Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Becoming Trunks ❯ Chapter 13 ( Chapter 13 )

Chapter 13

Trunks decided the most logical place to start the search for Miyuki would be at her apartment. When he and Vegeta arrived, they found the apartment door open and Sayuri standing on the stoop between their two front entrances. When she spotted them approaching, Sayuri waved. Trunks landed next to her on the stoop and Vegeta on the ground below. "Have you heard anything?" asked Trunks.

"Not since I last spoke to you. Earlier this morning, I was heading out of my door to work when I notice that her apartment door was ajar, which is what got me curious," replied Sayuri. "I am already late for work and I can't wait around for her anymore,"

"Give me your cell number and I will call you when I find her." Sayuri nodded then gave him her number, which Trunks quickly programmed into his phone. "Where is the best place for us to start looking?"

"The south side is where we used to live…and the best place to buy what I think she is after." Sayuri looked sadly down at her feet. "She always used to come to me when she felt like she wanted to drink or use. By not talking to me first, I'll have to assume she didn't want me to know what she was planning."

"This is all my fault!" groaned Trunks. "If I hadn't said those awful things to her, she wouldn't be doing this to herself." Trunks pounded his hands in the railing of the stoop, leaving small indents in the metal.

"No, Trunks. It's not your fault." Sayuri took his hand from the railing and turned him to face her. "This has been building inside her for a long time. All these changes are a lot for an addict to handle. You must understand that she made a conscious choice to do what she did. Then again, we can't be certain if that's what she ended up doing."

"Thanks. I'll call you if I find her," he said managing a smile. He flew off towards the south side of town and Vegeta followed behind. When they arrived, Trunks and Vegeta agreed to split up their search efforts, so that they could cover more ground in a shorter amount of time. It didn't take long for Vegeta to pick up Miyuki's scent. From the air, he saw her in a narrow alley sitting on the shadowed ground next to a dumpster. He landed in the entrance to the alley and slowly made his way to where she was sitting. As he came closer, Vegeta contacted Trunks telepathically, letting him know that he had found what they were looking for and Trunks abruptly changed his direction in mid-air to follow his father's energy signal.

Upon hearing footsteps, Miyuki perked her head up. Her bleary eyes tried to focus on the man standing above her. She blinked hard a couple of times at him before realizing he wasn't for whom she'd been waiting. "I'm waiting for someone, so go away before you scare him off," she stated flatly, a slight slurring to her words.

Standing above her, Vegeta raised an eyebrow, crossed his arms and sized-up Miyuki's condition. "My son is looking for you."

"Oh, he is, is he? Why would he be doing something stupid like that?" Miyuki rolled to her side a bit and attempted to stand. Grabbing one of her arms, Vegeta helped her to a standing position. She shook off his helping hand and turned to face him, invading his personal space. "Maybe I don't want to be found! Maybe you need to just go away and forget about me!" With her finger pointed, she jammed it repeatedly into Vegeta's immobile chest.

Miyuki stumbled a bit and Vegeta gripped her arm to steady her. Then he moved his face close to hers and stared into her bleary eyes and said, "Trunks …loves you." Prior to the fight with his son, he would rarely have used Trunks' given name, as he was more accustomed to referring to his son as "the boy", but now, he thought the better of it.

"Trunks is an idiot if he loves me." Miyuki again pulled her arm away from Vegeta's grasp. "He is better off without me. The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt him, and that is exactly what I did. I don't know why he would be wasting his time looking for me." She stumbled back to the wall and used it to hold her in a standing position. "What do you know about Trunks? And for that matter, what do you know about love?"

Vegeta was momentarily taken aback by her accusations. His mate had no problem talking to him in this tone, and certainly Bra wasn't afraid to speak her mind either, but never had another female spoken to him in such a blunt manner. He frowned darkly at her impudence. "I know enough about both to know when my son loves someone. What exactly are you implying?" countered Vegeta.

Well along on her self-destructive binge, Miyuki was not about to back down from an argument with this man who, under normal, and much more sober circumstances, terrified her. "I am implying that you don't know anything about the way your son feels."

After he'd quietly landed near the alleyway, Trunks had hung a ways back and heard most of the conversation between his father and Miyuki. He knew that Vegeta could sense his presence and stood waiting for the right moment to make his way into the picture. Once Vegeta turned his head toward Trunks, he took that as a sign to come forward. He jogged to where the two were arguing and put a hand on his father's shoulder. "I will take it from here. She doesn't know what she's saying," whispered Trunks. Vegeta nodded briefly to his son and made his exit.

Trunks found himself face-to-face with a disheveled Miyuki. She had her long hair pulled back in a careless braid, and her face was pale. The usual gleam in her eyes was missing and her expression was flat as she turned to face him. As smashed as she was, it took her a few moments to realize that Vegeta was gone and had been replaced by Trunks. When the realization hit, she pushed herself away from the wall and stumbled by him, wanting to retreat into the darker back of the alley. After a few steps, she tripped and landed painfully on her knees. Automatically, Trunks moved toward her and helped her up. "I am taking you home," he stated.

"Leave me alone! Can't you take a hint? I am waiting here for someone and if you're here, he won't come," she asserted and she struggled to break free of his grasp.

"How much have you had to drink?" he demanded.

"None of your fucking business!" she screeched back at him. She was still struggling to remove his hand from her arm, but soon stopped when she realized his strength far outweighed her determination. She let out a defeated sigh and her shoulders drooped. Looking in his eyes, she felt sadness and pain, which were exactly what she was attempting to numb when she went out on her binge. Dropping her head to his chest, she started to cry. "I am so sorry I hurt you, Trunks. I never wanted to hurt you. I didn't mean what I said in my apartment. I enjoyed every single second we spent together. You are so much better off without me. I ruin everything I touch and hurt the people that I love. That's all I have ever done." Her tears become uncontrollable and no more coherent words escaped her lips.

Trunks wrapped his arms around her and they held each other for a long time. When no more tears would flow from her eyes, Miyuki picked her head up and looked at the man she loved. "I am going to take you home now," whispered Trunks. Miyuki nodded her head and he gently picked her up as she placed her arms around his neck. She shut her eyes and held tight to him, until they made it back to her apartment.

When they arrived, Trunks carried Miyuki into the bedroom. All of her furniture was gone and most of her possessions had been packed in boxes and suitcases. Her mattress lay on the floor of the bedroom. Trunks gently laid her down upon the mattress and she positioned herself on her back staring at the ceiling, while he planted himself down next to her.

After flying over the city and circling Capsule Corp several times, Vegeta landed by the back door to his family's residence. He walked in and found Bulma working at the kitchen table with her laptop. She lifted her head to meet his gaze as he entered the room and the two of them stared at each other in awkward silence. "Did you find her?" Bulma finally asked.

Slowly moving toward the table, Vegeta pulled his gaze away from his mate and stared at the empty chair next to her. Bulma pulled the chair out and motioned for her husband to sit down. "Yes, we found her," Vegeta answered as he sank into the offered chair. His expression was that of a man who had been defeated, but who sported no visible marks on his body. Taking a deep breath, Vegeta picked his head up to face his mate. His brows furrowed as he scowled at the thoughts of all that had just transpired.

"Is she okay?" asked Bulma, as she placed a concerned hand on his knee.

Placing his elbow on the kitchen table, Vegeta rested his head in his hand and turned to face away from Bulma. He sat silently for a moment while contemplating how he should answer his mate's question, then sighed. "She was not altogether herself. I believe she had been drinking-heavily."

Bulma brought a startled hand to her mouth. In all the time she had known Miyuki, she had never seen her drink. Bulma had also overheard Miyuki's co-workers remark that whenever she was asked by them to go out after work, she always bowed out. "Oh! So what happened?"

"She was not at all pleased to see me, and even less pleased to see the boy. It was obvious that she did not want to be found." He stopped, as Miyuki's barbed words continued to ring in his ears. Vegeta wanted to relate more of what she said to his mate, but wasn't sure how to verbalize his feelings.

He was attempting to hide his hurt and Bulma could see it all over his face. Her Saiyan prince was a man of few words. Feelings were always difficult for him to verbalize, but there were times when his facial expressions gave them away. "I do hope that she and Trunks can work things out. One grumpy Saiyan male in this house is enough for me," Bulma softly mused, as she took her finger and gently traced the lines in his ear.

Vegeta grasped her hand and interlaced his fingers with hers. "Do I really have no idea what is going on in my son's life? Does he really not know how much I…love him?" he asked flatly, as a lump formed in his throat.

"Is that what she said to you?" Bulma tone was that of shock as she pictured the usually calm Miyuki saying those words to her mate, knowing how much he intimidated her. "I know you love him, but I know you better than she does. She only knows what Trunks has told her. Vegeta, have you ever taken the time to tell him how much you care about him?"

"Those are just words! Why must I use words to express how I feel? That is not the kind of man I am. Feh!" Pushing himself from the table, he stormed out of the kitchen and headed toward the gravity chamber. Bulma thought about following, but decided he would seek her out if he wanted to talk again. She shook her head, closed her laptop and went to the office.

At the apartment, Miyuki continued to silently stare at the ceiling with a glazed over expression. Trunks got up and meandered into the living room to call Sayuri and update her on Miyuki's condition. As he was talking, he heard movement in the bedroom and quickly said good-bye to Sayuri. Miyuki had gotten off the mattress and made her way into the bathroom just in time. She ended up on her knees and crouched over the commode, emptying her stomach contents into it. Trunks paused and steadied himself against the doorframe to the bedroom. He shut his eyes and scrunched up his face listening to the heaving sounds coming from the bathroom. When the dreadful retching stopped, Trunks entered the bathroom. He saw Miyuki lying on the floor curled up in a ball and attempting to free her hair of the braid that she had put it in earlier. He put the lid down on the commode then sat down and stared as she struggled to make her uncooperative fingers work against the stubborn tangles. "Do you want some help," asked Trunks softly.

Miyuki hadn't realized that Trunks had entered the room and she jumped at the sound of his voice. Using one arm, she clumsily pushed herself into a seated position, her half-loosened hair falling over one shoulder. "I need to shower," she replied, " I smell like a dumpster."

With patient hands, Trunks helped her get the rest of her hair out of its braid and then helped her remove her soiled clothes. Once he made sure that the bathtub was filled with water, he gently picked her up and placed her inside. Then, he gathered up her clothes from the bathroom floor and put them in a pile of other dirty clothes in the bedroom. Standing for a moment, he collected his thoughts. Inside, he hurt to be this close to her, but at the same time he felt a great sense of relief that she was here with him and not in that alley waiting for whomever. Seeing the familiar curves of her luscious body ignited a fire within him, but he did not want to get close to her because the agony was too much to bear. Remembering her present condition, he feared she might drown unless he went back in to keep an eye on her. He wandered back in and observed her with her head resting on the side of the bathtub wearing that same glazed-over expression on her face. She stared blankly at him as he sat down on the floor next to the tub and propped her head back up. "This w-water is c-cold!" she complained with a shiver.

"I know. I was hoping it would help you get your head together."

After she shook her head a couple of times, hoping to push the fog out of her brain, Miyuki asked softly, "Why are you being so nice to me?"

In reply, Trunks put a finger over her mouth. He reached over to grab the bar of soap sitting on the side of the tub and handed it to her. She took it from him, but just stared at it, not knowing what to do next. He smirked, then grabbed a washcloth and handed that to her as well. Miyuki looked up from her hands into his eyes. "I'd kiss you, but I have puke breath," she managed to articulate with a small smile.

The thought of kissing her after all of the earlier retching noises he heard her make made his face crinkle up into a disgusted look. "I'll wait until after you brush your teeth," he said and smiled at her. Miyuki smiled back. "I've missed your smile," said Trunks, reaching out to trace her cheek and jaw with a finger.

Miyuki looked down at the soap and washcloth in her hands and dropped them in the bathwater. She leaned back and rested her head on the back edge of the tub, still looking at the lavender-haired man in her bathroom. "I missed you, too," she whispered as she placed her hand atop his. "All of you."

He first looked down at her hand on his, and then back to her face. Trunks decided he ought to leave her and let her finish her bath by herself, since he his presence was too much of a distraction. Also, he did not want things to get out of hand, which they might, given the fact that she was naked. "I better leave you alone for a while. I'll be in the next room if you need me."

Strolling out of the bathroom, Miyuki heard the words, "Down boy," as he made his way into the bedroom. She giggled under her breath, knowing he was probably talking to the bulge forming in his blue jeans. This is what I am going to miss the most about us, thought Miyuki remembering the childlike silliness that they shared when they were together. Spending time with him made her forget about being an adult and about her past mistakes. Around Trunks, she had always felt free to be herself, and not have to act like anyone but who she was. Never before had she enjoyed a relationship with a man been based solely on the person she truly was and not on whom she wanted him to think she was.

Trunks, never having experienced a mature, sexual relationship with a woman before, had no expectations coming into it. At one point, he was sure that Miyuki was the one with whom he would spend the rest of his life. Now that the summer was almost over, with the weather starting to chill, and the days getting shorter, he wasn't so sure anymore. Soon his life would change also, and for the first time, he was starting to come to grips with that fact. Still, thinking about all those changes gave him a pain in his chest whenever he thought about her leaving and his going off to college.

Miyuki had finally concentrated enough to do what she was supposed to do in the chilly bathtub. After she let the bathwater out, she turned on the shower to get all the soap out of her hair and to warm up a little. Carefully stepping out of the shower, she grabbed a towel to dry off. After that was done, she brushed her teeth, and combed out her damp hair before entering the bedroom. While he was waiting for her to get done, Trunks had been pacing across the room, and he stopped to face her as their eyes met. "I'll let you get dressed," he said breathlessly and quickly exited the bedroom.

She dropped the towel that was wrapped around her and searched for some clothes among all her boxed-up belongings. Finding a t-shirt and some sweat pants, she slipped them on. Then, she gingerly picked up the smelly clothes she had been wearing and carried them to her washing machine. Her stomach was still very queasy and the smell emanating from her clothing wasn't helping matters. Emerging from the bedroom, she found that Trunks had resumed his pacing in the living room. "There's no place to sit," he remarked nervously.

"I'm going to make some tea. Do you want some?" she asked, not wanting to acknowledge his remark. All her furniture that she had gathered from hand-me-downs, trash picking, and second-hand stores was gone. Her new home would be decked out with contemporary "state-of-the-art" furnishings and paraphernalia.

"Here, let me do it," he said and took the teapot out of her hand. He filled it with water and placed it on the stove. As she watched him move around her bare kitchen, she leaned against the counter and folded her arms. "How are you doing?" asked Trunks.

"Better, thanks," she replied, starting to feel more like herself again.

Trunks walked to where she was and leaned against the counter next to her, being careful not to make contact with her. The two of them stood this way for a moment, until she scooted closer to him so they were touching. A warm quiver coursed through his body as her scent filled his head. She picked up his arm and placed it around her, then settled her head in the nook of his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his torso. "Thank you," she uttered.

"For what?" questioned Trunks.

Miyuki picked her head up and stared into his eyes. "For keeping me from doing something really stupid, and for being so kind to me, after the way I treated you."

"Oh, that," he said as his mouth curled up in a smirk.

Smacking him on the stomach, she made a disgusted grunt. "I am being serious here!" she said, but she was smiling her most dazzling smile.

Trunks took her head in his hands and lifted her face towards his. "Seriously, I don't ever want anything bad to happen to you, and I certainly don't want you to ruin the sobriety you have worked so hard to achieve. I feel sort of responsible…and guilty about the whole thing. I said some stuff I didn't mean either, and I am sorry, too."

Reaching up to his face, Miyuki brushed aside that stray lock of lavender hair from his eyes. She traced her fingers around the outside of his ear and whispered to him, "I brushed my teeth."

That remark was all it took to push Trunks over the edge. He let loose the passionate tension that had been building inside since seeing her naked. He crushed her lips with his own and she eagerly returned his kiss. Trunks picked her up and sat her on top of the kitchen counter; his arms encircled her midsection as she draped her legs around his waist. They continued ardently kissing until the teapot started whistling. He pulled his lips from hers and slowly stepped back from her. Hopping off the counter, Miyuki cleared her throat and announced, "Water's boiling!"