A Cat's Quest

And the world thought I'd had it all
But I was waiting for you…

Trunks stared down the path where Chibiusa had departed.

He sighed.

Girls.

Even with all the attention he seemed to get from them lately, he still found them profoundly annoying.

Feeling blasé, Trunks got roughly onto his feet, picking up and slinging on his book bag. He glimpsed down his front, at his newly dirtied uniform. He groaned. His mother wasn't going to be pleased to see this. As he directed his attention upwards again, something caught his attention. The cat. It sat several feet away on a neat patch of grass, seeming to stare back at him for an unnervingly prolonged amount of time. It then lowered its head to lick its paw. Trunks glared.

"Stupid," he muttered angrily.

Odd.

It was as though the cat had understood, for it looked up just after he said it, tilting its head slightly.

With his nose in the air, Trunks turned irritably towards the main gate. Chibiusa had been right about one thing. He had waited long enough for Goten. It was better that he leave. Trunks lumbered down the path, his thoughts scattered when all of a sudden he got the strangest feeling he was being followed. He twisted his head, peering sideways. Sure enough, there was the cat, following him.

"Seriously? You didn't need help at all and now you're following me? You sure are strange," he said to it. He decided to ignore it, and continue on his way.

Then it hit him.

The cat didn't need help. In fact the cat was fine! And the cat jumped from the tree, the same incredible distance he had fallen from… and wasn't hurt at all. Next, his thoughts shifted to himself. He wasn't hurt either. Naturally he felt sore on impact, but it didn't last long and nothing was broken. He didn't even lose consciousness from hitting his head. But wouldn't most people be comatose after falling on solid ground?

"You're him. I'm 100% sure of it now."

Trunks flinched, snapping around violently. No one was there. Only the cat. He gawked at it with eyes large like dinner plates. Did the cat… had the cat just spoken?!

"There was some doubt, with the way you and she were interacting earlier. But your manner and looks are identical," the cat said.

"Wait a minute—what the hell?! You can talk?" Trunks spluttered, his entire body stock-still with disbelief. There was something distinctly nightmarish about a cat that moved its mouth like a human's.

"Of course. Don't be alarmed," the cat said. "Also, my name is Diana, Lady Diana. Do try to address me as such, if you please."

"Are you kidding me? A cat is talking to me—Wait—I'm talking to a cat! Aye, Chiba-chan called it. I must be crazy." Trunks brought his hands to his head, running them over his face and through his hair.

Diana made a movement with her shoulders; a movement that looked like it could have been a shrug. "Ah, you might be crazy given your track record, but definitely, absolutely I'm really talking to you right now."

Trunks stared blankly. "What do you mean 'track record'?"

'Hey! Trunks-kun!'

Trunks circled around suddenly, watching in a stupor as Goten entered through the gate and along the path towards him. He squinted confusedly. "Hey, are you… talking to yourself?"

Flustered, Trunks unthinkingly snatched Diana clumsily by her middle. She squirmed in discomfort.

Goten's eyes rounded with glee. "Whoa—cool! When did you get a cat?" He patted her gently on the head. She calmed and purred softly.

Having finally gotten the proper hold on the cat, Trunks didn't bother to answer and decided to change topics.

"Uh, Goten, where have you been lately? Like, I haven't really seen you around so..."

Goten stopped petting Diana. He let out an awkward chuckle.

"Oh yeah, well I've sorta been going to extra lessons. Mother's making me. Also, I've been looking for a part-time job, too. So I've been getting home later."

This came as a surprise to Trunks. "A job? But we're only in junior high."

Goten scratched his head then shifted his gaze away, idly kicking the tip of his shoe into the dirt. "Well, we needed the money…so…"

Trunks didn't know what to say. He knew Goten's family had problems, but he didn't think it would come to this. In any case, Trunks knew better than to press the issue. Goten was clearly embarrassed about it. Still, Trunks didn't and couldn't understand. He supposed he really was out of touch with ordinary people.

At last, Goten looked up and his face broke into a smile.

"So are you ready to go to Kame's?" Goten crouched suddenly, throwing his arms up into fists. "I got a move or two to show Roshi-sensei! Just wait until I show him!"

Roshi, also known as Kamesennin, was the master of the Turtle Hermit Dojo where Trunks and Goten trained for years. Before Goten had moved from the countryside, it was mostly on those occasions that the two boys saw each other. Now that Goten and Trunks lived in the same city, once a week they made it a habit to hop on the train and go to the dojo together.

Today, on the other hand, was an exception.

An exception because Trunks had now discovered a talking cat that was making some pretty outrageous claims. Definitely, Trunks needed to see a cranial specialist or something. He must have hit his head much, much harder than he thought.

"Um, yeah, Goten, sorry. I'm not feeling so well so maybe I won't go for training today after all."

Goten looked crestfallen, his arms slumping to his sides. "You came all this way and you aren't going?"

Trunks felt Diana's tiny paws raking at his chest as she began squirming again. "Yeah, I'm really sorry. I'll make it up to you—promise!" Without further delay, Trunks whirled around, cat in tow as he bolted down the street. After 15 minutes of running and waiting hopelessly for a bus, he finally made the call to his personal chauffeur that took him straight to his massive home. Ignoring the suspicious glances of the driver on his messy appearance and the mysterious grey feline, Trunks darted inside, past security and wait staff, without making a stop. Once in the privacy of his bedroom, he frantically closed the door and released the cat onto the floor.

Trunks positioned himself across from Diana, glowering at her.

"Alright, Cat. Do it again. Talk like you did earlier." As the words left him, he wrinkled his nose, feeling as though he really was going insane. He sounded ridiculous.

"My name is Diana. Diana not 'cat'," she said importantly, her head swaying from side to side. "Oh dear, I feel a bit dizzy …and a bit queasy…"

Trunks recoiled in horror. "Oh no! You better not—not here-!"

It was too late.

The cat had vomited all over his lush, navy-blue rug.

"UGH! STUPID CAT!" Trunks wrenched at his hair in frustration. He rushed to the other end of his room and snatched up a heaping bundle of paper tissues.

"I'm not stupid!" Diana hissed. "It's your fault for running around like a madman! Did you forget you were holding me this entire time?"

By now, Trunks supposed he was a madman for real. He held his breath as he scrubbed at Diana's mess. It wouldn't budge. Giving up, he hurled the rug across the room, grumbling as he discarded the tissues in the trash. He rounded on her, "Okay, I don't have time for this! Tell me exactly what's going on."

Diana stared critically at him for a moment, as though wrestling with whether to answer. She said quietly, "You and Chiba-chan…I think you might still possess unique qualities."

Trunks felt his jaw hit the floor. "What? You know Chiba-chan?" he scrambled over, falling to his knees. He leaned in, staring intently into her eyes. "How?"

"Not so close! Sheesh!" Diana leaned back with a scowl. "Now, how do I say this? I know my former mistress quite well. She was easy to recognize because she hasn't changed at all. She's exactly as I remember." Noticing Trunks' continued confusion, she explained, "You see, once long, long ago, you were the Prince and Princess of two alien races — the Saiyans and Moonites. That is, the Moon orbiting Earth and the Saiyan Kingdom of planet Vegeta."

Trunks' shook his head. "Prince? How?—but wait—did you say… Vegeta?" he felt something dark and heavy form in his chest. Vegeta was his father's name.

Diana nodded. "You see, during that time you two fell in love. You even married each other in secret. But the problem was that your people and kingdoms were in complete opposition. One thing led to another, a war among many broke out. The two of you were never able to be together but you both paid the ultimate sacrifice: you died."

Trunks was in a daze as he allowed all she had said to register in his brain. None of it made sense.

"But fortunately, there was a miracle. Briefs-kun, with your last actions, your acts of bravery, you managed to impress Queen Serenity, the mother of Chiba-chan in that lifetime. She became saddened that the two of you were never able to fulfill your dream of a Saiyamoon dynasty; the kingdom that would form if you two were allowed to marry officially. Thus she sacrificed her own life so that the two of you may be reborn as you are today, on Earth and fully human, for a second chance." Diana looked a little sad as she said the last part, yet, she managed a tiny smile. "I was there too…I wasn't good to either of you back then. I was one of those who stood in the way. So I'm here to make things right. My job is to bring the two of you together."

A past life on a different planet? A forbidden love? Sacrifice?

Trunks shook his head in astonishment, still trying to process this incredible tale. "But if this is all true, then why don't I remember any of it?"

Diana gave an understanding wag of her head. "The fact that you two have met once again shows that your souls are still drawn to each other. Still, your memories lay dormant. That some of your powers have shown themselves is proof also …"

"Powers? What powers?"

"Well, for starters your ability to fall and not get hurt. Saiyans were famous for their incredible strength and toughness. Also, their passion for fighting. As you can see, you have a flair for martial arts. These traits remain with you…"

'Flair' was a bit of an understatement. Trunks was among the top-ranked junior fighters in the country! He considered that her words might have been true, though the thought of being a reincarnation of an alien race was incredible.

"And what about Chiba-chan?" he asked.

"The Moonites, on the other hand, have unique magical powers, particularly, Small Lady Serenity, as she was known then. I think you might have seen evidence of it, when she touched you."

Trunks nodded, stroking his chin thoughtfully. He recalled the strange glowing mark on her forehead. It was shaped like a moon. Of course. It was beginning to make sense now. But judging from Chibiusa's reaction, she hadn't a clue about this past either.

Trunks' eyes glazed over. "Awesome. So I was some super cool royal person with badass superpowers? Like Superman?"

Diana frowned. "Yes. 'Awesome'. That's what Saiyans were…"

Trunks ignored the sarcasm in Diana's tone as he continued to fantasize in his head. "Whoa...maybe I could like...shoot eye-lasers and fly and stuff..."

Diana sighed. "Anyway, I guess the real problem now is that your memories haven't returned. When the Princess died, she had used the Silver Crystal to save your former planet. It seems that a new kind of crystal lies within her heart. I'm convinced that if you fully activate its power, both your memories will be restored."

Trunks was sceptical. Diana couldn't possibly be serious. "Wait, wait, wait. INSIDE? If this thing is INSIDE her HEART, then how is anyone supposed to use it?"

Diana brought a paw to her cheek, pulling at her whiskers. "Hmm. I'm not sure, actually."

Trunks felt himself flat-line. "Well, that's not terribly helpful."

Diana brought her paws up in a resigned shrug. "All I know is that you are the only one who can bring its power out. Just a word of caution—once you do, everyone else will remember their past lives too."

Trunks stared. "Everyone else? You mean there are others around from that time?"

"Certainly! I'm here aren't I?" Diana smirked, and a mischievous glint shone in her eye. "Oh, but I think you would be quite surprised to see."

Always thought of keeping
Your heart next to mine
But now that seems so far away...

The next school day proceeded as usual, but for Trunks, it felt like the day was moving slower than ever. His movements were sluggish and zombie-like. He hadn't slept the entire night, tossing and turning restlessly, all the while Diana curled peacefully in the corner of his room. But even now, in spite of exhaustion, the gears were turning in Trunks' head. The entire revelation about a tragic past and being a prince still seemed surreal to him. At first it sounded exciting. Then reality set in. The more he thought about it, the more burdensome the idea of what he had to do became.

"Hey, Briefs-kun, are you okay?"

Trunks vaguely felt as Kyuusuke tapped him on the shoulder. Trunks nodded feebly.

"Yeah, sure."

The green-haired boy made a weird face before going off to join his usual friends.

Trunks half-turned, following him with his eyes. He chanced a glimpse at Chibiusa who sat further back among them. The four had their desks pulled together, facing each other as they ate their lunches. Chibiusa watched attentively as her friend, Hotaru, talked. Her ruby red eyes glimmered, and her laughter was clear and lively. As his fleeting look became a lingering one, she glanced casually in his direction. She made the face of someone who had seen a ghost—like a ghost from The Grudge—then looked away quickly. Trunks sighed and faced away to lay his head on his desk. Just a week ago, he would always catch her staring at him. She was always staring at him. Even on the very first day of class, he had walked in late, sure, but he could feel her eyes like lasers on his back. No one else had watched him that closely.

Lately, things were different. Since that "event" yesterday, she seemed to be avoiding eye contact. When he looked at her first, only then she would look at him—if only for a split-second.

It was weird. Chibiusa was weird.

She wasn't like the usual set of fan girls who would only stare with vacant expressions, declare their undying love or try to be his friend/stalker. On the contrary, she always seemed more thoughtful, like she was always analysing, wondering something. Whenever he caught her doing this, he never felt he could look away. He wanted to know what could be inside that head of hers.

What was Chibiusa thinking when she looked at him?

After Diana's bombshell revelation, this curiosity amplified. Why had the Prince loved the Princess long ago? What was it about her that made him sacrifice his life? Trunks couldn't imagine doing something like that now for anything. No doubt, she was definitely nice-looking. In fact, as far as he could tell, a lot of boys liked her. Maybe even Kyuusuke. Perhaps, even Goten. But that was a minor thing really, because he wasn't sure that he liked her that way. She was just another girl. Trunks wasn't that interested in girls since they all seemed to be into boring stuff that he couldn't care less about. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he realised he didn't care about love in the first place. He was only 13! He had plenty of time, plenty of years ahead to care about something like that.

So what if he and Chibiusa were linked to some crazy episode of Star Wars in outer space long ago? The hassle and implausible task of activating some "crystal" located inside of her was not something he felt like dealing with. Not now. Not any time soon.

Trunks came home around six o'clock in the evening after staying back at school for classroom duties and other things. Finally, after the longest day ever, maybe he could relax.

"Oh, welcome home, Trunks! Did you have a good day?" greeted Trunks' grandmother, who lived with him in the same large house along with his grandfather (the President of Capsule Corporation) and his mother (the CEO). Trunks nodded sleepily, allowing the wait staff to remove his things and bring him refreshments.

"We shall take your things to your room," the servant said, courteously taking Trunks' bag.

"Right," Trunks mumbled. Just as the servant started down the hall, Trunks stiffened. He'd almost forgotten the cat. "W-Wait! Er, I'll take it myself." he thrust past, taking back his belongings.

Trunks stampeded down the hall. He slid the door open and scanned the room. Diana peered up at him from amid the folds of his duvet covers. Trunks glared.

"Welcome back,' she purred.

"Why are you on my bed?"

Diana twisted her body into a stretch, digging her head and shoulders into his pillows. "It's just so soft! It's been a while since—OW!"

Trunks snatched her up by the scruff of her neck. "It's my bed!"

"Hey!" Diana glared in return, swiping her paws in vain at him. "What am I supposed to do? Sleep on the floor?"

"YOU'RE A CAT!"

"Ugh…why do you have to keep reminding me," Diana murmured despondently as Trunks set her on the floor. "By the way, why are you home so late?" she asked.

Trunks sighed. "I'm a student, you know. I have to do school stuff. Are you hungry? I'll grab dinner and bring you back something. Hopefully no one notices. What do you eat anyway?"

Diana giggled melodically. "Oh that. Yeah, your mother fed me already."

Trunks blanched. "What? My mother saw you?"

Diana rolled her eyes. "Well she checks in from time to time it seems. Why are you so worried? It's not like I spoke to her or anything."

Trunks breathed out in relief. Though he didn't feel too comfortable about his mother paying visits when he wasn't around.

"Well, if you're alright then I'll be back later. And don't sleep on my bed," he warned.

Diana started after him. "Hey! What about Chiba-chan? Have you figured anything out yet?"

Trunks moaned and mumbled a short, "No." as he left his room in a hurry. This was the question he dreaded. He wasn't ready to tell Diana that he wasn't going to try to figure out a single thing at all.

After dinner, Trunks decided he wanted to do anything but go back to his room to face Diana. He clambered down the stairs to his mother's laboratory. The lab was an enormous chamber located in the basement of the mansion. There his mother, Bulma, experimented and worked on new prototypes when away from the Capsule Corporation headquarters. As he tip-toed down the stairs, she was hammering away at something. Over the noise, he could barely hear the television. He didn't know how she managed to do two things at once.

"Mom?" he said.

She looked up with wide eyes. "Ah, there you are! How was school?"

"Good," Trunks lied. "Thanks for feeding my cat."

Bulma stopped mid-motion and stared. "How did you know I fed it?"

Trunks froze. He forced a grin. "Oh, uh … a guess? Er, well, she wasn't hungry so…I assumed."

Bulma gave a side-eyed glance. "Say, Trunks, you never told me you brought a cat home. If you wanted a pet, you just had to say so."

"I didn't know I wanted one," Trunks replied lazily as he glimpsed curiously around the lab.

Bulma sighed. "I know you must be lonely. It's okay to admit it. You haven't any siblings or much friends your age. Then with me busy and your father gone…" She trailed off.

Trunks groaned. "Can we not bring him up, please? It's been how long now? It doesn't even matter anymore."

Bulma lowered her eyes, holding the hammer pensively. "I know you don't mean that…"

By now, the room was mostly silent as Bulma put down the hammer and started with a screwdriver. Trunks busied his thoughts examining the many diagrams, blueprints, models, gadgets, among other things scattered around. The place was a labyrinth, a glorious, fascinating escape from the real world.

"Women are impossible to figure out. I think most men can agree."

"Only if you don't take the time to understand."

Trunks jerked his head to the television where the voices came from.

"Exactly! Men are really the impossible ones!" Bulma shouted vigorously at no one in particular.

Trunks watched as three television personalities, two men and a woman, sat on a nice sofa in front of a well-designed set. Trunks puzzled over the theme of discussion.

"Well, we've had our debate. Let's turn to our celebrity guest, the legendary pop-idol, Aino Minako. Mina-san, what do you think is the way to a woman's heart?" said the woman host.

Trunks' ears piqued. A woman's heart? Trunks was now giving his fullest attention as the camera then panned to Minako. She was a famous and extremely beautiful singer-actress. He wondered what she had to say to such an unusual question. She smiled, placing a hand delicately to her cheek.

"Hmm…I think it's really simple. A guy who does things for the girl he likes is best. But romance is the way to my heart, it's as simple as a kiss…"

"K-KISS?!" Trunks leapt backwards with a force, backing right into a prototype of a robotic something, completely knocking it over.

"TRUNKS! WHAT ON EARTH-?" Bulma hollered, rushing over to pick up the model. The rant commenced. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU KNOW YOU CAN'T BE HORSING AROUND IN HERE! LOOK AT THIS MESS! ALL MY HARD WORK! UGH, IT'S BROKEN, ISN'T IT?"

Trunks' face was as red as a ripe tomato as he sheepishly skulked towards the staircase in order to make his escape.

"HEY! WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING? GET BACK HERE AND CLEAN THIS UP!"

By then, Trunks had already fled. Panting, he placed a hand over his chest. His heart was racing.

It was embarrassing.

But when they had spoken of the way to a woman's heart, he thought of Chibiusa and the crystal. He hadn't anticipated what Minako would say.

Trunks mopped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

There was no question about it.

He was in no way ready to do what Diana wanted.