I'd Change History for You

I’d Change History for You- Chapter Four- Life in the Past Lane


I get up and for a minute, I think I’m home. But, something isn’t right. It’s quiet, and bright. It’s never bright. I blink slowly, taking a few seconds to open my eyes, before I realize that I’m not where I was yesterday. Oh! I bolt upright in an otherwise warm, soft bed and look around.

Wait….

I won’t lie, I sigh in relief. I’m not home. I’m….where am I? Closing my eyes, I play back the events of the last things I remembered before I went to sleep last night. A smile plays across my lips. I’m in the past. And…I’m the happiest I’ve been in a while, and all I did was wake up. Mother. I hope she’s alright, but worrying about that now is useless, there is very little I can do to ensure that she is alright. Still…

I get up and swing my legs to the side and am sort of startled that they hit the floor so suddenly. I look down. A couch. That explains it. Oh well, it’s just as good as a bed.

The first thing that comes to my mind as I roll to the floor, is food. Getting up, I head to the kitchen and look around silently. This would not be the first time I’ve had to prepare myself something to eat. Mother is normally busy doing whatever it is she does in her lab. Aside from making the time machine, I would say the time spent in her lab is useless at best. What more could she do? She isn’t as smart as Dr. Gero, and can’t create androids of her own to help us. I suppose that occupies her time. I shrug and open a cupboard and pull out a box of cereal. Lucky Stars. Hmmm. I take a bowl out and begin to eat the cereal without very much relish as I thought I would.

There was no milk. I don’t know what my mother was thinking, but I’m grateful nonetheless.

I don’t even taste the cereal as I’m too preoccupied with the memories of yesterday afternoon. I’ve never trained so hard, ever. Not that Gohan wasn’t good at training me, but his father was much better. I blush. Yeah.

Son Goku was exactly what my mother said he was and so much more. I wouldn’t say she left out some things about him, but she probably never saw him fight as an adult. Let me tell you, it’s exhilarating. Watching him move with such grace it puts liquid to shame made me shiver. I don’t know if anyone else got that rush, but it could be just me seeing such strength in the last hope I had to change things.

Hope was useful now indeed. He is very powerful, but not powerful enough to defeat the androids. No, power like that is unreal. The things they would do to him….they would play with him the way they played with Gohan before they murdered him in the streets. Goku’s good, but not that good. Yet, there is still more hope than I ever imagined to be found in that one person.

I feel so bad being this happy when people in my time are living in constant fear that they would not make it to see another day. Most likely they wouldn’t. The androids would waste no time in tearing whole cities apart, with very little effort. If they felt like having ‘some fun’ as the android named Android 17 called it, those people who probably get no more than five minutes to say goodbye to what was left before the androids patience ran out. It was all just a game to them. But with what I have now, it would be a game they would lose. I would do anything to see to that.

I don’t know what time it is, but that hardly matters because my food is gone and I am itching to search out Goku or Gohan’s Ki. I’m almost running out the door before I realize that I haven’t cleaned up. It is easy to let something like that slip my mind. I didn’t take casual showers in my time. Pipe lines were destroyed and rivers were poisoned, taking a shower was something my mother and I found a luxury only when it rained. I haven’t taken a shower since I came here last. But I don’t consider myself dirty, if you can believe that.

I hurry to where I believe the bathroom might be and successfully find it. Grabbing some linens, I turn the shower to as hot as it can go in the limits of comfort and step in. It feels good and instead of rushing through it, I take my time and savor the feeling of the water drenching my short lavender hair. I take care to wash myself as thoroughly as possible, and just as carefully shampoo my hair. Something I haven’t done in years.

I run my hand under my bowl cut and feel out the short hairs underneath. I don’t realize I’ve been rubbing that same spot for minutes until my arm begins to ache. My thoughts seem to have run away with me again. How can I not think of something that could potentially change the fate of the future as I know it?

I finish washing up and wrap myself in a big pink fuzzy towel. I would have chosen the blue one, but it wasn’t as soft. Besides, who would see? I don’t contemplate what to wear, as I never have, and pull out what I’ve got and throw on an outfit that doesn’t look all that different from the one I came here in. Goku probably doesn’t care what I wear.

I nearly rip the door off its hinges getting out, and slam my hand on the red button on the side of the house to compact it. Stuffing the capsule in my pocket, I jump into the air and blast off toward Goku’s house.

A smile spreads across my face and stays there until I feel a strong Ki signature not far to my left. I look over and am surprised to see Goku and Gohan flying by, staring at me. I stop.

It takes a while for them to stop, but they do and their faces light up when they recognize me. I smile wider and gravitate over to them.

“Trunks, where are you going?” Gohan asks, grinning up at me.

I blush stupidly and answer in a small voice. “Well, uh, I was actually going to your house to see if you guys wanted to spar again. But now that you’re here…”

Goku points somewhere in the distance and says, “We were going to find Piccolo, but he’s meditating today so we were gonna train alone. We expected to see you later.”

I blush again and look down, ashamed. “Did I come too early? I can wait for you guys to finish what you’re doing. I have lots of time.” That was all I could find to say. He’s still smiling and pats his son on the shoulder.

“It’s nothing like that, we just thought you’d have other things to do. It’s only 12 noon. Feel free to join us, the more the merrier!” Gohan stares at me a moment and then smirks. “I’ll race you there.” Is all he says before he blasts off in the sky, leaving me in his dust.

I hear Goku laugh to my side and frown. Powering up, I take off after Gohan, and leave him behind. It doesn’t take long to catch up to Gohan and thanks to years of running from the androids I streak past him and skid to a stop in midair.

Gohan pants lightly and lets out a childish laugh. “You’re fast, but that’s because you’re older. I bet my Dad can beat you in a race.” I bet he could.

Speaking of his father, where is he? Did we leave him that far behind? I spin around and look behind me for him, but he is nowhere to be seen. He’ll catch up. Maybe he forgot something or--- I turn around and bump into something hard and bulky.

What the—

I look up to see Goku’s smiling face and Gohan giggling behind him. I back up away from him and scowl. “What do you think you’re doing?” I snap.

Gohan’s smile drops and his eyes narrow. I don’t realize that I had fallen instinctively into a fighting stance and am glaring hard at Goku. He also isn’t smiling anymore.

“Hey, take it easy, I was only messing around, what’s wrong?” The moment passes and I calm down and sigh, letting my arms fall to my sides. I’m not used to having anybody sneak up behind me. You know why. My eye twitches in embarrassment and my face heats up. I don’t know what to say.

“It’s alright, Trunks. I didn’t mean anything by it. I won’t do it again, promise.” He doesn’t understand what’s wrong and I don’t really want to tell him with Gohan here. I can tell from the look on his face now that he doesn’t trust me anymore, if he ever did.

Damnit.

Not wanting to cause anymore trouble, I manage a small smile, holding my hand up. “It’s not…I don’t… I just, well you know…. I stutter idiotically. Gohan’s eyebrow is hiked and he’s giving me a strange look now, and I turn around. “I’m sorry to upset you, I hadn’t meant to do that. I’ll leave, but I ask that you set aside some time for us to train. I think I can be somewhat useful in the upcoming fight.”

With that I prepare to take off but Goku’s voice stops me. “Wait, don’t go. It’s my fault, I shouldn’t have done it in the first place. I’m the one that should be sorry. Don’t mind Gohan, he just doesn’t know you that way.”

Oh and you do? I don’t say that, but I do stop. I don’t move for a minute until Gohan’s voice cuts the silence. “Don’t worry about it. I think I know what’s wrong. We can spar like we did yesterday and have fun. Don’t leave, we need all the help we can get.” This time my head swivels around and my body follows suit to face them. I can’t risk losing their trust now, not when so much is riding on us beating the androids together. The idea of becoming stronger than the androids someday is something I won’t let slip out of my fingers.

“Thank You. And again I’m sorry, I’m just not used to that. So, how is this going to work?”

“Gohan and I will go first, since he is my primary concern. I have to train him and I hope you don’t feel offended that I think training him is more important than training you.”

“No, that’s alright, I understand.” Mother said that they used to talk about how much potential Gohan had as a child. It wasn’t enough. It would be more than necessary that he train Gohan first. I was stronger and I could wait, so long as I got my chance.

They began their training and I watched with great interest as they went at it for four hours before Gohan didn’t get up from his hole in the ground. That signaled the end. His father hovered to the ground and kneeled down in front of him. “You did good Gohan, here, take this.” Goku fed him a sense bean and the 7 year old chewed gingerly, not moving until his wounds healed. Getting up, he let his father take him by the arm and help him up. “I would let you continue, but I promised Chichi I would have you back by 4. We’re a little late and we missed lunch, but I’m going to stay here with Trunks. Go home and tell your mother I’ll be back in few hours.” Gohan nodded and off he went, leaving a white trail in the sky.

Goku turned to me. We’re alone again. He looks at me for the longest time before shaking his head. “You really do look like Vegeta. If you hadn’t said he was your father, I might not have known if I didn’t take a closer look. If Bulma had black hair, you’d be the spitting image of him. That would be weird.” I blush at his scrutiny, scratching the back of my head as I had seen Gohan do a lot. It was uncomfortable having his eyes on me while we floated in the middle of nowhere, alone.

“Well,” he chirped, “We should begin with some stretches and then you can show me what Gohan taught you.” He lets his Ki break and descends to the ground. I land a few feet away from him. I don’t want to get too close if I don’t have to.

I instantly power up to Super Saiyan but don’t immediately attack him. He doesn’t make the effort to power up and I growl angrily. That bastard thinks he’s good enough to take me like this? We’ll see about that! I clench my fist and launch myself at him, missing.

“Wha---

He’s gone, but in another second he is behind me and aiming a kick to my head. My knees bend as I kneel down and dodge him, barely having time to block his next kick. He’s strong even when he’s not a Super Saiyan!

I suck my teeth and double my efforts to hit him and that’s when he grabs my fist and yanks me to him. I gasp and suck in a breath, choking on air. His fist is buried in my stomach, and he slowly backs away, letting my arms come to wrap around my midsection. I let out a shocked hiss and I slowly fall to my knees in the dirt. So strong! One hit has me on my knees and he isn’t even powered up.

“First thing we need to teach you, training without being a Super Saiyan. I wanted to show you how strong I was without having to always rely on my transformation to give me strength. It doesn’t look like Gohan got very far without the proper training. Luckily, it won’t happen again. I’m going to slow down, and ease up so that we can be on the same level. Get up.”

I grit my teeth and resist the urge to lose the little bit of breakfast I had and get to my feet. I glare hatefully at him. He allows me to catch the breath he knocked out of me, as I just continue to frown up at him. He’s taller than me by a lot but Gohan was taller, so I’m used to looking up at him.

Goku’s not nice when he’s training. His demeanor changed so fast, I had not been expecting him to be this way, even after watching him with his son. I let my guard down because he didn’t look like a threat. But now I know better. When I’m done pulling air into my lungs, I jump back and away from him and fall into a fighting stance. I swallow thickly and power down, my hair falling around my head.

“I’m not going to baby you. I’m going to be a lot rougher than your Gohan and a lot more strict. It’s no different with Gohan, I train him and push him as far as I know he can go. Every Saiyan has potential and I’m going to bring yours out. So don’t let your guard down again. I’m just letting you know.” I growl and attack him again.

This time he doesn’t hit me back, but instead blocks all of my attempts to hit him. I punch with all of my strength and I see that no matter what I’m doing, I just can’t seem to hit him. So I think of something I learned from the androids. It’s not something I’m proud of knowing, but I do know that it could come in handy. Instead of trying to hit him, I grab his arms and he immediately starts to struggle. I pull down as hard as I can and bring my knee up into his face. It connects and his back arches and his head flies back.

I take the opportunity to rearrange his gut with my fists, punching with all of my strength. It takes all of a few seconds for him to recover and disappear. I look around frantically for him, cursing his speed. Nothing. I can’t even sense him anymore. Wherever he is, I know that when he reappears, it will hurt. My arms come up to block my face and my knees bend in a defensive crouch. I can at the very least protect myself.

What I don’t know is that he has reappeared behind me and is watching my every movement. I don’t move until his voice reaches my ears. He’s closer than I thought. On impulse, I spin around, my arms leaving their protective position.

That’s all he wanted me to do. The wind is knocked out of me when his foot imbeds itself in my abdomen. I don’t go down so fast though. I fly back as fast as I can and dodge his next attack. Back and forth we go until the sky darkens.

Suddenly Goku stops and backs up. I don’t let up on my attack and land a punch to his face and roundhouse him into a cliff. With a burst of speed, I follow him and release a Ki blast from my open palm, simultaneously turning into a Super Saiyan. Breathing heavily, I wait for the dust to settle and squint my eyes to see.

He’s there and his clothes are ripped to shreds. I smirk triumphantly. Smoke billows around him and his arms are crossed over his head to protect him. His head rises and he glares at me, then smiles a bit.

“I stopped for a reason, Trunks. You didn’t give me time to say what I wanted to say. That was dirty, but I can see that it was necessary in your time. Not here. You won’t get very far running head on into an attack like that. A battle doesn’t go any faster because you do, you only succeed in wearing yourself out. Now, what I was going to say was, Chichi wanted me home by 8 the latest. It looks about going on 9. I didn’t want to be late twice in a day. Chichi is going to yell my ear to pieces when she takes a look at my clothes. She just made more of these.” He sighs and pulls at his tattered Gi.

That’s when I really look at him. More skin than I’ve ever seen is exposed, making it seemed like his clothes were ripped in all of the right places. I gulp audibly and stare at him. His shirt is practically gone and his pants have tears in the thighs and ankles, revealing pale, milky skin.

Oh…

My eyes drift back up to his expansive chest, and I swear I lick my lips. The man is built many times better than Adonis and has a body better than I’ve seen on Gohan, and I thought he was the hottest thing since fire. But….Goku.

I hadn’t realized that I stopped breathing until air whooshed out of my lungs in what sounded like a long sigh. His head tilts up, looking at me with my wide eyes and mouth hanging open. I close my mouth and blink.

“I guess that’s a bad thing. You look terrible.”

“Thanks.” He says sarcastically and smiles cheesily. “Well, I better get going, Chichi and Gohan are waiting. Tomorrow, meet me here at 2pm, I’ll train Gohan earlier so we can train alone. I definitely owe you for that blast. See ya.” He’s gone in a flash, leaving me alone to ponder my stupidity.

I had been staring like a starving man in front of a hot meal, not even bothering to conceal my obvious appreciation for his body. It’s just my luck he’s thick or I would have been in trouble. This may only get worse before it gets better. I shake my head and turn to head back to my house in the woods. I will be alone again for the night. And it’s early. I could be bored or risk seeing my father. I think I’ll do the latter. So I do a lopsided u-turn and go off in the direction of Capsule Corp.

I don’t go to the house to look for my mother but instead head for the backyard where I feel my father. There is a small spaceship and inside is him, I can feel it. I pad over to the door where there is a small circular window and peer inside. He’s training. The inside is the standard interior of a Capsule Corp space model, but for some reason my father looks to be struggling inside, and four round robots are hovering around him, deflecting Ki off of each other.

What is this?

I stare for a few more minutes before my father’s head snaps to the side, catching me off guard. He’s sees me! I duck and instantly take off in a random direction. I fly as fast as I can to a secluded forest and settle there until I’m sure he isn’t following me. Judging by the way his Ki erratically spikes, he’s gone back to training probably passing my presence off as his imagination. Or indifference.

That was too dangerous to do again, I won’t be seeing him like that anymore. I just almost put my very existence in unappealing danger. I run my hand through my silky hair and groan. Sometimes I wonder about myself.

I have no choice but to go home. When I arrive, I almost double over in pain when a loud roar emanates from my stomach, and I realize I’m damn near starving. In my excitement to see Goku again, I barely got through a bowl of dry cereal. I shrug my half jacket off of me and pull open the refrigerator, bending over and glancing inside.

I grab some meats and bread and prepare to make sandwiches. It’s the simplest meal I can think of because I can’t cook for the life of me. I never had time to learn, and Mother never made time to do it herself, not that she was very good at it when she made the effort. I eat with more relish than I’ve ever produced in my time. I didn’t really eat because thinking about Gohan or the androids made me sick to my stomach and I’d miss meals for days at time. This worried Mother, but there was little she could do to make me eat. I ate when I could no longer stand due to hunger and starved myself the rest of the time.

But these sandwiches have never tasted so good at the moment, and it makes me smile to know that I made them myself. I finish and put my dish in the sink, not bothering to wash it right away. I don’t feel like watching television, not knowing what else to watch besides the news. And no new is good news as far as I’m concerned. But, it never hurts to think.

I park myself at the kitchen table and stare off into space. The first thing that pops into my head is Goku. But I knew that would be the first thing I thought about. I’m not sure what to think about him. I’ve only known him for three whole days and already I have an undeniable attraction to him. It’s not something I think about as a rebound for Gohan because of the relation, it just is. I don’t want to look too closely into this and find that it’s more than I should be handling, I already have my hands full dealing with the new threat to Earth. I should be concentrating on that instead of my dead mentors beautiful father. It’s hard, with nothing else to do.

If I had enough fuel, I would go home, and see how Mother is doing. Alas, I don’t and I’m here bored out of my skull, racking my brain trying to figure out what to do. I’m not used to being bored or sitting around doing nothing. The androids keep at my heels, and I am constantly alert, even in sleep. It’s so peaceful, I can’t think of a better day I’ve ever had.

I don’t belong here, I know, but it feels so right, so natural. I want to belong so badly, but there’s nothing I can do. I’m here to help, then leave. Who would miss me when I’m gone? Will Goku miss me? I doubt Gohan will, he doesn’t know me and I don’t know him. My Gohan is dead and he isn’t coming back to me. This Gohan is just a boy, who has no idea what his future counterpart meant to me. But Goku knows. Goku knows everything. I’ve trusted him with almost every important piece of information I had, to ensure the safety of this time. That’s the only good I can be to him. I’m nothing but a messenger. For now.

It seems cruel to have lived in a time so carefree and fearless, then to have to go back to what I have to go back to. Fate has dealt me an ugly hand but I come here to change the cards. Whatever the future has in store for me now, will never be what it is in my time. I don’t really have to be here to ensure that, but the more help Earth’s special forces have, the better.

There’s more than enough time to think so I get up and decide that I’ll fly around for lack of anything better to do. I pull my jacket back on and head for the door, leaving the house there.

I’m not flying for more than a half an hour before Goku suddenly appears in front of me, almost making me fly into him.

“Gahhhh!!!”

I stop before I touch him and throw my hands in the air. “What are you doing?! Why would you do that?!” I cry.

He scratches his head and gives me an innocent grin. “Well, I would have come up behind you, but you didn’t like when I did it before. So, I just came in front of you. I meant to be a little farther away, but here I am. Sorry about that!”

I huff and turn around, not wanting to look at him right now. “What are you doing here?” He doesn’t answer for a while and I turn my head to see if he heard me. He has a look on his face and he shrugs before responding. “I would have been home now, but Chichi and I had a fight, and she told me to leave and come back when I knew how to tell time.” My eyes widen at this. It’s my fault. And he’s probably looking to get me back now.

I turn around to fully face him and stare cautiously. He doesn’t move. “You were looking for me?”

“Yes.”

I swallow a little. “Well, I was just flying around, you want to train again? I have time for it.” He looks up and smirks. “Actually, I want to talk. But if you feel like letting me have my revenge now, we can talk when you heal tomorrow.” My eyes widen a little more and I laugh nervously. “No, we can talk. Not that I’m afraid of you. You can’t make me fear you, Goku. What did you want to talk to me about?” My words do nothing to affect him and he floats to the ground.

“I want to talk about Gohan.”

Oh. That was hardly what I was expecting, but he is his father. It might not hurt to talk about him. “What do you want to know?”

“I don’t know, you tell me, I didn’t see him grow past the age of 10. You know all about him, tell me what he was like.”

I don’t know why he suddenly wants to talk about Gohan. I sit on a rock that was conveniently there and glare down. “He was…you know, a lot like you, he ate a lot, and he looked very much like you do now. He was taller.”

Goku smiles.

“He was nice, as far as being nice went, and he was the greatest fighter I knew. He was the only other fighter I knew. He reached Super Saiyan at the age of 19 and fought with me until…there isn’t much to tell.” I can feel Goku’s gaze on me as he takes a seat on the ground across from me.

“What else?”

I look up at him. “I just said there isn’t much to tell.”

“I know that. But I asked, what else?”

What is he getting at? I just told him--- he’s staring intensely at me and I fidget under the heat of his eyes. What else could he possibly want to know? “You looked at him funny yesterday and I think that there’s something about him that made you look at my son the way you did.”

“And what way was that?”

“You didn’t look at him like he was your mentor, and Gohan had a strange look in his eye as well. A connection? I don’t know, that’s why I asked. How did you and Gohan get along?”

His question leaves my mouth dry with apprehension, as I contemplate what to say. He’s smart. “We had an okay relationship. Like I said, he was as nice as he could be given the circumstances. He trained me and we became friends, if you could call it that. He meant everything to me, there was nothing I wouldn’t do for him.” There is a familiar stinging in the back of my eyes. “He loved his mother, though he disobeyed her orders to stay away from the androids. He was confident and strong, he was strong for all of us. Huh, I practically spent every waking moment with him. I didn’t like leaving him alone. And he didn’t want me around him unless we were training. He lost an arm for me, because I couldn’t stand to see those monsters hurt him. I tried to help.” Goku listened silently.

“Then he died and things went to hell, literally, for me and the rest of the planet. With only a child to defend it, Earth was in constant danger of extinction and defenseless. Without Gohan, everything was in my hands, and I couldn’t handle it. So to answer your question, yes, I loved him.”

He’s moved closer without me noticing until I see his boots in my vision. He’s looking at me with very little expression on his face and I turn away. “How do you feel now? You don’t feel anything for him now, do you?”

“No.” I laugh. What does he think I am? “He’s a child and I sort of have other things on my mind. I don’t really want to think about him. It’s been three years and I can accept that he’s gone. There is nothing I can do but move on. I guess I have. I feel happier knowing that I’m going to give you the chance to live and get to see him grown, he was 23 when he was killed.” I don’t know how old Goku is, but he and Gohan would have been in the same age group, I think.

So I ask, “How old are you, Goku?”

“27.”

I was right, not much older than Gohan. “That’s too young to die. You didn’t make it to 30 before you passed away from the heart disease I told you about. Things are bad, Goku. I don’t know what else to say. I miss Gohan, yes, but I’m glad he’s not with me. I get by knowing that he’ll see me do what we’ve been fighting our whole lives to accomplish. With your help, I could go back in time and kill the androids myself.”

He gets up and holds his hand out for me to take. I ignore it and get up myself. His hand falls back to his side and he steps back. “I went to see father today.”

Goku frowns and says, “Trunks, even I know that’s dangerous. I know you want to see him, but for one thing, he doesn’t want to see you and for another, you know what it could do. If you came here to change the fate of humanity by traveling all the way here, 20 years into the past, then you shouldn’t do foolish things like that that could put everything, including you, in jeopardy.”

I grip a handful of my hair and sigh. “I know, I know, but I just had to. Once. I won’t do it again.”

Now it was time for me to ask Goku some questions.

“What do you know about my father?”

“Not much. To tell you the honest truth, he’s a proud pompous bastard, but he’s strong and I respect that. Don’t go around him hoping he’ll be nice. He won’t be. His pride gets in the way every time, that’s why it surprised me so much to know that Bulma’s your mother, I never thought he would have a child with a human.”

“I was sort of a surprise.” He shrugs and tilts his head up to the sky. I don’t say anymore. I just stare at him, something I’ve been doing a lot lately. His eyes are closed and he’s quiet. Maybe he’s trying to remember how to tell time. Or maybe he’s plotting. There isn’t much to plot, he could kick my ass with his eyes closed.

One of said eyes pop open and look directly into mine. “I’ve been meaning to ask, where do you stay?”

Why does he want to know? I tell him anyway.

“I have somewhere to stay. I got my mo---errr, Bulma, to give me a capsule house. She didn’t ask any questions.”

“Oh. Say, can we go there? Chichi kicked me out before I could eat and if you have anything, that’d be great.”

I’m surprised. He wants to come to my house! To eat! Why not?! I don’t express my enthusiasm and regard him with a dull, “Sure.” And lead him to my house.

Chichi doesn’t seem to care where he goes when he’s not home. I never knew what she was like when he was alive, but now I think I see what Mother meant when she said Chichi always gave him a hard time. If it were me, I wouldn’t let her do it, but Goku is so nice and innocent, he wouldn’t open his mouth to fight her.

Now he’s following me to my house for something to eat. He should be getting that his house. She kicked him out because he came home an hour late. He’s a grown man, not a child! How does he do it?

“Why did you let her kick you out? Your dozens of times stronger than her, why do you let her control you like this?”

“Are you implying that I would hurt my wife? No, I wouldn’t hurt her. She’s my wife and the mother of my son, I can’t really do much of anything. She’s smarter than me and always wins arguments so I do what she wants …to...placate her.”

I nod, not really understanding and let the conversation die until we land in front of my capsule house. I open the door and step aside to let him in, my eyes following his every move. “Nice place.” is all he says, and instantly heads for the kitchen and stands by the refrigerator expectantly. He’s so pretty. What does he want me to do, cook for him?

“Help yourself, Goku, there are no maids here. Eat what you want, I can always buy more later.” He smiles and snatches open the refrigerator door, pulling out every scrap of food I have and piling it high on the table.

I sit down and scoot back to make space for the overflowing meal. I watch him carefully from the other side of the table.

He doesn’t take the time to organize the food in any fashion, he just eats what’s in front of him sloppily. I look on in disgust. Scarfing down everything in sight, and choking on a plastic wrapped ham, he pats his stomach and belches heartily.

“That was awesome, Trunks. Thanks a whole lot, I was hungry and Chichi wouldn’t even let me have a snack. Gohan also got into trouble, for what, I don’t know.”

Sitting back, he closes his eyes and breathes lightly for several minutes. It takes me a while to realize he’s asleep. I move closer until I’m sitting adjacent to him and peer closer at his handsome face. I can’t believe he fell asleep at my house. What am I supposed to do? Letting him stay here isn’t an option, he has to leave tonight.

I move to wake him up and stop in mid reach. I don’t want to touch him. If I don’t have to.

“Goku.” I call softly.

He doesn’t stir, so I try again. A lot louder.

“GOKU!”

He gets up so fast the chair falls and hits the floor with a crash. Looking around, he sees that he’s not at home and looks at me before he picks the chair up. “Sorry, I guess I fell asleep. I’m just full. I don’t feel like going home and it’s not like Chichi will miss me for a night. I always do this. So how about it, can I sleep here?” I want to rudely tell him no, but he’s pouting and giving me puppy dog eyes. I can’t.

“Please? I won’t stay long. Because I have to get Gohan early in the morning and by then things will blow over.”

“Why can’t you convince her you’ve remembered how to tell time? She’ll let you back in if you tell her what time it is.” It was all I could think of to say.

From his reaction, I was a bit mean about it.

“Alright, Trunks, I was only asking. I just don’t see the problem. You could use some company and so could I. I didn’t want to sleep in a tree alone again, that’s why I asked to stay. Sorry to inconvenience you.”

He gets up and I can’t resist the urge to squeeze my eyes shut and stop him. “Fine, you can stay, but only because you’re so--- I snap my mouth shut.

Idiot! That was close.

“Huh?” He asks stupidly.

“Nothing.”

Again, I thank my lucky stars that he’s so dense sometimes. He walks into the living room, lays down on the couch, and is a goner in minutes. One of his arms is hanging off one side of the couch and the other is pillowing his head.

Son Goku is sleeping on my couch. That’s a thought in itself.

I go upstairs to my room and take a blanket from the closet. I descend back down the stairs and glare at his sleeping form on my couch and walk over to him. Draping the blanket over him, I cover his whole body and move back fast. I spend the next five minutes with my eyes glued to his beautiful resting façade, frowning. I shouldn’t have agreed to let him stay. I can’t do anything about it now. What I can do, is retire off to bed myself and he’ll be gone in the morning. As I go up to bed, I think that one thing is for certain: I can’t let this happen again.

To Be Continued….
It took a while, but here it is. I want to thank the people that did review and hope that you continue. I don’t know how long it will take for me to produce Chapter Five, but finals are coming up and so it may take a while. Finals for everyone, ugh. I am working on another fic, that I have had up for years and I need to get back to it. So, I’ll update when I find time. Sayonara!