12. Secrets Told, Secrets Hidden

He kept staring at her door, hearing her cry behind it. He couldn't decide what to do. If he would go in, would she scream at him and show him back to the door? But maybe she needed him now, a shoulder to cry on?

Slowly he opened the door. "Lee?" he quietly asked and saw her curled up in a corner.

"Go away." Leela sobbed and buried her face even deeper into her arms, but her answer didn't keep Trunks out. He walked in further and sank down on his knees in front of her.

"What's wrong?" he asked a bit worried and lay his hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"I can't." Leela's words were a bit unclear because she had buried her head in her arms. She didn't want to be seen by Trunks like this. She had to be strong now, instead she felt disappointed by herself. She couldn't weaken in front of him! "I can't." she repeated softly.

"What did you see?" he knew she had been out for a while but didn't know where. Neither did he know what she saw that made her cry, but something had scared her, that much was obvious. "Leela, what did you see?" he asked; a bit more demandingly.

She dared to lift her head and looked at him: "Nothing!" she shouted which made Trunks withdraw his hand from her shoulder. They were now sitting opposite each other. He saw the tears she was trying to hold back in vain. Slowly he reached out, placing his hand on her cheek and softly wiped away her tear with his thumb. He couldn't bear to see her like this. What was wrong? How could he make it right? He looked into her eyes, she in his.

Suddenly she wrapped her arms around him and let her tears flow. She felt how he hugged her back. She couldn't tell him. She couldn't let him suffer over the death of her little brother. She couldn't let him suffer over her becoming Akhila Nyati. It was Juunanagou's doing, not his. He hadn't seen Orion behind Juunanagou. It was Juunanagou who should suffer, not Trunks. Not Trunks!

Trunks held her in his arms; as long as she needed. What had happened to her? He closed his eyes as he felt her against his body. Leela's presence felt strange to him. It was overwhelming and yet he didn't want to let her go. He heard her sigh.

Being in his arms felt warm. For a moment none of her troubles mattered. Her tears had dried as soon as he embraced her. For a moment she had peace. Finally she would be able to be around him without the constant fear. She wasn't trembling in his presence. She was free from fear, finally. She sighed. "I've been to the place of my past." she whispered.

He gently pulled back to look her in her eyes. He listened.

"To where I was made." she explained.

"What did you find out?" he asked. Finally she was being open to him. She let him in.

"I'm not a saiyin." she whispered.

"…I know." Trunks confessed.

Leela looked at him in surprise. "You do?" she asked.

"I sensed it, but you believed you were a saiyin so much, that it was no use to tell you." Trunks explained.

"Oh…" she said, slightly nodding.

"But that's okay. You might as well be a saiyin, seen the way you're fighting." he tried to cheer her up.

"It's my only purpose." she replied.

"What is?"

"Fighting. Destroy the androids. That's the only reason why I was made."

Trunks looked puzzled.

"I found a document about me." she pointed out. "According to that, I was only unconscious when they found me."
"Your creators?"

"Yes. They drained me so I wouldn't struggle. They needed a body that was only slightly damaged and therefore mine fitted their plan: their plan of creating an android strong enough to take on the other two. They thought you and I stood a better change together and that's why they made me believe I was a saiyin, so I would feel more related to you. They blocked my memories and replaced them for the ones that would be necessary for me to take my revenge on the androids." Leela explained. "I was still alive when they found me and I was still alive when they made me the way I am now. I was still human, just unable to protest. They locked me inside a water-tank for years where they could work on me."

Trunks didn't know what to say. First she lost everyone, then even herself.

"I feel like a machine, fit for one purpose." she forced a smile in vain.

Trunks took her chin in his hand, forcing her to look at him. "You're not a machine. You're Leela, as I am Trunks."

Leela gazed in his eyes. She smiled. "Thank you."