DISCLAIMER: Neither DBZ or Sailor Moon are owned by me. Any characters in this story are the property of their original creators. (Example... Akira Toriyama owns Trunks, Naoko Takeuchi owns Ami, and I own Rosemary, Angelica, or Chamomile, though I'd be willing to trade. XD)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a sequel to Love In A Ruined World, my Mirai Trunks/Ami romance fic from last year. (The Trunks in this fanfic is Mirai Trunks, and the Bulma in this fic is from Mirai Trunks' future timeline.) If you haven't read Love In A Ruined World, you can still read this, but you might be confused, so if you want to read the first fic in the series, it's in my profile. ^_^ In the continuity of both series, this fic takes place after Mirai Trunks goes back to the future after the Cell Saga, and after the SuperS season in the Sailor Moon continuum.
Reviewer Thanks-
Zyppora: The reason I decided to write this fics is because Mirai Trunks/Ami is so hard to find... yeah, it is sappy... and bloody... ^_^ Guess I'm just trying to get the maximum dramatic effect, hee...
Kaiya: Why, thank you for your support! The battle lasted like the whole chapter too... and it was a BIG chapter! ^_^ It's probably my best battle so far this story... well, I think so anyway.
GracedAngel1854: Well, I had to end it SOME time... my fingers were starting to get tired! Guess it's easier to read than to write, ne?
MWD: Actually, that's the distinctive thing with this story... there are no Z-Fighters, except for Mirai Trunks. Otherwise, it'd look just like any other DBZ/SM crossover out there... hopefully you don't mind the unique flavor! Thanks for reviewing!
---
Standing just outside the front door of the Briefs' home, Serena, Rei, Lita, Mina, Rose, Angela, and Cammy had been spared the sentimentality of Bulma and Trunks' reunion, and so, while Trunks, Ami, and Bulma were shedding tears in the house, the seven girls standing outside got a chance to discuss the day's events. For Serena, Rei, Lita, and Mina, it was actually their first chance to meet the three powerful girls that they'd heard about in Ami's stories.
"Ami was right," said Serena, who, along with the other Senshi, had detransformed after returning to Trunks' world. Rose, Angela, and Cammy were still stuck in their elaborate outfits, because their powers were permanent, and not just part of a transformation. Once they had reawakened, they would retain their powers forever and always. "You three are really strong..."
"But Ami said she kicked your butts when you girls used to be evil," said Rei. "How'd you get so-"
"We're really no stronger than the five of you!" Rose said, smiling. "You guys were tremendously strong... even Ami was tougher than she was when she faced us!"
"That's because we've been training with Trunks," Lita said, pointing to the large training capsule adjacent to the house. "He's taught us how to channel and concentrate our energy so our attacks will be stronger."
"So, basically... you five can do exactly what we've known how to do almost all of our lives," Angela said matter-of-factly. "That explains why you're all so strong!"
"But you didn't answer our question," Rei replied. "How'd you beat those four goons so fast, when we were almost killed by them?"
"I guess we've gotten a little bit stronger than we were in our past lives..." said Cammy.
"We haven't really gotten the chance to train, since we've basically been trapped in our own minds as fragments of memory," said Angela. "All we've been able to really do is to meditate... so I guess that's helped us out a little. But the only reason you guys weren't able to beat the fearsome foursome is because that lady that was with them interfered... otherwise, you'd have mopped the floor with them!"
"There's a way to find out who's stronger," Mina said. "All we have to do is have a little mock battle inside Trunks' training chamber... we wouldn't try to kill each other, of course. All we would do is spar for a little while, and-"
"That's a great idea!" Cammy shouted, her face lighting up with excitement. "Let's go get Trunks right away, and-"
"Guys, Ami said to wait out here..." Rei said, looking down and brushing the tip of her shoe against the dirt on the ground. "She wanted to give Trunks and Bulma a chance to have some privacy before we came in and started asking her questions."
"We're not going to ask anything, we already know everything about those jerks that we need to know!" said Serena, reaching for the doorknob. "And besides, it's not like Ami's gonna yell at us or anything... it's not in her nature!"
"First of all, Serena, we don't know everything about those jerks that we need to know," Lita interrupted, gently grabbing Serena's hand. "Besides the fact that we were in this dimension, we don't even know exactly where we fought those guys at."
"It looked like the inside of a palace to me," said Serena.
"Wherever we were, it was big," said Cammy. "And a little bit cold... and scary. But not too scary for me!"
"Well, we still shouldn't interrupt whatever Trunks and Bulma are doing," said Rei, looking up at the front door to the Briefs' home. "I say we wait out here until Ami says we can come-"
Suddenly, the door opened, and a smiling Ami poked her head outside. All seven girls turned toward her.
"Okay, guys... Bulma wants all of you to come in for lunch, so-"
"See, Rei, I told you we could come in!" Serena said, eagerly licking her lips. "Lunch, here I come!"
"We still had to wait for Ami, Serena!" Rei snapped.
"Now, since there's seven of you, you should probably wait to come in in an orderly-" Ami meekly began before the seven girls charged inside, whizzing past Ami and dashing eagerly into the kitchen, where several plates of food had been prepared. Ami, her orderly, straight blue hair slightly frazzled by the activity, sighed, blew back the excess her from her face, closed the door, and gracefully entered the kitchen.
----
The kitchen table, not nearly big enough to accommodate ten people, had been converted into something a bit more suited for the occasion by pushing in another table from the living room. As the food was passed around and served out, everyone wanted to talk to Bulma, wanting to make certain that she was alright after her ordeal. Bulma confidently fielded all of the questions with a broad smile on her face.
"Of course I wasn't going to cry for those bastards!" Bulma said, a hint of laughter in her voice. "You should've seen the look on that guy's face when I told him that Trunks was going to kick his butt... he was petrified!"
"Mom, that guy knew I wasn't coming," Trunks replied. "He was probably just surprised by your reaction to him... he didn't know you'd be so brave!"
"Well, of course I was... I had to be, Trunks... if I showed any sign of weakness, they might not have let me get back to you," Bulma said, gripping Trunks' hand under the table. From Ami's vantage point, next to Trunks and two seats away from Bulma, she could see an inner strength within Bulma that she fully appreciated and greatly admired.
"Trunks didn't get all of his strength from his father, that's for sure..." Ami thought, as she watched Bulma, quickly recovering from an ordeal that might have permanently traumatized someone else. "Mrs. Briefs... you know that all of us are just glad that you're back, safe and sound."
"That's right!" Serena said, putting down her fork and raising her glass to Bulma. "I propose a toast-"
"Please, please, no..." Bulma said, humbly shaking her head. "You guys are the real heroes... all of you... you fought to save my life, and I can't begin to thank you enough."
"Are you sure?" Serena said, slowly lowering her glass. "It's not every day that all of the Sailor Senshi at once decide to honor someone..."
"Really, I'm positive," Bulma said. "But thank you, anyway."
"I guess I should be thanking all of you, too," Trunks said. "I've already thanked Ami, but now that all of you are here.... especially you three."
Trunks turned his head toward Rose, Angela, and Cammy, who were sitting at the opposite side of the table. As their eyes met with Trunks', the girls meekly blushed, and nodded their heads.
"The pleasure is ours, Trunks," Rose said quietly. "It's the least we could do after all those times we tried to destroy you and Ami..."
"And didn't we try to take Bulma hostage once?" Angela asked. "But Trunks came in at the last minute and saved the day..."
"Oh, I'm sure you girls wouldn't have hurt me..." Bulma said, causing Cammy to giggle. "You're too nice for any of that mean stuff... you're still good guys, right? Even with your powers?"
"Of course we are!" Cammy said. "We saved you, didn't we? And if we were bad, Trunks would just kick our butts again..."
"I don't know," Trunks said, a smile forming on his face. "From what Ami told me about the way you guys completely annihilated Nikashi's forces, I think it might go the other way around this time..."
Everyone at the table laughed for a few seconds, and then the eating resumed, with conversation lightly interspersed between. It seemed that Mina and Cammy had completely forgotten about the idea to have the Senshi and the three sisters spar in Trunks' training chamber, but another topic of equally important relevance did come up later in the meal.
"It's just a good thing that wherever we were was in this dimension," said Angela as she finished off a slice of apple pie that she was eating. "Because otherwise, there'd be no way for Bulma to get back!"
All activity at the table stopped, and the room became silent as Angela's words began to sink in. Trunks turned toward Angela, his face a somber mask of worry. Angela gasped, and then slowly continued.
"Well, think of it this way. Pandemonium was still holding Trunks hostage with that video camera, and he's the one with the dimensional transport thingy, remember? If we had been in Ami's dimension, we'd have had no way back to this one, and Trunks wouldn't have gotten up from his seat because he thought Bulma would get killed if he did, you see?"
"You mean.... Ami... and my mom... would have been trapped in the other dimension... forever? And would have been helpless if Pandemonium or Nikashi had decided to attack?"
A chill went down Trunks' spine, as the horrific scenario Angela had presented to him began to slowly permeate his mind. Ami noticed the trembles in Trunks' hand, and gripped it tightly, looking directly into his eyes.
"Trunks, you'd have decided to come back to my dimension eventually," Ami said, trying to offer Trunks a bit of solace. "You'd have figured out we were trapped in the other dimension, and you would have come right there to find us. Bulma would just stay at my mother's house with me until you came... I know you'd have come, Trunks."
"But... what would have happened if... I didn't... until it was too late?" Trunks asked. "It could have been disastrous, and-"
"Oh, you don't have to worry about that, Trunks," Bulma said, a smile returning to her face. "It's over now, and as soon as we're done with lunch, I can make another dimensional transport wand, and give it to Ami! That way, you can both go back and forth in the dimensions as you please!"
"You... you can really do that, mom?" Trunks asked.
"Of course I can!" Bulma said. "After that first one, a second one will be a cinch. I just have to get a bit more of Ami's energy, which shouldn't be too hard. I can probably have a second wand made by tomorrow!"
"See, Trunks?" Ami said. "Your mother's going to make a wand for me, so I'll be able to go back and forth between my world and yours, just like you can! Isn't that wonderful, Trunks?"
"Yeah..." Trunks said, although it was much harder for him to flash a smile than it was for Ami or Bulma. Trunks still had a long way to go before he could feel completely safe and secure about both Ami and his mom, after almost losing them just hours before. "And it would have been my fault, too..."
"Speaking of after lunch," Mina said, suddenly remembering what she had originally wanted to ask Trunks and Bulma. "I was talking to Rose, Angela, and Cammy, and I got to thinking... now that all the Senshi can control their energy, who's stronger? The Senshi, or the three sisters?"
"Yeah!" Cammy said, almost eager enough to jump clear out of her seat. "So we got to thinking... why don't we have a friendly spar, inside the training chamber? Five-on-three, it wouldn't matter.... I think we're about equal in strength, but it'd be really interesting to see, wouldn't it?"
"I'm not sure if fighting between you guys is exactly the right thing to do," Trunks said. "Right now, we're fighting a war, against a deadly and vicious enemy. We need to think about unity, not about which fighter is stronger than anyone else. I know it sounds really stupid, but-"
"No, Trunks is right," said Ami, looking at him and nodding her head. "We're all really strong, and if we do go into the training chamber, we'll need to work on training together, not apart."
"You would agree with your boyfriend," Cammy mumbled, although not loud enough for anyone at the table to hear.
"Actually... I think it would be really good training to have a little five-on-three match!" Serena said. "Think of the possibilities... all of the techniques we could try out, the battle experience we'll gain..."
"But... but someone could get hurt," Angela said, looking around at everyone seated at the table. "When really powerful forces collide, there can be a lot of potential damage... and anyone caught the wrong way in any of our attacks might be in serious danger."
"Mom, what do you think?" Trunks asked, looking over at Bulma. Bulma looked down for a few seconds, putting her hand on her chin, looking as if she was deep in thought. Then, she looked back up, and came to a quick and easy solution.
"Well, I'm going to be working on the new transportation wand after lunch," said Bulma. "Trunks, I know you know how to work the training chamber, but... a sparring match as big as this one sounds like it's going to be needs a good referee, and I want you to be able to be inside the chamber with the girls when the match is happening. So instead of training today, why don't you all go to Nihimo Town and take a look around? I know that Ami is the only one here who's actually seen the town, so it'll be a good learning experience for the rest of you girls."
"Hey, wait... the last time we were here, we were mean, and we attacked people!" Cammy said, a sad look appearing on her face. "Won't the villagers be mad at us?"
"Cammy, the only people we attacked were that kid in the glasses and his mom," said Rose, "and we apologized to them, remember?"
"Besides, his kid sister really likes you, Cammy!" Angela said, pinching Cammy's left cheek. "Remember, 'Girl nice! Girl nice!'?"
Cammy giggled.
"Yeah, I guess you're right...." Cammy said, putting her hand to her cheek. "And don't pinch me like that!"
"I guess we could go to the town," Mina said. "It'll be interesting to see how people in this world live..."
"Are they like those people I heard about on TV, from America?" Serena asked. "You know, the ones that live in trailer parks and watch pro wrestling and have sex with their cous-"
"SERENA!" shouted Rei, her entire face turning red with embarrassment. "You'll have to forgive her, she-"
"Nobody has to forgive me, Rei!" Serena replied, angrily growling at the black-haired girl sitting next to her at the table. "I know exactly what I said, and-"
"Guys, guys, let's just go to the town now," said Lita, standing up from the table. "Trunks, none of us can fly, so..."
"You know, one of these days, I really should teach all of you to fly," Trunks said, standing up along with Ami. "You've got more than enough energy to be able to do it... I can't believe I haven't already taught Ami."
"Maybe... maybe now would be a good time to teach all of us, Trunks!" Ami said, smiling brightly. "I'd really love to learn...."
"I would do it now, but flying is one of those things that's easy to master, but really, really hard to learn in the first place," said Trunks. "You girls are all really smart, but it would still take me probably twelve hours to teach all of you. We could do it tomorrow, though... mom will still be working on the transportation wand then, so we'll have something to do while we still won't be able to go into the training chamber and have that sparring match. Unless you all really want to learn now..."
"No, that's alright, Trunks... tomorrow's not a school day, so we'll be able to get up first thing in the morning and learn to fly, and we'll still be able to get back home in time for supper," Ami said, kissing Trunks on the cheek. "I just hope we don't get in much trouble on Monday for missing school today..."
"School, schmool, this is the best kind of learning!" said Serena. "I mean, how many chances do you get to take a field trip to a town in another dimension?"
"That's true," said Lita. "This is going to be really fun!"
After saying their goodbyes to Bulma, Trunks and the girls exited the house and stood outside on the front porch.
"Now, Nihimo Town isn't the most exciting place in the world," Trunks said humbly. "It's got a few shops and a lot of houses... no sports, or anything like that, unless you count the two basketball goals we've set up in the little park outside of town. We're probably just going to go to my friend Chris' house, and then to a few of the shops."
"You mean... we're not gonna play basketball?" Rose asked. "I kinda started liking the game at school back in the other dimension..."
"You don't just like it, you're the captain of the girls team," said Angela, shaking her head. "And basketball's dumb. You get all sweaty, and-"
"We'll decide what to do when we get there," said Trunks. "Now, this might feel a little weird... I'm going to use my powers to carry all of you into town. Don't worry, I promise not to drop any of you..."
Trunks slowly began to lift up into the air. A small aura of white ki began to flow calmly around him, gently picking up the eight girls and lifting them up to the same height in the air as Trunks. Then, he turned toward the village and zoomed off at an incredible speed, taking the girls along for the ride. Besides the few initial shrieks from Cammy and Serena, the thirty-mile trip went smoothly.
---
After a few minutes of extremely fast flying, Trunks reached Nihimo Town, gently setting down at the town entrance and allowing his eight passengers to float gracefully down to the ground.
"That was a pretty comfy ride, Trunks...." Serena said, blushing slightly. "Though I'll admit, being jettisoned through the air at three hundred miles per hour was really scary at first...."
"At first?" Rei asked. "You were screaming the whole time!"
"Guys, guys, please don't fight," Ami said, stepping in between the two girls.
"Yeah!" said Rose, pointing toward the town. "We don't wanna be kicked out or anything..."
"This isn't a library," Cammy groaned. "Look at all the kids running around in the streets, yelling with joy! I love this place!"
As the nine teenagers walked into town, they could see the hustle and bustle of everyday life all around them. The streets of the town were filled with activity, as people went back and forth, from street to street and from building to building as they carried on their daily tasks.
"So, do we have to stick with you, Trunks? Or can we go anywhere we want?" Cammy asked, eagerly looking around the village. "There's so many things I want to do... so much stuff I wanna buy! Wait, I don't have any money..."
Trunks sighed.
"I didn't bring any, you guys..." Trunks said. "Sorry... but there's really not anything here you'd want to buy anyway. This place is nothing like Tokyo... besides, there's plenty of things you girls can do here besides shopping."
"You're right," said Cammy. "Maybe we should just go to your friend Chris' house like we were originally gonna do..."
"How about the rest of you?" Trunks asked, turning to the others.
"Lita, do you wanna go try and find the basketball court?" Rose asked. Lita replied with a nod, and the two girls walked away from the group to search for the basketball court. Trunks had told them that was somewhere outside the town, so the two decided they would go about finding it by following the outskirts of town for a while until they reached the park where the basketball court was. While they were doing this, the others had decided that they would all go visit Chris and his mother, who lived near the center of town. But just as they began to go, a teenage girl wearing a bright green baseball cap ran over to Trunks.
"Trunks, the mayor said that he needs to see you right away," said the girl, a friendly smile on her face. "Your friends can come if they want..."
"I'll go alone," said Trunks, turning to Ami. "Would you take the others to Chris' house? I think I showed you where it was a few months ago when it was rebuilt..."
Ami nodded.
"I remember, dear," Ami said, kissing Trunks on the cheek. "I hope he has something good to say to you..."
"Come with me, please," said the girl, pointing toward the two-story house that still served as the town hall. Trunks and the girl walked toward the building, while Ami led Serena, Rei, Mina, Angela, and Cammy to a brick building adjacent to a crowded market street.
"Chris and his mom live in the first floor of this building," Ami said. "Now, I know they've met Angela and Cammy... but not any of you other three, so you'll have to introduce yourselves once you come inside."
"Are you sure they'll want us here?" Rei asked cautiously. "I mean, just barging into their house, without calling first?"
"Chris and his mom are really friendly," said Ami, gently knocking on the door. "I'm sure they won't mind all of us coming in for a few minutes..."
---
But thirty minutes later, Chris and his mom were still talking to the six girls. Chris and his mom sat at the small loveseat on one side of the living room, while Serena, Rei, and Mina filled a couch on the other side. Ami, Cammy, and Angela were seated in the second couch on that end of the room, neatly placed right next to the first one. When the girls had entered the house, Chris' mom had just gotten done baking an entire pan of cookies, and now, Chris, his mom, and the six girls had just about finished off the last of the chocolate chip confections.
"So... you're sure you guys aren't still mad about that... that whole threatening thing eight months ago?" Cammy asked, referring to when she and her sisters had broken into Chris' house and had interrogated Chris about Trunks' whereabouts while they were still working under Crysthea. Though Angela had put the incident behind her, her slightly more insecure sister Cammy still had a twinge of regret about the entire episode. Chris' mom simply replied with a smile.
"We already told you, it's forgiven... we tend to put the past behind us, since our past has been so bad..." said Chris' mom, brushing back her hair. "And besides, little Kiara loves you!"
"Cammy! Cammy! Cammy!" said the small two-year-old girl in Cammy's lap, happily waving her arms back and forth. Cammy smiled and picked her up, bouncing the toddler up and down on her lap as Kiara eagerly cheered her on.
"She's adorable!" Serena said, looking over at the girl in Cammy's arms. "Chris, you're not mean to your little sister, are you?"
"Of course not!" Chris shouted defensively.
"I wouldn't say that," said Chris' mom, playfully nudging her son in the side. "Every time you had to change her diapers, you would whine and pout...."
"Thank God she just finished potty training," said Chris, wiping his arm across his forehead. The girls seated at the couches across the room began to giggle, Angela giggling the loudest of all.
"I wonder what all of us must have been like for our mother as toddlers... since we were all born only about a year apart," Angela said. "Poor mom... whoever she is..."
"Oh, I'm sure you three weren't too much trouble," said Chris' mom. "Motherhood is a joy, not a burden... I love both of my children very much."
"I'm just glad that you three are alright," Chris said, looking at Angela and Cammy. "After Trunks told me what happened to all of you... I thought I'd never see any of you again! I kinda didn't think I'd be saying this, but... I sorta missed you guys."
"You're... serious?" Angela asked, a stunned look on her face. "Even after all the mean stuff we did to you?"
"Angie-chan, you heard what Chris' mom said... it's water under the bridge now!" Cammy replied, looking down at Kiara, whom she was still holding in her arms. "Isn't that right? Isn't that right?"
"Once you were gone, I realized that... even though sometimes people might start out as jerks, they really might be nice people on the inside," said Chris. "What you three did... sacrificing yourselves to help Trunks... that was really noble of all of you."
"Just like your father sacrificed himself to save you and your mother," Ami said.
"Yeah," Chris replied, with a solemn nod. "I still miss him, too..."
"It's okay," said Angela, getting up from her seat and walking over to Chris, wrapping her arms around his back. "We never knew our father... it was hard for us, and it must be hard for you too..."
As Angela hugged Chris, he couldn't help but blush at the surprising display of sympathy from the girl with the beautiful, sky-blue hair. Even his skin tingled slightly as Angela slowly pulled away.
"Thank you," said Chris, a light blush still on his face. "I... I'm feeling a lot better now, and I'm glad that you girls are alive again."
"I think Chris is a little bit more than glad," whispered Mina to Serena and Rei. "Look... he's blushing! It's only a little bit, but you can still tell!"
"I wonder how Trunks' meeting with the mayor is going..." Ami thought, her mind drifting away to thoughts of her beloved.
---
But Trunks' meeting with the mayor hadn't yet begun. After what was nearly a forty-five minute break, Trunks was starting to get a little bit annoyed as he sat on the hard, wooden bench placed just outside the mayor's office.
"This is bullcrap," Trunks thought, tapping his foot lightly on the ground. "That girl told me that the mayor needed to see me right away..."
Finally, the door to the mayor's office opened, and the same girl's voice beckoned him inside.
"The mayor will see you now," said the girl, and with a loud sigh of relief, Trunks briskly entered the mayor's office, while the girl waited outside.
"Trunks, have a seat," said the mayor, gesturing to a chair placed at the other side of the desk. As Trunks sat down, the mayor began to speak again. "Surely, you must know about the attack on our town yesterday."
"Why shouldn't I?" Trunks asked, slightly annoyed. "I was the main target... didn't you see me get whipped right in the face?"
"Yes, and it was very distressing to watch," said the mayor, noticing the small piece of medical tape still on Trunks' cheek from the previous day's fight with Nikashi. "You certainly fought back rather well, however... you chased that foul witch from our town, and I applaud you for that."
"Then... is that it?" Trunks asked. "You just wanted to offer me a commendation?"
"Not exactly," said the mayor, adjusting the strap on the red necktie dangling from his neck. "You must also know of the damage caused to one of the buildings in our town..."
"Of course I do, I saw it happen," said Trunks. "The person living there... I hope they're alright....?"
"The family that was living in that house barely got out before the roof collapsed," said the mayor, a frown coming quickly to his face. "One of the people in that house was a young child, Trunks. A boy little more than five years old. Do you know what happened to him, Trunks?"
"No," said Trunks, his face becoming fraught with worry, as concern for the child suddenly came to his mind. "He's not hurt, is he?"
"No, but he inhaled quite a bit of plaster, and he's been coughing for the past twenty-four hours... a very bad cough," said the mayor. "The boy's already suffering from asthma, so this plaster inhalation he had to endure yesterday was especially difficult for him. His parents said that he still might not be out of the woods yet."
"I'm... I'm very sorry," Trunks said regretfully. "Is there anything I can do? I could visit the boy and his family... I could apologize... I'm very sorry."
"No need to apologize, Trunks, it wasn't your fault," said the mayor. "However... and you should probably know this as well... that witch was targeting you, Trunks. The people of this world already went through a series of attacks eight months ago, right after we'd just gotten rid of the androids. All we want now is peace, Trunks. Peace. Is that so much to ask?"
Trunks was speechless. He'd already had to go through the horrible process of feeling guilty when Quadra Town was attacked eight months ago, as thousands of lives had been taken by Serris on his rampaging hunt for Ami. Frieza had wiped another village off the face of the earth, adding a few hundred more names to the death toll. Now, Trunks' presence had endangered his world again, as the deadly villains who he and the Senshi were locked in battle with had target both Ami's world and his. Trouble, it seemed, was going wherever Trunks went, and targeting the people he loved, his friends, his mother, his wonderful, angelic soulmate... the mayor's words carried with them not one iota of falseness, and Trunks knew it. That was why they were so painful to him.
"I know that you visit your friend Ami's world quite often, am I correct?" asked the mayor. Trunks nodded, wondering what, if anything, Ami's world had to do with the current situation. Of course, Trunks instantly knew, seeing as how all the beings that had attacked his world in the recent months had originated from Ami's world, originally in pursuit of Ami, and then turning their wrath on Trunks' world when they couldn't find her. "I... was wondering if you and your mother would perhaps consider taking up permanent residence there."
"You mean you're.... thinking about banishing me?" asked Trunks, causing the mayor to quickly shake his head.
"No, of course not!" said the mayor. "We couldn't possibly... it would simply be a request, to protect the people of this town. And I'm not asking you to do it yet... I'm just saying that we don't want any more attacks on our people..."
"Sir, I promise you... I will not let any of those fiends harm a single person in this town!" Trunks shouted, rising up from his chair and pointing his finger at the mayor. "You have my word!"
"You might say that, but...."
"I absolutely swear, there will be no further damage caused to this town, or any town, or anyone on this planet! I will hunt down and destroy those who are responsible for attacking me and my friends, I promise!"
With great conviction, Trunks turned around and exited the room, not even waiting for the mayor to say another word. The stunned man simply slumped back into his chair and sighed, as a bead of sweat slowly trickled down his face.
"With all of my heart, I sincerely hope you can honor that promise, Trunks...."
---
Lita and Rose had quickly found the park near the town, and were an instant hit at the basketball court with the younger children who had been there to play, especially the young girls, inspired by Lita and Rose's performance.
"I never knew there were girls who could play basketball better than all the boys here...." said a girl standing nearby, who looked to be about seven or eight, wearing small pigtails in her light, brown hair. "Are you gonna stay here forever?"
"No, I'm sorry.... we can only stay for a little while longer... but we'll be back tomorrow, okay?" asked Lita, leaning down and patting the girl on the head.
"Yeah, and tomorrow maybe we can start up a game!" Rose said. "How about girls vs. boys? Us two girls, and all of you, versus... all those guys over there!"
Rose pointed to a group of about ten boys, ranging in age from ten to fourteen, who were busy playing a game at the other basketball goal. A couple of them stopped playing to glance over at Rose, before returning back to their game.
"Hey, I was calling you guys out!" Rose shouted. When she received no reply, she turned back to Lita and huffed, "Men..."
"Well, I'm sure they'll be in a more competitive mood tomorrow," said Lita. "They're in a competitive mood now, since they're already playing a game, but... I really don't think any of them are real competition, now, are they?"
The group of girls surrounding Lita and Rose began to giggle, and the two older girls giggled as well. They were having a great time acting as role models, and were really excited about becoming friends to as many people in town as they could. After a little while, Trunks walked onto the basketball court, returning from his trip to the mayor's house. Upon arrival, he was immediately swarmed by nearly every kid in the park, obviously an even bigger hit with the kids than Lita and Rose. Rose briefly shot Trunks a jealous glare, but then quickly regained her sweet, casual smile.
"Havin' fun?" asked Trunks.
"Yeah, these kids are all really nice..." said Lita, looking around at the group of kids currently crowded around Trunks. "Trunks, when you teach us to fly tomorrow, will you try to do it quick so we can come back here? I already promised the kids we would..."
"Trunks is gonna teach you guys to fly?" asked a boy in the crowd. "He never taught us how to fly..."
"I'm not going to teach them how to fly, they're silly," Trunks lied, turning to Lita and Rose, gritting his teeth and telling them, "Ixnay on the lightfay essonslay..."
"Gotcha," Rose whispered, nodding her head.
"Well, it's probably time for me to be headed back to my home now... are you kids gonna be alright without me?" Trunks asked.
"Only if you come tomorrow!" shouted a girl in the crowd, followed by a chorus of 'yeah!'s from the other children. Trunks nodded, then walked out of the crowd of children and began speaking to Lita and Rose again.
"You two ready to go?" Trunks asked them.
"Well.... could we stay a little bit longer, Trunks? Can we? Can we?" Rose asked eagerly.
"Ehhhh.... I should probably be getting back to Tokyo pretty soon," Lita said. "Sorry, Rose... you're not mad, are you?"
"Nah," Rose said. "We're coming back tomorrow, after all!"
---
After Trunks had gathered up the other girls, he returned back to his house with them, and allowed them to say their last goodbyes to Bulma for the day before opening up a large portal for them to return home.
"You girls might want to change clothes before coming back home," said Trunks, commenting to Rose, Angela, and Cammy on their elaborate outfits.
"Don't worry, we'll find something casual to change back into," said Angela. "We've got another set of school uniforms at home, so I'm not worried about losing the other ones today..."
"We can probably just sneak back into the house," said Rose. "Mom and dad are both probably still at work..."
"Ami, you're going to stay with Trunks a bit longer?" Serena asked, noticing her friend standing over by Bulma on the front porch. Ami nodded.
"I'm going to help her out with her transportation wand by letting her channel some of my energy...."
"And then you and Trunks are gonna make out, right?" Mina asked. Ami giggled, while Trunks simply smiled and sighed.
"I think we've made enough fun of Trunks today," said Rei, pointing toward the portal. "We'd better head on back."
"Goodbye, guys.... and thanks again to all of you for helping Bulma and me today," said Trunks. "My mom couldn't have gotten back without all of you..."
Bulma, who was taking a break from constructing the transformation wand to say goodbye to her guests, nodded from the front porch. As soon as Bulma nodded, the girls stepped back into the portal and were whisked away, back to their dimension and back to Tokyo once more.
---
But, still in Trunks' dimension, hovering far above Earth, was the giant space station of the Galactic Research Armada, and within the infirmary, suspended inside four liquid-filled recovery tanks, were Flarinsa, Patrick, Elbarzad, and Grenate. Oxygen masks hooked up to radios inside their tanks allowed them to communicate with the outside, and right now, they were getting an angry lecture from Pandemonium, as he lambasted them for their failure earlier in the day.
"You even had Nikashi with you, and you STILL lost to the Sailor Senshi!" Pandemonium shouted. "Pathetic! Absolutely pathetic!"
"It wasn't just the Senshi!" shouted Flarinsa. "Those three flower bitches got their powers back, and we were completely caught off-guard! It won't happen again!"
"In fact," said Patrick, "if you just give us one chance to fight them alone, four-on-three... we'll annihilate them!"
"I'm listening," said Pandemonium, a hint of skepticism in his voice. "But how do you expect to get them alone?"
"We were hoping, uh, sir... that you could distract the Senshi for us," said Flarinsa. "I know it's a stretch to ask, but-"
"Me, fight the weak, pathetic Senshi?" Pandemonium shouted. "They're not worth my time! I'm the one giving orders around here, and I say-"
"That you should already have subdued the half-breed by now," came a voice from just outside the room. Pandemonium immediately recognized the voice as belonging to Sunzeki, one of the strongest warriors in the universe, with power surpassing even his own. As Sunzeki stepped into the room, Pandemonium could sense his presence just from the immense power he gave off, a violent mixture of magic and ki energy that constantly pulsated through his entire body, giving him a bright, golden glow. His face was flawless, clean-shaven, with large, prominent green eyes and smooth, average-sized lips. His hair was silver in color, going neatly down the sides of his face and stopping just below his neck. He wore a shimmering blue and gold jumpsuit, with a large, golden-shaped sun icon on his chest. When he began to speak, the soft, deliberate tones of his voice rang through Pandemonium's ears like a trumpet announcing the coming of the apocolypse. Sunzeki was one of the only people Pandemonium truly feared.
"Sunzeki, I didn't know you'd be here..." Pandemonium said nervously.
"I've been sent directly from HQ... it seems you and Exeter are having a problem with the capture of Trunks," Sunzeki said. "Why hasn't Exeter made a single strike against the planet?"
"You know his style, Sunzeki, he likes to play the waiting game..."
"And who are these?" Sunzeki asked, glancing across the room at the four beings in the healing tanks. "These are your four best warriors, aren't they? What happened... did they get into a fight with the half-Saiyan and lose? I thought his subduction would be your job..."
"Not... exactly," said Pandemonium, his voice beginning to tremble. "You see... they lost to... a group of female warriors."
"Female warriors?" Sunzeki said, starting to chuckle. "You don't mean those... Sailor Senshi that I've heard of in legend but have never actually seen in action. They're not actually... stronger than I thought they were, are they?"
"A lot stronger!" Elbarzad shouted.
"But we'll destroy them, as soon as we-" Flarinsa began before Pandemonium pressed a button, simultaneously cutting off all the radios to all the healing tanks.
"Trunks is currently in love with one of them, is he not?" Sunzeki asked.
"Quite in love, actually," replied Pandemonium. "That's why we've been trying to get rid of the Senshi... and of course, we want to conquer the planet in addition to capturing Trunks, that's why we want to eliminate the Senshi first. Also, there's a group of girls that-"
"The so-called 'flower bitches', right?" Sunzeki replied. "Well, destroy whomever you please, but do understand that our esteemed leader wishes to have Trunks in his possession ASAP, and you know what that means, right?"
"As... soon as possible?" Pandemonium said.
"As screwed as Pandemonium is going to be if he doesn't get Trunks very, very soon," said Sunzeki, walking out of the room. "I'll be living here to monitor your progress, so you'd best get busy."
As soon as Sunzeki had left the room, Pandemonium let out a sigh of relief, turning the radios in the healing tanks back on.
"As screwed as Pandemonium... what kind of a stupid-" Pandemonium began before Patrick cut him off.
"So, we can go after the three girls tomorrow, right?" Patrick asked.
"Yes, you can," said Pandemonium. "I guess I'll ask Nikashi about distracting the Senshi..."
"And lemme guess, you'll go after Trunks like Sunzeki ordered, right?" said Flarinsa in an obnoxious tone. Pandemonium angrily slammed his fist down on a red button, cutting off the radio in Flarinsa's healing tank again.
"No one orders me around," Pandemonium muttered. "No one."
---
"Tell me if this is too tight," Trunks said, securely tying a strong metal cable around Sailor Mercury's ankles.
"No," Sailor Mercury said, "and I don't think the blood's rushing to my head, either..."
"That's what I'm most worried about," Trunks said. As he finished tying the cable, he floated away from Sailor Mercury, who was now dangling by her ankles from the ceiling of the training chamber. After having dinner at the Briefs' house, Trunks and Ami went outside to the training chamber and began several training exercises, designed to help Sailor Mercury control her energy even further. For the past two hours, the gravity in the room had been turned up to five times Earth's normal gravity, something that the other Sailor Senshi hadn't yet been subjected to, but that Sailor Mercury had been handling rather well, taking only a few minutes to get used to the gravitational force by channeling her magical energy, forming a glowing, light blue aura around her body. Trunks had had her do some of the exercises that he himself had done while training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber during his days with the Z-Fighters. Now, he hoped that he could pass some of the things he had learned onto Sailor Mercury, making her strong enough to face any enemy that could potentially attack.
"Trunks, I'm alright so far," Sailor Mercury said, looking over at Trunks as he rummaged through a box of various training supplies, most of them weights of various sizes.
"You've only been upside down for a minute," Trunks said, briefly looking over at her. Before she had been suspended upside down, Sailor Mercury had switched her blue skirt with the bottom half of an orange fighting suit, similar to the one that Goku wore. That way, she wouldn't have to worry about being upside-down in a skirt for a long period of time, a position that made her feel awkward, even around Trunks. He didn't mind, and had in fact helped her find the pair of orange pants, not wanting Ami to feel embarrassed at all by the exercise. He took a pair of 100-pound barbells out of the box and floated over to Sailor Mercury, flipping over in the air so that she could see him right-side up.
"Those are 100 pounds each, aren't they?" Sailor Mercury asked.
"500 in here.... 5 times gravity, remember?" Trunks asked. "If you channel your magical energy, you should easily be able to hold them."
Sailor Mercury nodded, and closed her eyes, quickly concentrating all of her energy. She nodded again, and Trunks handed her the barbells. Trunks was right; after she had channeled her energy, Sailor Mercury had no problem holding them, even though she was upside down.
"Now, just curl up your body until your head touches your stomach," Trunks said, "while holding the barbells in each hand. It's just like a sit-up, only upside down. With the gravity pushing down on you, it's a really quick way to build up your upper body strength, as well as your leg strength, since you'll be upside down and your legs will have to support all of that weight. One day I did about 10,000 of these... after about 5,000 of them, it gets excruciatingly tough."
"I've never even done twenty sit-ups at one time in gym..." Sailor Mercury said quietly. "But I'll do my best."
Using her magical energy to augment her body's strength, Sailor Mercury easily did twenty repetitions without breaking a sweat, despite the fact that she was holding half a ton in her arms, and that her own body was being pulled toward the ground by a force of five times Earth's normal gravity.
"I'm going to raise the stakes a bit," Trunks said, floating outside and walking over to the room's controls. "Remember, try to keep up your energy as best you can..."
"I wonder what he's doing?" Sailor Mercury thought, continuing her upside-down situps as Trunks tweaked a few of the room's settings. Suddenly, Sailor Mercury could feel her body, as well as the barbells she was holding, become twice as heavy as before. She stopped in mid-repetition and dangled above the ground, nearly losing her concentration and dropping the barbells. She let her arms hang limp as Trunks floated into the room and turned himself upside-down to face her. "Trunks, did you-"
Trunks nodded.
"The gravity is now at ten times Earth's normal gravity, meaning that those barbells you're carrying now weigh a ton," Trunks said. "I know you can handle it, Ami, it's just a little bit of added strain on your body."
"A little bit of strain?" Sailor Mercury said, a slightly angry look appearing on her face. "Trunks, it feels like I'm being pulled apart!"
"Ami, just concentrate and focus your energy-"
"I can't! I don't have enough energy to even move my arms an inch!" Sailor Mercury shouted, her voice becoming more and more desperate. "Please, just turn down the gravity...."
"Alright, Ami," Trunks said, turning himself back around and floating toward the door. "I'm sorry I tried to push you farther than you were ready..."
As Trunks floated toward the door of the training chamber, Sailor Mercury could feel a pang of regret slowly enter her body, and she could feel her strength slowly building up. With an immense amount of effort, she pulled the barbells up to her chest. By now, Trunks had turned around, and Sailor Mercury could feel even more energy enter her body. She began curling upward, pulling her head and the rest of her body up toward her stomach, with the heavy barbells in hand. Finally, she did one sit-up, and quickly let her body fall back to its normal position, dangling above the floor. As Trunks floated toward her, she did another sit-up, this one almost as quick as one of the sit-ups she had done in five times gravity.
"Trunks, I'm... I'm doing it!" Sailor Mercury said excitedly, doing another repetition as Trunks turned himself upside-down to watch her.
"That's three, Ami... ninety-seven more to go. Then we'll stop for the day."
Sailor Mercury nodded, and suddenly, her magical energy aura flared up, as strength began surging through every muscle in her body. She did ten repetitions, then twenty, then fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty... but around ninety, fatigue finally caught up to her. When she reached ninety-six, Trunks could begin to hear pain as well as strength in her voice, and instantly knew she had reached the limit of her powers. As she flopped back down for the ninety-sixth time, Trunks reached up to untie the knot securing the cable hanging her from the ceiling. But as he did, Sailor Mercury shook her head, not wanting to stop, even as sweat poured off of her forehead and dripped down to the floor.
"I'm going... to do... one hundred, Trunks," said Sailor Mercury, beginning to pull her body upward once again.
"Ami, are you sure?" Trunks asked worriedly. "I don't want you to get hurt, Ami..."
"I'm going to do this, Trunks," Sailor Mercury said. After almost fifteen seconds of painstakingly slow movement, she slowly curled her body up to her stomach, completing her ninety-seventh repetition. As Trunks watched with great concern on his face, Sailor Mercury completed her ninety-eighth and ninety-ninth repetitions, taking nearly two minutes to complete his ninety-ninth repetition. Finally, even she began to doubt herself, dropping her body once more and letting her arms hang down, keeping the half-ton barbells firmly gripped in her hands. Again, Trunks reached up to get Sailor Mercury down, and again, she shook her head.
"Trunks, I... I just have one more to do...." Sailor Mercury groaned, barely able to speak. "I'm going to do this..."
Sailor Mercury tried to lift herself back up, but as soon as she began, she had to stop, letting out a loud cry of anguish as her strength failed, and her arms began to dangle again.
"Trunks...." Sailor Mercury gasped, her body almost completely red, her chest heaving as she struggled to catch her breath. Trunks knew the gravity was putting an immense strain on her body, especially her heart, and he could hear it pounding at almost 200 beats per minute.
"She'll kill herself... I can't let her do this!" Trunks thought. He reached up and began to untie the knot again. Suddenly, with a loud scream, Sailor Mercury thrust her upper body forward, curling it and the barbells all the way up to her stomach. In that moment, Trunks saw the incredible determination in Sailor Mercury's eyes, the strength in every inch of her body, and the immense joy on her face as she completed her one hundredth repetition. Then, in an instant, she let herself flop backward, dropping the barbells onto the floor. They hit with a loud clang, falling into the large puddle of sweat that had formed as Sailor Mercury put all of her strength into the extremely difficult exercise. In a few second, Trunks had untied the knot holding up Sailor Mercury, and swept her up in his arms, floating down to the floor and walking out of the room as quickly as he could. As he left and closed the door behind him, the gravity in the room automatically went back to normal, and he looked down, getting his first look at Sailor Mercury. Her entire face was red, and she was still breathing heavily, but her eyes were open slightly, indicating that she was still conscious. Trunks breathed a sigh of relief, and kissed her on the lips.
"Ami, you did it...." Trunks said, brushing all the sweat away from her face. "I'm sorry I pushed you so hard, but-"
"The next time...." Sailor Mercury gasped, still trying to catch her breath. "I go into battle... I'm going to be so much stronger... I already feel stronger, Trunks..."
"You already are strong, Ami... you didn't have anything to prove to me..."
Trunks walked into the living room of the house and gently laid Sailor Mercury down on the couch, then kissed her on the lips again.
"I'll go get a pitcher of water, okay?" said Trunks, walking toward the kitchen. "You can have anything you want, Ami... you've earned it...."
"Thank you, Trunks," Sailor Mercury said, gripping Trunks' hand as tightly as she could. "I couldn't have done it without you..."
---
Aw, isn't that sweet? Trunks helped Ami train and stuff... it's nothing compared to what Goku did in the spaceship on the way to Namek, but it's a start! Right? Right? And by the way, yeah, I know Bulma said the time chamber couldn't be used unless she or Trunks was outside to work the controls, but that's only during a fight, not when it's just one person training with another as coach. I hope you guys don't have a problem with that... ^_^ Please review!