A/N: Thank you everyone for all the reviews, faves and follows :)

As soon as they left the Chamber, Trunks was greeted by an eager Pan.

"How was it?" she asked. "Did you get stronger?"

"Yeah, a lot stronger," Trunks replied with a smile, as Ocarin joined them.

"You do seem different," the Namekian commented. "And I don't mean your strength."

The half-Saiyan instantly blushed and resisted a glance at Lazuli. "Um…yeah…uh, aren't you meant to be going in there now?"

"Well, you guys have fun now," Lazuli said and she blasted off from the Lookout, disappearing from sight.

"Is she okay?" Pan asked. "She seemed…unhappy."

"No, she was just being her normal self," Trunks replied. "So, I guess it's your turn now. See you in twenty-four hours."

"Come on, Ocarin, let's go," the child said enthusiastically, pulling on the Namekian's arm. "I wanna see what the Chamber is like. I wanna be strong like Trunks."

"Hey, Ocarin," the half-Saiyan said. "Take good care of her in there. She's going to have some difficulty adjusting to the intensity."

"I will look after her."

"Thank you."

The Namekian followed the child and Mr. Popo sent them into the Chamber, shutting the door behind them. Trunks sighed and headed towards the jet, where 16 waited. The giant Android appeared focused, his attention elsewhere.

"Is there any reason as to why Lazuli has suddenly taken off like that?" he asked once he registered Trunks' arrival.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Trunks replied. "She probably wants some time alone. She'll return when she wants to."

"Very well. We shall wait," 16 said and after a moment, he glanced at Trunks. "You seem different. And I am not referring to your power increase."

"Yeah, I've been hearing that," the half-Saiyan muttered.

-X-

Two days passed and there had been no sign of Lazuli since. Trunks wondered if he should be concerned; a thought that constantly niggled at the back of his mind. He had no doubt that he was the reason why she took off and he rationalised that she had the right to go away on her own and that he didn't have to go chasing after her.

He knew she wouldn't cause any problems. He could trust her that much.

Part of him pondered if he had done the right thing in ending their tryst in the Chamber. After all, it had only been lust and he felt it could never progress any further than that. Anything more could never work between them; she was not someone he could see himself settling down with, not with their history. He wasn't willing to even give it a chance and felt it'd been best to shut it down.

What if his mother found out?

He'd be dead.

But with that said, Trunks wondered if Lazuli had wanted more and that would explain why she took off and disappeared as soon as they left the Chamber. The thought made him feel uneasy at the possibility that she harboured deeper interests in him – but he'd be lying if he said he didn't have fond memories of their time together. At times when there was a lull in the day, Trunks found himself thinking back to those delicious nights and part of him wanted to find Lazuli and continue it, to further explore their complex relationship.

It left him conflicted and frustrated, hampering his training sessions at home when all he could think about was Lazuli. He hoped he'd be able to leave it all behind in the Chamber, but as it turned out, it wasn't the case, chasing him into the real world.

He did like Lazuli – to a degree. Nothing serious or anything, but Trunks could tolerate the Android and know he could rely on her. Plus, she wasn't all that bad as a person, once he'd slowly got to know her. She wasn't as cold as she often portrayed and she had a twisted sense of humour that did put a smile on his face. Their sparring and nightly sessions showed they were compatible –

Oh Kami no.

Was he-?

Was he retroactively falling for the Android?

No, no, nononono.

Trunks haphazardly brushed his hand through his hair as that horrifying thought took root.

Was it true? He had no idea, but he knew he had muddled sentiments on Lazuli. While their time in the Chamber together had been great, he had to move on. It'd been his decision and he was resolute in sticking to it. He had no intention of chasing after her or seek out anything more with her.

Frustrated with his mind and seeking an alternative outlet, Trunks decided to leave the complex and head into the city for something to do to get his mind off the Android.

-X-

Water lapped at Lazuli's ankles as she stared at the horizon where the ocean greeted the sky. For two days she had stood at the beach, thoughts racing through her mind after the events of the Chamber. She was trying to understand why she'd left the Lookout and had not returned to Capsule Corporation since, but she figured that Trunks wouldn't chase after her in concern.

She was a touch miffed that the half-Saiyan had ended things, given how enthusiastic he was in his sexual awakening. She had taken pleasure in teaching him, the kid she'd watched grow into a man and now she had claimed him. In fact, in her isolation, Lazuli was starting to wonder if she had actually started to develop feelings for the punk, which would explain her departure.

What the hell?

She wasn't, was she?

Oh, no.

Feelings were not something that Lazuli was accustomed to: she had spent her entire known life massacring people of all ages for fun and the only person she cared about was her brother. To discover she had some kind of hidden feeling for Trunks; it was disturbing to her. A tiny part of her wanted more than just sexual comfort, actually wanted to experience some kind of love, even though the majority of Lazuli believed she could never achieve it or deserve it.

Should she even bother trying to seek it out? Did she really want to explore that with Trunks? He'd refused to continue their tryst outside the Chamber, probably out of some kind of shame and therefore, she had no reason to even attempt anything more. Besides, she got what she wanted; what more did she want from him?

"Bah, sitting around here for two days isn't going to solve anything," Lazuli thought moodily. "I think I've wasted enough time on the brat. Time to go my own way. I'm sure he'll understand."

Retrieving her boots, Lazuli shoved them on as she huffed out a sigh of resignation and then she blasted off from the beach, swiftly leaving it far behind.

-X-

Trunks wandered through the aisles, looking at the quality of the clothing range, trying to find something that appealed to him. He didn't understand how Lazuli or women in general could do this for hours when he wanted to call it quits after fifteen minutes. Besides, it wasn't like he was actually looking for something; he just wanted a distraction from Lazuli.

"Trunks?"

He frowned; the voice sounded familiar and he looked over his shoulder, surprised to see Mai. "Hi there. It's been a while."

"It has," Mai replied. "How have you been?"

A quick recap of the past few months ran through Trunks' mind, but he couldn't exactly tell her that he'd gone to another universe and spent a whole year in the arms of a woman within a single day, so he settled for, "I've been good. I'm glad to see you weren't harmed by the alien invasion."

Mai peered at him and he suddenly got the feeling that she was scrutinising him, trying to work him out and while it did make him feel a touch nervous, he showed only calmness on his face.

"Yeah, they were fended off by someone who looked remarkably similar to you, except he had golden hair. In fact, that was the same story surrounding the Androids' defeat."

"I wouldn't know anything about that," Trunks said, casually rubbing the back of his head to appear indifferent. "I'm just glad Earth is safe."

"Trunks…I've seen things that normal people would find difficult to understand," Mai said with a soft smile. "I tell you what; do you want to join me for coffee and we can talk some more about it? You don't have to say yes; I don't want to make it seem like I'm pressuring you. Just a friendly coffee."

Memories of a naked Lazuli moaning beneath him flashed in his mind, but Trunks mentally pushed them aside, focusing on the woman before him. If this was how he could move past the Android and keep their tryst as only a memory, then he was going to take it.

"Sure, I'd love to," Trunks replied. "Do you have a place in mind?"

"Actually," Mai said with a knowing smile. "I do."

Twenty minutes later, they were in an open marketplace, Mai leading the way to a coffee stand. After making their orders (his a simple black coffee and hers a creamy cappuccino; he paid for both as a token of his appreciation), they took their seats at a nearby table, awaiting their coffees. Trunks had to admit, it was a nice marketplace, one he'd never been to before. It always amazed him how much the people had been able to rebuild their world after living a nightmare for so long, as if it had never happened. It was the inspiration for his continuous training, to prevent further disasters.

"So, I'm guessing you want to know if I'm the saviour of the world?" Trunks queried.

"If you want to tell me, you can," Mai replied. "I had a different idea on how to start the conversation, but you beat me to it. So…are you?"

Trunks looked at the woman before him. She seemed like a lovely person who wanted to know more about him and he'd by lying if he said he wasn't curious about her. Perhaps he played his cards right, she could be the woman for him and so, he saw no harm in letting her know about the real him. After all, it was something she had to know if there was a potential relationship to develop.

"I am," Trunks admitted. "Though how I got to that point is quite a long, unbelievable story."

"I'm all ears and we have a lot of time, unless you have somewhere else to be," Mai said. "Besides, we lived through the Androids. Nothing is unbelievable after those freaks."

Well, she was very much keen, that was for sure and Trunks found himself relaxed in her presence, willing to tell her the story of his life. She seemed unfazed so far and he could hope that his story would not freak her out and make her leave.

"No, I don't have any plans, so I can be here as long as you want me to," Trunks said, as their coffees arrived and he thanked the waiter. "Well, it starts with the Androids…"

-X-

Lazuli floated above Capsule Corporation, her mind running rampant with wild theories and possibilities and she struggled to work out which were true and which were merely figments of her imagination.

Did she like Trunks? Well, he was tolerable when he wasn't being a pain in the ass and he was an exceptional lover once he learnt how to please her.

Did she want something more with him? That was debatable. She wasn't even sure what that 'something more' really was. She wasn't the type to settle down into a relationship.

She stretched her senses, seeking him out and was surprised to find that he wasn't in the complex. In fact, he was somewhere in the city. She didn't know what she was after or why she was looking for him, but she found herself heading towards his location.

Did she want clarification? What did she want exactly?

Lazuli dropped onto the streets, deciding to walk instead and soon found herself with a marketplace. As she followed Trunks' energy signature, she observed the humans around her. There were couples and families everywhere, all partaking in the peace and joy of the day. Couples held hands with each other, talking and showing obvious signs of being in love and it made Lazuli's mind twist in turmoil as she watched them. The displays of affection disgusted her, but a part of her that was reconnecting with her humanity, that part wanted to experience it. Wanted that warmth and wanted Trunks to be the one to provide it to her.

She had taken lovers in the past during her reign, but they were only human and therefore too easy to break; they never lasted long. Trunks had been the only one to give her satisfaction and she knew it didn't mean he had to be the one for her, but after the Chamber, she couldn't imagine anyone else. No-one else was good enough for her, but she wasn't going to force the idea onto him. Hell, she wasn't sure if it was something she truly wanted or just a dream based on what was around her.

The fantasy of being in love was nothing more than just a fantasy of the idealistic.

Yet part of her wanted that fervently and the other part want to reject that notion and have nothing more to do with Trunks other than to help him protect the world when needed. She would fly away from the marketplace, go stake out her own place and do as she pleased until someone threatened the planet. Hopefully, that won't be for a long time, but it was a better plan than wishing for something that simply wasn't going to happen.

So why was she still walking towards his location?

Seeing the couples be so open with their affection towards each other made Lazuli nauseous, but she couldn't ignore the desire to want it for herself (not the happy family thing. She didn't like kids. Pan was okay). And then she found something that actually did make her nauseous.

Trunks at a coffee table, talking and smiling with…was that the woman she played a joke on to make him uncomfortable for her amusement? She was still interested after that? Wow.

He looked so carefree and confident, not like the last time he spoke to the woman, all awkward and unsure of himself. It was like losing his virginity had made him a different person and an unexplainable heat burned angrily inside Lazuli at the sight of the pair.

Was something wrong with her? She had no clue, but something about seeing Trunks look so happy with another woman after spending several months in Lazuli's bed made the Android want to start shooting ki blasts at everyone again. Wait…was this…jealousy? Was the mighty Android actually jealous? It definitely confused Lazuli, this strange new emotion welling up inside her, but now she identified it, she had to stop and wonder what this meant for her?

Did this mean she actually did harbour deeper feelings for Trunks? Or was it more a sense of feeling that two days after leaving the Chamber, he'd already moved on to another woman, looking to expand his horizons and it left her insulted? Lazuli didn't know what to do, but the sight of a happy Trunks (that dreamer part of her wanted him to look at her like that, no hatred or disgust, just joy) made her want to turn tail and leave. Leave him to his happiness. Clearly, he had no need for her.

And so, she did just that. She turned around and walked away and Trunks was none the wiser. That was fine. It wasn't like she wanted anything more from him. They had their fun and now it was done.

-X-

When Trunks returned to Capsule Corporation, he was in a good mood. Great mood actually, high spirits, to the point that he was humming in joy as he hunted through the refrigerator for food. He had a great time with Mai and they even agreed on another meet-up. She didn't freak out at his alien heritage or his adventures in outer space; in fact, she seemed fascinated by it all and wanted to know more. The whole concept of a potential relationship was looking prospective and if he was being honest, he had not given Lazuli a single thought during his time with Mai.

"You're back."

Until now.

"So are you, it seems," Trunks said casually as he faced the Android. "Where'd you go?"

She was leaning in the doorway of the kitchen, arms and feet crossed and an unreadable look on her face. "Does it matter? I'm back now. Anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

Trunks shook his head as he shut the fridge, a plate of ham in hand. "Nope."

"Really? So…nothing?"

He couldn't work out her tone and he quickly gave up trying, his mood too good to be ruined. "No. Were you expecting something to happen?"

"Oh, no reason. Just curious, that's all."

"Right."

The atmosphere felt apprehensive and awkward between them, but Trunks decided to ignore it in favour of his food…at least until Lazuli spoke again. "Do you think I'm pretty?"

He choked on the ham and smacked his chest to help him swallow, then looked at Lazuli. She still wore her indifferent look, but her eyes were hard and serious, expecting an answer. Oh, Kami. "Uh, I do. Quite so, in fact."

"More than any other woman?"

"If I'm being honest, no-one else compares," he stated and it was not a lie. Mai was a beautiful woman, but if he had to compare, Lazuli won out in every way and he wasn't saying that just because he slept with her. It was the simple truth.

Lazuli nodded once, apparently satisfied with the answer. Truthfully, she didn't need the validation; she knew she was stunning, but the jealous part of her wanted it confirmed from him, give her a sense of victory over his new woman. Assuming it was over, Trunks returned to his meal and even got a loaf of bread to add to his snack, attempting to ignore her watching him.

"Are you doing anything tonight?" Lazuli asked.

Trunks narrowed his eyes at her, struggling to work out what she was after, especially with these random questions. "Why?"

She shrugged casually, still maintaining her air of apathy. "Just curious. I thought maybe we could do something, like go see a movie or something. I just want to do something."

"So why are you asking me to join you? You could go by yourself or even take 16 with you. He enjoys movies, would you believe. You don't necessarily need me."

Red tinged Lazuli's cheeks. Since her return to the complex and a few hours in the gravity room, she had finally come to a simple conclusion: she wanted Trunks and not just for lust. That was an added bonus because they were great, but no, she wanted more from with. She wanted to explore their relationship further with him, much like the couples she saw in the marketplace. She hoped it didn't make her sound foolish, but she truly wanted it and only with him. How else could she explain her jealously when she saw him with another woman? How else can she explain that desire for more? Of wanting to feel accepted and dare she even say…loved.

"Are you…are you blushing?" Trunks queried.

"No!" Lazuli snapped forcefully. "Never mind, it was a stupid question."

She stormed out of the kitchen and Trunks contemplated returning to his snack. She was being strange and yet…he had to find out why. Abandoning his plate, Trunks quickly hurried after her, silently cursing her lack of energy signature, but thankfully he didn't have to go far to find her: she was outside, staring at the sun slowly sink towards the horizon.

"Lazuli…is everything okay?" he asked cautiously, unsure how she was going to react or of what was even on her mind.

"Peachy," she replied harshly, still facing the sun. "Don't you have a new friend to bother?"

Trunks frowned, puzzled and then the pieces clicked into place: she had seen him with Mai today. "Oh…oh…you saw her."

"I did. You looked very content with her. More than you ever had with me and I even showed you something special."

"So, does that make you think I should be obligated to you?" he scowled and he paused for a moment, everything else falling properly into place: her demeanour, her questions, her stiff, uninviting posture right. "Wait…are you…jealous of Mai?"

Lazuli whirled around, her eyes burning. "No, I am not, Trunks. You can go out and date and sleep with whoever you want. The world is yours. Why should it matter to me?"

"Oh, because it-" he started, but she cut him off when she kissed him. Immediately, his arms wrapped around her, pulling her close as she deepened the kiss and he accepted. Heat burned between them and it was like they were picking up where they left off; he felt his need for her growing and she moaned at the heat brewing between her thighs. They broke apart and Trunks sighed, his forehead against hers as they recovered from the scorching kiss. "Lazuli…we made a deal…we cannot be doing this outside the Chamber."

"If that's the case," she panted in his ear. "Then why did you kiss me back like that? You could have pushed me away, but if anything, Trunks, you still want me as much as I want you."

"I thought you weren't jealous."

"I thought I couldn't be, but after seeing you with her…I guess I am."

"Laz," he said and a tingle ran through her at the nickname. Never before had he called her that and she found she didn't mind it at all. "It won't work out between us."

"How can you be so sure?"

"This between us, it's just sex, and I want something more than that."

She was quicksand and he had no escape. He knew that, which was why he needed to end this quickly without hurting her feelings too much, but he couldn't ignore that desire for her, no matter how hard he tried, no matter how hard he tried to exert his willpower, but the truth was he was weak for her. Their time in the Chamber had ruined him for any other woman; all the more reason to end this now so there was still a chance for him, for Mai.

"I want you," Lazuli whispered to him and he shuddered involuntary. "I want us."

"I…I can't," he said and he forced himself to let her go and step back. "I can't do it."

Hurt and rejection filled her eyes before they hardened like steel and all traces of emotion evaporated from her face. She nodded, as if forcing herself to accept his decision and part of him wondered if he'd done the right thing. Would he ever stop wondering that?

"Fine. Fine. If that's what you want, then fine."

The sun sank behind the horizon, illuminating the sky in orange fire and for a moment, Trunks lost his breath at the sight of the glowing Lazuli, but he had to stand by his decision.

"I'm sorry," he said, but she swiftly raised her hand to stop him.

"Don't apologise. I don't want to hear it."

She refused to look at him as she walked away from the complex and Trunks watched her go with a sigh of resignation.

Had he made the right choice?

-X-

"Hm, not bad," 17 commented. "Good likeness."

Safe within the deep confines of the Needle Mountain, Dr. Gero and the like-minded scientist Dr. Myuu stood beside their operating table, a perfect replica of the Android lying before them. Cell stood guard to keep the oni from finding out their machinations, although he would glance at 17 every now and again in hunger.

"So, this is going to help me escape Hell and give me the power I need to kill Trunks," 17 checked, already planning out his betrayal of the two scientists. Just because they had given him a means to get his revenge didn't mean he trusted them at all. In fact, he had no doubt they were planning to use their creation to control him.

"Indeed," Dr. Myuu replied ecstatically. He had been an unfortunate victim of Broly's rampage whilst alive, destroying his chance of revenge against the Saiyans, so he'd been more than happy to seize another opportunity. "When you two combine on Earth, you will be unstoppable. It's quite genius, the design, if I must say so myself."

"Okay, so geniuses, how are we going to escape then if we're all stuck here?" 17 questioned in a mocking tone.

"Oh, I believe I can help with that," said a familiar voice and 17 paused, but maintained his appearance of aloofness as he faced Demigra. "Hello, 17, it's been a while."