The Z-fighters, as well as Bulma, Chi Chi and a blue-haired Launch watched as Acia and Trunks hit and kicked at each other in midair with violent force and breakneck speed. A few days of fighting Trunks had taught Acia not to treat him like a child, despite what she'd said to Goku. A few days of fighting Acia had taught Trunks to keep his eyes peeled and his mind focused – she was tricky and unpredictable. This fight was quickly becoming their best and most vigorous yet.

"She's a good fighter," Eighteen commented from down on the ground.

"Impressive technique," Tien agreed.

"Yeah," said Gohan. "And so graceful too."

After several minutes of being on the defensive, Acia was able to grab the upper hand, knocking her cousin hard in the temple with her elbow. Trunks recovered quickly and rose higher, his back to the sun, as he attempted to regain his advantage.

"SOLAR FLARE!" he yelled as he watched her prepare a new offensive.

But Acia wasn't there.

No, she was behind him, fists raised. "Nice try," she whispered as she slammed her fists into his back, sending him plummeting towards the earth. She'd seen versions of that attack before, and had learned long ago not to fight with the sun in her eyes.

Knowing that Trunks could easily recover before he even hit the ground, Acia followed him quickly, kicking him hard in his side and sending him flying across the lawn and crashing into the grass.

She landed several feet from him, fists clenched, breathing hard, fighting the instinct to finish him where he lay. Instead she focused on his energy, waiting for a sign that he was coming at her again.

Sure enough, Trunks was barely down for a minute. Charging into his Super Saiyan form, the ten-year-old rushed at her at full speed. Quickly, Acia shot a ki blast at him, forcing him to swerve and giving her just enough time to dodge him and prepare her defense.

Acia had never been so angry at someone she wasn't actively trying to kill as she was at this boy, this child, who was, once again, pushing her back as she dodged and blocked a flurry of punches and kicks. She had already been putting the bulk of her energy into the fight and was sweating and panting. In his Super Saiyan form she wouldn't be able to hold him off much longer, which meant that unless she did something quickly she was going to be defeated by a little boy in front of not just her dick of an uncle but a whole group of onlookers as well.

Fine, she thought, teeth gritting with the force of concentration as she prepared to lay down her final card. That's just fine, kid. You're not the only one with a special trick.

Penetrating his mind was easy. Not only was he right next to her (physical proximity always made this easier), but the boy had absolutely no defenses.

Slow down, she commanded, and sure enough, the force of her willpower easily overrode his own. Trunks found his movements slowing. He wasn't sure why, but he didn't want to speed up either. This gave his cousin the perfect opportunity to punch him in the face, knocking him into the ground. Quickly, she pinned him there with the weight of her own body, hands holding his arms down, shins pressed into his legs. After all, she would have to make it look like he had a reason to give up.

Go back to your regular form. Trunks' hair flattened, the golden aura around him dissipating.

Acia was covered in sweat and she could barely breathe. Blocking Trunks' attacks while taking control of him had taken every ounce of concentration and energy she had, and her body felt like it was about to give out. She'd had enough of this. It was time to end it once and for all.

Acia let go of his body and stood up, panting. She held out a hand to her cousin.

Take it.

Obediently, Trunks took her hand and she pulled him up. With both hands on his shoulders, she walked him over to group watching the fight. Everyone looked at them expectantly.

She turned him around and, bending forward, gazed right into his slightly dazed eyes. "We're done now." The tone of her voice was not the only thing that made it an order.

Say, 'yes Acia, we're done.'

"Yes Acia, we're done."

"Good." Straightening out, she began to brush the dirt off her clothes.

"Wow, that was a hell of a fight!" Yamcha exclaimed.

"Yeah, it was really impressive," Gohan said.

"I was starting to think there wasn't anyone around who could give Trunks a run for his money except Goten," Krillin said.

"Don't be sad Trunks," Goku said, putting a comforting hand on the boy's shoulders. "You fought really well, you should be proud of yourself." Trunks looked up at him, confused. Slightly apart from the group, Vegeta watched the interaction, an inexplicable look on his face.

It would be hard to describe how Trunks felt either while his mind was being manipulated by Acia or afterwards. He was not anywhere near familiar enough with the different forms of telepathy to sense her invasion of his mind or the way she took control of his will. All he knew was that he'd been fighting as hard as he could, determined to teach his cousin a lesson, and then suddenly he didn't want to fight so hard anymore. A part of him knew it didn't make sense, but he couldn't seem to find the desire or ability to strengthen his attacks. It was as if the commands were coming not just from within him but from outside of him as well. It was an eerie sensation, one that left him feeling vaguely confused and yet somehow unsure of what there was to be confused about. He knew he'd lost, he knew why he'd lost and how, and yet he couldn't explain it, to himself or anyone else.

"I'm going to go clean up," Acia said, excusing herself from the group now animatedly discussing the fight. As she walked away, a deep voice came from behind her. "That's an interesting technique you have there." Acia turned to find herself face to face with…

Oh shit, she thought. The Namekian. She'd completely forgotten about him, even though she'd been introduced to him at the beginning of the party. She'd even given him a small bow; she respected Namekians. Now he was staring at her, arms crossed and an expression on his face that…wasn't menacing, but certainly wasn't friendly. And he was looking for her.

Damn it.

Reluctantly, she allowed him in.

"What you did was extremely dangerous," Piccolo said to her telepathically.

"He'll be fine," Acia responded.

"You must never do that again, do you understand?"

Acia glared. "You don't tell me what to do." With that, she unceremoniously shut her mind against him, turned on her heels, and walked into the house.

Piccolo watched her walk away, his expression unreadable. He had no idea where a girl like her could learn such a dangerous technique, but he knew he had to stop her from doing it again. How he wasn't sure, but he would find a way.

"You felt that too?" Chaiotzu was floating near his shoulder, fear on his face.

"Yes."

Chaiotzu gulped. "This is really bad."

Piccolo turned to him. "Come see me at the Lookout tomorrow." Chiaotzu nodded, and Piccolo walked away.

A/N: A short upload today, but I think it moves the story along quite a bit! Thanks to all of you who have been following along with me. I'm really excited about this story and your reviews so far have been great - please keep them coming!