Disclaimers: I do NOT own Sailor moon or DBZ OR the characters portrayed here. I'm just using them for the sake of this story and for my own personal enjoyment to write, no money is being made, please don't sue me! _
Chapter Eight: Back At The Temple
The early morning sun shone through the trees and onto the road and sidewalk as people drove by and walked towards their destination. Giving them warmth until they walked back into the shade.
Trunks held Ami's hand protectively as they strolled down the street and towards the Temple at an even pace. Making conversation about this and that to take their minds off of things until they got there. Ami's leg had healed a great deal during her night of rest. A lot more than what she'd expected, so walking wasn't any trouble at all.
Trunks didn't go back to the Temple the night before when he found his tenshi in the rain. She insisted that he stay with her since her mother wasn't home, and also because she didn't want him flying out in the storm. Trunks, being the gentleman that he is, gave Ami a kiss goodnight ( a rather *long* kiss!) and accepted the couch. They were both too new to the relationship to do anything *too* serious!
Ami couldn't help but giggle as she remembered the sound that Trunks made when he kissed her goodnight. It came from deep in his throat and sounded just like a low purring. It was such a sweet sound, and she loved that it was she who made him make it. She couldn't help but wonder what other cute little traits he inherited from being a half saiyan.
Although the idea of spending the day at Ami's place seemed rather appealing, they had to go back. Trunks lived at the temple and Ami deserved an apology for how she was treated by her friends. At least that's how Trunks felt. He was grateful that she at least had Usagi and Rei around for her. Minako and Makoto seemed nice, just insensitive to how another person may feel towards their criticisms. Especially Minako!
But they were her friends, and good people in the long run. They just needed a bit of a reality check.
When they finally reached the steps of the temple, they halted for only a moment. As if getting ready for what could or could not await them. They had called everyone up so they were all there and waiting. "Ready, tenshi?" Trunks asked, using his new favourite pet name for Ami.
She blushed a little at the endearment and nodded her head, snaking both of her arms around his available arm before they headed up the stairs together. Trunks had tried to convince her that Minako appeared to be sorry, and that she had nothing to be nervous about, but she was still a little afraid. Not that he blamed her though.
From what he could sense, all the girls aside from Setsuna and Chibi-Usa were up there, including the outers. And he wasn't looking forward to seeing them today. Haruka and Michiru had something against him from day one, and they didn't trust him at all. Mainly because he wasn't human and the power he had, but even when he tried to explain to them that even they weren't fully human, Haruka still sneered at him before walking back to her dark little corner with Michiru in hand.
Not too trusting of people, that one.
Trunks twitched his tail slightly to make sure that it was still in place beneath his shirt, and was thankful to feel that it was. The last thing he wanted was for the two of them to find out about it. Haruka would just add it to her list of reasons to hate him while Michiru would simply frown and shake her head like some kind of disappointed mother. He really didn't need that today.
He wasn't afraid of them or anything, just their influence on the others. When Minako and Makoto were chasing after him, Haruka would always put in her two cents about how it was a bad idea and that people should just stay away from him in general, and he was just a little worried that she would try to talk his tenshi out seeing him.
That and she told him about the trouble she got in with her when they found out about how she told him about who and what *they* were. So he was also a little worried for her when it came down to them. He didn't want to cause her anymore heartache, especially with the people she considered to be her friends. So lets just say that he was nervous. But then again, so was she.
When they finally made it up the Temple steps, that for some odd reason seemed way to long this day, the entire group was waiting for them outside.
Trunks and Ami were happy to see Usagi, Darien, and Rei in the front of the group, with warm smiles on their faces as they came. Evidently it was obvious to them what had happened between the two the night before.
Minako and Makoto were right behind them, heads slightly down and a shameful look on both of their faces. 'At least they know that they were in the wrong.' Trunks thought to himself, happy to see that at least they showed regret with how they treated their friend.
Setsuna was nowhere in sight, and neither was Hotaru, but Haruka and Michiru were there, standing in the background and not looking too happy at the sight of them. Although Michiru was doing a better job of hiding it as she simply frowned, whereas Haruka was scowling something fierce!
But that look was immediately replaced with shock as he unhooked her arms from his and quickly wrapped it around her slender waist, returning her sneer with one of his own that just shouted out loud how there was nothing in the world she could do about their relationship. They were together now, and that was all there was to it.
Trunks honestly never thought he'd be happy to have inherited his face from his father, that automatically intensified his gaze and almost made the short haired blonde back down. Unfortunately she quickly realised what she was doing and regained her composer before she could show any signs of weakness to him. Then in one swift motion, hooked her own arm around her koi's waist and headed back inside, grumbling something that even his superior saiyan hearing couldn't pick up.
When they were both gone, his sneer instantly faded from his face, and he couldn't help but grin at his little victory.
When he finally decided to look back at the others, his face naturally turned a nice shade of pink once he saw everyone looking in the direction that Haruka had just stormed off in. They had obviously seen his little show, but he was grateful to see the amused smirks on their faces as they also realised the little mind war he'd just won.
"Y'know, you're rather cute when you're angry." Ami pointed out while snuggling up closer to him, an act that only increased the blood flow to his face.
"Uh, thanks tenshi." Was all he could say in his embarrassed state.
Everyone else finally took not of the sight in front of them, and made cute little awing sounds before practically running up to get all the juicy details about the night before. A few of them got a little suspicious of them when Trunks didn't return to the Temple the night before, and Darien was the only one of the group who remained mature about the possibility that nothing could have happened.
"Look Ami," Minako started. "I'm really sorry about last night. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings like that." She said shamefully and sounding truly sorry for what she did with the list.
"Ya, sorry about all that," Makoto quickly jumped in. "I guess we didn't think about your feelings." She said in an equal amount of shame with her head turned slightly down.
Needless to say, they were both embarrassed. And it was obvious to both Ami and Trunks that they were also being sincere with their apology. Usagi, Darien and Rei were still off in the background, smiling brightly at their actions. Proud of what they were doing and the bravery required to do it.
Ami was glad to hear the apology most. This showed that they cared. *This* showed that she really wasn't alone amongst the group. Maybe she could forgive them. It would take a while to trust them completely again, but it was a nice start. "Apology accepted guys." She said happily with a warm smile that they couldn't help but return.
Trunks also smiled down at her. Happy to see that his was tenshi happy and smiling brightly as if nothing had ever happened.
"Y'know," Minako started. "The two of you actually look rather good together." She pointed out with a smile. "Don't you agree?" She asked, turning to Makoto. The question caused both Ami and Trunks to immediately blush.
"Actually ya." She replied. Putting her head in her hand in a thoughtful position. "I'm surprised the two of you didn't get together sooner."
"Trunks was just too shy." Darien pointed out with a smirk, causing Trunks' embarrassment to deepen at the "awwww" sounds the girls made.
"Traitor." The time traveller mumbled in good humour, causing his new girlfriend to chuckle in amusement.
"Lets head inside to talk now guys." Rei suggested. "I've got some things I'd like to talk to you all about, and something to eat too." She added before turning around and going, not waiting to see the sparkling look in both Usagi's and Trunks' eyes at the mention of food. In fact bringing it up only reminded him of how hungry he was, considering the last time he ate was early yesterday.
His stomach actually growled a little, letting him know that it also liked the idea of food too.
Ami looked up at him and couldn't help but giggle, knowing where is train of thought had gone.
They all then made their way into the temple's living area, and Trunks was less than impressed when he saw Haruka and Michiru already inside. Standing in a corner and whispering amongst themselves, occasionally taking glances in his direction and shooting him distrustful looks. He just ignored it as he took a seat next to Ami in front of the table, and as everyone else did the same.
"Here ya go, Trunks." Rei said cheerfully as she placed a plate of chicken fried rice in front of him. She was extremely happy that the two shy little love birds had finally got together, and she couldn't help but show it in her voice. "You must be hungry."
"I'm starving!" He replied, almost immediately shovelling the food into his mouth with his chop sticks. Normally he would be the type to be polite and wait for everyone else to start eating too, but he became used to them telling him to start eating first. They all knew that he needed to eat a lot and eat it fast, so they all thought that they could get down to business quicker if he finished first.
When Usagi received her plate, she also started to shovel the food into her mouth at a speed that almost equalled Trunks'. Everyone sweet dropped at the sight. Trunks had an excuse to eat that fast! He was half alien! She was just being impatient and impolite in their opinion, but they all loved her anyway. Whether or not she was the only one who could compete with Trunks in a food eating contest, they still thought of her as their princess.
Once everyone had a plate in front of them, Rei started talking about the problem at hand, and both Trunks and Usagi slowed down with their eating in order to listen properly, but still taking bites here and there.
Trunks didn't notice this, but eventually his tail made its way out from under his shirt, while she spoke, and wrapped itself affectionately around Ami's waist. Her eyes widened slightly and she was a little startled at first, until she realised what it had to be.
Taking a quick look down at the tail around her waist, she merely smiled fondly at it as it continued to cuddle her. Almost like a cats tail. She didn't mind the attention he was giving her anyway, so she didn't disturb it as she leaned on Trunks' arm and smiled up at him.
"So what's this problem all about anyway?" Usagi asked over a mouthful of food. She would much rather be out celebrating Ami and Trunks' get-together than be in here, despite how great the food was.
Trunks was pretty much thinking the same, but if this was important than it was best if he listened, so he wisely kept his mouth shut.
Haruka and Michiru listened with a fair amount of interest, knowing that while the inners could be useless at times, they could still pick up a few things that the two of them couldn't.
"Well, it's just so strange," She started. "Last night, sometime after Trunks left, I felt this strange vibe, and it wasn't a very friendly one either." She started, immediately peaking Haruka's interest with the thought that it could somehow be connected to him
"Strange like how?" Trunks asked, immediately wondering why he wouldn't sense something that could be both important or dangerous, or even both.
"Well, it's just that it felt like there were two powers at first, but only for a split second before there was only one, and then it disappeared as quickly as it came." She explained, a curious expression on her face.
"It can't be another enemy." Usagi pointed out. "Chaos was supposed to be our last one."
"Maybe Crystal Tokyo is coming?" Minako asked.
"No, it's too early for that." Ami said. "We still have a few more years until the planet freezes and even then we'll all have to sleep for about a thousand years before waking up." She pointed out.
Trunks sweat dropped. He knew about the story of Crystal Tokyo from Chibi-Usa and Ami, but it still sounded strange hearing about the planet freezing for a thousand years. That and it also made him a little nervous. At least for his tenshi.
"Haruka, I sensed that last night as well, remember?" Michiru whispered so that no one else could hear her.
"Yes, I remember, Koi." She whispered back, eyeing the time traveller with distrust. Naturally her love had told her about what she had felt the night before, and it only served to heighten her suspicions about the lavender haired young man at the table.
She did tell Usagi that she trusted her judgment when he first arrived, but in all honesty she still couldn't get that weird feeling out of her head or the pit of her stomach. That there was something about him he was keeping from them, as well as the fact that he was going to do something that would hurt them, or at least *one* of them. And the fact that he and Ami were now seeing each other gave her a very big idea as to who he would be hurting.
When the short haired blonde turned her head back to her Koi, she caught a twitching something in the corner of her eye and immediately shot her head back to where Trunks and Ami were sitting.
At first it looked like some kind of fuzzy belt, and she couldn't help but quirk her eyebrow at it in confusion, assuming that Ami had long ago grown out of the strange little trends that most young girls would get into. But then it moved a little. It actually moved!
Taking a closer look at it she was surprised to see that it seemed to be connected to Trunks! Like it was apart of him! 'What the hell does that bastard think he's doing!' She mentally shouted in a rage, fearful that this proved him to be some kind of negeverse monster. For all she knew he was sucking the life out of poor Ami right now!
This anger that the sight of Trunks' tail had caused, in no way clouded her judgment. She still knew that he was about a hundred times stronger then she was, so she made sure to tell Michiru to keep quiet as she pulled out a pocket knife and snuck up on him.
He was currently transfixed on telling Makoto that he wouldn't be able to train her to fly anytime soon, so he didn't see her sneaking up.
Ami, however, caught sight of her in the corner of her eye, but was too late to do anything about it as Haruka grabbed the tail from around her waste and squeezed it as hard as she could, causing Trunks to automatically cry out in pain, before she then put the knife to it, getting ready to cut it off if needed. But the cry of pain as well as the fact that he just seemed to freeze up startled her. She honestly wasn't expecting that.
"Let...go!" He said through tightly clenched teeth, almost as if he was having trouble speaking.
"Haruka, let him go!" Ami cried out, immediately pushing the knife away as she tried to pry her tight hand off of his tail, knowing the pain he was in must be excruciating.
She still kept her tight grip on the fuzzy object though, she was far too determined to get answers and wasn't about to drop the tail if this was his weakness. Everyone else was far too stunned to know what was going on. They all saw her holding a fuzzy brown rope thing yet he cried out and was telling her to let him go. What was that thing?
"What the hell is this!?" She demanded hotly while ignoring Ami's prying fingers. "What the hell are you anyway?!?"
"It's his tail! That's all!" Ami cried out, still trying to get her to let it go.
Usagi blinked, wondering how on earth Trunks could have a tail, yet when she looked at him and saw how his face had twisted up with the obvious pain he felt, she snapped herself out of the trance she was in and intervened.
"Haruka, let him go already!" She demanded hotly, in her princess tone that commanded obedience.
She looked over at her in a state of shock. She'd just discovered that Trunks had a tail and was hiding it from them. Who knows how many other secrets he had. This proved that he couldn't be trusted. "Koneko, he has a--"
"I don't care! Let it go. You're hurting him." She folded her arms over her chest as if to try and prove that she would be getting her way in this argument.
She only hesitated for a moment at the command, but then reluctantly and very slowly loosened her grip on the tail before dropping.
Trunks immediately reached out for it before gently taking it in his hands and blowing on it, as if that would make the pain disappear. He then sneered at her. "What the hell is your problem? It's just a tail!"
"Oh how cute!!" Minako and Makoto shouted in unison, running across the table to get a better look at it. Ami just shook her head tiredly at their behaviour while sweat dropping. Evidently they still thought nothing was wrong with a little "Harmless Flirting". Or so they liked to call it.
"Why do you have a tail, Trunks?" Darien asked him curiously. "Does it do anything?"
Trunks shifted at the question through his attempts to keep the girls at bay, and Ami stuttered a little. They still hadn't found a way to tell them all about the affects of his tail if he were to ever look at the full moon. And the fact that Haruka was still trying to find ways to brand him as an enemy wouldn't help things out when they told them.
"It's just something that Saiyans are born with, but I'm not supposed to look at the full moon because of it." He explained.
"Why not?" Haruka demanded, causing him to wince and look over at Ami for help.
"Um...Usagi, can this wait a while, and I'll tell you and Darien about it in private?" She asked timidly, knowing that to tell them all at once would be a *huge* mistake.
The blonde simply shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, I have no problem with that. Do you, Darien?"
He shook his head. "No, not if it's important." He replied, causing the both Ami and Trunks to let out a sigh of relief.
"Koneko! You can't possibly be taking their si--"
"Maybe you and Michiru should go and do a patrol around the city." Usagi cut her off. "The faster we find out what it was that set off Rei's senses yesterday the better." She didn't exactly know why Haruka was being so mistrustful of Trunks, especially when she already told her that she trusted her judgment, but frankly she didn't care. Pluto told her that he could be trusted, and she was sticking by it. None of them knew what was normal in his world, so who cared if he had a tail! Despite how strange that was.
"But he hid this from us! Who around this room even knows what exactly he is?! For all we know he's the enemy Rei sensed last night!"
"That's not true!!" Trunks shouted at her as he stood up in a rage.
"Just leave and do a scout of the city, Haruka! We'll talk about this later." Usagi ordered, narrowing her eyes in a threatening manner that surprised most people in the room.
She openly seethed at the command, but still threw Trunks another sneer before exiting the room with Michiru in tow. She didn't care if she was going back on her word with her princess. She was getting weird feelings and strange vibes every time he was within eyesight, and she was determined to find out what was going on with him.
When they were gone, Darien turned to them. "I'm sorry about that, Trunks. But as you've seen, Haruka isn't so trusting of people." He explained.
Trunks let out a frustrated sigh in the direction that Haruka had just gone off in. "It's alright, I suppose I should've told you all about this sooner anyway." He said, letting his tail wave around lazily in the air now that the cat was out of the bag. "I was just afraid that you would all take it badly." He confessed in slight embarrassment.
"Well you said that it was normal for a saiyan to have one, right?" Minako said. "So then there shouldn't be a problem with it at all."
"And it's very sweet looking too!" Makoto squealed. "Can I touch it?" She asked, getting stars in her eyes at the thought, causing a small flash of jealously to run through Ami's system, knowing first hand what the affects of petting his tail were.
"Um...I think it's best if you don't." He said nervously, also knowing what it would do to him. Ami gave him a giant smile when she heard him turn the brunet down. 'This is exactly why I love him.' She thought proudly.
Makoto made this little whimper of disappointment, before crossing her arms and sitting straight again. She *really* wanted to feel if his tail was as soft as it looked.
"So anyway," Usagi said, cutting off the conversation about Trunks' tail before it had a chance to start up. "I think we should all get into pairs and scout the city with Haruka and Michiru. But I seriously think it would be best if Trunks and Ami went together and did it on the opposite ends of where they'll be." She pointed out, looking towards them and waiting for their approval.
They both smiled. "More than fine with us!" Trunks said, placing an arm around his Tenshi's shoulder, causing her to lightly blush.
"Alright then, when I can get a hold of them, I'll contact Setsuna and Chibi-Usa to tell them what's going on."
"Since when are you so responsible, Odango?" Rei asked. Not meaning Odango in an offensive term.
She shrugged. "Maybe I'm finally growing up?" She asked playfully, causing Ami, Trunks and Darien to snicker, knowing what the hidden joke was.
Minako, Makoto and Rei all let out a loud laugh. "Ya right Usagi!" They all cried out as if it was the funniest thing they had ever heard.
Ami frowned a little as she watched, but with the smile on Usagi's face she knew that the other girl didn't take offence. It was, after all, her choice to act the way she did, So she never really did take the teasing too badly. So far only she, Trunks, and Darien knew about how intelligent she really was, but just kept quiet about it out of respect for her wishes.
"Alright now, seriously," Rei laughed, pulling out her transformation pen. Trunks stiffened and Ami gasped lightly at the sight of it. She didn't get around to telling them all about what would happen to their clothes when they transformed, out of embarrassment. "I think we should all just transform and go looking around the city." She said calmly as everyone else in the room pulled out their pens and Usagi got her broach ready.
"NO!!" Ami and Trunks cried out quickly before they all changed in front of him.
They all just gave them confused looks. "What's the matter?" Usagi asked.
Trunks looked over at his tenshi. "You didn't tell them yet?" He asked.
She blushed. "Um, not yet, it was just too embarrassing." She explained.
"Tell us what?" The blonde asked again. Darien simply frowned in a thoughtful manner, wondering what was going on while everyone else just looked at them in confusion.
Ami stuttered a little, trying to find the words to say before giving up and walking across the table to where Usagi sat. She then got down on her knees and whispered something in her ear.
Her blue eyes immediately widened. "ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?" She screeched, causing Trunks to quickly cover his sensitive ears in order to protect them from the sound.
Ami blushed again while nodding her head.
"What is it? What's going on?" Minako asked with worry.
"Ya." Followed and equally worried and curious Makoto.
Darien frowned again. "Usa-Chan, what is it?" He asked.
She brought up her hand to go over his ear as she whispered to him. He leaned down a little to hear her better before his own eyes widened. "Wow. Are you serious?" He asked, looking from both her to Ami and Trunks.
They all nodded their heads.
"What's going on here?" Rei demanded, getting annoyed at the whole situation.
"I'll tell you guys about it later." Usagi promised. "But for now, could you all just transform in separate rooms or something?" She asked in a nervous tone of voice, telling them how importan the situation was.
They all sighed and groaned at not being let in on the important secret, but still got up and did as she said, letting Rei show them to separate rooms they could use.
When they were all gone, Darien turned to where Ami was still kneeling and asked, "How did you find out about this?"
Once again she blushed, as did Trunks as they shifted uncomfortably. Usagi caught that look though, and she couldn't help but burst out laughing as the realization hit her. "Are-are you serious?" She giggled, trying to contain her growing laughter.
Darien eventually caught on to what she meant and couldn't help but chuckle as well. "Must've been a bad nosebleed!" He joked, causing Trunks to turn an even deeper shade of red. 'He doesn't know *how* bad.' He thought, looking over at his blushing tenshi.
Usagi was still giggling next to her. "At least you didn't bleed to death!" She cried out before bursting out laughing again. Ami just hid her face in her hands. She knew that they were just playing around, but it was still humiliating.
What they didn't know was that Minako was still on the other side of the door, listening to what they were saying.
She wanted to hear what the secret was, so when Rei and Makoto were out of eyeshot she went back. 'I can't believe her!' She inwardly fumed. 'I apologized to her and everything! And the only reason why he's even with her was because she was showing off her body to him?!? I can't believe her!!' She thought in a rage before storming off. More determined now than ever to get Trunks to be with her.
Meanwhile Trunks and Ami were still inside, trying as hard as they could to ignore the laughter before giving up.
Trunks sighed. "C'mon tenshi," He called while standing up. "Let's go look around the city before they laugh themselves to death or something."
"Coming!" She said, eager to get away from it as well. She quickly ran over to him before he took her hand and laced his fingers between hers. He then quickly gave her a soft kiss on the lips before they started walking out the door. He always felt the need to kiss her when she was near, he didn't know why, he just did. Not that she minded of course.
But once they were out the door they both couldn't help but sweat drop as they heard Usagi call out to them. "Try not to get another nose bleed, Trunks!" Then more laughter followed.
"They are going to have the time of their lives telling the others about that." Ami explained as they headed for the exit.
He just sighed, letting his tail come back out to wrap around her waist again. "Ya, I know, tenshi." He said, before smiling lightheartedly. "At least if they get too bad we can always fly away from them." He said, causing a bubbling laugh to erupt from Ami's throat.
************************************************
"Chibi-Usa, it's almost time." Pluto said to the little pink haired girl in front of her.
She looked up at the guardian of the Time Gates with big eyes before slowly nodding her head in understanding.
"I'll need you to help me with it." She explained softly.
Chibi-Usa shot her head up in shock. "B-but why? What do you need my help for?" She asked, not really wanting to have a bigger part of this.
"It will just make things easier for me if I have another set of hands to work with." She explained, giving her a pleading look.
The little girl's eyes became shiny. "Will he hurt?" She asked with a trembling lip.
Pluto nodded her head. "Yes, I'm afraid he will feel pain. But it's for the best, aino-chan. You know that."
Chibi-Usa slowly nodded her head again. "Alright." She sais slowly, feeling so much guilt as she did. If only there was another way.
"Very well then, it's done." Pluto said, pulling out Ami's personal Time Key. "We'll have to keep this a little longer in order to use it, but there should be enough energy for us. It was hard work getting it from the residents of the city, but we should be fine." She explined in that motherly voice of hers. "You should transform now, it's almost time."
To Be Continued..................
A.N: I am *SO* sorry that it took so long to get this chapter out! But once again my disk broke on me and everything got erased _ So i had to start over again, and I really didn't feel like doing that until recently, once again sorry. And I'm also sorry that this chapter sucks so bad, but i just had to put in a few things that i forgot to explain earlier, like Trunks' tail and the whole transforming thing. And i bet it didn't flow too well either Not just into the story anymore i suppose. But it is my first story, and I still like it enough to finish for those patient enough to wait for an update and review me when i get em out. ^_~
Actually this was supposed to be the chapter where i killed Trunk off, but i guess that will have to wait until the next chapter! MWUHAHAHAHA! *cough-cough* Anyway, sorry about the delay, and for those of you who have noticed that I started another story please don't kill me!
Also, as for that purring when he kisses, I heard that from somewhere that Saiyns purr like cats when they kiss, and it sounded cute, so i added it ^_~
And on a last note, there should only be about three or four chapters after this one, just so you all know when it ends.
So even though this chapter sucked.....please review it! Y'know ya wanna! The little purple button is calling your name!!! ^_~
bye for now!
Chapter Eight: Back At The Temple
The early morning sun shone through the trees and onto the road and sidewalk as people drove by and walked towards their destination. Giving them warmth until they walked back into the shade.
Trunks held Ami's hand protectively as they strolled down the street and towards the Temple at an even pace. Making conversation about this and that to take their minds off of things until they got there. Ami's leg had healed a great deal during her night of rest. A lot more than what she'd expected, so walking wasn't any trouble at all.
Trunks didn't go back to the Temple the night before when he found his tenshi in the rain. She insisted that he stay with her since her mother wasn't home, and also because she didn't want him flying out in the storm. Trunks, being the gentleman that he is, gave Ami a kiss goodnight ( a rather *long* kiss!) and accepted the couch. They were both too new to the relationship to do anything *too* serious!
Ami couldn't help but giggle as she remembered the sound that Trunks made when he kissed her goodnight. It came from deep in his throat and sounded just like a low purring. It was such a sweet sound, and she loved that it was she who made him make it. She couldn't help but wonder what other cute little traits he inherited from being a half saiyan.
Although the idea of spending the day at Ami's place seemed rather appealing, they had to go back. Trunks lived at the temple and Ami deserved an apology for how she was treated by her friends. At least that's how Trunks felt. He was grateful that she at least had Usagi and Rei around for her. Minako and Makoto seemed nice, just insensitive to how another person may feel towards their criticisms. Especially Minako!
But they were her friends, and good people in the long run. They just needed a bit of a reality check.
When they finally reached the steps of the temple, they halted for only a moment. As if getting ready for what could or could not await them. They had called everyone up so they were all there and waiting. "Ready, tenshi?" Trunks asked, using his new favourite pet name for Ami.
She blushed a little at the endearment and nodded her head, snaking both of her arms around his available arm before they headed up the stairs together. Trunks had tried to convince her that Minako appeared to be sorry, and that she had nothing to be nervous about, but she was still a little afraid. Not that he blamed her though.
From what he could sense, all the girls aside from Setsuna and Chibi-Usa were up there, including the outers. And he wasn't looking forward to seeing them today. Haruka and Michiru had something against him from day one, and they didn't trust him at all. Mainly because he wasn't human and the power he had, but even when he tried to explain to them that even they weren't fully human, Haruka still sneered at him before walking back to her dark little corner with Michiru in hand.
Not too trusting of people, that one.
Trunks twitched his tail slightly to make sure that it was still in place beneath his shirt, and was thankful to feel that it was. The last thing he wanted was for the two of them to find out about it. Haruka would just add it to her list of reasons to hate him while Michiru would simply frown and shake her head like some kind of disappointed mother. He really didn't need that today.
He wasn't afraid of them or anything, just their influence on the others. When Minako and Makoto were chasing after him, Haruka would always put in her two cents about how it was a bad idea and that people should just stay away from him in general, and he was just a little worried that she would try to talk his tenshi out seeing him.
That and she told him about the trouble she got in with her when they found out about how she told him about who and what *they* were. So he was also a little worried for her when it came down to them. He didn't want to cause her anymore heartache, especially with the people she considered to be her friends. So lets just say that he was nervous. But then again, so was she.
When they finally made it up the Temple steps, that for some odd reason seemed way to long this day, the entire group was waiting for them outside.
Trunks and Ami were happy to see Usagi, Darien, and Rei in the front of the group, with warm smiles on their faces as they came. Evidently it was obvious to them what had happened between the two the night before.
Minako and Makoto were right behind them, heads slightly down and a shameful look on both of their faces. 'At least they know that they were in the wrong.' Trunks thought to himself, happy to see that at least they showed regret with how they treated their friend.
Setsuna was nowhere in sight, and neither was Hotaru, but Haruka and Michiru were there, standing in the background and not looking too happy at the sight of them. Although Michiru was doing a better job of hiding it as she simply frowned, whereas Haruka was scowling something fierce!
But that look was immediately replaced with shock as he unhooked her arms from his and quickly wrapped it around her slender waist, returning her sneer with one of his own that just shouted out loud how there was nothing in the world she could do about their relationship. They were together now, and that was all there was to it.
Trunks honestly never thought he'd be happy to have inherited his face from his father, that automatically intensified his gaze and almost made the short haired blonde back down. Unfortunately she quickly realised what she was doing and regained her composer before she could show any signs of weakness to him. Then in one swift motion, hooked her own arm around her koi's waist and headed back inside, grumbling something that even his superior saiyan hearing couldn't pick up.
When they were both gone, his sneer instantly faded from his face, and he couldn't help but grin at his little victory.
When he finally decided to look back at the others, his face naturally turned a nice shade of pink once he saw everyone looking in the direction that Haruka had just stormed off in. They had obviously seen his little show, but he was grateful to see the amused smirks on their faces as they also realised the little mind war he'd just won.
"Y'know, you're rather cute when you're angry." Ami pointed out while snuggling up closer to him, an act that only increased the blood flow to his face.
"Uh, thanks tenshi." Was all he could say in his embarrassed state.
Everyone else finally took not of the sight in front of them, and made cute little awing sounds before practically running up to get all the juicy details about the night before. A few of them got a little suspicious of them when Trunks didn't return to the Temple the night before, and Darien was the only one of the group who remained mature about the possibility that nothing could have happened.
"Look Ami," Minako started. "I'm really sorry about last night. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings like that." She said shamefully and sounding truly sorry for what she did with the list.
"Ya, sorry about all that," Makoto quickly jumped in. "I guess we didn't think about your feelings." She said in an equal amount of shame with her head turned slightly down.
Needless to say, they were both embarrassed. And it was obvious to both Ami and Trunks that they were also being sincere with their apology. Usagi, Darien and Rei were still off in the background, smiling brightly at their actions. Proud of what they were doing and the bravery required to do it.
Ami was glad to hear the apology most. This showed that they cared. *This* showed that she really wasn't alone amongst the group. Maybe she could forgive them. It would take a while to trust them completely again, but it was a nice start. "Apology accepted guys." She said happily with a warm smile that they couldn't help but return.
Trunks also smiled down at her. Happy to see that his was tenshi happy and smiling brightly as if nothing had ever happened.
"Y'know," Minako started. "The two of you actually look rather good together." She pointed out with a smile. "Don't you agree?" She asked, turning to Makoto. The question caused both Ami and Trunks to immediately blush.
"Actually ya." She replied. Putting her head in her hand in a thoughtful position. "I'm surprised the two of you didn't get together sooner."
"Trunks was just too shy." Darien pointed out with a smirk, causing Trunks' embarrassment to deepen at the "awwww" sounds the girls made.
"Traitor." The time traveller mumbled in good humour, causing his new girlfriend to chuckle in amusement.
"Lets head inside to talk now guys." Rei suggested. "I've got some things I'd like to talk to you all about, and something to eat too." She added before turning around and going, not waiting to see the sparkling look in both Usagi's and Trunks' eyes at the mention of food. In fact bringing it up only reminded him of how hungry he was, considering the last time he ate was early yesterday.
His stomach actually growled a little, letting him know that it also liked the idea of food too.
Ami looked up at him and couldn't help but giggle, knowing where is train of thought had gone.
They all then made their way into the temple's living area, and Trunks was less than impressed when he saw Haruka and Michiru already inside. Standing in a corner and whispering amongst themselves, occasionally taking glances in his direction and shooting him distrustful looks. He just ignored it as he took a seat next to Ami in front of the table, and as everyone else did the same.
"Here ya go, Trunks." Rei said cheerfully as she placed a plate of chicken fried rice in front of him. She was extremely happy that the two shy little love birds had finally got together, and she couldn't help but show it in her voice. "You must be hungry."
"I'm starving!" He replied, almost immediately shovelling the food into his mouth with his chop sticks. Normally he would be the type to be polite and wait for everyone else to start eating too, but he became used to them telling him to start eating first. They all knew that he needed to eat a lot and eat it fast, so they all thought that they could get down to business quicker if he finished first.
When Usagi received her plate, she also started to shovel the food into her mouth at a speed that almost equalled Trunks'. Everyone sweet dropped at the sight. Trunks had an excuse to eat that fast! He was half alien! She was just being impatient and impolite in their opinion, but they all loved her anyway. Whether or not she was the only one who could compete with Trunks in a food eating contest, they still thought of her as their princess.
Once everyone had a plate in front of them, Rei started talking about the problem at hand, and both Trunks and Usagi slowed down with their eating in order to listen properly, but still taking bites here and there.
Trunks didn't notice this, but eventually his tail made its way out from under his shirt, while she spoke, and wrapped itself affectionately around Ami's waist. Her eyes widened slightly and she was a little startled at first, until she realised what it had to be.
Taking a quick look down at the tail around her waist, she merely smiled fondly at it as it continued to cuddle her. Almost like a cats tail. She didn't mind the attention he was giving her anyway, so she didn't disturb it as she leaned on Trunks' arm and smiled up at him.
"So what's this problem all about anyway?" Usagi asked over a mouthful of food. She would much rather be out celebrating Ami and Trunks' get-together than be in here, despite how great the food was.
Trunks was pretty much thinking the same, but if this was important than it was best if he listened, so he wisely kept his mouth shut.
Haruka and Michiru listened with a fair amount of interest, knowing that while the inners could be useless at times, they could still pick up a few things that the two of them couldn't.
"Well, it's just so strange," She started. "Last night, sometime after Trunks left, I felt this strange vibe, and it wasn't a very friendly one either." She started, immediately peaking Haruka's interest with the thought that it could somehow be connected to him
"Strange like how?" Trunks asked, immediately wondering why he wouldn't sense something that could be both important or dangerous, or even both.
"Well, it's just that it felt like there were two powers at first, but only for a split second before there was only one, and then it disappeared as quickly as it came." She explained, a curious expression on her face.
"It can't be another enemy." Usagi pointed out. "Chaos was supposed to be our last one."
"Maybe Crystal Tokyo is coming?" Minako asked.
"No, it's too early for that." Ami said. "We still have a few more years until the planet freezes and even then we'll all have to sleep for about a thousand years before waking up." She pointed out.
Trunks sweat dropped. He knew about the story of Crystal Tokyo from Chibi-Usa and Ami, but it still sounded strange hearing about the planet freezing for a thousand years. That and it also made him a little nervous. At least for his tenshi.
"Haruka, I sensed that last night as well, remember?" Michiru whispered so that no one else could hear her.
"Yes, I remember, Koi." She whispered back, eyeing the time traveller with distrust. Naturally her love had told her about what she had felt the night before, and it only served to heighten her suspicions about the lavender haired young man at the table.
She did tell Usagi that she trusted her judgment when he first arrived, but in all honesty she still couldn't get that weird feeling out of her head or the pit of her stomach. That there was something about him he was keeping from them, as well as the fact that he was going to do something that would hurt them, or at least *one* of them. And the fact that he and Ami were now seeing each other gave her a very big idea as to who he would be hurting.
When the short haired blonde turned her head back to her Koi, she caught a twitching something in the corner of her eye and immediately shot her head back to where Trunks and Ami were sitting.
At first it looked like some kind of fuzzy belt, and she couldn't help but quirk her eyebrow at it in confusion, assuming that Ami had long ago grown out of the strange little trends that most young girls would get into. But then it moved a little. It actually moved!
Taking a closer look at it she was surprised to see that it seemed to be connected to Trunks! Like it was apart of him! 'What the hell does that bastard think he's doing!' She mentally shouted in a rage, fearful that this proved him to be some kind of negeverse monster. For all she knew he was sucking the life out of poor Ami right now!
This anger that the sight of Trunks' tail had caused, in no way clouded her judgment. She still knew that he was about a hundred times stronger then she was, so she made sure to tell Michiru to keep quiet as she pulled out a pocket knife and snuck up on him.
He was currently transfixed on telling Makoto that he wouldn't be able to train her to fly anytime soon, so he didn't see her sneaking up.
Ami, however, caught sight of her in the corner of her eye, but was too late to do anything about it as Haruka grabbed the tail from around her waste and squeezed it as hard as she could, causing Trunks to automatically cry out in pain, before she then put the knife to it, getting ready to cut it off if needed. But the cry of pain as well as the fact that he just seemed to freeze up startled her. She honestly wasn't expecting that.
"Let...go!" He said through tightly clenched teeth, almost as if he was having trouble speaking.
"Haruka, let him go!" Ami cried out, immediately pushing the knife away as she tried to pry her tight hand off of his tail, knowing the pain he was in must be excruciating.
She still kept her tight grip on the fuzzy object though, she was far too determined to get answers and wasn't about to drop the tail if this was his weakness. Everyone else was far too stunned to know what was going on. They all saw her holding a fuzzy brown rope thing yet he cried out and was telling her to let him go. What was that thing?
"What the hell is this!?" She demanded hotly while ignoring Ami's prying fingers. "What the hell are you anyway?!?"
"It's his tail! That's all!" Ami cried out, still trying to get her to let it go.
Usagi blinked, wondering how on earth Trunks could have a tail, yet when she looked at him and saw how his face had twisted up with the obvious pain he felt, she snapped herself out of the trance she was in and intervened.
"Haruka, let him go already!" She demanded hotly, in her princess tone that commanded obedience.
She looked over at her in a state of shock. She'd just discovered that Trunks had a tail and was hiding it from them. Who knows how many other secrets he had. This proved that he couldn't be trusted. "Koneko, he has a--"
"I don't care! Let it go. You're hurting him." She folded her arms over her chest as if to try and prove that she would be getting her way in this argument.
She only hesitated for a moment at the command, but then reluctantly and very slowly loosened her grip on the tail before dropping.
Trunks immediately reached out for it before gently taking it in his hands and blowing on it, as if that would make the pain disappear. He then sneered at her. "What the hell is your problem? It's just a tail!"
"Oh how cute!!" Minako and Makoto shouted in unison, running across the table to get a better look at it. Ami just shook her head tiredly at their behaviour while sweat dropping. Evidently they still thought nothing was wrong with a little "Harmless Flirting". Or so they liked to call it.
"Why do you have a tail, Trunks?" Darien asked him curiously. "Does it do anything?"
Trunks shifted at the question through his attempts to keep the girls at bay, and Ami stuttered a little. They still hadn't found a way to tell them all about the affects of his tail if he were to ever look at the full moon. And the fact that Haruka was still trying to find ways to brand him as an enemy wouldn't help things out when they told them.
"It's just something that Saiyans are born with, but I'm not supposed to look at the full moon because of it." He explained.
"Why not?" Haruka demanded, causing him to wince and look over at Ami for help.
"Um...Usagi, can this wait a while, and I'll tell you and Darien about it in private?" She asked timidly, knowing that to tell them all at once would be a *huge* mistake.
The blonde simply shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, I have no problem with that. Do you, Darien?"
He shook his head. "No, not if it's important." He replied, causing the both Ami and Trunks to let out a sigh of relief.
"Koneko! You can't possibly be taking their si--"
"Maybe you and Michiru should go and do a patrol around the city." Usagi cut her off. "The faster we find out what it was that set off Rei's senses yesterday the better." She didn't exactly know why Haruka was being so mistrustful of Trunks, especially when she already told her that she trusted her judgment, but frankly she didn't care. Pluto told her that he could be trusted, and she was sticking by it. None of them knew what was normal in his world, so who cared if he had a tail! Despite how strange that was.
"But he hid this from us! Who around this room even knows what exactly he is?! For all we know he's the enemy Rei sensed last night!"
"That's not true!!" Trunks shouted at her as he stood up in a rage.
"Just leave and do a scout of the city, Haruka! We'll talk about this later." Usagi ordered, narrowing her eyes in a threatening manner that surprised most people in the room.
She openly seethed at the command, but still threw Trunks another sneer before exiting the room with Michiru in tow. She didn't care if she was going back on her word with her princess. She was getting weird feelings and strange vibes every time he was within eyesight, and she was determined to find out what was going on with him.
When they were gone, Darien turned to them. "I'm sorry about that, Trunks. But as you've seen, Haruka isn't so trusting of people." He explained.
Trunks let out a frustrated sigh in the direction that Haruka had just gone off in. "It's alright, I suppose I should've told you all about this sooner anyway." He said, letting his tail wave around lazily in the air now that the cat was out of the bag. "I was just afraid that you would all take it badly." He confessed in slight embarrassment.
"Well you said that it was normal for a saiyan to have one, right?" Minako said. "So then there shouldn't be a problem with it at all."
"And it's very sweet looking too!" Makoto squealed. "Can I touch it?" She asked, getting stars in her eyes at the thought, causing a small flash of jealously to run through Ami's system, knowing first hand what the affects of petting his tail were.
"Um...I think it's best if you don't." He said nervously, also knowing what it would do to him. Ami gave him a giant smile when she heard him turn the brunet down. 'This is exactly why I love him.' She thought proudly.
Makoto made this little whimper of disappointment, before crossing her arms and sitting straight again. She *really* wanted to feel if his tail was as soft as it looked.
"So anyway," Usagi said, cutting off the conversation about Trunks' tail before it had a chance to start up. "I think we should all get into pairs and scout the city with Haruka and Michiru. But I seriously think it would be best if Trunks and Ami went together and did it on the opposite ends of where they'll be." She pointed out, looking towards them and waiting for their approval.
They both smiled. "More than fine with us!" Trunks said, placing an arm around his Tenshi's shoulder, causing her to lightly blush.
"Alright then, when I can get a hold of them, I'll contact Setsuna and Chibi-Usa to tell them what's going on."
"Since when are you so responsible, Odango?" Rei asked. Not meaning Odango in an offensive term.
She shrugged. "Maybe I'm finally growing up?" She asked playfully, causing Ami, Trunks and Darien to snicker, knowing what the hidden joke was.
Minako, Makoto and Rei all let out a loud laugh. "Ya right Usagi!" They all cried out as if it was the funniest thing they had ever heard.
Ami frowned a little as she watched, but with the smile on Usagi's face she knew that the other girl didn't take offence. It was, after all, her choice to act the way she did, So she never really did take the teasing too badly. So far only she, Trunks, and Darien knew about how intelligent she really was, but just kept quiet about it out of respect for her wishes.
"Alright now, seriously," Rei laughed, pulling out her transformation pen. Trunks stiffened and Ami gasped lightly at the sight of it. She didn't get around to telling them all about what would happen to their clothes when they transformed, out of embarrassment. "I think we should all just transform and go looking around the city." She said calmly as everyone else in the room pulled out their pens and Usagi got her broach ready.
"NO!!" Ami and Trunks cried out quickly before they all changed in front of him.
They all just gave them confused looks. "What's the matter?" Usagi asked.
Trunks looked over at his tenshi. "You didn't tell them yet?" He asked.
She blushed. "Um, not yet, it was just too embarrassing." She explained.
"Tell us what?" The blonde asked again. Darien simply frowned in a thoughtful manner, wondering what was going on while everyone else just looked at them in confusion.
Ami stuttered a little, trying to find the words to say before giving up and walking across the table to where Usagi sat. She then got down on her knees and whispered something in her ear.
Her blue eyes immediately widened. "ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?" She screeched, causing Trunks to quickly cover his sensitive ears in order to protect them from the sound.
Ami blushed again while nodding her head.
"What is it? What's going on?" Minako asked with worry.
"Ya." Followed and equally worried and curious Makoto.
Darien frowned again. "Usa-Chan, what is it?" He asked.
She brought up her hand to go over his ear as she whispered to him. He leaned down a little to hear her better before his own eyes widened. "Wow. Are you serious?" He asked, looking from both her to Ami and Trunks.
They all nodded their heads.
"What's going on here?" Rei demanded, getting annoyed at the whole situation.
"I'll tell you guys about it later." Usagi promised. "But for now, could you all just transform in separate rooms or something?" She asked in a nervous tone of voice, telling them how importan the situation was.
They all sighed and groaned at not being let in on the important secret, but still got up and did as she said, letting Rei show them to separate rooms they could use.
When they were all gone, Darien turned to where Ami was still kneeling and asked, "How did you find out about this?"
Once again she blushed, as did Trunks as they shifted uncomfortably. Usagi caught that look though, and she couldn't help but burst out laughing as the realization hit her. "Are-are you serious?" She giggled, trying to contain her growing laughter.
Darien eventually caught on to what she meant and couldn't help but chuckle as well. "Must've been a bad nosebleed!" He joked, causing Trunks to turn an even deeper shade of red. 'He doesn't know *how* bad.' He thought, looking over at his blushing tenshi.
Usagi was still giggling next to her. "At least you didn't bleed to death!" She cried out before bursting out laughing again. Ami just hid her face in her hands. She knew that they were just playing around, but it was still humiliating.
What they didn't know was that Minako was still on the other side of the door, listening to what they were saying.
She wanted to hear what the secret was, so when Rei and Makoto were out of eyeshot she went back. 'I can't believe her!' She inwardly fumed. 'I apologized to her and everything! And the only reason why he's even with her was because she was showing off her body to him?!? I can't believe her!!' She thought in a rage before storming off. More determined now than ever to get Trunks to be with her.
Meanwhile Trunks and Ami were still inside, trying as hard as they could to ignore the laughter before giving up.
Trunks sighed. "C'mon tenshi," He called while standing up. "Let's go look around the city before they laugh themselves to death or something."
"Coming!" She said, eager to get away from it as well. She quickly ran over to him before he took her hand and laced his fingers between hers. He then quickly gave her a soft kiss on the lips before they started walking out the door. He always felt the need to kiss her when she was near, he didn't know why, he just did. Not that she minded of course.
But once they were out the door they both couldn't help but sweat drop as they heard Usagi call out to them. "Try not to get another nose bleed, Trunks!" Then more laughter followed.
"They are going to have the time of their lives telling the others about that." Ami explained as they headed for the exit.
He just sighed, letting his tail come back out to wrap around her waist again. "Ya, I know, tenshi." He said, before smiling lightheartedly. "At least if they get too bad we can always fly away from them." He said, causing a bubbling laugh to erupt from Ami's throat.
************************************************
"Chibi-Usa, it's almost time." Pluto said to the little pink haired girl in front of her.
She looked up at the guardian of the Time Gates with big eyes before slowly nodding her head in understanding.
"I'll need you to help me with it." She explained softly.
Chibi-Usa shot her head up in shock. "B-but why? What do you need my help for?" She asked, not really wanting to have a bigger part of this.
"It will just make things easier for me if I have another set of hands to work with." She explained, giving her a pleading look.
The little girl's eyes became shiny. "Will he hurt?" She asked with a trembling lip.
Pluto nodded her head. "Yes, I'm afraid he will feel pain. But it's for the best, aino-chan. You know that."
Chibi-Usa slowly nodded her head again. "Alright." She sais slowly, feeling so much guilt as she did. If only there was another way.
"Very well then, it's done." Pluto said, pulling out Ami's personal Time Key. "We'll have to keep this a little longer in order to use it, but there should be enough energy for us. It was hard work getting it from the residents of the city, but we should be fine." She explined in that motherly voice of hers. "You should transform now, it's almost time."
To Be Continued..................
A.N: I am *SO* sorry that it took so long to get this chapter out! But once again my disk broke on me and everything got erased _ So i had to start over again, and I really didn't feel like doing that until recently, once again sorry. And I'm also sorry that this chapter sucks so bad, but i just had to put in a few things that i forgot to explain earlier, like Trunks' tail and the whole transforming thing. And i bet it didn't flow too well either Not just into the story anymore i suppose. But it is my first story, and I still like it enough to finish for those patient enough to wait for an update and review me when i get em out. ^_~
Actually this was supposed to be the chapter where i killed Trunk off, but i guess that will have to wait until the next chapter! MWUHAHAHAHA! *cough-cough* Anyway, sorry about the delay, and for those of you who have noticed that I started another story please don't kill me!
Also, as for that purring when he kisses, I heard that from somewhere that Saiyns purr like cats when they kiss, and it sounded cute, so i added it ^_~
And on a last note, there should only be about three or four chapters after this one, just so you all know when it ends.
So even though this chapter sucked.....please review it! Y'know ya wanna! The little purple button is calling your name!!! ^_~
bye for now!