapter 2
Strange but Familiar
The days following after meeting the new, mysterious girl, Trunks felt the oddest sense of déjà vu. The further he thought about it, the more he became confused. So he did the easy thing; he forgot about it. He pushed it to the back of his mind, thinking it was no big deal. It's been almost two months, and the pair had already become close friends. But there was one thing for sure, and that was Serina was defiantly not normal, no doubt about it. Will Trunks figure out what's troubling him?
"Psst! Trunks, you're going right?"
"Huh?" asked Trunks, looking up from the paper he was writing. He glanced over to Mike, a rough looking character who played on the varsity football team at Orange Star University.
"Are you going?" asked Mike again, "We need more people--"
"Going to what?" Trunks asked, looking fully at him now. He didn't like this Mike guy at all. He was stupid, arrogant, conceded . . . the list went on and on. Mike let out a sigh.
"The party, you idiot! There's gonna be booze and stuff. Plus, that foreign exchange student will be there, you know, the hot one?"
Trunks didn't really feel like going to a party full of drunken idiots. Nor did he want to see Mike flirt with some poor girl who probably wouldn't have a clue what he was saying. It definitely didn't seem like a fun-packed night, so he said the only thing that came into his head.
"I don't drink." He stated flatly.
It was true, too. He couldn't stand the taste of alcohol at his friends wedding, so he was pretty sure he wouldn't like it now. (Plus he got a little drunk and decided to put on a starburst orange brides maid dress that just so happened to be laid out because the girl who was wearing it couldn't come. He vowed to never drink again. . . and kill whoever snuck in the dozens of pictures and pasted it all over Capsule Corp. Try explaining that one to Bulma.) Mike placed his most arrogant look on his face that he could muster. Trunks hated that look. They were in their last class, the professor was busy grading papers, and he didn't have to stand that guy for much longer. Only the rest of the period to go . . .
"You don't drink," he gaffed stupidly, "oh, please don't tell me that you have some kind of moral complex , or something."
"So what if I do?" exclaimed Trunks, his eyes narrowing, "I donno about your family, but I was raised to have morals."
"What kind of bull is that? Did you're father teach you that?" said Mike. For a moment, there was nothing but silence. There was some pain express on Trunks' face, but it went as soon as it came.
"He's dead . . . so would you mind your own business?" snapped Trunks in an un-nerving tone that came barely above a whisper, but having the affect of silencing Mike for a moment. Soon, however, a wave of glee spread along his mean face, ending the awkward quietness.
"Your father's dead?" he exclaimed with extreme enjoyment, "Aww, does Trunksie have a soft side? Does he miss his daddy ." He laughed annoyingly. Serina's head shot up, and her gaze fixated on Mike.
"Hey you idiot, shut up! Why don't you leave him alone before I kick your ass?" Serina said angrily. Her face was in a set look, her cheeks red from the rage she felt.
"Serina, don't mess with this guy, he'll cause nothing but trouble." Trunks said feverishly, "You don't have to defend me." Mike eyed Serina with a smirk. He looked her up and down, licking his lips as Trunks' face screwed up with a look of disgust. How dare he look at her like that!
"No, Trunks, old buddy, I think the girl wants a fight, though I'd much rather go on a date..." said Mike, placing his hand on her "way" upper leg as his friends cheered. Serina just slapped him upside his head, causing Mike to launch into his desk, sending pencils to scatter everywhere.
"Go find someone else to molest, you ass, because I won't take it!" she whispered as loud as a whisper could go, and pushing the hand that was just on her leg away from her as if it were diseased.
"Serina, don't get involved," Trunks advised, "Look, it's ok, really." His voice was rather pleading now.
"What, Trunks? Afraid of losing her just like your loser dad?" Mike laughed yet again.
"That's IT! I've had enough, "Serina yelled, "You want a fight? I'll be more than happy to give you one. You and me, outside of campus!"
Mike simply raised his eyebrow in surprise.
"Serina, please, you don't have to," Trunks pleaded once more, "it takes a lot more than that to get me down." He gave a re-assuring smile, though it did not stop the anger that still burned inside of her.
"No, it's not just this. I need to show him his place," she turned to Mike, who was still giggling like an idiot, "You in?"
"Yeah, why not?" he responded. The professor looked up angrily, throwing down his pen.
"QUIET UP THERE!!!" he screamed, sending spit in all directions. He gave a look around as the student's stared at him wide-eyed, some wiping off the flecks of saliva from their faces, "Erm, well, get back to work." And he started to grade again. The three took one last threatening look at each other and quietly finished their papers.
As soon as the professor dismissed them, Serina, Trunks, and Mike ran out of the class.
"See you outside, m'dear!" said Mike as he made to the door leading outside. He zoomed off with his friends, laughing and making jokes about Trunks.
Serina walked to her locker with Trunks not far behind her, drinking a soda. She opened it and threw all her books in, leaving a huge dent. Trunks raised a brow with surprise. She really was angry.
"Urg, I hate that guy!" she screamed, thrusting her arms up, causing Trunks to duck out of the way, "God I wanna punch his head in! I'd feel better if I could hit something!"
"Serina calm down!" he tried to reason. She looked around for something to strike, and then she saw a good place to vent her anger. Crunch was the sound heard as her fist made contact with her already abuse locker. Trunks' eyes widened and his jaw went slack. Serina turned around to see Trunks' shocked face, his can of soda was forgotten as it dripped onto the floor.
"See, I told you I'd feel better." She exclaimed in a slightly calmer tone as she pulled her hand out of the fist shaped hole she created. Trunks shook off his stupor and chose to leave the locker out of the conversation for now.
"Serina, you know you don't have to do this." Trunks said calmly. He didn't want to try her patience at the moment. Though he knew he was far stronger than she was, he didn't want to end up like the locker all the same. When she got angry, it was . . .how do you put it? Ah, yes: terrifying. ' If Chi-Chi were alive, I would've said she had a rival.'
"I know I don't have to, but I want to. . . How'd your dad die, if you don't mind me asking?" Trunks looked down, feeling a little embarrassed that the attention was focused on him now.
"No, I don't mind," he said softly, "Well, I was just a baby, and all I know is that he was murdered by the androids." As soon as those words left his mouth, Serina's expression changed to a surprised but sad look.
"Well, if it's any consolation, my family was picked off by them, too," she began, "My Mom went shopping one day when I was five, and she left me with my brother. That day, the store was attacked... and then I had to live with my brother. You see, my father died when I was born, of a disease type thing. So all I had left was my brother...we lived alone for two years before those things massacred him before my very eyes. If only I had stayed behind . . ."
She looked up at Trunks quickly to see what he thought, seeing a look of concern on his face. She sighed lightly.
"That's why I was so mad, I know what it's like to lose someone." She finished, and he nodded solemnly. He then thought this sounded strangely familiar to him, but he put it to the back of his mind yet again, "I wonder who defeated them, anyways. I never found out. Do you know?"
Trunks blushed. He couldn't tell her. He didn't want her to think of him as some kind of freak. A part of him thought that she might understand, that he could tell her anything and she wouldn't judge him for it. He even thought for a moment that she would be able to relate, but now was not a good time to tell her.
"N-no, why would I know if you don't?" A moment passed before they spoke again. The subject turned back to the fight.
"Well, it doesn't change the fact that I could've stopped you guys from fighting. If anything happens to you... this guy is pretty tough." Trunks finished.
"Chh, this guy is nothing. I'm not half bad, either!" she exclaimed, trying to defend herself.
Trunks raised a brow again. Mike was nothing? To him, Mike wasn't, but her? He looked Serina over, and he realized that she was rather muscular for a ballet dancer, but compared to Mike...it seemed like she hadn't the chance in heck. But then again. . .
Trunks looked back at the locker and smiled. He severely underestimated her sometimes. He would expect her to be one thing, but then she'd proved him wrong. Knowing Serina, she could do most anything if she wanted to. Mike didn't know what he got himself into.
"Trust me, I'll be fine." She assured him, "and you can be my second guy if he gets that far, but you can bet he won't. You look pretty strong to me, and if you can lift me up then you have to be." she said as they walked toward the door, "I guess you can say I'm kinda heavy." Trunks shook his head, rolling his eyes.
"You're not heavy, "Trunks exclaimed as they stepped over the threshold, "just not flimsy and breakable, that's all." He wasn't going to add in that her chest was bigger than any ballerina he knew. They weren't huge, but it brought it to their attention when Madame Minkaso suggested a breast reduction clinic. Serina turned it down without hesitation.
"Plus, I think you fine the way you are." Trunks said as Serina blushed. In fact, he thought Serina was pretty.
Actually, as they made their way across the football field, Trunks found himself putting more thought into that subject than he had wanted to. He couldn't help but think that she wasn't just pretty; he thought she was beautiful. She was strong willed, but gentle. Her long hair was swaying in a ponytail as she marched toward the end of campus. She had this personality that was so colorful that it draws you to her. This pull made you like her. And her eyes were the most brilliant shade of deep blue that always seemed to smile in a friendly manner. But right now, they were in a cold stare that looked like it could burn a hole right through you. (Ouch . . . ) Trunks had never seen her look like that before, and he had a feeling that she reserved it for times like this. . .when things got really serious.
They crossed the street to a group of people that were surrounding Mike. He stared at them expectantly.
"I didn't know you were going to have your fan club here with you." Serina sneered.
"Whatever." he said, "I see you've brought that idiot with you." He jerked his head toward Trunks, "I thought that he wouldn't want to witness you being ground into the pavement."
Serina gave an "as if a jackass like you could" look and rolled her eyes.
"Shut up," she said angrily, "Let's just get this over with." She threw he bag to the ground. Serina looked around at all the punks surrounding Mike and shook her head
"I'm ready when you are." She said as Mike stepped away from the group. She looked at him as if this wasn't going to take long. The way she lolled her head to the side made it seem that she was actually quite bored.
"Ok, let's get started." he said standing there with an arrogant smile plastered to his face.
Serina scowled and sank into a battle stance, and glanced over at Trunks with an exasperated look. Mike clenched his fists and also took a battle stance, trying to make it look like he was experienced, which he was, thank you very much. He suddenly dashed toward her, running as fast as he possible could. Serina just stood there, watching him as he came closer and closer. When he did finally get there, he attempted to aim a punch at her side, but Serina, surprisingly, blocked it with ease. He tried again, but she quickly grabbed it and squeezed it to his side. He yelped and she let go. He tried to kick her head, but she grabbed it with one hand, and punched him with the other, which didn't look anything special to her, in the stomach. All the while, there was a slight glint of excitement in her eyes.
His air escaped him as he sank to the ground. His "fan club" were all yelling at him to get up as he tried to regain his strength. He grabbed his stomach in pain, even looking like he was going to faint. But finally, he was able to stand on his feet, his arrogant smirk replaced by shear hatred.
Mike let out a yell and ran yet again, his anger blinding him. Serina sighed and shook her head as he came along, aiming a punch for her nose, but she got to him first. She hit him hard enough to send him launching into a tree a couple of feet away from them, and little cracks developed on the trunk by the force of the impact. Mike, though half conscious, looked bewildered. Serina, however, wasn't surprised in the least. The punch she gave him looked nothing more than a tap to Trunks, who was rubbing his eyes, trying to grasp this. 'Did she just do that?' he thought to himself, trying to believe it.
Serina watched Mike for a moment to make sure he wasn't dead, then turned to see Trunks' surprised face 15 feet away. The silence between them held out for several minutes. She laughed nervously.
"Hee, hee, it's pretty windy today, isn't it?" she asked weakly, "Well, let's go, I've had enough for one day--"
"Serina, watch out!" Trunks screamed. It seemed that neither of them noticed that Mike had been standing quite steadily for a minute or so, or the fact that he was right behind Serina, pulling out a long, six-inch blade.
It was as if both Serina and Trunks were watching the whole thing in slow motion. Serina swirled around only to see Mike embedding his knife into her side, the blade breaking with a "crack". She kicked him hard, sending him to another tree. This time it did shatter under the tremendous force as he screamed with pain.
"Let's go!" Serina yelled as she grabbed Trunks' hand and sped off. Mike was unconscious.
They didn't stop running until they were three blocks away from the fight. They ducked in the forest by the University.
"Do you think they followed?" asked Serina with a hint of pain. She leaned against a tree to hold herself up as she clutched at her side.
"No, I don't think so," he responded. He looked down and saw the knife mangled in her blood-soaked t-shirt, "God, Serina, the knife!"
The handle hand broken off and it left the blade. The knife looked as if it was cracking down the middle. It hadn't gone in more than three to four inches. How did the blade shatter like that?
Serina looked down, and then slowly looked back up.
"Trunks, you might want to look away." She said, but Trunks looked at her stubbornly, as if he was supervising. She sighed, and then grasped the blade firmly. She clenched her teeth as she pulled the knife out. She let out a small scream of pain. Blood came pouring out, and the knife glistened with it maliciously.
"Ahh, damn it, maybe I shouldn't have done that . . ." Serina panted out, dropping the knife with a soft "thud" as she sank to the ground.
"We need to stop the bleeding, or at least slow it down." Trunks said in an unusually calm voice, though he desperately looked around to find something to apply to her wound.
As if she read his mind, she asked, "How about we use my sweatshirt?" She pointing to the thing tied around her waist.
"That'll work." He said as she took it off.
"Ok," he said after a minute, "I have to look at the wound, to see how bad it is. Could you lift your shirt up a little?"
She looked as if she was about to protest, but she did as she was told. Trunks raised his brow at the sight. He was slightly horrified. It looked rather painful and irritated. Blood pumped profusely as he looked at it closer. The knife barely grazed her rib.
"Oh, Serina...it's not looking good. We need to get you to a hospital," he said softly, lifting his gaze to her eyes, "now."
"And then what would we do?" she asked, "What would we say to explain this? Mike would just lie, and we'd get kicked out of school for fighting. Mike's on the football team, he'll tell the police anything to get out of it. No, I've worked too hard to get here."
"But it looks so painful . . . " he argued softly.
"I've had worst, trust me," she retaliated, "I don't need a hospital, or anything. Give me a day or two, and I'll be fine."
"Do you not see how serious this is?" he yelled, his voice becoming desperate.
"I'm fine, Trunks. All it would do is cause problems. With your help, I can get better, ok? Whoa.. . . " she tipped over slightly.
"Serina!" Trunks cried. She stood up to steady herself, and also prove to Trunks that she was ok.
"I'm fine, just a little dizzy. Take me back to my dorm, I have a first aid kit somewhere, bad stuff always seems to find me . . ." her eyes began to glaze over.
"Serina . . .?" he asked as he walked to her.
"Trunks . . . when did you grow another head?" she asked as she swayed on the spot, a sedated-looking smile swept her face, "hee, hee, it looks good, kinda like a potato . . . heeee, potato . . . " and she collapsed on Trunks.
"Serina, oh God . . . " he yelled. She was unconscious. He grabbed the forgotten sweatshirt and applied it to her wound gently. Three minutes later, it was soaked in blood. He looked around apprehensively. He didn't want to be seen...
"It's time to go. I just hope she doesn't wake up." He said to no one as he swept her up swiftly and leapt into the air.
He passed over campus quickly and landed on the roof of the University. He ran to his dorm unseen and placed he on the bed, dripping blood as he went.
He gasped as he looked at Serina. Her face was cold and dead looking, her usually red lips pale. If it weren't for the fact that she was still breathing, (rather shallowly, I might add) he would have thought her gone.
He looked around as he said in a shrill, "Where's that damn sensu bean?" He threw boxes and containers everywhere, searching frantically. He finally found one in a box under his drawer. His face fell as he looked at it. It looked kind of moldy.
"I don't know if it'll work, it's really old and it looks like I spilt something on it . . . but I've got to try."
He crushed it in his palm and put it in her mouth. He coaxed it down by rubbing her throat. When he was done, he sat patiently, waiting for any sign of life, but it didn't come.
"Please, Serina, oh please . . . " he looked at her desperately, his eyes etched with concern, "I was too late. Damn it!" he punched his knee, shutting his eyes furiously, trying to fight off the pain. His face drained of all its color as he thought, ' Not her,. . . please . . . there have been so many deaths in my life . . . don't take her from me too . . .'
All of a sudden, Serina shifted. She began to cough furiously, holding her side. (Scared you there, didn't I?)
"Ahh, ow, ow!" she yelped, "God, that hurt!" she exclaimed as she tried to get up
"God, Serina, you scared me!" he said with relief and hugged her tightly, placing a thankful kiss on her forehead, "Don't you ever try something that stupid again!"
"Ow, watch it, Trunks, that still hurts!" she cried out, almost suffocating from the pressure.
"Wait a second...let me see something." He said.
Trunks lifted her shirt up to see that the wound was still there, but it stopped bleeding. It looked much better; it was even healed a little.
"Good news, Serina," he said, "The wound has stopped bleeding, so I can sew it up now. I'll be right back." He tried to hide his amusement as he looked at her scared face.
"S-sew it up?" she whimpered with a squeak.
"Nothin' to it." He said with a smirk, "I've done it a million times. Though a lot of them were dead at the time..." she looked at him with worry. He loved to mess with her, "Don't worry, I just gotta go to the medical room and grab some supplies. I'll be back in a minute."
Soon after he left, Trunks was back again, his arms full of medical supplies. He walked over to his bed, placing them down.
"I'll put on this anti-bacterial solution on your tummy, and I'll stitch you up. But first, an anti-bacterial agent to help." he said calmly, and stuck a syringe in a bottle of liquid.
"This won't hurt," he told her as he stuck the needle in her stomach, and slowly entered the anti-biotic into her body, "Now, some of that solution." and he rubbed liquid stuff with a cotton ball around her wound, "And finally, the stitches."
"Nothin' to it." Said Serina, smiling weakly. Trunks had his hand over her stomach, preparing to start.
"Now, this might sting a little, but it's nothing compared to what happened to you today." He said, his soft smile comforting Serina, who was still a little shaken, "You don't have to look." She snorted sarcastically.
"Believe me, I've seen worse." she assured him. He just nodded.
"Ok then." And he stuck the needle in and out of her skin, slowly mending the injury. The sharp pain made Serina sigh.
"Trunks," Serina said after a moment of silence.
"Yeah," he said as he pulled on the needle.
"Remind me to never trust Mike again, that bastard." she muttered angrily. This made Trunks laugh through his nose.
"He, he, sure, as long as you remind me to never piss you off. You were really scary back there, like you were a whole different person."
"I was just getting into it . . . " she said sarcastically, "Was I any good?"
"Well, you can defiantly hold your own. It didn't look like much of a fight from where I was standing." She gave a questioning look, "You kicked his ass in a matter of a minute, and it looked like you were barely touching him, there was hardly any pressure in your hits at all."
"And how would you know all of this?" she asked slowly.
"Ah..."
What would he tell her? That he could fight? That he really was half alien? Or maybe that it was he who defeated the androids?
Nah . . .
"Well," he said as he came to that conclusion, "I guess I have a certain knack for seeing specific things, I guess. What about you? How do you know how to fight?" He caught her there. She couldn't say anything.
"S-self defense class. That's all I really know." She let out at last. He gave her a curious look, but decided not to bug her about it any more.
"All done." He exclaimed cheerily. Serina looked up in astonishment. He was really good.
"Really? That was quick," and she tried to get up, but couldn't, " Ow, ah damn!" she said in frustration, "I hate being useless." Trunks only smiled.
"You, I'm afraid, won't be able to get up until tomorrow. I gave you something that'll speed up the healing process." She didn't really have to know what it was, just that it's helping. The sensu bean might not heal her as quickly as he had hoped, but it would help her move around easier. He then eyed her shirt and realized something.
"You're not going to like this..." he started, "but I need you to take off your shirt so I can wrap gauze around your ribs." She flushed.
"No." she stated flatly.
"Serina, you need bandages to help keep pressure on you're injury, it's still unstable..." he said softly.
"Urg, do I have to?" she asked pleadingly.
"You have to change before you go out anyways," he argued, "I'll just give you a shirt of mine." He gave a smirk, and Serina glared.
He had a point.
"Sigh, alright...but I better get a sucker for this." She said lightly.
"Sure." He said with a smile. She lifted the blood-soaked shirt over her head, and threw it to the side. Trunks blushed as he tried not to stare and put the stuff on her at the same time. She still needed her personal space after all. He wrapped gauze around her ribs and over a shoulder to make sure it wouldn't fall off. He thanked god that he didn't have that stupid nose-bleeding problem.
"Ok, I'm done, and here's a clean shirt." He said, handing it to her while looking away. She put it on and he faced her again.
"I think I need to help you get to your dorm." He laughed as Serina tried to get up, but failed miserably.
"Shut up..." she muttered
"Oh, so you wanna stay here?" he asked, and he gave a mock look of seduction, "You know that I wouldn't mind at all, who knows what kind of fun we could have..." She rolled her eyes.
"Take me to my dorm, you dork." She said firmly as she blushed more.
"Aww, do you always have to ruin everything?" He gave a fake frown and picked her up of his bed. He carried her to her dorm and laid her down on the couch.
"Hey Trunks?" she asked slowly.
"Hmm?" he said back as he placed a blanket over her.
"Thanks for everything...and I'm really sorry you had to deal with this." She said quietly.
"Don't apologize. I just don't like seeing you hurt. Promise me you'll get some rest."
She gave a stubborn look, but agreed anyways. He gave her a kiss on the forehead.
"See you tomorrow." He said softly.
"Yeah, goodnight." She replied. He gave her one last smile before leaving. Trunks walked out the door, and leaned on the other side. .
"She's ok," he said to himself, "She's alright." He sank down to the floor for a moment, placing a hand on his forehead to calm himself down. He suddenly heard a yell from inside that sounded a lot like "hey!" He ran back in the room to find her sitting up. She looked at him with a wide smile.
"Where's my sucker?"
So what about this chapter? I have hope for this story, and I truly think it's worth reading. I'll keep updating. I hope I got the spacing right this time. I hate Microsoft word. Ciao!
