Chapter 5

The Truth is all too Painful

"Trunks, get up. It's eleven! The posts go up at eleven-thirty!" Serina screeched, thinking of what Madame said the night before," Get your ass up now!" She frantically glanced at her watch as she banged on the door. She heard a crash and some mumblings about "flying demon babies."

"I'm up, I'm up! Stop screaming, please." Trunks yelled through the door.

"We're gonna be late! ARR!!!" she complained. Trunks opened the door as he brushed his teeth.

"Oskay, kkhold onn." he exclaimed, tooth paste flecking out off his mouth landing everywhere, then ran to the sink to spit it out, and back again, "All right I'm ready, lets go."

Serina just glared at him with an incredulous stare.

"What?" he asked. She just shook her head.

"Never mind. Let's just hurry, or we'll never make it in time." And they ran down the stairs toward the lunch area, which had a café and other little mini restaurants that the two dined at often.

When they did eventually get there, a huge line already awaited the results of all their hard work on their routines.

"Damn!" Serina cursed, slapping her forehead, "I told you that we were gonna be late!" Trunks gave her an apologetic look as she slid down the wall. He turned to see two people making their way towards them.

"Hey Jake, hey Julie." He said as his other best friends walked up to him. (Obviously, they aren't as close as Serina is . . .)

"What's up with Serina?" asked Julie, who was looking over at Serina muttering darkly to herself.

"Look at the line!" she yelled suddenly, "We'll never get to see the results!" and with that, she went back to muttering, rocking back and forth slightly.

"I've got an idea!" the enthusiastic Jake yelled.

" Whoa, that'd be a first." Trunks teased. Jake wasn't always the brightest person. He glared at Trunks, and turned to the crowd.

"Posting change to the South Wing!" Jake screamed over the ruckus. Everyone who was waiting ran in a stamped to the other end of the building. All that remained were the four friends.

"You are an evil genius." Trunks stated as Jake swelled.

"Yeah, I know." he replied.

"Look, the post!" Julie yelled. Madame was taping it up.

"Funny," Madame Minkaso began, "I thought more people than this would be here." They couldn't help but giggle as they exchanged glances. Madame left, and they ran to the piece of paper. Each began to scan the page.

"I'm one of the leads! I'm the supporting dancer!" Julie cried out.

"Me too!" Jake screamed.

"Of course, you twit. You're my partner." Julie shook her head, but hugged him anyways. The jumped up and down frantically as Trunks and Serina continued their search.

"Trunks," Serina said as she leached onto his arm, "We got the lead parts!"

"What?" he asked in disbelief. (Duh . . .who'd you think was gonna get the parts?)

"We're the leads!" she yelled as she flung herself onto him, hugging Trunks so hard that he was having trouble breathing, but he returned the hug gratefully.

"That's awesome," he said, "I told you that we'd do well."

"And you're the person who doesn't really care about the "ballet thing". I thought I was the only one in this pair. I think I'm growing on you."

Trunks smirked, "I guess you can say that."

"Oh no, the mob's back!" gasped Jake, and they ran screaming down the hall.

********

The four of them went out to celebrate their roles and went to see a movie. It was a cool action flick that made Jake cry in the end.

"B-but-he-can't-die!" she sobbed into Julie's shirt, who was desperately trying to comfort the distraught Jake.

They went to lunch as well, and discussed how cool the rest of the semester would be. The waiter came to take their orders. Julie and Jake each got a slice of pizza, fries, and two Pepsis. (word?) Trunks, whose appetite was abnormally large, being a saiyan and all, ordered half the menu.

"W-would that be all, sir?" the poor waiter asked.

"That should be good for now." Trunks responded. The waiter paled.

"And you, miss?" he asked Serina.

"Oh, um...I'll have the same as him." She said, referring to Trunks. The waiter nearly fainted at this.

"N-no problem." He responded weakly as he went to turn in their orders.

"Whoa, Serina," Julie, who had never witnessed Serina eat, said in shock, "Why'd you order so much?"

"I'm hungry." She stated simply, "And what's wrong with that? Why aren't you asking Trunks that?"

"I donno, I just assumed that you wouldn't eat that much." She replied and Serina shrugged.

"Well, I guess now you know. I have a really high metabolism."

"So do I." said Trunks, who wasn't really phased by Serina's appetite. It was a little strange, but he remembered Goku and how he would eat, and he quickly shrugged off the whole thing. Besides, Serina could gain some weight and it wouldn't matter. She seemed the type off person who would just burn it off. And Trunks would've had minded if she gained thirty pounds, she'd still be gorgeous.

While they were eating, Julie looked for something to talk about, and she found the subject at the table. She quickly noted that Trunks and Serina seemed awfully close. She couldn't believe that she hadn't noticed it before. They flirted constantly in her eyes. ' I smell a new project.' She thought, and gave a rather evil smirk and turned to Jake.

" You know, Serina and Trunks would make a good couple." She whispered to Jake, who was eyeing one of Trunks' cupcakes

"You think so?" he asked as he picked it up. She began to whisper ideas on how to get them together in an excited manner to him as he munched on the Trunks cupcake thoughtfully.

"Do you honestly think that'll work?" he asked, interrupting her while she was in midstream of an idea.

"Of course." She snapped. That got the attention of the pair across the table.

"What are you guys talking about?" Trunks asked curiously. With those two, who knows what they could be planning. Jake played bass for Trunks' college band, and he was the one who often destroyed the equipment for fun.

"N-nothing" said Jake and Julie at once. They shot each other a sideways glance before looking back at them.

"Right . . ." Serina said, "What're you up to?"

"We were just talking about yo--" Jake began, but a swift kick to the shin made him think twice before saying anything, "dolphins. Interesting creatures, I'll tell ya, hehe."

They all just stared at him for a moment, not saying a word to disturb the silence. Julie was mentally slapping herself for telling Jake of all people. Jake slowly shrank into the back of his seat. He was sure to get an earful from Julie after this. Trunks, being the guy he was, broke the uncomfortable silence, fearing that if no one spoke soon, they would never get home.

"Sure, they're interesting," Trunks began, "one time I was on a fieldtrip at the aquarium. I mean, they--"

"Trunks," Julie cut him off, "everyone's done those stupid aquarium things, so save us the trip down memory lane, please!" Jake began to sniff.

"I've never been to one." he said sadly, "I was afraid of fish when I was younger."

"Oh, Jake . . . I'm sorry, it's not all that fun, anyways. When I said "everyone", I didn't mean "everyone"."

"Well, let's see," Trunks said, facing Serina, "Have you been on one of those field trip things?" Serina smiled a little.

"Actually, I was home schooled until high school, so no." she replied.

"Yay, so you've never been there!" Jake cried joyously

"I've been to one, Jake, just not for school." She told him.

"NO, I'm the only one!" Jake screamed, "I'm all alone!"

The group had finished their meals and got up to leave. They walked down the main street to get to their car, and on the way, Jake began to talk like he was insane—as usual.

"Hey, maybe there are more people like me!" he began, "I should start a secret society, and I can be their king! Muah-ha-ha." He threw his head back and began to laugh uncontrollably. The other three turned to him and gave a rather disturbed look.

"Jake," they all screamed in unison, "SHUT THE HELL UP!" and Jake coward the rest of the way home.

They finally got to the University and walked to their dorms. Trunks waved good-bye to Julie and Jake and walked Serina to hers.

"So, you happy now?" he asked, shoving his hands into his pockets, giving a smirk that would make Vegeta himself proud.

"Of course. I've never had the lead in anything big, but that's not important. You and me, being the head of the whole thing . . .I couldn't have asked for more. Thanks for everything." She gave a small, appreciative smile that made Trunks gulp, but he smirked still.

"Yeah, go on." He replied with a wave of his hand, "You did everything by yourself."

"Sure." she replied with a smirk of her own.

A scream that belonged to Jake broke their little moment. A loud "thud" was heard before he shouted, "I'm ok!"

"I better go take him to his room before he kills himself. Honestly, how does someone like Jake get such a good part?"

"I donno, I think that will remain a mystery. I guess I'll see you later." She replied softly.

"Bye . . ." he exclaimed, looking in to her eyes, which shone in a familiar way. He smiled a true smile, not like his usual smirk, and turned around, "Hey Jake wait up!"

Trunks walked down the hall to help his friend, but a sudden feeling overwhelmed him. Something was up, and he had a feeling that it was big. He gave a small shudder, but shrugged it off. He hadn't felt that way since . . .No, it was nothing. He was being paranoid. Everything would be all right, everything would be normal.

But he was wrong; everything would not all right. Things would never be normal ever again.

******

Serina watched the retreating back of Trunks and thought dreamily for a moment. She unlocked her door and walked in. But instantly, a searing pain shot through her head. She grabbed at it and stumbled like a wounded animal. Something wasn't right. She began to swoon as an overwhelming dizziness came over her.

"No, not again." She said desperately. Why was she fainting so much lately?

She fell to the floor, darkness enveloping her as she lost consciousness.

*******

Serina opened her eyes and looked around. Some how she was on campus, but there was something wrong. She looked up and burning buildings were everywhere. She could almost smell the death around her. ' What happened?' she thought desperately. She looked around frantically for any sign of life. The only thing she saw was a speck in the sky. She tried to look closer, and she made out a creature, one that she had never seen in her life. He was blue in areas with specks of black everywhere. His tail swooped around in great movements as he made an energy ball and threw it at another building. He smirked evilly; his head had a somewhat coned look to it, though it was split down the middle. He turned to look at Serina, and his smile broadened. From Serina's experience with them, she assumed that he was an android.

"Who are you?" she asked with rage. All of those innocent people . . .they never had a chance. The creature ignored her question and began to speak with a deep voice.

"This place looks just like how android 17 and 18 had it before that twit destroyed them. I was so close to absorbing them, too. But thanks to Dr. Gero, I was able to take supplementary cells to turn me into this." He moved his arms to signify himself.

"Who are you, damn it!" she repeated.

"Sorry, how rude of me. I'm the spawn of Cell." When Serina gave a blank look, he sighed and continued, "I, like the other androids, was made by Dr. Gero."

"That phyco guy . . .?" she asked. She knew that he had made the other androids, but this---this thing?

" My "father", who was made of cells of all the greatest fighters on earth, was imperfect, so Dr. Gero made another from his cells, and bam. Here I am. My father was killed a little while ago. He was killed by that same twit who defeated the other androids."

"I donno who this "Cell" guy is, but that doesn't matter. Why'd you destroy this place?" she asked, throwing her arm out wildly out to the burning city.

"It's really none of your concern, but I'm here to find the guy that killed my father, and to finish what he could not. I'm going to destroy this planet."

"What?!?" Serina yelled. She had to stop him.

"Like I said, it's none of your concern." He replied. She shook with unexplainable anger.

"Hmm . . . now that poses a problem. You aren't going to get the chance to do that, because you see, to destroy earth, you'll have to get through me!"

"Ha, don't make me laugh. My chi far surpasses yours. I'll tell you right now, it's not going to last long."

"Have you every heard of suppressing your chi?" she asked.
Serina concentrated deeply and clenched her hands. Suddenly, her energy flared around her. Cell gave a rather surprised look.

"Maybe this will be worth my time." He said, "But still, you're no match for me. I bet you that you won't last five minutes."

"Yeah, you called it." Serina centered herself and leapt into the air. She flew to Cell and punched him dead in the face. It didn't affect him much.

"Wow, you can fight. But now it's my turn." He exclaimed and punched Serina hard in the face as well.

Down she fell, but she managed to stop herself in mid air. Again she tried to fight him head on, but Cell proved too powerful for her. She put up a good fight, but she was thrown to the ground behind a tipped car.

"Is that the best you can do?" he asked with impatience, "If that's so, then this battle will be over soon. HAHAHA!!!" and with that he cracked his knuckles.

Serina peered over the side of the car, grasping painfully at her side.

"Oh, great," she whispered, "What do I do now" She turned her head when she heard shuffling.

"Oww," said a boy about the age of nine. His leg was trapped under the car.

"Oh, god, are you all right?" she asked, scooting over to the child.

"I'm ok." He said softly, "I'm just hurt. My parents . . . where are my mom and dad?" he asked.

"That's not important right now. What I'm worried about is getting you out of here. What hurts?" she asked with concern.

"My leg, that's it." He replied with a groan.

"Well, I'm gonna help you and get your leg out from under there."

"I don't think that's a good idea." He said, looking around with fear.

"I think it's broken." She gave him a sympathetic look.

"Well, lets see," and she felt around his leg, "Nope, the pressure on your leg is making it feel that way, but I don't think it'll give you much trouble. But we have to get this thing off of you, all right?"

"Ok." He said, "my name's Jerenie, by the way."

"Serina." She smiled, then gently put her hand under the car, and pulled his leg out for him, making sure Cell didn't spot them.

"Does your leg feel better?" she asked eagerly.

"Much better, thank you." he said back.

"Ok, Jerenie, I want you to run to The Coffee Addict, it's a block down. There's an old bomb shelter down there, and I'm sure people are taking refuge in it, and it's much safer."

"But what if that sees me?" he asked, pointing to Cell. He looked absolutely terrified by the idea.

"Don't worry," she said, and brushed back his hair in a comforting manner, "a friend once told me that whenever something get tough, he'd think of something that he had to do that was much worse. And then he wouldn't feel so bad. Can you think of anything worse then this?"

"No." he stated flatly.

"Yeah, me neither. Well, can you think of something to look forward to?"

"Sure," he said smiling, "By the way, do you like this guy?" Serina blushed violently.

"How can you tell?" she asked, her face burning up.

"Because you remember stuff that he says. I bet you that he likes you too."

"And why's that?" she tilted her head in question.

"Because you're hot." He said simply. She blushed even more.

"There's more to love than looks you know." She lectured. He looked at her and nodded his head. Suddenly, he turned red as well.

"Serina, can I ask you to do something for me?" he asked, and she nodded her head, "Do you think, since I might not get a chance to later, c- could you give me my first kiss?"

She stared at him for a moment before she let out a laugh.

"Of course," she began, "You're not so bad looking yourself." And she gave him a quick peck on the cheek. He blushed even more.

"Hey, it was supposed to be lips!" He cried out.

"Tut-tut. Never before the first date." She argued, and glanced over the car again, "Get ready to run. On my signal, ok?"

"Yeah," he agreed, giving her his best "seductive" smile. She only shook her head.

"Come on woman, I haven't got all day!" Cell yelled.

"Ok," Serina whispered, "I'll see you soon."

"But where're you going?" he asked desperately.

"Someone's going to have to get this guy," she turned to smile at him, "and it might as well be me." So they crouched down, waiting for a good moment to go.

"Bye!" was the last thing Serina said to Jerenie.

"Good luck!" he said, and she jumped into the air, punching Cell hard in the stomach. He gasped for breath as Serina turned to see Jerenie make it to the other side of the block. She breathed a sigh of relief.

" Come on, Cell. Let's start this!" Serina yelled.

"Caa,caaaa, can't breath, caaa." He said painfully, "You little wench. You're gonna wish you never messed with me!"

With a great effort, Cell managed to pull himself up strait. Before she knew it, he was on her faster than she could say "ouch". He punched as much of her body as he could, slamming a fist right above her eye. It bled profusely as she tried to wipe it off. She backed away and shot some energy blasts out of her hand and aimed it at him. He dodged them like they were nothing.

They continued like this for many minutes, Serina barely hanging on. Again and again she tried, but as hard as she pushed herself, it didn't help.

She charged once more, but a shrill voice caught her attention. Someone was calling her name. Her eyes widened with shock as she came to the realization of who it was.

"Serina, stop it now!" Trunks' worried voice boomed from behind her. He was running, desperately waving his arms wildly. Serina turned to see his terrified face, "You don't know what you're dealing with!"

"What? Trunks get away from here you idiot!" She screamed out, letting her guard down.

"Trunks," Cell said in disbelief, and then letting a scowl grace his face, "Well, I'm glad you're here. I was just about to kill you friend."

Cell grabbed her from behind and placed a hand on the small of her back, sending a small, orange energy blast loose. Her eyes widened with pain and she let out a scream. Blood spurted from her mouth as the blast went through her stomach.

"Ha, pathetic." Cell said as he dropped her like a rag doll, and she hit with a sickening crunch.

Trunks wasted no time in running to Serina's aid. He dropped to his knees, looking at her helplessly. He picked her up tenderly, cradling her damaged body, wishing that he could do *something.

"T-trunks!" she sputtered desperately, blood flowing down her chin.

"Don't talk," he began, "I don't know how you were able to fight him, but--- "

"Trunks, listen, I don't have much time. I want to, need to tell you so much."

"Tell me later. Why would you attack as guy like that?" he asked, his eyes pleading.

"Because no one else would have." She replied with a tear. He wasn't listening. She had to tell him everything, even about how her life was before.

"I would have! You didn't know what you were dealing with . . .god, not again, not her too. . . please."

Serina placed a bloody hand on his face, tears falling shamelessly down her pretty face. Trunks looked into her eyes, realizing that it was inevitable; Serina was going to die. She rubbed his cheek with her thumb in a soothing manner. Trunks grabbed at it painfully. It was happening again. He was losing the last person that he loved. He was going to be alone again. They stayed that way for what seemed like forever, before Serina's eyes began to droop.

"Trunks . . . I want to tell you that I . . .that I . . ." She began, but her strength left her. Tears ran even more. She couldn't even speak anymore. Her eyes slowly closed, drawing her breath one last time.

Serina was dead.

"No . . ." Trunks said with a shaking voice. He let out a bitter tear. She was gone. He let the tears flow freely for a moment before standing up to face her murderer. He wiped his face quickly. He said one last comment to Serina's dead body.

"Don't worry, Serina . . .you sacrificed yourself to save everyone, so I will do the same. I won't let your death be in vain!"

*******

"TRUNKS, NOOO!!!" Serina screamed out, jolting up quickly, holding out her hand as if to reach him. She breathed hard and placed a shaking hand against her head. What was that? A dream?

' No,' she though, ' no, it couldn't have been. It was a sign, but why?'

She looked around and noticed that she was no longer in her dorm, but in Trunks'.

"I see you've finally woken up." Said Trunks, who brought a tray of tea over to her. He placed it on the nightstand next to the bed she was on. He looked up to see a disturbed face.

"What's wrong?" he asked seriously. She shook her head and let out a shudder. She quickly got up and hugged him tightly. He seemed surprised by this act, but soon hugged her back with a tight embrace.

"I'm so glad you're safe." She sobbed. His eyes went round. What was she talking about?

"Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?" he asked. She shook her head violently. Trunks looked at her incredulously. He could almost feel her fear. It radiated off of her like a fever, and Trunks felt like he was beginning to catch the bug. She shook as if she was in pain.

"Serina, what's wrong?" he asked softly, "Are you hurt? Did someone attack you?"

She remained silent.

"I can't do anything for you unless you tell me what's wrong. I need to know whatever's troubling you."

All Serina could do was cling to him. He was still there, but he hadn't really died in the dream thing anyhow. But she felt that he was going to be next.

"I found you unconscious on the floor of your dorm. I'm worried."

She looked at him. Should she tell Trunks? No . . . she couldn't tell him, not now. He was always worrying about her. But soon . . .

Trunks tried again. He poured her some tea and she took it gratefully. He watched her intently as she met his gaze.

"I guess I haven't been feeling well." she said, but Trunks raised his brow in question. He wasn't going to fall for that. ' Damn.' She thought.

"I was feeling a little faint, so I just—collapsed." She continued.

It seemed to satisfy his curiosity a bit.

"What were you dreaming about?" he asked, trying to see how much he could get out of her. She looked to the ground.

"It was nothing. I have a couple weird ones every once in a while, but nothing too serious," she stole a glance, deeming that she should tell him a little bit of the truth, "But this one . . .was particularly detailed. I've never felt so . . ." she met his gaze once more, "so helpless." It was quiet for a moment.

"Are you going to be all right?" he asked with concern. She nodded her head and stood up.

"I'm gonna get some sleep. Can I talk to you tomorrow?" she asked.

"Of course. Do you need me to come with you?" he looked her over. She probably could use his help.

"Nah. I'll be fine. You worry far too much. It's not good for some one your age." She laughed a little. His eyes went soft.

"I try, but I just don't want to lose you. Sometimes I'm afraid that you'll disappear like every one else. I can't help but worry for you. Sometimes I wonder if I'm under a cursed. If you get hurt, I think I start believing it. "

She gave him a haunted look. She was just thinking the same thoughts a while ago. She placed the untouched tea back on the tray, and turned to hug him tightly, as if she would never see him again. She buried her head in his neck, trying to control the nervous feeling in her stomach.

"You're not cursed. I'm still here, aren't I? I guess I'll try not to do things that make you worry." She compromised. She walked out the door, smiling sadly. He cared for her way too much. It would make lying to him so much worse.

"I better watch her," Trunks said as the door closed, "There's something going on, and I better find out before she hurts herself."

*******

Later that night, Serina paced pack and forth, debating with herself. She had made a deal with herself. She was going to make a final decision by midnight that night. Whether or not that dream thing was real or not.

"Fifteen minutes." She said softly after glancing to her clock. ' This is so stupid. Not even here can I find peace.'

"Ok," she said to herself aloud, "There's got to be clues to help me with this. If it was just a dream, then how can I remember every last detail about it? And why would I collapse like that? I blacked out, and then fell to the ground. It was like being pulled from my body . . .It was if I had left this time completely. The weather was warm. It's chilly now-- "

She stopped mid-sentence. She wasn't supposed to feel in a dream. But she did, she had felt every single blow from Cell, the warm breeze, Trunks' ragged, scared breath on her face after falling . . .

She sat on the edge of her bed and covered her face with her hands. This was so bizarre. This couldn't be true. But she felt the answer deep within her. It was real.

"But the question is," she let out a sigh, "what do I do about it?"

Of course, she knew what to do, but that would mean a lot of covering up. Trunks would know something was up. He had a sense about him, he could smell a lie off of her a mile away.

"But what else can I do? I have to do this not only for innocent lives, but also for myself. I've let myself down for so long. It's time I take control."

Serina felt a little better. Leaving Trunks like that probably wasn't a good idea. He would try to find out what was wrong. She looked at the clock that was hanging on the wall from across the room.

It was midnight.

"Now or never." She muttered to herself. She zipped up her sweatshirt and walked to her window. Opening it, she looked outside. There was no one. She went to her door as well, and checked through the peephole. Nobody.

"Perfect." she mused and let herself smile.

Almost instantly she turned around and walked back to the window.

"God, I hope I don't suck now." She said as she looked down. She let her arms go strait out from her body and took in a breath, then doing the unthinkable.

She dove out the window.

The cool air whipped her face harshly as she fell. The howling wind banged against her ears as she went. Down, down, down she went, falling two stories of the five-story building. A broad smile found its way onto her lips as she abruptly turned up and flew forward to the biggest island on OSU.

******

Trunks looked up quickly from his book. With his superior hearing, he overheard a noise from Serina's dorm area. Like a door, or even a—
"Wait!" he yelled as he stood up and dropped his book. He raced out of his room and headed for hers.

"She wouldn't---wouldn't commit suicide . . . would she?" He shook his head. 'No,' he thought, 'she wouldn't do that. What reason does she have?'

He got to her dorm and opened it.

"She should be smart enough to lock the door, honestly." he muttered as he entered.

Indeed the window was open, and the room very much without Serina. He ran to the window and peered over it, creating a curtain of lavender over his eyes. There was no sign of her.

"Where is she?" he asked himself. He jumped out her window as well and circled the University twice. He went out over the water that surrounded OSU and there was sign of her. Suddenly, movement caught his eye. Rustling of leaves could be heard as he looked at the biggest island on the water. There was something on his favorite island! It had to be Serina.

"If she's using drugs . . ." he said as he raced to the island. But where was her boat?

He landed on the ground without making a sound. He looked around, hoping to see Serina. He jerked his head when he sensed something—peculiar.

It was a large power source. Not quite as strong as his, but it was defiantly not normal. It was . . .familiar, as if he knew it from somewhere.

He finally got to the area where there was a lake. There he spotted Serina. He quickly ducked behind a tree and looked on at the truly unexpected view in front of him

"What is she doing here?" he asked himself quietly as Serina suddenly went into backhand springs. She then began to kick an imaginary opponent. Her moves were at a god-like speed. Never had he imagined she would be this good at fighting. But by this point Trunks was in denial.

"Ok," he told himself, "This is still normal. She obviously is a much better fighter than she lets on. Who said it's weird to know how to fight? It's normal."

Serina finished her kicking and stood straight. A glint of excitement shone in her eyes as she looked around to check what was in the way.

"Ok, I haven't done this in a while, but I suspect that it's about as good as ever." she said aloud. She flexed her fingers as she crouched into a bended knee position. She placed her hands at her side, touching palm to palm. She smirked slightly and breathed deep.

"Kaaa-meeee-" she said and began powering up as Trunks' eyes widened. He was still chanting, "She's normal", "haaaa-meeeeee-" a blue energy ball formed in her hands as she said at last, "HAAAAA!!!"

A blast of huge mass came hurtling out from her hands as she extended her arms. It traveled further and further, almost hitting a town, but just as it was about to collide, she thrust her arms up, using two fingers on each hand to direct it. The wave went up too. It was launched into space just in time.

Serina breathed heavily as she stood still, her only movements were the blinking of her eyes. Then a smile crossed her face as she exploded.
"WHOOO, YES!!!" she exclaimed as she jumped around excitedly.

"Tha-tha-that wasn't normal!" said Trunks in shock, and his eyes were round. He didn't realize how loud he was being, or that he was in fact out of his hiding place, totally exposed. She turned to face him. 'Oh, no . . .'

"Trunks," she let out, "what are you doing here?" She tried not to look suspicious. 'With luck, I'll make him think he's dreaming. But how much luck can one possibly have?' she thought helplessly.

"Er...well, I thought I heard a noise, so I went to check on you. The window was open, so I assumed that you were out somewhere. I saw something on this island, and I followed you here. H-how'd you do that?" he asked suddenly.

"Do what, eh-he . . ." she said weakly. He smirked slightly.

"There's no point in denying it, Serina, I saw everything. How'd you learn that?" he asked, but a little more firmly this time.

Serina hesitated. This was going to confuse him. He'd probably freak out after knowing what she was. She had never told anyone. She wasn't exactly like Trunks. She wasn't exactly like anybody. He couldn't understand.

' But he hasn't freaked out yet,' her subconscious said, ' maybe he won't care.' She thought on it only a moment more, ' I better get this out in the open before he finds out some other way.'

"Serina?" he asked. She broke out of her train of thought. Yep, it was now or never.

"My brother taught me." She said at last. Trunks thought quickly. There were only a handful of people who could do that technique.

"Does your brother happen to be Master Roshi?" he asked suddenly. Her mouth dropped.

"How do you know of him?" she asked.

"He's an old friend of my mom's." Trunks explained.

"No, of course not. How old do you think I am?" she asked, and he gave a sheepish look. She was only 18 after all, " Why'd you think that, anyways?"

"I know he trains under the art of Kamehameha." He replied.

"You know of that technique?" she asked in awe. He waved an impatient hand.

"Sure, but wait . . .then who's your brother?" he asked. What was going on? The pained look on her face made him wish he had never brought the subject up.

"A man named Gohan was." She said quietly. Trunks' jaw dropped. That was defiantly not the answer he was expecting. He was speechless. But Serina didn't notice.

"And there's more," she continued, "I'm not exactly human either. It might be a little hard for you to understand, but my father was from a different planet. He was sent here as a baby and brought up as a human. The race, called Saiyans, bred fighters' mostly, and so my father liked to fight, too. That's why I'm a natural fighter. . .Are you ok?" she asked. Trunks looked rather pale.

"Gohan's sister . . ." he said as he leaned against a tree. This was too much, "So that means you're . . ." he looked up at her, "Goku's daughter." She stared at him with shock.

"You knew my father?" she asked while looking at him wildly, "but that's impossible."

"Yes, I *know your father. I know Gohan, too." He said as she looked at him strangely.

"They're dead. How...?" she asked him confusedly. He sighed. This was going to take a while to explain.

"You see, there was so much destruction here, my mother thought that if we traveled back in time, we could prevent it again. I met Goku, and gave him some medication for his heart virus. He died fight Cell anyways, but--"

"Cell?!?" she yelled. Her thoughts brought her back to her dream.

"Yeah . . .uh, what's wrong?" he asked as his brow furrowed.

"So it really wasn't a dream," she said more to herself than Trunks, and she turned to face him, "It's true then."

"What do you mean? How could you know about him, anyways?"

"Trunks, I don't know how, and I don't know why, but you know that dream I had?" she fixated him with a scared look.

"Yeah?" he replied as he thought back to it.

"It wasn't a dream . . .it was a premonition."

"WHAT!!!" he exclaimed as he flailed his arms upward.

"I saw the future." She said quietly, remembering all the death and she shuddered.

"But what does it have to do with Cell?"

"Plenty. He's called the "Spawn of Cell", or whatever. He said that his father was supposed to destroy earth. And that he was going to avenge his father's death by finding the guy who killed the androids and the first Cell."

"Damn it, this is not good. Not good at all." He looked at her desperately, "What d we do?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure what you can do though, you're human, meaning that there's certain things you can't do. . . meaning that he'll kill you."

Trunks smirked. She didn't know that he was the guy who got rid of Cell.

"I've fought his father before. Once in the past, and also not too long ago. You see, it was I who destroyed Cell." She looked at him in disbelief.

"Then that means you killed the androids as well." She exclaimed with a mixture of awe and admiration. Trunks blushed, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want you thinking I was strange." He responded simply.

"But how did you defeat him, you're not--"

"I'll show you." He smirked.

Serina looked on as Trunks prepared himself. All of a sudden, he began to power up. Her jaw dropped as his chi exploded. A second later, he had reached his super-saiyan stage with extreme ease.

Serina rubbed her eyes. ' Am I really seeing this?' she thought.

"You're a, a . . ." she couldn't even finish.

"Super-saiyan? Yeah. Thanks to my Dad, who I got to train with while in the past, this isn't even half my power." He said as he powered down.

"Your father has to be Saiyan then. I'm not alone!!!" she said happily, "You must be half Saiyan, too. Then who's . . ."

"My father?" he prompted, "I think you heard of him. His name was Vegeta."

"V-Vegeta?" she said in shock, "I have to say, from all the pictures I've seen of him you look much better." He blushed.

"Thanks, but that was because he's always scowling." He said in defense of his father.

"I could never understand why he was always so angry looking. But I can defiantly see the resemblance. You must've got most of your traits from . . .Bulma . . ." she finished softly. She rubbed her head in confusion.

"You know my mom? You can't possibly. . ." he asked stupidly.

" . . .But I do know her, Trunks . . .I've known her for years, but didn't know I knew her." He looked at her with a cocked eyebrow.

"Huh?" he asked, his face scrunched from the confusion.

Serina looked down, her brow furrowed as she thought deeply. It looked as if she was remembering something.

"Trunks, try to remember. We knew each other eleven years ago." He looked down thoughtfully. He closed his eyes tight, hoping that something would trigger a memory that would answer all his questions.

*

"Gohan, what do you think you're doing?" a young Serina cried out. The older boy turned to see his sister land with a younger Trunks as well.

"I told you to stay behind." said Gohan hoarsely. He was injured almost to the point of collapsing.

"You think we would've let you do this alone?" Trunks screamed.

"Leave you two. Now." Gohan gave them a stern look, "I said MOVE!"

"No," said Serina, who had tears leaking out, "We're going to help you."

The androids looked on with amusement.

"I'd hate to break this love fest up," the dark haired one said, " But I really don't think we have the time. And I'm so tired of fighting blondy over there," he nodded his head toward Gohan, who was super-saiyan at the moment, "Aren't we sis?"

"Oh yes," the blond one said coldly, "I think it's time we end this."

*

Trunks cringed. That wasn't the same memory he had of Gohan dieing. He couldn't remember the rest at the moment, it was like trying to remember a dream he had long ago. His memories were slowly surfacing. Serina was truly Gohan's sister.

". . .You're right. We had to have known each other. It explains everything. You were there with me when Gohan was killed."

Serina held her head painfully. She began to remember a little of it too. She bit her lip to prevent from tearing up. She bit it so hard that after a moment she began to taste blood.

"I guess we have a lot to catch up on, eh?" she said and let out a little laugh, "Who would've thought that we were speaking of the same people. But why didn't I connect you to being Bulma's son before? I mean, Briefs isn't the most common name. How come we've never noticed?"

"I had my suspicions." He said softly, "Something about you . . .well, I had the biggest feeling of déjà vu."

"Talk about it," said Serina with a wave of her hand, "It's so crazy, but . . .understandable. You're defiantly Vegeta's son. Why didn't I notice before?"

She hit her head softly, as if that would help with this dilemma.

"I remember looking at pictures of all my Dad's friends," she continued, "Master Roshi would make me look at each photo everyday. He told me not to forget them. In a way, I had always felt like I knew my Dad personally. I would have these dreams of him and my family. Even now I can't explain why I feel this way. Weird, right?"

"No, not at all," Trunks replied, and looked at her face, looking her over slowly until he rested at her eyes, "you're a lot like him, you know. You have the same eyes, though yours are blue. But they're just as expressive as his can be. And I won't even start on your appetite."

Serina blushed. As much as she hated admitting this, she knew Trunks was right. It was almost as bad as Goku's.

"Well, like you can talk. But you really think I look like my father?" she asked, her eyes glittering hopefully. He looked at her closely.

"I think so. I'm surprised that I didn't see it before. Especially when you eat. You get that excited look on your face." He laughed a little. Serina pouted.

"Master Roshi would say that, too." She snarled loudly, "But I miss him anyways."

"How is the old guy?" he asked, "I haven't seen him in a long time."

Serina rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Oh he's fine. Still old, still smelly, and still VERY perverted, the little freak . . ."

"Why do you care that he's perverted?" asked Trunks curiously. Serina glared at him.

"I've been living there for ten years. He's almost like a father figure to me, right?" she prompted

"Right . . ." Trunks agreed.

"How would you like it if your father was hitting on you?" she asked. Trunks fell over. He was laughing so hard that tears were streaking down his cheeks.

"What's so damn funny?" she asked painfully loud. He looked at her with a smirk.

"I'm just trying to imagine my father hitting on me. It's quite disturbing, actually." He said and laughed again. Serina looked horrified.

"I think it's hard to imagine that guy hitting on anyone." She said softly and giggled as well.

"Well, he put the moves on my mother, so why not?" They both laughed

Serina brushed a lock of loose hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. She was so confused, and yet . . . she wasn't. She had another question after thinking of that.

"What I still don't seem to grasp is the time travel thing and the Cell guy." She said honestly. H e slapped his forehead.

"I'm not being too thorough, am I?" she shrugged at him as he continued, "A little more than a year ago, my mother told me that the time machine that she had been working on was complete. She told me that if I wanted to make things right for our loved ones, I had to go back into the past to one, give Goku his medication, and two, to warn everyone about the Androids, I think I told you that part earlier. Things were so bad here that it felt like I had no hope left. What else was there left to do?

"Well, I went back, thinking that it could improve things here. But there was a problem. Timelines are difficult to understand. No matter what you do in the past, it cannot change the future much. I found that out the hard way. I was depressed, but I decided to fight with them, for there was more than just the androids to worry about."

"Cell . . ." Serina finished softly. He nodded.

"Right-o. We went through some training and other problems . . .with my father, but that's a different story. I can always save that one for a rainy day. Any ways, we went through the room of Spirit and Time. I assume, living with Master Roshi, you heard of it?"

"Yes, I've spent some time in there myself," Serina let out a smile as she spoke, "I can also save that story for when you tell me yours."

He laughed lightly, and ran a hand threw his perfect hair. He closed his eyes and breathed in slowly.

"Continuing on, Cell was incomplete. He absorbed people to gain strength. I still remember the screaming. He needed the androids to mold into the perfect form. Well, he did absorb them, and soon after he made a tournament. That's when we used the room of Sprit and Time. At the tournament, your father fought him, but Cell soon over powered him. So Gohan fought."

"What?" she asked in disbelief, "How old was he?"

"I think eleven. Gohan has a hidden power, he brings it out when he's really distressed. He fought Cell with ease, but was easily consumed by anger. He was blinded by it, and Cell had time to blow himself up, threatening to destroy earth. Goku instant transmitted himself and Cell off the planet. But when Cell blew up . . .killing Goku in the process."

"So he didn't survive after all." said Serina sadly. Trunks touched her arm delicately and she looked up at him weakly.

"I'm afraid so. But Cell wasn't killed. Not all of his cells were destroyed, so he regenerated," Serina let out a gasp, "Gohan fought him off and killed him at last with one final Kamehameha blast.

"After all of that, I went back home and defeated the androids. As I had promised, I was going to the past again to tell everyone that they didn't have to worry about me anymore. But along the way, I found Cell. He was still in his first form, so he was easy to destroy.

"So there you have it. What do you think of all this?" he asked slowly, to be sure she was still with him. She shook her head.

"I'm just so overwhelmed by it all. You did all of that?" she asked with admiration evident in her voice. Trunks flushed.

"Yeah, I guess. It's not a big deal, honestly, anyone would've done it if they had the chance--" he started, but Serina intervened

"No, not many people I know would. You are the most remarkable person I know."

He flushed more.

"You must not know a lot of people." He replied modestly.

"Shut up, I'm trying to give you a compliment." She muttered and he smiled.

"Like I said, Cell was in his first form, so he was not very strong."

Serina gave him a questioning look. She tried to recall something about the dream, something that was important.

"This "form"," she began, "you mean he can evolve and look different."

"Yes." He said, "Why do you ask?"

"I'm not sure, but I think Cell is in his later form . . . there was something that didn't really add up then that does now. "The Spawn of Cell", or whatever, said something about being altered to be in the ultimate form, though I'm not sure what he was implying." Trunks' eyes widened.

" What kind of damage is he capable of doing?" he asked with a painfully serious tone.

"Alright, think of the worst he could possibly do . . ." she exclaimed

"Ok, and?" he responded.

"I guarantee he's probably worse." She stated simply as he began to choke.

"You can't possibly be serious." He said shortly, "There's just no way this is real . . ."

"You have to believe me!" she cried out desperately, wringing her hands into his shirt, "Cell is going to come here, to OSU. There's no point in denying it. I was no match for him, and I had a feeling that you weren't, either."

"I was in your premonition?" he asked in shock.

"Yes, you were there. This is serious. In your mind, you know I'm right." She said so forcefully that Trunks had to look away, "Please . . . I need you. Trust me on this." Her eyes filled with fearful tears.

"Could you show me?" he asked solemnly, a glint of remembrance shone on his face.

"I can try." She told him.

Serina let go of Trunks' shirt and placed her fingertips on his temples. Her eyes fluttered closed. She had meditation lessons from a monk she met once. She had learned how to project images into another persons mind, but she wasn't sure if it would work. However, her mind was set, she would have to try.

She focused deeply. The dream flashed before her closed lids as she felt Trunks take a sharp intake of breath. He saw most everything, save the confessions of her true feelings. He saw Serina being pummeled by Cell, Campus in ruins, and the little boy. He saw himself screaming at her, Serina being grabbed and the energy blast that made its way through her as she screamed with pain. Her saw her falling to the ground, his saddened face, her last good-bye, how he held her lifeless body, the lone tear that he shed for her, and lastly, how he challenged Cell . . .

"NOOOO!!!" Trunks screamed as Serina's arms fell to her side. He clamped his hands over his eyes, as if trying to wipe the image of her dead body away forever.

But he couldn't. It wouldn't leave his mind.

"What were you thinking?!?" he screamed out, "How could you take on a guy like that and not know the outcome? You're crazy, oh God, he killed you!" he ranted on as she tried to calm him.

He ran his hands through his hair that was not so neat anymore. His face looked truly terrified. It was the first time Serina had seen that look on his face. The impact of it made her shiver all over.

"So what's the status? Is he beatable?" She asked intently.

"Not in the condition were in." he said quietly, "I hate to say this, but were in over our heads. He's much stronger than his father ever was. We have no chance."

"Not even you can beat him?" she asked worriedly.

"No, not even me." He stated with not but a whisper.

"What are we going to do?" she asked as she buried her head in her hands. The weight of this was just too much at the moment. He thought for a moment. Serina stared at him intently. Her eye began to twitch slightly after a few moments of waiting. Another minute, and trunks finally came to a conclusion.

"There's no other choice," he said gravely, "We have to train regularly."

"But Trunks," she began, "No way can I get up there with you. My fighting skills don't come close to yours. What can I do to help? I'm useless." He shook his head slightly and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"You do not. I haven't witnessed you fight personally at your greatest level. And from what I saw of you in that dream thing, you are exceptionally good. I've never seen anyone stick out a fight like that with him. You are every bit as good as I am."

"Don't you lie to me." She said as she looked down modestly, "I don't think I'll every get up to you level."

"With hard work, you'll get there. You'll even become Super Saiyan." She snorted at his remark.

"No way. I've been working on it for years. I don't think it's possible."

"You just don't have the right motivation." He said faintly. She remained silent for a moment.

"It's hopeless." She said at last, "This shouldn't even be your problem. This is all my fault. I can't believe I got you into this." She rubbed her eyes to stop painful tears from coming down. She didn't want to cry. When she cried she showed more than she wanted to. It showed that she wanted to be told that she was loved. It showed her vulnerable side.

"Look, Serina," he said more forcefully, lifting her chin up to face him as he spoke, "you are the best person I know. You've been there for me countless times, but you never allow me to help you with your problems. I'm here now, and that's not going to change. I'm here to stay, and I'm helping whether you like it or not. You are not going through this alone."

Serina found it really hard to hold the tears back now. Trunks was willing to risk his life for her. How could she show him gratitude after such loyalty? She slowly laid her head on his chest and let a tear escape by mistake. Not that she'd ever let him see it. "Why do you have to be so damn wonderful?" she asked with a tremble in her voice. He set his hand a top her head and brought her under his chin. He caressed her back softly as he hugged her.

"You don't have to strong all the time." He said lightly, "You can let me in some times, right?"

"It's not that," she began, "I feel if I let my problems get to me, I'll fall apart. I've worked so hard to ride my mind of nightmares. But now, I don't think I can stop them from coming any more."

"Don't worry, you have me now. We don't have to lie to each other." He said soothingly.

"I wanted to tell you so many things, but I was afraid that you wouldn't understand." She confided. He smiled slightly at her.

"You took the words right out of my mouth." He replied, amusement evident in his voice. She looked up at him with her dark eyes and studied him for a moment.

"I still don't know how I can do this, but where ever you go, I'll follow you." She agreed. He gave a rather toothy grin as he hugged her once more.

"Well, I can see what we have to work with tonight, and start from there." He said.

"What? Now?" she asked urgently, as if he was asking her to do a dirty deed.

"Let's just see how you do, ok?" he asked with a pout. She looked away, rubbing her temples.

"I hate that face." She muttered softly. He took that as a yes.

"Well, I guess we can start. Prepare your self." He told her as he flexed his fingers.

"What do you mean--" she began, but before she could finish her sentence, Trunks hurtled an energy blast at her. It was only a few feet away when she finally registered what was happening.

"AGGGGGGGGGGH!!!" Serina screamed out as she dodged it with a tricky bend of her back. She breathed heavily, trying to control the adrenaline rush that she received in that surprising moment.

"Damn it, Trunks, what if that hit me?" she huffed out as she marched over to scold him further. She didn't feel much like being singed.

"I knew it wouldn't hit you." He replied with a wave of his hand.

"Oh, did you now?" she asked as she crossed her arms. He shrugged.

"It wouldn't have hurt you much anyways." He replied in a careless tone.

"Ohh, you are so dead." She growled.

"Am I?" he asked, "I'd like to see you fight again. Go for it." He smirked.

She stared at him strangely for a moment, as if he had a opossum on his head.

"Alright." She said weirdly before darting at him.

' Whoa, she's fast.' Trunks thought as he blocked a punch of hers and ducked from a jab. She bobbed left and right, moving faster than he'd expected her to be able to. She was far more skilled than she lead him to believe. He was still much stronger, but she wasn't that far behind him.

Suddenly, Serina made contact with his stomach. Trunks felt his air escape him as he hunched over with the force of the impact. He wheezed painfully as Serina helped him stand up.

"Oh, Trunks, god I'm so sorry." She screamed over and over as she gave him an apologetic look.

"It's-ok-Serina. I'm fine," he gasped out with an unusually high-pitched voice.

"I didn't realize I put that much force into it. Normally I have a better control over it." she explained to him extremely quickly, "I was just so, I donno, upset about the whole situation, I felt overwhelmed. I kept thinking, "If I screw up, this whole thing will be a waste of time," and I couldn't stop thinking and--"

"Relax Serina, I'm ok." he said, his vice still sounding as if he sucked a full container of helium. He held his head, trying to control the spinning from Serina's big rant. He stood up strait with a lot of difficulty.

"I think you have the same problem Gohan had," he continued, coughing to get his regular voice back, "He couldn't always control his emotions, but he eventually concurred it. I think you were just a little distracted. You still train right?"

"Yeah, but not as much as I should be. Ever since the androids were destroyed, I figured that I could take a little break from it. I guess my break's over, huh?"

"For the both of us." Trunks agreed.

"Master Roshi said I could be as strong as my Dad someday, and I'm pretty sure that I'm as strong as he was when he was my age."

"Nope," Trunks smile, "How 'bout stronger?" She stared at him in shock.

"You're kidding me, right?" she asked.

"Believe it, its not far fetched at all. You've far surpassed Krillin and even Piccolo."

"Krillin and Piccolo?" she asked in confusion, "I know the names . . . Piccolo was the short, bald monk, and Krillin was the Namek, right?" she asked.

"No, the other way around." Said Trunks, flipping his arms to emphasize, " I thought you would've known that."

"It's been a long night." She said in an apologetic voice.

"Let's get home, and we can discuss this more tomorrow." He told her.

"Trunks?" she asked as he bent down to tie his shoe.

"Hmmm?" he replied, letting her know he was listening.

"I want you to know that I'm happy to have you here to help me." She said, and he stood up to face her.

"I'm just glad that I don't have to be alone anymore." He smiled, "It's nice to know there's someone out there who's half Saiyan."

"You would've never had to be alone while I'm here." She told him, and he smiled more.

"You can fly ok still, right?" he asked.

"Sure, I'm a little rusty . . ."

"Seriously?" he asked in a worried tone.

"No." she smirked, "Let's go."

And with that, the pair leapt into the air, feeling as though all their questions had been answered finally. The flight home wasn't very eventful, except Serina did a fake fall, freaking Trunks out. So he pushed her into the water. But things wouldn't stay this good forever. They had a problem, and it could happen at any moment.

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So, did I catch you off guard? I thought so. I was thinking about putting this as two chapters, but I'm too lazy. It's a reallllly long one. I hope you like it, and give me reviews . . . nnnnnnow.