A/N: Shorter than my usual standard, and mostly consisting of filler, but since I'm putting focus back on this story, expect some more updates in quicker succession! Do NOT disregard this chapter...
XXX
Tenten and Sasuke bounded through the trees as they hauled Neji, Shikamaru and Choji over their shoulders. Tenten couldn't lie, carrying Neji for all these miles was starting to weigh on her, she could only imagine how Sasuke felt hauling both Choji and Shikamaru. Through the trees ahead, she could spot an approaching riverbank.
"Take a break?" Tenten asked.
Sasuke passed her a glare. In all honesty, he didn't wanna stop, but if the woman was getting tired, that would just slow him down regardless. He nodded.
The two came to a stop on the riverbank.
Setting Neji down on the grass, Tenten looked around, spotting an old house made of wood off in the distance. It sat at the edge of the forest, the windows busted out and vines retaking the structure. An obvious sign it was abandoned.
"How much longer are they expected to be out?" Tenten asked Sasuke.
"A while." Sasuke said, "Had to make sure they'd be out long enough to not give me a headache before we got back to the village."
Tenten looked up to the sky, noticing the shades of orange and blue signaling twilight. "It's probably best we take a break for the night, and finish the trip in the morning." she grabbed Neji and headed for the abandoned shack up ahead.
It was obvious she wasn't asking. Sasuke just shook his head and followed after.
Little did the two know, a pair of red eyes were watching them from the trees…
XXX
(Three years ago...)
Trunks let out a battle cry as he shot at Bardock, the fifteen year old super saiyan throwing a combination of punches and kicks that the older super saiyan blocked and parried.
The two fought on a planet covered in lava, the only bits of land mass available to the two in the form of black sheets of hardened magma. This planet's gravity was hundreds of times that of Earth's.
"Come on, runt!" Bardock goaded, swatting a right hook from Trunks before sticking him with a fast elbow to the chest, "Stop acting like you wanna hit me and hit me!" He headbutted Trunks, sending the teen back.
The son of Vegeta grunted as he went high with a kick aimed at Bardocks jaw, the older saiyan blocking the blow with his forearm. Trunks quickly followed up with a fast high kick from his free foot, nailing Bardock under the chin and freeing himself.
Trunks shot back to give himself distance, the teen snapping back into a battlestance.
The older super saiyan nodded, rubbing his jaw, "You're quick, I'll give you that." he suddenly shot into Trunks defense, swinging a punch that the young saiyan barely blocked, the force sending him off his feet and flying back, "But strength like that will never defeat the Androids!" Bardock said as he pummeled Trunks back, the demi-saiyan hardly able to block the onslaught of blows, "Strength, is the only thing that matters in a fight." He punch Trunks through a mountain of igneous rock, "Strength of body, strength of mind, strength of will!" He disappeared and reappeared behind Trunks, slamming his knee painfully into the boys spine before bringing his balled fists down into Trunks upper back, sending him down towards the ocean of magma below.
Trunks collected himself before he could fall into the lava, the boy quickly going from vertical to horizontal as he shot across the lava, splitting it into two tidal wives. He looked back to see several streaks of yellow light homing in on him.
The teen's body flickered as he narrowly dodged the ki blasts, the detonation of the blasts splashing magma that nearly cooked Trunks.
A larger streak of light came after Trunks, following him through the tidal waves he formed in his flight. Grunting, Trunks realized it was Bardock chasing him down. The second the light vanished, he quickly stopped, putting his guard up to block a punch to his front from Bardock, the saiyan appearing in front of him with superior speed. The force sent a shockwave that pushed back more waves of magma away from the warriors.
Bardock growled in Trunks face, "It's a bitter pill, boy, but like it or not Gohan died to the Androids because he was weak."
"He was outnumbered!" Trunks growled as he threw an elbow that Bardock stopped with his forearm, the two fighters pushing against each other.
"And will that stop you!" Bardock roared in the boy's face, "There is no such thing as a dirty fight! If you truly expect every enemy to come at you on an even playing field, then you're as foolish as you are naive. Your duty as a warrior is to mold yourself to not just fight one enemy, but to engage one hundred." The two saiyan's pushed back from one another, the two continuing to stare down the other, "Battle isn't about glory… it isn't about honor… it isn't even about pride. It's about winning. If your back's against a wall, and you can't engage a hundred of your opponents and pull a victory, you didn't train hard enough… and you deserve the hand you're dealt."
Trunks aura burst from him, the boy shooting at his master with a punch aimed to kill. Just before he could close the distance, a massive wage of magma shot up from the sea below, separating the two fighters.
The two saiyans, now calmed, sat down quietly on a warm patch of land near the top of the planet. It was stuffy, and it was quiet. The skies were perpetually black and chock-full of ash, the calmest part of the planet barren and littered with inactive volcanoes. The planet was miserable, but granted, they weren't there for vacation.
A campfire was roaring before them, a butchered alien animal roasting over the flames. It was kind of saddening, Trunks realized. That animal they found was one of the only ones they could find on this rock. For all they knew, they just killed the only life form living there.
Trunks ripped off one of the legs and dug in. He'd worked up an appetite during that battle, and when he looked over to Bardock, he was surprised to see the older saiyan not eating at all.
This wasn't the first time Bardock had used Gohan to goad an emotional reaction out of Trunks. While Trunks had quickly figured out what Bardock's intentions were, and thus didn't hold it over him, Trunks couldn't deny that when that button was pushed, in the moment, he wouldn't have minded putting a hole straight through the man.
Chewing and swallowing both the meat, and the lingering bitterness he felt, Trunks spoke to Bardock, "You okay?" he got the older saiyan's attention. Trunks looked down, "Um, I'm sorry if I'm not progressing the way you want. I just-"
"Kid… shut up." Bardock said, "You're progressing just fine. Better than I anticipated." the saiyan focused a calm stream of ki from his palm to the campfire to keep the flames going. "It's got nothing to do with you." His eyes were still focused, and dark with concern, something that worried Trunks, "I'm gonna let you in on something, something I've been keeping to myself… until now."
Trunks eyes narrowed as he set his food back into the flames.
Bardock eyed the fire, the orange reflecting off his eyes, "I see things, kid. Things to come. Sometimes it's a blessing... other times, it's a curse." Trunks eyes widened in awe, "I saw the destruction of planet Vegeta before it happened. I saw my son, Kakarot, duel your father on Earth. I saw Kakarot stand before Frieza to avenge the saiyan's." he looked to Trunks, "I've seen the day you come to stand before the Androids."
Trunks blinked, "You're… psychic? That's amazing! Why keep that a secret?"
"It's not something I can control." Bardock said, "More often than not, I only see flashes. Things without context." he shook his head, "Worthless."
Tilting his head, Trunks asked, "Well… did you see something that worried you?"
There was a pause from Bardock as he stood up, the man giving Trunks his back, "Yeah. I've seen people." he folded his arms, "A rabbit from the moon... a bug man… a pink woman." This garnered a raised eyebrow from Trunks, "I don't know if they're enemies… or allies." he looked to the boy, "I don't know when they'll cross our path… or what sort of power they wield… but watch out for them..."
Trunks eyes opened. He lay in his bed, in a silent hotel room within the Sand village. Because the Sand Village wasn't getting very many visitors these days, he and his friends were able to get their own rooms.
He glanced over to the window, seeing it was still dark outside through the thin curtain. Passing a glance to his wrist watch, he saw it read '4:36'.
Sighing, and realising he wouldn't be getting much more sleep tonight, Trunks got out of bed.
Dressed in a simple black tank-top, sweats, and shoes, he walked the empty streets of the Suna Village. He had a lot on his mind. His eagerness to confront the Androids was already gnawing at him, and now there were more possible threats on the horizon?
This bug man… this pink woman… were they products of his world, or this one? If they were threats, were they greater than the Androids?
He shook his head. He couldn't be worried about that right now... One threat to worry about at a time... And he had more than enough on his plate as is.
The saiyan prince looked up to the starry night sky, noticing a lone figure flying and flipping through the air miles above. He squinted to get a better look, and smiled when he saw who it was. He almost didn't recognize her with her hair down.
He flew up to her.
Temari, uncommon smile on her face, twirled around, her eyes widening in surprise at Trunks who suddenly appeared behind her.
"Boo." the half-saiyan smiled.
Temari tried her best to put on a stoic face and hide the thrill she'd just been experiencing, "Oh… hi." she brushed her bangs out of her eyes and put her arms behind her back, "You're up late."
"So are you." Trunks pointed out the obvious, the teen folding his arms as he tilted his head, "You actually make for a really good ballerina. Wouldn't take you for being that type." he held a laugh as her eye twitched and her cheeks turned red. To save face, she hit him in the gut, "Ow, just kidding!" he chuckled, holding his stomach.
"I am not a girly girl!" She growled, her eyes narrowing, "There are some lines with me you can't cross." she folded her arms, "That's a big one."
Trunks nodded, "Noted. Good to see you're having fun."
At this, Temari couldn't help her smile, "This… is one of the best things to happen to me." she bowed her head, "Thank you."
Trunks smiled, "It's nothing. Honest."
Temari put her arms back behind her, the young woman smirking as she slowly circled Trunks, "You surprised me, Trunks. This whole time, I had you pegged all wrong."
"Hm, I'm curious, what was your first impression?" Trunks had to ask.
"At first, I thought you were just some rich boy that liked to spend more of his time in front of a mirror, and less time fighting. And then come the invasion, and you turn into a force of nature on the battlefield." she shrugged, "I guess I thought you were too pretty to be a killer."
Trunks shrugged, "I could say the same about you."
Temari looked at him, eyes wide with surprise, "Did... did you just flirt with me?"
It was then Trunks caught himself, "Uh... would that be a bad thing." he said with a slight laugh.
"Depends..." Temari smirked as she flew up closer to him, "did you mean it?"
Trunks looked off, before he looked back to her, "Maybe."
"Wow... didn't think you had that in you." Temari turned, "Follow me, I wanna show you something." she flew off.
"Heh... I guess Bardock changed me more than I thought." Trunks mumbled before he flew after her.
XXX
Back in the Leaf Village, Team Guren sat around in a hotel, the group's leader out while the rest of them waited quietly. They were in enemy territory, and keeping any and all attention nonexistent was a must, especially with the Leaf's heightened sense of security.
Gaining access to the village's interior was easy, with Kabuto having passed on knowledge of the Leaf's barrier, the Sound ninja were able to walk right on through.
The door to the hotel room opened, in walking two Anbu black ops. The Sound ninja had no worries, Suigetsu asking them, "Any info on Uchiha?"
The two Anbu closed and locked the door, before their disguise shed, Guren and Kimimaro standing in their place.
"He's outside of the village." Guren said bitterly, "So we'll be here a while."
"Shit." Tayuya huffed, the girl laying on the couch. She buried her face in a pillow and decided to just get some sleep. Jugo sat in a chair by the window, the young redhead staring out into the village lights.
"What about that Trunks guy?" Suigetsu asked, "Him and Sasuke are friends or teammates, right? If push comes to shove, our job is way harder if he's in the picture."
"Actually," Kimimaro sat down in a chair, "he's persona non grata. We've learned that Trunks was banished by the Leaf almost three years ago."
"What the fuck?!" Tayuya and Suigetsu exclaimed. Jugo seemed interested.
"Can't tell why." Guren shrugged.
"Banishment." Suigetsu chuckled, "By Leaf standards, that's cold."
Kimimaro sat down on another one of the couches, "Trunks being gone only makes the mission easier. Things will continue as planned. We'll simply wait out Sasuke."
XXX
"Wow… that is beautiful." Trunks said in awe, he and Temari staring at a massive canyon that carved through Wind Country. The two hovered high above it from the point at where it started, and they could see it's end stretched somewhere over the horizon.
"I know right." Temari said, the woman eyeing the formation of red rock and the rivers that wore it down over thousands of years, "Usually it would take hours of travel to get here and see this… but thanks to you, I can see this in minutes."
The sun began to peak above the horizon, the skies turning a combination of purple, orange, and dark blue shades. The two lowered down so they could sit at the lip of the canyon and watch the sun rise.
Trunks watched as wildlife down below began to awaken; lizards, rams, and condors that began to take flight.
"Can I ask you something," Temari got Trunks attention, "well, if you don't mind, I was curious about what you said to me yesterday… about you knowing what it was like to lose a brother." she looked at him, "What was he like?"
It was then Trunks remembered, "Oh… well, he wasn't my brother by blood." he put his knee up and rested his arm on it, "But he might as well have been. My master Gohan taught me everything I know about being a warrior. He was the type of man I think everyone should strive to be like. He valued life to the point it took his own." he looked to Temari, "The Androids killed him."
Temari looked to him blankly, "Your master was murdered. So you do what that's like." At this Trunks quirked an eyebrow, eliciting a chuckle for Temari, "Guess for you it was just another Tuesday, but during the invasion you killed Baki, my sensei."
Trunks eyes widened as he thought back, "Oh… yeah."
"Don't beat yourself up over it." Temari said with a laugh, "We were at war. I would have killed Kakashi if I got the chance."
At this Trunks snorted, "You couldn't take Kakashi. Not by a longshot."
Temari shoved him, "The point is," she growled, "We understand each other."
"Perhaps." Trunks nodded.
"I have another question..." Temari started, "what are you?" Trunks simply looked at her, "I'm not dumb, Trunks. How strong you are, it's not human. You can go toe to toe with a tailed beast, and last I checked, you don't carry, so what's the deal?"
"If I told you… would you believe me?" Trunks said, feeling no shame in his heritage.
The woman nodded, though she was afraid of what she may hear.
"In my home world, my father came from a long race of genetically gifted warriors called the saiyan's, hence the name of my... kekkei genkai." Trunks said, kekkei genkai probably wasn't completely accurate, but it was the term she'd best understand, "When I say genetically gifted, I don't just mean we were good at fighting, I mean nature intended for us to be the best. You hit us, we get up and hit back harder. You fight us, you better hope you can kill us, because eventually we'll just keep breaking our limits and take you down. While a human has limits to what they can achieve, a saiyan's limits are virtually nonexistent."
Temari nodded, "So you aren't fully human… makes sense."
Trunks nodded, surprised at how well the woman was taking that revelation.
While this opened up many more questions for Temari; questions on saiyan history, what they were really like, where they came from, and so much more, she held her tongue when Trunks got up, the sun now hovering over the horizon.
"Whelp, it's morning time." he gave Temari a hand, the woman taking it and getting up to her feet, "Pretty sure my friends are gonna be waking up soon." he gave Temari a bow, "Thanks for showing me this, Temari." he gave the canyon another view.
She gave Trunks a bow in return. She knew he'd be leaving soon… and a part of her was bothered by that…
XXX
The two flew back into the village, Trunks seeing his friends gathered out in front of the hotel they were staying at.
Naruto looked up, the blonde teen holding his arms out in frustration when he spotted Trunks, "Dude! We've been waiting forever!"
"10 minutes, cuz… 10 minutes." Karin shook her head at the blonde's impatience.
"Sorry sorry," Trunks said, he and Temari landing in front of the group, "Time got away from me." Sakura tossed Trunks his jacket and sword.
Kakashi chuckled, "Fraternizing much?" he joked, Bardock let out a light chuckle as he leaned against the wall. Shinhan raised an accusing eyebrow.
Ino and Kankuro passed the two a glare, though for different reasons.
Throwing on his jacket and strapping on his sword, Trunks was now as ready as any of them, "Don't worry, it was all professional." Trunks promised.
Kankuro snorted, "I bet. Don't head off just yet, Gaara said he had something for Naruto… a gift."
The blonde's eyes lit up, "Ooh, I do so love gifts!"
Fu folded her arms, before she huffed and looked away, "So excited, thought I'd be the greatest gift you'd ever get."
Naruto got nervous, "Oh come on babe, you know it's not like that."
At that, Trunks quirked an eyebrow, "Babe? Where'd that come from?" he said with a grin.
"Oh, you didn't know?" Naruto smiled, "Me and Fu've been steady for about six months now!"
"Yeah!" the green-haired girl said casually, "We've even had se-"
"Ah! Too much info!" Trunks shouted and plugged his ears, "Lalalalala!"
Fu rolled her eyes, "Oh grow up." she put a hand to her hip.
"Yeah." Naruto snickered, "That just tells me you haven't gotten laid..."
Trunks' cheeks turned red, and he looked down, a sentiment that made Naruto and Fu burst into laughter.
Sakura growled and shouted, "Stop being toxic, Naruto! Trunks can be a virgin if he wants! There's nothing wrong with that!"
Ino nodded in agreement, though inwardly, she was fist pumping.
The group noticed Gaara making his approach, Naruto's eyes widening in surprise when he saw what the redhead had in his hands.
Gaara stepped up to Naruto, handing the blonde his old ninjato, "A parting gift you left me from last we met… that I must now give back."
Naruto took back the sword, the whiskered teen eyeing it as a wave of memories hit him like a truck. The training he did with Hayate and Yugao, cutting off Zaku's hand in the forest of death, and sticking this very sword through Shukaku's shoulder during the invasion; the latter memory how he came to lose the sword in the first place.
"Heh… thanks!" He pulled his new sword, looking between the two blades he could now dual wield, "Double trouble!" he holstered his new blade to free his hand, before offering it to Gaara in a shake.
"Good luck to you, Naruto, Fu," Gaara said before he looked to the others, giving a bow, "Thank you all for what you've done for me."
Trunks, Sakura, Ino, Lee, and Shinhan gave a bow, Bardock and Karin shrugging as Minotia nodded.
Temari looked to Trunks, "Come back sometime."
"Sure." Trunks nodded. He looked to the others, "You guys ready to get home?"
"Let's get the hell outta here." Bardock said for the others, the elder saiyan pushing off the wall.
The pack all shot up into the air.
XXX
Shikamaru's eyes snapped open; he, Neji, and Choji all waking up at once. They were all laid out on a wooden, root covered floor.
"It's about time you three woke up." Tenten said lightheartedly, the young woman in a sleeping bag… though none of the three boys shared her sentiment.
The boys looked to Sasuke, the Uchiha sitting on the floor by a long broken window, morning light rays pouring in through the leaf bundles that sprouted up and around the busted glass.
"You bastard!" Neji growled out, "You struck us with a genjutsu, didn't you?!"
Sasuke glared daggers at Neji, "What if I did?"
Choji, Neji, and Shikamaru looked ready to get combative, the three getting up to their feet.
"Relax, please." Tenten sighed, really not in the mood for any of this, "Nobody's hurt. You guys putting a hurt on each other isn't gonna change what went down. Just let it go."
Shikamaru and Choji backed off, though Neji still seemed eager and ready to engage Sasuke for what he did. The Uchiha got up to his feet, not at all willing to back down to a Hyuga.
Tenten let out a frustrated sigh, the young woman getting up to her feet to get between the two boys before they ripped each other apart.
Before she could step up, Shikamaru half-shouted half-whispered, "Wait!" getting everyone's attention. He looked to the front door, "You guys feel that… someone's outside."
It was then the teen's could feel an energy signature from outside the door… more than a few of them at that.
"Could it be enemy ninja?" Choji asked.
"...I don't know." Shikamaru said.
Suddenly, a voice from behind the door spoke up, a woman's voice, "Can you please help us?!"
"We have someone injured!" A man's voice followed up.
"Please, help!" A child's voice begged right after.
Something didn't feel right…
Sasuke pulled his tanto, Shikamaru and Choji pulled kunai, as Tenten slowly went to open the door. She grabbed the handle, turning and giving her teammates a nod, the boys passing her one in return. The young woman took a deep breath, and quickly swung the door open.
The teen's eyes widened in horror at what stood before them.
A tall, hideous bug-like creature towered over the Leaf nin, its eyes red, slitted, and predatory. It held in its right hand, a barely conscious old man wearing a fisherman's hat. A tongue slipped out of its beaked mouth, licking its lips as it eyed the teens hungrily.
Its appearance wasn't what frightened the teens the most… no, what frightened them, was when it hissed, and spoke,
"Hello… friends…"
(To be continued…)