After Cell's broadcast, Trunks, Vegeta, and Krillin had joined Goku, Gohan, and Piccolo at the lookout. Vegeta had announced that he would allow for Goku and Gohan to go in next, but that he'd go in immediately after. Piccolo shot Vegeta a look, but didn't say anything. After Trunks was introduced to Dende, Krillin was delighted to see his Namekian friend once again. And since the Dragon Balls had been restored, Goku had gotten the radar from Bulma and used to it quickly collect them.
Finally the time had come. The doors of the time chamber opened, as Raditz and Ranch emerged from within, their armor worse for wear. When Trunks and Ranch caught sight of each other, they didn't say anything as they both rushed forward with a smile on their faces and hugged. When they kissed neither of their fathers said a word, although the two Saiyans glared at one another.
Stroking her hair, which went down past the small of her back, Trunks commented, "And you said my hair got longer?"
Raditz then spotted the new addition to the group. "Wait, I recognize you... Dende, is that right?"
"That's right," said Dende. "It's good to see everyone again."
"He agreed to be the new guardian and even got us back the Dragon Balls," Goku informed him.
"That's unexpected," said Raditz. "What else happened while we were in there?"
"Yeah, what about Cell?" Ranch asked. The looks on everyone's faces were all the answer that the two needed.
"Launch is still waiting for you guys back at Capsule Corp," Trunks informed them. "I'll fill you in on the way back."
"If you want I can quickly get you there," Goku offered.
"No thanks, Kakarot, you just go in and start your training," said Raditz.
"You coming, dad?" Trunks asked Vegeta.
"No, I'm going to wait here and get back into the time chamber as soon as possible," he answered, not noticing the derisive glares Piccolo and Radiz shot at him.
"Suit yourself," Trunks said.
"Alright, Piccolo, until tomorrow," Radiz told him. Turning to Goku, he said, "See you soon, brother. Make sure you push yourself."
"Come on, bro, that goes without saying!"
"Bye, Gohan," Ranch said, clapping her cousin on the shoulder. "You'll be a Super Saiyan next time I see you, I know it!"
Gohan nodded. "Thanks, Ranch! And we can have a rematch."
Without further ado, Goku and Gohan entered the time chamber together. After Mr. Popo gave Ranch and Raditz back their clothes, they changed back into them, and then they took to the sky with Trunks.
So on the way to Capsule Corp, Trunks gave them a breakdown of what happened since they had entered the chamber. When he got to the part where Krillin had spared 18, Ranch clenched her teeth angrily and glared at Krillin, who cringed, but she stayed silent. When Trunks explained his failure after powering up to grade 3, Ranch said in dismay, "Yeah, I found out about that power, too. Then dad put me in my place. Wait, so how did you survive?"
"Because Cell let me live."
"I'm obviously glad he did, but why?" she asked in confusion. After Trunks explained to them Cell's insane idea to hold some sort of tournament with the world at stake, Ranch sighed tiredly. "I hate to say it, dad, but if Vegeta and Trunks couldn't beat him, I don't see how we can."
"We'll figure something out, sweetheart," Raditz assured her. "Who knows, going back in with Piccolo tomorrow may help."
"You're actually going back in so soon?" she asked.
"Yes. He says that he has some kind of training in mind for me" Raditz grinned. "I'm curious to see what he has in store."
"Good luck convincing my dad," said Trunks. "He seems dead set in going back tomorrow, too."
"One thing at a time," Raditz said offhandedly. "For now I just want to get back to the family."
They got back to Capsule Corp and landed on the lawn by the crater. "Whoa, what happened here?" Ranch asked.
"Dad and I had a disagreement," Trunks said shortly.
"About what?"
Before he could answer, a voice from up above, called out, "Raditz!" Launch appeared on the balcony, and jumped over without hesitation. Raditz caught her and they kissed deeply.
"We've got a big meal prepped for you two, honey" Launch said.
"Excellent! I've missed your cooking," Raditz cried joyously, carrying her inside.
Krillin was going to followed them, when Ranch sharply said, "So…Krillin…"
"R…Ranch," Krillin replied hesitantly.
"Mind telling me why you let that bimbo go only for her to get absorbed?"
"Yeah, um, I know that was stupid."
"And you brought the tall one here to get fixed."
Giving her a sideways look, Krillin said, "Look, I know you said you'd—"
"Yeah, I did, but I'm not going to," Ranch cut in, waving it off in exasperation. "If I was going to deck ya, I'd have done it the second I heard."
"So you're really not?"
"No, 'cause if I did then I'd have to do the same to Vegeta, and that's not a fight I want to have right now," she explained.
"Ranch, please don't hit my dad," Trunks asked quietly.
"I'll try not to," she said, making her way inside.
"Kind of hypocritical, don't you think?" Krillin asked Trunks in an undertone. "Especially since yester—"
"Quiet!" Trunks quickly hushed, as they followed.
Inside Raditz, Ranch, and Trunks sat at the dinner table and began wolfing down everything that was put down in front of them. While the food in the time chamber was good enough, it didn't compare to an expertly prepared home cooked meal. Once there wasn't a scrap of food left, they sat back in their chairs satisfied.
"Thanks, mom. Thanks, Aunt Chi-Chi," Ranch complimented, patting her stomach. "You two never slouched when I came to food."
"Hey, don't forget who bought all that," Bulma chimed in, carrying a bundle of clothes.
"Right. Thanks, Bulma."
"By the way, Bulma, I really appreciate you putting up my family for this long," Raditz said. "And if it's alright, could we stay just one more night?"
"Sure, no problem," she replied. "In fact, I insist!"
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it," said Bulma, her tone rather superior. "Besides, it's nice having a playmate around for Trunks." She looked over at the two babies that were playing together nearby.
Trunks then said, "Now that that's settled, what's the plan? Just wait for Goku to get out of the chamber?"
"Probably," Ranch said. She then looked over at Launch, and asked, "Hey, mom, mind doing something about my hair? It's a bit out of control."
"More than a bit, I'd say," Raditz commented.
"Look who's talking," said Chi-Chi.
"Actually," Launch said, "we already have plans to get you a proper haircut."
"That's right." Bulma tossed Ranch the clothes she brought out. "Go and change. We're going out."
"Really? Where?" Ranch asked in surprise.
Bulma, Launch, and Chi-Chi all smiled at each other. "We're having ourselves a girl's day out."
"Now of all times?" she asked, flabbergasted. "With Cell still out there?"
"Tell me, what exactly are you going to do about that at the moment?" asked Chi-Chi. When Ranch was at a loss for words, she looked to Trunks and Raditz, both of whom didn't have an answer either. "You see?"
Still rather reluctant, Ranch changed into the t-shirt and jeans that was provided to her, and she met with her mom, aunt, and Bulma, all of whom practically shoved her out the door. Raditz was going to follow but was held back by Trunks, who explained, "Mom said that it's for the girls, remember?"
"Then what are we supposed to do?" Raditz asked, rather annoyed.
"Hey, we can't just leave Krillin to watch the kids all by himself, right?" Trunks said, pointing out the babies nearby.
Raditz's attitude turned completely around. "Sweetheart!" he exclaimed, going to his baby daughter and picking her up. "It's been so long!"
The first stop for them was a salon. As soon as Bulma walked in the owner immediately went up to her and treated her like royalty. "Bulma! A pleasure to see you as always! Would you like the usual today?"
"Actually no," Bulma told her. She brought Ranch front and center. "This lovely young woman will be your customer today, and I want the deluxe for her. Everything will be on me so don't hold back."
"Wait," Ranch tried to say, "just how expe—" But Ranch was immediately swept up by the employees, and was plopped down onto a chair.
They then proceeded to work on the long, tangled mess that was Ranch's hair. Gunk was slathered on her face, her nails began to get filed, and her boots were taken off so that they could attack her feet. All the while Ranch had to suppress her defensive instincts, since everything they were doing to her made her extremely uncomfortable. Her hair was being cut, and she felt it get progressively lighter as more of it was cut off before eventually getting shampooed.
After what seemed like an eternity, the employees at the salon seemed to be done. The gunk was taken off her face, only to be replaced by what seemed like a mound of makeup, and her nails seemed to sparkle. Upon getting up from the chair and looking in the mirror, Ranch barely recognized herself. Her hair was cut down to her mid back; when she ran her fingers through her hair it felt noticeably lighter and softer. They somehow even made it so that her scar didn't clash with the work they did on her face.
When Bulma paid up while leaving a generous tip, Ranch was whisked away to their next stop. They were now in a shop with some of the most impractical but pretty clothing that Ranch had ever seen. Her measurements were then taken, while Launch, Chi-Chi, and Bulma started grabbing all kind of clothes off the racks. From there they had Ranch put on a kind of fashion show for them. She ended up trying on outfit after outfit, consistently indulging the wishes of the others.
Eventually, the three had decided on a red dress that they thought was absolutely stunning on Ranch. She was also given a matching handbag and high heeled shoes. Ranch was rather unsure about that but went ahead with it. When she put the shoes on, Ranch tried to walk in them, but almost immediately fell over.
"Mom, you should get little me used to these things as soon as you can," Ranch groaned, taking the shoes off and standing.
"No matter, these look just as good with that," Bulma said, handing her similar shoes but with shorter heels.
While Bulma ended up paying for practically everything she tried on, Ranch was going to change out of the dress, but she was stopped by her mother, who told her to wear it out. The sun had started to go down while they were in the shop. Walking down the street, Ranch actually thought she looked good, despite how conceited that might have been. But at the same time she couldn't stop thinking about the silliness of how impractical the outfit was. "So where are we going now?" asked Ranch.
"Well, back while you were changing, I made some calls," Bulma told her.
The four ended up outside of a fancy looking restaurant, and Ranch was looking at menu posted in front of the door. She hadn't even heard of half the stuff on it. Behind her, she heard, "Oh…wow…." Ranch then noticed that Trunks showed up in his own fancy outfit, seemingly blown away by her appearance. "Hi, Ranch…you, um, look great!"
Blushing despite herself, she replied, "You don't look half bad, either."
With a mischievous grin, Bulma inserted a plastic card into Ranch's purse. "Have fun, you two! Mention that you're with the Briefs, flash that card, and you'll be all set. And don't you worry about the money, just have make sure to have a good time." Leaning into Ranch's ear, she added quietly, "Don't be afraid to be out all night." Leaving Ranch blushing more than ever, Bulma went to Trunks and hugged him. "See you later, sweetie."
"Bye, enjoy your date," Launch told Ranch.
"I will, mom."
"Thanks for indulging us, Ranch," Chi-Chi said.
"No problem, it was…mostly fun."
The three mothers left in Bulma's car and left the two alone. Ranch and Trunks looked at each other, and entered the restaurant. Just like Bulma said, as soon as Ranch mentioned the Briefs and showed her the card, the owner appeared out of nowhere and led the couple to the best table they had. They were presented with a menu, and the waiter stood by patiently as the two looked it over.
"So, I had a talk with your dad while you were gone," Trunks started off after they ordered drinks.
"About what?" asked Ranch hesitantly.
Trunks sighed. "He thinks we should just head back to our time now that we're strong enough to take out the cyborgs there."
"You mean after Cell is done for, right?" she questioned.
"…No."
"That's crazy! How can we just leave in the middle of all this?"
"That's pretty much what I told him."
Ranch scoffed. "Screw that. I'm not leaving."
"You mean, we're not leaving," Trunks corrected, as the drinks were brought to the table. "I can't really blame him, though. He's not sure if we can beat Cell or not, so he at least wants you to go back where you're guaranteed a win."
"I suppose that makes sense," Ranch admitted, picking up her glass. "But we're still not leaving."
They sat in silence for a minute or two, sipping their drinks and waiting for the food that they ordered. Then Ranch said, "This is weird."
Trunks was about to ask how, but when he thought about it, he replied, "Yeah, I know what you mean. We've had relaxing days, sure, but nothing like this."
"All of this is just so…extravagant," Ranch said, looking around. Even the fact that most of the people around them were talking about Cell and the threat he posed didn't change the fact that everything felt so peaceful.
"Well, there is one thing that isn't weird."
"Yeah? What?"
Trunks reached over and held her hand. "The fact that we're out together enjoying ourselves."
Ranch smiled and gripped his hand back.
A little later when their orders came and they began eating, their discussion went back to business. "So," Ranch began, "you going back in the chamber with your dad?"
"I'll probably go back in, yeah, but I think my dad wants to go it alone," Trunks said. "What about you?"
"I mean I would, but I'm not too keen on the idea of going in by myself," she admitted. "And from what I heard, I think that you're only allowed to go in for forty-eight hours. So since my dad's going back in with Piccolo it can't be him."
"You know…we could go in together," he offered.
Caught off guard, she replied, "We…could…"
"I'm sensing a 'but' coming."
Giving him an apologetic look, she said, "Trunks, I love you, but don't you think that a year alone in that environment of all places wouldn't be the best thing for us? We might end up at each other's throats by the end of it." Trunks didn't give her a reply, and she noticed that he was blushing deeply. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, it's just…. I love you, too."
It just hit Ranch just how casually and out of nowhere Ranch had said those words. It wasn't as if she had anything to be embarrassed about. After all, they both have felt that way about each other for years, and while they've mostly put those feelings to action recently, they really haven't done so verbally—until now. When the rather awkward moment passed, they both relaxed.
"Maybe you're right," said Trunks. "Still, I think we should give it a try and stick it out for as long as we can."
Ranch shrugged. "If you really think we should try I'm with you." Then she grinned at him. "Just be ready for me to drop some surprises."
Trunks grinned back at her. "I'll be looking forward to it."
After dinner, they weren't sure what to do next. Eventually they decided to go to walk through the nearby park. At a dimly lit bench, the two sat down and after an attempt at more conversation, they instead ended up making out. The time that they spent on that bench was nothing short of outstanding. For the first time in a long time they managed to forget about all their troubles, and they simply focused on nothing else but each other. The passion between them seemed to pour out, and as things got hot and heavy they became more handsy.
Trunks and Ranch were so focused, in fact, that at first they didn't hear the voice of someone trying to interrupt. "Hey! I said hand over your money!" It was some guy brandishing a knife at them. They paused for a moment to peek at the guy, thought nothing of it, and went back to making out. "You got a death wish or something?" he demanded, taking a few steps closer to them as he made stabbing gestures. "I want—" Ranch unraveled her tail beneath her dress, and smacked the would-be assailant, sending him flying away, all the while not breaking the kiss. From there time seemed to slip away.
"It's getting late," Trunks commented, his forehead pressed against hers.
"It is," Ranch said. "Trunks…"
"Yeah?"
"I love you," she said again.
He repeated, "I love you, too."
"And…I don't want to go back tonight," Ranch told him quietly.
"We d—don't have to," Trunks stammered, trying to sound confident. "Um, mom left that card with you, right?"
Ranch nodded. Silently, they stood back up, and held on to each other as they walked out of the park on the lookout for a hotel.